Yugioh: Worlds Collide

Chapters

Chapter 1: New Beginnings
Chapter 5: The Greatest Showman
Chapter 25: The Fan Club
Chapter 36: Road to the Friendship Games
Chapter 49: Back to Basics
Chapter 61: The Crystal Gala
Chapter 74: Hometown Hero
Chapter 94: Tops Speed
Chapter 110: The Dragon Lands
Chapter 116: Early Days
Chapter 128: Meeting the Master
Chapter 145: Menu Venue
Chapter 158: Role Models
Chapter 171: Blast from the... Future?
Chapter 183: Onto the Next Phase
Chapter 186: Return to the Spirit World
Chapter 2: Surviving the Tempest
Chapter 3: Welcome Home
Chapter 4: This is me
Chapter 6: Meeting the girls
Chapter 7: Triple Threat
Chapter 8: A Day in Canterlot
Chapter 9: Shocking Revelations
Chapter 10: An Apple A Day
Chapter 11: The Underground
Chapter 12: Calm Before the Storm
Chapter 13: Off to a Great Start
Chapter 14: A Gem of a Time
Chapter 15: A Tasting Treat
Chapter 16: An Unlikely Meeting
Chapter 17: Fire and Ice
Chapter 18: Wrath of a Women's Scorn
Chapter 19: A Promise Kept
Chapter 20: The City Boy and the Country Gal
Chapter 21: Suffering
Chapter 22: Face to Face
Chapter 23: Fall Formal Finals: Isaac vs Sunset
Chapter 24: Lesson Zero
Chapter 26: New Innovations
Chapter 27: A Generous Day/Evening
Chapter 28: Dia de los Muertos
Chapter 29: Teach Time
Chapter 30: A Day Filled with Kindness
Chapter 31: Field Trip
Chapter 32: A Magician's Return
Chapter 33: Studying Time
Chapter 34: The Winter Ball
Chapter 35: Back to School
Chapter 37: Doppelgangers
Chapter 38: The Plan
Chapter 39: Fluttershy v. Sour Sweet-Round 1
Chapter 40: Applejack v. Sugarcoat- Round 2
Chapter 41: Isaac v. Shining Armor- Round 3
Chapter 42: Sunset v. Twilight- Round 4
Chapter 43: Battle Break
Chapter 44: Rarity v. Sunny Flare- Round 5
Chapter 45: Pinkie Pie v. Lemon Zest- Round 6
Chapter 46: Rainbow Dash v. Indigo Zap- Round 7
Chapter 47: Winner Take All
Chapter 48: The King of Kings
Chapter 50: Animal Bonding
Chapter 51: Appleloosa Road Trip
Chapter 52: The Encounter
Chapter 53: Taking on a God
Chapter 54: Sibling Time
Chapter 55: The Spring Fling
Chapter 56: The Graduation Duel
Chapter 57: Stuck in the Library
Chapter 58: Camp Everfree
Chapter 59: Imitations
Chapter 60: Gaea Everfree
Chapter 62: Summer Job
Chapter 63: Meeting a Superstar
Chapter 64: Inspiration
Chapter 65: The Sleepover
Chapter 66: The Birthday Boy
Chapter 67: The Wedding
Chapter 68: Relationship 101
Chapter 69: Love Triangle
Chapter 70: The City That Never Sleeps
Chapter 71: The City of Brotherly Love
Chapter 72: Legends
Chapter 73: Lady Luck
Chapter 75: Duos Cup
Chapter 76: Power Couple
Chapter 77: Back to Canterlot
Chapter 78: The Announcement
Chapter 79: First Challenge
Chapter 80: Photosynthesis
Chapter 81: Goddess of the Sun
Chapter 82: The Retirement Duel
Chapter 83: Acceptance
Chapter 84: Spirits
Chapter 85: Christmas Album
Chapter 86: Valentine's Day
Chapter 87: Pendulum Power
Chapter 88: Flurry Heart
Chapter 89: Let the Games Begin
Chapter 90: Cold Feet
Chapter 91: Too Hot to Handle
Chapter 92: Robots
Chapter 93: Thorns
Chapter 95: The Gamemaster
Chapter 96: Turbo Duels
Chapter 97: Spirit World
Chapter 98: Reality
Chapter 99: Summer Plans
Chapter 100: Incident in Ponyville
Chapter 101: Boutique Mishap
Chapter 102: First Duel
Chapter 103: Sweet Apple Acres
Chapter 104: Jealousy
Chapter 105: Everfree Forest
Chapter 106: Summer Sun Celebration
Chapter 107: The First Leader
Chapter 108: Cloudsdale
Chapter 109: Ambitions
Chapter 111: Ponyville Schoolhouse
Chapter 112: Discord
Chapter 113: The Crystal Empire
Chapter 114: The Frost King Cometh
Chapter 115: Icon vs Icon
Chapter 117: First Exposure
Chapter 118: Tartarus
Chapter 119: Summer Snow
Chapter 120: Independence
Chapter 121: Showdown at sundown
Chapter 122: Defending the Homefront
Chapter 123: Friends till the End
Chapter 124: Battle Royale
Chapter 125: Goodbye Equestria
Chapter 126: Anniversary
Chapter 127: End of an Era
Chapter 129: Third Year
Chapter 130: New Students
Chapter 131: Test Evaluations
Chapter 132: Running the Gauntlet
Chapter 133: One Final Beat
Chapter 134: Smitten
Chapter 135: Family
Chapter 136: Diamond in the Rough
Chapter 137: Scorch Marks
Chapter 138: Influence
Chapter 139: Popularity
Chapter 140: Sports Entertainment
Chapter 141: Opening Round
Chapter 142: Pride before the Fall
Chapter 143: Animal Kingdom
Chapter 144: Beauty and Brawn
Chapter 146: Closing First Round
Chapter 147: Black and White
Chapter 148: Wild Force
Chapter 149: Girl Power
Chapter 150: Securing the Final Spot
Chapter 151: Battle Birds
Chapter 152: Nature vs Nurture
Chapter 153: The Final Round
Chapter 154: Star Making Moment
Chapter 155: Hall of Fame
Chapter 156: Movie Magic
Chapter 157: Nightmare Night
Chapter 159: School Duties
Chapter 160: Trauma
Chapter 161: The Hangout
Chapter 162: Random Stuff
Chapter 163: Holidays Unwrapped
Chapter 164: Hanging with Spirits
Chapter 165: New Year's Sitting
Chapter 166: Training
Chapter 167: Power Plays
Chapter 168: Frenemies
Chapter 169: Zing Zang Zoom
Chapter 170: Crushes
Chapter 172: Sibling Disagreements
Chapter 173: Spring Breakdown
Chapter 174: Speed Duel
Chapter 175: Star Swirl Music Festival
Chapter 176: Smile
Chapter 177: Forgotten Friendship
Chapter 178: Chain of Memories
Chapter 179: Substitute Teacher
Chapter 180: Return of a Familiar Face
Chapter 181: Unsanctioned Match
Chapter 182: Severed
Chapter 184: Uprooted
Chapter 185: Greater Evil
Chapter 187: The Last Stand
Chapter 188: The Homecoming Duel
Chapter 189: Boyfriends
Chapter 190: Action Duel
Chapter 191: Build Up
Chapter 192: Ironman Match
Chapter 193: Rest
Chapter 194: Exam #1
Chapter 195: Exam #2
Chapter 196: Exam #3
Chapter 197: Exam #4
Chapter 198: Exam #5
Chapter 199: Exam #6
Chapter 200: Exam #7
Chapter 201: Mark of Mastery
Chapter 202: Prom Night
Chapter 203: The Final Duel
Epilogue

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

Author's Note

As you know, Yugioh has some cards that differ from what the show does. For example some cards in the show don't use it's anime effects. So for this story I'll be using the anime effects to make this story more interesting. Also there will be some made up cards in this story, but I'll make sure I explain what they do. With that said I hope you enjoy this story and feel free to tell me your opinions on it.

Chapter 1: New Beginnings

What does dueling mean to you? To some it represents power, a way to crush your opponents and make them cowl at your feet. To others it provides a way for you to have fun; a way you can relax with your friends and not show a care in the world. One thing that everybody can agree on is that dueling is a way to show your skills against your opponent. It tests how much confidence you have as a person; it shows the bonds you have with the creatures that reside in your deck. What do I duel for, well to be honest I'm not sure?

Another day, another morning. The sun was just barely coming up against the horizon. I could tell once I felt the rays of the warm sun against my face. As I looked to the side of my bed, I saw that the time was 6:50 A.M., that meant that I had half an hour to get ready for school. While it might have been nice to sleep for a few more minutes, I urged yourself to get up to prepare for school. "I knew I shouldn't have spent up trying to research new cards to add." Now normally I wouldn't stay up unless it was the weekends; when it came to school I was by no means a slacker nor was I the smartest person in school but I'm smart enough to be an honor rolls student. Most people would be distraught and use this as an explanation to become smarter, but to me I was contempt.

After taking a shower and eating some breakfast, I left my house and began to walk to school. As I was walking I began to think back on the past few weeks. I had just moved with my family as they had taken up new jobs in Canterlot City; it sucked that I had to say goodbye to the place where I grew up, with not to mention the friends/family that I was leaving behind but my parents assured me that we would visit often especially during the holidays. During this time they had enrolled me at CHS, due to it's amazing reviews that it was the friendliest place to not only learn, but to create some new friends. I didn't mind making new friends, what really caught my interest about CHS was that it allowed dueling as part of their program.

In case you hadn't figured it out, I'm kind of a nerd/geek when it comes to dueling. Most people who become a scientist or some big shot person with a successful job tend to have a knack for science or math. For me, it's dueling; I don't know what it is but something about dueling always fills me with excitement and makes me have fun. Soon thereafter me and my family were introduced to the principal. At first glance she was a tall women having beautiful features that would make any man her age fall head over heels for her; however her stunning feature that caught my interest was her hair and colors matched that of a rainbow.

"Welcome, my name is Principal Celestia. Do you mind telling me your name?'' she said. I replied by saying, "My name is Isaac." After introductions were made she then gave me and my parents a tour of the school as well as answering any questions that we had. Once my orientation had concluded, Celestia had given me my schedule for the school year and asked my parents to fill out some paperwork to finalize my enrollment.

"Now that the paperwork is taken care of, I would like to ask Isaac a question? I heard from your parents that you seem fond of Duel Monsters, is that correct?" she asked.

"That's right, ever since I was little I've been fascinated with the concept that I've built my own deck from a young age and have used it my whole life." I said.

"That's wonderful, I'm sure that you'll find we have plenty of students who also have developed a liking to the game and are willing to compete against you. But if I may be so bold as to say: What do you duel for?"

Once Celestia said that question, I initially began to be lost in thought. All my life I had dueled because the game was fun but that couldn't the reason why I dueled; no there had to be another reason to justify it, but what was it? "To be honest, I don't really know. To have fun, I guess". She seemed to look at me for quite a while though it looked like she was seeing into my soul.

Eventually she said, "Don't worry about it for now, I'm sure that you'll find your reason for dueling because I have faith that you're destined for more than you think".

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

"Never mind that, now I need to discuss the rules regarding dueling. Duels that occur in school are to take place either in the gym or out on the fields. Also that students aren't permitted into threatening other duelists into partaking if they don't want to. In addition, students are also ranked based on how many wins/losses they have after their duel. This is for us to see how each student is progressing and allows us to offer them some feedback on how to improve their gameplay. Am I understood?". I replied that I understood and would do my best to abide by these rules.

Soon thereafter I was introduced to my classes and was welcomed with open arms by everybody. It felt weird at first that everybody was friendly but it felt nice. I even got asked by classmates if I dueled to which they were ecstatic that they all wanted to be the one to test the new rookie. I knew at that moment that my life here was off to a great start and I had a feeling it was going to get better. However, the question that Celestia had asked me still plagued on my mind: "What do you duel for?". Once I had finished recollecting my thoughts I found out that I was about to be in front of school. As I was arriving I noticed that there were several duels happening; students showing off each other's method of dueling as well as the type of deck they used.

Once I had stepped on the school premise I was immediately grabbed by someone. I looked to see who it was and it was none other than Firefly. "Hey Isaac, where have you been all morning man? I was getting impatient waiting for you to show up."

"Hey Firefly, if you must know I spent up all night trying to come up with new plays."

Firefly chuckled saying "Well, did you succeed because I have a reason why I was waiting for you."

"Let me guess, you want to challenge me to a duel, is that right?"

"Damn straight I do, besides it's not just for me, but for you as well. Ever since you enrolled here you've only been in a couple of duels; I thought for sure someone like you would be begging for duels left and right."

It was Isaac's turn to laugh, "Look man, there's a reason why I haven't been doing that and it's because I don't want to get too much attention. I want to duel at my own pace; if I went around asking every student in my sight for a duel people would get sick of me. Besides I'm contempt with where I'm at."

Firefly understood what I said, "Well alright, I respect your decision when it comes to dueling. I'm just saying that if it were me in your shoes and I had skills to show off, I would go around the school and challenge the top players as a way to cement my status".

"That's another reason why you and I are different because you would lose your first couple of duels while I would survive." said Isaac.

"Is that right?" Firefly asked.

I replied with a smug look on my face and said "Yup".

"Well why don't we settle this issue between the two of us in a duel! If you're all that then lets see you back it up with your cards" Firefly said as he had got his duel disk and activated it.

"Well you asked for this either way, besides what better way to start a school day than with a duel" replied Isaac. As he was reaching for hid duel disk, he began to wonder whether or not, he was good enough to be one of the top duelist at CHS. Isaac quickly tossed that thought out of his mind and activated his duel disk. They both then slotted in their decks and were ready to begin. Some students nearby noticed what was happening and began to form a small crowd.

After a moment or two the cards were shuffled and the portraits of the two students appeared above their duel disk. "Opponent detected. Streaming data." Came the mechanical voice of the duel disks. "Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." "This should be interesting," commented a girl who stood in the crowd and was watching this duel for a different reason. While everybody watched for entertainment, she watched for her own personal reason.

-Isaac's Life Points 8000-

-Firefly's Life Points 8000-

Turn 1: Firefly

"I'll start things off, if you don't mind Isaac."

"Fine by me, hit me with your best shot." said Isaac.

"I plan to," said Firefly calmly. "I draw! I'll set one monster in defense position and set one card facedown. I end my turn".

Isaac raised an eyebrow while looking at Firefly's field; normally he would summon a monster out and go on the offensive, but considered he went first and placed a monster in defense mode meant he had something up his sleeve. Isaac didn't know what what he was up to, but it couldn't hurt to be careful.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Alright then it's my turn. I draw!". Briefly looking at his cards before averting his eyes towards the field. "I'll start things off by playing this Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600) in attack mode!" Seeing as how Isaac didn't have a way of knowing what Firefly's plan was, his best bet was to attack. "Now Beta, attack Firefly's monster".

"Don't think so because that little magnet of yours doesn't have enough points to defeat this: Giant Soldier of Stone." Firefly's card flipped up to reveal a soldier made of rock as it pushed back Beta's attack.

"Not bad Firefly, I see you've also been improving. Very well I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn".
-Isaac's Life Points: 7700-

Turn 3: Firefly

"I have to say this Isaac," said Firefly as he looked at her with a frown. "I was expecting a better move from a duelist like you, not making mistakes like some rookie would." He then paused to shrug. "Oh well. I draw, perfect. Now I'll sacrifice my soldier to summon an even stronger creature in its place come forth: B.E.S. Tetran.(1800/2300) in attack mode. When this card is normal summoned, I get to put 3 counters on it. Whenever this monster is involved in an attack, I get to remove 1 counter to destroy 1 spell/trap on the field."

"Impressive", I said.

"That's not all next I play the spell: A Servant's Duty. This allows us to summon a level 4 monster from either our hand/deck to the field; but that's not all we then take damage equal to that monster's attack".

"Very well" I said. "I summon to the field: Queen's Knight(1500/1600) in attack mode".

"As for me I choose: Artillery Catapult Turtle(1000/2000) in defense mode. However the effect of my spell card won't affect me because I activate my facedown: Redirect. This trap allows me to redirect the effect of a card to a new target and I think I'll choose your life points." Both monster's had their essences appear as they shot toward Isaac who put his arm up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 5200-

"Then I'll play the spell: Double Summon; with this I can summon an additional monster this turn. I play Celtic Guardian(1400/1200) in attack mode. But I'm not done next I use my turtle's ability by tributing 1 monster I can summon a level 5 dragon, so I tribute my guardian to summon: Handcuffs Dragon(1800/1800) in attack mode. With the amount of monsters that Firefly was able to play this turn Isaac knew he was in trouble.

"Now I'll have my dragon attack Beta and B.E.S. to attack your knight. Don't forget the ability of my machine it can destroy a spell/trap by removing a counter. I choose the card on the left." Firefly really had improved as he was able to clear Isaac's field in one turn. "That's enough suffering for now, I end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 4800-

Turn 4: Isaac

"I'll admit Firefly, I took you lightly; now I really got to get my head in the game if I want to win. My turn, I draw." Based on the cards he had in his hand, it didn't seem like Isaac had many options, but he know that any great duelist can find a way to turn the tide of the duel in their favor the question was: do he have that in himself? "Now I place a monster facedown in defense mode and then I'll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Firefly

"After all that you're still playing defense, don't you have anything that can help or are you admitting you don't have the skills that you claimed to have. Either way, this duel is mine. I draw". Firefly grinned at the card he drew. "Now it's time to put you out of your misery, I play the spell card A Prophecy Fulfilled." A card flipped up as it had piece of paper being covered in a golden light. "Now by sending 1 monster on my field to the grave I can summon a level 7 monster from my deck appear my star creature: Seeker, the Dragon Slayer(2800/2500)." Out came a warrior that wore silver armor as it wielded a large spear as it twirled it around before striking an intimidating pose. "In addition, I play the spell card Dragon's Fighting Spirit which allows my Handcuff dragon an additional attack for every monster you have on the field. So it can attack twice. Now Seeker attack Isaac's monster with Sword of Tranquility; Seeker's ability allows him to deal piercing damage." Isaac's monster was then destroyed as Gamma was destroyed.
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

"Then Handcuff Dragon will swoop in twice to attack your life points". The force from both of his monsters was able to not knock Isaac off of his feet. "It's all over now, I end my turn. Make your final move Isaac."
Isaac's Life Points: 600-

Turn 6: Isaac

After getting back up from Firefly's attack, Isaac looked at the field to survey the situation. This is it, if I don't find some way to turn this duel around then I'm done for. Firefly has 3 monsters out and no cards facedown, I'm not saying it's easy, but it's going to be a challenge "It's time, I draw. First I play Magician's Rod(1600/100) in attack mode."

Firefly seemed to scoff at the monster Isaac summoned, "A magician's rod, where's the magician Isaac?" taunted Firefly.

"Patience Firefly, he'll be here soon for now I activate my rod's ability this allows me to add 1 spell/trap card to my hand from my deck. The spell I choose to add is Dark Magical Circle which I'll then play."

Firefly wasn't the slight bit worried, "So let me get this straight, you have wand and magical circle as your final stand?" said Firefly as he wasn't impressed. Seems the crowd of people were also thinking the same thing.

"Believe me Firefly, I have all that I need to win this duel, just watch. Dark Magical Circle ability allows me to look at the 3 top cards and pick one to add to my hand should it contain a certain 'Magician' in its name and reveal it while also placing the other 2 cards back on top of my deck in any order. Next I activate my facedown, Magician Navigation. Now I can special summon 1 Dark Magician and 1 other spellcaster, so come forth Magician of Dark Illusion(2100/2500) and Dark Magician(2500/2100)."

Once the card resolved there stood 2 monster with one of them wearing purple garments from head to toe. Isaac looked at the Dark Magician and remembered how whenever he was in a pickle, he could always count on his magician to bust him out of predicaments. Both monster and duelist saw each other's eyes and nodded knowing full well that both of them knew what to do. "Now my circle's other effect activates which allows me to banish one of your cards and I choose your Tetran. Then I'll have my Dark Magician attack your Handcuff Dragon, go my magician take out his creature. I'll end my turn."
Firefly' Life Points: 7300-

Turn 7: Firefly

After taking the blast from Isaac's magician, Firefly was back on his feet. "Your Dark Magician is finally here. Now everybody can finally get a good look at that card you highly value Isaac. I think I speak for everybody when I say it truly is an honor to in the presence of such a legendary card." Firefly spoke the truth as Isaac could see the students gathering around them taken in the awe inspiring image of the Dark Magician, knowing that a student at CHS had it in his deck. "It's such a shame that I'll have to destroy it, my turn. Now my Handcuffs' ability activates whenever it's sent to the grave it can attach to one of your monster and it loses 1800 attack, I chose your Dark Magician. So now he's reduce to a mere 1700 attack points. Seeker finish this duel by destroying Dark Magician and wiping out the remainder of his points."

"I don't think so Firefly, I activate my trap Magic Cylinder. Now it stops your monster's attack and deal damage equal to your monster's attack. Next my Magician of Dark Illusion ability activates, since I used a trap during your turn I can special summon another one to the field". Isaac now had another magician appear on his field.

Firefly was anger, "You lucked out this time, I'll finish you off next turn."

"There won't be a next turn for you Firefly, because I'm ending this duel right now".
Firefly's Life Points: 4500

Turn 8: Isaac

"Time to finish this, my turn. I activate my final facedown card: Eternal Soul now every "Dark Magician" that I control is unaffected by your card effects. Then I play Thousand Knives which allows me to destroy 1 monster on your field, time to give your Seeker a shredding!" Once the knives had destroyed Firefly's ace, Isaac knew that there was nothing left he could due. "I told you Firefly that when it comes to dueling all it takes is 1 draw/card to turn the battle in your favor. Now time to end this now both of my M.D.L attack you directly and my Dark Magician will finish you off with Dark Magic Attack". The blast from all the magicians had struck Firefly that it caused him to land on his back as the remainder of his points dropped to zero.
Firefly's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Isaac

The duel had ended and everybody around them started to talk/show appreciation towards the duel Isaac and Firefly just had. Once the duel ended Isaac went to check on Firefly to see if he was okay.

"I can't believe I lost, I thought I had it" Firefly pouted.

Isaac smiled saying, "I told you so, don't underestimate your opponent. Though I will admit you did improve a lot from the last time you dueled."

Firefly stood up saying, "Well not enough to beat you, but don't worry next time we meet I'll make sure I'm the one coming out on top."

"I look forward to it". It was then the school bell rang signaling the start of the school day. "Well better get to class don't want to be late or else I'll have to face Principal Celestia's wrath" Everybody started to enter school and made their way to class; meanwhile the girl watching from crowd took a moment to process the duel she witnessed.

"So that kid holds the Dark Magician, then it looks like I have someone who has piqued my interests" she said. "Perhaps I should test out his duel skills myself, hopefully the others might also be interested in him." With that she dashed into school to avoid being tardy.

Chapter 5: The Greatest Showman

Author's Note

I mentioned in a previous author's notes that Isaac's next opponent would be against a more powerful opponent. Well the time has come; this time he'll be going up against someone who is beloved in the community. So get ready because his opponent isn't who you think it is. I got to be honest this was one of my favorite chapters/duels to write because of what happens in the climax of this chapter. Also expect a surprise to pop up for longtime fans of both the show and the card game. Not then without further ado lets get on with the story. Ladies and Gents, this is the moment you've been waiting for.

Chapter 5: The Greatest Showman

Today was the day. Today was the day where Isaac not only got to duel but he got to duel against someone who was his friend. Isaac would be lying if he said that he was afraid. Afraid that this duel could possibly end the friendship that he made with Fluttershy. Isaac know that would be a silly thing to say but it has happened before. He had seen a lot of people break up their relationships with others over a duel. The end result was that they often were bitter enemies always trying to one up another to prove they were the better duelist. All morning Isaac kept this thought on his mind, hoping/praying that this would be the same result between him and Fluttershy. Isaac then got ready and departed his home for school.

School started as usually with him attending his classes. Isaac tried to take his mind off of the duel by listening to what the teacher was talking, but he still drifted to the thought that plagued on his mind all morning. Once the bell rang to signal lunch, Isaac then gathered his stuff and began walking out of the class where he saw Fluttershy waiting for him.

"Hey Isaac, I've been waiting for you, how was class?"

"Hey Fluttershy, other than the boring lecture about literature and 'Proper English', I think I'll survive. I mean what's the point of learning it if we never get to use it in real life. I mean no one uses that kind of language not even the rich/elite people speak it. English is hard enough as it is without learning about the old ways."

Fluttershy gave a little chuckle. "Anyways I was hoping we could sit together in lunch before we have our duel. If you don't mind?"

Isaac gave a confident smile. "Sure, that's fine. Let me just get something from my locker and I'll meet you in the café."

"Alright then." Fluttershy then made her way to the lunch room while Isaac headed to his locker.

Once Isaac retrieved what he needed from his locker, he then made his way to the café to have lunch with Fluttershy. Along the way, Isaac heard voice behind.

"Make way everybody, the greatest magician in CHS, no the world is coming through."

Isaac turned his head to see who was talking and saw that it was girl. Not just any girl. She had a pale, light grayish cornflower blue skin that was matched by her hair that contained blue streaks. She also had a hairpiece that was in the shape of a star in her ear. The thing that really drew Isaac's attention about this girl was her boastful attitude as well as how she kept referencing herself in the third person. Eventually she made her way towards him and confirmed his suspicions.

"Excuse me, but you seem to be blocking my path, me, the Great and Powerful Trixie."

Seems I was right about this girl Isaac said in his mind.

"If you don't mind, Trixie needs to get food in her stomach so could you get out of my way." She said with a bit of pride/arrogance in her voice.

Isaac moved to the side and let her pass.

"Honestly, the nerve of some people. Everyone knows that when Trixie is in the room all eyes are on moi. Besides nobody can stand up to me because I've got all the talent when it comes to magic and dueling. Especially when I've got a powerful card like my magician, no one stands a chance against us when we appear on the battlefield. Trixie is unbeatable"

Isaac merely chuckled a bit at this girl's statement. "Is that right?"

Trixie then turned around to see who made that comment. "Trixie is without a doubt the most fearsome, the craftiest, the greatest and most powerfulest in this school. Besides Trixie doesn't have time to waste on the likes of you; she's far too busy trying to find the person who's been making a mockery of her by playing a cheap rip off of my card. As far as I'm concerned, Trixie is the only worthy of holding the Dark Magician. Now I must find this idiot and teach them a lesson about copying greatest."

"Well you won't have to look too far."

"Why's that?"

"Because I'm the one who holds the Dark Magician" Isaac pulled out his deck and showed her his card.

Trixie just laughed "You think you can fool Trixie, that obviously is a fake. If you want to see a real Dark Magician then take a gander at this." Trixie pulled out her magician which resembled like Isaac's, but instead of it wearing purple garments it wore blue.

Isaac knew that nothing he could say would change Trixie's mind, so he did his best to let this situation go. "Look I get that your pride, as well as, your ego won't make you acknowledge that someone else holds the same card as you so why don't we agree to disagree?"

"Absolutely not! The only one who is worthy of that card is Trixie and I plan to remind everybody why I'm the greatest in the entire world. So kid, about we settle this dispute with a duel? In fact, lets make a wager in which the loser not only acknowledges the other as the better duelist but they shall hand over their Dark Magician as well."

When Trixie said that Isaac was scared to say the least. Not only didn't she take my peace offering but instead she wanted to prove that the Dark Magician only belonged to one person. She was basically forcing him to potential give up the card that has been with him his whole life. This really messed with his ideals because on one hand Isaac wasn't afraid from any sort of challenge, but on the other side if he lost it meant he would have to say goodbye to not just a powerful card but an even better ally. Isaac knew the best thing would be to walk away and live to fight another day, but at the same time it would also cause people to question his confidence. If there's one thing that more precious to a duelist other than their deck/cards it's their confidence. Isaac know firsthand how much confidence plays a key role in someone's dueling ability. With that in mind he knew he couldn't back down from this challenge, not just for his sake but for his magician's sake as well.

So with a heavy heart Isaac looked at Trixie with a stern look and accepted her challenge. Trixie smiled and said that they would meet each other in the gymnasium after lunch. With that she left and Isaac was left to ponder his thoughts.

Eventually Isaac wound up eating his food with a bit of sadness. He knew what he was getting myself into and it frightened me. Isaac was so overwhelmed with emotions that he failed to notice a tear start to form in eyes as it dripped down the side of his face. It wasn't until Fluttershy had arrived that she noticed Isaac was crying.

"Isaac, is everything ok? You seem to be crying a bit."

Isaac wiped the tear from his eyes and said that it was nothing. Fluttershy didn't seem to buy it so she asked why he was sad and Isaac told her about his run in with Trixie. Once Isaac told her the whole story about how Trixie wanted her to be the sole owner of the Dark Magician and challenged him to a duel where he could potential lose his best card she felt his pain.

"That's awful Isaac. I can't imagine what must be going on through your mind" Fluttershy was concerned for her friend.

Isaac couldn't blame her, this was a card that he's had for most of his life. Isaac was so conflicted he thought back on his previous memories that involved his Dark Magician. Isaac's first introduction to the Dark Magician was also his introduction to Duel Monsters. At a young age he'd seen images of the card used on posters, billboards, TV, etc...; Isaac always wondered why the card was such a fan favorite among the community. Everyone he asked, they would all say the same thing it was because of one person. One person who had risen up in the dueling world who was beloved by everybody and did it all with the help of his most loyal monster. Isaac didn't know the exact identity of the person, but most people called him by his nickname; something like the 'King of Games' or something. Anyways the point was that the Dark Magician was his inspiration into the world of dueling, so when Isaac finally got his hands on the card he felt like it wasn't him choosing the card but rather the card chose him. Isaac then pulled out his deck and shuffled it a couple of times; when Isaac flipped the top card over it was none other than the Dark Magician. At that moment it felt like he could hear what his magician was saying and they both knew what to do. If this was to be the last time they would get to fight alongside each other then it would be an honor to have known a worthy ally and a better friend. With that both Isaac and Fluttershy made their way to the gym as the lunch bell rang signaling the end and the start of his most important duel to date.

With each step Isaac took matched the heartbeat inside of him. Fluttershy was walking beside as she felt scared knowing full well what he was about to do. Once Isaac got in front of the doors, he put his hand on it as he let out a deep breath. Fluttershy noticed this and put her hand on his shoulder.

"Whatever happens Isaac, know that I'll always be here for you."

"Thanks Fluttershy. But I don't plan on losing today." Isaac then pushed past the door and they entered the room.

Compared to his previous duel the place was filled with even more students than last time. In fact there were spotlights hanging above in the rafters; the students were getting up out of their seats cheering as loud as they can. They knew that both Isaac and Trixie possessed the same card and the time had come. Time to find out the answer to the question: Who is truly the master of the Dark Magician? The room was also filled with speakers so that everybody could hear what would happen during the duel. Fluttershy wished Isaac luck and went to find a seat to watch. Just as he waved to her, Isaac heard music start to play through the speaker.

Once the music faded, everyone started to shout as Isaac saw Celestia walk on the stage with a microphone in her hand.

"Ladies and gentleman, I want to thank you for all being here. Today's duel promises to be an extraordinary because we have two duelists who both possess the same card; we've seen what they can do now it's time to find out which is the better one when it comes to magic. Everybody give a warm welcome for our entertainers for this duel, Isaac and Trixie."

Once Celestia finished her speech, Isaac and Trixie both made their way to the field. He noticed that Trixie had a different outfit than before. She was now wearing a magician's outfit. Isaac could tell that magic really was her passion if she was willing to go all out for this duel.

"Everybody get ready as the Great and Powerful Trixie, not only disposes of this phony but reminds you all why I'm the master of the Dark Magician. Now don't forget Isaac, if you lose this duel you have to give your magician to me." Trixie said with a boastful voice that everybody heard what she said as it was projected through the speakers.

"Don't worry, I remember what's at stake in this duel. That's why I plan to fight with everything I've got." Isaac readied his duel disk and slotted in his deck.

Celestia confirmed with both Trixie and Isaac, "If both are ready then let the duel begin."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." Said the mechanical voice from our duel disks.

"Let's duel!".

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Trixie's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I draw. I set 1 card facedown and then I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior(1400/1700) in defense mode. I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Trixie

"The spotlight is on us it's showtime. Trixie draws." Trixie drew her card and looked at her hand. There it is as expected, my Dark Magician. Won't Isaac be surprised that I drew it. Trixie had a smug smile on her face as she said this to herself. Now Isaac will learn how dangerous it is to play games with a magician especially when the stakes are high. Trixie let out a laugh. "Brace yourself. Trixie summons her Legion the Fiend Jester(1300/1500) also in defense mode. I'll end my turn." Once I have another monster on the field, Trixie can sacrifice them both to summon my all-powerful Dark Magician smiled Trixie as she looked at Isaac.

Turn 3: Isaac

"You won't be smiling for long! I draw." Isaac looked at his hand and an idea popped into his head. To defeat this trickster, I'll have to think like a trickster. Here goes. "Since I don't trust your hand, I'll play this magic card. "

Trixie was greatly appalled. "Don't trust my hand."

"Take this! I play Card Destruction!"

Trixie was shocked, "Not that! Anything but that! No, my precious hand."

"Both players must now discard their hands now. That means you Trixie."

No, my plan is ruined. I was ready to summon my Dark Magician and destroy him. "You'll pay for that Isaac, once Trixie defeats you and takes away your Dark Magician.

"I wouldn't count on that yet, Trixie. Reveal my facedown card, Brain Control. Now by paying 800 life points I can control 1 of your monsters till the end of the turn like your Fiend Jester." Isaac's card then snatched Trixie's monsters as there was nothing she could do to stop it.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"My monster!"

"Now I'll sacrifice your Fiend with my Magnet Warrior, which allows me to summon my ultimate monster. Fear the power of my Dark Magician!" Once Isaac's magician had manifested, he looked at Trixie with a glare that caused her to be afraid.

I'm wide open to an attack by his Dark Magician! Trixie was sweating as she being stared by the monster on Isaac's side.

"Dark Magician, show Trixie some real magic with a direct attack on her life points! The duel just started and you've already lost more than 2000 points, Trixie. Now I'm still waiting for this grand magic show you promised me. I end my turn."
Trixie's Life Points: 5500-

Everybody in the crowd lost their mind not only was Isaac able to outthink Trixie, but he had also managed to summon his magician and deal some serious damage to her. Fluttershy was surprised; she knew Isaac was a good duelist but she didn't think he was that good. Even Celestia and Luna were impressed with what had transpired that they couldn't stop smiling from ear to ear at what they just witnessed. Soon everybody started to chant Isaac's name.

Turn 4: Trixie

"Listen, Isaac, I promised you a spectacle and I never disappoint. Not only will I win, but I'll also take your precious Dark Magician away from you." Isaac obviously doesn't know a master magician's first rule: always save the best trick for the finale! "You should stop worrying about Trixie and take care of yourself, Isaac! It's my show, remember, I can't lose. I draw." Hmmm. I've got to defend myself from another direct attack by Isaac's Dark Magician or it'll be curtains for me. This'll do. "I play Mystic Tomato(1400/1100) in defense mode. And I'll place 1 card facedown. Let's get on with the show!"

Turn 5: Isaac

Trixie's Mystic Tomato is a weak defense. If I summon another monster and destroy it, I can mount and attack on her life points and get one step closer to winning this duel.

Take the bait, Isaac! I know you want to summon another monster, and when you do, I'll have a surprise waiting for you. Trixie had a sneaking grin on her face.

"I draw and summon Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600). Attack now."

"Not so fast, Isaac!"

"What are you up to?"

"You've activated my trap! Dark Renewal. It takes a monster from each player and sends them to the graveyard. But in return it brings back one monster that's been lost by the cardholder. In this case, that means me! Welcome back, my Dark Magician!" Out of the coffin appeared a magician that resembled like the one on Isaac's field, but it dawned blue clothing and it stared a hole through Isaac and his monster."

"You have your wish Trixie. It's Dark Magician versus Dark Magician. Let's find out who the real master is."

"Our monsters' points are identical. So merely attacking won't be enough. You'll have to think more strategically. And only a true illusionist like myself can master the power of a Dark Magician! Prepare to lose your card."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Think again Trixie. I draw. Now I'll place these 2 cards on the field facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Trixie

This show will have more twists than Isaac expects. I'll match him move for move! "Two can play that game. Trixie will also place 2 cards facedown. So what's next?"

Turn 8: Isaac

"I'll show you, I draw. I'll place 1 more card facedown."

Turn 9: Trixie

"Brilliant move, Isaac. So I'll place 1 more card facedown as well."

Turn 10: Isaac

"I draw and I'll place my last facedown card."

Turn 11: Trixie

"Trixie draws and so will moi. Ha! Now we each have 4 cards facedown and 1 Dark Magician. And now, let's see who picked the best dueling strategy!

The tension in the air was noticeable. Everybody watched on with intrigue in their eyes. Both duelist had spent their last couple of turns fortify their defenses. Each was coming up with a plan to out think the other. Celestia and Luna were shown biting their bottom lip as they didn't know what to expect between the 2 competitors. Fluttershy was seen biting her nails, despite Isaac having an early lead Trixie managed to catch up to Isaac and both were glaring at each other's eyes waiting to see what would happen. Silence filled the air, it was so silent that you could practically hear a fly land on the wall. Both Trixie and Isaac were confident in their plan that they were waiting to see who would make the first move and how they would react to it. Fortunately it didn't take long.

"I'll play a magic card The Mystical Guillotine. Say good-bye to your Dark Magician, Isaac!"

"I won't let you destroy him, Trixie!"

"As if you had a choice?" Chains then lunged at Isaac's magician and trapped him while laying him down on the cutting table.

"My Dark Magician! No!" Isaac shouted.

Trixie smiled. "I'm afraid it's true. Your Dark Magician's about to be cut from the show. It's time for the grand finale."

"Not yet, Trixie!"

"Sorry but the show's over and the curtain must now fall! Right on your Dark Magician!"

"I'm afraid that you'll have to find him first. Go, Magical Hats!" Thankfully Isaac was able to activate his card in time to save his magician, but lost a hat in the process. "Now you'll have to guess which hat he's under to attack him!"

"Don't be so sure of that. I reveal, A Thousand Knives! These magic daggers will detect and destroy your Dark Magician! It's all over!"

"Hold on Trixie" Isaac said with a sly smile on my face. "I'll rescue him with Cursebreaker! It cancels out all other magic cards!" With that both Trixie's knives and Isaac's hats were gone. "Destroying my Dark Magician won't be easy, Trixie."

"Well we'll just see about that!"

Both Isaac and Trixie commanded their monsters to attack.

"Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic now!/Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic now!" shouted both.

"They'll destroy each other!" said Trixie as their monsters collided and destroyed one another.

"And now my Dark Magician will return!/And now my Dark Magician will return! Monster Reborn!/Monster Reborn!". They both shouted. And just like that both monsters returned.

"Looks like, we're back to where we started huh Isaac."

"Yes, a stalemate."

The amount of people who were watching the duel also were having a tough time breathing. It seemed like no matter what happened each person had a way to counter the other person's strategy. If you could see the heartbeat of all students then you would see it beating fast as they were on the edge of their seat to see what occurred next. Fluttershy was a nervous wreck, not only was she cheering for Isaac, but she was also worried about how much Trixie was pushing him to the limit. Even the smallest gust of wind could change the flow of this battle. Apart from the students, Celestia and Luna were in tears that they were able to see 2 duelist of the highest caliber be able to put a wonderful show and then some.

Turn 12: Isaac
"I draw." Looking at the field and his hand Isaac didn't have much options to deal with Trixie's spellcaster, not too mention that he was a bit winded from that exchange with Trixie. For the time being, he passed his turn.

Turn 13: Trixie

"Trixie draws and I'll set 1 card facedown. Your move."

Turn 14: Isaac

"I draw and place 2 cards facedown. Your move Trixs."

Turn 15: Trixie

"Time to spice up this show! Ha! Ready, Isaac? I draw. I reveal a magic card: Beckon to the Dark!"

"No, my Dark Magician!" Isaac sounded a bit scared.

"That's right, Isaac, you should be scared. With its gruesome claw, this magic card snatches up any opponent's monster and transports it directly to the graveyard! So you can say goodbye to your Dark Magician."

"Oh really, afraid not. You didn't count on this! Mystical Ref-Panel. This trap card will counter the darkness of your magic card and spare my monster!"

"Ha, but not for long! Beckon to the Dark was just a decoy to get you to waste your trap card! I knew that you would fall for that trick! Now it's my turn to play a trap card, Isaac. Nightmare's Chains! These chains will bind your Dark Magician, putting him out of play and leaving you open to a direct attack!"

"My Dark Magician is trapped!"

"With your monster hung up for the moment all he can do is look on helplessly while Trixie destroys his master! Of course, you won't be his master for much longer, so it doesn't really matter, I suppose. Now prepare yourself! It's... showtime! Dark Magician attack Isaac's life points directly! This is turning into quite the performance!"
Isaac's Life Points: 4700

Turn 16: Isaac

"I draw." If I can't free my Dark Magician, Trixie's got me! "Now, I'll summon my Big Shield Gardna(100/2600) in defense mode." I've got to protect my life points!.

"Look at you, cowering behind your monster, desperately trying to put off your inevitable defeat at the hands of my mighty Dark Magician. I'm afraid that defense won't help you. Now if your done with your turn, it's time for my next move."

Turn 17: Trixie

"Trixie draws and I will also summon a monster. Say hello to the Doll of Demise(1600/1700)! And now, Isaac, behold the magic card that will annihilate you! I play Ectoplasmer! Confused, Isaac? Allow me to explain it for you. Ectoplasmer is a magic card that drains the very soul of one of my monsters creating a pure concentrated form of energy known as ectoplasm which is then fired directly at you! Say goodbye, Isaac. I'm about to drain your life points by draining one of my monster's souls away! Extract ectoplasm and attack now!"

The attack passed through Isaac's monster and scored a direct hit to his life points that it caused him to fall to onto his knees.
Isaac's Life Points: 3900

"You played well, Isaac, Trixie will give you that. But do you know why you and your beloved Dark Magician couldn't beat moi? You're too soft. In battle, monsters respond best to fear. You have to make certain that they're afraid of you. You'll never command their respect with kindness and trust. Just look at what happened to your favorite card, the Dark Magician. You're the master. They're the servants, and they should ensure victory for you even if it means you have to destroy them to get there!"

What Trixie was saying about how monsters were nothing more than servants not only made Isaac angry, in fact, it made him pissed off. Nobody should ever look at their monsters just as a means to secure a win. That's not only despicable but not very honorable. "You're a sick person for believing in that ideal, Trixie."

"Hmm. It's my show, and my Dark Magician knows that I'm his master. He's nothing more than my pawn." While Trixie was saying this, her Dark Magician was starting to look at her with betrayed eyes. To think that its own master didn't care about it really hurt his feelings. "Activate Ectoplasmer! Extract the soul of my Dark Magician! Fire the Ectoplasm!

Just as Trixie had launched her ectoplasm at Isaac and was about to connect with his life points. A bright light started to shine from his own Dark Magician. They both witnessed as the very soul of Isaac's Dark Magician was not only extracted but it canceled out Trixie's attack by shielding him from harm. Isaac was eternally grateful that his own monster had sacrificed himself to protect him.

"It seems your plan to destroy me backfired! You're so busy disrespecting your cards, Trixie, that you failed to learn on how to properly use them. While it's true your Ectoplasmer drains your monster's soul and fires that energy at your opponent, what you obviously didn't realize is that when there's more than 1 of the same monster on the field, they're all affected in the same way. So my Dark Magician was drained of his soul also. Canceling out your attack, Trixie!" Trixie was just left with a huge stun on her face after what had occurred.

"Now Trixie will place 1 card facedown and end her turn. Isaac. Remember this is my show and the grand finale is so close that I can practically taste it! Don't forget that I'm a master of magic, the queen of all Dark Magicians!

"Your not even close Trixie! What kind of queen would extract the soul of her very own Dark Magician? You disrespect your cards, but I'll make sure you lose and teach you that lesson myself."

"This duel is over, Isaac. Now watch closely while I pull a stunning victory out of my hat!"

"Sorry Trixie, but your tricks will have to wait since your turn's over!

Turn 18: Isaac

"It's time for me to take control of this duel. I draw."

"Oh really?" said Trixie with a sarcastic tone in her voice.

"Yes, especially since you have no monsters left on the field to defend you!"

"Well, my life points are higher than yours!"

"Not for long, Trixie! Now I summon Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts(1500/1200)!"

He fell right into my trap!! "Thanks, Isaac, I activate Shadow Balance! This trap card makes the number of monsters you have on the field equal to the number I have. And since I don't have any monsters on the field at the moment that means you don't either!"

Isaac was surprised that he fell right into Trixie's trap without realizing it. "That can't be that removes my only defense against an attack which means..."

"When their gone I can wipe out your life points!" Trixie was proud of herself for ridding the field of all of Isaac's monsters. "Now what are you going to do? Your Dark Magician is destroyed, and you've got no monsters on the field. Nothing can save you now! It's over!

Turn 19: Trixie

The crowd was in a state of disbelief. Nearly everybody saw that there was nothing Isaac could do to escape Trixie's wrath. They knew it was but a matter of time before Isaac was defeated and he would be forced to give up his best card. Some of the students started to put their heads down as they couldn't bear the sight of Isaac losing. Celestia and Luna both had sad faces as they hoped that they could have been able to see more from both you and your monster. Everyone was starting to feel sad except for Fluttershy. It may have looked grim but out of everybody there, Fluttershy was the one person who was still rooting for you. So she let out a shout to remind you and everybody else that she still had your support.

Fluttershy screamed at the top of her lungs. "Isaac remember never give up. Sure you may be in a tough spot but don't forget your friends are here supporting and we've got your back. No matter how bad things might be all it takes is 1 card to turn the tide of battle." Everybody was inspired by what Fluttershy had said that they started to chant your name alongside her.

Isaac felt the rush of energy flow through his veins and into heart. He knew this wasn't the end and that he still had a chance to turn things around. So Isaac put on his determination face and gave a thumbs up to the crowd and Fluttershy to let them know that he got their message.This is my duel and I'm going to see through to the end no matter what.

Trixie merely ignored the crowd as she drew her card. She knew they would be cheering for her very soon once she defeated Isaac and took his most prized card. "It's over!" Exactly what I needed! "Trixie holds in her hand the winning card that will defeat you once and for all! I told you I was the true master of the Dark Magician. And what kind of master would have only 1 Dark Magician in their deck... hmmm? Trixie's first one may be gone but I have another Dark Magician, and he's waiting to destroy you, Isaac! Plus I can summon him without sacrificing a weaker monster. Thanks to this! Trixie plays The Dark Magic Curtain. Watch this performance! The Dark Magic Curtain allows me to summon a high-level monster like the Dark Magician without a sacrifice in exchange for one half of my total life points! You're on Dark Magician! If you thought the show was good before, you don't want to miss the ending, Isaac!
Trixie's Life Points: 2750-

"This is it! The final performance of Isaac! Your life points are almost gone and you have no monsters to hide behind! But first just in case you're counting on your 2 facedown cards to save you. Trixie will take the liberty of wiping them out! And I'll take care of the job with my Anti-Magic Arrows! Say goodbye to your last hope! Seek and destroy, my arrows! Looks like I've got you completely pinned down now, Isaac. The show is over! Dark Magician attack his life points directly."

Before Trixie's monster could land it's attack, her curtain appeared on Isaac's side of the field. "Not so fast, Trixie."

Trixie had a surprised look on her face. "What's going on? My Dark Magic Curtain is working for you now!?"

"Yes! You should really read the rules more closely. It's magic summoning power is available to both sides of the dueling field. So that means I can trade half of my life points for a monster, too. And just like you did, I'll play another Dark Magician!"
Isaac's Life Points: 1950-

As soon as Isaac said that statement everybody in the crowd was confused. Not even Celestia and Luna knew what he meant by that. Up to this point most people who had saw him duel knew that Isaac only possessed 1 copy of the Dark Magician and for him to suddenly say he had another one baffled everybody. There was so much confusion that people were starting to ask among themselves what exactly did Isaac mean by my statement. In his head, he thought to himself as it was time. Time to introduce a monster that he'd been saving for a special occasion.

Trixie was the most confused out of everyone in the room. "But wait! I was told you only had 1 Dark Magician in your deck! What kind of sorcery is this?"

"Well, you're partially right, but mostly misinformed!"

"Stop speaking in riddles to Trixie!"

"The card that I now hold in my hand is a different variety of Dark Magician, Trixie! And it's even more powerful than yours is!"

"You lie! I'd know if another Dark Magician card existed! It can't be!"

"It is! Say hello to Dark Magician Girl(2000/1700)!"

Isaac then played the card and out came a spellcaster that looked similar to the outfit of his Dark Magician. But instead of purple, it mainly consisted of blue and pink with a few touches of yellow. Out appeared a female who wore a skirt, had blond hair, green eyes, and wielded a wand that matched her outfit. She gave a quick kiss and a wink before landing on Isaac's side of the field. The eruption that arose from when he played that card was like no other, but I guess he should have expected that. Most of the noise came from the boys in attendance who were glad they came to watch this duel. While the boys were definitely excited, the girls seem ready to hurt a couple of them.

"Yo, bro did you see that girl? She's cute."

"What I wouldn't give to have a hottie like that on my arm?"

"Marry me, Dark Magician Girl!"

Isaac focused his mind back to Trixie while trying to ignore all the threats he got from the guys. Trixie was still trying to understand what just happened.

"It's true! A female Dark Magician! But you're wrong about one thing! Your girlfriend's attack points are less than my Dark Magician's. In a head-to-head battle my monster will wipe her out!"

Seemed when Trixie mentioned the word 'girlfriend' about Isaac's magician girl all the boys started to make a ruckus.

"Hey Isaac, what the hell man, what's wrong with?"

"Are you trying to keep her all to yourself man, is that why you never played her before? That's just selfish."

"What's she doing with you when she could be with a guy like me?"

Eventually the girls had enough and nearly all of them punched any boys that were around them. They seemed generally angry and Isaac was glad he wasn't in their shoes.

"If you say one more thing about that card I swear it's the last thing you will ever see with your eyes open, am I understood?" The boys merely stayed quiet as they didn't want a horde of angry girls attacking them.

Back to the duel Trixie was ordering her Dark Magician to destroy Isaac's Magician girl. "Dark Magician, attack Dark Magician Girl!"

The 2 monsters collided as a trail of smoke appeared from the attacks.

Trixie had a satisfying laugh, "Finally, Isaac's defeated!"

Isaac too had a sly look on his face, "I don't think so. Take another look, Trixie!" Appearing from the smoke Isaac's monster was unfazed and still standing while Trixie's monster was starting to disappear as it had lost the encounter.

"No, my Dark Magician's been beaten! But how!? This was supposed to be my grand finale! It can't be! He had 500 more attack points than she did!"
Trixie's Life Points: 2650-

"Wrong again! Dark Magician Girl gains 300 extra attack points for every Dark Magician that's inside the card graveyard, Trixie. Making herself strong enough to defeat your Dark Magician."

"It still doesn't add up! There's only 1 Dark Magician in your graveyard! Even with the extra 300 points, her total is only 2300. That means my Dark Magician still outranks her by 200 points!"

"Open your eyes Trixie! If you were the master of the Dark Magician, you would have seen the answer right in front of you."

"What?" After a moment Trixie was able to figure out what Isaac meant. "No. It can't be! My first Dark Magician's there, too! B-But why? Why would the power of my Dark Magician be reborn in your monster?!!?"

"The Dark Magician Girl inherits points from every Dark Magician no matter whose graveyard it's in. So when you destroyed your first magician you helped give my Dark Magician Girl the power she needed to defeat your second one! And now, Trixie prepare for my grand finale. As I wipe out the rest of your life points! Dark Magician Girl attack her life points directly!" And with that Isaac's magician girl dealt the final blow to Trixie's life points. "When you mistreat your cards, you pay a high price. You lose."
Trixie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"You call yourself a Dark Magician master? It was your disrespect and your misuse of your own Dark Magicians that caused you to lose this duel, Trixie!"

The duel had ended and not only did Isaac win, but he also was able to keep my best card. Isaac then made his way to Trixie and looked at her while she was trying to get up. They looked at each other and their eyes told the whole story. Anybody in his position would be angry to think that someone they challenged was willing to take your best card if they lost. Isaac merely looked at Trixie and instead of frowning her, he instead extended his hand towards her to help her up. Isaac wasn't one to hold a grudge, besides he remembered the lesson he wanted to teach Trixie and he couldn't do that if he was mad at her. Eventually, Trixie looked at what Isaac was doing and reached for his hand as he helped her to her feet.

"Why? Why did you still offer to help me even after all the pain I put you through?" she asked.

"Because that's what friends do." Isaac's words seemed to have awoken something in Trixie. "Look around Trixie these people came here to see a duel and we gave them that. I may not be master magician like you, but I do know that an magician's most important rule is to make sure the crowd is entertained and I say we accomplished that." Isaac pointed to the crowd where everybody was cheering as loud as they could.

The crowd of students were standing on their feet applauding the both of them. They both came here to put on a show for our fellow classmates and they definitely delivered. They both took a bow as the applause got louder. Trixie saw what was happening and she felt something; something that she had forgotten about in a long time about being a magician. And that was to remember to have fun when you put on a performance for others. Eventually she cracked a genuine smile and tapped on Isaac's shoulder to get his attention.

"Well a deal is a deal. Here take my Dark Magician."

"Trixie, I don't want your magician. I wanted this duel to happen because I wanted to teach you a lesson about respecting your cards instead of casting them aside. Plus, I wanted to have fun. You keep it, it suits you."

"You're right, I was blinded that I failed to see I was hurting my monsters when I should have been relying on them. I'll keep this card but I won't use it. Instead I'll keep it as a reminded that I need to put my trust in my cards. Until, I've earned the trust of my Dark Magician I'll kept working on myself and my deck. Thanks Isaac. You truly are an amazing duelist; I'm glad the Dark Magician chose a master that he's proud of and willing to serve by his side. See you around, Isaac."

"I'll be seeing you, oh Great and Powerful Trixie" Isaac said doing his best impression of her. With that Trixie left the gymnasium, Isaac knew their paths would cross again and he would be looking forward to it. Just then Isaac felt a pair of arms wrap around him.

"That was an amazing duel, Isaac. I knew you could do it. You kept your cool even when you were backed into a corner and trusted your deck to help you secure the victory. I'm really happy for you." Tears of joy started to manifest from Fluttershy's eyes.

"Thanks Fluttershy. To be honest I have you to thank, you gave me the confidence boost that I needed to beat Trixie. I'm really grateful."

While they were talking with each other, they didn't notice a girl approaching them till she got their attention. It wasn't just any random girl, but the same girl who had witnessed Isaac's previous 2 duels. She was observing him from the sidelines seeing what skills he possessed as a duelist and now that she saw all that she needed to see. She wanted to make her presence known.

"That was an awesome duel, man" said the girl.

Isaac looked at the girl to get a better view of her. He noticed she had light cerulean-ish gray skin color and wore a t-shirt that bore a storm cloud with a lighting bolt coming out of it. The things that really caught his attention was based on her physique Isaac could see she was an athlete, but her major attention grabber was her rainbow colored hair. She apparently was a friend of Fluttershy as she gave her a quick hug. "Thanks. I've seen you before I think. Rainbow..."

"Dash. Rainbow Dash" she said with such conviction in her voice. "I've been watching you for a while now; I've liked what I've seen so far. That's why we need to talk!"

Chapter 25: The Fan Club

"... And so if you separate the variables from each other, then you can be able to solve for what 'x' is. The last thing would be to plug it back into the original problem to find your answer."

"Exactly, Isaac. Now that everybody knows the answer, lets have the rest of the class figure out the answer to this problem."

Algebra. Or in simpler terms, math. The most stressful subject to anyone unless you know what to do. Thankfully, I was pretty decent at the subject that more often than not I had no trouble with solving the problems; it was when I didn't know what the problem was asking or didn't know the proper steps that it turned into bitch. Nevertheless I could see the expressions on some of my fellow classmates as they tried to solve the problem that out teacher had given us. After a couple of minutes, the teacher showed the answer and asked if anybody had an questions before she explained how to solve it step by step. I already knew how to solve it, so I was going tune out for a bit until Pinkie started to get my attention by tapping my shoulder. I turned around to see what she wanted.

"So Isaac, about this morning, what do you think?"

To understand what Pinkie meant, lets go back a bit. My morning had started like any other with me waking up and getting ready for school. The night prior, before heading to bed, Sunset had sent me a message saying that she had managed to get a hold of some support cards for her Red-Eyes Black Dragon. She spent a good chunk of time putting it together and asked if I could look at it sometime during the day, so that I could give my honest opinions and offer any last minute additions. So I was stoked for today, until I got to school. Remember when Celestia had told me that being champ meant I had some new responsibilities. Apparently, one of those responsibilities was having to attend a monthly meeting. Although I had a feeling that Celestia just made this as a new act. Regardless I had to take part in this. It was mostly a meeting with the different heads of the extracurricular activities; this meeting was to discuss how each activity was doing and if there was any major events that were coming up that needed attention.

Now what did I have to do with being here. Well I was mostly served as a representative for Celestia whenever she couldn't make the meeting. That alone would suck for anybody, but there is a positive side. Despite there being so many activities, any events that were coming up had some kind of dueling exhibition. So it only made sense that they needed the approval of the champ to officiate it and if possibly for me to take part in it. Of course, it also meant that it would be an official duel and if I lost then the person who beat me would earn the title/rank as champion. I didn't mind that because it meant that I was guaranteed to get in on some action when it came to Duel Monsters. The other good thing was that Pinkie was also part of this meeting as she was the head of the Party Planning Committee, so at least I had a friend with me. Plus with Pinkie being here, she always brought snacks for everybody after it ended and was always able to lighten up the mood so that the meeting was as tedious as it was meant to be. Pinkie even made sure to bake me a special cupcake seeing as I was the champion, I'd appreciated Pinkie for her efforts. Pinkie was able to control her craziness more so thanks to me being able to real her back down to earth; Pinkie was a really nice friend, in fact, I saw her as more of a little sister to me. Sure she could be a handful at times, but she knew how to put smiles on other peoples' faces. Of course being like a sister, meant asking their older siblings for stuff which often lead to Pinkie asking me for some stuff to which I had to decline. Anyways the meeting had ended with Pinkie letting the rest of the board know about the major parties she had planned in the next few months.

"So as everybody knows, we just had the Fall Formal which provided us with some craziness let me tell you. We also happen to crown a new champ. Spoiler alert: he's sitting right next to me."

"Pinkie, I can literally hear you! Plus it's no spoiler alert, everybody here at school knows about my victory against Sunset." said Isaac as he looked at the other people in the room who confirmed his statement with nods.

"Oh, you're right. Silly me." giggled Pinkie who patted Isaac on top of his head.

I just merely rolled my eyes before I waved her hand off from touching my head. "Anyways, are you going to tell us what parties you had planned, so we can get the hell out of here?"

"Okey dokey lokey, well as you all know we just had the Fall..."

"Pinkie!!!" I was really starting to lose patience with how much I wanted to leave.

"I'm teasing you, Isaac. Don't worry, I know how much you love dueling that's why I've proposed there be a dueling exhibition match as part of a Halloween party. This year the holiday happens to fall on a school day, so Celestia has decided to host a party the weekend prior as a way for us to enjoy ourselves. Of course there will be tons of students who will be attending the event, so why not give them some entertainment. So I was hoping to get your opinion on what you think about it and if you have an opponent in mind?"

And that leads us to where we started off, with me talking to Pinkie about the idea she had proposed earlier. Pinkie had huge eyes as she was looking at me to see what my answer was to her request.

"Look Pinkie, I'm always up for a challenge. Especially when it comes to Duel Monsters. However, in terms of who I want to face, I just don't know. There's a lot of potential candidates, but I don't know who."

"Don't worry about it big bro. Let Auntie Pinkie worry about that sort of stuff, you just focus on preparing as champion." Pinkie gave a big smile at Isaac.

"Okay two things wrong with that statement: One, we're not blood related and second, I'm one year older than you."

Nevertheless, Pinkie just keep on smiling as she went back to her work. Isaac then turned before he got in trouble and proceed to do his own work while trying to take his mind off of who he might want to face. Soon it was lunchtime and Isaac was preparing to head to the cafe to get some food in his belly. Along the way he happened to bump into Applebloom who was racing in the hallways.

"I wonder what's on the...Ohf."

"Ow, my head. Ooh, sorry Isaac didn't see you there."

"It's alright, Applebloom. I've taken tougher bumps; anyways, what are you doing running in the halls?"

"Well I'm actually going to meet my friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo. Have you met them?"

To be honest, I didn't know who Applebloom's friends were. During my battle with Applejack, I only caught a glimpse of Applebloom sitting in the crowd and cheering her big sister. That being said I only saw for a moment two other people sitting next to her, but I quickly dismissed it as I was focusing on my duel with Aj.

"To be honest, you never mentioned them. Are they the two individuals who were sitting with you when you were cheering on your sister?"

"Correct, just like you have your friend group. Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo are part of my friend group. In fact, we often spend time together. We're always doing things together, even dueling. We hope that one day we can be as good as our sisters and fill in their shoes when our time has come. Say Isaac, how would you like to meet them? I told them that I was friends with the champion, but they don't seem to believe me. Maybe you could swing by and show them that I'm telling the truth." Applebloom had a smile on her face with a bit of an evil intent.

"Applebloom, you know I can't abuse my power as champion for petty things. But seeing as how you're genuine in me wanting to meet your friends, I'd be willing to say hello."

"Thanks, Isaac. You don't how happy that makes me." Applebloom then gave Isaac a hug, as Isaac just patted her head. "After school meet us in the library, I'll make sure to round up the girls. See you later." Applebloom then ran in the opposite direction of Isaac.

The rest of the day went by, during that time, Isaac had met up with the girls and told them about his first of many meetings he would have to endure as champion. Even Sunset was smiling/laughing at Isaac and was kind of glad she didn't win. The girls assured Isaac that he would be alright; Pinkie then arrived and told the group her plan.

"So what do you girls think?" Asked Pinkie.

"I for one think it's a marvelous idea. Just imagine the many costumes I could design. Why everyone would be stunned with the many outfits I came up with."

"A party sounds nice, especially if it means I get to face you Isaac. Keep in mind that we never got a chance to face each other in the Fall Formal. So what do you say, Isaac? How about picking me as your opponent for the exhibition duel?"

Just before Isaac could address Rainbow's proposal, they were interrupted by someone.

"Hold on an apple picking minute! What in tarnations makes you think that you're the one who's going to challenge Isaac?"

"Uh, cause I'm clearly the best out of all of us. I made it to the top 3 in the Fall Formal; besides you had your chance to take on Isaac and you failed, Applejack. So that stands to reason that I should be the next one in line for a title shot."

"So doesn't mean you can jump the line whenever you want. Besides Isaac doesn't want to face someone he knows he can beat." Applejack's comment seemed to have ticked off Dash.

"What did you say? Are you insinuating that Isaac can be me so easily?"

"I ain't asking, I know he can. That's why he should have someone who could bring the fight to him. Someone who will make sure that he has a good time with; someone who actually understands him" Applejack was having a smug look on her face while she looked at Rainbow and then Isaac.

"Please, I know Isaac way better than you?"

"Do not."

"Do too."

"Do not!"

"Do too!"

Eventually it turned into a massive argument with Applejack and Rainbow Dash both trying to make justifications on why they should be the one to challenge Isaac. The rest of the girls and Isaac just rolled their eyes as they ate their food and watched the show happening in front of them. Once Dash and Aj had finally run out of steam arguing, Sunset then pulled out her deck and gave it to everybody to see the improvements she made since yesterday. When Isaac finally got a look at them, he spent a good amount of time looking over Sunset's cards. He saw what she was able to come up with and began to go over the different plays he could potential see in his mind. He then gave it back to her and told her that she had a pretty foundation, but that in the end she would have to come up with her own play style if she truly wanted to master the deck.

After lunch, the group then headed outside to get some fresh air. Also to settle the issue between Rainbow and Applejack; it seems they were still trying to justify on who Isaac should face for the exhibition match. Pinkie had suggested that they both duel each other and whoever won she would consider to be Isaac's opponent. Without missing a beat, both girls activated their duel disk and prepared their decks for battle. The rest of the group decided to sit by a tree with Isaac sitting up against the bark as they prepared to watch the sight unfold in front of them. The battle for the most part was a standoff between Dash and Aj, as they kept countering the others to the point that neither was willing to make a mistake. Meanwhile their friends were just doing their own things while they waited for the duel to be over. Fluttershy was feeding some birds who landed by her; Rarity had pulled out her notebook and was brainstorming some ideas for the costume party. Pinkie, Sunset, and Isaac were just playing a rowdy game of rock paper scissors. Just then the duel had ended as both girls had managed to end in a tie.

"Well looks like I was right, that means I win the bet. Pay up Sunset." Said Isaac who hand his hand out as Sunset was kicking herself.

"I knew I shouldn't have made this wager." Sunset was a bit upset as she pulled out a five dollar bill and handed it to Isaac.

"Pleasure doing business with you." said Isaac who had a smug look on his face as he had managed to hustle Sunset and put the money in his pocket.

The school bell then rang which meant it was time to return to class and the group then started to make their way back into the building. Once the final class had led out, everybody started to gather their stuff and head either home or to their after school activities. The girls had suggested they go hang out, but Isaac had told him that he had other arrangements so he couldn't join them. They understood and then said goodbye to him. Once the girls had left, Isaac then made his way to the school library where he was planning to meet with Applebloom and her pals.

It took a while, but Isaac eventually found the place. At first glance there was thousands upon thousands of books that lined the shelves of this place. The nerd in Isaac was coming a bit out as he took in a deep breath and took in the scent of paper and ink. Before he was lost in his own world, he heard a noise coming from another section of the room. Eventually he found the three little kids who were sitting together at a table and were playing a card game. It wasn't anything fancy but just a piece of paper and a calculator. One of those people happened to be Applebloom who was busy writing some stuff down on that sheet of paper. Isaac then made his way to the group as he heard their conversation.

"Come on Applebloom, we've been waiting long enough. Just admit it, he's not coming." said the girl who had light gamboge skin and bright purple hair.

"Besides, you probably made that whole thing up. There's no way you know the champion." said the third girl who had pale purple and pink hair and had pale white skin.

"I told you girls he's coming and that I do know him. He's just running a bit late is all." said Applebloom as she had a nervous sweat rolling down her face.

"Sure, sure. Look I'm been waiting to get in a game all day." said the girl with purple hair.

"I told you that he's coming, if I know Is..." Applebloom then looked to her side and saw Isaac walking towards them. "Isaac, you made it." Applebloom then got up from her seat and tackled Isaac's lower body as she gave him a hug. The other girls just simply looked on with an intriguing eye.

"I knew you come."

"Well of course, I never break a promise."

"Darn tootin. Oh Isaac, let me introduce you to my pals, this here is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo."

"Pleasure to meet you girls." Isaac then gave them a smile and a wave to which they returned before talking directly to Applebloom.

"Okay, Applebloom enough fooling around. There's no way he's the one you're talking about. I mean how can he be Canterlot High's duel champion. I mean he didn't even face Rainbow Dash while he was in the tournament." said Scootaloo who looked at Isaac with an unimpressed look.

"Yeah, Scoots is right. I mean do you really expect us to believe that this gentleman right here is the winner of the Fall Formal. No offense sir, but you don't seem to be the type of person who could have beaten Sunset and become champion." said Sweetie Belle.

"Well I a..."

"Of course, Isaac is the one who beat Sunset. How else do you explain the atmosphere at CHS being a bit nicer than it was prior? It's thanks to Isaac that we can all relax and enjoy dueling the way it used to be and that's to have fun." Unfortunately, Applebloom's friends weren't buying what she was selling.

"It's okay, Applebloom. It's no big deal." Isaac had put his hand on her shoulder as he tried to comfort the little girl.

"But it's true. You're the champion and you did beat Sunset. They just don't see it." Just then Applebloom had an idea pop into her head. "Say Isaac, why don't you show them? I mean what other way than for you to prove that what I'm saying is true than with a duel. Besides, Scoots here has been itching for a duel."

"If you think this is going to change my mind about him, forget it. But I have been itching for a match, so what do you say, are you man enough for a little contest?"

Isaac looked at Scootaloo and then at Applebloom who was pleading with him to accept the challenge and prove that she was telling them the truth. Ultimately, Isaac decided to humor the little girl and told her that he be up for a little friendly game. He then made his way to the table they sat at and took a sit opposite of Scootaloo. He then pulled out his deck, and shuffled it before putting it down. Applebloom then wrote down on the piece of paper each of their life points while Sweetie Belle just watched from the side.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
Scootaloo's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Scootaloo

"Alright, Mr. Big Shot. If you're really the champion then lets see how you handle when there's no fancy smoke and mirrors. It's just you, me, and the cards we play. Draw." Scootaloo then picked up a card from her deck and looked through her hand before looking at Isaac. "I'll start by playing Cycroid(800/1000) in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn. Lets see you get through that!"

Turn 2: Isaac

It was now Isaac's turn as he picked up a card from his deck and looked at Scootaloo's field. It had been a long time since Isaac played Duel Monsters this old fashioned way, but it was a nice breather from all the holographic of the duel disk. He then began to his cards. "I'll play my Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. Now I'll have my magician attack your Cycroid. Then I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Scootaloo was upset that Isaac had managed to get rid of her monster with so much ease. She was a bit angry at what had occurred, but refocused on getting her head back into the game.

Turn 3: Scootaloo

"Alright, you just got lucky." Scootaloo then picked up her next card and had a smile on her face. "But you won't be lucky this time. I play Steamroid(1800/1800) and then I'll play the spell Double Summon, now I gain an additional summon this turn and I play Submarineroid(800/1800). Now time to attack, my Steamroid gains 500 extra attack when it engages in battle so now it's stronger enough to destroy your monster and then I'll my Submarineroid attack you directly. When it attacks directly, I can then change it into defense mode. I'll then lay 1 card facedown and end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 6500

Isaac then picked up his card and put it in the graveyard pile as he watched Scootaloo have a smirk on her face. Sweetie Belle had a similar look on her face, while Applebloom was trying to hide her face out of embarrassment.

"Seems Applebloom was wrong about you. I knew there was no way someone like you could become champion. Heck your victory was probably a fluke."

Isaac just put his hand on his deck and was preparing to draw his card. He then looked at Scootaloo who had a confident smile appear on his face while she started to sweat a little.

Turn 4: Isaac

"Well now, Scootaloo if you believe my victory was a fluke then lets find out. Draw. I'll start by playing Graceful Charity, so I'll pick up 3 more cards and then I'll have to put 2 in the grave." Isaac then picked up the top 3 cards and added them to his hand before choosing which 2 cards to put into the discard pile. Scootaloo was confused by what Isaac was doing; Isaac still had a smile on his face.

"What good does that do, you just basically forced yourself to get rid of cards? Do you really expect me to believe you won using moves like that?" Scootaloo was not impressed with what she was seeing so far. Sweetie Belle had a similar look on her face, however, Applebloom had a huge smile on her face as she knew exactly what Isaac was about to do.

"Well, sometimes looks can be deceiving. Like this one, I'll play Watapon in defense mode. Because I drew him from a card effect, I can special summon him."

Isaac then played his card on the table for every to see. The immediate reaction he got from the girls was just a simple 'Aw' as they found Isaac's monster a tad bit cute. Even Scootaloo was showing how much she found it to be adorable.

"I'll admit your monster is so cute and fluffy! But he can't do anything by himself."

"Like I said, don't judge a book by its cover. Sure my Watapon may not be tough on his own, but his true strength lies elsewhere. Now watch as I sacrifice my Watapon to summon my Dark Magician Girl. Now watch as my tiniest monsters lends it power to bring forth an even more powerful one, this is the power of teamwork. I play Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then switched his Watapon and put his Dark Magician Girl card on the field. "But I'm not done, next I'll play my facedown: Sage's Stone. Now since I have Dark Magician Girl on my field, I can bring out her teacher. So I'll then play my most loyal companion, Dark Magician." Just like that Isaac had both of his magicians on the field and it was safe to say that both Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were losing their minds at the sight of these cards in front of them. "Now I'll have my monsters take out your machines. With that I'll play 1 card facedown and end my turn."
Scootaloo's Life Points: 7800-

Turn 5: Scootaloo

"Alright, you got some skills, I'll give you that. Draw. For now, I'll just play a monster in defense mode and pass it over to you."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Think you may be reconsidering your opinion of me? Well maybe this will, I activate my spell card, Thousand Knives. Now I can destroy 1 of your monsters, so say goodbye to your defense. With that gone, I can then launch a direct attack on your life points. I'll then end my turn."
Scootaloo's Life Points: 3300-

"With that last attack, Scootaloo is nearly down to 3000 life points. One more attack and it's all over." said Applebloom as she wrote down the life total on the piece of paper.

Turn 7: Scootaloo

"Alright, I'm done messing around. Watch this, Mr. Champ. Draw. I'll play the spell Roid Recycle, now I can bring back 3 'Roid' monsters to my field. I'll bring back my Submarineroid, Steamroid, and Cycroid from my grave. Then from my hand I'll play the spell: Ace Pair. This means I can now summon out two monsters as long as their the same level; I play Stealthroid and Truckroid. Next I'll play one of my favorite cards it's called Power Bond; now I can fusion summon using the monsters on my field. So I'll combine my 5 machines and play Barbaroid, the Ultimate Battle Machine(4000/4000). The great thing about Power Bond is that it doubles my monsters' attack, however at the end of my turn I take damage that my monster gained from Power Bond. That won't matter because I'm about to end this duel here, plus my monster's ability allow him to attack twice and you take 1000 points each time I destroy a monster. Either way this duel is over; I'll attack for game!"

"Yeah, don't think that's happening. I flip over my final facedown, Mirror Force. Now this card will redirect your attack right back at you; in addition your monster is destroyed."

"No! Then that means I've got nothing to defend myself. How? How did you do that?"

Turn 8: Isaac

"It wasn't that hard. Now then I'll have my magicians attack you direct and win."
Scootaloo's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"And with that, Isaac is the winner. Congrats, of course I'd expect nothing less from the Canterlot High's #1 duelist. So girls, do you believe me now?" Applebloom had a smug look on her face as she looked at her pals. Suffice to say both Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo had given her a nod that said they believed in what she was telling them.

"Wait then that means, if Isaac is the champion? Oh my god, we're in the presence of greatness. We're so sorry for treating you badly." Sweetie Belle was doing her best to try to get Isaac to not to be angry with her.

"And I'm sorry for thinking you were a phony, can you please forgive us?" They both gave Isaac the puppy eyes.

"It's alright, girls. No harm, no foul. Besides its been a while since I've had a duel as old school as this. It nice to just play regularly without having to look at the cool special effects of cards. Besides, Applebloom here wanted me to meet with you girls?"

"See girls, I told you'll he was a friend. Not to mention super nice. In fact, Isaac here helped to construct my deck."

"Really? Say Isaac, if it's not too much trouble could you possibly look at my deck and see if I can make any improvements?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"And then me after!" yelled Scootaloo who was full of excitement.

Isaac was happy that the girls were ecstatic about meeting him, as well as, being able to help the girls with their decks. Isaac looked at each of the girls' decks and offer them his suggestions as well as some tidbits of advice. They were happy to say the least; after talking with the CMC for a bit, they had asked Isaac for his backstory and he told them about his life and how he got into Duel Monsters.

"And that girls, is how I became invested into the game. It's also how I became the owner of two of my most loyal monsters. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then pulled out his cards and passed them to the girls so that they could get a good look at them. The girls were amazed to see such powerful and amazing looking monsters; it made Isaac happy to see the girls just take such an invested interest in his monsters.

"Off of just looks, your monsters are really cool looking. Why if I had cards like this, then I would want to show them to everybody whenever I got a chance."

"I'm with Sweetie Belle here, you got some awesome cards Isaac. It's no wonder you're champion, with monsters like these it will be hard to take you down. I found out first hand just how unprepared I was."

"Well what did you expect, Scoots? Isaac does have better cards than any of us; it makes sense why he would beat us so easily. We be luck to last even a turn with him."

"Tell me about it, even though you weren't even trying you still managed to wipe the floor with me. I can't imagine what it would be like if you were fully trying; you probably would have found a way to OTK me."

"Well that's probably a bit of a stretch. Anyways, it's not so much that I have better cards than you girls. It's simply that my skills are a bit more advanced than yours. Not to sound mean or anything but I've had tons of experience under my belt to know when to play a card and how to use it. I'm sure that if you'll had a bit more practice and worked at getting better, then you lot could laster longer than you think. Sure your opponent may have better cards, but ultimately it comes down to who has the better skills in a duel. No matter how much of a bind you may be in, if you have the skills to turn things around then that is what you should focus on."

"Words to live by." said Applebloom.

After their brief discussion the CMC wanted to test out their new changes to their deck and pleaded Isaac for him to play against them. They wanted him to see how well they did and also wanted to have fun. Isaac couldn't say no to these girls mainly because they were all giving him the puppy eyes which made his heart sting if he rejected their offer. Safe to say that they all suffered some form of defeat due to Isaac's deck but overall they were learning and more importantly having the time of their lives. In between sets, Isaac had given each of the girls some cards that they could use to boost the strength of their deck. The sun was going down and Applebloom saw that it was getting kind of late. So she decided to wrap up their little group activity. Isaac volunteered to help them clean up and gather girls' belongings as they were making their way to the front of the school. The girls were so happy that they got to learn from Isaac, that they decided to be official members/founders of the Isaac fan club to which they showed his appreciation by wearing what appeared to be Dark Magician hats. Isaac felt like he should have told the girls that they didn't need to do that, but didn't have the heart to tell them as they were jumping up and down with joy. They all made it to the front of the school where Applebloom's brother was waiting to pick up his sister. Then Scootaloo's aunts showed up and they waved at her to get in the car. Both of them said goodbye to everybody as they got in their respective vehicles and drove off. The only ones left were Sweetie Belle and Isaac.

"So Sweetie Belle, where's your ride?"

"Actually, I'm going to walk home. See I don't live far from here and I told my sister that I would be coming home a tad bit late. Though I don't want to worry her too much, so I should probably get going." Sweetie Belle turned in the direction she was about to walk in till she heard Isaac speak up.

"Hey, why don't I walk you home? I happen to live in that same direction, so I could drop you off. Besides, after giving me a fun afternoon it's the least I can do."

"You sure I don't want you to get in trouble or become a burden for you?"

"Don't worry about it, plus it'll be a lot safer for you if you had someone with you. Just because you told your sister that you'll be home late, doesn't mean that you can't worry her. She'll be devastated if she found out something bad happened to her little sis and wasn't there to protect her. With me at least you'll know you have someone who can keep you safe."

"Thanks Isaac, you really are a true friend." Sweetie Belle then hugged Isaac to which he just merely patted the girls head.

They then started to walk together in the direction of Sweetie Belle's home. It wasn't a long of a walk as they arrived at the place where Sweetie Belle lived in about 20 minutes. The moment they arrived at Sweetie Belle's place, Isaac took a second to look at the place and began to have a realization which was confirmed by Sweetie Belle's statement.

"Say isn't this?"

"Rarity, I'm home?" Said Sweetie Belle as she and Isaac stepped through the door.

"Rarity?"

"Oh, is that you Sweetie Belle? My word, you had me worried." Rarity then made her way from a different room and gave her sister a hug. "I was terrified of you coming home so late. I kept thinking of all the terrible things that could have happened; I was afraid that I wouldn't be able to see my little sister again and it would be my fault for not keeping her safe."

"It's okay, Rarity. I know that it's part of your job to worry about me, and I appreciate that about you. But I was completely safe, especially since I had Isaac with me to keep me protected." Just then Rarity got up from her knees and saw Isaac standing there behind her sister with a smile on his face.

"Oh, Isaac. Nice to see you again. I trust that you kept my sister safe, I hope she wasn't too much trouble."

"It was no trouble at all Rarity. I made sure to keep Sweetie Belle safe while she was in my care; I even walked her home."

"I'd appreciate that."

"Wait, you know Isaac, Rarity?". Sweetie Belle had a confused look on her face when she found out that her sister knew who Isaac was.

"Indeed I do, darling. I just I got too busy with the girls' plan and designing the outfits for the Fall Formal that I guess it must have slipped my mind. Sorry about that, sis."

Sweetie Belle just gave her sister a warm smile as she forgave her sister for not informing her. "It's all right, Rarity. I get that you were busy with a lot of things. Anyways thanks for getting me home safe and sound; also I had a really fun time getting a chance to learn some new things from you."

"Your welcome, Sweetie Belle."

Isaac then gave her a quick wave/goodbye. Sweetie Belle then said goodbye and went to her room, leaving Isaac and her sister to be by themselves.

"She really is a nice girl, it's no wonder she has someone like you as her big sister. I see that some of your personality rubbed off on her."

"Still the charmer. But yes, I'm Sweetie Belle's sister and it's my responsibility to watch her while we're in school. If something terrible would happen to her, then I wouldn't know what to do. I'm just glad that she made it home safe and sound."

Isaac could tell how genuine Rarity's voice was. Apart from her beauty and her charms that could get boys to do anything for her, Isaac saw how much Rarity really cared for her sister. It kind of made her amazing in a way. Isaac was about to leave so that he could make sure to get home before it was dark when he was stopped by Rarity.

"Well it's going to be dark soon, so I better get home."

"Wait Isaac. I just wanted to say once again that I'm grateful that you brought my sister home. Not to mention that you helped her with her deck. She really wants to be good at the game, but I hardly have the time to practice with her. So I'm glad she has someone she can train with; not to mention that she can learn from the best. Anyways, I'm hoping that I can repay you in some way."

"You don't have to repay me, Rarity. I helped her because it was the right thing to do." Isaac tried to assure Rarity that she didn't need to do anything.

"But I must do something to show my gratitude/generosity." Just then an idea popped into Rarity's head which caused her to crack a small smile as well as a bit of a blush. "Perhaps, if you don't have plans this weekend. Maybe you and I could go somewhere, just the two of us."

"You mean like a date? Are you asking me out?" It took awhile for Isaac to figure out what Rarity was trying to say. When he said it, it caused both of them to show a shade of red as they looked away from each other for a few seconds.

"Yes, in a way. I understand if you don't want to?" Rarity then started to turn as Isaac grabbed her arm and caused her to turn around.

"It's not that I don't want to; it's just that I've never been on a date before. Is there some sort of book that I need to read to prepare myself?" asked Isaac who had a confused look on his face while Rarity just merely giggled at Isaac's lack of romantic knowledge.

"Darling, there's nothing to worry about. Just let me handle all the details, you just focus on showing up."

Rarity then did something unexpected as she stepped forward and gave Isaac a kiss on his check. This caused Isaac to let go of Rarity's arm and put his hand to his check as he took a step back. It was so sudden that Isaac didn't know what to do which made Rarity giggle even more at how Isaac acted when it came to romance. Still that one second of Isaac letting go of her arm left her with a feeling of wanting; she missed the touch of Isaac that it was taking everything in her power to not jump at Isaac and have him hold her in his arms for a bit longer. Nevertheless, Isaac then said to Rarity that he would take her up on the offer of going on a date. He then turned around and headed out the door before saying one last goodbye to her. Rarity then waited a couple of seconds before confirming that Isaac had left before she found herself sitting up against the door. Rarity's heart was pounding and she could hear it beating very fast as she put her hand over her heart. In her mind, that was probably the toughest thing she ever did mental. However she was a bit happy that she finally managed to muster up the courage and ask Isaac out. Just the thought of going on a date with Isaac was enough to drive her crazy, she kept imagining the different scenarios of how she would confess her feelings to Isaac that it caused her to be filled with so much happiness. After taking some time to compose herself, Rarity then made her way to Sweetie Belle's room to check up on her. Along the way she couldn't stop smiling as she was grinning from ear to ear, just thinking about Isaac holding her and him kissing her as they confessed their feelings towards each other.

Chapter 36: Road to the Friendship Games

It had been three weeks since school had started. The weather was starting to warm up as the snow on the ground had melted but it was still cold enough to warrant a sweater. However, today's weather proved to be a bit warmer than usually as most students didn't need an extra layer of clothing. Most students were taking advantage of this nice day as several were seen sitting on the school grass and having conversations with each other. While this was happening, our group of heroes were in the back near the soccer field and, well, lets say they were doing something important.

"Now that your field is clear, time for my monster to bare its fangs. Red-Eyes attack Rainbow directly!"

The red dragon flapped its wings as it soared high into the sky and then it opened its mouth as it unleashed a barrage of molten lava fire balls. The attack landed as it decimated the entire field and everything left behind was burned to a crisp. Sunset just had a smile on her face as she flipped her hair while watching Rainbow's life point counter drop to zero. "Looks like that's game."

Rainbow Dash had gotten up and shook herself from Sunset's attack. She was less than pleased that she had lost, based on her face. "That's twice in a row, you've beaten me. I swear one of these days, I'll beat you. Count on it!"

"I mean, I had only had 400 life points left; you were in command for most of that duel. You should be proud of yourself."

Watching from the sidelines was the rest of their friends who applauded the battle these two put on. "She's right. Sunset may have found a way to bounce back, but you started out with a strong lead and you did your best to keep it that way." Applejack then gave both of her friends pat on the backs. "Especially, considering that Sunset wasn't using her crazy powers that she's fond of."

"It's not like that anymore Applejack. Ever since the Fall Formal, I haven't been experiencing these powers of mine. In fact, ever since Isaac beat me and sort of cleansed my spirit, my powers have sort of faded. It makes me a bit happy to know that I can be a regular girl and not have some other wordly power by side trying to make others bend to my will."

"Ohh, I'm up next!" shouted Pinkie who was waiting all morning to get in on some action.

"As much as I would love to go another round, I think I'll pass on this one. Anybody else want to take on Pinkie?"

"I'll entertain her, Sunset. You just sit back and relax for a bit." Rarity then grabbed her duel disk and her deck. Sunset wished Rarity good luck as she passed her and joined the rest of the squad on the bleachers as she unstrapped her duel disk.

"Are you ready, Pinkie?"

"Totally, I can't wait to try out my new cards!" Pinkie was bouncing up and down in place.

Soon both girls activated their duel disks and were about to start. The rest of their friends were watching from the bleachers and decided to make a little wager to entertain themselves.

"So what's the bet in this duel?" Asked Rainbow.

"I got five bucks that Rarity is going to win." said Applejack.

"Interesting, alright then I'll pick Pinkie to win. Sunset, Fluttershy any of you guys want in on this bet?"

Fluttershy just shook her head as she wasn't one for picking favorites between her friends.

"You know it could be a great way to make some quick money? Alright, deal me in. I'll put five on Rarity and I'll bet ten if Pinkie wins." Sunset put her hand out for Rainbow and Applejack to shake as she had a sly smile on her face.

"High baller, I respect that. Alright, you're on."

With that all three of them shook their hands, as the bet was made. All of them started to get comfy as Pinkie and Rarity had just drawn their opening hand. It seemed Pinkie would be the one to start things off. They weren't the only ones who were dueling. There was actually other smaller groups of students who were dueling with them having a small crowd of spectators. While they were watching their friends, Sunset couldn't help but let her mind wander a bit. She thought back to what had happened since last school term. To think that she would have her life turned around by a full 180 was a bold understatement. If you had told her that she would turn from the biggest meanie in the school's history to becoming someone who was beloved by her fellow peers then she would have thought you were stupid. Still she was glad, she changed for the better and it was all thanks to one person. Sunset then thought about Isaac and how he had literally risked his life to try to get her to change. Since then he was able to bring Canterlot High to a more peaceful place. Not to mention the many new eyes that he attracted becoming champion; if anything it brought her happiness to know there was somebody like Isaac who was willing to carve his own path. For second, Sunset had a blush on her face as she imagined Isaac.

Just then the school bell rang to signal the start of the school day. Unfortunately, the duel between Rarity and Pinkie Pie didn't end so nobody had won the bet. Nevertheless they all gathered their stuff and prepared to head to their classes. While they all took their seats, Fluttershy then realized something was off.

"Hey, have any of you seen Isaac? It's not like him to be late."

"How can I be so late!?" Isaac screamed as he was running to make it on time for school. "Great job, Isaac. The one time you forget to set your alarm and you oversleep. Ahh, Celestia gonna have my ass for being tardy, better pick up the pace!" With that Isaac went into a full on sprint as he was trying to avoid getting in trouble.

Isaac had just made it to the soccer field as it was coming into his view. "Looks like I'm going to make it." Isaac had just slowed down as he was catching his breath. He then began to walk to the front of the school entrance when he noticed something happening. "Hopefully I'm not in a lot.... hey who's that?"

Isaac had witnessed somebody snooping around the school statue. He couldn't see who it was as they wore a hooded blue sweatshirt that covered their face. They did have a duel disk on their arm but from what he could tell it wasn't one that students of CHS wore. Isaac then got the attention of the stranger.

"Interesting. So this is the place that...."

"Hey, over here. Mind telling who you are, stranger?"

The hooded figure noticed that somebody was watching them and decided to make a run for it. Isaac soon followed them as they were making their way to the back of the school and heading toward the soccer field. They were trying to escape through the back but just before it passed through the gate, they slipped on a soccer ball and fell face first. It bought enough time for Isaac to catch up.

"Hey, calm down. I just want to know who you are and want you were doing lurking around school?"

"Stay back!" Screamed the hoodie figure who tried to get up but they quickly noticed that the duel disk on their arm had activated which gave Isaac an idea.

"If you won't tell me, then maybe I'll duel a confession out of you." Isaac then activated his duel disk and the challenge was accepted. Both duelist then began to face each other, Isaac still couldn't see the person's face but he hoped that whoever they were he could tell from their name once the duel began.

"I didn't want it to come to this, but it seems I have no choice." said the mysterious person.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Intiaiting, Commencing duel." said the mechanical voices of their duel disks.

"Let's duel." they both said.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

???'s Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: ???

So much for figuring out what their name might have been.

"I'll start, draw. I'll play Magician Valkyria in defense mode. Then I'll set a card facedown."

"Oh cool, you use a similar card like me. Now this duel just got interesting."

"What are you talking about?" The hooded figure was confused on why their opponent would be happy. Not to mention that he said about having a similar card.

Turn 2: Isaac

"I'll show you, draw. I'll take a different approach and summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. Now when he's summoned, Breaker gains a counter that increases his attack by 300." Isaac played his card and out came a warrior that wielded a sword and shield. This caused the mysterious person to take a step back and think.

No way. He uses spellcasters too. Just who is this individual?

"Next I'll play two cards facedown and then I'll have Breaker attack your Magician Valkyria. Slice and dice, Breaker." Isaac's warrior then leaped into the air and brought its sword down on the mysterious duelist's monster. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 3: ???

"I don't know who you are and too be honest I'm not interested. I was looking to scout some useful information, but you had to interfere. Draw. I'll start by playing Berry Magician Girl(400/400) in attack mode. Then her special ability activates which lets me add 1 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand. Next I'll activate this card Spellbook Library of the Crescent; if I have no 'Spellbook' spell cards in my graveyard then I can reveal 3 'Spellbook' spell cards from my deck. Then you randomly choose one to add to my hand and the rest are shuffled in my deck. I reveal Spellbook of Eternity, Spellbook of Secrets, and Spellbook of Wisdom." The three cards were then projected in front of Isaac as they were flipped over and spun around in a circle before they stopped.

"Lady luck always was generous with me. I choose the card on the right." Isaac pointed his finger at his choice and it was added to the mysterious person's hand while the rest went into their deck.

"Interesting choice. Not that it matters. Lastly, I'll play the field spell The Grand Spellbook Tower and end my turn." Out came a giant tower that caused Isaac to look up.

Turn 4: Isaac

That thing is massive; least I'm not at the top of that thing or my fear of heights would really kick in.

"Alright, time to see what I can do. Time for my monster to strike again, Breaker attack Berry Magician Girl."

"Thanks to you foolishly attacking, you've activated my monster's ability. When she becomes the target of an attack I can then switch her position from attack to defense. There's more I can then summon 1 'Magician Girl' from my deck. So I choose to bring out my Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)." With that the mysterious stranger had not only brought out a another monster but managed to protect their life points.

"Nice move. But I'm not done, next I'll play my spell card Ricochet. Now I bounce one of your monsters back to your hand and in addition I can add 1 card from my deck to my hand. I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: ???

"That is but a minor setback. I've already planned out my victory. And it starts with this, first I'll resummon my Chocolate Magician Girl. Then I'll play the continuous spell card Spellbook Star Hall. Now whenever a 'Spellbook' card is activated I can put a counter on this card. Like this one for example, I play the spell Spellbook of Secrets. This allows me to add 1 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." (Counter: 1) The mysterious duelist then looked at the screen of their duel disk and began searching through to get the card they wanted. The halls of their spell card then began to light up with a counter. "Then I'll give my magician a boost with this Spellbook of Power. Now she gains an extra 1000 points, so go my magician take out his Breaker!" Chocolate Magician Girl then raised her wand as it had no problem getting rid of Isaac's warrior.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"Now the other effect of Spellbook of Power kicks in. Since my magician destroyed your monster, I can now add another spellbook from my deck to my hand." The duelist then touched their screen to get the card they needed and another hall was light up. (Counter: 2) "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

Damn, this person is good. They've already got plan going, not to mention a monster that's tough to hit. I'm been trying to avoid attack just to not trigger her magician's effect. But guess I'll have to attack and I think I can with this.

"Draw. I'll start with playing this card Fissure. Now I destroy the monster on your side of the field with the lowest attack points on your field. Since Chocolate Magician Girl is the only monster on your field, it's the one being sent to the grave. In addition, your monster's effect doesn't activate since it wasn't target by an attack." A giant hand then emerged from the ground as it was split open; it then grabbed the magician as it pulled it into the abyss below as the ground closed behind it.

I'll say this whoever he is knows about my cards very well. said the mysterious person.

"Next up, I'll play my spell Graceful Charity which means I'll draw 3 more cards and discard 2." Isaac picked up his cards and decided which ones he wanted to send to the graveyard. "Now because I drew Watapon, I can now summon him to my field. But he won't be around for long because I'm going to sacrifice him to summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac played his female spellcaster which came out with a smile on her face.

"What's the situation, Isaac?"

"Just caught someone sneaking around school. Figured I duel them to get some answers; you wouldn't mind giving me a hand would you, Mana?"

"Anything for you." Hmm. I feel a strong presence with this opponent; almost like the bond between Isaac and Mahad.

"I'll now play Magic Formula and equip onto my Dark Magician Girl. Now she gains an extra 700 attack. Dark Magician Girl attack with Dark Burning Attack!" Dark Magician Girl obeyed the command of her master and fired a powerful shot at the mysterious duelist.
???'s Life Points: 5300-

The mysterious duelist just simply put their arm up as they felt the attack. So he has that card in his deck; here I thought I was the only one with that card. Could it be possibly that he...? No! It can't be! No one has that card!

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 7: ???

"Draw, I'll play the Spellbook Organization. Now I'll look at the top 3 cards of my deck and arrange them in any order I want." Another light lit up for the spell card. (Counter: 3) "Next I'll play my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(500/400), now when he's summoned I can add 1 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." With that the mysterious duelist took their card and even though Isaac couldn't see it, they had a smile on their face. "Now I'll reveal 3 'Spellbook' spell cards in my hand; Spellbook of Fate, Spellbook of Judgement, and Spellbook of Life. By doing so I can now special summon my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!" Out came a priestess that was absolutely stunning as she was covered in majestic robes and had a pretty smile on her face.

"Well now, she's definitely eye-catching, I'll give you that."

"Then perhaps you'll think she's even more attractive when I activate her special ability. Now by banishing a 'Spellbook' from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field. In addition, thanks to my Star Hall, all spellcasters I control gain 100 points based on the number of counters I have. Since I currently have 3, all my monsters gain 300 extra attack points. So say goodbye to your Dark Magician Girl!" High Priestess then put her hand out and fired a beam of pure light as it got rid of Isaac's magician. "With that gone, you're wide open to attack. High Priestess attack him directly!"

"I'll reveal my facedown Spellbinding Circle, so now your monster can't attack and loses 700 attack points."

"Not a problem; I calculated for this situation. I'll activate the Spellbook of Wisdom, now with this I can make it so that my High Priestess is unaffected by Trap effects this turn. So it looks like your trap won't save you. And my monsters get even stronger. Continue with your attack, Priestess. Then I'll have my Magician of Prophecy also take a stab as well."(Counter: 4).
Isaac's Life Points: 4400-

Thankfully, my Magic Formula card was able to give me an extra 1000 life points.

"Seems the success rate was 100% as calculated, of course. I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"Got to say, this really is fun. Not only are you good, but you're actually keeping up with me. Not to mention you managed to get rid of one of my most powerful monsters."

"Fun? You think this is fun? Duel Monsters is about how you play the game and being able to think ahead of your opponent so that your plan to secure victory is put into motion."

"True, but sometimes things don't go the way they're supposed to. Then it comes down to can you adjust on the fly. That's what's fun about dueling."

"Not for me, I duel with precision and I never stray from my plan."

"Then lets see how handle this next move, draw. I'll play the spell Chaos Form, now by sending the required levels I can perform a ritual summon. Appear Magician of Chaos(2500/2100)!" Out came a new spellcaster as it was covered in dark indigo clothing and had a wand that had a manifest circle around the tip of its staff. The mysterious stranger was in shock at how their opponent was constantly showing off his skills. "If you that was impressive then this next move will be a real show stopper. I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil, so I'll pay a 1000 life points and summon my Dark Magician of Chaos!" Now Isaac had two powerful spellcasters as they took an intimidating pose.
Isaac's Life Points: 3400-

"Since I summoned my Dark Magician of Chaos, I can now return a spell card from my graveyard to my hand." Isaac then touched his screen as his graveyard was brought and began to look through to pick the card he wanted. He then touched his screen as he made his decision and the duel disk slotted it out for him to grab. "Now time to attack, go my magicians take them out."

"I'll reveal the card I set from the beginning, Spellbook of Mimic. This spell allows me to copy the effect of a 'Spellbook' in my graveyard or deck. So I select my Spellbook of Denial. As the name suggest, I can deny your monsters from attacking, also my Star Hall gains another counter which means my spellcasters get even stronger." (Counter: 5).

"Don't think that will save you because I'm activating the ability of Magician of Chaos. Now once per turn, when a spell/trap or effect is activated, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. So I'll choose your Spellbook Star Hall."

"Doesn't matter because my Spellbook of Denial still takes effect."

"Not if I activate Magician Navigation from the grave. Now by banishing it, I can target one spell/trap you control and negates its effects till the end of the turn. Now that trap is rendered useless, my monster's ability will now destroy your Star Hall which in turn means you'll lose the extra attack points."

"Before my card is destroyed, I'll play the spell, Spellbook of Damage. Now all the damage I'll receive this round will be cut in half."(Counter: 6)

"Fine by me, you're gonna need every last point you can get. Push forward my magicians." With that Magician of Chaos had gotten rid of the opponent's Star Hall. Then both monsters lost their extra power up as their points were returned to normal. "So Dark Magician of Chaos will attack your High Priestess, instead of it being sent to the graveyard it now gets banished. Then my Magician of Chaos will take out your Spellbook Magician of Prophecy." With that both of Isaac's magicians took out and cleared the field of the opponent's monsters.
???'s Life Points: 4150-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: ???

"You may have gotten rid of my main support, but thankfully I was able to get my Spellbook Star Hall up to six counters. Now the other effect of it activates, when it's destroyed I can add 1 spellcaster whose level is equal to or less than to the number of counters that were on it when it was sent away. Since the number was 6, that means I get to add a level 6 spellcaster to my hand. The mysterious duelist in a flash took the card they wanted as if they knew what monster to choose.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my field spell. Once during my standby phase, if I have a spellcaster on my field or in my graveyard then I can return a 1 'Spellbook' from my graveyard to the bottom of my deck and then draw a card." The mysterious duelist then did that. "Like you I'll also activate Dark Magic Veil, so by paying 1000 life points I can summon a spellcaster from my hand. I play my Reaper of Prophecy(2000/1600). Out came a spellcaster but instead of wielding a wand it had a scythe like the one the Grim Reaper used.
???'s Life Points: 3150-

"Now whenever my Reaper is summoned, I can activate his ability which triggers his many effects based on how many 'Spellbook' cards with different names in my graveyard. Since there's at least 3 in my grave, my Reaper will gain 600 attack points which raises him to 2600. Now since there's 4 or more, I can add 1 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand. And lastly, since there's 5 or more, I can special summon one level 5 or higher Dark spellcaster-type monster from my deck. So come out, Magician of Dark Illusion."

There's another card that I have. Whoever this person is really knows their stuff; this has honestly been one of my most fun duels in a long time. They really are pushing me to the limit, not to mention that they're countering me move for move. This is really turning into a quality duel. Isaac had a smile on his face as he thought about this in his mind.

"Then I'll play my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). Now his ability kicks in, since I activated a 'Spellbook' card before he was on the field. I can tribute him to special summon 1 level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster-type monster from my deck. So I'll play another Magician of Dark Illusion. Then I'll take things to the next level by performing an advanced summoning method. I overlay both of my Magician of Dark Illusion to built the Overlay Network. I Xyz summon, Hierophant of Prophecy(2800/2600, OLU: 2)!" Now there were two powerful spellcasters facing Isaac. "I'll then activate the effect of my Hierophant of Prophecy, by using 1 overlay unit I can destroy your spell/traps cards up to the number of 'Spellbooks' in my grave. So now you have no facedowns to save you. Now Hierophant take out his Magician of Chaos!"

"I'll play the ability of my Electromagnetic Turtle from the grave; by banishing it I can immediately end your battle phase!"

"Ahh, I'll end my turn with a facedown." This guy really knows his stuff.

Turn 10: Isaac

"Man this is exciting, I just can't get enough." Isaac had the biggest smile on his face as he was having the time of his life. "I'll play the spell card Book of Effect, seeing as how you're fond of literature then this should be a fan favorite in terms of reading. Now not only can't you target this card, but I can now remove a special ability from a monster on your side of the field. I choose to negate the effect of your Hierophant of Prophecy." The spell card then created a book that fired a magical beam as it took away Hierophant's power. "I'll then have my Dark Magician of Chaos attack your Reaper."

"From my grave, I'll activate the effect of my Magic Protection spell. By banishing it, I can end your battle phase."

"Then you just also triggered the effect of my Magician of Chaos; now I can destroy one card on the field and I choose your Hierophant."

"Don't think so, from my hand I'll play Spellbook Barrier card. Now I can select one card on the field and protect it from being targeted by special effects till the end of the turn."

"Nice job, I thought for sure I had that. Oh well, I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: ???

"I've wasted enough time with you, time to end this. I'll play Strength of Prophecy(1500/1400) and then activate its ability. Once per turn, I can shuffle 1 'Spellbook' from my graveyard back into my deck. Furthermore I can target one spellcaster on my field and not only does its level increase by one but it gains 500 attack. I select my Reaper of Prophecy, now he has a total of 3100. Let's bring this game to a close, go my monsters eliminate his magicians."

"I'll activate my facedown Magic Cylinder! Now not only does your attack get canceled out but I can redirect it so that your life points take the hit." With that two cylinders popped out with one of them absorbing the attack and the other firing back at the mysterious duelist.

"I'll reveal my facedown Spellbook of Equivalence. Now you're also going to take the same amount of damage as me. In addition, we both summon one spellcaster whose attack is equal to or less than the amount of damage we took."
Isaac's Life Points: 300-

???'s Life Points: 350-

"Fine by me, I've been waiting to play him all game."

"Now I summon my Dark Magician!/ Now I summon my Dark Magician Girl!" they both shouted.

Out came two magicians that each took their positions by their respective masters.

Isaac was just in awe at what his opponent had managed to bring out. "Cool, you also have Dark Magician Girl! This really is a phenomenal duel."

The mysterious duelist just stood there with a stare in their eyes. Thankfully, Isaac wasn't able to see their face or else he would have seen what they were thinking. Hold on, did he say Dark Magician? No, that be! It's impossible! They then looked at Isaac hoping to get some sort of explanation.

"Who are you? And why do have that card?"

"Took you long enough. Well better late than never with introductions I suppose. Name's Isaac and as for how I have this card, well it's mine. And yes I'm currently ranked as the champion at CHS, if that's what you're wondering."

"Champion!? No, this was a mistake. I've made a grave error in my hypothesis; forget this duel ever happened." The mysterious figure then pushed a button on their duel disk to signal they forfeited and the duel was shut down. They than began to run through the gate.

"Huh? Hey, wait! I've got some questions that need answering." Isaac then chased after the person.

The person then pumped their arms as they jogged across the street. A bus stopped nearby and when it pulled away the figure was nowhere to be seen. Isaac looked at the bus as the mysterious person had managed to escape.

"Great, they got away. And I still have so many questions like: who they were and what they were doing snooping around school? More importantly, where they learned to duel? I haven't experienced a battle like that in a long time." Just then the school bell rang which signal the end of the first class period. This really caused Isaac to brush his thoughts aside. "Ahhh, now I'm really late!" Isaac then rushed to the entrance of the school as he knew he would be in for the lecture of his life from Principal Celestia for being tardy.

Meanwhile the figure on the bus looked out the window to see if Isaac was gone. Once they made sure he was gone they then took a seat and pulled down their hoodie as they let out a breath. The hoodie was thrown back as it revealed a mass of pink-streaked purple hair tied into a bun. She had moderate violet eyes and had light mulberrish gray skin as well as had a thick black glasses on her face. She then looked at her duel disk as she was thinking back to her duel with the person she had encountered.

"Time to see what data says."

It was later in the day and Isaac had managed to sneak in as his second class had started. The girls asked him where he was and he told them that he would inform them later. They were now all gathered in the library as they listened to Isaac's tale while doing their own thing.

"And then she just left. One moment she was there and the next she was gone; I still haven't figure out what they were doing and why?"

"Well you won't have to worry about who is was because I totally figured it out. You said they got on a bus heading to the city, right?" said Dash.

"Yeah."

"Well there's only one place that the bus heads to that's not only into the city but also up north? That's also the part of town where the rich kids go to school."

"Rich kids?" asked Isaac as he had a confused look.

"Well the kids whose parents are a bit wealthy; not to mention some of the smartest kids also attend there. But the one reason they all have in common is..."

"Crystal Prep." All of them spoke in unison.

"Crystal Prep? Never heard of it."

“Canterlot’s rival school,” Applejack explained. “A bunch of upper-class snobs with more money than talent.”

"No doubt it was them! Why else would they be snooping around here but to try to get a closer look at our decks just before the Friendship Games."

"Ok, I'm extremely loss. Someone mind explaining? Friendship Games? Rival School?"

"Allow me sugar, see every four years there's a competition held between CHS and Crystal Prep as a way to uphold the ideals of our two schools getting along. In short, it's suppose to remind us about the ideal of friendship while we win and compete in some friendly competitions."

"And they always win! In fact, they beat us in everything- soccer, tennis, even golf and they still have to gloat at us!" Rainbow was started to get angry as she thought of all the times Crystal Prep had beaten them.

"I understand, but it's still a bit exaggerated. I mean, if the whole idea of the Friendship Games is too celebrate the relationship of the two schools. Then how badly is that CHS really wants to win."

"Well seeing as how they squash at everything, kind hard to get along with them, sugarcube."

"That bad, huh. Well I'll say this that whoever they were really knows how to throw down. I mean that duel was one of the best moments of my life; I can't tell you how many times I've felt alive in a duel. I just hope that I get to meet them again, so that we can finish our incredible battle."

"Well not anymore, because this year things are going to be different!" shouted Rainbow Dash. "Want to know why because this year the event is going to be Duel Monsters which will really allow us to stand a chance. Not to mention that we've got a secret weapon this time around."

"How so, darling?"

"Do I have to spell it out people?" Rainbow then pointed at Isaac as the girls started to realize what she was implying.

"Me?"

"Of course. Crystal Prep is a bit like Everton High in that their school curriculum they've got dueling as a subject. Not to mention that they've got private tutors and personal pros that visit their school to help them to become great duelist. Overall dueling is embedded in their minds, and they know all about the more advanced dueling methods/summons. Compared to us, we just have to figure out on our own. Which is tough since most of us don't know how to achieve it, but you've clearly showed that you have an understanding of all three summoning methods. That's why you're going to be our key to victory."

"How so?" asked Isaac.

"Normally there's a group of 6 individuals who compete as a team in order to try to win for their school in several events. Ultimately, who ever gets the most points become the winner." said Fluttershy.

"That's why we're almost certain to win if we have Isaac on the team." Rainbow did a fist pump while looking at Isaac.

"Yeah, that's not going to happen." Isaac's response sent shockwaves for the girls, especially Dash who almost fell down as she tried to register what Isaac was saying.

"You're joking, right?"

"I'm being serious, Rainbow. I'm not going to be a part of the team if it's just to get some petty revenge."

"But that's the thing: it's not petty revenge. It's just a chance for us to finally shut up Crystal Prep seeing as how they are constantly bragging about themselves. Don't you want to have Canterlot win?"

"Look I'm all for school pride, if it's not used for personal reasons. I'll gladly support CHS; however, if it's just to get some payback at Crystal Prep just to brag in their face then I don't want any part of this. Plus, seeing as how the Friendship Games is a pretty big event for the school. I'll probably have my own challenge, so there's no way I could be a part of the team even if I wanted to. Why not ask Sunset? She's clearly a good duelist; didn't she beat you this morning?"

Rainbow had a slight embarrassment on her face. "I thought you were late to school."

"News travels fast around here." Isaac just had a smirk on his face as he joked with Dash. "Sorry Dash, but my answer is no." With that Isaac grabbed his stuff and walked out of the library as he left Dash and the rest of the girls with stunned/disappointing looks.

Meanwhile in another place; a school bell rang which signaled the end of class as students dressed in uniforms began to mingle with their associates. One of those people walking was the same girl who faced Isaac earlier in the morning. After the bus had stopped at Crystal Prep, she made sure to gather her stuff as she headed to her class. Now she was walking to a personal room as she entered through the door and began to open her computer as she pulled out her duel disk. She then hooked up her duel disk to her computer and began to download the video that her duel disk had recorded. Once that was done, she then began to play the video. While she was watching the video, she began to take some notes. The video ended and she sat back into her chair as she rubbed her chin.

"That boy and that monster... I have to know where he got such a card?"

Just then she felt something rub against her leg as she heard a bark.

"Hey Spike." She then picked up her dog as he licked her face. "Wanting to check up on me? There's no doubt that there's something going on at CHS. If this duel proves anything, then I'm one step closer to solving this mystery." She then picked up her duel disk and took out her deck. She then looked at her Dark Magician Girl and began to think. "Just how is it possible that there's someone out there that has a similar card like me, not to mention that he has such a rare monster?"

There was a knock on the door which caused her to fall back in her chair as she hit the floor which caused the door to open a bit.

"Twilight, are you here?" The person walking in had pale, light grayish purple eyes. She also had moderate violet with brilliant rose and pale gold streaks in her hair, as well as she had pale, light grayish cerise skin color. She then looked down and saw Twilight on the floor as Spike was licking her face. "Twilight, you know pets aren't allowed on school property?"

"Sorry about that Dean Cadance, but Spike isn't a pet. He's the focus of my research project. Human-canine cohabitation: effects and implications." Twilight put on a big smile as she picked up Spike in her arms.

"If you say so." Just then Cadance took a good long look at Twilight's face as she noticed something was different about Twilight. She got a bit closer to Twilight's face; to the untrained eye it seemed like everything was normal. But Cadance noticed something in Twilight's eyes as she saw a bit more sparkle than usual. She then stepped back as she had a smile on her face. "Don't tell me, you met a boy!"

"What!?" Twilight was flabbergasted as she was trying to understand what Cadance was insinuating. She also had a bit of red from how embarrassed she was from Cadance's statement.

"So tell me, what's his name? Is he someone who truly cares about you?" Cadance had a giddy smile on her face as she was fishing for some juicy details.

"It's nothing like that Cadance. I'm much too busy with my own research to even think about a relationship, especially friendship." Twilight then sat back into her chair as she began to do a bit more work on her computer.

"If you say so, by the way I just wanted to let you know that Principal Sombra has been meaning to speak with you. He wants to see you in his office."

Twilight was giddy as she was happy to hear the news. "Maybe he has news about my application for the independent study program."

Cadance had an uncertainty on her face. "I've been meaning to talk to you about that. Are you sure this is want you want to do? You're a talented duelist with a brilliant mind to match, I just feel that your talents wouldn't be used to their full potential. I just don't want you to miss out on anything. That's all. Being around other people isn't a bad thing. Sometimes it's how you learn the most about yourself."

"I guess."

"Anyways, come on. Principal Sombra is waiting for you." With that Twilight and Dean Cadance began to making their towards the principal's office. Twilight reached the office door and stood there a bit to compose herself. She raised a hand and knocked.

“Come in.”

Twilight turned the handle and stepped inside, giving what she hoped was a friendly smile.

“You wanted to speak to me, Principal Sombra?”

Sitting at a desk in the room, clad in a ruffled red silk shirt beneath a deep grey suit, the principal raised his eyes from his computer and smiled. “Yes, Twilight. Come in, sit.” He gestured a hand to the two chairs in front of his desk then went back to typing. Twilight gently shut the door behind her and sat down. Sombra continued to type for a moment, vibrant green eyes focused on his monitor.

Twilight fidgeted as she pondered what to do. Sombra had never been cruel to her, or anyone at Crystal Prep that she’d heard. In fact, most at the school, student and teacher alike, spoke of him as an effective and reasonable administrator. Still, every time Twilight saw him and heard him speak, something about him unnerved her.

Sombra then turned his head to the side and also flipped his screen to show Twilight something. "Calm yourself, there's no need to be afraid. You're one of the brightest students to ever enroll at Crystal Prep, plus you're surrounded by fellow duelist who respect one another, what's now to like?" Sombra had an evil tone in his voice as he said that to Twilight.

"Twilight, understand that I wanted to talk with you about something. Ever heard of the Friendship Games?"

"I have sir?"

"And it's come to my attention that despite your high test scores and grades, you refuse to partake in such an event that would showcase your skills to the entire student body. So may I ask, why you refuse to participate?" Sombra sat back in his chair all calm and collected as he stroked his chin.

"If I may sir, to be honest, I've never been a big fan of competing in events unless it benefits my research."

"AHH, yes your research. Speaking of that, I've recently been brought your application for the independent study program. I must say that you're more than qualified to be a part of that program, in fact, you're almost guarantee to gain entrance. However, I feel as if it would be a waste of your potential and would serve more as step down rather as a step up."

"I've been told the same by similar people."

"Then we're in agreeance, that the independent program is not for you and that you should perhaps pursue other interest." Sombra then put her application into the trash bin as Twilight just sat there with a bit of sadness in her eyes as she watched her opportunity get thrown away.

"Now onto more pressing matters, as you know the Friendship Games is coming up soon. And I was wondering if you would lend your services to being a part of this year's team. Why someone with your talents should have no problem competing in such an event; in fact, I could imagine you could win the whole event yourself?"

"I'm afraid that's highly unlikely, Principal Sombra. I'm not that good of duelist." Twilight was still feeling a bit uncomfortable with having Sombra looking at her while giving his cold smile.

"I disagree." Sombra tapped his fingers together and thought for a moment, staring at Twilight. “You have always been of interest to me, Twilight. You run a website and database on dueling that I know many other students here use and speak highly of. Your grades are among the best of the school. Your teachers tell me you have expressed an interest in becoming a card designer after graduation, a career path you certainly have the ability and ambition to succeed in. And yet..." He looked at Twilight with a concentrated stare.

"You still refuse to compete? So what's the thing that's holding you back?"

“I don’t see the point.” Twilight scrunched her face. “Dueling is a game of skill, capable of being distilled down to basic mathematical probability formulae. Once the contents of one’s deck are sufficiently analyzed and weighed against the opponent’s, it is easy to determine who the superior player is. At that point actually dueling is a formality.”

"I think chance and luck would disagree with you on that hypothesis."

“Chance and luck are not deciding factors, only mitigating. A percentage can still be refined from analysis and will produce reliable results. If I stand an 80% chance of winning, is it really necessary to go through the trouble of playing that result out?”

"Yet, there's still the lingering 20%? No matter how small it may be, it's still a percentage? What would you do in that certain scenario if it came down to that?"

Twilight then thought of her answer. "If that were to happen then it would simply be a case to further cause as to why single-elimination duels are inadequate to properly demonstrate one’s skill at the game. There’s a reason professional tournaments run on a best-of-three system, after all. The more data you collect, the fewer outliers you have to deal with and the more reliable your result will be.”

Sombra laughed. Twilight noticed he kept an even eye on her even as his laugh reverberated in the room. It was a sincere laugh yet it felt restrained. “You’ve thought this through, I see.”

Twilight looked sheepish. “My brother has tried to get me to play when we were younger. I’ve had to explain this before.”

"Ahh, yes your brother. Shining Armor who's currently Crystal Prep's number #1 duelist." Sombra’s laughter faded to a soft smile. Twilight thought it looked almost like a smirk. “Fair enough. You’re not wrong, Twilight, but not quite correct, either. There is more to dueling than what analysis and probability can tell you. I'm sure even you can understand that."

"I do." Said Twilight in a soft voice as she thought back to her duel with Isaac this morning. She kept thinking how since they first began; she begun to run calculations on how to secure her victory. Yet through all that, Isaac seemed to have defied those odds and kept messing up with her formula. It was eating away at her as she kept running the numbers and saw that she should have won that duel with ease but instead found herself having to work the hardest she's even done in her life just to survive. Safe to say that if she didn't leave when she did, she was just seconds away from losing.

“And that is your opinion to which you are entitled. I, however, must act in the best mind of the entire student body.” Sombra’s humor faded back to professionalism. “As principal, I have the authority to disqualify duelists from entry into tournaments for various mitigating circumstances such as poor behavior, low grades, and so forth. Likewise, I can promote anyone to tournament entry for similar reasons.” He clicked on his computer and turned the monitor towards Twilight. "There we go, I just added you to the team that will represent Crystal Prep in the Friendship Games."

"What? But I don't..."

"Nonsense, think nothing of it. The person who you're replacing was a bit of a trouble maker anyhow. I have reason to suspend them for causing such trouble. Such behavior is not torelarable at this school that prides itself on prestige and dignity."

"With all due respect, Principal Sombra. I just don't feel comfortable with this decision; it feels wrong." Twilight frowned.

“Wrong?” Sombra smiled and held out a hand as if offering her something. “I merely wish to extend an invitation to a deserving student, to give her a chance to show her fellow pupils what she can do. What I know she can do, if only she would apply herself. And at the same time you would aid us all in removing a troublesome and unreliable rogue from the Friendship Cup, and I would rather not have such a duelist representing our academy.”

“Well…”

“If it would lay to rest your concerns, Twilight, know that I have already considered this course of action for her, just with other duelists in place of yourself. I truly do desire this duelist removed, and you have provided me fair reason why you deserve to take her place. I only want to ensure that your reputation does not suffer from this deed.”

Twilight then took a breath as she let it out. "Alright, I'll do it."

“Excellent.” Sombra withdrew his hand. He then chuckled. "Now as for the rest of your teammates, you will meet with them tomorrow where we will go over the details depicting our plan for the Friendship Games. I'd expect nothing but complete domination against CHS and I would hate it if I added you to our ranks only for you to be the reason why Crystal Prep would lose. But we have nothing to worry about, surely? So I'd expect you to pull your weight Ms. Sparkle, is that understood?"

Twilight then stood up. "I’ll do my best, Principal Sombra.”

Sombra smiled and held out a hand again. Twilight reached out to take it, his smile growing. “I could ask for nothing more than that, Twilight.”

He looked into her eyes again as they shook hands. Twilight smiled back and held the gaze unflinching.

I guess he isn’t so scary once you get to know him.

Isaac was currently walking down the hallway as he had an apple in his hand and he took a bite out of it. However, to Isaac it was serving as some sort of comfort because where he was currently heading was anything but sweet. Soon Isaac had finished his apple and threw it in the trash as he now stood in front of the door as his heart was beating. It took Isaac a while as he was constantly breathing in and out as he was hyperventilating a bit. Soon he got his confidence back by slapping himself as he gave a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Isaac then put his hand on the handle and turned it as he opened the door and stepped inside. "You wanted to see me, Celestia?"

"Ahh, Isaac. Take a seat please." Celestia was using her gentle voice as Isaac knew that meant something was about to happen.

Isaac then took a set in front of Celestia's desk as she finished her paperwork and look at Isaac with a warm smile. It should have been a pleasant atmosphere, but for Isaac he felt like the air was getting sucked out of his lungs. He was fidgeting with his fingers and was tapping his foot while Celestia just sat there not changing her expression. A few minutes passed and Celestia still had the same look while Isaac was just sweating beads. Finally, after a few moments, Celestia then shifted forward in her seat as she began to talk.

"So, tell me Isaac? Why do you think I wanted to talk with you?"

"I'msorry! I'm sorry for being late and I promise never to do it again. Just please don't expel me, my parents would kill me if they found out I was in serious trouble." Isaac quickly bowed his head as he prepared himself for the punishment that Celestia was about to give me.

"Ha, ha. Calm down, Isaac. I'm not going to punish you." Celestia had let out a little laugh as she was enjoying herself messing with Isaac. "I already know about you being tardy and I expect it not to be a repeating process. What I really want to talk to you is about the upcoming school event. I'm sure you're heard the term the Friendship Games being tossed around these halls."

"I've been told a bit about the event."

"Well then you know about the team of individuals who will represent Canterlot High in this event. I've recently been told by the Board of Education that this year the event will be Duel Monsters, in addition, this year the team will be extended from 6 to 7 teammates. They believe that this will help avoid the situation of the event ending in a tie. So I think you know where I'm going with this?"

"I'm afraid I think I do."

"I want you to be a part of the team to represent CHS, in fact, I want you to be the team captain." Celestia then extend her hand to Isaac.

Isaac was shocked to hear Celestia's offer. He knew he wanted to partake but he also knew about the bitter rivalry that CHS and Crystal Prep had with each other. He didn't want to fight for some petty revenge because Isaac felt like that would be a disgrace on his honor as a duelist. He then turned to Celestia and gave her his answer.

"Look, Celestia. I'd appreciate the offer. I really do, but I just can't. I know about the rivalry between our two schools; not to mention the disdain that the students have for Crystal Prep. But I just can't bring myself to take part in a competition if it's not going to be fun for me. I duel because I love this game, not to extract some revenge or be bitter about losing to someone. To me that's not what Duel Monsters is all about; if I can't experience the joy that the game brings me, then I don't want to be a part of it."

Celestia's look changed slightly as she expected Isaac's answer. "I understand. Let me tell you something, Isaac. In all my years, I've never once had a student that was so passionate about Duel Monsters that they would give new meaning to the game. Someone who can not only push themselves to new heights, but also inspire those around them. Someone who can motivate others to want to fight for their dreams; to become a symbol and a role model for the younger kids. I thought that was just something every Principal dreamed of, but then you showed up and confirmed my belief." Celestia then stood up from her seat and walked around her desk as she was now standing in front of Isaac as she leaned back on her table. "You've single handedly changed the lives of everybody here at CHS and I couldn't be more prouder than you. As principal, I have my hands full with other stuff that I can barely keep up with what the students are progressing in terms of dueling. But you've shown that if you work hard then the impossible can be possible. You've become the standard barrier when it comes to creating future stars."

Celestia then bent down on her knees and looked at Isaac while placing her hand on his shoulders. "Isaac, I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think it was in your best interest. Everybody here is grateful for all you've done; you've helped to elevate the level of competition here and have raised the bar on what it means to have a good duel. There was torch sitting here and you took the damn thing and ran with it; I couldn't be more proud of you as an individual and as a student who I can say it's been an honor to be your principal."

"Thanks for the words of praise, Celestia."

"Don't thank me, thank everybody here who sees you as a leader. Someone who they can look up to and know they can be proud to have as he leads our team to victory." Celestia then reached her hand into one of her drawers and pulled out a cap that said 'Captain' on the front with the words 'CHS' in small lettering under it. "If you won't do it for me, then at least do it for your fellow peers who are rooting and actually speaking out to have you on the team."

"Won't that affect who I face for my title at the event?"

"Not really, should you choose to be a part of the team then you won't need to focus on defending your title as you'll be busy trying to win the event. Plus, I think the students would really prefer watching the Friendship Games between CHS and Crystal Prep. So will you reconsider?" Celestia still had the cap in her hand as she looked at Isaac.

Isaac looked between the two things. He didn't want to be a part of the team if it meant that in the end it would make them no better than Crystal Prep by bragging out their win. However; everybody he was counting on him to lead Team CHS to victory. Even Principal Celestia was on her hands and knees begging him to join which kinda made his heart break. Ultimately, Isaac began to think about his fellow students and how they all looked up to him in a way; they had put their complete faith in him and he didn't want to let them down. So Isaac let out a breath as he bended down to Celestia's level and gave her his answer.

"I'll do it. I'll assume the role of team captain." Isaac then took the cap from her hands and after looking at it for a bit, he put it on as he felt a surge of power flowing through him.

Celestia was ecstatic as she got up from the floor and gave a motherly hug to Isaac for accepting to be a part of the team. Isaac just gave Celestia a hug as he felt her shed a few tears. She then let go of him as he did her best to wipe away the tears in her eyes. Isaac then asked Celestia a question.

"If I'm the captain, then who will be my teammates?"

"Well that is actually determined by the students themselves. To ensure fairness we simply asked who they would like to be part of the team and then we count of the votes and the individuals who have the highest supporters will be selected on the team. This year the students already knew who they wanted to represent the school, so the results were calculated quicker than expected. You'll be pleased to know that the six participants who will be on Team Canterlot are none other than your friends. Although they don't know yet and I was hoping to let you break the news to them." Celestia had a big smile on her face.

Isaac had an even bigger smile as he was surprised that nearly the entire student body believed that he and the girls were the best duelists to represent their school and hopefully go toe to toe with Crystal Prep. Whether it was by luck or by fate, Isaac knew one thing for sure he was going to have a fun time on his hand and he'll get a chance to kick some ass. "Well then you can count on me and the girls to lead us to victory. I promise I won't let you down, Celestia."

"You could never let me down, Isaac. I've always been proud of you from the moment you enrolled here. Now run along, you'll meet with the girls tomorrow to discuss your strategy. After that you'll have but two weeks to prepare yourselves because when the battlelines are drawn, there will be a war on our hands."

Isaac then gave a salute to his commander to show that he understood his task. Celestia then returned the show of respect and with that Isaac grabbed his stuff and left her office. Once Isaac had left, Celestia then made her way to her desk and began to open one of her other drawers and looked through till she found a piece of paper. She then began to write something on it; once she proofread it and read it out loud, she then put it safely away and then left her office as she went home.

Author's Note

Well, we're finally here. It took a while, but we've finally had our last major player introduced. And what better time/way than with the Friendship Games coming up. Safe to say that these next few chapters are going to be very interesting; hope you'll are entertained with what I have planned/written.

Chapter 49: Back to Basics

The next morning following the Friendship Games was a calm one. Despite such an event spanning across a period of days, Celestia still expected the students to attend classes. The good thing is that it was Thursday, so it was more towards the later of the week which gave everybody some relief. Isaac was just finishing getting ready for school as he packed his things and put on his hoodie. The weather had gotten warmer as soon it would be the start of spring. Isaac made sure to grab his duel disk and deck.

"Alright, I've got everything. Time to head out." Isaac then put on his shoes and then opened the door as he left out of his house. Isaac took a deep breath as he inhaled the fresh air. "Ahh, what a beautiful day."

"So when do we start?" shouted a voice that scared Isaac.

"Ahh, oh it's just you Twilight." Isaac quickly established himself as he looked at Twilight.

Compared to how she looked during the Friendship Games, her appearance had changed a bit. Instead of putting her hair in a bun, she now had a sort of ponytail and wore a polo sky blue striped purple with white-collar, a pink bow, and a purple pocket shirt with pink six sided sparkle surrounded by five smaller white sparkles. She also wore white sparkle short socks and purple dress leather heeled shoes with pink laces. However, she still wore those thick black glasses which still caught Isaac's attention.

"Sorry about scaring you, Isaac." smiled Twilight sheepishly. "I just wanted to know when we would start the lessons?"

What Twilight was referring to is, after the party yesterday; she approached Isaac a bit awkwardly. Ultimately, she wanted to ask Isaac for his assistance in teaching her about the ways of his dueling and possibly to help her answer some questions about his special connection with his deck. At first, Isaac didn't know what she was talking about as he knew Twilight was one hell of a duelist. So he thought that she must be joking, but the way she looked at him said she was being serious. So Isaac decided to agree to her proposal to teach her his ways of Duel Monsters. However, he wasn't expecting her to show up immediately.

"Right, look Twilight. I know I said that I would teach you, but I didn't expect you to actually show up in front of my house and be already to go. Plus, how did you find out where I lived?"

"That's easy, I just hacked into the school's website and found your profile. It listed the general information about you and after a bit more digging, I was able to find out where you lived."

Isaac quickly blinked. "I don't whether to find that impressive or creepy. I mean that's the type of things that serial killers are known for."

"I'm not crazy; look I'm just really excited for us to begin our lessons. I even brought my own pen and paper to take down notes." Twilight quickly pulled out her supplies as she smiled at Isaac.

Isaac just rolled his eyes at Twilight's display. He found her obsession with learning to be rather cute in his mind. Soon they both looked at their phones and found that they needed to get on a move if they wanted to avoid being late. So both Isaac and Twilight then began on their journey to school. Twilight was welcomed with open arms really fast as the students of CHS took a liking to her. She had gotten her schedule from Celestia the day before and surprise to say that she had all of her classes with Isaac. So that meant more time for her to ask Isaac about his dueling style. Isaac told her that they could start their first lesson after school ended. Twilight agreed to that, but that didn't stop her from asking Isaac at every possible opportunity on his deck. Isaac answered the first few ones, but as the day went on he started to regret it. Every where Isaac looked, Twilight was there as she had a huge smile on her face and had her notebook in her hand. Isaac was just trying to find a moment to himself without having Twilight constantly bombarded him with questions.

Isaac was currently sneaking in the hallways as he was getting ready for his next period. He kept ducking in and out of corners, scanning his surroundings looking for his target. Isaac then sneaked inside a broom closet as he let out a sigh.

"Finally, I should be safe in here."

"Safe from what?" said another voice as the light came up and there was Twilight.

Twilight had managed to find Isaac, but the broom closet was so small that both Isaac and Twilight were pressed up against each other as they stared at each other's eyes. There was barely enough room to stand that Twilight was currently holding onto Isaac's arms; Twilight felt a bit awkward as she was in a compromising situation with her and Isaac alone together in a room as she had a bit of red on her face.

"Ahhh!" Isaac was shocked by Twilight being literally in his arms that it caused him to stumble and fall through the doors and onto his back. Isaac then rubbed his back to ease the pain as he looked at Twilight who peaked her head out. "Jesus, Twilight! Can you give me at least some space?"

"Sorry." Twilight then stepped out and closed the door. "I just really want to learn from you; you're just so... amazing." That last comment caused Twilight to quickly turn her head.

"Well thanks for the choice of words." Isaac then stood up as he straighten his back. "But honestly, your obsession with wanting to learn is going to get me hurt. And if that happens, then I'm not going to be in a position to teach anyone. Especially you."

"I understand, I just really want to learn."

"I get it, I too love to learn everything I can about Duel Monsters and dueling. But even I have to show some restraint myself from time to time. Look I know I said that I would teach you after school, but maybe it would help you to do a bit of research on your part." Isaac's comment caused Twilight to raise an eyebrow. "What I mean is, why don't you look into the school's computer and see what you can dig up about each dueling in general."

"No offense, but what's the point of that? Duel Monsters is game of strategy that revolves around one winning. Dueling is a game of skill, capable of being distilled down to basic mathematical probability formulae. Once the contents of one’s deck are sufficiently analyzed and weighed against the opponent’s, it is easy to determine who the superior player is."

Isaac blinked as he heard Twilight's explanation. "Ok, look I'm not one for a long winded explanation. But is it weird that I understood every single word you just said."

"I'm being serious." shouted Twilight.

"So am I." Isaac replied back. "Look just do a bit of background information and then meet me after school." The school bell rang as it served as the warning for both Isaac and Twilight to get to their next class.

School had finally let out as the students were begin to head home for the day. Before they left their last class, Isaac had told Twilight that he needed to take care of somethings but assured her that they would still meet. So with that Isaac left to take care of his business, which left Twilight to do her own things as she head to conduct some research. It didn't take long as Twilight made it to the one place she was most comfortably with as: the school library. The moment Twilight stepped foot in the room, her eyes grew the biggest they had ever been and she popped the cutest smile she could muster up. Soon she began to explore the place as she was in her own personal little heaven. Eventually she made her way to a computer as she began to access the school's website. She was just browsing when she stopped on Isaac's profile and brought it up. Twilight just stared at it as she was trying to understand what Isaac wanted her to do.

"Do research? What does Isaac mean by that? Doesn't he know he that he'll be teaching me, so why ask me to do this? Seems kind of pointless."

"Hey Twilight." said a soft voice.

"Oh, hey.... Fluttershy, correct? Sorry it's still taking me a while to remember your names."

Fluttershy then made her way to Twilight. "None taken, so what are you doing?"

"Well, I'm suppose to be doing some 'research'. Isaac said that it was important for me to find some before our lesson." said Twilight as she was displeased with what Isaac was asking her to do.

Fluttershy just let out a small giggle at how Twilight was acting. "Yeah, Isaac can be like that sometimes. In fact, it's part of his charm. I'll never forget the first time I met him." Fluttershy then thought back on the time she first met Isaac and how far they've come since then.

"Hey Fluttershy, mind telling how you met Isaac?" Twilight was suddenly interested in how Isaac became friends with each of the girls. "I mean, I understand how he's well liked around here. But I imagine it didn't start out that way?"

"Well, where do I begin." Fluttershy then took a seat as she regaled Twilight with her tale. "The first time I met Isaac was all because of a card." Fluttershy then flashed back to the exact moment the two of them met.

(Flashback)

"Well this is great, I spent all day trying to return this card and no progress" Isaac let out a sigh after saying that. Due to him being conflicted with his thoughts, he failed to notice someone bumping into as him turned the corner. "Maybe I'll have better luck tom... Ohf".

"Ow... I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going" said the person who had landed on her bottom after crashing into him.

"No it's my fault I shouldn't have been so caught with my thoughts." Isaac collected himself as he went to help the girl up. "Here let me help you... "

"Oh... my name is Fluttershy" the girl said in a soft, low voice that Isaac could barely hear her.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said, could you say it again" asked Isaac.

"It's Fluttershy" she said with a bit more volume in her voice that he registered what she said.

"Wait, maybe you can help" Isaac called out. "I'm looking for the owner of this card they seem to have dropped it the other day, know anybody who might have recently lost a card?" he asked hoping for an answer.

"What does the card look like exactly?"

"It looks like this" Isaac pulled the card out of his pocket and showed it to her. What happened next was something he didn't expect. The look on this girl's face changed in a heartbeat. What once was a shy, timid girl morphed into her yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it. Where did you find this? I thought I lost this forever. Thank you!" she then lunged at him with open arms and embraced the boy.

(End of Flashback)

"And that's how it all started. Since then I've been close to Isaac." Fluttershy then pulled out her Albert the Flying Squirrel card and looked at it. "Safe to say, I can't imagine what my life would have been if I didn't meet Isaac. He helped me to boost my confidence not just in Duel Monsters but also in life. It's one of the reason why I made it to the final 8 of the Fall Formal."

"Speaking of that, how did Isaac do in the Fall Formal? I mean I know he won it, but how did he feel going into the event?" asked Twilight.

"Are you gals talkin' about Isaac?" said another voice.

"Applejack, darling. It's rude to interrupt a conversation between two people."

"Lighten up, Rarity. So Twilight, you're askin' about Isaac and the Fall Formal?"

"Well, Isaac was suppose to teach me some things regarding dueling but he's got somethings to take care of right now. So he asked me to do some 'research'. In the midst of that, I had gotten interested in how Isaac came to be well known at CHS."

"Well if it's a tale you want, I got plenty." Applejack then grabbed a seat as she sat to Twilight's right. "Well to start, we actually met Isaac after Rainbow had witnessed one of his duels. It had only been his third duel at CHS, but he was already gainin' some traction as a duelist. Soon thereafter, Rainbow had managed to get Isaac to meet the rest of us and from there we got to know each other as we discussed our plan to enter the Fall Formal."

"However, our initial intentions at first were rather... malicious, darling." Rarity then stood next to Applejack. "At first, we were using Isaac to take down Sunset who was the school's enemy at the time. So when Isaac found out, he was less than pleased. But eventually we regained his trust and from there he agreed to help us in taking down Sunset."

"Wow, I never expected Isaac to be angry with his friends, seeing as how he's the type of person who is willing to do anything for them." Twilight remembered how Isaac was always supportive of his friends.

"Ah' say. He's one crafty city slicker; Ah' never forget the time I faced him in one of mah most fun duels in mah life."

"Mind if I hear about it?" asked Twilight.

"It's quite a tale..."

(Flashback)

"... I'll play the spell Polymerization and fuse mah two creatures. I Fusion Summon mah Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!" When Applejack played her card, a mirror popped out. The mirror pulsed and glowed purple, its surface cloudy. The mirror cracked down the center, the image of glowing purple eyes appearing in either half. The mirror shattered and a massive dragon flew out of the frame. Its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy.

"Now I activate mah Dragon's ability now once per turn, I can target 1 face up monster you control and change its attack points to 0 and all of its abilities are negated. Ah choose you Palladium Oracle Mahad, now mah Dragon take out his monster."

"... Next I'll do a fusion summoning of my own, I play the spell Eye of Timaeus and fuse it with my magician. Now I Fusion Summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500)." Isaac played his own dragon and when it appeared on the field, it looked at Applejack's dragon and began to give an intimidating roar.

"... Get ready! I tune my level 3 Junk Synchron with my Tuningware and by the way, when I'm synchro summoning, Tuningware's effect lets me treat it as a level 2 monster. From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might! Combine their courage to Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" Out came a monster that was made of metal parts as it made an intimidating pose before landing on Isaac's field.

"... I tune mah Twilight Rose Knight with Lord Poison. A cold flame envelopes the world, within its blinding light, a black flower blooms! Appear Black Rose Dragon(2400/1700)."

"Now Applejack it ends here, I tune my level 2 Formula Synchron with my level 9 Stardust Dragon and level 1 Junk Destroyer! I Synchro Summon Shooting Quasar Dragon(4000/4000)!... Shooting Quasar Dragon doesn't leave the field without leaving something special behind, when my monster is destroyed I get to special summon Shooting Star Dragon! And it looks like your field is wide open. Shooting Star Dragon attack Applejack directly and finish this duel with Stardust Barrage!"
(End of Flashback)

"And that's mah story, sugarcube. Ah reckon ah still get chills just thinkin' about it. Isaac really showed me just how tough he is."

"I agree, darling. After that, it was only a matter of time before everything was in place as the finals of the Fall Formal were fast approaching. Soon the whole school had all their eyes as Isaac was going up against his toughest opponent to date." stated Rarity.

"Let me guess, that opponent was none other than Sunset Shimmer." replied Twilight.

"You girls talking about me." Sunset made her presence know as she now stood over Fluttershy.

"Howdy, Sunset. We're just telling Twilight here about Isaac and his presence he at Canterlot High."

"So you faced Isaac in the finals of the Fall Formal?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, at the time I was the biggest bully in school. Everybody hated my guts as they just jeered me to go away."

"Harsh, hard to believe that based on how well received everybody finds you."

"Well, I have one person to thank and that's Isaac. He gave me a second chance when nobody else would; eventually I repented for all my troubles and mischief. Then Isaac gave me my Red-Eyes Black Dragon as he said it represented my untapped potential." Sunset then pulled out her deck and looked at it. "If Isaac didn't stop me when he did, then who knows how different this place might have been."

"Care to share?" asked Twilight.

"I'll do you one better." Sunset then clicked on the mouse and typed in the search bar as she brought up a video of the Fall Formal. She then clicked play as everybody began to watch the video play in front of them.

(Video)

"I activate my facedown, Dark Horizon! Now I can summon a spellcaster who's attack points are equal to or less than to the amount of life points that I just lost. I may have taken damage, but that has allowed me to summon my dear friend, Dark Magician!" Isaac then called on his star monster as it appeared on his field and starred at Sunset.

Sunset drew her card and looked at her hand. "Heh. You think you've taken things to the next level. Very well. You've given me no choice but to ritual summon and take things to the maximum level! I play the spell card Blood of the Fiend." Sunset then discard the card she wanted in order to summon the monster she was dying to play. "You said I couldn't get to you with my Emperor. Well, I can with this! Chaotic Devil Archfiend(4000/0)!"

"First I'll have to give you a card. So here take this one!" Isaac then threw his card at Sunset who caught it with one hand and looked at it. For a second, her eyes grew big at the card Isaac decided to hand her. "By doing so, I can activate the spell Magical Contract Door. It lets me draw a new monster and I'll summon it right now! So my magicians lend me your strength and pave the way for a new monster to take center stage. Break free from your iron prison! Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition(0/0)!"

"Stay down!! Just stay down!!! Everytime I've beaten you to a pulp, you still find some way to get back up! I kick your ass and you get back up. I kick your ass again and you still try to get back up!! Maybe your parents told you that if you face a bully and he's beating you down then you should just get back up. Well let me tell you, the next time that bully is not going to let you get up. They're going to keep beating you till they make sure that your don't get up! I said that you were going to be in for the beating of a lifetime but you still are trying to fight. So tell me!! What do I have to do!? What do I have to do to get you out of my life!? Tell me!!! Sunset now had the evil look in her eyes as the evil magic surrounding her was starting to take control as her hair was now floating.

"Now you know, Sunset. You said it yourself, that I'm going to be in the beating of a lifetime. Well that's like saying that the sun will come up tomorrow. Of course I know that, I know that. But I also know what it takes to beat you! You see that's the difference between us. You have no passion for anyone but yourself! You're tough, you're powerful, and you're damn good. But what separates me from you Sunset is heart. And when the chips are down, you may beat the hell out of me but you're going to have beat every last breath out of this body!!" The magic that had entered Isaac's deck was started to surround Isaac, but only Sunset noticed this.

"That's why I dislike you!!! You come out here and do your little song and dance and people actually think that you're some kind of noble hero! It sickens me to my stomach that you actually believe what these sheep think is true about you! You don't belong here with me and you're no more than a fraud! I! HATE! YOU!!!!" Sunset screamed that her voice echoed around the room that everybody in the room and at home watching on their TV heard her.

"Why am I still here? Well right now, I here to shut your mouth! Why am I still here, that's an easy answer because I've finally found the answer to a question I've been asking my whole life!" Isaac looked at Celestia for a second to which she knew what he was talking about. "They keep telling me, what do I duel for? Well, I duel out of love!"

Sunset had a disgusted look on her face like that was most stupidest answer she ever heard from someone.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong I see you, I see the look on your face. Because we don't use/say the word love around here, especially if your a guy because when we say that we don't look tough. Please I'm a grown ass man, I could do/say what the hell I want and I don't give a damn on what anybody else thinks! I love this game, I love the fact that I can make people happy, I love every little aspect that Duel Monsters brings to me and my life! I love the look on these people's faces; I love the smiles that I put on for the people not just in here but also for the fine folks at home watching and to the readers who're reading this story. It warms my heart when I'm pulled to the side and people say 'thank you'. I am here out of love, what the hell are you doing here!! Cause I'm not just fighting for me, Sunset. I'm fighting for everybody whose dream was to be here, whose dream was to stand here on the grandest stage of them and say they've made it. Know that because this is my life! This is my passion! This is all that I got!!!"

"This is ends now! Because I'm about to play a creature that is like no other, watch I can summon it by banishing every monster that's currently in my deck. I play a manifestation of myself, appear a creature that embodies my spirit. Appear, Demon Inferno(3000/3000)!"

"Now Sunset, time to show you a power that you don't comprehend, a power that unites us all. Watch as I play Harmonious Friendship!" Isaac held his card high up which was giving off radiation of rainbows that covered the entire field... "Say hello to my Chromatic Paladin(3000/3000). My paladin has a unique ability because when he's summoned he gains the attack points of your monster, so now my Paladin's attack points rise up to 10,000!"

"10,000 attack points! That's impossible!!"

"Nothing is impossible, Sunset! Now Chromatic Paladin, attack Sunset's Demon Inferno. Rainbow Slash!!"
(End of video)

"Wow, talk about intense." Twilight was just in awe after watching the video Sunset showed her. "And not just the dueling, the atmosphere, the talking, even the crowd. It felt like I was experiencing it for the first time; even though it was just a video."

Sunset let out a laugh. "Yeah, Isaac's duels tend to have that effect on people. Doesn't matter if you seen once or if you've seen it multiple times; Isaac's duels make you feel like you're seeing in real time. That's one of the reasons why I love to duel him."

"Yeah, no one does it like my big bro!" Pinkie then just randomly appeared as she gave everybody a scare.

"Pinkie, darling. Give us a warning next time; you nearly gave me a heart attack." complained Rarity.

Pinkie just laughed at her friend's expression. "Sorry, but the moment I heard you girls talking about my big bro, I had to tell a story."

Pinkie, why do you refer Isaac as your big bro? He's not related to you." asked Twilight.

"Pinkie just likes how helpful Isaac is and how he's always looking out for us that she started calling Isaac her big brother; though I think she actually believes that which explains why Isaac is always trying to tell her that they're not actually related." stated Fluttershy.

"Interesting, so what about the rest of you? What's your relationship with Isaac?" As soon as Twilight made that comment all the other girls started to blush as they started to think about Isaac. Before either person could speak they we interrupted.

"Well, you see darling, we..."

"Ohh, my turn to tell a story." Pinkie then pulled something out of her hair and began to read it. "Lets see according to the script, Applejack said this, Rarity talked, Twilight making the girls blush from her comment even though everybody else reading this story knows why." Pinkie kept rambling on as she went further down the script until she got to her part. The girls were just confused at what the hell Pinkie was doing.

"Here we are..... what!?" Pinkie then turned to face the author. "Hey man, what's the big idea? We do you mean you have nothing for me to share! Isaac's my big bro; I deserve to have something to tell the girls about him."

"Look I'm on a tight schedule, plus the other thing is for Rainbow Dash when she shows up. I was saving that for her, since it was her duel. I just ran out of content for you to say when writing this chapter. Note to self: make sure that I write a chapter that involves Isaac and Pinkie." I quickly looked through my notes to find something that Pinkie will like. "Alright, how about you tell Twilight about the time you guys visited Everton High?"

Pinkie then smiled, "Oh that's a great idea. No wonder you're the author of this story."

"Good now that we've got that sorted out, get the hell off my screen." With that Pinkie disappeared back into the story. "I need to install some security measures. Alright where were we... transition now!"

"Hope you guys didn't miss me."

"Pinkie, you haven't gone anywhere." said Sunset.

"Of course I did silly. I was just confirming with someone about my story to tell. So Twilight, every hear about Everton High?"

"I have; they're like Crystal Prep in that they have dueling as part of their school curriculum. Plus we've faced them on a number of occasions."

"Well then you know about Dimension Summoning, right?"

"Dimension Summoning?" Twilight was confused by Pinkie's question.

"Oh you don't know, well strap in because I got something to say. Author roll the flashback!" shouted Pinkie.

"Excuse me!? Do you know who the hell you're talking to!?"

"Please?" Pinkie was putting on her puppy eyes.

"Next time I might not be so generous. And scene."

(Flashback)

"What's this? I can summon my high level monsters without sacrificing?" said Isaac.

"That's correct, see we're not dueling normally in here we'll be Dimension Summoning."

"Dimension Summoning?"

"That's right, in this duel you can summon your high level monsters without tributing. All you have to do is select the card you want and summon it. However there's somethings you need to know like you won't be taking damage like normal; in fact how much damage you take is completely up to you and how powerful you make your monsters. You'll still be able to attack your opponent's life points if they have no monsters to defend themselves."

I now tune my level 3 XX-Saber Fulhelmknight with my level 4 Boggart Knight! I Synchro Summon my X-Saber Souza(2500/1600)! But that's not all Faultroll's ability allows me to revive a level 4 or below monster from my grave, so I choose to bring back my Fulhelmknight. But she won't be sticking around as I perform a second synchro summon! I tune my Fulhelmknight with my level 6 Faultroll. I Synchro Summon my XX-Saber Gottoms(3100/2600)!" Just like that Mr. Turner now had 2 powerful monsters ready to strike.

"Now Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic Attack!"
(End of Flashback)

"So what did you think?" smiled Pinkie.

"Gees, Pinkie that was something." Twilight did her best to comprehend Pinkie Pie's randomness. "Well I will say that Isaac really has been a trailblazer for dueling here at Canterlot High. To think that he's also been making waves at other places too; I can tell based on his performance in the Friendship Games that Crystal Prep certainly took notice of his efforts and are trying to incorrupt his ways."

"Isaac really is something; everytime he gets on the dueling field, you have to watch. He's like a technician when it comes to dueling; everytime you think you've got him figured out, Isaac finds a way to turn it around on you. You think you have a counter for his strategy, he'll find some way to use his own counter shield to swing the momentum back into his favor." said Sunset. "He lives by the motto:..."

"Put your trust in your deck and it will trust you!" said all the girls around Twilight in unison.

Twilight smiled at the girls reciting Isaac's catchphrase. "He really does live and die by that motto."

"I'll say!" shouted Rainbow as she looked down from the second floor. "If there's anybody who as cool as me, it's Isaac." Rainbow then made her way down as she joined her friends. "So you guys talking about Isaac?"

Twilight just nodded her head.

"Well obviously you need a story that not highlights his coolness but also his drive to be the best. And that happens to be with me and the duel we had at the Winter Ball." exclaimed Dash as she boosted herself and her ego full of confidence.

"Here we go again." Applejack just rolled her eyes at how Rainbow liked to brag about her battle with Isaac constantly.

"Save the best for last, as you should. Now then..."

(Flashback)

"Next I'll play Magician's Copy. Now I select 1 monster on my side and I can bring out up to 2 magicians that are the same level but their effects are negated. So I'll play a pair of Magician of Dark Illusion from my deck." Now Isaac had 3 magicians staring Dash in the face. "Lastly, I'll overlay my two Magician of Dark Illusion. With these two monster, I construct the Overlay Network and Xyz summon Ebon High Magician(2300/2800) in defense mode."

"I'll summon out my U.A. Midfielder and then switch out to play U.A. Playmaker to the field. So now a couple of things happen, my field spell allows me to add another 'U.A.' monster from my deck to my hand. Then all my monsters gain 500 points; so my Dreadnought Dunker now has 4000 attack points and my Playmaker has 3100 attack. Now they've got enough points to take out most of your field, especially when I activate my facedown, U.A. Penalty Box. Now when a 'U.A.' monster battles an opponent's monster, I can banish it till your second end phase. So time to say goodbye to your Dark Magician and Ebon High Magician, attack my athletes!"

"Now I'll play the tuner monster Nitro Synchron, then get ready Dash because I'm about to do a little tune up. I tune my level 2 Nitro Synchron with my Dark Magician; when I use Dark Magician as a synchro material he counts as a level 6 instead of 7. So now I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!"

"Now it's my turn, I turn my level 6 Speedroid Horse Stilts with my Speedroid Red-Eyed dice. I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Now it was Dash's turn to have a powerful monster out on her field as her dragon let out a mighty roar as it looked at Isaac.

"I'll set a card facedown; then I'll play this spell Dedication through Light and Darkness. Now I can tribute my Dark Magician and special summon a different monster. Behold as I summon my Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2500)!"

"Now time to end this, go my monsters attack Isaac. My U.A. Player Manager still has Powered Jersey which means he can attack twice which is more than enough to wipe your field and your monsters."

"Now I'll send Kuriboh from my hand to the grave, so that I take no battle damage this turn! Give me a hand, little buddy!" Isaac slotted Kuriboh in his graveyard and his tiny little monster jumped in front of him as it did its best to keep Isaac safe.

"Thanks for a great duel, Dash. I wouldn't want to end this semester without a bang; so now my magicians attack Rainbow's monster and bring this duel to an end! Here we go!...Triple Dark Magic Attack!"
(End of Flashback)

"That really was an awesome duel. I'm glad Isaac won." stated Rainbow.

"Really now? Cause you're always complainin' bout how you should have won the match?" Applejack had a sly smile on her face.

"Shut up Applejack! I'm just giving Isaac his dues, but yeah, I should have been the victor." gritted Rainbow through her teeth.

"The point is that since coming here, Isaac has all impacted our lives in some shape or form. Fluttershy said it best earlier, if none of us met Isaac then I don't think our lives might have ever been the same." The girls all agreed with Sunset as they all nodded their heads.

"You know, I think I finally understand what Isaac was trying to do. Thanks girls, I really appreciate you'll sharing your stories with me." Twilight then looked outside and saw the sun was about 3/4 in the sky as soon it would set. "I almost lost track of time; sorry girls, but I have to meet Isaac for our lesson." With that Twilight gathered her stuff and waved goodbye to the girls.

"I think she'll like this place." said Sunset.

"No doubt, and as long as Isaac is here, I dare say that she'll have a wonderful time." stated Rainbow.

Isaac was currently standing outside on the soccer field as he waited for Twilight. It didn't take long as Twilight then signaled Isaac to let him know she was here.

"So you made it? Did you do the 'research', I asked you?" Isaac had a sly smile.

"You know me, I love to do research. And yes, I did what you asked." Twilight then gave a smile to Isaac to which he understood what she meant.

"Excellent, now then, ready to begin." Twilight nodded her head and Isaac began their lesson. "I'm not going to beat around the bush, you know a lot more than the people I've tutored in the past. That being said, there's a lot of things you can improve on. But I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's get back to basics."

"I'm all yours, teacher." said Twilight.

"I'm not one for being called teacher. You just call me by name, but if your so insistent on being formal, then just address me by Teach. Now then the first thing we'll be covering is Fusion Summoning, you know about it right?"

"Of course, but mind explaining it to me?" smiled Twilight.

"Alright, Twi." Isaac then pulled out a couple of cards and showed one to her. "Okay, here. This is Polymerization. This card is the end-all, be-all of Fusion. It's pretty much the foundation. It's what you use to combine monsters together. Got it?"

"I'm with you. And so the required monsters can either be on the field or in my hand, right?"

"Hand or field. That's right. The important thing is that they're all in one or the other. There are exceptions, of course. But you know that." Isaac then showed some more of his cards. "For example, I have this card called Eye of Timaeus, with this it acts as a substitute for Polymerization. However, this card only lets me fusion using either Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl. It's nice to have, but nothing beats the original." From there Isaac spent his time with teaching Twilight all that he knew while she took down notes. Safe to say that Twilight's journey at Canterlot High was off to a great start as not only did she have friends, but she found someone who can help her to understand the true meaning of Duel Monsters. For the rest of the evening till the sun went down, both Isaac and Twilight discussed every single detail about dueling. They even explained their different point of views all while giving each other a smile.

Chapter 61: The Crystal Gala

The entire landscape of Camp Everfree was now covered in tons of vines scattered around the floor. Even the cages that held some of the students started to open up. The woodland creatures that were formed started to wilter and soon transformed back into flowers; the girls all looked around as the sky was now back to normal and the sun was shining through. They all looked at their monsters as they rejoined in their victory before they disappeared. Isaac looked at his surrounding and let out a smile; he looked at his magician and they shared a smile and a high five as he disappeared along with Isaac's pendulum cards.

After that huge blast from Isaac, Gloriosa was now back to normal as she was now lying on the ground. Timber then went to check up on his sister as she started to wake. She opened up her eyes as she tried to regain conscious on what had happened.

"Gloriosa?"

"What... What happened?" asked Gloriosa as she looked at her brother.

"It's okay. It's gonna be okay." said Timber as he hugged his sister. He then looked at Isaac who was watching the scene. He didn't say much but uttering the words "thank you". Isaac just gave him thumbs up.

Soon everybody started to cheer for Isaac. Even the girls started to give him a group hug as they congratulated him on saving the day, again. While it was getting a bit repetitive, Isaac still couldn't get over the feeling of being hailed as a hero. With that everybody got to work on cleaning up and repairing the camp. Isaac was currently supervising everybody as they felt he had already done enough, soon Gloriosa approached him, Celestia, and Luna who were all watching the others work.

"I am so sorry. I only wanted this to be the best week Camp Everfree has ever had, and instead I've made it the worst. And once again, thank you, Isaac. You were able to save me from the magic that corrupted me, but in the process I ended up making a mess of Camp Everfree instead of trying to save it. Maybe it's for the best that I'm losing the camp to Filthy Rich." Gloriosa put her head down as she had a sad look.

"No. It's not. This camp has meant so much to so many people, my sister and me included." said Celestia.

"Why do you think we wanted our students to come here?" mentioned Luna.

"Plus, I'll admit. Despite having to take down some force of evil, I did have a good time here at this place. Still, I can't help but feel sad that this place is going to be under Filthy Rich's control." said Isaac.

"We can't let Filthy Rich take this place away! If camp meant so much to you two, maybe it meant as much to the other campers who came here in years past." insisted Twilight.

"And maybe we can get them to help save it!" suggested Sunset.

"Oh! Like a fundraiser?" said Applejack.

"Or a ball?!" That immediately got Rarity excited.

"Our band could play!" said Rainbow as she too was into the idea.

"I could help write a new song just for the occasion!" said Fluttershy.

Soon all the students were on board with the idea as they started to agree. Soon they all turned to Isaac to await his input; Isaac just simply shrugged his shoulders which was more than enough of approval.

"Those are all good ideas, but where would we hold it?" Gloriosa was happy that the campers were willing to help her, but still felt a sense of uncertainty.

Just then an idea popped into Sunset's head, "We could hold it in the crystal cave!"

Rarity let out a gasp, "A Crystal Ball! I love it!"

"I prefer the term Crystal Gala, sounds a bit cooler." said Isaac.

"I admire everyone's enthusiasm. Really, I do. But I-I just don't know how we're going to plan a ball by tomorrow and invite everyone." said Gloriosa.

"We got this!" said the girls.

"And as for Filthy Rich, leave him to me. Gloriosa see if you can get in contact with him, I want to know if he can meet with me today." said Isaac.

With that everybody got to work, as they prepared for the huge party/event that was about to take place tomorrow night. Soon invitations were sent out as the girls worked endlessly to get everything ready for the party. While all this was happening, Gloriosa had actually manage to get a hold of Filthy Rich and he agreed to spare a few minutes of his time seeing as he was a busy man. Soon a limo pulled up and out came Filthy Rich, many students gave his displeased views. Eventually he reached the counselor's office as inside Isaac and Gloriosa, along with Celestia and Luna, were waiting for him. He closed the door and they began to discuss "business". Isaac had told everybody else to not interfere with their meeting. It took a while, but eventually Filthy Rich came out as he had an upset look on his face. Soon Isaac came out as he had a similar look, nobody knew what had happened, not even the girls.

Soon the word spread, that even though they would raise enough money to save Camp Everfree. Filthy Rich was still hell bent on taking the property, so it boiled down to Isaac making a proposition. Knowing that he was a businessman, Isaac offered him a deal. In short, Isaac had challenged Filthy Rich to a duel and if he was the winner, then not only would he have the rights to Camp Everfree, but that Isaac would put his title as champion on the line. So if Isaac were to lose then he would not only be stripped of his title, but that he would quit dueling all together. With so much to gain, Filthy Rich instantly accepted Isaac's challenge and it was set. The only thing that Filthy Rich wanted prior to the Crystal Gala, was that he wanted to have a debate of sorts, as he wanted it to serve as a victory speech of sorts. Also he added the stipulation that he there should be a no contact clause between the two of them as he didn't trust "criminals".

Everybody was shocked that Isaac was willing to bet his entire life on just keeping this place running. They knew that being champion didn't mean much, other than some fancy title. But to quit dueling altogether was something that would make anybody think twice, but Isaac was determined in his decision. The girls all tried to convince Isaac out of his choice, but he ignored them and told them that he knew what he was doing. So with that he prepared himself for the debate that Filthy Rich wanted.

It was about 10 in the morning when Isaac was waiting for Filthy Rich to show up. Gloriosa had a table set up with two pitchers of water as well as a couple of glasses. They were on a open stage as they had podiums set up; all they were waiting on was for Filthy Rich to show up. Soon they saw his limo arrive as Filthy Rich came out. He was wearing a fancy suit as well as a fine crafted stenson hat; overall he was giving the vibe of a rich texan. His presence was met with a bunch of boos and jeers; some of the students started to give him disgusted faces, while Isaac just stared him down. Soon both were ready as Gloriosa stood up to begin this debate of sorts.

"Welcome everybody, we are here to conduct this debate between Isaac and Filthy Rich. Tonight these two will compete in a duel at the Crystal Gala. Now I will remind you that during this debate there is to be a no contact. Do both of you understand?" said Gloriosa.

"That applies to that degenerate over there." Filthy Rich was pointing at Isaac. "See as a man of luxury, I know how to behave in social situations unlike some people."

Isaac just gave him a smug smile as he couldn't wait to rip into Filthy Rich. Everybody else were either sitting on the grass, or on chairs as they prepared themselves for the debate that was about to unfold. With that Gloriosa then opened the floor by asking the first question.

"So Filthy Rich, was make you so deserving of being the winner and could potential beat Isaac. Knowing full well that if you do, he's no longer the champion and he gives up dueling?" asked Gloriosa.

Filthy Rich just smiled as he cleared his throat. "First of all, Gloriosa Daisy. I would like to thank you; I would love to thank everybody here for holding this debate. And I would like to answer the question: what makes me a winner and more deserving than my opponent, Isaac?" Filthy Rich had a smug look on his face while saying this, which caused even more disgusted looks to form on the students. "You see this place needs a hero, and I have filled that role. I'm the ideal success story; I come from a great family, independently wealthy. From a great spool, I am the reason for all you people to look up to me. That Gloriosa is the reason why I'm much more deserving of being a winner than my opponent."

Isaac just look uninterested in what Filthy Rich was saying as he starting to use his hands to mock Filthy Rich talking too much. Soon Gloriosa then asked Isaac the same question.

"Isaac, same question." stated Gloriosa.

Isaac cleared his throat as he began to talk. "Before I can even answer that question, what makes me more qualified on being the champion/winner? I got to turn that back around to you." said Isaac as he pointed at Filthy Rich. "I mean you said so yourself; you're independently wealthy, a huge success story. So why would someone as successful as you, drive all the way to Camp Everfree in broke down ass limousine." Isaac's response was met with some reactions as they didn't expect that kind of answer. "Why?"

"There's nothing wrong with that limousine! It's brand..." stated Filthy Rich as he was disrespected by Isaac's answer.

"Hey, man. Hey. Don't sugarcoat it. Let's go take a look." said Isaac as he interrupted Filthy Rich. He then hopped off the stage, as he made his way to Filthy Rich's ride. Isaac took a good long look at the sleek ride as he examined it from all sides; soon he started to talk as he was now in the front of the car. "I mean, first things first, homey." Isaac then did something that caught everybody by surprise as he pulled out some sort of iron pike and stabbed Filthy Rich's front tire as it started to deflate. The students all had shocked looks on their faces as they didn't expect that out of Isaac.

"See, look what he did to my car!" shouted Filthy Rich who was irate at what he was seeing.

"You got a flat tire." stated Isaac. Isaac then started to chuckle a bit, "I mean you rich man, how can someone like you ride out here in a limo with a flat tire?"

"That's vandalism!!!" shouted Filthy Rich as he pointed at Isaac. "You should be thrown in jail!! Gloriosa Daisy, do something about this! You're the camp director!" demanded Filthy Rich.

"Hey. He's not touching you, he hasn't laid a hand on you." said Gloriosa as she reminded Filthy Rich of the no contact rule.

"I'm just stating the facts, player." Isaac now had a huge grin on his face as he saw he was getting under Filthy Rich's skin. "And the paint job, man. What's up with the paint job?" said Isaac as he pointed to the limo once again. "You come out here in this busted ass limo, with a flat tire, and a scuffed up paint. I can't believe you didn't catch that."

"There's nothing wrong with that paint job, Isaac." said Filthy Rich as he pointed to Isaac.

"Nah, man." Isaac then pulled out something else from his pocket. "You ain't looking at it right?" Isaac then started to shake the object as he started to spray paint the limo's white coat. "See when I look at it..." Isaac then started to spray paint the side of the limo with the words, "Filthy Rich Sucks'".

"What's is wrong with you!?!" Filthy Rich was starting to throw a fit on what he was seeing. "You're a punk criminal!"

"I see a limo that says, 'Filthy Rich Sucks'." Isaac's response was met with large amounts of cheers at what he was doing. "Filthy Rich Sucks. Dude, Filthy Rich is you" said Isaac as he pointed at the man. "You drove out here in a limo that says 'Filthy Rich Sucks', what is wrong with you?"

"That's a $200,000 car!!" interrupted Filthy Rich as his blood began to boil.

"You know..." Soon Isaac's fellow peers than began to chant "Filthy Rich Sucks" which was music to his ears as he was smiling. He then got back on the stage as he approached Filthy Rich's podium till he was standing in front of said podium. "You know between that limo fiasco and this hostile crowd in Camp Everfree. If I was you, well I just do something about that." taunted Isaac.

"You better show me some respect, you bi..." Filthy Rich then stepped around as he got in Isaac's face.

"You gonna hit me?" taunted Isaac.

"Hey, Filthy Rich." said Gloriosa as she reminded him of the no contact rule.

"You gonna hit me? You gonna do something? Go on. Go on, throw a punch." said Isaac as he willed Filthy Rich to do it.

"Hey..." said Gloriosa before Isaac interrupted her.

"Come on, throw a punch, big daddy. Come on!" taunted Isaac.

Filthy Rich then took a step back as he returned behind his podium to look at Gloriosa.

"You can do something if you want to?" said Gloriosa as she was enjoying Isaac getting under Filthy Rich's skin.

"I'm ready for the next question." stated Filthy Rich as he managed to keep his cool.

"Very well then, lets move on." stated Gloriosa as Isaac returned back to his podium, while Filthy Rich still had a stressed look on his face.

"Filthy Rich, how important is one's social and economic upbringing in being a champion?" said Gloriosa as she asked the next question.

"Apparently, it's really damn important." shouted Filthy Rich as he was now pissed off. "Look at what that criminal just did to my car." Filthy Rich pointed at Isaac and then at the damage he did to his limo. "You see there's a reason why punk criminals, like him. The only way he makes it in a car, is if you drive me!" yelled Filthy as he pointed at Isaac. "There's a reason that people like you are kept down by the rich, cause that's what better for everybody! You mock what you don't understand, and flat honestly, you're jealous! The only way you know you'll have money like me is if you win the lottery, or turn to crime! And I know you have plenty of experience with that based on where you come from!" Filthy Rich was now calling out Isaac's hometown and his upbringing. "So I tell you what, tonight at the Crystal Gala, I'm going to turn to crime too. Cause I'm gonna rob you of your dreams, I'm gonna rob you of your hope, and I'm gonna rob you of your dignity! When I make you, you Isaac! Bow down and worship at the feet of a god!" said Filthy Rich as he was all up in Isaac's face.

"Isaac, your response." said Gloriosa.

"Sounds like someone crapped in your cheerios this morning, homey." said Isaac with a casual and mocking tone. "But, but. You got a point, I mean this whole economic thing. Maybe I just lost my head, guess what you're trying to say is that I got no respect for the championship."

"You've got no class!!" shouted Filthy.

"I got no class. I mean, look at how I'm dressed." Isaac was in his normal attire which to Filthy Rich he saw as street clothes. His classmates all just cheered him on as they thought he looked nice and showed that he was one of them for wearing normal clothes and not some fancy suit like Filthy Rich. "I mean I think I'm doing aight, what you guys think?" asked Isaac to his fellow peers as they sided with him and cheered him on. Filthy Rich was about to say something before Isaac cut him off. "Hold on, hold on, don't get your panties in a bunch. There are certain people who think that we should act a certain way, that we should dress a certain way. So I'm a man of peace, I mean we could probably solve all this is, if I just wore a suit and tie, right?"

"You would look a lot better in a tie!" said Filthy. "Right now, you look like a piece of crap!"

"Well, let me see, I look better in a tie." Isaac then pulled out some scissors out of his pocket as he made his way to Filthy Rich. "Let's just see if that works."

"Hey, hey, hey. Gloriosa! You can't touch me. Tonight. Remember." Filthy Rich had back up a bit as he was unsure of what Isaac was doing.

Isaac just grabbed his tie with the scissors he had in his hand as he gave him a smug look. Then he cut if off as it fell on the floor while Filthy Rich was in disbelief at his suit being ruined. Isaac then picked up the piece as he now stood in the center of the stage. "So a tie would look better, huh." Isaac then stuffed the small piece into his shirt as he position himself in front to his fellow peers to get their opinion. This caused Filthy Rich to once more get all up in Isaac's face as they stared at each other. Isaac then gave a sly smile, "Oh nah, I feel like a banker in this. This still sucks." said Isaac as he threw the tie piece away. "Oh, but oh, dog. That was yours and after the car thing and the tie. You probably pretty mad right now. You probably wanna do something, don't cha." taunted Isaac. "Maybe throw a punch, maybe hit me. If I hit you, then I can't be a duelist anymore. But then again, I'm not the one looking like a total jerk. So maybe you want to do something about it? Maybe you want to throw a punch?"

Filthy Rich then took off his coat as he was now in his undershirt and it looked like he was about to throw a punch. Isaac then leaned forward as he let him open and turned his head, so that Filthy Rich could have an easy time hitting him. Filthy Rich then backed off.

"No. No. I'm not playing your games." said Filthy Rich as he knew what Isaac was doing. "You do not outthink the master. Tonight at the Crystal Gala, you will have all you want, but until then son. Play your stupid games." With that both returned to their respective podiums as they prepared for the next question.

Gloriosa then spoke up, "Isaac, the next question is for you. Now I wanna ask you this, what do you need to do..."

"What do I need to do to get this punk bitch over here to swing at me?" said Isaac as he cut off Gloriosa and caused everybody to have mixed reactions. Filthy Rich was not amused with Isaac just said. "Well now that's an important question; and one I think we need to address. What if, right here, right now, I prove this guy. A man of class, is nothing but liar."

"I don't lie." shouted Filthy Rich.

"Hey, hold on. Have faith in your boy, I can pull it off. Now, miss lovely Gloriosa Daisy, watch closely. Cause I'm not going to touch you." Isaac then got in Filthy Rich's face.

"You better not touch me!"

"But I am gonna touch your ten gallon hat." Isaac then ripped off Filthy Rich's hat that he was wearing. Isaac was now looking at it, while Filthy Rich was even more angry that he started to confront Isaac. "Oh, yo. This is nice, dude." Isaac then put on Filthy Rich's hat, he generally looked like some sort of cowboy which caused Applejack to blush a bit when Isaac winked at her. "Yo, this ain't exactly my style, or nothing. But I mean, you can tell the craftsmanship; everything is there isn't it. Is this Gucci?" asked Isaac while he had smug smile looking directly at Filthy Rich.

"That's a thousand dollar stenson!" shouted Filthy.

"Okay, then... We know that this is probably a ten gallon hat, right?"

"I hate you. I hate you, you son..." Filthy was really getting tired of Isaac's antics.

"I'll take that as a yes," said Isaac as he didn't let Filthy Rich finish his sentence. "Ten gallon hat? Well lets do something." Isaac then held Filthy Rich's hat in one hand and picked up one of the pitchers of water in the other as he held the objects close to each other. "Let's see how many gallons this hat is gonna hold?" Isaac made sure that his fellow peers got a good view at what he was about to do. Isaac then poured the entire pitcher of water in Filthy Rich's hat.

Filthy Rich demanded that Gloriosa do something, who was also having a bit of fun watching what Isaac was doing. All she said was, "He's not touching you." with a smug look on her face. Isaac then poured the second pitcher of water into Filthy Rich's as it filled to nearly the top while Isaac just looked at it.

"Dude, that ain't even close to like one gallon. That means your ass is a liar. Oh yeah, by the way, I'm done with your hat. You can have it back." Isaac then put Filthy Rich's hat back on him as it was filled with water. So as a result, when Isaac put it back on, Filthy Rich was now soaked from head to toe as he was completely drenched. Filthy Rich just stood there as his temper had peaked. Isaac just stood there with his fellow peers just laughing at Filthy Rich. "Oh, oh. Oh no! Look at you man, looks like you done had an accident all over yourself. They make diapers for that sort of stuff, I mean you got problems we'll help you... Ooh, look at you."

"I'm gonna kick your ass, tonight at the Crystal Gala. Cause..." said Filthy Rich s he raised his fists ready to strike Isaac.

"Cause you going to show me what you going to do tonight at the Crystal Gala!" said Isaac as he was all up in Filthy Rich's face.

"At the Crystal Gala..." began Filthy Rich.

"Then show me what you're gonna do at the Crystal Gala!!! Come on!!! Right here, you throw a punch and I swear I Will Knock The Hell Out OF You!!!! Do it!! I dare you!!!! You want to see how rough I can get then hit me and I promise you I will give you a good old fashion Chicoltgo beatdown!!!!" Said Isaac with fury and passion in his voice.

Everybody just was in awe at what Isaac was saying and doing as he was not backing down from Filthy Rich. Even Filthy Rich himself started to get a bit scared by looking at Isaac's eyes that eventually he lowered his fists and then back down as he stepped back a few steps. The girls couldn't believe that Isaac was acting this way, especially Twilight who had never seen Isaac's speaking skills before. Safe to say the way he talked kind of intrigued her.

"You ain't gonna do nothing, are you? Ha, ha." said Isaac with a smug smile as he had manage to punk out Filthy Rich. "Just like I thought. But I bet you're standing there thinking that you're 'clever'; for not playing my games." said Isaac as he put his hands up to do air quotes. "You look ridiculous, and as clever as you think you are. Well I think you're something else." Isaac now pulled out another spray paint can from his pocket. He then shook the can while saying to Filthy Rich's face, "I'm not touching you. I'm not touching you." in a mocking voice.

Filthy Rich turned to Gloriosa to tell her to do something. This allowed Isaac the perfect opportunity to start spray painting on the back of Filthy Rich's shirt. Once he felt the paint hit his shirt, he turned around furious as he looked at Isaac and then his clothes. Isaac then spoke with seriousness in his voice.

"You know what, see in the world that I come from. In the world, that we come from," said Isaac as he pointed to his fellow classmates. "There's people who talk about," Isaac pointed at Filthy Rich. "And then there's people who be about it." said Isaac as he pointed to himself. "Tonight at the Crystal Gala..." Isaac pulled out another spray paint can as he shook it while looking dead at Filthy Rich. "Let me give you a little preview of what's gonna happen to you." Isaac then started to spray paint the front of Filthy Rich's Shirt to which he simply spelled out "FU". "Pipebomb." said Isaac as he walked off the stage and towards his tent with a smile on his face, knowing that his plan to punk out Filthy Rich was a success.

Soon Filthy Rich started to throw a fit as he quickly got into his limo and told his driver to drive off. The students couldn't stop talking about what just happened; however, they were glad that Isaac was able to ultimately embarrass Filthy Rich. While Celestia and Luna were less than pleased with Isaac's actions, they couldn't help but to let out a laugh/smile based on how Filthy Rich was acting. The girls knew that Isaac had some street talking abilities based on where he was from, but they didn't expect him to go full gangster on Filthy Rich and treat him like he was nothing. With that it was but a couple hours till the Crystal Gala that would take place.

It was nearly nighttime as the Crystal Gala was underway; even the guests that were invited began to arrive. The girls worked very hard to make the cave look lovely, even Rarity put a lot of effort into creating the outfits for the event. Isaac, however, had not chosen to have an outfit made for him as he hadn't left his tent since his encounter with Filthy Rich. This worried the girls as they were concerned with how their friend might be handling. Isaac was currently going over his deck as he was making some last minute changes; he had finally finished it when he heard his tent open up.

"Here to convince me one last time to wear an outfit, Rarity?" said Isaac as he wasn't looking at who opened his tent.

"Actually, I was wondering if you wanted to share a dance with me after your duel with Filthy Rich?" said Sunset with a bit of smug in her tone.

Isaac turned around and saw Sunset standing there. She was wearing a nice dress as it was her Crystal Gala outfit, not to mention that she and the rest of the girls would be performing for the event tonight. "Nice dress, really suits you to a tee."

"Thanks." smiled Sunset. "So... after what went down this morning, how you feeling?"

"Honestly, I'm good." said Isaac really quick.

"You sure?" Sunset raised her eyebrow as she didn't believe Isaac's answer.

"Yeah. Why wouldn't I be?" said Isaac as he had a smile.

Sunset just let out a sigh. "Nevermind, just wanted to see how you're doing? Anyways just wanted to know if you'll be seeing us perform."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world." said Isaac as he gave her a thumbs up.

"Good luck then." Sunset then gave Isaac a kiss as she put her hands to cusp Isaac's face. Soon she started to move her hands down south as she was feeling Isaac's body. Isaac knew what Sunset was doing so he caught her hands.

Isaac broke from the kiss as he looked at her. "My eyes are up here, Sunset. Try to remember that." said Isaac with a sly smile on his face.

"You really know how to kill the mood. Can't you let a girl have some fun?" said Sunset smugly as he booped Isaac's nose.

"Do you really want people to be suspicious as to why your outfit is all messed up? Let alone the people, imagines Rarity's response." said Isaac.

"Maybe I would like that, really get my heart racing." said Sunset with some seductiveness in her voice. She then backed off and said one final goodbye, before she left through the tent to head to the party.

Isaac then went back to focusing his mind which didn't last long as there was another person who entered his tent. This time it was Twilight who was also wearing her outfit for the Crystal Gala.

"Isaac, I need you advice!" shouted Twilight as she was panicking. She wasn't alone as apparently Spike had walked in beside her.

"I'm right here, Twilight. Jesus, you don't have to yell." shouted Isaac as he was covering his ears. "You better pray that my ears won't be ringing tonight, what do you need?"

"I... well... you see..." said Twilight as she didn't know how to exactly say what she wanted to say.

"Spit it out, woman!" said Isaac.

"Timber just asked me to be date for the Crystal Gala." said Twilight as she sat on Isaac's bed with sweat coming down her face.

"Really? Really? That's what you're worried about; you barge into my tent, mind you that I'm getting ready for my duel, and you bring up that issue!?" said Isaac as he couldn't believe that Twilight wanted to talk to him about that. He then looked at Spike as he prayed that maybe he could offer some insight.

"Hey man, I've been trying all day to get her to calm down, but nothing. Not even the puppy dog eyes had an effect." stated Spike as he jumped on Isaac's bed. "I was hoping that you maybe you could do something."

"If you couldn't get her to calm down, then what the hell do you want me to do." said Isaac as he looked at Spike who just shrugged his shoulders. Isaac then turned back to address Twilight who was still freaking-out, "I'm not sure why you should be worried, since you guys have been getting close to each other during out time here at Camp Everfree."

"It's just that this all new to me, I've never been in a relationship with anybody. Is there a rulebook that I need to read?" Twilight was panicking even more.

"Figured she asked something like that." said Spike.

"Twilight, get ahold of yourself!" said Isaac as he grabbed her shoulders and looked at her eyes as he sat down next to her. "Take a deep breath." Twilight did what Isaac said and safe to say that it worked. "I had the same response as you did before my first date?"

"Really? With who?" asked Twilight.

"Doesn't matter," said Isaac as he quickly brushed aside that thought. "The point is just be yourself, that's all. Other than that, just enjoy yourself and the time you'll spend with Timber. Hopefully, all the stuff I told him actually pays off."

"Wait? What stuff? What did you exactly tell him?" asked Twilight as she was shocked that her best friend knew about Timber's advances towards her.

"Well when we first arrived at camp, Timber came up to me on some advice on how to catch your attention. He thought I would know, since being the champion means I would have a vast array of girls interested in me. I told him that's not the case and well I just told him about you. I didn't say much other than you're smart, very beautiful, total nerd when it comes to facts and books. Not to mention very caring when it comes to our friends, and one heck of duelist."

Unbeknownst to Isaac, as he was saying all these things, Twilight had a bit a red on her face. She didn't expect that kind of things to be said about her; so when she found out that all the things Timber said to her was actually from Isaac, she couldn't help but have a bit of blush on her face. She did her best to hide it when Isaac turned around after he finished talking. "You told him to say all that about me?"

"Yeah, you're my friend and I want to see you happy. Hope you didn't mind." said Isaac.

"Not at all, in fact, now that I know the truth; I think I feel better about tonight's event. Thanks for the talk, Isaac. I know what I have to do?" said Twilight with conviction in her voice.

"What do you mean?" asked Isaac as he was confused by what Twilight just said.

"Don't worry, good luck in your duel tonight." Twilight then gave Isaac a quick hug as she left for the event herself.

Isaac was left with Spike as they just looked at each other with confused looks on their faces. "Any idea what she meant, pal?"

"Dunno know. Anyways, I should be heading out. The party is about to start and I've been eyeing the buffet. You gonna come?" asked Spike as he jumped down from Isaac's bed.

"In a bit." said Isaac.

"And hey don't worry, I'll keep an eye on Twilight for you tonight while you prepare for your duel." said Spike.

"Thanks little guy."

"By the way, just out of curiosity, who did you go out with? I promise I won't say, guy code." said Spike as he used his paws to seal his lips.

Isaac just bent down to the dog's level and whisper in his ear; the answer that Spike got was a rather shocked on as his eyes widen. He didn't say anything but a simple nod of his head and followed after Twilight towards the Crystal Gala. With no left to interrupt his focus, Isaac then decided to clear his mind by catching a quick nap. What? Saving the day is exhausting work, he wanted to catch some shut eye.

Soon the party/gala was in full swing as everybody was enjoying themselves. The guests were happily being entertained as they mingled with the other generations of campers and people. The girls were having a blast as they were performing some songs for the guests, even Twilight was enjoying herself. Right now she was having a talk with Timber. Nobody knew what was said as it a private conversation, but it was one that both agreed on. With that it was soon time for the main event as the final song played and Gloriosa came out on stage.

"Thank you all so much for coming! And for helping us raise enough money to... save Camp Everfree!" Gloriosa's response was meet with a rowdy round of cheers. She then turned to address the girls, "Thank you. For everything. Oh, if I'd just asked for help in the first place..."

"Hey, don't sweat it, it's kinda what we do." said Dash. "Don't forget about Isaac? Speaking of which, where is he?"

Soon in walked in Filthy Rich as he had managed to clean himself up after being embarrassed by Isaac earlier in the day. With that, Gloriosa knew that it was time. "Well then, ladies and gentleman, before we go I'd like to go give you one last form of entertainment. So would the contenders please prepare yourselves."

The crowd then parted ways as Filthy Rich was now in the middle of the room and activated one of his fancy looking duel disks. Now all they had to do was wait. It took a while, but eventually Isaac showed up as he was beginning to walk through the entrance of the cave. He had just woken up from his nap and made his way to the event. The girls saw Isaac entering and thought to play a little music for him.

Isaac was welcomed to a warm reception. Soon he set his eyes on Filthy Rich, who was still angry from what had happened earlier. Isaac just simply gave him a smug smile as he activated his duel disk and they both were ready to begin.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Filthy Rich's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Filthy Rich

"Time to make you pay, criminal." Filthy Rich drew his card. "I'll play my White Magical Hat(1000/700) in attack mode." Out a came a magician that was true to its name as it wore a top white hat as well as a monocle. "Next I'll play a card facedown and end my turn. Let see how you fare kid! It's your move."

Turn 2: Isaac

"That's all, please? Isaac will have no problem dealing with that." said Rainbow as she and the girls watched from the stage.

"My turn," Isaac then picked up his card and looked through his hand. "I'll pass my turn."

"What!?!" shouted the girls. Everybody else just had their jaws drop at what they heard.

Turn 3: Filthy Rich

Even Filthy Rich was in shock at what his opponent did. He felt a bit off by Isaac not doing anything, but it soon got him to smile. "Ha, ha. I knew you were but a phoney. If you think that's suppose to scare me, you'll have to do better than that." said Filthy Rich, while Isaac just had an unamused look on his face. "It's my move. But realize it's only a matter of time before I eliminate all of your life points! Poor Isaac. You haven't the business skills necessary to wheel-and-deal with a mogul like me!"

"Listen, Filthy Rich. Duel Monsters is about honor, trust, and respect. Not about business skills and making deals. So save your corporate speeches for the boardroom and stop wasting my time." exclaimed Isaac.

"Now then, let me help you to lose quicker." Filthy Rich looked at his cards and knew his plan. "I'll summon my Greedy Assistant(1700/1500) in attack mode. Now my monsters attack him directly!" With nothing on Isaac's field they had no problem getting to Isaac's life points. Isaac just stood there with his eyes closed as he didn't bother blocking the attacks.
Isaac's Life Points: 5300-

"Ha, ha. This will be easier than I expected. Look at you, you nearly are down to half of your life points, all I need to do is attack on more time with enough force and it will be the end of you. Now a couple of things happen, my White Magical Hat forces you to discard one card at random." Isaac's hand then began to glow as the card it selected flashed as Isaac sent it to the grave. "Now my Greedy Assistant will activate his effect, now I can bring out a monster from my hand or deck whose attack is equal to or less than the amount of damage you took this turn." Filthy Rich's duel disk then slotted out the card he wanted. "And I choose this kid, it's my Stockholder Accountant(2000/900)." Out came a female who had tons of spreadsheets in her hands. "Now what will you do kid, it's all over. You know, Isaac, I'm a businessman, and in the world of business, there are three secrets to success that are guaranteed to crush the competition, so listen closely. The first is build a powerful workforce. The second secret to success is quite a simple one: know your own resources. Now for the last and important secret of success in the business world. Always keep your competition guessing! And I assure you, you have no idea of horrors I have in store for you!"

Turn 4: Isaac

Isaac let out a sigh, "Are you done talking?" Isaac then drew his card and looked through his options. "I play the spell card, Graceful Charity. Now I draw three cards and discard two."

"Alright, Isaac always plays that card when he's got a plan." stated Sunset.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn." said Isaac with a smile.

"Oh come on!!" shouted Dash. "What the hell is wrong with him!?!"

"Does Isaac know the consequences of this duel?" said Twilight. "If he loses, then he'll quit dueling forever." Twilight couldn't bear the thought of Isaac giving up his passion, it made her clutch her heart.

Turn 5: Filthy Rich

"Guess you finally realized that there's nothing you can do." Filthy Rich then drew his card, "Now I'll sacrifice my White Magical Hat and Greedy Assistant to summon out my Corporate CEO(3000/2100)." Out came a businessman as he wear the fanciest of suits and was carrying a briefcase in his hand. "Now I activate my Corporate CEO's effect, now you take damage equal to his attack." Filthy Rich's monster then opened his briefcase as tons of money flew out and then he threw the entire briefcase as it collided with Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"Time to make you pay for all the damages you caused me, you criminal. Let this be a lesson, know that the rich will always have the last laugh because the authority always wins!! Now take that punk kid down!" Filthy Rich then commanded his monsters to attack as they started to make their way towards Isaac.

"Isaac!!" all the girls shouted as they watched from the stage.

Isaac just had his arms crossed as the monsters were getting closer to him. "You know, I've never been know to listen to authority. At least not when they abuse their powers, and there's no way I'd ever lose to someone like you." Isaac then looked at his duel disk. "I banish Electromagnetic Turtle to end the battle phase." A tiny turtle then came out as it released all the electricity it had stored up.

"How dare you defy my authority with that puny little monster!?! I'll make you pay!!" shouted Filthy Rich.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Too bad this duel is about to end," Isaac drew his card. "Now I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil, so by giving up 1000 life points, I'll summon my Dark Magician." Isaac now had his most trusty monster as it appeared by his master's side.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"Now I'll play the spell card, Bond Between Teacher and Student. Now with my Dark Magician on the field, I can call upon my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then summoned out his favorite female spellcaster as she did a cute little twirl. "Now my spell allows me to set Dark Magic Twin Burst, but I'll activate it right away so now my Dark Magician Girl raises the attack of my ultimate spellcaster by her attack points. But it doesn't stop there," Isaac's magician now had a magical aura around him as he felt the boost of his master's cards. "Next, I'll play Dark Burning Magic. Now my magician destroy Filthy Rich's entire field!"

"This can't happen!" shouted Filthy Rich.

"You claim to be a successful man of business, yet you've allowed your competition to get the best of you!" exclaimed Isaac. Isaac snapped his fingers and just like that his magicians led waste to Filthy Rich's entire field as there was nothing left. Isaac had a smile on his face at how pathetic Filthy Rich was, "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Dark Spiral Force. So now my Dark Magician's attack points are doubled. Mahad, Mana, mind taking care of this for me?"

"Your wish is my command, master."

"Here we go."

"Double Dark Magic attack!!" shouted both of Isaac's magicians as they combined their powers to annihilate Filthy Rich's entire life points.
Filthy Rich's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Isaac just turned his back as he started to walk away from the duel as his magicians delivered the final blow to Filthy Rich. Isaac look at the entire crowd of people who watched as they were amazed at what Isaac just did. Isaac just shrugged his shoulders, "So, we done here?" asked Isaac.

Chapter 74: Hometown Hero

After the whole incident, Lucy was turned in to the proper authorities. They also managed to recover the stolen pieces of art that she took as well as all the money that she had stolen while counting cards. Isaac even managed to give back the number card to Lucky Clover as he thanked Isaac and his friends for catching and apprehending the thief. He even offered to pay the group a good amount of money, but they all declined as they were fine. However, while Isaac and Lucy were battling on top of the train there was a news helicopter that was hovering above as they covered the story. So when Lucky Clover saw many reporters standing outside his door, hoping to get a word from the heroes, he had a smile on his face as his eyes turned into dollar signs.

Once the group saw the huge gathering of reporters outside the front door of their resort, they decided to check it out. However, that proved to be a bad idea as they all barged in and decided to swarm them with most of them surrounding Isaac asking him questions about how he did what he did. Thankfully, Celestia and Luna, were able to dissolve the situation by agreeing to have Isaac and his friends make a TV appearance where they would tell all the details. So with that Isaac and the girls made their TV debut as they appeared on a talk show as everybody from everywhere in the country tuned in. They asked Isaac some basic questions about his life and how they were currently on a trip to help out other schools. Despite all that, they were more interested in how he caught the thief as well as his dueling skills. So he gave the press what they wanted as he explained how he was the champion of his school and how the girls came up with the plan to catch Lucy.

After a couple of more days in Las Pegasus, the group did what they were sent to do and showcased some amazing duels for the school they were scheduled to perform at. After that they were back on the road as they flew to their next list of cities, during that time, the standings for the girls changed with one of the other girls taking the lead which really caused Aj and Dash to have their jaws drop. Other than that, the Duos Cup was nearly upon the group as it would be the last thing on their roadtrip before they returned back to Canterlot. Some of the places they stopped in were Dodge Junction, New Horseleans, Seaddle, Whinnyapolis, etc... Right now the group was currently on the private plane as they were soaring above the clouds.

"Let me be the first to say that all of you have done a fantastic job; the many new kids that have been inspired by your dueling has really helped their school. The sponsors as well as the dueling community have all made some meaningful investment that have not only brought them profit, but happiness to the kids." said Celestia.

"Indeed, you all have done your part in making this trip a success. Give yourselves a round of applause." said Luna. With that the group all nodded and gave each other high fives. Luna then got their attention, "Now then, as you all know the Duos Cup is fast approaching and we've already registered Isaac, all that's left is who he chooses his partner to be. However, before we touch subject on that, we've got one more stop on our little field trip." Luna then touched the map, "And I believe it's a place that you're quite familiar with."

"Chicoltgo!?" said the girls in unison while Isaac just stared.

"That's right. Our last stop will be none other than Isaac's hometown." Celestia had a smile on her face as she knew that Isaac would like this decision.

Isaac just stood up and made his way to the map. He touched the picture and it popped up all different images of the many places that were popular in his city. "Chicoltgo? I finally get to go home." said Isaac with a smile as a small tear trickled down his cheek. "Home. I can't wait."

"Seems you finally get to show us where you grew up, sugarcube." said Applejack as she remembered that when the girls all first met Isaac, they made a promise that if the opportunity arised they would visit Isaac's city.

"Time to see all the cool things your place has to offer." stated Dash.

"Believe me, my city has something that you'll all enjoy." said Isaac as he fist bumped his chest.

"Well, I look forward for you to get the chance to see your home again." said Celestia. "Now then seeing as this is our last stop, I've arranged a special duel to take place. See we won't be performing for just a school, rather for the entire city in a building called the 'All-State Arena'."

"No way!" shouted Isaac. "That is the most famous arena in all of Chicoltgo, even people from other places know that celebrities, musicians, even a few duelist are lucky to get a chance to perform in such an arena. And to think I get to perform in front of thousands in my hometown. I can't wait!"

"Indeed, we wanted something special to end this trip. However, that being said, it means you'll be defending your title as CHS's duel champion." Luna then touched the map as a live coverage of the arena was shown with thousands of people lining up to buy tickets for such an event. The line was so long that it wrapped around the building twice. "In fact, it won't be a normal duel. You will be defending your title against... Rainbow Dash."

"Alright!" shouted Dash as she stood up.

"And... Applejack." mentioned Luna.

"Sign me up, partner."

"What!?" exclaimed Dash as she wasn't expecting this.

"And... Sunset Shimmer. In a fatal four way duel." After Luna made her announcement, everybody was left stunned at hearing that.

"You're serious?" asked Fluttershy.

"Very." Celestia had a calm demeanor on her face.

"I don't care, as long as I get to perform in front of my people in my hometown, that's all that matters." Isaac then looked at his opponents. "However, that doesn't mean I just gonna let you girls win. After all, I'm the champ, so it's my duty to show my fellow peers how I became the best."

"Just try us." stated Sunset as she, Dash, and Applejack all gave stares at Isaac who returned it with his own and a smile on his face.

The plane landed a few hours as the sun was just about to go down, it was created a beautiful blend of red and orange. The girls were amazed by the many lights of Chicoltgo as they saw people gathering around doing all different sorts of things. One thing that no one was expecting was that the people of Chicoltgo had actually heard about the incident in Las Pegasus and when they saw that Isaac was from here, they all saw him as a sort of hero. Not to mention that him being a duelist was an added bonus, due to the fact that the city served as the place where many major tournaments/events that involved dueling took place. So when the group landed they got a shock and a half at what they witnessed.

Once the entrance to the plane opened up, Rarity was the first to step out and saw the massive crowd of people that gathered around the runway. There was even a metal barricade with a couple of security guards trying to keep the people at bay. They were waiting on someone to appear.

"My word, are these people here for us?" asked Rarity.

"I don't think so." said Twilight as she descended down the steps of the plane.

Isaac then appeared and the moment he was shown, the gathering of people just went nuts. Once they saw Isaac they started to cheer at the top of their lungs as most of them waved a couple of posters. Isaac could feel the energy of the crowd as he waved to them. Everybody else was just in awe at how they hailed Isaac as a sort of hero and he was being given a proper welcoming. Isaac then grabbed his luggage and his backpack as he made his way towards the metal barricade and began to interact with some of the fans as he took some pictures and signed a couple of autographs. Once everybody gathered their stuff, they all signaled Isaac to get into the car as they needed to check into their hotel. Isaac gave one last wave and told the crowd that he was looking forward to putting on a good show for them to which their response was just chanting his name.

During the car ride to the hotel, the girls asked Isaac for some info about the city. He told them some basic information like the nickname of his home was called The Windy City, which was appropriate based on how the wind was in their face. Isaac also told them that he would take them downtown as he would give them a proper tour of the many sights and sounds that Chicoltgo had to offer. With that they all made it to their hotel where they all check in and made their way to their rooms; the people of Chicoltgo knew about Isaac coming that they made a gift basket of sorts and had it delivered to his room. Isaac inspected it and it was full of some of the amazing things that reminded him of his childhood growing up.

The morning was upon them as Isaac woke up and took a quick shower. After he got changed, he received a message from Celestia saying that prior to them competing at the arena, they would all need to show up for some red carpet event that was also taking place at the arena an hour prior. However, that was another day, right now Isaac was planning to show the girls around. Isaac opened his door and the girls were all standing out in the hallway as they were excited for what Isaac was going to show them. With that Isaac was able to catch a bus as they all headed downtown.

The first place they visited was a place called Millennium Park which served as a popular place for people to gather due to the many free concerts, famous art installations, and how close it was to other places. Sunset and Twilight were both amazed by the many artworks that were on displayed for the public, they even took a picture of a giant reflective sculpture known as 'The Bean'. Seeing as how Sunset had a fascination for art/painting, Isaac took them to another famous place known as the Art Institute of Chicoltgo. The moment they entered the place, Sunset's eyes went big as she was surrounded by all the artwork. She immediately started to drool leaving a trail behind for the janitor to clean up. The girls all looked at the wonderful pieces of art as they took many photos of it; Sunset was thankfully for Isaac that she gave him a kiss.

With that they were now on their next stop as he brought them to the zoo which immediately caught Fluttershy's interest. Isaac told them that his city actually had two different zoos, but seeing as they were currently on a deadline, he brought them to the zoo that was closest to them known as Lincoln Park Zoo. Fluttershy enjoyed herself as she waved to all the animals to which they were immediately drawn to her, even the vultures. The zoo staff were impressed with how Fluttershy commanded the animals and were even more shocked to see Isaac next to her. Turns out they were fans of dueling, as they purchased tickets to see Isaac's title defense. Of course they asked for a couple of photos with the champion which Isaac was more than happy to do so, as a reward, they allowed him and the girls to help feed the animals as a way to say thanks for all he's done to represent their beloved city. However, that wasn't the only place Isaac had planned for her as he also took them to a place called The Shedd Aquarium. It was home to many marine life as they all purchased tickets to watch a dolphin show that got everybody having smiles on their faces. Isaac had purchased a plushy for Fluttershy to which she gave Isaac a hug and a kiss.

With that it was now time for Rarity as Isaac had plenty of stores to show her. Isaac showed Rarity the many clothing stores downtown, with one of them being called Macy's. It was the central hub for shopping as one of the biggest stores in all of Chicoltgo. Safe to say that it didn't disappoint as Rarity immediately started jot down notes for some inspiration that she got. Isaac even told her about how they did holiday-theme windows which normally go up during the time going into Christmas. Rarity even made a couple of purchases on outfits as she wanted a souvenir, with that she made the purchase and called a taxi to have them delivered to the hotel. After struggling to fit all the bags inside the trunk, Isaac then paid the cab driver the fare and a tip as he drove it to their hotel. Rarity then gave Isaac a kiss as a way to show thanks for showing her some wonderful fashion ideas.

The next place was called Humboldt Park which served as a place for all of them to relax. They were able to see some street performers who did a couple of acrobatic and parkour moves. They even listened in to a small group of people who were playing and singing. However, what really caught Aj and Dash's attention was the many places to play all different kinds of sports. Everything from tennis courts, to baseballs fields, to even some spots where you could fish. It really allowed the both of them have a friendly competition while the others just watched on with Fluttershy and Pinkie keeping score. They even spotted a couple of teens like them engaging in some duels, so Isaac, Dash, and Aj all decided to take part. Soon it had all three of them winning their duels as they won in convincing fashion. Just as Isaac had finished his duel, both girls then appeared on opposite sides of him and gave him a kiss on each cheek to show their thanks.

Soon everybody was getting hungry as Isaac led them to another part of the city that had restaurants all lined up with different cultures from around the world. One thing about living in Chicoltgo that you never had to worry about eating the same thing due to the many options that were available. So Pinkie was ecstatic as she immediately started to run into the many restaurants trying the many foods, it took all the girls and Isaac to keep Pinkie from getting the kitchen staff mad. Thankfully, Isaac had a small fortune that he gained from their time in Las Pegasus that helped to cover the cost of the meal. Isaac made sure to introduce his friends to some of the foods that were made famous from his city like deep dish pizza, Chicoltgo style hot dog, Italian beef, etc... Pinkie even tried a chocolate cake shake that sent her tastebuds into overdrive as she slipped into a sugar rush that last for few minutes. Eventually, it was gone as Pinkie was knocked out cold which left Isaac the burden of carrying his little sister on his back. With that the sun was starting to set as the girls enjoyed their little tour that Isaac showed them; they then made their way back to the hotel.

The girls took Pinkie from Isaac as they wanted him to get ready, as they knew he wanted to go on a date with Twilight. So with that Isaac left to get himself ready, while the girls all helped Twilight to get ready for her night out with Isaac. It was about 15 minutes to 6 pm, when Isaac saw Twilight joining him in the lobby. With that, he then offered his arm as Twilight wrapped hers around his as they made their way to their destination. The first place that Isaac decided for their date was a place that Twilight would definitely enjoy. They had just arrived at the Adler Planetarium as Isaac knew it was something that Twilight would love, which was more true as she immediately fell in love with the place. He purchased them a couple of tickets as they walked into the building where Twilight's eyes got even cuter, Isaac looked at her and he could see why her name was sparkle due to how her eyes shined brightly. They caught a show as it allowed them to feel as if they were traveling to other parts of space while learning about new constellations. Soon they left as Twilight was leaning on Isaac's arm.

"That was so much fun." said Twilight. "I can't believe I got to see all those constellations, which one was your favorite?"

"Why you of course." smiled Isaac. "You're the only star that shined brightly that caught my attention." Isaac's comment caused Twilight to blush as she turned her head. Isaac then lifted her chin up as he captured her lips with his as they shared a tender kiss.

"So what else do you have planned?" asked Twilight.

"Now that would ruin the surprise." said Isaac with a sly grin on his face.

They continued on their date, as he brought them to a restaurant where they had a wonderful dinner as they talked and just enjoyed being with one another. After that they took a stroll along the Lakeside Trail which they got to see the sparkling blue water as the sun had officially setted and the moon was rising. It offered a crystal clear reflection in the water as Isaac and Twilight were strolling along down the path. Soon they arrived at the pier overlooking the water as there was a couple of people who were dancing. So Isaac offered his hand to Twilight as he lead her to the dance floor. Safe to say that Isaac found out that Twilight dancing was something, though he kind of found it cute. So for the most part he grabbed her hand and they danced closely with each other.

Isaac then looked at his watch and saw that it was nearly 8:30pm as he told Twilight that they needed to as he had two more places for her to see. One place was visiting another museum that explained the history of Chicoltgo: from the founding of the city, to the great fire that devasted the city and caused everything to be rebuilt with better materials, to the hosting of the World Fair, to now what it's become in modern times. Isaac bought a little encyclopedia for Twilight from the gift shop as it explained the many facts about Chicoltgo. Twilight went into 'adorakble' mode as she began glossing over the pages of the book as she couldn't wait to read it. She gave Isaac a great big hug and a quick kiss as Isaac told them he had one more stop on their date. The last thing that Isaac took Twilight was to place called the CIBC Theatre where he had purchased them tickets for a certain musical. After the show was over, Isaac then called a cab as he and Twilight were on their way back to the hotel.

"Now that was an amazing date." said Twilight.

"If you think that was fun, wait till you see what else I have planned. After tomorrow, we'll be here for about another day or two. So there's plenty of time for me to show you girls some more amazing places of Chicoltgo."

"Well here we are," said Twilight as they were in front of her hotel room. "Thanks for a wonderful time, Isaac. I really enjoyed seeing your hometown."

"I did too, especially since now I have someone to share it with." Isaac then put his hand to Twilight's cheek as she leaned into it and sighed.

Isaac then leaned in as he gave Twilight a kiss which Twilight brought her hands to cusp Isaac's face. They both let out a moan as Twilight then started to push Isaac back a bit as he was now pressed up against the wall as Twilight wanted more of Isaac. Soon they broke apart as their foreheads were touching; they just stared at each other admiring one another. Isaac booped Twilight's nose as she let out a giggle and a smile. With that she left Isaac's arms and entered her room; Isaac then left to his room as he whistled a happy tune. Once Twilight entered her room, she turned around and saw all the girls in her room as they smiled.

"So, did you enjoy your night on the town with Isaac?" said Sunset with a sly grin on her face.

"Yeah, from what it sounded, it looks like you had a blast." Now Dash had a sly grin as she was referring to the sound they heard of Twilight kissing Isaac against the wall.

Twilight had a slight blush as she figured out what her friends were saying, "Yes.... we had a blast."

The next day was the day. It was the day that the whole city was talking about, everybody was talking about how tonight they would see their beloved hometown hero complete in his toughest challenge to date. Isaac would be defending his title against not one, not two, but three opponents all at the same time. Celestia wanted to put on a special show for the people so she decided to have a fatal four way duel for the title. The whole city was ready as they couldn't wait to see a match that they truly were looking forward to. With the stage set, everybody was in the hotel lobby awaiting for Celestia and Luna. Once they arrived, they all got into a huge SUV as they were on their way to the arena. The sight alone was enough to made anybody gasp, people were already making their way to their seats, as there was a long line that surrounded the building. Where the vehicle was taking them was to the back of the arena as they had a red carpet style event going on as reporters/photographers were on the side while the crowd of people that gathered were behind the metal barricade. The SUV pulled up and immediately the crowd started to scream, so the girls and Isaac all stepped out as they took the sight before their very eyes. Millions of flashes went off as the photographers were trying to capture as many photos as possible. Isaac waved to the crowd as they started to chant his name even louder, there was a ton of posters that were present; some showing his face, while others had meaningful messages like "Chicoltgo made Isaac." There was even a couple of fangirls that expressed their celebrity love for Isaac.

"You know, I'd never thought that I would be a celebrity for my own city, at least, not while I was still a teenager. I'd figured that would happen when I was a full blown duelist." said Isaac.

"Well, I guess they wanted to get a head start, darling." said Rarity.

With that the group all started walking down the red carpet as they stopped along the way to answer questions that came from individual reporters. Isaac even approached the fans as he signed a couple of autographs and took some photos with his fans. He even shook hands with people who said that he was a role model. However, Isaac wasn't the only one to be well-known. The people of Chicoltgo knew about Isaac's group of friends and they expressed their admiration for them, some even had pictures of them and asked for their signature or a photo. The girls were much obligated as they made people's days. While Isaac was walking down the red carpet even further with his friends behind him, there was a small kid that had slipped past the barricade. He wanted to get a closer look at his heroes that he went under the guards' feet; the guards noticed this and started to chase the kid as he fell in front of Isaac.

"Get back here kid!" shouted a security guard. "Sorry about that sir, seems someone wanted to break the rules." The security guard then grabbed the kid's arm as he started to drag him away.

"Hold on." called out Isaac. "It's okay, let him go." The security guard did just that as the kid now looked at Isaac with a timid look on his face. Isaac then bent down to the kid's level as he had a smile on his face. "What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Timmy." said the kid.

"Well, Timmy. It's nice to meet you." said Isaac as he noticed something in the kid's hands. "Is that deck?"

"Y-Yeah... I was hoping that maybe someday I could be duelist like you." smiled Timmy. "You're so awesome, me and my friends all talk about your duels and how you've become a superhero. My dream is someday to be like you."

"Not a bad dream. Say mind if I look at your deck?" asked Isaac. Isaac then looked through the deck as he saw that it was a pretty good one. "Got to say, love how well balanced this deck is."

"Thanks, I've been working on it for about a year now."

"Although... it seems to be missing something. I've got it," Isaac then reached into his pocket and pulled out a card as he put it on the top of Timmy's deck. "Here you go."

Timmy took his deck back and looked at the card that Isaac gave him, "Heart of the Underdog?"

"Let's say that you resembled that card. And hey, who knows. Maybe if you play your cards right, someday you could face me."

"You mean it?"

"Of course. That means I expect you to work hard so that it can happen." said Isaac.

"I promise!" exclaimed Timmy happily.

With that Isaac then signed his picture and allowed him to get a picture as he returned with the guards who brought him back to his parents. Isaac saw Timmy's family as his mother congratulated him on meeting his hero, while his father just gave him a smile to which Isaac gave thumbs up. They then left to find their seats.

"That was really nice of you to do, sugarcube."

"You've shown that you really do have a big heart." said Fluttershy as she put her hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"Well, I've been told by lots of people about an old expression: Never meet your idols/heroes in person, because they will always let you down." Isaac's statement resonated with the girls as that was the realist thing anybody could say. "That's why I want to be what I am to these people. My purpose to show everybody why I love this game and hopefully put some positivity in their lives. So that way, when they meet me, face to face. There's no illusion that I'm the same person that I am on TV and in real life."

"And I know first hand that's true." Twilight then gave Isaac a kiss which lasted a few seconds as a couple of photos were taken of it.

"Now then, let's get inside." Isaac then led the group to the end of the red carpet as they gave one last wave to the people as they went behind the curtain and were making their way to the backstage area.

They saw Celestia and Luna in the guerrilla position working with the technicians to make sure that everything was running smoothly. The group saw a couple of small monitors on the table with a big flat screen on the wall as they was showing the overhead cameras/shots of the people filing into the arena. The people were excited as they started to chant somethings which the group could hear from behind the curtain.

"Listen to that." said Sunset.

"Hope you girls are ready, this is way different than performing in front of a school." stated Isaac.

"Either way, it's a duel. Which means we do what we always do and that's give these people a solid night to remember." said Dash.

"Let's make sure these folks get their money's worth." noted Applejack.

"We're almost ready to begin, now the four of you please head to the locker-room. We'll signal you when we're ready to start, so take this time to make any last minute changes to your deck." said Celestia.

With that Isaac, Dash, Aj, and Sunset all looked at each other. They all gave fist bumps as they left to get ready for their duel. The rest of their friends all took a seat looking at the flat screen as they saw more people starting to file in. Each of the four participants had their own room as they began to mental prepare themselves for the battle to come. Each one of them knew that this was a big deal, not only because this was for the title, but to put on a quality spectacle for the folks of Chicoltgo. They all looked and re-examined their cards as they wanted to be prepared for anything; soon they all got a message from Luna on their duel disks to say that they were ready. With that they all exited out their room and met up in the backstage area where their friends were waiting for them.

Celestia then gave them some final words as she stepped past the curtain and had a microphone in her hand as she made her way down the ramp and onto the dueling stage. "Welcome, ladies and gentleman!" shouted Celestia. The crowd expressed their love as they made some noise for Celestia. "I'm sure you're all excited for what's to come. Tonight promises to be a duel that you'll tell your grandchildren about, tonight is special treat as we may potentially see a title change. But I've been talking for too long, so... let's get started!" The crowd roared some more as the lights dimmed and a spotlight was on Celestia. "Ladies and gentleman, the following contest is scheduled for one fall..."

"One fall!" shouted the crowd in response.

"And it's for the title of Canterlot High's Duel Champion!!" said Celestia.

With that some music began to play as Rainbow was about to go through the curtain. "Game time!" shouted Dash.

"Just be careful, Dash. The people of Chicoltgo can be a bit... hostile at times." said Isaac as he let out a bit of a warning to his friend about his hometown being one of the hot crowds to be preforming for.

"Please, as if." Dash then made her way through the curtain as she waved to the crowd while doing a couple of athletic poses. The crowd wasn't that much into it as they let out a few boos towards Dash as she made her way down the ramp and onto the stage to her position. Dash didn't understand why this was happening as she quickly focused her attention on the duel that was about to happen.

"Why did they boo her?" asked Sunset. "When we got here, there was a good amount of people who asked for her autograph and took some pictures."

"I told you guys, Chicoltgo is rough place. If they like something, they cheer. They don't, they boo the hell out of it." told Isaac as he finished some warm up exercises and zipped up his hoodie. "But don't worry, I have feeling the crowd will warm up to her in due time."

Soon it was Applejack's turn as she stepped through the curtain as she tipped her hat and waved to the crowd before walking down the ramp. The crowd was a bit more generous with Aj as they liked her a bit more than Dash. Applejack even gave some high fives to some little girls in the front rows before she got onto the dueling stage as she took position next to her friend and looked at Dash with an intense glare. Sunset was next as she made her way through the curtain and she got a standing ovation as the almost everybody immediately fell in love with her. She waved and gave a couple of winks to the crowd as they chanted a bit more, she gave a couple of fists bumps to the people in the front row as she took a deep breath and got on the stage as she took her position across from Applejack. That left only one person and the crowd was starting to chant his name.

"Isaac! Isaac! Isaac!" chanted the crowd as they couldn't wait. The more they waited the louder they got, even the girls could feel the crowd getting ready to shout as they knew once Isaac came out the place would erupt. Every second of silence between the chants got smaller as they were starting to get in rhythm with their chants as it started to build up. Then it happened.

The second the music started, the crowd lost it. The roof on the arena came unglued as they started to chant at the top of their lungs. There was even a video package playing on the big titration above the entrance as it showed off highlights of Isaac's duels. Soon Isaac stepped through the curtain as he had his head down with his cap on top. Soon he stood still on top of the ramp for a few seconds, then he slowly lifted his head up and showed his face to his hometown as they were still going strong and even getting louder. Isaac then unzipped his hoodie and was shown wearing a jersey shirt that had all the sports teams of Chicoltgo along with the Chicoltgo flag on his back. He even had the words "Best in the World" written on his shirt as he started to slowly walk down the ramp. The girls couldn't believe what they were seeing and hearing, Isaac was receiving a homecoming ovation as their beloved hero was here to take care of business.

Fluttershy, Pinkie, Rarity, and Twilight couldn't believe what they were witnessing. Never before had they seen something like this where someone was just given so much attention, especially given that Isaac was one of them and he hailed from this very city. They even saw a couple of the fans starting to bring their arms up and down as if bowing down to Isaac like he was a god. Out in the arena, the girls felt a bit scared at how the crowd was treating Isaac. They saw a couple of posters that had a letter carved out and when they appeared next to each other, they spelled out Isaac's name. They even saw some more passionate signs that said: "Chicoltgo made Isaac", "Isaac: Chicoltgo Born, Chicoltgo Made, Chicoltgo's Champ", and "If Isaac loses, we RIOT!"

Even the announcers were having a tough time explaining this feeling to the crowd watching this duel at home. "Listen to these people. You can hear them cheering on their home boy. Even the people downtown can hear this noise." said the lead announcer.

"You're damn right." responded the co-announcer. "A partisan hometown crowd for Isaac. The only thing I can compare this feeling to is if the Chicoltgo Bears were in the Superbowl and the Superbowl were here in Chicoltgo. That's what this feel likes." shouted the co-announcer as he did his best to interpret the atmosphere inside the building which all the girls could hear him.

"Isaac in front of his hometown followers. This is what the girls are going to have to overcome." shouted the lead announcer.

While the commentary table was talking, Isaac had gotten onto the stage as he looked to his left and then his right. He was taking in this aura as he felt the power of his hometown giving him strength, he was feeding off the crowd. He even rallied them up some more.

"Best in the world!!" shouted Isaac to which they cheered with the same intensity. "We made this city!! Let me hear you!!!" The crowd was following Isaac as the music playing served as the perfect metaphor.

Isaac then got in between the girls as they all stared him down as he gave them all a sly smile before he superman punched the ground as tons of pyro and fireworks went off around him and above him as it caused the girls to jump a bit as they weren't expecting that. The crowd was eating it up as they reached new volumes of loudness, it was maybe about 6-7 minutes since they first started chanting and they had only gotten louder and more energetic. Soon the music started to end as Isaac took his position next to Sunset as he was now across from Dash. From up above they were position in an X-formation.

Celestia then appeared in the middle of that crossroads as she tried to get the crowd to hear her from all the noise/chanting they were still making. "Introducing first, the challenges. She's know as Ms. Speedster, she puts the fast in dash. Ms. Rainbow Dash!" announced Celestia. Rainbow flexed her arm as the crowd still booed her with a few more cheers.

"Next, she has a caring love for her family. She's the most honest you'll ever meet, please welcome Applejack!" said Celestia. Applejack just gave a light-hearted wave as the crowd was a bit more pleased with her than Dash. Still she received her fair share of some boos.

"She's born with a desire to win. She's got a flame that's red-hot and doesn't seem to be going out anytime soon. It's Sunset Shimmer!!" Sunset flipped her hair as she got some moderate cheers from the crowd but received the least amount of boos from all the girls.

"And the champion..."

"Isaac! Isaac! Isaac!" chanted the crowd as it caused Celestia to stop speaking. Isaac put his hand to his ear as he could hear what they were saying. He just had a smile on his face as he started to point to sections of the crowd as they cheered.

"From Chicoltgo." as soon as Celestia said that the crowd clapped the loudest. "He is the current CHS' duel champion!!! Isaac!!!!!" Celestia finished her announcements and the crowd started to chant a little tune as they showed their love and appreciation.

"Let's go Isaac!" shouted one half of the building.

"Isaac rocks!" responded the other half of the building. Back and forth it went between the two sides as it caused all the girls to feel a bit scared about being in 'enemy territory'.

Celestia then spoke again as she explained the rules of the fatal four way duel. "In this bout, there will be four duelists and they'll be battling for the covet prize of duel champion. Now the way this duel will work, is that each player will take one turn and once everybody has done that, they'll then be free to attack whoever they so please. The winner will be the last duelist standing, furthermore any teaming will be allowed, but remember there can only be one victor so keep that in mind." Isaac and the girls all gave a nod as they understood the rules.

"Now to determine which duelist will make the first move." said Celestia as everybody listened to what she was about to say. "Now you'll each draw a monster card and the attack points will determine who goes first. However, the monster you choose cannot be used in this duel!" Celestia's last statement caused all the participants to had their eyes widen.

"Did I hear that correctly, darlings?" said Rarity as she and the rest of the girls were watching the TV from the backstage.

"You weren't. That's crucial because say you want to go first, you would need to select a powerful monster, but the draw back is that you can't use it for the duration of the duel. So say you find yourself in a situation that requires that monster and since you don't have it, you'll be in some serious trouble." stated Twilight.

"So this really forces you on whether going first is important." said Fluttershy in a soft voice. "Seeing as how the girls will probably try to team up to take down Isaac, he'll have to give up a powerful monster if he wants to avoid that. But then again, he can't use that."

"Talk about a sticky situation." exclaimed Pinkie as she shoved some popcorn into her mouth.

Out in arena, Isaac and the girls were having trouble trying to figure out which card they wanted to choose as their entry for the turn order. They knew that once they selected said monster, they couldn't use it. So it put a lot more thinking into figuring out which one, cause even if a small piece was removed from their deck the whole thing could come crashing down.

"It's now time to reveal your cards!" exclaimed Celestia. "Hold them up so all the players can view them!" Everybody slotted out their cards as they held it up for all to see. "The results have been tallied!" Dash had selected her X-Saber Galahad, AJ went with Witch of the Black Rose, Sunset choosing Black Metal Dragon, and Isaac going with his Jack's Knight. "The order of duelists is as follows: First Isaac and then Rainbow Dash, then Applejack, and then Sunset Shimmer!"

"Seems Isaac was able to go first, he'll need it." said Twilight. Good luck, Isaac.

"Now then, if everybody is ready, duelists activate your duel disks and wait for the signal to begin." With that Celestia hopped off the stage as she took a seat next to the commentary table.

"Say the line! Say the line! Say the line!" chanted the crowd as they were referring to Isaac.

All the girls were looked at Isaac as he was smiling. He then played to the crowd, "You want me to say the line!?!" shouted Isaac.

"Yeah!!!!" roared the crowd.

"Well alright then." Isaac took a deep breath as he activated his duel disk which projected a gold card tray. "Prepare yourself girls, it's time to duel!!!" shouted Isaac as the crowd backed him up.

The girls all activated their duel disks as they projected their own color card tray and pressed the auto shuffler as it shuffled their deck and then linked up with the other duel disks.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said all of their duel disks.

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off," Isaac drew his card as he looked at his hand. "To start, I'll play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Rainbow

"My turn," Dash drew her card as the boos started to be heard. "I'm really getting annoyed. Now then I'll play my U.A. Midfielder, then I'll switch out Midfielder to bring out U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)." Dash then switched out her monsters as she now had a powerful monster on her field. For a second, the people of Chicoltgo got a good look at her monsters and could see that she was a fan of sports, so the boos eased up a bit, but they were still there. "I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Applejack

"Mah turn," Applejack drew her card and looked at the field. "To start, I'll summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio(1200/800). Now the effect of mah monster activates, so ah send card to the grave and special summon mah Predaplant Spinodionaea(1800/0) from my deck. Now that this guy is on the field, I can place a counter on one monster on the field and reduce it to level 1." Applejack then began to think on who her target was.

"What do you think, Twilight?" asked Pinkie.

"Well given that this is for the title, it would make sense to take out Isaac first. But then again, he's the champ. So I'd expect he probably has a plan in case the girls decided to gang up on him. Honestly, it's too early to call. But I do know that whoever Aj selects, will be the first target of this duel." said Twilight.

"Alright, I choose..." Applejack then held her finger up as she looked at Isaac who had his arms crossed. "Your U.A. Dreadnought Dunker!" shouted Applejack as she turned her attention to Dash. Aj's monster then shot a bullet seed as it planted on Dreadnought Dunker's head.

Everybody was surprised at her choice as they figured she go with the logical decision of picking Isaac. Applejack even surprised the crowd as they expected the girls to team up against their beloved hero. Isaac was shocked as well as he knew the most logical choice for the girls if they wanted to win was to team up and take him down, that way it was guaranteed to have a new champion crowned. Still he wasn't going to complain about not being a primary target, but he still had to keep his guard up.

"Now that mah opponent's monster got a Predaplant Counter, ah I can special summon this little buddy from mah hand. Come on, mah Predaplant Helimaphorhynchus(1200/2400) in defense mode." Now Applejack had three monsters on her field, "I'll just end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Sunset

"And finally me," said Sunset as she drew her card. "I'll play the ritual spell card, Dark Dragon Ritual. So now I'll send my Red-Eyes Gearfried the Iron Knight to the grave. I ritual summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)!" Sunset then slotted her card to the grave as her a bright light came from her duel disk as her monster descended from the ceiling as it made its presence known with a thud; it was a monster that had its rider also covered in black armor. "Now then, I'll lay a single card facedown and end my turn."

The crowd was already into the duel as they watched four of the best duelist they've seen take their first turn and now they were free to attack. Especially since it was Isaac's turn and they were all buckled in to see their hometown hero go to work.

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card and before he played anything the crowd started to chant.

"You can't duel!" chanted the crowd which was followed by a clap. "You can't duel!" Clap, clap, clap. "You can't duel!" Clap, clap, clap.

Isaac knew what the crowd was referring to, so he decided to have a bit fun. "I can't duel?" said Isaac as he pointed to himself with mocking smile.

"No!!" shouted the crowd.

Isaac then pointed to Dash. "Her?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah!!!" the crowd said as they soon followed that up with chanting Isaac's name.

Isaac just played to the crowd as Dash was giving him a glare that said she wanted to kill Isaac. Isaac saw this and just chuckled, "Relax, Dash. I'm just messing with you, now I'll play my Graceful Charity spell card. So I'll draw three and discard two. I've drawn Watapon, so I'll special summon him to the field." The crowd saw this and they knew what Isaac was about to do as they started to make some noise. "Get ready, Chicoltgo! I'll now sacrifice Watapon to summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Now Isaac had his favorite female spellcaster as she was given her spotlight upon being summoned and everybody welcomed her with open arms; Mana felt a bit of red as she waved to the crowd. "Now I'll play the spell Sage's Stone and so everybody give a warm welcome to my partner, Dark Magician!" Isaac then placed his card on his tray as his other magician appeared and now Isaac had his trusting monsters by his side.

The crowd then pulled out some more signs as they showed pictures of Isaac's ace magicians. There was even a large poster in the middle of the crowd that had Isaac, and his two magicians posing side by side, similar to the poster that Sunset gave Isaac for his birthday. But instead of it being Isaac's idol, it was him in the center.

"Well guys, what do you think?" asked Isaac.

Both Mahad and Mana took in the energy surrounding them as they saw tons of people cheering on their master. While Isaac was showing the girls around his city during their arrival, they were in the background watching from afar and saw the many things that had changed from the time they were alive. Safe to say they were impressed with how much was different since ancient times, also they got to see the many things their master's home had to offer.

"Believe it or not, master. I feel... excited."

"Woah, what happened to the real Mahad." said Mana jokily.

Isaac too let out a chuckle as all three of them soon smiled. "You ready?" asked Isaac which his magicians all nodded. They all they did a triple high five as they turned their attention back to the girls who saw what Isaac and his magicians and they just smiled.

"Now, I'll play my Dark Magic Twin Burst and give my Dark Magician some extra power. Now Dark Magician, attack U.A. Dreadnought Dunker and Dark Magician Girl take out Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!" With that Isaac's magicians then split up as they took out their target.
Rainbow's Life Points: 6000-

Applejack's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown." As soon as Isaac finished his turn, the crowd gave a rounding applause for him and his magicians.

Turn 6: Rainbow

"Now I'm pissed!" shouted Rainbow as she still received some boos. "I hate this place, now I'll summon U.A. Midfielder once more. And just like before, I'll tag out Midfielder to bring out U.A. Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode. I'll then place another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Applejack

"Mah turn, I'll then summon my Predaplant Flytrap(400/800). Now ah activate it's ability and with it ah place a Predaplant Counter on your Dark Magician and lower its level to 1." Flytrap then shot a seed out as it planted on Dark Magician's hat. Now my Flytrap, take out his Dark Magician. Since you're monster has counter on it, my Flytrap can automatically destroy it." Flytrap the leapt high into the air as it opened its mouth to reveal a set of jaws as it looked to devour Isaac's monster.

"I'll reveal my facedown, the trap Shift. So now I'll switch your target so that my Dark Magician Girl takes the hit and since she doesn't have a counter, your monster's effect doesn't activate, which means your Flytrap is history." Dark Magician Girl then leapt in front of her teacher as she lifted her wand up and fired a spell that took out Aj's monster.
Applejack's Life Points: 5600-

"I figured you try some misdirection, Aj." said Isaac.

"Damn, thought I could catch you off guard. In that case, ah play this the equip spell Predapruning and bring my Flytrap. With that, ah end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Sunset

"Let's see what I got," Sunset drew her card and looked at the field. Right now, Isaac's the one who's technically in the lead. He's got all of his life points and has his trusted magicians, not to mention that he's managed to deal some major blows to both Aj and Dash. Shows everybody, just how good he is to fend off attacks from two different fronts. But I doubt he can defend from a third party. "Now I'll play the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So I'll send two level 7 'Red-Eyes' monsters from my hand and deck to the grave to draw two cards. Next, I'll play the Black Stone of Legend; then I'll tribute it to summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon(2400/2000) from my deck!" Sunset's dragon then appeared next to its master as it let out a cry. Even the crowd was impressed by the sight of Sunset's monster.

"Now Paladin of Dark Dragon attack Big Shield Gardna. My Paladin's ability allows me to destroy a monster in defense mode at the start of the damage step." Sunset now got rid of Isaac's monster. "Now Red-Eyes, take out Dark Magician Girl!" Red-Eyes then opened its mouth as it prepared to fire its attack.

"I reveal my facedown, Spellbinding Circle! Now your Red-Eyes can't attack and it loses 700 attack points." shouted Isaac.

"Oh no!" said Sunset.

"Now Dark Magician Girl, counter attack!" Mana then raised her wand as it fired a spell that took out Sunset's dragon and got rid of a couple more points.

"Damn. I thought for sure that you would be defenseless, but you actually thought even more ahead and covered all your bases." Sunset was shocked that Isaac was able to block all three attacks from the girls and deal them damage at the same time. He was definitely showing his skills as the champion. "I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit. So my Red-Eyes B. Dragon is back." Sunset's monster was now back as it looked angry. "I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."
Sunset's Life Points: 7700-

"Wow, Isaac really thought twelve steps ahead. Now he's in the lead." Twilight couldn't believe that her boyfriend was able to take command of the duel by dealing damage to all his opponent in just a few turns. She had a smile on her face as she was falling in love with Isaac all over again.

Turn 9: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac knew now the girls were going to target him based on him now being in the lead, so he prepared himself. "I'll start by playing Magic Formula and give my Dark Magician Girl an extra 700 points. Then I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Rainbow

"My turn," Rainbow was now looking at the field and tried to figure out what she wanted to do. "As always, I'll summon U.A. Midfielder then switch out to summon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700). Then I'll give my Slugger the equip spell Powered Jersey, so now it gains 1000 attack points and deal double the damage." Rainbow's monster then put the jersey on as it gave him power. "And I've got some payback to get, so Slugger attack Aj's Predaplant Flytrap!" shouted Dash.

"Don't think so, ah reveal my trap card Survival Plant. So now for the duration of the turn, ah can transfer the attack points of one of mah monsters to another one. So my Flytrap gains the attack points of mah Predaplant Spinodionaea, and it can't be destroyed as well." Applejack was able to survive Dash's onslaught.
Applejack's Life Points: 3400-

"You ruined my plan! I was going to attack Isaac's magician, but since you didn't let me destroy your monster, I can't attack again!" Dash was now angry that Applejack had ruined her plan.

"Ah just did what I had to, like I'd let you deal some big damage to me. I'm winning this duel, Dash!" shouted back Applejack. Isaac and Sunset just watched and rolled their eyes as they knew the egos of both girls was bound to collide with each other.

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Applejack

"Mah turn," said Applejack as she was about to do her thing.

"Hold on," shouted Dash. "I'll activate the effect of my U.A. Libero Spiker from my hand. During my opponent's Main Phase, I can shuffle a level 5 or higher 'U.A.' monster from my hand to the deck and then special summon a different one. So I'll return Libero Spiker to bring out my U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000)." Dash then returned her card as she got a different one and summoned it to her field.

"That's fine, cause ah about to bring out a new monster. Now I'll play the spell Predaprime Fusion and now I'll fuse together all three of my monsters." Applejack's monsters then changed into orbs of energy as they combined together in a vortex. "I Fusion Summon, Predaplant Triphyoverutum(3000/3000)!" Out came a new monster from Aj as it stood on two legs and had three heads as it let out a cry, even some of the kids were frightened by the sight of this creature. "Now the effect of my monster activates, so now it gains the original attack points of all monsters that have a counter. So now he gains 2500 more attack points, due to Dark Magician. So now he's got 5500 attack points!" Applejack's monster then let out a cry as it roared.

"Now my pet, take out Isaac's Dark Magician!" commanded Aj.

"I reveal Magical Hats, to conceal my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as his card caused hat to appeared and hide his monster.

"Not gonna work, I'll reveal my facedown Remove Trap. So now your hats are gone." With that Aj was able to get rid of Isaac's signature move.

"In that case, I'll reveal my other facedown. Mirror Force. So now my Dark Magician can't be destroyed."

"Not gonna let that slide," shouted Dash. "I'll reveal my facedown, Dark Bribe. So I'll get rid of your Mirror Force, but you get to draw a card.

Now Isaac had nothing to protect his monster as Aj and Dash had worked together to take out his defense. Soon Dark Magician was destroyed as he was blasted by Aj's monster. "Mahad!" shouted Isaac as he put his arm up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

The crowd was really turning on Aj and Dash as they didn't appreciate them tag teaming against their hometown hero. The boos could be heard as the girls behind the curtain could hear them. The crowd even started to chant, "You suck!" over and over again while clapping in between.

"Well, I hate to do this. But I'll now activate my facedown, Dragon's Curse." said Sunset as she activated her facedown. "Now since I have a Dragon-type monster on my field and my opponent took damage. I can then use this card to deal you damage equal to my dragon's attack. So feel some more heat." said Sunset as her Red-Eyes took another shot at Isaac as he was flung onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 2600-

Now it was Isaac who had the lowest amount of life points and was in danger. The crowd then began to murmur at the thought that their beloved fellow Chicoltgoan was about to lose his reign as champ. Isaac lifted his head to see all the girls having sly smiles on their faces at seeing Isaac in danger. Isaac took a deep breath as he did a kip up making sure that his cap didn't fall off. "Alright, seems you girls got the best of me." chuckled Isaac.

"Darn tootin', Ah end my turn" said Applejack.

Turn 12: Sunset

"Back to me," Sunset drew her card and knew what she had to do. "Now I'll sacrifice my Paladin of Dark Dragon to summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200). Then I'll play the spell Polymerization and fuse together my Red-Eyes with my Summoned Skull. I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" Sunset now had two powerful monsters on her field as she was ready to deal some major trouble. "Now I'll activate my Red-Eyes Archfiend's ability and destroy all monsters that have less defense points than my monster's attack points!" Archfiend then struck the ground as it started to shoot up pillars of fire at her opponent's field.

"Don't think so, I activate my Defensive Tactics trap card!" shouted both Dash and Aj as they had the same idea. "Now by paying 1000 life points, all my monster(s) can't be destroyed by card effects!" It proved successful as their field was spared, however, Isaac's wasn't. His Dark Magician Girl was the only monster he had and it was gone as he was now defenseless and he had no facedowns thanks to Dash/Aj.
Applejack's Life Points: 2400-

Rainbow's Life Points: 5000-

"Seems you're the only one with no monsters." said Sunset with a sly smile. "Sorry to do this in front of your hometown, but go my monsters! Attack Isaac directly and end his reign! My Archfiend Black Skull Dragon makes it so that you can't activate any card effects until the end of the Damage Step."

"Then it's a good thing, I've got that covered. I'll banish my Electromagnetic Turtle to immediately end your battle phase." shouted Isaac as a small turtle came and released small electricity that created a wall of static that stopped Sunset's monsters in their tracks.

"Still hanging on by a thread. Oh well, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

The crowd let out a breath as they were happy to see Isaac do some quick thinking on his part to stay in the duel. Isaac just wiped his forehead as he too let out a breath.

Turn 13: Isaac

"First off, since my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gained a 1000 life points." stated Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 3600-

"Time to get back into gear, I'll play the spell card Pot of Greed. So now I'll draw two more cards. Then I'll play my Premature Burial, so by paying 800 life points I can bring back my Dark Magician. Next I'll play the Eye of Timaeus and with it I'll fuse it with my Dark Magician to summon my Amulet Dragon(2900/2500)!" Isaac now showed off a new monster as it was Timaeus having so many symbols all over its body and had Dark Magician on its back.
Isaac's Life Points: 2800-

"I'll activate my monster's effect, so now I banish any number of spell cards from the graveyard and my dragon gains 100 attack for each one. So I'll banish all the spell cards in my graveyard and give my dragon 500 more points. Then I'll have him attack your Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" Isaac's dragon then opened its jaws at it took out Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 6800-

"With that, I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 14: Rainbow

"Alright, enough stalling." Dash then drew her card and figured she needed to take things to the next level. "I summon U.A. Midfielder and then switch out to bring out my U.A. Strategist. I'll activate my U.A. Strategist's special ability, so I return 2 'U.A.' monsters from my graveyard into my deck to make my Goalkeeper lose 2 levels. Then I'll tune my Level 3 Strategist with my U.A. Goalkeeper, I Synchro Summon U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!" Now Dash had a trio of monsters on her field; she then looked at Sunset. "Now I'll have my Slugger attack your monster, Sunset! In addition, I'll use my Playmaker's effect to give my Slugger 800 more attack points giving him 4100 points!" Slugger then took out her monster as she took double the damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 2700-

"Since my Slugger still had Powered Jersey, I'll have him attack Sunset directly. And as for my Star Player, he'll attack Isaac's dragon. I'll use Playmaker's effect and give my Star Player another 800 attack points." With that Rainbow's Star Player took a big blow to Isaac as he stood his ground. Slugger looked to end Sunset as it was about to knock her out of this duel.
Isaac's Life Points: 2700-

"I reveal my facedown, Defense Draw. So now my life points are safe and I get to draw a card." Sunset then had a wall of cards appear in front of her as it created a barrier to protect her. She then drew her card.

"Since my Amulet Dragon was destroyed, I can special summon a spellcaster from my graveyard, so I choose my Dark Magician!" Isaac now had his most loyal monster on his field as his last stand.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown." As soon as Dash ended her turn, the crowd started to cheer her as they thought she did an impressive move as she nearly knocked out Sunset from the duel. Rainbow didn't know what to make of it as she just simply waved at them to which them cheered for her some more.

Turn 15: Applejack

"Time for me to take mah shot." Applejack drew her card and looked at the field as she still had the strongest monster. "Now ah play Dragon's Mirror, so I'll fusion summon using monsters in my graveyard. Ah Fusion Summon, mah Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!" Now Aj was in control as she was looking to take control of this duel.

The crowd was now split into three different sections, while they cheered Isaac with a huge amount of support. The crowd was now trying to figure out who they wanted to cheer in terms of second place. It was dead even as the chants of "Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Sunset!" filled the arena to the roof as the girls couldn't help but smile. Isaac was watching them and he too had a smile on his face as he was glad that his hometown was starting to see his friends were just as talented as him.

"I activate my Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's ability and lower your U.A. Mighty Slugger to zero and negate its effects. So now time for me to take you out, Greedy Venom take out Slugger. Predaplant Triphyoverutum take out Rainbow's U.A. Star Player!" Applejack's monsters then opened their mouths as they unleashed their attacks.

"I activate my facedown, Half Unbreak. So I'll use it to protect my Star Player and cut the damage in half." shouted Dash as she put her arm up and stood her ground as her monster was thrown around before dropping to a knee.
Rainbow's Life Points: 700-

"Not bad, partner. Ah end my turn."

Turn 16: Sunset

"My turn," Sunset now drew her card and looked at what her opponents had. Both Dash and Applejack had a monster on their side; she was currently down to her last few life points. But the major thing that caught her attention was that Isaac had his Dark Magician. It was a risk, but if she wanted to win, then she would need to attack Isaac and she had just the card to do it. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Next I play my ritual spell, Red-Eyes Transmigration. So now I'll send my Red-Eyes Metal Dragon to the graveyard to ritual summon my Lord of Red(2400/2100)!" Sunset now had a powerful monster on her side of the field.

"Then I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend and add it to my hand while I shuffle my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck. Then I'll play my Black Stone of Legend and tribute it to summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Sunset now had her team of monsters as she looked to take out Isaac. "Now the effect of my Lord of the Red activate which allows me to destroy your Dark Magician and your facedown." Sunset then snapped her fingers as Isaac's monster was gone and his facedown, now he had no monsters to protect him.

"Now time to finish this, now my monsters take out Isaac! Attack!!" shouted Sunset as she thrusted her arm out.

"Thanks Sunset. Cause I can now activate the card you just got rid of, Spirit of the Undead. Now at the cost of 1000 life points, I can summon any number of Level 4 monsters from my deck and special summon them. If any of them are effect monsters, then their abilities are negated.." said Isaac. He then selected the monsters he wanted to send as they formed a barrier around him. "I choose to summon my 3 Magnet Warriors!" said Isaac as he placed them in defense mode.
Isaac's Life Points: 1700-

"Clever." Sunset said as she gritted her teeth. "Regardless, your monsters are still destroyed!" Sunset's monsters then pushed forward as they went all out in destroying two of Isaac's monster as the attacks brought him down to a knee.

"Even if I didn't take you down, Applejack or Dash will do it on their next turn." said Sunset as she finished her turn.

"I'll activate the second effect of my Spirit of the Undead, so now I can bring back the monsters that were destroyed by paying another 1000 life points." Isaac now had his two other magnet warriors back as they took front position in front of their master as they looked to protect him.
Isaac's Life Points: 700-

The crowd and everybody in the back couldn't believe it. After some back and forth action between all four competitors, the duelist were that close in terms of life points. All of them, except for Isaac, all had a powerful monster(s) on their field and looked at each other with intense stares. They knew that victory was in their grasps as all they needed to do was take out the remaining people to become champion. Everybody was breathing heavy as the signs of fatigue was showing on all four of their faces; the girls were struggling to stay on their feet let alone stand due to how tired they were becoming. Still they all held on as they were so close to realizing their dream and one last look between them knew that they needed to take Isaac out as they all looked back at him with their monsters glaring him down as well.

Turn 17: Isaac

Isaac did his best to stand up as he felt like his body was about to collapse. He now got back to his feet and and looked at the girls. He knew what they were thinking as they were all going to try to take him out, so this was his last chance to either turn things around or accept his defeat. The stares from their monsters showed that they had every intention on making sure that their masters came out on top. Isaac then closed his eyes as he let out a breath; the crowd started to chant his name hoping he could pull some kind of comeback. If there was any of a time to feed off of the support of his hometown it was now. Isaac knew what he had to do, the question was could he draw it? Could he draw the card that could help him, right here, right now?

"Alright, girls. You ready?" asked Isaac. They nodded as they prepared themselves for what Isaac was about to do. " As you know my Spirit of the Undead card allowed me to summon my Magnet Warriors, however, it comes at a price. Now should I summon a monster this turn, then it must attack every single other target on the field." said Isaac as he was starting to sweat and become a bit tired.

"So you're banking on summon one monster that can wipe us all out?" asked Dash. "I'd like to see how you do that."

"Well, don't keep us in suspense, sugar."

"This I'm interested in seeing." Sunset now had her arms folded as she wanted to see how Isaac was going to survive this.

All odds pointed him to losing, but Isaac knew he had to believe that he had a chance. No matter how small it may be he had to take it. So he put his hand over his deck and let out a deep breath. "Here we go!!!" Isaac then drew his card as the whole arena was silent as what Isaac just drew. For a second, Isaac didn't look at the card. He then looked at it; the camera zoomed in as it only showed his face below his nose. So the folks watching at home only saw his mouth as it changed from worry to a smile.

"Now I'll play my Card of Sanctity, so now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands!"

"What are you doing?" asked Dash.

"It's time. I now sacrifice my three magnet warriors to summon... Slifer the Sky Dragon(X000/X000)!" shouted Isaac as he held the card up high.

"What the hell!!!!" screamed all three of the girls.

Soon thunder rolled in from outside of the building, soon the very place shook to its very core as the roof literally came off as Slifer popped its head and let out a loud roar. Slifer's entire body was wrapped around the arena as it was so long. Soon Slifer had its head at Isaac's level as it looked at the girls and their monsters. The monsters felt scared based on the presence that this great beast was letting off; the girls on the other hand, couldn't even speak. To think that was the one card that they didn't expect Isaac to summon, let alone have in his deck. Their minds were blown as they stared in the face of an Egyptian God card. Isaac had a calm, determined look on his face.

The girls were frozen in fear from Isaac's great beast. Their minds had completely shut off as they couldn't believe what was happening. "Now Slifer's attack points raises to 5000! Slifer end this duel, Thunder Force Attack!!!" commanded Isaac as he thrust his hand out. Slifer then opened his mouth and fired off a powerful attack that took out all of the girl's monsters and their entire field as they all were flung back.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Rainbow's Life Points: 0-

Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as the holograms went away and Slifer disappeared. Isaac then dropped to his knees as he was breathing hard and he had sweat pouring down his face. The crowd was silent and they would have been if Celestia didn't make the announcement.

"Ladies and gentleman, your winner... and still Canterlot High duel champion!!! Isaac!!!!" shouted Celestia.

The crowd then exploded as they cheered as Isaac was declared the winner. They started to stand on their feet as they applauded the amazing duel they got to witness. The crowd started to show their love for Isaac as they chanted "You deserve it!" Soon confetti and streamers started to fall from the sky as more pyro and fireworks went off.

"What a match!" said the lead announcer. "Absolutely incredible. In what some people thought that Isaac wasn't going to walkout with the title. But against all odds, Isaac did just that and proved all his doubters wrong!"

"The boyhood dream has come true for Isaac!" responded the co-announcer. "Isaac gets his moment in the sun. And he does it in front of his hometown!!!"

Isaac now looked up as he took in the sight. He was still on his knees as he watched his people cheer/chant for him; it brought tears to Isaac as he put his hands to his head as he let out legit tears of emotion. He was both happy and crying at the same time. The girls all got back to their feet at that point and saw how happy the crowd was cheering for Isaac. The way they supported him and how emotionally he was currently on his knees. Soon they all made their way towards Isaac as they all offered him their hand. Isaac looked up and saw his friends standing there in front of him offering their hands; Isaac still had tears and sweat pouring down his face as well as confetti/streamers still falling, so he grabbed their hands and they all helped him up to his feet. They all brought it in for a group hug as the crowd applauded this sign of respect; soon all of them raised their arms up as the crowd cheered the loudest it had been. They were chanting: "This was awesome!" and "Thank you, Isaac!"

Then the unexpected thing happened, Isaac looked in the direction of the commentary table and saw something he didn't see on his way out to the duel. The two people who were seating in the front row behind the commentary desk was none other than his parents. Isaac's parents were informed by Celestia about them heading to Chicoltgo, so we personally invited them to witness their son duel in person. She didn't tell anybody as she wanted to give Isaac a surprise and she did just that as his parents were also in tears. Isaac then broke from the girls as he stepped off the stage and went to his parents as he hugged his mother while his father patted his son's back. The crowd loved this sign of unity/family as they cheered.

"You did it, Isaac. I'm so proud of you." said his mother as she was crying.

"Good job." said his father.

"Thank you." said Isaac.

Isaac then broke away as he started to head to the back with his friends. Along the way, people stuck their hand out as Isaac and the girls had their hands out as they slapped it against the fans' hands as they walked on. Isaac even took a couple of pictures with them as he signed a few more autographs. Soon he was back on top of the ramp as he stood side by side with the girls as they all took one final bow and waved to the crowd as they disappeared behind the curtain as the show came to a close and the cameras faded to black.

Sunset, Dash, and Applejack were the first ones to step through the curtain as the rest of their friends and the backstage crew all did their own round of applause. Everybody was giving them praises as they handed them some towels and bottles of water. Soon Isaac stepped through as he took off his cap and wiped his forehead as he too received a round of applause. Luna then tossed Isaac a towel.

"Great match out there. All of you."

"Thanks, Luna." Isaac then started to wipe his face as he draped the towel over his shoulder and grabbed a bottle of water to rehydrate himself.

Soon Twilight made her way towards Isaac as everybody stepped aside to let her pass through. Isaac saw his girlfriend heading towards him and before he got a word out, Twilight jumped at him with a hug and kissed him deeply on the lips. Isaac wrapped his arms around Twilight as he lifted her up into the air as they continued with their kiss. Everybody gave another clap for the both of them as they separated with their foreheads touching as Isaac booped Twilight on the nose.

"You were incredible." Twilight had a smile on her face. "I couldn't look away for one second; that was one of the best duels I've seen from you in a while. I love you."

Isaac gave Twilight another tender kiss. "So do I." He then wrapped his arm around her as they made their way with their friends to the locker-room as all four of them needed to change their clothes.

Celestia then met with Luna and they discussed how well things went as they looked at the group of friends. They both had a smile on their faces as the trip proved to be a huge success and it ended on a definite high note. Now they needed to turn their attention to the Duos Cup which was right around the corner, but for now they let Isaac and the girls enjoy this moment. Right now this was the only thing that mattered.

Chapter 94: Tops Speed

"Over here!" shouted Pinkie as she found the warehouse where they saw a vehicle.

"Great, alright everybody get in." stated Isaac.

Applejack took the initiative to be in the driver seat as Fluttershy chose to be in the passenger seat. As for the others they chose to sit in the back of a pick-up truck. There was also a motocross bike stashed in the corner of the warehouse; it seemed that Sunset was drawn to it as she elected herself to ride on it. Once everybody got situated, Applejack then started the ignition of the truck and they began to exit the docks as they were now traveling on the highway with Sunset riding next to them.

"Good thing we found this virtual pick-up truck!" said Pinkie.

"Yeah, it beats walking that's for sure!" stated Isaac. "And it should help us to find Rainbow Dash, wherever she is."

"Let's just hope that where she is, she's doing alright." said Rarity with a concerned tone.

"Don't worry, Rainbow won't let anything get in her way." shouted Sunset from her motocross bike.

"Still, we better hurry. Who knows what the Gamemaster has planned for her?" said Twilight.

"Then time to kick it into high gear. Aj, put the pedal to the medal!" shouted Isaac.

"You got it partner! Hang on, everyone." said Applejack as she pushed the gas pedal. With that they picked up speed as everybody in the back hanged on while Sunset also pushed full throttle and kept up with them as they zoomed down the highway.

Rainbow had started out in a meadow as it was something she wasn't fully happy about. Not for the reason that she was trapped in this virtual world, but more so that she was expecting her to be placed in a much cooler setting. She wanted something like a city, or amusement park, or something awesome. Not just bare grass. So with a angry look, she began to trudge her way through the meadow hoping that she could at least change backgrounds to something more cool looking. It seemed to work as the more she walked, the more her surroundings were starting to change. After she ventured out of the meadow, she came to some tall grass as it was higher than her. So she then began to trek through the tall grass as she did her best to navigate it.

Seems Rainbow was cautious about traveling in the tall grass, due to Fluttershy saying that it was home to some dangerous snakes. So every step she took, she was careful on where she stepped and made sure to listen to any noises that she heard. Thankfully, she didn't encounter any dangerous reptiles as she reached the end of the tall grass. Once she exited from there she now found herself on what appeared to be some sort of highway. It still wasn't the cool looking setting that she hoped for, but it beat all the green she had just went through. So she then began to walk along the highway; as she was walking, she kept wondering how the others were handling themselves.

"The others thought this was a bad idea, and they were right. Cause I had to land in a shitty place to begin with. I wanted something cool, not frolicking to meadows!" shouted Dash.

She kept on walking on the highway as she was getting a bit bored, soon she noticed something in the distance. It appeared to be some sort of building. In fact it was more like a stadium. That alone caught her attention as she began to walk even faster towards the place. Once she got there, she entered through the huge entranceway as she made her way inside. A stadium this big was bound to have some people inside, but it turned out to be completely empty. Every single stand was bare, the only thing that was turned on a single spotlight being shined above the stage. It seemed to be a ghost town inside the stadium.

"Okay... officially creeped out." Rainbow then started to make her way to the center stage that was in the middle of the stadium. She then reached the stage as there was a button on a podium; of course since it was big and red, Rainbow had the desire to push it. Once she did that all the lights started to light up as she covered her eyes a bit due to them coming on so suddenly. In addition, all the monitors and screens came on as they showed Rainbow's face.

Soon there was a sound, it sounded like the start of an engine revving up. Rainbow Dash was wondering where the sound was coming from as she looked around. She then saw a couple of headlights shine in her face as the vehicle started to move and was heading towards her. It caught Rainbow by surprise that she didn't notice that she was in the line of sight, soon the person used its vehicle to jump up into the air as Rainbow ducked down. Had she been a second too late, she would have been hit square in the face by the front wheel. The vehicle went over her and it touched down on the other side as it spun around really fast before coming to a stop. The result of the swerve caused smoke and skid marks to appear.

"Hey, watch where you're going!" shouted Rainbow as she nearly got run over.

The person inside just had a smile on their face, soon the door popped open and out stepped the rider of the vehicle. The rider took off their helmet as it allowed Rainbow to see their face. However what Rainbow saw wasn't something she was expecting, the rider of the vehicle that tried to run her over wasn't a human per say. It looked to be a humanoid robot of sorts; the color scheme seemed to be white with a couple of blue patterns. The robot just had a pair of eyes as it looked at her.

"Who are?" asked Rainbow.

The robot just shifted its eyes as it got into a running position. It then took off at top speed as it was now running circles around her. Rainbow was now fully shocked as she saw the robot going much faster than the vehicle it was riding in. It went so fast around her that it created a sort of barrier around her that kept her moving or trying to escape. Soon it died down as it stopped back where it first started and looked at Rainbow Dash with red eyes. Rainbow was still trying to comprehend was she was seeing that she didn't notice her opponent standing still until the rest of its movements caught up with the robot as the barrier around her started to disappear.

"Woah, dude. Crazy speed." exclaimed Rainbow.

"You think that's all." said the robot in a mechanical voice.

"Woah, you can talk!?!"

"I can do more than talk, simpleton!" shouted the robot. "For example, I'm going to run you over in our duel."

"You beat me? HA! Don't make me laugh." Rainbow was now letting out a chuckle at how delusional she thought the robot was.

"Keeping laughing, for once I beat you, your mind will be trapped here forever. In case, you're too slow to figure things out, which I'm sure you are."

"HEY!!!" shouted Rainbow as she took offense to people not calling her smart.

"I'm the Gamemaster of this world and it's time for our challenge." The Gamemaster then had a duel disk appeared on their arm as it turned on, ready for battle. "Let's see if you're fast enough to get out of this place. Or if you're gonna burn out, Rainbow Crash!"

"Nobody calls me 'Crash' and gets away with it." Rainbow then activated her duel disk as it projected a sky blue card tray. "And as for running me over in a duel, please. I'm fastest thing alive; my name and game is about speed. So let's get this duel underway!" shouted Dash.

"Before we start, there's the matter of constructing our decks."

"What the hell are you talking about? I already have a deck."

"You really are the slow one of the group. Didn't you hear my explanation when I first captured you all? I said all your cards in here are invalid, so to compensate for that, you need to build your own deck from my virtual database." The Gamemaster then had the cards appear in front of Rainbow as she was in awe.

"So cool. Awesome!" giddy Rainbow.

"You really are slow. If you duel as well as you pay attention, then it should be over without problem." snickered the Gamemaster.

"Shut up! So what if didn't pay attention, I'm was more excited on being part of a cool game. And I get in stuck in @#% meadow! You call yourself the Gamemaster and yet you couldn't even put me in something of a cool environment. Honestly that's my only regret ever agreeing to this take part in this event." Rainbow Dash was still a bit upset that the Gamemaster had chosen to place her in a boring place for her to start.

"Enough stalling! It's time to build your deck, simple the touch the cards you desire." The Gamemaster then began to build its deck.

"Please, this is no brainer." Rainbow then began to touch the cards she wanted as she began to build her trusting team of all-stars. While Rainbow was picking her cards, she began to remember something.

(Flashback)

"Come on, Isaac! Give me back my deck! It's fine the way it is." said Rainbow as she was trying to reach for her cards as Isaac had his arm out holding it away from her as he used his other hand to push her face away.

"I told you, give me a minute." stated Isaac. "I had a couple of ideas running in my head last night for your deck and I have to do it." said Isaac.

"Give it back!" Rainbow was now pouting as she couldn't stand not having her deck near her.

"Just give me a second." exclaimed Isaac.

Isaac then was able to use his hand as he pushed Rainbow's face away as she fell into a chair next to him. Rainbow knew that once Isaac began to work on a deck, there was no telling how long he could get distracted. So she just sat in silence as she had her arms crossed and still had a pouting face. Isaac then spread out Rainbow's deck out in front of him as he began to work his magic. All the ideas he had came rushing to him as he got to work, Rainbow saw the smile on Isaac's face as he began to assemble and dissemble her deck. Soon after trying out a couple of combos himself, Isaac wiped his forehead as he looked at the finished product. Safe to say that he was happy with what he created.

"Alright, here..."

"Finally!" said Rainbow as she snatched her deck from Isaac's hands in a flash. "I was beginning to wonder... hey! What the hell did you do my deck!?!" demanded Rainbow. She began to look through her cards; she was able to see the same old cards that she had which was her team of U.A, but she also noticed some other cards that were never in her deck before.

"I told you, I had a couple of ideas that I believe could improve your deck. I ran a couple of test runs and it seems to work."

"But I don't want these cards, look I appreciate you helping me. But I told you that my deck is fine the way it is." stated Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash, you're not seeing the bigger picture. I didn't mess with your playstyle, but rather I gave you some secondary options. See a deck is made up of monsters, spells, and trap cards. However, a deck can also have a mix and match of different abilities and monsters. What some people don't realize is that while single archetype is fine, there's the potential of combining it with others and being even that much better." said Isaac as Rainbow's angry face soften a little. "I just wanted to make sure that you have a back-up plan incase you can't use your primary monsters."

"That's fine and dandy, but it's not like I'm going to use them." stated Rainbow. "I'm pretty sure that I'm content with sticking with my old style of dueling."

"Just remember Rainbow, that sometimes two different types of decks can actually help you in the long run. Even the greats of the past have done it."

(End of Flashback)

At the time, Rainbow didn't fully understand what Isaac was saying. Especially, cause that was right around the time of the Fall Formal when they were trying to stop Sunset Shimmer from ruling the school. Still she kept those cards that Isaac added for her just to show that she didn't want his work to go to waste. Ultimately, she was able to see his point as she used a couple of those cards in her match against Sunset and she would continue to use them going forward. In time, Rainbow was able to understand what Isaac was trying to get her to understand about how two different archetypes could work together.

"Remember." said Rainbow. Soon she began to look through the virtual database as she selected the other cards she wanted for her deck. Now knowing what Isaac meant, she was more determined on creating the best deck she could. "Alright, I'm done!" stated Rainbow as the cards in front of her disappeared and soon a deck appeared in her hands.

"Before we begin, we must select a monster to act as Deck Master. I've already taken the form of monster known as Top Runner. Therefore, it will act as my Deck Master."

"Whatever, not like it makes a difference on what you chose. Cause I'm still going to beat you, Now then..." Rainbow fanned out her deck as she saw all of her options. "Hmm... I choose my U.A. Libero Spiker." Out came a human covered in a metal suit as it stood next to its captain.

"Know that as long as you have me, Cap. I'm going to give it a 110%." said U.A. Libero Spiker.

"Awesome! My monster is able to talk. Won't Isaac be jealous when he finds out." exclaimed Rainbow. She then brought her hand up as Libero Spiker understood what its captain was doing as they shared a high five. "Time to kick this duel off!"

"Be careful what you wish for, cause once I'm done, you'll be left in the dust!" stated the Gamemaster.

"Then what are still talking for, let's rev things up." exclaimed Rainbow as she slotted in her deck and activated her duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Top Runner's Life Points: 8000-

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"Time for me to set the stage, here goes. I'll start by summoning my U.A. Midfielder, then I'll switch out Midfielder to summon out U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700)!" Rainbow now had another one of her trusting teammates as it came out with a bat over its shoulder. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 2: Top Runner

"My turn, since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon my Unknown Synchron(0/0) to the field. Next I summon my Genex Neutron(1800/1200). Now since I normal summoned Genex Neutron, at the end of my turn, I can add a Machine-type monster from my deck to my hand. But for now, I think I'll give my monsters a little tune-up." smirked Top Runner. "I tune Level 4 Genex Neutron with my Level 1 Unknown Synchron, I Synchro Summon, arise Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" Out came a metal monster that was made of junk parts as it gave off an intimidating pose.

"Not bad of a monster, but it still doesn't have enough attack points to take down my Mighty Slugger." stated Rainbow.

"You're name may be Dash, but you're severally slow when it comes to dueling. Allow me to show off my Deck Master's ability, since I've taken the form of Top Runner, now all Synchro Monsters that I control gain 600 extra points. With that, Junk Warrior now has 2900 attack points." Junk Warrior's eyes light up red as it felt the power surge flow through its circuits. "Now Junk Warrior, take out her Slugger with Scrap Iron Fist!" Junk Warrior then leaped into the air as it brought its fist down on Rainbow's monster who tried to use its bat to defend itself. Soon the bat broke as her monster was gone.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7400-

"With that I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rainbow

"My turn, now I'll summon U.A. Midfielder and then tag out to bring out U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800). But that's not all, since I special summoned a 'U.A' monster, I can also bring out my U.A. Player Manager(2000/2600) in defense mode." Rainbow now had two more monsters on her field, as they gave a salute to their captain.

"Alright, what's the play, boss?" said U.A. Player Manager in a New York accent.

"Group huddle!" said Dash as she was enjoying herself. Soon her monsters and Deck Master all got in a circle as they discussed their plan. "Alright, spilt the defense and we do Delta Formation!" commanded Rainbow.

"Got it. You heard the boss, let's get to it team!" shouted Player Manager as he rallied up the troops.

"Now since U.A. Player Manager was special summoned, I can activate its effect. So now I can destroy one card on the field and I choose Junk Warrior!" shouted Rainbow.

"Batter up!!" shouted Player Manager as it tossed baseball high into the air and swung it with so much force that it broke Junk Warrior into thousands of pieces. "Home Run!!!"

"Now my Dreadnought Dunker has clear path to your life points. Attack!!!" shouted Rainbow. A basket ball then appeared next to her as started to dribble it up and down, she then started to do a couple of tricks as she passed it over to her Dreadnought Dunker who leaped high into the air. Her monster caught the ball as he did a slam dunk into the basket above the Gamemaster as the ball exploded next to its feet.
Top Runner's Life Points: 5500-

"Two points!" shouted Dreadnought Dunker as returned back to Rainbow's side.

"How you'd like that? I'll end my turn." said Rainbow with a smirk. She then was lifted up on the shoulders of her Dreadnought Dunker as all three of her monsters started to cheer for her. Rainbow was just drinking it in as she enjoyed the attention she was getting from her monsters.

Turn 4: Top Runner

"Smile while you can, Crash! Cause this duel has only just begun." stated Top Runner as it picked up its card. "Now I'll banish my Unknown Synchron from my graveyard, so that I can summon my White Dragon WyvernBuster(1700/1800). Next, I play Jet Synchron(500/0). And then I'll perform a Synchro Summon. I tune Level 1 Jet Synchron with my Level 4 White Dragon WyvernBuster, I Synchro Summon, Jet Warrior(2100/1600)!" Out came a warrior that had the body of a jet as it transformed into showing its arms and legs. "Next I reveal my facedown, Call of the Haunted. So now I bring back Junk Warrior." The Gamemaster now had two synchro monsters on their field.

"Now a couple of things happen, first since I used Jet Synchron as Synchro material, I get to add a 'Junk' monster from my deck to my hand." Top Runner then selected the card they wanted as it slotted out, "Then Jet Warrior's effect activates, when it's Synchro summoned, it can return a card back to the owner's hand. And I choose your U.A. Player Manager." Jet Synchron then shot a beam out as it caused Rainbow's monster to disappear. "And don't forget about the ability of my Deck Master, since I've chosen Top Runner, all of my Synchro monsters gain 600 extra attack points. Next I'll play the spell Scrap Fist, with this my Junk Warrior can now deal double the battle damage." Both monsters then powered up.

"Now Junk Warrior take out Dreadnought Dunker and Jet Warrior will attack you directly!" shouted Top Runner.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3900-

"Since my Jet Synchron is in my graveyard, all I have to do is send a card in my hand and as a result, I can special summon it to my field." The Gamemaster then sent a card from their hand away as it allowed them to summon Jet Synchron back onto the field in defense mode. "I'll then end my turn."

The group was still traveling on the highway as they hoped that they could find their missing friend or possibly a way out. Applejack was still driving the pick-up truck as Sunset still rode next to them on her motocross bike. Soon she noticed something as she pushed hard on the brakes which caused everybody in the back to fall to the ground. Isaac felt the full impact as he hit the back while also having someone fall on top of him. Seems Isaac was able to use his back to soften Twilight's fall, however he could feel Twilight's breast on his chest.

"Why do I always have to be on the bottom?" said Isaac as he felt his back hurt.

"Cause you like it when I'm on the top." said Twilight as she teased Isaac bit.

"Hey Applejack, why'd do you stop?" asked Isaac as he sat up.

"Look, Isaac." she said pointed in front of them. They now saw the stadium in the distance.

"Is that..." said Fluttershy softly.

"Do you think..." asked Spike.

"Well knowing Rainbow, she always did want to perform in front of an audience." said Sunset.

"Let's check it out. Who knows what the Gamemaster is doing to her." stated Isaac as Applejack started up the truck again and drove in the direction of the stadium.

The group arrived as they drove in through the entrance. Applejack had shut down the truck as Sunset had put the brakes on her motocross. Soon everybody got out as they all began to head up the entrance way; soon they saw a light coming at the end of the tunnel as they were welcomed to the inside of the stadium. Despite being completely empty, there was tons of screens and lights being shown with tons of speakers in the rafters.

"Oh my, darlings." said Rarity.

"Talk about a huge place." said Spike.

"Hey, look down there." stated Pinkie.

The group looked down to where Pinkie was pointing and they two individuals competing on the center stage. One of them was their rainbow-haired friend. They all then began to make their way down the stairs as they hoped to see if she was okay.

"Hey, Rainbow!" called out Isaac.

Rainbow Dash looked to the stands and saw the group making their ways to the front row seats. "My buddies, what's up?"

"Good to see that you're alright, partner." exclaimed Applejack.

"But of course, do you really think that I would let something like this get me down? Please, I'm Rainbow Dash, the most awesome person ever to grace the dueling field." said Rainbow as she was eating up her own ego.

"Enough!" yelled the Gamemaster.

"You!" said Isaac as he looked at the Gamemaster.

"Nice to see that the gang is all back together, but don't get too comfortable. Cause once I'm done with Crash here, I'm got other plans for you all, especially you Isaac."

"Come on, Rainbow. You got this!" shouted Spike.

"Yeah, show that Gamemaster not to trifle with you." shouted Sunset.

Turn 5: Rainbow

"Thanks, gang. Now then, it's my turn." Rainbow then drew her card and was now figuring out her plan. "To start, I'll play Pot of Greed which allows me to draw two more cards. Next I'll summon U.A. Midfielder and then replace it with U.A. Strategist(1000/600)." Out came a monster in uniform as it had a whistle around its neck and clipboard in hand.

"Alright, I'm here boss. Based on what I've been writing down, here's the plan." said Strategist as he showed Rainbow his clipboard.

"Good work, man. I was thinking the same thing." said Rainbow. "Now since I special summoned a 'U.A.' monster, I can also special summon back my U.A. Player Manager. So now I can activate its effect and destroy a card on the field, so once again I chose Junk Warrior. Then I'll activate Strategist's ability, so now I can return up to three 'U.A.' monster from my graveyard back to my deck and as a result my Strategist can either gain or lose a level. So I'll return Mighty Slugger to reduce its level by 1. Then the stage is set, I tune Level 2 Strategist with Level 8 Player Manager!" Strategist’s whistle echoed as it turned into two green rings that floated into the air. Player Manager rose up into them as he began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field!” Rainbow’s duel disk popped open and a new card materialized in her Extra Deck. She grabbed it and held it up. “Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!”

"Yeah, now Dashie is on a roll!" shouted Pinkie as she had suddenly changed her appearance to a cheerleader outfit with some pom-poms in her hands.

"Next I'll play the equip spell card, U.A. Powered Jersey. So now my Star Player gains an extra 1000 attack and defense points, in addition, any battle damage it inflicts is doubled. So Star Player take out Jet Warrior!" Star Player then put on its sunglasses as it gave Rainbow a thumbs up before it rushed over to Jet Warrior and punched the robot square in the chest that it knocked out its circuits and exploded.
Top Runner's Life Points: 3500-

"Did I forget to mention the second effect of my U.A. Powered Jersey? Since my Star Player destroyed a monster while it was equipped with my spell, it can conduct a second attack during the battle phase. So say goodbye to your Jet Synchron!" shouted Rainbow. Her monster then did a punt kick as it took out the Gamemaster's other monster.

"I'll just end my turn."

Turn 6: Top Runner

She thinks that she's all set to win, but she doesn't know that I'm about to derail her momentum. "Now then, hope you're ready, Crash. To start I'll play the spell card, Reinforcement of the Army. This lets me add a Level 4 or below Warrior type to my hand. Next I play the De-Spell card, and now I get rid of your pesky U.A. Powered Jersey. Then I'll place this monster in defense mode and place one card facedown, that's all." snickered the Top Runner.

Turn 7: Rainbow Dash

"That all? Well seems I'm just about to win this duel, fine by me." said Rainbow as she drew her card.

"Hey boss, I might have something that could help you win." said Libero Spiker.

"Really? What is it, big guy?" asked Rainbow.

"How about activating my Deck Master ability?"

"Deck Master ability? Oh yeah... I almost forgot about that. Uhm, what is it?" asked Rainbow as she had a confused look. U.A. Libero Spiker then whispered to her about his special power to which she had a huge grin on her face. "Now that's what I'm talking about, up high." Both Rainbow and her monster then shared a high five, "Now I activate my Deck Master's ability, thanks to Libero Spiker, I can summon Level 5 or higher U.A. monster from my deck, however at the end of my phase I have to shuffle it back to my deck. So I choose to bring out my U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000)!" Dash now had two monsters on her field. "Time to strike, Playmaker take his defense monster!" A football then appeared in Dash's hands as she got in a ready position, "47, 24, 5, and... hut!" shouted Rainbow as she threw the ball as hard as she could as Playmaker caught it and then charged at the Gamemaster's monster.

"Thanks for that! Reveal my facedown, Exile for All Eternity!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"What's that!?!" asked Rainbow.

"This card activates when you destroy a monster of mine, then I simply send a monster from my hand to the graveyard. Then as per the card, you must now send all the monster cards in your hand and deck that fall into that category. So since the monster I sent to the grave was my Marauding Captain, that means you must now get rid of all of your warrior cards!"

"No!!!" shouted Dash.

"Is that bad?" asked Fluttershy.

"It is." stated Twilight. "All of Rainbow Dash's U.A. monsters are all warrior types, which means she must send all of them to the graveyard."

"At least she keeps her Deck Master." said Sunset. "Though not much good that will do when her deck is empty of monsters."

"And don't forget darlings, if she choses to summon her Deck Master, then once it's destroyed she'll automatically loses!"

"And her mind will be trapped here forever." stated Pinkie.

"So she's lost." said Spike with a sad expression.

"Not necessarily." said Isaac. "If Rainbow remembered then she made sure that she didn't just fill her deck with just 'U.A' monsters."

"What do you mean?" asked Spike.

"Just watch." said Isaac with a smug tone.

"Well, what are you going to do now? All of your monsters are now gone, the only one left is your Deck Master and should he be destroyed, you automatically lose! Seems you were too slow to secure victory!" chuckled Top Runner.

Rainbow had her head down as her eyes were covered by her hair. She then had a smile on her face as it didn't go unnoticed by Isaac. "You think I'm defenseless cause you got rid of most my all-stars?" smirked Rainbow.

"What are you saying? I know that you rely on U.A. to help you win. In fact, you're so set on it that you've never once changed your deck."

"Then it seems your info is out of date. Cause someone once told me that sometimes you can combine different archetypes together." stated Rainbow. "Let me show you, cause it's time to go supersonic! Time to go full throttle! First, I'll set the pace with Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice(300/1500)!" Out came a monster that was in the shape of a pyramid as it had an eye on each face.

"Seems she did." smiled Isaac.

"And it lets me also summon this little fly guy, so take to the air, Speedroid Taketomborg(600/1200)! But I'm not stopping there, I tune Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice with Level 3 Taketomborg! I Synchro Summon... Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)!" shouted Dash as she had a new monster on her field.

"Pretty impressive!" said Pinkie as she ate some sweets.

"That was nothing! Check this out! I activate Hi-Speedroid Kendama's special ability! By banishing one Speedroid from my graveyard, he takes 500 points of damage!" Rainbow then snapped her fingers as her monster fired a powerful beam that struck Top Runner in the chest.
Top Runner's Life Points: 3000-

"Advantage me! And this facedown is gonna make sure it stays that way!" said Rainbow as she ended her turn. "Your move, if you can keep up, that is!"

Turn 8: Top Runner

"If you think some new cards are enough to throw me off, think again. I summon Jutte Fighter(700/900)!" Out came a tiny monster as it had weapon in its hand and a huge bag on his back. "Next, I'll power down 500 of your Hi-Speedroid Kendama's attack points to summon Sasumata Gardna(1000/2000) in defense mode. I tune Level 2 Jutte Fighter with Level 3 Sasumata Gardna! This is your worst nightmare: A monster that always gets his man. I Synchro Summon! Goyo Chaser(1900/1000)! Front and center!" The Gamemaster now had a synchro monster on their field.

"And don't forget about my Deck Master's ability, now my synchro monster gains an extra 600 attack points! Goyo Chaser, take down Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Goyo Chaser then spun its weapon around as it launched it into the back of Rainbow's Kendama as it exploded.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3600-

"Thanks to Goyo Chaser's special ability, I can summon Hi-Speedroid Kendama to my field by cutting its attack points in half." stated the Gamemaster as Rainbow's monster was now on his side. "Don't forget since Kendama is on my field, it gains 600 extra attack points. So it has 1700 points."

"Uh-oh!" said Rainbow.

"Now Kendama attack her life points directly! Kendama then fired a powerful beam as Rainbow put her arms up to protect herself. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."
Rainbow's Life Points: 1900-

Turn 9: Rainbow

"Let's kick it up a gear, and lay some tracks!" shouted Dash as she drew her card. "Look out, 'cause Speedroid Ohajikid(1000/200) is coming at you!" Rainbow now summoned a kid monster as it had a coin in its hand, a cowboy-like hat, and wore a torn up cape as it had a single red eye. "You think you were so clever before, taking my monster, and then using it against me? Well, you know what? Two can play at that game."

"What?" said the girls and Spike, while Isaac just had a smile.

"Thanks to my Ohajikid, I get to take your Tuner Monster and use it to Synchro Summon!" Rainbow now had Jutte Fighter as it changed into two green rings as Ohajikid jumped in between them. "I tune Level 2 Jutte Fighter with Level 3 Speedroid Ohajikid! I Synchro Summon! Say hello to a monster that always edges out the competition... Hi-Speedroid Chanbara(2000/1000)!" Rainbow's new monster looked like a sword as it had a jet booster on the back of it. "Chanbara! Cut Hi-Speedroid Kendama down to size! And thanks to its special ability, when Chanbara battles, it gets an extra 200 attack points!" Rainbow's monster then sped forward as it took out it target.
Top Runner's Life Points: 2500-

"And there's more! Chanbara can attack twice!"

"My monster is still stronger!" shouted Top Runner.

"Not after this he won't, I play the quick-play spell, Speed Limit. Now my gains an additional 300 extra attack points till the end of the battle!"

"No way!"

"Don't forget, battling makes Hi-Speedroid Chanbara even stronger. 200 points stronger!" Rainbow's monster then glowed as it received the power up and then sliced down Goyo Chaser. "Stings, doesn't it?"
Top Runner's Life Points: 2300-

"Now I'm activating Descending Lost Star. This traps lets me pick one Synchro Monster in my graveyard and summon it in defense mode! I select Goyo Chaser!" Once more the Gamemaster had its monster back out on the field. "Goyo Chaser loses a Level and all its defense points, but it's still going to protect and serve."

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Top Runner

"Now say goodbye," said Top Runner as it drew its card, "Toraport's(600/600) throwing you a farewell party!" Top Runner then summoned out a monster that had its body in two halves as they look identical. "Now I tune Torapart with Goyo Chaser! To catch my prey, I call a predator. I Synchro Summon! Goyo Predator(2400/1200)!" A monster that was ever more powerful than Goyo Chaser came out as it had a mean demeanor. "Goyo Predator! You know your assignment: attack Chanbara full force!" commanded the Gamemaster as its monster unleashed its weapon as electricity flowed through it and threw it at Rainbow's monster.

"When Chanbara battles, its attack points get a 200 point power-up. So it has 2600 attack points."

"Yes, and don't forget. Since Top Runner is my Deck Master, my Goyo Predator also gains some extra attack points. 600 more points to be exact!" With that both monsters powered up as Rainbow's clashed with the Gamemaster's only for it to be destroyed.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1500-

"Now I activate Goyo Predator's special ability, now since my monster destroyed yours, I can be able to summon it to my side of the field." With that Rainbow's Hi-Speedroid Chanbara now appeared on Top Runner's field.

"Y'know, you've been stealing my monsters from me since we kicked it into overdrive! I never expected someone like you who rules this place would have to sink that low!" shouted Rainbow.

"Shut the hell up! I don't need to this hear this from a ignoramus like yourself." replied back the Gamemaster.

"What did you call me!?! Whatever that means, say to my face!" shouted Dash.

"I'll do whatever it takes to put you and your friends where you belong." said the Gamemaster as they looked at Rainbow and then over to the group who were watching. "Now Chanbara, attack with 200 more attack points! And don't forget about my Deck Master's ability, so Chanbara grows even stronger! Which means it rises to 2800 which is more than enough to end you!" Chanbara then unleashed two sword swipes as they traveled towards Rainbow who put her arms up as she was thrown onto her back.
Rainbow's Life Points: 100-

"Rainbow?" shouted the girls.

"It's alright, guys. I'm fine." Rainbow had a couple of scratches on her as she gave them a thumbs up.

"What happened? Why didn't you lose?" shouted the Gamemaster.

"Because of you, when forced me to discard all of my U.A. monsters, one of them happen to be my U.A. Rookie. Now all I had to do was banish him from my graveyard and I cut any battle damage I take in half." stated Rainbow.

"Even so, don't forget about Chanbara's other effect. It can attack again! And this time it gains 200 points and there's nothing you can do to stop it! One last shot and it's over." smiled Top Runner. "Chanbara, attack one more time!"

"Noooooooo!!!!" shouted the girls and Spike.

"It's time!" said Isaac and Rainbow in unison as they had a smile on their faces.

"Remember my facedown that I set earlier, well time to use it. I activate the trap, Dice Roll Battle!" Rainbow's facedown flipped over as a picture of a red and blue dice were on it. "Since I have fewer than 1000 life points, by sending one 'Dice' monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can Synchro Summon using monsters in my graveyard!"

"No way!!" yelled the Gamemaster.

"She can Synchro summon using monsters in her graveyard?" shouted all the girls and Spike as Isaac just gave them a nod.

"I send Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice to the graveyard! Now prepare yourself everybody, I tune Level 1 Red-Eyed Dice with Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Rainbow's monsters then appeared as her dice transformed into a green ring as her other monster jumped in. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" Rainbow had a smile on her face as she had summoned the monster that would bring her victory. Clear Wing looked at Rainbow as it gave a roar so loud that everybody had to cover their ears, Rainbow gave her dragon a thumbs up as it looked to bring the victory to his mistress.

"It gets worse for you. Thanks to Dice Roll Battle's effect, all the monsters on your field have to battle Clear Wing! And it doesn't matter how strong your Chanbara is because Clear Wing Synchro Dragon negates its special abilities and destroys it!"

"This can't be!" shouted the Gamemaster as it took a step back.

"Reverse Revenge!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon used its effect to destroy Chanbara. "And now, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the destroyed monster's attack points!" Clear Wing then let out another roar as its stats rose to 5300 as it was enough to end this battle.

"That's totally gotta be against the law!" replied the Gamemaster.

"Sorry, but this is one law-abiding Dragon! And it's about to take you out fair and square!"

"No! What can I do?!" said the Gamemaster as it looked to its cards for an answer, but there was nothing.

"Now Clear Wing, attack!" said Rainbow as she thrusted her hand out. Clear Wing then soared high into the sky as it flew out of the stadium till it reached maximum altitude. Then it started to free fall as it spun around really fast. "Spin Storm Sky Strike!!!" yelled out Rainbow as her dragon made contact with the Gamemaster's monster and the rest of its life points.

"AHHHH!!!" yelled out the Gamemaster as a bright appeared as they lost the duel and disappeared.
Top Runner's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rainbow Dash

"Aw yeah!!" shouted Rainbow as she jumped up and pumped her fist.

"Nice work, boss." said Libero Spiker.

"Couldn't have done it without you and the rest of the team." said Rainbow as she looked at her duel disk. Soon all of her monsters appeared around her as they all looked at their boss. Rainbow looked around her and saw all the monsters of her deck that looked up to her and served as the best teammates she could ever ask for. She looked up and saw Clear Wing flying up above as it showed its appreciation. "Thank you, all of you." She then turned to look at her U.A. Rookie who was a boy who had brown scruffy hair and wore a shiny bronze metal suit with blue and orange patterns, compared to his teammates who all wore shiny silver metal suits. "Especially you, rook. Took one for the team, really helped us to win."

"Heh, just doing my job, captain." said U.A. Rookie as he was given some pat on the backs by the other members.

"You're the best, boss!" shouted all of her U.A. monsters. They all then tossed Rainbow high up into the air as they showed their appreciation and loyalty for the best person they could ask for to be their captain. Soon they put her down as they disappeared back into her deck along with Clear Wing.

"Rainbow!!" shouted the rest of the gang as they jumped the barricade and were now on the stage with her.

"You did it!" said Fluttershy excitedly.

"Of course, what did you expect!" said Rainbow with a smug look on her face.

"Well we did it. We passed all of the Gamemaster's challenges." said Spike.

"Not really, we're still stuck here." said Twilight. "We all survived, thankfully. But we're still trapped here."

"So now what?" asked Sunset.

"I guess we keep looking." said Isaac. "Hey Dash, was there anything you found when you got here?"

"Sorry, guys. I looked all over this place and found nothing. Before I could even leave, the Gamemaster showed up and challenged me to a duel and well... you've seen the rest."

"So no dice. Guess we better head back." Isaac then began to walk back to the way they came in along with Spike.

"The good thing is that we're all together again. No matter what happens, we'll get through it as a team." stated Sunset.

"Agreed, darling."

"Yeah, we can handle anything that's thrown our way." said Pinkie with a huge smile.

"Uhm, guys?" said Spike as he got the girls attention.

"Didn't we leave the truck at the entrance way?" asked Isaac.

Chapter 110: The Dragon Lands

"Uhh, microscope. Antenna. Books. Books about... about... language." said Spike as he was trying to guess Twilight's movements.

"How the hell is that what you're coming up with?" asked Isaac. He was currently playing a game of charades with Twilight and Spike as both he and the little drake were trying to figure out what Twilight was trying to say.

"I give up." said Spike. "Any ideas, Isaac?"

Isaac just looked at Twilight's movements as he tried to make the most of them. "Uh, is it a telescope?"

"Yes!" cheered Twilight as she was happy that Isaac got the answer.

"Wow, dude. How'd you know?" asked Spike.

"I didn't. I just took a wild guess." said Isaac. Just then Sunset came into the library.

"Any news?" asked Isaac.

"All is quiet." said Sunset as she took a seat. "Are you guys playing charades?"

"Not anymore we're not!" shouted Isaac. "Next game!"

With that the group all moved on to some board games as they found it to be more enjoyable. There was even a pony version of Monopoly as it seemed Twilight was a master at it as she managed to clean out everybody. With that they all retreated for the night as they were all tired. The morning came as Twilight and Sunset were in the map room as they had received a message from Princess Celestia about a problem that was arising.

"So, what's on the agenda today?" asked Spike as he walked into the room carrying some documents.

"Well, Princess Celestia sent me a message today talking about how there's been a disturbance recently." stated Twilight.

"Really, where?" asked the little drake as he placed the papers on the table and hopped into his seat.

"The Dragon Lands."

"What! The Dragon Lands? As in the same Dragon Lands that I took a trip to to find out that they were just mean bullies." said Spike as he remembered all of his previous encounters to the place. "What would Princess Celestia want with a place like that?"

"Well more so for me and Isaac." said Sunset. "According to the princess' spies, they've located one of the five head leaders. Seems they've also been causing some trouble for some dragons."

"Normally, dragons aren't too fond of help. But I doubt they can handle what's going on." stated Twilight. "According to the Princess' report, there seems to be a large force gathering and they're moving fast. Based on their pattern, they seemed to be heading towards the Dragon Lord's kingdom. Apparently, they plan to take over the place. I'm not doubting the dragon's fierceness, but I think it be best if we took care of it."

"And by 'we', you mean?" asked Spike.

"Isaac and Sunset, of course. They're the only ones who can stop this." said the purple mare.

"Though given that none of us have been to the Dragon Lands, we don't know the landscape." said Sunset.

"Not to worry, Spike will serve as your guide."

"Wait, what!?!" said the little dragon as he was surprised by Twilight's request.

"I mean, you remember the landscape from during your little migration. Plus, the place where the army is gathering is just outside of the dragon kingdom. So you won't have to worry about Garble and his gang messing with you. Plus, even if they did, I'm pretty sure Isaac or Sunset could take care of them." said Twilight.

"Well, if you say so." Spike then looked at the note Princess Celestia had sent Twilight as he began to read through it. "Well, based on where she's pin pointed their location, I think I know a safe route to get there."

"Good, then you both better prepare. Cause the sooner you get there, the closer we are to riding Equestria of these Duel Monster problems." said the princess. Both Spike and Sunset nodded as they left to get ready for their trip. "Now, where's that colt?" asked Twilight as she was wondering where Isaac was.

Isaac was currently in his room as he was concentrating on something. The experience he had with meeting the Big 4 and the advice each one had to offer gave him some things to think about. Safe to say he had a bit of clarity about what his future could hold, but he was still hesitant on what was to come.

I'm grateful that I got see the Big 4, well at least most of them. They all showed me something that I've been having trouble with. I know that when this mission is over, me and Sunset have to return back home. And then I'll be entering my senior year of CHS, and from there I'll then have to figure out what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. I knowing dueling is the one thing that my whole life depends on, but does that mean becoming a pro? I want to say yes, but at the same time, I can't help but think that I'll be nothing more than a slave. Someone who won't get to see his friends and will become a different person.

Soon there was a knock on the door as it caused Isaac to snap out of his thoughts.

"Isaac? You in there?" said Twilight from the other side of the door.

"Yeah, give me a minute." said Isaac as he got up and walked to the door. He opened it up and was welcomed to the sight of the beloved princess.

"Good to see you, just letting you know that Princess Celestia has found the location of another leader. It's in a place called the Dragon Lands, as you can guess you'll be running into some scaly beasts." stated Twilight. "Anyways, I've notified Spike as he'll serve as your guide while you trek through the wasteland."

"Thanks, Twilight."

"Don't mention. Just... promise me you'll come back safe and sound." Twilight then nuzzled her neck against Isaac's, "I couldn't bear the thought of losing you or worse."

"Don't worry, I'll be fine. You're talking to the guy who suffered broken bones and got back up to finish a duel." chuckled Isaac as he looked at Twilight's face. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger, right?"

"Just... don't do anything reckless?" said Twilight as she gave Isaac a peck on his cheek as she left.

Isaac then began to prepare himself for the trip ahead. He then exited his room as he made his way to the main hall as he saw Sunset and Spike all set. Twilight had taken the liberty of packing an extra bag for Isaac as she filled it with tons of supplies. Isaac slipped the saddle bags on his back as he was ready to venture out. With that, all three of them headed towards the train station as Twilight waved goodbye. The trio arrived at the train station as they purchased tickets to the Dragon Lands station. Soon the train arrived as the three hopped on and off they went.

"So, do we have any idea what we're dealing with?" asked Isaac.

"Let's see," said Spike as he pulled out the scroll that Princess Celestia had sent Twilight. "Well, she didn't fully explain the creatures that we're dealing with. But from what I can guess, seeing as how the Dragon Lands has tons of lava pools and is incredibly hot. So I guess that sort of narrows down what our opponents might be, seeing as they have to be monsters that can withstand the environment."

"So, like fire-types monsters." stated Sunset.

"Or dragons." said Isaac as he got a look from both mare and the little drake. "What? We're going to the land of dragons, so it wouldn't it make sense that the spirits causing trouble would also be dragons."

"Moving on." said Spike. "Like I said, we don't know much about what we're dealing with. Nor do we know what the leader looks like, I mean the only drawing we have is in crayon. Who's idea was it to draw the leaders in crayon?" shouted Spike as he showed the picture of the leader.

"Probably someone with a talent." said Isaac as both of them gave him a look. "What? I'm trying to liven the situation."

"Look, whatever is happening, we'll take care of it." said Sunset. "Besides, we've been doing that anyways."

"Let's just hope that by taking down this leader, we'll be that much closer to ending this problem." stated Isaac.

The rest of the time was spent with the three of them paying card games as Isaac's Sleight of Hand Magician decided to provide the entertainment by playing Blackjack. Isaac was able to teach the young dragon on how to play as he told him to not let Twilight know about his gambling. Eventually, their train ride came to an end as their destination was in sight. In fact, they were the only ones who were aboard the train. With that the train pulled into the station as all three got off; they then began to follow Spike as he knew the terrain. Seems the heat was no joke as Isaac could feel the intense heat and the lava pools that surrounded him. Thankfully, Twilight had taught Sunset a spell that would allow her and Isaac to keep themselves from overheating.

Along the way, Spike was able to avoid any death traps as he guided the two ponies. They did manage to see a couple of dragons as Isaac was amazed to see ones that weren't Duel Monsters. They were able to move around them as they climbed up a mountain. They entered a cave as they decided to catch a break. Isaac then opened up his saddle bags as he looked to see what Twilight had packed for them; after making a fire and pouring some water, the gang decided to sleep as nighttime had already fallen across the land.

"I'll take the first shift." said Isaac as he offered to do guard duty.

"You sure?" asked Spike.

"Positive. You guys get some rest." stated Isaac as Spike just nodded and drifted to sleep.

"I can stay up with you." offered Sunset.

"It's fine, get some rest. No telling how long we'll be here, or what we're going to face. We'll need all our strength to take down this leader." stated Isaac.

"Alright." smiled Sunset as she gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek. "Just don't stay up too late." With that Sunset then laid down her sleeping mat as she snuggled up and closed her eyes.

Isaac then began to take a few steps out of the cave as he did a perimeter sweep. The cool night brought a chilling breeze as Isaac could feel it despite wearing his signature hoodie. The one thing that did give him comfort was the stars and the moon high in the sky as he knew Luna was doing her work. A couple of hours had past as Isaac returned back to the cave as his search turned up empty. He let out a yawn as he felt his eyes become tiring.

"You should get some rest, master. You still have a long day ahead of you."

"It's... fine... Mahad." said Isaac as he let out a yawn. "Besides, I need to make sure that nothing happens."

"Do not worry about that. Mana and I can watch over for the rest of the night. Now you need to get some rest, if anything happens, we'll alert you."

"Alright, you win." said Isaac as he let out one last yawn. "I'll just close my eyes for a little bit." said Isaac he laid down next to Sunset who felt Isaac as she leaned even closer to his body. "Thank you... Mahad... I'm glad... you're... my... faithful... servant." said Isaac as he closed his eyes and fell asleep.

"My pleasure, master. Now get some rest." said Mahad as he bowed to Isaac and did a quick pet through his mane as he began to do his duty and watch over his master.

The morning came as Isaac awoke with a yawn as he smacked his lips. He shook his neck as his vision was begin to come into view. Isaac looked down at his side as he noticed Sunset snuggled up next to him. Isaac just let a smile as he planted a quick peck to Sunset's cheek as it caused her to smile and then woke her up.

"Morning, Sunny." said Isaac.

"Morning, boy toy." yawned Sunset. "So... anything happen last night?"

"All quiet on my end." stated Isaac.

"I knew we'd be safe with you around." smiled Sunset as she gave him another kiss and then nibbled/pulled on Isaac's ear with her mouth but gently this time.

"Still don't know what that means?" asked Isaac.

"Somethings are best kept unknown." smiled Sunset smugly as she stood up.

With that they both woke up Spike as they prepared to have some breakfast. Once they got their fill, they all headed out as they began to explore more of the mountain. They climbed some more as they came across even more caves. But this time, they could hear the faint sound of metal being struck almost like a blacksmith. The trio then slowly entered the cave with Isaac in front and Sunset being in the rear as Spike was between the two if them. They kept walking till they came to an entrance way as the sound of metal was the loudest it had been. The trio hid behind some rocks as they took in the sight before them.

They saw a couple of monsters working the forge, but not any Duel Monster spirit. It was Kayenn, the Master Magma Blacksmith as they were all at work on creating something. Spike tapped Isaac's shoulder as he pointed them to another cave as they walked in some more. On the other side was a massive area where the metal was being used to create some drill machines.

"So now we know what they're doing?" said Spike.

"Indeed, the only question is, who's in charge of this operation?"

"Three... two... one..." said Isaac as he counted down.

"Hurry up!!" shouted a voice.

"Right on cue." snickered Isaac as he knew how this worked.

"We're going as fast as we can boss." said one of the Kayenns.

"Then work faster. We have a land to take over. Now that word has spread that Battleguard King and his army have been defeated, this makes it that much easier for us to win this race. But we can't do that, if you'll don't pick up the pace!!" shouted the commander as it was the Duel Monster Fire Kraken.

Soon two other officers arrived as they bowed before their commander.

"What's the report?" commanded Fire Kraken.

"Our forces are ready to move." said one of the officers who was Brushfire Knight.

"Indeed, everyone is ready. Once we have our drills, we'll destroy the creatures that inhabit this place and then we'll take over the other territories from the other leaders." said the other officer which was a female than none other than Fire Princess.

"Excellent. Make sure the troops are on standby, we move the moment the drills are finished." stated Fire Kraken.

"At once!" said both Fire Princess and Brushfire Knight. With that they both left as they through the entrance and into the main room where all the troops were ready.

"We need to stop them." said Spike as all of three of them ducked behind the rocks.

"So what's the plan?" asked Sunset.

"Simple. They need those drills, so we take them out."

"And what of the commander?" asked Spike.

"We do the same thing." said Isaac.

"You make it sound like it's easy." stated Sunset.

"Look, we take out the commander, the others fall. It's as simple as that." stated Isaac.

"Okay, but keep in mind, we're dealing an army here. Last time, there was three of us and we had our monsters to help out. And no offense, but Spike doesn't have a duel disk. So between me and you, we can hold out position but not for long." said Sunset.

"I think I have an idea." said Isaac as he looked at the entrance where the two officers exited. "Spike, take this."

"What is it?" asked the little dragon as Isaac gave him a Duel Monster card.

"Just something in case you might be in trouble." said the colt. "You stay here and keep watch. Sunset on my mark, you rush over to those drills and take them out."

"Wait. What about you?" asked the orange unicorn.

"I'm going to have some fun." said Isaac as he slide down the rocks as he landed softly on the ground. He then sneaked into the cave.

Spike and Sunset then moved from their position as there was another opening near them. The room was filled with troops, some of them were Fire Repears, a few Fire Ant Ascator, and the majority of the forces were Fire Troopers. Both of them saw from up above as Isaac had made it in undetected and began to sneak around. They were wondering what the colt was doing as he got dangerously close to grand cave opening as it would serve as the route to which they would leave.

"Okay, showtime. Hope you guys are ready." said Isaac as he looked at his deck and slotted it into his duel disk. "Hey!" shouted Isaac as he got all the attention of the troops. "I think I took wrong turn at that last rock, could any of you give me some directions?"

"Intruder!" shouted the troops as they all began to charge towards the stallion.

"I guess they really don't like giving out directions." said Isaac as he pulled out some cards. Soon he called out his Gazelle and Beta the Magnet Warrior as they appeared before them and they started to take the troops head on. Some of them went straight for Isaac as he started to blast them with his magic as he and his monsters were providing the distraction.

"Slay him!" shouted Brushfire Knight.

"Such a cute little creature, too bad you have to die!" shouted Fire Sorcerer as she shot fireballs from her hands.

"Guess that's the signal." said Spike.

"Let's hurry, Isaac can't hold them off forever." stated Spike as the two entered the other room.

Seems Isaac's distraction worked as a couple of guards that were watching over the drills all heard the commotion in the other room as a couple of them went to check it out. Sunset then told Spike to provide reconnaissance as she slowly made her way to the drills. She activated her duel disk as she managed to sneak behind the remaining guards. She then called on her Gearfried as she performed a couple of silent takedowns as the guards fell and turned into particles. She then called on her Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon as it appeared before the blacksmiths and gave out a cry that caused all of them to run away.

"Easy. Now to destroy these machineries." said Sunset as she was about to get to work. Soon her Gearfried raised its arm as it blocked an attack that was meant for Sunset. The tentacle flicked Sunset's monster away as Sunset teleported out of another tentacle attack. She appeared next to her monster as she saw the tentacle belonged to none other than Fire Kraken.

"I knew there was something wrong." shouted Fire Kraken. "Though I didn't expect two puny ponies to cause this much trouble."

"Well, we appreciate it if you all just left my home alone." said Sunset.

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Well, I can't stand by and watch it get destroyed." said Sunset as she turned activated her duel disk and projected a red card tray. "So it looks like only one of us is gonna walk away from this."

"You grave error challenging me." said Fire Kraken as a duel disk appeared on their arm. "Once, I get rid of you, I'll then move to my next phase of the plan and then soon... This world shall be mine for the taken!!!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fire Kraken's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Fire Kraken

"I'll make the first move, and I'll start by playing the spell Molten Conduction Field. Now I send 2 'Laval' monster to the graveyard." said Fire Kraken as he sent a pair of Laval Miller to his grave. "Next, I'll summon my Laval Phlogis(1700/800)." Out came a monster that was made up of molten rock as it had a large flaming log over its right shoulder and a sword in the other hand. "Then I'll play one card facedown. That's all."

Turn 2: Sunset

"Then that means, I'm up. So watch out!" shouted Sunset as she drew her card. Okay, so all he did was play a monster and single facedown. Nothing massive, but he did play a spell that forced him to send 2 monsters to his graveyard. The question is: why? "To start, I'll play an old friend who's dying to meet you. Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight." said Sunset as she had her monster appear. "Next, I'll move to attack your Laval Phlogis with my Gearfried." Gearfried heard Sunset's command as it brought its weapon down and took out his target with ease.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 7900-

"Next, I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Fire Kraken

"Now, I'll summon my Laval Warrior(1800/500)." Out came a monster as it was made of rock and had a fire axe in his other hand. "Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Molten Whirlwind Wall. Now all my 'Laval' monsters gain an extra 100 attack points for each 'Laval' monster in my graveyard. And right there are currently 3, so my warrior gains 300 attack points. Now cut down her Gearfried to size!" shouted Fire Kraken as his warrior raised it axe and brought it down in a diagonal slash as Sunset's monster was defeated.
Sunset's Life Points: 7700-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn, I'll play my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode. Then, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 5: Fire Kraken

"What a waste of a move, now then. I'll play the tuner monster, Laval Forest Sprite(300/200). Then I'll tune my Level 2 Laval Forest Sprite with my Leve 4 Laval Warrior." Laval Forest Sprite then transformed into two green rings as Laval Warrior jumped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Laval Dragun(2500/1200)!" Out came a monster that looked like a dinosaur as it let out a cry. "Now my trap is still in play, which means my Laval Dragun gains 100 extra attack points for each Larval monster in my graveyard and right now the total is 5. So my Dragun now has 3000 attack points!" Dragun let out a roar as it powered up.

"Now, since I have at least 3 'Laval' monsters with different names, I can special summon my Laval Burner(2100/1000) and Laval Coatl(1300/700)." Fire Kraken now had a pair of monsters on his field with one of them wearing gloves that was on fire and the other that looked like a mini version of his Laval Dragun. "But don't worry, they won't stick around cause I'm going to Synchro Summon once again." Laval Coatl then transformed into two rings as Laval Burner jumped into as a new monster was being summoned. "I Synchro Summon, Laval Stennon(2700/1800)!" Out came a giant monster made up of rock as its right arm was a flamethrower.

"Since I synchro summoned Laval Stennon, I must sent a card to my graveyard." said Fire Kraken as he got rid of a spell card. "Now don't forget about my Molten Whirlwind Wall continuous trap card, all my Laval monsters gain an extra 100 attack points for each 'Laval' monster in my graveyard, so right now I have 7 which means both of my monsters get some more power. And I forgot to mention that since my Laval Forest Sprite was sent to the graveyard, all my faceup monsters get an additional 300 attack point boost till the end of the turn!" With all that power, Laval Dragun now had 3500 attack points while Laval Stennon had 3700. "Now time to strike, Laval Dragun attack her puny monster!" shouted Fire Kraken.

"Now, my monster's effect activates. When Red-Eyes Baby Dragon is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can special summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck. So I choose to play my Red-Eyes B. Chick in defense mode. And that's not all, next I can equip my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon onto my chick to give it 300 more attack points." Sunset now had an egg appear on her field as it cracked open and the head of the hatchling came out.

"Doesn't matter, cause your monster is still going to be destroyed." said Fire Kraken as his monster took out Sunset's other monster. "Now then, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn. So now both of my monsters lose 300 attack points." stated Fire Kraken as Dragun now had 3200 while Stennon had 3400 points.

Turn 6: Sunset

"My turn, here we go." said Sunset as she drew her card and looked at the field. "Now, I'll play Polymerization and with I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes B. Dragon with my Summoned Skull in order to fusion summon, my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" said Sunset as one of her most powerful monsters was on the field. "Next, I'll equip my Black Metal Dragon to my Black Skull Dragon and give it an extra 600 attack points!" Sunset's monster felt the power surge as it let out a roar.

"Now my monster is the strongest in play, so now attack his Laval Stennon! And thanks to my monster's ability, you can't activate any card effects till the end of the damage step." shouted Sunset as her monster fire an attack that took out Laval Stennon.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 7500-

"Next, I'll activate the other effect of my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon. Since my monster was able to deal damage, I can now shuffle back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck. And then you get slammed with damage equal to its attack points." stated Sunset as the spirit of Red-Eyes burned away some even more life points.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 5100-

"Then, I'll play my spell Cards of the Red Stone. So now by sending 1 Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck to the graveyard, I can now draw 2 cards." Sunset then sent her cards to the graveyard with one of them being her Red-Eyes B. Dragon. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Fire Kraken

"My turn, and since you destroyed my Laval Stennon that means my Laval Dragun now gains another 100 attack points which rises up to 3300. Next, I'll play Graceful Charity so now I'll draw 3 cards and send 2 to the graveyard. And the two cards, that I'm discarding is my Kayenn, the Master Magma Blacksmith. Then I'll banish both of them so that my Laval monsters can gain 400 attack points, so now my Laval Dragun has 4100. With that done, I'll now play Laval Lakeside Lady(200/200) in defense mode. But I'm far from done, cause now I'll activate my Laval Dragun's special ability, so I can add a 'Laval' monster to my hand and send one to the grave, so now my Dragun gets 100 points stronger."

"Oh, no. Sunset's in trouble." said Spike as he watched from above. He then looked over to the other side of the cave and Isaac was still holding his ground but it was starting to take a toll on the colt as he summoned some more monsters to replace the ones he lost. "And Isaac can't hold out for much longer. If you have a plan, Sunset. You better do it now." stated the little drake.

"Now, I'll play Card of Sanctity so that both of us draw 6 cards. Then play Double Summon so I can summon another Laval Miller(300/400) to my field. And now that I have 2 Level 3 monsters, I can perform an Xyz Summon!"

"Uh oh!" said Sunset as she was afraid of what was coming.

"I Xyz Summon, Lavalval Ignis(1800/1400, OLU: 2)!" shouted Fire Kraken as a new monster came out that had a flame for a head and its fist were on fire. "Now time to attack, Laval Dragun attack her Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!"

"I reveal my facedown, Gravity Bind. Thanks to this, your monster's attack is put on hold." stated Sunset.

"Not quite, I reveal my facedown, Dark Bribe. So now your trap is negated and destroyed. However, you get to draw one card. Now without your trap, my monster continues its attacks. So get rid of her monster!" said Fire Kraken as it pointed its tentacles to Sunset. Sunset's dragon was then destroyed as she covered herself up.
Sunset's Life Points: 7300-

"Now the effect of my Black Metal Dragon activates, so now I can add a 'Red-Eyes' monster to my hand." said Sunset.

"Next, I'll have my Lavalval Ignis attack you directly. And by attacking, it activate my Ignis' ability. So by using one overlay unit, I can raise his attack points by 500 till the end of the turn." stated Fire Kraken as it raised its fist as they burned hotter than ever as he slammed it in front of Sunset who was thrown onto the ground.
Sunset's Life Points: 5000-

"With that, I'll end my turn. And since I sent another Laval monster to the grave to activate Ignis' effect, both he and my Dragun now gain another 100 attack points thanks to my trap card."

Isaac was busying dealing with the forces as he kept blasting them with his magic and his monsters. While he was able to take out a huge portion, they were still coming. He managed to dodge another attack as he tumbled to the ground. Isaac looked up and saw his monsters were destroyed.

"Man, they just keep coming." said Isaac as he wiped his mouth with his hoof. "But I can't give up, I need to buy Sunset time."

"I thought you ponies where suppose to be cute, not annoying." said Fire Sorcerer.

"Well, I get that alot from girls." said Isaac.

"I'll admit your desire to fit in honorable, but know this is a losing battle. Stand down and I'll see to it that you're spared." said Brushfire Knight.

"Yeah, don't know if your boss will keep his word like you. Besides, I could this all day." said Isaac as he played some more cards. "Rune-Eyes Illusionist, Black Robe Mentalist, and Dark Magician of Chaos!" Isaac now had called on three more of his monsters to fight.

"Honorable." said Brushfire Knight as he looked at Isaac with his sword pointing at the colt. "Finish him!"

"Go get 'em, guys." said Isaac as his magicians and him prepared for another fight.

Meanwhile...

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll play the Black Stone of Legend. And then activate its effect so that I can summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon from my deck." said Sunset as she summoned another one of her dragons. "Now, I'll play the spell, Red-Eyes Insight. Now I'll send a 'Red-Eyes' from my deck to the graveyard, so I can add 'Red-Eyes' spell/trap card to my hand." Sunset then sent touched her screen as she sent Red-Eyes Toon Dragon to the grave as she picked the card she wanted as it slotted out for her to grab.

"Next, I'll lay a facedown and then have my dragon attack your Lavalval Ignis." said Sunset.

"I can attack my Ignis' effect whenever he attacks, so by using the last overlay unit. I can increase his attack points by 500 points. Which means both of our monsters now have the same attack which means they'll both be destroyed." said Fire Kraken.

Both monsters collided as they were equal in strength and both resulted in an explosion.

"I was hoping you do that, cause now my dragon's effect activates. So now I can special summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my graveyard and I choose my Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" shouted Sunset as she had her ace monster back on her side. "And since he was special summoned in the middle of the battle, he can attack."

"My Laval Dragun is way stronger than your monster and with my Ignis and the last of its overlay unit sent to the graveyard. My Laval Dragun now has a total of 4500 attack points." stated Fire Kraken.

"Guess, I should have told you, since Red-Eyes B. Dragon was the monster I chose to bring back its attack points are doubled. Meaning that it has 4800 points which is more than enough to take down your monster. Red-Eyes, take out that monster!" shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes heard its mistress' command and took out the creature as it went down in flames.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 4800-

"Now then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Fire Kraken

"You'll pay for destroying my monster. Now time for me time for me to end this! Now, I'll play Pot of Greed and pick up two more cards. Next, up is the spell card Hammer Shot. And with it I can destroy your Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Fire Kraken as a giant hammer came down on Sunset's monster as it let out a cry.

"I activate my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit. So now my Red-Eyes B. Dragon returns to me." said Sunset as her monster appeared once again.

"Very well, but he won't be around for long. Cause next I play Monster Reborn and resurrect my Laval Dragun! And then I'll summon to the field my Soaring Eagle Above the Searing Land(100/0)." Fire Kraken now had his dino monster on the field as another bird of prey soared down. "Now I tune my Level 1 Soaring Eagle with my Level 6 Laval Dragun, I Synchro Summon, Laval Stennon! As you know, when Laval Stennon is Synchro Summoned, I send a card to the graveyard. And my trap is still in play, and so my Laval Stennon now gains 100 extra attack points for each 'Laval' monster in my graveyard. And I count 14, which means Laval Stennon's attack rises to 4100!" shouted Fire Kraken.

"This is bad." said Sunset.

"Now since, I have 3 'Laval' monsters with different names in my graveyard, I can revive my Soaring Eagle. Now Laval Stennon, take out her Red-Eyes Black Dragon! And Soaring Eagle will attack you directly." Laval Stennon then pointed its flamethrower at Red-Eyes as it burned the dragon to a crisp as it let out a cry of pain.

"Red-Eyes, no!!" shouted Sunset as she saw her most trusted monster be destroyed. The attack was still sent towards her as she could feel the heat of the attack. She then saw the firebird heading towards her as she stood her ground.
Sunset's Life Points: 3200-

"Next, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn. This duel is all but over, so make your final move." snickered Fire Kraken.

Turn 10: Sunset

"Alright, my move." said Sunset as she drew card. "Now I'll play the ritual spell card, Red-Eyes Transmigrations so now by sending the required monsters from my hand, I can Ritual Summon my Lord of the Red!" shouted Sunset as she had managed to summon a powerful monster. "Then I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend from my grave, so by returning it to my hand, I can also shuffle back a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster back into my deck." Sunset then retrieved her card as her duel disk confirmed her selection and place the card on top of her deck and shuffled it.

"And now my Lord of the Red effect activates, which means I can destroy one monster on the field. So say goodbye to Laval Stennon!"

"Don't think so, I activate my Laval Stennon's ability, when it becomes the target of a card effect I can simply remove a 'Laval' monster from my graveyard to protect it. It may be small price to pay, but well worth the cost. Especially, cause I negate your effect and destroy it all together." stated Fire Kraken.

"Well, before my monster is gone, he has another effect. And this one allows him to destroy one spell/trap card on the field. So say goodbye to your Molten Whirlwind Wall!" said Sunset. Lord of the Red then raised its arms as it took out Fire Kraken's trap in a pillar of fire before it was gone too. "Well, I just lay a facedown and end my turn. And since I didn't normal summon or set a monster this turn, I can banish my Red-Eyes Wyvern to special summon 1 'Red-Eyes' from my graveyard. So rise up once more, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" said Sunset as her monster appeared in defense mode.

Turn 11: Fire Kraken

"My turn, you may have taken out my trap card, but my monster still has enough attack points to take out your Red-Eyes." said Fire Kraken as Laval Stennon took out Sunset's monster with ease.

"I reveal my trap, Red-Eyes Burn. Since you destroyed a Red-Eyes, we both take damage equal to its attack points."

"Not gonna happen, I reveal my facedown, Burgeoning Whirlflame! So now I send a 'Laval' monster to my graveyard to negate and destroy your trap card." said Fire Kraken as he took nullified Sunset's card. " Next, Soaring Eagle will attack you once again."
Sunset's Life Points: 3100-

"Now you have nothing left to protect you. So take your turn." said Fire Kraken as he end his turn.

Turn 12: Sunset

Alright, I need something. That monster still is the strongest in play even with his trap card gone. "Now, I'll play my Black Stone of Legend and then tribute it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning! Then I'll have my Archfiend of Lightning take out your Soaring Eagle." commanded Sunset as her monster struck the ground and lightning came down and fried the bird to glass.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 2400-

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 13: Fire Kraken

"My turn, perfect. Now, I'll play Megamorph and equip it onto my Laval Stennon, since my life points are lower than yours, my Laval Stennon now shoots up to 8000 attack points. Now prepare to lose, Laval Stennon take her out!" shouted Fire Kraken.

"I reveal my facedown, Half Unbreak. So now my monster is safe and the damage I take is cut in half!" shouted Sunset as a huge bubble formed around her and her monster as the attack still caused her to fall down.
Sunset's Life Points: 350-

"You're just delaying the inevitable." said Fire Kraken as its monster's stats dropped down to 6650 attack points."

Turn 14: Sunset

"Come on, Sunset!" said Spike as he had been watching the battle and keeping an eye on Isaac in the other room.

"Hold it right there!" shouted one of the guards who came out behind him.

"Uh-oh." said Spike as he tried to run only for one of the Fire Troopers to grab him as he tried to escape. Then they flung the dragon onto the ground as he looked at them. He saw their weapons pointed at them as he slowly back away.

"Say goodbye." threatened one of the troops.

Spike closed his eyes as he prepared to meet his fate. Soon the card that Isaac gave Spike started to glow as the monster Flame Swordsman came out to protect the little drake. The Fire Troopers were stunned by what they saw as they started to target Flame Swordsman who was quick to take action as he began to strike down the foes with his sword. Spike opened his eyes and was shocked to see himself unharmed as he saw the monster before him who looked at the baby dragon with a stern face. He then sheathed his sword as he helped the little thing up.

"Thanks." said Spike. Flame Swordsman just simply gave a nod to Spike as he returned back to his card that Spike was holding.

"Now then, time for me to take you down." said Sunset as she drew her card. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards. Next up is my Monster Reborn, so rise up Red-Eyes B. Dragon. Then I'll play this card, Claw of Hermos! So now I'll combine it with my Red-Eyes B. Dragon in order to form Red-Eyes Black Dragon Sword(2400/2100)!" Out on Sunset's field came a sword that was in the shape of Red-Eyes.

"A sword!?! Not much it will do!"

"Perhaps not on its own, but watch. Red-Eyes Archfiend, pick up that sword." Sunset's monster heard her command as it grabbed the sword and raised it up high. "Now that my sword is equipped to my monster, I can now activate its effect. First off, my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning gains 1000 attack points and then it gains 500 additionally attack and defense points for every dragon on the field and in the graveyard. Time for a roll call!" shouted Sunset as all the spirit of her dragons appeared next to her as they gave a cry to their mistress. "Looks like I'm counting 10 dragons in my graveyard, so do the math and my Archfiend has..."

"8500 attack points!" said Fire Kraken in a state of fear.

"Next, I'll reveal my final facedown, Double Attack. Now I'll discard my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon so that my monster can now attack a second time." said Sunset as she gave her monster its command as Archfiend of Lightning brought the sword down and cut Laval Stennon in half as it erupted into flames.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 550-

"Looks like this duel... is over." said Sunset as she gave her monster its final command to finish Fire Kraken off. With that Archfiend of Lightning then slash the sword as it left a mark on Fire Kraken.

"No! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Fire Kraken as he felt himself be defeated and then erupted into flames as he disappeared for good.
Fire Kraken's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset

"Awesome job, Sunset." shouted Spike as he slide down the wall and appeared next to the orange unicorn.

"Thanks, but we still have a job to do." said Sunset as she looked at her monster. "Archfiend, take out those drills!" commanded Sunset as he got to work on tearing apart the machines as they blew up. "Good job, buddy. Now we need to check up on Isaac." said Sunset as she and Spike heading into the other room.

Isaac was on his last legs as he still was holding his ground as he was still dealing with the massive army. He was down to his last few cards of his deck as the forces were getting closer to the stallion. With their command, all of them charged forward and Isaac closed his eyes; soon a pillar of fire shot up from the ground as it burned away some more soldiers. Isaac looked to the cave and saw Sunset with her Archfiend of Lightning by her side as it swung into action taking care of some more enemies. They both raced to Isaac's side as they helped the colt to his legs.

"Did you take care of it?" asked Isaac.

"Yup, Sunset beat the boss and destroyed those weapons." stated Spike.

"Good. Look out!" shouted Isaac as he saw a soldier heading towards Spike.

Soon Flame Swordsman came out as it blocked the attack and took out the enemy. He then looked at the trio as he too also engaged with Isaac and Sunset's monster.

"Man, am I glad he's on our side." said Spike as he had a smile on his face.

"Let's finish this." said Sunset as she called out some more monsters.

With that Isaac called on his two magicians as they came out and began to get to work. Soon all the forces were dwindling fast, Mana had managed to locate Fire Sorcerer and she was in an unhappy mood. She didn't appreciate someone hurting Isaac as she just started to fire off all her spells in a cartoonish way as she took out her enemy. Meanwhile Mahad was engaged with Brushfire Knight as they traded blows. Isaac had used his Knight's Title to transform Mahad so that he could go in hand to hand combat against the warrior. Both traded blows as they stared at each other. They both rushed forward as they looked to hit one final critical strike. Both were fast, but Mahad proved to be much faster as he was able to make contact first.

"I... have been defeated." said Brushfire Knight as he exploded into particles.

"You are a worthy opponent." said Mahad as he gave him enemy some praise. With that he transformed back and began to finish off the remaining forces.

Soon all the enemies had been defeated as the cave was empty and starting to collapse. The three of them called back their monsters after saying thanks as they all grabbed their bags and exited out of the cave just as the entrance was blocked.

"We... did... it." said Isaac as he was out of breath and fell on the floor.

"Yeah... we... did." said Spike as he too laid on the floor.

"So... can... we... take a break?" asked Sunset as she was breathing heavily.

"Yeah... just... wake us... for the next chapter." said Isaac as he fainted on the floor.

Chapter 116: Early Days

Principal Celestia was in her office as she was currently going over some paperwork. The year end evaluations had proven to be a success as she got tons of calls from dueling agencies as they called about certain individuals that interested them. Of course they did ask about the person who was ranked as the champion, but Celestia just simply said he was not available at the moment. Regardless, she did her job of helping her students set up their internships as it brought a smile to her face. Well, almost. Safe to say when she received the anonymous message from Sunset saying that she needed to borrow Isaac for a special mission, she was unpleased with the timing. But before she knew it, Isaac and Sunset were long gone as Celestia was forced to relay the message to the meeting that she would be attending by herself.

The summer did allow Celestia some pleasant memories. One of them being was that she got to spend time with her sister. Celestia knew how she and Luna were basically polar opposites, that people often referred to them as the sun and the moon which was a fair comparison. But also because it reminded them of something when they were a bit younger.

"Sister, dear. Please just stop working for once. It's summer and that means we should relax." said Luna as she entered her sister's office with sunglasses. "The students are gone and the preparations for the upcoming semester can wait until next month. Let's take this moment to enjoy ourselves. Hit the beach, meet some men. Clearly you're in need of one."

"As much as relationships go, I'm perfectly content with being single for the moment." stated Celestia. "Besides, Lulu. I'm busy making sure that the students who are doing their internships are content."

"If only that were true?" snickered Luna.

"What are insinuating?"

"Tia, you know that the students are content with their internships. This is a whole different matter."

"I don't know what you're talking about Lulu." said Celestia as she started to look at some paperwork.

"Not even Isaac." said Luna as it caused Celestia to stop what she was doing. "You're upset that he didn't attend the meeting with you."

"Isaac has nothing..."

"Tia, just stop!" shouted Luna. "Ever since our disagreement with Isaac about his 'destiny', he's been rather hostile towards us. He just merely acted like everything was okay to put on an act in front of others. But deep down, he holds disdain for us."

"Isaac is talented duelist with a bright young future ahead of him. All we've done for him since he enrolled here, all the challenges he's faced, it all to help him become the pro he's destined."

"I agree, the boy is the future and our lessons are to help him to avoid making the same mistakes we've made. I remember the long days and nights out on the road, sleeping in the poorest condition, all waiting for a chance to get noticed and find a sponsor that would finance us." said Luna as she thought back to their very early days where they struggled.

"Indeed, that is something that nobody should ever have to go through. I'll admit, we got lucky. And since then, we've been blessed with having the careers we've had." said Celestia in the same tone as her little sister. "That's why I know Isaac will be that much better than the two of us could ever be. It's why we've been having those private meetings, we're trying to pass our wisdom onto him so that he could have a smooth ride."

"But in the end, it ultimately comes down to whether or not Isaac will accept our offer." stated Luna. "The boy has to make the final decision. And once he returns from his trip with Sunset, I plan to talk to him. There's something I must do."

"I know." said Celestia as she knew what Luna was hinting at. "And I pray that he does the right thing." Soon Celestia had a smile on her face as both girls let out a laugh. "My, how long has it been since we've just laughed."

"About the same time you can't find a man." stated Luna who received a dirty look from her older sister. "By the way, I received a call from William. He says that he's amazed at what Twilight has been doing; even has started working on her own card designs."

"That warms my heart." said Celestia as she let out a sigh. "I remember when we first met William, it's as if it happened yesterday."

"Indeed, it was also around the time we met 'you know who'." said Luna.

(Years Ago)

A younger Celestia and Luna were currently walking around Manehattan as they hoped to find a sponsor to take them in. They had just entered the pro scene a couple of months ago and the only duels they got to do happen to be in small rooms for an audience of nothing more than 15 people. So they both decided to head to Manehattan as a way to potential get signed to an agency. And the timing was perfect as a special guest was arriving from across the sea for a special exhibition duel. They had managed to find the arena where the duel would take place as they saw a mass of fans all being held back by security guards and red ropes. Soon a limo pulled up and out came the individual inside.

"He's here!" shouted one of the fans as they started to make some noise.

"Is that really him?"

"I can't believe he came all this way."

"He's a star."

"Marry me!" shouted a girl.

Celestia and Luna had managed to sneak through the mass of people as they got to the front of the ropes. They managed to see why everybody was so ecstatic cause the person was a duelist, but not just any duelist, he was the best duelist, he was none other than the King of Games. Both girls had heard stories about him and how he was considered to be the grandmaster of dueling along with the other major 3 duelists that change the entire world of Duel Monsters.

"This way, Mr. King of Games." said a security guard as he did his job to protect his client while leading him to the arena.

Soon the people around them started to cheer louder as they saw the King of Games. The people around Celestia and Luna started to push the sisters out as they were now behind all of the people.

"I can't see." said Celestia. Despite her being a bit taller than Luna, she still couldn't see due to the taller people. "Lulu, get on shoulders and tell me what you see."

Celestia then bent down, as Luna put their backpacks on the ground as she climbed her sister's shoulders.

"What do you see?"

"I see him. He's walking. He's still walking. Oh, he fell down." stated Luna. "Oh, he got back up. And now he's walking, he's still walking. Did he just get taller?" asked Luna.

"Lulu!" shouted Celestia.

"Sorry." responded Luna. "He's still walking, and now he's waving to the crowd. Ahh, the reporters are blocking my view." said Luna as tons of photographers/reporters started to swarm the King of Games.

"What?" yelled Celestia. Soon she started to lose their balance as both girls were tumbling forward as they caused a section of the red rope to fall over.

Everybody saw this as the girls were on the floor as they eased their pain. Soon security guards started to emerge as they looked to apprehend the girls. Celestia and Luna just smiled as they knew the trouble they were in. Just as they were about to be thrown out, the guards were called off.

"Wait!" shouted a voice. That voice belonged to none other than the King of Games himself. He then started to walk towards the sisters as they were in awe of seeing him. "Are you two alright?" said the King of Games in a deep voice that would make girls swoon over him.

"Yes." said Celestia as she allowed him to help her up along with her sister.

"We're sorry, for making such a scene. Mr. King of Games." stated Luna.

"It's quite alright." He then noticed two decks that were on the floor as he picked them up. He then began to search through them as he examined them. "Very interesting." replied the King of Games. "Are you ladies, duelists?"

"Just beginning. My sister and I are hoping to enter the pro scene, but things haven't been going good as of late." said Luna.

"Hmm." He then handed Celestia and Luna their decks back as he talked with one of the security guards. With that he left as he entered the arena.

The security guard then approached Celestia and Luna as he relayed the message given to him by his client. Seems they were both invited to watch the King of Games in his upcoming duel. Celestia and Luna were both so happy as they grabbed their backpacks and followed the security guard as he led them to their seats. He brought them to a private box as they were joined by other people.

"Can you believe our luck, Tia?" shouted Lulu as she was giddy like the young adult she was.

"Shush, Lulu. Let's not jinx it, this might be our lucky break."

"Indeed it may be." said another voice.

That voice belonged to a man who wore a red suit and based on his appearance, he seemed to have a foppish manner, dandified appearance, and effeminate hairstyle. He was also accompanied by someone who was right around the age of Celestia and Luna.

"It seems Yugi-boy brought in some guests." said the older man. "Pleasure to meet you ladies. I'm Maximillion Pegasus. And this is my grandson, William."

"Such an honor to be in the presence of such lovely ladies." said William as he kissed Celestia and Luna's hand which caused the girls to blush a bit.

"Yes, well. The honor is on us, we know who your are Mr. Pegasus and we're huge fans of your work." stated Luna.

"Indeed, you created a game that has taken the world by storm and has produced some of the best duelists to ever play this game." chimed in Celestia.

"But of course, I'm glad to have created something that is loved not just by me, but for everyone." said Pegasus.

"So what are two pretty girls like you doing here?" asked William as he sat down.

"Well, we're hoping to become pros ourselves." said Celestia.

"Though that hasn't been exactly successful." responded Luna.

"Hmm, I see. Oh, Yugi-boy. You really are a good guy." said Pegasus. Soon he heard an announcer starting to talk as the show was about to start. "Well now, take a seat ladies, the show is about to start."

Celestia and Luna then got settled in as all four of them began to watch. Soon the lights started to dim down as a spotlight appeared as it shined down on the person. That person was none other than the greatest duelist to ever pick up a deck. He then began to walk to the stage with confidence as he had a huge smile on his face. Soon the announcer started to introduce the duelist.

"And here he is ladies and gentleman. The King of Games himself, the number 1 duelist in all of the world. Yugi Moto!" shouted the announcer as everybody cheered with the girls going crazy.

Yugi just simply smiled as he waved to the crowd though he appeared to be much smaller than when Celestia and Luna met him. He then approached the center of the stage as he began to speak.

"Welcome! To those here and those watching at home and around the world, it's truly an honor to be here." Yugi's response was met with a warm applause. "Now then, duelists from across the world have ventured here in order to compete for a chance at being called champion. And it's my great honor to be here and say to the participants that you all could be considered the best, but their can only be one winner." Once more, Yugi was given a warm reception. "Now then, here are the participants who'll be competing. First off, we have..." The screen behind Yugi that had the portraits of the participants then shut off.

"What's going on?" asked Yugi as the screen was now black. Soon small symbols started to appear. "I've never seen... wait a minute... oh no!" shouted Yugi. The small symbols all started to multiply and soon a big one was left on the screen, but now that the image could be made clearer, everybody could see that it was actually two letters stuck together and it read 'K.C'.

Soon another platform was being raised up next to Yugi as the person standing on it was coming out. That person turned out to be none other than Yugi's arch rival. Seems the crowd was enjoying this moment as they cheered for the person who came out as he had a smile on his face as he looked at the crowd as he received a warm welcome. He then looked at Yugi who had a scowl on his face.

"What would be a world championship be without me? The world's greatest duelist!" said the person.

"Hmm. It's Kaiba." said Yugi.

"You know, you had enough time on the stage, Yugi. So now it's my turn. Before we get down to business with you, Yugi. Let's get it over with and bring out these third-rate duelists."

"Kaiba! These are the greatest duelists in the world, in the whole world. I bet any one of them could defeat you."

"Yeaaah. Uhm, they're not worthy of a chance to duel against me, Yugi. Besides dueling me isn't a right, it's a privilege. But if you insist, then I, Seto Kaiba, greatest duelist in the world will announce the participants." With that Kaiba then began to name off the duelists competing in the tournament.

"Congratulations to all of you who made it this far." said Yugi.

"Please, they've already received the greatest congratulations in all of Duel Monsters and that's being in my presence." stated Kaiba.

"I don't particularly enjoy your presence." said Yugi. "You know, let's have these duelists to see my grandpa for some last minute deck tuning before their matches. Duelists, please follow me to the left." said Yugi as he exited the stage to show the participants where they could prepared themselves.

"Ahh, typically Yugi. Running away from me. I hope he realizes I will make him pay for turning his back on me. However, it doesn't mean the stage is perfectly set, cause it is. Because it's 100% Kaiba." smiled Kaiba. "The only thing that would make this better is my Blue-Eyes." Soon a holographic image of Kaiba's ace monsters appeared as they seemed like life as they let out a loud roar. "Now we're talking!" laughed Kaiba. Soon the holograms turned off. "Oh no. Come on. He had his time. Is he back already?"

Soon some ancient magic was occurring as well as some Egyptian music. Soon a cry was heard as out walked Yugi but this time he seemed to be a bit taller and rather more confident as he had a deep, sexy voice that caused all the ladies to faint.

"Kaiba, I am not going to leave you here alone with these people. After you insulted those champions."

"Oh, please. The stage was so much better a few seconds ago." mocked Kaiba.

"You may insult them, but they have more courage and belief in the heart of the cards than you ever will. I will do what I must for these prestigious duelists. I challenge you to a duel!" shouted Yugi as he pointed at Kaiba.

"Why else do you think I'm here, Yugi?" shouted Kaiba.

"It's time to duel!" shouted both of them as they got in position as they activated their duel disks.

The crowd was now cheering as the exhibition duel was underway. With half of the crowd cheering for Yugi and the other half cheering on Kaiba. Up in the box, Celestia and Luna were in awe as they were watching two of the very, very best individuals duke it out as they hoped to one day be in that position. The action was back and forth as it had everybody on the edge of their seat; both Kaiba and Yugi had faced each other so many times that they were already countering each others moves before they were actually made. The expression on Celestia and Luna's face was something like a little kid seeing their favorite TV character in real life. Eventually the exhibition duel was reaching the climax.

"It's over, Kaiba. Dark Magician attack Blue-Eyes with Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Yugi.

"Nooooooooo!!!!!!!!" yelled out Kaiba as he was defeated. Soon the duel was over as Yugi had emerged as the victor. "I can't believe I lost!" shouted Kaiba.

"Don't be upset, Kaiba. It was an incredible duel that I'll never forget. And neither will everyone watching." said Yugi as his voice was now a bit high pitched.

"Yeah. That's what I'm afraid of."

"As long as we created an incredible memory for ourselves and for the people around us, our duel was a total success." stated Yugi with a smile.

"It sure was an exciting duel, but I wanted to win the title. This was my chance, my redemption to being called the #1 duelist. How could I have let this happen?" gritted Kaiba.

"You'll have plenty of time to figure that out as you're planning for our next unforgettable duel, but for now, let's not forget that no one is here for us, Kaiba. Everyone is here for them." said Yugi as he was referring to the participants in the tournament. "We're all here to see which competitor will earn the right to be called 'the best'." With that both Yugi and Kaiba gave one last wave as they allowed the tournament to get underway.

"Did you see that Lulu?" asked Celestia as she couldn't contain her excitement.

"The rush of that duel got my spine all tingly. Tia, this what we crave." stated Luna as she too was giddy like her sister.

"Seems Yugi has done it again with the ladies." said William as he talked with his grandfather.

"Then perhaps you could join us, Ms. Celestia and Luna. I have some business to discuss with Yugi-boy and I'm sure he wouldn't mind some extra company." stated Pegasus.

"We would be honored!" shouted both girls. With that they grabbed their backpacks as they followed Pegasus and William as they all exited their private box.

Soon they made it to the main hall as Yugi was at a table as he was looking at his deck.

"Yugi-boy." chimed Pegasus.

"Pegasus." said Yugi as he still had his high-pitched voice.

Soon the two got to talking as they caught up since the last time they met. Eventually, Pegasus called over Celestia and Luna who were just nervously pacing in place. Yugi then saw the two girls as he remember them through his other self. And the introductions went smoothly as Celestia and Luna couldn't believe they were standing in the presence of dueling royalty. Eventually they all decided to have lunch as it allowed Celestia and Luna the opportunity to ask the King of Games some questions.

"So... you're both trying to get into the pro scene?" asked Yugi.

"Yeah. My sister and I have dreamed of this since we were younger." stated Celestia.

"Well, I'm glad to be an inspiration for you two."

"Not just you, but the other three members." chimed in Luna.

"Aw, yes. I've met them." informed Yugi. "We all were asked to partake in an event and it allowed us the opportunity to meet each other."

"Trust me, the press couldn't stop talking about it." stated William. "They even came to front door asking us what we thought about the 4 legendary duelist all coming together. Right, grandpa."

"Trust me it was on a Saturday of all things. And the media had the audacity to interrupt us during our favorite show." stated Pegasus.

"Funny Bunny." said Pegasus and William in unison as it was their favorite cartoon show.

"Right." said Yugi. He then reached into his pocket as he heard a beep. "Well, I need to get going. It was nice catching up Pegasus. And for the young ones, I'm glad to have met you." With that Yugi started to leave before he was called out.

"Yugi, wait!" called out Celestia. "I know you're a busy man with a tedious traveling schedule. But do you think that you could duel me and my sister?"

"It would mean everything if we could see how we stack up against the very best." said Luna as she had the pleading eyes with her big sister.

"Hmm. You're serious?" asked Yugi in a stern tone.

"More than you could ever know." said Celestia.

"I... I... guess I could grant this request. It will allow me to seek the answers that I'm looking for." Soon the necklace around Yugi began to glow and in an instant he was now his other persona. "Now then, let's begin." said Yami in a deep voice.

Celestia had volunteered to go first as she pulled out her duel disk from her backpack and slotted in her deck. Soon both of them activated their duel disk as it combined together.

"Prepare yourself, Celestia. It's time to duel!" shouted Yami saying his most iconic line.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Yugi Moto's Life Points: 4000-

Celestia's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Celestia

"I'll allow you to make the first move." offered Yugi.

"Hope you don't regret that. I draw!" said Celestia as she looked at her cards and was starting to figure out her plan. okay, no pressure. You're only facing the King of Games who is single handily the best player. No pressure, just focus. Celestia let out a deep breath as she tried to clear her mind. "To start, I'll summon my Harvest Angel of Wisdom. Next, I play the spell card, Cards from the Sky. So now I banish a Light Fairy monster from my hand and draw 2 cards from my deck." Celestia then chose which one she wanted to get rid of as she drew some more cards. Celestia looked at her new cards and held one of them out. “I activate the continuous spell card, The Sanctum of Parshath.” A large marble temple sparkled into place behind Celestia, a large flight of stairs leading up to an altar depicting a winged warrior with a shield and sword. "With my spell in play, all of my Fairy-type monsters gain 300 attack points, and my face-down spell and trap cards cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects. I then set one card and end my turn."

Turn 2: Yugi

"Nice move, now then..." said Yugi as he drew his card. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Dark Magic Curtain. So by using half of my life points, I can summon a spellcaster from my deck. So arise, Dark Magician!" Yugi now had his star monster on the field as Celestia was in awe.
Yugi's Life Points: 2000-

"According to the history books, that card is Yugi's ace." said Luna as she watched from the side.

"Next, I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student. So now, that the teacher is the field, his student will follow. So I play Dark Magician Girl. Next, I play my Dark Magic Twin Burst to raise my Dark Magician's attack by the points of my Dark Magician Girl." said Yugi as his magician powered up. "Now time to attack, Dark Magician attack Celestia's Harvest Angel of Wisdom!"

"I reveal my facedown, Book of Eclipse. Now I can change all face-up monsters into facedown defense position."

"I'm afraid that won't work. Cause from my hand, I activate the Spell Shattering Arrow card. Now I can destroy both of your spells and you take 500 points of damage for each one I destroy." stated Yugi.
Celestia's Life Points: 3000-

"No!" shouted Celestia.

"And with that your monster is now open to an attack. So Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl end this duel with Double Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi then had both of his magicians combined their staffs as they took out Celestia's remaining monster and the rest of her life points.

"Ahh!" shouted Celestia as she dropped to her knees.
Celestia's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Yugi (OTK)

"Tia!" shouted Luna as she couldn't believe what she saw. Luna was shocked at how easily her own sister was defeated by Yugi.

"Now then, I believe it's your turn." asked Yugi as he looked at Luna.

Luna was a bit frighten as she grabbed her duel disk from her backpack and slotted in her deck as her hands were shaking. She then took her position as she activated her duel disk which combined together; Yugi's duel disk then retracted his cards as it shuffled them back into his deck.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Yugi's Life Points: 4000-

Luna's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Luna

"R-right. W-well, I'll... uh..." stuttered Luna.

"Take a deep breath." suggested Yugi. "It will clear your mind and help you to think straight."

"Okay." Luna then took a deep breath as it calmed her mind. She could now think more clearly as she began to look over her cards once more and then made her move. "To start, I'll play my Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves(1000/500)." Out came a monster on Luna's field as it had some huge gloves. "But that's not all, cause you see my knights don't fight alone. They work together to protect their princess." stated Luna. "So now I can also summon my Phantom Knights of Silent Boots in defense mode. With that I now have two Level 3 monsters."

"Which means you plan to Xyz summon." stated Yugi as he had learned about this type of summoning from Yuma.

"Correct, I know you don't use this type of summoning method, but allow me to show you what it can do. I now overlay my level three Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, with these two monsters I build the Overlay Network." Luna's monsters then transformed into purple orbs of light as they entered a vortex as out came a brand new monster. "I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword! Rise my mighty beast!" Out came what looked to be a headless horse man as it had flames on where its head and upper parts of its body were suppose to be.

"Incredible." complimented Yugi.

"Now the effect of my Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves gives my Break Sword an extra 1000 attack points." Luna's monster then increased its strength to 3000. "Next, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Yugi

"My turn, and to start, I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil. So by giving up 1000 life points, I can summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Yugi now had his female spellcaster out on his field. "Next, I'll play my Sage's Stone and with the power of this spell, I can call upon my most ardent ally, Dark Magician!" Once more, Yugi had managed to summon his ace monster with ease.
Yugi's Life Points: 3000-

Here is comes. Luna was now preparing herself for Yugi's attack. "I activate my facedown, Phantom Knights Fog Blade. With this trap, I can select an effect monster on the field and negate its special abilities. Furthermore that monster can't attack. So I choose your Dark Magician Girl!" said Luna as Yugi's magician was surrounded by Luna's fog blade.

"Impressive, but it won't work. Cause now I play Dark Burning Magic! With this since I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, I can destroy all cards on your side of the field!"

"What?!" said Luna as she was caught offguard.

"Now my magicians, destroy her entire field!" Yugi's magicians then heard their king's command as they obliterated Luna's entire side.

"Well, now my Break Sword's effect activates. Now I can bring back the monsters I used to summon it but this time their level increases by 1." Luna then had her Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots appeared in defense mode as they were now Level 4.

"A bold move, however, not good enough. Cause now, I play my Dark Burning Attack! So now my Dark Magician Girl can destroy all of your monsters in one blast!" stated Yugi.

"If that happens..."

"Now Dark Magician Girl... Dark Burning Attack!" shouted Yugi. Dark Magician Girl then lifted her wand up high as she casted her most powerful spell as once again Luna was left defenseless. "Now my magicians, attack Luna directly. Double Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi thrusted his hand out as his monsters delivered the final blow to Luna who fell to her knees.
Luna's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Yugi (OTK)

The result of the duel was the same as the previous one as both sisters were on their knees as they were in a state of shock. Yugi could sense their discomfort as the girl's confidence had been shattered to pieces. Both Luna and Celestia were on the ground on their knees as they had a few tears form in their eyes. Eventually they heard footsteps as they looked up and saw Yugi offering his hand to both girls as he had returned back to his puny version. Yugi had the innocent of smiles as looked at the sisters.

"Hey, good job." stated Yugi. "You two are good."

"How can you say that? We barely lasted a turn against you. So how can you congratulate us?" asked Celestia as she wiped some tears from her eyes.

"Cause you had fun."

"Fun? We got destroyed. What's fun about that?" asked Luna.

"In a duel, it's all about having fun. Sure wins are good, but the most important thing is to trust in yourself and believe in the heart of the cards. And that will help you go a long way if you want to become pro. Rome wasn't built in a day and I wasn't a pro overnight, it took time, patience, and even losing a few times to fully understand what it means to become the duelist that I am today." stated Yugi.

"I... guess." said Celestia.

"But, a little help from others doesn't hurt." Yugi then pulled out two cards from his pocket as he gave one of them to Luna and the other to Celestia.

"Are you sure? We couldn't possibly take this from you." said Luna as she looked at the card, Yugi gave her.

"It's fine, take it. Something tells me that these cards belong with you." stated the boy. With that Yugi started to walk away as he needed to leave.

"Yugi!" called out Celestia. "Me and Luna will remember what you've done for us. And we promise to make you proud, and when we're pros, we're both having our rematch." shouted Celestia as Yugi kept on walking.

I look forward to that Celestia, Luna. And I know you'll be successful; it may be long and rough road, but I know you two will achieve your dreams. And I await our next duel. With that Yugi stepped through the doors as he was now gone.

The girls were now filled with hope; it seemed their encounter with the King of Games had ignited a fire under their asses as it would serve as the driving force moving forward. And from that point on, both Celestia and Luna spent the next years of their lives making their dreams a reality. Granted it was rough like Yugi mentioned, but soon they had their shining moment as both eventually broke out onto the scene and started to gain traction. Soon both Celestia and Luna went on to win multiple championships and trophies as a team. They each had individual success with Celestia being awarded the Yugioh World Class trophy which only a select handful were given; Luna had her own award to brag as she was given a trophy entitled Favorite Female Duelist of the Decade as tons of people loved her. Of course, Luna would always use it as a bragging right to Celestia saying that people liked her more than others, which was certainly true due to her massive male audience. Celestia did her best to 'smile' for her sister, but deep down she was a bit jealous that her sister was more popular than her in terms of fan support.

During that time, they had managed to take on several other dueling legends in the dueling world. And their big moment came when they attended a meeting that had invited both girls to partake in a few exhibition duels. At that party, they ran into some friends they met on the competitive seen, one of which was none other than Sombra himself. Luna always jumped at the opportunity to tease her sister's relationship with Sombra as she found the two would make a cute pair. Celestia just ignored Luna's remarks and said that Sombra was just a flirt and nothing more than a close friend. Soon the event got underway as Luna and Celestia were notified by the organizer of the event that they would be meeting their opponents. So they each broke off as they went to separate rooms; for Luna she walked into the room and was surprised to see that her opponent was none other than the World Duel Carnival himself, Yuma Tsukumo. At that moment, Luna's brain stopped working as she turned from pro duelist to fangirl as she screamed at the top of her lungs and started asking Yuma for his autograph.

As for Celestia she was meeting with none other than the best fusion duelist, Jaden Yuki. At first glance, she saw the boy was a carefree individual who really didn't take stuff to serious. But the vibe she got from his presence and dueling, showed that when he got on the dueling field he was always ready to get his game on. Celestia was a bit more professional as she withheld her enthusiasm... for a like a second. If you thought Luna fangirled hard, Celestia was an even bigger fangirl as she literally pulled out several images and asked Jaden to sign. Eventually both pairs began to talk with the girls as they offered them some praises on them competing in the pro scene. Of course, Celestia and Luna offered their respects for them as they thanked the boys for all they did to make Duel Monsters so popular.

The event kicked off as the exhibition duels kicked off. Luna was up first against Yuma as he was mentally preparing herself for getting this amazing opportunity. However, before they began she noticed the other two members of the Big 4 as they were watching from their chairs looking down on them. In the end, Luna gave a hard fought fight as she was defeated by Yuma and his Xyz summoning.

"Now Utopia finish Luna off, Rising Sun Slash!" shouted Yuma as his monster took out Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon.

The same fate was met with Celestia as Jaden took her to the limit with his fusion ways.

"Hey Neos, let's finish this. Attack Celestia directly!" shouted Jaden. His monster heard his command as he fly over to her side and landed its attack as it made contact with Celestia. "That's game." said Jaden as he did his signature pose.

After the event, they all got to meet the rest of the Big 4 which resulted in them taking a group photo. However, this meeting also served as a chance for Luna and Celestia to see how much they had improved since they met Yugi all those years ago. Of course, Yugi offered them their request and they each took the King of Games on with the other members watching. Compared to their first encounter, the girls vastly improved as they forced Yugi to use an Egyptian God card to finish them off, which Yugi said was a tremendous honor of pushing him.

After that, Celestia and Luna continued on their ways for the next part of their careers as they kept in touch with the Big 4. One time during their travel to Japan, they ran into another young duelist who was starting to make a splash. He had been known to be called the pioneer of 'Pendulum Summoning'. Eventually, the girls met the boy as he wowed them with his style of dueling called Dueltainment in an environment called Action Duels. He told the girls about his adventure with having to save several dimensions, but Luna and Celestia just played along.

Eventually, Celestia and Luna continued on as their careers were winding down. During the latter part of their careers, they had opened up a school as it served as something to fall back on. And from there the rest was history, Celestia and Luna did their job as Principal and Vice-Principal while also having part-time careers in the pro scene. With the years passing, Celestia and Luna saw a group of girls who had enrolled in CHS as she could tell they were destined to become fast friends. Around that time was when Sunset Shimmer had appeared and well... you know what happened. At the time, Discord had given Celestia the incentive of her retiring. So they did their best to help Sunset and make sure that their school was a welcoming environment as they tried to be the best principals they could be. Eventually, the years passed as it had brought the arrival of a young boy who had a passion for Duel Monsters like no other. And from that moment, she knew he was going to be the next legend and the person she wanted to have her final duel with.

(Back to the present)

The clock on the wall rang twice as it broke the reminiscing of the two women.

"Well, I suppose I'll let you get back to work." stated Luna. She then began to head out the door, when she stopped.

"Wait, Lulu. You're right, this can wait." said Celestia as she got up from her desk. "Let's have some fun."

"Marvelous. Now then, let's hurry. We're suppose to meet with William and our 'other' guest." stated Luna.

"Has it been that long? Well, time to see how he's grown up." said Celestia. Luna then exited through the door, as Celestia looked back at her desk and saw the paper on it. The paper had Isaac's portrait as it was his school profile. I just hope he isn't too mad at me; I just want what's best for him. He's done all he can here and now it's time for him to move on to the next part of his life.

Chapter 128: Meeting the Master

Isaac couldn't believe what he was seeing. To recap, Luna had been invited to take part in an exhibition match in Manehattan. So she figured why not have Isaac as her opponent as she figured this would be a way for not only get to have a fantastic duel, but also let Isaac have a chance to show the dueling committee what he could do. Safe to say her plan was a success as during the duel, all the people and sponsors that attended saw the skills Isaac had as they could see he had potential. They immediately saw talent and did their best to claim it for themselves. However, there was another reason on why Luna wanted Isaac to face her. Turns out she had hidden agenda in that her body was starting to tell her that she couldn't go on anymore with all the stress she had piled on with running a school and still competing on the pro scene even after her own sister was done. Luna could feel the pain that her body was saying even if her brain was saying that she could still go; so she made the decision to have one final duel with Isaac as she hoped she could go out on top and on her own terms.

It seemed to work as she was pushed to her limits by the the young teen that she was forced to continue even though her body was hurting. During the duel, Isaac proved to be a formidable foe as he was able to counter and keep up with Luna. Ultimately, it served as the sign that Luna needed as she knew Isaac was the right choice. And in the end, Isaac granted Luna's dying wish as he ended her career and officially retired the nighttime girl; to Luna she felt much, much better as she no longer had to constantly worry about the stress that was on her shoulders as she could finally enjoy retirement and gain back some of her youth. And so as a result, Luna was glad to give her torch to Isaac as she knew he earned it. After the duel, Luna had one surprise in store as she lead the two of them to a secret room where a special guest who had arrived for the event had been watching the duel. That person turned out to be none other than a dueling legend as Isaac was now meeting with the Master of Pendulum Summoning himself, Yuya Sakaki.

"Isaac, meet Yuya Sakaki." said Luna.

"Sup." responded Yuya.

"Uh, hey." said Isaac as he was in awe. "Sorry, it's just that I don't believe it. Am I actually talking with the Yuya Sakaki? The pioneer and master of pendulum summoning from across the sea?"

"Well, is there anybody else?" chuckled Yuya. "So, you're Isaac. Nice to meet you."

"It's an honor." said Isaac as he shook Yuya's hand. "So what are you doing here, uh not that I'm not grateful."

"Believe it or not, I was invited here by the dueling committee. I heard about this exhibition duel taking place and they informed me. Granted I wasn't that much invested, but when I heard it was Luna competing, I told my traveling team that I was going across the sea to see an old friend." smiled Yuya.

"You mean?" said Isaac as he looked back at Luna.

"I told you that I had to keep it a secret. Besides I wanted your attention on our duel." stated Luna.

"It nice to see Luna duel again, what's it been 6 years since I first you and your sister?" asked Yuya.

"Indeed, it was around the time you had 'supposedly' traveled to other dimensions to save them all." said Luna as she still didn't believe Yuya's adventure.

"I'm telling you it's true. I really did have to do that." responded Yuya. "Anyways, Luna also informed me about a special individual she and Celestia had. And so I also wanted to see with my own eyes. And well, I'm impressed."

"Thanks for the praises, but compared to you. I'm just a novice duelist." said Isaac.

"I don't know, based on that duel with Luna and how well you performed, I say your skills are a cut above the rest." responded Yuya.

"You'll also be pleased to know that Yuya here is now the latest duelist to have reached the legendary class status as the other members of the Big 4." said Luna.

"You mean?" started Isaac.

"Yup, looks like it's the Big 5 now." stated Yuya.

"One for each summoning method. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and now Pendulum." said Luna. "Of course, our side of the world has yet to be fully introduced into the world of Pendulums."

"Speaking of pendulums, I hear you got some of your own. Mind if I take a look?" asked Yuya.

"Oh, sure." said Isaac as he reached into his deck box on his belt as he pulled out the pendulum cards for Yuya. "They're nothing special, at least not compared to yours."

"I'll be the judge of that." Yuya then took Isaac's pendulum cards as he got a good look at them. Safe to say he could feel the magic that flowed through each one of them as he could sense their connection they had with Isaac. Yuya saw that each one of them was happy to have Isaac as their own as it gave him the same feeling with his cards. "Not bad, these are some great cards." said Yuya as he handed them back to Isaac.

"Well, I only have 6 so far. You've got nearly deck full of them." said Isaac as he smiled at Yuya.

"Well then, seems everything is in order. I'll let you talk with Yuya, Isaac. I'll be waiting in the lobby area when you are two are done." Luna then exited the room along with the other security guards as Yuya dismissed them and told them that he would be fine. Soon it was just the two boys as they began to talk.

"So, how are things across the sea?" asked Isaac.

"Can't complain. Everything is nice, not to mention all the Action Duels that happen on a regular basis." said Yuya. "It was nice to take a break from traveling schedule as a Dueltainer."

"I can imagine, always having to wow the crowd. Keeping them on the suspense, not to mention trying to tell a story with your dueling. It must get a lot to handle all at once." said Isaac.

"It can be at sometimes, but I have people who are there to remind me to take things slow and enjoy the little moments." Yuya then pulled out his duel disk as he tapped on it and showed Isaac some pictures of him and his friends.

"Wow, you got some incredible friends." stated Isaac.

He then saw a picture of Yuya with another person. This person was a girl as she had blue eyes and dark pink midback-length hair, which was tied up in pigtails, clipped down by blue, spherical hair clips. Her hair also featured two lighter pink bangs that fell to the side of her face. She had an outfit that consisted of a sleeveless light-blue and white shirt with a green musical note on the right collar, along with a pink tie, which she wore with a maroon skirt, dark stockings, and pink sneakers.

"Close friend of yours?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, her name is Zuzu Boyle. She's been my childhood friend since we were little." responded Yuya.

"Oh, let me guess, girlfriend?"

"Actually, fiancé. I recently took the next step and asked her to marry me. Granted I've only done the proposal and we've yet to even sit down and plan our wedding due to both of our lives being busy with me as a Dueltainer and her trying to run her father's school while also taking part in some duels of her own. But we still make time for each and spend every second we can, we plan to hopefully settle down in the next few years and potential start a family."

"She's one lucky girl." smiled Isaac.

"Thanks, what about you? Got someone in your life?" asked Yuya.

"You could say that? Though, I don't what our future holds given that once graduation starts, we'll go our separate ways. We both have different career paths."

"Hey, chin up. If I can handle being a Dueltainer while on the road and still make time for my special someone. Then you got nothing to worry about." smiled Yuya.

"I appreciate that."

"So, I heard you got some stories. Care to take a walk with me?" asked Yuya as he started to exit the room as Isaac followed.

During the walk, both boys began to exchange tales with one another as they were surprised to see what the other had managed to accomplish in such a short amount of time in their lives. Yuya got to talking to Isaac about how he had to travel to alternate dimensions as he had to save Zuzu and stop an evil force that wanted to bring about destruction to all. Thankfully, he was able to stop them and was able to save Zuzu as they both lived the rest of their lives together. For Isaac, he told Yuya about his life growing up and how he was in love with Duel Monsters since he was a kid. He mentioned about the King of Games being his idol as he hoped one day to be just like him. Soon thereafter, Isaac told Yuya about him coming to Canterlot High and how he had to stop Sunset who was bent on taking over the school and spread her reign of terror. He defeated her and was able to give her a second chance at redemption.

From there, Isaac explained about the time he competed in the Friendship Games and how he competed in a rival school competition. Then there was the graduation duel with Shining Armor, Camp Everfree, the trip he took with the girls last year in traveling across the country. Isaac then began to tell Yuya about Celestia's retirement which he seem to have known about. So Isaac told Yuya how Celestia had picked him to be her final opponent and in the end he granted her request; then he talked about how he got his pendulum cards as they just magically appeared. From that point on, he started to do a couple of research on how pendulum cards were played and how to incorporate them into his play style which most of the videos revolved around Yuya.

"Man, to think you've been through all this since you enrolled at CHS." said Yuya as they were still walking.

"I guess. But come on, you went to different dimensions and saved the world. That's way more impressive than all the adventures I've had put together."

"Still, didn't you go to another world yourself and had to save it from evil Duel Monsters? That's not something to be taken lightly. Plus you got some cool friends that are always willing to stick by you, no matter what. That's the real treasure." said Yuya.

"Like you and your friends." stated Isaac to which Yuya just smiled.

"Speaking of Duel Monsters, Luna and Celestia also told me that you've master all the known summoning methods. That's something very few duelists have accomplish."

"Like you. I know that you have several monsters for each of the summoning methods. Ones that revolve around your dragons with your ace being at the top." said Isaac as he showed off his knowledge about Yuya. "Besides, you've had a chance to meet to the other members of the Big 4 at some points in your life. Speaking of which, was it like?"

"It's an experience like no other. In fact, after my little adventure, I actually got a chance to duel one of them." said Yuya.

"Care to share?" asked Isaac as he was interested.

"Well, it all started..."

(Flashback)

Yuya was currently in his house as he was going over his deck. It had been about 3 months since he returned from his little adventure and saved Zuzu. During that time, his career as a Dueltainer had taken off as tons of people wanted to see him perform. He also mustered up the courage to confess his feelings for Zuzu as the two had started to date to which everybody all said they made a cute couple. Though she also did her job of reeling in Yuya whenever he wasn't taking things seriously. One day, Yuya was in his house when his girlfriend barged into his room.

"Yuya!" shouted Zuzu as it caused the young boy to fall out of his chair and land on the floor. "What are doing? I've been trying to contact you for the 20 minutes."

"Ease up, Zuzu." said Yuya as he rubbed his back. "What's going on?"

"Here." Zuzu then handed Yuya a small envelope.

Yuya then grabbed it as he began to open it up and read the letter that was inside. "It says that I've been invited to part take in an exhibition duel. Against someone, but it doesn't who."

"Well does it matter, this is your chance to wow the crowd like your dad would." said Zuzu.

"Problem is, I'm already booked. The traveling team already has my schedule planned out, not to mention Nico Smiley is expecting me to show the world my pendulum skills. Guess, I'll have to decline."

"No you don't mister!" said Zuzu as she hit Yuya on the head with her fan. "This is a big chance for you. I get that being a Dueltainer is alot, trust me I understand. But this is once in a lifetime opportunity; imagine the many new duelists you can meet. You have to take this opportunity."

"And if I don't?" asked Yuya.

"Then I'm going to drag you there myself!" said Zuzu as she was serious about that detail as she prepared to give her boyfriend another whack on the head.

"Okay, okay. I get it, settle down Zuzu. I just hope the crowd will like what I have to offer."

"Trust me, if they see what I see in you, then you'll be fine. Just promise you won't do anything reckless, we've had enough of that given our latest adventure."

"I promise. Just hope you don't miss me too much." said Yuya.

"I'll think I'll be fine." said Zuzu as she leaned forward and the two shared a kiss.

After that Yuya was already on a plane ride as he was being flown across the sea to partake in his duel. He arrived at the stadium as the crowd was ecstatic for what they were about to see. They had heard about Yuya and the way he was taking the dueling scene by storm on the other side of the world, but they had yet to see it for themselves. And with this event, they were hoping to a good show. Especially given who was selected to be Yuya's opponent.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls. We welcome you to today's event. Now please give it up for our duelists!" said the announcer.

"Hello, everybody!!" shouted Yuya as he came out onto the stage. "I hope you all are enjoying the show and are having a great time."

"Oh, I'm having an incredible time. I've seen lots of cool new cards and strategies that I can't wait to test out." said another person as they appeared on the stage as they were Yuya's surprise opponent.

"That's great, but who are you?" asked Yuya.

"My name is Yusei Fudo and I'm turbo duelist. Perhaps you've seen my red motorcycle outside." stated Yusei. "I love the fast pace and speed of a duel."

"Dueling is done best when it's for the entertainment of an audience, don't you agree?" said Yuya.

"I don't see why a duel can't be fast-paced and exciting. How about you and I duel Yuya, that way I can test out some new strategies and we can put on a show for this great audience."

"That is a fantastic idea!" smiled Yuya as he slid on his duel disk.

"Watch out, Yuya. Cause I'm not pulling any punches. Let's rev it up!!" shouted Yusei as he activated his duel disk as it combined together.

"It's showtime!!" shouted Yuya with his catchphrase as he activated his duel disk and projected a card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Yuya Sakaki's Life Points: 4000-

Yusei Fudo's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Yusei

"There's something strange about this Yuya kid. I can't underestimate his abilities, I better be careful." said Yusei as he drew his card. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Yuya

"Is that all you got?" said Yuya as he drew his card. "I'll start things off by summoning Performapal Skullcrobat Joker(1800/100, Level 4, Scale 8) to my field." stated Yuya as his monster appeared on his field. "My Skullcrobat Joker's effect lets me a 'Performapal', 'Magician', or 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my deck to my hand. I'll activate its effect to do just that."

"Woah! That's alot of searching abilities attached to just one monster. I can tell that you're relying on your Skullcrobat Joker to unite the different monsters in your deck. That's why I'm activating a powerful effect of my own. I discard Effect Veiler from my hand to negate the effect of your Performapal Skullcrobat Joker." said Yusei as his monster came out and zapped away Skullcrobat Joker's power.

"As nice as it would have been to search for any card I want. I have plenty more cards already in my hand. Let's swing into action!!" shouted Yuya as the dueltainer inside of him started to come out. "Ladies and gentleman, it's time to put the pendulum scales in place."

"Pendulum scale? What in the name of red motorcycles are you taking about?" asked Yusei.

"Oh, I will tell you, Yusei. Don't you know what pendulum scales are, you can't pendulum summon without them." said Yuya.

"I can't what, what in the hell are you talking about?" shouted Yusei.

"Oh, I'll show you and the crowd. I activate Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix and Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn in my Pendulum Zones."

"Wait! Wait! What's a pendulum zone!?!" stated Yusei.

"Pendulum zones are where pendulums go." responded Yuya.

"What on earth are talking about, man!?!"

"I will tell you. Pendulum monsters are unique cards that are both spells and monsters. It can be placed in the Pendulum Zone as a spell card or summoned in the Monster Zone as a monster card." explained Yuya.

"Okay? And what do they do?" asked Yusei.

"Each pendulum card has a separate effect depending on whether or not it's in the Pendulum Zone or the Monster card zone. But most importantly each pendulum card placed in one of my two pendulum zones gives me a Pendulum Scale. Performapal Odd-Eyes Light Phoenix gives me a pendulum scale of 3 while Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn gives me a pendulum scale of 8. Now I can perform a pendulum summon." said Yuya as both of his monsters appeared in columns of light with their numbers showing in front of them.

"This isn't good." said Yusei.

"Oh no it isn't." responded Yuya. "Since the two cards in my Pendulum Zones have a scale of three and eight, I can special summon any monsters with levels 4 through 7. I'll special summon my Performapal Bubblebowbow(2300/1000, Level 6, Scale 5), and my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon(2500/2000, Level 7, Scale 4) to the field."

"Just like that you're able to summon 2 high-level monsters to the field at once? This is insane!!" shouted Yusei.

"Yeah. That's the power of the pendulum summon." laughed Yuya with a smile on his face. "Now it's time to attack. I'm gonna wipe you out with one single attack."

"What?" responded Yusei.

"Yes, sir. I attack with Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and activate the effect of the Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn in the pendulum zone. Once per turn, while my Performapal Unicorn is in my pendulum zone, I can increase the attack points of an attacking 'Odd-Eyes' monster by the attack points of one of my 'Performapal' monsters. I'll increase the attack points of my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack points by the attack points of my Performapal Bubblebowbow giving it a grand total of 4800 attack points." Odd-Eyes then let out a roar as it felt the power surge. "You're finished, Yusei. It looks like the entertainment isn't going to last as long as I hoped."

"Hold it right there, Yuya. I activate Defense Draw! This card defends me from your attack and lets me draw one card from my deck." Soon a wall of cards appeared as they protected Yusei from Yuya's attack. "My life points are safe."

"You're still in danger. Performapal Skullcrobat Joker attack Yusei directly." Yuya's monster then leaped high into the air as it made contact with Yusei as it landed a hit.
Yusei's Life Points: 2200-

"Now it's my Bubblebowbow's turn to attack. Bubblebowbow finish Yusei off!" shouted Yuya.

"I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!" Soon a metal scarecrow came out as it blocked the attack. "This card negates your monster's attack and then goes back facedown so that I can use it again later."

"Oh, since you didn't know what a Pendulum summon was, I thought this was going to be a quick and easy duel. But it looks like I was wrong. You made it through one of my strongest opening plays. It's your move."

Turn 3: Yusei

"My turn, I draw. First I special summon Unknown Synchron(0/0) from my hand as long as you control a monster and I don't. Next, I activate One for One. This spell card lets me send one monster from my hand to my graveyard to special summon a Level 1 monster from my deck. I send Quillbolt Hedgehog to my graveyard to special summon Tuningware(100/300). Next, I summon Synchron Carrier(0/1000); this card lets me normal summon an additional summon 'Synchron' monster this turn. Now I'll tune my Level 1 Unknown Synchron and my Level 1 Tuningware and my Level 2 Synchron Carrier." All three of Yusei's monster then combined together as they were being called upon an even stronger monster. "I Synchro Summon, Armory Arm(1800/1200)!"

"Wow!" said Yuya as he had seen his fair share of Synchro Summoning, but the way Yusei did it gave off an aura.

"Whenever Tuningware is used to Synchro summon, I get to draw a card. Next I activate this spell card, Tuning. This card lets me add a 'Synchron' tuner monster from my deck to my hand and then send the top card of my deck to the graveyard. I'll add Junk Synchron to my hand and then discard the top card of my deck. Are you still with me?" asked Yusei.

"I sure am." said Yuya with an excitement in his voice.

"I'll use the extra summon granted to me by my Synchron Carrier to normal summon Junk Synchron." Yusei now had his favorite tuner monster on the field. "I activate Junk Synchro's effect to special summon Tuningware from my graveyard. Welcome back, Tuningware it's been too long. Next I activate the effect of my Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard, while I control a tuner like Junk Synchron, I can special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog from my graveyard."

"I see you have your own ways of summoning multiple monsters to the field." said Yuya.

"That's right, but it doesn't stop there. Now it's time for a second Synchro Summon, I tune my Level 3 Junk Synchron with my Level 1 Tuningware and Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog." Junk Synchron then pulled a cord on itself as it transformed into three giant green rings as Yusei's other monsters jumped in between the rings. "I Synchro Summon, Stardust Charge Warrior(2000/1300)! When Stardust Charge Warrior is summoned, I get to draw a card plus I get to draw an additional card thanks to my Tuningware."

"My Performapal Bubblebowbow and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon are both stronger than your Stardust Charge Warrior and your Armory Arm."

"Well they won't be for long, my new friend. I activate Armory Arm's special ability, I equip my Armory Arm to my Stardust Charge Warrior to increase my Stardust Charge Warrior's attack by 1000 points to a grand total of 3000. Whenever my Stardust Charge Warrior destroys one of your monsters and sends it to the graveyard while equipped with Armory Arm, you lose life points equal to your monster's attack points. My Stardust Charge Warrior also has a special ability that lets it all of your monsters. You're finished, Yuya!" shouted Yusei. "Stardust Charge Warrior attack and destroy Yuya's Skullcrobat Joker." Yusei's monster then rushed over to its opponent's side as it took out his target.
Yuya's Life Points: 2800-

"Then thanks to my Armory Arm's effect, you'll lose another 1800 life points when your Skullcrobat Joker goes to the graveyard." Soon Yusei's duel disk sent him a message as it informed him about something which caused Yusei to look at Yuya's life points and saw they didn't change. "Wait, what is happening? What's going on? Why isn't your Skullcrobat Joker in your graveyard and why didn't you lose 1800 life points?" asked Yusei.

"Haha, let me teach you a little lesson, Yusei. Because my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker just like each of my other monsters on my field is a pendulum monster. And when pendulum cards are destroyed or would have otherwise be sent from the field to the graveyard, they go to the Extra Deck instead." explained Yuya. "Since my Skullcrobat Joker didn't go to the graveyard, Armory Arm's effect doesn't reduce my life points."

"Wait, a group of monsters that start out in the main deck but move into the Extra Deck over the course of the duel? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard." said Yusei. "Either way my Stardust Charge Warrior isn't finished with you. Stardust Charge Warrior attack and destroy Performapal Bubblebowbow!"

"Just like before, my Bubblebowbow goes to my Extra Deck." said Yuya as he picked up his cards and slotted them in the Extra Deck compartment of his duel disk.
Yuya's Life Points: 2100-

"Now Stardust Charge Warrior attack Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" With that Yusei had managed to clear out Yuya's entire field. "You may have survived the turn, but your field is empty and you've fallen way behind. I set two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move."
Yuya's Life Points: 1600-

Turn 4: Yuya

"My field was empty, but I'm about to fill it back up." said Yuya as he drew his card.

"How? You only have 2 cards in your hand?" asked Yusei as he didn't believe Yuya.

"You'll see soon enough. First I activate Pot of Greed, this card lets me draw 2 more cards from my deck. Next, I summon Performapal Secondonkey(1000/2000) to my field. Since I have 2 cards in my Pendulum Zones, Secondonkey's effect lets me add any 'Performapal' monster from my deck to my hand and I'll add Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer to my hand. Next, I pendulum summon, Performapal Bubblebowbow, Performapal Skullcrobat Joker and Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon from my Extra Deck and Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer(1500/800, Level 4, Scale 2)." Yuya now had a portal open up as four lights came out with his monster arising as his newest monster to summon was in defense mode.

"No way! You can Pendulum summon monsters from your Extra Deck and your hand?" shouted Yusei.

"That's right. Now I have 5 monsters on my field. Next I activate the effect of my Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer, by destroying the 2 cards in my Pendulum Zone, I get to add 2 'Performapal' monsters from my deck to my hand. I send Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn and Light Phoenix to my Extra Deck, I'll add Performapal Springoose and Performapal Sleight Hand Magician to my hand." Yuya then send his pendulum cards to his extra deck as his duel disk slotted out his cards from him to grab. "Next, I tribute Performapal Secondonkey to special summon Performapal Sleight Hand Magician from my hand. Now I activate my Sleight Hand Magician's effect, by discarding a card from my hand, I can destroy your Stardust Charge Warrior."

"Oh no." said Yusei.

"Now your life points are wide open. Performapal Sleight Hand Magician finish Yusei off!!" shouted Yuya.

"I activate Stardust Re-Spark! Since your Performapal Sleight Hand Magician's attack points are greater than my life points, this card negates your attack and lets me draw a card. Then I special summon Stardust Dragon from my Extra Deck. Come forth, Stardust Dragon!" Yusei's ace monster then appeared as it let out a roar. Soon both Odd-Eyes and Stardust got a look at each other as they felt the presence of one another and their owners. It seems both were communicating as they tried to intimidate the other.

"Your Stardust Dragon is the only thing standing between me and victory. And my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon is just as strong as it is. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack and destroy Stardust Dragon!"

"Hold it right there, Yuya! I'll activate my Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. Just like before, it negates your attack and flips down for me to use again later. "

"I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Yusei

"You may have 5 monsters on your field, but as long as I have Stardust Dragon on my field, I'm still in this duel." said Yusei as he drew his card. "I activate my facedown, Graceful Revival. I bet you remember my old friend, Tuningware. It can used as a Level 1 or Level 2 monster in a synchro summon and lets me draw a card when it's sent to the graveyard as synchro material. Graceful Revival summons it back to the field. Next I activate the effect of Jet Synchron in my graveyard, by discarding a card from my hand I can special summon Jet Synchron back to the field. I discard Rush Warrior to special summon Jet Synchron(500/0)." Yusei now had a total of 3 monsters on his field. "But that's not all, Yuya. I activate the effect of my Rush Warrior, by banishing it from my graveyard, I can return any 'Synchron' monster from my graveyard to my hand. I banish Rush Warrior from my graveyard to return Synchron Carrier to my hand." Yusei then did all the necessary things as he added his monster back to his hand.

"Next I summon Synchron Carrier. Now I tune my Level 1 Jet Synchron with my Level 2 Synchron Carrier and my Tuningware." Jet Synchron then turned into a giant green ring as the other monsters jumped into it. "I Synchro Summon, the tuner synchro Accel Synchron(500/2100) in defense mode!" said Yusei.

"So it's a tuner and a synchro." said Yuya as he was impressed by what Yusei just did. "That is fascinating."

"Indeed, now I draw one card thanks to the effect of my Tuningware. I activate the effect of my Accel Synchron, by sending Turbo Synchron from my deck to my graveyard, I reduce my Accel Synchron's level by 1. Now Stardust Dragon attack and destroy Yuya's Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" said Yusei as his signature monster took out its target with ease.
Yuya's Life Points: 900-

"I'll return my Skullcrobat Joker to my Extra Deck." said Yuya as he sent his card away.

"It's over, Yuya. I activate Limit Overdrive, this quick-play spell card lets me combine a synchro tuner and synchro non-tuner to summon a Synchro monster whose level is equal to the sum of my two monsters' level. I combine my Level 8 Stardust Dragon and Level 4 Accel Synchron to summon my ultimate monster, Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon(4000/4000)!" shouted Yusei as he had a brand new monster that was added to his deck as it appeared for all to see. "My Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon stands strong with 4000 attack/defense points and since I'm still in my battle phase, it can still attack. Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon attack Performapal Bubblebowbow and end this duel!" commanded Yusei.

"I activate my trap card, Command Performance! As long as I control a 'Performapal' monster, this card stops your attack and switches your Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon into defense mode."

"Good move, Yuya. But even in defense mode, you're still need to overcome my dragon's 4000 defense points. It's your turn."

Turn 6: Yuya

"I can still win this duel, I draw." said Yuya as he drew his card which was followed by a streak of light. "First I activate Pot of Riches. This card lets me send 3 of the pendulum monsters in my Extra Deck back to my hand and draw 2 cards. What an awesome draw!" said Yuya as he looked at his cards. "I place Performapal Monkeyboard in my Pendulum Zone. This card's pendulum effect let me search my deck for any Level 4 or lower 'Performapal' monster and add it to my hand. I'll use its effect to grab Performapal Camel Lump from my deck. Next I'll place Performapal Camel Lump in my Pendulum Zone and activate its effect. Once per turn, I can use my Camel Lump's effect to decrease one of your monsters defense points by 800 and let one of my monsters inflict piercing damage. I'll use Camel Lump's effect to reduce your Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon's defense points to 3200 and allow my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon to pierce through it."

"My Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon is still way stronger than your monsters." stated Yusei.

"For now. I activate the effect of the Performapal Springoose I discarded earlier, by banishing Springoose from my graveyard, I get to return 2 of my Performapal from my field to my hand. I use my Springoose's effect to return Performapal Monkeyboard and Performapal Camel Lump back to my hand. Next I activate the effect of the Performapal Sleight Hand Magician, by discarding Monkeyboard from my hand, I get to destroy your Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon!" stated Yuya.

"You didn't think that my Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon was going down that easily, did you? I activate my Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon's special ability, once per turn, I can negate the effect of one of your monsters and then destroy a card on your field. I'll negate your Performapal Sleight Hand Magician's effect and destroy your Sleight Hand Magician." stated Yusei as he took out Yuya's monster.

"What a show!" shouted Yuya as he was excited from the back and forth action he and Yusei were putting on for these people. "Now I can reactivate Performapal Camel Lump in my Pendulum Zone. This time I'll activate its effect to allow my Bubblebowbow to inflict piercing damage and reduce your Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon's defense points by another 800. Now it's just down to 2400 defense points. Now I'm inviting one more pal to the party, I summon Performapal Elephammer(2600/1800)."

"What?" said Yusei.

"I can normal summon my Elephammer without tribute whenever I have 2 or more 'Performapals' on my field. Now I switch my Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer into attack mode. Finally I activate this spell card, Performapal Dramatic Theatre." Soon the whole field started to change around them as the stage had been morphed to fit an opera setting. "This field spell lets me increase the attack points of each of my monsters by 200 for each type of monster on my field, since I have a beast, spellcaster, and dragon on my field, each of my four monsters gain 600 attack points. Elephammer attack and destroy Yusei's Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon!"

"Let me play an old friend once again, I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to negate your attack." Yusei once again was able to protect his monster from being destroyed.

"I still have 3 monsters that can attack. Bubblebowbow use your 2900 attack points to attack and destroy Yusei's monster."

"Well thanks to my Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon's effect, the first time any of my cards would be destroyed each turn, it's not destroyed. That means my Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon isn't going anywhere."

"Even so, since my Camel Lump's ability let my Bubblebowbow deal piercing damage, you lose life points equal to the difference in my monster's attack points and your monster's defense points. That means you lose 500 life points." stated Yuya.
Yusei's Life Points: 1700-

And now that your Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon had already protected itself once, it's vulnerable to my next attack. Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack and destroy Yusei's Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon! Spiral Force!!!" shouted Yuya as his dragon took out Yusei's dragon. "And now Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon's ability kicks in, whenever it attacks a Level 5 or higher monster, any battle damage it inflicts is doubled. Go Reaction Force!!" shouted Yuya as his dragon dealt even more damage to Yusei as he put his arm up to protect himself.
Yusei's Life Points: 300-

"This isn't good." said Yusei.

"You have no cards on your field that you can use and only 300 life points left. It's over Yusei, Performapal Pendulum Sorcerer end this duel with a direct attack!!" shouted Yuya as he put his hand out.

"Hold it right there." smiled Yusei. "Are you guys ready for this move? I discard Swift Scarecrow from my hand to stop your attack and end your battle phase!!" Soon Yusei's monster came out as it created a protective wall that stopped the attack.

"Good save, but with no cards left in your hand and only a Scrap-Iron Scarecrow on your field, this duel is as good as over."

"I don't know about that Yuya, let's see how it plays out."

Turn 7: Yusei

"As long as I'm still standing, this duel isn't over. I draw." said Yusei. "I activate Pot of Desires! Now by banishing the top 10 cards of my deck facedown, I draw 2 cards from my deck. Just what I wanted!" said Yusei. "I activate the effect of my fallen Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon, by banishing it from the duel, I get to special summon any 'Stardust' monster from my graveyard. I banish Stardust Sifr Divine Dragon to special summon Stardust Charge Warrior back to the field. Now I equip my Stardust Charge Warrior with Fighting Spirit and United We Stand. Fighting Spirit increases my Stardust Charge Warrior's attack points by 300 for each monster on your field for a total of 1200. United We Stand increases my monster's attack points by 800 for each monster on my field. Even though my Stardust Charge Warrior is by itself on my field, it's never alone. Its friends are all here in spirit, now my Stardust Charge Warrior has a grand total of 4000 attack points." stated Yusei as his monster powered up to the max.

"No way!" said Yuya.

"Yes way! Stardust Charge Warrior attack and destroy Performapal Elephammer!" said Yusei as his monster did just that.
Yuya's Life Points: 100-

"And don't forget, my Stardust Charge Warrior can now attack all of the special summoned monsters on your field. It's over. Stardust Charge Warrior, attack Yuya's remaining monsters and end this duel!!" shouted Yusei as he thrusted his arm out. His monster then soared high into the sky as it came crashing down as it took out Yuya's monster and the remainder of his life points.
Yuya's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Yusei

The duel ended as the battle came to close. The crowd cheered for such a wonderful show put on by two of the top duelists.

"I can't believe I lost." said Yuya as he was still on his knees.

"Believe it." said Yusei as he stood over the young boy. He then offered his hand up as he helped the kid up.

"I really could have used some action cards, but I couldn't find any." joked Yuya as both he and Yusei let out a laugh.

"That was a tough duel, Yuya. And I bet it was as entertaining as a high-speed turbo duel."

"You're right, Yusei. All that matters is that the audience enjoyed it." said Yuya as the crowd responded to his comment as they cheered loudly for both boys. "I'm going to keep practicing my dueling skills so that I can master all sort of new strategies. And then I want a rematch." Yuya looked at Yusei with a determined look.

"I'm looking forward to it." Yusei then stuck his hand out as Yuya shook to signal the respect earned by both duelists.

Soon thereafter, Yusei introduced Yuya to the rest of the Big 4 as he immediately bonded with them. He saw the other legends and saw the King of Games as they welcomed the new kid into their group. After that Yuya headed back home as he began to tell his friends of the amazing duels he had encountered with each of the Big 4 as they opened his eyes to new tactics. Zuzu was happy that her boyfriend got to have fun as she knew he made the right call. Over the next 6 years, Yuya would continue to wow the crowd in his home as he became a celebrity in Action Duels and was ranked as one of the best Dueltainers that he even surpassed his father's legacy. He still kept in contact with the Big 4 as they would often check in on each other.

"And that's my tale." said Yuya as he finished telling Isaac his story.

"Woah, man what I wouldn't give to be in that exact moment." said Isaac as Yuya's story had given him goosebumps. "To think you battled against Yusei and as a result it led you to meet the other members of the Big 4 and how you all kept in contact with each other over the years. Now look at you, you're now in their league and now there's 5 legendary duelists."

"Yeah, well it wasn't easy. But in the end it was well worth it, especially cause of Zuzu. Without her motivation and constant nagging, I probably would never have gotten the chance I did. I owe everything to her, which is why I look forward to officially getting married to her and settling down to start our own family." said Yuya as he and Isaac came to a door. "Here we are." Yuya then pushed the door open as both duelist entered.

"Uh, this isn't the place Luna said to meet her?" asked Isaac as Yuya had brought both of them to an empty room.

"Who said we were going to meet Luna? Besides, I think she knows what we're about to do. So... you ready?" said Yuya with a smile on his face as he slotted on his duel disk as it projected his card tray.

"You're joking? Right?" asked Isaac as he couldn't tell if Yuya was being serious.

"No I'm not, I want to see what makes you go. Plus, I want to test your abilities out myself, not to mention your Pendulum Summoning." Yuya was now looking at Isaac as the pendulum around his neck started to glow, he could now see Isaac's passion and spirit as it shined the brightest from the boy. Yuya could sense that Isaac was destined for great things and that he too would join him along with the others in the ranks of greatness.

"If it's a duel you want, then I'll happy grant your request." said Isaac as he pulled out his duel disk and slotted in his deck as it projected his own card tray color that matched Yuya's.

"Good, now then I activate the Action Field..." said Yuya as he touched his duel disk screen.

"Crossover." said the A.I. as it started to change the boy's surrounding. Soon tiny platforms started to appear as they would serve as stairs in which the duelists could move all around the place. "Action cards disbursed." said the A.I. as Yuya snapped his fingers. Up above a giant bundle of cards that had the back embedded with an 'A' were shot out as they scattered all over the place.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" shouted both boys.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Yuya's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Yuya

"I'll kick this show off, ready or not!" said Yuya as he drew his card. He looked at it and then looked at the field as he started to move. Isaac was surprised by this until he saw Yuya moving with quick speed and agility as he did a couple of flips and hopped from platform to platform as he saw what he was looking for. Yuya then snatched the Action card as he added it to his hand.

"Sick moves!" said Isaac.

"Of course, you need to be quick in this type of environment if you want to win." stated Yuya. "But enough chitchat time to get this show officially started. Now then, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician!"

"He's already pendulum summoning?" said Isaac in disbelief.

"I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Yuya. Yuya's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Yuya's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Yuya then thrusted his hand into the air as his monsters were summoned.

"Scratch your way to victory, Performapal Silver Claw(1800/700, Level 4, Scale 5)! Slice and dice 'em, Performapal Sword Fish(600/600)! Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!!" Yuya now had 3 of his Performapal monsters with one of them being his ace monster.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he was starstruck. "He makes it look so effortless."

"Oh, you haven't seen anything yet. But what kind of show would that be, I have yet to see what you can do. So Isaac, care to give me a demonstration of your power?" asked Yuya.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Be careful what you wish for." warned Isaac. "Now my turn."

Isaac drew his card as he looked at it and had a smile on his face. He then took off the ground as he started to climb the platforms that had been spread out as he started to show off his own parkour moves as he jumped between the landings as he too was searching for something. He soon found it as he rolled onto the landing pad as he picked it up and looked at Yuya who was standing across from him with a smile on his face as all of his monsters were next to him.

"Time to see how you judge my pendulum summoning. Now then, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "It's showtime. I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as three lights came out of the giant portal above him.

"She's certainly an eye-catcher, but don't be too distracted by her natural beauty, please welcome Magician's Valkyria! Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl! And lastly, please give a warm welcome to the star monster of the show, Dark Magician!" Now Isaac had three monsters on his field as he had his own pair of ace monsters.

"Not bad, Isaac." said Yuya as he was thoroughly impressed by Isaac's ability to pendulum summon. "To think that you mostly were able to practice this all on your own, that's worth a praise from me."

"Thanks, it means alot." stated Isaac.

"Now then, what are we waiting for!" said Yuya as he put his googles on and climbed onto his Odd-Eyes as he was riding on top of its head. "Time to battle!"

"You asked for it!" said Isaac as he looked at Mahad and Mana as they nodded their heads at their master.

"It's time to swing into action!!" shouted Yuya as his Odd-Eyes leaped into the sky.

"Mahad! Mana! Let's go!" shouted Isaac as he and his magicians raced forward to meet with Yuya in the middle.

Both boys had a smile on their faces as time was slowly moving. To both they were excited as they were having one of the best and most fun duels they could ever ask for. Soon Odd-Eyes started to dive through the air with Yuya on his back, as Isaac and his magicians leaped into the air as all of them made contact with each other as the entire scene faded to black with the last image of them about to hit each other.

Chapter 145: Menu Venue

"And the result has been determined, Ms. Rarity has emerged as the victor and will be moving on to the next part of this tournament." said Celestia as everybody in attendance gave an applause for Rarity.

"Please, darlings. Don't shower me with affection. Oh, why not. Keep going." said Rarity as she couldn't help not being the center of attention.

Jack sat up as looked at the screen as he saw that Rarity was the winner as it was clear she would be moving on.

"Damn!" said Jack as she pounded the ground next to him as he bawled his fist. He then looked at his deck as he couldn't help but realize that he failed. He then got up as he dusted off his shorts and made his way to the sidelines.

Once more Celestia and Luna allowed for a quick break so that everything could be reset and to allow a breather for the competitors. Rarity had just taken a seat as she removed her duel disk and rubbed her wrist. She then pulled out a small hand mirror as she wanted to check herself; safe to say that her hair was a bit out of place with a few strands being frizzled.

"What a travesty. It'll take me hours to get this back in place." said Rarity as she looked at her reflection.

"Then you better get started." said Isaac as he appeared in the corner of the mirror.

Rarity saw the reflection of Isaac as she closed her mirror and turned around to see the young boy standing behind her.

"Here." said Isaac as he handed Rarity a bottle of water. "It may not be the sparkling kind that you're so attentive towards, but at least it'll rehydrate you."

"Thank you, Isaac." said Rarity as she grabbed the bottle from her friend and began to drink from it as Isaac walked around till he was standing in front of her.

"So, any criticism you want to offer me?" asked Rarity.

"Well, I do have one critic. Good job." said Isaac. "You really played your cards well, that field spell came in mighty handy. No wonder you're unstoppable, cause once you get advantage of the field, you dazzle the crowd like always."

"Darling, I know that you're charmer. But don't you think you should say stuff like that to Twilight. She is your girlfriend." stated Rarity with a wink.

"What, I can't acknowledge talent when I see it?" joked Isaac as both of them laughed. "But I am serious, you were incredible out there."

"Well, it did come at a price. Look at my hair, these strand are going to take me a while to get them back in place." said Rarity. She then stood up as the bottom part of her heel broke apart and she would have fallen face first, if Isaac didn't respond and catch her in his arms.

"You okay?" asked Isaac as he helped his friend to stabilize herself.

"Quite darling." said Rarity as she looked at Isaac and then at her heels. "Great, not that's another thing that I've got to worry about. Well, good thing a lady is always prepared." Rarity then reached over to her purse as she pulled out an extra pair of the heels she was wearing as she sat down on the bench and began to change into them. "There we go, much better. What do you think, Isaac?" asked Rarity as she showed them off to the boy.

"I dunno know." said Isaac as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Well, I appreciate you in giving me some praise. But don't think that this is going to distract me; I may not show it like the others, but I do want to be the one to face you." stated Rarity. "It's my way of getting you all to myself." Rarity had a bit of flirtiness in her voice as she batted her eyelashes at Isaac.

"Well, I might have to check my schedule to see if I'm free." said Isaac as he played along with Rarity's antics. Rarity just smiled as she gave a quick peck on his cheek as he said goodbye to his marshmallow colored friend as he left her.

Jack was looking at his deck as he was still taking the loss heavily. He then looked at his right side as he looked at the glove covering his right hand as he could feel the stinging burn that his body was reacting to from his emotions.

"Best to calm down." said Isaac as he stood in front of the boy with his arms crossed.

Jack looked up and saw Isaac as he just put his head down. "Well, I failed."

"Who said that?" asked Isaac.

"You said that you going to keep an eye on us in this tournament. Well, I lost my duel. So I think that means that my progress in this program hasn't been improving, it's getting worst." said Jack. "And it's not Rainbow's fault, I just can't get my deck to work."

"Yes, that is a problem." stated Isaac as he looked at his student before him. "Let me see it."

Jack then grabbed his duel disk as he pulled out the deck from it as he handed it to Isaac. Isaac took it and then used his duel disk as he was scanning it as the data was being transmitted to his duel disk. Once it finished transmitting the info to his device, Isaac began to use the features his duel disk had as he had a digital copy of Jack's deck and began to use the in-built card database as he was essentially taking apart the boy's deck. Isaac kept looking over many options and was cross-referencing as he worked his magic. Soon he touched the screen and soon his duel disk began to run the command he input. It didn't take long as Isaac saw the message that was a green checkmark.

"That should work." said Isaac as he handed back Jack his deck.

"Uhm, what did you just do?" asked Jack.

"I just scanned your deck to my duel disk and used the in-built card database to reconfigure your deck on how to improve it."

"What? We can do that with these?"

"Hey, they ain't the latest the model for nothing." replied Isaac. "Besides, it does give me a sense of what to work with." Isaac then reached into his back pocket as he pulled out some cards and presented them to Jack. "Here."

"You're joking?"

"Do you want them or not?" responded Isaac.

"I would ask where you got these cards, but I just remembered, you work for a card shop." Jack gave a sigh as he grabbed the cards from Isaac and looked at them.

"Not that's only a few, the rest... I'll have to make a call to an old acquittance." said Isaac. "Consider this your next lesson to learn." Isaac then gave Jack a pat on his shoulder as he left the boy to lull over the cards and his thoughts.

"Well, now we've all gotten time to replenish our health." said Luna.

"Indeed, and thanks to our own Ms. Pinkamena Pie. Those desserts really hit the spot." stated Celestia as she had gotten two platefuls of cake as she began to eat them as she munched into the headset.

"Well, while my sister pigs out like the fat horse she is." snickered Luna as Celestia gave her own little sister a death glare at making that comment. "I'll take over and get the next round started." Luna then pointed to the screen behind Isaac as the remaining 4 portraits appeared on the screen and began to flicker between them as this last generator would determine not only this match but also determine the final matchup for the day.

Soon the computer made its final results as it selected the duelists to compete and calculated the next duel that would follow after that.

"And so it has been determined, the next duel will be Lucky Star taking on Ms. Pinkie Pie. And so the last duel will pit Jason Star against Jacklyn Apple." informed Luna.

"Why do they have to use that name?" groaned Applejack as she hated it when people addressed her by that title.

"Alright then, time to party!" shouted Pinkie as she skipped her way towards the duel field.

"They had to put me against the crazy one. Figures." groaned Lucky Star as she prepared herself for a headache. She then approached the dueling field as she looked at the pink puffy haired girl as she just kept bouncing in place.

"Ready to have some fun?" asked Pinkie with a huge smile on her face.

"I just want to get this over with so that I don't have to be here for too long." said Lucky Star as she slid her deck in her duel disk as it activated and projected a sage green light.

"But what about the after party? You can't leave before it starts." said Pinkie as she pulled out her deck and slotted it in her duel disk as it projected a pink card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 8000-

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Pinkie Pie

"I'll start this party off, so get ready!" shouted Pinkie as she drew her card. "We need a good playdate, so why don't we have it here? And here's the best part, everyone is invited. I play the field spell Madolche Chateau!" shouted Pinkie as the entire field morphed. Soon all around them was turned into a sweet wonderland which really caught Pinkie's attention as she was really struggling to keep her sweet tooth in check. Soon there was a giant chateau as it was behind Pinkie as tons of her monsters came out as they were waiters and hostess. The girls, and students all sat at a table as they had menus in their hands. Even Isaac had a table of his own appear in front of him as the tiny female monsters all levitated next to him as they admired the boy.

"Guys, leave big bro alone. But make sure that he get the best treats we have to offer." informed Pinkie as her monster heard her command and all headed into the chateau as they began to work on the meal orders.

"Pinkie!!!!" shouted Isaac.

"Heh." giggled Pinkie. "Now my field spell grants all my monsters an extra 500 attack and defense points. Then I'll place two cards facedown and then summon Madolche Baaple(0/1800) in defense mode." Out came a small sheep as it was onto of a puzzle piece that was covered in maple syrup as it let out a 'baa' sound. Pinkie then dipped her finger to taste some of the maple syrup on Baaple. "Mmm. Tasty."

"More like weird." said Lucky Star.

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"Time for me to strike." stated Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I summon Harpie Channeler(1400/1300)." Out came a girl harpie as she had a staff in one claw while the other had a set of chains. "Now I'll activate my Harpie Channeler' special ability. Now I discard a 'Harpie' card so that I can special summon from my deck to the field in defense up position." Lucky Star then sent her Harpie Girl to the graveyard as she grabbed another card. "And I choose this one, Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000/2500)!" Lucky Star now had a dragon appear on her field as it was colored red and had a chain around its neck as the other end was being held by Harpie Channeler.

"That's a cool dragon." said Pinkie with a straight face and a smile.

"Then check this out, my Harpie's Pet Dragon has an special ability, in that it gains 300 extra attack and defense points for each 'Harpie Lady' monster on my field. Which then affects my Harpie Channeler cause while she's on the field or in the graveyard, she counts as a 'Harpie Lady'. So now my dragon gains it boost bring it's total attack to 2300 and defense to a whopping 2800." informed Lucky Star as her dragon let out a roar as it felt the power surge.

"Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Pinkie

"My turn again." said Pinkie. "I'll summon my Madolche Chouxvalier(1700/1300)." stated Pinkie as out came a tiny person who rode on the back of a horse as he wielded a lance that was a peppermint and trotted in place. "Hey guys, how's the orders coming?" asked Pinkie as she yelled out her chateau behind her.

"Almost done, Pinkie." stated a collective voice from inside.

"Well then, I'll serve up the appetizer. Cause now my field gives my Madolche Chouxvalier an extra 500 attack and defense points. Madolche Chouxvalier attack her Harpie Channeler!" said Pinkie. Her tiny monster then used his foot as he kicked his steed in the side as he started to race forward as he lowered his lance. They soon got in range as the rider delivered a mighty jab that knocked Harpie Channeler into the air as she landed in the Nesquik chocolate pond that was nearby the competitors as Lucky Star lost a monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Lucky Star

"My turn, watch out." informed Lucky Star. "Cause I summon Phantom Gryphon(2000/0)." Out emerged a winged beast as it was half-lion and half-eagle as it let out a screech. "Now I'll switch my Harpie's Pet Dragon into attack mode and play the continuous spell card, Hysteric Sign. With this, I can add one 'Elegant Egotist' from my deck to my hand." Lucky Star then used her new duel disk as she touched the screen and selected her choice as it slid out for her to grab.

"Then I'll play the Rush Recklessly spell card to give my Harpie's Pet Dragon an extra 700 attack points till the end of the turn. Now Harpie's Pet Dragon take out her Madolche Baaple." shouted Lucky Star.

"Silly, you can't do that! The party isn't scheduled to end till this chapter has at least 6500 words in it." stated Pinkie.

"What in the hell are you talking about!" yelled out Lucky Star as she couldn't figure out Pinkie's antics.

"Watch!" informed Pinkie. "My Madolche Chouxvalier's special ability activates meaning he can the hero that saves us all. Oh, my how they grow up so fast." said Pinkie as she put on her dramatic voice as a spotlight shined down on her.

"Just shut up, please." said Lucky Star to herself as she groaned at trying to understand Pinkie.

"Now all of your monsters can only attack my Madolche Chouxvalier since he's on the field." informed Pinkie.

"Well it doesn't matter, you're still taking damage." Lucky Star's dragon then changed courses as it was now heading towards Pinkie's other monster.

"Not when I activate my facedowns." said Pinkie as both of her cards flipped up. "First up on our dining service is the trap card, Madolche Waltz. Now whenever my monsters attack or gets attack, I can deal you 300 points of damage as the check." smiled Pinkie. "So pay up!"

"Fine." stated Lucky Star.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6900-

"Aw, no tip." said Pinkie as she had a sad look on her face.

"Get me out of here!!!" yelled Lucky Star as she was slowly losing her sanity.

"Oh, I feel you." said Isaac as he watched from his table while his meal was being served to him from Pinkie's tiny monsters.

"Now my second trap card activates, Desperate Tag. Now if a monster of mine is destroyed by battle, then I can reduce that battle damage to zero. And then I can special summon a Level 4 or lower Warrior-type monster from my hand. So now I'll replace my Madolche Chouxvalier with another." informed Pinkie. She then had another monster rise up as the previous one was destroyed but she didn't lose any life points. "Now normally, my Madolche monsters can just shuffle themselves back into my deck, but my Madolche Chateau allows me to do something better. If a monster would be returned to my deck by the effect of a 'Madolche' monster, then my chateau allows me to add it to my hand instead. " Pinkie then grabbed her monster card and placed it back in her hand.

"Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Pinkie

"My turn, and so I tribute my Madolche Baaple so that I can summon my Madolche Puddingcess(1000/1000)." Out emerged a blond little girl as her dress she wore resembled that of pudding as she twirled around and did a cute little bow.

"Pinkie!!!" shouted Isaac as she turned around and saw her other little monsters poking Isaac in the side.

"See, they think you're pokable as well, big bro." giggled Pinkie.

"Unless, you want to never get another toy. You tell them to knock it off!!!" threatened Isaac as he invoked his older sibling voice.

Pinkie immediately had a stunned look on her face when she heard that. "Little guys, leave him alone." said Pinkie as her tiny monsters obeyed.

Madolche Magileine had Isaac's cap in her hands as she presented to Isaac. He still had an angry look as he swiped it from the tiny monster and put it back on his head. She then quickly made her way towards Pinkie as she began to listen to her.

"Let's not mess with big bro, anymore. Or else I won't get a new toy." stated Pinkie as her monsters heard their orders. "Now make sure that everybody else has their orders." All of Pinkie's monsters nodded as they rushed back into the chateau as they soon came out with plates full of orders as they placed them in front of the girls and the students.

"Finally! We've been waiting for 15 minutes!" shouted Rainbow as she finally got her food.

"Now my field spell grants my Puddingcess an extra 500 attack and defense points. But her special ability also allows her to gain an extra 800 attack and defense points when there's no monsters in my graveyard. So now she has a total of 2300 attack/defense points." informed Pinkie.

"So now Puddingcess attack Harpie's Pet Dragon." shouted Pinkie as her tiny monster pulled out some of her dessert as she tossed it over to Harpie's Pet Dragon who was soon covered in the stuff. It then let out a roar as soon Puddingcess started to open its mouth and shove tons of food down its throat as its stomach got bigger and bigger and bigger until it was the shape of a balloon as it rolled around and bounced. Harpie's Pet Dragon let out a burp which was enough to start a chain reaction in its stomach as it resulted in a huge explosion.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6600-

"That gives a whole new meaning to the word: obesity and diabetes." said Lucky Star.

"Don't forget about my trap card, Madolche Waltz. Whenever my monsters attack, you lose another 300 life points." stated Pinkie with a happy look on her face.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6300-

"Oops, I forget to tell you. When my Madolche Puddingcess does battle, I can destroy one of your cards. So since you're monster is the only one left, it goes bye-bye." waved Pinkie as Lucky Star had nothing left on her field.

"Not again."

"Uh, yes again. Madolche Chouxvalier, it's your turn to have fun. Attack her directly!" Pinkie's little rider then lowered his lance as he charged forward and struck Lucky Star who just put her arms up in time to cover herself. He returned to his side of the field. He then took his cap off to show his respect for his puddingcess as she just giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4100-

"And don't forget..."

"Yeah, I know!" shouted Lucky Star.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3800-

"Now, I'll end my turn."

I'll give this girl her dues, she's locked me into a combo. Thanks to her two trap cards, not only is she gonna deal me damage everytime an attack is waged, but she makes it so that any damage is nullified and she can replenish her field after I get rid of one. And then her field spell pumps her monsters even more, not to mention she can just keep recycling her Madolche Chouxvalier to keep the combo going. Which basically means, I'm trapped in a loop.

Turn 6: Lucky Star

"My turn." said Lucky Star. This might buy me time till I get the card I need. "Now I summon, Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300)." Out emerged a female winged monster as she wore metal armor compared to the other comrades of her team. "Then watch as I use this single harpy to call upon a terrifying trio. I play Elegant Egotist! So now I can special summon Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) in defense mode!" Out came 3 harpie monsters as they all soared high in the air as they soon landed on the field as they let out a screech as they looked at Pinkie's monsters as prey.

"I'll then lay this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Pinkie

"Back to me." Pinkie had a huge smile on her face as she drew her card and looked at her hand. "Now I summon my Madolche Anjelly(1000/1000)." Out came another cute girl as her hair was unraveled and revealed her as she gave off a smile and a wink. "As you know my Madolche Chateau grants my Anjelly an extra 500 attack and defense points. But she won't be staying for long, cause now I activate her special ability. I can tribute her to summon a 'Madolche' monster from my deck, but I then have to shuffle that monster back to my deck at the end of my next turn. So I'll tribute her so that I can summon another Madolche Puddingcess." Pinkie now had two princesses as they both squealed in happiness and began to hold hands as they skipped with Pinkie soon joining them. Now all three of them were skipping to their lou.

"I did not need to see that." stated Lucky Star.

"You and me both." responded Isaac as he was sitting at his table watching the duel. Pinkie's monsters tried to get Isaac to eat the food, but he was more interested in the match.

"Now my second Madolche Puddingcess gets a bonus from my field spell to increase her attack and defense points by 500. Now I'll have my Madolche Chouxvalier attack your Cyber Harpie Lady." shouted Pinkie as her monster rode off and jousted towards his target.

"I activate my facedown, Mirror Wall. Thanks to this trap card, I can cut your monster's attack points in half. So now your Madolche Chouxvalier is reduced to just 1100 attack points." said Lucky Star as Pinkie's monster lost some strength and still charged forward as a wall came up and he hit his own reflection.

"Nice move, don't worry Chouxvalier. You'll have another chance to have fun." said Pinkie as her monster was destroyed. "Don't forget, I just waged an attack which means my trap card Madolche Waltz deals you 300 points of damage. And my other trap makes it so that I take no damage from that battle. And like before instead of going back to my deck, my Chouxvalier returns to my hand and I replace him with another one." informed the party girl as she quickly replaced her monster with another one.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3500-

I'm already down to about half my life points and she still has all of hers! I thought she was the zany one and yet she's in the lead.

"Now I'm starting to take this party to the next level. I overlay my two Level 5 Madolche Puddingcess to build the Overlay Network." Pinkie's two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they soared high into the air. A portal then opened up in front of Pinkie as the two orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode(2500/2200, OLU: 2)!" Out emerged a similar monster like Madolche Puddingcess as they had the same hair color, but this cute little monster wore a dress that was made up of chocolate as she did a quick twirl.

"Okay, that's at least making my mouth water." admitted Lucky Star as she looked at the chocolate dress that Pinkie's monster wore.

"My field spell grants even more attack points to my monster. Now the effect of my Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode activates, so I can shuffle back my Madolche Anjelly from my graveyard to my deck. But my field spell makes is so that it goes to my hand instead of back into my deck." stated Pinkie as her duel disk slotted out her card for her to grab as she added it to her current hand. "Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Lucky Star

"My turn." Lucky Star then drew her card as it wasn't what she was looking for. Where is it? I can't play what I want until I get it. "I summon Birdface(1600/1600) in defense mode. Then I play the continuous spell card, Alluring Mirror Spilt." Lucky Star now had a feather monster appear as it spreaded its wings out and let out a screech. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Pinkie

"My turn, now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I'll activate the spell Mystical Space Typhoon so that I can destroy your Mirror Wall." Pinkie held her card out as a storm starting to blow over as the wind picked up and soon blew Lucky Star's trap off the field. "Now you can't lower my monster's attack points. Then since I control no monsters in my graveyard, I can summon Madolche Petingcessoeur(1400/1400)." Pinkie now had another cute little monster join her field as she was ecstatic and twirled a bit to show off her dress. "Then since it was special summoned, I can also bring out a friend for her to play with, but I have to reduce its level by 1. So come on out, my third Madolche Puddingcess!" stated Pinkie as she now had another monster on her field as Madolche Puddingcess' level dropped from 5 to 4.

"Now I overlay both my Level 4 Madolche Puddingcess and Madolche Petingcessoeur to construct the Overlay Network once again!" Pinkie's two monsters then turned into orbs of light as they levitated into the air as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu(2200/2100, OLU: 2)!" Pinkie's new monster was a tiny queen who sat on a throne and wielded a staff as her chair was on the dessert she was based on.

"Now I got 3 monsters to worry about." complained Lucky Star.

"Yup, and my queen gets a bonus from my field spell." stated Pinkie as her Queen Tiaramisu received a little power up as her staff was infused with power. "Now time to attack, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode attack her Cyber Harpie Lady!" shouted Pinkie as her monster then laid waste to Lucky Star's monster as she lost even more life points.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 2300-

"And since my trap card, Madolche Waltz is still in play you take 300 more points of damage." said Pinkie as her trap did even more damage.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 2000-

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split activates, since my Cyber Harpie Lady was destroyed, I can now replace her with a different 'Harpie' monster from my deck. So arise, Harpie Lady #2(1300/1400)." stated Lucky Star as she had another monster rise up.

"And now Madolche Queen Tiaramisu will attack your Harpie Lady Sisters." said Pinkie as she had her other monster take out another one of Lucky Star's monsters as it was destroyed. "And the effect of Madolche Waltz deals you another 300 points of damage."
Lucky Star's Life Points: 1700-

"With that done, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Lucky Star

"It's my turn. I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." Come on, I have to draw this card or else I'm done. Lucky Star then placed her hand over her deck as she let out a deep breath she was holding. She then drew her cards and quickly looked at them. "Yes! Now I play the card that will help me to turn the tide of this duel. I play Harpie's Feather Duster!" Soon a giant tornado of bird wings was starting to blow over the entire field.

"What's happening?" asked Pinkie as she was doing her best to avoid being lifted off the ground.

"Thanks to this spell, I can now destroy all your spell and trap cards. So that means your infinite combo loop is now destroyed!" shouted Lucky Star as she was finally relieved to get rid of Pinkie's card.

Soon the entire chateau started to melt down as all the monsters that were inside started to run out as they were scared and hid behind Pinkie's legs as they saw their favorite place be teared down as the entire field was turned back to normal and her monsters returned back to her deck. The girls and the students were all now back in their previous positions as they each sat on a bench.

"Oh, come on! I didn't finish my dessert!" shouted Rainbow.

"Time for me to kick it into high gear, especially cause now that your field spell is gone your monsters lose those extra 500 attack and defense points. Then I summon my Harpie Oracle(1300/1400) and thanks to her special ability, when she's summoned, I can add 1 spell/trap card from my graveyard that list 'Harpie Lady Sisters' in its text and add it to my hand at the end of the turn. And the card I choose is my Elegant Egotist, but before we get there, it's time to take over." said Lucky Star. "I now overlay my Level 4 Birdface, Harpie Lady and Harpie Lady Oracle to build the Overlay Network!" All three of Lucky Star's monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as they levitated into the air as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon all three orbs then entered the portal as a pillar of light had emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500)!" Out came a dragon that was similar to Lucky Star's previous dragon as it too had a chain around its neck as it landed with a thud and gave out a roar.

"Now I activate the effect of my Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, while it has its overlay units, this card can attack you directly! So get ready, time to dish out some damage of my own!" Lucky Star then had her monster flap its wings as it soared right above Pinkie as it opened its mouth and then fired a fireball as it looked to make contact with Pinkie who simply side-stepped it as it left a hole next to her.
Pinkie's Life Points: 6000-

I finally dealt her damage. "Now then I'll throw this card facedown and since we've reach the end of the turn, I now remove one Xyz material from my Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon. Furthermore, I now get back the Elegant Egotist that's in my graveyard." Lucky Star's duel disk then slotted out her card as she grabbed it; she then grabbed one of the cards underneath her Xyz monster on her card tray as her dragon absorbed its overlay unit.

Turn 11: Pinkie

"My turn, and to start I'll activate the effect of my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode, by using one overlay unit, I can summon a 'Madolche' monster from my deck in either face-up attack position or face-down defense position. And I choose to bring out my Madolche Magileine(1400/1200) and place it facedown." stated Pinkie as she grabbed her card that slotted out for her to grab and then placed it sideways on her duel disk. "Next I switch my Madolche Chouxvalier into defense mode. Then I'll have my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-Mode attack your Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon." stated Pinkie.

"Sorry, that ain't going to happen." said Lucky Star with a smug smile on her face.

"What? Why not?" whined Pinkie.

"Cause my Phantasmal Dragon has a unique effect, as long as it has its Xyz materials you can't target any 'Harpie' monsters or my dragon with attack or effects. So basically, it's untouchable."

"Party pooper!" shouted Pinkie. "In that case, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Lucky Star

"My turn." My dragon allows me to get 2 more free attacks, but by then I'll need to have taken out her monsters. "Now I summon Harpie Lady 1(1300/1400). And thanks to her effect, all my Wind monsters gain an extra 300 attack points. So now her and my dragon both get a power boost." informed Lucky Star as her Harpie Lady now had a total of 1600 attack points while her Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon had 2300 attack points.

"And with more fire power added to my Phantasmal Dragon, it means more damage for to take. So Phantasmal Dragon attack her directly again!" shouted Lucky Star as her dragon fired off another attack that Pinkie managed to side step.
Pinkie's Life Points: 3700-

"With that, I'll end my turn and my Phantasmal Dragon loses another Xyz material." stated Lucky Star as she removed another one of her cards from underneath her monster on her card tray as she sent the card to the graveyard.

Turn 13: Pinkie

"My draw, now I'll use the effect of my Madolche Queen Tiaramisu, buy using one overlay unit, I can add 2 'Madolche' cards from my graveyard back to my deck." Pinkie's tiny queen then raised her staff as an Xyz material was absorbed into it. She then appeared in front of Pinkie's duel disk as she pointed at it to select the cards that would be returned. "Thanks, queenie." smiled Pinkie as she got back her Madolche Chateau and Madolche Waltz as she placed them on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Then I'll flip up my Madolche Magileine faceup and when I do that, I can activate its effect to add a 'Madolche' monster from my deck to my hand." Pinkie then used her duel disk as she knew which card she wanted.

"Then I summon to the field my Madolche Butlerusk(1500/800)." Out came a tiny butler monster as he had a monocle in his eye and had a tea pot and tea cup in his hand as he poured it. He then gave a courtesy bow as he looked at Pinkie. "Such a cutie pie." giggled Pinkie. "Now when my Madolche Butlerusk is summoned, I can then add a Field spell from my deck to my hand."

"No!!!" shouted Lucky Star as she knew what that meant.

"Yes! We're gonna have a party all over again. Now I play Madolche Chateau!" Once again, Pinkie played her field spell as the entire field was now changing as they were back to where they were when the duel began. "And my field spell gives all my monsters on the field an addition 500 attack and defense points. Then I'll overlay my Level 4 Madolche Butlerusk and Madolche Magileine to build the Overlay Network!" Pinkie's monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they levitated into the air as a portal opened up. Soon they disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged from it. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Teacher Glassouffle(1800/2500, OLU: 2) in defense mode!" Pinkie's new monster was a tiny teacher who had her attire made up of a soufflé as she had a few books and scrolls floating near her.

"Then I'll just end my turn."

Turn 14: Lucky Star

"My draw, and now I play the Elegant Egotist spell card that I received earlier and now use it to special summon another copy of my Harpie Lady Sisters from my deck." Lucky Star now had her trio of monsters as they stood side by side. "I now summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon(1200/600)." Out came a baby version of Harpie's Pet Dragon as it let out a tiny growl as it had a chain wrapped around its neck. "Thanks to the effect of my baby dragon, since I control at least 3 'Harpie' monsters, its attack and defense points not only double but I can destroy one card that you control this turn. So I choose to get rid of your field spell once more."

"Meanie!" shouted Pinkie as she crossed her arms and pouted as her field spell was destroyed.

"And don't forget, my Harpie Lady 1 grants 300 more attack points to both my Harpie Lady Sisters and Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon. Furthermore, your field spell is gone so now your monsters lose the extra 500 attack points that were given to them." stated Lucky Star. "Now, Phantasmal Dragon attack Pinkie directly once more!" Phantasmal Dragon then fired off another fireball as Pinkie dodged it again by bouncing all over the place.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1300-

"And now I'll have Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon attack your Madolche Teacher Glassouffle. And then have my Harpie Lady Sisters take out your Madolche Queen Tiaramisu!" shouted Lucky Star as her monsters took out their targets.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1250-

"I'll then end my turn and remove the last of my Phantasmal Dragon's overlay units." stated Lucky Star as she had finally managed to deal damage and take the lead in this duel against Pinkie.

Turn 15: Pinkie

"My turn, first I'll reveal my facedown, Madolche Lesson. Now I can target a 'Madolche' in my graveyard and shuffle it back into my deck." Pinkie then retrieved one of her Madolche Puddingcess as she placed it back on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Now all my Madolche monsters on the field gain 800 attack and defense points, then I can shuffle another 'Madolche' monster from my graveyard to my deck." Pinkie then grabbed her Madolche Chouxvalier as she placed it once more on top of her deck as it shuffled her deck once more as her Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-Mode gained more strength. "Now I'll activate my monster's special ability, since a monster was shuffled back into my deck, I can now summon a 'Madolche' monster from my deck in faceup attack mode or facedown defense position. So this time I summon my Madolche Chickolates(800/1500) in defense mode." Pinkie's duel disk then slotted out her card as she grabbed it and placed it sideways on her duel disk.

"I'll then have my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode attack your Harpie Lady 1." claimed Pinkie.

"Not gonna happen, cause my Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon's effect kicks in. Since there's at least 1 'Harpie' monsters on the field, that means you're only allowed to attack my Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon." stated Lucky Star as her baby dragon began to flap its wings and stepped in front of Harpie Lady 1 as it tried to do its best to protect its mistress from harm as he took the attack head on.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 800-

"I'll then play Heavy Storm so that all spell and trap cards on the field are destroyed." Pinkie then caused a giant storm to blow over as all of Lucky Star's spells and traps.

"Now a couple of things happen, since my Hysteric Sign was destroyed, I can now add up to 3 'Harpie' monsters with different names from my deck to my hand. And then when my Alluring Mirror Split is destroyed, I can revive a 'Harpie' monster from my graveyard." Lucky Star then used her duel screen as she selected her monsters as her duel disk slotted out her cards. She then used her duel screen once more as she brought back her Harpie Channeler.

"Not bad, so now I'll lay a card facedown end my turn."

Turn 16: Lucky Star

"My draw, and it's time I end this, cause I play Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!" shouted Lucky Star as she held her card up high into the air.

"Wait!!!" shouted Pinkie.

"What now!?!" yelled out Lucky Star as she was angry that Pinkie interrupt her in the middle of her move.

"I have to check something." said Pinkie. She then pulled out a script from her hair as she began to read it. "Lets see, taking the early lead in the duel with my combo. Lucky Star mounting a comeback... yada yada..." rambled on Pinkie, "Ah, here we are. The ending of this chapter. Hmm... okay, we're good. The chapter has at least 7000 words, so we can this end duel now." smiled Pinkie as she put the script back into the abyss that was her hair.

"God, I want to get away from her." said Lucky Star as she gritted her teeth. "Now Phoenix Formation, activate!" Soon a circle on Lucky Star's field appeared as it had symbols on the outer ring while her Harpie Lady was inside the circle as she got in formation. "Since I control 'Harpie Lady', this spell allows me to destroy all the monsters you control on the field up to the number of 'Harpie Lady' that I control. So get to it, take out her Madolche Chocolat-a-la-Mode." shouted Lucky Star as her monster then soared high into the sky as as she soon dived as a phoenix surrounded her. She then made contact with Pinkie's monster as it was engulfed by the flames.

"Now my spell allows me to deal damage equal to the monster's attack points. So since your monster had 3300 attack points, that means you lose 3300 life points. Which means... game over. And I can finally get away from you." stated Lucky Star as she was glad to have escaped from Pinkie's craziness.
Pinkie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lucky Star

"Aww. Oh well." stated Pinkie as she just kept on smiling.

"Now that the duel has reached its conclusion, the winner of this round is Lucky Star!" stated Luna as the audience gave an applause.

Chapter 158: Role Models

"Yes, it's finally here." said Isaac as he noticed the postman arriving to the house. He then went to open the front door as he was greeted by the postman as he had a small package for the boy.

"Let's see... Isaac, is it?" asked the man.

"Yup, that's me."

"Aright then, sign here. Sign here. And initial this." said the man as he handed Isaac a clipboard as he began to do the following instructions. "All done and here's your package."

"Thanks." said Isaac as he took the package from the postman as he entered back into the house. He then placed the package on the table in the living room as he took a seat on the couch. "He finally sent them, well... not just him." said Isaac as he had been waiting on this delivery for quite sometime. Isaac then got a boxcutter as he opened up the seal and took out the pieces of paper that acted as protection as he saw the things inside. There was also a note that was in the box as Isaac picked it up and began to read it.

Hey, bud.

I finally was able to find what you requested and had them sent to your place. Granted it took a while, but that's because I was busy with other things so I hope you understand. Not to mention I also got in contact with someone else, man it felt good to talk to him again. Anyways, we both pitched in and sent you the gift. We're also proud of how things are going for your little program, wish there was something that either of us could do, but we can't at the moment. So consider these cards a gift for you and your students. Hope to see you and hey, give us a call if anything happens.

Sincerely, ....

P.S. We also had some spare cards that we think you might want to have for your deck. Think of it as present.

"A gift for me? Well, that's not what I asked them." said Isaac as he pulled out the items and began to look at them as he was pleased by what his acquittances had sent him. He then saw the cards that they wanted him to have as he began to look them over and was starting to see the many plays he could make. "Guess, I got more firepower to add to my deck. This should be fun." smiled Isaac.

The CMC were currently in Ms. Cheerilee's class as they were going over their daily lesson.

"Now then, who can tell why there are 31 days in the months of July and August? Anybody?" asked Ms. Cheerilee.

The kids all just stared blankly at their teacher as they hadn't the foggiest idea. Ms. Cheerilee still kept a hopeful smile as she hoped one of her students would know the answer. But after a few moments of silence with a small cough from a kid, she just let out a disappointed sigh as she put her head down.

"Did none of you read chapter 15 on Roman History?" said Ms. Cheerilee as she tried to avoid getting stressed. "The reason why July and August have 31 days is because of their consul. July was in honor of Julius Caesar and August was in honor of his successor Augustus. Both were given 31 days as a way to highlight their importance having been Roman leaders. Which is why we have a bit more time for summer vacation." said Ms. Cheerilee.

"Ohh." said the students in a collective response as they finally understood what their teacher was talking about.

"Oh, vey. I can't wait for retirement." said Ms. Cheerilee. "Anyways, Augustus view Julius as a role model, which is what our next lesson is on. Everybody has been inspired at one point, whether to do something or accomplish a certain dream/desire. Everybody has been influenced in some shape or form. And so that will be your next assignment kids."

"Uggg!" said the kids as they let out a collective groan.

"For the next few classes, you'll do some research on a person who you consider a role model. Collective some information about them and you'll write a report and present it in front of the class as to why they're an inspiration to your life. They can be anybody, someone from ancient history, or someone in your family. All in all, I want you to find someone who you consider an important figure in your life and how they help you to strive towards your goals." said Ms. Cheerilee as the bell rang and she dismissed her class.

The CMC all exited the class as they were currently walking in the hallways as they were talking about the assignment.

"Great, so we got homework." complained Scootaloo.

"I don't even know where to start. Or who I'm going to do my report on." said Sweetie Belle.

"Uh, girls. Did you forget?" asked Applebloom.

"What?" said both girls.

"We got plenty of options." said their country friend.

"Who?" asked the girls.

"Duh, Isaac and the others." said Applebloom.

"Ohhh." said both girls.

"Come on, let's find them."

With that the three of them left to find the older teens.

They all stopped by to the gymnasium as they hoped that Isaac or anybody would be there. Safe to say there wasn't anybody there was the only people their were Amber and Jack as they were currently practicing against each other.

"Time to attack, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack her Lunalight Blue Cat!" shouted Jack as his monster raised its fist and took out Amber's monster.

"Now Lunalight Blue Cat's effect activates, since it was destroyed in battle, I can summon a 'Lunalight' monster from my deck. So I choose my Lunalight Yellow Marten in defense mode." said Amber as her duel disk slotted out her card as she played it and out came a female weasel-like monster as she wore a yellow outfit.

"I think I've seen them before." said Scootaloo as she observed the students.

"Yeah, but I can't remember their names." said Applebloom.

"Wait... aren't they the students that Rainbow and Rarity are teaching?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Huh." said Scootaloo as she observed the teens. "I think they are. Perhaps they know where we can find the others."

The girls all then made their way to the duo as they saw the kids coming. They soon halted their practice sessions as they wanted to see who the small kids were.

"Seems we have some guests." said Amber as she pointed behind Jack.

"Huh." said the boy as he saw the young kids making their way to them. "Isn't one of them your tutor's little sister?" asked Jack.

"Hey, are you two the students that Rarity and Rainbow Dash are teaching?" asked Scootaloo.

"I'm Jack Hunt."

"Amber. So what are your names, girls?"

"Scootaloo."

"Applebloom."

"Sweetie Belle. And together we're called the CMC."

"Cute name. stated Jack.

"So, we didn't mean to interrupt your little training session. But have you seen Isaac, or the others?" asked Scootaloo.

"What business do you have with our professors?" asked Amber.

"We wanted to discuss something with them." stated Sweetie Belle.

"Say, kids. How are you associated with Isaac?" asked Jack.

"Well, I kind of introduced the other two to him right after he became champion after the Fall Formal." said Applebloom as she remembered that fateful day.

She had managed to convince Isaac to met her friends to prove to them that she was on friendly terms with the boy. Soon one day while they were all hanging out in the library practicing their skills, Isaac arrived and he met the small trio. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle still didn't believe their friend, so Applebloom proposed that Isaac had a battle with Scootaloo to prove that he was the real deal. Safe to say that even though he wasn't trying, Isaac managed to beat Scootaloo in a pretty convincing fashion which was more than enough to prove that he really was the champion. After that encounter, the girls all wanted Isaac to retune their decks and he went out of his way to help the girls understand and improve their skills as they began to improve greatly.

"And that's how it happened." said Applebloom as she finished recounting her tale.

"Seems, professor Isaac has done alot for these kids." said Amber.

"No doubt, Amber. We're lucky that he had his friends become our tutors." said Jack.

"So, do either of you know where they are?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, before I met up with Amber. Rainbow said she was going to the park." stated Jack.

"As for Rarity, she was going to jewelry store to check out some gems for her outfits." explained Amber.

"Okay, then. Thanks you two, and sorry for interrupting your practice session." said Sweetie Belle as she and the other two left.

"Sweet girls. No wonder they're related to our tutors." said Jack.

"Indeed, now then. Let's continue on with our training." said Amber as both individuals got back into place.

"So, it seems that Rainbow and Rarity are in two different places." said Scootaloo.

"I hate to say it, but if we're gonna finish this assignment in time, then we might need to split up." suggested Sweetie Belle.

"Then that means I'm heading off to find Rainbow Dash." said Scootaloo as she pulled out her scooter from her back pocket and put on her safety helmet.

"You had that thing in your backpocket?" asked Applebloom.

"Hey, we're a cartoon. It's in the rulebook. See ya girls, later." said Scootaloo as she took off and was now speeding in the hallways as she exited the building.

"No scooters in the hallway!!!" shouted Vice-principal Luna, but Scootaloo was out the door before she could hear the older women.

"Guess, I'm off to find Rarity. I'll talk to you later, Applebloom." said Sweetie Belle as she started to head towards the jewelry store in hopes of finding her big sister.

"Guess that means I still need to find where Applejack is." said the young girl as she began to ask around school.

Sweetie Belle was currently walking in the hopes of finding Rarity. Thankfully, she knew where she was and the fact that she often had to visit the place whenever Rarity needed to look at some priceless gems, that she knew the address of the jewelry store. She was now standing in front of the place as she entered through the door as the welcoming bell went off. She then looked around and low and behold standing there at the counter with a small with magnifying glass eyepiece as she was observing some gems in front of her.

"Rarity!" shouted Sweetie Belle.

"In a moment, Sweetie Belle. I'm busy." said Rarity as she grabbed one of the colorful stones and was keenly observing it. "Is this real?!" asked Rarity as she felt like she was being scammed.

Sweetie Belle let out a sigh as she made her way to her sister as she sat down next to her feet as she pulled out the rubric for her assignment as she began to look it over. It had been about 2 hours since Sweetie Belle had entered the place and Rarity was still trying to check out the gems as she was currently talking with the jeweler as she wanted to make sure that she was buying actual gems. Sweetie Belle had begun writing her paper as she was getting bored, she eventually pulled out her deck and began to look at her cards to take her mind off. Soon she felt her eyes close as she eventually fell asleep.

"Alright, I've made my purchase. Here you go, Sweetie Belle." said Rarity.

"Huh?" said the girl as she woke up and then had some bags in her arms as she struggled to lift them a bit.

"Come along now, I've got some orders to work on." said Rarity as started to leave the store with her little sister following behind her as she carried the small pile in her hands.

The Belle sisters then made their way back to their to Rarity's boutique as Rarity immediately began to head towards her work study to begin her design.

"Alright, the bags are here." said Sweetie Belle as she collapsed on the floor with the bags on top of the little girl.

"Sweetie Belle, those were suppose to go over here." said Rarity. "Now get up from the floor before they get dirty." demanded Rarity as she sat down at her worktable and began to overlook her designs.

"Right... away." said Sweetie Belle as she lifted a thumbs up from the pile. She then got back up and started to carry the bags to where her sister wanted as she let out another breath of exhaustion. "But... I was... hoping you can help me. I have an assignment for class."

"In a moment, Sweetie Belle." said Rarity as she was now laser focused on the order she had to work on.

"Okay." groaned Sweetie Belle as she got to work on some more of her assignments as she waited for her sister.

The time passed as Rarity was hard at work finishing the order as she paid special attention to the requests by her customer, all the while Sweetie Belle was busy doing her report as she managed to get most of it done as the only thing she needed was to get some info from her big sister. It was about another hour or so when Rarity had finally finished as she let out an exhausted sigh. She then put her design away as she finished planning it out and would begin working on it tomorrow. She then exited her work-study as she noticed Sweetie Belle was at a table and had her head down as her cards were spread out in front of her. She just had an unamused look on her face as she let out as she let out a sigh.

"Care for a quick game?" asked Rarity as she approached her little sister with a smile on her face.

"Huh?" said Sweetie Belle.

"Come on, let's have fun." smiled Rarity as she sat down across from her sister as she reached into her pocket and pulled out her cards as she shuffled them.

"You're finally done?! Yes!" exclaimed Sweetie Belle as she gathered up her cards and then began to shuffle them. While Sweetie Belle was shuffled her cards, she looked at Rarity as she noticed her Crystal Beasts in between her sister's shuffles. "Say, Rarity?"

"What is it, Sweetie Belle?"

"You never told me how you got your Crystal Beasts? Or how you came to find them?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, I suppose I could tell you. I was about 5 years old when I got my deck. And to you'll find this quite shocking is that I never wanted to duel." said Rarity as she began to tell her little sister her tale.

It was a bright young day as the kids were all running about as they were chasing each other around. Of course, there was also some nearby duels happening. Most of the kids gathered round to see their fellow classmates as well as too see the cool monsters. Viewing this from afar was Rarity as she was on a nearby bench as she had a notepad on her knees as she was sketching some dresses. Granted for a kid they were just straight lines as Rarity had a couple of colored pencils as she was filling in with tons of colors as she tried to envision what it would look like. Once she added the final color, she look at it as it was beautiful, but to Rarity it wasn't meeting her expectations.

"That's a nice drawing, Rarity." said another kid as she joined her friend on the bench.

"Nice?! It needs to be spectacular!" shouted a younger Rarity. "Forgive me, Golden Cheery. But I'm not happy with I drew."

"Well, I think it's nice. I wish I could have your skills at designing beautiful dresses." said Golden Cheery as looked at the drawing Rarity did. "Say, have you..." she didn't get to finish her sentence as the school bell rang to signal that break time was over as all the students were starting to line up for class.

"Remember class, don't forget about tomorrow's duels." said the teacher as she dismissed the young kids as they all got their backpacks. "Rarity, could I speak with you?"

"Yes, Ms. Calhoun."

"I wanted to talk to you about tomorrow's duels." said Rarity's teacher.

"Oh, yes. That thing." said Rarity with a bit of disgust. "Look, Ms. Calhoun its just that I'm not interested in this game. It's not my style, all the fighting."

"Duel Monsters isn't about fighting, it's more of the idea of having fun." said Rarity's teacher. "Which is why I'm worried, cause out of everybody here, you don't have a deck. And while the duels tomorrow aren't required, I still want you to take part in them and enjoy yourself. So, can you at least try to put together deck and participate in the fun?"

"I'd think I would have fun just working on my drawings." said Rarity.

"Just give it a chance." Ms. Calhoun then wrote something down on a piece of paper as she handed it to Rarity. "Here, go to the school's card shop. I'm sure they can allow you to sift through the pile of cards they lend the kids have to create decks."

"Very well." said Rarity as she grabbed the piece of paper and made her way to her destination.

She then entered the room as she went to the desk in the front as she presented the piece of paper by her teacher as she read it and typed in her computer. With that, Rarity was now given a piece of paper that she would have to write down all the cards she was borrowing so that the school could keep track of what each person had when they checked it out to keep track of anything being lost. Rarity then approached the huge bin as it was littered with cards as she grabbed a huge pile in her hands and place them on a nearby table.

"Honestly, I'm not sure why I'm doing this. This game just doesn't suit my needs . Or taste for that matter." stated the young girl as she slowly grabbed a small catalog as she looked at each card she grabbed to learn about it.

Rarity kept at this for about an hour as she was really trying to see the value of Duel Monsters. She did admit that several monsters were cute and did have some unique outfits that did catch her attention. However, she still didn't see the point of the game as she just put her head down.

"Why do I have to do this?" complained Rarity. "None of this is appealing to me. I should tell Ms. Calhoun that I'm just not interested in this 'Duel Monsters'." said the young girl. Just as Rarity had prepared to pack up, the book she was using had caught a card in between the pages that she didn't notice it. So when she picked up her book, out came the card as it slowly fell on the table. Rarity noticed this as it caught her attention.

"Well, now. What's this?" asked Rarity as she picked up the card and saw the creature. "Well, it's cute a little thing." The card that Rarity was currently holding was none other than Ruby Carbuncle. "How does something like you get involved in all this? Especially when you're so dazzling." said Rarity.

She then grabbed her book as she began to flip through the pages as she was looking for the card. Soon she came upon and began to read its name and its effect; Rarity then flipped to the next page as she saw all the Crystal Beast monster cards as they caught her eye with the many colors and vibrant that radiated to her. For the rest of the day, Rarity began to look and find the rest of the Crystal Beasts as little did she know she was creating her deck.

The next day and the students were running about as most of them were gathering around in large groups as they wanted to see the many duels that were taking place. As for Rarity she was looking at the duel disk she had borrowed for the event as she was trying to figure out how to work the damn thing.

"Why are these things so tight? And heavy." said Rarity as her arm was starting to way down a bit from the weight of the device.

"That's why you build some muscle." said Golden Cherry as she approached her friend. "Let me help you." said the girl as she began to fit the duel disk on Rarity's arm. "How's that?"

"A bit better." said Rarity.

"Good. Then want to duel?" asked Golden Cherry.

"I suppose it's only right. You helped me and I'll repay the favor." said Rarity as she then pulled out the created deck she made as she began to shuffle it as she slotted it into the duel disk.

As both girls prepared to take their place, some of their fellow classmates wanted to see this as they all gathered round.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rarity's Life Points: 4000-

Golden Cherry's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Golden Cherry

"I'll start, I play this monster facedown in defense mode." said Golden Cherry as her card appeared sideways in front of her. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Rarity

"Then it's my turn, darling. So stand back." said Rarity as she drew her card and looked at her options. "Now what did that book say about these cards. Oh, I remember, I summon Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat(1200/400). Now I'll activate my monster's effect, so now by slicing her attack points in half, I can have her attack you directly." said Rarity as she remembered reading that part of her monster's effect as her cat then raced over and did a slash as its target.
Golden Cherry's Life Points: 3400-

"Not bad." said Rarity as she was impressed by what she was able to do.

Turn 3: Golden Cherry

"Not bad, Rarity." said Golden Cherry as she cheered for her friend on being able to strike the first blow. "My turn, now I flip over my facedown, it's my Prediction Princess Coinorma(800/1400)." Out flipped a monster as she was tiny and had a coin she was holding. "Now Coinorma's effect activates, Now I can special summon 1 Level 3 or higher 'Flip' monster from my hand or deck in facedown defense position. So I'll set this monster." Golden Cherry then had her duel disk ejected a card from her deck as she set it facedown on the field. "Next, I'll lay one card facedown and set another monster facedown. I end my turn."

Turn 4: Rarity

"My turn." said Rarity as she looked at the card she drew and it happened to be another Crystal Beast. "I always did like cats, now how about meeting this pair. I summon Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger(1600/1000)." Rarity played her card and out came a tiger that was white as it had black stripes along its body as it had a horn sticking out from its head. Topaz Tiger let out roar as he looked around and took in its surroundings. He then looked at the young Rarity as he let out a growl.

"Easy there." said Rarity as she put her hands out as she was scared by the look her tiger was giving her.

Topaz Tiger started to get closer to Rarity as his growl was becoming a bit louder. Rarity was now scared that the monster was going to eat her that she closed her eyes as she prepared for it to be gone. Amethyst Cat gave a growl to her comrade as she was relaying a message to her friend. Soon Rarity opened her eyes expecting her to be torn to shreds. when standing in front of her was Topaz Tiger as he still held a growl but was leaving himself vulnerable. Rarity then slowly extended her hand out as it was above Topaz Tiger who immediately began to sniff her hand as he took in the little girl's scent. He then licked her hand as he brought his head up to make contact with Rarity's palm as he let out a purr. Rarity was glad that she wasn't going to get eaten as she started to pet her tiger even more. Soon she looked at both of her cats as they all nodded and then turned back into their battle positions.

"Now time for my tiger strike, attack her Prediction Princess Coinorma. And now my tiger's effect allows him to gain 400 extra attack points when it battles a monster." said Rarity as her tiger looked to pounce.

"I activate my facedown, Black Cat-astrophe. Now since I control 2 or more facedown monsters, I can end the battle phase." said Golden Cherry as she managed to stop Rarity in her tracks.

"Very well, then. I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Golden Cherry

"My turn, and now I'll flip over my Prediction Princess Arrowsylph(1000/1400) and by doing so her effect allows me to add a Ritual spell to my hand from my deck or graveyard. But then I'll also flip over my other facedown monster, my Prediction Princess Crystaldine(1400/2200). And so I can add a Ritual monster from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Golden Cherry had both of her monsters flip up as her duel disk ejected the two cards she wanted. "Now I'll play the spell card that I got, I activate the ritual spell, Prediction Ritual. So by offering my Prediction Princess Arrowsylph and Princess Crystaldine, I can conduct a ritual summoning!"

"Ritual summon?" asked Rarity as she was confused by that word.

"O ancient sorceress, who appears through the veil of life, may the supernatural secret spell awaken you without strife! I Ritual Summon Prediction Princess Tarotrei(2700/1200)!" Out came a sorceress as her hands were flowing with magic. "Now I attack your Amethyst Cat with my Prediction Princess Tarotrei!" shouted Golden Cherry as her monster was able to take Rarity's monster out and deal some big damage.
Rarity's Life Points: 2500-

After the attack ended, Rarity's cat then transformed into a gem. Rarity was about to send her card away she noticed the small jewel on her field. "Huh? Oh, wait a minute. I think remember something about this, but what?" Rarity was trying hard to remember a certain detail she had read about these cards. It soon came to her as lightbulb went off in her head. "I remember. When my Crystal Beasts are destroyed, I can place them in my spell and trap card zone instead of sending them to my graveyard."

"I've never heard of that before." said Golden Cherry. "Well, I'll just place another monster facedown and then my monster's effect allows me to set another monster facedown, so I'll do just that. I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Rarity

"My draw, and I summon my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus(1800/1200). And when my pegasus is summoned, I can place 'Crystal Beast' from my hand, deck or graveyard, in my spell and trap card zone. So I'll set this cute little creature, my Ruby Carbuncle." A small red ruby appeared on Rarity's field. "Now since my Ruby Carbuncle is in my spell and trap card zone, I can special summon it, then when Ruby is summoned, so are all my other Crystal Beasts in my backrow." said Rarity as both her Carbuncle and Amethyst Cat appeared on the field.

"Not bad." cheered Golden Cherry.

"Now I'll equip my Sapphire Pegasus with Crystal Release to give him 800 more attack points." stated Rarity.

"But that only gives him, 2600 attack points. My monster is still stronger." said Golden Cherry.

"Well, I now reveal my facedown, M Force. So now one of my monsters gain 500 attack points and I'll choose my pegasus. So now he's the stronger one." informed Rarity. "So first thing is that I'll have my Amethyst Cat attack you directly, by cutting her attack points." said the girl as her cat dealt it blow.
Golden Cherry's Life Points: 2800-

"Now my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus will attack your Prediction Princess Tarotrei!" stated Rarity as her pegasus took off.

"I activate my Tarotrei's special ability, during either player's turn, I can target one facedown monster and flip it up. So I'll target my own monster." said Golden Cherry as her card flipped over. "Now the effect of my Prediction Princess Petalelf(800/700) activates, so all of your monsters now switch from attack mode to defense mode and they can't change modes." With that Golden Cherry was able to stop Rarity's attack as her pegasus came to a halt.

"Fine. I end my turn."

Turn 7: Golden Cherry

"You almost took down my monster." cheered Golden Cherry. "So sorry I have to do this, I now flip up my other monster. My Prediction Princess Astromorrigan(1300/0). And thanks to this effect, for all the monsters you have in defense mode, at the end of the turn they're all destroyed and you take 500 points of damage."

"What?" said Rarity in a shocked voice.

"Now I'll have my Prediction Princess Coinorma attack your Ruby Carbuncle." said Golden Cherry as her monster took out Rarity's tiny monster as it turned into a ruby.

"Why do that? Now I'll take less damage."

"So I can make room for my trap, Reverse Reuse. Now I can target 2 Flip monsters in my graveyard and place them on your field in facedown defense position." said Golden Cherry as her Crystaldine and Arrowsylph appeared on Rarity's field. "Now your field is full and so when I end my turn..."

"I lose." said Rarity as she realized the situation.

"Bingo. Sorry." said Golden Cherry as she ended her turn and Rarity lost.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Golden Cherry

"And that's how I got my deck." said Rarity as she finished telling her tale to her sister.

"Woah, so what about your cards?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, whenever I needed a deck. I would always go to the same place and rent out the same cards, eventually I got better and the women who was in charge saw how much I cared about the cards that she allowed me to keep them permantly." said Rarity.

Scootaloo had made her way to the skatepark as she was hoping to find who she was looking for. Thankfully, she didn't have to look too far as she saw Rainbow Dash doing some tricks and flips with her skateboard as she was running her routine and finding new moves she could execute. The small girl then approached the ramp as Rainbow had managed to bring her board to a stop as she spun around and skidded leaving a few marks in the cement.

"That was. Amazing!!" shouted Scootaloo.

"Thanks, kiddo." said Rainbow Dash as she started to grab her water bottle and take a few sips. "So, what brings you here, sport?"

"Well, I wanted to ask you something?"

"Is it how awesome I am? Cause let me tell you, that's all the time." said Rainbow as she began to take off her helmet as she flipped her hair to let it flow freely. "In fact, since I won my first junior tournament in grade school. I've been reeking with awesomeness."

"You have? Tell me about it!" shouted Scootaloo as her eyes were now widen with excitement.

"Well, it all started..."

Rainbow was now accounting the time she had won her first junior tournament in grade school. Despite, being a girl with a tomboyish attitude, she quickly impressed her classmates with her skills and her deck. Eventually, the day where their school was holding a mini tournament for the kids in the junior division. Rainbow was one of the first kids who signed up and asked her parents to enter as they were big supporters of their daughter and everything she did was hailed as "legendary" in her eyes. So the final duel of the event was upon the kids as Rainbow was one of the two finals as she was taking on a person she had a score to settle with.

"Hope you're ready to lose again, Rainbow Crash." mocked her opponent who was none other than a boy named Dumb Bell.

"As if, I'm going to run over you faster than you count to three." said a young Rainbow Dash. She then slotted in her cards as her duel disk activated.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4000-

Dumb Bell's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Dumb Bell

"Boys first." stated Dumb Bell as he picked up his card. "Let's see you beat this monster, I special summon my Gilasaurus(1400/400)." said the boy as a small dino appeared as it let out a roar. "Then I'll sacrifice my Gilasaurus so that I can summon my Frostosaurus(2600/1700)." The smaller dino then froze over as a bigger and colder dino appeared as it let out a cry. "Let's see you beat that, Crash."

Turn 2: Rainbow Dash

"My turn!" said a young and cocky Rainbow as she drew her card. "I summon U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000)." A portal appeared in the air before her and her monster jumped down into a crouch, an athlete with spiked brown hair and glowing silver and green armor.

"Maybe you should pay attention to math, Crash. Cause my monster could totally crush that little guy with one hit." mocked Dumb Bell as his friends, Hoops and Score joined in on their mocking of Rainbow.

"Then let me do something that really get everybody's attention. I switch out my U.A. Midfielder so that I can summon my U.A. Player Manager(2000/2600)." Midfielder then tagged in its partner as out came his teammate as he threw off his jacket and had a baseball over his shoulder.

"That all?! It's still weak." chuckled Dumb Bell.

"You're right, they do call you Dumb Bell based on the level of your stupidity." mocked Rainbow as it got the boys to glare at her. "Cause let introduce you to my monster's special ability, when U.A. Player Manager is special summoned, it can destroy one card on the field. So say goodbye to your Frostosaurus!" stated Rainbow.

"Huh?" said the boys as they watched Rainbow's monster toss up a baseball and then swung at it as it shattered the dino into tons of pieces.

"Now you're wide open, attack big guy!" shouted Rainbow as she gave her monster his command as he tossed another baseball into the air and with a mighty swing of his bat, was able to send the ball sailing straight at Dumb Bell's face as he fell flat on his back.
Dumb Bell's Life Points: 2000-

"Nice!" said Rainbow as her monster then appeared in front of her as he lifted his hand up. Rainbow understood as she had to jump to be able give her monster a high five as she smiled.

"Way to go, sweetie!" shouted Rainbow's mom as she waved a small flag with her daughter's face on it.

"Attagirl! Yeah!!" shouted Rainbow's father as he was wearing a t-shirt that had his daughter on it.

"God, this is embarrassing." said Rainbow as her parents often were over the top when it came to showing their support for their daughter. "I'll end my turn. Let's see if you can take down my monster."

Turn 3: Dumb Bell

"My turn, and now I play my field spell, Jurassic World. And with my field spell in play, all my dinos gain 300 attack and defense points. So now I play my Sabersaurus(1900/500)." Out emerged a triceratops as it sabers all along its body. "Thanks to being in its natural home, my dino gets even more powerful, 300 more points stronger. Now attack her pathetic monster." said Dumb Bell as his dino then charged forward as it took out Rainbow's monster with its horns.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 3800-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Rainbow Dash

"My turn, draw!" said Rainbow.

"Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash!" shouted Rainbow's parents.

"Not helping." said Rainbow as she gritted her teeth. "I now play U.A. Midfielder once again, then I switch him out so that I can summon my U.A. Perfect Ace(1500/2500) in defense mode." said Rainbow as her new monster monster wore a blue and silver outfit with mechanical gliders on its back as it had a football in his hand.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Dumb Bell

"My turn, I now play my Hyper Hammerhead(1500/1200)." Out came another dino as it let out a roar as its nose resembled a hammer. "Now, I'll have my new monster attack your monster." said Dumb Bell.

"Bring it on! My monster has more defense points, so it won't even feel the attack." stated Rainbow as her monster was able to push back the dino as it fell on its back as Dumb Bell lost some points.
Dumb Bell's Life Points: 1300-

"Told ya!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Then how about this, my monster's effect activates." said Dumb Bell. "Cause at the end of the damage step, if the monster that my Hyper Hammerhead battled wasn't destroyed, then I can return that card back to your hand. And with no monsters to protect you, my Sabersaurus will go in for the attack." informed the boy.

"As if I'd let that happen. I activate my Perfect Ace's special ability, now I'll discard my U.A. Rookie so that I can negate the activate of your effect and then destroy your monster all together." said Rainbow with a smirk as she sent her card to the grave as Hyper Hammerhead let out a cry as it was soon gone.

"How did you do that?!" said the boy trio.

"It was nothing." said Rainbow with a smile which was soon gone due to her parents over cheering.

"Yeah, Rainbow Dash, you show 'em!" shouted Windy Whistles and Bow Hothoof.

"Why did I ask them to attend?" said Rainbow as she was now fully getting embarrassed in front of her classmates as she facepalmed herself.

"Well, I'm still going to win. Cause I reveal my facedown, Seismic Shockwave. Now since a monster of mine was destroyed, I can then lock 3 of your spell and trap card zones for you to use." said Dumb Bell.

"What?!" said Rainbow as three of her slots had X's over them to tell her she couldn't use them. "Just great." groaned the little chromatic haired girl.

"What you gonna do now, huh Crash?" mocked the boys.

Turn 6: Rainbow

"Watch, my draw! I summon U.A. Midfielder and then switch out so that I can summon U.A. Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode." said Rainbow. Midfielder swirled up into another portal. With a large thud, Rainbow’s monster descended to the field, a massive creature in thick white and orange hockey armor with glowing green lines crossing the pads. It crouched and held its hands out to the side, a red visor over its eyes lighting up.

"I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Dumb Bell

"Got nothing, can't blame you." said Dumb Bell as he drew his card. "Now I play my Big Evolution Pill spell card, so I tribute my Sabersaurus so that I can summon a Level 5 or higher monster without tributing. So I'll get rid of my dino so that I can summon Ultimate Tyranno(3000/2200)!" Out emerged a huge t-rex as it let out a roar that caused the other kids to be in awe at the big creature they saw.

Meanwhile, Rainbow's parents were holding each other tightly as they feared their daughter would get hurt by the size of the monster. Rainbow however, kept a calm and focused look on her face as she wasn't backing down from it.

"Now thanks to my monster's effect, Ultimate Tyranno can attack all of your monsters at the start of my battle phase. So do it, my dino." said Dumb Bell as his t-rex let out a roar and then swung its tail as it looked to take out both of Rainbow's monsters.

"I activate my Goalkeeper's special ability, now once per turn, I can target one of my 'U.A.' monsters and it can't be destroyed in battle. So that means my U.A. Perfect Ace is going to stick around!" shouted Rainbow as her Goalkeeper used his hand as he was transferring some energy to his teammate as he was taken out.

"You may have saved your puny monster, but it's still no match for my powerful dino. So I end my turn."

Turn 8: Rainbow

"My draw." said the brash young girl as she drew her card. "Time for me to win. I switch out my U.A. Perfect Ace so that I can summon another one of my star players of my team of amazing athletes. I summon my U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000). Then I'll reveal the card I first set, my U.A. Signing Deal. So now I can summon a U.A. monster from my deck, but its effects are negated and I take damage equal to its level by 300. So from my deck, I summon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700)." said Rainbow as she now had two monsters on her field.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2300-

"Seems like this duel is going to be over very quick." said Dumb Bell as his boys also laughed at Rainbow's pathetic attempt on making a move.

"Well, I'm from from done, cause now I reveal my other facedown, my U.A. Powered Jersey. And when I equip it to my Mighty Slugger, then I can give him an extra 1000 attack and defense points." stated Rainbow as her monster felt the power flowing from the jersey as it let out a battle cry. "Now he's got 3300 attack points and that's more than enough to take down your Ultimate Tyranno. Go get him buddy!" Mighty Slugger then leaped into the air as a few baseballs began to manifest in front of him. "Now I activate my Playmaker's effect, when a 'U.A.' monster attacks, I can transfer 800 of his own attack points and give them to another teammate. So now Playmaker gives Slugger some more power as he's got a total of 4100 attack points." said Rainbow. The balls then started to glow blue as Mighty Slugger made contact with them as his bat was transferring the attack power up to him as he put even more behind his swing as he nailed Ultimate Tyranno square in the chest as the mighty lizard went down in one shot.

"And I'm not done, cause my U.A. Powered Jersey has a second effect, in that the monster that's wearing it. Any battle damage it dishes out is doubled. So the damage coming out between out monsters is 1100, but if add the doubling effect of my U.A. Powered Jersey, then the damage is now 2200 points. Which means... I win." smiled Rainbow.

"Ahh!" shouted Dumb Bell as he was thrown back from the attack as his boys tried to catch their friend as he landed on top of them.
Dumb Bell's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rainbow Dash

"And the winner of the junior division tournament is... Rainbow Dash." said the judge.

"Ah yeah!!!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she jumped into the air as she did a fist bump.

"And that was the story of how I won my first ever junior tournament in elementary school." said Rainbow as she finished telling her tale with a huge grin on her face.

"That was so cool!" said Scootaloo as she was soaking in all the details from her idol's story as her tongue was hanging out in anticipation.

After she had split from the other two, Applebloom had actually decided to head over to the library to take care of some homework. She was able to get most of the report done as all she needed was just one final thing from the person she was doing the report on. Eventually, she noticed the time as she started to head towards the front of the school entrance as there was the person she was looking for.

"Careful there, sugar. Those plants are sensitive on where you cut them stems." said Applejack.

"I'm trying." said Isaac as he was currently bent down and had a pair of gardener gloves on as he was helping Applejack to take care of the plants that belonged to the school's garden. Isaac slowly had a pair of scissors as he was sweating hard as he was trying to be careful on which parts he cut to make sure that the plant didn't feel pain and die.

"Easy there." said Applejack as she was leaning over with her hands on her knees as she looked over Isaac's shoulder.

"Almost... got it." said Isaac as he snapped the last bit of foliage. "There we go." Isaac then relaxed as he wiped his forehead from the sweat that was dripping down.

"Not bad, for a city slicker." said AJ as she punched Isaac in the arm.

"Applejack! Isaac!" shouted Applebloom. Both teens then saw the small girl coming towards them.

"Well, I'd think that's enough for today, sugarcube. Ah appreciate you in lendin' me a hand."

"I'm always willing to help you girls with anything." said Isaac as he smiled at his cowgirl friend.

"Well, then. Ah best go. I'm going to head to home to the farm with Applebloom." said Aj as she and her sister all got into her truck as she started the engine up. "Ah'll see you tomorrow, sugarcube."

"See ya, Jacklyn." said Isaac with a smug tone and smirk.

"Ah hate that name." gritted Applejack as Applebloom let out a small snicker. She then stepped it on the gas pedal as the tailpipe produced some smoke as it got in Isaac's face who just let out a cough.

The drive home was steady as the evening air provided a cool breeze with the sun setting created a beautiful image to look at. Applebloom took out her deck from the side pocket of her backpack as she began to examine it; she was going over all the cards she had as she was trying to figure out some new strategies. Soon something came to her head as she looked at her monsters.

"Hey, Applejack?"

"What is it, Applebloom?" responded the older sibling.

"That deck of yers, ah know it was left behind by ma and pa. But you never told me how it ended up with you. All I know is by the time I was born and could be able to walk and talk, you've just had it." said the younger sister.

"Well, that's partially true. See, Applebloom. Ah wasn't the first one to have mah deck. Big Mac was the first one to wield it." said Applejack as she was driving.

"Big Mac?" Applebloom was shocked to find that her own brother was in possession of Applejack's deck before she had gotten a hold of it.

"Yup." confirmed the cowgirl.

"Then why do you have it?" asked the small girl.

"That's a tale, I haven't told in a long time, sugar." said Applejack as she began to tell her little sister about the story.

It was right around the time that the Apple Family was doing their daily harvest as they needed to get ready for the annual family reunion. At this point, it had been a few years since Applejack's parents had disappeared as Applebloom was none more than a year older as she was still a tiny baby as she sucked her pacifier. As for the other two siblings, Big Mac and Applejack were hard at work as they did all they could to prep for the harvest and the gathering that was about to be in two days. During that time, everybody was pitching in as they worked hard to get all the thing ready and took turns watching over the youngest member of their family as she would sleep and see all the action in front of her.

As the work was about to be finished, Big Mac had managed to pull aside his sister as he wanted to have a conversation with her in the barn.

"What?!" said Applejack as she was stunned by what she heard.

"It's yers." said Big Mac as he held his deck out towards her.

"Ah... don't what to say. But ah can't, ma and pa left this for you."

"Ma and pa left this deck so that they could be happy for our family to have a duelist. And ah think you're more suited for this deck, then I am." said the older sibling. "Applejack, ah want you to have it. Ah fell like it belongs with you."

"Ah can't!" stated Applejack. "Ah don't know a lick of split when it comes to duelin'."

"You'll learn. Trust me, little sis. This deck was made for you, ma and pa would be proud to know that I made the right decision." Big Mac then grabbed his sister's hand as he placed the deck in it.

Applejack took a moment to look at the object in her hand. So many emotions were running through her head that she didn't know what to say or how to react. Since the disappearance of their parents, all that was left was this deck, a hat, and a note that said they shouldn't forget about one another. That family is the one thing that can never ever be torn apart; that no matter what, family will always be there for you when you need it the most.

"Ah guess... ah guess... all ah can say is, thank you." said Applejack as she looked at her older brother.

"I know you'll do good, ma and pa are proud to have you take up the mantle more than I could." Big Mac then put something on his little sister's head as it was the hat that was left behind with the deck. "That works for you."

The next day was filled with putting the final touches on the barn and the orchard for the family meeting. Applejack had taken sometime of her own to look at the deck and the cards that were in it.

"Ah don't know where to start. Ah don't even know what 'Predaplants' are." said Applejack as the hat on her head wobbled a bit and fell forward as it covered her eyes. "Darn this thing." Applejack then began to fix her hat as it felt like a bit big for her. "And what's this thing about, 'fusion'? I'm more confused than a chicken gettin' to the other side." Applejack just let out a sigh as she laid down on her bed as the hat covered her eyes again.

"Why did Big Mac think this deck belonged with me?" said Applejack as she lifted the hat to stare at the ceiling. "Ah don't know about duelin' and ah very little when it comes to Duel Monsters. Ah've only been watchin' whenever Big Mac had to. And now that I've got the deck, ah don't know what to do." Applejack looked at her cards as the images of her parents appeared in her mind.

"Maybe ma and pa were wrong, there's no way ah could ever be a duelist. I doubt, I'll ever win." said Applejack as she grabbed her cards and opened up the drawer next to her bed as she looked at the deck before putting it in and closing it. "And this darn thing, won't stop slippin'!!" shouted Applejack as her hat was once again covering her view of sight.

Applejack then made her way out to the field as she got to work on helping her family. The day then arrived as since the moment, the sun rose, all the members of the Apple family were hard at work getting ready. An hour passed and cars started to show up as they arrived for the family meeting; after that, it was nonstop as soon more and more people started to show up. The entire barn and the area around it was packed as so many people were happy to see each other in a while, the younger members all laughed and played with one another. Some of them even pulled out some cards as they were playing on some stumps as they began to battle one another.

"They sure are having fun." said Applejack as she watched some of her younger relatives who were her age also battling with cards as she was rocking Applebloom's crib.

"(Baby noises)" said Applebloom.

"That's right, Applebloom. They all seem to be enjoyin' themselves." responded the older sibling.

"(Baby noises)".

"Ah wish ah could join them, but ah can't." said Applejack as she put her head down as the hat slid over her face again. She then repositioned it as she looked on. "Ma and pa believed that their children would grow up to be mighty fine duelists, well that just ain't true. I'm not a duelist and I'll probably never be." said Applejack as she was talking to herself and her baby sister.

"(Baby noises)"

"Ah wish ah could talk with them and find out why they left this deck. It's not like I'm gonna use it to take down something evil." said Applejack. "But maybe yer the one who the deck should belong to." said Applejack as she looked at her tiny sister and began to rub her chin. "Ah mean ah just got to wait, what? 7 years or so and then ah could give it to you. What do you say?" grinned the older sibling.

"Ehh?" said Applebloom as she turned her head to the side.

"Yer right, ah can't just wait to give it to you if ah don't want it." said Applejack as she came to her realization. "Big Mac chose me to have this deck, so there's got to be a reason why he would do this? The question is: what?"

"Applejack." said Applebloom. Her response caused the older sibling to look at her. "Applejack. Applejack." giggled baby Applebloom with some spits coming out of her mouth.

"Thanks, Applebloom. You're a good listener." said Applejack as she ticked her sister's belly as she planted a kiss on her cheek as Applebloom brought her tiny hands up and gripped her sister's cheek as she began to pull on them as her way of playing.

"Why don't you go on and play with the other kids, Applejack?" said Granny Smith as she had approached the porch. "I'll watch Applebloom, you go and have fun."

"Alright, granny. See ya, little sis." said Applejack as he managed to remove herself from Applebloom's grip as she went to go play with the other kids as Granny Smith sat down in a rocking chair with Applebloom in her arms.

"You know, I think she'll be a fine duelist." said Granny Smith.

"Applejack?" said Applebloom.

"Even you, little thing." said Granny Smith as she began to rock back and forth with Applebloom in her hands.

Applejack was now going over to where the other kids had gathered as they all were collecting in a large group as they were watching a duel happen on a tree stump as they observed. Soon the battle ended as some of the other kids wanted to take their turn. One of Aj's many cousins, Sunflower had decided to take part as she wanted Applejack to be her opponent. She asked if Applejack had a deck to which Aj nodded uneasily, as she went to fetch. It took a few minutes, as Applejack opened the drawer and there was the deck she was still uneasy about. She then made her way back to the rest of the kids as the two of them sat in front of a stump with the other kids gathering around them as both girls shuffled their decks and drew their hands.

Applejack's Life Points: 4000-

Sunflower's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"Ah guess, I'll go first." said Applejack as she drew her card. "I summon mah Dandylion(300/300) in defense mode. I'll then lay a card facedown and end mah turn."

Turn 2: Sunflower

"My turn." said Sunflower as she drew her card. "I play Bean Solider(1400/1300) in attack mode." Sunflower showed her monster as it was a bean that had arms and legs as it wielded a sword. "Now I'll attack your monster."

"Now mah Dandylion's effect activates, since it was sent to the graveyard, ah can replace it with 2 'Fluff Tokens'(0/0) to take its place." Applejack then put her monster in the discard pile as she replaced her field with two tokens in defense mode.

"Not bad, cuz. I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Applejack

"My turn, and now I'll activate mah facedown, Super Solar Nutrient. Now I sacrifice one of mah tokens to summon Level 4 or below Plant monster from mah deck. So say hello to mah Lonefire Blossom(500/1400) in defense mode." Applejack then got rid of her token as she replaced it with a monster. "Next, ah activate mah Lonefire Blossom's effect, so I tribute mah other token so that ah can summon mah Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossom(2800/1200) in attack mode." Applejack now got rid of her other token as she grabbed another card from her deck as she place it on the field for all to see a she shuffled her deck. "Now I'll play another spell card, Miracle Fertilizer. Now ah can revive a plant-type monster in mah graveyard once per turn. I choose to bring back mah Dandylion. And thanks to mah Talaya's effect, she gains 100 extra attack points for every plant-type monster I control. And mah other monsters, can't be destroyed by card effects." said Applejack as her powerful monster gained 300 more points.

"So now I'll attack your Bean Soldier with my Talaya." stated Applejack as she took out her target.
Sunflower's Life Points: 2300-

"I now end mah turn." said Applejack with a smile as she took the lead in the duel.

Turn 4: Sunflower

"Nice move, cousin Aj. Didn't expect that." said Sunflower as she drew her card. "I summon Naturia Beans(100/1200) in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Applejack

"Mah turn, and I'll now attack yer Naturia Beans with mah Talaya." said Applejack.

"Not this time, Applejack. Cause thanks to my monster's effect, it can't be destroyed in battle once per turn." informed Sunflower. "And when you attack it, you take 500 points of damage."
Applejack's Life Points: 3500-

"What? I didn't know that effect exist." said Applejack as she was amazed by the result. "Well, then ah just end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Sunflower

"My turn and now I summon Naturia Pumpkin(1400/800). And since I normal summoned and your control a monster, I can special summon another 'Naturia' monster from my hand, so now I summon my Naturia Mantis(1700/1500). And then I'll play the spell card, Megamorph. So since my life points are currently lower than yours, than I can equip one of my monsters with this spell and double its attack points. So now my mantis has 3400 attack points." said Sunflower.

"3400?" said Applejack as she had to do a double take at that statement.

"Now I'll attack your Talaya with my mantis." said Sunflower as she managed to take out Applejack's powerful monster. "Then I'll have my Naturia Pumpkin attack your Dandylion." Applejack was now down to one monster.
Applejack's Life Points: 3200-

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 7: Applejack

"My turn." Applejack drew her card nervous as she looked at her hand as she was trying to figure out what to play. "Now I activate the effect of my Miracle Fertilizer..."

"I reveal my facedown, Exterio's Fang. Now since I control a 'Naturia' monster and have at least one card in my hand, I can negate and destroy your spell. Then I send one card to my graveyard." said Sunflower as she stopped Aj from using her card and put her selected card in the discard pile.

"Then I play my Lord Poison(1500/1000)..."

"Sorry again, cousin. But I activate my Naturia Mantis' effect, so I send my Naturia Mosquito so that I can destroy your monster." countered Sunflower as she got rid of Applejack's monster.

"I... end mah turn." said Applejack as she tried to hide a tear in her eyes.

Turn 8: Sunflower

"My turn and now I'll have my mantis attack your Lonefire Blossom. And then I'll attack you directly with my Naturia Pumpkin." said Sunflower as she declared a direct attack on Applejack as she had nothing to protect her.
Applejack's Life Points: 1800-

"Now since my life points are higher than yours, my Megamorph's effect changes. Now my mantis' original attack points are halved." said Sunflower as her monster was now reduced 850 attack points.

"I'll now end my turn."

Turn 9: Applejack

"My turn." Applejack then placed her hand on her deck as she looked at the card in her hand. She currently had no monsters on her field and if she didn't summon something powerful out this turn, then she would lose. So Applejack let out a deep breath as she drew her card. She then looked at it as she was confused on what to do, then she started to read the print as it started to signal something in her brain as she looked at the other cards she was holding.

"Alrighty, then. I now play the spell card, Polymerization!" said Applejack as she showed off her card. "Now I fuse together mah Predaplant Darlington Cobra with Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio! Ah combine mah stingin' predator and mah venomous predator, and let a vicious new plant bloom! Ah Fusion Summon, Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000)!" shouted Applejack as she put both of her monsters in the discard pile and then grabbed a new monster from her Extra Deck as she showed it off for her cousin and her other family members.

"What is that?" asked Sunflower. "I didn't know you could do that, cousin Applejack." Sunflower and all the other kids around them were fascinated by what Applejack was able to do as she managed to bring a monster out by the way of a summoning called fusion.

"Now ah activate my monster's effect, once per turn, ah can banish one monster on your side of the field that's a level lower than my monster. So your Naturia Mantis is now gone." said Applejack as she removed her biggest obstacle. "With that done, ah win. Cause ah attack your Naturia Pumpkin with mah Predaplant Chimerafflesia and now its second effect triggers which means it loses 1000 attack points while my Chimerafflesia gains 1000 attack points. So with a total of 3500 attack points and your pumpkin having only 400, it's game over." smiled Applejack as she declared her attack and won.
Sunflower's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Applejack

"Awesome move, cousin Applejack." said Sunflower as she was amazed by what the small country girl showed off.

"Thanks, partner." said Applejack as she tipped her hat which was now perfectly staying on her head this time as she felt a new found sense of confidence as she looked at her monsters. Shen then grabbed her deck as she looked at them. "Maybe, Big Mac was right. So were you, Ma and Pa."

"And that's how it started." said Applejack as she finished telling her story.

"Wow." said Applebloom as she was impressed by what her sister did.

"Well, we're here." mentioned Applejack as they pulled up to the house and both got out as Big Mac was inside helping Granny Smith prep dinner. "Go wash up, now." informed Aj as Applebloom nodded and went to the bathroom.

Applejack then reached into her pocket as she pulled out her deck and looked at it. At the same time, both Rainbow and Rarity also pulled out their decks as they too were looking at it and began to remember their very early days at wielding their comrades. To think that when they all started at a young age, they wouldn't think that they be standing here as the veteran duelists they were, and then having to meet someone who helped to improve their decks and help them to get to the next level of Duel Monsters. All of it brought a smile to the girls face, with their time soon coming to an end, they were definitely going to miss moments like these.

Chapter 171: Blast from the... Future?

The world was dystopian. All around there was nothing but debris and metal scattered all about. Nothing but a barren wasteland, grey smog and smoke covered the skies. Nothing left but the sound of the wind as it carried the whispers of the people who once lived in this place they called home. Nothing remained, those that survived or were still around all went into hiding.

This city was Ironhaven and it was once a place filled with joy and laughter. Every day tons of people would walk these very streets, cars passing by as they zoomed through the beautiful buildings that made this city so wonderful. But the greatest thing about this place was the children and the families that would attend the park as they were filled to the max with so many duels as it served as people's main attraction for entertainment. We thought life here in Ironhaven would always be like this, especially for me and my little sister. But little did we know on what would happen next. One moment, we were minding our business and enjoying ourselves, then the next everything was left in ruin and destruction. And there was one person who was responsible for that, he called himself Malum. And he was a man on a mission.

There was now a person running through the scrapyard as she was trying to run away from several mechanical noises as they were hot on her trial. The person running was a girl about the age of 18 as she had blue hair and was dressed in a black jacket as the outer part was made of nylon to provide rain protection while the inside of the jacket was made of cotton. Underneath her jacket was a black round neck shirt as she wore pine green trousers and had some hiking shoes that were made of leather and fabric with Vibram sole. The girl also had a small backpack slung over her shoulders as she wore a bracelet on her right wrist while she had a small device on her left wrist. She noticed some obstacles in the path of her as she slide under them and jumped over the next set behind it as she hoped it would slow down the machines chasing her. Safe to say it didn't as they blasted through the scraps of metal as they were still on her tail and gaining.

"Sons of bitches." said the girl as she noticed a huge pile of debris blocking her way that there was no way to past it.

She then turned on the device she was wearing as she played a card while running and summoned a monster as she commanded it to blow the stuff. Her monster obeyed its command as it did just that and took it out which was good cause a few seconds after that a blast was fired as it took out her monster as she kept on running. She then turned a corner and now found herself face to face with a huge wall. She tried to turn back but immediately was met with the machines as they caught up with her. She was now surrounded as she was backed up to the wall and around her were huge piles of junk. The girl then activated her device as she prepared to fight; the machines then lifted their weapons as they prepared to fire when another blast came and took out one of them. The other looked to see who fired it as there was another person standing on the junk pile as he had a similar device as the girl and had a monster on his side. The machine then tried to fire at the monster, but it was able to dodge its lasers as it took a shot and blew up the machine as it fell over into tons of pieces.

"Took you long, enough. Next time we decided who becomes the bait, we do rock, paper, scissors." stated the girl.

"You really think I was gonna let them capture you." said the boy as he slid down the junk pile.

The boy was a year older than the girl as he wore a black, hooded jacket that was kept unzipped, with short sleeves, gold buttons, and a checkered pattern at the hem. Underneath, he wore a pale blue t-shirt with a V-neck. He also wore blue cropped trousers that are hemmed with the same checkered pattern as the jacket, black fingerless gloves on each hand, and black high-top boots.

"Anyways, I think I'm close to finding out what Malum's plan is." said the boy.

"Yeah, cause taking apart our home wasn't enough. Now word is he's got a grand master plan that involves not only him becoming ruler of this place but of all of time." said the girl.

"Which is why we need to report back first. Hopefully HQ has some info for us. Come along." said the boy.

"Yes, big brother." said the girl with some attitude as she followed him.

The pair made it back as they avoided running into any unwanted attention as they soon pushed past some covered up junk as they slid down the hole and then began to walk even more. It was a trail that went on for about a mile long and soon they came to a giant door as the pair then grabbed the devices on their wrists as they placed it in the side of the door as it scanned them to make sure they weren't intruders. Soon it gave the signal as the doors opened and allowed the two to enter. Inside there was a small gathering of people as they were busying doing their own thing. Some of them were on guard with the other entrances, while others tending to the ones in need of food, and attention. The women were taking care of any laundry and other chores as they did their part in helping the remaining resistance. There were some kids who all just played together with each other as they tried to have some fun.

The sister and brother duo were making their way to HQ which was a building in the center of the plaza as they entered through the front door and started to make their way up several floors. They arrived at the Warden's place as they saw several of their fellow comrades hard at work on making sure they survived while also talking about their plans to take down the evil Malum and his machines. The commander saw the two enter as he wrapped his conversation with one of the other soldiers.

"So you both returned alive?" said the commander as he sat back in his chair while the noise around him was still going on.

"Wow, you really have no confidence in us." stated the girl.

"Sorry, it's just... we've already lost so many of our soldiers to the enemy. And I can't begin to imagine if you two were captured."

"Nice to know you care about us, Commander." joked the girl.

"Sis. Focus." said the boy. "Anyways, Commander. Is it true? Do you have a plan to end this fight?"

"Yes, but it's a rather dangerous one."

"Yeah, more dangerous than what's already happened? I don't think shit can't get any worse." said the girl.

"Well as you know the rumor is that Malum has plans to take over all of time so that he may reign as ruler. But what the reports didn't mention was that he not only plans to ruler, but to make our future disappear."

"You're joking right." said the girl.

"We got word from one of the machines we destroyed. Our scientist hacked into its mainframe and saw the plans that Malum had for building a time machine and is planning to use it anytime now." said the Commander.

"So how long do we have till he uses it?" asked the boy.

"12 hours, possibly less." stated the Commander as he got up from his chair and looked out of the window to see the small population. "We've all been having it rough, since Malum showed up and designed those war machines, we're struggling each day. And soon it'll be a matter of time before he finds us. But with that device, he doesn't need to find us, cause he could just erase our existence were he to change something significant in the past. All these people, their homes, the loved ones they miss. All of it would be gone. Which is why we need to secure that device before he uses it himself."

"So you gonna have us steal it?" asked the girl.

"Tell us what we need to do." said the boy.

"You two kids are just like you're father. He was always willing to help those in need, even if it meant that he would sacrifice himself. He would be proud to see his children took after that." said the Commander. "Now, let's discuss the plan." the Commander then had one of his men bring over the blueprints as the duo saw the device and what it looked like. The plan was for the two of them to infiltrate Malum's lab and used the device to go back to the time when Malum first arrived and have both of them challenge him to a showdown in hopes of them taking him down before he could start his invasion or else the whole thing would start over.

"Alright, are you two sure you're up for this?" asked the Commander.

"Nothing we can't handle." said the boy. "Besides, if we can be beat him and stop him before he started all of this messed up shit, then it could allow us... to see... our..."

"Leave it to us." said the girl as she looked at her brother and saved him from breaking down in tears at the mention of their parents.

"Then we wish you the best of luck. After this, if you're successful, we won't ever meet again. But know that in this time, right here right now. You both are highly seen warriors and we salute the two of you." said the Commander as he and the rest of the men inside of the office also gave the pair a salute of respect. They both returned it as they prepared to leave.

The pair had one hour to prep as they filled their backpacks with things they might need. For both they prepared their duel disk and decks as they looked over their cards that were given to them by their parents. They both looked at a portrait they each had as it was one of the last times before the whole Malum incident occurred where they were a happy family. They both remembered what was at stake as they got the map of Malum's lair and soon were off as they were walking through the plaza all around them, their fellow citizens were showing their support for the pair as they prayed that if they were successful they would all be back to normal. And so they waved for the final time cause whether they were successful or not, they knew they weren't coming back. And so they opened the door for one last time as they stepped through it and it closed behind forever locking them out.

The trip to the lair was relatively easy given the map they had secured from one of their comrades. The hard part was trying to get in without alerting security and Malum himself as he never once left his hideout unless he went on patrol. And right now their window was closing in as Malum had already gone scouting which meant there wasn't a lot of time left for the brother and sister to get inside, steal the device, and go back in time to stop him. They arrived at the fortress as they saw how heavily guarded it was. It took some thinking, but eventually the pair had managed to hitch a ride on one of the transports moving into the hideout as they were underneath the truck as they held on for dear life. Once they made it pass the front gate, they immediately got off and stuck to the shadows as they were now in the courtyard of the place as guards were posted in each corner looking for any intruders or attackers.

They stuck to the left as eventually they saw the lab building. However, there was a huge machine being posted as well as tiny other guard bots next to it. The girl strapped on her duel disk as she looked to prepare to fight until she was stopped by her brother.

"We don't want to sound the alarm and risk the mission, sis."

"So what do we do?" asked the girl as the two were hidden behind a small wall.

"Let me see." The boy then took off his backpack as he was looking for something that might help. He found a metal object of his as it was a gift from their parents. "This is all that I have." The boy was now holding small toy train as it was a gift from when he was 2 years old. His parents had given it to him, but even moreso it brought back tons of other happy memories.

"But that's... mom and dad gave that to you. Even before I was born, you told me how much it meant to you." said the girl.

"I know... but we have no other choice." said the boy as he avoided shedding some tears. "Now all I need is some wire."

"Then take this." said the girl as she unclipped her bracelet and presented it to her brother.

"Sis. No. That's bracelet is special to you, mom gave it to your for third birthday."

"It's my turn now to help out. Plus, if you're giving up something, it's only fair I do it as well. You're my brother and I want things to go back to the way they were. Before all this shit started, we have a chance to see our friends, our family, the people we love. So if that comes at the cost of this, then I'll willing to take that risk." said the girl as she held back some tears.

"Sis."

"Take it, bro."

"Thank you. I'm glad to have a little sister like you." said the boy as he hugged his sister and kissed her on the forehead.

"And I'm glad you're my big brother." responded the girl as she returned the gesture and kissed him on the cheek. "Besides, if this is successful, we won't have to say goodbye to our things. Cause they'll be waiting for us when we return."

The boy then grabbed his sister's bracelet as he began to work his brain in creating an EMP. Once he completed it, he then gave it to his sister as she took her aim and then tossed it towards the ground near the robots. Once the thing landed on the floor, the machines all looked at it as it was slowly starting to countdown as the machines looked at it. Soon the timer went off but nothing happened, then one of the machines picked it up and looked at it before giving a shake. Then it went off as the device gave a small explosion as the EMP knocked them out and the nearby cameras around the lab as they all fell. Both brother and sister gave a high five as they soon made their way inside of the building. They entered as it was full of experiments and other stuff. They soon found what they were looking for as there was the small device as it was being guarded by some lasers. The boy then approached the panel as he got to work on disabling the security measures as the device was no longer guarded. The girl then approached the podium as she grabbed the device and looked it over.

"So how the hell do we get this thing to work?" asked the girl.

"Well..." said the boy before an alarm went off.

"Intruder alert! Intruder Alert!!!" went off the alarm.

"We'll figure this out later. We need to go!" shouted the boy as the two grabbed their backpacks and were heading towards the entrance when it was suddenly blocked by more guards as they locked their weapons on the two and soon some footbots appeared as they had duel disks already projecting card trays as they stepped forward. The entire building was surrounded as almost all of the forces had their full focus on the lab.

"Intruders detained!" spoke the robot in command. "Securing them for Master Malum." He gave the command as he had his troops step forward robotic like as the were starting to secure the duo.

"Stay behind me, sis. Big brother will protect you." said the boy as he raised his duel disk and projected his card tray as he prepared to fight.

The girl looked at the device and then looked at the situation as she figured there was only one way out. She then opened the device as she pushed the buttons she saw and clicked the nob at the top as it started to function.

"What the hell did you do?!" shouted the boy.

"You'll thank me later. Besides, we have a mission." said the girl as she held onto her brother's arm as the device was now starting to shine a white light as it caused the pair to close their eyes as soon it covered the entire lab.

The light died down and soon standing where the pair was nothing. The machines were all confused, except for the one in charge as he told them to scout out the area incase they were still nearby. But he knew exactly where they were.

"Contact the master. Tell him we have a problem." spoke the robot.

The morning sun was coming as it warmed up the air and brought a nice toasty feel. The rays of sunshine entered Twilight's room as the bookworm covered herself from with her sheets. Soon she felt the rays hit her face as it was enough of a wakeup call as she slowly opened her eyes and stretched her arms.

"Morning already?" asked Twilight as she sat up and rubbed her eyes.

She then touched her necklace that Isaac had given her from Valentine's Day from over a week ago. The previous necklace he had given her, she wore almost all of the time and only took it off to avoid getting it dirty. But now she wore this new necklace all the time as it brought her happiness and joy.

"Good, you're up." said Isaac as he entered Twilight's room as he was carrying a tray. He then set the tray before Twilight. "I made you breakfast in bed. Wish I could join you, but I got to get to work."

"Okay." said Twilight as she put on her glasses and began to enjoy her breakfast and Isaac let her be. Since his back was turned, he didn't notice that Twilight was watching him the entire time with a smile on her face. When he was out of view, she giggled happily, clapping to herself as she continued eating.

He made me breakfast in bed! Oh he's such a sweetie! Twilight thought, but then nearly choked when she realized her train of thought, Wait... since when do I gush over him?! He's done stuff like this for me before. How is this time any different?

Isaac was heading on his way towards Mr. Johnson as he was walking down the side of the street. He kept on walking as he continued on his path to his job. He decided to take a shortcut through the park as he had some extra time to kill.

"What a nice day. The sun is out, spring is starting to bloom. And soon we'll be on Spring break. Can't believe its been one year since I took that trip with Rainbow and Sunset to Neo Domino City and we got to Turbo Duel. And it was there I meet him." said the boy as he thought back to his duel. "After that encounter, I soon met the others. And now it's just 4 months till graduation. But more importantly, till the students have their final test in front of the Board of Education."

Isaac now looked at his watch as it was still ticking down the final moments and reminding him of how much time he had left. He quickly put it out of his mind as he kept on walking and enjoyed the sounds that nature and the small creatures were making.

"Yes sir. It's a nice day and not a cloud in the sky." said the boy as he glanced up at the sky. At that moment, a small portal appeared as it caused the boy to have his eyes widen. Especially cause soon there was some screaming as two objects came out of it.

"Ahh!" screamed the pair as they were falling.

"Ah shit." stated Isaac bluntly as the pair fell on top of him as they tumbled to the ground as the portal that opened up now closed and disappeared.

"Maybe I should have thought about that before I did it." said the girl.

"Typical with weather forecasts," said Isaac, "They said it's to be clear skies this evening and we get people raining down from the sky."

"Ugg, my head." said the boy as he sat up. "Hey, what are you doing? Get your hands off of my sister!" shouted the person as he saw that his sister was on top of Isaac.

"Hey, she fell on me!" shouted Isaac as he was defending himself.

"Likely story. I'm her big brother and nobody touches my little sister unless I say so!" said the boy as he got up in Isaac's face.

"And like I told you, she fell on me!" responded Isaac as he butted heads with the boy who was his same age as they looked like two bulls preparing to fight. "Matter of fact, you both fell on me. So I expect an explanation or apology."

"Look, we're sorry." said the girl as she was hoping to get her brother to calm down. "But we're not here to start a fight. We need to get back home."

"And where is home?" asked Isaac.

"Well..."

"Hold on, sis." stated the boy. "Don't tell him, all we know is that he could be working for Malum."

"I have no idea what you're talking about." said Isaac.

"You've never heard of him?" asked the girl to which Isaac shook his head. "If I may ask, just where are we?"

"You're in Canterlot." responded Isaac.

"Canterlot?" said both the boy and the girl as they looked at each other and then looked around them. They saw the green and the small creatures as they took in the sight to see that they weren't back home, nor were they when they needed to be.

"I think we may have miscalculated on where we landed." said the girl.

"You mean where 'you' miscalculated. I told you not to use the device, we had no idea how it worked." responded her brother.

"Hey, it was either that or risking being captured by Malum's forces. And I was not going to take that chance, besides we have a mission to complete."

"Okay, can you both explain to me just what the hell you're both talking about?" asked Isaac as he crossed his arms.

"That's none of your business." responded the boy.

"Hold on a second, bro." said the girl. "If I may ask, what's your name?"

"It's Isaac."

"Isaac? Huh, why does that sound familiar?" said the girl as she was thinking about that name. Soon a small lightbulb went off in her head as she realized something. She then grabbed her brother's arm and pulled him to the side, "Give us a few moments."

"What's up?" whispered the boy to his sister.

"Don't you see it, bro."

"What?"

"That's Isaac."

"Who?"

"Pull your Duel Monsters archive history." said the girl as she and her brother touched their duel disks as they began to scroll through the history section that was recorded in it. "There."

"Let me see... you're kidding me. Him." said the boy as his duel disk showed a holographic image of Isaac, but it showed him from when he was older.

"That's our guy." said the girl.

"So this is what he looked like when he was our age." said the boy as he quickly glanced over at Isaac before going back at the image.

"That's not all, look at his accomplishments." stated the girl as the small profile they had accessed to showed that Isaac had mastered all known summoning methods. "It really is him, don't you remember learning about him in our class. I hate to say this, but somehow the device has sent us back in time. Not to when Malum first arrived, but moreso to when Isaac was still in his teen years before he became a pro."

"Okay, so then how does that help us in our current situation?" asked the boy.

"You forget that he also had to take on some evil forces as well while being a high schooler. I say that if we want to rid the world of Malum forever and get back our home and future, then we might need his help." said the girl.

"I don't know, I don't trust him." stated the boy.

"You don't trust anybody cause you're worried they'll get near me." responded the girl as she pointed out the fact that her big brother was rather protective of her. "Look, trust me on this one."

"Fine, little sis. But try not to tell him of anything from his future. We may be in the past, but we better be careful about not changing anything significant that may alter our future." said the boy as the pair made their way back to Isaac.

"Look, Isaac. This may sound strange, but we need your help." said the girl.

"I'm listening." said Isaac nonchalantly.

Just as the girl was about to answer, there was a growling sound heard as it caused both boys to looked at her. "Heh, guess I need some food, first." responded the girl as her brother facepalmed himself. "Got any?"

"Oh, boy." said Isaac as he pulled out his phone and touched a contact. "Hey, Mr. Johnson. It's me, Isaac. Something's come up that needs my attention."

"Good to know that Hayburger still taste the same as they do in the future." responded the girl as she began to chow down on her food as she and her brother were eating the huge meal they had ordered.

"Yeah, and pricing." said Isaac as he had to pay the bill.

The pair was eating their fill as it had been a while since they had a meal as filling and huge as this. Safe to say the idea of keeping a low cover was not working as there were other customers looking at Isaac as he sat with the pair. They weren't suspicious of the pair, but more so that they were acting like pigs when they ate that Isaac just told everybody that they were really hunger as they seemed to buy his lie as they went back to their business.

"Ahh, been a while since we had a meal that filling." said the boy as he let out a burp.

"Right." said Isaac as he took a sip of his beverage. "So, how about we start with what your names are?"

"Well, if you must know. My name is Shane."

"And I'm Aqua." said the girl.

"Well, nice to meet you both." responded Isaac. "So, tell me why you both suddenly appeared out of nowhere?"

"That's kind of hard to explain? Let me ask you, ever hear of a place called Ironhaven?" asked Shane.

"No."

"Well, you wouldn't since it doesn't exist. Well, at least not yet. See... my sister and I are from the future."

"The future?" said Isaac as he raised his eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

"Didn't expect him to believe our story." said Aqua as she zipped on her soda.

"Didn't you say that he had to face tons of evil forces and magic." said Shane as he gave his sister a look.

"Okay, let's say I buy your story and believe it. What exactly are you doing here?" said Isaac.

"Well, we actually landed here by mistake."

"You mean you screwed up." coughed Shane into his hand as Aqua immediately clocked her big bro in the head as she stuck her tongue at him.

"As I was saying," responded Aqua as she looked at her big bro, "we didn't mean to land in this time period. We were actually hoping to go back to when Malum appeared and stop him from turning our world into his kingdom."

"You mention this Malum person, who is he?" asked Isaac.

"We don't know. All we know is that he showed up one day and started to terrorize our home. It happened so fast, that soon there was nothing but destruction left in his wake." said Aqua.

"Trust me, he's going to pay for what he's done." said Shane as he tighten his fist.

"Mind explaining?" asked Isaac.

"Well... it all started like any other day. A normal day." recalled Shane as he began to tell their story. "It was peaceful day, people going about their business, kids laughing in the park, smiles all around. And duels happening left and right. We thought things would always be that way forever, how wrong we were."

"It was like he came out of nowhere. He arrived and he started to tear apart out home." stated Aqua as she continued on the tale. "For 3 years, we all cowered in fear from Malum's reign. During that time, we all had to hide and fight for our survival. But that attack on that day, was the last time we saw our parents. I found Shane, but we had to hide. And when it was over, our parents were no where to be found, our home destroyed, our friends gone. Seems Malum probably captured them or possibly worst. But me and Shane knew we had to move on to survive. Soon there was a resistance that we joined, turns out we could fight against Malum and his machines with our duel disks. But they weren't easy targets, especially Malum himself. Tons of fellow comrades all faced him head on, but none prevailed."

"What about you two?" asked Isaac.

"Well, we were on a regular scout mission. Looking for supplies, rescuers, anything. I noticed some people who were being captured by Malum and so I leapt into action." stated Aqua. "Safe to say that he was not messing around."

"Moreso you were under experienced." stated Shane. "My sister just rushed head in without a plan. Luckily, I showed up in time to help her."

"Yeah, cause that was much better." stated Aqua as she looked at her big bro. "Shane did help, but with the two of us working together. Malum disposed of us with ease. After he defeated us, we feared that he would take us as prisoners and make our lives even more hellish."

"What happened?" asked Isaac.

"I grabbed Aqua and pulled her into my arms. I was doing my job as her big brother and willing to sacrifice myself to protect her. But... he didn't do anything."

"He didn't bother with us, said that our skills were weak. And that capturing people like us wasn't even worth his time. So he just left and took his prisoners to work in mines." stated Aqua. "For us we were glad he didn't take us, but also angry that he disrespected us. Saying that we didn't have the skills as true duelists. So for the next three years, me and Shane practiced our skills with one another and motivated each other to get better. So that the next time we confronted him, we would have what it takes to take him down. And all the training paid off, cause soon me and my brother became two of the best soldiers in our platoon and for the Resistance."

"Whenever the Commander needed a mission done, or to do a scout surveillance. He had me and my sister for the job. Of course, we realized the danger that every mission we were sent on could mean the possibility of us never coming back. So we made a quick promise to each other, that no matter what happened, we would always be together till the end." stated Shane as he looked at his sister. He smiled as he wrapped his arms around his sister and gave her a kiss on her forehead. "As much as she's a pain in my ass, I love my sister."

"And as much as you order me around, I love you big brother." said Aqua as she kissed Shane's cheek.

"I can tell you both are there for one another. And I know that you'll both figure out this issue and then you can return home to your time." smiled Isaac.

"I hope so. I can't wait to see mom and dad again." said Aqua. She was looking to find her bracelet on her wrist, but quickly remembered that she and her brother had to get rid of their prized possessions to secure the device. "I know we'll beat Malum."

"Especially since I'll be helping." said Isaac.

"What?" said Shane in shock.

"Hey, I'm willing to help out those in need. Just didn't expect that to apply to people from the future, but nonetheless, I'm willing to do my part in helping the two of you restore your home."

"I don't what to say."

"How about 'thanks for helping'?" stated Aqua with a mocking tone.

Shane just ignored her sister's tone as he extended his hand out to Isaac as the boy shook it, "We appreciate you helping us, Isaac. Thanks."

"Anytime." responded the boy as soon Aqua put her hand over the boys as she too smiled.

"So, what's the first step?" asked Isaac.

"Well, we have this time travel device. Our initial plan was to go back to when Malum first appeared and defeat him before he could start his plan. But turns out we accidental landed in the wrong time period and now we need to figure out how to get this device to properly work." stated Shane.

"Hmm, I think I know someone who might be able to help us. Just hope that Twilight is gonna believe this story." said Isaac.

"Did you say, Twilight? As in 'Twilight Sparkle'." stated Aqua.

"Yeah." responded Isaac.

"I always did want to see what she was like before she became a famous card designer." said Aqua.

"Huh", was all Isaac said, Guess, Twilight gets her dream of being a successful card designer in the future. "Say, you said that I'm in your archives of Duel Monsters history? Any chance, you could tell me what I become?"

Both Shane and Aqua looked at each other when they heard Isaac's request.

"Unfortunately, we can't tell you that." stated Shane.

"Why not? You told me Twilight's future."

"Yeah, but you're not Twilight. If she was here and heard that news then it could affect her mindset and then her future could be altered." stated Aqua. "So as you can see, if we told you what you become in the future, you could change somethings."

"And based on where we landed in your time, you're busy with the program that you have the students participating and you're dealing with issue of graduation coming up." stated Shane as he caused Isaac to be shocked that both of them knew what he was doing.

"I guess. It's just... I can't help but feel like if I know what my future holds, it may help me to relax a bit." stated Isaac.

"Let's just say that you'll be fine." said Shane as it caused the boy to smile a bit.

"So, care to head over to Twilight and figure out this plan?" asked Isaac to which the duo nodded.

"But first, can we make a pit stop?" asked Aqua.

"Where?" asked the boys.

"About time I bought some new clothes." stated Aqua as she had wanted to do a bit of shopping in Isaac's time period. "These kinds of clothes are expensive in our time, but during yours they are dirt cheap. Can't wait to show them off to my friends when we get back home."

"I can't believe you want to shop for some clothes when we need to stop Malum from tearing apart our home." said Shane.

"Hey, you bought some too. Don't single me out, bro!" shouted Aqua as she pointed to the bag her brother was holding.

"I'm the one whose paying for both your asses." stated Isaac as he looked at the bill he was holding.

"Don't worry about it, your good with your money. So your future self doesn't have anything to worry about." stated the girl as she came out in a blue short dress that stopped at her knees.

"Yeah, and I'm also going to be looking back at this time and questioning why I spent this much money." exclaimed the boy as he waited for the girl to finish modeling in the mirror.

After a while, both of the boys fell asleep as Aqua had finished the last of her clothes as she put them into her bag. She clocked both boys on the head as it got them to awake as they all left the mall. As they were making their way towards the house to talk with Twilight, the pair began to talk with Isaac about some of his adventures they had learned from class. Turns out it was much more pleasing from learning about it from the person himself instead of learning it from a textbook or teacher. Isaac then began to ask the brother and sister about themselves as they showed him the decks they used as he found them to be rather impressive. Just as they were about to make their way to the house, they all heard a loud boom sound. They all looked to the sky as it was starting to crackle a bit as storm clouds were gathering. It was looming over the park where Isaac first met the pair. Soon a pillar of light came down as it caused all three of them to look at each other as they headed over to the place to check it out. They arrived as the pillar of light was still coming down, soon an arm stretched out as slowly there emerged a presence.

The thing that came out was an individual as his body was covered in armor. It had a large, ornate crest (colored gold) and the long, segmented section (each segment alternating between dark grey and dark red). He also wears a black, fingerless glove on his hand and what appears to be a black gauntlet on his forearm, over the segmented armor, which also has small pieces of dark red armor on it. Finally, his armored boots are dark brown and gold. Soon the face part of the helmet revealed itself as the person's face was shown as he had yellow eyes.

"Malum!" said Shane and Aqua as they recognized their old foe.

"So he's the bad guy." stated Isaac.

"I believe you have something of mine." said Malum as he lifted his hand. Soon the time travel device from Aqua's pocket flew out and appeared in Malum's hand. "To think that two insignificant kids stole something this valuable. I expected more worthy soldiers to be the cause."

"Who you calling kids!" shouted Aqua.

"You made our lives a living hell! All the innocents you captured, our homes destroyed. That kind of action can't be justified." stated Shane as he was balling his fist.

"To think that when I first met you two, you were nothing more than street rats. I didn't much of it at the time based on how poor your skills were, but I should have expected something. Well, I won't make the same mistake that I did back then. This time I'll dispose of you two properly. And then I can continue with my original plan of ruling all of time and space." stated Malum in a cool, calm, evil voice.

"Like we'd let that happen." said Shane as he slotted in his deck and activated his duel disk as it projected a sunflower color card tray. "I won't let you harm others. This stops here and now."

"And that's double for me!" shouted Aqua as she too strapped on her duel disk and slid in her cards as it projected a baby blue card tray.

"You two could barely land a hit on me last time. What difference will this make?" asked Malum with a smile on his face.

"This time they have me fighting with them." said Isaac as he stepped forward and strapped on his duel disk and his cards as it projected a gold card tray.

"Isaac, leave him to us. We can take him." stated Shane as they didn't want him to get involved as it could make things worse for them and the future.

"I told you before, despite us being from different time periods. I'm willing to help those in need, especially my friends." said Isaac as he looked at the pair before turning back at Malum. "Besides, Malum is also trying to hurt the game I love, so I'm more than willing to help you two any way that I can. Let's make this guy sorry he ever messed with us!"

"Glad to you have you on our side." smiled Shane.

"Glad? Try ecstatic!" shouted Aqua as she couldn't contain her inner excitement. "We've got none other than Isaac in our corner! Oh, I always dreamed of teaming up with him on the dueling field, now let's do this!"

"Ahh, Isaac." said Malum as he examined the boy.

"You listen here! We know what you plan to do and we're not gonna let it happen. Got it?" shouted Isaac as he addressed Malum. "So why don't you just make it easy on yourself and go back to wherever it is you came from!"

"Where I came from is why I'm here." said Malum. "Isaac, I know all about you. Your past, your present, and of course your future. And I must say, despite us meeting under such circumstances, it's an honor to meet you." stated Malum as he gave a respectful bow to the young boy. "I must say you were one of my aspirations in life."

"We don't care about your backstory. We just care about keeping our world safe! Especially what you did to our home." stated Shane.

"Is that so? Too bad, the future doesn't look that way." stated Malum. "For you see I come from even further in the future than that of you two. I come from a future where there is nothing but pain and suffering; but now I will have my revenge. Because I realized something about this game you love so, this Duel Monsters. The world would be a far better place without it. The monsters, the spells-- what good will come of it?" Malum then looked at Isaac as he examined the boy. "True, like you and all the legends that you looked up to, saved the world many times over with your precious cards, but against adversaries who were using the same cards to destroy it."

"So that's why you're here!? To rid the world of Duel Monsters?" shouted Aqua.

"That's correct, once and for all."

"Not on our watch you won't!" stated Isaac.

"Don't you see the world that I come from is a desolate place. So desolate that I couldn't bear to see it anymore through my own eyes. But eventually I saw the reason why this happened and it was thanks to Duel Monsters. People fighting for power, destroying everything in their path, all of it stems from this game. So what better way to destroy this virus than by traveling to back to the beginning and putting a halt to it." stated Malum. "Of course, there was an unexpected result that has caused me to put those plans on halt. But it has allowed me to come up with a better plan. And that was too take out every single great duelists of the past one by one and soon the whole world would be at my control and I could create the home that I always envisioned. And so it seems I'll start with none other than the great Isaac who's been blessed by his role models."

"But don't you realize? You're not just wiping out Duel Monsters, but people, too! You're destroying everything and everyone ever touched by the game!" shouted Isaac.

"Of course I realize that, Isaac. As a matter of fact, that's what I'm looking forward to the most." stated Malum.

"You're one sick bastard!" said Aqua.

"Maybe the game's not perfect, but it's created more good things than bad!" responded Shane.

"And another thing, the future isn't written yet. There's still time for things to change! I should know." said Isaac as he thought back to when Celestia and Luna first mentioned that Isaac's destiny was to become a pro and nothing more. Sure he was hesitant and anger with the two, but he eventually opened to the idea and decided that he would write his own future and not let it be dictated by what someone else says.

"Well, then, it seems we have a difference of opinion, and since I doubt anymore words will settle our impasse, perhaps we should seek to settle it another way." stated Malum as he had a duel disk that matched his armor appeared on his arm as it projected a scarlet card tray.

"If you're saying you want to duel, bring it on, Malum!" stated Isaac.

"Fine, then. I think it's fitting to destroy the three of you with the very cards that you're trying to save." Malum soon had his duel disk shine a light as it caused the three individuals to cover their eyes. The light was now affecting everything as all around them time stopped as people, cars, animals, etc... were all frozen.

"What is this?" asked Aqua.

"We'll be dueling in a pocket dimension of sorts. So prepare yourself, you three. Cause once you all lose, not only will you have failed to defeat me, but you'll have failed to save the world.

"Then what are we waiting for. Let's throwdown!" shouted Aqua.

"Your twisted time crusade stops here!" responded Shane.

"I have just one thing to say to you, Malum. It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"So cool!" shouted Aqua. "I always wanted to hear Isaac say that."

"Me too." responded Shane.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Shane, Aqua, and Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Malum's Life Points: 8000-

"For this duel, you'll all be sharing a field and life points. That way I can take care of all of you at once." stated the evil lord.

"Let's do this!" shouted the trio as they drew their hands.

Turn 1: Malum

"I'll go first," said Malum as he drew his card, "And I'll start by activating the field spell, Cyberdark Inferno!" stated Malum as soon the entire field began to change as all four of them were now standing a piece of rock as they were surrounded by lava and fire as it shot in the sky as geysers.

"Not again." said Aqua.

"This is how he beat us last time." stated Shane as he informed Isaac.

"Correct and it will be the key to your demises. But for now, I'll play the spell card Polymerization and I'll fuse together my two Cyber Dragons in my hand to summon Cyber Twin Dragon(2800/2100)!" Out emerged a dragon as it had two heads connected to the same body as they let out a roar.

"Not good." said the trio as they saw Malum's monster.

"Indeed, for you all that is. But for now, I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."

"Listen, Isaac, Aqua. We know what's at stake here." stated Shane. "Our friends, our very future-- it all hangs in the balance."

"Yeah we know this shit, bro. Are you really trying that speech?" said Aqua as she gave a look to her brother.

"I'm being serious it all hinges on this duel." stated the boy as he looked at his little sister.

"Shane's right. We may have just met and don't know each other's duel styles and strategies, but even so, right now, we have to fight as one." stated Isaac. "All our skills, all our past experiences, let's use them. Let's focus all of them to this one common cause!"

"Now that I can get behind." said Aqua.

"Why do you agree with his statement and not mine, I'm your brother."

"Yeah, but Isaac makes it sound cooler." snickered Aqua.

"I hate you." said Shane.

"Well, then. Shane, care to be the one to start us off." suggested Isaac.

"Me? But shouldn't you..."

"You both have a score to settle with Malum. And I trust you in giving us a good first turn. My faith is with my friends, with you two." said Isaac.

"See he totally makes stuff sound cool and motivating. This is a dream come true for me." said Aqua as she couldn't hold back her excitement and inner fangirl.

"Alright." said Shane as he trusted Isaac.

Turn 2: Shane

"Here we go!" stated Shane as he drew his card. "First I play the spell card, Reincarnation of Hope! By sending two monsters to the graveyard now, we can draw a monster card later." Shane then sent Quillbolt Hedgehog and Boost Warrior to his graveyard from his hand.

"Fool! Don't you realize there won't be a later for you or any of your friends." stated Malum.

"Well, right now I'm summoning Junk Synchron(1300/500)! And because I was able to summon him, now I can summon a Level 2-or-below monster from my graveyard! Boost Warrior(300/200), rise up in defense mode! Next, I'll play Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability from my graveyard-- an ability that, since I have a tuner monster already on the field, allows me to summon my hedgehog straight to the field." stated Shane as he now had three monsters on their field.

"Do you really expect this to work? The last time you used your Junk deck to take me down, you barely made a scratch." informed Malum.

"True, but I've grown since then. And I've picked up some new tricks, cause none of my monsters are going to be on the field for long, at least not in their present form, cause I'm tuning them altogether. Just as Isaac, Aqua, and I are combing our might, these three have now combined theirs. Now Level 3 Junk Synchro tune with Level 1 Boost Warrior and Level 2 Quillbolt Hedgehog!" Junk Synchron then pulled its cord as it turned into three giant green rings as it circled around Shane's other two monsters as they were in between them. "I summon forth, the synchro monster, Junk Gardna(1400/2600)!" Shane's monster now appeared as it used its two arms and combined them together to make a shield.

"How truly pathetic." said Malum as he wasn't impressed. "If that's all the best you can do, you might as well just give up here and now."

"Well, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Malum

"It's my move, now." stated the evil lord as he drew. "And I'll start by playing Graceful Charity. So now I can draw three cards and discard two. So I'll choose to send my Cyberdark Cannon and Cyberdark Claw to my graveyard. Then I summon Cyberdark Horn(800/800)." Out emerged a monster as it was black and let out a menacing roar. "Now since I normal summoned my Cyberdark Horn, I can take one Level 3 or below Dragon-type monster from my graveyard and equip it to my Cyberdark Horn, so I'll take my Cyberdark Cannon and equip it onto my Cyberdark Horn. And by doing so, Cyberdark Horn now gains the attack points of the monster that's equipped." Cyberdark Horn then attached to its comrade as it absorbed its stats and took control of his ally as it now had a total of 2400 attack points.

"Now Cyber Twin Dragon attack!" commanded Malum.

"I play Junk Gardna's ability, and with it, your dragon is about to get switched into defense mode." stated Shane as his monster clapped its arms together as it made a sound and stopped Malum's attack dead in its tracks.

"Fine then, you stopped one of my dragons. But how about this one, Cyberdark Horn attack his monster. And by doing so, I'll give it a boost with the spell, Rush Recklessly. So now my dragon gains 700 more attack points for this battle and thanks to my field spell, since my Cyberdark Horn has a monster equipped to it, you can't target or destroy it with card effects!" shouted Malum as his dragon fired off an attack as it took out Shane's monster. "Oh and did I mention Cyberdark Horn's special ability, it can inflict piercing damage!"
Shane, Aqua, and Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"Uhh! Ohh..." said Shane as he was tossed onto his back.

"Shane!" called out Isaac.

"Say something, bro!" said Aqua as she was concerned for her brother's health.

"I'm alright." said the boy as she slowly sat up.

"Well, you won't be when your life points run out." snickered Malum.

"I may not be able to use Junk Gardna's second ability on your Cyberdark Horn, but that doesn't mean we're defenseless. I play the trap-- Miracle's Wake!" Shane's facedown then flipped up as it brought back his monster. "It allows me to wake up a monster from my graveyard that was destroyed this turn."

"Good recovery, brother." said Aqua as she smiled. "I knew you had a plan."

"Sorry. I lost us some points there." said Shane as he put his head down.

"Don't be sorry, Shane. You did what you could and you at least halted Malum from dealing us anymore damage." said Isaac.

"Totally. See Shane that's why you're not only my big brother, but my hero. You always find a way to survive and I can't ask for a better sibling than that."

"Thanks, guys. I did my best."

"Against an opponent that's powerful, that's all we can do. And that's what we're going to have to keep doing to win this duel!" said Isaac as the sibling pair nodded at that statement.

"You've been known to make some inspiration pep talks, Isaac. But that was by far your most pathetic one." snickered Malum. "I now end my turn."

Turn 4: Aqua

"Well, all right, then, it's my turn to take a crack at you!" stated Aqua as she wanted to get in on the action as she drew her card and looked at it. "Here goes! Hey bro, cool if I piggyback off your play?"

"Go for it, sis!"

"All right. Then here goes, I play the spell Falling Current! Now I can target one face-up monster I control and then I declare a level between 1-3. Then that monster loses level equal to the number I choose, so I'll choose number 3 so now Junk Gardna drops from Level 6 to Level 3. Then since I play a spell, I'm allowed to special summon this guy, time to chomp at the bits, Big Jaws(1800/300)!" Aqua's now had a small river appeared as out jumped a shark as it had razor sharp teeth and sharp fin on its back. "Then I'll take things to the next level or should I say 'rank'. I overlay Level 3 Junk Gardna and Level 3 Big Jaws to build the Overlay Network!" The two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon the orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged.

"Here's a first, two different monsters working together to summon a brand new specimen of the deep. I summon a monster that's both feared on the land and in the water. I Xyz Summon, Submersible Carrier Aero Shark(1900/1000, OLU: 2)!" Aqua's new monster now appeared as it was a pair of sharks attached to a flying device.

"Your new monster doesn't impress me." stated Malum.

"Then how about this, I activate Aero Shark's ability. By using one overlay unit, you take damage equal to the number of cards in my hand times 400 and I'm currently holding four." stated Aqua with a grin. "So go, Torpedo Launch!" shouted the girl as her monster absorbed one of its Xyz materials and then shot a load as it opened up and several small torpedos being launched as it collided with Malum who put his arm up as the explosions went off around him.
Malum's Life Points: 6400-

"Nice shot, Aqua." exclaimed Shane as he was proud of what his little sister did.

"So what? You may have dealt me damage, but I still have my monsters and my field spell."

"Then I should probably do something about that. I now play Surging Erosion. So now I can destroy one faceup field spell card on the field and then all my 'Water' monsters gain 500 more attack points until the end of the turn."

"What?!" said Malum as he was surprised by this move. "Since when could you pull off a move like that?"

"We told you, we've been improving since our first encounter. So now with your field spell gone, all your 'Cyberdark' monsters lose their extra protection. And now time to strike, Aero Shark attack his Cyber Twin Dragon!" shouted Aqua as her monster then swam over in a tidal wave as it unleashed its pair of jaws and chomped down on the dragon as it rusted and was washed away.

"You'll pay dearly for that, little girl! Since you destroyed my field spell, I can add a 'Polymerization' or 'Fusion' spell from my deck to my hand." shouted Malum.

"Oh, I'm scared." mocked Aqua as she did a quick hair flip. "I'll lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"Nicely played, Aqua." complimented Isaac.

"Thanks." said the girl as she blushed from Isaac praising her. He totally like my move. This is the greatest day of my life.

"You have to tell me, where did you learn to duel with such heart and passion?" asked Isaac.

"Ohh, just a little thing here and there." smiled the girl sheepishly.

"You mean all the videos that you secretly watched on Isaac cause of your celebrity crush on him?" snickered Shane as he made fun of his little sister's crush.

"Shut up, bro!" said Aqua as her face was turning even more red. "That was when I was younger, I've grown out of that." Aqua quickly looked at Isaac as she still had parts of the celebrity crush on display.

"Well, I'm certainly impressed with your skills." stated Isaac as he gave the teen girl a thumbs up. Aqua was blushing even more from Isaac giving her more praises and one of his signature thumbs ups.

"Hey, no hitting on my sister." said Shane.

"Stay out of this, Shane! You're ruining the moment between me and Isaac." yelled Aqua.

"If you're both done flirting with each other, it's time to get back to business!" shouted Malum as he got the attention of the trio.

Turn 5: Malum

"It's my turn," said the dark lord, "you may have taken out my field spell, but my monsters are still as strong as they can be. Now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. I then summon my Proto-Cyber Dragon(1100/600) and then activate the spell card, Overload Fusion. With this I'm allowed to remove any fusion material monsters from my field or graveyard. Then I can summon a machine type monster, so by removing Proto-Cyber, and my two Cyber Dragons I can then summon Chimeratech Overdragon(?/?)!" Out emerged a hollow body as soon three separate heads appeared as they let out a roar.

"By sacrificing those three monsters, my Chimeratech gains 800 attack and defense points for each one for a total of 2400. But it doesn't stop there, my Overdragon can now attack three times since I used three monsters to fusion summon it." stated Malum. "Of course, that means my Cyberdark Horn i destroyed, but I'll bring it back with Monster Reborn.

"Uh, did he just say three attacks per round?!" said Aqua as she was a bit worried now.

"And we got two dragons to worry about again." said Isaac.

"Indeed, and now to put those attacks to use, so Chimeratech attack Aero Shark!" commanded Malum.

"I reveal my facedown, Zeus' Breath, now when you declare an attack I can negate it. And since I control a 'Water' type monster, I can deal you 800 points of damage!" shouted the girl as soon arising from a tide was a sea god as he raised his trident and caused a tidal wave to protect all three of them and soon a stream of water was shot towards Malum as he put his arms up to cover himself.

"So what? I'll activate my facedown, Damage Polarizer! So now I can turn all that effect damage to zero and then we each draw one card." stated Malum as all players drew a card. "But now you have nothing to protect yourself from my Chimeratech Overdragon, and don't forget it can attack two more times this battle. So looks like you all lose!"

"Aqua!!!" shouted Shane as he saw the attack heading for his little sister as he had nothing to save her.

"I told you big bro, I'm old enough to take care of myself. But that doesn't mean I won't ever stop needing you." said the girl as she looked at her sibling with a smile as it caused the boy to soften. "So let me show you, I activate my other facedown, Final Offering. So now I can end the battle phase, and then I give a card to another person, so big bro it's all yours!" said Aqua as she took one of her cards and tossed it to her brother as a huge wave came and stopped the attack of Chimeratech Overdragon as it washed over the monsters as they were soaked and showing a bit of rust.

"A perfect counter!" said Isaac.

"Aw, I just figured it would be rude of me to let you go without a monster out there with you. Especially for you, Isaac." said the girl.

"Thanks. And you can count on me to put your monster to good use." stated the boy.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. It truly is an unfortunate accident that you had to find yourself involved in all this. I would have loved to have met you under different circumstances, you have all the respect from me. But yet you've decided to help these miscreants and for that I must take you out as well." stated Malum.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Then it's my move now! So get ready!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card.

"Very well, let's see what you got, Isaac." said Malum as he too wanted to see the skills of the person he had respect for in with his own eyes.

"Always wanted to him see in action!" said Aqua as her inner fangirl was showing.

"Isaac, my cards are your cards!" said Shane.

"Well, in that case, I'll use Reincarnation of Hope's effect to add a monster from my deck to my hand, and the monster I choose is Dark Magician!"

"As thought I didn't see that coming." said Malum as he wasn't too surprised by Isaac's choice but still was smiling on the inside of seeing one of Isaac's ace monsters.

"But before that, I think I'll play something to help give us the edge. So now I'll use my Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 3 Black Arts Trickster to set the Pendulum Scale. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Is that Isaac's Pendulum Summoning?" said Aqua with the biggest smile on her face as the two of them watched Isaac in action.

"Now I activate my Black Arts Trickster's pendulum ability. Since I control a 'magician' in my other Pendulum Zone, I can raise the scale of my Black Arts Trickster's up to 10. Now I have brand new scale to work with and now I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 9 all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as two lights came out of the giant portal above him. "Prepare to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4). And lastly, meet the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had two monsters appear at once as one of them was his ultimate spellcaster.

"According to the history books, that card was one of Isaac's most beloved monsters." stated Shane as he looked at the monster as it stood next to Isaac as he had only seen images of the two in his textbooks and from teachers.

"I know right, it's so cool. And we get to see it in person!" shouted Aqua with glee. "Man, this is the best day of my life!"

"Very well, Isaac. You managed to summon one of your best monsters, but even then you can't take me down." stated Malum.

"We'll see. Cause now I activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability, since there's 3 monsters currently on the field, I can now look at the top three cards of my deck and then add one of those to my hand." Isaac's duel disk screen then showed his options as he began to select the one he wanted as it ejected for him to grab. "Next, I'll use Aqua's monster so by using the last overlay unit, I can now deal you damage 400 points of damage equal to the number of cards I'm currently holding. So since I hold 5, that means another 2000 points of damage at your life points!" shouted Isaac as Aero Shark used its last Xyz material and dealt some more heavy damage.
Malum's Life Points: 4400-

"Nice shot, Isaac!"

"Thanks, Aqua. But I couldn't have done it without you or your monster." said the boy as she smiled at her.

"Oh, boy." said Shane as he saw his sister starting to blush as Isaac complimented his sister.

"So what, Isaac? Your magician is only strong enough to take down one of my monsters."

"True, that's the normally the case. That is until I play this, the spell card, Diffusion Wave Motion. So by giving up 1000 of our life points, I can now have my Dark Magician attack both of your monsters!"
Shane, Aqua, and Isaac's Life Points: 6000-

"What?!" said Malum.

"So Dark Magician take out his monsters with Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac. Dark Magician then raised its wand as it took out Chimeratech Overdragon as it was destroyed. He then fired another spell as it was heading towards Cyberdark Horn.
Malum's Life Points: 2600-

"All right, I knew Isaac could find a way to takedown Malum's monsters." said Shane.

"Well, would you expect anything less." stated Aqua.

"Now, I'll place two cards facedown and then play the card I drew with my Black Robe Mentalist's ability, Card of Sanctity. So now we all draw to refill out hands. And with that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Malum

"Very good, Isaac. I expected nothing less from your caliber; it truly is an honor to be in your presence, as evil as I may be, I must admit that you are truly someone I'm honored to call my enemy. Which is why my victory will that much more satisfying when I do destroy you." stated Malum as he drew. "And I must thank you cause now I have a brand new hand. So to start I'll activate the effect of my Future Fusion spell card. So by sending monsters in my deck, then during my 2nd Standby Phase, I can then summon a fusion monster that use those materials and summon it." Malum then grabbed five monsters from his deck as he sent all of them to the graveyard.

"Now I'll play the spell Fusion Recovery so that I can add my Polymerization and my Cyberdark Horn back to my hand. Then I'll play Graceful Charity to draw three cards and discard two. Then I play my Polymerization so that I can fuse together my Cyberdark Horn, Cyberdark Keel, and Cyberdark Edge in order to summon Cyberdark Dragon(1000/1000)!!!" shouted Malum as one of his most powerful monsters was on the field. "Now when its summoned, my Cyberdark Dragon gains the attack points of a dragon in my graveyard, so I choose my Spear Dragon so now Cyberdark Dragon has 2900 attack points and then for every monster in my graveyard, it gains an additional 100 attack points, and I have 11 which means my monster now has a total of 4000 attack points!"

"4000?!" said the trio as they saw the dragon powered up and let out a roar.

"Indeed, and now to put those points to use, Cyberdark Dragon attack Aero Shark!" shouted Malum as his dragon fired a beam of darkness as it took out Aqua's monster as she was tossed onto her back.
Shane, Aqua and Isaac's Life Points: 3900-

"Ahh!" said Aqua.

"Sis!" shouted Shane as he was concerned for his sister.

"I'm fine, bro. It takes more than that to keep me down."

"Next, I'll lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Shane

"Then it's my turn." said Shane as he drew his card and hoped to do something better than his first turn. "Since you control a Level 5 or higher monster on the field, I can special summon this guy, come on out, Junk Giant(2000/2400) in defense mode!" said the boy as soon behind him rose a giant metal creature. "Then I'll summon my Jet Synchron(500/0). Now I tune my Level 6 Junk Giant with my Level 1 Jet Synchron." Jet Synchron then turned into one giant green rings as they circled around Junk Giant as it was in between them. "The spirits merge to form the arrow that pierces the sky! I Synchro Summon! Ready your bow, Junk Archer(2300/2000)!"

"Am I suppose to laugh, cause that monster doesn't seem much."

"Well, let's see about this. I activate Junk Archer's special ability, by I can banish your Cyberdark Dragon until the end phase of the round."

"What?!"

"I told you we improved since last time, now Junk Archer take out Cyberdark Dragon with Bull's Eye Banishing!!" shouted Shane as his monster pulled back it bow and then fired an arrow as it made Malum's monster disappear. "And with no monsters to protect you, time to go for your life points. Take it too him, Junk Archer!"

"Not so fast, I activate my Quick Summon spell card." said Malum as his facedown flipped up. "Now I can summon a monster to the field, so rise up Cyber Phoenix(1200/1600) in defense mode. So now since I have a monster on my field, you can't target my life points anymore."

"Fine then, I'll just take out your monster. Scrap Arrow!" shouted Shane as his monster took it target out.

"Now Cyber Phoenix's effects, since it was destroyed, I can draw one card from my deck."

"In that case, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

"And now my Cyberdark Dragon rises up and don't forget it gains attack points for each monster in my graveyard, so it now has 2300 attack points."

Turn 9: Malum

"My turn, and now I'll play Exploder Dragon(1000/0) in attack mode. Then I'll have my Cyberdark Dragon attack your Junk Archer! Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Dragon Entitlement, so for this turn I can give my monster a temporary boost of 900 attack points." stated Malum as his dragon fired a beam as it took out Shane's monster.
Shane, Aqua, and Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"With that done, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Aqua

"Then it's my turn once again, and time for us to win. Now I summon Double Fin Shark(1000/1200)!" stated Aqua as she had her monster rise up from the water. " Then since I control a 'Water' monster, I can special summon my Silent Angler(800/1400) to the field. And Double Fin Shark counts as two monsters when I Xyz summon a 'Water' monster. So I'll overlay my Double Fin Shark to build the Overlay Network once more!" Double Fin Shark and Silent Angler then turned into three orbs of light as they shot into the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon they disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Make way for the killer of my deck, rise up from the briny depths of the sea. I Xyz Summon, Number 32: Shark Drake(2800/2300, OLU: 2)!" Aqua now had called upon of her most fearsome creatures of her deck as it appeared with fierce look on its face as it let out a growl.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he looked at Aqua's monster.

"So, Isaac what do you think? On second thought, hold that applause, cause I'm activating the spell card Deep Sea Attack. Now by sending a 'Water' monster with 2000 or more attack points from my hand to the graveyard, I can target one of our monster to attack you directly this turn. And I'll choose Isaac's Dark Magician." said Aqua as she sent her Sharkraken to her graveyard. "So now Dark Magician will attack Malum directly!" shouted Aqua.

"That won't work, cause I reveal my facedown, Power Wall. So now I can send cards from my deck to the graveyard so that I can reduce the damage I take by 100 so I choose to get rid of 25 cards in my deck to nullify all the damage."

"25 cards?!" said the trio.

"And now since all 25 of those were monsters, my Cyberdark Dragon gains more power to the tune of 5800 attack points!!!"

"Not good, in that case, Shark Drake attack his Exploder Dragon! Deep Sea Destruction!!" shouted the girl. Shark Drake heard its mistress command as it fired off its attack and made contact with target.

"You fool! When Exploder Dragon is destroyed, I don't take any damage. But not only that, your monster is now destroyed."

"What?!" shouted Aqua.

"So much for your plan." said Malum as a wall of fire was heading towards Shark Drake.

"I don't think so!" shouted Shane. "I reveal my facedown, Scrap-Iron Barricade. Now Shark Drake can't be destroyed by card effects this turn!" Soon a metal barricade formed around Shark Drake as it stopped the flames from turning it into fry calamari. "Then my trap flips back down so that I can use it again later."

"Thanks Shane."

"It's my job as your big brother to protect you." smiled the boy.

"So be it, you just made my Cyberdark Dragon even more powerful it now has 5900 attack points."

"True, but you won't win this, I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Malum

"Then it's my turn, and now that two turns have passed since I activate my Future Fusion. I can now summon the monster I selected, so rise up my ultimate creature, Cyberdarkness Dragon(2000/2000)!!!" Out emerged another powerful dragon as it let out a roar as it looked at the trio. "Now my new monster can take the attack points of a monster in my graveyard and gain its attack points, so I'll attached my Cyberdark Cannon to raise its strength to 3600 attack points and now my Cyberdark Dragon lose 100 attack points but even so I now have the strongest monsters on the field." stated Malum as he looked to end this duel.

"Now Cyberdark Dragon attack her Shark Drake and end this duel!!" shouted Malum.

"Don't think so, I'll send Kuriboh from my hand so that we don't take any damage!" shouted Isaac as his tiny monster then appeared in front of Aqua as he nuzzled against the girl as she laughed and then together with Shark Drake used all their power to turn the damage to zero as both vanished.

"No way, you used Kuriboh, just like we told." smiled Aqua as she got to see Isaac's little monster in action but more importantly, the boy used it to save her from losing.

"Grr!!! Even now, you still manage to piss me off by using a weak and pathetic monster like Kuriboh to survive."

"I simply looked out for my teammate." said Isaac as he gave a smile to Aqua.

"Thanks, Isaac. And I promise it won't be for nothing, cause I reveal my facedown, Xyz Reborn! So now Shark Drake rise up once more from the graveyard, and then this trap turns into an Xyz material for my monster to use." said Aqua as she had her monster back.

"Very well, but let's see if you can save it a second time. Cyberdarkness Dragon attack Shark Drake!"

"You best believe I can, I reveal my facedown, Spellbinding Circle! So now your Cyberdarkness Dragon loses 700 attack points and can't move at all." said Isaac as he activated one of his facedowns and put a stop to Malum's second attack.

"You saved me twice." said Aqua as she looked at Isaac with a bit of red on her face.

"Anything for one of my fans." stated the boy.

"Then about this move, I activate the spell card, Dark Soul Extraction! Now I can deal damage equal to half of my Cyberdark Dragon's attack points. I warned you three to not interfere and now you'll see why. Now Duel Monsters shall perish, and buried beneath its ashes will be you three and all the monsters and cards you hold so dear!!!"

"I activate my other facedown, Emergency Provisions. So now I can send one spell or trap on our side of the field to gain 1000 life points. Shane, you mind?"

"Not gonna happen, cause now I send the my Cyberdark Cannon from my Cyberdarkness Dragon so that I can negate your little spell, Isaac." said Malum. "And like before my Cyberdark Cannon allows me to draw an extra card since it was sent to the graveyard when it was attached to my monster.

"AHH!" shouted all three as they were all tossed onto their backs as they had some scuffs appear on them.
Shane, Aqua, and Isaac's Life Points: 100-

"That's right lie there. There's nothing you can do!" said Malum as he let out a evil and sinister laugh.

"Can't give up..." said Shane as he struggled to stand on his feet.

"Have to keep going..." said Aqua as she stood up.

"The future... depends on us..." said Isaac as he too tried to muster up the courage to stand.

"I will admit you two did put up a fight, but not even the mighty Isaac by your side made a difference." said Malum as he ended his turn.

"Isaac, it's up to you now." said Shane. "It's your move."

"Just know that we're behind you-- all the way." said Aqua.

"Right. And I won't let you guys down." said Isaac as he looked at his deck. For Duel Monsters and all my friends!

Turn 12: Isaac

This is it, if there was ever a time for me to draw the right card, it's now. Come on deck, don't fail me now. Isaac then closed his eyes as he drew his card. The card was now surrounded in a white light as it was followed by a trail of rainbow coloring.

"Now let him have it!" shouted the siblings.

"Now for our draw-- and for your downfall, Malum!!!" said Isaac with a determined look on his face. "Hey, Aqua mind helping me with this next move."

"Sure thing."

"Now time to evolve! Go Chaos Xyz Evolution!" shouted Isaac and Aqua as both Shark Drake started to change itself into a more powerful version of itself. "Appear, Chaos Number 32: Shark Drake Veiss(2800/2100, OLU: 2)!" Now Shark Drake was a different color as it went from black to a lighter whiteish color as it let out a growl.

"What is this?!" said Malum.

"Now I'll sacrifice my Black Robe Mentalist so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he now had his female magician appear.

"Woah." said Shane. "Okay, seeing Isaac's Dark Magician Girl; she is way cuter and more beautiful in person."

"Who's the one blushing now, huh bro?" said Aqua as she teased her brother.

"You both ready." asked Isaac.

"Always, master." said Mahad.

"You can count on us, Isaac." stated Mana.

"Right, he can talk with his magicians." said Shane and Aqua as they saw in action Isaac speaking the spirits of his monsters.

"Then let's finish this, cause now I play the spell Monster Reborn to bring back Junk Archer." A portal opened up as Shane's monster was present. "Then I play my final card, Dark Magic Twin Burst so my Dark Magician gains the attack points of my Dark Magician Girl!"

"It doesn't have enough strength to take down my Cyberdark Dragon and the rest of my life points."

"Maybe not, but I think I might have something. I reveal Scarp-Iron Idol. So since we control a 'Junk' monster, I can double the attack points of a monster on the field and I choose Isaac's Dark Magician." said Shane.

"Hey let me get in on the fun, and I can with this. By activating my Shark Dark Veiss's ability, since our life points are 1000 or less by using one overlay unit, I can banish a monster from my graveyard and reduce your Cyberdark Dragon to 0 until the end phase!" shouted Aqua as her monster used its material and made a massive tide flood over Cyberdark Dragon as it was rusting and malfunctioning.

"No!!" said Malum as his monster was weak and Isaac's magician had 9000 attack points.

"Now time to end this!" said Isaac as he looked at the pair as they nodded in agreeance.

"Let's do this!" shouted the trio as Isaac's magician and each of their respective monsters all leaped into the air as they prepared for one final attack.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl! Attack!" shouted Isaac.

"Junk Archer attack!" shouted Shane as his monster transferred its power.

"Shark Drake Veiss attack!" shouted Aqua as her monster did the same.

"Let this be proof-- the light will always overcome the dark!" stated Isaac as his magicians were powered by their comrades.

"Now go, Twin Dark Destruction Arrow!!!" shouted all three of them with Isaac's magicians. Soon the massive attack combined into one as it was heading towards Cyberdark Dragon as it let out a cry as soon the explosion soon enveloped Malum.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Malum as he was defeated and was gone.
Malum's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Shane, Aqua, and Isaac

There were kids in the park as they were laughing and having fun. Couple were talking nice long walks as they enjoyed themselves as the small creatures were doing their own thing. The sun was still high as it looked to be setting as an orange light casted over the town of Canterlot. Watching all this was the trio as they were taking in all the peace and quiet as it served as a sense of tranquility and accomplishment.

"So looks like our work here is done." said Shane.

"Looks that way." said Isaac.

Soon a portal opened up behind them as the device Aqua was holding was responding as it seemed to open up the way home for the duo.

"Well, guess this is good-bye, then. It was great meeting you, Isaac." said Aqua.

"It was my pleasure."

"Hey, think we'll all meet again sometime?" asked the girl.

"Probably not." joked Shane as it got all of three to let out a laugh. "But if we do, let's make sure that the whole world of Duel Monsters isn't on the line again."

"You said it, Shane. Maybe we could duel each other. Whatever happens, I know the bond we formed here today is one that's going to stand the test of time." said Isaac.

"All of time." said Aqua as she put her hand in.

"Absolutely." stated Shane as he put his hand on top of his sister as Isaac did the same as all three looked at each other with a smile.

"Well, time to head home now." said Shane as he and Aqua grabbed their backpacks and their bags from the shopping they did in Isaac's time as they prepared to head through the portal.

"I'm probably never going to ever get a chance to do this, so I'm gonna go for it." said Aqua as she leaned in and kissed Isaac's cheek for a few seconds. She then pulled away as her excitement went through the roof. "Just something I can hold on to."

"Then about something even better." said Isaac with a sly smile as he returned the kiss from Aqua as he gave her a quick peck on her cheek as he pulled back and winked at her for being a fan of his.

"Definitely never gonna wash this cheek again." said the girl as her face was turning different shades of red from getting a kiss from her celebrity crush.

"Alright, enough of that. Let's go, sis." stated Shane as he and Aqua prepared to walk through the portal. They were about to step through when Isaac called out to them.

"Hold on! I know you guys can't tell me anything about what I do in the future. But can at you at least give me something, like how I turn out? If I ever get to be happy?" asked Isaac.

The pair just looked at each other and smiled as they addressed the boy. "Well, who do you think inspired us to become duelists." stated Shane as he pointed at him and his sister. "Even with the great legends of the past, you were the one that we related to the most." That answer got Isaac's eyes to widen as he couldn't believe that Shane and Aqua were people who looked up to him in the future and was the reason they got involved in the game.

"Keep doing what you're doing, and everything will work out." said Aqua. She and Shane then entered the portal as it closed up behind them as Isaac was left alone staring at where they once stood a moment ago.

At long last, I finally feel like I focus on the future. Malum may have painted a bleak picture for world, but I know nothing is ever set in stone. Because the true magic of Duel Monsters isn't just in the card, it's in all the friendships I've forged thanks to this game. Isaac now had a smile on his face as he began to head home as nighttime was starting to fall.

The portal opened up and soon both Shane and Aqua stepped out of it with their bags as the device broke apart and the portal closed up forever. They looked around and saw that their home and the city of Ironhaven was back to its rightful glory as there was people about having fun and just enjoying themselves. The sun was high in the sky as it was the middle of the day, the sky was blue and clear, and the sounds of cars and animals were going on about them.

"Home." said Aqua.

"It's good to be back." said Shane. He then put his left right arm over his sister's shoulder as he kiss her head to which she wrapped her arms around her brother to give him a hug. "Let's go, mom and dad are waiting for us."

"I'll race you there." said Aqua as she grabbed her bag and backpack and began to run in the direction of their home as Shane did the same and chased after his sister as the two of them were laughing as the scene slowly started to move up as on the sign of a billboard was a picture of Isaac from their time period.

Author's Note

Hope you enjoyed this little time travel adventure. Also a little thing, that scene with Twilight means a bit more, it's not going to be something per say in the final arc, but moreso for the finale of this story. So for now, don't think too much about it, but keep it in the back of your thoughts.

Chapter 183: Onto the Next Phase

"My turn and now I'll tune my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon with my Speedroid Gum Prize so that I can pave the way for an even mightier dragon! Watch as the essence of that Monster takes shape! Watch as it is forged by raw power! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon!" said Rainbow as she put both of her monsters in the discard pile and grabbed a new monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the table.

"I now end my turn." said the chromatic girl.

"Fine by me." said Applejack as she drew her card. "You may think you have the advantage, since you destroyed mah Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon, but by simply banishin' a monster I used to summon it... ah can bring it back... and it's back for revenge!"

"No way, you can't do that!" shouted Rainbow.

"Ah can, read the rule book!" said Applejack.

"No way, you're cheating!" said the chromatic girl.

"Takes one to know one, partner!" replied Aj as she and Dash put their foreheads together as they looked like a couple of bulls ready to fight.

"Isaac, which one of us is right!!" called the girls as they looked to their left to have the boy answer but he wasn't there. "Oh... right." said both girls as they backed off and slumped into their chairs.

It had been about 2 days since Isaac took off and disappeared without a trace. Since then, everybody was worried. Isaac's parents were concerned with where their son would run off to, yet they had hope that he would return once he figured out with what he was dealing with. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna was concerned as well as, they wanted to search for the boy, but their school duties didn't allow them to. Plus with the contract that was signed between Isaac and Starlight to have their unsanctioned duel, it meant that the Board of Education or CHS was responsible for what happened after the match. But the date for the students to pass their final exams for the Board was still on, as it was something that couldn't be changed to allow them time to find Isaac. And as for the students, while they feared for the safety of their head professor, they knew they had to keep on with their lessons and preparing for that date as they felt it would be something Isaac would want. So them and the girls kept on with Isaac's lessons as they kept on preparing for that date.

However with the disappearance of Isaac, there was one person who took it hard. Twilight was devasted when they found his backpack near the statue, his duel disk, and his deck. To think he would he leave his backpack was understanding, but to leave his deck and duel disk, now that was unordinary. As far as she knew, Isaac would never abandon his cards, even if he couldn't physically see them. So the group all began to think that maybe there was the possibility that he might have been captured, but by who. Maybe Starlight, but then again why would she given that she had won their unsanctioned duel, so that only must have been enough to satisfy her. So what else could have happened to her boyfriend? The girls all tried to reassure their friend that Isaac would return. But without the boy, the group was taking a toll, seems having a male companion be a part of their little group did leave a mark.

It was another day at CHS as the students were doing their business, Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna heard about Isaac's disappearance as they assured everybody else that he took a quick leave of absence to so that he could rethink and rebuild himself. The majority of the student body believed the two women, as they both put on their biggest fake smiles. For the principals, they were worried about their student as they prayed wherever he was, he was safe and that he return quickly as the date of the final exams for the 7 students was fast approaching.

The morning saw some students gathering in the front of the school. Rainbow was with Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as they were seeing if any of them had any news about their male friend.

"Nothing." said Fluttershy.

"Three days and still no word about big bro." said Pinkie as she had a sad smile. "Not even Shadow trying to cheer me up is working."

"Why did the geek have to run off?! So what, he lost a duel? Big deal! That's no reason to cry like a bitch!" stated Rainbow.

"But he lost and now he can't see or talk with his cards." said Pinkie.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I guess I should cut him some slack." stated the chromatic girl as her face soften a bit.

Soon they heard some chatter nearby as a couple of students began to form a crowd as they were surrounding the front entrance of the school.

"Wonder what's going on?" asked Fluttershy.

"Let's find out." said Rainbow as they all started to see what was drawing a crowd.

All three managed to squeeze by the sizeable crowd as they made it to the front to see what was drawing attention. Safe to say, what they saw wasn't something they expected nor enjoyed.

"Gather round, everybody. Now I'm offering you all a chance to be on the right side of history and join a cause that is righteous." said the voice as it belonged to Starlight as she had fully recovered from being unconscious as she was now moving onto the next part of her plan. "As you know, we've all been plagued by this disease called Duel Monsters, and to think that it had purposely overlooked people who possess talent for individuals who look and fit the mold of what a duelist is suppose to look like. But fear not, for I plan to change this place and everywhere else. But of course, I can't do it by myself; and even with Sunburst's help, it will not be enough. So fellow students, I offer you a chance to stand by me and together we can change. We become one, we think as one, we act as one, and with me leading you I will guarantee that change. Isaac couldn't do it, so let me enter your minds, embrace the vision!!" said Starlight.

Some of the students were creating small chatter as they were agreeing with some of the points made by Starlight. The girl was smiling as it seemed her plan was working, soon she heard an outburst.

"Where's Isaac?!" shouted Dash as Starlight looked at the chromatic girl.

"Well, well, well." smiled Starlight evilly. "If it isn't Rainbow Dash, Canterlot High's #1 athlete. So, where's your bae?"

"Isaac isn't my bae!" said Rainbow with a bit of red on her face.

"You're right, like he would ever want to be with you, it's a surprise that he's even your friend to begin with. Seeing as how he's turned you into putty in his hands. Tell me, did you feel helpless whenever he held you, when he touched you, whenever you kissed him?" asked Starlight with a sly smile.

"This has nothing to do with that! Where is he? What have you done with him?" asked Rainbow as she stood her ground.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." said Starlight.

"Yeah, right. You expect me to believe he vanished into thin air? He's gone and I know you had something to do with it!"

"I'm many things, but one thing that I've never been in my life is a liar." said Starlight. "And if he's gone, then maybe he wanted to get away from you and the rest of your little posse." So, Sunburst was right, Isaac really is gone. This provides me with some pleasure.

"No way, Isaac would get tired of us. We are our his friends, we would never do anything to hurt him." said Rainbow.

"Really now? How about the Fall Formal? Remember when you spied on him when he enrolled into CHS. How you used him to take down Sunset and for your own personal desires? Does any of that ring a bell?" said the girl with a smile.

"I... that's not the same." said Rainbow.

"Is it? Why lie, Rainbow?" asked Starlight. "Say you called me a fortune teller, I could lie and tell you that's what I am, when I'm actually a brilliant artist, or even a scholar. I could tell you that I dream of world peace, when I'm actually planning for its destruction. Hmm. The truth is what you see with your eyes, not with what you hear." Starlight's words got to the girls as they seemed to believe that she was telling the truth as she did have nothing to do with their friend disappearing.

"Either way, enough of this philosophical talk!" shouted Rainbow.

"I'm surprised you even know what philosophical means, or that you know how to say the word and use it in a proper sentence." said Starlight.

"Why you!" yelled Rainbow as Fluttershy and Pinkie grabbed their friend from taking a swing at Starlight.

"Ease down, Crash. Or else you'll miss the point of what I'm saying." said Starlight as she cleared her throat as Sunburst then pulled out the megaphone for her to use as she turned it on.

"Every night, we lay our heads down to dream. And that's when our minds really start to kick. We start remembering all these things, these horrible things, these travesties that have happened to us in our lives. But in our dreams, we're superheroes. And in our dreams, we can fix everything. We dream of revenge, we dream of payback. And just like that, man, just like that, we wake up. And that's when reality starts to set in. That's when we go to the mirror, we look and then we remember that we are not superheroes. And that we cannot fix everything. And so we bottle all this rage up inside of us. And we go on living our dismal little lives as if nothing is wrong. But everything, everything, everything is wrong!" shouted the girl.

"And I plan on fixing that. You see, I used to have this mean, old teacher. And this teacher, she used to look down upon me and she went to great measures to make sure that I remember that I was a piece of trash and that I would never amount to anything in my life. She believes that everything she read in a book was true and that everything I believed in was a lie. So I went up to her and I said, 'Ms. Teacher lady, what is it about you that makes you think that you're so much better than me, that makes you think you're so much smarter than me? Is it because your mom and dad paid for you to go to some fancy school so that you can wave this diploma around all of us? So that you can look down upon children and force feed them propaganda? Well, I say, uh-uh'." spoke Starlight.

"She looked at me and she said, 'Starlight, you are rotten. You stand for nothing'. She said, 'Starlight, the first time that I ever looked inside of your eyes, I knew there was something inside of you. I knew that you were evil'. Oh, but I'm proud to say that right now, somewhere that teacher lady is rotting inside of some retirement home filled up with all of her life's regrets. But I, Starlight Glimmer, stand here in front of you today as a conqueror, as a revolutionary, as the man of a thousand troops. And I say, 'Ms. Teacher lady, look at me right now'. I got the whole damn world in my hands!!! That is my payback. My ends justify my means. But Ms. Teacher lady, she was right about one thing. You see, I am evil. I am the necessary evil that must exist in this world to balance everything out. I am evil. But my tongue-- my tongue is the scorpion's tail. And when it starts striking, people start getting behind me. And they start getting behind me because I offer them hope!" said Starlight as she finished her little speech as her words got some of the students to chant her name.

"She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang Starlight in a low, hypnotizing tone as some of the students sang the words with her.

"She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang the students in the crowd as they were under Starlight's command with her words.

The girls were watching this as they were shocked to see their fellow students listening to Starlight's message.

"I know they say the pen is mightier than the sword, but this is unbelievable." said Fluttershy as she felt a bit scared at what she saw.

"That's it!! Time to put an end to this!" said Rainbow. "Hey, Starlight. I'm not buying your little whatever this is. It may work on them, but not me! I'm loyal to my friends and always will be. So how about I end your little crusade before it gets started. I challenge you to a duel later!"

"A duel, with you?" said Starlight with a confused look before turning into a sly smile. "Fine, this is will be no problem. I ran Isaac out of town, and now I can take care of his little merry band, starting with you. You're on, Rainbow. I'll see you later." stated the girl as the school bell rang as it caused the students to get out of singing the song as they all went to start their classes. "Oh, bring your student along, I'm sure he'd be pleased to see his tutor, fall and pray." stated the girl as she left the school premise with Sunburst.

"Rainbow, are you sure about this?" asked Pinkie.

"Totally, besides she may not have anything to do with Isaac disappearing. But at least, I can stop her from whatever she plans on doing." said the chromatic girl. "Besides, the only reason why Principal Celestia couldn't sanction a match between Isaac and her is because the geek is ranked as the champion. And as you know anytime someone challenges him while we're in school to a duel, it's a championship match. This right here is a regular old duel between two individuals, so we don't need Principal Celestia to sanction anything."

"Still, Starlight's no push over." stated Fluttershy. "We saw first hand what she can do, and don't forget she beat Isaac."

"Okay, I get it! She beat Isaac, so what! It's not like by beating him, it gave her some kind of super power that makes her unbeatable like Isaac was. I can handle her, plus it'll be something to brag about to the geek when he does show up. Won't he be kicking himself when he finds out I took down an opponent that beat him. Maybe then I'll get the attention of Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna so that I can get another shot at taking on Isaac for the rank of champion." said Rainbow as she boosted a bit about herself.

"Just be careful." said both girls as they feared for their friend on taking on Starlight.

It was now the afternoon as everybody who had gathered in the morning was now present on the field in the back of the school as they were preparing themselves to see the duel about to take place. Fluttershy and Pinkie were the only ones present as the other girls were busying doing their own things, with one of them trying to get Twilight to cheer up. Rainbow was busy doing some warmup stretches as Jack was near her as he tossed a bottle of water to his teacher as she took a big gulp of it as she splashed some on her head as it got her hair soaked as she did a hair flip as it got a cool shot of her hair in the sun's rays.

"Alright, all ready." said Rainbow as she did one final check over her deck.

"Go get 'em, Dash." said Jack as he hoped that his tutor could take down Starlight to avenge the loss of Isaac. "Hey, Cap. Do you think that Isaac will be back if you take down Starlight?" asked the boy.

"I don't know, private. But I do know that I need to stop Starlight from whatever she has planned. I just hope you won't join her little society she's designing." said Rainbow.

"Please, like I would ever join her little 'embrace the vision' gimmick. I stand by my captain." said Jack as he extended his fist out for Rainbow as she did the same.

"Thanks, Jack. I'm glad to have you as my student, even if we had one hell of a rocky start."

"Hey, same here. Just be careful." stated the boy as he went to his seat with the girls.

Rainbow then turned to the field as Starlight was making her way out to the field as Sunburst stood behind her as she got on the field. With that the chromatic girl then stepped onto the field as they prepared to throwdown.

"Time to take you down!" said Rainbow as she slid in her deck as her duel disk activated and projected a sky blue card tray.

"You're the first of your merry little band to fall by my hand. I already took out your leader, now only his soldiers remain." said Starlight as she slid in her deck and projected a pale, light grayish heliotrope light.

"Correction, Isaac isn't our leader. And I'm going to fight for him now more than ever!" said Rainbow.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight Glimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"I'll start things off, and I'll play the continuous spell card, U.A. Draft. Now once per turn, I can special summon a 'U.A.' monster from my graveyard or deck simply by paying 500 life points. Then since I control no monsters, I can special summon Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600). And by summoning this monster, it's special ability allows me to add a 'Speedroid' from my deck to my hand. So I'll add my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Diced(300/1500) and then summon it to the field." Rainbow now had two monsters on her field as she was all set up for her next move. "I now tune my Level 3 Speedroid Terrortop with my Level 3 Tri-Eyed Diced." Speedroid Tri-Eyed Diced then turned into three giant green rings as they circled Rainbow's other monster as it jumped in between them. "I'm now tuning them together to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)!"

"Speedroid and Ultra Athletes?" said Starlight as she examined Rainbow's deck. "To think two archetypes that are so different, yet they seem to both be a fit for you. No doubt, Isaac had an influence saying that mixing and matching different cards helps you to be versatile."

"I now activate my Hi-Speedroid Kendama's special ability, so by banishing my Speedroid Terrortop from my graveyard, I can deal you 500 points of damage." said Rainbow as her duel disk ejected her card as she grabbed it and slid it into the banish slot of her device as her monster then fired a beam as it hit Starlight who simply blocked it with her duel disk.
Starlight's Life Points: 7500-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 2: Starlight

"My turn, and now since you control monsters and I don't, I can special summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600). Then I summon my Constellar Kaus(1800/700)." A small knight hopped onto Starlight’s field, eyes gleaming inside its helmet. A second warrior in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow. "Now I activate my Constellar Siat's special ability so now it can match the level of another Constellar monster on my field so it becomes the same as Kaus. Then I'll activate Kaus' ability, twice a turn, I can increase or decrease the level of my monsters by one. So I'll increase both of my monsters so that they're both Level 5." Kaus then shot an arrow up into the air as it created a shower of particles on its comrade and itself as their levels changed. "With that, I now overlay both my Level 5 Kaus and Siat to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 2)!" Starlight's new monster appeared as a shower of particles gave the monster a glow.

"Now time to attack, Constellar Pleiades attack her monster!" shouted Starlight.

"I activate the effect of my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice from my graveyard, by banishing it from my graveyard, I can negate next your attack!" said Rainbow as she removed her other monster as it caused Starlight's monster to stop its attack.

"Clever, but not good enough, cause now I activate Constellar Pleiades' special ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can return one card you control back to your hand. And since, your Hi-Speedroid Kendama is a synchro monster, it goes to the Extra Deck." said Starlight as her monster absorbed an Xyz material as it shot a beam of energy to Rainbow's monster as it disappeared in a white light as it was sent back to her Extra Deck.

"Not good." said Rainbow as she saw her monster was gone.

"With that I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rainbow

"My turn, I draw. And I'll use the effect of my U.A. Draft, so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon a 'U.A.' monster from my deck, so I choose my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800). Then I summon U.A. Midfielder, then I'll switch out Midfielder so that I can special summon U.A. Player Manager(2000/2600) in defense mode. Then I activate the effect of my U.A. Player Manager, since it was special summoned, I can be able to destroy one card on the field and destroy it. So time to say goodbye to your only monster." said Rainbow.

"Not quite, see my monster isn't the only one leaving, I'll use Pleiades last overlay unit to send your Dreadnought Dunker back to your hand." said Starlight as she managed to get rid of Rainbow's only monster in attack mode as it got taken out.

"Nice one." said Rainbow as she gritted her teeth. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Starlight

"Pathetic, my move. I now play the continuous spell card, Constellar Star Chart. Then I'll play the spell card, Constellar Star Cradle, so now I can target 2 'Constellar' monsters in my graveyard and I can add them to my hand, however, I can't conduct my Battle Phase this turn. Now the monsters I'll take back is my Constellar Kaus and Siat. Then I'll special summon Siat in defense mode. Next, I'll summon my Constellar Sombre(1550/1600). As you know before Siat's special ability lets it match the level of a monster on my field or graveyard, so now Siat is Level 4. And I think you know what that means." said Starlight.

"Uh-oh." spoke Rainbow.

"I now overlay both of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Praesepe(2400/800, OLU: 2)!!" Starlight’s newest monster burst out of the light, a burly knight in bright silver and gold armor with a massive pair of energy disks mounted on the back of its hands.

"I'll activate the effect of my Constellar Star Chart, so since I summoned a 'Constellar' Xyz monster, I can draw an extra card." said the girl as she picked up the card. "I now lay one card and call it."

Turn 4: Rainbow

"My turn, and I'll activate the effect of my U.A. Draft so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon my U.A. Perfect Ace(1500/2500) in defense mode." said Rainbow as she now had one of her monsters on the field emerged out of a portal.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7000-

"Then I'll move in to attack, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker attack her Constellar Praesepe!" shouted Rainbow. Her monster then raced forward as it had a ball of blue energy appear in its hand as it looked to slam dunk it as it hit the ground and exploded.

"Nice!" said Rainbow as soon the smoke cleared and standing there was Starlight's monster as it was safe. "Huh?"

"Too bad, I activated my Negate Attack."

"I'm starting to get really ticked off. I end my turn."

"Come on, Rainbow." said Jack as he watched his tutor struggle a bit to deal damage to Starlight.

Starlight glanced in the direction of the Fluttershy and Pinkie as she saw Jack sitting next to them. Hope you enjoy the show, Jack. Cause your tutor is about to lose it all.

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn, and I'll play the spell card, Xyz Import so now I can target one Xyz monster I control and one monster you control that has less attack points than mine and attach it as an Xyz material for my monster to use. So I choose your U.A. Perfect Ace." said Starlight as Rainbow's monster was gone and disappeared into another Xyz material. "Then I'll use that overlay unit immediately to activate my Constellar Praesepe's special ability, so now when a 'Constellar' monster attacks or is attacked it gain 1000 attack points during the battle. I then summon my Constellar Acubens(800/2000). And as long as Acubens is out on the field, all my 'Constellar' monsters gain 500 more attack points." Within the circle of light rose a second monster, a massive silver robot with a pair of glowing orange scissor claws.

"So now my monster take our her U.A. Dreadnought Dunker!" Starlight's monster then pointed it weapon at its target as it gain the power boost from its own effect and comrade as it took out the chromatic girl's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5600-

"And now Acubens, your turn!" shouted Starlight. Acubens raised its scissor claws and fired one like a missile on a long cable. Rainbow looked away as the two holographic attacks exploded in front of her.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4300-

"I then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

"Not good, Starlight has already taken Dash to nearly half her life total and she only lost life points in Rainbow's first turn." said Fluttershy.

"Might have to make a 'Participation Party' for her trying to beat Starlight." said Pinkie.

"Come on, you don't believe that, right? Rainbow still has a chance." stated Jack as he looked at the two older teens.

"We believe Rainbow has a chance, Jack. It's just... it feels like Starlight is a whole other duelist. Like she smeared the blood of Isaac that was on her hands and put it on her chest. And now she's gained his power." stated the shy girl.

"Okay, that's a bit much. This isn't gladiator times, but still, Rainbow's got a shot." said the boy. At least, I hope.

Turn 7: Rainbow

"My turn!" said the chromatic girl.

"Are you going to use the effect of your U.A. Draft? I mean, you're only down to 4300 life points, so I think you activating it will hurt you more than it benefits you." stated Starlight.

"Shut up! I play like how I play. I don't take suggestions from others." responded the athletic.

"Very well, don't say I didn't warn you."

"Now then, I'll use the effect of my spell U.A. Draft so that I can special summon my U.A. Strategist(1000/700) from my deck." A monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and let out a grunt.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3800-

"Then I'll play the spell card, Monster Reborn to bring back my Dreadnought Dunker from the grave. And now I'll tune my Level 3 Strategist with my Level 7 Dreadnought Dunker!" Strategist raised its whistle and blew into it as the sound echoed as the monster turned into three green rings that floated into the air. Dunker rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field! Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

"Hmm, impressive." responded Starlight.

"If you think that's good, watch this, I now play the spell card, U.A. Powered Jersey to give my monster an extra 1000 attack and defense points. Furthermore, while my Star Player is wearing this sweet gear, it can attack a second time if it destroys a monster and any damage you take is doubled. So even if you use your monster's special ability, it still won't be enough. Now Star Player take out her Constellar Praesepe!" commanded Rainbow as her monster raced forward and had blue energy flowing through its fingers as it shot it towards Starlight's monster as it resulted in a smoke of explosion.

"Score!" said Rainbow when her eyes widen at what she saw.

"Not even, I reveal my facedown, Adversity! Since my monster has fewer attack points than yours, it not only survives the battle, but I take no damage and it gains 1000 extra attack points." stated Starlight as her Constellar Praesepe got even stronger. "And since you didn't destroy my monster, that means the additional effect of your Powered Jersey doesn't activate meaning you can't attack a second time."

"Grr... I end my turn."

Turn 8: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll summon once again my Constellar Kaus. Then I'll overlay my Kaus and my Acubens!" Starlight's monsters then transformed into two orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 2)!!" shouted the girl. "But why stop there, cause I'll give him an upgrade, I overlay my Constellar Omega to construct the Overlay Network once more!"

"You're doing what?!" said Rainbow as it got her and everybody else in the stands to have their mouth drop.

"Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!" shouted Starlight. "Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material; I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 3)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight. "And the effect of my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw an extra card. And I'll play it now, Constellar Asterism. Now with this spell, my monsters can't be destroyed in battle and their attack points match that of a monster on the field. So now Constellar Praesepe take out her U.A. Star Player!" shouted the girl as her monster took out Dash's with ease.

"And with nothing to save you, Ptolemy M7, attack her directly!" shouted Starlight.

"I reveal my facedown, Synchro Spirits! So by banishing a synchro monster from my graveyard, I can bring back the monsters used to summon it in defense mode. Sorry, to do this bud, but I'm gonna need you to sit on the bench for this one." said Rainbow as her duel disk ejected her Star Player card as she looked at it. "I promise, it'll help us to win." While Rainbow may not have been able to hear or see her monster, her Star Player was smiling as it trusted its captain to lead the entire team to victory. She then slide it into the banished compartment of her deck as her two monsters, Strategist and Dreadnought Dunker appeared as Dunker was taken out by Starlight's monster.

"So you held on, not like it'll matter. Now that the battle is over, my Constellar Asterism allows me to add a 'Constellar' spell or trap card to my hand." said Starlight as her duel disk ejected the card she wanted as she looked at if for a second before laying it facedown.

Turn 9: Rainbow

"My draw, and now I'll summon my Speedroid Pachingo-Kart(1800/1000). And when Pachingo-Kart is summoned, I can destroy one monster on the field, but it can't attack this turn. That's a small price to pay when I have bigger things planned, but first I'll get rid of your Constellar Praesepe!" said Rainbow as this time Starlight's monster was gone, but the girl didn't care.

"Now, I'll tune my Level 3 U.A. Strategist with my Level 4 Speedroid Pachingo-kart!" Rainbow's Strategist then blew its whistle one more time as it turned into three giant green rings as it circled Pachingo-Kart as it flew in between them. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!!" shouted the girl.

"Yes, now Rainbow's back in the game." stated Jack as he knew that dragon was one of Dash's strong monsters.

"Yes, the mighty Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Overrated, overhyped, just like the people who love this dragon and its counterparts." said Starlight while looking at the fourth wall.

"Since I summoned my dragon, I can also special summon this monster to the field, Speedroid Rubberband Plane(1800/0). And when he's out, a monster on the field loses 600 attack points. And I'll choose my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon." stated Rainbow. "Now I know what you're thinking, why choose my monster?"

"Actually, I wasn't thinking that at all. I know about Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special ability, it can negate the effect of your Rubberband Plane and then destroy it, gaining its attack points in the process." said Starlight as all of that happened while she was talking as Clear Wing now had 4800 attack points.

"Well, whatever. My dragon now has more attack then yours. So now Clear Wing take out her monster, Spin Storm Sky Strike!!" shouted the girl. Her dragon then soared up high as it went to the clouds before coming down spinning really fast as it looked to take out Starlight's monster.

"This is too easy, I reveal my facedown Constellar Black Hole!" Soon a portal of darkness opened up as it created a vacuum wave as it started to suck. Both dragons let out a roar as the force of the pull was so strong that they were sucked in as the black hole closed up and went away all silently.

"Where's my monster?!" asked Rainbow.

"Simple, I activated my Constellar Black Hole. Now when you declare an attack on one of my monsters, I can use this card to send both monsters to the graveyard. And since you have no monsters left to attack me with, your battle phase is over." chuckled Starlight.

"I... end my turn."

Turn 10: Starlight

"Such a pity, now then. I'll play Constellar Comet, so by sending one card in my deck to the graveyard, this spell then gains its effects. So I'll send my Xyz Reborn to the graveyard, so that my spell copies its and now I can use its effect to bring back my Constellar Ptolemy M7 and my spell transforms into an overlay unit for my monster to use!" shouted Starlight as her monster was now back in play as it let out a roar. "Now Constellar Ptolemy M7, attack her directly!!" said the girl as her monster shot a beam of energy as it hit Dash square in the chest as she was sent flying onto the grass behind her.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1100-

"Rainbow!!" said Jack, Fluttershy and Pinkie as they saw their friend get hit with a strong attack.

"I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards." said Starlight as she drew her cards and looked them for just a second when her eyes shifted to seeing Rainbow slowly starting to get back up. "Rainbow Dash, just accept the fact that you made the grave error of taking me on when I put down your 'boyfriend' and ran his ass out of town. Oh, wait, is this the part of the story where he shows up. Where's Superman? Come on out Isaac!" shouted Starlight.

"Here she is, the loyal Rainbow Dash is a helpless damsel in distress. Oh, Superman, where are you? Come save this girl, so she can safe in your big strong arms, carry her away to a land filled and overflowing with milk and honey. Save her Isaac, she knows she wants to be saved so that she can feel safe in your arms. So that she may hold you, kiss you, love you. Save her, Isaac." said Starlight as she put her hand to her ear and looked out to see if the boy was coming to which he didn't as Starlight smiled evilly.

While Rainbow wasn't letting Starlight's words get to her per say, she did do a quick look around as if looking for the boy to be present, but no matter where she looked, he wasn't there. Rainbow put her head down as she let a legit tear fall down her cheek as she gave a sniffle.

"It looks like Superman ain't coming to save the day. So, take your last turn before I end it." said Starlight place one card facedown.

Turn 11: Rainbow

"I may be down to my last few life points, but one thing that Isaac taught me is a duel isn't over as long as I have a single life point. I put my trust in my deck and it will trust me!" shouted Rainbow as she placed her hand on top of her deck. Wherever you are Isaac, I hope you're safe. I miss you, but right now I need your help in taking down Starlight. So please geek, let me draw the card I need.

"I draw!" said Rainbow as she drew her card and looked at it. "Nice, I now play the spell card, Hi-Speed Chase! Here's how it works, I get to bring back a Synchro monster from my graveyard, but its effect are negated. So I'm busting out, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Then I draw 3 cards, and if one of those cards is a tuner monster, I can summon it to the field right away. And as for the other two cards, I keep one in my hand and then shuffled the other back into my deck." Rainbow then drew her card as she took a deep breath as she drew the cards. She looked at them slowly one by one as the last card was indeed a tuner monster.

"Alright, l summon Speedroid Gum Prize(0/800)." said Rainbow as her monster appeared. "Now, I'll keep the first I drew and shuffle back the second card." stated the girl as she placed her card on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Now I'll tune my Level 1 Speedroid Gum Prize with my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon to pave the way for an even mightier dragon! Watch as the essence of that Monster takes shape! Watch as it is forged by raw power! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(3000/2500)!" shouted Rainbow as she upgraded her beast for a more powerful version as it had wings made up of crystal as it let out a roar heard throughout the field for everybody watching the duel.

"Awesome, now Dash has a chance!" shouted Jack as his teacher now had her strongest monster in her deck out.

"Now time to attack, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon let's show her our power, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon attack her monster!" shouted Rainbow.

"No matter, I'll only lose 300 life points since my monster has a rank not a level." chuckled Starlight.

"Might want to check your math."

"Huh?" said Starlight as she saw Rainbow's monster get stronger.

"See I activated the effect of my Stealth Speed, so now I target one monster on the field and then my monster gains attack to the monster I choose permantly. So now my Crystal Wing has 5700 attack points." stated Rainbow with a smile.

"No!" said Starlight.

"Now go! Do your thing, Crystal Wing! Attack with Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon did some sharp maneuvers in the air as it soon collided with Starlight's monster. A huge explosion occurred as it obscured the vision of the people in the stands. Rainbow had a smile on her face as soon the smoke cleared as standing there was Starlight as her monster was destroyed, but her life points remained the same.

"There's no way!!" yelled out Rainbow.

"Hmm." was all Starlight said as her head then lifted up as she had a smile on her face.

"But... how..."

"My facedown, Defense Draw! So all the battle damage I would have taken becomes zero and I draw a card." smiled Starlight nonchalantly.

"That's was Rainbow's best attack and Starlight just countered it like it was nothing." said Jack as for the first time, he saw his very own tutor was outmatched, outsmarted, and straight up outdueled.

Turn 12: Starlight

"Now, time to end this, and I'll activate this, Rank-Up Magic Constellation Eclipse Force!!" shouted Starlight as her card shined in a bright yellow light as colors of a supernova started to swirl the field.

"What is this?!" asked Rainbow as she put her arms up to protect her eyes.

"Watch, I can now take one 'Constellar' monster in my Extra Deck and use it to summon a different monster that's one rank higher! So I'll choose a second Constellar Omega and then I'll use it to bring out the monster that will end you!" shouted Starlight as her monster appeared and then it turned into an orb of light as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon that light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 1)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"That monster!" said Fluttershy and Pinkie as they remembered how it took down Isaac.

"What is that?!" said Rainbow as she and everybody else, minus the two girls, all gasped by Starlight's new monster.

"The monster that killed Isaac! Now to activate one of its many abilities, by using one overlay unit, I can return all of my Constellar 'Xyz' monsters back into my Extra Deck and for each one that I do, my monster gains 500 attack points. So since I have 4, that means not only are they shuffled back to my Extra Deck, but my Ursa Proeliator gains 2000 attack points for a total of 6000!" said Starlight as her monster absorbed its Xyz material through its spear as it raised it up high as the power of the cosmos and stars gave it life.

"So what, I'll still have life points left." said Rainbow.

"Wrong, see my Ursa Proeliator can attack twice in a single battle. So..."

"NO!!" Rainbow's eyes widen at what they meant.

"DESTROY HER!!!!" shouted Starlight as she thrusted her arm out. Her monster then raised its spear as it had her dragon in its sights, soon it launched its spear with so much force and power that it struck Rainbow's dragon right through the heart of it as a white light came from it as it let out a roar.

"AHH!!!" shouted Rainbow as she could feel the pain from her dragon as she clutched her heart. Soon her dragon exploded as it was destroyed as she was throw back by the explosion and landed on her back.
Rainbow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"No, Rainbow!!" said Fluttershy and Pinkie as they got out of their seats and started to make their way to check on their friend.

"It can't be, Rainbow." said Jack as for the first time, he saw his teacher get owned in the most brutal way possible. And the scary part was there was only one other individual who could do what they did to Rainbow just now.

Starlight was still smiling as she looked at her fingers; to her eyes she could see Isaac's essence that were on her fingertips from the night she had with him. She then sucked on them very sexually as she enjoyed it, almost like she had the power of the boy himself inside of her.

"Isaac, it feels so good to have you inside of me." chuckled the girl with a smug smile.

Starlight then started to walk towards the fall chromatic girl as she had some scuffs along her body and near her mouth as she lifted her head up to see her opponent standing above her. Fluttershy and Pinkie stopped a few feet away as they were a bit scared of what Starlight would do.

"You know I was going to offer you a place, in the world that I on plan on building. But your loyalty to your friends, is too strong to ignore. So I won't bother with you, especially cause I just beat you. I am... the Best in the World!!!" shouted Starlight. "And don't forget it." With that she turned her back and began to walk.

"She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world, in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang Starlight as she walked away.

"Rainbow, you okay?" asked her friends as they helped their friend to sit up.

"Yeah, I'm okay. A little sore, but... we may be in trouble." said Rainbow as she looked at Starlight walking towards Sunburst as the whole crowd around them was still singing.

Chapter 186: Return to the Spirit World

Space that was what all it surrounded the person. For them, they had been drifting apart slowly in this ever lasting void inside of some sort of barrier/bubble. They had been drifting along casually without a care in the world as the had their eyes closed as all around them was nothing but darkness. Soon something happened as a small portal opened up as it filled the space with a bright light that the whole view went white.

Isaac was fast asleep as he laid on a surface of sorts. The boy then began to stir as he opened his eye to see the sun's rays blazing in his face as he put one hand in front of them to avoid going blind.

"Where... am I?" asked the boy in a drowsy voice as he blinked and then slowly sat up.

Isaac now sat up as he felt something as he looked down and saw his hands were in sand. He then looked ahead as he saw some waves as they gently crashed against the shore as they were a few feet from reaching him. Isaac also noticed that apart from the clothes he was wearing, he didn't see his backpack which contained his cards and duel disk.

"Guess, I'm in some sort of beach. But how did I get here? The last thing I remember is... is... me leaving CHS and then there was this... bright light." Isaac was trying to recall what happened as he wasn't sure where he was. "But why am... wherever I am? Is this a dream? And if it is, why I couldn't I dream myself in a fast-food joint or something." stated the boy.

"Wait, a minute, this can't be a dream. Cause to do that, I'd actually have to fall asleep. Hmm... unless, don't tell me... did I bit the dust!" shouted Isaac as he felt like that light had caused him to die.

"Ok. Calm down. So this is the great beyond, huh? Not what I'd expect, maybe if I take a look around." Isaac then stood up as he began to walk along the shoreline in hopes of maybe finding out something.

The trip was definitely a good idea as soon the beach was transforming into a forest of sorts as Isaac kept walking on. It wasn't dense by any means, but it did mean that he should still be careful to avoid running into any wild animals. As he was walking, Isaac was taking in the view as the forest was lush with greenery and full of color birds and flowers. He even some animals making some noises as it gave the boy a sense of home. As Isaac was getting lost in the quiet and tranquility of the forest, his mind slowly drifted to his duel with Starlight as he remembered him losing to the girl. Before he could even think about it anymore, he then heard something nearby. He then followed the noise as he hid behind some bushes and saw a meadow of sorts as there were several individuals.

In the meadow, it wasn't people per say, but rather... Duel Monsters. In the meadow were three Dancing Fairy as they were all holding each other as they were scared of who was standing above them. The monster who was causing them to be scared was the Duel Monster, Baron of the Fiend Sword as he cackled evilly at cornering the small things.

"Please, leave us alone." said one of the fairies as they were scared.

"Time to pay." said the Baron as he brought out his sword and looked to destroy the small things.

"Help!!!" shouted all three.

Baron of the Fiend Sword then brought his weapon down as he looked to take out the small things when something fast happened. The monster saw his weapon as he cut some of the flowers clean in half, but standing where his targets they were gone. He then looked to his side as he saw the small things as they were safe in somebody's arms. Isaac had reacted on his instincts as he rushed out of the bushes and quickly got him and the small things out of harms way as he rolled through the meadow as he protected the small things in his arms.

"You girls, okay?" asked Isaac as he looked at the small things.

"Thank you, sir." said the small fairies.

"What's your problem? Harming those who can't defend themselves!" shouted Isaac as he looked at the fiend in front of him.

"Well, now. It's been a while since one of your kind has last visited here. Which means, I've got some good business." said the evil monster as he looked to collect some more.

"Save us!" said the fairies as they buried their faces into Isaac's shirt and his hoodie.

"Don't worry, I won't let anything happen to you all." said Isaac as he tightly hugged the small things as he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst.

Soon a slash attack was heard as Isaac slowly opened up his eyes. He then saw from where the Baron once stood had now been a shower of particles as standing there was a different monster as it was a warrior who wielded a sword and shield. The small fairies in Isaac's arms all looked up from his shirt and hoodie as they saw the warrior and had smiles on their faces.

"You little ones alright?" asked the warrior.

"Yes, thank you Breaker!" said the small fairies. They all got out of Isaac's arms as they circled around the larger warrior as they smiled at him for helping him.

Isaac then smiled at he saw the little fairies be safe. Soon a sword was brought in front of him as he felt a bit scared as Breaker looked at the boy.

"Any last words?" said the warrior.

"No, don't hurt him!" said the small fairies as they got their friend to stop. "He saved us."

"Is this true?" asked Breaker while keeping his sword pointed at Isaac.

"Could you put the sword away first?!" asked Isaac as he didn't like have it so close to his face. Breaker then put the sword away from Isaac as he let out a sigh of relief as the small fairies floated in front of him.

"Thank you for saving us, sir." said the fairies.

"You're welcome."

"What's your name?" asked the small girls.

"My name... is Isaac."

"Thank you, Isaac." smiled the tiny things.

At that moment, Breaker dropped his sword as it caught the attention of the fairies and Isaac. He then approached the boy as he bent down.

"Pardon me, but did you say your name was, Isaac?" asked the warrior.

"Yeah."

"It can't be... how..." was all Breaker could say as he looked at the boy. "If I may, would you please come with me?"

"Well, I don't have anywhere else to go. Nor do I know where the hell I am." replied Isaac as Breaker then bent down on his knee as he offered his hand to boy, Isaac accepted it as he was pulled up as he saw the monster was a bit taller than him.

Breaker then picked up his sword and put it in his hold as he began to lead Isaac. The small fairies all hovered to Isaac as they all entered inside his hoodie to feel safe as the third one decided to take shelter under his cap as the boy just smiled. They walked for a bit as soon they were walking up a hill on the meadow as soon they came over it and were standing on top of it.

"Woah!" said Isaac.

For the boy he was seeing a village of sorts as their were buildings and huts all along a pavilion. There was a giant center square in the plaza as they were tons of Duel Monsters interacting with one another as they talked, did business, etc... Along the end of the pavilion was a huge palace of sorts as it looked very Egyptian like. Breaker then began to walk down the meadow as Isaac followed behind the warrior.

I must get the boy to the palace and inform Master Mahad.

"This is amazing." said Isaac as they were in the center square as Isaac took all in.

While he was busying looking at all the cool sights, some of the Duel Monsters noticed the human as it caused them to gasp. Breaker all gave them a look as their only response was a nod as they knew to follow protocol. They then resumed back as if nothing happened as Isaac didn't notice this.

"Well, we need to leave." said the small fairies as they all exited out of Isaac's clothing and under his cap. "Thank you for saving us, Breaker. You two, Isaac."

"No problem." smiled the boy as the small things left.

"Now then, follow me, we're nearly there."

"Aw, but do we have too?" pouted Isaac. "I want to see this place."

"I understand, but I need to bring you to someone important." said Breaker.

"Fine." said Isaac with a groan.

Good to see your excitement is still the same, Master.

The pair now continued to follow the road as they came to some castle gates. Breaker then opened it as both went inside of the palace as the doors closed behind them. The inside was just as if not more amazing than the market. There were a few palm trees, a garden filled with luscious flowers, and even some more buildings inside of the castle gates as Isaac was taking it all in with wonder in his eyes. Soon they arrived at the main huge building as it was the palace itself as both of them entered the place.

"Nice digs." said Isaac as he took in the palace as it was covered in Egyptian decorations and had several doors that led to different places and to the other building.

"Please wait here Isaac. I'll be but a few minutes." said Breaker as he went to fetch his liege.

"Take your time." said Isaac as he began to explore the halls as he soon pushed opened a door as it was the main room of the entire palace. It was huge to say the least, as Isaac saw tons of canvas and hieroglyphics embedded into the walls and structure of the entire place.

"Kuri." said a sound.

"Huh? Hey, Kuriboh." said Isaac as he managed to bump into the small thing as he was hovering in front of the boy. Isaac just petted the small thing on his head as he liked it.

"That's it. Steady now. Remember, concentration is the key." said a man as he was instructing a class of small kid magicians as they were trying to move two tons worth of rocks. "Magic flows within you, you need to be able to bring it out."

"Pardon me, Master Mahad." said Breaker as he got his liege's attention and bent down on one knee to show his loyalty and the authority he had.

"Breaker, what does your visit bring?" asked Mahad.

"Well, sir. It's a rather urgent matter."

"Yes, all of them are. Very well, once I'm done teaching my class, I'll look into it." said Mahad as he snapped his fingers and made a scroll appear in front of his as he used his magic to scribble some stuff.

"It's actually really important, it involves... the master." said Breaker as that got Mahad's attention as his quill and paper dropped from his magical grip as they fell on the floor.

"What is it?" asked Mahad.

"Sweet throne room." said Isaac as he was in the room taking all of it in.

After departing from Breaker, Isaac wanted to explore the palace as he had Kuriboh behind him who followed the boy. He then entered a room and saw some steps as they lead to a chair or rather a throne on top of it. For some weird reason, it seemed to be calling out to Isaac. So the boy slowly made his way to the stairs as he looked at it for a second. He then began to climb the stairs as got to the top and examined it. Kuriboh just looked between the boy and then the throne he was looking at as he knew what it meant as he had a set of happy eyes.

"Must be important." said Isaac as he looked at the throne. Yet for some weird reason he was being drawn to it and the voice in his head was telling him to sit on it. Just as he was about to, Isaac heard a voice.

"Master."

Isaac turned around and standing there at the small flight of stairs were Breaker and Mahad. Kuriboh let out a sound as he dropped onto the ground and hide behind Isaac's legs.

"Master, is that really you?"

"Hey, Mahad." said Isaac nonchalantly.

Mahad then climbed the stairs as he now stood in front of Isaac as he looked down on the boy. He then brought his hand to Isaac's forehead as Isaac was confused on what was happening. For Mahad he was channeling his magic to see the truth, once he did he removed his hand from his master's forehead and bent down at his level to look at him.

"Everything..." Isaac didn't get to finish his sentence as his magician wrapped his arms around the boy.

"It really is you, master." said Mahad as he hugged the boy as a small tear fell down his eye.

"Yeah, it's me. Why wouldn't I be?" asked Isaac as he looked towards Breaker for some hint but the warrior just stood still. He then looked down at Kuriboh who just gave the happy eyes.

"Master, what happened to you?" asked Mahad as he pulled back from his hug.

"Well, after my duel with Starlight. I couldn't see my cards nor could I communicate with you guys. So I was all set to leave to find some clarity when this white light appeared out of nowhere and next thing I know, I'm waking up on some kind of beach and saving some fairies from an evil spirit. Then I came here." said Isaac as he told his magician his tale with a straight face.

"You really are here." smiled Mahad as it had been a while since he last saw his young master.

"Speaking of, where is here?" asked Isaac.

"Master, you're... in the Spirit World."

"Spirit World?" asked Isaac.

"Mahad, I'll take my leave."

"Very well, Breaker. Thank you for protecting the master and bringing him here." said Mahad as Breaker bowed and turned to leave.

"Thanks for the assist, Breaker." called out Isaac.

"But of course, anything for you, Isaac." smiled the warrior as he was glad his master was safe and sound as he exited out of the room.

"So, Spirit World? You're not shitting me, right?" asked Isaac.

"It's true, master. You're in a place that has long existed since the time of humanity." said Mahad. "Our worlds used to live together, but as time passed, they became further and further, especially when evil spirits began to cause chaos, and eventually the worlds were spilt and since then been. Not to mention, it's been millennia since there was a human in the Spirit World."

"Wow, lucky me." chuckled Isaac as Mahad just smiled at his master as he still had his carefree side of his personality.

"So, Breaker is he?" asked Isaac.

"Yes, this place. This palace is the home of not just me, but of all our comrades."

"You mean?"

"All the comrades in your deck, live in this realm of the Spirit World. We call this our home, and when we are summoned to battle we appeared in a flash of light ready to fight in your honor." informed Mahad.

"That's cool, so wait? If all my monsters call this realm home, does that mean my friends each have their own realm with their monsters?" asked Isaac.

"Yes," answered Mahad.

"Wait till I tell the others when I get back home, or... if I can figure out how to get back?" said Isaac as he lifted his cap to scratch his head.

"Follow me, Master. I shall tell you whatever you want. And Kuriboh... good job on keeping an eye on the master" said Mahad as gave a smile to his small, furry comrade as Kuriboh just let out a happy sound. He began to lead Isaac and Kuriboh through the palace and the many halls as Isaac was like a little kid just taking in a whole new world.

The pair and small hairball were now walking down some flight of stairs as they were talking. Soon they heard a sound as some pots near them began to shake.

"Did you hear that?" asked Isaac.

"Stay behind me, master." said Mahad as he prepared to defend the boy. Even Kuriboh was a bit frighten as he hid behind Isaac's shoulders.

Soon something came out of the pot as it lunged at Isaac.

"Isaac." said Mana as she wrapped her arms and legs around the boy as he held her.

"Mana, what are you doing?" said Mahad as he yanked his student off of their master.

"What, I can't welcome Isaac for being here. You didn't tell me he arrived." said Mana as she looked at Mahad.

"He's only been here for one hour." said Mahad with a straight face and blunt tone.

"Hey, Mana." replied Isaac.

"I know we haven't spoke in a while, but it's good to see you're doing good, Isaac." smiled the female magician girl. "You haven't forgotten about me, have you?"

"Of course not." said Isaac.

"Mana, that's enough!" said Mahad with a stern tone. "The master isn't here under normal circumstances, and as you can see he's not going to be here forever. Do you not see he is here and does not have time...."

"And he does not have time to speak for himself?" said Mana with a smirk as her teacher. "Is that why you've been doing all the talking for him, Mahad?"

"That is not true." said Mahad as he coughed into his hand. "Besides, shouldn't you be in class right now? Your professors are saying that your magic lacking and you need to study more."

"And shouldn't you be teaching your own class?" responded Mana as the two now began to act like their normal selves as they argued back and forth while Isaac just stood there and watched his two magicians do their usual thing.

It's good to know that I have friends, even here. Isaac let out a smile as he was glad to be reunited with his magicians. He gave another pat on the head for Kuriboh who peaked out from behind his shoulders as Mana saw her comrade and gave the small thing her love and attention.

Sometime later, Mahad had to return to teaching his class, but he told Mana that he and her would need to pay a special visit to someone. As for Kuriboh, he had a duty to uphold as he had to carry out his job of delivering mail and news to other monster spirits and realms so he too said goodbye as he joined his fellow brothers in their line of work. During that time, Mana volunteered to show Isaac more of the palace as she promised she wouldn't cause too much trouble. Mahad just shook his head as he was regretted leaving his master with Mana as he feared the palace might burn down. Once Mahad left, Mana immediately grabbed Isaac by his arm and dragged him away. While she was walking side by side with her master, they saw several of Isaac's other monsters in the palace as they saw their young master and all bowed down in respect as they welcomed him being here. Isaac just smiled and let them go on about their business.

The pair was now in the garden section of the palace as Isaac was walking along a stone wall as Mana was skipping on top of the wall as she talked with her master.

"So tell me, is everything really going to change now that you're here" asked Mana.

"To be honest, I don't know." said Isaac. "I just... don't know what to do... ever since my lost to Starlight, it feels like I lost something. But I don't know what." Mana then jumped down from the small wall as she looked at her master.

"You must have a lot on your mind these days."

"Yes, I do."

"But you still time for me, right?" asked Mana.

"Of course, Mana. You're my friend, and I'll always make time for you, Mahad, and all my other monsters." replied Isaac.

"I guess... now that you're actually here in this world, I guess I really do need to address you as 'Master'."

"You don't have too, just because I'm actually here in your world, doesn't mean you can change how you address me. You can still call me by my name." smiled Isaac.

"Then I won't." smiled Mana as she leaped at the boy and gave him a hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck and nuzzled against his chest.

Isaac returned the gesture as he hugged his female magician as he stroked her hair and gave it a sniff as it smelled like vanilla. Mana then gave her master a kiss on his cheek as she went to hugging and cuddling the boy as Isaac just smiled. Soon Mana had to take care of somethings as she told him that she would be back, she did tell Isaac where to find the library of the palace as a way to keep him occupied to which Isaac agreed. So with one final kiss, Mana left as Isaac went into the direction of the library.

Isaac arrived at a set of twin door as he pushed it open and was welcomed to the sight of many books as they were all neatly stack in shelves and on the bookcases. A couple of ladder here and there to reach the higher ups and there was a second floor also. The boy then entered as he walked past the main desk as their was his Magician's Valkyria.

"Welcome to..."

She saw her master as she immediately bowed down to which Isaac told her she didn't have to do it as she rose up. She gave her young master a loving hug as she allowed him to explore whatever he wanted. Isaac made sure that he wouldn't mess things up to which she kissed his cheek as she smiled at her master.

So for a while, Isaac was checking out and looking at some books as he learned some cools facts and history about the Spirit World. While Isaac was sitting at a table reading, he overheard some chatter as it got his attention. He then walked for a few feet when he saw another table as there was his Mage Annette and Magician boy as the two kids look to be studying.

"Uh... Hmm..."

"What's the matter?" asked Mage Annette as she found her friend's noises to be distracting from all the studying she was trying to do.

"This question's got me stumped. Why did I even bother doing this, Annette?" said the boy magician with a groan as he didn't like math. "A ballista inside a castle is ready to fire at enemies outside. What angle should be used for the shot? Assume the ballista is the same as those in palace. Ignore the effects of wind." said the boy as he read the question. "This is for defensive strategy, isn't it? Why is it so complicated? Don't you just aim and fire?"

"That's not how it works." said Annette with a stern tone as she closed her book. "Let me see... Hmm... It may help to focus on maximizing target accuracy to reduce your miss rate."

"Well, I can't figure it out, my brain hurts." said the small boy as he flopped his head on the table. "I'm just stupid."

"No you're not! You're smart!" shouted Annette as she didn't mean to say that out loud as she blushed for two different reasons. "What, I mean is... This is important stuff. This math will be useful on the battlefield one day." said the girl as she began to play with her hair a bit while trying to avoid directly looking at her best friend.

"Face it, Annette. I'm useless, I'll never be good enough to help Isaac win. Maybe we should stop being friends."

"But I don't want to lose you as a friend, I want you." blushed Annette even more. "I mean, let's look at the problem again. And I'll help you."

"Fine." said the boy as he lifted his head up and allowed Annette to scoot closer to the small boy as she was doing her best to hide the redness of her face for being so close to her friend.

"To start, let's sort out the setup. Let's see...using these ballista specifications... If the ballista quarrels follow this trajectory, they'll hit the enemy lines, right?" said Annette as she quickly got rid of her blush and pointed at the textbook in front of them.

"Oh, that makes sense! Because the enemy line will be here!" replied the boy magician as he was starting to get a sense of the problem.

"That's it! OK, now try using that same technique and applying it to this other problem." suggested Annette as she pointed to another problem.

"If the walls are this high, and the enemy lines are at that distance—ah! I think I see!"

"I knew you'd get it."

"Wow. I didn't expect math, of all things, to be useful in a siege. This is tough. Numbers are not my strong suit. But this really is the sort of thing you have to know if you want to command troops." said the small boy.

"That's true. But not everyone is good with numbers. That's why we have tacticians do these calculations for us, or prepare them before we go to battle. A century ago, the Empire's mathematicians played a huge role in the Great War."

"I had no idea. Hey, you really know what you're doing, Annette!"

"You think so?" said the girl as she stroked her hair and some of the red returned to her face.

"Definitely! You've obviously done a lot of studying. I really admire that." smiled the boy magician.

"I suppose I have! Studying is a necessity if you want the advantage over your enemies. But necessity aside, it's nice to hear you say that." smiled the girl as she looked at her best friend who was touching shoulders with hers. "OK, now that you know the technique, go ahead and solve this problem."

"Ah—I've got it! Finally!" said the boy as he finished all of his work.

"See? Isn't it fun to learn?"

"Absolutely! You're great at this, you know. You really seem to have all the answers. I wish I could study and just soak up knowledge like you. I'm glad you helped me, Annette. Is there anything I can do for you?"

"No, I'm just happy to help," blushed the girl as she was thinking of something, "But.. if you don't mind..."

"What?" asked the boy.

"Uhm... maybe... I... we..."

"Hey you two!" said Isaac as he was leaning on a pillar as he had been watching the interaction with the kids.

"Isaac!!" shouted the kids as they got off the bench and raced over to see the teen boy as he got down on both knees and opened his arms and the two kids jumped into them as they each hug and nuzzled his shoulders.

"I missed you two little guys."

"We missed you too." said Annette as she gave a hug to her master's left side of his face. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, I know. You're here to stop evil an bad guy trying to destroy our world, right? Baw, Pow, Blam!" said the boy as he did some cartoonish sounds and effects as he punched the air with his tiny fists.

"Ehh... something like that." said Isaac.

"I knew it." said the boy as he got excited for some action.

"If only he'd mature." replied Annette which Isaac heard.

"Hey, sorry for interrupting. I know you were about to... you know..." said Isaac.

"Master." pouted Mage Annette as he put the two kids back on the floor as he was still on his knees. "You know that I have this crush, but... if I tell him... he'll laugh at me. And I don't want to risk our friendship because of this crush."

"I get it, Annette. But you gotta tell him eventually, what happens when he starts to be interested in another girl? You'll be there support him, but you're also going to regret on telling him. I'm not saying tell him outright about your crush, but let him know you care for him deeply and on a personal level." said Isaac.

"I guess, but... he's going to be him. It's not like I can change who he is." said the girl magician.

"Hey, Annette. I want to study more with you, you make math sound fun." smiled the boy magician as he was back at their table ready to learn.

"Seems, you're already influencing him a bit." smiled Isaac.

"I guess." smiled Annette as she gave one last hug to her master as Isaac watched the two of his kids magicians interact.

"Hey, Annette? What were you talking about with Isaac?"

"Nothing important," smiled the girl as she placed her hand on top of her friend's as she snuck a quick kiss to his cheek as it caused the boy magician to be dumbfounded as he had birds swirling around his head. Annette just smiled as she began to enjoy her time with her best friend.

"Nice one, Annette." said Isaac as he got up from his knees. At that moment, Mahad now appeared beside his master as he had finished up his duties for today.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything, master. But I'm afraid it's nighttime."

"So, where I am staying?" asked Isaac. Just as Mahad was about to answer, Mana appeared.

"This is one is mine." said the girl as she grabbed Isaac's arm and teleported the two away.

"Mana!!" shouted Mahad as he was not pleased she took their master away just so that she could have her fun. In the end, he knew that there was no changing the girl's mind so he decided at least for tonight, she could allow the master to be with her. Mahad then snapped his fingers as he teleported back to his own personal home.

Isaac was now inside of another small house as it appeared Mana had teleported the two of them to her own personal home.

"This is where you live, Mana." asked Isaac.

"More or less, most of our allies live at the palace since there's plenty of room. As for me and Mahad, we have our own little homes that we purchased long ago, but we also have our own room at the palace. After all, it's the home that we all live in based on your deck.

"So, where am I sleeping? You got a couch or whatever you use in old times?" stated the boy.

"None of that. You're sleeping with me."

"What, wait!!!" shouted Isaac as he didn't quite hear that. Soon he was in bed as Mana was hugging her master tightly as she pulled him into her chest.

"You're so cute, master."

"Mmmm-mmmmmm, mmm-mmmmm!" was all Isaac could say as his face was literally in Mana's chest as he felt a pair of round objects.

"Good night, Isaac." was all she said as she ignored her master's plea.

"Mmmm-mmmmmm, mmm-mmmmm!" was all Isaac said as he shrugged his shoulders and fell asleep in the arms of his female magician, but not before doing a quick thumbs up for the audience to get the message.

It was the next morning and after a "interesting" wakeup call, Isaac was now back at the palace with his two magicians as the pair were all set to make a little trip with their master. Isaac asked where to which his magicians kept it a secret. Mahad then opened a portal for them to step through as Mana grabbed Isaac's arm and nuzzled against it as they followed their comrade through the portal as it closed behind them. Soon they emerged out the other side of the portal as they found themselves in front of a castle.

"Woah." said Isaac as he took in the place. "Who lives here?"

"Lady Priestess." said Mahad.

"Lady Priestess? You mean, this is where Twilight's monsters live?" said Isaac.

"Correct." smiled Mana as she dragged her master by the arm as they followed Mahad to the gate.

"Halt, who goes there?" said the gatekeeper as it was Defender, the Magical Knight.

"At ease, Defender. It's me, Mahad and my student Mana."

Defender then looked at the pair as he saw them, but he also saw Mana had her arms around Isaac's right arm as it caused him to gasp as seeing the boy.

"What of the mortal?"

"He's our master." replied Mahad.

"I see. Lady Priestess is expecting you. Raise the gates!" shouted Defender, the Magical Knight.

"Thank you." bowed Mahad as he entered with the two following behind.

"Thanks, gatekeeper." said Isaac.

"I'm more than just a gatekeeper, you know." shouted Defender as he went back to his position.

"I told him the same thing." chuckled Mana as Isaac did the same.

"Now, Mana. Please be on your best behavior." said Mahad sternly.

"I'll try," groaned Mana as she didn't like be scolded, especially with Isaac being here.

The pair entered the castle as Isaac got to see first hand just how stunning the interior was. The walls were white as they were lined with red cloth and banners. They were tons of chandeliers that sparkled beautifully due to the jewels that hung from it. The main hall was filled with tons of doors as they led to different parts of the castle. Some of Twilight's monsters and magicians were out and about as they noticed their comrades entering but when they stepped a bit to the side, they let out a gasp as they saw a human but also the beloved of their mistress. While the trio was walking towards the throne room, Isaac felt something by his feet as it happened to be Twilight's Yellow Gadget as it seemed to be malfunctioning.

"Something wrong, buddy?" asked Isaac as he bent down on one knee and helped the gadget up as Red, Green, Gold, Silver, and Ancient Gear all rushed over and sat down their brother to figure out why he wasn't functioning properly. All the gadgets were starting to leak oil as they couldn't figure out what the problem was.

"Huh, maybe this." Isaac then reeled back his leg and as hard as he could, kick the small gadget monster like a soccer ball as it hit the wall as he got some gasps from around him.

"Did he just kick Lady Sparkle's monster?" muttered Justice of Prophecy.

"Lady Priestess is going to be upset." said Empress of Prophecy.

"Nevermind Lady Priestess, what about Mistress Sparkle?" said Amores of Prophecy.

Yellow Gadget now had gotten up as all his mechanical brothers were concerned when he spitted out some gears as it was covered in grease as soon he was back to function again. The others all let out mechanical noises which were cheers as it got all of Twilight's monsters to soften as the small gadgets shook Isaac's hand for helping to get their comrade get the thing stuck from inside of him. Isaac just smiled at the small devices as soon he and his two magicians entered the main throne room as all of Twilight's monsters entered the room as they stood before their great leader, sitting at the top of a staircase was High Priestess of Prophecy with her legs crossed as on her right was her advisor Hierophant of Prophecy and on her left, was Twilight's Dark Red Enchanter as he was recently promoted to be Priestess' personal bodyguard and second in command.

"Lady Priestess." said Mahad as he bow in respect as did Mana.

"Ahem, Isaac." said Mana as she gestured her head.

"Oh, right. Hey there." said Isaac as he waved to which Mahad and Mana facepalmed themselves.

"Show the proper respect, mortal!" shouted Dark Red Enchanter.

"At ease, no harm no foul. The boy was merely greeting me like a normal individual and not some royal decree. I like him, perhaps you could learn something Mahad." giggled High Priestess.

"Yes, well, Lady Priestess may I present to you my master."

"Master?!" said all of Twilight's monsters as they were shocked to see the boy was Mahad and Mana's master.

"Master Isaac." said High Priestess as he got up from her throne and began to walk down the stairs as she stopped in front of the boy as she was a few feet taller than the teen. "Let's have a look." High Priestess then snapped her fingers as a book appeared in her hands as she looked at it and then at Isaac "Yup, he is." said the female sorcerer as she closed the book without much excitement.

"That was fast." said Isaac.

"Everyone, this here is Master Isaac, and he is beloved of our Mistress Sparkle!" shouted out High Priestess.

"Mistress Sparkle. All hail, Twilight!" said the group as they all bowed down with their arms in front of them as they showed their respect as a magical image of Twilight appeared.

"Twilight." said Isaac as he saw the image flicker for a bit before it was gone.

"You seem to have the caught the eye of my Mistress. And I can see why." said High Priestess as she was looking into the boy's eyes as they were telling his whole story from his childhood to all of his adventures up to this point in his young life. "I'm pleased she chose to be with someone like you. Thank you, Isaac." bowed the sorceress.

"Hey, I didn't do much. To be honest, she caught my attention, she knows how to throw down for a girl. That I admire." said Isaac.

"Well, I'll admit, since Twilight was just a young girl, she did love to duel. She might have been more analytical at the time, but we still loved her nonetheless. And now she has someone who showed her that Duel Monsters isn't just facts and figures. That I can say with my upmost gratitude, thank you." said the female magician as she gave the boy a kiss on his forehead. "Now then, let's discuss."

With that High Priestess then lead the trio to one part of her castle as she opened it and inside was a room that matched the artwork of the Spellbook of the Heliosphere Library as there was a sun emblem in the middle of the room as some magical flows floated about. Isaac was amazed at what he was seeing as he saw the three magicians all stand in the center of the room as they all raised their arms up as they channeled their magical energies as they were asking the great library for some assistance. It heard their command as they produced a book that appeared in front of High Priestess. She then began to flip through it as she was hoping for an answer as to why Isaac was here. Since no mortal had been in this place for well over millenniums. Unfortunately, nothing in the book gave the group an answer. High Priestess then had one last trick as led the trio to another room as she chanted some words as the seal on the set of doors unlocked. With that all three of them entered the room as it was dark.

"Five, Six, Seven. Seven thousands lost souls all collected." said Reaper of Prophecy as he had his death scythe in his hand as his right side of his face was a skeleton and wore dark robes.

"Nothing like being the judger of fate." said Temperance of Prophecy as the cups she was holding filled with the souls of a person's fate.

"Destruction." said Prophecy Destroyed as he brought his sword out and was polishing it while he crushed a spellbook and infused it into its body.

"Make way, everyone. Lady Priestess arrives." said Wheel of Prophecy as he notified the whole keepers of dark magic as in came their leader who they showed an undying loyalty and devotion for.

"Lady Priestess." said the whole group as they bowed.

"Rise." said the female. "Now, have you all not been messing with souls? Reaper?" said the sorceress as she knew he liked to let his death side show from time to time.

"You offend me, Lady Priestess, I swear on my undying self that I haven't been taking souls for fun. Just a few." smiled the magician with a bit of an evil smirk.

"Well, we have some guests. Presenting Master Mahad, spirit of the Dark Magician, Apprentice Mana, spirit of the Dark Magician Girl, and their master, Master Isaac." said as she allowed the three to step forward as Isaac was behind his magicians.

"A human!" said all four dark magic users.

"Hmm. Strange. Death doesn't seem to have sent you here. You're very much alive in the RG, and yet your whole spirit and body is here. A world that has unobtainable by man since ours worlds first split." said Temperance as she used her cups to look and read Isaac's soul as she had it enter her mouth and out as she tasted his spirit.

"Hmm." said Reaper as he looked directly at the boy with his two-faced face as Isaac looked into his skeleton eye. "You escape death many times, ohh, would hell like your soul as good trophy." stated the magician as he was about to touch Isaac with his skeleton finger.

"Reaper!" shouted High Priestess.

"Fine. It's not his time, yet." said the adult as he floated away. "I can wait, boy."

"Duly noted." spoke Isaac as he knew now what death had in store for him when he reached the end of his life.

"So, what's the fleshing doing here, my lady?" asked Prophecy Destroyer as he towered over the boy as he let out a breath of disgust as Isaac coughed a little from the bad smell.

"That's what we're figuring out." said Mahad. "As you know, it's been a long time since a human last set foot in the Spirit World. But yet, my master is here and well and alive. Which means there's a reason as to why he's here, to what, I have no idea. But I do know that I wish to help my master get home."

"So as you can see, we have quite the dilemma on our hands." said High Priestess. "The library upstairs didn't have any info, perhaps the Library of the Crescent and its dark magic could provide some insight."

"We shall see, Lady Priestess. Everyone get in position." said Wheel of Prophecy as he lifted his weapon as all other three magicians lifted their personal items into the moon emblem as they chanted some dark words as this time dark energies gathered around them as ghosts and souls were gathering in the center of the room as the moon powered up as soon all of it became condensed as it produced a spellbook as High Priestess used her magic to grab it as she opened it up

High Priestess then finished reading the dark book as she closed it and looked at the trio. She just put her head down as it served as the sign of a dead end.

"So nothing?" said Isaac as he sat down on the floor as he clutched his necklace and looked at his hands. "I can't see my friends, my family? All of it, gone."

Mana then sat next to her master as she hugged him from the side and comforted Isaac.

"It'll be alright, Isaac." assured Mana as she tried to cheer up her master.

"I'm sorry. To you all." said Isaac as he looked at Twilight's monsters. "I promised to be their for Twilight and I can't do that anymore, hell I bailed on her, on my friends when they need me the most. I said that I would never betray my friends, but I didn't keep that promise, maybe Starlight was right."

Temperance of Prophecy then approached the boy as she bent down and grabbed the boy's chin with her hand. She then did something unthinkable as she took off the hood of her robe as it allowed everybody to see her true face. Isaac saw the face of the women as she had fair skin. Brown eyes and straight brown hair reaching down to the front of her shoulders, further behind her back and slightly curling at the tips. Her fringe covered her right eye. She also possessed a single ahoge that arced off the top of her head. She then placed her two fingers on Isaac's forehead as she grabbed some of his essence and place it in her cups as they overflowed with smoke, soon it produced a light as she looked inside of it as she smiled at what the cup revealed.

"Fate has foretold that you will return. You will see those who matter to you. And that you will find the answer to what've been searching for." smiled the female as it caused Isaac to smile a bit.

"Thanks, for that. It eases the pain a bit." smiled Isaac.

"Well, thank you for your help Lady Priestess, but we must take our leave, it's getting rather late." bowed Mahad as he took off his hat.

"My pleasure, Mahad." said High Priestess as Mahad took her hand and kiss it as he, Mana, and Isaac all left through the door to head back to their realm.

"Did you feel it, Lady Priestess?" asked Wheel of Prophecy.

"Yes, the bond Master Isaac has with his magicians, quite a powerful one indeed."

"The boy's soul had revealed a lot about his fate." said Reaper. "A soul like his is a powerful one that even death one day hungers for. But yet his soul has also survived even the most brutal of encounters, seems even death itself loves to flirt with the boy."

"Twilight really knows how to pick them." said High Priestess as she made an image of their mistress appear as all of the magicians in the castle looked at their lovely owner and bowed down in respect to show their love and loyalty for their young mistress.

The trio had arrived back at the palace as the moon was coming up. They did make some spots in the girl's realms as Isaac got to interact with each of their monsters.

"It's late, we should all get some rest." informed Mahad.

"Well, then. We'll be off."

"Not this time, Mana." said Mahad as he yanked his student off of their master. "You had your night with the master, tonight he'll be sleeping by himself in the master room of the palace."

"You're no fun," pouted Mana as her teacher was going overprotective of his rule in keeping their master safe.

"Follow me, master."

Isaac then followed Mahad as he began to lead the two of them to the master room in the palace. They arrived at the place as Isaac opened it and was shocked to see luxury accommodations. He even had his own balcony that overlooked the entire courtyard of the place almost like he was a king of sorts.

"Not bad for a temporary stay." said Isaac as he jumped on the bed and flopped down on how soft and comfy it was.

"Now then, Mana let's leave the master."

"Fine, see you in the morning, Isaac." waved Mana as she went to her room in the palace.

"One more thing." Mahad then snapped his fingers as he made a small bell appeared in Isaac's hand.

"What's this for?" asked the boy.

"Should you need anything, just simply ring the bell and someone will attend to you. Also, master. I didn't tell you this since we were busy, but the arrival of a mortal in the Spirit World is one that we've been waiting for a long time. So as you can see this is a big deal for everyone here. So to commemorate the occasion, they'll be a grand celebration tomorrow night."

"So, like a party?"

"In your terms, yes. Well, I'll take my leave now. Master, I'm... grateful that you're safe since your last duel, we've all been worried about you. But it warms our hearts to see you here. Now then, good night... Isaac." With that Mahad then closed the door to his master's room as he proceeded to head towards his.

"You know, I'm glad to be here." said Isaac. "I forgot what it was like to talk with my monsters, I missed this." Isaac then let out a yawn as he was tired as he laid back on the bed as he slowly drifted off for a good night sleep.

The morning sun rose up high in the sky as it served as a new day. Tons of Kuribohs and Winged Kuribohs were out in the village delivering the mail to the denizens of the town as they all greeted them with a small hello in their language. Eventually the rays of the morning star entered through Isaac's room as he felt them hit his face. The boy then slowly opened his eyes as he let out a yawn as he sat up and stretched his limbs.

"What time is it? Oh, right." Isaac remembered that his watch was frozen as he couldn't tell what time it actually was. Not to mention that time also probably worked different here than back at home.

Isaac then looked on the table next to him as there was the small bell that Mahad had given to him the night before. Isaac picked it up and looked at it as he remembered the words his magician told him.

"Well, let's see if it works." said Isaac as he lightly ringed the bell. Nothing happened for a second until...

"How may we serve you, master?" said some voices.

Isaac then look up as he saw where the voices came from.

"Oh, god." said Isaac.

Standing in front of him were his Apple, Lemon, and Chocolate Magician Girl. Which normally wouldn't be any issue since they were his monsters and loyal to him, but it had to do with what they were wearing. The fruits sisters were all standing in front of their master's bed in maid outfits to which they all smiled as Isaac just rolled his eyes.

"What can we do for you, master?" asked the girls in unison.

"Okay, first of all, why are you dressed like that?" asked Isaac.

"Don't boys like this?" asked Apple Magician Girl.

"Not all of them," responded Isaac. "Look just change back into your regular outfits."

"Whatever you say, Isaac." said Lemon Magician Girl as the three of them all were back in their usual attire.

"So, what can we do for you, Isaac?" asked Chocolate Magician Girl as she batted her eyelashes as her young master.

"Well first, mind telling me what time it is?"

"It's a quarter past 8." answered Apple Magician Girl.

"Huh. Alright then, you guys mind telling me where the bathroom is?" asked Isaac.

"Over there." pointed Lemon Magician Girl as a door magically appeared to where she was pointed as the boy got out of bed and began to make his way to the door to take freshen up when his hand stopped at the handle as he turned to look at the three teen girls.

"So... do I have to... with you three girls..." asked Isaac cautiously.

"Just because we're in a Egyptian palace doesn't mean we're not that uncivilized, Isaac." said Chocolate Magician Girl. "We've adopted things from your time, like a proper bathroom and privacy." With that all three magician girls left their master's room.

"Good to know." said Isaac as he was relieved to hear.

Isaac now spent the next ten minutes or so inside of the bathroom as he took his time to freshen up. Once he was done, he then realized something as it caused him to be embarrassed. He then rang the bell as he only opened the door a little bit so that his head could stick out sideways.

"Yes, Isaac?" said the three magician girls as they zoomed in front of the door.

"Uhm, girls. Where are my clothes?" asked the boy.

"We took them." said Apple.

"Why?"

"Cause they were a bit dirty." stated Lemon. "So we put them in the washer for you."

"That's nice, but now I have nothing to wear. What am I going to do?" asked the boy.

"We thought of that, here." said Chocolate as she gave a stack of clothing to her master. "These might not be your traditional garments, but they'll do the job."

Isaac just looked at them as he pulled his head back in and locked the door as he put on the new set of Egyptian attire given to him by his servants. Once he looked at himself in the mirror, he then opened the door as his magician girls took in their master's new look. The boy was now dressed in an Egyptian Kaftan or robe as normally it would cover up his entire arms, but the girls adjusted it to their master's liking as they had the entire arm sleeves cut so that when Isaac wore it, his entire arms were exposed. For his footwear, he replaced his running shoes with white flat shoes. Around his waist he wore a gold metal belt as well as he had other gold pieces along his body. A small piece of gold wrapped around his neck as he still had his necklace dangling, armbands in both of his arms that wrapped around his biceps, leg pieces that covered the area in between his kneecaps and ankles. A gold wristband on his right wrist as he still had his watch on his left, and lastly he wore a blue cape over his shoulders as it fluttered in the wind.

For Isaac's magician girls they saw their young master's look and vibe they were getting from the teen boy was that of a king or some might say pharaoh. Isaac looked over his new outfit as he wasn't too sold on the idea.

"You sure this is all you have? I mean, I can wait for my clothes to finish washing." said the boy.

"Don't be ridiculous, Isaac. You look great and handsome." said Chocolate Magician Girl as she leaned against her master's chest.

"Don't forget about us." said Apple and Lemon as they leaned on the boy's arms as they felt his muscles.

"Somethings never change." said Isaac as he rolled his eyes as his magician's fascination with him. He then started to exit the room as the trio of girls followed their master.

Mahad was already in the main room as he was going over some of the preparations for tonight's celebration. He then heard the door open as in walked Isaac as he was being dragged and pushed by the magician girls. For Mahad seeing Isaac in his temporary new outfit reminded him of a certain someone from long ago.

"Master, I hope everything is to your liking. Thank you girls, you're dismissed, I'll take it from here." stated the magician.

"Bye, Isaac!" said the girls as they let out a giggle and gave a goodbye kiss to their master's cheek.

"Yup, somethings stay the same no matter what world you're in." said Isaac as he rubbed his cheek.

"I hope you won't find your new garments too bothersome." asked Mahad.

"Well, not really my style, but if I was like a Egyptian king maybe. Anyways moving on, got anything to eat?"

"Of course," said Mahad as he snapped his fingers and made a table appeared as it was full of delicious breakfast foods and fruits.

Isaac's mouth watered at the sight of the delectable meal as a chair was magically pulled up for him as he sat down.

"Whatever you desire, master." said Mahad as he bowed his head.

"Well, I'm not going to finish all of this. Dig in." said Isaac.

"I beg your pardon, master."

"Come on, Mahad. Have some, share a meal with friends is one the best feelings in the world." said Isaac. "Sit down."

"As you command." said Mahad as he pulled up a chair and sat across from the boy.

"Hey, don't tell me you were going to eat without me!" shouted Mana as she arrived and sat next down to Isaac as she hugged and nuzzled him as she showed her usual affection for her young master as the three of them began to eat.

After breakfast, Mahad then had to go on patrol in the village. He was about to leave when Isaac wanted to tag along as he wanted to see the plaza. Based on Isaac's eyes were filled with excitement, Mahad knew it was pointless to say no, so he ordered that Breaker come with them in case they ran into trouble he would protect the boy. So they exited the palace as they made it to the village square. The monsters in the center plaza saw Mahad and his master as they all did a respectful bow for the boy as they made sure to not do anything less they risk suffering the boy's wrath. Eventually, each of the venders got the chance to get to know Isaac as he was the type of person who didn't see them as servants but rather friends and so they enjoyed the boy's visit. After patrol was done and Isaac had fun in the square market, they were now back at the palace as Mahad had to continue to plan the rest of the party while Isaac went to explore the castle.

Isaac now entered the part of the palace where all his monsters in his deck lived as each of them had a door with a name on it as he could assume it was their room. He approached one of the doors, as he opened it and immediately fell into a sea of water as he was now drifting against the waves. Soon he was picked up out of the water as he look to see who saved him.

"Ohh, it's the captain." said Isaac's Sorcerer Swordsman as he was surprised to see the young boy.

"Well, don't just stand there." said Mirage Magician as she used her magic to dry Isaac and his clothes. She then changed his attire to match that of a pirate's clothes.

"Thanks." said Isaac to his pendulum monsters.

"So, what brings you here on fine sea?" asked Sorcerer Swordsman as he sat down on one of the barrels and polished his sword.

"Well, besides the party happening tonight, I went to do a bit of exploring." said Isaac.

"Well, at least I have some decent company. Other than your skeleton crew who just stares at me." said Mirage Magician.

"Pretty lady." pointed all the undead crewman.

"Like I said, it's your fault for wearing clothes like that." chuckled the pirate.

"I'd stick with our master, he doesn't stare at a women even if she wears skimpy clothing." said Mirage Magician as she stayed behind the boy.

Soon they heard some noise as it got the crew to rush from side to side as they prepared themselves.

"What's going on?" asked Isaac.

"Trouble." smiled Sorcerer Swordsman as he knew what was happening.

Some fog rolled in as it started to appear in front of them. Soon another ship was seen coming from the fog as had a black flag with a skull on it as they had some weapons. Sorcerer Swordsman order his men to prep the cannons as Mirage Magician was given the task of protecting their master. She tried to get him to stay in the quarters, but Isaac refused and said he wasn't going to leave his friends behind. Plus, when was he going to get another chance to engage in some pirate action. The ship was then brought side to side with theirs as they looked at the one in charge of the ship as they showed their face to be the Duel Monster, Piwraithe the Ghost Pirate.

"Parley!" shouted the ghost pirate.

"Parley?" said Isaac.

"It's a bit of a pirates code. Anyone who invokes 'Parley' must not be harmed 'til negotiations are complete." said Sorcerer Swordsman.

"This is no time for rules." said Mirage Magician as she knew it was her duty to keep Isaac safe.

"True, but remember Mirage, we're honorable pirates and we should stick to the Code." replied the male sorcerer. "Mustn't strike a pirate abroad ship... when said pirate offers to confabulate."

"You mean, you follow the Code. I just tag along on you and your crazy sea adventures. And anyways, isn't the Code more guidelines than rules." said the female magician as her friend was walking towards the center of the ship as he looked at the ghost pirate and began to talk.

"All right, you. Out with it!" said Isaac's sorcerer.

The crew, along with Isaac and Mirage all watched the interaction as they couldn't hear what was be discussed. Soon he smiled as they shook hands as the ghost pirate was back on his ship as he started to turn it around.

"Make way, drop canvas!" shouted Sorcerer Swordsman as the crew got to work as they knew what it meant. "Set to sail!"

"So, what'd he say?" asked Isaac.

"Seems there's buried treasure over yonder on that island. So he challenged us to a game of sorts. The first to get there not only gets the chest, but anything they desire from the other."

"So what did you wager this time?" asked Mirage.

"The captain. He seemed to dead set on it."

"And you agreed!" said Mirage Magician as she did an animated slap to her friend. "This is our master, he commands us, he's not a bargaining chip."

"It's what he wanted, and the honorable pirate that I am, agreed to it."

"It's alright, Mirage. Let them have their wager, cause there's no way we're going to lose." said Isaac as he was for the idea of a pirate ship race as he raced over to the wheel.

"Majority rules, Mirage. Now then, everyone make haste. Captain Isaac will be the one steer us on the right course." instructed Sorcerer Swordsman as the crew nodded and put their faith in the captain.

"Be careful Isaac." said Mirage Magician as she gave a kiss to her master as she prepared to fight the ghost pirate should the worst happen.

"Now then, full speed ahead!" shouted Sorcerer Swordsman as he pointed with his silver sword as the race was on.

Isaac's crew was way in the lead as he managed to use some strategies he learned from a video game as he hoped it would give them the edge to which it actually worked. They were about to reach the island when the enemy decided to forsake the contest and started to blast their ship in hopes of sinking them. Isaac managed to dodge the shots as the boat was rocking back and forth trying to avoid getting hit.

"Stop bowling holes in my ship!" shouted Isaac.

"Well, they seem to have forgotten the contest." said Mirage Magician.

"Then you know what that means, Mirage." smiled Sorcerer Swordsman. "They're closing in! Come about! Make ready to return fire!"

"Aye, aye!" said Isaac as he nodded his head as the undead crew prep the cannons as Isaac did a hard spin of the wheel to the starboard side as the ship turned right as their cannons were now directly aimed at the enemy ship. "BOOM." was all Isaac said as the cannons were fired.

Isaac now exited out of the door as he was back in his Egyptian outfit as he had a good time with his Mirage Magician and Sorcerer Swordsman on the seven seas. He then passed another room as it belonged to his Black Art Trickster as he now found himself in a Las Pegasus show theater as he was sitting front row as he was the only person. On stage was a huge box as it had a question mark on it. Soon smoke came off as it opened and there was the female performer as a spotlight was shined on her as she gave a wink to her cute master.

"I was wondering when you gonna visit me." said Black Art's Trickster as she sat on the stage swinging her legs while looking at the boy.

"Well, I'm just seeing what you guys are like other than when I summon you." said Isaac.

"Oh my, I love having you as my master. So young, so cute, and yet so determined. So, care to have fun with me, cutie?" asked Black Art's Trickster as she offered her hand to which Isaac shrugged his shoulder as she pulled him up on stage.

"Now then, it's showtime!" shouted the female magician as she transformed the room to have actually people in as she transform Isaac's clothes to match that of a magician tux and cape as well as a top hat.

"Ladies and gentleman, we want to welcome you all to our show tonight." said Isaac as he was getting into the role as he had fun. So for the rest of the time, Isaac began to have his fun with his Black Arts Trickster as she enjoyed spending time with the boy as she couldn't stop smiling. Soon it was time he left as she gave a parting farewell kiss as he closed the door to her room.

Isaac then made his way to the next room as it belonged to Rune-Eyes Illusionist as he found him going over the middle of an act.

"Fancy seeing you here, Isaac." said the ring master magician as he was directing some of the animals for the trick as the relic in his left eye powered up to help finish the act.

"Passing by." said the boy as he watched his monster at work.

"Care to join in on the fun." said Rune-Eyes as he made a ringmaster outfit appear on the boy and gave him one of his powerful relics.

Isaac smiled as he began to help his magician put on the best show he had to date as the young man got to see just how excited and involved his master was as he too smiled. From one entertainment to another, Isaac then visited the room of his Sleight of Hand Magician as it looked like to be a poker room as he was doing some card tricks. His outfit was changed to a casino dealer. Isaac sat on one of the stools and played a couple of Blackjack games with his magician and other card games. Safe to say Isaac's magician taught him some useful tips when playing other card game that would always assure that he would win. Isaac made a mental note of that so that the next time he went to a casino he had a winning strategy. After that, he then exited the room and moved on to the next one as he read the name on the door and was hesitant about entering. He then took a deep breath as he opened the door.

Isaac now found himself in a dark room as it was lit by candlelight. He then saw some demons peaking their heads from the shadows based on their yellow eyes. Isaac was cautious about where he walked as he didn't want to end up being lunch for any of these demons. Soon he felt something against his back as he put his hand to feel the thing as he felt some cloak-like material as he slowly move his hands up.

"Move your hands any further up and not only are you going to feel something soft, but it will be the last thing you ever feel and touch." said a goth voice.

"Noted." said Isaac as he turned around and saw his Black Robe Mentalist as she was hovered in the air as she looked at her master in her room. She took the hood of her cloak off so that she could see the boy with her own face.

"What are you doing in my room?" asked the girl as she didn't like anybody being in here, not even her master.

"Well, I wanted to explore the palace." said the boy as he hoped his goth magician wouldn't do anything to him.

"Fine, you're telling the truth." said the girl as she floated away towards her bed.

"Is your room always like this?"

"It's my room. I do whatever I want to it, now if you're gonna complain, leave or I'll send a demon after you." said the goth girl.

"Alright, calm down. Whatever happened to the positivity I tried to get you to have." asked Isaac.

"I ate it, remember I told you, I'm half human, half demon." said the goth girl.

"Actually, you never told me you had a demon side." said the boy as he was now a bit scared to think that the girl in front of him could very eat his soul should she choose so.

"Relax, I'm not gonna devour your soul. Honestly, that's not the proper way to take a human soul. Far too many calories, any other essence is fine, hell your sweat would be a much more tasty meal for me should I choose to tap into my demon side." said the goth girl. "But I prefer to live my human side, plus there's another reason."

"Is it because I'm your master?"

"Hell no." replied the girl. "You're cute. And if I took you away from the other girls, then I'd be painted as the bad guy."

"Great, so that's the only reason stopping you from potentially taking me out permantly." said Isaac with a sarcastic tone.

"Sit down." gestured Black Robe Mentalist as she patted the spot next to her as she sat on the edge of her bed.

Isaac then did what the teen girl asked him as he sat next to her as she was chanting some ancient Latin as she formed a protective seal around her master to avoid any of the demons she let roam freely in her room in the case they were tempted in going after the boy. She then began to do her ritual as she put her left hand on top of her master's as she put her right hand on his right cheek and touched her forehead with his as she closed her eye and still chanted as Isaac looked at her and then his eyes turned completely white.

Black Robe Mentalist was now inside of her master's mind as she was looking at the memories of the boy. She was seeing with her eyes what happened after she was defeated on the battlefield. She saw the image of Starlight and Isaac as they were looking at each other with angry looks as their fury was on full display as both wanted to tear each other apart. She then saw Isaac call what he thought was the final attack as Mahad and Mana fired their wands. The collision of the attack produced a huge smokescreen, soon it disbursed as there was Starlight as she emerged from the attack with some scuffs along her body as she played a spell and there emerged her new creature as it took out the trio as Starlight was declared the winner as her master fell over with tons of scuff marks of his own as his cards all scattered around him. She then removed her forehead and right hand from Isaac as she let out a sigh.

"It's just as I fear. The vision came true." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Yeah, I lost." said Isaac as he put his head down. "And now I'm here when my friends need me the most. And I fear that Starlight is causing trouble. I have to get back home, as much as I love being here with you all, I have people counting on me."

"I understand, Isaac. Still..." Black Robe Mentalist then hugged her master as she smiled. "I'm grateful you're here at least."

After a few moments, Isaac exited the room of his Black Robe Mentalist as he informed her of the celebration happening tonight as she let out a groan that she would have to interact with her comrades and friends. But seeing as how Isaac would be there, she reluctantly agreed. Isaac then proceeded to the next hall of the palace as it was the rooms of each of his Extra Deck magicians, his Ebon Illusion Magician, Ebon High Magician, and Chaos Mageía all shared a room as it was split into three sections with one being more 'girly' than the other two. He entered his synchro magician, Dark Sorcerer Magician as he gave the boy some fist bumps as they enjoyed themselves. He turned the corner to another room as he saw the door as this one had the initials, B.L.A.C.K. on it. He then opened it as he came into a room with four beds and a small cradle by the window.

"Master." said Berry Magician Girl as she sucked on her pacifier as she used her tiny wings to float over to the boy's face as she wrapped her tiny baby arms around his cheek as she nuzzled and then sat on his right shoulder.

"Hey, Berry." said Isaac as he tickled the small thing's tummy.

"Welcome, Isaac." said Kiwi Magician Girl as she was a bit taller than the boy as she bowed down. "To what brings you to our room?"

"Just looking around. The others?"

"Our sisters are out helping to get the celebration for tonight. Which I'm glad because it allows me to have some peace and quiet for once." said the oldest magician girl as she didn't have to listen to her younger sisters and their fascination for their master when he summoned one of them to battle.

"Isaac, can you read me a story?" asked the baby magician on his shoulder as she pulled out her book.

"Sure, Berry." said the boy as Kiwi Magician snapped her fingers to make two chairs appear as she too wanted to listen as their master opened the book and began to read to her baby sister.

"The end." said Isaac as he closed the book shut. "You like?"

"Yup." said the baby magician as she took the item from her master and then let out a small yawn.

"Looks like someone needs a nap before the party tonight." said Kiwi Magician as she used her magic to grab her baby sister from her master's shoulder and gently rocked her in he arms as she then walked over with Isaac to the baby cradle as she placed her inside.

"No! I don't wanna sleep... I wanna play... with... Isaac." said the baby as soon she pulled her baby blanket and sucked her pacifier as she was sleeping.

"You'll have time to play with Isaac tonight, little sis." said Kiwi Magician as she kissed her sister's cheek. The pair then watched the tiny thing as she was sleeping peacefully. "Thanks for having fun with my sister, being the oldest of the group can be a handful at times, especially with the other three."

"Happy to help, well better let her sleep. See you all tonight." said Isaac as he prepared to leave.

"See you tonight, Isaac." said Kiwi as she gave her own kiss on her master's cheek. "I'm not like my sisters constantly showing affection towards you, but I still love you the same. I'm lucky your my master." said the older woman as the boy left the room.

"Pardon me, Master Isaac. But the festivities are about to begin shortly." said Apprentice Illusion Magician as she had a book in her hand. She then led her master to the room as she wrapped her arm in between his and smiled.

It was now nighttime as the entire main room was decorated with tons of banners and tapestries. There were several tables all lined up filled with ton of food. The music being provided by Isaac's Enchantress of Melody as she played her lyra for the smooth, gentle music in the beginning, before using her magic to change her instrument into a drum set as she went full rockstar mode and used her magic to change her appearance as the others were stunned by what their comrade's hidden talent.

"Who knew Melody had a wild side to her." stated Sorcerer of Dark Magic as everybody was shocked as they heard the loud drums.

While all of Isaac's magicians talked with each other, his Magnet Warriors, Breaker the Magical Warrior, and Royal Knights all stood on guard as they knew their job was to protect from any trouble. Mahad was next to the throne chair as was Mana as they watched the others having fun. Soon the door opened as in walked in Isaac with his Egyptian gear with Apprentice Illusion Magician behind her young master. The moment Isaac was seen by every single one of his monsters, they all bowed down and didn't dare lift their heads up until he said so. The teen girl gestured Isaac to walk towards Mahad and Mana as he did so.

Isaac then approached the stairs as he saw the throne chair as Mahad nodded. The boy then climbed the stairs as he saw the chair in front of him, he then looked at his magicians as they both bowed down as Isaac then sat down on the throne. The moment Isaac did that, every single one of his monster all saw their young master for the ruler that he was. While Isaac wasn't for the idea of having his friends bow down to him like some kind of king, but it did feel right for a weird reason. So with the raise of his right hand all of Isaac's magicians all stood up as they showed their loyalty for the boy as they truly called him their master. With the signal given, the celebration was underway as Isaac sat on the throne watching his monsters with both of his magicians by his side.

The party saw all of Isaac's monsters smiling and having fun, even Black Robe Mentalist cracked a smile as she pulled down the hood of her cloak so that her comrades could see her true face. All of this, Isaac was seeing from his throne chair as he too had a smile.

Everybody's happy. But... still...

"Something troubling you, master?" asked Mahad as he was standing next to the boy's throne.

"Just... what's happening back home? Don't get me wrong, Mahad. I love this place, and I love being here. Hell, I would love to stay here with you guys, but I can't." said Isaac as he put his head down. "Cause even if there was no way for me to return home and I had to stay, you guys wouldn't be fully happy. You'd be miserable to see their master depressed. And I know how close we all are, but I miss... home. I miss everybody." Isaac felt some tears rolling down his face as he sniffled a bit.

"Master," said Mahad as he bent down on one knee to address Isaac, "You possess a great gift. One that's not only capable of saving your world but ours as well. Ever since you were young, my duty and responsibility blessed on me was to keep my new master safe. And fate brought the two of us together when you were very young, we may not have spoken, but I made a vow with Mana that we would protect and serve you, no matter what."

"You're the one who makes us feel like we're human again. That is the greatest gift I could ever ask for in this life." smiled Mana while hugging the boy's from the side.

"Thank you, sorry for bringing the mood down." said Isaac as he wiped the tears from his eyes.

"Come on, let's dance." said Mana as she grabbed the boy from his seat.

"Mana!! Tradition!!" shouted Mahad as she was breaking tradition by actually having Isaac take part in the festivities since he wasn't suppose to. He then began to chase after his own student to give her a lecture.

The moment, Mana brought Isaac to the middle of the room, all of his female magicians all began to fight over who should get to have their young master first. Isaac just stood there as all of his magicians were trying to convince the young teen to pick them; Isaac just simply raised his hand as it got all of them to be quiet as he began to speak. Isaac reminded them the idea of sharing so, they all took turns spending time and hugging their master. And so the next few hours passed with tons of entertainment and magic battles for show as all were smiling. That was until...

An explosion went off at the entrance of the palace as everybody all looked to see some smoke coming from the door. Soon it opened up as Isaac's Magnet Warriors, Breaker, and all five Royal Knights were fighting against some minions who were Crashbug X, Y, and Z. While they were disposing of the little things, in walked the monster that Isaac had met when he first arrived in the Spirit World.

"Where is the boy?" asked Baron of the Fiend Sword.

"What business do..." Mahad was then cut off.

"I'm right here!" shouted Isaac as he made himself known as Mana was behind him as she clutched his shoulders.

"Master, please. Let me handle this."

"Stand down, Mahad." ordered Isaac to which Mahad nodded as he let his master talk with the intruder.

"You and I have some unfinished business, boy. You cost me a fortune by letting those little fairies walk away. Now, I plan to collect an even bigger reward. I'm sure the cost of a mortal fetches a nice prize. But I'm a fair guy, so I'll give you a chance to defend yourself in your way." said the fiend as he had a device on his arm.

"If you're saying you want to challenge Isaac to a duel, you're on!"

"MANA!!!" shouted both Isaac and Mahad as their heads did an angry cartoon effect as they barked at their friend.

"What?"

"I would do that, but I don't have my deck with me!" said Isaac. "Besides, even if I did have my cards, I can't see 'em. So what's the point?"

Soon a bright light appeared in the room as it got everybody's attention. It then floated over to Isaac as it landed in his hand.

"No, way. Is this?" Isaac was now holding his very cards in his hand as it had been far too long since he last saw his deck.

"Remember, master. True strength isn't about winning. It's about getting back up when you fall down. You once loved dueling with all your heart. Tell us, what happened to you?"

"I... lost." said the boy as he looked at his deck.

"Then perhaps this is your chance to start over." suggested Mahad.

"I'll try." stated Isaac as soon he noticed some magic responded to him as it formed around his arm as he was now wearing his duel disk. "My duel disk, just like back home."

"Isaac!" shouted Apple, Lemon, and Chocolate Magician Girl. "You're gonna need these." The girls then tossed their master his regular clothes as in one quick transition, Isaac was now back to what he was wearing as his cap floated gently and landed on his head.

"That's more like it." said Isaac as he was back to his usual attire.

"Now then, let's begin." said the Baron.

"Alright, then everybody. I need your help." said Isaac as he held his deck up high as all of his magicians all transformed into lights as they were sucked into his deck as it shined with a rainbow coloring. Isaac then slotted in his deck as it projected a familiar gold card tray.

The Baron's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

Isaac then drew his opening hand as his cards were still blank white as he couldn't see them. He had an uneasy look on his face as he drew his card. Isaac looked at it as soon it responded with a rainbow light as the image of the card became clearer as did all the other cards he was holding in his hand.

"My cards! I can see them!" said Isaac as he had a tear roll down his eyes from the happiness he was experiencing. He was crying as his smile came back to his face. "I'm back and I'm kicking this duel off with my Magician Boy(1500/1200). And he doesn't go anywhere by himself, cause he always has his best friend by his side, come on out, Mage Annette(1300/1700)!" Isaac now had his two kids magicians appear on the field as they were shocked to see that their master could see his cards.

"Isaac, does that mean?" asked Annette.

"We're back."

"Aw yeah! Time to go super power!" said the boy as he started to do some cartoonish moves.

"That's not a real thing." groaned Annette as she looked at her best friend/crush. She then walked over to the boy and planted a small peck on his cheek. "Just promise you won't do anything reckless." said the small girl as she took her position.

"Now since I summoned, Mage Annette, I can draw a card from my deck. Next, I'll throwdown a facedown and call it a turn.

Turn 2: The Baron

"My turn, and I'll send two cards to the graveyard so that I can special summon Candelato, the Beast of Light(0/0)!" Out emerged a twin-headed monster as it had a hole in its body where some light came from and their eyes were lights as well. "Now my monster's effect activates, it gains 1000 attack and defense points for each card in my hand. So since I hold three, my monster has 3000 points!"

"Not good." said Magician Boy.

"Relax, he can't attack on the turn he's summoned." said Mage Annette. "Did you even read the book we had for class, it had a picture of him."

"Annette, I'm a slow reader." said the boy magician as he didn't like being scolded by his best friend.

"Your move, human."

Turn 3: Isaac

"It's about time," said Isaac as he drew his next card and like before he could see it as it brought him a smile. I've been so busy feeling sorry for myself, I forgot why I started dueling in the first place-- to have fun!

"I'll now discard a card so that I can special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician(2000/1700)! And by summoning her, I get to add 'Dark Magician' from my deck to my hand." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his card as he added it to his hand as on his field emerged another one of his spellcasters as she flashed a wink and a hug at Isaac.

"That's all?"

"Then what are you waiting for, take your turn." taunted Isaac. "Just remember, cause of your monster on the field, you skip your draw phase."

Turn 4: The Baron

"Now Candelato attack his Mage Annette! Prism Blast!" shouted the Baron as his monster then opened its mouth and fired the attack as it headed for the girl.

"I activate my facedown, Shift. So now your Candelato has to attack another one of my monsters, and I choose my Magician Boy!" said Isaac as his boy magician stepped in front of his best friend.

"I'll protect you, Annette." said the boy magician as picked up his tiny staff as struggled a bit before putting a barrier over him and his friend as Annette grabbed the back of her friend as she felt her face lighting up with red as she saw how her best friend was willing to protect her as it caused her heart to flutter a bit. She closed her eyes as she hugged and nuzzled against her friend's back.

"Now my Magician Boy's special ability activates, not only can't it be destroyed in battle, but any damage I would have taken, you take instead." said Isaac as his tiny male spellcaster was able to reflect right back at the Baron as he was knocked on his ass.
The Baron's Life Points: 6500-

"No one harms my friend." said the boy magician.

"You saved me." said Annette as she released her hug as her friend look at her with a smile on his face.

Annette then wrapped her arms around him one more as the boy magician was confused why she was doing it but soon placed his head on top of Annette's as he smiled and held his best friend. Annette felt safe being in the small boy's arms as it brought her the happiest smile in her life. She then did a small peck on her crush's cheek as she went back to hugging the small boy.

"I end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn and time to win." said Isaac, "You all ready?"

"Yes, Isaac." said all three of his magicians on the field.

"Alright then, I'll now sacrifice my Magician Boy and Mage Annette so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" Isaac's two kids magicians vanished as in their place a pillar of light was shown as out emerged his star monster. "Then I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now meet... Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he now had his two most loyal companions by his side where they all belonged on the dueling field. "Then the effect of my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst which I'll then use so that I can raise the attack points of my Dark Magician by the attack points of my Dark Magician Girl! Next, I'll play Thousand Knives so now I can destroy your only monster." said Isaac a magical daggers then appeared by Mahad's side as he pointed his staff out as they followed his command as they got rid of Candelato.

"This is what I've been missing. You both ready?"

"Yes, master."

"Now my magicians finish him! And I'll activate the effect of my Apprentice Illusion Magician so now I send her to the graveyard to boost my Dark Magician Girl's power. Finish him!" shouted Isaac as both Mahad and Mana put their staffs together as they produced a huge ball of energy as they smiled at seeing their master back to his usual self.

"Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted all three as the attack was shot forward as it pierced through Candelato and was heading to the Baron as he covered up as he let out a scream of defeat as the light engulfed him and when it died down, he was nowhere to be seen.

The duel was over, as all of Isaac's magicians were now back in the room. All the Crashbugs his Magnet Warriors, Breaker, and Royal Knights were fighting had been dealt with as they all looked at their master. Isaac stood in there with his deck in his hand as he looked at it. The magical colors that were coming off of it now circled around his body and entered him as he let out a sigh. He looked at all of his monsters as they all bowed down in respect of their master. Soon there was a portal that opened up as it showed the image of a familiar place. At that moment, both Mahad and Mana knew what it meant.

"Guess, I found what I lost." said Isaac as he approached the portal.

"Indeed." said Mahad as he and Mana were now standing behind the young boy as they prepared to say their final goodbyes.

"Everyone, I'm gonna miss you all. I had a wonderful time here in your world, but I need to leave and stop someone bad from destroying your home." said Isaac as he was addressing his subjects/servants as they too had sad expressions on their faces. They were sad to see their master have to leave since all of them enjoyed his presence here, but they knew the danger that was still present as he had to be able to stop it from hurting their home.

"We'll miss you, Isaac." said all of his female magicians as they all rushed over to hug their young master and each plant a kiss on his cheek as their final goodbyes.

"I'm gonna miss you. I was glad this time, I was able to show you my world." smiled Mana as she hugged the boy to which Isaac returned the embrace of his female magician. "Isaac... can I... please, just this once?"

"Alright." said Isaac as he knew what Mana meant as he smiled.

Mana then brought her lips to make contact with Isaac which he did enjoy. Mana brought her hands up to her master's cheek as she too was enjoying the contact. Soon they pulled apart after a few moments as Mana was smiling as the boy touched her cheek to which she closed her eyes and felt his touch as it was soothing. She then broke from his embrace as Mahad was now standing in front of Isaac.

"Thank you, Mahad. For keeping me safe, and always being there."

"It was my duty, Isaac." said the magician as he bent down and gave a meaningful hug to the boy as for the first time, Mahad was crying. "I'm gonna miss you."

"As will I." replied Isaac as he returned the hug from his magician as he too cried a bit.

The hug lasted for a few seconds but for the pair it might have been an eternity. Soon Mahad let go of his embrace as he stood back as Isaac was now facing the portal.

"I have a job to do. And I can't do it alone, but with you all, I know we'll be victorious." said Isaac giving one last look at his monsters as they nodded. Isaac then stepped forward through the portal as it then shined brightly as soon it closed behind him as he was gone. He was now traveling through the darkness like the first time.

Chapter 2: Surviving the Tempest

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 3: Welcome Home

Celestia and Luna were both full of enjoyment after watching 2 of their students duke it out in what was a duel that was both enjoyable and fun. On their way back to their respective offices, Luna decided to start a topic of conversation with her sister.

"So Celestia, did you get enjoyment out of watching our students partake in that duel" Luna said with a booming voice.

"If we're being honest with each other Lulu, I do recall that we were merely there to ensure that no rules were broken during the course of the duel" Celestia responded to her sister.

"Indeed, so the little bet we made beforehand about picking the winner has nothing to do with your pleasant mood. Am I right?"

"Don't sound so bitter Luna. Just because I won the bet by picking Isaac to win shouldn't mean you have to take your anger out on me. Maybe it you weren't such a sore loser then I wouldn't have to lecture you all the time about fair play."

Luna mumbled saying "I knew I should have picked the boy to win."

Celestia seemed to have caught wind of what her sister was saying, "What were you saying Lulu? I didn't quite hear you, could you say it a bit louder?" she said with a bit of smug in her voice.

"I said I'm glad you won, dear sister" Luna exclaimed trying to put on a straight face as she walked past Celestia.

Celestia only chuckled knowing full well how her sister acts whenever she lost to her. "Don't worry about it Luna. How about after work we go eat buy some cake to celebrate." The look on Celestia's face matched that of a toddler getting a brand new toy from their parents.

Luna was not at all amused. "Cake? Really Tia?"

"Oh come on, I'm buying" said Celestia with a pleading face.

"Alright, fine. But we really should discuss your habits on cake; at this rate your flank is getting bigger and bigger with each passing day." the last part Luna said with a snarky attitude.

Celestia was offended by what her own sister had just said on her physique. "I'll have you know Lulu that my flank is not getting bigger". Celestia then stormed off angry while Luna laughed at her from behind.

After the huge gathering for the duel between Isaac and Cinnamon, things had quieted down for the time being. The only aftermath was that for the rest of the day students were either talking about it amongst themselves or giving a praises as they passed Isaac in the hallway. Isaac didn't mind to be perfectly honest. You would think that someone who had 2 duels in a single day, was something that would create some chatter among the other duelists. Isaac didn't mind since he was the kind of guy who never backed down from a challenge; when it came to Duel Monsters, he always up to taking on anyone. However, he also the kind of person who knows when to call it quits. What he meant was that while he don't mind a couple of duels back to back, he also didn't want overexert himself. The worst thing that could happen to someone is if they suffer from some kind of burnout doing the thing they love the most. It's moments like these that remind Isaac to slow down every once in a while. The school bell rang which not only snapped him out of his thoughts, but also signaled the end of the school day. Isaac went to his locker and after gathered his stuff, Isaac then proceed to head home.

On the way home, Isaac had received a message from his parents saying that they would be arriving late due to work. Isaac didn't mind as he knew that the jobs his parents had tend to a bit taxing when it got busy. Isaac replied saying it was alright and that he could handle being by himself for a while. The only real issue was figuring out what he wanted to eat; Isaac could buy something from one of the places on the way home or he could see what we had and make myself something simple. After finishing his dinner, Isaac then began to work on assignments. It didn't take long for certain subjects, but for the ones that Isaac had trouble with it did take a while. By the time Isaac had finished all of his homework it was about 7:50 p.m.; Isaac decided to take a shower in order to get rid of the smell/sweat that he obtained from my duels. Once he had finished cleaning himself it was about 8:30 p.m., Isaac then spent the next hour looking over his planner checking his work and seeing what upcoming assignments he had due. By that point Isaac felt a yawn coming and it was the sign that he should turn in for the night. As he changed into my pajamas, Isaac noticed something fall out of the pockets of his pants. Isaac picked up the object and saw that it was the card he found on the floor prior to his duel with Cinnamon. "I completely forget to find the owner of this card. I hope that whoever this belongs to isn't too worried." With that Isaac put the card on his nightstand and got into bed to enjoy a peaceful sleep. "Hopefully, I can return this tomorrow to the person who lost it", Isaac said as he drifted off into a deep slumber.

Waking up to his alarm, Isaac prepared himself for another day of school. Isaac made sure to grab the card from last night and made a vow to find the owner. Once he gathered his stuff, Isaac then began to make his way to school. Upon arriving, he noticed a large group of people gathered around the front of the school stairs; from what he could hear it seemed like they were trying to figure out who among them was going to challenge him next. This wouldn't be a problem if Isaac didn't have a mission on his mind. He needed to return this card to the owner as soon as possible, so unfortunately this time he needed to slip by these students without being noticed. Thankfully he found a nearby window that he crawled through and began making his way to class. All day Isaac spent looking for the owner of the card, however every person he asked either had no clue or claimed they didn't know who it belonged to. It felt like he was hitting a dead end. The final bell rang and everyone prepared to head home. As Isaac was walking to his locker, he felt bad that he couldn't return the lost card.

"Well this is great, I spent all day trying to return this card and no progress" Isaac let out a sigh after saying that. Due to him being conflicted with his thoughts, he failed to notice someone bumping into him as he turned the corner. "Maybe I'll have better luck tom... Ohf".

"Ow... I'm sorry I wasn't looking where I was going" said the person who had landed on her bottom after crashing into him.

"No, it's my fault I shouldn't have been so caught with my thoughts." Isaac collected himself as he went to help the girl up. "Here, let me help you" said Isaac as he extended his hand as a way to support her.

Once she grabbed his hand and helped her up, Isaac was able to see the girl's features. She seemed to be around his age, possibly slightly a few months younger than him. She had pale light grayish olive as her skin color and had a pale light grayish rose color in her hair. Her attire consisted of a skirt that had a picture of a butterfly on it. One thing Isaac could definitely tell about this girl was that she was shy based on how she hid part of her face behind her hair. Not wanting to make this anymore awkward that it was he decided to introduce himself. "Hi my name is Isaac, what's your name?"

"Oh... my name is Fluttershy" the girl said in a soft, low voice that Isaac could barely hear her.

"I'm sorry I didn't hear what you said, could you say it again?" asked Isaac.

"It's Fluttershy" she said with a bit more volume in her voice that Isaac registered what she said.

Seems I was right about her, she really is shy. I'll admit she's cute, heck if any guy meets a girl like this I'm sure they would fall in love with her in a heartbeat. said Isaac in his mind.

"Well I better get going, don't want to be anymore of a burden to you than I already have" she said as she tried to rush past me.

"Wait, maybe you can help" Isaac called out. "I'm looking for the owner of this card they seem to have dropped it the other day, know anybody who might have recently lost a card?" asked Isaac hoping for an answer.

"What does the card look like exactly?"

"It looks like this." Isaac pulled the card out of his pocket and showed it to her. What happened next was something he didn't expect. The look on this girl's face changed in a heartbeat. What once was a shy, timid girl morphed into her yelling at the top of her lungs.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it. Where did you find this? I thought I lost this forever. Thank you!" she then lunged at him with open arms and embraced him.

This was quite a shock even for Isaac. One minute she had been nervous about everything and when he show her the card she suddenly had a mood change. What surprised him even more was the fact that she was hugging him, it wouldn't be a problem if she wasn't trying to crush his lungs that he could barely breathe. Also the fact that she was hugging him, him of all people, a stranger at most.

I know that I said she was cute. Most people wouldn't mind being in my position, but this was out of nowhere said Isaac's thoughts. I mean who hugs someone after they only just met a few moments ago, even if I did return something to her that she valued dearly. Eventually, Isaac was able to muster up the strength to say, "Alright that's enough, could you let go I'm having trouble breathing." Thankfully she let go before he had run out of air.

"Oh sorry, I didn't mean to hurt. Are you ok?" she said with concern in her voice.

After taking a moment to inhale Isaac replied, "Yeah, I'm ok. So you're the owner of that card I presume?"

"Yeah I dropped it and didn't notice it was missing till I got home."

"I see, so since that card belongs to you I assume you've got a deck and if you've got a deck then that makes you a duelist, am I right?"

"Well yes I do have a deck, but to be honest I'm not really a good duelist" she said as she let her hair fall to cover her face.

When she said that Isaac didn't fully believe her. He had a feeling she wasn't telling the whole truth, but he decided not to press the issue even if she didn't want to talk about it. Just then he felt something rub against his leg; Isaac looked down to see a white fluffy bunny and when he bent down to get a better look it ran over to Fluttershy's side.

"Oh Angel, what are you doing, you know you can't be seen on school property. So sorry about that, please don't tell Principal Celestia. My parents would be really angry if they found out I was breaking school rules by bringing a pet."

"Don't worry your secret's safe with me. I won't tell anyone."

"Thanks."

"So I take it your a big fan of animals."

Fluttershy's face light up, "Oh yes my dream one day is to have an animal sanctuary where both predator and prey can live in harmony without having to worry about any dangers."

"Well that really is a big dream. Well then it seems you have everything so I'll just be on my way then. See you around Fluttershy." Isaac then started to walk a few steps forward when he felt a tug on his sleeve.

"Wait, I was hoping that you could assist me with something? If you want to that is."

"Depends on what it is. What do you need help with?"

"I was on my way to the local animal shelter when I bumped into you. So maybe you could help as a way for me to repay you for finding my card?"

This girl continued to amazed him. From her shy nature to her sudden mood change to even hugging a complete stranger. Now she was asking him for some help in taking care of animals. Isaac didn't have a problem with animals, but it all came back the fact that he had just met this girl and now she was asking for help like they were already friends. Isaac looked at her and saw her giving him the pleading eyes. The sight alone was enough to make him feel bad if he declined. So he asked, "Don't you have other friends who could help you with this task?"

"Sadly, no. All my other friends are busy today. So I have no one to turn to. If it's too much trouble I completely understand?"

Isaac looked at her one final time. Eventually, he came to a decision, "Alright I'll help you."

"You will? Oh thank you, you don't know how much this means to me."

"Don't sweat it. Let me just grab my stuff from my locker and I'll meet you outside."

"Alright then." she said.

Once Fluttershy had left, Isaac then went to his locker to get his stuff needed for homework. Isaac then made his to the front of the school where he saw Fluttershy waiting for him. Isaac informed that he was ready and they then proceed to walk in the direction of the animal shelter.

Once they arrived at the place Fluttershy pulled out a set of keys and opened the doors. Once they stepped inside, she went to the front desk where she wrote her name down.

"Everyone who's a volunteer has to sign in just in case there's an emergency for the following person."

"Makes sense. Don't want to run into any problems. So what exactly do you do here?"

"Well lots of things. I mostly have to make sure the animals are fed and that they get their daily dose of fun/exercise. Today I happen to be selected to clean the hamster's playground. That's why I needed your help; I was hoping that while I clean their place you could perhaps watch them along with the other pets. All you would need to do is make sure their fed and play with the dogs."

No wonder she asked for his help. There was no way she could get all this done by herself. Now Isaac understood why she was so desperate for assistance. Though he doubt that was enough for her to ask a random person; there had to be another reason. Isaac told Fluttershy to not worry and that he would do his best to look after the animals for her. With that he started walking to the cages to let the animals out.

Before Fluttershy left to clean the hamster exhibit she looked at Isaac while he was heading towards the back of the building. "I'm really grateful that Isaac was able to help me. Due to the girls having their own commitments, I was worried I would have to do this all by myself. Not to mention that he returned my card there's not many people who have a big heart as Isaac. It's kinda makes him look handsome in a way." Fluttershy was lost in her thoughts that she started to blush and she didn't know it until she put her hands to her face and realized how warm it had got. "Oh my goodness, well time to get started."

Isaac made his way to the back where he saw a couple of dogs and cats lying in their cages. "Alright, settle down everyone. Fluttershy is busy cleaning the hamster's home so I'll be taking care of you guys for a while." The only response he got was a few meows and a couple of barks. "Ok, not the response I was looking for, but better than nothing." Isaac then unhooked the locks on the cages and set the animals free. At first the animals were a bit hesitant about meeting someone other than Fluttershy, but after he showed them some food they started to sniff and saw that he posed no threat. Soon thereafter Isaac began to play with the animals. While the cats didn't do much but eat and lay about; the dogs required a bit more energy so he found a couple of toys and balls for them to play with. Isaac did admit that this wasn't how he saw his day happening, but man was he glad he came to the shelter. After about an hour or so, Isaac was worn out by playing with the dogs that he had decided to take a little break by sitting down against a wall and just toss the ball for them to fetch. Even some of the cats decided to relax by laying in his lap. Isaac was so distracted that he failed to notice Fluttershy had entered the room until she said something.

"Boy, you guys really know how to keep me on my toes don't cha?" said Isaac with a tired voice.

"They sure do, looks like they did fine with you being around."

"Oh hey Fluttershy didn't see you there, how cleaning the hamster's home go?"'

"I just finished when I came in to check on how you were doing. I say everything turned out alright wouldn't you agree?" Fluttershy said as she took a seat next to Isaac. "Listen I really appreciate you helping me in my hour of need, you don't know how much it meant to me."

"Don't sweat it Fluttershy. It was the least I could. I'll admit it felt strange that you asked me of all people to help you considering we never met before until today, but I can honestly say I'm glad I decided to come with you to this place. Thanks to you I got play with some animals and make new friends."

"Well that's good. Anyways it's time we put them back into their cages and get ready to leave. Mind giving me a hand with putting them back?"

"Sure."

After they rounded up all the animals, they made sure to give them their dinner and then put them back into their cages for the rest of the night. After all that both Isaac and Fluttershy were exhausted from all the work they accomplished.

"Well, that's the last of them."

"Alright Fluttershy then lets..." before Isaac could finish his sentence he heard a sound. Isaac followed the source and found a cat that was by his feet brushing its fur against his leg as he heard its purring. "Come on girl, time to get back into your cage." Isaac called out to the cat, but it didn't move. He tried again but yet it still refused to leave his side.

"I think this cat likes you Isaac. It's got a deep attachment to you." Fluttershy said as she bent down to pet the cat.

Isaac smiled responding "Is that right? Well how would you like to come home with me girl? I'll give you a loving home and be filled with people who love just as much as I do. What do you say?" His only response was meow. "I'll take that as a yes." Isaac turned to Fluttershy to inform her of his decision in which he saw her face full of tears not of sadness but of joy.

"Isaac you have no idea how happy I am for the both of you. What are you going to call her?"

It took him a while but eventually Isaac settled on a name for the cat that not only described her attitude but also the pattern of her coat. "I'll call you Tigre. Like the sound of that name, huh."

"Tigre that's a perfect name. Uhh... what does it mean exactly?" Fluttershy sounded a bit baffled by the name you suggested.

"Sorry, it means tiger in Spanish. Plus she's got that demeanor that screams natural predator and let others know not to mess with her. Anyway, mind helping fill out the paperwork Fluttershy."

"I'd be happy too."

After Isaac completed the necessary paperwork to adopted Tigre, Fluttershy and him finish cleaning up and locked the doors for the night. When they got out, the sun was barely disappearing behind the horizon. Seeing how late it was getting, they decided to part ways.

"Well, thanks again Isaac for helping, I hope we can still hang around school and do other stuff if you don't mind?"

Isaac chuckled "Not at all Fluttershy I'd be happy to hang out with you, plus I could have a look at your deck and help you to modify it if you want to get better that is?"

"I'd appreciate that. Well I'd best be on my way. Take good care of her and once again thanks for everything." With that Fluttershy began running in the direction of her house until Isaac could barely see her.

"Well girl, time for us to get home too. Come on."

"Meow"

By the time Isaac had arrived home the sun had completely left the sky was was replaced by the rising moon and he could see a couple of stars despite their being a couple of street lights on. As Isaac entered his house, he let a shout to see if his parents were home. "Mami, papi are you guys home?"

"We're in the kitchen, mijo" his mom shouted.

"Hey mijo, how was your day at school told?" his father asked.

"It was ok. I did well in school and I made a new friend today."

"See I told you that you would be making friends in no time. Now wash up dinner is about to be ready, we're having tacos tonight."

"So son, tell me a bit about this friend of yours. What are his interests, what does he like? Furthermore, is he someone who can give you a challenge in a duel?"

Isaac was hesitant to answer his father, but eventually he told him. "Actually papi, it wasn't a guy but rather a girl. She helped to adopt a pet today. Come here girl. Mami and papi say hello to Tigre."

His mother had overheard the conversation between her son and her husband. She was shocked to say the least that he feared she would give him a talk in Spanish. Instead she seemed happy in a way. "A cat? A girl? Seems you did have a good day, my boy."

Isaac's dad was grinning with a smile on his face. "A girl, mijo. Well no wondered your happy. You really are growing up if you just started school and not only getting good grades but also finding yourself a girlfriend. Must be that Latino heat of our family, sooner or later I'd expect more girls to be chasing you around. Not to mention your superb dueling skills. Well done, son."

Isaac merely rolled his eyes at his dad's comment and decided to clear the air to avoid any miscommunication. "Dad, she's not my girlfriend. She's a friend who just happens to be a girl. Nothing more, nothing less. Besides I was trying to return a lost card I found and she just happen to be the owner of it. After that she asked for my help down at the animal shelter so I said yes. When we getting ready to leave I made a friend in Tigre and she helped me to adopt her. I'll be honest this whole situation is strange in a way."

Isaac's mom seemed concerned, "Oh, why is that Isaac?"

"Well before today I'd never met Fluttershy. I know that we've only been here for a couple of weeks but I'd think she would have heard of new student and at least be interested in seeing what they look like. To think that I would meet her by bumping into her after trying to return a card. Then suddenly after that we got to know each and became fast friends. It's all just weird, I mean stuff like this only happens in TV/movies. It doesn't happen in real life, it can't be. Can it?"

His parents understood what he was trying to convey, but they were mostly happy that their son's new life here was off to a great start. Eventually his mother spoke saying, "Alright that's enough of that now why don't you wash up, the food is almost ready. And Isaac that cat is your responsibility so I don't want to see any poop/pee on my sofa or else you'll be scrubbing them out. Don't forget about the chancletas. You're never too old enough to get disciplined by your own Momma. Am I understood?"

"I understand mami. Trust me the last thing I want to suffer is having a print on my back, that will hurt for a week. Come on Tigre, you'll be sleeping in my room tonight." With that Isaac made his way upstairs to his bedroom with the cat slowly following behind me. Once he got to his room, she immediately jumped on my bed and began lay down on it to signify her territory. "Already taking my spot? You rascally girl. You know I'm glad I got to meet you, I think this is start of an amazing friendship between the two of us. Don't you agree." She got up and licked Isaac's nose while putting her paws on his face and gave out a meow. Isaac smiled back at her, "Welcome home, Tigre. I promise to take good care of you."

Author's Note

Looks like our main character has already met and befriended of one of the girls. I decided to take a bit more relaxing route this chapter. It's like Isaac said sometimes you just need to slow down in life and appreciate the people/things around you. The worst thing that anybody can experience in their life is burnout whether that be professionally or personally. It's important to take things in moderation to help you ease the pain off of other commitments. Anyway hope you enjoyed this chapter, especially you Fluttershy fans.

Chapter 4: This is me

After Fluttershy had departed from Isaac, she immediately rushed home to avoid having her parents worry about her. Once she got to the steps of her home she then searched for her keys and unlocked the door. Once she had stepped inside and taken off her shoes, she let out a shout. "Mom, Dad, I'm home. Are you guys here?"

"We're in the living room sweatie. Glad to see your safe, your father and I were worried that something bad happened too."

Fluttershy felt a bit guilty making her parents worry about her even if it was for a little bit. "I'm sorry. It's just that I had to take care of the animals down at the shelter and all my other friends were busy so I had no one to turn to. Thankfully I met a nice boy who offered to help me." Once Fluttershy had finished explain the situation to her parents, she noticed the look on his face.

"A boy? He didn't hurt you or take advantage of you di he dear?"

"No mom, he didn't hurt. He's very friendly that he was willing to help despite us just meeting. If anything he was kinda cute." Fluttershy had a bit of blush when she said that even though part of her face was covered by her hair.

Unfortunately, her parents noticed their daughter blushing when she mentioned about how willing the boy was in helping their daughter.

"What's his name, dear?"

"His name is Isaac. He's a new student who recently transferred to CHS."

"Well at long as he doesn't hurt you my little princess that's all that matters to me. To think why own daughter was able to snag herself a man. Kids really grow up fast these days don't they" Fluttershy's father chuckled.

Fluttershy was embarrassed even more with what her father had just said that she blushed even more. "No dad it's nothing like that he's just a friend. I doubt he even be interested in someone like me. He did offer to help me with my deck based on his attitude I could tell that he's a pretty good duelist."

"Alright princess, but if that boy does anything to either upset or even hurt you don't hesitant to tell either me or your mother is that understood?"

"I understand, dad."

"Good now go on, your mother and I are going to watch a movie. If you need anything we'll be down here."

"Alright dad, thanks for understanding." With that Fluttershy left her parents to do their own thing and proceed to head to her room where she began to do her school work.

The day that followed arrived sooner than expected as Isaac was busy making sure that he looked good before heading out. Isaac made sure to feed Tigre before he left and told her not to cause trouble while he was gone. With that he left through the front door and locked it before beginning his trek to school. Along the way Isaac kept recalling the events of yesterday and how he met Fluttershy. To think that just one meeting could cause him to not only meet someone, but also make a new friend. Isaac kept telling himself that he hoped he would run into Fluttershy, so that they could hang out some more but also to give her some advice on how to improve her deck. The morning went off like any other day; Isaac attended his class without being late and answered any questions that his teacher had when he was called on. Isaac almost lost track of time that he didn't notice it was lunchtime until the bell rang to notify every student. Isaac then made his way to the café and got his lunch.

Once Isaac obtained his lunch, he then set off to find a place to seat. Isaac eventually found a table with no one else at it and decided that he would sit here for today. It wasn't long until someone came near me and asked if they could seat next to me.

"Excuse Isaac, do you mind if I seat here with you?"

Isaac immediately recognized the voice and saw that it was none other than Fluttershy. "Oh hey, Fluttershy. I don't mind if you seat here in fact I'm kind of glad you did. I was hoping I bump into you, I wanted to talk to you some more."

Fluttershy then took a seat next to Isaac and they began to eat their lunches together. They talked a bit about each other and found out that when it came to animals they both expressed a certain love towards them. Once they had finished their lunch, Isaac then proceeded to pull out his deck from his deck holder that was strapped to his belt. Isaac put his deck on the table and Fluttershy soon figured out what that meant as she pulled her own deck from her pockets and laid it out on the table for them to see.

At first glance Isaac could see that most of her cards resembled woodland creatures. Given what happened yesterday and how much she loved animals it made sense to have a deck full of creatures. After taking a look at her cards, Isaac saw that she several lacked firepower in her deck. Most of her creatures that she had either had abilities that allowed them to call for help by bringing out another creature with them or allowed them to be brought back from the grave. Once Isaac went through her entire deck he finally offered her his thoughts.

"Given what I see your deck drastically needs a complete rework. It's no wonder you said you weren't a good duelist based on the cards you have it's almost impossible to win against your opponent let alone deal any damage to their life points. Don't worry, I was able to bring a couple of cards from my house that we can use." Isaac pulled out a couple of packages containing duel cards and put them on the table for Fluttershy to see.

Fluttershy was hesitant due to the fact that someone was offering to give her some cards that they owned in order to improve her. "I don't want to take these cards if they belong to you. It just doesn't feel right."

Isaac understood where she was coming from. He too would question taking cards from someone else who had them for their whole life. "It's alright, sure these cards belong to me but at the moment I'm not using them. That's not to say that I'm throwing these away because their worthless. It's the opposite actually. I know that every card has a purpose and the fun of dueling is figuring out that purpose. So it would make me happy if you took these cards because I have faith that maybe you can find their purpose." Isaac reassured Fluttershy with a smile on his face.

Fluttershy saw the smile that Isaac was giving her and it made her feel a bit warm and fuzzy inside. Not to mention that she felt her face start to blush a bit but tried to get rid of it to avoid Isaac seeing. "Alright then Isaac. I promise to take good care of these cards and treat them with the utmost respect."

"I know you will Fluttershy. Now in terms of what deck we should create for you there's tons of options that we could come up with. However a deck doesn't just rely on the monsters in the deck but also on the creatures in the extra deck. So I think it's best we create a Fusion deck for you to use; that way not only does it cover all the basics of dueling but so that you can stand a chance against some more formidable opponents. What do you think Fluttershy?"

"I think that's fine, as long as you help me with constructing it."

"Don't worry, I will. Now lets get started."

It took sometime but eventually both Isaac and Fluttershy had created a deck that they felt both felt comfortable with. Isaac mostly allowed Fluttershy to pick the monsters she wanted to incorporate in her deck. Fluttershy really took the time and effort to read each card and their ability that it made me proud. Once they picked the monster cards, they then moved on to spell/trap cards which Isaac provided for her. At long last, in front of us was a deck that made up of both him and Fluttershy's blood, sweat, and tears. Fluttershy then picked up her deck and looked at it in the palm of her hands.

"Thank you Isaac. I don't know what to see. First you help me yesterday with taking care of the animals and now you helped me to build deck. I'm extremely grateful for all you have done for me." Fluttershy then gave Isaac another hug but this time making sure she didn't hurt him.

Fluttershy hugging Isaac really took him by surprise, but thankfully he could breathe this time. Isaac didn't want to look stupid by having Fluttershy hug him so he simply hugged and quickly gave her a pat on the top of her head. "Your welcome Fluttershy. Don't forget it's not the duelist that makes the cards but rather the cards that make the duelist."

"I'll make sure to remember that."

"Alright, say since we're here why not test out your deck right now." Before Isaac could get his answer, the bell rang to signal the end of the lunch break. "Well looks we ran out of time creating your deck. Tell you what how about after school today we meet up and I can talk to you about potential duel strategies that you can use with that deck. What do you say?"

"I'd like that, thanks Isaac."

It was then made official; Isaac and Fluttershy then parted ways as they had different classes next period, but they promised each other that they would meet up after school to test out Fluttershy's new deck. The rest of the day couldn't have gone by quick enough as Isaac was so excited to see what Fluttershy could do with the deck, but also to see how well his knowledge was when it came to building a duel monster deck. The final bell rang which was enough to cause him to dash out of class to his locker to grab what he needed and proceeded to head to the front of the school to meet up with Fluttershy. Once Isaac got out of the building, he looked around to see where Fluttershy might be. After a couple of minutes Isaac spotted her and made his way towards her.

"Hey Fluttershy. You ready?"

"Oh Isaac, actually I was going to go back to the shelter today to check on the animals want to come with me. We can go over the deck there."

"Alright then, lets go." With that they both made our way to the same place they were yesterday.

It didn't take long as last time to check up on the animals, so once they were all taken care of and put back in their cages. Both Isaac and Fluttershy then sat a nearby round table and sat down side by side to see her deck. During that time, Isaac offered Fluttershy his input on what plays she could and when to activate this card based on how the battle would progress. Fluttershy was shy to ask questions when Isaac was explaining. If there was something she didn't understand she would let him know by either stopping or asking him to explain it to her a second time. Ultimately, Isaac found this to a wonderful time, not because he was spending time with Fluttershy, but the fact that he got to talk about Duel Monsters with someone even if they didn't fully understand all the secrets and tricks when it came to dueling. Eventually, Fluttershy broke their conversation.

"Listen Isaac. I appreciate all that you've done for me lately. Offering to help me rebuild my deck and even teaching some new tactics. Thanks to you I'm sure that I've had more confidence in not just myself but also my deck. I feel like I can rely on them and they can help me when I'm in trouble." The sound in Fluttershy's voice was the most sincere Isaac had seen from her in a long time.

"Don't worry about it. That's what friends are for, to help others in their time of need. To support one another when they're going through tough times. That's why it's important to have friends, don't you agree Fluttershy?"

"I do." Fluttershy said.

Just then as if on cue the lights around them started to dim and a single spotlight shined down on Fluttershy as if she knew what was happening. Isaac was confused to say the least but he soon heard a sound that caught his attention as he turned towards Fluttershy. Just then Isaac heard music start to play as Fluttershy stepped into the light.

After the song had ended, the music slowly started to fade out. The room started to brighten up as the lights suddenly came back on. Fluttershy was still standing in the same place as before. Isaac checked around to see if anything else would happen. After a minute or so it seemed things had returned back to normal. Isaac then got up from my seat and addressed Fluttershy.

"Well that just happened. Uhm... you mind telling me what that was Fluttershy?" Isaac was generally confused.

"Don't worry about, it's just some thing that happens from time to time. You'll get use to it."

"I'm not so sure that I will. Anyways it's getting a bit late why don't we head start to head out."

"Sounds like a good idea."

With that they both decided to pack up our things and call it a day. Once they made sure everything was locked up they then left through the front door. They continued to walk together until they reached the crossroads that separated their path to each of their homes. Before Isaac left, he told Fluttershy that tomorrow during their free period that they should have a duel to see how well the deck performed. Fluttershy was hesitant at first, but seeing as Isaac would be her opponent she felt comfortable with the idea. They then parted ways as they headed home. Upon arriving Isaac saw his parents were home. They asked where he was and he told them that he was hanging out with Fluttershy. His parents started to comment about them spending so much time together despite them just knowing each other for about 24 hours. Isaac merely told them that they were just friends and left it at that. He then made his way upstairs to begin on his homework; when Isaac entered his room, he saw Tigre sleeping on his bed. Isaac gave her a quick pat on the back which she just purred in response while letting out a meow. He couldn't tell just how excited he was to battle Fluttershy tomorrow, Isaac really wanted to see how well the deck performed but mostly he wanted to see what Fluttershy could do as a duelist. When it came time to sleep, Isaac was too exhilarated for what tomorrow would bring. He just hoped that Fluttershy and him would still be friends no matter what happened in the duel.

Chapter 6: Meeting the girls

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 7: Triple Threat

After my amazing time yesterday with meeting the rest of the Main 5. I was hyped for attending class today. Being that it was the end of the week and last night me and the girls made plans to hang out and have a couple of practice duels against each other to prepare ourselves for the Fall Formal. Fast forwarding a bit it was about lunchtime where I was sitting with the girls and we were discussing what we wanted to do tomorrow.

"So let's go over the options, again?" I had a piece of paper that all everybody's suggestions and we were trying to figure out a solution we all agreed on. "Rainbow wants to head to the skatepark to show off her new tricks she learned on her skateboard. Rarity wants to go a clothing store so she can get new materials and inspiration for her requests. Mainly she just needs someone to carry her bags since as she puts it 'a lady shouldn't have to resort to physical labor'. Pinkie is well, you know what we'll skip that one. Fluttershy wants to go to the zoo to see all the animals and Aj wants us to help her with work."

I let a sigh as I looked over the list. "I'll be honest based on everybody's personalities/preferences this isn't an easy decision. There's got to be something we can all agree on, something that all of us can enjoy. And no I don't mean dueling, Rainbow Dash" giving her a glare before she suggested it.

"Oh alright, it's still would have been a great idea" said Rainbow as she slumped back into her chair.

"Look Rainbow, I understand that dueling is probably the greatest feeling in the world. I get it. But you also need to understand that there are other things you need to appreciate. Trust me I learned at a young age that not everything is about dueling, sometimes you need to slow down every once in a while."

"Whatever."

"We'll I guess being slow isn't a word that exist in your vocabulary right, Skittles?" I had a smug smirk on my face when I said that.

Rainbow seemed to take offense on the nickname that Isaac just called her. "What did you call me? Look we may have only known each other for about a day but that doesn't mean I still can't hurt you? Watch want you say!"

"Duly noted, Skittles" I knew Rainbow was getting angry with me calling her that, but to me it was fun. Even the other girls were trying to hold back a laugh from Rainbow's new nickname. "Anyways all this side talk has derailed us and we still haven't figured out what our plans are for tomorrow. There's got to be something we can all agree on. Anyone?" I presented the question to the girls to see what they thought about this predicament.

Applejack was the first one to break the silence. "Well what about you, sugarcube? What do you want to do?"

"I don't know. To be honest, I barely know this city. The only places that I've visited since I got here was school and the Rescue Center. I never really had time to explore the city which was why I was shocked to learn about The Sweet Shoppe yesterday. I was hoping that tomorrow would be a chance for me to explore more of this place based on what we were going to do but since we can't decide it seems that's out of the question." I really did want to explore Canterlot if this was going to be my new home then I had to make an effort to know my surroundings and find out where places were.

"Well that settles it then. It's our solemn duty as representors of Canterlot to show Isaac the sights and sounds that this magnificent city has to offer. I swear you have my vow, Isaac. Me and the girls promise to show you a good time." Rarity really did have a flare for the dramatics; she even held my hand when she said that.

At first it felt weird that Rarity was suddenly holding my hand but it felt nice for a bit. Eventually I asked her to let go to which she complied but not before flashing me a wink. Despite Rarity's show of affection, the girls did agree with what she said. So they all decided that tomorrow they would take me on a tour of Canterlot City to get a glimpse of what my new home had to offer. So with a plan in mind, I wrote down what we were going to do and handed it to everybody to remind them of what tomorrow's goal was.

We then spent the next moments eating our lunch and talking amongst ourselves. The topic of dueling came up with Rainbow and she asked me what my inspiration was for getting into Duel Monsters. I told her the same response I gave Fluttershy prior to my duel with Trixie. I told them how ever since I was a young kid there was a monster that was advertised to encourage people to get involved in the game. I also mentioned about how growing up I heard about a great duelist whose best monster was the Dark Magician and it propelled him to new heights. They were really fascinated by my tale that they too wished they could meet this person. That was one of my dreams someday to meet my role model and thank them for helping me get into dueling. Oh well, maybe someday. Anyways we were finishing our food when we were approached by three people. I noticed them out of the corner of my eye and from what I could see they seemed to have something on their mind.

"Hey kid, your name Isaac?" asked the person who I assumed was their leader.

"Depends, who's asking?"

"We are. Allow us to introduce ourselves: I'm Emerald Skies, and these people behind me are Diamond Spark and Ember Spots. We're here because we're throwing out a challenge."

Looking at them it seemed they had an agenda. I didn't know what they wanted so I tried to ask what they wanted. Their response was simply with the Fall Formal coming up it meant the students of CHS were trying to solidify themselves as a major threat, so they wanted to challenge people to build some momentum on the road to the Fall Formal. They had also heard of my most recent string of victories and they felt like taking me on to show they were serious. I was about to accept their challenge until Rainbow jumped in front of me.

"Listen Emerald, it's obviously you want a challenge so why don't you take me on? Don't waste time on Isaac, if you want to make a name for yourself then try to take me on." I didn't know whether Rainbow was helping me or trying to downgrade me.

Emerald thought about Rainbow's offer and it was mighty tempting. If he could take down a high ranked duelist it would real showcase people that he was one to watch for. Eventually, he came to a conclusion. "Alright, Dash your on. But it won't be me your facing, your opponent will be Diamond Spark. I want to face Isaac. So do you accept my challenge then?"

I looked at Emerald and agreed to his terms.

"Excellent, now this isn't going to be a normal duel. It's going to be a tag team duel; me and Ember Spots against you and a partner of your choosing."

"Don't sweat it Isaac, once I'm done wiping the floor with this guy I'll give you hand."

"I appreciate it Dash, but I think I'll be fine without you. In fact, I've already got my partner picked and it's her." I pointed my finger to the person I chose to be on my team. Fluttershy was shocked to see that I had picked her and started to hide behind AJ while covering her face with her hair.

Emerald merely laughed at who I picked, "Well this will be easier than I thought. Meet us out in front of the school in 10 minutes and don't be late" they then left the cafe.

Rainbow was confused who I choose to battle alongside. "Why would you choose Fluttershy as your partner? No offense, but you haven't seen her duel nor have you tested her deck. You should probably reconsider!"

I was surprised that Rainbow would even suggest such a thing. "Aren't you supposed to be the loyal one of the group Dash? To think you don't trust Fluttershy to be my teammate really says a lot about you. I have faith that Fluttershy will pull her own weight and we'll come out on top. So what do you say Fluttershy, you with me?" I turned towards her to see her reaction.

Fluttershy was still trying to comprehend what Isaac had said. Her friends were looking at her with supporting looks; she could see that they were cheering her on. Fluttershy then a quick nod and said she'll try her best. We then spent the next few minutes going over our decks adding any last minute additions to our deck and going over strategies. Then the three of us headed out to meet our challengers.

We arrived in front of the school and meet the trio who were waiting for us. There was also a small gathering of students who decided they wanted to watch us. Rainbow was so eager to duel that she immediately took first position and prepared her duel disk.

"So my opponent is none other than the great Rainbow Dash. This could bode well for me, if I defeat you then it will clearly show everybody that I'm a threat in the tournament" said Diamond with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever lets just get this over with" Rainbow was not impressed.

"Oh, so eager to lose to me already."

"No, I'm just trying to figure out how long it'll take me to defeat. 3, 4, maybe 5 turns?"

"You'll regret saying that and disrespecting me, lets go." Seemed Rainbow's comment really ticked off Diamond.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel Mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

Rainbow's Life Points: 8000-

Diamond's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Diamond

"Looks like I'm up, I draw." Diamond looked at his hand before deciding what to play. "I'll start by Diamond Warrior(1600/1500) in attack mode. I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Rainbow Dash

"Finally, I draw. I'll start by summoning U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000). Next I'll return my Midfielder to my hand to Special Summon U.A. Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode. I'll end my turn with 1 facedown. First turn and my field is set for victory. You don't stand a chance against me."

Turn 3: Diamond

"I'll make you regret those words, I draw. And I'll do it with this I play the spell Pressure Fortification. Thanks to this nifty spell it allows me to trade in my warrior for an upgrade; I now summon to the field my Diamond King Supreme(2600/1900) in attack mode. Now my Diamond King has a sweet ability by sending diamond monsters to the graveyard he gains 500 more attack for each one of them, so I'll send 3 monsters from my hand to the grave to give my king a boost of 1500 attack." Diamond's king shined brighter as it absorbed the monsters being sent to the graveyard. "Now I'll have my king attack your goalkeeper, go Diamond Slash."

"Here I was expecting a challenge, oh well. I reveal my facedown the trap U.A. Penalty Box now since you attacked a U.A. monster I can banish your monster until the end of your next turn." Rainbow had a huge smirk on her face when she said that.

"You what!?". Seemed Diamond was surprised by Rainbow's card but there was nothing he could do as his king was trapped around four wooden walls painted white and red. It then vanished into thin air. "No matter, I'll simply wait until my king returns, by then I'll have all I need to beat."

"Too bad that's not going to happen because I'm ending it on my turn."

"You lie there's no way you can do that!"

Rainbow had her hand on her deck as she looked at Diamond. "Wanna find out?"

Turn 4: Rainbow

"I draw. I'll start by playing U.A. Midfielder then I'll return him back to my hand to summon out U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000) in attack mode. I'll also return Goalkeeper to my hand to Special Summon U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/1700) in attack mode. Next I'll give my Slugger a power up with the spell card U.A, Power Jersey which gives him an extra 1000 attack/defense."

Rainbow Dash might have 2 monsters but I've got my facedown. So once she attacks me I'll activate it and not only will it stop her attack but she'll take damage equal to the total of her monster's attack points. This is too easy. Diamond was really banking on Dash to attack so he could activate his trap.

"Time to end this I'll attack with Mighty Slugger. Now Playmaker's ability activates which allows him to transfer over 800 attack to any U.A. monster that declares an attack, so my playmaker makes my slugger that much stronger. Also slugger got a cool ability now you can't activate any card effects until the end of the Damage Step."

"What!?" Diamond was surprised to hear that, it definitely wasn't something he was expecting.

"I'm not done though, next I'll play the spell card Athlete Supreme which doubles the attack of my monster for this battle phase which means now Slugger's attack points rise to 8200. Which means you lose!"

Diamond was at a lost for words. "It can't be. No!"

"I told you it wouldn't take long, now Slugger end this duel!"

Diamond's Life Points: 0

Winner: Rainbow Dash

Once the duel ended, everybody around us had a shocked face. Compared to me, the girls all had normal faces as if they knew that this would happen. I was shocked to say the least, I now saw why Rainbow was so highly ranked in CHS. She literally beat this guy in no time flat; I was a bit scared because if Rainbow had skills like then it would definitely be hard to defeat her. Rainbow then made her way back to us with a smile on her face.

"Here I was hoping for him to put up a decent fight, but he barely lasted a turn. Anyways it's your turn, time to see how you guys fare. Show me what you got, Isaac."

"We'll do our best, come on Fluttershy." We then made our way to field to meet our opponent.

Meanwhile Ember and Emerald were checking on their friend Diamond. They were not happy with how Rainbow had literally squashed their teammate. "You'll pay that, when we're done with you won't want to think of ever entering the tournament" said Emerald with fury in his voice/eyes. "Now both of you hurry your asses, so we can send them packing."

"Alright, so what are the rules for this tag team duel?"

"It's simple both members share life points so when they drop to zero both people lose, in addition both players can't use their teammates cards unless the one who activates the card chooses to. Also when attacking if your partner doesn't have any monsters to defend themselves then their teammate can lend their own monsters to defend them. Furthermore, the players will alternate turns. Does that work for you, punks?"

I merely gave a smile as my response, "Fine by me let's do it. Time to duel!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel Mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of the duel disks.

Isaac's and Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Emerald's and Ember's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Emerald

"I'll kick things off, I draw and play Elemental Hero Clayman(800/2000) in defense mode and play 1 card facedown. I end my turn."

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"Isaac, what do you know about Elemental Hero's?" Fluttershy asked.

"They really rely on primarily Fusion Summoning, in fact it's a deck that takes Fusion summoning to the next level. They also contain a couple of cards that allow them to fusion multiple times. The best bet is to take out his monsters he need to fuse."

"Alright, I draw." Fluttershy drew her card and looked at her hand. She was scared about what to do. She didn't know what she should play which really showed based on how she was shaking. "Uh... I'll start by summoning Baby Racoon Ponpoko(800/0) in attack mode. When Ponpoko is summoned, I can activate its effect." Fluttershy took her deck out of her disk. “I can select any Level 2 Beast-type monster in my deck and summon it in face-down position.” She found her card and set it on the disk. On the field next to Ponpoko, the large hologram of a face-down card appeared. “I end my turn.”

Turn 3: Ember

"My turn here goes, I draw. I'll play my Flame Soldier(800/1000) in attack mode. I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Alright I'm up and I draw. I'll play a monster facedown and throw 2 facedowns. I end my turn."

Turn 5: Emerald

"Now that we've all taken a turn we can now start to attack and I'll make use of that, I draw. I summon Elemental Hero Sparkman(1600/1400) and now I'll attack the girl, go Sparkman take out her baby racoon. In a tag team, it's important to isolate the weak link and exploit. With that I'll end my turn.
Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 7200

Turn 6: Fluttershy

Fluttershy was shaking in her boots as not only was her monster destroyed but she just cost them some life points. "I'm sorry, Isaac it's only been a couple of turns and we already took damage. Maybe you shouldn't have choose me as your partner." Fluttershy put her head down as she drew her card.

"Don't worry about it Fluttershy, just focus on making your next play."

Assuming I don't find another way to mess it up.

"Ok... I flip summon my facedown Baby Racoon Tantan(0/800). I activate its effect when it's flipped which lets me summon a Level 2 Beast-type monster from my deck. I summon Kalantosa, Mystical Beast of the Forest(200/1400) in defense mode. When Kalantosa is summoned by the effect of a Beast-type, it's own effect activates. I can select and destroy 1 card on the field."

"Nice job, Fluttershy."

Fluttershy seemed happy that she was doing a good move. "I chose your sparkman."

"I don't think" screamed Ember. "When a monster declares an attack I can activate this card from my hand Fire Insect(500/300) now by sending this card to the grave I can put a stop to your attack and you get burned equal to my insect's attack."
Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 6700-

"My bad Isaac, I didn't get rid of Emerald's monster and we just took more damage. This is all my fault." Fluttershy put her hands in her face.

"Hey don't worry about it. Even if you didn't do what you wanted that was still a sweet combo; you're a natural with that deck." I tried to uplift Fluttershy but she wasn't fully believing it.

Turn 7: Ember

"My turn and I draw. I now sacrifice my soldier to summon Fire Commander(2000/1300) in attack mode. Next I activate my commander's ability now I can send a monster to the grave and you get dealt damage equal to its attack and I choose my Firewall Archer(1400/1200). So get ready to feel the burn as my Commander takes away more of your life points."
Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 5300-

"Now I'll really turn up the heat by playing the spell card Firewall Storm now not only do my monsters get a boost of 200 attack, I can Special Summon my Fire Paladin(1600/1700) when I've got a fire attribute monster with 2000 or more points. Now my commander attack her Tantan."

"I don't think so, I activate my trap Shift, now when you target a monster on our side I change the target to a different monster and I choose my facedown monster." I knew I had to help Fluttershy and my trap card accomplished that.

"So you want to be her knight in shining armor, fine then I'll rid you of your monster. Commander attack his monster." Ember's monster raised its sword as it came down on Isaac's field. "Looks like your monster is gone."

"I wouldn't be too sure of that, take a closer look." Once the smoke cleared there was the monster that I've placed facedown. "The monster you attacked was none other than my Marshmallon(300/500) and it's got a unique ability in that it can't be destroyed in battle and since it was facedown when you attacked it you take 1000 points of damage. How's that for an effect."

"Not bad, I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Emerald and Ember's Life Points: 7000-

Turn 8: Isaac

"Looks like it's my turn and I draw. Now by discarding a card I special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician(2000/1700) in attack mode. Now when she's summon I can add 1 'Dark Magician' from my deck to my hand. Next I'll play the spell Ancient Rule which allows me to summon my ultimate monster, appear Dark Magician." My duel disk registered the card and out appeared my ultimate wizard ready for battle. Now my Dark Magician will attack Fire Commander. I'll then end my turn with facedown."
Emerald and Ember's Life Points: 6700-

Turn 9: Emerald

"My draw. First I activate my E-Emergency Call which lets me add an Elemental Hero to my add. Next I'll play Polymerization to fuse my Avian and Burstinatrix to summon Elemental Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1200), next I'll play another spell Fusion Substitute which means I can fuse my Clayman and my Sparkman to create Elemental Hero Thunder Giant(2400/1500). Now I activate my Giant's ability now I discard 1 card and destroy 1 monster with attack points less than my Giant, so say goodbye to Baby Racoon Tantan. Now I'll have my Flame Wingman attack your Kalantosa and Thunder Giant attacks you directly. My wingman got a ability that deals you damage equal your destroyed monster's attack. I'll end my turn."

Emerald's monsters let out a barrage of assault on Fluttershy as she was thrown onto her knees. Isaac called to her to see if she was ok. Eventually she got back to her feet.
Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 2700-

Turn 10: Fluttershy

Once Fluttershy got to her feet she looked at Isaac with pity in her eyes. In her mind, she felt like they were going to lose and Isaac would blame her. "I'm sorry Isaac, I know you picked me as your partner but all I've done is mess things up maybe you should just forget about me. I'm the reason we're going to lose all because I'm just not good enough, maybe you should forget we ever met!" Fluttershy was starting to cry.

I made my way to Fluttershy and put my hand on her shoulder. I forced her to look at me. "Fluttershy, I want you to look into my eyes. You know what I see; I see a girl who is afraid that she's going to let down her friends. Fluttershy you can never let me down, we're friends because we believe in each other. So we may be in a tough spot so what? As long as we put our trust in each other and our decks then anything is possible. I know that I can count on you so no matter what happens here know that you could never let me done not after all you've done for me. Do you trust me?"

Fluttershy looked at Isaac as he gave her the pep speech. She didn't want to be the reason why they lost; she also didn't want to have her friends upset at her. All Fluttershy wanted was for others to see that she can be useful and that she wasn't helpless. Isaac's word not only resonated with her but empowered her, it felt like what he was saying was not only meaningful but completely honest. So with a heavy sigh she looked at her deck. This deck was a reminder of the friendship she forged with Isaac; he put all his heart and soul into building this deck for her and she didn't want to disappoint him. "Yes, I do trust you."

"Then lets win together."

"Alright, I draw. I'll play my spell: Call of the Wild which allows me to bring back 2 Beast-type monsters from my graveyard. Arise, Baby Racoon Tantan and Kalantosa. Next I summon Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest(400/900) from my hand. I activate Valerifawn’s effect and discard a card to revive a Beast-type monster in my Graveyard. Return, Baby Raccoon Ponpoko!" Fluttershy was able to gain back her confidence and was able to summon out 4 monsters onto the field. I then play another spell Wild Force with this card I can now conduct an addition summon this turn by paying 1000 life points. So I sacrifice my Tantan and my Kalantosa to summon Behemoth, the King of All Animals(2700/1500)." A large white image appeared behind Fluttershy and came into focus. A massive pink and purple monster loomed over the field, cuffs with broken chains wrapped around its paws. Curved horns rose into the air on either side of a massive mane of dark fur. Drool dripped from the beast’s jaws as it roared loudly. “Additionally, for each monster tributed to summon Behemoth, I can return a Beast monster in my Graveyard to my hand. Now my Behemoth take out Flame Wingman."
Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 1700-

"I activate my trap Hero Barrier now I can negate your attack."

"That won't be a problem because I've got a little friend to help out. Say hello to Albert, the flying squirrel now by sending him to the graveyard I can negate the effect of a card and destroy it."

"You can what!?"

"Now my Behemoth continue your assault." Behemoth roared again and bounded over Fluttershy’s head to charge at Emerald. "I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."
Emerald and Ember's Life Points: 6100-

Soon cheers erupted from everybody watching, they soon started to chant Fluttershy's name. Even Isaac was impressed with Fluttershy's turn.

"Well done Fluttershy." I gave her a thumbs up.

Fluttershy was embarrassed by the people cheering for her and when she saw Isaac give her a thumbs up she merely blushed while looking at him.

Turn 11: Ember

"Emerald, you alright?"

Emerald got to his feet after being knocked around by Fluttershy's monster. "I'm fine." he said with disdain in his voice.

"You'll pay for hurting my friend, I draw. I play the spell Inferno Overdrive, now by paying half of my life points I can summon my ultimate monster so now appear Inferno, Lord of Fire(2800/2400). Now Inferno attack Dark Magician."
Diamond and Ember's Life Points: 3050-

"I activate my facedown Magical Hats, now Ember you'll have to guess which hat he's under but choose wisely you only have 1 chance."

"You don't scare me. Inferno attack the Dark Magician underneath the second hat from the left." Ember's Inferno raised his fist and it came crashing down on the hat which erupted into flames and produced smoke. "Your magician is no more and you lose."

"Don't be so sure." As the smoke cleared, there was still three hats that remained on the field. "Seems you missed."

Turn 12: Isaac

"I draw. Now I'll have my Dark Magician attack your Lord of Fire!"

"You really think your magician can defeat my Inferno he's got more attack points, you're just sending him to his doom!"

"That's why my Apprentice Illusion Magician ability is coming in clutch. Now by sending her from my field to the graveyard I can give my magician a boost of 2000 att/def. So now my magician is the one who has the higher stats."

"I'll activate my facedown Final Flame now the damage that we receive you also take."

"That's fine, I'll end my turn with 2 facedowns now all that's left is for my partner to win this duel for us."
Emerald and Ember's Life Points: 1550-

Isaac and Fluttershy's Life Points: 150-

Turn 13: Emerald

"That's assuming she's going to even get a turn, I draw. Now time to finish this little dance of our I play my spell Fusion Recovery which means I get back both a Polymerization and 1 monster and add them to my hand." Emerald's duel disk then slotted out Sparkman and the fusion card. "Now I'll fuse my Sparkman with my Neos to summon out Elemental Hero Grandmerge(0/0); Grandmerge's points are determined based on the combined levels of the monsters used to summon multiplied by 300. Since the total level is 11, Grandmerge's points are 3300. Now time to end this Grandmerge destroy her Behemoth, so much for relying on your partner."

"I have faith in Fluttershy that's why I'll activate my facedown Monster's Spirit which puts a stop to your monster's attack, however there's a price to pay I have to return a monster of mine back into my deck and I choose my Dark Magician."

"You give up your most powerful monster just to ensure your partner is safe? What are you her boyfriend or something?"

Fluttershy blushed at that comment while Isaac just shrugged it off.

"No I'd give up my monster to show her that she can win if she believes in herself and her deck. Besides, it helps when I reveal my other facedown Spirit Reincarnation. If a monster on my side of the field leaves due to a card effect I can then replace it with another monster so long as it has attacks points that don't exceed of the monster selected. However, I'm letting my partner be the one to pick the monster."

"Isaac, why are you doing this? You need it more than me, don't waste your time trying to prove your point. Please reconsider this."

"Trust me Fluttershy, I've thought it through and I want you to be the one. Plus there's a card in your deck that I believe can help us. Remember believe in your cards and your deck."

Fluttershy pulled out her deck and looked through her cards. She was still trying to figure out what Isaac was doing; as she searched her deck she was constantly trying to find a card to help them. Just when she had given up all hope she caught a glance at a card and started to formulate a plan. "Alright, thanks to my partner's card I can summon a monster to my side of the field and I choose another Baby Racoon Tantan."

"So all that and you choose a worthless monster. That monster can barely stand by itself; to think your 'boyfriend' went through all that trouble and you couldn't deliver. Not to worry Ember will finish this on her turn."

Turn 14: Fluttershy

Fluttershy then put her hand on top of her deck while she addressed Emerald. "I'll have you know that my 'boyfriend' didn't just waste his card in fact he helped me set up what I need to win this duel, now watch as I draw. I then summon my Beast King Barbaros(3000/1200) but since I chose to summon him this way his attack drops to 1900, he's not who you should be concerned with. Watch as I overlay both of my level 2 Baby Racoon and build the Overlay network. Now arise a my creature, I Xyz summon Number 64: Ronin Racoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU:2)."

"You really are hopeless, I would have expected a more powerful monster as your final stand. This is just pathetic. Here's some advice for you girl, leave the dueling to the real duelist and don't waste your time embarrassing yourself or your friends."

"First of all Emerald never insult me or my friends. And don't you ever call me that again. I am a real duelist because a real duelist would know about my monster's special ability which I'll activate now. By using 1 Overlay unit I can special summon 1 'Kagemusha Racoon Token and its attack is equal to the monster with the highest attack on the field. Since your Grandmerge has 3300 attack my token also has the same number. Furthermore as long as I control another Beast-type, my monster can't be destroyed by battle or card effects. Next I'll activate my facedown The Big March of Animals! For the rest of the turn, all Beast-type monsters I control gain 200 attack points times the number of Beast-types I control. With five Beasts in play, they each get 1000 points." Fluttershy's monsters then started to grow as they were powered up by the card's effect.

Both Emerald and Ember were scared as not only was there nothing they could do but they were even more terrified of Fluttershy's monsters as they started to get bigger. All of Fluttershy's creatures let out a thunderous roar as the ground beneath them shook everybody to the core.

"Now my token will take out your hero." The racoon then started to sprint its way towards Emerald's monster where it used its claws to slash his monster into bits. "Then the rest of my creatures will attack you both directly! Let this be lesson never bully me or my friends ever again!" With that Fluttershy's creatures dealt the final blow as both Emerald and Ember were thrown by the impact and landed on their back.
Emerald and Ember's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Isaac and Fluttershy

Once the duel ended, everybody was chanting Fluttershy's name as she had managed to pull off an insane combo and win the game. As she looked around the reception she received was nothing but positive, but the one person she looked at was her partner.

When the duel ended I looked at Fluttershy with a smile on my face. She was able to find her inner courage and prove all her doubters wrong. On this day she showed me that she belonged here and that she did have the skills of a true duelist. I approached her and offered her a high five as a sign of gratitude. "That was awesome Fluttershy. I knew you had...". Suddenly, she wrapped her arms around as she gave me a hug.

"Thank you Isaac. Because of you I now have the confidence I need to take on any challenge and win or lose I know that as long as I fight with everything I've got and don't lose faith in myself everything will turn out okay. Thanks for not giving up and believing in me; I'm so glad I met you." Fluttershy kept her hold on Isaac as she tried to hide the blush that was slowly appearing on her face.

"Your welcome Fluttershy. Now mind letting me go."

Eventually she broke her hold on Isaac as their friends came over to congratulate them on their victory. They were happy that both of them won but even more so that Fluttershy had finally come out of her shell and showed that she wasn't afraid no more. With that the bell then rang which signaled the students that class was about to start; everyone made an effort to run as they didn't want to encounter any trouble from Celestia especially with the tournament coming up. While all this was happening, you could see a person who recorded the whole duel on his device and began to walk away.

"That's another duel in which that kid has been involved in. I'm surprised she hasn't heard about him and how much of a splash he's been making. Maybe now that I have enough evidence it will convince her, but what does it matter when it comes to Duel Monsters there's nobody who can take her down." With that he disappeared down a hallway and headed toward a classroom.

Chapter 8: A Day in Canterlot

After school ended everyone began to run to their lockers as they began to prepare themselves for the weekend. For most people it results in them not caring about school work and usually putting it off till the last minute. However, Isaac was excited about it because he not only got to hang out with his friends, but he was also going to explore the city of Canterlot. As Isaac and the girls made their way out of the building, all of them were excited for what tomorrow would bring.

“I’m really excited about tomorrow. I get to finally have a chance to explore this place; I hope you girls don’t mind spending your time showing me around town.” Isaac asked with a bit of guilt.

“Not at all sugarcube, in fact it’s been a while since either one of us explored the town so in a way we all deserve some time to relax and hang out.”

“I can’t tell you how exhausted I am from filling out all my orders. I do hope we can stop by a spa tomorrow; I would love nothing more than a mud mask to relax my completion and rid my face of any wrinkles.”

While Rarity was daydreaming about getting a spa treatment, the rest of the group just rolled their eyes. They all then headed to The Sweet Shoppe to get a bite to eat. While they were there, they talked about the duel Isaac and Fluttershy had against Emerald and Ember. Isaac was happy that Fluttershy had finally gotten over her confidence issue, also he was more impressed with how well she handled the deck. It really showed that given time she could make it her own plus it made Isaac happy to know that he made a deck for her that she was comfortable with. As time went on Isaac learned a bit new info about the girls, apparently they all played an instrument of sorts and were hoping one day to form a band.

“What about you Isaac, do you play any musical instruments?”

“I did play Trumpet a few years back, but it’s been a while.”

The girls were surprised that Isaac had experience with music, while they insisted that once their band formed they wanted me to be a part of it but he declined politely. Eventually Isaac decided to ask them something.

“Hey Rainbow, you mind telling me a bit more about the CHS Fall Formal Tournament?”

“Realistically, it’s a round robin tournament. So while you losing won’t mean you’re eliminated, it does have an impact on your overall record. Eventually, the top 8 contenders/duelists are then selected and then face off against each other until there’s 1 left standing. However, it doesn’t happen all at once. The reason why it’s called the Fall Formal Tournament is because there's actually a Fall Formal.”

“Ok, mind explaining what that is?” Isaac was really confused by what Rainbow had mentioned.

“Darling, it’s simply a night full of festivities full of socializing, prancing, and perfectly sequenced human movement that holds both aesthetic and symbolic value. Ultimately, it’s the best night ever!” Rarity had put on her dramatic voice as she gave that explanation.

“So in other words it’s just a dance?” asked Isaac.

“Just a dance!? It’s the most important dance for any girl!”

“Calm down Rarity, it’s just a night for us to unwind and have fun.” said Aj while trying to calm her down.

“Anyways, the Fall Formal is also important because it’s where the finals of the tournament will take place. The whole school will be watching to see who comes out on top and is crowned CHS duel champion.”

“Interesting, well it means that I’ll have to work extra hard if I want to make the finals and hopefully win.”

“Yeah, that would be the case if I wasn’t going to win. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve got this competition in the bag. Nobody stands a chance against me, you saw how easily I beat Diamond. If everyone is like that I’ll steam roll the competition, so watch out Isaac.”

“Settle down there Dash, don’t forget you’re not the only one enterin' this tournament.” Aj had a smug look on her face.

“Yeah, we’re in this together and when all is said and done we’ll have a great big party.” Out of nowhere confetti started to rain down from the sky.

Sometime passed and they all decided it was best for them to depart. They all agreed to meet up at Rarity’s boutique which thankfully she told him where she lived so Isaac didn’t have to worry about getting lost. He then said goodbye to the girls and made his way home. Once Isaac got home, he told his parents about his plans to explore the city tomorrow with the girls. They told him to have fun and to not arrive too late. Isaac was a bit scared exploring a new place, but he felt comfortable having the girls show him around. Also Isaac was really looking forward to relaxing a bit after all that has happened at school.

The next day came by faster than expected and once Isaac awoke he got himself ready and began walking to Rarity’s house. Isaac was expecting to be the last one but was surprised to see nobody else there. He decided to knock on Rarity’s door to see if she was home to which his reply was a cheering ‘come in’. Once Isaac entered the place, he saw tons of model stands as well as dresses. As he explored more of the place, he saw Rarity didn’t just make dresses but every so often she would get a request from someone to make them a suit. Isaac was so enthralled by the amazing designs that he didn’t notice Rarity behind him until she spoke.

“These designs are some of the most beautiful/amazing that I’ve seen in a long time. This truly is a piece of work.”

“Why thank you for the compliment, darling.”

“Huh, oh my bad Rarity. I hope I didn’t ruin any of your work” Isaac gave a nervous laugh.

“Not at all, besides I was hoping you would be the first one here. Please understand it’s been a while since I’ve had a male model to work on designs plus I did promise to make you an outfit so why not kill two birds with one stone. We have some time before the others arrive; let me go get my supplies.”

Once Rarity got her stuff, she began to take Isaac’s measurements. While it felt weird for Isaac to have someone do this, he didn’t have the heart to tell her. He saw how much it made Rarity happy and he didn’t want to ruin it. Eventually she had gotten what she needed just as the others entered the establishment. Once Rarity got her belongings they then headed out of the place and began their tour.

Somewhere else in a secluded place there was an individual walking along the street. He had a hoodie over his head to avoid anybody seeing him as he made his way to his destination. Once he had arrived at the place he entered hoping that she was home. Suffice to say she was on the couch playing a video game while her duel disk and her deck was spread out on the table besides her. The girl wasn’t paying attention to her surroundings until she heard her door open and close. She quickly turned her head to see who it was before going back to her game.

“Whatever you have better be worth it. I’m busy at the moment.”

“I got something that I think will interest you, it involves that kid.”

“Yeah, yeah, the same kid you said has been making an impact recently. He also is the same kid you claim to have the legendary Dark Magician; I’ve said it before unless you got some evidence I don’t buy it.”

“Then I’ll have you know he plans to enter the upcoming CHS tournament along with some friends you know quite well.” That seemed to have caught her interest as she paused her game. Just then another person entered the room.

“Hey buddy, what are you doing here?”

“Nothing other than hanging out with my best friend, and trying to convince her about this new kid.”

“Well good luck with that, she won’t waste her time with someone who’s not a threat.”

Just then the girl stood up and made her way toward her two lackeys as they stood frozen when she got in her face. She took the phone out of his hand and looked at the ‘evidence’ he gathered. Once she was done she looked at them both and had a face of intrigue.

“Tell me, who this Isaac is and what does he want?” She asked with a bit of evil in her voice.

Meanwhile in Canterlot City, Isaac and the girls had just left the boutique and were walking through the streets.

“A whole day in the big city to do whatever we want” shouted Dash as she walked forward in front of the group.

“Oh think of the fashion” giggled Rarity.

“The food” said Applejack as she rubbed her belly.

“The frolicking! I do hope we try out the new sweet I heard that just hit the market.” Pinkie was jumping up and down as it was hard to contain her excitement.

“Girls, let not forget we promised Isaac we would show him around.” shouted Fluttershy.

“It’s ok Fluttershy, besides I’m sure we’ll all get to do that stuff. So then what’s the first place to visit?” I asked.

The whole afternoon was spent with the girls showing Isaac around. They stopped at a mall that was very popular. Once inside they started to drag him to check out the other stores inside to which he had no control over. Overall Isaac had a fun time; he got to see new sides of these girls that he didn’t know. Whenever they stopped by a candy stand, they would constantly have to drag Pinkie away to avoid being there forever. Rarity was persistent in having them shop for clothes mainly because she needed someone to carry her bags to which Isaac had to the pleasure of being her pack mule. Thankfully, Aj had offered to help him so he didn’t have to strain himself. By the time they had left the mall, they had begun to make their way towards the amusement park. They played a lot of games and even went on some rides though they had to take breaks in between due to Fluttershy’s uneasy stomach. After that they tried some food to which Pinkie was able to fit 10 cotton candy in her mouth in 1 swallow. Isaac sweared she must have had a bottomless stomach if she was able to consume all of that and not feel even the tiniest bit sick. The next place they led him to was the pier in which they walked on the boardwalk which overlooked the ocean. Isaac saw thousands of people sailing on the water in their boats and they even waved to a few. By that time the sun was starting to go down and they left to take a stroll in the park. Fluttershy was enjoying herself as she sat on a bench feeding the ducks, while Rarity and Pinkie were going over the things they bought. That left Rainbow, Aj, and Isaac to discuss duel tactics. He could tell that both girls had a bit of a rivalry with each other based on Rainbow constantly putting herself on a pedestal.

“Admit it Aj, clearly I’m the best out of all of us.”

“If that’s true then how about those 72 times you’ve lost to me.” Applejack had a smug face which pissed off Rainbow.

“You only won because you got lucky. When it comes to the excellence of execution nobody is above me.”

“You keep tellin' yourself that. What about you Isaac, have you entered any tournaments in the past?”

“When I was younger I competed against kids in my neighborhood and we would often battle each other. As I got older I entered a few tournaments that my local game shop held but nothing major. This will be the first time that I’ll be able to showcase my abilities on a bigger platform. I’m a bit nervous.”

“Let me offer you some advice partner. Just do yer best and you’ll do fine.”

“Please what kind of advice is that? Look, everyone knows that if you want to rack up some easy wins you tend to fight the duelists that are weak or are fairly new to the game. In the case of you, Isaac, while it’s true this will be your first time I doubt people will want to fight you in the opening round. In fact you could use that to your advantage to get some quick wins. Remember based on your record, it determines if you’re eligible to compete in the finals.”

Isaac did admit there was a lot of information that Rainbow was throwing his way and it made his head hurt. Applejack saw it and put her hand on his shoulder to comfort him.

“Don’t worry about that now, the tournament isn’t for a while. The most important thing right now is to build some momentum before the event.”

Eventually the sun started to go down and they started to head back to Rarity’s house. Once they got there, they took a moment to talk about how the day went and for Isaac to rest after carrying all of Rarity’s bags.

“I really appreciate you girls. Thanks to you I had a wonderful time seeing what this place had to offer and we all got to hang out. So win, win. Plus I’ve got some cool souvenirs I can give to my parents.”

“It was our pleasure, dear. It was the least we could do, besides I’ve some wonderful new inspirations for my designs. I’ll let you know when I’m done with designing your outfit, Isaac. Feel free to stop by anytime you need some new clothes.”

“I’ll keep that in mind Rarity.”

“Well I don’t know about you guys but I’m ready to call it a day, so I’m going to head out. See you guys on Monday.” Rainbow then began to run as she made her way home. The rest of the girls soon followed. Just as Isaac was about to leave, he felt a tug on the sleeve of his shirt. Isaac turned around and saw that it was Aj. She seemed to have something on her mind.

“Is something the matter, Applejack?”

“Actually there’s somethin' ah wanted to talk to you about. I’ve been having a hard time tryin' to keep this a secret, but there’s a reason why Rainbow approached you. She was right about one thing: it does involve the CHS tournament.”

Isaac was a bit confused at what AJ was telling him.

“What she didn’t tell you is that there’s someone she’s tryin' to defeat or rather all of us are tryin'?”

“No offense Aj, but you're not making any sense.”

“Ah promise to tell you everythin' on Monday; ah just didn’t want to ruin our day. You were havin' so much fun that it would have felt wrong to thrust this upon you suddenly.”

“How is this any different?”

“Ah understand, just trust me, everythin' will be made clear in time.”

All of this was so sudden that Isaac couldn’t figure what the hell she was saying. So his only response was a simple nod.

“Ah appreciate it, sugar. Also I’ve been meanin' to ask do you have any plans next week?”

“I would have to check my schedule, but as of right now I don’t. Why?”

“Well mah family is havin' a small get together. It’s full of fun, food, and some good old fashion minglin'. This time ah’m the one plannin' the gatherin', but ah could use some help settin' up. Everybody else seems to be busy that day, so would you mind lettin' me a hand?”

The amount of information that was thrown in Isaac's face in the past 2 minutes was a giant cluster. One minute she’s telling him that she and the girls only wanted to meet with him because of the upcoming tournament. The next minute she’s asking his help as if they hadn’t talked about the previous topic. Honestly, Isaac didn’t know what to do. He looked at Aj and saw she had a genuine sincere look on her face.

“Alright, I’ll help. On one condition: from now on if you or the girls have an issue that’s bothering you don’t hesitate to ask me. Friends are supposed to trust each other and the worst way you can lose a friend is to betray their trust. I don’t want that to happen between us.”

“Ah understand, you have mah word that we’ll be honest with you from now on. Anyways, it’s getting late we better get home. I’ll see at school.”

Applejack gave a jab to Isaac's arm before she started walking home. Isaac took a couple of minutes to register what had transpired. To think that Rainbow only wanted to meet with him because she needed his help in taking someone down. Isaac thought she was impressed with his skills as a duelist but clearly that was wrong. This really has been an interesting day. Nighttime was starting to arrive and he needed to get home to avoid his parents worrying. Isaac figured he needed to have some more time to think about this so he made his way home. Little did Isaac know that it would only get worse.

The weekend had ended and Isaac was preparing for school. Ever since his talk with Aj, he had a whole day to lull over what she said. Isaac had some lingering thoughts and some unanswered questions; his best bet was to wait for the girls to tell him, especially Rainbow Dash. Isaac arrived at school and began to make his way to class. As he was walking, he noticed two people blocking his path; they weren’t tall in fact they were both short, one of them was a slight pudgy.

“Excuse me gentleman, but can I help you with something?”

The pudgy one spoke first, “Yes, in fact you can. We’ve been meeting to talk to you for quite a while, especially our leader.”

“Who’s your leader?”

“Follow us” spoke his friend.

They then began to walk in the opposite direction and Isaac soon followed them. They led him down a dark hallway that had a light overhead that was flickering on and off every second. Eventually, they came to a stop.

“So where’s your leader?”. As soon as Isaac said that, they turned around and faced him. Sensing a bad feeling, he started to reach for his deck when he heard a voice behind him that caused him to stop.

“Don’t even think about it!” came an evil voice.

Isaac turned around and he saw a girl. She had a light amber skin tone and had moderate cyan eyes. The major thing that stuck out about her was her bacon-like hair color and the leather jacket she wore.

“So you’re the kid who’s been causing a ruckus. Well now, I think it's time you and I got properly acquainted.”

Chapter 9: Shocking Revelations

“What do you want?” Isaac said with a commanding voice.

“What no hello? No introducing ourselves? I thought you were a gentleman.” snickered the girl.

“I’m only a gentleman to girls that don’t have a creepy aura around them. So I’ll ask you again, what do you want!?”

“Straight to the point, I like that in a person. Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sunset Shimmer. Pleased to meet you.” She extended her hand to Isaac which he gladly refused. “Left speechless, I tend to have that effect on people, especially boys. Listen I’m here because my lackeys have been trying to inform me about a certain someone who holds a rare card. Mind letting me see it?” A sick smile started to form on her face.

Isaac could tell this girl was trouble so when she asked to see his Dark Magician, you better believe he said hell no. Her response was less than pleasant but she didn’t care.

“No matter I know all about that card and how powerful it is. That’s why I’ve come with a proposition. It seems you’ve become friends with a certain group of individuals, if you’re wondering how I know about them let’s just say I’ve had a run-in with them in the past. To put it plainly I want you to forget them; those girls are just dead weight to you. I’ve seen what you can do and you are capable of so much more. If you continue to hang with those girls all there going to do is keep holding you back; as a duelist we always strive to be the best to push ourselves beyond our limits. The CHS tournament is an event that is a once in a lifetime that could elevate someone to stardom; take it from me the best way to improve is to not be carrying any more dead weight. Don’t you want to be the best?”

“Of course, who doesn’t want to be at the top?”

“Then heed my advice ditch the girls so you tune all of your focus on surviving in the tournament. Or don’t it’s up to you. Still know that this is my place and I run it; meaning I decide who lives and who suffers my wrath. If you play your cards right kid I might let you slide, are we clear?”

Isaac answered with a bit of bitterness. “Crystal.”

“Good, see you around Isaac. Don’t forget what we talked about; let’s go boys!” With that Sunset rubbed Isaac's hair with her hand as she had a smug look. His only response was a face of disgust as she began to leave with her two cronies following behind her. Just when Isaac thought she was gone, he heard her say one final thing.

“I’ll admit one thing you’re kind of cute for a good guy.” With that she disappeared as the school bell rang and Isaac was left to ponder his thoughts.

Not too long after Sunset left did her two goons popped the question.

“Excuse Sunset, do you really think Isaac will listen to you?”

“Yeah, I mean he’s a smart kid but I doubt he’ll obey what you told.”

“That’s what I hope for.”

“What!?” they both shouted.

“I have no control on what he does. He’s a naïve little boy who is always going to do the right thing; it’s what his pure little heart wants. He wants to continue to play the superhero then who am I to stop. The thing he needs to understand is separating reality from fantasy. I run this school, nobody can touch because I’m on another level. Anybody who thinks they can stop me are just as dumb as they are stupid. History is written by the victors and I hope Isaac chooses to stand by the side that will be remembered as the winners. This tournament is just a means for me to show everybody what I already know: this is my CHS and there’s not a damn thing anyone can do about it!”

The rest of the day was spent with Isaac in remorse. He kept thinking back to his meeting with Sunset and how she was telling him to cease his friendships with the girls. Apparently she saw it as an obstacle that was holding him back from reaching his true potential. Isaac knew what she was just trying to get under his skin but a part of him still felt what she said was true. If Isaac did forget about his relationships with the girls, would it help him to reach the next level. He always looking for a way to improve but did that mean he would have to make some sacrifices. Was his friendship with the girls one of those things he was willing to give up to become a great duelist? Isaac was having so much on his mind that he needed some clarity and being in class wasn’t helping him either.

Lunchtime had rolled around and Isaac wasn’t hungry in the slightest. He sat at a table still conflicted with his thoughts. Isaac was so lost in thought that he didn’t notice the girls till they got his attention.

“Hey Isaac, you ok?”

Isaac looked at Dash and he felt a bit of anger come across him. It didn’t last long but he still felt a bit of remorse.

“I’m fine Dash, I’m just not hungry”

“That’s not like you at all, sugarcube. Something’s on your mind, care to share with us?”

Isaac knew it was pointless to lie since Aj had a natural ability in determining when somebody was telling the truth or not. So he told them to grab a seat as he explained what was on his mind.

“Let me ask you girls, are you willing to do anything if it meant you were the best?” They all seemed confused by Isaac's question. “What I mean is if you wanted to be the best at the thing you love the most, are you willing to sacrifice everything/everyone? My passion for dueling is like no one else; I’m always looking to take on a challenge because I personally believe that it can help me on becoming the best duelist I can be. However does that mean I have to eventually forget about the people who helped me along the way.”

Rarity was the first one to speak up. “Darling, whatever made you bring up that idea.”

“This girl I met this morning, she said her name was Sunset Shimmer. She was talking about how I should forget everything I ever learned and focus on being the best. I didn’t trust seeing as how she was giving me some evil vibes.”

Unfortunately, Isaac didn’t see the expression that the girls had. It wasn’t until that he mentioned Sunset that their faces went changed from a caring look to one that had regret/remorse. It was as time had stood still. The air around us started to get colder and the sounds surrounding us started to fade into obscurity. Isaac didn’t know what to do, all he could do was look at them. Eventually the silence was broken when Applejack spoke.

“Pardon me, Isaac. But did you say you met Sunset Shimmer?”

“Yeah.”

“She didn’t try to fool you or blackmail, did she?” screamed Rainbow.

“Okay, what’s going on? First I find out you guys only wanted to meet with me because you need my help taking someone down. Then as soon as I mentioned that I met with a girl named Sunset you guys started to give me the death look. Something is going on and you better give me an explanation." To say Isaac was angry was an understate, he was generally becoming pissed off.

“I knew we shouldn’t have kept this a secret. I told you all this was a bad idea but nobody ever listens to me!” After letting out a sigh, Aj turned her attention to him. “Isaac, the reason why Rainbow wanted to meet with you was because of Sunset.”

“Why!?”

It was Rainbow’s turn to talk. “If you must know Sunset is the biggest bullying in the school.”

“She’s a real party pooper. She’s the biggest and meanest of anybody. A real sour drop.”

“In fact the whole school hates her. Not only that she’s a powerful duelist; she’s recently won several tournaments at CHS in the past. In fact she feels like she runs this place because nobody can defeat. I hate to admit but almost everybody thinks that Sunset Shimmer is undefeatable.”

Isaac processed what Dash just told him. “That can’t be true guys, no one is unbeatable.”

“You don’t understand, her skills are on another level. Every duel she plays is near perfection. She doesn’t make any mistakes nor does she allow any openings for her opponent to take advantage of. It’s like she has some kind of magic. As everyone knows dueling is a way to cement where you stand in the hierarchy and Sunset is at the top of that pecking order.”

“If she's such a bully, why haven’t Celestia or Luna done anything to stop her?”

Fluttershy then answered Isaac's question. “Almost everyone is scared of her demeanor that they don’t say anything. Instead they try to avoid her at all cost to ensure that they don’t get picked on. Everyday at school, the students do their best to survive because they know that once Sunset Shimmer has her sights set on you, you better pray you live.”

“Anyone who’s new or tries to stand up to her eventually falls and is forced to obey her rules. It’s not a pretty sight, best advice sugar keep your head down.”

“This doesn’t make sense, I only enrolled in CHS a few weeks ago. If she was such a bully why didn’t anybody give me a warning, hell why didn’t she confront me until now?”

“Sunset would have found out if someone snitched about her to a new student. As for why she didn’t approach you, I guess you seemed kind of harmless to her.” said Rarity.

“That’s why this time it’s going to be different. Since Sunset doesn’t see Isaac as a threat, she won’t be able to predict what he’s going to duel. It’s perfect, that’s why it’s important that you enter the tournament.”

“So I can do your dirty work, huh Dash? The only reason why you became friends with me is so Sunset Shimmer can fall? That’s the only reason why you need me, isn’t it!?” Isaac expressed how angry he was with them. “Here I was thinking that it’s impossible to become fast friends with people you just met. I actually believed that there are some people who even if you haven’t met, you can share a special connection with them. But I can throw that out the window because I found out you're just using me for your selfish needs. Out of everyone here the only person I can trust is Fluttershy because of what she’s done for me, while the rest of you were in on Rainbow’s plan. I trusted all of you, I even told you my background and you lied to my face. Let me ask you all, did any of you ever feel like we were friends?”

“Of course we did darling. I’ll admit while our initial reasons for wanting to meet you were malicious, you must believe that we really did want to become friends with you. After we heard about your story and saw how much of a nice person you were to Fluttershy, we wanted to become closer.”

“But why me? What could I possibly have that would require you guys to seek me out?”

“There’s one thing that you have that Sunset doesn’t have: it’s heart. Compared to Sunset you don’t rely on power to help you win your duels; you put your trust in your cards/deck.” Rainbow put her hand on Isaac's shoulder. “Listen Isaac, I’m so sorry for betraying your trust. I know it wasn’t the best way to meet but believe me when I say: we need you. We all want to see Sunset toppled off her pedestal that’s why me and the girls are entering the tournament. We want to show everybody that they don’t need to be afraid of her; they need to know that they can’t let fear dictate their lives. They need to know that Sunset Shimmer can be beaten. With you helping us it raises our odds significantly. So please can you lend us a hand?” Rainbow was offering me a handshake.

Isaac had a whole bunch of emotions flowing through him. While he was glad the girls confessed that it was wrong of them to mislead him, a part of him still felt hurt and skeptical about trusting them. Still the major issue that they could agree on was that Sunset needed to be beaten. He was not one to stand by and let others express their power willing and use it to push around others. If someone is in need of assistance, he can’t just turn a blind eye and do nothing. If the girls believed that he could help them free the school from Sunset’s reign then Isaac had to do his part. So he looked at them with a determined look on his face.

“Alright, I’ll help you.” With that Isaac extended his hand to Rainbow and they shook on it.

“Thanks. You don’t know how much this means to us.” Rainbow had glee on her face.

“But from now on you have to promise that there will be no more secrets between us. I’m here for you guys because I’m willing to be your support pillar when you experience troubles. But I need to know that there won’t be any shady business. Are we clear?”

“Totally, from now no more secrets. The only secret is going to be you when Sunset sees what you’ve got she’ll be trembling in her boots.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s possibly. According to my run-in with her this morning, she seems to have heard about my recent victories so she knows what I can do. I don’t think she knows what skills I possess but she does know about my Dark Magician. So it’s safe to assume that she’ll be keeping a close eye on me.”

“Well the good thing is that she just assumes you’re someone who holds a powerful card and is just surviving on pure luck. Which means we still have a small chance to surprise her. However, it’s important that you don’t show her all of your talents.” Rainbow was really putting her mind to work coming up with a plan. “I hate to say this but Isaac you might want to keep your dueling to a minimum so Sunset doesn’t expect anything. I know it must be tough especially since you're so passionate about dueling but this is for the best.”

“I’ll try but it won’t stop other people from approaching me on their own free will. If someone challenges me, then I have to accept it Dash, plus it helps me to build momentum for the tournament." While Isaac could hold back on how many duels he engaged, he couldn’t control what other people would do. The girls understood that and assured him that if someone wanted to battle him, Isaac would give it his all and try not to go overboard with showing off his dueling skills. With that they began formulating their plan to bring down Sunset and restore freedom back to everyone. The rest of the day went by and everyone was getting ready to head home when they heard the P.A. system go live.

Celestia was coming through the microphone as she began to deliver her announcement. “Greetings students, I hope everyone is doing well with their classes so far. I’m really impressed with how hard you all are working to ensure you get good grades. However that’s not what I want to talk about today. I’m sure all of you know about the school’s annual Fall Formal and how it’s held to help you to relax and celebrate all of your hard work so far. It’s Canterlot High’s biggest event not just for the dance but for the tournament that is held. Each year a dueling tournament is held in the spirit of competition to find out who is the top duelist at CHS. This event is special because it can alter the life of whoever wins; it can help to propel you to take your dueling game to the next level. As such I’m pleased to announce that registration has officially begun; starting right now if you would like to compete please head to the library and register on the school’s website. The only thing you’ll need is your duel disk and your deck so that our school’s system can have them in our database in case any problems arise. Note that once you register your deck you can be able to change your deck before and in between duels during the actual event. We want to ensure that everyone can bring out their full potential, so we ask that you give it your all in order to receive your shot at immortality. Thank you all and have a good rest of your day. "

Once Celestia had delivered her message Isaac and the girls all met up and made their way to the library. They each took turns registering for the event. Other than their duel disk/deck, the registration only asked for basic information like their name, win/loss record, etc.… Once they all entered, they then walked outside.

“Well it’s officially on. We still have plenty of time before the tournament begins which means there’s enough chance for us to get in some special training.” said Rainbow Dash with a determined look on her face.

“Remember we’re all in this together. Our goal is to take down Sunset, if one person manages that then our mission will be a success. Everyone bring it in.” Applejack had her arm extended with her hand out. Soon the girls started to do the same and put their hands on top of each; the only one left was me. They each had smiles on their face, they knew what they were getting themselves into and they weren’t afraid. Isaac then followed suit and put his hand in to show that he understood the plan.

“All for one and one for all.” said Aj.

“Let’s go Team Friendship.” Pinkie was giggling so hard that jumping up and down so fast it was a blur.

Eventually they broke their huddle and then said goodbye to each other as they headed home. The fight to free the school from Sunset’s control had begun and now it was just a matter of time before Isaac and the girls showed everybody the meaning of grit and to not let anybody walk over you. With that he continued on his way home where Isaac prepared for the battle that would arrive very soon.

Chapter 10: An Apple A Day

A couple of days had passed since Celestia had made her announcement. During that time everybody who had registered was going over their decks and reviewing it to see what improvements could be made. Even the girls were constantly checking their decks and whenever they had a question on how they played or what they could change up they often went to me for advice. Well everyone except Rainbow Dash, she felt like her deck was fine the way it was and didn’t need any tuning. Regardless I still felt happy that I could help the girls in any way. Also I had some students challenge me to a duel but luckily I was able to dispose of them in quick fashion. We made sure to get in some practice everyday after school. Despite everyone preparing for the tournament, I still remembered the promise I made to Aj the week prior. School had just let out and everyone was getting ready for the weekend; I then went to find Aj to discuss about tomorrow.

“Hey Aj, I wanted to know what’s the plan for tomorrow?”

“Howdy, sugarcube. I would appreciate it if you come tomorrow by 8. There’s a lot that’s going to need to be done so we better start bright and early. That’s not a problem for you now is it.”
“Don’t worry about me. I’ll make sure I’m on time.”

“Great, make sure you come prepared for a hard day’s work.” With that she gave me her address and headed home.

The sun was barely coming up against the horizon. My alarm went off as I forced myself to get up sooner than I’m used to. After taking some time to get myself ready I put on a clean set of clothes and looked at the address Aj gave me. Thankfully it wasn’t too far but it still would take a while to get there. Once I was ready I left my house and began walking to my destination. By the time I got to the place I could see the sun started to barely reach the morning sky. The place was easy enough to find. It had a sign that read ‘Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres’; not to mention the thousands upon thousands of apple trees that existed in the orchard. I knew Aj and her family had an affiliation with apples but it was more like an obsession with apples. I made my way to the door and gave a loud knock hoping someone was awake. The door opened and their stood Aj already dressed.

“Howdy Isaac, seems like you’re here bright and early.”

“I did keep my promise” as I said that I let out a small yawn.

Aj just giggled a bit at Isaac trying to stay awake. “I see you’re a man of your word, I like that about you. Anyways before we get started why don’t we get something to eat? Come on in, breakfast is nearly ready.”

The smells that came from the house when I first stepped in was nothing like I had experienced before. I followed Aj to the kitchen where I saw more of her family members sitting at the table waiting for her to return. Applejack was kind enough to introduce them to me.

“Isaac allow me to introduce you to my family. This here is my little sister: Apple Bloom, this is my older brother: Big Macintosh, and this is my Granny Smith.”

“Hi everybody, my name is Isaac.”

Granny Smith was the first one to speak. “Well now, what’s fine boy like you doing with Applejack? Are you trying to win my granddaughter's hand in marriage?”

I was a bit embarrassed at Granny Smith’s comment; Aj however had a bit of a blush on her face. “Granny it’s nothing like that, he’s just a friend and he’s here to lend me a hand in setting up today’s party.”

“I’m just messing you sweetie. Still he seems like a fine young lad; got some muscle on him too.”

Just then Applejack’s brother stood up and made his way to me. I was a bit intimidated due to him being taller than me, but mostly due to the fact that he was Aj’s older brother and if he got the wrong idea and me and his sister then I was in for a whirl of hurt. He extended his hand to me.

“Uhm… Hi I’m Isaac, I’m a friend of Aj.” I was cautious when I gave him a handshake. His only response was a nod and a “Yep”.

“Not much of talker, are you?”

“Nope,” he said.

“Hi yeah, mister. I’m Applebloom. Are you really here to help us? Oh I can’t wait for all the fun we’re going to have today.”

I could tell Applebloom was the eccentric one of the bunch based on how she tugged at the hem of my shirt and was jumping up and down.

“Alright Applebloom, that's enough bothering Isaac. He’s here to help us get ready for today’s event. Once we’re done setting everything up then you can have time to play. Now come on soup’s on everybody.” With that everybody sat down to eat a filling breakfast.

After breakfast was finished, me and Aj began to make our way to the barn as her family stayed behind to clean up. Once we got to the barn, Aj unlocked it and showed me the inside of it. It was a standard description of what a barn looked like just that it had a lot more barrels of hay stacked. She told me how she wanted everything organized and once she was done discussing we got to work. The amount of work that I experienced was one I’ll never forget. It really started to take a toll on me that I even had to take a couple of breaks since I wasn’t used to this amount of labor. Applejack didn’t mind as long as I didn’t take too much time. Once I got my strength back, I returned back to work. It was about an hour or two after noon when we finally finished cleaning and setting up the barn for the party. Applejack was firmly impressed with what we accomplished that she offered me a bottle of apple cider. I took the bottle and we sat on a barrel of hay. When I took that first sip, my taste buds had felt like they had died and gone to heaven. I wanted more that I took an even bigger sip.

“Woah, nelly. Careful there Isaac, don’t want to choke on that.” chuckled Aj.

“Sorry, it’s just that’s the best damn cider I’ve ever tasted.” I gave her a thumbs up as my seal of approval.

Applejack let out a small smile as Isaac said his comment. “I’d appreciate you for honest input, Isaac. Also for willing to give me a hand in setting up the party. Honestly, if I didn’t find someone to help me I would probably have done this myself. I can be pretty stubborn sometimes.”

“You? Stubborn? Never?” I gave her a sarcastic remark.

“Alright, I get it. It’s just sometimes I think that if you want the job done right, you have to do it yourself.”

“Hey, I get it. Sometimes you want things to be perfect, but that’s just not possible.”

“Believe me, I learned that the hard way. Hey Isaac, I’m going to be honest, do you think we stand a chance at taking down Sunset?”

“To be honest, I’m not so sure. If you girls claim that she’s as good of a duelist as she is then it’ll be tough to beat her. Still you gotta have faith that everything will work out.”

“Yeah. you know despite what happened recently with us, I’m glad that you’re helping us and that you're my friend. I can say I’m proud to have met you.”

“Hey now what’s this, you starting to go all sweet on me Aj? Doesn’t your grandma already think that I’m your ‘boyfriend’ or something?”

Aj had a small blush at what I said but still responded, “I’m just being honest. I’m really grateful to be your friend.”

“Right back at you, Aj”. The final moments of us sitting together was spent sipping the last of our beverages. After that me and Aj both cleaned ourselves up as guests started to arrive for the party. The party was in full swing as the guests were having the time of their life; Applejack even introduced me to some more of her relatives. I merely paid my respects and shook their hands though they did call me something that seemed to have caused Aj to hide her face a couple of times. They called me Applejack’s beau or something; I didn’t know what they meant so I asked Applejack but she ignored my question. Eventually she was called to help with something, so I was left to explore on my own. There were different things that were going on. Most of the adults were talking amongst themselves while the kids were having fun by playing tag and some of them were even playing Duel Monsters on a tree stump. As I was walking around I heard a sigh followed by a very quiet yell. I turned to see if I could find the source of the sound and was surprised to see that it came from Applebloom. You’d think that Applebloom out of all people would be ecstatic about playing with the other kids but here she was sitting in front of a tree stump looking sad. I wanted to see if I could help so I made my way towards her.

“Oh… I’ll never get it right. I’ll never be as good as Aj. Maybe I should just give, I’ll never win a duel.”

“Hey Applebloom.”

Applebloom turned to see who was addressing her and was surprised to see it was Isaac. She would have thought he would be spending time with her sister. “Oh hey Isaac, are you enjoying the party?”

“I can say that I’ve been entertained at least. But what about you? Shouldn’t you be playing with the other kids?”

“I would, if I wasn’t such a horrible duelist. I may just be a rookie but I know at least the basics to understand how a duel works. I even pay attention to when Applejack duels so that I can pick up pointers. I know what strategies to implement when playing but I just can’t seem to do it. It’s like I’m nervous about what’s going to happen that I can’t force myself to do it. Maybe this is a sign that I shouldn’t be a duelist; I’ll never be as good as Applejack.” Applebloom put her head down as the bow in her hair came undone.

I looked at Applebloom and felt sorry for her. I picked up her bow and tapped her shoulder. “Maybe I can offer some assistance.I can’t tell you how you should play your deck but I can give you some suggestions. Let’s take a look.”

Once Applebloom collected herself, she put her bow back in her hair and began to overlook her deck with Isaac. She showed Isaac her deck and told him of the different combos she could pull off. After a couple of minutes, Isaac had given Applebloom some pointers on how to play her cards, including some advice that could prove useful in a duel like knowing when to take damage and when to set up her defenses to counter her opponent. Not to mention Isaac even gave Applebloom a couple of cards to help fortify her defenses. With that Applebloom’s new deck was constructed.

“Here you go, Applebloom.”

“Golly, thank you Isaac. I can’t wait to try this up.” Applebloom was like a kid on Hearth's Warming eve.
“Just promise me that you remember the most important thing I taught you Applebloom. Always put your trust in your deck and your cards will have faith in you. I guess what I’m trying to say is: believe in the heart of the cards.”

“I’ll make sure to remember that. Well I’m going to go try this deck out, see you around Isaac.” With that Applebloom met up with the other kids as Isaac watched on.

“She really is happy, isn’t she?”

I jumped a bit at the voice behind. I turned around and saw it was none other than Applejack.

“Didn’t mean to scare you, sugarcube? I saw what you did for Applebloom and I’m thankful for your help. Ever since we were young our parents weren’t never around, so I took it upon myself to become sort of a mother figure for her. She really loves to duel and I often try to help her whenever I can but seeing as we’re also running a business it’s tough to find time to practice between school and work. That’s why I’m grateful you could help her.”

“It’s no big deal, plus I truly think that she has the potential to become a good duelist.”

“I believe so, anyways I came to find you to let you know that I finished helping my cousin Braeburn. So I wanted to ask if you wanted to come with me to the barn for the final festivities?”

“I’d be glad to accompany you.” With that Aj led me to the barn where music came blaring out from. Once we entered inside I saw people enjoying themselves, I saw a few couples dancing together. I looked around and saw Applebloom sitting at a table surrounded by the other kids having a practice duel. It made me happy to see she was having fun and not having to worry about what she should do. Soon my attention was directed to the sound of a microphone being turned on. On the stage was Aj’s cousin who had orange and yellow hair and was wearing a cowboy hat.

“Howdy, y'all. I just wanted to say thanks to cousin Applejack for putting together a fun family gathering. Let’s give her a round of applause.” Everybody followed suit and showed their appreciation for all of Applejack’s efforts.

Applejack was a blush from embarrassment and she made her way onto the stage. “I’d really appreciate everybody having a good time but I couldn’t do all this without the help of my friend. Isaac, why don’t you join me and take a bow?”

Everybody was cheering me, so eventually I got up on the stage and took a bow with Aj.

Braeburn then took the microphone from Aj’s hands and had another announcement to make. “Now that we’ve got that out of the way. I think it’s time we end the festivities with a bang. And what better end to end it than with a duel. So what do you say cousin, up for a little duel?”

Applejack wasted no time in answering Braeburn’s challenge. “You're on.”

“Excellent, but this won’t be a normal duel. It’s going to be a tag team duel; me and cousin Caramel against you and a partner of your choosing. So who’s going to be your partner, cus?”

“That’s easy I choose the one person who I know has got my back, I choose Isaac as my partner.”

“Choosing to side with your beau? Well time to give the lucky couple a duel to remember.”

I was still confused by what that word meant. “Hey, Aj what does… Ow!”. It seemed Aj had punched me in the arm before I could finish asking my question.

Applejack was a bit fuming. “First of all Braeburn, Isaac is just my friend. Second, you better be ready because we’re going to send you and Caramel packing.”

“Then let's get the duel started.” With that we made our way outside with a crowd of people following behind to see the game. While everyone was getting ready I turned to Aj to mention something.

“Look Aj, I’m glad you chose me to be your partner, but there’s a slight problem. I didn’t bring my duel disk.”

“Not to worry, sugarcube. Big Mac, mind letting Isaac use your duel disk?”

“Yup.” Big Mac then tossed his duel disk to Isaac. Now that he had a way to duel, Isaac slotted his deck into the device and prepared to battle alongside Applejack.

Braeburn then began to address everyone. “Now that everyone is ready, let’s explain the rules: Both players share 8000 life points and can’t attack until everyone has taken a turn. In addition, you can’t use your partner’s cards without their permission. Furthermore, if your partner has no monsters to defend themselves then their teammate can choose to defend them with the monsters they have on their side of the field. Does everybody understand?”

“I understand, prepare yourself Aj because it’s time to duel.”

“Opponent detected. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel.”
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 8000
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 8000

Turn 1: Braeburn

“I’m kicking things off, I draw. I’ll start by playing the field spell Applelossa Ranch” Braeburn placed a card on his duel disk which morphed the whole field into a similar environment like the one we were previously on. “This little spell has got a few abilities but I’ll explain them in due time. For one, I can send a monster from my hand to my deck and exchange for a different monster. So I’ll send a card back to my deck in exchange for a more well-suited creature. Now I summon to the field my Bronco Bull(1600/1500) in attack mode, I end my turn.”

Turn 2: Isaac

“It’s my turn and I draw. I’ll start by playing the spell Pot of Greed, now I’ll draw two more cards. I just drew the monster Watapon(200/300) now I can special summon him in defense mode. Next I’ll also play Electromagnetic Turtle(0/1800) in defense mode, with that I’ll end my turn with 2 facedowns.”

Turn 3: Caramel

“I draw. I’ll play the spell Sweet Treat, with this I can give a monster of my choosing an extra boost of 300 attack. That’s perfect because I’m summoning to the field my Taffy Knight(1200/1400) in attack mode. Now my spell raises his attack to 1500; I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”

Turn 4: Applejack

“Finally, I’ve been itching for some action. I draw and I’m going for a strong first turn. I play the spell Foolish Burial now I send a monster from mah deck to the graveyard. Ah choose my Dandylion(300/300). Thanks to that I can now activate its own effect with it I can summon 2 Fluff Tokens(0/0) to take its place, rise up my little seeds. I’ll then play the continuous spell Super Solar Nutrient, with this I sacrifice one of my tokens to summon Level 4 or below Plant monster from mah deck. So say hello to my Lonefire Blossom(500/1400) in defense mode. I’ll end my turn with 2 facedowns. Back to you cousin.”

Turn 5: Braeburn

“Now then, I draw. I’ll then activate the other ability of my field spell which means I gain a counter for every cowboy creature that I summon. I’ll then play Cowboy Shooter(1200/800) in attack mode. Cowboy Shooter allows me to deal 800 points of damage when he’s summoned. Ready, aim, and fire. I’ll then send a monster back to my deck in exchange for a new card. Get ready Applejack, cause I’m sending my bull to attack that token of yours. Go attack my pet with Charging Headbutt.”

As Braeburn’s monster charged, I had nothing to save my teammate. “Aj, watch out.”

“Don’t worry about me, Isaac. I reveal my facedown trap Plant Growth, now I’ll cut your monster’s points in half and it prevents my monster from being destroyed. I’ll still take damage, but the more important thing is that my monster is still sticking around.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 6600-

“Not bad cousin, I’ll set a facedown and end my turn.”

Turn 6: Isaac

“I draw; you alright Aj?”

“I’m fine, sugar. It’s going to take more than that to keep me down.” Applejack dusted off her skirt and her hat as she got back up from Braeburn’s assault.

“That’s what I like to hear. Now then what do you say we keep it up a notch. I’ll start by sacrificing my Watapon to summon my Dark Magician Girl.” Just like before, out came a female wizard who wore a magician’s outfit and gave a kiss/wink before landing on my side. “Then I’ll play the spell card Sage’s Stone now since I control Dark Magician Girl, I can then summon the Dark Magician. You’ve seen the apprentice, now prepare to meet the master and my most loyal monster. Appear, Dark Magician.” The duel disk registered my card and out came the star monster of my deck.

Everybody in the crowd was stunned by the creatures that I had managed to summon. Even Aj was impressed with how I had managed to bring both of my spellcasters out. I couldn’t really see it, but Applejack was having a smile on her face. I then proceeded to continue with my attack.

“Now time for my monsters to lay waste to your side of the field. Dark Magician attacks Braeburn’s Bronco Bull and Dark Magician Girl takes out Caramel’s Taffy Knight.” Both of my wizards launched themselves at the monsters and delivered a powerful double team which knocked Braeburn and Caramel to the floor. “I end my turn.”
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 6600-

“Yee-haw, now that’s some fine dueling. Good job Isaac, not only did you manage to even it up but you took out two monsters.” Applejack was happy with what had recently transpired.

“Thanks, but don’t get too comfortable. We’re not out of the woods just yet.”

Turn 7: Caramel

“I’ll admit that was an impressive turn, but your actions come with some consequences. Now since a monster equipped with Sweet Treat was destroyed I can draw a card. Now it’s my turn and I draw. I’ll summon Candy Lord(800/1000) in defense mode; next I’ll play the spell King’s Court now I can summon another monster that’s level 4 or below and I choose my Appletart(1300/1100) in attack mode. Now I’ll activate my facedown Orchard’s Grove, with this I can place a fruit on my tree whenever I summon a monster. Since I have 2 monsters on my field, my tree grows 2 fruits on its branches. With that I’ll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn.”

Turn 8: Applejack

“I was expecting more after taking a beating from my partner, oh well. I draw and I’ll activate my Blossom’s ability and sacrifice mah other token to summon another plant monster from mah deck, ah special summon Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms(2800/1200) in attack mode. Now for my last treat, I’ll activate my continuous spell Miracle Fertilizer, this allows me to revive a Plant Monster in my graveyard once a turn. I choose my Dandylion(300/300). My princess has an ability that allows her to gain 100 attack points for every plant I control. Now time for my princess to flaunt her beauty, take out Braeburn’s shooter.”

“Don’t think so, I’ll activate my trap Sticky Situation. Now I trap your monster with taffy to stop your attack, but more importantly it can’t move or change battle positions.”

“I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”

Turn 9: Braeburn

“I draw and summon another Cowboy Shooter, now you both take another 800 points of damage. Then I’ll gain another counter thanks to my field spell but don’t worry I’ll be using those counters right now. I send both counters and my field spell to draw 2 cards. Yee-haw, just what I needed. Now since I drew my Cowboy Wrangler(700/700) I can summon him straight to the field.”

Applejack was the first to speak about Braeburn’s move. “What good does that do if it doesn’t have enough attack points to take down even our strongest monsters?”
“You’re right cousin, but you should know that my wrangler is a tuner monster.”

When Braeburn said that it took me a moment to realize what was about to happen. “A tuner? What? You don’t mean?”

“That’s right I now tune my level 2 Cowboy Wrangler with both of my level 3 Cowboy Shooters, I synchro summon my level 8 Cowboy Vigilante(2700/1300). My monster’s got a sweet ability and let’s show it off. Go Roulette Gallery.” Soon all of Isaac’s and Applejack’s monsters were placed on a large spinner wheel and began to spin. “Now once per turn, my monster can destroy a monster and you take damage equal to their attack points. Now time to find out who’s the lucky winner. Stop spinning.” The spinner started to slow down and it landed on Aj’s princess.

“Sorry cousin, but my cowboy destroys your monster and you take damage.” Braeburn’s monster then had Aj’s monster in his sights and quick as lightning fired its rifle and blasted the creature into a million petals. “I’ll end my turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 3900-

Turn 10: Isaac

“I’ll go and I draw. I’ll play my spell card Thousand Knives now my Dark Magician will destroy your Cowboy. Say goodbye to your monster Braeburn.”

“Woah, steady there partner. I activate my facedown, my Sheriff's Badge and equip it to my monster. Now thanks to this, my monster can’t be destroyed by card effects. Better luck next time. Hey Aj, it seems your beau really is trying to impress you. Gutsy move he just played.”

Again with that word, what does it mean? I tried to ask Aj but when I turned to her, she looked away really quick.

“In that case, I’ll play this Magic Formula which raises my Dark Magician Girl attack by 700. Now my magicians take out Caramel’s monsters go, Double Dark Magic attack.”

“I knew you do that, I activate my trap A La Mode. Now your attack is stopped and your battle phase comes to an end. In addition, I can summon an Apple Squire(100/200) to my field.”

“I’ll end my turn.”

Turn 11: Caramel

“My turn and I draw. First my Orchard’s Grove grows another fruit thanks to my Squire. I’ll then play the spell card Bushel of Apples which means I can summon another from Apple Squire from my hand, come forth Apple Squire #2(200/300). Since I have Apple Squire #1 and #2 on the field, I can summon Apple Squire #3(300/400) from my deck. Then my grove gains 2 more fruits. Now I have a full tree and it's time to harvest, I’ll send my entire tree to the grave. Now based on how many counters it has determines what I can do, since it has at least 3 counters I can draw 2 cards and add 1 level 7 of below monster straight to my hand. Now I’ll sacrifice my 3 squires to summon my most tasty monster, come out my Apple King(2800/2500) in attack mode. My king has an ability that allows him to raise his own stats using my other monsters so now my king has a total of 4900. Now my king express your power by taking down that magician.”

“I activate my trap Monster Drain now by sending my turtle to the grave. I can cause your monster to lose 1000 points.”

“That may be, but my king still has enough to take out your spellcaster.” With that Caramel’s king landed a punch on Isaac’s monster as it was sent to the graveyard. The force of the attack caused Isaac to land on his back. “I’ll end my turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 2500-

Turn 12: Applejack

“My turn, I draw. Now it’s time I shake things up; I’ll activate Polymerization and fuse my Predaplant Cordycep(0/0) with my Predaplant Chlamydosundew(600/200). I fusion summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000) in attack mode; once per turn I can banish a monster whose level is lower or equal to my chimera’s. So I banish your Cowboy Vigilante.”

“Think again, I reveal my other facedown Sour Apples. Now I can redirect your attack to another target and I choose my Appletart; next you get slammed with damage equal to your monster’s attack points. It’s all over!”

“Don’t be too sure, I activate my trap Sturdy Tree now any damage inflicted is cut in half. Talk about some bad taste buds. Fine, I still have my fertilizer spell card which lets me revive 1 plant monster from the grave and I choose my Predaplant Chlamydosundew. I’ll then back off this turn.”
Isaac and Applejack’s Life Points: 1250-

Turn 13: Braeburn

“I draw and I’ll activate my cowboy’s ability. Now time to see which monster gets destroyed, don’t forget you take damage equal to the monster that’s selected.”

“I’m well aware Braeburn, we have 3 monsters on our side and two of them have over 2000 points which means if it lands on one of them, we lose.”

“Let’s hope that luck is on our side, Aj.”

“Go Roulette Gallery.”

As before our monsters were set on a large spinner and the wheel began to spin. Despite having 2 monsters with over 2000 points we still had a chance to stay in the duel due to Aj’s other monster. If it landed on her Predaplant Chlamydosundew, we would take damage but it means we’re still in this duel. Just then the wheel started to slow down. As the arrow slowly came to a halt I saw the expression on Aj’s face as even she was worried about our chances; then it stopped and the arrow revealed our fate. It had landed on the choice we wanted as her Chlamydosundew was being targeted.

“Looks like you both live another turn, but I can’t say the same for your monster or your life points. Now my cowboy takes aim and fires. I’m not done either because I activate my spell card: Firearms, now I can have my Cowboy destroy 1 of your spell/traps. So I choose to get rid of your facedown on the far right. With that I’ll end my turn. It’s only a matter of time before you lose cousin; don’t worry I’m sure your beau will make feel better after this defeat.”

Turn 14: Isaac

“My turn and I draw. I play the spell card Graceful Charity now I draw 3 cards and discard 2.” It all comes down to this. If I don’t pull the right card then both me and Aj are done for. Here goes.
“Hey Aj, you ready to win?”

“Of course, sugarcube. But what do you have planned?”

“I’ll show you, in fact I’ll show everybody. Now I’ll play the spell card The Eye of Timaeus with this I can conduct a fusion summon using this and my Dark Magician Girl. Now merge you two and unveil a new monster. Appear Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight(2600/1700).” Out came a dragon that was humongous as it spread its wings and let out a loud roar. In addition, there was also a rider on the dragon’s back. The rider was a female and she dawned a silver outfit that not only resembled her previous outfit but also looked like a suit of armor; instead of her trusted wand she wielded a sword. The sight of my new monster received some interesting noise from the crowd. While the adults were fascinated by my monster, the kids were a bit scared about how big my dragon was and the fangs that it had attached to its mouth.

Applejack saw the sight of Isaac’s new monster and to say she was impressed was an understatement. This new creature showed a fierce look and the way it stood by Isaac’s side gave her a new feeling in herself.

“Now time to show my monster’s ability by sending 1 card from my hand to the grave I can destroy 1 face-up card on the field.”

“You must have some cotton in your ear. Did you forget about my Sheriff’s Badge and how it protects my cowboy from being destroyed?”

“You’re right Braeburn, that badge protects your monster from being targeted but it doesn’t make the badge itself immune. So I choose to destroy your badge.”

“Alright, I’ll give you that one.”

“Now my dragon knight takes out that Candy Lord. With that I’ll end my turn with a facedown.”

Turn 15: Caramel

“My turn now time to end this duel. I attack your Dragon knight with my Apple King, time to pay your respects to the king.”

“I don’t think I will see my knight bows to no king, especially when I activate my turtle’s ability from the grave.”

“From the grave!? You can’t do that!”

“I can because when he’s in the grave, I can banish him from play to end your battle phase. So now your monster’s attack is canceled.”

“I’ll end my turn.”

Turn 16: Applejack

“That was some quick thinking on your part Isaac.”

“Thanks Aj, but now it’s up to win this.”

“Don’t you worry bout a thing, I’ve got this. I draw. Now to secure the win, now my Predaplant will attack your cowboy. Time for feeding frenzy.”

“You know that your monster’s weaker than my?”

“I know that’s why my predaplant has an ability see when it’s involved in an attack it gains 1000 attack and your monster loses 1000 attack points. So now my creature is the stronger one on the field.” With that Aj’s monster lunged it’s set of jaws at Braeburn’s monster and devoured it in one swallow.
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 4800-

“Next I’ll activate a facedown called Mighty Seed, now by giving up 1000 life points my monster can conduct a second attack so go attack that Apple King. It’s effect will also activate meaning your monster loses 1000 while I gain 1000.”

“I’ll back up my partner with these 2 facedowns, first is my Spellbinding Circle which attaches your monster and not only makes it lose 700 points but it can’t change battle position. Now my other card: Magician’s Helping Hand. Since I have a ‘Dark Magician’ in my grave I can target 1 monster on the field and double its attack points for the rest of the turn and I choose Chlamydosundew. Now it’s attack rises to 9000 which is more than enough to win this duel.”

“Now my monster finish this duel.” Predaplant Chlamydosundew then had a growth spurt as it was powered up by the effects of our cards and grew till it looked like a giant beanstalk. It then unleashed its jaws on the fruit as it devoured the monster and caused both Braeburn and Caramel to fall on their backs.
Braeburn and Caramel’s Life Points: 0
Winner: Isaac and Applejack

Once the duel ended both me and Aj gave each other a high five.

“Yee-haw, not that’s the kind of excitement a gal can get used to. I’m mighty proud to have you as my partner Isaac.” Applejack gave Isaac a playful punch in the arm.

“Ow, thanks Applejack but next time try not to hit me so hard especially my dueling arm. You’re right though that was a fun duel and I can’t wait for the tournament. Now that I’ve seen what you can do I’ll have to really strengthen my deck if I want to beat you.”

“I'd like to see you try, who knows maybe we might end up facing each other. The way you commanded your spellcasters and summoned out that new monster of yours I’ll have to work twice as hard to come up with tactics like that.” Applejack then let out a laugh with Isaac soon joining in. Eventually Braeburn made his way to the both of them.

“Well, I’m impressed. You really gave me a fight to remember cousin, I now see why you’re the best duelist in our family not to mention you’ve got some powerful friends. I heard your school is about to have their annual tournament; I want to wish you luck.”

“I’d appreciate it.”

“Hey Isaac, right? Just want to say thanks for a memorable duel also I have a favor to ask. You mind keeping an eye on Applejack in the tournament? I know she’s a tough girl and can take care of herself, but sometimes she’s a bit stubborn. Make sure she doesn’t run into trouble?”

“You’re asking the wrong guy for that job. Aj’s a strong independent woman who is going to do what she wants the least I can do is make sure that she has friends who are always going to back her up.”

“That’s all I ask. Well Applejack, until we meet again take care of yourself. Also you’re lucky, many girls would kill to have a beau like him make sure you don’t mess it up” Braeburn left with a snickering laugh/smile and left with a hurry before Applejack could hunt him down.

As I saw Aj scream at her cousin to get back here, I still didn’t manage to figure out what that word meant. Eventually, we both made our way back to the barn as the other members of her family began to show us their appreciation. The party continued well into the night and everyone had a blast. Soon everybody started to leave and expressed how much fun they had; they said their goodbyes and went on their way home. The only ones left were me and Applejack’s family as I stayed and helped to clean up. Aj however said it was fine and decided to offer me a ride home. I felt bad about leaving them to clean up, but she said it was alright.

The drive home was a smooth ride with me and her making small talk. We wanted to learn more about each other so we told stories about each other when we were kids. I even laughed when I learned that when she was young she fell into a pit trap she made as a way to catch what she called ‘The Great Seedling’. Apparently it was supposed to bring a bountiful harvest to whoever caught it, but all it did was get her trapped for a whole day. Eventually, we arrived at my place and just when I was about to get out she addressed me.

“Listen Isaac, I had a real blast with you and I’m grateful for helping me to set up the party.”

“Anytime Aj, I also had fun today. I got to partake in an awesome duel and I helped Applebloom to overcome her fears.”

“For that I’m ever so grateful, but know that it won’t be like this in the tournament. Once that event begins, it’s every duelist for themselves. Celestia said it best this kind of event can change a person’s life, if I won it would mean tons of new connections for me and my family. We could expand our business and bring in a ton of money, especially when it comes time for Granny to hand over the farm. I want to make sure that she knows that our home is in good hands when it’s time for her to step down. So know this we will always be friends no matter, but once it begins you best believe I’m going all out and if I have to beat you to realize my dreams then may the best duelist.”

“May the best duelist win.”

Applejack then spat in her mouth and extended for me to shake. It was a bit unorthodox, not to mention unsanitary, but I eventually did the same and shook her hand to seal the deal. With that I exited out the car and waved goodbye to Aj as she drove off into the distance. I entered my house and found my parents fast asleep, so I quietly made my way to my room without waking them up. I changed my clothes and laid on my bed staring up at the ceiling before falling asleep. There were a thousand thoughts racing in my mind, but one thing they all had in common was Sunset Shimmer and she needed to be defeated. It was easier said than done, but I had to trust in my deck and skills if I was going to help the girls to liberate the school from her tyranny. Soon sleep started to come upon me as my eyes started to close and I drifted off to dreamland.

Chapter 11: The Underground

The day after my adventure with Applejack was slow to say the least. Apart from me and my parents attending morning service, today was a chill day. Coming from my background, my parents were insisted that I understood about our religion especially since it was a big part of our background. I wasn't a big religious person but I considered myself a spiritual person; anyways that's a whole conversation for another day. Today I was in my living room sitting on my couch while I was listening to a song play on my phone. Got to love these lazy sundays.

Seriously though, I was doing something important. I was currently going over the official rulebook for the upcoming tournament. It contained information that I already knew from talking with the girls. However there was some details that I didn't know. As mentioned by the girls, the tournament was more of a round robin style instead of elimination to avoid unfair matchmaking and to give everybody a chance to compete. The one thing that was important was that you could not challenge the same person in a row. Once a duel has ended both players are allowed a 5 minute rest in order to gain their strength and to make any changes to their deck that they feel comfortable with. I understood why this was done to also avoid people cheating their way to the finals. Overall the whole school was consider fair game and the event would last for a total of 3 days. At the end of the third day, the results were tallied and the top 8 duelist with the highest scores would compete with the final 2 battling each other at the Fall Formal itself. Once I'd finished reading through the rules, I had a ton of things to consider. The way I saw it there were several options that everybody could do. On one hand, if you won almost every duel you competed in it should guarantee your spot in the finals. Another thing was your conditioning and your stamina, if you constantly exerted yourself by challenging everybody you saw then it would cause some fatigue which will affect your mental being in the long run. Also if you happened to fall behind it would be almost impossible to come back. The main thing was trying to make sure you had a good amount of duels per day that you could afford a few losses and still qualify. Overall, this tournament was really going to test my entire knowledge about Duel Monsters. I had to know everything from my own cards to what my opponent will be thinking to even knowing what a card even does. It was safe to assume that this wasn't going to be a walk in the park. Not to mention, what everyone's motivation for competing in this tournament. If Aj was any consideration of what people were fighting for, then I know everyone would be fighting with 100% of their spirit.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn't notice Tigre jump on the couch until she let out a meow.

"Meow"

"Hey girl?"

"Meow"

"Worried about straining my brain trying to up with a plan? I appreciate it."

Tigre then rubbed herself against me and let out a purr. The sound of it was soothing that it helped me to calm down and I began to pet her. "Maybe I should take break."

"I think that's the best, mijo. You've been reading that book all morning and haven't moved from that spot."

"Hey papi."

"I understand that this will be your first tournament you're competing in and me and your mother couldn't be more prouder of you. It seems just like yesterday when you were just a small boy running around, now look at you, you've turned into a fine young man who has a bright future ahead. When you were kid, me and your mother did our best to make sure you that have a good upbringing but also to make sure you knew right from wrong. Oftentimes that meant punishing or even disciplining you when you did something bad. Understand that it was out of love because we wanted you to learn from it and never do it again."

"I understand, papi. I'm not mad at you guys. At first it hurt and kind made me upset seeing as I was just a kid, but as I've grown I come to realize that you were just trying to make me into a person who can handle anything that life throws at me. Especially considering the environment we grew up, I had to avoid doing stupid stuff so that I wouldn't out in the streets causing trouble and possibly having my life end at a young age. All that I could do to repay you guys is become a son that you and mami can be proud of. I just want you guys to say to other adults 'that's my son, I'm proud of him', that's what I want as a way to say thank you for everything you guys have sacrificed." I'll admit I got a little emotional when I said it that I started to feel tears form in my eyes as I tried to wipe them.

Isaac's father then went to sit by his son and put his arm around him to show that everything was ok. "It's alright, Isaac. While you think that we're not yet proud of you, know that we are proud of you. Since the moment you came into our lives, you were always going to make us proud. I remember when you came out of mother's womb you were just a small little thing, but we knew from the very beginning that you were destined for great things. It's just like what my father said to me when I your age. Your abuelito used to say 'The only reason I'm here is so I can be better, so that my son can better than me'. You've definitely have lived up to that saying."

Isaac then hugged his father as a rush of emotions and tears came flooding down. After a few minutes everything calmed down and Isaac let go of his father.

"You know your mother was hesitant on you becoming a duelist."

"Tell me about it, when I first introduced her to Duel Monsters she just gave me a look. I don't blame her, seeing as I was just a kid she assumed that I would eventually phase out of it. So when she purchased a box full of cards and gave it to me, she hoped that it would quiet me down about always begging her. As I got older, I got more serious about becoming better that any money you guys gave me I would spend it on card packs to improve my deck. Eventually, I created decks that helped me to understand the mechanics of the game and mami was not happy to say the least. She wanted me to focus on school, so that I could do something with my life but she failed to see how invested I was when dueling. Ultimately, when I entered my first local tournament and invited you guys, she saw how happy it made me and said she had full support in me becoming a duelist. I'll admit my journey hasn't been an easy one, but then again, it never is."

"Just know that when you compete, you have your family supporting you. Remember that."

"Always."

"Good. Now I've got to take care of some things so I'll see you later."

"Alright, bye papi."

"Adios mijo". With that Isaac's father put on his jacket and left through the door and out of the house.

"Meow"

"You're right Tigre. That's enough planning for today. It's Sunday which means I should try to relax, thankfully I finished all of my homework. Now come on lets get something to eat, I'm starving." I then spent the rest of the day relaxing and doing my own thing until nightfall where I knocked out to enjoy a peaceful sleep.

The next day was the start of another school week, but to most students it meant something else. According to Celestia, she presented the morning announcements which caught everybody's attention. She said how anybody who didn't register for the tournament had until the end of the day to enter. This was due to the fact that the Fall Formal was fast approaching, in fact the teachers presented a calendar to their students which showed the date of the scheduled dance. Not only that but it was set to take place by the end of next week. There were many expressions shown on the faces of the students which ranged from excitement to nervousness.

The rest of the day passed without any interruptions, surprisingly nobody had confronted me for a duel but I could understand with the tournament looming right around the corner everyone was going over their deck to ensure victory. By lunchtime, I found a table the girls were at and joined them. Apparently, Applejack was telling the girls about our teamup this past weekend.

"Howdy, Isaac."

"Hey Applejack."

Rainbow Dash tell spoke up. "So Isaac, Aj here says you helped her with her family gathering?"

"That's right, she needed help setting up for the party so I agreed to give her a hand."

"That's cool and all, but I'm talking about how she selected you to be her partner in a tag duel and that you busted out a new creature. Mind telling how you did it? Any other tricks you're trying to keep to yourself?" Rainbow was getting in Isaac's face to get him to confess.

"Simmer down Sally. Don't go bother Isaac, he just made the most out of a situation and it helped to turn things around. I'll admit it was impressive to see him do it."

"Well, now that we've got that settled who wants to go shopping after school!"

"Why would we want to do that?" I asked Rarity.

"It's obvious, Celestia made the announcement that today's the last day to register which means the tournament is going to official start on Wednesday. After that it's 3 whole days at school where everybody will be battling it out to secure a spot in the finals. So we need to look our very best and become absolutely glorious!"

It was safe to say not everybody shared Rarity's passion for clothes as they just shook their heads in disbelief. Aside from Pinkie who just kept smiling the whole time Rarity was talking.

"I think we'll be fine with having to worry about our wardrobe situation." said Dash as she wasn't a big fan of anything girly looking.

"Yeah, besides I still have a party to plan for the winner of the tournament. Ooo I just got an idea how about I make it a surprise party that way the winner won't expect anything and they'll be in the shock of a lifetime."

"Uhm, Pinkie what happens if you win. How will you surprise yourself?" Fluttershy said with a gentle tone.

"Oh your right. How can I plan a party if I'm the guest of honor? That wouldn't make sense, unless I somehow found a way to make a copy of myself and then have them plan the party so that I could be surprised. Quick does anybody have anything to another me, we're going to need a lot more frosting."

"I think we'll be good on the frosting Pinkie. Besides, for everybody's sake I think one of you is hard enough. Imagine if there were multiples of you, it would be like a living nightmare or in your case a dream come true. Anyways what if the person who wins doesn't want a party." I suggested to Pinkie who fired back.

"Doesn't want a party? How could you say that? Not having a party is like saying the earth is round."

"But the earth is round."

"Exactly so is cupcakes, regular cakes, cherries, pies. I'm hungry." Pinkie was just licking her mouth thinking about all of those delicious treats.

Meanwhile Isaac was left dumbfounded about the conversation he just had with Pinkie. "How did that make any sense at all!? Someone help me to translate?"

"Listen sugar, some of us who've known Pinkie longer know that when she starts rambling on it's best to just smile and wave. Trust me it'll save you from a headache."

"Okay?"

"Now that we've got that settled, it's time to get our game faces on. Don't forget why we're doing this: to show the everybody that Canterlot High is school that is capable of producing top duelists, even more importantly to defeat Sunset Shimmer and prove that Rainbow Dash is indeed awesome!"

While Rainbow was bragging about winning, everybody gave her look of disagreement. She quickly noticed this and dimmed it down to avoid any problems.

"I mean, go team. Right guys?"

After that we continued on with the rest of our day until the final bell rang. We happened to get in a bit more practice before we all went our separate ways.

While Isaac and the girls were busying trying to come up with a plan to defeat her. Sunset Shimmer was devising her own idea. To almost everybody, dueling is viewed in the competitive environment or as others call it the pro leagues. This is where the best of the best come to show who really is the top ranked duelist. However there are other places that hold duels; places that are done secretly away from the public eye. Many people refer to this as underground duels. In these places the environment is like no other; people come here for bets, action, but most importantly pain. Unlike an official duel, these places play by their own rules. In fact, they put on duels to please their fans as well as to make money. Sunset made her way to the entrance of the place and pushed passed the door. She then made her way pass the counter and headed straight to the owner of the establishment. She busted through the office door and confronted the manager. He was a sleazy kind of man, he was into his mid 30s and had on a well fancied suit. He was surrounded by tons of money and girls who served his every request; when he saw Sunset he popped a slick smile.

"Sunset, baby! Haven't seen you in a while? How's it going?"

"Cut the chatter, Goldmane! I'm not here to talk. I want in, now!" Sunset had a bitter tone in her voice.

"What no hello? After all this time, you think you can just waltz in here a make demands? New flash: I'm the owner of this place and not to mention you're nothing but a loose end. I've been making tons of cash off of you and your dueling skills. So the moment you crack, it will be your very last one."

"Do you think I give a damn? Let me remind you of just who the hell I am! I'm Sunset Shimmer, I'm the best duelist to ever set foot in your place, and I'm also the one person you don't want to piss off. Believe me, you piss me off, it will be your last thing and I'll destroy this place to the ground! Now get me an opponent, I'll be waiting!" With that she shut the door and made sure to slam it to emphasize her point.

"If she thinks she can get away with this, then she dead wrong."

Moment later a crowd was gathered around a steel cage as they made thunderous sounds/noises that echoed around the place. At the top of the cage was Goldmane who had a couple of hired men behind him as he a microphone to make an announcement.

"Everyone, tonight's cage fight promises to be a grueling one. We have a fierce duelist who's looking for a challenge, she shows no mercy to her opponent. Please welcome Sunset Shimmer. And her opponent will be the man who recently on a winning streak, please welcome the Crusher."

As the Crusher made his way into the cage, Sunset had mean look on her face. She looked at her opponent and gave him a death glare. The Crusher didn't seem fazed by Sunset's demeanor, in fact he was kind of laughing.

"What happened, did someone lose their dolly?" Monked the Crusher as he wasn't impressed with Sunset.

Sunset could tell what kind of person she was facing so she fired back with her own response. "The only joke is you pretending to be man, word of advice kid let the man, or in this case the woman, show you how it's done. Cause I promise you, you won't last very long."

"What did you say? You want to down throw down, then lets go."

"Opponent detected. Streaming Data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commence duel." said the mechanical voice.

Crusher's Life Points: 8000-
Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

"Seeing as I'll finish this in quick fashion, I'll let you make the first move. Better make it count, you'll need it." said Sunset.

"I'll make you regret that, miss. I draw. I'll start by playing the spell card Power Initiative now I send 1 card to the grave and with it I can summon a level 5 or 6 monster from my hand, I play my Powerhouse Grappler(2400/2100) in attack mode. Next I'll summon to the field my Shockwave Enforcer(1800/100); thanks to his ability it allows me to summon another level-4 monster from my deck so I'll also bring out Captain of Destruction(2000/1300). Now since I have my Devilish Minion(1800/300) in my grave I can bring him back since I've got another monster that has the same points as him."

Staring across Sunset was four monsters that were not only powerful but were ready to hurt her and deal some serious damage.

"Normally, you can't attack on your first turn. So you must think your safe, well you're wrong. Now I'll play my Betting Contract with this I can be able to attack so long as I give up half of my life points as payment. Sure it's pricey, but the reward is worth it especially because I'm attacking you with all of my creatures. I warned you to watch what you said and now I'll enjoy hurting you, now my monsters end this duel." At the sound of Crusher's command, the monsters charged their way at Sunset to deliver the finishing blow. However, Sunset didn't look worried, in fact she had a smile on her face.

"The only mistake is when you chose to attack me Crusher, because it's you who's going to lose. Now let me show you!" Sunset then held card in her hand as it started to shine brightly causing everybody to look away for a second.

"What's going on? What's happening?". The Crusher was confused on what was happening that he started to feel the ground below him start to shake and the light that came from Sunset started to shine brighter. It eventually surrounded him as he let out a scream.

Everybody outside of the cage was also shielding their eyes from the bright light. Once it had died down, they looked to see what became of the two duelist and were surprised with what they saw. They saw Sunset standing in the same place she was before the light started and the Crusher was on his back battered, bruised, and shown having fear in his eyes. When they looked at the scoreboard they were shocked to see the numbers.
Crusher's Life Points: 0-
Sunset's Life Points: 8000
Winner: Sunset (OTK)

There was stunned silence for a moment before the crowd started to boo as they came here for some carnage/action. Meanwhile Sunset was displeased with her opponent that he barely was even worth her time.

The Crusher was slowly creeping away from Sunset when he asked her a question. "How? How did you do that?"

"My Fiend Reflector(500/1500) was able to reverse all the damage you dealt me straight at your life points. Now get the hell out of my ring!" Sunset led out a fury that caused her opponent to run away. She then looked at Goldmane and gave him a piece of her mind. "Is this really all you've got Goldmane? That guy couldn't even pick up a duel disk, now get me somebody or I'm going to turn this place upside down. Now!!!!"

"Seems the lady still wants to fight so who am I to deny these fine folks some entertainment. Very well then, everybody make some noise for Spring Steel."

Spring Steel made his way out and confronted Sunset.

"Think your hot stuff, baby. I'm about to send you back to that school of yours."

"Please you wouldn't know how to hand this flame, now try to survive or else you'll get burned."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commence duel."

Spring Steel's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Steel

"I draw and trust me I'll last longer than that other chump. I start with my Defensive Commander(100/1800) in defense mode. I'll then set a card facedown."

Turn 2: Sunset

"I draw, I'll start by summoning my Fiend Selector(1400/1700) now I'll activate his ability I get to add another Fiend to my hand as long as it's level 4 or below. Then I special summon Assault Archfiend(1800/1500); I'll end my turn with a facedown.

Turn 3: Steel

"I'd expect more from a fiery red-head like yourself, I draw. Since I have a monster on my side of the field, I can summon my Blast Trooper(1400/1400) in attack mode. When he's summon I can deal you damage for every card in my hand times 300 and I currently hold 4 which means you take 1200 points of damage. Then I'll sacrifice my commander to summon out Artillery General(2600/1400), now time to take out your Fiend Selector. With that I'll end my turn."
Sunset's Life Points: 6800-

Turn 4: Sunset

"I draw."

"Before you do, I activate my facedown Painful Chance. Now if you draw monster card then you take damage equal to its attack points, anything else and I get to destroy 1 monster on your field. So draw your card."

Sunset wasn't impressed so she reluctantly drew her card. Unfortunately, for her she drew a powerful monster but she didn't seem to care.

"Looks like you drew a monster with 3000 attack points which means you get slam with a lot of damage. Better luck next time."
Sunset's Life Points: 3800-

Sunset had her head down and when she raised it she had a smile on her face. "Actually, I have to thank you because the monster I drew was no other than Red Emperor Archfiend(3000/2500) and I can summon him when I take damage from a card effect. So arise my creature." Once Sunset played her card, out rose a demon like creature that had ram horns on top of its head and sat on a throne. "That's not all, I play the spell Archfiend Birthright now I summon another archfiend so long as it's lower than the one I choose on my field. Now rise the legendary Summoned Skull(2500/1200)." Sunset played her card on the disk and out came a creature that consisted of mainly bones and had wing-like things on its back. Out on Sunset's field were monsters that if you looked at would be like staring death in the face; these creatures were mean and nasty they even had Steel shaking a bit. "Now time for some fun, first my Assault Archfiend will take out your Blaster. Go my pet." Sunset's monster followed her master's command and with its sharp claws sliced through Steel's card. "Now my archfiend's effect kicks in, when it destroys a monster in battle I can tribute it to special summon a new one from my deck/graveyard. So time to say hello to one of my favorite archfiends, appear Supreme King Archfiend(3000/3000). And since it's still my battle phrase I've got a whole lot of payback to give you now Red Emperor take out his commander and then I'll have Summoned Skull and Supreme King attack you directly." The force of the impact had caused Steel to fall on his back. Most duels the holograms were designed to be realistic but the damage that Steel endured felt like it was real. Hell, it was real as he saw he had a bit of a cut on his check with a few drops of blood coming out. "I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Steel's Life Points: 1700-

"What the hell is wrong with you? That damage it was like it was real."

"That's because it is. The moment you stepped foot in here, everything changed. I promised you would feel my pain and anger. I won't stop until I get what I what."

Steel was just trying to survive, he knew he had to get out of here but to do that the duel needed to finish. "I'm going to end this you sick fuck! It's my turn."

"Actually, you won't because I'm activating my trap Rings of Tartarus. This card automatically activates the moment you draw and everytime you draw, you get dealt 600 points for every 'fiend' card I have on the field."

"No, that can't be!"

Turn 5: Steel
Steel's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Sunset

Once the duel ended Sunset gave Steel a death stare which caused him to get on his hands and knees.

"Please I beg of you, let me live! Have mercy!".

Sunset faced slowly grew more sinister, as if some evil was controlling her. Eventually, she noticed how pathetic Steel was acting and considered he wasn't worth torturing. Instead she made her way to where Goldmane was and shouted at him.

"Look Goldmane the way I see it you've got 2 options: you give me someone who can provide me with a decent challenge or you can get your own ass in this cage and get these hands!"

Goldmane was pissed to say the least, not only was he being disrespected but in front of his patrons no less. So he decided to give Sunset what she asked for while presenting a grinch like smile.

"Very well, Sunset. I've saved the best for last now then bring out the Punisher."

Out a tall, buffy man who wore chains all over his body and he had a scar running over his eye.

"I will break you!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commence duel."

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-
Punisher's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I draw and summon out my Skilled Red Magician(1600/1600) in attack mode, then I'll play two card facedown."

Turn 2: Punisher

"My draw and time to make sure you never walk away from this place alive. I summon my Monster Tax Collector(1700/400), now if you want to summon a monster you have pay 1000 life points. Next I'll play the spell Monster Trade Off, now we both summon out two monsters with 1500 or less. I choose my Riot Trooper(800/2200) and Sentry Gunner(1400/1300)."

"It doesn't matter how many monsters you have I'll destroy them all, every last one of them! I take my Vilepawn Archfiend(1200/200) and my Royal Fiend Advisor(1500/1400)."

"Don't forget my spell makes you pay 1000 points for every monster you summon, so you lose 2000 points. Then I'll play the trap Effect Nullification now you can't use any of your monsters' abilities. Now I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Sunset's Life Points: 6000-

Turn 3: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll sacrifice my magician to summon out Lord Archfiend(2500/2000). Now time to take you down, go my monster make him suffer and attack his Riot Trooper."

"Not so fast, I reveal Monster Blast now any damage I would have received is dealt to you instead. And since my Trooper was destroyed I can replace with a new monster now appear Unfair Jester(2800/1300). Thanks to my Jester's ability you can't fusion summon any monsters in your hand or on your field."

"I'll end my turn."
Sunset's Life Points: 4300-

Turn 4: Punisher

"The time has come to put you out of your misery, bitch! I draw and with it comes your demise. I summon my Dealer(1600/1200). Now to get rid of all your monsters my Jester destroys your Lord, my Sentry will take out your Vilepawn and my Tax Collector will get rid of your Royal Advisor. Lastly, my Dealer will attack you directly but don't worry he leaves something behind, a poker chip which means as soon as you take your turn you lose 1000 life points. I end my turn."
Sunset's Life Points: 2000-

Turn 5: Sunset
Token: 1

Sunset had fallen down after that onslaught of attacks that she found it difficult to get up.

"Hey now, what's the matter? Yea, your scared now, ain't cha? You know exactly what's about to happen, you know that this is the end for you. Just give up and maybe Goldmane will go easy on you."

"Enough of this!" howled a voiced.

Sunset rose back to her feet and turned to face her victim. She had eyes that glowed yellow, her voice was a bit deeper and more sinister. She let out a roar that expressed her fury and her body was giving off an aura that washed uponed her body. A shadowy flame that formed around her.

"You finished yet, human scum?" asked Sunset. Her voice came out leveled and it echoed around the whole arena that people in the crowd were starting to become terrified of what they were seeing.

"What the hell is going on? You've got no chance of defeating me; you have no monsters, no special abilities and no way to summon any powerful monsters. Face it you've lost!"

That statement seemed to have fallen on deaf ears as Sunset put her hand on her deck while smiling. With a sick laugh, her dark aura transported itself from her body into her deck as it coated the cards into the same flame that had surrounded her. "Draw!" she bellowed out with the roar of flame and leaving behind a blazing trail as she drew it. Without saying a word, she slid the card into her duel disk, and tapped the field icon. The entire interior became steeped in blackness, with only the inside of the cage being illuminated, but how and from where it came from, was impossible to see. Everyone swallowed in the blackness had fallen silent, until the ruckus began again, only this time it was not jeers and demands for more carnage. It was terror. Terror, amidst the sounds of the space around them breaking, falling apart, and a musky, sweet scent filling the room.

"What the hell is this? Tell me, who the hell are you?"

"I activate my facedown, Necro Fusion", Sunset proclaimed. “Demon of bone who lurks in the darkness. Dark emperor upon his bloodstained throne. Unite in the pits of despair, as the manifestation of my will.” She put her palms together as she said this chant. "I fusion summon!" Then everything faded to black.

Sunset stood over the trembling form of the Punisher, deliberately holding her head high so as to look down upon him from on high. As she approached, the Punisher was pathetically scooting away, until inevitably colliding with the wall of the cage. When he had nowhere else to go, he scrambled to his feet and began to fruitlessly slam his fist against the cage, completely incapable of hiding his incoherent utterances.

"Please someone let me out of here!?"

"Looks like playtime is over. Now to end this charade." The Punisher had no monsters on his field and he was wide open to attack; Sunset then pointed a casual finger at him and her monster then begun to strike down the rest of his life points. As she made her exit the entire place was starting to come down as many people were trying to escape. Sunset even saw Goldmane and gave him a smirk before a large chunk of the wall came crashing down on him trapping him under debris and rubble. Soon flames started to arise and out of those flames came Sunset who was smiling from ear to ear. The voice in her head started to talk.

Now that we've been released, we can now bend this place to our will. Once we've conquered this place then all of Equestria will be ours for the taking. At long last, this pathetic world will be ours for the taking and they will learn the truth. I can finally take back what's mine and there's not a damn thing anybody can do about it! All shall feel the wrath of Sunset Shimmer!

Chapter 12: Calm Before the Storm

The next day at school the entire atmosphere was drastically different. I knew why because today was the final day to get ready because starting tomorrow the whole entire school would be a warzone. Everybody would be looking to secure a spot in the finals in order to show what they can do. For me, I was a bit scared, I know right. Me, afraid? Well I am. This was the first time I was going to be on a big stage with hundreds of people watching me not only seeing what I could do but also studying me to find out how to beat me. That feeling alone is enough to drive anybody wild; not to mention that I was doing this for the greater good. Although, I never told the girls this because I didn't know how they would respond. But a part of me believed that Sunset could be redeemed; I know someone who's had a bad reputation is the last person you would expect to turn over a new leaf but I'm a firm believer in second chances. Still, if Sunset wasn't one to accept my help then there's not much I could do for her. We'll just have to wait and see. Anyways I was in class focusing on the teacher's lecture; despite it being the day before the tournament students were still expected to attend class and anybody caught skipping would forfeit their opportunity to compete.

By midday everyone was preparing like their life depended on it. Everywhere you could see everyone was looking at their cards, some were even taking apart their deck piece by piece, others began to trade in order to cover their weaknesses. While all this was happening, Isaac decided to step out for a second to get some fresh air. He needed to escape from all this tension so that he could gather his thoughts clearly. In less than a day, everything he knew about Duel Monsters would be put to the test, not to mention he was also helping the girls to liberate the school power hungry tyrant. Still in a way it felt like Isaac was trying to save the world, he knew it sounded strange to compare that to something major but it felt like that in a way. Anyways there wasn't much he could do beforehand, the best thing was to prepare himself.

Sunset awoke with a weird headache. All day she had been dealing with a tremendous amount of pain that she constantly had to make trips to the restroom. Her head was beating so fast that it felt like she was experiencing a migraine. After splashing some water on her face, she was able to regain some of her senses.

"What happened? I haven't experienced something like that in a long time." Eventually, her memories started to come back as she replayed the events of last night in her mind. "Now I remember."

Yes, it's been a while. Now that we've been unleashed we can bring this world to its knees.

"Yes, then once this world has fallen under my rule. Then all of Equestria will bow down to its new ruler!"

Celestia was wrong to abandon us and we'll make her pay. With this power there's nobody who can stand in our way!

"Still, I worry about that kid and the group of girls. They've been a thorn in my side for far too long. Once I've won the Fall Formal, I'll dispose of them properly."

And what about Isaac? He could prove a problem if he's not dealt with.

"What good can he do by himself? As far as I'm concerned, he's nothing more than an afterthought. Still he would prove to be a valuable asset. Maybe I'll keep him around as a sort of boy toy, he's kinda cute when he's playing the hero. HA HA HA!"

Celestia and Luna were in their office making the final preparations for the tournament. They were going over every students who were participating and running a sort of background check on each competitor. they were able to see all of the information about the students like what deck they had, their star monster, win/loss record, etc... While that was going on, Celestia was looking out her window while she was lost in her thoughts. Eventually, Luna saw this and addressed her sister.

"Something on your mind, dear sister?"

"Oh, Luna. It's nothing really, I'm just thinking about this year's Fall Formal and how it's shaping up to be. This is the biggest roster we've had of students partaking in this event and I couldn't be more proud of them."

"Indeed, we've had more duelists enter than we expected we nearly ran out of registration forms. Still you should see that as a success, it means that we get to see more of our beloved students showcase their skills. Not to mention the massive support we're getting from the Board of Education. It's a shame we can't partake."

"Now Lulu, it would be unfair to the students if we suddenly stole all the attention away from them. This is their moment and they should have the right to enjoy it. Still it would be fun; it's been a while since I've felt the rush of competition. Oh what I would give to enjoy being young again even if it's just for a while."

"Now dear sister, let's not get ahead of ourselves besides don't forget we still haven't settle our dispute between each other. Mmm.... yes if memory serves right the record between us two happens to be tied with 70 duels a piece, although I still call blasphemy on our last duel. Making me deck out until I had no cards left, have you no honor sister?"

"You call it an excuse, but I merely see it as victory. Besides we both know who the better duelist is anyway Lulu, I let you win because you were my little sister." said Celestia with a smug look on her face. Luna however was less than pleased that her own sister was downplaying her dueling skill. Nevertheless they both let out a laugh. While they had a duty to run this school, a part of them longed for a chance to get back on the dueling field and live out their past memories.

"Still Luna, me and you both know that we don't have time to duel even if we wanted to. We both planned that when it came time to retire we both would have one final duel that we would be satisfying. One final duel that when it's all over we will be proud of all that we've accomplished with our decks and careers."

"I'll admit I too wish for final duel where I can just be myself and lay it all out on the line. I just want to make sure that whoever my final opponent is someone who can push me to my limits. Oh well, it'll be a while till that happens."

"Indeed Luna. Anyways, now about the students participating? May I ask who?"

"Just the usual amount, including Rainbow Dash and her merry band of friends."

Celestia was surprised that all of the girls were choosing to partake in this year's event. "Even Fluttershy? I'll say in the past she's refused to compete due to her confidence and the compatibility of her deck. What has caused her to have a sudden change of heart?"

"Well given that Sunset Shimmer is currently ranked as the champion and is competing. It seems they have a plan to relinquish her of that title. Given how much trouble that girl has given to both the school and the students, I can't blame them. I know that you've chosen to take a sort of a back seat when it comes to Sunset's attitude but couldn't you have at least given her a punishment."

"What good would that do Luna? If I gave her a stern lecture, what's to stop her from doing it again? You know as well as I do that any issues happening between students are settled in a duel as it's the only fair way for both people. I'll admit that I wish I could help her, but I doubt she'll listen to me. In fact, I think she might resent seeing me as I remind her of someone else though everytime I ask she merely chooses to ignore it. I know that we've hand some students complaining about her, but I believe that there's still good in her. The first step is being able open her heart and be willing to allow friendship in her life. I just hope we can reach her before it's too late. Is there anybody else?"

"Well this one should fascinate you. It seems Isaac has also chosen to be a part of this event. Although that shouldn't come as a shock. Despite being relatively new, he's really become one of CHS's fastest students to rise in the ranks. After you completed your meeting with him and his family, you told me about him being a duelist. At the time, I figured he was just another run of the mill duelist. But since his time enrolling he's really shown he's a cut above the rest; his knowledge of cards/talents are years beyond him. According to his parents, ever since he was young he was always fascinated with Duel Monsters. I'll admit I love the game, but to think that a young age he was already playing. He's only in his teens, imagine if he decided to go pro why he would be unstoppable well into his prime. It's kinda scary in a way."

"I have no doubt that Isaac will put on a show. Seeing how he has so much respect for his cards, I have no doubt he'll go far in this tournament. In fact, a part of me hopes that he wins. Call me crazy but I believe that this Fall Formal has a lot more meaning behind it, like the fate of world is at stake."

"Clearly, you've been watching too many shows, Tia. Something like that only happens in fantasies. Best to assume that everything will be alright, although I can't say the same for us if we don't process these forms we'll have to delay the whole thing and that will be a whole issue not including the rioting students who will be banging on our door. So mind giving me a hand, sister."

With that both sisters worked hard into the nighttime to make sure everything was ready for the big day tomorrow.

Rainbow was hanging out in a tree where she spent her time looking at the school with her deck in her hand. Lots of thoughts came rushing to her mind, but the one constant was being able to dethrone Sunset. In the past, she and her friends have tried to do that only to end in defeat. She never admit to anybody, but even she felt like she couldn't beat Sunset; but this time it was different because she had her friends and together they were willing to do whatever it takes to restore CHS to its glory days. All her life, Rainbow prided on herself to be the best at everything. The constant support she got from her parents is what motivated her to achieve greatness, while being the captain of every team at CHS helped with her ego she still longed for a challenge.

"Even after all this time, I still feel like there's something missing. I know I'm awesome, but what's the point if there's nobody to challenge you? Arhh, I can't focus on that; my friends are counting on me to do my part if we want this school to be filled with laughter instead of fear. I have to win, no matter what!"

She knew that if she wanted to be recognized as the best, she would need to beat the best. Some time had passed when a thought crossed her mind, she always thought is was weird that Isaac would always talk to his cards as if they were alive. Of course, she never did that because they were inanimate objects. She understood why he did it because in his words 'you need to put your trust in your deck' but to talk like they're real people just didn't add up. Nevertheless, she was looking forward to tomorrow as the battle of the Fall Formal was upon them.

Pinkie was with Rarity in the auditorium where she was going over the preparations she had planned for the Fall Formal dance. While Pinkie did most of the work, bouncing here and there and everywhere, Rarity did offer her supervision on certain things while also giving some suggestions on colors and designs.

"I must say Pinkie, even I'm impressed with how much stamina you have and I've known you for a long time."

"What can I say? My pinkie sense is tingling and when that happens, I have to get it out of my system with a party! This year's is going to be the biggest, wildest, most supercalifragilisticexpialidocious party of CHS!"

Rarity was left with raising an eyebrow and a confused look on her face on what Pinkie said. "Excuse, Pinkie what did you just say?"

"What, party?"

"Before that."

"My Pinkie sense?"

"No... you know what it's best I don't ask for the sake of mind's well being."

Pinkie just gave a shrug and continued with what she was doing. After some time they eventually decided to take a break with Pinkie suggesting that she and Rarity play a game. Rarity knew that once Pinkie suggest a game there was nothing that was going to change her mind, so she reluctantly agreed to it. They decided to have a duel for fun as they pulled out their decks and began to play on the floor. While they played they began to start a conversation with each other.

"I'm truly looking forward to tomorrow's event, while it's not in my nature to compete in such barbaric events it's for a good cause to rid this school of Sunset's evil reign. Also it's helped people to see that lady can conduct herself in an orderly fashion while putting up in a fight."

"Me too, I'm really looking forward to craziness that will ensue from these duels. Not mention that Celestia has asked me to help commentate/announce the duelists who compete in the finals of the tournament. It's going to be exciting that I can practically taste it!" Pinkie had her tongue sticking out of her mouth as she imagined eating delicious treats.

"Still to think that we'll be fighting to get rid of Sunset Shimmer, I never thought I see myself doing it. I figured I either leave that task to Dash or Applejack but here we are, my how the world works in mysterious ways."

"You said it, like discovering a new cupcake recipe, or discovering that there's secretly another world that's similar to ours but everybody is all colorful horses, now that would be weird." said Pinkie as she played a card on the field.

"Indeed.... Anyways what do you think of Isaac?"

"I like him, it sort of reminds me of the brother that I never had. Ohh, do you think we're related? What if he's some kind of long lost brother? That means I'll have to make up for the birthday parties I've missed!" Pinkie almost went into a state of shock as she mentioned that. Thankfully, Rarity was able to calm her down.

"Settle down darling, I doubt Isaac is related to you but he does possess that quality of an older sibling. He's very supportive of his friends and is almost willing to jump into danger no matter the circumstances. Not to mention that he's very mature for his age, combine that with his skills as a duelist I definitely am glad to have met him. He is kinda cute not to mention handsome, ohh do you think he's single? I'm surprised that no girl has decided to date him that would be one lucky girl. Maybe I should ask, do you think I should lead him on or ask him straight up?" Rarity's mind was running with thoughts on how much she was interested in their male companion.

"Don't know, as far as he told me he hasn't experienced much when it comes to the world of romance. He was always focused on getting good grades and making his parents proud that he never found time to get involved in dating others. Not to mention that with his love for dueling, he's hardly had time to ask if girls are interested in him. I'm sure he'll be fine, right Rarity?"

Rarity had an interesting look on her face. When she heard Pinkie say that Isaac has never been involved in a relationship, a sense of happiness and comfort started to grow in her.

"Of course, I'm sure Isaac will be fine." she said while putting on a half-hearted smile.

Perhaps I can make his life better, of course I'll wait until after the tournament. Ohh, just you wait Isaac, I'll make sure you understand the wonders of romance, maybe even with me.

Fluttershy was sitting on one of the benches in the soccer field. While she looked out to see plenty of students get some last minute practices before tomorrow, she was looking for a way to relieve some stress by just relaxing and looking at the clouds. The sky was clear with a few white puffy clouds passing by and the sun was shining bright. When Fluttershy looked around, she noticed that a couple of squirrels and birds started to form around her.

"Why hello every creature. Trying to get away from all the excitement of tomorrow's event?"

There was just a bunch of chirps and squeaks that they gave as their response.

"Believe me, I know the feeling. I never thought I find myself in this position. When it came to dueling, I would always let the others handle it, especially Rainbow Dash. But now we have a reason to fight, and this time I can actually make a difference. I thought that my whole life would be living in fear and always having to rely on my friends to fight my battles, but now thanks to this deck I can be able to stand on my own two feet. It's all thanks to them, they gave me the strength to carry on and not become a doormat and let others walk all over me." Fluttershy grabbed her deck tightly and put it close to her heart as she closed her eyes.

"Of course, I have Isaac to thank. Because of him, not only did he give me a huge push in becoming more confident but that he created a deck for me to use. I was scared that I would let him down, all the hard work he put in creating this deck for me and I was afraid of letting it all go to waste. This time I'll repay the favor by making sure that even if I don't defeat Sunset, I'll make sure that I do what I can to weaken her for the others; no more running, that was the old Fluttershy. This new Fluttershy is not afraid and I will make Isaac and the girls proud. Count on it!" Fluttershy stood up and gave a determined look to the animals to which they cheered in their own way.

Everyone was getting ready to turn in for the night, after completing the night tasks for the farm, Applejack decided to get some rest ahead of tomorrow's tourney. She was able to eat a hearty meal with her folks and they wished her the best of luck in the competition. Applebloom was even asking her some questions to which she responded.

"Ohh, I can't wait to see my big sis kick some hind in tomorrow's event. I'll be rooting for you to win the whole darn thing; go Apple Family." Applebloom was waving a flag that she and her friends made to show their appreciation for their sisters competing.

"Easy now, Applebloom. I'm not sayin' that it'll be easy, there's a lot of duelist enterin' this event. I might not even make it to the finals."

"Yeah right, there's nobody who can best my sister. Nobody can defeat you, especially with your deck."

"Now Applebloom, what have I told you about havin' overconfidence." Applejack was starting to put on her mother voice.

"I know but it's true. Well, maybe Isaac. I mean did you see what he was able to do at the family gathering. Now to mention that cooling looking monster he was able to show off. Ohh, I'm getting excited just thinking about it."

"I understand how you're feelin', sugarcube. But don't forget why I'm competin'. Both me and my friends are doing this to stop Sunset's wrath. She's been rulin' this school for too long that almost everybody is afraid of comin' to school since they don't want to mess with her. I don't want to see anymore trouble, especially if she starts to target you. If you were a victim of hers, I wouldn't forgive myself for not being there. Also I'll probably do something that I'll regret later. You understand, right?"

"I understand. It's your job as my big sister to protect me and I appreciate it. But know that I can take care of myself, so don't worry about me. Just focus on doing your best and kicking Sunset's hide; you leave the cheering to me and the CMC. Deal?"

Applejack then gave Applebloom a hug. "It's a deal. Now get ready for bed, it's already late." With that the Apple family turned in for the night.

With that the stage was set, the Fall Formal was soon upon our characters. Everybody was fighting for different reasons, some for power, fame, quest for glory, etc. Overall they all knew that once the fireworks started, the entire school would turn into a war. The journey to crown CHS's duel champion was about to begin, and one thing was for sure there could only be one duelist to rule them all.

Author's Note

The time has finally come. With this chapter, I felt like wanting to give the motivations/thoughts that everybody was feeling so as to understand that even though they have a common goal, there will be some heartbreaks. Well the tournament is about to start, so everybody get ready because when we get close to the final results, you'll be shocked to say the least on who qualifies, but I shouldn't say more to avoid spoilers. Anyways I wanted to say thanks to everybody who's enjoying this story. It really makes me happy to know that people are enjoying what I write. Thanks to everybody for taking the time to give this story a chance, even if it's just a paragraph it means a lot to me. Thanks and don't forget to tell your friends about this story, hopefully they love it a much as you do. I'll see you all in the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Off to a Great Start

Author's Note

So I couldn't decide which song to use as the official anthem for the tournament. So I decided why not use all of them. Instead of incorporating 1 song why not let people pick and choose what they want to listen to and see when exactly they got into the show based on the song they chose. For me I watched all of the ones I've posted down below. Anyways, the tournament is about to start, so let's get on with the story.

Chapter 13: Off to a Great Start

The day had finally arrived. The moment that everybody was looking forward to had come. All the students of CHS awoke with a desire in their eyes, they knew that this was a chance to become a breakout star and show the world why they are the best. As the sun began to rise on a new day, it also signaled that time was fast approaching and the grand event was about to start.

Isaac awoke as if it was another day. Despite their being no school for the next couple of days, due to the tournament, Celestia still asked the students to arrive early to watch the opening ceremonies as it was tradition. Once Isaac had gotten up, he got himself ready by taking a shower and putting on a set of new clothes. He then began to make his way downstairs where his parents were waiting for him as they had made some breakfast for their son. Isaac was surprised to say the least.

"What's all this?"

"Hey mijo, your father and I wanted to make sure that you got a good source of energy seeing as you've got a big day ahead of you."

"Thanks, I'll be sure to be full of energy for today." With that, Isaac took a bite out of his mother's cooking and was full of happiness. He couldn't get enough as he stuffed everything on his plate and into his mouth; Isaac was careful to not choke on the food. Once he had finished the food, Isaac thanked his parents as he grabbed his deck and duel disk and prepared to head out the door.

"Well, thanks for the food, mami and papi. I best be off."

"Isaac, you get back here!"

Isaac knew that whatever his mother had to say was serious due to her tone of voice. So he then turned around and walked towards his mother.

"Yes, mami?"

"Sit down!"

Isaac took a seat at one of the kitchen chairs and his mother took a seat across from the boy with his father standing behind her.

"Now I know about your tournament that your school is holding and I just wanted to wish you luck."

"Huh?"

"Let me explain, when you were young I taught you that you should focus on your academics as it would help you to find a good job so that you can understand how this world works. This world isn't one that's nice, it contains people who're are willing to do whatever it takes to get ahead for their own selfish desires. I need you to understand that; which leads to you as a duelist. I'll admit as your mother I thought it was just something you enjoyed since you were just a kid. I expected you to grow out of it, but that wasn't the case. You would always talk about it, even when I didn't know what the hell any of it meant. But the way it made you happy showed that it wasn't just a phase, but rather a part of you."

"What your mother is trying to say is that while we don't understand Duel Monsters, and probably never will, we do know that it's something that makes you happy and that's what we want for our son."

"You say you want to do something that makes us proud of you, well mijo you're already doing that. You've been able to create some great memories and some wonderful friends. I don't want that to end for you, so go out there and show the world what we already know. That you're our son and that no matter what anybody says, you're the greatest duelist in our eyes. Now go out there and give it your very best, know that we will be supporting you all the way."

Isaac couldn't hold it in anymore as he made his way to his mother and gave her a great big hug. The feeling the boy got from her was sense of warmth and comfort. He knew that his mom wasn't fully happy with him spending most of his time studying Duel Monsters, but she did understand that it brought him joy. After a couple of moments, Isaac let go and looked at her face to see her expression. There was nothing but pure joy on the face of the women. So Isaac gave her a kiss on the cheek and then went to give his dad a hug. Once he properly thanked both of them, he then began to leave out the door and looked at them one final time. Isaac told them that he would do hid best and gave them a thumbs up. They responded back with one of their owns and with that he closed the door and began his walk to school.

After that emotional moment with his parents, Isaac had to refocus as he couldn't let it get to him. So when the boy arrived at the front of the school there was thousands of students standing in front of the building. The amount of duelists competing was just a sea of human heads. Eventually, he decided to look for the girls which shouldn't be a problem seeing as he was looking for a girl having rainbow colors in her hair. After a couple of minutes, Isaac saw Rainbow and the others as he called out to them to get their attention.

"Hey Rainbow, girls!"

"Hey Isaac. What took you so long?"

"Well had a little moment with my parents. They just wanted to wish me luck in this tournament."

"Well you're gonna need it. Cause there is no way you're beating me, I've pretty much got this competition in the bag." Rainbow was expressing her ego/pride as all her friends just rolled their eyes. Soon they all heard a noise as everybody turned to the podium that was standing on top of the stairs. There standing was Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna as they had a microphone to speak into.

Luna was the first to speak. "Good day, students. I'm sure all of you are excited to begin today's festivities. I think I speak for both my sister and me when I say we look forward to seeing what you all will do and hope you bring some exciting duels for us to watch". Luna then let her sister have her time to speak into the mic.

"Thank you Luna, as you know the Fall Formal is the chance for you to showcase your talents and show everybody why you deserve to be #1. This event is held to not only enjoy the wonders of Duel Monsters but to also honor the belief of friendship/unity that Canterlot High exemplifies. It's also to honor the great duelists that have paved the way for Duel Monsters throughout the ages. With that said, here are the rules. The field of play is the entire school grounds and the first phase of this tournament will last three days. During these three days, if you're challenged to a duel, you must accept that challenge. Now please rise and listen to the official theme as we begin the opening moments of the tournament."

After the song had ended, fireworks then went off along with huge confetti cannons. Celestia even flipped a switch to signify the start of the tournament. With that everybody began to disperse in search of contenders.

Rainbow was too excited that she left in a hurry. "Well now that we've taken care of the introductions, it's high time I leave. See you guys, I'm off to scout some competition. Be sure to watch me in the finals." With that Rainbow then dispersed into the crowd and was gone.

"Well, I don't know about y'all, but I ain't gonna make the finals just lazing around here. I'm off as well, see you guys later." Applejack then began to turn and went in the opposite direction of the group and disappeared among the sea of students.

"Well, that was fast." said Fluttershy.

"Indeed, I knew that they wanted to win, but I didn't expect them to ditch us at the start. The nerve of both of them." Rarity was less than displeased with how Aj and Dash had abandoned them.

"Ahh, don't worry about. We'll be together again and then I'll throw a reunion party!"

"My question is how things are gonna play out and who the lucky sucker is to compete in the first duel." said Isaac.

"Out of my way, people!"

Just then a person was rushing among the crowd as they began to move out of his way. He was carry an object in his hand.

Since winning this tournament is the same as my other goal, I'll let my football choose my opponent.

The person said to himself as he threw the object into the air as hard/fast as possible till it landed on someone.

Unfortunately, that football was thrown with so much force and velocity that it clocked Isaac in the side of his face and down he went.

"Isaac! You okay?" said the rest of the girls.

It took awhile but he managed to get up and checked to see if there was any significant damage to his face. Once that was done he let the girls know he was okay. "Yeah, I'm okay. It takes a lot more than that to keep me from competing. Hey, what the hell man? Don't you know this a duel tournament and not a football field?"

"To me they're one in the same, now get up ball boy cause we're dueling."

Isaac was surprised with how the challenge was issued and remembered his earlier statement about who would be the first duelist to start things off.

"What, so I'm first?"

"What's the matter, too much in pain to accept my challenge or perhaps you enjoy being my field goal?"

"Well I never back down from a challenge and I'm not starting now. I wanted to kick off this tournament anyways so let's go. First, mind telling your name stranger?"

"It's Touchdown and I plan win this tournament to help me realize my dreams." he said with a smile on his face.

The rest of the girls were concerned with Isaac's safety. After taking a shot to the head and then accepting a duel could prove catastrophic to his brain and his dueling.

"Isaac, are you sure you want to do this? You just took a big bump to the head, darling? You should rest and let one of us take care of you. Mainly me. Please reconsider."

"It's fine Rarity besides the pain is already gone that I can barely feel it due to me being excited. Alright then Touchdown, I accept your challenge. So let's duel!"

Everybody around them then began to give them space as they watched with interest. Pinkie, Fluttershy, and Rarity were just a few meters behind Isaac in case something terrible happened to him. With that, the first duel of the Fall Formal tournament was about to get underway.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel Mode Set. Initiating. Commence Duel" said both of the duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
Touchdown's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Since you challenged me, I get to make the first move. So here go, I draw." Isaac looked at his hand and skimmed through the different options that he could potential do.

Not bad. "To start, I'll summon to the field my Noble Knight Artorigus(1800/1800). Then I'll place one card facedown and pass it over to you."

Turn 2: Touchdown

"Finally, I draw. And I think I'll just place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

Isaac was confused with how Touchdown had handled his first turn. "That's it? I was expecting for a much bigger opener from you. Oh well, I guess sometimes you get a bad hand."

"Trust me, I'm fine. I would be more worried about you and what I have waiting for you." Touchdown had a smirk on his face when he said that.

"We'll see about that, I draw. I summon to field Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in attack mode." Once his monster appeared on the field, Isaac then began to think about what his next move was.

Seeing as how Touchdown doesn't have any monsters to defend himself, the logical choice would be to go on the offensive and deal some major damage to his life points. But then again, I'm worried that his facedown is something that can stop my attack or do something worse. Well the only way to find out what he's planning is to attack.

"Now I'll have both of my monsters attack you directly, this is payback for hitting me in the head with the football, go my monsters."

Isaac's monsters then made their way to Touchdown's side of the field, all the while Isaac was expecting him to have a trick up his sleeve. Touchdown just simply had a smile on his face as both monsters connected with their attacks and took out a huge chunk of his life points.
Touchdown's Life Points: 4600-

He was surprised that Touchdown didn't do anything to block his attack, but he wasn't complaining. "Next time you'll think twice before hitting me in the head, I end my turn."

Everybody was surprised to say the least, the crowd around them was amazed at how Isaac was able to nearly knock Touchdown's health to almost half. The girls were impressed that Isaac was able to pull off an amazing turn despite taking a shot to the head prior. They began to cheer and lend him their support.

"My word, it seems Isaac is capable of taking care of himself."

Fluttershy then chimed in, "I agree he's having really enjoying himself out there."

"Go Isaac! Go Team Friendship." said Pinkie who was jumping up and down while wearing a cheerleader outfit. Wait what, when did she have time to get that on?

Turn 4: Touchdown

"Playtime is now over, time for the real game. I draw. Then I think I'll activate my facedown the trap known as Defensive Lineup. Now I get to summon a little football token who's attack is equal to the amount of damage I took, so since I took 3600 points of damage my token gains that much attack." Out on the field appeared a monster like football that resembled like the one that his Isaac in the face, however it had a helmet on its top and had a serious face.

"Well that answers my question about his facedown."

"Next, I'll the field spell card Superbowl Stadium." Touchdown played his card and the entire field started to change. The whole scenery was changed with the crowd sitting in the stands and watching the duel on the titrations. Both Isaac and Touchdown had their outfits changed as their clothes morphed into football jerseys, even their monsters were dressed with the male monsters wearing a jersey and Isaac's magician dawning a cheerleader outfit. Speaking of outfits, both Fluttershy and Rarity were affected by the field spell as their clothes had been changed to match that of Pinkie's outfit. When that happened, both were surprised.

"I'll admit despite me being a bit uncomfortable wearing something like this in front of others, I'll say that the color does much my hair. Plus seeing as how we're Isaac's cheer squad, I don't mind wearing this in front of him." said Rarity as she was coming to terms with what had occurred. Fluttershy, on the other hand, was a bit scared with the transformation as she tried to hid behind her pom poms while cowering behind Pinkie.

Pinkie tried to make her feel better. "Oh come on Fluttershy, it's not so bad. As long we cheer on Isaac, you won't think about the thousands of eyes staring at us. Come on girls, let's make sure Isaac hears our cheers."

Fluttershy then moved out of her hiding spot and began to cheer with her friends as the pressure of people watching her began to fade away.

Going back to what was happening with the duel, Isaac was still in shock with how the entire landscape had changed. "I can't believe this, everything seems so real." he said while feeling his jersey which consisted of black and gold.

"Believe me, it's about to get a whole lot more real." said Touchdown who was wearing a jersey made up of the colors brown and green while having a stripe pattern down the middle. "Especially when I summon to the field my Linebacker(1700/1500), now thanks his special ability I can bring out another one of his teammates and I choose Wide Receiver(1900/100). Now time to play ball, cause I'll have Linebacker and Wide Receiver clear your field." Touchdown then gave his orders to his team of monsters as they began to tackle the monsters on Isaac's side of the field as they destroyed them. "Next I'll have my little token attack you directly, go my buddy and give him another walloping." Just like before, the little football launched itself at Isaac as it collided with him in the stomach as he was thrown back onto the grass and into the end zone. When that happened, everybody in the stands saw the screens light up with the words 'Touchdown' as they let out a cheer as a point was awarded to Touchdown himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 4200

Isaac then got back up from the attack and brushed off the dirt he got on his outfit. "It's good thing that I don't play football, all this rough housing is enough to give me a concussion." Isaac then looked at Touchdown who was waving to crowd until he noticed Isaac got back up. "Now I'll activate my trap Damage Syphon, whenever a monster of mine is destroyed and I take damage I can bring a monster in my grave as long as it doesn't exceed the amount that I took, so I choose to revive my knight in attack mode." Just like that Isaac's monster was brought back from the grave.

"Very well, now my Linebacker's ability resolves and Wide Receiver goes back to my hand. Then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Isaac

"It's my move and I draw. First, I'll activate the spell card Ricochet now I can bounce one of your monsters back to your hands and it lets me add a card from my deck to my hand." My card then fired a beam of energy as it returned Touchdown's monster to his hand, meanwhile I took my deck out of the slot and began to select the card that I wanted. "Next up, I'll summon a new monster for everyone to see, I play Gogogo Golem(1800/1500) in defense mode. I'll then end my turn."

My best bet is to defend myself until I can figure out a way to turn things around.

Turn 6: Touchdown

"Getting nervous already? Then allow me to give these people some entertainment. I draw, and first I'll sacrifice my token to summon out my Running Back(1200/1100) in attack mode. I can only summon this monster by tributing another but the plus side of doing this is that it allows me to raise my Running Back by one level, so now he's level 5. Now I'll have him attack your monster."

"With only 1200 points your monster won't leave a scratch on my golem."

"That's why I'm activating the spell card Perfect Throw, now my monster's attack points double until the end of my turn." Touchdown's monster then split into two as one of them was charging up ahead ready to tackle Isaac's monster while the other one was waiting to throw the ball to his counterpart.

"That won't do much because my monster's go a sweet ability that lets him from being destroyed once per turn. Looks like your double team play isn't going to work."

"Oh didn't I mention that my Perfect Throw card allow me to negate your monster's ability" smirked Touchdown.

"What!?"

Touchdown's monster then tackled Isaac's golem as it was destroyed and it's counterpart tossed the ball. It was caught, then it slammed it on the ground near Isaac which bounced and hit him causing him to fall on his back as he received damage. The screen then plastered the words 'Touchdown' again and the crowd let out a roar.
Isaac's Life Points: 3300-

Fluttershy was worried about Isaac getting tossed around. "Oh I hope he's alright."

"Wait a minute, Isaac's monster was in defense mode right? So why did he take damage?" asked Pinkie to which her question was soon answered right then and there.

"Due to my Running Back's ability when his points are more than the defense points the difference is dealt to you as damage."

"Oh, okay." Pinkie then went back to cheering for Isaac as if everything was normal.

"Hang in there, Isaac." screamed Rarity.

"Not to worry Rarity, I'm fine. What I really love is to last one more round with this guy."

"I'll end my turn with a facedown. Your turn Isaac, if you dare."

Turn 7: Isaac

"Fight on, Isaac," shouted Rarity doing a quick cheer in her outfit. "After all you've got us to cheer you on, right girls?" They all nodded and let out a big 'rah rah'. Isaac looked at the girls and a smile formed on his face.

"If they believe in me, then so do I. Alright, I draw. Nice, I summon King's Knight(1600/1400) in attack mode." Just like before the monster's outfit was morphed into a jersey as it lost all of it's equipment. "Now my king time to take out his Running Back, your monster's points return to normal which means it's weaker than mine. Let him have it." Isaac's monster then grabbed the football and began to charge at Touchdown's monster looking to score a point. As they collided Isaac's king pushed its target out of the way destroying it in the process and then spiked the ball near Touchdown's feet.

"Alright, good play, Isaac!" shouted Rarity who was soon backed by the others giving a rowdy cheer.

Just then a whistle blew as a referee tossed a flag and put a cross with his arms. This confused everybody except Touchdown.

"Hey what's going on?"

"That last score is negated."

"Negated? How come?" asked Fluttershy.

"Tough luck Isaac, but as you can see I've activated my trap card Interception."

"I see now."

"And you're about to see my monster return to because with this card my Running Back isn't destroyed and I also take no damage plus your turn comes to an end."

"What? So my turns over already? Talk about rotten luck."

"No way" said Fluttershy in a state of shock.

"Talk about a real party pooper; that's one powerful card" said Pinkie who began to form a sad smile on her face.

Turn 8: Touchdown

"It's my turn and I draw. Next, I summon to the field my Level 5 Center Player(2000/100)."

"Wait, how can he summon that kind of monster without tributing for it? It makes no sense."

"Pinkie's right, you're not allowed to do that."

"On the contrary, Isaac. I can thanks to my field spell Superbowl Stadium. It allows me to summon my Center Player without tributing another monster."

"Not cool," Isaac said with disdain in his voice.

"Now go ahead and striker away my player, attack his King's Knight." Touchdown's monster then tackled Isaac's monster to ground destroying it and causing Isaac to take damage. "And with your defense now in disarray, I'll take shot number #2. Now Running Back, attack." The creature then grabbed the ball as it charged past Isaac knocking him to the ground and scoring a point. The screen then said the words 'touchdown' as another point was awarded.
Isaac's Life Points: 2100-

"Isaac?" Rarity let out a concerning tone in her voice as she was worried about the punishment Isaac was taking.

"I can't watch anymore." Shouted Fluttershy as she put her hands to her face to avoid seeing Isaac from suffering more attacks.

"Guess what Isaac, I'm not done. Now I activate the spell card Hand-Eye Coordination, don't blink because now Interception returns to my hand. Next I'll play onw card face down and end my turn."

"This some game plan that Touchdown has come up with. If that facedown he just threw was another Interception trap, it will stop any attack and then my turn will be over."

"Oh yes, you know that it's over. My sick skills have you completely outmatched. And there's not a thing you can do about it, Isaac."

Turn 9: Isaac

"Well time to put on my rally cap, my turn. Draw! And now I summon X-Head Cannon(1800/1500) in attack mode. Next up I'm activating the spell card Monster Reborn and I'll use it to bring back Gogogo Golem in defense mode."

Touchdown interjected at Isaac's move. "Fine by me because nothing you bring out can't possibly beat my Interception trap card."

"Don't worry, I activate the spell card Cross Attack. Now since I have 2 monsters on my side of the field with the same number of attack points one of them is allowed to attack you directly." Isaac's golem passed the ball to his cannon who did some fancy moves to evade Touchdown's monster and spike the ball in Touchdown's stomach to score a point. The screen registered it and awarded a point to Isaac.
Touchdown's Life Points: 2800-

"I can't believe it, he scored a touchdown on me."

Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie were all ecstatic about Isaac finally scoring a point that they jumped up and down and did a cheer. "Go Isaac go. Go Isaac go. Yeah."

"Alright, so you found out my Interception trap can't activate against direct attacks, big deal."

"It's a big deal, Touchdown. Especially once I play this card Weak Point. Sure it causes my cannon to lose 800 points and a level, but in return, I can destroy the lowest monster on your side of the field. So say goodbye to your Running Back."

Touchdown was left speechless as he witnessed another one of his cards get destroyed.

"There's another card I'm going to activate and I play it now, I play the spell Extra Shot now since a monster on your side of the field was destroyed you take an additional 1200 points of damage."

Once again Touchdown was flung onto his back as the titration registered Isaac's attack as another point.
Touchdown's Life Points: 1600-

"Now I'll end my turn by throwing this facedown. You're up, Touchdown."

Turn 10: Touchdown

"It's my turn now, I draw. Perfect! Straight from my hand I summoning out Wide Receiver, when Superbowl Stadium is out on the field it gains 1 additionally level. Now he's level 5. But I'm not done yet, cause I activate the spell All For One. Now since there are 2 monsters on my side of the field with the same type and level, I can summon an additionally monster from my grave so long as it's the same type as my other monsters. So suit up Running Back, you're back in play."

Touchdown's monster was brought back on his master's field. They then looked at each other and gave a quick nod signaling what to do next.

"Not only does All For One bring my monster back but it also lets him gain one more level. And you know what that means."

"I wish I didn't."

"That means I can overlay my level 5 Running Back, Wide Receiver, and Center Player. And now that the Overlay Network has been created, I can Xyz summon, come on out Quarterback(2600/2000, OLU: 3)." Out came a monster that was considered the leader in Touchdown's deck. It stood tall and proud as it looked across the field at it's opponents. "Now Quarterback take out X-Head Cannon."

"I activate Half-Unbreak, go. Now my cannon can't be destroyed so do your worst. And you know what the best part about it is the damage I take is cut in half."
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"Well more damage is coming your way, I activate my Quarterback's ability. Now by using one overlay unit, he's allowed to attack again. And this time it's going to take out your strongest monster."

"Go right ahead, my strongest monster is my Gogogo Golem and like I told you before it can withstand one attack per turn."

"I'll just attack it again."

This time Touchdown's monster was able to defeat Isaac's golem as it evaporated when Quarterback tackled it to the ground.

"And I think I'll using final overlay unit for one more attack. Your X-Head Cannon is the only one left, so attack it Quarterback."

"I don't think so Touchdown because Half-Unbreak is still in play."

While the card may have saved Isaac's monster from being destroyed it still meant that he was going to take damage and the force of the impact was enough sending Isaac flying onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"I then end my turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Isaac, no!" shouted all the girls.

"It's alright girls, I'm fine. Actually I'm more than fine, I'm great. You know why Touchdown because I'm winning!" I had a big smile on my face when I made that statement.

"What are you talking about you're winning? I just blasted your monsters and you only have 500 life points left."

"Yeah that may be true, but when you believe in your deck you're always winning. Now then my turn, draw. I'm summoning my Marshmallon(300/500)". Out came a little cute blob which was also wearing a small jersey.

Touchdown was not impressed with Isaac's choice. "Only 300 attack points, how on earth is that gonna help you? Oh, wait a minute." Now Isaac has two level 3 monsters out.

"That's right now I can summon an Xyz monster, so go now. I overlay level 3 X-Head Cannon and Marshmallon and now with the Overlay Network in full effect, I'm gonna Xyz summon. And as you're about to see, this monster really hits the right cord. Behold MuzuRhythm the String Djinn(1500/1000, OLU: 2)." Out came a tiny cute musician who played a banjo and was soon wearing a stylist jersey to math his hat. "Next I activate the equip spell: Giant Hunter. And equip it to MuzuRhythm, talk about a tune up. Now Touchdown, you can't use any spells or trap cards until the battle is over this turn."

"Wait, but that means I'm not allowed to use my Interception trap card." shouted Touchdown.

"That's right and when a monster equipped with Giant Hunter attacks, if I have fewer life points than you, your monster's points are cut in half."

"Uhh, there goes my offense."

"Next I activate Muzurhythm the String Djinn's ability, by using one overlay unit when Muzurhythm battles your Xyz his attack points are doubled. Talk about strumming up a storm. Finish him Muzurhythm!" Isaac's little musician was then empowered with the effect of the card and spun around really fast creating a mini tornado. It then sucked up the football and launched it straight at Touchdown's face. The impact of that attack sent Touchdown crashing into the field goal post that it left a dent in them as the announcer shouted the final score of the game and declared Isaac the victor.
Touchdown's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Everybody was ecstatic, including Pinkie Pie. "Touchdown, Isaac comes from behind with an unbelievable finish. Alright, Isaac way to go!"

Rarity then joined in on the celebration. "Three cheers for Isaac!"

Soon thereafter everything returned back to normal as everybody was back to where they were before the field spell activated. Even their clothes had returned back to normal.

"It's a shame rather, while I would like a bit of warning before a wardrobe change. I'll admit I did look fabulous in my outfit, don't you agree Isaac? What did you think about my appearance?" suggested Rarity.

Isaac was a bit flustered when Rarity was asking about how she looked at it was hard to give a straight answer. "Oh, you're asking me what I think? Well seeing as it's normal for Pinkie, I didn't mind. But I'll say that both you and Fluttershy were kinda cute in that outfit." Isaac was letting out a bit of a small blush which didn't go unnoticed by Rarity.

Rarity put her hand a bit over her mouth as she let out a small laugh. "Well now, quite the charmer are you? Now I see what your preferences are." giggled Rarity as she was teasing Isaac and was throwing a bit of flirtation in his direction.

Isaac was left stunned with Rarity's response that when Touchdown began to get up it caught his attention. He then made his way to Isaac and the girls

"I gotta say that was a fun duel Isaac, I'll glad I chose you to be my opponent."

"Same here Touchdown. I wanted to kick off this tournament with style and I say I've acquired that."

"Indeed we did, well I wish you the best of luck."

"You too, I have no doubt in my mind that someday you'll be a football champion."

"And you a duel champion." Touchdown then gave Isaac a respectful handshake and then went on his way.

After his duel with Touchdown, Isaac felt a ton of emotions in him as he let out a shout. "Oh yeah, I won my first duel. But to reach the finals I'll need more than that, look out everybody cause nothing is going to stop me from reaching the top." Isaac jumped up, throwing a fist bump in the air.

The girls were proud of their friend winning that they just had big smiles on their faces, Fluttershy even gave Isaac a hug.

"I'm so happy for you Isaac, if you keep at it I know you'll make it to finals with ease."

"Thanks, Flutters. Well, what about you girls?"

"While it was nice for us to spend a little bit more time with each other, I think it's best we go our separate ways at least for the time being. We're all here to defeat Sunset and to do that we need to be the last ones standing. The only way to do that is to rack up some wins." said Rarity.

"Rarity is right, I wish we could spend time together but we have a mission to keep. So let's all go out there and do our best." Isaac assured them with such conviction in his voice.

"Then what are we waiting for? Look out everybody because this fun express isn't stopping till we say so. Then we'll throw the biggest party this school has ever seen." exclaimed Pinkie.

"Then farewell girls, until we meet again." said the boy.

With that, each said their goodbyes and promised that they would all meet up very soon. Once they disappeared, Isaac turned his head to the clouds and began to express his thoughts.

I'm going to defeat you Sunset, count on it.

With that, Isaac headed in search of his next duel and vanished among the sea of people.

Chapter 14: A Gem of a Time

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 15: A Tasting Treat

As night began to fall on day 1 of the Fall Formal Tournament, Celestia and Luna were looking over the results of the day's events.

"Well sister, you'll be pleased to know that everything went smoothly as planned. According to our systems we've had over 100 duels in just the first few hours. I dare say by the time we reached the final day we'll have had at least over 1000 duels. The students are really showing their interest if these numbers are any indication."

"That's wonderful news Luna, any duelists that have been making a splash recently?" asked Celestia who was wearing a nightgown as she and her sister prepared for bed.

"Well, as always we have a few front runners. One of them being, of course, is Sunset Shimmer. In fact, all her duels today have lasted at most 5 turns when facing her opponent. Then there's the energic Rainbow Dash who has been winning duels like people owe her money. She really gives new meaning to the word 'Dash', not too mention that she's also been racking up some wins in hopes of making the finals. Then we a few people behind them not that far off. Overall, everybody seems to have gained a couple of wins."

Celestia had a smile on her face as she heard the good news from her sister. "And what about Isaac? How is he faring with this kind of competition?"

"Well he hasn't competed in as many duels as Sunset or Dash, but he still seems to have gained a few wins under his belt. Overall his ranking puts him in just above the average range. Still I'd expect with a couple of more duels, I have no doubt he'll be a top contender for the finals."

"That's good, my hope from this tournament is that the students really understand that this event is to honor the game of Duel Monsters. To honor the great duelists of the past and how they have paved the way for others through the use of their unique dueling methods and signature cards. Also for the students to understand the concept of friendship; I want them to know that even after a duel has ended they can still be friends."

"That's a bold claim to make Tia, and I'm proud of all that you've done to accomplish that." Smiled Luna.

"You mean 'we' accomplished. You've played just as a big of a role as I have little sister. Without you none of this wouldn't be possible and I probably wouldn't be the principal that these kids look up too. Thank you Luna, for everything."

Luna was surprised that her sister was giving praise to her. Nevertheless she carried on with what she was doing until she felt her sister give her a hug. Luna wasn't much of a hugger, but no matter what she couldn't break away from the grip of her older sister so eventually she gave in and returned the hug. The 2 sisters eventually decided to turn in for the night.

Day 2 of the Fall Formal tournament was in full swing as even more duels were taking place. Everywhere there were students battling left and right. Compared to the previous day, everybody started to be more strategic with who they were challenging. The first day of the event proved to be a learning curve as now that everybody had a general idea of what styles of dueling everybody had and they made sure to capitalize on that. Among those students competing was our very Isaac who was about to secure victory against his opponent.

"Now Dark Magician take out his life points, Dark Magic Attack!". Isaac's wizard the raised his staff and unleashed a powerful attack that zapped away the remainder of his opponent's health.

After that Isaac began to take a quick break by checking to make sure his duel disk was working and looking at his deck to see if he wanted to make any substitutions. Unlike the previous day, he didn't get to see the girls at all. So when he got there and Celestia announced the second day of the tournament, Isaac couldn't find any of the girls so he decided to engage in a couple of duels in hopes of running into the girls.

"I sure hope the others are ok. We're going to need all the firepower we can get to take down Sunset. Isn't that right, magician?"

Isaac looked at his Dark Magician card when he said that question. While most found it weird, Isaac knew his magician agreed with him.

"You're right buddy, we better get back to dueling if we want to make it to the finals." With that Isaac left in search of more competition.

The rest of the day went by with so many more duels happening. However, for Pinkie she was in a rather unique situation. Compared to the others, she did in fact encounter some loss between yesterday and today. Granted when they happened she just merely smiled and then proceed as if everything was back to normal. For Pinkie she really didn't mind if she lost because to her losing was the just the same as winning. Ultimately, the thing Pinkie really was looking forward to was organizing the huge party planned for the Fall Formal dance and that she was going to co-commentate the finals with none other than Principal Celestia. Honestly, to Pinkie everything was going great for her.

"Well today has been a doozy, not only did I get to duel but I got to meet some crazy new monsters. Any hoo, time for a cupcake break." Pinkie then out of nowhere pulled a cupcake out of her hair and gobbled it in one gulp.

"Now that's what I call good eats. Oh well time to get back to dueling. The question is who am I going to challenge?"

Just when Pinkie began to use her brain, she heard a nearby sound.

"Come one, come all. If your taste buds are craving something new, then why not try the new cream puff now filled with red velvet and blueberry? Don't be shy folks, step right up. Free samples for everybody." Unfortunately, nobody paid attention to what this man was saying. Pinkie then made her way to the free pastries.

"I'll try one." Once Pinkie took a bite she immediately spit out the pastries. She began to rub out any remaining pieces that remained on her tongue.

"It is supposed to taste bad?"

"No, I'm sorry but it seems I've faced another baking tragedy. My name is Tasty Eclair and I'm helping my parents run their business. However, everytime I try to make something new, I always find some way to mess it up. My dream one day is to own my shop. I want to become one of the bestest bakers in the world; ever since I was little all I wanted to do was put smiles on people's face by giving out tasting treats. But if I can't make good sweets then maybe I should hang up my chef's hat and dreams."

Pinkie then kneeled down and put a hand on Eclair's shoulder.

"Don't fret, I'm sure everything will work out. I'm Pinkie Pie, nice to meet you! So your dream is spread laughter through sweets, that's a wonderful dream."

"Well given how awful my deserts have been I think it's same to say that my career as a baker is over before it even gets started."

"Cheer up, if there's anybody who knows a thing or two about sweets it's me. Now why don't you show your recipe and maybe I can offer you some advice."

After a moment of considering his options Eclair decided to take Pinkie up on her offer. They then made their way to Eclair's food truck that was filled with tons of baking supplies. The first thing they did was look over the recipe book that Eclair had and began to work their magic. Pinkie had suggested that they both make the same desserts to compare the results. After making a simple cupcake, Pinkie saw what the issue was right off the bat. However she wanted to see what else he could do; so she began to ask him to make several treats. After several horrendous baked goods and a couple of kitchen fires, Eclair started to throw in the towel.

"It's no good! I'll never become a baker, maybe I should just disappear. I doubt my parents will ever notice if I left." Eclair had thrown his hat on the ground and hung his head in shame.

Pinkie then made her way over to Eclair and picked up the chef's hat. "Ah cheer up, sure you made some mistakes. Sure you made some horrible treats that are inedicabled. And I'm sure if someone managed to eat one they probably wind up in the hospital, not to mention the many complaints you'll get from people. Which will likely lead to not many people wanting to hire you. Also your parents will be super disappointed and probably think that their legacy is in danger."

"Wow thanks, I feel so much better now. It turns not only am I not a good baker but apparently I'm killer due to how bad my skills are." Eclair had a bit of sarcasm when he gave Pinkie his response.

"Sorry, my bad. What I meant to say is that there's still hope for you, especially since I've figured out what your problem is."

"Mind telling me what it is?"

"You're too nervous. What I mean is that you're nervous that your treats won't be good and that you'll let your family down. You put so much pressure on yourself to meet the expectations of others that you're not focusing on what you want."

Eclair was a bit confused with what Pinkie was suggesting. "What are you saying?"

"Put it this way, when you bake does it feel you with happiness? Do feel like a bundle of joy when making such tasty sweets? More importantly, do you make sure that you put all of your love into creating your desserts?"

"Of course, I believe that if you don't put in all of your effort into making sweets, then why bother? Ever since I was young, my parents always told me that making sweets is like showing the world a part of yourself. They say that as long as you put your heart and soul into your cooking then the final product will be amazing. But you've seen firsthand how that turns out."

"That's why you need to let go of those expectations. I know it sounds weird but if you learn to relax and learn that you can do things at your own pace then I guarantee, you will be successful. Look your parents want you to learn and be the best baker you can be, right? So don't worry about what others expect, the only person whose expectations you should please is yourself. It's like my grant nani once said life without chocolate is no life at all, but mostly she said that as long as you enjoy spreading laughter with other people then that is the greatest accomplishment anyone. So come on, we've got some treats that need baking."

Pinkie then offered her hand to Eclair. Eclair was thinking about what Pinkie had said to him and after having a moment to collect his thoughts, he eventually agreed and accepted Pinkie's advice. They then got to work making a brand new batch of pastries which with the help of Pinkie she began to relieve Eclair of his anxiety. Eventually after a couple of mishaps, they eventually created a new batch of tasty treats. It consisted of donuts, cupcakes, eclairs, cookies, etc... in fact hey had created just about every tasting thing you could think of. The final test was being able to see what the people thought so Pinkie worked her magic and was able to draw a crowd of nearby students and bystanders. Eclair then brought out some free samples to give and the results were more than pleasing. Everybody was saying that this was one of the best things they had eaten in a while, in fact some were asking Eclair the cost each treat as they were willing to buy more. Eclair was the happiest he ever was in his entire life, not only was his food putting smiles on people's faces but to know they weren't spitting out their taste buds meant so much to him. After getting the huge endorsement from his patrons, he turned to find Pinkie snacking on some more treats.

"I can't thank you enough, Pinkie. Because of your help I've been able to get over my anxiety about living to someone's expectations. I now know that if I want to be a great baker the only person who I should try to please is myself; as long as I'm happy making food for people to enjoy then I've done my job. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

Pinkie thought about it until she reached a decision. "Well, I was thinking about letting me drive your food truck around. Seriously, I always wanted to do it. Imagine racing to the ends of the world hunting down hungry mouths and delivering them delicious treats. And then we'll throw a big party as a way to celebrate, so can I? Please? Pretty please with sprinkles on top?"

"I don't think I can allow that, seeing as how we wouldn't get very far. Plus that's a long time to be on the road. I think I have a better idea, seeing as these folks enjoyed my food why not give them a show that they can enjoy? Up for a little duel, Miss Pie?"

"Alright, though I still say my idea was way for fun. Let's duel."

"Opponent detected. Streaming Data. Duel Mode Set. Initiating. Commence Duel" said the duel disks.

Eclair's Life Points: 8000-

Pinkie's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Eclair

"I'll start things off, I draw. First I'll activate the field spell Tasty Bakery. Now once per turn, I can summon a pastry monster from my hand to the field and I think I'll do just that with my Cupcake Soldier(1100/1200). Then I'll also summon my Truffle Trooper(1500/1200) in attack mode. I'll then play 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Pinkie

“Cool!” Pinkie grinned as she drew. She looked at her card and held it out. “I pay a thousand Life Points, and activate the Spell card ‘Toon World’!”

A shower of sparks and a cloud of pink smoke billowed into the air behind Pinkie. A large green book with cartoon characters spun out of it and hurled into the air, landing in front of her and springing open to reveal a pop-up city rising from the pages.
Pinkie's Life Points: 7000-

"I summon Toon Masked Sorcerer(900/1400) in attack mode!" A circular portal in front of Pinkie opened and a purple and red mist poured out, solidifying into the shape of a humanoid figure in a purple robe with a long, bright red shock of hair. The figure shook its head, its face covered by a bright blue mask, and sat down in front of Pinkie. "I'll then set 2 cards facedown, you're up. This is so much fun!"

Turn 3: Eclair

"My turn, seeing as you only a single monster I'll take this opportunity to attack, now my Cupcake will take out your Sorcerer and then I'll have my Trooper take a shot at your life points." Eclair gave his orders and his duo of monsters began to charge towards Pinkie's monster.

“I don’t think so!” Pinkie called. “I activate my Continuous Trap card ‘Toon Defense’!” A long wooden crook extended of the Toon World book and hooked around Masked Sorcerer. “When you try and attack a Level 4 or lower Toon monster, I can change it to a direct attack instead!” The crook pulled Masked Sorcerer into the book, leaving Hyper Librarian’s energy attack streaming towards Pinkie.

“So now you’ll just take the full force of the hit!” Eclair cried.

“Nope! I use my second Continuous Trap ‘Spirit Barrier’!” A glowing field of yellow energy encircled Pinkie. Hyper Librarian’s attack struck in a shower of sparks and dispersed. “With this Trap, as long as I control a monster, any damage I take from your attacks is reduced to zip-zilch-zee-ro!”

Eclair grinned. “So I can’t attack your monsters with that first Trap, and my attacks don’t hurt you because of the second. Not bad.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie smiled back as Masked Sorcerer emerged from Toon World, dancing from either foot.

"Then I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Pinkie

"I'm up and draw. Alright, I play Toon Harpie Lady. Now since I control another toon monster on my field I can destroy 1 spell or trap on the field and I choose your field spell. Goodbye bakery, you'll be dearly missed with frosting. However, my harpie lady can't attack on the turn she's summoned, but my sorcerer can and he do it right at your life points. So go head and have some fun."
Eclair's Life Points: 7100-

"Now my sorcerer's ability activates when he inflicts battle damage, I can draw 1 card. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Eclair

"I'll admit Pinkie you're not only amazing in the kitchen, but you're also amazing when it comes to handling a deck."

"Oh please, I just love to have fun."

"Well if it's fun you want then allow me to show you a good time. First since you sent my bakery to the grave, I can now add one card of my choosing to my hand." Eclair's deck then slotted out the card he desired and added it to his hand. Then I'll play spell Powdered Donuts now I gain two donut tokens(200/500). Next I'll sacrifice my tokens in order to summon one of my most culinary creatures, appear my Chocolate Mousse(2500/2200). Next I'll add another layer to this taste creature with the equip spell Seven Layer Frosting, now my Mousse gains an addition 300 attack for every monster on my field, so he gains 600 more points making his attack equal to 3100."

"Nod bad, in fact I was hoping you would do something like that."

Eclair raised an eyebrow. "Why is that?"

"Because I can activate my trap Toon Mask!" Pinkie’s Trap shimmered and turned into a large mask of a cartoon ogre. "Now I can summon a monster whose the same level as your Mousse, since he's level 7 I'm gonna summon a level 7 of my own. Say hello to Red-Eyes Toon Dragon(2400/2000)."

The mask shattered and the ink dripped away, revealing a cartoon black dragon with stubbed wings, an oversized mouth, and large red eyes. It flapped into the air in front of Pinkie and let out a high-pitched roar, flexing its claws.

"Impressive, but don't think I've forgot about your traps. Now by sending 1 monster I control I can activate this card: Rush Order. Now for this turn I can negate your traps until the battle phrase is over, not time to give Pinkie her just desserts. Mousse take out her Toon Masked Sorcerer. With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Pinkie's Life Points: 5800-

Pinkie put her arms up as she tried to stand her ground against the attack. She was taken off her feet but quickly bounced right back up.

Turn 6: Pinkie

"Wow, what a doozy of an attack." Pinkie then dew her card. "Now then I'll play the spell Toon Rollback now I can select a Toon monster and they gain an additionally attack this turn and I choose my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon, so now prepare for a double whamming on your life points, go my dragon!"

Pinkie's monster then started to inhale air in its lungs, thenit flapped its wings as it soared into the air. Once it got high enough, its jaws glowed orange as it let out a barrage of fireballs as they collided with Eclair. Eclair just raised his arms up to cover himself from most of the attack.

"I'll then have my Toon Harpie Lady also attack you directly, I'll then end my turn."
Eclair's Life Points: 1000-

Turn 7: Eclair

"Seems like I'm almost out of life points, those toons of yours really pack a punch. Tell me something, Pinkie. What's your purpose in life?"

For the first time Pinkie didn't have an immediate answer. All she ever did in her life was plan parties and put smiles on people's face. Sure that was something nice to do as a hobby but was it really a calling in life. Compared to her friends, Pinkie was always the optimistic one. Whenever someone was feeling down, she would always be there to turn that frown upside down. To Pinkie smiling was just a whole lot easier, in fact it was the first time she threw a party for her family that showed just how powerful a smile could be. Ever since then she made an effort to always throw a party as a way to get people to laugh and have fun. Eventually, Pinkie decided to address Eclair's question.

"To be honest, I don't really know. All I've been doing is making sure that people laugh to wash away any sadness they have. In terms of what I want for my future, I don't know. I have pretty good baking skills, so maybe I could get a job working at bakery or possibly in a diner. Still there's a part of me that thinks I'm destined for more."

Eclair then tried a different approach. "Well about now? Why did you enter this tournament, I could tell from that look in your eyes that you have a set goal in mind? Is that correct?"

Pinkie gave him a nod. "Yeah, me and my friends are trying to band together to take someone down. That's not so wrong, is it?"

"That depends if your intentions are true then your actions will be justified. The only thing that you need to answer is do you feel like you're doing your part to help the others?" Eclair then did something that nobody was expecting even Pinkie was left stunned. He placed his hand over his duel disk and said the words: "I quit".

Once Eclair made his surrender everything went back to normal. Pinkie then made her way to Eclair.

"Why? Why surrender, you could have had a chance?"

"To be honest, I don't think I would have lastly much longer. Plus I wanted to see something from you. You've shown that while you're willing to help your friends and do everything in your power to put smiles on people's face, there's still a sense of doubt in you. I see fear in your eyes, fear that one day there will come a time where all your antics won't be enough to make people laugh. That they'll laugh at you instead of with you; that all your gifts and services as the ultimate party planner will be forgotten. Now you'll have to face those demons of yours one day, but know that as long as you have individuals you can count on they will always remember you."

Eclair's words left a lasting impression on Pinkie that she started to burst into tears. Unbeast to her, Pinkie was starting to experience a similar feeling that Rarity had encountered the previous day. It was a strange sensation, but one that filled her full of hope and positivity.

Once Pinkie had finished letting her tears out, she thanked Eclair for a wonderful time not just for the duel but for also getting to make some delicious treats. She then began to leave but not before taking a few sweets for the road. As she waved goodbye, she looked at her deck and then to the sky. There were still many questions that she needed to answer. While Pinkie may not have the answers she seek, she knew that right now her friends were counting on her to do her part in taking down Sunset Shimmer. Pinkie gave one last look at her deck and remembered the words Isaac had told them prior to the tournament.

"Always put your trust in your deck and it will put their trust in you."

She thought she knew what Isaac was talking about at that given moment, but now those words rang truer than they ever before. "Trust my deck and it will trust me. Then I'm going to keep on searching and no matter what I'll find my life's purpose. Count on it!"

Meanwhile in another part of the school, Isaac had just finished taking a break when he suddenly heard his stomach growling. "That's weird, I ate not too long ago. And yet I have a weird craving for something sweet, oh well probably means nothing." Little did Isaac know that suddenly 2 bright particles had landed on his deck both resembling the colors of purple and pink.

Chapter 16: An Unlikely Meeting

The rest of the day continued as planned. After taking care of his sudden weird sweet tooth, Isaac began to get back into the swing of things as he started to find more duelists to battle. After about half an hour, Isaac had already gotten 3 more victories. Isaac then made his way to the back of the school to get a bit of privacy.

"Man, this tournament is taking a lot out of me than I expected. I mean I know that if I keep doing well in winning most of my matches then I should be safe to qualify for the finals, but my stamina still seems to be draining."

"Well maybe you should take five and let the real duelist do the fighting for you." said a mysterious voice.

Isaac looked up and sitting on top of the wall he was lying against was a person he hadn't seen in a while. "Nice to see that your ego hasn't been dropped, Trixie."

"Well it's refreshing to see that you're still trying to play hero in this story" returned Trixie with a snarky look. Eventually they both broke into a laughter.

"Good to see again, Isaac. I hope that you're still treating your Dark Magician with the proper respect it deserves. If not perhaps Trixie will have to be the one who upholds what it means to be the master of the Dark Magician. Then again that would make for a better story than this one, don't you agree?"

"I'll believe that when the world suddenly decides to shut down and everybody is forced to stay inside due to some crazy disease. Like something like that will ever happen. Anyways, it's been a while Trixie. What have you been up to lately?"

"Oh just bit of magic here and there. You know Trixie when there is a magic show to be performed, Trixie will be there. Plus I'm also doing a bit of soul search mainly with my deck."

"Okay 2 questions: What happened to you addressing yourself in the third person? And secondly, what have you done with the real Trixie?" asked Isaac.

"I can choose whether or not to address myself the way I please, thank you very much! And as for your other outburst, I'm being serious." Trixie then hopped down from where she was sitting and landed on her feet. She then looked at Isaac.

"Mind if I grab a seat and tell you what happened?"

Isaac just raised an eyebrow before saying it was ok. Trixie then sat next to Isaac and began to tell him her tale as she looked out into the school's field.

"After our battle with each other and the way you reminded me of how I should treat my cards with respect, I decided to take a step back and reevaluate myself. You remember the promise I made to myself about how I would need to earn the respect of my cards and my magician. Well after that battle, I was approached by a couple of students who believe it or not they were praising me for an amazing match. I thought they just mocking me but they kept on insisting that it was the best thing they had seen in a long time. I just merely ignored their comments and went about my business. The next couple of days after that everybody was talking about our duel but I'm sure you must have experienced it first hand, right?"

To be honest I really didn't hear that much praise be directed to me after my match with Trixie. Then again it was around that same time that I had met the rest of the girls and we were so busy about competing in the tournament and taking down Sunset that I barely paid attention to what others were saying about me. Hearing that Trixie was being given endorsements after our battle made me happy. Not only did people praise her for putting a good fight, but they actually believed that she was a talented duelist. At least that was the way I interrupted it; I would be lying if I didn't say that my match with Trixie was definitely in top moments of amazing duels, we really tore the house down.

"Anyways the point is everybody seemed to actually give me credit for going up against a powerful opponent. I know that's a bit exaggerated, I mean you practically wiped the floor with me. It was my own pride that led me to lose the match. Since then I've been rebuilding myself and my deck; I even entered this tournament not to win per say but hopefully to find a part of myself that's been missing. Still I don't deserve everybody's admiration they saw how I treated my monsters, they must think I'm some selfish bitch." Trixie started to put her head in her arms and let out a few tears.

When Trixie told me her tale, a part of me was genuinely understanding where she was coming from. If I was in her shoes, I too would question my existence not only as a person but as a duelist. I couldn't imagine being the type of person who would mistreat their cards. I didn't know what to do so I reluctantly put my hand on Trixie's shoulder to which she didn't refuse. Trixie then started to look at me while wiping some tears away from her face.

"Look Trixie, I don't want to say I know what you're going through but I will agree that those students who been giving you props in our duel were right. I mean before our match, I couldn't think of time where I had that much fun dueling someone. To say that I wiped the floor with you is practically the farthest from the truth. The reality is Trixie that you actually pushed me to my limits, you forced me to think of new strategies just to be able to survive till the next turn. Now given how you were acting I can't imagine what you would have done if I lost the duel and my Dark Magician. But given how things turned out, I say everything worked out better than anticipated. Sure you feel like you don't deserve any attention, but you do. Sure you don't believe that you've gained the trust of your monsters, but you do. You've already repented for sins and are making an effort to fix them, not a lot of people can do that. Believe me, I know. I guess what I'm trying to say is that you're much better person than we last meet and anybody who's willing to have a change of heart is someone I can call friend."

Trixie was stunned by what Isaac had just said. It wasn't mainly due to the fact that Isaac gave a thrilling speech that would cause anybody to get emotionally but due to the fact that he called her his friend. Despite their past, Isaac was willing to put their differences aside because he believed that she was becoming a better person. Trixie's heart started to fill with happiness because for the first time in her life she had finally found someone she can lean on for support.

"Thank you Isaac, because of you I've decided to change for the better. I'm not the same girl I once was, no I'm so much better. If I could go back in time and change the past I definitely would."

I merely laughed at Trixie's response. "Hey now don't go saying that, if that did happen then I wouldn't get to experience a fun duel."

"I'm pretty sure you would have found a way to make it interesting." snickered Trixie.

"I doubt it" I said as I gave a sarcastic response.

Eventually we broke into a laughter. Compared to when we first began to talk the sun was just high in the sky now it seemed to have dropped down a bit and soon it would disappeared beyond the horizon to signal the night. Trixie eventually decided that she needed to go and promised that I would continue to do my best in the tournament as she was personally rooting for me to make it to the finals. I told I would try and gave her a hearty goodbye to which she just gave me a quick hug before heading off in the direction of the school's swimming pool. I was left by myself for few moments before I gathered my things and prepared to head out myself.

The sun was just about to dip as the sky started to turn into an orangish color. The second day of the Fall Formal tournament was about to come to a close as the last remaining duels started to wrap up. Other than my encounter with Trixie, I had still yet to bump into any of the girls.

"I would have thought we would have seen each other but I guess their busy doing their own thing. I just hope everything is alright. Well the sun's going down, time for me to call it a day." Just as I was preparing to head out, I heard somebody address me.

"Where do you think you're going pal?" There standing before was a dude who look like he was waiting to pick a fight. "You're not just about to leave when there's still time. And if there's still time to throw down, you best believe I'm cashing in at a prime opportunity. So draw your deck boy, because we're dueling. He then activated his duel disk and waited for me to accept his challenge. I looked at my duel disk to see who this person was. According to the info my device showed me his name Ironheart and displayed his record. He wasn't doing too terribly in the tournament but if he was able to defeat me then surely he would get noticed for being in the discussion for the finals. After thinking it over, I was about to give him my answer when I was interrupted by a different voice.

"Why waste your energy on someone like him when you could be facing someone with more value to their ranking?" Out of nowhere came a student wearing a duel disk and a guitar around his body. Upon first glance I could see this guy was a musician but his most striking feature was his blue hair that spiked up kinda like a rockstar. I'll admit he was a bit taller than me but even then I was surprised that he was willing to downplay my own skills as if I couldn't handle myself.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"The name's Flash Sentry. Don't worry man, I'll take care of this guy for you."

"Look I appreciate the help, but I can handle someone like him. So if you don't mind kindly step out of the way?" I said with a bit of disdain in my voice.

"Trust me man, I'll handle this. So what do you say Ironheart, how would you like a chance to test yourself against a former CHS duel champion?" Asked Flash as he threw down the gauntlet.

"I'll admit if I defeat you it would really show everybody that Ironheart is a force to be reckoned with, alright kid you're on. Prepare your duel disk."

"Seriously, I could've take care of the guy. You didn't need to do this."

"I know but I figured you needed a break, especially if you want to take down Sunset Shimmer. Now if you don't mind moving to the side, wouldn't want you to get in the way."

"Opponent detected. Streaming Data. Duel Mode Set. Initiating. Commence duel." said the mechanical voice of the duel disks.

Ironheart's Life Points: 8000-
Flash Sentry's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Ironheart

"I draw and I'll start with a banger of a monster, say hello to my Iron Chain Blaster(1100/0) in attack mode. I'll then end with a facedown. You're up former champion, lets see what you got."

Turn 2: Flash

"It's my turn." Flash drew his card and looked at it. He had a smile on his face and then slotted it into hid duel disk. "I activate the spell card Gem-Knight Fusion!"

Flash then took two card from his hand and held them out as a swirling vortex began to form around them. "From my hand I fuse together my Gem-Knight Garnet and my Gem-Knight Obsidian. I Fusion Summon Gem-Knight Ruby(2500/1300) in attack mode." The two monsters that Flash had then started to shine brightly as they jumped into the vortex and combined into a pillar of light. Once the light had faded, there stood a monster that wore red armor with a blue cape. It also wielded a large spear and brought it to rest on his shoulder. "But I'm not done, because I'm activating the effect of my Gem-Knight Obsidian, now I sent him from my hand to the graveyard I can bring back another normal type monster. So welcome back my Gem-Knight Garnet(1900/0). Then I'll activate the ability of my Gem-Knight Fusion from the grave, now by banishing my Gem-Knight Obsidian I can add my Gem-Knight Fusion back to my hand." Flash’s two cards slipped out of the graveyard and he lifted them up, placing Garnet on his duel disk.

Impressive I thought to myself. Not only does he have a powerful deck, but he knows how to use. The fact that he was able to use three cards and be able to bring two of them back is incredible. Not to mention that he already had a powerful monster in his opening turn, I can see why he was a former winner.

"Now then I'll activate my Ruby's effect, now by sacrificing my Gem-Knight Garnet I can give my Ruby a power up till the end of the turn so now my Ruby's attack rises to 4400. Now attack with Ruby Spear Strike!" Flash's monster then lifted up its spear and it grew larger; it then spun the spear around before launching it at Ironheart's monster where it created a hole where his monster previously was.
Ironheart's Life Points: 4700-

"I'll set 1 card facedown and end my turn. Now Ruby's attack points go back to 2500."

Turn 3: Ironheart

Ironheart then recovered from that massive attack and looked at Flash with anger in his eyes. "You'll pay for that you blue haired punk. I'm done messing around. My draw! First I'll activate my facedown trap Chain effect now I can summon monsters from my hand or deck as long as their combined attack points don't exceed the total amount of damage I took. So I bring out, Iron Chain Snake(800/1200) and Iron Chain Repairman(1600/1200). Next I'll play the tuner monster Iron Chain Coil(1100/1600) in defense mode. Now I activate my snake's effect and attach it to your ruby. Now it loses 800 att/def. Then my Coil's effect allows me give another monster 300 extra attack/defense so I'll choose my Repairman. Now take out his Gem-Knight Ruby. Now my snake's other effect activates and you lose 6 cards to the grave. In addition, since my repairman destroyed a monster in battle you get slammed with an additional 300 points. With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Flash's Life Points: 7500-

Turn 4: Flash

"My turn, draw. I summon Gem-Knight Alexandrite(1800/1200)." When Flash played his card out came a monster that had silver armor and wore red gems studded on certain parts of its body. "Next I'll activate my Alexandrite's ability now by sacrificing it I can add any normal Gem-Knight monster from my deck, so make way for Gem-Knight Tourmaline(1600/1800)." Alexandrite then vanished into a portal and out came a brand new monster. This knight wore gleaming gold armor, as bolts of electricity coursed through its body. As it took its position, it made a stance by throwing its hands in the air which lightning came out of.

"Now I'll play a card you're familiar with Gem-Knight Fusion. I fuse my the Tourmaline on my field with the Gem Knight Lazuli in my hand. Now appear, I fusion summon Gem-Knight Prismaura(2450/1400). Just like before a vortex appeared in front of Flash as his monsters jumped in and created a pillar of light; this time out came a different monster that had gold and silver armor and wore a red/white cape. Spires of white crystal emerged as it pulled out both a sword and shield. It then raised its sword in the sky as it let out a cry of triumph.

"Now I'll activate my Lazuli's special ability when its sent to the grave I can add 1 normal monster from my grave to my hand, so I choose to add my Gem-Knight Garnet, but he won't be there for long because I'm activating my Prismaura's ability now by sending 1 'Gem-Knight' from my hand to the grave I can destroy a card on the field and I chose your facedown." Prismaura raised its shield, aglow in white light. A beam of light shot out from it and enveloped Ironheart's face-down card. "Now time for an attack, Gem-Knight Prismaura take out his Iron Chain Repairman. Prismaura then raised its sword and charged towards Ironheart's monster. "I end my turn."
Ironheart's Life Points: 4150-

Turn 5: Ironheart

"My turn, draw! First I'll activate the spell card Monster Reborn and bring back my Iron Chain Repairman. Then I'll use repairman's ability to revive a monster from my grave so come welcome back my Iron Chain Snake. Now I'll play another Iron Chain Blaster(1100/0) in attack mode. But I'm not done because I tune my level 3 Iron Chain Coil with my level 3 Iron Chain Snake. I Synchro Summon my level 6 Iron Chain Dragon(2500/1300). Now I activate my Dragon's ability by removing all the 'Chain' monsters I have in my grave I can give my dragon some extra juice. Now he'll gain 200 points for each one banished so his total is now 3100. Now Dragon, it's chomping time take out that oversized jewel attack with Chain Chomp."
Ironheart's dragon then opened its mouth and then took to the skies before swooping down and unleashing its fury on Flash's monster.

"Thanks for that Ironheart because now I can activate my facedown Brilliant Spark. Now since a face-up 'Gem-Knight' monster was destroyed by battle, I can deal damage to your life points equal to the attack points of that monster, so get ready to feel a whole lot of pain."
Ironheart's Life Points: 1700-

"Don't think you're the only one who's dishing out pain because now your wide open to my Iron Chain Blaster. Take aim and fire!"
Flash's Life Points: 5750-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Flash

As the battle was going on, Isaac was becoming more and more intrigued with how Flash was handling himself. "I'll admit Flash is definitely no push over. He's already proven that he's more than capable of handling that deck of his. Despite losing a couple of life points, Flash has been in control of this duel since his first turn. In a duel it's important with how you start off that can dictate not only the flow of the match but also what you do after. In his opening play he's been able to reuse cards from his grave and create some powerful monsters, while at the same time be able to dish out some major damage to Ironheart. Still one thing that still boggles me, is why he was so eager to take my place in this duel?"

Flash then put his hand on his deck and drew his card. "Time to end this Ironheart, you've been fun to have around but now I think it's time we bring this duel to a close. So to start I'll activate the effect of another Gem-Knight Lazuli from my grave, now I can add 1 normal monster to my hand and I choose my Gem-Knight Tourmaline. Next I'll play the spell Absorb Fusion, now I can use the monsters in my deck to perform a fusion summon as long as the cards I use are banished. In addition, I can add 1 'Gem-knight' to my hand. So my deck I'll fuse together my Gem-knight Amber, Lapis, and Sardonyx to call upon one of my strongest creations. I fusion summon Gem-Knight Master Diamond(2900/2500)." Once Flash played his card a portal began to open up and out came a monster of colossal size. It bore a long cape and had a sword that was studded with lots of rhinestones and jewels embedded in its weapons.

"But that's not all because guess what Ironheart my Master Diamond gains 100 extra attack points for every 'Gem' monster in my grave and I currently have 7, so it translates to 700 points meaning my monster now has 3600. Next I'll activate the effect of another monster from my grave, now by banishing a fusion monster from my grave I can bring back my Crystal Rose(500/500) in defense mode. Then I'll perform one last fusion summon and what better way than to fusion with none other than a classic, I play Polymerization. Now I'll fuse my Crystal Rose with two more Gem-Knights that I have in my hand. Now everyone give a warm welcome as I fusion summon Gem-Knight Lady Brilliant Diamond(3400/200)." A vortex opened up and the monsters that Flash used jumped into it and the creature that came out was just as stunning as it was shining. Out came a monster that wore a short cape and she wield a sword as she was covered with diamond armor plating on her shoulders.

The sight that was Flash's field was like no other. He had managed to conduct back-to-back fusion summonings and brought out two of his powerhouses. Ironheart was in shock with how Flash had pulled off a very technical move that not many could do. Flash on the other hand had a confident look as he looked at his monsters with such conviction.

Yet the look on Isaac's face told the whole story as his jaw dropped. Despite having a huge knowledge of duel monsters and summoning techniques, Isaac had never seen everybody do a fusion summoning the way Flash did. Not only did it attest to his deck but also to his skills as an individual.

"Now time for my monsters to strike, so Gem-knight Master Diamond and Lady Brilliant take out Ironheart's field and send him packing. Attack!" With their orders given, both monsters leaped into the air and with huge velocity began to fall through the air and landed a huge attack with their swords as they obliterated Ironheart's field and his life points.
Ironheart's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Flash Sentry

Once the duel ended, Flash then made his way over to Isaac who still had a stunned look on his face. "Sorry that took a while, I would have finished this sooner, but I wanted to give the guy a chance."

"You could have ended it earlier? You really have that kind of power?"

"Yeah, but where's the fun in that? Anyways I doubt he'll be bothering us anymore which is good because I've been wanting to meet you, Isaac."

"You know my name?"

"Being the new kid kinda gives that away, plus I've seen/heard about your duels you've had. Anyways I wanted to talk about something regarding a person, namely Sunset Shimmer?"

I was surprised that Flash had mentioned Sunset Shimmer that it made me a bit hesitant on how he knew who she was. "So you know Sunset Shimmer? Mind telling me how you know her, did you have some sort of confrontation?". The look on Flash's face told me that he had a personal experience with the girl based on how he looked away for a bit.

"In a way yes, but before I explain I need to know something, you're helping Rainbow and her friends take her down, right?"

"Yeah."

"Then I hope you guys succeed, see I believe that Sunset needs to be taken down. I know that sounds pretty mean coming from someone who used to be her ex-boyfriend."

"Ex-boyfriend? What a minute, you mean to tell me that you used to date Sunset Shimmer?"

"Crazy, I know. What were you expecting something else?"

"No, I mean even though she's got a mean attitude, I'll admit Sunset is pretty hot. I can only imagine how many boys would do anything just to be with her. But what I'm really concerned is how she hasn't done anything to you? From what I heard, she doesn't like it when others get the last laugh. So I'd expect if someone would break up with her, she would do everything in her power to make sure that their life was a living hell".

"Yeah, to be honest I'm shocked as well. In fact, it was right around the time I won the Fall Formal Tournament and became champion that she approached me. She said she became fascinated with me and what to know more about myself; we then started to talk and pretty soon she became my girlfriend. However, I was so focused on the many challenges that kept facing me that I didn't pay much attention to what she was doing to the other students. If I had maybe I could have prevented her from becoming who she is today."

"I'd doubt it, from what the girls told me Sunset was pretty much like that since she first arrived here. My only guess is that by being with you it would help think that she could flaunt her power willingly. I don't what you to take this the wrong way, but you were just being used by Sunset."

"Maybe, but call me crazy but I believe that Sunset still has a bit of good in her. Sure everybody sees her as a bully, but I'd like to think that she can be redeemed."

"You're not the only one, I too have some faith that Sunset deserves a second chance but based on what I've seen/heard it sounds like she doesn't want to change. If she isn't willing to change her ways, then there's not much we can do. So tell me Flash, why are you in this tournament?"

"Well, my mission is to save Sunset. I believe that maybe I can reach her and at least get to consider all the damage she's caused people. I'd also like to have my rematch with her. I told you that I was a champion before, well Sunset was the one who defeated me for that title and it was right after we broke up."

"That's rough. Not only did she break your heart in a way, but she also took your title. Well at least you didn't let it affect you and your dueling, based on how you were able to handle yourself it seems your skills haven't dulled. Your Gem-Knights really are a tough deck to beat."

"I'm not the only one who should be giving props. That Dark Magician of yours is a very powerful monster; the amount of synergy that that card has is unbelievable. I would really love to have the chance to face it. Anyways, it's getting late. It was nice to meet you Isaac, I hope to see you in the finals."

"Nice talking to you Flash, you know you're an okay guy compared to what other people think in the community?"

"Wait what?"

"Nevermind."

"Well I'd best get home." Just when Flash had taken a few steps he then stopped and began to address me with his back turned towards me. "Isaac, I need you to promise me something. If I fail to save Sunset, then promise me that you'll do it. I may or may not have the skills to rescue her, but I have a feeling she may listen to you. Call it a hunch, but I think you're special to her in a way."

What Flash was saying was both confusing and serious simultaneously. I didn't like making promises that I couldn't keep, but I assured him I would do my best and with that Flash had left. On my way home I kept thinking about all that has happened so far. From my unexpected meeting with Trixie, to meeting Sunset's ex-boyfriend, and finding out that he was trying to save Sunset. It all really hurt my brain, not to mention the tournament that surrounded all this and how tomorrow was the final day. Soon everything would come to a close as the final battle was drawing very near. The only thing that I could do was focus on making sure that I qualified for the finals because if I didn't then the plan me and the girls came up with would all be for nothing.

Chapter 17: Fire and Ice

Day 3. It was finally Day 3 of the Fall Formal Tournament at CHS. Everybody knew that today was the last chance to make an impression. This was the final opportunity that could either make or break someone from securing a spot in the finals. At this point, almost everybody had an idea on where they stand and were hoping to change that with a couple of victories. Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna had addressed the students and informed them that they had till the end of the school day to gain any last minute wins. After that the top 8 duelist who qualified would be announced and then the matchups would take place with the first round taking place later in the evening and would continue at the start of the school week. Because of that both ladies informed the students that they needn't to worry about schoolwork. The students were ecstatic to say the least but were also anxious as they really wanted to be on the big stage to showcase their skills. Once the final announcement had been made for the day, Luna then gave the signal and the last day of the event was underway.

Unfortunately, I still didn't have a chance to see any of the girls. This really bothered me because while we all had to do our part and try to secure a spot in the finals, a part of me felt sad that weren't enjoying this tournament to the fullest due to us not hanging out with each other. I know it was selfish on my part, but I'd expected my first major tournament to be filled with wonderful memories by hanging out with my friends. Nevertheless, I pushed those thoughts aside and began to find people who were looking for a duel. About an hour or two had passed and I managed to snag a couple of more wins.

"I'd barely managed to get the win in that last duel, talk about drawing the right card. I just wonder whoever is in the finals is really best of the best. That means I have to make sure that I don't make any mistakes because one false move and it could be over for me before I know it."

Isaac then began walking and was ready to turn the corner of the school's building when he noticed someone coming out of it and nearly bumped into them. He was surprised to say the least because the person who came around the was the last individual he expected to run into.

"Well, well what do we have here? What's the matter, boy toy? Did you lose your friends or have they abandoned you for being so pathetic?"

"Sunset." I said with a demeanor in my voice.

The air was dead cold when both duelist saw each other. You could barely hear the noise around them as they were too focused on one another. Both had a fixed gaze and neither was willing to look away. The tension in the air was the same as when they both had first meant which meant anything could set off this chain reaction. Eventually, Isaac was the first one to break the silence.

"It's been a while since we've seen each other Sunset. How's my favorite fiery bacon-haired girl been?"

"It's cute that you're trying to flirt with the enemy? I knew keeping you around would be fun." snickered Sunset. "So tell me how many wins have you acquired so far?"

"Why should I have to tell you a damn thing?" I replied back with a bit of remorse.

"Ahh, so you have been winning. If you want to get better with hiding your emotions then you really need to work on your facial expressions. Not that it matters, seeing as how I'll be the one securing victory you should probably give up. If you surrender now, I promise to have something special lined up for you. You see I've got a plan to rid this school once I win and I could use someone like you by my side. You proved you've got skills that even students here would gladly trade a limb for just to have a taste of what you've got. Join me and I can promise you everything you ever desired, all your dreams come true. And if you listen to what I say then you might be rewarded handsomely, if you know what I mean". Sunset then began to seductive stroke Isaac's arm as she said her statement.

The way Sunset was trying to blackmail me into joining her side really was starting to freak me out. I pulled my arm away from her tempest ways and got in her face.

"There's no way I would ever join you. I would never abandon my friends when they need me the most. So go ahead, make all the threats you want. No matter how many times you try to reason, flirt, or even seduce me into joining your cause know that I will never offer you my assistance. There's not a chance in hell!"

Sunset backed off of Isaac and had a look on her face that could tell she was pissed off. Isaac had rejected her and was still trying to be naive and play the role of the hero. She wanted to give Isaac a choice but it seems that he was forcing her hands. Ultimately, she decided enough was enough and made the choice that when she was crowned CHS champion, she would make Isaac regret he ever rejected her.

"Seems you've made your decision and unfortunately for you it was the wrong one. So you want to take me down, then come at me boy toy. I'm right here, what's stopping you from ending it all right here? You could make everybody's life so much easier if you took me down, so what's stopping you?" Sunset yelled at Isaac to fight her.

It was tough, I mean the obvious choice would be to battle Sunset and beat her to end all of this. But a part of me was holding me back saying that I should wait to battle her. I didn't know what to do as I started to reach for my duel disk. Just then we heard a couple of voices snickering at us.

"Well, would you looking here, Mayhem? Looks like we got a capable of prime duelists looking for a fight."

"You're right False Face, seems like their itching for a duel. Hey yo, kid who's your girlfriend?"

"Girlfriend? You're mistaken she's...."

"As if I was his girlfriend. Please, he wouldn't know what to do with a girl like me by his side?" Sunset said as she made her comment.

"Oh, looks like we got a bit of quarrel here. Well listen up, hot stuff? My man, False Face and I are looking to win this thing and seeing as how we've managed to trap 2 of CHS premium duelists I say it's fitting we take them out."

"You're right Mayhem, once we're done with your asses all that'll be left is the scorch marks we make once we burn the both of you to the ground. So what do you say, you up for a little tag team duel?"

When Mayhem had suggested a tag team duel, I was unenthusiastic. Not by the challenge they were throwing but rather who my teammate would be and whether or not she even wanted my help. I know a few moments ago I said I wouldn't help her, but I didn't think I would ever find myself having to team with Sunset Shimmer of all people. As far as I knew she could take them both on by herself. Sunset Shimmer merely just had an uninterested look on her face when the challenge was issued that to her it felt like a waste of time.

"Please, if I were to team with the likes of him it would be an insult. I'll take you both on myself and show that I don't need a useless partner." said Sunset.

"Now just hold on a minute, who you calling useless 'Sunny'?"

Sunset was surprised with what Isaac had called her just now. "What did you call me, boy toy?" She had a bit of disdain when Isaac mentioned that name to her.

"Oh, you heard what I said!"

Mayhem then had enough as he was getting a headache seeing both of them go back and forth arguing. "Yeash, you two really are boyfriend and girlfriend, leave that stuff for the bedroom and not on the dueling field."

"She's not my girlfriend!/He's not my boyfriend!" Both Isaac and Sunset shouted at the top of their lungs.

"Look you either accept our challenge or we could force you to compete, and trust us we have ways of making you cooperate. Such as taking your most prized cards." False Face let out an evil laugh.

"Nobody ever takes away my Dark Magician nor do they insult it. If you want a tag team battle then fine, we both accept." I yelled at False Face.

Sunset was baffled that Isaac had volunteered her to take part in this duel without asking her permission. She then got up in Isaac's face. "Who the hell do you think you are? Who said you could speak on my behalf? I can speak for myself thank you very much!"

"Very well then, it's been decided. Meet us both on the roof of CHS, where it will be your last duel you ever take part in. So tell your girlfriend goodbye because after this she won't look at you the same way again." With that Mayhem and False Face then left and headed for the roof while Isaac and Sunset were left behind.

"She's not my girlfriend!" I was so anger that kicked some dirt off the floor. Sunset was behind me giving me a glaring smile.

"Well, this is a fine mess you've got us into. All because you had to go and play the hero. You just can't let anybody insult your cards."

"My cards hold a special place in my heart. To me their my friends, they've helped me get through some tough times in life and I wouldn't be the duelist I am today without them to guide me."

"Oh, please. Cry me a river why don't cha. To me all cards are a means to get what you want, you want power you use powerful cards. You want to strike fear in someone, you make sure that they know what fear is. Duel Monsters is all about showing that you're the best there is and that everybody should learn to respect you and your power." Sunset had an evil look in her eyes when she said this.

While I could argue about how Sunset saw her cards, I didn't have time. I had a challenge waiting for me and I wasn't about to back down from it. "Look, we'll settle our differences later. Right now I've got a duel to win, so if you want to join me you're more than welcome to." With that I began to make my way the roof of the school.

Sunset was still displeased with having to team up with Isaac, but she knew that if she wanted to make Isaac suffer for not choosing her, then she wanted to have the pleasure of doing it herself and not let some random individual steal her thunder. So with a heavy heart she began to make her way towards the roof. She eventually caught up with Isaac where he was standing across from where Mayhem and False Face had taken their positions. She also noticed that the positions they each took resembled a box that they were standing in and when you looked at it from above it was one huge square.

I was preparing my deck and duel disk when I heard the door to the roof open and saw Sunset make her way towards my left and stand on the other box that was empty. I could see she still was a bit ticked off that she had to team with me. Eventually I turned towards both Mayhem and False Face who had looks of amusement.

"Okay, we're here now, so what are the rules for this tag team battle?" I asked.

"Seeing as me and Mayhem are a fans of doing things old school we decided that for this duel we'll each start with 4000 life points. In order for both pairs of duelists to lose both of their life points have to reach 0. In addition, if your partner doesn't have any monsters to defend themselves then you can be able to use yours to tank the hit. As for other cards, you need to gain permission from your teammates in order to use them. Also in accordance with the rulings of the CHS tournament, this duel will count as 2 victories for the winning pair while the losers will suffer 2 losses. Furthermore, you can't attack until all players have had a turn. Think you can handle that?"

I was surprised with what False Face had suggested. Not to say I wasn't familiar with the concept of playing with 4000 life points; in fact, I've had plenty of experience dealing with this rule when I was little. It just meant that I had less moves to make an error and it that I would have to play more strategically if I didn't want my life points to suddenly disappear. The biggest shocker was that according to rules of the tournament the winners of the duel would receive 2 victories while the losers suffered 2 losses. That could really determine whether or not someone could qualify for the finals. It was definitely high risk high reward. So I looked at Sunset who still had an unhappy face and told False Face that we understood.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voices of all our duel disks.

"Lets duel!" we all said.

False Face's Life Points: 4000-
Isaac's Life Points: 4000-
Mayhem's Life Points: 4000-
Sunset's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: False Face

"I'll begin, I draw. I'll place 2 cards facedown and end my turn. Make your move if you dare!"

Turn 2: Isaac

"I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode! I end my turn." No one can attack until each duelist has drawn at least once. Hopefully by then, I can pick up on their strategy.

Turn 3: Mayhem

"My draw! I summon Shining Abyss(1600/1800) in defense mode!"

False Face then gave a chilling laugh, "Now time to show you how we duel together! I activate Mask of Brutality!"

"Thanks, False Face. Your mask will fit quite nicely on my monster."

"The pleasure is all mine Mayhem, but not only that my mask will boost your monster's attack power by a 1000 points!"

Sunset had finally broke her silence. "Impressive, the duel has only just started and already our opponents have a monster on the field with 2600 attack points."

False Face then spoke, "Thanks for the praises, however in order for it to stay that way we each give up 1000 life points for every turn that passes."

Mayhem then chimed in, "However, that won't be the case with us. Observe! I activate a magic card called Masked Doll! Now my masked doll will absorb any and all negative effects caused by our magic card. So now our life points are safe. I end my turn. Behold the power of our tag-team strategy!"

"You're not the only ones; we can play off the strengths of each other's cards and work as a team as well as you can!"

Sunset wasn't interested by Isaac's offer so she basically ignored it. "Hmm. No thanks. Teamwork is for boy scouts and little babies, Isaac."

I looked at Sunset with a fierce look. "You're wrong, Sunset."

"Let's get one thing straight: I can win this duel all myself and I don't need your assistance. I'm Canterlot High's greatest duelist and when I win the Fall Formal Tournament, I'll prove it. So stand back!"

Turn 4: Sunset

"I draw, and place 2 cards facedown. And then I'll summon a brand new monster I've added to my deck, say hello to Vorse Raider(1900/1200) in attack mode! I end my turn." Sunset had a confident smile on her face as she stared down Mayhem and False Face.

I was confused on Sunset's play and a bit scared. What's she doing? Her monster's weaker than theirs! And if we don't have a team strategy, we'll never win!

After Sunset had played her monster, she looked at her hand and was very pleased with what she obtained. Excellent, I've got an extremely powerful monster ready to go. Next turn I'll sacrifice my Vorse Raider and summon it to the field.

"Now that we've each taken one turn each, it's now time to see whose strategy is superior. But believe me the answer is pretty obvious."

Turn 5: False Face

"My draw! I play my Mask of the Accursed magic card, now I'll play this face wear on your monster which will make it useless, Isaac. As long as the mask stays on, your monster can't attack or defend and that's not the only part, Isaac. Until the mask comes off, you will lose 500 life points for every turn you take. I'll also place 1 card facedown. Now it's back to your side."

Turn 6: Isaac

It's probably a trap card. So far False Face hasn't played a single monster yet. I think I just figured out their team strategy. The reason why Mayhem and False Face wanted a tag team duel is so they can implement their style of dueling. Mayhem is the one that holds all of their monsters, while False Face backs him up with spells and trap cards. Now I just need to get Sunset to be on the same page so that we can come up with a plan to take down these jokers.

False Face was getting impatient with how much Isaac was stalling. "Hurry up and take your move, don't forget you lose 500 thanks to my mask of the accursed. So take your turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"Enough! My turn, draw!" When Isaac drew his card he started to hatch a plan.

The Beast of Gilfer. Now all I have to do is sacrifice my magnet warrior and then I can summon this powerful creature. I'll also destroy their mask of the accursed in the process.

Sunset then peered at Isaac who was looking at his card and his hand very carefully. If Isaac makes a foolish move, he'll take me down with him. So he'd better not screw this up, besides the only one who's going to give Isaac some serious pain is me.

"Now then, I'll sacrifice my magnet warrior."

"Not so fast, Isaac! Behold, I reveal the trap Mask of Restrict. Thanks to this card it has all but sealed the deal for us too win. As long as this card remains on the field, you two can't sacrifice your monsters. See we know all about your decks and know that you tend to rely on your most powerful monsters to bail you guys out. Now that we've taken that away, we've rendered you two useless because without being able to play a higher monster it will be that much easier to defeat you." False Face was proud of what he was able to catch both Isaac and Sunset by surprise.

Sunset was ticked off that Isaac had fallen for such a simple plan. If we lose this duel because of Isaac, he'll be sorry!

Isaac was a bit disappointed that he'd fallen for such an obvious plan that he had a bit of anger on his face. Given our current situation this is really bad. There's no way we can win with weak monsters. We've got to find a way to turn this duel into our favor!

Isaac then looked at his had and did the optimal thing.

"I'll place 1 card facedown, and then I'll summon Kuriboh(300/200) in defense mode. I'll end my turn." Out on Isaac's field came a tiny little fuzzball of a monster that had big eyes and was covered with fur from head to toe.

Sunset got a good look at what Isaac summoned to the field. While she was unimpressed with what monster he chose to summon, she did admit that Kuriboh creature was rather cute.

"Sunset, you know there's only one way we can win."

"Spare me the typically, party line Isaac. Let's get one thing straight: Never tell me how to duel! So you can forget the old teamwork speech. Got it? Teamwork, please, who needs it?"

"You do."

Turn 7: Mayhem

"If you two are done flirting with each other, then it's my turn. I draw." Mayhem then drew his card and began to think about what to do next. "I could attack your magnet warrior, Isaac. You would be take even more damage, but that mask of ours reduces your life points by 500 every turn. I'd be a fool to destroy it. Then there's you Sunset, you have monster but your facedown could be a trap. Oh well, time to find out. First off, I'll set 1 card facedown. Then I'll have my Shining Abyss, attack Sunset's Vorse Raider!" Mayhem's monster then began to attack Sunset's field.

Sunset just a had a smug look at what Mayhem was doing. "Hold on fool, you've activated my Ring of Destruction! Now my trap card will wipe out your Shining Abyss. Now both of us will lose almost half of life points, but in exchange you'll be down a monster!"

False Face then smirked, "Too bad we planned for something like that to happen. Sorry to disappoint you, Sunset but my card will cancel out your trap!"

"What!" screamed Sunset

"I activate my facedown Curse Transfer. Now this counter-trap card is triggered whenever you play a trap card. Now it will transfer your card's effect to your own monster. Talk about a misfire, now not only will you lose almost 2000 points but it will be you who loses a monster!"

Isaac saw what had just transpired. Mayhem and Sunset will both lose points equal to Vorse Raider's attack when it's destroyed, unless they have a magic card to protect them.

"Sunset, they may have something planned. Be careful!"

"Zip it, Isaac. Don't you think I'm aware of what's happening, furthermore I don't need your advice."

"Prepare to say goodbye to your monster and almost half your life points!" yelled False Face.

Just then an explosion went off that covered Sunset's entire field. When the smoke finally cleared, there stood Sunset perfectly unharmed with a smile on her face. "Foolish, just before my trap went off I activated my magic card, Ring of Defense. It will protect my life points from any damage. Nice try."

Mayhem was just smiling when Sunset activated her card. "I'm afraid you're sadly mistaken because you've helped us out Sunset. I activate my facedown my Spell Transfer magic card. Now like the name suggest it will transfer your card's effect to me, which means my life points will remain untouched while yours are almost cut in half."

Sunset then looked at her duel disk and sure enough the life counter started to drop until she was about half way.
Sunset's Life Points: 2100-

"Now time to wipe out the rest of your life points. Shining Abyss attack Sunset directly!"

Sunset had a look on her face that said she was done for. She had no cards facedown and nothing in her hand could save, she was about to lose. Just as the attack made contact, there was a monster that took the hit and when it ceased that same monster that stood before Sunset began to multiply. Everybody was shocked with what had happened; Sunset only looked at her partner as it was his own monster that had protected her.

"You! You saved my life points."

"Your attack has been blocked thanks to my magic card. It's simple I reveal my facedown Multiply. Now thanks to this card it multiplied my Kuriboh. Now your monster's attack won't affect my teammate."

Mayhem was unimpressed with how Isaac had ruined their plans. "Your fur balls won't be around for too long."

"I realize your magic card saved my life points, but next time I'll do it myself! You got that through your thick skull! I don't need your help!"

"Sunset if you want to win this, then we need to help each other! Remember the minute one of us loses the other will be vulnerable to their unified tag team assault."

"Are you questioning my skills as a duelist, Isaac? Did you forget who the hell I am? I'm Sunset freaking Shimmer, dammit!"

"I'm saying that we must combine our forces in order to defeat these guys. They duel as a team and build off of one another's moves and we have to do the same if we expect to win. I saved you, and if you don't protect me the same way, then I may not be around to save you again!"

Then good riddance, I didn't need you anyway.

Turn 8: Sunset

"Enough of this! My draw!" Sunset looked at the card she drew. My Red Emperor Archfiend. This monster can destroy their monster with ease. However, I can't play it without sacrificing 2 weaker monsters and I can't do that. As long as these chumps have Mask of Restrict in play, I can't sacrifice anything! But I'll find a way.

We can do this, Sunset. We just have to work as a team.

"First I'll place 1 card facedown, then I'll summon Archfiend Scout(1700/1000) in defense mode to protect my life points. I end my turn."

False Face and Mayhem were grinning from ear to ear as they kept cutting off Isaac and Sunset's attempt at making a move.

"You can't expect to win by hiding behind such weak monsters. Our Shining Abyss is the strongest monster on the field with 2600 attack points. I can easily obliterate your Archfiend Scout and tear down your wall of fur balls, leaving your life points wide open. Right, False Face?"

Turn 9: False Face

"Precisely, Mayhem. Allow me to demonstrate, I draw. But before I wipe out your life points, I have to get rid of your defensive wall Isaac. And I have just the magic card to do it. Say hello to my Mask of Dispel!" Just then a mask started to form on Isaac's Multiply card as it negated its effect. "This will cover your multiplying magic card and conceal its effect. Time to bid farewell to your Kuriboh army. Now you're just reduced back to one; it's only a matter of time before the both of you lose. Talk about a piece of cake! Don't forget the mask on your magnet warrior causes you to lose 500 points with every turn that passes." False Face let out a sinister laugh.

This is bad. With 2 of my cards covered by masks, I'll lose 1000 life points every turn! Which means I won't last much longer in this duel if this keeps up. We need to find a way to turn things around!

"Now I'll summon my Grand Tiki Elder(1500/800) and rid the field of your Kuriboh! Attack Now!" False Face's monster then let out an attack as it wiped out Isaac's monster off the field. "Now your life points are wide open for a direct attack, Isaac. Since your magnet warrior can't defend you. Face it, you two can't possibly win this battle. We've rendered it to where you guys can't sacrifice your monsters to summon stronger ones, but thanks to my masks you lose 1000 life points every turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

Isaac then looked at his life point counter and sure enough it started to go down as Isaac suddenly lost 1000 more points.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500

"We'll see about that." I looked at my hand found it to be useless at the moment. This doesn't look good. I need a card to turn this around! "I draw!"

This trap card allows me to destroy one card in my opponent's hand. But that's not enough to help us. I then looked at the card that was at the far left. Maybe that card can help. If I activate Card Destruction, each duelist would have to throw out all of their cards and redraw an entirely new hand. But wait... if Sunset has a plan to beat them and I force her to get rid of her entire hand, I could ruin her plan. But what choice do I have? As far as I'm concerned Sunset doesn't want to duel as a team, and I have no idea what her strategy is. I have to make a move, but it could cost us the duel.

"Well, what are you waiting for!?" Screamed Sunset. "You couldn't possibly make things any worse than you already have, Isaac. Thanks to you the cards we're holding in our hands are absolutely useless. In fact, I have a card in my hand that could win this game for us. But due to your poor performance, I can't summon it. It's better off in the graveyard."

It sounds like Sunset wants me to discard her hand. I think I know what needs to happen, I just hope it works.

"I place 1 card facedown and that will end my turn."

Turn 11: Mayhem

"Pathetic, seems like you failed to summon another monster to protect your life points. Not that it would have mattered because I'm about to summon an unstoppable creature. I draw. First I'll play the magic card Curse of the Masked Beast."

"What is that?" Both Sunset and Isaac were unfamiliar with the card Mayhem had played.

"Thanks to this I can now sacrifice both of our monsters to conduct a ritual summon. Behold the almighty power of the Masked Beast!(3200/1800). Time to say goodbye to your life points, Isaac. Now my Masked Beast attack Isaac directly."

Just as the monster about to make contact with Isaac, Sunset gave out an order.

"Archfiend Scout, defend!"

"What, Sunset's monster interrupted my attack?"

"Don't act surprise, remember this is a double duel and my partner was in danger. So I used my Archfiend Scout to defend his life points against your Masked Beast."

"Thank you, Sunset."

"Look Isaac understand this. I only helped you for one reason so that I can claim victory."

"You're a fool for doing that. Besides it cost you the only monster you had protecting your life points which means you're wide open to attack" said False Face.

"I don't think. Reveal my facedown card: Card Destruction! Now each duelist must deposit every card in their hand to the graveyard. Once they're buried, we each draw a completely new hand."

"Finally, now I'll send my hand to the graveyard. And then take my turn."

Turn 12: Sunset

Sunset drew her new hand and was ready to draw her card.

"Tell me did your partner screw this up for you?" yelled False Face.

Sunset merely had a smug look on her face when she addressed him. "Actually, what just happened is quite the opposite. See now that my teammate has finally made a decent move I can now put my plan into motion. See without the ability to sacrifice, I wasn't able to summon the monster in my hand. But now I can! Watch closely! I reveal my facedown Monster Reborn. Now I can bring back the powerful monster I just sent to the graveyard, appear my Red Emperor Archfiend(3000/3000)."

Both Mayhem and False Face had look of shock and fear. Meanwhile, Isaac had a smile on his face now that Sunset had managed to summon out one of her favorite monsters.

"This is only the beginning! Sunset and I make a powerful team, and you two are no match for the combined strength of our decks!"

"What my partner means is that thanks to my superior dueling skills, you're finished! Right?"

"Not quite."

"Don't tell me you're still stuck on this whole teamwork thing, Isaac. It's getting a little old. Listen up, I'll win this duel on my own, and if it's convenient for me I might help you. But don't get it twisted for teamwork or you'll be very disappointed. I'm dueling for me!"

"But, Sunset, you need my help, and I need yours! False Face and Mayhem still have the upperhand."

"You should listen to your boyfriend! Even though you managed to summon your Red Emperor Archfiend, Sunset, but it's useless against the ultimate power of our Masked Beast. Our monster has 200 extra points than your pathetic emperor. In a head to head battle your monster would lose!" snickered False Face.

"He's wrong, Sunset. You can destroy their monster!"

"I can!?"

"Look, if you want to win, you're going to have to trust me on this. Like it or not, we're a team. And if you attack them with your monster, I promise I'll back you up. Trust me!"

Why would Isaac tell me to attack a monster that's stronger than mine? Even I know that doesn't make sense. I smell a rat.

"Attack them, Sunset. Do it!"

"Alright, Isaac. It's not in your best interest to give me bad advice, especially when you would lose, too. Now my Emperor attack their Masked Beast." Sunset's monster then charged it's power and unleashed a ray of destruction. This better work! It then fired its attack as it decimated the monster that was on their opponent's side of the field.

"Your monster is no more!"

Both False Face and Mayhem were in disbelief. They were also certain that their monster would have bested Sunset's, still it managed to fall.

"That's not possible! Our Masked Beast was more powerful than your Emperor, so had did you manage to get rid of it. Tell me!" Screamed Mayhem.

Sunset didn't know what to answer as she was more surprised that her monster had managed to win the fight. She knew that she didn't have anything to do with, so it must have been Isaac. But how?

"I'll tell you how, your monster was beaten by Sunset's monster fair and square. Let me explain, when I sent my Beast of Gilfer to the graveyard last turn, I activated its special ability. It reduces the attack points of any monster I choose by 500, and I chose your Masked Beast. Which meant I lowered your monsters attack points to 2700, making it weaker than Sunset's monster. Now it seems you're the ones with no monsters on the field to protect your life points! So all Sunset has to do is attack you'll take some major damage. Sunset, you need my help more than you think."

"Well my turn is now over, but this duel has only just begun. Make your move False Face, so I can put you both out of your misery."
Mayhem's Life Points: 3700-

Turn 13: False Face

"We'll see about that! Draw. I'll place this monster in defense mode and then set 2 cards facedown. I'll end my turn."

"What is his plan?" Isaac wondered to himself.

Once my facedown cards are activated, Sunset's Emperor will be destroyed!

"And don't forget thanks to two magic mask cards that are still on the field, you lose another 1000 life points Isaac. So take your turn."

Turn 14: Isaac

I drew my card and looked through my hand to see what options I had. I'll take a chance and attack the monster he's placed in defense mode. I may defeat it, or I may force False Face to use up a trap.

"Alright, False Face. I'll place 1 card facedown, then I'll summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior(1400/1700). Alpha, attack now!" Isaac's monster then lunged with it's sword ready to pierce through False Face's defense.

False Face had a look of confliction. I can't waste my trap on this monster, I must save it for Sunset's Archfiend! We've got to regain control of this duel!

"Ok, Mayhem. Let's teach these two a lesson."

Turn 15: Mayhem

"With your pleasure, I'll play Rogue Doll(1600/1000)."

Sunset mocked the monster that Mayhem summoned. "Don't you think you're a little too old to play with dollies. Especially ones that have such low attack points!"

Isaac was being cautious with what Mayhem had played. That's weird why would they play such a weak monster? They must be up to something!

"Alright, Rogue Doll attack her Red Emperor Archfiend." Commanded Mayhem.

"I'll then activate my facedown Mask of Weakness! Now with this I can weaken your Emperor by 700 points. And then I'll place another Mask of Brutality which gives Rogue Doll an extra 1000 attack points."

"Not so fast! There's two of us! So, I'll activate my trap Mystical Refpanel! Looks like you forgot that you're dueling against a team, and that trap card just saved my teammate's monster! My Mystical Refpanel takes the power of your magic card and transfers it to Sunset's fiend which raises its attack points by 1000 (3300), making it stronger that your rogue doll!"

"Now time to counteract, Emperor take out his doll!" Sunset's monster then powered up as it repelled the attack and destroyed the monster on their opponent's side.

Isaac helped me again! What's with this kid? Does he actually want me to give him a compliment? There's nothing I hate more than depending on someone else for my victory, but it looks like I may need to use Isaac to defeat these two. But in the end, it will be my superior deck and dueling skills that will be the reason we prevail!
Mayhem's Life Points: 2000-

"Thanks for nothing False Face because of you I'm now down to just half life points!"

"Don't go blaming me as I recall it was your monster that attacked!"

Isaac just watched on as False Face and Mayhem were arguing with each other. Seems like they're losing their team spirit. In the end, that could be the reason they lose the duel! That's what I keep trying to tell Sunset. When you're fighting a double duel, the most important thing is teamwork.

"This duel is far from over because I have a card that will annihilate that Emperor of yours. I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 16: Sunset

"It's time to finish this because now I'm in control, draw! Behold as my Archfiend unleashes its fury on you Mayhem, prepare to lose. Emperor take him out with a direct attack!"

Sunset's making a very hasty move, and a selfish one. She's so caught up in winning this duel on her own, that she didn't even think about Mayhem's facedown card! She could be walking right into a trap.

"I thought you might attack me that's why I had this ready. I activate Mask of Impregnability, now my life points are safe for the rest of the turn. Nice try Sunset."

"That may be but what about your partner. Think False Face if I had chosen to attack you instead of Mayhem would he have helped you or would he have let you taken the blow?"

False Face had a look of betrayal to think that his own partner was suggesting that he wasn't going to help him.

"See that's the danger in depending on someone else to help you when the reality is there's only one person you trust: yourself! And if anyone tells you otherwise, they're lying!" Sunset said that to False Face while also making sure to shoot a glance at Isaac.

"Don't listen to him, of course I would have used my magic card to protect even though I'm sure you wouldn't return the favor, False Face!"

Now I see what Sunset's doing, she noticed that both of them were beginning to doubt one another's loyalty. So she's taking advantage of that and trying to destroy their team trust.

Turn 17: False Face

"This duel is over, I draw! I'll play Pot of Greed, now I'll draw 2 more cards from my deck." Unfortunately when False Face drew his cards it was just as bad as it could be.

My hand isn't very promising and with no monsters on my field to defend myself I can't survivor an attack from Sunset's monster.

"I'll place 1 card facedown. Then I'll activate Card Exchange! Now this allows me to exchange my entire hand with that of any other duelist on the field. And the person I choose is you Mayhem."

"What? What are you doing False Face?"

"Since you refused to help, I'll simply take your cards so that I can get the job done myself. So now according to the rules we swap hands, so hand them over."

"Here! You selfish piece of trash!"

"Thanks, then I'll activate my facedown Chosen One! Allow me to explain, first I'll place 3 cards facedown on the field. In the center of these 3 cards there is the selector. This chooser will pick a card at random, if it choose one of my two magic cards, then all 3 cards go to the grave. However should it choose my third card then I can summon a powerful monster ignoring it's summoning conditions. Now choose make your selection!" With that the cards surrounding the chooser began to spin really fast. Soon after a couple of moments the device began to slow down.

The device landed on a card and False Face was ecstatic. "It's chosen my ultimate monster, now prepare for the end you two. I summon the Masked Beast Des Gardius(3300/2500)! It's all over!"

"That monster is even stronger than my Emperor" said Sunset.

"Now time to unleash it on your monster. Des Gardius attack Sunset's monster with your razor sharp claws." With that Sunset's emperor didn't stand a chance against False Face's monster. I'll end my turn. Remember, thanks to my masks that are still on your field you lose another 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

Turn 18: Isaac

"Fine, this duel is almost over anyway! I draw, you'll regret not attacking me! Now I hold in my hand a card that will destroy your monster."

"But how, you can't sacrifice your monsters to summon high power monsters due to our trap."

"Your trap card only prevents us from sacrificing, but that's not the only way to summon powerful monsters, Mayhem! So I'll play Gamma the Magnet Warrior(1500/1800). Now that I have three magnet warriors on the field, I can activate their special ability. Now my monsters transform!" Isaac's magnet warriors then broke apart and started to assemble themselves into one giant creature, it even knocked off the mask that one of his monsters was wearing. "Say hello to Valkyrion, the Magna Warrior(3500/3850)! Now attack their monster!" Isaac's monster then raised it's sword up high and it came down with brutal slash that shook the very ground.
False Face's Life Points: 3800-

"My beast may be gone, but you've also activated its special ability, Isaac. When it's destroyed I equip 1 'Mask of Remnants' and it allows me to control one of your monsters, thanks for your donation. Now Mayhem finish Isaac off this round and I'll finish Sunset."

Turn 19: Mayhem

"With pleasure, draw. I activate Masquerade! Now I can control one of partner's monster as if it were my own. Now Valkyrion time to destroy your former master, attack Isaac!"

"Don't celebrate just yet. I reveal my facedown card: Erosion! Now if a monster was summoned I can be able to break it down to the same monsters that were used to summon it. So now it splits Valkyrion into its 3 separate parts and destroys your mask."

"NO! Our attack failed!"

Turn 20: Sunset

"It's my turn now, draw! Now time to summon one of top demons."

"You can't as long as my Mask of Restrict is in effect, you can't summon it!"

"Wrong your card prevents me from sacrificing my own monsters. But I plan to sacrifice your monsters instead, False Face, with this card! I activate the magic card Soul Exchange which lets me sacrifice your 3 magnet warriors! Now get ready to feel the wrath of my deck as I unleash its power. Arise my Ceasar, the almighty King of Fiends(4000/4000)." Once Sunset played her card, the field around us started to become dark and out of that darkness rose a creature like no other. It was massive and it had gruesome claws as it wore undead skeletons all over its body. Its eyes were blood red and let out a shrilling roar that sounded like thousands of souls calling out. "Now Ceasar unleash your wrath on Mayhem's life points!" With its commanded it raised its fist high up and then slammed it into Mayhem as he was knocked unconscious and out of the duel.

"No Mayhem!"

"Don't worry you're about to join him because I'm activating my Caesar's ability now since he scored a direct hit, he's now allowed to attack again and you know what that means" Sunset then gave a thumbs down to False Face. "Time to show you what happens when you mess with the greatest duelist at CHS. Now Ceasar put this punk out of his misery. Strike him down and end this duel" With that False Face was also knocked around as his life points hit zero.
False Face's Life Points: 0-

Mayhem's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset and Isaac

Once the battle ended, I looked at Sunset and caught a glance at something. It wasn't much but there was a tiny bit of darkness that surrounded her as it silhouetted her figure. Eventually, it died down. Sunset then turned around and began to walk away.

"Wait, Sunset!"

"Before, you say anything Isaac. Know that it was me who defeated the both of them and it was all thanks to my dueling skills. Other than that doesn't waste my time unless you want to settle this now and I'd gladly drop you just like I did these clowns."

It seemed that Sunset still was only fighting for herself and that she was willing to do whatever it took to get what she wanted. All I could do now was wait until we settled our score in the finals.

"Now then I desire to get the hell out of here. Farewell, Isaac. Pray that you qualify for the finals so that I can destroy you myself. See ya around, boyfriend." Sunset let out a laugh as she descended down the stairs. After she left, Isaac was left with thoughts as he tried to figure out what to do next.

Soon the final bell had rang and everybody was gathering round the front of the school. Celestia and Luna were there and they had had huge titration that would reveal the duelist heading into the final rounds as well as the matchup. As more people were starting to arrive, Isaac was standing beside the school statue replaying the events of his tag duel with Sunset.

"Even after all that, Sunset still doesn't want to accept the help of others. Not to mention she's so blinded by rage and revenge that she's going to continue to hurt people until she's satisfied. I know that I promised Flash that I would do all I can to help her, but it's clear she doesn't want to be saved. It seems Sunset might be a lost cause. I guess the only way to free her mind and reach her is beat her and I intend to do that, not just for me but for everyone's sake."

"Will all the participants please report to the front of the building? We will announced the qualifiers for this Fall Formal!"

"Well better get going." Just as I about to join the massive crowd, I heard a voice from behind me.

"Yo, Isaac. How's it been?" said Rainbow Dash.

"Well, that's a tough question to answer. Considering you ditched us the minute the tournament started and haven't seen each other since then?"

"Ahh, don't be so sour. I'll admit it was selfish of me to run off without a proper goodbye, but come on can you blame?" Rainbow gave me the pleading eyes.

"I guess I can't, you're always looking for a challenge. That's one of the things I like about you Dash."

"Hey now, don't get all mushy with me, I don't like all that lovey dovey stuff that Rarity goes on about." Said Rainbow as she punched Isaac in the arm.

"Excuse me, I'll have you know darling, that talking about romance isn't mushy as you call it." Screamed Rarity who was flanked by both Pinkie and Fluttershy.

"Hey Rarity, Fluttershy, and Pinkie. Nice to see you girls are doing ok."

"It's good to see you're still holding up Isaac." said Rarity.

"You wouldn't believe it Isaac, for the first time I actually had fun competing in this tournament. Not to mention all the praises I received from everybody who saw my deck. Thank you for creating it." Fluttershy then gave Isaac a hug.

"I'm glad your happy, Fluttershy." Unfortunately. Pinkie decided to get in on the action and gave both of them a giant hug. To Fluttershy she didn't mind it, but Isaac on the other hand was trying to tell Pinkie that her hug was a little too tight and was crushing his lungs. Thankfully, someone spoke up.

"What in tarnations are you doing to Isaac, Pinkie? Poor city slicker is having trouble breathing. You ok. sugarcube?"

After Pinkie let go, I took a minute to catch my breath before addressing Applejack's question. "I'm alright Aj, thanks."

"Anytime, partner. So it seems we're all here. Any of y'all feeling like a chicken in foxes den?"

"I know we're all anxious to see the results Applejack, but don't forget we're here to take down Sunset. Remember the plan. Here comes the announcement!"

Celestia then made a fanfare noise that caught everybody's attention. "Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to say what a successful tournament this year has been. Luna and I can't express how grateful we all are of everybody participating, but as you know only 8 of you will advance and compete till there is one left standing and crowned CHS duel champion. Know that we're proud of all you have accomplished and that you should have nothing to be ashamed of. Now then time to see the results, so everybody pay attention to the screen."

With that the screen then started to light up as it piled the results of the tournament and began to select the top 8 duelist who had qualified for the finals. The first image to spit out was none other than Sunset Shimmer which displayed her record of winning every duel she competed in; she also got a bit of boos from the students. The next person to appear on the screen was Rainbow Dash who also had a solid wins under her belt though slightly behind Sunset in overall duels. The next to follow was Flash which was no surprise there seeing as he was a former champion. The next one really shocked the individual as he didn't expect he placed so highly, it was none other Isaac. To Isaac it felt like time was slowing down as he took a moment to register what had happened. While he was trying to sort his thoughts, his friends congratulated him on making it to the finals in his very first official tournament. The person to follow after Isaac was Applejack who also had a decent win-lose ratio. The next two people were acknowledged and their portraits were shown, now all that was left was the eighth and final duelist. Ultimately, about half of the group would be completing in the finals as they looked to take down Sunset. That was until the final portrait was shown as it was a surprise no one saw coming. The final duelist would be: Fluttershy. The crowd went bonkers and Fluttershy was left standing still as her friends congratulated her for making it. Out of everybody to place, Fluttershy had secured the last spot and was moving onto the next round of the event to take on Sunset.

Celestia then got back on the microphone and addressed the students competing in the finals. "Now that we've selected our competitors, it's time to see who they will be facing. Now I advise everybody to direct their attention back to the screen as it will randomly selected the matchups for the rest of the event."

After a while the screen showed the bracket and the profiles of both the duelist and who they would be facing. In the first duel of the quarterfinals, it was Sunset against Flash. The second and third consisted of Dash and Aj each taking on the students who placed 6th and 7th, respectively. Which meant the final duel of the quarterfinals round pitted Isaac vs Fluttershy. To say that both were heartbroken was an understatement. Despite them both reaching the end, it seems it couldn't be helped as they were slated to face each other. Both knew that they wanted to take down Sunset, but only one of them could win and advance. Overall, the sadness was starting to form because one person's dreams was about to end. Would Fluttershy's story continue to grow, or would it be Isaac to crush his friends dreams and end her hopes?

Chapter 18: Wrath of a Women's Scorn

The quarterfinals of the Fall Formal Tournament was about to begin. After Celestia had announced the finalists and the matchups, she told everybody to head to the auditorium. Meanwhile the 8 duelist would report to separate rooms where they would await till it was time to be called for their duels. Each room consisted of the basic necessities; they each had a bathroom, a table with a couple of seats and even a TV monitor that they could watch the other duels on. Everybody was excited because they were about to see this year's top duelist battle it out to see who would be the last one standing. Well almost everybody was excited.

Ever since it was made official that Isaac would be facing Fluttershy. He honestly was feeling a bit sad. When they first devised the plan to enter the competition they knew that eventually they would have to face each other. What he wasn't expecting was for Fluttershy to make it to the finals; not that he was being mean but Fluttershy being in the top 8 was something nobody was expecting. And then to find out that she would be facing him it was so much to take in.

"I knew I would have to face the girls eventually, I just wasn't expecting to face them so soon and Fluttershy of all people." Isaac was shown sitting down in a chair with his hands together. "I'm not doubting Fluttershy's ability, I mean if she made it to the top 8, then it's clear she's not a pushover." Isaac then began to think back on his memories with Fluttershy.

"Before I met the rest of the girls, Fluttershy was the first real friend I ever made. At the time, I thought it was weird that we met but as we got to spend more time with each other we learned more about one another. I found out that she really enjoys animals and that she has a very kind heart. It's what makes her so adorable, anybody would be lucky to have someone like her by their side. She even helped me to adopt Tigre. I can't thank her enough. So is it wrong to say that I don't have the heart to face her." Isaac was starting to shed a couple of tears. "I don't want to be the reason why her dreams come to a sudden stop, I just can't do it!"

Just then Isaac heard a knock on his door. According to what Celestia had said, the eight duelist competing were forbidden from seeing the other competitors as a way to keep order and ensure no shenanigans ensued. So Isaac started to get up and began to make his way to the door. Before he could reach the handle, the door flung open so fast and something tackled him that it caused him to fall on the floor and hit his head. After a few moments, Isaac finally got his head up to see what had tackled him and it was none other than Fluttershy who was hugging Isaac like her life depended on it.

"Uhmm, Fluttershy?"

"Yes, Isaac?" Isaac and Fluttershy were so close that eyes looked at each and their lips were a few centimeters away from practically touching.

"Not that I don't mind this position, but could you let me get up!?"

"Oh, right. Sorry." Once Fluttershy let go, Isaac sat up and checked to make sure that nothing was too badly hurt.

"Well, everything seems to be alright, other than a few bits of pain I think I'll be fine. Anyways, what are you doing here? You know we're not allowed to see each other; you could get in trouble if Celestia catches you."

"To be honest, I wanted to see you. I just kinda wanted to be in your presence before our duel. And I feel like you needed a hug."

When Fluttershy said that she wanted to give me a hug before our match, it kinda made my heart flutter. Regardless, I pushed those thoughts to the side seeing as this wasn't the right time or place to say these kind of things.

"I appreciate your kindness, Fluttershy. But I'm fine, really no need to worry about me."

"See I know you're lying. I've spent enough time with you to know when something is bothering you. So tell me, what's on your mind? Does it have to do with our duel?"

"Yes."

"I'll admit I too was terrified when I found out that I would be facing you, but then I remembered something. Do you know what it was? It was the promise you made to me when you created my deck. The promise that we would face each other in a duel. Well we now have a chance to see it happen; and I know that you're not one to break a promise to a friend. Isaac no matter what happens out there know that we'll always be friends. I mean this when I say, that I couldn't imagine my life without ever meeting you. Even the others admit that becoming friends with you was probably the best thing that could have happened to us. You've taught us some new tricks that have helped us to step up our game. So don't think that just because we're facing each other that you should give up, that's not the Isaac I've come to know."

After Fluttershy had said her little speech to the boy, he started to think back on how he had met her. Isaac remembered that he found a card and was willing to do anything to return it to its owner because he felt bad for someone to lose something that they held valuable. It was because of that card that the boy was able to meet Fluttershy, it was that card that allowed him to gain some of the best friends he could ever ask for in his life.

"Thanks Fluttershy, I really needed that pep talk. Who would have thought that it all started with just a simple card? You're right I've never broken a promise and I don't plan on starting now. Thanks, now you better get going before you're caught."

"Do you really want to get rid of me that easily, instead of spending a few more moments with just the two of us?" Fluttershy left out a bit of sarcasm as well as a little giggle as she enjoyed teasing Isaac. With that she got up from the floor and dusted her skirt off before saying her goodbye and headed for the door. Before she left she turned to Isaac to deliver on final message to him.

"Isaac just promise me that you won't hold back. I want to see you at your very best, so hit me with everything you've got!"

With that Fluttershy opened the door and disappeared. Isaac then got up from the floor himself and then turned towards the monitor. It seems the first duel of the quarterfinals was about to begin. The atmosphere was like no other, imagine Christmas, Halloween, Thanksgiving, etc... all rolled up into one. That was what the atmosphere felt like. There was a sea of students who were getting themselves ready for the finals of the tournament. The one thing that caught everybody's attention was the fact that Celestia and Luna had invested a lot into have a dueling stadium installed in the gymnasium; the new holographic system was enough to make everything seem so realistic. There were thousands of cameras that were broadcasting the event to the homes of the student's, it seemed Celestia felt like this year was going to be the biggest so she wanted everyone to relish in the fun/excitement of dueling. Appearing next to the stage was the commentary table where Principal Celestia sat with none other than Pinkie Pie herself.

"Welcome everybody to this year's Fall Formal Tournament. Over these past 3 days, every student here has battled to secure a spot in the finals but only the top 8 have made it thus far. Tonight we're about to see some of the greatest duelists in CHS take the stage. I'm joined by fellow student and co-commentator, Pinkie Pie. So Pinkie tell us what do you expect from the duels we'll see?"

"Well Celestia let's just say the action in these duels will be like nothing you've ever seen. We'll see friend vs friend, foe vs foe, champion vs challenger. So strap in your party hats folks because today's festivities promises to be rocking one. So what are we waiting for? Everybody in the crowd and at home I've got one question for you: Are you ready? I said: Are! You! Ready!!!!" The loudest noise and cheers could be head from all over the building as the students were ready to witness some fine dueling.

Celestia then decided to start to match. "Well then let's the start the final rounds of the tournament with our first duel. First up looks like we've got a couple of duel champions going head to head. Please welcome on my left, Flash Sentry; and facing him on right it's none other than the current champion Sunset Shimmer!" The crowd was cheering for Flash when he made his entrance, but when Sunset came out they just started to boo her out the building.

Pinkie then chimed in with her own two cent. "This promises to not only be a grudge match but a personal one too. Flash sentry who uses a deck made up of Gem-Knights is looking to take out Sunset Shimmer who believes her and her Archfiends are the strongest pair at CHS. Not to mention that they used to be a thing together, this duel is already good that I can practically taste it." Pinkie even licked her lips when she said that statement but she satisfied her hunger by pulling out a cupcake from her hair.

Flash then made his way to the center of the field where he saw Sunset waiting for him. It had been a while since they last saw or even talked to each other. Flash knew that this was his chance to possibly persuade Sunset to cease her vengeful crusade.

"Hey Sunset. It's been a while."

Sunset merely looked away from Flash as she didn't want to talk to him.

"I know why you're doing this and I'm here to make things right. Please end this before more people get hurt, if I had paid more attention when we were together then maybe I could have helped you. I'm here to save you Sunset; I know that there's still good in you."

Sunset finally looked at Flash and she had disdain in her face. "You think you know? You think you know what I'm doing? What I'm going to do to everybody once I win this thing? Please, just like when we were together, you don't know a damn thing about me. In case you weren't aware of I used you, I only became your girlfriend so that I can take what is rightfully mine and that is power. You think you can save me, that girl you think you know is long gone. You served your purpose and now I have no need of you, so prepare your deck Flash. Oh and FYI, I found a new boy toy to play with and he's much more fun than you ever were." With that Sunset walked to her side of the field and ready her duel disk.

Flash then walked to his side while a bit stunned that Sunset had refused to accept his olive branch. He still believed that he could save her and if he wasn't going to get through to her by talking then maybe a duel will convince. "Alright, Sunset time to prove that there's still some light left in you and if I have to duel to get it to come out then so be it."

"Lets duel!" they both shouted.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Flash Sentry's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Flash Sentry

"Looks like I get to make the first move, so here goes. I draw!" Flash looked at his opening hand and ran through his options. "For my first move I'll place 1 card facedown and place a monster in defense mode. I end my turn, you're up Sunset!"

Turn 2: Sunset

Sunset smiled as she drew her card and looked at her hand. She then looked at Flash and saw how pathetic his field was and how he started his turn. "The game has already started and you're showing that your scared. What kind of move was that, you just resorted to defense rather than go on the offensive. That's unlike you Flash, unless you're still trying to save that girl you think still exist. I told you before she's long gone and won't ever come back; now watch as show you some power. I'll start things off lightly by activating my Archfiend Rasca's effect from my hand, now I can banish this card to deal you 800 life points." With that Sunset got rid of her card; a demon like bird then started to form and was enveloped in flames as it soared toward Flash striking his life points.
Flash's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll end my turn with 2 cards facedown. Now then I'm giving you a chance Flash, you think you can be a hero then hit me! I'm giving you a free shot, you wanna take aim at the princess you best not miss."

Turn 3: Flash

"You wanna it, you've got it! My draw. First I'll flip summon my Gem-Turtle(0/2000) which lets me activate its ability. Now I can add 1 'Gem-Knight Fusion' to my hand." When Flash's monster flipped up, out came a turtle that shined so brightly due to the emeralds that cover its entire shell.

Sunset was unimpressed with what Flash had done. "I known you long enough to know you would do a move like that. You never change."

"Then you know what I'm about to do next, I activate the spell Gem-Knight Fusion! From my hand I combine my Gem-knight Obsidian and Gem-knight Garnet. I Fusion Summon Gem-knight Citrine(2200/1950)." A vortex appeared on Flash's side and his monsters jumped in. Out came a new monster that wore pale yellow-brown armor and wielding a massive sword of glowing orange rock rose. It then flashed its eyes and swung its sword with its cape flowing in the wind.

"Next I'll activate my Gem-Knight Obsidian's effect now I can revive a monster from the grave, so return to me my Gem-knight Garnet. Then I'll banish my obsidian to add back my Gem-knight fusion back to my hand. Lastly I'll use Gem-Knight Fusion to combine my Garnet with my Gem-Turtle, now I Fusion summon Gem-knight Zirconia(2900/2500)." Out came a gem warrior that had silver and white armor as it raised its fists.

The crowd was going crazy as they had just witnessed Flash be able to summon two powerful monsters in the same turn. Even the people at home were in shock at what they just witnessed. Pinkie and Celestia had their jaws drop.

"Wowzy. Flash just managed to summon out two monsters on his second turn and he looks poised to strike at Sunset's life points." said Pinkie who was containing her excitement.

"I'm not stupid to think that you're relying on your facedowns to protect you Sunset. Well time to attack you with Gem-knight Citrine, now when it attacks you can't activate any cards/effects until its attack ends. Now go my Citrine attack Sunset directly!" Citrine ran forward, its sword of glowing orange rock held overhead. It jumped up and descended on Sunset, delivering a two-handed strike. Sunset held still and closed her eyes as smoke exploded around her.
Sunset's Life Points: 5800-

"Now time for my other monster to strike, Gem-knight Zirconia att-"

"I don't think so, I activate my facedown trap: Archfiend Tome. Since I just took damage, my card ensures that you're also dealt the same amount, so here's some payback. You wanted backlash, well you got it."
Flash's Life Points: 5000-

"Then the second effect of my card activates, now for every 500 life points that you lose I can summon a fiend/archfiend from my deck so long as they have different names. So appear my Fiend Selector, Archfiend Medic(1300/1200), Archfiend Mage(800/800), and last but not least Fiend Assassin(1500/1000)." Just like that Sunset had managed to change her entire field from having no monsters to bringing out 4 monsters, yet they still lacked enough power to stand up to Flash's monster.

Flash was impressed with how Sunset had managed to turn her negative situation into a positive. "Not bad, you managed to protect yourself but that won't last for long. Now Gem-knight Zirconia attack her Fiend Selector!" Flash's monster then charged at Sunset's creature.

"Now time to activate the effect of my Fiend Assassin, it can redirect the attack so that it takes the hit. In addition it has another effect that allows it to become the same amount as your monster."

"Oh no!" With that both Flash and Sunset's monster collided and were destroyed. Everybody was in silence as Sunset had not only managed to bust out monsters but also destroy Flash's with just a simple effect.

"I'll end my turn with a card facedown."

Turn 4: Sunset

"I draw. I told you to take your best shot and it looks like you disappointed me. Don't worry it's not the first time you've done that to me. In fact I'm used to you being a failure, try so hard only to end up crashing and burning. To think I used to date someone like you! Now I'll show you what me and my deck can do, ready! I'll activate my mage's ability now I can banish a fiend from my hand or graveyard to either draw a card or deal damage. I think I'll choose the latter and deal you damage equal to half of your monster's attack which means since Citrine had 2200 points you take a 1100 as direct damage!" Sunset's mage then casted a spell that fired its way towards Flash's monster and then transferred to Flash himself as he was dealt damage. This time the damage felt a bit more really as Flash started to show signs of wounds.
Flash's Life Points: 3900-

"Don't think the fun is over, because since I banished a fiend type monster I can be able to return my Rasca back to my hand but it won't be there for long because by banishing it once again I can deal you another 800 points of damage. They say 'Hell has no fury like the wrath of a woman's scorn', well that couldn't be more true than right now!"
Flash's Life Points: 3100-

"Now I'll activate my Medic's effect, since I banished fiend monster, I can revive another one fiend monster with a different name. Welcome back my Fiend Assassin. Next the effect of my Archfiend Dealer in my hand activates, since another effect of an Archfield just resolved I can then draw a card."

Celestia and Pinkie looked on as they commentated the duel for the viewers at home. "Well Sunset is really showing everybody why she's highly ranked when it comes to dueling at CHS. Just look at the many combos she just managed to pull."

"You're telling me Celestia, Flash who used to be a former champion in his own right is getting creamed by Sunset. I know this duel had some personal background but I didn't expect this to happen."

Isaac was watching the duel on the monitor in his room and began to think to himself. Could this be the power of Sunset's magic, or is she really just that good?

"Next I'll activate my facedown, Archfiend's Hellfire. Now I can banish up to 2 monsters in my hand or graveyard and destroy that same number of cards on your side of the field. So I'll banish my Archfiend Medic and Mage to destroy your Gem-knight Citrine and one of your facedowns. Begone my monsters, use your power to make Flash suffer even more!"

"I don't think so! I'll activate my own trap, Pyroxene Fusion. Now I can immediately conduct a fusion summon with the monsters in my hand or on the field. I fuse together Gem-knight Citrine with the Gem-knight Amber and Lapis in my hand! I Fusion Summon Gem-knight Lady Brilliant Diamond!" Just then out came a warrior maiden that wore beautifully studded armor and wielded a long sword.

"Still trying to hold on? No wonder I dropped you! They say that both people should learn to never get clingy to each other in a relationship, but you're very desperate to stay in this duel with me. I'm not scared with what you've got, I'll then switch my monsters to defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 5: Flash

"Sunset stop all of this! I'm sorry!"

"How many times do I have to tell you! The Sunset Shimmer you knew is dead, I got rid of her and replaced her with someone better! Don't waste your breath or unless you want to suffer my wrath, I'll gladly give it to you!"

"I will save you Sunset and it starts with this move, draw! I'll start by summoning Gem-Knight Emerald(1800/800) then I'll sacrifice him in order to activate my Lady Brilliant's ability, now I can summon any 'Gem-knight' fusion monster from my extra deck ignoring its summoning conditions. Welcome my Gem-knight Prismaura." Out on Flash's field stood two monsters that wore studded armor that was covered in colorful gems.

"Then I'll activate the Gem-knight Fusion in my deck, so I'll banish my Gem-knight Garnet and return it to my hand. But it won't be in my hand for long because I using my Prismaura's effect so discard the card I just got in order to destroy one card on the field and I choose your Archfiend Assassin."

"Too bad that won't happen because my Archfiend Dealer in my hand has another ability now I can send one of my monsters to the grave and your attack or effect is negated, so I'll send my Fiend Selector to the scrapyard. In addition you get dealt another 800 points of damage." Out on Sunset's field appeared a gambler and with his power expanded his hand which formed a shield to protect Sunset's monster from Flash's effect.

"That's what I was hoping you do. I said I was going to save you Sunset and that's exactly what I'm going to do now Prismura attack Sunset's Assassin."

"Didn't you learn? My assassin can copy the attack points of your monster." Sunset then snapped her fingers and just like that her monster powered up which then collided with Flash's monster and both erupted into smoke.

"That's fine because my Prismaura has cleared the way for my other monster to attack you directly. Now Lady Brilliant attack Sunset directly."

"I'm not getting beat that easily, whenever a monster declares an attack I can summon Soul Collector from my hand(600/100) in defense mode."

Flash's monster then lifted its sword and with so much force brought it down on Sunset's monster causing their to be an explosion.

"Well talk about failure, you just wasted your entire attack and failed to beat. It's like I said to you at the beginning you can't defeat me."

Flash had his head down when he listened to Sunset. When she finished, Flash then lifted his head and had a smile on his face which confused Sunset. "Then it's a good thing my attack is not done, reveal my facedown De-Fusion. Now this spell allows me to split my Lady Brilliant back into the monsters used to form it. Appear my Gem-knight Citrine, Gem-knight Amber(1600/1400) and Gem-knight Lapis." Flash's monster disappeared in a pillar of light and left behind three gems, which then evolved and grew into the three monsters that were fused together to form it. "Now then, go my knights attack Sunset directly!"

Sunset was sweating as there wasn't anything she could to protect herself from Flash's onslaught. All three monsters then wailed on Sunset's Life Points as she put her arms up. The attack was powerful that it caused her to drop to her knees and let out a cry. Once it was over, Flash's monsters returned to his side and Sunset was left breathing heavily while on her hands and knees. Flash was concern with Sunset's well being after taking an attack like that to the face, but knew that a duel was still going on.
Sunset's Life Points: 800-

"I told you I was going to fight for you, Sunset! One more turn, and then it'll be all over. I then end my turn. Everybody can forgive you for what you've done, just let me help you."

Turn 6: Sunset

Sunset then got up and stood tall with her hand on her deck as she prepared to draw.

"You think this is the end? Said sunset with a bit more demonic tone in her voice. She even had a dark aura surrounding her.

"I know it is. Your facedown really surprised me, but now your field is wide open. If you did have another effect that would burn the rest of life points you would have done it already, in fact you probably could have ended the duel on your last turn. Not to mention that you didn't summon a monster to defend yourself; which means your hand is full of cards in which you can't activate. It's over, you played a good game Sunset. It reminded me why I got with you, you've got nothing to be ashamed of but today I'm the winner."

"You couldn't be further from the truth than you already are. You say that I don't have anything left to play? Well time to find out! Sunset drew her card which was followed by a streak of red light with a dark afterglow, she then lead out cry as she felt her power unleashing. She looked at her hand and gave a sinister smile.

"From my hand I activate the effect of my monster. Just then pillars of fire started to erupt and began to swirl furiously as they began to get closer to each other. Flash was scared with what was going on that he looked at Sunset with concern in her eyes.

"What is this? What are you doing Sunset?" shouted Flash.

I call upon the powers of the fiends that lay dormant in my grave! Now I banish them to summon a creature that will strike fear in the hearts of everyone here! Bow down and appear before the all mighty: Chaos Archfiend. Chaos Archfiend's attack is based on the number of fiends that I have been banished from my grave since the start of the duel multiplied by 800, since I have a total of seven monsters I sent away my monster's attack points are 5600! Out came a demon that was out of this world. It had dark black souls for eyes and had wore the soul of something across his chest like a badge of honor. It's claws were gruesome as they were red blood and razor sharp. Not to mention the winds on his back made it seem like it was some sort of fallen angel and had the the lower body of a minotaur. When it led out a roar, you could definitely hear the cries of hell as fire started to enveloped around it like some sort of battle armor. Sunset Shimmer then led out a laughter as Flash was trembling a bit staring at the monstrosity of such a big creature.

Everybody in the crowd was on their feet as they got a look at Sunset's new monster. Even Pinkie and Celestis were left speechless by what Sunset had managed to summon to her field. The other competitors who were watching were astounded by the monster that Sunset had by her side. Isaac looked at his hand and it started to shake a bit; he even felt the air around him turn cold.

Sunset then raised her finger about to unleash her monster on Flash. "Now my Chaos Archfiend attack Flash's Gem-knight Citrine! You say you're sorry for breaking up with me, well then allow to share my pain with you! Feel the wrath of my vengeance! The whole field was then shrouded in darkness as Sunset's monster raised its hands and let out a pillar of fire that burned all of Flash's monster. The attack then transferred over to Flash who felt the sting of pain from Sunset's attack and was thrown far on his back as his life counted reached zero.
Flash's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset Shimmer

The creature still appeared on Sunset's field even after the duel ended; Sunset then snapped her fingers which caused the creature to disappear. She even began to return back to her normal self as the evil aura that surrounded her cease to exist. She then fixed her hair before turning to leave; she caught a quick glance back at Flash who was struggling to get back up. She took out an item and looked at it before crushing it in her hand and tossed it at Flash's feet. "Consider this breakup official!" She then left through the door and returned to her room.

Flash was just barely coming to when he saw Sunset leave and toss the item at him. He had a bit of scars and wounds on the side of his face and his clothes were covered in dust. He then grabbed the item Sunset threw and held it in his hand; it seemed that Flash had failed to save Sunset and now she was one step closer to achieving her goal. Flash led a few tears out as his heart started to break a bit; the medical team they got near Flash as they checked on him to make sure he wasn't too badly injured. Other than just applying the proper ointment and some bed rest, Flash was going to be alright.

Celestia and Pinkie then tried to get everything back on track. "Well this certainly took an unexpected turn. But nevertheless Sunset proved to be the victor in this match, she'll now move onto to the next round."

"Still did you see what she summoned, I'll say that monster was giving me the willy willies." Pinkie then started to have shivers all over her body. "Anyways moving right along we got a ton of more duels still yet to come. The quest to find CHS duel champion continues and who will advance to the next round and join Sunset Shimmer in getting one step closer to achieving greatness. Don't go anywhere folks, you don't want to miss this!"

Chapter 19: A Promise Kept

After Flash and Sunset's duel had ended, Celestia ordered that they take a brief moment to reset everything. Luna was with the technical team making sure that the duel field was still functioning. Once they ran a couple of tests, Luna told her sister that everything was ready to go.

"Well now that everything is back in order, I say that it's time for the next matchup. Don't you agree, Ms. Pie?"

"You're right Celestia, these students came here to see some action and by golly we're going to give it to them. So if everybody is ready then let the next match of the quarterfinal round get underway." yelled Pinkie into her headset.

"Very well, please allow me to introduce our next pair of duelists. She comes from a well established family who has thrived by their own business. She's looking to not only make her family proud but also to use her win as a way to expand the connections for her family. On my left please welcome, Applejack."

Applejack made her way out on the field and was being cheered by the crowd. She managed to see a couple of students holding posters of her face and it said "Applejack for the win!". She wasn't expecting this kind of reception as she just merely gave them a salute and tip her hat to the crowd. Applejack did manage to find Rarity among the crowd and she was sitting with her little sister Applebloom and her friends. They were each wearing cowboy hats and held signs as a way to show Aj their appreciation.

Applebloom was screaming at the top of her lungs as she was happy to see her big sis make it to the finals. "Go Applejack, show them what we apples are made of! Applejack! Applejack! Applejack!"

Applejack had a tear in her eye that her little sis was rooting for her and promised that she wouldn't let her down. "This is for you Applebloom, time to show these fine folks what it means to be a part of the Apple family legacy!"

Isaac was in his room sitting on a bench watching the TV monitor as Applejack had made her way out. He was still going over the events that had just occurred with Flash and Sunset's duel. The way he saw Sunset become enveloped in darkness and the sudden change in her voice. Isaac knew that there was some sort of evil that was surrounded he, but he didn't expect it to be of that caliber. He remembered how Flash had basically pinned her into a corner and it seemed like there was no way out of it. Then out of nowhere Sunset drew her card and managed to not only summon a powerful monster, but be able to wipe out Flash's field and the rest of his life points.

"Is Sunset really that good of a duelist? I mean I know that I keep saying that all it takes is one draw to swing the duel back into your favor, but this is taking that meaning to a whole nother level." Isaac then thought back to how he had teamed up with Sunset to take down False Face and Mayhem.

"Even in our duel, she showed that she can handle herself and that she possess incredible dueling skills. Everybody here says that I've got some talents, but Sunset might give me a run for my money. Still the way she commanded that battle, it felt like she was toying with Flash and the audience; she was just stringing them along thinking that she was helpless. And in the end, she flipped the switch and showed that she was in control this whole time. I'm not doubting her talents, but I can't help but feel like there's some outside force that influencing her. Maybe? Didn't Dash say that she dueled like she had some kind of magic? No. Could it?"

"Match 3 of the quarterfinal rounds is about to begin. Duelists please make your way to the stage" said the voice on the speaker system.

Sure enough Isaac turned his attention back to the monitor and saw that Aj had managed to win the duel. She had a tough time getting past her opponent's defense, but once she took care of that everything started to snowball downhill. According to what Celestia and Pinkie were saying that the match lasted a good solid 20 minutes with tons of back and forth action. Applejack then waved to the crowd as she was ecstatic that she was moving on to the next round. Isaac even gave Aj a round of applause that she managed to win to ensure that her reason for winning was still intact.

"Well that was a rowdy round between Applejack and her opponent, but in the end it was Applejack who came out on top." said Celestia.

"Indeed, Aj had the support of the crowd on her side not to mention that her sister was in the crowd cheering her on. I say I've got a weird feeling for something apple related." Said Pinkie as she licked her lips. "Now then we've got another match up that sure to be over in a blink of an eye, if you know what I mean?"

"You took the words right out of my mouth, Ms. Pie. Everyone please help me in welcoming the one and only, Rainbow Dash!" Celestia then signaled for Dash to make her way to the stage and when she got out, people were showing their appreciation just like when Aj came out on stage. She even let out a few words before her opponent got out.

"Hello CHS and everybody at home. I promise you that not only will I end this duel in quick fashion but I promise that when I win this whole thing, I'll make everything look 20% cooler!". People then started to chant her name.

Safe to say that Dash was true to her word as she quickly disposed of her opponent in no time flat. According to what Celestia and Pinkie said it seemed Dash had set a new record in defeating someone in the finals. Isaac only imagined how much it would inflate Dash's ego even more. Just then he heard the speaker system go off again.

"The last duel of the quarterfinals will now begin shortly. Competitors, please make your way to the stage."

With that it was time, time for his battle with Fluttershy. Isaac remembered his earlier encounter with Fluttershy and how she wanted to make sure that he wasn't going to hold back. She knew how much dueling meant to him and if he wasn't going to have fun, then he wasn't doing his job. With that the boy grabbed his duel disk and strapped it to his hand; Isaac looked over his deck one last time to make any changes he saw fit. Once he felt comfortable, he slotted in his deck and began to walk out of the room. As Isaac was walking down the hallway, he could hear his heart beating with every step he took. The boy promised Fluttershy that he would give her duel she wouldn't forget and he planned to. The doors leading into the gymnasium were right in front of him, Isaac put his hand on them for a second and let out a deep breath that he was holding in.

"This is it, if I want to end to face Sunset and stop her rampage then I need to win this duel. Good luck, Fluttershy."

Celestia and Pinkie were back on the mic as they prepared for the final duel of the night. "Well ladies and gentleman it certainly has been one hectic evening so far. We've seen some incredible duels and already we've seen three duelist advance to the semifinals. The question is who will be the last one joining them, we're about to find out now because we have the final duel about to get underway. In fact, you seem to know both of our competitors personally Pinkie, mind telling us a bit about them?"

"Well first off their not only friends but best friends to not only each other, but to me and the rest of the girls. In fact, these two meet when one of them lost a card. Since then they have spent so much time with each other learning about one another. Isaac even helped construct the deck that Fluttershy is using, so you can expect that Isaac will know how to counter it. Then again it's been a while and Fluttershy has shown that she's morphed the deck into her own, so we can expect her to have cards that Isaac is unaware of."

"Then allow us to introduce them on my left it's now other than CHS's fastest rising star in duel monsters, please welcome Isaac!" Isaac then pushed opened the doors and the roar of the crowd was just electric. Everybody was standing on their feet cheering Isaac on and chanting his name.

"And facing him is none other than CHS's kindness person who has a deep connection with animals, everybody put your hands together for Fluttershy!" The crowd did the same thing when Fluttershy came out and they screamed at the top of their lungs.

Everybody at home had their eyes glued to their screens as they were expecting this match to not only be filled with action but also feeling. Even the other competitors were watching on their monitors to see which of their friends would be joining them and who would be eliminated from the tournament. Sunset had an interest in this duel because she wanted to make sure that Isaac made it to the finals so that she could be the one to end him and the hopes of everybody in Canterlot High. Also she wanted to see what Fluttershy could do seeing as she somehow made it in the top 8.

Pinkie then started to speak in her headset relaying some information to everybody listening. "This promises to be a banger of a duel. Fluttershy who uses a Beast-type deck and her ace monster being Behemoth, the King of All Animals. And Isaac who holds a legendary card than none other than the Dark Magician. To think that someone at CHS holds a card that is beloved by the dueling community is really out of this world. Now the question is: Will Fluttershy's cinderella story continue or will the clock strike twelve and fall to Isaac and his magician? Time to find out!"

Isaac made his way to center of the stage and saw Fluttershy waiting for him. He approached her and looked at each other's eyes for a few moments. They both knew this was an important duel in their lives; both we were fighting for personal reasons but they both wanted to see Sunset fall.

"Well Fluttershy, here we are. These people are expecting a spectacle and I say lets give them that."

"Remember what I said Isaac, I want you to come at me with everything you've got. Don't hold back, okay."

Isaac merely smiled at her comment. "Don't worry, I plan to. Well good luck, Fluttershy. May the best duelist win." he extended his hand out to her.

"May the best duelist." Fluttershy then extended her own hand out and shook Isaac's. A sign of respect was shown and both made their way to their respective side.

Luna then spoke. "If both players are ready, then let the duel begin!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Fluttershy

"I'll start, I draw." Fluttershy drew her card and looked through her hand. "I'll start by playing Wild Tiger(1400/1900) in defense mode. I'll then place 1 card facedown. Now then Isaac show me what you've got!"

Turn 2: Isaac

Isaac drew his card and looked at his hand. Once he figured out his plan, he then looked at Fluttershy and saw she had a smile on her face. She was counting on him to give her a fight and he wasn't about to disappoint. "Alright, you wanted my best Fluttershy. Then you've got it. First I'll start off with the spell card Ancient Rules, now I can summon Dark Magician from my hand."

Isaac played his card and out came a circle that had a symbol on it and shined. Then a monster appeared that wore purple garments and wielded a magic staff. The crowd was amazed that in just his opening hand Isaac had managed to bring out his ace monster. Fluttershy even had her mouth open with how easily Isaac summoned his magician out, but she was smiling on the inside.

"But I'll not done, because I'll then activate this card Bond Between Teacher and Student. Now you see the teacher, so prepare to meet the student I summon Dark Magician Girl!" Just like before out came a similar spellcaster but was instead a female and she gave a kiss/wink to everybody before taking her spot by Isaac and her master.

"Now I'll set a card due to my spell. Then I'll activate another card Thousand Knives to destroy your tiger." With that knives began to fly to Fluttershy's field and destroyed her monster. "You wanted my best, Fluttershy. Well here it is, now my magicians attack Fluttershy directly. Double Dark Magic Attack!"

With that Isaac gave his magicians their command and they raised their staffs together to form a powerful spell which began to grow into the shape of an orb. Once it was fully charged up they unleashed it and fired it at Fluttershy who was defenseless against the attack as it connected with her. Fluttershy put her arms up as a way to shield herself from the attack as it took a huge chunk of her life points.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3500-

"I'll then end my turn."

Just like that the crowd was murmuring among themselves. They had just witnessed a spectacle; in just the first turn Isaac had managed to bring out his two star monsters and reduce Fluttershy down to more than half her original total. They went crazy, students started to shout and applaud at Isaac for doing such an awesome move. Celestia and Pinkie didn't know what to properly say to the people watching at home as they were shocked that Isaac had managed to do a move like that. Rainbow and Aj who were watching on their respective screens were impressed with what had transpired, Sunset even showed a level of interest as Isaac had managed to do a move that she would normally do to her opponents in her duel.

Celestia finally spoke up. "Talk about an opening move, the duel has just started and already Isaac has taken a huge lead. His monsters have reduced Fluttershy to just 3500 life points, it safe to say that if Fluttershy doesn't do something soon she may not last very long."

"Don't worry about it Principal Celestia. Now that both duelist have had a chance to feel each other out; the real duel is about to begin. Ooh looks like Fluttershy is about to make her move."

Turn 3: Fluttershy

Fluttershy had just recovered from Isaac's attack and looked at him. Glad to see that you took my words to heart. Now time show you what I've got! "Not bad, but it's my turn and I draw." Fluttershy looked at her card and her eyes started to widen. She had drew the card that Isaac returned to her when she lost it. "Time to met a friend you know very personally, I play Albert the Flying Squirrel(300/500). Next I'll activate my facedown Animal Call, now I can bring back a monster of mine that was destroyed. So say hello to my Wild Tiger. Now I'll do what you did Isaac and kick it up notch because I'll activate the spell card Animal Food Chain, now I can perform an extra tribute this turn. So I sacrifice my 2 creatures to summon out my great beast, appear Behemoth, the King of All Animals(2700/1500); my monster's ability allows me to return my monsters used to summon him back to my hand."

Fluttershy's duel disk then slotted out her cards and she added them to her hand. "My Animal Food Chain also allows me to summon another monster to the field, so I'll play the tuner Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest(400/900). Then from my hand I play the spell Animal type now since I have a beast type monster on my side of the field I can summon different beast from my hand so my tiger is back on the field." Fluttershy then had three monsters on her field, while they stared at Isaac and his magicians. "Time to show you Isaac a new trick I picked up, now I tune my level 2 Valerifawn with my level 3 Tiger. I Synchro Summon Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!"

Fluttershy had shocked everybody as she was displaying the new dueling technique she learned and the new monster she added to her deck. Another monster joined Fluttershy's Behemoth and it raced from the sky and when it landed thunder came from the heavens. It had a horn that was in the shape of a lighting bolt and a mane that was pure yellow. It stomped its hooves and let out a mighty cry. Isaac was surprised that Fluttershy had managed to gain a powerful card; he also had a smile on his face as he was proud that Fluttershy had finally managed to make that deck her own.

"Talk about similarities, Fluttershy just one upped Isaac by summoning two powerful creatures of her own. And you can see both monsters on each duelists side are getting ready to go to war." said Celestia. Both duelist had their monsters giving a death glare at each other, them ready for a fight and were waiting to see who would make the first move.

Isaac then spoke up. "Not bad, Fluttershy. However, you don't have enough power to take out both of my spellcasters."

"That's why I'll play this spell Horn of the Unicorn, kind of fitting don't you think. Now my Thunder Unicorn gains 700 attack and defense which raises his attack to 2900. Now my beasts time to make Isaac's magicians disappear. Go Behemoth take out his Dark Magician and Thunder Unicorn take out his Dark Magician Girl." Fluttershy's monster obeyed their master's command and charged at Isaac's field and got rid of his monsters.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, I draw!" Fluttershy really stepped up her game. She managed to do what no one else has done by taking out my magicians. "I'll start by playing my Electromagnetic Turtle in defense mode. Then I'll activate the spell card Pot of Greed, now I draw 2 more cards from my deck. Then I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Fluttershy

"I was expecting more, I draw. Now time for my beasts to strike. Behemoth take out his turtle, and Thunder Unicorn attack Isaac directly." The monsters then leaped over Fluttershy; Behemoth then brought its foot down on Isaac's monster as it disintegrated into little bits of static. Fluttershy's unicorn then charged its horn as it struck Isaac in the stomach and caused him to fall to a knee. Once they did their task they then returned to Fluttershy's side where they lowered themselves to her level so that she could pet them. "Good job my friends, just don't try to hurt Isaac too much. I need him to be alright, so that I can be with him. Hope my creatures didn't harm you too badly, Isaac."
Isaac's Life Points: 4300-

Isaac recovered from Fluttershy's attack and addressed her. "It's alright, I've taken more powerful hits than that."

"That's good, I would hate to end this duel so soon. Especially when I'm having so much fun, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw." Alright, time to think. Right now Fluttershy has two monsters on her field with at least 2700 attack points, then she's also got a facedown on her side. I can worry about that all I want but if I don't defend my life points then I'll be wide open to receiving another round of attacks from her beasts. "I'll play the spell card Premature Burial, now by paying 800 life points I can summon a monster from my grave. Welcome back my Dark Magician." Isaac had managed to bring back his wizard.
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"Then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Fluttershy

"Honestly, what are you doing? You just summoned back your magician for a few life points. Are you trying to let me win?"

Isaac gave a Fluttershy a sly smile, "You know that's not my style, Fluttershy."

"Well then, draw! Now I'll have my Behemoth attack your magician."

"Hold on reveal Magical Hats! Now you see him, now you don't. Good luck, Fluttershy. Hiding under one of these hats is my magician but choose the wrong one and you'll be in for a surprise. Feeling lucky?"

"I'm not afraid of what you've got Isaac, Behemoth attack the hat on the far right." Fluttershy's monster obeyed its order and brought its entire weight on the object in its way hoping that it destroyed Isaac's magician. But when the smoke cleared there was nothing there.

"Ohh, that's a miss. Care to try again?"

"Then I'll just have my Thunder Unicorn strike, attack the leftmost hat. Go Charging Thunder!" Fluttershy's unicorn then charged forward as it popped the hat and smoke came out. However, unlike the first hat this one had a trap waiting and Fluttershy had sprung it.

"Looks like you were right Fluttershy. You picked the right hat because you activated my trap Spellbinding Circle. Now your Unicorn is confined by its magical properties and loses 700 attack, now my Magician come out. Time to send Fluttershy's unicorn to the grave, attack her monster!" With that Isaac launched a counteract on Fluttershy's creature which felt a full blast of dark magic as it was destroyed.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3200-

"I knew you were going to do something like that and yet I still fell for it. You continue to still amaze me. However, the effect of Horn of the Unicorn activates since it was sent to the grave I can return to the top of my deck. With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Isaac

"My turn, draw. I'll play the spell Magician's Rebirth now since I have a spellcaster on my field, I bring back one from my grave so welcome back Dark Magician Girl. Then I'll play Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. Due to her ability, she's the only one you can attack when she's on the field. Then I'll play the spell Card of Sanctity now we each draw till we have six cards in our hand. Next I'll boost my Dark Magician Girl attack with Magic Formula by giving her an additional 700 points. Now Dark Magician attack Fluttershy's Behemoth!"

"My monster outranks your magician by 200 points, why send him to his doom?"

"Because from my hand I activate Dark Magic Expanded. Now the effects depend on how many Dark Magician/Dark Magician Girl I have on the field or grave. First my Dark Magician gets an extra 1000 attack points till the end of the turn; then you can't activate and card or effects in response to my spells/traps. So now Dark Magician blast away her monster." On Isaac's command, his magician then raised its staff at the bigger creature and casted a spell that sent it off its feet and destroyed it. "Now my Dark Magician Girl will wage an attack on your life points! End this duel!"

"That would work if it wasn't for my facedown. See I can't activate cards that target yours but I have a different effect. Reveal Animal Sanctuary, now by banishing a monster from my grave I can cut the damage I take in half." Fluttershy then removed her Thunder Unicorn and its spirit then rose out of the card. It gave a cry as it used its own body to shield Fluttershy from most of damage while she covered herself with her arms.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 1350-

Isaac was in disbelief that he almost won the duel, but Fluttershy still found a way to stay in the match. He then started to laugh because Fluttershy was showing that she had learned something for him. She learned on how to hang on and get your opponent to become frustrated. He then gave an applause.

"Well done, Flutters. You really are hanging in there; I thought for sure I would have won the duel. But you surprised me, which is something that not a lot of people can do."

"Seems I really did learn something from you. I learned to consider all of my options and put my faith in my cards. You told me to put my trust in my cards and they'll respond. Well time to show you how far I've come.

Turn 9: Fluttershy

"My draw!" When Fluttershy drew her card a yellow light soon followed with a few particles as an afterglow effect. "First I'll activate my spell Unicorn Beacon now I can bring back my Thunder Unicorn by banishing 1 card from my hand." Fluttershy then removed her Albert, the Flying Squirrel and in exchange she brought her Thunder Unicorn. When her monster appeared on the field, he made his way over to Fluttershy and nuzzled her to show his affection. "Welcome back, old friend. Now I'll also play the Horn of the Unicorn and give it to my beast to raise his attack by 700. Then I'll play the spell card Animal Mate now I can summon two of the same monsters from my hand and/or deck. So I bring out Baby Raccoon Ponpoko(800/0). Then I'll overlay both of my raccoons to build the overlay network. I Xyz summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)."

Now Fluttershy had two different monsters on her field. "As you know, Isaac. My monster has a special ability which I'll now use by using 1 overlay unit I can summon a token to my field and its attack is the same as the highest monster on the field and that's my Thunder Unicorn with a total of 2900. Then I summon Beast King Barbaros, however since I chose to summon him without tributing his attack drops to 1900. Lastly, I'll play my final facedown The Big March of Animals. Now all my Beast-type monsters I control gain 200 attack points times the number of Beast-types I control. With four Beasts in play, they each get 800 points." Fluttershy's monsters then started to grow as they were powered up by the card's effect. "Now time to attack, go my monsters wipe out his monsters. With their combined attack it's enough to wipe out the rest of your life points."

It seemed like the duel was over and Fluttershy would be declared the winner. All her beasts charged at Isaac and tore apart his entire field and disposed of his magicians. The impact from the attacks sent Isaac off his feet and landed on his back. Fluttershy was happy because she had just managed to defeat Isaac and advance to the next round. She was so excited that she didn't see the screen of her duel disk prompted a message until it started to flash to get her attention. She looked at it and was surprised with what it said.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

Fluttershy was left a stun look on her face. "How? How did you survive, I thought for sure that last attack would have taken you out?"

Isaac then got back to his feet and addressed everybody wondering the same thing, "It's because of you, when you sent my Dark Magician Girl to the grave she also had Magic Formula equipped to her and when its sent to the grave I gain an extra 1000 life points. That was just enough for me to survive the onslaught and stay in this duel." Everybody was losing their minds, they all thought that Fluttershy had the match won, but Isaac pulled out one last trick out of his sleeve and survived Fluttershy's attack. Even the people at home were clutching themselves as they couldn't contain this level of excitement; everybody's heart was racing even the commentary booth were shown having a bit of sweat on their faces.

"Well then, it seems my turn is over. I'll finish things off next round. Make your move, Isaac."

Turn 10: Isaac

Isaac had managed to stay alive in this match but now he was down to his last life points. Now to mention that he had to deal with Fluttershy and her entire Beast monsters that swarmed the field. If he was going to pull a miracle out of his ass, it had better happen now. With that he put his hand on his deck and got ready to draw. "This duel is about to end Fluttershy, my draw! I'll play the trap Eternal Soul." Once the card registered on the duel disk, out came a giant tablet that seemed very Egyptian with the many hieroglyphs that surrounded it. "Know why this card is special to me, Fluttershy. Because this is a reminded that no matter what my magician will always be with me, when things are tough I'll always know that he has my back. So now I activate its effect which allows me to special summon 1 'Dark Magician' from my grave, so arise one last time my ultimate monster, Dark Magician."

"I respect that you would choose your ace creature as a final stand. But know that even if you brought him back he doesn't stand a chance against my creatures. All it takes is one attack and then you're left wide open for a direct attack from my other monsters."

Isaac then cracked a smile once Fluttershy finished her statement. "That's why I'm giving my magician a little 'tune-up' if you will. I now play the spell The Eye of Timaeus and with it I can fuse my magician to call forth an even stronger creature. Make way for the mighty Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500). A vortex then opened up in front of Isaac as his magician was sucked in and enveloped in a pillar of light that shot to the sky. Once it ceased, out descend a brand new creature for all too see. It was a huge dragon that let out a mighty roar as it spread its massive wings. There was also a rider on the dragon's back it was the Dark Magician but instead of his normal outfit he wore a set of armor that was purple and shined brightly under the spotlight. The dragon opened its mouth and you could see the pair of fangs attached to it. It landed with a loud thud that shook the very ground and everybody in attendance. The monster looked back at Isaac and peered into his eyes. It understood what its master wanted and so with a nod from its rider turned its attention to their opponent.

Fluttershy was left looking in awe at the sight of Isaac's monster. She was a bit scared of the dragon seeing as it was slighter bigger than her Behemoth, but thankfully Isaac reassured his creature to not cause too much damage towards her.

"Remember boy, Fluttershy is a friend. So don't hurt her too badly. Well what do you think of new monster, Fluttershy? Impressed, well how about meeting him up close and personal; now I'll activate my facedown that I placed at the beginning of the duel. Dark Magic Twin Burst, now I can target 1 'Dark Magician' that I control and boost its attack by that of the 'Dark Magician Girl' on my field and in the graveyard." Dark Magician Girl then appeared in spirit form and rose up to her teacher; she started to cast a spell that empowered him and then disappeared. "Now my creature wipe out the rest of Fluttershy's life points and end this duel!" The dragon then took flight and with its mouth charged up an attack and unleashed it on Thunder Unicorn. Fluttershy's horse then put its body around it master to protect her as best he can. Fluttershy started to pet him to signal that everything would be alright as the attack blasted both of them and her life points were gone.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Once the duel was over, Isaac went to check on Fluttershy who was lying face down. He gently started to check on her to see if she was okay.

"Hey, Fluttershy. Are you okay? Say something!"

Fluttershy opened her eyes and looked at Isaac. She couldn't contain herself as she wrapped her arms around his neck and brought him into a hug. Isaac soon followed as he embraced her back. The crowd was standing up and applauding for the amazing duel they had just witnessed between two fine duelist. Eventually both of them got back to their feet and let go of their embrace and turned to face the crowd. The emotions that were inside of them couldn't describe how amazing it felt to be cheered by their fellow peers. To know that they went out there and stole the show. Fluttershy then turned to address Isaac.

"Good job Isaac, you didn't hold back and I got to have the time of my life."

"I should be the one thanking you, because I got to see the transformation and the birth of a great duelist. Since we first met, you were afraid that you weren't good enough to compete let alone hold a deck. But look at you know, you made it to the finals, competed on the biggest stage of your life and took me to the limit. Sure I managed to beat you, but that was because of I got lucky if anything you were primed to win. And for that you should be proud of how far you've come."

Isaac's words touched Fluttershy's heart that she began to shed tears of happiness. "Thanks Isaac, but it wasn't luck that you beat me. You were the better duelist today and don't let anybody tell you different. Also thank you, I wanted to make you proud so I pushed myself to master this deck you built for me. At first I was scared of becoming a disappointment, but you gave me the strength to move forward. For that I'm eternally grateful." Fluttershy then did something unexpected and she gave Isaac a quick kiss on the check. It surprised Isaac as he had to take a step back and put his hand to where Fluttershy had kissed. She merely giggled at how shocked and confused Isaac was.

"Ladies and gentleman, give one more round of applause for both our duelist here." said Celestia into the microphone as she approached them. "I dare say that was a duel I haven't seen in a long time; you two really put your heart and soul into that match. Take one last bow!" Isaac and Fluttershy both turned towards the audience and thanked them before taking a bow.

Celestia then began to speak. "Now that the final match has concluded, it's time to meet final competitors who will be battling in the next round of the tournament." Celestia then pointed at the screen and the portraits of winners were shown. "Advancing to the semi-finals is: Sunset Shimmer, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Isaac. They have all come very far, but only two of them can win and earn a spot to compete at next week's Fall Formal where the winner will be crowned CHS duel champion. To everybody watching at home and live in attendance I thank you all for a wonderful evening and don't forget the semi-finals will begin starting on Monday. Good night and remember to tune in for some more incredible dueling." With that Celestia gave a signal and the transmission was cut; unbeknownst to Isaac and everyone there was a yellow streak of particles that entered his deck and disappeared.

Chapter 20: The City Boy and the Country Gal

After the first night of the finals had ended, Celestia told everybody to head home as it was getting already late. Thankfully, there wasn't any school due to it being the weekend so everybody was even more ecstatic. After the match with Fluttershy, Isaac met up with the rest of the girls and they began to discuss today's events.

"I can't believe we managed to pull that off." said Isaac.

"I can cause we're awesome! I mean did you see those moves I was busting out. My opponent didn't stand a chance against me." Rainbow was stilling riding the victory train from her duel.

"Don't forget you're not the only one who who made to the next round. Both me and Isaac had our fair share, and we're advancing to the semifinals. Right, partner."

"Couldn't put it any other way, Aj. By the way, congrats on your victory. I bet Applebloom must be super happy that her big sister is moving on."

"You don't know the half of it, after my match she ran to my room and started cheering me like I won the darn thing. It took awhile but I eventually calmed her down. I assured her that it wasn't over and that it would only get harder from here."

"Darlings, lets take a moment to congratulate the half of our group has made it into the top 4. It seems we couldn't ask for a better position because however the brackets turn out, we'll have at least 2 chances to take down Sunset Shimmer. We're one step closer to achieving our goal; lets just take this time to celebrate."

"Rarity is right, the best way to celebrate is with one great big party!" Shouted Pinkie.

Fluttershy then spoke up. "Easy there Pinkie Pie, we're all pretty worn out from dueling that I don't think anybody has the energy for a surprise party. Though I'll say you seem to have a fun time commentating the duels with Celestia. I could tell that you were filled with happiness and your face had the biggest smile we've seen in a while."

"Your correct on that front. I just had marble of a time; being able to watch you guys do your thing while I got to relay the info to the beautiful people at home what was happening. It was the best feeling ever! I just wish I could have helped more, I mean maybe I should have been more serious and then I would have qualified. But instead I just ended up being dead weight." As Pinkie said that, her hair then started to deflate.

Her friends reassured her that everything was alright and that they were proud of what she did. They told her that she did all she could and that was enough to please them. Soon thereafter Pinkie was her usual puffy self as her hair suddenly inflated back to its original state. They continued to talk for a bit, even asking Fluttershy and Isaac how they felt after their incredible match. Fluttershy was the first to speak.

"I'm admit it was scary knowing that I would have to face Isaac, but once I got over those nerves and remembered the promise we made. It was easier for me to stay focused and have fun during the duel." Fluttershy then let out a cute giggle.

"To me I had a rather tough time adjusting. I mean this is my first tournament and I was scared with how well I would perform. When I found out that I qualified to make the top 8, I was happy but then I faced a difficult challenge. Right off the bat I would be facing one of my friends and that person was known other than Fluttershy. I was terrified that in our duel I would crush her dreams; that I would be the reason why she couldn't get better. I was scared that if I won then you all think that I bullied her or worst didn't think she was a good duelist. But luckily, Fluttershy reminded me that no matter what you guys would never turn your backs on me. That despite us being opponents on the dueling field, we can still be friends after it's over."

The girls were happy to know that Isaac had gotten over that hurdle of facing a friend in battle. They knew it could be tough facing someone you know because you never know how they might react after the match. They assured Isaac that no matter what they would always have a bond that can never be severed, not even Sunset could break it. Soon it was time for everybody to head home and so they departed for the night. It seemed they were all pretty busy to hangout this weekend, but promised that they would meet up Monday to discuss the next phase of their plan. With that they all said their goodbye and went their separate ways.

As Isaac was walking home, he began to play the events of today. Everything from teaming with Sunset, to qualifying in the top 8, to even having to face Fluttershy in the first round. All in all today was an interesting day and one he would be proud to remember. After awhile Isaac had made it home and was unlocking the front door leading to his house. The lights were off so he expected that his parents were asleep. That wasn't the case for when he stepped into the living there was his mother and father congratulating him on making it to the next round. It was a surprise that Isaac wasn't expecting as his father started to address him.

"That's my boy. Well done, mijo. You did a wonderful job!"

"Thanks, papi. It wasn't easy I'll tell you that." Just then Isaac's mother then stepped forward as she gave her son a hug.

"That's my son, showing everybody that he's got some major talent. Why I even told your abuelita what you did and she was impressed to say the least."

"No es gran cosa, mami. I was just doing what I normally do and that's having fun. I'm just glad I was able to put smiles on a couple of people's faces, especially you two."

"Mijo, you're always putting smiles on our faces. We couldn't be more satisfied to see you having a good time. Your mother and I are just amazed with how much fun you're having not to mention the many new friendships you've made since we moved here. Keep up the good work, son."

"Now then, it's late and just because you don't have school tomorrow doesn't mean you can stay up late. After all you must be tired from your match, so I expect you to get some rest. If you want to make it to the next round, then you better make sure you get some sleep. Don't make me bust out the cinturon, it's still my house you live in young man. Am I understood?" Asked Isaac's mother who was serious about making sure her son was in great health before his next match.

"Si senora." With that I said good night to both of my parents and gave them a hug and kiss before I made my way upstairs to my room where I got ready for a long night of sleep.

The whole weekend went by without a hitch. I spent most of my time going over my deck making any changes that I saw necessary for my next match. I knew that I managed to hold my own against Fluttershy but whoever my next opponent, whoever it may be, was going to be an even tougher challenge. So I had to come up with new ways to use my cards. Time flew by relatively quick because it was soon Monday and that meant a couple of things. One that it was the start of a brand new school week; two the semifinals of the Fall Formal tournament would be taking place, and three the Fall Formal itself was at the end of the week. That meant that if both duels crowned their winners today then it would only be just a matter of time before they would face each other on the grandest stage. Plus there was the issue of finding something suitable to wear to the dance itself, but Isaac would worry about that later. With that in his mind, he packed his stuff for school and headed out the door and began on his way. Once he got there he saw that most of the students were starting to make their way into the building. Before Isaac was about to do the same he saw the girls hanging out by the stairs.

"Hey Isaac."

"Hey Rainbow Dash. So what were you guys just waiting for me?"

"This time, yeah. Look we're one step closer to defeating Sunset. In fact, in this next round one of us is guaranteed to face her, the question is who?"

"Simmer down Dash, it doesn't matter who gets to face her first. What matters is we stop her before she causes even more damage. Y'all saw how much carnage she was able to create in her duel against Flash. That kind of skill is going to be tough to beat. So no matter what we've got to stick together and remember what we're fighting for."

"We understand Aj. It's just we're so close that we can't afford any mistakes. Plus if anything I'll be the one winning this whole thing. I mean if I can beat Sunset as fast as I did my last opponent then we've got nothing to worry about." Isaac and Applejack just rolled their eyes as Dash's statement. They all then headed inside and made their way to the gymnasium. Once they made it to the room, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie all went to find a seat while the rest of their friends made their way to the dueling stage. Isaac and the two other girls approached the dueling stage they saw Sunset waiting for them and giving each of them a death glare. They all took their positions when Celestia arrived on the stage and spoke into the microphone.

"Welcome everybody, I hope that you've had a fantastic weekend. Standing before me is the final 4 duelist who will be battling it out today and the two people who win their duel will then go head to head this Friday at the Fall Formal where we will crown CHS duel champion. Now it's time to see who will be facing each other so please direct your attention to the screen." Celestia pointed at the screen and it began to randomize the portraits as it would determine what the brackets would be determined; after a bit of suspenseful few minutes it calculated the results and determined the match order. "Looks like it'll be Sunset vs Rainbow Dash in one duel and in the other it will be Isaac taking on Applejack. Now that the duels have been determined, duelist make your way to your respective rooms and await further instructions. Once we're all set up we'll contact the pair of duelist who will be starting things off." With that the four competitors then departed and each went to the rooms they were previously held in during the first round.

Once Isaac made it back to his room, he began to go over his deck putting together any last minute strategies he could think of the counteract Applejack. "Based on my previous experience with fighting alongside AJ, I know she has a plant based deck. Not to mention that she'll be looking to fusion summon them as fast as she can. Not to mention the possibility that Aj might have a surprise waiting for me; if Fluttershy is any indication then I can expect Applejack to have some sort of secret weapon." Isaac then pulled a card out of his pocket and looked at it. "I was hoping to avoid using this card but it couldn't hurt to have some extra firepower." With that Isaac put that card in deck.

Applejack was in her room looking through her deck. She was going over her plan to beat Isaac. "Well we knew this was going to happen eventually, not too mention that Isaac is one tough cowboy. That city slicker sure knows how to handle himself; it's kinda charming if I think about. No matter what, Isaac is not afraid to get down and dirty. I like that about him." Aj had a tiny blush on her face when she said that, but was interrupted when she heard a knock her door. She approached the door and opened it too see her little sister standing there. Applebloom then gave her big sis a hug to show her love.

"I hope I'm not interrupting anything important. I just wanted to see you before your match."

"It's alright, sis. Actually if I'm being honest I wanted to see you too. I know you look up to me, and that you want me to win this tournament. I'm not saying that I'm going to lose but rather it's going to be tough. I'm facing one of my friends and then if I manage to get by I'll have an even tougher opponent waiting for me."

Applebloom looked at her sister's eyes and saw the message she was trying to tell her. "I understand Applejack, but I really want you to win. Not just for me, but for our family. You're single handedly the best duelist to come out of our family legacy. And if you win then it could mean tons of new connections for our business."

Applejack gave her sister a pat on her head while making sure to not mess up her pink bow. "I get it, but Isaac isn't one to be taken lightly. You saw first hand how much of fighter he is. This is going to be my toughest duel to date and you know Isaac won't go down without a fight."

"I know. Just promise me you'll give it your all."

"I will, sugarcube." With that Applejack bent down to Applebloom's level and gave her a hug. Applebloom then started to leave to let her sister prepare for her showdown before making one last comment. "You know Granny Smith has taken a shine to Isaac, in fact she's waiting on you to snag him. Says that she wants some grandkids before she retires, don't want to disappoint her." With that Applebloom left in a hurry before her sister could hurt her. Applejack was about to scold her sister for saying something like that which caused her to have a blush on her checks. She didn't have time to express her thoughts due to the speaker system going off.

"Will the duelist Applejack, please make your way to the stage? Your match will begin shortly."

So Applejack composed herself and grabbed her duel disk. She started to make her way down the hallway and towards the stage. While he was walking, a part of herself was thinking on what Granny Smith had said. That her family had taken a liking to Isaac and were waiting for her to make her move. She thought about what made Isaac so unique that she started to get lost in her own personal thoughts as was evident by her face starting to become slightly a bit red.

"Will the duelist Isaac, please make your way to the stage? Your match will begin shortly."

"Well it's time. To get to Sunset, I'll have to go through Aj." With that I grabbed my deck and made my way to the stage.

Meanwhile the whole school had already filled the room to its max capacity as the students were getting themselves ready for the entertainment. Fluttershy and Rarity were sitting with the CMC who were cheering on for both Isaac and Applejack. Pinkie Pie was getting ready to join Celestia at the commentary table. Once they made sure everything was ok with the sound and the cameras; Luna then gave her sister a thumbs up to signal they were ready to start the show.

"Welcome ladies and gentleman, we hope that you've all had a relaxing weekend. Based on how much excitement we got from the duels on Friday, I think I speak for everybody when I say we all needed some time to cooldown. But we're now back with the semifinals of this tournament. In these next duels, 4 individuals will enter with only two emerging victorious. Those two winners will then earn the opportunity to go head to head with each other this Friday at the Fall Formal itself which we will gladly broadcast for viewers at home. Allow me to once again introduce my co-host, Pinkie Pie. Now Pinkie perhaps you could shed some insight on what we potentially see."

"Gladly Principal Celestia, Isaac and Applejack are both tough duelist. In fact they may be the most hard working individuals I've come to know in my life. Not too mention that their best friends; Isaac even once teamed up with Aj during a family gathering that she held a little while back. So it's safe to say that they've had plenty of time to study each other's decks and strategies and have come up with a solution to counteract each other."

"Then let's get this show started! On my left, please welcome CHS very own apple loving gal, Applejack. And facing her on my right is none other than the phenomenal holder of the Dark Magician, please give a warm welcome to Isaac." When Celestia had finished announcing both duelist, the crowd was split down the middle. It seemed it would not only be a battle on the field but also with who could get the crowd more on their side. Applejack and Isaac met in the center where they looked at one another for a minute.

Isaac was the first to break concentration. "Well Aj, here's to a hard fought battle. May the best duelist, win."

"Same to you, sugarcube." With that they both shook each other's hands and took their respective positions.

Luna then began to do her job as the official referee. "If both duelist are ready, then begin!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Intiatiing. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off, draw." Isaac looked at his opening hand and began to form his plan. "I'll start with playing Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. Then I'll end my turn with a facedown. You're up partner."

Turn 2: Applejack

"Cute impression, draw." Applejack drew her card and looked through her cards. "I'll start by summoning my Predaplant Flytrap(400/800) in defense mode. Now I'll activate its special ability now once per turn, I can place a Predator Counter on your monster. If it's level 2 or higher then it becomes level 1 as long as it has the counter. Now since you have a monster with a counter on it, I can summon Predaplant Helimaphorhynchus(1200/2400) from my hand in defense mode. I'll then set 1 card facedown and pass it over to you."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Alright, my draw!" Isaac drew his card and began to think. So far Applejack just has a couple of monster on her field. Her Flytrap will continue placing counters on my monsters which reduces their level to 1, which isn't a big deal but she must have a reason for doing that. Then there's her other monster which is acting like a wall to protect her. "I'll play my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. Next I'll activate the spell Graceful Charity, now I draw three more cards and discard 2." Isaac drew his cards and picked which two he wanted to get rid of. "Since I just drew my Watapon by card effect I can summon him to field, so I'll play him in defense mode. I'll then place 1 card facedown. Now Beta attack her Flytrap." The magnet monster then raised its magnetic fist and crushed Applejack's monster.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Applejack

"I draw. I'll then play the spell Predapractice, now I can special summon 1 'Predaplant' monster from my hand and add 1 from my deck to my hand. So I'll add my Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio to my hand, and summon my Predaplant Spinodionaea(1800/0). Next it's effect kicks in and it grants a counter on your monster that reduces its level to 1, so I'll choose your Magician's Valkyria. Next I'll activate the spell Predaprime Fusion now I can conduct a fusion summon. So I'll fuse together my 2 monsters on the field; I Fusion Summon my Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000)." Applejack had summoned a vortex and with it her 2 monsters vanished into it. Then a light emerged from the tunnel and out came a creature that Isaac was familiar with. "Then I'll summon my Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio(1200/800) and with it I can send 1 'Predaplant' from my hand to the grave and summon a different one from my deck, so come out my Predaplant Moray Nepenthes(1600/1000)." Just like that Applejack was in full control of the duel as the crowd cheered for her.

"My Nepenthes has his own ability in which he gains 200 extra points for every counter on the field, so since you have 2 he gains an extra 400 points which raise it to 2000. Now I'll have all of my monsters attack, my Chimerafflesia will attack you Magician's Valkyria and its effect allows it to gain an extra 1000 points when it targets a monster. Then my Scorpio will attack your Watapon. And lastly, my Nepenthes will get rid of Beta." Applejack gave her plants their orders and they got rid of Isaac's creatures.
Isaac's Life Points: 7600-

"Now since my Nepenthes destroyed a monster, I can then attach that monster to it. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"Not bad, Aj. But I'm still standing, draw. Time to turn up the heat, ready. Here goes. I'll start by summoning a new card, please give a warm reception to Palladium Oracle Mahad(2500/2100)," Isaac revealed his card and out came a warrior/spellcaster who wore gold and white garments it landed on one knee before standing up and bowing its head in front of Isaac.

Applejack and everybody in the crowd was in shock that Isaac had revealed a new monster. It seemed similar like his Dark Magician but possessed a new power. Isaac showed his respects to his monster and together they turned to look Applejack in the eyes.

"Now I'll have my Mahad attack your Chimerafflesia. Go my loyal servant."

"You sure you don't have hay in your ears, partner? My Chimerafflesia has an effect that allows it to gain 1000 extra points while yours loses 1000, so my creature is going to come out on top."

"True under normal circumstances that would happen, but my Mahad has an ability that when it battles a Dark type monster his attack points double during the damage step. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't your monster a dark type Aj?"

Applejack was surprised that Isaac had not only managed to surprise her but found out how to use her own monster's type against her. Isaac's Mahad then powered up as it got rid of Aj's monster. The plants that were left behind started to wilt and eventually fade away.

"Talk about getting rid of some killer weeds, I'll then end my turn."
Applejack's Life Points: 6500-

Turn 6: Applejack

"My draw." Isaac really threw me for loop, he found a way to use my own deck against me, but that doesn't mean I can't get rid of his monster another way. "You may have summoned a new creature, but it will still fall the same. Now I'll activate my spell Plant Invasion, now if I send a card from my hand to the grave then I can destroy 1 card on your field. So I'll send my card and target your Mahad; so much for having a monster to protect you." Applejack's card then morphed into millions of plants that started to grow and make their towards Isaac's monster. When they made contact the plants wrapped around Isaac's spellcaster and began to draw it to the grave, until it broke out of the grip and remained unscratched. Applejack was confused, she thought for sure that her spell would have gotten rid of his monster.

"You didn't think you could get rid of my Mahad that easily, did you Applejack? I reveal my trap Monster Calling, now since I have a monster on my field I can bring back one from my grave as long as it's the same type. Now I call upon my Palladium Oracle Mana(2000/1700). Now once per turn, she can make my Mahad immune to being destroyed by card effects." Out from the grave came a beautiful young female spellcaster who wore similar garments like her teacher. She casted a spell that protected Isaac's Mahad from Applejack's spell. Once that was done she turned to her teacher who gave her a warming smile. Mana also looked at her master who gave her smile full of gratitude.

"Yeesh, your magicians are more tough to get rid of than fleas on a cow's hide. I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Isaac

Isaac drew his card and looked at his spellcasters and then looked at Applejack to address her. "Hey Aj, you notice something about my monsters?"

"What do you mean?" Applejack was genuine confused at was Isaac was talking about.

"I mean don't they look rather familiar, take a good long look?"

Applejack was still not understanding what Isaac was talking about, so she took a look at Isaac's monsters. At first, she didn't see anything. But upon further look she saw what Isaac was talking about. Palladium Oracle Mahad had the same eyes and face as his Dark Magician; and Palladium Oracle Mana had the same features as his Dark Magician Girl. She had to take a double take to make sure she wasn't hallucinating.

"Those monsters, they look just like your Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. But how can that be, I got rid of them?"

"Let's just say that long ago there was a great pharaoh who had friends and were his most loyal servants. In order to protect him, they passed on a great power and with that power they became spirits that would watch over him. Let's leave it at that for now. Now my spellcasters will attack the rest of your monsters. Go Mahad and Mana, clear Applejack of her field." Just like the pharaoh they used to watch over a long time ago, both servants understood their master's command and took to battle. They collided with Applejack's monsters and destroyed them.

"I'll activate my Nepenthes' effect, now I can detach the monster equipped to it and gain life points equal to its attack.
Applejack's Life Points: 8100-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Applejack

"You're really making me work for my victory. But I wouldn't have it any other way, draw. Now I'll reveal my facedown Garden of Hope, not I can bring back up to two monsters from my grave but their effects are negated. So I chose to revive my Flytrap and my Predaplant Dragostapelia, then I'll play the spell Polymerization and fuse my two creatures. I Fusion Summon my Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!" When Applejack played her card, a mirror popped out. The mirror pulsed and glowed purple, its surface cloudy. The mirror cracked down the center, the image of glowing purple eyes appearing in either half. The mirror shattered and a massive dragon flew out of the frame. Its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy.

"Now I activate my Dragon's ability now once per turn, I can target 1 face up monster you control and change its attack points to 0 and all of its abilities are negated. I choose you Palladium Oracle Mahad, now my Dragon take out his monster."

Isaac was panicking. I've got to think fast or else my monster is a goner. At that very moment, Isaac slotted something into his graveyard as his monster was destroyed.

Applejack was smiling to see that her dragon had gotten rid of Isaac's monster, but when she check his life points they remained the same.

"How did you survive that, you should have taken some heavy damage?"

"I was able to activate the effect of Kuriboh from my hand, by sending him to the grave all battle damage I take this turn becomes zero. Thank you old friend." Kuriboh's spirit then emerged and gave Isaac a smile and rubbed against him before disappearing.

"Now I'm really starting to get annoyed with you. I end my turn."

Turn 9: Isaac

"Draw, first since my Mahad was destroyed I can summon my Dark Magician back from my grave. Next I'll do a fusion summoning of my own, I play the spell Eye of Timaeus and fuse it with my magician. Now I Fusion Summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500)." Isaac played his own dragon and when it appeared on the field, it looked at Applejack's dragon and began to give an intimidating roar. Both beasts were looking each other in the eye as they prepared themselves for battle.

Isaac looked at his dragon and knew what he had to do. "I'll then end my turn with 1 card facedown." This is it, all the pieces are now in place to take down Aj's monster. I just have to time this right.

Turn 10: Applejack

"So you want a battle of dragons, huh? Draw! Now I'll activate my monster's effect and reduce your monster to 0. Now my Venom Dragon take out Isaac's monster."

"Hold on, Applejack I activate my facedown Monster Shield, now I sacrifice my Mana so that I can keep my monster from being destroyed as long as I negate her ability. So I relinquish my Palladium Oracle Mana to protect my dragon!" A shield then formed around Isaac's dragon as it took the impact, however the damage was still enough to cause Isaac to fall to his knees.
Isaac's Life Points: 4300-

"I figured you do something like that, that's why I had this reveal my Wild Nature card, now since a my monster failed to destroy your creature in battle it can attack again but with double attack points. My dragon now has 6600 attack which is more than enough to end this duel, now finish this!"

"Well done, Applejack you were able to stand up to my magicians. But I'm going down without a fight, I reveal my final facedown: Equal Treatment." A light emerged from the card and covered the entire field.

"Now if there was a change in my monster's attack points, I can activate this card. Now when both our monsters battle instead of being sent to the graveyard, they're banished from the duel. The next thing is our life points are then reduced to half of what we started with.

The light from the card then surrounded Isaac's monster and when it collided with Applejack's creature they created so much force that it knocked both duelist off their feet and the audience was trying to hold on as they felt the impact from the attack. And just like that the entire field was decimated.
Isaac's Life Points: 4000-
Applejack's Life Points: 4000-

Pinkie and Celestia couldn't put into words on what they just saw. The folks at home couldn't believe what they saw. After a moment, both Isaac and Applejack started to get back on their feet and look at each other. They stared for a couple of minutes while leading out deep breaths, which then turned into laughter. Both were laughing that the crowd was becoming confused on what they were seeing.

"You crafty city slicker, you just never cease to amaze me."

"Well, you're one tough country gal. Never thought I would have to work twice as hard just to win."

Everybody then started to make noise for the two as neither one of them was giving up an inch in this incredible tug of war. Pinkie and Celestia were even offering their praises at seeing how even the two were. Both Isaac and Applejack knew that if either one of them wanted to win then they would need to go to a place they never thought possible. They would need to push past their limits and unlock something hidden in them.

"Talk about a hard reset. Both Isaac and Applejack threw their best shots at each other and it still wasn't enough to keep them down for the count. Everybody here in the crowd is into it and I know everybody at home is!" Pinkie then started to scream into the camera as she was showing everybody how excited this battle was making her.

Celestia then chimed in, "Indeed, it seems like both duelist have found their second wind and I think the real battle is about to begin."

"Well, you heard her partner. The real fight starts now, think you can keep up?"

"I can do this all day."

"Good, then I believe it's your turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Right then, I draw! I'll start by summoning Nitro Synchron(300/100) in attack mode, then I'll place 2 cards facedown."

Turn 12: Applejack

"Hey now, what's with these new cards you're playing? Did you keep them a secret in hopes of catching me off by surprise?"

"Maybe, the only way to know is to find out."

"Well you're not the only one who changed her deck before our duel. Now Isaac, let me show you one of new monsters, I summon Witch of the Black Rose(1700/1200) in attack mode. Next I'll use its effect to reveal the top card of my deck and if it's a monster, I can add it to my hand." Applejack drew her card and looked at. "It seems I got lucky, I drew my Lord Poison."

"You may have gotten an extra card, but I'm about to get two more. I activate my facedown Card of Sacrifice, since my monster in attack position is weaker than yours I get to draw 2 cards." Isaac then drew his cards from his deck.

"But like you said, your monster is weaker than mine, which means my witch will have no problem turning your monster into scrap metal. Attack Nitro Synchron!"

"Not so fast, Applejack. I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. This card not only blocks your monster's attack but it returns facedown so that I can use it again later." A scarecrow that was made of metal parts then appeared and stopped Applejack's witch from attack.

"Very well, I'll set 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 13: Isaac

"My move, I activate my One For One spell card. This card lets me send 1 monster from my hand to the graveyard to special summon a level 1 monster from my deck. I'm trading in my Quillbolt Hedgehog to summon Tuningware(100/300) in defense mode. Next I'll play a card that's a fan favorite, I play Junk Synchron. As long as I control a tuner monster, I special summon Quillbolt Hedgehog(800/800) in defense mode."

Applejack was a bit concerned with what Isaac had managed to do. "That's a lot of monsters to summon in one turn."

"Well, actually Applejack. I'm about to invite one more to the party. Get ready! I tune my level 3 Junk Synchron with my Tuningware and by the way, when I'm synchro summoning, Tuningware's effect lets me treat it as a level 2 monster. From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might! Combine their courage to Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" Out came a monster that was made of metal parts as it made an intimidating pose before landing on Isaac's field.

Once again everybody was in awe as not only did they see something brand new. But the fact that Isaac was once again showing his vast knowledge of duel monsters by performing a dueling method he hadn't done. Applejack still held a solid resolve even when Isaac displayed his new monster.

"Big deal! I'm going to send that Junk Warrior to the junkyard."

"You can try, but my Tuningware has another effect. When it's tuned to a monster, I get to draw a card. My Junk warrior may start with 2300 attack points but it will gain a boost of all level 2 or below monsters on the field. Then I'll perform a second synchro summon!"

"Two in one turn!" shouted Applejack.

"That's right! I'll tune Nitro Synchron with my Quillbolt to Synchro Summon Armory Arm(1800/1200). Next I'll use Armory arm's effect and equip it onto my Junk Warrior to boost its attack points by 1000. But that's not all when the monster equipped with Armory Arm destroys your monster, you lose life points equal to the attack points of your monster. Go Junk Warrior attack with Scrap Iron Fist and end this duel!"

Applejack had a calm demeanor on her face when Isaac called his move. "Lucky for you sugarcube, I'm in a sharing mode. I activate Nature's Reflection! Now all damage from your Armory Arm is negated and reflected right back at you. I'll still lose the normal 2600 from you destroying my monster, but you'll lose the other 1700. Better luck next time, sugar."
Applejack's Life Points: 1400-

"I end my turn. Your up, Applejack."
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

Turn 14: Applejack

"My move." Applejack put her hand on her deck and prepared to draw. This is it, time to show everybody here my new creature I added to my deck. This may be able to help me win this battle and advance. Just gotta draw the right card, put my trust in my deck and it will trust in me. Here goes! Applejack drew her card which had an green light that trailed behind it with a few particles as an afterglow effect.

"I summon Twilight Rose Knight(1000/1000). When I summon Twilight Rose Knight, I can also summon a plant monster from my hand. And I reckon you remember my old friend, Lord Poison(1500/1000)."

Isaac knew what Applejack was about to do as he had a frighten look on his face. "Uh oh, don't tell me you're going to do what I think you're going do?"

"Well let's find out together, sugar. I tune my Twilight Rose Knight with Lord Poison. A cold flame envelopes the world, within its blinding light, a black flower blooms! Appear Black Rose Dragon(2400/1700)."

When Applejack summoned her new monster the entire field was showered with rose petals and when they converged together out came a dragon of both strength and beauty. It had a rose petals covering its entire body as well as sharp thorns on its scales. It led out a roar as it landed on the field and appeared by Aj's side. Isaac on the other hand was holding his position due to the fact that he couldn't believe that Applejack had managed to obtain a rare card of her own. From what he remembered, he heard tales about the card and how its original owner used to to crush her opponents. If the stories were true, then Isaac knew he may not last much longer in this duel. Applejack admired that even after summoning her new beast, Isaac still stood his ground and was preparing for the worse. Even when it seemed like the odds were against him, Isaac still looked at her dragon in the face with determination. That sight only was able to make Applejack's heart beat even for a few moments. She then turned her attention back to the battle at hand.

"Prepare for destruction! My Black Rose Dragon destroys all cards on the field when it's synchro summoned." Black Rose Dragon then whipped out its thorns as it destroyed everything in its sight.

"Oh no, my monsters all gone!"

"I'll then set 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 15: Isaac

"I draw and I'll set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 16: Applejack

"My draw, I'll also set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 17: Isaac

"I draw and I'll activate my trap Descending Lost Star to revive one of my monsters. I special summon Junk Warrior in defense position, however it loses a level and can't change battle modes and has 0 defense points."

"So why go through all the trouble to summon it? If it can't defend you, so it's practically useless. You're not making a lick of sense... unless..." Applejack then started to piece together what Isaac was about to do.

"That's right, I going to summon a monster that I've also added to my deck for this duel." Isaac then flashed back to when he was getting ready prior to his duel with Aj; he had pulled a card out of his pocket and put it in his deck. Hope the crowd isn't tired, because I've got one final surprise for them. "I summon my level 4 tuner Bri Synchron(1500/1100) and tune it with my level 4 Junk Warrior. Behold as the cosmos creates a monster of galactic might, behold as I Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon(2500/2100)!" Isaac play the card on his duel disk and out came a dragon that was white and blue as its entire body was covered in stardust particles that shinned very brightly under the spotlight.

"Thanks to Bri Synchron's effect my Stardust Dragon gains 600 attack points until the end of the turn. Stardust Dragon attack Applejack directly with Cosmic Flare!"

"I activate my trap card: Wicked Rebirth! I pay 800 life points to special summon a synchro monster from my graveyard; in addition I'm also chaining it with my other facedown: Overdoom Line. This card gives an extra 1000 attack points to any monster that's special summon from my graveyard. My Black Rose Dragon now has 3400 attack points, do you still want to attack with your measly 3100 attack sugar?"
Applejack's Life Points: 500-

"No thanks, I'll end my turn."

Turn 18: Applejack

"Draw and I'm going to end this duel now! I banish Lord Poison from my grave to activate Mark of the Rose. This card allows me to take control of your monster during my turn, now I have 2 synchro monsters and since Stardust Dragon negates any destruction effect your facedown can't help you. Black Rose Dragon attack Isaac directly!"

"My facedown may not help me, but this card in my hand will. I discard Swift Scarecrow to negate your attack and end your battle phase!" Isaac then slotted his card to the grave and stopped Applejack's attack.

"I'll set this card facedown and end my turn."

"With that your effect wears off and Stardust Dragon returns to my side. Good to have you back, my friend."

Turn 19: Isaac

"I'll discard a card from my hand to special summon the level 5 tuner Quickdraw Synchron(700/1400), next I'll summon Shield Warrior and tune it with my Quickdraw Synchron in order to synchro summon Junk Destroyer(2600/2500). When he's summoned I get to destroy 1 card. Time to tear the petals away from your Black Rose Dragon."

"Not on my watch, I activate Star Siphon. Before my Black Rose Dragon is destroyed, I get to summon a siphon token to protect my life points. My level 8 siphon token reduces your Junk destroyer to level 1."

"Even if it's level 1, my monster still has 2600 attack point. Now Stardust destroy Applejack's siphon token and Junk Destroyer attack her directly and finish her!"

"I activate Seed of Deception, this card lets me special summon a level 2 plant monster from my hand to block your attack. I'll special summon Dark Verger(0/100) in defense mode."

"In that case, I'll destroy your monster and end my turn."

"When my Black Rose Dragon is destroyed after Wicked Rebirth brought it back earlier, I can special summon it during your end phase plus since Overdue Line is still on my field my dragon once again gains an extra 1000 attack points making it stronger than both of your monsters.

Turn 20: Applejack

"It's my turn to draw! First thanks to my Mark of the Rose I'll take your Stardust Dragon once again. Next I'll equip my Black Rose Dragon with this spell card: Thorn of Malice. This card gives an extra 600 attack points to my dragon for a grand total 4000 attack points. Black Rose Dragon attack Junk Destroyer! You lose 1400 life points, but since Thorn of Malice is equipped to my monster your monster isn't destroyed by my attack however your monster loses 600 attack point at the end of battle bringing your Junk Destroyer down to 2000 attack points that makes it much weaker than Stardust dragon. Stardust Dragon attack Isaac's Junk Destroyer!"
Isaac's Life Points: 900-

"I'll save my monster by using Shield Warrior, by banishing him from my graveyard I can protect my monster from being destroyed."
Isaac's Life Points: 400-

"I'll end my turn and give you back your Stardust Dragon. Since I've had Overdoom Line on the field for two of my turns it gets destroyed but my Black Rose Dragon gets to keep all 4000 of its attack points."

Turn 21: Isaac

"I draw. I summon Effect Veiler(0/0), whenever there's tuner monster on the field I can special summon Boost Warrior(300/200) from my hand in defense mode. That's not all, behold as both power and speed surge towards each other and collide to create the synchro tuner Formula Synchron(200/1500). When I summon Formula Synchron I get to draw a card. Then I activate Give and Take now I'll give you Tuningware from my grave, so that my Stardust Dragon gains a level which bumps it to level 9. Now Applejack it ends here, I tune my level 2 Formula Synchron with my level 9 Stardust Dragon and level 1 Junk Destroyer! I Synchro Summon Shooting Quasar Dragon(4000/4000)! My Shooting Dragon not only has 4000 attack points but it can also attack the same number of times as the number of monsters used to synchro summon it. That means it can attack 3 times. First I'll attack the Tuningware I gave, next I'll attack your Black Rose Dragon!"

"Both of our monsters have the same amount of attack points, so they'll both be destroyed."

"That's true, but I never make mistakes Applejack. Shooting Quasar Dragon doesn't leave the field without leaving something special behind, when my monster is destroyed I get to special summon Shooting Star Dragon! And it looks like your field is wide open. Shooting Star Dragon attack Applejack directly and finish this duel with Stardust Barrage!" Isaac's dragon took flight and it soared high up in the sky then it came descending down on Applejack who was completely helpless against it as it reduced her last remaining points to zero.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Just like that the duel was over. Just like that Applejack had been defeated by Isaac. The first few moments after it ended there was nothing but dead silence. Not a word was said, nor a breath taken as everybody just stared at what they had witnessed. Not even Pinkie and Celestia were saying anything as they had their jaws open and their eyes staring at the two individuals. Eventually Luna made her way on the stage and made the announcement.

"The winner of this duel and advancing to the finals of the Fall Formal Tournament is Isaac!"

Then the entire room came undone as everyone in the crowd started to show their appreciation for what had been one hell of a duel. Even Applebloom and her friends were standing up cheering on Isaac and Applejack for putting on some quality entertainment. Isaac gave a quick wave to the crowd before running over to check on Applejack. She didn't seem to hurt but Isaac helped her to sit up while he had his hand behind her.

"Hey Applejack, you okay?"

Applejack took a second to register her surroundings and when she looked at Isaac, she saw how close he was to her and that he was holding her. It felt nice but she did her best to avoid the red blush forming on her face.

"Woah, there lover boy? Give me some space, will you? Don't want to spread some false rumors?"

With that she got back on her feet as Isaac helped her up. They then turned to the crowd and took a bow as a way to say thank you. Celestia then made her way to them with a microphone in hand. Before she made her announcement, she personally gave both Isaac and Applejack a handshake as a sign of respect and gratitude for bring so much fun into everybody's lives. She then turned to the camera and addressed everybody watching.

"Once more lets give both Isaac and Applejack a round of applause for putting on a wonderful show. They poured their heart and soul into this match just to earn the chance of becoming duel champion. In the end, Isaac proved to be the winner and will meet the winner of our next duel this Friday at the Fall Formal Tournament. With that said, we'll take a short break before we begin our next match."

With that both Isaac and Applejack left with Aj joining her friends in the stands while Isaac went back to his room. Just when he was leaving there was a trail of something magical and potent as it traveled through the air and landed on Isaac's deck as it emitted a green glow.

Chapter 21: Suffering

After Isaac and Applejack's duel, Celestia asked that everybody take a quick intermission. With that Isaac then made his way to his room where he hoped for some peace and quiet. Once he entered his room, he then started to gather his thoughts. He had beaten Applejack and that means he would be heading to the finals of the tournament where he would meet the winner of Sunset versus Rainbow. The end was near in site, all he had to do was win one more duel and he would be crowned CHS's duel champion. That alone brought a smile on his face, in his first major event he made it all the way to the top 2 and potentially was on the verge of being crowned champion.

"I remember what Celestia said, that this kind of event is watched by many people including dueling agents. This is where people can show off their talents and possibly take their game to the next level. Imagine how much a person's life can change."

Isaac then looked at his deck as he was thinking of something.

Ever since I was young, I've had a passion for Duel Monsters. So much so that my parents just thought it was simply something only little kids liked. But when I showed them how serious I was about the game and how much fun I was having, they started to support me. My whole life I've faced lots of obstacles, besides my parents, I always turned to my cards to offer me guidance. Many people might not see it but to me it feels real when I play my cards.

Isaac was then interrupted by a knock on his door. He knew that it couldn't be any of his friends due to the fact that most of them were watching in the crowd. Nor was it Rainbow or Dash as they were just about to battle, so who could it be? Isaac then slowly walked to the door and put his hand on the handle to open it. When he opened the door, he looked around but saw nobody. It wasn't until he heard a sound that he looked a different direction.

"If you're looking for me, try looking down?"

I looked down and saw that the voice belonged to none other than Applebloom. I was curious as to why she was knocking on my door, rather than be with her sister watching the next duel.

"Oh, hey Applebloom. Sorry didn't see you there, anyways what are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with your friends and sister?"

"Yeah, but I snuck away to hopefully talk with you. I just wanted to say that duel with my big sis was amazing! I mean I knew you were phenomenal, but still amazing!"

"Thanks, but I shouldn't take anything away from Applejack. She gave me a tough fight that I had to really had to think outside of the box just to outsmart her. The way the duel was going, I'll admit I got lucky that I barely managed to squeeze by. I haven't felt that feeling in a while. Your sister has talent and I'm impressed."

When Isaac said that comment about her sister, Applebloom was jumping up and down on the inside. When she first met Isaac, she was interested to say the least. At first all she thought was that he was just another friend of Applejack, but when he helped her construct her deck during their family gathering she started to admire him. The other members of her family had taken a liking to Isaac due to how he wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty. He looked like the type of person who enjoyed doing hard work. Applebloom really appreciated what Isaac did for her by improving her deck; she was able to get over her issue of overthinking and just learn to by her heart. During their family gathering, she saw just how happy her big sister was teaming with Isaac. Ever since Sunset became the biggest bully, she noticed how different her sister had become. Applejack spent most of her time trying to protect Applebloom from encountering Sunset's wrath, so much so that all she focused on was taking down Sunset that she started to lose sight of what it meant to duel for fun. Then Isaac came along and returned the smile/happiness that Applejack once had. Honestly she was glad that there was someone who could bring her sister happiness.

"Yeah, that's Applejack for you. She won't stop till shes satisfied with the results. Anyways, I should probably head back and let you get back to what you were doing. Just wanted to stop by and say thanks for giving my sister a fun time. You don't know how happy I am to see her return to her old self. Thanks Isaac."

Applebloom gave Isaac a hug which caught Isaac by surprise. He eventually gave her a pat on her head being careful to not mess up her pink bow. She then let go and proceeded to head back to the stands. Before leaving she whispered something into Isaac's ear which caused some confusion on his part as she left.

"Take good care of her? What did Applebloom mean when she said make sure Applejack feels special? It probably means nothing." With that Isaac closed the door to his room and began to watch the monitor as the next duel was about to take place.

Rainbow Dash had been watching the duel between her two pals and she was hooked since the first minute. Prior to Isaac attending Canterlot High, she only considered a few people who could give her a decent challenge from time to time. Applejack was one of those few individuals who could score a win against her. Then there was Sunset. Who since becoming champion and the biggest bully in school, was always the one person she couldn't beat. No matter how many times she faced Sunset, she would always end up on the losing end. Then there was Isaac; when she first heard about a new student enrolling she began to take an interest in finding out who they were. When Dash initially saw Isaac, she felt like he was a mediocre duelist. However after spending enough time with him and seeing what kind of skills he possess, she knew that she finally found someone who could go the distance and push her to be the best. The fact that Isaac was the owner of the Dark Magician should have been a clear sign that he knew what he was doing and wasn't just an amateur. If that wasn't enough to convince Dash, then Isaac's recent duel showed that he was somebody who she could consider a worthy adversary.

"Will Rainbow Dash please report to the stage? Your match will begin shortly." said the voice on the P.A. system. Dash then grabbed her deck and duel disk and proceeded to walk to the dueling field. This whole tournament she had wanted to take a crack at Sunset and she was finally going to get that chance.

"Sorry, Isaac but I can't let you have all the fun. Besides, once I'm taken care of Sunset, I'm going to take care of you and become champion." said Rainbow to herself.

Sunset was in her room in deep thought. She had just finished watching Isaac's duel and it was safe to say that he didn't disappoint. Sunset had been impressed with how Isaac had been doing since this tournament started.

Seems like Isaac is turning into quite a formidable opponent. Now I'm glad we decided to keep him around, he's really make things fun for us.

"Indeed, he definitely knows how to keep things interesting. Still during that battle with Applejack, I sensed something."

Yes, it seems Isaac holds a power that he's not aware of. Luckily for us we'll make sure that we snuff out that light of his and replace it with darkness once we've taken over this place.

Sunset then began to laugh as she enjoyed that idea. "Perhaps then he'll be an obedient boy toy, and learn to follow the lead of his master."

"Will Sunset Shimmer please report to the stage? Your duel will begin shortly."

Sunset then grabbed her deck and began marching out of the room towards the stage. "But first I have to deal with an annoying little pest in that rainbow girl. Maybe I could use her as an example to show Isaac what he's in store for when he faces me."

Everybody was starting to settle back into their seats as they prepared for the final duel of the day. They knew that the winner of this would face Isaac at the Fall Formal where the entire world would be watching to see who Canterlot High would crown as their champion. Celestia had also just returned after having a quick cake break to get her appetite back from Isaac's incredible duel with Applejack. Pinkie had just returned from talking with her friends about the big party she was planning for the dance itself. Celestia then called her over to signal they were about to start; Pinkie waved goodbye to her friends as she returned back to the commentary table to join Celestia. Once Luna gave the signal, the cameras then started to roll.

"Welcome everybody, I hope that you're all rested after our brief intermission. We had so much fun that it's a shame that this next duel will be the final one of the day."

"Indeed, principal Celestia. Whoever the winner of today's duel is they will then face Isaac in a one on one duel this Friday at the Fall Formal itself. The time has come people, we're getting close to the finish line. So lets get things started!"

"On my left introducing Canterlot High's speedster, she gives new meaning to the word 'Dash'. Please welcome the captain of every sports team in CHS, Rainbow Dash!" Dash made her way to the stage where the crowd started to show their appreciation for her by cheering and whistling. She merely gave them a thumbs up.

"And her opponent, on my right, is currently ranked as champion and she hopes to do a repeat. Please welcome, Sunset Shimmer!"

Sunset Shimmer made her way out and the entire room turned on a dime. The boos could be heard from miles on ends as everybody was rooting against her and hoping she would lose. Sunset paid them no attention, they may have grown a backbone and got the courage to boo her in the face. However she knew how to control them. Once she had disposed of Dash and then taken care of Isaac, she would make sure they suffer for ever decided to side against her. All she needed to do was snuff out their sense of hope at the source and it started here and now. Both Sunset and Rainbow Dash looked at each other with death glares, both were wanting to take the other down. They then shuffled their decks and took their positions.

"If both duelist are ready, then let the duel commence." said Luna.

"You're going down, Sunset!"

"I'll make you suffer!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-
Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll start, draw!" Sunset looked at her hand for a second before playing her card. "I'll start by playing my Burning Spirit(500/1400) in attack mode. I'll then place 2 card facedown. You're up Rainbow!"

Turn 2: Rainbow Dash

"Time to end your reign, draw!"

"I activate my trap Burning Hand, now you take 300 points of damage every time you draw a card. So get ready to feel the heat!"

Sunset's card then fired a fire tornado as it struck Rainbow the moment she drew her card. Dash felt the effect of the card as it caused her to lose life points.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 7700-

"That's fine because from my hand I'm playing the field spell U.A. Stadium. Now whenever I normal summon a 'U.A.' monster, I can add one from my deck to my hand." Dash then looked through her deck and picked out which one she wanted. "Then I'll summon U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000) in attack mode."

"Thanks, I activate my other facedown Burning Field. Now whenever you summon a monster, you take another additional 300 points of direct damage. I know that you rely on switching out your monsters constantly; making sure that you tag in a different one that suits the situation while also overwhelming your opponent with powerful offense. So now I've made it that whenever you switch out you get punished. You should just quit while your ahead, there's only one person I want. You're just collateral damage at best, you don't deserve to be here!"

"What did you say!? Just for that I'll take the extra 300 because I'm switching out my Midfielder to summon out my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)."

Dash's monster came out on the field as it triggered Sunset's second trap and fired a fireball at Dash as it burned even more of her points.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 7400-

"Now Dreadnought Dunker take out her Burning Spirit, attack!" Rainbow issued the command to her monster and it charged at Sunset's monster as it wiped it from the field. "Seems I'm the one that has taken the lead, talk about dealing some serious damage. I'll then end with 1 card facedown."
Sunset's Life Points: 6000-

"You may have destroyed my monster, but doing so comes at a price. A price that you're going to pay, now when my Burning Spirit is destroyed in battle you take the same amount of damage that was inflicted to me. Now time to make you suffer once more, Spirit burn away some more of Rainbow's life points! Scorching Sear!" Sunset's monster then rose out from the ashes and then launched itself at Rainbow who felt the burn from the monster as it caused her to have a couple of scratches all over her body.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5400-

Turn 3: Sunset

"You're nearly done to half of you life points and every move you make inches you that much closer to your defeat. Just admit it, you've done for. You don't belong here, the only person I want is Isaac! You are just an obstacle in my way! Draw!" Sunset drew her card and a smile started to appear on her face. "I'll play my Archfiend Interceptor(1400/1600) in attack mode. Now whenever you declare an attack my monster can deal you 500 points of direct damage. I'll then end my turn with a facedown. Now hurry up and make your move, playtime is over!"

Turn 4: Rainbow Dash

"It's my turn and I draw."

"Don't forget my trap is still in play and you lose another 300 points since you drew a card."

"I remember."
Rainbow's Life Points: 5100-

Damn, this is so not how I wanted things to go. Now only is Sunset dealing me damage but she's blocking every advance I have just to make a move against her. I've got to find a way to turn things around. I need to show her that I'm not to be messed with and that I can beat her! "I'll start by playing my spell card Pot of Greed, now I'll draw 2 more cards. Nice! Next I'll play the spell card Power Up and with this it allows me to destroy up to the same number of cards as there are monsters on the field. Since there are currently 2 monsters, that mean I can destroy 2 cards and I'll choose both of your traps."

"Awesome, now that Dashie has gotten rid of Sunset's card she's now free to draw and play her monsters without taking any damage. Now she's back in the game!" shouted Pinkie.

"Then I'll play U.A. Midfielder and then switch him out to summon my U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000) to the field. Now my field allows me to add another monster from my deck to my hand, then all monsters I control gain 500 attack points. Now my monsters prepare to attack Sunset!"

"Don't forget that Interceptor deals you 500 points when your monster declares an attack and since you're attack me with 2 that means you'll lose 1000 points."
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4100-

"That's fine by me because I'm about to deal you some even bigger damage. First I'll activate the ability of my Playmaker in which he loses 800 attack points and gives it to my Dreadnought Dunker. Then I'll have Playmaker attack your monster and when then my Dunker will attack your life points directly!" Rainbow's playmaker was successful in destroying Sunset's monster as it left her field wide open to attack. Dash's Dunker then raised its fists as it prepared to unleash its attack.

"You really think it would be that easy, I activate my facedown Monster Terror, now I discard 1 card in my hand and all the damage you would have done to me is negated. Too bad that move was so weak that you didn't even manage to land a single hit on me. Maybe you should just stick to sports and let the real duelist do the dueling around here!"
Sunset's Life Points: 5100

"I am a real duelist! Your reign of tyranny is coming to an end, Sunset! We've all suffered enough and it's time someone stood up to you! I'll then end my turn with 1 card facedown."

Turn 5: Sunset

"So you want to be these student's role model, well then lets see how they like this. I play Archfiend's Victim, now prepare yourself because this card allows me to summon out a monster from my grave so I revive my Darkbishop Archfiend(300/1400) in defense mode. Next I'll play my Fiend Assassin in attack mode. I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Rainbow Dash

"My turn, draw. Just like before I'm summoning my U.A. Midfielder and then add another monster to my hand. Then I'll tag out Midfielder and call upon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700). Then I'll reveal my facedown Teamwork, now this will come in handy because not I can choose a monster of my and it can't be destroyed in battle. So now time for battle, go my monsters attack."

"Don't think, I send 1 monster from my hand to the grave to trigger the effect of my Archfiend Dealer and immediately end your battle phase. Seems like you were too slow, all you seem to be doing is crashing and burn. Maybe that should be your new nickname Rainbow Crash because it's the only thing that you're clearly good at!"

"Don't ever call me that! I'll end my turn."

"My this seems rather tough. Sunset Shimmer has Rainbow Dash trapped that she's not allowing her to mount any offense whatsoever. Sunset just keeps finding a way to stay one step ahead of her. If Dash doesn't find a way to turn this duel in her favor, I'm afraid it's just a matter of time before Sunset is done toying with her." said Celestia.

Turn 7: Sunset

"It's time to end this here and now. Ready, draw."
Sunset's Life Points: 4600-

Sunset looked at her card and an evil smile formed on her face. She then started to call on the power inside of her as was looking to end this charade. Isaac was watching the duel on the monitor in his room; he saw that Dash was having a tough time trying to get past Sunset's defense and was taking massive amounts of burn damage that was really rack up fast. Isaac even paid attention to how Sunset was just toying with Dash and having fun watching her squirm. So when Sunset drew her card, Isaac noticed that the evil aura that had surrounded her in her match against Flash had returned and it started to glow. Sunset's eyes then gave out a yellow color as she had an even more evil tone in her voice.

"Time to remind everybody that those who stand in my way will fall and pray. Now I'll play my Archfiend's Hellfire, now I banish two monsters from my grave and can destroy 2 cards on the field. So say goodbye to your field spell and your facedown on the left. Sunset's card then fired two shots of fire cyclones as they burned up Dash's cards. Dash put her arms up to protect her eyes from the fire, however when she put her arms up she felt the heat from the card and experienced a slight burn on her arms.

"Now time to summon a creature that haunt people's dreams, behold as I banish both of my monsters to summon a creature that will bring everybody to their knees, Lucifer, Lord of the Underworld(3000/3000). Out came a creature that had red skin and devil horns on its head. It had black eyes as it let out a screeching roar that caused everybody in the crowd and at home to cover their eyes. It wore battle armor that was cover in black and had wings that expanded. Dash looked at Sunset's monster and for the first time in her life, she genuine felt fear start to form in her. Looking at her monster, was like looking at the devil himself, heck it might as well be the devil. Sunset noticed how scared Dash was becoming and it filled her full of glee.

"Now my monster's ability activates, when it's summoned I can rid your field of all the monsters you have in play. Go my demon, show Dash your power. Rid her of her monster!" Sunset's monster then raised its hand and summoned walls of fire that circled around Dash's field as it formed a symbol on the ground. Once the symbol was made it then lighted up by the fire and with it burned away Dash's monster as it sent them to the graveyard. Rainbow Dash just stood there as she just watched her monsters vanished from her field and there was nothing she could do.

"Now that you're completely defenseless, time to exact some pain. Go Lucifer attack Rainbow Dash directly, Scorching Crimson Fist!" Sunset's demon then powered up as it took to the sky and then came barreling down with so much gravity that it started to form a phoenix shape as it came crashing down on Rainbow and her life points. Rainbow felt the attack and it hurt like hell. She tried to put her arms up to cover her but that have little effect as she felt the flames hit her skin and cause a few minor burns to her arms, legs, and any other part of her body that compromised skin. Her clothes were starting to gather bits of ashes and dust, as well as, bits of ember caught in her hair. Still after all that Rainbow still managed to stay standing for a bit before looking at Sunset and falling to her knees.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1100-

Isaac was watching this and saw the pain Rainbow was feeling and decided that the match needed to be stopped, so he made his way out of the room and proceeded to run to the stage. Almost everybody watching in the audience and at home felt uncomfortable watching Sunset maul Rainbow Dash apart, not to mention the scream Dash let out when Sunset attack her directly. Rainbow's friends were concern for wellbeing that they wanted to intervene in the match but that would cause her to forfeit which would be even more devastating for Dash herself. Pinkie was starting to form tears in her eyes as she watched her friend getting slapped around by Sunset; even Celestia knew that Sunset was going a bit too far but even she was powerless to stop. Once a duel started the only way for it to end was for their to be a winner. Still Celestia had hope that Rainbow could turn this around.

Sunset was still in her evil power upped form as she watched Rainbow struggle to stay in the duel. It was rather amusing to think that she still had a chance and was willing to fight for these fools. She clearly didn't understand that nobody in this school cared for her, the only reason they cheered her on is because they felt sorry for her. It was just the truth plain and simple. Dash then started to get back up as she willed her body to stand up.

"Stay down! If I wanted to end this already, I would have. You never stood a chance against me, you only thought you could. When in reality you're just like everyone here, you respond to fear/power and you fall in line with others! You need to understand that their can only be one duelist at the top and you're looking at her! Why because I'm Sunset Shimmer, the best duelist not just in CHS but in the world!" said Sunset Shimmer as her voice echoed around the place.

"Your wrong!" Rainbow then coughed up some smoke that she had inhaled from the attack. "That's why I'm fighting, I fight to show everybody what you truly are. That you're nothing but big bad bully! You walk around here saying that everybody show should you respect, well not me! You say that everybody here should respond to you, well look at them they know that your threats mean nothing." Rainbow then started to stand up and started to speak a bit of her mind.

"You save that the entire school should be shrouded in darkness; that all traces of light should extinguished. Well let me tell you, that's not going to happen." While Rainbow was speaking this at Sunset, Isaac was starting to get closer to his destination. "People need to know that we even in the darkest of shadows, there is always a glimmer of hope. That if they hold onto it then they can cast a light to repel those shadows. They need someone who they can look up to, they need a leader to show them that they need to take a stand against people like you. I'm going to be that role model and if I can't beat you, then I'll die trying!"

Rainbow's body then started to glow as a blue aura shinned around her and she put her hand on her deck. Sunset noticed Rainbow's sudden transformation as started to get a bit intimated; even Rainbow's friends started to see that Dash was being surrounded by a weird blue energy as she got back to her feet. Rainbow didn't pay much attention to what was happening, all that she paid attention was that one minute she was struggling just trying to stay up and then felt a sudden burst of adrenaline that caused her to forget the pain she was experiencing.

Turn 8: Rainbow

"Now, time to draw!!!" Rainbow let out an anime cry as she drew her card which was covered in a bright blue color with a trail following behind it. "Now I'll start by playing my facedown Team Effort, whenever monsters on my field are destroyed I can then replace them with up to the same monsters from my deck or graveyard, so I choose to revive my U.A. Mighty Slugger and then I'll bring out Unicycular(100/100) in defense mode. Next I'll play this little guy the tuner monster Turbo Synchron(100/500). Now time to shift things into high gear, ready Sunset! Here goes, I tune my U.A. Mighty Slugger with my Unicycular and my Turbo Warrior."

Rainbow's monsters then started to form together as the power that Rainbow was displaying started to manifest and with it a new card was created and appeared in her hands. "Now I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2100)!"

Everybody was shocked with what Rainbow had done, she had managed to summon a new creature out of thin air. Sunset had not expected this as she had a look of concern in her face. Rainbow on the other hand was smiling as her monster descend onto the field and let out a powerful roar as it made its debut.

"Now I'll play the spell Wings of Power with this my dragon gains an extra 1000 attack points, now my dragon attack Sunset's Lucifer!" Rainbow's Dragon then flapped its wings and soared to new heights as it started coming down on Sunset's monster at high speed.

"Big mistake, because my Lucifer has another ability, now by removing a monster from play I can destroy your attacking monster!"

"Your not the only one with an ability, now to show you the power of my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Once per turn, he can negate your monster's ability and destroy it, then he gains attack points equal to the monster he destroyed!"

"No way!!!" screamed Sunset she had been played by Rainbow Dash and her monster was destroyed leaving her wide open to an attack.

"Now that your monster is gone, Clear Wing attack Sunset directly and end this duel!" Rainbow and her dragon's spirit were fused as one as they charged ahead with their attack ready to deal the final blow to Sunset. The attack connected and it caused a massive force to be exerted causing everybody to hold on as they felt a strong gust of wind blow pass them. Rainbow was standing with a prideful smile on her face. I did it, I finally beat Sunset Shimmer.

Or so she thought, because when the smoke cleared there was Sunset on the floor with one knee but she still had some life points. She thought for sure her monster had drained the last of her life points, but she managed to survive her onslaught and had a evil smile on her face. Rainbow's eyes started to get bigger as she watched Sunset get right back up after hitting her with her best shot.
Sunset's Life Points: 1350-

"Too bad, but just before your attack connected I played my facedown Enhanced Tribute. Now all the damage I would have taken this turn is cut in half. And you were so close, now time to beg for mercy!!"

Turn 9: Sunset

"Now with the destruction of my Lucifer comes a even more powerful creature now say hello to my Scarlet Red Nova Archfiend(4000/4000). Now my activates its ability in which he can't be target by any card effects, furthermore, he can negate your monster's effect so your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is render useless. Then I'll play my final facedown and with it it will wipe out the rest of your life points, reveal Fiend's Command. Now for every fiend in my grave, my monster can now attack that many times. Since I have a total of 3 fiend monsters in my grave that means I can attack you three times! Go make Rainbow suffer and show her no mercy, attack!!!" Sunset's monster then snapped its fingers and with it the ground burst open with pillars of fire coming out and it collided with Rainbow's dragon as it was sent to the grave which left Dash defenseless as she took the full force of the attack that it flung her on her back and she was down for the count.
Rainbow's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Sunset

The match may have been over, but Sunset wasn't finished with Rainbow Dash. She needed to make her an example to show Isaac and everybody else what happens when you cross the line. "Don't think you're safe because I'm not finished with you!! Scarlet keep attacking Dash, show everybody what happens when you mess with me!". Sunset's monster heard her master's command and kept hitting Dash with pillars of fire that Dash couldn't even put her arms up to defend herself. Nobody could do anything less they risk their own health, it seemed Dash was in trouble until the doors opened. Isaac saw what happened and made his way over to Dash.

Sunset saw Isaac approaching and called off her monster. Isaac, Luna and the rest of the medical staff rushed over to see if Rainbow had suffered any major injuries. Based on her appearance, she suffered lots of pain as their was scratches covering the parts of her that were exposed; she didn't suffer any major burns but it looked like Dash was going to need some serious rest. After conferring with Luna that Dash was going to be okay, he gave her a smile before turning to face Sunset who still had the evil possessing her.

"What the hell is wrong with you!? The duel is over and yet you still batter around Dash. I know what you want, well Sunset I'm right here. You want to throwdown, then I say we don't have to wait till Friday lets settle this here and now!" Isaac prepared to activate his duel disk till Luna stopped him.

"Calm yourself Isaac, you'll get your hands on Sunset. Right now Dash is the one you should worry about!" Luna tried to get Isaac to calm down and not let his angry get the best of him.

"Listen to what Vice-principal Luna is saying, it's for your own good. As for you Isaac that was just a preview of what I'm going to do to you and everybody else when I beat you and take my rightful place among the gods as the new face of fear! So enjoy your last moments while you can, because once our duel starts their will be no salivation to save you from hell that is coming!" Sunset then left as she made her way out of the room and disappeared.

The rest of the girls then rushed to check on their friend and helped her carry her to the medical room. Celestia was busying trying her best to downplay the situation that just occurred to the viewers watching at home. She tried her best to say that it was merely an act of proclamation that Sunset was sending to Isaac; that she would be willing to do whatever it takes to secure the victory. Ultimately, she cut the broadcast short and went with her sister to check on their student. Isaac was left standing with a bitter look on her face. He had to witness the sight of one of his best friends take a beating from Sunset as all he could do was watch from the side. He knew he should have interfered, but Dash wouldn't have wanted that. She wanted to fight and end the duel on her terms, even if it meant she might have lost her life. Isaac clenched his fist and remember the promise he made to Dash, that he would help her to take down Sunset not just for their sake but for everybody here. With new determination in his mind, he turned in the direction of his friends who were leaving to check on Dash. He then started to walk, while he was walking the energy that had surrounded Rainbow Dash during her duel with Sunset then began to leave her body and landed inside of Isaac's deck as it shined a bright blue color and then faded.

Chapter 22: Face to Face

Author's Note

So for those of you not familiar with WWE or any form of professional wrestling. A face to face usually consist of two or more competitors who talk with/at one another in hopes of hyping not only themselves for everybody else to tune in and watch the match. In other words, it's a promo. These kinds of segments involve trying to outdo each other in the mic and trying to get the crowd in their favor. For the ones that are passionate, they tend to express themselves by including their personal struggles and challenges they've had to face. They even throw in insults using different forms of slang to try to get in the head of their opponent. Overall it's about trying to gain momentum in their favor before heading into their match. So now you know that I'm a big wrestling fan. With that done, let's get on with the chapter.

Chapter 22: Face to Face

Rainbow Dash was rushed to the medical room where the school nurse began to overlook her injuries. Despite being bashed around numerous times by Sunset and her monster, Rainbow didn't show any signs of major injuries. This really confused everybody even the nurse who thought that with the amount of damage she received she would have encountered would result in some broken bones. Apparently that wasn't the case, nevertheless the nurse did her regular routine and found that Rainbow Dash just needed some rest and she would be fine within a day or two. Her friends were all happy about the news, even Celestia and Luna were ecstatic to find out that their student was going to be alright.

Isaac was relieved to hear that Rainbow was going to make it. With that he then sneaked away from everybody else and began to walk down the hallway. Isaac then walked out of the school entrance and looked at the statue that represented the school's mascot. Ever since he witnessed Sunset mercilessly attack Dash, he had been holding back some anger. Had it not been for Vice-Principal Luna to hold him back, Isaac was ready to make Sunset pay for what she did.

"Sunset you will pay for what you've done. All the suffering you've caused to the students here, I'm going to end it. I'm going to end your reign of tyranny and make you atone for your sins. Mark my words!"

The next day everything was back to normal. Well as normal as they could get. Everybody was still shaken up by what they saw with Sunset showing off her brutality. They knew that Isaac was going to be in the fight of his life, if yesterday was any indication, Isaac could be walking in for the final duel of his life. However, they were also excited because the Fall Formal was fast approaching. It was a fan favorite tradition among the students because it was one of the few events during the school year that the students didn't have to worry about anything and they could just kick back and relax. Also the fact that it was where the finals of the tournament would be taking place. That alone was worth attending, but given how this year had turned out. It was safe to say that this was going to be a duel that nobody was going to miss.

As for our cast well lets just say they were preparing.

Isaac was currently engaged in a heated battle between Rarity and her Crystal Beasts. On Isaac's field he had but a measly 600 life points, the only monster on his field was none other than his Dark Magician and had a card facedown. Rarity on the other hand was slightly in the lead with 800 life points and she had 3 monsters on her field which consisted of Crystal Beasts Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger. Rarity had also managed to summon her Rainbow Dragon and she was looking to end Isaac. Their friends were on the sidelines looking on with intrigue as to what Rarity would do next and how Isaac would respond.

"Well, Isaac. It appears we've reached the final moments of our engagement. However, parting is such sweet sorrow. Now Rainbow Dragon be a dear and attack Isaac's Dark Magician, Rainbow Refraction!" Rarity's dragon then opened its mouth and started to power up its attack. Once it had fully charged up, it shot out its attack and aimed it at Isaac's monster.

"Don't count out me or my magician out yet, Rares. I reveal my facedown Magic Cylinder, now not only does my magician absorb your attack but he can redirect it right at your life points!" Isaac's Dark Magician then had two cylinders pop out with one draining the attack from Rarity's monster. Then it returned the attack through the other cylinder on his left and fired it at Rarity's life points which caused her to lose the duel.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

After the duel, Isaac and the girls were then sitting on the bleachers in the soccer field. Isaac was busying making sure that his duel disk was functioning properly and checking over his deck to see if he wanted to make any changes. The rest of the girls were sitting around him offering their insight on Isaac's deck.

"Well, that was a tough battle. Thanks for helping me to train Rarity."

"Anytime, darling. Besides you'll need all the practice you can get if you want to survive against Sunset, let alone beat her."

"That girl is tougher than getting rid of parasprites. I'm just glad that Rainbow made it out of there with minimum damage." said Applejack with a concerned voice.

"It was quite scarier, I'm glad that Dash is going to be alright. But what about you Isaac? I can't bear the thought of losing you too, or even worse." Fluttershy was shaking when she put her hand on Isaac's arm.

I grabbed her hand and reassured her that I would be alright. "Don't worry Fluttershy, I'll be fine. Besides I can't back down now, not after how far we've come. We're this close to libertying this school from Sunset; you guys did your part in helping to weaken her now it's time for me to finish the job."

"Well, sugar. If there's anybody who can take her down it's you. Just promise us that you'll be safe, we couldn't bare to lose the sight of you."

"Applejack is right." Said Rainbow Dash who was walking in our direction.

"Hey Rainbow, feeling much better than yesterday?" asked Isaac.

"Totally, all I needed was to get some rest. In fact, I'm so refreshed that I feel like I could take on Sunset once again." Dash was then started to flex one of her arms to show how energetic she was feeling. "But seriously, I'm sorry I let you guys down. I talked about how I wanted to be the one to beat Sunset and it turned out to be the opposite. Safe to say that it wasn't even close, she just dominated me from start to finish." Rainbow then hung her head in shame.

"Hey cheer up, Dash. You did your best and that's what matters. Sure Sunset humiliated you and you couldn't do anything, but the important thing is that you tried your best and that's what matters." Pinkie was doing her best to make sure Rainbow felt better.

"Speaking of which, Pinkie didn't you have an important message you wanted to tell us. Mainly that it was from Principal Celestia?"

"Oh yeah, I almost forgot. Thank for reminding me Isaac. Now then Principal Celestia asked that prior to the Fall Formal taking place on Friday, she wanted you and Sunset to have a face to face moment. She didn't tell me the exact details but said that it was important for you to attend and that the whole school is invited to watch this meeting."

"That's really unusual, why would Celestia want both Isaac and Sunset to be in the same room when they're going to be dueling each other in the finals. This could be a trap, dear. Perhaps you should inform her that you can't attend. Who knows what she'll do if she sees you?"

"It's fine Rarity. I'm not going to lose my temper like I did yesterday; the only reason why I did was because she kept hurting Rainbow after the duel had ended. I just couldn't handle someone constantly hurting my friends."

"I appreciate you stepping in and putting a stop to it. I may have been a bit unconscious but the girls told me the whole thing and I'm grateful, Isaac." Rainbow hated to show her feelings but she needed to let Isaac know that she was thankful.

"Hey now, what happened to not being for the whole feelings things. Has the great Rainbow Dash gone soft for me?" Isaac was teasing Rainbow.

"I'm not going soft, I'm just showing you thanks for saving me you big doofus." Rainbow turned her head a bit to the side and put on a pouting face which caused everybody to let out a laugh and cause her to let a shade of red to appear on her face. After they had let out some steam, Rarity then began to bring everybody together to discuss their plans for the dance on Friday.

"Now that we've got our moment of fun, it's time to be serious. And what I mean is what everybody is going to wear for the dance? Aside from Isaac, I've got a ton of dresses that I've begun working for you gals. I was hoping that after school you guys could stop by and try them out so that I can make the final adjustments for the event."

Everybody agreed that they would take Rarity up on her offer. Once that was made clear, Rarity then turned to Isaac who had worried look on her face due to how big she was smiling.

"Now then, what about the man of the hour? I'm sure you've got a suit already picked out for the dance and possibly have a date for the evening."

"Woah, calm down Rarity. Honestly I was hoping that we could all go together as friends. I'll be too busy preparing for my duel with Sunset to find a 'date' to the dance. In terms of outfits, I haven't really picked one out yet." That was the worse answer that Isaac could have given.

Rarity had a gasped look on her face when she heard Isaac's answer. The other girls were trying to tell Isaac to retake his answer with their facial expressions and hand gestures. But unfortunately, it was too late as Rarity had her prey looked in her sights.

"Darling, why didn't you tell me that you didn't have something nice to wear? I would have gladly made you something!"

"Well, I didn't really want to bother you. Plus I wasn't really thinking about what I was going to wear. No offense but I've never been a big fan of events that have dances for personal reasons. But now that I've got friends who I love to hang out with, I'm willing to take a step out of my comfort zone."

"Well then, dear. Why don't you stop by as well as and I can make you something for the dance? Besides if you're worried about the dance itself, don't worry. In fact, dancing is a lot like dueling."

Isaac was confused with the analogy that Rarity had proposed. "I'm not sure that they're the same thing, but nevertheless, I'll take you up on your offer Rarity. Thanks."

With that the school bell rang to signal the end of the free period and it caused the whole group to get ready to return back to classes. The rest of the day went without any trouble and with that they all meet up after school and then walked to Rarity's place. When they entered the place, the girls began to try on different dresses and other accessories that seem to have caught their attention. While this was happening, Isaac took a seat by the window and looked at the girls. He saw how happy they were, which caused him to crack a smile to himself. Isaac then began to take out his deck and looked at his cards as he took a bit more time to construct his deck.

After a couple of minutes, Rarity then made her way to Isaac and got his attention. Thankfully, she had managed to take Isaac's measurements during his first visit to her place so she wouldn't need as much time to measure. She did however want Isaac's input on how he wanted his outfit to be designed. Isaac just said that he was happy with whatever she decided; Rarity didn't push much on the issue after that. About an hour or two had passed when everybody had finished finding what they were going to wear. Rarity then worked her magic and made the final adjustments that the girls had requested for their dresses. Rarity told Isaac that his suit would be done my Friday and that he could come pick it up after school let out, seeing as how Celestia was going to let everybody out early in order to get ready for the dance. With their dress code figured out, everybody said goodbye to each other and headed home.

Time had flown by relatively quick as it was the day before the big event and everybody was excited. The Fall Formal was tomorrow and everybody was pumped for the dance. Not to mention the big duel that everybody was waiting to see, it would be Isaac v. Sunset in the main event of the Fall Formal. However, before that, there was the face to face confrontation that was suppose to take place later this day. Celestia had ordered both competitors to attend as a way to hype up the big duel and to have their fellow peers see what exactly was going on in both of their minds.

At lunchtime, the girls were telling Isaac to be careful when he was in the same room as Sunset. Isaac told them that he would do his best to remain calm and not let Sunset get under his skin.

"Girls, I understand you're all concerned. But I promise that I'll keep my emotions in check. Besides it's probably not even anything major; it's probably like some kind of debate that Celestia has organized. Either way it will definitely be interesting to say the least."

"We just want to make sure that you're safe, sugarcube. Seeing as how you're the one to face Sunset tomorrow, we just don't want to see you get hurt or worse get yourself killed."

"I'll be fine, Applejack. As long as I have you girls supporting me, I know that I'll be okay. Besides it'll take a whole lot more than some magic to keep me down. As long as I trust in my deck, then it will trust in me. I've got this!"

Isaac then did a fist bump to hype himself and the girls all gave him confident smiles. The rest of the day went by as scheduled and everything was normal until the P.A. system was turned on. Celestia then spoke into the microphone as she began to speak.

"Students, I'm pleased to announce that the face to face confrontation between out two duelist will begin very shortly. Everyone please make your way to the auditorium as well as the two people competing in tomorrow's duel."

Once the announcement had been made, everybody started to make their way to the auditorium and took their seats. They were also intrigued by the idea of this face to face meeting between Sunset and Isaac. Isaac and the girls then began walking together to their destination; once they opened the doors they saw almost everybody taking their seats. The girls left Isaac to find a place to sit while Isaac looked in the center of the room where both Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna were waiting for him. Isaac then began to walk to the middle of the room and noticed a table had been propped up with two chairs on opposite sides. He saw Celestia and Luna had their own chairs but were positioned on the side of the table; he took a seat in one of the chairs and stared at the face of the other person who was sitting across from him. The person was none other than Sunset who had an evil smile on her face as she returned Isaac's look. For a moment, nothing was said as they just looked at each other and the look on both of their faces told the whole story.

Once Celestia made sure that everyone was seated, she then began to speak to everybody in the room. "Not that everybody is here, first off I want to say thank you students for attending and for our two finalists. Tomorrow is probably the biggest match of both of their lives, so I decided to give them a chance to express how they feel going into this match. Now myself and Luna are here to make sure that this segment is done in an orderly fashion and that things don't spiral into chaos. We will act as the official moderators and make sure things are kept in check. With that out of the way lets begin. Sunset you are the one who has competed in an event like this, you will be the first one to speak." Celestia then sat down.

Sunset then sat up and began to speak her mind. "Let me just say this, Isaac you are truly an incredible duelist. But the problem is that their can only be one duelist to rule them all and you're looking at her. Ever since I arrived at CHS, I've shown everybody that I'm a force to be reckoned with. These fools they're like sheep and what I mean by that is they respond to me; they respond to the fact that I'm their role model. I'm their saving grace that will lead this school into success that's why they love me."

Once Sunset said her statement, there were numerous boos that came from the crowd. It was clear that they didn't think Sunset was a good leader and they were expressing their thoughts. Sunset was a bit irritated that her subjects were booing her when they should be groveling at her feet. She then turned to address the audience.

"Don't boo me, you should be booing yourselves. I'm not the bad guy here, everything I've done is for the greater good! You all should be lucky that you have a role model as great as me!" Sunset's answer didn't do much in fact it caused even more hate/boos to start as she really started to get angry. Just then there was a laugh and when she looked to see where it was coming from she saw it was none other than her rival. She then turned back to Isaac to address him.

"What's so amusing, boy toy?"

Isaac then lifted his head while having a sly smile on his face. He then began to address Sunset and everybody in the room. "Oh Sunset, you don't know how funny this is. Let me shed some light on some things. They boo you because first of all you suck!" Everybody started to cheer for Isaac when he said that; Sunset was getting furious for the crowd turning on her. "And second of all it's because they see right through, you're phony. You're just somebody who's throwing their power around, picking on others because she's too scared of her own insecurities. So you turn your attention towards others and try to make their life miserable, so that you can feel better about yourself. So if you wrap up everything I said about you, then you're just a fake ass bitch!"

The crowd lost it as they started to make 'oohs' sounds and they cheered Isaac for being able to express what they all felt about Sunset. Sunset was really pissed off that not only was Isaac not intimated, but that he called her a 'bitch'. Isaac had replaced the smile that was on his face a second ago with a more serious look.

"Oh, we talking now, huh Sunset! You hearing me now, ain't acha! You're nothing more than a big bad meanie!"

"You're about to see how mean I can get!"

"Then do something about it!"

Isaac and Sunset then jumped out of their seats and began to get in each other's faces. Their foreheads were pressed against each other as they started to bad mouth each other with curses and slang. It looked like their was about to be a fight as their fellow students started to chant 'fight'. Celestia and Luna then got up and tried to separate the two of them by pulling each other back. It proved difficult as they started to throw hands at each other trying to take a swing at each other.

Sunset tried to get at Isaac but was stopped by Celestia holding her back. "I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"Hey, Sunset! If you're feeling froggy, jump cause I say lets dance!" Isaac rebutted back as Luna tried to hold him back.

Once they had found an opening to separate them, Celestia then started to express her authority.

"Enough! Enough! No, this is not happening! Both of you calm the hell down! You both want to fight each other then do it tomorrow, not here! This not the time nor the place; we are here to conduct a civilized meeting! And if both of you continue to disobey my orders then I will have no choice but to call off the duel and suspend both of you! I know that both of you want this duel badly. Everybody wants to see this battle, so save the fighting for the Fall Formal! Am I understood!" screamed Celestia who had just expressed putting her foot down. Eventually Isaac and Sunset calmed down as they took their seats and the rest of the crowd began to silence themselves as they watched what would unfold next.

Celestia then let out a stressed sigh. "Now then back to the matter at hand. Isaac it's your turn to speak. This is your very first tournament that you've entered, so how will it feel if you were to win this thing?"

"Well like you said Celestia this is my first major tournament and I'm proud of how far I've come. Since enrolling into CHS, I've been blessed to have been given a chance to show off my skills as a duelist. Not only that I've met some incredible people here who I can consider my friends. All in all it's almost unreal to think that I'm competing in the finals of this tournament and being able to compete on the grandest stage of them all. They say that careers are defined and legends are made, well at the Fall Formal you're going to see the birth of a new story and that will be mine."

Everybody was cheering for Isaac as his response was not only inspiring but heartwarming. Sunset just merely clapped slowly hearing Isaac's words.

"Bravo, bravo Isaac. They should really give you an award for inspiration speaking because that story almost made my heart break. The keyword being: almost. See just hearing your sob story is enough to make me throw up. I'm going to tell you something, that little fairytale ending that you have planned it would make for a very good tale if this wasn't reality. You want to shoot from the hip, fine then lets shoot. How about we talk about you? Talk about the fact on why you're here? Is it because you're trying to play the hero of this story? Or maybe you're just a character for the writer of this story who's doing the same damn thing that everybody else has done before him? Just like I told your friend, I'm tell you the same damn thing. People call you the underdog in this match, when in reality it's just code for them feeling sorry for you. And they will feel even more sorry for you when I beat you and destroy their hopes and dreams. The reason is because I know how to play this system, so you can play whatever character you want but the fact remains. You could put a mask on a pig, but it's still a pig."

Isaac started to clench his fists as he heard Sunset's words. Luna noticed this and put her hand on Isaac's arms to remind himself to keep his actions in check or risk suspense. Sunset was smiling at how her words were affecting Isaac.

"Another thing I said to you is that if you want to get anywhere in life, you need to cut some losses. Those girls that you hang out with so much, their just using you to do their dirty working. They don't care about you, all they care about is me losing. But lets imagine just for a second if that were to happen. You beat me and then what, everything goes back to the way it was, you being all by yourself with no one around. The girls they forget you and move on with their lives; they may not say it out aloud but I see the truth. But then again, it's not the first time they used you, right?"

"You know Sunset, you talk about my life as if you know me. You don't know a damn thing about me! You don't know of the sacrifices I've had to make, all the obstacles and hurdles I've had to literally jump over to get to where I am. I stand here before you not as a little boy but as grown man. And as a man let me say that I'll have no problem kicking your ass in our duel. You know Sunset there's an old saying: it's better to keep your mouth shut then have people think you're stupid and open it and prove them right. All of my life I've been told that I can't do it, that I can't get to the top of the mountain. You know what I did: I proved them wrong. I showed them that I have what it takes to reach my potential! That if I'm given the chance I will not disappoint!" Isaac then started to get more passionate as he started to address Sunset.

Sunset then rebutted with her response. "That's why I blame you, Isaac. I blame you for everything that has happened to me and everything that has happened recently!"

Isaac then cut off Sunset. "You of all people, waltz down here and use the same pathetic excuse that every single other person before you has done. You with all your gifts and all of your opportunities! You have the gull to blame me. That's fine, that's fine Sunset. Congrats it took you awhile to figure that out but I'm about to shrink you done to size, fam. You want to blame me that's fine, I've been hearing that mine entire life and I'm still not sick of it. I've been called a lot worse by a lot tougher. You blame me fine, then I blame you! I'm still here because you can't do your job!"

It was now Sunset's turn to get pissed of as Isaac was going toe to toe with her on the mic. Her blood was starting to boil as she started to get furious.

"See that's the thing Isaac, I've already a winner because I've accomplished it all. I'm standing at the top with the title of duel champion. And that's what bothers you; you want this but you know that you don't have the skills to beat me. Let me be serious for one second, there was only one person who I wanted to face in this entire tournament and that person was you. Nobody has your passion, your drive, your fire, your desire, your will to win. No one except me! From one duelist to another and I mean this with everything, you are good. You have more talent than I've seen from everybody who's walked through those doors. That's why I've come to respect you not only as a duelist but also someone who is worthy of being called my enemy. You see believe it or not, I too crave the excitement, I too enjoy the fun that Duel Monsters can bring out of people. But what I really love is knowing there's someone out there who can challenge you at every twist and turn. So understand this I respect you, but I sure as hell don't like you!"

"You know sometimes when people push you over the line, you gotta fight fire with fire. Well that's what I'm doing right now." Isaac was looking dead at Sunset's eyes. "You actually think that you run this place; you actually think that you're responsible for all this! Because nobody has ever cut you down to size. See the difference between the two of us is that I challenge myself everyday to try everything and you feel as if you've already made it. But in life that's not true because the second that you think you've made it, is the beginning of the end. So at the Fall Formal you're going to learn what real failure is all about, Sunset Shimmer. Because time and time again, I come out here to give you a shot at me, and keep taking your ass to school and you fail!"

"This year the Fall Formal is so much more. It's so much more that a stinky title, because anybody can win this tournament. No to me this Fall Formal represents about me cementing my reign as the dominant person that I've become. Everybody that I've faced has cowered before my power and come Friday you will join that list, Isaac. Come tomorrow, there will be no room for excuses, they'll be no room for luck, and there will certainly be no room for jokes! I've been proving myself ever since I stepped foot in this place."

"This place? Oh big whoop, I've be proving myself in this game my whole damn life. What's another day or two? I feel like everytime I walk into this building its been 'this is the biggest duel of my life'. Guys, next week, it's the biggest match of my career." said Isaac with a mocking tone. "This Friday, it's not just the biggest duel of my career, it's the biggest moment of my life, Sunset."

Sunset had a smirk on her face. "The whoop is understanding the difference between a main event that last for one night. And a main event that's life altering."

"You never stepped foot on the duel field with me, you've never faced anyone on the duel field like me. I know you think you're going to win, but I'm going to change your mind, Sunset."

Celestia then started to signal for things to wrap up. "Sunset, you're currently the champion you get the final statement."

"Isaac, you're witty. You have charisma and you are really, really good on the duel field. I believe you have everything it takes to become CHS's duel champion. And you would be, if this title was on anybody else, except for Sunset Shimmer."

"Thank you, both of you. Now please stand and shake one another's hands to show that tomorrow's duel will be full of honor and prestige, but most importantly that you two will put on a show for all of us to enjoy." Celestia then rose with Luna by her side and made sure to be ready in case things went south between Isaac and Sunset.

Sunset was the first person to rise up out of her seat and extended her hand for Isaac to shake. Isaac took a couple of seconds to make sure that Sunset wouldn't try any funny business before he himself rose up out of his seat and shook her hand. Both had a strong grip as they looked at each other not moving an inch. They held it for a long time as they looked deep into their eyes. The battle was drawing very near and everybody in the room knew that once the duel started it would be an all out war. Neither person was losing concentration, or letting go of the other until Celestia and Luna forced them to let go. With that Sunset flipped her hair as she turned around making sure to hit Isaac in the face with it before leaving the room and disappearing. Isaac didn't take his eyes off of Sunset even when she left the room. The girls who were watching the confrontation and heard everything that the two had said and looked at Isaac with several concerns on their face. They knew he was walking into the fight of his life; they just hoped that he would return to them. Isaac had one chance and he knew what he had to do, so with that he grabbed his things and left with the rest of the girls trailing a bit behind him as they didn't want to interrupt what was going on in his mind. Celestia and Luna were the last ones left as everybody had departed.

Luna then spoke, "Well that could have gone more smoothly than expected, but it still turned out alright. What do you think, Tia?"

"Both Sunset and Isaac have their own personal reasons for winning, but in the end there can only be one winner. May the best duelist win. And pray that all of us will survive this." said Celestia as they both left the room with the lights turning off one by one and soon it was nothing but pitch black.

Chapter 23: Fall Formal Finals: Isaac vs Sunset

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 24: Lesson Zero

What comes next? That's the question I've been asking myself ever since I won the Fall Formal and became CHS duel champion. Here I was sitting on the roof of Canterlot High looking down at the students who were scattered across the front lawn. It was currently the start of the school week and everybody was in a cheering mood. But you're probably wondering what happened after the Fall Formal. Well let me give you a brief summary: after me and Sunset had returned to the dance we began to enjoy and party ourselves well into the night. It was close to 11pm when Celestia had decided that the party should have ended and told everybody to head home. I met up with the girls and told them how much fun I had with them and they all said the same thing back to me. The only other thing was Rainbow saying that I should now watch my back seeing as I was now the number 1 duelist at Canterlot High. After we all departed, I then made my way home which was close to midnight. My parents were fast asleep so I did my best to sneak in and not make any noise as I made my way to my room.

I arrived at my room and changed into some more comfortable clothes and got a good long rest. I woke up to the sound of my parents making breakfast as a way to celebrate my victory from last night. They told me that they were watching my duel on TV and were concerned with how much damage I was taking. I told them that because of the adrenaline I felt I didn't feel the effects of the pain. That was partly true but it was mostly the magical energy that had empowered me that kept me from being banged up and healed most of my wounds but I knew they wouldn't understand it. Thankfully they didn't push much on the issue other than congratulating me on my victory and accomplishing my dreams. The rest of the weekend went by smoothly with nothing but the girls showing me their praises on becoming champion and restoring the school back to its glory days. Even Sunset had texted me and was offering her congrats on my win. She said that nobody else deserved it but me and that I should expect a lot more challenges to appear. The most important thing that she did ask of me was to help in terms of dueling.

What I mean is that after the Fall Formal, Sunset had gotten rid of her deck as it served as a reminder of her past self. Which meant that she needed a new deck to have if she was going to show everybody that she was a changed person; she also asked if I could teach her somethings about Duel Monsters. I was confused by what she meant seeing how she was able to match me move for move in our duel even if she was using magic. I told her that I'd be happy to help her and told her that I could help her build a deck on Monday.

So that leads us to where we began. It was Monday and I got ready for another school week. I was still wearing the outfit Rarity made for me when I dueled Sunset because it felt comfortable that I dawned it as my signature look. True to Dash's words there was a ton of students that were gathered around the front door and the entrance into the school. As soon as I step foot on the property all eyes turned to me and everything was silent. I didn't dare move in case I triggered stampede but thankfully they just waved and greeted me. I was expecting a massive amount of requests but they just let me pass by without any interruptions.The rest of the morning went off without a hitch; the only thing was that Celestia had called me into her office to discuss some things. So I went to her office and knocked on her door. When I entered there was also Vice-Principal Luna who was standing next to her sister. I was hesitant in what they wanted but they merely wanted to congratulate me and say they were proud of my victory. They also said that my victory had caught the eyes of certain individuals of the school board. They did tell me that being champion came with a whole new set of responsibilities; one of them being that as champion I represented Canterlot High and should I do anything to upset that name then I would also be disgracing Celestia and Luna. They also told me other stuff that I would have to attend as champion but assured me that they would tell me in due time.

For now they just told me to enjoy the moment and with that they dismissed me. After that I had my morning classes and then lunch. Thankfully, I had a free period on my schedule so I decided to head to the roof to get some peace and quiet. I was sitting on the edge of the roof with my legs dangling off the side. I looked at the people below me and saw how much happier they were since I first enrolled. To think that all of this was because of me and the girls had wanted to bring happiness and joy to this school. Now nobody was scared of coming to school and being threatened. I then pulled out my deck and looked at it. It was because I put my faith in my deck that I was able to beat Sunset. Just then the spirits of my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then appeared in front of me.

"Hey guys. Well we did it. We've freed this school of evil and has brought school spirit back to this place. I'll admit it wasn't easy but we did it. And I couldn't do it without you two."

"It was our pleasure and honor to fight by your side, master. We knew that you could do it." said Dark Magician.

"You really show everybody what you're capable of, not to mention that you had those friends of yours to back you up. I see why they're very lucky to have you." Dark Magician Girl was giving Isaac the sly smile and eyebrows.

"Mana, what have I told you about making the master uncomfortable?"

"I'm just teasing him, Mahad. Can't have any fun with you around? You're always so uptight and serious, you need to learn to let loose and not be so stern."

"Well, excuse me for being protective of our master. It's our duty to make sure that he's safe and it would pain me to see him in danger and I wasn't there to protect him."

"I get it as his most loyal servant it's your duty to protect Isaac, but he can take care of himself. You saw how he was able to handle himself when he battled Sunset. He took a lot of damage and still managed to keep on fighting. That proves he doesn't need you constantly looking over his shoulder!"

Both of his magicians were arguing back and forth, that it caused Isaac to crack a smile. Eventually they saw how ridiculous they looked and they too cracked a smile of their own. Soon they just all watched as they took in the view and enjoyed the peace and happiness that they brought. Eventually Isaac spoke up and told his monsters about what Celestia had told him this morning.

"So want do you guys think? Any idea on what Celestia meant by the other responsibilities I have as champion?"

Unfortunately neither of them knew what to make of Celestia's statement. "I'm sorry, master. But I haven't the slightest clue on what your principal could mean? Best to prepared for anything."

"Maybe she's just being dramatic and just telling you that you'll have more people challenging you. Either way, I think you've got nothing to worry about" said Mana.

"Well whatever it is, I'll just have to face it like I've done to every single challenge in my life. Face it head on and never give up, plus I'll have you guys to back me up." Isaac then gave them a thumbs up and a smile. Just then the school bell rang which signaled that it was time for the next class.

"Well time for class. It was nice to talk to you guys again."

"Anytime, master. Now best to get a move on, so as not to be late for your studies."

"Bye, Isaac. It was nice getting to talk to you."

"See you guys soon." With that their spirits disappeared and Isaac put his deck back into his pocket and made his way down from the roof and to his next class.

The rest of the day went by as normal. Once class had ended I then made my way to my locker to get the stuff that I needed for Sunset. I was so busy looking for it that I didn't notice the girls standing behind me until I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned my head saw Rainbow in the front.

"Hey girls, so how's your day?"

"Oh, the usual. We just wanted to see how your first day as champion been. So has anybody challenged you yet?" Rainbow had big eyes as she leaned towards Isaac.

Isaac the grabbed her shoulders and pushed her back to get some space. "Well if you really want to know? No. To be honest it's been like any other normal day; though you think after a battle like that I would've had tons of new challengers. The only thing that came close is me being called into Celestia's office this morning?"

"Oh, I hope you weren't in trouble."

"Not at all Fluttershy. She just told me that me becoming champion means I now have some responsibilities that I need to uphold. I have no idea what she means; do you girls have any clue?"

Unfortunately none of them knew what Celestia could mean.

"Well whatever it is, sugar. Just know that as long as you have us around we'll face it together." Applejack gave Isaac a playful jab in his shoulder.

"Thanks, Aj. Anyways I need to head out; I'm meeting with Sunset to discuss somethings."

"You sure that's a good idea, I mean I still don't trust that she's changed. For all we know she could be just putting on an act and then when she's gained our trust she could betray us."

"Out of everybody here, I'd expect you of all people to have trust in me. Your really that much judgement that you won't give her a chance; I told you that Sunset is wanting to turn over a new leaf. And you call yourself the loyal one of the group?"

Rainbow hesitated when she heard Isaac's words. She knew she trusted Isaac based on how concerned he was when she got hurt by Isaac. It made her feel a bit warm to know that there was someone who was willing to stand by her side. But the thing was she didn't fully trust Sunset. It just didn't feel right. Eventually Isaac then continued walking with the rest of the girls following behind him. They made their way to the soccer field where they saw Sunset waiting for Isaac. Sunset gave the group a small wave as they approached her.

"Hey Sunset."

"Hey Isaac. I'd really appreciate you taking the time to help me. But do you really want to do this? I mean you just became champion, would it really be good for your reputation to be associated with a former maniac."

"Don't worry about it Sunset. I'm doing this out of the kindness in my heart, despite what some people might think." Isaac made sure he looked at Rainbow when he made that statement. "Plus like I told you, I'm a grown ass man and I don't care what other people say or think about me. If they've got problem with it, then they can take it up with me personally. Besides I love Duel Monsters and I love putting together a deck for someone to use, isn't that right Fluttershy."

Fluttershy just merely gave a smile while blushing a bit when Isaac mentioned how he had created her deck. Sunset saw this and felt a bit better knowing that Isaac was willing to help her. They then made their way to the benches and sat down before they got to work. Isaac pulled out his card box and opened it to let Sunset look at it.

"Alright, well before we get started I need to ask you a few questions. The first one being is want do you want your deck to do? Do you want to be a powerhouse, or do burn damage? Or maybe you want to have a deck that revolves around a certain type of summoning? The best thing is to start with what you're comfortable; so based on your previous deck what did it do?"

"Well my old deck just revolved around me getting powerful so that I could crush my enemies. All I did was try to make sure that they felt pain. I really was a terrible person."

"Let's try a different approach, how about you look through these cards and pick the ones you like. Once you've done that then we'll start creating a deck with them." Sunset did what Isaac asked and began to look through the contents of the box; she found some cards that she immediately took a liking to and put them to the side. After about 30 minutes, Sunset had a stack of cards that she liked and began to work with Isaac to put together a test deck. Once that was done, she looked at with an intriguing eye.

"Well I think this is alright?"

"Well the only way to find out is with a duel. So what do you say, Sunset? Up for a battle."

"You sure, I mean I don't think I have all the bases covered."

"Well the best way to learn is in a duel, at least that's how I learned. So come on, I challenge you to a duel. You mind giving some space girls?"

With that the rest of the girls stepped to the side as Isaac and Sunset made their way out to the field and began to battle. Sunset was still shaking a bit at testing this prototype deck but she looked at Isaac who had a smile on his face. So she slotted her deck into her duel disk and activated it.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel" they both said.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"Looks like you have the first move, Sunset."

"Right, draw. I'll play a monster in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Word of advice, Sunset. You can't be scared of going on the offense. That move alone told me that you're still thinking about your actions. If you can't forgive yourself, then how can you expect others to do the same."

"How did you...."

"You could tell what a person is thinking when they're engaged in a duel. They give off certain tells, now then it's time I teach you a lesson in self confidence. Draw, I'll start by playing Pot of Greed and I'm sure that you know what it does." Isaac then picked up his cards and looked at his hand. "I'll play the spell card Ancient Rule, now I can special summon a level 5 or higher normal monster from my hand, so I choose my Dark Magician. But I'm not stopping there because next I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student. With this I can summon Dark Magician Girl from my deck, so appear my monster."

Isaac's duel disk registered the cards and out came his two loyal spellcasters as they appeared on Isaac's field. Isaac's magicians looked at Sunset and then looked back at their master.

"Hey guys, mind letting me a hand? Maybe you can knock confidence into Sunset."

"As you wish, master." said Dark Magician.

"You've got it, Isaac." replied Dark Magician Girl.

"Hey Isaac, who're you talking to?" said Rainbow who along with the others was confused on who Isaac was speaking to.

Isaac remembered that he hadn't told the girls about how he could see the spirits of his monsters and could communicate them. They already thought it was weird that he talked to his cards as if they were real, now that he could communicate with them they would probably lose their minds and call him crazy. So for now he just brushed it to the side and addressed their question.

"Never mind, just trying to psych myself. Don't think I forgot about this duel Sunset because I'll then play Thousands Knives which means I can destroy your monster. With that I can now wage a direct attack on your life points, go my monsters!

"Double Dark Magic Attack!" said Isaac and his two magicians as they unleashed their attack on Sunset's life points.
Sunset's Life Points: 3500-

"With that I'll set 2 cards facedown and pass it over to you."

Turn 3: Sunset

"Now try to do something this turn." said Isaac.

"I'll try." Sunset had a weak tone in her voice as she drew her card. She looked through her hand and at Isaac's field; suffice to say that Sunset was panicking as to what to do. She knew she couldn't beat Isaac's magicians, so she did the next best thing. "I'll play my Celtic Guardian in attack mode."

"I activate my facedown, Trap Hole. Now whenever you summon a monster with 1000 or more attack points, this card activates and destroys your monster."

Just like that Isaac had rid Sunset of her field as she was completely defenseless. A giant hole appeared beneath her monster as it fell in and was never seen again. There was nothing standing between her and Isaac's magicians from attacking her. Isaac had a disappointed look on his face as she looked at Sunset.

Turn 4: Isaac

"I'm really upset, you haven't been able to get your head in the game. You fell the oldest trick in the book and didn't take a chance to assess the situation. You panicked and just played a card without thinking, let alone taking into consideration what your opponent might have. In short, you've failed. Now to give you one final lesson. I activate my facedown Dark Magic Twin Burst now my Dark Magician Girl enpowers my Dark Magician, now finish her off!" Isaac then snapped his fingers and with it his magicians launched their final attack and delepted the rest of Sunset's life points.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Sunset had fallen on her knees with her head in disappointment. Isaac had thanked his magicians for their help before they disappeared back into his deck. The most important thing was the girls who were watching as they all had their jaws dropped down. Even Pinkie wasn't her usual cheering self as she was stunned by what she just witnessed.

"Damn, I knew Isaac was good, but that was just a one-sided duel." Rainbow couldn't decide if she was either shocked or scared with how easy Isaac had put away Sunset.

"Well seeing as how he's now the champion, did you expect anything less? Still that was darn impressive." said Applejack.

Isaac then made his way to Sunset as he looked at her. He was less than pleased with Sunset's performance as she played very poorly. Nevertheless he offered her his hand as he helped Sunset to her feet. Sunset still had her head down as Isaac began to address her.

"You failed. No excuses, that was a shit performance! You know what you did wrong, so now learn from it. Accept that you can't change the past. If you told me that was the person who I had one of my best duels in my life so far. I would have told them they made a mistake because that's not the person who I had fun with at the Fall Formal. It's like I told you, I duel because I love this game! Everytime I get knocked down, I dust myself and get back up. Everyday I show up with a smile on my face and I go to work and I kick ass. So you do the same, and if you don't think you have it. Then gladly give me back my cards!"

Sunset understood what Isaac was saying as she began to form tears in her eyes. Even the other girls were listening in on their conversation and they felt Isaac's words cut deep. They knew Isaac was giving Sunset some harsh words, but they knew that what he was saying was true. Even Rainbow was feeling a bit sorry for Sunset as she had to endure a stern talking from Isaac, but she knew that Isaac was speaking the truth. If Sunset wanted to show that she wasn't the same person she once was and that she did want to become a better person, then she needed to take Isaac's words to heart and reinvent herself. All at once the emotions she had building up inside of her then released in the form of tears, she approached Isaac and began to let it all out as she cry into Isaac's shoulder as she balled her fist and lightly hit him in the arm. Isaac just had his eyes closed as he let Sunset release everything she had been hiding. Eventually he put his arm around her and rubbed her back to show his support. Once Sunset had finished crying, she wiped her tears and looked at Isaac.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah, thanks for that. I really needed that wake up call. And you're right Isaac, I'm done feeling sorry for myself. It's time I realize that I can't change the past, but I have a chance to make my future as bright as it can be."

"Good, now that you've learned that. Time to move on to your next lesson, so come on let's take another look at your deck. Besides, I think this might help you." Isaac then pulled a card out of his back pocket and handed it to Sunset.

Sunset looked at it and was surprised with what Isaac was giving her. She had to do a double take as she looked at the card; she then looked at Isaac who had a goofy smile on his face.

"You sure about this?"

"Of course, unfortunately, I don't have all the proper cards to support it. That is going to be a challenge on your part, but for now I can at least make sure that your deck has some tricks that allow you to stand a chance against your opponents. Keep in mind, if you really want to make this card viable it'll take a bit more work on your part. You need to be willing to put in the effort, do you think you can do that?"

"You have my word, Isaac. I promise to not let you down and to show this card the proper respect."

"That's all that matters, now come on we've got a lot of work to do improve that deck."

With that Isaac and the rest of the girls began to help Sunset in building her deck. After a couple of moments, Sunset now had a slightly better deck than the one she had previously. Like Isaac said it would be on her part to get the necessary cards to make it work, but for the time being it was enough to help Sunset till she got the cards. Sunset was now holding her new deck in her hand and was looking at it; she felt the magic of friendship that flowed through it as she thought back on how the people around her were willing to put in the time/effort to help her. She gave them a smile and a hug to Isaac as a way to show her appreciation.

"Thank you."

"Don't thank me just yet. We still need to see it in action, so up for one more round?"

"You really are passionate about this, huh. Alright, you're on."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voice of their duel disk.

"Let's duel." said both of them.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"This time I'll start things off, draw! I'll start by playing Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. Now my monster gains a spell counter which raises his attack by 300. Then I'll play 1 card facedown. Time to see what you can do this time."

Turn 2: Sunset

"Don't worry, I'm giving it my all. Draw." Time to show Isaac that I'm serious about this. Now to evaluate the situation: Isaac has a monster on his field with 1900 attack and a single facedown. Not to mention that Isaac can use Breaker's ability to destroy a spell/trap by removing that counter. So I have to be careful about how I want to do this. Sunset then looked at her hand before setting her plan into motion.

"I'll start by playing my Soul Tiger(0/2100) in defense mode. Then I'll play 1 card facedown and end my turn. How's that for a first turn?"

"Definitely much better than your first attempt."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Now time to kick things up notch. Draw. I'll play my Graceful Charity, now I can draw 3 more cards and send 2 cards to my grave. Next I'll special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician(2000/1700) from my hand by discarding another card. Now since I summoned my magician, I can add 1 'Dark Magician' to my hand." Isaac searched his deck for the card he was looking and added it to his hand while Sunset watched with a bit of worry in her eyes. Next I reveal my facedown Lightforce Sword, now I can banish 1 random card in your hand and you can't use it for 4 turns." Isaac's trap then manifest a sword and launched it at Sunset's hand which targeted a random card which happened to be the one on the far right. "Lastly, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Sunset

Turn count: 1

"Alright, my turn. Draw." Isaac really is not letting up, with that trap of his he just removed a card from my hand for 4 turns, not that it would have helped me. Still with his last move he managed to add his ace monster to his hand, which means on his next turn he must be planning to sacrifice his two monsters to summon it. I can't let him do that. "I know what you're planning Isaac."

"Really?" said Isaac who had a sly smile on his face.

"I do which is why, I can't let you. Now I'll play the spell Cost Down, by sending 1 card to the grave I can reduce the levels of all of my monsters in my hand by 2. This helps because next I'm going to summon out the card you gave me. Time to see how well I handle it, I tribute my Soul Tiger to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon(2400/2000)." Sunset then played the card that Isaac had given her; out came a dragon that was black from head to toe. It's eyes had a shade of red and when it opened its mouth the scent of molten lava covered the entire field as it let out a growl and a roar. Even the girls were amazed with the sight of Sunset's new monster; Isaac on the other hand was smiling knowing that Sunset had finally got over her hurdle.

Sunset looked at the Red-Eyes where the dragon looked down at the person who summoned it and let out an intimidating growl. Sunset was a bit hesitant on addressing the creature until she heard Isaac shouting at her.

"Good job Sunset. You managed to summon it, now you got to bond with it. Show Red-Eyes that you're someone worthy and it will put its trust in you."

Sunset looked back at Red-Eyes who let out a mighty roar as it lowered its head down and showed its jaws as it got in Sunset's face. Sunset was a bit terrified about the dragon being so close to her. She remembered Isaac's words and how he told her she had to create a bond with the creature but she was scared. Slowly she made her way to the dragon and put her hand out in an attempt to show that she was someone it could trust.

"Hey buddy, nice dragon." Red-Eyes gave a deep growl as Sunset got closer to its face. "It's alright, I'm not going to hurt you. I just want us to become friends; I just want us to bond together."

Sunset then made contact with Red-Eyes as she touched his face to which they looked each other in the eyes and stared intensely for a couple of minutes. Red-Eyes could see the emotion in Sunset's eyes; it saw what she had been through and how she was looking to become a better person. It even saw the fire in her Sunset's eyes as it burned brighter than it ever had as her passion for Duel Monsters had returned. Red-Eyes then rubbed its face against Sunset's hand to show it love and trust that she gained. Sunset was happy to know that she gained a new friend and a powerful ally. Isaac witnessed the interaction between the two and applauded them.

"Alright then buddy, let do this!" Red-Eyes then picked its head up and led out a massive cry as it looked at Isaac and prepared to battle. "Seems my dragon is inching to fight and who am I to deny his request. Go Red-Eyes take a bite out of Isaac's life points, attack his magician with Inferno Fire Blast!" Sunset's Red-Eyes then flew high into the sky and opened its mouth as it fired fireballs at Isaac.

"Not bad, Sunset. But you should know I always have a back up plan, reveal Magic Cylinder. Now I can negate your attack and redirect the damage right at your life points!"

A pair of cylinders then popped out with one of them absorbing the attack and the other shooting back the attack at Sunset. Sunset put her arms up as the attack collided with her; Red-Eyes saw this and had a worry look on its face. Thankfully Sunset was alright and gave her dragon a look that said she forgave him for attacking her.
Sunset's Life Points: 5600-

"Hey, Isaac. That the best you got, I thought you were the champion. You should be pulling off some cool new moves, not recycling your old ones. You sure you're not one whose too caught up in the past." Sunset had a smirk on her face when she said that.

Isaac just gave a Sunset a smile while she made her comment. "Hey, if my moves are so predictable, then why do you keep falling for them and me?" Now it was Isaac turn to shoot some sass at Sunset who had a slight blush on her face when she heard Isaac's response.

"Whatever, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"You want something new, then about this. Draw. Now I'll reveal my other facedown Magician Navigation, now I can special summon my Dark Magician from my hand and then summon another spellcaster that's level 7 or lower from my deck. So I'll also bring out my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac's trap then opened a vortex and out came Isaac's most trusted spellcasters.

"Hey Mahad and Mana, Sunset says that we wants to see something new. I say that we show her a new power we learned."

"We're yours to command, master." said Mahad.

"Let's show her what happens when you insult someone as cute as our Isaac." said Mana as shot a death stare at Sunset. Isaac just ignored what his Dark Magician Girl had said and then continued with his plan.

"Now I'll play Polymerization and with it I fuse together my 2 magicians. I fusion summon The Dark Magicians(2800/2300). Now I'll activate my Breaker's effect by removing his counter I can destroy 1 spell/trap and I choose your facedown. With that I'm now going on the offense and I'll have my magicians attack your Red-Eyes. Then I'll activate the ability of my Apprentice Illusion Magician by sending it to the grave I can give my magicians a boost of 2000 points, so their strength is 4800. Attack!" Isaac's monster then blasted Sunset's Red-Eyes as it was defeated in one shot by the spellcasters. "Then Breaker will go in for a direct attack. With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Sunset's Life Points: 3200-

Turn 6: Sunset

Turn count: 2

"Alright, then time to mount a comeback. Draw. First off I'm activating the Monster Resurgence from my grave, by banishing it from play I can bring back a monster that was destroyed so I choose to bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Next I'll activate the trap Power Play now I can deal you damage that's equal to my monster's attack points. So since my Red-Eyes has 2400 attack, you get dealt 2400 life points. But that's not all because then my dragon gains those life points you lost as part of its attack points so now his strength rises to 4800." Red-Eyes then powered up as its eyes glowed even brighter than normal and unleashed a massive roar. "Now Red-Eyes time to get some payback at Isaac attack his Dark Magicians!"

"I reveal Shield Protection now not only does your monster lose half the points it received from it boost, but I can change the target to a different monster. Red-Eyes now attacks Breaker. I'll also activate the effect of my magicians, since a spell/trap was activated I get to draw a card. If it's a spell then I can set it, a trap/quick-play spell then I can activate it." With that Breaker jumped in front of the attack and raised its shield as it protected Isaac's spellcaster from taking the hit while Isaac drew his card and followed the rules by placing it facedown.
Isaac's Life Points: 3400-

"You may have survived, but my Red-Eyes still has more attack points than you monster. I'll finish it off next turn, for now I'll set 1 card facedown."

Turn 7: Isaac

"Sorry, but I'm afraid there won't be a next time Sunset because I'm about to end this duel. Watch, draw! I'll start by activating my Magic Formula now my magicians gain 700 attack points which puts them at 3500. Now my monster take out Sunset's Red-Eyes!"

"I'm not falling for the same trick twice. This time I came prepared; I activate my facedown Negate Attack now your battle phrase ends and your attack is nullified."

"That would normally work it wasn't for my trap by banishing my Magician Navigation from the grave I can negate 1 face up spell/trap until the end of the turn. Which means my attack goes through and your Red-Eyes is history!" For the second time, Isaac had managed to beat Sunset's newest monster with ease. "Next I'll activate my final facedown De-Fusion, now I split my monster back into the 2 monsters used to summon it." Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then appeared on Isaac's field. "Now then my magicians, attack Sunset directly!" Both wizards took to the sky and unleashed their magic on Sunset who was helpless as she had nothing to protect her.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

After the duel had ended, Isaac then made his way to Sunset as he was applauding her performance. "Much better. That was the kind of duel I was glad to be a part of. You were in sync with your deck and your monsters, additionally you were able to move past your fears and tackle them head on. Given that you don't have the proper cards, you did manage to get us to even points. You should proud of yourself, Sunset."

"Thanks, Isaac. But even though I got some damage on you, you still came out on top. You're the champion for a reason and I'm glad Canterlot High has someone like you representing it. You're doing a whole lot more good than I ever did as champ. Still don't think that I'm going to take this loss lying down, once I get the proper cards and start practicing. You best believe I'm going to want a rematch."

"I look forward to it."

With that Isaac extended his hand to Sunset; Sunset did the same and shook Isaac's hand. The rest of the girls came over and started to give Sunset praises on how well she was able to handle being in a duel with Isaac. Eventually the group decided to head out to The Sweet Shoppe to get a quick snack. There the group was able to exchange tips with Sunset on how to improve her deck and they even looked up card shops where Sunset could potential buy cards to help with her Red-Eyes B. Dragon. They talked well into the evening where everybody had to split ways as they each went home. Once Sunset arrived at her place, she opened the door and sat down on her couch. After she departed from the group, she stopped by a card shop and purchased a couple of packs that were designed for her Red-Eyes. She couldn't wait to get started on building it and when she pulled out her deck she had a smile on her face. Sunset was really grateful for Isaac offering his guidance and promised that she would not only make Isaac happy but prove to her monster that she was worthy of being called its master. With that Sunset began rebuilding her deck until she fell asleep.

Chapter 26: New Innovations

"I think I finally got it this time, so if I fuse together my monsters then I can summon this one." Sweetie Belle then flipped over another card from her deck.

"That's correct; you're really a fast learner Sweetie Belle."

"Well, I did have a good teacher. Thanks for taking the time to tutor me, Isaac." Sweetie Belle then gave Isaac a quick hug.

After meeting with the CMC yesterday, Isaac was constantly bombarded with the girls asking for questions and tips on how to improve their skills. It didn't bother him that much because he loved to do stuff like this. Of course, they did always ask him to put on a show. Isaac told them that just because he was champion didn't mean he could just command people to have a duel with. Nevertheless they showed their appreciation for Isaac by always wearing those Dark Magician hats that they seemed to have on hand. Isaac did learn some things about the girls. He knew about the relationship with Applebloom and Applejack; Scootaloo currently lived with her aunts while her parents were off exploring the world. They still kept in touch with their daughter and would constantly update her on what work they were doing. In addition, Isaac found out that Scootaloo had an insane fascination with Rainbow Dash. She idolized Dash and while they weren't blood related, she still considered Dash as sort of a big sister. And as he found out yesterday, Sweetie Belle was Rarity's little sister.

It was amazing to see that each of the girls had a role model in their life; he remembered how each of them wanted to step up their game so that they could fill in the shoes left behind by their sisters. It put some big pressure on their shoulders to live up to this ideal and he was worried that they weren't understanding that they didn't need to be like their sisters. He hoped that by having these little teaching sessions, they could be able to morph their own path instead of trying to copy their siblings.

Isaac was about to suggest that they take a break, when they noticed Rarity starting to approach their table. She waved at her friends and took a quick look at what they were doing.

"My, my Sweetie Belle, you're really spending so much time learning from Isaac. Are you trying to keep him all to yourself, what have I told you about sharing?" Rarity was teasing her sister and Isaac.

"It's not like that Rarity, I just happen to have a favorite teach in Isaac. Besides, I should be asking you about sharing Isaac, mmmh." Now it was Sweetie Belle's turn to tease her older sister.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." Rarity tried to deny what her sister was implying but she knew it was fruitless. Thankfully, Isaac didn't seem to have a clue on what they were talking about.

"Well then, Sweetie Belle if you don't mind I need to talk to Isaac about something private."

"Alright, then. See ya, Isaac." Sweetie Belle then grabbed her belongings and left to meet up with her friends.

Once Sweetie Belle had left, Rarity then took a sit next to Isaac.

"So, what did you want to talk about?"

"Well I just wanted to go over the details of our.... date?" Rarity had a hard time saying the world without blushing.

"Oh, well to be honest, I don't really have anything in mind. It's like I said I don't have much experience in the way of romance. I mean dueling is easy because I'm in my element; I just go with the flow."

"Well, don't try to think of it too much. In a way, dating is just like dueling in that you just go with the flow and see where the day takes you. Don't worry about anything, leave everything to me. The only thing you need to do is just show up and we'll take it from there." Rarity tried to assure Isaac that he shouldn't worry about their date. Once they finished going over the details, Rarity then said goodbye to Isaac and left but not before whispering something in his ear.

"Well, I guess the only thing to do is show up. Though what did Rarity mean by 'don't tell the other girls'? Doesn't she want them to know about us going on a date? Well probably means nothing." Isaac then looked at the clock on the wall and then began to leave if he wanted to make it on time for his next class.

Along the way I had run into Sunset who was in a pleasant mood. After making the adjustments to her deck, Sunset found herself to be having fun. Even the other students started to see how much different she was, it took awhile for them to get used to her but eventually they opened their minds and accepted her. Sunset also had decided to change her appearance as a way to show her transformation. Instead of her normal vivid crimson with bright yellow stripes, she now had brilliant amaranth with a light apple green stripes. In addition, she was now wearing a dress under her leather jacket which still manage to catch my eye. All in all, she still had the same bacon-colored hair which I constantly made fun of her to which she just merely gave me a jab in the arm. We started walking to our next class when she asked me something.

"Hey, Isaac. Mind if I ask you something?"

"Sure thing, Sunset. Want did you want to ask?"

"I just wanted to know how did you manage to get so many cards? I mean with the amount of cards you have, I'd expect that isn't easy nor is it cheap."

"Well, you're right it's not easy or cheap. In turn most of the cards I have came from that box I have. In fact, that box of mine was given to me by my mother. She saw how invested I was when I saw my first duel live on television. Like most parents, they don't understand why certain things attract little kids. So when she found out how much I was in love with the concept and saw how the other children in my neighborhood had cards of their own; she went out of her way to save up and get me a box of cards to give to me. It made me happy because I never asked her, in all my time growing up I never once bugged my mother to get me some cards. Of course I was happy to find out when she did that I gave her the biggest hug; from there she just watched me play nonstop. My mother just thought it was a phase and that I would grow out of it, but I think she knew deep down that I was destined to be in love with this game." Isaac then stopped walking and pulled out his deck to look at it. "That's why I have to make my parents proud. After all they done, the sacrifices they made for me growing up, the least I can do is make sure that they can relax when they're in their old age. I believe that this deck can serve as a way to repay them for all they've done."

Sunset then put her hand on Isaac's shoulder and looked at him. She was giving him a genuine smile as she felt touched by Isaac's story and how he made it his mission to make his parents proud. Sunset then gave Isaac a hug to show that she understood his motives. After a couple of seconds, they broke away and began walking to their next class. Along the way Sunset was also asking Isaac about his ace monster.

"What about your Dark Magician? I know that you rely on him a lot and I don't blame you. He's a very powerful monster and has a lot of synergy with different cards, but why him? Surely, there could have been other monsters to choose from so why have him as your ultimate monster?"

"Well, you're right there's a ton of monsters out there that are a bit better than my Dark Magician. So why choose him? Well to be honest I didn't pick him rather he chose me. I know it's silly but I'm being honest, the first time I saw the card I was in awe. I kept thinking how awesome it would be to have a card like that, but I also felt like I wasn't worthy of it. But then I felt a strange connection like it was calling out to me, like it was saying that it wanted to be by my side and that it chose me to be its master. Ever since then, I've always relied on him to bust me out of situations; over the years I stopped seeing him as a servant and more as a friend. He was my most trusted companion and I know he would always stand by my side. And the rest is history. Over the years, as I got older I improved my deck and collected a bunch of cards/monsters that I was happy to call my allies. That was also how I got my Dark Magician Girl. Of course I didn't know how much of a popular card she was, especially when it came to boys. But for me I didn't see her for just that, sure she was pretty cute, but I also saw she had brains as well as beauty. Nevertheless I added her to my deck and I got the feeling that she was happy due me thinking that she gave me a wink."

"A wink? You sure that wasn't your imagination taking the better of you? I mean you did say she had a certain effect on boys." Sunset had a sly smile on her face when she was addressing Isaac.

To be honest I would have thought the same thing too. Still even before I was able to talk with the spirits of my monsters, I had a feeling that I knew what she what I was thinking and she just saying thank you to me for becoming her friend. "Yes, well, believe what you want. Anyways, we need to hurry if we're going to make it on time." With that Isaac and Sunset picked up the pace as they barely made it into the room and their seats as the teacher was about to enter the room.

The rest of the day went as planned with Isaac and Sunset attending their classes. During that time, Isaac had been made issued to a challenge by one of their fellow classmates. With the teachers permission, they were allowed to battle but instead of using their duel disks they stuck to the old format that Isaac had encountered yesterday when he was with the CMC. The battle was interesting to say the least; however, it wasn't long till Isaac was able to secure the win and congratulated his opponent for a good battle. After that everybody went back to the teacher's lecture. Once the final bell rang, everybody was getting ready to leave until the P.A. system went off.

"Would the students Sunset Shimmer and Isaac, please report to my office?"

We were both confused as to why both me and Sunset were suddenly called to Celestia's office. So we grabbed our things and headed in the direction of the Principal's office. Once we found the door, I gave a quick knock to which we heard a response that said come on. We then entered the room and there was Principal Celestia sitting in her chair going over some paperwork. We made our presence known and she looked up from her work.

"Ahh, Isaac, Sunset. Please have a seat."

"I hope we haven't done anything to upset you, Principal Celestia."

"Don't worry, Isaac. Neither you or Sunset are in any major trouble. In fact, I wanted to talk too you two about a new development. As you know the Fall Formal not only displayed what you two are capable of; it also showed that both of you are some of Canterlot High's top duelists. I couldn't be more proud of what you guys accomplished which is why I've got some exciting news. The School Board has been impressed with what they saw that they're fully funding us to get new duel disks equipped with the latest technology."

Both me and Sunset were excited to hear that. To think that we would be able to get new duel disk and be able to experience Duel Monsters on another scale was enough to make me cry.

"There are some new things that they will give us, for example each student will have a preference of what color they want their duel disk to be. That being said I've had the privilege of being sent a couple of duel disks and I was thinking if both of you would be interested in taking part of a special exhibition duel to showcase these new devices. Of course, I'll allow you two to keep them after the duel is over, but I have to ask: Are you both okay with this?"

"A chance to get a new duel disk and experience dueling like never before. Sign me up!"

"Well..." Sunset was a bit hesitant about Celestia's offering.

"Come on, Sunset! A chance to try out some new duel disk and to show everybody how much you've changed since the Fall Formal. How can you not pass up this opportunity?" Isaac had a smile on his face as he looked at Sunset.

"Anybody ever tell you how annoying you can be sometimes?" said Sunset with a sarcastic tone/smile. While she didn't think she was ready to showcase her deck on the big stage, she knew that Isaac was giving her that smile of his. Eventually, she agreed to take part in the duel.

"Splendid, now all you two need to do is give me your preference of what color you would like your duel disk to be? Thankfully, I have them in this briefcase." Celestia then pulled out a briefcase and opened it up for us to see.

"Now that's what I call fast service. So when we do we get to test them out?" said Isaac with so much excitement that he could hardly contain himself.

"Settle down, Isaac. I know that you're ecstatic about any challenge involving dueling. Before I can give them to you, I first need your preferences on what color scheme you want your duel disk to be. In terms of when the duel will take place, I've decided to hold the special match tomorrow during lunchtime. That shouldn't be a problem for either of you, is it?"

"None from me."

"I'm good with that."

"Very well." Celestia then handed Isaac a tablet to which he and Sunset looked at it.

It was the design of the new duel disk and from first glance it had so many cool new functions like an extra slot that the extra deck was kept in. Also the little screen that was incorporated into the device, which allowed the duelist to simply tap the picture of a card on the field and they could see the info about it. Of course it also made sure not to reveal an opponent's facedown until it was revealed. The most incredible function was that when it wasn't active it simply folded up into the shape of a touchpad and when it turned on out came some kind of energy that took the shape of the duel board used to play cards.

"Now that you've seen the blueprints and the final model of the device. All that's left is for you to give it some color."

With that both Isaac and Sunset inputted the final designs/color they wanted into the tablet and handed it to Celestia. She then took the tablet and connected it to her computer where the plans were uploaded and saved into the duel disks. Sunset had gone with a red color scheme as the base and had yellow stripes running along the sides with a black outline. She also had her signature sun imbedded on the device with a sun and inside it were two symbols that resembled yin and yang.(Basically just picture her cutie mark). Isaac on the other hand had gone with a black and gold color scheme. In terms of what he wanted as his symbol, he just simply had a picture of a Duel Monster card and a mini portrait of his signature monster on it.

"Perfect, now once I've downloaded these designs into the duel disk, you'll both be ready to go. Come by tomorrow morning to pick them up and then during lunch we'll hold the special exhibition. Well, that's all from me. You two are free to leave unless you have any questions? If not then I wish you both the best of luck." With that Sunset and Isaac thanked Celestia and left her office.

They then made their way to Isaac's locker while discussing the new duel disk and how pumped they were for tomorrow's presentation.

"Oh man, I can't wait for tomorrow. I'm getting excited just thinking about it."

"Easy there, boy toy. We need to get plenty of rest before our big day tomorrow. Besides while I did agree to help Celestia, I just don't know if I'm ready to get back on the dueling field so soon." Sunset put her head down a bit.

"I thought you got over that. Look Sunset, you've proven that you change. I gave you a second chance to improve yourself and you did just that. I also helped you to find your inner strength and reconnect with your passion for dueling. While you may think it's too soon, I feel like you're ready. You're ready to show the world just who the hell you are. And that's none other than Sunset freaking Shimmer!" Isaac was giving Sunset a pep talk to motivate her which was doing the trick.

"You're right, Isaac. I have changed and more importantly I'm ready."

With that both of them made a promise to each other that they would give it their all and give their fellow students a spectacle of a show. The next day came by fast as it was time for the exhibition duel. Both Sunset and Isaac had grabbed the new designs from Celestia during the morning and were stoked about today's duel. Lunchtime rolled around and Celestia had made the announcement that a special duel would be held to test the next generation of dueling. Soon there was a decent sized audience in the crowd who came to witness what this exhibition match was all about. Celestia then appeared with her sister Luna by her side and began speaking into the microphone. Even their friends had showed up, but even they didn't know what was happening.

"So what do you think this is about anyway? Hopefully it's about me being Isaac's next opponent to challenge him for the rank of champion."

"Hold your horses, Rainbow. Don't forget you're not the only duelist here. Besides if anybody is destined in line to challenge Isaac, it has to be someone who's not talking bout her own ego every 10 seconds."

"Mind saying that again, Applejack?" Rainbow was a bit angry at Applejack's comment.

"Girls, no sense in arguing. We're here to see what this announcement from Principal Celestia is all about." said Rarity as she tried to get them to calm down.

"Yeah, from what been going on it has something to do with taking the world of Duel Monsters to the next level." Pinkie was so excited that she had brought a confetti cannon and when she pulled the string tons of confetti was shot out.

"Speaking of Duel Monsters, has anyone seen Sunset or Isaac for that matter? I doubt he'd miss this kind of thing." Fluttershy was looking around the room for their missing friends but it was at that moment Celestia began to talk.

"Welcome everybody in attendance. I'm pleased that you could make it. As you know the world of Duel Monsters is drastically changing, so much so that we are constantly looking for ways to improve its gameplay and bring the best entertainment possible. As you know duels are at their best when you can feel the action as if you were the one dueling yourself. Well I'm pleased to announce that I've received a generous gift from the School Board and they've decided to provide us with the latest duel disk. Now there won't be the need for having such a large space to duel, instead you can simply enjoy playing a duel while also feeling the effects of battle as if they were happening in real time. In addition, it's portable so that way it's easy to carry around. In other words, this allows the world of virtual reality to come to life and you can be able to witness the full effect of a duel." Celestia then pushed a button on a remote and she showed everybody the prints/designs of the duel disk. Almost everybody there approved of what they saw and were already desperate on getting their hands on them.

"Now that being said, in the next week you'll all be able to get one. What's great about this is that each duel disk is tailor made to fit your accommodations; the only thing that we ask when registering for one is being able to pick the color scheme and the design you want your duel disk to look like. But it seems all I've been doing is talking, so why not just show them in action. Please welcome our two volunteers in today's exhibition duel, give a warm welcome to Isaac and Sunset Shimmer!" Isaac and Sunset then walked out from behind the curtain and took their positions next to Celestia. "Now then lets get ready to battle. Both of you please take your positions and activate your duel disks."

Isaac and Sunset then hopped off the stage and took their positions in the middle of the room with the crowd looking on. They manage to show off the new model to their fellow peers who immediately took an interest in it and couldn't wait to see the new incredible functions that it was capable of. They slotted the duel disk on their arms and when they pushed the power button, a beam of energy came out as it took the shape of the dueling board that their old duel disks had. Sunset had a red dueling board, while Isaac had a bright gold coming out of his. They then slotted their decks in and the auto shuffle began to take effect. Once that was done, they then looked at each other before starting.

"Well Sunset, time to see what these babies can do. You ready?"

"Of course, the question is: Are you ready to lose?"

"Me? Lose? As if? Just don't go all evil like you did last time?"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Intiaiting. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voices of their new duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off, draw." When Isaac drew his card, his duel disk registered what he had picked up and on the screen showed a portrait of the card and it displayed its stats and any abilities it may have had. "Nice feature, I'll start by playing my Skilled Dark Magician(1900/1700). Next I'll place 1 card facedown and end my turn." Isaac had played his monster on the duel energy and slotted his facedown into the slot above his deck holder and it displayed a picture of the card Isaac had played. He was able to tap it once to serve as a reminder of what he put down and to activate it he would need to tap it twice. "Already, these new duel disks are very helpful and functional. Try it out, Sunset."

Turn 2: Sunset

"Here goes, draw." Just like Isaac, Sunset also got to see the picture of the card she drew and it explained its function. "Well, I'll start by playing Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700)." Sunset played her card and on the field out came a tiny baby dragon that looked at Sunset before jumping into her arms. Sunset could actually feel like she was holding her monster and not only was it cute, but it was also a tad bit heavy. Red-Eyes Baby Dragon let out a cute roar that almost melted Sunset's heart. Eventually it gave out a cry as it said 'Momma' and then leaped out of her arms and was ready to battle. "Alright, my sweet baby let's show Isaac what else we've got. I'll then activate the spell Red-Eyes Insight, now I can send 1 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand/deck to the graveyard and in exchange I get to add 1 'Red-Eyes' spell/trap to my hand." Sunset then slotted her card on the side of her duel disk. She then touched her screen and began to look through her deck for the card she wanted; once she found the one she wanted, she touched it and it slotted out for her to grab. "This makes it so much easier to find the cards you want. Now I don't have to constantly pull my deck out and reshuffle. I think I'll play it safe and end with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Alright, now that we've had a chance to test some of these new features out, time to kick it up a notch. Draw. First since you played a spell card, my magician gains a counter." Just then one of the three lights on Isaac's Skilled Dark Magician lighted up. "Next I'll summon my Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. Next I'll play the spell Pot of Greed." The duel disk then slotted out 2 cards for Isaac to pick up. "Now my magician gains another counter, then I'll have my Valkyria attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon and then my Skilled Dark Magician will attack you directly." Isaac's spellcasters then took off with Valkyria taking out Sunset's monster; then his other magician took aim and prepared to fire its spell at Sunset's life points.

Sunset's screen showed her a message, she tapped it and it displayed the effect of her monster and told her that she could activate. "These things just keep getting more awesome with each minute; since you destroyed my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon I can activate its effect. Now I can special summon 1 level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck and equip it to give it a 300 attack boost. So make way for Red-Eyes Toon Dragon(2400/2000)."

"In that case, I'll call off my Skilled Dark Magician." Isaac's magician then halted as Sunset put her arms up as the previous attack made contact with her.
Sunset's Life Points: 7600-

"Well Sunset, how do you feel?" asked Isaac as he was concerned with how real that attack felt.

"I'll tell you right now, that I could actually feel that attack. It didn't hurt that much but I still felt a bit of pain only for a couple of seconds. These new duel disk are really amazing, I just can't get enough." Sunset was acting like a kid on Christmas morning.

"You're telling me; I'm practically in love with this thing." Isaac just kept admiring his duel disk and all its cool functions.

"Easy there, boy toy. Don't forget that I still have you all to myself right now. I'd hate for you to keep me waiting." Sunset was teasing Isaac while throwing him a bit of flirtation.

"Right, well then my lady. I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn. Now I'll play the spell Pot of Duality, I excavate the top 3 cards of my deck and select 1 to add to my hand. Then I put the others back into my deck and shuffle." Sunset's screen showed her top 3 cards and she picked the one she wanted. Then the auto shuffler kicked in as it shuffled Sunset's deck.

With Sunset activating her card, the last light on Isaac's magician lit up and Isaac was having a smile on his face.

"Then I'll play Red-Eyes Wyvern(1800/1600). Now I'll have my Wyvern attack your Magician Valkyria." Sunset then commanded her dragon to take out Isaac's spellcaster. Her monster then took flight and unleashed its claws at it got rid of its target; now it was Isaac's turn to feel the effect of the new VR system.
Isaac's Life Points: 7800-

Isaac then put his arm up to cover his eyes as he felt the impact from Sunset's attack. It wasn't like anything in his prior duel against Sunset where almost all of the damage was real. This sure felt life like but after the initial reaction it soon died down and he was feeling fine.

"Well, how do you feel?" asked Sunset.

"Please, that was nothing more than a light breeze at most. I felt more pain than that when you were still an evil manic, no offense."

"None taken, now I believe it's your turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"Right, draw. Now that my magician has 3 counters on him, I can now activate his spell ability which means I tribute him to summon out my ultimate monster Dark Magician. Come on out buddy!" Out came Isaac's great monster and it even looked better with all the new VR stuff that it looked like he had actually come to life. Isaac was amazed with how his monster had looked and even the crowd was in awe at how Isaac's magician looked.

"Well now, seems we're in a battle against Ms. Sunset. Not to mention that I'm feeling the effect of your new duel disk; now then how will we handle this situation, master?"

"Don't worry, Mahad. I've got something planned, just follow my lead." Isaac then turned to address Sunset. "Now I'll play the spell card Mystic Box." Isaac played his card and then box started to encase Isaac's magician.

Sunset was a bit confused at what Isaac was planning. "So tell me, what's the deal with the box?"

"Hold on, Sunset. The trick isn't over yet." Isaac then snapped his fingers and then swords started to appear out of thin air and they slotted into one of the many holes in the side of the box until not a single one was left. While all this was happening everybody was left clueless as to why Isaac would do such move.

"So what now, you just destroyed your own monster?" Just then another box formed around Sunset's Toon Dragon which really threw her off.

Everybody was silent as they were waiting to see what would happen next. Isaac then opened his eyes and gave a sly smile and with a snap of his fingers the box on Sunset's field opened, and out came none other than Isaac's Dark Magician as it was completely unharmed and escaped death without a single scratch. The box on Isaac's side opened and there was Sunset's Red-Eyes Toon Dragon in its card form as it had been severed by the many swords that had been interjected.

"How? What did you do with my monster?"

"It's simple, Sunset. My Dark Magician merely switched places with your monster and allowed me to destroy it. Now I'll then play Magician's Rod(1600/100); now I can add 1 spell/trap that specially list the 'Dark Magician' and add it to my hand." Isaac then used his screen to look through his deck and get the card he wanted and it slotted it out for him to grab. "Now time to attack, first my Dark Magician will attack your Red-Eyes Wyvern. Then my Magician's Rod will attack you directly."
Sunset's Life Points: 6900-

Dark Magician had no problem getting rid of Sunset's monster, then just before his Magician's Rod was about to make contact Sunset activated her facedown.

"Not this time, I activate my trap Red-Eyes Spirit now I can special summon 1 'Red-Eyes' from my grave. Welcome back, Red-Eyes Toon Dragon!"

"Then I'll call off my attack and end with a facedown."

Turn 6: Sunset

"Now my turn. I activate the continuous trap Return of the Red-Eyes, now as long as I control a 'Red-Eyes' monster I can special summon 1 level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' from my deck and I'll choose my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon(2400/2000). Furthermore, the second effect of my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon allows me to add 1 level 1 dragon type to my hand. Next I'll play the card that I just added, I play The Black Stone of Legend(0/0). Thanks to my Black Stone's ability I can tribute it to summon out my beast. So now time for everyone to meet Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

Out came Sunset's new star monster as it descend on the field and joined its fellow comrades in battle. It led out a mighty roar that caused everybody in the crowd to covering their ears. Red-Eyes then looked down at Sunset before bowing its head down and showing Sunset some love.

"Now time to show you want I can do, now I'll play the spell Change of Heart which I can control one of your monsters till the end of your turn and I choose your Dark Magician." Just like that Isaac saw his greatest ally leave his side of the field and join Sunset. It pained him a little, especially since he saw a tiny bit of sadness in his monster's eyes. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt him. I'm just going to use him to create an even more powerful monster to take you down. First since I have 2 level 7 monsters on my field I think I'll overlay them. I now overlay my Zombie Dragon and my Toon Dragon to construct the Overlay Network, I Xyz summon Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon(2800/2400, OLU: 2)." The top of Sunset's duel disk opened up and it slotted out her Xyz monster from her extra deck. "However, I'm not done because next I'll play Polymerization and this time I'll fuse my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with your Dark Magician."

A vortex opened up and it then sucked in Sunset's dragon; however, Dark Magician still remained on the field almost like it had a mind of his own. Sunset saw what was happening and tried her best to reason with him.

"Look I get it, it's tough fighting your own master. But know I would never do anything to hurt you or him. I'm just asking for you to lend me your strength. Please?"

Dark Magician then looked at Sunset with a concerning face. He knew she would never do something intention to hurt Isaac. It still didn't feel right, he swore to protect the one he was given to watch over and here he was fighting against him. He then looked at Isaac who had a smile on his face.

"It's alright, buddy. Do as Sunset tells you to do."

"But master, I can't. It's my duty to..."

"Mahad! Listen to what Sunset is telling you, that's an order!" Isaac yelled at his card which seemed to have gotten the message across. It was the first time he had heard the young master raise his voice and yelled at him for disobeying a direct order. "It's okay. I'm going to be alright; I promise that we'll see each other again real soon." Isaac gave his spellcaster one more smile to which he returned back. He then turned at Sunset and bowed his head in forgiveness and then leaped into the vortex.

Sunset was at a lost for words with what had transpired between Isaac and his monster. Nevertheless, she was still in a duel and Isaac was still her opponent. "Now with the combined strength of my monster I Fusion Summon Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon(3000/2500). Now my Dragoon's effect kicks in, once during my main phase I can destroy one of your monsters and you take damage equal to its attack, so say goodbye to your last line of defense. Now my dragons will then attack, go my beasts unleash your fury on Isaac's life points." Sunset then unleashed her monsters as they set their sights on their prey.
Isaac's Life Points: 6200-

"I activate my trap Counter Gate, now I can negate your attack and as a result let me draw a card. And due to the other effect, if it's a monster then I can summon in attack position."

"Don't think so because my Dragoon has another ability by sending 1 card in my hand to the grave, I can negate the activation of your card and it allows my monster to gain 1000 attack points now my Dragoon has 4000 attack points. So my attack continues and your life points are about to take a big hit!" The dragons then opened their mouths and fired a fireball which merged together as they dealt a huge blast to Isaac who was thrown on his back as his life points dropped really quick. "Go Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, fire your attack." Isaac put his arm up as it caused him to be pushed back as he dropped to a knew.
Isaac's Life Points: 2200-

"Now I'll have my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon finish you off!" shouted Sunset.

"I'll send Kuriboh from my hand to the grave, so that all battle damage this battle becomes zero." Isaac slotted the card to graveyard as a tiny little creature came out as he stood before Isaac as he put his arms up as he did his best to protect his master. Soon the attack faded as Isaac's life points were spared.

"Very well, my Flare Metal Dragon still has an effect. While it has Xyz material, you take 500 points of damage everytime you activate a card or effect." Sunset's other monster shot another fireball as Isaac barely got out of the way.
Isaac's Life Points: 1700-

"One more attack and it's all over, I end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

Isaac had managed to get up from that attack and took a couple of deep breaths. He just barely survived Sunset's onslaught. Not to mention that he had no monsters on his side of the field to protect his life points. Isaac knew that if he was going to have a chance to stay in this game, he needed to find a way to stay in. He then looked at his hand to see what his options were and then put his hand on his deck.

"I'm proud of you Sunset. Not only do you have me backed into a corner, but you've shown just how much you mastered that deck in a short amount of time."

"Thanks, although I couldn't do it without you. You gave me the wake up call I needed and now look at me, I'm back dueling with passion instead of revenge. Not to mention that I've got you, the champion, on the ropes. Seems your reign at the top is coming to a very short end."

"Hey now, I'm not out of this duel just yet. I've still got life points which means I still have a chance to turn things around. Now then, draw!" Isaac drew his card and then tapped his screen to see the effects of Sunset's monsters before planning his move. "I'll start things off with the spell Monster Reborn and with it I can bring back my Dark Magician."

"Not bad, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to throw a wrench in things because I'm activating my Metal Dragon's ability, now by using 1 overlay unit I can special summon a 'Red-Eyes' normal monster from my graveyard. so now my Red-Eyes Black Dragon is back too. In addition, since you activated a card effect, you take another 500 points of damage." Sunset now had her trusting monster as it fired off another attack at Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 1200-

"It doesn't matter how many monsters you bring out, I'll find a way to take them down and defeat you. And it starts with this spell card Book of Effect, now not only can't you target this card but I can now remove an ability from your monster. And the one I choose is the effect of Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon!" The book then opened up and out came a powerful spell that surrounded Sunset's monster and then zapped away its special abilities.

"So you may have removed my monster's ability, but you choose the wrong monster to target. You should have chosen my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon."

"Believe me, Sunset. I picked the right dragon because of what I'm about to do. I'll then set my final facedown and then end my turn with summoning out Winged Kuriboh(300/200)." Isaac played his monster and the moment Winged Kuriboh came out all the girls lost their shit. They just so admiring of how cute and cuddly Isaac's monster was. It was so small and soft, not to mention the little wings that it had on its back which made it look like some kind of mini angel. It also made all the girls want to run up and hold it in their arms. Kuriboh just simply gave them a wave and let out a small cry which was just as adorable as it was. Then it tried to put on an immediating face as it looked at Sunset's field and her monsters.

Sunset couldn't help but smile as the tiny monster as it tried to put on a brave face. "I'll admit your monster has me just clutching my heart from how much cuteness it's resonating. Not to mention how he's trying to stand up to my big bad monsters; I can see why you have someone like him in your deck. He's sort of like you in a way, always standing up to danger and never backing down."

"Don't be fooled by appearance, Sunset. My Winged Kuriboh is more powerful than any of your monsters and I'll use him to win this duel."

"No offense to you or Kuriboh, but that little cute fuzzball doesn't come close to the attack points of my dragon. The closest thing that it could come to defeating is a cat."

Turn 8: Sunset

"Well time to end things, now my dragons take flight and end this duel. Take out Isaac and the last of his life points!"

"Time to activate my trap Mirror Force, now your attack is redirected right back at your monsters."

"Like I didn't see that coming. I'll activate my Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon's effect. I send a card to my grave to negate the activation of your Mirror Force and then my Dragoon will gain another 1000 attack which now makes him have a grand total of 5000 points. Looks like your out of tricks to save you, seems I outsmarted you this time."

Isaac just had a smile on her face as Sunset kept talking. "You might want to check your math again, Sunset. You see a magician's greatest challenge is being able to use misdirection to get people to think what they want to believe. There's an old saying: Fool the mind and the battle is yours. In other words, Mirror Force wasn't even my actually trap; I just used it to bait out your monster's ability. But before that I'll activate the ability of my Effect Veiler in my hand, so I'll discard him to negate the effects of your Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon till the end of the turn. Now I reveal my other facedown Transcendence Wings with this I can evolve my Winged Kuriboh into Winged Kuriboh LV10(300/200)." Isaac's spell then proceeded a shower of feathers and when they pulled back the curtain they revealed a bit of a dragon with Kuriboh in the center of its chest.

"That still doesn't surprise, all you did was make him look prettier. You didn't change his attack points or anything?"

"Like I said, never judge a book by its cover. Because something did change with my monster and it's his special ability. Now I activate it, during your battle phase I can tribute my Winged Kuriboh LV10 and as a result I can destroy every single monster on your side of the field and here's the best part, Sunset. You take damage equal to the combined total of all your monsters' attack points!"

"Wait, what!?" Sunset couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only did Isaac manage to trick her into using her monster's ability on the wrong card, but the fact that his weakest monster was the one who had managed to defeat her mighty dragons.

Winged Kuriboh LV10 then flew high into the atmosphere and unleashed a blinding light that caused almost everybody to cover their eyes except for Isaac who had a stern smile on his face. Sunset's dragons were then enveloped in the blinding light and when it died down there were gone. All that was left were thousands upon thousands of feathers that started to rain down then they started to land by Sunset's feet as they drained the last bit of her points.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel had ended and they deactivated their duel disks. They gave each other a smile and turned to their fellow peers as they gave a quick applause as well as Celestia and Luna. They each took a bow before looking at each other and then their duel disks. They were amazed with how well these things worked not to mention the cool new functions they got to witnessed. Celestia and Luna approached the two and congratulated them on putting on a good show. Luna then lifted up both of their arms to showcase they both were winners. After that Celestia told everybody that they should come to her office to register for their duel disks and told them that they would receive the new devices by next week. Once school had ended, there was a massive rush of students who raced to Celestia's office. It took awhile but Luna eventually got them to line up in an orderly fashioned as they placed their orders.

The girls had managed to come up with their ideas on how they wanted their duel disk to look. Pinkie had wanted her base color to be pink with having pictures of candy, streamers and balloons embedded into the outer skin of her device. Applejack went with a green color scheme with a touch of yellow/red shaped as apples that were scattered around it; she even a picture of her stenson hat embedded on her duel disk. Fluttershy went with a yellow/pink color scheme had a bit of swirls with a floral design; she also had a butterfly embedded on her duel disk. Rarity had a ton of fun with the designs, ultimately, she settled on a purple/indigo color scheme and had tons of jewels embedded on her duel disk including her signature 3 diamonds. Lastly, Rainbow had went with a rainbow colored scheme based and had tons of storm clouds/rainbow that were collabed into a cool design and she had a lighting bolt embedded in her duel disk. Once they had placed their orders they then met up with Isaac and Sunset and discussed how excited they were for the duel they witnessed.

"Well you two seem to be enjoying yourself. So much for not telling us about your special duel?"

"Sorry, Rainbow. But Celestia came to me and Sunset yesterday and told us about the new duel disks. It was then she told us if we wanted to partake in the exhibition duel as a way to show off these bad babies." Isaac and Sunset then showed their friends their new duel disks and they were excited as they couldn't wait to get their hands on their own.

"Lighten up, Dash. It's not like we're the only ones who are getting these things. Everybody in school will get one we just had to test them out for everybody to see. Let me tell you these things are amazing. Also Isaac, I want to say that I'm sorry for what I did to your Dark Magician. I know it must have been tough for you to see your own monster turn against you." Sunset was begging Isaac for forgiveness.

"It's alright, Sunset. As a duelist it's expected that sometimes you'll have to face some cards that are special to you, even if they happen to be your own monster. Nevertheless, you still pulled off an incredible combo with it when you summoned your monster. He's one tough creature to beat."

"Maybe, but in the end it was you who came out on top. You really surprised everybody with that cool finish using your Winged Kuriboh. I see why you depend on those little fuzz balls, they've got some awesome hidden power."

And just like that everything was back to normal. Both Sunset and Isaac had managed to try out the new duel disks that CHS would be receiving. Not to mention that their friends would soon get their own set and then they could take dueling to new heights. It seemed like all was well for the time being, well almost because after that day the rest of the week flew by. Soon it was the weekend and that meant it was time; time for Isaac's biggest and probably most intimidating part of his social life: his date with Rarity.

Chapter 27: A Generous Day/Evening

Well here I am, I'm lying down on my bed while looking at my ceiling. I just couldn't be able to wrap my head around what was to come. It was Friday evening which should be a good thing. School was done and it's basically the weekend which meant that everybody was off to do their own thing with their friends. However, that wasn't the case with me; despite the idea that I could be enjoying myself by either hanging out with the girls or playing some of my video games I had in my room. But no, here I was thinking about something.

"I mean I don't even know the first thing about dating. Ahh, I'm going to make Rarity look like a complete fool. If you gave me a test and told me to duel then I would have no problem, but dating? I don't even know the where to start. Why couldn't I just duel my way through this date?"

Isaac then sat up on his bed and saw Tigre hop up on his bed and began to rub herself against him.

"Hey girl, trying to give me advice on how I should handle my date with Rarity, tomorrow?"

"Meow".

"If only I could understand you." Isaac then petted her to which resulted in a calming purr. He then thought of a weird idea and pulled out his deck and looked through to find the card he was searching for. "Hey Mana, you there?" Just then the spirit of Isaac's Dark Magician Girl manifest and out came the female spellcaster.

"Oh, hey Isaac. How are you doing?"

"I'm doing alright. I was hoping to ask a question? You're a female and I was hoping that you could help me with some issues."

"Oh, what kind of issues?"

"Well, tomorrow I'm going on a date with Rarity. And to be honest I don't know the first thing about girls or dating in general. So any tips on what I should do, to make sure that she has a good time?"

Mana had a sly smile on her face as she was happy to see that her master was finally starting to get more involved with the girls. "Well master from the time I was a mortal, I had tons of young men trying to woo me. Of course I went on a fair share of dates but that was before I devoted my entire life to learning and studying magic under the teachings of Mahad. I'll tell you this, that you just need to be yourself. If Rarity is excited to be hanging out with you, then you don't need to worry about anything because she'll be happy to just be with you. Although I would bring some type of gift to show how much this date means to you."

"Some type of gift, any hints on what I should bring?"

"Well most girls, typically like flowers. But seeing how Rarity is more of a sophisticated women and has a fascination with priceless gems, jewelry could also be a good idea."

"Mana, I'm trying to find a reasonable offering, not trying to be in debt. I'll look into it, anymore advice?"

"Just show her a good time. As long as she has fun, then your date will be a success." Mana then gave Isaac a smile.

"Show her a good time? Does a duel count?"

Dark Magician Girl just simply laughed at how her master was so obsessed with dueling. "Oh, Isaac. Somethings in life aren't always about Duel Monsters. Just make sure that Rarity feels special."

"Alright, I think I understand. Thanks Mana, I feel like I'm ready."

"Very well then. Farewell, Isaac. Don't forget to tell me how it goes?" With that Mana's spirit disappeared as it returned back into her card.

Isaac then gave one last smile to his Dark Magician Girl before putting his deck away. He then got on his computer and began to do a bit of research. He figured he could probably look up some helpful insight on how he should be best prepared for his date. He was able to find some useful information and jotted down a few notes; once he felt like he had enough data, he turned off his computer and looked at the time. He then checked his message that he got from Rarity earlier in the day and it said that he would meet her at her place and they would take off from there. With that Isaac decided to get ready for bed and prepared himself for a rather interesting day. To say Isaac was scared would be lying, but a part of him was rather excited to be spending time with Rarity. The next day came by and Isaac awoke and took a shower to freshen up for his date with Rarity. After putting on fresh set of clothes, he then made his way down and ate some breakfast before heading over to Rarity's. He then grabbed his outfit that Rarity made for him, his wallet, and most importantly his deck. Isaac knew that he should be focusing on his date with Rarity but he felt safer if he had it with him.

Along the way, Isaac had stopped by a local flower shop and purchase a small bouquet that consisted of few flowers. According to what he looked up and what Mana had told him, girls seemed to generally like it when they were brought these things. With that he then continued on his walk to Rarity's boutique and eventually arrived as her door. He knocked on the door hoping to get her attention; the person who opened the door was not Rarity but rather Sweetie Belle.

"Oh, hey Sweetie Belle. Is your sister home?"

"Hey, Isaac. Come on in, I'll let my sister know you're here." Sweetie Belle then let Isaac in and then shouted out loud. "Rarity, Isaac is here for your date!" That caused Isaac to be a bit embarrassed as it was said out loud.

"Just a moment, dear. I'm just getting ready."

"Well, seems like she's just about finished."

"Yup, say why don't we have a duel to pass the time? Besides, I've dying to show you the new tricks I've found. What do you say, Isaac?" Sweetie Belle was giving Isaac the puppy eyes.

With that Isaac and Sweetie Belle sat at a nearby table where they began to keep themselves busy while they waited for Rarity. It was entertaining to say the least, Sweetie Belle had managed to show Isaac some new techniques she managed to discover. While Isaac was impressed to say the least, he still found a way to disarm Sweetie Belle's assault before she gained any momentum. Eventually it was Isaac's turn and he was about to finish off Sweetie Belle.

"Now that you're defenseless, I'll have my monster attack you. I'll then have my..." Just as Isaac was about to say he was going to attack, he looked up for a moment and there was a sight that caused him to be speechless for a second. There stood Rarity looking her usual self; she had on a bit more makeup but that didn't get in the way of her nature beauty. She did have a different outfit on; she now wore an outfit that was consisted of salmon/pink color. It also had a couple of musical notes and diamonds that was embroidered in her outfit. She also wore some high heels that weren't too tall but allowed her to walk efficiently. (Just picture her outfit from Rainbow Rocks). Isaac then stood up as Sweetie Belle turned around and had a smile on her face. Rarity then made her way over to Isaac as she stopped in front of him.

"Sorry for the trouble, hope I didn't keep you waiting." She then struck a pose with her hand at her hip.

"Not at all, in fact, you look gorgeous." Isaac had a bit of a blush on his face and looked away for a few moments.

"I always knew you were a bit of a charmer. It's one of your many handsome qualities." Giggled Rarity as she noticed how shy Isaac was becoming.

"Ohh, here you go Rarity. These are for you." Isaac then handed her the bouquet of flowers that he purchased to Rarity.

"My word, you didn't have to get me these. I do appreciate it; you're really thoughtful." Rarity took the flowers from Isaac and gave them a sniff. She then put them into a vase and grabbed her purse before returning back to Isaac.

"Well, it seems you two are ready, so time to get going. Don't worry about me Rarity, the rest of the CMC are coming over so I won't be alone." Sweetie Belle saw how happy/excited Rarity was for her date with Isaac that she started to push them to the front door and closed it behind them.

"Well that was unexpected."

"Indeed, now then are you ready for our outing, Isaac?"

"Of course, just what do you have plan for us today?"

"Some things are best kept secret, so just follow my lead." With that Rarity grabbed Isaac's hand and started to lead them to the many activities she had planned for their date.

The first thing they did was head to the Canterlot Mall. It should have been no surprise to Isaac that this was where Rarity had picked to go for their date, however this time it was different. When they first arrived they began to look through the different clothing stores; normally Rarity would be so focused on trying new outfits and looking for inspiration for her designs. This time she wasn't shopping for the sake of her; she was shopping because she wanted to have fun with Isaac. She kept picking out outfits that she felt would look good on Isaac; Isaac wasn't excited per say but the fact that Rarity was having a genuine smile on her face meant that she was having fun. Eventually Isaac modeled some new clothes for Rarity to which she simply said brought out Isaac's inner self. Once that was done, they then paid for the clothes that Isaac liked and told the cashier to deliver them to his house. Rarity then grabbed Isaac by the hand and dragged them off to the next part of their adventure.

They stopped by a photobooth where they took a couple of pictures together; Rarity even made an effort to have her arm around Isaac's as they took their shots. Once that was done, they then made their way to the food court where they decided to have lunch. They found a table that was pretty secluded from the other people and had a nice view of the outside. They then began to order what they wanted and started a conversation to get to know each other.

"So, Isaac. Are you enjoying yourself so far?"

"I definitely am. So far everything I've done with you has been amazing." Isaac's comment seemed to have given Rarity a bit of a blush.

"Well, I'm glad to see that you're happy." Rarity gave Isaac a smile before trying to hide the redness that was appearing on her face.

"Rarity. If it's not to much trouble, mind telling me something?"

"What would you like to know, darling?"

"I'm glad we're friends and I wouldn't change that for anything in the world, but why did you choose to go out with me? I mean a girl that's as gorgeous as you has probably tons of boys that fall head over heels for you every single day, so why go out with me of all people?"

Rarity's heart beated a bit faster at hearing Isaac call her gorgeous. She even started to play with her hair when Isaac asked about why she chose to go on a date with him. She wasn't sure if right now was the place to tell him about her feelings, but she knew that if she didn't at least let him know then it would be one mistake she would regret for the rest of her life. She then took a deep breath before addressing Isaac's question.

"If you must know, dear, it's because well I have developed something for you. A certain feeling, if you will. In other words, darling. For a while now I've been admiring you from afar."

"You've developed something for me? Honestly, I don't see how that can be possibly. I mean I'm not that big of deal; I'm just a regular old person."

"Don't you ever talk like that about you!" It seemed Isaac's comment seemed to have awaken something in Rarity. "You're anything but a regular old person. To me you're a strong, mature, independent young man who deeply cares about the people he loves. You're charming, not too mention very smart, and you're passionate. Everytime I look at you, I see somebody who's determined. Someone who's never afraid to speak their mind, who can look past someone who's more than a pretty face; someone who can see a person for what they truly are and not what they look like based on their appearances. That's why you're special to me; it's also why I've got feelings for you." Rarity then realized what she had just confessed and quickly turned her head to avoid eye contact.

Isaac was left stunned by Rarity's confession. He didn't know what to say as this was the first time anybody ever had feelings for him besides his family. He stared at Rarity who was still trying to hide from his gaze; eventually he did something that was rather bold and unknown to him. He reached his hand over the table and touched Rarity's hand. This caused Rarity to look as she saw that Isaac was holding her hand in his and was staring at her with his brown eyes.

"Rarity, I'm happy that you have feelings for me. You're the first person who's ever taken a romantic interest in me; in fact it kinda makes me feel all warm and fuzzy on the inside. You're right because when I look at you, I don't just see a pretty face. I too see a strong independent women who got the most generous heart a person could ask for. When I see you, I look beyond your outer beauty and look at what's inside. And you know what I see? I see a girl who's even more beautiful on the inside; a girl who can always find a way to make things look fabulous. Not to mention a great duelist who's not only caring to her friends but also to her little sibling. To me that's what makes you stand out; it's what makes you so unique. I couldn't be more proud to have someone like you in my life, you will always hold a special part in my life and in my heart."

Rarity was silent after Isaac had finished saying what was on his mind. She was at a lost for words, everything she heard from Isaac was enough to make her heart melt. In a way she was happy to know that Isaac had similar feelings, to what extent she didn't know but she knew that he saw her as someone who was special. There was so much going on that her body acted on its own and she threw herself at Isaac who caught her as she gave him a deep hug. Isaac eventually wrapped his arms around Rarity and they just stayed like that for a few minutes. They wanted to feel each other's presence for a bit longer. After that they then continued on their date, Isaac had to excuse himself to use the restroom. After he came out, he saw a jewelry store nearby and remembered the conversation he had with his Dark Magician Girl.

"But seeing how Rarity is more of a sophisticated women and has a fascination with priceless gems, jewelry could also be a good idea."

"Maybe I can show Rarity how much I appreciate her with a gift." Isaac then made his way into the store and began looking around. There was a ton of things that were scattered about that it was hard to pick the right item to give to Rarity. Not too mention that some of the prices were pretty steep. Eventually after searching, Isaac found something that caught his eye. He asked the store clerk for it and he told Isaac that it was 30% off which helped Isaac as he could be able to afford it. The manager then wrapped the item up and placed it in a box; he then gave it to Isaac who paid for the item and put it in his back pocket to give to Rarity later. He then hurried back to the food court to make sure that he didn't cause her to worry.

Once Isaac returned, they then began to continue with their date as Rarity was now clinging onto Isaac's arm. Seeing as how they managed to do things that she liked, Rarity thought it was only natural that Isaac should have a say in what he wanted to do. To no surprise they managed to pass a card shop that was not only selling cards, but players could trade in cards they didn't want in hopes of gaining some new ones. While it certain caught Isaac's attention, Rarity was even intrigued with wanting to check this place out. Instead of Isaac dragging Rarity into the shop, it was the other way around as Isaac was suddenly pulled by his arm as Rarity was dragging him towards the shop.

Inside they began to explore the many things they saw. Thousands upon thousands of cards were being on displayed behind the glass as people could look at them and choose which one they wanted. There was even a mini tournament that was being organized with the winner getting a booster pack of cards. Isaac didn't felt like he should take part in it due to him being on a date with Rarity; however, Rarity was encouraging Isaac to take part because she wanted to see him have fun. Eventually after a few rounds, Isaac managed to win the event and was given his constellation prize. Rarity was cheering for Isaac during his duels and she even managed to trade in a few of her cards to which the shop owner gave her a good deal. After that, they then left the mall as they began to head over to the park.

Along the way to the park, Isaac had noticed a fabric store and told Rarity about it. Now it was Isaac's turn to encourage Rarity to go shopping as he knew that it would make her happy to shop for some new fabric so that she could make more clothes. After a couple of minutes Rarity had purchased a ton of new materials that she had a decent amount of bags; Isaac offered to carry most of them. After they left the store, they then continued on their way to the park. They took a nice long walk looking at the lovely scenery; they purchased some ice cream and they sat on a nearby bench while looking at the pond. While they were talking, Isaac felt the gift he got for Rarity and was wondering when the time was right to give it to her. The sun was about to go down as it was about to start dipping beyond the horizon. Rarity then decided that they should finish their date by having dinner together. So they picked up their bags and stopped by Rarity's place where they dropped off her bags and then went to find a place to eat.

Rarity took them to a restaurant that wasn't too far and it wasn't too expensive. It wasn't too fancy but it seemed like a place that many people often came to. They arrived and were greeted by the person at the reception desk and led the two of them to a table. Isaac pulled the chair out for Rarity to sit and then he himself took a seat. A waiter came by to give them some water and a menu and told them to call him over once they've made their decisions. At first glance, the wording was so formal that Isaac didn't know what half of it was saying or meant. Thankfully, Rarity saw that Isaac was having trouble and helped him to translate it.

"Hey Rarity, mind telling me about your parents? I mean, if you're not comfortable about it, then I understand." Isaac was starting to regret asking that question.

"Not at all, darling. Well as you know I have a little sister. But when it comes to my mother and father, well they're mostly out of town and are always away on business. So growing up it was mostly me taking care of Sweetie Belle; they do still keep in contact by checking in every now and then. That being said when I told them of my dreams they were judgement at first, but eventually warmed up to the idea."

"Well, what is your dream Rarity?"

"Glad you asked, dear. In short, my dream is build my own fashion empire and become the world's greatest fashionista. I'm sure you probably think that it's a silly dream."

"Not at all. Given how passionate you're about fashion and design clothes, I wouldn't expect anything less. In fact, it suits you."

Rarity just had a smile on her face as she was glad Isaac was very supportive of her dream. "Well, it's nice to know that you are pleased with my destiny. My parents however didn't really approve of it at first. When I first mentioned it to them, they were less than pleasant. They told me that I should just focus on getting my education and start looking for a suitable partner in life. They told that it was my duty to find someone who was not only wealth but had a huge influence with society. Of course it's every girls dream to find their Prince Charming and be whisked away to live happily forever after. But my parents told me that life wasn't like that at all; they were right to an extent. Some people aren't who they say they are; and sometimes when you think you've found someone you start to lose interest in them after a while."

"Well, I can't really say they were wrong. There are some people in life who have evil intentions. As for relationships, sometimes you think you belong with someone, but your heart says otherwise."

"But I don't feel like that with you. You're true to yourself; you never pretend to be someone you're not. That's what I find so attractive about you." Rarity had a blush on her face that Isaac noticed it and he blushed a bit himself. "Anyways, that was when I was just a little child, as I got older they started to open their minds and became a bit more supportive of my dreams. They still want me to find partner that will allow me to have a good financial status. I doubt I'll find a man that matches that description, but maybe I can find a close second." Rarity then reached over and put her hand over Isaac's.

"I hope that you find the lucky person." Isaac did the same and put his hand on top of hers and they looked at each other giving heart warming smiles.

After their little interaction, they both ordered their food and began to enjoy their dinner. Once they finished, they asked for the check to which Isaac offered to pay for their entire meal. Rarity was going to suggest that he didn't need to do that, but was too slow as Isaac made his way to the counter and paid the check. They then left as it was already nighttime and began walking to Rarity's house. They enjoyed the silent, cool night as they walked. Rarity was a bit cold due to it being a bit breezy to which Isaac just took off his hoodie that she made for him and gave it to her. Rarity could feel the warmth of it and how comfortable it felt, no wonder Isaac enjoyed wearing it. They approached her house to which she simply gave Isaac back his hoodie and was about to enter her house.

"Well this is it, thanks for spending today with me. I hope that you had a good time on our date."

"I definitely did. Thanks for showing me a good time, Rarity."

"My pleasure, darling." Rarity then opened the door and was about to enter her place until Isaac stopped her.

"Hold on, Rarity. I forgot that I got you something." Isaac then pulled out his gift from his back pocket and handed it to her.

Rarity took it and began to inspect the gift Isaac was giving her. It was a small box with a cute red ribbon on the top of it. When she opened it and looked inside, she was left speechless. Inside was a piece of jewelry; it was a triple-sapphire hair pin. It was the most beautiful thing Rarity had ever seen and couldn't believe how much it cost.

"I wanted to get you something as a way to say thanks. I know it may not be something you..." Isaac was unable to finish his thought because at that moment he felt something on his lips.

Rarity was just so touched by Isaac's gift that she couldn't contain her emotions. She leapt at Isaac and planted a kiss right on his lips. She poured everything she had into the kiss as she brought up both of her hands to Isaac's face. Isaac was unprepared for what Rarity was doing that he didn't know what to do. Eventually, he was able to kiss her back as he brought up his hand and cupped Rarity's cheek. They stayed like that for a few moments as the world around them had disappeared; there was no sound, no people in sight. It was just them and the what they were doing that truly mattered in that moment. Soon Rarity broke up the kiss as she had to take a breath and looked at Isaac while their foreheads were touching. They just stared into each others eyes while still processing what had just happened. It was soon interrupted when Rarity said her parting words.

"It's a lovely gift. You really made me feel special today." Rarity then started to leave Isaac's arms as she began to open the door to her house. Before closing she said one last farewell to her date. "Good night, Isaac." With a wink, she disappeared behind the door and with a click the door was locked.

Isaac was left to ponder his thoughts on what just occurred. He brought his hand up to face and touched his lips with his fingers. He was totally unprepared with what Rarity had done, but it felt nice in a way. With that he began walking as he started on his way home. Even though he'd never been on a date before, Isaac felt like he did his best to make Rarity feel special. Not to mention that he found out that Rarity also harbored some secret feelings for him. What this meant he was unsure, but regardless Isaac knew for certain that Rarity would always have a special place in his heart.

Chapter 28: Dia de los Muertos

After his date with Rarity, Isaac's weekend went by in a blur. He soon found himself getting ready for school as he put on his signature look and left to CHS. He didn't meet any of the girls or Rarity all morning. The first half of classes went by smoothly; Isaac was at his locker getting the supplies he needed for his next class when he heard someone shouting.

"Hey, Isaac!"

Isaac looked at who was addressing him and it was none other than Rainbow Dash. She was being followed by the rest of their friends minus Rarity.

"Oh, hey Rainbow. What's the matter, you seem a bit steamed?"

"You're damn right I'm steamed. Time to make you pay, traitor." Rainbow then raised her fists and tried to hit Isaac, but he quickly moved out of the way.

Rainbow continued to throw punches trying to land one on Isaac but he was able to get out of the way every time. Eventually, Isaac had caught both of Rainbow's fists with his hands and was trying to get her to calm down. The rest of the girls had finally caught up and arrived just in time to see Isaac trying to restrain Dash.

"Calm down, Rainbow! What's going on?". Isaac was concerned on why she would be suddenly acting this way.

"You know exactly what you did! Don't try to deny it!"

"Simmer down, Dash. This has nothing to do with you, it's Isaac's business and he can be free to do what he wants." Applejack had come from behind Rainbow Dash as she was yanking her out of Isaac's grip as she pulled her back.

"Let me go, Aj! He needs to pay!" screamed Rainbow Dash.

"What do I have to pay for!?". Suddenly there was a voice that came from behind Isaac as it made its presence known.

"What is going on here!? Rainbow Dash, I would have expected better behavior from my friends." The person speaking was none other than Rarity who was wearing her normal outfit but this time she was now wearing the hairpin that Isaac had bought for her on their date.

At this point, Isaac totally confused at what was going on that he couldn't take it anymore. "Okay, somebody better explain to me what the hell is going on here?"

"Don't worry about it, darling. Rainbow is just upset that we went on a date together without telling any of our friends. I told you Dash that it's none of your concern, I'm allowed to date whoever I want. Besides you're probably just jealous that I got to go on a date with Isaac before you did." Rarity was giving her friend a bit of smirk as she saw Rainbow's entire reaction change.

Isaac was still trying to understand what was happening. He thought it was weird that Rainbow was getting angry for going on a date with Rarity. It seemed like a dumb thing to get mad at, so he asked Dash if what Rarity was saying was true.

"Is it true, Rainbow? Are you mad at me for going on a date with Rarity? Did you want to go on a date with me?"

"No. Of course not. Why would I go on a date with someone like you?" Rainbow did her best to try to play if off cool, but she still had a bit of red on her face. Secretly, she was a tad bit jealous that Rarity had managed to go on a date with Isaac. Not to mention the fact that she actually kissed him. She was kicking herself on the inside for not being fast enough to do it first.

The rest of the girls just merely had a smile on their face as they tried to cover their laughs as how Rainbow was trying to keep her pride. Isaac didn't fully understand why the girls were laughing but was thankful that they were all back to being friends. After that unexpected encounter, the rest of the day went by as normal. Pinkie was putting the final touches on hosting the costume party that she had planned for the school. She managed had to get everything done, but she still needed some last minute insight. So she decided to ask Rarity and Isaac for their opinions of things. Rarity proved really useful in telling Pinkie on what designs would really bring out the holiday spirit in everybody; meanwhile, Pinkie just kept asking Isaac on who be wanted his opponent to be at the event for the special duel. Isaac still didn't have an answer for her to which she was freaking out. Once she was calmed down, she assured Isaac that she would find someone to challenge her big bro to a duel. It seemed that no matter how many times Isaac told Pinkie they weren't actually brother and sister, she just simply smiled and carried on like her usual self. After Pinkie left, Isaac and Rarity began talking as they walked to their next class.

"So you told the girls about our date, huh?"

"Yes, I hope you don't mind. It's just I only told them about us going out the day before; most of the response I got was rather positive, although Rainbow was a different story."

"I can tell, she seemed pretty pissed about us going out. Almost like she wanted to be the one to be in your place."

"Yes, well Rainbow can be a bit overprotective of her friends. She just worried that you would do something to hurt is all. Although, she seems to also harbor similar feelings for Isaac as well, even if she tries to deny it. In the end, she'll have to come out and admit to it."

"Hmm, did you say something, Rarity? I couldn't hear that last part you were talking about."

"Oh, nothing. Just reminding myself that I need to take care of something later." Rarity tried to put on the best fake smile she had to not draw any more attention. Thankfully Isaac seem to buy it as he didn't push anymore on the subject.

"Still, I'm glad to see you wearing that pin I got you."

"Why of course, darling. How can I not wear such a special gift? You gave me something that I will cherish for the rest of my life. I can't tell you how much it means to me." Rarity then gave Isaac a kiss on the check as she raced to her next class.

Isaac once again stopped in his tracks as he had brought his hand to where Rarity had kissed him. It took a while to get used to being kissed by a girl but in the end it made Isaac happy as it gave him a warm feeling. With that he began walking once more as he made his way to his next class. The rest of the day went by with everybody attending their classes. After his last class had ended early, Isaac was going to go in search of the girls as they wanted him to see about some of the cool functions of their duel disks. As of this morning, everybody had managed to get their hands on the new duel disks that were being handed to CHS. After they had witnessed Isaac's duel with Sunset, they couldn't wait to try these things out, especially Rainbow Dash. As he was walking around the school, Isaac managed to pass a room that caught his eye. When he opened the door, he managed to see what was inside. It was the musical room as it had tons of instruments, microphone stands, and even a couple of musical sheets scattered around near the piano.

Isaac had never been in this room, so when he saw the many instruments he was amazed with how many were in this room. He remembered how the girls had told him that they wanted to form a band together and had asked Isaac to join. He initially denied their request as he felt it was wrong to include himself on the girls' personal thing. Ultimately, the room was bring back memories of when Isaac used to play. He eventually saw a trumpet on a stand it reminded him of how much fun he had playing it. He picked it up and tried to remember the lessons he had when he first started playing it. After a couple of warm ups, Isaac found that he still had it in him as he played an exercise he was familiar with. Isaac then remembered a holiday that was coming up and how he would always play this song for his family.

Meanwhile, the girls were making their way to the music room to practice. This time Sunset had accompanied them. They were telling her about the encounter they had this morning.

"So let me get this straight, Rainbow was trying to attack Isaac because she was jealous of Isaac going on a date with Rarity?" Asked Sunset who had a sly smile on her face.

"No! It's not like that, I was just making sure that he didn't do anything to hurt Rarity?"

"Oh really, you sure it didn't have to do with you feeling like Isaac should have asked you out instead?"

"Shut up, Sunset. What could I see in a dork like Isaac? He's an egghead." Rainbow was doing her best to change the subject but it seemed to fail as she was growing red from embarrassment and a bit of blushing.

"Ignore Rainbow, Sunset. She's just dealing with it in her own way. By the way, did I mention this lovely pin that Isaac got me for our date? Doesn't it look lovely?"

"Yes, Rarity. You've been talking about it nonstop every 30 seconds. Hey y'all, do hear some music playing? And singing?" Applejack placed her hand to her ear to get a better sense of where the sound was coming from; eventually everybody else had heard it to and began to find the source of it. They made their way to the music room as they were surprised. They knew that nobody was using the room as they had booked it for themselves, so what could be going on in there. They all peeked their heads slightly in the room to see what was happening; the sight before them was something they weren't expecting. There was Isaac playing the trumpet and he was singing a tune that was not only amazing but beautiful at the same time.

After Isaac had finished playing his song, he returned the trumpet back to its stand and let out a sigh. It was that moment he heard clapping and a voice behind him.

"That... was.... Awesome!!" said Rainbow who was impressed with what she saw.

Isaac looked behind him as he got startled a bit by the sudden noise. He saw that it was none other than the girls who were also clapping as they showed their appreciation for Isaac's performance. It made Isaac a bit embarrassed that he had to have other people listen to him.

"My word, Isaac that was simply beautiful. Why didn't you tell us that you had that musical capability?" Rarity was swept off her feet by Isaac's singing. It kind of made her a bit dumb for not finding a chance to get Isaac to sing on their date. Nevertheless, she was glad she got to witness this with her friends.

"I'll say, that was mighty fine singing partner. But what exactly were you saying; more important, what were you singing?"

Isaac then sat on the steps with the rest of the girls taking a seat next/around him. "Well first off, what I was speaking was another language: Spanish. I told you girls that I've come from a Hispanic background, so you can expect me to speak another dialect. In terms of what kind of song I was singing, it was more of a ballad song. See this song is special to me and my family because each year we sing it to celebrate a holiday that's significant in my culture. Let me explain it to you girls, the song I was singing is all about remembering your ancestors. It's about remembering the people in your life who are either alive or have passed; it lets us know that as long as we keep those individuals in my our mind/heart then they will always live on."

The girls were really interested in the information that Isaac was talking about. It made them think about their own family ancestors.

"Wait, you said you and your family celebrate a holiday. What holiday is that?" asked Fluttershy.

"The holiday that my family celebrates is called Día de los Muertos. It translates to 'The Day of the Dead'. It's a day where we honor our friends/family members who have passed away. See while Halloween is more about terror and has a dark tone, Día de los Muertos is full of color and vivid traditions. See the belief is that on that day, the border that separates the spirit world and the real world is dissolved. Marigolds are believed to be the pathways that guide the spirits to their ofrendas. The flower’s vibrant colors and scent attract the departed souls. During this brief period, the souls of the dead awaken and return to the living world to feast, drink, dance and play music with their loved ones. In turn, the living family members treat the deceased as honored guests in their celebrations, and leave the deceased’s favorite foods and other offerings at grave sites or on the ofrendas built in their homes. The most prominent symbols related to the Day of the Dead are calacas which are skeletons and calaveras which are skulls. During contemporary Day of the Dead festivities, people commonly wear skull masks and eat sugar candy molded into the shape of skulls."

The girls were really invested in what they were hearing from Isaac as he talked about a part of his culture. Pinkie was having a huge smile on her face because of the many parties that Isaac was saying that people threw as well as all the food they made for their family members. Rarity wasn't even creeped out with the idea of what people would wear because she knew it was to honor the family relatives that were gone. In addition, the way Isaac described the festivities caused her to imagine her designing some costumes for people to wear. Applejack was just intrigued by the idea that celebrating family was considered a holiday in Isaac's culture. She began to picture herself and her family honoring the idea of their family legacy; maybe she could potentially see her parents. Fluttershy was admiring the floral part of holiday and how it served as a guide to allow the lost souls to find their way to the land of the living to enjoy themselves with their loved ones. Rainbow Dash and Sunset were more so interested in the kind of music people sang to show their loved ones they still held onto their memory. Overall, the girls all found something that they could relate to about Isaac's culture and it caused them to have a smile on their faces.

"Wow, Isaac. That was a really interesting story. It kind of makes me what to get involved in something like that." said Sunset who was intrigued because from where she came from they didn't have a holiday like this.

"Yeah, it's one of the many traditions that my family loves to do. In fact, every year I look forward to it; it allows me to be able to see the spirits of my dead ancestors and wish them luck that they're doing okay and that as long as we hold on to their memory they will never be forgotten." Isaac then took out his deck and looked at his Dark Magician as a thought began to form. "You know in a way, Duel Monsters is kind of similar in that we're playing with the spirits of monsters. And as long as we hold onto to their memory and remember that they will always be with us, then we'll never forget them." Safe to say that what Isaac was saying seemed to have made sense to the girls in a way. "Anyways, it seems you girls were about to start practicing, so I'll leave you be."

Isaac grabbed his stuff and was about to leave the room. However, Dash had caught Isaac by the arm and told him to stay.

"Hey, now are you ditching us? Come on, after that amazing performance and a history lesson that even I'm intrigued by. Why not stick around and sing with us for a bit?"

"Sorry, Dash. But this is your thing with the girls; I don't want to interrupt something like this. But if it makes you feel better, I'll stay and listen for a bit." Isaac then leaned against the wall as he watched the girls set up and perform a couple of hit songs. They all had a catching tune as even Isaac was moving his head to the beat and snapping his fingers to the tune of the song. Safe to say that for the rest of the day, Isaac and the girls enjoyed themselves as they rocked to some music.

After their little jam session, Isaac found out that the girls would be performing a little song at the costume party that Pinkie was planning for the school. Despite that, they didn't know what song to perform for the entire school. They thought they could just find one that they could all jam to, but since they heard that Isaac possess a decent set of vocals. They wanted him to take part in it, at least as a male singer part. Isaac told them that they shouldn't worry about having me be the reason they couldn't pick a song to perform. However, the girls were insist that Isaac would join them as they wanted him to get a chance to show others his talent other than dueling. Isaac didn't promise them anything, but did say that he would at least help them find a song that they could perform for the school. Then they departed ways as they each headed home.

Once Isaac made it home, he then went to his room where he lied down on his bed. It was then his Dark Magician's spirit came out as it sensed that his master was contemplating something. Isaac just had his eyes focused on his ceiling as he caught Mahad in the corner of his eyes.

"You seem to be troubled, Master? Is everything alright?"

"Hey Mahad. I'm just thinking about some things?"

"I assume you mean about the holiday that you told the girls about. I must say, it's rather an interesting ritual. Suffice to say we had similar practices in ancient Egypt, especially for the great pharaohs that ruled over the kingdom. When the time came for them to pass on to the next afterlife, we would offer them gifts and many priceless treasures that were also laid to rest with them so that they remember their previous life and know the people that support them when they were alive. Even in ceremonies, we would do some kind of offering to provide guidance/protection for the great kings and warriors that were lost."

"Seems traditions/cultures change over time, even among different societies. However, they still have a common similarity in that we still try to remember our fallen comrades and ancestors." Isaac and his Dark Magician then shared a smile together as they looked each other. For a second, it seemed like time had reversed back to ancient Egypt and there was Mahad wearing his Egyptian garments and Isaac was wearing a similar outfit to a pharaoh. After that, Mahad bid farewell to his master and returned to his card. Isaac then sat up and began to do some research on what songs he could give to the girls for them to perform for the party.

The next day at school was a rather explosive one, well at least for Pinkie. She was running around the place getting things ready for the party that would take place at the end of the week. While she was putting up her decorations, she got Isaac to act as a sort of supervisor to make sure that she didn't go overboard. Isaac just simply let Pinkie do her thing; eventually Pinkie was starting to become exhausted as she was working nonstop to get everything ready. Isaac then decided that as the role of 'big brother' he needed to make sure that his 'little sister' didn't overwork herself. Eventually, he called her over to get some rest.

"Hey, Pinkie. How about getting some rest? You're running low on energy, even for you."

"Maybe you're right, big bro." Pinkie then hopped/skipped over to where Isaac was sitting.

"Again, I'm not your actual brother."

"I know but you act like it and as the little sister it's my job to watch over you and clean up any messes that you leave behind." Pinkie just gave Isaac a pat on his head before pulling out a cupcake from her curly hair.

"That's not how it works, if I'm the older sibling then it's my job to watch over you! I'm suppose to be the one to clean up after your mess." Isaac was trying to do his best to explain this to Pinkie without losing his mind.

"Ahh, it's nice that we finally see eye to eye. Thanks big brother, but don't worry little sister Pinkie will be here to keep you out of trouble." Pinkie just gave Isaac a smile as she took a bite of another sweet. Isaac on the other hand was losing his patience as well as his mind. He felt like his head was going to explode, if he even tried to understand he knew his brain would be fried so he decided to let it go and just chalk it up to regular old Pinkie Pie nonsense. Nevertheless, Isaac decided to get his mind off of things by having a duel with her to which Pinkie was happy to agree to. They pulled out their cards and began to play on the floor; as they were playing Pinkie was asking Isaac some questions.

"Hey Isaac, I've been meaning to ask it's alright, if at the costume party I can incorporate some things from your culture?"

"Sure.... why do you need to ask me though?"

"Well, I just wanted to be respectful of your background and hoped that I wasn't disrespecting you by doing something that either upset you or caused you to feel secluded from others."

"Pinkie, I shared my story/culture with you girls because I wanted to open your eyes on a different part of the world. Plus Applejack kind of asked me based on my performance of the song that I sang. As to you disrespecting me, you could never do that. You're the kind of person who will do anything to put smiles on people's faces; you know how to have a good time and I know who to call if I ever need a hype man, or in this case, a women."

"Ahh, thanks big bro." Pinkie then gave Isaac a hug to which he just merely used his hand and patted her arm.

Soon it was the weekend and it was time for the costume party. Everybody had taken the time to dress up, some students even dressed up Duel Monsters which really showed the school spirit among the students. The girls were all dressed up in unique outfits that Rarity had designed. Pinkie had decided to dress up as a chicken which was odd; Applejack had gone with a scarecrow costume and has genuine straw/hay embedded into her outfit. Fluttershy had gone with a Little Bo Peep outfit as she had a cane to go along with her outfit; Rainbow Dash has decided to dress up as an astronaut for the evening. Sunset had gone with werewolf/vampire costume and was wearing some dark eyeshadow, and lastly Rarity was just wearing one of her fancy dresses that she happened to make. They were all enjoying themselves as they were preparing to perform for the party. Pinkie really outdid herself as she not only incorporated Halloween theme but als Day of the Dead theme. Nevertheless they were about to go on stage when they began to go over a sound check.

"Well, everything seems ready, is everyone good to go?" Asked Rainbow to which the girls gave her a thumbs up. Just then she noticed that Isaac was nowhere to be seen. "Speaking of being ready, has anybody seen Isaac? I haven't seen him at all, I know that he's preparing for the duel but I doubt he missed our performance."

"Maybe you should look behind you, Dash." The sound coming from behind her was enough to make Rainbow scared as she jumped a few feet in the air. Isaac couldn't help laughing as he saw how terrified he made the great Rainbow Dash feel. Their friends even were trying to hold back a laugh as they found it hilarious that Isaac managed to get a scare out of Rainbow. In terms of Isaac's costume, he was dressed as a superhero that had his name on the front and wore a cape. After the group had assured Rainbow that they were just joking, Isaac gave them the song they would be singing and told them that given how he had an understanding of how the beat went; he would help them by singing the lead vocals with the rest of the girls giving him backup. Once the plan was discussed, they gave started to signal that they were ready and appeared before the stage. The song/music started and once the beat picked up Isaac made his way on stage and began to sing into the microphone.

After the song had ended, the group gave a bow as their fellow students gave a thunderous applause. Soon it was time for the exhibition duel and it took a while before Isaac changed back into his signature look and grabbed his duel disk as he made his way back into the room and prepared for his match. The rest of night went by smoothly with everybody having a fun time and Isaac enjoying himself. He had managed to defeat his opponent and keep his rank as champion; after that he continued to enjoy the rest of the party with the girls. Once the party had ended, everybody made their way home as they enjoyed themselves. Isaac thanked Pinkie for a good time and the girls for putting on a good show. The following week was the actually Halloween Day. However, for Isaac he was more concerned with the following day as it was the Day of the Dead.

True to Isaac's word, he and his family had their dinner table laid out with tons of candles, flowers, and tons of favorite foods that their ancestors liked to eat. Then even had a picture/portrait of their dead relatives and made sure that they each had marigolds, so that they could be able to allow the spirits of their family to pass into the land of the living and enjoy themselves. They then turned in for the night as it was getting late; as Isaac began to make his way to his room, there were spirits of people that began to manifest as they took in all the sights and smells of the treats left behind. The spirits looked around as they began to mingle with other members of their family that they hadn't seen in a long way. Ultimately, they saw Isaac as he was leaving the room and together they all had a huge smile on their face as they were happy to see someone in their family legacy who not only was turning into a great duelist but was also destined for great things.

Chapter 29: Teach Time

It was another peaceful day, Isaac was currently helping Fluttershy with taking care of the animals down at the Rescue Center. At the moment, they were giving the dogs their daily bath.

"Uhh, now I know why I prefer to be cat person." Isaac was getting a bit soaked from washing the dogs. Thankfully, he took off his signature hoodie before they started, so it wouldn't get wet. Fluttershy was next to him wearing an apron and a little nurse hat as she too was washing the dogs. "At least with Tigre, I don't have to worry because she can just wash herself."

Fluttershy had giggled at Isaac's comment. "Still it's our duty to make sure that these lovely guys are kept clean and healthy."

"Arlight, time to wash these guys down." Isaac then went to get a bucket of water. He then poured it all over the dog that was covered in soap and suds. Once Isaac had poured all the water, the dog's fur was now drenched. "It's fine, he'll dry himself." True to Isaac's word, the dog began to shake himself as he tried to get as much water out of him as possible.

Sometime later, Fluttershy was putting the last of the animals away while Isaac was sitting down at a table. He was currently going over his duel disk performing a daily maintenance dueling routine to make sure everything was working. Fluttershy had just arrived from putting the animals back into their cages; she was still wearing that animal nurse outfit when she saw Isaac fiddling away with his duel disk. She thought back to how Rarity had managed to go on a date with Isaac and it kind of made her heart hurt for a bit. She was happy that her friend got to experience a good time, but she couldn't help to be a bit jealous. Prior to meeting the other girls, she was the first friend that Isaac had met. Even then she was the first person to get to know him and learn how special he was to her. From the moment he returned her lost card, to Isaac building her a deck and teaming with him, to even competing against him in the Fall Formal. Fluttershy then took out a flyer and looked at it before making her way to Isaac.

Isaac still had his mind on his duel disk that he didn't notice Fluttershy approaching him til she made her presence known.

"Uhm, Isaac."

"Yeah, Fluttershy." Isaac still wasn't facing her as he kept working on his duel disk.

"Uhm, I know you went on a date with Rarity a few weeks ago."

"Right." Isaac still wasn't facing her.

"And I'm glad that you showed her a good time. It makes me happy to know that she has someone who can bring her so much happiness/joy." Fluttershy was getting a bit nervous as she must trying to muster up the courage to ask Isaac out. Her heart was beating as this was probably the scariest thing she had ever done in her life. Eventually she blurted out what she was saying. "I was just wondering if you would like to go with me?" Fluttershy hid her face behind her hair.

At that moment, Isaac stopped what he was doing. The response from Fluttershy almost made him damage his duel disk while he was checking it over. He now turned to Fluttershy before blinking his eyes as he tried to wrap his head around what she was saying. It took a moment but Isaac asked Fluttershy to repeat herself.

"I'm sorry, Fluttershy. But could you repeat that again?"

"Well it's just that I got an invitation from the school to attend an aviary center. It's a place where people can watch tons of birds flying about and seeing how they act. It's sort of like bird watching; anyways some of the students are attending and they're allowed to bring one guest. As you know that my dream one day is to create an animal sanctuary, so I hope that I can some inspiration from a place like this. That being said, I was wondering if you would like to come with me as my plus one." Fluttershy had a bright blush on her face after she had finished asking Isaac.

Isaac too had a bit of red on his cheeks as he was listening to Fluttershy. It soon disappeared as he thought about Fluttershy's request. He didn't know what to do/say; I mean other than the date with Rarity, he didn't have anymore romantic encounters. Despite going out with Rarity, he didn't have any other dates besides that initial first outing. Isaac was a bit hesitant in responding to Fluttershy because he was afraid of what Rarity might think. As a result of going out with Rarity, it seemed to have ticked off Rainbow Dash because he hung out with her. He was a bit scared of what would happen if he now did the same thing with Fluttershy. After thinking about it, he turn gave Fluttershy his response.

"Look Fluttershy, I'm glad that you're still working towards your dream of trying to make predator and prey live in harmony. In terms of being your plus one for this school event, well... I'd be happy to attend with you. I just have to ask Rarity if it's alright. I mean you remember how Rainbow Dash felt about Rarity going behind her back and asking me out. Just want to make sure that there's no trouble this time around; if everybody knows then I don't have to worry about anything, right?"

"Ohh.. sure." While she was happy that Isaac had accepted her invite, she had hoped it would have been more special if it was just the two of them and not have the entire group talk about it.

The next day, Isaac managed to see Rarity as he was passing by him in the hallways.

"Hey, Rarity. Wait up, I have something I want to talk to you about."

"Oh, hello Isaac. What did you want to talk about?"

"Well, I was helping out Fluttershy with taking care of some animals the other day. As we were finishing up, she approached me and asked me to attend a school event with her. The way it sounded it kinda of sounded like she was asking me out. I wasn't quick to say, so I told her that I could accompany her as long as I asked you."

"Asked me? Why darling, why would you need my permission to go on a date with Fluttershy?"

"I mean you saw what happened last time; you didn't tell the girls and well Rainbow was pretty angry. I got lucky that you'll were there to help me calm her down. I don't want something like that to happen again."

Rarity was trying to hold back a laugh at what Isaac's explanation was for asking her permission to go out with Fluttershy. "Darling, there no need to ask me. I'm not your mother and you're a grown man who can do what he wants and go out with whoever he wants. The only reason Rainbow threw a temper tantrum is because... well... let's say she had personal reason."

Isaac felt a bit dumb that he had to ask Rarity for permission, but he was new to the world of dating so he had to make sure that wasn't doing anything wrong. "Thanks, then Rares. I feel kind of stupid having to ask you; I mean it's not like your my girlfriend or anything." Isaac just gave a lighthearted laugh.

"Yes, you're right. I'm not your girlfriend. Ha. At least, not yet. Hopefully, I may someday be." Rarity made sure to turn her head slightly when she said that last bit. Thankfully, Isaac didn't notice this and just said goodbye as he left. Rarity was left to ponder her thoughts as she collected her mind on what had transpired. "So it seems Fluttershy is also making her move, it's nice to see that she's stepping out of her comfort zone. I always did find the two of them pretty cute; well nothing I can do but see how it goes and see how Isaac feels about her." Rarity tossed aside any selfish thoughts she had about Fluttershy trying to make Isaac be with her, she knew Fluttershy wasn't that type of person and hoped that she would have a good time with him.

Celestia and Luna were in their offices looking over some paperwork. They were also running some diagnostics on the new duel disks as they wanted to see how well they were performing and to see how much fun the students were having. Since the Fall Formal, a fair amount of things had changed. Not only did the Fall Formal crown a new champion, but it opened the pathway for new connections from many schools in the district. She even got a call from a familiar person who attended another school; she just merely congratulated Celestia for putting on a classic event and for crowning a new top duelist. The mysterious women just wished her luck and told her that they would meet in a couple of months for a special event. Celestia was happy with the sudden transformation happening to CHS.

"Well, sister. Everybody seems pleased with how the new duel disk are functioning. Our system is being filled with tons of new duels/scores that our computers can barely record them without overloading the processors."

"That's wonderful news, Luna. To think that Canterlot High is undergoing a sort of renaissance due to the events of the Fall Formal. I couldn't be happy to see the faces on these students filled with happiness and wonder. In a way, it thanks to both Sunset and Isaac. Sunset was once the most feared person in this place, but when Isaac chose to step up and challenge her authority, he gave new birth to hope. He gave these students something worth fighting for and as a result they supported him on his journey as he defeated the darkness within her. Since then he's been seen as the standard barrier of our school when it comes to dueling. Isaac helped to reform Sunset and gave her a second chance that not many would do."

"Indeed, Celestia. Isaac has proven to be the face of Canterlot High in terms of Duel Monsters; it's one of the many reasons why you chose him as your representative for those meetings you suddenly started." Luna had a bit of a sly tone in her voice at that last part she said. To which Celestia tried to deny that she made the meetings for her sake. It was just that she was so busy that she couldn't attend them all, so she picked someone to act on her behalf.

"Nevertheless, I've been getting reports that many of the students are really happy with Isaac being ranked as the champion because it's been encouraging others to step up their game. You don't want to know how many requests I get on a daily basis of students coming to my office and demanding for a shot at Isaac. There's only so much that I can do to say 'I'll take it under consideration'. It seems that if the future of this place is to exist, it must first go through Isaac as he doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon."

"That gives me an idea. You remember the talk we had previous, Lulu."

"You mean the one about us taking part in a duel one final time. I know what you're thinking sister and I have to disagree. I feel it would be too much to suddenly thrust this upon him. Perhap we should wait a bit; I mean there's no rush."

"You're right Luna. There's still plenty of time; now then, how have the younger students been progressing?"

"Well, there enthusiastic to say the least, but they could use some improvements. They're really invested when it comes to Duel Monsters, but they seem to struggle to understand some of the concepts."

"Is that so, then maybe I may have an idea to help?" Celestia had a big smile on her face as she thought of an idea.

The CMC were currently in class where they were learning about the history of radishes. Suffice to say that the students were bored and tired from listening Ms. Cheerilee's lecture.

"And that is how the name radish got its label. Any questions?" Once Cheerilee looked back at her students, she saw that most of them were tired and not fully paying attention to what she was saying. There were a couple of students who hand their elbows on their desks and were starting to fall asleep. Others had their mouths open and there was a bit of drool coming out; some of them just had blank stares.

"Right, then. Well class, it's time for our next lesson which involves Duel Monsters."

Once Cheerilee had said that everybody's attitude changed on the dime as they awoke from their slumber and were full of energy. The students then began to pull out some cards as they were eager to see what Ms. Cheerilee had planned. Before things got out of hand, Ms. Cheerilee wanted to address her fellow students as she had something that could help them moving forward.

"Now class, settle down. I know how eager you all are about dueling. It truly is a spectacle; but I need to talk to you about how you're all performing. Principal Celestia has brought something to my attention that while you're all eager to learn the game; the scores haven't been the best. She believes that you all have the potential to be a great duelist, so she's enlisted the help of someone who she believes can help you to understand and develop a strong foundation of the basics. Boys and girls, please welcome Isaac." Cheerilee pointed at the door and through it came Isaac.

The reception that Isaac got was expected to say the least. As soon as he set foot in the classroom, all the students began to talk amongst themselves and then started to crowd Isaac as they bombarded him with questions. Cheerilee saw Isaac was having a tough time, so she decided to help him by getting her class back into their seats.

"Now class! Let's give Isaac some space. Return to your seats!" It worked as the students had returned to their desks and jumping up and down in their seats as they were excited to see what Isaac was going to teach them.

"Thank you Ms. Cheerilee. So boys and girls, how are all of you doing? I hear that you're all learning about Duel Monsters and I'm excited to see what you'll know. Now as you probably know, my name is Isaac." Just then a voice interrupted Isaac as he was talking.

"Oh, we know who you are. Mr. Champion. Let be the first to say that victory of yours, was stellar to say the least. I talked with my father on your performance, although there was some things that you did that I believe were a waste but you did good nonetheless."

"Thanks you for that, Ms...."

"Tiara. Diamond Tiara, and yes, I am the best duelist here out of this pathetic bunch. And let me say that it will be an honor for you to have a someone like me as your personal protégé." Diamond Tiara had a smug look on her face, while the CMC just merely rolled their eyes at her statement.

"I look forward to seeing what you can do, Ms. Tiara." Seems she's one of those type of people, well this should be fun. Isaac then told Diamond Tiara to take a seat to which she happily did. Isaac then cleared his throat as he prepared to talk with the entire class. "Well, as Ms. Tiara put it yes, I'm currently ranked as the champion in CHS. But I don't want that to be the main distraction between us. I want you all to treat as an equal and not some famous celebrity; I want to help you guys to become the next generation of duelist, so as per Celestia's request I'll be serving as a teacher's aid with Ms. Cheerilee. On the days, that I have a free period, I'll stop by your class and work with you guys to improve your skills, so just think of me as your friend. And as for what you should address me by, just call me by my name or Teach is fine. Is that understood?"

All the students seemed to understand what Isaac was saying and they all gave him responses that they wouldn't see him as the big shot duelist that everybody else in the upper grades saw him as. Once the rules were set, Isaac was about to begin his first lesson.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, I'll like to begin with a few questions to grasp a sense of where you guys are at. First question: how many of you, know about the game Duel Monsters?". Almost all the students raised their hands. "Ok, now how many of you actually play the game and have some idea on how it works?". Once again, almost all the students raised their hands. "Alright, now how many of you have a deck or at least some cards?". This time the amount was fewer than the 2 previous questions. Isaac took a moment to see and made sure to make a mental note about it. "Lastly, who can tell me the main types of summoning that are in Duel Monsters?". This time there was no hands raised as the students were either confused or they didn't know the answer at all. With that Isaac then figured out where he should start his lesson.

"Thanks for the quick survey, I think I've got enough data to figure out where we need to start." Isaac then stood up from his seat and took out his duel disk and his deck from his backpack. The students were surprised to see Isaac's duel disk, but more importantly, his deck. Just as Isaac was about to talk about the different types of summoning, there was a student who raised their hand.

"Umm, Isaac?"

"Yes, mind telling me your name, kid?"

"My name's Featherweight. And I wanted to share a video with everybody that might help us to understand the different types of summoning methods. If that's alright?"

"Sure, Featherweight." With that Featherweight plugged in a flash drive into Cheerilee's computer. Ms. Cheerilee then turned on the school projector, while Isaac closed all the shades and turned off the lights to see the video. Suffice to say that the video did explain the different types of summoning; however, it mostly consisted of Isaac's duels. Isaac shouldn't have been too shocked as the expressions on the kids faces were full of excitement; some of the duels consisted of Isaac showing off his monsters and using his cards to their full potential.

"Watch as I demonstrate the power of teamwork between duelist and monster. I overlay 2 of my level 7 magicians to build the Overlay network. I Xyz summon Ebon Illusion Magician(2500/2100, OLU: 2). Now I’ll play the spell card The Eye of Timaeus with this I can conduct a fusion summon using this and my Dark Magician Girl. Now merge you two and unveil a new monster. Appear Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight(2600/1700). I summon my level 4 tuner Bri Synchron(1500/1100) and tune it with my level 4 Junk Warrior. Behold as the cosmos creates a monster of galactic might, behold as I Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon(2500/2100)!"

Once the video ended, Ms. Cheerilee turned off the projector and lifted up the shades while Isaac turned on the lights. He then made his way to the front of the class.

"Well, thank you, Featherweight for that unique presentation. Although I think you just wanted to show the class what I can do." Isaac's assumption was confirmed based on Featherweight just tried hide his embarrassment from his fellow peers. "Regardless, it did help us because it showed off the different types of summoning that are available when it comes to Duel Monsters. The 3 types are: Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz summoning. Fusion revolves around combining different monsters to create a new creature, sometimes an even powerful one. Synchro is all about summoning out low level monsters and then tuning them together to bring out more powerful monsters as fast as you can. And lastly, Xyz is about overlaying monster cards to create monsters that use overlay units to activate their special ability. In fact, Xyz is one of the trickiest summonings to pull off. Usually because it revolves around having monsters to be the same level and having cards that can manipulate a monster's level to get it just right for you to overlay."

The class was fascinated with what Isaac was telling them that they started to take notes on what he was saying.

"Now those are the big 3 but their are also some basic summonings that anybody can pull off. Does anybody know what they are?"

"I do, the basic summons consist of a tribute summon and a ritual summon."

"Correct, and your name young lady?"

"Silver Spoon, Mr. Champion."

"Alright then, Silver Spoon. In order to conduct a tribute summoning, what must you do?"

"Well, in order to summon a level 5 or 6 monster, you must sacrifice one monster. In the case of level 7 or above, you must sacrifice 2 monsters unless the monster you're trying to call out requires more."

"Very good, Ms. Spoon. You show that you really know your stuff." Silver spoon sat back into her seat with a smile on her face as she gave her best friend a high five. "Now can anybody tell me what the rules are to ritual summon?"

"I can, when you ritual summon a monster you must have the appropriate spell card to use. In addition, you must also have the monster you want to ritual summon. To summon them you need to sacrifice monsters who level will equal the same level as the monster you're trying to bring out."

"Correct, Ms. Scootaloo. Now that we've covered the basics; lets move onto the next part of the lesson. As a duelist you main responsibility is to have a deck that you can rely on, a deck that reflects on who you are as an individual. Your deck must also have a star monster to revolve around, a companion that you feel comfortable with, a friend that you know will always be by your side in tough times." Isaac then pulled out 2 cards from his deck and looked at them before showing it to the class. "For me these are my star monsters, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then passed them around, so that the class could see them.

The students were amazed with seeing Isaac's top monsters. They had heard tales of powerful cards and were lucky if at all to see these powerful monsters in action. Now that they had the opportunity to actually see and hold these cards, they felt honored to be in the presence of such incredible monsters. While they couldn't see it; Isaac could see the spirits of his monsters smiling at the students. Once everybody had a chance to see the cards, they passed them back to Isaac as he put them on top of his deck.

"Well, now that we've covered monsters, let's talk about spell and trap cards. Who can tell me what kind of type of cards are used?"

This time it was Sweetie Belle to answer. "I can Isaac, each card type has subtypes. Spell cards, for instance, are divided into Quickplay, Continuous, Field, Equip, Ritual, and Normal, while Trap cards are divided into Continuous, Counter, and Normal. Each of those subtypes determines when it can be activated and how it is played. For example, Field Spells stay on the field and affect all monsters in play until they get destroyed, while Equip spells attach to a monster to confer effects to only it and are destroyed if that monster leaves play."

Isaac gave her a smile as he was proud that Sweetie Belle had managed to do a bit of research on her own. "You are correct, Ms. Belle. Now that we've covered everything, how about we have a demonstration to show off everything we learned?" Isaac's response was meant with a loud noise as the students were really wanting to see some action.

"Well, then I just need an opponent. Ms. Cheerilee, do you mind if you help me?"

"Of course, Isaac. Alright class, line up and follow Isaac as we head outside for a class demonstration."

Once they made it outside, Ms. Cheerilee told everybody to sit on the grass as they watched the entertainment that was about to happen. Once everybody had taken a seat, she then made her way across from Isaac and activated one of the duel disks that the school staff used. Isaac then turned on his duel disk and slotted his deck in before looking at Ms. Cheerilee and confirming that they were ready to begin.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Intiaiting. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voice of their duel disk.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Cheerilee's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Cheerilee

"Seems I'm starting off, draw. I'll play my Teacher's Knight in attack mode(1300/1200). I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Alright, looks like I'm up. Pay attention, class." Isaac drew his card and looked through his hand to figure out what he wanted to do. He then looked at the students who all had smiles and huge eyes as they awaited to see what Isaac would do. Isaac just gave them a thumbs up before playing his card. "I'll start things off with playing the spell Pot of Greed. Now I'll draw 2 more cards, now since I drew my Watapon thanks to my spell I can then summon him to my field."

"Hey, why did Isaac do that?" asked one of the students.

"Yeah, I mean Watapon doesn't have enough attack points to take down Cheerilee's monster. So why play it?" asked another classmate.

"It's because so he can activate Watapon's effect. See when it's drawn from your deck due to an effect you can special summon it to the field. This is good because it doesn't count as your normal summon; plus it means that Isaac can sacrifice it to summon out an even powerful monster."

"That's right Applebloom. Now I'll sacrifice my Watapon in order to bring out my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac summoned out his ultimate female spellcaster who struck a pose and took a bow before appearing on Isaac's side.

Dark Magician Girl saw the group of little kids that were watching them and she couldn't help but smile at how cute they were. She ultimately gave them a wave, to which some just waved back. To the kids, she was like a god to them and justed wanted to have play and have fun with her. She then turned back to her master.

"Oh my, Isaac. Those kids over there are just so cute; I just want to have fun and play with them all day." She couldn't contain herself as she lost it at the sight of the kids being so adorable.

"Indeed, Mana. However, I'm teaching these students a lesson about dueling. Mind giving me a hand?"

"You've got it Isaac." Mana then gave her master a thumbs up to which Isaac returned as well.

"Next I'll play the spell Double Summon and summon my Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. Now since she's on the field, she's the only one you can attack. Now time for battle, Magician's Valkyria take out that monster and then Dark Magician Girl attack Cheerilee directly with Dark Burning Attack! Class, mind helping me out with basic arithmetic? How much life points will Ms. Cheerilee lose?"

"I can answer that, since Valkyria has 1600 attack points and Ms. Cheerilee's monster only has 1300 attack, she'll lose 300 points due to the difference in their stats. In additionally, Dark Magician Girl has a total of 2000 attack points and is attacking her directly. Therefore the total amount of damage is 2300 which means, Ms. Cheerilee will have 5700 life points left. Anybody should know basic stuff." said Diamond Tiara who had a sly smile on her voice.

"Correct." Isaac then snapped his fingers and true to Tiara's word, Ms. Cheerilee's monster was wiped out and Dark Magician Girl then pointed her wand at her and fired a spell that made contact.
Cheerilee's Life Points: 5700-

Turn 3: Cheerilee

"Well, the class seems to be into this duel. Now then lets see if I've still got it in my old age. I'll play my spell card: Scroll of Teaching. Now I can add a level 4 or below monster from my deck to my hand." Cheerilee then picked the card she wanted and added it to her hand. "Next I'll play Floral Guardian(500/2000) in defense mode. Then I'll play 1 card facedown."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Nice job, Ms. Cheerilee. Class, mind telling me why Ms. Cheerilee did that?"

"It's obvious, due to Isaac's monster having high attack points. She needed to have a monster that can not only defend her but cause Isaac to play an even stronger monster to get through her life points."

"Spot on Silver Spoon, now watch as how I can turn a negative into a positive. Draw. I'll activate a nifty little spell called Sage's Stone now since I have Dark Magician Girl on my field, I can call upon her teacher." Just then a spotlight shined on Isaac as he was about to put on a performance of a lifetime. "Ladies and gentleman, welcome one and all. Time to amaze you with some show stopping skills, however we seem to be missing our star attraction. Well all will be revealed because I have his lovely apprentice to help me out. Watch and be amazed as the stone breaks and reveal the one and only, Dark Magician." Isaac snapped his fingers and the stone cracked and out came his ultimate spellcaster.

The students' breaths were taken away as they got to see the sight of Isaac's most loyal companion. It was an honor to be in the presence of such a legendary card; not to mention that they were all getting a kick out of it. Isaac then looked at his monster as it descended on his field. Mahad looked to his side and saw that they weren't battling under normal circumstances.

"Aren't you excited, Mahad?"

"Forgive me for being rude, master. But it feels a bit weird being summoned when it's to demonstrate for little kids."

"Oh lighten up, Mahad. Those kids over there are so adorable that I just want to pinch their cheeks. Loosen up, besides our master is doing this to help teach those children about the mechanics of Duel Monsters. You wouldn't want to break their little hearts now, are you really that serious and heartless that you can't think of the children?"

"That's not true... if it's for teaching purpose then I suppose it couldn't hurt to enlighten the younger generation."

"That's the spirit buddy."

Meanwhile in the crowd of students they were a bit confused on what Isaac was doing or who he was talking to.

"Umm, does anybody know who Isaac is talking to?"

"Yeah, he just seems to be taking to someone invisible?"

"Mr. Isaac, mind telling us who're addressing?"

"Don't worry, kids. I'm just talking to my monsters." Isaac gave a smile which was convincing enough for the students as they thought they understood what he was saying. "Now time to wow you guys, Dark Magician take out Cheerilee's Floral Guardian, Dark Magic Attack." Isaac's wizard raised its staff and pointed it at its target and got rid of it. "Then I'll have the rest of my monsters attack her directly!" The rest of Isaac's field heard their command and dealt a hit to Ms. Cheerilee.
Cheerilee's Life Points: 2100-

"I'll then end my turn with a card facedown."

Turn 5: Cheerilee

"Well done, Isaac. It seems you've got the students invested more than I could have teaching them in a classroom."

"I'd appreciate the compliment, but it's you who introduced these kids to dueling. I'm just teaching them by showing rather than telling. Sometime the best way to learn is to experience things firsthand; at least, that's how I learn and got interested in Duel Monsters."

"I'll take that into consideration, now then draw. I activate my facedown OverRule, now since I took damage I can summon two monsters who attack is less than the damage I took. So I'll play two copies of my Daisy Dancers(900/1300). Then I'll sacrifice both of my monsters to tribute summon my Calliope Diva(2750/2000). Now I'll have my monster attack Isaac's Valkyria, Melody Attack." Cheerilee had finally managed to score a hit on Isaac's life points as she destroyed his monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 6850-

"Next, I'll activate Textbook of Law, with this I can have my monster conduct a second attack and when she destroys a monster you take damage equal to its attack points. So time to take out Dark Magician." Cheerilee gave her command and her monster was ready to strike again.

The students were scared that Isaac was about to lose his best monster.

"Watch out, Isaac."

"Don't worry, Scootaloo. My magician is not going anywhere, reveal Magical Hats. Time for a little disappearing act; alright kids and Ms. Cheerilee, see if you can figure out which hat my monster is under but remember you only get one shot?"

Round and round the hats spun in a circle until they stopped and then spread themselves in a line. Both the kids and Ms. Cheerilee were confused as they were trying to figure out where Isaac's monster was hiding. Isaac tapped his foot as he waited patiently for Cheerilee to make her decision.

"Tick tock, Ms. Cheerilee. We haven't got all day? What's it gonna be?"

"Uhm... I... choose the hat on far right." Cheerilee wasn't too sure with her decision as she commanded her monster to attack the hat. It exploded and produced smoke as it popped. It was nothing but dead silence as everybody looked on with interest to see if Cheerilee had made the right choice. Isaac just had a smile on his face as he already knew the result. Once the smoke, cleared there was still 3 hats which served as the sign that Cheerilee chose wrong.

"That's a miss, better luck next time."

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Now then, draw. Time for my magician to reveal himself, come on out buddy." Isaac dispelled his hats and it revealed his magician. He then drew his card and prepared to give the kids one final lesson. "Well folks, it seems we've reached the finale. We hope that you'll have enjoyed the show thus far, now time to unveil our final trick ready my magicians. Now I'll play the spell Dark Burning Magic, now with this card since I have both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then I can destroy all cards that my opponent controls." Once again, Isaac snapped his fingers and his spellcasters obliterated Cheerilee's field. "With that gone, the curtain now falls and so we must say good night, now attack her directly." With that final attack Cheerilee's life points were reduced to zero.
Cheerilee's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel was over both Isaac and his monsters took a bow as the group of kids applauded them for a very entertaining duel. Isaac thanked his monsters as their spirits returned back to his deck. Just then Isaac felt himself get tackled by three little people as he fell to the floor. The CMC were really impressed with how their dueling teach had performed that they all ran up to him to give him a hug. Unfortunately, they had so much force that when they collided with Isaac they caused him to stumble and fall on his back. Isaac had managed to convince them to let him up.

"That was amazing, did you see how awesome you were?" shouted Scootaloo.

"I was on the edge of my seat just watching you!" Sweetie Belle was ecstatic about Isaac winning.

"That was more fun than square dancing, y'all."

"Well I'm glad you guys enjoyed it. Now mind letting me get up?" Once the girls realized their mistake, they let Isaac stand up. "Thanks and to you too, Ms. Cheerilee. I couldn't do it without a partner."

"It was my pleasure, Isaac. Besides I think it's safe to assume that I'm more comfortable teaching rather than actual dueling. Besides, the way you kept entertain the children showed that they really paid attention to what you were saying in class. These students are learning more than I've taught them in class."

Isaac turned towards the children and saw tons of smiles on their little faces. He just gave them a smile as they started to head back inside. As they were making their way, Isaac had tons of questions from the kids. From up above in their office, both Celestia and Luna had smiles on their face as they had just finished watching the duel. They were happy to have made the right choice and hoped that the kids would be grateful to learn from CHS's top duelist.

Chapter 30: A Day Filled with Kindness

It was another day and that meant another day of dueling. For Isaac he was preparing to grab the things he needed, as he was heading to Ms. Cheerilee's class. After yesterday's demonstration, the kids were more than eager to learn more. One thing that Isaac did notice was the fact that not everybody had cards, so to help he decided to ask Celestia to borrow a small portion of the school's budget to purchase a few boxes. Thankfully, Celestia agreed to Isaac's proposal as she had full trust that Isaac knew what he was doing. So with the money in hand, Isaac then stopped by a local card shop and was able to purchase a couple of sets and a few extra packs.

With all the things he needed, Isaac then closed his locker and then began to walk towards the classroom. As he was walking he heard someone called his named which caused him to turn around.

"Isaac, wait up."

"Oh, hey Fluttershy. What are you doing?"

"I justed wanted to make sure that we're still on for our event tomorrow. Did Rarity allow you to?"

"Oh, yeah. Turns out I didn't need Rarity's permission after all. She said that I'm free to do as I please, which includes on who I hang out and choose to go out with."

Fluttershy had a small smile as she hid behind her hair. She was glad that Isaac was going to be attending the event with her; in fact, she kind of was looking forward to their date. After they ran over the details for tomorrow's event, Isaac then began to continue on his way towards his destination which caught Fluttershy's attention.

"Mind telling me where you're heading, if you don't mind?"

"Well believe it or not, Celestia actually gave me a position as a sort of teaching assistance. During my free periods, I'm helping the kids to understand Duel Monsters. Based on how well they were invested, it seems to be working. Say care to join me, the kids would love it if they saw another duelist besides me."

Fluttershy was hesitant with Isaac's suggestion. It's not that she didn't mind, but the fact that she would be in front of a crowd. Sure it was children, but the thought of so many eyes staring/watching her was enough to make her want to disappear. Still the way it made Isaac happy showed that he enjoyed working with kids and that alone was enough to bring a smile to his face. Besides, if she saw how comfortable Isaac was around children then it could prove useful for something that could potential happen should they end up together. So after some consideration, Fluttershy told Isaac that she'd be happy to be a guest and help with the kids.

The children were anxious as they awaited for Isaac's arrival. It seemed that yesterday's duel had caught all of their attention as they couldn't wait to learn more from their new favorite teach. As the students were talking amongst themselves, the CMC were discussing Isaac's current position as their dueling instructor. They were glad that they were going to have more time with Isaac teaching them, but now everybody in their class was going to get a chance to learn from Isaac. It's just they felt special when it was just them, but now their entire class was going to take away most of Isaac's time. Nevertheless, they accepted it and tried to not let it get to them; however, that was easier said than done due to Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon trying to outshow everybody else to get Isaac's attention. Just then Isaac and Fluttershy entered the room as Ms. Cheerilee told the students to settle down.

"Good afternoon, class. Today, I've brought a special guest. I'd like to introduce you all to my friend, Fluttershy. She'll be helping me with today's lesson." Isaac welcomed Fluttershy who just waved to the kids as they waved back. Isaac then began to address the class which really surprised Fluttershy as she saw how comfortable he was with handling little kids. It also made her happy to see the kids become invested in what Isaac was teaching them.

"Now then based on yesterday's duel, I think it's safe to assume that almost everybody's reaction was unreal. I also took note that not all of you possess cards which is essential if you want to become a duelist. So I took it upon myself to inform Celestia about this problem and she has graciously allow me to use some of the school budget to purchase some cards/sets. I will give them to Ms. Cheerilee so that you can use them, but keep in mind that you're to use them for learning and not for your own personal use. I'd expect you'll to treat these cards with respect because these cards aren't just monsters, they're your friends. They will help guide you on your path to become a great duelist; do I have everybody's promise?"

"We promise." said almost all the students in unison.

"Good, now then lets open up these boxes to see what kind of cards we got. I'm also excited to see what I purchased."

With that everybody started to dig in through the contents of the boxes looking at the cards that were in them. Most of the period, students were broken up into groups as they began sorting through stacks of cards and putting together a deck. Fluttershy even offered her advice as she helped answer some questions the students had when Isaac wasn't around. She even showed them her deck and some of her signature monsters. Isaac and Ms. Cheerilee were walking around the class seeing what kinds of cards the kids were thinking about and answering any questions they had. Isaac was about to check on how the CMC were doing when his attention was called for.

"Excuse me, Mr. Champion."

"Yes, Diamond Tiara. And you can call me by my name."

"Whatever, I justed to say that I'd appreciate you doing this for the others. But I'll have you know that my deck is perfect the way it is."

"I'm glad you think that way, but no deck is perfect. Even mines, sure it may be powerful but that doesn't mean it's perfection. I've learned that no amount of time/effort will ever come close to being perfect. That's why I want you to look through these cards and see if you can find some changes you want to make."

"I'd hate to disagree with you, Mr. Isaac. But Diamond Tiara is right when she says that she is the best out of this bunch. Her father is Filthy Rich and he has his own share of cards that he owns and lets Diamond Tiara have." said Silver Spoon who was stroking Diamond Tiara's ego.

"I'm sure that she has. Which means their must be no excuse as to why you can't use a different deck. Which gives me an idea, class mind if I have your attention." The students then looked at Isaac as they wanted to hear what he had to say. "Now that you've had a chance to see through the different cards and put together a deck of sorts; I think it's time for another lesson. And that will be overconfidence, see the most important thing for a duelist is not only his deck but also how much confidence. So let's have a quick demonstration."

"What did you have in mind, Isaac?" asked Fluttershy.

"I propose a duel between Diamond Tiara and.... Sweetie Belle. However, in this duel I'll let Diamond Tiara use my deck."

Almost all the students were surprised at what Isaac was proposing. Sweetie Belle was a bit nervous, while Diamond Tiara just had a big smile on his face. While she was confident in her ability to duel, she was scared that Diamond Tiara would wipe the floor with her especially since she was going to be using Isaac's deck to which she had plenty of experience facing. Sweetie Belle was thinking twice about this, but when she looked at Isaac he had a smile on his face. Something was telling her to accept the challenge and to put Diamond Tiara in her place. So eventually she agreed and they all headed outside.

Once they took their positions, Isaac then gave Diamond Tiara his deck and a few words of encouragement.

"Here you go, Ms. Tiara. Hope that you can handle this type of power." Diamond Tiara then slotted the deck into the duel disk as she activated it.

"Please, if anything this should be a breeze. With a deck like this, I won't even break a sweat. Now watch as I put away this amatuer of a duelist." said Diamond Tiara as she looked at Sweetie Belle.

"Then I should expect this duel to be over quick." said Isaac as he gave Diamond Tiara a smug tone as he joined Fluttershy on the sidelines.

"You sure you think this is a good idea?" Fluttershy had a concern about the decision Isaac had made.

"Trust me, I have a feeling this duel will open some eyes."

Ms. Cheerilee then made her way between the 2 participants as she would serve as the official referee. "If both duelist are ready, then let the duel begin."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice.

"Let's do this." they both shouted.

Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 8000-
Diamond Tiara's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Diamond Tiara

"Seems I'm up, time to see what I got. Draw." Diamond Tiara drew a card from Isaac's deck and looked at her hand. The cards she was currently holding were Kuriboh, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Mystic Box, Apple Magician Girl, Apprentice Magician, and Card Destruction. Diamond wasn't too happy with her options as she had a stain of disgust on her face and in her voice. "Honestly, what kind of cards are these? This is the deck that the champion uses, please. Since I don't like what I got, I'll play this spell Card Destruction. Now I hopefully I can get something better." With that Sweetie Belle and Diamond Tiara sent their hands to the grave and drew a fresh new set.

Isaac saw what Diamond Tiara was doing and he a smug look on his face. Even though he wasn't able to actually see what cards she got rid of; he knew exactly what they were based on how connected he was with his cards. Both duelist drew their new hands and looked at their options.

This time Diamond Tiara had a smile on her face as she liked what she got. "Ahh, now this is much better. Now then I'll summon to the field Dark Magician Girl!" Unfortunately, the duel disk Diamond Tiara was wearing just had a flashing red light as it wasn't allowing her to play the card. "Error, what do you mean that's illegal!?"

"You can't summon a high level monster without a sacrifice. You need to meet the summoning requirements." said Sweetie Belle who was becoming a bit more comfortable with seeing how Diamond Tiara was handling Isaac's deck.

It took a moment to register what Sweetie Belle said, but when it did Diamond Tiara just had a small red on her cheeks as she felt slightly embarrassed. "That's right, I was just testing you is all." How in the world, did Isaac manage to win using this monster? It requires a sacrifice and doesn't have high attack points; and how does he manage to summon it without tributing? No matter as long as I have his cards I can't lose. "Then I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sweetie Belle

"Alright, I'm up. Time to show you want I can do, draw." Sweetie Belle looked at her hand and then accessed Tiara's field. "I'll start by playing the spell 1st Movement Solo. Since I control no monsters, I can special summon 1 level 4 or below 'Melodious' monster from my hand or deck. So come on out Aria the Melodious Diva(1600/1200). Now since I have a 'Melodious' monster on my field, I can special summon Canon the Melodious Diva(1400/2000) from my hand." Just like that Sweetie Belle now had 2 monsters and both Isaac/Fluttershy knew what she was about to do. "Now I'll tribute both of my monsters to summon Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600/2000). Now Mozarta's effect activates, once per turn I can special summon 1 light fairy-type from my hand, so I chose my Soprano the Melodious Songstress(1400/1400). Then Soprano's effect activates which let me add 1 'Melodious' monster from my grave to my hand." Sweetie Belle then picked the card she wanted.

While this was going on, Isaac was impressed with how Sweetie Belle was playing her cards right. Sweetie Belle then begun to set her plan into motion.

"Now I'll have my Mozarta attack your monster and then Soprano will attack you directly!" The 2 monsters on Sweetie Belle's side then attacked as they laid waste to Diamond Tiara and her life points. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."
Diamond Tiara's Life Points: 6600-

Turn 3: Diamond Tiara

"You just got lucky, is all. My turn. Now lets try this again, draw." Diamond Tiara then looked at her next card and saw it was none other than Isaac's signature monster. This will do, now time to see how powerful this thing is.

Isaac could sense that Diamond Tiara had drawn his Dark Magician, now he was waiting to see if she could bring it out.

In order to summon this monster, I would need to sacrifice 2 creatures. Yet Isaac finds someway to do that and summon him without meeting those conditions. The question is: how!? Diamond Tiara then saw another card she had in her hand and read its effects, then she a smile appear. "Now I'll activate the spell Dark Magic Veil, now by giving up 1000 life points, I can summon this powerhouse of a monster. I play Dark Magician." This time her duel disk accepted what she was doing and out came the star monster of Isaac's deck.
Diamond Tiara's Life Points: 5600-

Dark Magician then appeared but quickly looked around and saw that Isaac wasn't the one playing but rather he was watching from the sides. Isaac just gave his magician a look that said 'we'll discuss it later' and just acted like any other monster.

"Well, now this is what I call a monster. Next, I'll play the spell Magic Formula and give my magician 700 more attack points. Now Dark Magician take out Mozarta. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 7400-

Turn 4: Sweetie Belle

"Alright, my turn. I'll then play the spell Polymerization and use it to fuse together my Sonata the Melodious Diva and Solo the Melodious Songstress. I Fusion Summon Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir(1000/2000). Then since I'll summon out Canon thanks to her effect; next I'll also play another Aria. Now Bloom Diva attack Dark Magician."

"How stupid are you? My monster will win, you really are naïve. It's no wonder you hang out with those two losers."

"Maybe you should pay attention, Bloom Diva has an effect. When it battles a monster that was special summoned not only can't it be destroyed but the difference is dealt to you instead and then I can destroy that monster."

"What!? In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Magical Hats. Now with this my magician is safe from your attack." smiled Diamond Tiara who had sly look on her face.

"We'll see about that, now Bloom Diva attack the hat the second from the left." Sweetie Belle commanded her monster and when the attack hit not only did the hat pop but so did the others as she guessed the right one.

"How!? That card was suppose to mean that my magician survived. That's not how it was suppose to play out."
Diamond Tiara's Life Points: 4100-

"Well then you'll hate this because I activate my facedown, Melodious Illusion. Now I can target one of my monsters and it can attack twice during the battle phrase. So time to finish you off, now Melodious Divas time to sing Diamond Tiara a lullaby. Lets see how much she likes our smash hit, attack!" With that Sweetie Belle launched her final attack which ended the duel.
Diamond Tiara's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sweetie Belle

The students were happy with how Sweetie Belle performed, especially Applebloom and Scootaloo. Isaac and Fluttershy were impressed with how she was able to handle herself. Just then Isaac heard a scream.

"NO!! How could I have lost!? I have the deck of the champion, so how come it didn't bring me the win!?" Diamond Tiara was hitting the ground while throwing a bit of a temper tantrum as Silver Spoon helped her up. Isaac then approached her.

"It's because you were overconfident. You underestimated your opponent and thought just because you had a powerful deck that meant you didn't have to put in the work. I'm sorry to say that's not what you should focus on; you need to focus on making your deck function instead of rely on perfection."

"Whatever, based on what I've seen. These cards are worthless, my daddy has much better cards than you."

"It's a shame, all that money your dad has and he can buy you all the cards you desire. Seems he forget to buy a set of manners and some humbleness when he was out shopping." With that Isaac took back his cards and left the girls to grumble amongst themselves. Fluttershy was helping Ms. Cheerilee bring the students back in when she saw Isaac approach her.

"Well it seems you got what you wanted, which is what, exactly?" Fluttershy had a confused look on her face.

"I'll tell you tomorrow when we hang out Flutters." Isaac then made his way back into the classroom as he was getting ready to grab his stuff and head to his next class. Fluttershy was still trying to figure out what Isaac meant that she forgot that she had invited him to attend the bird center tomorrow.

The next day rolled around and it was time for the school field trip. Isaac had just left his house and was making his way to the school to meet up with Fluttershy. Once he got there, he saw a small group of students who were also attending the event. Eventually, he saw Fluttershy and made his way over to her. Fluttershy had an interesting outfit; she had a pair of binoculars around her neck and was wearing a vest and a hat that was similar to people who go on safaris. Once everybody was accounted for, the bus had arrived and everybody got on. During the ride, Isaac was sitting with Fluttershy as he looked at out the window. Fluttershy was happy that she was going to be spending the day with Isaac and hoped that he would have a good time just like he did with Rarity. It wasn't long till they got to the place and it was safe to say that it was huge. Just from the outer appearance there was a huge dome that in the center of the building, you could even see the many trees and birds that were flying about in the habitat. Everybody then got out of the bus and made their way to the reception desk. Once they were given their pass, the students were then free to split off and explore for themselves. Fluttershy was full of joy that she could hardly contain herself that out of nowhere she grabbed Isaac's hand with some new found strength.

The amount of birds that was in this place was too many to count, even for Isaac. There were so many colorful birds as they flocked to Fluttershy. Of course, he shouldn't have been too surprised seeing as how Fluttershy had a way with animals. In Isaac's mind, she was basically a Disney Princess due to her many animal sidekicks, but that was a thought he kept to himself. There were at times when she tried to get Isaac to also be involved with the animals to which they were hesitant at first but she assured them that Isaac wouldn't bring them harm. Once they saw that Isaac was of no danger, they started to flock around Isaac which left him covered in feathers and ruffled his clothes as he coughed up some feathers from being swarmed by the birds of prey. Fluttershy just giggled at how Isaac looked. As they continued on their 'date', they were able to talk and see some of the staff interact with some of the birds. The staff even offered some helpful information on how they took care of the creatures and made sure that they were comfortable in their new environment.

One of the staff had brought out a eagle was about to perform a few tricks for the small group of people gathering. It released the bird with a command and spread its wings for all to see. Then it launched itself so fast into the air and took off. It was moving up and down, doing barrel rolls, and doing some insane dives. Once it had finished its aerial display it then was given some food before it took off again. This time it was accompanied by another eagle as they started to perform several flight maneuvers in a sequential pattern. From everybody watching it looked like they were dancing which really caused Fluttershy to blush seeing as who she was standing next to. Once they finished, the pair of birds then landed on a nearby branch where they began to preen each other and then dipped their heads down into a nest. Inside there was two baby chicks that were playing with each other, they were also hungry as they awaited for their mother to bring them some food. The mother had a piece of meat in its mouth and gave it to her babies who were pulling with their tiny beaks as they tried to eat it.

Everybody saw this display and let out a cute 'Aw' as they witnessed this wonderful spectacle. After a while, Fluttershy and Isaac kept exploring more of the place and got to take lots of wonderful photos. Fluttershy even picked up some unique tips from some of the staff on how they made the birds feel like they were in their natural habitat. Overall, it was a fun experience for Fluttershy as she got to meet a lot of new friends and get some useful information about what she wanted to incorporate into her animal sanctuary. While this was happening Isaac noticed a gift shop and decided to have a look at what was inside. There were tons of stuffed animals and lots of of decorative mugs. There was also a couple of puzzles and headphones for the little kids; there were also some handmade pieces of jewelry. Isaac thought it would be nice to get Fluttershy a gift as a way to say thanks for a great time. So he purchased an item and then made his way to Fluttershy.

"Oh, where did you go, Isaac?"

"Sorry about that Flutters, I just saw the gift shop and I wanted to get something for my parents." Isaac told Fluttershy a lie, so that he wouldn't ruin the surprise.

"I bet they'll love it." For a second, I thought he got me something.

They then continued for about another half hour until it was time to depart. With that everybody met up by the front entrance and boarded the school bus as they made their way back to school. Along the ride, Fluttershy was constantly talking with Isaac about the different species of birds she had encountered. Isaac couldn't help but smile at how it filled her up with joy, in fact, it kind of made her cute. As she was talking, Fluttershy remembered what Isaac had told her the previous day.

"Say, Isaac. Yesterday, you told me you had a reason for letting Diamond Tiara use your deck. What was it?"

"Right. Well the thing was I was trying to teach her and the rest of the class a lesson in confidence. I'm always talking about how confidence plays a huge role in one's performance. Diamond Tiara was so confident in her ability that she could win that she felt like she didn't need to put in the effort. So I devised a way for her to learn the hard way that it's not the deck that makes the duelist, but the other way around. For example, I looked at duel disk to replay the duel and I saw the mistakes she made. In her opening hand, she just merely looked at her cards and judged them based on their attack. She didn't bother to look/read their abilities to see how they might have helped her. If she did, she may have lasted a bit longer with Sweetie Belle. Once of the cards she threw away was Kuriboh which is a powerful card because she could have sent it to the grave to avoid taking damage from Sweetie Belle's attack."

"Not that I know what she was working with, I feel kind of angry that she would treat your cards like that. I mean when you use them, you treat your monsters with respect and love. She did the exact opposite."

"Which is why she lost. See Fluttershy, just because I have powerful cards, doesn't mean that I'm always guarantee victory. It takes work both on my part and my monsters. If we can't learn to work together and put our trust in each other, then we've all lost. That's why whenever I enter a duel, I make sure to tell my deck to give it our all and put their faith in me. I just wanted to teach that lesson to those kids, so that when they enter the real world they don't have to experience it in a more devastating fashion."

"I'm glad you're thinking about the kid's future. But mind telling me how Sweetie Belle was able to find out where your Dark Magician was hiding? Everytime you use that card, it's more often than not come out unharm. Did Diamond Tiara forget to shuffle her hats?"

"Oh, well that was all Sweetie Belle. She just took her best shot and it worked; the fact that she actually guessed which hat he was under was just pure luck."

Fluttershy was happy that Isaac was trying to help the kids understand a part of how the real world worked. It showed her that Isaac was one for leaving others behind and that if they needed help, no matter how small it may be, he was always willing to lend a hand. The rest of the ride passed by with a couple of the students falling asleep on the bus including Fluttershy, who had her head on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac didn't say anything as he didn't want to disturb her slumber; he just moved a strand of hair that had fallen in front of her face and moved it to the side. Isaac then continued looking out the window as he was deep in thought about something. Eventually they all made it back to the school and it awoke all the students. Isaac did his best to wake Fluttershy to inform her that they were back at school. Once they stepped out, almost everybody said goodbye to each other and then started to head home. The last two people were Isaac and Fluttershy who were standing at each other.

"Well, I certainly had a fun time. How about you, Fluttershy?"

"I just had the most wondrous experience. I can't believe all the new critters I got to see and the friends I made along the way. Not to mention that I had you by my side, thanks." Fluttershy had a bit of a blush as she looked at Isaac who just gave her a thumbs up. Just as they were about to part ways, Isaac got her attention.

"Before you go, here. I got this for you." Isaac handed the bag to Fluttershy who had a look of confusion and intrigue.

"Isn't this for your parents?"

"Not really, I just said that so that you wouldn't ruin the surprise. I actually got this gift for you."

Fluttershy then grabbed the bag from Isaac and looked inside. It wasn't anything big but just a stuffed animal. It was a small bird plushie that was very fluffy and had a couple of feathers sewn in to make it feel realistic. Fluttershy couldn't contain her heart as she grabbed the things and began to hug it tightly as it felt so soft and comforting. Isaac saw how happy Fluttershy was and let a smile appear on his face to signal that he did a good job in making her day. Fluttershy then let her body act on its own as she gave Isaac a big hug to show her appreciation.

"Thank you for the gift, I really like it." Fluttershy locked her eyes at Isaac's as she gave him a hug.

"Don't mention it, I just wanted to...." Once again Isaac's train of thought was interrupted as he felt his lips make contact.

Fluttershy didn't know what came over her was her body started to move on its own. She just felt compelled to kiss Isaac that she took the chance. She kissed him with everything she got as she was afraid that she would lose him; Isaac didn't know what to make of it as he was trying to process what was happening. Eventually he kissed Fluttershy backed as they broke apart in the last few seconds. They looked at each other staring into their eyes as took in the moment that just happened. Isaac was about to speak, when Fluttershy just broke free from his arms and then started to run away in the direction of her home. Isaac tried to call out to her, but she was too far gone. With nothing to do, Isaac just started to walk back home as he contemplated what had transpired. He made it home and went to his room to think; he kept contemplating on whether or not he should contact Fluttershy. Ultimately, he decided to speak with her on Monday about their little 'moment'. Still a smile appeared on his face as he thought back on Fluttershy giving him a kiss; just like with Rarity, it filled him with a bit of happiness and joy.

After her date with Isaac, Fluttershy had raced home. She didn't stop until she was in her room and she was lying facedown on her bed. She stayed like that for a couple of moments, until she felt something touch her. Fluttershy put her head up and saw it was just her pet bunny, Angel.

"Oh, Angel. It's just you? I can't believe what I just did. I don't know what came over me; it's like my body was acting on its own." She then put her head back down as Angel just rolled his eyes. Fluttershy then looked at the animal plushy that she was holding and began to recount the events as it played in her head.

"I remember Isaac saying that he bought something from the gift shop. He told me it was for his parents, when it was actually for me. Then he did something I wasn't expecting; he actually gave it to me. I was just so full of happiness that I couldn't contain myself. It was in that moment that I wanted to show Isaac how much I care about him; then I... kissed... him. On the lips." Fluttershy had a bit of red on her face as her hair did its best to hide it. "It was so scarying but it felt nice in a way. For that split second, I felt more joy than I've ever felt with my animal buddies. The way I felt in his arms, it was like I was safe. That no matter what, he would always protect me from harm." Fluttershy then heard her heartbeat; she put her hand over it and felt it beating slightly faster. "Now I know how Rarity felt." With that Fluttershy hugged her plushy tighter as she thought about Isaac.

Chapter 31: Field Trip

The next day was once again another annual meeting for the school. As always Isaac had to act as Celestia's representation due to her not being able to attend. This time he was trying to stay awake as the head of the mathematics was going over this month's percentages.

".... as you can see, this month has seen an increase in activity by 12%. I dare say that we're on course for next month to see a possible 30% overall in all areas."

Isaac had his elbow on the table and he rested his chin on his hand as he tried to stay awake.

"What do you think, Mr. Champion?"

"Huh?". Thankfully, Isaac had caught himself before he hit his head while dozing off.

"I'd expect as the champion, you to have more focus on stuff like this. Not to mention that you're Celestia's representative when we conduct these monthly meetings."

"Sorry, it's just when you explain stuff like that I can't help but doze off. I'm not a big fan of over explaining stuff when it can be simplified with fewer words. For example, you could have just said that we've been seeing more people dueling. That would have saved time and got the message much clearer. No sense in having to sound practical when it's not needed." A few of the other people gave little responses that they agreed with Isaac.

"Well then, I guess I could say the same about dueling. You seem to explain more about what the card does rather than just play it. It would save time if we could see and not hear about it." said the math representative who had a smug look on his face.

"That is definitely not the same. For one dueling is way more fun than statistics. Plus if you don't explain what a card does, then it could create confusion between duelists. Also you would take all the joy out of Duel Monsters if you didn't keep your opponent on their toes by explaining how a card works. In general, dueling explains complicated stuff by using simple words." Isaac had a smile on his face, as the person just sat down and grumbled at how Isaac responded to him.

"Not that the boring stuff is out of the way. Pinkie, what's next?"

"Glad you asked, big bro."

"Again, I'm not your actually brother." Isaac kept trying to remind Pinkie of that.

Pinkie still didn't get the message. As she continued with her speech. Thankfully, Pinkie knew Isaac didn't like a long winded conversation so she did her best to keep it short and simple. Ultimately, they finished 10 minutes early, which was a delight to Isaac. After that Isaac headed to his locker and as luck would have it there was Fluttershy standing by his locker as she was waiting for him. Isaac was hesitant in approaching Fluttershy, but he knew that they would have to eventually talk about it, especially since their friends knew about the two hanging out. So Isaac prepared himself as he made his way over to Fluttershy.

"Good morning, Fluttershy."

"Good day to you, Isaac. Do you have a minute?"

"Yeah, I also wanted to talk to you about something. Look about what happened, let me say that I'm sor..."

"Don't be!" Fluttershy had interrupted. "It was me who did what I did. I'm the one who should apologize; I did something that I should have asked your permission for. I understand if you're angry." Fluttershy then put her head down.

Isaac then lifted up Fluttershy's head so that he can look at her. Isaac just had a smile on his face. "I'm not angry, Fluttershy. In fact, it kind of felt good. I'll admit I was caught off guard by what you did, but I wasn't against it." Isaac had a slight red on his face.

Fluttershy too had a bit of red as she was listening to Isaac. "Oh, then we're good?"

"We're good."

With that Fluttershy then gave Isaac a quick hug and then departed for her class. Isaac then did the same after he grabbed his stuff.

Celestia and Luna were in their office going over some final paperwork. They had just finished when they got a call. Celestia answered it to see who it was; once the call had ended she then turned to her sister who also overheard the conversation that had taken place. She then instructed her to round up the students to discuss the phone call she had received.

"Are you sure this is the right decision, Tia?"

"I'm positive, Lulu. I think this might be a good idea for us to take a breather". With that Luna then went to make preparations for gathering all the students.

Isaac was hanging out on the roof of Canterlot High as he was watching the front of the school. Today was one of Isaac's free period, so normally he would be helping out with the Ms. Cheerilee's class. However, she told him that he didn't need to come as she had prepared them a test based on the things she gathered on him teaching them. Also she felt that Isaac needed a little break from all the things he did to help the little ones. With that Isaac headed up to the roof as he looked to get some peace and quiet. As the days passed, the weather started to get a bit colder. It wasn't cold to were snow would start falling, but more so, that it got a bit more windy. Nevertheless, the hoodie that Rarity had made him also served to keep him warm; of course he knew that once winter started it would do little to no effect on keeping him warm.

Isaac wasn't alone as always he had the spirits of his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to keep him company. Isaac was currently telling them about his date with Fluttershy to which they both had different reactions. Mahad just simply had a stern face as he listened to his master as he regaled his tale; Mana just simply was smiling the whole time she enjoyed the juicy details provided by Isaac.

"And then she just basically kissed me after I gave her the gift."

"Well, it seems you made Lady Fluttershy a happy women."

"That's all you have to say Mahad? No wonder no girl ever took a liking to you; you always put your duty above everything else. I think you made Fluttershy feel like the happiest girl in the world. Now the question is what's next?"

"To be honest, I don't know. I mean, other than her I've also gone out with Rarity. However, I don't know if any one of them feel like they want to go on another date. From what I've researched, when two people genuinely like each other they tend to go on more outings. However, neither Rarity or Fluttershy seem to be in rush, so I can only assume that they're waiting to see what happens next. To be honest I'm kind of glad, because it gives me more time to sort out these feelings I have."

"Well whatever you decided, know that we will always be here for you, master."

"Thanks, guys."

Just then Rainbow came running up the stairs as she had a frantic look on her face. She had been searching all over the place for Isaac.

"Isaac, you got to head to the auditorium. Apparently, Principal Celestia has a huge announcement and she wants us there. " With that she dashed away down the stairs and left Isaac to ponder what she said.

Isaac's monsters also heard this and had a concerned look on their face. Isaac didn't have time to figure out what Celestia's message, so he made his way as fast he could to the place where everybody was gathering. The whole students body had gathered around as they were waiting to see what Celestia had in store. Isaac meant up with the girls and even they were shocked as they were in the middle of the class when they heard about the announcement. They didn't wait long as both Celestia and Luna had made their way onto the stage.

"Thank you all for coming. I'm sure most of you are wondering why all of you have been called here? Well, it's actually a good thing. This morning I received a phone call from a close friend of my at Everton High. He's been recently impressed with how you'll have been performing in terms of dueling. So much so that he has invited us to attend Everton High as he plans to unveil something new he's been working on. So let me be the first to say that we'll be going on a little field trip."

All the students were excited as it meant that they wouldn't have class for the next couple of days. It also meant a field trip which was always something to look forward to. Before the students started talking amongst themselves, Luna then started to address any concerns they may have.

"Before you start planning, let me explain some ground rules. This field trip will last for a total of three days as we will be traveling to Everton City. In addition, we will give you forms for your parents to sign as we will need their permission to allow you to go on this trip. Also we will be guests while we're visiting our comrades, so it's expected that you be on your best behavior and don't do anything that will besmirch the name of Canterlot High or me and my sister. Is that understood?"

The students agreed and with that Celestia and Luna then passed out the forms for them to give to their parents. Luna also said for the students to pack a small bag full of necessities as they would be there for a while. As they were leaving the room, Celestia had managed to pull Isaac aside and was talking with him privately.

"What did you want to talk about, Principal Celestia?"

"Isaac, you've been somewhat of an extraordinary student. Since you first walked through these doors, I saw that you had the potential to reach the summit of Duel Monsters. And you proved that suspicion right when you won the Fall Formal and were crowned champion. I've also seen the influence you have off the duel field; you've inspired everybody here to step up their game as they all want to take a crack at you, not to mention the reports I've been getting from Ms. Cheerilee about how the little ones are taking your lessons to heart. You've proven to be the face of Canterlot High in terms of dueling and I couldn't be more proud."

"Hearing you say all that out loud, it seems I've done a lot in the short span of me attending CHS. I just don't think about it too much because I don't try to focus on my accomplishments because I feel it's bragging in a way."

"Well you shouldn't think like that. You should be proud of what you've done in the time being here. You've had one of, if not the fastest rise in terms of stardom here at Canterlot High. It makes me proud to know that I had a student who came a phenomenal sensation not just for himself but for the people around him."

"Alright, enough with the sentiment talk. What's the real reason you wanted to talk, Celestia?"

"Right, how silly of me to get lost in the moment. Well the call that I received from my friend had something pertaining to Duel Monsters. He didn't mention all of the details, but that he called it 'Dimension Dueling'. He said that he would put on a demonstration but asked that I pick someone to volunteer for his demonstration. So I was wondering if you would like to partake in it?"

"I'll be honest I don't know what to expect, but if it involves dueling then how can I turn it down. I'll agree to it."

With that Celestia was ecstatic with Isaac's decision and merely reminded that he should pack his duel disk and deck. After that Isaac made sure to grab a permission slip from Luna as he made his way out and caught up with the girls. They asked where he was and he just merely told them that Celestia had wanted to talk to him. He told them that she didn't say much other than that there was something called 'Dimension Dueling' demonstration that was going to take place when they visited Everton High. They left it at that and then headed home to pack for their trip. The following morning came and everybody was shown in the parking lot waiting for the bus to show up. Almost everybody had their backpack and a small luggage bag as they prepared for the little rest and relaxation they were about to go on. Of course almost all of them brought their duel disk and decks. Once the coach buses had arrived, the students put all their bags into the lower compartment and then made their way on board with their backpacks. Once everybody was settled in, Celestia and Luna then made sure everybody was here before that told the drivers to go. Some of the students brought some stuff to keep them entertained like headphones, video games, etc... Isaac was currently listening to music on his phone as he had one of the headphones in his ear. He also pulled out his deck and was looking through it; from what Celestia had told him this demonstration could open a whole new possibilities for Duel Monsters. Eventually Isaac decided to kick back and relax as he put his hands behind his back and looked out the window.

Sometime had passed and Isaac had closed his eyes. This proved to be a perfect opportunity for someone. Rainbow Dash who had been sitting behind Isaac with Fluttershy saw how vulnerable he was and decided to pull a prank on him. Fluttershy was nervous as she didn't want to disturb Isaac's slumber.

"You sure this is a good idea, Rainbow. I mean maybe we shouldn't disturb Isaac's nap."

"Please, Fluttershy it's nothing more than a harmless little prank. Lighten up and have some fun. Pinkie, whip cream please."

Pinkie then appeared from behind Rainbow as she handed Rainbow a can of whip cream. Rarity who was sitting next to Pinkie saw how poorly mannered Dash was acting; she was against the idea of such poor taste but felt a bit compelled to see what would happen. Applejack and Sunset who were sitting in front of Isaac turned around and saw what Dash was doing and were getting their phones out to record what would happen. Dash had managed to move one of Isaac's hands from the back of his hand and positioned it in front of his face. She then shook the bottle of whip cream as she sprayed some on Isaac's hand; she then took out a feather and began to wiggle it in front of Isaac's nose. Isaac began to feel something as he felt his face twitch a little. Rainbow then did it again as she leaned over a bit more and wiggled the feather in front of his face. Isaac's hand then moved but instead of hitting his face, he got Rainbow dead set as her face was covered in whip cream. It was so fast that Rainbow didn't know what hit her until it was too late and she fell back into her seat with a face full of cream. All around everybody was laughing at how Rainbow's prank had backfired. Even Isaac was laughing as he opened his eyes and gave a cunning laugh/smile at how Rainbow got pranked. Sunset/Applejack had recorded the footage and were dying inside as they were pleased that Rainbow got a taste of her own medicine. Pinkie had a finger and was tasting a bit of the cream that was on top of Rainbow's head, while Fluttershy and Rarity were helping to clean her off.

"Word of advice, try to be a bit quieter when pranking someone. Also whip cream, try to think of original prank Dash." Isaac was then given a clean cloth from Rarity as he cleaned his hand. Isaac was happy to give Rainbow a bit of payback as she knew not to try to mess with him. He also made sure to ask Applejack to send him the video she took so that he could watch it again for later. The rest of the ride was too long as they were beginning to enter the city. Similar to Canterlot, it had lots of buildings and places for people to go. Eventually they arrived at the place where they would be staying which wasn't too far from the school. Everybody then got off the buses and grabbed their bags as they meet up in the lobby where they waited for Celestia to check them in. Once Celestia finished, she then returned and gave Luna a couple of key cards as they distributed them among the students. The only policy was that the boys and the girls would need to be separated and that anybody caught past curfew would be in serious trouble. With that everybody grabbed their key cards and headed to their rooms.

Thankfully, there were fewer boys than girls which meant most of them would be getting their own room which luckily for Isaac he was one of them. The girls however, were split up with two of them sharing a room. Rarity was going to be sharing a room with Fluttershy, Applejack had the privilege of bunking with Pinkie Pie, which left Sunset to be Rainbow Dash's roommate. Luckily for them all their rooms were next to each other. Once they all settled in they then began to explore the different things each had in their room. Each of the girls had their own bathroom as well as their own closet/dressers to put their clothes away. They also had their own TV as well as their own bed to sleep in. Isaac on the other hand had similar accommodations, however, apart from the TV he also had a gaming system which would make Rainbow Dash feel jealous. Once he put his bag down, Isaac opened up the curtains to his room and walked out onto the balcony. He had a nice view of the place and could see a few buildings in the distance. He then walked back in and began to lie down on his bed. After an hour or two, Celestia and Luna had sent a message on the student's duel disks to signal them to come down for dinner.

The students then gathered together as they meet in the lobby and Luna led them to the dining room. It was a sight to behold as it was filled with lots of wonderful smells and sights. There was a salad bar, a grill area where there were burgers being cooked, and even a dessert section which Pinkie was just drooling over. Not to mention a soda machine that had several different flavors. Everybody then started to gather their plates and began to pile them on as they sat down. Isaac had filled his plate with a cheeseburger, fries, a piece of grilled chicken, a few veggies, and filled a cup full of soda. He then sat down and took a bite of his burger which was cooked to perfection. Eventually the girls, took a seat by Isaac as they began to talk. Soon everybody had their fill; the only thing they had to do was keep Pinkie from going crazy by tasting almost every dessert that the chef put out as they feared of angering the chef. Once dinner was over, Celestia then told the students that they had to be ready by 9 in the morning. So if they wanted breakfast then they needed to get up at 8 or should they choose to sleep in then they needed to get up at 8:30. With that she dismissed everybody as they had an hour before curfew started.

The girls said their goodbye to Isaac as they parted ways. Eventually they all changed into their pajamas and had a slumber party in Sunset's/Dash's room. Meanwhile Isaac had taken a shower and was planning to play a bit of video games before calling it a night. The morning came and everybody was getting ready to meet in the lobby and make their way to the institution. Isaac had gotten up a bit early as he wanted to get some breakfast before they left. If there was one thing Isaac loved more than dueling it was food. Once everybody was accounted for, Celestia and Luna then took position as they began walking to the school. The building was a bit bigger than CHS and had tons of fields both outside and inside. It also had its own parking space for students. The group was amazed with what they saw as Celestia began to address them.

"Now class, remember we're here as guest. So I implore. that you're all on your best behavior and that..."

"Say is that Principal Celestia? My don't you get lovely with every visit." Said a voice as she turned her head towards the entrance.

"Glad to see you haven't changed, Mister Turner." Celestia turned to address a man who was about her age and had a bowler hat and glasses. He then walked to Celestia where they shook each others hands. He then greeted Vice-principal Luna before turning to the class.

"Class, this is Mr. Turner. He's an old colleague of mine from way back. It's been too long since we've last seen each and yet you're still the charmer that I remember."

"Please, it's been but 2 years, and I can't help if I have to give a women a compliment every once in a while." Mr. Turner had given a bow and took off his hat when he said that to which Celestia just giggled. He then turned to the group. "But as your principal said, I'm in fact a friend of hers. We used to meet in our teen years when we were classmates. Since then we've kept in contact with each other and updated on how our schools have been. In fact, she recently told me that you all have been doing exceptionally good, especially in Duel Monsters. Well I'll have you know that here at Everton High we too find ways to encourage our students to duel. As a result, we've incorporated it into our school curriculum. Want to take a look?" With that the whole group was lead by Mr. Turner as they made their way inside.

"Here at Everton High, we feel that dueling is a sort of like a way of life. So we figured why not have it as part of our school program? We have ton of classes from intro to Duel Monsters, to spell/trap tactics, to even excelling in a a summoning method. Here we teach the three different methods: Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz summoning. Normally, each of our students chooses one to master in, but there are a few of our students that choose to excel in 2. Of course, we've yet to have someone attempt all 3 as it would take too much time/effort to study them all. In addition, there are also different classes that are offered for each summoning method. Tell me Celestia, how do you encourage your students to duel?"

"Well, unfortunately due to our current financial status. We don't have the means/resources to teach our students; in fact, most of these kids have some sense of the different forms of summoning based on what they discover in their own free time." Celestia kind of felt ashamed that she couldn't offer her students the same thing that Mr. Turner had done for his school.

"I see. Well no matter, if they've done it on their own then I'm sure you've got a couple of diamonds in the rough." They were currently walking by a gymnasium that had a big wide area where students were practicing their dueling; they got to witness people who were a bit above them battle. They then stopped by some of the classrooms and got to listen in to a couple of lectures on what the students were learning. The students of Canterlot High were invested as they were listening to stuff about dueling.

"Now can anybody tell me what the strength and weaknesses of Fusion Summoning are? Anybody?" A teacher was asking her class for the answer to her question. Suffice to say that none of them knew the answer; seems the group themselves didn't know either.

"Well now, seems we've still got some more instructing to do. Come along now." Mr. Turner was starting to lead them out when the teacher was still looking for an answer from her students.

"Seriously, does nobody know this? The answer is..."

"Fusion Summon's main weakness is that it suffers from you having 'Polymerization', meaning that a player's ability to Fusion is usually limited by the number of 'Polymerization' they have. In addition, the more monsters used to fusion means the less flexibility in choosing which monsters to be used in a Fusion Summon. However, the key advantage Fusion Summoning has over Synchro and Xyz Summoning is that monsters in the player's hand can be used as Fusion Materials, thus removing the need to spend more resources summoning those materials in most cases. In addition, many Fusion Summon oriented archetypes have their own versions of 'Polymerization'; most of which can be searched and recycled, allowing the player to reuse them multiple times and perform more Fusion Summons."

Everybody was shocked at the person who had answered it. Celestia too was surprised but then had a smile on her face, as well as, Mr. Turner.

"That's correct, young man. Now take notes class, as this will be on the test." The teacher then went back to speaking, as some of the class thanked Isaac for his explanation as they understood what he said.

Isaac was then starting to join the rest of his class when he saw they all had their mouths hanging open. Isaac just merely gave them a shrug as he walked past them and they all continued with the rest of the tour. While they were walking. Mr. Turner was able to briefly talk with Celestia about Isaac's actions.

"Seems you've managed to gain star pupil. That answer he gave shows that he knows his stuff."

"I hardly call it that, Isaac is someone who's just passionate when it comes to Duel Monsters. In fact, he's been one of the top duelist at CHS. Still I do happen to see him as my personal student." Celestia had a smile on her face when she quickly looked at Isaac.

"I can assume he's the one you chose to help out with my presentation later. I look forward to seeing what he can do." Mr. Turner then continued on with the tour as they stopped by more classes that were teaching about Duel Monsters. They also had a chance to check out their academic side and they had tons of amazing gadgets and gizmos that CHS didn't have. Not to mention the sports team that all competed on a national level and had a couple of trophies and achievements. Overall, the group found themselves loving something that Everton High had to offer. They had made it to the cafe where Mr. Turner had ended his tour.

"And that concludes our tour of our fine school. I hope that you'll have found something of interest here. Now what do you say that we break for some lunch and then we'll make our way to the stage to witness the presentation I have planned for you all. With that the entire CHS group broke off into sections and began to eat. Isaac was with the girls who were still mesmerized with the answer Isaac gave to the teacher.

"Dude, how did you do that? I mean, I know you're an egghead when it comes to dueling. But even I wasn't expecting that answer."

Isaac just simply rolled his eyes at Rainbow calling him an 'egghead'. "Well thanks for the uplifting comment, Dash. But I just simply answered the question that was asked, nothing more."

"Still, darling. The fact that someone from another school was able to answer shows that you have more knowledge than all of us combined."

"Like I said, it's no big deal. Now come on, let's get some grub because I'm hungry. Plus I don't want to miss whatever presentation Mr. Turner has to show us."

With that Isaac then made his way to get some food with the girls following behind as they knew it was fruitless to push the issue with Isaac anymore. Once everybody had gotten their fill, they then joined up with the adults as they were lead to the stage where the demo would take place. Mr. Turner then pushed open the doors and they saw similar amount of student that were also in a group as they began to take their seats. Celestia and Luna then lead their students to their seats while Mr. Turner meet up with his team. Together they made their way onto the stage to begin the demo.

"Greetings, one and all. I'd like to welcome all of you to our first showing of a new generation of Duel Monsters. For years, Everton High has prided itself on finding new ways to show off dueling and see if we can't up the level at which Duel Monsters is played at. Well, I've been working on a new way to play the game with the help of some student assistants. Let me introduce y'all to Mayflower, Briny Stone, and Wiz." Mr. Turner had introduced 3 students with two of them being female. "They've been helping me closely and it's safe to say that we've made some progress; in fact we're hoping to show our fellow peers and our adoring visitors what we plan to add to the game in the near future. But I've been talking for long enough, time to show you all. Now then would the volunteer from CHS, please join me on stage."

Celestia then looked at Isaac who knew that it was his cue to go up on stage. So both Celestia and Isaac walked on stage as they joined Mr. Turner and his assistants. The students of Everton took a glance at Isaac and had mixed opinions on him; some felt like he was nothing more than an amateur while others didn't think he could handle what Mr. Turner was asking him. There was a small fraction of girls that saw Isaac and thought he looked a bit cute, especially with his outfit. The assistants of Mr. Turner then began to look Isaac through as they inspected him closely with the females touching his face and opening his mouth.

"Hmm, what do you think May? He seems like a fine specimen; got the cute factor down I'll admit." said the girl named Wiz.

"Well, he's not the most athletically fit. In terms of looks, he's not bad. Still I doubt he can handle what's going to happen."

The girl named Mayflower just simply let go of Isaac's jaw as she walked towards Mr. Turner. Briny Stone then stepped forward and gave Isaac a piece of equipment which he told him to put on his eye. Isaac put the device on his eye and it transformed into a piece of eyewear when turned on. Celestia then returned back to her seat as she wanted to see the presentation. Mr. Turner talked with his assistants to run some last minute tests; once everything was good, he then grabbed a similar piece of eyewear and made it to the stage and across from Isaac.

"Impressed so far, the device you have on your eye is called a duel gazer. It essential for the demo and for what's about to transpire. Now all that you need to do take out your duel disk and then slot in your deck. Once you've done that then put your hand on the podium over there for the final step."

Isaac then took out his duel disk and turned it on; he then slotted in his deck as he was walking to the podium.

"Seems you've got one of the newer duel disk. I guess Canterlot High has some means of funding." Mr. Turner's comment caused some Everton students to talk about how CHS had managed to get these kinds of technology despite not having lots of money.

Isaac had walked up to the podium and it asked him to put his hand on it. The machine then began to run a scan of Isaac's hand as it transmitted some useful information into the system and it was collected on the computer that Mr. Turner's assistants were watching. Mr. Turner also was receiving the information on his duel gazer as he looked over it and read it.

"Name: Isaac"
"Sex: Male"
"Age: 17"
"Rank: Champion"
"Deck: ....."

As that last piece of info was relayed into Mr. Turner's computer, the assistants had to do a double take as they couldn't believe what they saw. They couldn't believe the card they saw and that it belonged to someone like him. Mr. Turner just had a smile on his face as he read that last bit of data; he knew that there was something special about this kid and he was about to see why. Isaac had just finished the scan as the podium got what it needed and then started to go down as it fit in place on the ground. Then the room around them started to change as even the audience were seeing the environment around them change; Mr. Turner then snapped his fingers as the selector on his computer stopped and it morphed the stage they were on into ancient ruins with stars being shown above them. Then a familiar voice came out of his duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel."

"Hope you're ready, Isaac."

"Prepare yourself, Mr. Turner. It's time to duel."

Mr. Turner's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Hope you can keep up because in this duel you'll need to learn how things work and fast."

"Don't worry, I'm quick study. Draw." When Isaac drew his card, a message popped in front of him. Isaac read it and was surprised with what it said; everybody in the audience was seeing what the two were doing both on the stage and on the screen that was displaying the duel.

"What's this? I can summon my high level monsters without sacrificing?"

"That's correct, see we're not dueling normally in here we'll be Dimension Summoning."

"Dimension Summoning?"

"Oh, I get it. In order for me to take damage it's equal to whatever my monster's attack is."

"Correct, what you choose to give your monster is entirely up to you, however you can't go over the limit of what it normally is."

"I think I understand now. Whenever I summon a monster, I can choose how much attack points to give it. Then when it's destroyed I take that amount of damage and its subtracted from my life points. I can see now why this requires a bit more strategy on the duelist; while you could take the early lead and summon out a monster with high attack, the downside is if that monster is destroyed then you run the risk of being dealt some serious damage. In the end it's sort of high risk, high reward. Well time to see if I can handle this, alright so I picked my monster. How do I summon it?"

"To summon it you must first infuse it with your spirit and then you can choose how many attack/defense points you want it to have also using your spirit?" said Mr. Turner.

"Seems easy enough, alright Mr. Turner. Time to show you and everybody here a monster that's bound to take your breath away. Come on out Dark Magician!" Isaac then played his card on his duel disk and used his spirit to summon his monster and boost it's stats till they were maxed out. As soon as Isaac's magician made his way onto the dueling field, nearly all the Everton students/assistants were shocked to see a student from Canterlot High be the owner of such a legendary card.

Mr. Turner finally got to be in the presence of such an incredible monster. It brought a tear of joy to his face that he was able to battle someone who held such a highly valued card. Isaac was happy that he managed to summon out his favorite monster on his first try. "I'll then throw 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Mr. Turner

Mr. Turner took a moment to applaud Isaac; eventually all the other Everton students started to clap as well. While most believed that Isaac couldn't handle this new style of dueling, he was able to prove them wrong by successfully pulling it off on his first attempt. Not to mention that they got to witness a monster that was only a few knew and even fewer were the proud owner of.

"Well done, Mr. Isaac. I can see why you're rated as CHS's champion; Celestia must be proud to have a student like you attending her school. Now time to show you how we do it here at Everton, draw." Mr. Turner drew his card and then looked at his monsters. "First I'll summon out XX-Saber Boggart Knight(1900/1000)." Mr. Turner then played his monster and used his spirit to summon it out.

"Oh, no. Not this deck." Isaac had look of distress on his face as he knew he was going to be in for a rough time.

"Seems you know about X-Sabers, huh. Well then you'll know what I'm going to do. Now I activate Boggart Knights' ability, now I can special summon 1 level 4 or below 'X-Saber' from my hand and I choose my XX-Saber Fulhelmknight(1300/1000.) Then I can special summon my XX-Saber Faultroll(2400/1800) whenever I have 2 or more 'X-Sabers' monsters on my field." Now Mr. Turner had a trio of monsters that had appeared on his field.

Isaac still had disgruntled look on his face as he knew what Mr. Turner was about to do.

"From that look on your face, I think you know what comes next. I now tune my level 3 XX-Saber Fulhelmknight with my level 4 Boggart Knight! I Synchro Summon my X-Saber Souza(2500/1600)! But that's not all Faultroll's ability allows me to revive a level 4 or below monster from my grave, so I choose to bring back my Fulhelmknight. But she won't be sticking around as I perform a second synchro summon! I tune my Fulhelmknight with my level 6 Faultroll. I Synchro Summon my XX-Saber Gottoms(3100/2600)!" Just like that Mr. Turner now had 2 powerful monsters ready to strike.

Almost all of CHS had their jaws opened as they saw firsthand how Mr. Turner had managed to pull off such a complex move and be able to summon out 2 powerful monsters using only 3 cards. The students from Everton all had smiles on their faces as they knew their principal was a good duelist and they were waiting to show CHS how much better they were when it came to dueling.

"I can see you're a bit stunned, Isaac. Amazed by how I pulled off such a move, well time to show you something else. Now go XX-Saber Gottoms take out his Dark Magician!" Mr. Turner then gave his warrior his command and then he leapt onto the battlefield as it was ready to bring its sword down on Isaac's monster.

"Don't think, my Magician's not going anywhere, I reveal my trap Magic Cylinder. Now I negate your monster's attack and then all the damage that you were going to deal me is then diverted back to you. Since you failed to destroy my monster not only will I not lose life points, but I redirected your attack so that it targets your life points. Which means you'll be taking a direct attack and lose points equal to XX-Saber Gottoms!" Just like that Isaac had managed to use his quick thinking and had taken a huge lead.
Mr. Turner's Life Points: 4900-

Mr. Turner had felt the force of his own attack as it took a huge chunk of his life points. When that happened, he couldn't help but have a smile on his face. His assistants couldn't believe what they witnessed as they were expecting their leader to be the one in command and this kid from Canterlot High was making them a bit like a couple of fools. Mr. Turner saw the determination on Isaac and his Dark Magician; he saw how in sync they were with each other and knew that the bond between the two of them was strong.

Well, Celestia wasn't kidding when she said Isaac was one of her top duelists. I see now why he's ranked as the champion. He's even impressed me, I'll give him this he's a quick study. Some of the things that I came up with took me weeks, months, if not years. But here Isaac has been able to discover all of that within the first few minutes of this duel. Not to mention that he's been successfully able to pull off Dimension Summoning on his very first try; not even my own students/assistants could accomplish that. It makes me wonder how much of a valuable asset he would be if he was a student here. "Well then it seems you caught me off guard, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

Once it was Isaac's turn, he let out a breath that he didn't know he was holding in. "Well I got through that without a scratch; however, now I got to be extra careful. My turn and draw. I'll summon my Apple Magician Girl. Then from my hand I'll activate the spell Dark Magic Veil, which means by using my life points I can special summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand. Come on out, and make your presence known."
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

Now it was Isaac who had a trio of monsters on his field; once his Dark Magician Girl came out, almost all the boys started to pay close attention to her which really pissed off the girls. Even the male students of Everton were losing their minds as they were smitten with how pretty she looked. Isaac noticed this and was glad that he was up here and not anywhere near them as it would probably have resulted in him getting hurt. Mana noticed this and just basically gave them a smile and a wave.

"You really know how to charm the crowd, Mana."

"What I can say, the crowd loves." She had a smile on her face as she looked at the audience.

"That's not the only thing they love." Isaac knew exactly why the boys were drooling over her, in fact, it was the same reason why almost any boy would fall in love with her. That's why he was always scared that he would have a horde of pissed off boys/men trying to kill him whenever he played her.

"Well, too bad for them you're the only guy who I belong to." Mana then gave Isaac a quick kiss on his cheek before joining her teacher and fellow magician on the duel field. Mahad just a look that said 'really' to which she just simply ignored by smiling. Isaac had gotten used to having his Dark Magician Girl kiss him as he knew it was her way of showing that she cared for him.

"Well now this is a wonderful sight. Not only do you possess the legendary Dark Magician, but you also manage to have his student the Dark Magician Girl. The fact that you have him is unbelievable, but to have both in your possession that truly is a feat in itself. My dear, perhaps you may consider attending Everton High? Your skills could really help to serve us."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Now back to the duel, I'll then activate the spell card Card of Sanctity. Which means we each draw till we hold 6 cards in our hand. Then I'll play a couple of spells: Magic Formula and Wonder Wand. Which raises his attack to 3700 attack points. Now my magician has enough to take out your XX-Saber Gottoms, so go my spellcasters take out his monsters and end this duel!"

"Not so fast, I'll activate my spell Saber Reflection! Now any damage I would take this turn I gain as life points, then you take the same amount of damage. In addition, I get to add 1 'Saber' spell/trap from my deck to my hand."
Mr. Turner's Life Points: 10,600-

"Not good. I'll then end my turn by throwing down 2 facedowns." Now it was Isaac whose own attack backfired.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

Turn 4: Mr. Turner

"Props, to you son. Had that attack gone through you would have won the duel. Don't be too upset, not many people can pull off Dimension summoning and nearly beat the creator of it. That alone deserves some praises. But unfortunately for you, it's time to say goodbye. Draw." The kid put up a good fight, but it seems he still has a lot to learn. "Now I'll summon my XX-Saber Ragigura(200/1000); then I'll reveal my facedown Gottom's Emergency Call. Since I control an 'X-Saber' monster I can bring back 2 from my grave. So I chose to revive my XX-Saber Gottoms and X-Saber Souza. Then I'll activate my Ragigura's effect which means I can bring another 'X-Saber' from my grave to my hand. The one I choose is my XX-Saber Faultroll."

"I remember, as long as you control 2 or more than you can automatically summon it."

"Correct my boy, I'll then do just that. So come on out Faultroll. Then I'll use it's special ability to revive my Fulhelmknight."

"Now Mr. Turner has a whole field full of monsters and I fear that Isaac may not last much longer." Celestia was clutching herself as she was watching her student about to lose.

"Now I'll tune once more my Fulhelmknight with my Faultroll. I Synchro Summon XX-Saber Gottoms! Next I'll sacrifice my Ragigura to activate Gottom's ability, now I can send 1 random card from your hand to the graveyard. With that done, time to finish this attack my monsters!"

"Not so fast, I activate my Fighting Spirit Card. Now with this I can put the brakes on your attack, then I take damage equal to their total attack."

"What!? You would rather take the full hit than have your monsters be destroyed?"

"Not quite, since I played my trap I can now use this little buddy from my grave. I banish my Damage Eater, so that instead of taking damage I gain life points. All I got to is banish another card in my hand." Isaac's monster then came out as it gobbled up the attack and boosted Isaac's health. "Thanks for the help Mr. Turner, because of you I was able to his ability to stay in the game."
Isaac's Life Points: 10,100-

"Impressive, you were not only able to stop my monsters but you also gained some massive amount of life points. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Now then, time to bring this duel to a close. Draw, sweet! I play the spell Dark Burning Attack, now since I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl I can destroy every card you have on the field." Isaac's magician then laid waste to Mr. Turner's monsters as they were caught in the explosion and evaporated. "Next, I'll summon my Dark Magician of Chaos. And when he's summoned, I can add one spell card from my graveyard to my hand." Isaac then selected the card he wanted.

"Good job, my boy. You may have defeated my monsters, but you still don't have enough firepower to beat me. Still A for effort. Ha!"

Isaac just had a smile on his face when he heard Mr. Turner begin to boast which caught his attention as to why Isaac was smiling. "Who said I was done with my turn, I'll reveal my second facedown Dark Magic Twin Burst now my Dark Magician Girl boosts my Dark Magician by her attack points."

Mr. Turner was getting a bit more nervous, but he still tried to hold a firm face. "Even with that power up, I'll still have some life points left."

"Then my last facedown will make sure that I do end this, I reveal my final card Megamorph. Now thanks to this card since my life points are lower than yours, I can select a monster on my field and double its attack! Which means, it's game over!" Isaac had a smug look on his face.

"No! There's no way!!"

"Now Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic Attack!" Isaac made sure to transfer all of his spirit/energy to his magician as they initiated their bond synchronicity and delivered the final blow to Mr. Turner who was blow off his feet.
Mr. Turner's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel was over and the system started to shut down as it collected the data from this duel and saved it into the system for later. Isaac took off his duel gazer and was welcomed to the sound of clapping and shouting from his fellow peers. Mr. Turner's assistants then rushed over to check on their principal to which he was fine as they helped him up.

"Are you ok, Mr. Turner? The system was functional throughout your duel and recorded some valuable data."

"Excellent work, Briny Stone." Mr. Turner then walked to where Isaac was talking with Celestia. "I dare say that was some fine work, my boy. You've shown me why you're regarded as CHS' champion."

"Well thanks for the praises, Mr. Turner."

"Indeed, then may I offer a proposition. How would you like to attend Everton High? Our vast dueling curriculum will really test you and could help you to propel to the big leagues. You've got skills/knowledge that most of upperclassmen are just learning, imagine how much better you could be."

Isaac looked at Mr. Turner and then at Celestia. Celestia just merely gave Isaac a smile that said she would support whatever his decision was.

"While I appreciate the offer Mr. Turner, I think I'll stay right where I am. Sure I could learn some new tips from a place like this but I've also gained some incredible relationships and that's something I can't replace. So sorry, but I'm turning down your offer."

"I understand, you chose to be where your heart will be happy. I can respect that from you; then here allow me to give this as gift and a token of my appreciation." Mr. Turner then pulled out a card from his back pocket and gave it to Isaac.

Isaac and Celestia looked at it and saw that it was Duel Monster card. More importantly, based on the card outline and the color scheme, it was a Synchro monster. Isaac thanked Mr. Turner and put the card in his deck. With that the presentation was over and everybody left back to their hotel rooms. Everybody was amazed with what Isaac was able to do with Dimension Summoning; the girls were so happy for their male companion that they suggested to have a party in Isaac's room. Isaac did his best to say that it didn't need to happen and that they should be in their room. That fell on deaf ears as Pinkie showed up with the rest of the gang as they began to invade Isaac's room much to the dismay of him. The rest of the night was party of celebration with Isaac having to pick up after them to avoid getting an earful from Celestia and housekeeping.

Chapter 32: A Magician's Return

After their demonstration at Everton High, the Canterlot High group had returned back to their hotel. The following day was the final day for the Canterlot group as they were preparing to head back to their school/city. Prior to them leaving, Isaac had been approached by some Everton High students who had taken an interest in his performance with their principal. They all admitted that they didn't think he would last long seeing as he was from Canterlot High, but after that duel their opinions on him and the school were changed. They also wanted to see his ace monsters, so he showed them his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. They were all amazed to see such cards; they even asked Isaac if he was willing to trade them for a whole bunch of other cards. Isaac however told them that his cards weren't for sale and that he would never trade them no matter how many cards he was offered. They understood and just gave him their best wishes as he was leaving.

With that everybody got on board as they prepared to head back. Celestia and Isaac were giving Mr. Turner some parting words as they thanked him for everything. They then got on the bus and everyone waved goodbye as they departed. Isaac took a chance to look at the card Mr. Turner gave him; other than it being a Synchro monster there was some unique abilities that it had. Thankfully, if Isaac used his Dark Magician as Synchro Material then it would count as a level 6 instead of level 7. With that he began to formulate the many plays he could make and saw how well it would work in his deck, ultimately Isaac couldn't wait to try his new card out.

The ride to the school was just as long as it was to get there. It gave Isaac the time he needed to access his deck. In terms of his extra deck, he now had an Xyz monster, a couple of Fusion monsters, and now he had Synchro monster. With that Isaac now had a card for each summoning method; not to mention that he also had a few ritual monsters that he had yet to introduce to the others. It seemed now Isaac had a complete set that revolved around his ace monster. Isaac just continued to look out the window and eventually he was soon like everybody else fast asleep. They arrived at school were they all grabbed their bags and then went home.

Isaac was in his room as he was looking at his phone. Apart from the video he received from Applejack who recorded him pranking Rainbow Dash. He also got a recording of his duel with Mr. Turner thanks to Sunset and he was looking it over to see his performance from another perspective. Ultimately, he still couldn't believe that he found a new way to play Duel Monsters and hoped that Mr. Turner's project would be successful that it could be viable in the near future. With that Isaac got ready for bed as he prepared himself for school tomorrow.

The next day at school, Celestia had made a public announcement and this time it was about the upcoming Winter Ball that was coming up. As always Celestia encouraged the students to do their best in their classes, in addition, there would be a mini tournament that would be held in the weeks prior to determine who would face Isaac as his opponent in the event. The people who would be participating in the tournament would be based on their ranking; safe to say there would be a lot of people trying to qualify. The theme for this ball was more of a colonial setting which meant that everybody attending would be wearing stuff that our forefathers would have wore in the olden days. (For context, just picture the American Revolution. That's the kind of clothing I'm talking about.) With that the stage was set and a lot of people would be ecstatic. Of course, that meant Isaac would need to pay close attention to who was in and scout his competition.

As Isaac was making his way to Ms. Cheerilee's class, he ran into someone who he hadn't seen in a long while. "Well another dueling event is coming up, which means another chance for me to duel. Just wonder who's going to be my opponent this time?"

"Perhaps I can answer that. It's obviously going to be moi, The Great and Powerful Trixie." Trixie had appeared after throwing a smoke bomb and appeared in front of Isaac as she took a bow.

"Hey Trixie. It's been a while."

"Likewise, and in terms of who you'll be facing is there no one more qualified than me." Trixie batted her eyes at Isaac.

"Well, I mean..."

"Don't you dare say anything! I was joking but you had to take all the fun out of it!" Trixie gave Isaac a pouting face as her response had backfired. This caused Isaac to let out a small laugh.

"Relax, I'm just messing with you Trixs. Honestly, how have you've been? Any improvements since we last talked?"

"Well Trixie will let you know that since we last talked, yes, I've been making improvements to myself and my deck. In addition, I wanted to see you. Like you said, the last time we talked to each other was before the Fall Formal and when you qualified to get to the finals. Since then I've watched you from a distance to see if you would keep your promise and you did; you defeated Sunset and became champion. Then you've gone on to have a good run, especially with your performance yesterday at Everton. Safe to say that whoever you face at the Winter Ball is going to have their work cut out."

"Nice of you to sum all that has happened so far. But you're right about this Winter Ball thing, I'll be facing someone. In terms of who I want it to be; I really don't mind. I just want to have a good time. So what's your reason for bumping into me?"

"Straight to the point, Trixie likes that about you. I want to test my new deck against you. See it took me awhile to finally gain the respect of my deck and myself, but I feel like the only way I'll know for sure is if I face you in a duel. This will Trixie's ultimate test to see if she's ready to move on. So care to grant my request?"

Isaac looked at Trixie for a second as he pondered her request. From what he saw, Trixie's eyes glowed liked she had found some new respect for her deck. It was like she finally understood the heart of the cards. In the end, Isaac agreed to her request and said that they would duel after school. With that Trixie used a smoke bomb and disappeared which left Isaac by himself. He then continued to his destination.

Isaac made it to Ms. Cheerilee's class and when he got there, he was bombarded by the questions he received form the little kids. They had heard about his trip to Everton High and the only thing they heard was him being engaged in a duel and summoning using a new method. Isaac told him the details and they were interested in whatever 'Dimension Summoning' was. Thankfully, Celestia had gotten a copy of the duel and gave it to Ms. Cheerilee to share with the rest of the of her class. So with that the entire class was resorted to watching Isaac's duel.

"I play the spell Dark Burning Attack, now since I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl I can destroy every card you have on the field... I'll reveal my second facedown Dark Magic Twin Burst now my Dark Magician Girl boosts my Dark Magician by her attack points.

Mr. Turner was getting a bit more nervous but he still tried to hold a firm face. "Even with that power up, I'll still have some life points left."

"Then my last facedown will make sure that I do end this, I reveal my final card Dark Spiral Force. Now thanks to this force, I can select a monster on my field and double its attack! Which means, it's game over!" Isaac had a smug look on his face.

"No! There's no way!!"

"Now Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic Attack!"

Once the video ended, all the students had huge smiles on their faces as they all had big eyes. Safe to say that duel was something that had captured their imaginations and filled their hearts full of joy. The rest of the time was spent with Isaac teaching them their lesson for the day. After that the rest of his day went by as normal and soon he made his way to the back of the school where he promised to meet Trixie. He saw her waiting for him and made his way over.

"So you actually came?"

"Of course, I never back down from a challenge. Ready to do this?"

"Ready as I'll ever be."

It was just the two of them. Nobody around and no one in sight. Trixie wanted to see how much improvement she made since her last encounter and the only way to know for sure is to see how she did against Isaac. With that they both activated their duel disk and slotted in their decks.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both said.

Trixie's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start you off easy, Trixie. Draw. I'll play Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. I'll then set a card facedown."

Turn 2: Trixie

"Thanks for the opener; now time to show you what I can do. I'll play my Arcana Force I- The Magician(1100/1100) in defense mode. Now I activate my monster's ability, when it's summoned I toss a coin. If it's heads, I can double my monster's attack whenever a spell card is played until the end of the turn. If it's tails, then you gain 500 life points." A coin then appeared in front of Trixie to which she grabbed it and tossed it high into the air.

"Call it, Isaac."

"Tails."

The coin then landed in Trixie's hand and she closed her fist as she flipped it over on her other hand to see what the result was. Once she looked at the coin, she had a smile on her face. "Well, looks like you got it right. Oh well, maybe next time. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"It's back to me, draw. I'll summon Apple Magician Girl, then I'll have Breaker use his ability. By removing his counter, I can destroy the card you set facedown. With that I'll then have my monsters move in for the assault. Breaker take out her monster and then Apple Magician Girl attack Trixie directly!" With that Isaac's monsters understood their command and laid waste to Trixie. "I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."
Trixie's Life Points: 6300-

Turn 4: Trixie

"Not bad, draw. I'll play Performage Trick Clown(1600/1200) in attack mode. Then I'll set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

Isaac saw Trixie's new monster and tapped his duel disk to see what he could see about it before drawing his card. "Interesting, well then. I'll play my Beta the Magnet Warrior, then I'll take your bait. Beta attack Trixie's Performage Trick Clown."

"I activate my trap Disappearing Act. With this my monster pulls off his trick and is safe from your attack, and I get to summon a monster whose attack is equal to or less than 1500. So I'll play my Performage Damage Juggler(1500/1000)."

"I'll give you that one Trixs. I'll just end my turn then."

Turn 6: Trixie

"It's back to me; now since I have 2 or more monsters on my field that means I can special summon my Performage Hat Tricker(1100/1100). Then I'll summon my Performage Flame Eater(1200/1600) in defense mode." Trixie now had nearly a full field of monsters. "Since I summoned my Flame Eater, we both take 500 points of damage. However, I won't be taking any because of my Hat Tricker's ability. Now when a card or effect would inflict damage to me I can place a counter on my Performage Hat Tricker, then all the damage becomes zero." Trixie's monster then floated over to Isaac's side and in a cartoonish way blew up in his face as he was covered in powder. Isaac just let out a cough as he shook off the powder.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"Hope that last move wasn't too awe inspiring because this next one will surely take your breath away. Observe as I conduct an Xyz summon. I overlay my Performage Damage Juggler and Trick Clown to build the Overlay Network." A vortex then opened up and Trixie's monsters were sucked in as a new card was being played. "Direct your gaze to the skies above, as I present to you a swinging star performer! I Xyz Summon my Performage Trapeze Magician(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!" Out came Trixie's new monster that came swinging in on a trapeze as it landed on Trixie's side before doing a backflip. "My monster has an ability to where I can't take damage if it's less than or equal to his attack. That's why I'll give him a power boost to ensure I won't take huge damage; I'll equip him with the Wonder Wand spell card to raise his attack to 3000. Now my magician attack Isaac's Breaker." With that Trixie commanded her monster to destroy Isaac's monster and was successful. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."
Isaac's Life Points: 6100-

Turn 7: Isaac

Trixie really has changed. She's gotten herself a strong monster and now she's made it even stronger. Prior to her spell card, my Dark Magician was the only one that could have a chance at taking her monster down. Now with that spell it's made things that much more difficult. "Alright, time to see what I can do. To start, I'll play Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three more cards and discard two. Then I'll play my Magical Dimension now I'll tribute my Apple Magician Girl and summon my Dark Magician. Now the other effect of my card allows me to destroy a monster on the field and I choose your Performage Trapeze Magician!"

"Too bad that won't work, I reveal my facedown Bubble Barrier. Now once per turn, each of my 'Performage' monsters can't be destroyed by battle or card effect. Also Trixie takes no battle damage from any attacks that involve them." With that a bubble formed around Trixie's Trapeze Magician as Isaac's effect just merely bounced off of the protective barrier.

"You've got to be kidding me!"

"Well, what do you think? Trixie definitely stepped up her game, right?"

Isaac couldn't help but give Trixie a smile which to her was enough of an answer.

"If you think that's great then how about this; I activate my Trapeze Magician's ability. Now by using 1 overlay unit, I can target 1 face-up attack position monster and they can be allowed to have a second attack this turn. And the one I choose is your Dark Magician!" (OLU: 1). With that Trixie removed an overlay unit and it infused with Isaac's Dark Magician as it glowed yellow.

Isaac was a bit confused as to why Trixie would do that but quickly put that out of his head as he was getting ready to strike. "Well who am I to turn down an assist. Now Dark Magician attack Trixie's Performage Flame Eater and Hat Tricker!"

"My spell card is a continuous card which means my Bubble Barrier protects my 'Performage' monsters from being destroyed and I don't take any battle damage." With that Isaac's attack was render useless as Dark Magician just blasted Trixie's monsters and they were still there as they were covered in scratches."

"That's why you activated your monster's effect. Coupled with that spell card of yours, it makes it so that you almost have an impregnable wall to where your monsters and your life points are safe."

"And there's more. The monster that waged the attack is then destroyed at the end of the battle phrase."

Isaac had his eyes grow as he turned to his magician who was begin to turn into particles as it was being sent away due to Trixie's effect.

"My Dark Magician is gone! I'll switch my Beta into defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 8: Trixie

"Now that your ace monster is gone, time for me to go on the offensive. Draw. I'll play the spell card Cost Down, now I'll send 1 card in my hand to the grave and as a result all the monster cards in my hand get their levels reduced by 2. With that I can then summon my Performage Stilts Launcher(2200/0). Now I'll activate the effect of my Performage Trick Clown from my grave, now I can target 1 'Performage' monster in my graveyard and special summon it. So I'll choose to revive another Performage Flame Eater in defense mode. However, the downside of using this ability is that the monster brought back has 0 attack/defense and I take 1000 points of damage. But thanks to my Hat Tricker, I can make that damage become zero and then I can put another counter on him. In addition, since my Flame Eater was special summoned we both take 500 points of damage. But like before my Hat Tricker can negate that damage and convert it into a counter. Now that he has 3 counters, his attack and defense rise to 3300."
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

"This can't be good." Isaac was now staring at Trixie as she had a field full of monsters that couldn't be destroyed and any battles involving them would result in her taking no battle damage. Safe to say that Isaac had found himself backed into a corner. Not to mention that Isaac saw Trixie's Hat Tricker power up thanks to the counters it had accumulated.

"Now I'll activate my Trapeze Magician's ability. By using his last overlay unit, I can select a monster to attack twice this turn and I choose my Performage Stilts Launcher. Now time to attack, first my Performage Stilts Launcher will take out your Beta. That will clear the way for my other monsters to attack and wipe out the rest of your life points! Finish Isaac off!"

"I banish Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard so that the battle phase immediately ends." With that Isaac's tiny turtle came out as it released a wall of electricity as caused all of Trixie's monsters to halt as they were paralyzed.

"I had victory in the palm of my hands and like always, you find some way to hang on. No wonder you're the owner of the Dark Magician; you both know how to keep your opponent guessing by using misdirection. You know Trixie could use someone like you for her magic acts. What do you say, Isaac? Care to be my lovely assistant?"

"Yeah, I think I'll take a hard pass on that." Isaac tired to get the image of him being Trixie's assistant out of his mind.

Turn 9: Isaac

"Now time to mount my comeback, draw. I reveal my facedown Eternal Soul. Now I can bring back my Dark Magician from the graveyard." Well, time to test out Mr. Turner's card. "I'll then play my Nitro Synchron. Now the stage is set to unveil a new monster. Now watch Trixie as I tune my Nitro Synchron with my Dark Magician; and when I summon this monster using my Dark Magician he counts as a level 6 instead of 7. I Synchro Summon Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)." Out came a spellcaster that had white hair and had garments that were dressed in an indigo/purple color scheme. It wielded a staff and was surrounded by bits of stardust and magical symbols.

Trixie was in awe as she got a good look at Isaac's new monster. From what she could tell this monster was different from his other counterparts and it looked like it wielded a new power. Her suspicion was confirmed correct a few moments later.

"Now I'll activate my Dark Sorcerer Magician's ability. When he's summoned, I can destroy 1 spell or trap on the field. so I choose your Bubble Barrier." Isaac's spellcaster then pointed its wand and got rid of Trixie's spell. "Now I'll have my magician attack your Trapeze Magician."

"Did you forget about the difference in attack points? Also the effect of my Trapeze Magician makes it so that I never take damage that's equal to or less than my monster's attack."

"Then it's a good thing my magician has another ability, when he battles another monster he can cut their strength in half and then he gains those attack points. Which means your Performage Trapeze Magician drops to 1500 while my monster rises to 4000. That means your magician's effect can't save you. Go Dark Sorcerer Magician attack with Stardust Blast!" Isaac's new wizard then fired its wand at Trixie's monster as it zapped away some of its strength and then destroyed her monster.
Trixie's Life Points: 3100-

"Well my Trapeze Magician has another ability, when he's destroyed I can special summon 1 'Performage' from my deck. I'll choose another Performage Trick Clown in defense mode. Then I'll activate my facedown Trick Box; since a 'Performage' was destroyed I can take control of your monster till the end of the turn. Then on your field I revive a 'Performage' monster, so I'll choose my Trapeze Magician." With that Trixie had managed to swap her own monster with Isaac and she looked ready to strike.

"With that I'll end my turn by setting a card facedown."

"With that my trap resolves and my Trapeze Magician returns to me." Performage Trapeze Magician then swung over to Trixie's side.

Turn 10: Trixie

"My draw, now I'll sacrifice my 2 Performage Flame Eater to summon out my Dark Magician." Trixie knew that it had been a while since she played this card. The last time she did was when she was disrespecting her cards and saying that their only duty were to serve her. Now she felt like she understood what Isaac was trying to tell her back then. Out came Trixie's Dark Magician as it wore blue clothing compared to Isaac's. "Thanks for the gift, Isaac. Now time to pay you back, go my magicians attack Isaac and end this duel!"

"Hold on Trixie, I reveal Mirror Force! Now your attack is diverted right back at you and all your monsters in attack position are destroyed!" Isaac's trap then pulled up a wall which reflected Trixie's attack as it wiped out most of her field.

Trixie was dumbfounded as she couldn't believe what Isaac just did. Almost all of her monster were gone and now she didn't have anything to attack Isaac with.

"I end my turn. And so I summon another Performage Stilts Launcher to the field." Trixie knew there was nothing she could do now as her last attack was her final hope on ending this duel. Trapeze Magician then appeared in spirit form as it did a few flips for Trixie as it tried its best to cheer her up; ultimately Trixie saw what her monster was doing and she couldn't help but smile and let out a laugh.

Turn 11: Isaac

Isaac saw Trixie laughing and he couldn't help but to also crack a smile. He knew what he had to do, so with a determined look in his eyes he placed his hand on his deck and drew his card. "Ready, Trixie. First since my Dark Sorcerer Magician was destroyed, I can bring back my Dark Magician. Next I'll activate the effect of my Magician's Calling which allows me to summon a spellcaster monster from my hand, so appear Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had his two most trusted companions as they all looked at each other ready to due battle. "Then I'll activate my Dark Magic Twin Burst, so Dark Magician Girl raises my Dark Magician's attack by her own points. Don't forget about your Dark Magician, Trixie. Since he's in the grave, he gives her an extra 300 point boost. With that my monster now has a total of 4800. Lastly, I'll reveal my final facedown Dark Burning Magic. With this I wipe out every single monster you have on the field, Trixie. Now Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, end this duel! Double Dark Magic Attack!" Isaac gave his magicians their orders and they twirled their wand before pointing it at Trixie.
Trixie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Isaac then walked over to Trixie who was on her knees. Isaac then offered his hand as he helped Trixie to her feet. He had a smile as he looked at her.

"That was some good dueling. You've really stepped up your game, Trixie. I've seen that you really have reinvented yourself; you should be proud. I could see the bond between you and your monsters and you've really come a long way. If you have that same tenacity then you're definitely someone who could make it to the finals of the tournament. And if that happens, they I look forward to facing you one more time."

"Thanks for the compliment. But I still lost to you; I wanted this duel to be a showcase of my skills and how far I've come. I also wanted to see where I stand when it came to dueling ranks. When I first battled you, I knew that you were a great duelist. You prove me right when you became champion and since then, you've elevated this division to new heights. All in all. I'm glad we have someone like you at the top. Just don't get too comfortable because if anybody is going to beat you, it'll be me."

"Anytime, anyplace. I'll be ready."

With that Trixie thanked Isaac for everything. She said her goodbye and left the school grounds. Isaac just had a smile on his face as he witnessed Trixie leave. He pulled out his Dark Sorcerer Magician and looked at it; it proved to be a valuable asset for his deck and gave his monster a smile as a way to say thanks for helping him in his duel. Isaac then grabbed his backpack and then made his way home. As he was walking home, Isaac received an email from Celestia on his phone; when he pulled it up, he began to read it. The thing that was on the email was basically information about the Winter Ball and she revealed the participants on would be competing in the mini tournament prior to the event. Isaac began looking through the roster of participants competing in the tournament and surprise that there were 2 names he recognized. The other people he didn't know so he did some quick research on his laptop and found out their dueling profile. Isaac was able to learn their name, deck, as well as their ranking. Isaac didn't care who he faced as long as he had fun, but it couldn't hurt to have a close eye on his potential opponent. With that he got started on his schoolwork before heading off to bed.

Chapter 33: Studying Time

"Think. Think. What can I do in this situation?"

Isaac was currently in the library on the second floor. He was sitting at a table with a couple of books on it; he also had several cards spread out on his table. He was currently going over a plan to win in this given scenario. Once Isaac figured out his plan he was about to do it until he was interrupted.

"Alright, so I'll..."

"Hey Isaac!"

"Nevermind." said Isaac as he didn't like it when people interrupted his concentration.

"Yo Isaac, you in here?" she shouted.

"I'm up here Rainbow." Isaac signaled Dash to let her know where he was at.

Once Rainbow saw where Isaac was, she made her way up the stairs to join him.

"Glad I found you; Sunset said you might be here. So what are you doing?"

Rainbow had gotten close to Isaac's position and she was intrigued by what he was doing. There were a couple of cards spread out on the table; there were a few monsters facing Isaac and a single facedown. On Isaac's side he had but a single monster which was his Dark Magician and had 6 cards in his hand.

"Well if you must know, I'm taking a test of sort. See I like to challenge my mind from time to time. Duel Monsters is all about how you can figure out a way to get out of a situation. So what I like to do is put down several cards and see if I can't find a way to win with the cards that I have selected. Let me show you: my opponent has 1500 life points and he has 3 monsters on the field which consist of Gazelle, Armed Dragon LV 10 , and Alpha the Magnet Warrior who is in defense mode with Gazelle. My opponent also has a single facedown. Now in terms of what I have, the monster that I currently have on my field is Dark Magician. In addition, I only have 900 life points left. The goal for me is to use the cards in my hand to try to win by dealing enough damage to defeat my opponent in one attack."

"That's actually pretty interesting. So mind showing me how you plan to win in this certain scenario?" Rainbow then took a seat by Isaac as she looked over his shoulder to see what cards he was working with.

"Well. lets have a look." Isaac flipped over the first 6 cards off of the deck to see what he got. The cards he got were: Dark Magic Expanded, Magic Formula, Breaker the Magical Warrior, Counter Spell, Passing Spirit, and Brain Control. Isaac took a second to see what his options were and began to formulate his plan.

Rainbow saw what Isaac had drawn and she too was trying to figure it out. She then offered her train of thought. "Well it's a no brainer, just use Brain Control and take command of that Armed Dragon LV 10 and then you'll have two monsters to clear the field."

"Then how do you deal damage to your opponent and win? The goal is to win this round by taking down that Armed Dragon LV 10 and doing enough damage to win the duel. So it requires a bit more thinking; you have to think a few steps ahead and cover all your bases. Now you're right about using Brain Control, but not for the right reason. Let me show you." Isaac then directed Dash's attention to his cards so that she could pay attention to what she was about to do.

"First, I'll activate Brain Control. So by paying 800 life points, I'll take control of Gazelle, King of Mythical Beasts. Then I'll play the Magic Formula Card to raise my Dark Magician by 700 attack to bring him up to 3200. Then I'll activate my Dark Magic Expanded to boost my his attack by another 1000."

"Okay, but that will only deal him 1200 points of damage. That leaves your opponent with 300 life points."

"That's why I'll activate my Passing Spirit to boost my magician by half of the attack points of another monster on my field. Since I currently have Gazelle on my field, I can transfer half of its attack to my monsters. So now his total attack points is 4950, which is more than enough to win."

"Well then all you have to do is win. You've got nothing to worry about." Rainbow was feeling confident in Isaac's strategy.

"Well I still have yet to see what my opponent has facedown." Isaac then flipped over the card and it was the trap Dust Tornado. "With this card, my opponent could negate/destroy a spell card. If he were to do that then I would still destroy his monster but I won't take out all of his life points."

"Then it's over; Dust Tornado is a powerful card. Looks like you made an error."

"True, but I have a way to deal with that. If I activate my Counter Spell, all I have to do is send a card in my hand to the grave. Then I can counter the activation of a spell/trap. Now my magician is safe and Dust Tornado is rendered useless. Then all I have to do is wage an attack on Armed Dragon LV 10 and win."

Rainbow was intrigued to say the least as she was impressed with what Isaac had done. He was able to think steps ahead of his opponent and be able to secure victory. She was invested on what Isaac was showing her that she wanted to take a crack at it herself.

"Nice going, nerd. So now that I've seen how it's done, can I take a crack at it? If you can solve it, then it should be easy for me." Rainbow pounded her chest with her fist to show how confident she was.

"Alright." Isaac then shuffled a stack of cards and started to place them on the table.

On the opposite side were Red Gadget and Yellow Gadget in defense mode. Meanwhile Green Gadget and Ancient Gear Soldier were in attack position, as well as the trap Stronghold the Moving Fortress. In the spell and trap zone there were 2 cards with one of them being The Dark Door which is activated and the other facedown. In addition the opponent had 2300 life points. Now on Dash's side she a monster called Tragoedia which had an ability that gains 600 attack points for every card in her hand. Rainbow was currently holding 6 cards which meant her monster had 3600 attack points. The cards she was holding were Remove Trap, Axe of Despair, Cost Down, Shooting Star Bow-Ceal, a level 6 Bird King Alector, and the last card was Tribute to the Doomed. Furthermore Rainbow Dash's life points were 1000.

"Alright, try this one. Remember the goal is to try to win this duel in one turn. Think you can handle that?"

"Please, this is child's play at best. Now move over and let me do my thing!" With that Isaac handed Rainbow Dash her cards and they switched seats with Isaac watching over Rainbow's shoulder to see what she would do. Rainbow looked at her cards and then in a flash she selected her move.

"Easy! I've got a powerful monster on the field and the Shooting Star Bow-Ceal equip spell in my hand, so this is a no-brainer! By equipping the enemy's Green Gadget with Shooting Star Bow-Ceal, I can take away 1000 attack points. Bam! Sure my monster will lose 600 points since there's one less card in my hand but it's still got enough attack to finish my opponent off. Ha! Told you it would be quick!" Rainbow had a confident smile on her face as she was proud of herself for figuring not only solving it but doing it faster than Isaac did his.

"That would work, but you haven't taken into consideration what your opponent's facedown might be." Isaac then flipped over the card facedown and it was none other than Mirror Force. Which meant not only did Rainbow's attack failed, but it meant that her monster would be destroyed. "Sorry, Rainbow but it looks like you lose."

"Huh?" Rainbow was surprised that not only did her plan fail but that her monster was now gone. Now if it were a real duel then that would have been the end because nothing else in her hand could have protected her on her opponent's next turn. Ultimately, Rainbow was bummed out that she failed. "Well that didn't work."

"Correct, and because of The Dark Door spell, each duelist can only attack once and you only had the one monster out, so you can't win this turn."

Rainbow was pissed that she failed since she prided herself on always winning. He was so mad at how poorly she played it that she ignored what Isaac was telling her.

"There's an upside to all this, at least you now know that the facedown card is Mirror Force, that's an important detail to pay attention to." Isaac tried to tell Rainbow this information but she was so mad that she didn't hear his suggestion and began to try again. Isaac could only watch as Rainbow struggled to find the solution; still it did make for a good show, plus he kind of enjoyed it when Rainbow got a bit frustrated. That was one part he liked about Rainbow, sure she can be boastful and have her ego get in the way of things. But when something got her mad, she didn't stop till she managed to figure it out.

"Alright, no more fooling around! Time to get serious! This time I'll increase my own power so that I can crush my opponent. I'll equip Tragoedia with the Axe of Despair! Now Tragoedia has 4000 attack points! Like before he'll lose 600 since there's one less card in my hand, but that spell card makes up for it by giving him an extra 1000 points. Then I'll have Tragoedia attack Green Gadget!"

"Seems my message fell on deaf ears; you forgot that your opponent has Mirror Force facedown which means they can activate it to prevent their monster from being destroyed and return the attack back to your monster. You still lose, Dash." This time Isaac couldn't help but to have a smug look on her face.

"Ahhh! This too hard!" Rainbow had slammed her hand on the table as she was pissed she couldn't find the solution. She then put her head down as she didn't want to look at Isaac for the fear that he would make fun of her.

Isaac saw this and put his hand on Rainbow's back as he tried to ease her. "Hey, Rainbow. It's okay, not everybody can figure out the answer on their first try."

Rainbow then lifted her head to look at Isaac. "You seemed to have no problem with it."

"True, but that because I've had lots of practice with this. In the beginning, I too had a tough time trying to figure out certain situations, in fact I crashed and burned so many times that I lost count. But eventually, I kept at it and the more times I practiced the better I was able to understand and solve these mini problems. I learned to see all the angles and use different methods rather than just rely on my same old bag of tricks. I know it may be hard, but I promise that if you keep at it you'll understand it. Do you trust me?"

Isaac was now stroking Rainbow's hair when he was giving her the pep speech. Rainbow understood what Isaac was trying to say; she knew that if she wanted to up her game then she needed to stop going with what she knew and start learning what she didn't know. All her life, Rainbow prided herself on being a winner; and being a winner meant that she couldn't give up if she wanted to gain a victory. If she wanted to show Isaac her skills that meant wiping away the few tears in her eyes and looked at Isaac with a determined look on her face. Rainbow did experience a feeling inside of her when Isaac touched her hair; she couldn't really describe it but it felt nice to say the least. It felt similar to the feeling she got when Isaac was concerned with her after her brutal duel with Sunset; it made her feel happy that there was someone who was concerned for her and willing to keep her safe. She had a bit of a blush when she thought of that, especially since she was looking at Isaac. She did her best to get rid of it quickly and then looked at him with a new found of confidence.

"Thanks, Isaac. I think I'm ready to give it one more shot!"

"That's the spirit. In fact, I'll offer you some tips that may help you." With that Isaac put the cards in front of Dash as he sat a bit closer to Dash as he was ready to guide her in solving this problem. "Come on, Rainbow. I know you can do this, be the cards. Trust in your hand and it will trust in you."

Rainbow looked at her cards as she headed Isaac's words. She then took the time to see her options; it took awhile but before long she had a plan set in motion.

"I've got it! Ok, first of all, the obvious problem is that Mirror Force trap card. I can't let it activate. Of all the monsters on the field the only one that can seal away Mirror Force is Ancient Gear Soldier. It's got the power to prevent traps from activating during battle."

"Alright, you're on the right path. Except that Ancient Gear Soldier is on the opponent's field." stated Isaac.

"That's the part I'm having trouble with; how do I use my opponent's own monster against them?" Rainbow was starting to scratch her head trying to figure out the solution.

"I'll let you in on a secret, you're using Tragoedia for an attack purpose when you should be using his special ability. See by sending a monster card in your hand to the graveyard, you can gain control of an opponent's monster as long as it's the same level as the monster discarded." said Isaac as he offered his piece of advice.

"Okay, but how does that help me? I don't have any monster in my hand that's level 4!"

"That's for you to figure out, remember look at all the angles."

Rainbow then looked at her cards to see if she could see the angle she was missing. The only monster card in her hand was the level 6 Bird King Alector. As she looked at her cards, she didn't see anything that could help her until she noticed the answer right in front of her face.

"I think I got it! From my hand, I activate the Cost Down spell! By discarding Remove Trap, I can decrease the level of the Alector in my hand from 6 to 4. Then, thanks to Tragoedia's special ability, by sending Alector to the graveyard I can gain control of Ancient Gear Soldier!"

"Good, good. Now all you have to do is figure out a way to deal enough points to your opponent to win this duel." Isaac was starting to see Rainbow's plan take effect.

"Alright, I could activate Axe of Despair to increase Ancient Gear Soldier's attack points and then use Shooting Star Bow-Ceal to lower Green Gadget's attack points down to 400. However, I'll only be able to deal 1900 points damage to my opponent and with The Dark Door spell I can only attack once. That's still not enough." Rainbow was on the cusp of figuring out this duel but just couldn't find the last piece of the puzzle. Just then she looked at her opponent's field and saw what they had. Rainbow's eyes then grew as she finally solved the problem

"Stronghold the Moving Fortress. Sure it may have 3000 attack points, but it's only got 3000 attack points when all 3 of its gadgets- green gadget, yellow gadget, and red gadget are out on the field with it. But without all of those gadgets together, Stronghold the Fortress loses its attack points and becomes totally defenseless. Now then, by sending Shooting Star Bow-Ceal from my hand to the graveyard I can activate the Tribute to the Doomed spell card! And with that, I can destroy Green Gadget! With Green Gadget gone, Stronghold loses all of its attack points. Now I'll equip the Axe of Despair! Ancient Gear Soldier's attack points increase to 2300! And with that- Ancient Gear Soldier attack Stronghold!"

Isaac just merely gave Rainbow a clap as she figured out the answer to the riddle. "Well done, Rainbow you did it."

Rainbow was so happy that she finally figured out the puzzle she couldn't believe it. She was so happy, she knew it took awhile but with the help of Isaac and her will to never back down, she managed to come back and win. She was so ecstatic that she just gave Isaac a hug that he didn't know what to do. Compared to Rarity and Fluttershy, they were people who didn't mind expressing their feelings through their actions. Rainbow Dash was a totally different girl; she was the type of girl that wasn't for touchy stuff. Most people considered her to be tough based on her tomboyish attitude; not to mention how she wasn't one for romantic things because she considered that totally uncool. So Isaac was hesitant in what he should do, so he decided to take a risk and put his arm around Rainbow. Isaac was expecting her to either push him off or worse punch him in the face for doing something she was uncomfortable with. However, she didn't do that instead she just let it happen and she seemed to enjoy it. Ultimately, Rainbow saw this and she quickly pushed Isaac off that he got knocked off his chair and fell on the floor.

"Ow! What the hell, Rainbow?"

"That's what you get for hugging me and trying to get me to do something mushy? You know I don't like that kind of stuff." Rainbow tried to retain her pride but she quickly turned away from Isaac.

"You leapt at me!? Whatever!" Isaac decided that this wasn't going to go anywhere so he just dropped it as he got up and dusted himself off.

Rainbow still had a bit of red on her face as she was looking away. She would never admit it publicly, but the way Isaac was hugging/holding her and when he stroked her hair it felt nice. With that Isaac gathered his stuff and was preparing to leave with Rainbow accompanying him. Just as they were about to leave the library, she quickly remembered what she wanted to ask Isaac when she went to find him.

"Oh, before I forget. There was something I wanted to ask you when I barged in. See as you know the Winter Ball is coming up and they'll be a exhibition duel that will take place at the event. I'm sure you know about the mini tournament that is being held prior to that. Well thankfully, me and Applejack are 2 of the 8 participants taking part in that."

"Where are you going with this Rainbow?"

"See the thing is that after the Winter Ball, it will be finals week before we're on Winter Break. So Celestia called me in her office this morning to discuss some things regarding me. She said that if I don't study and get a passing grade on my math final then I would forfeit my position in this tournament. Can you believe that, what makes her think she can take away my opportunity?"

"Uhh, cause she's the principal. Meaning technically, she's the boss of us and can do whatever she wants. But it makes sense; if she says that you need to get a passing grade or risk your spot then it means she cares for you. It may seem unfair but Celestia just wants you to do your best; if you can pass your math final as well as you duel then you should have no problem."

"See that's the thing. When it comes to Math, I just can't handle it. Everytime I hear anything involving numbers, I just doze off. It's just so boring!"

"Then I'm surprised you haven't been caught sleeping in a duel; sure a duel consist of monsters battling each other but you need to know how to do math to understand how much strength you need to beat a certain creature."

"But that's Duel Monsters; it full of amazing cards and effects that are eye catching. Look I really need to pass this Math Final, and I really want to compete in this tournament. So can you please tutor me?" Rainbow was giving Isaac the pleading eyes.

"Why me? I'm not that smart, in fact, Sunset would be a better tutor seeing as she's got a bit better grade than me. I know enough to get a decent/passing grade. If you're looking to get a perfect score than I suggest asking Sunset for help."

"I don't want anybody else, I want you!" When Rainbow said that she quickly realized what she just shouted and quickly turned her head in embarrassment with a hint of blush. "What I mean is sure I could ask Sunset for help, but I want you to tutor me. From what I heard from Fluttershy and Scoots, it seems you have a knack for teaching. That proved true when you helped me to figure out that little activity we did. So I would feel comfortable knowing if I had someone like you mentoring me in my study; the way you explain things makes it so that I can understand complicated shit. Please? I wouldn't be here if I wasn't desperate for help."

"I don't know."

"I'll beg if I have too." Rainbow then did something she never thought she would ever do in her life. She was on her knees and had her hands together as she was in front of Isaac. "Please, you have to believe me. Can't you see how serious I am?"

Isaac just looked at Rainbow as he let out a sigh.

"If that's not enough, then tell me: what do I have to do? You want some duel cards, I'll get you some. You want a spot on a team, I'll put in a good word. If you want to go on a date with me, then I'm willing to do it and I'll let you touch/hold me, just help me with passing math!" Rainbow had her head down as she said that last statement. She couldn't believe how pathetic she was acting and the fact that she in a way sort of caused Isaac to think about going on a date with her.

Isaac just kneeled down and lifted Rainbow's head to look her in the eyes. "Before you said all that I was about to say that I was willing to lend you a hand. You know I'm always willing to help my friends when they need my assistance. So in short, yes, I'll tutor you."

Rainbow just had a smile on her face as she was glad Isaac accepted her offer.

"Still I have to ask, were you serious about that last one? Would you have gone on a date with me, just to get my help?" Isaac now had a sly look on his face that matched his smile.

Rainbow now had the biggest shade of red on her face as she realized what Isaac was trying to do. She didn't know what to say so he tried her best to deny ever saying something like that. "Of course not, you dumbass. As if I would ever go on a date with someone like you? I mean you're not even my type!"

"Ahh, so you do have a type?" said Isaac with a bigger grin on his face.

"Shut up!"

Isaac couldn't help let out a laugh as he enjoyed teasing Rainbow. Once he got his daily dose of laughter, he then helped Rainbow get up from her knees and told her to meet him tomorrow in the school library to start studying. The next day Isaac was in the library and he was waiting for Rainbow to which she eventually showed up. She quickly told Isaac about how she had won her duel earlier and now was moving on to the semifinals of the tournament. With that Isaac began to open his text book and did a couple of basic problems to see where Dash had problems with. Unfortunately, most of the problems Isaac went over, Rainbow didn't have a clue as to how to solve them. So it took a bit longer than expected but eventually Rainbow began to make some progress and was starting to understand what Isaac was telling her. Overall, the performance was decent as Rainbow had managed to retain some information that she learned. They continued meeting with each other after school for the next few days and the following week. During that time the rest of the mini tournament was taking place and soon the final two were Applejack and Rainbow Dash where the winner would be Isaac's opponent at the Winter Ball. In addition, Rainbow's math grade was starting to improve and Celestia was happy to see the difference and she congratulated Dash on taking to initiative to improve herself and wished her the best of luck in the tournament. Rainbow Dash continued to meet with Isaac and she got to the point where when Isaac presented a problem she already knew what the answer was and was confident in her ability to solve it.

Soon it was the week before the Winter Ball and the finals of the tournament were taking place. The auditorium was filled with students chanting for the duelists. Isaac along with Celestia and Luna were watching from the stage from behind the curtain as they wanted to see who would challenge him as his next opponent. It was a hard fought battle but in the end it was Rainbow Dash who had managed to pull out the win and she raised her hand in victory as she was covered in sweat. Once Isaac saw the result he just merely let out a smile and then left the room while Celestia and Luna made their way to Rainbow to congratulate her on her win. And with that the matchup for the Winter Ball was set; it would be Isaac vs Rainbow Dash. Isaac was already at the school's entrance but he could still faintly hear the crowd chanting Rainbow's name and he still had a smile on his face.

Chapter 34: The Winter Ball

Safe to say that the weather was starting to get a bit colder. It got to the point where Isaac had to put on a jacket on top of his hoodie to keep himself warm. It also started to snow a bit but it wasn't falling heavily as the students could still walk on the sidewalks without having to worry about trudging through the snow. The students were going over their final lessons as not only was the Winter Ball coming up at the end of the week, but the following week after that was the start of Finals Weeks. That made everybody at school fully nervous because they were all stressed with trying to get all the information crammed into their heads.

The one thing they weren't stressed about is the Winter Ball because it served as the breather that the students needed. Of course the only thing that they were glad to see was they got to witness the final duel of the semester before Winter Break. Now that it was made official of Rainbow Dash v. Isaac; many people were taking an interest in this match. The main reason being that this was the first time that both competitors would be facing each other; prior to the Winter Ball the only other chance these two were even in the same room was when they were competing in the Fall Formal, but unfortunately Sunset had managed to eliminate Dash and went on to the finals to where Isaac would defeat her and become champion. Since that, they haven't had a chance to actually duel one on one, even in a practice match, these two never faced each other.

Isaac was happy because it meant that he would have a new challenger to face, but more importantly he would be facing one of his friends. In the end, it didn't matter if he won or lost, Isaac was just looking forward to having a good time. It was the end of the day and Isaac was at his locker as he was getting ready to head home and do some more studying when he somebody tapped his shoulder. Isaac turned around and it was none other than Rainbow who was standing there with a smile on her face and a piece of paper in her hand.

"Guess what?"

"You came here to tell me that I'd better be afraid?"

"Clever, but no that's not the reason. Take a look at this." Rainbow then handed the piece of paper to Isaac.

"A B+, that's good." Isaac then handed the paper back to Dash.

"It's better than good. That's the highest I've ever scored on a math test. The teacher was so impressed that she said if I kept it up then I should pass the exam with at most an A-. I've never felt like this before it's like I feel incredible for doing something that I don't like."

"It's called being proud of putting in the work. Now you know how it feels, if you take the time to actually sit down and look at a problem instead of dozing off then you'll find it's not that complicated as you make it. Nevertheless, I'm proud of you Dash. You really showed that you were serious in wanting to study."

"Thanks but I couldn't do it without you. You actually put up with me and my attitude and were willing to give up your time to help me study, not a lot of people would do that. I'm grateful of that."

"Don't worry about that; as long as you do what you do and keep studying then I believe you've got nothing to worry about when it comes to the final." Isaac had just put on his coat and was getting ready to leave when he was stopped by Rainbow.

"Hey, look I know that you're more concerned with studying for your finals and for our match at the Winter Ball. But maybe if you're not busy, you wouldn't mind seeing a movie? I happen to have purchased some tickets for the new Daring Do movie that's being released next week and I have an extra ticket. I asked the girls if they wanted to go with me, but they're all busy with preparing for finals and the ball. So if you want, care to take the other ticket?"

"You're kidding, whatever happened to the whole not one for romantic things?"

"You idiot! I'm trying to be nice; look I just want to repay the favor that you did. If it's one thing that I hate, it's being in debt to someone. Plus I hate to see an extra ticket I bought go to waste, so are you going to take it or not!?" Rainbow tried her best to hide her face as it was a bit red.

"If it'll get you to calm down, then I'll gladly accept your idea of a date." said Isaac as he had a smug smile on his face and in his tone.

"It's not a date!!!" Rainbow was not getting furious with how Isaac was toying with her.

"Still, are you sure you want to do this? I mean the date of this ticket is the same as the Winter Ball; do you really want to be seen with me before our big duel in the evening?"

"I'm sure, if anything I'll say that it was your idea of trying to get a sneak peek at my strategy. Besides, you're the one paying for the food and drinks."

Isaac justed rolled his eyes at how Rainbow was insist on him for paying for their snacks. "Just one question: Who/What is Daring Do?". That was the worse answer Isaac could have said as Rainbow just stood there with her mouth hanging open as he began to explain to Isaac. After a long explanation, Isaac just simplified learned that Daring Do was a person who went on adventures to discover/recover ancient artifacts all while trying to save the day from the villian. In short, it was similar to another person that Isaac heard about someone called Indiana something. Regardless, Isaac agreed to going with Rainbow to see the movie.

The next week came by and went. Everybody was doing a lot of studying since the next day was not only the Winter Ball, but Celestia had decided to cancel school so that the students could prepare for the ball/duel. Right now Isaac and Dash were in the auditorium sitting at a table having a mini face to face as they were talking about facing each. There was even a crowd of students watching/listening in as Celestia and Luna were the moderators.

"Well then, I look forward to facing you tomorrow Rainbow. I hope that you'll give me a fight to remember."

"Same to you. You've had a pretty good title reign, but that all changes tomorrow when I beat you and take your spot as champ. So enjoy these last few moments because it will be your last. Everybody here knows I'm the best, and tomorrow I prove what I've always known, that I'm a winner and everybody else doesn't come close to keeping up with me."

Isaac just had a smile on his face as he heard Rainbow's attempt at trying to intimidate him. "Then do me a favor, try to not to lose so quickly. I mean Applejack certainly knew how to show me a good time; she clearly showed she's got enough stamina to go and then some." Isaac knew how serious Rainbow took her rivalry with Applejack and he knew she hated ever losing to Aj. He was trying to get under her skin and it was working.

"You want to do this? You really want this? Well guess what, after I'm done with you, you're going to completely forget about your wonderful time with Applejack. After our duel is done, the only thing you're going to have on your mind is me. Because I'm better than her and when it comes to showing people a good time, there's nobody who does it better than me. So get ready Isaac because I'm going to blow away your mind when it's just me and you."

"Then I look forward to what you have planned; just know that I'll be here in case you need a shoulder to cry on after you lose." With that Isaac stood up and offered his hand for Rainbow to shake to which she did and returned the same gaze as him as she prepared to face him tomorrow night. After that the gang all went to Rarity's place as she had to get the final preparations made for their dress code; of course the girls had a bit easier time as Rarity had to adjust the dresses to match the girls' expectations. As for Isaac, Rarity took a bit longer as she had to make sure that the suit fit Isaac. When he looked in the mirror, he found it odd he was wearing something so old fashioned but instead of a fancy suit, he was wearing a military uniform from that era as he felt it matched his personality more than being a stuck up noble. (If any of you have seen Hamilton, then just picture the clothes that he wore when he was fighting in the war and when he met his wife.) Soon they all dispersed as they left home.

The next day was the day of the Winter Ball and the last duel of the semester before Winter Break. In terms of what he had planned, Isaac and his family were actually going back to Chicoltgo to see the rest of their family. They wanted to see their relatives and inform them of how they liked living in their new place so far. That meant he wouldn't have time to hang out with the girls during the break, especially because once Isaac was done with his last final he and his family would be on their way. So ideally the Winter Ball was going to be the last time that everybody got to see him duel until the after the break. But before that, Isaac had some time to enjoy himself. In fact, he was about to do that when he met Rainbow Dash in front of the movie theatre; he saw her waiting for him and when he arrived they then went in. Rainbow went to find them some seats, while Isaac got them some snacks. Once he made the purchase, he then met up with Rainbow and they prepared themselves as the movie began to play. It was exciting to say the least as Isaac found himself invested in the film as well as Rainbow. After the film ended, they both made their way out into the lobby and couldn't stop smiling.

"That was awesome! Did you see the way Daring Do just swooped in and saved the day? It felt like I was the one doing it!"

"I know and the way she defeated that evil Dr. Caballeron. She was able to use his own plan to outsmart him. She's shown that not only is daring but also really cunning. Thanks for showing me that Dash, it felt good to take a breather from all this studying."

"Anytime, but don't think that this means I'll be going easy on you. I still plan on winning tonight, and sending you home empty handed for Christmas." Rainbow had a smug look on her face as she addressed Isaac.

Isaac looked at his phone to see the time and saw that it was getting kind of late. With that they both made their way to Rarity's place where they were going to meet up with the others; apparently she needed help bringing the costumes over to the school and didn't want to walk in the cold weather since it was beginning to snow. Once they got all the clothes loaded up they all drove to the school as nighttime began to take hold and they unloaded the racks of dresses/suits as they put them in the auditorium for the students to grab and change into. Once everybody was set, the Winter Ball had officially begun with everybody all gushed up. The girls all had mixed reaction with their dresses, Pinkie and Fluttershy both liked their dress. Applejack and Rainbow Dash both had a distaste as they didn't like the overpuffy dress; Sunset just had a face that said 'she didn't care'. Still they knew how hard Rarity put to make these dresses that they didn't want to upset her.

"Well, aren't you girls excited? This is the last time we'll get to hang out seeing as we'll all be busy after this."

"It's not like this will be the last time we'll see each other, Rares. Sure we'll have our own things to do with our kin during the holidays but we'll still be able to hang with each other."

"Applejack's right." Isaac had now made his way to the girls as he was wearing his outfit for the Winter Ball. "You all will be able to see and hang out with each other. I won't be here since I'll be leaving after my last final."

"It's a shame we won't get to see you, but we understand you and your family wanting to see your relatives. Especially after all that has happened since you first enrolled in CHS. You've changed all of our lives, including mine." said Sunset.

Isaac just gave them all a smile and a thumbs up. Just then the music started and some of the students began to make their way to the dance floor. Isaac then thought of an idea and then turned to face Rainbow; he then offered his hand to her as he asked her to dance. Rainbow was a bit embarrassed about what was happening especially since it was happening in front of the others. She didn't what to make it awkward so she just accepted Isaac's invitation as he lead them to the dance floor. The rest of the girls just had a smile/giggle as they watched Rainbow being uncomfortable.

"What are you trying to do? You got a death wish or something!"

"No, I just wanted to give you a dance as a way to say thanks for taking me to see a movie, plus there's still time before our duel, so technically we're still on our date." Isaac then placed his hand on Rainbow's hip and her hand in his. Rainbow then put her other hand on Isaac's arm as she looked at him. She felt a sense of happiness as she looked into Isaac's eyes; they then began to move in time with the music as their friends looked on. The rest of the night went by peacefully and soon it was time for the duel as both Isaac and Dash had to leave to get ready for their duel; before Isaac left to his own room to change he was stopped by Rainbow Dash.

"Well this is it, good luck Rainbow." Isaac then turned to leave.

"Wait, Isaac. Good luck to you too. And one more thing." With that Rainbow kissed Isaac on the lips which lasted a good solid few seconds. Thankfully, none of the others were around to see this as they would make fun of her. Rainbow put all she had into kissing Isaac as she didn't want to let him go, but she knew she had to. Once she ran out of breath, she removed her lips from Isaac and then left to prepare herself for their duel. Isaac was a bit dumbfounded for a few seconds but quickly regained his composure as he had to focus on his upcoming match.

Once everybody had received the signal they all moved to the side as both Rainbow and Isaac had made their way to the center and were facing each other. They had changed into their regular clothes and activated their duel disks as they waited for Luna to give the signal to start. They just stared at each other as they prepared for one final duel before everybody left for the holidays. Luna then made her way and addressed the two duelists from the stage.

"If both of you are ready, then let the final duel of this semester, begin!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel" said the voices of their duel disks.

"Time to duel!" they both shouted.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"Time to kick this off, draw." This is it, time to show everybody what I can do and to see how far I can go with Isaac. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Now Isaac has seen the way I duel, so he knows my dueling style better than anyone, even me. Which means if I want to win, then I'll have to mix things up and do things he won't expect. "I'll start by playing U.A. Libero Spiker(1800/1800) and set a card facedown."

"This is it! Yeah, go Rainbow! Show everybody why you're awesome!" Scootaloo was cheering at the top of her lungs as she rooting on her idol.

"And that's all this turn." When Rainbow ended her turn, nearly everybody was confused. Normally, she would be constantly switching out her monsters to fit the current situation. This time she just simply played a single monster and facedown and passed her turn. Even Scootaloo and Isaac were confused on how Rainbow had chose to start out her turn.

Turn 2: Isaac

Strange, Rainbow didn't start out like she normally does? What could her reason be?

"Hey now, don't tell me that I've already got you stumped? Or have you come to realize that you won't be walking away the winner?"

"It'll take a lot more than that to throw me off my game, Rainbow. Draw. I'll play Breaker the Magical Warrior; then I'll play the spell card Dark Magical Circle. I'll now look at the top 3 cards, then I can reveal a 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician' related spell/trap card. As for the other 2 cards, I can put them on top of my deck in any order I choose." Isaac's duel disk then brought up his next 3 cards and Isaac began to think which one he wanted. He tapped the screen and chose the one he wanted and rearranged the order of his other cards. The duel disk then slotted out the card as Isaac put it in his hand. "Now time for me to attack, Breaker take out Rainbow's U.A. Libero Spiker!" With that Isaac's warrior raised its sword and disposed of Dash's monster. "With that I'll set 2 cards facedown. Now then show me what else you have planned."
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 7900-

Turn 3: Rainbow

"Right then, draw." I was expecting Isaac to pull off a heavy start, but it seems he's just feeling me out. Well I was getting tired of waiting. Time to kick things up a notch. "I summon my U.A. Midfielder, then I'll switch out Midfielder to special summon U.A. Mighty Slugger in attack. Now Slugger attacks your Breaker and due to his ability when he attacks, you can't activate any cards/effects until the end of the damage step." With that Rainbow's monster destroyed Isaac's Breaker as he lost some life points. "I'll then end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 7600-

Turn 4: Isaac

"Not bad, but I'm just getting started." Isaac drew his card and began to access the situation. "I'll play the spell card Pot of Greed." The duel disk then slotted out two cards for Isaac to grab. "I'll then play my Electromagnetic Turtle in defense mode, next I'll activate the spell card Dark Magic Veil, now by using my life points I'll bring out my ace monster, appear Dark Magician!" Out of the vortex, came Isaac's star monster as he took his place by his master. "Hope your ready, Rainbow. The effect of my Dark Magical Circle kicks in, since I summoned my Dark Magician I can banish 1 card on the field and I choose your U.A. Mighty Slugger." Isaac's circle then appeared on Dash's field as it removed her monster from play. "Now you're wide open, Dark Magician attack Rainbow directly!"
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5400-

"I'll then end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 6600-

Turn 5: Rainbow

"My turn." If I don't do something about that spell of Isaac's then he's just going to keep getting rid of my cards, especially since he has many ways of bringing back his Dark Magician. "I'll play the field spell U.A. Stadium, then I'll summon my U.A. Midfielder. Next I'll tag out my Midfielder to call out my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker. Now since I summoned my Midfielder, I can add 1 'U.A.' monster from my deck to my hand. Then my Dunker gains 500 more attack points. Now time your put your magician out of commission, Dunker take out Dark Magician!"

"I'll activate my facedown Negate Attack, now your battle phase comes to an end."

"Then it's a good thing I came prepared. I reveal my facedown, U.A. Genetics. With this trap I can pass on the ability of one of my U.A. monsters that was already on the field previously. Sure you may have banished my U.A. Slugger, but he was still on the field before he left. So with Slugger's effect, my Dunker now makes it to where when he attacks you can't activate cards/effects till the end of the damage step. So that means you can't use your trap this turn and it resolves. So my attack continues!" Dreadnought then took down Isaac's magician as it emerged victorious from the struggle.
Isaac's Life Points: 6100-

"Did I forget to mention Dreadnought Dunker's own effect? Whenever he deals damage, I can then destroy 1 card on the field. So say goodbye to your Dark Magical Circle!" With that Dash had managed to not only take out Isaac's signature monster but also his spell card. "That will make things easier for me, I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Impressive, you managed to get rid of my magician as well as my spell. Not many people can do that; seems you really took the time to see all the angles and properly address the situation."

"Well, I had a good teacher and an even better friend."

"My turn. Hope you didn't think you were done with my magician just yet, Rainbow. Because I'm bringing him back with this spell Premature Burial. So by paying 800 life points, I can revive my Dark Magician." Just like that Isaac's Dark Magician was back and raring to go. Rainbow just had a disdain on her face as she thought for sure she got rid of it. "Next I'll play Magician's Copy. Now I select 1 monster on my side and I can bring out up to 2 magicians that are the same level but their effects are negated. So I'll play a pair of Magician of Dark Illusion from my deck." Now Isaac had 3 magicians staring Dash in the face. "Lastly, I'll overlay my two Magician of Dark Illusion. With these two monster, I construct the Overlay Network and Xyz summon Ebon High Magician(2300/2800) in defense mode."
Isaac's Life Points: 5300-

When Isaac completed his summoning method, out came a new magician for everybody to see. Their fellow peers were in awe and were clapping to show their appreciation for Isaac summoning a new monster to debut tonight. Dash took a moment to appreciate what she was seeing; Isaac kept finding some way to not only make this duel enjoyable but he was actually showing her a good time.

"I'll just end my turn there and pass it to you Dash."

Turn 7: Rainbow

So Isaac's got a new monster, no matter. I'll still win; so he can summon all the new creatures he want but at the end of the day it'll be me as the one who comes out the victor. "I'll summon out my U.A. Midfielder and then switch out to play U.A. Playmaker to the field. So now a couple of things happen, my field spell allows me to add another 'U.A.' monster from my deck to my hand. Then all my monsters gain 500 points; so my Dreadnought Dunker now has 4000 attack points and my Playmaker has 3100 attack. Now they've got enough points to take out most of your field, especially when I activate my facedown, U.A. Penalty Box. Now when a 'U.A.' monster battles an opponent's monster, I can banish it till your second end phase. So time to say goodbye to your Dark Magician and Ebon High Magician, attack my athletes!"

"Don't think so, Dash. I activate Ebon High Magician's special ability, now by using 1 overlay unit I can play a quick-play spell or trap from my hand during your turn."

"From your hand? You can't do that!"

"Can't I? Well I just did, and with that I use my magician's effect to play Magical Dimension, then I'll sacrifice my Electromagnetic Turtle and use his power to call on another spellcaster. Make way for the lady of the hour, appear Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac's spell then sucked in his turtle and out came the stunning magician girl who struck a pose as all the boys expressed their feelings for her when she made her appearance. "Now the other effect of my spell allows me to destroy a monster, so I choose U.A. Dreadnought Dunker!

Rainbow's Dreadnought Dunker was then hit with a powerful beam as it was destroyed by Isaac. She still pressed on with her attack. "You may have gotten rid of my Dunker, but I still have my Playmaker as well as my trap. So first I'll banish your Ebon High Magician till your the end of your 2nd turn. Then Playmaker take out his magician!"

"I reveal my facedown card, Magical Hats! Now Dash lets see if you can find where he's hiding." Isaac tapped his screen to activate his card and out came 4 hats that hid the magician and then began to shuffle before appearing in a row. Now it was up to Dash to see if she could guess right.

"I'm not scared of what you've got; time to erase your monster. Playmaker attack the first hat on the left!" Playmaker then raised its fists as it brought them down on the hat. It exploded into smoke as they waited to see if Rainbow had guessed right. Once it cleared, there were still three hats remaining on the field which meant that she had missed.

"Strike one." said Isaac with a cocky smile on his mouth.

"Arrr! You're really annoying, you know that!"

"True, but that's what you love about me, right?"

"I don't love you! I'll just end my turn with a facedown, now hurry up!" Rainbow was trying to hide her embarrassment as well as her blush on the comment that Isaac made about her being in love.

Turn 8: Isaac

"Lighten up, Dash. I'm just teasing you, plus this duel has been so much fun. Now time to shift gears." Isaac looked at his hand to see his options, even Mana was also looking with him at his hand. "What do suggest, Mana?"

"Whatever you decide, Isaac. Know that me and master Mahad put our full trust in you."

"Alright, I'll start by equipping my Dark Magic Girl with Magic Formula. Now she gains an extra 700 attack boost which raises her to 2700. Then I'll set one card facedown."

Turn 9: Rainbow

"Draw. I'll summon out Midfielder and then from my hand I can special summon my U.A. Player Manager(2000/2600) in defense mode. Now since I special summoned my Player Manager, I can activate of his effects. I'll choose his first one which allows me to target 1 card and destroy it. So time for hats to disappear! With that done, it means my monsters are free to attack, plus the effect of my field spell gives my monsters a 500 boost. Not to mention that my Penalty Box trap card is still in effect which means I can banish your monster when I declare an attack. So time to bid farewell to your Dark Magician, attack!" Rainbow's Playmaker then started to charge as it set its sight on Isaac's Dark Magician.

"I reveal my trap, Spellbinding Circle. Now your Playmaker's attack is called off, plus he loses 700 attack points and can't change battle positions. With that your trap is render useless." Isaac had managed to save his magician by stopping Rainbow's monster from attacking.

"God damn it!" Rainbow screamed at the top of her lungs as she was sick and tired of Isaac dodging her attempts at trying to destroy his magician. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"Talk about a close call. Alright, time to deal with Rainbow's cards." That field spell has certainly helped her in increasing her monsters' attack, which means I need to take it out now or else I won't have enough firepower to win this duel. Maybe this card can help me out. "I play the spell Card of Sanctity, now we each draw till we each hold 6 cards in our hand." Isaac drew his cards and were smiling at what he got. "Now I'll play the tuner monster Nitro Synchron, then get ready Dash because I'm about to do a little tune up. I tune my level 2 Nitro Synchron with my Dark Magician; when I use Dark Magician as a synchro material he counts as a level 6 instead of 7. So now I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!"

Once again Isaac had managed to summon out a new monster which got the attention of everybody in attendance. Rainbow was even surprised as Isaac's new spellcaster made his presence known. "How? Where did you get that card? As far as we know, you mostly used your Dark Magician to fusion summon and on the rare occasion an Xyz summon, but never once have you used him for a Synchro summon."

"Well this little card was given to me as a gift from out time at Everton. Granted other than right now, I've only played him once. Now to introduce him to you'll with a demonstration of his ability. When my Dark Sorcerer Magician is summoned, he can destroy 1 spell/trap on the field, so say goodbye to your U.A. Stadium." Isaac's spellcaster then pointed his wand at Dash's card and zapped it. "Now time to attack Playmaker, and now his other ability activates; my magician can cut your monster's strength in half and he gains half of those points as his own so his strength rises to 3950. So go my monsters take out Rainbow's allies."
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 1600-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Rainbow

"My turn."

"Hope you didn't forget, Rainbow."

"About what!?" Just then Isaac's Ebon High Magician appeared on his field as the realization started to dawn upon Rainbow. "Oh, right. Well that won't change anything, watch. I play Speedroid Horse Stilts(1100/1100), now when I summon him to the field I can also bring out 1 level 4 or lower 'Speedroid' from my hand. So I choose the tuner Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100). Then Red-Eyed ability activates which lets me change the level of a 'Speedroid' monster on my field anywhere between 1 and 6. So I'll change my Speedroid Horse Stilts from level 4 to 6." The stage is set! "Now it's my turn, I turn my level 6 Speedroid Horse Stilts with my Speedroid Red-Eyed dice. I Synchro Summon Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Now it was Dash's turn to have a powerful monster out on her field as her dragon let out a mighty roar as it looked at Isaac.

"I'll then switch my U.A. Player Manager into attack mode. Then I'll equip him with the spell U.A. Powered Jersey which gives him 1000 attack/defense points. My U.A. Player Manager now has a total of 3500 attack points. In addition, whenever it battles an opponent's monster the damage is then doubled. Also he can conduct a second attack. So time to clear some of your field, now go my dragon and manager attack! My trap is still in effect which means one of your magicians is about to be banished."

"I reveal my facedown, Seven Tools of the Bandits, by paying 1000 life points I can negate and destroy your trap card." With that Isaac was finally able to get rid of Rainbow's trap card.
Isaac's Life Points: 4300-

"My trap may be out of commission, but my monsters are still going to wreck your life points. First my Playmaker will take out your Dark Sorcerer Magician since his ability weared off and he's back to his original 2500. Then I'll have him attack your Dark Magician Girl!" With that Rainbow's U.A. Player Manager had successful taken out Isaac's spellcasters.

"Thanks to Magic Formula, I managed to gain an extra 1000 life points."

"Well you're going to need them because from my hand, I'll activate the quick play spell Wings of Power with this I can give my dragon an extra 1000 attack and defense. In addition, this grants my dragon the power to deal piercing damage and double it! So now Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, take out Isaac's last monster!"

With that Rainbow's Dragon then soared high into the air as it descended with so much force and velocity. The attack really rocked the entire building as Isaac tried his best to stand his ground, but was soon taken off his feet from impact.

"Lastly, I'll reveal my final facedown, U.A. Man of the March. Now since my Player Manager was able to destroy a monster, I can now special summon any number of 'U.A.' monsters to the field from my hand and/or graveyard in defense position. So welcome back, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker, U.A. Playmaker and U.A. Blockbacker(1600/2700)." Standing before Isaac was a field full of Rainbow's most powerful monsters and they all aimed their sights at Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 2900-

Isaac was just getting up from taking Rainbow's attack when he noticed the sight in front of him. He had no monsters on his field and no cards in his spell/trap zone. Thankfully, Rainbow's turn had come to an end. But this was still a dire situation to be in; Isaac then willed himself as he looked at Rainbow who was just smiling as she knew victory was in sight.

"You've got nothing to protect you. No cards on your field to protect you from my monster's attacks. Hey, I'll admit this; you really had a good reign as champ. You were able to bring back honor and glory back to this game; I'm glad that you were somebody I could look forward to having a good time with." Rainbow gave Isaac a smile and a thumbs up.

Turn 12: Isaac

Isaac returned the gesture before addressing Dash's comment. "Thanks for the words of encouragement, but this duel is far from over. It's not over till the last card has been play, draw! First since my Dark Sorcerer Magician was destroyed I can bring back my Dark Magician from the grave." Once again, out came Isaac's ultimate creature as it gave a nod to its master. "Then I'll play the set a card facedown; then I'll play this spell Dedication through Light and Darkness. Now I can tribute my Dark Magician and special summon a different monster. Behold as I summon my Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2500)!"

"Arhh, just how many of these magicians do you have!?" Rainbow was really getting pissed off with these new cards Isaac was showing off.

"Enough to keep you and everybody here on their toes." Isaac just had a smirk on his face as she heard Rainbow's comment. "Now when my magician is summoned, I can add 1 spell card in my graveyard and add it to my hand. Now whenever my monster destroys a monster I can banish it instead of sending it to the graveyard."

"Too bad that won't happen, I activate the effect of U.A. Blockbacker. Whenever you special summon a monster, I can change its battle positions and then have its effects negated. I'm not taking any chances with you, not when I'm so close to winning."

"Alright, then. I'll end my turn. Go on Dash, it's your move."

Turn 13: Rainbow

"Seems I'm finally going to do it! Alright, time for a new champ! Now go Playmaker and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, time for an all out attack!"

"I'll activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle from my grave. By removing him from play, I can immediately end your battle phase!"

"Fine! I'll just wait next turn."

Turn 14: Isaac

"Draw, first I'll switch my Dark Magician of Chaos into attack position. Then I'll activate my facedown Eternal Soul, now I'll use its effect to bring back my Dark Magician from the grave. Now time to strike, magicians attack Rainbow's U.A. Dreadnought Dunker and U.A. Playmaker! With that I'll set one card facedown."

Turn 15: Rainbow

"Now time to end this, go my monsters attack Isaac. My U.A. Player Manager still has Powered Jersey which means he can attack twice which is more than enough to wipe your field and your monsters. So Player Manager will take out your Dark Magician of Chaos and then my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon will attack you directly!" With that Isaac's magician's were destroyed and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon was heading straight for Isaac's life points to deliver the final blow as it raised its jaws above its head and was seconds away from declaring Dash the winner.
Isaac's Life Points: 2200-

Rainbow had the biggest grin on her face, as she was about to realize her dreams of being the best. Everybody around them all had their mouths open and the most intense stare as they were about to see if it would actually happen. Time started to slow down and each second that passes could be hear as it ticked down. While this was happening, Isaac just had a worried look but that changed on a dime as quickly looked at his hand and saw his way out.

"Now I'll send Kuriboh from my hand to the grave, so that I take no damage from your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon! Give me a hand, little buddy!" Isaac slotted Kuriboh in his graveyard and his tiny little monster jumped in front of him as it did its best to keep Isaac safe. Just like that, Isaac had managed to escape certain defeat. Everybody watching let out breath that they were holding in as Rainbow was just throwing a temper tantrum.

"AHHHH! God Damn It! Just how do you keep doing this!? I go for an all out attack and you manage to survive by using that little guy! Why!? Why!? No matter what I do, I just can't get you out of my head! Why do you have to constantly be on my mind all the time!? You're just so....."

"Charming."

"Annoying! Charming. As if." Rainbow hide her head in embarrassment as she said that last part quietly to herself.

"Well, you're learning first hand why I'm a fighting champion. Now since it's the end of your battle phase, I can discard my Kuribohrn to revive a monster that was destroyed this turn. So rise up, Dark Magician of Chaos! Now when he's summoned I can bring back a spell card and add it to my hand."

Turn 16: Isaac

"Alright, it time we end this." Isaac put his hand on his deck and let out a deep breath as he drew his card. "Now I'll play the spell card that I got back thanks to my Dark Magician of Chaos, Card of Sanctity." Isaac then started to draw till he 6 cards in his hand. "I'll play the other spell I retrieved from the grave, Pot of Greed. So I'll draw an additional 2 cards. Then I'll activate the effect of Eternal Soul and revive my Dark Magician once more!" Isaac's ultimate wizard now stood tall as he took his position in front of Isaac.

"Ready to see this duel to the end, Mahad?"

"I'll by your side till the very end, master."

"Good then I'll play the spell card Eye of Timaeus which I'll use to perform a fusion summon. Appear, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight! Time for these great beasts to clash!"

Rainbow saw Isaac's dragon as it descended down from the heavens as it led out a loud roar and a mighty cry. It had no problem as it got in the face of her Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and wasn't backing down from it. The stare from these two creatures was full of pride and fury, as each was looking to cement their dominance.

"Our beasts may want to fight, but in a head to head confrontation, my dragon would come out on top."

"Not for long. Next I'll play the spell card Ricochet, with this I can bounce one of your monsters back to your hand and I get to add 1 card to my hand. So I'll choose your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"Why do that?"

"Because Scootaloo, since Clear Wing Synchro Dragon is a synchro monster. Instead of going to Dash's hand, it will instead return to her extra deck. Which means if she wants to summon it, she'll have to meet the summoning requirements all over again." said Applejack.

"Like I'd let that happen, I'll activate the effect of my U.A. Perfect Ace from my hand. All I have to do is send a card from my hand and I can negate the effect of your spell card and destroy it. Looks like my dragon is not going anywhere!"

"That's exactly what I was hoping for. Now then I'll play my Dark Magic Twin Burst, with this I can raise my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight's attack by the points of my Dark Magician Girl in my graveyard. So now his attack is 5000! Then I'll activate the effect of my Magicians' Souls, when this card is in my hand I can then send one level 6 or higher spellcaster from my deck to activate one of its effects. So I'll send my Apprentice Illusion Magician to the grave in order to activate the second effect of my monster. I can send my Magicians' Souls to the grave to special summon Dark Magician Girl from my grave. Time to show her off one last time, appear Dark Magician Girl!"

Isaac then sent his 2 cards in the graveyard slot and in return he got his female magician and then played it on the duel energy board. She did one final pose and wink to the crowd as it would be the final time to see her until after the break. Isaac now had his trio of magicians as they all looked at their master and awaited his command to end this amazing battle; he gave them all an encouraging smile as he prepared to finish this duel.

"Now time to bring this semester to a close, I'll play the last card I set: Dark Spiral Force with that I can double the attack points of one of my monsters and I choose my Dark Magician Girl!" With that Mana powered up due to Isaac's card to which she floated near him and made sure to give him a kiss on the cheek as her way to say thanks. "Thanks for a great duel, Dash. I wouldn't want to end this semester without a bang; so now my magicians attack Rainbow's monster and bring this duel to an end! Here we go!"

"Triple Dark Magic Attack!" Both Isaac and his 3 monsters all shouted this as they combined their weapons together which began to manifest as a ball of dark energy began to grow and then it was unleashed as it decimated Rainbow's entire field and zapped away the last of her life points.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel had ended and the battle was over. In one of the most amazing duels to have taken place at CHS these past months, this was definitely one people would remember. It was meet with a warm reception from their fellow classmates as they applauded both duelist for putting on one final show to close out the school term. Isaac looked at his magicians one final time before they disappeared. Isaac gave them a smile and high five to which they all returned, even Mahad let go of his serious demeanor and gave Isaac a high five before their spirits returned to his deck. Luna then walked to Isaac and raised his hand in victory as the last duel of the school term had just finished. Rainbow had gotten up from Isaac's attack and then made her way till she was in front of him. Isaac was expecting her to throw a fit or punch him, but instead she simply just put her hand out for him to shake. Isaac then shook Rainbow's hand.

"You've done it; you really are the best at CHS. You've shown that you deserve to be champion and that you have my full respect as a duelist and as my rival. This whole day and this duel have all been spectacular. Thanks for giving me a good time and for an even more awesome date." Rainbow did something that surprised everybody as she gave Isaac a quick kiss on his cheek; even her friends were shocked to see Dash acting like this but soon had smiles of their own. Just then confetti, balloons, and streamers came from the ceiling as Isaac was awarded a proper celebration for his victory. The sound of applause got louder as more students started cheering for Isaac's duel; Celestia made her way over to Isaac to where she had tears in her eyes and gave Isaac a motherly hug. She thanked him for being a fighting champion and always upholding the ideals of having honor/fun in a duel. With that the Winter Ball resumed well into the night.

The following Monday was the start of finals. Everybody had done all the studying they could do and were hoping to show off what they learned to their teachers. Soon it was time for Isaac to leave as he had just finished his last final and had to head home to finish some last minute packing. Before Isaac left the school, the girls had managed to catch him and they expressed how much fun he made their lives this past school term. They thanked him for everything he did and for making Canterlot High a better place than it was before. They said their final goodbyes and each gave him a hug as they saw him leave. Isaac promised that he'd be back and they would have even more adventures/memories to encounter. Isaac then got home and finished his packing; then his parents began to put their bags into the car. With a turn of a key, the car started and with that they were off. As they were driving, they all waved goodbye to their new home as they were looking forward to seeing the rest of their family. For Isaac, he had a tremendous school term and was really looking forward to seeing what the new year would bring. They then made it out of the city and began on the long snowy drive to Chicoltgo.

Chapter 35: Back to School

The holidays went by faster than everybody expected but they still had time to relax and enjoy themselves during the break. It was now the day before school would start and Isaac was in his room going over the last minute preparations for the new term. During the break, Celestia had sent an email to Isaac and his parents about the materials he would need for the new semester. Apart from that, she also sent a private email to Isaac that talked about his role as duel champion; she merely just said that she hoped he would continue doing what he was doing and putting on quality matches. She also mentioned that this year she had major events planned for him and his gang of friends; one of which was fast approaching in about a month or so. Regardless, she just wished Isaac and his family to have a safe/happy holiday and was looking forward to seeing more from him.

So that leads us to where we first began, Isaac was currently going over making sure he had everything ready for class. He was also going over his deck as it felt forever since he last saw them. Of course it wasn't that long as the last time he had played his deck was when before he had left for the holidays. During his break, Isaac didn't really have an opportunity to play with his deck as he was enjoying himself with his family. His other relatives asked Isaac how he was handling being in a new place and school. Isaac told them that he was happy where he was, as not only was it a place full of joy but it had a fantastic atmosphere for dueling. He told them about how he entered his school's tournament in hopes of helping his friends to take down a bully. Isaac told them how he managed to make it all the way to the finals where he had one of his toughest fights and not only became champion but also helped her to change her ways.

They also asked if he had made any friends to which Isaac told him about 6 girls who had welcomed his with open arms. His cousins teased/congratulated him on getting so many girls to fall for him. Isaac just told them they were just friends; to which they sort of believed him. So that brings us to where we are now. Isaac was going over making sure that he had all the necessary supplies for the first day of school. Isaac was then at his desk where he had all his cards scattered on its surface. It had been a while since he last saw his deck as the last time he used it was during his duel against Rainbow Dash during the Winter Ball. Both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cards then began to glow as their spirits appeared and looked at their master.

"Hey guys, it's been a while."

"Indeed it has, master. We understand you wanting to spend time with your family/relatives. We sent our best wishes that you were safe."

"Thanks for your concern, Mahad."

"So what's on the agenda, master? From what we've heard it seems you're getting ready to start school which means since you're still champion, many of your fellow peers will be looking to challenge you."

"Well, you're correct on that front, Mana. However, Celestia did tell me that this year she has some big plans that involve me and the girls. One of them happens to be coming up soon, but she didn't tell me what it was."

"Is that so? Oh, well what can you do?" Mana just simply gave a smile that said 'don't worry about it'.

"Mana, this is serious. If our master's principal says that she has something planned that involves him then we must take it with the utmost cautious. Besides, what if he were to get injured? It would pain me to see the master get hurt and we weren't there to protect him."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mahad? Isaac can take care of himself; you've seen he can handle a beating and still get back up. Honestly, he doesn't need you constantly looking over his shoulder every second. No wonder you ruin the fun out of everything."

Both of Isaac's magicians began to argue as Isaac just looked on with a smile. While they were still bickering, Isaac looked out his window as he began to let his mind wander a bit. During the break, he hadn't talked to the girls so he was thinking on how they would act after seeing him be gone for the break. Soon it was nighttime and Isaac was getting ready for bed. The morning came as Isaac's alarm rang on his desk. He turned it off and began to get ready to start his first day of the new term. Isaac put on his signature hoodie and then zipped up his jacket as he head out the front door and made his way to school. The weather wasn't snowy but it was still cold and there was still blankets of snow as Isaac made his way. Once he got there, he saw a decent amount of students made their way into the building.

Isaac made his way through the front entrance and went to his locker. As he was walking through the hallways, he was given a warm reception from his fellow peers as they welcomed him back. Isaac just gave them a wave and sometimes a response. Some of his male companions, gave him a pat on the back as they told him to be watch himself as they were looking to beat him. Isaac had finally made it to his locker where he began to take off his coat and was beginning to open his locker. Just when he opened it, out came a small explosion of confetti as it exploded in his face. Isaac wiped his face and noticed that the words 'Welcome Back' was written on his locker as he heard some noise behind him.

"Well, were you surprised?" Pinkie the popped up with the rest of the girls behind her.

"Very." Isaac's response just sent Pinkie into overdrive as she began to bounce up and down in place.

"Sorry about that. Soon as Pinkie heard that school was starting, she knew you would be returning and that meant she wanted to give you a little surprise. Hope that was alright with you, sugarcube."

"It's fine, Applejack."

"So how was your break? Anything cool happen while you were gone?" asked Rainbow.

"No, just an ordinary, relaxing vacation. Honestly, it was good to see some of my family. Not to mention that I got to get some rest after not having to worry about school and dueling."

"Well, we're glad you were able to rest, darling. I think I speak for all of us when I say that we sure missed you."

"Thanks for your concern, Rarity. But yeah I did miss having you girls around."

The school bell then rang which caused everybody to gather there things as they rushed to class. This time, according to Isaac's schedule he would have class with at least one of the girls during each period. The first class Isaac had was science which he shared with Applejack. The teacher walked in and gave them a hearting welcome back as he went over the course schedule for the school term. They then began to go over the lesson for today when they heard the P.A. system go off and Celestia's voice was heard.

"Welcome back, students. I hope that you all have had a relaxing vacation. Let me be the first to say, that I'm delighted to see you all back. This year promises to be full of wonderful memories as there will be some special events that I had planned or are in the works in terms of Duel Monsters. Speaking of Duel Monsters, I figured why not have a special "welcome back' duel as a way to set the stage for dueling this school term." The response from everybody was more than pleased as they had been craving some excitement for quite some time. "Then today we will have our champion taking on a mystery opponent." With that the announcement was cut and everybody returned back to their school work.

The rest of the day went by as normal; Isaac just kept bouncing from class to class. As stated before he had Science class with Applejack, Math with Sunset, English with Rarity, after lunch he had Social Studies with Fluttershy, Home Economics with Pinkie and lastly gym with Rainbow. During lunch Isaac sat at a table and was soon joined by the girls who were talking about what they did during the holiday break. Soon it was time for the duel as Celestia asked everybody to meet in the auditorium; Isaac and the girls made their way as they stepped through the doors. Celestia waved at the group to get their attention.

"You finally arrived. Welcome back, Isaac."

"Thanks, Principal Celestia. So who's going to be my mystery opponent?"

"Right, it took me a while but I eventually found someone who was willing to take you on. Your opponent will be none other than Spitfire."

Rainbow then chimed in. "Seriously, she's the one you'll be competing against?"

"You know her, Rainbow?"

"Yeah, aside from me, she's basically the second-in-command of the soccer team. Not to mention she's one of the best duelist in our little sports group. She's always finding a way to test her skills and believe it or not has wanted to take a crack at you since last school term."

"If that's the case, then why didn't I see her approach me and issue a challenge?"

"Well, she had other commitments that kept getting in the way of her wanting to confront you. But she did always want to see how well she stacks against someone of your caliber; she was constantly trying to get me to put in a word to duel you. Now it seems she's capitalizing on a golden opportunity."

"Then this should be fun."

"For her, maybe. Just try not to get overwhelmed."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll see. Good luck, Isaac." With that Rainbow and the rest of the girls went to find some seats to watch the duels.

Isaac was left with a confused look on his face as he just shrugged his shoulders. He then went to the middle of the room and saw his challenger awaiting him. Upon first glance, she was a fiery orange-haired girl that dawned the colors of the Wonder Colts, blue and light yellow, topped off with a blue denim jacket with a flame patch stitched in the back. Isaac got closer as the girl was able to inspect him as he was now standing in front of her.

"I take it your Spitfire?"

"Guilty as charged. You the champ? Got to say, I was expecting you to be a bit more... I don't know, eye catching. I mean the way you hang out with Rainbow, I'd expected you to be full of awesomeness. Still you got some cool factor."

"Thanks. I hear you also were looking to duel me?"

"Yeah, been for a while but some other shit came up. So when Celestia announced a duel to kick of the school term, I'd figured why not take my shot. So ready to lose, champ."

"Please, as if I'd lose my first duel back. I'm always up for a challenge and duel."

"That's the attitude I like. So bust out your duel disk kid, and get ready to feel the burn."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said both of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
Spitfire's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Spitfire

"Perfect, I was hoping to go first. Draw. I'll start this duel off by summoning my Volcanic Slicer(1800/1200) in attack mode. Then I'll use my Slicer's ability, once per turn I can deal you 500 points of damage." Emerging to the field came a creature highly reminiscent of some form of bipedal reptile or dinosaur: It’s body was sleek and covered all throughout its length by golden metallic armoring with a beak-like head lacking any discernible eyes, a slender, segmented tail and short arms with razor-tipped fingers. Volcanic Slicer lunged out with its beak-like maw, ejecting a flaming ball of volcanic rock that rocketed towards Isaac like a meteorite. Isaac put his arm up as he took the attack head on.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"I'll then place 1 card facedown and end my turn. Your move, champ."

Turn 2: Isaac

"You know you don't have to refer to me by my rank?"

"Ehh, not my cup of tea."

“Wouldn’t be Spitfire if she didn’t land the first bit of damage,” remarked Rainbow, seated alongside her friends in the bleachers. This earned her questioning looks from Applejack and Fluttershy. “What? I’m just stating what is. So how do you think Isaac will handle going against fire?"

Well, I found out first hand that Spitfire uses a fired-based deck. Which means I need to be on the lookout for any more effect damage this time. If I let it rack up then I'll soon find myself having almost no life points left to stand.

Isaac drew his card. The look on Isaac's face said it all as he absolutely loathed burn damaged-oriented decks. He hated the these kinds of deck that instead of normally attacking, they would rely on constantly whittling away the opponent's health through extensive amount of damage dealing effects. Still that meant that Isaac could still have a chance seeing as Spitfire didn't have a direct line of damage. That being said if Isaac could get in with some heavy hits then he would have no problem securing victory.

First things first: getting rid of that Slicer of hers. I think I might just have something for that. "I'll start by playing my Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. Next I'll play the spell card Bound Wand and equip it to my monster, now he gains attack points equal to his level times 100." Thanks to the spell card, Isaac's Breaker now had a total of 2300. "Now time to fight back, Breaker attack Volcanic Slicer."

"I'll activate my trap card: Volcanic Ash. Now I can change my monster from attack to defense position. Sorry, champ. But I know how you roll and I've read up on your duels." said Spitfire as she was able to avoid herself from taking some significant damage as her monster was destroyed.

"Impressive, I'll set 1 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Spitfire

"You felt a little scorch, now time to see how you hand when I turn up the heat!" Spitfire then drew her card. "I summon Volcanic Rocket(1900/1400) in attack mode. In a burst of flame, onto Spitfire’s field emerged a creature highly reminiscent of a pterosaur; its streamlined, sharply angular body a similar brazen to golden hue as Volcanic Slicer. Lacking any walking limbs, a pair of bright red, sinewy wings extended from its sides. "I'll then play my Blaze Accelerator; now I can select one pyro-type monster in my hand with 500 or less attack and in exchange I can destroy one monster on your side of the field."

A small metallic lizard-like creature, perhaps even the size of a real-life species, surrounded in an aura of fire, appeared hovering in the air. It flung itself into a port that looked very much like an opened breech, followed by the sound of it locking in place. The tube, or rather barrel, was directed towards Breaker, followed by a thundering boom. Isaac's monster was now gone.

"When a monster equipped with Bound Wand is destroyed, I can special summon it back to field. So my Breaker is back." Isaac's monster then appeared as it was revived in defense mode.

"Like that's going to stop me, by paying 500 life points I can add another Volcanic Shell to my hand from my deck. I'll then discard it to once again activate the effect of Blaze Accelerator and destroy one of your monsters. Let see you dodge shot #2!"
Spitfire's Life Points: 7500-

The second Volcanic Shell flung itself into the breach of the Blaze Accelerator, which then fired, obliterating Breaker a second time, and there was no way Isaac was able to bring him back this time.

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

Thankfully, since Spitfire used the effect of her Blaze Accelerator she couldn't launched a direct attack. However, I can't rely that she'll do the same thing next turn. "Time to snuff out this flame, draw! You wanted to see my star monster, well here he is. I play the spell Dark Magic Veil, now by paying 1000 life points I can summon Dark Magician!". Isaac's ultimate monster then appeared in a flash of light as he took center stage; the crowd had smiles on their face as they were glad to see his ace magician once again.
Isaac's Life Points: 6500-

Spitfire had a concentrated look on her face as she examined Isaac's magician. She had heard tales from her fellow teammates and from Dash about how Isaac relied on this monster to win. Spitfire could see why it had decent stats and the amount of synergy that it had with other cards was enough to make it one tough monster to beat. Rainbow was always telling her about the bond Isaac shared with his monster and it was another reason why she wanted to face him as she needed to know what it was that made them such a dynamic duo.

"Now time then, Dark Magician attack and take out her Volcanic Rocket with Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician raised its wand up and unleashed its attack as it collided with Spitfire's monster.
Spitfire's Life Points: 6900-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Spitfire

"Hmm... I see." Spitfire drew her card and looked at Isaac's magician. "Alright, time to test my luck against your monster. I'll pay another 500 life points to add another Volcanic Shell into my hand from my deck."
Spitfire's Life Points: 6400-

Spitfire took her card from her duel disk and then added it into her hand. "Next I'll play spell card Shot Blast, now by destroying one spell/trap on my field I get to draw 2 more cards." Spitfire then got rid of her facedown and then took the two cards her duel disk slotted out. "Now since the trap I destroyed was Fire Trap, I can then draw an extra card." Once again, Spitfire drew another card from her duel disk. "Next I'll send the last Volcanic Shell from my hand to destroy your Dark Magician." Spitfire then loaded up her Blaze Accelerator with another ammo shot and fired it at Isaac's spellcaster which erupted into fire as it covered him in flames before dying down.

"Now that your monster is out of the picture, I'll then play the spell Firestorm. I can only activate this if I control no monsters on my field, in return I'm allowed to summon one level 5 or higher pyro-type monster from my hand. I summon Volcanic Hammerer(2400/1500) in attack mode." Emerging to her field came a creature twice the size of Volcanic Slicer: Like its kin, it had a very sauropodian dinosaur type physique: Bipedal, its body encased in golden metallic armoring, adhered around a frame seemingly made of molten rock, veins of seething magma glowing in errant patterns all around. It had a pair of hefty clawed forelimbs, and a distinct backwards curving horned head, its maw surging with the glow of magma.

"Too bad you can't attack due to you activating Blaze Accelerator."

"Who said I needed to attack to deal you damage? I activate my Volcanic Hammerer's special ability, now once per turn I can deal you damage for each 'Volcanic' monster in my graveyard times 200. Currently there are 5 monsters in my grave: my 3 Volcanic Shell, my Volcanic Slicer, and my Volcanic Rocket. Which means you're taking 1000 points of direct damage. Time to feel the burn once more!" Volcanic Hammerer launched a five-part volley of magma projectiles from its jaw, each striking at Isaac with the volume of a mortar, landing Spitfire in the lead.
Isaac's Life Points: 5500-

"I end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, draw. I'll play the effect of my Magicians' Souls in my hand, now I'll send a level 6 or higher spellcaster from my deck to activate one of its effects." Isaac then slotted both his Apprentice Illusion Magician and his Magicians' Soul as he was activating the effect. "By sending my Magicians' Souls card to the grave, I can revive my Dark Magician."

"Seriously? I got rid of it!"

"If you really did your research on me, Spitfire. Then you should know my magician will always stick by my side. Rise up once more buddy!" Dark Magician was now back as it gave Spitfire a serious look as he took his position on his master's side. "Next I'll play the spell card Wonder Wand and give my magician 500 extra attack points. Dark Magician take out her Volcanic Hammerer!" Once again, Dark Magician raised its wand as it blasted away Spitfire's monster.
Spitfire's Life Points: 5800-

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Spitfire

Spitfire remained stoic, but upon closer inspection she had a bit of agitation on her face. There no doubt, this kid really is the champ. No matter what, he'll keep finding some way to bring that magician of his back. Not to mention that my deck and my monsters can only keep whittling away his life points by so much; they can't compete in terms of power. No matter what, I'm just wasting my resources concentrating on getting rid of his monster and not also trying to defend my life points. In terms of who's controlling this duel, it's been all Isaac. Shows he's just that good.

"I'll summon Volcanic Blaster(1200/600) in defense mode. I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

Weird, guess she must be out of ammunition. The drawback of having a burn deck is that sometimes you run out of cards which can leave you vulnerable. Not to mention that Spitfire doesn't have that many monsters to compete with my Dark Magician, so what's her plan?

"My turn, I'll play the spell Thousand Knives now I can destroy one monster on the field since I control Dark Magician." Knives then manifested as they traveled and took out Spitfire's monster. "Now Dark Magician att-"

"I activate my continuous trap: Blaze Accelerator Reload!" Spitfire revealed her card. "Once each turn, I can send one ‘Volcanic’ monster from my hand to the graveyard to draw one card.” A card was inserted into her graveyard port, to which she drew a card.

"How does that help you in this scenario?"

“The card I discarded was ‘Volcanic Scattershot’,” said Spitfire, to which something small, surrounded in a fiery aura emerged over the field: It looked much akin to the lizard-like Volcanic Shell, albeit with a chunkier frame to compensate for the three heads at the front of its body. “When ‘Volcanic Scattershot’ is sent to the graveyard, it deals 500 points of damage to you. But when sent by the effect of a ‘Blaze Accelerator’, it lets me send two more Scattershots to the graveyard and destroy all monsters on your side of the field!”

The three-headed lizard was duplicated, with two more taking their places to either side of the first Scattershot, which promptly flung themselves at Isaac’s field. Each impacted with a fiery explosion, lifting thick motes of virtual smoke. Isaac's magician roared in pained over the sound of the explosion, once the smoke cleared there was no trace of his monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Spitfire

"I'll play a monster in defense mode. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"I'll start by activating my facedown trap: Eternal Soul. Now once per turn I can revive my Dark Magician from the grave. Then I'll play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, you've met the teacher now prepare to meet his student appear Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac played his female spellcaster who got the crowd on their feet. Well it mostly the boys who were cheering for her as it had been a while since they last saw her. Isaac could hear the responses that some of the males were making.

"Hey, Isaac. What do I have to do to get some time with that hottie?"

"Yo man, let me be her man for once!"

"Marry me!!!"

"See what you do, Mana. Everytime I summon you, all the boys go gaga."

"Can I help it?" Mana just had a smile on her face as she waved to the crowd. Isaac just facepalmed himself as she was taking in the attention being given to her. She then took her place next to her teacher who had stern look on his face.

"Mana. I told you not to embarrass the young master."

"And I've told you to lighten up, Mahad. Now let's focus on this battle." Her demeanor then changed from a happy look to a more serious one.

"Hey champ, mind telling me who you're talking to?" Spitfire was confused as she saw Isaac was talking to someone, but there was nobody there.

"Don't worry about it. Now then I'll set a card due to my spell. With that I'll then attack using both of magicians, go my spellcasters. Double Dark Magic Attack!" With their command given, Isaac's monsters combined their strength to obliterate Spitfire's defense and took a huge chunk of her life points.
Spitfire's Life Points: 3300-

Turn 11: Spitfire

Spitfire shook herself off as she recovered from Isaac's magicians. Now that she had an up close and personal experience with Isaac, she had come to a conclusion that was confirmed true by his actions. Isaac was good and she knew now why he was ranked as the champion.

The kid is damn good, he's proven why he deserves to be at the top. With that said, I have to give it my all, even if I lose this duel. "Time ignite the flames of my burning passion, draw! “Since I have Blaze Accelerator Reload on my field, I can send it to the graveyard as a Tri-Blaze Accelerator to Special Summon from my hand my ultimate weapon: Arise, fiery devil; Volcanic Doomfire(3000/1800)!”

A series of cracks began to form on the ground. That spot on the ground began to bulge, when a pillar of fire erupted forth from within, in the wake of a monstrous bellow that came with it. Arising from the fiery crater came a bipedal, somewhat dinosaurian appearing silhouette, though largely unintelligible until the flames died down. It stood on a pair of hefty legs seemingly composed of grey stone. The same could be said to describe its arms; composed of a reddish-brown rock, bearing a quartet of thick claws, as well as a thick, significantly lengthy tail. These appendages were connected to a charred black, metallic torso; riddled with spiky protrusions, leading to a matching, sharply angled head, atop which was a noticeable ridge overflowing with a great flame. Throughout the gaps in this darkened chassis, veins of glowing hot magma shone from the surface.

Rainbow was looking on with intrigue as Spitfire had managed to summon her best monster. “Nice; she's got out Doomfire. That’s a card even I don’t wanna get in a tussle with, and this is me we’re talking about…” Volcanic Doomfire destroys all other monsters on the field if it manages to destroy a single one in battle, then inflicts 500 points of damage for each monster destroyed.

"Let's see you handle this raging inferno! Volcanic Doomfire, attack with Volcanic Cannon!!" Spitfire had yelled her command at her monster and it obeyed. Volcanic Doomfire reared back on its rocky legs, opening its jagged maw, from which it launched a large flaming projectile of magma with a boom, like it was from a literal cannon. The force of the attack hit Isaac like a truck as it flung him on his back as his monsters were caught in the attack and were destroyed. "Next I'll play the spell Volcanic Spirit, now I can deal even more damage to you by selecting one monster on my field and you take damage equal to its attack points." Isaac then saw a pillar of fire head his way as he was on one knee and put up his arm to protect him from card.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"I'll then set 2 cards facedown and end my turn." Spitfire had a smirk on her face as she had come close to defeating Isaac and her victory was all but upon her.

You're done kid. I've set the stage for my victory; the two cards that I've set facedown Fire Wall and Volcanic Curse. Should you find some way to take out my Doomfire, I'll use my Fire Wall trap to negate every direct attack you throw at me. And if you manage to summon a monster that can go toe to toe with my Doomfire, then my Volcanic Curse will increase his attack points by 500 for every monster that's in my graveyard.

Turn 12: Isaac

Isaac had gotten up from his knees and began to look at Spitfire. She was one tough girl and she was showing off why she was regarded as a top duelist among her teammates. Isaac then looked at his cards and then put his hand on his deck. He knew that while Spitfire had the advantage, he still had a chance to turn things around. Isaac had to trust that he could draw a card that could help him and so he let out a breath. "Time to see what I get, here goes something." Isaac drew his card and began to formulate his plan. "Alright, Spitfire time to bring this duel to a close. I'll play my Magician Boy(1500/1200) in attack mode." Out came a tiny boy wizard who was wearing clothes that were too big for him as he tried to wield a staff that was slightly bigger than him.

"That little guy? You really must be delusional, what's he gonna do?"

"I'll show you, now my Magician Boy attack her Volcanic Doomfire!"

"My Doomfire has more attack points than your puny little Magician Boy, so that means you just sent him to his doom."

"Think again Spitfire, my Magician Boy isn't going anywhere thanks to his special ability. Not only is he not destroyed but any damage involving him I can then send to your life points. Which means you'll be taking 1500 points of damage. Then the other effect of my Magician Boy kicks in, whenever he fails to attack, he can then destroy one monster on the field and you take damage equal to its attack points."

Spitfire was now gritting her teeth as she knew her trap Fire Wall couldn't protect her from effect damage. With that Isaac's Magician Boy then started to enchant a powerful spell and it flowed into his staff. He then used all his strength to lift the staff and aim it at Spitfire who took a massive blow as she put arms out to shield her from the attack.
Spitfire's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The crowd jeered as the duel came to a close. Isaac's Magician Boy was happy that it did something good that it tried to high five Isaac only to trip on his robe and fall flat on his face. Isaac help his little magician up as he helped him stand up and put his hat on his head. They then shared a high five before his spirit disappeared back into Isaac's deck. Isaac waved to the crowd as he took in the cheers. He forgot how good it felt to be cheered as he knew this was a great way for him to be welcomed back. Spitfire then got up in Isaac's face as she extended her hand out.

"You're a tough son of bitch. I now know why you're the best; keep it up kid."

"Thanks for the compliment, Spits."

Spitfire just smiled at the nickname Isaac gave her. She told him that if he ever wanted to face some tough challenges then he should stop by the soccer team and they would be free to take him on any time. Isaac said he appreciate the challenge and thanked her for a well fought duel.

Celestia then came up next to Isaac and raised his hand in victory. "Seems you're skills haven't rusted during the break. I hope that you'll keep this wave of momentum going, especially with what's about to happen."

Isaac didn't hear the last part of Isaac as the girls started to pat him on the back for giving everybody a high profile duel as a way to start the new school term. Everybody then continued on with the rest of their day as they went to their class. Just then Celestia heard her phone ring and she answered it. She didn't say much as she was hearing the conversation happening in her ear. All she said was "Don't worry, I have my duelist."

Chapter 37: Doppelgangers

It was the day after both schools had announced that the Friendship Games would be taking place in two weeks and it was safe to say that the students of both schools were ecstatic. Moreso that Crystal Prep just simply shrugged it off as they were confident that they would be victorious as always. Canterlot High on the other hand were full of excitement. They felt like this year would be the time things would change for the better; they knew that this year could be their shining moment to finally be in the winner's circle. With that both teams began to make preparations on how they would combat their opponents.

Isaac was currently in the school's library where he was accompanied by both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna. They were waiting for the girls to show up as Isaac had called them to inform them about being part of the team for CHS. It didn't take long as soon the doors were open and the girls began to make their way in and headed towards Isaac. The girls noticed that he wasn't alone as both Celestia and Luna were standing behind him which could mean that this meeting was important.

"Alright, Isaac. You got all of us here, so what's the issue?"

"Simmer down, Dash. I'll explain in due time." The girls then sat in the chairs Isaac had set up so they could pay attention to the whiteboard behind him. Isaac then sat so that he faced them. "Well in case you haven't known the Friendship Games are coming up. And it's my honor to tell you all that you'll be 6 out of the 7 participants competing on Team CHS."

The girls were happy as they all had smiles on their faces. They then began to give each other hugs and high fives. Just then a thought crossed their mind which caused them to turn back to Isaac.

"Pardon the interruption, Isaac. But you said 6 out of the 7, right? So who's going to be the last member?"

"Well, Fluttershy. The last member of the team will be me. In fact, by request of Celestia, she's made me the team captain." Isaac then put on his captain cap as the girls were even more happy that Isaac had agreed to being a part of the team.

"Ha, told you. I knew you would come through and wouldn't let us down. But wait, you said a team of 7?"

"I believe I can answer that Ms. Dash. According to the Board of Education, they believe that having 7 members on the team will help limit the win-loss ratio so that the event won't end in a tie. They just want to make sure that there's a winner."

"Exactly, Celestia. Now that we've got that out the way, I don't think I need to ask you but I'll still anyway. It's my duty to represent Team CHS as not only its captain, but also as its champion. So I'll ask you girls, if any of you aren't comfortable with competing then it's okay you can just tell me and we'll find a replacement."

"Like hell we would! We're here because we want to be here. This is finally our time to show those uptight Crystal Preppies how to throwdown CHS style. Plus with you leading us to victory, we've got nothing to worry about, right girls?"

"What Rainbow is saying, darling? Is that we've got your back and we're willing to support you till the very end. In fact, now that we know we're all going to be teammates I should get to work on designing team shirts. Nothing screams unity without us wearing something in common."

"Settle down, Rarity. We should probably be more focused on what Isaac is going to say."

"Thanks Applejack, now back to business. As we know the event this year will be Duel Monsters. Already, that puts us at a bit of a disadvantage. While Crystal Prep has dueling embedded into their curriculum; we've only got the time when we're not in class to actually practice. So with that I was able to talk to both Luna and Celestia and they've told the teachers about the upcoming event that they're willing to allow us to have extra time in order to prepare ourselves. Now then the next item on the list is our opponents. Currently, we don't know who we'll be facing until the actually event. Thankfully the Friendship Games will be taking place here, so in a way we'll have home field advantage. Now that brings us to the last major thing to discuss. Ourselves and our decks."

"What do mean by that?"

"Allow me to explain, Sunset. See a team is only good as your strongest duelist, but it's also on how you handle your weakest member. There's no two ways about it, some of us are a bit better than others. Therefore it's up to each one of us to cover the weakness of the other person, so that we can learn from them and make us even stronger as a team. Am I understood?"

The girls all nodded as they understood what Isaac was saying.

"Now in terms of our deck; in order for us to be unite as one we need to know each other."

"Thankfully, that's not a problem. I mean we're all best friends with each other and we love to party." Pinkie then pulled out her party cannon and pulled the string as confetti came out.

Isaac just brushed the confetti that landed on his shoulder. "It's not just that Pinkie, in order for us to truly know one another we must put ourselves in each other's shoes and see how they play their decks. For example, you've all seen the way I play. But say it was Applejack that was using my deck, or even Fluttershy? As far as I'm concerned, I'm pretty sure that they would do things differently and play different strategies compared to me. So in order to understand how each one of us thinks, every so often we'll be playing with each others decks to get a feeling for how they work and to picture ourselves in their positions."

"That's actually smart. Not only does it allow us to expand our knowledge of Duel Monsters, but it gives us exposure to different scenarios and how well we respond to them."

"Right on the money, Sunset. Now the next key thing will be cards, as you know a deck is nothing if you don't have the proper cards to play with. So as you know that I've got a couple of cards that I'm willing to let us use so that we can make sure our decks are up to date. In addition, Luna here has used a small portion of the school budget to get use some card packs/sets. Hopefully this will be enough for us to be as prepared as we can be. So with that does anybody have questions." The girls all shook their head. "Alright, well then what do you'll say we get some extra special training." The group nodded as Isaac led them out to the field with Celestia and Luna staying a bit behind to talk.

"Well, you were right sister. Isaac was definitely the right choice to pick as team captain for CHS."

"Thank you, Luna; but this didn't have anything to do with me. I just simply gave Isaac an offer and told him about how he had tons of students who would be cheering/supporting him if he chose to partake in this event. He was the one to make the final decision and he's showing what a great leader he is."

"Indeed, come on Tia. Let's go see how well Isaac is whipping the girls into shape." With that Luna and Celestia then made their way outside as they wanted to see their students train for the fight of their lives.

Crystal Prep was a place that prided themselves on being the best. To them their motto was: that they were the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. The students really took it to heart as everytime they faced Canterlot High, they made sure to completely dominant their opponents as it often resulted in a squash match. Nevertheless, they weren't worried as they felt history would repeat itself and they would be declared the victors. Twilight Sparkle was making her way to the room where she would be meeting the rest of her team and see who her teammates were. She found the room number and opened the door; upon first glance there was a huge table in the middle with a couple of seats that surrounded the wooden structure as they were positioned in the shape of a circle. Twilight saw that neither Principal Sombra nor her brother were here; she could only assume that they would be arriving soon. She did notice 5 other individuals who were seated as one of them got up and began to approach her.

A girl with multi-toned blue hair, brilliant gamboge eyes, and light amberish grey skin began to introduce herself. "Hey. You the seventh member of the team?"

"Umm, yeah."

"Nice, by the way the name's Indigo Zap."

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Cool name, let me introduce you to the others." Indigo then led Twilight to the table as she began to introduce the other girls.

Sitting in the chair next to Indigo Zap was a girl who had light opalish gray hair with a light bluish gray streaks; she also had grayish orchid eyes as well as light phthalo bluish gray skin. The person next to her had grayish mulberry hair with light raspberry streaks; she had moderate cerise eyes and had light turquoishish gray skin. The next person over had light pistachio hair with pale, light grayish green and light brilliant lime green streaks; she had light brilliant amber eyes and pale, light grayish amaranth skin. The last girl was sitting in the chair next to Twilight and she had moderate rose hair with lighter moderate rose and grayish aquamarine streaks; she had moderate indigo eyes and pale, light grayish gold skin.

"This here is Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest and Sour Sweet."

Twilight gave a light wave as they all gave a wave back. "So you girls call yourselves the Shadowbolts, am I right?"

“Well, aren’t you well-informed!” Sour Sweet gushed. “If I didn’t know any better I’d peg you as a stuck-up know it all!” She snarled the last words.

Twilight leaned away at her tone. “Did I mistake your names?”

“Relax, dear.” Sunny Flare gave a look at Sour Sweet to behave herself and smiled at Twilight. “Yes, that would be us. It seems our reputations precede us, as they should.”

“Shining Armor talks about you sometimes,” Twilight replied.

“I would presume so, seeing how often we challenge him,” Sugarcoat said. “Even if our win-loss record couldn’t surpass his, a victory would be a symbolic show of superiority.”

"That's my brother for you. He won't stop till he wins and how can he not; he's just that good."

"So Twilight, got any secrets to share on that front?” Indigo nudged her and winked.

“Secrets?”

“Yeah, you know.” Indigo shrugged. “How’s he so good? Do you have some kind of program that builds his deck for him, does he have to train ten hours a day? Does he have some magical power that allows him to be undefeated?”

Twilight gave her a quizzical look. “I’m not sure I follow. There isn’t any sort of secret like that to my brother’s dueling. He just practices hard, builds his deck well, and knows how to use it effectively. In fact, ever since we were little, he would always battle whoever was around him as he felt it was the best way for him to learn. Safe to say that it worked as he quickly climbed the ranks of the school and is now the number #1 duelist in Crystal Prep history.” I doubt there's a single person who can beat my brother, let alone tie with him.

“Then why does it work for him? I mean, I do all the same things as he does!” said Indigo Zap.

Twilight shrugged. “Than it stands to reason he’s simply better than you, doesn’t it?”

Sunny Flare let out a small, indignant huff. “It's good to know you think so little of us.”

Twilight turned her attention her way. “Not at all, you're all extremely skilled. But, if you were capable of defeating Shining Armor, you would have done it by now.”

Sugarcoat murmured. “She's got us there.”

“She's just so confident!” Sour Sweet gushed. She scowled after. “Makes me wonder how badly we'd crush her if she faced us!”

“Yeah, good idea.” Lemon Zest put her elbow on the table and leaned across to look at Twilight with a raised eyebrow. “Think you could beat us?”

Twilight paused as she looked around the table at the five girls staring at her, her eyes stopping on Indigo. “Is that a challenge?”

“Do you want it to be?” Indigo replied immediately.

“No.” Twilight shook her head.

Indigo Zap just let out a laugh as she was having fun with Twilight. "I'm just messing with you, nerd. Lighten up and smile a bit, will ya?"

"Sorry it's just I only duel with a purpose. If it doesn't benefit me in any way shape or form, then I see no point in it. I'd have little to gain by dueling any of you. As for Sour Sweet's statement, while a win wouldn't be outside the realm of probability, it wouldn’t be favorable to me within a reliable degree of certainty. All the reason more not to try.”

“Wow, really?” Lemon scrunched her face. “That's lame. You won't duel anyone you don't know you can beat?”

Twilight furrowed her brow. “If I have minimal chance of defeating a duelist, I don't see the point of facing them.” Though while Twilight said that she immediately remembered her duel with Isaac the other day. All signs pointed to her winning the duel but as it kept going on her chances started to dwindle till it was very low; even then she began to question herself why she continued to fight if she knew her probability of winning was diminishing.

Sugarcoat gave the new girl a half-lidded stare. “With the right combination of luck and skill, anything is possible.”

“Possible, yes. Probable, no. Luck is just a word for variables one hasn’t solved for yet.” Twilight adjusted her glasses. “At any given time in a duel, the odds of a duelist drawing a particular card on their next turn can be definitively calculated as long as one knows the contents of their deck. Then, knowing the contents of the opponent's deck and the current state of the field, one can determine the statistically best usage of that card to have the most impact at increasing their own resources or draining the opponent's resources. A duel is merely the process by which duelists take turns putting this formula into action, and the deck is the tool they use to execute it. True, a duelist may occasionally defy the odds of random chance, but they can’t manage it every turn. Under these conditions, and presuming optimal decision-making from both players, eventually the duelist whose deck is more efficient at this process will gain enough advantage over the other that their ability to follow the process will be compromised beyond repair. Shortly thereafter, the duel will certainly reach its conclusion.”

The other five stared at Twilight as she finished her explanation.

Indigo let out a low whistle. “I feel nerdier just listening to that. Still couldn't you have simplified that in short words."

Lemon nodded. “There's more to this game than statistics, you know.”

Twilight was confused by what she said. "Like what?"

“Having fun!” Indigo grinned. “The adrenaline rush of a great draw, the thrill of pulling off that epic combo to clench the win, the rush of victory as you watch that Life Point counter tick to zero!”

Sour Sweet grinned. “Watching the hope drain out of their eyes as you back them into a corner and grind them down one card at a time.”

“Yeah…” Indigo leaned back in her chair and sighed. “It's the best feeling in the world. Know what I mean?”

Twilight looked down at her deck. "No. I don't know what you mean." Once again Twilight's subconscious was conflicting with her as her mind kept flashing back to her duel with Isaac.

Sour Sweet peered closer at her. “If you don't play for fun, why even play this game?”

“I intend to go into card design when I graduate. I've already applied to internships at a tournament venue to shadow under judges.”

Indigo rolled her hand through the air. “And you want to do that because…”

“Card design is a promising career path with a lot of room for advancement and development.”

“So is being an electrician, why not look at that?” Lemon snickered and high-fived Indigo.

“I have.” The two lowered their hands. Twilight gestured to her duel disk. “Hardware development for duel disks. But I find the hazardous factory environments unappealing. And I don’t want to carry heavy loads every day and I don't know how to operate a hand truck.”

Lemon shrank back. “Oookay then…”

"Anyways, seeing as how we're all going to be on the same team. Mind telling us what deck you use?" asked Sunny Flare as she adjusted her hair.

"My archetype is pretty complex and calculated. I use tons of literature with magical properties and use their energy to summon out sorcerers that wield incredible power both in stats and abilities."

The rest of the girls just had confused looks on their face as they didn't understand a word Twilight was saying. Twilight just rolled her eyes and let out a sigh as she did her best to 'speak English'. "I use a Spellbook deck, with a bit of variety of magicians/spellcasters."

"Huh, the nerd who likes facts and figures uses a deck that is made up of magic and other natural powers along with tons of books. Seems about right. As for me I've got F.A. deck, which means Formula Athlete."

"Magnetic Warriors" said Sugarcoat.

"Hazy Flame for me, dear." Sunny Flare simply flipped her hair.

"Morphtronics is the way to go my dude." Lemon Zest then put on her headphones and began to rock out while playing air guitar.

"Save the best for last, like you should. Mighty Amazoness. Tough girls who show they don't need any male to boss them around!" Sour Sweet had a smile on her face while looking at Twilight which then turned sideways really fast.

"Now what about your brother? He uses tons of different decks, but what's his main deck?" Indigo Zap was hoping to get some extra dirt on Twilight's brother so that she could come up with a plan to beat.

"Well he uses..." before Twilight could say the door opened with Principal Sombra walking in accompanied by someone.

He was a tall person as he had moderate sapphire blue hair with moderate cerulean and dark phthalo blue streaks. He had moderate cerulean eyes and had light gray skin. On his cadigan, he had a shield with a larger sparkle in the middle and had three smaller stars on top of the shield. Once they made their way all the girls stood up with Twilight slowly following behind.

"At ease, everyone. Apologizes for being late, Shining Armor and I were collecting some info that may help us figure out how to defeat out opponents." Sombra then took his position at the head of the table with Shining Armor standing in front of his seat which was between Sombra and his little sister. "Now then, as you know the Friendship Games will taking place in about two weeks. Both of our schools have selected the individuals who will represent the schools and they will meet in several rounds of Duel Monsters to see which school is superior. I've chosen you all because I believe you to be the best of the best, so I expect nothing but success and victory. Are we clear!"

Everybody nodded as they heard Sombra's booming voice. "Now then Shining Armor, please present the documents for all to see."

"Glady, Principal Sombra." Shining Armor then threw a couple of files on the table that had the portraits of their rivals and inside had some information about them. The girls all looked at them before Shining Armor began to explain them.

"The first person you see here is a girl by the name of Fluttershy. She uses a beast-type deck; she's into floral and fauna lifestyle. However, don't let her shy nature fool you. She deeply cares about her friends and animal companions that she would do anything to keep them safe. Not to mention that her most recent accomplishment was she made it into the top 8 of the Fall Formal at CHS." He then presented another file. "This one, her name is Rarity. Apart from her beauty, she has a fascination for things that shiny and priceless. She has a strong passion for fashion and hopes to pursue it. In terms of what she uses, she has a Crystal Beast deck so expect some issue with this. Next file: Pinkie Pie. She's hyper energetic, not to mention loves to party. Despite not dueling as much as the others, she still knows how to throw down and is not to be taken lightly. She uses a Toon deck. So expect some craziness to ensue. The fourth file is Applejack. She's a hard working country girl who loves her family deeply as it runs through her veins. Deck type: Predaplant. Expect her to have some tricks up her sleeves. After that we have a girl who gives new meaning to the word 'speed': Rainbow Dash. Along with Applejack, she's one of CHS's top duelist; always placing in the top 3 or 4 of every tournament. The deck she uses personifies her attitude as she relies heavily on her U.A. or ultra athletes." Shining Armor then presented the last file in his hand. "Lastly, there's Sunset Shimmer. Went from former bully to one of the most beloved students in Canterlot High. At first she used relied on archfiends, but since then has gotten rid of them and is now using a Red-Eyes deck." That last piece of info sent Twilight to have big eyes as she was surprised that someone on the opponent's side would being using such a well respected card.

The girls then began to pick up the files as they each took a turn to look through the files of their opponent. Safe to say that it wouldn't be no walk in the park but they still expected them to be the winners no matter who they faced. Just then Sugarcoat noticed something as she spoke up.

"Wait a minute, there's only 6 files. According to the rules of the Friendship Games, there are 7 members on a team. So who's the seventh?"

Sombra then waved his hand as he commanded they all take a seat. The entire group complied as they all sat down in their chairs as they placed their arms on the round table.

"Unfortunately, that is something we don't know. For some reason, we can't seem to collect info on CHS' final member. However, we do know who it will be. If you all saw the files, you'll notice that none of the girls are ranked as the champion. Therefore it comes to no shock that the final member of Team CHS will be the champion. Now all that remains is to figure out who that champion is and once we figure out what deck he uses, we'll implore the proper countermeasures to achieve victory."

"I don't care, so what if it's their champion? I'll knock them down the same way I do everybody who faces me."

"Overconfidence can be a weakness, Ms. Zap. Have too much of it and you'll soon find yourself at the bottom of the barrel."

"Either way, as long as we win majority of our duels we won't have to worry about who the 7th member is. In fact, there's a chance we won't even face the champ."

"True. But always take into account the probability of the uncertain to happen, Ms. Sugarcoat."

Twilight on the other hand had a different expression on her face. When Sombra first mentioned that they didn't know who the seventh member was, she had a relaxed look. But once she looked at the files of the competitors and heard Sombra say that the final member of Team Canterlot was the champion; she immediately started to sweat. Twilight knew that the champion was the boy she had dueled when she was spying on CHS, it took a while but eventually she remembered the boy's name.

"Isaac." whispered Twilight.

"Hmm, what was that little sis?"

"Nothing." Twilight did her best to deny that she said anything to which her brother bought it. Still it plagued her on why she didn't choose to speak up and tell her team on how she knew who the final person was and what his signature monster was. She felt like it was an important detail as it would prove beneficial for them as they could come up with the proper plan to beat him. But she didn't; for some reason she just chose to keep that detail to herself and listened as Principal Sombra was talking.

"Now that we've got the details out of the way; tell me girls what do you think of our opponents."

"The girl with U.A. gets maximum points for coolness, can't wait to throw down with her."

"Blonde hair. Simple, still not a problem."

"She wants some flair then I'll gladly give her some."

"Can't wait to turn it up to 10! Yeah! Hope that girl knows how to party!"

"Hope she has her animals friends around so I can pet them, then make they watch as I put their master down for good!"

"As for the champ, let me take care of them. Even if they're good, they don't come close to the skills that I possess."

Everybody was expressing how they felt, except for Twilight. Sombra then got her attention. "What about you Twilight? Surely, you must have something to say. Perhaps about our opponents and how you can possibly formulate a plan to counteract them."

Twilight just looked around as her teammates looked at her to see what she would say. "Just that we'll do whatever it takes to win."

Everybody agreed on what she said and began to plan ahead for their victory speech. She quickly looked at Sombra who had a smile on his face; but when she looked at it felt cold and sinister. Sombra then spoke up.

"Now then we've seen our opponents, I'm sure you'll have someone who you want to face but know that the duelists/duels will be randomly generated before each match. Which means the probability of who you desire to duel gets either larger or smaller depending on who's already participated. This leads me to the rules of the Friendship Games. As you know the Board of Education has changed this year's teams to 7 members to avoid a tie occurring. So in order for the team to win they must win 4 out of the 7 duels that will take place. Therefore if we were to win all 4 of our rounds then that means most of you won't get a chance to compete, nevertheless I'd expect you'll to be prepared for anything. Now we know the types of decks our opponent's use so using the database that Twilight has come up with, we can have our robots use these cards and practice against them. That being said; let me bring your attention to each duelist's signature card." Sombra then projected on the screen behind them the portraits of their opponents and their signature monster next to them.

"Fluttershy's card is Behemoth, the King of All Animals. She's also been recently using Thunder Unicorn and the Xyz monster Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu. Applejack has Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon. Rarity uses Rainbow Dragon. Pinkie Pie is an interesting one as she'll be rely on her toon monsters, so expect the standard monsters that go into a toon deck. Rainbow Dash relies on her U.A. deck, but recently she's gained possession of Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. And Sunset Shimmer has the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. A mix of variety among these participants, not including who the champion is, but they all have a similar feature in that most of them haven't used the more advanced summoning methods that we use. CHS doesn't teach their students dueling as most of them learn on their own, so realistically they only know how to Fusion and the basic Tribute summoning."

"Then how does this Fluttershy girl have a Synchro and an Xyz card? Not to mention that Sunset girl will definitely have some variations of Red-Eyes in her extra deck." said Sugarcoat bluntly.

"That's the part I was getting to; while most of these decks are theirs, they also had help to change them. Compared to how they were before the school term of last year, it's clear they've had someone who's modified their decks. It also happened right around the time their Fall Formal was occurring and it could be assumed that whoever they were that won the event was also the same person who helped improved their decks."

"So you're saying this person has a vast knowledge of Duel Monsters that they would make all these changes to the girls' decks?"

"Correct, Ms. Sweet. Which means the champion is someone who'll be a bit difficult but seeing as how he attends CHS, he'll probably only know the basic stuff and summoning methods. Overall, this is but a sure victory for Crystal Prep. Now then I'd expect you'll to get along and practice twice as hard so that the moment we arrive at CHS they already consider the idea of forfeiting. We start as soon as classes are done, dismissed." With that everybody nodded and they began to head to their classes.

Twilight was still in her seat as she watched her teammates leave. Sombra was about to ask what was wrong, but Shining Armor told him that he'll talk to his sister. He gave him his permission and told them not to take too long as they wouldn't be excused for being tardy. Shining Armor then made his way to Twilight who was dwindling with her fingers.

"Twily, is something wrong?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you're acting a bit unusual than normal. I figured you would be someone who would be excited to share with the girls about how to counter our opponents. So what's been eating at you?"

"Nothing big bro."

"So it has nothing to do with what's on your mind? Especially pertaining to you meeting a certain someone? A boy, perhaps?" Shining Armor had a sly look on his face.

"What!? No! Why would that be a fact?"

"Cause Cadance told me about it yesterday."

"I've should have known. Well you'll be pleased to know that, that's not the reason. I've got something else that's occupying my mind."

"Twily, I understand on keeping things to yourself. We all have our secrets, but know that I'll always be here to keep you safe. It's my duty as your big bro."

"I appreciate that BBBFF." She then gave him a hug.

"Anytime, LSBFF. By the way, I don't mind if you've taken an interest in someone. They just got to answer to me and see if they've got what it takes to be with my little sis." Shining Armor then took out his deck as he looked at it while saying that to Twilight. She knew how her big brother would get like this which is why she didn't bother being involved in relationships. With that they both left as they attended their classes.

Isaac and the girls were currently having a couple of practice duels. He even introduced them to the activity that he did with Rainbow before the Winter Ball. He showed them how it worked and used it to see their skills; the results were all over the place but eventually they were able to figure out one scenario. Sunset was able to solve it on her first few tries, so Isaac decided to name her as the co-captain of Team CHS to which the girls had no issue with it. Celestia and Luna were watching from afar as they were impressed with what they were seeing; they were happy to see Isaac take charge as he wiped the girls into shape and were feeling a bit excited themselves as they couldn't wait to see their students battle.

Isaac was currently facing against Sunset but they weren't using their actually decks. Isaac was using Rarity's Crystal Beast deck while Sunset was using Fluttershy's beast deck.

"Now that I have all 7 of my Crystal Beasts on my field and in my graveyard, I can now summon my Rainbow Dragon." Isaac played his card as a dragon full of colors and embedded jewels appeared on his side of the field. It led out a mighty roar as it looked at the person who summoned it. It didn't feel the same as to when Rarity would summon him, but he sensed the presence/spirit that Isaac had as it was strong with him and Rainbow Dragon knew it could trust Isaac. "Now I'll have Rainbow Dragon attack your Behemoth. Go Rainbow Refraction!" With that Rainbow Dragon powered itself up and opened its jaws as it unleashed a powerful beam and destroyed Sunset's behemoth and watched her life points hit zero.

Once the duel was over, Isaac told Sunset how she performed and offered his insight on how she could improve. Soon it was time for Applejack and Fluttershy to face each other using different decks. Isaac and Sunset then watched from the sides with their other friends as he began to take notes on what he observed during the duel. Overall, Isaac had his work cut out for him; he knew that it would only be a matter of time before they would be in front of the school and battling against Crystal Prep. Not to mention that like the Fall Formal, this event would be televised to both families of the schools so that they could witness the great battles to come. In the end, Isaac did the best he could to make sure that they were prepared; eventually he saw progress and it couldn't happen at a better time as the two weeks had flown by and they soon found themselves on the cusp of the Friendship Games.

The day had finally arrived; today was the day where Crystal Prep would be arriving to CHS where the two teams would meet in a party being held in the auditorium. There the captains and the other members would be able to see their rivals and be able to mingle with them. This would be the first time that Team CHS would see who their rivals were and then it was praying that all their training paid off. Isaac and the girls had registered their decks into the system and were told by Celestia and Luna that they were free to make any changes between now and before their match because once the participants were selected for the round they had a minute to get ready. The entire school body were outside as they waited for their enemies to show up which didn't take long as they soon came into view. A black limousine turned the corner down the street and drove towards the school. Behind it came a school bus. The limo turned into the parking lot and stopped with the back door aligned with the stairs leading down to the field. The school bus stopped on the roadside and opened its doors.

Students clad in purple and blue uniforms filed off the bus. More than a few dirty looks and a couple obscene gestures passed between the opposing student bodies. A few of the Crystal Prep students gave a glance at the students of Canterlot High, but no remarks or gestures were directed at them. Once everybody that was on the bus had gotten their stuff, the door to the limo swung open. A tall man with pale grey skin in a dark grey suit and a red ruffled shirt stood out of the limo. He took a moment to adjust his jacket and then turned to offer a hand to Cadance who stepping out behind him. She took the hand and stood up, a silver briefcase in her other hand and then stood beside him. Now more students came from the limo. The first was an older boy with blue hair and pale skin. Behind him came five more Crystal Prep duelists, all girls. Then the sixth girl stepped out as she had a different look compared to her classmates. They then meet with Celestia and Luna who were waiting for them in the parking lot.

"Principal Celestia, Vice-Principal Luna. It's been too long. You are looking well.” Sombra took the offered hand and shook it twice, then turned it and bowed to briefly press his lips to the back of it.

"Good to see you again, Principal Sombra and Dean Cadance. Welcome back to Canterlot High.” said Celestia as she retracted her hand and began to lead the entire student body of Crystal Prep towards the auditorium to where they would meet their opposition. Twilight was able to sneak away from the group as she wanted to do a bit of snooping for herself.

Isaac was currently heading towards the auditorium as he was on the roof of CHS when he noticed Crystal Prep had arrived. He knew that was his cue to head down for the party that was to take place; Rarity had wanted to design him an outfit to fit in at the party, but Isaac denied as he chose to go with his signature look. The girls on the other hand had decided to go in new dresses.(Just picture the outfits they wore in Friendship Games when they were at the party.) Isaac had just finished walk down the stairs that led to the roof as he turned the corner and began walking toward his destination.

"Well, they're here. Time to see who our opp..." Isaac didn't finish his sentence as he bump into someone who collided with him as they both fell down.

"Ow." Isaac was his hand on his head as he rubbed his temple to sooth the pain. Once the pain was gone, he looked to see who he had bumped into and it was a girl.

"That hurt. My glasses, where are they?" Twilight was scrambling trying to figure out where her glasses were.

Isaac looked to his side and saw they had fallen next to him. "Here they are." Isaac then picked them and put them on Twilight's face.

Once Twilight had gain her vision, she immediately blinked as she saw who was in front of her. For a moment, the eyes of Isaac and Twilight looked at each other as they examined each other. It seemed like something was happening inside both of them as they just stared at each not saying a word. Eventually the silence was broken by Isaac.

"Woah, you're beautiful." Isaac didn't know what came over him as he just said what was on his mind. He quickly pulled himself back as he helped Twilight to her feet.

"Thanks. Well sorry for bumping into you; I should be on my way." with that Twilight started walking away from Isaac.

"What the hell was that? That's the first time I've ever said something like that. Usually I'm not the one to say things like that to a girl, but it just came out. Not to mention that my chest feels like it's heating up, maybe I should check in the nurse's office after the social gathering." Isaac then continued on his way.

The little social gathering was full of tension. Both schools were separated as they were on opposite sides of the room. The only time they would cross paths was when they went for refreshments and food at the table. The girls had arrived as they saw Celestia on the stage as she was speaking with Principal Sombra. They saw the expressions of the Crystal Prep students as they had looks of disgusted.

"Well this certainly is a living party." said Sunset as she was eating a cookie.

"Seriously? It's boring if you ask me, this party is dead." Rainbow had crumpled up her napkin as she shot a basket into the trash can.

"If there was only a way to liven this up." said Rarity as she was fixing her earrings.

"Leave it to me, everybody." In a flash, Pinkie appeared and reappeared as she had huge presents on front of her. Once she opened them up, inside were two huge party cannons. "Let it rip!" Pinkie pulled the strings as hard as she can and a huge blast of confetti came out. It was such a huge amount that it transformed the entire room. Now there was a disco ball hanging from the ceiling, balloons had appeared and streamers were now hanging all over the place. Even music started to play as everybody started to lighten up and get in the groove of the music. Now there were a bit more conversations happening between the two schools. It was then Twilight had made her way into the room as she noticed the party happening. She was about to join her team when she was spotted by the rest of the girls.

"Hey, you're from Crystal Prep, right."

"Yeah."

"I'm Sunset Shimmer. And these are my friends: Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Rarity."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"So, what's your name?"

Before Twilight could say she felt something on her shoulder as a person had suddenly appeared beside her.

"Who wants to know?!" shouted Indigo Zap as she was getting in the face of Sunset.

"Um, we do." replied Dash as she returned with the same fury in her voice. This caused both Indigo and Dash to stare at each other as they pressed their foreheads together getting ready to fight.

Applejack saw her that Dash was about to do something terrible, so she decided to defuse the situation to avoid seeing her friend get hurt. "All right, everyone. Let's not get too competitive before the games even start."

Sugarcoat now made her presence know as she bluntly stated the fact while looking at Applejack with an intense stare. "Please. The games aren't really competitive since we've never lost."

"That's not a very nice thing to say." Fluttershy was hoping that everybody would get along to avoid any physical violence.

"Sorry, dearie, but these games aren't about being nice." said Sunny Flare as she had a bit of uptightness in her voice.

"Well, you might use a little tact." replied Rarity as she was trying to defend her friend.

The girls all then began to look at each other as they were waiting to see what would happen next. They even managed to separate both Rainbow Dash and Indigo Zap as they pulled them back. Before anything else could happen their was the feedback from the mic as Celestia and Sombra had gained everybody's attention.

"Students of Canterlot High and Crystal Prep Academy, I hope that you'll have been enjoying themselves. As you know this cross-school tournament has been held in the spirit of friendly competition, to unite our schools in their love for the game of Duel Monsters and their drive to better themselves and be the best. Friendship Games is an event that is beloved by many people. For those who have not attended the tournament before, I will briefly explain the rules. Duelists will be randomly matched and hold a single-elimination duel. We will hold four tomorrow and the other three the day after; the first team to score 4 points will ultimately be named the winner. In the event of a tied score after all seven duels have been held, an eighth tie-breaker duel will be held with each school allowed to choose their duelist secretly.”

Celestia turned her head. “And now I will hand the microphone over to Principal Sombra.”

Sombra took the offered microphone and cleared his throat before raising it. “Good morning, students and duelists of Canterlot High. Today, your chosen representatives will face the seven best duelists that Crystal Prep Academy can offer. Disregard your school’s history in this tournament or our school’s reputation. As each duel is a new opportunity to better one’s understanding of the game, so this tournament yours to lose, or win, will show if you are good enough to be considered the best. There can be no doubts or hesitation moving forward. There is only what is to come, and how we each, as schools and as individuals, handle it."

Surprisingly enough, the students from both school agreed with what Principal Sombra was saying as they applauded him and Celestia's speech.

Sombra then spoke once again, "Now that we've got the formalities and rules out the way, let's introduce the participants who will be representing our schools and will do battle for brand supremacy."

Luna then pushed a remote control as a screen lowered down and turned on. She then handed the remote to Sombra who pushed another button and the portraits and names of the competitors appeared for all to see.

"The duelists representing Crystal Prep Academy will be: Shining Armor, Sour Sweet, Sunny Flare, Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Lemon Zest, and the last member being Twilight Sparkle." Sombra introduced his team as they made their way onto the stage. They received cheers from their fellow classmates while the students of CHS just had disdained looks while they showed their respect for their competitors by also clapping.

Just then the door to the auditorium opened and Isaac had stepped in. Nobody noticed him as they were listening to Sombra speak. "Looks like I made it just in time. Huh, is it me or am I seeing double?" Isaac then slowly made his way to the stage as Sombra was wrapping up and passed it over to Celestia.

"Now that I've introduced the duelists from CPA, time to see who you have selected for your team, Celestia."

"Thank you, Principal Sombra. Now then our beloved student body has all voted on who they want to see represent their school." Celestia then took the remote from Sombra and pushed the same button and now it the portraits/names of the duelist competing for CHS. "The seven individuals who will be part of team Canterlot High are: Fluttershy Breeze, Rainbow Dash, Sunset Shimmer, Rarity Belle, Jacklyn Apple, Pinkamena Pie, and leading them will be none other than the captain of Team CHS and currently ranked as the champion: Isaac!" Celestia then introduced her team as the girls made their way onto the stage. Once they were standing by Celestia they immediately shot intense glares as the girls from CPA.

Celestia then noticed that Isaac wasn't there and she quickly whispered to Sunset. "Pardon me, Sunset. But where is Isaac?"

Just as she was about to speak, they heard a voice coming from the crowd.

"I'm here!" Isaac then made his way onto the stage as he was trying to catch his breath. "Sorry about that, but traffic was bad today. Ha Ha." Isaac smiled sheepishly as he did his best to lighten up the situation.

Sombra and the other students on the stage were now looking at Isaac as they finally got a good look at who the final member/champion was. Safe to say that each of the girls had their own opinions on Isaac while Shining Armor just kept his glance at Isaac. Principal Sombra had a smile on his face as he noticed something about the boy that made him special.

Dean Cadance then made her presence known as she was now standing between the two teams. "Now as tradition, we'll have the captains of each team shake hands and say a few words before promising to entertain us with some amazing duels."

Isaac and Shining Armor then stepped forward as they stared at each other. Shining Armor was a fair bit taller than Isaac as he had to look up to look him in the eyes. Each of their teammates were standing behind them a few meters as they prepared themselves in case things took a turn for the worse.

"So you're the guy? Well I hope that you and your team can bring the fight to us."

"Believe me, Crystal Prep prides itself on providing quality matches and showing why we're the dominant school. The question is are you and your team going to at least make things fun before we destroy you?" smirked Shining Armor.

"You'll find out when we get on the dueling field." Isaac then stuck his hand out to which Shining Armor did the same and they shook. They still had their eyes locked on each other as they tried to see if one would flinch. Isaac then quickly looked out of the corner of his eyes and noticed Twilight standing there.

Shining Armor didn't let that go unnoticed as he addressed it so that only he and Isaac could hear what he was saying. "Oh, you seem to know my sister? Well me tell you something, you should keep your eyes focused on me and not on my little sis. You should be more concerned with what's going to be left of your team after we get done chewing you out, and if you ever harm my sister I promise it will not be a pretty site. I will gladly kick your ass should you do anything to hurt her. Am I clear!"

"I have no intentions. And as far as you kicking my ass, I'd like to see you try!" Isaac tighten his grip on his hand as he looked at Shining Armor.

They soon let go as they stepped back. Sombra then stepped forward as he had something to say. "Now that we've seen who will be participating, it's time for the little proposition that I was talking with you about Celestia. Seeing as how this year is probably the biggest diversity of talent in terms of dueling, I'd figured why not have a special preview duel to showcase what kinds of battling we expect to happen at the event."

"Like I said Sombra, while it would be nice to have it. It would need to be the duelist's consent on whether or not they want to agree to that. I won't risk the health and safety of my students just for your pleasing view."

"I completely understand, Celestia. But you know how dueling is so beloved by the everybody here that it would be a crime not to give them something special. Besides, my team is all for it. Would you really want to deprive these fine young folks from seeing a classic?"

Celestia still held her resolved as Sunset tapped her arm. "It's alright, Principal Celestia. If Sombra wants to get an inside look at what's going to happen when we win, then I say lets give it to him."

"Alright then. It seems my team accepts your proposition."

Sombra smiled as his plan worked. "Wonderful, now then allow me to introduce the person who will be battling."

Sour Sweet then stepped forward as she put on her duel disk and looked at CHS. "Now then which one of you nice folks will face me, so that I can make an example for the others as I make them watch."

It took awhile but before they could come up with a decision, Rainbow Dash stepped forward. "You want to make an example out of us, then lets see you try to do that against me!" Rainbow was eager as she wanted to send a message to the stuck snobs at CPA that they weren't someone to take lightly.

"Please you're not the one I want; I want to face him." She then pointed her finger at Isaac.

Rainbow was displeased at the disrespect Sour Sweet was showing her. But before she could swing her fists, she was pulled by her friends as they didn't want her to get in trouble with Celestia. Sour Sweet had a sly smile on her face as she enjoyed the way Rainbow was acting. She then turned her attention back to Isaac with cunning eyes. "So how about Mr. Champion? Care to show me a good time or are you afraid that a girl will publicly embrass the captain that this school is relying on."

Isaac then stepped forward and had a smile on his face as he slipped on his duel disk. "If you think that's an insult, then you really need to come up with something original. I'll have no problem beating a woman's ass, especially if she's a total bitch!"

That comment really ticked of Sour Sweet as she had a pissed off look full of fury. The rest of the Crystal Prep girls just had surprised looks as they were surprised that Isaac would address one of their own with that kind of attitude, but soon warmed up as they looked forward to seeing what kind of skills he possessed.

While this was going on, Sombra was in the back as he had the biggest smile on his face. Not only was he going to see what kind of duelist Isaac was, but he would enjoy seeing Canterlot High watch their inspiration leader be humiliated before the big event. "Everything is going according to plan." said Sombra with a bit of sinister in her voice.

Chapter 38: The Plan

The situation was as mentioned: Sombra had wanted to put on a special match for everybody, sort of as a way to set the tone for the event tomorrow. Currently it was Sour Sweet who chose to step up and requested that she faced Isaac. On the surface, it seemed like a regular challenge. However, both Sombra and the other students of Crystal Prep had other intentions. Both Isaac and Sour Sweet had made their way to the center of the room as their fellow peers looked on. Their teammates were watching from the stage as they prepared to see what the other would do.

Cadance then did her job of officiating as the referee for this match. "If both representatives are set, then let this special preview duel begin."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sour Sweet

Sombra was watching when Shining Armor began to talk with him. "It seems your plan is working Principal Sombra. Now we'll be able to see just what Isaac can do and what his play style is. This will really prove useful when construction our strategy to deal with him."

"Well then, ladies first. Draw." Sour Sweet drew her card and looked at her hand. Seems I got some good cards in my starting hand. It would be so easy to just defeat their leader and show that he's nothing more than a phony. But I have to remember the plan from Principal Sombra. I need to remember that my role is to figure out what skills Isaac has as well as what his signature monster is; he may have told me to lose this duel but he didn't say that I would have to make it easy for him.

"Time to see what you got, I'll start by playing Amazoness Chain Master(1500/1300) in attack mode. Now I'll activate the effect of my Amazoness Baby Tiger from my hand, since I summoned a 'Amazoness' monster while this card is in my hand. I can special summon him, so come out my pet. Amazoness Baby Tiger(500/500) in defense mode. I'll then end my turn with a facedown." Alright, time to see what you're made of.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Time to show what CHS can do, draw." Isaac looked at his hand and began to look at Sour Sweet's field. "I'll start by playing Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode." Isaac played his monster and out came a magician warrior who wielded a sword and shield.

The moment Isaac played his monster, Sombra immediately got the biggest grin on his face as his. Shining Armor saw this and asked him what he was smiling about.

"Excuse me, sir. But why the sudden smile?"

"Because Shining Armor, I've already figured out what kind of player Mr. Isaac is. Not to mention that I've also solved what his signature monster is."

Shining Armor was surprised that Principal Sombra was already able to figure out Isaac's deck. "Already? How did you manage to figure out that from his opening card?"

"Let's say that I just ran all the possibilities involving that card and eventually I figured it out."

"Then what is it?"

"Now that would spoil the surprise, besides I feel that if I reveal it; then it would ruin the show we're watching. Just keep paying attention." With that both of them turned back to the duel happening between Isaac and Sour Sweet.

"Now I'll equip my Breaker with Bound Wand. Thanks to this spell, my Breaker gains 100 more attacks points for each level it has. Since Breaker is level 4, he gains 400 more attack points. On top of that, when Breaker is summoned he gains a counter which gives him another 300 points, so his total strength is 2300." Isaac's monster now had a energy surrounding him as he powered up.

The students of CHS just had smiles on their faces as they were used to Isaac doing plays like this. The students of Crystal Prep all had their mouths hanging open as they even taken by surprised from Isaac's move. Most of them expected him to be just the standard run of the mill duelist seeing as he was from CHS, where not many students knew about advanced methods. But that move alone showed that he knew what he was doing and that he was the champion for a reason. Sour Sweet just had a straight face, but inside she too was shocked at her opponent's skills.

"Now I'll have my Breaker attack Amazoness Chain Master, take her out." Isaac's monster then raised its sword and brought it down as it got rid of Sour Sweet's monster.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn by setting one card facedown."

Turn 3: Sour Sweet

"How dare you strike a girl! Alright, I'm done playing nice. Time to teach you a lesson." Sour Sweet let out her anger and drew her card. "I'll activate the effect of my Amazoness Chain Master, now when it's destroyed by battle and sent to my grave, I can pay 1500 life points to look at your hand and select one monster to add it to my hand."
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 5700-

Sour Sweet's Amazoness Chain Master then appeared in spirit form as it threw its chain at Isaac's hand and yanked it back as it projected Isaac's cards for all to see. In Isaac's hand were the cards Pot of Greed, Dust Tornado, and Apprentice Illusion Magician. Once Sour Sweet saw her options, she made her decision. "Not bad cards, but seeing as you only have one monster in your hand, I'll take your Apprentice Illusion Magician." With that Isaac took his card and slotted it into his duel disk as it transported it to Sour Sweet who took it and added it to her hand. "Thanks for the gift, sweetie. I'll make sure to always treasure it." She now had a cheery smile on her face as she looked at Isaac and then the girls, particularly at Fluttershy. Fluttershy saw this and she was trying to hold back from starting a catfight with Sour Sweet.

"Yeah, I wouldn't expect to get too comfortable." Isaac had a smile on his face as Sour Sweet lost that fake smile on her face. "I'll reveal my facedown Reverse Spell, now as the name suggest I can reverse the effect of a card. So since your card allows you to take a monster from my hand, I can now turn back the hands of time and use the ability myself. So I'll take back my Apprentice Illusion Magician. In addition, I can draw one extra card from my deck."

Sour Sweet gritted her teeth as she couldn't believe what was happening. She then slotted the card into her duel disk and it was transported back to Isaac as he grabbed it and added to his hand. "Thanks for the gift, sweetie. I'll make sure to always treasure it." said Isaac as he mocked Sour Sweet's comment.

The rest of the girls laughed and smiled as Isaac had managed to outsmart Crystal Prep. CPA all had angry looks on their face, as Isaac was just mocking them and making them seem like amateurs. Sombra just had his hand on his chin as he was taking great interest in watching Isaac.

I hate this kid, not only is he making me look like a fool in front of the others. But he's actually outsmarting me; he managed to outplay me by not only getting an extra card and protecting his monster. He also got me to waste 1500 life points; now I have to resort to being on defense. Sour Sweet was now turning a new shade of red at how angry/embarrassed she was becoming from Isaac's attitude. "I'll play my Amazoness Fighter(1500/1300) and then I'll play the spell card Amazoness Call. Now I can now target 1 'Amazoness' monster from my deck and add it to my hand." Sour Sweet then touched her screen and began to select the monster she wanted. It then slotted out and she added it to her hand. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Alright, back to me. I'll play the spell Pot of Greed and add two more cards to my hand." Isaac then took his two cards and then began to access the field. "To start I'll activate Breaker's ability, now by removing the counter on him I can destroy one spell/trap on the field. So I'll get rid of your facedown." Breaker then pointed its sword and it sent Sour Sweet's facedown to the grave. "Now I'll take things to the next level, I'll play the spell Ancient Rule. So now I can special summon a normal spellcaster from my hand."

"Oh boy, I think I know what's coming!" shouted Pinkie who was jumping up and down on the stage.

"Time to see how Crystal Prep gets a kick out of this!" said Rainbow as she had a huge smile on her face.

"Now make way as I'll play my most loyal companion, Dark Magician!"

"What did he say!?" shouted Sour Sweet.

There was a bright light that shinned from Isaac's card as he held it up high. Out came a magician that wore purple garments and wielded a staff. It twirled its staff around before striking an intimidating pose. All eyes from the Crystal Prep students were on Isaac as they couldn't believe he had manage to be in possession of such a legendary card.

"No way! That dude is awesome." said Indigo Zap.

"This kid really is no pushover." Sugarcoat had actually managed to say something nice for once.

"Seems my suspicion was right; Isaac is currently the holder of the Dark Magician. Now time to see what else he can show me." Sombra's smile was now starting to grow.

Everybody was just in awe as they were preparing themselves for what Isaac was about to do. Twilight was watching as she hoped to gain more info about Isaac and his monster. Still she did her best to avoid looking in Isaac's direction while watching the match. However, the same couldn't be said for Isaac cause once he summoned his magician he immediately looked at Twilight hoping to get some sort of response from her. While she didn't have much expression, he could tell what she was thinking based on her eye movements and how he was looking at her. He then turned his attention back to his opponent.

"Next I'll play the spell Thousand Knives, with this I can destroy one monster on your side of the field. So time to shred away your Amazoness." With that Isaac got rid of Sour Sweet's monster and looked poised to strike. "Now I'll have Breaker take out your Amazoness Baby Tiger and then Dark Magician will attack you directly." Isaac's spellcasters then received their command and got rid of Sour Sweet's monster while also dealing some massive amounts of damage.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 3200-

"That's enough for now, I'll just set a facedown."

Turn 5: Sour Sweet

"Now I'm really pissed off! I'll play the field spell Amazoness Village; now all 'Amazoness' monsters gain 200 extra attack. Next I'll play Amazoness Blowpiper(500/1800) in defense mode. I'll then throw 2 card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw. Time to attack once more. Breaker clear the way by taking out her Amazoness Blowpiper!"

"Not this time, I play my trap Amazoness Onslaught. Now once per turn, during the battle phase, I can special summon 1 'Amazoness' monster from my hand and it gains 500 attack points until the end of the turn. So time to introduce you to one of my favorite Amazoness. Appear Amazoness Queen(2400/1800), now thanks to her ability all Amazoness monsters can't be destroyed in battle. So my monster isn't going anywhere."

"Nice save, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 7: Sour Sweet

"My draw. Now I'll show you want we learn at Crystal Prep Academy; first I'll activate the effect of my Amazoness Blowpiper. I'll lower the attack of your Dark Magician by 500 points until the end of the turn. Then I'll play this spell Polymerization and with it I'll fuse my Amazoness Tiger in my hand with Amazoness Archer. I Fusion summon Amazoness Pet Liger(2500/2400)!" Sour Sweet now had two of her powerhouses of her deck as they stared at Isaac and his Dark Magician. "Thanks to my field spell, all my monsters gain 200 attack points which make both of them strong enough to take out your magician. So first I'll have my Amazoness Queen attack your Breaker and then my Pet Liger will take out your other monster. My Liger has an ability where he gains 500 more attack during the damage calculation, so his total rises 3200. Now feast my pet." Amazoness Queen had no problem taking out Breaker and Pet Liger was getting to pounce on Isaac's Dark Magician.

"My Breaker may be gone, but my Dark Magician's not going anywhere. I reveal Magical Hats."

"Ah yeah, that's one of Isaac's signature plays!" Rainbow Dash was excited that Isaac was finding some way to protect his magician.

"Now Sour Sweet, if you want to destroy my magician then you'll find him first."

"Like that's going to help you, Pet Liger take out the hat on the farthest right. I knew you couldn't trick me."

"Did I now?"

Pet Liger attacked the hat of its choice which caused smoke to appear, but when it died down there was nothing there. Isaac just had a smile on his face while Sour Sweet was irate.

"Strike one." said Isaac with a smile on his face.

"I'll end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

Turn 8: Isaac

Now time to see what I get, draw. I'll start by playing Graceful Charity, now I draw 3 more cards and discard 2." Isaac picked up his cards and sent the ones he wanted to the grave. "I'll then set 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Sour Sweet

"Let me guess, didn't have anything. Don't worry I'm about to put you out of your misery." Sour Sweet drew her card and focused on finding Isaac's magician. "First I'll activate my Blowpiper's effect again, which means your Dark Magician loses 500 points once again. Now he's reduced to 2000 attack points, so time to find him. Go my Queen, take out the middle hat!" Amazoness Queen raised her sword and brought it down on the middle hat which exploded into smoke but there was nothing there.

"Strike two. Your luck is failing you."

"On the contrary, it seems my odds of finding him have drastically increased. Now Pet Liger take out out his magician who's hiding under the hat on the right. As you know my Liger gains 500 more attack points during battle." Sour Sweet's Liger then pounced as it took out the right hat.

Everybody were leaning in as they were seeing if Sour Sweet had actually took out Isaac's Dark Magician. Amazoness Pet Liger just looked around as it was expecting something; just then an object began to fly towards Pet Liger as it made contact and bound him from moving.

"What's happening to my monster!?" screamed Sour Sweet.

"That's strike three. As a result you triggered my trap, Spellbinding Circle. Now my circle uses its magical properties to bind your Liger so that it can't move or change battle positions. In addition, your Pet Liger will lose 700 attacks points bring him to 2500 but he'll soon lose the extra 500 which brings his true total to 2000 points."

"I'm sick and tired of your tricks! I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn, I'll play the spell Card of Sanctity, now we each draw till we have 6 cards in our hand." Isaac drew his card and had a smile on his face. "Next I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now time to reveal my Dark Magician's greatest apprentice. Appear Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac played his card and out came a female spellcaster.

Like always, all the boys had all their eyes on her, but this time it was the Crystal Prep boys that were making wolf whistles as they looked at Isaac's magician. Even Shining Armor was having a tough time to keep his composure, especially since Cadance was right next to him. Twilight just rolled her eyes at how unprofessional she thought all the males were acting; then she turned her attention towards Isaac and his Dark Magician Girl who just simply looked at her with a smile.

That girl, could she be the one I felt the strong presence coming from.

"Something on your mind, Mana?"

"It's just that I feel like we've seen that girl before, but I can't remember where."

"I know what you mean, there's something odd about her. It's like she's avoiding me for some reason; I just want to know why."

"Pardon me for being rude, master. But I should remind the both of you that we're still currently engaged in battle. I suggest that we switch our focus on taking down our opponent."

"You're right, Mahad. We'll worry about her later." said Isaac to both of his magicians as they both gave him a nod.

Twilight was seeing the scene play out in front of her and she was really paying attention to who Isaac was talking to. From everybody on the stage and around the duel, it looked like Isaac was talking to himself as his monsters just stood still.

"Is that dude, okay?" asked Indigo Zap.

"It's probably something that students who attend CHS do." said Sugarcoat as she had a straight look on her face.

I don't think so. It seems like he's really talking with someone, but who? There's nobody there." Twilight had a confused look on her face as she was trying to wrap her head around this.

"I'll then set a card due to my spell. Then I'll equip my Dark Magician Girl with Magic Formula to give her an extra 700 attack points. Now time for me to get rid of your monsters, go my magicians."

"My queen's effect prevents my Amazoness monsters from being destroyed."

"Not if I activate this card, from my hand I'll play the spell Ricochet. Now I can bounce one of your monsters back to your hand and I get to add one card to my hand."

"In that case, I'll reveal my trap: Dramatic Rescue. I can activate this when a card is played that targets a monster with 'Amazoness' in its name. Then I can select the targeted monster and return it to my hand, and then I can special summon 1 level 4 or lower 'Amazoness' monster from my deck. So I'll return my Amazoness Queen and play Amazoness Tiger(1100/1500). My Tiger has a special ability that allows him to gain 400 extra attack points for every 'Amazoness' I control, since there's currently 4 on my field he gains 1600 points bringing him to 2700."

Sour Sweet's card then shot a beam her Amazoness Queen as it surrounded her and then sent her back to Sour Sweet's hand. Isaac's Dark Magician still landed its mark as it took out her Pet Liger.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 2700-

"I'll then activate the effect of my other facedown, Village Raid. So now I can copy the effect of a card that was used during this turn, and I'll copy the effect of your Ricochet spell card to bounce your Dark Magician Girl back to your hand and add a card to my hand."

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 11: Sour Sweet

"Since I have fewer monsters, my Tiger loses 400 point so his strength right now is 1900. But that's about to change; first I'll activate the effect of my Amazoness Blowpiper to lower your magician by 500 points. Then I'll play my Amazoness Princess(1200/900), since I summoned her I can add 1 'Amazoness' spell/trap from my deck to my hand. I'll then play the card I got which is Amazoness Spellcaster. With this spell I can switch the original attack points of my monster with one of yours until the end of the turn. Since your magician started out with 2500 attack that's now how strong my Princess is while your monster just has 1200. Furthermore, when my Princess declares an attack, I can send one card to my grave to special summon another 'Amazoness' monster from my deck in defense mode. Next I'll play the ability of my Amazoness Spy, by revealing my Amazoness Queen in my hand, I can summon it to the field." Now Sour Sweet had nearly a full field of monsters as they looked to take out Isaac and his magicians.

"So now my tiger gains another 400 points which brings him back to 2700. Now Princess attack, with that I'll play my Amazoness Scouts(500/1100) in attack mode which gives my tiger an extra 400 points raising him to 3100. So Princess Tiger lead the charge." Sour Sweet's Amazoness Princess Tiger had no trouble getting rid of Isaac's magician which left him wide open for her other monsters. "Now my Amazoness Scouts will attack first which will then be followed up by my Amazoness Tiger, feel free to sink your teeth into him, my pet."

Isaac felt the blow from Sour Sweet's scouts but then looked up as her tiger was high into the air and had managed to jump on him. "Not the face! Not the face!" Amazoness Tiger then raised its paw as it used its claws to leave a scratch mark on Isaac's face. It then got off of him as it returned to its owner. Isaac sat up and he had three huge claw marks on his face as he felt the pain.

"Ohh, that will leave a mark for sure." said Pinkie.

"You ruffian, how can you do that our Isaac's dashing face!" screamed Rarity as she wasn't too pleased.

"I think Isaac might be considering on being a dog person." said Fluttershy.

Isaac then got back up as he shook himself which caused the scratch marks to disappear.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

Sour Sweet was petting her tiger as she was congratulating him on a job well done. "Seems like we're just about done here. On my next turn, I'll wipe out the rest of your life points. I'll end my turn." Maybe, I won't have to throw this duel after all.

Turn 12: Isaac

"A duel isn't over till your life points reach zero, which means I still have a chance to turn this around. So watch Sour Sweet cause my comeback starts now, draw!" Isaac looked at the card he drew. "I'll reveal my facedown Eternal Soul and with I can revive my Dark Magician from the grave. Then I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil, now by paying 1000 life points I can summon my Dark Magician Girl from my hand."
Isaac's Life Points: 1500-

Alright, time to end this. "I'll then reveal the card I set earlier, Dark Magic Twin Burst. Now my Dark Magician Girl empowers my Dark Magician by her attack points which puts him at a grand total of 4500. Lastly, I'll play the spell Diffusion Wave Motion! So I'll pay another 1000 life points and as a result my Dark Magician can now attack all of your monsters at the same time. So Dark Magician end this duel with Dark Magic Attack!" Isaac's magician then pointed its staff in the air as a powerful ball of energy began to manifest and then it shot it towards Sour Sweet's field.

Sour Sweet just stood there with a straight look on her face; she then looked at her duel disk and noticed her facedown card. This is it, if I activate this card, then my victory is secured. Sour Sweet was about to activate her card when a thought ran through her head. But wait, Sombra needs me to lose so that we can lure CHS into a false sense of hope. Normally I'm not one for losing, but for the sake of the others. Sometimes you have to know when to take one for the team. Sour Sweet then put her arm down as she let the attack connect and finished the remaining of her life points.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Once the battle was over, the students of CHS were cheering as they were happy to be the ones picking up the momentum going into the event. The girls then hopped off from the stage as they started to surround Isaac and congratulated their buddy. Sombra and the rest of the CPA team then made their way to Sour Sweet who had an unpleasant look.

"I hope it was worth it. Next time, I'll like to make sure that I'm in a duel that doesn't require me to lose/throw."

"Believe me, Ms. Sweet. You played your part perfectly, now it's time to see CHS fall before our very eyes. Little do they know that this is just the beginning of the end." Sombra's voice then became a bit more cold and sinister as he locked his eyes on Team CHS and on Isaac.

"That was awesome, Isaac. Still if I had been the one dueling, I would have ended it way quicker." boasted Dash.

"Keep telling yourself, partner." said Applejack as she took a jab at Dash.

Celestia was watching her students enjoy themselves when she noticed Sombra approaching her. "Well then I hope you're pleased with the result of your request, Sombra." Celestia had a little smirk on her face as she too got a bit happy seeing her captain defeat one of their rivals.

"I couldn't more happy with what the outcome was. Now then, it's time we depart. Thank you for your hospitality, Celestia; may your team do their very best in tomorrow's Friendship Games." Sombra then kissed Celestia's hand as he began to round up his students.

While this was going on, Isaac noticed Twilight leaving and he excused himself as he chased after her. Twilight had just left the room and was about to join the rest of her team when she heard someone call out to her.

"Hey."

She turned around and saw it was Isaac. She quickly turned around as she was preparing to walk.

"I just want to talk." Isaac then got closer to Twilight as he now got a pretty good look at her. "What's your name?"

"It's Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."

"Nice to meet you Twilight. I'm Isaac."

"I know who you are."

"Oh, well I mean why wouldn't you. Your school probably knows about us, right?"

"Well you're partially right."

"What do you mean?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at Twilight's response.

"You'll find out soon enough; look I don't how or why you have that card. But I promise that I will find the answers I seek. So I'd appreciate it if you don't interfere with my research. Now then I must take my leave." With that Twilight turned around and began to head out, but before she was fully out of his sight she stopped and said something to Isaac with her back turned. "Good luck tomorrow and I hope that you can help me with my hypothesis." Twilight then walked and she disappeared.

Isaac just had a confused look on his face as he was trying to figure out what Twilight's statement was. Before he could even try to understand what she was saying, he felt a hand touch his shoulder and when he turned around he saw it was none other than Dean Cadance of Crystal Prep.

"That was an amazing duel I must say, Isaac."

"Thanks Ms..."

"Pardon me, but I'm Cadance. I serve as the Dean of Crystal Prep Academy."

"Well, then let me say it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Ms. Cadance. I must say that you're definitely a loving lady."

"I welcome the compliment." Cadance then took a moment to look at Isaac's face.

Isaac was a bit nervous as she was getting a bit too close to him. "Umm, what are you doing?"

"Oh, sorry about that. It's just that I special talent when it comes to looking at people's faces and my does your face tell a story. I can tell how a person feels about a certain someone."

"Mind clarifying what you mean?" Isaac was scratching his head.

"Your eyes, they show me that you're a kind soul who is willing to make those around him smile. Not to mention that you're destined for great things. However, I do see that you do have a bit of conflict in you. Mainly revolving around a certain group of individuals and your struggling with how to address certain feelings."

"I'm not quite sure, I understand."

"You'll figure it out in due time, I just know you'll make the right decision. Well then, I must catch up with the rest of my students. Take care Isaac and good luck in tomorrow's Friendship Games; I'll say yours eyes do have a certain sparkle." Cadance gave Isaac a sly smile as she left him alone with his thoughts.

What was that about? There's so many things happening that I don't even know where to start. I can't worry about that, right now I need to focus on rally the the girls and the school. They're all depending on me to lead CHS to victory and I can't disappoint them, especially Celestia. Isaac then made his way back to auditorium. Once Isaac made his way back, he then met up with the girls as he wanted to go over their plan one last time.

Meanwhile Twilight had made her way to the parking lot as she joined the rest of her team when she noticed her brother waiting there for her. "What is it?"

"Nothing, just wanted to get your opinion on that duel. Seems the champion really is a formidable opponent."

"He has a name you know." replied Twilight.

"So he does know you? Tell me."

"I just think it's rude to address someone by their title when you already know their name. I mean, even Principal Sombra addresses him by his actual name. Or were you too busy paying attention to that magician girl of his?" Twilight had manage to turn the tables on her brother as now it was his turn to sweat.

"Leave, Dark Magician Girl out of this."

"Seriously!? Were you and all the other boys just fawning over her like she's some kind of trophy. Please it's just a card and the idea of having a crush on a card is just stupid. I mean who in the hell does that; surely there aren't people in real life who act this way?"

Shining Armor then cleared his throat. "Moving on, I noticed Isaac's playstyle is similar to someone I know."

"If you think that me and him are one in the same, you're sorely mistaken. When I play my spellcasters, I do it with precision. Not to mention that I can come up with better tactics than he can. All those moves he pulled off in his duel with Sour Sweet, those were just basic stuff. Plays that anybody can do, and they're easy to counter if you know what you're doing."

"Is that so, well then we should have no problem beating him and his team tomorrow? In fact, he's impressed me so much that I believe he deserves to have a deck that can really challenge him." Shining Armor had a smile on his face as he was thinking about it.

Twilight knew what her brother was talking about and it made her a bit worry due to the fact the her brother only used that deck when he was serious. "You don't mean that deck? I'll admit that will be a battle that is as old as time itself."

"Which is exactly why, he won't see it coming. Besides, what's wrong with the classics?"

"Well, that's assuming you'll even get to face him." With that Twilight then walked past her brother as she made her way to the limo.

Shining Armor just kept his eyes on his sister until he heard a feminine voice from behind it.

"She really doesn't understand the idea of friendship."

Shining Armor turned his head and saw Cadance standing behind him. He just gave her a goofy smile to which she just simply giggled before standing in front of him. "She still believes that books and science are the only things she needs in life. Twily is smart girl and in terms of dueling, I may be the best but I feel like even she could surpass me if she took the time to actually enjoy the game instead of letting numbers to the talking."

"You know we can't change the way she looks at things, the best thing we could do is make sure that we're there for her every step of the way and support her with whatever she decides to do."

"You're right." Shining Armor then wrapped his left arm around Cadance's shoulder as he pulled her in closer. "I just want to be the best for her, I'm her big bro and it's my duty to make sure she's happy."

"I'm sure she appreciates all that you've done for her. She's lucky to have someone like you in her life; I know I am." Cadance gave Shining Armor flirting eyes as she leaned in and gave him a kiss on his lips. It lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away and they both had a shade of red on their faces. "Now then, what's this I hear about you having eyes for Dark Magician Girl." Cadance's demeanor changed on a dime.

"Nothing. I have no recollection of what you're talking about." Shining Armor was nervous as he quickly walked away to avoid his suffering Cadance's wrath.

Cadance just merely laughed as she enjoyed teasing Shining. She didn't mind if he laid eyes on a duel monsters card; cause she knew that at the end of the day she would love him no matter what. Still it was a nice way to keep him in check and a way to relieve some stress. With that all of Crystal Prep left as they prepared for the upcoming battle.

It was finally time for the Friendship Games. Both Canterlot High and Crystal Prep Academy were seated in opposites sides of the bleachers on the soccer field. They were constantly chanting for their school while trying to outdo the other. The chants were so loud that the families of the students at home could hear them. Speaking of that, the Friendship Games was such a well talked about event that it was being televised for the student's families at home. The field had been changed completely as there were thousands of LED boards all over the field as they would showcase the duel for all to see. There was even thousands of bright lights and speakers so that no one would miss even a second of the action. There was even a pyrotechnicians who were hired by Celestia who wanted to make this event feel special. Everything was in place, now all that was missing was the competitors then it would be nothing but wargames.

Twilight, Shining Armor, and the rest of the Shadowbolts were all gathered in their locker doing their own thing to prepare themselves for the fight. Shining Armor was going over the last minute details of his deck. There it's finally finished, not all that's left is to show it off. Just then the door to their locker room opened and in walked Principal Sombra and Dean Cadance.

"The time is upon us, time to put the final nail in the coffin that has been named CHS. This will be the last time anybody will ever mention their name. After today you'll be welcomed in the new age and hailed as heroes as history will remember that you chose to be on the winning side. You'll doing this for the greater good; and as your messiah I couldn't be more proud."

"Time to send CHS packing." said Indigo Zap who fistbumped Lemon Zest.

"Never did like them, it'll be much more pleasant sight when we wipe them off the face of this earth." Sugarcoat adjusted her glasses as she said her statement.

"Victory with style." Sunny Flare flipped her hair.

"Was hoping to party with that pink haired girl? Oh well." Lemon Zest then put her headphones on and began to rock out.

"The greatest revenge for throwing yesterday's duel will be to see the hopes and dreams of this beloved school crumble." Sour Sweet had a smile on her face which turned into an angry look.

Sombra then looked at Twilight who was lost in her own head. "Twilight, any last words you want to say to CHS?"

Twilight just looked at Sombra and then at her brother and teammates. She had hoped to continue her research about Isaac and why he was the chosen one to wield the Dark Magician. But she figured that once this event was done, she'll have all the time to find the answers. She then turned back at her time and addressed. "By my calculations, our victory is but 100% secured."

"Good. Now then let's go and put down CHS for good!" With that they all left the locker room as they made their way to the soccer field.

Isaac was currently in Canterlot High's locker room as he had his duel disk on his arm. He had his deck in one had and his captain's cap in his other as he was sitting down on the bench. He kept going over the final preparations of his deck as he didn't want to let not just his team, but the entire school down. Isaac kept thinking back to how everybody was counting on him to lead Team CHS to victory, even Celestia was rooting him on to show that Canterlot High was just as good if not better than Crystal Prep. The pressure was starting to get to Isaac as he took deep breaths trying to calm himself down. Then as if on cue, the door opened and in walked the girls as they all had their duel disk ready to go and were wearing something.

Isaac got a glimpse of them and was impressed. "Love the wardrobe."

"Thank you, darling. I made sure to make team shirts that not only exemplify our personality but show that we're a team."

Rarity had took the initiative to make the Isaac and the girls matching t-shirts. It wasn't anything too fancy as it consisted nothing but their name and their signature marks. Rarity also made the effort to color coordinate them; Fluttershy was wearing a yellow t-shirt, Applejack had a green shirt, Dash was rocking a solid sky blue, Pinkie's was obvious, Sunset looked hot wearing crimson red, and Rarity had gone with an indigo styled color. She then handed Isaac his t-shirt which consisted of black and gold as well as his name. Isaac put it on and immediately it felt nice.

"Well now that we're dressed, I say we go show those Crystal Preppies what happens when you underestimate us." shouted Rainbow.

"Ain't nothing like a good old fashion tussle." Applejack was cracking her knuckles as she twisted her head.

"Hope everybody isn't too tired after this because I plan to throw the biggest party this school has ever seen." Pinkie was bouncing up and down.

"A lady never resorts to violence, but I'm willing to make any exception for what they did to my darling's beautiful face." Rarity did a dramatic pose.

"I just hope they go easy on us, then again maybe not." Fluttershy did her best to try to sound tough/confident as she hid behind her hair.

"They want to take down our school, they we won't go down without a fight!" Sunset fistbumped her chest.

"Thank you. All of you. It's because of you that I'm standing here not just as your leader, but as someone who knows his friends will always have his back. Everyone is counting on us to win, so let's not disappoint. Win or lose, let's all go out there and have fun." Isaac then put his hand out to which the girls did the same.

"Team Canterlot on three. One. Two. Three!" said Isaac.

"Team Canterlot!" they all shouted.

Celestia then walked in as she saw Isaac and the girls getting themselves ready for war. "It's about time to start. Are you ready?"

Isaac then put his deck into his duel disk and put on his captain's cap as he stood up and saluated Celestia. "Captain Isaac, reporting for duty. Hey, that has nice ring to it."

Celestia just let out a small giggle as she returned the salute. "Then follow me team." Celestia then led her students out to the field with Isaac leading the pack.

The atmosphere was electric as the crowds were louder than they had ever been. You could hear the noise being made as the chants 'CHS' and 'Crystal Prep' rang throughout the entire field. Celestia, Luna, Cadance, and Sombra all had their own chairs from a box office as they were looking forward to watching some incredible battles. Then It was time to start as Cadance took the microphone and began to talk.

"Welcome everybody here in attendance and at home watching. Both today and tomorrow promises to be filled of enjoyment and fun duels for all of us to see. In today's event, we document another stored chapter in the rivalry between Canterlot High and Crystal Prep. Now the rules for this event is that there is a total of 7 single round elimination style duels. The winner of the duel will score 1 point for their team; the team that scores the first to 4 will be declared the winners. In the event of a tie after all 7 duels have occurred they their will be one final duel where each team will select one member to represent them and from then there must be a winner. Now then time to introduce the duelists, please welcome Team Crystal Prep!"

The music played as Team Crystal Prep walked through the doors and made their entrance. Shining Armor was in front as he was leading the girls behind him. As they were walking, pyro and fireworks went off as their school cheered them on as they were making their way to the field. While Canterlot High was less than pleased, they still showed their respect by clapping for them. Eventually then made it over to the field as they waved to their school behind them and then waited for their opponents.

Luna then rose up out of her chair and grabbed the microphone. "And now please welcome, Team Canterlot!"

Once the music played, all of CHS erupted into a frenzy. Unlike Crystal Prep, where they came out together; Team Canterlot came out one by one. The first person to come out was Fluttershy as she waved to the crowd and then stood off the side in her position. Then Rainbow came out playing to the crowd before she took a position a bit in front of Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie then came out as she was bouncing up and down and throwing sweets/candy to the crowd; she took a different position as she was standing on the opposite side of Fluttershy. Rarity came out blowing kisses to the fans and the cameras before she took her position in front of Pinkie but was on the opposite side of Dash. Applejack made her presence know she tipped her hat off the crowd before fist bumping her friends before taking her spot in front of Dash. Sunset then came out as flipped her hair before she took a position in front of Rarity as she was on Applejack's opposite. Then stayed like that all having serious faces as they stared a hole at Crystal Prep. Not even Pinkie was her usual happy face as she was giving the most convincing look as she had the angriest look out of all the girls. Then they all turned their head behind them as the final member of their team and their captain made his way out.

Isaac was wearing his captain's cap as well as his signature hoodie with the shirt that Rarity had made him under it. Isaac then just walked past the girls as he took his place at the head of the pack and looked at Crystal Prep with the most serious face he had ever had in his life. Once Isaac took his position, it could be seen that they were in the formation of a V-shaped. Isaac then looked to his left and right as he was taking in the sight that was before him. It felt great as it brought him to life, especially when he heard them chanting his name. Isaac then took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he soaking in this moment; he then opened his eyes and stomped his foot as pyro and fireworks exploded around them to signify their dominance. Isaac then began to walk down as the girls slowly followed him while still keeping in formation. Once they made it to the dueling field then then began to spread out as they all lined up in a row with Isaac in the middle as they stared at their opponents who were doing the same. Not a single person moved as they were all locked on their own individual. Fluttershy staring down Sour Sweet, Applejack staring at Sugarcoat, Rarity locking eyes with Sunny Flare, Dash giving Indigo Zap a death glare, Pinkie not showing a sign of happiness as she eyed Lemon Zest, Sunset putting on an intimidating face as she looked at Twilight who tried to look tough. That left the captains to lock horns with each other, neither Isaac nor Shining Armor were moving/blinking at they looked at each other. Nobody moved or they dare risk showing weakness for their side.

"So you had the balls to show up? I can respect that." snickered Shining Armor.

Isaac snickered back with his own comment. "Just promise me one thing, Shining Armor. Before you step on the dueling field with me, that you retrieve your balls from Cadance's purse."

That comment alone was almost enough to send Shining Armor into rage mode as he clenched his fist for talking about his manhood while also insulting his special someone. Isaac saw this and he too prepared himself as he was ready to get physically. Thankfully that didn't happen as soon both teams heard from Luna to take their places on their benches. With that the two teams broke contact with each other and sat down on their bench with their side of the school behind them cheering. The grassy field before them had been marked with four cones that sent out holographic light beams, tracing out a rectangle. On the scoreboard on the far side of the court were the fourteen portraits of the participating duelist, arranged in a row beneath their school logo.

Luna then lifted the microphone from the principal’s table. “Now that we are assembled, we shall choose the first duelists to compete.” The first portrait in the two rows lit up – blue for Canterlot, purple for Crystal Prep – and began to flash. The two student bodies cheered as the light flipped between portraits, and then began to slow. The portraits slowed even further and then stopped, flashing. The highlighted portraits slid down in the display and grew larger.

“Our first duel is decided! CHS’s Fluttershy Breeze will face CPA’s Sour Sweet!” shouted Luna.

“Oh no.” Sunset turned her head. Rainbow and Applejack stood up and pulled Fluttershy to her feet.

“Ready to whoop butt, Fluttershy?” Rainbow grinned.

“No! I'll crack under the pressure! I'll snap like a twig!” screamed Fluttershy as she wasn't expecting her to be the one to start off things.

The CHS students began to chant her name. Rainbow and Applejack sat down, leaving Fluttershy to slowly creep up to the dueling field. On the Crystal Prep bench, Sour Sweet stood up, tossed her hair, and walked up opposite her.

Sour Sweet pursed her lip. “You’re so scared. I don’t know if I should stroke your arm or shove you down.” She grinned. “Oh, wait. Yes I do.” She turned and strutted to the far end of the field.

“Flut-ter-shy, Flut-ter-shy!” chanted the sea of CHS students.

“You got this!” Rainbow called out.

“Give that brute what-for!” Rarity chimed in.

Fluttershy raised her duel disk and pressed the button to activate it with a yellow light coming out. Sour Sweet’s disk projected a pale pink light field.

“And now, let the first duel of the Friendship Cup begin!"

Chapter 39: Fluttershy v. Sour Sweet-Round 1

Fluttershy was looking at Sour Sweet as she did her best to put on a tough act. Sour Sweet just simply gave her a glare which caused her to jump back a few feet as she tried to hide behind her hair. She looked at her friends and saw they were giving her supporting smiles and Isaac was giving her one of his signature smiles with a thumbs up. Fluttershy then patted her check as she refocused her attention.

"My whole school is counting on me. Time to show everybody here what I can do."

"Oh please? You really think they're cheering for you. They're just trying to comfort you when they see me wipe the floor with you!" Sour Sweet had a smile on her face that was genuine.

"Tough talk coming from someone who lost to Isaac yesterday. He's shown that you guys aren't as tough as you make it out to be." replied Fluttershy.

Sour Sweet was now laughing at how funny the situation was. This caused Fluttershy to be concerned with how much enjoyment Sour Sweet was getting from her comment.

"Oh that is too funny. You really think that your 'boyfriend' won all on his own. I let him win!"

"What!?" Fluttershy was confused at what she was hearing.

"You heard me, I let him win! In fact, it was all part of our plan to figure out what kind of duelist he was. You see, before the games even started, we've actually collected enough information on all of you that we've come up with the proper counters to each of your decks. We've even practiced against them to get a first hand experience on how to shift the duel into our favor. The only one we didn't have any data on was that 'boyfriend' of yours, so Principal Sombra devised a plan to get one of us to challenge him before the games. Safe to say that our plan was a success because now we've seen what he can do and now we know he's the owner of the Dark Magician. It may have resulted in me losing, but sometimes that's what you have to do in order to make sure you gain the upper hand." Sour Sweet had a sinister smile appear.

"That's not fair."

"Aw, sweetie, life's not fair. Now prepare as I send you and your furry little animals packing. And then once I'm done with you, maybe I'll set my sights on a different prey." Sour Sweet now shifted her eyes as she looked her target. "It's only natural for a predator to find her next meal and I think I found my next tasty treat. I wonder what he'll taste like." Sour Sweet had her eyes locked on Isaac who still had a serious look on his face.

While they couldn't see her expression, Fluttershy knew what Sour Sweet was saying and the thought alone was enough to get her angry. "Get your greedy hands off of Isaac, he's mine!"

"Oh really, what makes you think he's yours? Well that won't matter because after this duel he'll be my 'man'. And I promise to enjoy him as I devour him." Sour Sweet let her tongue lick her lips a bit before shooting a glare at Fluttershy.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

"Let's do this!" shouted both of them.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Fluttershy

Fluttershy picked up her starting hand and then drew her card. She gulped and let out a breath to calm herself. "Okay..." She looked at her hand and she fumbled a bit before she finally got a good grip on them. "To start I'll summon Baby Raccoon Ponpoko(800/0) in attack mode." A small raccoon with a tiny drum strapped to its chest jumped in front of Fluttershy, scratching its ear. "I'll then activate Ponpoko's special ability, when he's summoned I can then special summon 1 level 2 or lower beast-type monster from my deck in facedown defense position." Fluttershy then touched her screen as she looked for the monster she wanted; once she made her decision, she then tapped her screen and pulled her card from her duel disk and set it on her card tray. "I'll then end my turn and set 1 card facedown."

Turn 2: Sour Sweet

Sour Sweet grinned. “Aw, it’s so cute! It’s such a shame it has to die!” She then drew her card and looked at her hand. She devised her plan and shot a glance at Fluttershy. "Time to play a card that you've all seen. I'll activate the spell card Amazoness Call, now I can add 1 'Amazoness' monster from my deck and add it to my hand. So I'll choose my Amazoness Princess(1200/900) but she won't be there for long because I'll then summon her." A small, dark-skinned warrior woman in red and purple armor landed from a portal in the air in front of Sour Sweet. She stood up, smirked, and lifted a spear from her back, twirling it to point it toward Fluttershy.

"Now since I summoned my Amazoness Princess, I can now add 1 'Amazoness' spell/trap from my deck to my hand." Once again, Sour Sweet searched through her deck and got the card she needed. "I'll choose my field spell Amazoness Village, and you know what it does. It raises the attack of all my Amazoness monsters by 200 extra attack points. Now my princess has a total of 1400." A large jungle of trees sprang up from the ground around Sour Sweet. Branches and grasses on the ground around her came together and joined together to form a circle of huts and tents.

Sour Sweet pointed. “Amazoness Princess, time to hunt your dinner! Attack Baby Raccoon Ponpoko!” Amazoness Princess hefted her spear and charged across the field. "Hope you didn't forget about my Princess' other ability, which I'll activate now. Whenever my princess declares an attack, I can then send one card to my grave and special summon 1 'Amazoness' monster from my deck in defense position. So make way for the mighty leader of the Amazoness, appear Amazoness Queen(2400/1800). One of the huts behind Sour Sweet cracked apart and fell open, revealing a large wooden throne decorated with animal skulls. Sitting on it was a blue-haired warrior clad in armor of animal hides. A large curved sword with a spiked guard rested between her legs, her hands on the end of the hilt.

"My Queen also gets the power boost of my field spell, so her true strength is 2600."

"I'm ready for you. I'll activate my trap card, it's called Beast Soul Swap." Fluttershy then touched her screen and activated her facedown as it appeared and rose up in front of her. "Now I can target 1 beast-type monster that I control and return it to my hand. Then I can special summon a beast-type monster that's the same level as the one I returned to my hand; return to me, Baby Raccoon Ponpoko!" Ponpoko glowed and shot away in an orb of white light, the spear piercing the air where it had been.

Fluttershy then looked through her hand and once she made her decision, she held her card up high. "Taking the place of my raccoon will be my Mogmole(800/800) who I'll summon in defense mode." A small anthropomorphic mole with goggles and a giant hand drill popped out of the ground, blinking up at the Amazon standing over it. Amazoness Princess looked down in return.

Sour Sweet was not impressed with what Fluttershy had done as she just simply held her hands up. “Whatever, it’s still dead. I continue my attack.” The Princess grinned and twirled her spear to stab it down at Mogmole. Mogmole screeched and exploded. “Oh well,” Sour Sweet smirked. The ground next to the tunnel Mogmole had drilled shook, and another drill head emerged preceding a familiar pair of goggles.

"Don't think so!" smiled Fluttershy.

"What's happening?" asked Sour Sweet as she had a confused look on her face.

"See my Mogmole has a special ability, once per turn when Mogmole is destroyed in battle I can revive it back in face-up defense position."

“Go ahead, it’ll die again next turn.” Sour Sweet tossed her hair. “I end my turn.”

Turn 3: Fluttershy

Fluttershy drew her card and began to formulate her plan. She then shot a quick glance at Isaac as she was hoping that he was going to see what she was about to do. "You wanted a fight, well I'm giving you a fight! To start I'll summon my Baby Raccoon Ponpoko once more and then I'll activate its special ability to set another beast-type monster from my deck in face-down defense position. The raccoon appeared in front of Fluttershy beside a face-down card. “I then flip up the monster I set last turn, Baby Raccoon Tantan(0/800)!” A raccoon with a larger vertical drum over its chest rose from the card backing, banging padded drumsticks on its instrument. “Now his ability activates, when Tantan is flipped up, I can special summon a level 2 beast-type monster from my deck. I call upon Catnipped Kitty(0/500) in defense mode.” A pastel purple cat hopped onto Fluttershy’s field, a jingling bell on its collar, and rolled onto its back.

Sour Sweet made a face and stuck out her tongue. “If your cards get any more sickeningly cute, I’m gonna hurl.”

Fluttershy had a smile on her face when Sour Sweet made her comment. “Don’t underestimate animals just because they’re adorable.” Fluttershy held her hand out towards her new monster. “Catnipped Kitty has a very powerful special ability. Once per turn I can select a monster on your side of the field and make its defense points become zero for the rest of the turn.” She pointed her finger. “I target Amazoness Queen!”

Catnipped Kitty rolled onto its paws and bounded across the field and up to the collapsed hut Amazoness Queen’s throne was in. It purred loudly and rubbed up against her ankles, nuzzling affectionately. The Queen looked down at it and her scowl faded into a soft smile.

"Oh come on!” Sour Sweet protested.

“I’m not done yet.” Fluttershy looked towards the stands.

“Go for it!” Rainbow called. Applejack nodded.

"Show them what you can do." said Isaac as he knew what Fluttershy was about to do.

Fluttershy smiled and reached to her card tray. “I overlay my Baby Raccoon Tantan and Mogmole. Using my two Level 2 Beast monsters, I construct the overlay network!” The two beasts turned into transparent red outlines and slid together, undulating.

The crowd of CHS burst into gasps and cheers. Sour Sweet growled and stepped back. "This can't be! How could you pull off such a complex move in just your few short turns!?"

"Watch closely! I unite the powers of the raccoon and the mole, to summon a brave new animal guardian!” She then grabbed the card that ejected from the top of her duel disk and then played it on her duel field. “I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!” The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Sour Sweet.

The crowd was in shock as they were surprised that Fluttershy had managed to do an advanced summoning method on her second turn. Her friends were cheering her on as she managed to pull off one of her most powerful monsters in such short time. Even though Fluttershy couldn't see him, Isaac just gave her a thumbs up to show his support. Meanwhile the students of Crystal Prep were losing their shit as almost all of them were surprised to see a student of CHS pull off one of the trickiest summoning method of Duel Monsters. The rest of the Shadowbolts knew about Fluttershy having an Xyz monster, but even they were shocked to see Fluttershy bring it out as fast as she did.

Sour Sweet put a hand on her hip and snorted. “An armored rodent with a thousand points. That’s your big play?”

“No. This is: Ronin Raccoon’s special ability.” One of the red orbs around the samurai shot across the field and circled Amazoness Queen. Red light leaked off of her into the orb. “By detaching one of Ronin Raccoon’s Xyz materials, I can Special Summon a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. Since your Amazoness Queen has 2600, my Kagemusha Raccoon Token(2600/0) now has that same amount.” The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back.

Rarity applauded. “Marvelous!”

Rainbow Dash grinned. “I told her she could do this, she just needed the confidence.”

“You said it, Dashie!” Pinkie high-fived the other girls with a squeal.

"Now time to attack, Ronin Raccoon Sandayu take out her queen! This is what happens when you mess with my friends; also keep your grubbing hands off of Isaac, he's mine!" The samurai charged across the field, the blade of its polearm held out. Amazoness Queen raised her head from the cat at her ankles to see the enemy approaching. She narrowed her eyes and raised a hand to her face.

Sour Sweet just had a calm and collected look on her face. Ronin Raccoon jumped in front of Amazoness Queen and stabbed its spear forward. The Queen jerked her hand and the blade clanged off her gauntlet to embed itself in the wood of the throne next to her head. The samurai blinked, confused. The Queen glared and took hold of the shaft of the spear, then jerked it back to pull it from the wood, the momentum sending Ronin Raccoon stumbling off the hut and falling to the ground, its spear falling beside it.

"Did you really forget about the ability of my Amazoness Queen? Thanks to her she's not only indestructible, but so are all my other monsters! If you really want to take down my proud ruler of her tribe, you're going to have to do a lot more than just some silly rodent."

"Oh... right." Fluttershy realized what she was saying as she tried to hide behind her hair for forgetting such an important detail. She had been so caught up in the moment that she completely ignored that small fact when she was watching Isaac's duel. "Well then your monsters may not be destroyed, but I can still deal you damage. So I'll have Kagemusha Raccoon Token attack your Amazoness Princess!" The spectral samurai leapt up and slashed with its katana as it fell. Amazoness Princess screamed as the katana sliced across her torso in a wave of red light, leaving no wound.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 6800-

"With that I'll set one card facedown and end my turn. Now the effect of my Catnipped Kitty wears off and your Amazoness Queen gains back all of its defense points." Catnipped Kitty shook itself and ran across the field to rejoin Fluttershy, Amazoness Queen watching it go.

The students of CHS cheered. Applejack smirked. “Look at that, got in the first hit and it was a good one.”

“Keep it up!” Rainbow called.

Sunset was talking with Isaac so that their friends couldn't hear. "What do you think?"

"Fluttershy really made a good move, but I can't help but feel like something is wrong."

"Yeah, I mean based on your duel yesterday with her. You had a fair bit amount trying to get past her Amazoness due to them not being able to be destroyed. As long as that queen of hers is out there, Fluttershy is going to have a difficult time just getting through. I fear she may not last long." Isaac placed his hand on Sunset's shoulder to reassure her that everything would be alright.

Turn 4: Sour Sweet

Sour Sweet sighed and tossed her hair. “Ya know, I was trying to go easy on you, since you looked ready to faint if I tried attacking.” Her duel disk beeped and ejected its card. “Buuut, if you can handle the rough play, let’s go for it.” She drew her card, looked at it, and grinned as she turned it over to show it to Fluttershy.

"Oh, no." Fluttershy was now pale and had her eyes widen.

"You should be scared!" Sour Sweet swung the card into her duel disk. “I activate ‘Polymerization’!” The stands of Crystal Prep roared as a swirling purple vortex appeared in the air. “I fuse my Amazoness Queen with the Amazoness Swords Woman in my hand!”

"I don't like what's coming!" shouted Sunset all of Team CHS looked on with concern in their eyes.

The Queen stood up from her throne and looked up at the portal, then leapt into it. Sour Sweet held her hands out. “Ruler of hunters and swordbearer of hunters, combine your wisdom and wit, and reign supreme over this battlefield!” She brought her hands together. “From the deepest depths of the darkest jungles, I Fusion Summon Amazoness Empress(2800/2400)!” A bolt of light shot out of the vortex and into the former throne of Amazoness Queen, shattering it and the hut it had been placed in in a shower of splinters and bone. The smoke cleared to reveal a massive warrior woman with white hair and red war paint on her muscles. Animal skulls adorned her shoulders, her waist, and her head, forming a horned crown. She snapped her hand out to the side, a red cape blowing out behind her, and in a flash of red light a massive curved, spiked sword appeared in her grasp.

"W-wow," Fluttershy whimpered.

"Impressive, isn’t she?" Sour Sweet chuckled. “Don’t worry, soon you’ll get to see her in action, up close and personal. But first, from my graveyard I activate the second effect of Amazoness Call.” Amazoness Empress lit up in a purple aura, the monster inhaling deeply.

"What your card has another effect?"

"I told you that I was holding back when I faced your man. My trap has a second effect which I'll activate right now; by banishing Amazoness Call from the graveyard, I can allow my Amazoness Empress to attack all monsters you control!" Sour Sweet laughed. "What do you think happens next?"

Fluttershy swallowed heavily. "I think you’re going to hurt me a bit."

"Nope; I’m gonna hurt you a lot!" Sour Sweet gnashed her teeth and held her hand out. “Amazoness Empress, rip her beasts apart!”

The Empress coiled her legs and sprinted forward, her sword held out to the side. “We’ll start with that disgusting rat that damaged my Life Points!” The Empress reached the Kagemusha Samurai and cleaved it in two in a shower of red sparks. “Next, the pesky vermin that evaded me last turn!” Amazoness Empress turned its head to glare at Baby Raccoon Ponpoko and sliced through the monster. It squeaked as it exploded into light.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5400-

"That’s enough of that,” Fluttershy said, her face stern. "Like you, my Catnipped Kitty also has another effect. Now since I have another beast-type monster on my field, it prevents you from targeting it. Then the effect of Ronin Raccoon is that while I control another beast-type, he can't be destroyed in battle."

"Like that's going to stop me! Like you said, I can still deal damage to you!" Sour Sweet laughed. Ronin Raccoon braced itself and held up its polearm between its palms. Amazoness Empress struck the polearm and sent the raccoon sliding back across the ground.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3400-

"Now time to see what you've been hiding." Amazoness Empress held its sword up and pointed the tip at Fluttershy’s face-down card. "Oh, my bad. Did I forget to mention about my Amazoness Empress' ability? Well anytime a 'Amazoness' monster attacks a defense position monster, it inflicts piercing damage. Sucks to be you!" The Empress stabbed her sword down.

"I'm not going out without a fight!" Fluttershy shot back. Her facedown card flipped over, revealing a small feathered mask and a pair of hands clutching a tiny axe. "The monster that you attack was none other than my Hane-Hane(450/500), and when you flipped it up with your attack, you activated its ability. Now I can return a monster on the field back to the hand, or in this case, your Amazoness Empress is going back your extra deck!"

"What!?" Screamed Sour Sweet as she had her jaw drop.

"Nice, what a move by Fluttershy. Now she doesn't have to worry about it." Rainbow pumped her fists at how she saw her friend pull out a good move.

Hane-Hane swung its axe and sent a massive gust of wind up at Amazoness Empress. The Empress was whirled up into the air and sent crashing into the trees of Amazoness Village. Her sword flew from her grasp and cleaved apart Hane-Hane.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 900-

Sour Sweet growled. "She won’t go without giving you a parting gift. When Amazoness Empress leaves the field, I can revive my Amazoness Queen!" The trees shifted as Amazoness Queen strode out of them and returned to the ruins of her throne, the wood magically reassembling itself around her as she sat on the remains. "Unfortunately my other monsters can’t attack the turn I use Amazoness Call’s effect, so I’ll switch my Amazoness Princess to defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 5: Fluttershy

"Ohh, that was a lot of damage. Fluttershy just barely managed to hang on." Sunset was concern with her friend and how much damage she was taking. Isaac just had his arms crossed in front of him as he looked on.

"It's my turn and I draw." Fluttershy looked through her hand when she heard Sour Sweet speak.

"Just give up. You're just delaying the inevitable, you know?" Sour Sweet said. "You got in one lucky hit, but now you know what my deck is really capable of, and you’re down to 900 Life Points. At this rate you'll be lucky to survive my next turn. You barely even survived that one. If you just forfeit, I'll let you walk and I promise not to harm your man too much."

"Never!" Fluttershy steeled herself and shook her head. "I’m not out of Life Points yet. I still have cards to play, and I’ve seen friends that have won with less against better than you. I won’t give up! As long as I put my trust in my deck, then it will trust me." Fluttershy quickly looked at Isaac. "And I told you before, stay away from Isaac!" She placed a card on her duel disk. "I summon Nimble Beaver(400/100)."

A small beaver with a twig in its mouth jumped up from a pool of water that spontaneously appeared at Fluttershy’s feet. "Now my beaver's ability activates, when he's summoned I can also bring out a level 3 or lower 'Nimble' monster from my deck or graveyard. So I'll bring out another Nimble Beaver. With that I'll then overlay my two beavers."

"Since when do you have another Xyz monster?" shouted Sour Sweet as she took a few steps backs.

"Let's say that a special friend helped me out." Isaac popped a quick smile on his face.

The two Nimble Beavers turned blue and slid together, then lowered into the water. Fluttershy clasped her hands. "I unite the powers of my two beavers and call on the spirit of the feline that dwells in the depths. I Xyz summon, come on out Cat Shark(500/500, OLU: 2) in defense mode!" A black and white aquatic monster jumped out from the pool and landed in front of Fluttershy in a spray of water, two orbs of blue light circling it. It stood on a pair of hind paws and waved a pair of front flippers in the air. A fish tail slapped the ground behind it and a cat’s face with whiskers and fur topped its body.

"Now I'll activate Ronin Raccoon’s special ability, and detach its final Xyz Material to summon another Kagemusha Samurai Token, copying the attack power of Amazoness Queen." The remaining orb of red light orbiting Ronin Raccoon flew around Amazoness Queen and then back to Fluttershy to form a spiritual samurai visage (2600/0). "I then activate the effect of Catnipped Kitty, to sap the defensive power of Amazoness Princess to zero." The cat ran up to the amazon and began to rub against her legs. She looked down at it and awkwardly moved the shaft of her spear to rub the cat’s neck.

"Finally, I'll activate Cat Shark’s effect. By detaching an Xyz Material from it, I can select an Xyz monster I control and double its stats for one turn. I choose Ronin Raccoon which raises him to 2000." One of the blue lights surrounding Cat Shark floated into Ronin Raccoon. It puffed its chest and stood up straighter.

Sour Sweet huffed. “So what? It doesn’t matter how strong your monsters are, you can’t destroy my Amazons in battle while Amazoness Queen is in play. You’re just doing the same moves you pulled last turn."

“Not quite. I learn from my mistakes, which is why I set this card on my last turn.” Fluttershy held her hand up as the hologram of her card flipped over and rose. “I reveal my continuous trap card, Roaring Earth! While this card is in play, when a Beast-type attacks a defending monster, it can pierce its defenses and still deal damage to you.”

“You little bit…” Sour Sweet snarled. "That’s the same effect my Amazoness Empress had! You’re just copying me!”

“Well, actually, I had set my card on my last turn, before you summoned your Empress.” Fluttershy gave a small smile. “So, really, it's more like you copied me.”

Sour Sweet’s response was to growl louder.

“Ronin Raccoon Sandayu, attack Amazoness Princess!” The samurai charged and stabbed its polearm through the Princess’ shoulder. It pulled it back and the Princess stumbled to a knee.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 4800-

“Since the effect of Roaring Earth lets me inflict damage to you, its second effect activates. I can select a monster on your side of the field and decrease its stats by five hundred points. I choose Amazoness Queen.” Fluttershy’s card sent out a rippling wave of energy at Amazoness Queen. “And then, my Kagemusha Samurai attacks!” The ghostly samurai stabbed the Princess’ other arm, driving her to her hands and knees. Roaring Earth shot a wave of energy at Amazoness Queen again.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 2200-

"Looks like the mighty queen has fallen off her throne" taunted Rainbow.

"I'll set two cards and end my turn. At this time the stats of Ronin Raccoon return to normal.” Fluttershy put a hand to her chest and took a breath. She turned to see her friends clapping her for not giving up; Fluttershy was full of happiness as she was glad she was able to persevere.

“Is it another trap card that’s gonna piss me off?” Sour Sweet asked. “Ya know what, don’t answer that, I don’t care either way. You should have lost this duel last turn!”

“Maybe. But I didn’t.” Fluttershy smiled proudly. “I’m not winning, sure, but I haven’t lost yet, either.”

“You idiot!” Sour Sweet snapped. “You really think those cutesy little animals can handle my Amazon deck another turn?”

“They’ve done a good job so far.” Fluttershy shook her head. “I believe in them, the same way my friends and my school believe in me. With them behind me, I won’t give up, even if I have no cards left to play.” The Canterlot High students applauded at her words.

“Gimme a break,” Sour Sweet muttered. “You know why my school cheers for me? Because I’m the best. They know it, I know it. And by the time I’m done with my next turn, you’ll know it too!”

Turn 6: Sour Sweet

Sour Sweet drew with a growl and a glare. “My move!” She looked at her drawn card, slipped it into her hand, and pulled out another. “I summon Amazoness Sage(1400/700).” A woman with a pale beige cloak and blue hair materialized in front of Sour Sweet, a wooden staff adorned with animal teeth in her hand. "I'll then switch my Amazoness Queen to attack mode and then have her attack Ronin Raccoon Sandayu!" The Queen hefted her sword and hurled it across the field.

"I reveal my trap card Draining Shield!” Ronin Raccoon held up its arm and a glowing disk appeared over it, projecting a barrier of green energy around it. “Your attack is negated and I recover Life Points equal to your monster’s attack points!” The sword hit the green barrier and shattered into sparkles that kept going and washed over Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2500-

"You're gonna need single life point you can get!" Sour Sweet snapped. “Amazoness Sage, attack the samurai!” The sage raised her staff and shot a beam of yellow light. Ronin Raccoon endured the hit, its heels digging into the ground. "Since Amazoness Sage attacked, her effect activates, letting me destroy a spell or trap on your side of the field. I choose Roaring Earth!” The sage chanted and sent a rippling wave of magic from her staff. Roaring Earth shuddered and shattered. "Next, Amazoness Princess attacks Ronin Raccoon. This also activates her effect, summoning an Amazoness monster from the deck in defense mode. I call out Amazoness Fighter(1500/1300).” A particularly muscled woman in furred green armor rose from the ground, pounding a fist into her palm. Amazoness Princess hefted her spear and threw it, the blade piercing Ronin Raccoon’s armor.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 1500-

"I'll then set two more cards facedown and end my turn." A face-down card materialized in front of Amazoness Queen’s throne. Sour Sweet crossed her arms. “Make your move.” Not that it will matter, I've already one this match.

Turn 7: Fluttershy

"Thanks for the assist, because I'll activate one of my facedowns Survival Instincts. Now since I took damage I can call upon two monsters from my deck who's attack is less than or equal to the total amount of damage I took." Fluttershy then searched for the cards she wanted. "I'll call upon Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest(400/900) and Gallis the Star Beast(800/800)." Now two more monsters appeared in front of Fluttershy. "But they won't be around for long because I'm going to use them to call upon an even greater beast. I tune my Valerifawn with my Gallis the Star Beast; I Synchro Summon Thunder Unicorn!" Fluttershy's mighty beast roared from the sky as it raced down and landed with the sound of thunder. Thunder Unicorn let out powerful cry as it stomped its hooves to show Sour Sweet it wasn't afraid of her; he then made his way over to Fluttershy who showed his affection for her rubbing his face against as she petted him. Fluttershy smiled as she smiled at her monster for showing that he was willing to stand by her.

"I’ll then activate Cat Shark’s special ability. I detach its Xyz material to grant Cat Shark double the stats this turn.” The feline fish puffed up as a blue aura lit over it. “Then I use the spell card Pot of Avarice. I return my two Nimble Beavers, Mogmole, Hane-Hane, and Baby Raccoon Ponpoko to my deck, and draw two cards.” Fluttershy looked at her new cards and held out another. “I activate the spell card Cross Breed. I banish Ronin Raccoon Sandayu from my field and Dark Desertapir from my hand. Since these two monsters have the same Type and Attribute, a monster with those same stats can be added to my hand. I choose Chow Chow Chan.”

As Ronin Raccoon dissolved, a ghostly black tapir appeared behind Fluttershy. “Banishing Dark Desertapir triggers its effect, reviving a Beast monster in the Graveyard. I revive my Baby Raccoon Tantan in defense mode. Then, I'll overlay Baby Raccoon Tantan and Catnipped Kitty! Using my two Level 2 Beast monsters, I construct the overlay network once again!”

"What are you doing now!?" screamed Sour Sweet.

"You thought I only had one copy of my raccoon? Well the you're sorely mistaken. Watch as I overlay me monsters; I unite the powers of the raccoon and the cat, to summon a brave new animal guardian! I Xyz summon another Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu in defense mode!" Another samurai jumped out of the portal, twirling its spear and stabbing it into the ground when it landed. "Then I'll activate Ronin Raccoon’s ability, and detach one of its Xyz Materials to summon a Kagemusha Samurai Token with attack power equal to the strongest monster on the field. Right now that’s my current Token, so I get a second copy.” The ghostly red image of the Kagemusha Samurai lit up and split into two. "Now time to attack!"

Sour Sweet sneered. “Yeah, not yet, you don’t. I reveal my face-down card ‘Amazoness Shamanism!” Glowing magical glyphs appeared under each of Sour Sweet’s monsters. “First, every monster I control is destroyed. Then, for each of them, I can revive an Amazoness monster from my Graveyard in defense position.” Sour Sweet’s four monsters lit up and exploded in showers of green magical sparks. “I destroy my four monsters, and revive in their places Amazoness Sage, Amazoness Fighter, Amazoness Princess, and Amazoness Baby Tiger.

"As you summoning Amazoness Princess activates her effect, letting me add Amazoness Call from my deck to my hand.” Light shone from the Graveyard on Sour Sweet’s duel disk. “Also, now that an Amazoness monster has been destroyed, the effect of Amazoness Village activates, letting me summon an Amazoness from my deck with a Level equal or lower than that destroyed monster. I’ll target Amazoness Queen as the monster that was destroyed, and summon a second Amazoness Queen!"

Amazoness Queen materialized in her throne, her sword between her legs. In a row in front of her, Amazoness Sage, Princess, and Fighter, kneeled with their arms crossed over their chests. At the end of the row lay a small tiger with a ring on its tail. Sour Sweet grinned. “Go ahead, attack all you like. I just hope you remember my Amazoness Queen’s effect.”

"I do.” Fluttershy frowned and looked at her hand. “I can’t deal any damage to you now, but I won’t let you damage me, either.” She took a card from her hand and held it up. "I'll play the spell card Nightmare's Steelcage with this you can't attack me for two turns." A giant cage then appeared around Sour Sweet and her monsters. "With that I'll then end my turn."

Turn 8: Sour Sweet

Sour Sweet drew her card and then looked at Fluttershy. When they first start, she felt like this would have been a squash match but she proved her wrong. She had managed to survive a huge onslaught from earlier and then found a way to hit back even harder. Sour Sweet had to commemorate her for trying. "Ya know, I hate to admit it, but you’ve been one of the most annoyingly persistent opponents I’ve had in a long time.” She smirked and shook her head. “I never would have expected a duel this interesting from a Canterlot student, of all people. You’ve really put on an impressive duel today.” Sour Sweet had a smile on her face.

Fluttershy saw this and returned the smile back. "Do you really mean that?"

"Hell no!" Sour Sweet’s smirk turned into a vicious grin. “I’m just screwin’ with ya.” She drew her hand back and slotted a card into her duel disk. “I activate the spell card Fusion Recovery and return Polymerization and Amazoness Swords Woman in my Graveyard to my hand, and then activate Polymerization!” A sparking purple vortex appeared behind Sour Sweet. “I treat my Amazoness Baby Tiger as ‘Amazoness Tiger’ and fuse it with my Amazoness Fighter!” The two monsters flickered and were drawn up into the vortex. Sour Sweet held her hand up. “Prince of the jungle and brawler of hunters, combine your ferocity and strength and awaken the predator that even hunters fear!” Her card ejected from her duel disk and she snatched it up to slap it on her duel disk. “I Fusion Summon Amazoness Pet Liger(2500/2400)!”

A pillar of dark red light burst out of the trees behind the Amazoness Village. The earth shook and the trees parted, revealing a massive liger, pale beige with black stripes. Armor plating with spikes covered its shoulders, gleaming blue against the dark orange of its mane. It prowled up next to Sour Sweet, glaring at Fluttershy with one red eye, the other closed by a jagged scar, and roared at her.

"He's such a cutie, isn't he?" Sour Sweet smiled and patted the monster on one of its armored portions. “He isn’t as cuddly as your little runts, but I think he makes up for it with brutality. You should also know he’s quite protective of his Amazon trainers. You see, as long as Amazoness Pet Liger is in play, you’re forbidden from attacking any Amazoness monsters except for my liger. Next I'll play the spell Amazoness Call and from my deck I'll add 'Amazoness Archers' to my hand." Sour Sweet then picked up her card. "I'll then set 3 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Fluttershy

Fluttershy drew her card and then her mind began to turn. I have to play this just right, everything rides on what I do in this turn. I know for a fact that one of them is Amazoness Archers which will force lower my monster's attack points and force them to attack. Due to Liger's effect, he's the only one I can attack having a strength of 2700. "First I'll activate the spell card The Big March of Animals!” The field shook as auras of green light lit up over her cards. “With this card, for every Beast-type monster I control, all my Beasts gain 200 attack points! Since I have 5, they all gain 1000 points.”

"This is it, Fluttershy is going to win this!" shouted Applejack as she and everybody else leaned forward a bit.

The Kagemusha Samurai Tokens grew larger and their katanas longer (2600 → 3600), Ronin Raccoon’s polearm got a larger blade (1000 → 2000), Cat Shark’s fins grew longer and sprouted claws (500 → 1500), and Thunder Unicorn's horn grew larger as it stomped the ground (2200 → 3200).

“So you powered them up, big deal.” Sour Sweet shrugged.

“It is, because now, my Kagemusha Samurai Tokens and Thunder Unicorn have enough power to take the lead in this duel!” Fluttershy pointed. “Kagemusha Samurai Token, attack and destroy Amazoness Pet Liger!” The ghostly red warrior drew its katana and charged.

Sour Sweet sneered. “You idiot! I activate the trap card Defense Draw. Now your attack is negated and I draw a card."

"I figured you'd have something like that, so I'll activate the effect of Chow Chow Chan. Now by discarding him, I can negate your trap! So my attack presses on."

"I tricked you, now you have nothing to protect you. I activate my other facedown trap Amazoness Archers!” The card flipped up and lit up red. “This saps the attack power of all your monsters by 500 points, and forces them to attack! You failed and now you'll lose everything!”

"Not yet! I'll activate the effect of another card in my hand: Albert the Flying Squirrel. Now if I send him to the grave, I can negate another spell/trap on your field. So now it looks you're the one who's out of options!" A flying squirrel then appeared and then shoot straight towards Sour's card as it took it out.

Sour Sweet gaped. “No!” Amazoness Archers exploded and Albert faded away.

“And now my attack continues safely.” Fluttershy smiled. The Samurai Token reached Amazoness Liger and raised its katana over its head.

"This is it!" shouted Rainbow.

Sour Sweet’s expression of shock suddenly turned into a sneer. “One tiny little flaw in your deduction, by the way. I have still have my final facedown. She reached to her duel disk and tapped the screen, the card flipping over and rising into the air. “I activate Trap of Darkness. The front of the card shimmered and clouded over in dark purple mist. “Now by paying 1000 life points, this card lets me copy the effects of a trap card in my Graveyard.” Sour Sweet laughed. “Guess which one?”
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 1200-

Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “Oh no.”

“Oh yes!”

The clouds on the front of Trap of Darkness cleared, revealing Amazoness Archers. The card lit up and shot out a flurry of arrows, striking Fluttershy’s monsters. As they growled in pain from the arrows, their eyes began to pulse red.

Sour Sweet crossed her arms. “So much for your attack.”

The Kagemusha Samurai Tokens (3600 → 3100) stumbled to their knees at the arrows and swung their katanas into the Liger’s paw. Thunder Unicorn now had the same strength as Liger so they would tie and it would be destroyed. Amazoness Liger snapped its paw up and flung the Token away. It then collided with Thunder Unicorn as both were equal in power but it was protected by the queen to ensure it wouldn't leave the field.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 400-

The red-eyed animals on Fluttershy’s field began to creep forward, eyeing Amazoness Liger. Fluttershy bit her lip and stepped back. “It didn’t matter which card I tried to destroy. You tricked me…”

“Welcome to the big leagues. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, I think you have a couple more attacks to declare.”

Fluttershy looked down and whimpered at the glowing eyes of her monsters. She sank to her knees swallowed heavily. “I… I attack Amazoness Pet Liger with my other monsters.” As soon as she finished, the horde ran forward. Ronin Raccoon jumped up and descended with its polearm. The Liger glared up at it and rose on its hind legs to swat it to the ground, keeping its paw on the raccoon to slam it into the dirt. Cat Shark ran up to the Liger’s paw and jumped to bite into it. The Liger lifted its limb to glare at the cat hanging off of it by its teeth.

Sour Sweet smirked. “And this is how our duel ends; the game of cat and mouse ends with a whimper.”

With a growl, the Liger stomped its paw, shattering Cat Shark.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sour Sweet

Luna then spoke into the microphone. "Ladies and gentleman, you're winner of the first round in the Friendship Games: Sour Sweet! With that Crystal Prep takes the lead." The scoreboard then changed to show 1-0 for all too see. On the projection of the tournament standings, Fluttershy’s portrait greyed out and receded back into the row of Canterlot High duelists, while Sour Sweet’s lit up purple in its row.

Fluttershy had fallen to her knees and had her arms hanging by her side as she let the realization sink in. She had her head down as tears began to form in her eyes. All thoughts were running in her head at how she was the first who lost and was the reason why CHS was behind. She wanted to show that Canterlot High could go toe-to-toe with Crystal Prep, but in the end she had been the one couldn't get the job done. Worst of all, the fact that Isaac had helped make some changes to her deck and couldn't win was enough to make her heart break. Fluttershy was scared on what he would think.

“As if there was any doubt?” Sour Sweet gathered her cards from her duel disk and snorted. “I’m just annoyed it took so long.” Sour Sweet looked at Fluttershy before leaving. "Pathetic. Tell Isaac, I'll be waiting for him." She tossed her hair and marched back to the Crystal Prep bench, crossing her legs.

On the field, Fluttershy slowly pushed herself to her feet, she turned off her duel disk and began to extract her cards from it. She then made her way back to her team as she still had tears in her eyes. The girls all did their best to cheer her up by offering smiles; she then looked at Isaac who still had a serious look as he had his arms crossed. He then stepped forward to confront Fluttershy as she had her head down preparing for what he was about to say. Not a thing was said at first, Isaac just stood there looking at her not changing his expression for one second. This scared Fluttershy as she was expecting him to give her stern talk.

"I'm sorry. I failed..." Fluttershy then felt a pair of arms wrap around her as she still had tears in her eyes.

"You did good, private. You did good." Isaac's expression changed as he was now congratulating/comforting Fluttershy on putting on a valiant effort.

Fluttershy was pleased to hear Isaac's response that she put more behind her hug as she grip Isaac tightly while burying her head in his shoulder trying to release all the emotions she was feeling. After a few moments, they separated as Fluttershy wiped the last bit of tears from her face and then followed Isaac as they returned back to their friends.

“You rock, Fluttershy!”

The cheer from the crowd drew her attention. The assembled CHS students cheered and clapped again, shouts of encouragement and congratulations among them. Fluttershy, her face red, bowed and hurried over to the bench where her friends were on their feet.

“Ya did good, hun,” Applejack said, nodding.

“Yeah, you whooped butt!” Pinkie chimed in.

“Thanks. I did my best.” Fluttershy put a hand on her chest. “I’m sorry I couldn’t win.”

“Don’t be.” Rainbow shook her head. “It’s one duel out of seven. We’re still in this.”

"If anything, you've shown Crystal Prep that if they want to beat us then they'll have to try even harder to keep us down. Not to mention, that we're not as predictable as they think. We've got a few tricks of our own." Sunset put her hand on Fluttershy's shoulder to offer her some more support.

Isaac looked at his friends not saying a word. Despite them losing the opening round, they still banded together and were reminding each other that they were a team. Isaac knew that this was far from over, sure they have be behind in terms of points but there was still plenty of time to mount a comeback. Then Luna began to speak into the microphone.

"We will now choose the opponents for the next round."

On the display the rows of students began to blink again, blue and purple cursors highlighting a portrait and enlarging it before moving on. After several seconds the cursors stopped and the portraits grew to encompass the screen.

“Our next duel is decided! Canterlot High’s Jacklyn Apple will face Crystal Prep’s Sugarcoat!”

The students clapped politely. Applejack adjusted her hat and raised her duel disk. “Well, that’s mah cue.” She nodded at the group and walked onto the field.

"Good luck, Applejack!" said Sunset as she gave her a thumbs up.

"Wait a minute, Applejack's name is Jacklyn?" said Isaac with a confused look as he raised his eyebrow.

On the Crystal Prep bench, Sugarcoat stood and followed Applejack. When Applejack stopped at her side of the field, Sugarcoat paused next to her and turned her head. “I heard you’re one of the best duelists at this school.”

Applejack nodded. “That’s right.”

"Interesting." Sugarcoat pursed her lip. "Well then beggars can't be choosers." She turned forward and continued to her side of the field, swiftly spinning to face Applejack.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Applejack called, glaring.

"See I wanted to face someone who can actually give me a challenge. That boy of yours, really showed that he knows his stuff. Compared to everybody else here who attends this second-rate school, he's a cut above the rest and would provide a decent challenge. I was hoping to test my skills against him, but it seems I'm stuck with you. No matter." Sugarcoat raised her arm in front of her. “I’d prefer you at least make me exert effort to win. I have no patience for unfulfilling duels.”

Applejack’s glare turned into a small smile. “Well then, ya came to the right girl. I’m gonna give ya a duel ya won’t soon forget!”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.” Sugarcoat pressed the button to activate her duel disk, the device projecting a card tray of pale purple light. Applejack activated her own disk and a tray of green light came out.

Chapter 40: Applejack v. Sugarcoat- Round 2

The second duel of the Friendship Games was about to start. Currently in the lead it was Crystal Prep with a score of 1-0; now it was time for another duel as the second competitors from each team squared off against each other. Applejack was facing off against Crystal Prep's Sugarcoat, as she looked to get CHS back on the winning track.

"Time to tussle, partner!" said Applejack.

“And now let the second duel begin!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

Sugarcoat's Life Points: 8000-

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"Time to get a victory for me and my school. Hope you're ready because you're dueling one of the best duelist in Canterlot High, draw!" She looked at her cards and grabbed one. "Here Ah go! Ah summon Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio(1200/800)!" A black scorpion appeared in front of Applejack, roots on its back running up to a plant sprout behind its stinger tail. "Now the effect of my Scorpio activates, when he's summoned I can send 1 monster from my hand to the grave and in exchange I can special summon 1 'Predaplant' monster from my deck. So an' send my Predaplant Cordyceps to my grave and special summon mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500)." A snake with a body like a plant vine slithered in front of Applejack, its jaws patterned like flower petals.

Sugarcoat just simply had a straight face. "As expected. Standard move."

"I know you and your buddies over there did some research on us; so I'd expect you to have some fancy new tactics to throw us off our game. Well lets set the record straight, we've got own bag of tricks and we're going to show you why we deserve to be here."

"Are you done with the standard raw-raw speech? Seriously, it's been overdone and overused so many times. Let's try not to bore everybody with talking. As for me, I'm not a slight bit worried."

"You should be."

"I think not." Sugarcoat pushed her glasses up her nose. “Continue, please.”

Applejack’s grin faded. “Just ribbin’ ya a bit. But fine, if that’s what ya want. Since Ah summoned Darlingtonia Cobra from mah deck, I can use it's ability. Now I can add one 'Polymerization' from mah deck to mah hand." Applejack's duel disk then slotted out the card for her to grab. "Ah then set one card facedown and end my turn. Now let's see what you've got, partner."

Turn 2: Sugarcoat

"Solid accent, now then." Sugarcoat stiffly drew, slid her card into her hand, and withdrew another. "I'll start by playing the field spell Magnetic Field, now with this card in play I'm allowed to revive a level 4 or below 'Magnet Warrior' from my graveyard. As long as I control an Earth-Attribute Rock-type monster." Pillars of shining grey steel rose in the shape of a cross around Sugarcoat, sparks coursing along their length. Sugarcoat held up another card. “I'll then summon Delta the Magnet Warrior(1600/1400).” Trails of electricity rose from the ground, tracing out the image of a monster that solidified in a flash of silver light. It was a spindly robot, limbs of circular steel cable connecting hands, feet, and a head of silver-blue metal with magnetic bars running along the edges. A horseshoe magnet around a triangular prism of metal made its head, yellow eyes blinking on the metal.

"Alpha The Electromagnet? Don't you mean, Alpha the Magnet Warrior?" said Applejack.

"You country folk really aren't that bright?" said Sugarcoat as her comment made Applejack angry.

Sunset and the rest of their friends turned to Isaac to see if he could shed some light on what was happening. "Isaac, mind telling us about these Electromagnets?"

"Don't know much about them, but I do know they're different from the ones I use. The ones I use are Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warriors. However, there's also been some new cards that are added to the Magnet warriors that it's become viable as a deck archetype. Not to mention that the Magnet Warrior deck shines the most when bring out some powerful monsters; I just hope Aj can handle what Sugarcoat throws at her."

"Now's a good time to tell you about Alpha's special ability; when he's summoned I add a ‘Magna Warrior’ monster from my deck to my hand. I choose this, Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior.” She placed the offered card in her hand, and then pointed forward. “And now, I attack Ophrys Scorpio with Delta The Magnet Warrior!” Delta swung its hands together and created an electrical field between its magnetic limbs, sending a surge of lightning across the field.

Applejack flung her hand up. “Ah activate mah trap, Plant Food Chain! This gives Ophrys Scorpion an extra five hundred points!” Yellow tendrils sprouted from the scorpion’s back and entwined around its tail. Delta’s attack struck the scorpion and it recoiled. The electricity traveled along its body, collected at the plant tip of its tail, and fired back. Delta convulsed with the impact and exploded.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 7900-

Sugarcoat frowned. “All part of my plan. I'll now activate the second effect of Magnetic Field. Since a monster that battled with an Earth-Attribute Rock-type monster of mine was not destroyed, it returns to its owner’s hand.” Applejack’s Scorpio turned into an orb of light and lowered into the ground, its card on Applejack’s duel disk lighting up.

“Phooey.” Applejack grumbled and picked up the card.

Sugarcoat smirked. “You won’t defeat my deck with tricks like that so easily.”

“Ah hope not, you’re Crystal Prep after all,” Applejack said with a smirk of her own.

"You're finally right about something. We're Crystal Prep and we're going to win; might as well name us the winners, it will save time from unnecessary dueling like this." Applejack got a bit heated at hearing that.

"Now then I'll continue my turn and have my Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior attack your Darlingtonia Cobra." Alpha ran forward, spinning its sword of magnetic coils in the air, and brought it down on the Cobra. The snake cringed and lit up in lightning before exploding.
Applejack's Life Points: 7300-

“I set two cards and end my turn.” Sugarcoat crossed her arms. “Make your move.”

Turn 3: Applejack

"Ah will!” Applejack drew with a flourish. “Ah’ll start by activatin’ Predapruning. Ah use it to revive Darlington Cobra from the Graveyard!” Applejack’s field shook and ripped open a chasm; Darlingtonia Cobra slithered out from within it. Applejack picked a card from her hand and swung it into her duel disk. “Next, Ah activate Polymerization! Ah fuse Darlington Cobra with Ophrys Scorpio!” The crowd cheered as Applejack’s two monsters swirled together in a vortex of green light. “Ah combine mah stinging predator and mah venomous predator, and let a vicious new plant bloom!” Applejack took the card her duel disk ejected as she held it up high. “Ah Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000)!” A large coil of vines burst from the chasm and splayed out on the field. A large circular mouth ringed with teeth and surrounded by plump pink petals was at the end of the largest of the vines, and two smaller mouths rose up beside it on smaller vines.

Applejack pointed at Alpha on Sugarcoat’s field. “Ah activate Chimerafflesia’s effect; Ah can target any monster on the field with a lower level than it, and banish it!” Chimerafflesia lashed out its two mouthed vines towards Alpha.

“I chain your ability with Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior’s effect.” Sugarcoat snapped her fingers and Alpha shattered into scrapings of metal and sparks of light. “By offering Alpha as Tribute during either of our turns, I can summon a Level 4 Magnet Warrior from the deck. I choose another copy of Delta the Magnet Warrior and summon it in defense mode.” The shrapnel of Alpha’s destruction congregated in an orb of metal and lightning, reforming into a new Delta, kneeling with a barrier of electricity around it. “Since the target of your effect has left the field, it is nullified.” The mouths of Chimerafflesia struck Delta’s barrier and recoiled with high-pitched shrieks. “I also get to activate Delta’s effect since it was summoned. I send ‘Beta The Electromagnet Warrior’ from my deck to the graveyard.”

Applejack pouted and shook her head. “Fine then, Ah’ll just get rid of your monster the hard way. Chimerafflesia attacks Delta!” Chimerafflesia lashed outs its tentacles again and shattered Delta into shards of metal. “Ah end mah turn.”

Turn 4: Sugarcoat

"Nice play on Sugarcoat's part. She was able to use her monster's ability to avoid Aj's move. In the process, she also set herself up for next move. I'm impressed." said Isaac as he was watching the battle.

"My turn again, draw." Sugarcoat drew and tapped her duel disk screen. “I’ll begin by activating my trap card Magnet Conversion. This lets me select up to three Magnet Warriors in my Graveyard and return them to my hand.” She tapped three more times, the cards sliding out of her duel disk as she did, and then held them up. “I’ll take back Beta and my two Deltas. And then, I’ll summon Delta to the field.” As the silver magnetic robot appeared in front of Sugarcoat in a shower of sparkles, she ignored it in favor of pressing tool prompts that popped up on her duel disk. “I activate Delta’s effect to send Gamma The Electromagnet Warrior(800/2000) from my deck to the Graveyard, and then use the effect of Magnetic Field to revive Gamma.” Sugarcoat’s newest monster manifested from the lightning of Magnetic Field. It was a short, stocky robot with thick armor in dull gold, a magnet forming its collar and a magnet mounted on the back of each large fist.

"Now Gamma's ability activates, when he's summoned I can also bring out a level 4 or lower 'Magnet warrior' from my hand. I'll choose to summon Beta The Electromagnet Warrior(1500/1500). But I'm done, because like Gamma, Beta's ability activates the moment he's summoned. So I'll then use its effect to add one level 4 or lower 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck to my hand. I choose to add an original, Alpha the Magnet Warrior." Sugarcoat smiled and looked up at her three monsters hovering in front of her. “And now, all the pieces are in place.” She pulled a card from her hand and held it up. “I banish Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior from my Graveyard, and Beta and Gamma The Electromagnet Warriors from my field, to Special Summon!” Her two monsters on the field turned into orbs of lightning and began to swirl around her, Alpha’s hologram emerging from her duel disk and turning into lightning to join them. “Come forth, Berserkion The Electromagna Warrior(3000/2800)!” She slammed her card onto her duel disk.

The orbs of lightning around her circled higher into the air and collided in a flash of light. The orb grew larger, the air crackling, sparks shooting out of it. It gleamed and then exploded outward to reveal a massive robotic monster. Its limbs were armored in red, silver, and blue, the metal curved and gleaming. Sparks flew from electrical coils embedded in its shoulders and running along its arms. A sword formed from a metal rod with electrical coils appeared in its hand, and it thrust the blade up to summon lightning to it, a metallic clang echoing across the field.

"That thing is massive!" gasped Applejack.

"Impressed, well it's nothing compared to this." The robot thudded down in front of Sugarcoat, the ground shaking. She held her hand up. “I’m sure you know what happens next.” She flipped her hand out to direct her monster. “Berserkion, destroy Predaplant Chimerafflesia!” Berserkion leapt into the air and stabbed its sword down.

Applejack shook her head. “Not today! I told you Crystal Prep students that we have a few tricks of our own, so let me show you. Ah activate Chimerafflesia’s ability! When it battles, the monster it fights loses a thousand points, and Chimerafflesia gains it back!” Chimerafflesia’s two vine mouths swung forward towards Berserkion.

"Luckily, I came prepared for such a scenario." Sugarcoat pushed her glasses up to her nose once again. "I chain with my trap card Magnet Force.” The Magnetic Field pillars around Sugarcoat lit up blue and shot beams of energy toward Berserkion. “During the turn I activate this card, my Rock and Machine-type monsters are unaffected by your monster effects.” Sugarcoat gave a small snort. “My attack continues.” Berserkion swatted aside Chimerafflesia’s vine mouths and impaled its sword into the main growth, shattering it in a spray of electricity. “And next, Delta attacks!” Delta held its hands up and fired an orb of lightning at Applejack. She raised her arm and braced herself as the attack hit.
Applejack's Life Points: 5200-

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Applejack

Applejack lowered her arm from her face to reveal a small smirk. “Not bad. Ah was expectin’ a bigger hit, though.”

Sugarcoat frowned. “Pardon me?”

Applejack stood upright. “It was pretty obvious you were gearin’ up for somethin’ big, with how you kept searching out all those different monsters. A deck like that doesn’t focus on gettin’ all kinds of monsters into play without somethin’ to do with them. Sure enough, there he is.” She put a hand on her hip. “But only 3000 points? Ah hope he’s got a heck of an effect, because that’s plain underwhelming.”

"Oh, I think Applejack might what to take that last part back." said Isaac as he knew Applejack was in trouble if she didn't prepare for what's to come next.

Sugarcoat was simply unfazed by Applejack's comment. “As a matter of fact, he does,” Sugarcoat replied, giving a small snort. “Now, will you take your turn or will you continue to insult my monster?”

“You’re right. Wonder if he can stop himself from bein’ destroyed? Only one way to find out.” Applejack drew. “First, Ah use the effect of Chimerafflesia in the Graveyard. The turn after it gets destroyed, Ah can add a Fusion card from mah deck to mah hand.” She then touched her screen and searched for the card she wanted from her deck and then clicked on it as it slid out for her to grab. “Ah’ll take Fusion Recovery and activate it immediately to get Polymerization and Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio back to mah hand. And then Ah’ll summon Scorpio to the field.”

Applejack flipped a card out from her hand as her scorpion appeared in front of her. “Ah’ll use Scorpio’s ability and discard Rose Lover from mah hand, to summon Predaplant Flytrap(400/800) from the deck!” The ground in front of Applejack cracked open. A small spindly vine with hand-like leaves and a pair of jaws formed from two large leaves grew up from the crack. Applejack smiled. “See that there? That’s the monster that’s gonna take out your Berserkion.”

Sugarcoat frowned. “You must be joking. How is that little thing going to take down my mechanical metal monster."

"Why don't I show you'll? Ah use Predaplant Flytrap’s special ability and place a ‘Predator Counter’ on your monster.” Flytrap opened its jaws and shot a glowing purple seed at Berserkion. The seed landed on Berserkion’s shoulder and sprouted into a tangled mass of green and purple vines, a growth in their center pulsing with purple light. “As long as that Predator Counter is on your monster, its level is sapped down to 1.” Applejack pointed. “And now, Predaplant Flytrap attacks Berserkion!” Flytrap lowered to the ground and slithered like a serpent toward Berserkion.

Sugarcoat scowled. “Please tell me, that you're not that stupid?”

“Nope. Flytrap’s got a special ability. See, any time it battles a monster with a lower level, that monster gets destroyed instantly.”

Sugarcoat’s eyes widened. “No!”

Flytrap stopped in front of Berserkion, raised up, and opened its jaws. The Predator Counter on Berserkion glowed brighter and exploded in a cloud of green spores. The spores fell around Flytrap and it took on the same glow as the Counter. Before Sugarcoat’s eyes, Flytrap grew taller and bigger, until it towered over Berserkion and its jaws were as large as a person. It dove down and snapped its jaws over Berserkion’s head. The robot convulsed and exploded in a spray of purple and green spores. Applejack smiled. “When Flytrap destroys a monster with that effect, its level increases by its level. So now my Flytrap gains 8 levels which makes him become level 10.” Flytrap slunk back to Applejack’s field, still glowing.

Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes. "Remember when you asked if my monster had a special ability, well time to show it off. When he’s destroyed, his component monsters are returned from my banished zone. I summon back my three Electromagnetic Warriors in defense.” The pillars of Magnetic Zone around Sugarcoat conjured three orbs of electricity and sent them floating down in front of her to reform Alpha, Beta, and Gamma. Sugarcoat began tapping on her duel disk screen. “With my monsters summoned their effects activate. Alpha lets me add another copy of Berserkion from my deck to my hand, Beta lets me add ‘Gamma The Magnet Warrior’ to my hand, and Gamma lets me summon another Alpha The Magnet Warrior from my hand, in defense mode.” Another robot knelt in front of Sugarcoat, slender and grey with a shield and sword, the sword handle shaped like a magnet and an emblem of the same on the shield.

Sugarcoat now had almost a full field of Magnet Warriors staring down Applejack. Despite having more monsters, Aj couldn't help but smile at how cunning Sugarcoat was for thinking 2 steps ahead. It kinda of reminded her of whenever she was engaged in a duel with Isaac and how he would always try to not only think of his current move but also setting up for his next moves.

Applejack nodded. “And on your next turn you’ll get rid of the three of them to bring Berserkion back. Heck of a combo.”

“Indeed.” Sugarcoat pushed her glasses up. “And if you destroy that Berserkion I’ll just bring back my Magnet Warriors again and search out another Berserkion.”

“Yup.” Applejack put a hand on her hip. “Ah figured you had something like this planned. Searchin’ out all those different monsters with themed names? You were building up to something big.”

Sugarcoat nodded. “And you allowed me to do it because you knew you had the means to get rid of whatever it was I summoned.”

“Not a foolproof plan, but it worked.” Applejack held up two more cards. “Ah set two cards and end my turn.”

Turn 6: Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat took a minute to access the situation as she looked at her monsters and then looked at Applejack's field to see what she had planned. “Shall I presume those cards are something to stop me from calling Berserkion back to the field, or are they to defend your Flytrap so you can use it to destroy Berserkion on your next turn?”

“Maybe. Or ah could be bluffing both ways. It’d be right silly of me to make moves that obvious, wouldn’t it?”

Sugarcoat stared at Applejack evenly. Slowly, she smiled. “No. You’re no fool. Even if I knew what kind of cards those are, those are your best options for a move, so of course you’d take them.”

“Just as ah know you’re probably gonna call out Berserkion on your next turn because that’s your best move.” Applejack nodded. “But that’s the kind o’ game this is, ain’t it?”

“Move and counter-move, anticipate and intercede, until one of us can’t do it any longer and falls behind.” Sugarcoat nodded back. “For a Canterlot duelist, you’ve done a decent job keeping up with me so far. I must commemorate you for that. Next to Isaac, I feel like you're an individual who give me a decent fight. I respect you, but I still must beat.” Sugarcoat had the a tiny genuine smile.

“Ya ain’t seen nothin’ yet, sugarcube.” Applejack raised her duel disk in front of her and leaned forward. “If you wanna win this thing, you gotta come at me with everything you’ve got!”

“And when I do, you’d better be prepared to handle it!” Sugarcoat drew with a flourish and a smirk. “This duel is only just getting started!” Sugarcoat drew and slid her card into her hand, and then took a moment to look over the array of cards. She thought for a moment before lowering her cards and looking at Applejack evenly. “The trick now is, figuring out what manner of protection those face-down cards offer you.”

“Ain’t it?” Applejack nodded.

“Due to the rulings concerning Berserkion’s summoning, were you to negate it, if you attempted to destroy it as I summon it, its effect to revive its parts would trigger again. I would search another copy of Berserkion with the effect of Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior, and summon it back immediately. Additionally, you have already seen that destroying my Electromagnet Warriors on the field is pointless, since I can banish them from the Graveyard to summon Berserkion.” Sugarcoat shook her head. “I’d wager then your face-down cards are more to protect your Predaplant Flytrap, so you can use it to destroy Berserkion on the next turn.”

Applejack held up her hands. “Ya got me there, hun.”

Both teams were confused with what Sugarcoat and Applejack were talking about, all except Isaac and Twilight.

"Uhmm, anybody want to translate what she just said?" Rainbow had a confused look.

They all turned to Isaac who still had his arms crossed as he had a small smile on his face. The girls hoped that their captain could simplify what was said. Isaac didn't say anything as he told them to just watch would happen.

“However you plan to protect it, I won’t hesitate any further.” Sugarcoat flipped out a card from her hand. “I banish Alpha, Beta, and Gamma The Electromagnet Warriors, to Special Summon Berserkion, the Electromagna Warrior!” The three robots broke apart and combined into Berserkion once again, the magnetic robot knight raising its sword and bellowing. “I'll then activate the spell card Monster Reincarnation, and discard Delta the Magnet Warrior to return Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior to my hand.” Sugarcoat held out a hand. “Then, I activate Berserkion’s effect! I banish Delta The Magnet Warrior from the graveyard, and destroy Flytrap!” Berserkion pointed its sword out toward Flytrap. The ghostly image of Delta appeared over the sword and turned into a field of lightning that condensed at the tip and shot a lightning bolt.

Applejack smirked. “See, ya made a mistake there, hun – y’all think destroyin’ Berserkion is the only way to stop it. Ah reveal mah trap card Fiendish Chain!” The trap card flipped up and four black chains emerged from it. They snapped around Berserkion’s limbs and pulled tight, sparking. “With this card in play, Berserkion can’t attack and his effects are negated.”

Sugarcoat scowled. “There were any number of ways you could have halted Berserkion. Effect negation wasn’t one I considered likely. Tell me, did you think of that yourself?"

"Maybe." smirked Applejack as she was enjoying herself messing with Sugarcoat.

"No matter, though. I have two other monsters.” She pointed. “Delta The Magnet Warrior attacks Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio!” Delta ran forward, lightning sparking over its right-hand magnet.

“Ah reveal mah second trap Bamboo Scrap.” Scorpion shimmered and exploded, leaving behind two orbs of green light. Delta stopped as it reached the orbs, its magnet striking air. “By offering Scorpio as a tribute, Ah Special Summon two ‘Plant Tokens(800/500)’ to your field.” The green orbs floated in front of Sugarcoat and turned into a small growths of grass, eyes peeking out from them.

"So what's the reason behind you doing that? These monsters are practically useless." Sugarcoat folded her arms. “I cannot attack your Flytrap safely, so I’ll end my turn.”

Turn 7: Applejack

Applejack drew, looked at her card, and pointed across the field. “Once more ah use Flytrap’s ability and put a Predator Counter on Delta.” Flytrap opened its jaws and spat a green spore onto Delta; the spore struck its chest and grew into a glowing purple and green vine. Applejack swung her hand out. “Ah attack Berserkion with Flytrap!” Flytrap chittered and slithered across the field. It reached Berserkion, grew tall enough to overshadow it, and snapped down to bite its head. Berserkion exploded, the chains binding it fading into smoke.

"Just like earlier Berserkion’s effect activates, returning Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to my side of the field.” Sugarcoat’s duel disk beeped and flashed red. “What?” As she scowled at it, she saw movement on the ground and raised her eyes. She gasped. “Those!?” At her feet, the two Plant Tokens Applejack had summoned danced in front of her, jumping back and forth.

Applejack grinned. “Sorry, but with those two tokens on yer field along with Alpha and Delta, you have too many monsters. Berserkion’s effect is a package deal, ya summon all of its pieces or ya summon none of them.”

Sugarcoat gave a sharp nod. “So that was the point of those tokens. Clever. But it won’t be enough to shut me down yet.”

"I know, so that's why ah set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat took the card that ejected from her deck. “You shut down my Berserkion summon loop. Impressive. But that won’t be enough to win.” She smiled and reached to her hand. “My deck is full of variable options. I’ll show you one now. I banish Berserkion in the Graveyard, as well as Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior and Gamma The Magnet Warrior in my hand, and Special Summon Block Dragon(2500/3000).” Sugarcoat’s three monsters appeared in front of her and burst into shrapnel. The shrapnel turned vibrant colors and gathered together, forming a dragonoid monster made of plastic building blocks, sitting upright on its hind legs with claws of steel held out

"Then I'll switch my Alpha the Magnet Warrior into attack mode. Now Block Dragon, take out her Predaplant Flytrap!" Block Dragon drew backs its snout and then snapped it forward, spitting out a cloud of blocky, pixelated red fire.

"My monster's ability makes it to where they'll both be destroyed."

"Yeah, not gonna happen. See Block Dragon has an ability that allows my Rock-type monsters to not be destroyed by card effects. Since your Flytrap can't use its effect, the battle resumes and your monster is gone." Block Dragon’s flame reached Flytrap and the monster exploded in a ball of fire.
Applejack's Life Points: 3100-

Sugarcoat snorted. “You’re wide-open to attack now. I’m sure you know what comes next. Delta the Magnet Warrior, attack directly!” Delta charged forward, a magnet hand held out.

"Not this time! Ah activate my facedown Counter Gate!" Applejack’s card flipped over to reveal a mirrored panel. "Ah can play this when you declare a direct attack. So now ah negate your attack and draw 1 card. Should it be a monster, ah can summon it in attack position." She drew her card and flipped it open. “Ah got Predaplant Spinodionaea(1800/0), so Ah summon it.” The mirror displayed an image of a large green lizard, its skin vibrant green like a vine. The mirror shattered and the lizard leapt onto the field with a growl. A mouth formed of plant leaves sprouted on its back and opened, the maw quivering.

"I'll end my turn." Sugarcoat frowned.

Turn 9: Applejack

Applejack drew her card, looked at it, and smiled. "Ah activate Fragrance Storm. This lets me destroy a Plant monster on the field and draw a card. Ya don’t seem to want those Plant Tokens, so let me get rid of one.” Sugarcoat looked down as the token dispersed into leaves. Applejack drew and flipped her card over. “Ah drew Predaplant Moray Nepenthes, so the effect of Fragrance Storm lets me reveal it to draw again.” She drew her second card, looked down at it, and grinned. “Well now, lookie here.” She raised her eyes to Sugarcoat. “Here’s an oldie but a goodie. Ah activate Mystical Space Typhoon! Ah use it to destroy Magnetic Field!”

Sugarcoat turned her head to either side as the pillars of Magnetic Field were engulfed in three localized wind storms, the metal crumbling and being drawn into a vortex overhead.

“Now ah’m free to attack you.” Applejack said with a grin.

"So you manage to get rid of my field spell, however there's a flaw in your plan. You still don't have a monster that can take down my Block Dragon." Sugarcoat replied.

"Well that's all bout to change." Applejack reached to her hand. “Ah summon Predaplant Moray Nepenthes(1600/1000) from mah hand.” A growth of dark brown roots sprouted in front of Applejack, two vines on the top blooming into twin mouths. Applejack waved the last card in her hand at Sugarcoat. "Now for one final card, ah activate Polymerization and with I'll fuse together my Spinodionaea and Moray Nepenthes!" A purple vortex with tendrils of green energy appeared behind Applejack and drew in her two monsters. The vortex spun and flashed, its light growing. “Ah combine mah reptilian predator and my twin-headed predator, and unleash a vicious botanical nightmare!” Applejack held her card up. “Ah Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!” She slammed her card on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up purple.

The ground shook as a massive plant bud grew behind Applejack and rose into the air. It shone purple and burst apart, a dragon flying out of it and circling the field. Its body was lithe and green, armored in hardened purple growths with thorns emerging from them. Orbs of orange light lit up on its claws, shoulders, and wings, pulsing with energy. The dragon stopped its flight above Applejack, a vine-like tail lashing the air, and roared.

Sugarcoat and the rest of the Shadowbolts were shocked that Applejack had played a card that they didn't account for. "Impossible! Our data shows that you've only been using Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon. When did you have time to get your hands on that card?"

"That's the thing, see while y'all were busy coming up with counters to take us down, we've been changing up our decks and play styles. As for this card, well let's say I know somebody." Applejack tipped her hat in Isaac's direction as his plan to catch Crystal Prep off guard worked.

The crowd cheered wildly as Applejack pumped her fist. “Since Ah just Fusion Summoned mah dragon, he gets an attack boost equal to a Special Summoned monster on your side of the field for the rest of the turn. Ah choose Block Dragon. So now its attack rises to 5300!” An aura of purple energy lit up over Block Dragon and trails of it swirled into Applejack’s dragon. The orbs on its wings grew brighter.

"Nice, now it's Aj who has the upper hand." shouted Sunset.

Applejack thrust her hand out. “Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Block Dragon!” Starving Venom Fusion Dragon swooped down and flew forward. The orbs covering its body sent streams of energy curling into its mouth, congregating into a large fireball. The fireball launched and engulfed Block Dragon, a plume of smoke shooting into the air. Sugarcoat looked away, teeth gritted, as her monster melted and exploded.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 5100-

Sugarcoat looked back at her. “The effect of Block Dragon activates when destroyed. I can add up to three Rock-type monsters from my deck whose total levels are eight.” Her card ejected. “However, I’ll only be needing one: Valkyrion the Magna Warrior.”

Starve Venom descended back behind Applejack. “Ah end mah turn. Starving Venom loses its attack boost now.”

Turn 10: Sugarcoat

"We're nearly at the end of this battle. Like I said you're definitely someone not to be taken lightly; but today I proved I was the better duelist. Now then." Sugarcoat drew, looked at her card, and set it on her duel disk. "I'll activate the spell Trade-In, now I discard Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior in order to draw two cards.” She looked at her two cards and smiled. “I place one card face-down. Next, I offer three monsters as Tribute.” The image of a pink robot with magnetic wings appeared in front of her. “I combine ‘Beta The Magnet Warrior’ and ‘Gamma The Magnet Warrior’ in my hand with Alpha on the field!” They lit up blue and broke apart. Within the blue field, the pieces of the three began to gravitate together, connecting in new ways. “I Special Summon, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior(3500/3850)!” The blue energy field faded around a gigantic steel robot, magnets set into its joints and forming horns on its head. A large pair of wings spread in the air behind it, and a sword with a magnet for a handle was in its hand, the blade gleaming.

Now here was a monster that Applejack knew about. Thankfully due to all her practice dueling with Isaac, she knew how to handle this type of monster and she also knew about its special abilities.

Sugarcoat snapped her fingers. “Valkyrion, attack and destroy Starving Venom.” Valkyrion leapt into the air and held up its sword. Lightning struck the blade, casting it in a yellow glow. Its wielder flew forward and impaled the dragon, lightning shooting into its body. “Delta the Magnet Warrior, direct attack!” Delta held up a magnet arm and shot a blast of electricity at Applejack. She did her best to put her arm up to minimize the impact as she was pushed back a couple of feet.
Applejack's Life Points: 800-

Applejack shook her head as the smoke of the attacks cleared, the air crackling. “Ah ain’t goin’ without a fight. When Starving Venom is destroyed, he takes all your Special Summoned monsters with him.” The ghostly image of Starving Venom flew out of Applejack’s duel disk and into Valkyrion. It convulsed and shattered, its pieces raining to the ground and fading. The Planet Token in front of Sugarcoat caught flame and withered to ash at her feet.

Sugarcoat narrowed her eyes. “Very well. I end my turn.”

Turn 11: Applejack

Applejack put a hand on her duel disk. This is mah last card. It's all or nothing! "Ready to lose, partner?"

"Hardly. This duel was entertaining, and you put in an admirable performance. But the result is decided. Now we’re just playing it out. So draw your card and face your fate!”

“Ya think so?” Applejack tensed her arm. “Let’s just see then!” She drew with a flourish, holding her card out. She drew it back, looked at it, and grinned. “Well, let’s see how this factors in your victory plans.” She placed her card on her duel disk. “Ah activate Dragon’s Mirror!” A large mirror appeared in the air, the wings, claws, and tail of a dragon carved from its frame. “This lets me banish the Fusion parts needed to summon a Dragon-type Fusion monster from mah Graveyard, and summon it. Ah banish Predaplant Flytrap and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

The mirror pulsed and glowed purple, its surface cloudy. Applejack reached to her duel disk, fingers poised. “Ah combine mah botanical nightmare and mah carnivorous predator, to bring out a toxic terror like no other!” The mirror cracked down the center, the image of glowing purple eyes appearing in either half. “Ah Fusion Summon Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!” The mirror shattered and a massive dragon flew out of the frame. Its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy. It circled to float in front of Applejack, roaring down at Sugarcoat.

“Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon, destroy Delta!” Greedy Venom drew back its mouth and fired a jet of purple energy. Sugarcoat raised her arm and braced herself as the blast struck Delta, washing it away.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 3400-

“Ah end mah turn.”

Turn 12: Sugarcoat

Sugarcoat lowered her arm. “You were able to get off some good hits with those dragons. And to use monsters in your graveyard for the Fusion? You’re either very lucky to have drawn that card, or very skilled to have it in your deck at all.”

“Ah prefer to think the second one, thanks.” Applejack put a hand on her hip and gave a small smirk.

“Perhaps. Fusing monsters in the graveyard is quite clever of you.” Sugarcoat smiled. “Please excuse me for copying you!”

Applejack’s smirk vanished. “Say what?”

“Before you end your turn, I reveal my trap card Necro Fusion.” The students of Crystal Prep began to cheer as Sugarcoat’s card flipped up, glowing blue. “This trap lets me conduct a Fusion Summon, by banishing the materials for it from my Graveyard.” The card generated a blue vortex, electricity crackling. “Thus, I banish Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior, and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!”

Sugarcoat leaned forward, light reflecting off her glasses. “I combine the energy of the magnetic valkyrie and the electromagnetic berserker, to bring forth the ultimate electrical marvel of battle!” She grabbed her card from her duel disk. “I Fusion Summon Imperion Magnum the Superconductive Battlebot(4000/4000)!” She placed the card on her holographic card tray and it lit up in rays of blue light. The fusion vortex in front of her widened as her new monster stepped out of it. The components of both its Fusion materials – rather, the pieces of the six individual Magnet Warriors – had merged to form a robotic centaur knight, hooves beating at the ground. A massive sword with a guard shaped like a magnet was in its right hand, and a pronged cannon emerged from its left shoulder, electricity coursing along its length. Imperion Magnum swung its sword and sent out waves of energy along the ground, bellowing.

"Like I said this duel is over and victory is just but a few moments away. Now Imperion Magnum, destroy Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!" Imperion Magnum drew back its sword and galloped forward. It jumped up above Greedy Venom and descended, swinging its sword to point down. The blade impaled Greedy Venom between the shoulders and pinned it to the ground, Imperion Magnum leaning over it. The cannon on its shoulder hummed and fired a beam of blue energy into the dragon’s head, obliterating it.
Applejack's Life Points: 100-

The force of the attack was enough to cause Applejack to fall on her back. It took a while but, she eventually got back up and had a smile on her face. "Thanks for assist, partner. Cause you just activated Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's special ability; when it gets destroyed I can wipe out your entire field as well as get rid of all your monsters!" From the smoke of Greedy Venom’s destruction, a beam of purple energy erupted over Imperion Magnum, the robot exploding.

"Applejack, no!" shouted Isaac, as she didn't realized that she made the ultimate mistake. It was too late.

The girls all looked at Isaac with concern as they heard Isaac's scream. Sunset then asked Isaac to find what the problem was.

"What's the matter? Why shouldn't Applejack have done that?"

"Because she just fell for a trap. It's over." said Isaac as they turned back to the field.

Sugarcoat smiled. “Thank you.”

Applejack recoiled. “What?”

The smoke began to clear, revealing two large silhouettes where Imperion Magnum was destroyed. Sugarcoat raised a hand to pushed her glasses up her nose. “When Imperion Magnum is removed from the field because of an effect of your cards, I can summon its material components from my deck.”

Applejack stepped back. She realized what this meant as she brought her arms to her side and let out a few tears. "Then that means...." She didn't even bother finishing that sentence as her fate awaited her.

“Indeed.” Sugarcoat raised her head to look up at the smoke. It dispersed, revealing the forms of Berserkion and Valkyrion towering over Applejack.

Applejack grit her teeth and turned her head away. “Get it over with.”

“You dueled well, Applejack. But not well enough. It's like I told, Crystal Prep can't be beaten. Still not bad.” Sugarcoat thrust her hand out. “Berserkion, Valkyrion, direct attack!” The two magnetic warriors put their swords together and sent an entwined beam of blue and yellow electricity towards Applejack. The attacks hit and shot up into the sky in a column of light. Sparks in the air as the light receded, Applejack collapsed to her knees, her hat falling from her ground as she let her head fall forward.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sugarcoat

Luna's voice was then heard. "The winner of the second duel in The Friendship Games is Sugarcoat. Crystal Prep now gains another point as they massively take the lead." The scoreboard updated as it was 2-0. Sugarcoat's portrait lighted up and Applejack's picture was greyed out.

The holograms faded away. Sugarcoat gathered her cards from her card tray and the hologram retracted. “There is no shame in losing to a superior foe. At least you made me work for my victory.”

Applejack reached out to pick up her hat, brushing it off. “Yeah. Ya got me right good. Don’t make swallowin’ it any easier. Know what I mean?”

“No, not really.” Sugarcoat strode back to the Crystal Prep bench, not looking at Applejack any further as she passed her.

Applejack then made her way to her side of the field where the students of CHS were also clapping her for putting forth her best effort. She just slightly tipped her hat to them; her friends did tried their best to comfort her.

“You did great, AJ.” Rainbow grinned and held out her fist.

Applejack bumped her fist and nodded. “Thanks, Rainbow. Ah got no regrets. Played the best game I could.”

Fluttershy bit her lip. “We’re down two games, though. We both lost.”

Sunset, her eyes narrowed and her arms crossed, nodded. “Yeah, because you guys were outmatched. Their decks just move too fast and hit too hard to stand up to them.” The other six all turned their heads to look at her. Sunset’s expression softened and she shook her head. “Sorry, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… this isn’t right. Applejack, you’re one of the best duelists in the school, and if you hadn’t pulled out those dragons at the end, she would have crushed you.”

"And yet in the end, Sugarcoat showed that she was just that much better. Even if it's small amount; ask anybody here Sunset, they'll tell you the same thing. It doesn't matter if you win by an inch or by mile, winning is winning." said Isaac as he still had his arms crossed.

Sunset more than anybody else understood that based on how she used to be. "I know, but it's just wrong. We're fighting to save our school and show Crystal Prep that we're not someone they can push around. All they care about is stroking each other's egos. That's not what dueling is about!" Sunset had vented all the stress/conflicted feelings she had inside.

Isaac heard Sunset's statement and he too agreed with her. Eventually she calmed down as she took deep breaths while they sat down. Isaac then faced them as they started to figure out what to do.

"So what do we do now? Crystal Prep is up 2 points, if we don't manage to win a single duel in these next two bouts, then we can forget about competing tomorrow." said Rarity.

"Might have to change that victory party into a 'Sorry we failed you' party." Pinkie put her head down and her hair lost all of its puffiness.

"Come on, guys! We're still in this. It's like you said, Rares. We just need to win a single duel in these next few rounds and we'll get a point. From where I'm standing we still got a chance; sure it may seem bleak and small, but it's still better than nothing. Remember what I keep telling you guys, as long as you have life points left, you can still mount a comeback. So let's focus on winning and showing Crystal Prep just who the hell we are!" Isaac was doing his best to motivate his team.

"You're right, Isaac. We've still got hope, especially in this next round!" Rainbow now had huge confidence on her face.

"Why's that Rainbow?" spoke Fluttershy softly.

"Because look who's up next." Rainbow then pointed to the screen for their friends to see and the result was surprising for everybody.

Isaac turned around and the moment he saw it, he was the one who was the most shocked. He couldn't believe it, but the fact wasn't changing. Soon everything came rushing towards him as he tried to understand the atmosphere surrounding him. Then the microphone was heard as Luna spoke into it.

"The third duel of the Friendship Games has been decided. It will be Canterlot High's champion Isaac facing off against Crystal Prep's #1 duelist Shining Armor!"

Not a sound was made by anybody as both team captains looked at each other from afar and gave intense stares at each other.

Chapter 41: Isaac v. Shining Armor- Round 3

To say that the stakes just got higher was an understatement. Everybody, even the adults, were silent as they were taking in the participants selected for the duel. This match and the event just got a whole lot more interesting; nobody was expecting this to happen so soon, but they were glad that they didn't have to wait too long. Shining Armor stood up from his side of field and then started to walk before he felt someone grab his arm.

"Brother, please." Twilight said.

"It's alright, Twily. I'll be fine." Shining Armor did his best to calm his little sister's worries.

"It's just that... Isaac is a formidable opponent and from what I can see, it's like he's got some hidden power. I don't know what it is, but I know it can't be good. I just don't want anything to happen to you."

"What have I told you? It's my job to worry about you; and I don't care if he does have some magical powers or not. In a duel it's all about skills and the cards you play. Besides, if he wants a fight then I'll glad give him a fight. Let's just hope that he can still duel after I'm done with him." Shining Armor then broke free from Twilight's grip as he walked to the field.

"Please be safe." said Twilight in a soft voice before sitting back on the bench.

Isaac saw Shining Armor walking to the field and he prepared to do the same before Sunset grabbed Isaac's hand. He turned to see that she had a look of concern as she was afraid of what was about to go down. Isaac just simply gave her smile and thumbs up. Sunset knew from that alone that Isaac was going to be okay. With that she let go of his hand and he adjusted his cap as he started to make his way.

Isaac then finally made his way to the field as he stared Shining Armor dead in the eyes. Not once did their attention move as these two mighty bulls were about to lock horns. Silence. Nothing but silence, the roar of the crowd was fading and it defean so that the only thing that could be hear was the sweat pouring down the side of their face. Isaac's Dark Magician then appeared next to his master as he too felt like they were going to be in for a tough time. Isaac looked at Mahad and they nodded their heads in agreeance.

"So we're finally here? It didn't take that long."

"Guess we were both getting impatient."

"It's cute that you're still trying to fight; to be honest, you're the only obstacle that's standing in our way from securing our victory. So once I beat and get rid of you, it'll be smooth sailing for the rest." Shining Armor then activated his duel disk.

"Well, hope you guys are planning to be here for awhile. Cause I'm not going to lose; in fact, this is going to be the start of CHS' comeback." Isaac then activated his duel disk as they waited for the signal to start.

Candace then grabbed the microphone. "If everybody is ready, then let the match.... begin!!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

Shining Armor's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Time to get things back on track, draw." Isaac drew his card and looked at his hand before. "To start I'll summon a monster in defense mode. Then I'll place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shining Armor

"That's all? I was hope for some groundbreaking play; oh well." Shining Armor drew his card and had a huge smile on his face. "Time to show you some real power. I'll start by playing my Assault Wyvern(1800/1000). Now time to see what you're hiding, go my dragon slice and dice that facedown of his." Assault Wyvern then flew high up and then attacked Isaac's monster that was facedown.

"Thanks because you just activated my trap, or should I say 'monster'." Isaac's monster then flipped up. "The monster you just attacked was none other than my Marshmallon(300/500). Now since you attacked him while he was facedown, you take a 1000 points of damage. In addition, he can't be destroyed in battle."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 7000-

"Not bad. I'll just end my turn then."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Back to me." Isaac then drew his card. "I'll play the spell Graceful Charity, now I'll pick up 3 more cards and discard 2." Isaac then thought carefully about which cards he wanted to send. "Next I'll play Magician's Rod in defense mode, now I can add 1 spell/trap that 'Dark Magician' related." Isaac then looked through his deck to see which card he wanted, once he figured that out he then touched his screen and it ejected for him to grab. "I'll then play the spell I got which is Dark Magic Circle, now I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck and reveal 'Dark Magician' or a 'Dark Magician' related spell/trap."

"Isaac really is doing a lot of searching for his turn." said Dash.

"What else would you expect; he's in there with the best duelist of Crystal Prep. Of course he's taking every precaution he can since he doesn't know what deck Shining Armor has. Plus I get the feeling that he's hoping to get something." said Sunset as she looked on.

Isaac was currently looking at his screen seeing his options. It didn't take long as he picked the one he wanted. "I choose to add and reveal my ultimate monster Dark Magician. With that I'll set another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Shining Armor

"You spent all that time searching for your ace and you managed to get it. Not bad." Shining Armor then drew his card and when he looked at it, he had a huge smile on his face. "Well then, it's a good thing you got him. Because I'm about to play a creature that is also a legendary card and is even more well known than your magician. Now I'll play the spell Cost Down, so by sending a card to the grave. I can lower all the levels of my monsters in my hand by 2. Now I'll sacrifice my Assault Wyvern and play my favorite dragon. Bear witness to greatness as I call upon the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500)!"

At that moment, Isaac was in a state of shock as he heard Shining Armor's statement. "No. No! Anything but that!"

Out on Shining's field came a dragon that was huge as it was covered from head to toe in the color white and as its name suggest it had blue eyes. It led out a mighty roar that shook the entire field as everybody covered their ears to avoid being deaf. Once it died down, everybody got a look at Shining's top monster and they were amazed to say the least. Like the Dark Magician, they had only heard tales of such a card existing and even fewer people had a chance to see it in battle. Now that they knew the number #1 duelist at CPA had this card, every single one of the Shadowbolts began to sweat as they were praying that they wouldn't have to face that anytime soon.

Twilight just had a plain look on her face. She knew her brother liked to show off his special monster; it was one of the many reasons why she found it annoying whenever he would play it, almost everybody would focus their attention on the dragon rather than the duel. Not to mention that she had plenty of unpretty memories of facing this monster against her brother growing up. However the real story was with Isaac as for the first time in his life, he felt fear. The monster looked him dead in the face as it let out an intimidating roar; Blue-Eyes caught a whiff of Isaac's scent and its eyes turned furious as it recognized the smell of the duelist and sensed who his allegiance was to.

Shining Armor saw that Isaac was scared stiff as he looked at his mighty beast. "Scared? Well then about having a first hand experience of its awesome power." Blue-Eyes then powered up as it opened its mouth and revealed its jaws. "Now Blue-Eyes attack with White Lightning!" Blue-Eyes then shot a powerful beam of pure white lighting at it took out Isaac's Magician Rod.

Even though his monster was in defense mode, the force of the attack caused him to snap out of his trance and put his arm up to protect his face/eyes as the attack collided him and he did his best to stop from moving. Eventually it died down as Isaac stood there for a second before falling to a knee.

"Too much to handle? Well there's plenty more to come; we're just getting started. I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Isaac

Isaac was still on his knee when Shining Armor ended his turn. The girls were all concerned about their captain as not only was he scared just a few moments ago, but the fact that he took an attack from a powerful beast and it had no problem dropping him to a knee. Celestia, Luna, and even Cadance were showing concern for Isaac as he had barely managed to stand up from Shining's monster. Sombra had an evil smile as he was glad Shining Armor was already causing Isaac some trouble/pain from just a single monster. The Shadowbolts all were happy that their leader had a powerful card and was on their side as even they admitted they wouldn't last very long against a monster of that caliber.

Twilight just looked on with interest as she pulled out a small device from her skirt and began to collect data on the duel between her brother and Isaac. Growing up Twilight would constantly have to face her brother and his Blue-Eyes, so it was safe to say that it was struggle just to survive it and come up with a way to beat it. Granted it took time, but if things worked out then there would be the off case of her outsmarting her brother and winning, but 98% of the time when he used that deck he would come out the victor. Now Isaac had a card that Twilight didn't have and she was really looking forward to seeing how well it would perform.

Isaac had finally manage to get back to his feet as he snapped out of his trance. He then looked at Shining Armor who had a small smile. "I don't know how you have such a card, but this duel just got even more serious. You wanted this duel to be a spectacle, well then here goes." Isaac drew his card and then launched his plan. "First, I'll reveal my trap card Magician Navigation. Now I'll special summon my Dark Magician from my hand and then I'll summon out another level 7 or lower monster from my deck. So come on out Magician of Dark Illusion and my dear friend, Dark Magician!" Isaac's trap card then opened a vortex which out came two magicians with one of them being Isaac's star monster.

Now the stage was set as two of the most iconic cards in Duel Monsters were about to face off. A tale as old as time was being unfolded in front of everybody's eyes. Two monsters who were always locked in a never ending battle would now look to write another chapter in this historic rivalry. Mahad opened his eyes as he was summoned and the first thing he saw was none other than a foe that he's tussled with for as long as he could remember. In fact, it took just one glance at Blue-Eyes to cause Mahad to get an angry face.

"You feel it too, Mahad."

"Yes, master. I thought for sure I had put all this behind me, but it seems my greatest foe has returned to settle the score."

"I know what you're talking about; I can sense the struggle you have facing this card." Isaac then looked at his hand as he could see it trembling a bit.

Mahad saw this and was concerned about seeing his master shaking. He then tapped him on the shoulder and gave Isaac a smile full of confidence to show that they would get past this foe if they trusted each other and never gave up.

"No matter what happens, I'll always be here to protect you master." Mahad took his position with his staff in front of him as he stepped in front of Isaac to protect his owner from harm.

"Thanks Mahad." Isaac gave his magician a smile and then turned to face Shining Armor.

"You okay, buddy? You're kind of talking to yourself." said Shining Armor was concerned with who Isaac was talking with as there was nobody there.

"Don't worry about it; you should focus on what I'm about to do. Now since I summoned my Dark Magician the effect of my Dark Magic Circle activates which allows me to banish one card on the field. So say goodbye to your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Dark Magician then infused its spirit with the magical circle as it gave him a new power and then pointed his staff at the dragon as it was sent off the field and removed from play.

Once the light died down, Shining's mighty beast was nowhere to be seen as everybody all had their jaws hanging out. Twilight was the most impressed as she nearly dropped the device she was holding. Not only did Isaac manage to take out her brother's most powerful card, but he did so with ease.

"Now with your dragon gone, you're wide open to attack. So Dark Magician it's your turn to show off your power, attack him directly!" Dark Magician then raised its staff and shot a powerful magic attack as it hit Shining Armor directly in the chest.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 4500-

The impact of the attack actually caused Shining Armor to move a couple of inches, not too mention it also messed up his attire as he straighten out all the wrinkles it formed. He then turned back to Isaac who had a serious expression while he just had a bit of a smile. "That's the first time anybody has ever managed to actually land a hit on me in a long time. You should be proud of yourself."

"Thanks. I'll end my turn for now."

"But you're going to have to do better than that if you want to take down my Blue-Eyes." Shining Armor then touched his screen. "Now before you end your turn, I'll activate my facedown Dragon Banishment. Now if a dragon-type monster was removed from play this turn then I can summon him back, so make way for Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Just like that Shining's great beast was back as it looked even angrier than before.

Turn 6: Shining Armor

"Now then, where were we?" Shining drew his card and smiled. "Right, my Blue-Eyes was about to wipe out your field and he can do so with this. I activate the spell Burst Stream of Destruction, now my Blue-Eyes destroys all the monsters you have."

"I'll reveal my facedown, Magician Recovery. Now I can return one spellcaster on the field to the hand until the end of the turn. So I'll return my Dark Magician back to my hand to protect him." Isaac's magician then returned back to his hand as the attack wiped out Isaac's entire field.

"Not bad, but it's not done yet. I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your Dark Magic Circle. Now you can't banish my dragons. With that I'll set a card facedown and pass it over to you."

"Now that your turn is over, my Dark Magician returns to the field unharmed."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn." Isaac drew his card and then began to formulate another plan. "I'll just play 2 cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Shining Armor

"I'll play the spell White Dragon Ritual, now by sending my Blade Knight to the grave I can perform a Ritual summon." Shining Armor then sent a card to his graveyard as he activated his spell which was encased in a bright white light. "Now appear, Paladin of White(1900/1200)." Out came a different dragon as this time it had a rider as they were both encased in white armor. "Now then time to take out your monster; Blue-Eyes get rid of his Dark Magician and then my Paladin of White will attack you directly."

"If you want to destroy my magician, then you'll have to find him first. Reveal Magical Hats." Now Isaac's Dark Magician was safety hidden as there was now four hats spread out on his field. "Take your best shot!"

"I only need one, there's no way you would hide him in the same place as before. So Blue-Eyes take out the second hat from the right. White Lightning!" Blue-Eyes then unleashed incredible power as it took out a single hat; it resulted in smoke appearing and when it died down, there was nothing.

"Looks like you guessed wrong."

"Crafty, I'll just end my turn then."

Turn 9: Isaac

So far so good, I've been able to hang on and deal with Blue-Eyes. However, I can't keep hiding; if I really want to get rid of his monster, I'll need to go on the offensive. Isaac drew his card and looked at his hand. "For now, I'll place a single card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Shining Armor

That's weird, why didn't he play anything? Even a monster facedown would have been something, maybe he's not as good as I thought he was. Then again, can you blame him based on what he's dealing with. Twilight was jotting down notes on a small pad as she was looking at the data from the device and the duel.

"A single facedown, that's all? All talk and no bark!" Shining drew his card and then looked at Isaac. "If you thought one Blue-Eyes was giving you trouble, lets see how you handle two more."

"Oh no!!" shouted Isaac.

"Oh yes! Now I play Lord of D.(1200/1100), now thanks to his special ability neither player can target dragons with card effects. Next I'll play the spell Flute of Summoning Dragon, with this I can summon 2 more dragons from my hand. Now everybody bow down before my trio of supreme beasts!" The flute made a sound and in two bright lights, out came two more Blue-Eyes that shook the ground as they landed and let out an thunderous roar.

If everybody was stunned before, then there was no words to describe what they were witnessing. One Blue-Eyes was enough to strike fear into the heart of someone, but to face all three, you best pray that you make it out alive. Like before the expression on Isaac's face told the whole story, he was now staring in the face of some of the most powerful dragons in Duel Monsters and it legit gave him fear.

"Now what will you do when you face all three of my dragons. Now take flight, search and destroy his magician. Blue-Eyes number 1 take out the hat on the left."

"I'll reveal my facedown, Ricochet. Now with this card I can bounce a monster on your field back to your hand and I get to add one card to my hand."

"My Lord of D. protects my dragons from card effects. So you just wasted your spell."

"Lord of D. may protect your dragons, but it doesn't protect him. That's why he's the one who I'm targeting. With him gone, I'm now free to use my card effects against your dragons."

Blue-Eyes destroyed the first hat which resulted in a puff of smoke as there was nothing under it. "Time for my second Blue-Eyes to attack the hat on the right." Like before it destroyed the hat on the right but there was nothing there, however the last single hat dispelled as Dark Magician was finally revealed. "Now you've got nowhere left to run, Blue-Eyes #3 take out his Dark Magician!"

Isaac had a smile on his face as Shining Armor called his attack. "Hold on, Shining. That last attack also triggered my trap that was hiding under my hat. Go Spellbinding Circle!" The magical object then wrapped around the third Blue-Eyes as it's attack was halted. "Thanks to my trap, not only do I stop your monster from attacking, but your Blue-Eyes also loses 700 attack points. Now he's weaker than my magician, so Dark Magician counteract!" Dark Magician then unleashed a powerful spell as it fired back at its longtime rival and it felt a bit of satisfaction doing it.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 3800-

"You're really trying your damnedest to take out my great beasts. I'll then end my turn with a card facedown."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Okay, we got through that without a scratch." Isaac then picked up his card and looked at his Dark Magician. He saw what Isaac was thinking and gave him a nod. "Now time to take things to the next level, and I'll start by playing the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student. Now since I have Dark Magician out on my field, I can now call upon his greatest student. Everybody give a warm welcome to Dark Magician Girl!" Now Isaac had his most two loyal spellcasters out on his side.

Dark Magician Girl did her signature pose/wink as she descended onto the field. The reaction was like always as all the boys lost their shit when she made her presence known. Twilight just simply rolled her eyes at how stupid all the boys were acting. Shining Armor was bit smitten by Isaac's female spellcaster that he was blushing a bit from looking at her. He gave her a small smile to which she returned a wink at him.

"I must say that your Dark Magician Girl is probably the most beautiful thing I've ever seen."

"WHAT DID YOU SAY!!!!" shouted Cadance who was able to hear what Shining Armor said despite being far away from her.

Shining Armor quickly checked himself as he didn't want to get hurt by Cadance. "Regardless, I'm afraid I must get rid of her."

"Good luck, cause my Dark Magician Girl isn't just a pretty face in fact she's also got smarts to go along with her looks."

"Thanks for the compliment, Isaac." Dark Magician Girl then gave Isaac a quick kiss on his cheek. Normally, only Isaac would be the one to see her do that. This time Mana made sure that everybody could see as she planted her lips on the side of Isaac's face. At that moment, all the cheers turned into jeers. Every boy was pissed at what they saw; they wanted to be in Isaac's position. Isaac just simply looked at her.

"Really, Mana? Out of all the times, now you choose to show everybody. Now I'm more worried about every single guy in here trying to tear me limb from limb." said Isaac as he was feel concerned about his health from all the males around him.

"Just wanted to mess with you, Isaac." said Mana as she gave him a smile.

"Mana, I told you not to embrass the young master!" Mahad now had a stern look on his face as he wasn't happy that his student made their master become an unnecessary target for all the males. "We're going to have a long talk about your behavior and mischiefs."

"It's fine, Mahad. Now then, are you two ready?" Isaac asked his magician if they were ready to fight. They simply nodded their heads as they put all their trust in Isaac. "Alright then, due to my spell, I'll set card. Now I'll equip my Dark Magician Girl with Magician Formula and raise her attack by 700 points. Next I'll play the spell Dark Burning Attack, now since I have Dark Magician Girl on my field, I can destroy all the monsters you have on the field. So Dark Magician Girl, take out his three dragons!" With that she raised her wand at the beasts and let out a cry as she shot off her most powerful spell. "With your field now empty, I'll wage an all out attack. Finish him off!"

"Not going to save you, since a a 'Blue-Eyes' monster was destroyed by a card effect and I have a Dragon-type monster in my grave, I then special summon this card." Shining Armor then held a card up as a monster appeared from out of this world. "Watch and be amazed by my Deep-Eyes White Dragon(?/?)! First, Deep-Eyes inflicts damage to you for all the dragons in my graveyard by 600. Feel their wrath!" The spirits of the dragons all looked at Isaac and unleashed powerful beams as they collided with Isaac who put his arms up. "Then Deep-Eyes gains the attack points of a Dragon in my grave. So now he has the attack points of my Blue-Eyes making him 3000." Deep-Eyes powered up as it gained some massive stats.
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

Shining Armor's dragon had emerged as it stood in the way of Isaac's magician. "Call of your attack, Isaac! Unless you want to fall prey to my Deep-Eyes."

"I'll call off my assault. Then I'll set a card facedown."

Turn 12: Shining Armor

"Draw. I'll activate my Silver's Cry! Now I'll bring back my Blue-Eyes from the grave." Shining Armor's greatest monster was now back as it appeared and let out a cry. "Now both of my dragons have enough attack to take your magicians out." Shining Armor pointed his finger out and his dragons took flight.

"I'll activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, now by banishing him from play, I can immediately end your battle phase!" Both dragons then were met with a wall of electricity/static as it prevented them from attacking.

The crowd was making noise as they were all in on this match, they were witnessing a historic battle between two fated rivals. Both teams were watching with amazement as they saw their leaders go all out in a brutal war for dominance. Twilight was the most interested; she quickly looked back at her notes and then at the current scene in front of her. She was impressed to say the least as Isaac was managing to meet her brother move for move, despite having an underwhelming disadvantage.

"You're like your magicians; always finding someway to evade danger. Well then, I'll set 2 cards facedown and end my turn. Now lets kick things up a notch."

Turn 13: Isaac

"You want to take things to the next level, very then." Isaac looked at his field and began to form his plan. "Now I'll play the spell Second Chance, with this I bring back a monster from my grave. I revive my Magician of Dark Illusion. Then I'll perform an Xyz summon using my magician."

"How can you, you need at least two monsters to overlay?"

"My Second Chance allows my Magician of Dark Illusion to count as two monsters." A mirage of Magician of Dark Illusion appeared next to the actually one. "Now with these two monsters, I'll build the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon Ebon High Magician in defense mode!"

All the Shadowbolts were amazed by what Isaac was doing. "He can Xyz summon!?" shouted all of them.

"I'm different from everybody else, I know all about the other summoning methods which means I got plenty of tricks left to show you'll."

"Even so, your new monster doesn't come close to taking out my Blue-Eyes or Deep-Eyes."

"Who said I was done with my turn? I'll now play my Nitro Synchron and with his arrival comes a new monster."

Isaac's friends now knew what Isaac was about to do. "He isn't!?" they all shouted.

"Now with a tuner on my field, I'll perform another summon. I tune my Nitro Synchron with Dark Magician, and when using Dark Magician as synchro material he counts as level 6 instead of 7. I Synchro Summon! Appear my Dark Sorcerer Magician!" Now Isaac had two brand new monsters on his field as all of Crystal Prep watched on with the biggest shock of their lives. They couldn't believe that someone from CHS had mastered all 3 summonings. Shining Armor and Twilight just looked at Isaac with a look of interest/surprise.

"Synchro, Xyz, and even Fusion. You know all about them; now I know why you've earned the rank of champion." Shining Armor then did something that he'd never done for his opponents, he applauded Isaac. "Well done, not many people can be willing to take the time and effort to master all three summons. It's just going to be bittersweet when I take you down."

"Don't count your chickens just yet. Now time for my Dark Sorcerer to attack your Blue-Eyes, once per turn I can cut the strength of your monster's attack by half and then he gains those points. So now unleash your Stardust Blast."

"My Fiendish Chain trap card will make your magician rendered useless."

"Guess I forgot to tell you, when Dark Sorcerer Magician is summoned he can destroy 1 spell/trap on the field. So now Fiendish Chain goes bye bye. And my attack continues." Dark Sorcerer Magician then pointed its weapon at Shining' trap and then fired a spell at Blue-Eyes which weakened it before blasting it off the field.

"Before your magician gets rid of my, I'll play my other facedown Shrink. Now I'll cut down your magician's attack in half! As a result, I won't take as much damage as before."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 3300-

"I'll just end my turn with a facedown. With that my magician's attack returns to normal."

Turn 14: Shining Armor

"You really hate dragons, don't you. But no matter how many times you get rid of them, they'll never go extinct. Observe as I activate the effect of my White Stone of Ancients from my grave. By banishing it, I can add a 'Blue-Eyes' monster from my graveyard back into my hand. Next I'll also play the spell Swing of Memories, now I can return a normal-type monster from my grave to the field, appear my second Blue-Eyes." Shining Armor picked up his first card as his duel disk slotted out for him to grab and then his second dragon appeared back on the field as it stared down Isaac and his spellcasters. "Next I'll reveal to you the Blue-Eyes that's in my hand to special summon the card I just gained, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!"

"Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!?"

"That's right, while this card is on my field or in my grave, its name becomes 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon'. Now time to bring out a creature that's only spoke in myths. I play Polymerization; I Fusion Summon, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)!" A vortex opened up and all 3 monsters were sucked in a blinding white light. It caused everybody to cover their eyes; when it died down there was a monster than descended from the heavens as it landed with a thud that sounded like an earthquake. It was a dragon, but not just any dragon, this had three heads attached to its body. And its stats were what really caught everybody's attention.

"4500!? Are you guys seeing this!?" shouted Dash.

"I wish I wasn't partner." said Applejack as even she was shaken by the presence of this great beast.

"That monster's attack points are off the chart. Not even a single monster of Isaac's come even close to matching that power." said Sunset as she too was in awe. Fluttershy, Rarity, and Pinkie just all held each other as they were scared that the dragon would turn its attention towards them.

"Now that one of my powerhouses has arrived, it's time to take you out. To start I'll take out your spellcasters and I'll do so with this spell Lighting Vortex. Now I'll discard one card in my hand and in return all your monsters are gone!"

A storm then appeared above the field and then in a flash, lighting came raining down as it wiped out Isaac's entire field as he was now defenseless. "Oh no! My monsters are all gone!"

"And it's about to get worse, now Blue-Eyes show Isaac your power. Go Ultimate White Lighting Attack!"

"When my Dark Sorcerer Magician was destroyed, I can revive my Dark Magician." Soon Isaac had his trusted monster on the field as he appeared in defense mode.

Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon fired a powerful beam that destroyed Dark Magician and hit Isaac square in the chest as he was thrown onto his back with such intense force. It didn't stop there as the attack was so powerful that it caused a great big breeze to form and everybody in the stands and on the sides were doing their best not to be blown away from the great big wind hitting them in the face.

"Now Deep-Eyes attack him! You still managed to survive. Your move." Shining threw a facedown as he ended his turn.
Isaac's Life Points: 2600-

Turn 15: Isaac

Once everything calmed down, Isaac had somehow managed to get up and was now on one knee as he looked at Shining and his ultimate dragon. Then Isaac put his head down as unexpectedly tears began to fall from his eyes. "My magicians, my friends. They're gone. Mahad. Mana. I'm sorry I let you down; I'm sorry I couldn't protect you guys." For the first time in his life, Isaac truly felt alone. The girls saw this and they couldn't begin to understand what Isaac must have been going through. They knew how precious those magicians were to Isaac, that he would do almost anything to keep them safe. However, this time he didn't have the means to protect them as he had to watch his most loyal companions be destroyed in front of him. They could feel Isaac's sadness as they clutched their hearts.

"Please forgive me! I can't do this without you guys; don't leave me." Isaac then used his right arm to wipe the tears that were falling from his eyes, but he still couldn't get over what was happening. It went quiet for a moment as nobody did anything as they waited to see what Isaac would do. Isaac just still had his head down; he then looked to see his duel disk and was thinking of doing something he never thought he would do. Just as Isaac was about to put his hand over his duel disk and say 'I surrender'; a presence grabbed his arm as it stopped him. Isaac looked up and saw that the person stopping him was none other than his Dark Magician. They looked at each other as they each had different expressions on their face.

"Mahad?" asked Isaac as he saw the spirit of his most loyal monster.

"Don't do it, master. We've known you long enough to know that you would never surrender a duel."

"But how can I win, I'm all alone?" said Isaac as he still had tears.

"You're not alone, Isaac." said a familiar voice.

Just then the spirit of Dark Magician Girl appeared and she gave Isaac a hug from the side. She did her best to comfort their master.

"You're here, both of you? Why?"

"It's not only us master, it's them too." Just then all the monsters in Isaac's deck appeared as they surrounded Isaac all doing their best to smile at him. Kuriboh even appeared as he brushed himself against Isaac's face to show his affection. Isaac took a moment to see all the creatures that were around him. Then all the memories/experiences that Isaac had came rushing back to him. He remembered every single thing he's been through his life; how he helped to make CHS a better place and that every student were putting all their trust in him to show Crystal Prep that they were just as good. Soon Isaac opened his eyes and looked at his monsters with new found confidence.

"Thanks everyone, I needed that. I just needed to be reminded that no matter what, I'll always have my friends by my side. Now then let's get back to winning this duel!"

All the spirits agreed as they cheered and made sounds before disappearing. Mahad and Mana were the only ones left as they gave Isaac smiles. It wasn't going to be easy but all of them knew that if they wanted to get CHS back on the winning track, then they would need to throw everything they had at defeat Shining Armor and his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Everyone is counting on us. So what do you two say, ready to go all out?"

"We're with you all the way... Isaac." said Mahad as they both disappeared with Isaac then turning his attention back to Shining Armor.

"Hope you're ready Shining Armor because the real duel is just getting started."

"If you think that just because you found some new confidence is going to help you, then you're sadly mistaken. You did everything you can to put down my Blue-Eyes, but in the end it still wasn't enough. Know why, because no matter how you look at it, a Dark Magician can never beat a Blue-Eyes! Now take your turn, so that I could finish this."

"Alright, then." Isaac drew his card. "First thing is I gained 1000 life points due to my Dark Magician Girl having been equipped with Magic Formula. Next I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul, now I can bring back my Dark Magician from the grave. So welcome back, buddy." Dark Magician then came out as it had its arms crossed against its body while holding his staff in his right hand. He then looked at Isaac and gave him a heartfelt smile. "Then I'll play Thousand Knives and destroy your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" Thousands of daggers then appeared as they were flung towards their target.

"Don't think that it's going happen! Now I'll reveal my facedown, Magic Jammer. So I'll send a card to my grave and negate your Thousand Knives."

"Very well then, I'll then play the spell Chaos Form and with it I'll perform a ritual summon. So I'll use my Dark Magician and with it call upon a new monster, feast your eyes on Magician of Chaos(2500/2100)!" Out came a new spellcaster for everyone to see, well everyone except Twilight. "With that I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 16: Shining Armor

"All that and you managed to summon out a monster that doesn't even come close in terms of attack with my ultimate dragon."

"Then you should have no problem taking it down." Isaac was taunting Shining Armor.

"Your empty threats won't work on me." He then picked up his card. "Now time to end you Blue-Eyes take out his magician!"

"Now I'll activate one of my facedowns, Magic Cylinder. So now your redirected right back at your life points." A pair of magical tubes popped out as the attack was absorbed in and let out the other. The attack was heading for Shining's Life Points.

"I'll reveal my facedown Target Switch, like the name suggest I'll switch the target of your redirected attack. So Deep-Eyes becomes the one to take the hit."

"You'll still lose life points, since it's your own attack."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 1800-

"So be it, because since my Deep-Eyes was destroyed, he can wipe out your entire field, so your magician is gone as well!"

"If my magician is going down, he's also bring downing your other dragon with him. My magician's ability activates, whenever an effect kicks in, he can destroy one card on the field. So now you're Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon is also sent to the grave."

"What!?!" screamed Shining Armor.

Before it was destroyed, Magician of Chaos then fired a spell as Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon was destroyed at the same moment as Isaac's magician was destroyed. Now the entire field was empty as both duelist had no more monsters on either side. However, it was still Shining Armor's turn.

"So you actually managed to take down my ultimate dragon? You're alright. kid. However, it's still my turn and before I end it I'll play the spell Monster Reborn. Now rise from grave once more Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!"

"You know, I'm starting to get real sick and tired of that thing."

"Oh don't worry, on my next turn I'll make sure to put you down for good. Cause you're now all out of options and you have no more magicians/monsters left that can even go toe-to-toe with my great beast. Just face it, you've put a valiant effort and you have nothing to be ashamed of. I'll tell you something that I've never told any of my opponents. Thank you."

"Huh?"

"Thank you, for getting me to feel the rush and excitement of Duel Monsters. It's been too long that I've forgotten this feeling, but you've helped me to revisit that emotion and I can't thank you enough, Isaac. You're a good duelist and I can only imagine that if you had attended Crystal Prep then I might not even be the #1 duelist there. To be honest, I would have just been in your shadow and that says a lot about your skills and talents not only as a duelist but as a person."

Isaac let out a small smile. "Nice to hear that Crystal Prep's top duelist is giving me praise."

"You earn it, now then take your turn." Shining Armor then threw a single facedown as he passed it over to Isaac.

Turn 17: Isaac

"Alright, time to bring this duel to a close." This is my last chance; I've got no monsters on the field. And other than my Eternal Soul trap card, I've got no facedowns. In order to win and get CHS back on the right track, I'll need to summon out a monster that can compete with Shining Armor's Ultimate Dragon. The question is can I draw the card I need. Well time to find out. Isaac put his hand over his deck as he was about to take his turn. "Here goes something!" Isaac then drew his card which had a rainbow light that followed behind it with small particles as an aftereffect. It had a rainbow colored scheme when he glanced at it, he then saw all the pieces align as he was about to take down that giant behemoth. "You said that I don't have a single magician that can take down your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon? Well, you're right; but you're also wrong."

"What are you planning?"

"So glad you asked; I'll show you. First I'll activate the Card of Sanctity, now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in out hand." Both duelist drew till their hands were full. "Now I'll play the effect of Eternal Soul and revive my Dark Magician from the grave." Dark Magician rose up for the final time as it appeared on Isaac's field.

Shining Armor just had a look of disbelief. "Well I understand making a final stand with your favorite monster; you should know that he doesn't come close to range of my dragon."

"That's why he's not going to take down your monster, at least not by himself."

"Then what the hell are you talking about? You're not making any sense!" screamed Shining Armor.

"I'll show you, and it starts with this spell card called Magicians Rollcall." A bright light then began to appeared as Isaac held his card up high.

"What's going on?" Shining Armor was trying to protect his eyes from being blind.

"This card allows me to add up to 5 different magicians from my deck and/or graveyard to my hand with selecting two of them to play on my field. So from my grave, I'll take Dark Magician Girl and Magician of Dark Illusion; and from my deck I'll take another Magician of Dark Illusion and Dark Magician of Chaos." Soon all four cards slotted out for Isaac to grab. "As for which ones I'll summon, I choose my Dark Magician of Chaos and Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then slotted his two new spellcasters as they appeared on his field.

"This is just a waste of time. Like I said before none of the monsters on your field stand a chance against my beast. He could wipe them all out with one attack. Looks the pressure really got to if you're making such rookie mistakes."

"I'm no rookie and I don't make mistakes, either. Sure these magicians alone can't do much, but together they've got a power like no other. Now watch and be amazed as I play Polymerization! And with it I'll fuse together my Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Dark Magician of Chaos, along with the 2 Magician of Dark Illusion in my hand." All cards then shot up into a vortex that appeared in the sky as their powers were being fused together to create a brand new wizard. Isaac was starting to have the same aura that encompassed him when he was facing Sunset at the Fall Formal. "I Fusion Summon, Quintet Magician(4500/4500)!" Out came a brand new monster as everybody in attendance and at home had their eyes glued to the match.

"Holy s@#t!" said Rainbow as she was beyond words at Isaac's new monster.

"Check out the stats on that monster!" Applejack had taken off her hat as she stared at the new card Isaac played.

"He could do it. Isaac can actually do it!" Sunset was now standing up and cheering for her captain as did the rest of the girls. Soon the entire school was chanting Isaac's name.

"Now my Quintet Magician will attack your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Take him down, buddy!"

"Our monster's point are identical, so once they collided with each other they'll both be destroyed!"

"Not my magician! Cause from my hand I'm activate the spell Battle Fusion! Now when an attack is declared between a fusion monster of mine and my opponent's monster, then my magician gains the attack points of the monster he's battling. So since Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has 4500 attack points and you add to the amount that magician started with his total is..."

"9000 attack points!" screamed all of the girls from both schools in unison.

Isaac smirked. “And by my math, that makes Quintet Magician just strong enough to end this duel.”

The Canterlot High students in the crowd cheered loudly. Rarity cupped her hands to her mouth. “I don’t believe it, he’s done it!”

“Yeah he has!” Rainbow laughed, throwing an arm over Applejack and Pinkie.

“No way!” Lemon Zest cried from the Shadowbolt bench. “You’ve gotta be kidding me!”

At that moment, Twilight dropped her device as she had the biggest jaw drop. She couldn't believe what she was witnessing; not only did Isaac manage to outplay her brother but he was on the verge of winning. "This can't be! He's actually going to beat my brother. He's actually going to win!" All of Crystal Prep were in a state of shock/fear as they were about to witness their top duelist be crushed by their rivals top contender.

Up above, both Celestia and Luna were on the edge of their chair as they clutched their seats. They couldn't believe what was about to happen. Cadance too was leaning a bit more forward as she was awaiting to see what would happen. Sombra just had unpleasant look on his face as he wasn't a fan of what was going on.

Shining smiled. “You’re a heck of a duelist, Isaac.”

“You too,” Isaac said. “I had to push my deck to its limit just to keep up with you.” He shook his head. “But there was no way I was gonna let my school down.”

“Same here,” Shining replied. “Which is why, even if I feel a bit bad doing this to you, I have no choice.”

Isaac’s eyes widened. “What?”

“I can’t stop myself from losing, Isaac!” Shining called. “But for the sake of my school, I can stop you from winning!” He reached to the screen of his duel disk and tapped, and the hologram of the face-down card in front of him turned over and rose up. "I activate my trap card, Final Fusion! Now when a fusion monster of mine battles a fusion monster of my opponent, I can negate the attack. Then both players take damage equal to the combined total attack points of both our monsters!"

Isaac gasped. “But....T-then… that means.”

Quintet Magician then fired its wand at Blue-Eyes as it unleashed its attack; Blue-Eyes countered by unleashing its own attack and the moment both made contact there was a huge explosion that occurred. It was enough to cause both monsters to be destroyed as both duelist were flung onto their backs. Even Isaac's cap had gone flying as the impact of that attack threw him for a loop. The force of the attack was so powerful that it generate a powerful wind that started to blow all around them as everybody there felt it.

"What the hell is up with this weather!?" said Dash as she was trying to keep herself from flying away.

"Just shut up and hang on!" screamed Sunset as they all held on to each other for dear life. The Shadowbolts were doing the same as they didn't want to get carried off by the wind.

The people in the stands were grabbing hold of their chairs as it was the only thing that was grounded, but it did move a few inches due to the wind. Even the adults were affected by the duel as they were suddenly thrown out of their chairs and onto their backs. They kept going till they made contact with the back wall as it was the only thing saving them from falling out of their private box from high above the field. After a few minutes, the wind died down as everything was complete silence.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-
Shining Armor's Life Points: 0-
Draw.

The students of both schools fell silent as the holograms flickered and deactivated. All the girls had their hair all frizzled up and for the boys, some of them had managed to wet themselves. Soon both Isaac and Shining Armor found the strength to get up as they slowly rose to their feet. They looked at each other while taking some deep breaths out of exhaustion. Then Luna who was crawling on the floor of their private box reached up as she looked for the microphone. She then leaned her upper body over the railing as she tried her best to announce the results while trying to gain her breath back.

"Students of Crystal Prep and Canterlot High.... the third duel... has ended in a tie."

Safe to say that the battle between Shining Armor and Isaac may have ended, but the war between the two schools was stilling going on. With that Isaac just gave one more stare at Shining Armor as he let out his last gasp of air. Then Isaac felt his body ache and his eyes close as he fainted onto the ground. His cards flew out of his duel disk and were scattered around him. The girls all rushed to check on him as did the medical staff that was on standby. Sunset was the first one to get there as she grabbed Isaac's head and put it in her lap as she put her hand over his forehead.

Chapter 42: Sunset v. Twilight- Round 4

Darkness. That's all there was. For Isaac he was just drifting; drifting through the darkness. Despite having his eyes closed, Isaac could still talk with his mind.

What is this place? It's quiet and it's kinda of welcoming. Is this the end of me? Am I doomed to wander and drift in this place forever? My friends, gone?

Then a light started to faintly shine. It then got brighter and there was even a voice,

"Isaac."

"Hph."

"Isaac. Wake up."

"Who's calling me? That light, am I dead? Is this how I'll meet my end?"

"Isaac, come on, wake up!"

Soon the light became brighter as it started to light up the darkness. Isaac felt himself getting closer to the light as it filled him with warmth. Then it enveloped him as Isaac was starting to open his eyes. Once Isaac opened his eyes, he saw that he was in some sort of medical room as there was a nurse's symbol on the door. He looked around and saw there was a heartbeat monitor attached to him as it was making sure he was alive. Isaac then sat up on the bed as he took off the damn thing and looked to the table on his side. He was able to see that his duel disk was there, but when he looked in the deck slot his cards were missing. Isaac then started to panic as a lady came in.

"Seems you're awake." The lady said as she walked in with a clipboard in her hand and began to scribble down something.

"And you are?"

"Pardon me, I'm Nurse Redheart. I'm the school's nurse/caretaker." she gave a smile to Isaac.

"You said I just woke up; how long was I out?"

"About 30 minutes. I'm must say I'm impressed; after your duel, you collapsed from exhaustion and your friends all helped to carry you to this room where I tended you."

"Thanks for that; well guess I better get going." Isaac then jumped off the bed.

"What!? You just woke up from an intense battle, in fact your morale was severely depleted. It's best that you take some more time to rest."

"Nah, I'm fine. In fact, I feel relaxed and refreshed." Isaac then began to move in place and do a couple of jumping jacks to show that he full of energy.

"Incredible, someone in your state should have taken longer to recover."

"Well I've been know to be a quick healer. Now then, I have to get back to the event." Just as Isaac was about to leave the nurse's office. Nurse Redheart stopped Isaac from leaving.

"I still think it's too early for you to leave. I insist that you get some more rest."

"While I appreciate the thought, I'm fine." Before she could protest, Isaac quickly bolted out the door and was on his way.

Nurse Redheart was just left stunned at how a student had disobey her orders. She then decided to go lie down as she was starting to have a headache herself.

Isaac soon found his way back into the locker room where he was expecting to find someone. Once he turned the handle and opened the door, he was quickly bombarded with a pair of arms that wrapped around him as it caused him to fall down.

"You're alright." shouted Rarity and Fluttershy who had thrown themselves at Isaac as they hugged him.

"Girls, mind letting me get up; I can't breathe!" Soon they let him go as he sat up and was catching his breath.

"Good to see you're not hurt too badly, sugarcube."

"Thanks, Applejack." Isaac then got to his feet. "So what's going on? Why are we all here? Shouldn't we be out on the duel field?"

"Actually, Principal Celestia requested that both teams take a break as they tried to fix things. That last duel really rocked everybody that they've had to restart the system and make sure that nobody suffered any major injuries." said Sunset.

"Last duel?" Isaac then began to think back."Wait, I think I remember. Yeah, it's all coming back to me. I was facing off against Shining Armor and his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon; then just when things looked hopeless I had summoned out my Quintet Magician and then played Battle Fusion to win the duel."

"You're partly correct, buddy." Rainbow then stepped forward. "All that you just said is correct, except for that last part. You see while you did play Battle Fusion, you didn't win the duel. Shining Armor had one last trick up his sleeve and he activated Final Fusion as a result both of you ended up taking damage from both of your monsters' combined attack and it ended in a draw."

"What?" Isaac now stood with stunned look. "That's impossible, no that can't be it. I know I won. I had too!" Isaac looked to the girls to confirm his suspicions but they all had their heads down. "I didn't win? No! No!" Isaac then started to hit the lockers with his fists as he was letting his emotions out. "God damn it! Fuck! I failed! Everybody was counting on me to win and I failed! AHHHHH!!" Isaac let out a powerful scream as he fell to his knees.

"Calm down, Isaac." Applejack was trying her best to reassure her friend.

"Calm down!? How the hell can I calm down, Applejack? This was our one chance to get CHS back into the fight and I failed! I did my very best and it still wasn't enough to get us a point. Everybody was counting on me and I let them down!" Isaac now had his head.

"It's not over, Isaac. You may have not won your duel, but you did stop Crystal Prep from gaining another point. Now we know for sure they won't win all the duels today and completely sweep us." said Sunset as she bent down on her knees and put her hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"Like that's going to change anything." Soon everybody turned their heads to Rainbow who were all giving her glares. "What, I'm just stating the facts. The first two duels they completely owned us; then we had a chance to get some payback in the third duel. However, not only didn't we win, but we're now down a powerful teammate. Isaac was suppose to be our key to winning this and even he couldn't beat them! What chance do the rest of us have?"

"Darling, you know well that Isaac's opponent was no easy task. He was taking on their top duelist for Christ sakes; not too mention that he was in the fight of his life as he did everything to take down those powerful dragons. Give him some credit, he did his damn best!" shouted Rarity as she was defended her friend's honor.

"I'm just saying that we took our best shot and it still wasn't enough. You think I don't know that Isaac's opponent was a powerful individual. You think I want to spend another second listening to how Crystal Prep is better than us at everything!"

"Enough!!!" shouted Isaac as both Rarity and Rainbow looked at him. They could see the fury in Isaac's eyes as he rose to his feet which gave them a bit of fright. "Enough! Look I get it, we're at a really tough disadvantage. But we've still got a chance to turn things around." Isaac then turned to Sunset to address the point she made earlier. "It's like you said, we know they can't sweep us. Which means we've still got an opportunity to swing the duel in our favor. Just because I couldn't do my part, doesn't mean the rest of you guys can't. I told you a duel isn't over till the last card has been played, and right now we've got tons of cards left to play. So what do you say we get back out there and continue to fight?" Isaac was able to rally the girls as they felt the inspirational speech given to them by their captain.

"You're right, Isaac. We've still got some fight left in us. Come on gang, let's show them that we Wondercolts never quit." exclaimed Rainbow.

They all nodded their heads as they began to head back to the field. Just as they were about to leave, Fluttershy had something to give Isaac.

"Oh, I almost forgot. Here you go, Isaac." She handed Isaac back his captain cap as he put it back on. Isaac once again started to feel the flow of power come from it.

"Thanks, Fluttershy. Now all I need is... wait, where are my cards!?"

"Don't worry big bro. We made sure to keep your cards safe." Pinkie then pulled out some cards that belonged to Isaac.

She then handed them to him which was soon followed by the others as they pulled out some more from their pockets. Once he had them all in his hand; Isaac then began to count to make sure they were all there. He then shuffled them and then began to look for something; eventually Isaac found his targets. Isaac was happy to see that both his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were perfectly fine as it would have devastated him if he lost them.

"We know how much you treasure your magicians, sugar. That's why we made sure they were extremely taken care of."

Isaac let out a small tear as he was happy to be reunited with his companions. "Thanks guys." Isaac then slotted his deck into his duel disk as they all made their way back to the field.

The Shadowbolts were all in their locker room as they were talking amongst themselves. Unlike Isaac, Shining Armor didn't faint from exhaustion, but he was rather tired from his encounter against Isaac.

"Well there goes our chance at dominating CHS. And I've still yet to get my chance to compete." yelled Indigo Zap as she was anxious on wanting to battle.

"Indeed dearie. That last duel really screwed this up for us." said Sunny Flare as she was attending to her makeup.

"What do expect when two great duelists go head to head? Of course the duel was going to end with no winner; it's pretty obvious." Sugarcoat then pushed her glasses up.

"Talk about turning it up to 10. Hell, that match was even bigger than 10!" Lemon Zest was just rocking out from watching an epic battle.

"That Isaac really showed his true strength; I can't wait to take a bite out of him." snickered Sour Sweet.

"That's enough!!" shouted Shining Armor as he made his presence know by walking into the room with Twilight following behind him. "If you think that Isaac is some pushover, then you're sadly mistaken. That battle showed that not only is he a phenomenal duelist, but he has the potential to become one of the greatest. And if any of you don't see that, then I kindly ask you to walk out of this room and get the hell out!" Shining Armor now had a serious expression. "Crystal Prep has taught us to be winners, but they've also taught to respect and recognize when someone pushes us to our limit. To recognize true talent when we see it; to pay respects to people that can actually make us become better! If you think that someone like Isaac is to be taken lightly, then you may what to reconsider calling yourself a duelist. That battle showed me a lot of things, but the one thing it really showed is that Isaac duels for love. He duels because he loves this game; so let me ask you all, do you do the same or are you just a sorry excuse for being called a duelist?"

The rest of the Shadowbolts didn't answer right away as Shining's statement was all true. They all had their heads turned down as they didn't have a response. "I'll admit this the only reason why the duel ended in a draw is because I was able to draw the right card. Had I not drawn it when I did, I dare say that Isaac would have beaten me, no doubt. Take that to heart, he's also been responsible for his team catching us by surprise. They've shown us new cards that weren't in their decks when we first looked at their files, so that alone tells you that he's done everything he can to ensure that his school comes out on top. Now then we must shift our focus to winning, am I understood!" The girls just nodded as they all began to leave the room.

"Shining wait." Twilight had wanted to talk with her brother alone.

"Yes, Twily?"

"It's about your duel with Isaac; while you two were battling I was observing somethings and I..."

"Twilight, look I know you see me as some sort of undefeated duelist, but the truth is that I can say that me ending the duel in a draw was just purely luck. Overall, Isaac was the one in control and I was the one playing catch up."

"That's the thing. I ran all the calculations and it showed that you had a 95% of winning. Especially, since you used a deck that rivals his in every capacity. So how did he manage to be better than you; it just doesn't make sense. Numbers don't lie."

"Twilight, there's more to dueling than just the probability of someone winning. A duel is all about how you play your cards and how far you're willing to go to reach the next level. Someday you'll understand what I'm talking about." Shining Armor then left as he was making his way to the field.

Twilight was left all alone as she began to process her thoughts. "I wanted him to know that during the duel, I noticed Isaac being surrounded by a powerful force, based on the device, the readings were off the chart. It was like Isaac was tapping into some hidden magical force inside of him, the question is: what is it?"

Both teams had made it back to the field as the students of their respective school were also taking their seats. Both Celestia and Luna had managed to get the system up and running; with that it was soon time to start the last duel of the day. Cadance then spoke into the microphone.

"Students, I hope that all of you have had a chance to collect yourself after that...unusual display. Now then let's begin the final duel of the day. As it stands now, Crystal Prep leads with a commanding 2-0. With the tie that occured in the last duel, it's safe to say that the duels schedule for tomorrow are going to happen. Should Crystal Prep score another win, then come tomorrow they will only need one more victory to be declared the winners. However, this could be Canterlot High's last chance to score some major points. Now lets see who'll be battling." The screen then brought up the remaining portraits and began to randomize. Soon they slowed down as the results were and the two people battling were shown.

"The fourth and final duel of the day will pit Canterlot High's Sunset Shimmer against Crystal Prep's Twilight Sparkle."

"Good luck, Sunset." said Isaac.

"Don't worry guys, I've got this." She then made her way to the field as Twilight was doing the same.

Opposite her, Twilight reached down and activated her duel disk, the card tray projecting in a beam of purple light. Sunset looked down at her own disk and turned it on, as a beam of red light came out. She raised her head and took a breath.

“Hey!”

Twilight looked up at her.

Sunset nodded. “May the best duelist win, right?”

Twilight’s nose twitched. “Indeed.”

“And now, let the final duel of the day begin!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voices of their duel disks.

"Let's go!" they both shouted.

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-
Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

“Right…” Sunset looked down at her deck as her opening hand ejected. She reached down and fanned out her cards. "I'll start this duel off with playing Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in attack mode." Sunset played her card and out came a tiny little dragon that tried it best to put on an intimidating roar. Like a baby, it was looking for attention from its mother; so it saw Sunset and then jumped in her arms as it nuzzled against her. It led out a cry that said "Momma" as Sunset just simply hugged it tightly before letting it go and returning to his position. "With my baby out, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Twilight

Across the field, Twilight drew her first card. “Very well.” She looked at her drawn card and reached over to her hand. "I'll start by playing my Amores of Prophecy(600/2000) in defense mode. Next I'll activate its effect, by revealing a 'Spellbook' card in my hand, I can special summon a level 4 or below spellcaster from my hand. So I'll reveal my Spellbook Star Hall and summon my Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)." Twilight then summoned her second spellcaster to her field. "Then I'll play my Spellbook Star Hall, now each time I play a 'Spellbook' is played it gains a counter furthermore all my spellcasters gain an extra 100 points for every counter. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

"So it was her?" Isaac got a look at Twilight's field as his memory of a couple of weeks ago came flooding back. "Twilight was the one I faced; now I really hope to see her again, so that we could finish our battle."

"Did you say something, darling?"

"It's nothing."

Turn 3: Sunset

That's weird, why didn't she attack with her magician girl. She must be up to something. Sunset then drew her card. "I'll play the spell Pot of Greed to draw two more cards." Sunset picked up her two cards. "Next I'll play Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight(1800/1600). Then I'll play the ritual spell Dark Dragon Ritual, so I'll send my Soul Tiger to the grave in order to summon out Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)." Similar to Shining Armor's monster, out came a monster that had both rider and dragon covered in full body armor but was colored black. Twilight just simply looked at Sunset's monster and was comparing it with that of her brother's.

"Now time for my Paladin to attack your Amores of Prophecy, my Paladin has a unique ability, at the start of the damage step if he attacks a defense position monster then that monster is then destroyed." With that Dark Paladin swung its weapon at Twilight's monster which just grabbed it and tossed it aside, before it felt itself disappearing.

"Next I'll have my Gearfried attack your Chocolate Magician Girl."

"Now my Chocolate Magician Girl's effect activates, whenever she becomes the target of an attack, I can target 1 spellcaster in my grave and summon it and it becomes the new target of your attack." Amores Prophecy then rose up back in defense mode. "Furthermore your monster loses half of its attack, which means you're about to lose some damage." Gearfried powered down as it swung at Amores Prophecy before being flung back onto Sunset's field.
Sunset's Life Points: 6900-

"Looks like I walked right into that one, I'll just end my turn."

"Incompetent. You just took a shot at my monster without even considering any effects it may have had, at least you could've taken my facedowns into consideration. Honestly people, don't you ever take the time to see all your options instead of just blindly attack. It's moves like that, that make me think people are just simple minded." said Twilight as she was letting out her thoughts.

"Hey now, don't take it personal. I was just doing what I thought would work."

"Well do better next time! Duel Monsters is all about numbers and statistics; right now my calculations are saying if you keep doing moves like this then my victory is 100% guarantee." scoffed Twilight.

Turn 4: Twilight

"Now time to show you how to properly play." Twilight drew her card and then used her screen to see Sunset's field. "Now that I've accessed the situation properly, time to implement the proper counter. I'll play the spell card, Spellbook of Secrets to add a 'Spellbook' to my hand." Twilight's star hall then light as a spell was activated.(Counter: 1) "Next I'll play my Magician Valkyria in attack mode. Then I'll play another spellbook, Spellbook of Power. So I'll play Spellbook of Power and with it I can give my Chocolate Magician Girl an extra 1000 points. Now my magician lay waste to her monsters; my Chocolate Magician Girl will attack your Paladin of Dark Dragon and Magician Valkyria will take out your Gearfried."(Counter: 2)
Sunset's Life Points: 5300-

"All according to plan, now since my magician destroyed a monster, I can add a 'Spellbook' to my hand. I'll end my turn. Please try to put more effort in your moves. I wouldn't want to waste my time."

"Damn, that girl is pretty harsh." said Rainbow as she was getting a disturbed look.

"Indeed darling, not only is she in control of the duel, but she's also bad mouthing Sunset. The nerve of her and what she says about dueling." huffed Rarity.

"She's not wrong." All the girls looked at Isaac with surprised looks. "I always tell you guys that dueling is about the passion of your play and putting your trust in your deck so that you can pull off some insane moves. But Twilight is right. If you were to break down this game to its core and mechanics then it's just a bunch of numbers and statistics that anybody can understand." Even so, there's more to dueling than just that. I just hope she can learn that.

Turn 5: Sunset

"You want something then hold on." Sunset drew her card and looked through her hand. "To start I'll activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon from my hand, since I control a 'Red-Eyes' monster I can equip this card to that monster and it gains 600 extra attack points. My Red-Eyes Baby Dragon now has 1800 attack." Sunset's dragon then powered up as it led out a small roar which manifest into a larger cry that echoed. It then snuggled over to Sunset's legs as it was showing its love towards her. "My sweet baby." Sunset was just like a mother as she showed her monster some affection. "Now then I'll play The Black Stone of Legend(0/0), but thanks to its ability it won't be out for long. Now I'll tribute it to summon out a level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, so I'll bring out my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset held her card up high before slapping it down on her tray. Then from the sky came Sunset's dragon as it descended from the heavens and let out a mighty roar.

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon. So tell me did you bully someone into getting that card or did you steal it?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I know all about you Sunset; I know that you used to be a former bully that ran roughshot around here. You made people's lives so miserable that when they lost to you in a duel you would sometimes force them to hand over some of their best cards. In some cases, you even tore them apart. So who did you beat to get that card?"

"I didn't beat anybody to get this card, this was given to me by my friend."

"Oh please, do you actually want me to believe that someone gave you such a card? Whoever they were was stupid to just hand over a powerful card to a former power hungry maniac."

"I'm not that kind of person anymore, I've changed."

"Please, you may fool these people and your teammates, but I see right through you. You're nothing but a phony, in fact you've hit rock bottom so hard that you've resorted to using a normal deck so that they can actually think you're one of them."

“If you have something to say then say it!” Sunset snapped.

"Fine, I will.” Twilight crossed her arms. "When I did some research on you, I found that when you were the villain of your school and you had a deck that consisted of cards that never existed. Not to mention that nobody even bother to question as to whether or not those cards existed, they just simply looked the other way. You have no business playing Duel Monsters. You cheat and use fake cards to play, making up their powers as you go along. And now you think that everybody has just moved on from what/who you were! Whoever is saying/believing that must be completely blind and stupid!"

"I’m a cheater?” Sunset replied, glaring. “You have no room to talk! I’ve spent all day watching Crystal Prep duelists use cards my friends and I can’t hope to get our hands on, nevermind knowing how they work or how to counter them!” She clenched her fist. “My cards symbolize the bonds I’ve forged with my friends. They’re unique and special, they’re proof of how far I’ve come!”

“How far you’ve come? Look at your duel disk. You’re supposed to be one of, if not the second best duelist this school has to offer, aren’t you? From the way the cards stand now, you’re about to lose very quickly.” Twilight snorted. “At least your friend on the bench knows what he's doing, seeing as how he was able to nearly beat my brother which few people have done. That I can respect, but you, a duelist for so long who would make up things as she went along that isn't someone I can't give the time of day!"

"You want to come at me, then what about Crystal Prep? You guys said you did research on us prior to this event; how is that fair when we couldn't do the same and then you also have cards that not even one of us here at CHS even know about. Do you know how many people would be lucky just to even hold such cards as yours, let alone have the chance to actually get to use them!"

"That’s not the same thing!” Twilight scowled and stamped a foot. “For one thing, we train hard at Crystal Prep, we actually have to build our decks and get the cards for them, the same as Canterlot High duelists. Everyone who’s here, from either school, has worked hard to refine their skills and make it this far. Except for you. You didn’t earn a spot in this tournament. You faked your way to the top.”

"No, I didn’t. I can’t, not anymore.” Sunset sighed and looked down at her duel disk. "Make what you want of me, but I'm serious when I say that I'm not who I once was and that this deck is a reflection of my new attitude. Someone gave me a chance when no one else would and that alone is reason to keep fighting." She looked to her side and saw her friends giving her smiles; Isaac was just standing with his arms folded while looking at her. "Now time to show you, now my beast take out her field. Red-Eyes Baby Dragon will take out your Chocolate Magician Girl while my Red-Eyes Black Dragon will take out your Amores Prophecy." Sunset's dragons then took flight as they manage to be successful in clearing Twilight's field.
Twilight's Life Points: 7800-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Twilight

"Are you finally seeing that everything I've been doing in this duel has been fair and square, on my own skills as an individual?"

"Please, you just got lucky." snorted Twilight. "Now watch how a real duelist does it, draw." Twilight drew her card while adjusting her glasses. "I'll play Spellbook of Knowledge, so I'll send my Magician's Valkyria to the grave and draw two more cards." Twilight's monster then left the field as she picked up two more cards.(Counter: 3) "Next I'll play the spell Graceful Charity, so I'll pick up three card and discard two. With that done, I'll then summon my Strength of Prophecy(1500/1400). Then I'll trigger its effect, so I'll add my Spellbook of Secrets back to my deck and then increase my spellcaster by an additional level and 500 points. Plus the extra 300 points from my Star Hall which makes him have a total of 2300." Twilight took her card and put it in her deck to shuffle. Her monster then powered up. "Now I'll have my monster take out your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon."
Sunset's Life Points: 4800-

"The effect of my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon activates, now I'll summon a level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' from my deck and equip this card to have 300 more points. I call upon Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200). Thanks to the boost, he now has 2800 attack points." said Sunset as she had a brand new monster on her field. "Now, my Black Metal Dragon lets me add a 'Red-Eyes' from my deck to my hand."

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Sunset

"My turn. Now, I'll play my Red-Eyes Wyvern(1800/1000) in attack mode." Sunset now had two monsters on her field. "Now I'll strike with everything, go my monsters take flight."

"I came prepared, I reveal Magician's Institution. Now whenever you declare an attack, both players can summon a magician with 2000 or less attack from our decks. So I'll choose to play my Apple Magician Girl." Twilight touched her screen and selected the monster she wanted.

"You may have gotten another monster, but I'm still going to destroy your Strength of Prophecy."

"That's fine, cause your Red-Eyes Wyvern just triggered my Apple Magician Girl's effect. Now I can special summon one level 5 or lower spellcaster from my hand and it becomes the new target. Not to mention that it's strength gets cut in half. So I'll play Lemon Magician Girl." Out came a similar monster like Apple Magician Girl as it zapped away Red-Eyes Wyvern's attack. "I'm not done, my Lemon Magician Girl has a similar effect like my previous magician, so I'll play another magician from my hand and it becomes the new target. It loses half of its attack once again, so I'll play Dark Magician Girl!"

"What, did you say Dark Magician Girl!?" Sunset had her eyes widen.

Twilight played her card and out came a female spellcaster that twirled around before striking a pose. It then jumped in front of her allies before pointing her wand at Red-Eyes which reduced it even more and then launched a counteract which caused it to be destroyed. Sunset's Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning did manage to take out Strength of Prophecy.
Twilight's Life Points: 7500-
Sunset's Life Points: 3250-

Once the battle resolved, the rest of the girls all had to do a double take as they looked at Twilight and then at Isaac. Isaac just had stern look on his face while he watched on. Sunset took a moment to register what Twilight said and then quickly shot a glance at her captain.

"I thought only Isaac had that card. This duel just got a lot more difficult because if Twilight has that monster, then does that mean?"

"Are you just going to stand there talking to yourself or are you going to end your turn?"

"Before I end my turn, I'll activate my Return of the Red-Eyes trap card. Now since I control a 'Red-Eyes', I can special summon back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the grave." Sunset's dragon was then back. "I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Twilight

"This duel will soon be over." Twilight looked at her hand as she drew. "Now I'll reveal three 'Spellbooks' from my hand, Spellbook of the Master, Spellbook Organization, and Spellbook Library of the Crescent. By doing so, I can summon this card from my hand. Appear High Priestess of the Prophecy(2500/2100)!" Out came one of Twilight's star monsters of her deck as it bedazzled the stage. "Then I'll activate my Priestess' ability, so I'll banish my Spellbook Library of the Crescent to destroy one card on the field and I choose your Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning." With that Sunset's monster was gone.

"Now I'll take the offense and have my Priestess take out your Red-Eyes Dragon, while my Dark Magician Girl and Apple Magician Girl will attack your life points directly!" Twilight's spellcaster pointed their wands at Sunset's field as they got rid of her monsters with ease and then the rest of the attack was racing towards Sunset.

"I'll activate my Miracle's Wake and with I'll bring back my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning."

"So be it, I'll call off my assault, but not before playing my Spellbook of Desire. Now I can deal you damage equal to my Dark Magician Girl's attack points." Dark Magician Girl then fired off a powerful spell as it shot Sunset in the chest as she fell to her knees.
Sunset's Life Points: 1250-

Twilight lowered her duel disk. "I only need to attack you one final time and this duel will end. Draw and make your final move."

Kneeling on the ground, Sunset’s fingers dug into the grass. She stared at her hands, eyes narrowed. “I can’t lose… I can’t…”

“Why do you care?” Twilight asked. “You didn’t bother to enter this tournament in the past. And now that you’re here you complain that we have cards you can’t measure up to. You could have just walked away at any time. Why does the Friendship Games suddenly mean so much to you now when you never entered before?”

“Because…” Sunset inhaled deeply. “My friends are counting on me… they want to win this tournament. I have to win, for their sake.”

“Their sake?”

Sunset slowly raised her head. She grimaced and closed her eyes. “Yes. They’re counting me… if I lose this duel…”

“From the looks of things, that’s exactly what’s about to happen.”

“No. I can beat her. I can…” Sunset took a breath. “If I could… could…”

“Could what?”

Sunset didn't know what to do. Just then a voice called out to her.

"Do you want to win, Sunset?”

Sunset’s eyes widened. That voice…

"Do you want to win, Sunset? Are you willing to do whatever it takes?"

Sunset swallowed heavily and nodded. “I have to.”

“And what would you be willing to do for that victory?”

“…Anything.”

“Then you know what you need to do.”

A bead of sweat rolled down Sunset’s face. Her breathing heavy, her chin quivering, she slowly reached out her hand.

“For my friends.”

She clenched her eyes and put her hand on her deck as she kneeled down on the ground. Rays of red light shone up between Sunset’s fingers as the cards began to smoke and crackle.

Twilight frowned. “Sunset?” In the stands, Canterlot High and Crystal Prep students alike were whispering to each other.

Sunset was kneeling on the grass, her head down.

“Is she giving up?” Fluttershy whispered.

Rarity pursed her lips. “The poor dear, she did her best.”

Celestia looked at her phone. “It’s been almost two full minutes.” She looked over the table. Sombra removed his hand from the microphone and looked at Cadance, giving her a nod. She leaned closer to it.

“Sunset Shimmer has thirty seconds to take her turn. If she does not, we will deem this match a surrender and victory—”

A pillar of flame erupted from around Sunset. The watching students screamed. Twilight’s breath caught and she took a step back. Sombra’s eyes widened and he snapped his head to the field. The flames faded, embers glowing in the air. The grass around Sunset was scorched black in a perfect circle, smoke rising and blowing away. Sunset stood up, her head down, hair billowing, and lifted her arm above her head. The embers and smoke swirled around her and were drawn into her deck. She now had a red aura that was surrounding her as her team looked on. Sunset slowly raised her head, her hair whipping in the air behind her.

Pinkie whimpered. “Guys? Tell me I’m not seeing what I think I’m seeing.”

“Ah wish ah could, Pinkie. Ah really wish ah could.”

Rarity’s hands shook in her lap. “I remember those eyes…”

Isaac just looked on with his own shock. Sunset? This feeling, it's somehow different. She's not tapping into her darkness.

Twilight gaped. “S-Sunset?”

Eyes glowing bright red, Sunset lowered her arm and put a hand on her deck.

Turn 9: Sunset

"My turn!" Sunset drew her card. "First, my Return of the Red-Eyes trap will activate as I bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Just like that Sunset now had two monsters on her field. "You wanted to see my power, then you'll see it. I'll start by playing the ritual spell Red-Eyes Transmigration, so I'll send my Red-Eyes Black Metal Dragon to ritual summon my Lord of the Red(2400/2100)!" Out on Sunset's field came a dragon that was standing on its hind legs like a human. "But I'm not done, next I'll play Polymerization and with it I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning with my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Both monsters disappeared as they were sucked into a vortex and their energies were combined. "I Fusion Summon Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" Now Sunset had an even more ferocious monster as it stood tall on the field as it led out a loud roar and had flames shooting out of its mouth.

The entire field was soon engulfed in flames as patches of the grass were starting to burn up. Twilight was being cautious as she was avoid being burned as she could actually feel the heat from the flames. The girls just thought that the visuals were part of the holograms, but Isaac could tell/feel that it was all too real.

"Then I'll perform another fusion summon so I play Fusion Recovery! So I'll gain back Polymerization and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Then I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact." Once again another vortex opened up as the monsters selected were sucked in a pillar of light. "I Fusion Summon Meteor Black Comet Dragon(3500/2000)!" Now Sunset had a trio of monsters that all bared their fangs at Twilight and the pillars of fire started to really heat up.

Twilight was scared at what she was seeing. She took a few steps back as if to try to escape what was in front of her. Twilight raised her head, wincing. “Sunset, w-wait…”

"Now time to end this, go my monsters attack Twilight!" Her trio of monsters then took flight as they charged at Twilight's side of the field. "First the effect of my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon activates, whenever he attacks you can't activate any card effects till the end of the damage step. Then that triggers the effect of my Lord of the Red's special ability, now once per turn whenever an effect activates, I can destroy one card on the field. So your High Priestess is gone; furthermore his other effect allows him to destroy one spell/trap on the field so say goodbye to your Spellbook Star Hall." Now Twilight was completely helpless as she lost both a monster and her spell card. Now there was nothing to save her from Sunset's assault; she couldn't even activate her facedown even if she wanted to.

"So Archfiend Black Skull Dragon take out her Dark Magician Girl, Lord of the Red take out her Apple Magician Girl, and lastly Meteor Black Comet Dragon attack Twilight Sparkle directly!" Sunset's aura grew even bigger and brighter as her monsters received their command and fired off some most powerful attacks. Twilight screamed as she was sent flying backwards from the blast. She hit the grass heavily and rolled, her cards flying from her duel disk and scattering behind her.

Sunset’s hair fluttering in the air fell to her shoulders, and the red light in her eyes faded.

“I win.”
Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset Shimmer

Sunset blinked and gasped. She slumped forward, stumbling to stay upright, and put a hand to her head. The holograms of her monsters faded before her.

Up in the sky box, Candace covered the microphone and cleared her throat, then took her hand back. “The winner of the final duel of the day is Canterlot High’s Sunset Shimmer!”

Sunset blinked as the CHS crowd began to cheer. She looked up to see Twilight on her stomach, not moving. “Twilight?”

“The final three rounds of the tournament will begin at 10am tomorrow. Registered duelists are requested to be here by that time.” said Luna.

As Sunset watched the motionless body of her opponent, five girls clustered around her and obscured her view.

“That was awesome!” Rainbow put an arm around Sunset and shook her, grinning widely. “You kicked butt.”

“Not the words I’d use…” Rarity said quietly.

Sunset looked at her. “What do you mean?”

“You were scary!” Pinkie cried. “The red eyes and the sneering and the ‘grr-argh’ stuff.”

“I…” Sunset held her head and closed her eyes. “I remember I wanted to try and tap into my magic again… I drew a card, and…” She looked down at her duel disk and then her deck/cards as the light that embellished them disappeared. She pushed her way through the group and looked across the field. The other Crystal Prep duelists were standing around Twilight, and Shining Armor was kneeling beside her with a hand on her back. Sunset’s hand shook, her cards slipping from her fingers and floating to the grass. "I did this…"

“Sunset?” Fluttershy’s voice cut through her thoughts. “Are you okay?”

Sunset turned and ran across the field towards the school. Isaac just watched Sunset leave as he had a concerned look on his face. The girls look at Isaac hoping to have some answers; Isaac just returned a look as he began walking in the direction that Sunset ran hoping to get a chance to talk to her.

“Easy, Twily.” Shining Armor put her arm around his shoulder. “Come on, let’s go.” Twilight whimpered as he stood, bringing her to her feet with him.

“I…” Twilight blinked and reached up to her head to remove her glasses. The eyewear was bent, and one of the lenses had cracked. “That hurt.”

“Stop being a drama queen,” Sugarcoat muttered. “It’s just the feedback system in the duel disks. They put out—”

“I know how duel disks work!” Twilight gasped. She shook her head. “That was different. That hurt.”

“You’ve said before you don’t duel that much.” Sunny Flare shrugged. “Perhaps you’re just not used to it.”

“No… this…” Twilight winced. “And those eyes… I’ve never seen anything like that.”

“Yeah, she’s got pretty eyes. Nice legs, too.” The others glared at Indigo Zap. “What?”

“You didn’t see it?” Twilight looked between them. “Her eyes were glowing! Bright red!” The others looked at her blankly. Twilight’s jaw dropped. “None of you saw it!?”

“Girls.” The crowd turned as Candace approached them. “If you’d like a ride back to Crystal Prep, the limousine will provide one. Otherwise you are all free to go home.”

“Dean Cadance!” Twilight stepped forward, taking her arm from Shining Armor. “I need to speak to Principal Sombra, please.”

Cadance shook her head. “Principal Sombra had to depart to take care of administrative duties. I’ll be taking the seven of you back to the school. He’ll be here tomorrow if you need him.”

“B-but…”

“Twily, let it go.” Shining Armor put a hand on her shoulder. “Come on, you’ve had a big day.”

Twilight closed her eyes and nodded. She heard the group begin to walk forward and let her feet follow them, stumbling slightly. She looked down at her broken glasses and carefully put them back on, the cracked lenses crooked in front of her eye.

Chapter 43: Battle Break

Sunset coughed and let the cold water run down her face and drip into the sink. She cupped her hands under the faucet and splashed herself again. She sucked in a breath. Sunset shut off the faucet and reached up to the paper towel dispenser on the wall, grabbing a sheet and holding it to her face. She wiped herself off and turned to lean against the sink, staring down at her boots.

What the hell happened? My magic… She gripped the edge of the sink tightly. I should have known what it would do… why did I do it? You did it because you wanted to win. You wanted to keep your school’s hope alive. I didn’t want to hurt anyone! Then you should have played better, then you wouldn’t have needed your magic at all. I did the best I could! And it wasn’t enough. You weren’t enough. Sunset was really wrestling with her thoughts. After a long period of silence, she stood up and walked out of the bathroom. She shoved her hands in her pockets and began to walk down the hall, watching the tiles pass under her feet.

"Finally had enough time to figure things out."

Sunset looked up and saw Isaac in front of her as he was leaning against the lockers with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"Isaac.... I.... don't what.... came over...." Sunset now looked at her hands as they were trembling she then put them to her face as she covered her face. She started to let a few tears cry down her face.

Isaac then moved from his position and made his way till he was in front of Sunset. He just put his hand on Sunset's shoulder which caused her to leap at Isaac and embrace him in a hug as she was seeking closure. Isaac didn't do anything but just let her cry as he just stood there with his eyes closed; eventually he brought his arms around her as he rubbed Sunset's back and stroked her hair. They stayed like that as Sunset was pouring out all of her emotions while holding onto Isaac's shirt as she was afraid that the power she tapped into would return if she let go of him. Soon they broke apart as Sunset wasn't crying anymore; Isaac still had his hands on her shoulder.

"Feel better?"

"Yeah." Sunset wiped the remaining tears from her eyes.

"Look, Sunset. I don't know what happened or why it suddenly occurred. But know that whatever it is, we'll figure it out. You're not alone this time; you've got me and the rest of the girls to help you. We're here for you Sunset. Now and forever."

"Thanks, Isaac." She gave a heartfelt smile to which Isaac returned. Soon they began to walk down the hall together.

"I guess an apology wouldn’t help much. Hey, sorry I used my forbidden magic on you to cheat and win the duel. Didn’t mean to hurt you though." She frowned.

"We'll figure it out, don't you worry." said Isaac.

“Sunset Shimmer. Isaac.”

Both of them raised their head. And stopped. One hand holding open a door to a classroom, the other gesturing them inside it, Sombra smiled at them.

“I believe the three of us should have a talk.”

Sombra grabbed a chair by the back of the seat and pulled it towards the desks Sunset and Isaac sat at. The metal squeaked as Sombra swiveled the chair around to face them, and then sat down in it, his hands clasped on the desk. While Sunset was a bit uncomfortable, Isaac just had a mean look on his face as he stared down Sombra.

Sunset looked around the room. I don’t think I have classes here. Which room is this? The posters and boards around the room seemed to indicator some sort of English class. When Sunset looked at the back of the room where bookshelves were lined up, she met Sombra’s green eyes and found herself transfixed. Sombra stared at her for several seconds. Sunset fought the urge to fidget in her seat. I should look away. This is creepy… why can’t I look away? The lights were on in the room and yet Sombra’s face seemed to be in shadows, his features obscured.

At last, he spoke.

"Impressive victory, Miss Shimmer. You've managed to reverse Canterlot High's fortune in this tournament."

Sunset swallowed heavily. “Thank you.”

"And you, Mr. Isaac. I dare say that your duel really caught my attention. Not many people can push out top duelist to his limit, not to mention to actually win against him."

"I appreciate your compliment, Mr. Sombra. And as for my duel with Shining Armor, well he was a formidable opponent. Still he managed to end the battle in a draw."

"On contrary, he actually lost. You see it was by sheer luck that he happened to draw the card he needed and activated it when he did. Had he been a second too late, then you've would have secured the victory with ease. In short, he may have won the battle, but overall, you won the war. That deserves the highest of praise."

Sombra sat back in his seat. He raised his eyebrows and gave a small incline of his head. “Tell me, how did it feel to pull the cards that you both needed to secure your individual victories? I am merely curious.”

No. Sunset felt a chill run up her back. “I… I got a few lucky draws. That’s all.” Sombra continued to watch her, his expression unchanging. Sunset nodded. “Just luck.”

"As for me, I just relied on my deck to put their trust in me and they listened to my request."

“I believe the truly skilled make their own luck. And you, Miss Shimmer, are skilled.” Sombra then looked at Isaac to address him. "As for putting your faith in your cards, that is an ideal that some of the greatest duelists strive to uphold. See a duel is nothing if you don't have a special bond with your cards/monsters; if you don't have that then you won't make it very far. Yet, you understand that and more, even at your age, Mr. Isaac."

“I don’t think my dueling is going to change what I draw.” said Sunset.

“Is that so?” Sombra took a deep breath and looked away. He stood and clasped his hands behind his back, taking a few steps away.

Sunset bit her lip. He’s probing, trying to get me to reveal something. “Principal Sombra, what are—”

“May I call you Sunset?”

Sunset paused. “Huh?”

Sombra turned back at her. “Would it bother you terribly if I used your given name?”

“…No.”

Sombra nodded. “Then if I may, Sunset, I would prefer it if you dropped your pretenses of naïve innocence. I know what you did down there.”

He’s bluffing. He has to be. Sunset’s hand shook at her side and she clenched it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes, you do.” Sombra raised his head slightly. “I do not think you are a fool, Sunset, and I would not treat you like one. I hope you will afford me the same respect. So when I say to you ‘I know what you did’, I expect you to respond with the understanding that you do not need to lie to me."

His eyes boring into Sunset’s, Sombra leaned forward. “If it will set your mind at ease, allow me to say the word first – magic.”

Isaac saw what Sombra was doing and he decided to defend Sunset. "That's preposterous, she couldn't have done that! You're just trying to scare her!"

"Pardon me, Isaac. But I didn't ask for your input! I was talking to Sunset and as her friend, you should know that she can speak for herself. Or does she only allow you to do the talking for her, seeing as how you're the one who beat her using some magic of your own."

Isaac's eyes widen a bit.

"Yes, I know all about what happened at the Fall Formal. I also know that you possess some hidden magical force of your own and that it helped you to defeat Sunset when she was still a bully."

Sunset’s heart skipped a beat. She closed her eyes and took a breath. “You know?”

“I have said so, did I not?”

“How?”

Sombra waved a hand in the air. “Surely you did not think you were the only one in this world with power, did you? It is rare, true; I would not question it if you claimed to have never met another. But they are out there.”

He’s not wrong. Sunset had heard rumors and stories, but they’d never affected her so she hadn’t paid any attention nor had much interest. I was content to just wait for the portal to reopen so I could invade Equestria.

“But, yet…” Sombra tilted his head and narrowed his eyes slightly. “Your powers are different, somehow. I have met many duelists who can draw whatever card they may need, or create new cards from nothing. But I've yet to meet duelist who have the incredible power/potential that you two possess." His eyes fell on their forearm and their duel disk. "Would you both mind if I take a look at both of your decks?"

Sunset’s free hand moved to cover up her cards. “No.”

"There's no way in hell, I'll ever let you touch my cards." Isaac started to ball up his fist.

“Why not?”

“We don’t trust you.” said Sunset.

Sombra’s lips twitched down slightly. “You offend me, Sunset. Not once before have I ever lied to you, and I do not intend to start now. What cause is there to distrust me?”

Anger boiled up in Sunset at his words. She channeled it into a glare. “You’re the head of the school that has humiliated and pushed around Canterlot High for years.”

"Not too mention, have students that are constantly gloating about their victory every chance they get. All they talk about is how much better they are than us. That's not what dueling is about; it's about having fun and making sure that you push past your limits as a duelist." Isaac now stood up as he pointed a finger at Sombra.

“You deem me a scapegoat for your school’s ill performance?” Sombra snorted and shook his head. “I chose to take Crystal Prep to a higher level of competition, and Celestia refused to keep up. If you want someone to blame for Canterlot High’s loss of the tournament every single time, look to your own principal.”

Sunset paused and blinked, her glare fading. “What do you mean?”

"Don't you dare disrespect, Celestia's name!" Isaac's blood began to boil as he didn't like Sombra bad mouthing Celestia.

Sombra spread his hands. “Under my careful eye, Crystal Prep has become one of the most prestigious dueling institutions in the country. When I first became principal, eleven years ago now, Crystal Prep was much like Canterlot High. I instituted a dueling ranking system, decreed school events utilize the advanced ruleset of professional play, and I changed entry into the Friendship Games to be based on merit rather than a student vote.” He turned his head to the wall, and Sunset followed his eyes to a poster for the Friendship Games. “I have told Celestia that her school could be the same as ours, if she would adopt my reforms. The benefits of my system are self-evident, but Celestia refuses. She once told me that it was the decision of her students, they wanted the Friendship Games to be about fun, and had little interest in advanced rulesets or ranking systems. She agrees with that sentiment, and has told me she doesn’t want her school to be ruled by competition and bitterness.” Sombra looked over at Sunset, stepping back towards her. “I have made Celestia offers of equality and fair competition, and she remains loyal to her students and to her ideals. Admirable. But misguided. Imagine what this tournament could be if Canterlot High would only rise to meet the challenge properly, instead of stagnating in mediocrity.”

"Like I'm supposed to believe that bullshit!" scoffed Isaac.

“Is that what you think we are?” Sunset replied.

“Yes. But there are always outliers. Like you two.” Sombra smiled at her. “I had often wondered about you. Canterlot High’s mysterious duelist who never duels outside of tournaments. But you never entered the Friendship Games, and what little I knew of you showed no higher ambition from you as a duelist than dominating your school. I brushed you off as a low priority, a probable false lead.” He stopped in front of Sunset, his smile widening. “And now today you demonstrate to me your magic is not only active, but powerful beyond compare. I cannot tell you how delighted I am to apologize to you for my erroneous presumptions.”

Sombra then turned to address Isaac. "And you, the rising star that has taken Canterlot High by storm. You appear and then in no time flat have the fastest rise as you shoot up the ranks and then become champion. Not to mention that you're the holder of the legendary Dark Magician; many people would do anything to have that card matched with your skill set. That is a powerful combo that would do well in the pro leagues."

Sunset stood, her chair squeaking, and looked up at him. “Well, you found us. So, what do you want?”

“To invite you both to Crystal Prep.”

Sunset faltered. “What?”

"Sorry, not interested!" Isaac quickly declined.

"So quick to judge without letting me explain myself. I'd expected more well-behaved manners from the champion of Canterlot High." Sombra reached into the jacket of his suit and withdrew a small pamphlet with a photograph of Crystal Prep on it. “Normally, tuition at our school is rather expensive, but it is worth the price for the caliber of instruction you would receive. I accept nothing less for my students than the best faculty and the best facilities, and we teach within the highest percentiles in the region for both Duel Monsters and conventional courses. Of course being such a prestige school comes with some secret perks. What you will not read in pamphlets like this, however, are the private dueling classes we host. In the safe environment of this closed setting, in a class only I may authorize admittance to, Crystal Prep students with the potential for magic can hone their abilities and awaken the full breadth of their powers. An opportunity you will never find at Canterlot High.”

“A free tuition to a private school with magic lessons?” Sunset looked at the pamphlet. “You just finished boasting about how you use Crystal Prep to track down duelists with magic and train them. But why? What do you get out of this?”

“Isn’t it obvious? Crystal Prep’s reputation speaks for itself. We have tutored champion duelists for years, not to mention professionals who enter other fields of dueling such as card and game design. Success breeds prestige and prestige breeds influence.” Sombra closed his eyes and gave a small chuckle. “You could not imagine how much money Crystal Prep gets from sponsors and donors every year.”

“Money doesn’t make your school or your students better than Canterlot.”

“No – being better makes us better.”

“And it makes you arrogant.” Sunset glared. “I used to use my cards to push people around and control this school. And you think running an entire school that way is how I should learn? That I’d want to re-learn how to be a bully?”

“Bully?” Sombra frowned. “The only inequality you suffer from is that which you afflict upon yourselves. If you and your fellow students tire of losing the Friendship Games, speak to Celestia about it. We could stop holding the tournament, or you may adopt my methods. Crystal Prep is proof they are successful. We have many students enrolled even now who hone their craft both magical and benign. Some have skill enough they could pose a challenge even to you.”

Suspicion bloomed in Sunset’s mind. “Twilight.” This also caught Isaac's attention.

“Proof of her latent abilities. She holds promise.” Sombra looked away and gave a small huff. “I have tried to encourage her to expand her horizons, but her mind is rigid and closed. She is intelligent beyond compare, and it has done her well in her classes, but she could be so much more if she could unlock her true potential. I have not yet given up hope for her, but if she did not awaken her powers when dueling you, I am uncertain what more it will take.”

“You expected her to awaken her magic dueling me?”

"Don't you dare lay a finger on Twilight! If you do, then so help me!"

"You seem to care an awful lot about that girl, Isaac. Is she really that important to you? But then again, how can that be? I mean it's not like you met her before this, right?" Sombra had a sly smile on his face.

Sombra looked back at Sunset. “If you are concerned I somehow arranged your confrontation, do not be. I have not influenced the randomly chosen duels of the tournament, you have my word. But I will not deny that when I saw the two of you matched, I grew rather excited. I had hoped at least one of you would spur the other into awakening.” He smiled again. “And so you did.”

“Yeah, well…” Sunset sat down in another desk and rubbed the back of her neck. “It’s not something I’m proud of. I could have seriously hurt her.” She looked at her deck. “I can’t control it. I didn’t even know I could summon it up like that. But I won’t use a power that I can’t stop from hurting others.”

“A fair assessment. I do not think Twilight was in any serious danger, if that will help put your mind at ease. And while your magic is unlike any I am familiar with, I believe the same tutoring techniques used for other duelists could help you hone and learn to control it.”

Sombra stood and held out the Crystal Prep pamphlet again. “Attend Crystal Prep, Sunset, Isaac, and I can help you unlock and master your abilities. You two could become a duelist unparalleled but for a handful of others like you.”

Sunset stared at the offering for several seconds.

I don’t even know why I can’t control it, much less how. And it made me into… that. “You really think you could help me?”

“I promise it. I think attending Crystal Prep would be the best thing for everyone, including yourself.” Sombra inclined his head slightly. “I would hate to think what may happen if you lost control of your powers while dueling one of your friends.”

Sunset’s head skipped a beat. My friends… She took a shaking breath and looked down at her duel disk.

"Now you've gone too far! Leave our friends out of this, they've got nothing to do with this!" Isaac had his hand on his duel disk as he was preparing to fight Sombra.

"And what will you do, if I don't?" Sombra then started to get a bit more evil in his voice as he started to get in the face of Isaac.

She looked up at the pamphlet in Sombra’s hand, and raised her arm to gently push it aside.

“No.”

Sombra frowned. “May I ask why?”

Sunset inhaled deeply. “I can’t say I’m not at least a little curious. And I do want to learn how to control my magic. But I can’t leave Canterlot. I have friends here.”

“You could make new friends at Crystal Prep. And contact with your friends here would not be forbidden.”

“It’s not that simple.” Sunset took a breath. “I belong at Canterlot High. Crystal Prep may be great, but… all the things you said about how you reformed it, the way your students duel…” She stood firmly and locked teal eyes with green. “Like I said: I’m not interested in re-learning how to be a bully.”

"I refuse to go to a place that turns dueling into a place of survival. I duel because I love this game; and I won't ever turn my back on it. Not now and not ever! So make all the threats/offers, you want! But at the end of the day, this where we belong! And if you've got a problem, then let's settle it using our decks." Isaac had activated his duel disk as he was raring to go. Sunset stood up as she was behind Isaac getting ready to offer him some assistance.

Sunset looked back at Sombra. After holding her gaze for several seconds, he gave a brief bow of his head. “This is the second time today I have been disappointed.” Sombra sighed and tucked the pamphlet back into his suit. “You may consider my offer remaining open, at least until the end of the tournament. Think it over a bit more and we can talk again tomorrow.”

My answer will be the same. Aloud Sunset merely said, “Sure.”

Sombra extended his hand, now empty. “Once again I congratulate you on your win. Whatever you may choose, you have a unique gift, Sunset. I hope you will do what is needed to nurture it. And as for you, Isaac. Keep on impressing me with your skills and I do believe that we'll be in business soon enough.”

“…Thank you.” Sunset took the hand and shook it.

Once their hands stilled, Sombra withdrew his. “If you do not mind, I will take my leave. Good evening, you two. I will see what tomorrow brings. Hopefully, I can see some more results.” With a short bow and a nod, Sombra turned and calmly walked out of the room, leaving the door open behind him. Sunset waited, listening to his footsteps echo down the hall.

"He's gone." Sunset was now leaning against the door.

"Yeah, the nerve of that guy. Thinking he knows what's best for us? Telling us that we should abandon everybody here, including our friends? Kiss my ass if I'm going to do that!" said Isaac was he was letting out his anger.

"But what if he was right? I mean, what if he can actually help us? Help me figure out why my power suddenly appeared and the power he says that you hold? What if?"

"Even so, I doubt he'll let us be. I don't need someone telling me what I can and can't do; that's not who I want to become. If I have some sort of hidden power, then I want to figure it out on my own, I want to have my friends along side me."

Sunset took a moment to listen to what Isaac was saying. "Perhaps you're right. Still, we should probably focus on making sure that Canterlot High is still victorious. Everybody is still counting on us to win; hate to let down."

"There's the Sunny I know."

"It's been a while since I've heard that nickname." Giggled Sunset. "Come on boy toy, let's go find our friends." With that Sunset and Isaac stepped out of the room. Before they began walking, Sunset gave Isaac a quick kiss on his cheek and they were on their way. They eventually made their way back to their friends as they discussed the plan for tomorrow and then parted ways for the evening.

Inside a residential household, there was someone who was having a tough time on her computer. Twilight was busying trying to decipher something, but the results kept coming up empty handed. Soon there was a knock on her door.

"Twily, you okay?" said Shining Armor who was talking on the opposite side of the door.

"I'm busy!" came the muffled response.

Shining frowned and turned the door handle. “Twilight?” He pushed the door open and peaked his head into his sister’s room. Twilight sat with her back to him, working on her computer. Her duel disk lay on the desk next to her, a cable running from the disk to the computer.

"No, no, no! Come on, work damn it!" Twilight grunted and slammed a fist beside her keyboard. This caused her duel disk to jump and let a few sparks fly out as the scent of overheating let out. "It won't transfer! Why!?" Twilight then put her head down on her desk.

“What are you doing?” Shining asked, coming up to her.

Twilight turned to her duel disk and examined the cable connection as she spoke. “My duel disk doesn’t have any records of my duel with Sunset. Any time I try to access data from it, either the programs crash or the data is corrupted. The duel record is corrupted. The video and audio recordings are blank. Even the record of my opponents didn’t add Sunset to the directory.”

“Should run some maintenance on it, make sure it runs properly.”

“It worked fine yesterday!” Twilight shrieked, her eyes snapping up at her brother. “But the after I dueled Sunset, everything went haywire!”

Shining leaned closer. “Twily, what’s wrong?”

“What’s wrong?” Twilight grunted angrily and clutched her hair. “Everything’s wrong! That duelist is something beyond just cheating, Shining! Her eyes were glowing! So was her deck! How do you explain that?”

“Error with the holograms?”

"Ahhh!" Twilight let out a scream as she couldn't believe her own brother was buying what she was trying to explain. "Why doesn't anybody believe me!? Not to mention that Isaac also managed to showcase a brand new monster while embarrassing you in front of the school. I know for a fact when I faced him he didn't have that card in his deck."

"Wait, what do you mean when you said 'when you faced him'?" Shining Armor noticed that Twilight was suddenly silent when she let it slip out she dueled against Isaac.

"Uhhh.... I mean when you faced." Twilight was smiley sheepishly.

"Alright, what's going on! How do you know about Isaac's deck?" Shining Armor now had a stern tone in his voice as he had his arms crossed while looking at his little sister.

Twilight knew that her brother was bound to find out one way or another, so she decided to come clean. "Let's say that a few weeks before the Friendship Games, I may have been snooping around Canterlot High."

"Twily!?"

"I wasn't trying to intrude; it's just that I've heard some rumblings happening at that place about how someone had recently become champion and were currently in possession of a rare card. So it peaked my curiosity and I decided to do some surveillance using my drone and then when the time was right, I decided to take a trip to the school myself to see who the students were talking about. I didn't get far as I just arrived at the front entrance; it was then that Isaac saw me and I tried to get away but that resulted in us engaging in a duel."

"So you knew? You knew all along who the final member of Team CHS was, and you didn't tell anybody else on the team?"

"I didn't mean it; it's just that for some weird reason, I kept it to myself." Twilight then had her head down as she awaited for what her brother would say.

"Twilight, I'm not mad. I'm sure you had your reasons for not telling us. What I'm real concern with is the fact that you were sneaking around Canterlot High without permission? Imagine what Principal Sombra or even Cadance would think? Let alone mom and dad. The last thing we want for you is to get in trouble; I know that you love science, but sometimes it can lead you to cause some mischiefs."

"I'm sorry, please don't tell mom or dad! I'm begging you." Twilight was pleading with her brother not to say a word.

"I won't say anything, wouldn't be much of a big brother if I snitched on my little sis. Just promise me that you won't make any decisions like this again."

"I promise." Twilight gave her brother a smile.

"Good." Shining Armor then gave Twilight a hug. "Now you said you collected some data on Isaac, right? Mind telling me what you actually recorded."

Twilight then began to tap something into her computer. Soon she brought up Isaac's profile from CHS's website and she began to talk it over to her big brother. She then tapped another button and she brought up lots of videos that contained Isaac's duels. Shining Armor even listened to how invested Twilight was as she kept talking about each of his battles and pointing out what he did well and what he could possibly have done differently. Soon the topic of his Dark Magician came up and Twilight went on a full 20-minute rant on how she was surprised that such a card existed and that she was fascinated on the many different ways Isaac used his monster. Soon their mother called out to them as it was time for dinner.

"Well, we'd better get going. Don't want to keep mom waiting." Twilight’s stomach growled to which she let out an embarrassing look.

"I just can't get that duel out of my mind. I know for a fact she cheated, or possibly used some magical force to beat me. I know that if Principal Sombra found out then he would disqualify CHS; I just haven't been able to reach him all night."

"Twily you need to let it go. If you believe something is going on, know that I'll be here. And I'm not just saying that because I'm your BBBFF; this is me talking as Crystal Prep's duel champion." Shining hugged her, patting the back of her head. "Besides, aren't you always saying 'A poor duelist focuses on beating what’s on the opponent’s field; a great duelist focuses on beating what’s in their deck."

"That's not exactly what I said."

"The point is, whatever is happening with that Sunset Shimmer girl, yelling at your duel disk and calling yourself crazy isn’t going to give you the answer. You’ll be free all day tomorrow, you can look around Canterlot and talk to people then if you need to.”

“...Yes.” Twilight inhaled. “You’re right, that’s fair... yes.”

“See?” Shining smirked and ruffled her hair. “Your bro is good for more than being a handsome duelist.”

“Stop that,” Twilight scowled and pushed his hand off her hair.

“I will, if you come get dinner with me.”

“Fine, but after dinner I’m coming back to work on this.”

“As long as you get to sleep at a proper time, sure.”

“…‘kay.” Twilight stood up and obediently followed her brother out of her bedroom, pausing at the doorway to look back at her duel disk, and then to her broken glasses folded up on the desk in front of it.

Why can’t I understand this?

Shining Armor was walking to the dinner table; he was also replaying the talk that just happened with his sister. The one thing that really caught his attention was how Twilight was so interested in Isaac and his Dark Magician. He understood her having tons of data on Isaac as that was how she prepared for a duel against someone by collecting info. However, the way she talked about him was more than informative, almost like she was fascinated by Isaac. "She couldn't be... no it's not possible... still. I'm probably being overprotective; maybe I should ask Cadance about this, she seems to have a natural talent for this type of thing.

Isaac was currently laying on his bed as he looked at the pamphlet Sombra gave him in his right hand with his deck in his left. Soon Isaac stood up as he put his deck on his night stand and put the pamphlet in the trash can. He then made his way to his window as the spirits of his magicians manifested.

Isaac was still staring out his window, but he could sense his magicians presence. "Mahad, Mana."

"Good evening master, is there anything troubling you?"

"Troubling me? Whatever could trouble me?"

"Pardon me for speaking out of turn master, but we overheard your conversation with Lady Sunset and Mr. Sombra."

Isaac let out a sigh as he turned to face them. "So you know?"

"We know and we'll support you in whatever decision you choose." said Mana. "Our duty is to make sure that you're safe; and if you feel attending Crystal Prep is the right call, then we'll be with you all the way."

Isaac just gave them a smile. "I appreciate your concern and loyalty, Mana. You too, Mahad. But I meant what I said to Principal Sombra. There's no way in hell, I would ever turn my back on my friends. Not after what I've been through; plus, dueling constantly to just show everyone why I'm the best. No thank you. I duel because I love this game; if I don't feel that love then what's the point. If you don't love something, then why do it at all?" Isaac then sat on his bed and picked up his deck. Each of his magicians were on his side as they all looked at his deck.

"I made a promise to not just myself, but to mami and papi. I want to make them proud and I know that this deck is the key. They've had to sacrifice so much for me to become the young man that I am today; the least I can do is make sure that when they're old and gray, they can relax knowing that their son can take care of himself. That is what I strive for as an individual; as a duelist, I just want to keep having fun duels and maybe one day find someone who can always give me a good time whenever we step foot on the duel field."

"Well I think that may be closer than you think." smiled Mana.

Both Mahad and Isaac just gave her a confused look on what she was saying. She just put her finger to her lips to show that she wasn't going to tell. Eventually, Isaac and Mahad both shrugged as they gave up trying to figure out Mana's riddle. Soon it was time for bed and Isaac bid his magicians farewell as he got himself ready for another day of dueling tomorrow.

Chapter 44: Rarity v. Sunny Flare- Round 5

It was now the second day of the Friendship Games as both schools had filled the seats of the bleachers. The crowd as even louder than the day before. Sunset had just arrived to the event. Taking a deep breath, Sunset slid her phone back into her pocket and slowly walked to the entrance to the field, her boots crisp on the pavement. At the stairs down to the grass she paused and looked at the bench for Canterlot High. Her friends were there, some sitting down and others standing, but they all turned their heads towards her when she came into view. Isaac was there as he was just talking with the girls about his session with Sunset yesterday.

Rainbow Dash ran up to her. “Hey!”

"Hey."

“Sunset?” Sunset girl raised her eyes to see Fluttershy stepping up behind Rainbow. “How are you doing?” she whispered.

“I’m… doing. Thanks.” Sunset looked over at the Shadowbolt bench, five of the opposing duelists already seated and chatting with each other. “Have you seen Twilight?”

Rarity sighed. “I’m afraid not. I had wanted to check on her myself, but she’s a no-show.”

“Darn.” Sunset scrunched her face. “I hope she’s okay.”

“Too bad you or Isaac aren't allowed to duel again,” Rainbow said. “You both kicked some major butt yesterday. Wouldn’t mind seeing that happen again.”

Sunset’s head snapped up, her mouth hanging open. “How can you say that?” Her expression twisted into one of anger. “I could have hurt her, Rainbow!”

“Yeah, but you didn’t.” Rainbow held up her hands.

"Rainbow!!" shouted Isaac.

Sunset jabbed a finger at Rainbow’s chest, making the other girls step back as Sunset came towards her. “I just tapped into magic I wasn’t even sure I had anymore, and I turned back into that arrogant, violent duelist you saw from the Fall Formal tournament and before! Is that the kind of teammate you want?”

“No; I want the kind of teammate that wins!” Rainbow pushed Sunset’s finger away.

"That's enough!" Isaac then made his way in between as he separated Rainbow and Sunset to avoid any physical violence. "Look what happened yesterday, happened. I already talked to Sunset about." He then looked at Dash with an angry look. "And I would appreciate it, if you didn't bring it up. Right now we need to refocus and remember that we're still competing against Crystal Prep. We managed to gain a victory the previous duel; lets use that momentum in our favor and win the remaining battles. Do I make myself clear!" Soon both backed away as Isaac's words took effect.

"Sorry."

"No, I'm sorry. I'm just so obsessed with Canterlot High winning that I don't want Crystal Prep to run their mouths anymore. It's just that both you and Isaac had incredible duels yesterday that really turned to tide in our favor, now Crystal Prep is thinking twice about underestimating us. I just want us to keep riding this wave till the end."

“It’s okay.” Sunset shook her head. “But you shouldn’t go thinking this is a good thing, it isn’t."

"I know." They then gave a quick hug and fistbump to which the others gave small smiles.

Sunset felt a chill go down her back, and turned her head. Sombra stepped down the stairs onto the field, his shoes echoing crisply on the concrete.

“Excuse me,” Sunset said, waving at Rarity. She jogged up to Sombra as he touched down on the grass. Isaac saw what was happening and was concerned about Sunset's safety, so he decided to hang back as he trusted Sunset to take card of herself. And should things go south, he was ready on standby. “Principal Sombra!”

Sombra turned his head and smiled softly. “Ah, good morning, Sunset.” He put a hand on his chest and gave a small bow of his head. “I trust all is well with you?”

Sunset swallowed heavily. “As well as could be expected.”

“Good to hear.” Sombra raised his eyes, green eyes gleaming in the morning sun. “Is there something I could do for you?”

“I just wanted to make sure you hadn’t told anyone else about…” Sunset looked around; no one was nearby. She erred on the side of caution anyway. “What we discussed yesterday?”

Sombra’s smile faded. “Why would I, Sunset? I above all others understand the need for discretion in these matters.”

“Right.” Sunset nodded. “I just thought, I mean, I said no to you. I thought you might be upset or offended.”

“No. Disappointed, perhaps, but not offended.” Sombra held a hand out beside him. “I extended a generous offer to you for your own benefit, and you declined it. That is your choice to make.” He drew his hand back. “Although, as I said before, the offer is still available until the end of the tournament, if you wish to accept it.”

“Thank you.” I won’t. With that Sunset then made her way back to join her friends, while Sombra just looked on as Sunset joined Isaac and his team with a smile on his face. He joined the others in their sky box as he took his seat.

Dean Cadance cleared her voice before raising the microphone to her lips. “Students of Canterlot High and Crystal Prep, welcome to the second day of the Friendship Cup!” She paused while the crowd cheered. “For any of you who may not have been present yesterday, a brief recap of the duels.” The display screen over the field showed the seven portraits of Canterlot and Crystal Prep’s duelists in a row, the portraits growing larger as Cadance spoke of them. “Crystal Prep’s Sour Sweet defeated Canterlot’s Fluttershy Breeze, Crystal Prep’s Sugarcoat defeated Canterlot’s Jacklyn Applejack, Crystal Prep’s Shining Armor tied with Canterlot’s Isaac, and Canterlot’s Sunset Shimmer defeated Crystal Prep’s Twilight Sparkle!”

Sunset saw several Crystal Prep students look at the Canterlot bench at Cadance’s final remark.

“Today, the final three duelists from either school will face off. If, at the conclusion of all seven duels, there is a tie, we will hold a tiebreaking duel shortly after today’s third duel. Otherwise the tournament will be rewarded to the first school to achieve four victories.” Cadance handed the microphone to Luna sitting beside her.

“And now, let the second round begin!”

The students cheered again while the portraits of the schools’ remaining duelists began to flash at random.

“It’s one of us,” Rarity whispered. Rainbow reached over and patted the back of her hand laying on the bench.

The portraits stopped, two of them lit up.

Rarity’s breath caught.

“Our next duel is decided! Canterlot High’s Rarity Belle will face Crystal Prep’s Sunny Flare!”

On the Crystal Prep bench, Sunny Flare stood and tossed her hair, then walked onto the field.

Rarity inhaled. “Very well.” She stood and walked out, stopping at the close end of the markers. Sunny Flare reached the other end of the field, spun on her heel, her hair flying about her, and raised her arm.

Rarity smiled. “May the best duelist win.”

Sunny returned the smile with much less sincerity. “I will, yes. Thank you.”

“Let the duel...begin!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel" said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

"Time to dazzle!" shouted both of them.

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunny Flare

Sunny Flare’s portrait lit up on the duel screen.

“Marvelous.” Sunny drew her opening hand and flipped a card out from it.

"Time to see what Rarity is up against." said Sunset.

"Whatever it is, I'm sure she can handle it." reassured Isaac.

"I'll summon Hazy Flame Cerbereus(2000/200)." A circle of fire lit up in front of Sunny. From within them rose a large three-headed dog, its entire body made of flickering orange and red flames. The three heads looked at each other before turning forward to growl at Rarity. "Despite it being level 6, I can summon it without a tribute. All I have to do is sap its strength in half." Cerbereus groaned as its body lit up red, the flames of its mane dying down. “I end my turn.”

Once Sunny Flare ended her turn all the girls looked at Isaac to see if he knew about this deck archetype.

"Any info that we should know, partner?"

"From what I remember, they're mainly focused on setting up Xyz Summons and have a relatively broad variety of effects, that range from searching to swarming, but the main goal is to set up the game to Xyz Summon their ace monster, 'Hazy Flame Basiltrice'. It gains additional effects depending on the number of Xyz Materials attached to it; if successfully summoned by using 5 Level 6 FIRE monsters, it reaches a hefty 3500 ATK and cannot be targeted by your opponent's effects or be destroyed by any effect, narrowing the range of cards that can get rid of it to situational or archetype-restrict ones, that would be capable of taking it off the field without targeting or destroying it. However despite all that, it can be destroyed."

"But will Rarity be okay?"

"Hard to say Fluttershy, we'll just have to wait and see."

Turn 2: Rarity

Very well.” Rarity drew with a flourish, looked at her card, and held it out. "I’ll begin with this spell card, Crystal Bond. This lets me add a Crystal Beast monster from my deck to my hand, and then a Crystal Beast with a different name is placed in my spell and trap zone.” Rarity tapped on the screen of her duel disk and picked up the two cards that ejected. "To my hand I’ll take Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and in my spell and trap zone, I’ll place Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth.” A bright orange gemstone with a shadowed form inside it materialized in front of Rarity in a cluster of light orbs. “Next, I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus(1800/1200) in attack mode!” A blue gemstone appeared in front of Rarity and shattered, a winged white horse flying out of the shards. “When my pegasus is summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast monster from my deck in the spell and trap zone.” Another card ejected from her deck into her fingers. “I’ll place Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in play.” Beside her orange gemstone manifested a yellow one. “And then, another spell card, Crystal Beacon. Since I have two Crystal Beasts in my Spell and Trap zones, I can summon a third from my deck.”

Rarity’s deck lit up in red light. “Come on out, Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle(300/300), in defense mode!” Within the rays of light appeared a small purple quadruple with large red eyes and a round red gem on its tail. It jumped down in front of Rarity and mewled. Rarity smirked. “When Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned, all of my crystallized Crystal Beasts in the spell and trap zone are released! Amber Mammoth(1700/1600) and Topaz Tiger(1600/1000), I summon you!”

Ruby Carbuncle held up its tail and cried. The gemstone on its tail lit up red and shot beams of energy into the yellow and orange gems behind it. The gems glowed brightly and shattered. From the orange gem came a large mammoth, a circular amber stone on a crest on its forehead. A white tiger with a horn and a collar studded with yellow gems stepped from the rubble of the other gem.

Sunny’s eyebrows lifted. “An array of formidable monsters. And all on your first turn, as well? Impressive.”

“Thank you, darling.” Rarity put a hand to her chest and gave a small bow of her head. “I think you’ll find the beauty of my Crystal Beasts is best appreciated up-close! Topaz Tiger, attack Hazy Flame Cerbereus!” Topaz Tiger roared and charged forward, paws padding over the grass. “When my Topaz Tiger attacks a monster, it gains 400 attack points!” The tiger reached Cerbereus and pounced, claws extending from its paws. Cerbereus reared up and was knocked onto its back, and Topaz Tiger slashed it apart.
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 7000-

Sunny sniffed and reached to her duel disk. “I activate my monster's special ability. When Hazy Flame Cerbereus is destroyed, I can add a ‘Hazy’ card from my deck to my hand.” She held up her card. “I’ll take this, the continuous spell card Hazy Pillar.”

“Very well. As for me…” Rarity flung out her hand. “Sapphire Pegasus and Amber Mammoth, direct attack!” Sapphire Pegasus spread its wings and conjured an orb of blue energy between them, and Amber Mammoth generated an orange orb between its tusks. The two flung their heads forward and fired the orbs across the field, two circling each other before exploded around Sunny Flare.
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 3500-

Rainbow Dash pumped her fist. “Alright, and just on the first turn!”

“That’s our Rares!” Applejack called. The rest of the Canterlot crowd cheered loudly.

"Don't celebrate too early. This duel is far from over; Rarity better be prepared for what's about to happen." said Isaac as his tone caused the girls to look back at the duel with slightly depleted smiles.

“Thank you, thank you.” Rarity turned to the bench and bowed. “But please, stay your praise, for the duel is not yet over.” She turned back to Sunny and smiled. “With those attacks I shall end my turn.”

Turn 3: Sunny Flare

Sunny rolled her tongue in her mouth as her duel disk ejected her card for her turn. “Your showboating is unearned.” She reached down and drew her card.

Rarity gave an indignant huff. “Bold words for someone who lost half their Life Points on the first turn.”

“True, your move was a good one. But you’ve left your field open to counter-play, and you’ve no idea what cards are in my hand.” Sunny’s lips curled in a small smirk. “Style is not nearly as important as substance, and unfortunately you only have the former. I’ll show you the latter.” She reached to her hand and picked up a card to slide into her duel disk. “I activate the continuous spell card Hazy Pillar.” The ground behind Sunny split apart. A glowing, wavering pillar of bright orange fire rose up from it, the top flickering and snapping the air. “As long as this card is in play, any Hazy Flame monster I may summon requires one less tribute for their summoning.” She flipped another card out of her hand and swung it onto her card tray. “Since I now need no tributes for it, I’ll summon the Level 6 Hazy Flame Sphynx(1900/1900) in attack mode.” A large fireball emerged from the Hazy Pillar and floated in front of Sunny. The flames expanded and grew into a form laying on the ground, and then receded to reveal her monster. A beast with the body of a lion and the head of a woman lounged on the grass, her mane a field of orange and red fire. Jeweled blue and yellow regalia covered her forehead and neck.

Sunny smirked and reached to another card. “I now activate the spell card, Card Advance. This allows me to look at the top five cards of my deck and place them back on top of the deck in any order I wish, and I’m also afforded an extra Tribute Summon this turn.” Sunny’s cards ejected from her duel disk, and she picked them up and fanned them out. She let out a small giggle. “Oh my, I didn’t expect to have luck like this on my side. This duel may be over quicker than I thought.”

Rarity huffed and put a hand on her hip. “Just place your cards.”

"Rarity is going to be in a tough spot now." said Isaac.

“Very well.” One by one, Sunny put the five cards back on her deck, and rolled her neck when she was done. “Now that, that is done.” She gestured a hand to her monster. “I activate the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx. Once per turn I can guess if the top card of my deck is a spell, trap, or monster card. I then reveal and discard that card, and if I guessed correctly, I can summon a Fire monster from my hand or Graveyard.” She put a hand on the top of her deck and smirked. “I have a very strong hunch that the top card of my deck is a monster card.”

Rarity scowled. “So that’s what you were up to. Clever.”

“I know.” Sunny drew and held up the card. She press a hand to her cheek. “How fortunate for me! It is a monster, Hazy Flame Hydra. Hydra now gets discarded, and I can summon a monster.” She pursed her lip. “Although, my Hydra is now in the Graveyard and is a perfectly fine card itself, why get rid of it so hastily? I use the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx to revive my Hazy Flame Hydra(2300/200)!” Hazy Flame Sphynx turned its head and opened its mouth to shoot a column of fire at the ground. The flame formed into the shape of Sunny Flare’s monster and dispersed to reveal it, a writhing mass of red serpentine necks topped by pairs of red jaws with glowing eyes.

"Like before the effect of my Card Advance allows me to conduct an additional summon this turn. I summon Hazy Flame Mantikor(2200/300), and by the effect of my Hazy Pillar, I shall do so without needing a Tribute.” A swarm of fireballs floated out of the pillar of fire and congregated, growing into a quadrupedal form and dispersing. A large red lion with leathery wings crouched in front of Sunny, its mane a ring of orange fire. Sunny laughed and pointed forward. “Now begins the counter-attack! Hazy Flame Sphynx, attack Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!” Hazy Flame Sphynx leaned its head back and shot a jet of fire from its mouth. The fire struck Amber Mammoth and knocked it through the air, the beast trumpeting as it struck the ground and exploded. “Next, Hazy Flame Hydra, destroy Sapphire Pegasus!” The Hydra’s heads turned to face each other and summoned an orb of fire between them. The orb launched forward and engulfed Rarity’s monster in a flash of light. “Finally, Hazy Flame Mantikor, attack Topaz Tiger!” Sunny’s Mantikor roared and leapt through the air, pouncing on Topaz Tiger. It lifted its paw and extended claws of flickering orange fire, slashing through Topaz Tiger and into the ground, the monster scattering into specs of orange light.
Rarity's Life Points: 6800-

The Crystal Prep stands cheered as Sunny tossed her hair and winked at them. “I do hope your menagerie of mangy mammals enjoyed their time on the field. Short and sweet is the best way for monsters to be summoned.”

“I disagree.” Rarity lifted her monsters from her duel disk. “Mine won’t be going very far at all. Whenever my Crystal Beasts are destroyed, I can place them in my spell and trap zones as continuous spell cards.” In front of her, blue, yellow, and orange particles of light swirled around each other, forming large gemstones with the shadowed form of Rarity’s monsters inside them.

“Yes, and then once you come up with a way to special summon Ruby Carbuncle again you can call all of them back.” Sunny sighed and shook her head. “They are annoyingly persistent pests. Fortunately, I know exactly how to get rid of them for good.” She sneered and held a hand into the air. “I overlay my Hazy Flame Hydra and my Hazy Flame Mantikor! Using my two Level 6 monsters, I construct the overlay network!”

Rarity’s eyes widened.

"Here it comes!" said Isaac.

Sunny Flare’s two monsters turned into orbs of orange light and swirled into a flaming vortex above her, red light gleaming from the center. She spun in place as she reached to her duel disk, her hair and skirt flying through the air. "That man of yours is right. By uniting the serpent of fire and the lion of fire, I spark the kindling that will light the flames of malice!” She stopped with her hand in place, a card ejecting into her fingers. “I Xyz Summon.” She swung her card out and onto her duel disk with one swift motion. “Take flight, Hazy Flame Basiltrice(2500/1800, OLU: 2)!” The Hazy Pillar behind Sunny blazed hotter as a shadowed form appeared within it. With a loud screech, a massive avian monster flew out of the flames and circled the field, two balls of orange light orbiting it. Wings of fire and gold swept through the skies, feathers in blue and orange and red rustling and a long serpent’s tail flicking the air in its wake. The monster touched down behind Sunny on six claws and raised its chest proudly, red eyes blazing beneath a golden crown and a hair of blue fire.

Rarity swallowed heavily, a hand to her chest. “It’s magnificent…”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Sunny looked up at her new monster looming over her. “You’ll get a chance to get an up-close view next turn, I promise you. But for now, there is the business of my Hazy Flame Hydra to attend to. When my Hydra is used as an Xyz Material, the monster I summon with it gains an additional Xyz Material, in the form of another Hazy Flame Monster in my Graveyard. I choose my Hazy Flame Cerbereus.” A third ball of light rose from Sunny’s duel disk and joined the other two orbiting the Basiltrice.

"Now time to use my Hazy Flame Basiltrice's special ability, By using one Overlay unit , I can banish a monster from your side of the field or in your graveyard." Sunny sniffed. “I think I’ll get rid of that hairball eyesore I left alone thus far!”

Rarity gasped. “Carbuncle!”

Hazy Flame Basiltrice opened it beak as one of its orbiting lights flew into its mouth. With a loud caw it snapped its head forward, a beam of bright orange light lancing across the field. Ruby Carbuncle mewled as the light consumed it, its forming shattering under the blast. Rarity grit her teeth and looked away, raising an arm to block her eyes.

Sunny smirked. “I do believe that’s one Crystal Beast that won’t be rejoining us in the near future. I do hope you aren’t particularly partial to rubies. Or winning duels, for that matter.”

Rarity glared across the field as she lowered her arm. “Thank you for your concern, but I don’t need it. I’m quite capable of dueling without the need for an opponent’s pity.” She then looked at the spot where her monster once was. "Don't worry my sweet little Ruby, momma gonna make sure they pay for what they did to you!"

“I disagree, but we can discuss that after I beat you.” Sunny looked at the cards left in her hand and slipped one into her duel disk. “For now I’ll set a card and end my turn.”

Turn 4: Rarity

"It's about time!" Rarity drew her card and looked down at it. She raised her eyes back to Sunny Flare, and then Hazy Flame Basiltrice above her. She put her card into her hand and swept her eyes between them.

Rainbow groaned. “Come on, Rares, just grab another Carbuncle from the deck! You gotta be running more than one!”

“Which won’t be of much help,” Sunset interrupted. “If she can’t get rid of Sunny’s monster now, Sunny will use the Basiltrice’s effect next turn and banish another one of Rarity’s monsters. Unless she can ensure it’ll be safe, summoning another copy of Ruby Carbuncle is one of the worst moves she could make.”

"Sunset is right. Until Rarity finds a way to dispose of that beast properly, her monsters don't stand a chance. Especially, since Ruby Carbuncle is such a key component in a Crystal Beast deck. It helps her to summon and swarm the field, without that, she may not last long." said Isaac.

Fluttershy bit her lip. “Does she have anything at all to take it down?”

“I’m not sure.” Sunset shook her head. “Rarity’s a great duelist, but she’s always relied more on field advantage than brute force attack power.”

While they were talking, Sunny Flare was leaning over to the side and looking past Rarity. “Your friends got chatty all of a sudden. I think they’re worried that you don’t seem to know what to do. Especially, that man of yours. He's probably thinking twice about ever seeing something special in you. You're probably thinking the same things too.”

“Actually, I was pondering the best way to get rid of that burning eyesore.” Rarity smiled sweetly. “But if you’re curious as to what I was thinking, then let’s just get on with it. I activate the spell card Crystal Promise. This lets me summon one of my crystallized Crystal Beasts back to the field.” Rarity snapped her fingers. “Sapphire Pegasus, I release you!” The blue gemstone shattered and the winged horse flew out. “Since I summoned Pegasus, its effect activates again, letting me place Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle in my spell and trap zone.” A gleaming purple gem materialized in line with Rarity’s other crystals. “Next I shall set a monster in defense mode.” She held up another card. “Finally, I shall activate the equip spell card Crystal Release. By equipping this card to my Sapphire Pegasus, it gains eight hundred attack points.” Small clusters of gems in various colors appeared around Sapphire Pegasus and attached themselves to its wings, the horse rearing up.

Sunny glared. “Should I be worried?”

“Not if you aren’t particularly partial to winged monstrosities!” Rarity snapped back. “Sapphire Pegasus, attack and destroy Hazy Flame Basiltrice!” Sapphire Pegasus flapped its wings and rose into the air. The gems on its wings lit up in rainbow light, and it snapped its wings forward, sending a volley of energy bolts in seven colors across the field.

“I don’t think so.” Sunny rolled her eyes and tapped her duel disk’s screen. “I’ll activate my trap card, Slip of Fortune. This negates your attack and banishes Hazy Flame Basiltrice until the next turn.” Basiltrice turned into a ball of flame and was drawn into the Hazy Pillar. Pegasus’ attack flickered out and vanished in the air.

“A costly move.” Rarity looked at the display of the field on her duel disk. “You’ve lost the monsters attached to Basiltrice.”

“A small price to pay to keep it in play.” Sunny shrugged. “It’ll be back next turn ready to attack.”

“I’m aware.” Rarity slid another card into her duel disk. “I set one card face-down and end my turn.”

Turn 5: Sunny Flare

She lowered her arm and took a breath. “I’m not out of this duel, not by a long shot.”

“Not yet, but artistry takes time, and I’m just getting warmed up.”

Sunny let out a small chuckle. “You haven’t even seen what my deck can really do.”

“Funny,” Rarity replied. “I was thinking much the same thing.”

“My turn.” Sunny smiled as she drew. “Now the second effect of my Slip of Fortune returns Hazy Flame Basiltrice to my field.” The Hazy Pillar behind her flared up and the Basiltrice flew out of it, embers swirling in the air in its wake.

“Yes, and it has no Xyz Materials with which to use its effects now,” Rarity said.

“Not a concern.” Sunny tossed her hair and gestured to Hazy Flame Sphynx. “I shall now use the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx. I guess the type of card on top of my deck and then send it to the Graveyard, and if I guessed right, I can revive a Fire monster in the Graveyard.” Sunny place her hand on her deck. “I’m going to guess it’s a Monster card.” She turned the card over and barked out a chuckle. “Lucky me, it’s another copy of Hazy Flame Sphynx. It goes to the Graveyard, and I’ll revive my Hazy Flame Hydra.”

A jet of flame erupted from the ground in front of Sunny, and the multi-headed serpent slithered out of it and rose up.

Sunny smirked. “And now, I think you know what comes next. I overlay my Hazy Flame Sphynx, Hazy Flame Hydra, and Hazy Flame Hyppogrif! Using my three Level 6 monsters, I construct the Overlay network!”

"Another one!?" shouted Rarity.

The three monsters turned into orbs of flame and floated towards the Hazy Pillar, circling it in streaks of light. Sunny held her hand up. “By uniting the serpent of fire, the avian of fire, and the lion of fire, I spark the kindling that will light the inferno of malice!” She swept her arms through the air, bringing her hand down to her duel disk. “I Xyz Summon!” She whipped the card out and slid it into place on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up. “Take flight, Hazy Flame Basiltrice!” A shockwave of orange and red energy burst out of the Hazy Pillar, signaling the Basiltrice’s arrival as it flew out. It circled around Sunny and landed on her right, three orbs of orange light circling it.

"Things just went from bad to worse." shouted Sunset.

Rarity sniffed. “And this one has three materials to use its effects with.”

“Ah, ah, not quite.” Sunny wagged her finger. “One thing at a time, dearie. You remember the special ability of my Hazy Flame Hydra, right? When Hazy Flame Hydra is used as an Xyz Material, another Hazy Flame monster in my Graveyard can be attached as an additional Xyz Material. I choose my Hazy Flame Mantikor.” Another ball of light emerged from the ground and floated into orbital formation with the other three. “Now that that is taken care of, I think you should be aware of my Basiltrice’s other abilities.” Sunny chuckled softly. “With three or more Xyz Materials, my Basiltrice gains two hundred attack points for each of them. And with four or more Xyz Materials, you cannot target my Basiltrice with card effects.”

Rarity grimaced. “A hefty investment for such benefits.”

“Trust me, it’s worth it!” Sunny pointed across the field. “Since Hazy Flame has currently four overlay units attached to it, it gains 800 attack points. Now its total strength is 3300; plus it's untouchable. Hazy Flame Basiltrice, attack and destroy Sapphire Pegasus!” Basiltrice opened its mouth and fired a stream of flame. Sapphire Pegasus whinnied and reared up as the fire consumed it, its form washed away.
Rarity's Life Points: 6100-

"Thanks for the assist, cause now the other effect of my Crystal Release activates." Rarity tapped her duel disk screen and a card ejected from her deck. “I can now place Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in my spell and trap zone.” A pale amethyst crystal materialized to Rarity’s right, the shadowed form of a monster inside it.

"Go ahead, it won’t save your other monster! My second Hazy Flame Basiltrice attacks!” The Basiltrice launched its attack. Rarity’s hologram flipped over, revealing a tortoise with green gemstones in its shell. It groaned as it dissolved in the flames.

Sunny smirked. “Now that my original Basiltrice has served its purpose, I’ll use the second effect of Hazy Pillar: once per turn I attach a Hazy Flame monster in my hand or on the field to a Hazy Flame Xyz monster. I’ll attach my first Basiltrice to my second.” The Basiltrice lit up orange and condensed into a ball of light that hovered towards the second. “With a fifth material, Hazy Flame Basiltrice gains a thousand extra attack points, and cannot be destroyed by card effects.” Sunny held up a card in her hand. “I set one card and end my turn.”

"Now Sunny Flare's monster can be able to use her monster's effect multiply times. Not to mention that it's practically untouchable."

"Is there any way she defeat it big bro?"

"Hard to say Pinkie." Isaac then returned his gaze at Rarity. Come on Rares, I know you could do it. Believe in your deck. You just need to draw the right card; that may be the key to winning this match.

Turn 6: Rarity

“Very well.” Rarity drew with a flourish and smiled. "I should thank you; you managed to power up your monster up to its max. That will make my victory that much sweeter when I wipe the that nasty smirk off your face."

“Oh my! What ever will I do?” Sunny gasped and pressed a hand to her cheek. “I shudder in anticipation!”

"You’ll eat those words!” Rarity hissed. “I summon Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle(1400/800).” A bird with a jeweled collar set with blue crystals and the same crystals embedded in its wings swooped down to perch in front of Rarity.

Sunny Flare just scoffed at Rarity's move. "What's that oversized turkey going to do?" Sunny's comment seemed to make Rarity's Cobalt Eagle get riled up as it started to ruffle its feathers.

"Easy there, my precious cobalt. Just ignore that scummy wannabe diva. You're important to me." Rarity then looked at Sunny Flare. "Don't you ever talk about my gems like that again! See this is all part of my plan." Rarity held up her duel disk. “Sapphire Pegasus and Emerald Tortoise are in the Graveyard, Cobalt Eagle is in my monster zone, and Amethyst Cat, Topaz Tiger, Amber Mammoth, and Ruby Carbuncle are in my spell and trap zones. With the seven Crystal Beasts now in play, I activate my trap card, Rainbow Gravity!” Rarity’s card flipped up and lit up in white light. Streams of light in the colors of the rainbow rose into the air. It reached the clouds and let out a wave of multicolored light across them. Rarity smiled and closed her eyes. “By the powers of this trap card, from my deck, I special summon Rainbow Dragon(4000/0)!”

The light in the air above them shone brighter, the silhouette of a long, serpentine dragon appearing within it. With the sound of a mighty roar the light cracked and broke apart. From the shards came a giant white and gold dragon in a rainbow aura, massive white wings spreading into the air, gemstones in seven colors embedded in its scales. It descended behind Rarity and coiled in the air above her, glaring at Sunny Flare with golden eyes beneath a crested helmet of white and gold.

"Awesome, Rarity's ultimate beast is here!" shouted Rainbow.

"Yes siree. Time for her to show Crystal Prep why she likes to make a flashy statement."

Sunny’s eyebrows lifted and she gasped. She had seen the card design several times, but this was the first time she gotta see it in all of its natural beauty. Safe to say it didn't disappoint. Her dragon is now here. “Such a beautiful beast! The size, the colors! I almost feel jealous.”

“Thank you.” Rarity gave a small bow. “I’ll let you see its power for yourself now! Rainbow Dragon, attack and destroy Hazy Flame Basiltrice!” The gemstones on Rainbow Dragon’s scales lit up and sent seven streams of colored light up to the horns on its helmet. With crackles of energy, it opened its mouth and fired a beam of light at Sunny’s field.

Sunny scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Such beauty and yet such a brute when it comes to strategy. How uncouth.” She reached to her duel disk and touched a screen prompt. “I activate my trap card, Safe Zone.” A wall of pale blue crystal rose up in front of Hazy Flame Basiltrice. “With this now active, my Hazy Flame Basiltrice cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects, or targeted by card effects.”

Rarity let out a small huff. “That is simply absurd! At what penalty can that card work?”

The girls looked to Isaac for an explanation. Before he could say, Sunny Flare took the burden of explaining for them.

“Oh, a severe penalty, actually. My monster is unable to attack you directly now, and if my Safe Zone card is removed from the field, my monster is destroyed.” Sunny held up her hands. “Though, as long as Hazy Flame Basiltrice has five monsters attached to it, it can’t be destroyed by card effects, not even my own.”

Rarity pouted. “Clever.”

“I know.” Sunny winked at her. “I do still take damage from the attack, but it’s a minor inconvenience.”

Rainbow Dragon’s light beam faded away, and the blue crystal wall in front of Basiltrice receded. Rarity sighed and looked at the last card left in her hand. “I end my turn.”
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 3000-

Turn 7: Sunny Flare

“Wonderful, my move again!” Sunny smiled sweetly as she drew. She looked at her card and reached to her touchscreen. “First things first. As incredible as that dragon is, I’m afraid it’s between me and your Life Points, so it has to go. I detach Hazy Flame Hydra from my Hazy Flame Basiltrice to use its effect and banish Rainbow Dragon!” Basiltrice crowed and flapped its wings to rise into the air, embers in its wake. One of the orange orbs circling it flew into its mouth and grew into a massive ball of fire. Basiltrice drew its head back and snapped it forward, the fireball spreading into multiple streams of fire that spread out and weaved through the air. The assault struck Rainbow Dragon’s body, pelting its wings and scales in small explosions. Its body lit up in orange light and it dissolved away into embers.

Rarity gaped, her eyes wide. “My Rainbow Dragon…”

“Is gone,” Sunny finished. She flipped over the card she had drawn. “And unfortunately for you, I’m still here. I summon Hazy Flame Mantikor(2200/300).” A blast of fire next to her heralded the arrival of her lion-like monster, red skin glowing and fiery mane shimmering.

"No! That was Rarity's best chance at winning." said Rainbow.

"I guess this is the end?" Fluttershy was hiding behind her hair as she didn't want to see what was about to happen.

"Looks like Crystal Prep is about to win." Pinkie's hair was now deflated.

"It's not over." Isaac's response caused his teammates to look at him. "There's still one card that can help her; the question is: does Rarity have what it takes to summon it?"

Sunny Flare overheard the conversation and then turned back to face Rarity. "Your man believes that you still have a chance at winning this. Honestly, if I were him I would start ditching you and search for someone else."

"Leave Isaac out of this! As far as your concern, this has nothing to do with him. He believes in me, just like all my other friends do. If they believe in me winning, then by golly I will win. Furthermore, don't you ever bring Isaac's name up again. He's mine and mine alone, got that!"

"Then maybe he'll love you even more after I strip away whatever beauty you have left after this duel!" Sunny pointed across the field again. “Hazy Flame Basiltrice, attack Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle!” Basiltrice opened its beak and shot another blast of fire at Rarity’s monster. Cobalt Eagle was incinerated, burnt feathers flying into the air. “And next my Hazy Flame Mantikor attacks directly!” Mantikor roared and spat a fireball at Rarity. The attack struck the air before her and washed over her. “And now just to be safe, I’ll use the effect of Hazy Pillar to attach Mantikor to Basiltrice as a new fifth material. That will end my turn.” As her Mantikor turned into a fireball that began to circle Basiltrice, Sunny fanned herself with her hand. “Is the heat too much for you? Don’t worry, just one more turn and it’ll be over.”
Rarity's Life Points: 1800-

Rarity lowered her head, her hands clenched at her side. “No…”

“Yes.” Sunny rolled her eyes. “Be honest with yourself, dearie. We both know you never stood a chance.”

“I stood more than a chance!” Rarity shot back, raising her head. “Fluttershy and Applejack, all gave you great duels, Sunset was able to beat Twilight, and Isaac was able to embrass your top champion in front of your entire school! I’ve given you a hard duel and you know it!”

“Not really. I played a bit cautious to feel out if you had any surprises for me.” Sunny shrugged. “Once I realized you didn’t, I could focus my resources into just finishing you off quickly. The only thing you have that could have posed some problems was your Rainbow Dragon, and you see how easily I got rid of it.” Sunny shook her head. “I’m sorry you have to hear it from me before you lose instead of just realizing it yourself, but one victory doesn’t make Canterlot worthy of facing Crystal Prep. The best of your friends was just barely enough to defeat the weakest of our group, after all.” She tossed her hair and waved to the Crystal Prep crowd, who cheered in response. “As for that man of yours, I'll give him credit, he took Shining Armor to the limit and was able to be the last one standing after their brutal encounter. That alone deserves my respects. But apart from that nothing else matters! Face it, dearie – you just can’t compare to moi.”

“Compare?” Rarity hissed, her hands clenching tighter. “You’re right. There is absolutely no comparing me to you!” Sunny turned back as Rarity shouted at her. “I duel to bring beauty and spectacle to the game, to prove to any who doubt me that victory and power don’t have to come at the expense of grace and elegance. But you? You’re just an egomaniacal braggart who enjoys rubbing their opponent’s nose in the dirt. There’s nothing graceful or elegant about someone like you!”

On the sidelines, Sunset’s heart skipped a beat. She inhaled sharply as she looked on. This feeling… She clenched at her chest and stared at Rarity. It can’t be. It’s impossible. Isaac too was having a similar feeling as he too was clenching his heart. What's happening? Both of them felt a certain power being awaken as they turned to Rarity.

Turn 8: Rarity

Rarity shook her head furiously. “You say I never had a chance? Well, I say I did and still do. A duel isn’t over until the last card is played, and this tournament isn’t over until the fourth of our group loses their duel. And that’s not going to be me. Put my trust in my deck and it will trust in me." Rarity then closed her eyes as she thought about Isaac as she put her hand on her deck. "For myself, for my friends, and for my school, I’m going to show you who I am!” Eyes flaring with violet light, Rarity put a hand on top of her deck. “My turn, draw!” She whipped her card out, sparks of violet light in its wake. She turned the card over, looked at it, and held it out. “I activate the spell card, Crystal Overfusion!” Rays of violet light shone from Rarity’s card. Above her in the air, the images of Sapphire Pegasus, Cobalt Eagle, and Emerald Tortoise appeared. In front of her, the crystallized forms of Amethyst Cat, Amber Mammoth, Topaz Tiger, and Ruby Carbuncle began to crack apart, glowing the same light.

Rarity’s voice echoed as she spoke. “By banishing Crystal Beast cards in my graveyard and on my field, either as monsters or as spell cards, I conduct a Fusion Summon!” The crystallized monsters shattered, and the shards rose into the air, swirling around each other in a sphere. Rarity slid her card into her duel disk and a ray of seven-colored light shot up into the sky, engulfing the gem dust and lifting it into the clouds. The clouds twisted and swirled around each other, white light flashing within.

“Is she doin’ what ah think she’s doin’?” Applejack asked.

“B-but, Rarity doesn’t have magic!” Fluttershy protested. She turned her head to the side. “Sunset? Isaac?”

Sunset didn’t reply, continuing to stare, eyes wide, at the duel.

Sunny Flare just stood there as she couldn't believe her eyes. "This can't be happening! You must be cheating. In all your previous duels, you've never once played that card. Where did you get it?" exclaimed Sunny Flare.

"Why from my man, of course, dearie!" Rarity put a hand over her duel disk. “By combining the lights of the seven gems, I create the bridge to a new future and summon forth a crystal guardian like no other!” A card materialized between her fingers and she slapped it on her duel disk. “I Fusion Summon! Descend, Rainbow Overdragon(4000/0)!” The clouds parted and Rarity’s new monster slowly lowered from above them. A massive white and gold dragon, even larger than Rainbow Dragon, spread its wings across the field and raised its head, eyes glowing white beneath a gold and silver horned crest. Its stomach was shining violet scales, light in seven colors pulsing within them. It hovered above Rarity and roared, the force shaking the field.

Sunny stared in awe. “Magnificent…”

Wisps of violet energy coming from her hands and eyes, Rarity looked at Sunny sternly. “This is the card that has sealed your fate.”

Sunny looked at her duel disk and burst out laughing. “It has the exact same stats as Rainbow Dragon! It may be even more beautiful, but it isn’t any more powerful. Did you forget my Basiltrice is immune to destruction and targeting by any manner? You can’t get rid of it, and then on my next turn I’ll just banish your new dragon just like the first!”

“Of course you would think that,” Rarity whispered. “Someone like you only sees destruction effects and monsters stats, and thinks she is untouchable as long as she can control that kind of play. Not so.” She raised her head. “I activate Rainbow Overdragon’s special ability! By offering it as Tribute, all other cards on the field are shuffled into the deck!”

Sunny’s jaw dropped. “What?”

"Rarity has just won." said Isaac as he had a smile.

Rainbow Overdragon spread its wings. Sunny Flare’s Hazy Flame Basiltrice lit up in seven-colored light and squawked as it was drawn across the field. Sunny turned her head as the Hazy Pillar behind her condensed, fire roiling inside a sphere of the same light, and floated after the Basiltrice. When the two forms were close enough, Rainbow Overdragon swept its wings around them and bowed its head. Sparks crackled over its wings and the dragon dissolved, Sunny’s cards vanished from within its grasp.

Sunny clenched her fist. “You lost just as much as I did with that move, and you have nothing left! On my next turn I can—”

“I was not finished,” Rarity interrupted calmly. She reached to her duel disk as a card ejected from her graveyard slot, and she held it up. “I activate the effect of Crystal Overfusion in my graveyard. By banishing it when the monster it summoned leaves the field, I can search my deck, hand, graveyard, or banished zone, for a Rainbow Dragon card, and summon it.” With a shimmer of purple light over it, Crystal Overfusion in Rarity’s hand transformed into Rainbow Dragon. “From the banished zone, return to me, Rainbow Dragon!” The vanishing particles of Rainbow Overdragon came together behind her and formed into the visage of Rainbow Dragon, the beast roaring proudly.

“Destruction and creation, rebirth and regrowth. This is what my deck is. What I am.” Rarity’s eyes glowed brighter as she spoke.

Sunny stepped back and scowled. “You think this means anything? Your school still has to win two more rounds to beat us! This duel doesn’t make Canterlot superior to Crystal Prep!”

“No.” Rarity’s hair fluttered softly as she whispered. “Just as your school’s past victories don’t make you superior to us.” She spun in place, hand brought back over her shoulder, and thrust it out, her clothing and hair sweeping in her wake. “Rainbow Dragon, attack Sunny Flare directly!”

Rainbow Dragon opened its jaws as it summoned energy from the seven gemstones in its scales. It thrust its head forward and fired a beam of searing light. Sunny grit her teeth and closed her eyes as the attack struck her.
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rarity

On the display board, Sunny’s portrait turned grey and Rarity’s grew to fill the screen. “The winner of the fifth duel of the Friendship Cup is Rarity Belle for Canterlot High!”. The Canterlot stands erupted into cheers, applauding wildly.

The light faded from Rarity’s eyes and she slumped to the ground, gently sitting down. She swallowed and breathed heavily. “Oh… oh my…”

“Rarity!” She turned her head to see Rainbow Dash running up to her, grinning widely. “That was awesome!” Rainbow laughed, grabbing her hand and pulling her up. Rarity gasped sharply, her legs shaking for a moment.

“How did you do that?” Applejack asked. “You don’t have magic! Ah mean, ya don’t, do ya?”

“I… I don’t know.” Rarity blinked several times and put a hand to her chest. “Sunset, what do you make of this?” When there was no response, Rarity looked between the group clustering around her, and they parted to look with her.

Sunset was nowhere to be seen.

Chapter 45: Pinkie Pie v. Lemon Zest- Round 6

“Where did Sunset go?” Rainbow swiveled her head across the field. She paused as Sunny Flare marched past them, not even turning her head her way, and passing the Shadowbolt bench to head into the school.

“I didn’t see,” Fluttershy said.

Rarity swallowed heavily. “I hope she’s alright.”

“Oo, oo!” Pinkie jumped in place. “Maybe she ran to go get you the ‘Congratulations On Your Awesome Victory And Also Having Magic’ cake she had ready for you!” The rest of the group affixed her with annoyed looks. “What? It’s what I’d do.”

“If the assembled students will please clear the dueling field promptly, we will now choose the next two duelists,” Cadance announced.

On the display board above the field, the highlighted portraits of Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, Lemon Zest, and Indigo Zap began to flash in blue and violet borders. After several seconds, the outlines stopped and two portraits grew larger.

“The next duel is decided! Canterlot High’s Pinkamena Pie shall face Crystal Prep’s Lemon Zest!”

“Yay!” Pinkie jumped up into the air, a burst of confetti shooting from her shoulders. “My turn!”

Lemon Zest stood up from the Crystal Prep bench and stretched. “About time, I was getting bored.” She began to walk out onto the field.

"Will the Canterlot High students save for Pinkamena Pie, please vacate the dueling field?”

"We're kind of in the middle of something important!" Rainbow called over, directing a scowl at the principal table. She watched, her expression hard as Sombra placed a hand over the microphone and leaned to say something to Cadance. Cadance nodded as Sombra stood and withdrew his hand, and she leaned back to the mic.

“We will take a brief ten minute break while the duelists clear the field.”

"Does that buy us enough time?" asked Isaac.

“We’ll go find Sunset, Pinkie, you take care of things down here.”

“You got it, Applejack.”

"Rainbow, mind staying here and keeping any eye on Pinkie for us?"

"You've got it, Cap." Rainbow gave Isaac a thumbs up.

Soon the entire team began to file off the field as they began to search for Sunset. Applejack reached the stairs up to the parking lot. “Ah think she’ll be fine without us.” As she turned forward again, she froze, looking across the field.

Fluttershy turned her head, squeaked, and backed away when she saw what had gotten Applejack's attention. The four stepped aside as Sombra walked past them. The rival principal paused with one foot on the bottom step, and without moving his head, turned his eyes to look at Rarity. Applejack gasped and tightened her grip as Rarity suddenly became heavier to hold and her knees shook under her. After a moment of silence, Sombra looked forward and continued up the steps, approaching the Crystal Prep limousine.

Rarity swallowed heavily and put a hand on the railing of the stairs to steady herself. Applejack turned her attention back to her. “Rares, you okay?”

Rarity nodded. “Quite, dear. I think I may just need another moment to get my bearings.”

Isaac tilted his head as he watched Sombra climb into the back seat of the limo. “What was that about?”

The empty bathroom echoed with the sounds of clanging metal. With a continuous barrage of punches, the cover of the paper towel dispenser slowly caved in, the white now marred by streaks of silver where the paint had come off, and streaks of red where blood had been left.

Sunset let her hand rest in the sizable dent she had made. Breathing heavily, she glared at her own hand and gave a final punch to the metal. Wincing at the impact, she brought her hands back and stared down at her knuckles, the skin cracked and bloodied. Her hands shook slightly until she willed them to stop.

Stupid.

She moved to the sink and turned on the taps. She held her hands under the water and watched the red wash away. She ripped off a length of paper towel and pressed her hands dry; when she pulled the towel back the wounds were still raw and slowly seeping blood again. She twisted the taps off and inhaled.

Should visit the nurse.

Wrapping the paper towel around one hand and cupping it over the other, Sunset slowly pushed open the door into the hall and made her way to the stairwell doors. She descended carefully, unable to grip the railing. The walls resounded with her boots hitting the steps, one by one until she reached the bottom. She pulled the door open and felt her legs give out as she began to fall. She would have hit the ground if it hadn't been for someone to catch her.

"Sunset!?" Isaac had managed to get a hold of her before she fell down hard.

"Isaac!?" Her breathing was getting a bit heavy.

Isaac then picked her up in his arms as he brought her into a room and sat her down on a couch as he got her some water. "Here, drink this." Isaac held the bottle to her lips as he helped her to drink. Soon she felt her headache ease up as she was once again rehydrated.

"Thanks." Sunset then put her hand to Isaac's cheek.

"Anytime." Isaac then grabbed her hand to which he felt and saw the pieces of paper towel wrapped around her hand. Isaac then saw that the paper had some red spot showing to which he moved them aside and saw her hand was a bit bloody. Isaac then looked Sunset in the eyes. "Sunset, what happened to your hand?"

"Some idiot smashed it against a paper towel dispenser,” Sunset muttered, turning her head away.

“I see.” Isaac gently moved the paper towel away and looked at Sunset’s wounds. “How many times did she hit it?”

“I lost count.”

“Well, you let her know if she does anything like this to you again, I’m going to have some very choice words for her that I’d otherwise not use in public.”

Sunset looked back at Isaac and locked eyes with him; her eyes confirmed what was implicit from his words. Sunset tried to look away but found herself unable. “I’m sorry.”

"Sunset."

"What happened to Rarity is because of me?" Sunset shrieked. "First I use it against Twilight and it nearly injured her, now Rarity is somehow affected by it. I can't help but think this is all my fault. If I hadn't awaken the power that I thought was long gone, we wouldn't even be in this situation." She sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest and buried her face in them. "This is all my fault."

Isaac then sat near Sunset as he wrapped his arm around her as he did his best to comfort her. "It's not your fault."

"How can you say that? Because of me I've put not only this school in danger, but I've also infected one of our friends" She then lifted her head full of tears. "So how can you tell me to my face that none of this isn't my fault?"

"Because that's not what Rarity told me." Sunset then turned her head to look Isaac in the eyes. "While we were searching for you, she began to tell us about the magical surge she felt in her duel. In fact, she said it was refreshing. Almost like she had just woken up from a nap."

“Isaac, please don’t joke.”

"I’m not.” Isaac put a hand over Sunset’s. "She said that she remembered everything. She remembers drawing her card, summoning her new monster, and winning the duel." He gave a small murmur. "Rarity says it was a bit hazy, but her memory reminded her of what she did while she was in her magical state. She said it felt like she was in control and stayed true to herself..." he grew distant and glanced away. "Rarity just didn't want to let her friends down and she wanted to win for CHS' sake."

“I thought I wanted the same thing during my duel with Twilight,” Sunset whispered. “But look what happened to me.”

“I won’t pretend to have all the answers. But I know that whatever it is you think you need to blame yourself for, one way or the other, you don’t.”

“I wish I could believe that.” Sunset shook her head. “It would be easier if we could actually explain how I suddenly got magic.”

Isaac nodded and pushed himself to his feet. “I agree entirely. But sitting here blaming yourself won’t help us figure it out, will it?” He held out a hand and stretched it into Sunset’s field of view. Sunset turned her eyes to the offered hand. After several seconds of hesitation, she reached out and took it, letting Isaac pull her up. Isaac carefully unwrapped the paper towel to look at Sunset's wounds and gently dabbed at them.

Sunset felt the tension in her shoulders lessen as Isaac rewrapped her hand. “Thanks, Isaac.”

He patted the back of Sunset's hand. “What are friends for?” He gestured his other hand to the hallway. “I believe Pinkie Pie is starting her duel soon, if you want to observe.”

"Yeah, we should get going." With that they began to leave the room; Sunset stopped for a second in the doorway as she was in front of Isaac.

Isaac was concerned on why Sunset had suddenly stopped until she turned back and pressed her lips to his. Sunset brought her other hand to Isaac's cheek as she leaned in a bit more; eventually Isaac brought his hand and cusped her cheek as he kissed her back. The kiss didn't last long as they soon broke away as they left hand in hand back to their friends and the duel field.

Twilight stepped onto the field and looked at the principal table. She frowned when she saw the empty seat next to Cadance. “Where is Principal Sombra?”

“Took off?” Lemon Zest held up a hand, leaning on her bench with her head tilted back. “Why?”

“I need to see him.” Twilight looked at the others. “Do you know where he went?”

Pacing back and forth in front of the bench, Sunny shook her head. “We have more important things on our minds right now! Not that you care, or you’d have been here earlier.”

Hands on her knees to support her head, Sugarcoat rolled her eyes. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you need a babysitter more than a principal.”

“Shut up!” Sunny jumped to her feet and glared down at the other girl. “I don’t need to be talked down by the likes of you!”

“Would you rather we go get Rarity?” Sugarcoat said, smirking slightly.

Sunny bristled. “She got lucky, nothing more.”

“She beat you, nothing less.”

“I’ll rematch her after!” Sunny practically snarled the words. She swiveled her head the other way. “Twilight, you wanna take down Sunset too, right?

Before Twilight could answer, Sour cut in. “Will you both grow up? You lost, get over it! I lost to Sugarcoat last week, you don’t see me whining and angsting about it.”

“I am not angsting!” Twilight protested, glaring at the other girl. “I am investigating! Sunset Shimmer is…” she stopped herself and took a breath. “She may not be what she seems.”

Sugarcoat sat up. “Meaning what?”

“I…” Twilight sighed. “I’m not allowed to say.”

“That’s not very much to go on.”

Indigo stood up and put an arm over Twilight’s shoulders, then reached out to Sunny with her other hand but was slapped away. She looked at Twilight and smiled. “Look, Twi, these are the big leagues. It’s rough and it’s hard and it ain’t always fair, but that’s how the cards are dealt sometimes. But you can’t let it get to you like… like her.” She jerked her thumb at Sunny.

“Bite me,” Sunny hissed. “I think Twilight is right, that duel wasn’t legitimate. It couldn’t be.”

Sugarcoat slapped her forehead. “Give me a break.”

Twilight stepped out of Indigo’s hold. “Why, what happened?”

“I told you, she got a lucky draw! Do you want me to draw you a diagram of how she moved her hands as she played her cards?”

“Maybe.” Twilight looked over the group. “I can’t go into details, but I’ve been looking into something for Principal Sombra. Something about Canterlot and its duelists. And if Rarity’s win wasn’t legitimate, that might be part of things. So how did it happen?” Twilight looked at her duel disk and tapped to call up the tournament records.

“She got lucky!”

“You said that already,” Sugarcoat said.

“I need specifics,” Twilight said. She paused and squinted at her duel disk’s projection. “No recording of the duel?” After a moment’s thought, she raised her eyes to the four girls. “Sunny, what cards did Rarity use to beat you? Name them.”

Sunny opened her mouth. She hesitated and put a finger to her lip. “...It’s strange. I can’t seem to recall.”

Twilight turned her eyes among them. ”Do any of you remember?”

“Uh…” Lemon scratched her neck. “Sunny had an Xyz card out.”

“Hazy Flame Basiltrice,” Sour Sweet offered.

“Right. And Rarity had an empty field… she drew…” Indigo tilted her head. “I guess I wasn’t really paying attention. Did she summon Rainbow Dragon again, or am I misremembering the turn order?”

“I’m fairly sure she did…” Sunny said.

“This can’t be coincidence…” Twilight lowered her head, a hand to her chin. “But she wasn’t even here…” The sound of footsteps behind her caught her ear and Twilight looked over her shoulder. “Principal Sombra!” She ran over and stopped as he kept walking past her.

“Not now, Twilight,” he said sternly as he headed toward the principal skybox.

Twilight kept pace with him as she spoke. “I need to speak to you, sir. It’s urgent.”

“Later.”

“Sir, I think we need to cancel this duel.”

Sombra stopped and spun on his heel, green eyes boring into Twilight. She stopped in her tracks and leaned back.

“Later, Twilight.”

Sombra turned back around and continued to his seat alone. Twilight swallowed heavily and debated approaching, but quickly decided against it when she heard her name.

“Twilight!” She looked over shoulder and saw Indigo waving at her. “You wanna have a seat and watch the duel?”

Twilight looked at the dueling field where Lemon and Pinkie were positioned.

“...Yes. I do.” She quickly walked to the other girls and sat down. She tapped her duel disk screen and a projection of the duel stats appeared above it.

Meanwhile, Isaac had just arrived with Sunset as they met up with Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy when they got out of the school building. He told them about how he got Sunset to calm down and told her she was feeling a bit better. The girls noticed Sunset's hand as they asked her what happened. Soon both Rarity and Fluttershy started to treat her hand as they all made it back to the duel field as the match was about to take place. Pinkie saw her friends come back and she had the biggest smile on her face. Lemon Zest was about to activate her duel disk when a blur pink and blue suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Hi there!” Pinkie grinned in Lemon’s face and grabbed her hand to quickly shake it. “I’m Pinkie Pie!”

“Uh, yo,” Lemon smiled back, grimacing as Pinkie shook her hand hard. “I’m Lemon Zest.”

“Cool. So like, on a scale of one to ten, how fun do you want this duel to be?” Before Lemon Zest could even open her mouth to respond, Pinkie held up a hand. “Trick question, the answer is always ten!”

Lemon grinned. “Dude, you’re totally speaking my language right there. I’m always tuned to ten. Sometimes even that’s not high enough.”

“I know, right!?”

"Anybody else thinking that if this keeps up, we'll have essential two Pinkie Pies on our hand?" said Rainbow to the group.

"Please, no! One Pinkie is hard enough as it is." said Isaac as he was pleading that they didn't have to deal with another person who was hyperactive as Pinkie.

“Will the two duelists please take their positions at the field?” Luna’s voice droned from the speakers.

“C’mon, let’s go.” Lemon nodded over Pinkie’s shoulder.

“Oh, yeah. Over there, gotcha!” Pinkie winked and skipped over to her spot on the dueling field. She held up her duel disk and activated it, projecting out a pink energy tray.

Lemon walked to the other end of the field, turned, and held up her arm. She pressed the activation button on her duel disk and a tray of bright green energy projected from the front.

“Hope you’re ready for this!” Lemon called. “Ya seem cool, which is why I ain’t gonna go easy on ya!”

“You got it!” Pinkie nodded.

“Let the sixth duel of the Friendship Games begin!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

"Let's party!" they both shouted.

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 8000-
Lemon Zest's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Lemon Zest

On the display board the portraits of the two flashed, then stopped with Lemon’s lit up. “Crystal Prep will take the first turn.”

"Sweet.” Lemon drew her opening hand from her duel disk and fanned them out. She smiled wide and pumped her fist. “Already loving it!” She grabbed a card and slapped it on her duel disk. “I activate the spell card, One for One. This lets me discard a monster card from my hand, and then I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck.” Lemon twirled a card in her hand and slotted it into her duel disk, then tapped a prompt on her screen. “I’ll get rid of Morphtronic Cameran and summon Morphtronic Celfon(100/100)!” A large yellow cellphone appeared in front of Lemon Zest. A sheen of light washed over it and it broke apart, transforming into a large yellow robot with bright pink eyes. The screen of the phone cracked down the center and swung back, forming a pair of wings.

"Isaac, care to explain this one darling?"

"Morphtronics are a machine-type deck. While they may be low in terms of level and attack/defense, they have many abilities that rapidly boost their stats and also special summon additional monsters. The deck also has the ability to perform many Synchro Summons in a single turn. Overall, Morphtronics are reliant on each other cause even though you may get rid of it. They'll find a way to help out their teammates by sometimes equipping themselves onto other monsters to make them powerful; in short you can never get rid of them that easily. Not to mention that they have different abilities depending on the mode that they're in."

Back to the duel, Lemon tapped her duel disk again. "I activate Celfon’s ability. Once per turn I can roll a die, and whatever the result is, I can reveal that many cards on the top of my deck and summon a Level 4 or lower Morphtronic monster among them.” Lemon snapped her fingers. “Go, Morphtronic Speed Dial!” Celfon thrust out its chest, made up of the top half of the phone form’s dial pad. The numbers lit up in rapid sequence before stopping on ‘4’. “Awesome!” Lemon grabbed four cards from her duel disk, looking over them, and nodded. “I’ll bring out Morphtronic Remoten(300/1200)!” A white remote control for a video player appeared next to Celfon. The screen blipped to life to show a pair of eyes as arms and legs cords shot out of its sides. Lemon nodded at Remoten. “Next I’ll use Remoten’s ability. By banishing a Morphtronic monster in the graveyard, a Morphtronic with the same Level can be added from my deck to my hand. I’ll get rid of Cameran(800/600) and get a second one out, and then I’ll summon him.” The card ejected from her duel disk and she swiftly slotted it on the card tray. A large red camera appeared in front of her and transformed into another robot, the flash of the camera mounted on the back of its arm.

Pinkie gaped. “Those monsters are so cool! Oo, oo, do they combine into one super-duper-awesome giant robot?”

Lemon held her hand up. “No. But they do combine into something even better! I tune my Level 3 Morphtronic Remoten with my Level 2 Morphtronic Cameran!” Morphtronic Remoten burst apart into three glowing green rings. The rings floated around Cameran and began to spin, while Cameran glowed yellow.

"She managed to Synchro Summon on her first turn?" said Applejack as she was gripped her hat.

"That's the power of Morphtronics; it's why synchro summoning is so easy to get monsters out." Isaac had his hands in his pocket as he looked on. Hope you can handle this type of pressure, Pinks.

Lemon smiled. “I align the frequencies of my remote control and my camera together, and home in on the signal of a high-tech prodigy!” She brought her arm back and raised her duel disk, her hand poised over the back of the device. A card snapped out from it and she grabbed it and placed it on her duel disk. “I Synchro Summon! Come on out, T.G. Hyper Librarian(2400/1800)!” The rings around Cameran contracted and then exploded out, revealing Lemon’s new monster. A tall, slim humanoid figure in a white and black robe stood in front of her, a white cloak trailing down its back. It raised its head, concealed by a military cap and glasses, and snapped an arm out, a book tracing out in green light and then popping into existence in its hand.

Lemon lifted a card in her hand. “Next, I’ll banish Morphtronic Remoten from my graveyard, to special summon Morphtronic Smartfon(100/100).” A slim smartphone materialized in Lemon’s line of monsters and snapped apart, the pieces within unfolding to form hands and feet. The top of the phone popped up, revealing a slim pair of red eyes. “I’ll activate Smartfon’s effect. It’s kinda like Celfon’s effect, but instead of summoning a Morphtronic monster from the deck, it adds a Morphtronic card into my hand. Go, Morphtronic Messenger!” Smartfon’s screen on its chest began cycling through numbers, stopping on a two.

"Just how many abilities, do these Morphtronics have!?" said Sunset.

"A lot, and it's only Lemon Zest's first turn." said Isaac.

Lemon Zest then picked up two cards and frowned as she held them out. "Seems the cards that I picked up were Power-Up Adapter and Air Cracking Storm’. Since neither is a Morphtronic card, I have to add them back to my deck.” She placed the cards on top and her deck automatically reshuffled.

“Aw, that sucks for you,” Pinkie pouted.

“Yeah…” Lemon held up her hands. “But don’t worry, I’ve got one more move anyway. I’ll tune my Morphtronic Celfon with my Morphtronic Smartfon!” Smartfon turned into another green ring that rose up and lowered over Celfon. Lemon extended a hand into the air. “I align the frequencies of my cellphone and my smartphone together, and home in on the signal of a high-tech speedster!” She grabbed her card from her duel disk and put it on the tray. “I Synchro Summon! Rolling out, Formula Synchron(200/1500)!” Lemon’s new monster was shaped like a race car, with legs emerging from below it and arms from the sides between the wheels. It stood next to Hyper Librarian and rested its hands on the car part that formed its chest.

"A synchro tuner, nice." Isaac had a smile on his face as he had plenty experience summon this card.

“When I summon Formula Synchron, its effect activates, letting me draw a card. Also, performing a Synchro Summon activates the effect of Hyper Librarian, letting me draw again.” Lemon picked up her two cards and folded them into her hand with the rest. “I think that’s good for now, so I’ll end my turn.”

Turn 2: Pinkie Pie

"Jesus, that was a lot for just one turn." said Dash.

"That's what Synchro Summoning is all about; being able to use low level monsters to bust out high powerful monsters really quick. Plus they have lots abilities to allow you to bring back a monster."

"You weren't kidding, Isaac." said Sunset.

“Cool!” Pinkie grinned as she drew. She looked at her card and held it out. “I'll start off with a classic. I pay a thousand Life Points, and activate the spell card Toon World! Let the fun begin!" A shower of sparks and a cloud of pink smoke billowed into the air behind Pinkie. A large green book with cartoon characters spun out of it and hurled into the air, landing in front of her and springing open to reveal a pop-up city rising from the pages. Pinkie turned back to Lemon Zest and looked down at her hand. “I'll then summon Toon Masked Sorcerer(900/1400)!” A circular portal in front of Pinkie opened and a purple and red mist poured out, solidifying into the shape of a humanoid figure in a purple robe with a long, bright red shock of hair. The figure shook its head, its face covered by a bright blue mask, and sat down in front of Pinkie. “I guess that’s it, so I’ll set three cards down and end my turn.”
Pinkie's Life Points: 7000-

Rainbow just facepalmed as she witnessed Pinkie's move. "Come on Pinkie. You've got have had something better that. We're losing for sure."

"Don't count Pinkie out just yet." Sunset was doing her best to reassure her teammate.

Turn 3: Lemon Zest

"Seriously dude? That’s it?” Lemon put a hand on her hip and frowned. “Come on, gimme something to work with here!”

“Sorry, bad hand.” Pinkie shrugged again. “I didn’t have any other monsters to summon yet. Maybe next turn!”

Rainbow’s eye twitched. “Does she even know this is a tournament!?”

"That sucks. Guess I've got to keep this party entertaining. Here, let me pick up the slack!" Lemon drew and reached to her hand. “I'll activate the spell card, Junk Box. This lets me revive a Morphtronic in my Graveyard, but it’ll be destroyed at the end of my turn. I revive Morphtronic Celfon.” The hologram of Lemon’s Spell card broke apart into scrap metal that rapidly reformed into the yellow robot. "Like before I'll activate Celfon's special ability, go Morphtronic Speed Dial!" The six numbers on Celfon’s chest lit up and stopped on 3. "Three, alright." Lemon picked up the three cards on her deck and flipped one out. “I summon Morphtronic Magnen(800/800) in defense mode.” A blue horseshoe magnet materialized in front of her and turned a pale blue, light gleaming on its surface. “And now, I tune my Level 1 Morphtronic Celfon with my Level 2 Formula Synchron!” Lemon held her hand up as Formula Synchron turned into green rings that encircled Celfon. “I align the frequencies of my cellphone and my speedster together, and home in on the signal of a musical marvel!” She placed her card on her duel disk with a grin. “I Synchro Summon! Rock on, Martial Metal Marcher(500/2200)! I summon you in defense mode!” A squat robot built of brass rose in front of Lemon, its body formed from old musical instruments, with arms made from horn pieces and the pipes of an organ mounted on its back. A screen on its chest lit up and displayed volume levels as it raised its arms and blasted a soundwave out.

“Summoning Martial Metal Marcher activates the effect of my Hyper Librarian, letting me draw a card. I also get to use my Metal Marcher’s own ability, which is to revive a Tuner monster in my graveyard with its effects negated. So Formula Synchron is coming right back.” Lemon drew as Formula Synchron rose next to the Metal Marcher. "Now, time to attack!" Lemon pointed across the field. “T.G. Hyper Librarian, take out that Toon!” Hyper Librarian brought its hands together and formed an orb of pale blue light. The orb sparked and shot a beam of energy across the field.

“I don’t think so!” Pinkie called. “I activate my continuous trap card Toon Defense!” A long wooden crook extended of the Toon World book and hooked around Masked Sorcerer. “When you try and attack a Level 4 or lower Toon monster, I can change it to a direct attack instead!” The crook pulled Masked Sorcerer into the book, leaving Hyper Librarian’s energy attack streaming towards Pinkie.

“So now you’ll just take the full force of the hit!” Lemon cried.

“Nope! I use my second continuous trap Spirit Barrier!” A glowing field of yellow energy encircled Pinkie. Hyper Librarian’s attack struck in a shower of sparks and dispersed. “With this trap, as long as I control a monster, any damage I take from your attacks is reduced to zero!"

Lemon grinned. “So I can’t attack your monsters with that first trap, and my attacks don’t hurt you because of the second. Not bad.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie smiled back as Masked Sorcerer emerged from Toon World, dancing from either foot.

“Time to step it up then.” Lemon Zest held out a hand. “My battle phase may be over, but I'm not done. Watch as I perform one more Synchro Summon. I tune my Hyper Librarian with my Formula Synchron!” Formula Synchron’s twin green rings floated over Hyper Librarian. The monster inside sparked as metal began to gather around it and circle it. “I align the frequencies of my librarian and my speedster together, and home in on the signal of a mechanical powerhouse!” The metal condensed around Hyper Librarian and lit up. Lemon pumped her fist. “I Synchro Summon! Get ready to meet the star monster of my deck. Take flight, Power Tool Dragon(2300/2500)!” The metal shell shattered, revealing a large, gold, mechanical dragon with silver plates of metal running down its back to its tail. Its right arm was an electrical screwdriver bit, and its right a large shovel claw. Red eyes flashed to life and it flew over the field, circling behind Pinkie to return to Lemon and alighting beside her.

"Awesome!" Pinkie cheered. “I was hoping you would summon a powerhouse monster like that!"

“You were?” Lemon replied, confused.

“Yup, because now I get to activate this! My trap card Toon Mask!” Pinkie’s Trap shimmered and turned into a large mask of a cartoon ogre. “This card lets me choose a monster on your field, and then I get to summon a Toon monster from my deck with the same level!” The mask oozed black ink from behind it, and the ink swelled and grew into a monster’s shape. “Since your Power Tool Dragon is Level 7, I’m gonna summon the Level 7 Red-Eyes Toon Dragon(2400/2000)!” The mask shattered and the ink dripped away, revealing a cartoon black dragon with stubbed wings, an oversized mouth, and large red eyes. It flapped into the air in front of Pinkie and let out a high-pitched roar, flexing its claws.

"Nice, now Pinkie has got a monster that's even more stronger than her dragon."

"Don't think so Applejack. Lemon Zest has yet to use Power Tool Dragon's ability." said Isaac.

“Cool.” Lemon nodded. “I’m not quite done, though. I activate Power Tool Dragon’s special ability. Once per turn I can take three Equip Spell cards from my deck, then you randomly pick one of them and it gets added to my hand.” Lemon reached to her duel disk’s screen and tapped through the display. The holograms of three cards appeared in the air over Lemon’s head. “Okay, go for it.”

Pinkie scrunched her face and murmured, her eyes turning back and forth. She put her hand out to point as she spoke. “The left one! No, the right! No, the center. Ah, no, wait, the right again! Can I use my phone-a-friend?”

“Here, lemme make it easy for ya,” Lemon chuckled. “It’s three copies of the exact same card, so it doesn’t really matter.”

“Ooooooh. That’s kind of a clever trick, actually.” Pinkie smiled. “Okay, take the middle one.” The cards vanished and Lemon took the card that ejected from her deck. Pinkie brushed off her forehead. “Phew, for a second there I was kinda worried!”

“Oh you should be. For now, I’ll set a card and end my turn.” Lemon smiled. “Your move again.”

Turn 4: Pinkie

Never thought I would say this, but come on little sis. You've got to get back in control of this duel. Isaac was just looking on and assessing the situation in front of him.

“And what a move it’s gonna be.” Pinkie drew and looked at her card, and gasped. “And it just got even better! I activate the spell card, Toon Rollback!” A film reel appeared from her card and wound around her dragon, then shimmered and was absorbed into it. “This card lets me select a Toon monster I control and attack twice with it this turn!” Pinkie tapped on her duel disk. “Next I’ll use my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon’s ability to summon any Toon monster from my hand. This is for you big bro. Come on out, Toon Dark Magician!” The Toon World book billowed with purple smoke. A small wizard in bright blue and red robes flipped out and posed, pointing a staff at Lemon.

"Let me guess, a new card that was added to your deck." said Lemon Zest.

"Yep, and it's all thanks to my big brother." Pinkie looked at Isaac as she waved at him.

"I'm not your big brother!" shouted Isaac.

The Canterlot crowd cheered as Pinkie put a hand on her hip. “How’d ya like that?”

“Nice!” Lemon nodded. “Too bad Toons can’t attack on the same turn you summon them.”

“Yeah, that’s a bummer. But on the upside, they get to attack you directly as long as I have Toon World on the field! And it’s only one of my Toons that have to wait to attack. As for the others…” Pinkie spun and thrust her hand out. “Red-Eyes Toon Dragon, double direct attack!” Red-Eyes Toon sucked in air, its jaws glowing orange. Its wings flapped quickly as it rose into the air and snapped its head down, shooting two fireballs toward Lemon Zest. She grimaced and raised her arms as they collided. “Next, my Masked Sorcerer attacks!” The Masked Sorcerer stretched its hand across the field, its fingers crackling. As the smoke cleared around Lemon it thrust its palm into her face and exploded the energy. The Sorcerer wagged its tongue and drew its hand back, flashing a ‘V’ sign.
Lemon Zest's Life Points: 2300-

"Alright, Pinkie actually managed to land the first hit of actually damage." said Sunset.

"And as long as she has Toon World out, her monsters will bypass Lemon's field and go straight for her life points. Yeehaw!" Applejack was quick to celebrate with the others, except for Isaac who had a straight look on his face.

"Hope you liked that because I've got a few more things, like my Toon Masked Sorcerer's ability. Since it dealt damage to you, I get draw one card." Pinkie picked up her card; she looked at it and shook her head. “This card’s no good, so I’ll use it to activate my Dark Magician’s ability. I can discard a Toon card from my hand to summon a Toon monster from my deck. I discard Toon Dark Magician Girl and summon Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!” Sorry for doing this Isaac, but I need a monster that can stand up to her Power Tool Dragon. The Toon World book closed, spun, and opened on a cloud of silver smoke. A silver-blue dragon flew out, bright blue eyes glaring at Lemon as large white fangs shone in its mouth.

"With that I'll end my turn."

"Pinkie actually did it; all she needs to do on her next turn is just have one of her monsters attack Lemon Zest and it's all over." Dash was excited that they were about to take the lead in terms of points.

Turn 5: Lemon Zest

Lemon Zest took a deep breath and rolled her neck. “Okay, you got some skills. So tell me, playtime is over then, huh?”

“Sorry, but when I play, I play hard!” Pinkie said with a stern look.

“I can work with that. Besides, what's a party without some excitement? And I've plenty of things to liven it up, time to turn up the dial.” Lemon then lifted her headphones to listen to the music playing. "Crank up the volume!" Lemon smirked as she drew. She reached to her hand to put the card aside and took hold of another. “I’ll start by activating the spell card, Morphtronic Accelerator. This lets me return Morphtronic Boomboxen from my hand to the deck to destroy a card on the field. I’ll get rid of your Spirit Barrier!” Lemon’s card fired an orb of orange light across the field; it struck Pinkie’s Trap and shattered it. “Then, I get to draw again.” Lemon drew and looked down at her card, then went back to her hand.

“Since I control a Machine-type monster, I’ll activate the spell card, Iron Call to revive my Morphtronic Smartfon. And then I’ll summon Morphtronic Vacuumen(0/0).” A green and yellow vacuum cleaner appeared in front of Lemon. Its suction head swiveled around to reveal a pair of eyes, and the suction hoses on its side rose as limbs. “Now, I’ll tune my Vacuumen with my Smartfon.” Lemon put her hand over her duel disk and leaned forward as Smartfon turned into a green ring that hovered around Vacuumen. “I aligned the frequencies of my smartphone and my vacuum together, and home in on the signal of a flying scout machine!” She grabbed her card and held it out. “I Synchro Summon! Reporting in, T.G. Recipro Dragonfly(300/300)!” A small red and green insectoid robot appeared in front of Lemon, a propeller blade set into its midsection spinning to keep it in the air.

Lemon licked her lips. “And now everything is in place.”

Pinkie tilted her head. “What do you mean? That thing doesn’t look very nasty.”

Meanwhile on the side, Isaac had eyes widen as he took a closer look on Lemon Zest's field. He knew what she was about to do and he looked at Pinkie with the most worried expression. "Oh no." said Isaac softly.

“It isn’t, but I really don’t have much use for it. I just needed a Level 2 Synchro monster. The one you really wanna be worried about is my Martial Metal Marcher.” Lemon jerked her thumb at the machine. “See, he’s a Synchro monster, sure, but he’s also a tuner monster. Which means everything is in place for this!” Lemon spread her arms out. “I tune together my Level 3 Martial Metal Marcher, Level 2 T.G. Recipro Dragonfly, and my Level 7 Power Tool Dragon!”

Pinkie’s jaw dropped. “All three of them!?”

Martial Metal Marcher turned into three golden rings that began to spin. Dragonfly and Power Tool Dragon flew into the middle of the ring, sparks shooting between them as they hovered closer. “I align the frequencies of my scouter, my musician, and my dragon together, and home in on the signal of the ultimate battle mech!” The three monsters lit up yellow and sent a column of light up into the sky. The sky, already getting darker in the early afternoon, turned overcast. Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed. Lemon looked up and stretched out her hand. “I Synchro Summon! Seek and destroy all in your path! Descend, T.G. Halberd Cannon(4000/4000)!” A bolt of lightning struck the ground behind Lemon. From the flash of light, a massive robot stood up. Streamlined black limbs were covered in orange and yellow armor, glowing brightly. Its head, silver and sculpted in an expression of stern determination, rose from its main body and its eyes flashed to life. It raised its hand and the image of a gigantic polearm appeared as a green wireframe, before it materialized for real. The robot gripped it tight and twirled it over its head, then planted it in the ground.

Pinkie stared, her eyes wide. “T-that’s a big monster!”

“You think he’s big now, wait until you see him up close!” Lemon pointed across the field. “T.G. Halberd Cannon, attack Toon Masked Sorcerer!”

Halberd Cannon leapt up into the air, spun its halberd to point down, and then began to descend. The blade began to glow and crackle with energy.

“Wanna activate Toon Defense now, or are you gonna let it connect?” Lemon asked.

Pinkie frowned. “I’m gonna take a lot of damage either way, so I’ll make it a direct attack! Go, Toon Defense!” Toon World stretched its crook out and pulled Toon Sorcerer into the book.

“Cool. Though, if I’m being honest, I was just being polite and letting you pick first. It really doesn’t matter.” Lemon shrugged.

“Why not?”

Lemon pressed a prompt on her duel disk screen. “I activate my face-down card, Limiter Removal! At the end of this turn all of my Machine monsters will be destroyed, but until then, their attack points double!”

Across Halberd Cannon’s body, sparks flew and wires and gears popped out of its joints. A pair of rocket boosters on its back activated and shot it toward the ground faster.

Pinkie’s face fell. “Crud.”

Halberd Cannon’s polearm stabbed into the ground in front of her and erupted in a massive shower of lightning.
Pinkie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lemon Zest

Pinkie let her arms fall to her sides. “Well, that didn’t work.”

“Hey!” Lemon ran up to her and held out a hand. “You still pulled out some great moves there! That was fun!”

“Really?”

“Yeah! I mean, ya know, not to be mean but I knew I was gonna win anyway, but it was cool playing it out.”

“Thanks!” Pinkie grinned and shook her hand vigorously. “Maybe I can lose to you again sometime!”

Rarity rested her cheek on her fist. “This is either very infuriating or very endearing and I’m not sure which.”

“Ah am,” Applejack muttered, her arms folded.

Once Lemon Zest started to make her way to her bench, Pinkie started to walk as her smile fell and her hair started to deflate a bit. She then made it to her friends who noticed her sudden mood change as they did their best to cheer her up. Soon Isaac stepped forward as he stared down Pinkie.

"I'm sorry big bro. I couldn't get us the victory." Pinkie wiped some tears from her eyes. "Even with those new cards you gave me, I couldn't get a point for CHS."

Isaac just put his hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "It's alright, you did your best and that's what matters. I couldn't be more of proud of how you dueled.... little sis." Isaac's acknowledge caused Pinkie's expression to change on a dime as her smile returned and her hair regained its puffiness as she gave Isaac a hug but not too tightly. With that they all looked at the screen to see the final pair of competitors.

“We will now begin the final duel of the Friendship Cup! Crystal Prep’s Indigo Zap will face Canterlot High’s Rainbow Dash!”

Author's Note

Just added this note to wish, happy holidays to everybody. According to the schedule, by the time you're reading this, I have the next 16 chapters already done for this story, just have to do one final edits before I publish them. As well as continuing writing even more content; also the next chapters for this 'arc' will wrap exactly by the end of the year. So until then, stay safe and I'll see you then.

Chapter 46: Rainbow Dash v. Indigo Zap- Round 7

“Yes!” On the sidelines, Indigo jumped up and pumped her fist, grinning ear to ear.

"Looks like I'm up, I've been itching to get a piece of the action since we started." said Dash.

"Alright, Dash. You got your wish, right now it all comes down to whether or not you can snag the win that Canterlot High needs to stay in this duel. The spotlight is on you." said Isaac.

"As it should be! Don't worry guys, I've got this. I'll make sure Crystal Prep knows the name Rainbow Dash." She then grabbed her duel disk and put it on her arm. She then gave all of them a thumbs up as she made her way to the duel field.

"So you're who I'm facing? Got to say, I'm glad it's you. I only duel people who are awesome and have maximum coolness and you've got both of them."

"You know, I'm starting to like you. I can sense you're pretty awesome yourself. Doesn't mean I'm going to lose?" said Dash.

"Neither am I. Now let's get going, I've been waiting since yesterday to duel!"

They both activated their duel disk with Rainbow's projecting a sky blue light while Indigo's duel disk projected a card tray of dark blue energy materialized along the front.

"Ladies and gentleman, the last duel between the final members of both schools is about to begin. Right now Crystal Prep is in the lead with a score of 3-2, all they need to do is win this last duel and they will be declared the winners. However, should Rainbow Dash be able to manage out one last win for Canterlot High then the score will be tied. In that case, we'll have one final duel to determine which school/team will be victorious. If the two duelists are ready, we can begin shortly.” said Luna through the microphone.

“Ready, and waiting!” Rainbow called back.

“Eager to lose?” Indigo taunted.

“Then let the duel begin!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

"Let's do this!" they both shouted.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Indigo Zap's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

The crowd cheered as the two portraits on the display board flashed in sequence and stopped with Rainbow’s lit up. “Sweet.” Rainbow picked up her opening hand from her duel disk and looked over them. “And we’re off to a heck of a start!” She picked up a card and slid it into a slot on her duel disk. “Let’s get an arena worth dueling in! I activate the field spell U.A. Stadium!” A column of light burst up from behind Rainbow and split, fanning in a circle around her and Indigo. In its wake appeared the walls of a massive sports arena, glass windows framing spectator boxes and rows of seats. As the circular energy met again and finished forming the field, a large ring appeared floating in the air above them and activated in rows of blue lights, holograms projecting displays and statistics of the duelists.

"Classic Rainbow." said Sunset.

“That’s more like it.” Rainbow grabbed another card from her hand. “I'll summon one of my favorite openers, U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000).” A portal appeared in the air before her and her monster jumped down into a crouch, an athlete with spiked brown hair and glowing silver and green armor. Rainbow reached to tap on her duel disk’s screen. “When I normal summon a U.A. monster, the effect of U.A. Stadium lets me add a U.A. monster from my deck to my hand.” The holographic field projected the image of a card that flipped over as Rainbow took her card from her deck. “I’ll take this, U.A. Goalkeeper. Next I’ll return Midfielder to my hand in order to special summon Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode.” Midfielder swirled up into another portal. With a large thud, Rainbow’s monster descended to the field, a massive creature in thick white and orange hockey armor with glowing green lines crossing the pads. It crouched and held its hands out to the side, a red visor over its eyes lighting up. “Special summoning a U.A. monster activates the other effect of U.A. Stadium, giving all my monsters a permanent boost of five hundred attack points.” Rainbow snapped her fingers and pointed at Goalkeeper as electricity surged over its armor. “Now my Goalkeeper as strength of 1500 attack points. I'll then place one card face-down and end my turn.” She crossed her arms. “I’m all set, bring it on!”

Turn 2: Indigo

“Careful what you wish for! Cause you just may get it!” Indigo drew with a flourish, looked at her card, and barked out a laugh. She swung her card onto her duel disk. “Since you set it up, let me spruce it up. I activate my own field spell, F.A. Circuit Grand Prix!” A horizontal wave of energy shot out behind Indigo, leaving black asphalt on the ground behind it, steel-blue railings lining the edges. The wave turned and weaved up and down the walls of the stadium, tracing out a racing track along the edges of the field. The energy wave reached the start of the track behind Indigo and rippled out, creating a large circular pit zone around her.

"Guess this is where I come in." Isaac knew what the girls were about to ask him. "F.A. is an archetype that's based on futuristic motoring racing theme, they're basically the counterpart of Rainbow's U.A. Similar to another archetype, 'F.A.' monsters get stronger with the higher their levels; however, instead of naturally gaining levels during their Standby phase, they have an effect that gives them the option to increase their levels each time a 'F.A.' spell/trap is activated. In addition, they have no maximum level cap, so they can go pass level 13 which makes them increasing their level a lot more fast and aggressive."

“Next I’ll summon F.A. Sonic Meister(0/1000).” A horizontal portal appeared on the road behind Indigo. With a roar of an engine, a gleaming silver, blue, and orange race car sped out, two large rocket engines blazing on either side of a large central rear wheel behind the driver. The race car turned and moved into position next to her, the engines dying down.

Rainbow looked up at the holograms as several close-up angels of the monster popped onto the screens with its stats. “Zero attack points? It must have a killer effect, huh?”

“You’re smarter than I thought,” Indigo snickered.

“Hey!”

“My F.A. monsters have a print attack of zero, but once in play, they have attack power equal to their Level times three hundred.” Indigo held up four fingers. “Sonic Meister is Level 4, so that works out to twelve hundred attack points.” Sonic Meister’s driver grinned inside his helmet and revved his engine. “Next I’ll throw a card face-down and end my turn.” Indigo rolled her shoulders and slumped back. “Go for it.”

Turn 3: Rainbow

“With pleasure!” Rainbow smirked and drew. “First, let’s get rid of that obvious trap you left out, with the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon!” A cyclone blew out of Rainbow’s duel disk and whirled across the field. “Say buh-bye to your face-down.”

“Looks like you aren't that bright. Sorry to say, it isn’t a trap!” Indigo called back, putting a hand to her duel disk. “I’ll activate that card now, the quickplay spell F.A. Downforce. This lets me increase the level of my Sonic Meister by two for the rest of the turn.” Sonic Meister’s engines lit up blue and began to rev louder. “Oh, and my Sonic Meister has an ability, too. When I activate an F.A. spell or trap card or its effect, it gains a level permanently.” Indigo held up her hand again, three fingers extended. “All in all, Sonic Meister is at Level 5 now, plus two for the rest of the turn, which means it’s attack points are at twenty-one hundred.”

"Rainbow is going to have to be very careful when she's planning her moves. No matter what Indigo is going to find some way to increase her monster's level. The question is whether she can deal with them fast enough." said Isaac.

“If you wanna confuse me with math, you’re gonna have to try harder than that! My math test is even scarier than your monsters.” Rainbow shouted. “Your field is still clear, so I’m safe to summon U.A. Midfielder again. That activates the effect of U.A. Stadium, letting me add U.A. Mighty Slugger to my hand. And just like last time, I’ll return Midfielder to my hand and special summon Mighty Slugger(2300/700).” Rainbow’s newest monster descended from a portal above her, a baseball star in black and silver sports armor. It posed with an arm held out, a metal cylinder in its hand, and with a flash of light it extended a holographic red light in the shape of a baseball bat. "By special summoning my Mighty Slugger, I can activate the effect of my field spell, U.A. Stadium once more. Now both of my monsters gain 500 more permanent attack points; so my Mighty Slugger has 2800 attack and my Goalkeeper has 2000 attack points. I'll then switch Goalkeeper into attack mode." Mighty Slugger grinned and turned its head to watch Goalkeeper stand up, beating a fist into its palm. Rainbow nodded. “Just in case you have any other tricks up your sleeve, you should know that when Mighty Slugger attacks, you aren’t allowed to activate cards or effects. So there’ll be no stopping this hardball!” She thrust her hand out. “U.A. Mighty Slugger, attack and destroy F.A. Sonic Meister!”

Mighty Slugger grabbed a glowing blue baseball from a pouch on its waist, tossed it in the air, and spun to wallop it with its bat. The baseball blazed across the field, sparking brightly. The baseball smacked into Sonic Meister with an explosion and a shower of sparks. “Oh yeah!” Rainbow pumped her fist. “First you lose your monster, next you lose a ton of Life Points!”

Indigo rolled her eyes. “Strike one and two. Check again.” She looked over her shoulder. The smoke of the attack cleared, revealing Sonic Meister, engine still revving.

“What gives?” Rainbow exclaimed.

“It’s Sonic Meister’s special ability – it can’t be destroyed in battle when it battles a monster with a lower level than it. Your Mighty Slugger is only Level 5, and Sonic Meister is Level 7.” Indigo scoffed. “Oh, my mistake, Level 9 now. See, the effect of my Circuit Grand Prix field grants all F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during the battle phase. And now that he’s at Level 9, Sonic Meister has twenty-seven hundred points. Mighty Slugger is at twenty-eight, so your attack barely scratches me.” Indigo put a hand on her hip. “How’s that for some math, Rainbow Dunce? Or should I say Rainbow Crash?”
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7900-

Rainbow growled. “Keep talking, Indigo Yap! I end my turn.”

"Rainbow better keep her temper in check. Or else Indigo will run over Dash faster than she can?" said Applejack.

Turn 4: Indigo

“Goodie!” Indigo drew and reached to her hand. “I’ll start this turn by summoning F.A. Whip Crosser(0/1000).” A portal opened behind Indigo. An armored blue and yellow motorbike rode out of it, the driver clad in armor of the same color scheme. He popped a wheelie and drove up beside Indigo before letting the wheel down. “Whip Crosser has similar abilities to my Sonic Meister,” Indigo said. “Namely, he has three hundred attack times his level, and he increases in level as I use F.A. spell and trap cards or effects.” She reached to her duel disk. “Like this one. I activate the effect of F.A. Downforce in my graveyard.” The image of Indigo’s card appeared above her and dissolved. “By banishing Downforce, I basically get its effect again, boosting my F.A. Sonic Meister two levels for this turn only. And since I activated the effect of an F.A. Spell card, they also get another permanent level gain.” Indigo held her hands out to gesture to her two monsters. “That means Sonic Meister is Level 8 for this turn, and Whip Crosser is Level 5.”

“Stop making me keep track of this stuff! It's making my head hurt!” Rainbow screamed.

"You're telling me, I'm barely keeping up with how many times I have to add and recount." shouted Isaac as even the girls were starting to get headaches from remember every little detail of Indigo Zap's cards.

“Too much going on?” Indigo laughed. “Here, this will simplify one thing at least. I switch Sonic Meister to defense mode, and then activate the spell card F.A. Test Run.” A computer console rose next to Sonic Meister, cables snaking out of the machinery and attaching to the car. “This card changes Sonic Meister back to attack mode, and then I get to destroy one card on the field.” Indigo tapped her chin. “I’d like to go tit-for-tat and get rid of your face-down card, but that Midfielder combo is getting on my nerves. I’ll destroy U.A. Stadium!” The computer exploded and sent blasts of electricity in all directions. Around them, the walls of U.A. Stadium began to crack apart and crumble, creating a massive cloud of dust. The debris hit the ground and dissolved into particles of light, piece by piece.

“Crud,” Rainbow muttered.

“And by the way, just to make sure you’re still keeping up, that’s another F.A. Spell activated and another level on my monsters.” Indigo grinned. “I think we’ve built up enough speed now, so let’s see how they run! I enter my battle phase, and now the effect of my field spell gives my F.A. monsters another boost of two levels. F.A. Sonic Meister is now level 11 and has 3300 attack points, attack U.A. Mighty Slugger!” Sonic Meister revved up and sped off across the field, crashing through the guard rails of the pit stop. It drove into Mighty Slugger, the baseball player splaying out across the front of the car, and after driving another second, it screeched to a sudden halt. Mighty Slugger flipped through the air and crashed into the wall of the stadium.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 7500

“Yeah, yeah,” Rainbow muttered. “Any more effects you wanna pile on?”

“Actually, yes.” Indigo pointed at Sonic Meister. “As long as it has a current Level of seven or higher, F.A. Sonic Meister can attack two monsters a turn! With the additional level, it gains another 300 points. Now my monster is level 12 and has 3600 attack points! Here comes the second lap!” Sonic Meister roared to life again and turned to drive at U.A. Goalkeeper. The car shot passed it, braked, and turned, and the rear end of the car slammed into Goalkeeper and sent it tumbling across the grass before it shattered.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5900-

Indigo winked at Sonic Meister as her monster drove back into place through the hole it had punched in the guard rails. “And I hope you haven’t forgotten about Whip Crosser. I certainly haven’t! Just to keep everybody informed, my F.A. Whip Crosser right now is level 9 and it has 2700 attack points. F.A. Whip Crosser, direct attack!” Whip Crosser zoomed forward, hopped over the guard rails, and aimed itself at Rainbow Dash.

“Not this time!” Rainbow growled. “I activate my trap card, Reinforce Truth!” The card flipped over and lit up. “This lets me Special Summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior from my deck.” Rainbow tapped the hologram of her selected card and it ejected. “I’ll summon X-Saber Pashuul in defense mode!” An elderly warrior with a massive mess of tangled black hair, dark blue armor, and a massive sword, appeared in front of Rainbow and knelt.

"X-Saber? Since when does Rainbow have that in her deck?" asked Sunset who had a confused look on her face. The other girls all had similar looks till they glanced at Isaac.

"Well, I may or may not have spent a bit more time with Rainbow and her deck. I'd figured we need some sort of surprise to catch Crystal Prep offguard; plus Rainbow was so reliant on her U.A. that I decided to add a bit more variety in her playstyle. I did give a one of kind card that not even she knows about."

Indigo lifted her eyebrows. “Huh, going off-brand, are we? Based on what you've played so far, this really is out of your element?” She then looked at Isaac who was talking with the rest of the girls. "Let me guess, your boyfriend made some adjustments. He really has caught all of us by surprise."

Rainbow blushed a bit by Indigo's comment. "He's not my boyfriend. Not right now, he's not. She then refocused on the duel in front of her. "And as far as what I just did; lets just say that I’ll play whatever cards I need to beat you and Crystal Prep,” Rainbow replied. “X-Saber Pashuul can’t be destroyed in battle, so go ahead and attack if you wanna waste more of my time.”

“Nah, I’m good.” Indigo shrugged. “I end my turn, and the spell boosting effects wear off of my monsters. So once more to educate you and everybody watching at home; my Sonic Meister is level 8 and has 2400 attack points, and Whip Crosser is level 7 and welding 2100 attack points. ” Sonic Meister and Whip Crosser glowed as their engines slowed.

“Fine by me. I’ll be destroying them this turn no matter what level they are.” Rainbow put a hand on her deck and glared at Indigo. “This duel isn’t even at half-time yet.”

Indigo laughed. “Keep telling yourself that, Dunce. Truth is I’m already set to lap you and leave you in my dust.”

Turn 5: Rainbow

Rainbow glared as her duel disk beeped and ejected a card. “I’m not out of this by a long shot,” she snapped, grabbing the card and drawing it out. She slid it into her hand and picked another. “I summon U.A. Midfielder again, and return it to my hand to special summon U.A. Rival Rebounder.” A glowing portal on the ground in front of Rainbow spread open, and as she reached to place Rival Rebounder’s card onto her duel disk, her display buzzed and flashed red. “Huh?” Indigo raised a hand. “You might wanna pay attention to my Whip Crosser from now on.” She gestured to the motorcycle rider, now glowing bright yellow. “Whip Crosser is Level 7, so whenever you want to use the effect of a monster of a lower level than Whip Crosser, you need to pay three hundred Life Points.”

"My word, you weren't kidding when you said F.A. monsters hit fast and are very aggressive, darling."

Rainbow grit her teeth. “You’ve gotta be kidding me. Fine, I pay!” She tapped her duel disk screen to confirm. “And as I was saying, I’ll summon Rival Rebounder(2200/2300) to the field!” The portal flashed green and a figure in bright white basketball padding rose from it, orange lines lighting up his padding as he raised his head.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5600-

"Time to show you and all of Crystal Prep something that will really blow minds away." She held out her hand. “And now, I tune my Level 2 X-Saber Pashuul with my Level 6 Rival Rebounder!” X-Saber Pashuul lit up green and split into two rings that rotated and floated around Rival Rebounder. Rival Rebounder glowed orange as a column of yellow light rose around it. “I align the blade of the knight and the ball of the athlete, and bring out a grand new titan!” Rainbow grabbed her card and slapped it on her duel disk. “I Synchro Summon! Rise up, Colossal Fighter(2800/2000)!” The light receded, revealing a massive figure in thick beige armor. It stood up, light gleaming off a green visor over its eyes, and crossed its arms.

Indigo smirked. “Not bad. I knew you wouldn't disappoint. Not to mention that captain of yours has been successful in his plan. We all thought we were prepared for you and all of your decks, but he managed to actually trick us and incorporated cards that we didn't take into account.”

“Yeah, Isaac's pretty awesome, not too mention crafty when it comes to Duel Monsters. As for my monster, if you think he’s cool now, wait until you see him up close!” Rainbow pointed across the field. “Colossal Fighter, attack F.A. Sonic Meister!” Colossal Fighter bellowed and charged across the field, arm raised.

“You dunce! He may have given you some new cards, but he probably should have given you some of his brain!” Indigo snorted and smirked. “Since it’s the battle phase, my Circuit Grand Prix field gives my monsters two more levels, and Sonic Meister gets stronger than your monster! He's now 10 and has 3000 attack points.” Sonic Meister’s driver grinned as its engine revved louder, tires squealing.

“Good for you,” Rainbow replied. “Too bad my Colossal Fighter has a boosting effect too. He gets an extra hundred attack points for every Warrior-type monster in the Graveyard.” She held up her duel disk. “I count four – Midfielder, Goalkeeper, Pashuul, and Rival Rebounder. So now he has 3200 attack points which more than enough to take down your Sonic Meister. How’s that for some math?”

Indigo’s smirk fell. “Dang.”

Colossal Fighter jumped up and descended, slamming a massive fist into the front of Sonic Meister. The race car buckled and bent on the front axle, snapping up into the air in a shower of shrapnel, and then exploded. Colossal Fighter jumped back in front of Rainbow. She flipped up a card from her hand. “I’ll set one card down and end my turn.”
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7700-

Turn 6: Indigo

Indigo nodded. “Good, my move.” She drew and then reached to her hand. “I’ll start with a spell card you should recognize, Mystical Space Typhoon. It destroys your face-down card.” Rainbow frowned as Indigo’s card hologram sent a cyclone across the field. In front of Rainbow, ‘U.A. Penalty Box’ flipped up and shattered. Indigo reached her hand over to her duel disk screen. “Looks like it worked for me. Ha! Now that your field is looking clear, I activate the effect of my spell card, F.A. Test Run that's in my graveyard. By banishing Test Run, I can destroy a card on my field.” Indigo looked around. “I think we need a change of venue, so I’ll destroy F.A. Circuit Grand Prix.” With a series of explosions along the asphalt, the track around the field cracked apart and dissolved into green and orange dust.

“Why would you get rid of your own Field card?” Rainbow asked.

“It’ll be worth it. First, I activated the effect of Test Run in my Graveyard, so my F.A. Whip Crosser gains a level. Then, the effect of Test Run lets me special summon an 'F.A.' monster from my deck. I summon F.A. Turbo Charger(0/1500).” A bright yellow portal opened on the track behind her and a massive monster truck rolled out, painted bright purple with glowing yellow exhaust pipes emerging from its hubcaps and the sides of its cabin. It rolled up next to Indigo, looming over her. Indigo’s duel disk beeped and she tapped a prompt. “Since F.A. Circuit Grand Prix was destroyed by a card effect, I can use its effect to add an F.A. card from my deck to my hand. I’ll take this, ‘F.A. City Grand Prix’. That’s another F.A. spell effect that activated, so Whip Crosser and Turbo Charger both gain a level. Whip Crosser rises level 9 and Turbo Charger becomes level 7.” Whip Crosser and Turbo Charger glowed brightly. “Then, let’s give them a new road to try out. I activate the Field Spell F.A. City Grand Prix!” Indigo slipped her card on her duel disk with a grin. A wave of energy rippled out from around her. City streets with painted crosswalks and streetlights traced around them, transparent holograms of scenic buildings rising up from the ground. When the field was completed, the streetlights simultaneously lit up green. “Since I just activated—”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Rainbow muttered, waving her hand. “Another F.A. Spell, another level on all of them, I get it. You don’t need to remind me every time.”

“Hey, do I interrupt you when you’re rambling off what your cards do?” Indigo snapped. “Anyway, as I was saying, this nifty spell gives all of my F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during both the Battle and Main Phases, and it prevents you from targeting them with effects.”

“Uh-huh. So now’s the part where you attack, right?”

Indigo scowled. “Well, if you’re so impatient, let’s cut to it! F.A. Whip Crosser, attack Colossal Fighter! Whip Crosser's level rises to 12 and now he has 3600 attack points!” Whip Crosser drove forward and popped a wheelie, sailing into the air and slamming into the chest of Colossal Fighter. Colossal Fighter fell back and shattered over Rainbow’s head.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 5200-

"My monster is going down that easy! Since you just destroyed him, I can activate Colossal Fighter's effect!" Rainbow called. “When it gets destroyed, I can revive a Warrior-type monster in my Graveyard. I’ll bring back Colossal Fighter itself, in defense mode.”

“He ain’t coming back for free! Did you forget about the ability of my Whip Crosser!” Indigo called. “Whip Crosser is Level 12 now, so your monster’s effect costs you three hundred Life Points!”

“Worth it!” Rainbow slapped her palm on her touch screen and Colossal Fighter rematerialized kneeling in front of her.

“That’s debatable, ‘cause he won’t be here long!” Indigo pointed. “Time to rev it up, once more! Turbo Charger, take him out! By the way Turbo Charger is level 10 and has 3000 attack points.” Turbo Charger roared onto the field, tires tearing up the grass in clumps. It slammed into Colossal Fighter and sent it tumbling back before it shattered again.

“And I’ll use his effect again.” Rainbow tapped her screen.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4600-

Indigo put a hand on her hip. “If you’d summoned him in attack mode, you could have kept him around and saved yourself some points.”

“Yeah, but you might have pulled out another spell to make your monsters gain levels,” Rainbow replied. She grinned. “Besides, he still did what he needed to do.”

“Kneel there and let me destroy him?”

“Exactly.” Rainbow flung her hand out. “Using the effect of Colossal Fighter, I revive my U.A. Rival Rebounder!” The armored basketball player rose in front of her, eyes narrowed. “By the way, this activates my Rival Rebounder’s effect. Since I summoned him on your turn, I can summon another U.A. monster from my hand or the graveyard. And I’ll bring back from the graveyard, my U.A. Goalkeeper!” Another portal opened beside Rival Rebounder and the armored soccer goalie came out, hunched down with arms spread.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4300-

“Go ahead, the more effects you use the more points you burn.” Indigo shrugged. “But, hey, it’s not my job to tell you how to play. Me, I’ll just set one card and call it a turn.”

Turn 7: Rainbow

"Hope Rainbow can hang on?" Fluttershy was worried for her friend as she was constantly being back into a corner.

"Don't fret, darling. Rainbow knows what she's doing and she'll turn it around. I hope." Rarity tried to sound confident but couldn't help to show a bit of worry in her voice.

“I don’t need you to tell me how to play!” Rainbow replied as she drew. “Here, lemme show you what I’ve got waiting!” She turned her drawn card over and grinned. “Well, that wasn’t part of the plan, but it just got even sweeter. I activate another field spell, U.A. Stadium!” A wave of light around the field rose into the air, tracing out another set of bleachers around the outside of Indigo’s race track. “Now that it’s in play, I return U.A. Rival Rebounder to my hand, to special summon U.A. Midfielder!” Rival Rebounder turned into light and shifted into the form of Midfielder kneeling. “Then I offer U.A. Goalkeeper as tribute and normal summon Rival Rebounder to the field again.” Goalkeeper dissolved and its armor pads lit up, shifting into Rival Rebounder’s armor as it appeared within it. “Normal summoning Rival Rebounder triggers his effect again, summoning a U.A. monster from my hand. I summon, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)!” A football player in shining silver pads appeared in front of her, streams of energy glowing orange around it. Between Rainbow’s first two monsters materialized a muscular basketball player in dark blue and black pants and a thick silver and orange chestpiece.

“All those monsters effects are gonna keep costing you,” Indigo warned.

“I know,” Rainbow replied, not even looking at her buzzing duel disk as she pressed her finger to the prompt.

"Wait, so how many life points will Dash have to pay up? So lets see, add the difference, carry the one...." Pinkie was trying to do the math to figure out the answer.

"Since she summoned three times, she'll pay the cost of Whip Crosser's effect 3 times. Meaning she'll lose 900 life points." said Isaac.

"Ohhhh. That makes sense; thanks big bro." Pinkie went back to her cheery mode while Isaac just rolled his eyes.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 3400-

“Now that I’ve special summoned a U.A. monster, the second effect of U.A. Stadium boosts all of them an extra five hundred attack points.” Rainbow thrust out her hand. “Which means my Playmaker now has 3100 attack points. And with all that taken care of, I attack your F.A. Turbo Charger with U.A. Playmaker!” Playmaker hunched forward and charged across the field, leaning with one of its broad shoulders. It barreled into the front bumper of Turbo Charger, the steel buckling with a loud metallic crunch. The monster truck tipped back on its rear wheels and then over onto its back, the chassis crumbling as it exploded.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7600-

Indigo snorted. “You’re down to less than half your Life Points and you’ve barely scratched mine. I’ve seen Crystal Prep students who can duel better in their sleep! And provide whittier banter, too.”

“Careful what you wish for!” Rainbow replied with a smirk. “Now time for my other monster to strike, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker gains 500 more attack points which makes his strength rise to 3000. U.A. Dreadnought Dunker, attack F.A. Whip Crosser!” Dreadnought Dunker held up a hand, an orb of blue energy gathering from its fingertips.

“You dunce!” Indigo groaned. “It’s the Battle Phase, so all my F.A. monsters get two more levels. That puts Whip Crosser at Level 12 again, meaning that not only does he have 3600 attack points but he's stronger than Dunker!”

“Not quite.” Rainbow reached for her duel disk and pressed her finger to a screen prompt. “I’ll pay that three hundred Life Points to Whip Crosser to use Playmaker’s effect. When another U.A. monster attacks, Playmaker can give up eight hundred of his own attack points and transfer them to my other monster! So Dreadnought Dunker now has 3800 attack points!”

Indigo’s eyes widened. “What!?”

“Do you need me to repeat that?” Rainbow asked coyly. “Here, lemme just demonstrate!”

Playmaker held its palms out towards Dreadnought Dunker. Streams of orange energy flowed out of its armor and into Dunker’s, causing it to glow brighter. Dreadnought Dunker grinned, spun in place, and hurled the ball of energy it held across the field. The orb struck Whip Crosser and blew right through it, leaving a gaping hole along the length of the motorcycle before it exploded.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 7400-
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 3100-

“Oh yeah, and you might wanna know about Dreadnought Dunker’s effect.” Rainbow jerked her thumb at her monster. “When he deals damage to your Life Points, a card on your side of the field gets destroyed. So I’m choosing to nuke your F.A. City Grand Prix!”

Indigo stepped back and grimaced as the race track dissolved around her. She looked at her duel disk and reached to the screen. “When F.A. City Grand Prix is destroyed, I can add an F.A. card to my hand.” She picked up the card that popped out. “I’ll take F.A. Auto Navigator.”

Rainbow counted on her fingers. “Let’s see, you had two monsters before, I had three, two have attacked… huh.” She folded her fingers down, leaving one up. “Guess what comes next!” She pointed across the field. “U.A. Rival Rebounder, direct attack! And just like with Dreadnought Dunker, I’ll use Playmaker’s effect to power it up. Rival Rebounder now has a total of 3500 attack points.” Rival Rebounder held its hands together and summoned another orb of blue energy, and Playmaker threw its own smaller orb of red energy into it. Rebounder jumped and flung its hands down, sending the two-colored attack flying at Indigo. She looked away as the orb struck the ground at her feet and exploded in a cloud of smoke.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 3900-

“I’d say that scoreboard is looking a little more even now.” Rainbow crossed her arms. “How about that?”

"Alright, Dash just managed to swing things her way!" shouted Pinkie.

"Indeed, she was able to use Indigo's own effects and use them against her. Sure she may have had to lose some points, but that was a small price to pay, especially since she was able to deal some massive amounts of damage right back at her. She really was able to look at all the angles and make the most of the situation. I'm proud of her." Isaac had a huge smile forming on his face.

As the smoke on the other side of the field cleared, Indigo reached up and wiped the corner of her mouth. She grinned crookedly. “Yeah…okay then. Now you’ve got my attention. Cause you just done pissed me off!!!”

“Cool, because I’m gonna win on my next turn and I don’t want you to miss it.” Rainbow winked. “For now, I’ll end—”

“Hang on.” Indigo pressed a hand to her duel disk. “Before you end your turn, I activate my trap card, F.A. Overheat. This lets me summon an 'F.A.' monster from my hand.” She placed the card on her duel disk. “I’ll play this, F.A. Hang-On Mach(0/1800), in defense mode.” A glowing portal next to Indigo opened. A hovering motorcycle, pale blue and silver, drove out, the driver ducked down behind the windshield.

“Whatever.” Rainbow shrugged. “Would have been handy like, ten seconds ago, to block my attack. But hey, it’s not my job to tell you how to play.”

Turn 8: Indigo

“The difference is that one of us doesn’t need the help. My turn.” Indigo drew, holding her card out. “I activate the effect of F.A. Overheat in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can activate F.A. City Grand Prix from my graveyard.”

“Again?” Rainbow rolled her eyes as the race track traced out along the field again.

Indigo ignored her. “I activated two F.A. cards, so Hang-On Mach gets two more levels, plus two from my field. That brings it to Level 8. Next I’ll activate the spell card, F.A. Pitstop. This decreases Hang-On Mach’s level by two, and then I can draw a card.” As she drew, Indigo nodded towards Hang-On Mach. “Although, since I just used another F.A. card, it goes up once more. That makes Hang-On Mach Level 7.” She took another card from her hand. “And now everything is set for this! Since I have an F.A. monster with a level higher than its normal level, I can special summon F.A. Auto Navigator(0/0) from my hand!” A small cylinder rolled out in front of Indigo and unfurled into a tablet computer. Its screen lit up, projecting the holographic image of a small woman in a pink dress with a parasol and bushy blue hair. Indigo looked down at the hologram. “When I summon Auto Navigator with its own effect, the F.A. monster I chose for its effect is lowered back to its original level, and Auto Navigator’s level becomes the amount it lost. Since Hang-On Mach is Level 7, it goes down to Level 4, and Auto Navigator becomes Level 3, plus two more from my Field Spell. Also, the effect of Auto Navigator lets me add F.A. Off-Road Grand Prix to my hand.”

Rainbow tilted her head. “You spent this whole duel so far pumping your levels up higher and higher, and now you’re keeping them low?”

Isaac was taking a close look at Indigo's field. He too was trying to understand Indigo's philosophy; once he figured out her plan his eyes grew bigger. "Don't tell me, she's gonna...."

“Yes. For this!” Indigo held her hand in the air. “I tune the Level 5 F.A. Auto Navigator with the Level 4 F.A. Hang-On Mach!”

Rainbow’s jaw dropped. “That thing is a Tuner!?”

Auto Navigator glowed green and separated into five glowing rings. Hang-On Mach hovered higher into the air and glowed orange as the rings came along it, energy crackling between them. Indigo tilted her head back to look up at them, a hand above her duel disk. “I align the avatar of speed and the hoverbike of speed, and together they accelerate towards a titanic new form!” Her monster ejected from her duel disk and she seized it and placed it on the card tray. “I Synchro Summon! Roll out, F.A. Motorhome Transport(0/3000)!” The ground shook and the race track behind Indigo cracked apart and lifted into the air, revealing the doors of a lift platform built into the ground. The platform rose into Rainbow’s view, carrying a massive white truck, orange and blue stripes painted along the sides. Retracted ramps were built into the sides, and vehicle maintenance bays were visible through the windows. The truck ground to a halt, the cab hissing, and two large mechanical claws lifted out from the sides and clinked together.

Everybody in the crowds and on the sides, all looked up as they took in the sight of Indigo's latest monster. None were more surprised than Rainbow Dash.

“W-whoa…” Rainbow swallowed heavily. “That’s a big one.”

“You’ve no idea,” Indigo replied. “First, as you might have guessed from its stats, F.A. Motorhome Transport has the same effect as my other F.A. racers, namely that his attack power is equal to its Level times three hundred. It’s currently Level 9, and then rises two more from my field spell. So now its level is 11 and its attack rises to 3300.” Motorhome Transport revved its engine and glowed orange. “Next I normal summon an oldie but a goodie, F.A. Sonic Meister(0/1000).” A ramp on Motorhome Transport lowered and the silver race car wheeled out to the ground. Indigo held up a card. “One card left to play, Rainbow. Care to guess what it does?”

Rainbow scowled. “It’s an F.A. spell to power up Sonic Meister.”

“Close.” Indigo swung the card onto her disk. “It’s the spell card, Galaxy Queen’s Light.” Around the finish line of Indigo’s race track, spotlights materialized on scaffolding and shone on her two monsters. “I select a Level 7 or higher monster, and for the rest of this turn, all other monsters I control become the same Level as it!” She thrust her hand towards Sonic Meister. “With the boosting effect of my F.A. Circuit Grand Prix, my F.A. Motorhome Transport is Level 11, so Sonic Meister becomes Level 11, and then gains two more levels from the Field too! So now my Sonic Meister is now level 13 and has 3900 attack points!” The spotlights intensified their glow, streams of energy coming from them. They wrapped around Sonic Meister and the car glowed a bright silver. Indigo grinned and pointed across the field. “Battle phase! Sonic Meister, attack U.A. Rival Rebounder!” Sonic Meister’s engine roared and it skipped across the field, flame trails in the wake of its tires. It slammed into Rival Rebounder and sent it tumbling backwards, its armor sparking and falling apart around it as it rolled. It stopped and dissolved into light. “Since Sonic Meister destroyed a monster in battle, it can attack again! Take out Dreadnought Dunker!” Sonic Meister’s tired screeched and smoked as it turned in place and jetted in front of Rainbow to strike Dunker, the monster dissolving on impact.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 2600-

“And there’s still Motorhome Transport!” Indigo levelled her finger at Rainbow’s last monster. “Attack Playmaker!” Motorhome Transport’s horn blared and it slowly rumbled across the field. It stopped in front of Playmaker, and the football star looked up at the truck’s claws as they descended on it. They grabbed Playmaker by the shoulders, lifted it into the air, and swiftly slammed it into the cab’s grill. Rainbow looked away as Playmaker exploded in a shower of sparks.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 800-

“With the attacks done, I end my turn, and Sonic Meister returns to Level 4, plus two from City Grand Prix.” Indigo rolled her neck as her two monsters drove back into position behind her. “How about you save yourself the trouble and just end your turn so I can attack and win this?”

“You wish!” Rainbow yelled. “You afraid I’m gonna turn it around?”

“Nope.” Indigo shook her head. “By my count, the only card left in your hand is U.A. Midfielder. Sure, you still have your Stadium in play, and there’s some decent combos you could try depending on what you draw. But it won’t be enough. I have almost half my Life Points, the effect of City Grand Prix prevents my F.A. monsters from being targeted by your card effects, and Motorhome Transport itself cannot be destroyed by battle or card effects because of its own effect. Your best combo was that Synchro revival trick to swarm the field, but I can’t think of a Synchro that could end this in one more turn, and even if there was, you’d still need to get a Tuner out and summon it.” Indigo held up her hands. “Even at my best, I couldn’t play my way out of this no matter what I drew.”

“Yeah, well, that’s you!” Rainbow growled. “I’m me, and I still have a turn to take, which means there’s still hope of taking you down!” She clenched her fist and brought it over her chest. “I’ve kept up with you just fine until now, even pulled ahead for a little bit. That says to me that for all your talk and fancy rare cards, your deck isn’t all that better than mine. I've got my friends counting on me to win, and god damn it I'm going to do just that!!” Rainbow’s eyes flashed and her body began to glow bright blue. “And if you and I are an equal match, then I say that until my Life Points hit zero, this duel isn’t over! I put my trust in my deck and it will trust me!”

Both Isaac and Sunset felt something flowing from them as they saw magical energy gather around Dash's body. They both looked at each other and then back to the duel.

Turn 9: Rainbow

“My turn! AHHH!!” Eyes blazing blue, Rainbow raised her duel disk and drew, the card flashing blue in her hand. She looked at her new card and then reached to the lone card in her other hand. “I summon U.A. Midfielder, in attack mode!” Rainbow’s monster appeared in front of her, hunched over and ready to move. “And since I just summoned a U.A. monster from my hand, I can special summon the tuner monster U.A. Strategist(1000/600)!” Next to Midfielder rose a monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and let out a grunt.

"Since when has Rainbow used that card?" gasped Rarity.

She hasn't. Isaac was shocked at Rainbow's new card.

“I activate U.A. Strategist’s special ability!” Rainbow held up her duel disk as cards began to emerge from her graveyard. “Once per turn, I can return up to three U.A. monsters in my graveyard to my deck, and a U.A. monster on my side of the field can gain or lose a Level for each of them.” The transparent images of Rival Rebounder, Dreadnought Dunker, and Playmaker appeared above Strategist. “I return three monsters to my deck, and have U.A. Strategist gain three Levels, making it Level 6!” Strategist raised its whistle and blew into it; at the sound, the specters of Rainbow’s monsters flowed into it in flashes of blue light. “And now, I tune my Level 6 U.A. Strategist with my Level 4 U.A. Midfielder!” Strategist’s whistle echoed as it turned into six green rings that floated into the air. Midfielder rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field!” Rainbow’s duel disk popped open and a new card materialized in her Extra Deck. She grabbed it and held it up. “Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Around the field, the lights of Indigo’s track darkened, and spotlights on U.A. Stadium swung around, shining on the monster. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

Indigo’s eyebrows lifted. “Not a bad show to go out on, at least.”

“You tell me,” Rainbow replied. She pressed her fingers to her duel disk and another card ejected from her graveyard. “I activate the effect of U.A. Penalty Box in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can add a U.A. Spell from my deck to my hand. I’ll take U.A. Powered Jersey and equip it to Star Player!” Star Player held its arms out. A set of black and red armor with massive spikes, electricity sparking from them, appeared around it. One by one the pieces gravitated onto Star Player, the armor’s red sections lighting up once complete, forming a large spiked chestpiece and gauntlet. “U.A. Powered Jersey gives the equipped monster an extra thousand attack points, and battle damage you take from the monster wearing it is doubled. Star Player now has a commanding 3700 attack points!” Rainbow thrust her hand out, a blue aura over her entire body. “So without any further delay Star Player, attack Sonic Meister!”

Star Player tensed its limbs and leapt into the air. Lightning coiled from the spikes of its armored jersey and into its gauntlet. With a laugh, it brought its arms together and thrust them forward, firing a beam of blue energy. The beam lance through Sonic Meister and the race car exploded. Indigo cried out as the shockwave of the blast washed over her. “Now that the monster wearing the Powered Jersey has destroyed your monster in battle, its second effect activates – it can attack again!” Eyes glowing bright blue, Rainbow pumped her fist and pointed. “U.A. Star Player, attack F.A. Motorhome Transport!” Star Player, fists still held out, turned them towards Motorhome Transport. With a smirk, another beam of blue light fired. The blast pierced Motorhome Transport’s cab through the grill. The mechanical arms sparked and fall apart to the ground. The length of the truck shook, panels bursting and windows shattering, before the entire length collapsed and exploded.
Indigo Zap's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rainbow Dash

"The winner of the seventh duel is Canterlot High's Rainbow Dash!!"

The crowd were absolutely nuts as they cheered Rainbow for mounting a comeback and securing the win. Even her friends were cheering her on a job well done.

Rainbow’s eyes ceased glowing and she stumbled slightly. “Whoa…” She put a hand to her head. “That’s a rush.”

“You’re telling me!” Indigo ran up to her. “Right here!” Rainbow looked at her and grinned. When Indigo was close enough, she brought her hand forward and clasped Rainbow’s. “That was a heck of a duel.”

“You’re telling me,” Rainbow replied.

“Rematch after the tournament,” Indigo said, giving a small smile. “You got lucky this time.”

“Are you crazy?”

The two parted and turned their heads; Twilight was staring at Indigo. “Did you not see what happened?” Twilight demanded, pointing at Rainbow.

“She got a good topdeck and beat me.” Indigo held up her hands. “Eh, how the game goes sometimes. A win’s a win.”

“You…” Twilight shook her head, bringing her hands to her temples. “You can’t be serious…”

“Chill, Twi.” Indigo patted her on the shoulder as she walked toward the Shadowbolt bench. Twilight stayed in place, breathing deep.

Rainbow was making her way to her friends when they all tackled her and gave her a great big hug.

"Awesome work, Dashie."

"Thanks, Pinkie." Isaac then came up as he looked at Dash. "And thanks to you, Isaac. Those new improvements you made to my deck really helped us out big time." She gave Isaac a fist bump to which he returned.

"You're welcome, but really you're the one who helped us. Because with that win, we just tied with Crystal Prep. That's the closest Canterlot High has ever come in this event; and you played a major part in that. Good work, Dash."

Rainbow Dash was happy that Isaac was giving her words of praises that she leapt at him and gave him a hug. She didn't care that there were others watching; she made Isaac and Team CHS proud and that was enough for her. Just then the microphone was heard as everybody looked up at the sky box and the screens.

"After 7 rounds of dueling, the score is now tied with 3-3 for both schools. Therefore we'll have one final duel; each team will select one duelist they want to compete. The selections will be kept secret until the duel actually starts, then the winner of those two will be declared the victor. However, before we begin we'll all take a short break."

Chapter 47: Winner Take All

Author's Note

Well this is it, this is the second to last chapter of this particular 'story arc'. Comparing this to the other chapters that I've already written and are waiting to be published, this is the second longest. Anyways hope you enjoy it. Also here's a little something for you guys, I was listening to this when I was editing the chapter and I thought to you'll would like it.

Chapter 47: Winner Take All

Once Luna had made the announcement, everybody all left to get some fresh air. Both teams then all made their way into their respective locker rooms as they each began to finalize who would be the selected duelist to compete. Right now Isaac was sitting on the bench with the girls all surrounding him as they were discussing their plan.

"First off, before we start, I just want to say that you'll did an amazing job out there. No matter what the result was, you all gave it your damndest and I couldn't be more proud to be the captain of a team as good as this. Thanks girls." The girls all were touched by Isaac's speech that they pulled him into a giant group hug. Isaac just let them do their thing as they eventually let go and got back to making an important decision. "Alright, the time has come. After a sort of rocky start, we managed to make a comeback and tie with Crystal Prep. Now the pressure is on us to win this last duel and name Canterlot High the victors."

"Aw yeah, we're this close to winning that I can practically taste." exclaimed Dash.

"Ohh. what does it taste like? Chocolate, cream-flavored, cherrychanga, I'm hungry." Pinkie started licking her lips to which the others just rolled their eyes.

"Like I said, we're tied. And it all comes down to one final duel. Going into this event, Crystal Prep had an edge; they all showed some powerful decks and did some research on us, so they implemented the proper counters. Thankfully, I had a little plan of my own and it was successful."

"You're telling me, did you see the expression on all of their faces when we showed them the new cards we added to our decks."

"Granted, it worked Rainbow. But now they know, which makes it that much harder and they still have an advantage." said Isaac.

“But what do we do now?” Fluttershy asked.

“Easy!” Rainbow pumped her fist. “We pick one of us to kick butt one more time!”

“And who do you suggest we put forth?” Rarity replied, folding her arms together.

“Not it!” Pinkie called. The group looked at her with various states of surprise. She held up her hands. “Eh, I had fun, but if you guys wanna win this, Toons probably aren’t the way to go.” She then made sure to face Isaac. "Also sorry again for screwing this up, big bro."

“Not me,” Fluttershy whispered. "I'm sorry I failed, Isaac."

Applejack rubbed the back of her neck. “Ah gave it mah best, but ah gotta admit, ah had a lot of trouble keepin’ up with Sugarcoat. Ah dunno how ah’d fare against the rest. Sorry for letting you down, sugarcube.”

Isaac then addressed the three girls. "Look I'm not mad at any one of you. You all did your best and that's what's matters. I could care less if you guys won, all that matters is you tried instead of losing all hope. The only real mistake you can make is giving up." That last statement real resonated with the girls as they all gave him a cheerful smile.

“So it’s between us four.” Rainbow looked between Rarity, Sunset, and Isaac. She put a hand on her chest and smiled. “And I would have no problem going out there and being awesome one more time.”

Rarity waited until Rainbow finished, watching her, and then shook her head. “Rainbow, darling, I’ve no doubt you would be capable of winning this final duel, and I’d like to think I could as well. But we both know it can’t be either of us.”

The group then looked at Sunset and Isaac who just looked at each other before turning back to the others. Neither said anything as they didn't know what to say.

"Alright, now that we've figured out who's going to compete. We just need to know who we're selecting: is it Sunset or Isaac?" asked Pinkie.

"Well my vote is Sunset. Between the two of us, she actually won her match and got Canterlot High back on track in terms of points."

Sunset was pleased with Isaac's choice. "I'd appreciate it, but I want you to compete in the last duel. If we're going off skill, then you're our best bet."

"Look, Sunset I...."

"But nothing! I may have gotten the first point for CHS, but you did something even more amazing. You actually got Crystal Prep to believe in us; the way you dueled against their very best showed that they have weakness. And their scared to admit it; you exploited them and they're thinking twice about who they want to send. We still don't know what's happening with the sudden magical bursts we've been seeing, but I know that even without magic, you're the right choice to win. If they complain about us cheating using magic, then let's beat them at their own game by winning fair and square!" Sunset had now given a fired up speech as it worked. The other girls rallied behind Sunset as they all agreed that Isaac was the one who should end it all.

Isaac was still a bit hesitant at the girls selecting him to be their representative. After his encounter with Shining Armor, he was still a bit afraid of dueling as he feared he couldn't get the job done and he would let down everybody counting on him. But the way they were looking at him showed they all trusted him and that he wouldn't let them down. Isaac then let out a sigh, "Alright, if that's the decision you're all comfortable with, then I'll take the responsibility of taking part in the tie-breaker duel."

"Wouldn't have it any other way, partner."

"A fine decision, it is." Celestia and Luna had just arrived into the room as the team had just selected their choice.

"Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna!" they all acknowledge.

"At ease, everybody. My sister and I just wanted to check up on all of you; and to see if you've made your choice on who'll be competing."

"We did, Celestia. The girls have decided on me to be the duelist to compete in the tie-breaker duel."

"What an excellent choice. Regardless, of what the outcome may be, know that each one of you standing here should be proud of how far you've come. You've all lived up to CHS's name and have uphold its reputation. I couldn't be more proud of all your efforts put into this event; I'm glad to be the principal of such an amazing talented group of individuals, especially you, Isaac. You've taken this team and transformed it into something amazing; not to mention that it was quite funny seeing Principal Sombra's expression when he was a bit angry at how Canterlot High had 'amatuers' that were giving his team a hard time."

Everybody just laughed at how Sombra was angry at how much trouble they were giving him and Crystal Prep. Isaac then spoke up. "Well then, if Principal Sombra has been enjoying the show so far, then I say let's make sure we give him an ending that he'll really like. What do you guys say, lets finish this!" The girls all nodded as well as Celestia and Luna, with that they all started to make their way back to the duel field.

"Mind telling me how the hell you lost that last round!?" screamed Sugarcoat.

"Don't give that kind of shit! I played my absolute best and at least I have the decently to acknowledge and show my respect for my opponent, unlike the rest of you!" shouted Indigo Zap as she got in Sugarcoat's face.

"Please, that silly hillbilly girl may be a good duelist, but I proved that I'm superior than her in every shape and form." Sugarcoat then pushed her glasses up.

"Besides, there's one thing we can all agree on whether we won or lost. And that Canterlot High's champion!" said Indigo Zap.

That got the attention of every single Shadowbolts as they all thought back on their individual duels and how each of their opponents had managed to surprise each one of them. They thought they had all the proper countermeasures to defeat them, but somehow Isaac had managed to come up with a plan of his own and succeed. The worst part was that they had lots of information/data to prepare and study, while Isaac just made adjustments to his teammate's decks on the fly and it worked.

"I'll admit that dude is pretty cool. From what I heard from the pink girl, he's really the best that Canterlot High has to offer. I can totally vibe with someone of that skill cap, maybe I can have him look at my deck and make some tuneups." said Lemon Zest.

"I hate losing, but what I hate even more is acknowledge someone else. Still, Isaac showed how incredible his dueling is. Not to mention that he made us all look like fools; from what I saw with my battle with Rarity, I see he's someone who everybody looks up to." Sunny Flare was checking herself in her small hand mirror when she made that statement.

"I'll admit, the way he took on Shining Armor and nearly beat him, impressed me. We've all faced him in the past, but that kid came the closest that either one of us has or ever will come to beating Shining Armor. He's good, I shudder at the idea if he enrolled at Crystal Prep. I doubt anyone of us would be standing here; we would all be just third-rate duelists compared to him." Sugarcoat put her head down as she had being right, especially about her opponent.

"I knew he would make a tasty meal. Still that fact that he had to make me work for it, I don't appreciate it. But it was in a way, a bit fun to have someone who gave me a challenge. Even if he wasn't the one I was physically dueling." Sour Sweet had said her piece.

"I'd totally battle that guy if I was given the chance. I would do it over and over; he knows how to throw down and that's what I like in real duelist." Indigo Zap pumped a fist bump as she kept thinking of challenging Isaac.

"Well that we've got our intimate moment out of the way, the question is: Who's dueling?" said Sugarcoat.

"Well it can't be any of the losers, that much is obvious. They would squander their opportunity not to mention embrass us all." Sour Sweet then pointed to her teammates that lost.

"Mind saying that again to my face! Or if you want, we can settle things right now with a duel!" Indigo Zap was offended by Sour Sweet's comment.

"Please, she's just stating the obvious. We need someone who can actually get the job done!"

"What're are you suggesting, dearie?" said Sunny Flare as she closed her hand mirror.

"I'm talking about me, I clearly had the most dominant performance out of all of us, therefore I'm the only choice to be the one to battle." stated Sugarcoat.

"Oh, that makes sense. Cause all we need to do is rely on someone being a total bitch to win."

Sugarcoat then got in Sour Sweet's space. "At least, I know I can win. Besides, didn't you face their champ and lost so convincing?"

"That was for the plan, I could have beaten that little sucker. I had him in the palm of my hand; the only reason why I lost to begin with, is because I had to the plan we came up with."

"Really, cause from where we were standing, it seemed like he was the one who was in control. You may have not noticed it, but that kid was just toying with you, if he wanted to, he could have ended you on his third turn and there was nothing you could have done about it." This really pissed of Sour Sweet as she was getting ready to get physically with Sugarcoat.

Just as both girls were about to start throwing punches until the door opened. "That's enough!" shouted Shining Armor who was followed behind by his sister.

"If you all insist on acting like this, then none of you will be representing this school in the final school. Am I understood!!!!" When Shining Armor raised his voice, it seemed to cause all the Shadowbolts to back down as they tried to avoid looking directly at him.

Sugarcoat then cleared her throat before speaking to her captain. "With all due respect, Shining Armor, after careful consideration. I think our best bet on making sure Crystal Prep wins is to have you be the duelist to compete in the tie-breaker duel." That was the first statement that all the other girls agreed on.

“No!” Twilight yelped.

Shining frowned and looked down at her. “Twily?”

Twilight’s eyes snapped up to his. “I just mean… uh…” She took a breath. “You know that thing I’ve kinda been obsessed over? It wasn’t nothing.”

Shining groaned. “Twilight…”

“She’s not lying!” Sunny Flare cut in. “I hate to agree with her, but she does have a point. Those girls and Isaac have magic, and they’re using it to cheat!”

“You’ve gotta be joking.”

Indigo shook her head. “I wish she was. Sunny and I have no memories of our duels, and the recordings of them aren’t showing up on our duel disks. Whatever is going on with those guys, we can’t remember how they beat us or look it up.”

Twilight waited for Indigo to finish before speaking, drawing Shining’s attention back to her. “I know it sounds crazy, but believe me. I feel crazy for just thinking it’s even plausible. But I can’t find any other explanation for what’s going on.”

“And you just jumped on the idea they have magic?”

Shining let out a breath. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” Twilight nodded.

Sugarcoat stepped forward. “Twilight knows the most about this. And somehow her memories aren’t affected.”

Sunny nodded. “Indeed. If we must pick a duelist to face them, we need one who could somehow counter their abilities.”

Twilight gaped. “What? I-I can’t do anything like that!”

“But you do understand this more than us,” Lemon replied. “And you can remember the stuff they do with their magic, so you know what to expect.”

“The point is that I don’t know. They can change their decks any time!”

“But at least you’ll be able to take notice of when they do,” Sunny said. “And that’s an advantage we can’t have, meagre though it may be.”

“Yes, but—”

“She’s right; if they’ve got some freaky powers, you’re the only one who would know,” Indigo said. “So we really don’t have a choice then, do we?”

Before Twilight could respond, Sugarcoat and Sour Sweet saw something past her and raised their heads. The group parted and turned as Dean Cadance approached them.

“Girls, I’m sorry for interrupting,” Cadance looked among them and then down at Twilight. “Principal Sombra would like to speak to you, Twilight.”

Twilight blinked, and then scowled. “Now he wants to talk to me?”

“Yes. He says it’s urgent.” Cadance gestured a hand. “We shouldn’t keep him waiting.”

Twilight looked up at Shining Armor. He looked back and put a hand on her shoulder. “It’s okay, Twily.”

Twilight nodded at Cadance, and she walked past the group and up the steps to the parking lot. Twilight followed her to the parked limousine, where Cadance pulled open the back door for her. Twilight climbed into the back seat, the door shutting behind her. Shining Armor was a few feet away when Cadance made her way back to him.

"I just hope that everything will be okay." Shining Armor was concerned on why Sombra suddenly called to talk with his sister.

"I'm sure it's nothing to be worried about. But still, I have a feeling that something evil is about to happen and I'm afraid Twilight is caught in the middle of it. I just hope she'll be safe." Cadance then put her head on Shining's shoulder as he put his arm around her and they walked back together with the rest of the Shadowbolts.

“Twilight.”

Sitting with his hands clasped in his lap, staring forward, Sombra whispered her name in the darkness of the limo.

“You’ve been avoiding me,” Twilight said, trying to put an edge to her voice.

“I have been letting things play out,” Sombra said softly. “They played out in ways I was not expecting.”

“Play out…” Twilight stared at him, her eyes slowly widening. She raised a shaking hand to point at him. “You know. Wait, no. You’ve known.”

“Yes.”

“How much?” she demanded.

“At least as much as you do, perhaps more.” Sombra murmured in his throat, his fingers tapping. “But not nearly as much as I would prefer.”

“Then explain it to me.” Twilight shook her head furiously. “This is impossible. Magic is impossible. Impossible. If you know what’s going on, tell me the truth.”

“That is the truth, Twilight,” Sombra said simply. “Sunset Shimmer and her friends possess magic that augments their decks. It is no lie, I assure you.”

“This…” Twilight slapped a hand to her face and grimaced, her fingers clutching her head. She let out a frustrated groan.“I can’t believe you’re saying this. What about me? I seem to be the only one who knows. How do I fit into things?”

“You have been my valuable aide in this investigation. And now the time has come to bring it to a close.” Sombra turned his head, green eyes flickering brightly in the darkness. “Twilight, listen to me very carefully. I was content to watch things unfold and see what developed, but the situation has changed. The duel you are about to face Isaac in, is of greater importance to me than this tournament’s outcome.”

“They haven’t—”

“You know they will choose him,” Sombra interrupted, “as I know your teammates have chosen you. Am I wrong on that?” Twilight shook her head. “Good. It is of great importance to me that you prevail in this final duel. There is too much at stake for us to falter.”

“And how do you suggest I do that?” Twilight looked away. “Isaac is a duelist of a cabiler that only the elite can dream of, how can I prepare for that kind of opponent? You saw what he was able to do in the duel against my brother."

“Yes.” Sombra leaned forward. “But this will not be the same as that duel. I suggest evening the playing field.”

Twilight felt a chill go down her back. “How?”

“The obvious way.” Sombra smiled slightly. “You’ve been a great help to me thus far, Twilight. I feel it is only fair that I repay your assistance. And you do wish to defeat Isaac and eventually Sunset, don’t you?”

Twilight’s mouth felt dry as she opened her mouth. “I…”

“The honor of your school, your team, and yourself, have been damaged. They must be redeemed. And Isaac must be made to understand he cannot do as he pleases without retribution finding him, one way or the other.” Sombra’s eyes bored into Twilight’s as he spoke. “I need to know you are capable of this, Twilight. I need you to defeat Isaac for me. Will you do this for me?”

As Sombra’s words seeped in, Twilight started to think back on her first encounter with Isaac. She remembered all the data she had collected on him; from every little detail to how he commanded his monsters on the dueling field. He had a presence that made Twilight become fascinated with him, not to mention that he wielded the Dark Magician. So why, why did she have a sudden fascination for Isaac? When they first met, it was just a normal encounter, but after that everytime she would see him, she would become even more interested in Isaac to the point were it become a sort of obsession with male duelist. Eventually she nodded. "Yes."

“Wonderful.” Sombra’s smile widened and he reached up to pat Twilight on the shoulder. “I knew I could count on you.”

Twilight’s head felt faint as Sombra smiled at her, eyes gleaming green.

“Yes… Principal Sombra…”

Soon both teams had made it back to the dueling field as the students were filling back into their seats. Luna and Cadance were running one last test with the cameras as they wanted to make sure that the folks watching at home caught every little second of this last duel. Once everything was checked, Luna gave her sister a thumbs up to signal they were about to start. Isaac was just standing there waiting for whoever duelist Crystal Prep chose; it didn't take long as the person battling for Crystal Prep was none other than Twilight as she was starting to descend onto the field. Isaac looked up at Celestia and the other adults and they gave him the signal to start. With that Isaac gave one final look and thumbs up to his friends. He took a deep breath before turning his cap backwards and then starting to make his way towards Twilight.

Across the field, Twilight had her arms down beside her, her head low. “Twilight?”

At Isaac’s voice, Twilight slowly raised her head and opened her eyes. And for a second, they seemed to be normal when Isaac called out to her. She looked at him before they flickered and she had her eyes closed again.

“Students, we’ve had a Friendship Game like no other in recent memory!” Cadance said over the speakers. “With the final score being three victories for either school and one tie, Canterlot High’s Isaac will face Crystal Prep’s Twilight Sparkle in the deciding duel. Are both duelists ready?”

“Yes,” Isaac whispered, not taking her eyes off Twilight.

Twilight tilted her head. “No.”

Isaac blinked. “What?”

“This venue is inappropriate for a duel like this.” Twilight raised her arms, bringing her duel disk in front of her and putting a hand above her deck. “I will provide a more suitable environment.” Dark energy crackled between Twilight’s fingers and her cards, and a purple aura lit up over her.

Isaac’s heart skipped a beat as a pulse went through the air. He inhaled sharply. No…

Eyes glowing dark purple, Twilight thrust her hand out towards Isaac. In a rush, billowing clouds of darkness erupted from his feet and grew to surround the field. The stands of students, the table of principals, and Isaac's friends, were obscured by the clouds. When they reached behind Isaac they lit up in light and then faded, thunder roiling within them. Sunset and the rest of the girls were scared at what was happening, but Sunset then put her hand over her heart and she could still sense Isaac's presence. She didn't know what was going on, but she prayed that whatever Isaac was encountering he could be able to handle it.

Isaac looked around him, taking a step back. "What is this?"

Just then the spirit of his Dark Magician appeared. "This is a Shadow Game, master."

"Shadow Game?"

"Yes, long ago, ancient sorcerers and spellcasters engaged in high stakes games that involved monsters. In short, these Shadow Games were the first edition of Duel Monsters. However, these games were dangerous as the loser would suffer a terrible fate, such as losing one's soul."

"So you're telling me that if I lose this duel, then I'll lose my soul? Well that means I just got to win, no big deal. You with me, Mahad?"

"I would listen to your monster, if I were you!" said Twilight as she still had her eyes glowing. "And yes, I can see him quite clearly. Unlike everybody else, I know about your special connection with your deck and the fact that you hold some magic of your own and you don't even know it."

"And you do!?"

"Believe, thanks to Principal Sombra, my eyes haven't been more open than they are right now."

"I knew I couldn't trust Sombra. Well don't worry, Twilight. I'm going to save you from whatever magic he's got you under, then it'll be his turn to pay for messing with people."

“You’re right,” Twilight said coolly. She slowly smiled. “I didn’t understand magic before. But I do now. And soon I’ll understand it a lot more. And so will you. That’s what we both want, isn’t it? To understand our powers and what they can do? What better way than a duel?”

“Not like this.” Isaac shook his head. “This is dangerous.”

"So what, that didn't stop you and your friends when you'll used it? Well now it's my turn to have some fun!" laughed Twilight sinisterly. "What matters is that one way or the other, we’re not leaving this field until a duel is held.” She pressed her hand to her disk and the card tray ejected in an array of jagged, purple light.

Isaac reached to his own disk and projected a card tray made up of bright gold. “If this is what it’ll take to snap you out of it, fine.”

Twilight slowly chuckled. “This is a whole new evolution of dueling we’re about to witness here. I admit, everything else aside, this is kind of exciting.” Her aura shone brighter, eyes gleaming. “Now, Isaac, let’s see what our magic can really do! Time to finish the duel that we started when we first met each other!”

“Be careful what you wish for.” Isaac leaned forward, his hoodie and body started to light up with a colorful aura. “It’s time to duel, Twilight!”

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of both of their duel disks.

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"Ladies first." Twilight drew her hand at the same time as Isaac and they both did a double take at what they were holding.

"No way, these cards I drew are..."

"... the same ones I used when Isaac and me first dueled."

Sure enough both duelists were holding an identical hand to the one they had when they first encountered each other. Meanwhile on the outside, their was still a blanket of shadows that was covering the entire duel field. However a part of the magic that was encompassing Isaac made its way to a camera and fused with it to which it started to project what was happening inside as it played for everybody to see on the many screens for all the other students to see. Isaac's friends were thankful they could see that he was alright, but they still were worried about his safety. Regardless, there was nothing they could do but sit and watch; they just prayed that Isaac would be victorious and would come back to them. Up above in the sky box, Celestia and Luna had concerned looks on their faces, as they prayed that both Isaac and Twilight would be okay. Cadance felt frightened to see Twilight in such a state that it broke her heart. Eventually she muttered some words that said, 'Save her, Isaac' as she looked on.

Crystal Prep on the other had couldn't believe their eyes at what they were seeing. They knew they wanted to win and humiliate Canterlot High, but even they knew this was too far. The rest of the Shadowbolts all took a step back they tried to wrap their heads around what they were seeing. When the titantron came up, they were surprised to see both Isaac and Twilight be surrounded by strange amounts of energy. Shining Armor was the one person freaking out the most; he knew he shouldn't have let Twilight meet with Sombra alone. And now he was forced to watch his little sister be filled with some evil magic and being nothing more than a puppet for Sombra's intentions. He thought about finding Principal Sombra and beating the shit out of him, but knew it would be pointless.

Nevertheless, as much as he hated it, Shining Armor would have to rely on one person who can save his sister. Someone who had a deeper connection with Twilight than him. "Please, Isaac. Save my little sister for me, bring Twilight back home."

Back with Twilight and Isaac, they were still looking over their cards as they tried to wrap their heads around what was happening. Both knew their duel disks had shuffled their decks and there wasn't any possibility that magic played a role in them drawing the same card, so what was it.

"It's as if fate has stepped in." said Isaac.

I don't understand. How can this be? The cards I drew, they're the same as what I drew in my first match with Isaac. Twilight was still in shock as what was happening.

It can only mean one thing. Not only do Twilight and I want this settled, but a force bigger than us wants it settled as well.

"Enough wasting time, my draw." Twilight drew he card and sure enough it was the exact one she drew when she first battled Isaac. The card Twilight picked up was none other than her Magician Valkyria which really caused her eyes to widen. It's the same again. Then there's no doubt, we're being thrust into the same duel situation we were the last time. To see what should have really happened. So let's get to it. "I'll play Magician Valkyria in defense mode."

"Magician Valkyria? So it's not just me." said Isaac.

"Then I'll set a card facedown and end my turn. It's your move now, Isaac. Everything's the same as before. So let's see if you really have what it takes to win or if you're just all talk."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Very well then, now to set things right. It's my draw." Isaac then drew his card and looked at his hand, but he knew exactly what he was going to do. "I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. You know about Breaker's ability, once he's summoned he gains a counter that boost his attack by 300." Like before out came a warrior that wielded both a sword and shield.

Shining Armor was looking on and he too was stunned. Compared to everybody else, this was the first time they were seeing Isaac battle against Twilight. But Shining Armor knew about his sister's first encounter with Isaac as she had recorded the video of their battle on her duel disk and showed it to him. And to see it play out like their first duel was enough to cause him to gasp. "This first face-off, it's the same as before. Whoa, I guess history really does repeat itself."

The other Shadowbolts over heard his comment and were intrigued by it.

"Shining, what do you mean, 'history repeats itself'?" asked Indigo Zap.

"You see, before the Friendship Games, Twilight actually faced off against Isaac in a duel. And it started out just like the one that's going on right now."

"Impossible." shouted Sour Sweet.

"If that's true, then we know who wins, right?" said Sugarcoat with a hint of worry/confusion in her voice.

"Unfortunately, we don't. Before they could finish their duel, Twilight ran off." This really concerned the other Shadowbolts as they were scared on what the result of this Shadow Game would be. "Let's just hope that Isaac can win for all our sakes."

Turn 3: Twilight

Indeed it is. Twilight then drew her card. "And this turn, will be a powerful one. I summon my Berry Magician Girl(400/400) in attack mode. Then her special ability activates which lets me add 1 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand. Next I'll activate this card Spellbook Library of the Crescent; if I have no 'Spellbook' spell cards in my graveyard then I can reveal 3 'Spellbook' spell cards from my deck. Then you randomly choose one to add to my hand and the rest are shuffled in my deck. These should look familiar to you, Isaac. I reveal Spellbook of Eternity, Spellbook of Secrets, and Spellbook of Wisdom." The three cards were then projected in front of Isaac as they were flipped over and spun around in a circle before they stopped.

"Guess everything has been the same, we're doing every single move we made right up to the point where you called off the match. Seems like even destiny wants to see how it would have ended. Well then, I'll stick with the same choice as last time. I choose the card on the right." Isaac pointed his finger at his choice and it was added to the Twilight's hand while the rest went into her deck.

Twilight just looked at the card Isaac selected and gave a huff. "Then before I end my turn, I'll play the field spell The Grand Spellbook Tower." Twilight played her card and out came a giant watchtower that even the adults in the sky box could see.

Turn 4: Isaac

"Time for me to come up with a plan and save Twilight." Isaac drew his card and looked at Twilight's field and her monster. "I know about your monster's effect, but if things are playing out like last time, then I know what's coming. Now Breaker attack Berry Magician Girl!"

"Like you said, this has happened before. So I'll activate my monster's ability; when she becomes the target of an attack I can switch her from attack to defense mode. Then I'll summon one 'Magician Girl' from my deck, so say hello once more to my Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)."

"Then you should know what I'm about to do. I'll play the spell Ricochet and bounce one your monster back to your hand and add one card from my deck to my hand." Isaac took the card he wanted from his duel disk. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Twilight

"To start, I'll summon back my Chocolate Magician Girl in attack mode. Then I'll play the continuous spell card Spellbook Star Hall. Now whenever a 'Spellbook' card is activated I can put a counter on this card. I'll then play the spell card, Spellbook of Secrets."(Counter: 1) Twilight's Star Hall then light up as a counter was gained. "This allows me to add 1 'Spellbook' card from my deck to my hand" Twilight took the card she wanted. "My Star Hall also gives my spellcasters an extra 100 points for every counter on it. I'll also give her some more attack with the spell, Spellbook of Power. Now she gains an extra 1000 points; she now has 2700 attack points. So take out Isaac's Breaker!" Chocolate Magician Girl then raised her wand as it had no problem getting rid of Isaac's warrior.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"As you know, the other effect of my Spellbook of Power will now take effect. I can now add another 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand, since my monster was successful in destroying yours. I'll then end my turn with a facedown." (Counter: 2).

Turn 6: Isaac

"Alright then, my turn." Isaac drew his card. "I'll activate the spell card, Fissure. With it your Chocolate Magician Girl is now gone." Isaac played his spell and out came a giant hand that grabbed Twilight's monster and dragged it down into the hole it came from as the ground closed up behind it. "Then I'll play Graceful Charity, so I'll add 3 more cards to my hand and discard two." Isaac picked up his cards and then sent the ones he wanted to the grave. "Since one of the cards I just drew was my Watapon, I can special summon him to the field." Isaac played his card and out came a fluffy white little monster.

Maybe this will help Twilight snap out of it. "I said I was going to save you Twilight and this monster is going to help me out. Now I'll sacrifice my Watapon and summon out my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac played his female spellcaster who appeared in a flash of light as she did her signature pose and wink. She then floated over to Isaac as she stared at what was happening.

"Isaac, is this a Shadow Game?"

"Indeed it is, Mana. Right now we're in for the fight of our lives; more importantly, Twilight has been corrupted by magic and is the one in control of all this. We need to beat her in order to escape this place, care to lend me a hand in waking her up."

"You've got it!" Mana gave Isaac a thumbs up and then stared back at Twilight.

"Twilight, do you remember this? This a monster that you have as well, think back. Think back on all the times you used her, fight it!"

For a second nothing changed as Twilight just simply didn't care. However, on the inside, there was a part of Twilight's subconscious that noticed the monster and was trying to break free from the grip of the darkness. "Please, why would I remember such a weak monster? She's useless and serves no purpose to me!"

"Well maybe this will change your mind! I'll play the Magic Formula card and with it my Dark Magician Girl gains an 700 attack points. Now Mana, lets see this attack is enough to snap Twilight out of it. Ready? Go Dark Burning Attack!!" Dark Magician Girl then powered up her wand. "Wake up, Twilight!!!" She then released her spell as it collided with Twilight for the full impact. The attack caused smoke to appeared as Twilight put her arms up.
Twilight's Life Points: 5300-

Everybody watching the screens at home and on the outside of the shadow wall witness what had happened. They were shocked to see Isaac deal a massive amount of damage to Twilight. Once the smoke cleared there stood Twilight as she put her arms down and she had opened her eyes. Isaac saw this and they were back to their normal self.

Isaac popped a smile when he saw this. "There she is, there's the eyes of the beautiful girl I met. Come home Twilight, come back to us. Your friends and your family, cease this Twilight. Come home!"

"Isaac?" Then her eyes returned back to glowing purple as it cause Isaac to take a step back. "Did you honestly think that would work? I told you before the girl you're trying rescue has been replaced, meet the new, better version of her. As now it's time I repay the favor for that attack and I think I'll start with Dark Magician Girl!"

Turn 7: Twilight

Twilight drew her card with such vigor. "I'll play the Spellbook Organization card. Now I'll look at the 3 top cards of my deck and I can rearrange them in any order I choose." Another light lit up for Twilight's star hall. (Counter: 3) "Next I'll play my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(500/400), now when he's summoned I can add 1 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." Twilight had a smile on her face as she picked up her card. "Now time to get reacquainted with an old friend, I reveal 3 'Spellbooks' from my hand: Spellbook of Life, Spellbook of Fate, and Spellbook of Judgement. By doing-so, I summon out my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!" Twilight had managed to play her monster as it arrived with vibrant colors and majestic robes. "Last time, you said she was stunning. Do still think that?" snickered Twilight.

"She still is because she reminds me of her owner." Isaac looked at Twilight to try to reason with her once again. "Your Priestess is a lot like you Twilight; you're both beautiful and you're loved by thousands of people. Stop this madness! Before innocent people get hurt!"

"It's kind of cute to see you flirt with me, even if you're trying to save someone who's long gone!" Twilight's aura started to grow as she let out a scream. "But I've told once and I'll tell you again, Twilight Sparkle is dead!! Now my Priestess activate your special ability, by banishing a 'Spellbook' from my hand, I can destroy one card on the field. So say goodbye to that Dark Magician Girl of yours!!" High Priestess casted a spell as it fired it at Isaac's magician who was helpless.

"No Mana!" Isaac was trying to help his Dark Magician Girl when she stopped him.

"It's alright, master. I'll be okay, you focus on rescuing that girl of yours. She needs help and right now you're the only one who can reach her. Save her, Isaac!" With that she disappeared as she was sent to the grave.

"Not that she's gone, there's nothing getting in the way of my monsters laying waste to your pathetic life points. Don't forget due to my star hall, all spellcasters gain an extra 100 points for every counter." Twilight then held up 4 fingers. "I count four, so that means they all get an extra 400 attack points." Both Twilight's monsters felt the surge of power flowing through them, but unlike the last time it infused them with some dark magic as they felt the darkness taking control.

Isaac saw this and he was appalled at what he was seeing. "Stop this, Twilight. Can't you see that you're hurting their monsters! I understand being angry at everybody else, but your monsters shouldn't have to suffer your anger."

"Please, as they could feel pain and emotions! They're just simply puppets and I'm their master. What I say goes, they just carry out my orders. That's the role of monsters; I'm the master, they're the servants. They follow my command without a hesitation and if they disobey my orders then they simply get left behind and I replace them with better versions!"

"That's not true! To me, my monsters have always been my friends! They've been with me for every single step of my journey; at every bump in the road, every single time I thought I should just give up they were their for me. To me I respect my cards with love and trust cause I know they feel the same about me. I've put my faith in my cards and they returned the same ideal; we fight as one! Cause to them I'm not just their master, I'm so much more, to them I'm their friend!"

"Then it's your very trust in your monsters that will seal your fate!" Twilight raised her hand as she pointed at Isaac. "Now my servants teach him a lesson for disrespecting your master! Attack him directly!!" Both monsters leaped as they took flight to strike Isaac.

"I'll reveal my facedown Spellbinding Circle, so now your monster can't attack and loses 700 attack points."

"Just like last time, I'll play the Spellbook of Wisdom. With it, I'll make my High Priestess immune to your trap, and also that's another spell which means I gain another counter and they get stronger!" (Counter: 4).

With that Isaac's trap was rendered useless as both of Twilight's monsters dealt some fatal damage to Isaac as it knocked him off his feet and onto his back. The pain was so life like that Isaac let out a blood shrilling scream as he was thrown on his back. The scream could be heard by everybody as they it penetrated the walls and both schools heard it as they started to clutch themselves. Sunset and the rest of the girls all felt Isaac's pain as they all dropped to their knees, each clutching their hearts. Celestia and Luna just held each other's hands as they couldn't bear to witness their student go through so much pain. All of Crystal Prep were watching with horror in their eyes as they were feeling compassion for Isaac.

Eventually Isaac had to will himself to get up as he struggled to stand on his feet. That one attack was enough to give him bruises and cover his outfit in dirt; Twilight just stood there as she had a sick smile on her face as she appreciated her work.
Isaac's Life Points: 4400-

"Is that... all... you've.." Isaac was trying to stand up as well as catch his breath.

"I'd spare the witty remark. You're going to need to save your strength for what's about to happen. I end my turn!"

As soon as Twilight ended her turn, Isaac couldn't help but to laugh. In fact, he laughed so hard that everybody watching were confused on what he was doing. Twilight was the most pissed off as the person she was dueling just was laugh. "What the hell is so funny? Are you actually laughing through the pain? Well get it all out because I'm going to make sure that what happens next, I'll wipe that smile off your face and then it'll be me who gets the last laugh!"

Turn 8: Isaac

Isaac's duel disk slotted out his next card for him to pick up. "I'm laughing because despite all that has occurred this duel has been pretty fun."

"Fun!? What's so fun about you losing!?" screamed Twilight.

"The fun is that I get to experience a duel like no other with a person I didn't know existed. You're amazing, Twilight. I've faced lots of opponents, and this is not me bashing on everybody else I've faced, but when I face you I feel a sort of happiness. Knowing that there's someone who can calculate their moves compared to me who just goes with the flow of a duel; that alone makes this duel worthwhile. As for me losing, sorry not gonna happen!" Isaac then drew his card as it had a streak of light following behind it. "First, since my Magic Formula was sent to the grave, I gained an extra 1000 life points. Then I'll play the spell Chaos Form, with it I can perform a ritual summon! I ritual summon, appear Magician of Chaos(2500/2100)!" Out came Isaac's spellcaster as it twirled its weapon before striking an intimidating pose. "But I'm not done, next I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil. So by paying 1000 life points, I'll summon by Dark Magician of Chaos!" The crowd was in awe as they got to see Isaac's spellcasters stand side-by-side.
Isaac's Life Points: 3400-

"Since I summoned my Dark Magician of Chaos, his effect kicks in. I can return a spell card from my graveyard." Isaac tapped his duel disk and took the card he wanted. "Now time to attack!"

"My Spellbook of Denial will put your assault on hold! Thus my Star Hall gains another counter and increases my monsters' attack." (Counter: 5)

"Then thanks for activating my Magician of Chaos' ability. Since you played a spell, his effect activates and destroys one card on the field, so your Star Hall goes bye-bye! And as for your Spellbook of Denial, I'll negate it by banishing my Magician Navigation from the grave to null its effect."

"Before my Star Hall goes to the grave, I'll play one final spell, my Spellbook of Damage. Now I'll reduce any battle damage this turn by half!"

"You're gonna need every single life points you can get! Magicians, knock some sense into Twilight! Attack!" With that Magician of Chaos had gotten rid of the opponent's Star Hall. Then both monsters lost their extra power up as their points were returned to normal. "So Dark Magician of Chaos will attack your High Priestess, instead of it being sent to the graveyard it now gets banished. Then my Magician of Chaos will take out your Spellbook Magician of Prophecy." With that both of Isaac's magicians took out and cleared the field of the opponent's monsters.
Twilight's Life Points: 4150-

"I'll end my turn, you're up Twilight!"

Turn 9: Twilight

"This is the beginning of the end for you!" Twilight drew her card. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Star Hall, since it had six counters on it when you sent it to the grave, I can now add a spellcaster whose level is less than or equal to the number of counters it had." Twilight's duel disk ejected the card she wanted as she added it to her hand. "Now the effect of my field spell, once during my Standby Phase, if I have a spellcaster on my field or in my grave then I can return a 'Spellbook' from my grave to the bottom of my deck and draw a card." Twilight touched her duel disk and took the card she wanted; she then drew her card. "Time show everybody what happens when you mess with me! I'll also play Dark Magic Veil, so by giving up 1000 life points as payment, I'll summon my Reaper of Prophecy(2000/1600)."
Twilight's Life Points: 3150-

"Now whenever my Reaper is summoned, I can activate his ability which triggers his many effects based on how many 'Spellbook' cards with different names in my graveyard." Twilight then began to run down her monster's many effects. "You know that since there's at least three, he'll gain 600 attack points. Then 4 or more, he'll I can add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand" Twilight then took the card she wanted and turned back to Isaac as she held up 5 fingers. "And lastly, 5 or more, I can special summon a level 5 or higher Dark spellcaster-type from my deck. Come on out, Magician of Dark Illusion!" Now Twilight had two monsters on her field as she looked at Isaac with the same stare as him. "You know what comes next."

"Yeah."

"Then I'll play my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). Now his ability kicks in, since I activated a 'Spellbook' card before he was on the field. I can tribute him to special summon 1 level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster-type monster from my deck. So I'll play another Magician of Dark Illusion. Then I'll take things up a notch, by performing an Xyz summon! I overlay my two Magician of Dark Illusion to build the overlay network. I Xyz Summon, Hierophant of Prophecy(2800/2600, OLU: 2)!" Just like that both duelist now had two powerful spellcasters at they all looked at each; everybody watching the screen were in awe as they saw two duelist of the highest caliber wield powerful magicians, the question now was: who's magic was better? "I'll then activate the effect of my Hierophant of Prophecy, by using 1 overlay unit I can destroy your spell/traps cards up to the number of 'Spellbooks' in my grave. So now you have no facedowns to save you."

"Oh, no. Now Isaac is defenseless." shouted Sunset as she watched the screen.

"Now Hierophant take out his Magician of Chaos!"

"I'll play the ability of my Electromagnetic Turtle from the grave; by banishing it I can immediately end your battle phase!" Isaac's turtle then appeared as it released thousands of little electricity as it created a static field that stopped Twilight's advanced.

"Err, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn." Isaac drew his card. "I'll play the spell card Book of Effect; I know you love books Twilight, so maybe you'll like this piece of literature. Now I'll remove a special ability from one of your monsters; I choose to negate the effect of your Hierophant of Prophecy." The spell card then created a book that fired a magical beam as it took away Hierophant's power. "I'll then have my Dark Magician of Chaos attack your Reaper."

"From my grave, I'll activate the effect of my Magic Protection spell. By banishing it, I can end your battle phase."

"Then you just also triggered the effect of my Magician of Chaos; now I can destroy one card on the field and I choose your Hierophant."

"Don't think so, from my hand I'll play Spellbook Barrier card. Now I can select one card on the field and protect it from being targeted by special effects till the end of the turn."

Back and forth the interaction went as in the end both duelist weren't giving an inch as they each wanted to cement their dominance.

"I'll end my turn with a card facedown."

Turn 11: Twilight

"Playtime is over!" Twilight drew her card. I'll play Strength of Prophecy(1500/1400) and then activate its ability. Once per turn, I can shuffle 1 'Spellbook' from my graveyard back into my deck. Furthermore I can target one spellcaster on my field and not only does its level increase by one but it gains 500 attack. I select my Reaper of Prophecy, now he has a total of 3100. Let's bring this game to a close, go my monsters eliminate his magicians."

"Isaac!" shouted everybody watching.

The attack was so powerful that it flung both duelist on their back; Isaac was thrown with so much force that his cap went flying. Everybody watching covered their eyes as the light was so bright; the ground surrounding them began to rumble. Once the light show died down, both Isaac and Twilight were on the grass as they weren't moving. Every single person had their eyes glued to the titration as they were waiting to see what each one of them would do. Then both Isaac and Twilight then started to get to their feet, Twilight's glasses had fallen and were right beside her, but she didn't care as she just stared Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 300-
Twilight's Life Points: 350-

"So we're finally back to where we were the first time."

"Correct, except this time, there's no running away. This time, I've run all the calculations and I have magic on my side. That is an unstoppable combo that nobody can beat!"

"They got to this point." said Shining Armor.

"So this is where they last left off?" said Lemon Zest.

"Correct, now we're about to see who's going to be the victor."

Sunset and the rest of the girls all looked at Isaac and saw that he was pretty banged up. After that last card, both Isaac and Twilight were about equal in terms of life points and this was the final duel. The atmosphere was tense as both duelist just needed an opening to deliver the final blow; however, even though there were almost out of life points, everybody knew the real battle was just beginning.

Isaac let out a sigh of exhaustion which was met by Twilight herself. "You getting tired, yet?"

"Please, I could do this all day."

"Good, cause I was just catching my breath." Isaac then put his hand to his side as he felt some pain course through his body. Thankfully, the magic protecting him was able to minimize the damage or else he would have suffered from severly broken bones. "Here we go."

"Now I summon my Dark Magician!/ Now I summon my Dark Magician Girl!" they both shouted. Out came two magicians that each took their positions by their respective masters.

"This is where things left off. Now time to see how things will play out, I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac

"Back to me." Isaac drew his card and then at his Dark Magician.

"Ready, Mahad? Everybody is counting on us."

"I'm with to the very end, master. Lets wake up, Miss Sparkle."

"Alright, to start I'll play the spell Pot of Greed" Isaac picked up two more cards and added them to his hand. "Everyone is counting on us to win, so lets not disappoint. I set two cards facedown, then I'll play the spell Thousand Knives and with it I'll destroy your Reaper of Prophecy."

"I'll reveal my facedown, Dimension Barrier. Now for the rest of this turn, neither player can play a monster type of the one I choose. I select Ritual monsters; furthermore all monsters currently on the field that fall into that category have their effects negated."

"So what's the point of activating that, it won't save your monster from being destroyed?"

"Your right, it doesn't but it does allow me to get rid of that magician of yours. As for my monster, well I'll activate a card from my grave. Now by banishing my Book of Literature, I can repel your spell card and give it a new target. So Thousand Knives takes out your Magician of Chaos." A giant book then appeared as it opened up and created a wall that bounced the magical knives in the direction of Isaac's Magician of Chaos.

"I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 13: Twilight

"So close and yet so far." Twilight picked up her card. "Time to erase you from existence, once you're out of my way. Sunset is next! Now I'll play Dark Burning Attack with my Dark Magician Girl can wipe out the rest of your monsters! Let him have it!" Twilight's Dark Magician Girl felt the dark magic infuse her as her eyes glowed evil and then raised her wand which decimated Isaac's entire field. "All alone and you no monsters to protect you, how fitting. Now my magician, attack him directly!"

"Not going to be that easy, Twilight. I'll activate the effect of Kuriboh; by sending him to the grave all battle damage I'll receive this turn becomes zero! Kuriboh, help me out little buddy!" Kuriboh then came out as it started to power up as it did everything in its power to protect Isaac from Twilight's attack. It took everything it had, but eventually Kuriboh was able to protect Isaac from harm. Once the attack ceased, Kuriboh then let out a sigh as it had a bead of sweat on its head. It then turned to look at Isaac. "Thanks for everything, Kuriboh. You may be small, but your damn powerful." Kuriboh was happy with its master giving him praise that he nuzzled up against Isaac's face and then disappeared.

"To think that you would use that little pathetic monster to save you. You'll pay for that! I end my turn."

Turn 14: Isaac

"My turn." Isaac drew his card. "I'll activate my facedown Eternal Soul and with I'll bring back my Dark Magician. Next I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now from my graveyard I revive my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had his most two loyal monsters at his side.

"It looks like it's going to be a real trick for us to come out on top here and save Twilight." Said Mana.

"Well, perhaps, but remember, as magicians, there is no trick that we can't pull off." said Mahad.

"Right." nodded Mana.

"Alright, now I'll play the spell Dark Burning Magic and with it I'll destroy every single card on your field!" shouted Isaac.

"What!?" shouted Twilight as her entire field was about to be nuked.

"Mahad, Mana, do it!" Isaac gave his magicians their command.

"For the master!"

"Here we go!"

"Dark Burning Magic!!" all three of them shouted. The attack was successful in that there was nothing left on Twilight's field. All that stood in the way from Isaac winning is he just had to declare his attack.

"Let's end this, attack Twilight directly!!" Isaac magicians then took flight as they were ready to deal the final blow.

Twilight just had a sick smile on her face as her planned worked. "That would work if it wasn't for this, I'll activate the effect of my Goddess of Sweet Revenge. Now when she's the only card in my hand, I can discard her and then I destroy as many cards as you control, so now everything on your side of the field is gone!"

"No!!!" screamed Isaac. True enough both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were caught in a blast as it took them out. Isaac covered his eyes as the light engulfed the entire field and when it died down there was Isaac with nothing on his field.

Twilight was just laughing as she had managed to not only rid Isaac of his field, but she had made him send his own monsters to their deaths. "What kind of master are you? You would send your monsters to meet their demise? That almost makes my heart, that is if I even had one left. Now then the other effect of my Goddess of Sweet Revenge activates and now I can summon one monster from my deck." Just then Twilight's aura started to grow and then it traveled to her deck as she started to lift a few inches off the ground and her hair was starting to float as her eyes shined the brightest. "Behold, a creature that will bring the end for you and all of my enemies. Appear a monster so powerful, that she can bend magic to her very will. I summon Midnight Sparkle(4000/4000)!" Out came a demon that had purple hair with a pink streak in it, its eyes were dark purple as well as its skin. It also had a pair of wings on its back and had a horn coming out of its forehead as well as having a tail and had a mask made of fire. Twilight then started to ascend as she began to fuse with her new monster till they were one.

"Finally, I didn't know what power was before, but now I do!!" Midnight Sparkle then directed its attention to Isaac. "Look at you, so helpless. Not a single one of your friends are here; none of them can save you. It's all over!" echoed Midnight's voice.

Isaac just looked at his hand and there wasn't much he could do. "I'll set a card facedown, and then I'll activate Monster Reincarnation, so I'll send my last card in my hand to add a different one." Isaac just had his head down as he didn't want to see what was about to happen. "I... I... end my turn."

Turn 15: Twilight/Midnight

"HA! HA! My how I've dreamed of this moment. Sunset I hope you can hear me; because after I'm done with my 'boyfriend' I'm coming for your ass!" Twilight then readied her hands as she started to power them up. Everybody watching saw the scene playing in front of them as they were surprised to see that Isaac was about to lose. "Now with nothing to protect you, I'll attack directly." Midnight Sparkle then put her hands together and shot a beam of powerful energy that collided with Isaac as it threw him onto his back.

At that moment, everything moved in slow motion as time slowed down. Isaac's friends just screamed his name while Celestia, Luna, and even Cadance all fell to their knees as they witness Isaac be defeated. Nobody was more in shock than Shining Armor who also fell to his knees as he watched his own sister become happy on defeating Isaac. The attack soon died down as the light died down and there was Isaac on the grass; he was on his back as his duel disk registered the attack and his life points started to drop until it reached zero.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

At that moment, the rest of the girls felt their special connection with Isaac disappeared. One moment it was there and the next it was like the connection was severed. They look at the screen and saw that Isaac wasn't moving, nor was he breathing. With that they feared the worst, as they all collapsed on the grass and began to shed some tears.

"Don't tell me, Isaac is gone?" said Fluttershy as cried into Applejack's shoulder.

"This can't be." Applejack had taken off her hat in respect.

"Don't leave us, big bro." Pinkie was the saddest she had ever been.

"Come back to us, my darling!" Rarity's mascara was starting to run as she shed some tears.

"Isaac, you better come back to us damn it!" Rainbow pounded her fist into the ground as she let out her emotions.

"This is all my fault! I should have been the one to pay, not Isaac!" Sunset just fell on all fours as she looked at the ground and tears started to fall. Sunset then looked at her hands as they shook and then she put them to her eyes. Soon all the girls had a group hug as they all tried to comfort each other. Just then something on the screen appeared that caught their attention.

Back to what was happening with the duel, Midnight Sparkle had just descended back onto the ground. She was impressed with what she had done; that she almost failed to notice her duel disk. "One down, and now to make everybody suffer my wrath. Remember for all that face me, will bow down...." Her duel disk flashed an important message, Midnight thought to just ignore it but she felt it couldn't hurt to read what it said. She touched her screen and the moment she did her eyes widen the biggest it had ever been. She then looked across from her and couldn't believe it. "How!? How can you still in this!?"

Isaac at that point had mustered up the courage to stand as he had somehow managed to get back up on his feet. He still had tons of scratches and bruises on him, but he still held a smile and thumbs up as he showed the camera that everybody was watching. The crowd were ecstatic as they cheered for Isaac being okay and still managing to fight back. The girls all leapt up as the tears of sadness were now tears of joy. Celestia, Luna, and Cadance were delighted to see that Isaac was okay; Shining Armor saw Isaac still standing and he too let a smile form.

Isaac then turned to address Twilight. "Did you miss me, Twily?"

"How can you still be in this duel!? Your life points reached zero, you had no monsters to protect you! So how is this duel still continuing!?" screamed Midnight.

"You're right that my life points are zero. But I'm not out of this duel just yet, before I ended my turn I placed one card facedown that allowed me to stay in this duel."

"That can't be, once your life points reach zero the duel automatically ends!"

"You're correct, however there are certain cards that allow a duel to continue even when a duelist's life points are depleted. Like this, I reveal my Relay Soul trap card. Now I can special summon 1 monster from my hand, and as long as that monster is on the field I take no battle damage. However should it leave the field, then I lose the duel and you're declared the winner." Isaac then looked at the only card left in his hand. "So now I put all my fate in this one monster, I summon Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac played his card and out came his ultimate female spellcaster as it gave Isaac one final kiss before taking her position. "Know why I choose this card, Twilight. Because she reminds of you: you're smart, beautiful, and even brave. And I figured you needed something to help remind you of who you were and to help you break from magical prison. Are you listening to me, Twilight!? I'm going to save you! Even if it means I sacrifice myself, know that I'm willing to go all out for you why cause you're my friend!! And I never leave my friends behind!!" Isaac's body then started to grow as the magic protecting/surrounding him started fuse with him. Isaac's eyes started to glow bright white as he put his hand on his deck.

Turn 16: Isaac

"This is one is for Twilight, draw!" Isaac drew his card which created a rainbow arch as it shined brightly with some particle trailing behind as an aftereffect. "Nice, I'll play the spell Card of Sanctity, now we draw till we're holding six cards in our hand!" Isaac then put his hand on his deck and at that moment the aura from each of the girls left as they witnessed it leaving their bodies and traveling to Isaac as it infused with his deck. Isaac felt the presence of his friends as the spirits of them all had their hands on top of his as they were going to draw with him. Isaac gave them a nod and together they all drew. "Now I'll play the spell card Eye of Timaeus and with I'll perform a fusion summon using my Dark Magician Girl, the effect of my Relay Soul is then getting passed on to my new creature. I Fusion Summon Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!" Out came a ferocious dragon as it descended down from the sky, and there was Dark Magician Girl as it was the rider and wielded a large sword.

"Next, I'll play my Magicians Rollcall spell card. With it I'll add up to 5 magicians from my deck and/or graveyard with selecting two of them to summon to my field. From my graveyard, I'll bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos, Magician of Chaos, and I'll summon my Dark Magician and Magician of Chaos." In a flash of light, Isaac's star monster now appeared as bowed its head in front of his master before turning back to Twilight. "Then I'll activate this card Harmonious Friendship!"

"What kind of card is that!?" screamed Midnight as it created a bright light as tons of rainbow beams started to come out and swirl around Isaac and Twilight.

"This is the card that will set you free! Now I'll combine all the magicians I have in my hand to call upon an even more powerful monster." Isaac's entire hand then light up as they shot upwards in streams of colorful lights as they combined when then disappeared into a vortex. Soon out came a new monster, a paladin warrior who had a shield with 7 studded geodes that were each a different color of the rainbow; it wielded a sword that shined brightly as it had one side full of light and the other side full of darkness. "Make way for Chromatic Paladin(3000/3000)! My Chromatic Paladin has a special ability that allows him to absorb every single attack points of all your monsters when he's summoned. So now his attack rises to 7000!"

Midnight took a step back as Isaac's Chromatic Paladin raised its sword up which caused a giant rainboom to explode in the sky as it traveled in a huge wave as it struck Midnight and she felt her power getting zapped away. Then the eyes of Midnight flashed for a moment to match the eyes of Twilight. "Isaac?" she let out.

"This is it! Now time for an all out attack!" Isaac then fused his spirit with his Dark Magician as he and Mahad had formed their bond synchronicity. Now Isaac could see and feel everything his Dark Magician was seeing as well as vice versa. "Let's do this guys, Ultimate Dark Magic Attack!!!" Then all the monsters on Isaac's field raised their weapons as they manifest a powerful energy ball and then shot it towards Midnight. Isaac's spirit was shot in with the attack as it struck through Twilight and pierced the darkness in her heart. "Come back to us, Twilight!!" The attack resulted in a giant explosion as it blurred the entire screen and eventually it shattered as everybody covered their eyes to avoid being blind.

Inside the blinding light, Isaac was standing in front of Twilight who was still in her Midnight Sparkle form. However, her eyes were that of her own as it was the last part of her that remained before either the magic corrupted her and made her disappear or she could be given a second chance. Isaac just looked at her and then put his hand out to offer her a choice.

"Take my hand, Twilight. Let me show you that there's another way. Let me show that you can have people care about you; no matter what you'll never be alone."

Twilight was hesitant as she looked at Isaac. Eventually she realized her mistake and was ready to repent for her sins. So with a heavy heart, she grabbed Isaac's hand as the magic coursing from Isaac then started to flow into Twilight as it erased the corrupt magic that was controlling her and she was free of its curse. The light then died down.
Twilight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Back outside, the pillar of light was starting to fade as Isaac had descend down from the heavens with Twilight in his arms. She still had her eyes closed and her hair had become undone from the bun she was wearing, as Isaac just looked at her with a smile on his face. Eventually Twilight opened her eyes and saw that Isaac was carrying her. "Isaac?" she said softly.

Isaac then reached into his pocket and pulled out Twilight's glasses as he put them on for her. "Welcome back, Twilight." He then put her down as they looked at each other one more time before the noise of the crowd got their attention. Everybody was on their feet as they cheered for Isaac on rescuing Twilight and saving them. Isaac then saw the spirits of his monsters as they all gave him smiles. Then the images of Isaac’s monsters faded. “It’s over. My friends…” He grabbed his cards and fanned them out, smiling at them and the images of each the girls appeared as he looked at his deck. You really were with me all along. Thank you… He clutched the cards to his chest and took a deep breath.

"Isaac!" Sunset had called out to both of them as she made her way to the duel field. Thankfully, the walls of the Shadow Game had disappeared. "Are you alright?"

Isaac just smiled at her. "Yeah." Isaac let out a breath. “At least it’s over. We’re both safe now.” He looked up at Twilight who had a slight blush on her face. Just then the shadows reappeared and began to form around them as Isaac turned his head from side to side.

Sunset was frowning as see too saw what was happening. “Wait a minute…” As she turned in place, the dark clouds of the Shadow Game continued to rumble and flash, filling her field of view with deep purple and black. “Why hasn’t the Shadow Game dispersed? The duel is over.”

Everybody on the outside saw what was happening as they too were confused. The rest of the girls tried to get past the barrier but this time it was reinforced as they had no means of getting through. On the other side were Isaac, Sunset, and Twilight who all looked around trying to figure out what was going on. Soon their prayers were answered as a crackling sound reached their ears. The hair on the back of Sunset’s and Twilight's neck tingled, and they spun around to face the same direction as Isaac. A glowing green line appeared in the middle of the air and split into a circular portal. Hands clasped behind his back, hair gently fluttering over his shoulders, eyes glowing bright green, Sombra stepped out and stood still as the portal closed behind him.

“You,” Sunset hissed.

The glow in his eyes faded and Sombra looked over at Twilight. “Disappointing. But, I must admit, not surprising.” He raised his eyes to Isaac. “I granted her the benefit of the doubt, that with my aid her magic may surpass yours. A mistake on my part.”

“You did that to her?” Sunset asked. “You corrupted her mind with dark magic?!”

"You're going to pay for hurting Twilight, you son of bitch!!" screamed Isaac as he put both his arms in front of Twilight and Sunset to protect.

“I shared with her a sample of my power to awaken her own.” His other arm still behind his back, Sombra gestured a hand at Twilight. “That it so easily overwhelmed and consumed her thoughts is proof of her inadequacies. I overestimated her capabilities and underestimated yours. My sincere apologies for that.” Sombra lowered his arm and chuckled. “You are indeed something special, Isaac. A duelist with abilities like nothing I’ve ever seen.” Sombra then pointed to Sunset. "Of course, I'm not forgetting about you, Sunset Shimmer. You also possess a power that I've only seen a handful of times throughout my life."

“Here to try and recruit me again?” Sunset spat. “Forget it. If this is what you do to make a duelist meet your expectations, then I want no part of it.”

"You already know my answer!" said Isaac.

“I did expect as much.” He tilted his head forward. “I regret that it has come to this. I had very high hopes for the both of you. But, if that is your decision, I will honor it. Even so, I cannot allow things to end this way.”

“Too late. She lost, this tournament is over.” shouted Sunset.

Sombra smirked. “Did I not explain before that this tournament’s results are of no consequence to me? My interest is in acquiring duelists with magic to serve at Crystal Prep.” His smirk faded, his eyes glowing green again. “But, if I must, I will settle for just the latter.”

He drew his arms forward and brought one up to his chest.

Sunset lowered her eyes from his face.

A Crystal Prep duel disk was strapped to Sombra’s forearm.

“This Shadow Game shall continue, under new stipulations.” Sombra’s duel disk lit up and projected a green card tray as he spoke. “The rules are simple – the loser shall forfeit their magic to the winner.”

“No way.” Sunset clenched her fist and stepped back. “I refuse.”

“Look around you, you have no choice,” Sombra replied. “I am sincere in saying your magic is unlike any other I have encountered. And I cannot allow such a gift to stagnate at Canterlot. I will explore the limits of its potential on my own. And perhaps it shall be gifted to another of my students, one with ambition enough to use it properly.”

Sunset was about to answer when Isaac stopped her. "No, he's mine."

"But Isaac?"

"Sombra needs to pay for what he has done, endangering the lives of his own students, corrupting them with magic, willing to sacrifice innocents just to fulfill his own selfish desires. I can't let someone like that continue to run rampant. Plus, I'm not going to risk losing either you or Twilight. My friends have already suffered enough. Isaac then stepped forward as he activated his duel disk and out shot a gold light tray. "If it's fight you want, then it's fight you'll get. You'll be dueling me, Sombra."

Sunset looked at the clouds around her, and her gaze fell on Twilight. She snapped her head back to glare at Sombra. "Too bad that's not gonna happen." She walked a few steps away from Twilight and raised her duel disk. She pressed a button on her duel disk, and her cards in the other slots retracted and emerged on her deck, which reshuffled. Then her duel disk ejected a red card tray. “You want to see what my magic can do? I’ll show you more than you ever wanted to know.”

“Good. It will be helpful to know the full extent of its capabilities for when it is mine.” said Sombra with such evil in his voice.

"Hang on, Sunset? I..."

"Don't try to talk me out of it, Isaac. You know me well enough to know that I also care for our friends; and I'll do whatever it takes to make things right. After all this whole thing started because of me, therefore it's my duty/responsibility to make things right. Besides, I can't let my favorite boy toy get hurt, who else would I have to keep me entertained." Sunset had a sly smirk as she looked at Isaac.

Sunset’s duel disk beeped and she looked at the prompt to begin the duel, the button flashing beneath portraits of her and Sombra. Raising her head to look back at him, she lifted her hand and extended a finger. Sombra frowned and turned his head away. Sunset heard movement and looked at what he was watching.

“Twilight!” Sunset called out. This caused Isaac to also turn his head.

Sunset saw her hands shaking at her sides. She raised her head and looked across the field at Sombra. “You... that was your magic?” she whispered. “You did that to me?”

“Yes.” Sombra looked back at her without flinching.

“Why?" Twilight swallowed and tried to catch her breath. “I told you everything I knew, did everything you wanted. I would have dueled Isaac or Sunset on my own.”

“And you would have lost even worse than you have now,” Sombra said. “Know your limits, Twilight. This duel has reached a point beyond what you are able to grasp. I gave you a push to see if you could handle it, to allow you a chance to redeem yourself, but you were still not capable enough. There was no choice but for me to intervene.”

Twilight’s eyes darted between the two. “You’re dueling them?”

“I will finish what you could not. Power like theirs will be mine to control one way or the other.”

“Their power?” Twilight asked bitterly. “Is that all you care about? Was I just a pawn you could use to get to them?” Twilight lowered her head, her hands shaking and gripping the cards in them tighter.

“Yes, and now you have reached the end of the board and can go no further.” Sombra turned his attention back to Sunset. “We will discuss your future at Crystal Prep later. For the moment, you may watch and observe a further demonstration of what magic can achieve in the hands of those able to wield it properly.”

Sunset growled and looked at Sombra. “Stop it, you’ve done enough to her today. I’m ready when you are.”

"So am I!" said Isaac.

“No…” Twilight raised her arms in front of her, folded up her cards, and slid them into her duel disk. “We’re ready.” She reached to the screen of her duel disk and pressed her finger onto an icon.

Sunset’s and Isaac's duel disks beeped and a digital voice came from it.

“Tag duel invitation detected!” Sunset’s eyes snapped down to the screen. On their display, Sombra’s and their portraits shifted and Twilight’s slit in next to theirs. “Other duelists not detected. Initiating handicap duel, awaiting opponent confirmation.” Again the portraits shifted, positioning Sombra on one side of the screen and Sunset, Isaac, and Twilight on the other.

Sombra’s eyebrows lifted. “You would betray me to aid them in this endeavor?”

“You said it yourself,” Twilight whispered. “You gave me a chance to redeem myself…” She glanced at Sunset. “I may as well try.”

Holding her gaze, Sunset nodded. Isaac did the same as well.

“As you wish.” Sombra chuckled and put his hand over his duel disk, his eyes lighting up green. “You shall all bear witness to power unparalleled!”

“Bring it on!” Sunset shouted back.

“It’s time to duel, Sombra!” exclaimed Isaac as he took center position.

Chapter 48: The King of Kings

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 50: Animal Bonding

Another day, another meeting. Another meeting that Isaac had to attend due to his responsibilities of being champion. However, Pinkie was there to make things not as bad, but she wasn't the only one. It seemed that Twilight was so interested in being part of the meeting that she personally went to Celestia to ask for a position; which Celestia agreed in a heartbeat. Thankfully, Twilight proved to be a valuable asset cause whenever Isaac didn't understand anything, she was able to explain it in simpler terms.

"Arr, finally! I thought that meeting would never end." explained Isaac as he felt bored.

"You know, you could try to look a bit more interested instead of just being bored." said Twilight as they both were walking down the hallway.

"Like I said, if you have to overcomplicate stuff with unnecessary explanation, then it just wastes time and air."

"Funny, you don't seem to act that way towards me when I do it."

"That's because you're my friend and for some strange reason I can understand when you go into full 'nerd mode'." said Isaac.

"Nerd mode?" Twilight has a displeasing look on her face.

"It's a compliment, Twi. Anyways, what's next on the schedule?"

Twilight just rolled her eyes as she pulled out her schedule that she made that explained Isaac's duties for the day. "Well now that we've got through the meeting; it seems the only thing you have left to do is attend your teacher's aid with Ms. Cheerilee's class."

"That all, piece of cake. Besides, it's been a while since I've taught the little kids. You know I'm glad you're a part of the meeting, Twilight. You're kind like my second hand or secretary; you handle all the boring unnecessary stuff and I take care of the dueling part." Isaac put on a smile.

"Is that suppose to be a good thing?" Twilight had made a scowl at what Isaac was saying about her being his secretary.

"I'm just having fun, lighten up will you? Speaking of fun, want to join me in teaching the little ones? They really appreciate it when I bring someone."

Twilight thought about it and she saw it couldn't hurt. She really was enjoying her lessons that she was receiving from Isaac. "Alright. I'll meet you at Ms. Cheerilee's class; I have some things I need to talk with Sunset about. So I'll see ya." With that Twilight left.

Isaac then made his way to his locker to get the things he needed. He then managed to run into Applebloom was walking while looking at some cards in her hands. "Hey Applebloom, what have you got there?"

"Oh, hey Isaac. I've got some cards that I've been thinking about adding to my deck." Applebloom then gave them to Isaac to see.

Isaac just glanced over them and read their abilities. "Hmm, not bad." Isaac then gave them back to Applebloom.

"Thanks, say you're heading over to Ms. Cheerilee's class, right?"

"Yep, today I'm going to be helping with Ms. Cheerilee."

"Great, mind if we walk to class together?" Isaac nodded and they both began to walk. They had just turned the corner when Applebloom mentioned something to Isaac. "Hey, Isaac. Mind if I ask you something?"

"What is it, Applebloom?"

"Well you know about my family and the many relatives we have."

"Tell me about it. So what are you trying to say?"

"Well me and my family are going on a little trip to Appleloosa to visit some more of our relatives." Applebloom was starting to feel a bit nervous explaining this to Isaac.

"Applebloom, what does this have to do with me?" Isaac was now using his serious voice which caused Applebloom to jump back a few feet.

"Well, I have a couple of cousins that really love to duel. And I want to show them how far I've improved; so if it's not too much, can you please come as well? I know it's sudden, but I know that I'll feel better if I have you there. You taught me so much, that I want to show you and everybody else how far I've come. Please?"

Isaac then was processing what Applebloom had told him. "Look, Applebloom. I would love to go so that I could support you, but... it's just that Appleloosa is pretty far and driving there will take about a couple of hours. Not to mention that I'll be away from my parents for about a day or two." Applebloom was starting to put her head down at Isaac's explanation. "But I'll see what I could do."

Applebloom then brought her head back up and had a smile on her face. "You will, oh thank you!" She then hugged Isaac, as Isaac just patted her head. "I promise you won't regret it; I'll let my family know." She then let go and ran to Ms. Cheerilee's class. Applebloom had just past Twilight who was arriving at the entrance as she saw Isaac.

"Hey, mind explaining what that was about?"

"It's long story." said Isaac with a groan. With that both of them entered the classroom.

Twilight was able to witness firsthand the presence that Isaac had. The moment he stepped foot in the place, all the kids immediately started crowding Isaac as they wanted to hear his POV on the Friendship Games. To the kids, they saw Isaac like he was some sort of god. Ms. Cheerilee was able to gain control of the situation by ordering the kids to return to their seats.

"Wow, I knew you were popular, but I didn't expect that." Twilight was shocked at the reception Isaac was receiving.

"I'm not that popular. These kids are just excited to learn about dueling." Isaac then cleared his throat to signal that he was about to speak. "Alright, settle down everybody. As you know I'll gladly answer any questions you have regarding the Friendship Games. But first I want to introduce someone; this here is Twilight Sparkle." Twilight stepped forward and gave the kids a wave to which they did the same.

"Hello students, seems you're all eager to learn about Duel Monsters." The students all gave Twilight some hearty yeahs. "Well let me say, that you're all lucky to learn from someone who is as passionate as dueling as the rest of you. I know I certainly am; I've also been studying under Isaac since I transferred here."

Just then a hand was raised. "Yes, Featherweight?" said Isaac.

"Ms. Sparkle, do you think you can convince Isaac to give me some private lessons like you?"

"Why's that, Featherweight?" asked Twilight.

"Cause if his girlfriend asks, then there's no way he can say no."

"His girlfriend?" Twilight was starting to get embarrassed by the sudden comment as her face was starting to turn red.

"You both are together, right?" said another student.

"Of course not!" They both shouted.

Isaac then started to point at Twilight who just turned to her side. "As far as I'm concerned, there's nothing sweet about her, okay?"

That caused Twilight to get a bit irritated at Isaac's comment that she hit him hard on the head as Isaac fell down in a comedic way while holding his head. Twilight then started to take a seat in an empty chair as she mumbled to herself. "How dare he call me that after everything...."

Eventually, Isaac was able to recover from the searing pain he got as he prepared his lessons for the kids. Like always, the kids were so invested in wanting to hear about his performance during the Friendship Games. So Isaac entertained them by telling him how he lead Team Canterlot to victory and how he had an amazing feeling with facing off against Twilight in the last match of the tournament. Soon they broke up into their groups as they went over some cards and began to practice dueling with each other. Isaac and Ms. Cheerilee did their job answering any questions the kids had; even Twilight found herself helping the kids as they asked her about her deck. Twilight showed them and even let them see her ace monsters; they were surprised to see that she also possessed a Dark Magician Girl just like Isaac. It was then time for Isaac and Twilight to leave as they needed to get to their next class, so they waved goodbye to the kids.

Isaac and Twilight were in their Chemistry class where they were listening to their teacher explain things about the elements. Just then their teacher made an announcement that caught everybody's attention.

"Alright, class. I've got an announcement to make." the teacher said.

"We're getting no homework!" said a student which caused everybody else to all have hopeful eyes, well everyone except Twilight.

"No." said the teacher which caused everybody to just groan and put their heads back on their desks. "As I was saying, in light of learning about the periodic table this week, I'm giving you a project." That caused the entire class to groan. "Your assignment will be to pick six elements on the periodic table and do research on them all. The requirements are listed on the rubric I'm passing out," the teacher said.

One student raised their hand.

"Yes?" asked the teacher.

"Can we work with partners?" the person asked.

"I was just about to mention that. Yes, you may work with partners," said the teacher, which earned some cheers from the entire class. "You all will have two weeks, find a partner and come up to me when you know which elements you would like to research. But keep in mind, that once someone picks an element, it's off limits. So don't wait and choose wisely. Alright, you can get started right away and don't forget to read over the rubric."

In that moment, everybody started to move about and find themselves a partner. Isaac was just writing something down, when Twilight approached him. "Well, care to be partners for this project. I'd expect you to carry your weight and not slack off." Twilight had a stern look on her face when she said that.

"Don't worry about me, Twilight. I'll make sure to pull my weight, in fact, I was just writing down what elements we could do." Isaac then showed his list to Twilight who added her own choices and soon they had their list as they went to their teacher and told him of their choices. With that the rest of the time was spent working on the project until the end of class. Thankfully, it was the last class of the day for both of them. Isaac was now walking with Twilight to their locker which happened to be a few feet apart from each other.

"Never thought that I would be so glad on a school day being over." said Isaac as he opened his locker.

"Don't you dare say that, school is fun!" Twilight had a giddy look on her face.

"Maybe to you, but fun for me is throwing down and having a duel."

"Anyways, where are you going?"

"Probably home," said Isaac. "Why?"

"Oh, well I mean this is kind of a big project, so shouldn't we get started on it soon?"

Isaac blinked at Twilight's question. "You know we have two weeks to complete it, right? Plus we got a decent start in class."

"I know, but wouldn't it be better to just finish it and get it over with? That way we don't have to worry about it or risk having to do it at the last minute." Twilight was now putting on her innocent face as she gave Isaac the puppy eyes.

The worst part was that Twilight was wearing glasses which combined with what she was doing with her eyes, made her look a bit cute. Also the fact that he didn't want to walk our on her after all that happened with her earlier. Soon Isaac let out a sigh, "Alright, we can get started. The question is where?" asked Isaac as he put his arms behind his head.

Twilight then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something down on it before giving it to Isaac.

"What's this?"

"It's my address, that way I can meet up with you and we can work on our project."

"You sure that's a good idea? I mean what will your parents think about me being there? I know your brother at least knows who I am."

"My parents are going to gone until nighttime, as for my brother, he's got somethings to do with a certain someone. So it'll just be the two of us?"

"That makes it even worse." said Isaac.

"Don't try any funny business! We're just going to do some homework and nothing more, alright!" Twilight was making sure that Isaac didn't get any ideas.

"I promise. Plus I'd like to live, the last thing I need is your brother trying to beat my ass if he found out I was making moves on his little sis. I can't imagine what your father would do if he found out."

"Let's hope it doesn't come to that. By the way, you're not allergic, are you?" asked Twilight.

"Not that I can think of."

"Great, then I'll see you at my house. Don't be late!" shouted Twilight as she left.

Isaac then took a glance at the address given to him and plugged into his phone's GPS. Thankfully it wasn't that far from school, but even more so that she only lived two blocks away from Isaac. "How have I never seen her till now, oh well. Out of all things to happen, visiting a girl's house was not at the top of that list." Isaac just shrugged his shoulder and put the paper in his back pocket as he gathered his things. Before leaving, Isaac stopped by the school's library and took out a book that could prove useful in their project. With that he was off to Twilight's house.

It was a decent enough walk, soon he found himself in the front door as he texted Twilight that he was here. A few seconds passed and soon Twilight opened the door and saw Isaac. "Hey, come on in." Twilight then stepped aside and Isaac entered.

Isaac took a moment to take in the room. It wasn't anything fancy, just your standard accommodations that were found in a family house. Isaac was looking all around that he didn't notice someone until he heard growling. Isaac looked down and saw a small dog as it was trying to intimidate him.

"Spike, it's okay. This is my friend, Isaac. He's the one who saved me when I was being controlled by magic." Twilight picked up Spike hoping she could try to calm him down. It worked for a bit, but Spike still shot a growl toward Isaac's direction. "Please excuse him."

"It's alright." Isaac then put his hand out to show Spike that he wasn't any threat. Spike was hesitant then he took in Isaac's scent and found out that he was true to his word. However, he also smelled a scent that caused him to give a small yelp at Isaac.

"Huh, interesting. Say Isaac, you don't happen to be around cats, do you?"

"I mean, I have a pet cat. Her name is Tigre."

"That explains it. See Spike usually gives that sound off whenever there's a cat nearby or if someone smells like it." Twilight then looked at Spike in the eyes. "It's okay, he's friendly." Spike just licked Twilight's face to show that he understood her. "He knows you aren't a threat, but the scent of cat is still bothering him."

"Well the feeling is mutual, little buddy. Now then are we going to get started?" asked Isaac.

"Sure, let's go to my room."

"Again, is that really a good idea?"

"We just doing homework! Now come on." Twilight then lead Isaac up the stairs and into her room. Before entering Isaac noticed Twilight had a little sign on her door that had her name on it.

Inside, he found out Twilight really was a bookworm. She had her own personal bookshelf filled with tons of books. There was even a telescope near her bedroom window, as well as tons of photos of outer space. There was a desk that had her laptop on it as well as tons of little pieces of metal. She had photo or two of Duel Monsters, there was even a picture of Spike on her nightstand.

"Nice place, I knew you were a nerd, but this takes that meaning to a whole new level."

"I appreciate it if you didn't call me that." Twilight had her arms folded as she leaned against her door with a scowl on her face.

"How about 'bookworm'?" Isaac suggested.

"That's suitable, I guess."

Twilight then made her way as she took a seat on her bed and grabbed her laptop. Isaac pulled up a chair and soon the two of them began on their school project. Twilight was looking things up on the internet while Isaac looked through the book he borrowed. Thankfully, Twilight knew a lot of stuff about their elements off the top of her head. Apart from that, anything they found of interest on their own, they may sure to write it down to share with the other. They had made some good progress that before they knew it, they were 3/4 of the way done with the project and it was only the first day. Nighttime was soon approaching that they decided to call it a day. They didn't have Chemistry class tomorrow, so Isaac suggested they meet up to finish the project. This time it was Isaac to suggest that Twilight come over to his house; Twilight just gladly accepted as she didn't have no problem with it. With their plan in place, Isaac then gathered his stuff and said goodbye to Twilight before heading to his house.

The next day came as promised. Isaac was currently running some practice drills with the girls. Applejack had approached him as she wanted to discuss what her sister told him. Applejack was upset that Applebloom had invited Isaac on their family trip without her permission. But once Applebloom explained her reason, Applejack calmed down a bit and told her that next time she needed to ask first. Isaac had also talked with his parents about the sudden trip and they were hesitant that it was so last minute, but told him that he could attend the event as long as he did all of his work before going. With that everything was set as Isaac would be going with Applejack's family on their trip to Appleloosa.

Apart from that, there wasn't much that happened. Other than the standard challenge that was thrown at him and checking in with Celestia and Luna. Isaac soon found himself at the end of the school day and was gathering his things as he had to prepared for Twilight's arrival at his house. Thankfully, his parents would be working late so it would just be the two of them. Isaac's parents knew about girls, but he knew how they would get if he brought home a girl. Especially his mother, who mixed with her background, was not afraid to do whatever it took to make sure that her son was safe. She was not afraid to throw down and get physically with someone, especially if it was a girl and it caused her son to be depressed. Isaac was glad that his parents weren't going to be there as he didn't want any trouble to arise. With that he got his stuff and made his way home, as he awaited Twilight.

While Isaac waited for Twilight, he decided to a bit of cleaning for his room as he wanted her to be comfortable. Soon she text Isaac letting him know she was outside and he went to meet her. Isaac opened the door and there stood Twilight but she wasn't alone. She had Spike in her arms as he gave a quick bark and growl at Isaac.

"Hope you don't mind, but I couldn't let Spike be on his own more than he's accustomed to. I brought him along so that he doesn't get lonely, hope that's not going to be an issue." asked Twilight.

"As long as he doesn't pee on my mom's furniture then we shouldn't have a problem. Plus, it'll give Tigre someone to play around with. Come on in." Isaac stepped to the side as he held the door open for them as they entered. Compared to Twilight's home, Isaac's was a bit more colorful. There was a good amount of candles scattered throughout the place, as well as tons of pictures that had Isaac's family, including his relatives. Like Twilight, there was a lot of flower vases that surrounded the window stills. Soon Isaac closed the door and stepped in front of Twilight as he let out a call.

"Tigre, where are you girl? Come here." shouted Isaac.

Soon a meow was heard as Isaac's cat woke up from its nap on top of the stairs. She stretched her legs and then looked at her owner and the person next to him. Once she locked eyes, with Spike she began to get defensive and hiss at him which caused Spike to bark at her. Twilight tried to get Spike to calm down while Isaac went to pick up Tigre and began to pet her to avoid any tension.

"It's okay, girl. They won't cause trouble. This here is Twilight and her dog, Spike. Care to say hi?"

Twilight then extended her hand to pet Tigre who immediately took a liking to Twilight as she rubbed herself against her hand. Unlike Spike, she didn't mind that Twilight had the scent of her mortal enemy; however seeing Twilight pet a cat caused Spike to bark louder. Now Tigre was hissing back at the dog as it was in Isaac's arms.

"Alright, that's enough you two. Twilight and I, need to get some work done. So I'd expect you to be on your best behavior is that, understood."

"You too Spike. We're at a guest's house, so try to not cause trouble."

"Meow."

"Bark."

"Wonder what they're saying?" asked Twilight.

"Probably something nice."

"If your owner does anything to hurt Twilight, then I'm going to make sure he pays!" barked Spike.

"You lay a paw on my owner, and I'll scratch out your eye. You flea bag!" meowed Tigre.

"Like I said, something nice. Come on Twilight, I'll show you my room. You two play nice and Tigre don't worry about holding back against Spike. It'll teach him not to mess with you."

"What's that supposed to mean!?" expressed Twilight.

"It means that if they got into a tussle, she kick Spike's ass. I trained her to harm intruders, plus he's kind of a push over."

"He is not! Besides, don't think I forgot about that comment you made about me in front of those kids. Calling me anything but sweet." shouted Twilight as she climbed up the stairs behind Isaac.

"I said I was sorry; I just acted in the heat of the moment. Give me a break will you Twi." Isaac shouted back as he tried to reason with Twilight.

With their owners now gone, it left Spike and Tigre to look at each other. They both didn't trust each other, but for the sake of their owners they decided to get along.

"Well they're gone." barked Spike.

"Indeed, well nothing to do but try to be friends. Vamos, Perro." meowed Tigre.

"What did you call me, you pussy cat!?"

"It's Spanish! It means come on, you mutt!"

"Oh, I knew that." Spike did his best to show some pride after looking a bit stupid.

With they both made their way to the living room where they were a couple of toys and other things. Tigre jumped on the couch as she began to play with a toy mouse while Spike just looked around and sniffed the different things scattered around the floor.

"So how's life as a cat?" asked Spike.

"Can't complain, nothing but getting to laze around and sleep. Not to mention that we don't smell as bad you."

"Hey! I'll have you know that Twilight takes excellent care of me, she gave me a bath before coming here." Spike then struck a pose to show off his clean coat. Tigre just rolled her eyes. "What about you, all you do is lick yourself?"

"It's call bathing. Unlike you, I don't need to rely on someone to take me a bath. Speaking of which, mind letting me your assistance, there's a spot on my back that I can't reach. Make yourself useful and use that thing you call a tongue and take care of it will you." Tigre jumped down and position herself so that her back was facing Spike. Spike was hesitant but figured it couldn't hurt. He then began to lick Tigre's back a couple of times as the last bit of her was cleaned.

"Not bad, for a dog."

"Ehh, you're not that tasty to begin with."

Tigre then started to play with a ball of yarn as she bounced it between her paws while letting out a purr. Once the ball slipped out her grip it then started to roll into the kitchen and at that moment Spike's natural instincts kicked in as he went to fetch the ball. He grabbed it and brought it back to Tigre who just pushed it again as Spike went chasing after it with a cheerful bark. Over and over, Tigre kept making Spike chase the ball until they were bored and moved onto to another toy. They managed to use Tigre's toy mouse as a rope and were having a playful game of tug of war. Soon they began to roll around with each other as they were having fun and playing with one another. Eventually Tigre rubbed herself against Spike's fur as she let out a calming purr that caused Spike to feel comfy as they caught a quick nap as they lay side by side. Once they woke up, they were now playing with a deck of cards, but instead of playing it faceup they were playing facedown as they didn't have thumbs. They were asking each other some questions.

"So tell about Twilight, what's she like?"

"Only the best person a dog could ask for. She's smart, pretty, not to mention really loves to read books. I can't tell you how many times, she stays up late just constantly reading, sometimes I have to get her attention to remind her that she needs sleep."

"I see, got any threes?"

"Go fish, how about you? What's Isaac like? From what I could tell from his scent, he really cares about his friends."

"That's a bold understatement. But yes, Isaac really cares about those around him. In fact, it was that same caring that caused him to adopt me and give me a home. From that day on, I was grateful for all that he's done. In terms of how he is as a person, he's passionate. He's very mature for his age, not to mention smart, and deeply cares for his family and friends. His true passion is Duel Monsters and dueling in general. I can't tell you how many times, I've seen him constantly changing his deck and coming up with new strategies to improve himself. Sometime I have to remind him that he needs sleep and that not everything revolves around dueling."

"I know what you mean, got any fives?

"Go fish."

Spike then put his paw over the deck and slid it over to his side. "I guess our owners have a bit more in common with each other than we think. You know after warming up to Isaac and hearing you talk about him, I see now he's the kind of person who wouldn't harm Twilight. You're lucky to have him."

"Same to you as well. Twilight is really a charming person and I have already taken a liking to her. Not to mention that Isaac certainly has found someone who can give him a challenge in dueling. I've even picked up on how to play it with Isaac constantly talking to me. Got any sevens?"

"Ahh, you win." groaned Spike. He then slid over his cards to Tigre who had a sly smile on her face. "You know, this might the start of a beautiful friendship. What do you say, Tigre? Friends?" Spike then extended his paw out for her to shake.

"Friends." Tigre then extended her paw as accepted Spike's offering. The rest of the time the two just spent playing with each other and eventually getting another nap as they waited for their owners to finish.

While their pets were getting along, Isaac had led Twilight to his room. He opened it up and she found it interesting to say the least. Isaac had his own TV, as well as, a gaming system hooked up. He also had a nightstand that had a lamp and a picture that had Isaac and his parents smiling. Isaac also had a bedside window, but had a place to sit and look out of it. The major thing that caught Twilight's attention was the many posters of Duel Monsters that surrounded his room.

"I know what you're thinking, so go ahead and make fun of me for being a nerd."

Twilight just had a smug look on her face. "Not the word, I use. Fanatic, maybe. Geek, definitely!" Twilight then giggled.

"Alright, you got your laugh, now let's finish this project up." Isaac then pulled up a chair as he offered Twilight to sit on his bed seeing as how she was his guest which she gladly accepted. It didn't take long as they were soon done with their assignment.

"And that is why our air is not fully made up of oxygen as approximately 71% of it is made up of nitrogen and the rest is O2. Well we're finally done." Said Twilight as she stretched on Isaac's bed.

"I'll say." Isaac then closed his book and began to move his body around. "I've never been done with an assignment this earlier. Kind of feels good, now we can just turn it in and not worry about a thing. Plus I knew about some of this stuff before, but the way you explained it not only reminded me but actually helped me to remember it a bit better." smiled Isaac.

"Well I could say the same thing about you. I know a lot about dueling and Duel Monsters, but when you explain it to me I have a better understanding than before."

"Guess we're both good teachers in our areas of expertise."

"Seems so." Twilight then felt something by her feet as she looked down. She saw a box of sorts sticking out from under Isaac's bed. "What's this?"

Isaac saw what Twilight was looking and gave a quick smile. "That's my box full of Duel Monster cards." Isaac then grabbed his box and then joined Twilight on his bed as he put the box in between them and took the top off. He showed Twilight his collection and her eyes began to grow as she started to act like she had gotten a new book.

"You have all these?" Twilight then began to look through and pick up a few cards as she began to read what they did.

"Yeah. This box was given to me by my mother when I was a kid. Most of these I've had since the beginning, others are some that've collected over the years. But they all hold a special place in my heart, even if I don't use every single one. Feel free to take any cards that you like."

Isaac's response shocked Twilight. "I can't do that. These are your cards and they hold a special meaning to you. It wouldn't be right to just take them from you."

"It's fine, I've given the other girls some of my cards. I feel that every card serves a purpose, just because I don't use them doesn't mean that they're worthless or don't have any meaning. They just need to find the right home and duelist who can take care of them. Please, take whatever you like. I won't mind."

Twilight then nodded her head as she began to look through the contents of Isaac's box. She knew most of the cards he had as she had done research on them; still after a few minutes, she found some cards to her liking and even got some advice from Isaac on how she could utilize them in her deck. Twilight then wanted to ask Isaac a question.

"Hey, Isaac. I know you're passionate about dueling. Mind telling me how you invested in it? If you don't mind?"

"Not at all." Isaac then began to put his hand on his chin as he tried to think back. "Well I guess you could say it started when I was about 3 years old. I don't remember much, other than that anytime there was a live duel on TV, I would always sit in front of the TV and be sucked in. While I was watching a duel happen, I saw a duelist who had risen to the top and many people considered him to be the duelist of his generation as he was untouchable. I didn't know what his actually name was, but I just knew him by his nickname called The King of Games. And one of his most powerful monsters that really caught my attention was none other than his Dark Magician. Just from the way he looked, to how he commanded the field with such presence, and even the bond that he shared with his master. That was the moment I knew that I wanted to be like him and have my own monster/friend who would always stand by my side no matter what. From there any money that I found lying around I would save up in hopes of getting my own set of cards. Of course, growing up my parents were tight on money even though their jobs paid a decent amount. We were living in an apartment and always paying rent, so I never asked my parents for any sort of money."

"I didn't let it get to me too much, as the other kids in the neighborhood were always battling each other with their cards and every now and then they would let me use their cards. That was my first real exposure to playing with actual cards. My mother caught wind of this that she secretly saved up some money and then she surprised me one day with this exact box of cards. I broke down into tears knowing that she was willing to sacrifice her own money just to make me happy." Isaac then started to tear up a bit as he wiped some tears away. "I never asked her for this and she made the decision all on her own. So I made a vow that I would do all that I can to make both of them proud and become a phenomenal duelist." Soon the tears began to build up even more as Isaac was now using his arm to clear his tears. Twilight noticed this and she put her hand on Isaac's shoulder as she too was feeling a bit sad from hearing Isaac's tale.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to get emotional."

"It's fine. If I had the same childhood like you growing up, then I too would shed a few tears."

"Well like I was saying. This box has been with me since childhood." Isaac then pulled his deck and and flipped over the two top cards as they were his trusted magicians.

Twilight noticed this and another question popped up. "Well what about your Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl?"

"Funny enough, they weren't in the box that my mom gave me. I got my Dark Magician not by me choosing him, but rather the other way around. I happened to stop by a card shop in my hometown and while all the newer packs were sold out, I was content with getting a regular old pack. So I purchased one and the last card that happened to be in it was the Dark Magician. At first, I couldn't believe my eyes. I thought my eyes were playing tricks on me, but I also felt like I wasn't worthy of wielding such a powerful and well respected card. But I sense a feeling like it was calling out to me; almost like he was saying that he wanted me to be his master and would always stand by my side. Since that moment, we've been together and faced tons of challenges."

"And Dark Magician Girl?"

"I actually won a local tournament at my card shop and the first prize was that I could have any card I chose for free. So after some digging, I eventually found a copy of her and well I took her in and gave her a home. I could feel the moment that I picked up her card that she was giving me a smile and a little wink. With that I had a deck and two monsters that I could consider my companions. Over the years, I spent my time not only getting better at the game, but also bonding with them and all the other monsters in my deck. Sometimes I would even talk to them as if they were real, well that was before I could actually talk to their spirits which you've seen firsthand."

"Yeah, still can't get over the fact that you can communicate with the spirits of your cards. Imagine the discovery/findings that this could create." Twilight's mind was starting to wonder.

"Yeah, I'd like not to be dissected like an evil science experiment."

"I quite agree, master." said Mahad who sudden appeared.

"Mahad, how long have you been listening to us?"

"Forgiven my sudden interruption master, but I couldn't help but to over hear your conversation about us meeting for the first time."

"Oh that story never gets old." Now Mana had appeared as she too was now invested.

"Good to see you two, Mana. I just telling Twilight here about my road to Duel Monsters and how I met the both of you."

"I sure Miss Sparkle finds your tale very fascinating. She is a lovely lady and has all my admiration."

"Thanks Mahad, I'll make sure to tell her." Isaac then turned to Twilight who just stood there as she was trying to remember that Isaac was talking to his magicians, even though she couldn't see them herself. "Hey, Twilight. Mahad say your lovely and wishes you the best."

"Oh thanks." Twilight still couldn't wrap her head at what was happening in front of her.

"That's all you have to say to Isaac, Mahad? You couldn't tell him that he should compliment Twilight or possible ask her out on a date?"

"Mana!!" Both Isaac and Mahad shouted.

"Woah, woah. It's not like that." Thank god, Twilight can't see/hear this or else I would be in some serious trouble. "She's just a friend, Mana. That moving way to fast!" Isaac was starting to panic.

"Mana, how many times do I have to tell you? Never do or say anything that makes the master uncomfortable!" Mahad was now scolding his student.

"And I always tell you to lighten up, Mahad!" shouted back Mana at her teacher.

Soon both of them began to argue with Isaac jumping in and trying to play peacemaker while also avoid turning red from Mana making comments about Twilight and her features. While this was happening, Twilight couldn't help but to let out a small giggle as she was enjoying the scene in front of her.

"Alright, that's enough. Both of you get back in your cards!" With Isaac's command both Mahad and Mana returned back to the spirit world as they returned back to Isaac's deck. Isaac just wiped his forehead as he avoid any more unnecessary comments. "Sorry you had to see that, even though you didn't know what was actually going on."

Twilight just had a smile on her face. "I think I may have a general picture."

"Oh.. uhm.. well.. it's not what you think." Isaac was now starting to sweat beads at what Twilight was saying.

"Relax, I'm just messing with." Twilight then quickly looked out the window and saw it was getting dark. "Well I should get going, my parents will be home soon and I don't want to worry them."

"Alright, well we finished the assignment anyway. Come on, lets make sure our pets haven't torn each other apart." Isaac then lead Twilight downstairs as they walked into the living room and saw a sight that made both of them smile. Both Spike and Tigre were napping as they were sleeping side by side. "Well seems they got along quite well."

Twilight then made her way and gentle tapped Spike to wake him up. "Come on, Spike. It's time we head home; mom and dad will be home soon." Spike let out a bark as he understood what Twilight said. Spike then gave Tigre a lick as she just rubbed herself against him. Soon Twilight extended her hand and she gave Tigre one last pet before saying goodbye. Twilight then grabbed her things and they both began to leave out the door.

"Well thanks for a great time, Twilight. Hope you're ready for tomorrow's lesson."

"I will. Thanks for a good time, well see you at school. Come on, Spike."

Spike gave one last bark to Tigre who returned with a hearty meow. Isaac then bent down to Spike's level and he licked Isaac's face to signal that he liked Isaac. With that Spike then rushed to Twilight's side as she waved to Isaac. Isaac made sure to watch Twilight until she was out of his sight. Isaac then closed the door as Tigre walked beside him and got up on the couch as she started to lay on it. Isaac then started to scratch her eyes and then her neck as she purred the loudest she been today. "Well today sure was a great day. How about you girl, did Spike give you any trouble?"

"Meow."

"If only I could understand what you were saying. Oh well, time to take a shower." With that Isaac left to clean himself up while Tigre just laid down on the couch. She was getting ready to snuggle till she noticed a part of her fur was wet and it left a small mark on the couch.

"Spike!!!" meowed Tigre.

Chapter 51: Appleloosa Road Trip

"Now that you got no monsters left I'll play my Dark Magic Veil, with it I'll give up 1000 life points and summon out a spellcaster from my hand or graveyard. So give a warm welcome to Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac then played his most famous spellcaster as he slapped the card on his card tray. "Next I'll activate my Sage's Stone; since I control Dark Magician Girl, I can now summon my ultimate spellcaster. Appear Dark Magician!" Now Isaac's signature monster appeared as it took his place next to his master.

"Lastly, I'll play this spell Dark Magic Attack, with it my Dark Magician can wipe out the rest of your facedowns." Isaac snapped his fingers and his lead magician had no problem taking out his opponent's facedowns. "Now time to end this, go my loyal magicians. Finish this with Double Dark Magic Attack!" Once more Isaac snapped his fingers and his monsters took flight as they decimated Isaac's opponent as they took out the rest of their life points.

Isaac was getting ready for his Algebra class when he was approached by Applejack. "Hey Applejack."

"Howdy, Isaac. First off, that duel of yours from earlier really was something. You wiped the floor with your opponent; you barely gave them a chance to attack at all."

"Thanks for the praise, so what do you want?"

"Just want to make sure that you're ready for the trip tomorrow to Appleloosa? It will be a long drive, so we're leaving pretty early in the morning."

"Don't worry Aj, I'll make sure that I have everything packed." said Isaac.

"Oh by the way we'll be taking a second car this time around, hope you don't mind ridin' with Applebloom, her friends, and I?" mentioned Applejack.

"Wait, Applebloom's friends are coming too?" Isaac asked.

"Darn tootin'!" Applejack says. "They're all friends with ma cousin, Babs Seed. They're really excited ta see her."

"That's really cool," Isaac said. "I don't mind riding with you all."

"Great! We'll pick ya up tomorrow mornin'," replied Applejack. "See ya then!" Applejack then gave Isaac a punch in his arm as she left.

With that taken care of, Isaac made his way back home and began getting ready as he had a long night of packing ahead of him.

After a seven-hour car drive with Applejack, Applebloom, and her friends Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, you arrive at your final destination: Appleloosa. Applejack was out of the car in the blink of an eye, as well as Applebloom and her friends. Isaac was the last person to exit as he took in the sight and breathed in the air.

"Hmm, smells different than compared to Canterlot. Smells rather, earthy." said Isaac.

"Isn't it? Nothing like the country to fill your lungs full of energy." exclaimed Applejack.

“Babs Seed!” the three younger girls cry out. Isaac saw Apple Bloom, Scootaloo, and Sweetie Belle running towards a girl whom he can only assume is Babs Seed.

“Girls!” Babs Seed exclaims. She meets the three girls in a big group hug. It was a heartwarming sight. Reunion of friends.

Isaac saw Big Macintosh helping out with some of the luggage and Granny Smith talking with some other Apple family relatives. Isaac never would have guessed how large the Apple family was. Compared to the first time, he attend their family gathering there was a lot. Now there was so many Apples, and they were all conversing with each other, greeting the most recently arrived members of the family. Isaac eventually spotted Applejack unloading some things from the back of the car, and he decided to join her. She was the only one who wasn't busy at the moment.

"I know I told you before about how big your family is, but damn even I wasn't expecting it to be this big!" shouted Isaac. "Your family is freaking huge!"

"Yeah... we're quite a bunch." said Applejack.

“Applejack!” a familiar voice called out to her. Both Applejack and Isaac turned their heads to see who was calling out to her. Approaching them was a taller guy with orange-and-yellow hair, and a cowboy hat.

“Braeburn!” Applejack says, giving him a hug. “Long time, no see!”

“Too long,” Braeburn says. “Good to see you.”

Braeburn's eyes then locked on Isaac. "I remember you, you're Isaac, right?"

"Yep, nice to see you again, Braeburn." Isaac extended his hand for Braeburn to shake.

"Howdy, man. Been a while since I've seen you; I still haven't forgotten about the last time we dueled. Although from what Aj told me, it sounds like you're now the top duelist at Canterlot High. Congrats on that."

"Thanks."

Braeburn then turned back to address Applejack. "So tell me, cousin Aj. Have you made your move on making Isaac your beau? I mean he's the champ, you don't get a better catch than that." stated Braeburn.

That word, it's been so long that I forgot to look up what it meant. thought Isaac.

Applejack did her best to avoid showing some red on her face as she addressed her cousin. "Braeburn, he's not my boyfriend. Isaac is just a friend."

"Alright, if you say so. Now come one, everybody else will be staying at the inns nearby, but you'll get to stay with me,” Braeburn says. “Let’s get your stuff inside.” With that Isaac helped Braeburn carry the bags of luggage into the house.

Once everything was unloaded from the car, Isaac then took a look around at Braeburn’s apple orchard. It was enormous, probably as big as Applejack’s orchard. Rolling hills as far as the eye could see, dotted with dozens upon dozens of apple trees. Out in the distance, complemented by the fiery sun sky, was a little lonely hill. A single apple tree adorned the summit, overlooking the entire orchard. Quite a majestic sight. Isaac was so focused on the scenery that it took Applejack calling him to snap Isaac out of his trance.

“Y’all comin’?” Applejack calls out.

Isaac quickly snapped out of his trace and looked at Applejack. While Isaac wouldn't say this out loud, but the way the sun was shining on her so wonderfully, the light contouring her perfectly curvy figure, and making her golden hair shimmer. Caused Isaac to have a bit of red appear on his face, but he shock it off for thinking about his friend in such a manner.

“Um… y-yeah. Coming,” Isaac said, catching up with Applejack.

As outgoing as the Apple family seemed, they appeared to be somewhat divided socially. The older Apples, the younger Apples, and the kids were among the dominant pods. Isaac was unsure of what to do. Everyone was just hanging out with one another, either sewing, making cider, baking, or just messing around. Isaac was not sure who to talk to. All he was doing was standing around awkwardly as he watched everyone socialize. Isaac only know Applejack and her immediate family. Sure, Applejack introduced you to a lot of her relatives previously, but that was so long ago. Not to mention that a lot of things had happened since then.

What should I do? It’d be weird to go talk to Granny Smith and the rest of the older members of the family. As much as I love Apple Bloom, it’d be weird to talk to her and her friends as well. She seemed to be having a blast in her own little pod. Applejack was talking with some of her relatives, and it’d be rude to just cut in, right?

With a sigh, unsure of what else to do, Isaac decide to go outside and hang out on the porch. Maybe some fresh air would be nice to help clear his mind a bit. Isaac leaned on the column of the porch and gazed out into the orchard. The treeline was as far as the eye could see, not to mention that there was tons of apple trees every way you looked. Isaac did enjoy the cool breeze that hit his face as well as the peace and quiet that it offered him. It allowed Isaac to clear his mind and relax; he was about to take a walk into the orchard, when he was stopped by a familiar voice.

“There ya are,” said Applejack.

“Oh, hey, Applejack.”

“Y’all alright?” she asks, walking up next to Isaac.

“Um… yeah,” he say. “I-I guess I just feel a little awkward.”

“Yeah…” Applejack says. “I’m sorry ‘bout that, sugarcube.”

“It’s fine,” Isaac said. “You want to catch up with your family, I understand.”

“I don’t want y’all ta feel left out, though,” Applejack says. "Applebloom invited you because she wanted you to have a good time. And if you're feelin' a bit homesick, then I ain't doing my job as your friend." Applejack then put her hand on Isaac's shoulder which caused Isaac to shudder a bit. “Let’s go for a walk,” Applejack says. “Braeburn’s got a beautiful orchard.”

"You know, that sounds like a good idea."

Applejack smiles, and gestures Isaac to follow her. He smiled and started walking with her through the orchard. They walked a decent amount as they passed the many trees full of bright juicy apples. It was then Applejack decided to break the silence.

“I’m sorry for makin’ ya feel left out, sugar,” Applejack says. “We don’t mean for that ta happen.”

“It’s fine, AJ. I know you don’t mean it.” stated Isaac.

"Still it feels wrong. After all that you've done for me and the girls; making our lives better. becoming a sort of role model/big brother to Applebloom, to finding time to lend us a hand when we need it. I just wish there was more that I could do to repay you. I feel like you haven't been paid in full for all your efforts."

"Applejack there's no need for that. I help you and the girls, out of the kindness of my heart. I do it because we're friends; I do it because if there's a problem I can't just sit back and not at least try to offer some assistance. That's just not the way I was raised; my parents told me that if I can help someone then maybe I can bring a little sunshine/happiness into someone's life." Isaac was now giving Applejack one of his heartwarming smiles as it caused her to blush for a few moments.

They continued to walk in silence for a few more minutes till Isaac noticed something in the distance. It was the small hill he saw from when they first arrived with the single apple tree. Just then an idea popped into Isaac's head as he looked at Applejack.

What?” she asks, raising an eyebrow.

Isaac extend his index finger out into the distance.

“That hill with the apple tree on it, I’ll race you there.” stated Isaac.

Her eyes go wide. “What?” she asks, stifling a laugh.

“You heard me,” Isaac said with a grin.

“Sugar, I don’t know. I’m still a little tired from the trip, an—” suddenly, she bolts in the direction of the hill, leaving Isaac in the dust.

“Hey!” Isaac shout. “No fair!”

Without a second thought, he start sprinting towards the hill, trying to catch up with Applejack. Isaac could hear Aj laughing as she races to the hill.

Applejack was halfway up the hill as Isaac had just barely reached the base. His energy started to fade as he climbed the hill, all of his energy was expended from sprinting. Isaac saw Applejack standing at the top, looking down on him with her arms folded.

"What took you so long?" Applejack said, giggling.

“No fair! You got a head start! That's bullshit!” Isaac retort, panting as he reached the top of the hill. Once he caught his breath, Isaac began to address Aj. "You call yourself the honest one of the group, yet you cheated to win. That's not very honorable now, is it? I want a rematch!”

Applejack just shakes her head, chuckling. Isaac declares the porch as the next destination, and he actually managed to fake her out this time and get a head start. He muster all the stamina and energy he had left to run as fast as he could to the porch. Isaac could hear Applejack yelling behind him, clearly frustrated from him getting a head start this time around. He heard her feet getting closer and closer to him as the porch was getting nearer. Isaac summoned all of his remaining energy to sprint to the porch. In an act of desperation, Isaac slide like a baseball player to reach the porch first.

"Yes!" Isaac fist pumped. "I win!"

"Hold on an apple pickin' minute." panted Applejack. "That ain't fair, you got ahead start. You cheated!"

"Turnabout is fair play! I was just doing what you did last time." said Isaac, panting just as hard as Aj. "I just made sure to give you a taste of your medicine; not so fun when the shoe is on the other end, huh." Both Isaac and Applejack lay on the ground in front of the porch steps, panting hard for breath.

“Land sakes,” Applejack says. “I haven’t felt a rush like that in a long time.”

"Me too, the last time I ran this much was when I was a little kid. Seems I'm starting to get old, even though I'm still young." said Isaac.

After a couple of minutes, both Isaac and Applejack have enough energy to sit up.

“I forgot how much fun that was,” she says. “Though, I don’t have as much energy as I did back then.”

“I definitely don’t,” said sarcastically Isaac, making Applejack laugh.

Eventually Isaac laughs as well, until something happens that makes his heart skip a beat. Both Isaac and Applejack make eye contact. Prolonged eye contact. Her hair is tattered and frayed from all the sweat, but somehow Isaac finds it oddly adorable. It reflects her hardworking, tomboyish personality. Her chest is still heaving, as is his. Her green eyes reflect the sunlight so beautifully. Isaac finds that he can’t take his eyes off her, and her gaze never wanes either. She’s just so… beautiful…

“Applejack!” a voice calls out, snapping both of them out of their trance. It’s in that moment Isaac realized how close his mouth was to Applejack’s. In some sort of spell, Isaac's mind was working on its own. They looked towards the house, and see Apple Bloom standing in the doorway with wide eyes.

“What are y’all doin’?” Apple Bloom asks teasingly.

Applejack quickly stands up and brushes the dirt off her skirt. She takes her hat off and shakes it to get the dirt off.

“N-Nothin’, Apple Bloom,” Applejack says. “What is it?”

“Braeburn need ya,” Apple Bloom says. “He needs help settin’ up the barn for the dance tonight.”

“Tell him I’ll be right there, sugarcube,” Applejack says.

Apple Bloom gives a smile and a nod before retreating back into the house.

Applejack looks back down at Isaac, and rubs her neck. She holds her hand out, and helps him up off the ground.

“Um… I need ta help Braeburn with some things,” Applejack says.

“Oh… okay,” you say. Is Applejack… blushing? "Wait, did you say dance?"

"Yeah, nothing fancy, just a little hoedown. You should come, it'll be a lot of fun."

"I mean, I didn't exactly pack something for an occasion like this, but I'll see what I got. I'll see you tonight."

"Alright, then." Applejack then turned to leave but not before giving Isaac one more hug before heading inside.

As Applejack was walking away, Isaac couldn't help but notice a subtle sashay in her hips as she walked away. Isaac quickly put that out of his mind for even thinking such thoughts about one of his friends, especially Applejack. Was she doing that on purpose? At that moment, Isaac thought back on what had just happened between the both of them. His mind was working on his own, he didn't even realize how close he was to her lips until Applebloom interrupted them. He... almost... kissed her. Soon Applebloom returned as it took him out of his thoughts.

"You coming, Isaac. I'm about to have a match."

"I'm coming Applebloom." Isaac then stood up as he followed Applebloom into the backyard.

Applebloom led them to where the other little kids of the Apple family were hanging out. Some of them were talking with each other, others were showing off their cards and some just wanted to get to dueling. Eventually Applebloom brought them to where Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo were hanging out.

"Alright, guys I'm here."

"Finally, we were thinking that you weren't going to show up." said Scootaloo.

"I was just trying to find Isaac; I want him to be here, so that he can see how far I've come."

"Now let's get started." Sweetie Belle then lead the three of them to meet with Babs Seed who was going to be Applejack's opponent.

Both Applebloom and Scootaloo shuffled their deck and gave each other a hand shake. They then took their positions as they activated their duel disks. The rest of the kids and Isaac all stood on the side as they prepared to see the battle. Sweetie Belle then took position in the middle as the referee.

"If both of you girls are ready, then let's begin."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Babs Seed's Life Points: 8000-

Applebloom Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Applebloom

Applebloom went first as she picked up her hand and drew her card. "I'll start by playing my Aromage Jasmine(100/1900) in defense mode. Then I'll play the field spell, Aroma Garden." Now the field around Applebloom started to change as there was a flower garden that appeared with tons of flowers. "Now my field spell allows me to gain 500 more life points and it grants all my monsters 500 extra attack and defense points till the end of your next turn. Next the effect of my Jasmine activates, since my life points are higher than yours, I can get an additional summon this turn. And I draw an extra card." Applebloom drew her card and looked at her hand to see which one she wanted. "I guess I'll take this one, and set it facedown. I'll then end my turn."
Applebloom's Life Points: 8500-

Turn 2: Babs Seed

"Not bad, cus." She then picked up her hand and began to look through her options. "My turn, to start I'll play my Fortune Lady Light(?/?) in defense mode. My Fortune Ladies' attack and defense are based on their levels. In the case, of my Fortune Lady Light, she gains 200 points time her level. Since right now she's only level 1, her attack/defense are 200 points each. Then I'll activate my spell card, Fortune Lady Calling. This lets me summon another 'Fortune Lady' from my deck. So come out my Fortune Lady Earth(?/?)!" Now Babs had two Fortune Ladies on her field. "My Fortune Lady is level 6 and it gets 400 attack for each level. So her true strength is 2400. Now take out her Aromage Jasmine!" Fortune Lady Earth then struck the ground which caused thorns to come up and destroy Applebloom's monster. "I'll end my turn and place a card facedown."

Turn 3: Applebloom

"Now thanks to field spell since an 'Amora' monster was destroyed by battle I gain another 1000 life points. I'll then flip up my monster, Aroma Jar(500/400). Now I gain another 500 life points."
Applebloom's Life Points: 10,000-

"Geez, Applebloom. Since when did you start dueling like this?" said Babs.

"Now since a Plant-type monster was destroyed in battle, I can summon my Aromage Marjoram(2000/1600) from my hand and gain another 500 life points." Applebloom then looked at her hand and began to put her plan into motion. "Now I'll play the tuner monster, Aromaseraphy Angelica(0/0). Next I'll tune my level 1 Angelica with my level 5 Marjoram, I Synchro Summon, my Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram(2200/2000)!" Applebloom was now showing off her relatives the new summoning technique that Isaac taught her. "My monster's effect allows me to add my Blessed Winds trap card to my hand from my deck."
Applebloom's Life Points: 10,500-

"Next I'll have my Sweet Marjoram take out your Fortune Lady Earth!" Applebloom then commanded her monster to take out Fortune Lady Earth which she was successful.
Babs' Life Points: 7700-

Once Babs recovered from Applebloom's attack, she took a glance at her and had a smile on her face. "Well now, that's something I wasn't expecting from you cuz. You never do something as advanced as that, so tell me what changed?"

"I just had a good teacher." Applebloom then looked over at Isaac who just had a smile on his face and gave her a thumbs up.

"Well then, seems I need to step up my game if I want to keep up with you."

After the dueled ended, Applebloom ran up to Isaac as she gave him a hug for helping to improve her skills. She was so happy that she won that she wanted to introduce Isaac to the rest of her smaller relatives. So Applebloom and the rest of the CMC all dragged Isaac to the other kids as she told him that he was the reason why learned so many cool new moves. This caused all the kids to surround Isaac as they began to whale him with tons of questions about dueling and if they could have assistance with their cards. Isaac did his best to answer whatever questions they had; he even showed them his deck and his ace monsters. The moment Isaac showed them his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, all the kids were happy. The CMC then pulled out their little magicians' hats they made to show their love for Isaac's card. Of course the kids asked for a demonstration, so Isaac entertained them by having some friendly duels with the kids. Soon it was getting late as it was time for the barn dance.

In Braeburn’s barn, the Apple family reunion barn dance was in full swing. Turns out part of the Apple family was a bluegrass band, and a rather good one at that. They played music as many Apples and friends danced and sang along. For Isaac, it was heartwarming to see a big family so close with one another. It sorted reminded him of his own kin. Apparently, he wasn't the only family friend to be invited, as he saw many people he didn’t recognize who clearly were not Apples. Nevertheless, they sure acted like family, dancing around and not giving a care in the world. It wasn’t a formal event by any means, but Isaac decided it would be wise to look a little nicer. So Isaac approached Braeburn for some help and he gave Isaac some clothes to wear. He told Isaac that he could keep them as it didn't fit him anymore. Braeburn had given Isaac a black button-down shirt, black pants, and black shoes on. Not much, but it was up to par with what everyone else was wearing.

So Isaac got dressed and looked himself in the mirror. Then he made his way to the barn as the music was swinging into full gear. Isaac looked around and saw tons of adults having fun by dancing and mingling with one another. Isaac kept scanning the room, but Applejack was nowhere to be seen. Where was she? He couldn’t wait to see if she’s dressed up or not too.

“Y’all always liked to wear black, huh?” a familiar voice said next to him.

Isaac glanced beside him and saw Applejack. He did a double-take when he saw that Applejack had indeed decided to dress up as well. And wow did she look beautiful. A red button-down shirt, opened up at the top to reveal a yellowish-green undershirt to bring out her gorgeous green eyes, and outlining her curvy figure. An orange skirt dotted with red apple graphics, complemented by her boots, dotted with similar graphics. And she still wore her regular boots and cowgirl hat. It wasn’t extravagant or anything, but dressing up just a little bit made Applejack look amazing.

"What can I say, it looks good on me?" said Isaac with confidence. "Wow... you look great, Applejack.”

Thankfully, Applejack just gave an adorable southern guffaw, complemented by a smile.

“Y’all are so sweet,” Applejack says. “Thank you! Y’all look pretty sharp yourself.”

Isaac felt his cheeks go immediately red.

“Th-Thanks,” he said, rubbing his neck.

“C’mon! Let’s go dance!” Applejack says, dragging Isaac out into the crowd with her, not waiting for an answer.

"Hey wait a min...."

It was a little awkward at first since Applejack dragged Isaac out so suddenly, but eventually he started dancing. It was amazing. Isaac usually was not one for dancing, but all the Apples were so encouraging and welcoming that he felt comfortable enough to not give a care in the world and just dance. He even started humming along to some of the music, despite not knowing most of the songs. But for most of the time, Isaac's attention was focused on Applejack. It was wonderful to see her so happy. She was always more outgoing than he was. She even took his hands and started to encourage him to dance more. Honestly, he never had more fun in his life. The energy in the room was amazing. Just a family and their friends having fun with one another. It was truly unique, and it’s still heartwarming to see how close this family is. After a while, Isaac decided to take a break. Chasing Applejack around the orchard earlier did a great job a sapping your energy. Not to mention the many duels he did to demonstrate for the little kids really took a lot out of him. Taking a seat on a hay bale, Isaac watched everyone dance. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo, and Babs Seed looked like they were having a blast. Even Big Mac and Granny Smith were dancing. All the while, Isaac just had a giant smile on his hand.

“Sugarcube?” a familiar voice says in front of him.

Isaac looked up to see Applejack staring back at him.

“Y’all okay?” she asks.

"Of course, Applejack. I just wanted to take a moment to catch my breath. I've been moving ever since we arrived that I just wanted to sit down and relax a bit. Also thanks, I'm really glad that I decided to come."

"Of course, sugar. As long as you enjoy yourself, I'm happy." Applejack returned a smile back to Isaac.

Suddenly, the music in the room shifts to something more… slow. Isaac saw everyone on the floor either leave or pair up and begin to slow dance. He felt his face going bright red at the realization of his current situation. A slow song just began, and Applejack was right here in front of him.

“AJ?” Isaac said.

“Yeah?” she asked.

Isaac's mind was on autopilot, seizing the opportunity. He stand up and offer Applejack his hand.

“Do… um… d-do you want to have one last dance?” Isaac ask while rubbing his neck.

Applejack just smiled. Though Isaac could barely make out a slight shade of red on her freckled cheeks.

“I thought y’all would never ask,” she said.

Isaac smiled and blushed. A shudder rippled through his body at the feeling of Applejack accepting his hand. Out of his peripheral vision, Isaac could see Apple Bloom and her friends looking at him and Applejack as he took her to the dance floor. Are they giggling? They arrived at the dance floor, and Isaac feel his heart start to pound against his chest as Applejack was getting closer to him. She wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck, and he tried to keep himself calm as he rest his hands on her waist. Isaac's heart was on fire as he was sharing a dance with Applejack. She was so close to him. Her green eyes have never been so beautiful, and her smile has never been prettier. They moved in time with the rhythm of the song as they moved their body to the beat. Then Applejack broke the silence.

“Sugarcube?” Applejack said, snapping Isaac out of his trance.

“Huh?” Isaac said dumbly.

“There’s somethin’ I’ve been wantin’ ta tell you,” Applejack says.

“What’s that?” he asked.

Applejack tighten her grip on Isaac's neck. "It seems... that... I've caught... feelings... for you."

Isaac's eyes then went wide at Aj's confession.

"I know it sounds weird, but… it’s true. I-I like you, Isaac. I really, really like you. I just didn’t want to ruin the greatest friendship we’ve ever had. I-I didn’t want to scare you away. But you've really shown me that you're amazing not just in terms of Duel Monsters but in just always being there for me and the girls. You're phenomenal."

Isaac’s eyes were now the widest they had been. He was silent for a moment, but that moment felt like an eternity to him. “Wow… I… I…” Isaac was starting to stammer with his words. Before he could give his response, Applejack started to drag Isaac away.

“Here,” Applejack says, “Come with me.”

She starts walking away, and Isaac follows her, presumably to a more private area. Applejack leads them outside to the side of the barn to some hay bales. Nobody else was around. Isaac then began to speak.

"Aj, look before you say anything. I just..." Isaac stopped talking when he saw Applejack take her hat off. Before he can question it, she tosses it off to the side, cupped his face, and brought him in for her very first kiss.

Isaac was caught completely off guard. It’s the polar opposite of what he was expecting, but his doubt and shock both faded away in an instant at the feeling of Applejack’s lips. His heart began to melt in total bliss as he wrapped his arms around Applejack's toned, muscular body. She moaned into his mouth as she began to take over leading the kiss. Isaac stumbled backwards and sat down on the hay bales with Applejack in his arms as she continued to kiss him. Soon Isaac found himself lying back down on the hay bales, as Aj was really putting more effort into the kiss. He could feel her moan into his mouth as she straddled him. She smelled like fresh apple pie. Applejack's scent was starting to cloud Isaac's senses and it filled his mind with warmth. She was not letting up as Isaac just kept his arms wrapped around Aj as he held her tightly, while slowly exploring her well toned body. And just like that, it was over. Applejack pulled away, leaving the both of them panting for air. Isaac was left totally speechless, as his brain was trying to process what just transpired.

Applejack just giggled. “Y’all alright?”

Isaac shook his head to try and refocus himself. "Yeah... wow... that was something."

Applejack laughs and brushes Isaac's hair. “I just took y’all out here ta get us some privacy.” She then smiled and started to stroke Isaac's cheek.

"How long have you had these feelings?" asked Isaac as he looked up at Applejack's eyes.

Applejack just gave Isaac a soft smile and a kiss on the cheek, making his heart melt a bit. "To be honest, I guess I started to like you when we first faced each other in the Fall Formal. You showed just how tough you were and weren't afraid to hold back. I'd admire that about you. I just couldn't bear the thought of losing you as a friend, which is why I had a tough time confessing my feelings." Applejack smiles and gets off of Isaac. She sits beside him and takes his hand as he sits up.

“I understand. You're are important to me too,” Isaac said.

“Really?” she asked.

Isaac then squeezed her hand and smiled at Applejack. Applejack was blushing from Isaac holding her hand. He then did something bold and gave her a kiss on the cheek. Isaac then gazed into Applejack's eyes and they never looked so beautiful. He lift his hand to brush the hair out of her face, making her shudder.

"You have the prettiest green eyes,” Isaac said.

A big smile grows on Applejack’s face, and her cheeks go bright red.

“Y-Y’all really think so?” she asks.

Isaac don’t respond with words, but instead another kiss. It wasn’t a long kiss, just a peck, but it was enough to make Applejack’s face go completely red.

“I’ve always thought that,” he says.

Applejack begins playing with the end of her ponytail, blushing majorly. Isaac can’t help but chuckle. It was rare to see her act so shy, but when she did it was the most adorable thing ever. He leaned in and kissed her again. Isaac feel her hands rest on the nape of his neck as he curled his hand around her thigh. Her lips were so sweet and delicious. Isaac never felt such a wonderful sensation before in his life. They pulled away, and Applejack pulls Isaac into a big hug. But it wasn’t a hug that made him question if she knew her own strength. It was perhaps the warmest, most loving hug she’s ever given you. Isaac's heart melted yet again as he wrapped his arms around her in return. Isaac never felt closer to Applejack in his life than right now.

“Wanna go back inside?” Applejack asks.

Isaac looked around, and notice the sun going down, about halfway set. Silhouetted against the fiery background of the sky was a familiar hill with a single apple tree on top.

“Actually, I have a better idea,” he said.

“Huh?” Applejack asks.

“That hill we raced to earlier, let’s watch the sunset from there. Just you and me.”

Applejack smiles big, and her eyes seem to light up.

“What’re we still doin’ here?” she says, grinning. “Let’s get goin’!”

Isaac just let out a chuckle. “Wanna race there?”

Applejack looks down at her hand, and shakes her head.

“Actually, let’s just walk,” she says, interlacing your fingers. “Together.”

Isaac's heart was fluttering at the way she was looking at him. He give her another peck before getting up from the hay bale. Hand-in-hand, Isaac and Applejack walked to the hill. The sky slowly gets darker as they got closer to the hill, but they didn’t care. Isaac currently walking while holding Applejack’s hand. At this point, nothing else mattered but her. Eventually, Isaac and Applejack reached the summit of the hill, and the sight was nothing short of breathtaking. Dozens upon dozens of apple trees dotted the landscape, illuminated by the setting sun. The sky was aflame with an array of brilliant, vivid colors, and the sun was just low enough to allow the starry night sky to peek through. A truly majestic sight.

“Land sakes…” Applejack says, her eyes filled with wonder.

“Yeah…” says Isaac, bringing her to the apple tree.

Isaac sat down, leaning back on the trunk. He looked at Applejack and patted the spot in front of you, holding his arms out to her. Applejack smiles, and takes a seat in front of him. She takes her hat off, letting her long hair flow like a golden waterfall. She leans back on Isaac's chest, letting out a relaxed sigh. She looks up at him, and places her hat on his head, making Isaac chuckle. Applejack snuggles up with him as Isaac wrapped his arms around her, making her melt in his embrace. Isaac was now starting to brush Aj's hair, making her moan and lean into his hand. Her hair was so silky, seamlessly running through his fingers. Isaac then spotted a fallen apple next to him. A very tasty looking one, at that. He picked it up and dusted it off. Isaac noticed Applejack looking in the direction of his hand. She looks up at him, and he gave her a smile as he brought the apple closer to her mouth. She looks at the apple, then at Isaac, giving him a giggle before taking a bite out of the apple. Isaac chuckled at how cute Aj was looking right now. He then took a bite out of the apple himself, making her laugh again. He handed the apple to her and wrapped his arms around her again.

Isaac gave her a kiss on the cheek, making her giggle. He couldn't help but smile at how girly her giggle is. Perhaps the girliest giggle he'd ever heard from her, and it was the cutest thing ever. Isaac pulled away from Applejack's cheek, only for her to turn her head towards him and connect his lips in another kiss. He didn’t fight one bit. He could taste a bit of apple juice on her lips, making the kiss even better. Isaac pulled away, and Aj relaxed in his embrace. He squeezed her in his arms as they both gazed out into the distance. The setting sun ignites the sky with colors. The only sound came from the rustling leaves of the tree above them. So peaceful… so serene… and Isaac was sharing it all with Applejack. He brushed her hair as he admired the amazing vista. Isaac could hear her moan as he ran his fingers through Aj's golden hair. There’s no place he’d rather be than with his favorite farmgirl.

“Sure is gorgeous,” Applejack says.

“Almost as pretty as you,” Isaac said.

Applejack giggles and squeezed his hands. “Aw shucks, sugarcube…”

“I’m being honest,” he said. “Look at me. Does it look like I'm lying to you?”

“No… y’all ain’t lyin’,” Applejack says, her face going bright red. "I ain't that pretty, am I?”

Isaac squeezed her in his arms and gave her a peck. “Yes you are, AJ.”

She continues to blush, and chuckle nervously. It’s so cute.

“Wow… n-nobody’s ever said that to me before…” she said.

“Well I’m saying it right now,” he said, giving her a kiss on the cheek. “You’re beautiful, Applejack.”

"You know, I'm glad Applebloom decided to invite you. I figured it be my chance to get some alone time with you. I'm never felt so happy than right now."

Applejack giggles again. She begins playing with her hair as she gazes up at Isaac. Her forest green eyes appear to sparkle as she looked up at him. Isaac gave her another tender kiss, feeling her melt in his arms as their lips touched. Isaac pulled away, and Applejack snuggled up in his embrace, gazing out into the distance. He continued to brush her hair, holding her tight as they watched the sun set together.

While Applejack and Isaac were hanging out on the hill top, there was one person who was looking where they were and smiling. Applebloom had saw her sister lead Isaac outside from their dance and it peaked her curiosity. So she followed them outside and peeked her head around the corner and saw Applejack kissing Isaac with everything she had. Once they discussed on heading to the hilltop, Applebloom pulled her head back to avoid getting in trouble for spying. She saw them leave and she couldn't help but to have a huge smile on her face. "Seems my plan worked." Applebloom was happy that her big sis finally got to spend some alone time with Isaac as she knew how happy Applejack was when she was with him. Applebloom just wished her sister good luck and hoped that sooner or later she could have someone else to call her big brother.

Chapter 52: The Encounter

After the trip to Appleloosa, things were now back normal. Isaac had a rowdy good time with Applejack and her relatives. Not to mention that after their intimate moment, it gave him a lot to think about. Applejack knew it was affecting Isaac's mental health, so she told him to not think about it too much and just carry on like things were okay. She told him he didn't have to make a decision so soon, but just that she was happy to finally express her feelings toward him.

True to her word, things did return to normal. Whenever Isaac saw Applejack passing by, she just acted like her normal self. At first it proved weird given what had occurred between the two of them, but Isaac eventually warmed up and still maintained his strong friendship with AJ. The only difference was that whenever it was just the two of them and their friends weren't around, then Applejack would sneak in a quick kiss before leaving.

Now Isaac was watching from the sidelines as a duel was taking place. However, the person competing was the reason his intentions were caught.

"I'll start by summoning my Gold Gadget. Know the thing I love about gadgets, is that not only are they helpful but they come with a cool feature. I activate my Gold Gadget's ability and with it I'll summon Silver Gadget as well. Then finally, I'll reveal the trap card that I set previous, Metalhold the Moving Blockade!" Twilight's facedown reveal a giant metal robot that started to shake the ground around them as it took its first few steps. "Now I can target any number of level 4 Machine-type monsters and equip it onto my Metalhold. Then it gains attack points equal to the combined total of my monsters and you best believe it can hold some metal. Like my two gadgets for instance, so now Metalhold now has 3200 attack points. Now Metalhold, load and fire your cannons! Attack!" At Twilight's command, her metal giant pointed its cannons at her opponent and fired two powerful beams of energy that decimated the field and gave Twilight the win.

The duel was over as the field returned back to normal and both duelist deactivated their duel disks. Twilight's opponent shook her hand and congratulated Twilight on her victory. She then noticed Isaac was watching from the side and then made her way to her. Twilight had even gotten a new duel disk since she transferred to CHS; it wasn't much as it was basically similar to the ones that students of Canterlot High used. Twilight's duel disk was purple as its base with a streak of pink running around it, she even had her initials as well as the sparkle that was on her dress. She also had a tiny portrait of Dark Magician Girl as she wanted to have something similar to Isaac's design as it would serve as a reminder of all that he did to save her.

"So you watched my duel? How was it?"

"Simple, overall not bad."

"I was hoping you say that, those lessons you've been given me are really paying off. That's my fifth win in row in just two days. I feel so ecstatic, like I could take on anybody." Twilight was starting to giddy.

"Slow your horses, Twi. It's one thing to get a victory and feel good about yourself, it's another to get over confident and make careless mistakes."

"Oh, right." Twilight quickly realized what Isaac meant as she dialed it down a bit.

"Anyways, any news from your fellow acquaintances at Crystal Prep. How's your brother handling you not being there?" asked Isaac.

"Things have been going well. The rest of the Shadowbolts are still trying to take down my brother to see how they stack up. But from what they told me, they said that none of them come even close to what you did. As for my brother, well he's just happy that I've found a place where I'm surrounded by friends and people who care about me. Honestly, he was ecstatic that I chose to come here because he felt like I was finally finding something that I've been missing my whole life."

Isaac just smiled at Twilight after she finished speaking. "Well he's not wrong." Just then the first bell of the morning rang to signal the start of the school day. "Well we better get to class if we want to avoid being late." With that both Isaac and Twilight walked to their class.

Somewhere far away in a secluded area, nighttime had fallen as the only light that was shown was the light from the moon above. This proved useful for a certain individual who had a goal in mind; he then started jumping through the trees as he closed in on his destination. He was able to gain enough height as he leaped over the security gate with ease. He then snuck back into the shadows as two guards passed by on patrol. Once they left, he quickly made his way through a small vent and followed it to the room that he wanted. He then saw the room he was looking for and there it was hidden behind a thick glass. He then used a small device as it sprayed and revealed tons of little lasers that surrounded the object inside the case.

"At long last, I've finally found it. With this card, there'll be nothing to stop me." The stranger then smashed the glass as the alarms went off and the guards started making their way to his position. "Never was one for stealth."

"Hold it right there!" shouted a guard.

"Sorry boys, but I'm taking something that was taken away from me. Tell the boss that I've sent him my regards." He then throw a smoke bomb as it distracted the guards and bought him the time he needed to slip away. By the time the guards figured out what had occurred the thief was long gone. They then did a perimeter sweep to see if he was still here; just then the head guard came in as he saw a few of his fellow comrades talking with each other. Then the lieutenant then approached him and explained the situation and asked him what they should do.

"Inform HQ, the boss will want to hear this."

"At once sir."

Principal Sombra was in his office taking care of some paperwork. After the Friendship Games, he was currently going over the final results of the event as he kept his mind on Canterlot High, specifically Isaac. He was watching the duel between him and Shining Armor and he couldn't help but let his mind wander.

"To think that someone of Isaac's caliber is currently attending a school like CHS. If he chose to enroll here at Crystal Prep, there's no doubt that he would be at the top of this division. Still the skills he possess might be enough for him if he decided to go pro. Maybe I could put in a good word for him." Before Sombra could finish his train of thought, he was interrupted by Cadance barging in.

"Excuse me, Principal Sombra. But you have an important call."

"Thank you, Cadance. Put it through." Candace then transferred the call to Sombra.

"Hello."

"It's been too long Sombra." said a voice that Sombra hadn't heard in years. "I've got something rather urgent to inform you about."

Sombra's eyes widen. He then told Cadance that he needed some privacy to which she obliged and left Sombra to conduct his business. Once she left, Sombra then spoke with the person who was on the phone.

"What is it?"

"It seems we've encountered someone who stole something from the card vault. They took it." said the man.

Once Sombra heard that his eyes grew big. "Tell me everything."

A couple of days later, Isaac was currently watching a duel happen between Rainbow Dash and Applejack as they were trying to settle an argument. He was accompanied by the other girls, as they all just sat on the bleachers waiting to see what the final result was going to be.

"So does this always happen?" asked Twilight.

"In short, yes." said Sunset. "Usually it revolves around who's the better duelist, or trying to figure out who should get the next shot at facing Isaac."

"On the bright side, it does help me make some quick cash." said Isaac with a sly smile. "Thanks for the extra money, Sunset. Just tell me when you want to stop."

Sunset just shot her tongue at Isaac for mocking her and for hustling her so hard. Eventually the contest ended with Aj getting the most of by Dash by beating her by one point. Overall, Isaac had made some good cash as he was rolling in dough from Sunset. Isaac cheered her up by saying that he would buy her and the rest of their friends some milkshakes from the Sweet Shoppe afterschool. Then the next bell rang as they all went to their respective class.

Everything was peaceful until everybody heard the sound of a chopper flew overhead. It floated above until it descended down on the lawn of Canterlot High. Celestia had noticed this and saw that the chopper had a logo on the tail as she knew who was causing such a ruckless on her property. Just then a good group of men in black suits and wearing dark shades all stepped out as they made sure that there wasn't any danger; once everything was clear a man dressed in a bright red suit then stepped out as he made his way through the school doors and was making his way to the Principal's office. The students all watched from their respective windows as they saw the mysterious man enter their school.

"Now that's how you make an entrance." said Isaac.

"Still that seems rather unusual. Besides I feel like I've seen that person before, but where?" Twilight thought real hard on trying to figure out who was the person that suddenly interrupted their education.

Meanwhile, the mysterious person had just reached the door to Principal Celestia's office when he adjusted his tie to make him presentable. Then he opened the door and entered. He saw both Celestia sitting in her chair with Vice-Principal Luna standing by her side.

"Ahh, Celestia it's been too long. My you look lovely with every second. And Luna, your complexion really brings out your eyes." The man then grabbed both of their hands and shook them as well as kissing the back part of it.

"It's been too long, William. Still it's nice to see you, how is your business handling?"

"Oh the usual, you know me always trying to make some brand new cards and spreading smiles on people's faces. But I wish my visit was on better terms. There's an urgent matter that needs to be addressed."

"Indeed, Luna if you please."

"Yes sister." Luna then locked the door and closed the blind to make sure that no one saw or heard what they were about to discuss.

William then sat down as he began to inform Celestia and Luna about the recent break in that occurred. once he finished the story, both Luna and Celestia had full worry on their faces as they knew this could result in trouble.

"What have your people found out?" asked Luna.

"Well all that I can figure out is the mysterious person had managed to evade our intense security measures and was able to steal the card with ease. We've also learned that he seeks the whereabouts of the other cards. In fact, I believe he may be closer to obtaining them as we speak." Informed William.

"What about Sombra, does he know of this incident?" asked Celestia.

"Yes, I spoke with him yesterday and relayed the message to him. He's taking the necessary precautions and is also on the lookout for the person who broke in. I know it's sudden, but I was hoping you could do the same with you and your students."

"You know that I value the student's safety above all else, William. I will not put my students in danger, but given the circumstances, I doubt we'll have much of a choice. Luna inform the students that any dueling that should occur is to take place in the auditorium until further notice. I doubt any of them will like this sudden change, but it's best to stay safe."

"At once, sister." With that Luna then left as she went to institute her sister's orders.

Now it was just Celestia and William who were left speaking with each other. "You have my word, Celestia. That as long as my men are here, we will not let any harm come to the students. I have a couple of men also helping with Sombra should the person choose to strike Crystal Prep. We will catch this theft."

"I hope your right, William." Just then a thought appeared in Celestia's mind. "Perhaps we could enlist the help of someone."

"Who did you have in mind, Celestia?"

The students at Crystal Prep were trying their best to deal with the new security measures implemented by Principal Sombra and Dean Cadance. There was tons of bodyguards that were watching the entrances to the school and constantly on the lookout for any strange activity. Of course, Sombra had had said that until further notice, no dueling would be held. This caused most of the students to be displeased as they really wanted to duel. A part of that group were the Shadowbolt girls.

"Can you believe this!?" shouted Indigo Zap. "It's so not cool that Principal Sombra is having to suspend duels. I mean what's the reason."

"Perhaps it has something to do with the man that appeared about a day ago and talked with him." said Sugarcoat.

"Still what could the reason be?"

"Dude, lighten up. Here listen to some music to calm your sense." Lemon Zest then put her headphones on Indigo's ears which blasted really loud punk rock music that it nearly caused her to go deaf.

"Not helping!" She then passed the back to Lemon Zest who just simplified shrugged and went back to rocking out. The three of them then kept walking till they were joined by Sour Sweet and Sunny Flare.

"So did you girls found anything out? Like why we aren't allowed to duel."

"Nothing on our end, Indigo." said Sunny Flare.

"Well... I wouldn't say nothing." The girls all looked at Sour Sweet as she had a bit of juicy info. "Alright, but you didn't hear it from me. I was listening outside of Sombra's door and I overheard him talking with someone. I couldn't make out much, but from what I could it sounds like there was a recent theft that took place and somehow Sombra is linked to it. In what way, I don't know. However, that would explain the recent appear with that man yesterday and why we've suddenly been forbidden from dueling."

"So we can't battle because someone stole a card, seriously!?" Indigo was now really pissed off. "If they're so scared about someone running around with a stolen card, then let them come. I'll take them down so fast that they won't know what hit them, plus it's the only way things will get back to normal around here." The Shadowbolts all then started to exit the school through the back entrance as it was a nice day.

"Honestly, based on your performance at the Friendship Games. I doubt you could bring in the culprit." Sugarcoat then pushed her glasses up. "I on the other hand, would have no problem taking them on."

"You think you're so full of yourself. Well why don't we settle this right now?" Indigo was getting ready to throw down.

"Please, unlike you I'm one to follow the rules. Cause I actually have a brain among us." Sugarcoat's comment caused the other girls to give her some dirty looks.

While they were arguing, unbeknownst to them the mysterious stranger was just a few feet away from them as he was scanning Crystal Prep. He then pulled up his goggles as he looked on. "So this is the place of the second card. You really should have picked a better place, Mr. William." Just then the girls noticed him.

"Hey, who the hell are you!?" shouted Indigo Zap.

"That's none of your concern, now step aside. I have no business with you." The mysterious person then began walking past them as his face was still covered. He didn't get far when Indigo stop to confront him.

"I think I know who you are. Your the reason why dueling at Crystal Prep has come to a halt. Girls check it out, that's our man!" Indigo then did something bold as she pulled out her duel disk and activated it. "If there's one thing I don't like bud, it's not being able to duel. So it stands to reason that if I take you down, then everything at Crystal Prep goes back to normal and everybody will hail me a hero. So come on masked man, let's duel."

The rest of the Shadowbolts then rushed to her side. "Are you crazy, there's no way you can do this? Besides, I'm a girl of my word and if anybody is going to turn in this masked vigilante, then it'll be me." Sugarcoat then activated her duel disk and slotted in her deck.

"Like hell I'm going to let you take all the glory. This guy is mine!"

"Here I thought there was going to be any fun." The mysterious man then chuckled. "Seems I found plenty of entertainment right here. I'll make you a deal, I take on all five of you and if I lose then I'll gladly turn myself." The mysterious man said with such conviction.

The girls all took a second to register what he said. "He's not serious is he?" asked Lemon Zest.

"Well if he thinks that he can beat the best of the best, then who are we to deny such a request." Sour Sweet was starting to form a sly smile.

"This is will be easy; I won't even break a nail." stated Sunny Flare.

"Then let's get on with it." shouted Indigo Zap.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said all of their duel disk. "Request accepted. Initiating handicap duel."

Shadowbolts' Life Points: 8000-

???'s Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Indigo Zap

"I'll start things off." Indigo picked up her hand and then drew her card. "And I'll open with a show stopping move. I'll play the field spell F.A. City Grand Prix, now all my F.A. monsters gain 2 more levels. Then I'll summon my F.A. Hang On Mach. Then I'll activate the effect of my F.A. Auto Navigator and summon it since I control another F.A. monster." Now Indigo Zap had two monsters and was getting ready to do a big move. "So my Mach loses two levels and my Auto Navigator becomes level 2, then it'll gain two more levels due to my field spell. The I'll play the spell Tune-up and with I'll give my Navigator another level. Then I'll tune my Auto Navigator with my F.A. Hang On Mach. I Synchro Summon, F.A. Motorhome Transport!" Indigo Zap had managed to summon out one of her ace monsters in just her first turn. My Motorhome Transport's attack points are equal to its level by 300, so since it's level 11 it has 3300 attack points. I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sugarcoat

"The one mistake you made was letting us go first." Sugarcoat then drew her card. "I'll start by sending my Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Electromagnet Warriors to Special Summon my Berserkion The Electromagna Warrior." Now Sugarcoat had one of her most powerful monsters on her field as she had a smile on her face. "I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Sour Sweet

"Stand back ladies, let me show you how it's done." Sour Sweet drew her card. "I'll play Polymerization and with it I'll fuse my Amazoness Chain Master and my Amazoness Queen. I Fusion Summon, Amazoness Empress! Then I'll throw a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Lemon Zest

"My turn, dude." Lemon Zest drew her card and was preparing something big. "I activate the spell card, One for One. This lets me discard a monster card from my hand, and then I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck.” Lemon twirled a card in her hand and slotted it into her duel disk, then tapped a prompt on her screen. “I’ll get rid of Morphtronic Cameran and summon Morphtronic Celfon. I activate Celfon’s ability. Once per turn I can roll a die, and whatever the result is, I can reveal that many cards on the top of my deck and summon a Level 4 or lower Morphtronic monster among them.” Lemon snapped her fingers. “Go, Morphtronic Speed Dial!” Celfon thrust out its chest, made up of the top half of the phone form’s dial pad. The numbers lit up in rapid sequence before stopping on 2. “I’ll bring out Morphtronic Remoten. Next I’ll use Remoten’s ability. By banishing a Morphtronic monster in the graveyard, a Morphtronic with the same Level can be added from my deck to my hand. I’ll get rid of Cameran and get a second one out, and then I’ll summon him." The card ejected from her duel disk and she swiftly slotted it on the card tray.

Lemon held her hand up. "I tune my Level 3 Morphtronic Remoten with my Level 2 Morphtronic Cameran! Synchro Summon! Come on out, T.G. Hyper Librarian." Lemon lifted a card in her hand. “Next, I’ll banish Morphtronic Remoten from my graveyard, to Special Summon Morphtronic Smartfon. I’ll tune my Morphtronic Celfon with my Morphtronic Smartfon. Synchro Summon! Rolling out, Formula Synchron(200/1500)!” Lemon’s new monster was shaped like a race car, with legs emerging from below it and arms from the sides between the wheels. "But why stop there, cause I'll tune up my monsters for a third time. I tune my Hyper Librarian with my Formula Synchron! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Power Tool Dragon." The metal shell shattered, revealing a large, gold, mechanical dragon with silver plates of metal running down its back to its tail. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Sunny Flare

"My turn, dearies." Sunny Flare looked through her hand and began to formulate her plan. "I activate the continuous spell card Hazy Pillar.” The ground behind Sunny split apart. “As long as this card is in play, any Hazy Flame monster I may summon requires one less tribute for their summoning.” She flipped another card out of her hand and swung it onto her card tray. “Since I now need no tributes for it, I’ll summon the Level 6 Hazy Flame Sphynx in attack mode.” “I now activate the spell card, Card Advance. This allows me to look at the top five cards of my deck and place them back on top of the deck in any order I wish, and I’m also afforded an extra Tribute Summon this turn.” Sunny’s cards ejected from her duel disk, and she picked them up and fanned them out. “I activate the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx. Once per turn I can guess if the top card of my deck is a spell, trap, or monster card. I then reveal and discard that card, and if I guessed correctly, I can summon a Fire monster from my hand or Graveyard. I guess a monster card." Sunny drew and held up the card. "It is a monster, Hazy Flame Hydra. Hydra now gets discarded, and I can summon a monster.” I use the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx to revive my Hazy Flame Hydra!” Hazy Flame Sphynx turned its head and opened its mouth to shoot a column of fire at the ground.

"Like before the effect of my Card Advance allows me to conduct an additional summon this turn. I summon Hazy Flame Mantikor, and by the effect of my Hazy Pillar, I shall do so without needing a Tribute.” A swarm of fireballs floated out of the pillar of fire and congregated, growing into a quadrupedal form and dispersing. She sneered and held a hand into the air. “I overlay my Hazy Flame Hydra and my Hazy Flame Mantikor! Using my two Level 6 monsters, I construct the overlay network! Xyz Summon.” She swung her card out and onto her duel disk with one swift motion. “Take flight, Hazy Flame Basiltrice!" The Hazy Pillar behind Sunny blazed hotter as a shadowed form appeared within it. With a loud screech, a massive avian monster flew out of the flames and circled the field, two balls of orange light orbiting it. "I'll then end my turn."

Now all of the girls had manage to summon their most powerful monsters on their first turn. Each of their creatures now stared a hole at the mysterious man. The girls all had smiles on their face as they knew the this duel was all but theirs.

"Still regretting on taking us all on?" shouted Indigo Zap who had a smug look her face that was matched by the others.

The mysterious man just had his head down and then when he put it back up, he pulled down his coat to reveal he had a smile on his face.

Turn 6: ???

"On contrary, you've girls have forced me to play a creature that I didn't think I would use. I can't thank you enough." Just then the sky started to get cloudy as the sky turned dark. Thunderclouds began to form with mass bolts of lighting appearing every second. "Seems I get to test this card's power out quite a bit early. Now then, draw." The mysterious man drew his card and then a flash of lighting struck behind him as he held its card up high.

"What's going on!?" shouted Indigo as she and the rest of the girls all looked up at the sky and saw a creature that brought them fear.

It was massive and the clouds were covering its body. All they could see was the glowing red eyes as it peaked from behind the clouds. There was a loud roar they caused the heavens themselves to open up. The mysterious man then pointed his finger at the Shadowbolts. "Now my monster, make them suffer. Show no mercy!" With that the creature in the sky then descend and fired off a powerful attack that decimated the entire field. Soon everything was covered in a blanket of white light and when it was over there was nothing left.

Isaac was currently making his way to the principal's office. Well more like running; he had got a message from Vice-Principal Luna this morning about how Celestia had met with the man who arrived at their school the day before and wanted to speak with him. Isaac then arrived at his destination as he knocked on the door and entered.

"I got here as quick as I can Principal Celestia." Isaac saw that both her and the man from yesterday were there.

"Who do we have here?" asked William.

"Why, this is none other than Canterlot High's duel champion. Mr. Isaac." said Celestia.

"Ah, so this is Isaac boy. The kid that I've heard so much about from you." William then got up from his seat and made his way to Isaac to shake his hand. "Charmed. Why Celestia here thinks you're the cat's pajamas!"

"The what?" asked Isaac, who was confused by who the person in front of him was and what he was say.

Celestia noticed this and decided to clear some things up. "Isaac. Meet Mr. William. He famous for creating Duel Monsters cards and is the current owner of Industrial Illusions."

Isaac's eyes widen at what Celestia told him. "Wait, did you say Industrial Illusions? As in the Industrial Illusions; the one that created the game Duel Monsters?"

"Yes, you see Mr. Williams here is actually the grandson of the original founder and creator of Duel Monsters and Industrial Illusions. He's been working hard to carry on his grandfather's legacy and take the game of Duel Monsters to new heights." explained Celestia.

"Of course, hi. It's such an honor. But, uh, why is he here?" asked Isaac.

Celestia then cleared her throat. "Ahem! Yes, about that..." She then began to explain the situation to him.

"What? Someone stole the Slifer the Sky Dragon card? No way! That's one of the most famous card in all of Duel Monsters!" exclaimed Isaac.

Mr. William then addressed Isaac. "Yes, and it's quite a powerful and dangerous card. See when my grandfather developed such a card, he did so with the spirit of the ancient beast which once existed nearly millennia ago."

"I remember growing up and hearing such tales about a card that possessed such tremendous power. In fact, there was even a duelist I remember watching that wielded the card. According to rumors, they say that man disappeared and when he did he took that Slifer card and two other god cards with him. Since then, everybody just mentions the Egyptian God cards as myths, if not legends, seeing as how nobody as see them since that man vanished. But wait, I thought the original cards were gone. How does it suddenly show up?" asked Isaac.

"Your right about the God Cards being gone. However, my grandfather had developed a copy of each one so that they could study for research purposes with nearly identical powers. Of course, he never let the public know and since then he kept them all safe and hidden away in secure locations." said Mr. Williams.

"So what happened?" said Isaac.

"Like I said, my men discovered that someone broke into the vault and stole the card."

"We have reason to believe that this mysterious man is here and is on the lookout for the rest of the replicas of these God cards. In fact, we believe him to be close by. I received a report from Principal Sombra this morning and in it he mentioned about the girls that we faced at the Friendship Games. Apparently they reported having suffer some major injuries that were Slifer-related!"

"Oh!" Isaac's eyes grew big at the thought of someone hurting others for fun. Even if the Shadowbolt girls were his enemies during the Friendship Games, he still didn't like the fact that they were hurt to please someone's taste of amusement.

"Sombra said that all five of the girls were discovered with bruises and scratches all over their body and they couldn't move a muscle. Thankfully it seems like they'll make a full recovering but it will take time. Sombra has taken even more extreme measures as he has one final plan to stop this person should he attempt to enter Crystal Prep again. As for us I believe that this person will strike again and when he does, we'll be ready."

"Great, so what do you want me to do, Celestia?"

"You aren't going to do anything?" said Celestia with a stern voice.

"What?"

"It's far too dangerous for someone like you to handle this. I brought you here to inform you of the situation and to tell the others that they shouldn't engage the person should he show up. I can't allow the safety of everybody here to be put at risk while a madman is on the loose. Plus if anything were to happen to you Isaac, I don't know what I would do. You're an incredible duelist, but this is something that's best left to Mr. William here and the authorities."

"But Celestia, I know I can help. If you just..."

"That's enough! I've given you an order as your principal and I expect it to be followed! Am I understood!" shouted Celestia which caused Isaac to jump back a bit.

Isaac then put his head down. "I understand."

"Good, now you're free to leave. Mr. William and I have somethings to prepare when the intruder shows up." Celestia then dismissed Isaac.

"That boy really is determined, Celestia."

"That's what I'm afraid of William. I feel as if Isaac will one day find himself in a situation that won't be pretty. I just want to make sure he knows that."

"Great. Not once was Celestia concerned with my safety when I was facing Sunset or any other worldly magical problem. Now that they're someone on the loose, she doesn't even let me help. I can't just stand by and not do nothing; it's just not how I roll." Isaac then kicked the wall as he let out his anger.

Twilight then happened to be nearby as she witnessed Isaac being mad. "Isaac, is everything okay?"

Isaac saw Twilight and his anger started to die down as he regained himself. "I'm fine, Twilight. Just letting out some steam."

"Care to talk about it?"

Isaac then told Twilight about his meeting with Celestia a few moments ago and how he had managed to meet Mr. William of Industrial Illusions. He told Isaac about how someone had managed to steal a replica of the God card Slifer and was running rampage all over the place. He even told Twilight about the incident that occurred with her former classmates as it appeared they had a run-in with the man; and witness a first-hand experience of its power. Twilight let out a gasp as she thought of the Shadowbolt girls. Sure they didn't have the most friendly relationship, but they still kept in touch. So when Twilight heard that they suffered some heavy injuries, she couldn't help but let out a concern. Especially if she knew how her brother would get.

"Celestia told you not to interfere?"

"Yeah, but I can't help but think that I can make a difference. I'm not afraid; but I just can't sit by and do nothing. If I see a problem, I can't just wait around for someone to do something about it. If I can help in anyway, then I have to at least try. If I didn't help free you from the magic controlling you, then I would be kicking myself for not giving it a shot."

Twilight then put her hand on Isaac's shoulder and looked at him. "And I'm grateful you didn't give up on me, even if it seemed like I did." She then gave Isaac a hug as a way to cheer him up which was working. They then broke apart as they saw Mr. William out on the front lawn. Isaac then started to make his way to Mr. William with Twilight following behind him.

The rest of the Canterlot group was out front as they were talking amongst themselves. They were trying to figure out what was happening with that man appearing when he did.

"So anybody got a clue on what's going on?" asked Sunset.

"Not a clue, sugarcube."

"I hope that whatever it is we'll all be okay. I don't want any of the animals to get hurt." squealed Fluttershy.

"I agree, darling. Principal Celestia really seems to be on edge, since that man showed up and talked with her."

"Maybe they're just friends and want to have a party after not seeing each other for so long." said Pinkie as she let out a smile.

"Whatever is going on, we've got nothing to worry about. There's nothing that me and my deck can't handle; we'll take on anybody who dares cause harm to CHS!" exclaimed Dash.

"Is that so?" said an unfamiliar voice.

The girls turned to see who was speaking and it was none other than the masked individual who had attacked the Shadowbolts. He then made his presence know as he stepped out of the shadows. His presence made the girls all uncomfortable as they stared at him. Fluttershy was extremely creeped out by the individual that she hid behind her friends.

"So you think that you can beat anyone? Well then, let's see how you fare against me." The mysterious man then took off his disguise and revealed his true self. He wore a lab coat and had glasses on his face; he was a man in his early 30s and he had a sly smile on his face. The most prominent thing was that he was wearing a duel disk on his arm. "Time to put your money where your mouth is little girl."

"Little girl? Please, I'll wipe the floor with you in just a few turns." Rainbow then activated her duel disk.

"Wait, Rainbow. We should get Celestia or Luna to know about this." said Applejack.

"Don't sweat it, Aj. This duel will be over before this guy knows what hits him."

"On the contrary, my dear. It will be you who will cower in fear!" said the man as the shadow of Slifer appeared behind him.

Meanwhile, Mr. William was walking around the schools grounds. He was near the soccer field when he was approached by both Isaac and Twilight.

"Wait up, uh, Mr. William?" said Isaac as he was trying to catch up him.

Mr. William turned to see who was speaking. "Oh, Isaac boy. And who is this lovely lady? Is she your girlfriend?"

"No, it's not like that. This here is Twilight Sparkle; she's my friend and is a fan of your work." Isaac then presented Twilight to Mr. William.

"A pleasure to meet you sir, let me be the first to say that I've been a big fan of your work since I was little. In fact, you're grandfather and you were one of the main reasons why I got interest in wanting to become a card designer." Twilight was doing her best to not fangirl over meeting one of her idols.

"The pleasure is all mine, Ms. Sparkle. I must say it gives me warmth to know that my family legacy has inspired you. I dare say Isaac boy is one lucky person to have you as his friend."

"So what are you doing out here? Are you looking for the mysterious person?" asked Isaac.

"Correct, I figured that maybe I could find him before he hurt anybody else. You see, this isn't the first time that someone's tried to use a counterfeit god card."

"Really?" said both Isaac and Twilight.

"You see when my grandfather was president of the company, there was an incident that occurred. However the Egyptian Gods saw the copies as an insult! And as a result they unleashed their anger and sent anybody who tried to use them to someplace they could never return from! My grandfather told me they were sent to a place called the 'Shadow Realm'." said Mr. Williams with regret in his voice.

"That's why we have to stop whoever is causing all this chaos and bring them to justice." said Isaac as he raised his fists.

"But Isaac, didn't Celestia tell you that you shouldn't interfere? If she finds out, you'll be in big trouble."

"We'll be in bigger trouble if I don't do anything, Twi. I told you before, I just can't sit around and do nothing when a problem arises. That's just not my style."

Soon Twilight and Isaac started to argue back and forth while Mr. William just watched. Despite Isaac telling him they were just friends, he could tell that both individuals deeply cared about one another even if they had a funny way of showing it. Isaac then ignored Twilight as she tried to use facts to reason with him. Isaac then approached Mr. William.

"So what do you say, Mr. President? Can we lend a hand in kidnapping this person?" asked Isaac while Twilight was still worried about him getting in trouble.

"Seems Celestia was right about you, Isaac boy. You're too stubborn when it comes to helping others out. Very well then."

Just before they shook hands, they all heard a scream. They were able to pinpoint the direction it came from as Twilight pointed to the front of the school and all of them left to see what it was. Once they got there, it was a sight that was unpretty to them. There were the rest of the girls as they all gather around Rainbow who was on the ground and had a couple of bruises and scratches all over her body. The three of them then rushed over to check on Dash and see if she was okay.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here?" snickered the man.

"Francis! Have you lost your mind!? Cease this insolence at once!" Mr. William then looked at the individual who simply smiled and help up the card.

"Sorry, but remember I don't work for you anymore, Mr. William. Besides I'm having way too much fun." chuckled Francis.

"Hey, that's the card!" said Twilight as she adjusted her glasses to get a better look.

"Return it at once!" shouted Mr. William. "Don't do something that you'll regret later, Francis!"

"If you really want this card back, then you'll have to earn it." Francis then began to shuffle the card back into his deck. "So as we used to say, it's your move, my friend."

"So it's a duel you want?" Mr. Williams was about to activate his duel disk when Isaac jumped in front of him.

"You got it! Let's throw down!" shouted Isaac as the girls just looked at his with disbelief in their eyes.

Rainbow was then starting to gain conscious. "Isaac you don't know what you're dealing with. That card is a powerful monster." Dash was doing her best to warn Isaac.

"It's okay, Dash. I'll be fine." Isaac then turned his attention back to his opponent. "Stealing cards and making counterfeit copies is just not cool, bro? And so is hurting innocent people! Who do you think you are?"

Just then Mahad appeared beside Isaac as he tried to warn his master about the dangers that await him. "Please, master. Don't make any rash decision."

"Don't worry. It's all good, Mahad!" said Isaac as he gave a smile and a thumbs up to his monster.

Mr. William was shocked that Isaac was able to talk with the spirits of his deck. He heard it from Celestia that Isaac was always talking to his deck as if they were alive, but now that he was able to see it firsthand proved that Isaac possessed a special gift. Interesting! Isaac boy can see monster spirits! And now he's taking on an Egyptian God card. It's just like my grandfather always talked about; how he meet someone who wielded a strong connection with Duel Monsters and was considered the spirit of an ancient pharaoh. That last part I didn't believe him when I was younger, but now I'm starting to see what he was talking about.

Twilight was just looking on as she was worried that Isaac would get hurt. Please, don't get hurt, Isaac. I couldn't bear the thought of losing you.

"So kid, do they teach you about the God cards in this school?" asked Francis. "Let me give you brief lecture. First, there's Obelisk the Tormentor! Then you have the card that I hold, Slifer the Sky Dragon. That card is incredibly vicious. And finally, you have the most powerful one of the trio, The Winged Dragon of Ra!"

"Everyone knows about the Egyptian God Cards! That's like basic Dueling 101. So don't think you can scare me, cause I've faced even scaring opponents in my life." said Isaac.

"Very well then, Mr. Isaac. If you're such an expert, let's get this show on the road." Francis then activated his duel disk to which Isaac did the same. "But I should warn you, you've never faced anything like what you're about to see. This will be the last time you ever duel. Now then."

"Game on!" they both shouted.

Chapter 53: Taking on a God

To recap, a man by the name Francis had stolen a copy of an Egyptian God card. That card was none other than Slifer the Sky Dragon; a card spoken only in legends and in books that it was just that, a god. The original was long gone as the owner of the card vanished, but Mr. Williams' company had managed to make a copy of them but never released them to the general public. Then the mysterious man had attacked Crystal Prep Academy and put the Shadowbolts in the hospital. Now he was doing the same to Canterlot High. He was currently on the lookout for the other God cards, during that time, Mr. William had asked Celestia for her help. Despite Celestia tell him not to be involved in the matter, Isaac couldn't stand aside and do nothing as he had challenged Francis to a duel. Now it was Isaac's turn to take him down and stop this madness.

"Hope you're ready to pay for all the suffering you've caused Francis." said Isaac.

"Big words coming from someone who's so small. You don't know what you're in for! Now then let's get to it." said Francis.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-
Francis's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Non-criminals get to go first." Isaac drew his card and looked at his hand. "I'll start by playing my Gazelle The King of Mythical Beasts in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Francis

"Look at you. You're quivering like a schoolboy!" said Francis.

"Please nobody's quivering!" shouted Isaac.

"Heh heh. You should." Francis then drew his card. "Now then I'll place a card facedown and then set a monster in defense mode. That is all for now."

Turn 3: Isaac

Huh, I was expecting some sort of big play, oh well. Isaac then drew his card. "I'll reveal my facedown, Destruction Sword Memories. Now I'll discard 1 'Destruction Sword' and that will allow me to summon Buster Blader(2600/2300) from my deck." Isaac then slapped his card on his tray as the girls all got a good look at one of Isaac's new monsters. It was a warrior that was covered in armor from head to toe and it wielded a large sword. "Now time to attack, first my Buster Blader will take care of your facedown monster. Then my Gazelle will attack you directly."
Francis' Life Points: 6500-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Francis

"You think that just because you dealt the first blow that you're going to win? Foolish, my boy. You still have a lot to learn." Francis then drew his card and had a smile on his face. "I'll start summoning by my Hack Worm(400/0). Then I'll reveal my facedown, Ultimate Offering. With this trap in play, I can pay 500 life points to additional summon another monster. So I choose to play 1000 more life points to summon out two more Hack Worms." Now Francis had two monsters out on his field as he prepared to enact his plan.
Francis' Life Points: 5500-

"Now time has come. I have enough monsters for my ultimate sacrifice." Just then thunder started to roll in as the sun was completely blocked out by dark clouds. "Finally, the time has come! The skies shall be shrouded in darkness!" Then thunder itself started to shoot the ground around Isaac and Francis. "Prepare to experience an ancient force like no other! As I sacrifice my three Hack Worms to summon out the best of your ultimate destruction! A creature whose power is absolutely limitless! Meet your maker, Isaac! For it's the last monster you'll ever see! I summon the Egyptian God Slifer the Sky Dragon!!!" Out came a monster that was so massive that its body was too long to see. It let out a bellowing roar in the face of Isaac as he held his ground.
Francis' Life Points: 5000-

"Woah! That's him... Slifer!" said Isaac as his eyes were in shock and awe.

"Quite the monster, don't you think." chuckled Francis.

"I've seen this thing in a textbook, but seeing it in person is a whole nother story!" said Isaac as he wasn't backing down from this great beast.

The girls all looked up at this great beast as they were given initial states of fear; Mr. William was in disbelief at what he was witnessing. "Stop this Francis! Only a duelist chosen by the Egyptian Gods themselves can control this creature! My grandfather warned me about the dangers that come with this card!"

Francis just smiled. "Well your grandfather was wrong, cause it seems to be working fine for me." He then turned his attention back to Isaac. "You're staring into the face of defeat, Isaac! Slifer the Sky Dragon is one of the 3 most feared creatures in history- the Egyptian God Monsters. They cannot be defeated!"

"Every monster has a weakness, Francis, and I'll find yours!" shouted Isaac.

"Please, now then allow me to explain Slifer the Sky Dragon's incredible ability. The number of cards I hold in my hand determines what Slifer's attack power will be. Right now I hold a single card in my hand, so it only has 1000 attack points." said Francis as he held up his hand.

"Well that's too bad then, I'm afraid Slifer is still weaker than my monster." said Isaac.

"You fool don't you think I came prepared for that. That's why I'll play this card, Draw Offering. So now since I hold no cards in my hand, I'm now allowed to draw three cards. I lost one card, but in the process I gained three more, giving my Slifer a total of 3000 attack points!" Slifer then powered up as it let out a huge roar.

Celestia had been watching from her window the moment she noticed the sky had drastically changed. She thought it was weird, but when she saw the reason behind it she felt her heart drop. There was the mystery person who not only stole the card, but the person engaging him in battle was none other than Isaac. She feared something like this would happen and her worst nightmares were coming true. There wasn't much she could do, but pray that Isaac would be okay and figure out some way to take that great beast down. "Alright, Isaac. You've faced countless of challenges before, now lets see if you have what it takes to do the impossible. To do what only a few duelist have managed in their careers, and that's take down an Egyptian God."

"Sure your monster may have more attack points, but don't forget that there's a limit to how many cards a player can hold, so Slifer the Sky Dragon has a limit to its strength!" shouted Isaac.

"Foolish boy! Don't you realize that every rule is made to be broken!" said Francis as he looked down at his hand and gave a huge smile on his face. "I'm afraid any hopes you have of survival and stopping me are completely in vain for you see no one has ever defeated an Egyptian God card!"

"Until now!" said Isaac.

"You're a fool! Slifer will wipe you out with one single attack! Now prepare to lose everything! HA! HA!" laughed Francis. "Now Slifer show Isaac your incredible power attack his Gazelle!" Slifer then opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful attack that destroyed Isaac's monster with ease and caused him to put his arm up as to cover up most of the assault. Safe to say that the power was mighty as it caused Isaac to stumble and fall to his knees.

The girls and Mr. William were worried about him as he took the full force of an attack from an Egyptian God card. Isaac just slowly rose to his feet and gave them all a thumbs up to show that he was fine. The girls were relieved while Mr. William was in disbelief at what he just saw. Amazing. Isaac boy just took the attack from one of Duel Monsters' most fearsome creatures and still got back up. Now I see why Celestia speaks so highly of him.

"That is all for this turn. Make your move, boy." said Francis.
Isaac's Life Points: 6500-

Turn 5: Isaac

I've got to figure out a way to bring down Francis' dragon!! Hmm. My Buster Blader receives 500 attack points for every dragon on the field, so right now my monster is stronger than his sky dragon. With 3100 attack points, my swordsman would slay Francis' dragon with one swipe of his sword. But even then I have to be careful of what he might be planning and I can't afford to take any chances.

"You see? My sky dragon will only get stronger as I draw more cards. Ha! Ha! Ha! So when I draw on my next turn, Slifer will have 4000 attack points, which is more than enough to annihilate your Buster Blader and seriously damage your life points, then soon enough you'll be out of my way." chuckled Francis. "It's all over, just give up."

"Never! I'll trust in my deck." Isaac drew his card as he let out a deep breath. This card may be able to help. But I have to be careful about what he might do. So I'll just have to hold out for one turn. Hopefully, I can be able to turn this duel around. I just have to trust the heart of the cards. "This duel is far from over, Francis."

"Please, you're finished. Just accept the defeat."

"Never, now then I'll place these two cards facedown! And I summon Kuriboh in defense mode. Make your move, Francis." With that Isaac's turn had come to a close.

Turn 6: Francis

"HA! The moment has finally arrived! Prepare to feel even more power from my Egyptian God card. You're powerless against Slifer!" Francis then drew his card. "Now since I just drew Slifer gets 1000 more attack points, now it's up to 4000! Which is more than enough to incinerate your Buster Blader!!" Slifer once again felt the power flow through its body as it let out an even more mighty cry than before. "And now, my Egyptian God monster, Attack!" Slifer opened its mouth and fired another powerful beam of energy as it was heading straight for Isaac's Buster Blader.

"Isaac!" shouted the girls, even Celestia.

Isaac then put his arm out. "You've activated my trap card!"

"Trap card!?" shouted Francis who didn't see this coming.

Isaac touched his screen and revealed his card. "My Lightforce Sword! This trap card allows me to slash one card out of your hand for the duration of the turn!"

No! thought Francis.

"Which lowers your dragon's attack points back to 3000, making it weaker than my monster! Now, Buster Blader, swing your mighty sword and slay his dragon!" Isaac order his monster to counterattack. Buster Blader then leaped high into the air as it was ready to strike down Slifer. "Your Egyptian God card is defeated."

Everybody else watched as they couldn't believe what they were about to witness. Twilight had her breath take away when she processed the situation in front of her. I can't believe it. Isaac found a way to beat that creature.

"Don't think so!"

"Huh!" Isaac was in disbelief as what he witnessed.

"The monster you sent away on second turn can now swoop in save my Slifer by taking the hit and blocking your attack. Appear now, my Hail Whirlwind." Out came a snowy bird as it jumped in front of Buster Blader's sword and shattered into tiny pieces that caused a massive snow breeze to blow and knock Buster Blader back to Isaac's side of the field. "Nice try, but it'll take more than that to defeat my Slifer, especially because once I play this card. My Guilty Pleasure spell card.

"Guilty Pleasure?" said Isaac as he hadn't heard of such a card.

"Yes, you see this rare magic card lets me draw bring back a monster from my grave and as a result I can use said monster as a shield to protect my God card. In addition, everytime I bring it back, I draw 3 more cards." Francis then picked up three more cards and added it to his hand. "This bring the cards in my hand up to 5, giving Slifer the Sky Dragon a grand total of 5000 attack points so far!"

"5000 points!?" said Isaac in shock.

"Now what!?" screamed Pinkie as she watched her big bro be put in a troubling situation.

"And now, Slifer the Sky Dragon, destroy his Buster Blader!" This time there was nothing to stop Slifer from connecting as Isaac's monster was shattered into tiny little pieces. "And take a bite out of his life points!"

"Unh!" Isaac still covered up as he stood his ground against Slifer's attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 4600-

"Do you surrender yet? You're finished. Slifer will only get stronger. And thanks to my Guilty Pleasure spell card, I can keep you at bay by blocking your attacks and then I draw even more cards, and Slifer will grow even more powerful. Don't you realize there's no way you can win!?" Francis then ended his turn.

Turn 7: Isaac

Isaac quickly looked at his cards as he was trying to figure out a plan. None of my monsters are strong enough to beat his sky dragon. So I'm gonna need the right card to do it! Come on, heart of the cards, guide me! "Here I go! Now!" Isaac drew his card and couldn't ask for a better draw. Hmm. Magic Cylinder. This card could do the trick, and I'm in luck. Perfect! "Alright, I sacrifice Kuriboh to summon Dark Magician Girl in defense mode!" Isaac played his card and out came his female spellcaster. The girls knew that this was a good sign as Isaac always found a way to turn things around in his favor using such a card.

Francis just laughed. "By summoning a new monster to the field, you've activated my dragon's special ability!"

"Oh, no!" shouted Sunset.

Slifer the opened its upper mouth as a stream of energy was starting to form. "It's second mouth! Ha! ha!"

"I'll admit Slifer is full of surprises!"

"And there's more. Even if it's your turn, Slifer will automatically attack every monster you summon with its second set of jaws, wiping out 2000 points from whichever mode your monster is in. So say goodbye to your Dark Magician Girl!" Francis was enjoying messing around with his opponent.

"This is bad, Isaac's Dark Magician Girl only has 1700 defense points." said Applejack as she started to worry about Isaac.

"Indeed, now. Slifer, attack!" Slifer then unleashed its second mouth and fired the beam of energy ball at Isaac's magician.

"Don't worry, Mana. I'll protect you. It's time for me to save my Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he told her.

"You're too late! Mr. William, I hope you're watching, observe!"

"Why don't you observe, Francis!" Isaac then activated his card in time as the attack landed at that exact moment covering Francis' view.

"It really is a pity that your magician had to leave us so soon. She was quite the looker, I'll admit. You've got some great taste in choosing your monsters, Isaac."

Isaac just had a smirk on his face. "That's the thing, Francis. Who said she's gone?"

"I did!"

"Guess again! I activated Magical Hats just in time."

Francis was confused by what he saw in front of him. "So she's hiding inside one of those hats?"

"Not just hiding. She's inside preparing to launch a counterattack."

"Isaac, your monster's not strong enough! Not to defeat Slifer!"

"It's true that your dragon is powerful, Francis. But I have faith and so I'll place two cards facedown beneath my magical hats." Isaac's hats then covered up his facedowns and all remaining three spun around in a circle as they shuffled up before stopping and appearing in a row.

Turn 8: Francis

"Your hats merely provide you with a temporary hiding place. And in the meantime, Isaac. I'll play my own card and with it, I'll make my dragon's power infinite! You see I play this continuous spell card, Infinite Cards. Now this lets me exceed the 6-card limit and hold as many cards as I wish in my hand!"

"No! That can't be!" shouted Dash.

"You know the drill, since Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand, now there's no limit to my monster's power! Slifer... unleash your Thunder Force! On the right-hand hat!!"

For the first time, Isaac said the words he didn't want to say. "You made a lucky guess, Francis!"

"Heh. You couldn't hide her forever."

"No! That move always works for Isaac, what's he going to do now?" Fluttershy was now worried as she looked away to avoid see her friend get hurt.

"Still, this duel is not over!" At that moment the attack pierced through the hat and it popped into smoke.

"It may as well be, your monster is destroyed! What's this?" Out of nowhere there were two magic cylinders that appeared. One of them was sucking in the attack, but the major thing was that Isaac's Dark Magician Girl was completely unharmed. "She's absorbing my attack!"

"That's right, Francis. It seems you've also forgotten that I hid two trap cards under that hat! Magic Cylinder and my Spellbinding Circle. So I'll weaken your sky dragon's power and then redirect his own Thunder Force attack right back at him and your life points! Fire! Say good-bye, Francis!"

"Never. You can't attack me with my Guilty Pleasure in play!" Just like before Francis' monster resurrected itself and blocked the attack.

"So your card can even block redirected attacks!?" Now Isaac was in trouble as he was banking on that last move to do the trick.

"That's exactly right. Then it's effect kicks in which also means I can draw 3 new cards. So my Sky Dragon grows even more stronger, plus I'll draw again, giving it a total of over 8000 attack points!" shouted Francis.

"I dare say things are looking bleak for Isaac boy. That Egyptian God is... unstoppable!" Mr. Williams was in so much shock that not even he knew how Isaac was going to win this.

"Precisely, Mr. Williams. And since your Spellbinding Circle card has expired, Slifer gains back more attack points, giving him 9000! Now, Slifer, demolish his Dark Magician Girl!!!" Slifer then shot its attack and it was so fast and powerful that if you blinked it would be over.

"Mana!" Isaac knew there was nothing he could do to help her as he watched his magician get destroyed.

"This is it. My Egyptian God card will continue to grow stronger, and your attacks are completely useless!" Francis then looked at Isaac's friends. "Once I've disposed of you, I'll then have my fun with your friends."

"You leave my friends out of this; I said I would defeat you Francis and that's exactly what I'm going to do! As far as I'm concerned this duel isn't over yet!"

Turn 9: Isaac

I've got to figure out a way to defeat his Egyptian God card. But it has nearly 10,000 attack points. None of my monsters even come close to that! Plus it grows stronger with every card he draws. But it must have some weakness, and I'll find it! "I draw" Hmm... Monster Reborn could come in handy. "I place one card facedown. And I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode! That's all."

Turn 10: Francis

"Don't tell me you've forgotten that by summoning a monster you activate me dragon's special ability? Let me remind you, by blasting your monster!" Slifer the opened its mouth and zapped the strength of Isaac's monster. "This surge of energy from my dragon's second mouth will drain your Big Shield Gardna of two thousand defense points!" He let out a chuckle. "Your Big Shield has been cut to size and my Egyptian God card will continue to automatically devaste your monsters as soon as they're summoned to the field! Just one more attack and your only defense will be demolished, leaving nothing in between you and Slifer! So do you still put your faith in your cards?"

"How is Isaac suppose to take that thing down? Each turn Slifer just gets more powerful and all his monsters either get weaker or will be destroyed. What does he do, darlings?" Rarity was really starting to worry for her friend.

"We just have to have faith that Isaac can turn this around, how I don't know? Come on, Isaac! Pull something out your ass?" said Sunset.

"Now observe, while I draw! And as you know Slifer gets 1000 attack points for every card in my hand, I count 11. Which gives my dragon 11,000 attack points! It feels so good to have so much power." chuckled Francis. "Now, my sky dragon, attack! Eradicate his shield, the only thing that stands in the way of his destruction!" Slifer then got rid of Isaac's monster with ease as now Isaac had nothing left on his field. "You're completely defenseless, Isaac! The next time my sky dragon attacks you'll be finished! It's undefeatable, you fool!"

I can't let Francis win, not after all that's he done. He needs to answer for what he's done. But I've never faced anything so powerful! Slifer is just too strong! And the more cards that he draws, the stronger it gets! Wait a minute... Yes! "And that's how I'll defeat it!" Isaac had finally figured out his plan to take down Slifer. "I just figured out a plan to take down your Egyptian God, Francis!"

Isaac's comment caused everybody to have surprised looks on their faces. Francis just had unamusing expression as he thought Isaac was just bluffing. "What makes you think you can!?"

"Ah.. it's a simple matter of common sense. If all of my monsters are too weak to damage Slifer, then I must turn my attention elsewhere."

"Perhaps, you're not as bright as you think? Haven't you realized yet that an Egyptian God card cannot be controlled? It's much too powerful!"

Isaac just had a smirk on his face. "We'll see about that!"

"Huh?"

"Perhaps you don't have as much knowledge about the Egyptian God cards as you think you do!" replied Isaac.

"How dare you question my authority? I've been working for Mr. William for nearly 20 years and I've learned all about the secrets and strengths of Slifer. I know all!" shot back Francis.

"We'll find out how much you know soon enough, Francis!"

"This should be amusing. I'd like to see you try to turn Slifer against me! Now then, make your move. I promise it will be your last!" commanded Francis.

Turn 11: Isaac

"Is that so!? We'll see, Francis!" Isaac then drew his card. "To start I'll play my Pot of Greed, so now I'll draw two more cards." If I don't draw the right card now, his sky dragon will crush me! But I know that my deck will guide me! Isaac then put his hand on his deck as he was about to draw. "Now! Perfect!" Isaac then held his card up.

"Mmm... well, what is it!?" Francis was confused about what Isaac was holding.

"Just what I need to take you down! Now time to lose Francis, so I'll start by playing this spell Magician Fortification. This card allows me to special summon a spellcaster to my field from my deck; furthermore it can't be targeted by special effects when it's summoned. So your Slifer's second mouth ability won't work, now appear my most loyal companion. Dark Magician!" Isaac called out his most powerful spellcaster as it struck an intimidating pose.

"So you have managed to summon your monster, but that will not save. In my next turn your monster and your life points will be completely wiped out!"

"I'm afraid that there isn't going to be a next turn for you! Now after I activate this, I play my Dark Magic Attack spell card."

"How foolish, spell cards don't work on an Egyptian God! You just wasted your turn!"

"You know for someone who worked for Mr. William for 20 years, I'd expect you to know all about every single card in Duel Monsters. Cause if you had, you would have seen the answer right in front of you. Because Dark Magic Attack isn't targeting you monster, it's targeting your spell and trap zone."

"What!?" Francis was now concerned as a bead of sweat rolled down the side of his face.

"That's right now that I control Dark Magician, I can destroy every single one of your spell and trap cards. Which means once Infinite Cards is gone, you'll now have to discard your entire hand until you're holding the maximum card limit!" Dark Magician then shot a powerful spell as it took out Francis' back row. "You may have destroyed my combo, but Slifer is still powerful and I'll have enough cards in my hand to wipe you out. Which means he's still strong enough to take down your Dark Magician. It's over, you made a decent attempt at one final stand."

"I'm not done Francis, next from my hand I'll play this spell Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're both six cards in our hands. Lastly, I'll play Graceful Charity to pick up three more cards and discard two. Then I'll play this one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Francis

"A pity, now watch. I may have to discard my hand at the end of my turn, but till then I have enough power to wipe you out. Especially since I have 12 cards in my hand and now Slifer has 12,000 attack points!" Slifer let out a cry as it felt the power surge. "Now Slifer, take out that annoying little roach. Thunder Force Attack!"

"Not gonna happen, cause I banish Electromagnetic Turtle to immediately end the battle phase." shouted Isaac. As his tiny monster had managed to put a halt to Slifer's attack.

"No!!!!" screamed Francis as he saw his great monster starting to lose power.

"And with that, your turn comes to an end which means you must now discard your entire hand till you're holding six. Which means Slifer is no longer unbeatable." shouted Isaac as Slifer was now getting weaker.

Turn 13: Isaac

"Now time to end this, draw. First I'll play Strength by the Numbers, I can activate this card when a monster on the field has a change in its stats; then I can give that same amount and boost another monster on the field. So since Slifer had his attack points changed from 11,000 to 6000, my Dark Magician now gets a boost of 5000 points which raises his total strength to 7500!" Mahad then felt the power flowing through him as he felt the effect of his master's card. "Now Dark Magician, take out his Egyptian God. Dark Magic Attack!"

"Not quite, one the cards I discard was my Survival Brutality. With this I can take away all the life points of my monster and add them to my life points."
Francis' Life Points: 11,000-

Dark Magician then leaped high into the air as it twirled its staff before pointing it Slifer as it was defenseless and shot a powerful blast that took it out. Once that was done, there was nothing left as Slifer was nowhere to be seen. Everybody around Isaac, and even Celestia who was watching from her office had the biggest jaw drops as they witness that Isaac had managed to defeat an Egyptian God.
Francis' Life Points: 3500-

"Not bad, you actually took down Slifer. But yet you still couldn't beat me, once your turn ends I'll revive Slifer and wipe you out."

"Like I said, Francis. There isn't going to be another turn, not after this. I'll reveal my final facedown, Monster Reborn. With this I can bring back one monster from the card graveyard and I chose to bring back Slifer the Sky Dragon!" Now it was Isaac's turn to control the mighty beast as it led out a powerful roar. Slifer then appeared in all of its glory as it now appeared on Isaac's side of the field. Slifer then examined Isaac as to see if it was worthy of control it; for a second, Slifer noticed/sensed the aura surrounding Isaac as it reminded it of its original owner. He saw Isaac as someone worthy and so it obeyed Isaac's command.

"Now gains 1000 attack and defense points for every card that I'm holding in my hand. And right now I'm holding 7 cards which means Slifer has a total of 7000 attack and defense points." Francis now saw that he was done for as he didn't answer Isaac's comment. "Now Slifer finish this duel, attack with your Thunder Force attack!!!" Isaac thrusted his hand out as Slifer opened its mouth and powered up its attack; then once it gathered enough power it then turned to Francis and unleashed a devastating attack.

"This can't be! How could I lose with an Egyptian God!?" The attack then covered Francis as it wiped out his field and he dropped to his knees.
Francis' Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"That's game, bro." Isaac then looked at Slifer who was staring at him. Despite it not showing much emotion, Isaac could sense that Slifer was a bit happy as it let out a soft growl. Then it disappeared along with his Dark Magician. It was an honor to meet ya, Slifer. Thanks for everything. Isaac was about to start moving when he was suddenly tackled to the floor.

"You're okay! I can't believe it, you actually did it! I was afraid you wouldn't come back to us." shouted Twilight who was hugging Isaac with all her strength as she was worried for her friend.

"Okay, okay. I get it. I'm sorry, but can let me go Twilight? It's kind of hard to breath with you hugging me." Isaac was trying his best to relieve some of the pressure that Twilight had; eventually she let go and gave him a quick stern talking about doing something so dangerous. But deep down, she was glad that Isaac was okay.

Sometime after Francis was apprehended as Mr. William's bodyguards came and took him away. The Slifer the Sky Dragon replica card was then handed back over to Mr. William. He looked at the card and was thankful that everything was back to normal. To think that Isaac boy actually did it. There's only one other person whose done what he just did in a longtime; seems he's someone to keep a close eye on. He's got a bright future ahead. He then made his way to Isaac as he was being surrounded by the girls.

"Alright, girls. I get it; next time I'll think before leaping into such a dangerous situation." Isaac was doing his best to calm the girls as they were lecturing him on taking on Slifer without proper thinking.

"I must express my deepest condolences, Isaac boy. I see why Celestia holds you in such high regards. I dare say that I look forward to seeing what you do next. Who knows, I may have even witness the birth of a new legend."

"Thanks for praise, Mr. Williams." Isaac then shook his hand to show his respect.

With that everything was back to normal. Mr. William had managed to get back his card, the intruder was caught and everything at CHS would return as they were before. However the big thing was that Isaac was smiling ear to ear, as he really got to go toe-to-toe with an Egyptian God card. With that Mr. William thanked the group and boarded his chopper and soon he was on his way back to Industrial Illusions. Celestia was still watching from her office as she had a small smile on her face. She was concerned with how Isaac was going to perform against such a card, but he proved that he could handle the pressure. Nevertheless she knew that she had to address Isaac for disobeying her orders, though she probably wouldn't scold him as much seeing as how Twilight was there to do that for her.

Chapter 54: Sibling Time

It had been a couple of days since the incident. After Francis had been apprehended by the proper authorities, things resumed back to normal at Canterlot High. Celestia had done her best to keep things a secret; she didn't want to alarm her students of what had happened. The only ones who knew what really happened was Isaac and the girls; so Celestia asked them to not speak of it in front of others. They agreed and promised not to tell anybody.

Despite keeping things hush, hush. There were some rumblings that were being spread among the other students. All that was said was they noticed the weather suddenly changing and then the silhouette of some kind of creature appeared for a split second and then it was gone and the sky was back to being sunny. Thankfully, there were just rumors and everybody soon quickly forgot about it. Which was good because after a crazy event like that the students needed something to take their mind off of things and what better way than with the next event fast approaching Canterlot High: the Spring Fling. This event was held in the same regard as the Fall Formal because every year these two events were the ones students looked forward to. Not to mention that dueling was an important part of this event.

So with that announced, Pinkie was explaining to the board room about her plans for the Spring Fling as she wanted to make it one of her biggest parties for all to enjoy. So after going over her ideas and her budget proposal, both Isaac and Twilight approved her plan and told her that she had free reign to do what she wanted. With that the meeting was adjourned; Isaac was now walking with Twilight as they were walking to their next class.

"So ever have something like this back at Crystal Prep?" asked Isaac.

"Well we did have a few events like this, however I really wasn't interested in it. The reason being is that I had other things to keep my attention distracted; plus the few times I did attend, all I saw were tons of couples or people who were accompanied by someone. I guess I just felt out of place since I never had anyone to go, even as a friend."

"Well don't worry about it, Twi. You've got tons of friends here. Not to mention that I'm sure some guys will ask you to the dance, I mean how can they not. You're basically a smart girl which is almost any guy's fantasy."

Twilight didn't like the way Isaac was justifying his reason. "Look I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but I'm not contend with some guys asking me out. It's not that I don't mind, it's just that I feel more comfortable if I experienced my first real social event with people I know. That's why I'll go with the girls, what about you? Surely, being as popular as you, you must have a ton of options to choose from."

"You'd think that be the case. Honestly, whenever something like this comes up, I just ignore finding someone to go with. I'm not the biggest fan of dancing, also I'm always preparing myself for who will be my opponent at these events. So I'm be busying making sure that deck is ready that I won't have time to look for someone to take to the dance. Besides, I rather go with our friends, it's just more fun that way." said Isaac.

"Makes sense, as duel champion you always need to be prepared for anything. That makes finding someone to go with especially difficult."

"Yeah. Speaking of which, how are the girls from Crystal Prep doing? It's been a while since we've heard from them." asked Twilight.

Twilight told Isaac about how the girls had made a full recovery and didn't suffer from too major injuries. Sombra was grateful that his students were safe and he thanked Celestia for having Isaac stop the mad man before he caused more damage. Sombra made sure to tell the Shadowbolts to keep things under wrap as he wanted to avoid any trouble; he did tell them that Isaac was able to stop the person who hurt them and was put behind bars. They were initially unhappy with finding out that someone from Canterlot High had saved them, but soon expressed their gratitude that Isaac was able to save the day. Not to mention that he actually managed to defeat a god card and use it himself. With that Isaac and Twilight continued on their way as they just arrived at their next class. As they finished their History class, they were approached by Pinkie Pie who had a lot on her mind and was hoping for some help.

"Ooh, Isaac, Twilight!" shouted Pinkie.

"Yes, Pinkie." said Twilight.

"I was wondering if you guys could help me with somethings. See I need some help preparing the school for the Spring Fling and I was hoping both of you could assist me this weekend."

"I wish I could but I've got a family activity that needs my attention. However, Isaac doesn't have anything. I'm sure he could help you." said Twilight which caused Isaac to look stun.

"Well what do you say, big bro?" Pinkie was now getting a bit close to Isaac as she gave him a smile.

"Excuse us for a sec, Pinkie?" Isaac then pulled Twilight aside and began to talk to her. "Twilight, I am begging you, please don't leave me with Pinkie. Can't you just tell your family you've got something else to do?"

"Isaac I know Pinkie can be a handful sometimes, but I'm sure that you could survive a day with her. Besides, my family and I have been planning this activity for a while now, so I can't cancel."

"Please, don't do this. I need someone there to make sure that I don't lose my sanity." Isaac was now starting to plead with Twilight to not leave him alone.

"Sorry, Isaac." She then patted his shoulder. "You'll be fine, I promise." With that Twilight left.

Isaac was just standing there dumbfounded as he found out that he was going to be alone with Pinkie and he had nobody else there to back him up. Isaac just put his head down as he felt something.

"Poke..."

"Stop it..."

"Poke..."

Isaac was doing his best trying to ignore the finger that was being jabbed into his ribs. However it was really starting to get on his nerves.

"Poke..."

"Knock it off!" shouted Isaac.

Pinkie just stood there as a golden halo was hanging above her head as she gave Isaac a smile. Isaac knew that this was going to be a long day. So he mentally prepared himself for what was to come as Pinkie was going to constantly try to get his attention. But first he had to get her to stop poking him.

"Alright, Pinkie. You've had your fun, now stop poking me!" shouted Isaac.

Moving on was a bit harder than Isaac expected. Isaac was currently in class as he tried to pay attention to what the teacher was saying; the key word: trying.

"Psst."

Isaac pursed his lips at the sound that came behind him.

"Psst. Hey." she said again, this time with a poke at his hair.

Determined to stay focused on his work, Isaac did his best to ignore Pinkie, hoping that she'll stop.

"Psst. Hey."

Isaac was gritting his teeth, he was really trying to focus. Keep working and maybe she'll realize what she's doing.

"Psst. Hey."

That's it. "What?!" Isaac barked. "What do you want, Pinkie?"

Her eyes and smile were totally innocent, even though she was the one that made Isaac snap. She then let out a giggle. "Did you lose a pencil?"

"What? No, I've been using it to wr..." Isaac raised his hand to show her the pencil he'd been working with, only to see that his hands were completely devoid of said pencil. Isaac frantically looked and felt around to see where he placed it, but stopped when he heard Pinkie giggling again.

"Looking for this?" she asked, waving Isaac's missing pencil in front of his face. "I just needed to use if for a second."

Confusion started to flood Isaac. How did she.... When did she...?

"Well?" she asked while batting her eyes at Isaac.

"Gimme that," said Isaac as he swiped the pencil from her. "Uh... Thanks... I guess..."

Pinkie just giggled and gave Isaac a pat on the back. With a sigh, Isaac did his best to try to focus on his work again. He was just about to finish and he really didn't want to have any homework tonight. Soon it was getting closer to the end of the day and Isaac was getting his stuff from his locker. Normally Isaac would be giving Twilight a private lesson about dueling, but she had to cancel their little session together, as she was wanting to prepare for the family activity she had planned for the weekend. So Isaac was getting ready to head home.

"Alright, got through the day without too much homework, all I have left is to do some algebra to..."

Poke...

Isaac felt someone poke in the back of his ribs. He turned around to see who did it. "Pinkie, will you please stop th..." To Isaac's shock, Pinkie was nowhere to be seen. He quickly scanned the hallway around him and saw no sign of that cotton candy hair anywhere. Isaac just simply shrugged it off and started to get the things out of his locker.

Poke...

Isaac flinched at the feeling of another poke. He turned around and Pinkie still was nowhere to be found. Am I going crazy? Isaac turned around again, but this time he was keeping his reflexes sharp. He stood perfectly still, waiting for another...

Poke...

Isaac immediately turned around. "Aha!" he snapped. Isaac was met by a surprised Lyra Heartstrings. "I don't know why you keep poking me, but can you please stop. I'm begging you!"

Lyra just looked at Isaac quizzically. "Sorry. I was just following the instructions on your back."

"Instructions on my b..." Isaac stop and scrambled his hands around his back as he touched a piece of paper. He ripped it off and looked to find a sign with a piece of tape.

Poke me! I'm cute and pokable!

Isaac's eyes went wide as he noticed a certain symbol at the bottom. Three balloons: two blue, one yellow. "Pinkie Pie..." growled Isaac.

"Hi!" a familiar voice said to his side.

Isaac turned to see that familiar pink, cotton candy hair and blue eyes staring right back at him.

"Did you like my present, big bro?" Pinkie asked with a huge smile. "Good to know everyone thinks you're pokeable!"

Isaac just sigh. Just as he was about to address her, he flinched when suddenly she was holding a platter of chocolate cupcakes.

"I made these in cooking today!" Pinkie said. "Want one?"

"Where did you...? How did you...?" Isaac stopped himself. He knew better than to question Pinkie Pie's antics. "Sure, I'll have one."

Pinkie let out a squeal with a huge smile and held the platter out to him. "Hope you like it!"

Isaac took a cupcake and right before he was about to take a bite into it, she poked him. Making the frosting glob onto his face. Now Isaac's entire mouth was covered with icing.

Pinkie cackled. "You've got a little something on your face," she said, before using her own finger to wipe Isaac's lips clean.

"I got it!" Isaac said as he battled her hands away. "Ugh... I think some of it got up my nose..." Isaac had just finished cleaning himself of frosting.

Pinkie just laughed. "You're funny, big bro! Speaking of which, I mentioned earlier that I needed your assistance. See I'm trying to come up with a new cupcake recipe for the Spring Fling. But I need a taste tester, that's where you come in big bro. Care to help your little sister?"

"Pinkie, I've told you before and I'll probably say it about a thousand more times. I'm not your big bro, we're not related." said Isaac was he was avoided snapping at Pinkie.

"Great, I'll see you then." said Pinkie as she gave Isaac a quick hug before skipping off, humming a tune to herself.

"Huh? Hey wait a min... I never agreed to... Ahhh!" Isaac was just shaking his head after what just happened. Isaac knew that he was too deep to back out now. So he just let out a sigh and took a bite out of the cupcake. His taste buds danced at Pinkie's treat. As annoying as she was, Isaac did have to admit, she made some excellent confections.

It was now the weekend and Isaac was less than pleased. Pinkie really wanted to get an early start on finding the perfect cupcake recipe for the dance that she told Isaac to come over to his house. Isaac was trying to do everything he could to avoid spending time with Pinkie. Unfortunately, it seemed that the entire universe was against him as he soon found himself on the steps of Pinkie's house. So with a heavy sigh, Isaac knocked on the door. It took about a second for the door to open, revealing the bubbly, pink-haired girl.

"Ah! You're here!" she said. "Come in!" Pinkie then dragged Isaac by the arm inside and quickly lead him to the kitchen. She sat Isaac down and took a seat next to him.

"Um... Pinkie...." Isaac said, but she was going about her own business, completely ignoring him.

"These cupcakes just came out of the oven!" Pinkie said, "Here, take one!"

Before Isaac could say anything, she shoved another cupcake into his face, yet again covering his mouth with frosting.

"Opps!" she says. "You love the frosting, don't you?"

"Pinkie..." Isaac said.

"I'm so happy you decided to help me!" she said. "We're going to have so much fun!"

"Pinkie..."

"Here, I'll get that frosting off for you." said Pinkie, while getting a napkin and wiping Isaac's mouth. "After we figure out the perfect recipe, maybe we can dance or watch some movies, or I can show you how I make my cupcakes. It's going to be super-duper! Right, big brother?" she said while giving Isaac some more pokes in the ribs.

"Pinkie..." Isaac barked which finally got her to stop.

"Yeees???" she said.

"Can you please give me some silence for just a few seconds!? I need to be able to focus and I can't do it, if you're poking me and shoving cupcakes in my face! Not to mention that it's getting pretty annoying and I've told you before. I'm not your actually big brother! Can you understand that!?" Isaac finally let out what he was thinking.

Pinkie was silent. For the first time ever, Isaac saw something missing from her face. Her smile.

"Wh-What?" she said.

"I'm sorry for being so blunt, but you've been getting on my nerves lately, and I'm sick of it," said Isaac. "Not to mention that I've got a lot on my plate as I have to defend my title against whoever my opponent is. So can we just get this over and done with?"

Pinkie said nothing. Isaac looked down and saw that she was playing with her hands. "I... I'm annoying you?" Pinkie coos, still missing her smile.

Suddenly, before Isaac's eyes, Pinkie changed. Her hair had deflated, going from full and thriving to flat and lifeless. A slight gray shade crawls across her entire body, as if a dark cloud just formed over her. She slumps in her seat, looking down at the ground, and playing with her hands.

"P-Pinkie?" Isaac said.

"I-I'm sorry..." she coos. "I didn't mean to... To annoy you."

Isaac was barely able to make out some tears that were forming in her eyes. "Pinkie... I didn't mean..."

"It... It's just that... I've never had a big brother before. I just wanted some I could depend on, and..."

"Wait, what?" Isaac said. Did he hear her correctly? "Did you just say... That you've never had a brother?"

Pinkie brought her eyes up to look at Isaac, but immediately looked away. She played with her skirt as she pursed her lips. She gave a solemn nod. "I never told you, but I come from a family that's nothing but girls. So growing up all I had were sisters to spend time with. I loved them to death, don't get me wrong. But I just couldn't help to want that 'brotherly figure' in my life. Someone who was different from my sisters, someone who I could fun with and more important have someone to spend time with. So when you showed up, my Pinkie sense started going off. Soon it proved right as you started to look out for me and the girls and helping us whenever you could in a heartbeat. I knew that you were someone I could look up to and call my big brother." Pinkie then looked away. "I... I just wanted to make you smile... It's what I do best... It's what a little sister does" Pinkie said, sniffling. "But... If you don't smile... H-how can I?"

Isaac was speechless. Was this really Pinkie Pie? Was this really the same annoying girl that he just screamed at? Isaac could hardly believe it based on how she acted... But it is... This was Pinkie Pie. This was a whole different dimension to her. Her antics were never meant to annoy or hurt him. All she wanted was to make Isaac happy. She had nothing but the purest intentions for him, but in his frustration, Isaac completely told her off. And now... She was hurt. How could he be so selfish?

"I'm sorry. I really am," Pinkie said, finally shedding a tear. "I... I understand if you want to leave. Y-You can take the rest of the cupcakes if you want. I made them for you; I know you have to prepare for your challenge at the Spring Fling."

At that moment, Isaac realized something. He had taken the bubbliest girl in school, and turned her into a ghost of her former self. This was Pinkie Pie... But... it wasn't. Pinkie Pie is bubbly and fun, not sad and depressed. Isaac could see that he actually did care about her. Seeing like this was... Heart-wrenching. It made him want to cry. Isaac also realized how much of a jerk he'd has been to her. He wasn't sure what to do. There wasn't anything in the world that could possibly make up for how mean he'd been to Pinkie. And she was still being nice to you? Still there ws one thing that Isaac knew for sure. He wanted to cheer up Pinkie Pie up; make her stop crying. Isaac's eyes drifted to the cupcake she made and he managed a small smile.

"You made these cupcakes for me?"

Pinkie looked up at Isaac, and his heart started to feel heavy at the sight of her bloodshot eyes. She gave him a nod. "They're chocolate with vanilla icing; your favorite," she coos. "I probably would've had the second batch ready if I weren't making them from scratch."

Isaac's eyes went wide. "You made these from scratch? That's amazing."

Right then and there, something amazing happened. Pinkie now had a smile on her face. It was a small smile, but sincere nonetheless. "Does that mean you like them?" she asked.

"Are you kidding?" Isaac said. "You make the best cupcakes in the world."

That comment was the exact thing that brought life back into Pinkie's life. The Pinkie Pie that everybody always knew had returned. Her hair sprung back to life, her vibrant colors reignited, and her big smile returned. "You really think so?" she asked, barely able to sit still in her seat.

Isaac chuckled at the sight of Pinkie being so excited. "I meant every word."

She let out a big, girly squeal, and pulls Isaac into a huge hug. "Thank you so much!" she says. "You're just the sweetest thing!"

Isaac wasn't fighting the fact that Pinkie was hugging him. He just simply rubbed the top of her head as he let her have her moment. Soon they broke apart and Pinkie looked Isaac dead in the eye.

"Ooh! Can I show you how to make them?" Pinkie asked "That way you can make them whenever you want!"

Pinkie's smile made Isaac chuckle. "I'd love for you to show me."

"Yay!" she squeaks. She gave Isaac another hug before she springs up from her seat and walks to the kitchen. Isaac followed her, watching as she hums to herself and gathers everything she needs from the cupboards: mixing bowls, spatulas, whisks, etc.

And so the next few hours was spent with Isaac and Pinkie going over several recipes and baking tons of sweets. Pinkie even allowed Isaac to try his hand at making some baked goods; safe to say that the first few attempts were less than pleasant. But by the third or fourth batch, Isaac had managed to make some decent pastries as even Pinkie gave him her stamp of approval. Soon they were making everything from cupcakes to eclairs to cookies to even a thirty layer cake that nearly toppled over. More importantly, Pinkie had managed to find the perfect recipe she wanted to use for the Spring Fling.

"Well that certainly was eventful." said Isaac as he looked at all the sweets they had made.

"I'll say." said Pinkie as she stuffed her face full of different sweets and quickly gulped them down in one swallow. "You know if dueling doesn't work out for you, you could always fall back on baking as a backup career. A little more training and practicing and you make a decent chef."

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." Isaac let out a chuckle and then turned to face Pinkie. "Look Pinkie, I just want to apologize again. I'm sorry for blowing my temper at you; to be honest, I too was feeling the same way as you. I never had a little sister or a sibling for that matter. So every time I heard you address me as 'big brother', I just kind felt uncomfortable due to the fact that I didn't know what to do."

"That's okay. And I know that I can be a handful at times, but I just want to make people smile and have a good time. That's my purpose in life and as long as I have friends/family who support me than I always keep on smiling. Besides, I know I'm not as good at dueling like the other girls and I don't spend as much time, but I'm happy where I am."

"I'm glad you think that and hey maybe I can give you a few pointers on how to improve your dueling."

"Sure. That's why I see you as a big brother; you're always willing to help out others in need. Plus whenever you see me or the girls struggling with anything, we could always turn to you for someone to talk to. Not to mention that you'll do anything to protect the ones you love."

"I guess you're right. Tell you what, how about you keep smiling for the both of us, and I'll do the dueling for the both of us. Deal?"

"It's a deal, big bro... I mean, Isaac." said Pinkie as she corrected herself.

"It's alright, you can call me big brother... Besides I love having a little sister." chuckled Isaac.

"Do you mean it?"

"I promise you have my full permission to address me as your big brother. And I won't even get mad." assured Isaac.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Pinkie promise!" asked Pinkie.

"Pinkie promise? Uh, sure." Isaac then lifted his pinkie expecting Pinkie to do the same.

"Not like that! Watch me." Pinkie then stood up and stood in front of Isaac. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" Pinkie did some poses as she said the little chant. "Now you do it."

"Uh.. I'm not sure that's what a pinkie promise is but I'll give it a shot." Isaac then cleared his throat as he sat up. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Isaac managed to say the saying as he wasn't going to do the whole dance that Pinkie did.

"Now you have to honor it! Cause let me tell you a Pinkie promise is the ultimate promise. Once you break, there's no going back. The key thing you need to know is: Nobody breaks a pinkie promise! Cause if you do..."

"Okay, okay. I get it." said Isaac as he was trying to get Pinkie to calm down. "If I tattle, I'll have my ass handed to me. And I know for a fact that I don't want you as an enemy. So we cool?" Isaac wanted to make sure that there wasn't any tension left between the two of them.

"We're cool." Pinkie then gave Isaac a lovely hug as she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed. Isaac didn't mind that Pinkie's hug was a bit tight as he was happy that everything was back to normal. He was starting to warm up to the idea of having a little sister; it was nice to have someone to look after, even if that person wasn't blood related. Pinkie then let go and gave Isaac the pleading eyes.

"So... Now that you're my big brother. Mind if I ask you from time to time to buy me somethings. Maybe like a new toy or some fancy new sweets." Pinkie was now starting to uphold to the responsibilities of being a little sister. Which meant begging their older siblings for stuff they wanted and trying to act innocent as they drove their brother insane.

"Yeah, don't push your luck." said Isaac as he knew what Pinkie was doing which caused Pinkie to make an pouting face. "But I'll see what I can do; no promises though!" Isaac assured him that he'll do his best to live up to the idea of being Pinkie's older sibling.

"That's all I ask. I love you, big bro." Pinkie then gave Isaac a peck on the cheek and another hug as she wrapped her arms around him.

Isaac just gave her a smile as he returned the embrace. "I love too, little sis." With that both Isaac and Pinkie spent the rest of the day doing activities as they bonded like true siblings. After all was said and done, both of them were glad that they had each other to look out for. Isaac was extremely pleased that he had his own personal sweet chef, as Pinkie said she would make treats for Isaac whenever she was in the mood as a way to show her love for her honorary big brother.

Some time after that the whole school was gathered in the auditorium. Apparently, Celestia was going to make an announcement regarding the Spring Fling as well as who would be Isaac's next opponent. So with everybody seated and Isaac waiting behind the curtain, they all watched as Celestia made her way onto the stage and began to talk into the microphone.

"Welcome students, I want to thank you all for being here as I'm sure you're wondering what I have to say in regard to the Spring Fling." Some of the students attested to that statement as they began to murmur amongst themselves. "Well I'll keep it short and sweet, in terms of who will be Isaac's opponent, I won't be making the decision." That caused all the students and Isaac to raise an eyebrow at Celestia's statement. "Isaac, mind coming out here?" Celestia then gestured for Isaac to come out from behind the curtain which he did as he was now standing next to her.

"So what's this all about, Principal Celestia?" asked Isaac.

"Well, seeing as how you've done so much to elevate this division in terms of Duel Monsters. You've defended the title with honor. Not to mention that you lead Canterlot High to victory in the Friendship Games, as well as, your recent experience. I figured you need to be given a reward of sorts. So that's why I've decided to let you pick your opponent to face at the Spring Fling." Celestia then turned it over to Isaac as the spotlight now shifted from her to him.

Isaac just stood there not moving as he didn't know what to say. Talk about being put on the spot by Celestia. Soon Isaac gained his confidence as he cleared his throat. "Well... How's everybody doing?" Silence. "Yeesh, tough crowd. Well then, seeing as I've got the opportunity to pick my opponent, I'll be honest. I have no idea who I want to face. See when it comes to who I face at these kinds of events, I don't like choosing someone unless I feel like someone deserves it or has been overlooked. Which is one of the reasons why I prefer Celestia picking my next challenger or having some sort of tournament/#1 contender's match. That way I don't have people coming up to me and asking why I chose this person over another. But looks like things have changed this time round. So lets get to business."

Isaac then looked out into the crowd and his mind began to process on what he wanted to do. "Alright, I see a ton of options. But I'm going to need some help from you guys. So make some noise if you think that Bulk Biceps would make a great duel at Spring Fling."

Bulk Biceps then stood up as he flexed his muscles; the rest of his classmates just made a few 'ehhs' as they didn't feel like that was a good duel.

"Okay. No dice on Bulk. Umm... How about somebody who's a former champion in his own right. I'm talking about Flash Sentry, anybody want to see that match?" Like before Flash stood up as there was a bit more noise but still the students weren't sure about that matchup.

"What about the ladies, lets get some girls into the conversation. How about Lyra Heartstrings?" Lyra then stood up as the crowd made a bit better noise for her than they did for Flash and Bulk.

"Alright, alright. We're getting somewhere." Isaac was starting to get into this type of thing as he had a smile on his face. "Now we're playing ball; oh, I got it. What about Ms. Speedster, Rainbow Dash?"

Rainbow then stood up as the crowd was cheering even louder as they were impressed with the suggestion. Based on how well they enjoyed their first encounter, they didn't mind seeing both of them go a second time. Rainbow was letting her ego soak up the attention that she started to do some poses as their friends just rolled their eyes.

"Lets not forget some of the younger students, maybe it's time they get a shot at the big leagues. Anybody think that Sweetie Belle vs Isaac would be a main event?"

Sweetie was surprised that Isaac was mentioning her name in contest of being his opponent. So she stood up and the crowd made the same noise as they did for Rainbow Dash with a slightly bit more noise as they started to chant her name a bit.

Isaac then saw how invested his fellow classmates where getting into. So he raised his hand to which they silenced and he began to speak. "I'll tell you what, I'm really want to thank you guys on your help. I've got a bunch great selections, but I've made my choice. This individual I feel deserves to have this opportunity to face me for this title. After what has been nearly a crazy school year, I feel like this person deserves the opportunity to showcase how far they've come since they began. Their journey is one that I feel should be recognized and well it showcases that a person can change if their given the opportunity. Now if she should choose to select me and accept my challenge, well... I..." The crowd leaned in as Isaac was about to make his decision. "I select Sunset Shimmer."

As soon as Isaac made his choice, the student started to make some noise as they started chanting Sunset's name. Sunset was surprised at Isaac's decision that soon the spotlight was on her as her friends started to clap and told her to stand up. Sunset did and the crowd were still showing her affection, then she turned her head towards Isaac who told her to come up on the stage with him. Sunset then made her way onto the stage as she was still in shock of the champion's decision. She gave them a quick wave as she turned towards Isaac who was now in game mode as he had a serious look on his face while staring down Sunset. Sunset then did the same as both individuals were looking at each other with fire in their eyes.

Celestia then made her way towards them as she made the announcement. "Then it's official. At the Spring Fling, it will be Isaac taking on Sunset for the title of duel champion."

Chapter 55: The Spring Fling

After the announcement was made, nearly everybody was ready to see Sunset vs Isaac at the Spring Fling. The first time these two had face each other was back at the Fall Formal of last school term. In terms of them facing each other they did face each other in a duel when they got new duel disk, but that was an unsanctioned match. So really they only faced each other that one time at the Fall Formal in an official duel. However, at the given time, the circumstances were different. Sunset had evil magic and was hell bent on making everybody succumb to her will, so they all turned to Isaac who fought his heart out to rise up the ranks and meet Sunset in the finals of the tournament.

Isaac was seen as the newcomer and he was going against a veteran in Sunset who dominated anybody who had faced her previously. So at the Fall Formal, Isaac and Sunset went all out in a heated battle. In the end, Isaac had emerged victorious and became not just the savior of CHS, but the face of their school. Since then, he went on to represent what it meant to be a fighting champion. He took on all comers, as he was building his legacy. Not to mention that he recently competed in the Friendship Games as he lead Team CHS to victory. Of course Sunset was also part of that same team and she managed to score the first point. Safe to say that both individuals had a lot of history with each other. They were now in a different position than they were a few months ago. Sunset was now veteran duelist who had done a complete 180 as she was now one of Canterlot High's beloved students; Isaac was still a newcomer but had a lot of experience being champ and picked up some new tricks during his reign. Regardless, this was a duel that people were looking forward too.

Celestia really wanted to hype up this event/duel that in the weeks to come, they were airing the duel of Isaac v. Sunset from the Fall Formal. May people still considered it one of, if not the best match that they saw in recent memory. Along with that they also shared many other smaller duels from both Isaac and Sunset individually to see how far both came since the start. Regardless, things still stayed the same between them.

Isaac was talking with Sunset in the hallway after he made his announcement of choosing her as his challenger a few days ago. He was leaning against the lockers as he was watching Sunset just freak out. "Got everything out?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah... I think." Sunset was taking deep breaths as she was still processing what had occurred. "Still I can't believe you chose me to be your opponent."

"Well, I gave my reason. You're a different person from when we met; you've undergone a lot of stuff that has morphed you into the young lady I see standing before me. There's nobody else who I want to share the dueling field than with you. I chose you Sunset because I want to face you. I want to see what you can do, no magic, no smoke and mirrors, just a straight up duel. I want to see if you've learned anything since turning over a new leaf."

Sunset then looked at Isaac. "When you put it that way, I guess I have come a long way since I was that mean, nasty bully."

"I'll say, all you had to do was look at someone and they were scared shitless." joked Isaac.

"Nice that you still have your sense of humor. Say, there wasn't any other reason you chose me, hmm?" Sunset was now giving Isaac a combination of sly/flirting eyes.

"No." said Isaac with a straight face.

"Good, then it shouldn't get in the way of our date." said Sunset.

"Yeah, it shouldn't... wait what?" Isaac had to do a double take on what Sunset said.

"You heard me." Sunset was now batting her eyelashes at Isaac.

"Uhh... mind repeating what you said? Just so I'm clear."

Sunset let out a laugh. "I said that you and me are going on a date. See I'm not usually one for finding some special occasion to ask someone out. If I want to go on a date with someone, I just ask them straight up. I prefer a more personal touch, if you know what I mean. So, me and you, are going on a date boy toy?"

"Hang on! I never agreed to it, besides what if I don't want to go on a date?" asked Isaac which caused Sunset to have a smirk.

"Are you saying that I'm not good enough? Compared to when you went on dates with our friends, do you not find me attractive enough?" Sunset was enjoying herself as she was having fun manipulating Isaac's emotions.

"It's not that its... well..." Isaac was rubbing his neck as he was trying to find his justification.

"What is it then?" Sunset had managed to backup Isaac into the lockers as she started to get closer to him as she was giving him the bedroom eyes. Sunset was really enjoyed seeing Isaac squirm as she found it rather attractive.

Isaac was sweating hard as he tried to look Sunset in the eyes as he gave his answer. But that was easier said than done, given his current predicament. Isaac didn't know what to do as his mind was suddenly shutting off while staring at Sunset who lips were very close to his. Eventually, Sunset pulled away and just let out a laugh.

"Ha, ha, ha." Sunset was laughing at how Isaac had practically fallen under her control. "Now I know why you're my favorite boy toy. Tell what were you thinking just now. Anything about me?" Sunset was just having too much fun messing with Isaac.

"Nothing of interest. Look can we just drop this?" Isaac was still trying to cool down from Sunset's intimate moment.

"So, care to show me a good time?" asked Sunset.

"What do you want to do?"

"I'm not in the mood for going somewhere or going to a fancy establishment. How about before the Spring Fling, you just come over to my place and we'll hang out. Nothing like playing some video games to pass the time before a big duel."

"Did you say video games, huh, you never told me? And to be honest, I never pegged you as a gamer girl?"

Sunset then put her fingers to Isaac's lips. "There's a lot of things you don't know about me. But maybe if you play your cards right, then I'll give you a special reward. Something that requires a hands on experience." smirked Sunset.

"Uhh... can't wait." said Isaac quickly as he was starting to lose his cool with how Sunset was acting.

"Good, then our date is set. See you around, boy toy." With that Sunset left, but she had a smile on her face as she enjoyed making embarrassing Isaac.

Isaac was left with stretching his t-shirt collar as he tried to cool off. Isaac then made his way to the boy's bathroom as he turned on the sink and splashed cold water on his face. It worked as he soon found himself back to normal and with that left the restroom. Still that moment in Sunset was something that he was still thinking about all day.

Soon everybody was preparing as the days got closer to the Spring Fling. Despite being opponents at the event, Isaac decided that he and Sunset should have some practice duels against each other as a way for both of them to be prepared for what might come. Also it served as a way for both to have some fun while not having to constantly hear from others about what they thought of the match. Isaac had asked and entrusted Twilight with recording the results of their practice rounds, so that they could see what they could improve on. Twilight was pleased as she got to do something she loved, but also because this was going to be her first time seeing her best friends go against one another. Sure Sunset showed her the video of the Fall Formal and even then it felt amazing watching it as in person. But there was a sort of magic that goes into watching a duel live. Twilight just couldn't contain herself as she was looking forward to what was sure to be a good duel.

Their friends all expressed their opinions on the match. Though Rainbow was pissed that Isaac didn't select her to his opponent as she was really looking forward to testing out her new card she obtained against him. Nevertheless their friends each told who they were rooting for and it was pretty much split. Rarity, Dash, and even Pinkie had chosen Sunset to be the winner, while Fluttershy, Applejack, and Twilight had gone with Isaac being named the winner.

Soon the whole school was talking about it. Celestia and Luna were making sure that preparations were made as they prepared the contract that both would sign to make their match official. So just like last time, prior to the Fall Formal, Celestia requested that both Isaac and Sunset conduct a face-to-face while also signing the document. Both agreed and promised that they wouldn't get too out of hand, given that the last time they confronted each other, they almost engaged in a brawl. With that all the students gathered as a table was set with the contract in the middle; Celestia and Luna were sitting on the side of the table as they were acting as the moderators for this contract signing. Eventually Isaac and Sunset walked in together as they each took a seat opposite of each other.

Luna then stood up as she signaled for the contract signing to start. "Students, this here is the official contract signing for the Spring Fling duel. Which will consist of Sunset Shimmer taking on the current champion in Isaac. Both of you have a lot of history with one another, not too mention that you're really close friends. I speak for all, when I say that we're looking forward to seeing what you two can do and we expect a duel that will people will enjoy." The students then gave an applause after hearing Luna's statement. "Now then lets begin, Isaac. If you please?" Luna then opened the file and inside was the contract with a pen for the competitors to sign and two dotted lines where it required their signature. She then placed it in front of Isaac as she awaited him.

Isaac was busying reading the contract over and the fine prints to make sure everything was in order. With that he put the contract back on the table and picked up the pen. But before he was about to sign, he then looked at Sunset and wanted to say a few words to her. "Well, Sunset. Here we are, back to where it all started. The last time you and I stepped on the dueling field as enemies, was back at the Fall Formal. The situation was different and I'm not going to explain this because everybody knows about it. This time however, the script is flipped. So the question is: what are you going to do to make sure that at the Spring Fling you walk out with the title of champion?"

Sunset let Isaac's question sink in. Once she got her answer, she then started to give her response. "You're right, things are different this time. I'm no longer some girl who's lonely and just finding a way to take her anger out on everybody else. This time I fight with passion, I fight with a purpose in life. I can't thank you enough; Isaac, you're the reason why I'm standing here as who I am. If you didn't stop me, when you did. Who knows how different this place might have been? And I like to think that you beating was the best thing that could have happened; but you also know me as someone who doesn't like to lose. Even if that person is someone who I deeply care and I would pour my heart and soul out cause everytime I step on the field with you, I feel alive. I feel free knowing that I can be myself and just go all out, and it's all thanks to one person: You. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you."

Sunset's response really caused some students to clap as they understood what she meant. Isaac too let out a clap as he too felt Sunset's words rang true. Sunset then knew what she had to do as she then began to speak again. "But let's not stray from the path too much, Isaac. I've known you for quite some time, but you got something I want." Sunset was now staring a hole at Isaac who was sitting back in his chair. "And you and I both know, that when you want something bad enough, you'll do some unexpected things to get it. And how many times has it been said that Isaac will be the new Sunset Shimmer. Here's the hard truth, Isaac. You will never be as phenomenal as me."

"That's fine, I never the wanted the position anyways. You're right there is only one Sunset Shimmer, and as much of a compliment as it is. I never wanted to be copy of you; and I respect every single thing about you Sunset. You truly are phenomenal, but you're going to have to be better than phenomenal if you want to take this title from me at the Spring Fling."

"I know how much that title means to you. But at what cost? How you holding up? I ask that, cause you went through hell during the Friendship Games and your more recent experience. The problem is. I just don't think you have much left, you see there's a little saying that I found that speaks to me. It's never rest, never rust! You see, I'm going to be that bulldog that's nipping at your heels. And at the Spring Fling, I'm gonna latch on. I'm gonna sink my teeth in, and I'm not gonna let go. Until I'm standing over you as the victor of our match."

Isaac now had a smirk on his face as he was getting ready to speak on the mic against Sunset. "You don't seem to understand what I'm saying Sunset. So let me spell it out for you, look we have a lot of things in common. We really do and while out success stories are very similar, there's a lot of differences. And those differences are the reason why I'm standing here holding this title as champ, while you're standing there trying to take it away from me! And you want to know how I'm holding up!? Ask Rainbow Dash cause I was at my best when I beat her, ask Applejack when I faced her in the semifinals of the Fall Formal, or how about this one. Ask Shining Armor cause I humiliated and embarrassed him along with Crystal Prep at the Friendship Games! And I will be at my best when I beat you at the Spring Fling." Isaac then took the pen and started to write his name on the contract. He was about to hand it over for Sunset to sign, when a thought crossed his mind.

"Here's the truth, Sunset. It pains me to say, but someone has got to be the realist in this situation. I want you to soak all this in because for you this is the best that it's ever going to be. Cause next to me, you will always be a B+ player!"

At that moment, Sunset stood up and was now staring at Isaac with furious eyes as she yanked the contract out of his hands. Celestia and Luna also stood out of their seats as they prepared for a fight to ensue. Sunset had heard enough and was firing back on Isaac's comment. "For months you've been astounding us with your skills as champion, and we've all been proud of what you done. But now it's time for you to sit there, shut the hell up, and let me educate you!" The crowd was now on Sunset's side as she was getting fired up. "You became duel champion within the first two months of you attending CHS and I watched that. No, not as a bystander. No, no. I watched it, I observed it. I watched it, I understood it. Here's the thing, I'll cut to all the chase, I'll cut through all the bullshit. Everything that I've experienced in my life has all lead to this moment! It's all lead to this, Isaac. I see it in your eyes, man. I can see it by the way you tremble when I'm on the dueling field with you. I can see it by the mind games that you're trying to play. You know that I am ready!!" The crowd was now getting louder as they all were invested in what they were hearing.

"The one thing that we have in common, the one common thread to this story. Is that you know what all of this feels like; you know what all this feels like. The atmosphere, the roar of the crowd chanting your name, them rooting for you! The pressure that is on your shoulder to deliver and give to it your absolute best! You were in this same position at the Fall Formal! And you're scared as hell! And you should be because you know what comes next! What comes next is at the Spring Fling, I beat you! And I become Canterlot High duel champion!!" Sunset then signed the contract as she forcefully handed to back to Celestia.

Isaac then stood up and fired back with his own response. "You think you can beat me!? News flash, Sunset. How that work out for you last time!? Cause the last time I faced you, I left you lying on ground; I dropped you where you stood and since then I've been on a tear like no other! I have been a role model for everybody here, every single day I walk through those doors and I'm surrounded by every student wanting to take a crack at me! I'm grateful that I can push people to their limits and motivate them to become better! You think you can beat me, I know I can beat you! And at the Spring Fling, you're going to see first hand that I what I am is what I say I am; that when I get on the dueling field there is nobody better than me because I'm am just that damn good!!" Isaac now was staring hard as he wasn't taking his eyes off of Sunset. The tension was high as Sunset's anger had reached a boiling point as she had enough of Isaac's talk and she did the one thing no one expected. Sunset then brought her hand up and tried to slap Isaac in his face, but Isaac caught her arm before she could make contact. They still locked eyes with each other despite Isaac stopping Sunset from hitting him.

Celestia and Luna then pulled both of them away to which they showed no resistance while never breaking contact with each other. Their friends watched on as they felt the passion from both of them as they were about to engage in a brutal battle for the title of duel champion. Isaac and Sunset were both looking to get the very best out of each other.

It was then the day of the Spring Fling and the students all had plans as they prepared themselves for the dance later in the evening. Not to mention the duel that would take place between two of the best duelist at Canterlot High. Before that, Isaac was currently arriving at Sunset's place for their date. She didn't want to go anywhere, so she decided that they could just hang out at her place and spend some time together before heading off to Raritys, where they would get ready for the dance. Isaac then knocked on the door and a second later it opened with Sunset standing there.

"Hey."

"Hey, yourself." replied Sunset.

Since their heated confrontation, they hadn't seen each other. So Isaac did his best to try to make the most of this awkward situation. "Listen... about what happened..."

"All is forgiven, we were in the heat of the moment. We just let out emotions do the talking, it happens." Sunset gave Isaac a warm smile.

"Nice to know that there isn't any friction between the two of us ahead of tonight. So we good?" asked Isaac.

"We're good; now get in here, boy toy. I've got you all to myself before tonight and I don't want to waste a single minute." Sunset then grabbed Isaac's arm as she dragged him inside while closing the door behind him.

She showed Isaac her apartment and safe to say it met the standard conditions. Still the thing that really caught his attention was the fact that Sunset had thousands of games scattered around her living room. Not to mention she had every console available; Sunset wasn't kidding when she mentioned to Isaac that she was a gamer. Isaac saw that she had all the necessary equipment as she put on a set of headphones and took a controller. She then gave Isaac another controller and a set of headphones.

"So what kind of games do you play?" said Sunset as she powered up the console and turned on her TV.

"Really, anything. As long as it has a good narrative and some solid gameplay, I'm willing to give it a shot." Isaac had put on the headphones and turned on the mic as he took a seat in one of the bean bags while Sunset sat on her bed.

The first game she selected for them was a multiplayer first person shooter game as Sunset was hoping that with the extra help, she could get to the next level. Sunset took the early lead as she was guiding Isaac through the game while trying to figure out how to play with advice from Sunset. Soon they were in the swing of things, as they had gone farther than Sunset was expecting. They were now on the last level as they were busying trying to defeat the final boss. It took a bit of planning on both their parts, but they eventually were able to figure out his weakness and Sunset delivered the final blow while Isaac offered support. The game ended as the credits rolled and Sunset gave Isaac a high five. The weird part was that it had only been an hour since they first started.

Sunset then started to change games as she let Isaac see the choices on what he wanted to play. Isaac eventually settled on a fighting game and Sunset had a huge smirk on her face. Isaac was expecting Sunset to go easy on him, but she just straight up massacred him as the battle was over in mere minutes. Sunset had a smug look on her face as she was proud of what she did. Isaac knew she was good, but that was just embarrassing. He then started to request for a rematch and the same result happened every time Isaac asked to run it back. Despite Sunset winning majority of the fights, Isaac had managed to pick up on somethings and scored a few wins against Sunset. Sunset saw that Isaac was using the same mentality that he applied in Duel Monsters and he was implementing the information into his brain. Soon he was starting to surprise Sunset with the moves he was pulling off. Still Sunset managed to score majority of the points.

"That's another win for me." said Sunset.

"Yeah, yeah. One more." said Isaac as he wanted to get one more victory over Sunset.

"You really want to be beaten that badly? Fine." Sunset was about to run it back when a thought ran through her head as she let out a mischievous smile. "How about we make things interesting? The loser of this round has to do whatever one request that the winner wants. Deal?" Sunset put her hand out.

"Deal." Isaac then shook Sunset's hand as he pressed the start button.

Isaac came out swinging as he caught Sunset off guard with a flurry of offense. Sunset wasn't expecting this as it wasn't Isaac's normal style of play. Soon Isaac got to his feet as he was trying to finish off Sunset. Sunset then did the same as she wasn't going to go down without a fight. It looked like Isaac was about to win until Sunset's character got its special move and Isaac did his best to dodge it, but his fighter was still caught in the frame of her attack and it registered the hit as his character was defeated. With that Sunset was declared the winner.

"Yes!!" screamed Sunset as she was jumping up and down.

"God damn it!!" Isaac was angry that he lost; he did his best not to throw the controller on the ground as he didn't want to break Sunset's property. Eventually he sat down on her bed, as the result of their bet came flooding to him. "Alright, I lost. So what will you make me do?"

Sunset then sat next to Isaac as she looked at him. "What will I make you do? So many options." Sunset then put her controller down and took off her headset as she started to crawl towards Isaac.

Isaac noticed this and took off his headphones as he slowly backed away. "Uhm, Sunset. What are you doing?"

Sunset just kept crawling as it was making Isaac back up. She was like a cougar who was stalking its prey. "Oh, why I'm just thinking of what I want you to do." Sunset now had the bedroom eyes as she was inching closer to Isaac.

Isaac eventually hit the backboard of her bed as he had no more room. Sunset now had made her ways towards Isaac as she started to feel his body with her hands. Sunset could feel the bit of muscle on Isaac's body as it caused her to blush a bit; she then got closer to Isaac's face as she gave him a seductive look.

"I think I figured out what I want you to do." she said softly as Isaac could feel her breath.

"Uh... what's that?" Isaac was starting to heat up from Sunset's being so close to him and her hands feeling him up.

"I want you... to make out with me."

Isaac was confused on what Sunset said that before he could ask for clarification, Sunset had put her lips to Isaac as she let out a moan. She cupped his cheek with her hand while putting all she had into the kiss. Everything was moving so fast for Isaac that he couldn't register what was happening; eventually he wrapped his arm around her waist and used his hand to brush her hair. The scent filled Isaac, as it enraptured his sense with the sweet, yet spicy aroma of cinnamon. Sunset was starting to explore Isaac's body as he remembered what Sunset asked of him. He was hesitant on doing it, since he didn't have much experience on making out. So Isaac then started to reciprocate Sunset's actions by caressing her waist, tracing her perfectly curvy and sexy figure. Isaac felt Sunset squeak a little as he moved one of his hands down to her thigh, getting dangerously close to her cute butt. Her squeak immediately turned into a moan as her hands move more voluptuously.

And soon, the passionate moment was over. Isaac pulled away, and was met with a lovely pair of eyes. Isaac then reached his hand up and played with the little strand of hair that was in front of Sunset's face. Sunset let out a giggle as Isaac did this. "So... how did I do?" asked Isaac, hoping that he didn't ruin the moment or make Sunset upset for not doing it right.

"For your first try, you did well." Sunset then grabbed Isaac's hand as she put it to her cheek and nuzzled into it as it caressed the side of her face.

Isaac then did something bold as he kissed her cheek which resulted in Sunset letting out a giggle. "You're pretty, Sunset."

Her eyes glimmered again. "Thanks." Sunset was blushing profusely, and it was adorable. "You're really sweet. You know that, right?"

Now it was Isaac's turn to blush as he couldn't believe this was happening. "Why don't we get out of here? I'm sure that we should get ready to head over to Rarity's place, so that our friends don't worry.?

Sunset's expression suddenly turned to one that was more... enticing. "That sounds nice. But..." she said. Isaac watched Sunset take off her jacket while giving him a sly look. "Maybe we could kiss some more before we go?" She then lunged forward for a big passionate kiss as her mind drifted off and she melted in Isaac's arms. Sunset soon pulled away and closed her eyes as she enjoyed being in Isaac's arms. Isaac then started to brush her hair as he too let his eyes close and just enjoy the presence of Sunset being close to him; they stayed like that for a bit before it was time to meet with the others.

Soon it was time for everybody to meet up; Isaac and Sunset had managed to arrive at Rarity's place after their little moment together. There Rarity did her usual routine of putting on dresses for the girls while Isaac just gave them some privacy as he stepped through the curtain and into a separate room. While Isaac waited for them, he pulled out his deck and was figuring out any last minute changes he wanted. Isaac was really hoping that when he and Sunset battled, there wouldn't be no magical force to occur as he just wanted to have a normal battle with one of his closest friends. Isaac so was wrapped up with his deck that he didn't notice Rarity had entered the room until she tapped his shoulder. She told them that they were almost ready and she rolled in a clothing rack full of different suits for Isaac to try on. Isaac thanked Rarity and told him that he would do his best not to take too long on picking an outfit. Rarity told him to not worry and gave him a quick peck on the cheek before she left to check on the others.

Once Isaac picked out his outfit he then looked at the mirror. He was wearing a onyx fedora with a crimson band wrapped around it, holding a single black feather. A black jacket of similar shade wrapped around the torso, with a pair of long sleeves. A blood red shirt could be seen visibly from the front, as well as peeking out slightly from the sleeves. A single black tie clipped the neckline together. Isaac liked what he was wearing and he stepped through the curtain to see what the girls were wearing.

Applejack's dress had been transformed. It now bore a modified stetson with apple appliques, a green collar held together by an apple button, a set of green apple boots with an apple band. A single brown saddle rested on her back, with a train of green fabric trailing to the floor, ending by a set of brown tassels. Rainbow had a set of golden leaves as the headpiece, where a grape necklace wrapped snugly around her neck. A set of gold wrappings around her wrist and on her footwear that served like shoes. She also had a large rainbow train at the end that dragged lightly across the ground, yet its cloud trim remained perfectly white. Fluttershy had a large blue butterfly pin in her hair, with a similar button on her chest. A set of light green shoes with a pair of decorative vines that rested at the bottom, and the long green train at the back was decorated with flowers of various colors, matching the shy girl's love of nature perfectly. Pinkie's was pink and puffy, just like the girl it was made for. A white and blue cap rested atop of her head, decorated with a pink bow. A second bow connected the white and blue striped saddle on the back, which was connected to a white skirt with designs of lollipops and candy corn on the edges. Underneath the skirt, a poofy pink train trailed outwards, ended by a long blue ribbon, clipped on by a set of light pink bows. Simple pink shoes, with white and blue striped ribbons sat on the front. It was perfect for Isaac's little sister.

Rarity's outfit had a single tiara sat on the head, adorned by rubies. Around the girl's neck was a diamond necklace, specifically designed to look just like Rarity's mark. It was held together in the front by a single golden button, and the shirt piece wrapped snugly around the girl's torso, coming out into large ruffles that puffed outward at the sleeves and neckline. The dress itself cascaded backwards in waves of fabric that folded over itself, lined intricately with ribbons and gems set into the fabric itself. Sunset's outfit was both surprising and expected; she gone with a simple design. It was a sleek, pitch black dress with no other form of decoration save a thin cut along her right thigh, exposing her leg. Isaac took one look at them and he saw that all of the girls were stunning in their own way.

"Woah, got to say all of you look beautiful in your way. Even you little sis." Isaac's response caused all the girls, except Pinkie, to blush. They even complimented him on his outfit and definitely agreed that he looked dashing in his suit. Isaac then looked around as he noticed one person was missing. "Say where's Twilight?"

"I'm right here." said a familiar voice from behind him.

Isaac turned around and the sight that laid before him was simply amazing. Twilight was wearing a dress that had a shade of royal blue a few shades lighter than her hair, with a much, much lighter blue saddle with a swirl of stars, separating the front and back halves. A single blue star pin sat comfortably behind the ear, with a similar star button connecting the ends of a collar that popped out. The large back end of the dress puffed outward, with the bottom edge coated with brilliant stars. The design was finished off with a set of starry blue shoes. Twilight was just standing there fidgeting her fingers as she felt slightly uncomfortable wearing such a thing. Isaac just stood there staring at her as he couldn't put into words how gorgeous she looked.

"Well what do you think?" Twilight asked for her best friend's opinion.

"Wow... just wow; you're like a princess. For the first time in my life, I know the difference between pretty and beautiful." Isaac quickly covered his mouth; he didn't know what came over him as his mind just went on autopilot and said that.

Twilight just simply blushed at Isaac's comment. To think that Isaac called her a princess was enough to make her heart flutter. Isaac saw that she was blushing and in turn caused him turn a shade of red as they tried to avoid looking at each other but found it hard. Soon Rarity was able to get both of their attention as she told them that the limo was outside. So Isaac opened the door to the limo as he was a gentleman and with that they were off to the school. The ride didn't take long as they arrived to their destination in about 15 minutes. Upon the arrival they heard the loud music that was thumping and they all went in.

Everybody was having the time of their life as they enjoyed themselves. Isaac then quickly broke apart as he was standing on the side as he got his energy back by drinking a cup of punch. He stood there with a smile on his face as he took in the sight of his fellow peers. Then Rainbow Dash approached him.

"Hey Isaac, you okay?"

"Yeah, just taking a quick break."

"You take a break, I thought you were thoroughbred-stallion who could have energy for days. Guess all that dueling is really turning you into an old man." Said Rainbow with a smug look. "I get it. Take your time, grandpa."

"Please I've got energy for days." said Isaac.

"Then lets see you prove it, and I'm not talking about a duel. I've got something that I know you can't win. I challenge you to... a dance off."

"Seriously, that's your big challenge?" asked Isaac as he wasn't expecting Dash to suggest something like that.

"What's the matter, don't got the cajones to take me on?" Dash had remembered a certain spanish word as she made sure to throw it at Isaac's face.

Isaac then put his drink down and a sly giggle on his face. Dash then appeared on the dance floor as she waited for Isaac's response. Isaac then grabbed something from his backpack and spun around to shine and appear in different clothes. More like Michael Jackson clothes. He even had the glove, the hat and everything. First song played and it was Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” and Rainbow Dash started this dance off. Isaac watched as Rainbow Dash was doing that epic lean from what MJ did in Smooth Criminal. He then felt a sudden groove in his body. With every single body, it felt like he knew what to do and and every move to perform. So he started to dance along to the rhythm, along with the buzzing noise in his head helping him out by being careful and not bumping into people. At the end, Isaac finished it by doing the famous moonwalk and saying “HE-HEEE” before ending in a pose that even Michael Jackson would be proud of.

The music ends and Isaac spun around, shines, and appears in rap clothes and Vanilla Ice’s “Ice Ice Baby” starts playing. Isaac had sunglasses, cap turned backwards and everything. He started to beatbox and then he began to break-dance, finishing his break-dance with him on his head and him pointing at Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash puts a cap on her head and turns it around, backwards and she starts to break-dance as well. She end the break-dance with her standing on her right hand and pointing at Isaac.

The music ends and Isaac spins around a second time, shines, and now appears in cowboy clothes and Rednex “Cotton Eye Joe” starts playing. Rainbow Dash is slack-jawed of what she saw. Isaac had a cowboy hat, boots, leather jacket and everything. Isaac places his hands on his hips and starts tip-tapping in his boots. Applebloom saw what Isaac was doing and decided to join him in country dancing. Rainbow Dash was getting a little worried. But Applejack was there and decided to join her and helped her out onto how to dance like a cowgirl.

Once again the music changed and Isaac spins, shines and appears in party clothes and Vengaboys “We Like To Party” starts playing. Isaac had a little top-hat, white glasses and everything. He starts grooving really hard. He raises his hand up and then down. His feet went back and forward. Scootaloo saw what Isaac was doing and decided to join him. But it didn’t take long for Pinkie Pie to come along and join Rainbow Dash and Applejack’s side and dances along with them and we ALL know how Pinkie likes to party. This should end well.

Next song was Usher’s “DJ Got us Falling in Love” and Isaac was in fashionable clothes. Sweetie Belle was dancing along with him, Scootaloo, and Applebloom while Rarity was dancing along with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Applejack. Isaac and his group were following Sweetie Belle’s lead since her and Rarity knew how to dance this type of style while Rainbow Dash and her group were following Rarity’s lead. Now it was becoming a group dance off. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Sunset were just standing there with grins on their faces. They didn’t felt like joining them. They seem to be having fun.

The song ends and it was the last one. Both Isaac and Rainbow Dash were exhausted. Both were sweating like pigs. Both of them walked towards each other and decided to call it a draw and shake hands.

“You’ve danced pretty well, Isaac.” Rainbow Dash said.

“Yeah, you too. I didn’t think I could dance for that long.” Isaac replied.

"Still, tell me where you got all those clothes?"

"Actually, Pinkie Pie taught me that little trick. I still have no idea how it works, but it's good for situations like this." said Isaac.

Soon it was getting close to the duel as both Isaac and Sunset had to leave to get ready. They gave each other a fist bump as they wished each other the best of luck. With that they both left to prepare themselves. About 5 minutes later, both walked through the door as they took their positions in the center of the room with their fellow peers looking on. Their friends cheered for both of them as they were in for a treat. Celestia and Luna looked on from the stage; Luna then did her job as she stepped forward and began to officiate the duel.

"Students the Spring Fling duel is about to start, if both participants are ready, then let the duel... begin!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll start this duel off." Sunset drew her card. "I'll start by sending the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So I'll send a level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand/deck to the graveyard and allows me to draw two more cards." Sunset then sent her monster cards to the grave and picked up two more. "Next I'll play the Black Stone of Legend." Sunset played her card and out came a red colored egg that was embedded in black rock. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend, so I can tribute it to summon out my ace dragon, come on out Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset's dragon then came out as it led out a mighty cry as it descend on the field. "Normally, I can't attack since I went first. But I've got another way to get to your life points. I activate my Inferno Fire Blast spell card; now you take damage equal to my Red-Eyes' attack." Red-Eyes then opened its mouth and fired a huge fireball that blasted Isaac in the face as he put his arms up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

"Hope that wasn't too hot for you to handle, I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn. Your move, boy toy."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Not bad, you managed to deal damage despite not being able to attack." Isaac then picked up his card. "Well time to fire back. I'll start by playing this spell, Ancient Rule. So now I can special summon a level 5 or higher spellcaster from my hand, so make way for Dark Magician!" Now it was Isaac's turn to play his ace in the hole, as his most loyal magician appeared by his side. "Next I'll have mighty magician take out your Red-Eyes Black Dragon, attack!" Dark Magician then pointed its staff at Sunset's dragon and blasted it from the field.
Sunset's Life Points: 7900-

"Nice, now I'll activate my facedown. The trap card Red-Eyes Burn, I can play this card when a 'Red-Eyes' monster is destroyed by battle or card effect. Then both players take damage equal to that monster's attack points. So we'll both be taking 2400 points of damage." Red-Eyes then started to crack open as pillars of light started to shine and blasted both players.
Isaac's Life Points: 3200-

Sunset's Life Points: 5500-

"Damn, you're not playing around." said Isaac.

"I told you that I want to be champion and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to beat you." said Sunset with a smug look.

"Trust me, I've had a first hand experience of knowing how you get when you want something badly." said Isaac with a bit of meaning behind his sentence as Sunset knew exactly what he was saying. "I'll then end with a facedown, your move."

Turn 3: Sunset

"Back to me, draw." Sunset then looked at her screen and touched it to see the cards in her grave. "To start, I'll activate the effect of the Black Stone in my graveyard. Now I'll return a 'Red-Eyes' monster from the grave and shuffle into my deck; and then add this card to my hand." Sunset then took her Red-Eyes Black Dragon card and put it on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. "Next I'll play my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode." Sunset played her card and like always as soon as it saw Sunset it just flew up in her face as it cuddled against her while letting out a cry of 'momma'. "I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card and looked at Sunset's field. "Well to start I'll play my Beta the magnet Warrior in attack mode. Then I'll have Beta attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon and then my Dark Magician will attack you directly. Go my monsters." Isaac gave his command to his creatures as they took to the field. Beta then took out Sunset's monster as Dark Magician was getting ready to strike her life points.

"I'll activate my facedown, the trap card, Red-Eyes Spirit. Now I can bring back a 'Red-Eyes' monster from my grave, so I'll bring out my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon(2400/2000) in defense mode." Sunset had managed to bring out a monster to protect her as Isaac's magician now had a new target and it raised its staff and blew away her defense. "Now that my monster has been destroyed, I can activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Retro Dragon(1700/1600) from my hand. Since a monster of mine was destroyed by battle, I can special summon it to my field in defense mode. Then I can special summon as many monsters that were destroyed in the battle in the same position as they were. So my Red-Eyes Baby and Zombie Dragon are now back in the field and defense mode." Just like that Sunset was able to have three monsters on her field.

"Nice tactic. I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Sunset

"Time to take things up a notch, draw." Sunset then looked at her hand. "I'll play the spell Pot of Greed and with it, I'll draw two more cards." Sunset then added her two new cards to her hand. "Now I'll activate the other effect of my Red-Eyes Retro Dragon, in addition to my normal summon a turn, I can tribute this card to normal summon one 'Red-Eyes' monster. So I'll tribute my Retro Dragon and call upon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200)." Sunset's dragon then disappeared in a flash of light as standing in its place was now a giant fiend like creature as it spread its wings. "Now I'll play the Black Stone of Legend and once more, I'll activate its effect. So I'll tribute it to summon out my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"Impressive, you now have four monsters on the field. However, none of them come close to attack points of my Dark Magician." said Isaac.

"That's why I'm not done. Now prepare to be amazed, watch as I overlay my two dragons."

"What!?" shouted Isaac.

"I overlay both my level 7 Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon." Both of Sunset's monsters then changed into purple orbs as they were sucked in a vortex and combined into a purple pillar of light. "With these two monsters, I build the overlay network. I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon(2800/2400, OLU: 2)!" Sunset took her card as it ejected from the top of her duel disk and she played it on her red card tray.

The students were really into the duel as Sunset had taken a commanding lead and was still gaining the upper hand against Isaac. Their friends all watched on with interest as Twilight took out a small notebook and pencil, as she began to take notes.

"This is so amazing, Sunset really has shown she's in control with her deck." Twilight then looked over the notes she had written and looked at Isaac. "Now time to see how Isaac deals with this."

"Hope you're impressed Isaac, cause I've few more things to do. Like this, I'll activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon. Now I'll target a 'Red-Eyes' monster I control and give it 600 more attack points, so now my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon now has 3400 attack." Sunset's dragon then let out a roar that shook the building as it powered up. "Now time to activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning, once per turn, I can destroy all face-up monsters you control whose defense is lower than my monster's attack."

"Oh, no. My Dark Magician only has 2100 defense points." stated Isaac.

"Precisely, so now all your monsters are destroyed." Sunset then snapped her finger and her archfiend raised its claws high into the air as bolts of lightning came down and struck Isaac's field which destroyed his monsters and left him with nothing. "Now you're completely defenseless, I told you that I was going to beat you and take your title. Now time to crown a new champ, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon attack Isaac directly!" Sunset's monster then opened its mouth as it fired off a powerful beam of fire at it traveled in Isaac's direction.

"I'm not out of this duel just yet, Sunset. I reveal my Mirror Force trap card. Now your attack is redirected right back at your monsters!" Isaac's trap then put up a wall in front of him as it reflected the attack and destroyed her monsters in attack mode.

"My Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon has a special ability, as long as it has an Xyz material attached to it, it can't be destroyed by card effects. Furthermore, while it has an Xyz material attached to it, I can deal you 500 points of damage whenever you activate a card or effect." Sunset's archfiend was then taken down. "I'll then end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 2700-

Turn 6: Isaac

Their friends were applauding each other on coming up with some power play moves. Twilight took note of Isaac's latest move. She thought that Isaac was done for, but he kept his composure and allowed Sunset to fall for his trap.

"Talk about a close call, I thought Isaac was done for." said Twilight.

"Isaac's a tough city boy, knows how to handle himself in high pressure situations. That's why we all look up to him; we all want to possess the same mindset and skills as him." said Applejack.

"I'll say, did you see the way he bounced back from Sunset's plan. Awesome!" cheered Dash.

"Well now the question is, what does Isaac do now?" said Twilight as she looked back to the duel.

Isaac was wiping his forward. "Okay. Time to figure out my way out of this, here goes something." Isaac drew his card and looked through his hand. "Alright, I'll just place a monster defense mode and place one card facedown. That's all." Not much, I can do. So long as her monster had those overlay units, I got to be careful on what cards I activate.

Twilight was shocked at what Isaac did with his turn. "That's all, why didn't Isaac do anything to deal with Sunset's monster?"

"Because, darling. Sunset's dragon will deal Isaac 500 points of damage whenever he activates a card, so he's being cautious on what he chooses to activate."

"Still, do you really think Sunset wants to win that way. By making Isaac, deal damage to himself?" asked Fluttershy.

Turn 7: Sunset

Isaac knows about my dragon's ability, so he's choosing to play defensive. Still I don't want to win by dealing burn damage. I want to deliver the final attack myself. Sunset then drew her card. "I'll activating the effect of my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, now by tributing a 'Red-Eyes' monster, I can special summon it. So rise my second dragon." Sunset's baby dragon then started to be surrounded in a bling light as it started to grow up and reveal a full grown dragon as it let out a powerful roar. "Then I'll have my Red-Eyes attack your defense monster and then Flare Metal Dragon take out Isaac's remaining life points." Sunset's first dragon took out Isaac's defense with ease. Then Flare Metal Dragon was above Isaac's head and was about to unleash its jaws.

"I activate my facedown, Nutrient Z. Now whenever I'm about to take 2000 points of damage I gain 4000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 6700-

"That's fine by me, cause I'm about to reduce some of that, right now!" Flare Metal Dragon then hit its target as Isaac was brought to his knees. "And since you activated a card, while my Flare Metal Dragon had overlay units, you'll take an additional 500 points of damage. Hope that was worth it, I end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 2800-

Turn 8: Isaac

Isaac then drew his card and looked at Sunset with a smile. "On the contrary, Sunset. My trap allowed me to get the extra turn I needed, now I've got all I need to takedown your dragon. To start I'll play the spell Graceful Charity; now I'll draw three cards and discard two."

"Don't forget since you activated a card, you take 500 points of damage due to my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon."
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"That's fine cause I'm about to take that dragon off the field. Now I'll banish one light and one dark monster from my graveyard, by doing so I can special summon a new monster. My Black Luster Soldier- Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)." Isaac placed his monster on his card tray and out came a powerful looking warrior that wielded a sword and shield while being covered in armor. "My Black Luster Soldier-Envoy of the Beginning has a special ability, now I target one monster on the field and banish it. So I choose your Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!"

"No!" shouted Sunset who watched her dragon get hit with a wave of light from Isaac's monster as it disappeared from the field.

"Unfortunately, by using this effect, my Black Luster Soldier can't declare an attack. But he did his job for this turn, now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Don't forget, before my dragon was sent away you triggered its effect so you lose another 500 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 1800-

Turn 9: Sunset

Sunset drew her card and looked at Isaac's new monster. "I'll just switch my monster into defense mode and then I'll reveal my facedown, Storm Dragon's Return. With it I'll target one of my banished monsters and can special summon it to my field. Welcome back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Then I'll set a card facedown and end my turn. Now my Red-Eyes returns to my hand at the end of the turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn." Isaac drew his card and then went to command his monster. "Now Black Luster Soldier attack her monster. My monster has another ability, when he destroys a monster in battle, he can wage a second attack." Black Luster Soldier then got rid of Sunset's monster and then headed towards Sunset as it brought his sword down and struck Sunset's Life Points.
Sunset's Life Points: 2500-

"I'll reveal my trap, Damage Transfer. Now I can summon out a monster so long as it doesn't exceed the amount of damage I took. So I choose to summon out my Summoned Skull." Sunset then touched her screen and looked for the card she wanted and it slotted out for her to grab.

"In that case, I'll one card facedown and call it. Your move."

Turn 11: Sunset

"Time to bring this battle to a close." Sunset drew her card. "Now time to play the spell Polymerization and with it I'll fuse the Summoned Skull with my Red-Eyes Black Dragon in my hand. Combine my monsters." Both of Sunset's monsters then were sucked in as they combined and out came new monster. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" Sunset's monster now made its presence know as it set foot on the field and let out a cry that caused some of the younger students to be scared. "Time to end this duel, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon take out Isaac's Black Luster Soldier. My archfiend's ability activates you can't use cards/effects until the end of the damage step. Then after damage I can select one 'Red-Eyes' normal monster in my graveyard and you take damage equal to its attack. So time to say goodbye to your title."

Archfiend Black Skull Dragon then swung its claws as it took out Isaac's monster and then the spirit of Sunset's Red-Eyes Black Dragon then appeared. It then surrounded itself in flames as it headed for Isaac's life points. Everybody, including their friends, all had their mouths open as they were seeing what was going happen. Twilight was biting her nails as she felt worried about Isaac losing.

"I send Clear Kuriboh from my hand so that I take no damage from your dragon's effect!" Isaac then slotted his card and Clear Kuriboh then came out as it protected Isaac from Sunset's card.
Isaac's Life Points: 1600-

Sunset was a bit perturbed that Isaac had managed to hang on by using a monster that really resembled him. "I should have known it wouldn't be that easy. You always have that monster on hand." Sunset then let out a sigh. "Still that just means our duel continues and I'm having way too much fun to end it like this. So I'll end my turn. Lets see how you get out of this."

Turn 12: Isaac

Isaac then drew his card and began to formulate his plan. "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. Now with it I'll bring back my Dark Magician. Next, I'll play my Premature Burial. So by paying 800 life points, I can bring back my Buster Blader from the grave. Then I'll play the spell card, Double Spell. Now I'll discard a card, and I can target a spell card in your graveyard and use it myself."

Sunset was a bit confused on Isaac's play. "How will that help you? None of my cards will work for your monsters."

"On the contrary, Sunset. You do have a spell card that will help me, it's the one you played last turn. I going to use your Polymerization and with it I'll combine my Dark Magician with Buster Blader." Isaac's two monsters then appeared side by side as their spirits then began to combine as they were sucked into a vortex. Out came a brand new monster for all to see, as it descended onto the field. "I Fusion Summon, the ultimate magical swordsman, Dark Paladin(2900/2400)!" Everybody took in the view of Isaac's new spellcaster as it had a sword that was also a staff. "My Dark Paladin also inherits the abilities of Buster Blader so now it gains 500 attack points for every dragon on the field and in our graveyards."
Isaac's Life Points: 800-

Sunset eyes grew bigger as she realized what that meant. Isaac just had a smug look on his face. "Since there's a total of 8 dragons, my Dark Paladin gains 4000 attack points. Which raises his attack to 6900!" Dark Paladin raised its weapon as it absorbed the spirits of Sunset's dragons and it empowered it. Sunset knew that the end was about to arrive. "Now Dark Paladin, finish this duel off. Attack Sunset's monster!" Dark Paladin then casted a spell as it infused its weapon and then jumped high into the air as it struck down Sunset's monster and delivered the final blow.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as Sunset fell to her knees. Isaac looked at his Dark Paladin and gave him a thumbs up to which he returned before disappearing. Their friends all check on Sunset to make sure that she was okay, while Twilight was starting to bombard Isaac with some questions on how he pulled off clutch combo to win the duel. Soon he saw Sunset approach him and she stuck her hand out to which he shock.

"Congrats, you're still the best. I'm glad to have had another fun duel."

"Thanks."

Isaac then offered his compliments to Sunset and Celestia and Luna both made their through the crowd as they came to congratulate the both of them on putting on a quality match. Everybody then gave a round of applause as they continued to party well into the night. Soon Pinkie took control and shifted it into overdrive as the afterparty was starting and lets say that there was a lot of cider being drunk that Pinkie nearly passed out if it wasn't for their friends to carry her home. Overall the Spring Fling proved to be a success as nearly everybody had a blast.

Chapter 56: The Graduation Duel

The school term was coming to a close and many people were already making plans on what they would do once school let out. Many were looking forward to just not having to worry about school and just focus on making the most of their summer. Others were starting to look on to the next phase of their life. And none was truer than one person who was thinking about the next part of his journey. Shining Armor was currently lying on his bed with his arms behind his head as he thought about what had occurred earlier in the day.

(Flashback)

Crystal Prep was going over the final scores of every student after all their tests had been processed. The one student who scored the most points who have the honor of having the final duel of the school year. Sombra was there on the stage as he too was seeing the points be tallied by their computer. Soon the results showed up as the positions from 6th to 2nd were the Shadowbolts, but the first position was awarded to Shining Armor who had scored the highest points out of all the students.

"Congrats, Shining Armor, you've done it again! You've gotten the highest scores in the school!" shouted Sombra as he was applauding him. Cadance was on the side of the stage as she too was congratulating her special someone. "And you know what that means! You win the honor of being the headliner in Crystal Prep's prestigious graduation match!"

"Why, thanks." said Shining Armor as he had a smile on his face.

"And as tradition dictates that you get to pick whoever you want as your opponent! So who will it be, Shining Armor?" asked Sombra.

Almost all the students around him started to nervously murmur among themselves as they either were feeling sorry for the person taking Shining Armor on, or were hoping that he wouldn't pick them. Shining Armor just had a serious face as he thought about his decision.

(End of Flashback)

Who will I duel? The only one worthy. Shining Armor then got up from his bed and grabbed his deck; he then looked out of his window as he was looking in the direction of a familiar place. He then opened the window to get a better look at the building; he had already made his choice the second he was picked to headline the event. It's time to give Isaac his rematch.

The next day was unexpected as there was a yelp that was a bit loud. Thankfully there was no one around since it was the end of the school day, but that didn't stop a certain someone from freaking out.

"Sorry... You... Uh... Just kinda scared me there, big bro." said Twilight as she was shocked to see her big brother at her school.

"So, what's up?" asked Isaac who was with Twilight when her brother suddenly appeared.

Shining Armor then stepped between them as he took a quick glance around them. "You know, ever since Twilight transferred here, I've not once set foot in Canterlot High to see how she's doing. It's nice that I've finally found a reason to come out here, other than to check up on my little sis." said Shining Armor with a smile on his face. He was starting to see why Twilight liked it more than Crystal Prep due to more friendly atmosphere.

"A reason?" asked Isaac as he was confused on Shining's comment. "What, like, to invite us out to lunch? Or to take us to one of your hot shot functions?"

"Hmm? To duel you." said Shining as he crossed his arms. Both Twilight and Isaac fell over at what they were hearing.

"Sorry, but I... Thought you said, 'duel'." Twilight was having a hard time believing in what her brother said.

"Yes, I did." Shining Armor then turned back to face both of them as they stood back up.

"Huh?" said Isaac.

"To duel you, Isaac. I've decided. I want you to join me in the grad match at Crystal Prep Academy." Shining said with a straight tone.

"Huh?" said both Twilight and Isaac.

"The grad match? That's the biggest duel of the year for Crystal Prep!" Twilight was starting to sweat hard thinking about it. "But wait, how can Isaac take part in it? According to the rules, only duelists/students at Crystal Prep can be eligible for selection to compete in the graduation match. So there's no way Isaac can be your opponent, since he doesn't go there."

"You're right, Twily. But seeing as how it was my decision to pick my opponent, I decided on wanting to face Isaac. I'll admit when I first mentioned it to Sombra, he was surprised that I would pick someone who wasn't a student at Crystal Prep. But once he saw how serious I was on my choice, he contacted Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna about my decision. They agreed on the matter and Sombra granted my request, and well I thought I come here to tell you myself and to surprise my little sister. I've been meaning to check in on how she's handling since enrolling in a new school." Shining Armor then placed his hand on Isaac's shoulder to give him a quick pat as he was about to leave.

Both Twilight and Isaac looked at Shining Armor as he was getting ready to depart. "Aw, Isaac..." said Twilight as she gave her friend a quick glance.

Shining Armor then opened the door, but before he stepped through he let out one last comment. "Oh, and I like your school by the way. It's a good fit for you kids. Huh." With that Shining Armor was gone as the door to the front entrance of the school closed behind him.

Twilight and Isaac were left standing there trying to process everything that had just happened. Eventually Isaac broke the silence.

"Wow, the grad match! Oh boy, this is so sweet!" shouted Isaac as he was already getting pump that he would take part in such a momentous occasion. "The last duel of the school year for Crystal Prep and I'm in it!"

"Yeah, the thick of it!" shouted Twilight as she got up in Isaac's face which caused him to move a couple of inches back. "Come on, Isaac, this is Shining Armor we're talking about here! My brother! He's the only duelist that you actually manage to tie with during his time at Crystal Prep. Other than that, he's basically undefeated and you're going to be dueling him in front of the entire school!" Twilight was really starting to get worried/concern about Isaac stepping in the ring with her BBBFF.

"Oh..."

"Isaac! If you don't win this then you'll pale in comparison to him." Twilight was really trying to hammer in the idea into Isaac's brain.

Isaac then grabbed Twilight's shoulders as he pushed her a few feet to calm her down. "Well! Guess I'll have to win then!"

"But, Isaac! That's easier said than done!" Twilight then took a deep breath. "I mean, don't get me wrong, you're good-- but Shining is..."

"Shining is what, Twilight?" asked Isaac as he was concern with how she was acting.

"It's just that he's unbeaten. Look, Isaac... It's not that I don't believe in you. I... just don't want to see my best friend get hurt. Aw man, this is all just coming out wrong. What can I say? I want to cheer my brother on, but I also want to support you as well; I just can't choose whose side I should pick." Twilight now had her head down as she was hoping that Isaac was too displeased at her.

"How about... everything will be fine!" Isaac gave her a thumbs up to assure her that there wasn't any need to worry.

"Alright... I'll try." Still Twilight was slightly uncomfortable to be put in such a position.

Soon everybody at Canterlot High heard the news as they were really looking forward to the match. Celestia had even made preparations that a few of the students would be joining her as a small group of them would head to Crystal Prep to support their fellow peer. She still made arrangements for Luna to have a giant screening of the duel be broadcast for the ones back at school. Celestia wanted to make sure that everybody got to see this great match that was about to take place in less than a day. Sunset was even talking with the rest of the girls as they were some of the students selected to head to Crystal Prep to offer moral support for Isaac.

"It's true! From what I heard from Twilight, it's going to be Isaac and Shining Armor in the graduation match!" said Sunset.

"My word, darling! That has the makings of a fantastic duel!" said Rarity.

"I'll say," chimed in Dash. "Think of it a student from Crystal Prep taking on a student from Canterlot High in the final duel of the year. It should be good, even glorious!"

"You ain't kiddin' partner, still it will be interestin' to watch?"

"What do you mean, Applejack?" asked Fluttershy.

"See, with Isaac and Shining Armor it'll be cool, calm and collected versus fast and furious!" stated Applejack. "They're basically two polar opposites."

"I don't know about all that, when it comes to big bro." said Pinkie. "I mean we all know that Isaac definitely duels with more passion than Shining Armor."

"True, but sometimes that can hurt your game." said Sunset as she crossed her arms. "The only thing we can do is wait and see."

Twilight was in her bedroom as she was trying to wrap her head around what was happening. Never once did she think, she would find herself in this position. She had the choice of either being in her brother's corner or choosing to cheer on her best friend. It was a matter of either supporting the one person who looked out for her and made sure to protect her growing up; or supporting someone who saved her from some dark magic and was able to be the driving force in helping her get accustomed to her new situation of attending CHS. All of it was too much for her to handle.

"Ahh, I don't know what to do!" Twilight then slammed her fists on her desk and she flopped on her bed facefirst. She then looked at somethings on her nightstand. The first thing she grabbed was a picture of her and Shining when they were younger. More specifically, it was when they first got into Duel Monsters as they had taken a picture with their decks in their hands. Twilight then put the picture back and then looked at her deck; compared to how it was during the Friendship Games, it had underwent some changes. And those changes were a representation not only of Twilight's journey of being at CHS, but also it served as a reminder of her best friend. Isaac had taken it upon himself to help Twilight to improve her deck and even give her some private lessons on how Duel Monsters was more than just facts/numbers. Isaac was the reason why she had gained so many friends and how it lead him to become one of the most important figures in her life that she deeply cared about. She just didn't have it in her to pick favorites, not between the two most important people in her life that wasn't her parents. Eventually Twilight started to cry as she let out a few tears as she buried her head into her pillow.

There was a knock on the door and it opened up to reveal none other than Shining Armor. He saw that his little sister was in pain, so he decided to do his best to ease her pain. He then sat on Twilight's bed as he started to pat his sister's back.

"Twily? You okay?"

There was no response from Twilight as she choose to remain silent.

"I'm not going to pretend that I know what you're going through. I understand it must be hard to choose between your brother and someone who's done quite a lot to guide you back into the light after what happened at the Friendship Games. I get it, if I had to choose between two people I deeply cared about. I would have trouble just even thinking about it. But regardless, I would make the choice that I'm most contend with. It may not always be the best choice, but it's the right choice." Shining Armor then started to stroke Twilight's hair.

"In my match tomorrow with Isaac, I'm going to give it my all. I chose to face Isaac because I know he's the right person to take me to the next level. He's shown that he clearly has the desire to be the best, as do I. So it was only fated that we would both face each other, because while we both strive to become the greatest duelist we can, know that there can only be one. I learned somethings as your big brother. But the most important thing I've learned as a duelist is that if you want to be the best, you've got to beat the best. You've got to show that you can hang with the big boys; and tomorrow I give Isaac a chance to see if he has what it takes to survive on the big stage. I hope you understand what I'm trying to say; I'm not forcing you to make a decision, but I have to do what I need to do."

Twilight then sprung up and hugged her brother as she buried her head into his chest. Shining Armor just started to stroke his sister's hair as he let her relieve her emotions. They stayed like that for a few moments as Twilight got all she needed out of her system. Shining Armor then gave Twilight one of his goofy smiles as it cheered her up a bit and then gave her a kiss on the forehead. He then got up and was about to leave as he told her that he had to go somewhere. But before he left, Shining decided to give his sister one last piece of advice.

"Just remember, Twily. Friends are not blood, family is forever." With that Shining Armor left as he prepared to leave to his destination.

Twilight took a moment to register what her brother said. It took a while, but eventually what he said, was the final thing that Twilight needed as she made her choice on who she would support in tomorrow's duel.

Isaac was currently taking a night stroll as he wanted to clear his head. He was wrapped with so many thoughts about tomorrow's duel that he couldn't sleep. So he needed something to help take his mind of things. What a year it's been here at Canterlot High. And what a way to end it. One final match with the big man on campus. The top duelist in his school! The one student who manage to tie with me! The one student who stands between me and taking the next step on becoming the best! "No two ways about it, I gotta win!" Just then Isaac stopped in his track as he saw the person in front of him. Shining Armor was now standing a few feet in front of him as they both locked eyes and stared.

"What's up, Shining Armor?"

"What's up is it's time, it's time for our rematch. I'll see you at the duel arena."

The next morning came and everybody was ecstatic as the entire dueling arena of Crystal Prep was filled to the brim. Not a single seat was empty as every student wanted to get a glimpse of what was sure to be a red-hot match. Celestia and her small group of students arrived as they wanted to give Isaac as much support as he can. Sunset and the rest of the girls all met the Shadowbolts as they discussed on the potential winner of the duel.

"So, still think that your friend has a chance on taking down Shining Armor?" asked Indigo.

"Please, if anything Isaac is going to wipe the floor with your top duelist!" stated Dash as she did her best to back up her friend.

"I highly doubt that." stated Sugarcoat. "I'll admit Isaac and Shining Armor dueling it out in the last match is something that anybody would be asking for. However, according to my figures, Shining is the favorite to win."

"Well, partner. Some things you can't figure." replied Applejack.

"What I'm really worried about is how Twilight is handling this? I mean I can't imagine what must be going through her mind right now." interrupted Sunset. Soon both groups of girls all took their seats as they sat together to see the spectacle that was about to start.

Both Isaac and Shining Armor were in separate rooms as they mentally prepared themselves for what was about to happen. Isaac was busying going over some last minute additions to his deck as he did the best he could to prepare for Shining Armor.

"Well, I've done all I can to prepare myself. Now it's just a matter of getting on the duel field and seeing what happens. Shining Armor is one tough hombre, especially since he controls the Blue-Eyes White Dragon. But I have to believe that my deck will help me see this battle through. As long as I put my trust in my deck, then it will trust me. Here we go, it's showtime."

Shining Armor too was making the last minute preparations for his deck. He knew about Isaac's playstyle since their last encounter and from the many videos that Twilight had shown him. The one thing that he noticed about Isaac was that he was unpredictable and was very good at making some unexpected plays. The one thing that did remain the same was that Isaac always relied on his Dark Magician to get through tough situations. Thankfully, he had a way to deal with that as he was going to rely on his Blue-Eyes to deal with Isaac's monsters. Just then the door opened and in walked a person.

"I'll admit, I didn't expect to see you before my match."

"I thought I'd give you a little surprise before your big day." said Cadance. "How you holding up?"

"Honestly, I'm a bit scared. I've performed in high pressure duels, but this one seems different for a reason. Maybe it's because I found someone who can actually give me a decent challenge and possibly have a shot at beating me." said Shining Armor as he looked at his deck.

Cadance then put her hand on his shoulder. "Well, no matter what happens, you're always be considered the best in my eyes."

"Thanks, Cadance." he said. Just then the P.A. system went off to signal the start of the duel. Shining Armor then stood up as he grabbed his duel disk and slotted in his deck. "Well lets go, wouldn't want to keep everybody waiting." He then offered his arm to Cadance who wrapped her own between his and they walked to the duel arena arm in arm.

Shining Armor then stepped foot through the corridor as he took in the sight that lay before him. He could feel the energy, the electricity that flowed through the building as it was packed to the rafters. Everybody wanted to end the year with one final duel and he was going to give them that. Once they made it to the center of the arena, Shining broke away from Cadance as he got a microphone as he had something on his mind.

"Before we start, I just want to say how honored I've been to be a part of this school. During my time here, I've seen and faced a lot of duelist. Some who proved they've got what it takes, others who were just all talk. But today, my opponent is not just someone who says he's the best. He's the best because he's proven it time and time again; and there's nobody else who I rather share my final moments in this place than with Isaac." Everybody then started to clap as they liked what Shining Armor was saying. Shining then began to speak again. "However, there's another thing I want get off my chest." He then looked at Cadance. "Cadance, you have been the one person since our time here that has always had my back. Whenever I needed someone to talk to, or vent my personal problems to. You were always there for me, I couldn't be more proud than to have someone like you to stand by my side." The crowd then gave a quick applause to Dean Cadance. "Now I don't know if you remember, but I asked you a few years ago about our dreams. My dream was to graduate and become a pro duelist, while you felt your dream was to help students. Well you got to achieve your dreams when you became the Head Dean, while we were still students. And now here I am about to have my final duel in this building before I head off to the big leagues. However, there was also one other dream that we had together."

Shining Armor then grabbed Cadance's hand as he looked at her. "You gave me your answer then, and I'm going to need you to say it one more time." Shining Armor then did something that nobody saw coming. He got down on one knee and pulled out a box and opened it; inside was a beautiful diamond ring as it sparkled. "Cadance Mi Amore Cadenza, will you make me the happiest man alive, and will you marry me?"

Cadance was full of emotions and happiness that she didn't know what to say. She eventually mustered up her breath and let out a heartfelt, "Yes!". With that Shining Armor slid the ring on her finger and the lucky couple gave each other a lovely kiss, as the crowd around them started to clap and chant 'She said yes!' Eventually they broke away, as Cadance looked at the new ring her fiancé gave her.

"What took you so long?" said Cadance.

Shining Armor then gave a small smirk. "Guess I was waiting for the right moment." Cadance then gave him another peck on the lips. "Alright, now that we've gotten everything covered, lets kick off the final duel of the year!" The crowd then roared at the top of their lungs; Cadance then wished her man the best of luck as she got off the stage and joined Sombra and Celestia on the side as they congratulated her on her recent engagement. Now all that was left was to wait for Shining's opponent to arrive.

Isaac was currently walking to the duel arena. He had heard about Shining's proposal to Dean Cadance as he saw on the little monitor in his waiting room. He gave the happy couple his praises and wished them the best of luck. Isaac could see the corridor as the light at the end of the hall was coming into his field of vision. Before he stepped through he heard, a voice call out to him from behind.

"Isaac, wait up!"

Isaac turned around and saw that it was none other than Twilight who had managed to catch Isaac before he went out there. "Twilight?"

"I just wanted to say something to you. I..."

Isaac then interrupted her. "Look Twilight, I get it. It's hard to pick between me and your brother. But know that I would never make you choose; who you choose to support is none of my business. So I don't care if you want your brother to win, at the end of the day, we'll always be friends."

Twilight smiled as she understood what Isaac was trying to tell her. "I appreciate it, but that's not what I wanted to tell you." Twilight then kissed Isaac on the lips as she brought her hand up to his face. Isaac was confused as he wasn't expecting this. Soon Twilight broke apart and mentioned one last thing to Isaac. "Kick his ass!!!"

Isaac was smiling ear to ear as his morale boost shot straight through the roof. Seems that good luck kiss from Twilight had awoken something in Isaac as he was suddenly full of energy; his adrenaline was running rampage as he stepped out onto the duel arena and was starting to feed off the crowd. They were chanting his name and Isaac found himself shifting into high gear as he started to wave and play to the sea of students. His friends saw this and they were surprised by Isaac's burst of energy.

"Woah, what's got Isaac in such a good mood?" asked Rainbow as this was the happiest Isaac had been in quite a while.

Soon Twilight joined them as she took a seat next to Sunset and looked at her brother and best friend as they were about to engage in war. Twilight still had a bit of blush as she saw Isaac and how hyped up he was, due to what she just did a few moments ago. Shining Armor was now standing a few feet in front of his opponent. Both were waiting for the signal to start. Isaac then broke the silence.

"Alright, Shining Armor. I guess may the best duelist win." Isaac then extended his hand out. Shining Armor then did the same as he shook Isaac's hand and gave him a nod. They then took their positions as they activated their duel disk with Shining projecting a card tray of blue light, while Isaac projected a tray of gold light.

Sombra then stood up with a microphone in his hand. "And now, ladies and gentlemen! We commence with the grad match between Shining Armor and Isaac! If both duelist are ready then let the duel... begin!"

"Enough small talk." said Shining Armor.

"Yeah. No joke." shouted back Isaac.

"Let's do this! It's time to duel!" they both shouted.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disk.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Shining Armor's Life Points: 8000-

"So who makes the first move?" asked Isaac.

"You can choose." said Shining Armor as he was being generous in letting Isaac decide the order of things.

"In that case go right ahead, I'll go second."

"Really, second?" said Shining who was confused by Isaac's decision. Interesting choice.

Turn 1: Shining Armor

"Alright, Shining Armor! Time to throwdown!"

"Very well then, here goes!" Shining Armor then drew his card and looked through his hand. "I'll start this duel off with my Cards of Consonance spell card, this card lets me discard The White Stone of Ancients from my hand and draw two cards." Shining Armor then slotted his card to the graveyard and picked up two more. "Next, I'll activate Dragon Shrine, this card lets me send one Dragon-type monster from my deck to my graveyard. Then if that dragon is a normal monster, I get to send one more Dragon-type monster from my deck to my graveyard. First I'll send Luster Dragon #2 to my graveyard, then I'll send The White Stone of Legend to my graveyard. Now the effect of the White Stone of Legend activates and it's sent to the graveyard; I get to add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to my hand." Shining Armor then did the necessary things as his duel disk slotted out his ace monster.

"Impressive." said Isaac. "It's your first turn and you've already managed to add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon to your hand." Isaac was doing his best to show some praise for Shining Armor.

"Yes, well that's just the beginning, Isaac. If you're impressed by that you're going to be blown away by the next turn. Next I activate the spell card, Trade-In. I discard the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand and draw two more cards from my deck; now I summon Kaibaman(200/700)!"

"Kaibaman!?" said Isaac as he was in both shock and awe.

"Are you stunned by how handsome this monster is?" asked Shining Armor.

"Uhh.." was all Isaac could say before he was interrupted.

"Or maybe you're just left speechless by Kaibaman's awesome sense of style? Like yours truly." said Shining Armor as he shot a flirt glance at Cadance who just had a blush on her face.

"I don't think that's it." said Isaac as he was unimpressed by Shining's antics. To which he looked at Twilight who was laughing at how Isaac had just made fun of her brother's monster.

"Well get your last look in because he's not staying on the field for long. I tribute Kaibaman to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand!" Shining Armor then played his ace beast as it descended on the field.

"Oh no! It's only the first turn and you already have a Blue-Eyes on the field!" said Isaac as he looked up at the great beast who gave him death growl/glare.

"That's right, Isaac. And if one Blue-Eyes White Dragon worries you, what chances do you have against two? I activate Silver's Cry! This card lets me special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon back from the graveyard. Take flight, my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"Two Blue-Eyes White Dragons!?" said Isaac as now he had to another problem to worry about.

"And I'm not finished yet, Isaac. I set one card facedown and then enter my end phase. In my end phase, the effect of the White Stone of Ancients activates, since I discarded it earlier in my turn. I can special summon my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck." Now Shining Armor had his trio of dragons as they all stared at Isaac as they remembered their last encounter.

Everybody watching was silent as they were impressed with how easily Shining Armor had managed to bring out his great beasts. Cadance was just smiling at her fiance with how much fun he was having. Twilight on the other hand was sweating heavily as even she couldn't find a way to deal with her brother's move. She kept having trouble finding a way for Isaac to survive; so when she looked back at Isaac, she started to clutch her heart as she prayed that her friend would be okay.

"All three Blue-Eyes White Dragons!?" said Isaac as he was starting to get a bit scared at staring in the face of such powerful beasts as they wanted to rip Isaac to shreds.

"Is this familiar to you, Isaac? The sight of my three Blue-Eyes White Dragons staring you down; it's been way too long, but now I have you right where I want you. It's your move."

Turn 2: Isaac

Isaac then took a deep breath and placed his hand on top of his deck. "I draw. First, I activate Pot of Greed. This card lets me draw two cards from my deck, I've drawn Watapon." Isaac picked up his cards and showed one of them for all to see. "I activate Watapon's effect to special summon it to the field, but it won't be staying there for long. I tribute Watapon to summon the Dark Magician Girl!"

Just like that it was Isaac's turn to play one of his ace magicians, as Dark Magician Girl descended onto the field as her arrival caused some noise to erupt. Particularly all the boys, Shining Armor even gave her a wave. Shining Armor made sure to look at Cadance to avoid any unnecessary looks; he knew that it was okay to look at the menu, so long as he ate at home. Shining Armor then cleared his throat as he began to say something.

"I feel bad for her, she's no match for my dragons." said Shining.

Isaac just had a smile on his face. "Then it's time to enlist some help. I activate Sage's Stone, since Dark Magician Girl is on my field, this card lets me special summon the Dark Magician from my deck." Isaac then played his star monster as it came out and shot a quick intimidating glance at Shining and his monsters. The tension was in the air as both magician and dragon were once again set to due battle.

"You think your Dark Magician will save you?" chuckled Shining Armor.

"Maybe not alone, but with Dark Magician Girl on my field alongside it, I have everything I need. I set a card facedown. Now I activate my spell card, Dark Burning Magic."

"Dark Burning Magic!" said Shining Armor as he was in fear.

"I can use this spell card only while Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are on my field, but since they are, my Dark Burning Magic destroys all cards on your field."

"No way!"

"You're finished, my Dark Burning Magic will annihilate every single card on your field." With that Isaac's magicians then combined their staffs and created a huge ball of energy that took out Shining Armor's entire field.

"This can't be happening!" Shining Armor was in disbelief at what had just occurred. Twilight couldn't help but to let out a smile at how Isaac just got rid of her brother's field with ease.

"I'm disappointed, Shining Armor. You thoughtlessly filled your field with everything you could amass making yourself vulnerable to my Dark Burning Magic spell card and now you're left with nothing to defend your life points against the attack from my magicians." Isaac then thrusted his hand out. "Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, attack Shining Armor's life points directly! Double Dark Magic Attack!" Isaac's magicians then flew towards Shining Armor as they were ready to deliver a huge blow to his life points.

Shining Armor's expression then changed from angry to slyness. He then looked at Isaac with a smirk. "You didn't think I go down that easily, did you? I always have a back up plan, I will beat you, Isaac, and my comeback begins with this card. Goddess of Sweet Revenge!" Shining Armor's card then shined a bright light as it brought Isaac's magicians to a halt. "Since I have no other cards left on the field or in my hand, I discard Goddess of Sweet Revenge to destroy all cards on your field."

"Oh no!" shouted Isaac.

"Mmm. That's right, Isaac. Both of your magicians are destroyed along with your facedown card." Now it was Isaac's turn as his entire field was wiped out in a blinding light as there was nothing left after it died down. "Next my Goddess of Sweet Revenge lets me special summon any monster from my deck, I special summon Deep-Eyes White Dragon(0/0)! If I summon Deep-Eyes White Dragon, it gains the attack points of any dragon in my graveyard. Since my Blue-Eyes White Dragon is in my graveyard, my Deep Eyes has 3000 attack points. Revenge is so sweet, isn't it? Now your field is empty and I have the strongest monster once more." Deep Eyes then felt the power surge as it let out a bellowing roar causing nearly everybody to cover their ears.

"My field may be empty at the moment, but it won't be for long. When you used the effect of your Goddess of Sweet Revenge, you destroyed my Chaos Scepter Blast."

"So?" said Shining as he was worried.

"That means my Chaos Scepter Blast effect activates, if it's destroyed I get to special summon a Dark Magician of Chaos from my deck. Come forth, Dark Magician of Chaos!" Isaac had managed to gain a new monster as it arrived to protect Isaac's life points. "My Dark Magician of Chaos has 2800 attack points and an incredible effect, when it's summoned I get to add any spell card from my graveyard to my hand. I'll return Pot of Greed to my hand." Isaac then touched his duel disk screen and selected the card he wanted as it slid out for him to grab.

"Your Dark Magician of Chaos is still no match for my dragon." said Shining with a commanding tone.

"Next I'll activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards, I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Shining Armor

"It's my turn, I draw." Shining Armor then looked at his card. "Perfect, I activate Card of Demise. Now I draw until I have 5 cards in my hand as long as I've discarded my hand in five turns, but there's no way this duel will last that long, Isaac. Ha, ha. I'll defeat you long before that happens."

"We'll see about that." replied Isaac.

"Next I activate the effect of The White Stone of Ancients, by banishing it from my graveyard, I get to add a Blue-Eyes White dragon from my graveyard to my hand. Now I reveal the Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon. I can special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon from my hand simply by revealing a Blue-Eyes White Dragon, plus my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon has a special effect. Once per turn, I can control and destroy one monster, I activate my dragon's effect to destroy your Dark Magician of Chaos."

"Not so fast, Shining Armor. When you target a spellcaster on my field with a card effect, I get to special summon Palladium Oracle Mana from my hand. Come forth, Palladium Oracle Mana. As long as Palladium Oracle Mana is on my field, my level 7 or higher spellcasters can't be destroyed by card effects. That means my Dark Magician of Chaos is perfectly safe." Palladium Oracle Mana then opened her book and started to chant a spell as it surrounded Isaac's other magician and shielded it.

"For now, but I'm not finished. I summon the King of Dragons(1200/1100), next I activate the King of Dragons' effect. When it's normal summoned I can discard a spell or trap card and add one of three different spell cards to my hand. I'll discard a spell card to add Dragon Revival Rhapsody to my hand. Now I activate Dragon Revival Rhapsody, I can only use this card while I control a spellcaster-type monster, but as luck would have it the King of Dragons is a spellcaster. This card lets me special summon two dragons from my graveyard as long as at least one of them is a normal monster. I'll special summon two Blue-Eyes White Dragons back to the field." Just like that Shining Armor once again had his trusted beasts.

"Oh no." said Isaac.

"Hmm. Now it's time to battle, Deep-Eyes White Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician of Chaos."

"I activate my trap card, Mirror Force. Your monster's attack is reflected right back at you. All of your monsters are now destroyed."

"Not so fast, Isaac. I guess you didn't see the card I discarded when I activated the King of Dragons' effect. The card I discarded was Return of the Dragon Lords and this spell card has a special effect that I can activate from the graveyard any time one or more of my dragons would be destroyed by battle or card effect, I can banish Return of the Dragon Lords from my graveyard to protect them. I'll use its effect to protect all of the dragons on my field." Now Shining Armor's monsters were spared except for his King of Dragons. "Since the King of Dragons isn't a dragon, it's destroyed by your Mirror Force but the rest of my monsters are safe. Now Deep-Eyes White Dragon continue your attack, luckily for you, you don't take any damage during the turn. I activate Dragon Revival Rhapsody, that means your life points are safe but I can't say the same for your magician. Your Dark Magician of Chaos is destroyed."

"When my Dark Magician of Chaos leaves the field, it's banished from the duel." said Isaac with a somber tone.

"Now Blue-Eyes White Dragon destroy Palladium Oracle Mana, White Lightning Attack!" Just like that Isaac was without any monsters. "Your Palladium Oracle Mana is destroyed."

Isaac had a little smile. "That means her effect activates, if she's destroyed by battle or by card effect, I get to special summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand, deck, or graveyard. Come forth, Dark Magician Girl."

"It makes no difference, my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon still hasn't attacked. White Lightning! Your Dark Magician Girl is destroyed, you have nothing left on your field. I set two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move."

Turn 4: Isaac

"I draw." Isaac then looked at his cards. "First I activate Dark Magic Veil, by giving up 1000 life points, I can special summon a dark spellcaster from my hand or graveyard. Return to my field, Dark Magician. Next I activate my spell card, Bond Between Teacher and Student. Now that the teacher is on the field, his student will follow; since I control the Dark Magician, this card lets me special summon the Dark Magician Girl from my graveyard." Isaac was now reunited with his two magicians as they both gave him a cheerful smile before all three of them turned their attention back to Shining Armor and his army of dragons.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"Then I get to set a spell card from my deck and I choose Dark Burning Attack. But it's not staying facedown for long, since the Dark Magician Girl is on my field, I can activate it. My Dark Burning Attack destroys all monsters on your field, Shining Armor!"

"All of them!?" exclaimed Shining Armor.

"That's right!" Dark Magician Girl then pointed her wand high up in the sky as she casted her most powerful spell and got rid of all of Shining Armor's dragons. Both Isaac and Mahad were impressed with her that they all gave her a smile. Mana then gave Mahad a quick hug while she gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek. This time it was only Isaac who could see her movements. Isaac then returned his focus back to his opponent. "You have no monsters left on your field to defend."

"That maybe, but by destroying my Deep-Eyes White Dragon you activated its effect. When it's destroyed by a card effect all monsters on your field are destroyed." Shining had a huge grin on his face.

"Oh, no." shouted Isaac.

"Oh, yes. Bid farewell to your magicians." Shining Armor was pleased with himself.

"My Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl may be destroyed, but my turn is just beginning. I activate Card of Sanctity, now we each draw from our decks till we have six cards in our hands." Both Shining and Isaac drew their cards, as they had a fresh new hand to start with. "I've drawn Palladium Oracle Mahad, when I draw Mahad, I can special summon him to the field. Come forth, Mahad. Next I activate a ritual spell card, Chaos Form. By banishing the level 7 Dark Magician from my graveyard, I can now ritual summon an even more powerful spellcaster. I banish the Dark Magician from my graveyard to call forth my ritual monster, Magician of Chaos." Now Isaac had one of his newer monsters as it arrived on his field.

"Isaac really is trying some new tactics." said Sunset. "To think that he would banish his most loyal monster to try to gain the advantage, really is a risky move."

"Can you blame him, darling? He's in the ring with one of the most dominate duelist to ever appear in Crystal Prep."

"Rarity is right, dear." Sunny Flare was now putting her input. "Shining Armor is also pulling out some new moves. He's always know for being in control, but the way he's been playing is that he's trying to stop Isaac from pulling out some surprises."

"Still we've never seen Shining Armor act this way, from the moment he played his opening turn. He's doing stuff that makes me glad I'm not facing him." said Indigo Zap as she had a slight fear on her face.

"For once, I agree with you." stated Sugarcoat. "Good thing Isaac is the lucky person then."

"Next I activate Upstart Goblin, this card increases your life points by 1000 and lets me draw a card. But first, I'll chain the effect of my Magician of Chaos. Once per turn, if a spell or trap card or effect is activated while Magician of Chaos is on the field, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. Now Magician of Chaos, strike down Shining Armor's facedown card on the left."

"You've targeted my Ring of Destruction!" Shining Armor's trap then revealed itself as it started to wrap around Isaac's magician as it was set to denote. "I chain it to the effect of your Magician of Chaos and target your magician. My Ring of Destruction will destroy your magician and when it does, we'll both take damage equal to the attack points of your magician. That means we each lose 2500 life points."

"Don't be so sure about that, Shining Armor." said Isaac with a smug look. "I activate the effect of the Palladium Oracle Mana in my graveyard."

"Palladium Oracle Mana has an effect in the graveyard?" said Shining as he was surprised by that.

"Since you targeted a spellcaster on my field, I can special summon Palladium Oracle Mana from my graveyard. Return to my field!"

"Oh no!" Now it was Shining Armor who was concerned.

"Now that she's on my field, my level 7 or higher spellcasters can't be destroyed by card effects. That makes my Magician of Chaos immune to your Ring of Destruction; you know what the means, Shining Armor. Now my magician and my life points are perfectly safe. Now that that's taken care of, my Upstart Goblin can finally resolve. I'll increase your life points by 1000 to draw a card from my deck."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 9000-

"Now then, Mana, Mahad, and Magician of Chaos. Attack Shining Armor directly." Isaac then thrusted his arm out as his magicians were ready to strike.

Shining Armor then put his hands up as he pretended to be scared. Then he changed his demeanor as he was now having a huge smirk. "That would work if it weren't for my facedown card. That is I activate, Negate Attack!" Just like that, Isaac's assault was brought to a quick halt; Cadance couldn't help but have a smile as she enjoyed watching her man go to work. "Your attack is negated and your battle phase immediately ends."

"Well done, Shining Armor. " Said Isaac as he gritted his teeth.

"Thank you." said Shining as he took in Isaac's praise with a cocky smile.

"You've bought yourself another turn, but I still have three powerful magicians on my field and you're left with nothing. It's your move."

Turn 5: Shining Armor

"I draw." Shining then looked at his opponent. "Isaac, I maybe have nothing on my field, but thanks to your Card of Sanctity, my hand is full. First, I'll activate this spell card, Forbidden Chalice. This card lets me negate the effects of one monster on the field and increase its attack by 400. I'll target your Palladium Oracle Mana, I don't want it's pesky effect getting in the way with the rest of my turn. Next, I activate Dragon's Mirror; this spell card lets me fusion summon a dragon from my Extra Deck by banishing its fusion materials from my graveyard. I banish Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and two Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my graveyard!"

"Oh no."

"Come forth, Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)!" Shining Armor now played one of his top monsters as it let out a fierce cry that caused everybody in attendance to be struck with terror.

"Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon!?" Isaac was now getting flashbacks on how this type of creature was a problem and made him a bit scared.

"My Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon has 4500 attack points and 3800 defense points, just like my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. But unlike my ordinary Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, this new and improved version is an effect monster. If I fusion summon it by using Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon as a fusion material, once per turn, my Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon can destroy 3 cards on your field." said Shining as he held up his fingers. "Since that's how I summoned it, I'll activate that effect. Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon destroy all three of Isaac's monsters." With a snap, it was over. Isaac had no magicians left.

Shining Armor then began to mock Isaac. "Now who's defenseless, Isaac? What? What? Tell me." said Shining as he put his hand over his ear waiting for Isaac to respond.

"My monsters may be gone, but their legacy will live on. I activate the effects of all 3 of my monsters. First, when my Palladium Oracle Mahad is destroyed, I get to special summon Dark Magician from my hand, deck, or graveyard."

"But you don't have a Dark Magician in your hand, deck, or graveyard. I've studied up on your deck and your strategies, Isaac. And I know that you only have one Dark Magician and you banished it with Chaos Form." Everybody else agreed with what Shining Armor was saying, well except Twilight who just laughed at how uninformed her brother was.

Isaac soon confirmed his belief. "Don't I? Look again, Shining Armor. While my Magician of Chaos is on my field or in my graveyard, its name becomes the Dark Magician. That means I can special summon it with Mahad's effect. Next, I'll use the effect of Palladium Oracle Mana, since she's destroyed, I get to special summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand, deck, or graveyard. Return Dark Magician Girl. Finally, I use the effect of my Magician of Chaos, since you've destroyed it by battle or by card effect after it was ritual summoned to the field. I get to special summon 1 Chaos or Black Luster Soldier ritual monster from my hand ignoring its summoning condition. Come forth, Magician of Black Chaos Max(2800/2600)!" Now Isaac had a couple more monsters as they appeared in defense mode. "My three magicians have been replaced by three more."

"For now, but they won't last on the field for long. I banish the King of Dragons and Deep-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard to special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon--Envoy of the End(3000/2500)! My Chaos Emperor dragon has 3000 attack points and I can special summon it simply by banishing a dark and light monster from my graveyard. Since the King of Dragons is a dark monster and Deep-Eyes White Dragon is a light monster, they're the perfect pair for summoning this powerful dragon. Next I activate this spell card, Dimension Fusion. By paying 2000 life points, this card lets us special summon to the field as many banish monsters as possible. Return to the field, Deep-Eyes White Dragon, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and two more Blue-Eyes White Dragons."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 7000-

Once Shining Armor filled his field with his army of monsters. Isaac was now staring in the face of six dragons as they all looked to tear him apart. The Wondercolts and Shadowbolts all started to feel sorry for Isaac having to be in such a position. Some of them wanted to shield their eyes to not witness what was about to happen. Then a thought occurred to Isaac.

"Impossible! You have six monsters on the field, you can only have up to five monsters on the field. Explain yourself, Shining Armor." demanded Isaac.

Shining Armor just let out a laugh at how misinformed Isaac was. "I guess you aren't familiar with the way they do things in the pro circuit, Isaac. Ordinarily, a duelist can only have 5 monsters on the field in their main monster zones. But now each duelist also has access to an 'extra monster' zone, specifically for monsters special summoned from the extra deck. As you can see, since my Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon was special summoned from the extra deck it's in the extra monster zone. That leaves room for five more dragons on the field for a total of six." said Shining as he held up his fingers once again.

"Incredible." said Isaac with disdain. "But I'm not out of this duel, yet Shining Armor. Thanks to your Dimension Fusion, I special summon my banished Dark Magician and Dark Magician of Chaos back to the field." Now Isaac had a field full of monsters as they were all placed in defense position. Pinkie even pulled out a camera and snapped a quick photo of her big bro with all his magicians. She wanted to show him the picture later.

"Now that our monsters are back on the field, their effects activate. I'll use my Deep-Eyes White Dragon's effect to copy the 2400 attack points of the luster dragon #2 in my graveyard."

"My Dark Magician of Chaos' effect also activates when it's summoned, allowing me to return a special card from my graveyard to my hand. I return Card of Sanctity." Isaac touched his screen and selected his card as it returned for him to grab.

"Now my monsters enter into battle. Deep-Eyes White Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Magician of Chaos! Chaos Emperor Dragon attack and destroy Magician of Black Chaos Max! Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon attack and destroy Dark Magician of Chaos! And Blue-Eyes White Dragons attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl! Double White Lightning Attack!!" With that there was nothing left as Isaac's monsters left in a blanket of smoke. "Fortunately, for you, since my ultimate dragon used its effect this turn it can't attack. But I still have 6 monsters on my field and you have zero." said Shining Armor as he pointed to Isaac. "In a duel between the two of us, our fields look exactly the way I'd expect them to look, Isaac. I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

"What the hell does Isaac do now!?" asked Rainbow who just looked in awe at how her friend was in a tough bind.

"Maybe find a place to hide." suggested Fluttershy in a soft tone.

"Dude, Shining's been turning it up from the get-go." stated Lemon Zest.

"Like I said, facts don't lie." smile Sugarcoat as she pushed up her glasses.

"We have to believe that Isaac can turn this around, he's got plenty of life points. Right, Twilight?" suggested Sunset.

"Maybe, but if he doesn't find a way to get rid of Shining Armor's field, then I'm afraid this is the end for Isaac." Twilight was scared at how Isaac could survive this, she prayed that he would find someway to pull a miracle like he always does.

Turn 6: Isaac

"I draw. First, I'll set three cards facedown. Next I activate Card of Sanctity, once again we each draw until we have 6 cards in our hands and I'm not done drawing cards yet, Shining Armor. Now I activate Pot of Desires, I banish the top ten cards of my deck facedown to draw two cards." Isaac then took out a huge chuck of his deck and add two more cards to his hand.

"What the hell is that kid doing?" asked Indigo.

"Yeah, doesn't he know that he'll need every single card he can get just to beat Shining Armor. It wasn't even worth it to banish a large portion of his deck just to draw two measly cards." said Sour Sweet.

"Maybe, big bro has lost it." said Pinkie with a concern look.

"No, there's a reason why Isaac did that. But what?" Twilight was also trying to wrap her head around Isaac's move.

"I'll continue my turn by activating a new spell card, Ledger of Legerdemain. This card lets me banish the top three cards of my deck facedown then during my third standby phase after activating this card, I get to add three of those banished cards to my hand." Isaac once again got rid of more of his deck.

"Again?" Rarity was dumbfounded that Isaac got rid of more of his cards.

"Land sakes, guess the city slicker really is starting to crack." stated Applejack.

"What the hell are you thinking, Isaac?" questioned Sunset. Both groups just couldn't figure out Isaac's game plan.

Isaac had a small smile on his face. "I have you exactly where I want you, Shining. I activate my facedown card, Polymerization. I fuse together my Crystal Seer, Old Vindictive Magician, Apprentice Illusion Magician, Mystical Elf, and Droll & Lock Bird!"

"Five monsters!?" screamed Shining Armor as he couldn't believe it.

"I Fusion Summon, Quintet Magician!" Isaac now had a powerful monster as it could compete with Shining's ultimate beast. "My Quintet Magician can be fusioned summon by combining any five spellcasters and unfortunately for you, as soon as it strikes the field, its effect activates. Since it was summoned by combining the spellcasters with different names all cards on your field are destroyed. Quintet Magician, strike down all of Shining Armor's monsters and the cards in his back row!"

"Hang on! I activate my trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf. This card increases my life points by 300 for each monster on both sides of the field; since there are 7 monsters on the field, I gain 2100 life points."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 9100-

Isaac was less than pleased. "You may have gotten a life point boost, but your monsters and remaining back row are still destroyed."

"Oh no!"

Isaac's magician then soared high into the air as it had a clear shot at Shining's dragons and pointed its staff at the field and launched a powerful spell. It caused some smoke to appear, but when it died down, there was still one monster left on Shining Armor's field. "What's this, your ultimate dragon is still on the field?" Isaac was confused on how it survived when it shouldn't have.

"That's right, Isaac. You may have destroyed the rest of my monsters, but my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon has another effect. My ultimate dragon can't be targeted/destroyed by card effects; that means your Quintet Magician's effect is powerless against it."

"Even so your other five monsters are now gone." stated Isaac.

"Which reminds me, I activate the effect of my Deep-Eyes White Dragon, as you already know, since its destroyed so are all of the monsters on your field. Say goodbye to your Quintet Magician!"

"It's a bit too early for that, Shining Armor. I guess you aren't aware of my Quintet Magician's other effect."

"Other effect!?" Shining Armor was now getting annoyed at Isaac.

"Like your Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon, my Quintet Magician can't be destroyed by card effects, That means your Deep-Eyes White Dragon's effect is powerless against it. And like your ultimate dragon, my Quintet Magician has 4500 attack points which means our two monsters are evenly matched. But before they clash, I'm summoning Sangan(1000/600) to the field. Now Quintet Magician attack and destroy Shining's ultimate dragon!"

"Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon counter-attack!" shouted Shining Armor.

"You're dragon is destroyed!!/You're magician is destroyed!!" they both shouted.

Both monsters collided with each other and just like the first time it generated a mass aftereffect. Both monsters were defeated as a giant hurricane wind came over the entire field as it caused every single person to hold onto themselves to avoid flying away. Isaac and Shining Armor both held their ground as they shifted their weight and covered up to avoid being flown back.

"Not again!!" shouted Rainbow. Both the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts were hanging onto each other till the wind died down.

"Now Sangan attack Shining Armor, directly. I end my turn."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 8100-

Now there was silence as everybody took in what just happened. Back and forth this duel was going and neither player was letting up. Both had hit each other with their best shot and it still wasn't enough to keep them down. Isaac and Shining Armor were just staring at each other; neither wanted to lose, but each were having a tough time keeping the other down. They both expected a battle, but this was just turning into an all out war. Cadance just looked on as she was concern with how her fiancé was handling this battle; Twilight was in the same boat as she was starting to worry about Isaac's stamina.

Turn 7: Shining Armor

"I draw. First, I activate Pot of Greed." Shining then picked up his cards. "Next I'll activate Swing of Memories, this card lets me special summon a normal monster from my graveyard. Take flight, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Just like that, Blue-Eyes appeared once again. "Next I activate the effect of my Neo Kaiser Glider, by discarding it from my hand along with one other monster, I can special summon another normal monster from my graveyard. I discard my Neo Kaiser Glider and Kaiser Vorse Raider; return to me, Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Now my Neo Kaiser Glider's other effect activates and it's sent to the graveyard. All monsters you control lose 500 attack points until the end phase. Oh my turn isn't even close to being finished, Isaac. I activate Polymerization; I fuse the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand with the two on my field. Come forth, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)! My new dragon has 4500 attack points, you're finished, Isaac. Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Isaac's Sangan!"

"I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder. This card negates your monster's attack and inflicts damage to your life points equal to your monster's attack points."

"You know, you're so predictable I knew you try something like that. That's why I was prepared, I activate Diffusion from my hand. This card splits my ultimate dragon back into 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons that were used to summon it; your Magic Cylinder is rendered powerless. Now I have 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons against your tiny Sangan. Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Sangan!"

"If you want to destroy my Sagan, you'll have to find him first. I activate Magical Hats." Now four hats appeared as they shuffled Sangan among them. "My Sangan is hiding under one of those four hats and before your dragons can get to my life points, you'll have to find my Sangan. Take you best shot, Shining Armor."

"Woah." said Dash. "Normally, Isaac does that move with his magicians, but this time he did with another monster."

"He had to sugarcube. Or else he would have lost this duel."

"Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack the rightmost hat."

"That's a miss." chuckled Isaac.

Shining Armor was getting angry. "Now my second Blue-Eyes, attack the middle hat."

"Hmm. Better luck next time." said Isaac with a smug as he gave a quick wink at Twilight which caused her to blush. Twilight was just enjoying herself, seeing her brother become frustrated.

"Fine. My third Blue-Eyes attack the hat on the left!" Shining Armor was now the angriest he'd been.

"You finally destroyed my Sangan, but unfortunately for you, that activates its effect. Now I can add any monster with 1500 or fewer attack points from my deck to my hand. I choose Kuribandit."

"You may have survived one more turn, Isaac. But there's no way you'll win this duel; I set one card facedown and a monster in defense mode."

Turn 8: Isaac

"I draw. I begin my turn by summoning Kuribandit(1000/700) to the field. Now I'll tribute it to activate its effect, Kuribandit's effect lets me reveal the top five cards of my deck. Any spell/trap cards revealed are added to my hand and any monsters revealed are sent to the graveyard." Isaac then looked at his screen and it project the cards for everyone to see. "I reveal Overdone Burial, Diffusion Wave-Motion, Magic Formula, Electromagnetic Turtle, and Clear Kuriboh. My Electromagnetic Turtle and Clear Kuriboh are sent to the graveyard, but the rest of the cards are added to my hand. Next, I discard Sorcerer of Dark Magic from my hand to activate Overdone Burial. I can activate this card by discarding a monster from my hand, then Overdone Burial special summons a monster from my graveyard with a level lower than that level of the discarded monster. The effect of the monster I special summon with Overdone Burial has its effect negated. Since I discarded my level 9 Sorcerer of Dark Magic to activate Overdone Burial, I can special summon my level 7 Magician of Chaos back to the field. Next, I equipped my Magician of Chaos with Magic Formula; this spell card gives my spellcaster 700 more attack points bringing it up to 3200. Making my Magician of Chaos the strongest monster on the field."

"You may have the strongest monster on the field, but my monsters still outnumber yours 4 to 1." said Shining Armor.

"But they won't for long, Shining Armor. I give up 1000 life points to activate Diffusion Wave-Motion; Diffusion Wave-Motion forces a level 7 or higher spellcaster on my field to attack all monsters you control plus the effects of any monsters destroyed by their attacks can't activated and are negated. Your four to one advantage is about to be eliminated, my Magician of Chaos will attack all your monsters."
Isaac's Life Points: 6000-
Shining Armor's Life Points: 7500-

"Your field of monsters is vanquished, Shining Armor."

Shining Armor then started to chuckle. It was so loud that everybody around started to wonder what was so funny. Isaac was surprised to see Shining Armor laughing that it caused him to be terrified. "Ha, ha, ha!"

"What's so funny?" asked Isaac.

"Oh listen, by destroying my Giant Germ, you fell right into my trap!"

"Impossible! Your Giant Germ's effect is negated thanks to the effect of my Diffusion Wave-Motion."

"I wasn't trying to use my Giant Germ's effect, Isaac. I just needed you to destroy it, so that I could activate this card. Crush Card Virus!" shouted Shining Armor.

Just then a virus then started to appear on Isaac's duel disk as it made its way into his deck. Isaac's duel disk then started to flash red as many of his cards were becoming infected; Isaac could see and feel the spirits of his monsters be hurt my Shining Armor's card. Then some of his cards then started to flash red. Isaac's eyes had become wide open. "What have you done, Shining Armor!?"

"I wasn't trying to infect your deck with a germ, Isaac. I wanted to infect it with a virus. The deadliest virus in all of Duel Monsters and it looks like I succeeded. When you destroy one of my dark monsters with 1000 or fewer attack points in battle, I can activate this trap card. And since my Giant Germ is a dark fiend with 1000 attack points, it fits the bill. As we speak my Crush Card Virus is infecting your hand, field, and deck. Now for the rest of this duel, any monster in your hand that has a draw with 1500 or more attack points is immediately destroyed; plus any monster on your field with 1500 or more is immediately destroyed and don't even think about special summoning any monsters with 1500 or more, Isaac. Because guess what they'll suffer the same fate as well."

"This can't be." said Isaac with sadness in his voice.

"You fell right into my trap, Isaac. Attacking my Giant Germ with your Magician of Chaos marks the beginning of the end for you and the first victim of my trap card is your Magician of Chaos. Since it's on the field right now and has way more than 1500 attack points, guess what. It's immediately destroyed." shouted Shining Armor with such happiness in his tone.

"My magician." Isaac was really starting to feel hopeless.

"Face it, Isaac. Without access to your best cards, you don't stand a chance. Not even the heart of the cards can save you now."

"Now that just plain rude by Shining Armor." screamed Applejack. "What kind of person does that to another duelist?"

"Yeah, forcing Isaac to watch his best cards be destroyed." Dash was starting to feel angry with how Shining Armor had tricked Isaac.

"What a meanie!" said Pinkie as she didn't like seeing her big bro be so helpless.

"Except that what he did was all legal." said Sunset. "He came up with a good plan and it worked in his favor, cause now he's in the lead and Isaac was just thrown for a loop. No matter what way you look at it, Isaac fell into a trap and now that may be what causes him to lose. Shining Armor did an expert play and showed Isaac just how much better he is." Sunset was showing a bit of respect for Shining Armor to pull off a move that really paid off.

Twilight just looked at Isaac with pity, she couldn't begin to understand what Isaac was going through right now. Not only did her brother outsmart her best friend; but now he was making Isaac watch his best monsters be destroyed in front of him and there was nothing he could do. She just clutched her heart and she let a few tears drop.

It doesn't look good, but I have to trust my deck and find a way to win. I can't give up. Isaac was trying his best to keep his hopes up. "When my Magician of Chaos was destroyed, so was my Magic Formula and when Magic Formula is sent from my field to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"1000 life points will make no difference at all, Isaac. Not anymore, nothing will stop the Crush Card Virus from tearing apart your deck and nothing will stop me from winning this duel!" said Shining Armor.

"I end my turn."

Turn 9: Shining Armor

"I draw." Shining Armor then picked up his card as it was the only one in his hand. "How pitiful, you ended your turn without a single card on your field, but I guess that's the best you can do with my Crush Card Virus devastating your deck. I assure you, Isaac; my turn will be far more impressive. First, I activate Pot of Extravagance. I banish 6 random cards facedown from my Extra Deck to draw two cards, now for the rest of the turn, I can't draw cards from my deck. But that won't be a problem, I activate Chaos Form. This card didn't do you a lot of good, Isaac. But I'll make sure to make better use of it, I banish a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard to ritual summon Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon(4000/0) from my hand."

"4000 attack points!?" said Isaac.

"That's right, Isaac. And it also has a couple of effects that you might want to hear about. First, my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon can't be targeted/destroyed by your card effects; second, anytime it attacks a defense position monster it inflicts double piercing battle damage."

"Incredible."

"It's over, Isaac. Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon attack Isaac directly." Shining Armor commanded his monster.

"It's not over yet, Shining Armor. I activate the effect of the Clear Kuriboh in my graveyard, by banishing it from my graveyard, I get to draw one card from my deck. If its monster, I can special summon it to the field." Isaac then put his hand on his card as he let out a breath. He had only one chance to save himself. "I draw. I've drawn Kuriboh, instead of special summoning it to field, I'll activate its effect. I discard it from my hand to take no battle damage from your Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon." Just like that Isaac had managed to dodge Shining Armor's attack.

"Classic Isaac, using that small guy to stay alive in this duel." said Sunset.

"Tell us, does Isaac ever not have that little fuzzball in his deck?" said Sour Sweet.

"Never!" all the girls replied in unison. It caused both groups to let out a laugh as they thought about how Isaac and Kuriboh were inseparable.

"Face it, Isaac. You're only delaying the inevitable defeat; you have no cards in your hand or on your field. Defeating my Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon will be impossible, maybe you could have defeated it if your monsters weren't infected with my Crush Card Virus. But with my Crush Card Virus in effect, you don't stand a chance. It's your move."

Turn 10: Isaac

He's right, I've considered every card combination remaining in my deck, there's no way for me to defeat his Blue-Eyes Chaos MAX Dragon. No, I can't think that way. I can't give up. "I draw. I activate Draw of Fate, if my life points are lower than yours and you control the strongest monster on the field, I can activate my Draw of Fate spell card. This card lets me select 3 cards from my deck and put them on the top of my deck in random order. Then I get to draw one of those cards and for the rest of the turn, I can't set any spell/trap cards and I can't activate more than one card or effect."

"Talk about a big gamble from Isaac." said Indigo Zap.

"Clever move, Isaac. By manipulating your next three draws, you can guarantee that you won't draw a monster susceptible to my Crush Card Virus. But if you think that will be enough to save you in this duel, oh man, you're delusional."

"I draw a card with my Draw of Fate." Isaac then looked at his card. "I end my turn."

Turn 11: Shining Armor

"Another turn wasted. It's my move." Shining Armor then drew his card. "Perfect, I activate Monster Reborn. This card lets me special summon a monster back from either graveyard. I choose my Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon." Now Shining Armor had two powerhouses on his field as they looked to finish off Isaac. "Remember my ultimate dragon, it has 4500 attack points, 3800 defense points, and it can't be targeted/destroyed by your card effects. Yeah, alongside my Chaos MAX Dragon, I'd say your odds of winning have just been cut in half. But what's half of zero anyway, Isaac? Now my dragons take flight and attack Isaac directly and end this duel!"

Now everybody was leaning forward as they were about to see Shining Armor be declared the winner. And there was nothing that Isaac could do... Or was there?

"This duel isn't over yet, Shining Armor. I activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, by banishing it from my graveyard, I can end the battle phase. It looks like I'll be getting another turn." said Isaac.

"If you insist. Go ahead and take another turn; draw your last pathetic card, Isaac."

Turn 12: Isaac

This is it. There's only one card that I can draw that will turn this duel around. But what if I don't draw it; I can't think like that. I have to believe that I can turn things around. It's like I always say put my trust in my deck and it will trust in me. Isaac closed his eyes and let out a deep breath. Heart of the cards, guide me. "I draw." Isaac then looked at his card. "Since three turns have passed, since I activated my Ledger of Legerdemain, I add these cards I banished with its effect to my hand. Now I have the perfect five cards I need to defeat you, Shining Armor. "

"You're bluffing!" said Shining Armor.

"Am I!? I activate this spell card, Burial from a Different Dimension. This card allows me to return three banished cards to their owners graveyard, I'll use it to return The White Stone of Ancients, Blue-Eyes White Dragon, and the King of Dragons to your graveyard. Next I activate Soul Release, this card lets me banish any five cards that I choose from any graveyards. I banish Giant Germ from your graveyard and banish Mystical Elf, Droll & Lock Bird, Kuriboh, and Old Vindictive Magician from my graveyard."

Everybody in the crowd hadn't the foggiest clue on what Isaac was doing. Even Shining Armor was confused on why Isaac had done what he did. "What are you planning?

"You're about to find out, I discard Dark Magic Twin Burst from my hand to activate Double Spell. By discarding a spell card from my hand, Double Spell lets me select a spell card in your graveyard and activate it on my side of the field. I choose your Dimension Fusion; I give up 2000 life points to force both of us to special summon as many banished monsters as possible."
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Have you forgotten that any monster you summon with more than 1500 attack points will be immediately destroyed!?" shouted Shining Armor.

Isaac just had the biggest smug grin on his face. "I'm not planning to summon any monsters with more than 1500 attack points, Shining Armor. I special summon Clear Kuriboh, Electromagnetic Turtle, Mystical Elf, Droll & Lock Bird, and Kuriboh." Now Isaac's enter field was full of monsters as they appeared in defense position. "Since each of these monsters have fewer than 1500 attack points, they're all unaffected by your Crush Card Virus. And since your Giant Germ is banished from the duel, you must special summon it to your field."

Shining Armor's Giant Germ then reappeared. "Fine, I'll summon it in attack mode."

"Now I have you right where I want you." said Isaac as he had a huge smile.

"Impossible!?" Shining Armor was starting to get a bit worried based on Isaac's expression. "What's the last card in your hand!?"

"I tribute Clear Kuriboh, Electromagnetic Turtle, Mystical Elf, Droll & Lock Bird, and Kuriboh. I've told you once and I'll tell you again, Shining Armor. My deck has no pathetic cards, but it does contain the unstoppable Exodia! Come forth, Exodia the Legendary Defender(?/?)!"

The moment that Isaac said that, everybody lost their shit. All the students couldn't believe their minds as they witness Isaac's new monster come out. Sombra, Celestia, and even Cadance had the biggest jaw drops as they were in disbelief that Isaac had managed to obtain such a card. Both the Wondercolts and Shadowbolts didn't know what to say or think. Shining Armor was now the most scared as he started to sweat hard as Isaac's Exodia stared him down and even his dragons starting to let out small whimpers.

"Exodia!? How can this be!?" yelled Shining Armor who was in too much shock to comprehend the situation.

Isaac just gave him a smile as he explained. "Exodia the Legendary Defender is a new addition to my deck that I added for such an occasion. I can tribute summon it by tributing the monsters from my field and if I do, Exodia the Legendary Defender gains the attack points and defense points equal to the total attack points of the monsters tributed. I carefully selected the monsters to tribute so that their combined attack points total is higher than that of the stats of your Giant Germ, but lower than 1500. Since two of the monsters I tributed have zero attack points, two of them have 300 attack points, and the last one has 800 attack points. My Exodia the Legendary Defender has 1400 attack points, making it unaffected by your Crush Card Virus."

"That Exodia is nothing like the real thing. It's feeble stats just barely make it strong enough to defeat my Giant Germ; on my next turn, my two dragons will wipe out Exodia as well as whatever is left of your life points." commanded Shining Armor.

"There won't be a next turn, Shining Armor!" said Isaac as he was about to finish this duel. "Exodia the Legendary Defender also has a special effect, when it destroys a dark fiend in battle, I automatically win the duel and since your Giant Germ is a dark fiend."

"No way!!!!!" screamed Shining Armor as he brought his hands up to grab his head.

"Yes way!!!" Isaac then looked to his friends as they started to chant his name and cheer him on. Isaac looked at Twilight who was cheering the loudest as she was about to witness her best friend bring this duel to a close. With that Isaac gave her one of his signature thumbs up and smiles. "The very monster you relied on to infect my deck with the Crush Card Virus was also the weak link that has assured your defeat, Shining Armor. Now all I have to do to win this duel is attack your Giant Germ with Exodia the Legendary Defender."

"This can't be happening!?"

"Alright everybody reading this, if you know the line then say it with me. Exodia! Obliterate!!!" With that Isaac thrust his hand out and Exodia laid waste to Shining Armor's field as he put his hands up to try to defend him but it was for nothing. The attack flung him back as his life points dropped to zero.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Silence. There was nothing but silence. All there was the heavy breathing that Isaac was doing as he was sweating his ass for pulling off such an upset victory. Then the crowd started to stand as they gave a hearty round of applause; Celestia, Sombra, and Cadance also stood on their feet as they showed their appreciation for being able to witness such a spectacle of a duel. They everybody started chanting at the top of their lungs 'This is awesome!'. Isaac took in the view as he slowly put his arm up after going through such a grueling fight; he then collapsed as he fell to his knees. Just then Isaac was tackled to the floor by Twilight who had jumped over the barricade and threw herself as she hugged Isaac tightly.

"You did it! You actually did it!" said Twilight. She couldn't believe that her best friend had actually managed to pull off a win from behind and actually beat her brother. Twilight was so happy that she didn't want to let go of Isaac. Which wasn't good for him.

"Look Twilight, I'm glad that you're happy for me. But can you please let me go? You've got a strong grip all of a sudden." Isaac was having a bit difficult time to breathe as Twilight wasn't letting him go, not to mention that they were in a bit of an awkward position seeing as how Twilight had caused them to fall on the floor with her on top of him. Isaac tried to get her off, he even asked the rest of the girls for help to which they just looked on while laughing.

Cadance had made her way to Shining Armor who had just sat up as she bent down to check on him. "You okay, honey?" she asked.

"Yeah, just thrown for a loop, but I think I'll be okay. I have you don't I." Shining Armor then grabbed his fiance's hand and kissed it which caused Cadance to giggle and blush a bit.

Cadance then stood up with Shining Armor as they looked at Isaac being held down to the ground by Twilight as she still wasn't letting go of him. Cadance then spoke. "Isaac really is someone special, huh. I can see that he's got some great things ahead of him."

"Yeah, he really is one of the best to ever grace this game. I could only imagine that he could potentially be the next King of Games." said Shining Armor as he agreed with his fiance on that statement.

"Speaking of which, do you think he'll make Twilight happy? I mean she doesn't seem to be letting go of him, anytime soon." Cadance said slyly as she saw the way both their eyes sparkled and saw the special connection they shared.

"Hey now, you may be all for it, but I'm still her big brother. Which means that I need to still watch out for her if she takes any interest in a boy." Shining Armor still was protective of his LSBFF, but he saw that Isaac was someone who wouldn't do anything to hurt her. With that they both made their towards the fallen couple.

Isaac and Twilight noticed that Shining Armor and Cadance were making their way towards them. Twilight noticed this and finally let go of Isaac as she did her best to ignore the blush on her face and to avoid her brother on getting the wrong idea. Isaac then stood up as he wasn't being held down and could finally catch his breath as he looked at the newly married couple in front of him. Shining Armor then stepped forward a bit as he stared Isaac down.

"Congrats, kid. You did it." Shining Armor then stuck his hand out. "You'll make a fine duelist and I hope that you continue to always keep smiling and keep making others happy with your style of dueling."

"Thanks Shining Armor; you were my toughest opponent I've definitely faced." Isaac then stuck his hand out as he shook his hand to signal the respect that both had gained from each other. "I wish you the best of luck with your career, and that you both have a happy life." said Isaac as he congratulated the happy couple on their engagement.

Shining Armor then pulled Isaac a bit closer so that only him and Cadance could hear what he said. "By the way, take care of my sister. You have my approval."

"Huh?" Isaac was confused at what Shining Armor had told him. He looked at Cadance for some clarification to which she just giggled as that confused Isaac even more. Eventually he let go of Isaac's hand as Shining Armor and Cadance then took a bow together as they waved to their fellow peers and gave one last kiss to each other as they were ready to move on to the next phase of their life.

Isaac then made his way back to Twilight's side as they watched the happy couple have their moment. Twilight was super happy that not only would her brother become a great duelist, but that she would gain a great sister in-law. Soon everybody started to give congrats to Shining Armor and Cadance's engagement, as Pinkie had managed to make them a quick 'Congrats on getting married' party in such a short amount of time. To the happy couple this was the start of their next step in their journey, but for Isaac and his friends they still had tons of things left to do.

(Author's Note)

Author's Note

Wow... just wow. Talk about a duel that had everything. Emotion, passion, electricity, the back and forth action keeping you on the edge of your seat. Not to mention a callback to a famous scene. Honestly, this feels like it could be ranked as a five-starred duel, though I think that may be exaggerating it a bit. In a previous author's note, I mentioned about having the longest chapter I've written, well this is it. As it stands right now this chapter has the most words that I've written so far. I'll be honest, when I wrote this chapter about a month or so ago, it took me 9 hours to write and edit this. This is definitely one of my most favorite chapters to have written and not just because of the duel. This is one of the many reasons why I love this game; anyways hope you all enjoyed it as well as I know for sure it gave me goosebumps. Before I head out, I found a video online and thought I'd share it with y'all. That's it from me and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 57: Stuck in the Library

Safe to say that after the amazing match at Crystal Prep between Isaac and Shining Armor, nearly everybody had a culture shock and a half. The students who were watching the duel in the auditorium of Canterlot High also felt alive. Luna had stayed behind to keep an eye on the students, but even she found herself invested in the duel. Still everybody enjoyed the spectacle they got to watch, as CHS felt a little boastful that they beat Crystal Prep. However, that attitude would soon change as something even more scarring was approaching: Finals!

The next few weeks, were spent with the teachers going over the material that was going to be covered on the test. So all the students were doing their best to cram all the information into their head. Thankfully it would be all rewarded as they would have something waiting for them. Celestia and Luna thought that all their students needed some way to kick back and relax, so they came up with a small camping trip that would last a couple of days. After finals was over, all the students would be taking a field trip to Camp Everfree. To which many were looking forward, except one person.

"So, mind telling what Camp Everfree is?" asked Isaac.

"It's basically a way for us to get away from society and enjoy the relaxation that the woods and nature has to offer us." said Sunset. "Think of it as a long, extended vacation that will allow us to recharge our batteries."

"I'll say, after this crazy school year, it'll be good to finally get away from any sort of crazy magic stuff." said Rainbow as she was sitting in a tree branch above her friends.

"Nothing like the great outdoors to take our mind off things." noted Applejack.

"Imagine all the little woodland critters we'll see and the gentle breeze flowing through your face." said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, all that won't mean anything if we don't pass our final exams." Isaac's comment caught the attention of all the girls. "Principal Celestia did say that if we don't get passing grades on our finals, then we wouldn't be able to go on the trip." Then the school bell rang, with that the Canterlot group all made their way to their classes.

It was grueling few weeks, but everybody was doing their best to try to pass their last exams. Ms. Cheerilee was currently grading some paperwork, but she wasn't alone. Isaac was currently helping her to grade some papers as well as looking over the results of the kids in terms of their dueling. Suffice to say, that Isaac's position as a teacher's aid was something he really enjoyed. Other than the fact, that Celestia made sure he was paid for his efforts. Isaac didn't mind the money, as he would have taken the position even without the extra incentive. Right now they were both going over some last minute grading.

"Thanks for the help, Isaac. But are you sure you have the time, don't you need to study for your exams?" asked Ms. Cheerilee.

"It's fine, Ms. Cheerilee. I don't have that many left, so it's fine if I take a break. Plus this helps me to take mind off of some stress." assured Isaac.

"Very well then. I can handle the rest of the papers, but what I'm really having trouble with is coming up with some sort of final test for the kids in terms of Duel Monsters. I know it's not something that they should worry about, but I feel like I want to see how far they've come since they started paying attention to your lessons. I've never seen them become so invested like this before and it's because they've got such a great teacher."

"Well, I hardly call myself a teacher. I'm just dedicating my time to helping out the kids; when I was their age, I didn't have anybody to teach me the mechanics of the game. So I felt like it was only natural to give back and give others a chance that I didn't have. Plus it's kind of fun, the kids love it when I teach them something new, especially when I bring in others." Isaac then thought about Ms. Cheerilee's predicament. She wanted to find some way to test the knowledge of the little ones, since they first started learning under Isaac's supervision. Isaac then came up with an idea. "This might sound crazy, but what if they had something else instead of a normal test."

"What do you mean?" Cheerilee had raised an eyebrow at Isaac's comment.

"What I'm thinking of is, what if they spent the day playing some games instead of taking a test? Let me explain." Isaac then began to explain his plan; he suggested that they have some games while also implementing some Duel Monsters knowledge. For example, one of the things that Isaac suggested was a Matching Game that would require the person to find a pair. However, instead of numbers it would have a picture of monsters and their effects on the back of the card as they tried to find a match. Another thing Isaac suggested was Pin the Wings on Kuriboh; Magical Hats Roulette, in which the kids would try to find the Duel Monster plushie under the hat it was hiding. Isaac even wanted to do a scavenger hunt in which he would hide tons of cards.

Ms. Cheerilee was bit dumbfounded by Isaac's proposal, but once he started to explain his plan and come up with a couple of games, she started to approval it. Not to mention that a small part of her wanted to also try some of the games. So with a plan in motion, Isaac decided that he would need some help from Pinkie to help set this up. Overall, he knew that the kids were going to enjoy what he had planned. Ms. Cheerilee did suggest that if Isaac could entertain the kids by having one final duel for them. As much as Isaac wanted to, he still had to prep for his final exam, so he told her that if he found time then he would stop by and give them a spectacle. With that it was nearing the end of the day, as Isaac left Ms. Cheerilee's classroom.

Isaac felt bad that he couldn't promise the kids he'd be there to give one final duel, but he really did have to study for his last remaining exams, especially his most difficult subject: Physics. Isaac just couldn't wrap his head at the subject, he understood the basic stuff, but after that it was like his mind was just staring off into the distance. Thankfully, Isaac's other subjects were something he was comfortably in, so he had more time on his hand to understand this frustrating shit. So with a heavy heart, Isaac then started to make his way to the library as he was in for a rough time. When Isaac first stepped foot in the room, he saw a couple of students already choosing a spot and were filled with tons of papers and books around them as they were sweating really hard. With that Isaac began to look for a spot where he could get some peace and quiet as he really needed to focus on understand the subject.

Isaac had a tough time trying to understand Physics, that he was barely making any progress from what he already knew. Time had flown by as the announcement was made that the library would soon close in fifteen minutes. Most students were hurrying up and packing their stuff up as they prepared to leave the place. Isaac was so busy that he didn't hear the initial announcement. Soon five minutes passed, then ten minutes.

"Ahh! Why this is so hard!?" screamed Isaac. "What's the point of Physics, anyway? It's not like I'm going to use this shit in everyday life!" Isaac then looked around as he was expecting some students to hush and tell him to keep quiet. Just then an announcement was made.

"The library is now closed. It will reopen in the morning." said the P.A. system.

Isaac looked around and true enough, there was nobody there. Isaac then let out a sigh, "Well this is just great." He knew how it was frowned upon on students who were still there when it was closed. Given that he was studying in one of the closed off cubicles, when they did their nightly sweep to make sure that no students were still there, they didn't see Isaac. "Well the good news is that I won't get bitched at for being here so late. The bad news is that I'm going to be stuck here until the morning, not to mention that mami and papi are going to be wondering where I am. Great." said Isaac with disdain. Isaac then approached the door and tried to see if they were open, but unfortunately they were locked. After a couple of tries, Isaac just shrugged and then made his way back to his current position.

"Well the best I can do is get some more studying in..." Just then the lights turned off. "... before they turn off the lights." Isaac just hung his head in despair as he couldn't believe this was happening to him. Out of all things to happen to him, this was the one that the universe choose to throw at him. Isaac knew there wasn't much he could do, so he decided on the next best thing, which was finding some place to sleep. Thankfully there were a couple of couches in the library so Isaac decided to head out of his study area and proceeded to try and find one.

That proved easier said than done, given that it was dark and Isaac's eyes hadn't fully adjusted to the darkness around him. The only light that was available was the light from the street lights shining in through the windows and that wasn't much help. Isaac moved slowly as he knew it was bad to run in the darkness; he wound up stumbling around and even fell over a couple of chairs. Safe to say that the pain wasn't making this any easier, eventually he found a couch over by the windows. The primary thing that Isaac really hoped for was that there wasn't any security cameras in that place, because if there was, he'd get busted for sure. Possible get detention.

Isaac then positioned himself as he laid down on the couch. He didn't mind sleeping here as he slept on couches in the past, the problem was that the couch he was on was anything but comfy. Eventually some time had passed as outside the moon had just rose and even more street lights were lit, not to mention that the room became a bit more visible with the moonlight. Still Isaac woke up with some sore muscles and slightly fatigue as he couldn't get some sleep. Based on how high the moon was in the sky, it looked close to about 15 minutes to 9 o'clock. Then the worst thing happened as his stomach let out a growl.

"Great, just great," he said. "Now not only am I stiff from the couch, but I'm hungry as well. All that studying killed my brain cells." Isaac then rubbed his stomach. "I know some people can go a couple of days without food, but that's just torture. How can you just forget about eating, I'll never understand those folks who do fasting?" Just then Isaac heard something as he heard footsteps not too long after that. He knew there wasn't anybody else beside him; the janitor had already done his shift, so it couldn't be him. With that Isaac then knelt down and grabbed his duel disk from his backpack and slotted in his deck. He put in on and had his finger over the button as he prepared to defend himself.

Then the footsteps started to get louder as they were drawing very close to his position. Then the person stepped into the moonlight as it was none other than Twilight who had her hand in front of her face as she shielded her eyes from the blinding moonlight.

"Twilight?" said Isaac.

"Who's there? Show yourself." said Twilight with a slight fear in her voice.

Isaac then stepped out of the shadows for her to see. "It's me, Isaac."

"Isaac, is that you?" asked Twilight. Isaac then nodded his head. "Oh my gosh, what you doing in here?"

"Well I came to get some more studying in and well time flew by so fast, that before I knew it, I was trapped in here. What about you, I guess you got locked in too?" he suggested.

Twilight gave Isaac a slight smile, "Not really. I find ways to purposely get myself locked in so I can study more." She then laughed a bit, "I'd do that at Crystal Prep too and doing this really helps my grades."

Isaac just gave her a nervous chuckle. "I can imagine. You're really smart, but damn are you a nerd! Purposely getting locked in so that you can study to your heart's content. Even I think that's a bit much, even for someone like you."

"I told you don't call me that!" said Twilight as she didn't like it when people said that, especially her best friend.

"Fine, bookworm! You happy!?" stated Isaac.

"I be more happy if you don't call me that, I mean you don't see me calling you a geek for knowing so much about Duel Monsters." fired back Twilight.

"Please, I can handle being called that since I'm a guy. But you suddenly find it offensive when I call you that, you know it's true." stated Isaac. "And don't try to deny it, cause you're terrible at hiding it. Especially with your facial expressions."

"Whatever." said Twilight as she rolled her eyes. "Anyways, I heard some noise and I went to check it out. And that's when I bumped into you. Is everything okay?"

Just then Isaac's stomach began to rumble even louder. "Well considering that I'm locked in here till the morning with no food and some slightly uncomfortable sleeping arrangement, I think I'm doing just fine." said Isaac with a sarcastic tone.

Twilight then motioned for Isaac to follow her and said, "Follow me, I have some food with me."

Isaac's initial thought was, Who the hell brings food with them to the library? He then remembered how Twilight said that she would purposely get herself locked in the library. Still it proved his point that Twilight was definitely a nerd, and it allowed him another point for him to bring up should he get in another debate with Twilight. As it turned out, she too was in one of the study cubicles and when they got there, she had a lot of food in there with her. "Wow," Isaac commented, "you came prepared didn't you?"

Twilight replied, "I did." She then motioned for Isaac to join her and continued, "Come on in, I have more than enough for both of us."

Now all she brought with her was bread, peanut butter and bottles of water. It wasn't anything fancy, but it definitely beat having nothing at all. Once they sat down, Isaac was then sitting across from Twilight as they enjoyed their dinner in silence. Twilight was able to pass a couple of glances at Isaac while he was eating, but then quickly put her head back down as she briefly blushed a bit. Isaac was too focus on filling up his appetite that he didn't notice it. Soon Isaac found himself full of energy as his brain was back to functioning.

After what was a rather quick dinner full of awkward silence Twilight asked, "So, what were you studying when the library closed?"

Isaac replied, "I was studying physics. Can't wrap my head around the damn thing."

She said, "I was too. Want to study together?"

Isaac then looked at her and a lightbulb went off in his head. "Of course, how can I be so dumb. I should have just asked you for help, I mean you've proven that you're smart enough to pass any test without studying. It's one of your natural talents. Maybe I won't fail after all."

"Oh thanks." said Twilight as she turned a bit red at Isaac saying that she had a natural talent at being smart.

"I'd love too. Just let me go and get my books." Isaac wasn't to surprised that she would be studying the same thing, but it thrilled him that she wanted to study. More so that he found a way for him to finally understand what all this stuff meant. At first, it seemed like fate had given him a bad hand. But Isaac was able to make the most out of it and was now on a roll.

Once Isaac grabbed his stuff and returned to the cubicle, Twilight gave her a smile and suggested, "Let's get started shall we?"

Isaac agreed and they began to go over the material. It started out rough, but thanks to Twilight's natural ability she was able to help Isaac understand what stuff meant and he was starting to get less of a headache. Isaac was even a bit surprised when Twilight came over to his side of the table and plopped down next to him. He didn't mind, but it felt both weird and nice. Eventually they decided to take a break; given by the moon's position, Twilight was able to indicate that only an hour had passed since they started. Isaac was so busy studying the material that he didn't notice that time was moving slow. Soon she suggested that they head out to one of the couches and simply talk. They just talked about normal stuff, eventually a question came up.

"So Twilight, what are your plans for after graduation? I know it's a bit far off for all of us, but couldn't hurt to have a plan." asked Isaac.

"Well to be honest, I plan to attend Everton University here in Canterlot. They have a well known card designer program. I told you about how I have interest in becoming a card designer. What about you?" replied Twilight. "I expect that you have plans to become a pro duelist, I mean based on how everybody is amazed by your skills. Even my brother offered his praises."

"As nice as that would be, I don't know if that's really what I want to do. Everybody says that I could have a good run if I decided to enter the pro circuit. And not to say they're wrong; it's just that I feel like I could do something else. Who knows, we've still got quite a ways before that happens. Till then, I'm just going to take it one day at a time and live it to the fullest." said Isaac as he pounded his chest.

"It's nice to know that you choose to live your life like that. Also no matter what you choose to do with your life, know that I'll always be here to support you." Twilight then slowly grabbed Isaac's hand when she said.

Isaac looked at Twilight and saw that she was smiling while having a small bit of red. It caused him to smile as well, and some red of his own to form. Eventually they noticed this and both turned their heads as they tried to avoid the awkward silence that came. Soon Twilight broke the silence.

"Well, it's getting late. We should probably get some rest."

"Yeah, you're right. We still got some last minute exams tomorrow." said Isaac.

So with that Twilight and Isaac began to plan out their sleeping arrangements. Twilight had come up with the weird idea of creating a bed made from books. To which Isaac just laughed as he found it silly to think that someone would even sleep on that. Surely nobody would ever come up with such an idea and go through with it. Isaac was fine with sleeping on the floor, since he had done it in the past whenever he visited some of his relatives who had tons of guest over. However, Twilight was against that idea as she didn't want to feel the hard, cold floor against her body. It seemed both were against each other's suggestions. The only other option was to sleep on the couches, but based on Isaac's previous experience, he wasn't a big fan of it. Plus there would only be room for one person.

It took some thinking on both individuals, but they eventually pushed a pair of couches together to create some sort of bed. Now there was plenty of room and when Isaac tested it out, it felt much more comfy than it did before. So with that Twilight then started to lie down, but Isaac still remained on the side. Twilight then pulled out a blanket from her backpack and looked at Isaac with confusion.

"What's wrong, aren't you going to sleep on your side?"

"Yeah... about that... look it's just that ... well..." Isaac was having trouble putting together his words.

"Well what?" said Twilight.

"Just that it's kind a bit awkward, you know... a boy, a girl, in bed together." Isaac started to roll his hand as a way for Twilight to piece together what he was saying.

Twilight then figured out what Isaac was saying and it caused her to turn her head to the side as she blushed. "Yeah, I see what you mean. But I don't mind; when I was little, I got scared of sleeping on my own from time to time. In that case, I would sometimes go to my brother's room and sleep with him. So I don't mind sharing the bed with you."

"You sure, I could just sleep on the floor. I don't want you to get uncomfortable." suggested Isaac.

Twilight nodded. "I'm sure, just don't try to anything funny." said Twilight, but she knew that Isaac would never do something like that. So with that Isaac got on his side of the couch as they looked at each other and prepared to get some sleep.

Both of them had their backs turned as they started to get some sleep. Some time had passed when Twilight felt something against her back. She quickly turned her head and saw that Isaac was shivering a bit despite wearing his signature hoodie. He was currently grabbing his arms as he tried to keep himself warm, not to mention that his teeth chattered against each other. Twilight then covered Isaac with some of her blanket to which he immediately stopped shaking and had a smile form on his face. Twilight then had a smile form on her face as she turned back to her side and fell back to sleep.

Soon the morning came as a few birds started to make some light chirps. There was a couple of sunlight rays that pierced through the window as it fell on Twilight's face. Twilight then began to stir, slowly waking up from her sleep. She opened her eyes as she grabbed her glasses; once she put on her glasses and her vision returned, she immediately blinked at the sight in front of her. She started to notice she was holding something, or someone. She blushed intensely when her vision finally came into focus... She was cuddling Isaac.

"Ahh-" Twilight quickly silenced herself by putting her hand over her mouth. She then did her best to get out of her current position. She slowly let go of Isaac and quietly backed away from him, the blush never leaving her cheeks. "I-I-I-" Twilight was having trouble trying to form a sentence.

Just then Isaac began to stir as her silent freakout was enough for him to let out a yawn as he opened his eyes. Isaac then sat up as he began to rub his eyes. "Morning, Twilight." Isaac then stretched his limbs as he saw that she was acting a bit weird. "Is everything ok, your face is kind of red?"

"Of course, everything is fine. Why wouldn't anything be fine; I mean it's not like I woke up in an awkward position and was cuddling up to you to stay, right?" said Twilight as she was trying to hide the fact of what happened when she woke up while playing with her hair.

"Ok..." said Isaac as he was unsure what Twilight was rambling about.

Twilight then looked up at a nearby clock and suggested, "What do you say we get out of here before we get caught? We certainly wouldn't want that!"

Isaac thought that was a good idea, but the a thought crossed his mind. "But how, the doors aren't open yet and if we try going through the entrance, we'll get caught."

Twilight gave him a smile, "Follow me and everything will be fine."

Isaac then got up and began to grab his stuff as he followed Twilight. He wasn't sure where she was leading them but given that she did this on purpose on what sounded like a regular basis, Isaac knew she'd be able to find a way for them to get out unseen. She must know the library very well because she led them into the back into a hall that had a door at the end of it. Twilight then opened the door and they began to navigate their way through what amounted to a dimly lit hallway.

The walk seemed to last forever until right before they got to what was another door. Twilight pushed it open and it led to the outside of the school on the backside. Isaac gave her a smile and commented, "So that's how you manage to never get caught!"

Twilight replied, "Yes it is." She then gave him a smile.

Another thought then crossed Isaac's mind. "Wait a minute, if you knew about this secret entrance, then we've could have gotten out a long time ago!" shouted Isaac.

"Well you didn't ask!" shouted back Twilight. "Plus I kind of saved your ass by sticking around and helping you to study for the exam, so I'd think that deserves any apology." pouted Twilight as she crossed her arms.

"Oh don't give me that you..." shouted Isaac.

Soon it turned into a full on argument as both him and Twilight began to yell at each other. Thankfully, their wasn't anybody nearby as they could definitely hear the noise these two were making. It seems this conversation was going nowhere so Isaac decided to be the bigger person and apologize to lay the issue to rest.

"You're right, you did help me to prepare for my exam, plus not to mention the other things you did for me while we were locked in there. Alright, I'm sorry. That make you happy." said Isaac.

"It's a start." said Twilight as she got rid of her pouting face and had replaced it with a small smile. Twilight was kind of happy that she got locked in the library. It allowed her to study, but also spend some time with Isaac. Despite their awkward position, she still felt a sense of comfort/warmth when she was cuddling next to him. She didn't have much time to dwell on her thoughts as the school bell rang to signal the start of the school day.

"Well we better get going, or else all that studying will be for nothing." said Isaac. "Hopefully, all that study we did is enough to help me pass."

Twilight just giggled. "Don't worry, I think you'll be just fine." With that they both left as they headed towards their classroom.

Chapter 58: Camp Everfree

"One last time: Backpack, bathroom necessities, extra clothes, food/snacks, first aid..." Isaac was currently going over his camping checklist as he was preparing for the field trip that Celestia and Luna had organized for his class as a way to relax from all that has happened this past school year. To many students, they saw this as the official start of their summer vacation. Nothing but, enjoying the sunny weather and not worrying about school.

"Well I think that just about covers it. What do you guys think?" asked Isaac.

"Well, according to the list that your principal gave to you and your parents. I think that you are all set, master."

"I believe so, Mahad." Isaac then checked off his checklist. "Thank you, Twilight. Seems the list she created for me really paid off."

"Hold on, aren't you forgetting something, Isaac?" said a female voice.

"What, Mana?"

Isaac's Dark Magician Girl then pointed her wand at his duel disk and his deck. Isaac quickly realized what she was saying as he palm faced himself.

"Of course, how can I forget. To think I almost left my deck behind; thanks, Mana."

"Pleasure to help." said Mana.

Isaac then made sure to put his duel disk in his backpack. Isaac then finished the last of his packing as he now had his duffle bag full of the things he needed for camp. Once everything was packed, Isaac then flopped on his bed as he let out a sigh. "Now that's everything."

"Indeed it is, master. But excuse me for speaking out of turn, but do you think that you really need to take your cards with you? Shouldn't you enjoy the wonders that your principal has plan for you? Not to mention that this trip is to help you get away from dueling."

"You know that's not going to happen, Mahad. Anytime, there's a chance that allows us to kick back and relax, there's usually someone whose hell bent on challenging us. Plus, I also want you guys to experience this trip with me. It's no fun if I can't share it with you guys. Besides, this is a way for all of us to relax." said Isaac.

"I suppose. Forgive me for asking such a foolish question, master. It will not happen again." Mahad then bowed his head to Isaac to show his respect.

"Geez, Mahad. How long will you keep referring to Isaac as master? He's told you that you don't have to be formal with him; it'd be so much easier for us all if you just called him by his name." suggested Mana.

"Pardon me, if I'm looking out for the master's best interest. You know that our duty is to protect and to make sure that should a problem arise, we respond in a moment's notice. I've let you off by calling the master by his name, Mana." said Mahad with a stern attitude.

"As if." said Mana with disbelief. "Unlike you, I choose to treat Isaac as a normal person and not some master and servant relationship. Even when we were growing up, you were always talking about your duty to fulfill to our late great pharaoh. And you really took it to heart when we grew up and he became king; always treating him with stuff like 'Your highness'; and 'My king'. Honestly, I thought you were a different person."

"Perhaps, we'll talk about your mishaps growing up. Huh, Mana? Cause if I remember correctly, you were always the one to cause mischief and trouble for our pharaoh. The only reason why I acted so strict was to keep you in check and to make that our pharaoh didn't follow your example. Not to mention your magical mishaps that would always occur around the palace. I still remember that toad incident." Mahad was now having flashbacks to all the messes he had to clean up from Mana's magical outbursts.

Isaac couldn't help but laugh at how both of his magicians were acting. To think that they were acting like normal human beings brought a smile to his face. He then got their attention. "You see, this is why we all need a vacation; we need to learn how to relax and not worry about some crazy evil magic trying to take over the world or something like that. Besides, when the last time you guys ever got to be just normal people. This might be a good way for you two to see how things have changed since you both were last alive." Both Mahad and Mana understood what Isaac was saying that they couldn't help but nod. "Now that we all agree on something, mind telling me some more stories from the both of you? Like how Mahad didn't know how to have fun?"

Mahad was less than pleased with the request of his master. Mana just broke into laughter as she quickly got to work telling Isaac about the both of them growing up and how Mahad was always a strict individual. Soon it turned into some embarrassing moments as both Isaac and Mana broke into laughter while Mahad just looked on as he face palmed himself. Soon it was time for bed and Isaac made sure to do one final check. With that both Mahad and Mana wished him a good night and returned back to the spirit world; Isaac then got into bad as he was excited for what tomorrow would bring.

The morning came and Isaac was excited to say the least. He woke up and got ready as he made some quick breakfast and said goodbye to his parents. Before he left, Isaac's mom said a quick pray to make sure that her son returned back safely. Isaac assured them that they didn't have to worry, so he gave them one final kiss and hug. With that he said goodbye as he would see them at the end of the week. Isaac had just arrived at the school parking lot when he noticed the bus pulling up. Soon he checked in with Vice-Principal Luna who put his luggage in the compart below the bus and then made his way on the bus. Once Isaac got on the bus, nearly everybody started to talk and create noise among themselves. Eventually Isaac found a seat in the middle of the bus. He was able to see the rest of the girls as Applejack and Rainbow Dash sat in the seat in front of him. Sunset and Pinkie were behind him, while Fluttershy and Rarity were seated across from him. Soon Twilight joined them as she had brought Spike with her. Seems Celestia and Luna were kind enough to allow her to bring a pet; eventually they all said their hellos as she decided to sit next to Isaac. This time Spike just gave Isaac a lick as he knew that he wasn't any danger.

Soon both Celestia and Vice Principal Luna made sure everybody was here as they signaled the bus driver to get on the way towards Camp Everfree. With that our group was off to enjoy a week long vacation. It was a pretty decent while that passed as the girls were conversing among themselves about the plans they were going to have once they got there, as well as, what they had planned for the summer. They all knew that summer was coming up and they all wanted to make the most of it before school started back up in the fall. While the girls were talking, Isaac just looked out the window as he looked at the scenery pass him by. Then Isaac pulled out his deck and held it up at the window to allow all of his monsters to see the view. Both Mahad and Mana appeared as they too were taking in the sights from the window.

Isaac decided to pass the time by looking at some videos on his phone; he was currently watching a recording of a duel he watched when he was a kid. It featured the same duelist that Isaac watched growing up and he was showcasing his skills as he played his Dark Magician. While Isaac was watching the video, he pictured himself in that position. Just then his attention was caught offguard.

"What you looking at big bro?"

"Ahh, Pinkie! Don't sneak up on me, you almost gave me a heart attack." said Isaac.

Pinkie just giggled at how Isaac acted. "Sorry big bro. It's just that we're gonna to have so much fun! We're gonna roast marshmallows and eat marshmallows and sleep on marshmallow pillows."

"Wait, what?" said Isaac with a surprised tone.

"Yeah, probably not going to do that." said Rainbow as she turned to address Pinkie's comment.

"Maybe you're not." said Pinkie as she pulled out what appeared to be a clear pillowcase full of actually marshmallows.

"Should I even ask where you got that to begin with, little sis?"

"Don't even try to justify it, Isaac. Just chalk it up to: It's Pinkie Pie, don't question it." said Sunset as she didn't want to Isaac to have a headache.

"Believe me, I already know what that feels like. I still haven't recovered from that headache." Isaac then began to rub his forehead as the memories of trying to understand Pinkie in the past came flooding ton him.

"Attention, students, we're almost there. But before we arrive, we just want to say how proud we are of all of you. You've all done such a good job that we thought you'll deserved a reward. A way for everybody to not only start summer on the right foot, but to create some special memories." said Celestia.

Luna the spoke up, "When we were your age, we made some of our favorite memories in these woods, we're sure you will, too."

"Now who's excited for Camp Everfree!?"

Celestia's question was met with a rowdy response as the students all cheered and started making some noise. Isaac just rolled his eyes as he continued to look out the window. Then the celebrations got even louder.

"Who's ready to sing some road trip songs!" shouted Pinkie.

"Oh no." said Isaac. And as if on cue, music started to play as the students began to sing along to the song. Meanwhile, Isaac just tried to tune it out. He did admit that the song did have a nice beat.

Soon the song ended just as they had just reached their destination. One of the many things that Isaac noticed when they arrived is that it had a large sign on the front entrance way that said 'Camp Everfree'. Once they got into the parking lot, everybody started to get off as they collected their bags. Isaac got off and he could see the many wonders that this place had to offer. There was thousands upon thousands of trees that covered the forest ground. There were a couple of lodges/houses to which had signs on them like 'Mesh Hall', 'Counselor's Office', etc... Not to mention a giant lake that had a dock and was surrounded by lots of sailboats and canoes. More importantly, was the fresh air that Isaac was experiencing. Being from the city meant that he grew up in a place that had tons of smog in its air supply. But here, Isaac could actually smell/feel the difference.

"Ahh, now that is some air." Inhaled Isaac as he filled his lungs with clean O2.

"I know." said Fluttershy as she took in the scent around them. "Isn't Camp Everfree just beautiful? I can't wait until we have our first nature walk."

"I just lookin' forward to roughin' it. I'm gonna make my own shelter, forage for food..." said Applejack as she grabbed her bag from the bus.

"Uh, you know they provide us with food and tents, right?" said Rainbow as she walked past Aj.

"Yup! Still gonna forage though." chuckled Applejack.

Isaac was busying unloading the last of Rarity's bags, as she had requested his assistance. Safe to say that Rarity went overboard by packing more than enough. In fact, most of the bags in the bus were hers alone. Isaac just finished unloading the last of them when he finally ran out of strength and sat down on one of them. "Did... you really... have to... go overboard... with luggage, Rarity?" said Isaac as he was catching his breath.

"Sorry, darling. But a lady must always be prepared for any situation she might find herself in. Thanks by way." She then gave Isaac a kiss on the cheek as a reward for his hard work. "To be honest, I'm just after some R&R." said Rarity as she let out a sigh. "The past year has all been a bit too much for my tastes."

"I'll say! We've fought one ridiculousness competitive rival school, stopped a maniac from wreaking havoc using an Egyptian God card, and two demon friends!" said Pinkie as she quickly looked at Sunset and Twilight who was standing next to her. "Uh, heh-heh, no offense."

"None taken." said Sunset as she wrapped her arm around Twilight. "You'll get used to it."

"Yep. Canterlot High really has become a regular magic magnet as well as for trouble. Gonna be nice gettin' away to a place where we don't have to worry about that kinda stuff." said Applejack.

"You're telling me!" shouted Isaac. "Let's not forget that I'm the one who solved all those problems. If anybody needs a vacation, it's me." All the girls laughed at Isaac's exaggeration. Just then they all heard a P.A. system go off.

"Hey, everyone! If you could start heading to the courtyard, that would be rad! It's time to start the best week of camp ever!" said a voice over the speaker.

Soon everybody all made their way to the courtyard. Upon arrival they saw a pair of people standing in a gazebo. The person who had the microphone was a girl who had light green eyes and had a pale amaranth skin tone. Her hair consisted of two tones of moderate raspberry. Standing next to her was a guy who was slighter taller. He had grayish green eyes and had a light tangelo skin color. His hair had two shades of dark aquamarine. Once everybody gathered around, the girl then began to speak.

"Hi everyone! Welcome to Camp Everfree! I'm Gloriosa Daisy, your camp director! Think of me as your friendly camp and nature guide. And this is my younger brother, Timber Spruce!"

"Think of me as that awesome guy... who should always be invited to fun things." said Timber as he took the microphone away from his older sister.

Gloriosa then grabbed the mic back. "We aim to please, so before we hand out our tent assignments, we'd like to hear from all of you. You're free to do whatever you like here."

"Uh, except hike near the rock quarry. That's off-limits." said Timber as he interrupted his sister.

"Y-Yes, but otherwise, your options are wide open. So what activities will make this the very best week of your lives ever?" asked Gloriosa.

"Ooh! Rock Climbing!" shouted Dash.

"Done!" shouted back Gloriosa.

"Archery!"

"Of course!"

"Tetherball!"

"Naturally!"

Just as Rainbow was about to shout something else, Sunset grabbed her hand. "Rainbow, I know you're excited, but maybe give somebody else a chance to make a suggestion."

"Yeah, maybe something that doesn't just revolve around you being a showoff." said Isaac.

"Arts and crafts!" shouted Bulk Biceps, which caused everybody to look at him with raised eyebrows. "My mom... needs new pot holders."

"I'll supply the looms!"

"Cookie decorating!" said Pinkie as she licked her lips thinking about it.

"Ooh, I make a mean sugar cookie." said Gloriosa.

"Early morning nature walks?" said Fluttershy softly.

"With walking sticks for everybody!"

Rarity then raised her hand. "Ooh! Me! Oh, uh... a fashion show! Where I design the most fabulous camp looks inspired by today's hottest trends and have them modeled by my classmates in a gorgeous outdoor setting!" Isaac just rolled his eyes at Rarity's answer.

"A camp tradition!"

Timber was surprised by his sister's answer. "We have literally never done that."

Gloriosa just ignored her brother's response. "I'll be taking requests the rest of the time you're here, so if there's anything you'd like to do, anything you need, just ask." While Gloriosa said this, her brother looked and saw Twilight who just waved at her to which she did the same, while showing a very small amount of red.

Celestia then spoke out. "What about the camp gift? That was my favorite Camp Everfree tradition."

"The camp gift! Of course!"

"Really?" whispered Timber.

"Yes, really." she said back in a whisper.

"Well, I just thought—"

"Then you thought wrong!"

"Anyone else picking up on a little tension between Gloriosa and her brother?" said Sunset.

Both Pinkie and Twilight let out a response, " Ehhh..."

"A little." said Pinkie.

"It's probably nothing more than siblings just being siblings," said Isaac. "I'm sure it'll work itself out."

Gloriosa then spoke to the campers again. "Every year, campers work together to create something useful. A gift for future campers. Working toward this common goal is key to forming the strong bonds that will last well beyond your time here at camp! Which is why it's so important." Gloriosa said to her brother so that only he could hear. "This gazebo was a gift from last year's group. Oh, oh, oh, and the totem pole and the sundial were also made by campers!"

"The sundial was our year's gift!" chimed in Celestia.

Luna then took offense to that. "Even though 'some people' thought it was a little impractical, since the sundial can't be used at night."

Gloriosa just chuckled. "You all seem like a really amazing group. So I'm certain you'll come up with something inspiring to leave behind." The campers all agreed with Gloriosa's response.

Timber then decided to speak up, "Speaking of leaving things behind, now's the time when we give out tent assignments so you can leave your heavy bags behind."

"Uh, girls will be getting their assignments from Timber. Guys, you're with me." With that everybody broke off to get their assignments.

"Well that's my cue, see you girls in a bit." said Isaac as he left to get his tent assignment/sleeping arrangement.

All the girls lined up as they reached into the sack and saw their tent assignments.

"Oh, boy! Hmm... Yay! I'm in the Emerald Tent!" shouted Pinkie.

"Ooh, me, too!" said Rarity.

"Aquamarine." said Applejack as she read the name off her card.

"Me, too!" shouted Rainbow who shared a fist bump with Aj.

"I got Amethyst." said Fluttershy as she waved at her roommate who was none other than Vinyl Scratch.

"Sapphire." stated Sunset.

"Me, too! I mean, I'm assuming I am. Heh-heh. Technically, sapphires aren't just blue. Heh-heh. They can be pink, purple, yellow..." Twilight was starting to ramble.

Just then Timber overheard this and offered his two cents. " Yeah, but they're mostly blue. That's why they're named after the Latin word sapphirus." He then whispered to Twilight to explain. "That means 'blue'."

Twilight then whispered back. "I know. But did you know that sapphires are just rubies without chromium?"

"No. But did you know that Sapphire Tent is the best one?"

"No. Why's that?" asked Twilight.

Timber then took her card as their fingers lightly rubbed against each other, which caused both to blush a bit. "Because you're in it."

Twilight just rolled her eyes as she took back her card. "Oh, I bet you say that to all the campers."

"Not true." Timber then turned to Bulk Biceps to prove his point and try his effort to impress Twilight. "You're in the Ruby Tent? Ha! That's the worst one!"

"Aw, man!" shouted Bulk as he cursed his luck.

"I'm just jokin', buddy. Ruby Tent is great. It's like a sapphire but with chromium." It seemed Timber's comment went over Bulk's head as he didn't understand a single word that was said to him. Twilight couldn't help but to let out a small giggle. "But the Ruby and Coral Tents do look an awful lot alike to the undiscerning eye. I better show you where it is." He then gave one last response to Twilight. "See ya around."

Sunset and the rest of the girls just watched the little interaction that they witness with their friend.

"What?" asked Twilight as she was confused with what they were giggling about.

"Heh. Nothin'." said Applejack.

"Ooh! That was adorable!" said Rarity as she made a face.

Isaac was just watching what was happening from a far. He was still waiting on getting his tent assignment, when he noticed the girls get theirs. He also noticed the little interaction between Timber and Twilight, but didn't know what they actually said. He also saw the girls making fun of Twilight by letting out some small giggles. "Wonder what they were talking about? Probably nothing that I should be worried about." said Isaac as he scratched his head. Just then it was his turn to receive his tent assignment.

"Alright, it looks like you're the last person. Name, please." asked Gloriosa.

"It's Isaac."

"Let's see..." Gloriosa then check her clipboard until she found Isaac's name. "Ahh, here it is... oh my!" said Gloriosa as she took a double take as reading Isaac's profile.

"Is there a problem?" asked Isaac.

"It's just that you're ranked as Canterlot High's duel champion. In all my years, I've never had someone from Canterlot High be ranked as the top duelist. It's been years since that's happened. That being said, you get a special place." said Gloriosa.

"Look, Ms. Daisy..."

"Just call me, Gloriosa."

"Gloriosa, I don't want the special treatment. I may be ranked as the champion, but I'm still just another student/camper. No need to play favoritism, I'm perfectly fine with whatever tent I'm put in." Isaac didn't want to be given special stuff based on his rank, to him it served sort as a way to brag. If he was going to receive that, he wanted to be rewarded for his efforts and not his status.

"I insist. I want to make sure that your time here at Camp Everfree is a wonderful one. Plus, it's been a while since I've had a camper who was the champion. So with that being said, instead of sharing a tent with someone, I'll move you into a separate tent that you'll have all to yourself. I'll put you into the Topaz Tent." Gloriosa then gave Isaac his card, which had a picture of a yellow jewel/gem on it.

Isaac took the card from Gloriosa and looked it over, before turning back to her. "You really don't have to do it. I'm fine with sharing."

"Nonsense, I insist. I'll have my brother bring your stuff into your tent after we've all gotten settled in." With that Gloriosa left to check on the other campers, before Isaac could make an argument. "Well, looks like I'll have plenty of room." said Isaac.

Gloriosa then blew a whistle to get everybody's attention. "Okay, everyone, go get settled in. We'll be meeting at the docks in fifteen minutes to go over some camp safety rules. Let me know if you need anything!"

Just then a limo rolled up and out came a man. He wore a fancy suit and had a smug look on his face. He had light azure eyes and grayish amber skin color. He also had dark gray hair with lighter highlights. The man also had little money symbols on his tie and a little pin that he was wearing. "I need somethin'."

"Filthy Rich! So nice to see you." said Gloriosa as she hopped of the gazebo and pulled him to the side. "What are you doing here?! Camp is just getting started!" she whispered so that nobody could hear their conversation.

Filthy Rich just replied with a smug look. "Just takin' in the scenery, Gloriosa Daisy. It's so... hmm... relaxin'." The way he sounded sent a Gloriosa into an angry face.

"Well, you can look around when camp is over. Now, if you don't mind..." Gloriosa then stood her ground as she looked at Filthy Rich to which he did the same.

"Fine." he said. With that Filthy Rich then got back into the limo as he told his driver to leave and with that he was gone.

Gloriosa then turned back to address the campers who watched the scene in front of them. "Filthy Rich is, uh, an alumni of the camp. He likes to check on his old stomping grounds every now and again. But enough about him. Find your tents and put away your things. We've got the best week of camp ever to begin!" Gloriosa did her best to downplay the situation which seemed to work as the students began to find their tents.

Isaac paid close attention to the situation with Gloriosa and Filthy Rich. He couldn't exactly hear what they were talking about, but the way they stood gave Isaac enough information that something was off. "Interesting... something is up." said Isaac based on their body language. With that he then made his way to join the other campers as they went to find their tents.

Everybody had settled in and found their tents. One of the most strict rules was that the boys and girls were to be separated. Thankfully, there was about a few feet that separated the boy's side from the girls. All of the girls had finally gotten their proper placements, Rarity was currently walking alongside Applejack.

"I'm all for learning safety rules, but I do hope I can get started on my designs for the camp fashion show sooner rather than later." said Rarity as she let out a sigh.

"Huh. I still can't believe you talked Gloriosa into havin' a fashion show. We're in the middle of the woods, for cryin' out loud! We're s'posed to be roughin' it!" screamed Applejack as she couldn't believe that they were doing something so foolishly.

"It's clear from Gloriosa's own wardrobe that she appreciates a well put together look. Even if we are in the 'middle of the woods'."

"Fair enough. Just as long as you don't put me in one of yer fancy pants outfits. ...You're gonna, aren't ya?" As soon as Applejack said that, she immediately regretted ever saying something.

"No. Yes!" chuckled Rarity as she had a big smile on her face. "Don't worry, darling. It'll absolutely speak to your personal sense of style..." Rarity was doing her best to convince Applejack. While they were talking they passed by Sunset's and Twilight's tent.

Sunset was currently unpacking her clothes from her bag. She grabbed a flashlight as she tired to put on a scary face. "Oooooooohhhh...." She then turned it off and began to think back on what had happened. "That was weird back there, right? With that guy, Filthy Rich?"

Twilight wasn't pay much attention to Sunset's question. She was just thinking about something as she sat on her bed. "Huh? Oh. Uh, I guess so."

"I just have this feeling that Gloriosa's hiding something." Sunset then decided to turn the tables on Twilight. "Her brother is pretty cute, though, huh?"

"He's okay." said Twilight not trying to make such a big deal while showing a small bit of red.

Sunset now had Twilight right where she wanted her. "Ooooh, now look who's trying to hide something." Sunset was trying to get a confession out of her.

"No, I'm not!" said Twilight quickly as she tried to deny what Sunset was implying.

"I wonder how Isaac will take this news?" Sunset was really trying to mess with her friend.

"What!? What does Isaac have to do with this!? It's not like he mind!? Besides, if he did, he's not the jealous type?" said Twilight.

"I didn't say that he was, you did." said Sunset with a smug look.

Twilight knew she fell for a trap and immediately started to turn red from embarrassment. "Whatever you do, don't tell Isaac!? Just keep this between the two of us!?"

"You know he'll find out eventually." said Sunset with a sly smile.

Meanwhile Isaac had just arrived at his tent. He enter in and compared to the other tents that the other campers had, it wasn't that much different. Other than having much more room, he did have a couple of special trinkets. Like having his own outhouse next to his tent, as well as having a small mini fridge. Not to mention that he had a special view of the lake as he was a few feet away from the other tents. Isaac then noticed a small device on the table as he looked at it, he was so busy looking at it that his finger pressed a button.

"Device activated. Identification in process." The device then started to scan Isaac's hand as he didn't have time to respond. "Scanning complete. Id verified."

"Huh?" said Isaac as he was confused on the device.

The device then projected a holographic message which explained its functions. One of the many functions was that it served as a search engine as it could look up any Duel Monsters card; the main thing was that it had a ton of pictures that were posted on it as well as videos. From what Isaac could tell it seemed to be pictures of Camp Everfree from the past, he even found a couple of pictures that looked like Gloriosa Daisy and her brother, Timber Spruce. The crazy thing was that they were very young in those photos.

"So these must be photos from the past. Other times of Camp Everfree." Isaac noticed that as he looked closer at the photos, he could see the camp getting worse and worse. "What could this mean?" The device then shut off which left Isaac with more questions than answers. Just then the entrance of his tent opened up as in stepped none other than Timber Spruce.

"Alright, well here's your stuff." Timber then placed Isaac's bag on the floor. "Hope your accommodations are to your liking, champ." he said.

"It's fine, I can take it from here. Plus you don't have to call me, champ. Isaac is fine." He then extend his hand out for Timber to shake which he did.

"Honor to meet you, Isaac. Got to say, it's been awhile since we've had someone be ranked as champion while attending Camp Everfree. The only other time that this happened was during the time my parents ran this camp, but that was so long ago. So I take it that you're a big fan of dueling?" Timber asked.

"You could say that." replied Isaac. "In fact, it's been a part of me since I was a kid. Ever since I saw my first live duel, I became in love with the game." Isaac then pulled out his deck and looked at it while saying his statement. "What about you?"

"I've had my fair share. Of course running a camp as director takes up a lot of time, so I really don't have time to practice my skills. But I'm by no means rusty; I still know how to throw down. Hey, mind if I ask you something?" asked Timber.

"What is it?" said Isaac as he prepare to unpack his things.

"You know that girl who wears glasses and has a ponytail?"

"You mean Twilight?" said Isaac.

"That's her name, fits her. Anyways, I was wondering if you have any advice on how I should go about approaching her?" asked Timber.

"Why me?" said Isaac as he was confused by Timber's sudden request.

"Well call it a hunch, but I feel like you have experience when it comes to this sort of thing. I mean you're the duel champion of Canterlot High; I expect you to have tons of girls trying to get a chance to be with you."

"Hate to disappoint you, but unfortunately that's not the case." Isaac reassured Timber. "Despite being the champion, I'm afraid I don't have that many girls who are interested in me. Other than teaching the younger students at school and preparing myself for every challenger that is thrown in front of me, I don't have that much time to pursue a romantic interest. Though I doubt any girl would be interested in me, I mean I'm not that special. I'm just some normal human being who happens to have a passion for Duel Monsters."

"Oh, well sorry to hear that. But don't give up, I'm sure that you'll find someone. But maybe you can still help me, I mean other than that reason, I assume that you're best friends with her. So maybe you could tell what her interests are so that we could have something to talk about."

"All I can say is if you want her to notice her, then why just strike a conversation with her." Isaac had finally finish unpack his stuff. "But if you really want to know about her, then let me think." Isaac then began to think what exactly made Twilight special. "Well I know that she's smart, not too mention that she loves to read books. She's also a big fan of dueling in general. Other than that she's a pretty girl that can't stand not being in control of stuff. I can't tell you how many times I've had to calm her down from her freakouts; also she really loves her friends. The best thing I can say is just be yourself and see if she has the same feelings towards you." Isaac did his best to give all the info he knew about Twilight.

"That makes sense. Thanks for the advice, I knew I can count on you. Well time to make my move." Timber then started to make his way out. "You're alright in my book, kid. I'm sure you'll find some girl to be with; never give up." With that Timber left Isaac to himself.

"Glad I could be of service. Hope Twilight doesn't mind, if anybody deserves to have someone to be with, it's her." Isaac let out a smile as he grabbed his deck and looked at the schedule Timber had left behind for him. Once Isaac finished settling in, he then started making his way out of his tent and down to the dock. Isaac was able to see his fellow peers enjoy themselves. They all were wearing their Camp Everfree t-shirts as it served as a sort of dress code; Isaac didn't mind wearing such a shirt so he compromised by wearing his hoodie over his shirt which was much more to his liking than just wearing the plain shirt. Soon the spirits of his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then appeared as they took in the sight that was in front of them.

"Was wondering when you guys show up, well what do you think?" asked Isaac.

"I'll say this master. Compared to the deserts of Egypt, this place is a lot more filled with color and scenery." suggested Mahad as he took in his surroundings.

"Are you kidding, Mahad!? This place is way better than Egypt. Not to mention a lot more suitable, we don't have to worry about suffering out on the hot sun all day. Plus there's a lot more fauna around here for us to see; if I was still human I wouldn't hesitant to jump in the lake and cool myself off. You're lucky, Isaac." said Mana as she was happy with what she saw.

"Well nice to know you like it Mana. So it really is much better than what you are guys are used to?" asked Isaac.

"Far more suitable, master. I'll admit the weather is a bit more pleasant than we're used to. Not to mention that the flowers and the plants are much more beautiful than what we expected. Not much greenery grows in the hot deserts of Egypt; it truly a wonderful sight to behold." Mahad let out a small smile as he looked towards the woodland and saw the many flowers. Just then some woodland creatures came out and stopped in front of Isaac. The animals just sniffed Isaac and the air around them; Isaac just gave them a quick wave. Once they caught a whiff of his scent, the animals could see the spirits of his monsters and were on their way.

"Such cute creatures, you definitely won't find those in Egypt." Mana couldn't but smile as she adorned the cute little animals that passed them. "By the way, I overheard your discussion with Timber. Must say, it's a bold move on your part to help him get Twilight to notice him. You sure that you're not regretting your decision?" asked Mana.

"Mana! I've told you not to interfere in master's personal business. What he does is his own concern, we have no right to interfere; our duty is to make sure that he's safe!" Mahad was starting to get angry that his own student was listening to their master's private matters.

"I was making sure he was safe, Mahad. After all, I wanted to make sure that he didn't regret helping out that man." said Mana.

"Why would I regret helping, Timber?" Isaac was confused by what Mana was saying.

"Oh, you're not worried about being jealous?"

"Jealous of what?" Isaac was really confused as he raised his eyebrow at Mana. She just simply giggled and told him that sooner or later he'll find out.

With that Isaac continued on his way, as the spirits of his monsters disappeared. Mahad was scolding Mana as they vanished, as he wasn't too happy with the behaviors of his student. Isaac now saw the dock up close and personal and it was refreshing; there was a slight breeze coming from the lake that hit him in the face. Isaac was able to see some of his friends.

"Lake activities are available every day until sunset, so if you want to canoe, sail, windsurf, or swim, just let me know." said Gloriosa Daisy as the students were near the lake.

"Aren't they just the cutest?" Fluttershy was sitting on the side of the bench as she was feeding and talking with some ducks.

Twilight had passed her and also quickly glanced at the ducks. She wasn't seeing where she was going as she was walking backwards and stepped on a piece of wood that split and caused her to fall backwards. She would have hit the dock had it not been for someone to catch her.

"Whoa! I know I'm charming, but you don't have to fall for me." said Timber as he had successful caught Twilight from falling and hurting herself. Twilight let out a smile as she appreciated him saving her.

Isaac watched this scene play from a far. "Well seems he's got Twilight's attention. Good to know our talk was helpful." Just then Sunset had joined him by his side who had also seen the same scene play out.

"Weird that you're not doing anything?" said Sunset as she had a bit of slyness to her face.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Isaac.

"You know, seeing Twilight hang out with Timber?"

"You too? First, my Dark Magician Girl and now you. Is there something I'm suppose to do?" Isaac was really confused on what Sunset was trying to get him to say. "All I'm doing is just watching Twilight have fun, seems the advice I gave Timber worked."

Sunset raised an eyebrow at Isaac's answer. "What advice?"

"Earlier, when I was unloading my stuff into my tent; Timber stopped by as he brought in my bag. We got to talking and well he told me he wanted to get Twilight to notice him. He thought that since I was the champion, I would have experience with this sort of thing. He thought that I had tons of girls interested in me, but I had to tell him that wasn't true. Despite being popular in terms of dueling, I don't have much time to pursue a romantic interest much less find someone who would be interested in me." said Isaac as he shrugged his shoulders. "So he asked for some advice and well I told him all about Twilight, what she's like, her interests, etc... In the end I just told him to be himself, and it seems to have worked."

"Anybody ever tell you you're just too nice for your good? Not to mention a bit naive. You sure that you won't get jealous?"

"Again, what do I have to be jealous about!?" shouted Isaac as he was getting annoyed with Sunset's question. He then made his way to join the rest of the crowd as Sunset just had a small smile as she looked at Isaac. She then joined the rest of the students as they all looked at the broken piece of wood.

"This is a safety hazard. I suggest we close down the dock for the remainder of the camp." The students all groaned at Luna's suggestion.

"Oh, I'm sure it won't have to be for the remainder of camp. Just needs to be patched up a bit. I've got this!" said Gloriosa s she did her best to cheer everybody up.

"Huh. Or maybe we do! If you ask me, this whole dock needs to go." Applejack then hit another support beam to show that it too was ready to fall. "Building a new one could be our camp gift. Sure, it would benefit us, but a nice new dock would benefit future campers, too." Applejack's response was met with a wondrous ovation.

"I don't know. It's an awful lot of work. I wouldn't want you guys to miss out on doing other fun camp stuff because you're so busy building a dock for future campers." Timber was giving his sister a dirty look as he said that.

Before any tension could escalate Dash popped up. "I hear what you're saying, Timber, but we're Canterlot Wondercolts. We've got a reputation to uphold! And there was no way we were gonna leave this place without contributing the most awesome camp gift ever! I'm with AJ. Building a new dock is definitely it! What do you guys think?" Dash's comment was also met with some cheers.

"Looks like it's settled, then." Gloriosa made sure to look at her brother.

"Looks like it." replied back Timber.

"That's some tension, all right." said Sunset.

"For once, I agree." Isaac then thought back to the photos he saw on the device in his tent.

Some time later the students were getting to work on rebuilding the dock as they gathered the materials. Meanwhile, Isaac and the girls were going over the blueprints on how it was constructed. Isaac had taken the responsibility of drawing what the girls wanted. "Alright, got the piece of paper. Lay it on me girls, any ideas?"

"We can reinforce the foundation." Twilight then pointed at the support beams and offered her advice.

"Make it nice and sturdy." added Applejack.

"And we can add a wood-carved sign that says 'Camp Everfree'." said Sunset.

"And little boxes with food so you can feed the ducks and fishes." Fluttershy wanted to also make sure that the dock was home to the wildlife.

"Oh, we'll add lanterns so you can see at night!" Offered Rainbow Dash.

After all the weird suggestions, Isaac had finally drawn a picture of what the dock would look like. It took some time to get it right, but in the end he had gotten what all the girls wanted and the design was simple and amazing. Isaac then wiped his forehead. "Well what do you girls think?"

Rarity let out a gasp. "It's stunning! And will make an absolutely perfect runway for my camp fashion show!"

Everybody else just shot Rarity a look for that being her first initial thought. Thankfully, Applejack did her best to get her on the right track. "More importantly, it will be a great place for docking canoes and feeding the wildlife."

Seem that went over Rarity's head. "Oh, you say 'tomato', I say 'perfect place to showcase glamorous boho-chic stylings'."

"Well you guys better be appreciative that I was to draw this thing up." shouted Isaac. "Now are we going build to this thing or not!?"

Celestia then made her presence known, "It's going to be a lot of work, but we can do it!"

"Yes! Adult supervision!" yelled out Pinkie.

"Oh no!" Isaac knew that Pinkie was going to cause mischief. "Pinkie don't do anything reckless!" shouted Isaac as he went after his little sis to make sure that she didn't cause trouble.

Soon some time had passed as everybody was starting to fix the dock. Rainbow Dash was currently hammering in some nails, when Applejack approached her. "Huh, nice hammer. Where did you get it?"

"Uh, duh. The toolbox?" said Dash as she had a raised eyebrow.

"Hah, that's cool. I made mine." Applejack then showed off her handmade hammer as it was made from pieces of wood.

"Ugh." groaned Rainbow.

"Come on, AJ. Nobody likes a showoff, isn't that right, Dash?" Isaac's comment caused both girls to shoot him some dirty looks while Isaac just gave them a slick smile. He then left before they decided to hurt him; he then saw Twilight and Timber talking with each other.

"Making lanterns out of solar-powered garden lights! Pretty crafty there, Timber!"

"You think that's crafty? You should see my macaroni art. I'm like the Picasso of noodles." Timber had managed to cause Twilight to giggle.

Isaac just watched this little display from a few meters away. He couldn't help but to let out a smile as Twilight being happy. He was about to make his presence known when Celestia shouted out an announcement. "All right, now. You've made a lot of progress, but it's going to be getting dark soon. We can pick this up tomorrow between our other camp activities."

"Everyone, get cleaned up, and we'll gather by the fire pit at eight to share s'mores and scary stories!" said Gloriosa.

"S'mores!" shouted Pinkie as she had bags of marshmallows between her arms.

"NO!!" shouted Isaac. "That's even worse! Pinkie!!" Isaac knew how crazy his little sister could get with sweets; so he pulled out a military hat and prepared himself for the danger that was coming and chased after her.

Everybody had gather round the campfire as they began to regale each other with scary stories. Currently, it was Rarity telling a story and her tale was well... how should we say... unusual. " ...And that's when she looked down and realized she was wearing purple socks with a burgundy dress!" Rarity then let out a scream, "Purple and burgundy, darlings! The same color family!"

Everybody just had black stares on their faces as they looked at Rarity. Soon they began to murmur amongst themselves. Isaac had just facepalmed himself as how stupid Rarity's tale was. Thankfully, Applejack was able to break the silence.

"Uh... that was a terrifying story."

"Yeah, I'm terrified she'll try to tell it again." chuckled Rainbow Dash who high fived Applejack for thinking the same thing.

Luna then cleared her throat. "Anyone else have a spooky story?"

Before anybody could say something, Timber shot his hand up. "I have one. But I'm warning you, you might as well hug a friend now. That's how scary it is!"

True to Timber's words, Fluttershy started to squeeze Isaac tightly as she prepared himself; however, Isaac felt a bit of pain from her grip. Even Bulk Biceps was scared as his teeth could be heard clattering together. "It's time I told you about the legend of Gaea Everfree." While Timber told his story, Isaac had his eyes on the fire as the reflection of it showed in his pupils. It looked like he actually had fire in his eyes.

Timber then began to narrate his story. "Many years ago, my great-grandparents came to this forest. Seeing its beauty, they decided that it would be the perfect place for a camp. But once they started building, strange things started to happen. One pitch black night, when the wind was howling, a tree branch crashed through the roof of their cabin! They screamed and ran outside, only to see the giant creature rising from the earth! She had wild hair like the roots of a tree. Her mouth had jagged rock teeth and her eyes were pools of black tar. But her aura shimmered like diamonds. Anywhere she went, she left a trail of gem dust in her wake. Trembling, my great-grandparents asked who she was and what she wanted. In a deep and hollow voice, she told them that her name was Gaea Everfree – an ancient spirit who held domain over the forest, and that my great-grandparents were trespassing on her land. They begged her to let them stay and build their camp, to share this wonderful place with others. Gaea Everfree finally agreed but warned them that they would not be able to keep it forever. Someday, she will return and reclaim the forest as her own."

Soon Timber had reached the end of his story as the fire in Isaac's eyes died down. "So if you see a trail of gem dust, you'll know that it is... Gaia Everfree!" shouted out that last part from Timber. Just then the students all screamed as they saw a pair of eyes pierce through the darkness.

"Hey, guys! Sorry, didn't mean to scare you!" said Gloriosa as she emerged from the darkness.

"Then why'd you come out of the bushes?" asked Sunset.

She quickly justified her answer. "I... took the scenic route, because the forest is beautiful at night. But no one else should do it without a guide, kay? All right, everybody, time to head to your tents." With that everybody broke apart as they turned in for the night.

"Fluttershy?" said Isaac as he was struggling from pain, seeing as her nails were digging into his arm.

Fluttershy quickly realized what she was doing and let go of him. "Sorry, Isaac. I guess that story got to me." Isaac then rubbed his arm to make sure that he wasn't bleeding. "Weren't you scared?" she asked.

"Kinda hard to be scared, when I'm feeling pain from your tight grip." Isaac stated. "Not to mention that I'm from Chicoltgo, so I've seen and heard a lot more scary shit than this. Plus I've been in a few Shadow Games, so this is nothing more than light sneeze at best."

"You got to nothing worry about Fluttershy. It can't be real." stated Applejack to back up Isaac's claim.

"I don't know. What if it is? I mean we've all seen that magic is real and has a way. What if this Gaia Everfree is an actual person?" Rainbow Dash had a bit of terror in her voice.

"Eh. Sounded more like something that Timber was makin' up just to scare us. At least I hope it was. Last thing I want is to have camp ruined by some power-crazed magical creature." said Applejack.

"Yeah, cause we all know what's going to happen if that does occur!" shouted Isaac. "You'll just going run behind me, while I have to deal with it! Cause apparently, it's my job to deal with shit like this." said Isaac as he found it weird that anytime magic was involved, the girls all flocked to him to protect them and take care of it. "At this point, I should just be charging you girls for my services."

"Well, can you blame us. You are the best, plus you do look a bit dashing trying to be the hero." chuckled Twilight as she held Spike in her arms.

"Oh, hear-hear. I do with agree with Twilight on that statement. Besides, we've had to deal with more than our fair share of those. But in the end we all got through thanks to our friendship, and our lovely knight who is always looking out for his fair maidens." said Rarity as she batted her eyelashes at Isaac.

"Gee, thanks. That make me feel so much better." said Isaac in a sarcastic tone. Soon all the girls laughed as they all head back to their tents.

Isaac had made it back to his when he heard a voice call out to him.

"Excuse me, Isaac."

Isaac turned around and saw that it was none other than Gloriosa.

"Hey, Gloriosa. What's up?"

"Pardon me for catching you when you're about to go to sleep. But I wanted to talk to you about something?"

"What is it?" asked Isaac.

"Well you see it's been so long since we had someone ranked as champion attend Camp Everfree, that I was wondering if you could do a small request that I have. In the past, when someone from their school was champion, it was tradition that they would put on a duel on the last day of camp for all the campers to see. It served as a way for all to enjoy themselves and to celebrate the wonderful memories that they made at camp. However, it's been so long since that last happened, that I almost completely forgot about it. So I know that you're here to relax, but maybe you wouldn't mind in partake in such an event." Gloriosa was putting her fingers together as she was a bit nervous to ask this of Isaac.

Isaac let out a sigh. "I knew it was bound to happen sooner or later."

"I understand, you wanted to take this camping trip as a way to relax from all the dueling you've experienced this past year." She then put her head down, "I understand if you decline."

"What are you talking about? To me relaxing is dueling. It's when I have to constantly save the world from some crazy magic that it becomes more of a hassle than game. Of course, I'll help you. Anything to make sure that everybody here has a good time and to create some new memories for future campers." said Isaac.

Gloriosa then brought her head back up with a huge smile on her face."You will? Oh thank you, you don't know how much this means to me." Gloriosa then brought Isaac into a hug as she was grateful for Isaac choosing to help her. She then left as she thanked him and wished him a good night.

Once she was gone, Isaac then entered his tent and began to get himself ready for a good night's sleep. Overall the first day at camp, proved to be a successful and peaceful time. Not to mention that Gloriosa had requested his help to put on a duel at the end of the week to showcase the campers. The only problem he had was choosing who he would face, but he could worry about that tomorrow. For now he just focused on getting some sleep and fixing the dock.

Chapter 59: Imitations

The next day at Camp Everfree was here and everybody was hard at work repairing the dock. It took a while, but they were able to make some decent progress. They also partook in several other camp activities. While Isaac was repairing a part of the dock, he caught a glance of Twilight having a conversation with Timber. He didn't hear much, but he was able to make out that they were talking about books. Isaac saw Twilight popped a smile and he too let one form on his face. Something about Twilight being happy brought a smile on his face; with that he got back to work on repairing the dock.

It was about evening time as the sun was starting to set. The sun had turned into a lovely shade of orange as it was starting to set beyond the mountains. Most of the girls had gathered around a table as they were preparing their dinner. Meanwhile, Dash had requested Isaac to have a duel with her before dinner. So Isaac was currently engaged in a battle with Dash.

"Now then time for my U.A. Strategist to take things up a notch. I tune my U.A. Strategist with my U.A. Midfielder; I Synchro Summon, U.A. Star Player!" Rainbow had managed to bring out new synchro monster. "Now time for my monsters to strike, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker take out Isaac's defense monster and then I'll have my U.A. Star Player take out your Dark Magician!" Rainbow's monsters then rushed in as they charged and took out Isaac's field with ease. The attack had caused some water to splash on Isaac as it soaked him and his clothes. But he didn't mind.

"Great stuff, Dash. Now it's time for me take back control of this duel." said Isaac as his hair was also wet. Isaac then drew his card and began to formulate his plan.

Meanwhile some of the other girls were watching from the side.

"Wowee! They're into their duel like crazy!" said Fluttershy as she too was getting invested in their battle.

"Darn tootin', I'm having a battle with them right after dinner." said Applejack.

Twilight then came by as she noticed Isaac was wet. "Hey, Isaac! You'll catch a cold! Here!" She was concern on her friend getting sick, so Twilight tossed a towel towards Isaac.

Isaac caught the towel in his hand. "Don't worry! I'll be just fine." Just then Isaac let out a sneeze; he then snuffed his nose. "Now then back to the duel, you ready Dash."

The next day rolled around and everybody was now gathering for some breakfast. All the girls were sitting at the table as began to chow away. They were talking about what they were going to do for the day, when Fluttershy noticed that Isaac still hadn't come out of his tent.

"Isaac sure is taking his time." said Fluttershy with a concern voice.

"That's because he spent almost the whole night duelin' till the sun came up. You know how he gets, once he gets an itchin' for Duel Monsters, there's no stopping him." said Applejack as she was stirring the pot full of food.

"Wake him up for us, would you Fluttershy?" suggested Rarity.

"Sure." said Fluttershy as she got up and was about to check on Isaac when she noticed him coming out of his tent. "Oh. Isaac! Breakfast is ready!"

Isaac however was different than normal. It looked like he was the same as he wore his usual attire, but his eyes were shut and his nose was a bit stuff. Not to mention that his body was moving rather sluggish and he was sweating a bit despite it not being that hot. Even his voice was a bit different, like it had something in it. "It's ready. It's ready." he said with a low tone.

"Morning! Go wash up. Hungry?" suggested Twilight.

Isaac then began to slowly walk as he dragged his body, now he was starting to show some redness forming on his cheeks but not from feeling a certain way. Eventually he collapsed as Twilight was able to catch him in her arms. Once Twilight saw this, she now started to turn a bit red herself but for a different reason.

"Now's our chance. Now! Now!" said Isaac in a soft and sick voice. He now had droopy eyes when he looked at Twilight.

"What's wrong? Isaac?" asked Twilight as she was concern about how her friend was acting in her arms.

"I.." said Isaac as he started to sweat more.

"I what?" said Twilight as she looked into Isaac's eyes. Soon she started to close her eyes as she prepared herself for what she thought was about to happen.

Isaac then brought his hand to Twilight as he held on, "I... play Dark Magician." Then Isaac collapsed in front of Twilight.

"Oh no, Isaac!" screamed Twilight. Soon all the girls check on him.

Twilight was able to get him to sit up as Isaac was starting to sweat more.

"What's wrong?" asked Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie as they were scared of what was happening to their friend.

"What do we do?!" asked Dash as she too was concerned with Isaac's health.

Twilight then put her hand on Isaac's forehead and she could feel it heating up. She let out a gasp, "Isaac has a fever! He's burning up!"

"He needs to get back to bed!" stated Sunset to which everybody agreed.

Soon it took all the girls combined to get Isaac back into his bed. They had been able to removing his hoodie as he was now resting in his camp attire. They even had gotten a wet towel and dipped it as Twilight put it over Isaac's forehead. Isaac was still sweating and breathing hard as the fever was starting to really kick in.

Twilight then took the towel and looked at the other girls. "He must have a high fever. The wash-cloth gets warm so fast!"

"He got soaked yesterday, so he must've caught a really bad cold." stated Applejack.

Spike let out a whimper as he too was concern for Isaac's health. "You must be worried too, huh Spike?" Spike then licked Fluttershy to show that she was correct.

"He'll be fine, partner! I'll go get some medicine. That'll make him right as rain." Applejack then started to get up and was about to leave Isaac's tent.

"Hold on, darling. I'll go with you." stated Rarity.

"Count me in, I'm partially the reason why Isaac got soaked and is now in bed. Let me help." replied Dash.

"I'll come as well." said Pinkie. "I want to make my 'Get well' chocolate chip cookies. Once big bro gets a whiff of these, I'm sure he'll feel much more better. Plus, he'll have a huge appetite once he's cured."

"I'll go with you guys to help keep an eye on Pinkie." said Sunset as she knew how it was Isaac's job to dial Pinkie back from her zaniness. "Fluttershy and Twilight, you both stay here and take good care of Isaac for us."

"Just leave it to us." Twilight then gave her friends a thumbs up to which they returned.

"We'll be back soon!" they all said in unison. With that Rainbow, Applejack, Rarity, Sunset, and Pinkie all left to get the medicine and the supplies they needed to make Isaac feel better. Soon it was just Twilight and Fluttershy left to take care of Isaac.

However they weren't alone; unbeknownst to them the spirit of Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl also appeared as they saw their master in a horrible state. Mahad cursed himself for not keeping Isaac safe, and Mana did her best to say that it wasn't his fault. She also kept a close eye on Isaac as she kept checking his lifeforce.

"We've gotta be strong, no matter what." said Twilight. She then took the towel of Isaac's forehead as she started to wipe some of the sweat dripping down his face.

A while passed, both Fluttershy and Spike were fetching new bowls of water for Twilight as they hoped that Isaac would feel better. Soon they opened up Isaac's tent. "We're back with some more water, Twilight." said Fluttershy

"Great, Fluttershy. Spike. Thank you!" Twilight then took the bowl of water from them and dipped the towel back into it before placing it back onto Isaac's forehead. Isaac seemed to not be as bad as he initially was as he had stopped sweating. Twilight then brought her hand to Isaac's cheek as she could feel him breathing and checked how he was doing. "He looks much better to me than before. His fever isn't as high as it once was." Twilight then gave a smile, "We'll take care of everything until they bring the medicine, then Isaac can get better!" Fluttershy and Spike all let out some quiet cheers as they were happy that Isaac was doing better.

Just then a noise was heard from outside. It was the sound of a guitar riff. The girls were shock by this sudden outburst that they both stepped outside to see what was causing the noise. "What in the world is making that deafening racket?" said Twilight. They saw that it was a kid who had a guitar and a punk rock look to him.

"Shredding guitar on the road's my gig." said the kid. "Make way for the next rocking sensation, Skull the duel musician!"

Twilight and Fluttershy just looked on with their head turned as they didn't know what to make of this. "Uhm, excuse sir, but who are you?" asked Fluttershy.

"The name's Skull, little lady and I'm here to challenge a duelist by the name of Isaac to a duel. See I was wondering through the woods honing my musical craft. I happen to be rocking out in a deep part of the woods, when I stumbled upon some fellow campers who decided to listen to my musical mayhem. I told them that my dream was to not only take over the world of rock music, but to incorporate dueling into my routines. But to do that I need to have lots of different duels so that I could get a sense of how each battle flows and figure out how it vibes with music. So when I told them of my ambitions, they told me about a certain someone and pointed me in this direction. They didn't tell me much, but word has it that he's really strong and that his name was Isaac. So I gathered my stuff and headed out." Skull then looked back at the girls.

"Really strong? Yes, he is." said Fluttershy.

Skull then let out a guitar riff as he celebrated. "Yeah, YEAH! I can't believe I found him in a flash! I'm so awesome." Skull then started to get a bit louder.

"I'm sorry, but could you keep it down?" said Twilight as she tried to be heard over the loud noise.

"Let me guess, you two girls are Isaac's buddies, am I right?" asked Skull.

"Uh, yes, but here's the thing..."

Skull then cut off Twilight as he ignored her. "Listen up! Give him a message! Tell him that I'm ready to throwdown, right now!"

"Uh, can you turn it down a little bit?" said Fluttershy but that fell on deaf eyes, literally.

"Hey Isaac! I challenge you to a rocking and rolling duel!" Skull was now playing the loudest as he started to shred on his electric guitar.

It started to get so loud that both Twilight, Fluttershy, and Spike all covered their eyes. Twilight then looked back at Isaac's tent. This guy is gonna wake Isaac up!

"It's time for battle, Isaac! I want you to show me your amazing skills!" said Skull as he finished his little guitar solo.

"Okay. Okay! I'll go get him, now stop shouting already!" screamed Twilight as she made sure Skull could hear her.

"You'll really go get him?" said Skull in a normal voice instead of shouting.

Twilight's expression then changed on a dime as she looked back at Fluttershy. She then turned back to address Skull, "Please wait right here." With that both girls entered back into the tent to check up on Isaac. Safe to say that he was still in no condition to battle which caused both girls to worry. If Isaac finds out he's been challenged, I know he'll want to battle, even if he's in no condition to do so.

Just then Isaac began to stir a bit from his sleep which caught the girls off guard. "Okay, Dark Magician. Use Dark Magic Attack." said Isaac as he quickly went back to sleep. Soon both Fluttershy and Twilight all let out a sigh.

"What do we do, Twilight?" asked Fluttershy as she replaced the towel on Isaac's forehead.

"We can't let Isaac get into a battle right now. But I doubt that Skull guy is the kind to leave even if I tell him what the situation is. I said I'd take care of Isaac, so what am I going to do?!" Twilight was so caught with things that she was starting to panic. She then noticed Isaac's hoodie as well as his duel disk and his deck. She then bent down and picked up his hoodie as she looked at it. Then she got a crazy idea; Fluttershy saw this and was concern with what her friend was thinking. Twilight then tightened her grip on Isaac's hoodie and his duel disk as she had made up her mind. I have to do it! For Isaac's sake!

Skull was just waiting patiently as he awaited his challenge. Safe to say it didn't take long as he saw a different person come out of the tent other than the two girls. He then had a smile on his face.

"Here I am." said Isaac, only it wasn't Isaac. But rather Twilight who was wearing Isaac's hoodie and had wore a cap to conceal her ponytail. She even tried her best to make her voice sound like Isaac. "I'm Isaac! Ready to rumble!"

Thankfully, it seemed to have worked as Skull couldn't figure out that it was Twilight under that disguise. "So you're the strong duelist that people are talking about, huh? Well then, this should be a rocking battle!" Skull then let out a quick guitar riff as a way to pump himself up.

Fluttershy was watching as she stood outside the tent as she wanted to see how Twilight's plan was holding up. Safe to say that she was glad it worked, so she did her best to cheer Twilight on while also keeping an eye on Isaac's condition.

Thank goodness he bought it. Stay calm, Twilight. You've got to do your best for Isaac! Twilight then let a deep breath as she mentally prepared herself. "Alright then, since you're ready let's go. It's time to duel!" said Twilight. Once she said that Twilight felt a bit more confident, like it made her feel intimidating. Now she knew why Isaac always like to say that phrase. With that she slotted on Isaac's duel disk and looked at Isaac's deck. Hopefully, I can be able to use this deck to my advantage.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of their duel disks.

Skull's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's(Twilight) Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac(Twilight)

"You can have the first move." said Skull.

"Alright then, I draw." Twilight picked up her starting hand and drew her cards. "To start, I'll summon Queen's Knight in defense mode. That's all for this turn." said Twilight.

Turn 2: Skull

"That all, please. Let me show you how it's done, draw." Skull smiled at the card he picked up. "First up on the stage is my Roadie Rookie(500/400). Now when Roadie Rookie is summoned, I can call upon another Roadie Rookie, so I'll summon him in attack mode. Next I'll play a nifty little spell called Power Chord. This card allows my monster to gain attack points equal to yours, so now my Roadie gains 1500 attack points." Roadie Rookie then pulled out a guitar as it started to play a chord and it started to rock out. "Now time to attack, Roadie Rookie take out his Queen's Knight. My Roadie Rookie allows me to deal piercing damage to a monster when it's in defense." Roadie Rookie then pointed its guitar as it shot a powerful beam and got rid of Queen's Knight and then shot towards Twilight. "I'm not done, now Roadie #2 attack Isaac directly! Feel the the music!" Twilight was then hit with another beam as she put her hands up.
Isaac's(Twilight) Life Points: 7100-

"With that killer performance, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

"It looks like this guy isn't just all talk." said Twilight to herself in her normal voice.

Turn 3: Isaac(Twilight)

"Alright then, my move." Twilight drew her card and looked through her hand. Alright, I need to focus. Ahh, now this is a card that I've seen Isaac use often. I play Breaker the Magical Warrior, when he's summoned he gains a counter which raises his attack by 300. Then I'll equip him with the spell Bound Wand which allows my Breaker to gain even more power as he receives an extra 100 points time his level. So now his true strength is 2300." Breaker then raised its sword as it felt the power surge through it. Twilight then thrust her hand out. "Now Breaker attack Roadie Rookie #1!" Breaker then took out the Roadie with the highest attack as it sliced through his guitar in half and broke it."
Skull's Life Points: 7700-

"Not bad!" shouted Skull.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn. You're up." shouted Twilight. So far, go good, just gotta keep this up.

Turn 4: Skull

"Time to put on another performance, witness." Skull then drew his card. "As before I'll use Roadie Rookie's special ability and with I'll summon out a third Roadie Rookie. But they won't be out for long, cause I'll play my facedown Music Genre. Now since I have two musicians out on the field, I can add a card that's the same type as my monsters out on the field. So now I'll tribute both of Roadie Rookies to summon out my Heavy Metal King(2400/2300)!" Out came a rock star guitar that long flowing hair and had face paint. It started to strike a cord as it filled the air with loud sounds. Both Twilight and Fluttershy covered their ears at the sound. "Now then Heavy Metal King time to see how Breaker like some rock and roll, attack!" Heavy Metal King then took out Twilight's monster with ease.
Isaac's(Twilight) Life Points: 7000-

"Now the effect of Bound Wand kicks in, which means I can bring back my Breaker." Just like that Breaker then appeared as at if it wasn't destroyed.

"Nice recovery, I'll end with facedown."

Turn 5: Isaac(Twilight)

"My move," Twilight looked at her card and got an idea. "I play the spell card, Graceful Charity. Now I'll draw three cards and get rid of two." Twilight picked up her cards and was shocked to see that one of them was the Dark Magician Girl. She then looked at her hand and figured out which ones she wanted to get rid of. Dark Magician Girl, this is one of Isaac's well known cards. Maybe it can help me turn the tide. "I'll then sacrifice my Breaker to bring out a new monster, appear Dark Magician Girl!" Twilight played the card on the duel disk and out came Isaac's ultimate female spellcaster as she did a twirl before taking her position. Mana then looked at who played her and was shocked to see it was Twilight. "I know I'm not Isaac, but I need your help. Can you do that for me?" Mana just shook her head and turned back to the field. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Skull

"You may have gotten a new monster, but it's still far weaker than Heavy Metal King!" shouted Skull as he played another cord as he took his turn. "Now then, I'll play the spell Routine Check. With this card I'm allowed to summon out a pair of monsters to join this concert. So make way for Lead Singer Soloist(1800/1300) and my Drummer Boy(1700/2000)" Suddenly two more monsters appeared on Skull's field as drums started thumping and the singer let out a piercing vocal yell. "But the music ain't stopping anytime soon, watch as I overlay my two monsters. With these musical sensations, I build the Overlay Network; I Xyz Summon, my Rock and Roll Emperor(2800/2600, OLU: 2)!" Skull now had a new monster that sat on its throne and had an electric guitar in its lap as it played the instrument and let out a powerful sound wave that caused Fluttershy to check on Isaac as to make sure he didn't wake up.

"Now that my dynamic duo is here, it's time for the performance of a lifetime! I activate Rock and Roll Emperor's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can give one of my monsters a permanent boost of 1000 attack points." Rock and Roll Emperor then played a song as an overlay unit was absorbed into his guitar as he fired a powerful beam at Heavy Metal King to give it 1000 more points. "Now time to strike, go my monsters take out his Dark Magician Girl and chunk out of his life points."

Twilight just stood there was the attacks were coming towards her. Fluttershy had peaked her head back through the tent and saw the predicament that Twilight was in, she quickly covered her eyes. Twilight was frozen as she didn't know what to do. What am I gonna do? If I don't do something then I'll lose this duel for sure. What would Isaac do in a situation like this?! Twilight then looked at her Dark Magician Girl who gave her a smile. It looked like she trusted Twilight and knew that everything would be okay. Twilight then let out a similar smile too. She's right. I've watched Isaac's battling style up close more than anybody! Twilight then closed her eyes as she thought back on Isaac's duels in the past.

"Now I'll save my Dark Magician Girl by using my card, Magical Hats!" said Isaac.

Twilight then opened her eyes as she knew what she was to do. "If you want to destroy my Dark Magician Girl, you'll have to find her first. Now I'll save my Dark Magician Girl by using my card, Magical Hats!" said Twilight as she activated her card. Soon four top hats appeared as they hid Dark Magician Girl and shuffled before appearing in a row.

"Woah, what's happening!?" called out Skull as he was unsure what to make of it.

"It's simple, if you want to get to me or my life points, you'll have to take out my Dark Magician Girl. But to do that you have to find where she's hiding. Feeling lucky?" taunted Twilight.

"It won't make a difference, Heavy Metal King take out the hat on the far right." Heavy Metal King then let a chord rip as it took out the hat and smoked appeared but nothing was there.

"Looks like you missed." said Twilight.

"Alright, Rock and Roll Emperor. Take out the middle hat!" Skull's other monster then did the same as it took out the middle hat, but like the previous result it came up empty handed.

"Better luck next time."

"I may have missed my target, but I won't miss next time. I'll place a facedown and end my turn. I'll admit this is the kind of battle I was searching for." Skull had a bit of a smile on his face as he enjoyed this duel.

"You just wait. When it comes to what I can do, you haven't seen anything!" said Twilight as she put back on her fake Isaac voice. On the inside, she was giddy like a little school girl. Oh my gosh, I can't believe it worked!

Turn 7: Isaac(Twilight)

"Now then, my move." said Twilight as she drew her card.

Meanwhile back with the other girls, they had just gotten the medicine and the other supplies they were searching for.

"We got it, darling! Does that mean Isaac will be all better soon?" asked Rarity.

"You betch Rares. Let's hurry back!" said Applejack.

"Hope you guys got everything." said Sunset as she appeared next to Pinkie and Rainbow who had a small ziplock bag of cookies. "It took us a while, but we finally got Pinkie to not be distracted. And we made some cookies for Isaac."

"Yeah, now big bro is sure to be full of energy!" said Pinkie as she bounced up and down.

"Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get going." shouted Dash.

With that they all began to run back hoping that Isaac would feel much better. It didn't take long as they got there within a couple of minutes but what they saw in front of them was a sight they couldn't believe. What they saw was a duel occuring and the person taking part in it was... Isaac?

"Look at that." said Rainbow as she took in the sight of the duel before her.

"Is that Isaac, darling?" asked Rarity.

"But how can big bro be battling?" said Pinkie as she had a confused look on her face.

"Hold on." Applejack took a closer look and could see that it wasn't actually Isaac battling but someone else. "Is that?"

"Bring it on!" shouted Twilight in her fake voice.

"Twilight!" shouted Applejack which caused Twilight to become frozen stiff as a sweat bead started to drop down her face. "Why are you dressed up like Isa...?"

Before the word 'Isaac' could be said, Twilight let out a scream. "AHHH." She even waved her hands about. Soon everything was silent.

"Well, why are you, darling?" asked Rarity.

Twilight let out an even louder scream as she waved her arms even faster. Skull was confused with what was happening.

"They your friends?" asked Skull.

"Friends? My friends" said Twilight as she tried to get the situation under control. "Yeah, you bet!" Twilight then quickly turned toward her friends. "Did you get the medicine?" she asked in a soft tone while having a embarrassed look.

"Uh huh. Isaac will feel much better in no time." assured Applejack.

"What about you?" asked Sunset.

Twilight then began to explain the situation to the other girls. "He challenged Isaac to a battle."

"Sure, I get it. Well, at least I think I get it." said Sunset as she scratched her head. "You just leave the rest to us!"

"Right. I'm counting on you!" said Twilight as she gave them a fist bump.

With that the other girls, all made their way back into Isaac's tent to give him the medicine. Rainbow Dash had chosen to stay out here and watch Twilight's duel. Twilight then turned back to face Skull, however Sunset had one more thing to say. "Oh yeah. Good luck, Isaac." said Sunset with a sly smile.

Twilight turned red with how Sunset had chosen to word that sentence. She quickly shook it off as she prepared to get back to the duel as she used her fake voice. "Sorry about that. I didn't mean to make you wait!"

"All right! Back to the battle!" said Skull as he continued on like nothing happened.

Applejack, Rarity, Sunset, and Pinkie were now in Isaac's tent as they began to mix the final ingredients of the medicine. "Here, take this." Sunset then pulled Isaac's head up as she opened his mouth and gave him the medicine. She then let his head rest as the other girls looked on.

"Please, big bro. You gotta get well quick." Pinkie was starting to worry about Isaac.

"All we can do now is wait." said Applejack.

"Let's let the medicine work." suggested Sunset.

Back to the duel, Twilight had finally figured out her next move. "I play the spell Sage's Stone, now that Dark Magician Girl is on the field, I can now summon out a different spellcaster from my deck. So say hello to my trusting ace, Dark Magician!"

Twilight looked at Isaac's star monster and played it on the card tray. Soon out came the ultimate monster of Isaac's deck. Just like before, Dark Magician looked at who summoned it and saw that it was none other than Twilight. Then for a moment, Twilight could actually hear both Mahad and Mana speak to her.

"Hope this can help win the duel." said Twilight.

"You have our word, mistress Sparkle." said Mahad.

"Huh? Wait a minute, did you just talk? How is that I can understand and hear what you're say? I really must be freaking out." said Twilight.

"Believe me, Twilight. You're not freaking out." Mana did her best to calm Twilight down. "Truth is that Isaac really does talk to us. And let me be the first to say that we're grateful he has someone like you in his life. He does talk about you often." said Mana as she let out a chuckle.

"He talks about me?" said Twilight as her face was now turning red. To think that Isaac was constantly talking about her kinda of made her blush.

"We owe you a debt of gratitude for choosing to fight in our master's place. So let us help you by guiding you to victory. Our life is in your hands, mistress Sparkle." said Mahad. With that both magicians turned towards back to the battle.

Twilight then turned back to face her opponent. "Now that my Dark Magician is on the field, I'll play my Dark Burning Magic spell card. With this, since I control both Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, I can play this card. Now all cards on your field are destroyed."

"No way!" shouted Skull.

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then raised their wands up and together they created a powerful ball of magical energy. Then they shot it towards Skull's field as it decimated everything on his side of the field. They let out a smile as they turned towards Twilight who just amazed at what she was able to do. "Now that my magicians have cleared the way, I'll now wage a direct attack. Go Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl attack Skull directly, Double Dark Magic Attack!" With that both magicians took flight as they struck Skull with everything they had.
Skull's Life Points: 3200-

"With that I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown."

Turn 8: Skull

"Talk about a wake up call, your magicians pack some punch. Now I know why you're a strong duelist, Isaac. With monsters like that, anybody would have a tough time." said Skull as he gave Twilight a compliment.

"Told ya. My monsters will always have my back, no matter what we're inseparable." said Twilight as she used her fake voice. She then thought to herself, Now that I've gotten to see things from Isaac's perspective, I see why he treasures his magicians so much. Makes me wonder if I have that special connection with my deck.

"But I'm not out of this duel just yet, observe." Skull then drew his card. "Now I'll play the spell Reunion Concert, and with this I can bring back every monster that was destroyed. So give a warm welcome Welcome to Heavy Metal King and Rock and Roll Emperor." Just like that Skull's two monsters came back. "Now I'll play the spell Grand Debut, I can only activate this card when I've got two or monsters on my field. And since I do, I can bring out another monster from my deck. So say hello to my star monster, everybody put your hands up for DJ Rynx(3000/2500)!" Skull's new monster came out and it was a DJ who had a turntable in front of him as he pushed a couple of buttons that caused some special effects and pyro to fire off. "DJ turn up the bass, cause I activate your special ability, now for the rest of the turn you can't use any spell/traps until the end of the battle." Skull's Dj then pushed a button as it created a soundwave that caused Twilight's facedown to glow.

"Now time for my monsters to strike, I'll have my Heavy Metal King attack your Dark Magician, Rock and Roll Emperor will take out your Dark Magician Girl and lastly, DJ Rynx will attack you directly!" Skull's monsters then joined forces as they combined their music and created a powerful attack that took out Twilight's monsters and caused her to be flung on her back. Thankfully her disguise held on, but she still struggled to get back up.
Isaac's(Twilight) Life Points: 2300-

"With that I'll end my performance with a facedown."

Turn 9: Isaac(Twilight)

"Right then," Twilight drew her card and was struggling trying to find a solution. "I'll reveal my facedown Monster Reborn and with it I'll bring back my Dark Magician. Then I'll play the spell card Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." Twilight then drew some more cards, but she still had a worried look on her face. What do I do now, my only hope was relying on my magicians. Not to mention that Skull's Dj makes it to where when he attacks, he can use its special ability and not allow me to use spell/traps. And nothing in my hand, is strong enough to take it down. This can't be how it ends; I've got to do something, but what? "I'll just end my turn."

Turn 10: Skull

"Seems like you had nothing to deal with my star studded musician, can't blame you." Skull drew his card, "Now then time to give a farewell performance!" Skull then started to play a little guitar solo as his monsters joined in on his little jam session. "Go my monsters, end this duel take out his Dark Magician!" With his command, Skull's monsters then launched their attack as it was heading straight for Twilight and her Dark Magician.

Twilight just stood there as she didn't know how to escape this. More so she was overcome with fear. What do I do!? Twilight then put her head down as she prepared for the worst. Just then a voice was heard over the loud music.

"I banish Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard, so now the battle phase immediately ends!" said the mysterious voice.

Just like that a small turtle then appeared in front of Twilight as it started to release all the electricity it stored up in its body. Twilight couldn't believe her eyes as she watched the tiny little monster be able to completely neutralize all the monsters with a wall of static as it paralyzed them. Soon the attack faded, Mahad made sure to say thanks to the little guy as he gave the turtle a pet on the head before he disappeared.

"But, I didn't do that?" she said. Twilight then looked behind her and to her surprise it was none other than Isaac who was standing there in perfect health. He was no longer sick, in fact he look very healthy.

"You're alright?" said Twilight as she was shocked to see Isaac moving out and about. Not to mention in perfect condition. "But you were so sick before."

"Not now! Thanks to the girls!" said Isaac. Just then the rest of their friends appeared as they were also shocked to see Isaac back on his feet so fast.

"I guess we shouldn't be surprised. A normal person would've taken a day or more to get well." said Applejack as even she was impressed with Isaac's fast recovery system.

Isaac then started to do a bit of stretches to get his body moving and to see if his stamina had gotten back. While he was doing this he addressed Twilight. "So, Twilight! You battled in my place, right?"

"Uh, what's going on?" asked Skull as he was confused by what was occurring.

"Sorry for the confusion man, but hope I didn't keep you waiting."

"You're Isaac?" said Skull.

"Yeah, I'm afraid I was a bit under the weather. But I'm all rested and ready to go." Isaac had finished his stretches and was now ready to duel.

"I really hope you'll forgive me. I meant no harm." said Twilight in her normal voice. She then took off her cap and showed off her hidden ponytail.

"You!" said Skull as he realized that it was Twilight who he had initially talked to and was now battling.

Twilight then turned to Isaac. "Isaac! Here, catch!" With that she took off his hoodie and tossed it to him.

"Thanks, Twi." Isaac had managed to catch his hoodie and put in back on. He made sure it fit as it felt good to be wearing his same old attire. "Now this more like it! So Skull, is it? What do we say we finish this duel?"

"I'm game. Let's see what you got kid!" said Skull.

Isaac then got close to Twilight as he grabbed her arm. Twilight blushed a bit at Isaac holding her arm. "Thanks for covering for me, Twilight. But I'll take over from here." With one swift move, Isaac was now wearing his duel disk as he took position. "Hope you don't mind."

Twilight just smiled, "Not at all, not em' dead."

"Oh, and by the way. That cap on you kinda makes you look cute, it's a good look for you." said Isaac before turning back to the duel.

Twilight just had more red forming on her face as she stepped to the side to watch with her friends. Pinkie then got Isaac's attention as she threw a cookie at him. Isaac was able to catch and he quickly took a bite of it as his energy and appetite returned back to him. Isaac thanked Pinkie for making some delicious treats.

"Now that I'm filled up and full of energy, it's time to get back to duel. Now then I believe it was your turn?"

"Very well then, since you used your Electromagnetic Turtle to end the battle, all my other cards will be useless this turn. So I'll just throw a facedown and call it."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Then it's back to me, draw." Isaac drew his card and looked at his Dark Magician. "I'll then play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, since Dark Magician is on the field, I can summon Dark Magician Girl from the graveyard. You've met the teacher, so give a warm for his student, appear Dark Magician Girl!" Just like that Isaac now had his two loyal monsters by his side as they both looked to see their master feeling better. "Hope I didn't worry you guys, too much."

"My word, you're feeling much better now, Isaac." said Mana with a cheering voice.

"Forgive me master, it's my fault that you feel ill. I'm deeply sorry for not protecting you. I await whatever punishment is to come and accept full responsibility." said Mahad as he bowed his head in front of Isaac.

"It's alright, Mahad. These things happen, besides I could never yell at both of you guys. You're my friends, now then lets win this duel." Both Mahad and Mana nodded their heads at their master's command and turned back to the duel with serious faces. "Time to bring this duel to a close, now my spell allows my to set Dark Magic Twin Burst but I'll immediately use it to boost my Dark Magician's attack points by my Dark Magician Girl." Mana then pointed her wand at her teacher as she casted a spell that amplified his powers. "Lastly, I'll play the spell Diffusion Wave-Motion. Now by paying 1000 life points, my Dark Magician can attack all your monsters on the field. So now Dark Magician finish this duel off, Dark Magic Attack!"
Isaac's Life Points: 1900-

"I'll reveal my facedown, Crowd Control. With this card, your battle phrase comes to an end!" shouted Skull.

"Then it's a good thing I have this card, more importantly thanks to Twilight. I banish my Magician Navigation from my graveyard to negate your facedown till the end of the turn."

"No!" shouted Skull as his trap was now rendered useless.

"Finish this!" With that, Mahad then delivered the final blow as he wiped out Skull's entire field as well as his array of monsters.
Skull's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Sometime later, Isaac was in his tent on his bed as he looked at his deck. It was now approaching evening as the sun was starting to set. Soon the zipper to his tent was open as in walked Twilight who had been called by Isaac as he wanted to discuss somethings.

"You wanted to see me, Isaac?"

"I did. Take a seat, Twilight." Isaac then gestured her to sit down next to him. Twilight was hesitant as she was worried on what Isaac wanted to say. Soon she took a seat and looked at him while he still had his focus on his deck. For a while nothing was said as they just stood there in silence, then Isaac spoke up.

"You used my deck?" said Isaac with a stern voice.

"I did, and I'm sorry. It's just that Skull wanted to have a battle with you and well you weren't in the best of shape. So I kinda took it upon myself to battle in your place. I know I didn't do your cards justice, I just don't know what compelled me to do such a crazy idea? Can you forgive me?" pleaded Twilight as she looked away.

Isaac just let out a small laugh as he finally took his eyes off of his deck and put it on his bed. He then put one hand on her shoulder, while he used his other to turn Twilight's face to look at his. "Twilight, I'm not mad. In fact, I'm the opposite. You took it upon yourself to step into my shoes and defend my honor. I'm proud of you, not many people would do that. And as for doing my cards justice, well you did okay. From what the replayed showed, it seemed you knew what you were doing. I'll be honest, out of everybody who has used my deck, you're the closest to ever match my style. If there's anybody who I would trust to play my deck to its fullest, then it be you."

Twilight couldn't believe what she was hearing. Here she thought Isaac was going to scold her, or tell her that she had no right to play his cards. But he didn't, instead he simply just congratulated her on taking his place and praised her knowing how to wield his deck. She felt happy that she gave Isaac a quick hug. "Thank you, you don't know how much that means to me."

Isaac then let out a chuckle as he gave a hug back to Twilight. Soon they broke their embrace and a thought ran through Isaac's mind. "Say, I'm not the only one who wants to say thanks. Both of my magicians want to express their gratitude; so what do you say?"

"Sure, but how can they? I mean when I talked to them it was because we were in a duel, but you can talk to them whenever. So how will they get to express their feelings?" asked Twilight as she had no clue on how to make it happen.

Isaac then looked at his deck and another lightbulb went off. "I think I have an idea." He then picked up his deck and held it in front of Twilight. "Give me your hand. Trust me." said Isaac in a calm voice.

Twilight was hesitant, but she soon did what Isaac asked her to do. Twilight put her hand in Isaac's and she could feel his grip wrap tightly around hers. This caused Twilight to turn all different shades of red as she was holding Isaac's hand. He then brought it down on his deck as he placed his hand on top of hers.

Isaac then looked at Twilight. "Now close your eyes and concentrate. Focus."

Twilight did just that as she closed her eyes and focused on Isaac's deck. She imagined the spirits of the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Soon she was putting all her concentration on completing this task.

"Okay, you can open your eyes." said Isaac.

Twilight did just that and low and behold, there were the spirits of Isaac's magicians floating next to him. Twilight had to blink multiple times as she couldn't believe what she was seeing. She then put her hand up as it passed through the spirits. Then to confirm that what she was seeing was real, they began to speak.

"We know, it's freaky the first time." said Mana.

"Mana, behave!" said Mahad before clearing his throat. "Forgive my student's sudden outburst. Let me be the first to say that you have my utmost gratitude for taking the place of our master in the duel, mistress Sparkle."

"Mistress Sparkle? Come on, Mahad. That's how you refer to Twilight, not lady or beloved? How else is Twilight supposed to get close to Isaac, if all she'll be known as is mistress?"

"Mana!!" shouted both Isaac and Mahad. They both were taken by surprised by what she said.

"What?" said Mana with a sly tone.

"That's not the exact words I would use." said Isaac as he was panicking about what Twilight would think.

"I told you to behave, Mana! Never do or say anything that makes our master uncomfortable, you know how he gets." Mahad really was starting to scold his student. "Besides, mistress Sparkle is a bright young girl who's more than capable of understanding what I mean."

Isaac quickly looked at Twilight who had her hand up to her mouth as she let out small giggle. "Look, Twilight. I can explain." said Isaac as he was starting to sweat on what she was thinking.

"It's alright, I know what your Dark Magician is saying." Twilight then turned back to look at them. "I just want to say that it was an honor to fight by your side and I hope that I was a suitable replacement for Isaac."

"You're alright in my book, girlfriend." Mana then floated near Twilight as gave put her hand up. Twilight then did the same as they both did quick high five. Soon Mana floated back to Isaac's side as Twilight then looked to address his Dark Magician.

"I am forever in your debt, mistress Sparkle. It's good to know that there's someone to watch over our master when we're not around. He truly is lucky to have a friend like you in his life." said Mahad as he bowed his head in a show of respect to Twilight.

"Thank you for the kind words, sir." said Twilight.

"Alright, I think's that enough. We've all had a pretty eventful day, time for us to get some rest." said Isaac.

"As you wish, master. Come along Mana, we best return."

"See ya soon, Twilight. And one more thing, don't worry about Isaac, you'll have plenty of opportunities." said Mana as she gave her a wink.

"That's enough of your mischiefs!" said Mahad as he grabbed Mana by her ear as they disappeared back to the spirit world.

With that Isaac's magicians then went back to his deck as he put it back into his pocket. "Well you best get back to your tent, Twilight. Don't want to get in trouble for being out late. Especially for being in a boy's tent." said Isaac.

"You're right. Good night, Isaac." Twilight then gave him one final wave as she stepped through his tent and started on her way back to her tent. She still couldn't believe what an adventure she had; not only did she get to use Isaac's deck, but she got to actually have a conversation with the spirits of Isaac's magicians. Still to think that Isaac had said upfront that he would choose her to wield his deck caused her to blush a bit as she couldn't get over the idea that Isaac said that she was special.

Chapter 60: Gaea Everfree

Another day came as it was another day at Camp Everfree. Which meant that it was another day as the students were working on repairing and improving the dock. Isaac was currently going over the blueprints as he tackled a section of the docks. Safe to say that it was coming along quite nicely; everybody was putting in their efforts to make it look nice.

"Well now, at the rate we're going, we should get this done faster than expected."

Just then there was a sudden crash as it caught the attention of everybody.

"I knew I shouldn't have said anything." said Isaac with disdain in his voice. "What the hell was that!?" He then went to see what the issue was as several students started to gather round.

Apparently, a sailboat had crashed into the dock as bits and pieces were now drifting in the water. There were a few students who were on the boat as it collided into the dock, but thankfully they were okay. Once Isaac got there he let out a stressed sigh.

"Oh come on, I just repaired that this morning!" shouted Isaac.

"What happened?" said Dash as she quickly arrived on the scene.

"What do you think happened!?" said Isaac.

Soon they started to help out the students who were floating in the water.

"Are you okay?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah. It was so weird. We were stuck in a middle of the lake with no wind, then all of a sudden, bam! The wind picked up, and we were pushed right into the dock." said Sandalwood as he was walking with Timber to the infirmary cabin.

"Well that makes no sense. According to what Twilight told me, we aren't supposed to experience any wind in today's forecast." said Isaac as he was looking over the damage.

"You don't think it was the spirit, do you?!" gasped Pinkie.

"Now that's just stupid." said Isaac.

"Spirit, show yourself! The Great and Powerful Trixie commands it!" said Trixie as she put on an act to call out the spirit.

"I doubt you could summon a spirit, Trixie." Isaac was unimpressed with what she was doing. "I know for a fact, that even your greatness is not enough to summon some evil spirit. And wait a minute, why the hell am I talking about it? There's no way it's some evil spirit."

"What's that?!" said Rarity as she pointed to something shiny in the lake.

Everybody all looked at what Rarity was pointing to. Isaac then bent down and touched the stuff; he rubbed it between his fingers and saw that it left a particle dust trail. He quickly rubbed it against his shirt as it disappeared. Isaac saw that it also emitted from the boat which got him to thinking. Some of the students were concern as they began to talk among themselves.

"Oh, man! All our hard work! Ruined!" said Dash.

"At least the fishies are eating well." suggested Fluttershy.

"Yeah, cause that the was problem that was giving us a hard time." said Isaac with a sarcastic tone.

Sunset just rolled her eyes at Isaac. "Let's salvage what we can out of the water. Maybe we can still fix this."

"We have to try! Camp Everfree needs a runway!" said Rarity as she put on her dramatic voice.

"Dock." Applejack said bluntly while also getting a dirty look from Isaac.

"Dock. Yes. That's what I meant." clarified Rarity.

Soon everybody then got to work cleaning up, Isaac had decided to step back and continue with his thinking. Sunset noticed this and went to check on him. "Hey, is everything ok?" asked Sunset.

"I'm just thinking about what might have caused this? No wind, and then there was the sudden crystal trail that flowed from the sailboat. I don't know how, but I feel like they're connected. Unfortunately, I haven't the slightest clue. " Isaac then began to walk.

"Where are you going?" asked Sunset.

"I'm going to find Twilight. Maybe she has some answers that can help us solve this mystery."

"I'll come with you. Besides, she's not at our tent. I think she told me that she was going for a little walk in the forest." With that both Sunset and Isaac then began to head into the woods, as they searched for their friend.

Meanwhile Twilight was currently taking a little nature walk, however she seemed to have strayed from the path a bit too far and was now lost.

"Great, Twilight. The one time you choose to go out for a little walk and now you got yourself lost. I just hope Sunset remembers my last location." Just then Twilight heard a noise behind her, she turned around and prepared herself for what was to come. A person had come out of the bushes as it was none other than Timber who gave both him and Twilight a scare.

"Oh, hi." chuckled Twilight. "What are you doing here?"

"Uh... Looking for you." said Timber as he tried to play it cool.

"Oh, I just went on a nature walk and got a little lost." said Twilight.

"Let me show you the way. I'm kind of an expert at these woods. I've lived here my whole life." With that Timber started to led Twilight the way back to camp.

Soon they began to walk as they struck a conversation.

"That must have been nice. Growing up at a camp."

"Yeah, though it has its downsides. When I was younger, I wished we'd sell this place so we could live in a town like normal people."

"Really?" said Twilight as she was in disbelief by his answer.

"I was ten. I really wanted to hang out at the mall." Timber's comment seemed to have caused a chuckle to emerge from both of them as they got close to each other. "I've never told that to anyone. You must be special." Both then got a bit red as they saw each other's faces. "And not just because you have tree branch in your hair." said Timber as he tried to lighten the mood.

"Ugh. How long has that been in there?" said Twilight as she was surprised that such a thing would happen.

"Not long. Just the whole time we were talking." said Timber.

Twilight let out a chuckle, "Well, why didn't you say something?" Soon they continued on the path back to camp as they talked some more. Meanwhile, in some nearby bushes, Sunset and Isaac were watching and listening in on Twilight's conversation with Timber.

"I guess we can talk to Twilight about the mysterious thing a bit later?" Sunset had a smug look on her face.

"You really think that's a good idea?" said Isaac. "Plus isn't this an invasion of privacy, I feel like we need to talk to Twilight now?" Isaac then stepped out of the bushes and was about to walk in the direction of Twilight, till Sunset pulled him back in.

"Easy there boy toy, you need to know when a girl just needs to be alone with someone. Now come on, lets get back to camp before you get any more jealous." Sunset said with a sly smile.

"Again, why do I have to be jealous!?" Isaac shouted towards Sunset as he couldn't figure out what people were saying. "I still think we need to talk to her about this!?"

Soon things just went from bad to worse. Isaac could feel himself getting stressed based on how he was rubbing his forehead with his fingers. Not to mention that he had seven girls screaming in his face. "Okay! Just so that I understand this, can you please explain it to me one more time!? And no distractions this time, Pinkie!"

Soon the girls began to explain one by one; apparently the magic mystery only seemed to have gotten worse/better. After Isaac and Sunset had made their way back to camp, they discovered another trail of gem dust that was on the ground. To make matters worse, it seemed that almost all the girls had each gained some sort of new power. Applejack now had super strength, which wasn't a shock, given how strong she was to begin with. Rainbow Dash had gained the power of super speed which was again no surprise there. Fluttershy could apparently talk/communicate with animals and actually understand what they were saying; though Isaac felt like she could do that anyways, just not to the level of actually knowing what they said. The rest were somewhat shocking/unexpected. Rarity could create some sort of diamonds that she could use as shields, Pinkie Pie had gained the power of explosions by throwing some sprinkles. That alone made Isaac scared of being in the kitchen with his little sis now; Sunset apparently gained the ability to look at people's minds and could see/read their thoughts. Lastly, Twilight had gained the power to levitate objects by using her magic from her hands. Once Isaac had taken the time to take all this in, safe to say that he was both happy and mad at the same time.

"You know what this means, guys!?" Pinkie let out a gasp. "Being at camp is giving us all new magical abilities!" She then started to bounce up and down.

"Not all of us have gotten new powers, Isaac certainly hasn't." Sunset then looked at Isaac. "Do you have a power, Isaac?"

"How the hell would I know? I've been so busy trying repair the dock and figure out this mystery that I've barely noticed." said Isaac. "Now we got to worry about some new magic that you girls have got!?"

"Don't worry, big bro. I'm sure you'll get a power; what's one that you always wanted?" asked Pinkie as she sat next to him.

"I don't know, when I was a kid, I always did like... wait a minute. Why am I talking about this!?" screamed Isaac.

Applejack just let out a sigh. "So much for my theory that leavin' CHS would mean leavin' any new magic business behind."

"Something at the camp must be making this happen." stated Sunset.

Fluttershy then offered her voice, "Um, Gaea Everfree?"

Before anybody could say anything, they heard the P.A. system go off. "Attention, campers! Anyone who's interested in making floating paper lanterns, please meet us by the picnic tables." said Celestia.

"I don't know about the rest of y'all, but I've been lookin' forward to comin' here for a month. Maybe we forget about this 'new magic' for a bit and just try to focus on enjoyin' our time at camp?" suggested Applejack as she tried to look on the positive side of things.

"I was oh, so excited about designs I've come up with for the camp fashion show." stated Rarity.

"And I've barely gotten to whoop anybody in tetherball." Rainbow was just focused on showing off her skills in front of everybody.

Sunset was still unsure on what to do, "I think we should try to figure it out. But if letting it go for now is what the rest of you want..." The other girls all agreed.

"Abso-tootly-lutely!" said Pinkie.

Sunset then looked at Isaac who was still trying to wrap his head around all this. "What about you, Isaac? What do you think we should do?"

Isaac then let out a big stressed sigh. "You know what, I'm done. Forget, I came here to enjoy myself and that's what I'm going to do. I knew it was too good to be true; I need something to take my mind off of all this. Mana, Mahad!" Just then both of Isaac's magicians then appeared as if on cue. "Lets go!" They soon followed their master as he made his way out of his tent and towards the picnic tables. Isaac needed to relax from all that was happening. The rest of the girls were stunned by what they saw.

"Did he just call his magicians?" said Sunset.

Soon everybody decided to take their mind off of things by enjoying the evening by creating floating paper lanterns. It worked as they quickly forgot about the magical incidents, even Isaac had calmed down as he was working on his lantern. Once it was done, he showed it off to Mana and Mahad who gave him thumbs up as they appreciated that he decided to add their picture to his lantern. The girls were also having fun creating their own versions of their lanterns.

"Um, Pinkie Pie, what are you doing?" Rarity was confused by Pinkie's antics in designing her lantern.

"Putting marshmallows in my lantern. Then when we light them, mine will be beautiful and delicious!" said Pinkie as she put a couple of marshmallows in her mouth.

"Good luck getting that off the ground, little sis." mentioned Isaac. "And I'm not cleaning up after you."

With that they then let their lanterns go and watched them float up high into the sky. With that each student then retreated for the night, Isaac was just looking forward to getting some rest to take his mind off of things. It worked until more crazy things occurred. Apparently there was some more magical incidents as there were even more trails of gem dust. Not to mention that in the night, both Sunset and Twilight had gone for a walk. They had run into Timber who was apparently out late to chop some firewood, which made Isaac raise an eyebrow at that reasoning. Sunset did tell him that when he was leading them back to camp, she noticed some gem dust fall out of his pockets. However, she choose to only tell him as she didn't want to break Twilight's feelings and tell her that the person she liked was the reason behind the strange magical mishaps.

Isaac still found it hard to believe that Timber was the reason for what was happening. Even given his explanation about how when he was younger that he wished his parents sold the place. It contradicted the pictures that Isaac saw when they first arrived on the device he saw.

"So what do you make of it, Isaac?" asked Sunset.

"Honestly, I have no idea. I've been working my brain these past few days trying to figure things out, not to mention repairing the dock. I'm starting to grow gray hairs just by stressing about this topic. Still I feel like we're close to finding our answers." Isaac then put his hands behind his head as he closed his eyes to concentrate.

"From what he said, his reason was that it was all related to Gaea Everfree?" suggested Sunset.

"But that's just a story that he made up?" said Isaac as he opened his eyes. "Why would someone go through all that trouble to make it a reality, there's just so many things that don't add up. One thing I do know: is that if Timber is behind all this and he's toying with Twilight's emotions. Well then, you better stop me Sunset, cause I'm probably going to end up in prison for animal cruelty."

"Animal cruelty? Why's that?" asked Sunset as she raised an eyebrow.

"Cause I'm going to beat him like a bitch!" said Isaac with fury in his voice.

With that both of them started to make their way to the counselor's office as they wanted to have a talk with Timber. They made a quick stop as they wanted to check up on the docks. It seemed that after all the magical mishaps, they had somehow managed to fix the dock and it was better than ever. Isaac did one final routine check by testing out its sturdiness and its design; safe to say it turned out good and Isaac thanked everybody for their help. Rarity couldn't wait to get her fashion show underway, so Isaac gave her the okay and she immediately got to work on running a dress rehearsal ahead of tonight's preview. With that Isaac and Sunset continued on their way towards their destination while their friends go to work helping out Rarity. They had just made and were about to enter when they heard something.

"I just wish you didn't tell them that ridiculous story!" said a female voice that was muffled.

"Ah, this is all too much for you! You have to let it go!" said another voice that was also muffled.

Both Isaac and Sunset had chosen to hide behind the wall as they listened.

"I knew it! He wants her to get rid of the camp!" said Sunset.

Just then the door opened and out came Gloriosa who was fuming; soon Timber emerged as he too had an angry look on his face. Both Isaac and Sunset still remained hidden as they waited to see what would happen. Soon Timber then turned his head and headed into the woods.

"Let's follow him." said Sunset.

"Right." nodded Isaac.

Into the woods they followed Timber as he was going somewhere they didn't notice. Isaac quickly realized that they were in a place that they were told was forbidden. Eventually they made sure to keep out of sight as they trailed Timber. He then disappeared between bushels of shrubs; Isaac and Sunset then followed, but soon saw that he was nowhere to be seen. This caused them to quickly looked around to find any clue as to where he disappeared until they heard a rumbling. Sunset almost lost her balance, but thankfully, Isaac had manage to catch her in his arms.

"Gotcha." Isaac then released Sunset as they continued forward. They soon pulled back some trees limbs and saw a cave that was covered by two huge boulders. "This is the rock quarry that they told us not come near." said Isaac.

Just then some magic appeared as it shown behind the boulders as both Sunset and Isaac saw this. "Ah, shoot! He's definitely up to something! Better contact Twilight." Sunset then pulled out her phone as she began to send her friend a text. Isaac was preparing himself as he put his duel disk on his arm.

Twilight was currently in her tent as she was reading a book on her bed with Spike to keep her company. She was so ingrained in her literature, that she was in full focus mode. Thankfully, her phone got her attention as she read the message. "It's Sunset. She says to meet her by the rock quarry. She say it's important." Twilight then thought of something. "Strange though, why would she want to meet in a place that's off limits? Well guess I'll find out." With that Twilight then made her way towards her destination.

She was currently jogging to her location as she was accompanied by Spike. Not to long, she noticed some magical glow in the distance as it caused her to slow down. "What is that?" Twilight wasn't paying attention as her face made contact with a spider web as she let out a shriek. Thankfully, a hand came over her mouth to make sure that they weren't heard. She then dragged her over to where they could see the entrance.

"Sunset? Isaac? What's going on down there?" asked Twilight.

Sunset then explained, " I think it's Gaea Everfree. Or rather, someone who wants us to think she's back. C'mon!"

"Stay close by me girls, if things turn south, make a break for it and get help." Isaac then took out his deck from his belt as he slotted it in and turned on his duel disk as he was ready for danger. He then led the way as they moved in between the boulders and stepped in the cave. Isaac then pushed a button on his duel disk as a light turned on and it helped them to navigate their way through the darkness. Isaac's flashlight was able to show thousands of shiny little minerals as they glowed beautiful.

"Whoa... This place is beautiful." Twilight was in awe at how marvelous the cave was.

"There's Equestrian magic here. I can... I can feel it." Sunset was sensing a powerful force.

"Yes, it's as if someone has been here recently." said Isaac as he took a good look at his surroundings. "Wait. I thought you said that Timber was just faking there was a magical nature creature. Are you saying it's real?" asked Isaac as he addressed Sunset.

Twilight was surprised about this, "Timber? What does he have to do with any of this? What's going on!?" Twilight was starting to get angry with her friends keeping secrets.

"Well you see Twilight..." Before Isaac could finish his thought, another voice then spoke up as they all turned to their heads.

"Nothing. It's all me." said the voice softly.

"Who's there!? Show yourself!" Isaac then pointed his flashlight as it revealed the person who was hiding in the shadow.

"Gloriosa? But... Timber. I was sure he was the one trying to make it seem like Gaea Everfree was back. It was you who was trying to scare everyone away?" Sunset was confused as she didn't know what was happening.

"I would never try to scare anyone away from Camp Everfree." said Gloriosa in a creepy voice as she was in some sort of trance.

Sunset then grabbed her arm as her power activated.

"Sunset, wait!" shouted Isaac.

Sunset was now seeing things that had happened in the past as she was now in Gloriosa's mind. The first scene that she saw was between Filthy Rich and Gloriosa as they were talking about something.

"My, oh, my. You fell behind on your payments, Gloriosa. I own the land now." said Filthy Rich.

"Please. My great grandparents founded this place. It's been in our family for generations! You have to let the camp stay!" pleaded Gloriosa.

Filthy Rich just ignored her plead, "Instead of turning it into a spa resort that will line my pockets with more money than this camp ever could?" He then let out an evil chuckle. "I don't think so."

"Please! I-I-I-I just need a little more time!" Gloriosa looked like she was about to cry.

"Fine. I'll give you 'til the end of the month. Hmph." With that Filthy Rich was gone, and Gloriosa broke down in tears as she let her emotions out.

The scene then changed as it depicted how one day, Gloriosa was in the woods crying and thinking about how to make her payments on time. She then noticed some magic passed her by as it landed near her in the cave. She traveled in there and and found a couple of magical geodes that started to glow brightly as if they called out to her. She touched them which sent out an initial shock as she was flown back but didn't land on the ground as a vine appeared out of the ground and caught her. She then looked at the geodes in her hand and made the connection that she could use them to control nature to her very will.

The scene then changed as it showed her now talking with her brother.

"You don't know what those things are!" yelled Timber.

"But I know what they can do! I've been practicing! I can control their power now!" Gloriosa showed her brother an example of her new power by making the plants hanging above them grow vines as they picked things up.

"You don't know that for sure!" said Timber as he was about to walk out on his sister.

Gloriosa then grabbed her brother by the arm as she addressed him, "This is our camp, and it's being taken away! If this has to be our last week here, I'm going to use whatever it takes to make it count!"

Another scene changed and this time it showed the multiple times that Gloriosa had used her magic for good intentions but it ended up horribly. It showed the incident with the sailboat and how it crashed into the docks; all in all, each incident was seen with Gloriosa trying to make everybody happy but it ended up failing miserably. There was even a trail of the magical dust that was left behind by Gloriosa's magic.

The scene changed for the final time as it was telling the events of what Timber and her were discussing while Isaac and Sunset were listening.

"You were using magic all over the place! I had to tell them something to cover for you! What did you want me to do?!" said Timber.

"I just wish you didn't tell them that ridiculous story!" shouted Gloriosa at her brother.

"Ah, this is all too much for you! You have to let it go!" shouted back at his sister. With that the scene/memory ended.

Sunset let go of Gloriosa as she put her hand to her head.

"You okay, Sunset?" asked Isaac.

Sunset nodded her head and then began to explain. "Timber wasn't talking about letting go of the camp. He was talking about you letting go of the magical geodes! All those things you were doing to make this week the best week ever. Every time you used magic to do them, you caused another problem somewhere else! Timber was... covering for you!"

Gloriosa was surprised by Sunset's comment. "How do you know what I was doing with the geodes? How do you know about the magic?"

"I can see things. Feel things. Because I have magic, too. And so does she. And so do our friends." stated Sunset.

"Gloriosa, Timber wasn't wrong. Maybe you should stop using magic. Too much of it can be dangerous if you can't control it." Twilight was doing her best to also reason with her.

Isaac then spoke up, "Don't do something that you'll regret later."

"Oh, I got this. And I'm going to use it to save my camp. I just need more power!" Gloriosa then reached up to grab the remaining geodes.

"No!" they all shouted.

Gloriosa then raised her other hand as she fired a powerful beam at them. Twilight had managed to push Isaac out the way as he tumbled through the ground. Isaac had recovered and looked up to see both girls being wrapped by vines as it binded them. Meanwhile Gloriosa was undergoing a transformation as she had gotten more power. Her eyes started to change as they were now blue violetish black with light brilliant harlequin pupils; her skin was now ceriseish gray. Her body was now wrapped in plant like clothing as her hair had now become moderate cyan and light brilliant turquoise.

"Sorry, everybody. I know what I need to do. But I feel like we're not on the same page. So..." Gloriosa then hovered past them as she used her magic to seal them in the cave with boulders. She also managed to manifest a creature made up of vines as it turn its attention towards Isaac.

"Gloriosa! No!" Sunset and Twilight said as they struggled to break free from their frenzy grip. Meanwhile, Isaac was doing his best to dodge the strange plant creature's attack.

Meanwhile back at camp, the students were trying on the designs that Rarity had made as they prepared for a quick practice run.

"Where are Twilight and Sunset? And Isaac, for that matter?" Rarity let out a sigh. "They're missing our dress rehearsal."

"Uh-uh." said Pinkie.

"I suppose we can get started without them. Whenever you're ready!" Rarity then signal for the music to start; she then turned to Aj who was taking a liking to her outfit. "Hmm. Told you, you'd like it." said Rarity as she had a smug smile.

"It's alright... I guess. I do get to keep it after camp though, right?" asked Applejack who did her best to swallow her pride.

Soon several people began to walk the runway. "This is only a preview. I've got another entire line I'll debut at the real thing." Rarity then began to take her turn to walk down the runway when the music was suddenly stopped. "Why did you stop the—?" Rarity then let out a gasp. "Oh, my goodness!"

"Attention, campers!" stated Gloriosa as she had made her presence known.

"It's Gaea Everfree!" shouted Trixie.

"She's real!" yelled Flash.

"Aah! We're doomed!" screamed Bulk who was acting like a little girl.

"Gloriosa?! What are you doing?!" asked Timber as he was shocked to see his sister in such a state.

"That's Gloriosa? Am I goin' crazy, or are her feet not touchin' the ground?"

"Freaky-deaky!" stated Pinkie.

"I have an announcement to make! Filthy Rich wants this to be the last session of Camp Everfree. But don't worry, I've got this!" shouted Gloriosa as she unleashed her powers which caused thorns to appear and wreck the dock as the girls just barely managed to get out of the way.

"Oh, Isaac is going to be pissed when he finds out." said Pinkie.

"Oh, come on! We literally just finished building that!" shouted Dash as they looked at the sight of the dock before them.

Gloriosa then used her magic as she caused the landscape around them to grow at a alarming rate. Flowers and other forms of plants began to grow as vines started to bind and hold the campers/students. Soon the vines grew high up as Gloriosa was begin to seal the camp in a dome of vines.

"Oh, why do these kinds of things always happen to us?" said Fluttershy as she finally saw Isaac's point.

"What are we going to do?" asked Rarity.

"Dud! What we always do! Save the day!" Rainbow then stood up as she put her hand out. The girls all agreed with her as they put their hand over hers and did their team cheer.
"Oh, boy, oh, boy, oh, boy! This is gonna be so much fun! I only wish we had time to make superhero capes!" Pinkie was really feeling the power flowing through her.

"Oh, me, too!" agreed Rarity.

Rainbow just let out a sigh. "Enough about our wardrobe! We've got to stop Gloriosa from trapping everybody in here!" With that all the girls got to working on saving the day as they activated their new found powers.

Back in the cave, Sunset and Twilight were still being held by the vines. Spike did his best to free them as he was biting the vines with all of his grip. Isaac was still trying to dodge and trying to outmaneuver the creature.

"Isaac, mind giving us a hand!?" shouted Sunset.

"I'm a little busy, at moment." Isaac was doing dodge rolls left and right as he was avoid getting hit by the creature. Soon he found himself with his back against the wall; the creature then tried to slash at him, but Isaac was able to use the wall to kick off and roll through between its legs. "Alright, that's enough. Mahad give me hand!" Isaac then played his Dark Magician card on his duel disk and out came his most loyal monster. "Now Mahad, blast that thing!" Mahad then raised its weapon as it shot a powerful attack that caused the creature to explode into tiny pieces of vines. Then the vines holding the girls was broken free as they dropped to the ground.

"Thanks, Mahad." Mahad then disappeared.

"Nice work, Isaac!" said Sunset.

The three of them then made their way to the entrance as they tried to push the boulders out the way but it useless. Sunset then came up with an idea. "Twilight, you have to use your magic!" said Sunset.

"I don't think I can lift something that big."

"It's our only chance of getting out of here and helping our friends!" Sunset was trying to explain the situation to her friend.

Isaac's deck then started to glow as there was a light coming from it. Isaac took it out and saw that his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were lighting up. "Mana? Mahad?" Isaac then realized what was happening and had a smile on his face. He then turned back to the girls, "How about some help then, Twi?" Isaac then held up his two magician cards as they now appeared. However, they weren't spirits this time, they were actually alive and moving.

"No way!?" said the girls as they were shocked to see Isaac's monsters alive and in the flesh.

"Now guys, give Twilight a hand in moving those boulders." commanded Isaac.

"As you wish, master."

"You've got it, Isaac."

Twilight then got into position with Isaac's magicians behind her as they floated. Twilight then raised her hands as she focused on her magic; Mana and Mahad both pointed their wands at the boulders as they used their magic to help Twilight out. It took a while, but soon all three of them were able to move the rocks as they now had a clear opening.

"Good job, Twilight." cheered Isaac.

"Thanks, Isaac." Twilight then gave Isaac a quick hug, as his magicians looked on.

"Come on you two, we have to help the others!" stated Sunset as she began to run. Soon Twilight and Isaac did the same.

"Mana, Mahad! Return!" Isaac then called back his monsters as their spirits were drawn back into his cards as he put them back into his deck. "Let's hope that we're not too late."

Meanwhile the girls were doing their best to sustain and keep the damage to a minimum. They were just barely surviving as they did their best to stop Gloriosa. Gloriosa was unhappy at the efforts that the girls were trying to do.

"Why are you fighting me?! I'm doing this to save our camp! I'm doing this for you!" shouted Gloriosa.

Rarity tried her best to reason with her while chuckling nervously, "Gloriosa, let's just think about this for a moment, shall we? I mean, I think Camp Everfree is absolutely delightful, but I just don't know that I'm quite ready to give up my weekly trips to the spa."

That was the worst thing Rarity could have said as it ticked off Gloriosa. "To the spa...?" she said softly. "To the spa?!" Gloriosa now had fury in her voice. She tried to crush Rarity, but thankfully, Rainbow was able to move her out of danger.

"Gloriosa, this isn't the way!" said Timber as he desperately tried to talk some sense to her sister.

Gloriosa then turned towards her brother. "I appreciate your concern, Timber, but I got this!" she said with a deep, booming voice.

"Agh! No, you don't!" said Timber as he was pushed back by his sister.

Just then Isaac and the girls had arrived as they took in the sight before them. They spotted their friends as they check on them to make sure they were okay. They were relieved to see their friends weren't hurt. Isaac, Sunset, and Twilight then turned back to face Gloriosa.

"Please, Gloriosa! What you're doing is crazy! You have to listen to me!" said Timber.

"That isn't your sister. It's someone who's been consumed by magic." stated Sunset.

Timber then let a tear fall from his face. "Whoever you are, you have to let my sister go! Please, Gloriosa, come back! I need you! Gloriosa!"

A piece of energy then started to head there way as it was infused with magic. It was aimed at Twilight as it was about to struck her but Spike jumped in front of it to take the hit; however, it was so powerful that Spike was sent flying into Twilight's arms and caused her to fly back.

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac as he caught her in his arms and used his own body to shield her from taking some massive damage as he hit the ground hard. Isaac opened his eyes and saw that he was lying on the ground as Twilight was on top of him and she was perfectly safe.

Twilight saw that Isaac had protected her and smiled. "Thanks for saving me, Isaac." she then gave him a quick hug as she got off of him.

"No problem." Isaac then sat back up. "How's Spike, is he okay?"

"I don't know, are you okay buddy?" asked Twilight.

"Uhh, I think so." spoke Spike as he was now talking. It took a moment but both Twilight and Spike had their mouths open at what they were hearing.

"Okay. Now that's freaky like friday." said Isaac as he too was a bit in disbelief that Spike was actually talking. He then helped Twilight up as they turned back to the problem at hand. "If we don't do something, then Gloriosa is just going to keep us all trapped here."

"We tried everything, sugarcube. But nothing seems to work."

Just then Gloriosa started to make more of the same creatures that she created to keep Isaac and the girls trapped in the cave. Soon they started to close in on the remaining campers and our heroes. Isaac then activated his duel disk and pulled out his ace monsters. "Mahad, Mana. Give us a hand will you." Isaac's two magicians then appeared as they took their positions and prepared for battle.

"We'll protect you and your friends, master."

"Count on it!"

"Woah!" said the girls minus Sunset and Twilight.

"Yo, Isaac? Since when can your monsters talk?" asked Rainbow.

"Must be the magic that's surrounding us that allows them to appear as if they are real." stated Applejack.

"I'll play the spell card, Dark Burning Magic! Now my magicians, clear them out!" Isaac then thrust his arm out as both of his magicians received their orders.

"Ready, Mana?"

"All set, Mahad!"

"Dark Burning Magic!" they both said as they combined their weapons together and casted a huge spell that got rid of the woodland creatures. Soon there was nothing but tons of little vines left on the ground. Isaac had a smile on his face, while the girls were impressed with what they saw Isaac and his magicians do.

Soon Gloriosa then struck the ground once more, as more woodland creatures began to emerge. This time more than the last wave. Isaac and his monsters then turned back to the fight. "This isn't working, we need to stop it at the source." shouted Isaac to the girls.

"How do we do that?" asked Fluttershy as she cowered in fear.

Isaac then looked at Gloriosa and he knew exactly what he had to do. "I know how to end this." Isaac then turned to Timber as he had something to say. "Timber, look after Twilight for me. I've got something to do. Sunset, you and the girls help the remaining campers to try to escape and see if you can get through those vines."

"Leave it to us!" Sunset then pulled out her duel disk which was followed by the rest of their friends as they all slotted in their decks and activated their duel disk. "What about you, what will you do?"

"Same thing I always do. Save the fucking day." said Isaac as he ran off to confront Gloriosa.

Sunset then turned to face the many woodland creatures that were heading in their direction. "Alright, girls. You heard Isaac. We can summon out our monsters and they'll help us." Sunset then picked up a card. "Appear Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset now had her ace monster by her side as it let out a growl before firing fireballs at the creatures.

"Appear, Rainbow Dragon!"

"Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!"

"Thunder Unicorn and Behemoth the King of all Animals!"

"Take center stage, U.A. Star Player and Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"Come on out my toons!"

"High Priestess of Prophecy, lend us your assistance!"

The girls had managed to summon out some monsters as they took the field and stood before each of their respective owners. They then charged forward as they engaged with the woodland creatures while their owners helped to get the remaining students to safety.

Isaac was able to have a clear path to Gloriosa as he now stood in front of her. "Stop this Gloriosa, can't you see that you're hurting people instead of protecting them. Do you really think this will help save your camp, your home!?" screamed Isaac. "I know Filthy Rich wants to turn this place into a spa, but maybe there's a way we can stop that. Just stop all of this!"

"Sorry, Isaac. But I must do what needs to be done, so that this camp is remembered through the ages!" shouted Gloriosa.

"Well I tried, seems the only way I'll get through to you and save everybody is to duel you." Isaac then activated his duel disk as his card tray project and he prepared himself.

"So it's a duel you want, then I'll gladly get rid of you along with Filthy Rich!" Gloriosa then made a duel disk appeared from her vines as it was attached to her arm; it shot a dark green card tray. "Let's do this!"

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Gloriosa's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll kick things off," Isaac drew his card. "I'll summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode, then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Gloriosa

"My turn," Gloriosa drew her card. "Lets see how you like this, I'll play my Native Plant(500/300) in attack mode." Gloriosa played her card and out came a small plant that had big eyes and a set of jaws.

"Only 500 attack points, which means it must have some special effect." said Isaac.

"Precisely, like this, as long as my Native Plant stays on the field, I can add a different nature-type monster from my deck to my hand." Native then shot a seed from its jaws as it landed near Gloriosa's feet which created a flower to bloom as its petals were closed. "So I'll add my Noxious Weed to my hand." The flower then opened up as Gloriosa then grabbed her card. "Now I'll special summon my Noxious Weed since I control another monster on my field that's the same type as my other monster. So here comes my Noxious Weed(1800/1500)!" Now Gloriosa now had a large weed-like creature as it stared at Isaac and his monster. "Now my Noxious Weed, take out his Beta and then my Native Plant will attack you directly." Gloriosa's plants then leaped out of the ground as they took out Isaac's monster and struck him.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

Isaac shook on the attack and focused, "Now then, my draw. Alright, I'll now play my Apprentice Illusion Magician, so by sending one card to the grave, I can special summon it to the field. Since it was special summoned, I can now add a 'Dark Magician' from my deck to my hand." Isaac then summoned his monsters and then touched his duel screen as he selected the card he wanted. "Now my magician take out her Native Plant."

"Not gonna happen, reveal my facedown, Nature's Protection. Now as long as this card is on the field, my monsters remain unharmed and you can't attack them!" shouted Gloriosa.

"What!?" said Isaac as his magician then stopped in its tracks. "Not good, I'll just set another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Gloriosa

"Now time to get rid of you," Gloriosa drew her card. "I'll activate the effect of my Native Plant and add another monster to my hand from my deck." Another flower bloomed at it opened up to reveal Gloriosa's card as she grabbed it. "Now I'll summon my Cellulose Warrior(1700/1600), now her effect kicks in. Now she gains 200 more attack points for every nature-type monster on my field, so now she gains 400 attack points making her have 2100. Now my monsters take out his magicians and the rest of his life points!" Gloriosa gave her command and her monsters then charged forward; Cellulose Warrior took out Apprentice Illusion Magician with one swipe of her sword. Then her other monsters set their sights on Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

"I reveal Magician Replacement, as the name suggest when a magician on my side of the field is destroyed, I can summon another to take its place. So come on out, Apple Magician Girl!" An apple appeared in Isaac's hand as he tossed it high into the air as light started to surround it and out came his monster of choice. "Now Apple Magician Girl's effect kicks in, so with I'll summon one of her friends, please welcome Lemon Magician Girl. Now your attack is diverted to her and she cuts the strength of yours in half." Lemon Magician Girl then pointed her wand as it zapped away Noxious Weed's power. "But it doesn't stop there, Lemon Magician Girl uses her effect as she can call upon another spellcaster from my hand and summon it, so time to meet their mentor, Dark Magician. And now the attack is diverted to him. Dark Magician, Counterattack!" Dark Magician then appeared in front of Isaac's other magicians as he pointed his wand and got rid of Noxious Weed of more points and then blasted him to pieces.
Gloriosa's Life Points: 5950-

Gloriosa was angry that Isaac had managed to outsmart her and fill his field out at the same time. "You're starting to annoy me, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"Back to me, perfect." Isaac then quickly looked through his hand. "To start, I'll play the spell Pot of Greed and draw two more cards." Isaac then picked up his cards. "Now I'll play the spell Dark Magic Attack, now my Dark Magician now has to destroy all your spell/trap cards. Show her, Mahad." shouted Isaac. Mahad then lifted his wand as he pointed it and got rid of Gloriosa's back row. "Now that your trap is gone, I'm free to attack your monsters. So Dark Magician take out her Cellulose Warrior, Lemon Magician Girl take out Native Plant, and Apple Magician Girl will attack you directly!" With their command Isaac's magicians then charged forward as they disposed of Gloriosa's monsters and her life points.
Gloriosa's Life Points: 4050-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Gloriosa

"Ha, ha." Gloriosa was chuckling as she drew her card. "If you only knew what you just did, you would cover in fear." Gloriosa then channeled her magic as more vines began to grow around them, "Now thanks to you, I now have three monsters in my graveyard. So I'll banish them to summon out my Rosette Dragon(3000/2900)!" Out came a creature that was green all over its body, it had flowers and other pieces of plants sprouting out. It's claws were vines that looked razor sharp and it let out a loud roar. "Now watch as I activate my Dragon's ability, so once per turn, I can destroy one of your monsters. So take out his Dark Magician!" Gloriosa then snapped her fingers and Isaac's monster was wrapped in vines as it was pulled into the ground. "But my monster also has the ability to create as well as destroy, so now I create a plant copy of your Dark Magician." Now there was a plant like monster that resembled Isaac's Dark Magician. "Time to feel the wrath of your own monster, take out his Lemon Magician Girl!" With that Isaac's other magician was take out as he put his arm up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 5700-

"Unfortunately, when my dragon uses its effect, he can't attack. So I'll just place a card facedown."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card. "For now I'll switch my Apple Magician Girl into defense mode, and then I'll summon Big Shield Gardna in defense position." All I can do right now is protect my life points. But hopefully, I can figure out a way to take down her dragon. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Gloriosa

"Pathetic, hiding behind your monster? You'll have to do better than that." Gloriosa then drew her card. "Now then time to rid you of your defense, go my monsters take out his remaining field." Gloriosa's monsters then unleashed their attacks as they had no trouble clearing Isaac's field. "Now you have nothing to defend yourself, so before I end my turn, I'll play my Biennial Plant(1400/1300) in defense mode." Now Gloriosa had three monsters on her field while Isaac had none.

Turn 9: Isaac

"Time to see what I got, here goes something." Isaac drew his card. "I'll play my Graceful Charity, so I'll draw three cards and discard two. One of the cards, I drew was Watapon, so I'll summon it to the field." Isaac then sent two cards to the graveyard. "Next I'll play my King's Knight in defense mode and..."

"I reveal my facedown, Alternate Leaf Arrangement. Now I can create a copy of one of your monsters on your field, so I'll choose to create a plant version of your King's Knight." With that Gloriosa now had a copy of Isaac's monster on her field.

"Great, now I got more to worry about, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 10: Gloriosa

"Now the stage is set," Gloriosa then used her magic as it infused her next card. "I play the spell Rays of Everfree, with this card, I'll sacrifice my plant version of your monsters and my Biennial Plant. With it I'll call a upon a creature that will rid this place of anybody who stands in my way, I play Gaea Everfree(4000/4000)!" Gloriosa had managed to summon out the creature that was depicted in Timber's story as it dark black eyes stared a hole at Isaac. "Now my Gaea Everfree's effect activates, once per turn, she can banish a monster on your side of the field, so say goodbye to your Watapon!" Gloriosa's monster then raised its hands as it got rid of Isaac's monster as it dragged it into the ground. "With that I'll go straight for your life points, now my Rosette Dragon take out his monster and then Gaea Everfree will attack you directly!" Both monsters then fired off their powerful attacks as they combined it to take out Isaac's monster and then hit him as he was thrown on his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 1700-

"The time draws near, feel free to take your last turn. Once I properly dispose of you, I'll then take care of that greedy wolf." Gloriosa then placed one card facedown as she ended her turn.

Turn 11: Isaac

Isaac then got up as he felt that pain of the attack course through him, "Before I take my turn, I'll play my facedown that I set at the beginning, Dark Horizon. So now I can summon a dark spellcaster whose attack is equal to or less than the amount of damage I took. So I choose to bring out my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac now had his favorite female spellcaster as she took her position and prepared to defend her master.

"A lot good that she'll do, she doesn't come close to the attack points of my monsters. Face it, Isaac. It's over!" shouted Gloriosa.

"It's now over till the last card is played, Gloriosa. I may be down a bit of life points, but I still have some. Which means that I've still got a chance to turn this duel around." Isaac then drew his card, "Like this for example, I play the spell Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we have six cards in our hands." With that Isaac then put his hand over his deck as he let out a deep breath and focused his mind. This is it. If I don't draw the right cards, then I'll lose this duel for sure. Got to put my faith in my cards. Soon Isaac's magic then started to glow as he felt it flow through his body; Isaac then drew his cards as his entire hand now started to glow with rainbow colors. "Now I'll play the spell Harmonious Friendship!" Isaac held his card up and it began to shine very bright; the girls each felt some of their aura leave their body as they watched it traveled toward Isaac.

"Now with this card, I'll combine using monsters in my deck and with, I'll call upon my Chromatic Paladin!" Isaac had managed to summon out one of his most powerful monsters as it dawned upon the field and struck an intimidating pose. "My monster's ability activates, when he's summoned, he gains the attack points of all your monsters on your field. So do the math, Gloriosa. My Paladin now has 10,000 attack points!" Isaac's monster then raised its sword as it absorbed Gloriosa's monsters.

"Impressive, but not good enough! I reveal my facedown, Rays of Judgement! Now my monsters on the field gain the attack points of your Chromatic Paladin!" Gloriosa's monsters then started to grow bigger as they absorbed the power of Isaac's Paladin. "Now my monsters are the more powerful and they enough attack points to wipe you out! You failed!!!" shouted Gloriosa.

Isaac just had a smile on his face while Gloriosa just rambled on. "Well the thing is Gloriosa, I'm not done." Isaac's expression then changed as two of his cards began to shine as he held them up. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale using the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now." Isaac then placed his pendulum cards on his duel disk as the word "pendulum" appeared to show that it worked. Now Isaac's monsters then appeared in columns of light as the number in front of them showed in front of them. "Now I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's Pendulum ability, so now I'll add any number of monsters from my graveyard into my hand, so long as they fall into the scale." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out three cards for Isaac to grab. "With that done, the stage is set. I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7 all at the same time. Swing far Pendulum, carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as his monsters were summoned. "Making his grand debut, front and center, it's my Magician Boy! Next up to wow the crowd is my Dark Magician of Chaos! And lastly, please give a warm welcome to the star monster of the show, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had three more monsters on the field.

Gloriosa was now worried as Isaac had a field full of monsters. "This can't be, your monsters pale in comparison to mine. I still have the strongest on the field!"

"Not after this you won't, now behold as I combine the power of all my magicians on the field!" The five monsters rose up, floating level with Isaac’s Pendulum monsters. Strands of light in seven colors whirled around each of them, the seven glowing brighter and brighter. "I harmonize the spirits of my monsters, and open the dimensional gates to call upon a shining spirit of hope.” Isaac’s magic burst into a spectacle of colors. “Unitatis Summon! Ascend, Harmony Magician Warlock!” Out came Isaac's new monster as he started to light up with his aura starting to shine brighter than ever. "Harmony Magician Warlock can be summoned by tributing any number of spellcasters on my side of the field, be they in the Monster or Pendulum Zones. For each card tributed from a Monster Zone, he gains that monster’s original attack points, and for each card tributed from a Pendulum Zone, he gains an additional attack this turn.”

Gloriosa gasped, "No!!! This can't be happening!!!"

"My Harmony Warlock Magician now has a total of 18,800 attack points! And thanks to my Pendulum monsters, my monster can attack a total of three times! So now Harmony Magician Warlock, attack Gloriosa's monster and end this duel!!!" Isaac's entire body started to shine bright as he was covered in a gold aura, he then fused his spirit with his magician as together they delivered the final blow. Gloriosa felt her power starting to fade as Isaac's attack drained her of her magic and the geodes that she was wearing started to lose their color and then broke into tiny pieces. Soon there was a huge light that covered the entire camp as the many vines that surrounded the camp then started to wilter and fell apart.
Gloriosa's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Chapter 62: Summer Job

Everybody was packing their stuff as they were getting ready to head back to Canterlot. The students were thanking Gloriosa and Timber for a memorable week at Camp Everfree. Both of them thanked the girls for all they did; they were extremely grateful to Isaac as he had managed to not only save Gloriosa, but also humiliate Filthy Rich with ease. Isaac just told them he was happy to help and said that if they ever needed his help dealing with Filthy Rich again, that they shouldn't hesitate to call him. Soon Isaac got on the bus as he prepared himself for the long drive back. He glanced out the window where he saw Twilight talking with Timber before she got on the bus and took a seat next to him.

"So, let me guess, he gave you his number?" said Isaac.

"Actually, I told him that how grateful he and his sister were for showing us a wondertime at camp. But to also cheer up that I wouldn't be his girlfriend." said Twilight.

"What!?" said Isaac with a shocked look on his face. "Why not? Didn't you have a fun time with him last night?"

"I did, but when he pulled me to the side. He told me that he had feelings for me. So I of course was shocked to hear that, but unfortunately, I told him that I couldn't return those same feelings." Twilight then quickly looked away while hiding the red that was forming. "I've developed feelings for another person." said Twilight in a soft tone.

"Really, well whoever they are, know that they're lucky to have someone like you. Now I just have to figure out who this guy is so that he doesn't do anything to upset or break your heart." said Isaac, to which Twilight just let out a giggle at Isaac's dense behavior.

Soon they were on the road as everybody waved goodbye. The drive back was just as long as it was to get there, however Pinkie was able to keep everybody entertained by singing some road songs. Isaac knew where this was going so he popped in his headphones as he tried to drown out Pinkie's crazy antics. Eventually the smooth ride caused everybody to doze off as they all closed their eyes and fell asleep. Isaac woke up as he caught a quick glance of surroundings, he saw that everybody around him had all decided to get some shut eye. He then looked at his shoulder as he felt and saw Twilight as her head rested on his shoulder. She was also cuddling his arm, Isaac just let out a smile as he pushed up Twilight's glasses from falling off. Isaac then turned to look out the window for the rest of the ride. It wasn't long before the bus had finally reached the city of Canterlot; the bus then arrived as it pulled into the parking lot.

Everybody had finally woken up from their nap, Twilight opened her eyes as was surprised to see that she was clinging to Isaac's arm. She quickly let go while trying to hide the red on her face, Isaac was already awake when Twilight woke up, but he was too busy playing a game on his phone to notice her reaction. With that, everybody grabbed their bags and waved one last goodbye to all their fellow classmates until school started in the fall. Isaac then got his stuff and made his way home where he was greeted with a warm embrace from his parents. He then made his way to his room where Tigre was napping as he woke her up and lied down on his bed.

"Ahh, it's good to be home."

With school out, everybody was making sure that they make the most of their summer. Summertime was also a good time for dueling because, the dueling community knew that everybody wasn't in school. So there was a ton of events that would be taking place during the course of the summer months and people were looking to showcase their skills. Normally, that would be something anybody would enjoy, except for Isaac. See as much as he wanted to take part in events like these, he had more important matters to attend right now. He was currently on the lookout for a job, before they left Camp Everfree, Isaac was making a list of the things he wanted to do during his summer break. At the top of that list was getting a summer job. He figured that he wanted to make his own hard earned money; so with that he began job searching. The girls all wanted to help him, but he told them that he wanted to do this on his own.

Isaac was now looking through the different malls going to every store to see if they had an positions open. Suffice to say that most openings were either not hiring at the moment, or there was a waitlist. With that Isaac couldn't do much but say thanks and was on his way. While he was searching, he got a phone call from Celestia which really shocked him as he was afraid that his own principal could contact him. She just wished him a safe summer and told him that she was having some more events planned for him. Isaac was both interested and confused by what Celestia was talking about; she just told him that he shouldn't worry about it but that when she needed to reach him, she'll let him know.

"Another day with no progress." said Isaac as he was walking down the sidewalk. "At this rate, I'll never find a job." Isaac then noticed some kids who nearly bumped into him. "Hey watch it." Isaac then heard the sound of a doorbell ring as it closed from where the kids came from. "Huh, never seen this place before." Isaac was now looking at a small shop that was in front of him. "Couldn't hurt to take a look?" With that Isaac entered the place.

The doorbell rang as Isaac took a look around. Despite being small on the outside, the inside of the shop was a bit bigger than expected. Isaac began looking around as he saw this store had a lots of games that ranged from board games to playing cards to even paper and pen activities. Isaac enjoyed what he was seeing until he came to a section of the store where there was a glass case. And inside the glass case was nothing but Duel Monster cards that lay in rows; Isaac couldn't take his eyes off the beautiful sight that was in front of him. He put his hands on the glass as he wanted to take a closer.

"I've never seen so many cards in one place." said Isaac.

"Impressive, isn't it?" spoke a mysterious voice.

Isaac turned around and there was a old man standing there, he didn't look that old as based on his appearance he looked to be in his fifties. The old man just had a smile on his face as he noticed Isaac's enjoyment towards his card collection.

"I'll say, I've never know someone to have this many cards. I thought I had a lot but this something else." said Isaac with a smile on his voice.

"Well, this is a card shop. Do you expect me not to have that many cards?" chuckled the old man. He then stared at Isaac with a close eye. "Say kid, you wouldn't happen to be a duelist would you?"

Isaac then turned back to address the old man. "Yeah, how did you know?"

"Let's say that I've had my fair share of seeing a couple of duelists in my life. Plus that deck holder on your belt is a dead give away." said the old man as he pointed to Isaac's side.

"Oh yeah." Isaac then took out his deck. "These cards have been with me for as long as I can remember."

"I see. I can tell that both you and your cards share a special connection that I've only seen once in my life."

"Thanks for that, uhm..."

The old man cleared his voice, "Forgive me, just call me Mr. Johnson. I'm the owner of this place."

"Pleasure to make your acquaintance, Mr. Johnson. I'm Isaac." Isaac shock his hand.

"Say mind if I ask a request: Can I please see your deck? I promise I won't do anything to it." Mr. Johnson then held his hand out.

Isaac was a bit hesitant on handing over his deck to strangers, but from the way Mr. Johnson spoke, it seemed like he was a nice person.

"Sure."

With that, Isaac took out his deck and gave it to the old man.

Mr. Johnson then felt the weight of Isaac's deck. He then began to look through as he examined each card. He got to the end of it as the last two cards he saw were none other than Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. He didn't say much other that he simply looking at them with a smile on his face. "You have some pretty powerful cards, kid. I can tell you're a talented duelist." said Mr. Johnson as he gave Isaac back his deck.

"Thanks, it's one of the reason why I'm ranked as the champion of my school." said Isaac as he took back his deck.

"Say now, how you would like a job working here?" asked Mr. Johnson.

"Really? You're serious?" said Isaac. "I would love working here, what would I do?"

"Simple stuff really like: cleaning the shop, selling stuff, even helping to unload the new card deliveries when they come out. See I'm not as young as I once was, and it's all starting to get too much for one person to handle; so I figured why have an assistance of sorts to help me run this place." said Mr. Johnson.

"I'd be honored to work in a place like this. So when can I start?" asked Isaac excitedly.

"Hold your horses, youngster. I can't hand you the job, there are somethings you need to do first."

"Oh, right." said Isaac as he couldn't believe he was getting ahead of himself. "So what kind of paperwork do I need to fill out?".

"Actually, that's not what I had in mind. In fact, I was thinking of duel instead." suggested Mr. Johnson.

"A duel?" Isaac had an eyebrow raised as he found this rather suspicious.

"It's been a while since I've last had a duel. So I figured I test your skills in a duel; if you win, I'll give you the job. Care to entertain me, young man?" said Mr. Johnson.

Once Mr. Johnson finished his proposal, Isaac then began to think. On one hand he was looking to get a job and this was the perfect fit for him. On the other hand, if he lost the duel then that would mean he would be out of luck once again. So after much deliberation, Isaac had made his decision.

"Alright, I'll do it."

With that, they both made their way to the back of the store.

Mr. Johnson and Isaac were now in the back of the store in the storage area. He had a mini space where they could have their duel. With that Isaac slotted on his duel disk and his deck. Mr. Johnson then reached into a box and took out an old duel disk as he blew the dust off. Isaac was impressed to say the least as he had plenty of experience using one of those old school duel disks when he was growing up. Mr. Johnson then dug deeper into the box and pulled out a smaller box; he opened it and inside was a deck of cards. With that he slotted in his deck and turned on his duel disk as he turned to face Isaac.

"I see you have one those fancy duel disks that all the kids have these days." said Mr. Johnson.

"Yeah, but I've seen my fair of old style duel disk growing up." Isaac then activated his duel disk which project a gold card tray. "Now then, it's time to duel!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the mechanical voice of the duel disk.

Mr. Johnson's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Mr. Johnson

"In my book, experience goes first." Mr. Johnson then drew his opening hand and picked up his top card. "Here's a move that takes me back to my youth, I'll play my Skilled White Magician(1700/1900)." Out came a spellcaster that was covered in white robes from head to toe. "Next I'll play the spell card, Emblem of the Dragon Destroyer. Now I'll add a 'Buster Blader from my deck to my hand." Mr. Johnson's deck then slotted out the card for him to grab, then a light when off on his magician.

"Cool, a Buster Blader deck. Haven't face one of those yet." said Isaac with excitement.

"I can tell you're passionate about Duel Monsters. Yes, this is my personal deck that I used when I was a still a young lad. Now then I'll place one card facedown." said Mr. Johnson as his face materialized in front of him.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Alright then, time to show you what I got old geezer." Isaac then drew his card and looked through his options. "I'll do a similar move like you, I play my Skilled Dark Magician in attack mode." Now Isaac had similar spellcaster but this was wearing darker robes. "Next I'll special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician, so I'll send a card to the graveyard and with it I'll summon my monster. But that's not all, when my Apprentice Illusion Magician is summoned, I can add a 'Dark Magician' to my hand." Isaac then touched his screen as he selected the card that he wanted and added it to his hand. "Now time to take out your monster, I'll have my Skilled Dark Magician attack your Skilled White Magician and then Apprentice Illusion Magician will attack you directly." With their command given, Isaac's magicians then dealt some major damage to Mr. Johnson's life points.
Mr. Johnson's Life Points: 5800-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

"Not bad, you really know your stuff. Reminds me of when I was younger." Mr. Johnson knew there was something special about Isaac and he was right.

Turn 3: Mr. Johnson

"Well lets see if my skills are still what they used to be," Mr. Johnson drew his card and had a small smile on his face. "Nice, now I'll play the spell Polymerization and with it I'll fuse the Buster Blader in my hand with my Curse of Dragon." Mr. Johnson's monsters then appeared and then disappeared as they changed into forms of energy and then combined together as they were sucked into the vortex. "Appear, Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman(2800/2500)!" Out came a fierce warrior that wore shiny armor as it wielded a great big sword.

"Woah, now that's a monster!" said Isaac as he was in awe.

"This card has been by my side since I was your age. Now time to show you his power, Buster Blader take out his Apprentice Illusion Magician." Buster Blader then leaped into the air as it brought its mighty sword down and took out Isaac's magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"Not bad." said Isaac.

"If you thought that was good, wait until my next move. For now I'll just place another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Alright, my turn." Isaac picked up his card and began to formulate his plan. "For now I'll just place this monster facedown in defense mode. Next I'll place the spell card, Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two." With that Isaac picked up a few more cards and then selected the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Then I'll place another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Mr. Johnson

"Seems you're going on the defensive, not that I blame you." Mr. Johnson then drew his card. "Not that will help you much, now I'll play the spell Monster Reborn. So with it, I'll bring out my long time buddy, Buster Blader!" Mr. Johnson now had managed to have two versions of his ace monster with one of the being the original monster. "Now time for my monsters to strike, my Buster Blader, the Dragon Destroyer Swordsman will take out your defense monster while my Buster Blader will strike down your Skilled Dark Magician. My first Buster Blader has an effect that allows him to deal piercing damage to a monster in defense mode."

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown. I play Mirror Force, now your attack is directed right back at you!" shouted Isaac.

"I'd expect something like that from you, so I had this ready. I reveal my facedown, Seven Tools of the Bandit. So I'll pay 1000 life points and as a result I'll get rid of your Mirror Force. Now my monsters' attacks continue and you lose even more life points that I paid to activate my trap." With that both swordsman then brought their mighty swords down and got rid of Isaac's field as they also manage to deal some damage to him as well.
Isaac's Life Points: 5300-
Mr. Johnson's Life Points: 4800-

"Well, what do think kid? Not bad for an old timer."

Isaac got back up as he answered Mr. Johnson's question. "I'll say this duel is turning out to be pretty fun. You actually got to summon your star monster and was able to display its power. Now I really want to work here." said Isaac with a smile on his face.

Mr. Johnson just had a smile on his face at how Isaac was acting. The kid really does love Duel Monsters; he's just like me when I was his age. Always being fascinated by how much joy the game could bring to one's self.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Now that you've got your ace monster on the field, time for me to do the same. Here we go, draw." Isaac drew his card and he knew what to do. "Now time to shift this duel into high gear, so I'll start by playing my Ancient Rules spell card. So now I'll introduce you to my star monster, appear my most loyal companion, Dark Magician." Dark Magician then came out as he took his position by his beloved monster. "But I'm not done, next I'll play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student. So now I can also summon my Dark Magician Girl." Now Isaac had his two spellcasters join his side as they were ready for battle.

Mr. Johnson now was able to get a closer look at the relationship of Isaac and his magicians. When he first looked through Isaac's deck, he could tell that Isaac valued his cards. Especially his two top magicians as they gave off a sort of resonance; he could tell that they had been through some tough situations that as a result helped strength their bonds.

"Now my spell causes me to set my Dark Burning Attack. But before I activate it, I'll play my Dark Magic Twin Burst. So my Dark Magician gains more attack points from my Dark Magician Girl which raises his attack to 4500." Mana then raised her wand as she transferred some of her strength to her teacher.

"In response, I'll play other facedown card, Fiendish Chain. Now I'll negate the effect of your Dark Magician Girl and now she can't attack." responded Mr. Johnson.

"Then it's a good thing I have this; I reveal my facedown, Dark Illusion. Now when a spell/trap or monster effect is activated that targets a Dark monster on the field, I can play this spell and as a result your trap is negated and I destroy it." Isaac's card then revealed a shadowing figure who clawed at Mr. Johnson's trap as it slash and rendered it useless. "With your Fiendish Chain gone, my plan can continue. So I'll then play the spell I set earlier, Dark Burning Attack. Now since I have both of my favorite magicians, I can use this spell to wipe out your entire field. So my two magicians take out his monsters." Mahad and Mana both received their orders and raised their weapons as they cleared/destroyed everything in their path.

Mr. Johnson covered his eyes to avoid being blinded by the very bright light. When it died down, there was nothing but smoke and magical particles that lingered behind as Isaac's magicians had taken the liberty of clearing his entire field without breaking a sweat.

"Now that you have nothing to defend you, time to end this duel. Now my magicians attack him directly and end this duel!" shouted Isaac as he pointed his finger. With that Isaac's monsters then took flight as they combined their powers and took out the remaining points of Mr. Johnson who put his arm up to cover himself.
Mr. Johnson's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

After the duel ended, Mr. Johnson then fell to his knees after taking Isaac's attack. Isaac then ran over to his side to make sure that he was okay.

"Are you okay?" asked Isaac with concern in his voice.

Mr. Johnson just chuckled at Isaac's question. "I'm fine, in fact, I'm better than fine. Ohh, what a rush. That duel took me back to when I was young and in my prime. Thank you, Isaac. That was the duel I needed to revitalize my spirit."

Isaac just returned with a smile and a chuckle of his own. "It was my pleasure." Isaac then helped Mr. Johnson up. "So, seeing as how I won, when do I start?"

"Yeah, a deal is a deal. I look forward to working with you." Mr. Johnson then extended his hand out.

"As do I." Isaac said as he shook Mr. Johnson's hand.

"However, there is some paperwork that you do need to fill out." said Mr. Johnson.

After that duel, Isaac was now given his job and he was ready to get to work. Mr. Johnson told him the ins and outs of the place, he showed them the storage area where they would unload the weekly card deliveries and told them where to display them so that the customers could see and eventually purchase them. The one thing that he mentioned that really caught Isaac's attention was that every other week they would mini events/tournaments that the kids all enjoyed as they would partake in. The winner would get to choose a few cards that they wanted. With that, Isaac even offered some suggestions on how to draw in some more consumers. He told Mr. Johnson about offering the kids some lessons on Duel Monsters; due to Isaac having experience on teaching kids, he told him that he would do it. Mr. Johnson agreed and with that they were in business as Isaac's first day would soon begin.

Isaac arrived at the place and he helped Mr. Johnson with opening the shop. The first thing he did was arrange the letters of the front of the shop, once Isaac finished aligning them, he took a good look to which the name spelled out: Mr. Johnson's Games Emporium. With that the next thing was making sure that everything was ready for the public, so both got to work cleaning the windows and the card display cases, dusting/mopping the floor, and even unloading the new cards. With that they were ready as the first of their customers entered. Immediately, all the little kids rushed from their parents as they wanted to get a good look at the new cards. Isaac was able to answer any questions they had on specific cards as he had a vast knowledge of Duel Monster cards. Some of the parents even asked him on what specifics they should get for their kids, so after learning some more info about what they liked and preferences, he was able to recommend the proper sets/cards.

Soon it was time for the first lesson, as Mr. Johnson told Isaac to get into position. Isaac then grabbed his duel disk and his deck as he made his way to the section of the store where their were a couple of chairs and a few tables. Some of the kids were excited as they had a couple of cards in their hands. Soon Isaac was in front of the table as he began his lesson. He did what he normally did by asking a few questions in general to get a grasp of his audience. Mr. Johnson watched from behind the counter as he saw the faces of the little kids be amazed with Isaac's teachings. They were especially ecstatic when Isaac showed off his two star magicians; the kids were have the biggest of eyes as they couldn't believe they got to saw some amazing monsters. Isaac showed off some dueling methods and he even allowed the kids to try his cards. With that, Isaac brought some starter boxes and allowed the kids to participate in a draft as they collected cards to create a deck and battle. Some of them wanted to battle Isaac, so he entertained them by dueling against some of them. With that nearly everybody had a good time, especially Mr. Johnson as he was making some decent profits. So much so that he needed Isaac to help him with the purchases, so Isaac rushed to help the adults/kids get the items they wanted while helping out Mr. Johnson.

While Isaac was stocking some shelfs, some of the parents pulled Mr. Johnson aside and told him how appreciative they found Isaac to be. Not only did he keep the kids entertained, but it allowed the parents to get a breather from their constant energy. Not to mention that the way Isaac was able to explain the mechanics of the game, even caught the interest of the parents as they felt like they understood a bit more of the game so that they could potentially talk about it with their kids. Overall today proved to be a successful day. It was now evening time as Isaac was currently sweeping the floor while Mr. Johnson was doing some last minute inventory behind the counter.

"Seems today was a success for your first day on the job."

"Tell me about it, the kids were so interested in my lessons that they couldn't stop talking about it. I could see the expressions on their little faces when I showed them my cards." said Isaac as he was cleaning the floor.

"Oh, I know. The parents were really ecstatic about seeing their kids happy, they even offered some praises about you." Mr. Johnson then pulled out a list of compliments that the customers had written about Isaac's performance. "According to what the adults said, they found you to be very informative, not to mention friendly when it comes to working with kids. Also very intelligent in terms of the game, why there were a couple of adults that purchased some cards for themselves as they became invested in your lessons. Of course, the biggest one was when they got to see you duel. All of them agreed that you dueling was a work of art, they believed that you were putting on quality duels. They all believed that you could make it big in the pro leagues."

That last comment caused Isaac to crack a small smile as he was glad to hear that the adults thought of him so highly. He was glad that he was able to make their day better by entertaining their kids as well as share his talents with everybody. However, that last review of them saying that he could be successful should he decided to join the pro circuit, really got to him. His whole life, people always said to Isaac that if he really wanted to then he could make a big splash in the pro circuit and would be successful. It was nice to think that people saw his skills were that talented but he just didn't know if that was really want he wanted to do with his life. He quickly put it out of his thought, "Well I'm glad they were satisfied." Just then the doorbell rang as a customer had walked in, which caused both of them to turn their heads.

"Mind taking care of them, Isaac?" said Mr. Johnson as he was wrapping up the last of his inventory.

"Of course, Mr. Johnson." said Isaac as he made his way to the front of the store. "Welcome to Mr. Johnson's Games Emporium, how can I..." Isaac didn't finish his thought as he got to get a good look at who had entered the place.

"Oh my gosh, Isaac. Don't tell me, do you work?" asked Twilight.

"Uh.. Twilight? Spike? Yeah, this is my new job." said Isaac as he looked at the two who entered the place.

"Congratulation, I figured this would be the type of work you get into." Twilight then gave Isaac a hug. At that point, Mr. Johnson just finished up and came to see how Isaac was doing. He then saw Twilight standing there giving Isaac a hug.

"How are things Is... Oh, hope I'm not interrupting anything?" said Mr. Johnson.

"Mr. Johnson!" shouted Isaac as he turned to face him with Twilight letting go of her hug. "Not at all, I was just talking with a friend of mine. Mr. Johnson meet Twilight and her dog Spike, Twilight this my boss." said Isaac as he introduced the both of them.

"Hello sir" waved Twilight.

"Hello young lady." waved Mr. Johnson back.

"Hey." barked Spike which got Mr. Johnson a bit stunned that he was hearing a talking dog. Just as he was about to ask, Spike just responded, "It's a long story, short version is magic."

"Anyways, hope we weren't interrupting Isaac while he was working." said Twilight.

"Not at all, who I am to keep Isaac from seeing his girlfriend." laughed Mr. Johnson.

"Woah, woah." said Isaac as both turned red from Mr. Johnson's comment. "Twilight isn't my girlfriend, Mr. Johnson. She's just a friend."

"My apologizes then, I just assumed that the way she was hugging you that the both of you were together. My mistake." chuckled Mr. Johnson.

"So what brings you two by?" asked Isaac.

"Well we were in the neighborhood and we overheard some people talking about a certain card shop that was attracting some attention. So I asked them and they told me about a store where they had excellent customer service in which they helped people to understand the concept of dueling and the game. So I figured this place must be popular that I wanted to check it out myself; I thought it might be a good place for you to work with/check out. What I didn't expect was the person to spread such helpful knowledge was you, but I should have expected it. The way they described their experience was similar to how you taught the kids at school and me." Twilight then pulled out her phone and pulled up some of the reviews that people had to say and their star rating. "Safe to say that business is booming for you boys, lots of people are now interested and are willing to stop by."

Isaac and Mr. Johnson were happy that people were talking about them that they were ecstatic. They both gave each other a high five.

"That's awesome, we actually did it, Mr. Johnson."

"Correction, you did it, Isaac. Because of you having a fascinating way of teaching others, they become interested. I haven't experienced this level of success since Duel Monsters first took off and I opened my store." Mr. Johnson then put his hand on Isaac's shoulder. "I'm glad to have hired you."

"Thanks." smiled Isaac.

"Now why don't you leave a bit early, I can finish closing the store." suggested Mr. Johnson.

"Are you sure? I don't mind staying behind to help you." replied Isaac.

"Nonsense, you've done more than enough for me. Now go on, or else your girlfriend will get mad at you." Mr. Johnson then began to push Isaac and Twilight out the door.

"Mr. Johnson, I told you. Twilight's not my girlfriend!" said Isaac as he was now out the door with Twilight and Spike as they were standing next to him.

Mr. Johnson closed the door and had a smile on his face. "Isaac sure is lucky, to have a girl like Twilight by his side. Reminds me of when I found the love of my life." Mr. Johnson was now thinking back to when he first met his wife and how they enjoyed the time they spent together. "Hope he realizes just how good he has it." With that Mr. Johnson then locked the doors and closed his shop as he made his way upstairs and got ready for a good night sleep after a very successful day.

Chapter 63: Meeting a Superstar

Sometime after Isaac's new job, business had picked up. Now the place was gaining traction as everyday there was a decent amount of people who visited the shop. Not to mention that the little kids sometimes dragged their parents to the place, just so they could have a chance to listen to Isaac's teachings. This was good as Mr. Johnson was bringing in more revenue than he did prior and he couldn't be more happy that it was due to Isaac being able to connect with the younger audience. Even Twilight had told their friends about Isaac's new job and the girls all went out their way to advertise about the place as a way to attract more attention towards them. So when both Mr. Johnson and Isaac opened up their shop one day and saw a massive line that wrapped around the block, safe to say that they were both happy and shocked. So they each got to work with helping the shoppers to pick out the things/items they wanted, to Isaac entertaining the kids, and to even showing off his dueling skills.

The girls even stopped by to check out Isaac's new jig and safe to say that it was the perfect fit for him. They got to see Isaac in action as he was running all over the place from entertaining the kids to helping out the adults with their purchase. Isaac was a regular superman as he was running all over the place and he wasn't even showing an hint of exhaustion, in fact, it seemed to give him more energy than ever. Once noon hit, the girls made their presence known as Isaac introduced his boss to the rest of this friends. They told the both of them about how they helped to spread the word about this establishment; both Isaac and Mr. Johnson were thankful for the girls for helping them out.

A few days passed by as there was a fairly medium amount of people looking through the store. Mr. Johnson was taking care of some customers at the counter, while Isaac was cleaning up by putting away the card boxes/sets. He then made his way past the counter and into the back as he put the cards safely away. He then came back as to check on the customers to see if they needed any assistance. Isaac then turned the corner and saw what look to be a women browsing through the different card packs; at least, he thought it was seeing as the only thing he had to go off was the fact that they were wearing heels. Other than that, the person wore a big thick trench coat and had a sunhat that was on their head. Isaac then approached the person.

"Uh, excuse me, sir/madam." said Isaac.

"Oh." The person turned around and saw Isaac.

Isaac saw the person's face and now he could confirm it was indeed a female as she was wearing some earrings and had some makeup on her face. "Pardon, me for interrupting you, but I was just wondering if you had any questions or concerns."

"Oh, you work here?" said the women. Isaac simply nodded his head. "Oh well, I'm just simply looking."

"Alright then, if you need anything just let me know." Isaac then started to walk but the women got his attention once more.

"Uhm, before you leave. Could you answer a question; is this something that normal people get?" said the women as she held up a card pack.

Isaac turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Normal people?" said Isaac as he was confused by what she was referring to. "Uh.. yeah. Let me guess, you're interested in Duel Monsters."

"Actually, I was hoping to get some new cards for my deck. So when I arrived in town, I heard that this was the place to go if you wanted to get some cards." said the women.

"Well I don't know if all that is true, but yeah, if you need some cards then this is the place to be. So what deck do you use?" asked Isaac.

The women then looked to her left and right to check is anybody was listening/watching. "I'd like to keep that piece of information private. Lets say that if I show it then I'll be in trouble."

"Okay..." said Isaac as he was getting really suspicious about this women. "Well if I don't know what type of deck, then I could just recommend some basic cards that would work in almost any deck. Come with me." With that Isaac led the women to the card display.

Once they got there, Isaac began to pull out some cards and put them on top of the glass so that she could see them. He then told her their many abilities/functions on how they would work and he even offered her a suggestion by pulling out a certain card. "Here this may help you, it's call Rainbow Kuriboh. It may seem small but it has a powerful ability." suggested Isaac.

The women took the card from Isaac's hand and got a good look at it. She thought the little guy was cute. "I'll say this guy could prove useful. Thanks, uhm.."

"Oh right, sorry for not introducing myself. I'm Isaac. And you are?" asked Isaac.

The women looked around once more before saying to Isaac, "Seems like you're someone I can trust my name with. My name is..." Just then a couple of kids were running by as they were playing with some plastic swords; they didn't see where they were going that they bumped into the women as she started to fall forward and would have fallen had Isaac not caught her in his arms.

"You okay?" said Isaac as he was concern for the women.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." The bump from the kids had knocked off the women's hat and Isaac could see that the women was actually a girl who seemed to be around his age. He got a good look at her and to be honest, Isaac thought she was rather cute. He wasn't able to make out much of her features other than that her skin was light gray and she had dark hair. Then then made their way to the register as the girl had made her purchases.

"Well I hope that you found everything to your liking." said Isaac as he handed the girl her new found cards.

"Believe me, I too am happy with the service I received. Thanks for the assistance, Isaac." She gave a respectfully bow as Isaac just stood there rubbing his neck. "Farewell." The girl then left through the door as he put her hat back on.

"Interesting girl." said Isaac as he went back to working. Not too long after, the doorbell rang once more and the people who walked in were none other than Rarity and Sweetie Belle who were looking for Isaac.

"Isaac!? Isaac!?" shouted both girls.

"I'm right here!" shouted back Isaac. Then the girls made their way to where Isaac was washing the windows. "Hey Rarity, Sweetie Belle? What's up?"

"Ohh, do we have news for you!" said Sweetie Belle as she couldn't contain her excitement.

"What is it?" said Isaac as he climbed down the ladder.

"We just got tickets to a Countess Coloratura concert in the park this Saturday. Isn't that exciting?" shouted the small girl.

"That's great, just one question: Who's Countess Coloratura?" asked Isaac.

Both Rarity and Sweetie Belle had the biggest gasp. Rarity then reestablished herself as she began to explain. "Why darling, how have you never heard of her? Well let me educate you then, she's only one of the prettiest and talented singers in all of Canterlot! She became one of the fastest/youngest stars to make it big in the musical world." Rarity then pulled out her phone and showed a picture of the person to Isaac.

Isaac took a good look at the picture and couldn't help but to notice that she looked strangely familiar. "Well it's nice to know that you girls got tickets, but why tell me?" asked Isaac as he put the ladder away.

"Well you see we initially invited Sweetie Belle's friends, so seeing as they're still young they need some chaperones to watch them. However, Rainbow has a sports event that she needs to attend Saturday. So as you can see Scootaloo really wants to go but her parents can't take her, so we wanted to see if you could take her and act as her chaperone. Plus seeing as how you haven't heard of Coloratura, this could be a wonderful introduction to her." suggested Rarity.

"It's not that I'm against attending a concert, Rarity. Back in my hometown, there was a lot of famous celebrities that would come to town and perform for thousands of people in arenas/stadiums. Just wondering how this fits me." asked Isaac.

"Well that's what I wanted talk about." interrupted Sweetie Belle. "Recently, Countess Coloratura had incorporated dueling into her concerts. After she finishes her musical showcases, she typically has a duel between either someone she selects or someone from the crowd. And let me say that she's been undefeated recently. Not to mention that she uses a Melodious deck!" shouted Sweetie Belle who couldn't hold back her inner fangirl.

"Ahh, so that's the reason. Also I now know where you got the idea to have a Melodious deck, Sweetie Belle." said Isaac which caused Sweetie Belle to turn red from embarrassment.

"Indeed, so darling. What do you think, Applejack and Applebloom are also invited?" said Rarity as she had the extra ticket in front of her.

Isaac took the ticket and looked at it; he looked at the time of when the concert would start. "Well given that it starts about half an hour after I get out of work, I think I can attend."

"Excellent, darling. Now we just have to make sure that you're presentable for the concert." said Rarity as she pulled out her notebook.

"Yeah, I think I'll go in my regular outfit." said Isaac as he pointed to what he was always wearing. "It's my signature look and I wouldn't want to mess with it, plus this is a concert. I'm pretty sure casual wear is fine, but if you girls want to dress up, be my guest. Besides, now that I know she's also a duelist, I'm looking forward to seeing how she handles her deck."

"Oh trust me, it's simply amazing." said Sweetie Belle as she was jumping up and down. "If you thought you were impressed with my skills, then you'll be blown away by what she can with the same deck."

"I'll be the judge of that, Sweetie Belle. Well thanks girls, anyways I've gotta get back to work. But I'll make sure to be there Saturday." said Isaac as he gave the Belle sisters a thumbs up.

"Thanks for doing this darling, you have no idea how blessed Scootaloo will be." With that Sweetie Belle then hugged Isaac's lower body while he just patted her head. Rarity then expressed her gratitude by giving Isaac a quick peck on his lips; then the girls left as Isaac waved back and returned to his job.

Soon it was Saturday and business was booming as usual. Isaac and Mr. Johnson had placed their order for the new cards that were expected to release soon and they both wanted to get their hands on them. Aside from that, they went about their normal duties as they helped customers with their shopping. Soon evening was beginning to show as the sun was just starting to dip down, thankfully it was summer so that meant more daylight. With that Mr. Johnson decided to close up shop as he had to head upstairs. He gave Isaac spare set of keys and told him to lock the place up when he was finished. Isaac told him not to worry and he quickly got to work. Soon everything was put back in its place and Isaac was getting ready to lock up.

He noticed the Applejack, Rarity and the CMC were all waiting for him outside as he stepped through the door. Upon first glance, both Rarity and Sweetie Belle decided to wear something nice, while Applejack and Applebloom just wore their normal clothes.

"Hey sugarcube, ready to go."

"Just give me a second, Applejack." Isaac then pulled out the spare keys and with it locked the door. "Alright, now I'm ready."

"Then lets go!" shouted Rarity and Sweetie Belle who couldn't wait to see the performance of a lifetime.

The group all made it to the park where there was thousands of people all lining up who couldn't wait to see Countess Coloratura. They then all made it to the gate, where the security guard scanned their tickets and allowed them in. The CMC were ecstatic as they couldn't believe they were attending their first ever live concert. Isaac and the girls just gave them all smiles at how they were acting.

"So Applejack, how do you know about this Countess Coloratura?" asked Isaac.

"To be honest, ah don't. See when Rarity mentioned the name, ah had no clue to who she was referrin' to. So when she showed me some pictures, it still didn't help. But then ah got to rememberin' about a girl that ah met when I just a younglin'. Her name too was Coloratura, ultimately ah gave up on callin' her that so I just shorten it too 'Rara'. Anyways we grew up and well became fast friends, we even performed a little song at camp when we were little. After that well, we lost touch. She always did want to go to Manehattan to make it big. Then Rarity mentioned the same thing about this Countess startin' out in Manehattan that ah assumed that it was probably the same person." said Applejack.

"Well is it?" asked Isaac.

"Hard to say, sugarcube. But for now, lets just have a good time." Applejack then snuck in a kiss from Isaac while Rarity was busy with the girls.

Soon they all were in position as they watched the concert begin as the CMC were screaming at the top of their lungs. Then the curtain opened up as the agent of Countess Coloratura came up with the hype man next to him. The agent then got on the microphone as he had something to save.

"Good evening ladies and gentleman, we hope that you're all doing great. We will begin very shortly and let me speak on behalf of Countess Coloratura, it's truly an amazing place to be here right now. Now all the revenue that's generated from this concert will go to a decent charity as Countess Coloratura is always thinking of the community." The crowd cheered for that statement; then started chanting "Countess" as it started to get louder and louder.

The hype man then took over as that was his cue. "And now, the moment you have all been waiting for. She's one of the fastest and youngest stars to ever make it in the musical industry. She's also a formable duelist who been undefeated ever since she started dueling after her shows. It may been a while, but she's finally here. So then, let ask a question: Are you ready?" The crowd gave a mild response. "No, no! I said: Are You Ready!!!" said the hype man with much more vigor in his voice to which the crowd responded at the top of their lungs to show their excitement. "Very well then, now give a warm welcome to the mistress of songstress, the sexy diva, she is Countess Coloratura!!" With that the music started to play as many backup dancers were in position and then began to move in time with the beat. Then coming down the stairway on the stage was a girl who started to sing.

Safe to say everybody was enjoying themselves. Isaac just looked on he was taking in the show; he found it enjoyable as he could see the girls having fun by moving to the beat of the music. Soon the song ended and girl on stage began to sing another song. The crowd couldn't get enough as they were cheering louder than when they first started. Countess Coloratura then snapped her fingers as the stage went dark and when they came back on, she was now wearing a different outfit as the next song started to play.

As the final song winded down, Countess Coloratura then did one final pose as pyro and fireworks went off. The crowd expressed their admiration for her by cheering and whistling at the top of their lungs. Countess Coloratura then got back on the mic as she had a announcement to make. "Thank you all, you've all been a wonderful audience. Now in a few moments, I'll be partaking in a duel. But before that I want to say that you all needed a ticket to enter this place. Well let me say that out of everybody here, there was a special ticket because when revealed under a certain light not only does it shine brightly but it serves as who will be my opponent for tomorrow's performance. So would everybody raise your tickets up high as the special spotlight will shine over all of them. And whichever shines the brightest will be the person who has the honor of competing with me in tomorrow's duel."

With that everybody raised their tickets high into the air as the spotlight shined on them all. At first they was a lot of bright lights to come off of the tickets, eventually some died down. However, there was one that was shining the brightest and it still kept on burning even after all the others faded. Eventually it was the only single light as shined with all the colors of the rainbow in a sea of people. The spotlight then landed on the person who was holding it and the crowd around them part, now Countess Coloratura had a visual of who it was though she could barely make the person out. The person holding the ticket was none other than Isaac. It was then at that moment that the duel between the Countess Coloratura and her opponent began.

After the crowd turned their attention to the duel that was about to start, Applejack, Rarity, and the CMC were all in shock. They couldn't believe that out of all the tickets, Isaac's was the one to shine the brightest and that would mean he would get a chance to compete against the pop idol.

"Land sakes, talk about luck."

"My word, darling. It's crazy to think that somehow you got the special ticket."

"I guess." said Isaac.

"I can't believe it." shouted Sweetie Belle. "Do you know how many people are lucky just to have duel with someone as her? Why it's practically impossible, and you're the person to face tomorrow night. Oh I can't wait!"

After Sweetie Belle's freak-out, they all turned their attention back to the duel that was taking place. The battle was interesting to say the least at Countess Coloratura showed that not only did she slay on the music, but that she had some skills when it came to welding a deck. Right now her opponent had a powerful monster on their field and they called it to attack the Countess' monster, but she did a move that really captured everybody's attention.

"I'll activate the effect of my Rainbow Kuriboh from my hand, whenever your monster declares an attack. I can then attach this monster to it and as a result it can't attack." Out came a tiny monster that looked similar to Isaac's Kuriboh as it flew from its master's hand and collided with the opponent's monster and halted its assault. Everybody was amazed how Countess Coloratura had managed to pull off such a powerful move.

Isaac on the other hand was surprised when Coloratura had pulled out Rainbow Kuriboh. "Rainbow Kuriboh? Could it be... nah, there's no way?" said Isaac as he was suspicious about a couple of things.

Soon the duel ended as Countess Coloratura had emerged the victor. The crowd cheered her name as she waved to the crowd. She then gave one final bow as the curtain closed and the concert was over. The audience then started to head out, Isaac and the rest of the girls were also getting ready to leave when they were approached by someone. It was none other that the agent of Countess Coloratura.

"I'm here under the authority of the Countess Coloratura. You were the person who had the special ticket, so I'm here to escort you to meet the Countess to discuss your duel with her tomorrow. Come with me." said the man.

"Is it alright, if I bring my friends with me? They're a huge fan of Countess Coloratura, besides if it wasn't for them giving me the ticket then I wouldn't be the one to battle her tomorrow." said Isaac.

The agent took a quick glance at the girls behind Isaac and thought about it. "Alright, they can come. Just don't cause any trouble." said the man with a stern voice. With that the agent then led Isaac and the girls to the backstage area.

The bodyguard that was position near the door gave a quick nod to Coloratura's agent and opened the door for them to enter. They were now inside the dressing room of Countess Coloratura, inside there was a conch as well as table filled with tons of different tasty foods. There was a mirror and racks full of different outfits, there was even a panel room divider that was in the room. The thing was that it showed the silhouette/outline of a women changing to which Isaac quickly covered his eyes with his hand. He knew it was inappropriate to look at a women who was naked without their consent, or at least that was what his mother told him. Eventually, the agent spoke up.

"Excuse me, Countess. I've brought the person."

"Goody then," Countess Coloratura then stepped out as she saw the people in front of her, she even saw Isaac who was still covering his eyes. She couldn't help but giggle at how Isaac was trying to show proper manners. "It's okay you can look."

Isaac then took off his hand and slowly took in the sight before him. Standing in front of him was the same girl he had met this morning, she had the same a light grey skin and dark hair. However, compared to when Isaac first saw her, she was now wearing a beautiful dark violet sleeveless shirt with blue trims. She also had a matching skirt that reached down to her knees, not to mention that she had beautiful baby blue eyes that shinned like the night sky.

Countess Coloratura then quickly saw Applejack and she let out a gasp, "Applejack, is that you?"

"Rara?" said Applejack. "Ha, ah knew it was you. Nobody can sing like you." Applejack then gave Rara a quick hug as they couldn't believe they had managed to see each other in such a long time.

"It's been too long. How have you been?" asked Rara.

"Been doin' fine, still makin' sure the farm is in tip top shape. What bout you? Last ah heard from you was you goin' to Manehattan to live yer dream." stated Applejack.

"Well I did and well lets say that my career took off smoothly. I got to entertain people and do the thing I love the most and that was to sing for my adoring fans." Rara then looked behind her friend. "Mind introducing me to your friends, Applejack?"

"Oh, right. Rara, I'd like you to meet my pals. This is here is my friend Rarity and her little sister, Sweetie Belle. They're big fans of yours. This little trickster is my sister Applebloom; this here is Scootaloo. And this lovely gentleman is..." Applejack was about to say when Rara interrupted her.

"Isaac. I know." Everybody except Isaac was confused on how Rara knew his name.

"Rara, how do you know Isaac?" asked Aj.

"Because of this," Rara then pulled out a card to which was none other than Rainbow Kuriboh. "He gave this to me."

"I figured it was you." Isaac then looked at the girls who still had their jaws dropped. "What!?"

"Darling! Why didn't you tell us that you met Countess Coloratura" shouted Rarity.

"How the hell was I supposed to know it was her? She was in disguise and was shopping for stuff, so I did my duty and helped pick out some cards. Besides, I didn't know who she was till you mentioned her." pointed Isaac at Rarity.

"Yes, well I just wanted to say thank you. With all the cards that you suggested to me, my deck really has improved since I last played it. I must say you really know your stuff." complemented Rara.

"Thanks for the kind words, Countess Coloratura." said Isaac with a bow.

Rara just let out a giggle at how Isaac was acting like a proper gentleman. "Just call me, Rara." She then leaned over so that Applejack could only hear her, "So tell me, Applejack. Is Isaac the lucky man to sweep you off your feet?"

Applejack immediately blushed at the comment made by her friend. Rara just giggled at how her friend was acting. "It's nothin' like that, Isaac is just here because he's the lucky person with the ticket."

Rara then turned her attention back to Isaac. "So, you're the lucky person with the special ticket. Well then, lets have a look." Rara then started to examine Isaac as she started to walk around him. Isaac was confused by what Rara was doing that before he could speak up, she grabbed a hold of his chin and looked deep into his eyes. Rara was staring deep into Isaac's brown eyes as she was looking into his soul. She then gave a light hearted laugh as she surprised everybody by giving Isaac a quick peck on the cheek. "Yep, he'll do."

"That was odd." said Isaac as he touched his cheek.

Rara then sat down on her couch as she invited Isaac to sit down next to her. Isaac did just that and she began to ask him some questions. "So, tell me? What did think of my performance?"

"Despite not ever hearing of you, no offense. I'll say that you really rocked the house, not to mention that you were totally in control of that duel." said Isaac.

"I see you're also quite the charmer." giggled Rara. "So in terms of dueling, just how skilled are you?"

"Heck, Isaac is one tough city slicker. In fact, he's currently ranked as the champ of our school." said Applejack.

"Indeed, our darling Isaac here is a phenomenal duelist. Perhaps you can show her your deck?" suggested Rarity.

"I guess it couldn't hurt." Isaac then reached into the side of his belt as he opened the deck box as he pulled out his deck. He then gave it to Rara as she began to examine his every card.

Suffice to say that she believed Rarity's word on Isaac being a strong duelist. Every card she came across caught her attention; she also saw that Isaac had a few Kuriboh cards himself. Then she saw the cards that she knew right away were Isaac's most prized possessions. She took a good long look at his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Rara just let out a small smile as she gave Isaac back his cards.

"Well let me say, Isaac. Your cards are lucky to have you as their owner."

"Thanks, that means a lot coming from a pop star." said Isaac. Isaac then gestured Sweetie Belle to join them. "Hey, Sweetie Belle. Don't you want to show Rara your deck?"

Sweetie Belle was a bit shy that she was hiding behind her sister. She was hesitant on stepping forward; but the way Isaac and Rara were giving her a warm smile it kind of gave her the confidence to step forward.

"Hello, Ms. Rara." said Sweetie Belle in a shy voice.

"Hello, Sweetie Belle." returned Rara.

"You know, Rara. Sweetie Belle here is a big fan of yours, and not just your music. In fact, she's such a huge fan of yours that she has her own Melodious deck. Show her." Isaac gestured Sweetie Belle to show Rara her deck; Sweetie Belle was hesitant but she eventually pulled it out.

Sweetie Belle looked at her deck before she handed it to Rara. "Here, it's not much. At least, not compared to yours."

Rara took Sweetie Belle's deck and began to examine it. She was impressed that someone as young as her was so inspired by her that it made her heart melt. She saw that Sweetie Belle had the basic cards of a Melodious deck, but she also had her own take on it. She had cards that Rara didn't have in her own deck; overall, Rara was impressed with how Sweetie Belle had constructed her own deck to match her style.

"Well, I must say, your deck is certainly a top notch. I'm so happy that I've inspired you to create a deck that's similar to mine." said Rara as she gave the little girl a warming smile and a hug.

"It means so much to me to hear that from you." squealed Sweetie Belle. "However, my deck wouldn't be where it is now, if it wasn't for Isaac. He actually made many improvements to it."

"He did now?" Rara then turned back to Isaac who was rubbing his neck while laughing embarrassingly. "So you created this deck?"

"I didn't do much, all I did was add a few cards and gave a few pointers. Ultimately, it was Sweetie Belle who morphed that deck into her own. I just offered my assistance." said Isaac.

Rara just let out a giggle. "Well you certainly are helpful. Next to helping those around you, that really is an attractive quality in person." Rara gave Isaac flirty eyes as she gave him her praises. "Now then, why don't you show me what you can do, Sweetie Belle?" With that Sweetie Belle began to show Rara what she could do as they all watched her enjoy herself by talking with her idol about her deck.

The next day, Isaac was back to work as he was helping out some customers. Mr. Johnson was currently in the back going over some inventory, so that left Isaac to help with the customers and run the counter. Isaac had his cards out on the counter as he was going over some strategies. Just then the doorbell rang as in came a person; Isaac looked up and saw that it was Rara, but she wasn't wearing any disguise, nor was she wearing any fancy makeup. Thankfully, nobody knew she was Countess Coloratura as she always wore fancy attires and had tons of makeup to conceal her real features. Rara looked around till she saw who she was looking for.

"There you are, Isaac. So has it been busy?" asked Rara as she leaned on the counter.

"Hey, Rara. To answer your question, well everything's been okay. Not too many customers, but enough to make some profits." replied Isaac.

"That's good to hear." Rara then looked down on the counter and saw Isaac's cards spread out. "Let me guess, you're preparing for our duel tonight."

"Yes and no." said Isaac as he picked up some of his cards. "Generally, when it's not that busy, I tend to play with myself and my cards. Helps us to relax and keep our skills sharpen."

"I can see that my assumption on you being passionate about Duel Monsters was spot on." giggled Rara. "Anyways, I came by to give you this." Rara then pulled out a backstage pass as she gave it to Isaac. "This is for you to have; all you need to do is show to the guard and he'll let you in. Then you'll just wait until it's time for our duel to start. Ohh, I can't wait to see what you can do."

"Well, I've been known to give a girl a good time. So believe me, I'll give you a duel that you'll never forget." winked Isaac as he let out a smile.

"I look forward to it." smiled Rara. "I'll see you tonight." Rara then gave Isaac a quick peck on the cheek as she left the store and headed back to the park to rehearse her performance and her dueling skills.

After Rara left, Isaac grabbed the backstage pass and looked at it. He then put it in his back pocket as he got back to work. Soon it was closing time, as Isaac had done one final check of everything in the store. He then grabbed his duel disk as he locked the store and then headed over to his destination. He arrived at the park and saw even more people than yesterday's performance. Earlier in the day, Isaac received a text from Rarity saying that she, Applejack, and the CMC would be watching from the crowd. Thankfully, Rara was nice enough to give Isaac's friends front row seats so that they could witness both of them dueling. Isaac got to the gate entrance, where he pulled out the backstage pass to which the guard let him pass and told him where to go.

Isaac followed the instructions and he soon found himself near the back entrance of the stage. He then arrived at the room where he would be staying until they called him; he noticed the big bodyguard that was standing next to the door. The guard stopped him as Isaac pulled out the backstage pass, the guard checked it properly to make sure that it was real. He then opened the door as Isaac gave him a hearty 'thank you'. Isaac stepped through and found himself in corridor that at one end led to the stage, while there was a door at the other end. Isaac then walked through the door and opened it, once he stepped in he saw that Rara was already waiting for him. She gave Isaac a hug as she welcomed him; she told them that this is where he would stay until they called him. Soon Rara's agent came to get her, so she then changed into a simple attire as tonight she wanted to just be herself without any smoke and mirrors to cover her true reflection. So she gave Isaac one last goodbye as she went out to perform.

Isaac was left to make himself comfortable, so he grabbed some food and drinks as he sat on the couch. He was able to watch Rara's performance thanks to a monitor that was broadcasting her concert for all the world to see. Safe to say that compared to her performance from yesterday, Rara was more into it. That wasn't to say that her performance from the other night was bad, but tonight she felt like she was being true to herself, like she was showing the world who 'Rara' truly was. It definitely brought a tear to Isaac's eyes as he listened to Rara's final performance. Everybody started pull out their phones and lighting them up.

When Rara finished her last song, the crowd was so moved by it that they all stood up and gave a thunderous applause that even Isaac could hear. Rara just stood up from playing the piano and gave one final bow as she waved to her adoring fans. Rara's agent then came into the room as he signaled Isaac that they were about to start, so Isaac grabbed his duel disk and slotted in his deck. Rara was still on stage as she got a microphone to say a few things.

"Thank you everyone. I couldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for all of my supporting fans. Not to mention that I got to see an old friend who reminded me that if I was true to myself, I couldn't go wrong." Rara was now looking at Applejack who just gave her friend a smile. "I've also been blessed to entertain you all with my dueling skills, which I'm sure that you've all noticed how amazing it's been lately." The crowd all agreed as they were impressed with Rara's dueling ability. "Well let me be the first to say that I wouldn't have that kind of skill if it wasn't for a new friend that I made recently. He's shown that not only does he help his friends, but that he's willing to put others before him to put smiles on their faces. This person did just that for me and more, in fact, he's my opponent this evening." Rara then looked off to the side as she gestured for Isaac to walk out. "Please give a warm welcome to Isaac."

Isaac made his way out as he covered his eyes from the bright lights in his face. He then heard some audience members clapping while others were murmuring amongst themselves. Rara then spoke again.

"Isaac here is not just my opponent, but he's also the reason why my dueling has been top notch. A few days ago, I met this young boy and well he helped me to wow you all by giving some improvements to my deck." The moment Rara said that, the crowd really started to talk as they couldn't believe that someone like Isaac had the privilege/honor of making edits to someone as popular as Rara. "So without further ado, lets get started."

Both Isaac and Rara looked at each other as they exchanged handshakes, then they got a good distance from each other as they activated their duel disks. Rara turned hers on which shot out a white card tray, while Isaac's projected a gold tray. Rara's agent then came up on stage as he would act as the official referee for this match. "Ladies and gentleman, we will now begin the duel. Countess Coloratura or Rara, who's been undefeated these past few performance will take on the opponent she's hand selected, Isaac! If both duelist are ready, then let the duel... commence!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Rara's Life Points: 8000-

"It's time to duel, Rara." said Isaac. "Seeing as how my parents raised me to be a gentleman and treat a women with respect, you can have the first move." Offered Isaac as he gave a quick bow.

Turn 1: Rara

"Quite the charmer." giggled Rara. "Oh if I wasn't a traveling musical superstar, I would have fallen for you in a heartbeat." Rara then drew her opening hand. "Now then, draw. I'll start this musical off with my favorite piece, First Solo Movement. Now since I control no monsters, I can special summon one level 4 or below 'Melodious' monster from my hand or deck. So I chose this one, Serenade the Melodious Diva(400/1900) in defense mode." Rara now had a monster who had a harp wing coming out of her shoulder. "Now time to take things up a notch, hope you're ready Isaac. Cause now I'll tribute my Serenade and bring out Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600/2000). Serenade's ability allows me to treat it as 2 tributes." Now Rara had one of her powerful monsters on her field as she waved her hands.

"Mozarta's effect allows me to special summon a fairy-type monster from my hand, so come on out Tamtam the Melodious Diva(1000/2000) in defense mode. Now whenever Tamtam was special summoned while I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can add a 'Polymerization' to my hand." Rara then touched her duel screen as it ejected her the card she wanted. "Now my final move will be to summon Aria the Melodious Diva(1600/1200); in case you're wondering, Serenade's other effect allows me to have an addition summon this turn. With that I'll place a single facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Woah, what a turn. Time to see how I follow up that number." said Isaac as he drew his card. "To start, I'll special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician. So by sending one card to the graveyard, I can summon her. Next, my magician's other effect allows me to add a 'Dark Magician' to my hand." Isaac then touched his duel screen, as Apprentice Illusion Magician appeared and then casted a spell as a card manifest in front of Isaac for him to grab. "Next I'll play my Ancient Rules spell card and with it I'll play my most loyal servant, Dark Magician!" Dark Magician then descended on the stage as it caused everybody in the crowd to have big eyes. Rara was just in awe of seeing such a monster as it joined Isaac's side.

"I'll say your Dark Magician is much more handsome now that I've got to see him up close." said Rara.

"Hear that, Mahad. Seems you got an admirer." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"Yes, well..." Mahad cleared his voice at what Isaac said. "Unfortunately, my first and only admiration is my duty to serve you, master."

"Such a shame," said Isaac. Now then, Rara has a field full of monsters and she was able to add Polymerization to her hand last turn. Which means she plans on summoning out that card which will make things that much harder. "I'll then play my Magic Formula and give my Dark Magician 700 more attack points. Now Dark Magician attack Aria!"

"Thanks to my Aria's effect, all my monsters can't be targeted by card effects or destroyed by battle!" shouted Rara. At that moment, Dark Magician had landed a blow as it fired a powerful spell that caused Aria to stumble and fall down.

"That may be, but I can deal damage to your life points. Next I'll play Big Shield Gardna in defense mode and then place one card facedown and end my turn."
Rara's Life Points: 6400-

The moment Isaac had managed to land some damage to Rara, the crowd then started to boo him. Especially her fanboys who were jeering Isaac for harming their 'girl'. Isaac could see that the crowd was getting hostile, so he turned to Rara for some assistance. "Mind telling your fans to cool off, Rara?"

Turn 3: Rara

"They're just expressing how they feel." said Rara with a smug smile. She was enjoying Isaac being scared of her fans, but she knew she wouldn't ever let them harm him. "Now then, my turn. I'll play my spell Polymerization and with I'll fuse Mozarta with my Tamtam." Rara's monsters then changed into lights as they were combined and sucked into a vortex; she did a quick twirl and flipped her hair while giving Isaac a wink. "I Fusion Summon, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir(1000/2000)!"

"That's what I was afraid of." said Isaac as Rara's new monster appeared.

"Now time to attack, since you know about my monster's ability, you know what comes next. But before that I'll play the spell card Fortissimo, now my Bloom Diva gains 800 more attack points until my next Standby phase. Now Bloom Diva take out his Dark Magician!" Rara thrusted her hand out as her monster then charged head on for Isaac's monster.

"If you want to destroy my magician, Rara. You'll have to find him first, reveal Magical Hats." Isaac activated his trap and four hats came out as they concealed his magician and then shuffled before appearing in a row. "So Rara, do you think you can guess which one my Dark Magician is hiding under?"

Rara was sweating as she wasn't expecting Isaac to do a move like this. Nevertheless she kept her cool and thought about her decision. "I choose the second hat on the right." Bloom Diva then received her command and struck the second hat on the far right. The attack made contact as the hat exploded in smoke; it took awhile but after the smoke cleared there were three hats remaining as that was the dead give away that she missed.

"Better luck next time." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"I thought for sure, oh well. In that case I'll just end my turn." Rara was really struggling; she knew Isaac was a talented duelist based on how Applejack told her about his skills. But she was witnessing firsthand that Isaac was every word that Applejack said he was. He was always keeping her guessing and it made her think twice on what moves she wanted to do. Nevertheless, she had to admit that she was having fun as she couldn't stop smiling.

Turn 4: Isaac

"Back to me," Isaac drew his card and looked at the field. "To start, I'll play the spell card, Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two." Isaac picked up his cards and saw a certain card he picked up. "I've drawn my Watapon, since I drew him from an effect, I can special summon him to the field." Isaac then played his monster as it appeared in defense mode. Rara and all the other girls in the crowd let out a big 'Aww' as they clutched their heart from melting at how cute Isaac's monster was.

"Tell me, how are do you have such cute monsters as well as having some tremendous skills?" asked Rara.

"I don't know, guess I turned out that way." said Isaac as he didn't know how to answer that question.

"Well, like I said if I wasn't such a popular star, I would definitely spend all my time to be with you." said Rara with some flirtiness in her voice.

"Yeah, lets focus back on the duel." Isaac was doing his best to try to get Rara's attention away from him to avoid the many boy he would piss off. "Now I'll sacrifice, my Watapon to summon out my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac was trying to avoid the boys getting mad at him and playing his Dark Magician Girl seemed to do the trick as they now started making lovey dovey eyes at Isaac's magician. He even heard some of them say that she was much prettier than Rara to which he hoped that she wouldn't get mad at him.

I have to deal with that Aria, and I think I have just the card to do it. "Now I'll play two cards facedown while I hide one of them under my Magical Hats." Isaac then threw his facedowns; he then tapped his duel disk as he selected the card that he wanted to hide. So the hats covered that card and then shuffled once more as they spread out in a line. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Rara

"Right then," Rara looked at her field and then at what Isaac had. I'll have no problem taking out his other monsters, but the major thing is getting rid of that Dark Magician. He's Isaac star monster which means he'll be relying on him to win the duel. I have to deal with him first. "Now Bloom Diva attack the middle hat." Bloom Diva then charged forward as it fired off a powerful beam that struck the middle hat and caused smoke to appear; the hat disappeared and there was nothing but a powerful seal that levitated and then was sent in the direction of Bloom Diva.

"What's that?" asked Rara.

"If you remember Rara, I hid a facedown under one of my hats. And you just triggered it, my Spellbinding Circle. Now your Bloom Diva is confined by its magical properties and it can't change battle positions or attack. Furthermore it loses 700 attack points." said Isaac.

"Did you forget about the ability of Aria, as long as she's out on the field, my monsters can't be targeted by card effects."

"That's why I also placed this facedown, I reveal my Ricochet spell card. Now I can bounce back one monster on your side of the field to your hand and I get to add one card to my hand." Isaac then selected the card he wanted as it popped up for him to grab, then he shot it out as it was surrounded in a streak of light and collided with Aria as it was sent back to Rara's hand while the card returned back to Isaac who caught it with a single hand. "Now that your Aria is gone, your Bloom Diva is susceptible to my Spellbinding Circle." Isaac's trap then surrounded Bloom Diva as it couldn't move.

"My Bloom Diva may be weaken, but I'll save her thanks to my facedown. I reveal my trap Melodious Illusion. Now I can target a 'Melodious' monster and this turn it becomes unaffected by your spells/traps. In addition, it can attack a second time." Bloom Diva then broke free from Isaac's trap, "Now Bloom Diva, attack the hat on the left."

"You guessed right." said Isaac with disdain in his voice.

Bloom Diva then took out the hat as Isaac's magician was destroyed and he lost some serious life points. Rara was ecstatic as she had managed to take out Isaac's ace monster, "I'll then end my turn."

"Since my Magic Formula was sent to the grave, I gain 1000 life points." said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 6800-

Turn 6: Isaac

"Alright," Isaac drew his card. "I've drawn my Palladium Oracle Mahad, so I'll reveal him so that I can special summon him to the field. Next I'll play the spell, Card of Sanctity. Now Rara, hope you like my offering, cause we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands."

"Oh my, are really trying to get to fall for you even more?" giggled Rara.

Both duelist then drew their cards; Isaac then began to see his options. "Now I'll sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna and Apprentice Illusion Magician to summon my Gaia The Fierce Knight(2300/2100)." Isaac now had a warrior who rode on a horse and wielded dual lances. "I'll then set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Rara

"Thanks for the cards, sweetie. You really know how to treat a girl." said Rara.

"Your welcome?" said Isaac.

Rara then drew her card and she was shocked to see that the card was none other than the one Isaac gave her. She had draw Rainbow Kuriboh out of all things; she couldn't help but have a smile on her face. "Now I'll activate my Fortissimo spell card to increase my Bloom Diva's attack by 800 till my next Standby phase. Next I'll resummon my Aria the Melodious Diva."

"Hold on, I reveal my facedown, my Dark Renewal. Now when you normal summon a monster, I can target one monster of yours and one spellcaster that I control. Then I'll send both monsters to the graveyard, and I can special summon 1 Dark spellcaster monster from my deck or graveyard. So I choose to sacrifice your Aria with my Palladium Oracle Mahad to bring back my Apprentice Illusion Magician." Isaac's trap then sucked in the two monsters as it closed and when it opened up it reveal Isaac's chosen magician.

"You may have gotten your magician back, but it still won't mean nothing. My Bloom Diva can't be destroyed by battle or card effects. Not to mention that I don't take any battle damage involving it and I can destroy your monsters." said Rara.

"In that case, you shouldn't have a problem." said Isaac with a smug look.

"Huh?" Rara now had a confused look. What's going on? Does Isaac want me to attack, by why would he do that? "Now Bloom Diva attack his Apprentice Illusion Magician." commanded Rara.

"Thanks for that, Rara. I reveal my facedown, Magic Cylinder. So now the damage is redirected right back at your life points and your attack is negated." Two cylinders then came out as one absorbed the attack and then fired back at Rara's life points.
Rara's Life Points: 5300-

"Not bad, I can't believe I actually fell for that." said Rara.

"You be surprised how often that happens." replied Isaac.

"Very well, then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac looked at the field. "Now I'll play Monster Reincarnation, so I discard a card and I can add one monster back to my hand." Isaac then got his Dark Magician back. "Then I'll play Double Spell, so I'll discard another card and I can be able to use a spell in your graveyard. And I choose is Polymerization, so now I'll fuse together my Gaia and Dark Magician" Isaac's monsters then combined together as they fused into a vortex. "I Fusion Summon, Dark Calvary(2800/2300)!" Out came a paladin monster who rode on a horse as both were covered in armor and it wielded a huge lance. "My Dark Calvary has neat effect, it gains 100 attack points for every spell/trap on the field and in our graveyards, so that means he gains 1600 extra points for a grand total of 4400!" Isaac's new monster raised its lance up as it felt the power. "Next I'll play the spell Book of Effect and with it I'll not only increase my monster by another 100 points but I can remove your Bloom Diva's special ability."

Isaac's book then opened up as it landed in Dark Magician's hands and she began to read from it. A magical energy then started to form as it surrounded Rara's monster and striped away its power. "Now with your monster no longer having its ability, time to end this duel. Dark Calvary take out her Bloom Diva, and then my other monsters will attack her directly."

"I activate my facedown Melodious Spirit, with it I can negate your attack and then I can bring back a Melodious monster from my graveyard." shouted Rara.

"Then I'll activate my Dark Calvary's other effect, so I'll send one card from my hand to negate your facedown and destroy it." said Isaac.

"No!" said Rara as she was now left defenseless.

"So continue your attack my monsters."

"Time to play the card you gave me, I activate the effect of my Rainbow Kuriboh from my hand. So now I'll attach it to your Dark Calvary and with it cancel its attack and it can't attack." Rainbow Kuriboh then flew from Rara's hand as it nuzzled against her before collided head on with Isaac's monster.

"My Dark Calvary may not attack, but my Dark Magician Girl can still destroy your Bloom Diva. And I'll give her a power boost of 2000 points by sending my Apprentice Illusion Magician to the grave, so now she has 4300 attack points! Go Dark Magician Girl, Dark Burning Attack!" Dark Magician Girl then pointed her wand as it took out Rara's monster with ease.
Rara's Life Points: 2100-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Rara

I made it through that but barely. Oh, Applejack. You don't know how lucky you are to have Isaac in your life. This duel really has been a fun one; Isaac's been my toughest opponent and I can't help but smile. Oh if only I wasn't so invested in my music career, then I would waste no time in making him my boyfriend. "I may be down to my last life points, but I've still got a chance to turn things around." Rara then drew her card, "Now I'll play the spell Lightning Vortex, so I'll send one card to the grave and destroy all your monsters."

Lightning bolts came from the sky as it decimated Isaac's entire field. "Oh no! My monsters are all gone."

"Next I'll play the spell card, Ostinato. Since I control no monsters, I can fusion summon using monsters from my hand or deck. So I'll fuse another Mozarta and Aria from my deck; I Fusion Summon, Bloom Prima the Melodious Choir(1900/2000)!" Rara now had another small fairy monster as it luminate the stage. "Next I'll activate the effect of my Sonata the Melodious Diva(1200/1000) from my hand, since I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can special summon her. Now I'll play my Opera the Melodious Diva(2300/1000). Opera can't attack the turn it's summoned but that fine cause I'll use my other monsters to attack you. Divas lets sing Isaac a merry duet, attack him directly!" Rara's monster then opened their mouths as musical notes collided with Isaac as he put his arm up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 3700-

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn. Now the effect of my Ostinato resolves which means my Bloom Prima is sent to the graveyard. However, if the monsters I used to summon it were already in my grave then I can summon them to the field. So welcome back Mozarta and Aria." Rara now had nearly a full field of monsters that were ready to finish off Isaac next around.

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac closed his eyes as he drew his card. "Now I'll one card facedown and then play the spell Pot of Greed. So now I'll draw two more cards. With that I'll then end my turn."

Turn 11: Rara

"A single facedown, that's all? Don't tell me that now you're starting to get all sweet on me? Could it be that you also have feelings for me as well?" said Rara.

"What!? Don't get the wrong idea, I mean your beautiful but I think I want to live another day." said Isaac as he could feel the death stares of every single male watching as they were going to hurt him for even thinking about answering that question.

"Well then, time to end this duel. Now I'll reveal my facedown Monster Reborn and bring back my Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir." Rara now had a field full of monsters as they were ready to defeat Isaac. "Well Isaac, I'll definitely say that this is the most fun I've had. You really know how to show a girl a good time, but I'm afraid this is the end. Now my divas, sing Isaac a farewell performance!"

"Don't think that this concert is over yet, Rara." Isaac now had a smile on his face. "Just like you, I've also got a special card and I'll play it right now. I'll activate the effect of Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard. So by banishing it, I can immediately end the battle phase! " A small turtle came out as it created a wall of electricity that stopped all of Rara's monsters in their tracks as they felt the shock.

"How cute, using that little guy to save you. Makes my heart melt. " smiled Rara. "Well then I'll end my turn. Your move, Isaac."

Turn 12: Isaac

"Very well, I draw." Isaac looked at his card and knew what he had to do. "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. So I'll use it to revive my Dark Magician. Next I'll play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now I can special summon Dark Magician Girl from my graveyard. Appear my loyal spellcasters!" Isaac now had his two most trusted magicians on his field. "Now I'll set my Dark Magic Twin Burst, but it won't stay down for long cause I'll then activate it. So now my Dark Magician gains attack points equal to Dark Magician Girl, so now he has 4500 points."

"So how do you plan to win? My Bloom Diva can't be destroyed and even if you get rid of my monsters, I'll end this duel on my next turn." stated Rara.

"That's why I'll play this final card, Diffusion Wave-Motion. Now by paying 1000 life points, I can select one level 7 or higher spellcaster to attack all your monsters. Furthermore, any monsters destroyed can't activate their effects, so if do the math Rara then that means you lose the duel. Now Dark Magician attack with Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician then raised its wand as it unleashed a powerful spell that decimated Rara's entire field and took out the rest of her life points.
Rara's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended and everything was silent. The only one who was cheering was Isaac as he managed to win against a pop star. He then turned towards the crowd who were silent as they were all processing what just happened, this scared Isaac as he was afraid they would storm the stage and assault him for taking down their idol. Soon it turned into the sound of applause as they showed their appreciation for a wonderful duel. Isaac then took a quick bow as he soaked in the attention. He then saw Rara approaching him.

"Sorry about you losing, hope that doesn't piss off your management." chuckled sheepishly Isaac.

"Not at all, in fact, I'm glad I lost. It reminded me that I don't have to live up to certain expectations." Rara then grabbed Isaac's hand as she lifted it in victory. The crowd then got louder as they showed their appreciation for the both of them. "Thanks for everything, I'll never forget all that you've done for me. Not to mention all the new cards you gave me to help out my deck. Thank you." Rara then gave Isaac a quick kiss on his lips which lasted for about 5 seconds; thankfully, every male let that go or else Isaac would be in serious danger. With that the concert was brought to an end as Isaac's friends decided to join them on stage as they congratulated their friend on his victory. Safe to say that everybody had a wonderful time.

Chapter 64: Inspiration

Seems the victory against Rara really attracted some attention, Isaac was working when he suddenly noticed several reporters and photographers who were gathering around the store. So when Isaac stepped outside, he was immediately swarmed by several questions. Thankfully, Rara seemed to be close by as she helped to defuse the situation. From there they just asked Isaac how it felt to share the same stage with someone as popular as Rara. After that they all dispersed after they got a picture of Isaac and Rara standing side by side. Rara wanted to make sure that it was a picture well remembered so before the picture was taken, she gave Isaac a peck on the cheek as that moment was captured and preserved. It was then the front picture of the Canterlot Times newspaper. Soon Rara had said that she would be leaving as she had to continue on with her tour, so with that she said goodbye to her new friends and promised them that they would meet again once she decided to visit.

Isaac was currently going over a lesson with the kids as they were watching a video. Isaac felt that the kids should get an understanding of not just Duel Monsters, but also know some history. That means understanding who some of the greatest duelists were and watching how they performed in some high octane duels. Right now Isaac was showing them a video that was one of his favorites because it had contained the person who was Isaac's inspiration for getting into dueling.

(Video)

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon prepare for attack!"

"Now I activate the facedown card, Magic Formula!" said the person who was Isaac's idol.

"I activate Absorb Spell!" said his rival. "This magic card will absorb the power of Magic Formula! Therefore the attack points you just added to your Dark Paladin will be transferred to my ultimate dragon! I win!"

"I wouldn't be so sure of that. Remember, I still have one facedown left!... So I play this! My De-Fusion card! This magic card splits up your Blue-Eyes ultimate dragon into the three original dragons used to form it, thus stopping your attack!" The card then took effect as it split the dragon into its key components. "Now you have three dragons on the field instead of one! And since my Dark Paladin receives 500 attack points for every dragon on the field, he's now the strongest monster in play! Now it's time for my final move! So I play my final magic card! Diffusion Wave-Motion! All I have to do is give up 1000 life points, and this magic card will enhance the attacking capabilities of my Dark Paladin! Now my monster can attack all three of your dragons at once! This duel is over! Dark Paladin, attack!!" Dark Paladin then raised its weapon as a ball of white light manifested and then shot out as it wiped the entire field and awarded its owner the victory.

(End of Video)

With that Isaac then began to answer some questions from the kids. "So, everybody? What did you think?"

"That was awesome." shouted one of the kids. "I thought for sure that other guy would have won."

"Yeah, it looked like he was done, but then the hero was able to turn things around blast in the face." said another kid.

"It was a bit scary, but the big bad meanie just couldn't defeat our hero." said a little girl as she hugged her stuff animal.

Isaac was happy that the kids enjoyed the video. Everytime he watched that it reminded him of just why he got invested in this game. Soon another little girl had a question as she raised her hand.

"Uhm excuse me, Mr. Isaac?"

"Yes?" said Isaac as he called on the girl.

"I was just wondering is it okay, if I have a deck that somebody else has? I mean, I don't want people to think that I'm copying them, but I really love my deck. Should I just forget about it and get a different one?" asked the girl.

"Not at all!" said Isaac as he knew this was a perfect segway. "In fact, I think it's time I told you all about inspiration. If you remember, the reason I showed you this video was not just to see some amazing dueling. But did notice that main protagonist also had a Dark Magician." The kids all began to murmur. "And as you all know, I too have a Dark Magician. So do you think I'm copying somebody else?" asked Isaac.

"No!?" they all said in unison with some confusion.

"Well, you're all partially right. See I may be copying his signature monster, but in terms of play style, mines is vastly different from his. What I'm trying to tell you kids is that so sure you may have a similar monster/deck like someone else. However, you can't copy somebody's playstyle no matter how many times you try. In other words, everybody has a different way on how they the play; which in turn translates to how you create your deck. See it was this person that inspired me to get into Duel Monsters; so I took that inspiration and when I got my own Dark Magician, I made a vow to be unique and not copy somebody else."

"So you're saying that it's okay to use a deck that somebody else might have, because in the end you'll be making it your own?" said a kid.

"Correct, remember little ones. You may have similar cards, but you'll always be creating own path. In life, we look to others that inspire and remind us; they are the reason why we want to become just like them in some sense. Overall, whatever deck you choose, know that you won't be alone. But one thing is for sure, is that it's your playstyle and nobody can take that away from you." Isaac comment seemed to resonate with the kids as they all started to nod their heads. Soon it was time for Isaac to wrap things up as the parents of the kids came to get them. They all gave Isaac a hug and thanked them for teaching them a valuable lesson.

Hours later, Isaac was playing with his cards as their wasn't much activity happening in the store. He was also watching some more videos of his idol as he couldn't get enough of it. Just then the peace was broken as in came Pinkie Pie who was burst with energy.

"Isaac? Big bro!?" shouted Pinkie Pie.

"I'm at the counter, Pinkie!" shouted Isaac as he put pause on his video.

Pinkie then made her way towards Isaac and immediately gave her big brother a hug. Isaac was once again struggling as his little sister was giving him too tight of a hug. Eventually Pinkie let go, as Isaac took a moment to catch his breath.

"So what is that you need?" asked Isaac.

"Well..." started Pinkie.

"And no, I can't give you free stuff! That against the rules!" shouted Isaac as he knew Pinkie would ask him that based on his job.

"You're no fun." pouted Pinkie who really was looking to get some new stuff from her big brother. "Anyways, I wanted to ask you something."

"Okay, shoot."

"You know how you're always telling us on how you got into dueling. You said is was a certain individual who also wielded a Dark Magician, and how he was beloved by everybody, correct?" asked Pinkie to which Isaac nodded in response. "Well, I was wondering if you could help me? I mean, I told you before that I don't duel as much as the others, but I still want to make sure that deck is capable of beating someone. So do you know of any duelist that also a Toon deck?"

Isaac had to think about Pinkie's question. As far as he knew, Toons were something that not many people used due to them being more of a casual deck rather than something you would see on the pro circuit. Compared to Pinkie's deck, Isaac knew there was a lot of people who ran some variations of a Dark Magician deck in the big leagues. Not to mention that it was made famous by the person who Isaac idolized, so he had tons of research to go off when he constructed his deck and came up with new tactics. However, he seemed to be at a lost on how to help Pinkie.

"Sorry to say, Pinks. But I don't know that many people who use a Toon deck in the competitive scene. Sorry." said Isaac with a sad tone.

"Oh, okay." Pinkie then put her head down as it deflated a bit.

Isaac was sad to see his little sister act this way; she really wanted to get some inspiration on improving her deck but he couldn't help. It pained him to see that there wasn't anything he could do. Isaac then looked down at his phone which had the video he was watching paused. Just then an idea came into Isaac as he recalled something; he didn't know if it would work but it was worth a shot.

"I think I might have something to help you." said Isaac as he told Pinkie who shot her head back up with hopefully eyes.

"Really?" said Pinkie with a peppy tone as she bounced up and down.

"It's a long shot, but lets say that I know someone who owes me." Isaac then grabbed his phone as he looked through his contacts. Once he found the number he was looking for, he then touched it as his phone began to dial. "Just hope he doesn't mind."

Soon Isaac and Pinkie were aboard a helicopter as they were flying to their destination. It seemed Isaac's phone call seemed to have worked as they were well on their way; Isaac was able to inform Mr. Johnson about his situation and told him that he would be gone for about a day or two. Mr. Johnson didn't mind as it was the slow days at the store, plus he felt like Isaac deserved this as he was able to help them gain so much publicity due to his wonderful customer service and his win against Countess Coloratura.

"So, you think he'll help us?" asked Pinkie as she was seated across from Isaac.

"Believe me, I know he will." said Isaac as he looked out the window and saw the beautiful ocean down below them.

Soon the pilot turned on the overheard speaker. "Excuse me, sir. We're about to reach our destination. We'll be arriving in just a few seconds." Isaac and Pinkie then looked out the window and then saw a huge building in the middle of the ocean as it was tall and well built. It had the symbol of Duel Monsters as well as had several statues that depicted some of the most iconic monsters to ever exist. The chopper then touched down on the landing pad as they landed safely, Isaac and Pinkie then unbuckled their seatbelts as the door slid in front of them.

"Welcome to Industrial Illusions, kids." said the pilot as he was the one who opened the door.

Both Isaac and Pinkie stepped out as they took in the sight in front of them. Just then, a person came out as he was expecting them.

"My, my, is that Isaac boy? It's been a while, how have you doing?" said Mr. William who came through the front door and extended his hand out.

"Pleasure to see you again, Mr. William." Isaac then shook his hand. "Things have been going good, since we last met. Right now, I'm currently working a card shop." informed Isaac.

"Why am I not surprised? That seems like a perfect fit for." laughed Mr. William.

Isaac then turned to Pinkie. "You remember my friend, Pinkie Pie?"

"Ahh, yes. The girl who has a Toon deck just like one of my relatives. How could I forget? Welcome, Ms. Pie." Mr. William then extended his hand out to which Pinkie gave a normal handshake instead of her usual ones.

"It's wonderful to see you too, Mr. William." said Pinkie as she let out a smile.

"Come on, we have much to discuss." With that all three of them began walking as they all entered inside the building. They were walking in a hallway as it was filled with such wonderful colors and designs. The thing that really caught Isaac's attention was the many portraits of some of the greatest duelist in history as well as their signature cards framed next to them. Isaac even got to see the picture of his idol and took it all in, he looked at the his signature card as it caused him to take out his deck and look at his own magician.

"Maybe someday, I'll get my picture here. And I just won't have my Dark Magician, but Dark Magician Girl, and all my other monsters." said Isaac as both Pinkie and Mr. William came behind him. They all took a moment to pay their respects and honoring the great duelists that paved the way and made Duel Monsters the great game it was today.

Soon they began to walk more as they were talking. "So Isaac boy, I trust you think this will help Ms. Pie?" asked Mr. Williams as he remembered the reason why Isaac called him.

"Yeah, it took me a while. But I remembered that your grandfather, who was not only the creator of Duel Monsters, but also the first person to use a Toon deck. I figured that someone as famous as him must have some unique cards that allowed him to use his deck so efficiently." suggested Isaac as he looked at Pinkie.

"But of course, grandfather always did like his cartoons. I remember the days when he would sit us down and we would all watch cartoons as one big family. Oh how I miss him." Mr. William then pulled out a locket that had a small picture of his grandfather. "So Ms. Pie, you want to seek inspiration from my grandfather's deck?"

"Yes sire, Mr. William." said Pinkie with a huge smile on her face.

"Well look no further." Just then they arrived in a front door that was heavily secured. Mr. William then put his hand on the pad as it scanned his hand. He then typed in a passcode and then a small device came out as it scanned his eye. After it did a through scan by cross-referencing matchups, the device gave a green light as the door opened up.

Inside there was tons of cards that were in encased on glass as they lined up the walls and shelves of the room. Both Isaac and Pinkie all had big gasps on their faces as they couldn't believe what they were seeing; it took everything in Isaac's power not to geek out. Soon both of them were like kids opening presents on Christmas. They both rushed over to the many cases as they stared at the many card.

"Pinkie, tell me that I've haven't died and gone to heaven?" said Isaac as he just stared at the cards.

"You and me both, big bro." said Pinkie as she was just as memorized as Isaac.

"Indeed, it's wonderful sight." said Mr. William as he got their attention back. He then went to the center of the room where he began to access the main computer. "Ahh, here it is." Mr. William then typed in some more stuff, but the computer popped up a message.

"What's the matter?" asked Pinkie.

"It seems that grandfather had a special security system installed to prevent thieves from stealing his precious cards. He then did something and the middle screen came down as it showed a digital duel arena. "Seems if we want to get access to his deck, we'll need to win a duel. Crafty, grandfather."

"Well if we have to win a duel to gain access this should be easy. Mind if I?" asked Isaac.

"But of course, it's all yours Isaac boy." Mr. William then stepped aside as Isaac was now standing in front of the computer and began the duel. A mini digital avatar of him on the screen for all to see as the robot then began to speak as both had their decks ready to go.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the computer.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Robot's Life Points: 4000-

"4000 life points?" said Pinkie as she was confused.

"Grandfather was always a fan of old school dueling. It's what many people were used to when Duel Monsters first took off." clarified Mr. William.

"That's fine by me." said Isaac. "I grew up watching people play with 400 life points, heck I even have experience playing with these rule set. Despite us always playing with double that amount, sometimes a duel like this is much more entertaining because it really forces people to bring out their best cards and make the best moves so that they don't lose so easily." Isaac had a smile on his face as he couldn't wait to begin the duel.

"Good luck, big bro!" shouted Pinkie as she cheered on Isaac.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll go first." Then Isaac's hand digitized as they saw all of his cards on the screen. "I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior in defense mode." Isaac selected his card and it appeared on the screen.

"Ahh, Alpha. Such a classic card." mentioned Mr. William as that monster brought back memories.

"Next, I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Robot

"Turn initiated." spoke the robot as it scanned its hand. "Summoning Speed Warrior in attack mode." Now the robot had a monster on its side.

"Huh? Why that card, it only has 900 attack points? It's much too weak to take down big bro's monster." said Pinkie as she was confused on why the computer did such a move.

"Not quite," said Isaac as he addressed Pinkie's question. "See on the turn that Speed Warrior is summoned, it's attack points are doubled. So now its attack is 1800, which is more than enough to take out my monster."

"Attack commence, Speed Warrior." With that computer then had its monster take out Isaac's Alpha. "Battle phase over. Setting one card facedown. End turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"It's my turn, draw." Isaac's avatar picked up another card from the deck. "First I'll play spell card, Pot of Greed. Now I'll draw two more cards. Next I'll play Polymerization and with it I'll fuse together my Berfomet and Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts. In order to fusion summon, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast(2100/1800)!" Isaac now played a card that had two heads as well as wings on its back. "Chimera, attack Speed Warrior. I'll then end my turn."
Robot's Life Points: 2800-

Turn 4: Robot

"Turn initiated." spoke the robot. "Summoning Junk Synchron, activating monster's effect." Junk Synchron then appeared as Speed Warrior was brought back in defense mode. "Commencing advance summon. Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior in attack mode." Now the robot tuned both of his monsters and out came a metal warrior made up of some several parts. "Attack commence, Junk Warrior."

"Not so fast, I'll activate my facedown Spellbinding Circle. Now my trap freezes your monster and lowers its attack by 700." said Isaac.

"Accessing, deploying countermeasures." said the robot as it scanned the battle. "Reveal facedown, Double Cyclone. Destroy one spell/trap on both player's field."

"Huh? Why would the robot destroy its own facedown?" asked a confused Pinkie.

"Facedown activate." said the robot as the card it destroyed now appeared and its effect activated.

"That's why." said Isaac. "Its facedown was Limiter Overload and since it was sent to the graveyard. It can bring back Speed Warrior but it has its effects negated." True to what Isaac was saying, Speed Warrior then reappeared on his opponent's field in attack mode.

"Indeed, you do know your cards, Isaac boy." Mr. William applauded Isaac on his vast knowledge of Duel Monster cards.

"Attack commence, Junk Warrior." With that Junk Warrior the got rid of Isaac's Chimera as he took some damage.
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

"My Chimera has a special ability, when's its destroyed, I can bring either one of its fusion materials back to the field. I choose my Gazelle in attack mode." Isaac now had a monster on his field as it stopped his opponent from declaring an attack on his life points.

"Battle phase over. Set one card facedown, end turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"It's back to me, draw. I'll activate the spell Graceful Charity, now I'll draw three cards and discard two." Isaac's avatar then picked up some more cards and then chose which ones he wanted to get rid of. "Now I'll sacrifice my Gazelle to summon Dark Magician Girl! Now Dark Magician Girl will attack Speed Warrior."

"Activating facedown, reveal Scrap-Iron Scarecrow. Attack negated." said the robot.

"Impressive, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Robot

"Turn initiated. Tribute Speed Warrior to summon Salvage Warrior(1900/1600) in attack position. Effect activate, summoning tuner monster Junk Synchron from graveyard." Now the robot had three monsters on its field.

"In response, I'll activate my facedown, Dust Tornado. Now I'll get rid of Scrap-Iron Scarecrow to avoid dealing with it later." said Isaac.

"Commencing advanced summon. Synchro Summon, Stardust Dragon." Now the robot had a powerful monster on its field. "Attack commence, Stardust Dragon."

"Now you see her, now you don't. I activate Magical Hats." Four hats then appeared as they hide Isaac's magician and then shuffled before lining up in a straight line.

"Planning possibilities, Stardust Dragon attack leftmost hat."

"That's a miss." said Isaac.

"Junk Warrior attack rightmost hat."

"Strike two." smiled Isaac.

"Battle phase over. Set two card facedown, end turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, draw. First, I'll dispel the magical hats and return my Dark Magician Girl back to attack mode. Next I'll play Card of Sanctity, now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands." Isaac then picked up some more cards. "Now, I'll activate Sage's Stone. Dark Magician Girl was just the apprentice, now meet her master, Dark Magician! Then I'll activate Monster Reborn to summon back my Buster Blader from the grave." Isaac now had three powerful monsters on his field. "Finally, I'll equip Dark Magician Girl with Magic Formula and give her 700 more points. Dark Magician Girl attack Junk Warrior. Then Buster Blader will attack Stardust Dragon." Now there was no monsters to stop Isaac from winning this duel. "Now Dark Magician end this duel!"

"Activate facedown, Defense Draw. All damage is zero and draw one card." said the robot as it managed to survive another turn.
Robot's Life Points: 1800-

"In that case, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Activate facedown on opponent's turn, Miracle's Wake. Summon back, Stardust Dragon." said the robot as it got its monster back with ease.

Turn 8: Robot

"Turn initiated. Activate spell card, One for One. Discard a card to summon Turbo Synchron. Activate effect, special summon Boost Warrior. Commencing advanced summon. Synchro Summon Formula Synchron. Effect, draw one card. Commencing advanced summon. Synchron Summon, Shooting Star Dragon(3300/2500)." Now the robot had one powerful dragon as it appeared on the screen for all to see.

"Now that's a doozy of a monster, be careful Isaac." shouted Pinkie as she was concerned with how her big brother could still win this.

Pinkie's right, Shooting Star Dragon has one powerful ability, but maybe I can use that to my advantage.

"Commence attack, Shooting Star Dragon."

"I activate my trap card, Magic Cylinder. Now my Dark Magician Girl is safe and the damage gets redirected right back to your life points." shouted Isaac.

"Initiating countermeasure. Activate effect of Damage Eater; gain life points instead of losing." Now the robot had a massive boost in terms of life points.
Robot's Life Points: 5100-

"Battle phase over. Summon Quillbolt Hedgehog in defense mode. Set one card facedown, end turn."

Turn 9: Isaac

"Draw, now Buster Blader attack Shooting Star Dragon."

"Initiating countermeasure, reveal Miracle Locus. Boost Shooting Star Dragon by 1000 points, also player takes no damage and draws card." Just like that Isaac's Buster Blader was sent to the graveyard.

"I'll still get rid of your other monster, Dark Magician take out Quillbolt Hedgehog." said Isaac. "Next I'll activate the spell card Premature Burial, so by paying 800 life points, I'll bring back Buster Blader. Next, I'll play another Polymerization to fusion summon, the ultimate magical swordsman, Dark Paladin!" Isaac now had one of his powerful fusion cards on the field. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 10: Robot

"Turn initiated. Activate spell card, Battle Waltz. Effect: create a copy of a Synchro monster. Selection: Shooting Star Dragon."

"Hold on, I'll activate my monster's special ability. Dark Paladin allows me to discard a card from my hand and in return, I can negate/destroy your Battle Waltz." said Isaac.

"Commence attack, Shooting Star Dragon." With that Shooting Star Dragon took out Isaac's Dark Magician Girl.

"The effect of my Magic Formula activates which gives me 1000 more life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"Battle phase over. End turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Draw, now Dark Paladin attack Shooting Star Dragon."

"Initiating countermeasure, activate effect. Banish Shooting Star Dragon to negate attack." With that Shooting Star Dragon disappeared as it stopped Isaac's monster.

Isaac just had a smile on his face, "That's just what I was waiting for."

"What!?" said Pinkie and Mr. William.

"Now I'll activate my spell card, De-Fusion. Now this card splits my monster back into two separate monsters." Isaac's Dark Paladin then morphed back into Buster Blader and Dark Magician. "And because these two monsters were summoned in the middle of a battle, I can still attack with them. So now my monsters, finish this duel!" commanded Isaac.
Robot's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Well that was easy," said Isaac as he wiped his forehead.

"You did it," Pinkie then gave Isaac a great big hug. "That's my big bro for you, always comes out on top."

"You never cease to amaze me, Isaac boy." clapped Mr. William.

"Don't mention it, Mr. William. Now then about we see if now we get access to your grandfather's deck." suggested Isaac.

Mr. William then approached the computer and then began to type in some things. "Oh dear, it seems our work isn't done. Grandfather was very cautious about someone stealing his deck, that not only did he have a security system installed. But he also had a backup system." Just then another duel popped on screen.

"Aw man, so we have to win this one too." moaned Pinkie.

"It would appear so." said Mr. William with a sad tone.

"Well no problem, all Isaac had to do is win again." said Pinkie.

"Actually, Pinkie. Why don't you take this one? I'm confident you can pass this." suggested Isaac.

Pinkie had a worry look on her face when Isaac suggested that she be the one to participate. "Funny, big bro." laughed Pinkie until she saw that Isaac had his serious look. "You're serious? I can't do it, I'm not as good as the others, let alone you. What if I screw up, then we'll never get to look at the deck and I'll never be able to be taken seriously." Pinkie then put her head down. All she wanted was to make sure that she could be able to handle herself instead of letting her friends do most of the battling. She thought that by taking a peek at what a true Toon deck had, then maybe she could up her game. But now, in order to get there, she had to win a duel against a very challenging robot.

Isaac then approached Pinkie as he put his hand on the shoulder of his little sister. "Pinkie, no matter what happens, I won't get mad. I know you can do this, you just have to believe. Remember, trust in your deck and it will trust in you."

Pinkie then took a deep breath as she gave Isaac a nod. Mr. William then stepped aside as Pinkie approached the terminal. Soon her avatar appeared on the screen as the duel was about to start.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the computer.

Pinkie's Life Points: 4000-

Robot's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Robot

"Turn initiated. Activate spell card, Gravekeeper's Commandant. Discard it to add field spell Necrovalley to hand." said the computer.

"A Gravekeeper deck? Interesting." said Isaac as he and Mr. William watched on from the side.

"Activate Necrovalley. Effect: all 'Gravekeeper' monsters gain 500 attack/defense points. In addition, both players can't use card effects to remove other cards in graveyard. Set a monster facedown in defense mode. Activate spell card, Royal Tribute. Activate effect, both players reveal hand and discard any monster cards."

"Ha, ha. Silly computer." laughed Pinkie as her hand came up on the screen for all to show that neither one of them had any monsters in their hand. "Yippee, I win! I win! I have no monsters in my hand. What do I win?" celebrated Pinkie.

"End turn."

Turn 2: Pinkie

"That means it's my turn," Pinkie's avatar then picked up a card "Woohoo, and what spectacular turn it will be. My turn begins where any great story starts, I play Toon Table of Contents. Now I can add any 'Toon' that I want to my hand. Ohh, so many choices. I think I'll take you, no wait you, or how about you. I definitely can't forget about you." Pinkie was having a hard time choosing. "Which one should I choose, Isaac?" said with a smile on her face.

"Just pick one!" shouted Isaac as he was starting to get annoyed.

"I got it," said Pinkie as she selected her card. "Prepare to enter a world of imagination and creativity. A world that you never knew existed. A world full of toons. A world..."

"Get on with it already!" shouted Isaac.

"I play Toon Kingdom." Pinkie's avatar then jumped into Toon Kingdom as confetti and balloons came out of it; soon her avatar hopped out as it was surrounded by all the cartoons who tossed Pinkie up and down in the air before they returned back home with Pinkie waving goodbye.

"I'm not even going to question that." said Isaac as he couldn't believe what he saw on the screen.

"This card will set the most delightful stage for the rest of my cards. I can activate it by simplifying banishing the top 3 cards of my deck. While its faceup on the field, it counts as Toon World. I'll then play Pot of Greed and draw two more card, I hope I get some funny loving monsters." smiled Pinkie. "Next, I'll special summon Toon Cyber Dragon(2100/1600). Is it a machine, is it a dragon? Nobody knows." said Pinkie in a dramatic voice. "But one thing we all agree one is that my Toon Cyber Dragon is adorable! Next, I'll play Toon Masked Sorcerer." Pinkie now had two cartoon monsters on her field. "Next, I'll play the spell Shard of Greed. Now when I draw a card, I get to add a 'Greed' counter to my Shard of Greed. Once it's got two counters, I can send it to the grave to draw two more cards. Finally, I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Pinkie's really enjoying herself." said Isaac so that only Mr. William could hear him.

"Indeed, Isaac boy. Oh, if only my grandfather was here. Why he be thrilled to see someone who's inspired by his love of Toons." commented Mr. William.

Turn 3: Robot

"Turn initiated. Activate spell card, Raigeki. All monsters on opponent's field are destroyed."

"My Toon Kingdom is coming in handing." giggled Pinkie. "Whenever a Toon is in danger, I can banish the top card of my deck to protect it. So I'll banish two cards to protect my beloved pals." Pinkie then got rid of two cards as her monsters were unscathed.

"Flip Summon, Gravekeeper's Spy(1200/2000). Gains 500 more points. Effect activate, special summon Gravekeeper's Descendant(1500/1200); gain 500 more points."

"I activate Toon Briefcase. Now since I control a Toon monster, I can shuffle a monster on my opponent's side back into the deck. So Gravekeeper's Descendant goes bye-bye." waved Pinkie.

"Summon Gravekeeper's Assailant(1500/1500); gains 500 more points. Attack commence, Gravekeeper's Assailant."

"I activate the effect of my Toon Kingdom, so I'll banish another card from my deck to keep my Toon Masked Sorcerer from being destroyed." said Pinkie.

"Activate effect, Gravekeeper's Assailant. When it attacks while Necrovalley is on the field, change one monster's position. Target: Toon Cyber Dragon."

"Sorry but no cherry-changa." laughed Pinkie. "Toon Kingdom protects my Toons from being targeted by card effects."

"Attack commence, Gravekeeper's Spy."

"I'll banish another card to save my Toon Masked Sorcerer again." stated Pinkie.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2100-

"Battle phase over. Set one card facedown, end turn."

Turn 4: Pinkie

"My turn and I draw to give a Greed Counter to my Shard of Greed." said Pinkie. "And now, it's time to showcase the most favorite of my Toon's abilities. Toon Cyber Dragon and Toon Masked Sorcerer attack directly! As long as I have Toon World, my toons can bypass your field and go straight for your life points. Now my Toon Masked Sorcerer's effect allows me to draw one card." Pinkie cheered at the card she picked up. "And what a card I've drawn, here's a card that inspires terror in even the toughest duelists. I activate the spell card, Shadow Toon. Now, I can deal damage to you equal to the attack of one of your monsters. So I choose your Gravekeeper's Assailant, so see ya." waved Pinkie as she won.

"Initiating countermeasure. Activate counter trap, Imperial Tombs of Necrovalley. Effect, negate spell card Shadow Toon."
Robot's Life Points: 1000-

"Aw, phooey." said Pinkie as she let out a raspberry. "Oh, well. I'll just end my turn."

Turn 5: Robot

"Turn initiated. Summon Gravekeeper's Descendant; gains 500 more points. Activate effect, tribute Gravekeeper's Spy to destroy one card on the field. Selection: Toon Kingdom." With that Pinkie's Toon Kingdom exploded into fireworks. "Effect of Toon Masked Sorcerer activates."

"Oh right." said Pinkie as she disposed of her monster.

"Commence attack, Gravekeeper's Assailant. Effect activate, switch Toon Cyber Dragon's position. "Gravekeeper's Assailant then took out Pinkie's last monster as she was now wide open. "Commence direct attack, Gravekeeper's Descendant. Battle phase over. End turn."
Pinkie's Life Points: 100-

Turn 6: Pinkie

This is bad, if I don't do something then I'll lose for sure. I can't let Isaac down, not after all he's done for me. He doing all this for me, and I can't let it go all to waste. I came here seeking inspiration and that's what I'm going to do! "Now it's my turn and by drawing, I get to add a second Greed counter to my Shard of Greed. I never let a minor setback get the best of me, especially when I can roll it back. Get it?" laughed Pinkie. "I'll send my Shard of Greed to the graveyard to draw two more cards. Next I'll play the spell Heavy Storm. Now bid farewell to your Necrovalley." Just like that Pinkie managed to swing the duel back into her favor as Isaac gave a thumbs up. "Next, I'll activate a second copy of Toon Kingdom and banish the top three cards of my deck. Then I'll play Monster Reborn and with it, I'll bring back my Toon Cyber Dragon. Now I'll special summon Toon Mermaid(1400/1500); and then I'll normal summon Toon Goblin Attack Force(2300/0)."

Pinkie was now starting to gain some steam as she now had a field full of monsters. "I activate one of my favorites cards, Mimic Cat. This allows me to take a card from your graveyard and put it on field, hmmm. So many crazy choices, I think I'll take Raigeki. And I'll waste no time activating it." Pinkie then took out all the monsters on her opponent's field as she was set for victory. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 7: Robot

"Turn initiated. Tribute summon all three monsters on my opponent's side to summon Winged Dragon of Ra - Sphere Mode(?/?)."

"Oh shit." said Isaac in a monotone voice.

Soon all of Pinkie's toons were gone as they were replaced with a giant orb that glowed bright yellow. Pinkie couldn't figure out what was going on; just when she was able to gain some momentum, she was suddenly thrown for a loop. "But how? What about my toons, how can it summon that monster using my own?" asked Pinkie.

"That's its special ability, little sis. You can summon this monster in this form by sacrificing any 3 monsters on either person's field." clarified Isaac.

"True, Isaac boy. Not to mention that at the end of Pinkie's turn, that monster will shift over to the computer's side of the field." stated Mr. William.

"End turn."

Turn 8: Pinkie

"I always wanted a big glowing bowling ball." laughed Pinkie as she examined the monster on her field. "I'll draw a card," Pinkie looked her card and then what she had in her hand. Unfortunately, she had nothing that she could play or summon this turn. "Uh oh, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn." Pinkie now had a sad tone as well as a look of worry as she saw the monster on her field now shift over to her opponent.

Turn 9: Robot

"Turn initiated. Tribute to summon Winged Dragon of Ra(4000/4000). Commence direct attack."

"I'll activate my facedown, Toon Mask." shouted Pinkie. "Now I can special summon a 'Toon' monster from my hand or deck as long as it's level is less than or equal to my opponent's monster. I'll special summon my Toon Alligator(800/1600) in defense mode." Thanks to some quick thinking, Pinkie was able to survive an attack from a very powerful monster and still remain in the duel.

"Battle phase over. End turn."

Turn 10: Pinkie

"It's my turn," Pinkie let out a deep breath as she drew her card. "This is too perfect!" giddy Pinkie as she was bouncing up and down. "I activate my spell card, Comic Hand. Now I can take control of your Winged Dragon of Ra and the best part is that it turns it into an adorable, loveable toon. Say hello to, Toon Winged Dragon of Ra." Now a cartoon version of Ra appeared as it started to play around with Pinkie's avatar.

Both Mr. William and Isaac just had eyes wide open as they couldn't believe what they were seeing on the screen. "Oh, I'm glad that there's no such thing as a Toon Winged Dragon of Ra." said Isaac as he couldn't imagined such a card existing. Let alone how crazy Pinkie would be if she actually had a card like that.

"My Toon Winged Dragon of Ra and I, are going to be the best of friends. And the first thing we'll share together is our victory in this duel. Toon Winged Dragon of Ra, attack directly and end this duel!" shouted Pinkie. With that her cartoon monster then fired off a cartoonish attack that brought her the victory as the screen flashed the word 'Congratulations' with digital fireworks and streamers going off. Once Pinkie processed what had happened she let out a huge victory screech. "That was so fun!!" shouted Pinkie as she couldn't contain her excitement.

Isaac and Mr. William both gave a round of applause as they celebrated Pinkie's win. Isaac gave his little sis a pat on the head as she gave him a hug. "You did good, Pinkie."

"Thanks, big bro. I couldn't have done it without you." Pinkie then saw Mr. William approach the computer to see if they could now gain access to his grandfather's deck. "Yippee, now we can take a look at that legendary deck and then I finally improve my game."

"Yeah, about that Pinkie. There's no need; see there was no deck for us to access." said Isaac.

"What!?" Pinkie had raised an eyebrow at what Isaac was saying.

"See after our the first duel, we pretty much had full access to Mr. Williams' grandfather's deck. So while you were busying giving me a hug, I quickly told him to set another duel but this time have his grandfather's deck be what you used. So basically, you just used his grandfather's deck and was able to secure a victory."

Pinkie had the biggest gasp on her face. To think that whole time, she was using the deck of such a legendary man really caused to think about this moment seriously. "I did that? I actually used Mr. William grandfather's deck. But how can I? I'm just an amateur duelist, there's no way I could have won with my skill set." said Pinkie.

"See that's the thing, little sis. You were so focused on copying somebody else that you forgot on what it means to have a deck. It's not to become a carbon copy of another duelist, but to evolve and create your own playstyle and to ultimately make that deck that's your own."

Pinkie let Isaac's statement resonate with her as she understood what her big brother was trying to say. "You know, I think I know what you were doing. Thanks, Isaac." Pinkie then gave her big bro a kiss while Isaac just rubbed his little sister's head.

"I must commend you on that stellar performance, Ms. Pie." Mr. William was giving his praise to Pinkie as he found her duel to definitely be entertaining. "I'll say that the way you played my grandfather's deck it was like something he would do; if he were here right now, he would definitely give you praise for playing that deck to its full capabilities. You really honored his legacy."

"Thanks, Mr. William." said Pinkie as she gave him a respectful bow.

Just then a growl was heard as Isaac's stomach was trying to send him a message. "Sorry, but I've barely eaten anything since this morning. Don't suppose you got food in this place? All that dueling made me hungry." asked Isaac.

"Not a problem, Isaac boy. Follow me. And Ms. Pie, allow me to give you some cards that may help you and your Toon deck. I'm sure that my grandfather would appreciate it if I helped a fellow duelist who shared his same sense of humor." With that Mr. William led both Isaac and Pinkie into the dining room; the rest of the day was spent with Mr. William showing Pinkie and Isaac around Industrial Illusions, while also giving some cards to Pinkie from his grandfather's personal collection.

Chapter 65: The Sleepover

After an adventurous day of hanging out with Pinkie and Mr. William at Industrial Illusions, Isaac was now back going about his merry life. Things were as normal as they could get, Isaac would work with Mr. Johnson at the card shop. And on the days that he didn't work, Isaac would hang out with the girls. Sometimes they would all meet either in the park or at the mall. During that time, Celestia had actually contacted Isaac and the girls, she mentioned that within a month, she would need all of them for a special mission. All she mentioned is that they would be traveling to different places across the county and that it involved little kids. Ultimately, as the date got closer, she would give them more information. Regardless they were all excited for what Celestia and Luna had planned for both of them.

Isaac was now at home as he was trying to understand something. "So let get this straight, you're both leaving to Mexicolt."

"Correct, mijo. You're mother and I are going there for our anniversary. It's a sort of tradition that we've been doing since we first had you." mentioned Isaac's father.

"That would explain why you guys would always dump at abuelita's house. So, am I to prepare my stuff?" asked Isaac as he suspected that he would stay with his grandparents.

"Not at all," said Isaac's mother. "See we know you're pretty matured for someone your age, Isaac. So we feel comfortable on letting you be here by yourself." said Isaac's mother.

It wasn't too of a shock for Isaac as he was used to his parents not always being home, especially when they would work late. But this would be the first time that he would be by himself for quite a while. According to the trip his parents had planned, they would be gone for about 2 weeks. Of course, Isaac would have plenty of things to keep him occupied during that time. But it still would be weird to not see his parents for so long, especially since his heritage/background was so centered on the belief of family. With that his parents went over some guidelines; one thing they didn't have to worry about was Isaac throwing a party while they were away since he wasn't the party type of person. The only thing they asked was that if he did have friends over then not to make a huge mess of the place. Other than that, they had full trust in their son.

Soon the day arrived, as Isaac watched his parents put their bags into the car. They each gave their son a farewell hug and kiss; they all quickly said a prayer to grant protection. With that they waved at their son as they headed to the airport to catch their flight. Isaac then began to do things that would keep him occupied. The first thing he did was create a grocery list as he would need to buy some food to keep him from going hungry. That wasn't a problem as Isaac had plenty of money from his new job, in addition, he wasn't going to make something fancy as he knew how to cook simple dishes. Other than that, he needed to make sure that he cleaned the house as he didn't want his parents to come home to a mess.

The first few days went by without a hitch. Isaac would wake up and get ready for work; the one thing he did enjoy about not having his folks at home was that he could eat and watch TV without his mother lecturing him. Apart from that, Isaac was enjoying some peace and quiet as he had the house all to himself.

Mr. Johnson was currently running through this week's profits as he was running some numbers. That left Isaac to run the counter and help with the customers. The good thing about his job is that it kept him occupied with people, so it didn't make Isaac feel too lonely. Sometime close to 11 in the morning, Twilight had managed to stop by as she was looking to get make some new improvements to her deck and wanted Isaac's opinion. She opened the door and saw that Isaac was at the counter and he was playing with his cards.

"Hmm. What card should I play?" asked Isaac to himself.

"Might I suggest the card on the right." said Twilight. "It'll provide a solid defense and allow you to draw an extra card."

Isaac looked up and saw Twilight standing there waving at him. "Hey, Twilight." smiled Isaac. "So what you brings you by?"

"Well, seeing as how Celestia has something planned for us, I want to make sure that my deck is up to par. Apparently, she said to make sure that our decks were as good as they could be. So I wanted to check some more variety," Twilight then pulled out her deck as she leaned on the counter. "Mind taking a look, I want to have a second opinion."

Isaac then grabbed Twilight's deck as he began to examine it. Once he went through it, he then gave her his opinions and told her what she could improve on. This ultimately led to Isaac doing his job as he pulled out some cards for Twilight to take a look at. Soon it ended with Twilight making a couple of purchases, but thankfully, Isaac gave her a discount as one of his many perks for working here. Soon the both of them began to talk with each other.

"So, Isaac. Want to test out these new cards?" suggested Twilight as she knew how Isaac loved a good battle.

"I'm down, seeing as my parents are enjoying their get-away trip." stated Isaac.

"What? You didn't mention that you're parents were gone?" asked Twilight. "Are you okay being by yourself?"

"I'm fine, Twilight. I'm just not used to them being gone for so long. They're currently on trip in Mexicolt as a way to celebrate their anniversary." mentioned Isaac. "So basically, for the next two weeks, I've got the whole place to myself."

"Still, it must get lonely." Twilight then thought of an idea. "Say, how about I talk to our friends and we can have a sleepover at your house?"

"And that is where the conversation will end." Isaac said quickly as he began to walk away.

"Come on! I'm being serious?" said Twilight as she followed behind Isaac.

"So am I!" shouted Isaac. "Look it's not that I don't trust you girls. It's just that I've never had a sleepover in my life and isn't it more of a girl thing?" Twilight just rolled her eyes at Isaac's stereotypically comment. "Besides, there's another reason why I don't want it to happen."

"Which is?" Twilight rolled her hand for some further clarification.

"I'm not saying." said Isaac in a quick tone.

Twilight then grabbed Isaac's hand, "Please, we're your friends and we care about you. We just don't want you to be alone while your parents are gone. I promise that we won't cause any trouble or let things get out of hand." Twilight was now giving Isaac the pleading puppy eyes. Isaac tried his best to fight but given that it was Twilight, who wore glasses which seemed to make her cute when she did that, it proved to be a futile effort.

Eventually, Isaac let out a sigh. "Alright, I'll let you tell the girls." Twilight immediately perked up. "But no funny business! Got it?" Twilight gave Isaac her word and she quickly texted the girls, she soon got each of their responses as they all agreed they could come. With that she gave Isaac a hug and left. "Why do I have a feeling that I'll regret that decision?" Isaac then got back to work.

For the rest of the day, Isaac tried to distract his mind by working. It worked as he quickly forgot the plan of having a sleepover at his place filled with nothing but girls. During that time, Isaac had gotten a text message from Twilight saying that all the girls would meet up at his house at around 6pm. Thankfully, Isaac got out early as he would need the extra time to get prepared both his house and his mind. Soon it was closing time, as Isaac was putting the last bits of things away. Before he locked up for the night, Mr. Johnson gave Isaac a pamphlet of sorts. He said that he wanted to get some more ideas on how to attract customers, so he gave Isaac an encyclopedia full of Duel Monster cards and famous duelists throughout the history and how they changed the game overtime. With that Isaac closed the shop down and then headed home.

It didn't take long as Isaac soon arrived home. Looking at the clock on his wall, Isaac saw that he had about an hour or so till the girls arrived. With that he quickly took a shower and then got to work cleaning. Isaac made sure that the living room was tidy as he sweeped and vacuumed. He made sure that the dishes were washed and put away; he then folded his laundry and put it in his room. Once Isaac was in his room, he saw Tigre was napping on his bed.

"Hey, girl." Isaac then started to pet her as she woke up.

"Meow."

"Just so you know, we're having guests tonight. So behave, okay?" said Isaac.

"Meow."

Isaac then gave her one final rub behind the ear as she purred. Isaac then set down his deck and his duel disk at his table. He then made sure to hide his personal belongings as he didn't want the girls to get nosy and go into his room. With that he checked the time and began heading downstairs with Tigre by his side. He made sure to feed her and then went to watch some TV as a way to relax. The good thing was that today just so happened to be Friday which meant it was time for one of Isaac's favorite shows: Wrestling. So with that Isaac plopped down on the couch as he began to flip through the channels to find the program. At that time, Tigre had finished her food and jumped into Isaac's lap as she snuggled up next to her owner. About half an hour or so passed and Isaac was just watching his show while getting heavily invested in it. His mind was so much into the match that he didn't noticed the sound of knocking till his doorbell rang.

"Whoops, almost forgot about that." said Isaac as he looked at the clock on his wall. "Come on, Tigre. Time to meet the girls." said Isaac as he got up with his cat walking beside him. With that he looked out his window and saw that it was indeed the girls, well most of them. "Welcome, girls." said Isaac as he opened the door and stepped aside.

"My word, darling. I must say that your house is pretty colorful, love the decour." stated Rarity as she was looking at Isaac's interior decorating.

"Oh, why hello there, Tigre. How has been Isaac treating you?" asked Fluttershy as she bent down and gave her a good petting. Tigre just let out a calming purr and a meow as she loved what Fluttershy was doing.

"Ready to have fun, big bro?" exclaimed Pinkie as confetti shot of nowhere when she jumped in the air.

"You're the one that I'm most worried about, little sis." replied back Isaac with the same tone. " Just don't get confetti on my parent's furniture, it'll take me forever to clean up." With that Isaac closed the door after Pinkie enter. "So where are the others?"

"They'll be along shortly, darling. Rainbow is just wrapping up practice and Applejack is taking care of some last minute things on the farm." said Rarity.

Isaac nodded. "Right then, well make yourselves at home. Me casa es su casa." said Isaac in his spanish accent that seemed to cause Fluttershy and Rarity to blush a bit. They found it cute whenever Isaac spoke his other dialect. Isaac then turned to Pinkie and gave her a stern look to which she immediately understood what he was trying to tell her. Isaac then led the girls to his living room as he handed them the remote.

"Here you go. Feel free watch whatever you want; I'll put your stuff away." said Isaac.

"Are you sure, darling? We shouldn't want to intrude on whatever show you were currently watching." said Rarity with a concern look.

"It's fine. Trust me, I doubt you would like what I was watching before you all came." Isaac then grabbed whatever belongings each of them had and he put them in the hallway leading up to his room as they leaned nicely against the wall. Once he made his way back to the living room, he saw that the girls were all watching and laughing a show they came across. Tigre just couldn't get enough of Fluttershy as she snuggled up in her lap and purred the loudest she had. "Little traitor." said Isaac.

"Ohh, I love this show!" said Pinkie as she pulled out some popcorn from her hair and began to eat some of it.

Well, at least I don't have to worry about running out of snacks. "Hey, don't make a mess on the couch!" shouted Isaac as Pinkie was spilling some on the sofa and on the floor. Isaac then quickly cleaned up the pieces as the doorbell rang once again. He then made his way to the door and looked out the window to see who it was. "Welcome Dash, Aj."

"Howdy, sugarcube." Applejack tipped her hat at Isaac as she walked through the door. "Really like what ah see." Applejack was really impressed with the many photos of Isaac's family. It reminded her of how close she was to her own kin and it warmed her heart to see someone else who held those same values so highly.

"What's up, dude?" Rainbow Dash gave Isaac a fist bump as she entered his place.

"The others are in the living room, I'll take your stuff."

"Thanks, partner." said Applejack.

With that Applejack and Rainbow handed Isaac their sleeping bags as he went to put it with the others. Once that was taken care of, Isaac then saw all the girls were petting Tigre as they played with her. He then looked at the clock on the wall and figured that he should order some food for them. "So girls, hungry? Anybody in the mode for pizza?" said Isaac as he got their attention. They all nodded their heads. "Okay, any preferences?"

"Veggies." stated Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Pepperoni!" shouted Rainbow.

"Mushroom for me, sugar." Applejack replied.

"Cotton Candy!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Ok, that's not happening!" said Isaac. "How the hell would that even work, little sis!? You know what, I'm not even gonna bother asking." Isaac then rubbed his temples as he regretted ever asking Pinkie for her opinion. "You getting cheese, no complaining." shouted Isaac as he acted like an older sibling; Pinkie just nodded her head. With that Isaac had finish writing the suggestions on a notepad, "Alright, I'm gonna phone it in now."

Isaac then pulled out his phone and he was about to dial the place, when the doorbell rang once again. Isaac took a quick peek and saw that it was Sunset and Twilight. "Just in time, girls. Come on in."

"Cool setting." said Sunset.

"See I told you it would make you feel better if you had some company." said Twilight.

"Hey, Isaac." barked Spike as he was in Twilight's arms.

"Hey Spike. Got to say, it still feels weird to seeing a talking dog." said Isaac as he addressed the little pup.

"You think that's bad, you wouldn't believe how freaked out Twilight's entire family was. After we got back from Camp Everfree, she was up all night asking every question she had about what life is like as a dog. I'll tell you it was starting to get boring." said Spike.

"Oh, I can believe that. Based on how she acts when we do our lessons, right Twilight?" Isaac had a sly smile on his face while Twilight was turning red from embarrassment.

"You're suppose to me my side, Spike. I'm your owner." pouted Twilight.

"Hey, Isaac's my man. I gotta back him up."

"Right back at cha, dog." Isaac then Spike a good old fashioned high five. "Now then, let me take your bags. The rest of the girls are in the living if you want to get comfy. Also Spike, Tigre is here for you to play with. Just try not to freak her out. And don't get drool on my parent's furniture like last time!"

"Got nothing to worry about, Isaac." With that Spike jumped out of Twilight's arms and then began to walk into the living room.

"Thanks for having us, Isaac." Sunset then handed her bags to Isaac. "And I prefer bacon on my pizza." Sunset then gave Isaac a peck on the cheek as she made her way to the others.

"Of course you do." smiled Isaac. "And you Twilight?" asked Isaac as he turned back to grab her bags.

"Don't worry about me. I'm fine with whatever you get." suggested Twilight.

"Alright, do you like sausage?" asked Isaac.

"My favorite, actually." giggled Twilight.

"Mine too, alright then go make yourself at home." With that Isaac grabbed Twilight's belongings as he went to put them away. Now that everybody had arrived, Isaac then began to call the pizzeria as he placed in his orders. Once that was taken care of, he then gave them his address and told him that they would call him once they arrived. Isaac then checked in on the girls; they all seemed to be enjoying themselves as Rainbow and Applejack were currently engaged in a video game.

"Yo, Isaac. You want in next round?" shouted Dash as she focused on the game.

"Sure why not." With that Isaac then pulled up a bean bag chair as he began to watch Aj and Dash beat the hell out of each other.

Meanwhile Tigre had managed to slip out of Fluttershy's grip as she was now walking upstairs with Spike following behind her. Once she caught a whiff of Spike's scent, which consisted of drool and dog food, she was immediately surprised with the fact that he could actually talk. Spike told her about what had happened during their trip to Camp Everfree and since then he gained the power to speak. They had just reached Isaac's door as she turned to address him.

"Now that's a crazy story." said Tigre.

"Tell me about it. People still think a talking dog is the weirdest thing they've seen; I mean we seen magic exist. And yet this the thing that people freak out about." Spike rolled his eyes at how weird people were when they saw a talking dog.

They both entered Isaac's room. Tigre then jumped up on Isaac's bed as she laid down on her back; Spike was just sniffing Isaac's belongings.

"Got to say, this looks a lot like Twilight's room." said Spike. "I mean, in terms of the many posters they each have."

"You don't the half of it." Tigre then jumped down. "Take a look at this." Tigre pulled out Isaac's card box from under his bed with her mouth. She then asked for Spike's help as they took off the lid and inside was Isaac's personal collection of cards.

"Ohh, shiny." said Spike as he started to drool from his mouth. Tigre then smacked Spike on his ear with her paw. "Ow, what the heck?" said Spike as he rubbed his ear.

"Mind the drool!" meowed Tigre. "I told Isaac, I would keep you in check. And if you mess up his cards, then I'll make sure that you have a permanent reminder to never do that again." said Tigre as she showed her claws.

"Alright, I get it." said Spike as he put his paws up in defense. He then saw a photo on Isaac's night stand as he jumped on his bed. "That his family?" asked Spike.

Tigre then jumped up as she sat next to Spike. "Yep, that's his mom and dad. They're currently on vacation as they're celebrating an anniversary. So they left Isaac by himself as they have full trust that he can manage."

"That explains why Twilight wanted to have a sleepover. She wanted to make sure that Isaac didn't get too lonely." mentioned Spike.

"Seems she too cares deeply for him. I can tell based on her scent; it matches similarly to Isaac." smiled Tigre.

"What scent? Twilight's just smells like books, not to mention the many treats she gives me when I'm hungry." Spike then licked her lips as he began to dream of dog treats.

"Do you ever think of anything other than food and sniffing other dog's butts?" meowed Tigre as she couldn't believe some of Spike's instincts. "Come on, mutt. Let's go check on the others." With that both pets left to join Isaac and the girls downstairs.

Isaac was currently engaged in a brutal battle as he was doing his best to defeat Dash. Right now they both were equal in terms of stocks, not to mention that their fighters were at high percentages. So it would only take one good hit to declare the victor; both Isaac and Dash's brains were cranking as they kept anticipating each other's moves. Back and forth this mental game of chess kept going until eventually, Dash had her character drop shield as it gave Isaac the spilt second he needed as he initiated a short hop into an attack that declared him the winner.

"Hell yeah!" screamed Isaac as he pumped his fists.

"Shit!" screamed Dash that she threw the controller on the ground due to her rage. "Come on! Really!?"

"Hey, when you get your ass handed to you by Sunset over and over again. You pick up on a few things, like how to not get your ass kicked." said Isaac as Sunset just had a sly smile on her face. "Alright, switch out. Who wants in?"

"Ohh, me. Me!" screamed Pinkie as Isaac passed the controller to her.

Isaac then got up as he stretched himself. Tigre and Spike just had arrived down the stairs. Isaac then walked over to them as he gave her a good scratch behind the ears. Then Isaac's phone began to ring as he walked into the kitchen to answer it. It turned out to be none other than his parents as they were calling to check in on him. Isaac just told them that he was hanging out with the girls as they wanted to keep him company. They were happy that their son had his friends to keep him occupied, they just warned him not to do anything that may result in some discipline. With that they wished him to be safe and ended the call. Just then doorbell rang, as the pizza delivery man had arrived. Isaac answered the front door as he paid for the food and gave a nice tip, working for Mr. Johnson paid well as Isaac had made tons of cash.

With that Isaac put the pizzas and drinks on the kitchen counter as got some plastic plates. "Alright, girls. Pizza's here!" shouted Isaac as they all came into the kitchen. While the girls began to grab, Isaac then stepped into the living room as he began to browse the library of DVDs that he had.

"Are you gonna want some pizza?" asked Pinkie as she had some pizza in her mouth.

"In a moment, Pinkie." said Isaac as he was scanning the many movies to chose from. Just then all the girls came into the living room.

"What are you doing, Isaac?" asked Fluttershy.

"Just picking a movie for us to watch. Here's a classic." Isaac pulled out the DVD case as he blew on it to get rid of some dust.

He then opened the case and popped in the film as the girls all got comfy while Isaac went to get some food. For the next hour or two, everybody including the pets, all watched the film. After the film ended, Isaac then got to cleaning up as they had finished all the pizzas. Once that was taken care of, the girls all wanted to have a mini tournament with their deck as they wanted to take a crack at Isaac. Sometime later, the girls were all conversing with each other. They were mingling while some pulled up their phones to see what the latest news was. Suddenly the lights went off as the room.

"Ahh!" all of them screamed as it was pitch black with the only light coming from the street lights outside and from seeing each other's eyes.

"What happened?" said Fluttershy as she was scared.

"Seems the power went out." said Twilight.

"But how?" asked Rarity.

"Sorry!" shouted Isaac. "I trip the breaker, give me a second!" Isaac was currently down in the basement as he was looking for something.

"It's alright, everybody. Isaac will have this fixed in no time." Sunset did her best to assure everybody. Soon Dash pulled out some glow in the dark nightsticks as it served to produce some form of light.

Thankfully, Isaac had his phone out as he used the flashlight on it to guide his way through the darkness. "Where is that... ow." Isaac had managed to trip over a toolbox as he fell. He soon got back up as he realized the switch in front of him "Alright, now how did it go again? Was it the red wire or the black wire?" Isaac was currently figuring out how to turn the power back on. "Oh, I remember now. It was positive to positive, negative to ground." With that Isaac connected the wire and flipped the switch and viola the power was restored as the basement lights came back on. "Let there be light. Well better go check on the others." Isaac then started to climb up the stairs as he closed the basement doors and walked back to the living room. He saw that the girls were now positioned in some form of circle as they all faced each other.

"Uhm, what are you girls doing?" asked Isaac.

"Big bro, you're just in time. Take a seat, we're about to start a game." said Pinkie as she gestured Isaac to join them.

"What game are we playing?" said Isaac as he took a seat.

"Truth or Dare, silly." giggled Pinkie. "The one game that you must absolutely do at every sleepover."

"Okay, that's it. I'm out." said Isaac as he quickly got up and started walking up to his room.

The girls were confused on Isaac's sudden action; Twilight then excused herself as she chased after Isaac. She managed to make it upstairs as Isaac was about to enter his room. "Hold on, Isaac. Why won't you take part?"

"Oh no, Twilight. I've seen how this goes, I've watched movies and TV shows. This is exactly the type of thing that happens, and everybody reading this knows what I'm talking about. There's some drama or personal/private thing that gets exposed. Which in turn causes certain individuals to act differently. Not to mention that there's 7 of you and only one of me; so you'll gonna pick on." said Isaac as he explained his justification. "Plus I'll like to maintain our friendships, so I'm not gonna risk it."

With that Isaac entered his room as Twilight just stood there with a confused look on her face. She didn't know what to make of Isaac's response as it sound both logical and weird at the same time. A few moments passed and she just simply shrugged as she made her way back to the group.

Isaac was now laying down on his bed as he let out a sigh. He knew how intense and crazy Truth or Dare could get, so he wanted to avoid doing something like that. Soon Isaac's Dark Magician then appeared as he noticed his master looking a bit distressed.

"What's the matter, master?" asked Mahad.

"Hey, Mahad."

"Is everything okay? I thought you were spending the evening with the girls."

Isaac then sat up. "I was and I'm having a blast that they're here. Believe me, I thought I was going to regret this decision, but I'm not. The thing is that I refuse to participate in a game like Truth or Dare."

"What is this 'Truth or Dare'? Is this another Shadow Game?" Mahad was now worried about what his master was talking about.

"It's just a silly little game that people play for fun. Sometimes it forces people to reveal a secret like, a guilty pleasure, doing something out of their comfort zone, somebody having a crush on someone, etc... That last part is what I'm really not looking forward to, for obvious reasons but that's a conversation for another day." said Isaac. He then looked at his desk at his deck as he saw the object Mr. Johnson gave him. "I almost forgot, Mr. Johnson wanted me to look at this book to see if I can be inspired on how to draw more customers." Isaac then got up from his bed and sat at his desk as he began looking through the book; Mahad even stood by Isaac's side as he too was looking at the piece of parchment.

While browsing through the book, Isaac was able to see the big 4 duelist that each introduced the different summoning methods. The first picture was based on Xyz summon since it was the most recent one to be added; the book explained about a person who introduced it while showing the card that he used as his signature monster. Apparently it told about how he helped a lost soul with restoring their memory, but Isaac just thought they added that part in for hype. The next section talked about Synchro Summon and the person who ushered it in was known as Satellite's Shooting Star; it also explained how he became famous through turbo duels along with his trusting companion which happen to be a dragon. After that there was the section on Fusion Summon as it talked about the person who took it to new heights with an Elemental Hero deck; apparently, he was so skilled with fusion summoning that he created a new type of fusing without the use of Polymerization. The book didn't explain much other than it was called "Contact Fusion" or something like that. The final section was talking about the very first duelists to ever play the game, eventually Isaac came across a picture who was his idol which caused Mahad to do a double take as he saw the picture.

"My king?" said Mahad in a low tone.

Isaac could hear that as he looked at his magician. "Let me guess, your original owner." said Isaac to which Mahad nodded.

"Yes. It's been a while since I've seen his portrait. Takes me back to the times I shared with him from when I was mortal and watching over him as a spirit." mentioned Mahad.

"Do you miss him? If you had the chance to see him again, would you take it?" asked Isaac as he looked at the picture.

"And abandon you, master?"

"But he's your king or rather pharaoh. Surely, my life isn't as important as his." said Isaac as he slightly put his head down.

Mahad then put his hand on Isaac's shoulder as he gave him a smile. "I already served my purpose to him. He gave me the choice to choose a new owner and I've lived to my word. I choose you; to stand by your side in the face of danger and to always be faithful to you with my own life. I'm honored to have you as my new master, Isaac."

Isaac had a smile as he heard Mahad's response that it nearly brought a tear to his eye. "And I'm honored to have not only a faithful monster in you, but a dear friend. Thank you, Mahad."

"Your welcome, my king." said Mahad as he let that last word slip out as a force of habit.

"I don't know about king." chuckled Isaac as he and Mahad let out a laugh. Soon both had a genuine smile on their faces. Soon Isaac looked at his alarm clock on his nightstand, "Well it's getting late, time to let the girls know."

"Very well then. Have a safe slumber, master." With that Mahad disappeared as Isaac got up from his seat and began to leave his room as he headed down stairs. Isaac saw that they were still playing their silly little game.

"Alright, who's next?" said Pinkie.

"Dare!" shouted a voice.

"Ohh, nice one. So what's the dare?" asked Pinkie to whoever said it.

"I dare you to get some sleep!" said Isaac in a loud tone that got all the girls attention. "My parents may be gone, but it's still my house. Which means you follow my rules, and I say that we get some sleep."

The girls all nodded as they let out a couple of yawns. Soon Isaac began to hand them their bags as he let them change into their pajamas in the bathroom. While they were getting ready for bed, Isaac was currently working on sleeping arrangements. Once the girls had finished changing, Isaac had pulled out a couple of air mattress from the living room closet. He even pulled out some extra pillows and blankets for his friends, it seems having tons of family members visit and sleepover prepared Isaac for just such an occasion.

"Alright girls, so in terms of sleeping arrangements, I've got a couple of options. I've got four air mattress and one of you girls can sleep on the couch. I've also got my parents room in which two of you can share a bed. So decide amongst yourselves." said Isaac. It didn't take long as Rarity had chosen to share a bed with Fluttershy. Meanwhile, Pinkie would take the couch, while the rest of the girls would sleep on the air mattress. With that, everybody got ready for bed as Isaac grabbed Tigre and wished the girls good night as the two of them headed upstairs. Isaac entered his room and he too got changed as he was ready for a good night sleep.

The morning came as the sun's rays entered Isaac's room as it hit his face. Isaac let out a yawn as he awoke; he looked at his alarm clock and saw that it was about 30 minutes past eight. With that Isaac decided to take a quick shower, soon he got changed as he left his room with Tigre by his side. Isaac then opened the door to his parents' room as he checked on Rarity and Fluttershy to which they were still sound asleep. He then quietly closed the door as he made his way downstairs; it was the same scene as upstairs as all the girls were fast asleep with Spike sleeping in Twilight's arms. Isaac made his way to the kitchen as he began to work on making some breakfast for the girls. Nothing too fancy but eggs and ham, along with some toast. While Isaac was prepping the food, he was startled by a pink puffy hair.

"Mmm, smells good." said Pinkie.

"Ahh, Pinkie. I told you to never to do that!" said Isaac in a voice that wasn't loud enough to wake everybody up.

"Sorry, but once I smelt the sizzle of food, I just had to see who was doing it." Pinkie then licked her lips as she tried to dip her finger in the egg batter.

"Don't touch." said Isaac as he swatted away her hand with the spatula. "This is for everybody, Pinkie. Not just my little sister. Now if you want, you can help make breakfast for everybody." As if on cue, Pinkie immediately was dressed in a chef's apron and in a matter of minutes had managed to make pancakes which surprised even Isaac. Soon the delicious smell of food started to make its way to the girls' nose as they were starting to stir. Isaac and Pinkie had just put the food on the dining table as the girls woke up.

"You're all awake, good. Wash up, breakfast is ready." With a flash all the girls left as they headed to the bathroom to change. Isaac then made his way upstairs as he knocked on the door to which Fluttershy opened as she was rubbing her eyes. Isaac told them that breakfast was ready as he told them they could use the upstairs bathroom to get changed. With that he made his way downstairs as the girls were already starting to fill their plates full of food, Applejack even made the effort to bring some bottles of apple juice to serve as the morning beverage.

"Oh my word, darling. Everything looks divine." said Rarity as she took in the scent.

"You really outdid yourself, Pinkie." said Fluttershy.

"Thanks, but this was mostly, Isaac. I just helped." said Pinkie.

The girls were surprised that most of it was made by Isaac. "Yeah, it's not much. I don't know how to make some fancy meals just simple stuff, hope you all like it." said Isaac as he was preparing Tigre's breakfast. She gave a welcoming purr to her owner as Isaac bent down to pet her.

"Don't think I forgot about you Spike." Isaac then gave him a cup of peanut butter to go along with the food that Twilight gave him.

"Thanks dude." Spike then gave Isaac paw fist as he began to eat his meal alongside Tigre.

"Please this is more than enough." said Sunset as she was shoving bits of bacon into her mouth.

"I got to say you really now how to make some killer eggs." said Dash as she began to pile on her plate.

"Thanks for the compliment girls." Isaac then stood up from petting Tigre.

"Here you go, partner. You earned it." Applejack tossed Isaac a bottle of apple juice as he caught it in his hand.

Soon the girls all sat down at the table as they prepared to eat while Isaac headed upstairs to grab the encyclopedia that Mr. Johnson gave him. He then returned downstairs as the girls were all waiting for him. "You know you guys could have eaten, you didn't have to wait for me." said Isaac as he sat down at the head of the table.

"We know, but we thought it wouldn't be right if we didn't show you our thanks for doing all this for us." said Twilight who was sitting on Isaac's left. "Plus not to mention for being a good host to all of us, we all had a wonderful time. This is definitely been one of the best sleepovers." The girls all agreed with Twilight's statement.

"Well then, I'm glad this was fun for all of us." Isaac then grabbed his bottle of apple juice as he did a little toast. "To family and even better friends."

"Here, here." all the girls said as they raised their own glasses.

"Meow".

"Bark".

With that our group of friends enjoyed themselves as they ate a loving breakfast and talked among themselves. Overall, for Isaac's first sleepover, it went pretty well. He got to spend time with his friends and to him that was worth more than he could ever ask for.

Chapter 66: The Birthday Boy

There comes a time in everybody's life where they start to get a bit more mature; they start to feel a bit older. To Isaac it was a day that he didn't mind due to the fact that there were only certain stages in one's life that this day had some sort of significance. Well it seemed this year would be one of those times due to the fact that his 18th birthday would be fast approaching. Most people would be excited for this as it signaled the end of one's childhood and the start of becoming an adult. Overall, it still meant that he was still a teenager. Isaac's parents were nearing the end of their trip as they called their son and informed him that they would be arriving the night of his special day. Isaac didn't mind as he wasn't looking for something big like his parents did in the past; all he wanted to do was spend time with his family.

Isaac even told his magicians about the concept of a birthday and how it was used as a way to show one getting older. They found it interesting how the world had changed since they were last alive and the many customs that they came up with to mark the significance of one's life through his many stages. Ultimately, they wished their master a congratulations on being a year older. In the days prior leading to his birthday, Isaac found himself being full of work as he helped Mr. Johnson run the store. Mr. Johnson even was kind enough to give Isaac the day off seeing at how it was his special day; Isaac was thankful that his boss was willing to give him a day off where he could just enjoy himself.

Meanwhile there was a group of individuals who were holding a secret meaning. They were waiting for one person before they could official start. Soon they didn't have to wait long as there was a knock on the door. "What's the password?" asked the person behind the door.

"Pinkie, you know it's me." said Twilight.

"Heh, heh. Just messing with you Twilight. Come in." Pinkie then opened the door to her house as in walked Twilight and Spike. "Everybody else is upstairs." Pinkie then led the two of them to her room as all the other girls were waiting for them.

"Alright, we all seem to be here." stated Sunset. "So, what's the plan?"

"It's simply, after much deliberation, I've figured out that Isaac's birthday is fast approaching. And we need to get to work on creating a surprise party for him!" shouted Pinkie as it sounded like an emergency.

"Kind of hard to imagine that he hasn't told us." said Dash.

"Well, darling. He does like to keep stuff to himself." suggested Rarity.

"It doesn't matter!" shouted Pinkie as she tried to reel in the girls' attention. "The point is this is our one chance to show Isaac just how much he means to us; he's been an important factor in our lives since he first enrolled in Canterlot High. He all gave us new meaning, especially when it comes to dueling and Duel Monsters." At that moment, all the girls pulled out and looked at their deck. They all saw how different it was compared to before Isaac made changes. "He's given all of us a sense of belonging, not to mention that he made me feel like I had a big brother." Pinkie had a smile on her face, while the others all just had a slight blush as they carefully thought about their relationship with Isaac. "That's why it's our duty to make sure that he has a day that's not only special to him, but holds some significance in his life."

"You're right, Pinkie." said Sunset as she let out a sigh. "If anybody has to thank Isaac for all he's done it's me. He helped to redeem me and gave me a second chance. Not many people would even think about that; he put his reputation on the line as the champ and decided to help me when everybody else thought I should disappear." Sunset gripped her deck even tighter. "So I say let's make sure that Isaac knows just how he means to us!" The girls all gave a rowdy cheer as they felt Sunset's words.

"Alright, then. So I assume that you all have some sort of gift already planned to give to him?" asked Pinkie to which all the girls nodded.

"Not me." said Twilight as she couldn't believe that she was the only one who didn't have a gift to give to her best friend.

"Well, don't worry about it. We've still got a few days. Now then, I've heard that Mr. Johnson has decided to give Isaac the day off from work so that he can enjoy himself. With that in mind, it safe to assume that Isaac won't be at home for the whole day. Especially since his parents will be arriving at night, which means we've got plenty of time to set up a surprise party for him." Pinkie then began to pull out some blueprints as she began to tell the girls her plan. The girls were shocked to see that Pinkie was organized like Twilight when it came to planning/designing parties. Once Pinkie finished explaining her plan, the girls all understood their part and vowed to make sure that Isaac had a fond memory to look back on.

"Alright, any questions?" asked Pinkie with a smile.

"One, sugar. Just how do expect Isaac will be gone the whole day? Ah mean, what if he decides to come back early? We need to make sure that he won't arrive until we're ready for the party." suggested Aj.

"Indeed, it seems one of us will have to distract Isaac until the others are ready. Someone who can keep his attention long enough for us to finish." said Rarity.

"Someone who can keep up with Isaac and have a full blown conversation." said Fluttershy.

"Basically, someone who fully understands Isaac as much as himself." said Dash.

Soon all the girls turned their head towards Twilight who just looked at them with a confused look. "What are you all looking at me for?" asked Twilight.

"Duh, it's obvious. You're the only one who can keep his attention long enough for us to get ready. Not to mention, you're the one whose known Isaac the least amount of time. So you can use this opportunity to know a bit more about him while keeping him away from his house long enough for the party to get setup. " stated Rainbow.

"But how can I keep him distracted? He's not that naïve, he'll know for sure something is up if I keep him away from his own house. What am I supposed to say or do to keep him occupied?" asked Twilight frantically that she was starting to freak out. "Not to mention that I still have to find a gift for him."

"You'll think of something. Just ask him about Duel Monsters, that'll keep him busy for at least a couple of hours. Or challenge him to duel, you both love that anyways." replied Dash.

With that done, the girls then began to work on creating Isaac a surprise party. They wanted to show just how much of an influence he's had in their lives and they wanted to give him a day where he was shown just how much special he was, even if he never thought that of himself.

Soon the days rolled by and eventually it was here. Isaac woke up to the sounds of some birds chirping outside his windows. Tigre had managed to appear in front of Isaac's face as he opened his eyes. She let out a small meow as her way of saying hello. "Hey girl. Wishing me a happy birthday." said Isaac. Tigre just gave Isaac a lick on his nose as she let out another meow.

Isaac then got up as he got out of bed and then cracked his window a bit. He took in the warm rays of sunlight as he felt the the cool breeze hit his face. "Seems today is gonna be a great day." said Isaac. He then took a nice long shower as he prepared himself for his special day. Once Isaac got changed he noticed his duel disk was flashing; he then picked it up as it appeared someone had sent a video recording of some sorts. Isaac then sat on his bed as he pushed the button to play the message. The video popped up and it was the picture of Mr. William.

"Greetings, Isaac boy. My, my, what glorious day. And I here it's someone's birthday. Thanks, right. I'm here to wish you a happy birthday. As well as to congratulate you for all you've done for me in the past. I took the liberty of sending some exclusive cards to your house, in fact they should be outside your house as we speak. Think of it as a little gift from me." With that the video ended.

Isaac put down his duel disk down and went outside to see if there was anything outside. True to Mr. William's word, there was a small package that was outside on Isaac's doorstep. So he grabbed it and brought it inside his home as he sat on down on the couch. Isaac opened up and saw that it contained a few cards but the thing was that it contained some legendary cards that some of Isaac's idol used. Including one card that really caught his attention. It also had a little note attached to it from Mr. William. Isaac read it and got a full understanding that he would take very good care of the card. With that Isaac gave Tigre her breakfast and then prepared himself as he decided to take a walk into town for his special day.

Unbeknownst to Isaac, Pinkie was actually hiding in the bushes outside of his front door and when Isaac had gotten his package, she managed to sneak inside his house. Then she found another hiding spot as she watched Isaac leave his house. With that she pulled out her phone and texted the girls that he was gone. It was then they all decided to head over to his house to set up for tonight, meanwhile Twilight responded that she would do her best to keep Isaac distracted and buy them the time they needed to get ready.

"Well, the plan is in motion. Time for me to do my part." said Twilight as she looked at her phone at the message she sent. "I just hope I can keep Isaac busy, not to mention that I still have to find him a gift. Oh, this is going to be tough." With that Twilight then got ready as she started to head out and try to find Isaac.

Isaac was currently in town as he was looking at the many shops and stores. He stopped by the Sweet Shoppe as he wanted to treat himself to something sweet. Mrs. Cake saw Isaac and wished him a happy birthday as she gave one of her favorite customers a discount and even threw in a special cupcake for him. With that Isaac paid for his pastries and began to sit. Once he was done, he thanked Mr. and Mrs. Cake for their hospitality and was on his way. He knew he wasn't working but Isaac decided to stop by Mr. Johnson's to see how he was doing. Once he got there, he saw that there was a fair bit amount of kids waiting for Isaac to give him their daily lesson.

"Please kids, understand that Isaac isn't here today. It's his birthday and I've decided to give him the day off." said Mr. Johnson.

All the kids had their heads down until Isaac made his presence known. "You kids looking for me." said Isaac as all the kids turned their heads and saw Isaac standing there. They were so excited that they started to swarm and surround Isaac's lower body. "Okay, everybody calm down. How you doing, Mr. Johnson?" said Isaac as he turned his direction back to his boss.

"I'm doing fine, Isaac. But what are you doing here? I gave you the day off, so that you can enjoy yourself." asked Mr. Johnson.

"I'd figured I stop by, see how things were going." stated Isaac as one of the kids tugged on his shirt.

"Uhm, excuse me, Mr. Isaac? Is it true that it's your birthday, today?" asked a little girl.

"Yeah, kid. It's my birthday, so Mr. Johnson here decided that I should take the day off and enjoy myself."

"Does that mean, you won't teach us today?" said another kids as he looked up at Isaac.

"Sorry." said Isaac in a somber tone as the kids all put their heads down in sadness. Isaac just let out a sigh, "But, I think I can make an exception." At that moment, the kids all perked up. "So who wants to learn today's lesson?" The kids all cheered as they were ecstatic that Isaac had decided to take time out of his special day to teach the kids. With that Isaac began to teach them and he evened showed the special card he received from Mr. William as the kids were in awe. "Remember, this is a secret. So hush, hush. Nobody needs to know, ok kids?" The kids all promised that they would kept Isaac's card under wraps. With that Isaac began going over his lesson as the faces on the kids were full of color.

Twilight was currently running down the sidewalk as she was looking for Isaac. She had made the effort to drop off Spike with the others as she didn't want to worry about losing him while trying to distract Isaac. Not to mention that he and Tigre were animal pals and they seemed to enjoying playing with each other. "If I can't find Isaac, then it'll be for nothing." Twilight then stopped by the Sweet Shoppe as it was quite the popular place, so she figured Isaac might be there. She entered the place and looked around hoping to spot Isaac but he was nowhere in sight. So she asked Mrs. Cake if Isaac had been here; she said that Isaac was in here earlier as but then left. She didn't say where, but Twilight thanked them.

"If he's not here, where is he? He couldn't be back home, so where? Think Twilight think." Twilight was rubbing her temples as she tried to figure out where Isaac could be. "I know he can't be at Mr. Johnson's cause he gave him the day off. But would he? I mean he loves Duel Monsters, not to mention the kids..." The lightbulb in Twilight's head then went off, "It's worth a shot but maybe, just maybe." With that Twilight left to her next destination. It didn't take long as she saw the place in her sights. She entered the placed and to her hutch there was Isaac as he was giving the kids their daily lesson on dueling.

"Now then, that's all the time we have. Any questions?" asked Isaac to which the kids didn't have any. "Alright, well then I think that wraps up today's lesson." With that the parents of the kids came to get their child as they thanked Isaac for taking time on his day off to give them a lesson. Isaac waved goodbye as he saw Twilight standing there with a sly smile on her face. "Hey Twi."

"Even on your day off, you still can't help but teach these young ones." said Twilight as she let out a small giggle.

"I guess I just have a soft spot for helping out others, especially when it comes to kids. Not to mention Duel Monsters." laughed back Isaac. "So what brings you here?" he asked.

"Ooh, I just in the neighborhood when I noticed the kids cheering." said Twilight as she did her best to create a tiny white lie.

"Well then, hope I wasn't too loud." said Isaac. With that he walked back to Mr. Johnson and told him to have a great day. Mr. Johnson thanked Isaac for dedicating some of his time and wished him a happy birthday. With that both of them walked out and said goodbye. "Well that was eventful, well see ya Twilight." said Isaac as he was about to leave.

"Wait!" shouted Twilight as Isaac turned his attention back to her. "I... uhm..."

"Got something to say, Twilight?" asked Isaac.

"It's just that..." What do I say? I need to buy the girls time! Twilight was really trying to come up with a reason to keep Isaac from heading home.

"Twilight, whatever you got to say just say it?"

"I was wondering if... youcouldhelpme!" said Twilight in a fast tone as she turned her head to the side.

"What!?" Isaac was confused by what Twilight said.

"What I mean is, I need your help. See I'm looking for a gift.... for... my brother's wedding?" smiled Twilight with a huge fake smile.

"Your brother's wedding?" Now Isaac really was confused.

"Yes!" Twilight then cleared her throat. "You see my brother and Cadance are having a wedding that's coming up really soon. And well I thought it be nice if I got them something to celebrate their marriage." Twilight wasn't fully lying, she did need to buy a gift but not for her brother per say. She still needed to get something for Isaac that this was the best lie she could come up with. At least with this, she could get a sense of what his personal likes/dislikes were so that she could narrow down her options.

"Just why do you need me? I'm pretty sure you know your brother enough to know what he would like, so there's no reason for me to help?" said Isaac.

"Please, I just need someone to give me a second opinion." said Twilight as she gave Isaac the puppy dog eyes.

Isaac just rolled his eyes as how Twilight was desperately trying to get him to come with her. Eventually he just let out a sigh as he nodded his head. Twilight was pleased by Isaac that she gave him a quick hug. She then grabbed Isaac's hand as she started to drag him to the many different stores. Seems her plan to distract Isaac was working. The first thing they stopped by was a clothing store as it seemed like something that anybody would appreciate for any given occasion. Twilight kept looking through different outfits as she looked for something that Isaac might like. Safe to say she convinced Isaac to try them out for her, but she felt like she wanted to get something that you couldn't just give to anybody. So with that they left as they headed for another place.

The next place they stopped by was an appliances store where they asked the manager for some options on what you could get for someone having a marriage. Twilight knew that Isaac didn't want anything from this place, but she needed to make it look like she really was looking for a gift for her brother. After a while, they moved on from the store as there was nothing that caught their interest. Not to mention that most of the stuff was rather pricey. During the time, Isaac had a smile on his face. Despite helping Twilight find a gift for her brother, which he still felt like she didn't need him, he was actually enjoying himself in a way. Compared to when he was shopping for stuff that didn't interest him, he generally had a face of boredom. However, that wasn't the case with Twilight; he seemed to be having fun with Twilight. Soon they arrived at the mega mall as Twilight felt this was her best option on finding the perfect gift for Isaac.

The first place they went to inside the mall was a shoe store. While she was browsing, she noticed Isaac looking at some shoes himself. Isaac tried on some running shoes as he'd been meaning to buying an extra pair. Twilight took notice of this and pulled down a notepad from her bag and wrote it down for future reference. Twilight even got distracted herself as she tried on some shoes and showed them to Isaac to hear what he thought about it. Isaac just either smiled or if he really loved it, he would give Twilight a thumbs up. After that they continued on searching. The one thing that really distracted them was they passed a bookstore and once Twilight saw this, she immediately started to geek out as she was drawn into the place. Isaac just rolled his eyes at how Twilight was acting like a little girl that he had no choice but to follow her to check on her. Soon as he stepped past the entrance, he saw Twilight running up and down, left and right, going over several different book covers and putting them in her arms as she created a stack.

"Is that the new editions of Mooncurve's Seven Theories on Bending Time? The new Daring Do book? No way!" Twilight let out a gasp as she picked up another book. "Predictions and Prophecies, I've been waiting to read this since it released." giggled Twilight.

"Well, Twilight's gone." said Isaac to himself. "Nothing to do but wait till she wakes up from her own personal heaven." With that Isaac took a seat on one of the chairs in the bottom level as he grabbed a book from the table. He'd figured that he might as well do something to pass the time till Twilight was ready to leave. "Perfect Chemistry." said Isaac as he read the book's name aloud. "Oh well maybe the title is misleading." With that Isaac sat back in his chair as he began to read the book.

Safe to say that Isaac found the story to be rather interesting. Mainly because Isaac could relate to the male of the story due to them being from the same heritage. Not to mention that the title of the book was clever in how the overall plot was told. Soon Isaac found himself immersed within the book as before he knew it, he finished the book and looked at the clock on the wall and saw that only 30 minutes had passed. With that Isaac picked up another book and began reading. Some time had passed as Isaac looked at the clock and saw that it was about to be 12:30, he then went to check up on Twilight to see how she was doing. Isaac walked up the flight of stairs and saw Twilight kneeling at a table; she had currently gone through 10 books within one hour based on the stack to her left. Isaac just had a smile on his face at how cute Twilight's obsession with learning was.

"So how's the reading coming along?"

Twilight looked up and saw Isaac standing there. "Oh, Isaac. How long have you been standing there?"

"About 2 minutes, in terms of how long it's been since you got distracted..." Isaac quickly looked at the clock. "I'd say a little over an hour."

Twilight immediately started to get red from embarrassment. She hated that she got distracted, even more so that she was suppose to keep Isaac busy. And here she was being the one distracted, not to mention that she still didn't find a gift for him. "Oops, sorry. I guess I got carried away." Twilight then stood up and dusted herself off. She then put the books away. "Now then lets continue our quest."

"Sure, but can we stop to get something to eat, it's almost 1 o'clock. And I haven't had anything since the morning." suggested Isaac.

Twilight nodded as she too was feeling a bit famished. With that they both left the store as they made their way to the food court. They soon found a table as they both got their own individual meals. Twilight had decided to go with a salad while Isaac got something a bit more filling in the shape of a burger. During the time they ate, Twilight asked a couple more questions as she tried to get data on what Isaac's preferences were so that she could figure out what to get him. Once they finished, they then got back on the search for finding a gift for her "brother's wedding". From there they began to search even more different stores in hopes of Twilight finding something that Isaac would like; thankfully, Isaac was able to help her divide her efforts by constantly looking at the clocks on the walls of each store and telling her that they should spend a certain amount of time in each place. Soon they came across a place that caught both of their attention, mainly Isaac.

They passed a store that was selling card packs. So both decided to enter as they wanted to see what it had to offer. Twilight thought that this should be an easy decision to get Isaac; seeing as how he loved Duel Monsters and dueling, she should probably just get him some cards. The problem was that was too basic, she wanted to get him something that came from her heart. Something that showed she really did care about him deeply and not just some run of the mill gift that anybody could give him. Also the main reason is because Isaac already had a ton of cards, so it didn't make sense to give the guy who had tons of cards even more. With that they began to browse the card section; the one thing that caught Twilight off guard was that Isaac had purchased a pack of cards for Twilight to use. He figured that since Celestia wanted them to make sure that their decks were up to par, he figured he do her a solid and give her some more options. Twilight was hesitant about this because here she was looking for a gift for him, but instead Isaac had gotten her something.

With that they stopped by a bench while Twilight was freaking out on finding a gift for Isaac. Isaac had made the offer of getting them some ice cream, so he gave Twilight hers and they began to eat it.

"So, figured out what you want to get your brother for his wedding?" asked Isaac as he took a spoonful of the sweet treat.

"No." said Twilight as she had her head down. "I thought this would have been easy; you think you know what to get someone when you spend so much time with them." Twilight let out a sigh as she took a bite of her ice cream.

"Yeah stuff like that happens; I can't tell you, how many times I've struggled to get gifts for my family members. But one thing I did learn is that if you really care about someone then they'll like whatever gift you get them. No matter how small or big it may be, as long as it has special meaning and you put your heart and soul into, then I know they'll be appreciative of it. And if they don't like it, well screw em." said Isaac as he finished his ice cream.

Twilight was taking in the words that Isaac said and she really started to think about it. All the time she spent distracting Isaac, she got to see him have fun. After a while, Twilight came to the realization that she didn't need to get Isaac some fancy stuff or something over the top. As long as he knew that she picked a gift that she felt meant a lot to both of them, then it didn't matter what she got. "You know, you're right." Twilight then stood up. "Thanks, Isaac. I guess I got so wrapped up in finding the perfect gift that I should have realized it shouldn't matter what I get, so long as the they appreciate the effort I put into getting it." said Twilight.

"That's the spirit. So you want to continue looking or do want to call it for a day?" asked Isaac.

"Actually, do you mind waiting here? There's one more I want to check out, I promise it won't take long."

"Sure." nodded Isaac.

With that Twilight set off in the direction of a store. During her time at taking in Isaac's words, she remember a small detail that was consistent during all their trips to different stores. So with that she went to another section of the mall as began browsing the different selections. Once she made her choice, she then paid for her item and asked the store clerk to wrap it up. Twilight then made her purchase as she put the gift in her bag, after much deliberation, she had finally gotten a present for Isaac that she felt he would like. She then made her way back to Isaac who was leaning against a wall as he looked through his deck. Isaac then looked up and saw Twilight making her way back to him.

"So you got your gift?" asked Isaac with a smile.

"Yeah. It took a while, but I'm finally happy with what I got." smiled back Twilight. "Now then we should hurry."

"Yeah, no doubt Pinkie is wondering where we are. She'd be upset if we miss the surprise party." said Isaac with some slyness.

"Yeah, Pinkie would..." Twilight then had her mouth opened as she registered what Isaac just said. "How... how did you know?"

"I'm not that stupid Twilight. Seeing as how it was my birthday, I knew Pinkie would try to throw me a surprise party. I can only assume that she told you girls and conducted this grand master plan on how to keep me away from the house so you guys can setup." Twilight now had her jaw dropped at how Isaac was able to piece all the pieces together. "And I assume that they needed someone to keep me distracted long enough so that they had time to get ready, so they chose you as tribute. Am I right?"

Twilight didn't know what to say. "Yes... they needed someone to keep you away from your house. So they chose me, please don't be mad." Twilight put her head down as she begged Isaac for his forgiveness.

"It's all right, Twilight. I'm not mad," Isaac gave her one his signature smile which lifted Twilight's spirit. "Now then let's go, I want to see what you all have planned. Not to mention that my parents will be arriving soon." With that they both left as they made their way back to Isaac's house. It took a while, but before long they were now at the doorsteps of his place. During their walk back, Twilight had texted the girls and told them that they were heading back to which they responded they were ready. Isaac then pulled out his house keys as he opened the door and let Twilight enter first. Once he entered his house, the lights came on.

"Surprise!!" said the girls as they shouted from their hiding spots.

Isaac took quick look around the house. There was a banner that said 'Happy Birthday'; there was a couple of balloons and streamers that hung from the ceiling. Not to mention that there was tons of sweets and foods that were placed on the kitchen table. The thing that really got Isaac's attention was the fact that Pinkie had made huge poster of photo she took. It had Isaac with his duel disk as he was standing side by side with his two magicians: Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. That sight alone brought a smile to Isaac as he looked at the girls.

"Well, were you surprised." asked Pinkie.

Isaac just shrugged his shoulders at Pinkie's question. "I mean I saw this coming."

"You told him!?" said Pinkie as she got up in Twilight's face.

"I didn't!" said Twilight as she put her hands up.

"You broke a Pinkie promise! Nobody breaks a Pinkie promise!" Pinkie was now having steam shooting out of her ears as she glared at Twilight.

"Calm down, little sis." said Isaac as he helped to protect Twilight. "Twilight didn't tell me, I figured it out on my own. She did do a good job of keeping me away from the house, so you can congratulate her on that front." Isaac had a smile on his face as he looked at Twilight. Twilight was just happy that Isaac was able to help her. "Now then, let's see what you girls did."

With that the party was in full swing; the girls had manage to get a couple of people to phone in a video wishing Isaac a happy birthday. They grabbed Isaac's duel disk and put it on the table for all to see, Rarity pushed the play button and the video of started to play. Some of the people were people who Isaac had a personal impact in their lives; Celestia and Luna both chimed in a couple of words as they acknowledge just how much the entire landscape of dueling had changed since he became champion. They thanked him for all he has done and wished him the best. The next person in the video was Trixie, who surprisingly acknowledge Isaac for teaching her to respect her cards which made her a better duelist. She even included the duel they had when they first battled. Even Rara took some time out of her busy schedule to wish Isaac a happy birthday and told him that she would send him an autographed copy of her new album. Soon more and more people popped up on the screen as they all wished Isaac the best of birthdays. The one person that Isaac was not expecting was Shining Armor who also decided to make an appearance as he had a few words to give his rival. He praised Isaac for giving him a memorable duel as well as giving him his full respect.

Once the video ended, Isaac had a smile on his face as he couldn't believe so many people decided to wish him a happy birthday. With that it was time for some party games, as Pinkie went all out for her big brother. Everybody was having a wonderful time as they all enjoyed themselves; part way they all decided to have a duel with Isaac. Of course that immediately got his attention as it allowed Isaac to show off the many new cards that Mr. William had sent him in the morning. The girls were amazed by the new additions to Isaac's deck, however, Isaac still kept the one card a secret as he waited for the right time to show them. Soon it was time for some cake; just at that moment, Isaac's parents walked in. Isaac and the girls welcomed them back from their trip; Isaac's parents thanked the girls for taking care of their son and making sure that he wasn't alone during their vacation. They gave Isaac his gift, which consisted of some money and a souvenir from their trip to Mexicolt. Pinkie then pulled out a birthday cake which she made sure was her brother's favorite. It was a chocolate cake that was covered in vanilla frosting and it had the words: Happy Birthday. Pinkie had also manage to make a Duel Monster card out of icing as well as an image of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

They all sang him 'Happy Birthday' as Isaac blew out his candles while making a wish. Then all then started to eat the delicious cake that Pinkie made for her big bro. Eventually, Isaac's parents were tired from their trip that they decided to go to bed pretty early; they even allowed the girls to sleepover as they didn't want them to head home so late. With that Isaac made sure to pull out the extra mattress for the girls to sleep on. Once they left upstairs, it was time for the girls to give Isaac their individual presents.

"Come on big bro, time to see what we got you." said Pinkie.

"Give me a second little sis." said Isaac as he just finished washing the dishes. He then made his way to the living room as the girls were all sitting on the floor waiting for him. Isaac then took a seat on the couch as the girls all pulled out their gift. "So, I'm here. Who wants to go first?" asked Isaac.

"Ohh me! Me!" shouted Pinkie.

"Alright, calm down." Isaac then grabbed Pinkie's present as he felt the weight of it in his hands. He then opened it up as he took off the lid. Isaac pulled out what appeared to be some cookies as well as a couple of recipes that Isaac could try out. "Thanks, little sis. I really like it." said Isaac as he took a bite out of one of the cookies.

"Just wanted to make sure that you feel special, big bro." Pinkie then gave Isaac a great big hug making sure not to hug him too tightly.

"Alright, who's next?"

"That would be me, darling." Rarity then took a seat next to Isaac as she handed him his present.

Rarity's present was small enough that it fit in the palm of his hand. Isaac then took the ribbon off and opened the lid to see that Rarity had given him a necklace. Not just any necklace but it hand a silver chain and the most eye catching thing was that Rarity had made Isaac's Dark Magician be a part of the necklace.

"I wanted to give you something that shows your special connection with your monsters. I still remember the hair pin you gave me from our outing. So I made you a necklace and incorporated your signature monster as a part of it. Well, what do you think?" asked Rarity.

Isaac took the necklace and put it on as it felt comfy. He then showed it to Rarity to which she immediately took a liking to it as it added to his handsomeness. "I love it. Thanks, Rarity." stated Isaac to which Rarity gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Alright, next person?"

"I guess, it's my turn." said Fluttershy in a soft tone as she sat on Isaac's left side and handed her gift.

Isaac then took Fluttershy's gift as he unwrapped it and inside was stuff for Tigre. Inside was a collar that Fluttershy had handmade herself. There was also some toys and treats that Fluttershy made. "I wanted to give you some things so that you can play with Tigre. I remember how much you made her happy by adopting her that fateful day; you gave her a home and showed me that you really care about animals." Fluttershy also gave Isaac a peck on his cheek.

"Thanks, Fluttershy." Isaac then got up from the couch as he called for his cat. Tigre then heard her owner's call as Isaac bent down and put the collar on her. "What do you think girl?" Tigre liked it as she let out an excited purr as Isaac scratched her behind the ear and gave her kiss. "She seems to like it." Isaac then sat back on the couch between Rarity and Fluttershy.

"Who's next?" asked Isaac.

"The best obviously!" shouted Dash as she appeared behind Isaac and gave him a quick noogie on the head. She then gave Isaac his gift.

Isaac opened Dash's gift and it turned out to be cap. Dash had a thing for picking things that were cool and she felt that Isaac wearing a cap really showed off just how awesome he was. Isaac put it on and to be honest it felt like a natural fit for him. Combining the cap with the necklace that Rarity gave him, Isaac felt like his signature look was now complete. "Now I feel like my look is complete", said Isaac. "Yo thanks for the gift Dash, I feel totally 20% cooler with this cap." Isaac gave her a thumbs up to which she blushed a bit before also giving him a quick peck.

"Easy there, partner." said Applejack. "Don't forget, there's still more presents." Applejack then gave Isaac his gift.

Isaac then took Aj's gift and looked to see what she got him. Applejack had decided to give Isaac several things; one thing she got him was a bottle of some apple cider. Isaac promised that he would enjoy it as he saved it for a special occasion. In addition, she also made some apple-based treats; the big thing was that Applejack had made a little wooden figurine of Isaac as he had his magicians by his side. Applejack made sure to match every single detail as it looked so lifelike, she even went so far as to add some color to it.

"You made this?" asked Isaac.

"Made it with mah own two hands." said Applejack as she tipped her hat. "Figured you want somethin' to showcase you and yer monsters. Y'all make an unstoppable team, wanted to show how strong yer bond is with them."

"Thanks, Aj. I'm sure they appreciate it." True to Isaac's words, both Mahad and Mana appeared in front of their master as they took in the wooden statue and they too smiled at. Applejack showed her appreciation by pulling Isaac into a hug and giving him a peck.

"Hope you're not done yet, boy toy." said Sunset. "You still got me."

Isaac took Sunset's gift and his eyes grew a bit. Sunset's gift was a poster, but not just any poster. It was a poster of Isaac's idol as it had his signature and everything. Isaac knew how rare this was, not to mention expensive. "How... how did you get this? This is a one of kind, limited edition poster. These things are hard to find, let alone pretty pricey."

"Let's say that I did some digging on the internet and found a copy online. All I had to do to win it, was beat the guy who owned it in a duel." smiled Sunset. "I know how much it means to you."

"I can't even describe how I'm feeling, thanks Sunset." This time it was Isaac who took first action as he gave Sunset a hug; Sunset then took that opportunity to give him a kiss. It took everything in her willpower to resist jumping at Isaac. "We're all grateful for what you've done. You've been such an influence in all our lives; especially our decks." The girls all pulled out their decks.

Isaac broke away from the girls as he too pulled out his deck. "I didn't do much, all I did was make some adjustments that I saw fit." Isaac then looked away from his deck to the girls, "It's you'll that made it to what it is now. But the one thing I can say is that I'm glad I decided to enroll at CHS; I got to meet some wonderful people and even better friends. I'm serious when I say that you'll will have a special place in my heart." Isaac gave them a smile and a thumbs up as the girls all pulled him in a giant group hug. Soon they broke away as music started to play and the girls began to sing. Isaac just rolled his eyes and let the girls have their moment.

The music died down as the girls ended their singing. Isaac just stood there with an amused look on his face. "Breaking into musical number out of nowhere? Sure why not." said Isaac as he just shrugged his shoulder. With that Isaac let out a yawn as he felt his body starting to get a bit tired. "Well, I'm going to hit the hay."

"Good idea, Isaac." said Sunset as she and the other girls were starting to get a bit tired themselves. "I think we're all pretty sleepy from setting up this party."

With that the girls all got ready for bed as Isaac set up their mattress. With that Isaac wished them a good night sleep as he headed upstairs. Sometime had passed and Isaac was still awake, he looked at his clock and saw that it had only been an hour since he last said goodnight to his friends. He tried everything he could think of to fall asleep but none of it was working. So Isaac decided to get out of bed and headed downstairs as he quietly slipped past the girls and headed out the backdoor. Isaac was now in his backyard as he felt the cool summer night; it was just the right temperature to where it wasn't too hot but also not to cold. Isaac then started to walk until he got to the tree in his backyard; he looked at it for a second before he started to climb it and sat on a tree branch as he leaned against the bark. Isaac put his hands behind his head as he looked up at the night sky; he was able to see that it was a clear night as there wasn't a single cloud in the sky to block the millions of stars that were out and about shining brightly.

"It really has been a memorable day." said Isaac as he took in the sight just letting his mind drift away.

"Isaac?" said a voice below him.

Isaac looked down to see who was calling him and it was none other than Twilight. "Oh, Twilight? What are you doing out here?" asked Isaac.

"Well, I heard the door close. So I decided to check it out."

"Oh, well sorry for waking you Twilight." apologized Isaac.

"It's fine. What about you, couldn't sleep?" asked Twilight.

"Something like that." Isaac then looked back at the night sky before turning back to Twilight. "Why don't you join me, Twilight? Plenty of room up here."

Twilight was hesitant on Isaac's offer but eventually decided on it. She had a bit trouble on finding her footing, but Isaac helped her. When she was high enough, Isaac offered his hand as he pulled her up and she was now sitting on the same branch next to Isaac.

"Kind of high?" said Twilight as she was worried that she would fall.

"Try not to look down, look at me. It'll take your mind off of things." suggested Isaac.

Twilight did just that and it seemed to help as they both looked up at the night sky. Twilight then began to point out constellations for Isaac as she had a thing when it came to astronomy. Isaac was fascinated as Twilight began to regale him with some incredible tales. Safe to say that both of them were enjoying each other's company as they talked well into the night. Soon there was nothing but silence from the both of them as they just looked at the stars. Twilight then took a deep breath as she broke the silence.

"Isaac?"

"Yeah, Twi."

"Here. I got something for you." Twilight then pulled out a very small box from her pocket. "I didn't want to say, but when we were shopping earlier, I was actually looking for a gift for you. It's not much, but I hope you at least know that I put a lot of meaning behind this." Twilight then presented the gift to Isaac.

Isaac then took the gift as he looked at it. He then opened the lid and inside was something that really tugged at his heartstrings. It wasn't nothing fancy, it was just a simple item, but yet it still caused his heart to beat. Isaac took the object out of the box to get a better look at it.

"It may not be as fancy or expensive as the other gifts from the girls. But I wanted to show my appreciation for you, so I got you a watch. It may be small, but to me it holds so much more meaning. It represents time. The time we've spent together, every single minute, every moment since you first became my friend. Since the moment you saved me from darkness and helped to guide me back on the right track; from when you took me under your wing as your own personal project. In a way, we're like your magicians in that you're the teacher and I'm the student." Twilight now had a smile on her face with some slight red on her face as she looked at Isaac. "I just wanted to get you a gift to show just how much you mean to me."

Isaac didn't notice but a little tear had rolled down the side of his face as he looked at Twilight's gift. He then tried it on as it fit perfectly on his left wrist. He then showed it off to Twilight who just smiled at how Isaac liked his gift. "I love it! The girls all gave me something that really has significant meaning, but this, for some reason means so much more. Especially since it came from you. I love it, thank you Twilight." Now it was Isaac's turn to blush as he felt his face getting a bit red.

They both turned away for a bit as they sat in silence. Then Twilight leapt at Isaac as she grabbed him and gave him a deep hug; Isaac almost lost his balance when Twilight leapt at him. He was able to catch them before they fell. They stayed like that as both could hear the heartbeat of each other as it thumped loudly. Isaac just couldn't stop smiling as he had Twilight in his arms, eventually he started to stroke her hair to which Twilight leaned more into Isaac's arms as she closed her eyes. Isaac too closed his eyes as he was enjoying this moment.

This feeling, it's just like the first time when I bumped into Twilight. My heart is racing, what's happening? Isaac didn't know why his body was acting like this until a certain thought crossed his mind. Is this love? Do I love Twilight?

Chapter 67: The Wedding

It had been a couple of days after Isaac's birthday and well let's say things had been interesting. He admired all the gifts that his friends got him as they all had some special meaning; however, the one thing that was on his mind was the gift that Twilight had got him. Isaac looked at it as the feelings of that night returned in a heartbeat. Compared to when the others gave him his gift it filled his heart with warmth, but with Twilight he got all that and more. Like he was experiencing some sort of happiness, Isaac only ever got that level of happiness when he dueled.

"What's happening to me?" said Isaac as he was lying down on his bed. "I've never felt this way before; compared to when I was alone with the others I felt the same thing. But with Twilight I felt all that and then some. Every single one of those girls will always have a special place in my heart, but what her?" Isaac then started to feel put his hand over his heart as it started to beat a bit louder/faster. "What's going on!? I can't eat, can't sleep!" shouted Isaac as he grabbed his head. Just then Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appeared as they heard their master was struggling.

"Is everything ok, master?" asked Mahad.

"You look a bit distressed, Isaac." Mana had a worried look on her face.

"Sorry guys, it's just that I don't know what's happening." Isaac then looked at his magicians. "You remember when the girls celebrated my birthday, right?" Both Mahad and Mana nodded their heads as they remembered Isaac telling them about his time he spent with his friends. What he didn't tell them was about Twilight and how she had given him a gift that not only had a bit more meaning, but it caused him to develop feelings for the nerdy girl. Once Isaac finish regaling his tale, both of his magicians had different expressions.

"Perhaps it's just nerves, master." said Mahad.

"Really, Mahad? You know nothing of women and love." shouted Mana. "It's obvious on what this is; you're in love and with Twilight nonetheless, Isaac." smiled Dark Magician Girl.

"In love? With Twilight? How can that be?" asked Isaac.

"Well when a boy and a girl really like each other, they develop certain...."

"I know how it works, Mana." said Isaac as he wasn't that dense on romance. "I just don't understand why it's happening now? The girls all showed they harbor secret feelings for me and they told me; at the time when I was alone with each one of them, I too felt a special connection. But here Twilight has not once asked me out, and that night she just gave me a gift and suddenly I feel a strong connection towards her." Isaac then sat up. "All of this is making my brain and heart hurt."

"That's the sign right there, she's all you've been thinking about. I can't blame her, after the Friendship Games you and her spent so much time together especially when you gave her private lessons. Not to mention that you two can go on a tangent when it comes to talking about dueling and Duel Monsters." Mana now had a smile on her face as she was happy that her master was experiencing what it means to grow up. "So tell her?"

"What!?" shouted both Isaac and Mahad.

"Mana? You now that this none of our business, whatever our master's lovelife is for his own. We have no right to interfere nor should we be interested. Our sole duty is to protect him."

"And don't you think that Isaac should also have someone special in his life? He can't be by himself for the rest of his life; he should find someone who will stand by his side and provide him happiness. Something that we can't fully do for him. Don't you want our master to be happy?" asked Mana.

"Mana, you know that's my sole purpose in this afterlife. My only wish is to see the master happy." Mahad now had a genuine tone.

"Then you need to understand." Mana then turned back to Isaac. "Isaac, there's only one thing you need to do. You need to tell Twilight about your feelings. It's the only way you'll ever get closure on this issue."

"But what if she doesn't? In the past, it's the girls who have revealed their feelings for me, now it's the other way around. What if she doesn't feel the same way, what do I do then?" Isaac was genuinely in disarray at what he should do about these feelings.

"Just tell her and see what happens? Besides call it a hutch, but she may feel the same way about you?" With that both Mahad and Mana disappear as they left Isaac to prod his thoughts.

The talk with his magicians really helped Isaac in some way, but he was still conflicted. So with a heavy heart he let out a sigh. "Just tell her, easier said than done. Still I want to make sure that what I'm feeling for her is real and not just some made up false lead. I didn't want to do this, but it seems I have no choice." Isaac then pulled out his phone and began to scroll through his contacts till he found the person he was looking for. He then touched the number as the phone started to dial. "I just hope she can help me."

Isaac was now outside of the Sweet Shoppe as he waited for his special guest. He was wearing the necklace/cap that Rarity and Dash had given him. It really did add more to Isaac's character as well as it completed his signature look. "Where is she? She was suppose to be here about 15 minutes ago." said Isaac as he looked at his watch. Even just looking at the thing caused the feelings he had to return. Soon Isaac got his answer as the person he was waiting for called out to him.

"Sorry for being late, Isaac." said the woman.

"About time you showed up." said Isaac with a bit of sarcasm in his voice. He then gave her a smile, "How you doing Cadance? I assume you're getting ready for your big wedding."

"Somewhat, to be honest, I'll feeling a bit nervous about it. But other than that, I also feel happy knowing that I get to spend my entire life with my special someone." Cadance couldn't help but think about Shining Armor and how she was looking forward to her special day. "So what is it that you wanted to talk about?"

"It's a bit complicated. I'll tell you once we grab a little snack." said Isaac.

With that both Isaac and Cadance entered the Sweet Shoppe as they purchased their own individual orders. Cadance had gotten a caramel brulee frappuccino as well as a blueberry muffin; Isaac had gone with a lemonade and got a chocolate muffin. Once they made their purchases, they thanked Mr. and Mrs. Cake and headed out of the store. They made their way to the park as they sat on a bench and began to discuss.

"So, what's the matter?" asked Cadance. "You said you had something that you wanted to discuss?"

"Yeah," Isaac had just finished his muffin as he crumbled up the wrapper. "See, it's about a sensitive topic." Isaac just let out a sigh as he was having trouble explaining this to Cadance.

"Just tell me." said Cadance as she put her hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"Alright, okay. Well believe it or not, I've actually developed feelings for someone." said Isaac as he looked straight.

"Really, now!?" said Cadance with sly smile. "So tell me, who's the lucky girl?"

"It's Twilight."

Cadance had the biggest gasp, "I knew it!"

That quickly got Isaac's attention, "You knew!? Since when!?" asked Isaac.

"Well, I didn't exactly know." said Cadance as she took a sip of her beverage. "See after your first encounter with Twilight, I noticed that her eyes had a certain sparkle to them. Twilight was always contend with her research and her own personal things, but in that moment, I saw something change in her. Fast forwarding, when I first saw you during the Friendship Games, I saw that you too possessed that same sparkle in your eyes. To what extent I didn't know, but I had a strong hutch on what it meant. And it turns out I was right." Cadance now had a huge smile as she looked at Isaac.

"Great, so you knew all along." said Isaac. "God, that makes this much more difficult." Isaac let out a stressed sigh as he was leaning back on the bench.

"Yes, love can be rather tricky. Especially, when you're trying to act on certain emotions. So have you told her yet?"

"I haven't, ever since that day, I haven't talked to anybody, let alone Twilight. I guess I just wanted to sort out these feelings, but they're all that I think about. Everyday I wake up, everytime I go to sleep, every single moment that I breathe, all I can think about is Twilight. Ahh! It's making my head hurt!" screamed Isaac.

Cadance still had a smile on her face as she looked at Isaac. She knew the young boy was having trouble with this sort of stuff, especially given that he wasn't the most knowledgeable when it came to romance. Still it made her happy to see that Isaac had it bad when it came to Twilight, which she knew Twilight also had the same thing even if she didn't show or say it. "Well, maybe this will clear your mind? What is it about Twilight that you find so fascinating about her?" Cadance was really interested in hearing this answer.

"Well lets see..." Isaac then began to think long and hard about his answer. Just what about Twilight was it that he was drawn to her, that he found so fascinating. "Well for starters, she's really smart. Not to mention those glasses of hers really add to that factor; always did have a soft spot for smart girls. Uh, she's cute, not to mention really beautiful. Even her habits are adorable; I can't tell you how many times, I've had to calm her down. But then again, I find her freak-outs even attractive. Not to mention all the nervous breakdowns she has when things don't go according to plan as well as her obsession on learning." While Isaac was explaining, he was having a smile on his face. Even Cadance noticed this and saw that Isaac's feelings were true.

"However, I think the one thing that I really like about Twilight is that she can duel her ass off. I've been in love with this game ever since I was just a little kid; that was the first time I truly loved something. I thought nothing else could give me that same feeling, but then I met Twilight. And well she gave me that same feeling and more. I'll never forget the first time I faced her." Isaac then thought back to when he first caught Twilight sneaking around CHS and how they engaged in battle. "That day she showed me that she knew how to handle a deck and throw down. That alone caught my attention. And then after the Friendship Games, she was so insistent on learning from me that I was happy to help her. She even took my place in a duel while we were at Camp Everfree when I was sick. I now look back on it and see that it was our way of spending time with each other, learning about each other, getting to know about one another. And everytime I see her or even think about her, my world just lights up and I'm drawn to her; I want to be there for her, to keep her safe and protect her." Isaac then put his hand over his heart and he could feel some of the pain ease up as he vented what was on his mind. "Wow, I feel a bit better; my heart doesn't hurt as much."

"Well you did it, you took the first step which was admitting your feelings to yourself." Cadance was happy that Isaac was able to let some of the pain he was feeling go.

"I guess I do love Twilight. I'm in love... I'm in love with Twilight. Never thought I would say that or feel like this." said Isaac as he had a very heartwarming smile.

"Now then, tell her." said Cadance.

"What!?"

"Tell her. If she knows how you feel, then she's bound to understand and maybe will return the same feelings." suggested Cadance. Oh she most definitely will.

"It's not that simple." said Isaac. "You can't just walk up to a girl, hand her a bouquet and say 'Hey remember me, we were best friends together. Will you be my girlfriend?' It just doesn't work that way." Isaac let out sigh.

"Well let her know? How?" asked Cadance.

"What do you mean how?" said Isaac as he was confused by what Cadance said.

How does she know you love her? said Cadance in singing voice as music started to play.

"Oh no. Don't!" said Isaac as he knew what was coming.

How does she know...

"People are looking." said Isaac as he tried to get Cadance to stop singing.

She's yours?

"Don't sing. It's ok. Let's just walk. Can we walk? Ok?" said Isaac as both he and Cadance started to get up and leave with the music still playing in the background. It wasn't even half a second before they passed a group of musicians who were playing some percussion instruments as they began to sing.

How does she know that you love her?
Said the lead musician.

"Oh." said Cadance.

"He knows the song too!?" said Isaac as he couldn't believe this was happening. "Of course, why wouldn't he know the song." Isaac just let out a sigh as more people started to gather round and start to sing the chorus.

How do you show her that you love her?"
How does she know that you really, really, truly love her?

"I've never heard this song!" said Isaac as he was trying to ignore Cadance and her leading the song.

How does she know that you love her?
How do you show her that you love her?

Now everybody was starting to move to the rhythm of the beat.

"Really nice work." said Isaac as he put some money in the case of the guitar in hopes of getting them to stop singing. But it didn't.

How do you show her you love her?
How does she know that you really, really, truly love her?

"That's it. Ok. Let's go." said Isaac as he grabbed Cadance as they began to walk away with the group of people still singing behind them as they followed.

It's not enough to take the one you love for granted
You must remind her or she'll be inclined to say

How do I know he loves me?
How do I know he's mine?

They were now crossing a bridge as even more people started to get involved and moved to the beat of the song. Cadance was just twirling around Isaac who just had his hands in his pocket as he tried to drown out the song.

Well, does he leave a little note to tell you
You are on his mind?
Send you yellow flowers when the sky is gray?
Hey

Cadance had was on a bench surrounded by old man as she grabbed a whiteboard and wrote the words: "You are Adorable." She then turned it around for all of the seniors to see as the old ladies across saw this and started to gasp. They then joined in the choreography as they got up and presented yellow flowers for the ladies that they pulled from their coat. Soon they begun to dance, as Cadance looked at Isaac who still was trying his best to not believe what he was seeing.

He'll find a new way to show you
A little bit everyday
That's how you know
That's how you know he is your love

"See?" asked Cadance.

"I've seen quite enough. Let's go." said Isaac as he grabbed Cadance by the arm and dragged her off. He really wanted this song to end; the old couples then joined the massive crowd as they followed the two.

You got to show her you need her
Don't treat her like a mind reader
Each day do something to lead her
To believe you love her

Now there was trumpets playing as the musicians they saw at the beginning as well as other bands were now playing in the water on boats. Isaac and Cadance were currently in one as they passed them by, with Isaac doing all the effort of rowing them across the stream while Cadance had one of those parasols that women had with them during the Early Victorian Era. Isaac was still trying his best to ignore what was happening.

Everybody wants to live happily ever after
Everybody wants to know their true love is true

How do you know he loves you?
How do you know he's yours?

Isaac and Cadance were now walking side by side, but there were between a row of grooms and brides. Soon church bells began to ring as they started to join in on the fun as they did some fancy footwork. Soon they surrounded the both of them as the grooms picked up their brides and twirled them around. Now Isaac had his hands up to his ears as he really wanted this to be over. Cadance then grabbed him as they moved onto the next scene of the song. Which so happy to be them in a wedding carriage with everybody throwing flowers and rice at them; Isaac just leaned back as he was unamused by this while Cadance kept singing and had tons of flowers in her arms.

Well, does he take you out dancing
Just so he can hold you close?

Now it was Cadance dancing with Isaac as they joined in with tons of other people. "I don't dance." said Isaac. Safe to say that Isaac felt a bit uncomfortable about dancing with someone who was about to be engaged, not to mention that the song was still getting to him.

Dedicate a song with words
Meant just for you?
Ooh

"And I really don't sing." added Isaac as he just stood there while Cadance continued to dance.

He'll find his own way to tell you
With the little things he'll do
That's how you know
That's how you know he's your love
He's your love
He's your love

Soon they reached a massive stage that a play was taking place as she kept on singing as everybody joined in. Soon everybody threw their hands up in the air as they copied Cadance's movements. Isaac was just sitting in the crowd as he reliantly stood up and put his hands up a little as he put on his best fake smile.

That's how you know he loves you
That's how you know it's true

Because he'll wear your favorite color
Just so he can match your eyes

They then passed by some street performers who were doing flips and acrobatics. Even some people on roller skates and skateboards were dragging along Cadance as she kept on singing with Isaac slowly right behind her. Then another group of people came in as they did parkour moves while wearing the same color as Twilight's eyes; one of them even had a picture of Twilight in his hand.

Plan a private picnic
By the fire's glow
Ohh

Now Cadance and Isaac were on a hilltop as they sat on a picnic blanket and a picnic basket between them. They also had other people behind them doing the same as they moved their bodies from side to side as they enjoyed the music. Once person even came by as he put on a candle centerpiece. In the background there was now even more bands joining in as brass instruments added to the tone of the song. Isaac still had his hand to his head.

His heart will be yours forever
Something everyday will show
That's how you know
That's how you know

That's how you know
That's how you know
That's how you know
That's how you know he's your love

Now there was a massive crowd that was trekking through the park as they danced and singed to the music. Cadance was at the head of the crowd as she lead them. Soon they reached a giant water fountain that was in the center of the park as everybody began to dance with all the men picking up the women as they held them high in the air; Cadance was being held by several men as she was in the center. Isaac was in the horse carriage behind them as he saw this and to his surprise he nodded his head a bit as the song was getting to him. He quickly realized it as he stopped himself from getting to drawn in.

That's how she knows that you love her
That's how you show her you love her (That's how you know)
You've got to show her you need her
Don't treat her like a mind reader (That's how you know)
That's how she knows that you love her
That's how you know that you love her
It's not enough to take the one you love for granted (He's your love)

The crowd then lowered down Cadance as they helped her into the carriage as she sat across from Isaac. Then everybody around them began to dance as the song was drawn to an end and they did their last choreography with all the men holding up the women up high as they stood still for a second. Once the song was over, everybody gave a grand cheer as they resumed like everything was normal. Isaac couldn't believe that something like that had just happened and nobody dare question it, he just simply shrugged his shoulder and let out a sigh. With that their driver commanded their horse to move as both of them were now riding in a carriage.

"Well that was a thing." said Isaac. He still couldn't believe his eyes on what he just witnessed.

"So, do you know what you have to do?" asked Cadance as she fixed a bit of her hair.

"I think I got the gist of it from the song." Isaac still let out a sigh. "I just don't know how I'm going to do this. I mean it needs to be when it's just the two of us; I know the girls won't laugh but I feel better if it was just me and Twilight. That way in case, she rejects my feelings then I won't have to embrass myself in front of others." Isaac put his head down.

"That sounds like a nice plan." Cadance then put her hand on Isaac's shoulder. Isaac lifted his head up and saw Cadance giving him a smile as it caused him to return one back.

"Now then, I just have to figured out how I want to tell her?" asked Isaac. "If only there was a way for it to be just the two of us, with nobody to interrupt."

"Leave that to me." said Cadance.

With that their carriage had reached the end of their ride as the driver opened the door and helped Cadance out. Isaac then followed suit as he saw that they were now near the entrance of the park. Cadance told Isaac not to worry about finding a way to tell Twilight about his feelings. She just told him that he should expect a call from her later and with that she thanked Isaac for a great hang out and left. Isaac just stood there trying to figure out Cadance's riddle, but he came up clueless. So with that he headed home. It was about a few hours later when Isaac was in his room and he got a phone call from Cadance. Isaac answered it and the gist of it was that Cadance had been able to convince Twilight to invite Isaac as her plus one for her wedding. It took a while, not to mention that Twilight was blushing when Cadance offered her suggestion, but she eventually agreed. Isaac then checked his messages and true to her word, he received a text saying that Twilight was asking him to accompany her to Cadance's wedding. Isaac thanked Cadance for her help and hung up.

"Well, I guess all that's left to do is tell Twilight how I feel." Isaac then clutched his heart. "I just hope that no matter what happens, we're still be friends after this." Isaac then decided to head to bed as he felt like he could actually get some decent sleep in days.

Soon it was the day of Cadance's and Shining Armor's wedding as they had chosen to rent out a private room of a restaurant as their wedding venue. Twilight had talked with Isaac's parents about letting their son go with her to attend her brother's wedding. It also helped that her brother had actually requested Isaac come to his big day as he had something planned for him. So with their consent, Isaac's parents allowed their son to attend. The day came as it was about 9 in the morning when Twilight, Spike, and Cadance had picked him up, so from there it was but an hour drive to the place where the ceremony would take place. According to the invitations they sent out, it would be mostly Shining Armor and his family, along with a couple of their close friends. Shining Armor had also managed to invite some of his best pals to serve as his best men. Once they got there, Isaac got a good layout of the place. The building was where the dinner, as well as the festivities would take place once the marriage was official. There was even a garden that had a small fountain where there was a ton of birds who sang and flew about. There was a flower archway onto of a little stage which Isaac assumed was where the official marriage would happen.

There was a couple of chairs that were set up with family members sitting up in the front, with friends and acquaintances seating behind them. Seeing as how Isaac was Twilight's guest, he would actually sit up front with her family more specifically he would be sitting next to her. There was even a ballroom inside the venue; there was even more trucks that had tons of people setting things up from the DJ, to the receptionist, to even the catering people. Safe to say that both Cadance and Shining Armor were looking forward to making this day very special to them.

"Wow, you guys really went all out." said Isaac as he got out of the car. He was in his signature look as he took in the sight that lay before him.

"Well, what did you expect? This is the most important day of my brother's life, and everything needs to be just right. Which is why, Cadance has put me in charge of helping the receptionist in making sure that nothing bad happens." said Twilight as she felt proud about her responsibility. With that Twilight then started to head into the place as she began to go to work.

"Hopefully she doesn't freak-out." said Isaac as he looked on.

"The odds of that happening are 1 in a million. I'd have better luck winning a lifetime supply of dog treats than Twilight freaking out." said Spike as he was next to Isaac.

"Speaking of which, why are you here? No offense, Spike. But you don't typically bring a dog to wedding."

"Hey, I'm practically family." said Spike. "Besides, I'm just here to raid the table."

"Yeah, okay. Well just try to not to talk around the other guests. I mean we've all got used to you talking, but I doubt any other people know. Best not to cause a panic at the wedding, save that stuff for Shining Armor." snickered Isaac as he and Spike did fist bump.

"But yeah, Twilight is definitely gonna freak-out." said Spike as he began to search for Twilight and explore the gardens.

"Then it's a good thing you're here. See other than helping you in getting Twilight alone, I also asked her to invite you so that you can keep her in check. You know how she likes to micromanage every little thing, so I figured if anybody can keep up with her outbreaks and calm her down it be none other than her best friend who's not her pet." Cadance had a smile on her face when she said that to Isaac. "Don't worry, she knows about it. And as for tonight, I think it's best time for you to tell her." With that Cadance then walked in the venue as Isaac was left outside.

"Well, that's hoping everything goes well. Kinda suck if I came all this way only to return with a heartbreak of sorts." Isaac then gathered himself as he entered the place.

Once inside he saw the dining room as it was covered with lovely cloth with baskets of bread and some butter in the middle. Not to mention that there was some fancy silverware as it was neatly put in orderly fashion. There was even the long table at the far end where the bride and groom would be sitting along with their best men/bridesmaid. There was even a stage next to them as the Dj was helping his band get set up, there was drums, guitars, even an electric piano keyboard. There was a couple of microphones as the sound technician was running some tests ahead of tonight. Isaac kept on walking as he passed by the dressing rooms that both the groom and the bride were kept in once they got dressed and the wedding began. Soon Isaac found Twilight in the main hall as she had a headset on as well as a clipboard as she was directing traffic.

"Flowers. Check. Music. Check." Twilight was taking this job very seriously as she checked off things on her checklist. "Keep it up, people. This is going to be the best wedding ever." said Twilight with such pride.

"That's a bit of a stretch don't you think, Twi?" said Isaac as he entered the room.

Twilight looked behind her as she saw Isaac enter. "Oh, Isaac. Well I just want to make sure that both my brother and Cadance has a wonderful time. I just can't believe that I'm going to gain a wonderful sister-in-law. I can't think of anything better than that."

"I can think of one thing that may make you happy." said Isaac in a low tone so that Twilight didn't hear him.

From there Isaac leaned against the wall as he watched Twilight go to work on planning and organizing this wedding. Safe to say that he found another reason why Twilight had caught his interest; he just loved watching her be herself as she organized stuff. She looked like she was a kid all over again. While Twilight was busying organizing, Spike had managed to return from his stroll in the garden as he saw the two of them. Isaac decided to entertain himself by playing fetch with Spike as it allowed the two to do something while time passed. Every now and then, Twilight would ask Isaac for his input on certain things, to which he did his best to offer advice despite not knowing anything about a wedding. Thankfully it was just a suggestion on what color something should be and whether or not things were positioned correctly. There were a couple of times that Twilight experienced some freak-outs, but Isaac knew his role and was able to calm her down long enough for her to get her mind straight. Even Spike helped out by licking her face as it caused her to smile. Now the main room was complete as it served for the photographer were he would take pictures, as well as there was a mini bar set up with a bartender. Not to mention that this room was connected to the dining room and when it opened up the screen doors it extended so that it could serve as the dance floor. Soon Isaac looked at his watch, this thing was really coming in handing.

"Twilight, it's about time. We should probably get ready." said Isaac.

"Right," Twilight then spoke into her headset. "Thank you everybody. Now let's make sure that this wedding goes off without a hitch. Come along, Spike." With that they both left to get themselves dressed, Twilight along with Spike, went to check on Cadance while Isaac went to the men's room as he had to grab and pick out a suit.

Isaac arrived and saw that nearly everybody was getting ready as they all had their suits on. Most of them began to leave the room as they made their way to the garden to take their seats. Isaac was left alone on choosing his attire, thankfully it was black suit that was required so that made Isaac's choice that much easier. Eventually, Isaac picked out a nice black suit with a gold bow tie. He also had some gold cufflinks as well as he had a fedora on his head with red band wrapped around it as it had a little rose in it. He took a good look in the mirror and admired what he was wearing.

"Hopefully, I don't upstage Shining Armor too much with my look." said Isaac as he talked to himself and his reflection.

"You look well, master." said Mahad as he appeared.

"My, do you look dashing." giggled Mana. "I dare say that Twilight will definitely be swept off her feet."

"Thanks for the words of encouragement, Mana. But this is Cadance's and Shining Armor's big day. I can't go making it all about me." With that Isaac bid his magicians farewell as he made his way towards the garden. He then passed by the groom's room as his name was called out.

"Where do you think you're going?" said someone who was leaning on the door. "Trying to upstage me on my big day, Isaac?"

Isaac just smiled at who had addressed him. He then turned his head and his suspicions were confirmed. "Well, it's not my fault that I can pull off this look, Shining Armor." They both laughed as they grabbed each other's hand and pulled into a bro hug. "Besides I think everybody else will be more interested in what you're wearing than me." Shining Armor had gone with a military style suit as it was bright red and he special sash that had the same symbol that was on his shirt when he was a student at Crystal Prep Academy.

"Well it's no wonder I got the attention of a girl like Cadance. I mean I am handsome, not going to lie." said Shining Armor as he struck a pose to which Isaac just rolled his eyes. "Anyways, I was hoping to catch you. I've got a few things we need to talk about."

"Like what?" Isaac had a feeling he knew what Shining Armor wanted to discuss.

"Cadance told me, I know that you've got some feelings towards my little sister. And I'm fine with that, during the Friendship Games, she couldn't stop talking about you based on the many videos she collected on your battles. It was even more clear when she enrolled at Canterlot High and then at the graduation duel, she picked you to win over her big bro. I respect that, and I couldn't be more happy on trusting someone other than you to take care of my little sis. So as her brother, you have my full respect. Take good care of her, you hear?" said Shining Armor, "I know she's in good hands."

Isaac just nodded. "I haven't even told her how I feel, I was hoping to tonight when I can get her alone. Besides, I want to know how she feels. But regardless if she doesn't return my feelings, I promise to take care and keep her safe. You have my word, sir," said Isaac.

"Believe me, she'll return your feelings." said Shining Armor as he started to walk pass Isaac towards the back. He then stopped and told Isaac one final thing. "And that's big brother to you," said Shining Armor, "Trust me. It's gonna be your turn for all this before you know it." He gave Isaac a wink, making him blush and chuckle sheepishly. Shining Armor chuckled to himself as he went on his way.

Isaac was left to digest what Shining Armor just told him. "That's thinking way too far ahead, I'm not sure if even I can see myself at that point. Well that's not important right now." Isaac then shrugged the thought off as he made his way to the back into the gardens.

Isaac stepped through the entrance and saw that there was already a mass of people gathering as they all were seated and awaiting for the arrival of the bride and groom. Isaac then made his way to his seat where he sat down and saw Spike already sitting next to him, it didn't take long as Twilight and her parents were now walking down the aisle way. Isaac was able to get a good look at Twilight's outfit and he couldn't take his eyes off of it. Twilight was wearing a cyan blue dress with blue sunflowers along the bottom of the skirt and a giant yellow-orange bow on the back as well as a blue sunflower beaded necklace around her neck. Her bangs had been styled while her hair had been done in a rather loose hair bun. She still wore her signature glasses as Isaac couldn't get enough of that.

"Well, what do you think?" Twilight asked as she took her seat next to Isaac. She grabbed Spike and placed him in her lap.

"Wow, you look like an angel." said Isaac as he just let his mind speak. Isaac's comment caused both him and Twilight to blush as they turned their head a bit.

"Thanks, you look handsome yourself." said Twilight.

While the two were looking, Spike noticed this and just simply looked away. Soon Shining Armor came down the aisle as he now was standing on top of the stage, soon it was time. The music started to play as everybody stood up and turned towards the back; there was the flower girls who were ahead as they spreaded out flowers along the red carpet and behind them was Cadance. Her dress consisted of a white and yellow floral crown with the wedding veil attached to it. The dress itself had a large yellow rose brooch, a blue and yellow trimmed top with a double layered skirt that had gold trimming on the shorter layer as well as a giant pink bow in the back of the skirt. Cadance then made her way onto the stage as she looked at Shining Armor who was just in awe with how beautiful she was.

Then the minister began to speak, as the song Bridal Chorus came to an end and everybody took a seat. "Ladies and gentleman," said the minster, "We are gathered here today to celebrate the union of Mi Amore Cadenza-"

"Just Cadance is fine," said the bride. Twilight, Spike, and Isaac all giggled to themselves.

"Hm. The Union of Cadance and Shining Armor," The minister continued, "The strength of their commitment is clear. The power of their love, undeniable. May we have the rings please?" The ring bearer then held out a pillow with a pair of wedding rings on it. The rings were then given to the minister.

"Now, Shining Armor take this ring and place it on Cadance's finger." Shining Armor then did that as he looked at his soon to be wife. The minister then cleared his throat as he addressed the bride. "Now Cadance take this ring and place it on Shining Armor's finger." Cadance did just that as their wedding vows were now exchanged. Now there was one final thing to seal the deal. "Now then Shining Armor, do you promise to love Cadance in sickness and in health, to cherish her till the end of time or till death do you part."

"I do!" said Shining Armor.

"And do you Cadance take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband and promise to be there for him in sickness and in health, to cherish him till the end of time or till death do you part."

"I do!" shouted Cadance.

"Then by the power vested in me, I now pronounce you husband and wife, you may kiss the bride." said the minister and everybody stood up as they applauded/cheered at Shining Armor kissing Cadance. The newlyweds then made their way to the dining room as everybody followed; Isaac then stood up as he offered his arm to Twilight to which she gladly accepted as she hooked her arm between his. Spike followed behind as they all entered the main hall. Everybody was now taking a seat as their food was brought, but before they could eat, they watched Shining Armor and Cadance share the first dance with Twilight singing them a song.

Everybody applauded the couple's dance as well as Twilight's singing. Shining Armor and Cadance then began to head to their table as they signaled all to eat. Twilight now took her seat as she was seated across from Isaac as Cadance made sure that they both got their own private table, as she wanted to help Isaac in any way possible.

"Well now, Ms. Sparkle. You really wowed the crowd there." said Isaac.

"I'm not just great at dueling. I tend to sing from time to time." smiled Twilight as she looked back at Isaac.

"Then I look forward to hearing more from you." said Isaac. He then lifted his glass full of sparkling water as Twilight did the same and they clinked their glasses together as they took a sip and then began to eat their food.

"Hey, what about me?" asked Spike as he was next to their table as he had his food and water.

Everybody was enjoying themselves at they ate and began to talk among themselves. Twilight and Isaac were engaged in several conversations as they enjoyed each other's presence. Spike was thoroughly enjoying himself as either Twilight or Isaac would sometimes give him a treat while the waiter wasn't looking. Every now and then all of them would both look back at the happy couple and smile with just how happy they were. Soon Shining Armor then stood up as he grabbed a microphone.

"Could I have everybody's attention? I have an announcement to make." Soon everybody turned towards Shining Armor as they all listened to what they had to say. "First and foremost, I want to thank everybody for coming here to celebrate the marriage between the me and lovely wife. But I'm also a duelist and I wanted to have a wedding that is different compared to others, so as entertainment I will give you all a show by putting on a duel." Shining Armor the grabbed his duel disk as he slotted his deck. He then made his way to the middle of the room as he prepared himself, "So care to wow this crowd a good show... Isaac?"

All eyes now turned to Isaac as they waited to see what he would do. "I think I know why he asked for me." said Isaac as he let out a chuckle. He then looked at Twilight who gave him a smile to which he returned back. Isaac then stood up from their table and then slotted on his duel disk while putting in his deck. "You really want me to embarrass you at your wedding, Shining Armor? Especially before your honeymoon?" said Isaac with a smug tone.

"Like I'd let that happen." Shining Armor then activated his duel disk as it projected a blue card tray.

"Then let's do this, it's time to duel!" Isaac activated his disk as a gold card tray came out.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Shining Armor's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Everybody was watching from their seats/tables as they were interested to see what would happen. Some even were placing bets on who they thought the winner would be. Cadance was fully invested for a certain reason. Twilight had place Spike in her lap as the two prepared to watch both her brother and her friend battle.

Turn 1: Shining Armor

"I'll start things off, draw." Shining Armor drew his card. "Lucky me, I'll start by playing Pot of Greed. Now I'll draw two more cards," Shining Armor then picked up his cards before he played his monster. "Next I summon Battle Ox(1700/1000) in attack mode. That's all for this turn, your move Isaac."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Very well, Shining Armor. I draw." Isaac looked through his hand as he considered his options. "Now I'll play the spell Dark Magic Veil, so by paying 1000 life points. I can summon my Dark Magician Girl from my hand, descend Dark Magician Girl." Now Isaac had his ultimate female spellcaster as she gave a wink to both Isaac and Shining Armor who just had a smile on his face as he knew Cadance was the one girl that he had his eyes on. "But of course, she's never alone. Next I'll play Sage's Stone and with it, I can call upon my most loyal monster. Come forth, Dark Magician!" Isaac's ultimate wizard now came out as he took his position by his master. "Now I'll play Thousand Knives and with it, I'll destroy your Battle Ox." Isaac's spell then got rid of Shining Armor's monster with ease." Now my magicians attack Shining Armor directly, Double Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac as his magicians dealt a big blow to Shining Armor.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 3500-

Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn. Your move."

Turn 3: Shining Armor

"Good to see your skills haven't rusted, my turn." Shining Armor looked as his card and then he looked at Cadance. "Say Isaac, you're a fan of stories right?" asked Shining Armor.

"What are you playing at, Shining Armor?"

"Let me tell you, in ancient times they spoke of a young blue-eyed girl who was physically weak.. But in times of trouble, she unleashed an incredible power caused she carried the spirit of the Blue-Eyes White Dragon inside her." said Shining Armor.

"Sounds like a tall tale to me." said Isaac.

Shining Armor just had a smile on his face at Isaac's comment. "It may just be a story, but this card I'm about to play is real. Plus this card represents the one person in my life who holds so much value, because like her she too possess a power and will always stand by my side." Cadance was clutching her heart at hearing her husband's speech as it brought a smile to her face. "I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue(0/0)!"

Out on Shining Armor's field came a young female who had long hair and was beautiful. Isaac could see why Shining Armor thought this card resembled Cadance to how stunning they both were. Shining Armor looked at Cadance as he summoned his new monster and blew her a kiss to which she caught it. Shining Armor then turned his attention back to the duel.

"Don't you be fooled by Maiden's zero attack and defense points, her true strengths are hidden from sight. But I'll reveal that in due time, next I'll play this spell Double Summon and with I'll summon another monster to the field. And what better monster for my Maiden to be with than this one, I summon Kaibaman(200/700)." Now it was a male monster who wore white clothing. "Don't they make a lovely couple, kinda like yours truly?" said Shining Armor as he pointed to him and Cadance. "What do you think, sweetie?" He gave Cadance a wink to which she blew him back a kiss.

"Ugh, give me a break." said Isaac to which Twilight giggled at his comment. Spike just rolled his eyes at Twilight's action.

"Now then as lovely as this couple is, it's time to take things up a notch. So now I bid farewell as I activate my Kaibaman's special ability, now I tribute him to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Kaibaman then gave his maiden a farewell kiss as its spirit descend and then called upon Shining Armor's ace monster. "Now that my pet is here, it's time for him to play. But first, I'll activate this my Cards of Consonance spell card. So I'll send the White Stone of Ancients from my hand to the grave to draw two more cards." Shining Armor then did just that as he picked up his top cards. "Now my dragon, take out Isaac's Dark Magician Girl. White Lightning Attack!" shouted Shining Armor as his dragon's attack took out Isaac's magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 6000-

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown. And with that, the effect of the White Stone of Ancients activates which allows me to special summon a Blue-Eyes monster from my deck. So I'll play my second Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, draw." Isaac picked up his cards and looked through his options. "Don't think my Dark Magician Girl is gone for good. Now I'll reveal my facedown card, Bond Between Teacher and Student. Just like you have a card that has a special connection, I do too." said Isaac as he was referring to Twilight with his spell. "So welcome back, my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had his trusting magician back on his side. "Now thanks to my spell, I set Dark Magic Twin Burst. But it's not staying facedown for long, cause I plan to use it now. And with it my Dark Magician gains a boost in power thanks to my Dark Magician Girl. Now he has enough attack power to take out your pet." Dark Magician then powered up as he looked at Blue-Eyes. "Now my magicians take out Shining Armor's dragon and his maiden! Finish this duel!" commanded Isaac.

"Hold on, I activate my Maiden with Eyes of Blue's special ability. When she's targeted for an attack, I can negate it but I change her to defense mode. Furthermore, I can special summon 1 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon' from my hand, deck or graveyard." said Shining Armor.

"Oh no!" shouted Isaac.

Shining Armor then grabbed his card from his deck as it slotted out for him to grab. "You may destroy my first Blue-Eyes, but I'll quickly replace it with another one. Come forth, my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Shining Armor's first monster was destroyed but it was soon replaced as another descended on the field.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 2000-

"In that case, I'll just set two cards facedown and end my turn." said Isaac as he was now worried about Shining Armor gaining even more powerful monsters.

Turn 5: Shining Armor

"Now then I'll activate my spell Draw Sacrifice, so now I destroy my Maiden so that I can draw two more cards." said Shining Armor.

"Why would you destroy your own monster!?" shouted Isaac.

"Cause my maiden has another effect, since she's targeted by a card effect, I can special summon a 'Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand, deck, or graveyard. So I revive my first Blue-Eyes! Come back to my dragon!" Soon a white light started to shine brightly.

"Oh no!" shouted both Isaac and Twilight.

"Now that all my monsters are here I think I'll attack so now my first Blue-Eyes take out his Dark Magician Girl!" Blue-Eyes then did what its master told it to do and took out Isaac's magician with ease.

"Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as he put his arms up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Now time for Dark Magician to join her, go my two remaining dragons attack Isaac's monster and his life points." Shining Armor's dragons then started to open their jaws as they prepared to attack.

"Hold on, Shining Armor! I reveal Magical Hats! Now you'll have to find my magician." Isaac's trap then caused four hats to appeared as they covered Isaac's monster and then shuffled around.

"This again, huh? Very well then, my second Blue-Eyes attack the hat on the far right."

"That's a miss." said Isaac.

"My third Blue-Eyes attack the middle hat!" shouted Shining Armor.

"Strike two!" replied back Isaac.

"You lucked out this time, but it won't save you. I'll set a monster facedown in defense mode and then set a card. With that I end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Back to me," Isaac then back to think about how he was going to deal with Shining's monster. "To start, I'll play my Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two." Isaac then looked at his cards and then picked the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Then I'll place another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Shining Armor

"Nothing to help you? Not that it wouldn't mattered." Shining Armor then picked up his card, "Now my dragons finish this duel, attack the hat on right." Blue-Eyes then fired a powerful beam as it guessed right and took out Isaac's monster.

"Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 4500-

"Now that you field is empty, time for my two dragons to strike back. Go Double White Lightning Attack!!" shouted Shining Armor as he thrust his hand out.

"I reveal my trap card, Emergency Provisions. Now I'll send my two facedowns to the graveyard and in exchange I gain 2000 more life points." said Isaac. Isaac then stood his ground as he took the attack from Shining Armor's dragons.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"You managed to live, but I'll finish you next turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"Barely managed to hang on," Isaac then looked at his hand as he was trying to figure out what to do. "I'll play my Swords of Revealing Light, now you can't attack for three whole turns." Hope this buys me the time I need. "Next I'll play my Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode. Now Breaker attack Shining Armor's facedown monster."

"You've attacked my Cyber Jar!" shouted Shining Armor.

"No!" screamed Isaac.

"Now all monsters on the field are destroyed, in addition, both players reveal the top five cards of out deck and then if any of them are level 4 or lower monsters, we get to special summon them." All the monsters now disappeared as Isaac and Shining Armor drew their cards. "I summon my Vorse Raider and my Master with Eyes of Blue(300/1200) both in defense mode."

"As for me, I'll summon my Queen's Knight and King's Knight to the field in attack mode." Isaac now had two brand new monsters on his field. "Now the effect of King's Knight activates and with it I'll summon Jack's Knight from my deck. Now my knights take out Shining Armor's monsters and his life points." Isaac commanded his warriors as they leaped high into the air and took some significant damage.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 100-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Shining Armor

"So close on taking me out, but now it's time I finish this duel." Shining Armor drew his card as he had a smile on his face. I play Monster Reborn and with it, I'll summon back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Shining Armor's mighty beast let out a cry as it made its presence known. "Next I'll reveal my facedown, Magic Jammer. So I'll discard a card and get rid of your Swords of Revealing Light. Now my Blue-Eyes is free to attack. Go my pet, attack Queen's Knight and end this duel! White Lightning Attack!!"

"I'll activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, so I'll banish him to immediately battle phase." shouted Isaac as a little turtle appeared and created a wall of static that caused Blue-Eyes to be paralyzed.

"Still fighting, but no matter. You don't have a card that come to take down my Blue-Eyes, so I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"Time for me to end this, Shining Armor." Isaac took a deep breath as he drew his card. "I play the spell, Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand."

"Draw all the cards you want, it'll make no difference when it comes to my Blue-Eyes." said Shining Armor with confidence.

"Well then, I hate to disappoint you. Because I just drew the card that will win me this duel." Isaac then looked at his card and knew it was time. Time to show everyone. "Now I'll sacrifice my three knights in order to call upon a monster with supreme power, I summon Slifer the Sky Dragon(X000/X000)!" The spirit of Slifer then appeared as it couldn't fully appear due to them being in such a small area.

"Slifer!?!!" shouted Shining Armor in disbelief.

Cadance and Twilight couldn't believe their eyes at the card that Isaac played. Spike was literally scared as he was whimpering as he saw this massive creature appeared as it looked like if it wanted to it could eat him in one bite. He tucked his head into Twilight's dress as he prayed that the creature wouldn't take notice of him.

"Now Shining Armor let me explain Slifer's special ability. Slifer's attack is equal the number of cards that I hold in my hand by 1000, so since I'm currently holding 5 cards. Slifer's stats raise to 5000. Now Slifer attack Blue-Eyes White Dragon and end this duel. Thunder Force Attack!" Isaac then thrusted his arm out as his monster delivered the final blow.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended and Isaac was declared the winner. Soon the holograms disappeared as the crowd gave a standing ovation. Isaac then made his way over to Shining Armor as he extended his hand. "Good game."

"Right back at cha." Shining Armor then shook Isaac's hand in respect. "Now then it's time for your reward."

"Ohh, a reward huh. What is it? Some fancy new card of yours? Money? What is it?" asked Isaac as he suddenly got interested.

"You're going to sing a song for me and wife." said Shining Armor with a smug look on his face.

"Hold on! What!?" said Isaac in disbelief. "No way! What kind of prize is that!?"

"That's what was going to happen if you beat me, the winner would sing for me and my wife. And you won, fair and square." smiled Shining Armor.

"No! No! If I had known that was the prize, I would've lost on purpose. God damn it! Why do I have to be so good at this game!?" screamed Isaac as he couldn't believe his luck. "Hell no, I'm not doing that!"

"Too bad, cause I already told the band. Plus they're waiting on you." Shining Armor still had a smug look on his face as he started to walk away from Isaac. He still had a smile on his face when he heard Isaac getting pissed as he made his way back to join his wife. "Seems your plan worked, Cadance. Though you know how I feel about throwing a duel."

"@#$%% you, Shining Armor." said Isaac as he was venting his emotions. Isaac then huffed and puffed as he made his way to the stage. The band saw him and they knew he was the one who was requested to sing. Isaac was still mumbling to himself for doing something against his will. He then tapped the microphone as he got everybody's attention.

Isaac cleared his throat, "How's everybody doing tonight?" Silence. "Know any good jokes lately." chuckled Isaac sheepishly. Still silence. "Yeesh, tough crowd. Well, it seems by some stupid request I've being forced against my will, mind you, to sing a song for the happy couple. But let's be honest, nobody wants that right."

"YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!" The crowd was now chanting that they did want to hear a song. Isaac was now mentally punching himself as he knew there was no way out of this now. "Alright, settle down! Me and my big mouth. Let me think." Isaac really didn't want to do this, but the massive crowd wasn't giving him much of a choice. Isaac thought about it and eventually he remembered a song that he heard when he was little. He then whispered to the band to see if they knew it and to his surprise they did. "Alright, this song is from when I was little. So I dedicate this to the happy couple and every other couple here." Isaac cleared his throat as the music started to play and he sang.

The music ended as Isaac finish singing. Everybody applaud him on his wonderful voice as Isaac just simply waved to the crowd as he stepped off the stage. The Dj took over and now everybody started to get up and couple up as they made their way to the dance floor. Cadance and Shining Armor were in the center of that mass as they were in complete happiness. Isaac was already uncomfortable from singing that he didn't want to be anywhere near the dance floor, so with that he headed out of the main room and made his way to the back gardens. The sounds of the night critters mixed with the wind and cool air gave Isaac a sense of peace/tranquility. He then started to walk as he let his mind wander; soon Isaac came to the fountain in the middle of the garden as he looked at the water and saw his reflection. He then sat on the edge of the fountain and looked up at sky.

"There you are." said Twilight who was wondering where her best friend went.

Isaac looked down and saw that Twilight was standing in front of him. "Been looking for me, Twi."

"Well, you suddenly left after that amazing song, that I wanted to check on you to make sure that you were okay."

"I'm fine, Twilight. I'm still pissed that Shining Armor had to make me do that. Some constellation prize." Isaac let out a sigh.

Twilight let out a giggle as she took a seat next to Isaac. "Well for the record, I thought you did amazing. You really touched everyone's heart in there, even mine." Twilight now had a blush on her face when she said that, even Isaac turned red at Twilight's comment that they both turned their heads.

"Where's Spike?" asked Isaac as he tried to ease this slight awkwardness.

"Don't know, he just simply said he didn't want to get in the way of the two of us? Whatever that means?" said Twilight as she was turning even more red.

"Ohh? Uhm.." said Isaac as he looked to the side with some slight redness.

There was a good amount of silence that was between them as neither knew what to say. Soon Isaac decided that this was the time, the time to let Twilight know about his feelings. So he took a deep breath before addressing her, "Twilight?"

"Yes, Isaac?"

"I don't know how to word this, but I'm just going to come out and say it." He took another deep breath as his heart started racing, "I... I... I've developed feelings... for you."

"W-What!?" said Twilight in a soft tone.

"It's true, I've developed feelings for you. I don't know how it happened but when I'm with you, I feel happy. Like when you're in a thrilling duel and every second makes your heart race. I feel that exact emotion when I'm with you." Isaac then did something bold as he grabbed Twilight's hand which she didn't resist. "From the moment, I laid eyes on you. I saw that you were a strong, smart, beautiful girl. Overtime, we got to know each other and well I guess all that bonding turned into something more, at least for me." Isaac realized that he was going on a tangent. "What I'm trying to say is that well, I like you, Twilight. And I want to always be by side no matter what." Isaac finally had expressed what he was feeling to his best friend and now he was waiting to see what she would say.

"Wow... wow. This is unexpected." said Twilight. "I... don't..."

"I get it if you don't feel the same way. But I figured I'd at least tell you how I'm feeling." said Isaac.

"It's not that, it's well quite the opposite. I too have feelings for you." That response brought a smile to Isaac's face as Twilight gripped his hand more tightly. "For a while, I've too seen you in a different light. You've been my best friend since I enrolled at CHS and we will always be best friends. But I sometimes wished that maybe we could be more. When I first saw you, I didn't think much of it. But looking back, I couldn't get you off my mind. What started out as wanting to see who you were from a scientific standpoint turned into something of a personal project." Twilight then brought Isaac's hand up as she leaned into it and closed her eyes. She then opened them as she stared at Isaac, "You're brave, mature, very cunny and talented. Not to mention quite charming/handsome. You don't blur the lines, you say what's on your mind. But most importantly, you're always willing to help out others no matter who they may be. That to me shows you're an incredible individual and an even better duelist." Soon both Isaac and Twilight started to get closer. "I want to be by your side, now and forever."

Isaac's heart was melting as he was listening to Twilight. He then grabbed the rose that was in his fedora and gave it to Twilight who smelled it and was now blushing the most red she had ever been. "I'm glad you feel the same way." Isaac then loosened his right hand from Twilight's grip as he reached into her hair and undid her bun as he watched Twilight's hair just fall majestically past her shoulders. "You know that's a good look. With your hair down, I find you even more attractive." Isaac was now super close to Twilight as his lips were just centimeters away from Twilight's

Twilight then was under the same spell as she too leaned a bit closer. Her lips could feel the breath of Isaac's as they were just mere seconds from touching. "I... love you... Isaac."

"I... love you... Twilight." said Isaac as he closed his eyes.

With that their lips made contact as both Isaac and Twilight kissed as they closed their eyes. Twilight had managed to take off Isaac's fedora before she touched her lips with his and placed it in her lap. Isaac brought his right hand up as he cusped Twilight's face; Twilight did the same as she brought her right hand and placed it on Isaac's cheek. It didn't last long, but it was so impactful for the both of them. They broke away after a few seconds and looked at each other while their foreheads were pressed together and they smiled at one another.

"You know, that's my first kiss that I've ever had with being in love." said Twilight.

"Same here," said Isaac as he pushed away some hair from her face. "And you know what, I'm about to do it again." Isaac then kissed Twilight once more as he placed his left hand on top of Twilights. He put more into the kiss as did Twilight. Soon they broke away once more as they ran out of breath. They still didn't take their eyes off of each other nor did they stop touching foreheads.

"I want to be a part of your world." said Twilight as she brushed Isaac's cheek. "Not just as a friend, but as someone who holds a special place in your life. Isaac, I want you to love me; because I love you."

"Then, Twilight. Would you like to be my girlfriend?" asked Isaac.

Twilight then gave Isaac her answer with another kiss. She pulled away, "Only if you'll be my boyfriend?"

"Consider it done." Isaac gave her one final kiss as Twilight just melted in Isaac's presence.

Right now nothing else mattered, all the world around them started to fade as they just focused on each other and being in the moment. Soon they broke apart as they just stared nonstop looking at each other. Never once did they take their eyes off, soon Twilight leaned forward as she fell into Isaac's arms who just held her while stroking her hair. They both closed their eyes as they enjoyed each other's warmth. They both had managed to express their feelings to each other and were a bit hesitant on being in a relationship given that it was a first for both of them; but they both were confident that anything they faced they would do so together. Right now all that mattered was how much more happy they were knowing they had someone special in their lives. Cadance saw from the window as she felt the spark and magic flow from the two lovebirds; their connection had been connected and now she wanted to see how this young love would blossom into something special.

Chapter 68: Relationship 101

"Thank you for your purchase, is there anything else that I can help you with today, madam?" asked Isaac.

"No thanks, I think I'm all set." said the women.

"Well if you need anything, don't hesitate to stop by and ask." smiled Isaac.

"I will. Have a nice day, young man." With that the women left as she gave Isaac a goodbye.

Isaac waved back as he started to clean the counter. He was so focused on his task that he didn't notice someone sneaking up behind him until they put their hands over his eyes.

"Guess who?" said the voice with full of cheer.

"Hmmm. Is it Dark Magician Girl?" said Isaac with a smug look on his face.

"No, guess again. I'll give you a hint, she thinks you're the best boyfriend she could ask for."

"So many choices, how do I narrow it down?" said Isaac in a sarcastic voice. He then cracked a smile after having his fun, "Is it, Twilight?"

Twilight lifted up her hands as she allowed Isaac to see. "Ding ding, we have a winner." Twilight just giggled after her little foreplay with Isaac.

"What's my prize then?" said Isaac with a sly tone.

"You get me." said Twilight.

"That's the best thing I could ever ask for." Isaac then gave Twilight a hug, "So what are you doing?"

"Well, I was at the library reading some books. When I came across this," Twilight then pulled out a book as she showed it to Isaac.

"Dating Do's and Don'ts... How To Start and Keep a Healthy Relationship!" said Isaac as he read the title out loud. Twilight gave Isaac a kiss on the cheek.

"This is perfect!" she said. "I thought it might be a good book to take a look at... seeing as I've never really been in a relationship like this before... or any for that matter..." Twilight fidgeting her fingers, "Do you want to read it together?"

"Sure." said Isaac as he leaned against the counter.

Twilight was standing across from Isaac as she opened the book and began to read from it. She turned several of the pages. "The first parts are talking about how to start the relationship." She looked up at Isaac with a smile as the two of them laughed simultaneously, she then turned her attention back to the book. "So it says here that the first thing couples do is... kiss." They turned to one another. "I think we already did that part."

"I wouldn't mind a refresher, though." Isaac suggested as he had a sly smile.

Twilight flashed a grin, leaning in close to him. "I think it went something like... this." She leaned in and pressed her mouth against his. Isaac leaned into it, and they lingered for a few seconds. As they separated, Twilight swept her hair away from her face. "Is that right?"

Isaac looked Twilight, enamored by his girl. "Yeah, I think that was it. But I may have to make sure later, okay?"

Twilight giggled. "Whatever you say, lover-boy." She then turned back to the book and took a pen out, placing a check mark next to the step. "So, next it says... nicknames?"

"Well, everybody just calls me by my name. Not to mention that you can't really come up with a nickname for it." Isaac told Twilight. "But you, well there's a couple of options. Right, Twily?" Isaac gave Twilight a wink.

Twilight just blushed from Isaac calling her by a pet name. "Oooookay. Let's just consider that checked." She placed another mark next to the step. She then turned to face him again. "What about things like behavior? Do we have to change how we interact normally?"

"Well, you being you is what I feel for in the first place." Isaac explained. "It's not like I expect you to be different from how you've always been."

Twilight let out a blush as she turned back to the book. "I feel the same way about you, too. Now let's see what's next!" She turned the page. "Always communicate and be honest." She turned her gaze. "Got any secrets?"

"Nope. Well at least nothing I can think of, off the top of my head." responded Isaac.

"Me neither." She checked the box and moved on. "Going on 'dates'... We haven't done that yet."

"It's only been a day since we arrived from Cadance's wedding. So you can't expect us to do everything." said Isaac.

"All right. I'll set up a schedule for it, later." Twilight commented, placing another check mark. "And... here... Oh." She looked back and forth between the book and Isaac. "I don't think we're quite there yet."

Isaac grabbed the book and looked at the section she was concentrating on. He saw an image of a grand wedding. "Ah..." Isaac turned red and looked at Twilight. "Yeah, I think going into that step is moving a little too fast." The two of them laughed as Isaac handed the book back to her. "Anything else?"

Twilight turned the page and well her face dropped when she read the first word. Isaac wanted to know what made her act that way, so he grabbed it and he now knew why. "Interco.." Isaac quickly stopped himself from finishing that train of thought. "Okay, we're not reading that aloud. This story is PG-13, may a bit TV-14 due to the excessive language but that's all." said Isaac as he closed the book. "I think we've got it handled. It's not like we're any different as individuals than we were before. I think the biggest thing is that we should be more open with one another." Isaac put a hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Things will go where they may. So let's not rush into big changes."

Twilight gave a knowing nod. "You're right. It's not like our relationship is going to change the fate of the entire world!" She paused for a moment, bringing her hand up to her chin. "Or is it...?"

Isaac just booped Twilight on the nose. "Twilight. I know this sounds strange to you, but you're thinking too much."

Twilight snapped out of her trance once more. "Yeah... You're probably right! And that's one of the reasons why I'm glad you're my boyfriend." Twilight then leaned forward as she gave Isaac a meaningful kiss.

Isaac broke away as he put his hand to her cheek. "And this is why I'm happy that you're my girlfriend." Isaac then gave her another kiss as it lasted a bit longer than normal.

After another look through the book, just to be certain, Twilight then said goodbye to Isaac as he had to get back to work. She left but not before giving her man one last kiss, she still couldn't get enough of kissing him. And Isaac felt the same way, he never once felt tired of kissing Twilight. With that, Twilight was gone and Isaac was left with a lovestruck look on his face.

"That girl is very special." said Mr. Johnson as he had emerged from the back to watch Isaac and Twilight's final interaction.

Isaac turned around to address his boss, "Oh, Mr. Johnson. Yeah, Twilight really is something." Isaac let out a happy sigh. "I'm lucky to have someone like her."

"And I'm sure that she feels the same way. You both are head over heels for each other and it's natural. You're both young teenagers who are just starting a relationship. It's only normal that she would constantly be on your mind." chuckled Mr. Johnson as he was happy that his favorite employee had managed to land a girl that was giving him happiness. "Just remember to not get too distracted, you still have a job to do."

"Don't worry, Mr. Johnson. I won't let that happen." assured Isaac.

"Good, also try not to create a mess when you're kissing her, especially in front of the little ones." said Mr. Johnson with a smile.

Isaac knew what his boss was saying, "Woah, there. That's a bit much, I don't think Twilight wants to take our relationship that far yet." chuckled Isaac. With that he soon got back to work as some parents approached asking him about dueling.

The day passed as Isaac did his normal duties. He even showed Mr. Johnson his Slifer the Sky Dragon card as it caused him to go big eyed. Mr. Johnson was surprised that Isaac had obtained such a card that he asked where he got it, Isaac just told him that he got it from a secret person and he was currently holding onto it for the time being. Nevertheless, just looking at the Egyptian God card brought back some memories of when Mr. Johnson was younger. During the time, the girls had stopped by the card shop as they were looking to get some last minute additions for their deck for the upcoming trip from Celestia.

Speaking of which, now that Isaac and Twilight were boyfriend and girlfriend, it left you to wonder how the others took it. Well let me tell you... it was actually Twilight herself that texted the girls and told them about the details of Cadance's wedding. She told them how much her brother was happy and how it turned into a wonderful event. Soon she told them about her and Isaac being alone in the garden and then how Isaac had confessed his feelings towards her. She mentioned how she also had similar feelings toward him and as a result they kissed and became an item. The girls actually took this very nicely; in fact, they were happy that their friend had managed to find someone to be with. It pained them a little that Isaac had chosen to be with Twilight, but they were happy nonetheless.

Twilight was ecstatic that her friends were supportive of her relationship, but she couldn't help but feel sorry for her friends as they still had a bit of a crush on Isaac. So to compromise, she said that they could be able to show Isaac some affection by giving him kisses but only on his cheek as she still needed to show them that she was the one he picked to be with. She was willing to share her boyfriend a bit with the others, but she needed to mark her territory. So if any of their friends decided to kiss Isaac on the lips then they would need to answer to Twilight and it seemed she was not messing around with that part. Her friends were fine with that stipulation, overall they still maintained their friendship. The real treat was seeing Isaac's reaction when she mention it to him and he only responded by saying, "Now I know why harems are so popular".

Other than that, it proved to be another normal day. Once Isaac finished his shift, he saw Twilight waiting for him as she was just arriving. She popped through the door and rushed at Isaac as she gave him a hug. Of course they gave each other another kiss as hearts seemed to be flying around them. With that Isaac did one final check on inventory as he said goodbye to Mr. Johnson who waved goodbye to him and Twilight. Both of them then left the store as they began walking hand in hand; they stopped by the Sweet Shoppe to get something tasty. Once they placed their order, they then sat in a booth that had a window. Twilight then snuggled up next to Isaac as he placed his arm around her; Isaac undid Twilight's ponytail as her hair flowed down till it touched her shoulder. Isaac then gave her kiss on top of her head as Twilight pulled out the book from earlier as they read more from it. Soon a thought crossed Twilight's mind as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Hey, Isaac?"

"Yeah, Twi."

"When you took on my brother at his wedding, you manage to summon an Egyptian God." said Twilight. "How did you get that in your deck?"

Isaac let out a sigh as he knew he would have to answer that question sooner or later. Nobody knew that he was currently in possession of said card, not even their friends knew. Isaac then started to stroke Twilight's hair as he began to tell her, "Well, you remember when you had to distract me due to the girls planning my surprise party. Well, in the morning, I received a package from Mr. William. He sent me a present for my birthday; in it was the legendary cards that I showed you'll. What I didn't show you was the last card of that stack was none other than Slifer; I can't tell you just how shocked I was when I found out. There was also a note attached to the card, in it Mr. William thanked me for helping him catch the thief. He also had a request; to avoid another incident to occur, he sent that card to me. He felt like it would be the most safe if it was under my possession, at least for the time being."

"Wow, so you're really holding an Egyptian God card in your deck?" Twilight couldn't believe that her best friend was currently holding one of the most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters.

"However, that doesn't mean I'm going to abuse it. I made a vow that while Slifer is under my care, I wouldn't use it whenever I want. I plan to use him only in emergencies or under special circumstances. Besides, if I constantly used that card, everybody would be scared of me and I wouldn't have any challengers left. And you know how I always love to battle." said Isaac as he stared into Twilight's eyes.

"Makes sense, if I had a powerful card like this, I too would want to limit myself on how many times I play it." Twilight was now currently holding said card in her hand as Isaac pulled it out for her.

"Still, as nice of a present as this was, I got something better." Isaac then showed Twilight the watch she gave him. "Because of this present, I finally realized my feelings for you. And that led me to have the most wonderful girl in the world as my girlfriend. I couldn't ask for better result than that." smiled Isaac.

"Well, I'm lucky that I got someone as awesome as you to be my boyfriend." Twilight returned Isaac's gaze with her own. Soon she leaned in as she caught Isaac's lips with hers and they shared another tender kiss.

After they finished their little hangout, they then left as it was starting to get a bit late. Isaac was currently walking Twilight home as he wrapped his arm around his girlfriend. They arrived at Twilight's home where she told him that she had finished finalizing the plans for their date; Isaac just nodded and said that he was looking forward to it. With that Twilight gave him a farewell kiss as Isaac watched her disappear into her home. Isaac was left standing with a smile as he started on his way back to his place.

The next day came and the thing that was unexpected is that Celestia was actually contacting Isaac on his duel disk. She was currently going over the details she had mentioned about the trip she had planned for Isaac and his friends. Twilight was with him as she was sitting next to him taking down notes on her notepad.

"Okay, just so that we don't miss any details. Mind telling us again, Celestia?" said Isaac as he was talking to Celestia in a live call from his duel disk.

"Certainly, as you know, I'm thankful for all you've done as duel champion of CHS. In fact, given how much stuff has occurred this past school year, I've decided to award you and your friends on a vacation of sorts. Not to mention that many sponsors and other school administrators had been impressed by your hard work. So I piled on a list of the many places you and your friends will visit on this trip where you'll showcase your skills in front of others, mainly kids. However, while we're on this trip, the girls will be competing in a sort of ranking system. This is so I can determine who your next opponents will be once school starts again. Also one of the many stops we'll be making on this trip is an event called the Duos Cup; this is basically a tag team tournament in which the winners will gain a trophy and be named this year's Duos Champions." Celestia then showed Isaac show photos of past winners with one of them being her and Luna from the year they won it. "Now I've already signed you up for it, but as for who you choose, that decision will be up to you. So choose wisely on who you want your partner to be for the event. In addition, I've also booked the girls' band to perform for a couple of spots. Is that all?"

"Twilight, anything that we're missing?" asked Isaac.

Twilight was comparing notes as she scanned for any missing detail that Celestia might have skipped. "According to my list, she's covered everything."

"Very well then, now then the trip will be in a week. Me and Luna will each pick you up and from there we'll be flying to our first destination. It's important that you'll give it your absolute best and don't forget to have fun while we're on this trip." said Celestia.

"Don't worry about us, Celestia. We'll be fine, plus I think I speak for the whole group when I say that we're all excited to visit some new places." smiled Isaac.

"Good." smiled back Celestia. "Now then I must take my leave, farewell Isaac and Twilight. Oh, and also congratulations on becoming a couple. I always did find the two of you rather lovely together." Celestia's comment caused Isaac and Twilight to turn red as the transmission ended.

"Well looks, we're all going on vacation." said Isaac.

"Yeah, gonna be nice to see the many places." Twilight then embraced Isaac from behind as she had her arms over Isaac's shoulders as she nuzzled against his back. She could feel some of the muscle on Isaac as she had a blush on her face. "Especially, when I have you there by my side. I know we'll make some wonderful memories together."

Isaac grabbed Twilight's hands and kissed them before turning his head to look at Twilight. "I look forward to it as well, just hope the girls won't get annoyed by us not refusing to leave each other's side." chuckled Isaac.

"I sure they won't mind." said Twilight as she gave Isaac a quick peck on the cheek.

"Now then, you said you figured out a plan for our first date?" said Isaac.

"Right." Twilight then let go of Isaac as she pulled out her phone and showed Isaac a picture of it. "This is a popular place that people go to. It's a pizzeria, however..." She then swiped left as she showed more photos of the place inside. "It's actually so much more than that. They have a couple of TVs with their own bar, not to mention a stage where they sometimes hold open mic night. So we can expect some stand up comedy; also it's pretty casual so we don't have to worry about dressing up." said Twilight.

"Sounds like a good place." responded Isaac.

"Plus, this place has a few Duel Monsters games that they hold. I figured that you would want to something like this on our date." Twilight had a smile on her face.

"Did I ever tell you just how wonderful you are?" asked Isaac with a lovestruck smile as he booped Twilight's nose.

"Every single moment that we're together." said Twilight as she returned the same look.

"And I mean every word of it. I really am grateful to have you in life, Twilight. And I'm never letting you go." smiled Isaac.

"You better not!" exclaimed Twilight. "Or else my family will come after you. And I'd like my best friend to live." laughed Twilight.

"Alright, well I need to get back to work." Isaac then broke from Twilight's embrace as he needed to prepare for his lesson for the kids.

Twilight then had an idea, "Mind if I help you? I'm not scheduled for my job, plus I always wanted to get a close look at seeing my boyfriend work." said Twilight with a bit of flirting in her voice as she caressed Isaac's arm. Isaac just gave her a smile as her answer.

Soon the kids arrived, as they were excited for today's lesson. Isaac welcomed the kids and introduce them to Twilight as he mentioned that she was his special somebody. Isaac then began tutoring the kids, even Twilight stepped in as she began to talk about a few things with the kids. She even showed the kids her deck and they were surprised to see that she also possessed a Dark Magician Girl. Twilight's heart broke as she saw how happy the kids were and how invested they were in learning under Isaac. Now she found another reason why she was attracted to him. Safe to say that the kids really enjoyed today's lesson as both Mr. Johnson and their parents just watched on and smile at how in sync Isaac and Twilight were.

It was near closing time as Isaac and Twilight were cleaning up. Mr. Johnson was grateful that both of them had decided to teach the young ones as well as help to clean up. He even told them how the parents were making comments on cute Isaac and Twilight were when they worked together. Both of them couldn't help but blush as they looked at each other while bumping into stuff. Once everything was put away, Isaac checked in with Mr. Johnson to see if he needed any final help. Mr. Johnson said that he could handle the rest and told him to enjoy his evening with Twilight. With that Isaac and Twilight said goodbye as they exited the store; Twilight then checked her phone to see the address of the place. Isaac then grabbed Twilight's hand as they began walking to the place and to enjoy their date.

They arrived at the place and the atmosphere was welcoming to say the least. It was exactly like what Twilight said as there was a bar section for older people as well as TVs playing sports in the background. There was a stage where they was a couple of comedians doing some stand up as the crowd laughed at the jokes. A hostess was at the front entrance as she led the both of them to a table. She led them to a table as they had a good view of the place and it offered them some privacy from other customers. Isaac pulled out a chair for Twilight and then took a seat himself. She then handed them the menu as she let them decide what they wanted to order. Eventually, Twilight settled on getting some pasta as their side order, while Isaac order a deep-dish sausage pizza for the both of them.

The waiter came and to Isaac's surprise, he spoke a bit of Spanish due to him complimenting Twilight. Twilight wasn't sure what he was saying, until Isaac took initiative and responded back to which the waiter gave him praise for getting such a good pick. With that he took their orders, as he walked off. Twilight was shocked with how Isaac was able to handle that she couldn't help but smile.

"Tell me, what were you guys talking about?" asked Twilight.

"Nothing much, other than that he complimented on you being a beautiful girl. I told him that you were my girlfriend and we were on a date." smiled Isaac.

"Say, mind teaching me a few things? It's just that I find your dialect a bit fascinating, especially when you say it. It just sound so... sexy." said Twilight as she hesitated saying that last word.

Isaac was alright with teaching Twilight a bit of Spanish. So he told her a couple of basic sayings and words. As when learning a new language, Twilight had a bit difficulty speaking it. But she kept on trying until she was able to clearly pronounce the words Isaac was telling her.

"Now put everything together." motioned Isaac.

Twilight took a deep breath and then opened her mouth as she said the sentence. "Mi nombre es Twilight Sparkle."

"Not bad." said Isaac as he was impressed with how Twilight was able to pick up on it. "Buen trabajo. Eres una chica asombrosa". complimented Isaac.

"Thanks?" Twilight was confused on what Isaac was saying. "What did you just say?"

Isaac grabbed Twilight's hand, "Basically this." Isaac then brought his other hand and grabbed Twilight's chin as he kissed her. Twilight closed her eyes as she leaned into the kiss. They broke away as Isaac sat back in his seat, "That a good enough answer for you."

"Yes, yes it was." said Twilight.

Soon their waiter arrived as he brought them their food. Soon they began to dig in; Isaac was surprised that Twilight just went in as she had a couple of sauce on her chin. Isaac was expecting her to be a person who was one for proper manners. but here she was acting like a little kid as she just devoured her food, he now found another reason why Twilight had captured his heart. Twilight then offered Isaac some of her pasta as she lifted her fork and fed Isaac. Eventually, they both found themselves nibbling on the same pasta as they got closer until they were mere inches from each other.

"You know, this reminds me of a certain movie." said Isaac with the bit of pasta still in his mouth.

Twilight knew what he was talking about and an idea popped in her head. "Then we should replicate it." suggested Twilight as spoke with the string of food in her mouth.

With that both nibbled a bit more on the pasta until they met each others lips and found themselves in another kiss filled with tomato sauce. Soon then broke away while staring into each other's eyes. They just smiled while Twilight moved her hand over Isaac's; Isaac then booped Twilight's nose as she giggled and turned a shade of red. They soon sat back into their seats as they held each other's hands. The rest of the time was spent eating and enjoying the show from the several comedians who entertained the crowd. A different waiter came to their table as she wanted to see if either person wanted anything else. Isaac decided to treat Twilight for picking this date, by getting her some dessert. The waiter then gave Isaac an offer, she would give them a free treat if he could answer any question she asked. Isaac thought about it and he took the wager. With that she asked Isaac the question, it took a while, but Isaac gave her his answer as he was correct. With that she brought Isaac's his choice of dessert which happened to be a chocolate cake. Isaac gave the sweet treat to Twilight who couldn't believe that Isaac did all this for her. She felt guilty about eating all by herself, so she shared it with Isaac.

After they finished, Isaac then offered to pay for their meal. Twilight felt like Isaac did so much for her already that it was only fair that she paid for half of it; Isaac made no argument as he was contend with that choice. With that they paid for their meal, while Isaac left a nice grand tip for their service. Now they exited out and saw that the moon was out along with the stars. Twilight felt a bit chilling, so Isaac took off his hoodie and put it on Twilight which warmed her up. Isaac smiled as he tipped his cap to his girlfriend. Twilight then clung to Isaac's arm as they began their journey towards her house. The walk there was nothing but silence as both were contend on just being with each other and not taking their eyes off of one another.

Soon they reached Twilight's house as Twilight handed Isaac back his hoodie. Twilight had her hand on the handle of the door, as she looked at Isaac. "Well, this is it. Thanks for a wonderful date." said Twilight.

"The pleasure was all mine. I sure had a pleasant time, my lady." said Isaac as he added a bit of charm to his voice.

Twilight just giggled at Isaac's attempt to act like a gentleman. "Well, then. Do you intend to leave your fair maiden with just a simple goodbye?"

"On the contrary, it's but a gentleman to give his lady a proper sendoff. One that I'm sure thou shall be pleased by." said Isaac as he grabbed Twilight's hand. He then leaned in close as he and Twilight's face were close. "But I shall ask for thy lady's permission?"

"Just shut up and kiss me already." said Twilight as she grabbed Isaac and pulled him in.

They both felt alive as they just enjoyed this moment. While they were kissing, Twilight brought her hand up and took off Isaac's cap as she started to rub the back of his head. Isaac did the same as he stroked Twilight's hair. Soon Isaac's hands moved downwards as he wrapped them around Twilight's waist and he lifted Twilight into the air for a bit as they still had locked lips. Soon they broke away as they touched their foreheads together while Isaac still held Twilight. They just had smiles on their faces while also having lovesick expressions. Soon Isaac returned Twilight back to the ground as she put on Isaac's cap; she flashed Isaac a smile as he thought Twilight was even more cute wearing his hat. She then put Isaac's cap back on him as she left Isaac's arms and entered her house.

"Yes!!" shouted Isaac as he put his arms behind his head. He then began walking home as he whistled a happy tune. Isaac was really on cloud nine as not only did he have a wonderful time with Twilight, but he was excited for the upcoming trip that Celestia had planned. Not only was he going on a vacation with his friends, but he would get to spend quality time with Twilight on making some memorable moments.

After Twilight entered her home, she immediately leaned against the door as she let out a sigh of happiness. She clutched her heart as it was racing a million miles an hour, her date with Isaac went better than expected. Twilight had daydream eyes as all she could think of was Isaac; soon she would get to spend more time with him as their trip was drawing very near. She then made her way to her room as she collapsed on her bed and snuggled her pillow as she pretended it was Isaac in her arms.

Chapter 69: Love Triangle

The time for the trip was drawing very near. Everybody was getting ready as they were all currently in the park running some last minute practice duels. Right now it was Isaac currently engaged in a battle with Twilight as their friends watched from the sidelines.

"Alright then, Twilight. It's my move, here goes." Isaac drew his card and assessed the situation. Right now, Twilight currently has 2100 life points, and the only monster she has on the field is her Magician Valkyria. Not to mention that she only has a single facedown. "Hope you're ready, now I'll play the spell card Magician's Academy. Now I'll replace my Queen's Knight with a spellcaster, so I play my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now played his favorite female spellcaster as she took her position next to her master. "The addition effect of my Magician's Academy allows me to give Dark Magician Girl an extra 500 attack points. Now then, I'll reveal Sage's Stone. And with it I'll summon my ultimate spellcaster, appear Dark Magician!" Just like that, Isaac now had his trusting monsters on his field.

"Then I'll play the spell card, Dark Magic Attack. So now my Dark Magician will take out your facedown before you can use it." Isaac's Dark Magician then raised his staff high into the air as he got rid of Twilight's set card. "Now my magicians, take out Twilight's remaining monster and her life points. End this duel!" shouted Isaac as his magicians took flight and headed towards Twilight's field. Before they struck, a force field of some kind appeared stopping them in their tracks. "What gives?" Isaac asked.

Twilight had a smile on her face, "My trap card is what gives." said Twilight.

"But you don't have a trap card," Isaac told her, "and even if you did my spell card effect should have gotten rid of it when my Dark Magician casted his spell."

"It's true your Dark Magician got rid of my facedown," Twilight told Isaac, "but in retrospect, he actually helped me by sending it to my graveyard."

"Graveyard?" Isaac was confused by Twilight's answer.

"It's a trap that can only be activated in the graveyard, so getting rid of it for me was a smart move in my opinion." said Twilight as her card that was in the grave appeared. "It's my Soul Guard, it activates when you declare an attack and by removing it from play I negated the attack."

"Sneaky." Isaac said with a smirk. He was proud that his girl had caught him offguard.

"I try." Twilight replied smirking right back.

"Are they... Flirting?" Rainbow asked as she was a bit creeped out.

"Looks like it, partner." Applejack agreed.

"We get it, you're both lovesick over each other! Now stop making lovey-dovey faces and get back to dueling!" shouted Rainbow as that caught the attention of both Isaac and Twilight.

"Gees, Rainbow. I know you're upset that I chose to be with Twilight, but you don't have to get all jealous." said Isaac with a sly smile.

"I'm not jealous!" said Rainbow as she turned her head with a bit of red on her face.

Isaac just laughed as how Rainbow was acting. "Lighten up Rainbow, I'm just messing with you." He then turned back to Twilight who was also laughing at her friend's reaction from her boyfriend's comment. "I'll end my turn. Let's see what you can do, Twi."

"With pleasure, Isaac. Here goes," Twilight drew her card and started planning out her strategy. "I'll play the spell Monster Reborn and with it, I'll bring back my High Priestess of Prophecy. Next, I'll summon my Gagaga Magician(1500/1000). Then I'll use my Gagaga Magician's special ability. So I'll change it's level to match that of my High Priestess!" Twilight now had two monsters that were both level 7 which caused Isaac to be a bit worried.

"Uh oh." said Isaac as he had a feeling on what was about to happen. "Are you going to do what I think you're going to do?"

"I don't know, what do you think I'm going to do?" said Twilight with a flirting look on her face.

"Well if I tell you what I think you're going to do, will you still do what I think you're going to do?" Isaac shot back with his own smug look as he gave Twilight a wink.

"I don't know, do you think I still will do what you think I'm going to do if you tell me what you think I'm going to do?" said Twilight as she was enjoying this foreplay between her and Isaac.

"Enough already!" shouted Dash as she couldn't handle anymore of Isaac and Twilight flirting with each other.

Isaac just ignored Dash's comment as he answered his girlfriend. "I don't know what we're talking about anymore. Chicks are complicated, man." said Isaac with a smart remark.

"And boys are just dense." replied back Twilight with her own smart remark. "So let me make this easy for you, I overlay my Gagaga Magician with my High Priestess of Prophecy!" shouted Twilight.

"That's what I thought you were going to do." said Isaac as he still had a sly smile on his face.

"Yeah right." said Twilight in the same tone. "Now then with these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon, my Hierophant of Prophecy!" Twilight's two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they entered the vortex and then combined together to make way for one of Twilight's most powerful monster. "Well, are you impressed yet?"

"Always." said Isaac.

"Well then let's see how you like this. I'll activate my monster's special ability. So by using one overlay unit, I can destroy your spell/trap cards equal to the number of 'Spellbook' cards in my graveyard. So now your facedowns are all gone." A giant wind blew over Isaac's field as his facedowns flipped up and were destroyed. "Now my Hierophant take out his Dark Magician!" Twilight thrusted her hand out as she gave her monster its command.

"Not gonna happen. Just like you stopped my attack last turn by banishing a card; I'll also do the same. I'll activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, so I'll remove him from play to negate your attack and immediately end your battle phase!" A small turtle then appeared as it realized tons of electricity from its body as it caused Twilight's spellcaster to be paralyzed and stopped it in her tracks.

Twilight just had a smile on her face as she looked at Isaac. "I should have expected that, it's never that easy with you." chuckled Twilight.

"Of course. Though I'll admit, you actually caught me off guard with that trap card of yours. I'm impressed." said Isaac with a smile on her face.

"Well I had a good teacher and an even better boyfriend." smiled back Twilight. "Now then I'll just end my turn. Your move, Isaac."

"Prepare yourself, then." Isaac then drew his card as the duel continued.

After their practice duel, Isaac and Twilight were now sitting on a bench as they watched their friends engage in their own practice duels. Twilight had a device out as she was collecting data on each of the duel as well as writing down some personal notes based on observations she observed. It proved difficult, given that Isaac was constantly looking over her shoulder and planted a couple of kisses on her neck as Twilight let out a moan of sorts.

"Does that make you feel ticklish, Twi?" asked Isaac as he planted some more kisses on her neck.

"Isaac, stop it. I need to focus, these last bits of data could prove useful." said Twilight as she tried to resist Isaac's touch but she was having a tough time as she was under Isaac's spell.

"Well, it's been a while since we last kissed. I'm starting to get lonely from not feeling your lips." said Isaac as he whispered in Twilight's ear which caused her to blush.

"Calm down," whispered Twilight. "I'm starting to think that you can't go a day without giving me a kiss." said Twilight as she grabbed Isaac's face.

"Can you blame me?" chuckled Isaac as his breath near Twilight's ear caused her to heat up even more. "A girl like you, how can I not think about you every second of the day?"

Twilight couldn't resist anymore as she pulled Isaac in and they shared a passionate kiss. Once Isaac broke away, Twilight quickly captured his lips once again as her hormones kicked in as she wanted more. She put more into the kiss as Isaac now had both of his hands up to Twilight's face. They pulled away as Isaac booped Twilight on the nose to get a giggle out of her. They pulled away just as their friends were making their way back to the couple.

"So what are the results, Twilight?" asked Sunset.

Twilight quickly fixed her skirt as she looked at her notes. "According to what I wrote down, I say that we're all ready as we can be. Oh, I can't wait for this trip." Twilight let out a giggle.

"Ah'll say. Ah been meanin' to get back on the duelin' field and showin' everybody just how rough ah can get."

"Indeed, darling. Though, I'm looking forward to many places we'll see. Not to mention the shopping!" said Rarity with an excited tone.

"I can't wait to see the many creatures we'll see." said Fluttershy.

"Well then, I think we're all ready." said Isaac as he got the attention of everybody. "Now whatever happens on this trip and whoever scores the highest points, know that we're still friends. Also we're on vacation, I think this is a trip that we all deserve." Everybody nodded their heads in agreement with what Isaac said.

"Just hope it won't be a surprise when it's me who comes out on top." said Dash with a cocky attitude and smug look.

"I can't wait to rock out in front of our audiences!" exclaimed Pinkie as she started to headbang her head.

"Just hope that the two of you can live a couple of minutes without having to constantly kiss each other?" said Sunset as she had a sly smile on her face.

Isaac and Twilight just both turned their heads in embarrassment as all of their friends knew how much they kissed. "We'll try to restrain ourselves," said Isaac as he grabbed Twilight's hand. "I just look forward to making some memories with my best friends. So lets make this the best trip ever!" shouted Isaac. The girls all agreed with him as they cheered. With that they all left to go hang out.

Isaac was currently doing his regular tasks for his job. The trip was in 3 days and Isaac was making sure that he made a little more extra money prior to his trip. Due to the upcoming trip, Isaac told Mr. Johnson about what his principal had planned for him and his friends, so he informed him that he wouldn't be around for quite a while. Mr. Johnson understood and he said that he would be fine; he just wanted Isaac to enjoy himself with his friends as he felt that Isaac deserved it. Isaac made sure to tell the kids that he wouldn't be around for a while as he was going on a trip to entertain other kids. They were sad at first, but they understood and wished Isaac a safe return.

"Excuse me, Isaac." said Mr. Johnson. "I know that your trip is fast approaching but I was wondering if you could come tomorrow to help with the store?" asked Isaac's boss. "I know that it's sudden given that your trip is on Saturday and you still have to pack your bags, but I figured you may want to make some extra cash for your trip."

"I wish I could, Mr. Johnson. But I promised Twilight that we hangout one last time before we're off on our trip." said Isaac as he felt bad for turning down his boss' offer. "Sorry."

"Not at all," assured Mr. Johnson. "You want to make sure that you and Twilight spend enough time with each other, seeing as how once you're on your trip you'll be performing/dueling nonstop. Very well, then. Enjoy yourself, and I look forward to your return."

"Thanks, Mr. Johnson. I will." said Isaac.

It was soon time for Isaac to leave as he still needed to finish packing. Mr. Johnson allowed Isaac to leave a bit early to finish getting ready. Isaac was now walking on the sidewalk when he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck. "I was wondering when you were going to show up?" Isaac turned around and saw that it was none other than his girlfriend.

"As much as I'm trying to restrain from kissing too much, I can't help but not be around you. I'm just addicted your lips, I guess." said Twilight as she had her hand up to Isaac's face.

Isaac then broke her embrace and grabbed her hand as they began to walk together. Twilight then spoke up as she had something to tell Isaac. "Say, Isaac. I've been meaning to tell you that yesterday I got informed by my parents about an old childhood friend of mine coming to visit. His name is Gizmo and before he moved away, he was one of my childhood friend. Now I got told that tomorrow he and his family are stopping by."

"That's nice, Twi." said Isaac as he was happy that his girlfriend was able to reconnect with an old friend.

"Yeah, but the problem is that he wants to hang out and catch up. That means we won't be able to have one final date before our trip on Saturday." Twilight felt sad that she wouldn't get to spend one last time with her man.

"It's fine. You catch up with an old friend, this will allow me to actual take up Mr. Johnson's offer to work tomorrow." said Isaac. Before Twilight was about to speak when Isaac put his finger to her lips, "I don't mind that we won't get to hang out with each other before we go, but it's a friend you haven't seen in a longtime. That deserves more attention than me."

Twilight let out a sigh, "Alright." Twilight still didn't like that she wouldn't spend time with Isaac before Saturday, but it would be nice to see an old friend and catch up. She still wanted Isaac to be there before he left for work as she wanted to introduce the two of them.

The next day came as Twilight was standing outside of her house; Isaac was currently leaning on her fence as they waited for Twilight's childhood friend. Both of their families were out as Twilight's parents wanted to show Gizmo's family life in Canterlot. Twilight was starting to freak-out as she was nervous in seeing someone from a longtime, thankfully Isaac was able to calm her down by giving her a kiss which immediately settled down Twilight's nerves. Soon they saw Twilight's friend approaching as he was wearing a pair of goggles on his head and he had some oil stains on his clothes.

"Twilight, is that you?" said the boy.

"Gizmo? My it's been a while." said Twilight as she embraced her longtime friend. "How've you been? I see that you're still working on your robots."

"You know me, ever since I was a kid, I was always fascinated by machines and even built some prototypes. Even if almost all of them blew up." chuckled Gizmo as he remembered all the times his inventions blew up in his face.

"Still the same as always," giggled Twilight. "Oh, Gizmo. Allow me to introduce you to one of my new friends I've made. This here is Isaac."

"Hey Gizmo." said Isaac as he extended his hand out.

"Pleasure to meet you man." Gizmo shook Isaac's hand as he stared at Isaac.

"Isaac here is an incredible duelist." mentioned Twilight.

"Is that so?" said Gizmo.

"Well, I'm not that incredible." said Isaac as he was being nice. "Anyways, I should leave as I've got to head to work. You have fun hanging out with your friend, Twilight. I'll see you later." With that Isaac waved goodbye to his girlfriend and Gizmo as he started on his way to Mr. Johnson's store.

Once Isaac was gone, Twilight and Gizmo then began to chat. Eventually, Twilight offered to show Gizmo around town. They stopped by the Sweet Shoppe as Twilight told him that it was a popular place for everybody to visit; they purchased a couple of treats as they began to tell each other of how things had been since they last met. Twilight found out that after Gizmo moved away, he went to a robotics school where he focused on creating and inventing new machines to help society. He even interned at a fancy company that focused on making robotics to help senior people. Gizmo even got a first hand experience on seeing how duel disk were made as he witnessed many inventors trying to create new duel disk to hit the market in a few years.

Twilight was impressed with how much her friend had done. She then told Gizmo about her life after he moved away. She told them how she attended Crystal Prep and become distant from everybody, not making much friends. Eventually, that all changed as she entered her school's event: The Friendship Games. It was there she met 7 incredible friends that showed her what the true meaning of friendship was; from there she was now in a happier place. Twilight also told Gizmo that it was still her dream to become a card designer after she graduated. Gizmo just laughed at how committed Twilight was too her dream, based on how invested she still was in dueling. With that they began to leave the place as Twilight showed him more of what her town had to offer. They visited many other places as they both had smiles on their faces; soon they found themselves taking a stroll in the park.

"You know this has really been an awesome hang out. Thanks for showing me around Twilight." said Gizmo with a smile on his face.

"I'm glad you liked it. Honestly, it's been so long since we've last seen each other." replied back Twilight. "I was worried that we had changed so much that it would be awkward. But nice to see that you're still the same."

"You too." said Gizmo as both of them stopped by a tree. They both heard some birds singing above on a branch as they witness the little things snuggled next to each other. Gizmo then spoke up," You know Twilight, there's another reason why I wanted to see you."

"What is it?" asked Twilight.

"You remember when we were young and told each other of our dreams." mentioned Gizmo.

"Yeah, I wanted to become a card designer. And you wanted to become an inventor that made wonderful robots and machines that would help everybody." said Twilight.

"Yeah, but there was another dream that you had." Gizmo then let out a deep breath. "I remember you saying that when we were young, you wanted to grow up and eventually start a family. You wanted to get married and have kids."

Twilight's face then started to heat up as she quickly remembered that, "Gizmo, I was young and naïve. Of course that's something I would like to have, it's every girl's dream. But right now, I'm busying with other things." said Twilight.

"But, what if it could happen." said Gizmo as he got close to Twilight. "I look back on that moment, and I realized that I had a crush on you Twilight and it took me ten years to realize that, but I've finally understood."

Twilight was getting a bit uncomfortable with what Gizmo was trying to do. "Look, Gizmo. I was just a young girl spitting our nonsense. Not to mention that we had a lot of ups and downs as friends."

"That's life. Okay, ten years later, I'm grown up. All the things you've talked about, that we've talked about." said Gizmo as he pointed to him and Twilight as he started to get closer to Twilight. "All the things that I can actually do for you. I can give you kids, I can give you a husband, I can give you happiness." Gizmo then did the one thing that freaked out Twilight as he grabbed her hand and was about to kiss her. "I think the two of us together..." Gizmo the leaned in but was met with a powerful smack.

Twilight was uncomfortable with how Gizmo was acting. Talking about how he was the right man to give Twilight a happy life. She was so freaked out that Gizmo had tried to kiss her that she slapped him across the face, nearly taking off the goggles on his head ."Gizmo! Were you just gonna kiss me!?" said Twilight as she backed away from the him.

Gizmo just stood there as he touched his face and then looked at Twilight. Twilight couldn't believe that her friend she had known since childhood was planning on giving her a kiss given that Twilight was in a relationship. She thought she knew her friend, "Honestly, I thought more of you!" said Twilight as she pointed at him and started to walk away.

"Just give me two seconds to explain," said Gizmo as he tried to grab Twilight's arm.

"No!!" shouted Twilight as she broke free from his grip and started to run away from the situation as tears started to fall down her eyes.

"Twilight, wait." shouted Gizmo. He thought about going after Twilight but figured that she needed to be by herself for a couple of minutes. "She's probably just was unexpected by all of this, I'm sure she'll see what I'm talking about." Gizmo still believed that he was the one who could provide Twilight with all the happiness she deserved in life. With that he then began walking in search of Twilight.

Twilight was currently running as fast as she can from Gizmo. She just couldn't process on what happened as she needed to be alone. A million things were running through her head as she couldn't believe that her best friend would do such a thing, especially since Twilight was in a very committed relationship with Isaac that they just started. She wasn't paying attention to where she was going until she bumped into someone, thankfully, it was someone who she was glad to see.

"Oh, Twilight." said Isaac as he wasn't expecting to bump into Twilight so soon. "I was looking for you, Mr. Johnson let me out of work today so that I could have a bit of time for us to hang out before we have our big trip tomorrow. So I figured I see how things are going with you and Gizmo." Isaac had no idea of what had just occurred a few moments ago.

Twilight still had tears dripping down her eyes when he saw Isaac. All she could think about was what she just witness a few moments ago. She then leaped at Isaac as she grabbed hold of him and gripped Isaac's shirt while letting her tears roll down his hoodie.

Isaac was surprised by how Twilight was acting. "Twilight?" asked Isaac. All he could hear was the sniffles coming from Twilight as he held his girlfriend in his arm. "Is everything ok..."

"Please?" said Twilight quickly. "Just hold me. Hold me and never let me go." she couldn't take much more of this drama as she just needed to be with the one person who could give her happiness.

"I never will." said Isaac as he hugged Twilight deeply while putting his hands behind her as he stroked her hair. Twilight just had her head burrowed into Isaac as she was trying drown out the unpleasant memory. They both stayed like that as nothing else mattered. All of Isaac's attention was focused on Twilight as he wanted to ease her pain right now.

Twilight knew she needed to tell Isaac about what Gizmo did. But given that they were about to go on a big trip meant that she didn't want her boyfriend to have all this anger and as a result effect his performance on the road. She knew it was the right thing to do, but she was worried about what her boyfriend would do. Twilight knew Isaac didn't have a problem with throwing a punch but she was scared that he would do something that would cause him to go to jail. She then made up her mind, "Isaac? Mind we if we go on a date, right now? Please?" said Twilight with pleading eyes.

Isaac looked at Twilight as she saw her eyes. He could see that Twilight was really pleading him to go out. He could tell something was on Twilight's mind, but he didn't want to interfere with her private business. "Alright." said Isaac and he just left it at that. He gave Twilight one final hug as they began to walk out of the park and to a place to have lunch.

At that exact moment, Gizmo had finally found Twilight and saw that she was with Isaac. He didn't see much other than the last possible second of Isaac breaking away from Twilight after giving her a hug. He then saw them leave the park. He then started to follow them as he was wanting to talk to Twilight and possible get her to see what he was trying to tell her about being the one man in her life to give her all the things she desired.

Isaac and Twilight were now in a local restaurant as the hostess took them to their seats and gave them the menu. They took a moment to figure out what they wanted and eventually they placed their orders. It didn't take long as the chef brought them their food and gave them a bottle of apple cider for both of them to drink. Isaac then began to eat his food, while Twilight just grabbed her fork and began to stab her meal. Usually, she would be digging into her food without regard for what others thought about the way she ate. However, she was still thinking about what Gizmo tried to do to her and how it was eating away at her. Soon she let out a breath as she knew she had to tell Isaac about what happened and prayed that Isaac didn't do anything rash.

"So, love?" said Twilight.

"Hmm?" said Isaac as he was drinking some the apple cider that was brought to them. He was surprised that Twilight had decided to call him that. It worked as she had got his attention; he now focused on what Twilight wanted to talk about.

Twilight let out a breath, "I've got to tell you something."

"Go ahead, what's going on?" Isaac had a sincere smile on his face as he looked at Twilight.

"I've been trying to figure out how to say and word this. But something happened between me and Gizmo while we were hanging out in the park." said Twilight as she had a bit of worry on her face.

"Okay?" said Isaac as he was unsure on where Twilight was going with this.

"Uhm,... Gizmo pulled me aside at the park. And told me... That he wants to give me marriage and babies. He said that he was the one who could give me everything I ever desired and then he tried to kiss me." said Twilight as she finally said what was constantly bothering her.

Isaac was surprised by this as he didn't see this coming. He just simply turned his head in confusion at what Twilight told him. It took a while, but just as Isaac was about to speak the waiter came over to their table.

"Anything other drinks you would like, sir? Water? Soda? Something else. Perhaps?" said the waiter as he was doing his job.

"No, I'll stick with the apple cider it's doing pretty good. Things are about to get interesting." said Isaac with a sly smile as he addressed the waiter and looked at Twilight. With that the waiter left as Isaac and Twilight alone.

Before Isaac could say anything, Twilight told him one last important detail. "I'll say that when he did try to kiss me, I slapped in the face. I couldn't betray you, not after all that we've been through; we just got together and something like this just came out of nowhere." Twilight looked down a bit as she was scared on Isaac throwing a fit and making a scene with so many people around them.

"Okay." said Isaac as he could finally say his piece as he let out a deep breath. "Twilight, I love you. You know I love you, and you know that I treat you as a grown women. And you know the only thing that I want is for you to be happy; that's not me saying it because I'm your boyfriend, it's the promise I made when we became friends. As your friend, I want to make sure that you're happy. And if you feel that there's a connection there between you and Gizmo, and you want to pursue it. Then I can't stop you and I would be so stupid if I tried to. There's nothing, like-- It's not like I'm gonna slap him with an empty white glove and challenge him to duel on Main Street. It's just not how it works, right?" Twilight was taking in Isaac's response with intrigue. "I don't like to downplay this, but more could I do?"

"Okay, then." said Twilight as she quickly brushed her hair. She clearly didn't expect that kind of answer from Isaac. His response was just so real that she was expecting him to be a bit more himself. Twilight was thinking that Isaac would be angry like maybe throw piece of bread, or slam his fist on the table, or do something. She knew that if the roles were reversed, she furious if someone tried to kiss her boyfriend. She would be fuming as she tried to get her hands on said homewrecker.

Isaac then lifted his glass, "I say here's to you, you still got it." chuckled Isaac as he was referring to Twilight slapping Gizmo.

Twilight did the same as they clinked their glasses and Isaac began to drink. Twilight still wasn't pleased with Isaac's answer which didn't go unnoticed by Isaac as he saw that she was still not herself. Isaac then asked her and Twilight just told him what was on her mind.

"Something still wrong, Twi?"

"It's just that I... I was expecting so much more from you. I thought you get angry, throw a fit and then you do something that would cause you to be thrown in jail and then I'd never see you again. I know you gave me your thoughts on this situation, but I want you to get mad. Do something! Throw this bottle, slam the table, or do something! I just can't believe that you could just sit there and not take some action." Twilight then gripped the table with her hands as she looked at Isaac.

Isaac just had a calm expression on his face as he let Twilight vent out her frustration. He then did something bold as he reached across the table and grabbed her hand. Isaac then brought his other hand to Twilight's face as he wiped away some tears from her eyes and then cusped her cheek.

"It's just that you told me that if I felt a connection with Gizmo that you wouldn't get in the way. But I don't want to be with him, I want to be with you." said Twilight as she leaned a bit more forward.

Isaac then did the same as he was now mere inches away from Twilight's face. "Tell me, when Gizmo tried to kiss you, did you feel a special connection?"

"No. All I could think about was you and how this could affect our relationship." said Twilight.

"But what if I wasn't on your mind? Would you still think of pursuing that relationship with Gizmo?" asked Isaac.

"How could you say something like that? The only person who I want to be my boyfriend is the person who I actually have a connection with." said Twilight.

"Then if I kiss you, right here, right now. What would you do? Would you feel that certain spark?" Isaac was asking Twilight a deep question.

"If you kiss me right now, I would be the happiest girl alive. I would want to kiss and never ever let go, not even if we ran out of breath." said Twilight in a soft tone as she add some seductiveness on her voice.

"Then lets find out." said Isaac as he leaned in and pushed his lips to Twilight who immediately grabbed Isaac's head as it caused his cap to fall off.

Twilight was true to her word as she put everything she had into kissing Isaac. Isaac broke away for a single second to get some air, but Twilight was relentless in her assault as she quickly captured his lips in another lock. The kiss was even more intense than their previous ones, Twilight moved her lips and Isaac perfectly followed. While they kissed, Twilight ran her tongue over Isaac's lips gently poking as if begging for permission to enter. Eventually, Isaac's mouth opened and his tongue met with Twilight's as they danced. Twilight just couldn't control herself as she felt like if she stopped kissing Isaac, all the world around her would disappear. Soon she finally let go of Isaac, leaving a small trail of saliva connecting between the two as she wiped her lips. She broke away while looking deep at Isaac's eyes, Isaac was just surprised that Twilight had done something so intimate that he thought it kind of was hot, especially from Twilight.

"Wow. I didn't expect you to do that, especially with you know what." said Isaac as he was stunned by what just happened.

"I guess, you got me turned on a bit. I really do feel a connection with you, Isaac." said Twilight as she gave her boyfriend a flirtly look. "I can't wait for our trip tomorrow."

With that the two of them got back to enjoying their date. They were ready to spend some quality on this upcoming trip. Unbeknownst to them, Gizmo had seen everything that happened as he watched from outside through the window. Safe to say that he felt his hear being broken into pieces at seeing someone else kiss Twilight. Anger then started to cloud his judgement as he looked at Isaac who was laughing. To him it felt like Isaac was laughing at him and it caused Gizmo to ball up his fists and he knew what he had to do. He was going to make sure that Isaac pay for taking Twilight away from him, then Twilight would see that he was the right person to make her happy. With that he left.

Isaac and Twilight had just finished their lunch date when they decided to head out. "Thanks for this, Isaac. I guess I needed this after all that has happened." Twilight smiled at her boyfriend.

"Don't mention it, Twi." Isaac then grabbed her hand. "Just know that should like this happen again, just come talk to me and we'll work it out. I'm here for you, always." Isaac gave Twilight a wink and smile.

"Boy do I want to kiss you again." said Twilight with some seductiveness in her voice as she touched Isaac's face.

"Calm down, girl. I still need to finish packing for our trip."

"Then let me help you, that way you'll get done faster and then we could the rest of the day snuggling and kissing." said Twilight as she gave Isaac flirtly look.

"Then lets be on our way." said Isaac.

With that they both paid for their meal and decided to head over to Isaac's house to help finish packing his bags for the trip. Twilight clung to Isaac's arm as they began strolling down the sidewalk, they got a good distance when they stopped in their tracks as there was someone standing in their way. The person was none other than Gizmo who had a scowl on his face and his fists were bawled up.

"Gizmo?" said Twilight.

"Need something, pal?" said Isaac with deep tone.

Gizmo then looked at Isaac as he was furious, he looked down and saw that Twilight was holding onto Isaac's side. "You damn right. Hands off of Twilight, she's mine. I'm the only one who can give her what she wants." exclaimed Gizmo.

"Gizmo, I already told you. I'm not interested, Isaac is who I choose to be with." pleaded Twilight.

"Tell me, Gizmo? If you really cared about Twilight, then you should know how you made her feel? If you were her friend, you've known that the reason she rejected you was because she was with someone else. If you had known that right now you're creeping her out. I kindly ask you to leave Twilight alone." suggested Isaac as he put Twilight behind him.

"Like I'm going to take orders from you. The only reason she said no is because you're controlling her. You've got her under some sort spell or mind manipulation that's making her reject me. Well I'm not going to stand for it any longer." Gizmo then started to move forward as he got closer to both of them.

"Gizmo, stop!" shouted Twilight.

Gizmo then pushed Isaac in the chest as it caused Isaac to move a few feet. "Come on, fight me! Fight me, you bitch."

Isaac just stood there as Gizmo kept shoving him. "Look Gizmo, all I care about is making Twilight happy. That's the promise I made when I became her friend long before we got together. Stop this, I don't want any trouble."

"Well that's too bad, cause I do." Gizmo then shoved Isaac even harder, "Fight me! Do something you son of a bitch!" Isaac still didn't do anything. "Maybe this will!" Gizmo then slapped Isaac the face as hard as he can as it caused Isaac to turn his head.

"Gizmo!" shouted Twilight as she couldn't believe her childhood friend would do that to her boyfriend.

Isaac didn't take too kindly to that as he returned the favor. This time it was Isaac's turn as he slapped Gizmo in the face, but his was much more powerful. Gizmo had manage to stumble a bit and nearly fell on his bottom due to the force of Isaac's slap. His goggles were sent flying off his head and landed on the ground next to his feet. In fact, it was so powerful that a red mark was starting to form as Gizmo could feel the sting and pain starting to swell up. Safe to say that Isaac was standing his ground and he wasn't backing down, not if it meant keeping Twilight from danger.

"You think you're bad, huh? Got spunk, kid. Alright then let's settle this the old fashion way." Gizmo revealed his arm and he had a duel disk. He then slotted in his deck and was now staring at Isaac. "Let's have a duel, and the winner gets to be with Twilight. How about, man? Got the guts to accept my challenge!" shouted Gizmo as he pointed at Isaac.

Isaac knew like something like this would happen. He saw that Gizmo was clouded by anger that he wasn't seeing the clear picture, but yet Isaac was hesitant on accepting his challenge. More so to the fact that the stakes in this duel, the winner would be with Twilight. Isaac didn't view Twilight as some sort of personal trophy, he treated her like she was a person and he would treat her with the respect of a grown independent woman. But seeing as how Gizmo wasn't going to stop until he proved he was the superior man, Isaac knew that he had to do this to protect his girl. So Isaac got out his duel disk and was about to put it on his arm until Twilight stopped him.

"Twilight?" asked Isaac as he was confused on what she was doing.

Twilight shook her head at Isaac as she looked at Gizmo. "This has nothing to do with Isaac. This is between me and you Gizmo. So if it's a duel you want, then I'll be your opponent." That got the attention of both boys as they weren't expecting that from Twilight.

"Twilight, it's..."

"Isaac, trust me I got this. This is the only way that Gizmo will realize that I'm contempt with who I chose to be with." said Twilight as she quickly looked at Isaac. "Alright, Gizmo here's the deal. If you win, then I'll be your girlfriend. But should I win, you leave me and Isaac alone and you respect my decision. Deal?"

Gizmo was hesitant on agreeing, seeing as he didn't want to battle his friend. But he knew that it was to clear Twilight's mind from Isaac's control then he was willing to do it. "Deal."

With that all of them made their way to the park as they manage to find an open space where the duel could take place. Twilight had put on her duel disk and was currently going over her deck as she prepared to do battle. Isaac just stood behind her as he was concerned about Twilight doing this.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Twilight?" asked Isaac, "I don't mind taking your place."

"No! I have to do this. It's the only way Gizmo will be able to understand my decision on being with you. Plus, I figured you liked to see your girl duel, I know how it gets your heart racing." said Twilight as she put her hand on Isaac's chest.

Isaac just gave Twilight a smirk at how she was toying with his affection. "Very well then, here take this." Isaac then handed a card to Twilight; she took it and didn't say anything other than a simple nod. "And one more thing for good luck." Isaac then grabbed Twilight's face with both of his hands as he gave her a meaningful kiss as they both leaned into. Twilight let out a small moan as Isaac just poured everything into making her feel good. Soon they broke away as Twilight just had a slight blush on her face as she turned to face Gizmo. Twilight then activated her duel disk as it projected a purple light while Gizmo's project a grey light.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Gizmo's Life Points: 8000-
Twilight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Gizmo

"I'll start things off," Gizmo drew his card and looked through his hand. "I'll start by summoning my Red Gadget(1300/1500) in defense mode." Out on Gizmo's field came a little red gadget that had arms and legs. "Now Red Gadget's effect activates, so now I'll add 'Yellow Gadget' to my hand. Next, I'll throw down facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Twilight

"Alright, then. It's my move, draw." Twilight looked at her opponent's field, "To start, I'll summon my Hermit of Prophecy(1200/700) in attack mode. Next I'll play the spell card, Spellbook of Secrets. So now, I'll add a 'Spellbook' card to my hand." Twilight then touched her screen as she searched for the card she wanted. "Now because I played a 'Spellbook', my Hermit's ability activates. Everytime, I activate a 'Spellbook', my monster gains 300 more attack points and its level increases by 2. With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Gizmo

"Not bad, I see you've gotten much better since I last saw you duel." said Gizmo.

"Well, it's thanks to Isaac. He's given me some one-on-one lessons that have taken my game to new heights." stated Twilight.

Gizmo just gritted his teeth as hearing Twilight mention Isaac. He was going to prove that he was a better choice than him. "My turn, I'll start by playing the spell Pot of Greed, so now I'll draw two more cards. Next, I'll summon Silver Gadget. Then, I'll activate Silver Gadget's ability and with it I special summon Gold Gadget to the field. But I'm not done, now Gold Gadget's effect kicks in. So now I'll also play my Yellow Gadget. Now that Yellow Gadget has been summoned, I can add Green Gadget to my hand." Gizmo now had three monsters on his field. "Now, I'll reveal my trap, Metalhold the Moving Blockade! Now, I'll attach all my gadget monsters that I have to give my Metalhold a whooping 5700 attack points." All four of the smaller gadgets then morphed at they became spheres and they were locked into position on the giant metal robot as its systems came online.

"Now Metalhold attack Hermit of Prophecy." Metalhold then fired its cannons as it shot a powerful beam and took out Twilight's monster. Twilight put her arms up as she covered herself as she fell to the grass on one knee. Gizmo was concerned on him hurting Twilight. "Sorry, Twilight. But if this is what I have to do to get you to see how misguided you are, then so be it. I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Twilight's Life Points: 4200-

Turn 4: Twilight

Twilight then got up as she brushed off her skirt. "Believe me, I've taken more hard bumps from that. As I already told you Gizmo, Isaac hasn't brainwashed me. I choose to be with him on my accord, but I doubt you'll listen." Twilight then drew her card, "So to start off, I'll play Spellbook Organization; this allows me to look at the top 3 cards of my deck and put them in any order I choose." Twilight's screen then showed her the top cards and she sorted them as she saw fit.

"Next I'll summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). Then, I'll play Spellbook of the Master. Now since I control a spellcaster, I can reveal 1 'Spellbook' in my hand as a result this card then lets me select another 'Spellbook' in my graveyard and copy its effect. So I'll reveal my Grand Spellbook Tower, so that I can copy the effect of my Spellbook of Secrets." Twilight's Spellbook of the Master then changed photos as it copied the other card in her graveyard. "So now that I'm using Spellbook of Secrets, I can add another 'Spellbook' to my hand. Next, I'll play the field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower." Twilight played her field spell as it allowed a massive building to appeared while Twilight used her duel disk screen to pick the card she wanted.

"Now since, I played a 'Spellbook' prior to me summoning my Temperance of Prophecy, I can use its effect. So now I can tribute my monster to special summon 1 level 5 or higher, light or dark spellcaster from my deck. Appear my World of Prophecy(2900/2400)." Out came a new monster that Twilight had yet to show off as it radiated tons of shining lights. "Now its effect activates, since I special summoned it due to an effect of a spellcaster, I can add 2 'Spellbook' spell cards from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll add my Spellbook of Secrets and Spellbook of the Master." Twilight then took her cards as she added them to her hand. "Now the other effect of my monster activates, so I reveal 4 'Spellbook' cards: Spellbook of Secrets, Spellbook of the Master, Spellbook of Wisdom, and Spellbook of Knowledge. By doing so, now my World of Prophecy can destroy all other cards on the field!"

"Oh no!" shouted Gizmo as he watched his mighty machine be destroyed as it functions went haywire and exploded along with the other gadgets.

"Now I'll play Spellbook of Knowledge, so I'll send my Spellbook of Eternity to the graveyard to draw two more cards. Now, I'll play Spellbook of Secrets to add another Spellbook to my hand. Next, I'll place two cards facedown and then have my monster attack you. Go World of Prophecy, attack Gizmo directly!" shouted Twilight as her monster then raised its hand as it fired off a beam of energy that collided with Gizmo.
Gizmo's Life Points: 5100-

"Now then, I'll end my turn.

Turn 5: Gizmo

"Now that was impressive, all that planning and now you've rid me of my entire field and now have two powerful monsters. Where did you learn moves like these?" asked Gizmo as he drew his card.

Twilight just had a smirk as she looked at Isaac who just stood there with his arms folded while also having a smile on his face. Isaac was enjoying himself as he loved watching Twilight duel and have fun.

"I see." said Gizmo as he could understand what Twilight was saying by looking at Isaac. "Well forget about him, now I'll reveal my facedown, Powerhold the Moving Battery. Now I special summon this as an effect monster and then I can equip 1 Level 4 'Gadget' monster to it and its attack is double of whatever monster I chose to attach. So I'll attach my Green Gadget and now its had an attack of 3400." Gizmo's new monster then power up as Green Gadget was loaded into the cannon as the power turned on. "Now take out her World of Prophecy, ready, aim, and fire!" Powerhold then pointed its weapon at Twilight's monster and with a press of a button it took it out in massive shot that caused her monster to explode upon contact.
Twilight's Life Points: 3700-

"I'll activate one of my facedowns, Rope of Life. So now, I'll send my entire hand to the graveyard. Now I can bring back my World of Prophecy, but this time it gains 800 more attack points." Twilight now had her monster back but this time it was stronger than ever.

"In that case, I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Twilight

"My turn," Twilight picked her card as it was the only one in her hand. "Now I'll play the Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere, since I have 5 or more 'Spellbook' spell cards in my graveyard, I can now reveal the top 2 cards of my deck and any 'Spellbooks' I can add to my hand. The rest are shuffled back into my deck." Twilight's duel disk then projected her two cards for all to see. "Well looks their both 'Spellbook', so now Spellbook of Fate and Spellbook of Power are added to my hand. Now, I'll reveal my other facedown, Spellbook of Revival. So by paying 500 life points, I can summon back a spellcaster from my grave. I choose my Temperance of Prophecy."
Twilight's Life Points: 3200-

Once her monster was revived, Twilight took a deep breath at what she was about to do. This is it. "Now, I'll activate my Temperance of Prophecy ability. Since I activated a 'Spellbook' prior to my Temperance, I can now tribute it to summon a level 5 or higher light/dark spellcaster from my deck. And I know which I want; so I'll tribute my monster to summon the Dark Magician!" Twilight's deck slotted out her card as she held it up high and then played it onto her card tray. Twilight now had a powerful monster on her field as it struck a pose while taking its position in front of Twilight.

Isaac was smiling that Twilight was able to play the card he gave her. Despite Isaac not being the one to play him, Dark Magician could still communicate with its master through its thoughts.

Make sure you protect Twilight, Mahad.

You have my word, master.

"Now then time to end this duel, first up I'm activating my Spellbook of Power. Now I'll give my World of Prophecy an extra 1000 attack points. Then I'll banish my Spellbook of Desire from my grave as well, this allows me to summon a monster from my deck, however should it have an effect, it's negated. So I choose to summon out my High Priestess of Prophecy! Next I'll play the last card in my hand, Spellbook of Fate. So I'll banish one 'Spellbook' from my graveyard, which allows me to return your return your set card back to your hand." Twilight's spell card then shot a beam of magical energy as it caused Gizmo's facedown to be transported back to his hand. "Now I'll have my World of Prophecy take out your Powerhold the Moving Battery." Twilight's monster then laid waste as it got rid of Gizmo's monster with ease. "Now your field is wide open, Dark Magician and High Priestess of Prophecy. Attack Gizmo directly!" shouted Twilight as she thrusted her hand out. Both of her magicians then combined their weapons as they created a huge ball of magic and then fired it at Gizmo.

Gizmo put his hands up to cover up but it proved effortless as the attack threw him onto the grass as his life points dropped to zero.
Gizmo's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Twilight

The duel ended as Twilight was declared the winner. The holograms of her monsters disappeared. Isaac had a smile as he was glad that his girlfriend was victorious. He then made his way over to Twilight who was congratulating herself on winning.

"Awesome work, Twilight." said Isaac.

Twilight was happy with what she did that she jumped at Isaac to give him a hug. Isaac spun her around as she was still hugging him; he then stopped spinning as he brought Twilight back to the ground and looked at her. He then gave her a victory kiss as Twilight just moaned into the kiss. They soon broke apart after a few seconds as they looked at Gizmo who was just getting up from the attack as he was now on his hands and knees with his head down. Twilight then broke from Isaac's arms as she made her way to Gizmo.

"Why!? Why!? I couldn't do it." shouted Gizmo as he was disappointed in losing the duel. He was so upset that she didn't notice Twilight approaching him until he saw her standing in front of him. He looked up and saw that Twilight was offering her hand, Gizmo was hesitant but he accepted her offer as Twilight helped him to his feet. "Why? Why help me, after all that's happened."

Twilight just smiled, "Because we're friends."

"We're still friends. Even after all the trouble I've caused you."

"Of course. Look Gizmo, I know I had that dream when I was a little girl, and I still want it to happen. But growing up, I learned that there are other things in life that you need to look forward. Gizmo you're an amazing person and I know you'll find someone who can make you happy, just like I did." said Twilight as she had a smile on her face. Isaac was now approaching them as he stood behind Twilight.

Now that Gizmo had a clear mindset, he could see just how much happy Twilight was being with Isaac. He felt so stupid for ever trying to interfere in such a wholesome relationship. "You're right. I'm sorry for trying to ruin your relationship, Twilight. Hope you can forgive me."

"I already have." smiled Twilight as Isaac put his hand on her shoulder.

Gizmo then looked at Isaac. "Sorry about the slap man. I wasn't thinking straight."

"Hey no harm, no foul." said Isaac. "Keep your head up, and I'm sure you'll find the one lucky fish in the sea that'll give you happiness." Isaac then extended his fist as Gizmo gave him a fist bump. Twilight then gave Isaac back his Dark Magician as she thanked him for letting her use it.

After their resolution with Gizmo, Isaac and Twilight told them about how they were about to leave on a massive trip along with their friends. Gizmo even learned that Isaac was the holder of the Dark Magician and even asked Isaac for some advice on his deck. With that Isaac did his normal thing as he told Gizmo about some suggestions and even offered some cards that would work in general. Twilight looked on with a smile as she was happy that both of her friends were getting along with each other. Soon it was time for Gizmo to leave as he and his family had to head back home. So with that they wished Gizmo a happy travel and hoped to see him again. Gizmo thanked the both of them and gave Isaac fist bump to show his respect and told him to not break Twilight's heart. Isaac gave Gizmo his word and he was off.

Isaac was now going over his last minute packing making sure that he had everything ready for the trip in the morning. Twilight was currently in his room as she was helping Isaac to pack.

"Okay, that's the last of it." said Isaac as he wiped his forehead. He then grabbed his bag and put in next to his door as he was all set for tomorrow's trip. "I can't wait to see all the different places we'll go to, not to mention the kids expressions." stated Isaac as he sat on his bed.

"I too am looking forward to that." said Twilight as she was sitting in a chair. "I always did what to travel to new places, so that I can learn their history. But mostly, I get to spend time with my friends. Including my boyfriend." Twilight then got up from her chair and made her way to sit by Isaac.

"Well I know that by having by my side, I'm already going to have a wonderful time." Isaac then booped Twilight's nose as it made her blush. Twilight then did something that caught Isaac off guard as she was now sitting in Isaac's lap. Isaac was definitely not expecting this as he was left with stunned look. "Uhm, Twilight? What are you doing?"

Twilight then grabbed Isaac's face with both of her hands, "Just thought I give you something for helping me through today's issue." Twilight then leaned in as she kissed Isaac.

Isaac wrapped his arms around Twilight as he undid her ponytail and started to stroke her hair. Twilight put everything she had into the kiss as she let out a moan, soon she broke away as she pushed Isaac onto his bed as she lay next to him as she cuddled into his chest. There was still a decent amount of sunlight before evening fell, so both Twilight and Isaac spent the next hour or so just hugging and kissing each other. This trip that they were about to take with their friends was something that they were all looking forward to, especially if it meant that they could be together and make some lasting memories. So with one final look, Twilight brought her hand to Isaac's face as they shared one final kiss before drifting off into a nap.

Chapter 70: The City That Never Sleeps

It was morning. The morning of the day that was finally here. It was Saturday, but more importantly it was the day of the trip that Celestia and Luna had planned for the Canterlot group. Safe to say that almost everybody was full of excitement that they couldn't sleep. That couple with the fact that they would be on a plane in a few hours meant they would have plenty of time to catch some sleep. Isaac was currently having breakfast with his parents as it would be quite a while till he saw them again.

"You nervous, mijo?" said Isaac's dad.

"A little, I know this is a good opportunity for everybody to see how talented I am as a duelist. But I'm still scared of being away from you and mami. I may be a teenager going into adulthood in a few years, but I'm still a kid when it comes to family." said Isaac as he had a sad look on his face.

"Don't worry about us, Isaac. Me and your dad are proud of how far you've come. You're at a school that you enjoy, you're at the top of your game when it comes to Duel Monsters. And now you have a chance to inspire other little kids to possible follow in similar footsteps like you. Not to mention that you finally found yourself a girlfriend. I dare say that Twilight is a perfect fit for my son." Isaac's mother was happy that her son had manage to find a girl who can take care of him.

"Thanks, mami. Twilight really is amazing." Isaac then looked at his deck and tightly gripped it as he focused his mind. Soon his phone went off as Isaac checked his messages. It was from Twilight who told him that they were outside. With that Isaac went upstairs as he grabbed his backpack and his luggage bag as he made his way downstairs. Isaac's parents then accompanied their son to the front door and opened up to see a huge van in front of their gate. Out came Celestia as she was wearing causal clothes for once, other than her principal attire.

Isaac turned his towards his parents as they hugged and kissed their son.

"Remember, mijo. No matter what, you'll always make us proud." said Isaac's father.

"Dear God, please watch over our son during his travels. And may he have a safe return." Isaac's mother said a quick prayer to give her son some extra protection and guidance. She then blessed her son and gave him a deep hug and kiss.

"I'll be back." Isaac as he started down the stairs and went through their gate. "Hey, Celestia." said Isaac.

"Good morning, Isaac. Ready to go?" asked Celestia.

"Yeah." With that Isaac put his bag in the truck and carried his backpack with him as he entered the van. Inside were the other girls as they were ecstatic that Isaac was finally here.

Once Celestia made sure that everybody was ready, they all then began their way towards the airport. It took about 45 minutes, but the group then arrived at the place. The thing that surprised them all was that they weren't taking a normal plane as they took a different way into the place. They were now on the runway as there was a private jet waiting for them. They all got out as they grabbed their bags and then started to get on, the only thing that caught Isaac's attention was the initials on the side of the plane that just said 'K.C'.

"How did you afford this, Principal Celestia?" asked Sunset.

"Well, I made a few call to some old connections and they sent me a plane that we could use. Not to mention we've got our own private crew and pilot to take care of us during our trip. Now come along everybody." Celestia then spoke with the pilot as Isaac and the girls all got on board.

After running some last minute preparations, the flight tower then made sure the runway was clear as they began to take off. Everybody inside could feel the plane take off as they held on tight during liftoff and some turbulence when they were gaining some altitude. Now they were soaring high above the clouds, as the pilot gave the signal that they could move about the plane. With that Celestia and Luna then swiveled around in their chairs as they faced the group. On the left side was Fluttershy, Pinkie, Twilight and Isaac while on the right side of the plan was Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sunset.

"Now that everybody is here, let's go over a couple of things. Luna, if you please?" Celestia then motioned for her sister to start the presentation. With that Luna pushed a button and out came a giant touch screen like the ones they use in heist movies to collect and plan information. Celestia then stood up.

"First off, let me say that I hope your summer so far has been great. Given how much Canterlot High has changed with you 8 attending, I thought it might be nice to give you all a vacation of sorts. You should all be proud of yourselves." mention Celestia.

"No sweat, principal Celestia. But we really should thank, Isaac. Ever since he enrolled at CHS, he's shown the desire to be the best and he proved that when he became duel champion. Since then he's brought back what it means to have fun in a duel. We should all give a round of applause to Isaac." exclaimed Dash. The others agreed at they gave Isaac a quick applause which caused him to rub the back of his head.

"Indeed, you've been the face of CHS's dueling division for quite sometime. And I hope you'll continue on making it that much better." said Celestia as she was directly addressing Isaac. "Now then, let me brief you'll on the trip. As you know we'll be traveling to different cities and showcasing dueling not just at CHS, but also to provide some entertainment to parts of the country that don't get to see it often."

"Keep in mind, that this is also to serve as a way for us to plan Isaac's future opponents. You girls will be competing and be ranked based on your win/loss record in your duels." said Luna as she took over the presentation. "Now then, let me show you'll where our first stop will be." Luna then touched the screen as she pressed a picture and out came a photo of a giant city. "Our first stop will be Manehattan."

"Manehattan!!" screamed Rarity as she was ecstatic that the first place they were going to was a place she always dreamed of visiting. "Darlings, I've always dreamed of going there, the glamour, the sophistication. Not to mention the fashion! Oh, maybe I can pick up some inspiration on my next trend of clothes." Rarity was now giddy like a little girl as she pulled out a notepad and began to jot down some notes.

"Ok, ignoring Rarity's outburst." said Sunset. "Where exactly is our first stop?"

"Glad you asked, Sunset." Luna then pulled up the map of Manehattan; she then touched a section of the city as a school came up. "This school is home to lots of young kids, while most of them are about 6 or 7 years old, they don't have the necessary means on giving their students some cards for them to practice dueling. So, this will be a way for us to give them some entertainment while also helping to raise some funds for them. Their school has invested in a lot for us to come that they've invited sponsors to attend, so if we can put on a good show then they'll gladly help out the school and the students."

"Then lets make sure we wow those judges." said Isaac as he stood up from his seat. He then faced the other girls as well as Celestia and Luna. "This is more than just some duels, this is a chance for us to give back to the community and help those in need. Those kids based on these photos show that they want to learn how to duel, but they can't due to things outside of their control. So it's up to us give them access to some valuable resources, we all got some help in getting out decks. But these kids don't, so it's our responsibility to make sure that succeed." Everybody took Isaac's words to heart and they all nodded.

"Thank you for the motivating speech, Isaac." said Celestia. "Now then, once we land, we'll head to hotel room. The next day we'll be heading to the school, but prior to entertaining these kids, we'll all be engaged in a panel which will allow the kids to us you'll some questions pertaining to dueling and just wanting to get to know all of you. Is that okay with everyone?" Everybody agreed with Celestia's proposal. "And don't worry, you'll all get a chance to sight see. Now lets go over the match card that will take place. Since it's our first stop, it's expected that the champion kick things off. So it'll be Isaac taking on... Rarity."

Both Isaac and Rarity looked at each other as they weren't expecting to face each other in the first duel of the trip. Regardless, they both nodded as they looked forward to their duel. Celestia then ran down the other matches: Fluttershy vs Pinkie Pie, and the last duel being Sunset taking on Applejack. Rainbow was upset that she wasn't going to be participating this time around, but Luna told her that she would get her opportunity soon. Twilight was fine not dueling as she wanted to see her friends have fun, not to mention see her boyfriend get to put smiles on the kids faces. With that the meeting was over as Celestia and Luna told them that they would inform the group once they landed, they then disappeared behind the door as they went to their section of the jet. That left Isaac and the girls to discuss among themselves about all the sight seeing they planned. Eventually, the movement of the plane caused most of the girls to fall asleep. The only ones who were awake were Rarity who was using the plane's laptop to search the fashion trends currently happening in Manehattan; Rainbow was currently watching a movie while having headphones in her ears. Isaac was just looking out the window of the plan while Twilight was currently napping next to him.

Twilight had her head on Isaac's arm as she mumbled a bit in her sleep. Isaac just smiled at how cute his girlfriend looked, he pushed her glasses up to keep them from falling and gave her a kiss on her forehead. Isaac then turned back to look out the window as he thought about how he wanted to do everything he can to help those kids. Soon he caught whim of some buildings as they started to get into focus and Isaac could clearly see some cars on the freeway. Then the P.A. system on the plane went off.

"Good afternoon, everybody. We'll be landing in Manehattan in a few minutes. Please keep your seatbelts on until the plane comes to a complete stop." said Celestia.

That announcement soon woke up the girls from their nap as they rubbed their arms and stretched. Soon they all looked out the window as they took in the many buildings and sights of the place. Twilight started to stir as she rubbed her eyes and fixed her glasses. She then saw that she was currently holding onto Isaac's arm; she looked at Isaac who simply gave her a smile. She then looked out the window as she was amazed by what she saw. Soon the plane touched down as it skidded on the freeway and eventually it came to a stop.

Celestia and Luna then came through the door as they told the group they had arrived. With that they all got off and grabbed their bags and then hopped into two SUVs as they took all of them to their hotel. They all got to the hotel as Celestia and Luna checked them in and gave everybody their hotel keys. This time everybody had their own room so they didn't have to worry about sharing. With that they all took the time to settle in their rooms as each person unpacked their belongings. After an hour, Celestia had notified the entire group that she would take them all out for dinner which meant that they could explore on their own. So the girls all met up with Isaac as they began to explore some parts of the city.

They all pasted by Bridleway as the most popular musical, Hinny of the Hills, was playing. Rarity was insisted on purchasing some tickets, but the group reminded her they were on a time limit. They would have plenty of time to see the musical after they were done with the kids. They managed to pass by Times Square as they was tons of billboards and food hotspots. Thanks to Rarity's internet surfing she was able to pick the 'it' place to eat. After that they all caught a boat ride as they explored around on the water and eventually saw the great Statue of Liberty. While the girls were on the lower deck, Isaac and Twilight had manage to sneak away from them and were on the top deck as they stood side by side admiring the view while holding hands.

It was now approaching nighttime as the whole group decided to head back to the hotel to meet up with Celestia and Luna. Once everybody was there, both women took the group to a secret place that was popular for both regular and celebrities. They got there and they all sat at a long table as the chefs and waiters brought in tons of food and they all chowed down. they found out first hand why Manehattan truly was known as The City that Never Sleeps. They all enjoyed spending time together and all looked forward to tomorrow's duels.

It was now morning as everybody was gathered in the lobby of the hotel. The chosen participants were currently going over their decks and making any changes they saw fit. They were currently waiting for Celestia and Luna as they would all head over to the place, soon Luna and Celestia came down the stairs as they checked to make sure that everybody was ready. With that they all hopped into the SUV and were on their way to the school. They arrived to the place as there was a couple of kids playing outside. The vehicle arrived and Celestia and Luna were the first ones out followed by the group. They made their way into the building and entered a room that had several people in them. Celestia and Luna talked with the principal of the school as they went over some last minute things. Then she led the group into a corridor as it led the auditorium where they could hear the noise of the little kids as they were cheering for what was about to happen. Dash had peaked behind the curtain as nearly everybody did the same and saw the massive crowd of kids that were waiting to meet them.

"That's a lot more than I was expecting." said Twilight.

"All those people, staring at us." said Fluttershy as she quickly hid her head.

"Don't sweat it Fluttershy, you'll have us there." mentioned Dash as she did her best to cheer up her friend.

Soon they heard a microphone being turned on, as the group looked at Celestia who was up on the stage. "Good morning boys and girls." Celestia's response was meant with a welcoming cheers and applause from the little kids. "I'm sure all of you are most excited for what is planned for today. Allow me to introduce myself, I'm Principal Celestia and this is my sister, Vice-Principal Luna. We're currently the head figures that run Canterlot High; and let me say that it brings me joy to see people like yourself be so fulling invested in wanting to learn about Duel Monsters." The kids just cheered some more as they began to hold handmade posters. It made the girls nearly breakdown in tears as seeing the kids be so passionate about learning the game.

"Now then, before we begin the festivities, I've brought along some students of mine who I believe can help you all to know the wonders of dueling. These same students will also be showcasing their amazing skills in dueling by putting on a show for you all. Now with out further ado, let me introduce you to the students, I've invited for today's showcase." Celestia then signaled for the group as Isaac and the girls made their way onto the stage as they waved to the kids as they received some cheers. Soon they all sat at a long table as they took their seats as predetermined by their names with a microphone in front of each of them; once everybody was seated, Luna then took the microphone as she began this discussion panel.

"Now before you kids ask these students some questions, let's allow the students to introduce themselves." mentioned Luna. "We'll start at the far end and go from left to right." suggested Luna.

"Hello... I'm Fluttershy." Fluttershy was still a bit scared at being in front of so many eyes, but her friends all gave her warming smiles.

"Howdy, y'all. Name's Applejack, but you can call me AJ." Applejack tipped her hat at the little tykes.

"Morning students, I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Hey everybody, I'm Isaac. And I'm currently ranked as the champion of CHS." Once Isaac made that comment, nearly all the kids started to murmur among themselves as they couldn't believe someone who was considered the best took the time to visit them.

"Name's Rainbow Dash."

"Greeting darlings, my name is Rarity."

"Pinkie Pie."

"And I'm Sunset Shimmer."

"Now that introductions are out the way, let's take a few questions from the kids." suggested Luna. Soon there was a couple of hands that were raised as the staff then got a microphone and gave it to the kid as he stood up.

"So, first all hi. I hope you like our school, so my question is: What decks do you all have and why?" asked the little kid as he sat back down.

"I'll start off," said Sunset. "Right now, I'm currently using a Red-Eyes deck." Sunset's response was met with positive reactions as most of the little ones weren't expecting a card as well know as Red-Eyes to belong to a duelist that was visiting their school. "And as for why I chose this deck, well I actually received the card from one of my close friends whose also on this panel. And he said that it represented my untapped potential, because prior to that, I'll admit I was a bully at my school. I did some horrible stuff to other students and I was so focused on making everybody obey my authority that I lost sight on who I was. Thankfully, he was able to stop me and helped me to get back in good graces with everybody. Since then, I made a vow to treat my new deck with honor and respect." After Sunset finished giving her answer, the audience gave a her an applause as well as her friends. They all resonated with Sunset sharing a part of herself with the little ones.

Applejack then cleared her throat as she began to speak. "As for me, ah got a Predaplant deck. Sure they may be a bit scarier at first, but they're some mighty powerful critters. As for mah reason, ah been a regular old down to earth girl. Not to mention my family and ah work hard to keep our farm runnin'. So ah figured ah went with a deck that shows just how tough ah am."

"Please, as much as those dusty old plants are, they're nothing compared to my team of all-stars." quipped Rainbow as Applejack gave her an angry scowl for downplaying her deck. "Hey kids, if you want to see what true deck looks like, look no further than U.A. Or in other words, ultra athletics. What better way then a deck made up of monsters that can switch out for any situation; not to mention that they're just as awesome as me. If it's cool looking, it's okay in my book." bragged Dash.

"Rainbow, darling." exclaimed Rarity. "The little ones asked what deck you used, not to talk about your overinflated ego." Everybody else just let out a chuckle as they admired Rarity on knocking Rainbow off her pedestal, Rainbow started to get angry and how steam coming out of her ear as Pinkie grabbed some kababs and started to hang them around Rainbow's ears. "Please excuse, my friend, dearies. My deck is just as fabulous as moi, no other deck can suffice or match my definition of perfection other than my Crystal Beast. They're all the rage and while dominating the field, they look stylish while doing it." said Rarity as she put her drama voice on.

"Being the intellect that I am, you would expect me to have a deck that revolves around books/literature. Well you're partially right, the deck that I'm currently using is a Spellbook deck." said Twilight as she fixed her glasses. "While I'm a big fan of science and math, I've always had a fascination when it came to learning and magic. So I picked a deck that compliments my interests."

"Nothing is more enjoyable than furry little creatures. My beast-deck may look intimidating, but I promise they're just a gentle as a little bunny. They wouldn't harm anybody on purpose." said Fluttershy as she promised the little kids that her animals wouldn't cause trouble.

"Who doesn't love cartoons!?" shouted Pinkie. "Toons are just the best thing ever. They're always there for you and they always up for some fun and mischief." Pinkie then pulled our her party cannon as she pulled it and out came confetti as it landed all over the place as the kids laughed at the scene.

"Well, I guess that leaves me." said Isaac as he wiped some confetti off his shoulder. "So being the champion means you kids must be expecting some kind of grand deck that is top notch and is widely known in the dueling community. Am I right?" Almost all the kids shook their heads in agreement with Isaac. "Well that's partial the case, I mean currently, I have the Dark Magician along with Dark Magician Girl in my deck. Any of you kids about these cards?" Almost all the kids started to make loud rumblings as they couldn't believe two legendary cards were currently in the possession of a duelist sitting in front of them. "By that response, I take it you'll know them. As as for my story, well I've told the girls a million times. But growing up, I was always fascinated with dueling. With just the way the game worked and how you had a certain objective that relied on you coming up with a strategy to take down your opponent. Also there was a huge role model that I looked up to, I didn't know his exact name other than that people just referred to him as the 'King of Games'. From that moment on, I wanted to be just like him and put on quality duels for all to enjoy." Isaac's response was met with a round of applause as the kids really liked his answer.

"Well seems those were some good answers." said Luna. "Now whose got any question they would like to ask either to the group or for a specific individual."

More hands were raised as the students were really interested in wanting to ask their questions. Soon a little girl was chosen as she gripped the microphone so that it didn't slip out of her hands as she took a deep breath before speaking.

"Uhm... I have question for Isaac. So what's its like being champion and do you have fun dueling against your friends?" asked the girl as she took her seat.

"How do I like being champion? Oh it's terrible." said Isaac with a mocking tone as all the girls and the kids laughed with him at his answer. "I'm joking, uhm... honestly, it's life changing. And what I mean by that it is that there's a lot responsibilities that come with it; like making sure that everybody sees that you're not just someone who everybody hates. And with that it's also making sure that people see you as just a normal human being. Usually at times, the people who we view in a some sort of limelight, we kind of see them as somebody else and we don't stop to think that their just like you and me. So I try not to view myself as some sort of 'celebrity' and think I'm more important than anybody else. As for the second part of that question, I do enjoy dueling against my friends. It's a way for me to push myself and to help them get better with decks and tactics."

Another student then raised their hand as they stood up and were given the microphone. "This is question is for Rainbow Dash, so who really has been your favorite person to duel against?"

Rainbow was currently drinking her bottle of water as the question was asked to her. She then swallowed her drink as she approached the microphone to give the girl her answer. "Whose been my favorite to duel against? Off the top of my head, I have to say that it's Applejack. Ever since we first enrolled at CHS, she's shown that she can definitely give me a challenge. As much as I talk about being the best, I got to say that she knows how to keep up with me." Rainbow then gave Applejack thumbs up to show that she meant every word she was saying. "But in addition to that, I have to say that Isaac here is really one of the best individuals I could ever ask to be my opponent." Rainbow put her hand on Isaac's shoulder as she talked about him. "He's truly is the definition of what it means to be the best as a duelist, I've come to respect him both as a friend and a rival. I'd be lying if I said that I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for Isaac to push me past my limits and to not just be content with where I am." Isaac just had a smile on his face at how Rainbow was being genuine in her answer.

"I have something to ask Fluttershy, how did it feel to get into the top 8 of the Fall Formal for your school?" asked another girl.

Fluttershy was now more confident in herself as she began to speak into the microphone. "Well for starters, I was genuinely shocked to find out that I had actually made it. I'll admit, I had some confident issues, but despite all that I managed to show everybody that I was not to be taken lightly and showed that I deserve to be on the same stage as the other competitors. Even if I didn't win the tournament." Fluttershy looked at Isaac while she said that giving him a scowl.

"Sorry." said Isaac as he tried to dissolve Fluttershy's expression. Everybody else just laughed at how the two of them acted.

Another kid raised his hand as he had a question to ask. "So, this question is for all of you? What advice would you give someone who's starting their own deck and in choosing their signature monster?"

Isaac and the girls thought about this really hard as they wanted to give an honest answer. Twilight then took the reigns as she was the first one to answer that question.

"Honestly, just pick a deck that you feel comfortable with. It may not be perfect, but that's the point. Overtime, you'll learn which cards work best and that will help you to improve your deck so that it flows to your playstyle." said Twilight. "All of us up here have made tons of changes to our decks everytime we engage in a duel. No deck is perfect and that's fine."

"And to add on with what Twilight is sayin', a deck is suppose to symbolize your bond with your monsters. If you don't feel that with your monsters, then what's the point." stated Applejack. "Your deck is suppose to be a reflection of who you're as an individual; it's to show everybody your personality and what makes you so special."

"In terms of what your signature monster should be, just go with the flow!" exclaimed Pinkie. "I mean so what if your opponent doesn't like it, you do and that alone deserves a celebration." Suddenly more confetti fell from the ceiling. "Have fun with your monsters, their your friends."

"Another thing I want to say is that don't let other people's opinion change your perspective on how you see things." state Sunset. "In the end, the only opinion that really matters is your own."

"Adding my two cents, darling. Just know that as long as your content with making your deck your own then that's all that should matter. Each one of us up here knows that our decks were inspired by someone, but yet we don't feel like we're copying them. We've took the time and put in the effort to make our decks our own." mentioned Rarity. "You know we've all had doubts in our abilities, but thanks to a certain someone. He's shown that anything is possible." Rarity quickly looked at Isaac. "He introduced us to his motto and its:..."

"Put your trust in your deck and it will trust in you." said all the girls in unison as they all looked at Isaac who just smiled sheepishly.

"So, my question is directed for the girls? How annoying is that Isaac uses Kuriboh to save himself when he's about to lose?" asked another kid.

"Always!" shouted the girls as they looked at Isaac who immediately put his head down.

"Come on!" shouted Isaac. "It's not my fault that I always draw the little guy at the right time."

"Yeah, it just happens to be in your hand at the exact moment that one of us is about to beat you." exclaimed Dash.

"Ah know you're a crafty city boy, but even ah got to question how you manage to survive due to Kuriboh?" said Applejack.

"Ever hear of the 'heart of the cards'." said Isaac as he was trying to defend himself from the girls turning against him. Soon all the girls giggled as they were enjoying themselves on teasing Isaac. Celestia and Luna even joined in on the fun as they broke into a small laughter, even the kids started to laugh at Isaac. "Alright, enough that. Now then are we going to get these duels started or not? I know these kids would rather see our decks in action rather than just talking about them."

"Very well, Isaac." Celestia then signaled for the staff to clear the way as they told the kids to sit on the sidelines as there was a large space in the middle for the duels to take place. "Now then, boys and girls, we'll now begin the duels we have scheduled. To start things off, the first duel will feature the champion taking on Miss Rarity and her Crystal Beasts. Duelists take your place."

With that Isaac and the girls all stood up from their seats. Isaac and Rarity then wished each other good luck with Rarity giving Isaac a kiss on the cheek. They both took their positions as they now faced each other, their friends were now next to Celestia and Luna as they prepared to watch their friends had an awesome battle.

"You ready, Rarity?"

"Always, darling." Rarity then activated her duel disk as it projected an indigo card tray.

"Alright then, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he activated his duel disk which caused a gold card tray to appear.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"Well then, care to start us off Isaac. You are the champion of course." stated Rarity.

"You're right, but I'm also a gentleman." Isaac then did a quick bow to Rarity. "And as a gentleman it's his duty to allow a lady to go first."

"Still the charmer, Twilight is lucky to be with you. Alright then, I'll start thing off." said Rarity as she let out a giggle.

Turn 1: Rarity

Rarity drew her card and started to formulate her plan. "I'll start things off with the field spell Ancient City- Rainbow Ruins." Soon the entire field changed as a rainbow appeared above Isaac and Rarity as they were in an open arena. "My field spell comes with many special abilities depending on the number of my Crystal Beasts. Like this for example, I summon Topaz Tiger in attack mode." Rarity now he her tiger out as it let out a mighty roar that caused some of the kids to be scared just by looking at him. "Don't fret darlings, my topaz is as gentle as he can be. Why wouldn't hurt a fly unless I told him to, isn't that right my sweet topaz." Topaz Tiger then approached Rarity as it got on its hind legs and started to lick Rarity's face to show its affection. "Down my sweet darling, mama promises to give you a treat after the duel." With that Topaz Tiger then got in front of Rarity as he prepared to defend his owner while Rarity gave him a petting on his head.

"Next, I'll play the spell Crystal Bond. So now I'll add a 'Crystal Beast' to my hand and place a different one in my spell/trap zone. I chose to add Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus to my hand and place Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth in my spell/trap zone." Rarity used her duel disk to get the cards she wanted and then placed her Amber Mammoth in her backrow. "Now then with my Amber Mammoth in my backrow, my field spell now gains an effect, an ability that lets it be immune to being destroyed by card effects. With that I'll lay a facedown and pass it over to you, Isaac."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Not bad, Rarity. Now time to see what I got." Isaac drew his card and based on his options, he saw what he could do. "I think I'll change things up a bit for this first turn, first I play the spell card Reincarnation of Hope! By sending two monsters to the graveyard now, I can draw a monster card later." Isaac then selected his two cards he wanted to get rid of and slotted them into the graveyard slot of his duel disk. "Now I'll summon Junk Synchron to the field. And because I was able to summon him, now I can summon a Level 2-or-below monster from my graveyard! Sonic Chick(300/300), fan your feathers in defense mode! Next I'll play Quillbolt Hedgehog's ability from my graveyard-- an ability that, since I have a Tuner monster already on my field, allows me to summon my Hedgehog straight to the field." Now Isaac had three monsters that he didn't normally use which really confused everybody, especially Rarity.

"Talk about a new trick." said Dash.

"It's Isaac, what do you expect." stated Sunset. "He's always finding new ways to surprise his opponents and catch them off guard. Plus I have a feeling he's setting up for something big." All the girls smiled along with Sunset at how Isaac was being his normal self and constantly being unpredictable.

"So tell me, darling? You plan to show us a new monster?" suggested Rarity as she had her hand on her hip.

"You know me, Rares. I'm always changing up how I duel, sometimes that means playing monsters that aren't a major part of my deck. But I do love showing them off for everyone to see." Isaac smiled back at Rarity. "Now then I tune all three of my monsters together." Isaac's monsters then jumped into the air as Junk Synchron turned into orbs of light that surrounded Hedgehog and Sonic Chick in rings. "From three come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might! Combine their courage to Synchro Summon Junk Gardna(1400/2600) in defense mode!" Out came a new monster from Isaac as it was made up of metal parts and puts its arms together to create a sort of shield.

"Impressive." said Rarity. The others all agreed as they were stunned by Isaac's new monster.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rarity

"Back to me," Rarity was now thinking twice about how to approach the situation given that she didn't know what abilities Isaac's new monster had. "Well now, I'll play my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus. Now Pegasus' ability allows me to place a 'Crystal Beast' from my hand, deck, or grave in my spell/trap zone. So I choose my Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle." Rarity then used her screen as she got the card she wanted and placed it in her backrow. "Now, I'll play the spell card Crystal Promise. So now I can select one of my Crystal Beast in my spell/trap zone and special summon it, so I choose my Ruby Carbuncle. When my Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned, all other Crystal Beasts in my backrow get released." Ruby Carbuncle then appeared as it used its tail to release the other crystals as Amber Mammoth came out, now Rarity had 4 monsters out on her field.

"Next, I'll play my equip spell, Crystal Release and give my Pegasus an extra 800 attack points. So now, my Pegasus now had 2600 attack points." With that Pegasus then spread its wings as it powered up. Now my Sapphire Pegasus has the same amount of attack points as Isaac's Junk Gardna, so they'll both survive. But maybe I could use that to my advantage. Rarity then looked at Isaac who just had a straight look on his face, so she couldn't really grasp what he was thinking which made it that much harder. Well, only one way to find out. "Now Pegasus, take flight and attack Junk Gardna." Pegasus the took flight as it started to make its way towards Isaac's field.

Isaac's look then changed as he had a smile on his face. "I now activate Junk Gardna's ability. Now once per turn, I can change one of your monster's positions. So with that Sapphire Pegasus' attack is nullified and switched into defense mode." With that Junk Gardna clanged together its arms as the sound wave resonated and it caused Rarity's monster to change modes.

"So that's what it can do, very well. I'll end my turn."

"So now we know what effect that monster of Isaac's has, the question is how will Rarity deal with it?" said Applejack.

"It's going to be tough, seeing as how Isaac can activate his monster's effect during any player's turn." stated Fluttershy.

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac picked up his card and wasted in no time activating it. "I play the spell Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hand. Since I've drawn Watapon, I can summon it to the field. Then I'll activate my Reincarnation of Hope's effect and add the Dark Magician to my hand." said Isaac as he used his duel disk to search for it and then show it to Rarity.

"As if I didn't see that coming." said Rarity with a bit of sarcasm in her voice.

"Now, I'll play the spell Ancient Rule. Now I can special summon a Level 5-or-higher spellcaster from my hand, so I choose my most loyal companion, Dark Magician." Isaac now had his trusting ace on his field as the kids were in awe based on how big their eyes grew. They looked so innocent as they were amazed by Isaac's monster. "Next, I'll sacrifice my Watapon to summon Dark Magician Girl." Now both magicians took their rightful positions as the kids cheered even louder.

"So what do you guys think?" Isaac asked his magicians.

"I just adorn all those little kids, Isaac." Mana was all excited as she thought all the little kids were so cute. "To think they all want to learn about Duel Monsters and dueling. Oh it makes my heart just melt."

"Mana, contain yourself. Bear in mind that we're currently engaged in a duel with Lady Rarity." said Mahad. "We must make sure that we focus on the task at hand, for our master's sake."

"Mahad, when are you ever going to just let go of your serious tone for once and just be normal!" Mana then let out a sigh. "Honestly, I don't know how both our pharaoh and Isaac ever put up with your stern attitude."

"Come on, Mahad. This trip is for us to just relax without having to worry about some evil magic trying to ruin the world for once. Plus these children really are depending on us to put on a good show so that they can gain the funds for their school to give them cards." Isaac now looked at his magicians. "So mind letting me a hand in giving these kids something they can be happy about." Both Mana and Mahad took in their master's words and they gave him a nod.

"Darling." said Rarity as she got Isaac's attention. "You're talking to your magicians again, aren't you?"

"Oh yeah. Sorry about that." said Isaac as he forgot that sometimes when he talked with the spirits of his monster he got carried away.

"It's fine, darling." giggled Rarity as she still found Isaac rather attractive that he could talk with his monsters. Despite his choice on choosing Twilight, Rarity would still love Isaac with all her heart, especially when they went on their date from so long ago. Just thinking about that caused her to blush, as she quickly got rid of it to avoid ruining the kid's pure innocence.

"Now then, I'll play my De-spell to get rid of your field spell. Since you have no Crystal Beasts in your backrow, your field is free for me to target." Dark Magician then raised his wand and fired off a powerful shot as Rarity's field spell was destroyed and the field returned to normal. "Now I'll have Dark Magician attack your Ruby Carbuncle and Dark Magician Girl will attack your Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus." With that Isaac's magicians took flight towards Rarity's field.

"I reveal my facedown trap, Crystal Concave. Now once per turn, when a face-up 'Crystal Beast' monster(s) are destroyed by battle or card effect, I can special summon another 'Crystal Beast' from my deck. So I choose my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense mode. Then I'll activate my Amber Mammoth's effect, so I'll protect my Pegasus by changing your Dark Magician Girl to attack him instead." said Rarity.

Dark Magician Girl then raised its wand and was about to bring it down on Sapphire Pegasus. Amber Mammoth then jumped in front of its comrade as it used its trunk to collide with her wand before it started to crack and then burst into a million of pieces.

"And now my Amber and Ruby are now placed in my spell/trap zone." Rarity's then used her duel disk screen to get her monster she selected and placed it on her card tray. She then placed the other two in her backrow.
Rarity's Life Points: 5500-

"With that, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

"My turn, darling." Got to turn this duel into my favor. The real threat is Isaac's Junk Gardna, as long as it remains on the field, he'll keep switching any monster I attack with to defense mode. "I'll play the Rare Value spell card, so now you select one of my 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell/trap zone and send it to the grave, so that I can draw 2 cards. So what's your choice, darling?"

Isaac took a second to look at Rarity's backrow. "I choose your Amber Mammoth." said Isaac as he pointed to his choice.

"Very well," Rarity then grabbed her monster and sent it to the grave as she picked up two more cards. "Now then I'll just place this card facedown and before I end my turn, I'll switch my Sapphire Pegasus into attack mode."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card and looked at Rarity's field. "Now then I'll activate my Junk Gardna's effect and switch your Sapphire Pegasus back into defense mode. Now I'll have my Dark Magician attack your Emerald Tortoise and Dark Magician Girl take out your Pegasus." Isaac then gave his command to his magicians.

"I reveal my Rainbow Path trap card, so now I'll send my Ruby from my spell/trap zone to the grave so that I can negate the attack of your Dark Magician Girl." Rarity then gave her Ruby Carbuncle card a goodbye kiss as she sent it to the grave to keep her Pegasus from being destroyed. However, she didn't have anything to protect her tortoise as it shattered and was destroyed.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

"As a result, my Emerald Tortoise is placed in my spell/trap zone." Rarity then grabbed her monster and placed it in her backrow. "Now the additional effect of my Rainbow Path allows me to add Rainbow Dragon from my deck to my hand." Rarity now had her ace dragon in her hand which caused Isaac to worry a bit. "And don't forget about the effect of my Crystal Concave, so since my Emerald Tortoise was destroyed by battle, I can place my Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in my spell/trap zone."

Turn 7: Rarity

"I now have a plan, draw. Now I'll play the spell card, Crystal Abundance. So since I have two Crystal Beasts in my spell/trap zone, I can special summon another 'Crystal Beast' from my deck. So come out, Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat." Rarity then took her monster and placed it on her card tray next to her Pegasus and Tiger. "Now the time has come, since I have all 7 Crystal Beasts on my field with different names, I can call upon my most powerful monster." Rarity then flipped her hair as she did a quick twirl and held her card up high. "Prepare kiddies, let me show you my ace monster, I summon Rainbow Dragon!" Rarity now had her most powerful card as it radiated the room with all of its vibrant colors as the kids were amazed that something so big could be so colorful. Rainbow Dragon let out a roar as it caused some of the kids to jump back a few inches.

"Now, now, my dear dragon. Try not to scare these kids, they mean no harm." Rarity put her hand to her monster as it looked back at its master. Rainbow Dragon then lowered its head so that Rarity could pet him as he let out a warming growl as Rarity smiled and petted her mighty beast. She then gave him a kiss as he returned back to position ready to fight for his queen. "Now I'll switch, my Pegasus to attack mode. Now time to attack, my Sapphire Pegasus will attack your Dark Magician and my Rainbow Dragon will take out your Junk Gardna."

"I activate my Junk Gardna's effect, so I'll switch your Sapphire Pegasus into defense mode." said Isaac.

"My Rainbow Dragon's attack still goes through." Rainbow Dragon was successful in taking out Junk Gardna; Isaac put his arm up as he took the attack from Rarity's monster head on until it died down. "With your monster gone, I can finally get to dealing you some real damage." said Rarity as she was proud of herself for finally getting rid of her problem.

"Indeed, but my Junk Gardna doesn't leave without a parting gift. Now when he's destroyed, I can switch another monster into defense mode. And I choose your Rainbow Dragon." said Isaac as Rarity's dragon shifted battle modes.

"Even after it's gone, it's still a nuisance." gritted Rarity as her monster was changed to defense mode due to Isaac's monster. "I'll just bring my turn to a close."

Turn 8: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card and looked at Rarity's field. "Since I have a level 7-or-higher spellcaster on my field, I can activate this spell card Diffusion Wave-Motion. So now by paying 1000 life points, my Dark Magician can now attack all of your monsters. In addition, any effects of the monsters that my magician destroys are negated." Rarity gritted her teeth even more; with that Dark Magician laid waste to Rarity's entire field as all of her monsters were gone and none of their effects could activate.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"Luckily for you, since I used this spell card, none of my other monsters can attack this turn." said Isaac.

"My Crystal Concave is still in effect, so now that a Crystal Beast is destroyed, I'll place another one in my spell/trap zone. I choose another Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth. In addition, my Crystal Release allows does the same thing since it left the field, so I place another Ruby Carbuncle." Rarity then placed her two new cards from her deck in her backrow as it was now completely full.
Rarity's Life Points: 4600-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: Rarity

"My draw," Rarity drew her card and looked at her field; she couldn't play any other cards in her backrow due to them being full, but she had a way to solve that. "I now activate the other effect of my Crystal Concave, so by sending this card to the grave, I'll return a 'Crystal Beast' and one card on the field to the hand. So I'll return my Ruby Carbuncle and your Dark Magician back to your hand." With that both Rarity's crystal and Isaac's magician glowed brightly as they were then transformed back into cards as they appeared back into their owner's hand.

"Now I have some free spots to play this card, Crystal Overfusion!" The images of all of Rarity's Crystal Beasts now appeared as they all combined their energies together. Isaac knew what was coming as he remembered the last time Rarity used this card. "I banish all my Crystal Beasts to fusion summon, Rainbow Overdragon!" Out came a beast that was much larger than Rarity's Rainbow Dragon as it unfurled its wing and let out a booming roar. "Now Rainbow Overdragon attack Dark Magician Girl!" Rarity gave her command and her dragon opened its mouth as it powered up and unleashed a powerful attack that took out Dark Magician Girl as Isaac put his arm up to cover himself.

"Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as he watched his magician be destroyed.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Now I'll activate my dragon's effect, so by offering it up as tribute, I can shuffle all other cards on the field back into the deck." With that Isaac's facedowns were now placed back into his deck. "Now I'll banish my Crystal Overfusion since my Rainbow Overdragon left the field, I can now bring back my original Rainbow Dragon and since we're still in the middle of the battle, my Rainbow Dragon can now attack you directly!" Rainbow Dragon then unleashed a powerful attack as it caused Isaac to fall onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Now, I'll end my turn."

The kids were concerned about Isaac as he was thrown for a loop due to Rarity's dragon. But the girls knew Isaac was alright as he was used to taking a beating. Isaac then did a kip-up as he was now on his feet and looking perfectly fine. He gave the kids a thumbs up and smile to assure the kids that he was fine. He then dusted his shoulder as he prepared to take his turn.

Turn 10: Isaac

"Not bad, Rarity." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now time for me to take over, to start I'll play the spell Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three more cards and get rid of two." Isaac then drew his card and selected the ones he wanted to discard. "Now I'll set two cards facedown and then play my Emergency Provisions, so I'll get rid of my two facedowns to increase my life points by 2000." Isaac's facedown were now destroyed. "Now I'll summon my King's Knight in attack mode, and then play this new spell card, Legend of Heart. So now I'll pay 2000 life points and banish my Eye of Timaeus spell card from my grave." said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Mind enlightening us on why you did that, darling?" Rarity and everybody else was confused at what Isaac was doing. "Your life total didn't change all you did was send some card to the grave and get rid of one of your most powerful cards."

"See Rarity, while my Eye of Timaeus is a powerful card indeed. It's true strength lies in unlocking its hidden power, which I'll now show you'll. I now offer my King Knight's," Isaac's monster then disappeared into a vortex as its energy was being used to summon a different monster, "Legendary Knights of Atlantis, hear my cry, lend me your strength. Unlock your true power, I summon my Legendary Knight Timaeus(2800/1800)!" Out came to Isaac's field a new monster, as it was a knight in full armor from head to toe. The most striking feature was his face as it had a scar running down his right eye, but even more importantly he looked like he had the face of Isaac's idol.

"Incredible." said Rarity as she and everybody else took in Isaac's new monster.

Legendary Knight Timaeus now turned to Isaac as they stared face to face making direct eye contact. Soon the valiant knight stabbed his sword into the ground as he kneeled before Isaac while bowing his head. Isaac then lifted his hand as Timaeus looked at him to signal that he obeyed his command. He then grabbed his sword as he took position to protect his master.

"Then I'll end my turn." said Isaac.

Turn 11: Rarity

"My turn, and time to finish this duel. Now Rainbow Dragon attack Isaac's Legendary Knight." Rainbow Dragon then powered up as it was getting ready to unleash its attack.

"Hold Rarity, when Legendary Knight of Timaeus is targeted for an attack, I select a spell card in my graveyard and set that card." Isaac then selected the spell card he wanted as he took it and placed it on his card tray.

"Be that as it may, you can't use it. And my attack still continues, darling." said Rarity.

"That's why I'll put a stop to your attack by banishing my Electromagnetic Turtle from the grave, so now your battle phase immediately ends!" shouted Isaac. A small turtle came out as it created a wall of electricity that paralyzed Rarity's great beast. The kids were amazed that such a small creature could stop a big dragon.

"Very well then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac

"Now my turn. I'll play the spell Polymerization and with it fuse together my Dark Magician with my Curse of Dragon to summon my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight." Isaac now had a monster that rode on a dragon that was similar in size to Rarity's dragon. "Next, I'll play the spell Monster Reborn and with it I'll revive my Dark Magician Girl. Then, I'll play Dark Magic Attack. So now all your spell/trap cards are destroyed!" Dark Magician the Dragon Knight then raised its sword and fired a powerful beam that took care of Rarity's backrow.

"My dragon is still the strongest on the field, darling." mentioned Rarity.

"That's why, I'll play my final card for this duel, my Dark Magic Twin Burst. So now my Dark Magician Girl gives my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight a boost equal to her attack. Now my monster slay her dragon!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's monster then took flight as the rider brought its mighty weapon downward and slashed her Rarity's monster across the chest as it glowed brightly before disappearing in a giant light. "Now Dark Magician Girl and Legendary Knight of Timaeus, end this duel!" With their command given, Dark Magician Girl raised her wand and shot a off a powerful spell while Legendary Knight of Timaeus and was preparing to bring his sword down on Rarity.

Rarity put her arm up to protect herself from Isaac's knight. But when she opened her eyes, she saw that the Legendary Knight just merely had his weapon touch her shirt to signal its attack made contact. Despite being engaged in battle, he was still a knight and his code dictated him to not harm someone who couldn't defend himself or a lady for that matter. Rarity was surprised to see how gentlemanly Isaac's knight was despite her being the enemy. She gave him a smile to which he merely bowed his head and then disappeared as the duel ended.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel then ended as Isaac and Rarity made their way towards each other. "Hope my knight wasn't too rough with you Rarity." said Isaac as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"On the contrary, darling. He was very respectful, not to mention quite dashing. Kind of like you." smiled Rarity. "I do wish I could have given him my regards, but I guess you'll do." Rarity then gave Isaac a peck on the cheek as a way for her to say thank you to Isaac and his knight.

Their friends just smiled as they enjoyed the battle. The kids were now murmuring among their tiny selves as they couldn't believe the battle they had just saw. Celestia and Luna were currently talking with some of the sponsors that were in attendance for this school and safe to say that they were impressed with what they saw. They congratulated the two women on having a student with highly skilled talent and told her they would help this school by funding their cards and duel disks. With that every little kids cheered that they were going to get some cards as they all started to surround Isaac.

"Okay, hold on! One at a time!" said Isaac as he was swarmed by little kids grabbing his shirt. "Girls, a little help!" shouted Isaac to which they all just giggled as they watched their friend.

Chapter 71: The City of Brotherly Love

After Isaac's duel, the other girls took their positions as they begun to battle. Pinkie and Fluttershy engaged in a battle that ended in a tie. Sunset and Applejack went all out in a burtal fight, but in the end it was Applejack who had managed to come out on top. After the final duel, Celestia and Luna then asked their students to take a bow as the kids cheered them for providing them with some quality entertainment. The sponsors were very impressed with the group, especially Isaac as they pulled him aside and talked about he might want to consider becoming a pro after graduation and gave him their business card should he select them to sponsor his career. Isaac just merely said he'll think about it. Regardless, the Canterlot group was successful in that they were able to help the kids gain the funds necessary to give them Duel Monster cards. With that they waved goodbye as they returned back to their hotel.

Celestia allowed them to sight see some more as a reward for all they did. Thankfully, there weren't leaving until tomorrow afternoon so it allowed Rarity a chance to purchase tickets to see Hinny in the Hills on Bridleway. Everyone was excited, but it took the combined efforts of Twilight and Rarity to literally drag Isaac to see the show. After that the group explored more of the city until it was nighttime. It was now about 10 in the morning as everybody packed their stuff, with that they got into the SUVs and drove to the airport to where their private jet was waiting for them. With that they got on board and took their seats as they prepared for Luna and Celestia's next meeting.

"First of all, you'll did an incredible job putting on some show stopping duels for those kids. Now they'll be receiving aid from the dueling community and can start their journey as duelists." said Celestia as she and her sister had a smile on their faces. "We're so proud of all of you."

Isaac and the girls just all gave each other high fives as they felt proud that they could help those kids. Soon Luna got their attention as went over their next stop.

"Now then, our next stop will be none other than Fillydelphia. And our target will be here," Luna then touched a section of the city as it displayed another school. "This school prides itself on showing its students the history of dueling and even brings in some pro duelists from their busy schedule to give these kids a quick lesson in dueling. We'll be doing much more than that."

"Indeed, Luna. See for this school, each one of you will sub in for a teacher and lecture these kids about dueling in general. Now some will be paired up, but your overall goal will be to see if you can get these kids to learn something new."

Once, Celestia finished her statement, immediately all the girls looked at Isaac. Isaac was scared at how his friends were all looking at him with their eyes.

"What!?" shouted Isaac.

"I call Isaac!" said Dash in a quick tone as she now appeared next to him. Soon the other girls made their move as they all tried to stake their claim on being partnered up with Isaac. Isaac was now being surrounded by the girls and trying to fend them off while Luna and Celestia just giggled at what they saw.

"Enough girls!" exclaimed Celestia. "I've already made the arrangements on who will be teaching what. Both Applejack and Fluttershy will be paired up and be teaching the kids in class 101. Twilight will be teaching class 305. Dash and Pinkie will take class 213. Rarity and Sunset will be teaching class 111. And Isaac will take over for the teacher in classroom 005."

Now that each one of them had their assignments they all began to ask Isaac for some tips on how to teach kids. He had a lot of experience with dealing with them and the way he taught allowed anybody to be invested. Isaac just told him that in order to get the kids to pay attention to their lessons, they just had to be themselves and connect with the kids on a personally level so that they viewed you as a friend instead of a teacher. Luna then ran down the matchups for this trip. It would Sunset taking on Fluttershy, Dash vs Aj, and Twilight taking on Pinkie. With that they were now airborne as they were on their way.

This time everybody was asleep as they all had pillows and blankets they were given to them by the staff on the plane. Isaac was currently at one of the tables as he had all of his cards scattered in a huge pile while he looked at them. As always he was looking to change up his deck and see if he could come up with new tactics. Also that he was a bit nervous with the advice he gave the girls for their class. He had a natural talent when it came to dealing with kids, so teaching came second nature to him. After a while his eyes started to slowly close as he put his hand to his face; he decided to call it for the night as he turned off the little lamp on the table. With that he made his way back to his seat and gave Twilight a kiss on cheek as she was fast asleep. He then sat next to her as he threw the blanket over him and lowered his cap to cover his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

A couple of hours later Isaac was fast asleep as he was having a pleasant dream. He soon felt himself wake up as somebody was shaking him.

"Isaac, wakeup." said a soft voice.

"Hmm." said Isaac as he lifted his cap up a bit so that he could see. He saw Twilight's beautiful face as she was smiling.

"Hope I didn't interrupt you sleeping. You seem to be enjoying yourself." said Twilight as she let out a giggle.

"I might still be dreaming, since you're here. But then again, I'm content with living in reality." Isaac had a sly smile on his face as he looked Twilight. Twilight gave Isaac a kiss which lasted for a few seconds before she pulled away. "So, what's up?"

"Well, I thought to let you know that we're about to arrive." Twilight then pointed out the window.

Outside the plan was landing as it passed the many buildings in the city, not to mention that the city was know for being an important place in history given how many of the buildings still had a colonial structure. They saw tons of people out and about on the streets talking with each other. Soon the runway came into view as they touched down and slowly came to a halt. The landing of the plane caused everybody else to awake as they all rubbed their eyes. Isaac looked at his watch and saw that it was 11:15 pm. Celestia and Luna then came through the door as they made sure everybody was ready, with that they all got off the plane as they all made their way to the hotel to get some more sleep as they would head over to the school in the morning.

Morning came and after room service brought breakfast for the group, they were now waiting in the lobby asking Isaac for any last minute tips on how to hand teaching kids. Soon arrived Celestia and Luna from their room and called a cab for them to take to the school. They all arrived as classes were just about to start; Celestia and Luna spoke with the school's principal and told them about how her students were the ones who would be special guest in teaching the kids. The principal then met with Isaac and the girls and she was expressing how grateful she was for having them. They all said it was no trouble and with that they all entered into the building.

Celestia and Luna pointed each person to where they were going and told the group that they would check in on how each of them was doing in a little bit. Both women then left as they had to check on the preparations for the auditorium where the duels would take place.

"Alright, girls. You heard Celestia and Luna; lets teach these kids the amazing world of dueling and Duel Monsters." All the girls nodded as they all began to search for their rooms. Twilight was the last one to leave; Isaac gave her one final kiss and with that they both left to their individual rooms. Isaac thankfully didn't have to walk far as his room just so happened to be down the hall and to his right. He peaked in as he saw a couple of kids going over a math lesson and the teacher was at the front speaking. He then entered the room quietly as he leaned against the door and waited for the teacher to finish speaking.

"Now then, tonight's homework will consist you doing problems 9-19 on pages 2-3. Are there any questions?" asked the teacher. Her only response was the groans she got from the little kids as they didn't like getting homework. "Well I take it that everybody understands, now lets move on to another lesson. Duel Monsters." The teacher then pulled down a poster of the game as the expressions on the little ones changed from boredom to interest. "Now normally we have some pro duelist come in and give a few words about how they came to be and that's it. Well I'm pleased to say that our school has partnered with another school from a different city and they've sent a few students to our school to do a bit more. They'll be here to actually teach you a few things."

Isaac knew that was his cue as he finally spoke up. "I guess that's where I make my presence known." said Isaac as the students and the teacher all looked at him. Isaac then introduced himself to everybody. "Hey everyone, my name is Isaac. And I'll be the one talking about dueling today."

"Pleasure to make your acquittance, Isaac." said the teacher as she shook his hand. "Now class, this here is Isaac. He's currently from Canterlot High, both he and his friends are here today where they'll be teaching several classes about dueling in general. During lunchtime, we'll all be treated to some special duels that they'll put for us. With that I'll let you take over Isaac."

"Right, so what your teacher just said is all true. Right now me and my friends are here to teach several of your other classmates about the game and to answer any questions you may have?" said Isaac.

A student raised their hand and Isaac called on them, "What's your rank?"

"My rank?" said Isaac as he had an eyebrow raised.

"Yeah, what's your rank?"

"Uh.. champion?" said Isaac as he was unsure if that was the answer the kids wanted to hear. Regardless, most of them had their mouths open and murmured among themselves. "Is that a problem?" asked Isaac.

Another student spoke up, "It's just impressive that someone who's ranked as champion of their school decided to visit us. Normally, duelist who are ranked in your position, usually spend all the time trying to become a pro and never have time for these sorts of things. Which means, you must be really good."

Isaac just chuckled sheepishly at that response. "Well, I'm glad you think that, but I'm not that good. I'm just very passionate about the game; most of my life I've spent just learning the game and practicing when I was young. I just happened to pick up a lot of stuff and learned it fast."

"So what deck do you run?" asked another student.

"Right now, my deck is mostly made up of spellcasters, with my aces being Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl." said Isaac.

"Can we see them?" asked a little girl.

"Sure." Isaac pulled out his deck and showed the kids his star magicians. The reaction was as expected at they had surprised looks which Isaac was used to. "These two are the heart and soul of my deck. I can't tell how many times we've been together and faced countless of tough foes."

"Impressive," said the teacher as she was sitting at her desk looking at Isaac's cards. "In all my years of becoming a teacher, there's only been a handful of people who wielded either one or the other. However, there's only been one duelist to have both in his deck and use them both to get the top."

"I know what you mean," Isaac knew that the women was talking about Isaac's idol and his success to the top.

"Now class, before Isaac begins his lesson. I've received a video from his principal that she wants us to watch." said the teacher as she pulled up the video. Celestia had sent the teacher a highlight video of some of Isaac's incredible duels that he's had so far. Some of them included: The Winter Ball, Spring Fling, Fall Formal, etc... even the graduation duel at Crystal Prep was shown as that was the duel the kids were most excited for as the back and forth action kept everybody second guessing on what was going to happen.

Twilight was currently going over her lessons with her class, she was assigned to a classroom that had all girls. So in way she was in a natural setting, right now she was finishing her lecture about the different types of summonings. She even made sure to have visual aids to help the kids get a better understanding on what she was saying. "And that girls covers all the know summoning methods that different duelist use." The little girls were all jotting down notes from Twilight's lecture as they were fascinated by what she was talking about.

Twilight then introduced some photos of her friends on her PowerPoint presentation as she explained each of them and what their signature monster/deck was. She told them how each one of them was also teaching another class and the methods they would use to summon said monster. She had just covered Sunset's profile when a student raised her hand.

"Excuse, Ms. Sparkle. Who's that person?" said the little girl.

Twilight looked at the girl was referring to and it was none other than Isaac's portrait. She just simply smile as she forgot that she put Isaac's picture in her presentation. "That is currently the person who's the champion of CHS' dueling division, his name is Isaac."

All the girls let out 'oohs'. "What does he specialize in?" asked a student.

"Really, he's a master of them all. He's just the best," said Twilight as she had a smile on her face. "He's always looking for a way to improve his dueling, not to mention that he's incredible. His ace monsters are his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl; you have to see him in action to understand what I'm saying. Just know that when he gets on the dueling field, you will always want to pay attention to what move Isaac is going to do. He has saying: Trust in your deck and it will trust in you."

The students were interested in seeing Isaac based on how Twilight was describing him a duelist. "He must be really good." said a student.

"He's phenomenal." said Twilight with a bit of a lovesickness on her face.

"Is he your special someone?" asked another student.

Twilight went red from hearing a little kid say that. To think that even someone as young as them could see the relationship between her and Isaac; showed that they were madly in love with each other. Twilight just nodded at the class as she tried her best to hide her blush. Soon all the little girls asked her how she and Isaac got together and so Twilight began to tell them her story. She told them about when she first met Isaac and from then they would spend time getting to know each other; soon they confessed their feelings towards each other and since then they've been a thing. All the girls had swoon expressions as they thought it was like something out of a fairytale ending, not to mention it got them thinking about potentially meeting someone who could sweep them off their feet in the near future.

Celestia and Luna were roaming the halls taking a peak at how their students were doing. Applejack and Fluttershy were currently going over a lesson on Fusion Summoning, even showing the kids some of their cards and letting them figure out the proper steps on how to fusion. They moved on and both Dash and Pinkie were giving a lesson on the different types of spell/traps cards that a deck could have and knowing when you should activate it. Twilight was going over different deck archetypes as she explained that each one had a certain feature and what it's strength/weakness were. Sunset and Rarity explaining what cards any person could have and then using those said cards to help the early stages of creating your deck. They then checked up on Isaac and he was giving them a story about inspiration and role models; he was telling the kids about his motivation for getting into dueling and telling them about his idol that he looked up to.

"Wow, do you think you'll be as good as him?" asked a student.

"That's dream isn't it." said Isaac. "You grow up idolizing someone and you do everything you can to be just like them. But you have to realize that you can't just simply copy them, it's an insult to both you and that person. Would I like to be in the same category as him, yeah. Do I think I can be like him? That remains to be seen. And as far as facing him, if only?" Isaac let out a sigh as he shared his thoughts with the kids.

Soon their was a knock on the door as Celestia and Luna came in. They asked the kids if they were enjoying Isaac's lesson to which they all nodded. They both gave Isaac smiles for doing his job; they then told him it was time and with that Isaac told the class to line up as they were now making their way to the auditorium for the duels that were going to take place. Isaac led his class into the auditorium where he noticed his friends having their own little group as they all looked at each other. Soon everybody began to take a seat as they each wished their respective teachers good luck.

Isaac and the girls all met up and they began to talk among themselves on how they felt teaching a class. Safe to say that the reception was heartfelt as the girls understood why Isaac had a blast teaching others. Soon Celestia and Luna approached them as it was time for the festivities to get underway. With that Rainbow and Applejack got ready as they would be the ones to kick things off. The rest of the group just watched from the sidelines as both Aj and Dash activated their duel disk.

The battle was intense as both duelist were hitting some vicious strikes at one another. The kids were into the match as they Aj and Dash just slug it out. The rest of their friends were used to the two of them battling each other still they were more focused on the smiles that the kids had on their little faces. Soon their battle came to an end as it was Rainbow Dash that was the last women standing. With that they gave each other a fist bump and everybody watching showed their respect for both competitors. With their duel over, it was time for Fluttershy and Sunset to take center stage as it was their turn. Both gave each other a high five and then took their positions.

"You ready, Fluttershy?" asked Sunset as she activated her duel disk projecting a red card tray.

"Always." said Fluttershy with conviction as she turned hers own and projected a yellow card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll go first, " Sunset then drew her card and looked at her hand. "I'll play my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight in attack mode. Next I'll play the ritual spell card Dark Dragon Ritual, so now I'll send my Spear Dragon to the graveyard. I Ritual Summon Paladin of Dark Dragon!" Sunset now had a monster that had both rider and dragon covered in dark, black armor as it wielded a lance. "With that I'll just end my turn. Your up, Fluttershy."

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"Alright, draw. I'll play my Baby Racoon Ponpoko in attack mode." Fluttershy played her card and out came a tiny racoon that had a little bongo as it played it for the kids. "When my Baby Racoon is summoned, I can special summon a Level 2-Beast type monster from my deck in facedown defense mode." Fluttershy then used her screen as she selected the card she wanted as she grabbed it and placed it on her card tray. "Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Sunset

"Back to me," Sunset now began to formulate her plan. "I summon Red-Eyes B. Chick in defense mode." Out came an egg and it hatched to reveal a very small dragon that let out a small roar that caused a small ember to spark. "Now I'll attack both of your monsters with mine, attack."

"Not gonna be that easy, I play my trap card Beast Soul Swap. So I'll switch out Baby Racoon Ponpoko and tag in my Mogmole in defense mode." A small anthropomorphic mole with goggles and a giant hand drill popped out of the ground. Gearfried then slashed down on the monster only for it to pop up again. However, the monster Fluttershy had placed facedown was destroyed by Sunset's ritual monster. "The monster that you destroyed was my Baby Racoon Tantan, since he was flipped up, I'll activate his ability. So now from my deck, I'll play my Catnipped Kitty in defense mode."

"Impressive," said Sunset. "Well then, I'll just place this facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Fluttershy

"My turn, now I'll activate the effect of my Gallis the Star Beast in my hand. So by revealing it, I can send the top card of my deck to the graveyard and if it's a monster, then you take damage equal to its level by 200. In addition, I get to special summon my Star Beast to the field. However, if it's anything other than a monster, then I destroy the card." Fluttershy took a deep breath as she placed her hand on her deck. She then drew her card and looked away for a second preparing for the worse; Fluttershy then looked at her card and it was indeed a monster as she let out a smile. "The monster being sent to my graveyard was my Nimble Angler and he's level 2, which means you get dealt 400 points of damage. Furthermore, I now get to summon my Gallis the Star Beast(800/800) to my field." Fluttershy summoned her new monster and then let out a roar that sent a soundwave towards Sunset as it dealt the damage to her.
Sunset's Life Points: 7600-

"Now my Nimble Angler's effect activates, since it was sent from deck to my graveyard, I can special summon up to 2 Level 3 or lower 'Nimble' monsters from my deck. So I'll summon a pair of Nimble Beavers." Out came two beavers as they had a piece of wood in their mouth once they emerged from the river. Fluttershy now had a field full of monsters and she still had yet to complete her move. "Now then, I'll overlay my two Nimble Beavers in order to Xyz Summon." The two Nimble Beavers turned blue and slid together, then lowered into the water. "With these two cuddly monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon Cat Shark in defense mode." A black and white aquatic monster jumped out from the pool and landed in front of Fluttershy in a spray of water, two orbs of blue light circling it. It stood on a pair of hind paws and waved a pair of front flippers in the air. A fish tail slapped the ground behind it and a cat’s face with whiskers and fur topped its body.

"But it doesn't stop there, everybody. Next I summon my tuner monster Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest." Fluttershy now had a little fawn deer as it pranced to the field with its friends. Sunset had a worry look on her face as she knew what Fluttershy was about to do. "Now I'll tune my Valerifawn with my Gallis the Star Beast, I Synchro Summon Thunder Unicorn!" Fluttershy placed her monster on her card tray and dark clouds formed as her unicorn raced down from the heavens landed as the sound of thunder went off.

"Damn, Fluttershy just went off on that turn." said Dash as she was surprised with what the shy girl just did.

"Sheesh, with moves like that I dare say she be next in line to challenge you, Isaac." stated Applejack.

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves." said Isaac as he had a sly smile. "Sunset's no pushover, she still needs to be on guard for anything."

"Now, I'll activate my Thunder Unicorn's special ability. Now I can select one monster on your side of the field and it loses 500 attack for each monster that I control. Since I have 4 monsters, your Paladin of Dark Dragon loses 2000 attack points."

"What!?" shouted all the girls except Isaac who just had a smile on his face.

"Next, I'll play this spell card, Horn of the Unicorn to give my Thunder Unicorn an extra 700 attack/defense points. Now my beast, take out Sunset's monster." Thunder Unicorn then charged forward as its horn powered up and it speared through the lance from the rider on Sunset's monster as it broke and then disappeared as the shockwave caused Sunset to take some serious damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 4700-

"Because I used my Thunder Unicorn's ability, it's the only one I can attack with. So with that I'll end my turn. You okay, Sunset?" asked Fluttershy as she was concerned on whether or not her friend was hurt.

Turn 5: Sunset

Sunset was kneeling as she pulled herself up and was fine. She dusted her jacket and pants before letting Fluttershy know she was fine. "I'm okay, Fluttershy. Got to say, I'm impressed. I don't think anybody was expecting that from you."

"Oh... thanks." said Fluttershy in a soft tone.

"Which means if I want to win this duel, then I'll need to step up my game." Sunset put her hand on her deck and drew her card. "Time to get serious, I'll start by playing the spell Pot of Greed. So I'll draw two more cards; next, I'll activate the spell Polymerization and with I'll fuse together the Red-Eyes B. Dragon with my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact. I fusion summon my Meteor Black Comet Dragon!" Sunset now had a powerful monster as parts of itself was wearing flames like some suit of armor. "Now I'll tribute my Gearfried to summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning." Sunset now had two powerful monsters on her field as she looked to take control of this duel.

"Now I'll activate my Archfiend's special ability, so now I can destroy all your monsters that have defense points that are less than my Archfiend's attack points." Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning hit the ground as almost all the monsters on Fluttershy's field erupted in a pillar of fire as the only monster left was Thunder Unicorn. "Now Meteor Black Comet Dragon, take out Thunder Unicorn!" Sunset gave her command and her dragon took flight as it looked to take out Fluttershy's unicorn.

"I activate my facedown, Half Unbreak. Now I'll say my Thunder Unicorn from being destroyed, in addition the damage I take is cut in half." Thunder Unicorn then was surrounded in a shield as it was being protected. It then noticed Fluttershy doing her best to keep her balance, so it ran over to her and wrapped Fluttershy around its body as he did his best to protect its owner. Fluttershy held onto her unicorn's chest until the attack stopped.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7700-

"Thanks." said Fluttershy. Thunder Unicorn then let out an affection neigh as he rubbed his face against her as she petted him.

"Quick thinking Fluttershy, I was banking on that attack to get rid of your monster. Now then, I'll tribute my Red-Eyes B. Chick to special summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon from my hand." Sunset now had trio of monsters that were ready to strike. "Now I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Fluttershy

"Back to me." Fluttershy drew her card and then started to think about what she wanted to do. "To start, I'll play the spell Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two." Fluttershy picked up her cards and then selected which ones she wanted to get rid of. "Next I'll play the card, Animal Call; so with it I can revive a monster in my graveyard. So rise up my Behemoth, the King of All Monsters!" Fluttershy now had a huge creature on her field as it let out a roar as it stood next to its owner for her to pet. "That's not all, I'll now play another Nimble Beaver. And when I do that, I can also summon another Level 3 or lower 'Nimble' monster. So I choose my Nimble Manta(800/100). But they won't be on the field for long, cause I play to use them for an Xyz Summon. I overlay my Nimble Beaver and Manta and build the overlay network. I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu!" Now Fluttershy had a field full of some powerful monsters as taking the lead was a small rodent dressed in armor.

"Now I activate Ronin Raccoon's special ability, by using an overlay unit, I can create a 'Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. So since your Meteor Black Comet Dragon has 3500 attack points, my token now has 3500 attack points." The token then showed off its little muscles as it powered up. "But I'll give him some more power with this equip spell card, Beast Fangs. So now my token gains another 300 attack/defense points; which means he now has 3800 attack points. Now my monsters, attack Sunset's field." Fluttershy's entire critters then followed her token as they engaged into battle wiping out Sunset's monsters and that left Ronin Raccoon to do some over the top flips before hitting her.
Sunset's Life Points: 2900-

"My monster may be destroyed, but their not gone. I reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit. So I bring back my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning. In addition, you've trigger the effect of my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon. Since it was destroyed in battle, I can now special summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon to the field from the grave. However, this time it has double the attack points!" Sunset now had a couple of monsters on her field, especially her favorite monster as it out a huge cry.

"I'll then end my turn." said Fluttershy.

Turn 7: Sunset

"Time to swing this duel into my favor," Sunset drew her card and she knew what to do. "To start off, I'll play the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So I send a level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand to the graveyard and another level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck to the grave to draw two cards." Sunset then sent two cards to the grave as she picked up two cards from her deck. "Next, I'll activate another ritual spell, Red-Eyes Transmigration. So I'll send my Red-Eyes Wyvern, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, and Red-Eyes B. Chick in order to ritual summon my Lord of the Red!" Sunset now had a monster that arrived in pillar of fire as it looked at Fluttershy. "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. So I'll equip it onto my Red-Eyes B. Dragon and now it can make up to 2 attacks this turn. With that I'll then chain the effect of my trap to activate my Lord of the Red's ability. So now I can destroy one spell/trap and one monster on the field. So I choose to get rid of your Beast Fangs spell card and your raccoon token." Sunset snapped her fingers and her Lord of the Red struck the ground as it got rid of its targets.

"Next I'll use my Red-Eyes Archfiend of the Lightning to get rid of all of your monsters." Now the field was cleared as the only monster that remained was Thunder Unicorn and Ronin Raccoon. "Now time to end this duel, Red-Eyes take out Thunder Unicorn. Inferno Fire Blast!" Sunset's dragon then took flight and it unleashed a huge fireball that took out Thunder Unicorn with ease.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5800-

"Your Ronin Raccoon was able to survive due to you having another beast-type monster. But now that you have none, I can destroy it. So now my monsters take out Fluttershy's monster and the remaining of her life points!" Sunset thrusted her hand out and all of her monsters shot out a pillar of fire that converted into a bigger one as it took out Ronin Raccoon and Fluttershy's remaining points.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset

The duel ended and the holograms ended as Sunset helped Fluttershy up and gave her a hug. Their friends all nodded their heads as they gave a round of applause which the little kids and the rest of the staff soon followed. Celestia and Luna were impressed as well as the principal of the school. With that Fluttershy and Sunset gave a bow as they thanked everybody for being a good audience. With that they joined the rest of the group as the next two people were up.

After the incredible duel between Sunset and Fluttershy, Pinkie and Twilight then ended the showcase by having their duel. In the end, it was Twilight that ended up gaining the win as all the kids were satisfied with all the amazing duels they saw. With that Celestia and Luna thanked the school for their hospitality and told the kids that based on how impressive the sponsors were by the battles, they would be receiving extra funding so that they could have a dueling arena installed for the students to practice. All the kids were ecstatic as they thanked Isaac and his friends for all they did. With that they all waved goodbye as they returned back to their hotel. After taking some time to relax, the girls invited Isaac as they wanted to explore the sights of Fillydelphia.

Thanks to Twilight's obsession with reading, she acted like the tour guide for the group as she explained the significant history behind some of the most famous landmarks that the city had to offer. Safe to say that Fillydelphia had a lot of interesting history behind it; they even stopped by the harbor as they all took a sailboat trip. Pinkie had gone full pirate as she had pretended they were hunting for buried treasure. She was so committed to her role that she anointed Isaac as the captain of the ship, while the girls were assigned as his crew. She even went so far as to come up with the name 'Captain Isaac Sparrow'. Isaac just rolled his eyes as he saw how happy his little sister was. The one thing that Isaac had to deal with is Applejack getting seasick, during the first half she seemed fine. But the longer they stayed out in the water, the more queasy her stomach got that she had to throwup off the side of the boat. Isaac made a mental reminder to never allow Aj to be out on the water for too long.

Once they made sure Applejack could walk straight, they then passed the Fillydelphia Zoo which pleased Fluttershy to a tee. She was so ecstatic that she grabbed Isaac and started to drag him with her as she couldn't wait to see the cute little creatures. Twilight just smiled at how Fluttershy was acting and just let it slid that her friend had run off with her boyfriend. From there they visited some more museums as they saw the many forms of art which got Sunset as giddy as a little girl. Isaac even bought Twilight a plushy from the gift store to which she hugged it and gave her boyfriend a kiss. Soon it was nighttime as the group made it back to the hotel and prepared to get some sleep as they had to leave to get to the next city on their list. So far the trip was proving successful as they were making kids happy and they got to see many new places.

Chapter 72: Legends

After their stop in Fillydelphia, the group was nonstop as they continued traveling across the country seeing many new places and putting on duels for a mass body of students. Some of the places they went to consisted of Applewood, Salt Lick City, Baltimare, to even Vanhoover. While everybody enjoyed seeing many new places and taking lots of photos, it was starting to get a bit tiring as it started to take an effect on everybody. Thankfully, the next place they were heading served not only as a place for them to help, but as a pit stop. And that place was none other than Horsolulu.

"Now that is a place I'm looking forward to." said Sunset.

"Can't wait to ride the waves." said Applejack.

"Not more than chilling on the beach and hanging ten!" stated Rainbow as she agreed with Applejack.

"I just want to scuba dive and see what kind of sea life I'll meet." said Fluttershy.

"Aren't you excited, big bro?" asked Pinkie.

"Ehh." said Isaac as he shrugged. "Look I'm not the biggest fan of when it comes to the ocean or any large body of water for that. Mainly because I don't know how to swim."

"If that's the case, I don't mind giving you a lesson." suggested Twilight. "That way we both can have fun in the water."

"Yeah, I'm fine. I think I'll just stay in the hotel room." Twilight was about to say something, but Isaac quickly cut her off. "And you're not going to try to convince me!" With that Isaac then pulled out his deck.

"Oh no you don't, Isaac. You're not pulling that with me!" shouted Twilight as she put her footdown and was trying to convince him. She knew that whenever Isaac didn't want to talk about something he would always starting working on his deck. Isaac held his ground and just toned out Twilight as she kept talking. Eventually, Twilight just gave up and left Isaac by himself.

It didn't take long as their plane was now over the sea and they could see the island coming into view. They were able to see the beach where they could explore. Soon they landed on the runway; once the entrance of the plan opened they all stepped out and immediately the sun was in their faces. Despite having a breeze, the weather proved to be rather humid as nearly everybody started to fan themselves. Thankfully, there were SUVs waiting for them as they stepped in and were met with the cool breeze of the air conditioner. They all made their way to the hotel where there was a line of people waiting for them; Celestia checked them in and gave them their rooms. This time they would need to share rooms, so she gave everybody their keys and they all departed to their places.

Twilight opened the door as she and Isaac stepped in to see their room. It consisted of a two bedroom with a TV. Not to mention that they had a little balcony that overlooked the sea and the beach. There was even their own private bathroom for each one of them. The one thing they noticed on their beds were some clothes; Isaac had a Hawaiian shirt along with some shorts, while Twilight had a floral dress. It proved to be much more comfortable for both of them as it allowed them to tolerate the heat even more. Twilight then stepped onto the balcony as she took in the view, she also was given a floral crown.

"What a view." said Twilight as she put her hands on the railing.

"Yes it is." Isaac came from behind her and wrapped his arms around Twilight as he put his head on her shoulder.

He too was taking in the sights with Twilight, then he started to kiss the back of Twilight's neck as it made her feel ticklish and she let out a moan. Twilight then put her hand up behind her as she grabbed Isaac's face. Isaac then turned Twilight around so that he could see her lovely face and gave her a meaningful kiss. They then broke away as they left their room to met up with their friends. The good thing about this was they actually had arrived a day early, meaning they had some extra time to explore Horsolulu. They saw the other girls as they wore similar outfits to Twilight with Rarity wearing a straw hat. With that they all got on a bus and took a tour of the island.

They got to see many mountain ridges and the many other beaches that the island had to offer. Soon they arrived back to their hotel as the girls had to get ready to perform tonight at a luau. Since they began on this trip, the girls were informed by Celestia of the certain places where they would perform and this happen to be one of those. Isaac had done some research on what a luau was and he found it to be quite fascinating. Some of the things he found interest was the feast which according to what the locals told him was massive as it was originally started for the rulers of the islands. Another thing that really caught his attention was one of the activities which consisted of spear throwing which intrigued him. There was also many storytelling that occurred at these things as they told the story/history of the people who explored Horsolulu when it was first discovered. Overall, it was a giant party that almost everybody would enjoy. The rest of the night was spent playing party games, singing, and dancing. Even Celestia and Luna partook in the activities as they themselves wanted to kick back and relax.

Two days later, the group was now at a large research facility. It served as the place where they would have their exhibitions duels the following day. But today, they were here for a different reason. It seemed that the owner of the school was working on a secret project. So Celestia and Luna led the group through the door and saw a person working with a group of assistants as they were at a computer going over somethings. Eventually the man lifted his face and saw Celestia and Luna approaching them.

"Ahh, Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna." said the man as he shook their hands.

"Pleasure to see you, Mr. Keoni." greeted Celestia. "Allow me to introduce you to the students that will be taking part in tomorrow's duels." Celestia then stepped to the side as she introduced Isaac and the girls. The group all bowed in respect as Mr. Keoni did the same and thanked them for agreeing to do this.

Isaac then spoke up, "Pardon me for asking, but what are you doing?"

"It's no trouble at all, Isaac. What you see here is something that I've been working on for quite some time now. See dueling is the way of life and it has evolved so much from when it first started. So I wanted to create something that everybody can appreciate. Everybody, I'd like you to meet the Combat Simulator." said Mr. Keoni as he pointed to a massive computer with so many buttons and there were giant pods in the center of the room. Everybody was in awe at what they saw.

"Combat Simulator?" said Applejack as she was scratching her head.

"Indeed, this baby here allows duelist to test their skills and knowledge against formidable foes and A.I. It's currently a work in progress as we hope to have it ready for the public in a few years. Our hope is to use this as a way for new duelists to be introduced to the game and give them a sense of training in a way." said Mr. Keoni. "Think of it as a video game, once you complete a level you move on to the next objective. The great thing about this is that it records every duel and implements it in the system so that we could look back on it for research purposes."

"I'm amazed." said Sunset as she had the biggest smile on her face. "What I wouldn't give to try my hand at?"

"Coincidentally, you all came at a perfect time. We were about to run some more simulations, but seeing we've done this so many times, we know all the ins and outs of the A.I. It could prove useful if we had different test subjects so that we could collect more data and see how the computer handles new opponents. So what do you say kids, care to test this thing out?" asked Mr. Keoni.

"Hell yeah!" shouted Isaac. The girls all nodded as they agreed with him.

"Good, however, there's only four pods. Meaning only four of you will be able to do this; so decide who it will be?" said Mr. Keoni.

"I can't believe this is happening!!" shouted Dash as she was sitting down at the terminal with Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie Pie. Celestia and Luna, along with Mr. Keoni were at the computer as they were preparing the simulation. "Why did I have to pick paper that last round?"

"Quite your whinnying, Dash." shouted Isaac. "It's not my fault you're so predictable. Besides, I was willing to go all out to test this thing. No way was I going to lose." Isaac then joined Sunset, Twilight, and Rarity as they were the ones who would partake in this little science experiment. "You girls ready?" asked Isaac to which they all nodded.

"Okay, we're just about set. Now all of you put your duel disks on." Mr. Keoni told them and they did so. "Now each of you sit down in the pod." The group all did as they were told as they sat in the pods and a helmet was put over them. Mr. Keoni was now pushing some more buttons as he did the final preparations. "Now the helmet that you're all wearing is transmitting info from your brain into the system and vice versa. It's also taking in your deck and duel disks as its transferring all the past duels you've had into the system so that it can pick an evenly matched opponent for each of you to face. Another thing you'll need to know is that this system also has some data from some of the best duelists not just in the world, but throughout all the history of Duel Monsters. So you may end up facing some popular individuals, but that's not big concern."

"So say we get into a battle with whoever the computer gives us, is there any consequences for us winning or losing?" asked Sunset as the helmet was transmitting the last bit of data into her head.

"None of that sorts, the simulation will end once the duel reaches its final result. So don't worry about wins or loses, just have fun." The computer finally finished download as it project an x-ray of their body and their brains so that Mr. Keoni and the others could monitor their life force. It also gave the opponent that Isaac and the girls would face. "We have our matchups, Rarity you'll be facing test subject #18AH3. Sunset will be taking on #56SB9, Twilight you'll be dueling #88ZX1, and Isaac will face #00KC1."

"What!?" they all said as they didn't understand what any of that meant.

"It's just the name that the computer calls them, once you're inside the simulation you're opponent will have an actually name." assured Mr. Keoni. "Now then once I push this button you'll be put into the system and you'll be there until you've finished your duel. Once the battle concludes, the system will shut off and you'll awake. Now then, I wish you all the best of luck and have fun. See you all when you wake up." Mr. Keoni pressed a big red button and with it the battle simulation turned on as it caused Isaac and the girls to close their eyes as their minds were being transported into the system. On the giant screen came the images of their friends as it had their heart rate as well as digital avatars. "Let's see how they handle this." said Mr. Keoni

"Battle Simulation online. Scanning. Scan complete, subject stable. Welcome Miss Rarity Belle." said the A.I.

Rarity opened her eyes and was now looking up at the sky as she saw the clouds and the sun shining bright in her face. "Uhh, where am I?" she said as she stood up. She was on some grass and surrounded by trees; she put her hand next to her and sure enough it felt real. "Seems this battle simulation really does make things so life like, why I can feel the breeze on my face as it were real." Rarity then stood up as she dusted her skirt, seems the battle simulator had managed to put Rarity in her regular attire instead of what she was wearing when she entered the pod. She then walked a few feet in front of her and saw that she was now overlooking the ocean which meant that she was on an island of sorts. "Well it's a pleasant view, but I don't see any thing that can help me to figure out where I am." Suddenly, Rarity's duel disk gave her a message as it told her of her location. Rarity began reading the name of the place, "Duel... Academy."

"Battle Simulation online. Scanning. Scan complete, subject stable. Welcome Miss Sunset Shimmer." said the A.I.

Sunset now opened her eyes and she immediately saw people walking around her. Compared to Rarity, Sunset was actually found herself waking up in a city. It took her a moment to register what was happening, but eventually some people started to bump into her as they were busy. Sunset had manage to get out of the way as she was now standing in front of a giant clock lamp post that was next to a giant water fountain. "Okay, it seems to be working." said Sunset as she touched the water fountain and to her surprise she could actually feel the touch of the water. "This is a bit trippy, but where am I?" At that moment, her duel disk gave her a message and it told her location. "Someplace called Domino City? Weird name." Sunset knew that her objective was to battle the A.I. opponent, but she didn't even know who she was suppose to duel. So she did the next best thing and started to walk around the place hoping to find some answer. Safe to say that she was amazed with how realistic the computer had made the setting that it almost felt like this was a real place. As she was walking, she heard someone talking out loud.

"Anybody else want to take me on!" shouted a person that sounded like he had a Brooklyn accent.

Sunset followed the source of the voice and saw that it belonged to a boy that looked to be slightly older than her. His appearance consisted of dark blond hair in a sporadic hairstyle and dark brown eyes. He had a blue denim jacket with a raised collar, a white t-shirt underneath and blue jeans. The most striking thing was that this individual was wearing a duel disk, but it looked to be an old school one.

"Man, I was really looking forward to kicking some butt today." said the boy as he sat down on a bench. "If only there was someone who would duel me."

"Excuse me?" said Sunset as she was now standing in front of the boy as he lifted his head up. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, miss." said the boy as he gave her a thumbs up. "Hey come to think of it, I don't believe I've seen you before. You new in town?"

"Yeah, my name is Sunset Shimmer." Sunset stuck her hand out for the boy to shake. "What's your name?"

"Name's... Joey Wheeler. Only the best duelist around these parts." said Joey as he put his game face on. "So what's a little girl like you doing round here? It can be dangerous, if you're not from here."

"I can take care of myself," said Sunset as she flipped her hair, "When it comes to wielding a duel disk, I know how to throw down."

Joey then looked at her arm and indeed saw that Sunset was a duelist. "You're a duelist, this just happens to be my lucky day. So you ready?" said Joey as he took a position.

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset.

"Isn't it obvious? You're a duelist and so am I, so it's only natural that we both face each other. Besides I want to see what you can do, I can tell you're a formidable opponent. So let's throwdown." Joey then activated his duel disk as it combined together.

Sunset didn't answer right away as she didn't know what to say; she needed to find the person she was suppose to battle. Still she didn't have any idea where to start, so she figured this may be a way for her to draw the attention of her A.I opponent. "Alright, your on!" said Sunset as she activated her duel disk and projected a red card tray.

"Fancy duel disk, now I know you really are the real deal." said Joey.

Just as Sunset was about to say something, the computer popped a message. "Subject identified. #56SB9 ready to battle."

"What, he's the opponent I'm suppose to battle?" said Sunset.

Outside the entire group saw Sunset's profile pop up as it signaled that she had made contact. Mr. Keoni had a smile on his face as he checked the systems and everything was running smoothly, "Seems Sunset is about to start her duel." Mr. Keoni as he pressed a button and on another screen came her avatar as it displayed a computerized dueling field as it showed her duel, however the image of her opponent just remained blank as it only displayed its numbers.

Meanwhile, Rarity was currently walking around the island in hopes of finding someone to help her. If she wanted to leave then she needed to battle the person she was assigned to face. Eventually she became tired as her feet were starting to hurt from walking so much. "Darling, this is dreadful. My feet are killing me, I'll never find the person I'm suppose to duel." Rarity then sat on a rock as she began to rest, it wasn't long till she heard a voice.

"Well, howdy little miss." said a voice with a Southern American accent.

"My word, that sounds familiar." said Rarity as she turned around to see who was addressing her. "Is that you Apple..." Rarity didn't finish her sentence as the person who addressed her wasn't her friend.

In fact, he seemed to be around her age. The thing that really got her attention was the outfit the young boy was wearing. His outfit consisted of a blue above-waist-length jacket with dark blue outlines, a lavender shirt filled cuffs at the wrists of his sleeves, and black pants which are held up with a white belt. His teal hair jutted in backward and down directions.

"Reckon you lost, little lady?" said the boy.

"Oh, pardon me, darling. But I do seem to be a tad bit lost. I woke up and I don't even know where I am." said Rarity.

"Well why didn't you say so, you're at Duel Academy. By the way, my name's... Jesse Anderson. What's your name, miss?"

"My name is Rarity." Rarity gave a bow. "And currently, I'm looking for someone."

"Really, who?" asked Jesse.

"I'm not quite sure, all I know is that I'm suppose to duel them." Said Rarity as she looked out to the sea.

"So you're a duelist, well so am I. Say what do you say we battle each other?" suggested Jesse.

"What?" said Rarity.

"I can tell you're special and I want to see what you can do. In case you haven't noticed, I'm always up for a duel. Kind like a friend of mine." said Jesse. "Besides, I'll take it easy on you." Soon a monster spirit appeared on Jesse's shoulder as it talked to him. "It's alright, Ruby. Everything will be fine." Jesse then activated his duel disk.

Rarity saw this and she was surprised. Seems this boy can also see monster spirits, just like Isaac. This should be interesting. "Very well then, I accept." Rarity turned her duel disk on as it projected an indigo card tray.

"Never seen a duel disk like that. Must be a fancy one." said Jesse.

"Subject identified. #18AH3 ready to battle." said the computer.

"I guess I found my opponent after all." said Rarity as she was preparing herself.

Outside the group now saw Rarity's profile come up as it projected on another screen for all to see. It was just like Sunset as it showed her avatar and showed as it displayed a computerized dueling field as it showed her duel, however the image of her opponent just remained blank as it only displayed its numbers just like Sunset. "Seems Ms. Rarity has also made contact with her opponent. This should be exciting seeing as both duels will be happening at the same time." said Mr. Keoni. Everybody now were getting ready as they were hyped to see what was about to go down.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the computer.

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Joey Wheeler's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Joey

"Guess I'm going first," Joey drew his card and began to make his move. "To start, I'll summon my Gearfried the Iron Knight in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown." Joey now had a monster on his field as it looked a lot like a monster that Sunset was used to facing. "I'll just end my turn. Figure I start out easy."

Turn 2: Sunset

"I'd advise you not to take me lightly." Sunset drew her card and looked through her hand. "Guess, I'll start out with a similar move. I play my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight also in attack mode." Sunset now played a similar monster that matched her opponent's creature. "Then I'll also play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Joey

"Got to say, really admire your move so far," Joey then drew his card, "Now then, let me show you how a real duelist does it. I play Rocket Warrior in attack mode. Now Rocket Warrior, enter invincible mode!" Rocket Warrior then transformed as it closed in its arms and legs until it became the shape of a rocket and then fired at Sunset's monster. "Now only does my monster not get destroyed and I take no battle damage with him, but I just got rid of 500 points from your monster's attack. Now Gearfried attack Sunset's Gearfried!" With that Sunset was now down a monster and was left defenseless.
Sunset's Life Points: 7500-

"Damn, this guy is good." said Sunset.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown. So what you think? Impressed?" said Joey.

Turn 4: Sunset

"In fact, I am." said Sunset as she drew her card. "Time to show you what I got, I play the ritual spell card Dark Dragon Ritual. So now I'll discard my Battle Ox, to Ritual Summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon!" Out on Sunset's field came a dragon and a rider that was covered in dark armor as it wielded a lance.

"That card seems familiar. But where have I seen it before?" said Joey as he thought long and hard about Sunset's card.

"Maybe this will jog your memory, Paladin of Dark Dragon attack Gearfried the Iron Knight!" Sunset gave her monster its command and it took flight as it was getting ready to destroy Gearfried.

"I don't think so, reveal trap card. Kunai with Chain. Now your monster is switched into defense mode and my Gearfried is now gains 500 more attack points which makes it now stronger than your paladin." stated Joey.

"No way!" shouted Sunset as she was stunned by what just happened. She thought she was safe, but in the end her opponent just turned things around on her. "I'll just end my turn." said Sunset as she was now worried. She had a bead of sweat rolling down her side as she was having trouble facing this guy.

Turn 5: Joey

"Back to me, draw." Joey had a smile on his face as he looked at his card, "Alright, now I'll have Gearfried attack your monster and then Rocket Warrior will attack your life points." Gearfried then rushed forward as he used his metal arm to take out Sunset's monster and then Rocket Warrior brought its sword down on Sunset who managed to cover up.
Sunset's Life Points: 6000-

"Now I'll sacrifice my two monsters to summon out this bad boy. Make way for Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Joey. Soon out came his favorite dragon as it let our a powerful roar as it looked at Sunset and gave an intimating growl.

"What did he say? Red-Eyes B. Dragon?" Sunset was now stunned that her opponent was using the same card as she was. The same card that her deck revolved around; it legit brought a state of shock and awe to her.

"Well, you feeling the heat yet. HA. Now then, I'll just set one more card facedown and end my turn." said Joey.

Turn 6: Sunset

Sunset was now breathing hard as she wasn't expecting this. She'd been in duels before, but this was a whole another experience. Everytime she thought she had an opening, this guy found a way to shut her down. Not to mention that he had insanely good luck when it came to getting the right cards to play. Sunset took a moment to catch her breath as she put her hand on her deck. She knew that in a duel when it mattered the most, it comes down to skill and Sunset had plenty of that to mount a comeback. "Time for me to turn things around, draw. Now I'll play the Black Stone of Legend from my hand." Out came a small egg as it was red and embedded in black stone.

"Now I'll activate my Black Stone of Legend's effect and with it, I'll can tribute it to summon out mydragon. Appear, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Sunset held her card up high as it flashed in blinding light and then a creature appeared from the heavens as it descended on the field and let out a roar. Both dragons looked at each other and gave death glares.

The one person who was surprised was Sunset's opponent. "Red-Eyes? So... you got one too, huh?" asked Joey. Sunset didn't say much other than a simple nod. "Hey it's cool meeting a fellow Red-Eyes user, it just means I was right about you. You're someone special, so show me."

"Alright then, from my hand I'll play spell Cards of the Red Stone. So I'll send a level 7 'Red-Eye' monster from my hand and one from my deck to the graveyard. In exchange, I get to draw two cards." Sunset then selected the cards she wanted to get rid of and drew her cards. "Now then I'll place one card facedown. Now Red-Eyes attack his dragon!" Sunset's Red-Eyes took flight as it launched a fireball at Joey's dragon.

"Why do that? Both our monsters are the same, so they'll both be gone." said Joey as his dragon fired back with its own fireball as both dragons took each other out.

"Then it's a good thing, I have this. I'll reveal my Red-Eyes Spirit and with I can bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon from the grave." Sunset now had her dragon back as it let out a powerful roar. "Now since I special summoned my Red-Eyes during the middle of the battle, he can still attack even though he just did. So now Red-Eyes attack one more, Inferno Fire Blast!!" shouted Sunset as Red-Eyes opened its mouth and it actually managed to land a hit on Joey who put his arms up.
Joey's Life Points: 5600-

"But I'm not done, next I'll reveal my Dragon's Curse trap card. So now, since you took damage this card allows makes you lose life points equal to a dragon on my field like my Red-Eyes." said Sunset. Another massive amount of damage was sent Joey's way as it dropped him to a knee; Sunset was now sweating hard as she let out a sigh of relief. For a second she was proud of herself as she had actually managed to do some significant damage and was close to winning. "I'll then set a card and end my turn."
Joey's Life Points: 3200-

Turn 7: Joey

After Sunset had declared her turn was over, Joey then rose to his feet as he had a smile on his face. "That's what I'm talking about; you were able to think of a creative way and now you're in the lead. Be proud of yourself." said Joey as he gave Sunset a thumbs up.

"You know, for some strange reason, hearing that come from you actually has meaning behind it. Almost like an acknowledgement of sorts." said Sunset as she now had a smile forming on her face.

"But don't get too happy. I plan to win this duel and it starts with this." Joey drew his card and put his plan into motion. "First I'll activate my facedown card, Question. Now you gotta guess which monster card is at the bottom of my graveyard, guess right and it's removed from play. Guess wrong, and I get to special summon it. So what's your answer, Sunset?" asked Joey.

"It's... it's..." For a second, Sunset didn't know. She'd been so busy with just trying to figure out a to deal damage to Joey and surviving his attacks that she didn't focus much on his monsters. So she didn't have a right answer.

"Time's up. Ahh, sorry. Silence isn't the answer. The correct guess was my Rocket Warrior." Joey now had one of his trusted monsters as it appeared on the field. "Next I'll play Pot of Greed and now I draw two more cards. Alright, just what I needed. Now I'll reveal my facedown, Graverobber. Now, I can take one card from your grave and I choose your Red-Eyes Spirit. So now my Red-Eyes B. Dragon is back."

"What are you planning?" said Sunset.

"I'll show you, now I'll play the spell Monster Reborn and bring back my Gearfried. I'll then sacrifice my Gearfried to summon Jinzo(2400/1500)!" Out came a cyborg looking monster as it had a brain showing itself. "Now that Jinzo is here, he can nullify your trap cards, so say bye-bye to your facedowns." Jinzo then shot a powerful beam from its eyes at it got rid of Sunset's entire backrow, now she had no facedowns. "Then I'll have my Rocket Warrior enter invincible mode and lower your monster's attack by 500. Next I'll play this little card, The Claw of Hermos! Now I'll combine it my Rocket Warrior to form Rocket Hermos Cannon(1500/1300)! Then I'll equip it onto my Red-Eyes so that it can attack a second time." stated Joey.

"It's not over yet, even after your dragon attacks, as well as your Jinzo; I'll still have some life points left." exclaimed Sunset.

"I admire your spirit, Sunset. You really are an incredible duelist; I had a lot of fun today. But this duel is over, I'll play the spell Dragon's Gunfire. So now I deal you 800 points of damage."
Sunset's Life Points: 5200-

"Now Jinzo attack her Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Jinzo then fired a powerful attack as Sunset's monster was gone and she now had nothing to defend herself.
Sunset's Life Points: 4700-

Now Joey had a his ace creature ready to strike down Sunset. "Now Red-Eyes attack Sunset directly! End this duel!" Red-Eyes then powered up as it fired off a powerful fireball as it headed toward Sunset's direction and it took her out as she was flung back.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Joey

"System offline. Shutting down." said the computer.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the computer.

Jesse's Life Points: 8000-

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rarity

"Go ahead and take the first turn, miss." said Jesse.

"What a gentleman." said Rarity as she drew her card. "To start I'll play my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense mode. Next I'll play the spell card, Crystal Bond. So I'll add my Amber Mammoth to my hand and then I'll place Cobalt Eagle in spell/trap zone." Rarity now had her tortoise out as she added a card to her hand and placed a crystal beast in her backrow. "That's all this turn. Your move, darling."

Turn 2: Jesse

"Well, looking here. A fellow Crystal Beast duelist. Real honor to met ya." Jesse then drew his card. "Now then, I'll play my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger in attack mode." Out came a white tiger as it had stripes and it had a horn on top of its head.

Once Rarity saw what her opponent played, she immediately did a double take and looked at Jesse's monster. She then looked at her hand and sure enough, it was the same one as her. "How can this be? I thought I was the only one who had a Crystal Beast deck." said Rarity.

"Don't know what y'all talking about miss? But I'm far from done with my move, watch. I play my spell card, Golden Rule. So now I'll attach it to my Topaz Tiger, in addition, I can place 2 level 3 or lower 'Crystal Beast' from deck into my spell and trap zone. Then I can also special summon another 'Crystal Beast' from my hand. So I'll place Amethyst Cat and my Emerald Tortoise in my spell/trap zone. And from my hand, I think I'll summon my Ruby Carbuncle." Ruby then appeared next to Topaz Tiger as more gems were placed in Jesse's backrow. "Now Ruby's effect activates, so now I release my other Crystal Beast. So come on, pals." Just like that Ruby was able to set free both Emerald and Amethyst appeared.

"Now then time for my monster to pounce, Topaz Tiger you're up buddy. By the way, Topaz gains 400 attack during battle." stated Jesse.

"A lot good that will do, my Emerald Tortoise has 2000 defense points, so it'll end in a draw." said Rarity as she had her hand on her hip.

"That's why I got this nifty baby, it's my M Force spell card. And with I'll give my Topaz Tiger 500 more extra attack points and it gives the ability to deal piercing damage until the end of the turn." said Jesse.

"Oh no!" said Rarity as she went big-eyed.

"Now Topaz take out her monster." Topaz Tiger then jumped up high as it shattered Rarity's Emerald Tortoise into a million pieces as it appeared in her backrow. "Now my other monsters can attack you directly, sorry miss." With that the rest of Jesse's monsters all attack Rarity directly as she put her arms up and it dropped her to her knees.
Rarity's Life Points: 5200-

"Now my Emerald Tortoise's effect activates, so I'll switch him into defense mode. I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rarity

Rarity was now breathing hard after that last attack. My word, this boy is really good. It seems he's a master at his deck/cards. In all my time playing my Crystal Beasts, I've never once done a move as dominant as that. Not to mention he's got some cards that I don't have in my deck; seems this is going to be harder than I thought. "My turn, draw. I play my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus in attack mode. Now my Pegasus' ability allows me to place another 'Crystal Beast' in my spell/trap zone. So I choose my Ruby Carbuncle." Rarity then placed her cards in her backrow.

"Now time to let my friends out, so I play my Crystal Promise and with it I'll release my Ruby Carbuncle. Now that my Ruby was special summoned, I can release all my other monsters." Just like that all the gems in Rarity's backrow cracked open and out came her Cobalt Eagle and Emerald Tortoise. "Time for me to take strike back, so I'll equip my Sapphire Pegasus with Crystal Release to give him 800 more attack points. Now my creatures take out his monsters!' commanded Rarity. Rarity's monsters then charged forward as Jesse's Topaz Tiger was taken out by Rarity's Pegasus, as well as his Ruby was taken out by Rarity's tortoise and his Amethyst Cat by her eagle. "Now due to my tortoise's effect, I'll switch him to defense mode."
Jesse's Life Points: 6300-

"As you know, when my Crystal Beasts are destroyed. I can put them in my spell and trap zone." said Jesse as his creatures turned into jewels. "Got to say miss, not bad with how you handle your Crystal Beasts. I mighty impressed comin' from a fellow duelist."

For some reason, Rarity had a smile on her face. It seemed that compliment from her opponent actually had so much more meaning behind it, almost like she was receiving some praise. It sounded like she was gaining Jesse's personal respect for choosing to play a deck that he also had. "You know, that actually means a lot hearing that from you. For some weird reason, almost like it's a seal of approval." said Rarity. "Now that my field is full, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Jesse

"Time for me to step up, so here goes." Jesse drew his card and started to put his plan into motion. "To start, I'll activate my facedown. It's my Rare Value card and let's say that it gives me more bling for my buck. Now little miss, you choose which one of my beast you want to get rid of and I draw two cards." stated Jesse.

"Very well, I'll get rid of that Ruby Carbuncle. I know how powerful it can be." stated Rarity as she was showing off her knowledge of her deck.

"Smart move, miss." said Jesse as he drew his cards. "But I got ways of playing my Crystal Beasts without using Ruby. I'll now play my E Force spell card, so now I'll release my Topaz Tiger from my spell/trap zone and summon it back to the field." The yellow gem cracked open as Jesse's tiger was back into play. "It don't stop there, I now play my Sapphire Pegasus. Now I'll place another one of my pals in my spell and trap zone. I choose my Cobalt Eagle." Now there was another gem that manifested next to his first one in his backrow. "So now I'll have my Topaz Tiger take out your Ruby Carbuncle. And my Sapphire Pegasus will take your Emerald Tortoise."
Rarity's Life Points: 3500-

"Now both of my monsters are placed in my spell/trap zone." said Rarity. She then grabbed her monster cards and placed them in her backrow

"With that, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

"I may be down life points, but I'm not out of this duel just yet." Rarity put her hand over her deck and drew her card. "Now then, I too will play my Rare Value card. So now you choose which one of my Crystal Beasts to send to the grave and I draw two cards."

"Guess, I'll pick same thing. I choose to send your Ruby to the grave." stated Jesse.

Rarity then picked up her Ruby Carbuncle card and sent it to the grave as she picked up two more cards. "Now then, I'll play my Amber Mammoth to the field. Now time to take your downs, my Mammoth will take out your Tiger and my Pegasus will clash with yours." With that Rarity's beast then charged forward as had their sights set on their target.

"I activate my facedown card, my G Force trap card. So now I'm giving your Amber Mammoth a new target to strike, so now it'll clash with my Amber Mammoth in my hand." With that both monsters clashed with each other as they both exploded into bits of gem dust as they both appeared in their respective backrow.

"That may be, but my Sapphire Pegasus will take out your Topaz Tiger!" shouted Rarity.

"That's why I had this ready, reveal my last facedown card, Rainbow Gravity!" Soon all 7 Crystal Beasts of Jesse's appeared as their images appeared before they turned into pillars of light as they created a rainbow. "Now since I have 7 Crystal Beasts with different names on my field, I can special summon my Rainbow Dragon!'" Out came Jesse's ultimate monster as it shined the brightest, even Rarity took in the beauty of the creature. Just something about seeing it next to Jesse and all of his monsters, it all just felt right for some reason. "Now the other effect of my Rainbow Gravity activates which means all your other monsters are now forced to attack my Rainbow Dragon. "

"Oh no!" shouted Rarity as she just realized what was happening. All of her monsters then glared at the mighty beast and then launched themselves at it; there was nothing she could do she didn't have any facedowns so there was no way she could stop the attack. There was nothing to stop her from losing this duel.

"You know, you're alright in my book miss. I'm glad to know that someone else is using a Crystal Beast deck. Kind of makes me proud to see that, like passing a torch on in a way. Now Rainbow Dragon, finish this duel off and wipe out her remaining life points! Rainbow Refraction!" shouted Jesse. Rainbow Dragon then opened its mouth as it felt the power of its comrades and then it unleashed a powerful beam of energy as it took out Rarity's entire field and she was flung onto her back as her life points dropped to zero.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Jesse

"System offline. Shutting down." said the computer.

Both Rarity and Sunset both awoke as their duel simulation ended as their helmet popped off. Soon they both got up from their pods as they stumbled a bit upon exiting. The rest of their friends rushed to their side to see if they were okay.

"How you feeling y'all?" said Applejack.

"Okay, I guess." said Sunset as she had her hand on her forehead.

"My word, darling. That was wild trip." said Rarity as she was getting her mind back into focus. "But I'll say that simulation actually was kind of fun. I had a pretty good time with my duel."

"Same here, it was just felt so... meaningful in a way." said Sunset as she got back to her feet.

"Seems like the simulations were a success." said Mr. Keoni from the computer terminal as she was next to Celestia and Luna. "The system recorded each of your duels and is using it for future references; I'll admit that was miles better than what we ran during testing."

"But what about Twilight and Isaac?" said Fluttershy.

"They're fine, they still asleep as they're minds are now getting implemented into the system." True to Mr. Keoni's words, at that very moment, Twilight's picture came up as her mini avatar came into focus as it projected her duel for everybody to see. "You girls might want to get back in your seats, your friend Twilight is about to start her duel." With that all the girls then got back to their seats as they watch the computerized duel field appeared as Twilight was taking on her opponent.

After a while, the duel ended as Twilight was defeated against her opponent. Soon her pod started to shut down as she started to awake and her helmet lifted up as she stood up before stumbling for a few seconds. The girls called out to her to see if she was right to which she nodded her head. She then looked back at the last pod and saw that Isaac was still in his.

"Isaac, still hasn't returned?" asked Twilight.

"Afraid not, but don't worry. Once his duel ends, he'll be immediately transferred back here." said Mr. Keoni as he pushed a couple more buttons to save the data from Twilight's duel into the system. "Now come on and join us Twilight, I promise your boyfriend will be alright." Twilight was hesitant but she knew that Isaac could handle himself, so she then joined up with the rest of her friends as they just watched Isaac's mini avatar just walking across the screen.

"Battle Simulation online. Scanning. Scan complete, subject stable. Welcome Isaac." said the A.I.

Isaac opened his eyes and he was currently walking through a dark corridor as she came to then end of it as it there was a bright white light. Soon it died down as Isaac could make out where he was. He was now back into his signature attire as he was wearing his cap, necklace, and his watch that he got from his friends. "Seems I'm in some sort of cathedral." said Isaac. He then looked around to see if anybody else was around and to his knowledge there was nobody. "Guess I better start looking for my challenger." With that Isaac began making his way around the place searching for where his opponent might be. He searched every part of the cathedral, from the bell tower to the different rooms to even the front and back entrance of the building. It was getting tedious as well as exhausting, due to the many flights of stairs Isaac had to climb up and down. Soon he was now getting on the main floor as he was leaning against a pillar.

"This is a bust, if I can't find who I'm suppose to face then I can't get out of this simulation." said Isaac as he leaned against the pillar. He then noticed something out of the corner of his eye; there standing in the middle of the room facing the windows of the cathedral was a tall man.

The man was wearing a long white sleeveless designed coat featuring shoulder pads and a raised studded collar, with black sleeves from his shirt coming out from under. He has extra belts in pairs strapped around his upper arms and shins. The man also had a duel disk on his arm, but the thing that really caught Isaac's attention was the letters, "K.C", that were imbedded on his coat.

"Where is he? I've been waiting for him." said the man as he had his arms folded across his chest. "Nothing will stop me from claiming my title as the number 1 duelist in the world. No one!" stated the man.

"Pardon me." said Isaac.

The man then turned around and saw Isaac was now standing there facing him. "What does a kid like you want? Can't you see I'm busy; I'm currently waiting for someone. So get out of my sight! I have no time to waste with little kids." shouted the man.

"Gees, all I wanted to do was just talk. Look I'm looking for someone and it seems you are too, so maybe we can help each other. I'm Isaac." suggested Isaac.

"Didn't you hear me, get out of my sight! I don't have time to spend with a nobody like you. I'm waiting for someone! Why don't you go find another third-rate duelist who can you can actually beat." shouted the man with a grin on his face.

"A third-rate duelist? I'll have you know that I'm anything but that, and I'll prove it to you." Isaac then showed his duel disk and activated as it projected a gold card tray. "If you think I'm a pushover, then you should have no problem defeating me in a duel."

The man just had a smug smile on his face. "A duel, with you? Don't make me laugh." chuckled the man. "I don't have time to play with rookies, but if you're insist then I'm willing to make an exception. This shouldn't take long and once I'm done with you, I'll then take down who I'm really waiting for." stated the man as he activated his duel disk. "Time to teach you a lesson in respect, kid. You made a grave mistake challenging me!"

Outside Isaac's screen now popped up as his avatar was now engaged in a duel and up popped a computerized duel field and his avatar. Like the others, his opponent only displayed the numbers. "Well now, looks like Isaac has finally made contact with his opponent. This should be interesting." said Mr. Keoni.

"Why's that?" asked Pinkie.

"Cause, Isaac is taking on one of our strongest CPUs." stated Mr. Keoni.

"What!?!" shouted Twilight. "You mean to tell me that you put my boyfriend against the toughest CPU. What were you thinking, Isaac's good but I doubt he could handle that kind of challenge." said Twilight as she was now having a freak-out about Isaac's safety.

"Calm down, Ms. Sparkle. I didn't select the challenger for him, the computer did. See while you were scanning, the computer was actually determining your opponents based on your skill sets and what deck you used. It just took your info and matched it with someone of a similar skill cap, the fact that Isaac is paired up against this opponent shows that his skills are on par. Besides, he's only facing the second strongest CPU; there's one other opponent that we've implemented in the system. He'll be fine, Miss Sparkle. Isaac is a tough individual and you'll see him soon enough." assured Mr. Keoni.

"I sure hope your right." said Twilight. Just be careful, Isaac.

Back in the battle simulation, Isaac and the mysterious man were just about to get it on as they both waited for each other to get ready. Isaac was not backing down as he was staring down the man who had a grin on his face.

"Before we begin, mind telling me who you are, stranger?" asked Isaac.

"If you must known, I'm known as the world's greatest duelist. I'm the owner of KaibaCorp, none other than Seto Kaiba!" exclaimed the man.

"Very well then, Kaiba. Prepare yourself because it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the computer.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Kaiba's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Kaiba

"I'll go first, I draw!" said Kaiba as he drew his card. "I warned you to prepare for battle kid, but there's no preparing for this! I play Polymerization! I Fusion Summon, behold Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)!" Out came a monster that had three head as a huge dragon came out and let out an intimidating glare at Isaac. "Your turn, kid. Not that you'll survive that long, this duel will be over faster than I expected." said Kaiba as he placed a single card facedown.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Fine then, Kaiba. I draw!" said Isaac as he drew his card and looked at his options. "Time to show you that I'm no third-rate duelist, first I activate the spell card Dark Magic Veil then by using my life points I can summon my most ardent ally, Dark Magician!" Just like that Isaac was able to call forth his most powerful companion as he took his position in front of its master.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

The moment Isaac summoned his Dark Magician. Kaiba had eyes widen for just a minute, there was only one other person he was knew that possessed that same card and it was the person he was waiting for. Still he quickly put that out of his mind, "Nice trick, kid. But know that you're just a phony for copying someone else's monsters. Why I bet you don't even know how to use it? Like I told you, you're nothing but a third-rate duelist with a fourth-rate deck!!!" said Kaiba with a smug smile on his face.

"Then maybe this will change your mind." said Isaac. "Next, I'll play a Thousand Knives and give your Ultimate Dragon an ultimate shredding! How's this for a nobody!?" shouted Isaac as tiny little daggers appeared next to his Dark Magician. Then they all had their target in sights as they launched at Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"I don't think so, I play my trap, Dark Sacrifice! This gives your knives a new monster to mince." said Kaiba as he sent the Saggi the Dark Clown from his deck to the graveyard to negate the effect of Isaac's spell card.

"Huh, not bad, Kaiba. I'll just end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 3: Kaiba

"Got that right, kid." said Kaiba as he drew his card. "Since you failed to destroy Neo Blue-Eyes it can attack and Dark Magician will be its first victim!" Neo Blue-Eyes then had its middle head opened its mouth and shot a powerful beam towards Isaac's field as it made contact with him and his Dark Magician as it resulted in smoke to appeared. "You have no monsters to protect you kid, you're through. I told you weren't good enough to defeat me!" said Kaiba with a smug smile on his face while the other two heads of his dragon looked to end Isaac.

"Wrong!" shouted Isaac.

"Huh?" expressed Kaiba.

Soon from Isaac's field came chains that started to wrap tightly around Neo Blue-Eyes as it binded him together. Soon the smoke cleared and standing there was Isaac as well as his Dark Magician who was perfectly fine. But like Neo-Blue Eyes, he too was wrapped in chains as it restricted him from moving.

"I activated my trap, Time Chain! Not only does my Dark Magician survive your attack, but both he and your dragon are locked out of this duel for 2 turns. However, I still take the damage from the difference in their attack points." Isaac then let out a breath as he managed to hang on against a very tough and powerful opponent. "Expecting me to still be a third-rate duelist?" said Isaac with a smug look on his face.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

Kaiba was a bit ticked off that Isaac had managed to survive. "Ugh, you're just prolonging the inevitable, I will beat you!" With that he placed a single card facedown and ended his turn.

Turn 4: Isaac

Isaac just chuckled at how he had managed to get under Kaiba's skin. "My turn, I draw. From my hand, I summon Celtic Guard of Noble Arms(2100/700) and Celtic Guardian(1400/1200)." Isaac now had two mighty swordsman that were ready to strike. "Since your dragon is still out of play, that means you have no monsters to defend yourself from a direct attack from my two monsters. Now my monsters to battle!" shouted Isaac. "Normally, my Celtic Guard of Noble Arms can't attack unless I'm not holding any cards in my hand. And it just so happens I do, now my monsters, attack Kaiba directly!!" Isaac's two monsters then joined forces as they manage to land a hit on Kaiba as it actually caused him to be pushed back as he dug in his heels to keep him from being flung on his back. He was now on one knee as he looked back at Isaac. "Now the addition effect of my Celtic Guard of Noble Arms activates, which allows me to draw two more cards since I dealt you damage." Isaac then picked up his two cards and ended his turn.
Kaiba's Life Points: 4500-

Turn 5: Kaiba

Kaiba was now getting up as he was now angry. It was rather insulting that the person who he called third-rate had actually manage to land a hit on him and even more importantly bring him down to nearly half of his original total. It sickened him to his stomach that he would allow such a thing to happen and he was going to make sure that it didn't occur ever again.

"Just because you got lucky shot in kid, doesn't change anything. I meant what I said, you're nothing but a third-rate duelist. And I'm going to end you." said Kaiba as he drew his card. "Since I control no monsters, I can special summon this card from my hand. Appear Kaiser Vorse Raider(1900/1200). Now attack his Celtic Guardian!" Kaiser Vorse Raider then rushed over to Isaac's field where it clashed with his Celtic Guardian and took it down with a downward slash as it broke his sword.
Isaac's Life Points: 4500-

"Now that Kaiser Vorse Raider destroyed a monster in battle, it gains 500 more attack points." With that Kaiba then placed one card facedown as he ended his turn. You may think you're a worthy adversary kid, but you're not. And I'm going to prove it.

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he drew his card. "Two turns have passed Kaiba that means Dark Magician is released from the ties that bind him, but there's more I play Magical Dimension. Celtic Guard of Noble Arms lend me your strength and let me use that strength for Dark Magician Girl, and with her arrival comes with your monster's departure." Magical Dimension then fired a powerful beam as it took out Kaiser Vorse Raider and left Kaiba completely defenseless. This is it, he's got no monsters left to protect. One attack from my magicians and it's over. "Now go my magicians, Double Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then lifted and powered up their wands as they prepared to deliver the final blow to Kaiba's remaining life points.

"Don't you dare! Unless you want to fall prey to my Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" said Kaiba. "I activate my facedown Induced Explosion, since a card of mine was destroyed by a spell effect, I can target one card on the field and destroy it. I chose your Time Chain, so now my dragon is free!" True to his word, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon broke free from the chains as it now stood in the way of Isaac's magicians. "That's right call off your attack!"

"Very well then, I'll call off my assault." said Isaac as he had his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl lower their wands and then returned to his side of the field as Isaac just ended his turn.

Turn 7: Kaiba

"Huh, I told you could never stand up to my power. And with this power, I will crush you!" said Kaiba as he drew his card. "Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, prepare to end this duel!" Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon then had all three of its heads open their jaws and were beginning to launch their attack at Isaac.

Isaac just had a smile on his face, "I beg to differ." Isaac's response now had Kaiba shocked at how defiant the kid was still being. "Let me show you, go Dimension Reflector. By banishing my two magicians this trap transforms into a mirror monster with the same attack points as your Neo Blue Eyes Ultimate Dragon, but here's the best part you then take damage equal to those same attack points!" said Isaac as his two monsters joined their wands and were now inside of a giant mirror as it absorbed the stats of Kaiba's dragon and then prepared to hit him for some serious damage and declare Isaac the winner.

"You set me up?" said Kaiba in disbelief. In all his years, he had not once seen someone like Isaac pull such complex and surprising moves. In fact, there was only one person who could do what Isaac was doing and that person happened to be none other than his rival. For the first time in his life, Kaiba was generally caught offguard as it appeared a 'third-rate' duelist was about to beat him.

"It's over, Kaiba." said Isaac as his mirror fired a powerful attack as it was heading straight for his life points. Upon contact the ground broke into a million little pieces as smoke appeared. Isaac had a smile on his face as he managed to actually beat a tough opponent. Or so he thought, "Huh?" said Isaac. Once the smoke cleared, there was Kaiba perfectly fine and more importantly, he still had the same amount of life points which meant the duel still continued.

"I had a feeling you set me up so I had this ready, the trap Enhanced Counter. Too bad kid, the damage you sent my way increases my monsters attack points instead!" said Kaiba with a calm demeanor. Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon felt the powerup as its stats rose to 9000 attack points.

"That means..." said Isaac as he realized what was about to happen.

"Yes that means after all this time I was right in being the named the winner." said Kaiba as he pointed at Isaac. "But I'll give you this kid, you're a good duelist. You're definitely not like everybody else; you know what you're doing and you've proven to be a somewhat of a worthy adversary. So I'll give you a bit of my respect, you're no third-rate duelist. At least not like that Wheeler kid."

Despite what was about to occur, Isaac could help but let a smile show on his face. "You know, hearing you say that means a lot, especially from someone of your caliber. I'm kind of glad that I got to face someone like you, it gives me a sense of comfort on what I need to do to take my game to the next level." And possibly see if I can go the same distance as my idol.

For a split second Kaiba had a smile on his face as he finished paying Isaac a small piece of his respect/praises. "But in the end, I've proven to be the superior duelist! Now, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon! Attack! Hyper Neutron Blast!!!" With that Kaiba's monster then fired off the final attack as it took out Isaac's monster and the remaining of his life points; Isaac just stood there as he took the attack head on with his eyes closed and a smile on his face.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Kaiba

"System offline. Shutting down." said the computer.

Isaac's pod now opened up as his helmet came off. Isaac then stood up as he stretched. He felt his knees buckle a bit but he quickly straighten himself. "Well that sure was a..." Isaac didn't get to finish his statement as he was suddenly tackled to the floor. He was able to make sure that he didn't hit his head as he looked to what caused him to fall.

"You're back!" shouted Twilight as she had tackled Isaac to the floor and was currently on top of him as she hugged him.

"Yeah, I'm back, why wou..."

Twilight then gave Isaac a deep kiss as she put everything she had into it. Isaac then wrapped his arms around Twilight as they both gave a little moan. She then broke away as she looked at Isaac with tearfully eyes while stroking Isaac's face.
"Don't you ever leave me again like that, Isaac."

Isaac just stroked Twilight's hair. "Don't you worry, Twilight. I never will." Twilight just gave Isaac another kiss as they wrapped their arms around each other as it lasted for a few seconds.

"Are you guys gonna put on a show?" asked Rainbow. "Cause if that happens, I'm leaving!"

Isaac and Twilight both got up from the floor as they dusted themselves off. "So how did it go for you girls?" asked Isaac.

"It's was... eventful." said Sunset.

"I agree, darling." chimed in Rarity.

"What's the final verdict, Mr. Keoni?" said Isaac.

"I say the test simulations were a success. All of you did exceptionally well, despite you all losing. But I dare say Isaac, given that you faced the second hardest CPU in our system. It was a very close match, even we saw the moves you both were making and it had us on the edge of our seats." Mr. Keoni was given Isaac a compliment for doing so well against a tough opponent.

"Thanks, but wait. You said I faced the second hardest A.I; who's the first?" Isaac was really interested in knowing who the computer might have pitted him against.

"Don't worry about it." said Mr. Keoni as he just waved it off. "I want to thank you all for the many new data we got; these results will prove significant when we continue to make improvements."

With that Isaac then began to ask the girls about their experience and they were satisficed with how it turned out. They got to face someone who used a similar card/deck and they learned a couple of new things. Overall, this little activity allowed them to have a great time. Especially for Isaac, as he saw this was a great way for him to see just how much more he needed to learn if he wanted to become a great duelist just like the person he idolized.

Chapter 73: Lady Luck

After a memorable experience with Mr. Keoni and getting to test his new battle simulation, the rest of the time spent in Horsolulu continued as planned. The group did their usual thing as they performed for Mr. Keoni's school as they wowed the kids and the sponsors with their amazing skills. Once it was over, Mr. Keoni thanked Celestia and Luna for helping him test out his battle simulator and for showing his students some mind blowing duels. With that their trip to Horsolulu was over faster than they realized. Right now they were currently back on their plane as they headed to their next destination. Celestia told the group that the Duos Cup was fast approaching as she ran down everybody's rank in terms of their win/loss record. As it stood, the person in the lead was Rainbow Dash who was ahead by 3 points, with Applejack in second place and Sunset rounding out third place. However, they were a little more than halfway through their trip so there was plenty of time for the standings to change.

Celestia was currently going over the next stop for them all and safe to say it was a city that caught everybody's attention.

"Las Pegasus!?!" they all shouted.

"The Entertainment Capital of the World, as well as the Gambling Capital of the World. Along with some other names." mentioned Isaac.

"I'm more interested in riding the Wild Blue Yonder." said Dash. "According to what Spitfire said, along with the other members of the soccer team, it's the coolest rollercoaster ever!!" Rainbow now had the biggest eyes as she began to describe the ride to her friends. "First, you strap yourself into the cloud rocket car, and then you're catapulted straight through a series of daring dips and terrifying turns, flipping upside-down so many times you don't know which way is up! 'Til finally you climb to the highest peak on the rails! Then drop towards the ground at lightning speed before coming up to a screeching halt! It's the coolest ride ever to exist!"

While Dash and a few others were excited for this trip, Applejack was a bit unsure about going. "No offense, Celestia. But Las Pegasus is a wild vacation spot! It's just one big party!"

"All those lights and sounds, not to mention the crowds... Oh, just the thought of it is overwhelming!" chimed in Fluttershy as she too was in the same boat as Aj.

"Don't worry Fluttershy, Applejack. Our main business will be to teach the students at the school." said Celestia as she did her best to calm the worries of both girls.

"Interesting," said Twilight. "It seems the hotel we'll be staying at, is also a casino."

"Alright!" said Isaac. "Now that I'm legally of age, I can try my hand Blackjack. A simple game that anybody can learn and possible win a couple of bucks." Isaac was now rubbing his hands together as he began to imagine all the money he could potentially win.

Twilight then smacked her boyfriend in the head. "Don't think you're going to do that! We're here on official business, not to lose our souls to the devil himself." said Twilight.

Despite Twilight hitting him in the head, Isaac couldn't help but to imagine. He saw himself in a dapper tuxedo as he was surrounded by waitress and big piles of poker chips. He also picture Twilight in a drop dead gorgeous dress as she was leaning on his arm as he was winning big. All of it brought a smile on his face as he was living the dream. Soon Twilight had a stern face as it was enough to reel him back into reality.

"Were you thinking about gambling!?" asked Twilight in a stern tone.

"Of course not." said Isaac as he shifted his eyes slightly to the left. "I was... just picturing you in Las Pegasus dress." Seemed Twilight wasn't fully buying what Isaac was selling. "Besides, it's not just the gambling that's caught my interest. Casinos are also some great places where duelists happen to appear."

Before Twilight could continue to lecture Isaac some more, Luna brought everyone's attention by clearing her throat. "If you're all done, let me explain some rules and regulations. We're going to be staying in the Sky Resort which is a popular destination for both tourists and duelists. The owner of the hotel was generous in letting us stay here for a lower price than usual, so we'd expect all of you to be on your best behavior. We don't want any trouble to arise that gets all of you into serious consequences. Is that understood?" said Luna with a booming voice.

Everybody just nodded as they understood Luna's threat/statement. With that it was but a few hours till they were landing in Las Pegasus. After they landed, they then got onto a bus as they were on their way to the resort.

"Welcome to Sin City!" said Isaac with a smile on his face, as he took off his sunglasses and took a deep breath of air.

"I appreciate it, if you didn't contribute to that name by saying that." said Twilight. "This city already has a reputation by the many legal/illegal things that's involved."

The bus ride from Las Pegasus International Airport went down the Strip, past all the mammoth hotels and mega resorts, including a six-hundred-fifty-million-dollar trip into fantasy, a massive black glass pyramid that would have made Somnambula feel right at home the emerald-green Maretro-Goldwhinnyn-Mareyer (MGM) Grand, its main building stretching the width of four football fields; a sex-charged rock club, a bright red volcano that spat lava into the sky after dark, and Manehattan if it had been reimagined by Dalton Whinny, with buxom cocktail waitresses instead of college kids in Wilhelm Wombat and Elmer Eagle costumes—the results of Las Pegasus being in an almost constant state of boom for the past four decades.

"This is it, everybody-- The Sky Resort," Celestia said as the bus screeched to a halt.

Isaac and the girls stared in awe at the huge, 31-story casino hotel. With its colossal water fountain, extravagant double doors and revolving doors, and flashy neon signs, the exterior alone was impressive. The group spilled out of the bus and retrieved their suitcases from the luggage hold. The hotel lobby’s main doors (a pair of tall, golden double doors) were flanked by a pair of doormen like two proud sentinels. Isaac peered through the windows and saw a multitude of people, everyone from a janitor mopping the floor to a young woman behind the front desk.

The interior of the resort was modern and stylish, decorated in the fashion of a tropical jungle; with palm trees, rainforest flora, rumbling brooks, and even the odd waterfall. The air seemed misty, unlike the dry desert air outside, and the entire place smelled authentic. A giant gold statue of the owner dominated the center of the lobby; a 53 foot by eight foot aquarium stretched behind the registration desk.

While everybody was admiring the place, Celestia then made her way to the registration deck as she checked in her and the entire group. A couple of bellhops came to get their bags as they loaded them onto a cart and carried some in their arms as they entered the elevator to drop off their bags in each person's room. With that the whole group made their way towards Celestia as the women telling her the way to enter their room.

"Now, in order to get to your rooms, you’ll have to take the gold elevators,” The women told them. “To get to them, you’re going to have to go through the casino, and veer to the left. Then take a right at the first palm tree. You’ll see the blackjack tables. Not baccarat, not craps, blackjack. Take another right and wind around left. If you get to the indoor pools, you’ve gone too far.”

“Gold elevators, through the casino, left, right at the first palm, past the blackjack tables, right again, and then left, pool, too far, got it!” Isaac replied.

The women smiled and said, “Enjoy your stay.”

With that they each grabbed their room keys as they all hopped into the elevator. They stopped on the 25th floor as they all had their rooms on the same floor. With that they all split up as each person entered their room. After about 20 minutes, Celestia and Luna needed to get in contact with their associates at the school; she also told the girls that she booked them to perform in a couple of nights. Isaac was currently stepping out of the elevator as he was in his signature outfit as he was meeting up with the girls.

Isaac’s stomach growled and he looked across the lobby for a place to eat. "Guess, I must be hungry." His eyes picked out two suitable targets. The first was the Sweet Snacks Café, which was a Rockin’ ‘50’s-themed diner that served burgers and milkshakes (complete with a soda fountain and waitresses in carhop uniforms). The other was an oriental restaurant that had an aquarium filled with many exotic fish, dubbed “X Sushi.”

While the girls were all up for trying the sushi place, Isaac, for one, couldn’t stand the thought of eating raw fish. Especially since the mercury that was used to kill any potential parasites in them was more than enough to make his stomach turn. Not to mention that he wasn't a big seafood fan, the only exception was fish. Still they couldn't figure out what they wanted to eat, so seeing as how they were in Las Pegasus, they did the one thing this city was known for.

Sunset reached into her pocket and said, “We’ll flip a coin. Heads you win and we’ll go to the diner. Tails you lose and we eat sushi.”

Isaac had played this game so many times that he knew how it worked. It was a form of sortition that inherently had only two possible (and equally likely) outcomes. There were only two ways the coin could land—heads or tails. And heads came up just as often as tails. So, half the time one party would win, and half the time the other party would win. The odds and chances were a solid 50/50, and a game of chance didn’t come much fairer than that. Unless, of course, the tosser used a two-headed coin.

Coin tossing was a simple practice of throwing a coin into the air and checking which side was showing when it landed, in order to choose between two alternatives, and sometimes used to resolve a dispute between two groups. In this case, it was where to eat: the café or the sushi bar. The diner or the restaurant. A well-done burger or uncooked seafood.

“Come on, Isaac,” Sunset said playfully. “Take a chance.” She gave Isaac the coin she planned to use and he looked at both sides of it to make sure that his friend wouldn’t cheat, and he handed it back to her.

“Okay,” he said.

Sunset flipped the coin into the air and it landed in her open palm.

“Tails it is,” she said.

Isaac sighed for a brief moment, but smiled, accepting his defeat with some grace, and escorted his friends to X Sushi. “First casino I’ve seen with a sushi bar in it,” he commented.

The group took their seats and looked at their menus. Isaac skimmed over various Nigiri and Sashimi platters. They had everything from Sake (Salmon) and Maguro (Tuna) to Ebi (Shrimp), Saba (Mackerel) to Unagi (Smoked Eel), and Ika (Squid) to Tako (Octopus). They also offered traditional sushi rolls from avocado to cucumber and asparagus, as well as the Califoalnia and the Fillydelphia. There was even a Las Pegasus roll!

So they placed their order as a waitress came to get their order. While all the girls knew what they wanted, Isaac didn't know what to get. So he just asked the waitress what she would recommend. She simply told him to try the Teriyaki. Soon their orders came Isaac just looked at his food with an unsure look; he eventually willed himself to take a bite and found it packed with tons of flavor. Not to mention that it was all fresh; the vegetables had been cooked in such a way that they were warm, but they retained their shape and still had a bit of crunch to them. To Isaac, there was nothing worse than vegetables that had been overcooked to the point that they were mush. And the sauce it was marinating in was actual Teriyaki sauce, made in-house, not something one bought at the store. The taste of ginger was strong. It was incredible, and Isaac ate every bite. After they finished their meals, they all began to wander around and see what the hotel had to offer.

Isaac and his friends made their way to the casino floor, it was densely packed, equal parts tourists wandering in from off the Strip and weekend warriors from Manehattan (some in suits and ties). Its atmosphere was luxurious and the décor was colorful. Huge crystal chandeliers hung from the cavernous ceiling. Gaming tables, widely spaced, were scattered around the huge room, slot machines fanned out on all sides. Poker games were in progress at three, a spirited game of Pedro at the fourth, a quiet game of whist at one isolated in the corner; and near the center of the room stood a Roulette table with a solid platinum Roulette wheel and half a dozen players watching the croupier as he dexterously set the ball clinking onto the spinning wheel’s cone.

"This place is amazing!" said Dash.

"Just look at all these people." said Sunset.

"To think this is what this city is known for, kind of depressing. People just betting their money, more importantly their lives. And for what? More money, or just the thrill of it." said Twilight as it pained her to think that people actually came to a place like Las Pegasus.

"Well, I know what I'm doing." said Isaac as he started making his way to a horseshoe-shaped table. The girls all followed him, especially Twilight who still didn't approve her boyfriend of taking part in such a scandalous societal norm.

There was two people, a prim, beautiful woman dressed in red, with high, platinum blonde hair and green eyes; and a tall, strongly built man, with green eyes, wearing an amber suit coat, a bolo tie and a white ten-gallon hat, were already seated at it. These two were big spenders, Isaac could tell. One thing that being from Chicoltgo, is that Isaac knew how to make a bet and when to gamble. It was some of the things he picked up on, on the streets from side hustlers and gangsters. He knew when to walk away and when to to make a fool of someone. But one thing that the streets really taught him was how to play card games, and not just Duel Monsters.

The man in the bolo tie and cowboy hat played smoothly; making small talk with the dealer, barely looking at his cards, and making some of the strangest plays Isaac had ever seen. He kept hitting like a madman, for the most part, taking as many cards as he could—even busting with four cards after hitting on a seventeen. He never celebrated when he won, and never complained when he lost. In fact, he didn’t seem that interested in the game at all. Isaac watched him and the lady in red for a few more minutes before he approached, taking note of the sign that said that the table’s minimum bet was ten dollars and the maximum was five thousand.

The dealer looked at Isaac and asked, “Try your luck, friend?”

Isaac shrugged and said, “Why not?”

"Isaac, I would advise against this." said Twilight as she was totally against her boyfriend from gambling, but he didn't listen. The rest of the girls just stayed behind Isaac as he prepared to play.

The cowboy turned to Isaac and smiled at him.

“You’re new around here, aren’t ya?” he asked.

“Yes,” Isaac answered.

"I see you're a duelist based on that duel disk on your arm." said the cowboy. “My name’s Bushel. Come on, sit down,”

Isaac looked at the nametag on the dealer. "So your name is Lucky Lucy?" Isaac addressed the dealer as he took the stool next to Bushel.

“Yes, I am Lucky Lucy,” she replied. “But most people refer to me by my nickname, 'Lady Luck'."

"Why's that?" asked Isaac.

"Let's say that I've got magic touch of sorts." said Lucy as she had a sly smile on her face. "How’s your stay been?”

"Just checked in, me and my friends here are visiting.” he said. “I’m Isaac, by the way.”

“It’s nice to meet you. Good luck,”

“Thank you,”

With that the game began. Blackjack, also known as 21 (the number which defined the object of the game), was the most widely played banking game in the world—a card game where the players played against the dealer rather than each other.
It was also the only card game where a smart player had a mathematical advantage over the house, which always had an edge at the table.

But that was the nature of the game—and it was no different than any other business. One didn’t open a theater and let people in for free. They were charged for admission, the entertainment. That’s what Las Pegasus did. And the house’s edge was like the price of the ticket. Whenever people sat down to play a game, or pull a lever, the casino was providing them with an entertainment service. They paid for that service by losing more than winning. But the house didn’t always have an edge (except with the cheaters and the card counters); card counters did not alter the natural outcome of the game, nor did proficient counters employ devices to help them beat the house. But Isaac was different. He knew how to get his entertainment for free—and then some.

Isaac knew how Blackjack was played. The dealer dealt each player two cards, they added them together and tried to get closest to twenty-one without going over. If a player wanted another card, they pointed to the table (or said “Hit me”); and if they wanted to stand, they waved their hand (or said “I’ll stay”).

The object of the game was to beat the dealer one of three ways: get 21 points on the first two cards, reach a final score higher than the dealer without going over 21, or let the dealer draw additional cards until their hand exceeded 21. And if the player hit twenty-one on their first two cards, the casino paid them one and a half times their bet.

The rules were fairly simple, as card games went; but the strategy was tricky, and Isaac was by no means an expert. The players went first, the dealer second. The dealer’s play depended on the casino, but usually they would hit until their cards added up to seventeen—or until they busted. If a player got pairs of the same card, they could split them and have two bets going on separate hands, and (depending on the casino) they could double their bet—double down—on the first two cards, taking a single card (a Face Card) in the hopes of beating the dealer for more money. That gave people a chance to increase their odds, but it also doubled the risk. The only proper time to split pairs was when the dealer’s hand would be weaker than each of the players’ two new hands.

Picture Cards, also known as Face Cards (Kings, Queens and Jacks), were worth ten points, while Aces were worth either one or eleven (depending on the rules of the house), and all the other cards (2-10) were worth their pip value.

“Run ‘em, Lucy,” Bushel said. “Make ‘em nice and friendly, ‘cause ain’t no bread in the house.”

“Place your bets,” Lucy told them.

The lady in red placed a single green chip, worth $25, on the betting circle; Bushel wagered two black chips, each worth $100; and Isaac bet one of the complimentary chips that the receptionist had given him at the front desk; a yellow chip worth $1,000.

"Gees, I know Isaac had balls. But that really is a gamble." said Dash.

"Hopefully, he ain't gonna regret that decision." exclaimed Applejack.

"This is what I was afraid of." said Twilight as she buried her face in her hands. She was worried that Isaac was going to make a dumb bet that would cost him money or something worst.

"Go big bro!" shouted Pinkie as she cheered Isaac on with pom-poms in her hands.

Lucy’s hands moved gracefully as she dealt each of them two cards face down, then two for herself. Then she flipped over one of her cards, revealing the Queen of Clubs.

Contrary to what many novices believed, the goal of blackjack was not to get the best hand possible; it was to beat the dealer’s hand. The key was to understand that the dealer’s advantage was based entirely on the fact that they drew after the players. The dealers were constrained by the house rules, which meant they were usually forced to hit until they either reached seventeen or busted. Therefore, the players’ strategy was to try to calculate what the dealer’s most likely hand was going to be, and then draw until their own hands were higher. If the dealer was most likely to bust (and they did about 28 percent of the time), the players simply needed to stand on any two cards over eleven.

The players’ calculations were based on what the dealer was showing. If the dealer had a strong card—like a ten or an ace (which Lucy did)—then the odds were high the dealer had a good hand and wouldn’t need to take a third card from the deck. That meant the players had to keep hitting until they had a strong hand for themselves. If the dealer showed a weak card—like a five or a six—they would most likely take that third card, and the players could usually stick with their first two cards. Therefore, the odds of busting were high, and it made sense to stand.

The lady in red looked at her cards. She had the Ten of Diamonds and the Five of Clubs. She paused, trying to decide whether to stand or take the next card.

“Now, Silver Waves, you’ve got fifteen and the dealer’s showing ten,” Bushel said to her.

“Do I hit, Bushel, or do I stand?” she asked.

“If you wanna win, you’ve gotta hit,”

Isaac was actually surprised that the cowboy was so quick to offer advice... and that the lady was so quick to ask for it. Then again, they were both playing against the house and (in a way) had a common foe in Lucky Lucy.

Lucy didn’t seem to mind.

“Hit me,” she told Lucy.

Lucy gave her another card: the King of Clubs. That put her at 25.

“Player busts,” Lucy said.

“Damn!” Silver Waves cursed.

Bushel looked at his cards: the Three of Spades and the Nine of Spades. He smiled at Lucy and said, “Hit me.”

She dealt him another card—the Nine of Clubs.

“Twenty-one,” Lucy said.

Isaac looked at his cards and said, “Hit me.”

The Three of Clubs.

“Hit me,”

The Two of Hearts.

“One more,”

“Boy, you’ve got brass!” Bushel stated. “Do you know what the odds are on a five-card Charlie? Tartarus, you’re just throwing your money away!”

“If the object of the game is to get a total of 21, I will definitely need another card,” Isaac replied. He looked at Lucy again and said, “Hit me.”

Lucy dealt him one more card—the Nine of Hearts—that, plus the previous two, put Isaac at fourteen. Then he revealed the first two cards Lucy had dealt him: the Two of Clubs and the Five of Hearts.

“Twenty-one,” Lucy said.

Even with the final Nine, the two Twos, the Three and the Five prevented Isaac from going bust.

“How’d you--?” Bushel began. “Well, shut my mouth!”

Lucy flipped over her second card, revealing the Nine of Diamonds.

“Dealer has nineteen. Good start,” she told them as she collected their cards and shuffled them back into the deck.

Isaac just shrugged his shoulders, "Beginner's luck."

"How did he do that?" asked Fluttershy in a soft voice as she addressed the girls.

"Maybe, he really did get lucky." suggested Rarity.

“Say, you’re not one of them card counters, are ya?” Bushel asked.

Lucy fumbled with the deck as she shuffled, but quickly recovered. She thought Bushel had directed the question at her, but she saw that he had been talking to Isaac.

“The number of the cards and their values remain quite constant,” he told Bushel. “What would be the purpose of counting them?”

Bushel and Silver Waves nodded before Isaac said, “Deal ‘em up.”

Lucy finished shuffling as they placed their bets. Silver Waves put down four greens chips ($100), Bushel wagered two black chips ($200) as he had before, and Isaac bet two yellow chips ($2,000).

Lucy dealt them each two cards, and then two for herself. Then she flipped over one of hers, and it showed the Queen of Spades.

Silver Waves had the Ten of Hearts and the Two of Diamonds. She needed Nine to make 21.

“Hit me,” she said.

Lucy dealt her the King of Clubs, putting her over at 22.

Bushel had the Six of Clubs and the Seven of Spades—Thirteen.

“Hit me,” he said.

Lucy dealt him the Six of Hearts. That put him at nineteen and he stayed.

Isaac looked at his cards, the Eight of Clubs and the Eight of Spades. He said, “Hit me”, and got the Five of Spades—Twenty-One.

Lucy flipped over her other card: the Jack of Spades. That put her at twenty. Everyone made the same bets again. Then Lucy dealt the cards and flipped over one of hers, showing the Ten of Spades.

Silver Waves glanced at her cards. She had the Queen of Diamonds and the Six of Spades (Sixteen), now she needed a Five to make 21.

“Hit me,” she said.

The Six of Diamonds—that put her at 22.

“Shoot!” she exclaimed.

Bushel looked at his cards, the King of Spades and the Five of Diamonds, and said, “Hit me.”

The Six of Clubs.

“Twenty-one,” Lucy said.

Isaac got the Ten of Hearts and the Five of Clubs. He hit twice, getting the Two of Diamonds and the Four of Spades—Twenty-one. Lucy turned over her second card, revealing the Ten of Diamonds—twenty again.

As Lucy changed decks, Isaac put all the chips/money he won and pushed it toward the dealer. "I was thinking of betting everything this time. Is that all right?” he asked.

Bushel and Silver Waves went dead silent while everyone else within 15 feet of the table gasped and crowded around them. Even the girls were stunned at what Isaac was suggesting.

"Everything?" someone asked.

“Big bet for a big man!” said another.

“What do you think that sign’s there for, to hold down the table?”

“How can he just--?” Silver Waves thought.

“I like your spirit,” Bushel told Isaac, “but don’t you think you’ve won enough already?”

Lucy opened her mouth to speak and the pit boss, a tall, thin, auburn-haired beauty approached the table. “Sure you don’t want to save a few bucks for the buffet?” she asked.

“I want to see how well I do against three hands,” Isaac replied.

“Whoa, dude! You’ve already established that you’re a risk-taker,” Bushel said, “but I didn’t think you’d live on the edge!”

“Oh?” Isaac replied.

The pit boss nodded to Lucy.

“Let him play,” she said.

“Another kid doing something stupid,” she thought. “This’ll be sweet.”

Silver Waves and Bushel decided to sit this one out. Isaac looked at his cards, being careful not to show them to anyone, and said, “I’ll stay.”

Lucy flipped over the second cards for her three hands.

Her first pair was the Nine of Clubs and the Ten of Diamonds.

Her second pair was the Queen of Hearts and the Jack of Spades.

And the third pair was the King of Clubs and the King of Diamonds.

A nineteen and two twenties.

Isaac smirked as he showed the King of Hearts and the Ace of Spades.

“Blackjack,” he said.

He won against all three of her hands.

“Boy, you are on fire!” Bushel exclaimed.

“He’s good,” one of the patrons said. “He is good.”

“Are you a professional?” Silver Waves asked.

Isaac told them that he wasn’t, but they were beginning to suspect, at least from the way he played, that he was a serious gambler. No words could describe what the girls were seeing, even Twilight's brain went offline as she couldn't comprehend how her boyfriend was doing what he was doing. And she was the smart one of the group.

Isaac organized and restacked the pile of chips in front of him. He reached for them and shoved them toward Lucy.

Lucy had the Queen of Spades and the Ten of Hearts.

Isaac got the Jack of Spades and the Ace of Diamonds.

“Blackjack again,” he said. “I think I’ll cash out before you run out.”

“Is something wrong?” Lucy asked. “Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet all of a sudden.”

“Not really,” Isaac replied. “In fact, it was just starting to get interesting.”

Even half of the money that Isaac had just won was more than enough to make any man’s hands tremble. Isaac paused. Then he took his seat again after a moment of thought.

“How would you feel about letting me play one more game?” he asked.

Silver Waves gasped and said, “No! Don’t do it!”

“What an idiot!” Lucy thought. “How much you want to bet?” she asked.

"I was thinking everything... as well as my duel deck." Isaac said with a smile.

“S-seriously?” Twilight asked. “That’s crazy!”

“Don’t tell me you’re getting cold feet all of a sudden,” Isaac echoed. “Then again, after losing to me that many times in a row, I don’t blame you.”

You stupid, arrogant, cocky, son of a bitch! Lucy cursed in her thoughts. How dare you underestimate me! Damn you, acting like this is nothing! Not that it matters. I’m going to win anyway!

After Lucy shuffled the deck, Isaac cut it with one hand. Silver Waves couldn’t help but whistle at Isaac’s skill and Bushel said, “Pretty smooth.”

What the Tartarus is he doing? Silver Waves thought. And yet, he’s so calm... How can he be so calm?

Lucy was wondering the same thing. How the Tartarus is he so calm? He doesn’t think he can actually beat me, does he? No! There’s no way! It’s impossible! He doesn’t know what cards I’m going to draw! There’s no way he can best me! I’m going to deal myself 20, then I’m going to win, and he’ll end up with no way to win it back! Lucy dealt the cards and flipped over one of her own: the Ten of Spades.

Isaac looked at his cards, the Three of Hearts and the Nine of Diamonds, and placed them, face down, on the table.

He looked at Lucy and smiled again.

Why I ought to-- she thought furiously.

“Hit me,” Isaac told her.

That’s it! Lucy thought. You are dead!!

And she dealt him another card: the King of Diamonds.

That, plus the Nine and the Three, put Isaac over at 22.

Lucy flipped over her second card, the Queen of Spades; that put her at 20. She smiled.

Isaac flipped his own cards over, revealing the Three of Hearts and the Eight of Diamonds. Those two, plus the King, put him at...

“Twenty-one,” he said. “Lucky me.” Isaac gave a wink at Lucy.

Lucy’s jaw dropped as Isaac swept up his winnings. He stuffed the chips into his pockets. Then he tossed Lucy a single red poker chip (worth only $5) as a tip as he walked away, and she crushed it between her fingers in anger.

“Well, I’ve already found one of the cheaters in this building,” he whispered to himself as he walked. “I’ll be sure to let the owners know,” Isaac then began to walk over till he meet the girls as they still had their jaws hanging down. "What!?" said Isaac in a nonchalant tone.

"I... you.. how..." Twilight couldn't put into words, what she had just witnessed. "I love you." said Twilight as that was the only sentence she could make.

Isaac just chuckled a bit as he gave her a quick kiss as they all began to leave, before they were stopped by someone. Isaac was now face to face with the bulky man who he noticed was standing next to the coat checkroom when he walked into the lobby; the resort’s head of security—Caramel.

“Don’t worry,” he told him. “I’ve been keeping my eye on Lucy ever since she started work. I always knew she was counting cards, I just couldn’t prove it... until now. Come on.”

Celestia and Luna sat on a couch, on the 31st floor of the resort, in the owner's office. It was a blue room raucous with old photographs and even older carny posters. He had told them to make themselves at home, which they did. He offered them coffee but they both politely refused. Celestia did, however, take a piece of cake; she never turned down sweets. Luna just rolled her eyes at her sister's obsession and made sure to tease her about how it was affecting her 'flank'.

Lucky Clover, the owner, stood tall, and everything he did from the way he moved to how he spoke seemed to charm and confuse people, dazzle and disorient. His vest was blue with white stripes, his hair brownish, his eyes the color of pistachios, his skin light olive, and he smiled both big and wide.

“How are you enjoying our resort?” Clover asked.

“Everything is splendid as usual,” Celestia replied.

“Glad to hear it,” said Clover. “I hope you continue to enjoy yourself."

“I always do,” Celestia said.

“And don’t worry,” Clover reassured her. “My staff and I will take care of your students and make sure they have everything they need. Everything within reason, that is,” added Clover. There was a knock at the door and Clover called out, “Come in!”

It was Caramel, flanked by Isaac and the girls.

"Ahh, Isaac, girls, this is Lucky Clover. He's the owner of this resort." Celestia introduced their host.

“Nice to meet you,” Isaac said cordially.

“Pleasure to meet all of you." Clover returned the friendly gesture. "I see you’ve already become acquainted with some of our employees,” Clover observed.

“Oh, yes,” Isaac replied, smiling.

Caramel then stepped forward, "I’m also here to report that I can confirm that our star dealer has been cheating at cards,” Caramel added. “And you have this guy to thank."

“I know,” Clover replied. He motioned to a wall of security monitors behind his desk, next to the colossal window overlooking the city. Footage of Isaac and Lucy at the Blackjack table appeared on the largest screen. “That was quite the display,” Clover added. “No one has ever been able to beat Lucky Lucy at Blackjack. No one except me, of course. She doesn’t let anyone win that she doesn’t want to,” Clover went on. “You’re not on any list, and we don’t have your picture in our card counter file.”

Isaac exhaled unsurprised.

"You should seen, our buddy." said Dash as she threw her arm over Isaac. "He practically hustled her."

"I thought you just good at Duel Monsters," said Applejack. "Turns out you're just good at card games in general."

"I agree, darling. The way you just stayed calm and collected under pressure. Most people who crack or fold in your position." stated Rarity.

"Well, it's important to not only have book smarts, but street smarts as well. One of the life lessons I learned growing up in Chicoltgo. Plus, it's important to make sure that when you're gambling, you keep your eyes low. Don't let them see exactly what you're thinking. It's all about having a good poker face." said Isaac as the girls remembered how Isaac had used his cap to dip it lower when he was betting against Lucy to avoid her reading his thoughts. "As for counting card, I don't do that. Card counting is time-consuming, and it takes nearly 18 hours to show a profit. And those who do count cards end up losing more than those who don’t. It takes discipline, dedication, and good math skills. I calculate odds. I view the table and remember past hands and combinations and use that to determine my wager. When the odds are too high I simply sit out a hand. I just use my head to take advantage of an opportunity. I also can’t stand people who refuse to let others win just to fill their own ego/pride.”

“I can vouch for that,” Celestia confirmed. “And from your description of her, Miss Lucy seems to fall into that category.”

Lucky Clover was fairly sure that was as innocent, and honest, of an answer as he was going to get, so he didn’t press it any further. Clover did, however, say, “Miss Lucy can be ruthless at times, but that doesn’t change the fact that she is our most valuable employee. In her eyes, she considers you an enemy."

Isaac didn’t like what he was hearing. He wasn’t easily intimidated, and he hated being bullied by thugs. But he kept his mouth shut.

“Thank you for bringing this to our attention, Caramel,” said Clover. “We will continue to monitor Lucy’s dealings. If this happens again, we will take drastic action. And Isaac,” Clover added, “if Miss Lucy gives you any trouble, tell us and we will get her to back off. But be careful,” he warned. “From now on, we’re keeping our eye on you too.”

Isaac nodded.

"Don't worry about, Isaac." said Sunset as she placed her hand on his shoulder. "He knows not to do something that will get all of us in danger."

"If there is nothing else, Caramel, make sure that our guests enjoy themselves." said Lucky Clover as his head of security just nodded his head.

“Thank you,” Luna said as she, Celestia, Isaac, and the girls left.

After the doors closed behind them, Lucky Clover returned his attention to the wall of monitors and zoomed in on the footage of Isaac. As Isaac cut the deck one-handed on the last game, one of the cards slipped down his sleeve before he handed them back to Lucy. Then, when his hand was still covering his cards (when he placed them back on the table), he subtly swapped one of them out for the one that was up his sleeve. “The hand is quicker than the eye,” Clover quoted.

It was now nighttime as the Sky Resort was in full swing. Compared to how it was during the day, the environment was now turned into full gear. There was even more casino games happening, the sound of slot machines clanged, there was even tons of show girls putting on a show for the men. As for our group, they were currently keeping themselves busy by playing a couple of casino games, well except Twilight. Seems all the money that Isaac won earlier, he was able to give each of his friends a good portion of it and it wasn't even half of what he won. Twilight still didn't like the idea that they were gambling, but thankfully there was a couple of duels that were taking place as it eased her mind a bit.

All the girls had decided to dress up for the evening, courtesy of Rarity. Sunset wore a strapless, backless magenta evening dress slit up her right leg to the top of her thigh, with long, over the elbow purple silk gloves. Applejack wore a strapless emerald green dress with open-toed white heels and her blonde hair was done up away from her face. Rainbow Dash wore a light blue toga-like gown, Fluttershy wore a strapless yellow ball gown with a big skirt and petticoats, Rarity wore a simple, form-fitting indigo dress, and Pinkie (in pink) was adding more feathers to Rarity’s ensemble. And Twilight she was in a purple dress.

As for Isaac, he was currently in a different outfit. Since the morning, Lucky Clover couldn't find Lucy as he was in desperate need for a main dealer. So he turned towards the one person who he didn't expect; he had asked Isaac if he could possibly fill in for the position. Clover thought that based on Isaac's skill during his Blackjack game with Lucy, he seemed to know the basis of what he was doing. Isaac was a bit hesitant at first, but after some begging which made Clover look really pitiful, he agreed to it. So Isaac was now working the casino floor as he was now the temporary head dealer in Blackjack. Isaac was wearing a buttoned up emerald green vest with a bold design – the four card suits: red hearts and diamonds with black spades and clubs – and knotting an even darker green tie around his neck. He was also wearing white gloves as well as a green visor on his head.

Despite not partaking in any gambling, she did admit that Isaac's attire kind made him look hot. The first moment she saw Isaac all dressed up, she immediately blushed red and she so badly wanted to kiss him really intimately. Despite that, Isaac thought he looked dapper as hell as he made his way to the casino floor and went to work. The first few games were calm as Isaac was winning most of the games, adding a bit more cash to the small fortune that he had acquired. Regardless, Isaac made sure that the hands he dealt were fair and he even helped some people win some money. He just merely told them that he brought good luck, which proved correct based on how many people were satisficed with their bets either breaking even or making slight a bit more than what they started. Nevertheless, they gave Isaac a decent size tip as they thanked him for being a good lucky charm and a masterful dealer.

Tonight was also a big night for Lucky Clover as he was unveiling a new item to display. "Good evening, ladies and gentleman. I hope you're all enjoying yourself. Tonight promises to be an momentous occasion. For I, Lucky Clover, have purchased a fine set of valuable new artworks. In addition, I've also managed to gain possession of a rare card. A card that is said to bring good luck, so I figured why not have something like this so that everybody in my casino can have nothing but good fortune." Everybody clapped at Clover's statement. "So without further ado, I give you my newly purchased collection." Clover pulled down the sheet as he unveiled the new things on the stage but under the sheet was nothing. Even the glass case that held his special card was gone.

"What's going? Who's behind this?" shouted Clover.

"Ha. Ha. Ha." chuckled a voice.

Soon the lights turned off as a single spotlight appeared and shined down on the person who was hanging out in the rafters. The light then showed off a person and that person was none other than Lucky Lucy. "Looking for something, Lucky Clover? Perhaps, a certain card?" Lucy then held her fingers up as between them she was holding a Duel Monsters card. "Don't worry, I promise to take good care of this card and your priceless artworks. In fact, I'm already starting to feel lucky."

Soon the security busted in as they surrounded Lucy. "Don't move, we've got you trapped." shouted Caramel.

"On the contrary gentleman, it's you whose trapped." said Lucy. She then lift the card up as it created a blindly light that caused everybody to cover their eyes. Lucy then grabbed some diced that manifested as she threw them and they rolled up a six as it caused all the guards to be flung back. The rumors about this card were true. She then hopped down from the ceiling as she made her way through the front door where more guards were blocking her.

She held the card up again once more, as she threw another dice and it landed on a six which created a smokescreen as it allowed her to slip by with ease. Just as the cops appeared, Lucy threw one more die and the result was the same as before as she caused the overhead sign to fall on the cars as it allowed her to make her escape.

"Somebody stop her!" shouted Lucky Clover as he had his security guards and the local police began work on tracking Lucy.

Isaac and the rest of the girls quietly sneak their way out of the casino as they were now conversing in the hallway. "Did any of you girls see that?" asked Isaac.

"I'll say, it was a doozy." exclaimed Pinkie with a smile on her face.

"But did you see what Lucy just did?" asked Rarity.

"Right, she stole some card along with some artwork. And then she just ran off, no doubt she has some plans." stated Sunset.

"So what do we do?" asked Fluttershy.

"What do you think, we go after her." suggested Isaac. "We can't just let Lucy terrorize the city, we have to put a stop to her."

"That's fine and dandy, sugarcube. But where would we even begin, for all we know, she could be on the other side of the city by now." stated Applejack.

"I wouldn't be too sure." said Twilight. "I just hacked into the police's feed and they've pinpointed Lucy's location." Twilight was using her laptop as she was doing a bit of tech work, she knew Isaac was going to suggest this, so she went right ahead and got a head start. Soon she had her target, "She's headed toward the docks and is currently on board the D-Line Monorail."

"Great then that's where we're headed." said Isaac as he and the girls were about to leave.

"Wait, a minute guys. There's something you should know." All of the them stopped as they turned to hear what Twilight had to say, "The card that Lucy stole was none other than Number 7: Lucky Straight. It's an Xyz card; everyone who's ever had that card has been blessed with a sudden streak of crazy luck. In the past, that cards has turned people into overnight celebrities and millionaires."

"That's nuts!" stated Dash.

"It explains why, while Lucy was escaping, she rolled some dice. The first die she threw all landed on six, the odds of rolling six on three dice at the same time are one in 216. The next one she rolled also landed on a six, the odds of rolling that many sixes in a row are 1296 to one. And then her final die, also landed on a six. Overall the odds she was facing were 7776 to one!" exclaimed Twilight.

"We get it! That card is super lucky." stated Dash.

"Good thing we don't need to rely on luck. Now come one, we've got a thief to catch." said Isaac as he led the girls in search of the Lucy. They didn't have time to change out of their outfits apart from Isaac who threw off his green visor and put back on his signature cap.

The group had split up as Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie, and Rarity were to inform the police about where Lucy was headed in hopes of cutting her off. Meanwhile, Isaac, Twilight, Dash, and Sunset would get on the train and try to apprehend Lucy.

Lucy was currently surrounded by tons of police as she was in between the doors of the monorail. Soon radios were called in by an officer. "Lieutenant! We've stopped the monorail and evacuated all passengers/personnel. The suspect is surrounded. Get down on your knees, Lucy!" shouted the officer.

"Man, you guys just don't give up, do ya? Did your bosses not give you the memo about what this card can do?" said Lucy as she showed the card to the armored police. At that same time, Isaac and his team had jumped over the barricade as they were closing in on Lucy's position.

Lucy then held the card up high as it created a blinding light that caused all the police to fall on their bottoms as it caused the monorail to reactivate. "No hard feelings boys, but I've really got somewhere I need to be." said Lucy as she hopped into the train as it closed its doors. Unbeknownst to them all, while Lucy was talking, Isaac and Twilight had managed to make it in the train through another door as it closed behind them leaving Sunset and Dash behind. Soon it started to move, as they watched their friends ride off.

"Suspect is moving through downtown." said the officer.

Lucy was so proud of herself for pulling off such a easy escape that she didn't notice Isaac and Twilight behind her until Isaac made his presence known.

"Sunset, I've got her!" said Isaac as he was communicate to her with his duel disk.

"Huh?" said Lucy as she turned around to see the couple.

"We're on the D-Line Monorail! Currently heading downtown, see if you can find someway to shut this thing down on your end." said Isaac.

"You've got it Isaac." stated Sunset as she and Dash then began to find the central control.

"So you found me?" Lucy had a smile on her face, "A little quicker than I thought you would."

"You have something that doesn't belong to you, return it at once."

"Heh, heh, heh. Direct and to the point." chuckled Lucy. "Well as it happens, I've jammed this monorail so it can't be stopped by the control center. And I'm afraid our destination is all the way on the other side of the city. So uh, what do you say we pass the time with a duel?" suggested Lucy.

"A duel?" said Twilight.

"This will allow me the perfect opportunity for me to make you pay for make a mockery out of me. You embarrassed me at my own game, so I figured I'd return the favor." said Lucy. "And if you manage to win, then I'll give this card back."

"All right. Let's do it." Isaac then slotted on his duel disk as he activated it to project a gold card tray. "Prepare yourself, Lucy. It's time to duel!" Soon Isaac and Lucy found themselves on top of the train as it would serve as the battlefield for their duel.

"It's payback time." said Lucy as she activated her duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Lucy's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"Be careful, Isaac." shouted Twilight as she had her head peaking out of the rooftop entrance as she held on with the wind in her face.

"Let's duel." shouted both of them.

"Is this the best time to be doing this?" said Twilight as she felt the train jump a bit.

"Lucy took something that doesn't belong to her and she needs to give it back." responded Isaac.

"That's nice and all, but if this monorail can't be stopped, then who's supposed to hit the brakes?" asked Twilight.

"Who's suppose to hit the... brakes?" Isaac finally registered what his girl was saying as the train turned a corner as he held on to keep himself from falling off. "Somebody help me!" Isaac soon fell on his bottom as the train rounded the turn.

"Don't be scared, Isaac! Nothing bad will happen. Luck is gonna protect us. So let's get this duel started!" stated Lucy.

Turn 1: Isaac

"First move's mine!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "I place a monster in defense mode! Then I end my turn with a facedown!"

Turn 2: Lucy

"My turn, I draw." Lucy had a smile on her face as she looked at her card. "I activate the Take A Chance spell card! Pass me the dice. Cause Take A Chance allows me to roll a dice once per turn and if it comes up a six? My current life points are multiplied by five! Any other number, and my life points return to where they were before I activated the spell."

"Heh, well, it's not like it's easy to roll a six or anything." stated Isaac.

"Don't forget that he rolled a six five times in a row during her escape. The odds of rolling six sixes in a row are 46,656 to one." stated Twilight.

"Watch closely."

"No way you'll get it!" shouted Isaac he didn't believe Lucy.

Lucy then threw her die up into the air and for a moment the #7 used its powers to manipulate the result as the die landed on a six.

"Another six!" Isaac was in disbelief as what he just witnessed. "How is that possible?"

"Suddenly I've got 40,000 life points!" said Lucy as he life point counter went up. Isaac was gritting his teeth as Lucy pointed to him while saying something. "As long as the sun that shines, stays complete, I never have to fear defeat."
Lucy's Life Points: 40,000-

"Do what? The sun already went down, hours ago!" Isaac was confused by what Lucy was saying.

"And yet my incredible lucky streak continues." confirmed Lucy.

"I know I've heard that saying, but where?" said Twilight to herself as what Lucy just said caused her mind to think.

"I now summon Majestic Jester(0/0). Majestic Jester, take out his facedown monster!" commanded Lucy.

"But Majestic Jester doesn't have any attack points!" mentioned Isaac.

"Go Dark Pantomime!" Majestic Jester fired a powerful attack towards Isaac's monster as it flipped faceup.

"Gamma's got 1800 defense points! So you're the one who's taking damage!"

"Not necessarily." Just then a die appeared in Lucy's hand. "Majestic Jester's ability activates."

"You gotta be kidding!" shouted Isaac as he saw what she was about to do.

"Luck's gonna decided if I take damage or not. If I roll a six while Majestic Jester is attacking, your monster is instantly destroyed. Any other number comes up, and this clown is goin' down."

"The odds of that happening are 279,936 to one." stated Twilight.

"Twilight, I love you. But enough with the statistics!" exclaimed Isaac.

"Let's roll." Lucy then tossed her die high into the air. Just like the other times, the die happened to land on a six.

"Implausible." said Twilight.

"Aw, come on!" shouted Isaac as he couldn't believe it.

"Alright! Gamma the Magnet Warrior is done for!" Majestic Jester then tossed the die it was standing on as it was sent flying and collided with Gamma as it was destroyed. "I toss one card facedown and end my turn!"

Turn 3: Isaac

Just as Lucy ended her turn, the train rounded another turn as it caused Isaac and Twilight to hold on for second so that they wouldn't go flying off.

"Isaac, hurry! This train is out of control!" shouted Twilight.

"Don't worry about that. Worry about the fact that you have no chance of winning." grinned Lucy with her hand on her hip.

"My turn." Isaac then drew his card. I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode. This is the part where I try my luck! I activate the Monster Slots spell card!" A giant slot machine that had the face of a monster now appeared on Isaac's field as the lever was pulled. "With this card, I banish a monster in my graveyard that's the same level as Big Shield Gardna!" The first slot showed Big Shield Gardna with the second slot showing Gamma. "And then I can draw a new card from my deck. If it's a monster that has the same level as the other two monsters, I can summon it to my field! But if it's not, then the card I drew and my Big Shield Gardna will be banished. If this works, I can be able to turn this duel into my favor."

"But it's not gonna work. Fortune is favoring me right now, which means you're outta luck." stated Lucy as she wasn't worried.

"We'll see about that! Okay here we go, I draw!" Isaac drew his card and the last slot started to slow down and it looked like it was going to stop on Queen's Knight, but then it changed to show his Giant Solider of Stone. Sure enough that was the card that was in Isaac's hand. "Aaagh! Seriously? So much for those cards." said Isaac as both of his cards were now banished.

"Sorry, Isaac! I'm afraid Lady Luck is on my side! Quite fitting, don't you think." said Lucy as she reminded everybody of her nickname.

"Well... I end my turn." Isaac was gritting his teeth as how his turn failed him.

Turn 4: Lucy

"Don't you get it, Isaac? If luck isn't on your side, everything else goes out the window. I'll say this Isaac, I admire you. You've got it all. Courage, intelligence, charism, passion... I could tell all that from how you played Blackjack."

"So?" asked Isaac.

"What I'm trying to say is that sometimes you come to a point where it all comes down to one thing. Good luck. And if luck isn't on your side, then there's nothing you can do." said Lucy as she was remembering her upbringing. "And now it's my turn... I draw! Time to play Take A Chance again! If I roll a six, my life points get multiplied by five!" Lucy then grabbed the die and tossed it high into the air.

"Come on, two or something!" said Isaac.

Sure enough the die landed on the same number as before.

"Six again?"

"How is that possible?" stated Twilight as it clearly defined all logic.

"Fortune favors the bold." Lucy now had a smile on her face as her life points total went up even higher.
Lucy's Life Points: 200,000-

"This is crazy! There's nothing I can do to defeat her?" shouted Isaac.

"And now, by activating the Release Change spell, I can toss a monster off my field. Then summon a monster with the same level to take its place. Say goodbye to Majestic Jester, and then say hello to Dice Leveler(100/100)!" Out came a monster that had giant hands that were separated from its body. "Next, I activate the Monster Slots spell card."

"Hey, that's the same card Isaac just played!" stated Twilight.

"That's right. But somehow I think things are gonna end differently for me." With that the monster machine slot then began to spin. "First, I select level 1 Dice Leveler! And then I banish level 1 Majestic Jester from my graveyard! Now, if the card I draw is a level 1 monster, then I can place that monster on my field." Lucy drew her card and sure enough it was another Dice Leveler as its picture showed in the final slot. "There we go! It's Dice Leveler!"

"Two of em?" mentioned Isaac.

"Actually, I'm gonna make this a perfect triple jackpot. I summon a third Dice Leveler!" Now Lucy had three monsters on her field. "And now I roll the dice and Dice Leveler's level increases by the number I roll." Three dices then appeared in her hand as she tossed them. "Come on, all sixes!"

"The odds of him rolling three more sixes are 362 million, 700..."

"I don't wanna hear it anymore!" said Isaac as he put his hands up to his ear to avoid listening to Twilight's statistics.

"What do we got?" Sure enough all the dice landed on six. "Yeah!"

"Come on! This isn't happening, I don't believe it." Isaac was now on the floor on his knees in disbelief.

"Believe it! All three of my monsters become level 7's! And now I'm just gonna overlay my Dice Levelers and build myself a little Overlay Network!" Soon all three monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they combined into one as they entered the vortex. "I Xyz Summon Number 7: Lucky Straight(700/700, OLU: 3)!"

"There it is!" shouted Twilight as they finally saw the card that Lucy stole.

"Now what?" asked Isaac.

"What do you mean, 'now what?' Now you lose. As long as the sun stays complete, I never have to fear defeat."

"That saying again? What does it mean?" Just then Twilight's duel disk flashed as she was receiving a call from Sunset.

"Twilight!"

"Sunset?"

"Stay calm and listen. That monorail you guys are on is gonna reach the final station in about five minutes." mentioned Sunset.

"What? That doesn't leave much time." Twilight now had a worried look on her face.

"Don't worry. Me and Dash are about to reach the center control, the rest of the girls have already informed the police where you guys are headed. Just hang tight." With that the transmission was shut off.

"Isaac! The end of the line is coming up!"

"What?"

"Don't worry. My good luck will make sure we stop safe and sound. I'd be more worried by the fact that I can cash in an overlay unit and multiply Lucky Straight's attack points by whatever number I roll. Come on, be good to me." Lucky Straight then tossed up his personal coin as it morphed into a giant hand that tossed a huge die. It worked its power and the number it landed on was a six. "Alright. Normally, Lucky Straight's got 700 attack points, but when multiplied by six, we're talkin' 4200!"

"How can I stop that?" asked Isaac as he watched Lucy's monster power up.

"Lucky Straight, attack Isaac directly! Go Hand Slam!"

"I activate the Nitwit Outwit trap card! This trap allows me to send one monster card in my hand to the graveyard in order to lower the damage I take by that monster's attack points. You're up, Breaker! Time to take one for the team!" With that the spirit of Isaac's Breaker the Magical Warrior appeared as he lowed Lucky Straight's attack points. The attack still sent Isaac flying as he landed on his back but thankfully didn't fall off.
Isaac's Life Points: 5400-

"Isaac!" shouted Twilight as she was concerned for her boyfriend's safety.

"A well-timed trap card. Not bad. You bought yourself another turn." Lucy then ended her turn.

Soon both Isaac's and Twilight's duel disk flashed as they were receiving a call.

"Hey you guys need to wrap this up soon! Isaac you're facing the Lucky Straight card she took, right? There's a saying that goes with that card: As long as the sun that shines stays complete, I never have to fear defeat." mentioned Sunset.

"Okay, but what does that mean?" asked Isaac.

"I searched the datanet, but I couldn't find any answers." stated Twilight. "While we we're pinpointing Lucy's location, I remember reading about that saying. But I couldn't figure out what it meant."

"It's just a little saying, you know, for good luck. As long as the sun that shines stays complete, I never have to fear defeat!" recited Lucy. "It doesn't mean anything, it's just a figure of speech. You can go ahead and give up now. Don't think anyone would blame you."

Turn 5: Isaac

"That's nice of you to say. Thing is, there's no way I'm giving up! It's my turn!" Isaac drew his card. "Now I'll play the spell card Ancient Rule, so now I can summon my Dark Magician from my hand. " Isaac now had his most powerful monster on the field. "Now Dark Magician attack Lucky Straight!"

"I activate a trap. Dice Crisis!" A die that appeared in Lucy's hand, "If I roll a six, one of your monsters loses all of its attack points and I take control of it." She then threw her die into the air.

"Let's see a three.... or something." said Isaac.

"Anything but six." pleaded Twilight as she put her hands together praying that it wouldn't be that. However, it wasn't to be as it landed on a six.

"Would ya' look at that. Another six!" Soon the die shot out a beam of red energy as it surrounded Isaac's Dark Magician as it drained him of his points and then went to Lucy's side. "Dark Magician is mine." chuckled Lucy.

"This is bad. I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Lucy

Lucy then looked past Isaac as she saw her destination fast approaching. "Last stop coming up. Let's end this duel. You can't win, Isaac. Sometimes you just have to know when to walk away."

"That's not gonna happen! See here's the thing Lucy: I'd rather lose relying on my skills as a duelist than win relying on luck. Win or lose, I'll see this through to the end! And the end is gonna be me winnin'!" shouted Isaac.

"I get it. You got spirit, I'll give you that. But it's my turn now!" Lucy was about to draw her card.

"Not so fast, first I activate a trap! Sorcery Undertaking! I can use this when there's a Dark-attribute monster on the field, then during your Draw Phase, you reveal the card. Depending if it's a spell/trap, I can either discard that card or chose to destroy another spell/trap card." stated Isaac. "Now draw your card!"

"I see. You're hoping to get rid of Dice Crisis." chuckled Lucy. You want your magician back."

"Draw the card, Lucy." said Isaac with a bit more anger in his voice.

Lucy did just that. "I drew a little beauty known as Sun Scale." She then showed her card to Isaac as the picture of the sun appeared on her field as it shined bright. "With this card in play, once a turn, if I roll a six, I can obliterate every monster on your field. And I mean let's face it Isaac, with the way things have been going, we both know that I'm gonna roll a six."

Isaac had to put his hand up to protect himself from being blinded by the sun's rays. Dammit, that sun sure is bright. Wait... sun... sever the sun. Soon a lightbulb went off in Isaac's head. "That's it. It's a sun!"

"No way! That's just an expression, though. It won't do anything." said Lucy as she stuttered her words.

"You sound like you're not too sure about that. Let's find out what happens. With the power of the Sorcery Undertaking trap, I'm destroying Sun Scale."

"There's no way..." Lucy was now full blown worried. With that, Isaac's trap then fired a power beam that had Dark Magician use his staff as he fired a power spell that caused the sun to be split into a million pieces.

"He did it. Isaac managed to sever the sun." said Twilight as she had also figured out Isaac's plan.

With the sun now destroyed, the number card then lost all of its luster as its power faded away. Lucy could see that the luck that she was given was also gone as it escaped from her body. "Wait, no! Don't leave me now!" Soon all the power that Lucy received had disappeared. Did that just break my lucky streak? "You're finished, Isaac! Since Sun Scale was destroyed, you take 500 points of damage." shouted angrily Lucy as flames of the sun blasted Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 4900

"And now to follow that up, I'm using Take A Chance's effect. You know what happens if I roll a six. My life points are once again multiplied by five!" Lucy then had a die appeared in her hand as she tossed it into the air. This time however, luck wasn't on her side as the die landed on a one. "One? Noooo!" With that the die then sent a beam of energy towards Lucy as it returned her life points back to normal. "Unbelievable. I guess my luck seems to have run out. I end my turn." said Lucy as she put her head down.
Lucy's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 7: Isaac

"Let's do this!" Isaac then drew his card as he had a smile on his face. "I activate the Come Back spell card. This allows me to get my monster back from your field!" With that Dark Magician then switched sides as he was now standing back with Isaac. "Good to have you back, Mahad. Now I'll also play Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands."

"Oh man, just my luck." said Lucy with fear in her voice.

"Next, I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student. So now I can also play my Dark Magician Girl. Next up, I'll play the spell Dark Magic Twin Burst. So now Dark Magician Girl raises the stats of my Dark Magician by her points. Lastly, I reveal my final facedown, Dark Burning Magic. So now since Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl are on my field, I can destroy all cards your field." Dark Magician then felt the powerup as he was surrounded by energy. "Now my magicians, finish this duel! Double Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac as his two monsters then combined their power and took out Lucy's monster and the rest of her life points as she was flung back.
Lucy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Alright! I won!"

"Isaac! The station!" shouted Twilight.

"We're not gonna stop in time!" shouted Isaac.

Sunset and Dash had found the central control and were working with the railroad operators as they were trying to figure out a way for the train to stop.

"Hurry up!" shouted Dash.

"I'm trying miss, but the system is not letting me." said the engineer.

"We've got to do something! Our friends are gonna get hurt!" screamed Sunset.

"What do we do, Isaac?" screamed Twilight as the train wasn't showing any signs of slowing down.

Isaac didn't know what to do; then out of the corner of his eye, he saw the number card. He then picked it up and looked at it. "Let's see if this thing really does give good luck. Give us hand!" shouted Isaac as he held the card up in the air as a yellow light came out from it as it heard Isaac's call. Lucky Straight then appeared as it used its giant hand to push against the train as the auto brake was starting to come back online.

"The system is functioning, the auto brake is now back online." said the engineer as he pushed the code in to help slow down the train.

Soon the auto brake was in full operation as the train was starting to slow down. It then stopped right as the last station came into view where police as well as the girls minus Sunset and Rainbow were waiting for them.

"You guys okay?" asked Applejack.

Isaac wiped his forehead while Twilight just let out a sigh. "We're fine Aj, let's just say that luck was on our side." Isaac was smiling as he looked at the number card in his hand.

Chapter 75: Duos Cup

It was now the morning following the fatal four way duel; seeing as how it was their last stop, Celestia allowed the group an extra day or so to explore more of Isaac's hometown. However, that wasn't important because all the girls were in Isaac's hotel room as they glared at him. Isaac was on his bed with Twilight sitting next to him; he knew what they were going to ask him.

"So... where did you get that card?" asked Dash.

Isaac let out a sigh as Twilight put her hand on her boyfriend's shoulder. Isaac then took a deep breath as he began to tell the girls everything. "Alright... You girls remember Francis, right?"

"Yeah, the guy who stole the Egyptian God card and then went on a rampage. But that was months ago." stated Sunset.

"Yeah, and then you defeated him. The card was safety returned to Mr. William." added Pinkie.

"That's all true, until recently. Remember when you girls all planned a surprise party for my birthday. Well, that morning I received a package from Mr. William. In it was some of the new cards that I showed you at that party. However, what I didn't tell you was that in that same package, Mr. William actually sent me Slifer." The girls all had their eyes widen at the thought that their friend was now in possession of such a powerful card. "Attached to Slifer there was a note from Mr. William. He said that he wanted to avoid another situation with the card that he felt it would be most safe if it was under my care. So for the time being, Slifer is under my watchful eye. That being said I made a personal vow, that while Slifer is in my deck, I'm not going to abuse it."

"What do you mean, darling?"

"What I mean is that I'm only going to use Slifer if the situation calls for it. Slifer the Sky Dragon is a powerful card and it should only be used in emergencies. Besides, if I made a Slifer a permeant part of my deck then I would have significantly less competitors."

"I guess." said Fluttershy softly. "I mean even if you're in control of it, it's still a bit scary to look at."

"Please, a chance to take on a God card. I welcome the challenge." said Dash as she was boosting her own ego.

"Really now, cause last I checked, didn't you lose to Slifer?" said Isaac with a smug tone.

"Shut up!" shouted Dash. "That was different. Now that I know you're in possession of Slifer, I know what to expect. So Isaac, I'd expect you to use Slifer in our next duel so that way when I beat you for your title you'll no excuses as to why you lost."

"This is why I didn't want to play Slifer. Look Dash, I'm not going to use Slifer for own personal reasons." Isaac was trying his best to relay the message he was trying to say. "Besides, now that I have Slifer, beating you will only take 5 turns."

"Say that to my face!" shouted Dash. She didn't take kindly to that as she tried to strangle Isaac, but thankfully Applejack and Sunset were able to hold her back. Isaac just laughed at he managed to get Rainbow angry it was one of the things he thought that made her look cute. Isaac knew Rainbow wouldn't kill him due to the fact that Twilight was next to him and she would definitely make sure Dash didn't harm her man.

Soon everybody all laughed at how Dash was acting as they all returned to being friends. Isaac then pulled out his Slifer card as he gave it to the girls so they could see it. The reaction was expected as the girls now got a good look at the card and were able to see just how powerful this card was. Even Fluttershy was comfortable holding the card as it wasn't the scary beast she saw appear. With that the group then began to enjoy some more of Chicoltgo as their duel had attracted some attention. Apparently, the whole city found out where they were staying and everyday there was a massive crowd that wanted to see them, mostly Isaac. So thankfully, Celestia and Luna were able to set up a discussion panel so that everybody including the news/TV stations could ask all the questions they wanted. So the group did the discussion panel as it allowed the city of Chicoltgo to get to know them a bit better. Soon it was time to leave as they had to return back to Canterlot, but before that they had one last event to take care of.

They arrived at the airport as they were boarding their private jet. There was a huge crowd there to send them off as they cheered and chanted each member of the group. Isaac was currently saying goodbye to his fans as they all shook his hand and took a couple of pictures with them. Soon he walking up the flight of stairs as he gave one last wave to his city and entered into the plane. Within a few minutes, the plane had taken off and they were now airborne as the time they left was close to 7pm.

While Isaac was with Celestia and Luna discussing the Duos Cup, the girls were having their own little pow-pow. They all wanted to discuss who was going to be Isaac's partner.

"Alright, now that we've reached the end of the trip. The question is who's going to be Isaac's partner for the Duos Cup?" asked Sunset.

"I've been able to look at the past Duos Cups and found tons of things." Twilight then pulled out her laptop and showed it to the girls. "According to this, the winners of the Duos Cup usually have people who use a similar deck. Overall partners that have decks that can work off of each other have a 92% win rate. However, there have been winners who had complete polar opposite decks and still won the whole event."

"Cloudian and Burning Abyss?" read Dash.

"Trickstar and Zombie?" asked Fluttershy.

"Even Wind-up and Lightsworn?" Applejack had a raised eyebrow as some of the pairings that won the event in the past. "Ah say, these are some weird collaborations. And yet they won in the past."

"Granted it's only ever once in a while. Most of the winners usually have decks that work well with each other." stated Twilight.

"Well then we if want Isaac to win then we should pick someone who knows his deck just as well as him." said Pinkie with a smile on her face.

"Indeed, darlings. Well let's think, we know Isaac relies on his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Not to mention that he has a fond fascination for spellcasters, seeing as how he has a bunch of them in his deck." Rarity put her hand on her chin as she began to think. "Therefore it stands to reason that we should select someone who's deck can work in sync with Isaac's."

"Someone who can mesh with his style of dueling and can offer him support when he needs it." said Pinkie.

"Basically, someone who uses a similar deck and is really close to him." Sunset had a raised eyebrow as she gave Twilight a sly smile. Soon the girls caught this and all looked at her.

Twilight looked at them as all eyes were on her. "Me?"

"Duh, it's pretty obvious." exclaimed Dash. "You use a spellcaster deck as well, so it makes sense that you should team up with Isaac since your decks can work well off of each other. Plus, you're his girlfriend; so it kinda makes sense that he'll choose you to be his partner."

"That's not a valid justification!" said Twilight as she waved her arms about. "Just because I'm his girlfriend doesn't mean that Isaac is gonna play favorites. Plus he probably want someone who he can trust to put in their own effort and not just rely on him to carry the team to victory."

"Yeah, but you know him. He loves Duel Monsters and you." said Dash. "As much as I hate all the kissing you guys do, I'll admit that you and him are our best bet if we want to win the Duos Cup. Plus, it'll give you guys some alone time." That last part, Dash had a smug look on her face.

"That's not what this is about!" Twilight was now starting to turn red from how Rainbow chose to word her reason. "It just feels wrong that I should be Isaac's partner when I think that one of you girls whose know him longer would make a better choice."

"Twilight, darling. We're fine with you teaming up with Isaac. You two are inseparable and let's face it, you're both madly in love with one another." giggled Rarity as all the other girls did the same. "We all comfortable in choosing you; we know the two of you can go all the way to the top and win."

Twilight still feel like she didn't deserved this opportunity given that she was Isaac's girlfriend. She wanted to be given an opportunity based on her merits, not just because she was dating the champion. It made it seem like she was using her relationship with Isaac just so that she can further her own career. Twilight looked at her friends and they all just had smiles on their faces, she knew that they weren't going to change their minds. She then let out a deep breath as she accepted the decision. "Alright, I'll be Isaac's partner."

Soon the door that separated them opened up as Celestia, Luna, and Isaac all came through as they had finished their meeting. The girls saw this as they all turned their attention to see what they had to say.

"Sorry to keep you waiting, girls." said Celestia. "We were just going over some last minute things. Now it took a while, but Isaac has finally decided on his partner."

Isaac then stepped forward, "It took some time and thinking, but I choose..."

"Don't bother!" stated Rainbow. "We all decided on our own."

The girls all nodded as they all looked at Twilight to show that she was who they chose to be Isaac's partner. Twilight just tried her best to look happy about it as she just had a small smile and did a little wave.

"We'd figured you two might want some more time together so we decided to let her be the representative." Sunset gave Isaac a raised eyebrow while having a smug smile.

"I still feel like it should be someone else, but the girls think I'm the best bet we have to winning." Twilight then stood up as she made her way to Isaac. "I hope I don't let you down."

Isaac just put his hand on Twilight's shoulder. "You could never do that. Besides, I would love to have you as my partner." Isaac's smile caused Twilight to feel better about herself.

"Then it's official, Twilight and Isaac will be our two entrees for this year's Duo Cup." stated Luna. Everybody all nodded as they were okay with the selections.

"By the way, who were you going to choose? Before we decided on our own." asked Twilight.

Isaac immediately gulped. "Oh... uhm... well... it doesn't matter now."

"Isaac!?!" Twilight was now wanting to hear who her boyfriend was going to choose.

"Oh, look I just remembered that I need to sign some autographs so that I can send to some fans." Isaac then started to walk away as quickly as he could.

"Oh no you don't! Get back here, mister!" shouted Twilight.

Twilight then started to chase after her boyfriend as she was looking for her answer. Which resulted in Isaac having to lock himself in the bathroom as Twilight pounded the door trying to get him to come out. Everybody just looked on and let out a collective laugh at seeing the two of them act.

Soon the plane was arriving to its final destination as it touchdown on a landing strip. They had official arrived at the place where the Duos Cup. There was a huge tent that was in the middle of the place as well as a couple of buildings that were on the outer rim. Celestia and Luna told the gang to grab their bags as they took them all to the place to register. They went to another tent that was set up as it had two people behind a desk.

"Excuse me, we're here for the Duos Cup." stated Celestia.

"Certainly, are you competing or will you be registering?" asked the man.

"Just doing some last minute registration. It should be under the name Celestia."

"Let me see." Soon the man began to type something into the computer, eventually he came upon Celestia's form. "Here it is, it says that you've requested your champion, but you've yet to have a second teammate."

"That's why we're here. We've got our second teammate and we just need to register her." stated Luna. With that Luna gave the man the information about Isaac and Twilight as he put them into the system and created their profile cards that they would use for the duration of the event.

"All set, just need to have their decks scanned so that we can keep track of it during the event. My assistant will help you out with that." The man pointed to the other person that was sitting next to him who was a women.

"So you two are going to be a team?" asked the lady to which Isaac and Twilight nodded. "Got to say, you two look like a lovely couple. Now then, place your decks on this scanner. It help us to keep track of your decks in case of emergencies."

Isaac and Twilight did what the lady asked of them as on the monitor next to her came up their profiles. It showed their basic info as well as their deck archetype. It even showed the signature monster of each duelist. With that the scanner was done as their profile cards were updated and they grabbed their decks.

"All set!" giddy the women. "You two now fully registered for the Duos Cup. Now put your profile cards into your duel disks. That will help you to figure out who your opponents will be and keep track of your duels. Lastly, have fun."

"Thanks for everything, ma'am." said Luna as she led the group to their accommodations for the night.

"I can't wait to see the many duels that'll take place." said Isaac.

"I guess." Twilight was a bit worry about how they were going to do. "I just hope we can..." Twilight didn't finish her statement as she bumped into someone. "Sorry."

The women let out a gasp as she spilled her drink all over her dress. "The nerve! Do you know how expense this dress is!?!" The women then looked at Twilight as she was angry. "Why I have half the nerve to report you for vandalism?"

"Sorry." Twilight was now starting to cower in fear.

"I'm sorry, is there a problem?" said Isaac as he stepped forward as was now staring at the women.

"Problem, is this girl here just ruined my expensive dress?" screamed the women.

"Well, I'm sure it was an accident. Twilight didn't mean any harm." Isaac had put his arm out to protect his girlfriend as he was now getting in the face of the women.

"You expect me to believe that!? Please, this girl needs to pay for ruining my appearance." The women was now staring at Twilight while standing her ground against Isaac.

"Azure, is everything okay?" said a voice. Soon a man appeared as he wrapped his arm around his fiancé and looked at Isaac and Twilight. "Who are these, ruffians?"

"Just some trash that was left out by the garbage team, Moonshadow." Azure then gave her fiancé a kiss as she gave them a disgusting look. "Look what that girl did to my dress."

Moonshadow then looked and had a gasp. "The nerve, why they've disgraced my beautiful fiancé." Moonshadow then looked at Isaac. "I'd expect you to teach your girlfriend some proper manners; she needs to respect those who are far superior than her."

"Maybe it's why she'll never get married. And I wouldn't blame her, look at who she's with. Some criminal based on his attire, talk about no class." stated Azure Moon.

"You can talk about me all you want, but you don't get to badmouth Twilight." Isaac was getting angry with how this couple was acting.

"You're not worth our time, come along Azure. Let's not waste time with these lowlifes, we've got a tournament to win." With that Moonshadow grabbed his fiancé's hand and they went on their way.

Once they were out of sight, Twilight put her head down and started to cry a bit. Isaac then turned to face her and put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry. This is all my fault. I..." Twilight soon felt something pressed against her lips as Isaac captured her mouth with his as they shared a tender kiss.

Isaac then broke away as he had his hand resting on Twilight's cheek. "That better." Isaac was hoping to take away some of Twilight's sadness with a kiss.

"Yeah." Twilight nodded as she leaned into Isaac's hand.

"Forget about them, they're just some stuck-up bitches. Let's focus on making sure that we work as a team and win the Duos Cup. Sound good?" Twilight nodded at Isaac's suggestion as they went to find their friends.

They found their group as they were exploring the places. Isaac told them about their encounter with Moonshadow and Azure Moon; he told them about how Twilight had bumped into her and see didn't accept her apology. They even had the nerve to criticize Twilight and say that she unmarriageable and wouldn't find anybody in her life. The girls were all disgusted with how Moonshadow and Azure were harassing their friend, thankfully, Isaac was able to defuse the situation by saying that they just ignored their snarky comments. With that they all went to their rooms as they needed to get up bright and early as tomorrow was the start of the Duos Cup.

Everybody was in the main tent as they were getting ready for the event to start. Isaac and Twilight were on the ground floor as they stood side-by-side as they awaited for the host of the event to kick things off. Their friends, along with Celestia and Luna, were in the stands as they watched on. Soon the announcer came up to the podium as he started to give his speech.

"Welcome everybody to this year's Duos Cup. This year hopes to a an extraordinary one, due to us having a returning team from last year's Duos Cup. But regardless, we're here to see some amazing duels that are sure to wow the crowd. Now then, let the Duos Cup... begin!!!" Once he ended his speech, the crowd then cheered as confetti and streamers went off. "Now we begin the matchups, there are currently 8 teams competing and only one of them will be declared the winners. So today, we'll have the matchups till there is only two teams left standing. The final two teams will then face off tomorrow night as we look to crown these lovely trophies to the winners." The man then showed off some shiny trophies that were sculptured. It consisted of two duelists with their duel disks standing back to back as they stood upon a pedestal striking a dominant pose as they drew their cards.

"Now teams, you've all gained a profile card upon registration. These will help us to keep track of the duels as well as these will be used to select who your opponents will be." With that all 8 teams then slotted their profile cards into their duel disks as it brought up their profile and then a second later it showed who they were facing.

Both Isaac and Twilight had gasps on their faces as their opponents were none other than the two people who they met the previous day. Moonshadow and Azure were disgusted that they had to battle against the two people who disrespected them that they gave a disgusting look, but they figured that if they wanted to dispose of trash properly then they needed to do it themselves. The ceremony ended as the teams that were scheduled to compete were getting ready; as for the others they had an interview/talk show of sorts set up in another tent as they wanted the other teams to meet who they were facing and exchange a couple of words.

"The good thing is that we finally get to put those stuckups in their places." stated Isaac.

"Except that our opponents are the winners of last year's Duos Cup." exclaimed Twilight as she was now sweating. "This doesn't seem good."

"Twilight, calm down. We've got this, because unlike those two, we trust each other and understand one another." Isaac did his best to get his girlfriend to feel confident. "Besides, the good thing about us, is that we can actually watch all of their duels from last year's Duos Cup. We've got a bit of time before our appointment." With that Isaac and Twilight began to watch Moonshadow and Azure's duels from last year's Duos Cup which Isaac noticed something that was important. While Twilight was so busy worrying about who their opponents were, Isaac just had a smile on his face as he knew the true image of the two of them.

Soon it was time for Isaac and Twilight's appointment as they entered the tent and saw a couple of chairs set up with two of them being occupied by their opponents who just gave the both of them a glare. Soon the person who was hosting the segment came in as he told the cameras that they were about to start as it would be projected for the people in the main tent to watch. Isaac and Twilight took their seats and the host began to signal as the cameras rolled and they were live.

"Welcome everybody to the Dirt Sheet, I'm currently here with the two teams who'll be facing each other this afternoon. And we're hoping to get some final words between them before they get on the dueling field. On my left is the winners of last year's Duos Cups, Moonshadow and his lovely fiancé Azure Moon. On my right, it's a newcomer team, please welcome Isaac and Twilight." said the host as he finished his introductions. "Now then let me ask, Moonshadow and Azure, what do you think about your opponents?"

"Please, those two over there aren't worthy of being in the same room as us." stated Moonshadow with a disgusted look on his face. "Last year, me and my fiancé were victorious in winning the Duos Cup. Not to mention we're the 'it' couple of this event and plan to have a grand big wedding once we secure those trophies for a second time."

"My fiancé is correct." said Azure Moon. "You see unlike those two over there, they don't know the first thing about love. They're just kids who are blinded by the idea of what they think love is. Sweetie let tell you something," Azure was now addressing Twilight as she and Moonshadow stood up. "You may think that you know what true love is, but until you have this, you will never be important." Azure showed Twilight her diamond ring. "And if you think that this boy is the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with. Then I pray you have some backup plan, cause let me tell you something honey, you ain't going have a happy life if he can't give you marriage. Maybe the best thing he can do is use you to further his own success." Both Moonshadow and Azure laughed snootily at how funny it was.

Twilight then started to have a couple of tears form in her eyes, as Azure's words cut deep into her. She really started to think about her future and remember when she was young about how she wanted to have a happy life. She did think that she wanted to be married and have kids, with who, that remained to be seen. Isaac then put his hand on her shoulder as he wiped the tears away from Twilight's eyes. He told her everything was going to be alright.

"And one more thing, boy. You think that you've got everybody fooled here. Thinking that you two are the underdogs in this story and that by some miracle, you're going to pull through and come out on top." chuckled Moonshadow. "You don't know what you're in for, me and my fiancé will no problem advancing to the next round and get one step closer to winning those trophies."

It was finally time for Isaac to speak as he didn't wait for the host to signal him. "I think I got pretty good idea, what we're in for." Isaac then stood up as Twilight looked on; he told her to follow his lead as she just simply stood up next to him as he began to do what he does best.

"Where are your manners? Don't you know that's it rude to speak unless spoken to!" commanded Shadowmoon.

"Don't you know that I don't give a damn what you assholes have to say!" returned Isaac with some fury. The cameras were now focused on Isaac as everybody watching from the main tent was now interested in what was going down. "See you stand here and you're trying to blame us, please this is the portion of the program where I turn their theory into crap. You'll ready?" said Isaac as he looked at the camera and the fourth wall. "Okay. Brace yourselves, here we go." Isaac then cleared his throat as he was beginning to talk, Twilight saw what Isaac was about to do and it gave her some confidence.

"See it's easy for people like you cause you have this perception against people like me because it's easy for y'all to blame me. See I never for one second ask anybody to buy in to what I say and what I stand for. Those who run with me, they just believe dude, because you cannot fake heart." said Isaac as he was staring at Moonshadow while saying this to both of them. "See we can take a joke, we got no problem with you two mocking us." said Isaac as he pointed to him and Twilight. "But we definitely got a problem with you two; because with you two, it's not just a joke. You actually believe what you're saying is true and it couldn't be further from the truth." Isaac then turned towards Azure as he pointed at her, "Like you, you actually believe that all this was made possible for you, but couldn't be any more false. Don't you realize how asinine that is?" Azure just simply rolled her eyes at Isaac's statement.

"Here's the truth and it's gonna sting a little bit. You didn't win the Duos Cup because your of skills, cause when it really mattered you just sat back and let your man do the work while you got all the credit. The way I seen it, you didn't do jack!" shouted Isaac. He then turned to the cameras as he was addressing the audience. "You don't believe me, look it up yourself and you'll see what I'm talking about." True to Isaac's words, his friends and some of the audience did just that as they saw what he was talking about. "And you think that I'm using Twilight to further my own career and use this as a launching pad to get into the pro leagues or that she's using our relationship so that she can get whatever she wants cause she's dating the champion. Man, are you both high?" Isaac's response was met with some reactions as the crowd was now getting into this little segment that Isaac was cutting on Moonshadow and Azure.

"Nah, nah, nah, it's cool. At least, I know Moonshadow has some skills when it comes to Duel Monsters. I'm still trying to figure out what you're doing here." said Isaac as he pointed to Azure. "Everytime you guys show up, run your mouth, and you are a waste of space. Oh, oh, oh, oh, wait, wait, wait, wait. And you want to knock Twilight around for not having kids, how long have y'all be married? How many kids you got?" Isaac now was serious as the crowd and Twilight could tell by the tone of his voice. "Let me just crunch the numbers really quick, none. What you firing blanks there, sport?" said Isaac as he gave a light punch to Moonshadow as he hit him above his groin. That comment alone cause Azure to gasp while the crowd was just 'oohing' while Moonshadow was trying to ease the pain from the punch Isaac did to him. Even Twilight had her hand over her mouth as she couldn't believe Isaac did and said that as she had a smile on her face.

Shadowmoon was now angry at how Isaac was humiliating him and his fiancé that he looked ready to throwdown. Isaac saw this and he too was prepared to throw some fists as he had a couple of last minute things to say. "You know, I've been told to never bring a knife to a gun fight. Seems y'all didn't listen cause you talk and talk and talk and talk." Isaac was now using his hand to show his point. "And you don't even listen to yourselves cause if you did, you'd realize just how ridiculous you sound! Where we come from, if you fail, if you get knocked down, you just get back up and move on! If you guys so much stumble, you blame everybody else it's never your fault and there's always an excuse." said Isaac as he pointed at them. "And that type of attitude you create this ego where you're unbeatable, unstoppable, untouchable, but Moonshadow that's not real, dude. And real gonna punch you straight in the mouth this afternoon." Isaac now was up close as he looked Moonshadow with Twilight doing the same as she stared down Azure.

"I stand in front of you a man; the man that you're looking in the eyes right now and you know is going to crush you in our duel later!" Isaac then broke contact as he looked to address the camera/audience watching their segment. "Normally, right about now, I'm telling everybody who will listen that we're going to be in the fight of our lives. We are not! We are going to destroy you this afternoon!" exclaimed Isaac as he looked dead set at Moonshadow. "You know why, cause you waste your time memorizing my house rules, that you forgot the one rule we all live by. You want to talk tough, you better be tough cause you a pussy!!!" The camera and crewmen tried to censor that last word by Isaac, but everybody heard what he said as they had the biggest gasp and 'oohs' on their faces. Even their friends were shocked by what Isaac said, Celestia and Luna were not pleased by Isaac's choice of words but given the situation they let it slide.

"These two are nothing but gutless, spineless, loudmouth cowards! I say it before and I'll say it again. You're not the 'it' couple, you're the 'shh it' couple!" Now both teams looked ready to fight as both were in position waiting to see who would start the brawl. "Prove me wrong! We are sold out here for the Duos Cup, and everybody's got that vibe, everybody can feel we are close to our battle and they want to see something happen! So make it happen, holmes. Ball up that fist and take a shot; just remember if you swing, I'm gonna swing back! Oh, oh, and as much as you probably want to come over here and slap the taste out of my mouth. You're frozen in your tracks cause if you so much as step in my direction, she'll knock the botox out of your cheeks!" said Isaac as he looked at Twilight. Twilight was now fully backing up Isaac cause the moment Azure took a step forward, Twilight also took a step forward and stopped her in her path as she had a determined look.

"We right here, man. Feeling froggy, jump. You'll want to see this?" said Isaac as he turned to the cameras before getting in a ready stance as he and Twilight were ready to throw some punches. The host was even scared that he hide behind his chair as he didn't want to get involved with this; Moonshadow and Azure looked to get ready and hit their opponents. Isaac and Twilight already had their fists balled up as they were ready. Soon Moonshadow backed down as he pulled Azure aside as they figured they had enough and were leaving the tent with one camera tracking them.

"Talk about firing blanks, looks like there's nothing to fire with!" stated Isaac as he gave them one final comment.

Soon Twilight stepped forward from behind Isaac as she had something to say. "Yo, Moonshadow and Azure." Twilight speaking caused both of them to turn towards her as the camera was still on them. "You know you two are nothing but some fakeass, see through jealous haters. And come our duel this afternoon, there's no more running." She then pointed to her and Isaac, "Because my man and I, we're coming to kick your ass!!" shouted Twilight.

With that Moonshadow and Azure left before they were embarrassed even more. Isaac was proud of Twilight being able to stand up to them that he grabbed her and spun her really quick which caught her offguard. Isaac then put his hands to Twilight's face as he just gave her a deep kiss as he poured everything into it as Twilight returned the same effort. It went on for about a good solid minute as a camera was filming the two of them as they soon broke apart for some air as they just looked at each other with their foreheads pressed together. Soon they entered another kiss as the crewman told them to shut the camera off; both Isaac and Twilight were ready to show just how phony Moonshadow and Azure. But first they had to stop kissing which to be honest was something that neither wanted to end anytime soon.

"And with that we now have our third team who will be advancing to the semi-final rounds. Now everybody, we still have our last two teams who will battle it out to see who gets the last spot. So let's bring them out." said the announcer. "Entering first is last year's Duos Cup winners, it's Moonshadow and his fiancé Azure Moon." Both individuals then entered the main tent as they were responded with less than a warm reception.

"And they'll be facing a new team, please welcome Isaac and Twilight Sparkle." They both entered as the crowd gave them a hearty reception. Both waved to their friends as they took position across from their opponents and just gave them a glare.

"Now then, let explain a couple of things. This will be the final round to see which team will advance to the next round; in addition, each person will take one turn and once they have, they will then be freed to attack as they please. In addition, if your partner doesn't have any monsters then you may be able to use your own creatures to protect them. The winners will be determined when both individuals of the team are defeated." said the announcer. "Now then both teams prepare your duel disks."

Both teams then activated their duel disks, Twilight was currently taking a deep breath as Isaac put his hand on her shoulder. He then gave her a quick kiss as he wanted to give Twilight a bit of confidence. It worked as she was no longer shaking her hand and then put on her game face.

"If both teams are ready... let the duel... begin!!" shouted the announcer.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Moonshadow's Life Points: 8000-

Azure Moon's Life Points: 8000-

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Moonshadow

"Let me start things off," Moonshadow drew his card. "I'll start by playing my Armed Dragon LV 3(1200/900). Next I'll place a card facedown and end my turn. Let's see what you've got, boy."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Stand back," Isaac then drew his card. "I'll play Graceful Charity, so now I'll draw three cards and discard two. Next I'll play my Queen's Knight in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Azure

"Seems it's my turn," she then picked up her card and shot a glare at Isaac and Twilight. "Time to make you pay for insulting me and fiancé! I'll play this monster facedown and then place another card facedown." Azure then laid her facedown as she ended her turn.

Turn 4: Twilight

"That's strange, she didn't do anything." said Twilight. "Moonshadow has at least a monster that has a unique ability, but she just placed a monster in defense mode."

"Don't worry about it too much, Twilight." Isaac had a smile on his face. "Just play as you normally would; I told you, we're going to destroy them."

"Alright, Isaac. Now then let's see what I got," Twilight was now looking at her options. "I'll play the spell card Spellbook of Secrets, so now I'll add 1 'Spellbook' to my hand. Next, I'll play my Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. Then I'll play Spellbook of Knowledge, so I'll send another 'Spellbook' to the grave and draw two cards." Twilight then selected the card she wanted to get rid of as she picked up some more cards. "I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Moonshadow

"Now that we've all took a turn, time for us to put you delinquents in your place!" Moonshadow looked at Isaac, "Time to make you pay for insulting me and fiancé. I'll then activate the effect of my Armed Dragon LV 3, so I tribute it to summon my Armed Dragon LV 5(2400/1700)!" Out came an even slightly bigger dragon on Moonshadow's field. "Then I'll activate the effect of my dragon, so I'll send my Axe Raider to the grave in order to destroy your Queen's Knight! Then I'll reveal my facedown, Ojamatch. So by discarding an 'Ojama' card to the grave, I add 1 'Ojama' and 1 'Armed Dragon' from my deck to my hand." Moonshadow then got rid of his Ojama Yellow as he took two cards from his deck. "Now the other effect of my spell card activates, which allows me to normal summon one of the cards I added to my hand. Then Ill play Cost Down, so I'll discard card to reduced the levels of all my monsters in my hand by 2. So I'll play Ojama Black and sacrifice it for Metaphys Armed Dragon(2800/1000)!" Moonshadow now had two dragons on his field as he looked to get payback at Isaac.

"You're gonna regret ever asking about my manhood, kid! Now my Armed Dragon LV 5 take out Magician's Valkyria and then Metaphys Armed Dragon will attack you directly!" With that both dragons took flight as they took out Twilight's monster and took a bite out of Isaac's life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 5800-

Twilight's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn, during the end phase, since my Armed Dragon LV 5 destroyed a monster in battle. I can send it to the graveyard and special summon my Armed Dragon LV 7(2800/1000)!" Moonshadow's monster then disappeared as it was replaced with an even bigger, badder version.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Not bad," Isaac then drew his card as he began to formulate his plan. "Now I'll activate my facedown, Magician Navigation. So now I'll special summon my Dark Magician from my hand and my Magician of Dark Illusion from my deck." Isaac now had two monsters with one of them being his trusted companion. "Now I'll play the spell card, Dedication through Light and Darkness. So now I'll tribute my Magician of Dark Illusion to special summon my Dark Magician of Chaos! Now that my Dark Magician of Chaos was summoned, I'll add a spell card from my graveyard to my hand. Now I'll play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now I can summon the last of my trio of magicians. Appear Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac now had three powerful magicians as they all took their position next to their master.

Twilight was amazed to see Isaac have that many monsters on his field. She thought her boyfriend looked fierce by having so many of his loyal magicians at his beck and call that she had a slight blush on her face. Even their friends who were watching from the stands were surprised to see Isaac surrounded by some powerful monsters.

"I said we were going to destroy you two and that's exactly what we're going to do. Now due to my spell, I'll set my Dark Magic Twin. But before I activate it, I'll play the spell card that I got back from the grave." Isaac then showed his card, "I play Graceful Charity, so I'll draw three cards and discard two. I then play the spell Dark Burning Attack, so now my Dark Magician Girl gains the power to destroy all the monsters on both of your fields! Do it Mana!" shouted Isaac.

Dark Magician Girl then gave a wink as she raised her wand into the sky and shot off a powerful spell that decimated the entire field. Moonshadow and Azure were left dumbfounded as they didn't expect that kind of move from Isaac. Isaac and his other magicians all smiled and nodded their head in approval. Mana was glad she could do her part that she floated next to Isaac was about to give him a kiss.

"Ahh, Mana." said Isaac as he put his hand up. "Remember, Twilight is my girlfriend. Which means you can't just kiss me like you normally do, wouldn't want me to get hurt would you?"

"She knows that this is my way of showing you that I care, plus she knows that you were mine long before she came into your life." Mana then gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek as she giggled and returned back to her spot as Mahad just shook his head in disdain at her doing her normal antics at making trouble for their master.

"Isaac? Did your Dark Magician Girl just kiss you!?!" shouted Twilight as she noticed that he had a smile on his face.

"Of course not! She knows that I'm in relationship." Isaac quickly tried to get rid of his smile to avoid Twilight doing something that may result in him having something broken. "Now that my Dark Magician Girl has wiped out your field, time to end this. So now I'll activate my Dark Magic Twin Burst and give my Dark Magician a boost in his attack by the stats of my Dark Magician Girl. Now my magicians attack Moonshadow directly!! Ultimate Dark Magic Attack!!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his arm out. All three of them leapt into the air as they combined their magic together as they each fired off a power shot that soon conversed into one as it hit Moonshadow square in the chest as he was sent flying.
Moonshadow's Life Points: 0-

"Moonshadow!?" screamed Azure as she was concerned about her fiancé.

"Looks like you're on your own." said Twilight as she had a smug smile.

"I'll just end my turn."

Turn 7: Azure

Azure was still looking at her fiancé as she was scared on being by herself. She normally let Moonshadow do all the work, now she had to defeat both Isaac and Twilight if she wanted to win. Which she immediately started to cower in fear. "I... draw." Azure couldn't think straight as she didn't know what to do. "I... just place another monster facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Twilight

"Just like I said, you ain't got any skills. Nothing more than leech just clinging onto your fiancé and thinking that you should be the center of attention due to your marriage." said Isaac as had a sly smile on his face. "Twilight finish this and feel free to use my cards."

"You've got it." Twilight then drew her card and looked at Azure. "You know you told me that I was unmarriageable and that nobody who ever want to be with me. Well thanks to my boyfriend, he's shown that you're nothing but a low-esteem, no-good lying bitch!!" sounded Twilight with fury. Isaac had a smile on his face as he liked it when Twilight called Azure that. "Now time to show you the power of our love, I summon my Amores of Prophecy in defense mode Then I'll activate its effect, so now I'll reveal my Spellbook of Power to special summon my Strength of Prophecy from my hand." Twilight now had two monsters on her field.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Strength of Prophecy to shuffled back a 'Spellbook' from my graveyard to my deck. Then I select a spellcaster on the field and give it 300 extra attack points and increase its level by 1. And I choose Dark Magician Girl." Twilight then looked at Isaac as he nodded to give her his permission. "Now I'll overlay Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to perform an Xyz summon." Soon both of Isaac's monsters then transformed into orbs as they entered a vortex with a new monster coming out. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz summon Hierophant of Prophecy! Next I'll reveal 3 'Spellbook' cards in my hand and special summon my High Priestess of Prophecy!" Twilight was now smiling as she looked to take out Azure.

"Now I'll reveal my facedown, Hidden Spellbook. So now I'll shuffle back 2 spell cards in my graveyard back into my deck. But my turn is far from over, I play the spell Pot of Greed; so now I draw two more cards." Twilight then looked at her hand and took a deep breath. "I activate my Priestess' ability, so I'll banish a 'Spellbook' from my hand to destroy one of your facedown monsters. Next I'll play the Spellbook of Destruction, so I'll send a card to the grave to destroy your last monster. Then I'll play my final card, Monster Reborn. I choose to revive Dark Magician Girl!" Twilight now had a field full of monsters as she looked to take out Azure who was now on her hands and knees as if begging Twilight to show some mercy. Twilight just gave her a thumbs up with a smile as she then changed it into the thumbs down while changing her expression to a ruthless one. "Now my monsters attack Azure directly! End this duel!!!" Twilight then held her hand out as her monsters heard their command and took out Azure.
Azure's Life Points: 0-

Winners: Isaac and Twilight

The duel ended as Azure was flung on her back as she was now in Moonshadow's arms as he had finally got up and caught his fiancé in his arms only for him to be thrown back once again. Isaac and Twilight stood there with smiles on their faces as they shared a high five and a hug. Everybody applauded them for taking out the imposters.

"Well in such a convincing fashion, it seems the team of Isaac and Twilight will be advancing to the next round of the Duos Cup." said the announcer.

After that the rest of the Duos Cup matches were entertaining to say the least as the remaining teams were doing everything they can to make sure they were the ones to be in the finals of the event. Right now Isaac and Twilight were currently trying to earn their spot in the finals.

"This duel is over, ready Twilight?"

"I'm with you, Isaac."

"Now Double Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted both of them as they each had their respective Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl work together to deliver the final blow and took out the remaining life points of their opponents. With that they had secured their spot in the finals as Isaac spun Twilight around and then brought her in for a quick kiss.

"And with that we now have our final two teams. Isaac and Twilight have certainly shown they're the clear favorites to win it all and they could very well do that. But will it happen? Find out tomorrow night as the final two teams will take each other on in what is sure to be a hard hitting affair." said the announcer as the audience started to leave.

Up above there was two people who were watching on as they were out of sight from everybody. These were the people who made up the team that Isaac and Twilight would be facing tomorrow night in the finals of the Duos Cup. Safe to say they were really looking forward to seeing what the two of them could do.

"So... those two are who we're facing in the finals?" said the girl with a sinister voice.

"Yup... s-so what do you think?" stuttered her partner who was a boy who was around her age as he fixed his glasses.

"I think I'll forward to seeing what they can do. Not to mention that this will be fun." crackled the girl as she and her friend left disappearing into the shadows.

Chapter 76: Power Couple

Author's Note

I wrote this chapter on January 19. Once I finished writing it, I took a look at it and was surprised to find that this chapter was longer than Chapter 56. I wanted to see if I could trim it down, but I couldn't find any part of it to cut out. So I chose to leave it like so; regardless my plan is to have the final chapter of this story to be the longest. And based on how I have it planned out in my head, I know that it's going to be a lot but in the end it'll be worth it. Anyways, enough talking. Let's get on with what you guys came here for.

Chapter 76: Power Couple

A door opened up and in stepped through a boy and a girl as they locked the door behind them. They then sat at a table in their room as they pulled up a couple of chairs; the boy then pulled out a flashdrive as the girl pulled out a laptop and hooked it up to her duel disk.

"Here's the file that you requested." stammered the boy.

"Good." said the girl as she typed something into her computer. She then pushed a button as a video projected from her duel disk as it played for both of them.

(Video)

"I now summon my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac.

(Pause)

"Stop the video!" said the girl. Her partner did just that as she looked closely at Isaac and his star monster. "Interesting. Run the next video." The girl's partner did just that as they played the next couple of videos as it displayed many duels that Isaac had been in his whole life. She was impressed with what she saw as she found Isaac to be a person of interest; she even saw the duel that had Isaac taking on Slifer. "Alright that's enough."

"So? Any thoughts?" said the boy as he adjusted his glasses.

"Many. Now then let's see about Twilight." demanded the girl as she felt a personal grip with Twilight. Her partner then played the next set of videos as they watched and extracted anything useful. "Not much, typical dueling style. Still to think she used to attend Crystal Prep means she knows every single detail about dueling mechanics."

"Well, given that we'll be facing them in the finals tomorrow night, we should probably prep our decks. So uhm what combination do you want do?" asked the boy.

"I already have my selection, we just need to work on yours. Maybe it's time we use that deck of yours from way back." said the girl.

"A-Are you sure? It's been a while since I last played it, in fact the last I used it was when I left home and you for school." said the boy.

"Exactly, nothing like old times to crush our opponents." The girl then gave a sly smile. "Plus, it does give you a certain charm to you."

"O-Oh." stuttered the boy as his partner was giving him that look.

"Here's to Isaac and Twilight to winning the Duos Cup!" said Pinkie as she lifted her soda into the air.

"Uh, little sis, you know that me and Twilight still have to win our duel to be crowned the winners."

"Yeah, but we already know that you two are going to win. I mean we basically got an undefeated duo in you two. Especially with Isaac's skill." stated Dash as she zipped her soda through her straw.

"Still, we shouldn't get too overconfident. Whoever our opponents are, they must be very good if they made it all the way to the finals." said Twilight as she played her straw as she thought about their opponents.

"We understand, darling. But we also believe that you and Isaac will win. So stop worrying and just enjoy the moment."

"I guess." Twilight was still hesitant on whole issue but decided to drop it to avoid ruining the atmosphere.

With that the whole group celebrated the night away as they began to discuss the victory party that Pinkie had planned for the two of them. Soon it was nighttime as everybody left for their own room; thankfully, Isaac's room was next to Twilight. So Twilight took this opportunity to talk with her boyfriend alone. She then opened the door and they both entered her room as Isaac closed the door.

"So, what did you want to talk about?" asked Isaac.

Twilight then sat on her bed as she patted the spot next to her; Isaac took the invitation as he wanted to find out what was making his girl so nervous. Twilight then began to speak.

"You know our friends are already confident in us winning this event."

"Couldn't blame them? I mean, I am good, not gonna lie." said Isaac with a smug tone.

"Will you be serious!?" shouted Twilight. "I just don't want them to get their hopes up and then we lose. They're counting on us and I don't want to let them down."

Isaac then put his hand on Twilight's shoulder as she lifted her head up. "Twilight, they're our friends. Win or lose, they'll be proud of us. And I could neve get mad at you if we lost, I love you too much for that." Isaac then leaned in and gave her a quick peck as he booped her nose.

Twilight just giggled at Isaac's actions. "I guess. I'm just really cautious about our final obstacle in winning the Duos Cup. This may be our toughest challenge to face. I just want to be prepared for anything."

"I understand. Why don't we do a bit of research on who our opponents are?" suggested Isaac.

That got Twilight in a much happier mood as she pulled out her laptop from her backpack as she logged into the Duos Cup database and then hooked up her duel disk. It took a while but after some cross-referencing her laptop was able to bring up the results of the Duos Cup and then pulled up the two profiles of their opponents. One picture was a girl who had moderate persian blue eyes; she had pale, light grayish heliotrope skin and her hair consisted of moderate purple with lighter purple and pale light, with grayish aquamarine highlights. She also had a purple beanie/hat on her head with some star patterns, and a watch on her left wrist. She also had a black vest over a green shirt as she wore gray pants with a couple of holes in them and black shoes. The next picture was her partner as it was a boy. He had a brilliant gamboge skin tone with light apple greenish gray spots.. His hair consisted of a vivid and brilliant vermillion, while his eyes were gradient of dark cornflower blue to moderate cyan. The most unusually thing was that he wore a sort of cloak/robe that had a few star patterns on it.

"So who are they?" asked Isaac.

Twilight then clicked on their profile as their basic info appeared. "It says that their names are Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst. They're from a place called Sire's Hollow," Twilight then worked her magic as she typed in some things into her laptop. "They're a formidable team, says here they won tons of tag team events. In fact, they're so in sync and have tremendous chemistry that many people call them the 'Power Couple'."

"Weird name." said Isaac.

Twilight just rolled her eyes at Isaac's comment. "Anyways, they've got some skills. Woah!"

"What? What is it?"

"Look here," said Twilight as she clicked on another part of their profile and it pulled up their decks. "They're very versatile; says here they use multiple decks."

"Like?" said Isaac as he raised his eyebrow.

"Apparently, Starlight uses tons of decks that use spellcasters, just like us. Hmm... Arcana Force, Fortune Lady, Lightsworn, even..." Twilight stopped as she looked at the next deck.

Isaac then peered over her shoulder and read it out loud. "Spellbook." Isaac then looked at Twilight as she had a gasp, he then started to stroke her hair as he was trying to calm her down from freaking out. "It's okay, Twi. So what if she uses a deck that's basically the same one as yours?"

"Just... That... I don't know!" Twilight was now starting to panic which was quickly cut off as Isaac leaned in and gave her a kiss as he tried to drown out her screams which took a while as she soon got into the moment as she put her hand to Isaac's face. Soon they broke apart as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Better? Or do I have to do this again. Cause either way, it's a win-win." chuckled Isaac as he looked at Twilight.

"Yeah... I'm calm now." Twilight took a deep breath as she leaned into Isaac's chest as he just stroke her ponytail.

"Now is there anything else?" asked Isaac.

Twilight then stood up as she looked back at Starlight's profile. "Says here that her main deck is a Constellar deck. Knowing that we can expect her to have many Xyz monsters. Meaning that she'll be able to summon out her rank 3-5 monsters out very quickly." said Twilight as she was trying to remember what she knew about this certain archetype.

"Don't forget, most non Xyz-'Constellar' monsters so far have effects that trigger upon Summon and focus on swarming and toolboxing(searching)." chimed in Isaac. "However the weakness of this archetype is that their monsters, except their Xyz monsters, focus heavily on their own archetype. Meaning that she won't have too many non- 'Constellar' monsters in her deck as it could mess up her playstyle."

"God the way you explain stuff like this is so... Attractive. In fact, it kind turns me on." Twilight had some red on her face as she looked at Isaac.

"Remember, Twilight. Focus on my eyes and not on me." said Isaac with a sly smile on his face. "Now what about Sunburst?"

Twilight then clicked on Sunburst's profile and it pulled up his deck stats. "Hmm... Similar to Starlight as he's a fan of spellcasters. Silent Swordsman/Magician, Arcana Force, Noble Knight." She then tried to see what Sunburst's main deck was but nothing came up. "What? It doesn't list his main deck. How can that be?"

"Weird. Oh well." said Isaac as he shrugged his shoulders. "Not much we can do now." Isaac then laid down on Twilight's bed as he had his arms behind his head.

"How you can say that!? Don't you think it's weird that for some reason we can't see his main deck. Perhaps both of them did something and hacked into the system to conceal it." Twilight was trying to get Isaac to take this seriously.

"Even if that's the case, we shouldn't worry about it. A duel is all about knowing what your opponent has and being able to come up with the proper strategy to counter them. But sometime not knowing adds some suspense to a competitor and that's enticing cause it forces you to see how good you can adjust on the fly. I like that." said Isaac as he had a smile on his face while looking as Twilight's ceiling.

Twilight understood what Isaac was saying and soon she just let it go. Whatever deck they should face tomorrow, she knew that both her and Isaac could handle it. She then thought of something as a lightbulb went off in her head.

"What the?" said Isaac as he felt something on him. He saw Twilight was now sitting on his chest which caused him to sweat a bit as she looked at him with bedroom eyes. "Uh... Twilight, what are you doing?"

Twilight then undid her ponytail as she let her hair flow down to her shoulders. She then leaned down and gave Isaac a seductive kiss as she moaned into it. Twilight broke away as she started to trace her finger along Isaac's neck. "Thought I give you something 'enticing', you said it yourself you like this sort of thing."

"I... Meant in a duel. Not... You know... We're still teenagers." Isaac was really starting to sweat at what Twilight was suggesting. Not to mention that her touch was soft as she had this magical touch that caused him to stutter when Twilight did this sort of stuff.

"Shh. Anybody ever tell you that you talk too much." said Twilight with some seductive in her voice as she put her finger to Isaac's mouth. She then leaned down and gave Isaac a kiss as she laid down on his chest. Soon their kissing session resulted in both of them falling asleep as the cuddled with each other for the night.

Morning came and both Isaac and Twilight were currently having some breakfast; their friends had decided to explore more of the place as well as give both of them some time alone to prepare for their big duel ahead of tonight. So right now, Twilight had her notebook out as she was writing down somethings from her laptop and going over them with Isaac as he just sat and ate his food. Meanwhile above them looking on a balcony was their opponents who they would face later tonight.

"You sure about this, Starlight?"

"Relax, Sunburst. We're not gonna do anything to harm them." said Starlight with a sinister smile/voice. "We're just 'scouting our competition', all teams do that before a big match."

"Still, it just doesn't feel right?" stuttered Sunburst.

"Don't tell me that now you're getting cold feet? And right before our match, I thought we were friends." Starlight then moved closer to Sunburst as she started to touch his arm. "I thought I was special to you."

"Y-You are. You're my best friend." stated Sunburst as Starlight's actions were causing him to sweat.

"Then do this, if not for the team, then for little old me." Starlight batted her eyelashes at Sunburst.

"O-Okay."

"Excellent!" Starlight then gave Sunburst a quick hug.

Soon she broke from it as she pushed Sunburst to the side as she watched Isaac and Twilight stand up. She couldn't exactly hear what they were saying, but she did hear Isaac say that he wanted to explore the place. So with that he suggested that they go off on their own for a while and met up in the main tent before their big match. Twilight nodded as they each gave a hug and a brief kiss as they went off in different directions.

Starlight smiled evilly at the opportunity. "Now's our chance. Remember, we're here to 'get to know' our opponents. So let's pretend to be their 'friends', that way they can lower their guard and then we crush whatever is left of them. Oh, won't they be surprised to find out just how manipulative I can be." Starlight then brought her fingers together as she cackled evilly.

"Yes, Starlight." said Sunburst as he had his orders. With that he then left to find Isaac while Starlight was left to deal with Twilight.

Isaac was in a gift shop of sorts as he was looking to possibly buy some sort of gift for Twilight seeing as he still had a fair bit of money from his Blackjack dealings back in Las Pegasus. Isaac was busying looking through the many choices that he didn't notice Sunburst had entered the same place. Sunburst soon saw Isaac as he was still against this idea. But given that Starlight was his best friend, he didn't want to do anything to ruin that relationship, especially when he was hoping for something more. He quickly put that thought out of his head as he made his way to Isaac.

"Pop quiz: What artwork is shown in the background of the fusion card, Dark Calvary?" asked Sunburst.

Isaac turned around to see who was asking the question. He saw Sunburst and he just smiled as he answered the question, "That's easy it's Dark Magical Circle."

"Alright, to activate the trap card known as 'Huge Revolution'. Name the 3 cards that need to be present on the playing field? How many folks are shown in the 'Heavy Storm' spell card? What's the signature monsters of the great duelists from the past?" asked Sunburst in rapid fire.

"People Running, Oppressed People, and United Resistance. 3 people. Dark Magician, Elemental Hero Neos, Stardust Dragon, and Number 39: Utopia." said Isaac. "What is this kindergarten, give me a hard one?"

"Alright then, name three special ways to win a duel?" said Sunburst as he had a smile on his face.

Isaac had to think about that last one, he put his hand to his chin as he was searching through his knowledge about Duel Monsters. "Okay, it's Exodia, Destiny Board, and..." Isaac was tapping his head as he tried to remember what the last answer was. "Final Countdown!" said Isaac with conviction.

Sunburst was surprised at Isaac being able to guess all of his questions correctly. "That's right. Wow, you got all of them correct, you really do know your Duel Monsters knowledge."

"What can I say, I've got a special talent when it comes to Duel Monsters." chuckled Isaac. "But you also showed some intellect by asking all those questions. I'm Isaac."

"I already know who you are." Sunburst's comment caused Isaac to raise an eyebrow. "I-I mean what I meant to say is that I heard about you. I'm Sunburst." He then extended his hand out for Isaac to shake.

Ahh, so he's our opponent for tonight. Got to say wasn't expecting him to sound like that. "Nice to meet you Sunburst. Guess everybody knows about me and Twilight based on how well we've done so far. So, looking forward to our duel this evening." asked Isaac.

"One could make that theory." Sunburst kept playing with his glasses as he remembered Starlight's plan.

"Got to say, what's with the cape? Seems kind unusual, especially given how hot it must get." stated Isaac.

"I prefer to call it a robe, not to mention that it has my love for astrology on it. Besides, I could make the same assumption on your current attire. You're wearing a hoodie and cap in this kind of weather." said Sunburst.

"Hey this is called being casual. Plus I look damn good in it." said Isaac as he pointed to how he was dressed. "So what are you doing here, I would assume that you would be prepping for our showdown later tonight."

"Well at it happens, I'm a huge fan of antiquing. Looking for historical knickknacks, ancient relics, etc... I really look forward to a blind buy." stated Sunburst as he had a giddy smile on his face.

"Blind buy?" asked Isaac as he was confused on what Sunburst was talking about.

"Mm-mmm. Sometimes shops get too busy to go through everything, so they load up a box or barrel and sell it without knowing what's inside. Buying one is sort of like a treasure hunt."

"I see, just out of curiosity, is there any thing Duel Monsters related?"

"But of course!" exclaimed Sunburst. "Nothing like digging around and discovering stuff that was used by duelists who came before us. Especially the duelists that paved the way and carried on the generation. Why I even found an old key that used to belong to a boy that ushered in the way of Xyz summon. Not to mention an old piece of Duel Runner that found that belonged to someone called Satellite's Shooting Star; the same person that revolutionized dueling by performing the very first Synchro Summons. I even found an old medal that belonged to the best fusion summoner as it had a the initials GX on it."

Sunburst explaining the different sorts of things that he found in terms of Duel Monsters really caught his attention. "That sounds pretty interesting, say mind if I tag along. I mean, I may not be big fan of it, but maybe I could find something that belonged to someone special." Maybe even my idol.

"I don't mind." stated Sunburst as he and Isaac left the gift shop and proceeded to the next building over.

Once they got in there, Sunburst let out a sound that resembled a lot like a horse neighing as he went into full blown overdrive. Isaac knew what that feeling was like based on how Twilight would get like that whenever she was surrounded by books, man did he love that cute little nerd. Soon he decided to check on Sunburst to make sure that he didn't get hurt or that he was still breathing. The time pasted by with Sunburst explaining about the different stuff he found to Isaac; Isaac did his best to sound invested. Half the stuff Sunburst talked about was interesting as it allowed him to make some connections with things he learned about in history class. The other time he simply just smiled and waved as he pretended to understand what Sunburst was telling him. Eventually, Isaac found something that caught Sunburst's attention as he showed it to him. Turns out it was a puzzle-like pyramid that had a chain wrapped around it with a millennium symbol in the middle; Sunburst kept trying to tell Isaac that he found something priceless, but he didn't buy it. So Isaac just merely threw it back onto the pile of junk as he kept on looking. Some time had passed as Sunburst had made a blind buy as he received a box full of stuff. He dropped it off in his room as he hoped to check it out later; now he was sitting at a table across from Isaac as they stopped to get some lunch.

Safe to say that Sunburst was having a natural interaction with Isaac as he didn't worry so much about Starlight's plan. They began to talk about each other and their different lifestyles growing up. Sunburst was surprised that Isaac came from somewhere big and that he had a fascination for the game since he was little. Isaac then showed Sunburst his deck as well as his star monsters. Sunburst had already know about them seeing as how he watched them secretly from the shadows. Soon they began to talk about other things and soon Isaac touched on a topic that caused Sunburst to sweat.

"So Sunburst, why do they call you and Starlight the 'Power Couple'?" asked Isaac as he zipped his drink. "I mean, for one thing you guys seem to be more friends, even partners than a couple. I mean I get the 'power' part."

"It's just a silly name that people from our home came up with. Whenever me and Starlight would team up, we were basically unstoppable. Not to mention that we worked so well with each other that we functioned as team and stayed in sync nearly everytime. Growing up we had to learn about dueling and all its mechanics on our own. So we basically grew up together and that's how we became close friends. It got to the point where we were never without one another, in fact, the other people in our home started to tease us and say that basically we were like a couple. Although, I doubt Starlight ever thought much about it."

Isaac just smiled at hearing Sunburst's story. "Well that's one heck of a tale."

"Yeah." Sunburst then looked at his drink as it showed his reflection. "Listen, Isaac. Do you maybe have some advice?"

"Advice? About what?"

"How do I word this? Let's just say that I have my sights set on someone who's out of my league. When we're face to face, I back down. Whattya think I should do?"

Isaac just had a raised eyebrow at Sunburst's question. "That's easy! Trust in yourself, and you'll win any match!"

"Uhh... Thanks. To be honest, I wasn't asking for dueling advice."

"What?"

"More on advice on romance." Sunburst had a bit of a hard time saying that word out loud.

"Ugh!" said Isaac as he wasn't expecting that answer. "Well, that's whole different story man. I don't think I'm the right person for that. No offense, but I'm a duelist not a lover."

"But I'd figured that if anybody knows a thing or two about getting someone to notice your feelings, it'd be you." Sunburst was dwindling his fingers. "I mean you got someone like Twilight to fall in love with you, so you must have done something to catch her attention."

"Like I said, I'm not an expert on these things. Heck this my first real relationship that I'm in, prior to getting with Twilight, I didn't even once think about the idea of love/romance. We're learning this stuff as we go." said Isaac as he put his hands up. "Most of my time, I just spent it playing Duel Monsters and learning new methods."

"Well there goes that idea." Sunburst then pulled out his deck, "I just wish love was more like dueling."

"Trust me, I thought the same way." said Isaac. "But that advice I gave you could also apply to your dilemma. I talked about how you need to have courage to overcome things. Well you just need to find the courage to act on your feelings. Once you do that, everything will be a breeze."

"I guess you're right. Just hope Starlight isn't too distracted to notice." said Sunburst.

"Woah, Starlight?" said Isaac as he was surprised at Sunburst's answer.

"You weren't suppose to know that." Sunburst quickly tried to take back what he said.

"Hey man, I'm not judging. She seems like an okay girl, although I haven't had the chance to meet her. Kind reminds me of Twilight in a weird way." Isaac then quickly realized what he said. "I'm not trying to hit on your girl, Sunburst."

"She's not my girl!" said Sunburst nervously. "What I mean to say is that we're just friends, nothing more. Look can we put this aside, please?"

"Hey you asked?" responded Isaac.

"Can we just drop this, it's not important. At least not when we're facing each other in tonight's event." said Sunburst.

"Alright, speaking of tonight. Mind showing me your deck? I mean it's only fair, I showed you mine."

Sunburst was hesitant on showing Isaac his deck given that Starlight would be angry if she found out about it. Still given how much time he spent with Isaac and that he gave him some helpful advice, he figured that it couldn't hurt. So he then gave his deck to Isaac as he began to look through it. "My deck is a combination between a Gagaga/Gogogo archetype. So as you can see, I rely mostly on Xyz summoning."

"Not bad, given that the two of them work pretty good with each other." Isaac was impressed with how well constructed Sunburst created his deck. "In fact, I could make some slight improvements."

Sunburst was surprised at Isaac's suggestion. "Are you sure? We're suppose to face each other in tonight's Duos Cup. Do you really want to help your competition?"

"Ahh, it's no big deal. Besides I want to face you and Starlight at your maximum potential." said Isaac as he began to work his magic.

Before Sunburst could object, Isaac had his deck all spread out on the table as he began to do what he does best. Soon he joined in with Isaac as he began to help improve the deck he's had since childhood. Sunburst had some really good cards which meant there wasn't much to change; Isaac still asked Sunburst about how he felt on certain additions as he wanted his input. Soon it involved into both having a discussion as they talked about tons of possibilities for Sunburst's deck; even Sunburst helped Isaac out by giving him some extra magic cards that would work well with his Dark Magician. After a long while both boys ended up trading cards between each other and fistbumped at how close they were becoming. Seems Starlight's plan was successful as he genuine saw Isaac as a friend.

While Isaac and Sunburst were hanging out, Twilight was doing her own thing as she looked at the map of the place. She entered a tent that explained some interesting facts about the history of Duel Monsters. Unbeknownst to her, Starlight was right behind her as she had a sinister smile on her face. She was currently going over the section of the presentation when fusion summon was starting out as she was learning about the person who ushered it in.

"Crazy to think that this person used a Heroes deck. Not to mention that he had a special method to fusion called Contact Fusion."

"Indeed, isn't it." said Starlight as she made her presence known. She had a smile on her face as she began to approach Twilight.

Twilight immediately stood stiff at who she was seeing. "Oh, hi. Didn't see you there? My name is..."

"Cut the chatter." boomed Starlight. "I know who you are and you know who I am." Starlight then looked at the display Twilight was seeing as she just had a smug look on her face. "Pathetic, really. Praising someone for doing something they did, like some kind of noble hero. Please, anybody could've introduced fusion or any of these other summoning methods. And yet we have to show respect for the ones that pioneered it." Starlight had a disgusted look on her face.

"Well it's so that we can pay our respects because of people like them that helped to further evolve this game." stated Twilight.

"That all, please if it was that simple then all I would need to do is introduce some new form of dueling and then I'll be hailed as a hero." snickered Starlight. "As far as I know the legends of the past are just simply hogging all the attention from the current generation of duelist. No matter what way we look at it, everything always revolves around them. Any move we make or any summoning method that we do, people always call back to the duelist that first introduced it. They get all the attention and what are we left with, some praise for copying someone's techniques. They say legends never die, but they sure as hell can outstay their welcome!!!!" said Starlight with so much fury/passion.

Twilight really resonated with Starlight's final comment. A part of her sort of agreed with what she said, many people hailed these great people in past as role models. Even her boyfriend saw these guys as role models for paving the way. But no matter what, people still found some way to connect dueling back to the people that were considered icons.

"You seem to be in a rather foul mood." Twilight was trying her best to ease the tension.

"Oh really, I didn't notice." said Starlight sarcastically. "You got something right there Twilight, I am agitated. I'm angry, but most of all, I'm confused. We dedicate our entire lives to people who are aren't around anymore, dedicate dueling to old has-beens! You wanna call them legends, call them whatever, they've had their time! A night like tonight is exactly what's wrong with dueling. All day, every single dueling event that has ever been held has in some way shape or form been about the past. The past, not the present and most certainly not the future!!" Starlight was starting to sound off as Twilight could hear the fury in her voice. "And what sickens me even more is people who look to these icons and say that they want to be just like them!"

"It's called respect." said Twilight.

"Oh, respect. Is that what it's called? Please it's called sucking up and kissing somebody's ass! Listen, listen. I'm not bewildered. I know exactly that the generation before me paved the way, but when the hell are you gonna let me walk on that path!?" screamed Starlight as she grabbed the pamphlet out of Twilight's hands and stared at it with angry. The sight of all the famous icons to introduce their own style of dueling/summoning method standing side by side was enough to make Starlight sick to her stomach. "Guys like me, or Sunburst not getting the time of day or the respect that we deserve, why? Because we need to hear about the duelists that everybody remembers or some stupid catchphrases that we've heard time and time again for the seventh million time!"

"But don't you hear the cheers when people see them? When they're reminded of greatness, people who sacrifice their blood, sweat, and tears for this business." said Twilight.

"Yeah, they were cheering I'm sure they were." said Starlight as she just rolled her eyes. "Why don't they give us a chance? People that can contribute to this business and game to further this industry but no, no, no, no, no. Let's push them all aside. Let's give all our time and effort to people that need it; people who aren't even around anymore! People who if they standing here right now, they couldn't barely walk let alone lift a damn duel disk!!"

"Even if they were here the reason they can't do what they used to do is because they had such successful careers in years past. They put their bodies on the line for us to be here; for us to learn from them." said Twilight.

"To do what!?" interrupted Starlight. "To allow this industry to grow. They paved the way, they carved a path. When do I get to walk on that path!?!!" Starlight then ripped apart the pamphlet and stomped on the photo. "And for anybody that doesn't understand what I'm saying it's not because I'm talking fast. It's because you're listening slow." Starlight briefly looked at the fourth wall as she said that statement. "This place needs a change and I am that change!!!!"

Twilight was a bit scared at what Starlight said that she didn't dare move or say anything. Starlight then started to leave but not before addressing Twilight one final time.

"I'll see you tonight, Twilight. Once I beat you and that boyfriend of yours, I'll finally destroy the last piece of the old way of Duel Monsters and then I can usher in my way that will lead this business into the future. One where everybody is seen as equal and not one single person is considered above the rest. Believe that!!" gritted Starlight as she stepped through the entrance.

Twilight was left with the light shining above flickering a bit as she just stood their and grabbed her arm. A part of her saw Starlight's point of view and she would have agreed with her. So many people just sang the praises of those from the past that more often than not it clouded their judgement of the current scene of duelists as they didn't give them much attention. To be honest, when she was still a student at Crystal Prep, she was taught to acknowledge the duelists from the previous generation and show their appreciation for making the game as great as it was. However, she didn't fully understand it until she started to learn under Isaac and how he showed her the many videos and techniques that those people used in the past.

Isaac even showed her a picture of the four great duelists that all contributed to the game. All of them in some shape or form was considered a role model in Isaac's eyes. Twilight was able to see the duelist who introduced Synchro Summon, the person who revolutionized Fusion summoning, and even a young individual who took Xyz summoning to whole another level. However, the person that Isaac would always talk about the most was the person he idolized the most. Still after Starlight's realistic point of view, she then began to think Isaac. He always did say to acknowledge them, but to also not get so caught up with putting them on a pedestal as it wouldn't help you in creating your own path. Twilight quickly put all the negative things Starlight had to say out of her mind as she had to find Isaac.

"So you're saying that I should combine my Dark Magician with this card?"

"Correct, that way not only does it allow you to set up for your next turn, but also provides you with a powerful monster that your opponent will have to deal with." stated Sunburst.

Sunburst and Isaac were currently going over each other cards and showing off the different plays they each could potentially do in their tag duel later tonight. They showed off the many combos they did and each offered advice on how they could improve it and show how to tear it apart. Safe to say while the girls had a less than pleasant meeting, the boys just bonded over their toys. Sunburst did occasionally ask questions about Isaac's relationship with Twilight. They were so busy that they didn't notice Starlight standing in front of them till she cleared her voice. At that moment, both boys looked up and saw Starlight standing there; for a moment, Isaac got a certain vibe from the girl.

"What are you doing!?" shouted Starlight.

"S-Starlight." yelped Sunburst. "Well, I was just trading ideas with Isaac."

"And letting him see your deck! Don't you realize that by doing so, he now knows your strategy. I told you don't francize with the enemy. Come on!!" boomed Starlight as she grabbed Sunburst by his robe and started to drag him away.

"Hey!" shouted Isaac. "He didn't mean any harm, if you want somebody to yell out, then yell at me. I'm the one who asked him to show me his deck."

Starlight stopped in her tracks as she looked at Isaac. "I should have known." Starlight now had a sinister smile as she let go of Sunburst and then began to look at Isaac. "You know, I've had my eye on you for quite a while. Not just because of your monsters, but just what you stand for. I see you and I'm trying to figure out what exactly is it about you that just pisses me off!!"

Isaac started clench his fist as Starlight looked at him. Both could sense huge disdain towards each other. Starlight then began to speak.

"You know the thing that I really despise about you, Isaac. Is that you pray to someone whose long gone. Tell me, how many times have you dedicated your life and your deck to being just like your idol." said Starlight.

"What are you playing at, Starlight?" gritted Isaac.

"You! You are just like everybody else, prancing and singing the praises of people who are no longer here. Who were considered legends in the dueling world and yet you still try to uphold everything they stood for. It's foolish, and I'll be it a bit stupid!! Correction: Really stupid. You put people on pedestals because you see them as some sort of god; in reality it's pitiful. They are legends who take away all the spotlight from the current generation!" shouted Starlight as it caused Sunburst to take a few steps back.

"It's called paying respect for the those that allowed us to be here!" replied Isaac. "With these great individuals, Duel Monsters wouldn't be where it is now."

"That is a load of bullshit!!" shouted Starlight. "You say these individuals were chosen to carry the torch and pave the way. No, they just so happen to be the people that history chose to remember. Imagine if they didn't exist, then somebody else would've stepped up. They're nothing special! In fact, if I was around when they were in their prime, you wouldn't even had heard about them because everybody would be singing my praises and how I got this game to where it should."

"You know hearing you talk about the legends and disrespecting them. I can't stand by that! You think you're entitled to stuff, but that's not how life works. You want people to recognized you, you earn it! Without these people of the past, you probably wouldn't even be standing here!" replied Isaac as he got in the face of Starlight.

"You sing the praises of these legends yet you're blind by their mist that you can't see the bigger picture. You're just like everybody, all blinded by nostalgia, just clinging on the days of yesteryear! It makes me sick! They paved the way, they carved the path, but when the hell do I walk on that path!!!"

"You make your own path. Seems your blinded by this idea that everybody should be equal, but that's not the case. There will always be people who are special; people who have unique quirks. That is something you can't take away, no matter how hard you try."

"I'd expect that answer from someone like you, Isaac. You're nothing more than a walking propaganda who's always singing the praises of his hero/idol. You even modeled your deck after his cause you have this notion that he's the greatest to ever pick up a deck. This game inside and outside of the dueling field are filled with a parade of shameless ass kissers. And I'd like to think that maybe this game would better if the duelists that existed just simply died!!!" Starlight's comment was enough to make Isaac clench his fist as he was filled with angry.

"I am the voice of the voiceless! I want to walk over their broken bones as I ascend to my rightfully place. I want to create change, change where everybody is as one. Everyone thinks as one, acts as one, does and say things as one!! And if anybody stands in my way or doesn't agree with my ideals then they will join the rest of those past idols and be forgotten." Starlight was now staring deep in Isaac's eyes. "If you want to lower yourself to the same level like your greats from the past, then I'll gladly send you there myself."

"Enough!!!" screamed Isaac as he swatted away Starlight's finger from his face. "Enough!!! Listen up jack, I don't lower myself to them, because they are the reason why we are here! Why we exist today to carry their legacy and find new ways to make this game much more enjoyable. We are here to showcase our skills, we are here to show that the path we choose to make is not one that's defined by past icons, but rather what we do in the present that will lead us into the future! You are a ignorant son of bitch and you need a little bit of respect. So you say that you're going to win tonight at the Duos Cup, but I'm just going to kick your ass!!!!" Isaac now had his forehead against Starlight as if they were about to lock horns.

Starlight then backed up as she had a smile on her face. "You wish that you were half the man that those greats were, but you're not. No matter how many people you try to fool with your dueling, you will never be the same as your idol! Know why, it's because of your own damn ego. And you know what they say about ego, the bigger the ego, the smaller the package." said Sunset with a sick smile as he looked at Isaac and at a certain part of his body to emphasis her point. "So Isaac, tell me you're all about respect, right? Well respect this!!" Starlight then brought her hand up as she slapped Isaac in the face with so much force that it knocked his hat off as his face turned.

Sunburst was surprised that Starlight did that, even he thought she went too far by doing that. Isaac had his hand to his face as he felt the spot that Starlight hit him. He was processing what had just happened and soon he just had a smile on his face. "You just made the biggest mistake of your life." chuckled Isaac. He then stepped to the side as standing behind him was none other than Twilight.

Twilight left a few minutes after Starlight had left as she was looking for Isaac. She wanted to discuss her encounter with Starlight, so when she found her boyfriend standing face to face with Starlight, she knew there was going to be some trouble. Nobody noticed her standing a few feet away as she was listening to Isaac and Starlight verbal trade words about the past legends and their perspective on them. Twilight was contend with letting Starlight bad mouth about the past icons, but then she started to target Isaac and his role model. Then once she slapped Isaac, Twilight was immediately filled with rage. So when Isaac stepped aside to reveal her, Twilight had already clenched her fists as she tackled Starlight to the ground and started to wail on her.

Soon it was a regular catfight as both Starlight and Twilight started to throw some stiff haymakers. Soon both girls were rolling around in the dirt as Sunburst tried to pull Starlight off of Twilight; try as he might both girls just kept on trying to pull each other's hairs out. Soon he was able to get Starlight off as he picked her up and pulled her away. Sunburst then let go of Starlight as she settled down and tried to fix her hair; Sunburst then tried to apologize to Twilight who had just gotten up but was met with a slap to his face as his glasses fell off as he tumbled to the ground. Isaac then grabbed Twilight as he pulled her back. Twilight was still kicking as Isaac was holding her back.

"Hey Starlight! You mess with my man, I'm gonna break you bitch, you hear me!!!" shouted Twilight.

"We'll settle this later, come on Sunburst!" Starlight then began to walk away as Sunburst grabbed his glasses as he wiped the dirt off of it as he left to join her.

Once they were out of sight, Isaac let go of Twilight as she had finally calm down. "Finally," Twilight let out a deep breath; she then turned to look at Isaac. "Are you okay, Isaac? Hope she didn't hurt you too badly." Twilight brought her hand to the same spot that Starlight had struck him. Twilight's touch caused Isaac to flinch a bit.

"I'll be fine, nothing an ice pack can't fix." said Isaac as he did his best to smile. "But you, got to say the way you took down Starlight and just went off, kinda hot. Didn't expect that out of a nerd like you?"

Isaac then leaned into Twilight as he gave her a deep and tender kiss. Isaac wrapped his arms around Twilight as she grabbed Isaac's head as they just let it all out. Soon they broke apart as they looked at each other.

"Let's focus on taking down Starlight." said Twilight.

"Right, and I figured out what deck Sunburst uses when we were hanging out."

Twilight blinked at Isaac's comment. "Wait, you actually hung out with Sunburst?"

"Hey unlike you and Starlight's hang out, I actually got to know Sunburst. Pretty stand up guy, though he's looking for help on a sensitive topic." Isaac didn't want to tell Twilight about Sunburst's predicament due to him promising not to tell anybody. Plus it was a sort of guy code. "Anyways that's not important, what matters is that we take down Starlight. So, are you with me?"

"Always. Now then let's show them who the real power couple of Duel Monsters is." said Twilight as she smiled at Isaac.

Starlight and Sunburst had made it back to her room as she opened the door and slammed it with such force that it almost broke the hinges off. Sunburst jumped a bit at the sound as he looked at his best friend. Starlight was seething as she replayed the events of her confrontation with Isaac and then getting involved in her little scamp with Twilight.

"S-Starlight? You okay?"

"Do you think that I'm okay!?!" shouted Starlight. "They humiliated us and we need to put them in their place! So let me ask you, are you with me!?"

Sunburst hesitated a bit before answering. "You know I am, you're my friend."

"Good." snickered Starlight. She then began to talk to herself about her plans to make her ideology a reality.

"So, after we win? What's next? I-I mean in terms of us." Sunburst was sweating as he tried to muster up the courage to say what he wanted to say.

"What are you talking about? We rule together as the top duelists; we show everybody why we're a dominate pair. They call us the 'Power Couple', then let's live up to the power part of that name." laughed Starlight.

"Y-Yeah. Of course." nodded Sunburst in silence. "But maybe, we could live up to that name to its true meaning." Sunburst's comment caused Starlight to turn around and look at him with a raised eyebrow. What am I doing? I can't do this. Sunburst was mentally punching himself for saying what he wanted to say, but he then remembered Isaac's words. "I just think that given how long we've known each other and what people assume based on us always being together, I figured why not make it seem more realistic."

"Sunburst, we've known each our whole lives and I can tell when you're trying to be funny. Good one." said Starlight as she slapped him on the back. "Come on, don't tell me that you're thinking about other stuff. Not when we're on the cusp of creating a utopia of sorts. I've found that change isn't going to come naturally, it has to be done by your own actions. One individual can't change everything. Believe me, I know. Trying to change this place by yourself will break you mentally, physically, spiritually. That's why I need your assist, Sunburst. Together we can actually make an effort and change this game to fit our image. So understand that this can only happen if you stick by my side. So I ask again: You're either with me or you're against me!"

Sunburst knew what Starlight was insinuating; he knew that Starlight was an individual who when she put her mind to something, she wouldn't stop at nothing till she achieved her goal. But he also didn't want to suffer the wrath of his best friend, especially if he wanted both of them to be more than just friends. "You know I'll always stand by your side Starlight, we're friends."

"Good." snickered Starlight. "Now then let's focus on the task at hand; we don't need any distractions. So put aside whatever thought you had and let's move forward with our plan."

"Yes, ma'am." said Sunburst.

"Now then, tell me about the strategies that Isaac implemented with your deck?"

It was now time, time for the final duel of the evening and the Duos Cup. Everybody packed into the main tent as they were prepared to see which team would be named the winners of this year's event. Both teams were kept in separate rooms as they were going over their last minute strategies. Well at least for Starlight and Sunburst; Isaac was in his locker room tapping his foot at Twilight not being there.

"Where is she? Doesn't she know that we're about to go on?" said Isaac as he had his eyes closed and was perturbed.

"Sorry I'm late." said Twilight.

"Finally! I was beginning to wonder..." Isaac had opened his eyes and standing before him was none other than Twilight, but she was in a different attire.

Apparently, Rarity wanted to show her support for them that she decided to make a similar outfit for Twilight that matched Isaac's signature duds. So she used inspiration from Isaac's outfit to create one that suited Twilight while also showing everybody that they were a team. Twilight's outfit consisted of a dark purple cloth jacket with two tone streaks matching the streaks in her hair going up her sleeves connecting to her hoodie that matched their colors as well. It was zipped up all the way with a gem representing her element as the tab on the zipper you pulled on. She wore light pink leggings that seemed pretty loose at the ends of her legs and ended a few centimeters from her blue laced boots. It had a modern look like Isaac's and held to her hind legs with dark blue straps at the front of the boot, in front of the tongues. Wrapped around her hip area was a belt with a specially designed saddle bag on one side while on the other was a deck box that was clipped on, with the same design and color code as her boots, only the latch resembled her element.

"Rarity thought it be a good idea to design me something. She felt like we needed to show that we're a team and I guess that included having some sort of matching outfits." said Twilight as she twirled around for Isaac to get a good look. "So what do you think?" Twilight just smiled sheepishly.

Isaac was left speechless as he couldn't put into words Twilight's outfit. "You look amazing!" said Isaac. "I wouldn't mind you wearing this all the time."

Twilight blushed at Isaac's comment. "Well maybe I'll wear it for special occasions." said Twilight as she stepped into Isaac's arms. Soon she brought him into a kiss as she brought her hands up to cusp Isaac's face. It lasted for a few seconds as they broke apart. "Now let's go show Starlight what happens when you mess with the wrong couple." Isaac nodded as they began to leave as they gave one last high five but had their pinky fingers hook together.

Soon everybody started to cheer as all four competitors were making their way onto the dueling field. The crowd really was into this match as they were looking for a grueling battle between the two teams. All four duelists were staring at each other, preparing, waiting for the action that was about to ensue. Then the announcer began to speak.

"Now everybody we begin the final round of the Duos Cup. Who will be crowned the victors, will it be the team of Starlight Glimmer and Sunburst? Or will be the new comers, the team of Isaac and Twilight Sparkle? One thing is for sure we're about to have the battle to see who is the true power couple of Duel Monsters; now then duelists prepare yourselves."

Starlight and Sunburst then popped in their decks and activated their duel disks. Isaac and Twilight gave one last look as they each reached to their belt clip and pulled out their decks and slotted it into their duel disks as it turned on.

"You know the rules everybody, so... let the duel... begin!!" shouted the announcer.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Twilight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunburst's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"Time to put you in your place, draw!" Starlight drew her card and she didn't take her eyes off of Isaac and Twilight. "I'll play the continuous spell card, Constellar Star Chart. Now once per turn, whenever a 'Constellar' monster is special summoned I can draw a card. Next I'll play my Constellar Algiedi(1600/1400), now Algiedi's effect activates when it's summoned. So now I can special summon a level 4 'Constellar' monster from my hand. So joining the party is my Constellar Kaus(1800/700)." Starlight’s first monster descended from the golden portal above her, a slim figure in silver armor wielding a club with a blue gemstone set in it. Algiedi raised its club and fired a ray of light at the ground. Within the circle of light rose a second monster, a warrior in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow.

"Now I'll use Kaus' ability, up to twice per turn I can either raise/lower the level of a monster by 1. So I'll use it to reduce both of my monsters so that their level 3. Next I overlay my Kaus and Algiedi, using my two Level 3 monsters I construct the Overlay Network!" Starlight’s two monsters slid together and lit up. "I unite the light of the goat and the archer! Open a path to the cosmos and gallop to a new shining star! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Hyades(1900/1100, OLU: 2)! Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he drew his card.

"Be careful, Isaac." said Twilight. "She managed to Xyz summon on her first turn, so we have to be cautious about what else she has planned."

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'll start by playing my Breaker the Magical Warrior in attack mode, next I'll give him Bound Wand and raise his attack by an extra 400 points, in addition, my Breaker gains 300 points when he's summoned. But I'll use his effect and get rid of his counter to take out your spell card." Breaker then lifted its sword up as a beam of energy zapped away a portion of his strength to take out Starlight's spell card. "Using this effect means my Breaker will lose 300, but that's a small price to pay. I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Sunburst

"Guess I'm up." said Sunburst as he drew his card. He looked at Starlight who was giving him a look, a look that said 'show them no mercy'. Sunburst then took a deep breath, "I summon Cardcar D(800/400). Then I'll activate its effect, so by tributing it I can draw two cards." Sunburst then got rid of his monster as he picked up his cards. "By using this effect, my turn immediately comes to an end, so I'll just place this facedown."

Turn 4: Twilight

"Then it's up to me," Twilight looked at her options. "I'll start things off by playing my Amores of Prophecy in defense mode. Then I'll use its effect to reveal my Spellbook of Secrets in my hand to special summon a level 4 or below spellcaster from my hand. So I summon my Charioteer of Prophecy in attack mode. Next I'll play Spellbook of Secrets to add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." Twilight then selected the card she wanted as she confirmed on her screen and slotted out for her to grab. "Then I'll play a single facedown, that's all."

Turn 5: Starlight

"Now that we've all taken a turn, time to dish out some damage." Starlight had a sinister glare on her face as she drew her card. "First I'll use the effect of my Constellar Hyades, by using an overlay unit, I change all your monsters into defense." Starlight's monster then absorbed an overlay unit as it caused all of Isaac's and Twilight's monster to change positions. "Next I play Constellar Leonis(1000/1800) in defense mode!” A silver and brown-armored monster jumped from Starlight’s portal, this one covered in glowing blue spikes with a blue blade of energy extending from its wrist.

"I then activate Leonis’ effect. Once per turn I can perform an additional normal summon of a Constellar monster. I summon another Constellar Kaus!" Starlight pointed at Kaus. “I activate Kaus' ability. Up to twice a turn I can increase the level of a Constellar monster by 1. I boost the level of Aldebaran.” Kaus turned and fired an arrow at Aldebaran. The knight glowed gold as it was struck. Starlight stretched her hand up. “And now, I overlay Constellar Aldebaran and Constellar Kaus! Using my two Level 4 monsters, I construct the overlay network!”

Starlight’s two monsters turned transparent, their images outlined in gold. Within each of them a spark of gold light floated out and began to orbit them, leaving streaks of light in the air. Starlight grinned as the two forms slid together into a mass of gold light. “I unite the light of the bull and the light of the archer! Open a path to the cosmos and gallop to a shining new star!” Starlight’s Extra Deck ejected her card and she picked it up. “I Xyz Summon Constellar Omega(2400/2500, OLU: 2)!” The golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with the two sparks of gold light circling it.

"Now I'll use my Constellar Omega's effect, by using one overlay unit, all 'Constellar' monsters are unaffected by spells/traps this turn. So I'll have my Hyades attack Breaker and Omega to take out Amores." Starlight gave her monsters their orders as they took them out with ease. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

"Since Breaker was equipped with Bound Wand, he gets to come back." said Isaac as his monster revived.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Now then, draw. I'll play Card Destruction now everybody throws out their hands and must redraw that same number of cards." Everybody then got rid of their cards as they all had a new hand to work with. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed and draw two more cards, but I won't stop there cause now I'm activating Graceful Charity. So I'll pick up three more cards and discard two. Now I'll play Magical Dimension and with I'll tribute my Breaker to play my Dark Magician; and not only that I can destroy one card on your field. And I choose you Constellar Omega!"

"I can activate Omega's effect even during your turn, so by using another overlay unit, my Constellar monsters are unaffected by spell/traps cards. So much for your plan!" chuckled Starlight.

"Actually, I was hoping you would do that. Your monsters may be safe, but I was able to get rid of your monster's overlay units. Now Dark Magician attack Sunburst directly!" Dark Magician then leaped into the air.

"Don't think so, I special summon my Gagaga Gardna(1500/1200) from my hand. When you declare a direct attack, I can summon him to the field." said Sunburst as he summoned his monster.

"Your monster is still weaker, so my Dark Magician will have no problem destroying it. Dark Magician attack Sunburst's Gagaga Gardna! Your Gagaga Gardna is a gagaga goner." said Isaac.

"I activate my Gagaga Gardna's special ability by discarding one card, I can protect my Gagaga Gardna from your Dark Magician's attack." Sunburst then decided which one he wanted to get rid of. "I discard Gagaga Girl."

"You may have prevented your monster from being destroyed, but you still lose life points."
Sunburst's Life Points: 7000-

"That's a small price that I'll willing to do to keep my Gagaga Gardna." stated Sunburst.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Sunburst

"I draw, now I summon Gogogo Golem(1800/1500) in defense mode." Sunburst looked at Starlight as she knew exactly what he was about to do; Starlight gave him a sign that said 'end them'. Sunburst just gave a nod as he looked at Isaac and Twilight with a hint of sadness. "Now then I'll perform an Xyz summon. I overlay my level 4 Gagaga Gardna and Gogogo Golem to construct the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon, Number 39: Utopia(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!"

"What!?" shouted Isaac and Twilight. They were shocked to find that Sunburst had managed to bring out a powerful monster. And not just any monster, one of the first Xyz monsters that pioneered Xyz summoning; not to mention that this card used to belong to another great duelist in the past.

"In that case, I'll activate my Bottomless Trap Hole. Now your Utopia is not only destroyed but it's banished."

"Not gonna work, Isaac. I activate my facedown Xyz Reflect. When a card effect is activated that targets a faceup 'Xyz' monster, I can play this card to negate and destroy said card/effect and deal you 800 points of damage."
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Twilight

"Back to me, draw. To start, I'll play my Pot of Greed and draw two more cards. Now time for me to introduce my ace monster, I reveal three Spellbooks: Spellbook of Fate, Spellbook of Eternity and Spellbook of Knowledge. Now I can special summon my High Priestess of Prophecy!" Twilight now had managed to summon her ace monster. "Now I'll summon my Hermit of Prophecy, then I'll play Spellbook of Experience. So now I give my Charioteer an extra level and by doing so my Hermit's ability gains a 2 levels and 300 attack points whenever a 'Spellbook' is activated. Now that I have two level 5 monsters, I construct the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon Empress of Prophecy(2000/1700, OLU: 2)!" Twilight's new monster was a beautiful women who sat on her throne as she wielded a staff.

"My Empress gains 300 extra points for each Xyz material attached to it, but I'll use one right now. So now I shuffle my deck, then I reveal the top 5 cards of my deck. Then I can destroy that many monsters up to the same amount of 'Spellbooks' that I reveal." Twilight's duel disk then projected her 5 cards for all to see, "I reveal Spellbook of Power and Spellbook of Miracles, so that's two targets I get to destroy. So say goodbye to your entire field, Starlight!" Empress then raised its staff as a blinding light took over and decimated Starlight's entire field. "Now I'll put those Spellbooks in any order I choose, but that's not important right now. Now my monsters attack Starlight directly!! This is for putting your hands on my man!!" Twilight then thrust her hand out as her monsters obeyed the command of their mistress and dealt some major damage to Starlight as she covered up.
Starlight's Life Points: 3200-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: Starlight

"You okay, Starlight?" asked Sunburst as he was concerned about his friend.

"I'm fine!!!" shouted Starlight as she glared at Twilight. "Time to make you pay you bitch!" Starlight was furious that Twilight had manage to land a hit. "Now I'll play this spell card, Xyz Resurrection. Now I can revive an Xyz monster as well as any Xyz materials that were attached to it. So welcome back Constellar Hyades, next I'll play my Monster Reborn to bring back my Constellar Omega. But I'm not done, next I play Constellar Pollux(1700/600) so now I can conduct another normal summon so I play Constellar Rasalhague(900/100)." Starlight now had four monsters on her field.

"Now my Rasalhague's effect activates, so I'll tribute it to revive my Constellar Kaus. Now I'll use Kaus' ability and raise both of their levels by 1. Now I'll overlay my level 5 Kaus and Pollux to construct the Overlay Network. The light of distant stars shatters the dark of night, I Xyz Summon Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 2)!" Starlight had managed to summon her third Xyz monster. "But you know what?” Starlight grinned. “I think we can do one better this time. I think I’ll give him an upgrade! Using the Rank 4 Constellar Omega, I construct the overlay network!” The crowd went wild as Starlight’s monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Omega burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material; I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 1)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"No way!" shouted Isaac.

"Are you seeing this?" said Twilight as she was just as concerned as Isaac.

"Next I'll use Pleiades' effect, so I use an overlay unit to send your Empress of Prophecy back to your hand or in this case your extra deck. Now time to make you pay, Twilight! I hope you're watching Isaac as I make your girlfriend regret she ever crossed paths with me!! Now my monsters attack Twilight's monster and take bite out of her life points!!" With that Starlight's monster had their command as her dragon took out High Priestess as Pleiades and Hyades headed for Twilight as she was tossed on her back.
Twilight's Life Points: 3400-

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac.

"Oh don't worry, you'll feel her pain. I'll place this facedown then I'll play this my Constellar Tempest, now by removing all the Xyz materials from Pleiades and Hyades, I can cut both of your life points in half! Do it!!" shouted Starlight as a meteor shower started to fall down and headed for Isaac as he barely managed to get out of the way.

Another one was headed for Twilight as she was still on the ground and was just beginning to stir. Twilight didn't have time to get out of the way as she closed her eyes and prepared for the worst. Isaac was covered in scratches/bruises that he still had the energy to run over to Twilight and wrap her in his arms as he was using his body to shield her.
Isaac's Life Points: 3600-

Twilight's Life Points: 1700-

Soon the attack ceased as Starlight ended her turn. Starlight was just laughing with a sick smile on her face as Sunburst was scared at what he saw. Even he thought that was a bit much.

"Starlight?"

"Don't turn against me now, Sunburst!!!" screamed Starlight.

"Isaac? You didn't have to do that." said Twilight as she was surprised that he would take most of the impact to protect her.

"It's fine." chuckled Isaac as his back was a bit sore. "As long as you're okay, I don't feel any pain. Ow." said Isaac as his laughing caused his muscles to ache. Soon he helped Twilight up as they to face Starlight as they were showing that they were still standing. "You ready to take her down?"

"Ready!" said Twilight.

Turn 10: Isaac

"Now then, my turn. Draw! To start, I'll play the spell card Dedication of Light and Darkness. So now I tribute my Dark Magician to special summon my Dark Magician of Chaos. Now my magician's effect activates so now I can add a spell card from my graveyard to my hand." Isaac then picked the card he wanted from his graveyard as it slotted out for him to grab. "Now I'll play Brain Control, so by paying 800 life points, I'll take control of Constellar Ptolemy M7. Next I'll play the spell card that I got back, Magician's Roulette." Isaac played his card and soon the entire field was changed so that all four of then were now standing on a roulette wheel with four sections appearing with half red and black. "Here's how it works, Starlight. All the monsters that you and I have are placed on this wheel and then the wheel will spin; whatever section the ball lands on determines which monsters will be affect. If it lands on your monsters then all your monsters lose their attack points, but if it lands on mine then I take damage equal to their total points. So care to spin?" asked Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 2800-

"Are you really leaving this to chance?" said Starlight.

"Let's find out. Spin the wheel, make the deal!" shouted Isaac as he tapped his foot and the ball started to roll around them moving at a fast pace.

The ball was moving so fast that if you tried to follow its movement, you would get sick by the second rotation. Not to mention that Pinkie actually did that and she immediately grabbed Rarity's purse as she threw up in it. Safe to say that Rarity was less than pleased; the ball then started to slow down as Isaac tapped his foot and it started to bounce all over the place. Soon it started to lose inertia as it winded down and then landed on the section of Starlight's Pleiades. "Seems like your monsters are going to lose it's attack points." Soon Pleiades and Hyades powered down and were useless.

"Now I'll have my magician and Ptolemy M7 attack and destroy both of your monsters! Say goodbye, Starlight!" Isaac had a smile on his face as he looked to defeat Starlight.

"Don't think so, I activate my facedown. Meteor Destruction!!" Soon a giant space rock was falling at a fast pace. "Now this card makes it so that the damage I'm about to take is also dished out to you. So now you will be out of this duel, Isaac!"

Isaac had his eyes widen as he saw the meteor heading towards him. It looked like it was about to knock him out of this duel, until Twilight stepped in.

"He won't be the one taking the damage, I am!" shouted Twilight.

"Twilight?"

"It's fine, Isaac. You protected me, now it's my turn to return the favor. By sending a card in my hand to the graveyard, I can activate my Spellbook of Direction. Whenever a card effect activates, I can choose its target. So now Meteor Destruction will aim at my life points!" The meteor then changed its course as it was heading for Twilight. "But that's not all, I'll reveal my facedown. Spellbook of Retribution, now the damage that I'm about to take is also sent in Sunburst's direction."
Sunburst's Life Points: 1500

"Twilight, please don't do this." Isaac was pleading with Twilight not to take the hit for him as he grabbed her by the arms.

"It told you, it's fine. You don't always have to protect me; sometimes you have to let me be the one to save you." With that Twilight shoved Isaac out of the way as the meteor made contact with her and Starlight at that moment as a blinding light appeared.

It caused everybody to cover their eyes, once it died down both boys rushed to their partners to make sure they were okay. Isaac held Twilight in his arms as she was covered in dirt and a couple of scratches, he kept calling her name to get a response. Soon Twilight's eyes began to open as she looked at Isaac to which he gave her a hug as she wrapped her arms around his neck. Sunburst was kneeling by Starlight's side as he was concerned about his friend; soon she began to stir as she opened her eyes and looked at Sunburst.

"Starlight, are you okay?"

"Finish the job." gritted Starlight. "Finish the job!! If you care about me, Sunburst. Then finish off Isaac!!!" she said as she slowly tried to get back to her feet.

Sunburst felt like he should take care of Starlight, but the way she said that and the angry in her eyes. He merely nodded as he rose back up and was now staring at Isaac who did the same and he too was staring down Sunburst. Both knew the stakes at this match and with the girls knocked out, it left the boys to battle and trade some stiff shots.
Starlight's Life Points: 0-

Twilight's Life Points: 0-

"It's just you and me, Isaac."

"You're a good man, Sunburst. And I hope you can find the to courage to overcome your obstacle. But Starlight needs to pay for what she just did."

"She's my friend and if you get to her, you'll have to go through me!!" shouted Sunburst.

"In that case, I'll just lay a facedown and play Shard of Greed. That's all."

Turn 11: Sunburst

"My turn, draw!" Sunburst drew his card as Starlight looked on. She knew Sunburst was a great partner, but even it mattered the most, he went to that place where he would show off his skills and prove why he was just as good if not better than her. "Now I activate the spell card, Blustering Winds to give my Utopia an extra 1000 attack/defense points till the end of my next Standby phase. Now Utopia attack Dark Magician!"

"I activate Magic Cylinder, so now your attack is diverted back to your life points! It's over, Sunburst!" shouted Isaac.

"I think not! One of the cards that was sent to the graveyard when you played Card Destruction was Interceptomato. So I'll banish it to reduce all the damage to 0. Next up, I'll activate my Double or Nothing spell card. Since an attack was negated, this allows me to double Utopia's attack and allow it to strike a second time! Go Utopia, attack and end this duel! Rising Sun Slash!!" shouted Sunburst as Starlight was having a smile on her face.

"I may not be able to save my magician, but I can keep my life points. I discard Kuriboh so that all battle damage I take becomes zero!! Kuriboh, give me a hand little pal." Kuriboh then appeared as he did his job and took Utopia's attack as it bounced right off. Kuriboh then nuzzled against Isaac as he just simply patted him on the head for a job well done before disappearing.

"In that case, I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card as he quickly looked at Twilight who was just sitting on the floor behind him as she was too tired to move. He gave her a quick smile as he did his move. "First I gain a greed counter, then I'll play Card of Sanctity. So now we must draw till we're holding six cards in our hands. Next, I'll play Kuribandit, and activate its effect. So I'll tribute it to reveal the five top cards of my deck, any spell/traps are added to my hand and any monster cards are sent to the grave." Isaac's duel disk then projected his cards, "I reveal Monster Reborn, Swords of Revealing Light, Knight's Title, Emergency Provisions, and Makiu, the Magical Mist. Now all of them are added to my hand. Then I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician. Then I'll play Knight's Title, so I'll tribute my magician to special summon Dark Magician Knight(2500/2100)!" Isaac's magician then transformed as it lost its staff and replaced it with a sword and wore a suit of armor.

"Now when he's summoned, I can destroy one card on the field. So Utopia is gone! And that's just the beginning. Next I summon my ultimate monster of chaos, behold as the powers of dark and light combine to conjure to your defeat. Now I'll banish my Kuriboh and Mystical Elf to summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning! Now Black Luster attack Sunburst directly!!"

"I activate my Pinpoint Guard! Now I'll special summon a level 4 or lower monster to my field and it can't be destroyed this turn. I revive my Flelf(800/1300) in defense mode!"

"I'll then play Swords of Revealing Light and set three cards facedown."

Turn 13: Sunburst

"My turn, draw. To start I'll activate my Flelf's ability, so I'll discard my Gagaga Caesar to increase it's level by 3. Next I'll play one of my favorite monsters, Gagaga Magician(1500/1000). Now since I control a 'Gagaga' monster, I can special summon my Gagaga Child(800/1200) in defense mode. There is still one member missing from my Gagaga family. I activate Gagaga Revenge to special summon the Gagaga Girl from my graveyard." Sunburst now had 4 monsters on his field as it caused Isaac to worry. "I activate my Gagaga Magician's effect to change its level to 7. Now I'll use my Gagaga Girl's effect to match her level to that of my magician." Sunburst then looked at a card in his hand as the name seem fitting due to the artwork that was on it and it reminded him of a particular someone.

"I now activate Star Light, Star Bright."

The moment Sunburst played that card, Starlight immediately was given flashback. She remembered back to when she and Sunburst were kids and how they would always hang out. But one day they happen to be opening a pack of cards as it was that single card that Sunburst had managed to pull. At the time she was happy for her friend getting a useful card, she also told him that the card allowed a person to be granted a wish. But to Sunburst at the time, he saw it as a sign that he was starting to fall for his best friend. So when he got it, he immediately decided to give it to her. He simply said that a card that was named this should belong with someone who really resembled that card; Starlight was excited that she simply gave him hug. She didn't know it at the time but that hug from when they were kids was enough for Sunburst to see Starlight in a whole different light as he one day prayed that she would be his.

"I wish for my Gagaga Child's level to match the level of my Flelf and thanks to this spell card, my wish is granted." I just hope that my initial wish will come true. "When I control two monsters with the same number of attack or defense points; Star Light, Star Bright lets me change one of those monsters levels to match the level of the other monster. Since Gagaga Child and Flelf both have 800 attack points; Star Light, Star Bright changes my Gagaga Child into a level 5 monster just like Flelf."

Isaac's eyes widen at the fact that Sunburst had four monsters and he was able to do something incredible.

"Now that I have two level 5 monsters and two level 7 monsters, it's time for a double Xyz summon! I overlay my level 5 Flelf with my Gagaga Child to Xyz summon, Number 61: Volcasaurus(2500/1000, OLU: 2)! Next I overlay my level 7 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl to Xyz summon, Number 11: Big Eye(2600/2000, OLU: 2)!" Sunburst now had two more number cards on his field.

"Woah, how does he have so many number cards?" asked Isaac.

"And since my Gagaga Girl was equipped with Gagaga Revenge when I used her for an Xyz summon, my Big Eye gains 300 attack points. And now I have two number monsters each with an effect that will help defeat you. But first I activate Xyz Gift, since I control two Xyz monsters I can draw two cards. Next I activate Tornado, this card destroys your Swords of Revealing Light leaving me free to attack." stated Sunburst.

"I chain my Emergency Provisions, now I can send any of my spell/trap cards to the graveyard and gain 1000 life points for each one I send. So I'll send my facedown Makiu to the graveyard!" Isaac then touched his duel disk screen as he selected the cards.
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

"You're going to need all of them. Number 11: Big Eye can take control of any monster on your side of the field. I can't attack with Big Eye during the turn I activate it's effect, but the monster that I have taken command of is a different story. Number 11 uses an overlay unit to take control of your Black Luster Solider - Envoy of the Beginning!"

"Not good." said Isaac as he watched his most switch over to Sunburst's field.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Sunburst." said Starlight as he compliment brought a small smile to his face and caused his heart to warm up a bit.

"Next I use Volcasaurus' effect, Number 61: Volcasaurus cannot attack this turn since I used Gagaga Child as an Xyz material to Xyz summon it. But that doesn't mean it can't damage your life points, by using one of Volcasaurus' overlay unit, I can destroy any face-up monster on your field and if I do you lose life points equal to that monster's attack. So I'll use an overlay unit to destroy your Dark Magician Knight!" Sunburst then snapped his fingers as Isaac's monster was gone in a pillar of fire.

"I activate my trap card, Soul Rope. By paying 1000 life points, I'm allowed to special summon any level 4 or below monster from my deck. I choose Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode. My monster can't be destroyed by any creature with 1900 or more attack points."
Isaac's Life Points: 300

"That monster is quite obnoxious instead of attacking with Black Luster Soldier, I'll use it's effect to banish your monster. Looks like you're getting another turn. I end my move."

Turn 14: Isaac

"I draw and add a second greed counter to my Shard of Greed, now I'll send it to the graveyard to draw two cards." This is it, I have to draw the right cards to win. Isaac drew his cards and he was modest with what he got, Not what I was hoping for, but better than nothing. "Now I activate Dark Hole, now all monsters on the field are gone. Next I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior and attack you directly. I'll then set one card before ending my turn."
Sunburst's Life Points: 100-

Turn 15: Sunburst

"Sunburst!?!" screamed Starlight.

"It's alright Starlight, I've got this!" Sunburst now had the most determined look on his face; Starlight saw this and knew exactly what he was about to do and what monster he was about to play.

"Then show him!" shouted Starlight.

"First I activate Gagaga Draw, by banishing 3 'Gagaga' monsters from my graveyard I draw two cards. I banish Gagaga Girl, Gagaga Child, and Gagaga Magician; now I summon Ganbara Knight(0/1800) in defense mode. Next I activate Monster Slots this card lets me banish a monster from my graveyard with the same level as Ganbara Knight. Since Ganbara Knight is a level 4 monster, I shall use Monster Slots to banish the level 4 Gogogo Golem from my graveyard. Next I get to draw a card if it's a monster with the same level as the card I banished from my graveyard and the monster I have on my field then I get to special summon it." said Sunburst as he didn't show any fear in his eyes.

"You really gonna take that big of risk? Especially when you know that my monster can finish this on my next turn?" asked Isaac.

"I have faith in my deck and more importantly, I have someone who's counting on me." Sunburst quickly looked at Starlight as she had an evil smile on her face. "And believe me I intend to make her happy. Now time to see what I get." Sunburst placed his hand on his deck and took a deep breath as he drew it. He looked at the card and his eyes now shifted into serious mode as he saw the monster he wanted to bring out. Get ready, old friend. "I drawn Gogogo Gigas(0/2200)! Since it's a level 4 monster, I can special summon it to the field. You've dueled well Isaac, but it ends here! You only have 300 life points remaining."

Sunburst then took a stance as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he was about to call upon his most ardent ally. "Next I overlay my level 4 Ganbara Knight with my level 4 Gogogo Gigas to Xyz summon one of my favorite monsters, Gagaga Cowboy(1500/2400) in defense mode!!!" shouted Sunburst as a cowboy appeared and he looked at Isaac before firing off some shots into the air.

Starlight was impressed with how Sunburst had managed to draw the right card and be able to summon a monster that would end this duel. In fact, a part of her was feeling happy seeing Sunburst be like this, so dominate and not showing any fear. It sort of caught her attention as she had a smile, she quickly got rid of it as she realized the end was just about to be near.

"My Gagaga Cowboy has a special ability while it's in defense mode, it can use an overlay unit to inflict 800 points of damage to your life points!" stated Sunburst.

"But I only have 300 life points left!" said Isaac as he realized what was about to happen.

"Precisely! Now it's time, Gagaga Cowboy use an overlay unit to finish Isaac and win this duel!!!" said Sunburst as he thrusted out his hand.

Gagaga Cowboy then load its gun as it stared at Isaac he then put it in his pistol hostel; he just kept staring at Isaac as it was a good old fashioned Mexican standoff. Then in the glimpse of a second, if you blinked you would have definitely missed it, Isaac fell to his knees as he clutched his side. Gagaga Cowboy's movements were so fast that he had shot off his pistol that smoke came out of it as he blew it off.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

With that Sunburst expression changed from serious to realization. It took a while but what he saw on the field came flooding to him as he had just won the duel and became the winners of the Duos Cup with Starlight. He then looked at Starlight who was approaching him as she slowly started to clap.

"I... I did it. I did it, Starlight. For us." Sunburst then grabbed her hands.

"I knew you wouldn't let me down, Sunburst. You were always someone I could count on." chuckled Starlight. She then let broke free from his grip as she looked at Isaac who was still easing from the pain. "I told you, you would fall. Just like the past duelists and legends, you are nothing but history. The future belongs to us, it's time for us to carve our own path. And like I told you, Isaac. You will never be as good as those legends and most certainly not like your idol. There's not a chance in hell that will ever happen!!" Starlight gave Isaac an evil smile as he just glared back at her. She then started to walk back to Sunburst.

"Come along, Sunburst. We've got a trophy to collect and then we'll begin with my plan."

"Alright, Star..." Sunburst's duel disk then began to flash. "Uhm, Starlight? My duel disk seems to be sending me a message."

"Just ignore it! It's probably nothing." said Starlight.

Sunburst then began to read it as his eyes grew big, "Uhm... maybe you should read this." Sunburst then showed Starlight the message he received.

Starlight had told Sunburst that it wasn't important, but seeing as how he did win, she figured it couldn't hurt to see what it said. She then leaned over his shoulder as she read the message; she then began to furiously read it over and over again. She even grabbed Sunburst's arm to make sure that she was reading the right thing; to Sunburst he had a slight smile on his face for Starlight being so close to him. Soon her eyes turned furious as she looked across the field. "How is this happening!?!?!?!!!"

"Going somewhere, Starlight?" said Isaac as he had managed to get back on his feet but still felt a bit pain from being shot in the side. "This duel isn't over."

"I believe you are mistaken, your life points are at zero! When your life points drop to zero, the duel ends! We are the winners! So how is it possibly that you're still standing!?!? Tell me!!!!!!"

Isaac then offered his hand to Twilight as he helped her up. They both turned to face Starlight as Twilight stood in Isaac's left arm as he wrapped it around her. "My life points may have been reduced to zero, but this trap card will keep me in the duel. I activate Relay Soul! When my life points drop to zero this trap card lets me special summon a monster from my hand as long as I have that monster and remains on the field, I remain in the duel no matter how many life points I have. I entrust my fate with my Dark Magician Girl!"

Isaac then played his spellcaster as she came out and took her position. Mana looked at Isaac and saw that he was standing with Twilight as she let out a smile. This time, Twilight could see Isaac's magician as she gave a wave to which she returned.

"It's doesn't matter, all Sunburst has to do is destroy your one monster!" Starlight then grabbed Sunburst by the collar and looked at him. "Finish this, now!!" shouted Starlight as she let go of her friend.

"Yes, Starlight." Sunburst then stepped forward to face Isaac. "Good move, Isaac." Sunburst had to congratulate Isaac for pulling a last ditch effort to stay alive. "Although my Gagaga Cowboy can't attack your magician right now, on my next turn it can. While attacking my Gagaga Cowboy can give up one Xyz material to increase its attack points by 1000 and decrease your monster's attack points by 500. With all those attack points my Gagaga Cowboy will easily wipe out your Dark Magician Girl on my next turn."

Turn 16: Isaac

"Sunburst is right, I don't have many options left. So it all depends on this draw." said Isaac he put his hand over his deck. Soon it was joined by Twilight who also put her hand on top of his as she was wrapped in Isaac's arms.

"This time we draw it, together." Twilight looked at Isaac as she gave him a smile which he returned. Soon both took a deep breath.

"Heart of the cards, guide us." said Twilight and Isaac as they drew their card. They both looked at it and knew exactly what to do.

"This situation is dire indeed, but in times such as these I can count on the legendary knights of Atlantis to hear my cry. I've drawn the Eye of Timaeus!" said Isaac as he held it up high. "Come forth Timaeus!" Soon a huge dragon descend onto the field as it let out a mighty roar that caused the whole place to rumble. Twilight then snuck a kiss to Isaac's cheek as he continued with his move. "Now I combine Timaeus with Dark Magician Girl to summon Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight! The baton has been passed now my fate rests with Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, I will only lose this duel if she's destroyed but I plan to defeat you before that can happen. Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight attack and destroy Sunburst's Gagaga Cowboy!" With that Isaac's monster then brought its mighty sword as it slashed downward at Gagaga Cowboy destroying it.

"Now your field is wide open to a direct attack, Alpha the Magnet Warrior attack Sunburst directly and end this duel!!" said Isaac as he held out his hand.

"I will not be defeated." stated Sunburst as he stood his ground. "Interceptomato was not the only helpful monster I discard when you activated your Card Destruction on your second turn. I also discarded Rainbow Kuriboh; when you declare a direct attack, my Rainbow Kuriboh can return from the graveyard to intercept it!" Soon Sunburst had a tiny monster as it headed towards Isaac's monsters.

"Not good enough, Alpha's attack will continue and along with it I activate Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight's special ability. By sending one card in my hand to the graveyard, Rainbow Kuriboh is destroyed and with Rainbow Kuriboh out of my way, my magnet warrior will finish this duel once and for all!" Rainbow Kuriboh then was hit with a beam as it exploded into tons of smaller rainbows.

"Now Alpha finish this duel!!!" shouted both Isaac and Twilight. The attack hit Sunburst as he was flung back and landed by Starlight's feet.
Starlight and Sunburst's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac and Twilight

With that final attack the duel was over as all the holograms disappeared. The crowd then stood up as they let out an applause; the announcer then did his job as he called the final result of the duel.

"And with that we now have our winners. Ladies and gentleman, your victors and champions of this year's Duos Cup. The team of Isaac and Twilight Sparkle!!" Soon everybody started make some noise.

Isaac and Twilight took in the sight around them as their friends and everybody else was giving them a standing ovation. Twilight then wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck as she gave him a hug that caused him to topple over with Twilight in his arms. Isaac soon fell on his back as he felt a bit of pain, not to mention that Twilight was now on top of him and they were in front of people. Twilight then gave Isaac a passionate kiss as she didn't care that they was people watching them, soon Isaac returned the favor by kissing her back.

Starlight was watching from afar as she was pissed. To think that Isaac found a way to stay in the duel after his life points dropped to zero and then go on to win really got her blood boiling. She then looked at Sunburst who was just beginning to stir as she looked at him; Sunburst saw that Starlight was disappointed that he put his head down and prepared himself for what she was about to do. Starlight then started to walk away as Sunburst lifted his head to see her leaving.

"Well, are you coming or not?" Starlight said in a stern voice. "We still have a plan to set in motion."

Sunburst was expecting Starlight to be angry and do something but she didn't. Nevertheless, Sunburst dusted himself off and then started to join his friend at her side.

"By the way," Starlight then placed her hand on Sunburst's shoulder which caused him to shudder. "When you were serious, you showed just how dominate you can be. It kind makes you a bit dashing in a way." Sunburst couldn't help but let a small smile at Starlight's comment as it sounded like he had managed to gain her attention. "Now we need to execute our plan." This isn't over, Isaac and Twilight. I will be back and I will have my revenge. With that they both left as they looked to plan their next move.

Isaac and Twilight just watched Starlight and Sunburst leave as they knew this wouldn't be the last time they saw each other. As they left, the thing that Starlight had said started to float in their minds as it caused both of them to think about their own future.

"They paved the way, they carved a path. But when the hell do I get to walk on that path!?!!!"

During the duel, Celestia had received a phone call as she told her sister she had to excuse herself. With that Celestia stepped out as Luna was left in charge of the group. She was currently talking with someone as they were discussing something rather important.

"Once again congratulations on this honor, Celestia. You've been dreaming of this since you participated in your first pro duel." said the man's voice with a bit playfulness. "But you remember the deal we made all those years ago."

"I do. And I realize that my time is nearly upon me." said Celestia with a bit of sadness in her voice.

Chapter 77: Back to Canterlot

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 78: The Announcement

Morning came and the sun rose over Canterlot. The last bit of warm weather served as the precursor of autumn and the finale of summer. Despite that it was also that time of year where all the students would be heading back to school to continue their education. Especially for a certain individual who knew what it meant. Soon he awoke to the rays of sunlight that peaked into his window as it awoke him along with his alarm.

"Another day, another year." said Isaac as he let out a yawn. "Well the good news is that not much is changing." Isaac then got out as he took a shower to get ready for school. He then put on his signature look along with his necklace and cap. Isaac then put his duel disk inside his backpack as he put his deck into the the box on his belt clip. With that he headed downstairs to make some quick breakfast as he said goodbye to his parents and then started walking on his way to school.

Along the way, Isaac was walking on the sidewalk when he noticed Rainbow Dash riding her skateboard. "Hey Dash."

"Sup, geek. Ready for me to whoop your butt today?" said Dash as she was feeling confident.

"As if I'd lose the first duel of the new school year." said Isaac.

"Then you better hurry, slowpoke." With that Dash took off as Isaac began to chase after her as they had a little competition between them on their way to school.

Almost all the students were arriving as they were talking amongst each other about the things they did during the summer. Some were excited that school was starting while others were dreadfully of another school year. The Canterlot group were out on the front steps as they were talking with each other as they began to discuss with each other of what they expected the school year to bring.

"Well girls, hope that this year will be better than last year." said Sunset.

"Indeed darling, despite their being a few magical incidents, last year at CHS did provide us with some memorable moments."

"You're tellin' me, not to mention it's also been a full year since you know who arrived."

"Speaking of that, has anybody seen Isaac or Rainbow Dash for that matter?" asked Fluttershy.

"Incoming!" shouted Dash. She was currently skating as she turned the corner and was heading for school statue. Not far behind her was Isaac who despite running was able to catching up with her and was now neck and neck with her.

Both weren't giving up an inch as they wanted to win this little race between the two of them, on their way to school, they had run into a couple of obstacles. Rainbow had no problem with as she was able to do a couple of tricks with her board as she evaded them with ease. Isaac on the other hand had to use a bit of parkour to help avoid them, but was able to land on his feet. Now they were turning the last corner as both Isaac and Dash saw the finish in sight. The girls were cheering the both of them as they put all the energy they had into the final stretch of the race and they touched the statue at the same time.

"Got it!" they both shouted as they put their hands on the thing and both collapsed on the floor.

"I... beat... you... you know." said Dash.

"Please... I... won... Right, girls?" panted Isaac.

"Let's say that you both tied." said Sunset.

"Tied!?" shouted Isaac and Dash.

Soon the rest of the girls just laughed. Pinkie Pie then helped Rainbow up while Twilight offered her hand to Isaac. Isaac grabbed his girlfriend's hand as he dusted himself off.

"You ready?" asked Twilight.

"Of course," said Isaac. He then leaned in and gave Twilight a quick kiss, "I have you by my side, what more could I ask." Twilight just simply smiled. "Now then let's go."

With that the entire group all entered the building to start their new school year. They all received their schedules for the year as well as their lockers. Isaac still had all of his classes with Twilight, not to mention that he had a special class on his free period. Apparently, Celestia had created a class that had Isaac teaching the basics of Duel Monsters to some new beginners. Thankfully, Celestia had allowed Twilight to be an instruct with him as she felt like it would allow the two of them to spend sometime with each other given how they were inseparable. The other girls all had at least one class with Isaac, not to mention that some of them were taking some advanced courses this semester. Once the schedules had been handed out, all the students started to make their way to their classes.

Isaac, Twilight and Sunset were currently walking into their advanced mathematics classes. The teacher told them that for the rest of the semester, everybody would be working together in groups to learn the homework and the lessons that were going to be discussed. So before Isaac could move, both Twilight and Sunset grabbed his arms as they dragged him to table as they made sure to mark their territory. During their lecture, Isaac was thinking about something. He had expected something to have happened due to what Celestia had said to him a month ago. He was expecting some grand big announcement to be made but that didn't happen. He figured that sooner or later Celestia would find him and they could discuss what she meant. With that he continued on his classes, thankfully Twilight was able to help him understand the material. Isaac always considered himself an honor roll student, but with Twilight's help, he may finally get a chance to get all A's in his classes.

Soon it was time for his special class so he and Twilight arrived to the classroom where they would be teaching. They entered the room and found it to be empty; Isaac looked at his watch and saw that they were a bit early as it allowed them a chance to get ready. Twilight began to pull out some supplies and notes that she wanted to go over, while Isaac just stared out the window.

"Okay, I think I have all the things I need." said Twilight as she mentally went over her checklist.

"Did you remember to bring the flashcards?" asked Isaac.

"The flashcards!? Oh, how can forget about the flashcards?" Twilight began to frantically search her backpack for her flashcards.

"Relax, Twilight. They're in the front pouch of your bag." said Isaac as he took a seat in the main chair.

Twilight then looked in her front pouch and found them. "Got it." said Twilight.

She was glad that she didn't forget them as she was scared that the lesson she had planned would be ruined. She then looked at Isaac who was sitting down while he had his hand on his chin with his eyes closed. Twilight could tell he was thinking about something so she decided to see what was on his mind.

"Mind telling me what going on?"

Isaac just let out a deep breath as he leaned back. "I'm just thinking about something."

"There comes a time where you're thrown into an uncomfortable situation and it's these kinds of test that determine what a person is truly capable of. Isaac, we have invested everything in the future. We've invested everything in you and sometimes in life you just have to take a step back and look at your investment and decide, is this investment truly going to pay off? Or is this investment just some cost? If you want to know what you have with a lump of coal, you stick it under immense pressure. That pressure does one of two things: the pressure either causes it to crumble and turn to dust and render it useless, or that pressure turns it into the diamond that you always hoped it could be. Isaac, the question now is: do you crumble or you do become the diamond that me and Luna have invested in? Because Isaac, the pressure is on!!"

Isaac didn't tell any of the girls about what Celestia had told him. He felt from the way she was talking it seemed like something that she didn't want others to find out, so Isaac kept that to himself. It still pained him that he couldn't tell his girlfriend given that they both promised to be honest with each other and not hide any secrets.

"Well what it is, just know that you won't have to go through it alone. You have our friends to help you," Twilight then grabbed Isaac's hand, "including me."

Isaac then pulled Twilight into his lap as he held her in his lap. "When you put that way, I guess you're right."

Isaac was staring deep into Twilight's eyes as she grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep kiss. Isaac just held Twilight as he returned the kiss. It didn't last long as they heard the door open and Twilight immediately got off of Isaac's lap while trying to make herself look presentable by straitening her skirt. Soon the kids all took their seats as Isaac and Twilight introduced themselves to the special class and told them what the purpose of this class was. The kids were happy to find out that the champion of the school would be teaching them as well as Twilight. With that Isaac and Twilight began to go over their first lessons as co-teachers and it proved to be a success as Isaac let Twilight take majority of the reigns to see how she could handle teaching to which she was a naturally.

After that it was time for lunch as Isaac and Twilight told their friends about their first class teaching. Seems the girls were happy for the couple as Isaac made a promise that he could allow them to join in on their sessions whenever they had some free time on their hands. The rest of the day went by as it was getting closer to the end of the school day, which meant that everybody would be rounded up in the auditorium to hear from Celestia about the first day and what she had planned for not just the rest of the semester but for the entire school year. Isaac felt like this was where he could get some answers on some questions that he had. He found himself sitting with his friends as they all waited to see what was going to happen, thankfully they didn't need to wait too long. Luna then made her way into the room but Celestia was nowhere to be seen.

Luna then grabbed a microphone as she cleared her throat. "Greetings, students. I'm sure you're wondering where my sister is, but fear not she'll be joining us momentarily. For now I wanted to talk to you'll about some things. I'm sure all of you are aware of Duel Monsters and the impact it has had since it was first introduced a long time ago." Luna then pulled out a remote and with it a giant screen came down as the projected turned on. "Throughout the history of Duel Monsters there have been many people who strived to be the best, not to mention the many new techniques that have allowed this game to reach new heights." Luna pushed another button rolled as a video package started to play as she talked over it. "It all started with the one they called the King of Games who was the best of his time period to ever pick up a deck as he soared to greatness. The next person to revolutionize the game was a boy who was said to see Duel Monster spirits as he took Fusion Summoning to a whole another level. The next to etch their name into the history books was a man known as Satellite's Shooting Star who ushered in Synchro Summoning and became the Fortune Cup Champion. And the last known method of summoning was Xyz, who thanks to a young boy that held a special key was able to help a lost spirit retrieve his memories and in the process pave the way with his incredible Xyz summons."

Everybody watching Luna's presentation was amazed at the people they saw. The girls knew about them as Isaac would offer refer to them as the big 4 of Duel Monsters and dueling in general. But other than seeing the picture of Isaac's biggest inspiration, they didn't know what the others looked like. They also knew that Isaac also looked up to the other members besides his role model. Soon the video ended as Luna began to speak once again as it showed different pictures of other duelists, some of them were the friends of the big 4.

"Since then, Duel Monsters has become a game that almost everybody can enjoy. It has also allowed us to honor those who have achieved greatness and over time the Duel Monsters committee has created a Hall of Fame to honor, not just the legends of the past, but the great individuals of today." Luna then pushed another button as that video ended and a picture was shown but it was all blacked out and only shown the outline. "So it is my honor and my privilege to present to you students the inductee into the Duel Monsters Hall of Fame and more importantly, she's my big sister. Principal Celestia!" said Luna as the door opened and in walked Celestia.

Everybody was surprised at the announcement that their own principal would be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Duel Monsters. They all remained seated as they gave a hearty round of applause to Celestia. Luna was so happy for her own sister that for the first time in front of the students, she broke character and gave her older sibling a hug as she cried. Celestia just hugged Luna back as she congratulated her on this historic accomplishment; it was something that both dreamed of since they were little and got first involved with the game. Celestia then took the microphone from her sister as she began to address her students.

"Thank you. Thank you all." Celestia still had tears in her eyes. Celestia then began to speak, "As you all know that I've recently been contacted by the dueling committee and they felt after all I've done not just as a principal but from my time in the pro circuit that I should be rewarded for all my hard work. So with that they contacted me and told me about it." Celestia had a smile on her face as she was about to realize her dream. "However, I was also informed about something from someone. That person was none other than Superintendent Discord." Celestia then began to tell her students the whole story as she flashed back to a couple of years ago.

(Flashback)

"My, my. Celestia that was one of your best wins yet. Oh wait, you lost again." said Discord as he laughed at Celestia who was standing in front on him with a sad look on her face.

"Please, Discord. I've just been in rut as of late."

"That's not the only thing in a rut." Discord then pulled out a file that was the size of a textbook that was filled with lots of paper and reports. "Not only have you've been on the decline in the past year or so, your school is certainly suffering from not having a principal there for most of the time. Not to mention that Luna is starting to take a heavy toll from her sister always being away, students failing classes, school funding not on par with the state regulations. Oh, and excessive bullying/hazing from the students. All this and not one person they can turn to for moral support. I dare say your school is becoming a success." said Discord with a sarcastic tone. "Why we just celebrate now knowing the world has at last found world peace. Pray to the heavens, everybody. This day has finally come!"

"I know... I know the school is going through a bit of... a rough time. But I assure that what I'm doing is to help the school make enough funds." said Celestia as she now had pleading in her voice.

"Is that want you call it!" shouted Discord. "From from where I'm sitting it seems like you're just chasing after one last run at nostalgia. You've been competing in the pro circuit for a long time, Celestia. And in that time, you've seen multiple people who are hungrier, faster, and flat out better than you rise to the top. You know the old saying, Celestia. In this industry just like in life, everything evolves. You see, and if you don't have what it takes, you will be left behind. So if you wake up one day, and you're laying in a hospital bed, and you're all beat up and you're wondering to yourself what in the hell happened, then there is just one answer for you: Evolution has just passed you by." said Discord with a chaotic smile on his face.

Celestia took those words in and fell on her knees as she put her hands together. "Please Discord. Reconsider this decision, I beg of you."

"You've had your chance, Celestia! But you rather waste it on chasing one last run because you know that your time is coming to an end and nobody seems to remember just who you are. You are a forgotten relic of the past, Celestia. So move over and let the present pave the way for the future." Discord was about to put his stamp on the file, as Celestia was now on her hands and knees begging Discord to rethink his decision. She was pleading like her life depended on it as she let tears of legit sadness run down her face as she tried reason with him. It took a while but Celestia was able to get Discord's attention. "Very well, Celestia."

Celestia was a bit happy that she was able to keep her job as principal, but Discord had other plans. "However, there is one condition. Seeing as you love dueling and it seems to be something that you don't want to give up. I'll willing to allow you to keep competing on the pro circuit and be the principal of your school... as long as you keep on winning."

Celestia was a bit confused and scared at Discord's preposition. Discord on the other hand was just chuckling to himself. "What did I just say?" said with a sly smile. "As long as you keep on winning; that's exactly what I said, Celestia! Your career will continue on as long as you continue to win. Because the first duel that you lose, Celestia. Your dueling career is over!" Discord now stood up as he bent down to Celestia and grabbed her chin while looking dead at her eyes, "You understand me. You understand what I'm saying! I don't care if you win by interference, or if your opponent's duel disk malfunction or they don't show up! It doesn't matter to me! The next time you lose a duel, your dueling career is over!!!" Discord then let go of Celestia's chin as she was left stunned and processing the consequence. "Celestia's long and illustrious career is over. Good luck, Tia." Discord then left through the door.

Celestia was then left on the floor crying as she hugged herself at the stipulation that was thrown in her way. Celestia even told her sister about her meeting with Discord, so Luna came up with an idea to have Celestia and her compete in the tag team section of the pro leagues to ensure that Celestia would have a chance at retaining her career. It worked as the first two years, Luna made sure to cover for her sister as she did everything to ensure that Celestia didn't lose. After a while, Celestia told her that she needed to focus on the school so she made the decision to be a part-timer duelist in terms of competing in the pro leagues as it allowed her the time she needed to run the school.

(End of Flashback)

With that Celestia finished telling her tale as all the students began to murmur. They couldn't begin to imagine what must be going through her mind let alone be in her position. To think that your next duel would be your last and it would force you into retirement. Celestia then began to speak as she tired not to cry, "So that being said, I'm honored to be inducted into the Hall of Fame. However, I also feel that my time is very fast approaching. See when I was competing on the pro league, I was known by the name as 'The Queen'. Due to how everybody who saw me duel said they were in the presence of royalty. Not to mention that was very dominant on the dueling field while wearing some regal attire as my outfits."

The thing that really shocked everybody was they knew about someone in the pro circuit of dueling that was referred to as that name. What they didn't expect was that same person was none other than their beloved school principal. Seems this development caught everybody by surprise as they heard tales about her being one of the best female duelist to ever compete at a national level.

"So that brings me to why I've called you here. And that's to inform you about my Hall of Fame induction and the Fall Formal." Celestia then looked up at the crowd. "So if the champion would please join me right now."

With that Isaac raised an eyebrow at this as he stood up and began walking towards Celestia. Nobody, not even Isaac, knew what was going on. The announcement that Celestia would be going into the Hall of Fame was groundbreaking enough, but to find out that Celestia's career was coming to an end possibly sooner it just made everything feel uncertain. Isaac had finally made his way to Celestia as she looked at him as she let out a deep breath.

"You are absolutely incredible." said Celestia which caused Isaac to smile. "You took this place and made it into something wonderfully. This place used to be filled with sorrow and despair, but then you came along and in one year's time you changed this place. You changed it to where everybody remembered what it means to be a duelist, what it means to play the game, what it means to have fun. So from the bottom of my heart and from everybody else, I thank you." The crowd then began to clap as they proved Celestia's point by saying thanks to Isaac.

Celestia then cleared her throat as she continued to speak. "This undoubtedly is a highlight of my career. A magical weekend that will come. And there's only one thing, there's only one thing that can make that weekend more magical, only one thing in the world that could make Celestia's career even bigger, and that would be to duel against the man whose name is synonymous with Duel Monsters. I'm talking about 'The Showstopper', Isaac." Everybody was in silence at what they heard, even Isaac began to shake his heard as soon as he heard it. "I want to duel you at the Fall Formal."

"Celestia, you know, how I feel about you. You know what I say about you, I mean every word of it, but you also know that several years ago, Superintendent Discord made whatever it's called an edict. Whatever that means, but I know that it means this, the first duel that you lose, you're done. You have to retire. But I told you before there are things that I'm proud to have done so far in my life, but I cannot ever in my life imagine a day in this industry without you, Celestia." Isaac was trying to do his best to decline. "I'm willing to take on just about anything, but I am not gonna be known as the guy that ended Celestia's career. I can't take that and I don't want it."

Celestia just shook her head in disappointment as she began to address Isaac. "Isaac, that isn't where I was going with that. End my career? If I duel you, is that a given?" said Celestia as she felt a bit disrespected by Isaac.

"That's-- that isn't-- that isn't-- that isn't the way that I meant it. I mean it's..." Isaac was trying to ease the tension of Celestia being disrespected.

"No, no. Hey, let me make it more-- let me make it more clear. All the respect that you paid me, every word that has ever come out of your mouth about me and what I've been and who I am means nothing if you don't give me an opportunity to have the greatest duel of my career on the grandest stage of all." Celestia was really staring down at Isaac. "The grandest stage of them all, the Fall Formal. All the respect means nothing. Celestia versus Isaac, that's really cool."

Isaac just put his head down for a bit as he thought it over really hard. So many things were running through his head that he couldn't think straight. So much so that he couldn't speak, so Isaac's mouth moved on its own. "It would be my honor to duel against you at the Fall Formal." With that Isaac extended his hand out to which Celestia did the same as she shook his hand. The crowd cheered a little as they were still processing what was had happened.

The rest of the day was a bit hard to get through, especially for a certain someone. Isaac just couldn't figure out what to do, on one hand he really was looking forward to facing against Celestia but on the other if he won then Celestia was forced to retire. Right now he was in the library along with Twilight, Aj, and Sunset as they were currently working on some homework. Well at least the girls, Isaac was on the sofa next to their table as he had his hands on his head. The girls saw how stressed Isaac was, so Twilight tried to get him to relax. Isaac was so lost in his mind that when Twilight put her arms over Isaac as she hugged him behind, he didn't even bother.

"Everything, okay?" asked Twilight.

"Not now, Twilight." said Isaac with a stern voice.

Twilight was surprised at Isaac's sudden tone that she broke free. Isaac realized what he did as he turned to look at Twilight.

"Sorry, Twilight. It's just that... I'm under a lot of stress." Isaac was trying to apologize to Twilight.

Twilight could see that Isaac was being sincere as she gave Isaac a kiss as a way to help let out some of his frustrations. It worked as they broke apart and Isaac had a smile on her face. "That help?" she asked.

"Yeah." Isaac then wrapped Twilight into a deep hug as he just held her.

"We get what you're goin' through, sugarcube. Believe me, neither one of us want to see Celestia's career end. But you have to face the facts, there comes a time where you can't go on livin' forever. Granny Smith always said: You know when it's time to hang it up, cause the youngsters will tell you."

"Applejack has a point." said Sunset. "All good things come to an end, even someone's dueling career. As much as we love Celestia and thank her for all she's done, we know that she can't go on dueling forever. Even the greats knew when to call it quits, even your idol."

"Besides, you should be honored that Celestia is choosin' you to potentially be her final opponent before she enters the Hall of Fame. Why if that were me, sugar? Ah definitely want to face someone whose considered the best. Besides, ah figured you might want to see this, partner." Applejack then opened up her laptop as Isaac and Twilight began to walk over to see what she wanted to show him.

Even Sunset was intrigued by what Applejack wanted to show them. Apparently, Applejack had managed to find some photos and old videos of when Celestia was in her prime competing on the pro league along with Luna. Seems that when she and Luna would team up they were an unstoppable duo as nobody could touch them. They even got to see a little documentary that detailed Celestia and Luna's life as it talked about them growing up, to their journey on the pro circuit. One thing that really got everybody's attention, especially Isaac, was that Celestia and Luna had actually faced off against Isaac's idol in one of his final duels before he disappeared. Both Luna and Celestia also had a chance to meet with some of the great duelist of the past and even face them before they all retired or passed on their legacy.

"Wow." they all said.

"Seems Celestia and Luna are no pushovers." stated Sunset.

Twilight then began to type something into Aj's laptop as she was able to extract some useful info. "Says here she's competed all over the world and has used multiple decks. Lightsworn, Wave of Light, Burning Abyss, Lost Sanctuary, Fairy, even Spellcaster." said Twilight.

The rest of the time was spent with all four of them watching some old videos of Celestia dueling as they were intrigued to see how well she handled herself in her younger days. Isaac still couldn't believe that both Celestia and Luna not only got to meet each member of the Big 4 at some point in their life, but that they actually got to duel against his idol. Safe to say that Celestia wasn't going to be no pushover.

Meanwhile, Celestia was in her office as she sat down in her chair as she looked at Isaac's school profile and then at a couple of pictures. "I can only imagine what Isaac's reaction would be if he found out that I dueled against one of his idols when I was a bit younger." Celestia then began to close her eyes and think about what had happened. Truth be told, she knew Isaac was the right person for this job as he continued to lead this school in terms of Duel Monsters. So if anything, she felt like he was the only person who deserved a shot at "The Queen".

"Seems you're content with Isaac being your opponent at the Fall Formal." said Luna as she too was in the room.

"To think that at the Fall Formal, it will be one year since Isaac became champion and changed this place for the better. He was able to help Sunset Shimmer turn over a new leaf and became the flag bearer in having CHS be recognized by other schools." Celestia was happy of all the things Isaac had done in the past year, she felt like a proud mother. "He took the torch and ran with it, he didn't wait for anybody to just hand it over, he did it on his own accord. And for that I couldn't be more prouder."

"Yes, he has done a lot. So then shall I continue on with the next part of your plan?" asked Luna.

"Yes." stated Celestia. Luna then simply nodded as she exited the room. Celestia then opened a drawer and pulled out what appeared to be a letter of sorts as she read through it. She had also pulled out a Duel Monster card and looked at it once she finished what she was reading. "Well better make sure that I don't have any ring rust before my match with Isaac. Not to mention that it's been too long since we last saw each other old friend."

Isaac was currently lying down on his bed as he was thinking about all that had happened in school. Ever since Celestia made her announcement that she wanted to face Isaac at the Fall Formal just a day before she would be inducted into the dueling Hall of Fame still played on his mind. Isaac never backed down from a duel, but this was a different duel than he had faced in the past. The stakes were different because it could potentially see the end of someone's career. Not to mention someone who was like a mother figure in his life; after Applejack had shown him the video, Isaac thought back to when he was growing up and how he heard from time to time about Celestia competing on the pro circuit. He did admit that when Celestia was in her prime, he did watch a couple of her duels based on how talented she was. So in a way, Isaac didn't want to be held responsible for killing such a legend that many people probably looked up to. With so much on his mind, Isaac needed to talk to someone and he wasn't talking about his magicians.

Twilight was busying doing some extra credit on her laptop when she heard something. She looked to see a small pebble hit the frame of her window. She opened up her window as she was introduced to a cool breeze; Twilight looked to see what was the cause of the ruckus as Isaac was standing outside her house waving to her.

"Hope I didn't come at a bad time." said Isaac.

"Well seeing as how I was formulating the quantic mechanics of card creating, I think I'll forgive you for interrupting me." giggled Twilight.

Isaac then started to climb the tree as he made his way to the branch that was directly next to Twilight's window. Twilight opened her window a bit more as she sat on the edge while Isaac sat on the end of the branch as he was now sitting shoulder to shoulder with her. "Care for a drink?" said Isaac as he pulled out a can of soda and offered it to Twilight. Twilight accepted his offer as he pulled one out for himself as they began to talk.

"So you're trying to figure out if what you're doing is the right thing?" said Twilight as she listened to her boyfriend's dilemma.

"Yeah," Isaac held his drink as he contemplated his duel with Celestia. "I mean Celestia is someone we all adore and respect, but to think that she wants to duel me and possibly have her last match against me. I just don't know what to do." Isaac let out a deep breath. "Sometimes I just wish this was all just a dream and that I can wake up from all this."

Twilight smiled as she leaned into Isaac looking at him. "Even me?"

Isaac just laughed back as he captured Twilight's lips with his. "I can never imagine you as a dream. Why, because you're real and I would go to the ends of the earth just to be with you." Isaac then put his arm around Twilight as she placed her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes. They stood in silence as they enjoyed each other's presence.

After a while Twilight opened her eyes as she pulled Isaac in for another kiss as she cusped his face. She broke apart as she grabbed Isaac's cap and put it on her head. "Just know that whatever happens, I'll always be here. No matter what, I will always stand by your side."

"Then I guess I know what I have to do." Isaac just booped Twilight on the nose as he undid her ponytail and looked at his girlfriend. In this moment, nothing else mattered as he just looked at how beautiful she was. Isaac then brought Twilight in for one final kiss as he wrapped his arms around her as she did the same.

Their moment was interrupted as Twilight's mother was knocking on her daughter's door calling her name. Twilight then told Isaac that he needed to leave; she then gave him back his cap as she snuck in one final kiss. Isaac said good night to Twilight as he started to climb down from the tree. Twilight had just barely closed her window and got back into her chair when her mother entered the room. Velvet had wanted to check up on Twilight and inform her that she needed to get some sleep. Twilight looked at her alarm clock and saw that it was getting late, so with that she shut off her computer and got ready for bed.

The next day was filled with many speculation, due to many students already talking about the matchup of Isaac v. Celestia. Some were looking forward to it, while others were skeptical about it. One thing was for sure it that they didn't know what to expect. Especially with Luna having everybody attend a mandatory meeting as Celestia had something to address, more importantly to her opponent. All the students were now seated as Celestia stood in front of them with Isaac soon entering the room as Twilight trailed behind him. Their friends were already seating as they watched Isaac make his way to Celestia.

"I'm going to get right to the point, Isaac. You must be feeling all sorts of emotions ever since I announced my induction and choose you to be my opponent at the Fall Formal. And I understand that all this must be hard to take in, but know that my decision is final." said Celestia.

"Don't worry, after a talk with someone." Isaac quickly looked at Twilight who smiled and grabbed his hand. "I've come to terms with what you said."

"Good." smiled Celestia. Soon that expression changed in a second as she begun to get serious. "However, there are some things that you said yesterday that need to be addressed. Yesterday, you looked me in the eye and said that you didn't want to face to me at the Fall Formal. You said that you didn't want to be the one to end my career. You even had the audacity to go further and say that if I pushed the 'Showstopper', the showstopper would stop my show." Isaac had a uncomfortable expression as Celestia was speaking her mind. "Well, with all due respect, and I mean I have more than enough respect for you. But I got something I got to tell you. This is real important." The atmosphere suddenly changed as Celestia now looked down at Isaac as she stared at him.

Twilight tighten her grip around his hand to show that Isaac didn't need to be afraid. She was showing her boyfriend that she was there for him and that he wasn't alone. Isaac was looking up at Celestia with a straight face as he listened to what she was saying.

"When I started in this business, the word 'sympathy' did not exist. That's right. And the word 'sympathy' in my vocabulary, the word 'pity' does not exist now. And yesterday, I felt the respect but I felt a little sympathy for me." The crowd was now starting to create some chatter. "Let me explain it to you, I am The Queen, I am Celestia!!" Celestia's voiced boom around the room. "And if I can't compete with the best, and that would be you, then I don't want my career to continue. I don't want people running down here and saving me. I wanna be a flagship player for the greatest game in today's society and that's Duel Monsters! I want to stand on my own two feet! I want respect because I've earned it, not sympathy, not pity!! And I wouldn't expect anything less from you. So it's as simple as this, Isaac. If I win at the Fall Formal, it's because I'm the man/women." Isaac for a while had a small smile on his face.

"If you beat me at the Fall Formal, you have beaten the man/women, and I'm not delusional. I'm not dreaming. I'm telling you, I know that my career could come to an end, but I also feel that on a real good day because of you, because of our friendship, because of what I feel inside, if I have a good day, a real good day, I could catch one on you and my career could go on forever." Celestia now had a smile as it matched that of Isaac's. "I'm asking you in front of your fellow peers and in front of the world. To give me-- to give me 'The Showstopper' Isaac at his very best! I want a hundred percent commitment from you right now!!"

Isaac then had his smile disappear as he looked at the crowd of students. They were chattering amongst themselves as they waited for his response. Once Isaac collected his thoughts he then turned back to address Celestia to say what was on his mind.

"I never meant to show pity. When I told you that I loved you, I meant it and there is no pity in love. So, let me put it to you like this, Tia. If I have said it once, I have said it a thousand times, I am Canterlot High's duel champion! In this game, I revolutionized what it means to show the passion of your play, I've defended my title for over a year, I've made CHS undergo a renaissance phase, and I've been in some of the greatest duels/moments in my life." Isaac had a small smirk on his face. "You said, to be the man, you've got to beat the man. Well, at the Fall Formal, I am the man!! And you need to understand something, Celestia. I don't have any control over it. When that day rolls around, something comes over me, you bet I am the showstopper but I have never said it's something that I can control. I can't help it. It just happens!"

Celestia could tell how fired up Isaac was becoming. This was wanted she wanted, this was the individual she wanted to face at the Fall Formal.

"So guess what, Celestia, whether your show gets stopped or whether your show goes on, there is one thing that I can tell you without a shred of uncertainty. Between you and I, the show is gonna get stolen. Let's do it!" said Isaac as he extended his hand out.

Celestia then did the same as she quickly hugged Isaac while Twilight watched on with a smile. Everybody else felt more comfortable with this situation as they were all now looking forward to what was going to a duel that they all wanted to see. So with that both individuals had given their word and were now set on a collision course that would culminate at the biggest events of Canterlot High: The Fall Formal.

Chapter 79: First Challenge

After that morning gathering, everybody went about their day. Isaac along with Twilight and Fluttershy were in their Advanced Literature class as they were learning about plays from the 14th century. After class ended, Isaac was relieved to be out as he was walking to his locker with Fluttershy and Twilight on each of his side.

"God, if I hear one more line of Old English then I'm afraid that my mind is going to go blank." said Isaac.

"It's not that bad." chuckled Fluttershy. "As long as you know the basis of what they're talking about, then the rest of the wording becomes easier."

"Please, I'd rather be facing the forces of evil than trying to speak old tongue. Nobody talks like that, so what's the purpose of learning stuff that has no function in the real world?" said Isaac as he opened his locker and began to search for his stuff for next class.

"So how are you feeling knowing that you'll not only be facing Celestia at the Fall Formal and it'll be your one year celebration of being champion?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well to be honest, I was hoping for the circumstances to be a bit better. Don't like the fact that to celebrate my victory from a year ago that I'll be facing our own principal and possibly forcing her to retire. Ahh, here it is." Isaac had found what he was looking for as he put it inside his backpack.

"Speaking of celebrations, you know Pinkie will be wanting to throw a special party to commemorate your reign as champ." said Twilight.

"Yeah, though if I'm being honest, she'll probably be more focused on creating a party to celebrate Celestia's career. Let's be real, her getting inducted into the dueling Hall of Fame is a much bigger attention grabber than being champ for a full school year." stated Isaac.

"Speaking of the Fall Formal, how you done it yet, Isaac?" asked Fluttershy.

"Done what?"

"You know?" Fluttershy was shifting her eyes back and forth between him and Twilight.

"What does..." Isaac then copied Fluttershy's eye movements, "... this mean?"

Fluttershy then let out a sigh. "What I'm trying to say was have you asked Twilight out to the dance?"

Isaac blinked for a second as he let that process before looking at Twilight who just smiled. "Why would I do that, we're already in a relationship? So doesn't that automatically mean she'll say yes to my request. If that's the case, then I see no reason to ask her for an answer that I already know. Plus I'm kind of more occupied with my duel against Celestia."

"Oh no, you don't mister." Fluttershy then grabbed Isaac by his hoodie as she kept him from walking away. "Just put aside your duel with Celestia for one second; not everything involves Duel Monsters. This is your first ever school event/dance that you'll be attending and you finally have someone to share it with. We all understood you not having a date the first time around, but not this time." Fluttershy then started to push Isaac towards Twilight.

Isaac just stood there staring at Twilight. He then turned his head to Fluttershy who just gave a smile as her way of supporting her. Isaac just rolled his eyes and let out a sigh as he thought this was unnecessary. "Twilight, would... would you like to be my date to the Fall Formal?"

"Of course." she said as she continued to smile.

Isaac then turned back to Fluttershy, "There I asked her and she said yes, like I'd figured."

"Better to have been made sure." giggled Fluttershy. "Plus, girls really like it when a boy asks them out."

"I'll never understand that." said Isaac. He then began to walk as the girls just laughed at Isaac for not understanding as they soon caught up with him.

The school day continued with the students enjoying their day, Twilight had gotten a message from Dash as she had something to tell them. So during lunch everybody was talking with each other as it appeared that Rainbow had texted all of them. They didn't have to wait long as she came rushing into the café and nearly knocked Isaac's food out of his hands.

"Guys you won't believe what I have to say." exclaimed Dash.

"Does it involve you nearly knocking over my lunch?" said Isaac with an annoyed look.

"Whatever, Isaac. This is way more important than your stupid lunch. It's something that involves the Fall Formal."

"Let me guess, you're pissed that you're not going to be able to challenge me for my title." said Isaac.

"Yeah! No... just listen to what I have to say." Dash then began to get their attention as she began to explain what she overheard from Celestia's office. "So I was walking by Principal Celestia's office and heard her and Luna discussing somethings. They mostly talked about the Fall Formal, but I also heard Celestia mention about a test of sorts. Not for us, but for her. Apparently, she told Luna that she wants to prove that she's still got it that she's decided to take part in some duels in the coming weeks leading up to the Fall Formal." Rainbow's announcement caught the attention of everybody.

"Why would Principal Celestia do that, darling?"

"I know why." said Sunset. "To prove the doubters wrong. She knows that not many people believe that she stands that much of a chance against Isaac, given how dominant he's been since becoming champion. She wants to show everybody that she's not washed up as everybody thinks; so she wants to prove her chance by competing in a boss rush of sorts."

"Well ah understand wantin' to prove yourself, sugar. But ah still feel like there's a better way than doin' that."

"Oh, I guess I should probably tell you guys this. Celestia said that every duel she takes part in from here until the Fall Formal, the stipulation is still active. So that means if she loses anytime between now and the Fall Formal, then she'll retire on the spot." said Dash.

"That adds even more incentive to her. If she really wants to have her match against Isaac, then she'll need to survive all the challenges that's being put in front of her to show why she's the best. If she can continue to survive and make it all the way to the Fall Formal without losing a duel then it'll give her the confidence she needs when she's taking on Isaac." stated Twilight as she began to run the numbers in her head.

"Of course that means I'll definitely be taking her on. That way I can have something to brag; so Isaac, if you want to have your match against Celestia then you better pray that I don't wipe the floor with the old coot." Rainbow was boasting about her skills.

Isaac just rolled his eyes at Dash. Still to think that Celestia was forcing herself into this position to prove that she could still hang was a risky one. On one hand, if she lost then Isaac wouldn't need to worry about having a guilty conscience on his shoulders. But the other side, was Celestia's personal request. She said that she wanted to have her potential retirement with Isaac and she looked like she was determined to make that a reality. Isaac didn't know what to think about this new situation; Dash told them that Celestia would inform the whole school after classes had ended for the day as she requested that everybody gather in the auditorium.

The rest of the day passed by with the thought still lingering on Isaac's mind. Soon the school day came to a close as everybody was now gathering in the auditorium, apart from our heroes, nobody else knew what this was about. So once the group entered, they were about to find someplace to sit when Luna called out to Isaac. She told Isaac that she had a special chair for both him and Twilight to sit at. Soon Isaac and Twilight saw a pair of throne chairs as he took his seat with Twilight sitting next to him. Then the doors opened as Celestia made her way into the room and she began walking towards Luna. Celestia made sure to look at Isaac as she passed him and showed off her duel disk that was attached to her arm. She then grabbed the microphone from her sister as she began to talk.

"I'm sure all of you are curious as to why I've called you here. So I won't waste anytime; I'm here to announce that in the coming weeks leading up to the Fall Formal, I'll be competing in several duels against some of you. This will serve as a test for me to see if I've still got it." Celestia then looked at Isaac as she gave him a look. "That being said, the stipulation still stands, the duel between me and Isaac will serve as my final obstacle. But in order for me to get there, I must earn my way to the top. So that being said, I'm willing to risk it all so that each duel, I can make sure that I give it my absolute best and have no excuse to when I lose. However, should I be defeated before I can reach my match with Isaac and the Fall Formal, then the person who defeated me will have the honor of facing Isaac for his title of Duel Champion at the Fall Formal." Celestia's statement was causing the students to murmur. "So with that being said, I've compiled a list of which individuals who I would like to face." Celestia then pulled out a sheet of paper as she began to read off the top name. "So starting right now, the first person I will be facing is... Rainbow Dash!"

"Yes!!" shouted Dash as she got up from her seat and then made her way to Celestia.

"Congratulations, Ms. Dash." said Celestia as she extended her hand out. "I hope you know how much this means not just to you, but to me."

"You bet, teach." Dash then looked at Isaac who was sitting in his chair as the competitor came out of her. "Hope you're watching, Isaac. Cause once I beat Celestia, not only will I be the one to retire her, but then I'm next in line to challenge you for your title." exclaimed Dash as she pointed at him.

With that both Celestia and Dash took their positions as they slotted in their decks and activated their duel disk with Dash's projecting a sky blue card tray, while Celestia's projected a card tray that matched her hair. Everybody settled in as they awaited for the duel between Celestia and Rainbow Dash. Isaac just sat back in his chair as he placed his arm on the armrest with Twilight putting her hand in Isaac's as they watched from their thrones.

Luna then did her job as she would officiate the match. "If both participants are ready, then the duel will begin on my mark." Both were ready, Luna just let out a deep breath as she was worried about her own sister. "Battle Begin!!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Principal Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"Perfect." Rainbow Dash then picked up her opening hand, she fanned them out and laughed. "Well, this may be over sooner than expected. Hey Isaac, don't worry about the burden on your shoulders. I'll take out Celestia for you."

Isaac just shook his head at how he could see Rainbow's ego starting to give her overconfidence.

"Now to start I'll play my U.A. Midfielder and then as always, I'll switch out my Midfielder to bring out my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker." Rainbow had now replaced her smaller monster with one that was more powerful at it scored a basket before it landed by her side. "But wait there's more, I play my Double Summon spell card. So once again, I'll play my U.A. Midfielder; but then I'll tag out my monster to bring out my U.A. Player Manager to join my Dunker." Out came a monster that wielded a bat and talked with Dunker about strategy before taking his position as it gave Dash a high five.

"I think I've done enough for now, so I'll end my turn." Dash crossed her arms. "Good luck, Principal Celestia." Dash then looked at Isaac as she was staring at him; she remembered their talk they had before school started. She made it her mission that she would defeat Isaac as it would help her later in life. Don't take this personally, Isaac. At least now you won't have a guilty conscience on being the one to end Celestia's career, plus I haven't forgot about my mission to beat you. Cause once I take Celestia out, I'm coming for your title.

Turn 2: Celestia

"Very good, Ms. Dash. But I don't need luck." said Celestia as drew her card to begin her turn.

"Any idea what deck she's using?" asked Pinkie as she asked the rest of the girls.

"To start I'll play the continuous spell card, Lightsworn Sanctuary." Four golden pillars swirled into existence around Celestia and extended beams at their tops, banners hanging from them. “As long as this card is in play, each time a card is sent from my deck to the graveyard, I can place a Shine Counter on my Lightsworn Sanctuary."

"Now we'll see how Celestia handles this deck." Twilight then reached into her bag as she pulled out a notepad and started to take some notes. Isaac still had a stern look as he observed Celestia's move, Twilight noticed this and helped to cheer him up by giving him a kiss on the cheek.

"Next, I'll activate the spell card, Charge of the Light Brigade. This card allows me to discard the top 3 cards of my deck and then I can add a Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster to my hand." Celestia then used her screen to select the card that she wanted. "I choose to add Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden. However, she won't be there for long; I activate the spell Solar Recharge, so I'll discard Minerva and draw two more cards, and then discard the top 2 cards of my deck to the graveyard." Celestia slid her card into her duel disk and then drew the offered ejected cards. The auto-shuffler beeped and retracted two cards, slotting them out in her discard slot. “At this time I have activated the effect of Minerva. Since I sent her from my hand to the graveyard, another card is discarded from the top of my deck.”

Celestia's deck: 25 cards-

"Can somebody tell me why Celestia had to send so many of her cards to the graveyard?" asked Fluttershy.

"Because that's what her deck revolves around, well at least this one does." Sunset then did her best to explain to the rest of the girls since Isaac wasn't next to them to give his usually exposition. "From the way Isaac explained it when we looked up Celestia's profile, Lightsworn consist of milling your cards. Apparently, decking out is a huge risk especially for a Lightsworn deck. However, it helps them."

"Just how, darling?"

"Yeah that part, Isaac is better explaining. From what I can understand from his usually speech, he mentioned that milling improves the speed of the deck due to many of the cards benefitting from the grave. He did mention about having a strong card that can be summoned based on how many Lightsworn monsters are in the grave as it can clear the field." stated Sunset as they all turned their attention back to the duel to see what Celestia was about to do.

Rainbow Dash just had a confused look on her face at what Celestia did as she let out a laugh. "No offense, Principal Celestia. But you're going to burn through all your cards at this rate. I mean you probably were good back in your day, but I don't about now. But sure, go ahead, send all your cards to the graveyard. It'll save me time."

Celestia just smiled at Dash. "Don't be fooled, Rainbow Dash. The graveyard is a more reliable source than the deck." Celestia then rolled up her sleeves. "I'll now demonstrate it with the effect of Lightsworn Sanctuary. Once per turn I can discard a Lightsworn monster in my hand and then retrieve another from my Graveyard to my hand. I discard Ehren, Lightsworn Monk and retrieve Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter. I then set a monster in defense mode, and one card face-down. That will end my turn.” Celestia’s two holograms shimmered into place, their backs to Rainbow.

"Hmph." Isaac was looking on as he trying to figure out Celestia's plan.

Turn 3: Rainbow Dash

"That's all? A lot of talk for a whole lot of nothing?" Dash had a bit of a smirk on her face as she drew her card. "I'll show you some real dueling, I summon U.A. Midfielder and then tag in my U.A. Playmaker! Then I'll play the spell card, U.A. Signing Deal. Now I can special summon a monster from my deck but it has its effects negated and I can take damage equal to its level by 300. So I choose U.A. Midfielder." Dash had now had a trio of monsters as she looked to deal some serious damage. She then pointed across the field.
Rainbow's Life Points: 6800-

"Now my monsters time to attack, I'll then use my Playmaker's effect so by transferring 800 of its own attack points, I'll give each one of my other monsters 800 extra attack points. So for those keeping track, Dreadnought Dunker has 3300, Midfielder had 2000, and Player Manager has 2800 attack points." All of Rainbow's monsters then powered up. "Now lead the charge, Dreadnought Dunker take out her facedown monster!" The figure then charged forward at Celestia's facedown as it revealed a white wolf-like beast.

Celestia calmly reached to her duel disk and turned her card over. “Since you attacked Ryko, Lightsworn Hunter(200/100), its effect activates. I destroy one card on the field, and then send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard. I choose to destroy U.A. Dreadnought Dunker." As Dunker's fists drove Ryko down, the beast opened its mouth and fired a ray of light. Dunker exploded in a blast of sparks. Its task done, Ryko shattered into light. Celestia looked down as her deck beeped and retracted her cards to discard them.

"So you held off one attack, here comes another two! U.A. Player Manager and Midfielder, attack directly!" Midfield then charged forward as he kicked the soccer ball that appeared in front of him, he then lifted it up with its foot and shot it with so much force that it was sent in the direction of Player Manager who eyed the object coming at it and then swung its bat with so much power that it was sent hurling towards Celestia. Celestia simply looked away as the attack exploded in front of her.
Celestia's Life Points: 3200-

Celestia's deck: 22 cards-

"I'll just end my turn."

"Interesting." Twilight was frantically writing down notes that she figured would serve for research purposes. "Any ideas, Isaac?" Isaac didn't answer Twilight's question as he was too focused on Celestia's plan.

Turn 4: Celestia

"Very well." Celestia drew and placed the card on her duel disk. “I activate another copy of Charge of the Light Brigade. I send the top three cards of my deck to the graveyard and then add a Level 4 or lower Lightsworn monster from my deck to my hand.” Celestia held out her searched card. “The card I take is Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner.” Her duel disk beeped and a card in her graveyard ejected. “Further, one of my discarded cards was Wulf, Lightsworn Beast(2100/300). Since he was sent from my deck to the graveyard, I can special summon him, and I shall do so with him in defense mode.” A muscular humanoid wolf rose onto Celestia’s field, its paws on the end of a club it had stuck into the ground.

Celestia's deck: 17 cards-

"Next I summon Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner(1000/1000).” A young woman clad in white robes appeared on Celestia’s field in a flash of light, two scarves fluttering in the air behind her. “I activate Lumina’s effect and discard a card to special summon a Lightsworn monster in my graveyard. I special summon Raiden, Hand of the Lightsworn(1700/1000) in defense mode.” A new monster appeared, a man in a dark blue cape with black pants, a pair of daggers strapped to his thighs. “I activate Raiden’s effect now and send the top two cards of my deck to the graveyard.” Celestia’s duel disk beeped as her cards discarded. She tapped her touchscreen. “One of my discarded cards was Lightsworn Judgment. Since I discarded it, I can add a monster card from my deck to my hand.”

"Celestia seems so calm, despite her deck bein' almost completely gone." said Applejack.

"Isaac was kidding when he mentioned that this deck really does revolve around decking out." Sunset was now amazed at how Lightsworns were working, not too mention that Celestia remained calm and collected.

"I now activate the effect of Lightsworn Sanctuary. I discard Shire, Lightsworn Spirit and return Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden to my hand. I then end my turn.” In front of Celestia, Lumina and Raiden lit up in gold light. “During my end phase the effects of Lumina and Raiden activate. Lumina sends three cards from my deck to the graveyard and Raiden sends two."

Celestia's deck: 10 cards-

Turn 5: Rainbow

“Man, she’s worse than I figured.” said Dash.

Safe to say that Rainbow wasn't the only one to think the same thing. Everybody else watching began to whisper among themselves as they were surprised with how their principal was playing this duel. Even the girls sitting with the huge crowd had their doubts.

The whispers of the crowd reached Celestia’s ears. She narrowed her eyes. They think this duel is all about damage and attacking. They’ll see on my next turn.

Isaac and Twilight were watching from their seats as they were a step ahead of everybody else. Isaac more importantly, as he finally figured out Celestia plan. But he didn't bother telling Twilight as he wanted to see how Rainbow would handle what was about to happen.

"I’ve gotta say, I expected to win, but this is too easy.” Rainbow yawned as she drew and casually slipped her card into her card tray. "Since my Playmaker is low on attack, I'll switch him out to bring out my U.A. Rival Rebounder. Then I'll play the tuner monster X-Saber Pashuul in defense mode." Rainbow now had two more monsters on her field as she looked to take things to the next level; she held out her hand. "And now, I tune my Level 2 X-Saber Pashuul with my Level 6 Rival Rebounder!” X-Saber Pashuul lit up green and split into two rings that rotated and floated around Rival Rebounder. Rival Rebounder glowed orange as a column of yellow light rose around it. “I align the blade of the knight and the ball of the athlete, and bring out a grand new titan!” Rainbow grabbed her card and slapped it on her duel disk. “I Synchro Summon! Rise up, Colossal Fighter!” The light receded, revealing a massive figure in thick beige armor. It stood up, light gleaming off a green visor over its eyes, and crossed its arms.

"My Colossal Fighter gains an extra 100 attack points for every Warrior-type monster in my graveyard. Right now I currently have three- Dreadnought Dunker, Rival Rebounder, and X-Saber Pashuul. So that means my Colossal Fighter gains 300 attack points. Making him have a strength of 3100 attack." The spirits of Rainbow's monsters then appeared as they sent their power to Colossal Fighter. "Colossal Fighter, lead the charge! Attack Lumina!" Colossal Fighter jumped up and descended, slamming a massive fist into the front of Lumina. Lumina raised her arms to defend herself as the light struck her in an explosion of light energy.
Celestia's Life Points: 1100-

"Midfielder, Player Manager, finish off her other monsters!" shouted Rainbow. Raiden and Wulf gleamed and exploded as the beams struck them each in turn.

“That’s it for me. I end my turn.”

Turn 6: Celestia

“Good.” Celestia reached to her deck and drew.

Celestia's deck: 9 cards-

“You know, I admit I almost feel bad about this.” Rainbow sighed and shook her head. “Your first duel and you picked it with me. A shame it barely lasted three turns, and you couldn’t even scratch my Life Points. At least make this last turn count, Principal Celestia.”

“I will.” Celestia nodded. “We agree on one thing, Rainbow Dash – this is the last turn. For you.” Celestia's expression changed on a dime as she went into game mode. I promised I would face Isaac at the Fall Formal and I'm going to do whatever I can in my power to make sure that match happens.

Some of the students watching burst out laughing. Rainbow did the same. “Are you blind or just trying to make a joke? I'll admit that's a pretty good one, Principal Celestia. Never peg you as one for having a laugh based on how stern you are. Though I hate to say it, but take a look at the field. You have one spell card that isn’t doing much, a face-down you would have used by now if it did anything worthwhile, and no monsters, whereas I have three of my best monsters out.”

"Pardon me for sounding a bit harsh, Rainbow Dash. But your words show how unskilled at this game you really are."

Rainbow had stopped laughing. "What was that?"

“I don’t care what’s on the field, Rainbow Dash. I’m more concerned with what’s in your hand.”

Rainbow looked down and turned her hands over. "I don't see what you're talking about, I only have two cards in my hand."

“Exactly. You used them all. You got so caught up in an easy win that you overextended yourself. Based on the previous turns, I know that the two cards in your hands are monster cards. So once I get rid of your cards on the field, you’ll have nothing left to play but whatever you draw next turn.”

"Sure.” Rainbow rolled her eyes. “Wiping out my field? I’d like to see you try.”

Everybody agreed with Rainbow as they were intrigued as to how Celestia was going to clear Rainbow's entire field. Isaac just looked on from his seat as he knew what was about to happen. In fact, he already knew how this duel was going to end. Isaac had managed to figure out Celestia's plan after she ended her second turn and safe to say that Dash was about to be given a dose of reality check.

"Then watch closely.” Celestia tapped her duel disk’s screen. “I activate my trap card, Glorious Illusion. This lets me revive a Lightsworn monster in the graveyard. I revive Lumina.” The robed woman rose up in front of Celestia again, her scarfs blowing out. “I activate Lumina’s effect and discard Rinyan, Lightsworn Rogue to revive Wulf, Lightsworn Beast. Then I summon Minerva, Lightsworn Maiden(800/2000).” A young woman with red hair and white robes stepped onto Celestia’s field. She extended an arm and an owl flew out of the summon portal as it closed, perching on her forearm. Celestia held her hand out. “And now, I tune my Level 3 Minerva with my Level 4 Wulf.”

Rainbow stepped back, grimacing. “That card is a Tuner!?” Around her the crowd gasped.

Minerva split into three rings of green light arranged in a horizontal column. The rings moved to rotate around Wulf as it dissolved into four sparks of light. The rings spun faster and a bolt of light shot through the four sparks, growing to engulf the rings. Celestia’s duel disk opened on its far end and a card slid out. “I bind together my two Lightsworn, and call forth from my Extra Deck this monster! I Synchro Summon, Michael, the Arch-Lightsworn(2600/2000)!” The pillar of light receded to reveal a large white dragon standing next to Celestia. On its head rode a knight in gleaming gold armor with wings extending from the back, a glowing white sword in its hand.

"I’m not done yet.” Celestia held up a card in her hand. “Remember how I was able to add a monster card to my hand when I discarded Lightsworn Judgement on my last turn? Well, it’s time to use it.” Celestia set her card on her card tray. “Using the power of the Lightsworns in my graveyard, I bind together four of them with different names so that I can special summon Judgement Dragon(3000/2600)!” Another large white dragon flew out of a golden portal and landed on Celestia’s other side, wings withdrawing as it touched down.

"I'll then play the spell card, Dian Keto the Cure Master to increase my life points by 1000. But don't worry, cause I'll immediately use those points I just gained right now. I activate the special effect of Judgment Dragon!” Celestia raised her hand and snapped her fingers. “I pay 1000 Life Points and destroy all other cards on the field!” Judgment Dragon opened its mouth and began to summon particles of light between its jaws.
Celestia's Life Points: 1100-

"What!?" Rainbow gasped. “You're going to destroy your own cards, too!”

"Wrong.” Celestia held up her duel disk and tapped one of the cards there. “You should pay more attention to my cards, Rainbow Dash. Seems you forgot about an important lesson from Isaac. Remember when I played Lightsworn Sanctuary, and I explained about its first effect? Every time I’ve sent cards from my deck to the graveyard, Lightsworn Sanctuary gained a Shine Counter. Now it’s time to use them. Since Lightsworn cards I control are about to be destroyed by a card effect, I can remove two Shine Counters for each of them to prevent their destruction. I count three Lightsworn cards: Michael, Lumina, and Lightsworn Sanctuary itself. I need two counters for each of them, and Lightsworn Sanctuary has eight Shine Counters on it, so that’s two more than I need.”

The pillars around Celestia lit up in a golden barrier and sent out two rays of light, projecting the same barrier around Michael and Wulf. Judgment Dragon snapped its head down and fired a blast of light rays. The rays struck Celestia’s cards and dispersed into sparkles, ripples forming in the golden barriers. The rays reached Celestia’s field and pierced her monsters. Rainbow watched with wide eyes as her three monsters exploded into showers of light, the remains raining down around her and fading.

"And now, it’s my turn to attack.” Celestia thrust her hand out. “Judgment Dragon, Michael the Arch-Lightsworn, Lumina, Lightsworn Summoner, attack Rainbow Dash directly!” Judgement Dragon fired a beam of light. Michael raised his sword and pointed in command for his mount to follow suit. Lumina raised her palms out and sent out two smaller rays. The three attacks swirled around each other and exploded in Rainbow’s face.
Rainbow's Life Points: 200-

Rainbow glared as the smoke cleared. “I’m not done yet!” she snarled. “You only have 1100 Life Points left, and I still have one more turn! I can turn this around!”

“Yes, you could,” Celestia said calmly. “As unlikely as it may be, the right draw would allow you to rebuild your field and wipe out my Life Points. Which is why I'm sorry to have to remove that possibility from the equation.” She snapped her fingers again. “I pay 1000 Life Points and once again activate the effect of Judgement Dragon.” The dragon fired rays of light out. Celestia’s hair blew out behind her as Michael and Wulf exploded, and the pillars of Lightsworn Sanctuary crumbled around her.
Celestia's Life Points: 100-

“You’re insane,” Rainbow hissed. “What does destroying your own cards accomplish?”

“I’ll explain the effect of Michael the Arch-Lightsworn now." The ghostly image of Michael appeared behind Celestia. “Since Michael the Arch-Lightsworn was destroyed by a card effect, I can select any number of Lightsworn monsters in my graveyard and shuffle them into the deck, and recover 300 Life Points for each of them.” Celestia tapped her duel disk screen as a row of monster cards ran across it, her finger pressing to them in turn. “I choose to recover fifteen Lightsworn monsters.” She held up her duel disk as it lit up in white light. One by one cards retracted inside her duel disk from her graveyard slot and emerged back on top of her deck. When the last card was placed they rapidly shuffled themselves. Celestia lowered her duel disk. “During my end phase I activate Judgment Dragon’s effect, discarding four cards from the top of my deck. That will end my turn.”
Celestia's Life Points: 4600-

Celestia's deck: 20 cards-

Turn 7: Rainbow

The crowd was silent. Rainbow’s duel disk beeped and ejected the top card of her deck. She ignored it, staring across the field with her mouth hanging open.

“You just took out almost all my Life Points in one turn… and then you went from 100 points to 4600, and recharged your deck in the same move…” she whispered.

"You could have won this duel, if you made better decisions,” Celestia replied. “But you were so busy thinking this was an easy win that you made several misplays. I spent my time getting my cards into play for my final turn, but you never thought ahead more than the next turn and your next attack. That is why you lost, Rainbow Dash. Not because I drew better cards or you drew terrible ones. Because I knew how to use my cards properly, and you didn’t.” Celestia's words cut deep for everybody to hear. "Oh my, I didn't mean to create such an atmosphere. Forgive me, Rainbow Dash. But I believe it's your turn."

"You’re right…” Rainbow looked down at her duel disk and the card being offered for her draw. She reached down and put a finger on the edge of the card to slide it back into place. She was so blown away by Celestia's move that in that moment, all the confidence that Rainbow had was shattered. She knew what had just happened so she did the one thing she could do to end her suffering. “I surrender this duel.”

Celestia looked at her duel disk display The word ‘FORFEIT’ appeared over Rainbow’s portrait as it lit up red. Rainbow’s portrait and field dissolved and Celestia’s portrait grew to fill the screen, the word ‘WIN’ under it.

“She just beat Rainbow in three turns…”

“Are we sure Rainbow didn’t throw the game?”

Celestia’s ears twitched at the murmurs of the crowd. She turned her head and saw several of them fall silent at her gaze. She reached to her duel disk and gathered up her cards, then turned it off. The hard light card tray faded and her deck cycled back into the card tray and shuffled. She then made her way towards Rainbow who had collapsed to her knees.

"That was a fun duel, Rainbow Dash." Celestia extended her hand as she helped Rainbow up.

"Just... what happened?" Rainbow was still dumbfounded by what she witnessed.

"You got overconfident is all." giggled Celestia. "You underestimated your opponent and they were able to catch you by surprise. Though it was a close battle, not bad for a warm-up. Thank you Rainbow Dash, now I'm ready for my other challengers." Celestia then looked at Isaac who was still staring her down. "Students, please give it up for Rainbow Dash for putting up a valiant effort." The crowd gave somewhat of an applause as they were still trying to figure out what they saw their principal do.

"Though if I'm being honest, if I really wanted to, I would have beaten you on my second turn." trolled Celestia as she had a smug look on her face. Now Rainbow was really in shambles at how Celestia was able to destroy her confidence in one duel and then rebuild it back again, only to tear it down all in the same scenario.

"Alright, that's all for today. Principal Celestia has created a list of the duelist/students she will like to duel against. So we'll inform you if and when you'll be selected. Remember there's no consequences for you all to lose, so that should incentive enough to make sure that you go all out against my sister." informed Vice-principal Luna.

The students were whispering among themselves as they felt a bit scared on how they might fare against Celestia. Despite not competing in such time, Celestia clearly showed that her skills haven't rust. Take that into the consequence that the first duel she loses would force her to retire; safe to say that if Celestia was able to complete her list of opponents and then somehow make it to the Fall Formal to face Isaac, then it would definitely be a match worth seeing. Luna then dismissed everybody, as the girls all gathered by to help Rainbow after suffering a crushing defeat. Isaac was still seating in his seat along with Twilight by his side as he stared down Celestia.

That last duel awoken something in Isaac; he was able to figure out Celestia's plan by her second turn and it played out exactly in his head. Still the sight that laid before him caught his attention; Celestia had managed to humble Rainbow's ass. Celestia was by far no veteran who was struggling to see if she still had it. She clearly showed that she was a force to be reckoned with and if she was able to overcome this little crusade of hers, then all that would remain is defeating the final boss which so happened to be him.

Not a single contact was broken as both individuals stared at each other. So that's how you want to play it, Celestia. Fine then, I await for you at the Fall Formal. While Isaac was looking at Celestia, his deck that was clipped on his belt started to glow as a certain card could feel something. Something powerful.

Chapter 80: Photosynthesis

The following days were filled with Celestia challenging so many students. After her "surprising" battle with Rainbow Dash, almost all the students were thinking twice on making sure their decks were able to keep up with Celestia. Still Celestia still had a calm look on her face as she seemed to be enjoying herself; safe to say that Celestia had finally shook off any tension and was now dueling like she was when she was younger. It took some time but Rainbow was finally able to piece herself back together. The girls were all surprised by Celestia's battles that they began to shake in their boots a bit.

Isaac, however, was taking this way differently. Whenever Celestia was engaged in duels, he would always stare at her. Almost like he was trying to intimidate her and he could tell that she was doing the same. Isaac knew why Celestia was doing this as she felt it was a way to prove herself and based on how recent she's been taking on challengers nonstop, she proved that part successful. Still there was another part of him that was just waiting to be unleashed; he knew that if Celestia was able to make it all the way to Fall Formal then everybody better batten down the hatches cause let's say that both were going to engage in war.

Isaac's sudden shift in attitude didn't go unnoticed. Twilight always sat next to Isaac in her own chair as she watched how Celestia's battles were affecting her boyfriend. She tried to get him to talk about but he just simply shrugged it off as nothing. Twilight was worried about how this was affecting Isaac. They were currently walking to their next class as Isaac had his serious look on his face; Twilight was currently walking behind him as she was concerned with how Celestia was affecting his mental health.

"Isaac?" said Twilight.

Isaac stopped in his tracks and didn't say anything. He didn't even look at Twilight. He just simply stood there.

"Isaac, I feel like we need to talk." Twilight was hoping to get an answer from Isaac but he didn't say anything. "This obsession that you have with Celestia, I feel like it's affecting you."

Silence.

"I feel like this isn't good for your health." said Twilight with a bit more volume.

Silence.

"Look at me damn it!! If you love me, then answer me!!" shouted Twilight.

Silence.

Twilight stepped in front of Isaac and looked at him. She grabbed Isaac's arms as she saw his face. He just had a stone cold look on his face. Twilight was now shaking and yelling at Isaac to snap out of his state. Isaac just stood there not moving or saying anything. Finally Twilight had enough as she snapped, "I guess if I can't get you to answer me, then I'll have to slap you to get an answer. And My God Would You Look At Me When I'm Talking To You!?!!!!!" screamed Twilight. Then quick as a flash she swung her right hand as she looked to connect with Isaac's face.

But as quick as Twilight was, Isaac was just that much faster as he caught her hand which was just about an inch from hitting his face. Isaac had a tight grip on Twilight's wrist as she struggled to break free from Isaac. He wasn't hurting her, but she could feel his strength based on how he wasn't let her go. Isaac then reeled in Twilight into his arms as he brought her in for a kiss. Twilight resisted at first but the way Isaac kissed her and was holding her caused Twilight to fall into the kiss. They stood there as they just kissed, soon they broke apart as they looked at each other. Twilight brought her hand to Isaac's face as she started to stroke it while staring at her boyfriend.

"Why? What's going on with you?" asked Twilight.

Finally, Isaac spoke. "Just know that I'm fine, Twilight. I'm just focused on my duel with Celestia at the Fall Formal. Let's say that there comes a time in a duelist life where they face someone. And all they can think about is getting on the duel field and seeing what they can do. I can't fully explain it, but just know that I'm fine. As long as I have you by my side, I'll always be myself."

Isaac smiled at Twilight which she did the same. He then grabbed her hand as they began to walk to their next class together. Twilight was proud that she was able to get a word out of her boyfriend, but she couldn't felt like there was more. She was really trying to figure out what Isaac told her about him and Celestia eventually facing each other. Still the way Isaac was smiling meant that she trusted him, so with that she let the subject go and knew that Isaac would be okay dealing with it.

The rest of the day went by as everybody carried on with their normal agendas. Celestia was still running down her list of people she wanted to face as she kept racking up wins. Twilight made sure to write down notes and record her duels for future references while Isaac just kept his focus on Celestia. Soon the duel ended as Celestia had won decisively, in fact she beat her opponent without losing a single life point. Celestia then did her norm of shaking her opponent's hand and offered some calm and collected advice; overall, she acted like a mother as she encouraged her "children" to keep on trying. With that the school day came to an end, but before they all left, Celestia announced her next opponent which was none other than Applejack.

Applejack was currently with Twilight and Sunset in the library as they were going over some replays to help Aj get ready. Isaac was in the background as he was sitting on a couch while looking through his deck.

"So anythin' else ah should know about when facin' Celestia?" asked Aj.

"Just keep your focus. Don't underestimate her, and more importantly don't hold back."

"I think Applejack knows that, Isaac." said Sunset as she placed her hand on her hip.

"I'm being serious. Don't hold back against Celestia. She wants your best so give it to her." stated Isaac as he was still staring at his cards.

"Right, well ah do my best. Still don't take it personally, sugarcube. Ah know you're lookin' forward your match with Celestia, but ah afraid there's goin' to be roadblock on that path. Cause ah plan to beat Principal Celestia and once ah do, you're next Isaac. Defeatin' Celestia will be just what ah need to take you down; ah comin' for that title Isaac. So get ready." Applejack was now standing in front of Isaac as she gave him a competitive look.

Isaac looked up as he just smiled and stood up, "Well then if that does happen, then I look forward to it." Isaac then gave her a firm handshake as they looked at each other.

With that Applejack began to go over her deck as Isaac worked his magic to offer some suggestions. After a good solid hour, Applejack felt like she created the best deck she could make as she began to prepare herself for her battle with their principal tomorrow morning. The next morning came by as all the students were just entering the room as they began to find a seat. Applejack was currently in the hallway with Isaac and Twilight as she was doing a bit of jumping jacks and stretching to get herself ready.

"Alright, ah think ah good to go. Any last minute advice, sugar?"

"Just have fun, Aj. That's all you can do; give Celestia a good time." stated Isaac.

"Right. But you better be ready, cause ah meant what ah said. Once I defeat Celestia, ah comin' to take that title from you." Applejack then took a deep breath as she stepped through the doors with Isaac and Twilight following behind her. They noticed Celestia in the middle of the room as she was waiting for Aj; Isaac and Twilight then wished their friend good luck as they went to sit on their chairs that was already set up for them. Applejack then made her way to the center of the room as she prepared for her turn to duel Celestia.

"Good morning, Applejack. I'm pleased to have a wonderful battle with you."

"As am ah, Principal Celestia."

"Let me remind you of what's at stake in this duel. Should you defeat me in this duel then you'll be the one to retire my career and I'll personally make sure that you face Isaac at the Fall Formal for the title of champion." stated Celestia.

"Mighty kind of that Principal Celestia. So you better believe that ah goin' to take you down and then it's Isaac's turn." Applejack then activated her duel disk as she slotted in her deck and projected a green card tray.

"Very well. Though the person who will face Isaac will be me." Celestia then activated her duel disk as it projected a card tray that matched the color of her hair.

Luna then appeared as she would serve as the official referee for this bout. "If both participants are ready then let the duel... begin!!" shouted Luna as she gave the signal.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the voice of their duel disks.

Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Celestia

"Guess I'll go first," Celestia drew her card and looked at her hand. "To start, I'll play my Harvest Angel of Wisdom(1800/1000)." Celestia played her card and out came a monster that wore gold armor and had a set of wings attached to it.

"Seems Celestia is using a different deck compared to when she battled Rainbow Dash." said Twilight as she was scribbling on her notepad. Isaac just simply looked on as he was invested in the battle.

"Next I'll play the spell card, Cards from the Sky. So now I banish a Light Fairy monster from my hand and draw 2 cards from my deck." Celestia then chose which one she wanted to get rid of as she drew some more cards. Celestia looked at her new cards and held one of them out. “I activate the continuous spell card, The Sanctum of Parshath.” A large marble temple sparkled into place behind Celestia, a large flight of stairs leading up to an altar depicting a winged warrior with a shield and sword. "With my spell in play, all of my Fairy-type monsters gain 300 attack points, and my face-down spell and trap cards cannot be targeted or destroyed by card effects. I then set one card and end my turn.”

Turn 2: Applejack

"Ah'm up," Applejack drew her card as she began to look at Celestia's field and formulate her plan. My first step to challengin' Isaac and takin' his title and it starts with me beatin' Celestia. Here goes. "To start ah play the spell card, Polymerization. So ah fuse my Predaplant Cordyceps and Pterapenthes to summon out, Predaplant Chimerafflesia!" Applejack now had a giant plant as it showed its jaws an was set to strike. "Ah now activate mah monster's effect, so ah banish your Harvest Angel of Wisdom." Just like that Celestia's monster was gone. "Now ah attack you directly, go Chimerafflesia!" Applejack thrusted her hand out as her monster took a bite out of Celestia's life points.
Celestia's Life Points: 5500-

"Ah then end my turn. Your up, Principal Celestia."

Turn 3: Celestia

"Good job, Applejack. A very solid opening play, not only removing my monster which makes its special ability useless, but also dealing me some significant damage. You're really a talented duelist; I wouldn't mind seeing you face Isaac in the championship match." complimented Celestia.

"Thanks for the kind words, ma'am."

"Now then," Celestia then drew her card and began to think about what she wanted to do. "I'll play the continuous spell card Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. Since I control no monsters, I can special summon a Fairy-type monster from my hand. So I select my Bountiful Artemis(1600/1700) in defense mode. Next I'll play my Shining Angel(1400/800) in defense mode. Don't forget due to my Sanctum of Parshath all my monsters gain an extra 300 attack/defense points." Celestia's monster then felt the power flow through them as they shined brightly.

"Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Applejack

"Don't know what you're up to, but ah got a duel to win. And a championship match with mah name on it." Applejack made sure to look back at Isaac while she said that. "Ah play my Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio, when its summoned, ah allowed to special summon 1 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck. But first ah send my Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra to the graveyard. So come out, Predaplant Spinodionaea." Applejack then sent her card to the graveyard as she brought out a new monster. "Mah Spinodionaea has an effect, ah target your Shining Angel and give it ah 'Predator Counter'." Spinodionaea then opened its jaws as it shot a seed toward Celestia's monster.

"Now ah attack, ah have my Spinodionaea take out your Shining Angel and my Chimerafflesia will take out your Bountiful Artemis! Mah Chimerafflesia has an effect to where when it battles, it gains 1000 attack points while your monster loses 1000 attack points!" exclaimed Applejack as her monsters charged at Celestia's field.

"I reveal my facedown card, Divine Punishment. Thanks to this trap card, whenever a spell/trap or monster effect is activated, I can use this card to negate it and destroy it." smiled Celestia.

"Oh no." said Applejack as she watched her monster explode in a pillar of light. "Well your Shining Angel still gets destroyed."

"Yes it does, and now a couple of things happen. Now that my Shining Angel was destroyed, I can special summon 1 Light monster from my deck in face-up attack position so long as it had 1500 or less attack points. So I use choose my Nova Summoner(1400/800). Then my Bountiful Artemis' effect activates, now each time a Counter trap card is activated, I can draw one card." Celestia then drew her card as she called up a new monster to take the place.

"Well you're not the only one, since mah Predaplant Spinodionaea destroyed a monster with a Predator Counter on it, ah can special summon another 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck. Ah select my Predaplant Flytrap in defense mode." Applejack now had another plant-type monster on her field. "Now ah activate my Flytrap's effect to give your Nova Summoner a Predaplant Counter." Flytrap then opened its jaws as it shot a seed at Celestia's monster. "Now ah end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Celestia

"Now then," Celestia drew her card. "I'll play the spell card, Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two." Celestia drew her cards and selected the ones she wanted to get rid of. "Now I'll play the spell card, Celestial Transformation. Now I special special a monster from my hand but it's destroyed at the end of my turn and its attack is cut in half. So I choose my Tethys, Goddess of Light(2400/1800) in defense mode. Then I play my Guiding Light(0/0), since I normal summoned my monster, I can special summon one Level 1 monster in my graveyard. So I revive my D.D Sprite(0/100)." Celestia now had five monsters on her field.

"Not bad, Principal Celestia. But ah afraid that ah still have the advantage based on mah monsters' strength, even with the extra 300 attack points that they gain due to your spell card."

"You're correct, Ms. Applejack. My monsters may be weak, but I assure you that their purpose isn't for attack. Let give you a hint, my D.D Sprite is in a tuner monster." stated Celestia with a smile on her face.

"Tuner!?" Applejack now knew what Celestia was about to do.

"Correct, now then I tune my D.D Sprite with my Guiding Light and Tethys, Goddess of Light. I combine the shining light of all my monsters and call forth a creature full of majestic beauty! I Synchro Summon, Ancient Fairy Dragon(2100/3000)!" Celestia now had a new monster on her field as it unfurled its wings "Now I'll switch my Bountiful Artemis to attack mode and then I'll have my Artemis attack your Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio, and Ancient Fairy Dragon will take out your Spinodionaea!" shouted Celestia as she gave her monsters their command.
Applejack's Life Points: 7000-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Applejack

"Alright now." Applejack adjusted her hat and drew her card. "First ah use my Flytrap's effect to give your Ancient Fairy Dragon a counter. Then ah play my Predapruning spell card, so now ah can special summon back mah Predaplant Spinodionaea from mah graveyard."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Applejack. Since you activated a spell card, I can discard my Herald of Green Light and one other Fairy monster from my hand to the graveyard. By doing so, I can negate and destroy your spell card." Celestia then sent her two monsters to the graveyard as a light beam hit Aj's card as it shattered into tiny bits of particles.

"Damn!" shouted Applejack as Celestia had managed to stop her plan. "Guess ah go with plan B. Ah choose to play my continuous spell card, Predaponics. So ah special summon my Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio from my grave, but its effects are negated. In addition, during each of mah Standby Phase, ah have to pay 800 life points to keep this card on the field. But ah got all I need, next since one of your monsters has a 'Predator Counter' ah can special summon mah Predaplant Helimaphorhynchus. Next, ah play Predaprime Fusion. So now ah fusion summon all three of mah monsters on the field." A vortex opened up as Applejack's monsters all combined their energies together and jumped into the vortex. Soon a pillar o flight appeared as a new monster appeared based on its shadow. "Ah Fusion Summon, Predaplant Triphyoverutum! Now my monster's effect activates, it gains the original attack points equal to all monsters that have a Predator Counter on them. So it gains a 6500 more attack points thanks to your monsters. Now time to let mah new creature loose, take out her Ancient Fairy Dragon!" Aj's monster then felt a power boost as it unleashed its unleashed a tri-attack that took out Celestia's monster.
Celestia's Life Points: 1400-

"Now ah end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Celestia

"My turn," Celestia was now thinking how she wanted to proceed this turn. "To start, I'll play my Emergency Provisions. So I'll get rid of my Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to gain 1000 life points. Next I play my Meltiel, Sage of the Sky(1600/1200). Next I'll place a card facedown and end my turn."
Celestia's Life Points: 2400-

Turn 8: Applejack

"Mah turn." shouted Aj as she picked up her card.

Careful, Aj. thought Isaac.

"Now ah pay 800 life points to keep my Predaponics in play. Next ah play the spell card, Predaplast. Now ah reveal as many 'Preda' cards in mah hand, then ah can put that many counters on your monsters." stated Aj.
Applejack's Life Points: 6200-

"I'm afraid I can't allow that." said Celestia as she touched her duel screen. "I reveal my facedown, Dark Bribe. Now thanks to this I can negate your spell card, but you get to draw a card." smiled Celestia.

"Ah really startin' to get annoyed." muttered Applejack as she drew her card.

"As for me a couple of things happen. First I'll also draw a card, thanks to my Bountiful Artemis. Since I activated a counter trap, it allows me to draw an extra card. In addition, the effect of my Meltiel, Sage of the Sky activates. Since a counter trap was activated, I now gain 1000 life points." Celestia then received a bright light as it shined on her; she then had a smirk on her face. "But it doesn't stop there, you see my Meltiel, Sage of the Sky has another effect. Since I control 'The Sanctuary in the Sky', I can now destroy one card on your field. And I'll choose your only monster." Celestia then pointed at Aj's creature as she gave a troll smile.
Celestia's Life Points: 3400-

Aj watched her monster be engulfed in a pillar of light as she covered her eyes. Once it ceased, Applejack was now staring straight at Celestia's field as she look to deal some serious damage. Applejack now a worried look on her face as she needed to do something to protect her life points.

"Ah activate the effect of my Predaplant Triphyoverutum from the graveyard. Since you control a monster with a Predaplant Counter, ah can special summon it in defense position." Applejack's monster was now back as it bared its fangs. "Ah then end my turn with a facedown." Ah hate to admit it, but this is becoming very challengin'. Celestia can just counter my cards and ah can't target them due to her "The Sky in the Sanctuary" spell card. Now ah see what Rainbow went through.

Turn 9: Celestia

"Is it my turn, already? Ha, I hadn't noticed." laughed Celestia as she let out a little cute snort. Despite Applejack's frustration, Celestia was smiling at she was having fun. "Ahh, just what I was hoping for. I hope you're ready Applejack, time for me to play a monster that has yet to be shown. I now send three monsters in my hand to the graveyard," Celestia then slotted her cards to the graveyard as she had a smile on her face, "By doing so I can special summon Arcana Force EX- The Dark Ruler(4000/4000)!" Out came a creature that had two heads as they let out a roar.

"4000 attack points!?" said Applejack as she was bit worried.

"That's not all, when my Dark Ruler is summoned, I flip a coin and depending on what it lands determine which effect it gains." A coin then appeared in Celestia as she held it in her hand as she had a smile. Applejack felt uncomfortable with Celestia having a calm expression, almost like the air was being sucked out of her. "Now let's find out." Celestia then tossed the coin into the air as held in the air for a few seconds before it started to drop.

Applejack was now staring at the coin like her life depended on it. She was now sweating hard as she could feel her legs were shaking. Isaac and Twilight were watching from their chairs; Twilight was in the same position as Applejack as she too was worried on what side the coin would land. Isaac just had a straight look as he knew about the Celestia's monster and knew that whatever side the coin landed on, Applejack would be in a whirlwind of trouble. Soon the coin landed in Celestia's palm as she closed her hand. Nothing was said as silence overcame the room. Celestia still had the same expression on her face as she looked at Applejack; Applejack was now scared as she couldn't look at Celestia due to how her calm expression was making her uncomfortable.

"So Applejack, care to make any guess on whether it's heads or tails?" said Celestia as she was using her motherly voice.

"Ah... ah..." Applejack was now very scared. "Ah guess... heads?"

Celestia then opened her fist and looked at the result. "It seems you were..."

"Were what!? Did ah guess wrong? Ah! This killin' me!" Applejack was now in a panic state as she grabbed her hat.

"Ha, ha, ha." Celestia was having too much fun messing with Applejack. "Calm down, Applejack. It was actually tails."

"Whew, that's a relief" said Applejack as she wiped her forehead. "Wait! Was that a good thing?"

"It means if my Dark Ruler gets destroyed, then so do all other cards on the field." stated Celestia. "But that won't matter, cause now I'll have my Arcane Force EX- The Dark Ruler take out your monster." Celestia then snapped her fingers as her monster took out Aj's field with ease. Now Applejack had no monsters on her field as Celestia looked to deal some massive amounts of damage. "Now then time for an attack, now my fairies attack Ms. Applejack directly!" Celestia thrusted her hand out and her monster were enveloped in a golden light as they rose high into the sky and dealt a massive blow to Applejack as she put her arms to cover up.
Applejack's Life Points: 2400-

"Seems things have swung my way, in that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Applejack

"Ooh, talk about dealing damage. Applejack took some heavy shots there." stated Sunset as she and her friends watched Applejack struggling with Principal Celestia.

"What do you think, Isaac?" Twilight was wondering if there was anything that Aj could do to turn things around.

"It's... mah turn, I draw. Alright, ah..."

"Don't forgot Applejack, you have pay 800 life points to keep your Predaponics in play or else you have to get rid of it." smirked Celestia.

Applejack looked at her hand and was considering her options. Mah only problem is that ah don't have much life points left to spare, not to mention that Celestia has a field full of powerful monsters. Her Dark Ruler destroys all cards on the field as soon as it's destroyed. But maybe ah can use that to my advantage; worth a shot. "Ah choose to get rid of my Predaponics spell card, so I destroy it. Then ah activate the effect of my Predaplant Cordyceps from mah graveyard, so ah banish it to special summon 2 level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monsters in my graveyard. So ah choose mah Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio and Spinodionaea." Applejack now had two monsters on her field. "Now ah play Fusion Recovery, so ah get back Polymerization and one monster to my hand. Next ah play my Polymerization!" shouted Applejack.

A purple vortex with tendrils of green energy appeared behind Applejack and drew in her two monsters. The vortex spun and flashed, its light growing. “Ah combine mah reptilian predator and my deadly stinger, and unleash a vicious botanical nightmare!” Applejack held her card up. “Ah Fusion Summon Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" She slammed her card on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up purple. "Mah monster now gains attack points equal to all of your monsters that you special summoned, and that happens to be your Dark Ruler. Then ah activate its effect so ah can copy the effect of your Dark Ruler. So now it's mah turn to flip a coin." Applejack then grabbed the coin that appeared in front of her as she blew on it for good luck. She then tossed it high into as it held for a few seconds and then fell into Applejack's hand.

"So, Principal Celestia. Care to tell me what you think it is?" said Applejack as he had a smug look.

Celestia now had her expression changed from playful to straight. Now it was Applejack's turn to have a bit of fun.

"Well we're waitin' Principal Celestia. What's it gonna be?"

"I select tails." shouted Celestia with a stern tone.

Applejack then opened her fist as she smiled. "Seems... you were wrong. It's heads. So now my Starving Venom Fusion Dragon can now attack twice in this battle phase. My dragon has a strength total of 7100 attack points and he has the ability to strike twice, but ah only need one. Cause while Arcane Force Ex- The Dark Ruler may destroy all cards on the field, your other monsters are all fairly weak. Even with the extra 300 attack points that you receive from your Sanctum of Parshath spell card, all ah need to do is attack one of those and you'll lose enough life points for me to win!"

The students were now surprised that Applejack had found a way to get pass Celestia's offensive monster. Now all she had to do was pick her target and she would be declared the winner. Not only would she defeat and retire Principal Celestia, but by doing so she would be the number 1 contender to challenge Isaac for his title. Applejack was now smiling ear to ear as she looked to claim victory which was right at her fingertips. Celestia for a bit had a worried look on her face as the situation dawned on her.

"Sorry, Isaac. But it looks like we won't be seeing you take on Principal Celestia at the Fall Formal, but don't worry ah'll be the one to face you." shouted Applejack as she looked behind to see Isaac. While Applejack was talking, Isaac was leaning back in his chair as he had his hand on his chin. "Now time for me to win. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Nova Summoner! End this duel!!" shouted Applejack as she thrusted her hand out. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then took flight as it flew high into the air and then swooped down as it opened it jaws and was set to give the victory to Applejack.

"I reveal my facedown, the trap Shift. Now I can change the target of monster's attack to a different one. So now instead of attack my Nova Summoner, your dragon will now target my Dark Ruler. Which means once it's destroyed so are all other cards on the field."

Dark Ruler then appeared as it switched places with Nova Summoner as Starving Venom Fusion Dragon eyed its target and used its set of jaws and clamped down on the monster. Soon a bright light enveloped the whole field as everything in sight was destroyed; both Celestia and Applejack covered their eyes as their monsters were gone and soon there was nothing left on the field.
Celestia's Life Points: 300-

"That's what ah was hopin' for. Cause from my hand, ah activate the quick spell card, Rays of Growth. Now ah can bring back one monster that was destroyed durin' battle. So ah choose my Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" Applejack now had her monster back as its eyes glowed; it let out a mighty roar as it glared at Celestia. "Did ah forget to mention that my monster can attack once again?"

Celestia just chuckled at how Applejack was able to think outside the box and use her monster's ability against her. She then started to give an applause to Applejack. "Well done, Applejack. You really put your heart out in this match. I must commemorate you on such a hard fought battle."

"Ah appreciate the kinds word, Principal Celestia. Ah just hope that when ah face Isaac, ah can use this experience and push myself to the next level. Then ah can finally beat him and become champion." Applejack now had a determined look on her face. "So forgive me, Principal Celestia. But ah got a date with Isaac. Now Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Principal Celestia and end this duel!!"

"I'm glad for this battle. However, I didn't say you would be challenging Isaac just yet, in fact, this duel isn't over." said Celestia with a smug smile on her face. "If you remember correctly, when I summoned my Arcana Force EX- The Dark Ruler, I had to send three monsters to the graveyard. And one of them was my Clear Kuriboh; now I banish Clear Kuriboh from my graveyard. Now I draw a card from my deck and if it's a monster card then I can special summon it." Celestia then put her hand on her deck as she had a calm look on her face. She drew her card and despite not looking at it, she knew it was a monster.

"I've drawn my Gellenduo and I chose to summon it in defense mode." Celestia summoned a monster that consisted of two little cute creatures as they held hands as they took the attack head on. They were thrown back but yet they still remained on the field. "My Gellenduo can't be destroyed by battle, so these cute little creatures are sticking around for the next turn." Celestia's monsters gave a cheering cry as Celestia just smiled at them. "So Applejack, anything else you have for this turn?"

"Ah... ah don't." Applejack was kicking herself for not being able to defeat Celestia. She gave her best shot and it didn't get the job done. "Ah end my turn."

Turn 11: Celestia

Before Celestia took her turn, Isaac knew that this duel was already over.

"Time to end this duel," Celestia drew her card. "Now I'll play the spell card, Block Attack. So now your Starving Venom Fusion Dragon is switched into defense mode. Now I'll tribute my Gellenduo, my Gellenduo has a special ability where it counts as 2 tributes. So now I play my Sacred Arch-Airknight Parshath(2800/2300)." Celestia now had a new monster on her field. Out came a monster that had stunning armor as it wielded a weapon by its side as there was celestial lights around it. "Next, I play the spell card, Megamorph. So since my life points are lower than yours, this card allows me to double my monster's attack points." Celestia's monster then glowed with a gold light surrounding it as it felt the power of light and the gods infuse with its soul.

"Now to end this duel, Sacred Arch-Airknight Parshath will attack your Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. My Airknight has an ability that allows it to deal piercing damage to a monster in defense mode. Now Sacred Arch-Airknight Parshath attack Applejack directly and end this duel!!!" Celestia thrusted her arm out as her monster delivered the final blow. With that Applejack's dragon was taken out with ease as Applejack just stood there with her head down and her arms by her side.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Principal Celestia

The duel ended as the holograms faded; Applejack collapsed to her knees as she let the defeat sink in. She then started to pound the ground as felt her opportunity to challenge Isaac had slipped through her fingers. Celestia saw how Applejack was acting and made her way towards her.

"Why? Why? Ah thought ah had it." yelled Applejack.

"Come now, Applejack. You did your best and that's what matters; I dare say that last combo caught me off by surprise and nearly won the duel." Celestia was doing her best to make Applejack feel better as she kneeled down and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Though you may not be the victor today, take this experience and learn from it. Use this defeat as a way for you to take your game to the next level; I dare say that if apply that same fire and desire then I'm sure that you'll be facing Isaac in no time and you may even beat him."

Applejack wiped her eyes with her arm as she dried up some tears. "Thanks Principal Celestia. Ah enjoyed our duel." Applejack then stood up as she shook Celestia's hand in a sign of respect. "Good luck in your match against Isaac."

"I appreciate that." Celestia gave Applejack a warm smile; she then looked at Isaac who was still staring at her.

Sometime later Isaac was with Applejack as they were in the hallway. It was the end of the school day as everybody had gone home; Applejack was still feeling some pent up aggression as she was punching the lockers. She had been going for quite a while as Isaac just leaned against the wall with his arms folded as he watched her. Soon Applejack had let it all out as she was taking deep breaths.

"Ten minutes, that's new record." said Isaac as he looked at his watch. He then appeared by Applejack's side, "Got everything out of your system?"

"Yeah, ah think ah good." said Applejack. "Ow, ow." said Applejack as she felt the pain from her knuckles which caused her to fall to her knees.

"Ha, ha." Isaac just chuckled at how Applejack was feeling the after effect of her little de-stress activity. He then bent down to Applejack's level, "Let me help." Isaac then grabbed Applejack's hands and began massage her knuckles. "Read this online, works wonders when I'm practicing my drawing."

"Thanks for the help, sugarcube. Ah just can't believe that ah couldn't get the job done. No matter what move ah made, or card ah wanted to play; Principal Celestia just found some way to counter me. Ah really wanted that opportunity to face you." said Applejack as the pain was slowly going away.

"You're not the only one. Whoever Celestia is challenging they're going to try to do everything they can to beat her and possibly face me; however, her little crusade she came up with is actually working. She's been showing just how tough she is and with the Fall Formal only a few weeks away, she's doing everything she can to make sure that our match happens." said Isaac with a causal tone. "There we go, how do your hands feel?"

"A little bit sore, but most of the pain is gone. Thanks, sugar." Applejack then brought a hand to Isaac's face as she looked at her friend. Applejack was staring Isaac in the eyes as he just simply stared back at her, waiting to see what she would do. "You know, I forgot how good it felt before you got with Twilight. This right here takes me back."

"Yeah, it does." Isaac then put his hand over Applejack's hand that was on his face. He thought back to the time where he went with Applejack to visit her family in Appleloosa. He was thinking back to the moment they both shared in the apple orchard.

Soon Applejack leaned in as she gave Isaac a kiss on the lips; Isaac didn't do anything but close his eyes as Applejack did the same. It was a quick and tender kiss as Applejack cusped Isaac's face as he did the same. Soon they pulled away, but despite it lasting for just a few moments, it was more than enough as Applejack was able to say all she wanted with that form of interaction. Isaac just brushed away some of Applejack's hair that was in front of her face as he looked at her.

"You know the rule." said Isaac.

"Ah do. And don't worry, ah'll tell Twilight. Just good luck in your duel against Celestia; she's one tough customer."

"Yeah. Still doesn't make it any much easier than it already is." stated Isaac with a bit of uncertainly.

Chapter 81: Goddess of the Sun

After Celestia's duel with Applejack, safe to say that she was on a roll. The Fall Formal was just a few days away and the way Celestia was taking on challengers left and right showed that she was determined to make sure that her match with Isaac would proceed as plan. While this was going on, everybody else was starting to make plans for the Fall Formal itself. So while all eyes were on the match of Isaac taking on Celestia in her retirement match, the students were all still looking forward to a great time. Speaking of Celestia, she was currently almost done with her list of competitors as she was rounding the tail end of her little crusade. Based on how well she was doing surviving up to this point it looked like she would almost definitely secure her match with Isaac. Well that is, if she could get over one last hurdle.

Fluttershy, Sunset, and Pinkie were all currently in the school gardens as they were helping to plant some new seeds. Gone was the summer as autumn was now taking over the entire world, the breeze blew in their faces as the leaves on the trees were starting to change color as a couple of them started to fall. However, despite the change in season, the day was still bearable due to sun providing them some warmth and comfort.

"Thanks for helping us, Sunset."

"Don't mention it Fluttershy. I used to do this back in my old home."

"I just hope that with all the candy that I planted, I can grow some sugar trees." giddy Pinkie as she pulled a cupcake out of her hair and began to eat it.

"I'm not sure that's how it works." said Fluttershy as she planted some more seeds.

After a while, all the seeds were planted as the girls looked at their handiwork. Pinkie was still chomping on some more sweets as she got a message on her phone and saw that it was from Rainbow Dash.

"With all the seeds we planted, we're sure to get some delicious vegetables before the winter." said Fluttershy.

"Yep. Now that this is done, lets go find Rarity. You know the Fall Formal is nearly here so she's bound to want us to model for her dresses." stated Sunset as she was about to leave.

"You may want to take a raincheck on that." Pinkie then showed the girls her phone. She showed them the message she received from Dash and safe to say that Sunset had her eyes widen.

Sunset was now with Twilight, Applejack, and Dash as she was going over what the text Pinkie received.

"So are you sure that's what you heard?" asked Sunset.

"Would I ever lie to you? I told you that ever since Celestia made this little challenge for herself and defeated me, she's been on a roll. This morning she just racked up her 99th win, and with the Fall Formal only a few days away, she felt it be fitting that for her 100th victory she face the person that has faced Isaac on multiple occasions. So she chose you." said Rainbow as she pointed at Sunset.

Sunset had to do a double-take as he struggled to find her wording. "Why?"

"Well sugar, she says it's because you've had the most history with Isaac that dates back to when you were still a bully runnin' this school. She wanted to have one last tough challenge before she goes into her match with Isaac."

Sunset was now thinking back to all her past encounters with Isaac. It was just painful to think back on the early memories since it was when she as a horrible person. The first encounter with Isaac was when she had mentioned that he should abandon his friendship with their friends as it would only get in the way. After that was the time she had to team up with Isaac in a tag team duel during the Fall Formal Tournament; despite being a bad guy at that moment, a part of her was glad that Isaac was willing to help her as he showed that he was willing to protect her from harm. And then they met at the Fall Formal of last year, and boy was that a duel. To think that a whole school year had passed and the students still saw that face to face confrontation between them was one of their favorite duels.

After that Isaac gave her a second chance and she created a new deck to symbolize her change. Of course it was Isaac himself that had given Sunset her Red-Eyes Black Dragon card, since then she dominated with her new deck as she showed that she was just as good of a duelist without magic. They then teamed up as they were on the same team as they took on Crystal Prep in the Friendship Games; after that was the Spring Fling in which Isaac personally hand picked her to be his opponent for the event. That time things were different but she still had a blast as she took on Isaac. Overall, Celestia was right as out of everybody in the group, she was the one to have the most history with Isaac both as rival and as a friend when it came to dueling.

Sunset had finished reminiscing as she looked back at the girls, "I guess you're right. But still, the thought of facing Celestia and possibly defeating her is kind of scary. I mean she proved everybody wrong with how consistent she's been so far. She took you out with ease, Dash. And in your duel against her, she kept stopping you from activating you best cards, Applejack."

"You're telling me, I'm still shook from that crushing defeat. I don't handle losing well, but that lost really made me evaluate my skills as a duelist." mentioned Dash.

"Ah'm still sufferin' the after effects of mah battle with her. Principal Celestia showin' she ain't no pushover, she really wants that match with Isaac and she do anythin' to get her wish." stated Applejack.

"Don't worry about it, Sunset. You'll do fine, just remember that as long as you give it your best, then you can handle whatever Principal Celestia throws your way."

"I guess, thanks Twilight."

Soon the school bell rang as Twilight had her eyes widen, "Sorry, girls. But I have to go, I'm suppose to be helping Isaac with our class." With that Twilight grabbed her bag and began to race to her room, while the girls just smiled at Twilight's desire to be by Isaac's side.

Twilight made it just in time as opened the door and saw the kids taking their seats while Isaac was standing there going over attendance. She stepped into the room as the kids were happy to see her; Isaac notice Twilight entering out of the corner of his eye as he just finished attendance and turned towards her.

"You're late, Ms. Sparkle." said Isaac.

"Sorry, Teach. I had something that caught my attention." said Twilight as she rubbed her neck. "I promise it won't happen again."

"No it won't." said Isaac as he just gave her smile and a hug. "Though I'd expect you to stay after class so we can discuss your punishment" said Isaac in a low voice. Isaac's roleplay had caused Twilight to blush a bit.

With that Isaac and Twilight began their class as they went over today's lesson and some dueling techniques. Safe to say that ever since Celestia made up this new class and put both of them in charge of teaching them, the students were learning some pretty interesting things. Soon the bell rang as it signaled the end of the period as Isaac gave the kids their assignment for the day. After the class all left, Isaac then sat down in the teacher's chair as he looked at Twilight.

"Now that class is over, time to discuss your punishment, Ms. Sparkle." said Isaac.

"I promise it won't happen again. Would it help if I did something for you?" asked Twilight.

"What could you do to make me forget about this little incident?" said Isaac as he had a sly smile on his face.

Twilight then approached Isaac as she cusped his face, "How about this?" She then put her lips to Isaac's as she gave him a meaningful kiss.

Isaac broke from the kiss and wasn't fully content with what Twilight was offering. "Seems I'm not satisfied with what you have to offer, Ms. Sparkle. Seems I'll have no choice but to report you."

"Then how about this?" Twilight then undid her ponytail as she let her hair fall past her shoulders.

She then gave him a sly smile as she sat on Isaac's lap; she then reached up and took off Isaac's cap as she tossed it onto the table. Twilight then brought Isaac for another deep kiss as she wrapped her arms around him. Isaac did the same as he leaned into the kiss as he held Twilight in his arms. Thankfully, they didn't have to worry about anybody walking in on seeing them kiss. Soon they broke apart as Twilight put her head under Isaac's chin as she just cuddled into his chest. Isaac was stroking her hair as he had his eyes closed as he enjoyed this moment with Twilight.

"So, was that enough?" Twilight said with a smile.

"I'm willing to let this one slide. However, the next time I might not be so generous." stated Isaac as he looked at Twilight and booped her nose.

Twilight just giggled as she got off of Isaac and grabbed his cap. She then put it on as Isaac stood up and they began to walk hand in hand to their next class. Along the way, Twilight told Isaac about how Principal Celestia wanted to face Sunset for her final duel before she would take him on. Isaac didn't say much other than he meet with Sunset to discuss somethings, they arrived at their next class. Twilight wanted to give Isaac back his cap, but he said for her to wear it a bit longer as he found it to be rather cute sight to look.

Sunset was currently walking down the hallways as she trying to think things over; she then turned the corner and there was Isaac standing in the middle of her path. Sunset wanted to have a chance to talk with Isaac and it seems she didn't have to look far, she then appeared in front of Isaac as she looked at him. Both individuals just looked at each other as they said nothing, the story was being told by their eyes as they knew what they wanted to talk about.

"How you feeling?" asked Isaac.

"Scared, nervous, but mostly I'm ready to rumble."

"Good, now then let's begin." Isaac then pulled out his duel disk as he activated it.

Sunset then did the same as she put on her duel disk and slotted in her deck. Both still had intense stares as they looked to due battle. After a couple of practice battles, Sunset had managed to score a win or two against Isaac. Soon they decided to call it a day as Sunset collapsed to her knees and was breathing hard. Isaac then offered her some water as she began to rehydrate; he then helped her back up to her feet as she wiped her forehead.

"Thanks. I think I know what to expect in my duel tomorrow with Principal Celestia." stated Sunset.

"Just remember to do your best and don't hold back. You show weakness against her and she will use that to her advantage."

"I hear you. Just don't be too upset when I win; I know you seem excited for your duel against at the Fall Formal. But I can tell that even you are still scared about facing her." said Sunset as she placed her hand on Isaac's shoulder. "Just know that I promise to give her proper sendoff," Sunset then had a smirk on her face. "Then you're all mine, boy toy. Don't think I've forgotten about our last encounter and you know that based on our practice, I can beat you."

"There's a difference between beating someone in practice and beating them when it actually counts." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"Then I look forward to beating you cause once I defeat Celestia, you're next." Sunset then started to move forward as she gave her hips a little sway. Isaac was now taking a few steps back as Sunset had managed to corner him into the lockers. "And believe me, I haven't forgotten about our little hands-on experience." said Sunset with slight seductiveness in her voice.

"You know what the consequences of this are, Sunset." Isaac was trying to warn Sunset about her actions.

"Please, what Twilight doesn't know can't hurt her." Sunset now placed her hands on Isaac as she was feeling his body. She then placed her hands to his face as she whisper into Isaac's ear. "Besides, if I really wanted to take you, I would have done that a long time ago. Plus I still can." Sunset let her breath near Isaac's ear as he got a bit tingly.

"Sunset?" Isaac was now becoming nervous on what Sunset's intentions were.

Sunset just simply gave him a wink and then grabbed Isaac's face as she pulled him in for an intense kiss. Sunset was not letting up as she kissed Isaac with intensity as she continued to feel the bits of muscle on his body. Isaac didn't know what to do so he just simply stood there and eventually wrapped his arms around Sunset as he stroked her hair. Soon Sunset broke apart as she was simply smiling at her handiwork. Isaac was just dumbfounded at how Sunset didn't seem to care about getting in trouble, almost like she wanted it. He assumed that Sunset would do the right thing and inform Twilight about this incident, but she just simply stuck her tongue out at him and smiled as she flipped her hair and began to leave. However, Sunset made sure to give Isaac a wink as a way to tease him. Isaac was now left putting his hands to his head as he was trying to figure out how he was going to tell Twilight about this.

It was now the next day and the Fall Formal was just right around the corner. But before anybody could think of that, they needed to see the duel that was about to take place. Principal Celestia had already won 99 different duels and so she felt that her 100th win deserved to be against someone who was in the same category of Isaac in terms of ruthless aggression. So with that she made her decision to face Sunset as it would serve as the final hurdle before her big clash with Isaac, assuming she could get pass her last challenge. Well everybody had gather in the auditorium as they awaited for the competitors.

Isaac and Twilight were already in their chairs watching from the side as their friends were in the bleachers with the rest of their student class. Soon both Celestia and Sunset walked in as they stood face to face as they shook hands.

"Now Sunset, you know the rules."

"Of course, I win, you retire and I face Isaac at the Fall Formal. You win and then there's nothing in the way of you facing him."

"Very well, then let's have a great duel." Celestia then gave one last heart warming smile as she and Sunset took their positions and activated their duel disks.

Luna then did her job as the referee; she gave one last look at her sister and wished her the best of luck. "Now then let the duel... begin!!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Celestia

"I'll start things off," Celestia then drew her card as she began to formulate her plan. "I'll start by playing my spell card, Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen. Now since I control no monsters, I can special summon one Fairy monster from my hand. So I choose my Athena(2600/800). Then I'll summon my Defender, the Magical Knight(1600/2000) in defense mode." Celestia now had two monsters on her field. "My Defender's ability allows me to put a spell counter on him and then I can remove said counter to prevent my spellcasters from being destroyed. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"Time to see what I got," Sunset drew her card and looked at Celestia's field. Seems she's using a different deck; which means I got to be on guard for anything she might throw. "I play my Spear Dragon(1900/0) and then I'll banish him so that I can special summon from my hand, my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon(2800/2400)." Sunset's monster was now replaced as an even bigger one was replaced as her dragon let out a roar. "Now I activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, so I can special summon my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode. Now I'll have my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon attack your Athena."

"I reveal my facedown, Shift. Now this trap allows me to change the target of your monster's attack, so now your dragon will target my Defender. And thanks to his ability, I'll remove the counter to make sure that he isn't destroyed." Celestia's Defender then raised his shield up as Sunset's dragon unleashed a fireball as it caused him to be push back but he still held his ground.

"Knew it wasn't going to be that easy. In that case, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Celestia

"Seems you're preparing for what I might have planned, is that right Sunset?" said Celestia with a smile on her face. Sunset just simply stared at Celestia as she didn't answer her question; Celestia just drew her card as she prepared herself. "Now then I'll play the continuous spell card, The Sanctum of Parshath. I'm sure you know what it does."

"I do, that's why I had this set. I reveal my Dark Bribe, now whenever a spell/trap card effect is activated, I can negate and destroy it. The upside for you is that you get to draw a card." stated Sunset.

"Am I to assume that you're trying to prevent me from making my cards immune to your card effects?" said Celestia as she added the extra card to her hand. "Instead, I'll play my Honest(1100/1900) in defense mode. Now the effect of my Athena activates, now since I summoned another Fairy monster you get dealt 600 points of damage." Athena then lifted up her weapon as she threw it at Sunset who put her arms up to protect herself.
Sunset's Life Points: 7400-

"Then I'll play my Cards from the Sky spell card, so I'll banish a Fairy monster from my hand to draw two cards from my deck." Celestia then choose the one she wanted to remove as she picked up some more cards. "I'll then place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn," Sunset picked up her card as she began to decide on what she wanted to do. "I'll start by playing the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So now I send two level 7 'Red-Eyes' monsters from my deck and my hand to draw two more cards." Sunset then selected the cards she wanted to get rid of as she drew her cards. "Next I play The Black Stone of Legend and then activate its special ability. So now I can tribute it to summon out my Red-Eyes Black Dragon! And then I'll reveal my facedown, Metalmorph. So now I'll equip it to my Red-Eyes B. Dragon and it gains 300 attack/defense points." Sunset now gave her dragon a metal armor as she looked at Celestia. "Now time to attack, so I'll have my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon take out your Defender and my Red-Eyes will take out your Athena. Oh and by the way, Metalmorph makes it to whenever my monster attacks it gains half of the attack points of the target he's attacking. So we're looking at strength of 4000 attack points." Sunset's dragons then took flight as they took out Celestia's monsters.
Celestia's Life Points: 6600-

"That's all, so I'll just place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Celestia

"Time for my turn, I'll first play the spell Emergency Provision. So I'll get rid of my Valhalla, Hall of the Fallen to gain 1000 life points. Next I'll play Pot of Greed, this card lets me draw two more cards from my hand." Celestia then drew her cards as a shower of gold particles sprinkled over her restoring her life points.
Celestia's Life Points: 7600-

"Now I play the ritual spell card, Super Solider Ritual. So I'll send my Evening Twilight Knight along with my Beginning Knight to call forth the ritual monster. I Ritual Summon, Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier(3000/2500)!" Out came a warrior that was covered in head to toe with a shiny armor as it wielded a sword and shield. The students were amazed by what they saw their principal was doing. "Now since I used both Evening Twilight Knight and Beginning Knight, my B.L.S. - Super Soldier gains their effects. But my Super Soldier has his own abilities, like this one for example, I attack your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Super Solider then leaped up high as it brought its mighty sword and slashed through the armor and caused Red-Eyes to let out a cry as it was destroyed. "When my monster sends your dragon to the graveyard, you take damage equal to its attack."
Sunset's Life Points: 4700-

"I play my trap, Red-Eyes Spirit. Now I can bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." A light then appeared as Red-Eyes appeared once more by Sunset's side as it led out a cry.

"Not bad, Sunset. In that case, I'll just place this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Sunset

"Doesn't look too good for Sunset." said Fluttershy as she watched from the stands.

"Ah reckon your right, partner. Principal Celestia is really givin' her a beaten."

"Alright, no more messing around, draw. Now I'll play my own ritual spell card, Red-Eyes Transmigration." shouted Sunset.

"Sorry to disappoint you, Sunset. But I activate my facedown, Ultimate Providence. So now I'll send a spell card to my graveyard and now I can negate/destroy your spell card." smiled Celestia.

"Arhh!" screamed Sunset. "I'll play Return of the Dragon Lords so that I can summon out my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon from my graveyard. But it won't stop there, now I overlay both of my level 7 Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon and Red-Eyes B. Dragon to build the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Sunset now had an even more powerful monster as it had two orbs circling around it as it let out a roar.

"This is probably the best thing that Sunset could have done." stated Twilight as she was taking some notes.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon from my hand, so I'll equip it to my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon to give it 600 more attack points. Making his strength rise to 3400. Next I activate my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon to special summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!" Sunset now had a field full of monsters looking to take deal some damage to Celestia. "Now I'll have my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon take out your Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier, Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon will take our your Honest and then I'll have my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon will attack your life points directly!" shouted Sunset as she thrusted her hand out. Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier raised its sword as it went head to head with Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon only to have its weapon knocked out of his hands and was destroyed. Soon Sunset's other dragons zeroed in on their targets.

"The effect of my Black Luster Soldier - Super Soldier activates, whenever it's destroyed by battle, I can special summon a 'Gaia The Fierce Knight' from my deck." Celestia then used her duel disk screen as she selected the card she wanted. Soon it popped out for her to grab as she placed it on her card tray in defense mode. Soon her new monster met the same fate as the other monsters, but its did its job of protecting Celestia.
Celestia's Life Points: 7200-

I thought that would work, had it did, the scoreboard would have been a bit more even. "I'll just end my turn. But before I forget, my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's effect kicks in. Since you activated a card effect while my dragon has Xyz materials, you take an additional 500 points of damage." Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon then fired off a fireball as it collided with Celestia who put her arms to protect herself from the attack.
Celestia's Life Points: 6700-

Turn 7: Celestia

"My draw," Celestia drew her card and she was now worried at on what Sunset had managed to mass on her field. "For now I'll play a monster in defense mode. Next up, I'll play my Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three more cards and discard two."

"Don't forget that since you activated a card effect while my dragon is on the field, you take 500 points of damage." stated Sunset as her dragon fired another fireball that dealt some more burn damage.
Celestia's Life Points: 6200-

"Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"It's my turn, draw. Now I'll have my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon will attack your only defense and when it does, I'll have my other two dragons attack your life points. Take it away my pet!" shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon then unleashed its jaws as it attacked Celestia's monster.

"The monster that you attack was my Marshmallon. Thanks to its special ability, it can't be destroyed by battle. Further more you take 1000 points of damage." Celestia's monster was then thrown for a loop as it bounced around from Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 3700-

"With that monster out, my other attacks will be useless. However, that's another effect that you activated so now you lose another 500 life points." stated Sunset as Celestia lost some more life points.
Celestia's Life Points: 5700-

"A small price to pay to keep my monster in play." said Celestia.

"Very well, I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Celestia

"Now then I'll a monster facedown in defense mode. Then since I have at least 4 Fairy monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon my Archlord Kristya(2800/2300) from my hand." Celestia now had another monster as it unfurled its wings and was surrounded in a blazing light.

"Another effect means you lose another 500 life points." stated Sunset as she burned away some more of Celestia's life points.

"Trust me, that dragon of yours won't be a trouble for much longer. Now then I'll have my Archlord Kristya take out your Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon." Celestia gave her monster its command and it pulled out a sword made of light as it slashed Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 3300-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. So now I equip it to my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon so it can make two attacks. Next I'll sacrifice my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon to bring out my Summoned Skull." Sunset's baby dragon then disappeared as a giant fiend took its place as lightning fell from the sky. "Now I'll have Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon take out your Archlord Kristya and then it'll take out your facedown monster. Then my other monster will swoop in to finish the job." Sunset's dragon took out Celestia's monster with ease and then went to take out her facedown creature.
Celestia's Life Points: 5100-

"I reveal my facedown, Fairy Assistance. So now since a monster of mine was destroyed, I can add one Fairy-type monster to my hand." Celestia then selected the card she wanted.

"Once again, another card effect activated means you lose 500 points." stated Sunset as her dragon prepared to fire off another fireball.

"Not this time, cause the card I add to my hand will save me. I discard Angel of Descending Light and another Fairy monster that not only can I removed both of your dragon's Xyz materials, but destroy him as well." Celestia's tiny monster then glowed in a golden shower as it shot towards Sunset's great beast while destroying it in a burst of light.

"My dragon may be gone, but my other monsters are still attacking." Sunset's other monster then took out Celestia's remaining field as she had nothing left to protect herself.

Celestia however had a smile on her face as her plan worked. "Thank you, Sunset. Cause the monster that you just attacked was none other than Cyber Jar." Celestia's monster then manifested as a tiny machine appeared and then it opened its eye as it a timer started to countdown. "Now all monsters on the field are destroyed."

"No!!" shouted Sunset as she had nothing to save her monsters.

Soon the timer reached zero and then a huge explosion went off as a huge blast enveloped the field. Both Celestia and Sunset covered their eyes till it died down. Once it was done, there was nothing on the field as all the monsters that were there a second ago where gone as there was nothing but smoke and ashes.

"Now the other effect of my Cyber Jar activates, so now we reveal the top 5 cards of our deck and we summon any level 4 or lower monsters."

Both Celestia and Sunset's duel disk projected each person's five cards as everybody could see what they had.

"Seems the only monster that I had is my Red-Eyes B. Chick and I'll summon it in facedown defense position." Sunset grabbed her card as she placed it on her card tray and added the rest of her cards to her hand.

"Seems I'm in the same boat as the only monster that I've drawn is my Harvest Angel of Wisdom." Celestia then did the same but unlike Sunset, she placed her monster in attack mode. She then added the rest of the cards in her hand. "Now then anything else that you'll do this turn." asked Celestia.

"Not much, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 11: Celestia

"Now then I draw, so now I'll sacrifice my Harvest Angel of Wisdom to bring out my Airknight Parshath. Now I'll have my Airknight Parshath attack your monster. My monster's ability allows it to deal piercing damage and when it does inflict battle damage, I can draw a card." Airknight then took flight as it took out Sunset's monster while dealing damage to her; Celestia then picked up a card.
Sunset's Life Points: 1400-

"With that I'll end my turn. Time to see what you can do Sunset."

Turn 12: Sunset

"This duel is taking a toll on both of them." said Isaac.

"How so?" asked Twilight.

"Based on how they've both played their cards so far, they're starting to run out of steam. It's only a matter of time before a winner is declared." Isaac then looked at Sunset. If you want to win, Sunset. Now is your chance, believe that you can draw the right card to turn this duel around. Isaac then shot a glare at Celestia, So what else are you hiding, Celestia?

Sunset was breathing hard as she looked at her hand and then placed her other hand on top of her deck. Almost there, I have all the cards I need in my hand. But I just need to draw the right card. Alright deck, don't fail me now. Sunset let out a breath as she drew her card, she then looked at it and had a smile on her face. "Time for me to take things up a notch. And I'll start by playing my Monster Reborn and with it I'll bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Sunset now had her ace monster as it rose once more.

"Now I tribute my Red-Eyes to bring out an even more powerful beast. I special summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)!" Soon a pillar of fire appeared as it surrounded Red-Eyes, then it disappeared as a new and bigger beast appeared. This new monster was covered in head to toe in the color black as it had razor sharp wings. "Now my great beast's ability activates, for every dragon in my graveyard, my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains 300 attack." Soon all the spirits of Sunset's monsters appeared as they let out roars, "Currently there are 10 dragons in my graveyard so my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains 3000 attack points. But it won't stop there, cause from my hand I play the equip spell, Megamorph. So now since my life points are lower than yours, I can double the attack points of my monster. So now my dragon has a total of 10,800 attack points!"

"No way!!" shouted Dash.

Everybody was now staring with wide eyes as they saw Sunset have a powerhouse of a monster. Even Celestia was starting to slowly stare into the face of defeat as she feared she may be forced into retirement.

"Now then time to end this. Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon attack Airknight Parshath!!! End this duel!!!" Sunset then thrusted her hand out as her dragon took flight and began to put the final nail in the coffin of Celestia's career.

Time seemed to be slowing down as Sunset's monster started to close in on Celestia's remaining life points. Celestia then slowly looked at Isaac which he just gave her a serious look. Celestia then closed her eyes as she knew what she had to do if she wanted to stay alive in this duel.

"I activate my facedown, Nutrient Z. Now whenever I'm about to take 2000 points of damage, I gain 4000 life points!" shouted Celestia.
Celestia's Life Points: 9100-

With that Sunset's dragon took out Celestia's monster as it caused Celestia to cover up and eventually she was brought to her knees as the attack nearly wiped her out. Celestia then touched her duel screen once more as she activated her other facedown. "Now I play my other facedown, Damage Vaccine Ω MAX. So now all the damage I just took I regain." Celestia's duel disk registered what she did as her life points went from 100 to back to 9100. Still, had Celestia not played her last card then she would definitely be done for.

"So close, but I'll just end my turn." stated Sunset. This is it, my last facedown that I previous set is Trap of Darkness. Sure it'll cost me 1000 life points to activate, but the good thing is that it allows me to copy a trap card in my graveyard. So with it, I'll copy my Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. That will allow my monster to attack twice, so whatever monster Celestia summons, I'll take it down and if need be I can launch a second attack.

Turn 13: Celestia

Celestia slowly got back to her feet as she stumbled a bit. She then looked at her hand and saw that she was trembling, to think that her life flashed before her eyes and her dueling career was almost gone. Celestia had put this little crusade together in hopes of showing that she still had the skills she knew she had, and she wanted to have one final match with one of the greatest duelist she got to witness. And to think that she nearly lost that opportunity; Celestia wanted to face Isaac. Correction: She needed to face Isaac, and given what had just occurred, she knew what she had to do.

Celestia then put her hand on her deck. "My turn, draw!" Celestia could sense the card she drew as she knew what it was without looking at it. I must do whatever it takes to face Isaac at the Fall Formal. Whatever it takes!! "Now I play the spell card Necromancy." Celestia's card then caused souls to appear as they started to enter Sunset's graveyard.

"What's going on?" asked Sunset.

"My Necromancy spell card allows me to select up to 4 random monsters in your graveyard, Sunset. And then I can special summon them in faceup defense position." Soon out came Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon, Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon and Red-Eyes B. Dragon.

"I don't get it, why summon monsters from my graveyard onto my field?" asked Sunset.

"Quite simple, first off your dragon gains 300 attack points for every dragon in your graveyard. So by taking out 3 dragons, your Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon loses 900 attack points making its strength drop to 9900." stated Celestia.

"Even so, my monster still has enough attack to finish this duel on my next turn. So what was the point of all that?" Sunset along with everybody else was confused on why Celestia would do such a move.

"Because it all sets up for my victory." Celestia looked at the monster she was holding and she could feel its mighty spirit waiting to be unleashed. It's time old friend. "Now I play the spell card, Soul Exchange. So I'll take control of those 3 dragons that I summoned from your graveyard as I prepare to tribute them!" Soon Celestia held her card up high as a blinding yellow light was starting to light up the entire room.

Isaac looked at his deck box on his belt as he pulled out his deck. He could feel one card in his deck as its spirit was calling out to him; Sunset and everybody were waiting to see what monster Celestia was about to summon. And lets just say that it was something that nobody was ready for.

"Now I tribute the 3 dragons to call upon a monster that's been known since ancient times. A creature that was invoked with the power of a god. Now everybody behold as I summon the one, the only... The Winged Dragon of Ra(?/?)" shouted Celestia as her ultimate monster now appeared as the students were amazed by what they were witnessing. Out came a monster that was so huge that it looked like it could burst through the building, it had a yellow body covered from head to toe as it let out a huge cry. Soon it felt like the entire room started to get even hotter.

No one was more surprised than Isaac who suddenly stood up from his chair so fast as it was thrown onto the ground which shocked Twilight. "No way!!" said Isaac as he was in both awe and anger that Celestia kept such a card that even he didn't know about.

Sunset was now staring in the face of one of, if not the strongest Egyptian God card. Sunset was terrified by what she saw. All the girls knew that Isaac was in possess of Slifer but to think that their very own principal had an even stronger card than Isaac caused them to have fear.

Celestia just smiled as her new monster appeared. Good to see, friend. "Now my Winged Dragon of Ra's attack and defense points are determined by the total number of points of the monsters that I used to summon it. So now my creature has a total of 8000 attack/defense points."

"8000?" Sunset was in disbelief with how Ra worked. "Still my dragon is still the strongest on the field."

"Then allow me to explain another effect of my Winged Dragon of Ra, I give up all but one of my life points and the rest go to Ra himself." With that Sunset then put her hand on her duel disk as all her points were used to power up her monster. "Now my Winged Dragon of Ra now has a combined strength of 17,099 attack points!!" shouted Celestia.
Celestia's Life Points: 1-

"This can't be!!" yelled Sunset as she just realized that her dragon was no longer stronger.

"I said that I would face Isaac at the Fall Formal. And I'm willing to do anything to make sure that it happens. Even if it means I have to use this card," Celestia then looked at Isaac who had a mean look on his face as he stared at what Celestia was doing. "Now Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Sunset's dragon and end this duel!!!!" Celestia then thrusted her hand out as Ra opened it's mouth and fired up a powerful attack. It then fired off a powerful beam that had the actually power of the sun and a god combined as it burned up Sunset's dragon like an egg being overcooked. The force of the attack was so powerfully that Sunset didn't have time to cover up as she was thrown onto her back.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Celestia

"I win." said Celestia with a smug smile on her face. With that the spirit of Ra disappeared as the whole room was in silence.

Isaac was now pissed off with Celestia at how she had kept a card like The Winged Dragon of Ra a secret. In fact, he almost felt like challenging Celestia right there and now. If she wanted to have a duel so badly, then whose to say that they had to wait till the Fall Formal. Thankfully, Twilight saw how Isaac was acting that she immediately got up from her seat and stepped in front of Isaac and put her hands on him to stop him from doing something rash. All that could be done was the glance that both Celestia and Isaac were looking at each other; Celestia had won her 100th win and now the match was guaranteed to happen. The Fall Formal was ready to be one of the biggest events as both champion and challenger were looking to go to war with one another. While both Isaac and Celestia were giving intimidating looks/expressions, the spirits of both Slifer and Ra appeared as they looked to be ready for the battle that was to come.

All right, Celestia. Game on!!!

Chapter 82: The Retirement Duel

After Celestia had won her 100th win and completed her little crusade, she was now looking to make sure that the promise she made to Isaac all those weeks ago was to come. And through thick and thin, she did just that. Celestia was able to show that she still had it and was able to overcome her personal demons, but now the biggest task laid before her very eyes. But the entire matchup was now spun on its head as Celestia had revealed that she was in possession of the legendary Winged Dragon of Ra.

Everybody else still didn't know that Isaac was currently the holder of another Egyptian God card which was Slifer the Sky Dragon. So already the students were looking forward to seeing this duel between their champion and their principal, so you throw in the possibility that the Egyptian God cards may be used and you have a duel that almost anybody would pay to see. As for Isaac and Principal Celestia, lets say that after that last battle, both hadn't said a word to each other than just simply staring each other down in the hallway.

Isaac was currently lying on his bed as he had his deck in one hand as he stared at the ceiling. He was thinking about the challenge that was fast approaching. Soon he closed his eyes as he flashed back to a memory that had occurred weeks ago.

(A few weeks ago)

"You're doing what!?" shouted Isaac.

"I'm doing a sort of challenge. I want to see if I've got what it takes just like when I was in my prime. That's why I've had Luna compile a list of all the students so that I can select the ones that I want to face. This is my own personal goal that I want to achieve." stated Celestia. "I told you that I wanted to face the very best and that was you. But I also want to prove to myself that I don't want to face you because I say so, I want to earn it. That way there can be no excuse as to why we can't have a great duel."

"I understand all that, but you remember the stipulation. Should you lose your next duel, you'll be forced to retire." said Isaac.

"Then that makes it all the more for me to win." giggled Celestia.

"Still I just don't think this is a good idea. I get wanting to prove yourself, I really do, but there has to be another way. Let me fight in your place." pleaded Isaac.

"You Will Do No Such Thing!!!!" screamed Celestia as she slammed her fist on her desk. "This is on my own accord! I need this! You hear me, Isaac! I need to do this!" Celestia was now standing up as she was staring down at Isaac like an angry mother. "I know what you're doing. Let's just qualify something. There is no shame in me losing to you at the Fall Formal but it's not gonna happen! Okay? It's not gonna happen. You may be Canterlot High's duel champion. You may be the Showstopper but you're not gonna stop my show at the Fall Formal. I know that you're going to do whatever it takes to make sure that nothing happens to me because you want to be the one to beat. Is that right!" Celestia was now venting out her frustration as Isaac just stood taking Celestia's scolding.

"That's why you're here. And I've told you about sympathy. I've told you about pity. I've told you about running down and saving me. I'm my own person! I'm the Queen, god damn it! Okay? And I don't want you to get involved in anything I'm doing until I see you at the Fall Formal. I don't want to see you until our duel at the Fall Formal! I'm getting myself ready. I'm getting myself ready to go against the Showstopper. Is that understood!!" demanded Celestia. Isaac didn't say anything but just a simple nod. "Good, now get the hell out of my office!!"

(End of Flashback)

In fact that conversation took place early in the morning. Later in the day, when Dash had told the entire group during lunch of what she overheard, he already knew about it. But given that Celestia had told him to not get involved with anything that she was doing, he just simply said nothing. So later on when Celestia had made her announcement in front of everybody and chosen Dash as her first challenger, Isaac had decided to observe from the sidelines. He knew he was disobeying Celestia's orders by being here, but he couldn't help but feel like she may need some help. Seems Vice-Principal Luna thought the same thing as she made sure that Isaac had a private seat to watch Celestia's duels in case she may need help. Celestia was displeased with Isaac disobeying her authority, even more so that her own sister was thinking the same thing. Regardless she allowed Isaac to continue to sit in on her duels, but she explicitly made it clear to both him and her own sister that she didn't need anybody to save her.

And now after her duel with Sunset which she had to admit was at her scariest; she now finally got her wish to duel Isaac. But that duel with Sunset caused Celestia to have her life and career flash before her very eyes. She had to do whatever it took to make sure that she got what she wanted, and based on how Isaac's expression was when she used that card, she knew he was in a pissed off mode. Regardless, Celestia got what she so desperately desired and the match was now safely secured.

Isaac then sat up on his bed. He then took out three cards from his deck which happen to be his Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and Slifer the Sky Dragon. Now that Isaac knew Celestia had the most powerful Egyptian God card, he knew that he had to use Slifer to match the firepower that his opponent was going to bring. Isaac told himself that he wouldn't use Slifer unless it was for an emergency, but this was no emergency, this was personal.

The next day was the monthly school meeting that had all the heads of the different school clubs discussing the events upcoming for the school. Right now the issue was the Fall Formal as Pinkie was going over her design for this year as well as the duel that was going to take place. Isaac didn't say much as his mind was focused on his duel with Celestia, so Twilight did most of the speaking for both of them. Overall, everybody got their say in as they dispersed and wished Isaac the best of luck.

Isaac and Twilight were currently teaching their class of students; Twilight was busying going over a lecture she had planned while Isaac was sitting in the teacher's desk lost in thought. The Fall Formal was fast approaching and it was all he could think about, a part of him was still hesitant on facing his own principal and possibly ending her career. But another part of himself couldn't wait to get on the dueling field with and put Celestia out of her misery. Isaac was snapped out of his thoughts as Twilight nudged him.

"Isaac? Did you hear what I said? We're about to start the group activity." stated Twilight.

"Oh, right. Sorry, Twilight. Proceed as plan." informed Isaac.

Twilight nodded before she turned back to the class. "Alright, kids. Now we'll each break off into our small groups. So pull out your cards and have fun." At Twilight's command, all the kids started to meet with their groups as they began to have some practice duels. Twilight then began to walk around the classroom as she began to help anybody with some questions or what cards they could play.

Isaac also stood up as he looked at the kids; one thing about teaching a class full of little kids is that it helped to distract him from other things. So Isaac put his duel with Celestia to the side as he began to do his job as a teacher. He was currently looking over at some of the groups and seeing the many little duels they were doing. Soon he came across a little girl that had red hair and had a purple headband. She was wearing a cream t-shirt and had a red shirt. She had brown shoes, a blue bracelet, and had a aquamarine skin.

"Everything okay, Ariel?" asked Isaac.

"Everything is good, Mr. Isaac." responded the little girl.

"I told you, you don't have to call me Mr. I'm fine with you guys calling me by my name, I'm your friend."

"Right, sorry. It's just that well I recently got some new cards yesterday and well I was hoping to try them out, against you." Ariel quickly hid her face behind her hair.

Isaac just smiled at his student's display. "It's alright, I'll battle you." said Isaac as he rubbed her head. "Twilight, mind bringing me the choices."

"Of course." Twilight then walked over to the teacher's desk as she pulled out three different deck boxes and presented them to Isaac. "You know I can't believe that you refuse to use your own deck when battling against these kids."

"Well they're just beginners, Twilight. I don't want to throw them into the deep end off the bat, they need to understand the basics. Once they've got a firm grip on that, then we'll switch over to the more advanced tactics. Plus if I used my actually deck then... what's the word."

"You would destroy them." said Twilight bluntly.

"That's pretty harsh, Twi. But in a sense you're right." stated Isaac as he rubbed his neck. "Look I want to make sure these kids have fun. It's not always about wins and loses, sometimes losing is more rewarding than winning. I'll take this one." Isaac had selected the orange card box on the left. He then turned back to Ariel as he took a seat across from her and began to shuffle the deck. "Alright, Ariel you ready?"

"Yeah." shouted Ariel as she shuffled her deck.

"Twilight keep score for us."

Twilight nodded as she pulled out a piece of paper and wrote down the competitor's name and wrote down their life total with each starting at 4000 life points. Isaac and Twilight wanted the students to get comfortable with dueling so they implemented that the duels the kids have with each other center around 4000 life points instead of the usual 8000. This served as a way for them to understand how things were mostly done in the past and to help them with thinking a bit more when conducting their moves. With that everything was ready as Isaac and Ariel finished shuffling their decks and then drew their cards.

Ariel's Life Points: 4000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

"You can go first." said Isaac.

Turn 1: Ariel

"Alright, then watch out Isaac." Ariel then picked up a card from her deck as she looked through her hand. "To start things off, I'm summoning a monster who's pretty and pink! Now, say hello to the fintastic Aquaactress Guppy(600/600)." Ariel placed her card on the table as it was a monster that was a pink fish and was cute. "Now Aquarium Stage will set the scene perfectly for my Aquaactress! She'll feel right at home and she'll feel safe, too, because now she can only be destroyed by Water monsters, and nothing else! But I'm not done yet. What's an aquarium without some fun fishy furnishings? The spell Aquarium Set will give my Aquaactress the backdrop she needs to shine! Now my Aquaactress Guppy gains 600 attack/defense points due to it being a Water monster and 'Aquaactress'."

Isaac gave a light clap at what Ariel was able to do on her first turn. "Well done, Ariel. That's an impressive first turn."

"Thanks, Isaac. But it only gets better, so I'm activating the continuous spell Aquarium Lighting! When you need to show your Aquaactress at her best, this does the trick. It's flattering and doubles her attack points when she battles! My Guppy will now showcase her amazing talents by attacking you directly!" said Ariel as she pointed at Isaac.

"I'm afraid that's illegal, Ariel." said Twilight.

"Huh, illegal? What did I do wrong?" Ariel was trying to figure out what the problem was. "I don't understand, I applied all the lessons you both gave me."

"Oh, Ariel." chuckled Isaac. "Since you went first, there's something you can't do, remember?"

It took a moment, but a lightbulb went off in Ariel's head. "Oopsie! I forgot I can't attack yet!" Soon she started to laugh a bit at her own mistake.

"It's okay, Ariel. You can attack next turn." said Twilight as she gave the little girl a smile.

"I'll put a card facedown and end my turn!"

Turn 2: Isaac

"Guess, I'll go." Isaac then picked up his card from the deck and began to think on which one he wanted to play. "I'll play this little critter, Chainsaw Insect(2400/0)." Isaac then placed a monster on the table that had a chainsaw for a set of jaws. "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. It's your move."

Turn 3: Ariel

"Thank you, Isaac!" Ariel then picked up her next card as she had a smile on her face. "Perfect! This was one lucky draw, 'cause we get to have a fab fish fiesta! Time to make your entrance, Aquaactress Tetra(300/300)! And just like her friend, Aquaactress Guppy, Aquarium Set gives Tetra 600 extra attack points!"

"Impressive, Ariel. Now how will you deal with this situation?" asked Twilight. "Isaac right now has a monster that has 2400 attack points, so if you attack with your Guppy then they'll both be destroyed."

"Time for plan B!" Ariel then played another card on the table. "I play the spell card, Go Fish. Now for this turn, I can give my Aquaactress Guppy and extra 400 attack points. So get set for some fin-to-fin combat! Attack! And now, Tetra will join the fun by striking Isaac directly!"
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"Way to go, Ariel." said Isaac as he picked up the card and put it in the graveyard pile. "You were able to work around my monster and deal damage to me in the same turn. I'm proud of you."

"Thanks, Isaac. Those lessons that you and Twilight been doing really help out a lot. I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"It's my turn," Isaac then picked up the next card of his deck. "To begin I'll play Graceful Charity. So I'll pick up three more cards and discard two. Then I'll play the spell card, Polymerization and with it I'll fuse together my Elemental Hero Avian and Necroshade to form Elemental Hero Escuridao(2500/2000). My monster has an ability that allows it to gain an additional 100 attack points for every 'Elemental Hero' in my graveyard and right now I have two. So it gains 200 attack points. But before I attack, I'll reveal my facedown Heavy Storm and with it I'll destroy all the spell and trap cards on the field."

"Arr." said Ariel as she put all her cards in the discard pile.

"Now I'll have my Elemental Hero Escuridao attack your Aquaactress Tetra. Then I'll end my turn."
Allie's Life Points: 1600-

Turn 5: Ariel

"My draw, I'll tribute my lovely Guppy to summon Aquaactress Arowana(2000/2000)!" Allie then replaced her monster with a stronger one. "Now I'll activate my facedown, Aqua Story Urashima! Now since I have a 'Aquaactress' in my graveyard, I can use this trap to make your monster reduce all of its attack points to 100 till the end of my turn. Now I'll attack with Arowana! I attack with Bubble Burst!"
Isaac's Life Points: 400-

"I end my turn. You're up!"

Turn 6: Isaac

"Impressive, Ariel. You've really outdone yourself in this duel. It's my move then; now I'll play my spell card, O - Oversoul. Thanks to this spell, I can bring back an Elemental Hero from my graveyard. And I choose my Elemental Hero Avian(1000/1000). Next I'll play Elemental Hero Burstinatrix(1200/800). Lastly, I'll conduct another fusion summon by using this spell card, Miracle Fusion. Now I banish my Elemental Hero Avian and Burstinatrix so that I can summon my Elemental Hero Flame Wingman(2100/1200)." Isaac now switched out his two cards and replaced both of them with a new monster from the extra deck pile. "Now I'll have Elemental Hero Flame Wingman attack your Arowana."

"Oh man, well at least I still have some life points left."

"Sorry, Ariel. But my Flame Wingman has a special ability, whenever he destroys a monster in battle, you then take damage equal to the attack points of the monster. So since Aquaactress Arowana has 2000 attack points, you'll then take that same amount which means it's game over."
Ariel's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Good job, Ariel. Those new cards of yours really pack a punch; you nearly beat me." chuckled Isaac as he was now bent over by Ariel's side as he put his hand on her shoulder.

"Even so, I still lost. Ohh, I'll never be as good as you. Maybe I should just give up." Ariel was starting to cry a bit.

"Cheer up, Ariel." said Twilight who bent down on Ariel's other side. "Keep in mind that you're still a beginner, and that was pretty impressive for where you're at. I promise that if you keep at it, you'll be a top duelist in no time."

"You might even beat me." said Isaac with a smile on his face.

Ariel was now smiling as she wiped her tears. "Thanks, both of you." Ariel then gave a hug to both Twilight and Isaac as she went off to join the other kids.

"Seems we're doing a good job training the future duelists." said Twilight as she stood by Isaac's side while grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, these kids are going to grow up to be fantastic duelists. I hope that what I'm teaching them will help to prepare them for whatever challenges they may face." Isaac then looked at Twilight as he booped her nose. "Plus, I have someone who's a wonderful assistance and an even better girlfriend." Isaac then leaned as he gave Twilight a quick kiss, soon they broke apart as they went back to doing their job.

Soon the days rolled by as the Fall Formal was just right around the corner, Rarity did her usual stick by making sure that she created something nice for everybody to wear. She especially wanted to make Twilight an exquisite outfit for her date with Isaac. So afterschool, the girls all headed to Rarity's boutique to model for their dresses, meanwhile Isaac was heading towards work as he helped Mr. Johnson with the evening shift. Mr. Johnson knew about Isaac's big duel coming up and he understood the emotion that Isaac was going through. He simply told him to do his best and try to have fun. Isaac just gave a half-warm smile as he tried to keep his mind distracted. Thankfully, the CMC stopped by as they wanted to check out the new card packs and so they purchased some and grabbed Isaac as they wanted to show him what they got. Safe to say that with everything else in happening in his life, Isaac was able to clear his mind.

Nighttime had fallen as Isaac was on the floor of his room as he was sitting with his deck scattered in front of him. He was currently going over his strategy for his duel with Celestia. Right now, he was going over all his past duels both in his mind and on video thanks to Twilight. He was absorbing every single detail of his moves and his cards, as he wanted to be prepared. Celestia had already proven that she had skills, but now that she showed her true hand and was currently in possession of The Winged Dragon of Ra. That only brought terrified him due to his knowledge of Ra having so many powers/abilities. It was the reason why it was the most powerful Egyptian God card. That couple with what little he knew of Ra made it that much more challenging; the God cards were some of the legendary cards in all of Duel Monsters due to them having so many secrets, plus nobody had seen them in such a long time since the original owner had them. Regardless, Isaac had to prepare himself for any scenario.

So Isaac began to work on coming up with a game plan to defeat Celestia; he worked his brain to the fullest as he thought about every card combination possible he could do. Eventually, there were three cards that were in the center of the big mess as Isaac just kept looking at them. Isaac could sense the spirits of his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl as they appeared in front of him.

"You guys know what this is about." said Isaac.

"Of course, master. A duel against your very own principal." said Mahad.

"Safe to say that this will be a tough fight." stated Mana.

"I sense that you still have some uncertainty in you, master." Mahad just simply looked at Isaac. "It's tough fighting against someone who's done so much for you. Your principal has allowed you to showcase your skills every since you enrolled at CHS; she's given you a stage for you to shine and you have surpassed her expectations."

"Ultimately, she gave you an opportunity to become the face of CHS and you did just that." smiled Mana. "We're glad for you to have made it this far in your journey and we're glad to have been by your side for this entire ride." Mana then gave Isaac a peck on his cheek as she gave him a hug while nuzzling her cheek with his.

"Thank you, both of you. As far as allies go, you're definitely the ones I would put my faith in. I couldn't ask for any better loyal companions." said Isaac as he gave a smile back to his magicians. Isaac then picked up his Egyptian God card as he could feel Slifer's presence. "Okay, Slifer. I've gained your trust ever since I freed from Francis. Now I need your help to win this duel and defeat Ra." Slifer gave a cry as he heard Isaac's request; Isaac then looked at Mahad and Mana as they gave him a nod as they also understood Slifer. With that the three of them got to work on building up their forces. This time Isaac wasn't going back to square one, but square zero.

Meanwhile, Celestia was currently looking out of the window of her room. She was currently thinking about her duel with Isaac and how it could potentially be her last one. All her life she dreamed of this moment, to be inducted into the Hall of Fame for Duel Monsters; it was her and Luna's dream to become dueling sensations and here she was about to see her dream come true. But before that, she needed to have one final duel, one duel that could capture her excitement. One last duel that she could hang on for the rest of her life. And she knew that Isaac was the individual who could do that. Luna then entered the room as she saw her sister deep in thought.

"You know, Luna. I now know why you find the night so fascinating. It allows you the space you need to think, the chance to allow you to deal with stuff at your own pace. But ultimately, it allows you to appreciate all the things you've done in your life." stated Celestia.

"Yes, well the nighttime also allows for other things." said Luna as she was glad her own sister could see things from her perspective. "But I'm to assume that you're thinking about your match with Isaac at the Fall Formal in a few days." Luna then sat next to her sister on her bed. "All my life, I've been following you and trying to accomplish our dreams of being inducted into the Hall of Fame. Granted we wanted to both go in at the same time, but I guess life had other plans. Still, we got to meet each member of the Big 4 and my did they give us some memorable moments." said Luna as she remembered all the times she and her sister battled against each of them.

"Oh, Lulu. You're always been my equal, and I'm not just saying that cause your my little sister. You've shown that you have just as much talent as me, and I couldn't ask for a better sister than that. You'll get your time to stand in the spotlight, just because my career is winding down, doesn't mean that you should as well. In fact, you can still compete and continue to build on your legacy." Celestia then placed her hand on Luna's sister. "My only hope is that I was the big sister that you needed; all my life I did the best that I could to make sure that you were happy."

"You did everything you could, Tia. And I wouldn't ask for anything else." Luna then hugged her sister. "Thank you for all you did for us, sis." Luna was then starting to cry.

"I'm thankful for that, Lulu." said Celestia as she too let a few tears out while hugging her little sibling. "I love you, Lulu."

"I love you, Tia." said Luna.

For the rest of the night both sisters just held each other as they let their feelings out. Soon Luna broke away as she wished Celestia good luck and they both retreated for the night.

The following day everybody was getting ready as it was the day before the Fall Formal. Pinkie along with the rest of the part planning committee worked hard to make sure that they had everything organized to start decoration for tomorrow. Celestia did her normal duties as she made the morning announcements and told the students to get excited for the Fall Formal. She also invited everybody to attend in the auditorium for the final confrontation between her and Isaac. Everybody was really scared about what they would see when Isaac and Principal Celestia, especially what they might say to each other. Still it served a purpose as everybody really did want to hear what was on each of the competitors' mind.

The rest of the day went by as the students carried on with their classes. Isaac did his best to not pay attention to what his peers were saying as he tried to just take his mind off of things. Eventually the day started to wind down as classes were ending and the students were grabbing their stuff. Then they all made their way to the auditorium as they settled in the bleachers as they waited for what could happen. Luna was already seated as she would act as the moderator and keep things in check. A minute passed. Then two. Then ten minutes. Soon about 25 minutes had passed as everybody was waiting, eventually the doors opened up as in walked Celestia. However, she wasn't by herself as she was carrying a sack which contained something in it. Soon she took her seat as she waited for Isaac. Soon the doors on the other side of the room opened as there was Isaac along with Twilight.

Isaac glanced around the room as he saw his class all seated as they were wanting to listen to what the two competitors had to say. Isaac then centered on the table in front of the bleachers as there was Luna sitting on the side and Celestia sitting in a chair. Isaac took a deep breath as he began walking and eventually took his seat across from Celestia with Twilight standing behind. Both Isaac and Celestia didn't say a word as they just stared at each other. Not once did they have break eye contact. Silence had overcome the entire room as both duelist locked eyes ahead of their match tomorrow. Soon Luna cleared her throat as she got the attention of everybody.

"Welcome, everybody. As you know the Fall Formal is tomorrow. And the day after that, Celestia will be inducted into the Dueling Hall of Fame. However, before that she'll be having a match with Isaac where should she lose then Principal Celestia will be forced to retire." Luna's statement was meant with nothing but murmurs and a standard applause. "Now then here before us are the competitors who'll be facing each other tomorrow night. Right now is the time where they will get to express what they're thinking/feeling. As well as to say any final words. So with that let's begin."

Celestia then grabbed a microphone in front of her and began to speak. "Isaac, enough has been said about you that I would just be repeating it. One year. One year. My, how does one year make a difference. This time last year, you enrolled at Canterlot High and took this place by storm. To think that I would get to experience someone who was passionate about Duel Monsters more than anybody in this place. You helped to shed light in this place when it was covered in darkness; more importantly, you single-handedly became the face of this school."

The students just simply clapped at Celestia's statement. Isaac then grabbed the microphone in front of him as he began to speak. "That's kind of you to say, Principal Celestia. You're right, a year does make a difference. One year ago, I walked into this place just a student. I was just a student who had a deck and love for the game; I never once asked to be the face of this school. Last year, when I was facing Sunset she said something: There's a difference between a main event that lasts for one night and a main event that's life altering. That duel changed my life as it allowed me to propel myself into the next level. That night, I cemented my name into the history books as a duelist that I was proud to become." Isaac's response was met with a similar applause. "And since then I went on to experience some of the most amazing things in my life, I got to make some close friends, I got to see new places, I was opened to some new challengers. And most importantly," Isaac then grabbed Twilight's hand that was on his shoulder as he looked at her, "I got to experience something that I never thought I would ever have in my life."

Twilight just simply smiled at Isaac. Their friends also gave a smile as they heard Isaac's statement. Even Luna and Celestia gave a smile at what Isaac was saying.

"And through all that, I got to do it while doing the thing I love the most. But I know that this duel at the Fall Formal could very well be your last. And you've had an incredible career, both in and out of the dueling field. I couldn't imagine what this place might be if you weren't around. So when you first mentioned about potentially retiring at the Fall Formal, I'll admit my heart sank. And it got worst when you said that you wanted to face me. And if that wasn't enough, you then went on this little 'prove yourself' journey in where you challenged anybody and everybody; you put yourself through a difficult situation in where you were literally gambling your career with each match." At that point, Celestia was now starting to get angry with Isaac.

"Then tell me why you disobeyed my orders?" said Celestia with a stern mother-like tone. "Cause based on all the past weeks that have been leading up to this point, I seen you watching my duels when I specifically told you that I didn't want to see you till the Fall Formal. I feel like you have no confidence in me, no faith in me and as a result of that, I'm losing respect for you." said Celestia as she pointed at Isaac.

"First of all, Celestia, I'm sorry to hear that you've lost respect for me. More importantly, though, I'm sorry to hear that you think that I've lost faith in you. You need to understand something. That could never happen. I didn't come out to each one of your duels to disobey your orders or do anything. I was doing what I thought you would do. Cause Celestia whether you win or lose, you'll always be 'The Queen', you'll always be a role model to me, you'll always be the principal..."

"SHUT UP!!!!!!" screamed Celestia as it caused everybody to tuck in their cheeks. Not once did they ever hear their beloved principal act like this. Luna certainly never saw her own sister behave like this especially when they used to have fights. Isaac was just silent as he was kind of scared at how steamed Celestia was.

Celestia then started to take off her coat as she rolled up her sleeves and looked at Isaac dead in the eyes. "You hate hearing this, they hate hearing it, but it's because of people like you that I don't need anybody anymore to tell me just who the hell I am!!! I'm feeling pretty good about myself. And I wanna show you something!!" She stood up from her chair as she placed the bag she had with her on the table. Celestia then pulled out some kind of trophy as it had her name embedded on it with a statue of a generic person holding a duel disk standing on a globe.

"Anybody know what this is?" shouted Celestia as she showed everybody her trophy. "This is the Yugioh World Class trophy. I won it when I was 25 years old!!! This is an accomplishment that very few duelist can ever hope to get in their career. This is an accomplishment that is only awarded to an individual not just based on their success, but on character, on heart, on passion!!!" yelled Celestia as a few spits were coming out of her mouth. "Only a select few have ever gotten the opportunity to ever get one in their life because this trophy shows that you can hang with the best. All the greats of the past have held this trophy at one point in their career!!! This is what you grew up admiring, wanting to know what made a machine like me go!!!" Celestia's response was met with some cheers as the students could feel her passion.

"This is the gal that dueled against some of the very best that this game had to offer, from people across the sea. Against people who thought that the gal couldn't hang, against people who also were inducted into the Hall of Fame!!! The list goes on and on, I even faced against the Big 4. Including your idol." That last part cut deep with Isaac. "And if you were 20 years older, you would have been on the dueling field with me back then!!!"

Isaac just put his head down for bit as he let Celestia berate him. All the things Celestia was currently saying was touching everybody's heart as they could feel all the emotions she had stored up just being released.

"I don't care what year it is!! I don't give a damn where it is!! It's the present. I pick you!!!" said Celestia as she pointed to Isaac. "Contrary to what anybody thinks, I picked you to duel against me at the Fall Formal because I... Want... To... Prove... On... The... Grandest... Stage... Of... All!!! That I can still be 'The Queen' Celestia. I'm talking about the Fall Formal, Mr. Showstopper, Mr. Duel Monsters, I want you to bring the best out of me." The crowd cheered even more as they were now fully behind Celestia. "I need that! I need that to make it the rest of the way in my life! I need one more night. I need to be 'The Queen'! Is that asking too much?" shouted Celestia.

Isaac didn't say anything as he was taking everything Celestia had throw at him to heart. Twilight was standing behind Isaac as she could feel the tension that was on display from her boyfriend and her principal. She looked to the crowd and saw that they too took Celestia's words to heart. Some even were cheering her as they now wanted her to win. Soon Isaac stood up as he was now standing and looking directly at Celestia.

Isaac then began to give his response, "Let me assure you of one thing. I'm gonna give you everything you need." Celestia started to smile at Isaac finally understanding what she wanted. "I'm gonna give you Isaac. I'm gonna give you the Headliner. I'm gonna give you the Main Event. I'm gonna give you the Icon and rest assured, I've got no choice. I'm gonna give you the Showstopper." The crowd gave Isaac a cheer as they knew both were ready to battle. "Come Friday, Tia, you're gonna step onto the dueling field with Mr. Duel Monsters."

Celestia then placed the trophy on the table as she extended her hand to Isaac as he shook it. "I would expect nothing less from you, my friend, the Showstopper, Mr. Duel Monsters, that's what I want. Thank you." With that the crowd cheered as they gave one last smile to each other. Luna then decided to depart everybody as Celestia grabbed her trophy and began to walk over to Isaac's side of the table as she was about to leave.

Isaac then had a little grin on his face as he saw Celestia at that point she was now walking and was about to past him when he grabbed the microphone and said something. That caused everybody to stop what they were doing as they looked and listened to what Isaac had to say.

"You know, before I go, just so there's no doubt in your mind that you're gonna get everything you need and more, I wanna remind you of a little story." Isaac was now up close to Celestia as he told his tale. "Remember the story of Old Yeller? They loved that dog. But when it was time, they had to take that dog out back and finish him. Come Friday, the Showstopper is gonna take you, Old Yeller, behind the woodshed and put you out of your misery." Isaac used his fingers to make the shape of a gun as he pointed it at Celestia's head and pretended to fire it off.

The crowd didn't like what Isaac said as they gave him a couple of boos towards him. Celestia however was full on pissed as the trophy she had in her hand, she slammed it onto the ground with so much force that it broke apart into pieces. She then started to unbutton a bit of her undershirt as she tied up her hair and rolled back even more of her sleeves. She then stomped on the trophy as she grabbed the microphone that was on the table and got all up in the face of Isaac.

"Old Yeller, are you kidding me!!!" Celestia then slapped Isaac in the face with so much force that it knocked his cap off of his head as his head turned from the impact. Twilight and their friends immediately gasped at what Celestia just did. "Old Yeller!!! I said I got you, Old Yeller!!!" Celestia then gave Isaac another slap to the face as he just took it while staring at her. "What are you gonna do about that?" shouted Celestia as she gave Isaac a third slap that was more powerful than the previous two that it unchained his necklace. "Come on!! Why don't you take Old Yeller behind the woodshed right now!!!! Come on!!! Come on!! Come on!! I'm begging you!!! Do it now!!!"

Isaac simply raised the microphone to his mouth and said his final word. "Like I said, I'm putting you out of your misery." With that Isaac dropped the microphone as he began to walk out of the room and through the doors, but not before being welcomed to a large sound of boos from his fellow peers.

Celestia was still angry at what Isaac said. Twilight just looked between Isaac leaving and Principal Celestia. She simply grabbed Isaac's cap and necklace from the floor and bowed at Celestia as she said sorry on Isaac's behalf as she left to find her boyfriend and try to talk to him. Celestia then grabbed her coat and began to walk out of the room, with Luna dismissing everybody else.

Twilight was running around the whole school building as she looked to find and talk with Isaac. She kept checking all the classrooms and both the front and back of the school, but couldn't find him. She then made her way to the stairs that led to the rooftop as she saw Isaac standing there overlooking the place. Isaac was in game mode as he absorbed everything Celestia had said.

"Isaac?" said Twilight as she gripped his belongings tightly hoping that whatever would happen tomorrow, that everything would turn out okay.

Isaac didn't say anything as he just focused on making sure that he brought his A-game and that he beat Celestia.

It was now Friday, the day of the Fall Formal. Thankfully, Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had given everybody the day off as they wanted everybody to get ready for the dance. The party planning committee was allowed in the building as they had to get everything ready, though Pinkie was able to work fast as she used her party cannons to put up the decorations. Luna even worked with the technical team as they changed the soccer field to have tons of screens/titrations so that they could televise the event to the homes of the students. Also due to the fact that both Isaac and her sister had two of the Egyptian God cards, they needed some more room so they decided to hold the duel outside compared to last year. Soon everything was running smoothly as they did a couple of test runs and they were all set for tonight. This time it would be Luna who would call the match on commentary with Pinkie as her co-broadcast partner.

With that the group was getting ready as the girls were all getting dressed up for the dance. With Rarity's expertise, it didn't take too long for everyone to find something that suited their tastes. Rainbow Dash and Applejack being the most opposed to the overtly breezy, or "froufrou" had arguably the most fascinating styles. Rainbow adorned a simple dress in a rainbow pattern with a decorative frill at the rim of the skirt, combined with a loose hanging purple sash with a lightning bolt shaped buckle, and long violet gloves reaching from her hands to her shoulders, all the while leaving her fingers bared. It looked more conductive to her propensity for movement and comfort. She went as far as undoing her hair, letting it cascade down her back. In place of the small, lightweight shoes she donned a pair of ankle-high magenta shoes.

Applejack, to Rarity's pleasure, went with a dress made of denim, the skirt ringed with stencils of apples. Combining with a white ascot around her neck and more elegant boots and stetson bearing a green ribbon with a single red rose at the front. A most fitting piece of apparel, given her deck. The outfit overall belied her fondness for her country heritage.

Fluttershy's was arguably the simplest of the bunch; a flowy teal, shoulderless dress that complemented her eyes, with a bright yellow layer underneath extending down past the teal layer, much like an upside-down bell flower. On her feet she adorned matching teal boots, decorated with pink laces and white and pink butterflies.

Pinkie went with a shoulderless baby blue dress with a dual-layered purple skirt with a large yellow ribbon at her waist, with knee-high boots with yellow rims, while most notably she had a small blue top hat pinned to her hair. Overall, it gave Pinkie a very circus-oriented appearance, quite befitting.

Rarity went with a simple one-piece sparkling blue dress with a tri-layered skirt, where the top two curved into diagonal angles, with her left shoulder left bare while the majority was suspended by her right. For her legwear she made do with a pair of knee-high white boots, each emblazoned with a blue gem at the top fronts.

Sunset had gone with one-piece scarlet dress as her right shoulder was exposed. It also had a dual-layer that had colors that matched her bacon-like hair. She wore knee-high yellow boots, with streaks of fire embedded on the front with her symbol of the sun on the heels. She even wore a necklace on her neck that was made up of rubies.

Twilight had no idea on what she might want to wear, fortunately, she had Rarity who assisted her through the process. Rarity picked out for her a magenta shoulderless dress with a white sash over her torso with a single, wide purple streak, along with a matching pair of magenta knee-high boots to complement it.

"So, how do I look?" Twilight asked, doing a brisk, full turn in front of the mirror. She even decided to let her hair down for tonight, but still retained her glasses.

"Oh, you are going to knock so many dead tonight, darling," Rarity chuckled, sounding most pleased.

"Oh Rarity." Twilight brushed a hand aside. "Although... Is it really appropriate for me to show this much bare skin up top?"

"Well, Twilight," Rarity slid herself behind Twilight, grasping her bare shoulders as the two of them beheld her in the mirror. "its just a little bit of the necessary sex appeal. I don't know about you, but this right here is just the right amount of skin; it shows confidence. And if you permit me, it perfectly complements your hair. Besides, I wanted to make sure that when Isaac sees you, he'll be falling head over heals at how drop dead gorgeous you are. Can you imagine how he'll feel seeing you like this, what he might do?" Rarity raised her eyebrows up and down to signal what she meant.

Twilight thought about it and safe to say it got her to blush heavily. Seems Rarity's words got Twilight all different shades of red as she imagined Isaac holding her in his arms and whispering into her ear while kissing. Just how close they would be when dancing while staring at each other's eyes. All of it got Twilight's heart racing as she tried to get it out of her mind but that proved difficult. Overall, she was looking forward to her first official school dance with Isaac as his date.

Rarity looked personally ecstatic at the drastically differing, unique ensembles, to which she eagerly bid everyone to gather for a photo on her smartphone device. Despite the potential ramifications of tonight, the session of dressing up for the mid-term dance offered much needed respite.

"Okay, girls. Let's go over some basic rules for tonight." stated Twilight as she got her friend's attention. "Tonight is a big night for all of us, especially for Isaac. You know the pressure he's under, also that it'll be the first time we get to attend a school dance as boyfriend and girlfriend. That being said, you're all free to dance with Isaac as much as you can. But should I catch any of you trying to make moves on him or even kiss on the lips; trust me, Isaac vs Celestia isn't going to be the only fight we'll see tonight." Twilight really wanted to express that last point given what had already happened with three of her friends and her boyfriend.

"We understand, darling." said Rarity as she put her hand up. "We know that you marked Isaac as your property and you know none of us would ever do anything to jeopardize your relationship with him. You're both perfect for each other and we just all want to see you happy, especially Isaac. If anybody deserves to be someone after all they've been through in their life, it's Isaac."

"Rarity's right." said Rainbow as she wrapped her arm around her neck. "Besides, if things don't work between the two of you, then Isaac has got plenty of options standing in front of him." said Rainbow with a smug.

"Rainbow Dash!!" screamed Rarity at what her friend was insinuating.

"What! I'm being real." chuckled Dash.

Twilight was now furious that her own friend would say that. She then started to run after Dash as she tried to strangle her, "Mind saying that to my face, Dash!!" Seems the girls all just giggled as they prayed that Twilight would have mercy once she got her hands on Rainbow.

Speaking of getting ready, Isaac wasn't with the group of girls as he was currently at his house. Afterschool, Isaac had arrived at Rarity's boutique and he didn't say much other that he wanted to pick up his outfit. Rarity was surprised that Isaac wasn't going to get dressed with the rest of their friends as it was sort of their tradition to all dress up so they could leave together. Isaac told her to not worry as he just needed to be some time to get his mindset right, especially since all day at school some of his classmates gave him some dirty looks based on the comments he said about Celestia. Regardless, Isaac ignored them and carried on with his day; so Rarity gave Isaac his outfit and left home.

After taking a shower, Isaac changed into his outfit. He wore a pitch-black tailcoat tuxedo with a white button-up shirt underneath. Under the collar of the shirt, he had an electric blue bowtie hanging. He finished tieing it up as he picked up a fedora that bore an electric blue stripe and placed it on his head. Once the hat was on, he looked at himself in the mirror again, taking a deep breath and slapping his face with his hands in an attempt to psyche himself up.

"Come one, Isaac, you've got this... It's just another duel!" his face flushed again. "That Celestia has selected you to be her opponent which happens to be the biggest night of the year for a lot of people. Nothing to be nervous about, right?" Isaac was now taking deep breaths. "Totally not nervous... I'm nervous." Isaac put his head down as closed his eyes. Tonight is going to be a night that will be remembered. Isaac then grabbed his duel disk that was on his bed as he placed it on his arm which fit comfortably on his arm and didn't mess up his suit; the duel with Isaac and Celestia would begin about two hours after the dance started and Isaac decided that instead of changing into his usual outfit, he figured he battle in his tuxedo.

Isaac looked at his watch and began to head over to Rarity's boutique. He placed his hand on the front door as he took a deep breath before pushing it open. Once he stepped through, he was immediately welcomed to the sight of the girls as they all showed off their outfits. Even they complemented Isaac on his suit as it did the job of showing off his handsomeness. Eventually Isaac looked around and found Twilight standing there as his eyes were fixed on her. The girls stepped aside as Isaac made his way towards her as he was in awe of her outfit.

"Well, do you like it?" asked Twilight while fidgeting her hands.

Isaac gave his answer by putting his hand on her shoulder and started to feel his way up her neck and cusped her right cheek. He then leaned in as he gave her a meaningful kiss. Twilight couldn't contain herself as she brought her hand up to cusp Isaac's face as she closed her eyes and leaned into it. Soon they broke apart as their forehead touched together while still staring at each other.

"That good enough for you." said Isaac. He then brought Twilight for another kiss as he felt like Twilight's outfit made her look hot. Soon Dash cleared her throat as it caused the both of them to break away.

"Jesus, get a room you two." stated Rainbow to which she received some dirty looks from the others.

Twilight just gave her a death glare as it reminded her to not piss her off. Isaac just wrapped his arm around Twilight as he felt the bare skin of her shoulder as it caused Twilight to blush. He gave the group one last statement as they all promised to have a good time; they all agreed as they wished Isaac the best of luck in his duel against Celestia. The final surprise came when it was time to return to CHS, for waiting for them outside was a limo.

"Rarity, are ya deliberately spoilin' us now?" asked Applejack, when the chauffeur for their ride exited the vehicle.

Rarity smirked, leaning in close to Applejack, "I might, just this once. A special case for a special night with the group back together and all."

The atmosphere at CHS in the evening was much different from the past days/weeks, with much of the building vacant, aside from the atrium and the hallway leading to the gymnasium. Many heads turned when the group entered; the students had for the most part all dressed in varying degrees of finer wear: The girls donning dresses of many designs and colors, while the boys were dressed in heavier looking coats with matching pants; many of them black, while some varied in colors, going from darker shades of green to navy blue, while some went for more ravishing colors. On occasion, they could spot a few wearing comparatively lax, but still finer looking outfits with lighter colors.

"Make way, Canterlot High!" declared Rainbow Dash who brazenly stepped forward, before gesturing at Isaac, "For here comes the Duel Monsters Champion!"

Isaac nervously waved as most eyes became fixated on him. "Rainbow, the duel hasn't even started yet.." he murmured through his teeth.

"Aww, don't worry about that Isaac," said Pinkie. "I mean we're at the ending stretch. It's not like the writer's going to belay expectations and just have some random character take the spotlight or whatever. Now if you excuuuse me." Pinkie pranced off towards the gymnasium all the while the rest of them were desperately trying to wrap their minds around the latest in the hundreds of questions courtesy of Pinkie Pike, or rather a Pinkie Pie.

Many more students had gathered inside the gymnasium, many students mingling among one another, some groups comprising of extensive mixes of the various cliques. Despite it seeming evident that the final duel was going between Isaac and Celestia, everyone, even in their formal wear, still wore their duel disks, possibly a formality at this point. Up on the stage Vinyl Scratch had set up her turn table, a soft, leveled tune emanating from the surrounding speakers suspended in the corners in the ceiling. At the front of the stage was a wide table covered in a nighty purple cloth, with a mic on top.

As the students continued to mingle, the eight of them took their places by the bleachers, trying to look as natural as they could hovering around the immediate area. As more students entered, many acknowledging Isaac as they went. Apple Bloom, Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo arrived, dressed in their own more formal attire, who made a beeline towards Isaac and the girls. They began to talk as they wished Isaac the best of luck in his duel.

Soon everyone’s attention was diverted toward the gymnasium door. True enough, there was Principal Celestia. She had decided to dress up as she was wearing a two-toned lilac dress with a fashionable scarf around her neck while the back of her skirt had some spiral sun patterns on it. She also had some flower clips on the dress as well as a star flower clip on the scarf along with some golden heels.

Isaac eyed her warily as she entered to which she did the same. Their eyes locked, staring at each other like two predators sizing up one another. Soon Celestia just gave a genuine smile as she went to enjoy herself while Isaac was thrown for a loop. Soon the music began to play as all the students started to make their way to the dance floor. Pinkie soon made her way to the Dj booth she began to start the hype train. Twilight was true to her word as she stepped to the side and allowed the girls to each dance with Isaac, though she made sure that she could see them in case they tried anything. Celestia watched from a far and she had a smile at how everybody was having fun.

Pinkie then whispered into Vinyl's ear as she nodded and the music began to change to a slow tune. Sunset was currently dancing with Isaac when the mood changed. She then had a smirk on her face when she pulled Isaac close to her; Isaac noticed and was starting to get nervous especially since Sunset's lips were getting close. Their lips were about a mere inches from touching when Sunset pulled away and just simply smile. She then pushed him away as Isaac then found himself in the arms of Twilight. At that moment all time seemed to slow down, everybody around them seem to fade away, the only thing that mattered was each other as the music began to play.

"Hey."

"Hey." said Twilight in response.

Isaac then placed his left hand on Twilight's hip while Twilight placed her left on Isaac's shoulder. They then grabbed their other hands and interlocked their fingers. Isaac looked at Twilight's eyes as they really showed why her name was sparkle. Soon they began to move to the flow of the music as they danced; their friends watched from the side as they were happy for the couple, even Celestia was pleased by what she saw. Eventually Twilight wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck as he placed his hands on Twilight's waist and pulled her in close. Up above, the spirits of Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, and even Twilight's High Priestess of Prophecy appeared as she was glad her mistress was enjoying herself.

Twilight then put her head on Isaac's chest as she could feel his heartbeat. It served as a calming sound as she closed her eyes; Isaac also closed his eyes as he took in the scent of lavender from her hair. Both then looked at each other as they fell under a spell and then leaned in as their lips got closer and closer. Soon they made contact as they gave a deep, tender kiss. Isaac then lifted Twilight up a bit as they maintained their moment. They broke away as their foreheads touched together.

"I can't believe this is actually happening." Twilight said with a smile on her face before pecking Isaac again on the lips.

"Me neither." Isaac replied as he gave her another kiss as he brought her back down on the ground.

Then the time was near. The music began to gradually dim; the students began making their ways towards the field outside as they found seats in the bleachers. Twilight gave one final kiss for good luck as she left with the rest of their friends to watch Isaac's duel. Isaac then adjusted the fedora on his head as he made his way through the doors and out onto the field. He noticed that there were tons of cameras broadcasting the event as he looked to the left of the field to see Luna and Pinkie on the commentary booth as they introduced Isaac to the viewers while he was making his entrance. Isaac then took his place as he was met with a fair amount of respect, soon he waited. Then on the screen for all to see a video package began to play as it was about Celestia. It told about her journey and showed off some highlights of her career; while everybody was watching the video package, there was a small detail that Isaac was paying attention to. The thing that really caught Isaac's eye was that in the short moments after each of Celestia's duel was he could see the faint hint of exhaustion and overtime it was catching up with her. Even the song playing in the video package served as the perfect metaphor.

Soon Celestia came through the doors as the students started to cheer for her. Celestia took in the sight as she prepared for what possibly could be her final duel. While she was walking towards the dueling field, Luna and Pinkie were speaking into their headset as they did their job of explaining to the people watching at home.

"The eyes of the world are on this duel tonight." said Pinkie.

"Indeed, Ms. Pie. Tonight could very well be the final night that Celestia may step on the dueling field." commented Luna. "As she walks to the dueling field with pride and conviction. But for Isaac he finds himself in a unique situation of his magnificent and stored career so far. The rage, the emotions of Isaac that he's experienced in the past 24 hours." stated Luna.

"It's Mr. Duel Monsters that Celestia wanted here tonight. And I'll assure you ladies and gentleman, that it's Mr. Duel Monsters that 'The Queen' Celestia will get." said Pinkie as she looked at Isaac.

"It's on this day that Celestia looks to once again to rise to the occasion. There will never be another person like her." That last part Luna said with a tear rolling down her cheek.

Both Isaac and Celestia gave one last stare as they looked at each other. They then gave one final handshake as they didn't break eye contact; with that they left as they took positions and slotted in their decks. Both activated their duel disks as they projected their card trays; the autoshuffler kicked as both competitors waited for the signal to start. The spirits of Slifer and Ra were getting ready to engage, then the signal was given.

"Prepare yourself, Isaac." shouted Celestia.

"It's time to duel, Celestia." yelled back Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Celestia

"Time to show you what I can do, draw! To start I'll place a monster in defense mode. Then I'll play one card facedown and end my turn." stated Celestia.

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn," Isaac drew his card and looked at Celestia's field. "To start I'll play my Queen's Knight in attack mode. Next I'll attack your facedown, Queen's Knight attack." Isaac's monster then swung her sword at the facedown but it wasn't destroyed. "What gives?" asked Isaac.

"The monster that you attacked was my Aroma Jar(500/400). Since it was flipped faceup, it can't be destroyed by battle while it remains on the field. Furthermore, I gain 500 extra life points during each player's end phase." stated Celestia.

"In that case, I'll place one card facedown."
Celestia's Life Points: 8500-

Turn 3: Celestia

"Back to me," Celestia drew her card and she was happy, "Now I'll play the spell Card Advance, so now I look at the top 5 cards of my deck and I can put them in any order I choose." Celestia picked up her cards and decided the order, she then put them back on her deck. "Next I'll play my Deep Diver(1000/1100) in attack mode. Lastly, I'll end my turn."
Celestia's Life Points: 9000-

"Celestia really is racking up her life points." said Dash.

"As long as that Aroma Jar is on the field, Celestia will keep gaining life points. And knowing that she can transfer her life total to increase Ra's strength, Isaac will be in deep trouble." stated Sunset.

Turn 4: Isaac

Celestia is already gaining life points, not to mention that she put her monster in attack mode. She must be planning something? "My turn; now I'll special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician, so by sending one card to the graveyard I can summon her. In addition, I can add 1 'Dark Magician' from my deck to my hand." Isaac's screen showed the card that he wanted as he pushed the confirm option and it slotted out for him to grab. "Now time to put dent in your life points, I'll have my Apprentice Illusion Magician attack your Deep Diver."
Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

"Now Deep Diver's effect activates, whenever it's destroyed by battle, I can add one monster from my deck and put it on the top of my deck."

"Oh no!" shouted Isaac.

Celestia then choose the monster she wanted as she placed it on top of her deck. If only you knew what I had in store for you, Isaac.

"In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Celestia's Life Points: 8500-

Turn 5: Celestia

"Now then my draw," Celestia then picked up her card as it was the one she wanted. "Now I'll place the spell card, The True Name. Now I declare a card type and if I guess right, I can add it to my hand or special summon a 'Divine' monster from my deck. I guess a trap card." Celestia then picked up her card as she had a smile on her face, "Seems I was wrong."

"What!?!" shouted Isaac and the girls.

"Oh silly me, I must be getting old if my memory is fading, oh well I must now send it to the graveyard." Celestia then slid her card away.

Something's wrong, I know for a fact that Celestia would know what card that was given that she used her Card Advanced the previous turn. Did she guess incorrectly on purpose?

"Now then I'll summon my Power Angel Valkyria(1800/1050). Then I'll play the spell Monster Reborn, so now I can bring back a monster from the graveyard."

"What good will that do you, you don't have a powerful monster and mine's empty." stated Isaac.

"There's are still things you need to learn, Isaac. Like there's more than one way to summon a God card." snickered Celestia.

"No!" Isaac then thought to the card that Celestia sent to the graveyard and his heart dropped. "It can't be..."

"Correct, I revive The Winged Dragon of Ra!!!!" shouted Celestia as her powerful monster appeared and caused everybody to have their mouths open. Celestia was proud of herself as she managed to bring her beast and was ready to beat Isaac.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he was in awe of such a creature.

"Indeed, now then Isaac. I have my Egyptian God card, but where is yours? Perhaps I can help you, I play Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards. Consider this a token, hopefully this will help you get what you need." Both players then refilled their hands. "Now I activate Ra's effect, so at the cost of 1000 life points, my monster can annihilate your entire field."
Celestia's Life Points: 7500-

"It can what!?!" shouted all the girls.

"Winged Dragon of Ra, use your powers and wipe out Isaac's field." Ra turned into a phoenix as it soared and collided with Isaac as he could feel the fire from the card, seems its outer worldly powers weren't a joke. "Now I'll have my Power Angel attack you directly!"
Isaac's Life Points: 6200-

"That's all and so my Egyptian God must bid farewell, but don't fret, he'll be back shortly. I now end my turn."
Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

"What a move by Celestia." stated Pinkie on commentary. "To think that by sending her God card to the grave, she was able to wipe out Isaac's entire field and do some heavy damage to him. Talk about a doozy."

"Indeed, and Celestia has more tricks up her sleeves. She said that we haven't seen the last of Ra and I believe it to be true." stated Luna in response.

"Did you see that?" asked Fluttershy as she was scared.

"Ah wish ah didn't, sugar. That god card is one tough customer."

"Not to mention that Celestia can just wipe out Isaac's entire field in one shot, not to mention she's got plenty of life points to spare." said Rainbow.

Turn 6: Isaac

Got to stay strong, I told Celestia that I was gonna give her the best in me and that's what I'm gonna do. Time to show her what I can do. Isaac then placed his hand on his deck as he closed his eyes, he then drew it. "I play one card facedown and end my turn." Isaac said all that without looking at the card he just drew which shocked everybody, even Celestia.
Celestia's Life Points: 8500-

"Is Isaac nuts? He didn't even look at what he drew." shouted Dash.

"What is he doing?" asked Rarity.

"Any answers, Twi?" said Sunset.

"I don't know."

Even the commentary table was shocked at what they saw, Isaac just simply had his eyes closed the whole time and he ended his turn with a single facedown. He didn't even summon a monster to protect himself. Pinkie didn't even know what to say to the folks at home; Celestia had her eyes wide open at Isaac who just had a smile on his face.

Turn 7: Celestia

"I told you that I don't want pity!!!" shouted Celestia. "Seem you have lost respect for me, now my draw! I now play my Harvest Angel of Wisdom; then I'll play Spell Reproduction. So I send 2 spell cards from my hand to the graveyard, and then I can add 1 Spell card to my hand from the grave. So I choose to add my Monster Reborn."

"Oh no, she's gonna do it again." stated Dash.

"I play Monster Reborn to bring back Ra." Once again, Celestia's great beast appeared as it still had everybody be scared. "Now I'll tribute my Harvest Angel and Power Angel so that Ra can increase it's attack points." Celestia's other monsters then disappeared as Ra absorbed their power and increase its own stats. "Now since you have no monsters, I'll attack you directly!"

"I never once lost respect for you, Celestia. Now I reveal the card I set, Fiend Sanctuary. Thanks to this card, any damage that I would take is now directed back at your life points!" shouted Isaac as a small token appeared and its reflection showed Celestia as the attack collided with her.
Celestia's Life Points: 4900-

"What a hit!!" shouted Pinkie as she got up on the table. "Isaac just used Celestia's own move against her, can you believe it!!"

"Yes, Isaac was able lure Celestia into a false sense of hope. Then when her guard was down, Isaac sprung his trap and Celestia lost a huge lead." said Luna as she tried to act professionally.

"Arr, I end my turn!" shouted Celestia.
Celestia's Life Points: 5400-

Turn 8: Isaac

"My move," said Isaac as he drew his card. "In order to keep my token on the field, I must give up 1000 life points. So I'll do just that. Then I'll reveal my facedown card, Multiply. Now this makes my one token into three." Isaac now had three metal tokens on his field as it caused Celestia to be scared.
Isaac's Life Points: 5200-

"He isn't?" said Dash.

"He can't?" stated Rarity.

"Is he really gonna do it?" asked Applejack.

"Ladies and gentleman, batten down the hatches." shouted Pinkie through the headset as she knew what was coming.

Soon lightning and thunder started to roll in as the shadow of the monster that Isaac was about to summon appeared during the flash of lightning. Isaac just had a smile on his face while looking at Celestia. "You wanted to me to summon my Egyptian God, Celestia. Well here it is! I now tribute my tokens to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon(6000/6000)!" Soon a lightning bolt struck the ground behind Isaac as his great beast appeared as it let out a roar and then cry that caused everybody to cover their ears.

"He did it!!" said Luna. "Holy shit! He actually did it." Luna was in shock at what Isaac was able to do that she forgot she needed to act professionally.

"Now I'll play Book of Effect, I can negate your Amora Jar. Now Slifer attack Celestia's monster with your Thunder Force Attack!!" shouted Isaac. A tiny wizard who wore oversized clothes and a big staff tripped as he fired off a spell that caused Aroma Jar to lose all of its abilities. Slifer then opened its main mouth as it fired off a power attack that disintegrated Celestia's monster and dropped her to a knee. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: Celestia

Celestia got up and she had a angry look on her face. "You'll pay for that. My turn," Celestia drew her card as she didn't know what to do. "I'll play my Nimble Momonga(1000/100) in defense mode."

"Guess you forget about Slifer's second mouth ability, whenever you summon a monster, it takes away 2000 points of whatever mode it's in. And since your monster only has 100 defense points, it'll be destroyed." Slifer then heard Isaac's call as it opened its second mouth as it took out Celestia's monster with ease.

"In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Isaac

"What's the matter Celestia? I thought you wanted me to summon my Egyptian God card." said Isaac with a smirk. He then drew his card as Slifer got stronger. "Now time to end this, Slifer attack Celestia directly!! End this duel!!" shouted Isaac.

"I activate my facedown, Nutrient Z. Now I'll gain 4000 life points." stated Celestia. Slifer then fired off its attack as Celestia put her arms up to cover herself.
Celestia's Life Points: 3400-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 11: Celestia

"Alright, I'm done playing games! Draw. I'll play Graceful Charity, so I'll draw three cards and discard two." Celestia then picked up some more cards as she selected the ones she wanted to get rid of. "Now I play Nova Summoner."

"Once again you summoned a monster, so Slifer's effect kicks in." said Isaac as Slifer was getting ready to rid Celestia of her monster.

"Don't think so, since I have The Winged Dragon of Ra in my graveyard, I can special summon it in it's phoenix mode. Arise Winged Dragon of Ra - Immortal Phoenix(4000/4000)!!!" shouted Celestia as her monster rose up as it was surrounded by flames all over its body. Then it used it's wings as a shield as it protected Celestia and her monster from Slifer attack, thankfully it bounced it back into the sky as should it landed anywhere else, someone would have gotten hurt.

"How did Celestia do that?" asked Fluttershy.

"It's a god. What can't it do?" stated Twilight.

"Talk about a close call." Pinkie then wiped her forehead as she quickly realized the situation. "Wait a minute... this is awesome!!!" She then brought out her party cannon as confetti shot out. "Both duelists now have their Egyptian God cards on the field. We are about to see which one is superior. Place your bets people!" shouted Pinkie through the headset.

Seems Slifer and Ra both heard Pinkie as they looked at each other and gave a glare at one another and let out a roar. Both looked to intimidate the other one as they tried to cement their owner's presence. Everybody now had their jaws on the floor as they were in awe to see two of the most legendary cards in all of Duel Monsters on the field at the same time.

"Now I'll activate my monster's effect so by giving up 1000 life points, I can destroy your Slifer!"
Celestia's Life Points: 2400-

"No!" said Isaac. With that he watched as Ra took flight and enveloped Slifer in a firestorm as it was gone.

"Now I'll have my Nova Summoner attack you directly!" Celestia's monster then struck Isaac. "Now I'll play the spell card, Legacy of the Duelist. And then I'll activate the effect of Ra, so I'll send it to the graveyard and then I can special summon The Winged Dragon of Ra in it's sphere mode." With a snap, Ra dispersed as it returned to Celestia's graveyard. Then out from the heavens came a giant yellow glowing ball as it hovered above Celestia. "I'll end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

Turn 12: Isaac

"My turn," Celestia may have gotten rid of Slifer, but she's left herself wide open. She only has 2400 life points left, and her monster can't protect her until her next turn. Which means all I need is to play a monster with enough attack points and I can win this duel. "I'll play Graceful Charity, so I'll draw three cards and discard two. Since one of the cards I drew was my Watapon, I can summon him to the field. Then I'll play the Cost Down spell card, so I'll send another card to my grave to lower the level of all the monsters in my hand. Next I sacrifice my Watapon to summon my Dark Magician of Chaos!" Isaac now had one of his ace magicians as he looked to end this duel.

"Now Dark Magician of Chaos attack Nova Summoner. Chaos Scepter Blast!!" Isaac thrusted his hand out as his monster looked to strike.

"I reveal my facedown Negate Attack." Celestia's trap then brought Isaac's magician to a halt.

"Arr, fine then. When my magician was summoned, I get to return a spell card to my hand from the graveyard." Isaac then selected the card he wanted as it slotted out for him to grab. "With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 13: Celestia

"Now then time for me to take control, first the effect of my Legacy of the Duelist activates. So instead of my normal draw, I can add one monster from my graveyard to my hand." Celestia then choose the card she wanted as it slotted out for her to grab. "Next I'll play my Emergency Provisions and get rid of my Legacy of the Duelist to gain 1000 life points."
Celestia's Life Points: 3400-

"Now I'll unlocked my Winged Dragon of Ra from its sphere mode." Celestia then put her hands together as her sphere started to unlock and out came the Winged Dragon of Ra. "Due to me summoning my monster this way it has 4000 attack/defense points. But I'll increase its attack points even more by offering my Nova Summoner which raises its strength to 5400. Now Ra take out Isaac's magician." Ra then opened its mouth as it fired an attack that had the power of the sun as it caused Isaac to fall to his knees.
Isaac's Life Points: 1200-

"I'll end my turn by playing my Honest in defense mode."

Turn 14: Isaac

"My turn," I've had enough of this, time to end this duel and put Celestia down. And it starts with this. "Now I'll play the Ancient Rule, so now I can special summon my Dark Magician. Then I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student and with it I can summon my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac was now joined by his trusting monsters as they all knew what to do. "Now my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst which I'll use it now to boost my Dark Magician by the stats Dark Magician Girl."

"Even with the power boost, your Dark Magician doesn't come close to attack points of my Winged Dragon of Ra." stated Celestia.

"That's why I'm playing my Dark Magic Expanded! Now my Dark Magician gains an extra 1000 attack points, furthermore you can't activate any spell/traps in response to my cards. Now my magician is just strong enough to take down your Egyptian God card. Now my magicians take out Ra and Celestia's other monster. Double Dark Magic Attack!!" Isaac's magicians received their orders as they put their staffs together and prepared to fire their attack.

"All set, Mana."

"You bet, Mahad."

"Twin Dark Magic Attack!" shouted both of them as they unleashed their attack and took out Celestia's entire field.
Celestia's Life Points: 3300-

"Now I'll summon my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 15: Celestia

Celestia was now breathing hard as she looked at Isaac and his magicians. The sight alone was enough to make her anger. "My draw, now I'll play the spell card, Magical Stone Excavation. So I toss out two cards, and then I can add a spell card to my hand. And the one I choose is my Monster Reborn." Celestia then got the card she wanted as she looked to end this duel. "Now I'll play..."

"I reveal my facedown, Card Exchange. Now we each choose a card from our opponent's hand. So I choose your Monster Reborn." Just like that Isaac had stopped Celestia in her tracks.

Celestia was displeased with what Isaac did as she slotted her card into her duel disk as it transported it to Isaac's duel disk. Then her duel disk screen showed the cards in Isaac's hand as she tapped the one she wanted. With that both duelist exchanged their choices as they each got the card they wanted.

"Smart on Isaac's part. Now Celestia can't summon back The Winged Dragon of Ra." said Pinkie.

"Now then I'll play the card I got from you, Swords of Revealing Light. So now you can't attack for three turns, but it's not that it would matter. Cause I'm about to end this duel now!! I play the spell card, Celestial Light. Now by giving up half of life points, I can special summon any monster from my deck. So arise, Sacred Arch-Airknight Parshath!" Celestia now had one of her ace monsters.
Celestia's Life Points: 1650-

"Now the life points that I lost to summon this monster is added to its attack points. Now my Airknight attack Magician's Valkyria!" said Celestia. Her Airknight then glowed gold as its stats rose to 4450.

"I'll activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, so I'll remove it from my graveyard to end the battle phase." A small turtle then came out as it use all of its strength to create a wall of electricity as it caused Celestia's monster to be paralyzed.

"Very well, I then end my turn." said Celestia.

Turn 16: Isaac

"Time to end this, draw! Now I'll play Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician 700 more attack points. Next I play the Monster Reborn card that I got from you and with it I can bring back any monster I choose. And the one I want is The Winged Dragon of Ra!" Soon the heavens opened up as The Winged Dragon of Ra appeared, but it came in its sphere mode.

"What gives? Why is it in that form?" asked Rainbow. Everybody else was confused while Celestia just had a smile.

"Seems you forgot to look at an important detail about Ra. Look at the bottom of the card." said Celestia.

Isaac looked at what she said and he realized something that wasn't there before. Under the card's portrait, were small symbols printed in black. That really caught Isaac's attention as well as everybody else who were watching on the screen. Even they didn't know what any of it meant.

"That wasn't there before." stated Sunset.

"Did Celestia just cheat?" asked Fluttershy.

"What's the deal, Celestia?" asked Isaac.

"I told you there's a lot about the Egyptian God cards that you don't know about. For example, this copy that Mr. William created he made sure to input the ancient saying that was on the original card. So in order to unlock, Ra from that mode you must say the ancient writing. Well care to try to read it." smirked Celestia.

"That's unfair." said Applejack.

"How is Isaac suppose to read whatever language that is?" asked Rainbow.

"It's Hieratic text. It's a language that is very old." said Twilight as the girls all looked at her.

"Well can you tell what it says?" stated Sunset.

"Unfortunately, I don't know what it says."

"Well, we're waiting." Celestia was smirking as she watched Isaac struggle to even begin to read the language. "If you can't unlock the Winged Dragon of Ra, then I maybe I can."

"How was Celestia able to summon Ra without doing what Isaac has to do?" asked Pinkie.

"My sister has had a deep connection with Ra for years. During that time she bonded with its spirit, so much so that she could be able to summon it without having to constantly say the ancient chant." Luna looked at Celestia and then at Isaac. "Seems Isaac is in serious trouble, Celestia is just a few moments away from winning this duel."

It was about two full minutes that passed as Isaac still had a stunned look on his face as he tried to wrap his brain around trying to summon The Winged Dragon of Ra. Celestia just had a huge grin on her face as she enjoyed Isaac's problem. "Well I guess I should be the one to..."

Just then there was chanting. Not chanting but more liking saying and the person that was talking was none other than Isaac who was surrounded by a gold light that emitted from Ra as he had his eyes closed.

"Oh mighty protector of the Sun in the sky,..."

"There's no way!!" shouted Dash.

"Is he gonna?" Applejack had her hand on her hat in disbelief.

"I beg of thee, please hear my cry."

"He's reciting the wording on the card." Fluttershy was in shock as what she saw.

"But how, darling?"

"Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight."

"What's happening?" shouted both Sunset and Twilight as they looked at the orb starting to unlock.

"I beseech thee, grace our humble game,..."

"..." were Luna and Pinkie's thoughts as they had their jaws open.

It then died down and standing there behind Isaac was none other than The Winged Dragon of Ra in all of it's glory. It let out a cry as it made its presence known; Isaac was still shining as Ra looked at him. Just like when he first met Slifer, Ra could tell that Isaac was someone to be trusted.

"He did it!?!" said Celestia as she brought her arms down to her side.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Magician Navigation from my grave. I banish it to get rid of your Swords of Revealing Light." Now Isaac was free to attack. "Now I'll tribute all of my magicians so that their strength is transferred to Ra; now a couple of things happen, since my Magic Formula was sent to the grave, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 2200-

"Then I give all but one of life points to make Ra even stronger. With that Ra's attack power is now 8499!!" Ra felt the power transfer as it looked at Celestia and now the moment had arrived.
Isaac's Life Points: 1-

"It's time." said Celestia. She then dropped to her knees as she looked at Isaac. "Do it."

Isaac was now trembling as he was struggling to give his monster its command.

"Do it. I accept what's to come." Celestia even had her arms out to the side as she closed her eyes. She looked like she was waiting to be sacrificed.

"I... I.. I can't!" said Isaac as he started to have a few tears form in his eyes. He knew that he wanted to put Celestia down, but now that he was at that moment. He found it much more difficult to do the task. His hands were actually shaking. "I... I..."

"Do it!!! Come on!!!" shouted Celestia as everybody was watching this interaction between the two. "Now!!! If you have the balls, you'll do what I ask!!! Do it, you son of a bitch!!!" Silence had overcome everybody as they were shocked on what Celestia had said.

Isaac then looked at Celestia with tears in his eyes, soon he muttered the final words to her so that only she could hear what he said. "I'm sorry, I love you." He then thrusted his hand out, "Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Celestia and end this duel!!!!" said Isaac as he broke down in tears. With that Ra took out Celestia's final monster as it made its way to Celestia who was still on her knees.

Thank you, Isaac. I can now find some peace. Celestia was then on her back as her life points dropped.
Celestia's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as there was Isaac on his knees as he saw Celestia on her back. Silence was all that could describe this moment, not a single person was standing or even speaking. The only thing that was said was what Pinkie said to the people watching.

"Celestia's career is over." she said in a serious tone that resonated deeply with everybody.

Isaac saw what he had done as he looked at his hands; he couldn't believe what he just did as he got to his feet and ran out the doors. Hoping to run away from this outcome. A few moments after, Celestia awoken as she looked around her. She then realized what had happened as tears were now bailing from her eyes. Luna had given up being professional as she got up from the commentary table and made her way to her sister as she gave her a meaningful hug. Everybody else all stood up from the bleachers as they too were shedding a few tears; they all gave Celestia a standing ovation as they chanted "Thank you, Celestia." They all showed their appreciation for their principal for giving a hard fought battle in her final duel. Celestia stood up with Luna as she was still crying as she waved to the crowd and gave one last bow.

The party didn't last much longer as everybody just wanted to leave after the result of the duel. Celestia was heartbroken to think that she would no longer ever get to compete on a dueling field ever again in her life. However, a part of her was glad that she was able to retire on her own terms. She found peace, but for Isaac he was now labeled as the "bad guy". The only thing that was on everybody's mind the whole night was the words muttered by Pinkie when the duel ended. The music from before had started to play in the background as everything faded to black.

"Celestia's career... is over."

Chapter 83: Acceptance

Isaac was running through the doors as he wanted to get away from what just happened. He kept running and running until he got to another door that led to a flight of stairs. He then ran up those stairs as he got to the top and soon found himself on the roof of Canterlot High. Isaac looked up at the sky as tears were still falling from his eyes.

"What have I've done? What have I've done!!!!" shouted Isaac.

Isaac then collapsed to his knees as he looked at his hands. They were still shaking from Isaac doing the deed; all he could think about was him beating Celestia and being the sole reason why she would never ever duel again. It was all too much for him as he started to cry even more.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!" said Isaac as he screamed to the heavens while grabbing his head. "Please forgive me for what I've done!!!! I'm sorry!!!" Isaac then started to pound the ground as he brought his head close to the ground, "I'm sorry."

All the screaming and apologizing in the world couldn't change what had happened. The result was already set in stone: Isaac defeating Celestia in a career threatening match. The whole school saw it and even in the distance, Isaac could hear the boos that were being directed at him. Isaac was still crying on the floor when another person had just appeared from climbing the stairs. They saw Isaac on the ground as they began to make their way towards him. Isaac was still crying when he noticed a shadow now appearing next to him as he opened his eyes. He looked to his side and saw the person who the shadow belonged to.

"Twilight?" Even Isaac didn't want her to see him in such a state; he knew that she and Celestia had developed a bond. Isaac was now worried what his girlfriend would do knowing that he took out the person who was like a second mother to Twilight. "I'm sorry, I... I had no choice... I..."

"Shh." Twilight then kneeled down and wrapped Isaac into a hug as she put his head into her chest. "It's okay. It'll be alright." Twilight was now trying to calm her boyfriend down.

Despite being dangerously close to certain object on Twilight's chest, Isaac was too busy crying to notice the situation he was in. Most people would kill to be in the same spot where Isaac was, especially if you had a girl like Twilight holding his head. But right now that didn't matter cause he was just too busy feeling sorry for himself. Twilight just simply let Isaac vent out all of his sadness. Once he had stopped crying, she then looked at Isaac as she cusped his face and wiped some remaining tears from his face. Twilight then brought Isaac in as she gave him a kiss. This was a different kiss than their previous ones as she was kissing to not only make him feel better but to try to take away the pain he was feeling. She then grabbed Isaac's head and put it into her bosom as she gave him another hug. Nothing was said as the both of them just sat there trying to ease the pain.

The weekend came as the Duel Monsters Hall of Fame was shown on TV. Soon it was time for Celestia's induction as Luna came to the podium as she would serve as the person to introduce her sister into the Hall of Fame. Everybody from school was watching at home, as they listened to Luna talk about Celestia. Luna gave a very moving speech about her life growing up with Celestia. Despite practicing what she was going to say, Luna still broke down in tears halfway through her speech. She wiped her tears and ultimately was able to finish as she inducted Celestia into the Hall of Fame. Celestia made her way out as she gave Luna a meaningful hug as she kissed her forehead and then made her way to the podium. For the first few moments, Celestia just took in the crowd before her as they were applauding her. She then began to speak; Celestia talked about how it was her dream since she was a little girl to become a great duelist. She got to live her dream when she became a pro and won multiple championships/accomplishments in her career.

Then she talked about how she noticed that her time was starting to wind down and figured that the time was upon her to retire. So she thanked everybody that she ever faced in her career; Celestia made sure to say thank you to Luna for being the best little sister she could ever ask for. She then looked at the camera and thanked all the students of CHS for allowing her to be the principal and told them that despite not ever dueling again, she promised that she would still be there should they have any problems they come across. She then gave one final goodbye as the crowd stood up and gave her a standing ovation as she waved. She then joined the other inductees as she stood with the other members of the Hall of Fame class as they stood together for a picture as they all took a bow and waved to the crowd as the program turned off.

"It's over Celestia, now Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack Celestia and end her career!!!" Ra then transformed as it shaped into a phoenix as it was sent towards Celestia who was engulfed in flames. "I win!" chuckled Isaac. Soon he saw a hand reach out to him as the sight caused him to be frighten.

"Why? Why, Isaac?" said Celestia as she was on fire and reaching out to him.

"I... I had to. It was the only way." said Isaac frantically.

"No, it wasn't." she said as she was burnt alive as the flames were now heading towards Isaac.

"No! No!!! No!!!!!" screamed Isaac as he dropped to his knees as he clutched his head. "What I have I done!!!" Soon the flames started to get hotter as they engulfed Isaac and everything burned to ashes.

Isaac awoke with some heavy breathing as he was sweating. "It- it was only a dream,..." said Isaac as he looked at his calendar, "...if only that were true."

The weekend went by as it was soon Monday. During that time, the girls were trying to contact Isaac about how he was handling this. All weekend they couldn't get a response from Isaac, not even Twilight could get a response from her boyfriend. Soon it was Monday as Isaac was getting ready for school; he got changed into his regular attire, but even that wasn't enough to cheer him up. He then grabbed his duel disk and put his deck into his belt clip as he put on his backpack. Isaac was walking to school as he kept thinking about the Fall Formal and what the aftermath was going to be at school. He made it to the front of the place and saw a couple of people mingling; as soon as he stepped foot on the property, all eyes turned towards him as they had slight anger on their faces.

Isaac just had a straight face as he looked at them and began to walk past them, everybody just stared at Isaac as they were still a bit sour about what happened with Principal Celestia. As he was getting ready to step through the front doors, Isaac heard a call as the girls all appeared behind him. Seems they were concerned with how he was handling the atmosphere, as they wanted to make sure that their friend was safe. Isaac just simply tipped his cap to them as his response and stepped through the doors with the girls following behind him. Isaac was walking in the hallway as even more students saw him while giving him some ugly looks.

Some of the kids still saw Isaac as a "good guy", but they didn't know what to think knowing that he ended Celestia's career. Isaac just looked at the younger students and gave a very small smile as he kept on walking; the girls were still following from behind as they watched the interactions occurring. Isaac then turned the corner and standing there was a massive crowd that had gathered in front of him. Some were familiar faces that Isaac knew: Bulk Biceps, Lyra Heartstrings, Derpy, Bonbon, etc... The girls also saw this and were afraid that they were going to do something to Isaac. Soon the head student started to get up in Isaac's face.

"I hope you're happy. You just made a great person be forced to retire." shouted the boy. "Do you have any idea what you've done!!" shouted the student.

"Now hold on!" shouted Dash as she stepped forward to defend Isaac. "Isaac didn't do anything bad. He just..."

Isaac put his arm out in front of Rainbow Dash to show that he didn't want her to get involve. The student then began to continue to bad mouth Isaac.

"I hope someone takes your title and puts you in your place. Cause right now, you're not the champion we want to represent us." He looked at Isaac who still had a straight face as he took in the frustrations of not just the person in front of him, but from everybody in the crowd behind him. "Well, what do you have to say for yourself?"

Isaac got up in the student's face as his smile turned into a grin as he said his word. "This is my yard now!" Isaac made sure that everybody heard what he said as he walked past the student making sure to bump into him with his shoulder. Isaac then walked through the crowd as they parted to the side; while walking Isaac gave them a look that showed that he was serious.

The girls watched this interaction as they took in what Isaac had just said. Soon the sea of students disbursed as they talked about what they saw from Isaac. Soon the girls were left wondering what was going to happen.

"It's going to be alright." said Sunset. "Everybody is just going through the stages of grief; I'm sure they'll forgive Isaac and come around. I hope."

The first half of the day consisted with Isaac in class as he noticed that many of his fellow classmates were throwing paper balls and sending him some angry messages. Isaac didn't bother to give them his attention as he tried to take his mind off of things; he had plenty of time to get over what happened at the Fall Formal. Now he needed to focus on moving on, he granted Celestia's final request and he knew it was what she wanted. If the roles were reversed, she would have done the same thing. Seems the same couldn't be said as everybody else was still on the anger phase. The girls all did their best to defend Isaac in the hallways, but Isaac just told them to not do it.

Twilight was concerned with Isaac was handling this especially given that they were about to teach their class. Isaac just told her to not worry as he had a smile on his face. Twilight didn't fully believe Isaac so she put on a fake smile, soon the kids began to file in. Most of them had heard about what happened at the Fall Formal, but they still showed their appreciation to Isaac. They just asked Isaac some question like: "Why did you do it?", "Is Principal Celestia okay?", even "Are you okay?".

Isaac answered the kid's questions as he told them about how it hurt that he had to beat Principal Celesta. But he also told him that he was granting Celestia her wish as she wanted to have her final duel against him. Overall, Isaac told them not to worry and that everything will be back to normal. The kids all seemed to believe what Isaac was saying as they got back to today's lesson. Twilight was somewhat happy to see that Isaac was back to his normal self.

It was around noon when everybody was gathering in the auditorium for what was suppose to be a meeting. Apparently, Vice-Principal Luna had organized this to allow the students to express their concerns and allow her sister to give her final words as a duelist. So everybody piled in as they sat in the bleachers, Isaac was the very last one to enter as he looked to entire body of students were about 90% of them were still a bit steamed. Before Isaac could find a seat, Luna entered the room as she stood in front of the students. They then began to express how they felt about what Isaac did.

"CALM DOWN EVERYBODY." said Luna with a booming voice that soundwaves could be seen.

Immediately everybody shut the hell up as they sat obediently. They didn't what to see Luna use that same level of volume when she yelled.

"My word, haven't use that voice in a longtime." said Luna. "Now then, I know you all have your concerns about what went down at the Fall Formal. And I can assure you that what's done is done, but if you need any more reason. Then allow me to introduce the one person who can put all of this to rest." With that Luna stepped to the side as Principal Celestia now entered the room and now all eyes were on her.

Despite being retired, Celestia still looked the same as before. The only thing was there was a subtle detail on her face and that was relief. She was glad of what had occurred at the Fall Formal. It served as a moment of tranquilly and she could finally put her mind at ease. Principal Celestia then began to address the massive group of students.

"Now I know you all have voiced your opinions on the matter, but what's done is done. I know what's been going on since this morning, bear in mind that I'm still the principal of this school. And I will not tolerate such behavior!!!" shouted Celestia. "That being said, before I say anything... I want to give the person who beat me a chance to say what's on his mind." Celestia then gestured Isaac to join her.

Isaac looked at the crowd of his peers. He saw all kinds of emotion, fear, anger, sadness, etc... All of it. Isaac saw his friends as they looked at them with calming smiles as they did their best to show their support. Isaac took a deep breath and began to speak the words that were coming from his heart.

"Well... I..." Isaac took another deep breath as he tried to get his bearings straight. "You know, I'm feeling a lot of emotions right now and none of them are all that particularly good. Uhm, you know, I was asked to do a job. I was asked to be the Showstopper. I was asked..." Isaac then turned his head as he wanted to avoid letting a tear fall down. "I asked to be Mr. Duel Monsters. And I don't know how I feel about that. I had a job to do at the Fall Formal. Principal Celestia asked for my A-game and that's what I gave her. I have-- I have too much respect and love for Principal Celestia to have given her anything less. I had a chance last Friday to pull the trigger and I did. And now the career of one of the greatest duelist to have ever stepped onto the dueling field... is over. And I'm the man responsible for it. That is a-- That's a burden. That's another burden that I get to carry with me the rest of my life. Lucky me." chuckled Isaac sheepishly.

Principal Celestia gave him a clap which was soon joined by a few other students who understood what Isaac was going through. They knew that their principal wanted him to face her with everything he had and he did just that. Anybody who was in Isaac's position would understand that if he didn't do what was asked of him, then not only would it disrespect Principal Celestia but also spit in the name of Duel Monsters. Celestia then began to speak.

"Not that we've settled this matter, let me just say something. Last Friday, I dueled my very last duel at the Fall Formal. I will never ever duel again." The crowd still felt a bit salty about that detail. "Please, please. I--I--I'm not sad about not dueling. You shouldn't be sad about the fact that you're not gonna see me out here. You should rejoice in the fact that I've had the greatest dueling career that I could ever hope for. And last Friday, even though I lost, I lost to a great, great, great, great duelist and a better man! Rejoice in the fact that I have dueled in front of more fans, raised more hell and more fun and loved all of you every day of my life. I swear to god I've been tearing up all day long with the thought of not being able to come out here anymore, but I'm off. Off to do my job as your principal. And I'm in a good place and I love each and every one of you. Please, let me say to you all, I wanna thank you for the memories. Thank you for the support. And most of all thank you all for making me who I am today." The students all stood up as they showed their respect for their beloved principal.

Celestia then brought Isaac into a loving hug as they both let a few tears roll down their eyes. She then grabbed Isaac's wrist as she raised his arm in victory while pointing at him. With that everybody had finally accepted what had happened as they showed Isaac the love and support he deserved. This moment was meant to be Celestia's, but in her final goodbye she was able to put over another duelist. One that she believed could surpass even her legacy, so with that she wanted everybody to know that though her journey had come to an end, it didn't have to be the end for all of them. Not when they had someone whose shown the qualities of a good leader and could help to guide them into the future. With that the rest of the day went by as followed. Overall, seems things were back to normal.

It was the end of the school day as Isaac was currently walking with Sunset in the hallways. All day the students who were mad came up to Isaac as they apologized for their rude behavior from earlier; Isaac just simply brushed it off as them simply being angry. Isaac didn't want the students to have any personal beef, he did his best to reconcile with each one of them as they all put the past behind them.

"I guess things are back to the way they used to be." said Sunset.

"Yeah. I'm just glad that everybody isn't too mad at me for what I did."

"You did what you had to do. We all know how tough it was on you. But in the end, you were able to give Celestia the peace she wanted. Now she enjoy the rest of her life." Sunset hit Isaac in the arm as her way of telling him to cheer up. Isaac just smiled as they continued to walk.

They were soon joined by Applejack and Fluttershy who had met up with the two of them and were talking about going over to the Sweet Shoppe. They all began to talk when they saw Vice-Principal Luna make her presence known as she was standing in front of the small group.

"Vice-Principal Luna. Is there something..."

"Come with me." Luna didn't even let Sunset finish her questions as she began to walk.

The group didn't know what to do, so they just followed Luna. They then followed Vice-Principal into her office as it was completely covered in darkness. The only light that was shown was from the bits of rays that were coming from the blinds.

"Uhm... kind of dark in here." said Fluttershy as she was scared.

"I like it that way." said Vice-Principal Luna. She then opened up the blinds of her office and turned on the lights. Soon the whole room was lit up as they watched Luna sit in her chair as she pulled out something from her drawer. "This is for you." Luna had a piece of paper in her hand as she presented it to Isaac.

Isaac was hesitant on what Luna was giving him, so he took it from her hand and unfolded it. The thing that Isaac was holding was a letter, but not just any letter. He then began to read it aloud.

Dear Isaac,

If you are reading this then I will have already been retired. But you should know that as you're the one who did it. Regardless, I wanted to tell you just how much you've contributed to this school. When you first enrolled in Canterlot High, I saw that you destined for great things. You may not have known it at the time, but I knew that you were someone to keep my eye on. And I was right, since you first came here, you've shown that you have a passion for Duel Monsters that only a few have ever shown in my lifetime. And you proved my suspicions when you participated in the Fall Formal and became Duel Champion. Since then you've shown what it means to be a fighting champion, you've battled countless opponents and challenges. All while upholding the ideals of Duel Monsters and having a smile on your face.

As principal it's my job to provide a safe and comfortable environment for students, however I was unable to do that, but then you came along and brought back what it means to have fun. What it means to love the game that brings you joy. And for that, I thank you again. I know you always talk about the great legends of the past and how people looked to them for inspiration; well as a duelist who's competed on the pro league and has had a chance to meet with each one of them. Let me say that you definitely have what it takes to be the next legend. The road ahead will be tough, especially once your journey here at CHS ends. But always remember the friendships you've made along the way. The memories that you make here will significantly help you later in your life. I truly believe that you will go a long way, so much so that you for sure will accomplish so much more than I did in my career. In fact, I believe that in due time there'll be a new legend that people will talk about. And that legend will be you. Nevertheless, I look forward to what you will continue to do; I'm happy to have faced someone who was able to grant my request. Now I can live the rest of my days in peace and it's all thanks to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart; you've made me proud to be not only your principal, but as a friend and more importantly as a mother.

Sincerely,

Principal Celestia.

"Wow." said Fluttershy.

"She's got high hopes for you sugar."

"Hang on." Sunset then looked over Isaac's shoulder and noticed something. "The date of this letter, it's from last year."

"That date, it's the day the Friendship Games were announced. I know because it was that same day that Celestia called me into her office and made me the captain of Team CHS." Isaac was now more in shock that Celestia already had this letter written.

"My sister was planning her retirement for quite some time. In fact, after you became champion at the Fall Formal of last year, she knew who she wanted to have her last duel against. The plan was to have you face her at the Spring Fling, but given that the Friendship Games were in between and what had occurred, she felt like she needed to push back the duel. She just didn't want to pile on more than you already had, so she went with a backup plan of allowing you to pick whoever you wanted to face at the Spring Fling." Seems Luna's clarification caused all the group to gasp at all the things Celestia had planned for well over a year. "After that was the summer trip that we all took as she wanted to see if you truly had what it took to give her joy in her last duel. But even then, she knew her time was fast approaching and well she got the announcement that she would be inducted into the Hall of Fame. That was the last thing she needed as she made the decision to immediately announce her retirement as soon as school started and that she wanted to have her final moments with you."

"Golly, that's a lot to take in." said Applejack as she put her hand to her hat.

"I can't imagine what Celestia must have been going through. To think all this time she knew who she wanted to duel." stated Fluttershy as she was in awe.

"Indeed, my sister has a tendency to think of long-term plans." chuckled Luna. "She also wanted me to give this to you." Luna reached into her pocket as she pulled out a Duel Monsters card.

Isaac took it from her hand and flipped it over. His eyes immediately widen at what he saw, the girls all looked at the card in his hand and they were they stunned by what they saw.

"Is that..."

"The Winged Dragon of Ra." said Isaac as he finished Sunset's sentence. Isaac then looked back at Luna for some explanation.

"She said you earned it. From what she saw when you played the card and how well you've handled Slifer; she felt that it was better suited if you took care of it for the time being. After the duel, she gave instructions to hand you the letter and give you the card. My sister believes that you will have earned the trust of Ra; so it's yours." stated Luna.

Isaac then opened up his deck box on his belt and pulled out his Slifer the Sky Dragon card as he now held it in the hand. Isaac was now in possession of two Egyptian God cards as he could sense the presence and spirits of the legendary beasts. The girls were in shock that their friend was now holding two powerful cards.

"Land sakes, now you got two Egyptian Gods in your deck." stated Applejack. "Now ah really don't want to mess with you. Or maybe ah can beat you and get those cards myself."

"Well, I made a promise when Mr. William gave me Slifer. And I'll do the same with Ra, I'll only use them in emergencies or if the situation requires it. Other than that, I won't abuse Slifer and Ra's power." said Isaac.

"Speaking of which, how were you able to unlock Ra when it was in its sphere mode. Didn't Celestia say that you had to read the small text that was on the card?" asked Fluttershy.

"Twilight said it was Hieratic text.. Don't tell me that you actually know how to read that stuff?" asked Sunset.

"Hell no!" stated Isaac. "I just look that shit up on the internet, there's no way I'm gonna try to even translate that. So prior to my duel, I looked what the saying was. The only reason I struggled with it is cause I was trying to remember the whole damn thing. It's more than just a simple sentence for crying out loud, it's more like mantra rather than a saying. You don't want to know how long it took me to finally say all of it. That's probably the longest card I've ever had to say." The girls all laughed at Isaac's tale.

"I had no doubt that you'll keep those cards safe. And I believe that they're happy to have someone like you to be their master." Luna gave Isaac a comforting smile. "Now then, that's all I have to say, you're free to leave, and as for what's next. Well, I've talked with Pinkie Pie and seeing as how Halloween will be here soon. I've decided to devise a festival to take place, we'll call it Nightmare Night. And I would like it, if I could have you perform in an exhibition duel for students and their families." asked Luna.

"Of course, you know that I never back down from a challenge." stated Isaac as he pounded his chest with his fist.

"Good, now then you're all dismissed." said Luna as Isaac and the girls left her room.

The group was now standing out in front of the school as the girls were taking in what they heard and looking at Isaac's new card. Isaac just had a smile on his face as Celestia's letter touched him; he knew that she had put a lot in him. So Isaac made sure to keep doing dueling so that he could make Celestia proud and possibly help him to take his dueling to the next level. With that the girls said goodbye to Isaac as they congratulated him on gaining another Egyptian God to add to his deck. Applejack was now more determined to duel against Isaac as she wanted to see what Isaac could do now that he had two of them; Isaac said that he wouldn't abuse them, but promised that he'd look forward to their next duel. With that they all went their sperate ways, Isaac was currently scheduled to work a shift for Mr. Johnson. Isaac got there and showed his boss what he got from his principal; Mr. Johnson was glad that Isaac had accepted the burden that was on his shoulder and told him to not disrespect the god cards. Isaac gave him his word and got to work on his job.

Chapter 84: Spirits

The days had passed by as everybody was looking forward to Halloween festival that was going to take place. According to Luna, she was so on board with the idea that she started to actually work with Pinkie to create the festival not only for the students but for their families. She was so enthralled that she wanted to give it a cool name, so they decided to call it Nightmare Night. The craziest thing that surprised everybody was that she acted like a little kid as she showed a new side of her that she didn't normally show. Principal Celestia was happy that she got to see her little sister acting like a kid again that she just told everybody to roll with it.

The students were busy putting up the decorations in the auditorium as they put up some handmade ghosts, bats, they even borrowed a skeleton from the anatomy class. Applejack and her family even brought some pumpkins that the school could use as they allowed the party planning committee to create some jack-o-lanterns. Out on the field, there was others helping to set up some games like bobbing for apples, spider tossing, pumpkin catapulting, even a face-painting booth. The woodshop club even got to work on creating a haunted house for everybody's amusement. There was even a Halloween Bingo section that was being setup. Overall, Luna was ecstatic as she really enjoyed all the things due to her liking things that had to do with the nighttime.

"Well things seem to be going along quite nicely." Twilight was currently checking things off a checklist as she was put in charge of making sure things got done.

"Especially with all the food that's being served." said Spike as he had managed to grab some from the stands that would be serving for the families.

"I'll say this is turning out to be one of the best Halloween bashes that the school is putting on." said Dash as she finished setting up the one-legged race.

"Pinkie and the rest of the planning committee have really went all out." stated Sunset who was creating a poster to help draw in people. "With this poster that I created, we'll make sure people buy tickets for our Nightmare Night festival."

Twilight, Spike, and Dash all came over to look at Sunset's work and they were impressed with what they saw.

"Not bad, Sunset. But you know what would make it even more awesome is if you added some Duel Monster creatures on the poster." suggested Rainbow Dash.

"Why would she do that?" asked Twilight.

"Duh, cause it'll help draw attention for the kids. Not to mention that Isaac will be having an exhibition duel as the main entertainment."

"Which means you need to add a Dark Magician to the front of the poster. Or maybe Dark Magician Girl for all the guys to attend." said Spike as he used his claws to get the bites of food stuck in his teeth.

"I think I can add a couple of things," Sunset then got to work as she drew a couple of well-known monsters from the game. Sunset even included an image of Dark Magician as she made it seem like he was fending off all the evil monster spirits. "Well, what do you think?"

"Awesome. Now that's what I call a poster." exclaimed Rainbow.

"Love the use of different scarying elements." said Spike.

"I'll admit it looks good, but I still think it could've done the same job without the monsters. No offense, but Isaac talks with the spirits of his magicians because of his bond that he has with them. Other than that, there's no such thing as monster spirits, it's just not scientifically possible." stated Twilight as she pushed up her glasses.

"You're kidding, right." said Spike as he couldn't believe Twilight said something like that given the person she was in a relationship with.

"We have seen magic." stated Sunset.

"That's different. There's a logically reason, but in terms of Duel Monster spirits existing, that's just superstition." Twilight went back to making sure everything was on track while Sunset, Spike and Rainbow just rolled their eyes at how Twilight was in such denial, even though her boyfriend was someone who could talk with Duel Monster spirits.

Isaac was currently doing something that required his attention. Right now his mind was focused on making sure that whatever move was made it would prove beneficial. Although Pinkie was having a hard time trying to figure things out. Isaac just let out a sigh.

"Focus, little sis. If you want to get better at a new deck, then you need to know how it functions. That includes not being afraid to make mistakes and learning from them."

"I'm trying, big bro. I just don't know what card I should play." Pinkie was struggling to figure out which card she should play to handle Isaac's monster. "Okay. I'll now play my Madolche Messengelato(1600/1000)." Pinkie played her monster on her card tray and out came a kid who was wearing a delivering outfit while it had a couple of sweets in its pockets. It was next to a tiny maid that sat on a delicious pastry. "Now I think I'll overlay both of my level 4 Madolche Messengelato and Marmalmaide to construct the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu(2200/2100)!" Out came a new monster as it was a tiny queen that sat on a throne onto of a tiaramisu pastry as she had a little scepter. As always Pinkie had a way with interacting with her cards as her monster brought a plate full for Pinkie as she devoured it in seconds. After letting out a huge burp, both smiled at each other as they giggled.

"I'll never understand Pinkie's antics." said Isaac at how insane Pinkie had with her cards. Madolche Queen then appeared in front of Isaac as he just blinked at her; she then brought a plate of her dessert as she took out a fork and offered a piece to Isaac. "Oh, thank you." said Isaac he took a bite. He enjoyed it as he gave her a thumbs up which caused the tiny monster to smile, soon she did the same thing as she made her way till she was eye level with Isaac's Dark Magician.

Pinkie's monster then did the same as she offered Mahad a taste of her dessert. Mahad thought it was weird that they were suppose to be engaged in battle and here his opponent was offering him a pastry. He then looked at Isaac for some signal on what he should do.

Isaac just shrugged his shoulders, "Just try it." said Isaac.

"I'm one for always being focused on the battle, master. But it's your order, and I will obey it." said Mahad. He then took a bite from the dessert and just had a straight look on his face. Madolche Queen was looking to see what Mahad's response was to which he just wiped his mouth, and apparently that was enough as Pinkie's monster was happy.

"Did I do something wrong, master?"

"I don't know what to tell you, Mahad. You know how painful it gets trying to figure out Pinkie Pie's antics when it comes to Duel Monsters and her cards." said Isaac.

After the duel ended, Isaac was sitting on the grass with Pinkie as they were going over the result of the duel. Safe to say that Isaac was able to gain some useful data that he could use. "Well, I think that was a productive duel. Despite us stopping halfway to try different sweets from your monsters."

"I can't just ignore the delicious treats that my monsters make. It would make them sad." said Pinkie as she gave Isaac the puppy dog eyes.

"Regardless, I think that with a bit more practice, you could have this deck down to a science."

"Well, I couldn't have done it without the best big brother I could ask for." Pinkie then gave Isaac a hug as she nuzzled his cheek. "I appreciate you trying to help me to master and learn a new deck. I'll always have a soft spot for my Toons, but I figured that if I wanted to compete with the rest of you. I need something that's a bit more viably."

"I understand. Trying to learn a new deck can be tricky at first. Especially something like this, to be honest I knew little about a Madolche deck. So when I asked Mr. William and Mr. Johnson for some clarification, I kinda of got a sense of how it worked." said Isaac. "At first glance I can see why this is something that relates to you sis, due to the many puns and sweets that these are based on. Just remember that this deck revolves on recycling your cards for repeated uses. The ultimate goal is to maintain card advantage and take advantage of openings to quickly deal damage."

"Okay, and the cards that I'll be rely on is Madolche Puddingcess and Queen Tiaramisu." stated Pinkie as she showed the cards.

"Correct, little sis. Because of their ability to swarm the field, they can also quickly and easily Xyz Summon both Rank 3 and 4 monsters."

"Right. Thanks again, Isaac. I'm glad you can help me to practice this deck; I really want to show this off to the others, but only once I've got a much better grasp."

"Anytime, Pinkie. Besides, I'm also learning how this works. That way I can continue to offer some advice and make any changes that may prove beneficial to you."

"Hey, I just thought of something."

"Uh-oh." said Isaac as he was scared on what his little sister had on her mind.

"Do you think that you can be able to make my card's spirits come alive? That way I can be able to talk with them and we can become fast friends." giggled Pinkie.

"What makes you think that I can do that?"

"You're funny, big bro. Come on, you talk to your magicians all the time."

"That's different." stated Isaac. "The reason is because I have a strong bond with my deck that allows me to see my magicians and the other monsters in my deck. I don't just have the power to make shit magically appear out of thin air."

"Please." said Pinkie as she batted her eyes doing her best little sister pleading face.

Isaac kept saying no as Pinkie started to act like a little sibling. She began to annoy Isaac by constantly asking "Please?". Soon Isaac tried to drown out her antics, but it proved useless as he couldn't take it anymore.

"Alright, if I do this will you please stop pestering me!?!" shouted Isaac as he was annoyed. Isaac then grabbed her deck as he looked at it. I don't even know how the hell to do this. I just did it to get Pinkie to stop. Isaac then remembered on how he was able to get Twilight to see his magicians when they were at Camp Everfree, so he closed his eyes and focused. After a while, Isaac just opened his eyes and there was nothing around them. "Sorry, Pinkie. Doesn't seem to work."

"It's okay." Pinkie then grabbed her deck from Isaac's hand as a magical surge quickly went through her. Soon Pinkie felt something on her shoulder as she saw the spirits of her deck.

"What the hell!?!" said Isaac as he did a double take. He couldn't believe what he was seeing in front of him. "Guess that shit worked."

Pinkie's expression was totally different as she was giddy as she bounced up and down while playing with her monsters. Soon some of her Toons appeared as they wanted to join in on the fun with their master. Isaac was just in disbelief on what he saw that his brain stopped working. After sometime, Pinkie said goodbye to her beloved monster spirits as they waved goodbye to their owner and promised to have fun the next time they met each other. Pinkie just had a smile on her face as she looked at Isaac who was still trying to wrap his head around what had happened.

"I'm done, @*$% magic!" said Isaac. "Roll the next part of the story before I lose my mind." shouted Isaac.

Luna was so happy with how the festivities were coming along, as someone who loved the nighttime, Halloween was without a doubt her favorite holiday. She especially loved the idea of being scared, for some weird reason it gave her adrenaline; the thought of being scared senseless, the tingled all over your body, the feeling of your heart racing. Overall, Luna was like a kid on her birthday. She even managed to convince the wardrobe club to host a costume party for the kids as she would select the best outfit as the winner. She couldn't wait for things to get started, though she wanted to take part in dressing up. However, she needed someone to help her, but who.

"That's the last time I grant Pinkie's wish." shouted Isaac as he was walking down the hall and passed by Luna's office.

Luna then got an idea. "Perfect." She then stepped out and called out to Isaac. "Going somewhere, Isaac?"

Isaac immediately stopped in his tracks as he slowly turned to look at Luna. "Vice-Principal Luna. Uhm... what a surprise. Is there something the matter?" said Isaac nervously.

"As a matter of fact, there is. Come with me sacrifice, I mean volunteer." said Luna as she lead Isaac into her office.

It was now nighttime as Isaac was in his house getting ready for the Nightmare Night festival. "I can't believe I agreed to this," said Isaac. "Then again, I didn't want to find out the hard way what Vice-Principal Luna had planned if I didn't help her." Apparently, Luna needed someone to dress up and act as her personal guard based on the costume she wanted to go as. Soon after some convincing, Isaac agreed to help Luna. He just wanted to enjoy the night that he wasn't going to dress up, especially since he had to put on some entertainment for everybody.

Regardless, he was putting on the last bit of his costume. He was wearing some black armor. The black chest piece wrapped around his torso completely, fastened seamlessly around him. Interlocking plates of black metal providing protection as well as mobility to the rather delicate appendages. Leg guards surrounded his legs, more plates found at the joints around his limbs, providing proper movement despite the unyielding material. The helmet was on his bed as it would serve to hide his hair from sight as well as it had a single piece of metal hung down, that would cover the bridge of his nose and help keep it in place.

"Almost done, last thing." Isaac then started to grab the helmet as it tumbled off his bed. "Great." Isaac then reached down to grab the headpiece.

"Here you go, Isaac."

"Thanks, Mana." Isaac then blinked. "Wait... Mana?" Isaac fell on his bed as he was in shock of what he saw.

Isaac was used to talking with his Dark Magician Girl, but she was still a spirit. This time around, she had actually picked up the helmet and was holding it as if it was real. Isaac was so shocked at what he was seeing that he couldn't wrap his head around what was happening, meanwhile Mana just smiled at how her master was acting.

"Okay, I really need stop hanging out with Pinkie. How... how is this possible? You're nothing more than a spirit. No offense." said Isaac.

"None taken." giggled Mana. "Here let me help you, otherwise Vice-Principal Luna will be angry." Mana then put the helmet on Isaac's head as it fit snuggly on his head. She then pushed him in front of the mirror as she allowed Isaac to see his reflection.

Isaac also saw that despite Mana being real, her reflection didn't appear in the mirror. Now he was all sorts of confused. "Okay, now I've lost it. First off, how are you real? And second, how come I can't see your reflection?"

"That's easy, cause I'm still a spirit. The real reason that I'm able to appear as if I'm lifelike is because of old Hallows eve magic. You know the stories that on this day, spirits and monsters can roam the earth for one night. Well this year, I was able to slip away from Mahad's teachings and figured I have a little fun. And what better way than to see how things have changed since I was last alive. And Halloween seemed like the perfect excuse for me to see the real world." giggled Mana.

Isaac was still in disbelief at how he could actually talk and feel as if his Dark Magician Girl was real. "For some strange reason, this is both believable and mind-blowing at the same time. Well, I guess that would explain why Pinkie was able to interact with her monster spirits from earlier. Good to know that I'm the only one who can actually talk to my spirits. Could you imagine, how many people would come up asking me to make the cards in their deck come real?"

"I can imagine, all of that would take you away from me and Mahad." giggled Mana.

"Well, if you're gonna go out. Then you'll need a costume to disguise yourself." stated Isaac.

"Why not this?" said Mana as she pointed to herself. "I mean, it's Halloween and nobody would expect the real Dark Magician Girl to go as herself."

"There's a reason why I don't want you going as that. Let's say that certain male individuals will be rather attentive towards you." said Isaac as he did his best to explain what he meant.

"Is that what you're worried about?" smirked Mana. "Are you worried that I'll attract too much attention, or is that you want me all too yourself?"

"That's not the reason. You know that Twilight is my girlfriend, and I love her to death. I'm just... concerned is all."

"Don't worry, Isaac. I'll be fine, I can take care of myself. Plus I'll have you with me all night, kinda like a date if you think about."

"You don't know how many people are dying to be in my position right now." said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall with a straight tone. "Alright, well we better not keep everybody waiting. Let's go and if anybody ask, you're my cousin who's visiting from out of town. Got it?"

Mana just nodded as she grabbed Isaac's arm. Isaac just rolled his head as he prepared himself for what was going to be a long night. They then exited Isaac's house as they began to make their way towards the school for the Nightmare Night festival. During their walk, Mana asked Isaac a couple of questions on certain topics she had. Soon they arrived at the school as the festivities were in full swing.

There were kids running around playing different games. There were groups of people entering the haunted house, even some of the older students were getting their face painted as they enjoyed the activities. Everybody was enjoying themselves, Isaac and Mana then arrived as a couple of students welcomed them. The boys immediately were smitten with Mana as she just waved at them as the two of them passed by the entrance. Soon they came up offering her some gifts and items to which she thanked them, as Isaac pulled her away.

"Well, everybody seems nice." smiled Mana.

"That's because these guys aren't used to seeing a hot girl at these things." stated Isaac.

"Oh, so you think I'm hot?" said Mana with a sly smile.

"Well yeah. Look at what you're wearing." said Isaac as he pointed to his magician's attire. "You're wearing a miniskirt and showing off some skin. And your legs. Also you know... your... bosom is kind hard not to look at. That and you have blond hair, you're basically the spitting image of what any guy would like to have in a women. How can anybody not be attracted by you?"

Mana just chuckled at the compliments that her master was giving her. "Thanks for the kind words, Isaac. But don't you think Twilight will be jealous that you're trying to flirt with me?"

"I'm not flirting with you!!" shouted Isaac. "I'm just... just..." Isaac didn't know what to say as Mana just seemed to be ignoring what he said.

"Lighten up, Isaac." smiled Mana. "I understand what you're saying. Which is why it breaks my heart that I have to turn down so many suitors. But it's like I tell them, you're the only man who I belong to." Mana then gave Isaac a kiss on the cheek. "And I wouldn't have it any other way." She then closed her eyes as she snuggled Isaac's arm.

"I can't tell if I should be happy or concerned about that statement." said Isaac bluntly.

With that they began to take part in some activities, they went to a booth that had a ring toss game. Mana wanted to take a shot at a modern game, so Isaac paid for her to play and Mana stepped up as she grabbed the ring and did her best to land it on the bottle. Seems she had a difficult time as she used up all her attempts, but seeing as how the person running the booth was smitten by her appearance that he allowed a free throw. Mana wanted to make sure that she got it, so she asked for Isaac's assistance. She really enjoyed messing with her master that she asked Isaac to put his arms around her as he helped her to get the right angle to throw the object. Isaac was hesitant on doing this, but knowing Mana, she would continue to mess with him. So he did as she asked and put his arms around her as he helped her to properly throw the ring. It seemed to work as Mana tossed the object and it landed around the top of the bottle. Isaac gave her a thumbs up as she bounced up and down for a bit, as she received her prize.

They then moved onto to another game which was bobbing for apples. Isaac went first as she showed her how it was done. Mana then held Isaac's helmet as he didn't want it to get in the way. Isaac took a deep breath as he plunged his head into the tub of water as he tried his best to grab an apple. After a couple of moments, Isaac's head rose up as his hair was wet, but in his mouth was an apple as he grabbed it and took a bite. Mana was ecstatic that she wanted to try it, so she handed her hat to her master to hold as she dunk her head into the tub. After a while, Mana then pulled up as her hair was wet but she managed to get a small apple in her mouth as Isaac just rolled his eyes while giving her a smile and thumbs up.

Mana really wanted to try some modern food as Isaac paid for her. Once she took a bite out of it, her eyes immediately turned into sparkles as she couldn't believe how delicious it was. It was definitely better than the stuff she was used to when she was last alive. After that they then made their way into the auditorium as they saw tons of students mingling with each other. Just like before all the boys were smitten when they saw Mana, the girls just had pissed off looks. However, their expression changed on a dime as they saw her clutching Isaac's arm; Isaac did his best saying that she was his cousin which seemed to work.

"Whew, my life nearly ended right there." said Isaac as he wiped his forehead from the sweat.

"Good thing that didn't happen." smiled Mana. "I've been enjoying our date so far." said Mana with a smirk.

"It's not a date!" yelled Isaac.

"Excuse me!?!" shouted another voice.

Isaac immediately felt a like hiding as he knew whose voice that belonged to. He then turned around and there was standing the one person he didn't want to anger. Twilight was wearing a blue wizards cape and hat that had stars and moons on them with bells along the bottom of the cape, as well as bells along the rim and top of her hat. She had also tied a white beard on her chin. She wasn't alone as Spike was next to her as he was dressed in a dragon outfit. However, the real story was on Twilight's face who was seething.

"Twilight." chuckled Isaac sheepishly. "Good to see you, my that costume really is something. Is that Starswirl the Bearded? And are those stiches handmade?"

"Oh no, don't change the subject." Twilight now had her arms crossed. "So, mind telling me who she is?"

"Listen... I can explain..."

"Oh my, Twilight it's lovely to see you. And you too, Spike." Mana then bent down and picked up Spike in her arms as she began to rub his belly to which he started to lick Mana's face nonstop. "Oh, aren't you a good little doggie."

"Oh, yeah. That's the spot." said Spike as he enjoyed Mana rubbing his tummy that he started to stomp his foot in excitement.

"Well! I'm waiting!" said Twilight as she was tapping her foot.

"Twilight, let me explain. Just don't freak out like you normally do. See Mana here is actually the spirit of my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac quickly closed his eyes as he turned his head.

"Stop lying! Now tell me the truth!!" shouted Twilight.

"But it is." said Mana as she handed Spike to Isaac. "I must say that you are move lovely than ever in real life. I can see why Isaac can't stop talking about you nonstop. Oh I dare say that my beloved master is lucky to have someone like you to take care of him."

"Isaac?" Twilight looked at her boyfriend for some answers.

"It's true." he said.

"Oh my god. How is this possible? Spirits can't be real, it's not scientifically possible!" said Twilight.

"Really? Out of all the time you've hung out with me, you really didn't think that Duel Monster spirits weren't real. I talk to my magicians for crying out loud." said Isaac.

"Dude, that's what I've been telling her." said Spike.

So after an exposition, Twilight was now in shock that Isaac's Dark Magician Girl was actually real. And the fact that she was talking to a monster spirit was mind-blowing. Regardless, she threw all logic out the window as she believed Isaac.

"You were right, Isaac. She does freak-out a lot." said Mana.

"Tell me about it." said Spike.

"Anyways, care to show me some other things, Isaac." said Mana as she batted her eyes at Isaac.

Twilight was gritting her teeth. She knew Isaac wouldn't cheat on her, but the fact that he had another girl next to him kind made her jealous. Not to mention that it was his Dark Magician Girl that he was hanging out with. She wasn't really real, so why was she feeling jealous. Before Isaac could answer, he was approached by Vice-Principal Luna who told him that she needed his assistance. So with that she dragged Isaac away so that she could change into her costume, that left Mana to be with Twilight and Spike. The tension was there as Twilight was still angry at her for clinging to Isaac's side so closely. After a while of hanging out, both reconciled and Twilight apologized that she felt jealous of Mana hanging out with her boyfriend. She understood that she just wanted to enjoy herself. Mana also said sorry for letting Twilight get the wrong idea and told her that she was still was making sure that Isaac was safe as it was part of her duty.

Soon the lights turned off as a spotlight appeared which caused everybody to look at the stage. Then a steam machine was turned on as fog started to appear. Then a narrative voice came out as thunder and lightning went off.

"Follow me, and very soon, you'll hear the tale of Nightmare Moon. Listen close, my little dears, I'll tell you where you got your fears of Nightmare Night, so dark and scary." said the voice as a candle went out. "Of Nightmare Moon, who makes you wary. Every year, we put on a disguise, to save ourselves from her searching eyes." The little kids started to hug their parents tightly as they were scared. Spike let out a whimper as he jumped into Twilight's arms as he tried to hide with her cloak. "But Nightmare Moon wants just one thing: to gobble up people in one quick swing! Hungrily, she soars the sky. If she sees nobody, she passes by. So if she comes and all is clear, thus is safe another year!" chuckled the voice in a deep, bellowing voice. "And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder. One of the poor beasts saying: 'Come and see'. And I saw, and behold a white horse. And it's name that sat on him was death and hell followed him."

Then a carriage came out onto the stage as there was a rider and a driver who sat on the front of the carriage as it was being pulled. The driver who was dressed in armor then got up and began to open the door as the person inside stepped out. The individual wore a dark cloak over its body as it masked their features entirely. A sudden bolt of lightning flashed, lighting up the figure for an instant, enough to see a pair glowing of teal eyes.

The figure then stepped out as the guard behind her bowed down, then the figure flipped up their hoodie to reveal...

"Vice-Principal Luna?" said Twilight from the crowd.

All at once, her cloak came undone, but rather than fall to the floor, it suddenly split apart into a swarm of bats, who flew off into the night sky. Luna now stood there as she was able to make her hair twinkle as it imitated stars in the night sky. She too was wearing attire that was similar to Isaac's as it made her look regal but also like she was a princess. In fact, given her name, she could be called the princess of the night. She looked out at the crowd of people who all looked at her with fear in their eyes. She then smirked at them as she let out a booming voice.

"Citizens of Canterlot! We have graced your tiny establishment with our presence, so that you might behold the real Princess of the Night! A creature of nightmares no longer, but instead a person who desires your love and admiration! Together we shall change this dreadful celebration into a bright and glorious feast!" shouted Luna.

"Jess, too much on the Shakespearian dialect." said Isaac as he was bowing down next to Luna who shot him a dirty look.

After that, everybody gave a rounding applause to Luna for providing them with a good scare. Luna was rather pleased with her performance.

"I admit thy was a stellar display. And thanks to thy sir Isaac, you were most terrify in thy introduction of thy sinister tongue. We are most gracious for thy effort in making our presence known." said Luna still in her booming voice.

"What the hell did you just say? And could you lower the volume a bit." said Isaac as he covered his ears.

"But this is the traditional royal voice! It is tradition to speak using the royal 'we', and to use [booming voice] this much volume when addressing our subjects!" shouted Luna.

"Well change your approach a bit." said Isaac as his ears were ringing.

"Change our approach?" Luna said while still using the voice.

"God damn it! Lower the volume." shouted Isaac.

"Ohhh." said Luna in a lower volume. "How... about... now?"

"Better." stated Isaac.

"And... how about now?" she said in a normal voice.

"Just keep the volume to that minimum and we shouldn't have a problem." said Isaac.

Luna then pulled Isaac into a tight hug as she thanked Isaac using her booming voice. "I thank thee, dear Isaac! Our normal speaking voice shall surely win us the hearts of thy fellow citizens."

"What did I just say?" said Isaac as his eardrums were now blown out.

After that sonic boom from Vice-Principal Luna, Isaac had to sit down for a while. Thankfully, Mana was able to cast a spell on her master as it allowed him to recover from the pain and fix his hearing. Isaac thanked his Dark Magician Girl to which she just gave him a hug and a quick peck on the cheek. With that they met up with Twilight and Spike as they took part in some more activities, even Vice-Principal Luna joined in on the fun. Everybody seemed to be enjoying themselves, however, unbeknownst to anybody, there was another presence watching as he looked to create some chaos.

Soon it was time for the costume party where Luna would act as the judge. Just as they were about to get started, the entire building started to shut down it was dark. The only light came from the windows which had the moon shining brightly that it allowed some field of vision.

"What's going on?" asked Isaac.

"Seems the power went out, I'll go take a look." Twilight then began to head over to the generator to find out the problem. Spike had decided to accompany her seeing as he was scared of being left alone.

Mana then grabbed Isaac as she put her arm out in front of him. "Stay behind me, Isaac. That blackout wasn't a coincidence, someone or something did it on purpose. I can sense their presence."

Both Mana and Isaac looked around to see anything usually, but there was nothing out of the sorts. Just then there was a scream. It caused both of them to turn towards the entrance of the back door as they saw what looked to be a cloaked individual holding an unconscious person in their arm.

"Time for me to make my exit." said the mysterious thing as it went through the doors.

"After it." shouted Isaac as he and Mana began to chase after the mystery intruder. Luna had noticed this and was intrigued to see where Isaac and his friend were going.

The pair had managed to follow the hooded figure into the school gardens as they soon found themselves surround by deep, thick trees. They kept chasing until the figure disappeared behind some bushes. Once they got past it, they came upon the figure standing there waiting for them. Isaac and Mana were surprised as not only had the mysterious individual had captured someone, but two other individuals who were also knocked unconscious.

"Hey isn't that Microchips, Lyra, and even Derpy." said Isaac as he recognized the three bodies on the floor. "What have you done with them?" shouted Isaac.

"I've simply in need of their life force, so that I can be free to leave the spirit world. And once I do, I'll reign destruction and terror throughout the land." said the hooded figure.

"Just who are you?" asked Isaac.

"I figured it would be you." said Mana. "There's no use hiding, show yourself, Goblin Zombie."

As on cue the figure then took off its disguise as standing in its place was the spirit of the monster card, Goblin Zombie. However, unlike Dark Magician Girl, he was rather transparent. He looked almost like a hologram. Isaac was confused on that as he asked his magician for some answers.

"Hey, Mana. Mind telling me why he looks like that?"

"Remember when I told you about us spirits being to cross into the real world. Well what I didn't tell you is that only good nature spirits can be free to cross the border, sure there are a couple of tricksters/jokers of spirits, but they don't mean to cause harm. However, the ones that are filled with evil and want to bring destruction are forbidden from leaving the spirit world. In fact, the only way they can be real is by having either someone take their place or they find enough lifeforce to escape." Mana then looked back at the creature in front of her. "Seems Goblin Zombie was somehow able to escape the barrier and is looking for some souls to help give him the power he needs to escape."

"Let them go, bug-face. If you need a sacrifice, well then, take me instead."

Mana was surprised at what her master had suggested. "Isaac, I can't let you do that. My duty is to protect you; let me handle him."

"You do emit more vitality than these other three. I'll take you up on your offer." said Goblin Zombie.

"Fine, on one condition thou, you and I duel. If you win, you take my life energy. But if I win, and you go back to where you belong!" stated Isaac.

"A duel? Very well then." chuckled the monster. "I should be able to sustain myself in limbo long enough for our match. First I'll beat you, then I'll consume you."

"Yeah, we'll see." said Isaac.

Mana was now worried about her master. "Please, Isaac I can take care of this myself."

"Sorry Mana, but I've made my decision." Isaac was about to put on his duel disk when another person appeared in front of him.

The figure was none other than Vice-Principal Luna who stood between Isaac and the evil Goblin Zombie spirit. She then turned on a duel disk as it projected a card tray that matched the color of her hair. Everybody was confused by this, especially Isaac.

"Vice-Principal Luna? What you doing, get out of here. I can handle this." stated Isaac.

"Those students are my responsibility. And anybody who lays a hand on them must answer to me." said Luna as she looked at Isaac. "And as for you foul creature, you've ruined what was suppose to be a memorable night for me. For that you shall pay dearly, so I'll take the place of Isaac in this duel."

"What? Hang on..."

"Enough with the delays! Let's get this duel started. Once I've disposed of your beloved vice-principal, I'll feast on your lifeforce to give me even more power." said Goblin Zombie.

Isaac still was in disbelief that Luna had offered to take his place as he felt like he could have handled this himself. Nevertheless, he just let out a sigh and gave Luna some words of encouragement. "Well, go get 'em Luna." Isaac and Mana then stepped to the side to allow the two of them to duel.

"Don't fret, Isaac. Should something go a wrong in this duel, I'll protect you and Luna." Mana assured Isaac that she would be there to protect the both of them from harm.

"Now time to make you regret you ever crossed Nightmare Moon." said Luna as she was referring to her costume.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said Luna's duel disk.

Goblin Zombie used the energy he had gotten from the students to manifest the cards behind him as their backs were turned to face Luna.

Vice-Principal Luna's Life Points: 8000-

Goblin Zombie's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Luna

"I'll start things off," Luna then drew her card and she had a smile on her face. "I'll play two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Goblin Zombie

"Seems this duel will be easier than expected. Not even a single monster to protect you. Now I'll play Malice Doll of Demise(1600/1700). Next I'll play the continuous spell card, Ectoplasmer. Now thanks to this, we both sacrifice a monster at the end of our turn and half of their attack come out of our opponent's life points. Now then I'll have my Malice Doll attack you directly!" Malice Doll then lifted up its axe as it looked to bring it down on Luna.

"I reveal my facedown, it's a trap card called The Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring." Out came a ghostly ring as it caused Malice Doll to stop. "Now not only is your attack negated, but I can then special summon this card in attack position as an effect monster with 0 attack and defense points." Luna then took her trap card as she placed it on her card tray as a monster appeared.

"In that case, I'll end my turn. Now the effect of my Ectoplasmer allows me to sacrifice my Malice Doll and you take half of its attack points out of your life points." The life force of Malice Doll was then drained as it shot towards Luna.
Luna's Life Points: 7200-

Turn 3: Luna

"My draw," Luna looked at her hand as she considered her options. "I summon The Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak(800/1000) in defense mode. Prepare for the unexpected, you see my knights don't fight alone when a level 3 phantom knight is on my field, I can summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots(200/1200) also in defense mode." Luna now had two monsters on her field that both had pale, white ghost faces as well as they wore dark black clothing. "Now I overlay my level three Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and Phantom Knights of Silent Boots, with these two monsters I build the overlay network." Luna's monsters then transformed into purple orbs of light as they entered a vortex as out came a brand new monster. "I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword(2000/1000, OLU: 2)! Rise my mighty beast!" Out came what looked to be a headless horse man as it had flames on where its head and upper parts of its body were suppose to be.

"Woah, scary." said Isaac. He didn't expect Vice-Principal Luna to have this kind of deck.

"Now since I special summon summon a 'Phantom Knights', I can play this card from my hand. So join the battle, The Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves(1200/600). Now Brake Sword cut down his life points and Stained Greaves follow up with another attack." Both of Luna's ghostly figures heard their command from their mistress as they took to the field and did some significant damage to Goblin Zombie's life points.
Goblin Zombie's Life Points: 3800-

"Now I'll play a spell of mine own call Mirage of Nightmare. Now when it's your turn, I draw till I have four cards in my hand. But during my turn, I'll have to discard that same number of cards. But now I'll just end my turn and use your own card against you, so now you take half of my Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves' attack points from your life points." Luna's monster then had its spirit fire off at her opponent.
Goblin Zombie's Life Points: 3200-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Goblin Zombie

"My turn, and since Malice Doll of Demise was sent to the graveyard due to an effect of a spell card. It automatically resurrects." stated the evil Goblin Zombie Spirit.

"Well speaking of spells, mine now activates." stated Luna. "Now I draw till I have four cards in my hand. Next I'll reveal my facedown, Emergency Provisions. So I'll destroy my Mirage of Nightmares to gain 1000 life points."
Luna's Life Points: 8200-

"Nice. Not only was Luna able to draw some more cards, but she was able to get a life points boost. Now she doesn't have to worry about tossing out any cards." exclaimed Isaac as he was impressed by the combo that his vice-principal was able to do.

"Seems your Vice-Principal is more than capable of taking care of herself." stated Mana.

"Now then, I'll play the spell card Graceful Charity. So I'll draw three cards and discard two. Now I'll summon my Shiranui Squire(1500/0). The effect of my squire allows me to special summon the tuner monster Shiranui Spectralsword(800/0)." Now there was two zombie monsters on the field. "But it won't stop there, since I have 2 'Shiranui' monsters with different names on my field. I can bring back my Shiranui Swordmaster(600/0) from my graveyard. Now I tune my level 3 Shiranui Spectralsword with my level 4 Shiranui Squire, I Synchro Summon, Shiranui Squiresaga(2100/0)." Out came out a warrior as it had a spirit behind them.

"Now I'll activate my Squiresaga's effect, so I'll banish my Shiranui Swordmaster to give my Squiresaga 300 more attack points. But since I banished my Swordmaster, I can give my Squiresaga another 600 more points bring its strength to 3000. Now I'll have my Shiranui Squiresaga will take out your Phantom Knights of Break Sword and Malice Doll will take out your Phantom Knights of Wrong Magnetring." With that Luna's monsters were taken out as she put her arm up to protect herself.
Luna's Life Points: 5600-

"Now the effect of my Ectoplasmer activates, so I'll sacrifice my Malice Doll to deal another 800 points of damage." chuckled Goblin Zombie as Luna felt the attack collide with her.
Luna's Life Points: 4800-

"Thank you." said Luna as she had a smile. "Now since Break Sword was destroyed, I can bring back the monsters that were used to summon it but this time their level increases by one." Both Phantom Knights of Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak appeared on Luna's field as they were now level 4.

Turn 5: Luna

"Now time for me to end this." said Luna as she drew her card.

"Don't make me laugh, mortal. There's nothing you can do, I have the strongest monster on the field." chuckled Goblin Zombie. "Just give up and I promise to make sure that your suffering is slow and painful."

"Perhaps you should be the one to cower in fear, cause in case you haven't notice. I have two level 4 monsters which is all that I need to summon my most powerful creature. Watch, now I overlay both of my level 4 Phantom Knights of Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak. Once more I construct the overlay network," Like before Luna's monsters changed into dark orbs of light as they combined together as a vortex opened up and out came a terrify new monster. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons. Show yourself my pet, I Xyz Summon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!!" shouted Luna. Out came a big dragon as it unfurled its wings and let out a mighty cry. The most stunning feature was its chin which was long and acted like a weapon.

"That thing is her pet!?!" said Isaac as he was taking in Luna's monster as it was huge.

"Now I'll activate the special ability of my monster, by using one overlay unit, I can target one level 5 or higher monster on the field and cut its attack points in half. Then Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon gains those attack points." Luna then removed a material from her monster as Dark Rebellion Dragon zapped away the strength from Shiranui Squiresaga. "But why stop at one, I'll use the last Xyz material to use its effect once more." Just like before Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon zapped away even more points from its target as it got stronger. "Now my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon has a total of 4300 which is more than enough to finish this. Now my pet, take flight and end this duel!!! Mauling Mandible Charge!!!" shouted Luna as she thrusted her hand out as her dragon took out her opponent.

"No!!!!" shouted Goblin Zombie as the attack cause it to ripple and fall to its knees.
Goblin Zombie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Luna

"This... isn't over. I will escape this prison." said Goblin Zombie as he started to fade.

"Now time to make sure you never escape again." Mana then pointed her wand at the spirit. "Dark Burning Magic!!!" she shouted as a bright light started to surround Goblin Zombie as Mana was able to get rid of the spirit and send him back. Soon the light died down and there was nothing left.

"All done."

"Nice work, Mana." said Isaac as he gave his Dark Magician Girl a thumbs up. He then looked at the three unconscious students. "Are they okay?"

Mana the checked their lifeforce, "They'll be alright. They're just asleep. Probably be best if they forget what happened here."

"Fine by me, although I'm sure I won't. Duel spirits aren't just real, they're dangerous." said Isaac. "Well except for the ones like you, Mana." She was happy that her master said that as she gave him a thumbs up. Isaac then turned to address Luna. "By the way, sick duel Vice-Principal..."

Isaac didn't get to finish his sentence as Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon was still here as it gave a mighty cry at Isaac. Apparently it was highly protective of its owner that he got in Isaac's way as he stood between him and Luna. It then started to lower its head to Isaac as it showed him its fangs.

"Woah! Easy there buddy!" said Isaac as he fell on his bottom while trying to back away slowly. "Luna, call off your pet! Tell him I don't taste good!" shouted Isaac. Just as Mana was about to defend Isaac, Luna called off her dragon.

"Stay." said Luna while lifting her hand. "Heel boy." Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon then obeyed the command of its owner as it turned away from Isaac and lowered his head towards Luna as she gave him a petting. He let out a soothing growl as it loved Luna's affection. "Good boy, mama's proud of you." She then looked at Isaac, "My pet is rather attentive towards me."

"Yeah, I can see." said Isaac as he was trying to get his heartrate to calm down. He then picked himself up from the ground, "That's it, I've had enough spirits for one night." said Isaac as he was official done with Halloween.

With that all three of them carried the unconscious students back to the school. They arrived just in time as Twilight and Spike had fixed the lights, they were able to put the students on some chairs as nobody suspected a thing. Luna thanked Isaac and his Dark Magician Girl helping them to deal with the evil spirit; with that the rest of the festivities continued well into the night.

"Finally." said Isaac as he lying on his bed in his normal attire. He was joined by Mana who was standing in front of her master. "I think I've had enough evil spirits to last till next Halloween." said Isaac as he let out a distress sigh.

"Still we were able to stop him from escaping into the real world. I think that calls for a win." stated Mana.

"This is definitely the weirdest Halloween I've been a part of." Isaac then sat up on his bed.

"Well I certainly had fun." giggled Mana. "Thanks for this, Isaac. It was nice to hang out and just be a normal human being. It's been so long that I forgot how much fun it was." Mana then joined Isaac on his bed as she sat next to him.

"I'm glad you enjoyed yourself, Mana. To be honest, I had fun too." Isaac gave his Dark Magician Girl a smile. "Kinda nice that I got to spend tonight with one of my most trusted monsters and best friend."

"That's why you're my master." Mana then gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek as she wrapped her arms around Isaac to give him a hug as she nuzzled her cheek against his face. Isaac just returned the embrace as he wrapped his arms around Mana and gave her a hug. Soon another person decided to make their presence known.

"Mana!! There you are. Do you know how much trouble you're in?"

Mana then broke her hug from Isaac as she looked at her teacher. "For god sakes, Mahad! Can't you just let me be?"

"Don't change the subject, young lady. You're in big trouble for not only neglecting your studies in magic, but also for sneaking out without my permission." said Mahad in a stern tone. "Do you realize how much trouble you've could have caused to both me and the master? You know that on this night, we must be careful between keeping the border between the spirit world and the real world from crossing paths."

"And I'm perfectly capable of making sure that doesn't happen!" shouted Mana. "Besides I spent the night with Isaac and not only was I watching over him, but he kept me safe. He also showed me how to be a normal girl, something that I haven't done in a long time. Not to mention that I wanted to escape from your boring lectures."

Mahad let out a stressful sigh as he rubbed his forehead with his hand. "I hope she didn't cause too much trouble, master. Mana can be a handful at times."

"Not at all, Mahad. To be honest, I kinda enjoyed her presence. She added some excitement for tonight's event." Isaac made sure to give Mana a smile.

"Well now, we must leave. Come along, Mana. The master may forgive, but I won't. Now let's return, the barrier between the spirit world and the real world is about to close." said Mahad as he opened up a portal for them to leave through.

"Alright." said Mana with disdain in her voice. "Bye Isaac, thanks for a wonderful time. I really enjoyed it."

"Anytime, Mana." Isaac gave her a salute.

Mana gave Isaac one final kiss as both she and Mahad stepped through the portal and returned back to the spirit world. The portal closed as Isaac was now all alone in his room. He then pulled out his deck and looked at his Dark Magician Girl card. Isaac noticed her giving him a wink which served that both she and Mahad had made it home safety. With that Isaac let out a yawn as he prepared himself to a goodnight sleep. Despite having to deal with some evil spirit that was bent on escaping, Isaac and Luna were able to stop them as well as he got to hang out with his Dark Magician Girl. Overall, tonight proved to be a win-win. With that Isaac then got into bed as he drifted off to dreamland.

Chapter 85: Christmas Album

The holidays are a time for everybody to gather round. See people who you haven't seen in a long time and catch up. However, the biggest thing about the holidays was the amount of money that people would spend which made all the stores and business very happy. Especially, since the most profitable holiday was right around the corner. The town had already encountered a fair bit of snow, but enough that the people were able to walk on the sidewalks without having to worry about trekking through a huge pile.

The students of Canterlot High were currently going to class as they paid attention to what their teachers were telling them. Not to mention that in about 2 weeks would be the start of Winter Break, which meant finals were going to be on the horizon. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal even implemented a dueling final exam for this term as they wanted to assess the skills of their beloved students. Normally, a test would throw everybody into a panic, even a dueling exam. But both women were able to calm the nerves of their students by saying that the highest individuals to score would be in the conversation on being the next opponent to challenge for the champion. Seems that was enough to get rid of the fear that everybody had. Since Celestia and Luna were organizing the exam, it meant that Isaac would have to serve as the third judge to oversee the results; which meant that he wasn't going to take part in the test.

The good thing about the upcoming Winter Break is that unlike last year, Isaac and his family would be staying here. They had already sent their Christmas presents and gift cards to their relatives in Chicoltgo. They were told them about how they wanted to spend this Christmas in Canterlot with their new friends. So that being said, it would be the first Christmas that the girls would spend with Isaac; especially for Twilight. So with that the girls started to make plans for Christmas as they wanted to have a good time.

"So, everybody excited for the holidays?" asked Sunset.

"I know I am. Can't wait to see what I get, which reminds me I need to do some Christmas shopping later." stated Rainbow.

"With your speed, it'll be more like dashing through the mall." snickered Sunset. "What about the rest of you, what are your plans?"

"Well, I'm gonna hang out with mah family. Not to mention with y'all. Friends or family, this here's about togetherness." said Applejack.

"Indeed, darling. This is the time of year, where we can get together and appreciate each other and our loved ones."

"Not to mention the presents and candy we'll get to eat." Pinkie then started to lick her lips as she began to drool thinking of all the delicious treats.

"You know Christmas isn't just about candy and presents, right little sis?"

"What about you Isaac, any traditions that you have with your family?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well it's just like anybody else. We do tend to create lots of dishes from my heritage; I know that when we celebrated it at grandma's house, she would get the whole family to help with the cooking and then we sing some Spanish carols. After that we say thanks to God for blessing us with our feast and getting to spend time with our family members. The only difference that we do differently compared to others, is that we actually open and exchange our gifts on Christmas Eve." stated Isaac.

"What? Everybody knows you don't open presents 'till Christmas Day." said Applejack with a slight confusion.

"Growing my grandma always had us open our gifts on Christmas Eve, cause the next day she would drag us to church. So ever since then, everybody in my family just stays up till midnight and we open our presents."

"To each their own, I suppose." said Twilight. "Speaking of which, your family is staying here during Winter Break, correct?" Isaac just nodded at Twilight's question. "Then technically it's gonna be the first Christmas that you spend in Canterlot. but more importantly, with all of us and me."

"Is that suppose to be important?" said Isaac as he lifted his eyebrow.

"Girls, I just thought of an idea. I know that we all have plans to spend Christmas with our families, so why don't we spend Christmas eve at Isaac's house and then the next day we can spend it with out families?"

The girls all thought about Twilight's suggestion. Safe to say they were intrigued about the idea as they wanted to make sure that Isaac spent his first Christmas in Canterlot with his friends. So they all agreed as Isaac just put his hand to his face; eventually he let the issue go as he knew the girls outnumbered him. So the plan was set, which meant all they needed to do was each get gifts for everybody and then exchange them on Christmas Eve.

The next couple of days saw Isaac along with Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna overseeing the dueling exams. It was interesting as Celestia and Luna wanted to introduce Isaac to another aspect of the pro circuit, which was ranking duelists and determining if they had potential. Isaac was less than pleased that he had to judge someone's performance and give a score, but given that he was the champion it was a responsibility he had to do and get used to if he did decided to go pro. Regardless, Isaac was both fair and supportive as he explained what the person did wrong and pointed out some things they could improve on; he did tell them on what they did well and offered some suggestions. Both Celestia and Luna knew that this wasn't something that Isaac thoroughly enjoyed, but they wanted to introduce him to the business side of being a pro duelist so that he wouldn't have to learn it the hard way like they did.

One day afterschool, Isaac was running some last minute duel assessments. "Participant number 25: Overall understood basics. Preferred Summoning method: Fusion. Observations: Confident, shows potential, versatile in extra deck. Notes: Too confident, repetitive move set, Lack of ingenuity. Grade: B-." Isaac let out a tired sigh as he finished the final reports of student's performance as he compiled them into a file. "Man, am I tired."

Just then the door opened and in came Applejack who was looking for him. "Hey sugar. Oh, do you look beat?"

"Hey Aj. Just going over the last reports that I need to give Principal Celestia." said Isaac as he put his head down on the table. "Thankfully, that was the last pile cause my eyes were about to close."

Applejack then sat next to Isaac as she started to rub his back. "Seems you need some time to relax. How about some cider to cheer you?" Applejack then pulled out a bottle of apple cider from her backpack as put it on the table in front of Isaac who still had his head down.

"You carry a bottle of apple cider in your backpack?" asked Isaac.

"Mostly cause of Rainbow Dash. Apparently she can't go a single day without tasting this." chuckled Aj as she opened her bottle.

"Well the stuff is pretty good." said Isaac as he lifted his head up and opened the bottle. "Thanks Aj, cheers." Isaac then clinked his bottle with Applejack as they both took a sip. "Ahhh, that hit the spot. Appreciate you, Applejack. I just needed something to take my mind off of all this grading."

"Anytime, partner." Applejack took another sip of her drink as Isaac did the same. "By the way, ah got somethin' to inform you about. Remember Rara."

"Yeah, your friend. Not to mention I had an incredible duel with her during the summer. Why, is she back in town?" asked Isaac.

"Something like that, see she and her manager wanted to produce a sort of Christmas album. So the other day she contacted me about it and wanted to discuss some ideas, ultimately she remembered that ah was a band with the girls that she came up with the idea of collaboration with me and the girls." stated Applejack.

"So Rara wants you and the girls to assist her in creating a Christmas album. That's pretty big; you girls are really talented when it comes to music. Your band really is top notch."

"Thanks for the kind words, sugar. So want to be apart of it? I know that you've refused to be a part of our band, but maybe you could sing a song or two. You've shown that you got a decent singing voice; plus Rara says that all the profits we make off of sales, a large portion of it will go to charities and orphanages." informed Applejack.

"Look Aj, all that is nice and all. But like I told you at the start, the band is your thing along with the girls. I don't want to interrupt anything good happening, and as for singing, I'm gonna have to say no to that too. I told you that I'm not the big fan of singing, but I'll definitely support you guys in creating the album."

Seems Applejack was contend with that agreement, "Alright, sugar. Ah respect your decision,"

Isaac and Applejack then started to exit out of the classroom as they began to talk about the album. They quickly stopped by Vice-Principal Luna's office as he slide the file under the door so that she could look at it and give it to her sister the next day. After that Applejack began to go over the details, Rara's manager had contacted Principal Celestia and was able to convince her that once their album was complete, they would perform the songs live at the music center where they would have tons of people come watch them perform. With the details all intact, Applejack told the entire group of the plan and gave them the address of the music studio to where they would record and produce the songs.

It was a chilling Saturday morning as all the little kids were out and about having fun. Everything from making snow angels, building snowman, and even having snowball fights. All the adults were shoveling snow off their driveways and front steps. The sense of the holidays was in full swing as everybody was doing their last minute shopping as Christmas was but just days away. Stores were packed with tons of people hoping to find the perfect gift for their chosen person. All in all, the holiday spirit was upon the entire city. As for a certain group, they were getting ready to create something that they hoped everybody would enjoy.

Isaac had finally reached the address of the location he was given. He rang the button on the voice came onto the speaker.

"Can I help you?"

"Uhm, yeah. My name is Isaac and I'm here on behalf of Rara." said Isaac as he pushed the button.

The person behind the speaker checked the list he had been given to him by his boss. Once he checked the list, he then spoke. "Please hold."

After a few moments of standing in the cold, the door buzzed as Isaac stepped through and into the building. Isaac walked into a hallway as there was multiple doors along the hall. At the very end was a sign on one of them that said: Music Studio. Isaac then opened the door and was greeted by an embrace.

"You're finally here." said Rara as she was ecstatic to see Isaac again.

"Hey Rara. How have you've been?"

"It's been pretty good." she said while letting go of Isaac. "After our amazing duel, I've been able to wow the crowd with my spectacular dueling skills. And it's thanks to you for giving me some excellent pointers."

"Happy to help." said Isaac.

"By the way, I must congratulate you on your victory at the Duos Cup. And for being able to snag a girlfriend, it was only a matter of time before you met the lucky girl."

"Thanks for that Rara."

"Still I'm a tad bit disappointed that you didn't choose me." Rara now had a pouting face. "Was I not good enough for you?"

"Uhm..." Isaac didn't know how to answer that question as he didn't want to offend Rara. But at the same time he didn't want to say anything to upset Twilight.

Rara just laughed at how her teasing was affecting Isaac. "Ha, ha, ha. I'm just messing with you. Don't worry, Twilight is lucky to have you. So make sure that you do all you can to make her happy."

"I will."

"Good." Rara then pulled out a piece of paper and wrote something on it before giving it to Isaac. "Though is things don't work out. Here's my number, don't hesitate to give me a call." said Rara as she gave Isaac a wink. With that she led Isaac through the door as they walked into the recording studio.

There were a couple of audio engineers and music producers that were at the control console. There was a couple of rooms that were present, such as a live room, a couple of isolation booths, and a rest area. The girls and Spike were already sitting down on the couch as they were waiting for the two of them. Once they arrived, Rara then started to take the lead as she began to talk about how she wanted to create something that everybody could give for Christmas.

"So as you all know, I want to created something that has meaning behind it. When I first decided to do this, I had no clue as to what I wanted to do. Thankfully, Applejack here gave me the idea to ask all of you to help produce our very first Christmas album. I hope that you'll comfortable with this."

"Of course we are, Rara. You know ah see you as family, and the rest of us are always willing to lend a hand." stated Applejack which she received nods from the others.

"Good now then, do you all have any idea on what songs you want to sing?" Rara's question was met with a unanimous 'No.' "Not too worry, I'm sure we'll figure it out. What about you, Isaac? Do you have any song that you want to sing?"

"I ain't singing." said Isaac bluntly. "I'm just here for moral support."

"But..."

"Ms. Rara, we're ready to begin recording." said one of the sound engineers.

"Right." With that Rara stepped into the booth as she put on a set of headphones. She quickly looked the song in front of her giving one last quick read. Once she was ready, she gave the producers a thumbs up.

"Alright, everybody. Quick on the set and begin in... 3... 2..." The producer then told his partner to start the track. The girls and Isaac just watched on and listened to Rara sing.

After Rara finished her song, the sound engineer turned the track off as they began to review it. Isaac and the girls all looked from behind the screen as they clapped for Rara's performance. The producers gave her a thumbs up as she took off the headphones and exited the booth.

"Land sakes, you're really something Rara."

"Thanks Applejack. Now then why don't you girls get started on writing some songs and once you have an idea, bring it to my team." The girls all nodded as they began to sit down on the couches and began to discuss potential song ideas. "Meanwhile, I have something you could do." Rara then told Isaac to follow her as she brought them to the control console. "I know you said that you don't want to sing, so I'd figured why not help the engineers with the sound and the music."

Isaac looked at the console and saw tons of buttons and switches that it started to made his panic. "That's a lot of bells and whistles, maybe I can just watch."

"Please I insist," Rara then left as Isaac was left with the sound engineers and music producers.

It took a while as Isaac was unclear on what every single little thing did, not to mention they were using some advanced musically terminology. But thankfully the engineers were patient as they allowed Isaac to mess around with some of the sound equipment and some of the buttons. Eventually, Isaac was able to pick up on some of the basic stuff as he really got into this position. The engineers even allowed Isaac to mess with a single track as they allowed him to free range of creating something, so Isaac put the headphones and began messing around with the sound loop as he created a steady rhythm and eventually a beat that they all enjoyed.

It was a few days later and the group was putting the finishing touches on their songs. During that time, the girls each came up with an idea for the song and ran it by the engineers. At first they just let the girls into the booth and they sang their lyrics which were... interesting. Everybody in the music team and Isaac all did their best to try to get their point across on the lyrics the girls chose. So overall, the first edition of the songs fell completely flat. With that it was back to the drawing board as the girls tried to come up with better lyrics.

Isaac was just messing around with the control console as he was creating a sound loop when he was approached by Rainbow.

"Hey, Isaac."

"Yeah Rainbow," said Isaac as he took off the headset and placed them around his neck.

"Care to take a look?" she said as she handed Isaac her lyric sheet.

Isaac took a good look at the song and was reading the words while he tried to picture the beat to go along. "This could work. Not bad, now all we have to do is wait for the sound team to come back from break."

"That'll take too long, let's do it now." Rainbow then stepped into the recording booth as she put the headphones on.

"Hey. Rainbow get out of the booth. You know you can't be there when the sound team is out."

"So what, you've been observing closely from them the past couple of days. I'm pretty sure you can handle this."

"It's not that simple. I only know the basic shit. Other than that, I don't the advance stuff that the technicians know." stated Isaac.

"It'll be fine. Now then let's get this going." shouted Dash.

Isaac just let out a sigh as unplugged his headphones and began to do a basic sound check. He then started to think about a basic sound loop that they could mess around with. "Alright Rainbow, I got a sound loop that we could use. As the song goes on, I'll add some effects and beats, but nothing to fancy." Rainbow gave Isaac a thumbs up to show she understood what he said. "Alright, begin in 3... 2... and now." Isaac pushed a button and the soundtrack began to play as Rainbow looked at her lyric sheet and began.

Halfway through the song, the girls came back into the recording studio and saw Rainbow singing in the booth while Isaac was at the control console doing his job. Safe to say that they were impressed with what they heard from both of them, they even saw use his hands to signal Rainbow should do certain things like keeping in tempo and knowing when to shout and when to lower her voice. Once Rainbow ended her song, she looked at Isaac who stopped the track and gave her a thumbs up. Soon they heard some applause behind them as the girls were impressed with what their friends were able to come up with. Seems that was enough to get them excited as they all wanted to get in the booth and try their hand at their songs.

First up was Rarity who had gone with a classic song. But she decided to put her own twist on it. Everybody seemed to like what she was doing as she stepped into the booth and tried her hand at singing. It took a while, but eventually they were able to get the proper recording.

"Alright, Rarity. We've covered all the bases, now remember your cue. Don't strain yourself too much and keep in time with the music. Overall, just do your best." said Isaac.

"Will do, darling."

"Alright, everybody quiet. Starting in 3... 2... and..." Isaac then pushed the button as the soundtrack began to roll.

While everybody was listening to Rarity, Rara and her team came in as they listened to what the group was doing. Rara was impressed with what she saw as the girls now had their songs and were waiting their turn to step in the booth. She even saw how into Isaac was at the control console. Soon the song ended as Isaac saved the audio and gave her a thumbs up. Soon everybody got to work as they all recorded their songs and hopped into the booth.

"All set, Fluttershy." said Rainbow.

Fluttershy just nodded as she was still afraid. Thankfully her friends gave her supportive smiles as she began to take deep breaths and finally focused. With that the sound team began to create a sound loop for her to sing to as they counted down and then pushed play. Unlike the others, Fluttershy's song was the most tender and melodious out of the group.

"Next up, Applejack."

"You got it, Rara." stated Applejack as she grabbed her lyric sheet and stepped into the booth. She then put the headphones on as she waited for the signal. The engineers then created a different sound loop and then pushed played as Applejack began to sing her song with passion that it nearly brought a tear to everybody.

"Little sis, you're next."

"Yippee my turn. My turn." said Pinkie as she bounced up and down into the booth.

"Don't touch anything!" shouted Isaac. "Just put the headphones on and wait! We don't need to create a mess." shouted Isaac as he was worried that Pinkie was going to screw things up.

"Okey dokey lokey." smiled Pinkie.

Isaac then gave the sound team the signal to start. They saw how upbeat and chipper Pinkie Pie was so they created a sound loop that would reflect her personality. It seemed to work, as everybody enjoyed it. Thought based on some of the lyrics that Pinkie chose to write, it was something that Isaac wasn't going to forget anytime soon. And he prayed that when this album was finished, they wouldn't be singing Pinkie's version of the song.

"After that it's Twilight and her dog Spike." said Rara.

"Hey, a talking dog singing on a Christmas album is one way to attract attention." said Isaac as he was eating some Christmas cookies.

Twilight then grabbed Spike as she stepped into the booth. She then placed Spike on a stool as she put on her set of headphones. She then put a smaller set on Spike as she showed that they were ready to begin. The sound team then got to work as they recorded Twilight's song first before moving on to working with Spike. Isaac was very fascinating as he got to hear his girlfriend sing which warmed his heart.

After Twilight finished her song, Spike jumped up in her arms and began to lick her face. Soon she put him back on the stool as she gave him instructions to do his best when singing.

"Almost ready, Spike." stated Rara as she gave the signal to start recording.

"All good, Rara." informed Spike.

"Hope everybody is ready to hear what a singing/talking dog sounds like." said Rainbow as she watched from behind the glass with the others as they listened to Spike's vocals.

Safe to say that everybody was blown away by Spike's performance. Not to mention that the sound the team went with had a bit of a jazzing feel that got everybody snapping their fingers to add some more pizazz to Spike's song. During the song, Isaac incorporated some brass instruments sounds as they messed with the song and helped to give it an uplifting vibe. After the song ended, Twilight went back into the booth and picked up Spike as she gave him a hug and petted his head.

After that the crew got to work on putting together the final product as they played back the songs from earlier and started to see if they needed to do any retakes. Meanwhile they left Isaac to record one more song, but this time it was all the girls, Spike, and Rara. So they all got into the booth and put their headsets on as they waited for Isaac's cue. Spike sat on Twilight's lap as he had his own little headset as he wagged his tail in excitement. Once Isaac got the beat he wanted in his head, he then started to create the sound loop as he turned towards the girls.

"Hope you're all ready for the finale. Here we go! In three... Two... And.... now!" Isaac pushed play and the girls plus Spike took off as they sang in prefect harmony.

Isaac started to move his head up and down as he bopped to the song. He then looked at his friends as he saw how happy they all were. It brought a smile to his face; soon the song ended as Isaac stopped the track.

"Hell yeah, that's what I'm talking about! Good job girls. You too, Spike." shouted Isaac as he gave them a nod of approval. "Alright Mic, cut, edit it and print it out and we're golden!"

The girls stepped out of the booth as they began to give each other high fives. The rest of the day was spent with putting together the album as Rara thanked the group for helping her. It was almost time to leave as the girls were in the break room discussing their Christmas shopping that they still had to do. Meanwhile in the recording studio, Rara along with a few of the composers were putting the finishing touches on the songs and playing it back for their boss to hear. Rara seemed pleased with what she heard.

"Well I think we can call this Christmas album a success." stated Isaac as he drank some hot chocolate.

"Indeed, once again I'm thankful for you all in helping me to get this done." smiled Rara. "Though I still can't help but wonder, maybe you could contribute a song?"

"Not gonna happen, Rara."

"Please?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No!!" shouted Isaac. "I told you I don't sing, not my thing. If you need somebody to duel, then I'm your guy. But singing, no way."

"Please? I'll pay you if that's what it takes." said Rara as she got on her knees.

"I don't want your money, Rara. No matter how much you offer me, no amount is gonna get me to sing." said Isaac as he stood his ground.

"Alright, but could you just step in the booth and sing a song, just for me." smiled Rara.

"Yeah, I'm not falling for that. I know what you're doing, you're gonna get have me step into the booth and when I'm not looking, you're tell your sound engineers to record it. And then you're gonna put it in the album. I know this trick, Rara." said Isaac as he stood his ground.

"I promise I won't do that." said Rara as she gave Isaac the puppy dog eyes.

Isaac took a long stare at Rara that he seemed to trust her. "You promise."

"Promise." Rara then extended her hand out for Isaac to shake, Isaac then did the same as he shook her hand. However, Rara had her other hand behind her back as she had her fingers crossed.

So Isaac finished his hot chocolate as he stood and stepped into the booth. He then put the headphones on as he awaited for the signal. While Isaac had the headphones on, Rara quietly told her crew to record Isaac as she wanted to put them in the album. Rara then gave Isaac a thumbs up to tell him they were ready; with that the music played as Isaac heard. He then looked at the lyric sheet in front of him as he did his best to follow the cue and stay in tempo with the song.

The song ended as Isaac took the headphones off and put them on the stand. He then looked at Rara who was talking with the sound crew about something. He just tapped the glass to get their attention and she just put on the biggest smile she could. Isaac just raised his eyebrow as he just shrugged his shoulders and exited the booth. The crew was able to input Isaac's recording into the main album as he sat back down before he suspected anything.

"Well, you happy now?" asked Isaac.

"Very." smiled Rara. "You know for someone your age, you've got an okay singing voice. With a bit of vocal training and little bit of polish, you could shine. I could help and make you a star, just like that." Rara snapped her fingers to show how much potential Isaac had.

"I thought we went over this. I'm not much of singer; I'll admit, I do sing when it's just me and I enjoy a song that I like. And as for my voice, well it's fine. But I just don't see myself as someone who can sing for living, not like you Rara. I have another passion that takes up most of my time." said Isaac.

"I know, you're very content with dueling. Based on your eyes, you have something the French call, je ne sais quoi." said Rara.

Isaac just stared at Rara with a confused look. "What the hell does that mean?"

"What I'm trying to say is that you've got something. Something that can't fully be described, but I know that you've got what it takes to get to the top of the dueling world. That is your dream, isn't it?"

Isaac took a deep breath as he thought about Rara's question. "To be honest, I don't know. I don't know what I want to do with my life after I graduate. People say I would fit right in if decided to go pro, but then again, is that really something that I want. Will it make me happy? All I know is that whatever I decide to do has to be so that my parents can rest with ease, knowing that I've made them proud and that their son is capable of taking of himself." Isaac was thinking about his childhood growing up and all the sacrifices that his parents had to endure to make sure that he stayed on the right course. Whatever his future was, he knew that his deck was the key to unlocking his potential.

"Well, I hope that you figure out what your future is. Now then let's leave. The producers will take care of the rest and all is left is for me and the girls to perform the songs." With that Rara grabbed her coat as she and Isaac joined the others in the break room as they all went home for the night.

The next few days everyone was getting prepared for the live performance. Rara's manager had managed to get the word out that the Countess would be dropping a Christmas album and they flew off the shelfs. In fact, the moment the stores put them on the shelf, in a blink they were gone. Everybody was hooked on Countess Coloratura was releasing a new album and in time for the holidays. They were even more surprised that she chose to record and produce songs with a bunch of high schoolers, but based on how much they liked the songs they didn't complain much. Soon it was the night of the performance as people piled into the music center building to hear the girls and Rara perform.

The wardrobe team was busying making sure that the girls all had some nice dresses so that they could perform. Even more so that they tried to get Isaac to change which shocked him at first. Isaac didn't pay much attention to the album, so when the girls told him about how Rara had actually put the song he sang into the soundtrack, he was less than pleased. Isaac confronted Rara and well she just played it off as if nothing bad had happened. So it seems that Isaac would indeed be singing the song as he was less than pleased. He still declined being put in an over the top outfit as he chose to remain in his signature look for his performance. The show went great as even more copies of the album were sold with all the profits going to a charity. Some of the fans even wanted the girls to sign their copies to which they obliged. Even Spike had a couple of requests from some pets as he used his paw print to sign their copies. Overall, the success of the Christmas album proved to be a smashing success as Christmas was just one day away.

Christmas Eve came and everybody was finishing the final touches of their presents. Everybody was looking forward to spending the holiday with their loved ones. Isaac and his family were putting up their Christmas decorations as they were setting up for when the girls would come over. Pinkie was the first one to arrive as she wanted to bake all her gifts before the others showed up. So with Isaac's help they were able to make all the delicious treats that she wanted and made a couple extra as they placed them on the table for all to enjoy. Pinkie snatched up all the boxes that she had and gently slid them all under a large decorated tree sitting snugly in the corner. The whole house was covered with bright, colorful tinsel lined along the walls. large bulbous ornaments hanging off of each one by the dozens. There was a large, lush wreath hanging on the door as well. To top it off, the star on the nearby tree was bright enough that there was no need for candles. Soon one by one the others arrived.

"Merry Christmas, Isaac." greeted Rarity.

"Merry Christmas, to you too, Rarity." nodded Isaac as he was putting up some final decorations. "Need something?" he asked.

Rarity shook her head. "Oh not at all," she began, smiling daintily, "I'm merely a tad excited. Christmas is such a beautiful time of the year, don't you think?" she asked.

Isaac blinked, but nodded, "Yes... it does possess a lovely sort of... aesthetic," he agreed hesitantly, "Though the color white can only be seen so many times before it gets annoying."

Rarity tittered, "Oh my, I certainly hope I'm not the one getting annoying," she jested, holding a hand to her cheek as she swayed dramatically.

"Hmm... we'll see."

Their banter was cut off as one of the girls by the door yelped, Rainbow Dash specifically, and she practically dived away.

"Jeez, Pinkie! You gotta warn somebody about that!" she snapped, glancing up at the ceiling above the door, before groaning. "Great, now I'm going be stuck thinking about it the whole time!" she grumbled.

Rarity giggled beside Isaac, but he didn't know what she was laughing at. He only caught a glimpse of what Rainbow was looking at before Pinkie took it down in a flash. It was brief but from what he could make out it was a small green plant that with a ribbon. He didn't think much of it as he put it out of his mind and gave a shrug.

"Oh my gosh! Everyone's here!" Pinkie squealed, "Now we can PAARRRTAYY!" she shouted, bolting over to the music player, causing a festive song to play. With that Pinkie began to bust out some unique dance moves as the other just watched while talking with one another. "Okay!" she shouted over the music, though it wasn't all that loud to begin with, "Since we're all here, it's time for us to have some real fun! C'mon everybody!" she shouted, producing a small box labeled 'Party Games' in pink marker, "Let's PARRTAY!" And thus, Pinkie dragged the lot of them into some of her games.

And so, for the next few hours, the eight of them were subjected to increasingly vibrant games, ranging from simple board games like Monopoly and Candy Land, to even more elaborate team based games, like Charades and Pictionary, where Sunset demonstrated her masterful skills when it came to drawing. Spike had gone off to play with Tigre as they enjoyed watching their owners and their friends having fun. Strangely enough, Isaac and Twilight were partnered up for every game they played that required partners. It was strange, since neither of them had attempted to cause such a thing. It was more confusing on Isaac since everytime he tried to switch up partners, all the girls said they already had one which left Twilight as the sole person. That alone was enough to make him think, and it didn't help that Rarity was constantly staring at the two of them while her eyes kept darting upwards.

Isaac followed to where she was looking, but there was nothing there. He looked down and saw her looking up again; Isaac then looked back at the ceiling and found nothing there. He thought that she must be playing a trick on him. What Isaac didn't notice is that Pinkie was purposely taking the thing Rarity was looking at off the ceiling whenever Isaac looked up as she wanted to tease her big brother. Isaac did managed to get a tiny glimpse of what he thought Rarity was seeing everytime he looked back at the ceiling. The only thing he saw was that it was just green. Eventually, the moon finally arrived in its favorite position in the sky, leaving only an hour till midnight. Thankfully, it seemed Pinkie was fully aware of this, and ended the games not too long after the realization had come along.

"Time for presents!" Pinkie announced loudly, "C'mon everyone! Gather around the tree!" she yelled. Her excited attitude was normal, but there was something about it that just seemed to shine brighter than normal, soon all of them migrated over to the pretty decorated evergreen, and sat in a half circle before it.

Before they opened their own, both Spike and Tigre all received some gifts of their own that ranged from new toys, to Christmas sweaters, to even lint rollers for Isaac and Twilight to clean up their pet's hair. Spike had managed to get a book from Twilight about the importance of dog hygiene as he just looked at her with a confused look. She merely told him that since he could now talk, then he should have no problem on learning how to take care of himself like Tigre. Tigre just let out a meow to which when translated meant she was laughing at Spike.

"Okay!" Pinkie announced and deflated, "How are we gonna do this?" she asked innocently, staring at the seven of them.

"Tch. Figures you'd plan out everything but this, Pinkie." Sunset said with a bit of snark while having a smile.

"How about we just hand out someone's gift ta everyone?" Applejack suggested.

"Or maybe have one person open every one of their gifts, before moving onto the next one?" came Rarity's suggestion.

"How 'bout we just open all of 'em?" Rainbow asked impatiently. She was ignored.

"I like Applejack's idea," Twilight said, "That way we can all see how everyone reacts to what we got them at once."

"O-oh! I'd like that!" Fluttershy stammered excitedly, "I-I get so worried during the wait..."

"Eh, why not?" was Isaac's response.

"Okay! Let's do that!" Pinkie cheered, already standing next to the plethora of colored boxes, "Who's gifts first?" she asked, looking at them, "Oooh! Me! Mine first!" she added immediately, producing seven bright pink colored gifts, and leaving no room for argument, as she quickly distributed them to her flabbergasted friends.

Immediately, Isaac could smell whatever it was that Pinkie had put in the box she all but shoved into his hand, hinting at its baking origin.

"Woah!" came Rainbow's stunned voice, producing a new helmet along with some shoulder and elbow pads for when she went skateboarding, "These are awesome!" she announced, fitting them on. "I've been looking for a new pair for weeks! Thanks Pinks!" she said, smiling brightly.

"No problem, Dashie!"

"Guess, I'm up," Applejack said, carefully ripping open the box, when her eyes widen slightly at what was inside, "Oh my goodness, Pinkie, how'd you...?" she asked, staring up at the party girl in surprise. Pinkie only smiled, and mimed locking her lips shut and tossing the key, before ushering her on to show the rest of them.

Hands shaking slightly, Applejack lifted a... picture frame? From the box. It was gold in color, and had a series of apple and vine themed designs along the border. Despite the simplicity, it seemed it was enough to drive the normally tough farm girl to tears.

"Pinkie, how did ya do this?" she asked once more, hiccupping slightly as she stared at her pink friend.

Unlike the previous reaction, Pinkie smiled softly, "You know that cranky old man who runs a blacksmith in town?" she asked.

There's a blacksmith in town? Isaac was shocked that those still existed.

"Well, I helped him throw a party for his niece, and I asked if he could fix that up for you!" she chirped.

Fix? Isaac's eyes darted back over to the simple picture frame. Yes.... he could see it. Some of the metal used in its making seemed a tad bit older than the rest of the metal, showing faint signs of aging, and even rust in one or two spots. Couple that with its design, and Isaac had a feeling that it was an old Apple Family treasure that had seen better days, and to think that Pinkie had it fixed? No wonder Applejack was tearing up. Family meant the world to that girl.

"Oh my, it's beautiful!" Rarity gushed, leaning a bit closer to look at it, "Such detail! My my, whoever made that must be quite the artisan!"

Applejack swallowed, and nodded at Rarity's words, "Yeah, mah Ma made it," she whispered, staring down at the frame in her hands, ignoring the gasps of the others around her, "She gave it ta me before she an' Pa passed away. A-always been good with 'er hands, she wanted ta make sure I always had somethin' ta 'member her by in case I ever left home."

Pinkie smiled brightly, but ushered the next one of them to open their gift.

"Oh my..." Fluttershy breathed, looking into her own carefully unwrapped box, before taking out a small stuffed bunny, "It's so cute!" she gushed, giving the small thing a big hug, "It's just like Angel," she cooed.

Rarity was up next, giving a small, lady-like laugh as she revealed a new sewing kit from within the pink present, "My, how thoughtful!" she said, nodding thankfully at Pinkie, "I must say, I've been meaning to stock up on new thimbles and needles for awhile now."

Twilight came right after, showing them a large book, titled 'Party Planning for the Party Impaired'. The flat look on her as she revealed the book to them roused a loud chorus of laughter from the group, one that she joined in moments later. Sunset opened her gift and saw that Pinkie had gotten her some new art supplies to which she smiled as she gave the pink girl a hug.

That left Isaac with his gift, which he opened to reveal-

"A... chocolate pie?" he asked incredulously, staring at Pinkie, "But-! How did you-?" His attempts at speaking ended in nothing but insane gibberish as he tried, and failed, to understand how she knew he got her a chocolate pie? There was just no way it was a coincidence that they each got each other the same thing! Pinkie only smiled and shrugged at him.

"Alright, my turn!" Rainbow said, zipping up to Pinkie, gesturing to her to take her previous place, before passing out her gifts, all wrapped in blue paper. Unlike Pinkie, none of her gifts sent any of them into tears, but that didn't mean she didn't get any reactions.

"What the hay is this?" Applejack asked, holding a small slip of paper, turning it over to peer at the back, "Good for One Chore Free Day? Dash, is this a dang coupon?" she asked, looking at the rainbow-haired girl incredulously.

Rainbow shrugged, "Yeah, I mean, you always complain that I just show up and just simply drink cider while napping, and how it messes up with your chores and stuff. So figured you know..." she trailed off.

Applejack stared at it for a moment longer and chuckled, "I'll hold ya to it," she warned with a smirk, before they were distracted by Pinkie's shout.

"Ohh! New pranking supplies?!" she cried, staring excitedly at the small box. "Whopping cushions, markers, paint-ooh! It even has confetti! I love confetti! Thanks Dashie!" she gushed, jumping forward to wrap her arms around Rainbow's neck, nearly sending them both to the ground.

"Gah! Pinkie, you're heavy!"

"Ha, ha. No I'm not." said Pinkie in a straight tone.

Tittering at the display in front of her, Rarity set about daintily opening her gift as well. Her eyes widen slightly, before narrowing in confusion, "Rainbow Dash, is this one of your little pranks?" she asked, staring at the chromatic girl with distrustful eyes, "I'll have you know that Opal is still coughing up smoke from your last prank," she added. Rainbow looked at her, pausing in her struggle to remove Pinkie, confused.

"What?" she asked, glancing at the box, before her eyes lit up, "Oh, nah. It's some type of cloud material from Cloudsdale that people are trying out. It's supposed to be a fabric or something for people's clothing, I dunno." she said, then paused before continuing, "There should also be a jar with white stuff in it too, and some kind of rainbow fabric. The guy who sold it to me said that you have to coat the needles and thread you wanna use in the stuff or else they won't like work or anything. He said he put some instructions in there too, so..." she trailed off.

Still staring at her, Rarity reached into the box and pulled out a cloud-like material. It was puffy and airy like most clouds and was also a slightly off-white color, "Oh my goodness..." Rarity breathed, "It's... surprisingly warm..." she muttered, as her eyes began to sparkle madly, "Oh my! The things I can do with this kind of material! Jackets, coats, scarves, mittens! Oooh! It's the perfect material for cold weather!" she squealed.

The rest of the gifts weren't as extravagant, with Fluttershy receiving a new winter hat, as her old one had apparently been shredded by some ornery cats, Twilight got a set of training weights, as well as a jab from Rainbow about needing to do it at home as well; Sunset was given several new video games. Which left Isaac receiving goggles?

"Goggles?" said Isaac as he looked at Rainbow with a confused look. "Look Dash, I know you have a thing for picking out stuff that's 'awesome', but what the hell am I gonna use goggles for?"

"I dunno. There's was a two for one sale, so I'd figured I'd give you the second pair; who knows, maybe you could use them to keep the light out of your eyes when you're in the spotlight." snickered Dash.

Isaac just rolled his eyes as he took another glance at the object. They weren't anything special, their color was gold with orange lenses. Still Isaac didn't see a practical use for having this, but he kept it regardless.

Fluttershy's gifts were well received as well, with every one of them receiving a small bag of treats for their respective pets, all hand-made by Fluttershy herself, with Pinkie receiving some gummy shaped alligator sweets due to her lacking a pet of her own. Applejack had given them all some form of apple-based product she'd made. Rainbow had received a bottle of cider, much to her delight. Fluttershy was given some fritters. Rarity had gotten a bottle of apple-based champagne, much to Isaac's surprise and slight disgust. Pinkie had gotten a set of cupcakes, which she had nearly begun to scarf down if it wasn't for the spread of food off to the side. Twilight received some apple jam that Applebloom had helped make, Sunset received a box of apple dumplings and Isaac, much to his amusement, had gotten yet another pie, only it was apple this time around.

Rarity's gifts had been about as extravagant as to be expected from a personality like hers. Each of them had received a brand new article of clothing. Fluttershy's consisted of a white and blue outfit that she had originally modeled for her once, with a few alterations to better compliment her. Rainbow had received a set of shoes, since the girl evidently didn't like her feet being touched by others, some kind of experience that happened while the two went the spa which just left Isaac confused. While Applejack had gotten a new hat, though Rarity had stressed it was for formal occasions, so she didn't get her normal hat all messed up. Pinkie's gift had been a bright blue cape with pink lining. According to Rarity, her inspiration for it had come from seeing her play around with the Cake twins, and she'd made this for just that. She had been crushed by one of Pinkie's hugs after that.

Sunset was given a given a new set of mittens as it had her sun insignia stitched on the front and back. She also had a flame pattern with her initials. Funnily enough, both Isaac and Twilight had received new scarves, though he had been a little embarrassed when he realized that his was a deep lavender the same shade as the stripe in her hair, while hers had been the same shade of brown as his eyes. Twilight distributed her gifts out to them next, and, to no one's surprise, they all turned out to be books of varying subjects.

Rarity's had been about old African fabric weavers and their methods of turning even tough, unyielding fabrics into soft clothing. Rainbow's had been about the history of the Wonderbolts an elite team of high skilled duelist to compete on the pro scene, while Applejack's was about various farming techniques. She'd been a tad offended at first, but after some explanation from Twilight about turning a more profitable harvest, she'd been appeased. Pinkie's was a new cookbook filled with desserts. The look on Pinkie's face had... unnerved Isaac, causing him to vow to himself to be very far away when she tried making anything in it. Fluttershy had received a book on rare supernatural creatures. Fluttershy had opened it right away, to a page that had been suspiciously dog-eared, and yelped at the sight of the, extraordinarily well drawn, image of a Wendigo. Sunset had gotten a book about different art styles, as well as it offered guide on how to make your artwork get noticed and become profitable.

Twilight's gift to Isaac was rather surprising; Isaac was expecting his girlfriend to get him a book. He thought she might have gotten him a book about Duel Monsters, or possibly a biography on one of the famous duelist of the past. But instead, she got a book on a different topic.

101 Ways to Mimic your Idol.

Isaac... couldn't tell if there was a joke in there somewhere or not.

Sunset was up next as her gifts were all similar and different at the same time. The thing she got all of them is that she had hand drawn and colored portraits of her friends with some of their signature monsters. Looking at them all, it seemed to be like one cool giant poster. Rarity was depicted as a fashion designer who wore a glorious outfit as she rode on her Rainbow Dragon along with her Crystal Beasts by her side as they took care of any crimes against fashion. Rainbow was centered around as a star athlete as she was on a field surrounded with her team of U.A. along with Clear Wing Synchro Dragon and U.A. Star Player as they watched their owner score the winning goal. Applejack's had her dressed in a cowgirl outfit as she was working on the farm with her family and she had her Predaplants helping her to make the farm thrive, they even shared some apple cider. Pinkie was dressed like a superhero as she had her beloved Toons and her newly acquired Madolche deck as they spread laughter and sweets to the hungry children of the world. Fluttershy was shown as a princess, as she was in a beautiful woodlands as she was surround by flowers and her adorable animals of her decks. Twilight was seen as a mage as she had a book in her right hand and magic coming out of her left as she was in a huge library. Alongside her were some Spellbooks that floated in the air; she also had her trusting spellcasters as they were smiling and reading the many books, especially her High Priestess of Prophecy who was next to Twilight also doing some magic. As for Isaac, he was dressed as a sort of ruler who oversaw a crowd of people who all looked to him for guidance. It also had him being engaged in battle as he had his two most trusted allies by his side with them being his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

The group were all touched by Sunset's gifts that they let out a couple of tears. She then showed them her portrait of herself; she drew herself as having magical phoenix-like wings as she was in front of the sun. She then transformed as she appeared in a celestial form that she named Daydream Shimmer as she spread the magic of friendship across the land along with her Red-Eyes Black Dragon by her side. Now, it was time for Isaac to distribute his own gifts. He could only hope they turned out well. So with a heavy deep breath, Isaac gave his gifts to their respective person.

First up was Applejack, "Woowee!" Applejack cheered, holding out her new pair of work boots, carefully eyeing their simple, earthy design, "I've been savin' up fer some'a these for months now!" she announced, smiling at him, "How'd ya know?" she asked, already slipping them on.

Isaac just shrugged, "I didn't."

Chuckling at his response, Pinkie eagerly tore open her own gift, gasping happily as she revealed the chocolate confection, "Pie!" she cried, before giving it a strong sniff, "Ooh! Chocolate!"

"Extra chocolate," Isaac corrected her, amused.

"So that's why you seemed so confused earlier," Twilight noted, smiling softly, "You two ended up getting each other the same thing."

"Great minds think alike? Huh... you really are my big brother!" was Pinkie's response. None of them could tell if she was being serious.

"Oh my!" Fluttershy breathed, carefully taking out the cookbook he'd gotten her, opening it up immediately, "Goodness! There's so many recipes!" she gushed excitedly, her eyes darting around the pages as she eagerly flipped through them, "So many treats! There's one for otters, and monkeys, and toucans, and kitties, and flamingos, and-!"

Isaac chuckled softly at the shy girl's enthusiasm, but stopped paying attention as she continued to list animal after animal, until it got to the point where he stopped recognizing the species she was naming. "I'd figured since you have a dream of creating an animal sanctuary, you could use something to make sure that the creatures don't try to eat each other." chuckled Isaac sheepishly.

"Aw yeah!"

It seemed that Rainbow's gift went over well too.

"How'd you get this?!" she asked, staring at him with wide eyes, "These things've been sold out for months!" Isaac only shrugged,

"Let's say that I made a call to Mr. William and well he was able to have his team of engineers design a skateboard for you to have. Now not only can you show off your sick tricks, but you can do so while showing off your overinflated ego." Isaac smirking wickedly.

"Thanks dude, hey wait a minute? What do you mean my overinflated ego!?!" said Rainbow as she didn't take too kindly to Isaac's comment as the rest of the girls just snickered and laughed.

Sunset opened up her gift and she was stunned by what Isaac got her. Isaac had made Sunset a bracelet that had the word 'Friendship' spell out. The design consisted of leather due to how Isaac knew she liked to wear clothes of that material, but also that it had the same colors as her hair and some special features. One of them is that it glowed in the dark as it emitted a flame and Isaac was able to have tiny gems embedded in it that the reflection showed her journey from bully to a lovable girl as well as the symbol of her Red-Eyes B. Dragon as the logo.

"How... how is this possibly?" Sunset asked.

"Like I said, I called in a few favors." A very soft gasp caught Isaac's attention, causing him to turn in Rarity's direction, finding her staring, open-mouthed, at the simple, silver necklace, inlaid with a single diamond, he'd crafted for her.

"Oh my..." she breathed, staring at it with sparkling eyes, "It's... beautiful..." she muttered, turning to stare at him.

It was? That was... a relief, actually. It meant that the kit he'd bought had very good instructions. Better than he'd hoped, even. He shrugged once more in response, "Eh, it's nothing," he said, "I didn't go to much trouble to make it."

"Make it?!" Rarity shrieked, staring at him in surprise, "You made this?!" she asked. Isaac blinked, and nodded, albeit a tad hesitantly, "Yes? Just like I made Applejack's boots and Pinkie's chocolate pie," he said, pointing at the two gals in question, "Apart from me asking Mr. William to create Sunset's and Dash's gift, I did tell them the design of the thing and how I wanted it to look. You don't want to know how much time I spent on the internet researching all these different gifts and then trying to actually work on it to be presentable. Is that... bad?" he asked, a lump appearing in his throat.

"No!" was Rarity's rapid response, inadvertently calming the panicking boy, "I was just... surprised. It... it looks wonderful," she repeated, "I-I just couldn't believe you made something like this..." she muttered, before her eyes widened, "Oh goodness, it must've cost a fortune!" she gasped, "Oh nononono! This is too much!" she said, suddenly leaping at him, and tried to force the necklace into his hands, "You shouldn't spend so much just for a little gift you know!" she tried scolding him, though her voice was a bit stuffy, and he could see the faintest trace of tears in her eyes, "Even if it's a wonderful thing, it's just too much! I couldn't, in good conscience, accept something that cost you so much!"

"Wha-" he tried to argue, pushing her away, gently of course, "What are you talking about?" he asked, carefully taking a step back from the girl, "It's just a necklace!"

"It's a diamond necklace!" Rarity argued, "Diamonds are extraordinarily rare!"

"Hold one! You made a dress of diamonds a few months ago! Which you sold to Rara, remember?!" Isaac retorted,

"I had to use my entire supply of diamonds for that one dress!" Rarity said, almost desperately, "The only reason I had as many as I did was because some of my wealthier clients decided to pay with one!" she added, "Diamonds are extraordinarily expensive! Just one is enough to buy my entire stock of dresses! The amount of money on the check that Rara gave me nearly gave me a heart attack! It was enough to completely restock everything in my store ten times over!"

Isaac sighed, "I don't know why you're making such a big deal out of it anyways. It's a gift. Do you know how rude it is to just return a gift like that?" he teased, relaxing back onto the floor, "Besides, you've given away quite a few outfits to me and the others for free. You don't get to complain about giving someone something that costs a lot of money, Rarity. Just accept it, and move on," he added, his voice turning a tad threatening towards the end.

She looked like she wanted to argue, even looking at the others for assistance, only to find the other six nodding along with his words, a few even looking a bit smug. "Wha-but-I.... fine!" she said, trying to look miffed, but the smile that refused to leave her face kept any sort of malice from slipping through, "But don't think for a second that I'm letting this go, Isaac!" she warned, "I'll repay you, no matter what it takes!" she said.

Isaac then looked at Twilight who was talking with the others. He then got her attention as he pulled her to the side, "Listen Twilight, about your gift, well... do you mind if I give it to you when the girls are all asleep?" Twilight was suspicious about Isaac's intentions, but she just simply nodded.

So for the next hour, the girls all wanted to cap off the night with a couple of duels. Seems Isaac was able to convince Mr. William and Mr. Johnson to give him some extra card packs that he brought them into the middle of the floor as they all grabbed some and began to open them up as they explored the many new options for their decks. Soon it was nighttime as the girls were getting ready for bed as Isaac pulled out some extra mattresses. Once the girls were asleep, Twilight then got up as she was able to ease Spike out of her arms as she slipped out and put on her glasses. She made her way towards the bathroom only to stop at the stairs before heading to Isaac's room. She quietly knocked on his door as seconds later Isaac appeared with his hands behind his back. He asked Twilight to close her eyes as he prepared to give her his gift.

"Okay, open your eyes."

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the gift in front of her and she immediately gasped. Isaac was holding a necklace, similar to the one he gave Rarity. But this one was much more beautiful, it had a lavender chain as in the center was a gem that matched her symbol. There was also a couple of tiny gems that allowed it to shine in the light; the one thing that really caught her attention was her name was embedded on the gem as it read: Twilight Sparkle.

"Oh... my god." she said.

"I thought you might look good in it. I wanted to give you something to remember me by, just like you gave me my watch." Isaac was smiling as Twilight grabbed his hands, they were looking deep in each other's eyes. "May I?"

Twilight nodded as she turned her back towards him as she moved her hair as she exposed the back of her neck. Isaac then stepped forward as he prepared to put the necklace on her. He gave her a couple of kisses on her neck as Twilight let out a moan before Isaac put it on and hooked the back of it. She then looked at it as she touched it; Twilight was admiring the thing her boyfriend got her and it was the most stunning thing she ever saw.

"It's beautiful, I love it." Twilight was now having tears form in her eyes.

Isaac then brought his hand up as he wiped the tears from her eyes as he looked at her. "I felt like you deserve something that sparkles just as you do."

Isaac then noticed something on the ceiling as he saw a green plant with a ribbon wrapped around it with a couple of berries hanging from it. Twilight looked up as well as she began to blush, Isaac was then met with a kiss as Twilight jumped at him and wrapped her arms around his neck. Isaac leaned into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her with them closing their eyes. The passion and love between the two was strong as they broke apart for a few moments to look at each other before taking part in another kiss. About a minute or two had passed as they pulled away with both of them just smiling and holding each other, soon Twilight decided to head to sleep as she thanked Isaac for her gift and gave him one final peck as she retreated downstairs; Isaac wished her a good night as he entered his room and was smiling at how Twilight liked his gift.

Chapter 86: Valentine's Day

Love. The concept that everybody struggles to find and understand. Love has several meanings, for some it represents caring either to something or someone. To some it's a way of life, others see it as just an emotion that the human race can't fully comprehend. But one thing that is true about love is that it's powerful and it can create a bond between two individuals that could stand the test of time. However, love also works in mysterious ways and that it can be unpredictable. So it's on this day that everybody tries to express some sort of love towards the people they care about. And not just romantic love, it's also about the love between friends, family, and the community around you.

The town of Canterlot was full of the color of red and pink as a very special day was upon them. This day could either be good or bad depending on one thing: your relationship. To those who were a couple, this day allowed them to explore the wonders of Valentine's Day and allowed you to spend time with your special someone. For those that were single, it could either make you sad or drive you towards finding someone who you have a special connection with. However, this day everybody was showing their love towards each other. Friends and family exchanging little acts of love towards one another. The couples of Canterlot were getting ready for the holiday as the men bought flowers and chocolates for their ladies. Some even went so far as to buy some jewelry to show their commitment towards their women.

At school, Twilight was currently looking from a far as she watched her boyfriend who was at his locker. She had a notepad out as she was writing somethings down that could help her. She was so busy that she didn't notice someone calling out to her until they touched her shoulder.

"Hey Twilight! Whatcha doin'?"

"Ahh! Sunset, shush!" Twilight covered Sunset's mouth with her hand as she pulled them behind the corner. She peaked her head out to see if Isaac had noticed and to her delight he didn't, "Phew. He didn't see."

"Okay. What's going on?" asked Sunset as she removed Twilight's hand.

"Valentine's Day is almost here. And I've been following Isaac around, trying to figure when would be a good time to try out Plan A."

Sunset blinked, "Plan... A?" she asked, then shook her head, "Wait, you've been followin'-?"

"Plan A!" Twilight interrupted her, a book and rolled up piece of parchment flying out of her backpack, before the parchment unrolled, allowing Sunset to read the contents.

"Step one: Locate target and proceed to examine their general mood and temperament for the day. Step two: Determine best method to approach the target. Step thr-," she paused, and glanced up at Twilight, "So... you're just gonna walk up and talk to him?" she asked.

Twilight's eyes narrowed for a moment, before she smiled and nodded, "I suppose that's one way of putting it!" she chirped. "It's just that Isaac has done so much for me and he's always the one to plan our dates, so I'd figured maybe this time it's the girl who should do something special for the boy. That makes sense right?"

"Sure?" said Sunset.

Twilight rolled up the parchment in one motion, before the book opened and allowed Sunset to see it, "This book has plenty of ideas and scenarios I can reference for ideas, but I'm sure Plan A will more than suffice!" she said.

Sunset blinked, glancing at the title, "Matters of the-" was as far as she got when the book slammed shut and vanished into Twilight's backpack, the mare in question now red as a beet.

"Uh-hehe-you-uh-you don't need to read that!" Twilight said, laughing nervously.

Sunset just rolled her eyes at how her friend was acting, "Look, Twilight. Isaac probably doesn't want anything fancy. I'm sure he's just content with hanging out. You don't have to do anything over the top, he doesn't seem like that kind of guy, if anything a duel is probably the best thing you can give him."

"I know all that, it's just... well look at all the stuff he's done for me. He's given me happiness and some wonderful gifts." Twilight was now looking at her necklace that Isaac gave her for Christmas. It was the most meaningful thing to her that she never once took it off as she it held a special place in her heart. "I just want him to know that he doesn't always need to be the one to do romantic things."

"I get it. But sometimes simplicity is the best thing." stated Sunset as she put her hand on Twilight's shoulder. "Why don't you just ask him to the Hearts and Hooves dance for next week? I'm sure he's fine with that."

While the girls were talking, Isaac was currently at his locker as he was looking for his materials for his next class. "I know it's here, where is it?" It took a while, but Isaac was able to find what he was looking for as he pulled it out. However, a piece of paper fell out from his locker as it landed by his feet. "Thought I lost... what's this?" Isaac then picked up the paper.

He looked at it as it was folded, it didn't have any name or identification. He knew that Valentine's Day was drawing near, but he doubt Twilight or any of the girls would send him a note. He looked around to see if the owner of the note was around, but there was nobody there. So he did the most logically thing and unfolded the piece of paper as he hoped it could give him a clue. He then began to read it to himself.

"To Isaac,

For a while, I've been watching you from a far. You seem like a nice guy and I was hoping that you could meet with me afterschool today. I've got something that I want to get off my chest."

Signed, Anonymous.

Isaac flipped it over to see if there was more to the note but there wasn't, so he just reread it and tried to wrap his brain around the mysterious note. As far as love letters go, it wasn't the most extraneous. Regardless, the way it was written seemed to indicate something else other than a love letter. Safe to say it caught his attention, so he put it in his back pocket as he made the decision to meet with the mysterious person.

It was now the end of the school day as Isaac was in the back of the building as he was hoping to meet the person of the note in his locker. "Well, this is where they told me to meet them?" Isaac looked around to see the person who wrote him the note, but he saw no one. He decided to wait to see if anybody showed up, about 10 minutes had passed as there was still no sign. "Guess I must have been pranked." Isaac was about to leave when he heard someone.

"Is that you?" said a voice.

Isaac turned around to see someone come out of the bushes.

"Wasn't expecting this." said Isaac.

The CMC were in the library as they were discussing something. Valentine's Day was fast approaching and the school had decided to put on a dance and called it Hearts and Hooves. But that wasn't the top priority, they had their mind focused on another issue. One that involved a certain pink-skinned teacher.

"Come on girls, we got to have a plan?" suggested Applebloom.

"We've tried everything, but nothing works." said Sweetie Belle in a sad tone.

"How are we going to find a special someone for Miss Cheerilee?" said Scootaloo.

The girls were trying to figure out a plan to give their beloved teacher someone special to spend Valentine's Day with. They thought back to what had happened earlier in the day.

(Flashback)

"Hmm... ah just don't feel like it's quite finished." said Applebloom as she had her hand on her chin.

"I know what you mean. If it's for Miss Cheerilee, it needs to be perfect. Valentine's Day only comes once a year, after all." stated Sweetie Belle.

"I say we add a little more ribbon!" Scootaloo then grabbed the material as she put it on the Valentine's Day card.

"Mm-hmm, yeah, yeah. And just a tiny bit more lace." added Sweetie Belle.

"A few more hand-prints." said Applebloom.

"Glitter! It could definitely use just a little more glitter!" exclaimed Scootaloo who rushed to grab a bottle of the stuff. She then shook it really fast as it exploded in front of them creating a cloud that caused them to cough a bit.

"Now that'll show Miss Cheerilee how much we care about her. Just have to get it to the Valentine's party at school." said Applebloom as she put her arms around her best friends.

"I think we're gonna need a bigger envelope." said Scootaloo as she looked at the project the three of them made.

Soon they arrived at school as it took all three of them to literally drag the giant Valentine's Day card into the building. Some of the other students were shocked at what they saw, even some of the girls looked at their boyfriends hoping they could do something like that for them. Eventually they were able to get their giant present into their classroom as they presented it to their teacher. Ms. Cheerilee was thankfully for the girls on giving her such a lovely gift. The real surprise was seeing Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon's faces as they couldn't believe that the CMC had one-upped them.

"It's lovely. And so... big!" Ms. Cheerilee was in awe at what she saw.

Applebloom then began to talk, "We just wanted to let you know that we think yer the best teacher in the whole wide world! And we think yer super! And that we love you so so much! And we want you to have the best Valentine's Day–"

"Ever!" said all the girls.

"Thank you so much, girls. I love it. I really do." said Ms. Cheerilee as she adorned all the hard work the girls put into this gift.

"Thanks, Miss Cheerilee. But I'm sure it's nothing compared to the gifts you've gotten from your... very special somebody." Sweetie Belle said with a lovestruck smile.

"Oh, I don't have a very special somebody at the moment." said Cheerilee in a calm tone.

"Really?" Applebloom was in shock by that statement.

"How could someone as amazing as you not have a very special somebody on Valentine's Day?"

"It's alright, Sweetie Belle. I have lots of good friends and wonderful students who care about me very much. I'm gonna have an absolutely terrific Valentine's Day. Alright, everybody, who's ready to play 'Pin the Heart on the Pony'?" asked Cheerilee as all of the other kids cheered excitedly.

(End of Flashback)

"If anyone deserves a very special someone, it's her." stated Applebloom.

"But how? We're tired everything, we asked all of the male staff and teachers and none of them are interested." said Scootaloo.

While the girls were thinking about what to do next, Sweetie Belle then thought of something as she let out a gasp.

"Uh, you all right?" said Applebloom as she was interested by her friend's reaction.

"I'm more than all right. I've just come up with the best idea ever." she said. "We've been thinking to narrow minded, if we want help in getting Miss Cheerilee a special someone then we need to ask someone with experience. Someone who could offer insight from a boy's perspective." she said as she smirk.

Applebloom and Scootaloo just looked at as they hadn't the foggiest idea on what their friend was saying.

Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes, "I'm talking about Isaac."

"Why?" said Scootaloo.

"Duh, he's a boy. So he's bound to know some advice on how to get someone for Miss Cheerilee. Plus, you've seen how madly in love he's with Twilight. Way I see it, he's our ticket to getting Miss Cheerilee a special date for Valentine's Day." said Sweetie Belle. The girls were still unsure about the idea, but it seemed to be worth a shot.

The next day, the CMC spent all their time trying to find Isaac. They knew that being champion meant that he was constantly busying with his schedule, especially if he was challenged to a duel. Not to mention that Valentine's Day was just about a few days away, so they knew he probably had something planned for Twilight as they wanted to talk with him to not interfere too much with his planning. All day they searched the entire building, at lunchtime they saw him with Twilight and the girls but before they could ask him, he was immediately challenged to a duel. Isaac couldn't resist as he put on his duel disk and slotted in his deck, so they had nothing to do but wait till the battle ended which took up all of the lunch period. After that they tried to catch him in the hallways, but he quickly disappeared either into his next class or out of sight.

Soon school had ended for the day as the girls began to search for their mentor. Applebloom and Sweetie Belle asked their sisters if they knew where Isaac was to which they didn't. Even Twilight didn't know where Isaac was as she was looking to also talk to him about something entirely different. Eventually they stumbled upon Sunset who told them that Isaac was currently in the school library when she left. With that the CMC all left towards their destination. They arrived at the place as they were about to enter when the door opened up and almost hit Applebloom in the face as someone came rushing out.

"Got to hurry! Oh, hey girls." said Isaac as he quickly passed them.

"Wait up, Isaac!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "We have something we want to talk about."

"Look girls, I would really love to chat with you'll. But I have an important meeting with someone right now, so can we take a rain check and discuss this some other time?" asked Isaac.

"But it's urgent." said Applebloom.

"Sorry girls, but I gotta go." With that Isaac then rushed down the hall as he turned the corner; the girls just watched him disappear till he was out of their sights.

"Well that plan seemed to have worked." said Scootaloo sarcastically.

"Ahh! Now what are we gonna do?" pouted Sweetie Belle.

"At this rate, we'll never find someone for Miss Cheerilee." stated Applebloom.

Isaac was rushing down the hall as he made his way out to the back of the school. He then arrived at the same spot where the owner of his mysterious note told him to meet. Soon he saw the person coming out of the bushed just like the first time they met. The person who sent him the note was a small boy who had the same hair and skin color as Scootaloo but his hair was a bit darker purple; he had purple eyes, wore dark pants and a white button shirt that had a top hat and a spotlight on his pocket shirt.

"Is it just you?" the boy asked.

"Don't worry, Tender Taps. Nobody else followed me." said Isaac. "Now come on, let's get to today's lesson."

The note that Tender Taps had sent Isaac was cause he needed his help with a few things, but being the shy boy he was and due to how busy Isaac was from school meetings, to duel challenges, to even his private tutoring lessons with Celestia and Luna about understanding the business side of dueling and the pro leagues. He didn't know how to gain his attention, so he wrote him a note hoping that he could at least get a few minutes of his time and it worked. Isaac showed up and he was glad his idea worked; Isaac was no stranger to Tender Tap, in fact, he was one of the students who he taught with Twilight in their beginner class of Duel Monsters. Isaac also knew that Tender Taps was a decent duelist due to how hard he worked; in fact, prior to attending his class, Tender Taps never once played or knew about Duel Monsters. So it made Isaac happy to see someone who didn't know a single thing about the game be able to understand it and pick up the steps really quick. It made him happy to know he had a student who was willing to put in the hard work and be blessed with stellar results.

So with all that much praise, it made you wonder why Tender Taps had requested to speak with Isaac one on one. Well one of those reasons was that he wanted to get a few private lessons from the champion himself as he wanted to take his game to the next level. So Isaac granted the boy's request and he gave the kid some extra help. There was also another reason why he wanted Isaac's help. With that Isaac then got to work on helping out Tender Taps and his dueling. They did a couple of practice drills that lasted for a good solid 20 minutes as Tender Taps was bent over with his hands on his knees as he was breathing heavily.

"Good work, Tender Taps." applauded Isaac. "You actually lasted longer this time."

"Heh... thanks... though... I still lost." said Tender Taps as he finally caught his breath. "Plus you're not using your real deck, you're using one of the ones that you and Miss Sparkle use to teach us in class."

"So? You did good and that's what counts." Isaac then made his way towards Tender Taps as he looked at the small boy. "You came from not even knowing what Duel Monsters was to already mastering the basics and then some. You even constructed your own deck and now all you need to do is figure out which method of summoning you want to excel in, but we can worry about that later, right now just focus on what I've taught you. Remember losing is just as important as winning, even I've suffered a couple of losses in the past before I became the great duelist you see standing before you. Sure I may have some powerful cards, but in a duel it comes down to a person's skill, confidence and their ability to react in a scenario. So take losing as a learning experience and apply it to future situations."

"Right." nodded Tender Taps.

"Now then, let's take break." suggested Isaac.

He then pulled out some peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and bottles of water as they began to nimble on their snack. While they were talking, Tender Taps asked Isaac more about his deck as well as his backstory on how he got into dueling. Isaac enlighten the young boy by telling him about his role model and how he always had a passion for dueling at a young age. Eventually while they talked the topic of Tender Tap's other issue arose.

"So, have you told her?"

"What!?! No." said Tender Taps as he put his head down. "I mean I know I should do it, but I just get so nervous and shy."

"It's naturally, but how else are you gonna get Applebloom to notice you?"

"I'd figured that with the Valentine's Day dance coming up, that maybe it would allow me the perfect opportunity to possible get to know her a bit better." said Tender Taps. "I mean you certainly know what you're doing in your relationship."

"Not really." said Isaac as he took a sip of his water. "I mean I never asked to be a relationship, it just sorted of happened. Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets with my special someone, but I never went with the intent of her and I getting together. It started out just like any normal friendship, hanging out and getting to know each other. And from there it just blossomed as I saw that everytime I spent with her it made me happy."

"Well my situation is a bit different in that I'm dealing with a crush."

"Tender, the only advice I can give you is to just be yourself. It worked for me and I believe it can too. Just take the chance and ask Applebloom to be your date for the Hearts and Hooves school dance, the worst she can say is no. And at the event you can wow her with those sick dance moves."

"You really think so?" asked Tender Taps as he looked at Isaac.

"Absolutely. Plus you still got to teach me, remember I agreed to these lessons so that in return you can teach me how to tap dance. Can't wait to show Twilight some new moves." chuckled Isaac.

"Alright, a deal's a deal." said Tender Taps as Isaac just patted him on the head. "I'll ask her tomorrow after Miss Cheerilee's class."

"Sounds like a plan." said Isaac.

"Now then, hope you're rested up cause we got a long way before you can master the basics of tap dancing." stated Tender Taps as he pulled out his tap dancing shoes and did a little routine for Isaac.

The next day at school the kids in Ms. Cheerilee's class were going over their daily lesson. Tender Taps sat at his desk as he practiced what he was going to say to Applebloom. Meanwhile the CMC were trying to figure out their plan to find someone to be Cheerilee's special someone. Safe to say that all signs lead to a dead end, still they were determined to find someone to be Cheerilee's valentine. The school bell rang as Cheerilee dismissed her class, Tender Taps then stood up as he took some deep breaths. He then began walking towards Applebloom, but soon found himself feeling nervous which eventually led to him hyperventilating. His actions didn't go unnoticed.

"Um... can we help you with something?" said Sweetie Belle.

Tender Taps snapped out of his little mental state and realized that he'd been staring at them, particularly Applebloom the whole time in plain sight. He immediately felt his face go completely red and his brain was sent into panic mode. And it didn't help that Applebloom was looking at him.

"Um... uh... I... well..." he stammered.

"Uh... are you alright?" asked Scootaloo.

"Um... s-sorry!" Tender Taps said before running for it. He zipped past them as he exited the classroom leaving the three girls with confused looks.

"Well... that was weird." said Applebloom.

"Indeed, thought from the looks of it. It seemed he was staring at you, Applebloom." said Scootaloo with a sly smile.

"Girls, can we focus back on our objective? We need to find someone for Miss Cheerilee. Now come on." With that Sweetie Belle led the group onto their little crusade.

The next couple of days flew by as it was now the day before the Hearts and Hooves school dance. The girls spent tireless time trying to find someone for their teacher but their search came up to no result. Eventually they were now in the front of the school steps as they were disappointed.

"I can't believe we failed." said Applebloom.

"I guess Miss Cheerilee will spend Valentine's day all alone." stated Scootaloo.

"We just wanted her to be happy." said Sweetie Belle in a sad tone.

Not far was Isaac and Tender Taps who saw the girls. Tender Taps had told Isaac about how he let his nerves get the better of him and ever since his unusual stare a few days ago, he had been avoid Applebloom. He didn't want her to think that he was some weird creeper. So Isaac was now with the boy as he wanted to provide some moral support.

"I don't know, Isaac. Maybe I should forget about this and just stay home? I mean it's a weekend." suggested Tender Taps.

"Okay, then I hope you don't mind a test on all those new lessons as well as an essay. And I want it in class by Monday." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"Point taken, alright." Tender Taps took a deep breath.

"Your damn straight." said Isaac. "Besides I'm making sure that I get my money's worth on those tap dancing lessons." With that Isaac gave Tender Taps a shove as he started making his way toward the girls with Isaac following a few steps behind.

"Now what are we gonna do?" said all the girls.

"What's with all the sad faces?" said Isaac as he got the girl's attention. "Seems like you're in need of some cheering up."

"Isaac?" said all of them.

"Where have you been?" stated Sweetie Belle. "We've been trying to find and ask you about something for days now!"

"Calm down, Sweetie Belle." stated Isaac.

While Isaac was arguing with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, Tender Taps looked at Applebloom who just waved at him to which he returned.

"Hey."

"Hey." said Tender Taps.

"You're Tender Taps, right? I see you sitting behind me in Miss Cheerilee's class."

"Oh, you know me?" Applebloom's response caught Tender Taps off guard as he wasn't expecting this.

"Ah'd figured. Ah hear that you have a talent for dancin'?"

"Tap dancing, actually. It's been something that I've loved since I was very little." said Tender Taps as he rubbed the back of his neck while Applebloom giggled a bit. "Say, mind if I... ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Well... Applebloom... I... I-I was wondering if you would like to go to the Heart and Hooves school dance with me?" Tender Taps then looked away as he prepared for the worst.

"Sure." Applebloom said nonchalantly.

"You will?"

"Sure. Me and mah friends are goin' as a group, I don't think they'll mind another person taggin' along."

"Right. As friends, well then, I'll see then."

"See ya." Applebloom then playfully punched him in the shoulder as it caused Tender Taps to blush a bit. With that he left as it Applebloom made her way towards the other.

"What was that about?" asked Scootaloo.

"It was just Tender Taps who asked if he could tag along with us for the school dance. I told him it was alright, hope you girls don't mind."

The two of them shook their heads as they saw no problem with it, while Isaac had a different expression on his face. Seems the plan kinda of worked, but thankfully Isaac had a backup plan. Seems those tap dancing lessons were really going to come in handy after all. Eventually the girls vented out their frustrations to Isaac about finding someone for Cheerilee which led Isaac to giving them a lesson about how no matter how good their intentions were, they shouldn't mess in the affairs/relationship of others.

It was now the night of the Hearts and Hooves school dance, thankfully the dress code for this event was casual. Everybody was showing up as the entire auditorium was covered in Valentine decorations. The party was in full swing as everybody was enjoying themselves. Twilight however showed up and she was a bit upset, she had hoped to plan something elaborate for her and Isaac for Valentine's day. However, ever since that day she talked with Sunset, she hadn't even seen him. He didn't even return her calls which really bugged. So she gave up on her plan and attended the dance with the rest of the girls; meanwhile the CMC were talking with each other while they danced on the dance floor in the sea of people.

"Hey Applebloom, didn't you say Tender Taps would be joining us?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah, where is the guy?" said Scootaloo.

"Don't know, maybe he decided to cancel." said Applebloom as she didn't give much thought.

Soon they heard a voice over the microphone as Celestia made an announcement. "Students, I hope you're all enjoying tonight. Now it gives me great pleasure to provide you with some entertainment, so please give a warm welcome to both Tender Taps and Isaac.

"What?" said the CMC and Twilight.

"Are this is a good idea?" said Tender Taps from behind the curtain.

"Trust me it's gonna work." said Isaac as the curtain lifted up and they were standing in front of the crowd of people.

They were both dressed in tap dancer outfits. Soon Isaac started to stamp his foot as he the music began to play. With that Tender Taps got rid of his nervous and meek persona as he began to be full of confidence as he took the lead. Both of the boys began to perform some slow perididdles. For a moment, Applebloom felt somewhat underwhelmed. However, both began to increase in speed. Soon they were both moving with speed that no-one had ever seen. In fact, the crowd was now cheering on the two of them with Isaac being able to direction the attention towards Tender Taps. The taps, clicks, and clacks, began to blend together as they began to move onto other steps. Soon they were both tapping all over the stage as they ended their routine with a slide as they tipped their top hats to the crowd. They received a standing ovation as their peers gave a thunderous applause. While Tender Taps was taking this in, he looked at Applebloom who was also impressed by the boy's talent.

Throughout the performance, Applebloom was paying attention to Tender Taps. When she first met the boy, she could tell that he was very nervous and had some anxiety about performance in front of others. But now she could see his confidence when he was dancing. As the routine continued on, she began to blush a bit; she initially thought the boy was "cute", but after that performance she now saw him as "very handsome." Once they finished, she saw Tender Taps looking at her and was now blushing even harder. Tender Taps noticed Applebloom had been blushing and, to her surprise, began to blush back. She realized this wasn't the kind of blush one did simply because one was embarrassed, but from being around someone you liked but didn't quite know why.

After that killer performance, Isaac looked at Tender Taps and gave him a smile. His plan to not only show off his moves and get Applebloom to notice him proved to be a success. He tried to give the boy a high-five, but he just gave Isaac a hug as he wrapped his arms around Isaac's lower body. Isaac just patted his head as he ruffled the boy's hair. A few moments later, Isaac had changed back into his regular outfit when noticed Twilight by the punch bowl as she had her arms crossed and looked at him.

"I've been looking for you for days! Where were you?" she shouted. "Do you know how hard I've-"

Isaac just shut Twilight up by grabbing her by the waist and gave her a kiss as he brought his right hand up to cusp her face. Twilight was shocked but eventually closed her eyes as she returned the same effort of the kiss as she wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck. It seemed to work as Twilight immediately forgot about her plan to surprise Isaac; they broke away as Isaac looked at her and gave her a smile.

"So did you like my performance?"

"Yeah. Though you've done it again, just once can you let me plan something for the two of us?" said Twilight as she gave a pouting face.

"Maybe." said Isaac as he bopped her nose. He then looked over to Tender Taps who was currently with Applebloom as he could see the blush on both of their faces.

Applebloom had approached Tender Taps as both of them were both blushing and nervous. "Hey."

"Hey." replied Tender Taps.

"Gotta say ah found yer performance to be great." she said. "Not to mention you were kind cute up there."

Tender Taps went stiff when he heard Applebloom call him cute. "Heh, thanks. You really like my performance?"

"Ehh-yup." said Applebloom as she did her best Big Mac impression.

Soon a slow jazz song began to play from the Dj as Tender Taps saw people either get off the dance floor or pair up. He noticed that Isaac was leading Twilight to the dance floor as he gave him one final nod to show that he got this. So Tender Taps took a deep breath as he made the leap of faith and took his chance. "Applebloom, would you mind if you share a dance with me?"

"Yeah." said Applebloom as they got close to each other.

Tender Taps held his hands around her; one around her waist as he held another in his hand. He then gave Applebloom a gentle smile as he looked at her with both of them blushing. Applebloom felt her heart soar a bit, as the orange boy spoke, "So, I hope you know how to dance like this."

"Ah'm not too familiar with this kind of dancin'," Applebloom replied. She then wrapped her free arm around Tender Taps' waist as, with her face now almost entirely red, she replied, "But ah'm a fast learner, and ah think you might be a wonderful teacher."

Smiling, Tender Taps took the lead, and soon, the two kids were dancing hand in hand. While Applebloom was internally giggling since she could hear the sounds of his tap shoes gently touching the floor, she was far more focused on her partner. He was even more handsome than she remembered, and his face gave the sense of warmth and acceptance. When Tender Taps began to lift the hand that held hers, Applebloom caught on to what he was implying and twirled gracefully. Once she was facing him again, the two teens began to move slightly faster, swaying to the music.

Tender Taps then began to raise their hands again. Applebloom, smiling like a dumb idiot, twirled again, feeling lighter than air. And when he finished her twirl, she did something she didn't think she'd have done that day. Applebloom stepped up to Tender Taps and closing her eyes kissed him right on the cheek as she placed her head on his chest. Tender Taps was absolutely dumbfounded at what had happened that he let out a happy noise that sounded like a horse neighing. He looked at Applebloom who he was still holding in his arms as he looked at Isaac; Isaac was doing the same as Twilight was in his arms as she closed her eyes and he had his chin onto of her head. Isaac saw the little scene of the two kids as he gave Tender Taps a thumbs up which really made the young boy smile. He was glad this day turned out well as he at least let Applebloom know that he was interested in her; Isaac just watched the young boy as he was proud that Tender Taps was able to get over his fear and confront his crush. With that Isaac got back to enjoying the night as he had his special somebody in his arms.

Chapter 87: Pendulum Power

It was another day at Canterlot High. The students were out and about enjoying their free period outside due to the weather getting warmer. A couple of buds were starting to sprout out as they pushed past the bits of snow that were still on the ground. A couple of trees were starting to show signs of leaves growing back, even the sun was a bit warmer than usual. So it was a pretty good day for everybody, especially for our reigning, defending champion who was currently engaged in a duel with someone.

"I reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. Now thanks to this card, my Dark Magician is once again back on the field." stated Isaac as he managed to get his ace monster back.

"In that case, I'll just set a card facedown and end my turn." said Isaac's opponent.

"Right then, it's my draw. Here we go!" shouted Isaac. He then placed his hand on his deck as it began to glow as he drew it. Isaac noticed it and soon all the other cards in his hand began to glow as well as they all shined brightly. "What's going on?"

Soon the glow dimmed a bit as the cards that were previously in Isaac's hand were gone and replaced by new cards. Cards he hadn't seen before, but for some reason they seemed like they were calling out to him. Soon Isaac could hear the thoughts of the monsters in his mind as he was listening to them; he gave them a nod as he knew what to do.

"Now then, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"It's showtime. I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as his monsters were summoned.

While Isaac was engaged in a duel, somewhere else inside the school building, a large group of individuals were watching another duel take place. The person who was involved in that was none other than Rainbow Dash who was trying to prove to Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna that she should be Isaac's next challenger for his title. And based on how well she was dominating her opponent, it seemed like she was getting her point across.

"Now it's my turn, draw. You can run but you can't hide from this sinister spinster. Say hello to Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600). And next, I'm rolling out my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Dice(300/1500)." Rainbow now had two monsters on her field with one of them being a tuner. "I tune Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice with Level 3 Terrortop to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon, Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)!" shouted Dash as she had a brand new monster on her field.

"Now I activate Hi-Speedroid Kendama's special ability. By banishing one Speedroid in my graveyard, you take 500 points of damage!" Rainbow's new monster then shot a powerful attack as it chipped away at her opponent's life points.

On the side were Applejack and Fluttershy who were watching their friend in action. Soon they were joined by someone else.

"Hey Aj, Fluttershy. Let me guess, Dash is dueling?" said Sunset as she joined the girls.

"You know her; she's been trying to prove that she deserves the next shot at facin' Isaac for his title. So Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna said that they'll take it under consideration. So Rainbow issued an open challenge, she thinks this will help them make their decision." stated Applejack.

"Of course she does." said Sunset as she rolled her eyes. They then turned back to watch the duel as Dash looked just about to end this.

"My turn," said Dash as she took her turn. "I summon my Speedroid Double Yoyo(1400/1400). And it lets me summon another Speedroid from my graveyard! Welcome back to the battle, my trusty Tri-Eyed Dice!" Once again, Rainbow now had two monsters on her field as she looked to synchro summon once again. "All right, now I tune my Level 3 Tri-Eyed Dice with my Level 4 Double Yoyo! Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Rainbow had been able to summon one of her powerhouses of her deck. "Let's go, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon. Attack his monster!" said Rainbow as she thrusted out her arm.

"Did you forget about my monster's ability? Once per turn, I can switch one of your monsters into defense mode." said her opponent. "So it looks like your dragon is useless this turn."

"That's what you think!" said Dash with a smirk. "My Synchro Dragon has a special ability! It puts the brakes on your plan and destroys your monster as well! Go Reverse Revenge!" Clear Wing Synchro Dragon then powered itself up as it unleashed a powerful attack beam that got rid of it's target. "Now my dragon gains points by the monster it destroyed using its effect. So now my dragon has enough to end this duel. Clear Wing! Attack him directly! Spin Storm Sky Strike!!!" shouted Dash as her monster spun really fast as it destroyed its target and won the duel for Dash.

"Awesome win, Dash." said Fluttershy as she congratulated her best friend on winning.

"Thanks, Fluttershy. Now Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna are sure to make me the next challenger to face Isaac." said Rainbow with a smug look on her face.

"Yeah. Isaac will really like facin' somebody who he's beaten with ease multiple times." snickered Applejack.

"What did you say, Applejack?" said Rainbow as she took offense to Aj's comment.

"You heard me, Isaac's whup yer butt so many times that it's become laughable." chuckled Applejack as Rainbow Dash was gritting her teeth and turning red with fury. "Besides, we know Isaac likes his opponent to be tough and can take a beatin'. That why ah'm gonna be his next foe." said Applejack as she pointed at herself. "If anybody knows how to get down and dirty with the old city slicker, it's this country gal."

"Not if I beat beat him first." said Dash as she got in Applejack's face as they were staring at each other with their foreheads touching each other like two bulls locking horns.

"Girls, calm down. Besides, maybe Isaac could use a break; maybe he needs someone who can give him a relaxing duel." said Fluttershy.

All the girls looked at her as they stared at her for a few seconds.

"Are you implying that you want to take on Isaac, next?" asked Dash.

"Oh no, no-no. Well... Maybe... A little." said Fluttershy as she hid behind her hair a bit. She felt kind of embarrassed that she would say something like this since it wasn't in her character to say stuff like that.

"Well, right now it's up to Principal Celestia to determine the fate of who Isaac's next challenger will be. For now we just got to wait." stated Sunset. Just then the school bell rang as everybody in the auditorium all scrambled as they made their way to their next class.

Twilight was currently running somethings on her laptop as she typed in a couple of things and eventually it showed her what she wanted. She then gave back Rainbow her deck as her cards came up on her screen. "Okay Rainbow, thanks to this nifty device I created, I just scanned your deck and it allows you to see which cards you use the most often and what the overall percentage of you using them is."

"Thanks Twilight." she said as she looked at the screen.

"It's no problem, with Principal Celestia's help I've been able to create a program that the whole school will use so that they can scan their decks and be able to see what cards they use the most and how they can change their decks to fit their commendations." Twilight stated as she pushed up her glasses.

"And this program isn't just yourself, right? You can also look up other people's deck."

"Quite right." Twilight then pushed some keypads as the screen of Dash's profile minimized and soon the entire database of every single student in school appeared as they were organized by grade year and within them by alphabetical order as it displayed their rank next to their name. "I've been able to get tons of data from everybody, including our friends."

"So is it safe to assume that Isaac's data is in the framework?"

"Do you know who you're talking to?" said Twilight with a sly smile. "He was the first one I registered, plus seeing as how I'm his girlfriend, he kind of had to." Twilight then brought up Isaac's file as it showed his picture and then showed all the cards he's ever played. The cards that he used on a consistent basis were highlighted as it was Twilight's design to help those in creating their decks.

"Cool." said Dash as she looked at the cards that were in Isaac's deck.

Of course at the top of that list were his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl as they were the #1 cards that Isaac relied on the most and helped him to gain so many victories. Next to them was a list of other monster cards that Isaac had used a fair bit amount. First up was his Dark Magician of Chaos which was then followed up by his ritual monster Magician of Chaos. After that was his fusion cards which were his Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, Quintet Magician, Amulet Dragon and lastly, The Dark Magicians. In terms of his Xyz monsters, the cards were his Ebon High Magician and Ebon Illusion Magician; Synchro consisted of the monster he got when they visited Everton High last year which he acquired his Dark Sorcerer Magician. It seemed that Isaac had a card for each of the different summoning methods that he could rely on. Not to mention that he also was in possession of two of the Egyptian God cards which made Isaac really the standard barrier in terms of Duel Monsters.

"Damn, Isaac really does have a monster for each summoning method." stated Dash.

"One summoning method is tough to master. Two is just taxing, but to know all three. You've got to be a prodigy to have a firm grasp on the different techniques." stated Twilight as she too was impressed by Isaac's commitment to know all three methods of dueling.

"Well, Isaac has always told us how he's had a passion for this game. It took a while, but he was able to understand the basics of Duel Monsters at a young age and from there he spent years trying to get better at the game." said Dash. "He practiced and practiced and it paid off big time cause look at him now, he's at the top of the mountain, taking on any challenge that's thrown his way and he's got more talent/skill than most people have in their lives or their left pinkie. He's not even a pro and he's operating at a whole other level than the rest of us."

"Yeah, he's amazing." Twilight was now having the lovesick look on her face as she looked at Isaac's picture. "I'm lucky to have him."

"Ahh. Don't go all lovey-dovey in front of me. I can barely handle it when you two are constantly kissing each other. Save that stuff for the bedroom." said Dash as she cringed a bit at Twilight's affection. "Look Isaac is an awesome individual, he's proven it time and time again. But if I'm going to achieve my dream of becoming a world star in both sports and Duel Monsters, then I need to take my game to the next level. And if my duel this morning is any indication then I think I'm on the right track."

Both girls let out a chuckle. Dash then noticed something on the screen as it showed what appeared to be Duel Monster cards, but they were blacked out and only showed the shape.

"Hey Twi, what's that?"

Twilight then looked back the screen and she too saw the same thing as her friend. "That wasn't there before." Twilight then typed in something as the arrow on the screen clicked on the blank shape to see if she could find any information. However, when she clicked on it, the screen just said error. She then did some other tests, but they all said the same thing. From what the database was saying is that whatever cards they had been, were registered into the system but for some reason, she couldn't be able to pull them up. It's as if they were locked.

"It's so strange, I can't seem to access it. My program is saying that their in the system, but they don't say what. Probably is just some last-minute bugs that need fixing. I'll take a look at it later." said Twilight as she closed the program and put away her laptop.

"Great. Now that we're done, can we please go. I promised somebody a duel after school and I don't want to lose; believe me, I will be Isaac's next challenger. Now hurry up!" shouted Dash as she ran out of the room.

"Wait up, Rainbow. You know I'm not a runner." said Twilight as she tried to keep up with her athletic companion.

Another school day came and went as the student were going about their day. Principal Celestia was currently in her office going over school paperwork. Seems retirement was treating her well as she had more time on her hands, one of them included zip lining which she immediately fell in love with. Though it seemed that Luna didn't share those same feelings as she had a stomach ache the first time they tried the sport. Not to mention how frizzed up her hair had been as it took three whole days for it to go back to its natural state. As much as she enjoyed the free time she gained, she still had a job to do as principal.

"Are you ready to go, sister?" said Luna as she came into her office.

"Of course, Luna." Celestia then grabbed her clipboard as she and her sister made their way to the auditorium.

They arrived to a small group of students who had a free period and were able to gather in attendance. They both took a seat at a table as they prepared for another duel assessment; Isaac and his opponent which was a boy by the name of Night Twister were about to get underway. Celestia made her way towards Night Twister to remind him of somethings.

"Alright, Night Twister. This here is a nontitle duel, regardless I'd expect you to do your best. And if you beat Isaac, then I will take you under consideration when it comes to his next challenger." stated Principal Celestia.

"Of course, Principal Celestia."

"Very well, we'll begin shorty." With that Celestia ran over the rules with Isaac and he nodded. Soon she returned back to her table and gave the signal to start. Everybody in the bleachers got comfy as they were about to watch a show.

Isaac then put on his duel disk as he activated it to project a gold card tray. He then opened his deck box as he looked at it for a bit before slotting it in. "Hope you're ready, Night Twister."

"I look forward to seeing how I can do against you, Isaac." Night Twister then activated is duel disk as it projected a blue card tray.

"Then get ready, it's time to duel." said Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating Commencing duel." said their duel disk.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Night Twister's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Night Twister

"I'll start off, draw. To start since I control no monsters, I can special summon my Elder of the Six Samurai(400/0) in defense mode. Then I'll play the continuous spell, Six Samurai United. Now whenever I summon a 'Six Samurai', I can place a Bushido counter. So I'll summon the tuner monster, Secret Six Samurai - Genba(500/2100)." Out on Night Twister's field, were two warriors with one of them holding a weapon while the other was much older person and was in a carriage. " Now I gain a Bushido Counter; now I tune my Level 2 Samurai - Genba with my Level 3 Elder, I Synchro Summon Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En(2500/1400)." Out came a samurai warrior dressed in armor as he wielded a sword.

"I'll then end my turn. With that my spell gains another Bushido Counter."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Alright, time to see what I got. Here goes," Isaac drew his card and to his delight it was a card he was hoping to get. Alright, I already got one of them. Just need one more. "To start I'll play my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Night Twister

"My turn, since I already have two Bushido Counters, I can send my spell card to the graveyard to draw two more cards." Night Twister then got rid of his spell as he picked up some more cards. "First I'll play the Field spell, Shien's Castle of Mist." Soon the entire battlefield changed into a dark woodlands as a large Japanese temple appeared behind Night Twister. "Then I'll play my equip spell, Legendary Ebon Steed. Now my Shi En gains 200 more attack/defense points. So he now has 2700 attack points." Soon a black horse came out as the samurai warrior petted his stallion and got on its back.

"Next I'll play Shien's Smoke Signal; now I can add a Level 3 or lower 'Six Samurai' from my deck to my hand. So I choose to add my Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki(200/2000) which I'll then summon in attack mode. Now the effect of my monster activates, so now I can special summon another 'Six Samurai' from my hand so long as it's Level 4 or lower. I choose my Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan(1800/500)." Night Twister now had three monsters on his field. "Now a couple of things happen, first the other effect of my Kageki activates which allows him to gain 1500 attack points since there's another 'Six Samurai' on the field. And the effect of my Kizan allows him to gain 300 attack/defense points whenever I control 2 or more 'Six Samurai' monsters. Which makes Kageki have 1700 points and Kizan has 2100." Soon both warriors powered up as they all had their sights set on Isaac's monster.

"Now time to strike, Legendary Six Samurai Shi En take out Isaac's monster!" Night Twister shouted.

"My Obnoxious Celtic Guardian is obnoxious for a reason. Cause his ability makes it to where he can't be destroyed in battle by monsters with 1900 or more attack points." said Isaac with a smile. His monster clashed sword's with Night Twisters as it held off the attack before dropping to one knee.

"In that case, I'll strike with my other monsters. Kageki take out his warrior for good and Kizan strike your sword on his life points." stated Night Twister as his two samurai took to the field and unsheathed their swords.

"I'll reveal my facedown, Half Un-Break. So now my monster will be safe."

"Not gonna happen." said Night Twister. "I know all about the cards you use, so I'll activate the effect of my Legendary Six Samurai Shin En. Once per turn, whenever you activate a spell/trap, I can negate its activation and destroy it." Night Twister's monster then used its sword to cut Isaac's trap to pieces. "With that gone, my plan continues." And so Isaac's monster was destroyed as Isaac lost some life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 5900-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

Isaac dusted himself off as he got back to his feet. "Not bad, now time to see what I got." Isaac drew his card, "To start I'll play my Pot of Greed, so now I draw two more cards from my deck." Isaac drew his cards.

"So tell me, did you get the cards you needed?" mocked Night Twister.

Isaac looked at his hand as he let a smile form on his face. "Well you're particularly right." Isaac's response was met with mixed reactions from Night Twister and everybody in the small audience. "Hope everybody is ready cause I'm about to blow your minds away. Now then I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Pendulum what?" said Night Twister.

"Pendulum summoning. Let me show you. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as three lights came out of the giant portal above him. "They say all good things happen in threes, well let me introduce you to this terrific trio. First up is my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Scale 3, Level 5), next up is my Sleight of Hand Magician(2100/1500, Scale 2, Level 6), and lastly is my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4)."

Out on Isaac's field were three different monsters that nobody had ever seen him use. The first magician had a ringmaster outfit as he had a relic in his left eye and wore a top hat on its head. The second magician had a deck of cards levitating around him as he wore an outfit that resembled a blackjack dealer, and his third magician was a girl spellcaster as she wore a long dark robe and that covered her head and body. The only thing that could be seen was her face. Everybody was in shock at what they saw, Isaac had managed to summon three new monsters all at the same time. The one person who was really shocked by what Isaac just did so happen to be Rainbow Dash who managed to sneak in as she wanted to see this duel rather than be in class. So when she saw whatever the hell Isaac did, she was in awe and shock.

"What? How did you summon three monsters all at once?" asked Night Twister.

"That's the power of pendulum summoning. Now time to show my magicians in battle. So Rune-Eyes strike down Legendary Six Samurai Shin En." Rune-Eyes Illusionist then took the field as it levitated towards its target.

"My monster is much more powerful than yours." stated Night Twister.

"Then I guess I should explain my Illusionist's ability, whenever it battles a monster that has more attack points, it gains those attack points till the end of the turn. So now it's attack rises to 4500."

"Your monster may be stronger, but my samurai is going to stick around. Instead of my monster being destroyed, my Legendary Ebon Steed spell card that I equipped gets destroyed as it allows my samurai to stick around. In addition, thanks to my field spell, your monster will lose 500 attack points during the damage step." Night Twister's horse then tossed its rider off as it took the brunt of the attack.
Night Twister's Life Points: 6700-

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Night Twister

"My move," said Night Twister as he drew his card. "You may have some new monsters, but there still weak. Now I'll since I control 2 or more 'Six Samurai', I can summon my Great Shogun Shien(2500/2400). Thanks to his special ability, you can only activate one spell/trap card each turn. Next I play the spell card, Six Strike - Triple Impact. Now since I control 3 or more 'Six Samurai' monsters, I can activate this card. And with it, I'll destroy all your monsters on the field." shouted Night Twister.

"Hate to disappoint you, but I'm activating my Sleight of Hand Magician's effect. Now I can send one spell card from my hand and with it, I can negate and destroy your own spell." Sleight of Hand Magician then had four cards in front of him as they all had the four symbols of a standard deck, he then used his fast hands as he shuffled them. Then with a snap of his fingers he pulled out a card that had a red ace of hearts as he shot it towards Night Twister's spell card.

"Well I can still attack you with my monsters, go my samurai. Lay waste to his magicians and his life points! Great Shogun Shien will attack your Sleight of Hand Magician, Shi En will take out your Runes Eyes Illusionist, Kizan will take out your Black Robe Mentalist, and then Kageki will strike your life points." Night Twister gave his warriors their command as they all brought out their swords. Isaac had to put his arms up as he took a huge blow to his life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 2700-

"With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw, to start I'll play the spell card Graceful Charity. So now I draw three cards and discard two." Isaac then picked up his cards as he selected the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Hope you're ready for an encore, Night Twister. Cause my magicians are about to perform a second act."

"But how? I sent them to the graveyard!" stated Night Twister.

"Well then let me show you and everybody else. It's showtime. Now I'll use the Pendulum Scale once again to pendulum summon." The pendulum above Isaac began to swing back and forth as a portal opened up and three lights came out. "Once again give a warm welcome to Rune-Eyes Illusionist, Sleight of Hand Magician, and Black Robe Mentalist." Isaac now had those same three monsters appear on his field.

"How? I sent those monsters to the graveyard. How did you do that?" commanded Night Twister.

"See that's the thing, Night Twister. When you destroyed my magicians, they weren't sent to my graveyard. They were sent to my Extra Deck cause these magicians aren't just regular old monster cards, they're Pendulum cards. And when Pendulum cards are destroyed, they go to the Extra Deck instead of the graveyard. So that means I can keep using them over and over." said Isaac with a smile on his face as he looked at his new companions. "Next I'll show off my Mentalist's ability, now based on how many monsters there are on my field, I can then look at that same number of cards from the top of my deck and add one of those to my hand. Currently there are 3 cards." With that Isaac's duel disk showed him on his screen his choices, Isaac looked through as he decided on which one he wanted. He made his decision as he tapped on the one he wanted as he clicked confirm, with that it slid out for him to grab as his deck was shuffled.

"Now I'll play my Ancient Rule spell card, and with it I'll call upon my Dark Magician." Isaac now had his star monster as he took the front position. "Then I'll activate my Mirage Magician's Pendulum ability, now she can create a copy of one monster on my field. However, since I used this effect, I have to destroy her at the end of the turn. So I'll create a copy of my Dark Magician." A mirage-like image appeared as a second Dark Magician appeared by its original.

"Now I'll have the copy of my Dark Magician take out your Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En, while my Rune-Eyes Illusionist will take out your Great Shogun Shien, Sleight of Hand Magician will attack Kageki, and I'll have my Dark Magician take out your Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan." said Isaac.

"Have you forgotten about my Field spell? All your monsters will lose 500 life points each, which means two of your magicians are going to lose." stated Night Twister.

"Not if I activate my Sleight of Hand Magician's effect, so I'll send another spell card to the grave to negate and destroy your field spell." Once again a deck of cards appeared as Isaac's magician shuffled them before snapping his fingers as a black diamond card was used to destroy the temple. "With that gone, my monster's stats wont change, plus my Rune-Eyes Illusionist's effect allows him to gain attack points on the monster he's attacking." Rune-Eyes Illusionist then pulled out his staff as he used his eye to activate his power. "Then I'll have my Black Robe Mentalist attack you directly!" Isaac gave his command as his magicians cleared the field of Night Twister's monsters.
Night Twister's Life Points: 2700-

"With that I'll set a card facedown and end my turn. And so my Mirage Magician is sent to my Extra Deck."

Turn 7: Night Twister

"My draw, I'll activate my facedown, Backs to the Wall. Now by lowering my life points to 100, I can special summon as many 'Six Samurai' from my graveyard. So now all of my monsters are back in play." Just like that, Night Twister had four monsters on his field. "Next I play the spell card, Asceticism of the Six Samurai. So now I can special summon a 'Six Samurai' from my deck so long as it has the same attack points as the one I choose. So I select my Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan; which means I can summon my Grandmaster of the Six Samurai(2100/800)!" Night Twister now had a full field of warriors as they were being lead by an elderly grandmaster. "So now I'll have my monsters attack your monsters!" The samurai were given their command as they leap high into the air as they each had a target.
Night Twister's Life Points: 100-

Legendary Six Samurai - Shi En collided with Isaac's Dark Magician as both were destroyed. Legendary Six Samurai - Kizan took out his Black Robed Mentalist; Great Shogun Shien took out Sleight of Hand Magician, Legendary Six Samurai - Kageki destroyed Rune Eyes Illusionist which left Grandmaster of the Six Samurai who looked to end this duel.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"I reveal my facedown, the Nitwit Outwit trap card. So I'll send my Masked Sorcerer to the graveyard in exchange your Grandmaster loses attack equal to the monster I sent to the graveyard." Isaac then prepared himself as he put his arms up as he took the brute of the attack as it caused him to be flung onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 100-

"You survived thanks to your trap card, well no matter. I end my turn and my Grandmaster must now he sent to the graveyard." With that Night Twister's monster disappeared as he still had four samurai monsters on his field which looked to finish off Isaac.

"Well my Black Robe Mentalist's other effect activates, when it's destroyed, I can be able to place it in my pendulum zone. So I'll do just that." Isaac then took his pendulum card as he placed it where on the far right side of his card tray as the new monster took it position as it appeared in a column of light with its number showing in front of him. "And as for my other pendulum cards, they go to my Extra deck." said Isaac as he took his two magicians and put then in his Extra Deck compartment of his duel disk.

Turn 8: Isaac

"Now time to bring this show to a close, you ready. Here we go!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. "Now then I have a brand new scale to work with! And this premiere performance is totally going to have you on the edge of your seat! I can now summon any monsters with Levels 2 through 6! Ready or not, here they come!" Soon a portal opened up for the final time as two monsters came out. "Appear Rune-Eyes Illusionist and Sleight of Hand Magician. But why stop there cause next I'll going to invite one more to the party, so I summon another pendulum monster, my Black Arts Trickster(1200/2700, Scale 2, Level 3)." Out came a female magician who wore a mini skirt similar to Dark Magician Girl but was black, as well as she wore a leather jacker with a yellow vest and a white undershirt. She then pulled out a wand as she casted some dark/black magic around her.

"Now I'll activate my Black Arts Trickster's ability, so now I can send one monster on your side of the field and in exchange, I can bring back a monster for one turn. So I'll dispose of your Great Shogun Shien to bring back my Dark Magician." Black Art Trickster then pointed her wand at her target as she gave them a sly smile before disappearing, she then pointed at the ground in front of her as smoke started to appear as a box appeared. She then approached it and with a wink she pulled it open as Dark Magician came out ready to battle.

"Now then time to bring this duel to a close, so my magicians end this battle." With their command, all the magicians combined their powers as they blasted the last remaining Six Samurai monsters on the field as Night Twist put his arms up as his life points were crushed.
Night Twister's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Isaac then gave Mahad a high five as he looked at his new magicians. All of them looked at Isaac as they had finally got a chance to see their owner in action, based on his aura and how much Mahad put his trust in Isaac. They could see that the boy in front of them was someone they could call worthy of being their master. So all four of them bowed their heads as they showed their respect for Isaac. He merely raised his hand and gave them all a smile, soon they all disappeared one by one with his Black Arts Trickster giving him a farewell kiss on his cheek. Isaac then looked at the pendulum cards in his hand as he finally got to hold them. Guess you guys are now part of my deck, I promise to give you'll a lovely home. With that Isaac put his new cards in his deck as their spirits got to meet the rest of Isaac's monsters.

The crowd was amazed by what they saw, especially given with what Isaac did. Isaac helped Night Twister up as he began to ask Isaac how he did what he did. Before he could properly say, Principal Celestia dismissed everybody as the school bell rang to signal the start of the next class. So the small crowd began to leave, Rainbow who had been watching from the bleachers was still stunned by what she saw Isaac do. Here she was looking to take her game to the next level and show that she wanted to be Isaac's next opponent. And just when she thought she was gaining some traction, Isaac managed to pull out some kind of move that allowed him to evolve his dueling as well as some brand new cards. She needed answers and she knew what she had to do.

Isaac was in the school library as his last class for the day ended. He was currently doing something as he took a seat by one of the school's computer. He then logged in as he pulled up Twilight's program. He then looked at his deck for a second as he slotted it into the scanner. The scanner registered his new pendulum cards as they came on screen; the blank cards then became clear as they were replaced by Isaac's new cards. Soon the system recognized them as the error turned into access granted. Isaac then took his deck out of the scanner and back into his deck box. He then logged off and prepared to leave. Just as he turned around, he was met face to face with Rainbow Dash and Twilight. Both girls were staring at him with their arms crossed.

"Hey Rainbow, Twilight." said Isaac. "Is there something you want to talk about?"

Dash didn't listen to Isaac as she swiped Isaac's deck box off his belt as she opened it and began to look through his deck.

"Hey! You can't just take stuff that isn't yours." said Isaac as he tried to get his cards back, but Dash wasn't letting him.

"Not till we figure this out!" stated Rainbow. She then found what she was looking as she pulled out Isaac's pendulum cards. "I knew it!" said Dash as she looked at them. She then showed them to Twilight who was also shocked by what she saw. Rainbow had managed to keep what Isaac did on a low profile as she needed an expert's opinion, so she only told Twilight about this interesting development.

Twilight wasn't fully believing what Rainbow was telling her when she first mentioned about Isaac showing off a new summoning method. She then thought back to her encounter during the Friendship Games last year and how when Sombra was under evil magic, he did something similar. But given all that had occurred after that, she kind of almost forgot it. So when Rainbow told her, she had to see the cards that her boyfriend used and to her surprise they were real as she saw them in front of her.

"Incredible. Now that I see them..." Twilight was now taking in the details of Isaac's cards.

Compared to regular monster cards these were vastly different. One thing was that on each card they had an extra box full of text above their description/normal effect that was partially transparent which allowed them to see the art beneath it. In addition, there was a number on the left and right side of the box with the left side having a blue scale while the right side had a red scale. Another thing was the card layout was that part of it was green while the other half had the same color scheme as a regular monster card.

Rainbow then turned back to Isaac as Twilight was still interested in her boyfriend's new cards. "Alright, where did you get these cards?" asked Rainbow.

"You're talking about my pendulum cards?" said Isaac.

Twilight immediately looked at him, "So that's what they're called?"

"Well seeing as how I use them to perform a pendulum summon, I'd figured I'd called them pendulum cards." Isaac then swiped back his deck box and his cards as he put them back on his belt.

"Okay? But where did you get them?" asked Dash.

"I dunno know, they just magically showed up."

"Magically showed up?" Rainbow raised her eyebrow in confusion.

"Look make that of what you will, but the bottom line is that these cards are now in my possession. I was just registering them into the system." said Isaac.

"Still they just magically appeared? Seems kinda of fishy, were you keeping this a secret from everybody?" Rainbow was now trying to intimidate Isaac to get a confession.

"I told you, they just magically showed up!" stated Isaac. "Look I'll tell you guys everything I know about them tomorrow. Is that alright?"

"You better." said Rainbow as she pointed her finger at Isaac.

With that Isaac grabbed his backpack as he made his way out of the library. The girls still couldn't believe what they saw their friend had. Safe to say they were interested in what they wanted to know about Isaac's new pendulum cards; Twilight then logged onto her program as she tried to find Isaac's cards. Her program registered Isaac's cards but when she tried to click on them to learn about them, it just simple said: Access Denied. She tried everything she could to bypass the security lock, but nothing seemed to work. Now the girls were really interested in hearing Isaac's story and about these "pendulum cards".

Isaac was in his bedroom sitting on the floor. He had his pendulum cards out in front of him as he looked at them. He was soon joined by a couple of familiar faces.

"So we have some new allies." stated Mahad.

"It would appear so, still I don't know how or why it happened? In the past, I've only pendulum summon twice. But that was when I was fighting some evil magic and after we defeated them, they just disappeared." Isaac then picked up those four cards as he looked at each of them before putting them back on the floor. "So why is it that they exist?"

"Well you said so yourself, they just magically showed up." stated Mana.

"Yeah, but I was in a regular duel. There wasn't any signs of evil present, so it choose now of all times to become real?" Isaac had tons of questions about his new cards. "Well maybe they can offer some insight. Here goes." Isaac then closed his eyes as he concentrated on making contact with the spirits of his pendulum cards. He let out a deep breath as he opened them.

Soon the cards started to light up in a white light as it caused him to cover his eyes for a moment. When it died down, appearing before him were the four magicians he used in his duel against Night Twister. Isaac's magicians all looked at Isaac as they got to see their owner for the first time with their own eyes. They all their thoughts on Isaac based on their first impression, not to mention that he had his two trusting companions at his side. Mahad then spoke to set the tone for the conversation.

"At ease, comrades. Let me introduce myself, I am Mahad the spirit of the Dark Magician. My student over here is Mana, she is the spirit of the Dark Magician Girl and this here is our beloved master." Mahad pointed at Isaac as the new magicians watched him. "We do not wish for trouble, just simply to discuss matters. Our master here found you and just wants some answers, there is no need for violence."

"Hey guys." said Isaac.

"So this is the young individual who awoken us from our slumber." said Rune-Eyes Illusionist.

"Well then, let's see what the cards say." Sleight of Hand Magician then pulled out a deck of cards as he started to shuffle them. He then pulled out three cards facedown as he placed them on a table he materialized in front of him. "The Eagle. Representing the power, action, and balance. Being able to see the hidden truth and spiritual principles due to their sharp vision." He then flipped the middle card, "The Fox. Symbol of cunning, intelligence, and slyness. Showing that you have smarts that will allow you to survive in dangerous situations." He then flipped the third and final card, "The Lion. Showing deathless courage, bravery, strength. Never backing down and is willing to protect those that matter to him."

Isaac took a look at the cards that his magician put in front of him. He didn't know if the cards that he revealed and the animals that were on them meant something good or bad.

"The cards have shown all there is to know." Sleight of Hand Magician then snapped his fingers as the table disappeared. "Well seems alright." He said as he shuffled his deck of cards and did a couple of card tricks.

Black Robe Mentalist then got in front of Isaac as she looked at him.

"Um, what are you-"

"Shush." she said as she put her finger up. She then started to snap her fingers rapidly. "Color: Yellow."

"Yellow, what does that-"

"Yellow meaning happiness, hope and spontaneity. The color of the sun, sun being a star, stars representing something native to your home. Home being a city. City meaning your childhood. Home: Chicoltgo." said Black Robe Mentalist as she was doing her thing.

"How did you-"

"Time. Time you've spent since coming to this place. Time meaning the allies and companions you've acquired. Time shown being with your loved one. Time and Stars, space, astrology, constellation, sparkle. Twilight. Twilight Sparkle." said Black Robe Mentalist as she was able to figure out who Isaac's girlfriend was.

"Woah." said Isaac in awe. "How-"

"It's my job. Oh by the way, your mom is about to ask you where the extra batteries are?"

True to Isaac's magician, his mother texted him wondering where the spare batteries were for the remote control. Isaac was in shock at how his mentalist was able to do that as he texted his mother where they were. He then looked back at her as she just had a straight face before going back to her place next to the others. Soon it was his Black Arts Trickster as she made her presence known. She then began to examine Isaac with as she circled him.

"Yes. Yes. What a fine specimen for someone your age." she said.

"I hope you're not planning some kind of ritual or sacrifice with me." said Isaac as he was worried based that his magician was named 'Black Arts'.

"I must interfere if you plan to harm the master." said Mahad.

"Oh lighten up. All black magic isn't that evil, I was just fascinated by you is all." she said. "You're cute, I think I can really enjoy hanging around with you." Black Arts Trickster then gave Isaac a hug as well as a simple kiss on his cheek.

"Isn't he just the cutest?" said Mana as she did the same thing to her master. Soon both girls were laughing at how they enjoyed the same thing in teasing their master. It seemed that Isaac would now have to deal with another trouble maker.

"Mana behave." said Mahad. "It's bad enough dealing with you, don't try to encourage the young one."

"Here he is Buzz-kill Mahad always ruining the fun." stated Mana.

"So... are you guys okay with me being your master?" asked Isaac.

"Well, life is always dealing you a bad hand. But I'm willing to take a chance and make the most of it." said Sleight of Hand Magician as he pulled out another deck of tarot cards and flipped some over before revealing a card that had a picture of The Magician as he showed it to Isaac.

"Your mind is a fascinating one, full of twist and turns. Still, I see your determined to achieve a certain goal." said Black Robe Mentalist as she looked at Isaac's eyes. "Still even I can't see what that goal is, but based on everything your eyes are telling me. You're good soul, I place my allegiance with you."

"You know my answer, cutie." said Black Arts Trickster.

Isaac then looked at his Rune-Eyes Illusionist to hear what he had to say.

"Seems everybody has made their decision, so I will too. I'll fight by your side, master." he said.

"Thanks, but you don't have to call me master, only Mahad does that. Just call me by name, Isaac." he said.

They all nodded as they said their pledge of oath while kneeing in front of their master. "We're at your command, Isaac." they all said in unison as they bowed before him.

Isaac acknowledge them and gave them his word that he would always value them and they would have his full trust. After that Mahad and Mana were happy to see that their master was able to gain some powerful allies to help keep him safe. Mana then began to talk with Black Arts Trickster as they became best friends in a flash, they began to discuss plans on how much mischief they could cause. They even dragged in Black Robe Mentalist who was trying to ignore the antics of the two girls as she preferred to be left alone. Mahad talked with the other two magicians as he explained the role they had in protecting their master and told him about his life. Overall, Isaac was happy seeing all of his spirits get along. Even Kuriboh made an appearance as he nuzzled himself against Isaac who just simply petted him. Isaac then told everybody that it was time to sleep as they all obeyed their command. Soon everybody started to bid their farewells as they returned back to the spirit world. Mana and Black Arts Trickster each planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek as they gave him a wink and returned home; Mahad was the last one as he bowed his head in respect before disappearing.

Isaac then picked up his pendulum cards as he placed them back into his deck. He then placed it on his nightstand as he got ready for bed. Seemed today was a day that Isaac would never forget as he managed to pull off a new summoning method and make some new friends. He didn't fully understand why he had been given this new power, but he made a promise that he figure things out as he went along.

Chapter 88: Flurry Heart

"Can you please explain this again, darling."

"Sure thing, Rarity." said Isaac.

Isaac was currently in the school library as he had all the girls gather around the table as he was facing them. He had his deck on the table as well as his pendulum cards; he was explaining to the group about his new cards. True to his word, he followed through on his promise he made to Rainbow Dash and Twilight.

"Okay this is a pendulum card. You can tell based on the color scheme and how much more writing there is." Isaac then showed the girls his pendulum magician cards. "Now let me show you how it works, to start you put the pendulum scales in place."

"Pendulum scales?" asked Fluttershy.

"Pendulum scales are what you use to pendulum summon. I'll show you," Isaac then picked up his Sorcerer Swordsman and Mirage Magician. "This here is my Sorcerer Swordsman and Mirage Magician and I place them in my pendulum zones."

"Wait! Wait! What's a pendulum zone!?!" stated Applejack.

"Pendulum zones are where pendulums go." Isaac then pointed to the duel mat he had his cards on to help the girls understand. "There are two pendulum zones, the left Pendulum Zone is colored blue with a blue Pendulum Scale jewel. The right Pendulum Zone is colored red with a red Pendulum Scale Jewel. So the left zone is positioned in between the Field Zone and the Extra Deck zone, while the right one is in between the Graveyard Zone and the Main Deck Zone. Now this is how it looks on the dueling mat, but in terms of your duel disk, you just simply put them on the far ends of the duel disk and it should spell the word 'pendulum' to signal that it worked. You all understand that so far?" asked Isaac as the girls all nodded.

"Okay, now then. Pendulum monsters are unique cards that are both spells and monsters. It can be placed in a pendulum zone as a spell card or a summoned in the monster zone as a monster card."

"Okay? And what do they do?" asked Sunset.

"Each pendulum card has a separate effect depending on whether or not it's in the Pendulum Zone or the Monster card zone. You can tell because the pendulum effect is written in a box that's partially transparent as you can still see the artwork." Isaac then pointed to where it was located on the card for the girls to see. "But most importantly each pendulum card placed in one of my pendulum zones gives me a Pendulum Scale. Sorcerer Swordsman gives me a Pendulum Scale of one while my Mirage Magician gives me a Pendulum Scale of eight. So I place Sorcerer Swordsman in the left zone and Mirage Magician goes in the right zone. You read the scale from left to right just like you would reading a book; remember the lowest scale goes in the blue Pendulum Zone while the highest goes in the red Pendulum Zone." Isaac then placed his cards in their respective zones as he stopped to see if the girls needed some more clarification.

"With that all set, I can now perform a Pendulum summon. Since the cards in my two Pendulum Zones have a scales of one and eight, I can special summon any number of monsters with level 2 through 7 all at once." Isaac then picked up some more cards from his deck to show them how it worked. "So that means I summon my Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl, Black Robe Mentalist and Black Arts Trickster to my field at the same time. Since each of their levels falls within the scale that I've set up."

"Just like that you're able to summon 4 monsters to the field at once? That's insane!!" shouted Rainbow.

"Yeah. That's the power of the pendulum summon." said Isaac with a smile on his face. "But there's a bit more, like for example, I can only pendulum summon once per turn. So it's like a normal summon. Another thing to know is that pendulum cards are special." Isaac then picked up his Black Robe Mentalist and Black Arts Trickstar to show the girls. "When pendulum cards are destroyed or would have otherwise be sent from the field to the Graveyard, they go to the Extra Deck instead."

"Wait, a group of monsters that start out in the main deck but move into the Extra Deck over the course of the duel? That's the craziest thing I've ever heard." said Twilight as she was frantically taking down notes.

"And one last thing, so when my two pendulum cards are sent to my Extra Deck. On my next turn, I can be able to Pendulum summon them again back to the field and I can also summon monsters from my hand." stated Isaac as he showed the girls his two other pendulum cards.

"No way! You can Pendulum summon monsters from your Extra Deck and your hand? That's is so crazy!!!" shouted Pinkie as she was excited for her big brother.

"Yeah, it kind of is." said Isaac as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"Imagine my big bro just managed to introduce a brand new summoning method. Just promise when you're famous, you won't forget your little sis." said Pinkie in a dramatic voice.

"Calm down, Pinkie. I don't think that's going to happen. Cause I'm not the first one to introduce this." said Isaac.

"Beg your pardon, darling?"

"Well I did some research, how else do you think I could be able to explain this to all of you and understand it myself. At first it took a while, but I was able to wrap my head around this concept of dueling. Plus I found out Pendulum summoning exist, well at least somewhere else. Where we are nobody knows such a thing exist, but apparently someone across the sea in a different place has actually pioneered this type of dueling. In fact, they say he's famous for making it such a popular thing along with his deck of Performapals. They say he's going to be the next legend to be on the same level as the Big 4, well more like Big 5 if he's that good. He's been wowing the crowd with this Pendulum summoning in some kind of weird environment, something called Action Duels." The girls all looked at Isaac with confused looks to which he returned the same thing. "I know, I don't get it either. But what videos/recordings that I found online, I was able to learn how Pendulum summoning works, well at least the basic foundation."

"Still if nobody here knows about them, then technically you could introduce it to this side of the world. Imagine how much this will change the landscape of Duel Monsters." said Pinkie as she got to thinking. "My big bro, I always knew you were destined for greatness." said Pinkie in her dramatic voice.

"This is a lot to take in." said Sunset as she looked at Isaac's pendulum cards. "But I think this could be something good. Especially, once this side of the world becomes accustomed to this type of summoning. This really changes how the game is played."

"Your right," Twilight was looking over her notes. She then picked up Isaac's deck as she pulled out the cards she was looking for; she then placed them on the table in different piles as everyone gathered around the table. "Now you have a cards for each different type of summoning method. Ritual, Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and now Pendulum. You've literally got all your bases covered."

"Not to mention that you got those Egyptian God cards with you, sugarcube."

"Yeah, as good as it is to have these new cards. I'm still content with playing my own style." Isaac then picked up his cards as he put them back into his deck box.

"Now then, you gonna show us in action." said Dash. "Cause I'm itching for a duel against you."

"Wait just an apple pickin' minute, Dash. Ah made it clear that ah'm the one to challenge Isaac next. So get at the back of the line, partner."

"Yeah, says who." said Rainbow as she and Aj got in each other's faces again.

Everybody else just rolled their eyes at how Applejack and Rainbow Dash's rivalry just couldn't seem to end. They all heard the bell as they needed to head on out to their next class.

After that explanation, the girls wanted to see Pendulum summoning in action. So Isaac said he agreed to show them as he asked Pinkie to help him in a practice duel. Later that day, Isaac went to Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna as he wanted to inform both ladies about this recent development. Seems they had heard about this new summoning method due to their connections from across the sea. They told Isaac that they knew the person who did the first Pendulum summoning as they managed to meet with him a few years ago. They even showed him some of his achievements that he was able to accomplish using Pendulum summoning and Action Duels. Isaac then told them if they could contact Mr. William so that he and his team could study his pendulum cards and figure out their secrets. Both ladies obligated Isaac's request as they scanned the cards and sent them to Mr. William who thanked Isaac for his help and promised that they would study them and report anything they found. Isaac thanked everybody as he left for the remaining of his class.

Once school let out, Isaac made his way to Mr. Johnson as he was scheduled for work. Isaac showed and told his boss about his new pendulum cards as he hoped that maybe he could have some answers. It seemed that Mr. Johnson was helpful as he actually was friends with someone who knew about pendulum summoning. It took some time, but Mr. Johnson was able to contact his old friend as the person who talked to both Isaac and Mr. Johnson was actually the principal of the person who first introduced Pendulum summoning across the sea. Isaac was hoping he could talk to said person, but unfortunately he was very busy with his schedule due to him being a dueltainer. Still he promised that when he could meet up with his student; he would inform him about Isaac's situation and should he have any answers then he could ask him for assistance. Isaac thanked the person as Mr. Johnson was glad he got to see an old face.

Despite not finding the answers he wanted, Isaac was content with all the help he was getting in trying to figure out all the mysteries of his pendulum cards. However, as good as understanding these pendulum cards were, there was another thing about to happen. And quite frankly it was much more important.

"What!?!" said the girls.

"I know, I can't believe it either." said Twilight with a smile on her face. "I'm... gonna be an aunt very soon."

"Well we're proud of you Twilight. And Shining Armor and Cadance." said Applejack.

"My word, darling. First you get your favorite baby sitter as your sister-in-law and now you're gonna to be aunt. My word this calls for a celebration."

"Did someone say 'celebration'? Cause that means a PARTY!!!" said Pinkie a she pulled out her party cannon and fired it sending confetti into the air.

"So how's your family taking this?" asked Fluttershy

"My parents are ecstatic. Especially my mom who is finally getting her wish to have some grandkids. My dad is proud that my brother is becoming a father as he's giving him some advice on how to be a parent." said Twilight. "But of course, I'm just happy that I finally get to have a niece."

"So when's the baby due?" asked Sunset.

"According to what the doctors said, Candance is due to deliver in a few weeks. Oh I can't wait." Twilight was now the giddiest she'd ever been as she was anticipating her becoming an aunt.

Sometime later Isaac was with Principal Celestia as he attended his daily lesson of learning the business side of dueling. Despite Isaac understanding all the stuff his principal was teaching him about, Isaac just found the subject all together boring. He was walking out of Celestia's office as he was tired when he heard Twilight calling out to him.

"Isaac, wait up."

"Hey, Twilight. Man, am I glad to see you." Isaac gave his girlfriend a hug as Twilight always seemed to make his day a bit better. "So what's up?"

"Well, I just received some news. My brother, Shining Armor and Candance are expecting very soon." said Twilight.

"That's wonderful news, you're officially going to be an aunt. That was one of your dreams." stated Isaac.

"Yeah, it was. Anyways, I wanted to ask if maybe you could accompany me when Candance gives birth to the baby." said Twilight. "Seeing as how my brother invited you to his wedding, I'll expect he'll want to have his rival there to celebrate the birth of his child. Not to mention my family will want to see you."

"Oh... well... I mean... it's not that I don't want to, but I haven't really got to know your family that much. I mean all they know about me is that I'm a duelist and that I'm currently dating their daughter. Only Shining Armor has actually got to know me, your parents only know me through what you've been telling them."

"That's why this is the perfect opportunity. We both get to see the baby and my parents get to know you a bit better. Please? For me?" Twilight was giving Isaac the puppy dog eyes.

"You know I hate when you do that." said Isaac. "Alright, I'll come." Isaac's response made Twilight perk up as she gave her boyfriend a hug and a peck on the cheek.

Twilight thanked Isaac for agreeing to her idea as she left to head home. Despite him saying yes to his girlfriend, Isaac was still hesitant on meeting with Twilight's parents. And it seemed that it would happen much sooner than he expected. Even though the doctors told Candance she was expecting in a couple of weeks, seems someone didn't agree with that. One day while Cadance sitting down on the couch, she felt a sudden pain coming from her stomach. Soon it turned into unbearable pain as she felt something kicking in her; soon her water broke as she knew it was time. She called Shining Armor who immediately rushed home from his agent team and publicist as he grabbed Candance and they drove towards the hospital. They arrived just as Candance felt the baby coming, so the team of doctors and nurses immediately got to work as they prepared to deliver the baby.

While Cadance was in the emergency room, Shining Armor had called his family about the developing situation. Twilight Velvet and Night Light immediately got in their car with Spike and they drove to CHS. They were able to get Twilight an early dismissal as they told Celestia it was a family emergency. Soon the whole Sparkle family arrived at the hospital as they found Shining Armor in the waiting room freaking out. Shining Armor told his parents about how Candance was being treated, not to mention that his child would soon be here as he was thinking on how he would be as a father. Velvet was able to calm her son down by giving him a couple of slaps to the face which seemed to work; soon a doctor came towards them as he informed that Cadance's pregnancy was a success.

He then brought them to the room where they were holding Candance. The whole Sparkle family entered the room as Candance was resting while the nurse was holding her baby. Shining Armor made his way to his wife's bedside as he checked on her.

"Congratulations, Mr. Shining Armor. You're now the proud father of a healthy baby girl." The nurse then handed Shining Armor his child as he got a good look at her.

The entire Sparkle family all surrounded him as they too wanted to see the baby. Shining Armor was now crying as he was holding something that was not only precious, but so small and cute.

"Are you crying?" asked Twilight.

"Of course not." sniffed Shining Armor. "It's liquid pride." Shining Armor was doing his best to maintain his manliness. Soon he heard something.

"(Baby noises)"

"I think she's trying to talk." said Night Light.

"Hey there, my little princess."

"(Baby noises)"

"I'm your father." said Shining Armor. "And these are your grandparents and your aunt. And that lovely women is your mother."

"D-daddy." cooed the baby. It was enough to make Shining Armor's heart melt as he started to release even more liquid pride.

"Let me see her," said Candance as she was now holding her kid. She gave a few bounces as she got to see her lovely girl. "Oh, aren't you just the cutest."

"M-momma."

"Yes, I'm your mother." said Candance as the baby made some happy noises.

"So what are we going to call her?" said Twilight Velvet.

It had been a couple of days after Candance's pregnancy as Twilight was able to inform her friends about the baby arriving. The girls were happy that Candance had a healthy baby girl as they all wanted to give her and Shining Armor some gifts for the baby. Twilight thanked the girls for their support; she told Isaac the news and he too congratulated Cadance and Shining Armor on now being parents. Twilight told Isaac how her family was taking a weekend trip to a lakeside house and she wanted to invite him as a way to make up for not bringing him to when she went to the hospital. Isaac was still hesitant on meeting Twilight's parents, but he knew Twilight really wanted this so he agreed to it. With that the week flew by as Isaac was now in the car ride with Shining Armor, Spike and Twilight as they were traveling to their getaway destination. They arrived at their location as they saw a huge lake that they could so swimming, canoeing, even fishing. There was even a campfire set that they could use, even a small town a few minutes away where they could visit.

The trio arrived at the house as they got out of the car and unloaded their bags. Isaac was taking deep breaths as he prepared himself for what was awaiting him. Shining Armor then opened the door as all three of them entered the house with Spike following behind them. They all put their bags in the living room as there was Twilight's mother and father waiting for them. Both Shining Armor and Twilight gave their parents a hug as they gave Spike a good petting. Soon they turned their attention towards Isaac who was watching them.

"Mom, dad. This is Isaac." said Twilight as she finally got the chance for her parents to actually see her boyfriend.

Twilight Velvet now got up close as she examined Isaac. Soon she had a smile on her face, "So Twilight dear, am I too expect some more grandchild very soon." she said smugly.

"Mom!!" shouted Twilight as she was embarrassed that her own mother would say something like that.

"I mean, based on his appearance, plus he's got some muscle on him." said Velvet as she began to touch Isaac's arms. "He seems like the kind of person who can give you a child."

"Mom! Please, you can't say things like that." Twilight was now turning all sorts of red as well as Isaac. "Isaac and I aren't even thinking about that idea yet."

"I'm just teasing, Twilight." her mother said as she gave Isaac a wink which made him turn red.

"So where's Cadance?" asked Twilight.

"She's upstairs with the baby, we were waiting for you to arrive so that we could all see the little one together." said Velvet.

Soon everybody began to head upstairs, Isaac wasn't sure if he should go with them as it seemed like a family thing. Twilight saw this as she told Isaac to come along as she climbed up the stairs; Isaac took a minute to collect his thoughts as he began to follow them. He made his way to the room as he saw the entire family surrounding the crib; Spike was on the bed as he had his paws on the edge of the crib as he leaned in to see the child.

"Oh isn't she just the cutest?" said Velvet.

"I finally got her to stop crying." said Cadance as she petted Spike. She then looked up and saw Isaac standing by the door. "How are you, Isaac?"

"Hey Cadance."

"Isaac. Don't you want to see the baby?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, I shouldn't. This is a family thing, plus she might not like me."

"Nonsense." Twilight then grabbed Isaac's hand as she dragged him to the crib.

Isaac still felt like this wasn't any of his concern, but he couldn't do anything as Twilight had managed to literally drag him towards the crib. Once he was there, he was able to see the baby. She had pastal pink skin, her eyes were light opal and her hair was purple and blue with a some light arctic blue highlights. Seeing this made Isaac smile which didn't go unnoticed by Twilight who also smiled.

"Hey there, Flurry Heart." said Twilight in a soft tone.

"(Baby noises). T-twily."

"That's right. Auntie Twily is here." said Twilight as she tickled Flurry Heart's stomach. "And I brought someone with me, this here is Isaac. He's my boyfriend."

"No offense, but should you be telling her that when she's this young?" asked Isaac.

"It's not like she gonna remember." said Spike.

"Hey, Isaac. Want to hold her?" asked Shining Armor.

"Oh. Oh no, it's quite alright-- and I'm holding her, okay." said Isaac as they ignored his request and he was now holding the small thing in his hands.

"Uh, hey kid," was the only thing Isaac could think of.

"(Baby noises). U-u-uncle?"

That response alone nearly made Isaac lose his grip. For the first time in his life, Isaac was speechless and his mind was now blank. His face was full of shock and uncertainty at hearing Flurry Heart's response. In all his years, he never once experienced something like this. And all it took was one thing to be said by Flurry Heart to make Isaac lose his confidence. Seems the whole Sparkle family all had different looks as they looked at the two of them.

"Aww, she thinks you're her uncle." said Shining Armor. His response made Velvet and Cadance had big smiles as a certain thought was going through their minds.

"Uh..."

"No, Flurry Heart. Isaac isn't your uncle." said Twilight as she rushed to help her boyfriend.

"Not yet anyways." said Velvet with a sly smile.

"Mom!! Please just stop." Twilight was now embarrassed by her mother's comment.

"U-uncle." Flurry Heart then began to let out some happy noises.

"Okay. Can somebody please take her off my hands?" pleaded Isaac as he really wanted to stop Flurry Heart from saying anything else.

"Come to mamma, Flurry Heart." Cadance then grabbed her baby from Isaac who was relived. "Time to for nap, sweetie." With that Cadance began to put her baby into the crib as she and the rest of the adults began to help her put Flurry to sleep.

Isaac quietly slipped away as he needed to take a deep breath. He still couldn't get Flurry Heart's response out of his head as it plagued on his mind. Isaac looked at his hands and he could see that they were shaking; he also thought back to what Twilight's mother had said about him and Twilight. Now all of this was causing Isaac to take deep breaths as he tried to clear his mind. It was about the evening when the family had gathered around to play some family games, well Isaac was outside as out on the porch as Spike was next to him chomping down on a chew toy. He was still thrown off by what Flurry Heart had said. He was leaning on the railing as he looked out towards the lake and the nearby woods.

"Maybe this wasn't a good idea." said Isaac.

"Well that depends on how you look at it." said a voice.

Isaac turned his head and saw Twilight's father coming out with a drink in his hand. Spike noticed this and his instincts were telling him that something was about to happen; he quickly chewed on his toy as he silently hid under the porch swing as he watched the scene play out from the two males. Now Isaac was really scared as it was just him and Twilight's father with nobody to interrupt them.

"Uh, Mr. Sparkle..."

"Son. No need for the formalities, just call me Night Light."

"... Night Light." said Isaac with uncertainty.

"Lighten up, son. I've just been meaning to talk with you for quite awhile." he said as he took a sip from his drink. "You've been taking care of my daughter."

"Yes, sir."

"You know when Twilight first told me about how she was getting into a relationship, I was happy for my little girl." Night Light was now in the same position as Isaac as he leaned on the railing overlooking the landscape. "Twilight's been asocial seen she's been a young girl, always keeping her head in books and focusing on academia. But then she met you," Night Light then looked at Isaac who was scared on what he might say, "And she seemed the happiest I'd ever seen. She told me about a boy who was able to make her feel special and reevaluate her views on Duel Monsters. So when I saw you today, I had my opinions."

"Which were..."

Night Light took another sip before he looked at Isaac. "You're different. Especially when it comes to dueling, I've seen what my kids can do. Hell, where do you think they learned their skills from? But you, you've got something that I can't fully describe. It's something that only a very select few have that allow them to have success. But I see that makes my daughter happy, and that's all I ask."

"Well thank you, Mr. Spar- I mean, Night Light."

"Tell me. What's your future plans for you and Twilight?"

"What???" said Isaac as he was caught off guard.

"I mean, do you have a plan? Are you going to continue your relationship with Twilight after you both graduate? Do you plan to go your separate ways? Or are you going to marry her?" said Night Light as he started to raise his voice a bit with an authoritive tone. Spike heard this and he let out a few whimpers.

All that Night Light was saying made Isaac become speechless, just like what happened with Flurry Heart, Isaac didn't know what to do or say. "I... I... Don't get me wrong, sir. I love Twilight with all my heart and I want to make her happy. But in terms of our relationship, I- I don't know." Isaac quickly looked up as he saw Night Light was now fast approaching him.

"That's not to make Twilight upset, but I just don't know what the future holds. Right now we're content with just taking our relationship day by day, but in terms of what happens to me and her after we graduate or years from now. I don't know." said Isaac as he was cowering in fear as Twilight's father was now staring him down with a dead serious look on his face.

Night Light just stared at Isaac who was afraid what he might do. He then lifted his hand up and brought it down as Isaac closed his eyes as he feared for the worst; he then opened them as he saw Night Light's hand on his shoulder, "Tell me, do you see yourself becoming a pro?"

"Everybody says that, and I'm not discrediting them. But at the same time, I feel like there's more that I can do besides just dueling."

"Do you see yourself getting married? Having a family?" said Night Light with a stern tone.

"I- I don't know."

"Do you see yourself with my daughter, with Twilight?" That time Night Light had raised his voice the loudest it had been as his grip on Isaac's shoulder tighten. Isaac could feel the bit of pain from shoulder as he looked at Night Light.

"I- I don't know." said Isaac as he put his head down. "Like I said, I don't know what the future holds for me. More importantly, if that future involves Twilight. I'm just unsure."

"Thank you." Night Light then let go of Isaac's shoulder as he started to make his way back inside. Isaac was stunned by this as Night Light looked at him one last time before heading in.

"Thank you?" said Isaac as he was confused.

"What was that all about?" said Spike as he emerged from his hiding place and looked on with Isaac.

After a couple of moments, Isaac and Spike started to make their way back into the house as they saw Candance and Shining Armor playing with baby Flurry Heart. Spike then went off as he joined Twilight in entertaining her niece. Isaac just watched them all when he was soon grabbed by his hoodie and found himself in the kitchen.

"What the hell?" said Isaac as he looked at the person who grabbed him.

"Now I have you all to myself." said Twilight Velvet. She had been meaning to get some alone time with Isaac and she finally got the opportunity.

"Uh, Mrs. Sparkle. What-"

"Call me, Velvet."

"... Velvet. Uhm, what do you mean when you said, 'Now I have you all to myself'?". Isaac was getting worried on what Twilight's mother might do to him.

"Like I said, I'm been meaning to get you all alone. And now that I have, I need to ask you something?". Velvet was now getting closer to Isaac as she looked at him. "Tell me, have you asked Twilight for her hand in marriage?" she said with a giddy smile.

"What!?!" shouted Isaac as almost everybody in the house heard him.

"You know, have you proposed to her?"

"We're still in high school. Plus it's kind early to thinking about that kind of stuff." shouted Isaac.

"It couldn't hurt to prepare, why I was a bit older than Twilight is now. But even I was thinking about the idea of being married and having kids. And I was blessed that I got to meet Night Light and not only gain a wonderful husband, but two adorable and lovely kids." Velvet had a smile on her face as she looked at her family. "So tell me, do you have the perfect spot all planned out? Twilight is a very detailed orientated and punctual girl, she needs every little detail to be planned out and executed to perfection."

"Mrs. Velvet. No disrespect, but Twilight and I are just dating. We don't have any plans on taking our relationship any further, at least I don't think." Isaac was now thinking about his conversation with Night Light a few moments ago.

"Oh hush now, you're definitely gonna marry her. You're just nervous is all, now then I have a plan. So all we need is some candles, smooth music..."

"Mrs. Velvet!" said Isaac with a stern tone as it caused her to drop her act and look at him. "I told you, me and Twilight are just content with where we are in our relationship. I don't know if I'm even going to marry her, heck we after we graduate highschool, I doubt we'll ever be together." Isaac had a bit of sadness in his voice when he said that. "I love Twilight, I really do. And I would do everything I can to make her happy, even give up dueling if it came down to that. But in terms of the future, I don't know. Relationships come and go, I know that. And I also know that whoever you're with doesn't necessarily mean they're the love of your life or the person who you want to spend the rest of time with."

Twilight Velvet saw Isaac's face as she took in his words. She was so caught up in wanting to become a grandmother, that she didn't stop to ask the person who was dating her daughter if he was content with marriage.

"The future is full of unknowns and it's scarying. I'll admit, I'm scared. I don't know if our relationship is going to last that long, heck it might not even last till next month. Let alone tomorrow. That's why I'm trying to enjoy every single moment I have with her, cause should we go our separate ways, then I want to have something to look back on so that I don't forget our time together." Isaac felt his eyes tear up as he wiped them away. "But I just don't know! I don't know what's going to happen between the two of us. I'm sorry." Isaac then collapsed to his knees as he had his head down.

"Ohh, Isaac." Velvet then dropped to her knees as she gave Isaac a quick and comforting hug. "You don't have to apologize, I should be the one to say sorry. It's just that ever since I had Twilight and Shining Armor, all I wanted was to become grandmother and have some grandkids before I turned old and grey. And when Cadance was pregnant, I guess I just rushed to conclusions and wanted more. I never stopped to consider what you or Twilight might want."

Isaac looked at Velvet as he was hearing her words.

"When my kids were young, we were a happy family. Night Light was the best man I could ever ask for as he always kept the two of them entertained. Even more so when he introduced them to Duel Monsters, of course I never really grasped the idea but I still saw how happy it made them. So whenever Twilight or Shining wanted a battle, I did my best to entertain them, thankfully Night Light was able to teach the basics. Over the years, both of them followed their own path and they became more invested in the world of Duel Monsters. Shining Armor with plans on becoming a pro and Twilight wanting to go into card design." Velvet was thinking back on how fast she saw her children grow up. "And then Shining met Candance and I couldn't tell you how happy I was. I finally got my wish and then Twilight finally is able to have a sense of happiness that I've haven't seen even when I spent time with her. And now that I see you, I understand why you make her happy."

Isaac's sad expression turned a bit upside down as he and Velvet got up from the floor.

"I understand that you aren't sure about the future of your relationship. But know that whatever happens, I'm grateful for all you've done for my baby girl." said Velvet.

"Thanks, Ms. Velvet. I promise to continue to make Twilight happy, even should our relationship dissolve." said Isaac.

"Thanks, but keep your chin up. The future may be uncertain, but sometimes that could be a good thing. I wouldn't mind having a son-in-law like you." she giggled before giving Isaac one final hug.

Soon Flurry Heart started to yawn as it served as the signal that it was time for her nap. With that all the adults began to head upstairs which left Isaac and Twilight alone in the living room. Spike sniffed the air and once again his animal instincts were telling him something.

"How's my family treating you?" asked Twilight as she sat in a chair.

"Well your father hasn't beat me up yet, so I think I'm doing good." said Isaac with a bit of sarcasm as he sat on the sofa. "Twilight, what's all this?"

"What do you mean?" she said with a smile.

"You know what I mean. This. You and me, our relationship. Is it going to last?" said Isaac.

"I think this is where I leave." said Spike as he could tell what the situation was based on Isaac's tone. He then jumped out of Twilight's arms as he made his way upstairs as the two teenagers began to talk.

"Isaac?" Twilight had gotten up from her chair and now sat next to her boyfriend.

"I'm just wondering about the future. Relationships are something that everybody goes through and not all of them are successful. So what happens to us, what happens when we graduate highschool? Do we just end this relationship and go our separate ways? Do we forget about each other and focus on our own lives? I don't know about any of this. The future is something that I can't see and it terrifies me." said Isaac as he put his hands to his head. "With all that's been happening, it's making me question how our relationship will turn out and if all of this is just something of phase."

"Isaac?"

"I'm sorry!" Isaac still had his face buried in his hands as he tried to hold back the tears.

Twilight saw what Isaac was going through; she took in his words as she began to think. She always kept the idea of how their relationship would turn out, her brother had met Cadance when they were in highschool and they still retained their relationship after they graduated and even got married. But now she was wondering how her life would turn out and if what she and Isaac had was just a teenager thing. She put her hand on Isaac's shoulder as it caused him to look at her. Twilight then did something unexpected as she quickly sat on Isaac's lap as she looked at him, she undid her ponytail as she put both of her hands to his face. Then she quickly captured his lips with hers as she leaned into it. She broke away to look at Isaac.

"I love you," she then gave him another kiss, "I love you." Once more a soft kiss, "I understand what you're saying, but I don't care about that. I care about this, right now, me and you." She then grabbed Isaac's hand as she brought it past her bosom to where her heart was positioned. "Do you feel that, my heart is beating. Cause I love you and I don't care about anything else. The future of our relationship is up in the air, but as of this moment, right here and now, I'm certain of one thing. And that is that I want to be with you." She then gave him another kiss.

"I want to be with you as well." said Isaac as he brought his hand up to Twilight's cheek.

"Then show me." Twilight then captured Isaac's lips once more as she wrapped her arms around him to which he did the same as he held his girlfriend in his lap.

Soon Twilight began to take action as she took off Isaac's cap and threw it to the side as she began to move her hands and explore Isaac's body. She moved her hands around as she felt Isaac's arms and then felt his body as she could feel the bits of muscles that were present as it caused her to turn red and let out a moan as she was still kissing him. Isaac then began to do the same as he first stroked Twilight's hair to get a reaction our of her. She gasped when he did that, but she eventually melted in his arms as he continued to do that.

"Mmm..." she moaned. "That feels so nice..." Her hair was so soft like a feather. She rested her head against Isaac's chest as he continued to play with her hair and planting small kisses along her neck and whispering into her ear. Soon she captured his lips again as she continued their little make-out session.

Their lips touched and Twilight melted in Isaac's arms once more. He began to move his lips and she perfectly followed. Every movement of her sweet lips sent waves of unimaginable bliss through Isaac. He wrapped his arms around Twilight's waist and pulled her close as their lips molded together. Twilight used her hands to caress Isaac's cheek. In return, Isaac used one of his hands to massage her waist, evoking some sexy moans from her. Passion was fogging both of their minds as they experienced this. And in an instant, it was over. Both looked at each other as their foreheads touched. Twilight still wanted more so she took it a step further as she was able to gently push Isaac down onto the cushions. She then slowly crawled on top of him and gave him another kiss as they continued. Only this time, Isaac felt her lips separate before her tongue gently poked at his lips. This immediately made his lips part as well, allowing her tongue to enter and make a new friend. Twilight let out a soft moan of pleasure as the two tongues playfully explore their new surroundings. While they were doing this, Isaac did a bold action as he began to caress Twilight's waist and slowly had his hands travel down south. He then slid them under Twilight's skirt as he felt her thigh and upper leg before they felt something firm. This caused Twilight to let out a gasp as she felt Isaac's hands on her butt. He then began to feel it as she let out a moan of pleasure as their mouths were still connected. Isaac eventually let out a moan of his own as he enjoyed the feeling of Twilight's bottom as it was nice and round.

After a couple of minutes, Twilight broke the kiss, leaving a small trail of saliva that connected their lips. She then looked at Isaac before she nuzzled against his chest as she laid on top of him. She could feel Isaac's heartbeat and it was in synch with hers as if they were one. It gave her a calm sensation as she closed her eyes. Isaac continued to stroke Twilight's hair; he was just simply enjoying this moment with his girl as it helped to ease his mind. Soon Twilight lifted her head up as she grabbed Isaac's cap and put it on before capturing his lips into another soft kiss.

"That's what I needed." said Twilight. "I don't know what will happen between us, but I know one thing for sure. I'll always remember you, Isaac. How can I not? That's why should things end abrupt between us for a reason, I'm glad to have gotten the chance to know and meet you. And if I could do it all over again, I would do it in heartbeat. Cause I really do love you."

"So do I. Twilight, I'd be lying if I said that I'm not scared of what may come. But moments like this, I'll always treasure." said Isaac as he caressed Twilight's cheek.

He then captured her lips once more as they just laid there till they fell asleep. Twilight's parents came down sometime later and saw the couple just cuddled up together as they were both fast asleep with Isaac having his arm around Twilight who still wore his cap. They just simply smiled at the young kids and brought a blanket over them as they decided not to disturb them. Spike made his presence known as he too came down with them and soon jumped up on the couch and decided to nap next to the couple as he let out a yawn and closed his eyes. Velvet was just giddy at how she prayed that Twilight would be able to give her another kid or so, and she was hoping that she could be able to call Isaac her son one day.

The next morning was full of activities as the whole family and Isaac began to partake in plenty of activities. They made their way to the docks as they had a couple of fishing lines and a boat. Velvet wanted to take Shining Armor on the water as she had a canoe with them, Night Light wanted to show Isaac how to fish. Meanwhile Twilight was near the picnic area with Cadance and Flurry Heart who simply was giddy from watching her family have fun. Spike was trying to keep Flurry Heart entertained as he tried telling some jokes, but ultimately, Flurry Heart just simply wrapped the little dog into a tight hug as he just smiled as she petted him.

Isaac never had the opportunity to go fishing due to him being from the city of Chicoltgo which had little to no fishing places. So Night Light took it upon him to show how it was done, he considered it a sort of father-son bonding thing. Isaac was quick to shut that comparison down due to the thing that still plagued his mind about him and Twilight's relationship, that and it seemed kind of offensive to say that when he had an actually son in Shining Armor. Regardless, Night Light told Isaac what the proper technique was as he casted his line with Isaac replicating his actions. From there they just waited which allowed Night Light the opportunity to ask Isaac some questions about his passion for dueling. So they both sat at the edge of the dock as Isaac began to tell him about his story. He told Night Light about his idol that got him into the game and how he worked hard all his life to become the best. He then took out his deck as he allowed Night Light to see his deck, it seemed Night Light really took a liking to Isaac's deck as it reminded him of when he was younger how he wanted to have a Dark Magician, but he never got around to doing so. Isaac now knew where Twilight got her organization personality and love for spellcasters from.

Sometime later their lines began to tug but it ended up being nothing. Despite not catching anything, Isaac was still glad to have spent time with Twilight's father. It was then that Twilight's mother and brother came back, as she had her hair all wet and drenched with an excitement on her face; Shining on the other had looked terrified. Soon everybody came by as they helped them back onto the docks.

"You okay, honey?" Cadance asked as she was holding Flurry Heart.

"I'm fine, just little wet is all. Though if you don't mind, I might need to change my pants." said Shining Armor as he quickly zipped away.

"Funny daddy." said Flurry Heart.

After that the whole group made it back to the house as they all ate some food. Once they finished their meal, Shining Armor wanted to give his baby girl a show. So he decided to entertain her with a duel; Flurry Heart seemed to like that as she was clapping and spitting. With that Shining Armor asked Twilight for her help in entertaining her niece. Twilight knew this would happen, but seeing as she wanted to be the 'best aunt ever'. She agreed to her brother request as it would allow her to get some payback from their last sibling rivalry. So everybody gathered around as they pulled a couple of chairs and began to watch the Sparkle siblings go at it. Spike jumped into Isaac's lap as he cheered on Twilight to win. Twilight used all her past knowledge she had when she took on her brother, but given that she was up against him and his Blue-Eyes, she struggled to take down even one of them. It wasn't long that Shining Armor had defeated Twilight who was angry that she still couldn't beat her brother.

"Daddy." cooed Flurry Heart.

"Did you enjoy daddy winning, Flurry?"

Flurry Heart gave a couple of spits as she tried to express her happiness, "Again."

"Again, alright. Anything for daddy's little girl." said Shining Armor as he rubbed her tummy.

This time it was Night Light who wanted to provide the entertainment for his granddaughter as he took out his duel disk and slotted in his deck. That and the battle he saw between his two kids got him fired up and he wanted to partake. Twilight sat back down by Isaac as she still had a pouting face.

"You did good." Isaac did his best to cheer up his girl.

"Still, I lost. I hate Shining Armor and his stupid dragons." Twilight pouted even more as she crossed her arms. Spike then jumped from Isaac's lap to Twilight's as he tried to cheer her up by licking her face which worked as she let out a laugh.

Isaac then gave Twilight a quick kiss on her cheek, "Still, I loved watching you duel. It's one of the many things that I'll never get tired of."

Twilight's expression soft as she blushed; she gave Isaac a quick peck as they turned their attention back to the duel happening between her father and big brother. Despite not having a duel in so long, Night Light was showing his son a couple of tricks that he didn't know. Velvet was just swooning at how she loved watching her husband work; the dominance, the precision, anymore and she would have basically fallen in love with him again. Cadance and Flurry Heart were cheering on Shining Armor as they supported him when he was in a tough spot. Soon the battle ended with Shining Armor being able to summon his Blue-Eyes White Dragons and getting the win.

"Well, did my little girl like that?" said Shining Armor.

"Yeah." she cooed as Shining Armor planted a kiss on her tiny cheek to which she giggled.

"Cheer up, honey. You did good, I mean, you certainly caught my attention." Velvet said with some seductiveness in her voice.

"Well then, if you thought that was impressive, then wait till tonight." Night Light said with the same tone of foreplay as he wiggled his eyebrows which got the message as Velvet immediately got turned on.

"Mom! Dad! Not in front of us." said Twilight as she was grossed out by her parents sexual innuendos.

"Again." said Flurry Heart.

"I suppose I can give daddy's little princess one more match." Shining Armor then looked at Isaac who knew what he was doing. "So care to entertain my daughter, Isaac?"

Isaac looked at Twilight who just simply smiled, he then looked at the rest of her family who were also giving him some supportive smiles. "Seems like I have no choice." Isaac then got up as he took his position across from Shining Armor. He then slotted on his duel disk as he opened his deck box on his belt and put it in as he activated his duel disk to project a gold card tray. "Get ready, Shining Armor. It's time to duel!!" shouted Isaac. Seem his response got a happy spit from Flurry Heart.

Twilight and her family all got seated as they prepared themselves to see two prime duelist compete. Both Night Light and Velvet heard about Isaac's skills as a duelist from their daughter. But this time they were going to get a first hand experience on seeing just how good he really was and safe to say they were not disappointed. Back and forth, Isaac and Shining Armor went. Despite not being a big fan of Shining's dragons, Isaac kept his composure and found many ways to get rid of them. Seems they both were impressed by Isaac's antics, especially when he played his two star magicians.

"Now my pet, take out Isaac's life points! Ultimate White Lightning!!!" commanded Shining Armor as his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon prepared to finish this duel.

"I'll send Kuriboh from my hand so that I take no battle damage this turn." Isaac's tiny creature appeared as it protect its master from losing. Kuriboh was able to nullify all of Shining Armor's attack as it wiped its forehead. "Thanks, Kuriboh." Isaac gave the tiny thing a pat on the head as he nuzzled against Isaac's face.

"Aww, what a cute little thing." said Velvet as the sight of Isaac and his Kuriboh made her heart sank.

"Hey!!!" shouted Spike as he took offense to that comment made by Velvet.

"It's okay son, you'll get him next time." Velvet was doing her best to support her son. "And Isaac, crush that dragon of his!!" It seemed that Velvet was also cheering for Isaac to take down her son.

"Mom!!" said Shining Armor as he couldn't believe his own mother was rooting against him. "In that case, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. Let's see how you get out of this one, Isaac."

"With pleasure, my draw."

"So Twily, any idea on how Isaac is going to deal with Shining Armor and his pet?" asked Night Light.

"There's a lot of different ways, but I think Isaac might have other plans. Just watch." With that they both turned back towards the duel as they were about to see Isaac's plan.

"Hope you're ready, Shining Armor. Cause I'm about to blow your mind away, and we've got lovely audience for all to see. Now then let's begin the show, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

Shining Armor and his family were all in shock by what Isaac had managed to do, except Twilight. Even Flurry Heart was loving what she saw as it was full of lights and sparkles.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as a portal opened up and his monsters were summoned. "Hope you like tricks, cause this guy is going to blow your minds away. Meet Rune-Eyes Illusionist. Following that performance is my Black Robe Mentalist. Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl! And lastly, give a warm welcome to the star of our show, Dark Magician." Just like that Isaac had four monsters on the field with two of them being his ace magicians.

"No way!!" said Shining Armor as he was in disbelief.

"Incredible!" said Twilight Velvet as she was amazed at Isaac's performance.

"The boy really is a phenomenal duelist." Night Light was impressed by what he saw.

"Funny." cooed Flurry Heart.

"Bark!" was all Spike could say to describe what he was feeling.

"That's my boyfriend." said Twilight with a lovestruck look on her face as hearts floated around her.

"Now then Shining Armor, prepare yourself." said Isaac.

The duel ended as both duelist ended with a draw. Everybody else enjoyed the show as they clapped for both competitors; Twilight just gave Isaac a hug that it caused them to tumble onto the grass. She then captured his lips with hers as she gave him a kiss. Even Spike ran over as he licked Isaac's face when the two broke apart from their liplock. Everybody else just watched the young couple be happy with one another as they picked themselves up.

"Did daddy make you happy, my little princess?"

"Funny." cooed Flurry Heart. "Big... drgoon."

"Yes, sweetie. Daddy has a dragon." said Candance as she loved that her daughter was taking after her husband.

"Want to see them?" asked Shining Armor to which she nodded her cute baby head. "Here you go," Shining Armor then pulled out his Blue-Eyes cards as he gave them for his daughter to hold.

"Drgoon." said Flurry Heart.

"Seems like you're going to have to worry about another Blue-Eyes duelist in this family, Isaac." said Shining Armor. Flurry Heart then put the cards in her mouth as they were soon covered in baby spit. "Flurry Heart, no." Shining Armor then took back his cards as they were covered in saliva and drool.

"Oh yeah, she really loves your dragons." said Twilight sarcastically, who had Spike in her arms, which caused everybody to laugh.

Cadance then put Flurry Heart down as she tried to stand up, she then tried to walk only for her to fall on her bottom. She then started to crawl as she made her way towards Twilight and Isaac. She looked at Isaac as he did his best to figure out what the little thing wanted.

"Magic. Magic."

"Yes, Flurry. Isaac has a magician. And it does magic." said Twilight as she bent down to address her niece.

"Funny."

"I think she wants to see your magicians." said Twilight.

"Oh." Isaac then looked down at Flurry Heart as he was deciding if that was a good idea. "I guess it couldn't hurt," Isaac then took out his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl as he bent down. "Here you go, Flurry. Just try not to drool on them."

Flurry Heart took Isaac's cards as she looked at them with big eyes. Unlike what she did with her dad's cards, she didn't put them in her mouth. In fact, it almost looked like she was fascinated by them. Isaac could see the spirits of his two magicians next to Flurry Heart as they seemed to have smiles on his face. Isaac then began to address Flurry Heart.

"You like them, Flurry Heart?"

"Funny. Magic."

"Yeah. Their names are Mahad and Mana. They're my friends."

"F-friends." said Flurry Heart.

"That's right." smiled Isaac.

"I-Isac? Isac."

"She said your name." mentioned Twilight.

"Isac... uncle."

Isaac just laughed at what the baby girl said. He knew that she wouldn't understand that he wasn't officially her uncle, so he chose to just let it go. Flurry Heart then hugged Isaac's cards, "Hey Shining Armor, seems like Flurry Heart loves my Dark Magician more than your Blue-Eyes." snickered Isaac while Twilight and Spike let out a small giggle.

"No daughter of mine is gonna have a Dark Magician in my house." said Shining Armor as he was given a shot to his stomach by Cadance who gave him a dirty look. "I mean, I'm happy for her. It's just a phase, I'm sure she'll grow out of it." Candance just rolled her eyes at her husband's remark.

Isaac then grabbed back his cards from Flurry Heart as she began to crawl a bit more as she placed her arms on Isaac's face. Flurry Heart began to snuggle into the right side of Isaac's face and kissed his cheek, making a cute little "smack" noise as she did so, and continued nuzzling his cheek. Everybody else awed.

"And you thought the baby wouldn't like you," said Twilight with a smile as she gave Isaac a kiss on his other cheek.

Isaac chuckled as he picked up Flurry Heart in his hands, "Guess I was wrong. Thank you." said Isaac. The baby just giggled in reply.

With that the rest of the weekend was filled with everybody enjoying themselves. Isaac was able to entertain Flurry Heart and Spike by showing them a couple of his cards which they really liked, Flurry Heart really loved them when compared to her father's card to which she just simply put them in her mouth. Twilight was watching Isaac interact with her niece and she couldn't help but smile. In fact, it made her think about herself and the possibility on how it might be when she had some kids of her own. She did have a dream of starting a family, but she almost gave up on that notion due to her not finding someone she could connect with. But seeing Isaac and how little kids were drawn to him had reawaken that dream for Twilight. She knew that they couldn't see what the future had planned for the both of them, but like she said. None of that mattered, the only thing that was of importance was the present and what was in front of her. And what she saw was a boy who loved Duel Monsters, but more importantly was someone who she loved deeply and would always be grateful to have met in her life.

Chapter 89: Let the Games Begin

"Ha, ha, ha!!! Prepare to have your mind lost forever!!!" chuckled the opponent. "Now watch as my monster will finish you off!!!" With that the opponent gave its command to its monster. Just then everything froze.

"Oh, hi there. You're probably wondering what's going on or how I ended up in this situation?" said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall. "Well, I tell you it's quite a tale and honestly, I never expected this. But I'm getting ahead of myself, so let's rewind to the beginning of this story."

Suddenly the entire scene changed to show the Canterlot High as the sunrise was just barely coming up. "So it all started... Uhm, wait. Actually, that's a little early in the day." The scene then changed as it showed a different time where the students of CHS were gathering for school, as the sun was in the sky and the birds and trees were back due to spring already here. "Okay, a little later than that." Now it was nighttime as it was pitch-black with only the moon and the stars and a few streetlights to give way for the light in the darkness. "Woah! What is this, nighttime? Back it up a bit to around noon." With that the scene changed to about lunchtime as several of the students were outside enjoying the warm weather and their lunch. "Like there. Right there, that's perfect. Thank you." said Isaac as he could finally begin his tale. "So anyways..."

"Now then prepare yourself, cause I'm going to Pendulum summon. So using the scale that I've set, it's to swing into action. Ready or not, here they come!" Isaac then thrusted his hand in the air as a portal opened up and three lights came out as his monsters were summoned. "Prepared to be amazed by my Black Arts Trickster. Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl! And lastly, give a warm welcome to the star of our show, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had three monsters on his field.

"I still can't believe that Isaac can be able to summon multiple monsters using pendulum summon." said Sunset who was watching from the side.

"Believe me, I've been doing tests and diagnostics on it everytime he does it to see if we can learn more about it." said Twilight as she was writing down some more notes in her notepad.

"Now my magicians, let's do some magic." said Isaac as his magicians took to the field. After a while Isaac was lying on the grass with his arms and legs spread out as he looked up. "So... how... was... that duel." asked Isaac trying to catch his breath.

"Not bad. You seem to be getting the hang of it everytime you do it." said Twilight as she was bending over looking at Isaac.

"That's... good." he tried his best to give a thumbs up.

"Here you go, boy toy." Sunset handed Isaac a bottle of water.

"Thanks, Sunset." Isaac then sat up as he took a sip of water. He then took off his cap as he poured the rest of it on his head as the water cooled him off. Both Sunset and Twilight just giggled at Isaac's actions. He then stood up as he shook his hair dry before putting his cap back on. "Alright, I'm all rested. So Sunset, care for a battle?"

"That fast. You really do have a lot of stamina, boy toy." said Sunset as she was impressed by Isaac's energy levels. "I wonder what that would translate to more intimate." Sunset was now feeling up Isaac's body as she was giving him the bedroom eyes.

"Sunset!?!" shouted Twilight as she couldn't believe her friend was doing this in front of her.

"Calm down, Twilight. Isaac likes it when I mess with him." Sunset had a sly smile as she gave him a wink which really started to get Twilight angry.

Sometime later the three of them were approached by Rainbow Dash who wanted to talk with Sunset. She told her about the new game that was being released and how they had plans to play the game. Seems they both ecstatic as they made plans to be shut in all weekend to complete the game.

"Well that means we won't be seeing either of you till Monday." said Isaac as he knew how both were obsessed with video games.

"In that case, we'll see you then." said Twilight as she and Isaac began to leave.

"Hey you two, want to join us. Sunset and I had made plans to play the new game, but we figured why not invite everybody for a little get together." mentioned Dash.

"How the hell did you get Rarity to agree to that idea?" asked Isaac.

"You don't want to know." Rainbow knew Rarity wasn't the type of person to enjoy video games, so she had to make a deal with her.

"Oh, no. Please tell, you got my attention now." said Isaac with a sly smile.

"I'm not saying." Rainbow was now turning red from embarrassment from the deal she made with Rarity. "Look if you come, I'll tell you. But you better not say anything!" threatened Rainbow.

"Alright, you got a deal. What do you say Twilight?"

"I'm game."

"Great, just meet us at my place tomorrow afterschool." stated Sunset.

Everybody agreed as they looked forward to hanging out. The next day came as both Sunset and Rainbow could barely contain their excitement on getting the new game. They tried to pay attention in class, but they found it hard as all they could think of was getting home and just mindlessly getting sucked into the game. So the second the school bell rang, both Rainbow and Sunset rushed to the mall as they went to get the game. Unfortunately, there was a line as it caused both of them to groan. So they had a to wait a bit in line, eventually they reached the counter as the store clerk told him that he had sold the last copy. Both girls were heartbroken as they were disappointed; both were preparing to leave the store with their heads down until the store clerk called them. He had quickly checked the back of the store and had actually managed to find an extra copy of the game as it was under lock and key for some weird reason. Regardless, he gave the game to Rainbow and Sunset who went half and half as they purchased it. They then rushed back to Sunset's place as they prepared to meet the rest of their friends.

"Happy to help." said the store clerk. "Not I just have to figure out why it was locked away. And what that note meant: HAVE FUN!"

Soon everybody had arrived at Sunset's place as they prepared to see how both of their friends were like two little school girls waking up on Christmas. With that Sunset began to make some popcorn for all to enjoy, Twilight had even managed to bring Spike along with her. Rainbow even told Isaac about the deal she made with getting Rarity to come to this hang out; safe to say it took everything for Isaac to hold his laugh in as he was dying on the inside on the deal that Rainbow had made. He made sure to tell Rarity to take a picture so that they could all look at it later.

"Ready to do this Sunset?" asked Dash as she picked up her control and headset.

"You know it, Rainbow." Sunset then did the same as she got into gamer mode.

The rest of their friends just watched from behind.

"Alright, time to start this game." said Sunset as she picked up her controller and pushed the start button.

Soon the entire screen turned on as it showed a map of the game. From what they could make out it consisted of a woodland, iceland, a castle, a canyon, etc... Then the screen started to flash white as it caused everybody to cover their eyes.

"Uhm, is this part of the game, partner?" asked Applejack.

"What's going on?" shouted Sunset. Soon she was engulfed by the bright light as she was sucked into the game.

"Sunset!!!" shouted everybody else as they saw their friend get sucked into the game. Soon the light brought sucked them all including Spike.

"AHHH!" they all shouted. Well Pinkie just had a smile on her face as she was enjoying this.

Isaac opened his eyes as he saw himself in a white room. The rest of the girls were near him as they were on the floor and starting to stir. He saw Twilight on the floor as he rushed to check on her to which she slowly opened her eyes. Isaac helped her up as they checked on their friends.

"Is everyone okay?" asked Sunset.

"Where... are we?" asked Fluttershy as she was a bit scared.

"Seems we're in the game." stated Twilight.

"How can that be?" stated Rarity.

"I don't know, but we better figure out a way to get out." claimed Applejack.

"Ohh believe me there's no way out." said a deep voice.

"Who's there?" shouted Isaac.

"Allowed me to introduce myself, I'm the gamemaster of this place. And I plan to lock your minds away forever!!" chuckled the voice.

"What do you want with us?" shouted Twilight.

"Oh, you know exactly what I what, Twilight Sparkle."

"How- how do you know my name?"

"I know all your names, including you Twilight Sparkle. And more importantly, you Isaac." chuckled the voice. "But all be revealed in due time, for now you've all been selected to participate in a few games. Win and you get to escape, but lose and your minds will be trapped in her forever!!" boomed the voice.

"Well then, get on with it!" shouted Rainbow as she was happy.

"Rainbow!!" shouted the girls.

"Oh, I can assure you all. That this game will be unlike anything you've experienced." said the voice. "Now then if everybody is ready, let's go over some rules. It's a game that you're all familiar with, a Duel Monsters game. But not just any old Duel Monsters, but a virtual Duel Monsters!!"

"Virtual? What do you mean!?!" shouted Isaac.

"Just see for yourself!" With that the the voice then caused a bright light to shine in the face of everybody as they were sent on another mind trip.

The light died down and they now found themselves in a different place. There were tons of trees and shrubbery. Along with a few animals that passed by. They all were on the ground as they got started to stir and get back on their feet.

"It's a jungle." said Sunset.

"Not quite."

"What do you mean, Isaac? It looks like a jungle to me." said Rainbow.

"Didn't you hear the voice? This environment is virtual." stated Twilight.

"You sure this isn't real?" asked Applejack. "Because it sure smells real."

"That was me." said Spike.

"Spike, that's gross!" shouted Twilight.

"Attention fools!"

"It's that voice." said Sunset.

"It's time for me to explain the new dueling rules!"

"What do you mean 'new rules'?" asked Pinkie.

"I devised a new system of dueling that will bring everything you see and feel so lifelike. So pay attention, And try to keep up. In this world, you'll play by a new set of rules called the Deck Master System. First, each duelist must choose a Deck Master. Your Deck Master will stand by your side until you decide to summon it to the field. However, if your Deck Master is destroyed, you automatically lose the duel, regardless of life points. And when each one of you loses a duel, each of your minds will be trapped forever in this cyberspace." said the Gamemaster as it chuckled. Soon the environment started to shift and phase as they were back in the white room.

"Look whatever these new 'rules' are, we don't care! Cause one way of another we'll win!!!" shouted Sunset.

"You seem to not understand, you kids aren't going anywhere for a long while. You're trapped and your only chance of escape is to defeat each of my challenges and me in a virtual duel." snickered the gamemaster.

"If we stick together, then the gamemaster doesn't stand a chance!" said Isaac.

"Don't worry, ah got yer back, sugarcube!"

"Me too!" shouted Sunset.

"Pass the jam, cause this gamemaster is toast!" stated Rainbow.

"Huh, did someone say toast? Ohh, maybe some strawberry, some honey, sugar..." Pinkie then licked her lips as her sweet tooth was kicking in.

"Hold on, darlings. Whoever this gamemaster is never said which of us will actually have to duel."

"Very astute observation, Miss Rarity." chuckled the gamemaster. "To ensure that you all suffer equally, I will be dueling against every one of you! My analysis shows your chances of escaping are slim and falling sharply! In other words, you all are finished!" laughed the Gamemaster the loudest it had been.

"Let's start this party!" shouted Dash as she was raring to go. "You're going down!"

"Who's going down?" said the Gamemaster. Soon a hole appeared under Rainbow's feet as she fell through down into it.

"Rainbow, no!" shouted everybody as they saw their friend vanish and disappear before their very eyes.

"As you can see, before the virtual dueling begins, I plan to separate all of you."

"What?" asked Twilight.

"Ta-ta!" said the Gamemaster as another hole opened up and Twilight fell through.

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac as he tried to grab her hand but the hole soon closed.

Soon a hole appeared under Fluttershy as she screamed.

"Fluttershy!" shouted Pinkie and Rarity as they too suffered the same fate by falling through their own hole.

"Isaac." said Sunset as she tried to stay next to him only for her to fall through as Applejack tried to pull her up only for the hole to get bigger and plummet both of them.

The only ones left were Isaac and Spike. "That is enough! Where did my friends go?" shouted Isaac.

"You'll soon find out!" said the gamemaster as he made a hole open at Isaac's feet as he fell through with Spike jumping in after him. "Let the games begin!!"

Sunset was lying on the ground as she was unconscious. Soon she began to stir as she opened her eyes; she then stood up as she took in her surroundings. From what was around her, she was near a castle of sorts. "Man, I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore." she said.

Twilight had awaken and she began to stir. Unlike Sunset, she was in a different environment as she was in what seemed like a canyon of sorts. Based on the many rock formations and dry heat, she definitely knew that she wasn't in the real world. "Oh, great... Now what?"

Fluttershy was in some sort of woodlands as she came to a lake as her reflection showed in the water. "Hello? Can anybody hear me?" Fluttershy was scared about being all alone and not having her friends around. "Where am I? I'm scared."

Seems Pinkie and Rarity were able to stick together as they both awoke next to each other. They appeared to be in a hallway of sorts as it had a couple of suits of armor.

"Pinkie Pie, are you okay?"

"Yeah, but where are we?" she asked.

"I'm not quite sure, darling."

Applejack had managed to land in a forest of sorts as their was tons of trees and flowers appearing next to her. "That's the last time ah let Rainbow Dash invite me to play some video games." said Aj as she looked around. "Hey y'all! If you can hear me, give me somethin'!" shouted Applejack as she waited for a voice but nothing.

Rainbow Dash had landed in a prairie like setting as all she saw was nothing but grass. Despite being trapped in a virtual environment, she seemed to be happy. Well, except for one thing, "Oh come on! Why couldn't I get a cool setting!"

"Make yourselves at home." said the Gamemaster as it sat in a chair. "Fools. I have them all right where I want them! Each one isolated in my virtual world. And I'll be watching from the front row, as I take care of business. Now who should suffer be the first to suffer?" The gamemaster all flipping through all his screens as he was figure out who he wanted to target first. Soon it made up its mind as it saw the person that caught their interest. "Ahh yes. Who better to destroy first than the infamous Isaac? What better way to get my revenge on him by sending a message to his friends." chuckled the voice as it let out an evil laugh. The gamemaster then pushed a button as he selected which one of his associates to dispatch to deal with Isaac.

"All this looks pretty real." said Isaac as he took in his surroundings. Upon awaking, Isaac found himself in some sort of swamp, fresh river location.

"I know what you mean, it's hard to believe that everything here is virtual." said Spike as he awoke next to Isaac.

However, he wasn't a dog, seems the gamemaster really did mean it when it said that everybody would be dueling. So as a token, the gamemaster was able to transform Spike and give him a body as he was now a young boy. He wore a hoodie that matched his the color of his skin when he was a dog as he wore green shorts and shoes with white laces.

"Got to say, still hard to believe that you're actually human. In a weird, sort of way." mentioned Isaac.

"Yeah, no offense but it feels weird walking on two legs." Spike began to take a few steps as he stumbled before landing face first in front of Isaac.

"Here let me help you," said Isaac as he helped the little dog turned boy onto his feet, "One foot in front of the other and that's all."

"Okay?" Spike did just that as he began to slowly walk, it proved useful as he soon began walking like he had his whole life. "Wow dude, that worked. Thanks, Isaac."

"No problem, Spike." said Isaac as he ruffled his orange hair.

"Hope you're comfortable, cause you're the first challenger." said the gamemaster. Soon a pair of monsters appeared from the water.

"What is that?" asked Spike.

"Who are you?" demanded Isaac.

"Why, you look as though you don't recognize me, boy. Now you've gone and hurt my feelings." said the monster.

"It's you." said Isaac.

"Correct, you catch on fast, Isaac. It's none other than me, the Gamemaster. And for this duel, I've taken the form of Legendary Fisherman."

"Big deal, Gamemaster. You don't scare me!" shouted Isaac. You wouldn't stand a chance in a duel against me if your life depended on it!"

"Big words coming from someone who's about to lose everything. But you won't be dueling me, at least not yet anyways."

"What do you mean?" asked Spike.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten the rules of our competition already. If you both win-- which you won't-- you're both free to go. But should either of you lose, then your minds will be trapped here forever!" stated the gamemaster.

Spike then looked at Isaac, "This has to stop. Twilight and the others are in great danger."

"Yeah. Cause if they lose, they'll be stuck here! So we have to defeat this Gamemaster at its own twisted game!" affirmed Isaac as he looked back at the Gamemaster and its monster. "Listen, Gamemaster! You and your associates won't succeed in trapping my friends here! Mark my words!"

"Really? That's if you can keep up with the new rules."

"Just try me!" shouted Isaac.

"Very well. But keep in mind that you and I aren't going to be the ones dueling. That little mutt over there is who I'm challenging first. As for you, I'm sure my minion will have a fun time defeating you." The Gamemaster snapper his fingers as the monster behind him was none other than Water Magician who smiled evilly at Isaac.

"Hey, who you calling a mutt!?!" shouted Spike.

"Leave Spike out of this, if it's a duel you want then duel me." Isaac didn't want Spike to get involved seeing as Twilight would probably never forgive him if something bad happened to him. Plus he doubt the he knew how to duel.

"Isaac, it's alright. I want to duel." said Spike.

"But Spike."

"Hey, I'm not a dog anymore. Well at least right now, point is I can handle whatever this Gamemaster throws my way."

"I understand Spike, but out of the two of us, I'm the one with the most experience. So let me handle this, I don't want Twilight to worry." Isaac was trying to plead with Spike to stand down and let him deal with it.

"Not a chance, you said so yourself. If we stick together, then there's no way the Gamemaster stands a chance. And if that means taking part in a duel, then so be it." shouted Spike as a duel disk appeared on his arm that was similar to Isaac's. "Woah, that's cool. I didn't even have to ask to make this appear."

"Enough chit chat, it's time for the duel to begin." shouted the Gamemaster.

"Just be careful, Spike. Once we defeat this Gamemaster and its monster, we need to find Twilight and the others." said Isaac.

"Agree, so lets make sure that we win." said Spike as he took a position next to Isaac as he activated his duel disk which projected an orange card tray.

Isaac did the same as he projected a gold card tray, "Prepare yourself, Gamemaster. Because it's time to duel!"

"Dude, that sends chills down my spine. I like it." said Spike.

"Well let's see how you like this." said the Gamemaster as they snapped their fingers. Both Isaac and Water Magician disappeared.

"Isaac? What did you do with him?" asked Spike.

"Stupid dog! I've just sent him away for the time being, I don't need him giving any advice to you. Plus, my minion will make sure that his mind is trapped in this cyber prison. Now then, each of us will pick a monster to serve as our Deck Master for the duration of the duel." informed the Gamemaster. "And since you'll be dueling my Legendary Fisherman, it will serve as both the Deck Master and the duelist! Now it's time for you to build your virtual deck."

"Virtual deck?" asked Spike. "With what?"

"With these." The Gamemaster then pulled up tons of Duel Monster cards as they appeared in front of Spike. "Your cards aren't valid in this world, so you'll have to build a new deck from my card database. When you see a card you desire, simply touch it."

Spike then began to touch the cards they wanted as they began to build their decks.

"Choose wisely, for once you make contact with a card image, it's yours for the entire length of the duel." stated the Gamemaster. "Careful. Don't let any gems slip by."

"I'm set." Spike then grabbed his deck as he put it into his duel disk.

"How quickly we forget. You both still have to choose your Deck Master." reminded the Gamemaster. "Each monster card has its own special Deck Master ability under our new system. However, I won't tell you what those abilities are. You'll have to figure out what those abilities are. So choose wisely."

"Right." Spike was now trying to figure out what he should do. "Well in that case, I'll choose this as my Deck Master." Spike then showed his monster as it was a dragon. "Meet Lord of Dragons." Spike now had a monster appear next to him.

"Interesting choice." said the Gamemaster. "Suit yourself." The Gamemaster then merged with Legendary Fisherman as it took control. "But enough chattering, let's get down to business!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the duel disk.

Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 8000-

Spike's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Legendary Fisherman

"I think I'll go first if you don't mind." said the Gamemaster as he drew his card. "I summon a monster facedown in defense mode! And that's all for now. What fun would it be if I wiped out everything you both own so soon?" chuckled the Gamemaster. "It's your move. But realize it's only a matter of time before I eliminate both of your life points!"

Turn 2: Spike

"Guess I'm up, draw." Spike picked up his card as he looked through his options. "I guess, I'll play Baby Dragon(1200/700) in defense mode. And that's all." said Spike. I may be temporary a human, but when I was a dog, Twilight was always talking about the game to me. So I picked up on the rules and got to understand what she said, most of the time.

Turn 3: Legendary Fisherman

"Now that we've each taken a turn, we're now free to attack." said the Gamemaster as he drew his card. "And I'll do so by attack your life points, boy." said the Gamemaster as he pointed at Spike. He then made a harpoon appear as he threw it at Spike who put his arms up, but still felt the pain.

"Ahh!!" screamed Spike.

"That attack almost felt real. What gives, how can you attack my life points when I have a monster on the field. You're cheating!" shouted Spike as he slowly got back to his feet.
Spike's Life Points: 6150-

"Actually, all I did was fair play. For you see I activated my Deck Master's ability, Legendary Fisherman can be able to attack an opponent's life points." chuckled the Gamemaster. "Now then I think I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Spike

"It'll take a lot more than that to keep me down. Now then, prepare yourself Gamemaster." Spike drew his card and he had a smile on his face. "Now then, I'll play the spell Polymerization and with I'll fuse together my Baby Dragon with my Alligator Sword in my hand. I Fusion Summon Alligator's Sword Dragon(1700/1500)." Spike had managed to pull off a fusion summon as he had a brand new monster on his field. "Now I'll play Ancient Dragon(1400/1300)." Spike now had another dragon on his side of the field.

"Now time to repay the favor, Alligator's Sword Dragon. Why don't you attack his life points and see how he likes it?" Spike's command was given as his monster took to the sky and flew high above. It then brought its sword down on the Legendary Fisherman as he felt the attack.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 6300-

"Bet you're wondering how I was able bypass your monster, huh?" said Spike with a smug look. "Well check it out, my monster also had an ability. An ability that allows him to attack you directly whenever you control an Earth, Fire, or Water monster on your field. And since your Deck Master counts a monster, it's fair game.

"Grr. You'll pay for that little stunt, you punk kid." growled the Gamemaster.

"And then I'll attack your facedown monster with my Ancient Dragon." Spike's dragon then took it out with no problem.

"Thank you."

"Why are you thanking me for destroying your monster?" asked Spike.

"The card you destroyed was Ashinigray!"

"And?" said Spike.

"When it's sent to the Graveyard, its attacker must throw out a one card." he said while looking at Spike.

"Fine." Spike then chose the card he wanted to get rid of as he sent it away. "I have plenty of other cards left."

"But that's not my monster's only special ability. It also allows me to summon another Ashinigray to the field." The Gamemaster's duel disk slotted out his card as he placed it in facedown defense position.

"Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Legendary Fisherman

"Get ready... to lose your mind!" He then drew his card, "Come forth, Ipiria(500/500)." Out came a tiny lizard that was teal and white as it gave a hiss. "This lets me draw another card when I successfully summon it. Then I'll change Ashinigray to attack mode. And by doing so, I triggered its special ability, forcing my opponent to discard one card from your hand!" said the Gamemaster as he pointed at Spike.

"All right." said Spike as he looked at his hand before figuring out which one he wanted to get rid of.

"Now then since I have two Level 3 monsters on my field, I think I'll perform an Xyz summon."

"Oh no!" said Spike with panic.

"Now then I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon, Number 17: Leviathan Dragon!" shouted the Gamemaster as he had a brand new monster. "Next I'll activate Leviathan Dragon's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can increase its attack by 500. So now it has 2500 attack points." Leviathan Dragon felt the power surge as it looked at Spike. "Now I attack Alligator's Sword Dragon with Leviathan Dragon!" Leviathan Dragon then opened its mouth as it unleashed a stream of water as it took out Spike's monster as he tried to put his arms up.
Spike's Life Points: 5350-

"Next I'll activate Deck Master's ability, so I can attack your life points." With that Legendary Fisherman raised its harpoon and launched it at Spike who fell to his knees.
Spike's Life Points: 3500-

"Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Spike

"I guess I'm up," Spike drew his card, I need something to protect myself from his monster. But nothing in my hand is good.

"Just give up, it's only a matter of time before I defeat you and your mind is trapped here forever. Not to mention you little friends." chuckled the Gamemaster.

"I'll play my Swordsman of Landstar(500/1200) in defense mode. And I'll also switch my Ancient Dragon to defense as well." said Spike as he looked to form some wall of protection. Not much, but what can I do.

"Perhaps, I can help."

"Huh?" Spike looked to see where the voice came. He was shocked to see that it came from none other than his monster, more importantly, his Deck Master. "Did you just talk?"

"Of course. In this world, I can communicate with you through speaking or in your thoughts." said Lord of Dragons.

"Really, that's cool." smiled Spike.

"Then you should know about my Deck Master ability."

"Right? Just I don't know what it is." said Spike.

"My Deck Master Ability allows you to normal summon 1 Dragon-type monster in addition to your regular normal summon a turn. However, you must pay 500 life points to activate this ability." informed Lord of Dragons.

"Could come in handy." acknowledged Spike. "Still based on how much life points I have left, I'd better use it wisely."

"Such a wasted turn." snickered the Gamemaster.

Turn 9: Legendary Fisherman

"With moves like that, this will be easier than I thought. Now then," said the Gamemaster as he picked up his card, "First, I'll activate my facedown card, Gravity Bind. Now thanks to this spell card, any monsters that Level 4 or higher are forbidden from attacking. So any monster you had planned for taking out my Leviathan Dragon won't mean much; next I'll play the spell card, Stop Defense. So now your puny Swordsman is forced into attack position. Then I'll play the spell card, Cost Down. So I'll discard one card to decrease the Level of all of my monsters in my hand, with that I'm free to play my Legendary Fisherman II(2200/1800). Now I'll activate my Leviathan Dragon's effect, so I use the last Xyz material to increase his attack by another 500. Giving him a grand total of 3000 attack points! Now time to attack, Leviathan Dragon take out Swordsman of Landstar and prepare to lose this duel kid!!!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"I activate my facedown, Graceful Dice. Now I can increase my Swordsman of Landstar's attack points, by whatever number I roll. Go Dice Roll!" Spike's facedown then flipped up as a tiny little angel held a giant blue dice as he tossed it. Everybody watched as the dice started to roll around as it soon landed on a number. "A three!?!"

"Seems your roll failed, your Swordsman attack is only 1500, now Leviathan. Take it out!!"

"Hold on, who said I was done. Reveal my other facedown, Skull Dice. Now this little nifty baby decrease your monster's attack points by whatever number it lands." Just like before, Spike's facedown flipped up as a tiny little devil held a giant red dice as he tossed it. This time his roll was much more generous as it landed on a good number. "All right! I got a six! Now your Leviathan Dragon's attack is divided by that number making him only 500."

"No!!!"

"Swordsman of Landstar, counterattack. Slay that dragon!" Swordsman of Landstar then brought its tiny sword as it left a mark in the dragon's chest which soon started to grow brighter as the dragon was destroyed.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 5300-

"You got lucky there, kid." gritted the Gamemaster.

"I'd like to think I outplayed you." smirked Spike.

"Then let's see you dodge this, now my Legendary Fisherman II will pick up where my dragon left off. Attack his puny little Swordsman." said the Gamemaster.
Spike's Life Points: 4650-

"And I'll also activate my Deck Master's ability, so now I'll attack you directly."

Spike noticed this and he had to act fast. "I'll send Clear Kuriboh from my hand to the graveyard, so that I'm protected from your Deck Master's effect." Soon a tiny monster came out as it took the attack for Spike as he fell on his bottom from the aftermath.

"Now I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Spike

"My turn, I'll play the spell Pot of Greed. So now I'll draw two more cards." Spike then picked up his cards as he looked at his hand. "I'll play Premature Burial and pay 800 life points to revive my Swordsman of Landstar." Soon Spike had two monsters on his side.
Spike's Life Points: 3850-

"Time to put my monster to good use. Now I'll activate my Deck Master's ability, so by paying 500 life points, I can conduct an additional summon this turn so long as the monster I play is a Dragon. But first, I'll play my own Cost Down. So I send a card to the graveyard to lower the level of all my monsters in my hand. So arise, as I sacrifice my Swordsman of Landstar to summon Gandora- X the Dragon of Demolition!" Soon a big dragon appeared as it let out a roar.
Spike's Life Points: 3350-

"Gandora's ability allows me to destroy the highest monster on your side of the field and then you take damage equal to the attack points of the monster destroyed by Gandora- X. In addition, Gandora- X than gains those attack points." Spike's dragon then took out Legendary Fisherman II as it exploded in a heap of smoke.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 3100-

"You may have gotten rid of my monster, but Gandora- X still can't attack due to my Gravity Bind."

"That's why I'm using Gandora for a different reason; I play the spell A Wingbeat of a Giant Dragon. So now by returning Gandora- X to my hand, I destroy all spells and trap on field! So now your Gravity Bind is no more!" Gandora- X flapped it's wings as it blew away the Gamemaster's Gravity Bind and his facedown. "With that gone, now my higher level monsters can attack without any delays."

"When my Legendary Fisherman II was destroyed, its special ability activates. Now I can add 1 Level 7 or Water monster from my deck to my hand. And I choose my Legendary Fisherman III."

"Now I summon Panther Warrior(2000/1600) in attack mode. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Legendary Fisherman

"Now time to end you! AHHHH!" screamed the Gamemaster. "Now I play Monster Reborn and bring back my Legendary Fisherman II. And now I'll activate the effect of my Legendary Fisherman III, so I tribute my Legendary Fisherman II to summon my Legendary Fisherman III(2500/2000)!" Out came a much powerful monster as it let out a cry. "Next I'll activate my Fisherman's ability, when he's summoned, I can banish all the monsters that you control!"

"I activate my facedown, Gift of the Mystical Elf. So now I gain 300 life points for each monster on the field, so since there's two it means I gain 600 life points." said Spike as he was able to received some extra health as he prepared himself for the worst. A tidal wave of water came up as it headed towards Spike. The huge wave of water came down as it washed away Spike field as he had nothing to protect him. His clothes were drenched before he shook them dry.
Spike's Life Points: 3950-

"Since I used the effect of my Legendary Fisherman III, it can't attack. But that won't be a problem cause I activate my Deck Master's ability. So now this damage is now doubled. Say goodbye!" The Gamemaster then threw its harpoon at it was heading straight for Spike who was just barely sitting up. Spike was afraid as he prepared for the worst; the attack caused him to be flung onto the ground as he had his back towards the Gamemaster.
Spike's Life Points: 250-

"Look at you, you're down to your last few life points. You have no monsters on the field and even if you did summon a monster to take out my Legendary Fisherman III, all I need to do is activate my Deck Master ability one more time and victory will be mine! I knew you weren't a challenge, and once I've disposed of you. I'll then deal with Isaac. The Gamemaster then checked on how his minion was handling Isaac as he saw Isaac currently engaged in a duel with his minion. He then turned back to Spike who was stilling lying on the floor as he tried to get back up. "Look at you, you're just a mutt pretending to be something he's not. Word of advice, leave the dueling to the real duelists, or in this case, human. Just lay on the ground like the mongrel that you are. That's all you're good for and that's all you'll ever be!!!" screamed the Gamemaster as they insulted Spike. "You are nothing more than an stupid side character!!! Nobody wants you here and nobody likes you, so do us all a favor and get lost!!! And anybody who is thinking you have a chance or is supporting you, they are just as stupid as they are dumb; they should simply crawl into a hole and die!!!" screamed the Gamemaster as they looked at the fourth wall and the audience. "You are useless; you could put a mask on a pig, but it's still a god damn pig!!! Or in your case, a stupid bitch!!!"

Turn 13: Spike

"My turn," said Spike as he collected himself from the ground; he then drew his card. I can't back down, now when so much is on the line. I have to keep on fighting, not just for me, but for Twilight and the rest of the girls. "I'll play Card of Sanctity, so now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands. Next, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Panther Warrior. Then I'll play Bri Synchron." Spike now had two monsters on his field as the Gamemaster was just smiling.

"Really? This is what you choose to work with, none of those monsters are strong enough to take down my monster nor can they protect you from my deck master's ability."

"True, but I'm not gonna attack with either of them. Now I tune my Level 4 Panther Warrior with my Level 4 Bri Synchron. Out of two will come one, and out of one will come great cosmic might! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!" Spike now had a powerful creature on his field. "Now the additionally effect of Bri Synchron allows my Stardust Dragon to gain an extra 600 attack points till the end of the turn. Now Stardust, take out Legendary Fisherman III!" said Spike as he thrusted out his arm. Stardust Dragon then opened its mouth as it blasted away the Gamemaster's monster.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 2500-

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 14: Legendary Fisherman

"Seems this duel is over, my draw. Now I'll play my own Monster Reborn and with I'll bring back my Legendary Fisherman III from the depths of the ocean." The Gamemaster now had its monster back. "Now time to put you down, mutt! I activate my Deck Master's ability, so now I can attack you directly!!! "Ha, ha, ha!!! Prepare to have your mind lost forever!!!" chuckled the Gamemaster as it looked to strike down Spike.

"And that's where we last left off," said Isaac as he finally finished telling his tale. "So as you can see, we've got a problem on our hands. But we'll get to the bottom of all this sometime soon, for now let's see how Spike gets out of this one. Oh, you're probably wondering what's happening in my duel, well... it's me, what do you expect the outcome to be. Anyways, I need to get back." said Isaac to the audience as he jumped back into the scene as he got into position for the rest of the story. "Whenever you're ready, author."

"My pleasure, cue in three... two... and scene."

"Say goodbye!!!"

"I'll... I'll activate the effect of my facedown, Take One Chance. Now this card allows me to select a random card in my graveyard and I can activate that card immediately." Spike's entire graveyard showed as all the cards were then flipped over as they spun around and around in a circle. Come on, give me something to stay in this duel. Spike was now sweating as this card could determine everything, soon the cards stopped spinning as it landed on the one it chose. Spike then grabbed the card as he was hesitant on flipping it over; he quickly looked at it as he had a smile.

"The card I've chosen is my Clear Kuriboh, so that means my life points are safe." Spike then had its tiny monster make another appearance as he protected the little boy.

"You may have survived this round, but come next turn, I'll defeat. So make your final move."

Turn 15: Spike

Whew, I barely managed to win. But what do I do now, my only monster is Stardust Dragon and it's not strong enough to take down the Gamemaster's monster. And if I don't win this turn, then he'll just use his Deck Master's ability to wipe out the rest of my life points. And I don't have anything in my hand that can protect me from another attack should he use that ability. Spike was put his hand on his deck as he was hesitant on drawing his card; he felt like there was nothing he could do as he put his head down.

"Don't give up, Spike!" shouted Isaac.

"Huh?"

"What are you doing here?" shouted the Gamemaster as they were surprised to see Isaac. "I thought my minion took care of you."

"Maybe you should have done a better job. That was an easy duel." snickered Isaac. "Come on, Spike. Don't give up. Sure things look bleak, but if you put your trust in your deck then it will trust you."

Spike took in Isaac's words as he knew what he meant, "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Isaac. All right, time to win. Draw!" Spike looked at his card and then at his hand as he started to see his plan to win. "Now I'll play Flute of Summoning Dragons, with this card, I can now up to 2 dragons from my hand. So I play Stardust Xiaolong(100/100) and Majestic Dragon(0/0)."

"Two pathetic weak monsters for someone who is just as if not more pathetic than his monsters. This duel is over!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"I'd check my math again." said Isaac. "Cause from I'm standing, the odds of Spike beating you is 100%."

"Let me show you, I tune Stardust Dragon with Stardust Xiaolong and Majestic Dragon..." said Spike as all of this three monsters were now calling upon an even greater monster.

"I harness all the power of the stars, I channel all the might of the dragons, I Synchro Summon, the Majestic Star Dragon(3800/3000)!" shouted Isaac for the little boy. Soon a dragon descended on Spike's field as it shined brightly.

"Now time to end this, Majestic Star Dragon attack Legendary Fisherman III!" said Spike. His dragon then took out its target as the Gamemaster put their arm up.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 1200-

"Futile effort, mutt! My monster may be gone, but all I need to do is activate my Deck Master's ability on my next turn and I will win." stated the Gamemaster.

"Then it's a good thing, I won't let that happen. Now I activate my monster's ability, so I can target one monster that you control and negate its effects till the end of the turn. Then Majestic Star Dragon can use that effect as if it were its own." said Spike.

"Fool, don't you see. There's no other monster other than your dragon." shouted the Gamemaster.

"Wrong, don't forget you. Since you're on the field and you're a monster, it's fair game. So now I negate your effects and use them as my own." Majestic Star Dragon then shined even brighter as it caused the Gamemaster to loose all of his powers as he looked at Spike's monster. "Now I'll use your own effect, which means I can attack you directly. So take flight my dragon, finish this duel!" Majestic Star Dragon then fired off an attack as it collided with the Gamemaster.

"Ahh! You little brat, I was so close to winning and trapping your mind in here forever! AAHHHHHH!" A light started to form as Isaac and Spike covered their eyes, when it died down the Gamemaster was gone. Spike then collapsed to his knees as Isaac caught the little boy.
Legendary Fisherman's Life Points: 0-

Winners: Spike

Inside the control room, the Gamemaster was now looking at the screens while they were angry. "It looks like Isaac is still as annoying as I remember. Very well, I'll just have to see how well the others fare in the coming duels, won't I?" The Gamemaster was still looking at the screen that had Isaac and Spike on it.

"Amazing first duel, Spike. You've shown your no rookie."

"Thanks, Isaac. But I couldn't have done it if you didn't give me the courage I needed to draw the card. Now I know why you and the others love playing this game." chuckled Spike. "Huh?"

Soon a door magically appeared out of nowhere as it was in front of Isaac and Spike.

"Looks like a passageway." stated Spike.

"Yes."

"Let's check it out. We might find the gang."

"Your right. Hopefully, that's where it leads. Our friends could be in grave danger. Let's just hope we're not too late." said Isaac. "I don't know what's going on here or why this Gamemaster is targeting us. But one thing I know for certain is that we will escape this and we'll put a stop to whoever is behind this."

Spike nodded at Isaac's response. With that Isaac then approached the door as he opened it which led to nothing but black. So he then stepped through the door with Spike following close behind him. Once Spike was fully through the door, it then shut behind him as it disappeared. Seems like these games had only just begun.

Author's Note

So some insider information, this wasn't the original chapter I had planned. Let's just say that due to a certain reason, I was forced to change things at the last minute. And when I say change, I mean I literally spent 6 hours rewriting this whole chapter from top to bottom. I even had to rewrite the stuff I had in the beginning because of said reason. Now I'm not gonna say what that reason is for both privacy and personal reasons, besides that's not what I want people to focus on. Just know that I had to start this chapter from a clean slate. Now then hope you'll enjoyed it and I'll see you'll in the next chapter.

Chapter 90: Cold Feet

Twilight was currently walking down the canyon as she tried to find her friends. All she could see were rocks, rocks, and even more rocks. Usually there was some rock formations, but then it quickly changed back to seeing even more rocks. Twilight being a fan of science would leap at the chance to appreciate this, but given that she was trapped in a virtual game where the only means of escape was beating this 'Gamemaster', safe to say that she was anything but happy.

"I wonder how the others are doing?" said Twilight as she put her hand above her eyes. "It's bad enough being trapped in a place where there's nothing but rocks, but to deal with this blazing sun. At this rate, I need to find some shade." Twilight was starting to feel bits of sweat on her forehead as she wiped it away.

"I just hope that where everybody is, they're doing much better than me." Twilight then started to think back on what the Gamemaster told them. "Whoever this Gamemaster is, seems to know a lot about us. They seem hell bent on trapping our minds here forever, what if they already have? What about my friends, Isaac? No pull it together Twi, don't falter now when your friends need you the most. I know my friends are tough and they can handle whatever the Gamemaster throws their way, plus Isaac is probably already done with his duel and is looking for us." Twilight was doing her best to remain optimistic, but given the state they were all in and the intense heat, that seemed to be easier said than done. "I wonder if everyone's having as fun as I am." said Twilight sarcastically.

Isaac and Spike were currently running through a tunnel. It appeared that when they stepped through the door, it led to long and narrow tunnel. They knew that despite them being able to best the Gamemaster's challenge, they needed to find their friends to ensure they were safe.

"Does this tunnel ever end?" asked Spike as he stopped to catch his breath.

"It might. But only when the Gamemaster wants it to. You mustn't forget, Spike... whoever they are is controlling everything around us." stated Isaac.

"They can try to stop us if they want to, but we're gonna find our friends... no matter what!" exclaimed Spike.

"Right." Isaac and Spike then continued running along the tunnel as they were more determined than ever.

"Keep running, you two. Fools!" chuckled the Gamemaster as they were watching Isaac and Spike on their screens. "You're getting absolutely nowhere very quickly! But not to worry, my good friend. I have a destination in mind for you. Unfortunately, you won't be anywhere near your friends!" The Gamemaster then touched some buttons on their control panel.

"What's going on?" shouted Spike.

A hole then appeared under Isaac and Spike as it opened up and dragged them both away as they let out a scream.

"That should keep them occupied for a while." chuckled the person. "In the meantime, I'll turn my attention elsewhere. Now then who should I select next to compete." The Gamemaster then flipped through the screens as they were looking at the girls deciding on its next challenger. "Hmm. What better way to get under Isaac's skin than by eliminating the one person he cares about the most? He says he would always there to protect her, well it looks like Superman won't be able to save you from danger this time." said the Gamemaster as Twilight's screen popped up. "Now then, who should I select to be her opponent, hmm... perfect. Good luck, Twilight." snickered the Gamemaster evilly.

"This easily wins the prize for the worst day ever." Twilight was just about to collapse as the sun's rays beating down on her were taking their toll. "I need a nap." said Twilight as she fell down and rolled over on her back as she was breathing heavily. Just a small one so I can... get my... energy... back. With that Twilight's eyes began to close. Twilight was now dreaming as she imagined they were back in school.

"Hey Isaac, I had a dream that we were trapped in a virtual world and we had to duel this Gamemaster to escape!" said Twilight.

"Ah, Twilight? This is the dream!" stated Isaac. "And when you wake up, you'll need this card." Isaac then handed Twilight her Dark Magician Girl card.

"I will?" said Twilight.

"Yup, it's the Dark Magician Girl. Remember?" said Isaac. "There was a Bridleway play about this card. We saw it during our trip in Manehattan."

"We did? Since when did that happen?" Twilight was now confused as she would have definitely remember a detail like that.

"Well, not really, but this is your dream, and I'm just your version of me in your dream. So just go with it." Isaac just told Twilight to basically go with the flow when it came to the world and rules of dreams.

The scene inside the dream then changed as both Isaac and Twilight were now inside the theatre as they took their seats. Soon the cameras turned on as the play began to start and the narrator of the play began to speak.

"Ladies and gentleman... The Dark Magician Girl!" Out came an actress who was playing the role of Dark Magician Girl. Due to all the fancy makeup and wardrobe, the lady was able to look almost identical to what the actually Dark Magician Girl would look like. She then began to soar through the air thanks to the wires that were attached to her.

"And now, the most powerful being ever to step foot on the Bridleway stage will choose a volunteer from the audience to join her in her first Number!" exclaimed the announcer.

The actress then grabbed a prop Sage's Stone as she twirled her staff in the air as she selected her volunteer. Soon bits of magic and sparkle dust surrounded Twilight as she was selected. She then found herself being put in a Dark Magician Girl outfit as she was now on a part of the play.

"Cool! Thanks Isaac..." said Twilight as she was happy.

Both Isaac and the author looked at Twilight.

"Dude, what the hell is this?" asked Isaac.

"Hey man, don't look at me. This is Twilight's dream; I have no control over it. I just write down whatever she's dreaming of."

"Right... so... we moving on?" asked Isaac.

"Definitely."

"Alright, we'll better get back to Spike. I'll see you then." said Isaac as he went off screen back to his place in the story.

"Now then to awake Twilight from... whatever she's dreaming of. And awake... now!"

"Thanks, Isaac." said Twilight as her eyes began to open a bit due to something touching her arm. "Who's there?"

Twilight sat up as she was now looking at an animal. Not just an animal, but a penguin. A cute, tiny, cubby penguin. In fact, based on the colors of its feathers, it appeared that this penguin was nothing more than a simply hatchling.

"A penguin? Now I know the sun's frying my brain, cause there's no way that a penguin can exist in this habitat. It's scientifically impossible." Twilight then put her finger out only for the little thing to bite her. "Ouch, it really is real."

The penguin then began to make a chirp.

"Say what? Sorry, don't speak penguin." stated Twilight as she cleaned her glasses. The penguin then used its flipper to signal Twilight to follow as it began to walk. "I guess I'm supposed to follow you? Well if it leads to somewhere other than this hot sun, I'm not complaining." With that Twilight began to follow the little bird. "Just when I thought things couldn't get any weirder."

Soon Twilight began to follow the bird as he lead them through some rocky terrains and gaps. Thankfully, the habitat around them became to change as the blazing sun from before was no longer as bearable as it once was. Eventually they came upon a lake to which Twilight was relieved.

"Finally." said Twilight as she began to splash some water on her as she cooled down. She then used her hands as she cusp some water as she began to drink some. "I've never been more grateful to see some H2O in my life." She then looked at the tiny penguin who had gotten on a mini raft as it hopped on and waited for her. "There's more of you little guys. I feel like I'm in March of the Penguins." Twilight was now surround by other cute penguins as they waited for her to get on.

"You want me to get on? Well, what do I have to lose? If I'm going to get out of this place, seems I'll have to put my trust in a penguin. Never thought I'd ever say those words. Where's Fluttershy when you need her?" Twilight then got on, as the other penguins hopped off the dock and began pushing the raft while the others just waved goodbye to her. The raft experienced some rocking waves as it caused Twilight to land on her butt, "Ow. Take it easy guys. Yup, I'm talking to penguins."

The trip down the river lasted a good while they were sailing, the entire landscape around Twilight began to change suddenly. One second it was full of color and lush greenery, the next was nothing but grey and fog. Twilight noticed this and she began to worry a bit.

"Uhm. Mr. Penguin? Could you squawk twice if we're almost there?" suggested Twilight. The penguin did just that as it dove into the water along with a few others who hitched a ride. "Hey, don't go!" shouted Twilight as she was now all alone and drifting in the water. Soon Twilight heard a howl, which was soon joined by several others. She looked to the cliffs surrounding her and it was several wolves that had spotted her. Their eyes were locked on her as they thought about chasing after their prey that was floating in the water.

Twilight was now fearfully as she hopped they wouldn't jump down. "Nice wolves." she said in a terrifying voice. She then looked ahead as she saw land approaching. "Oh, you've have got to be kidding me. Of all the possible places I could have gone, I had to end up on a raft ride to a virtual tundra! Isaac, I need you!" said Twilight as she was beginning to miss having her boyfriend there to keep her safe.

Soon her raft touched shore as tons of winter animals were waiting for her on the shore. Everything from penguins, to wolves, to a few polar bears, even some walrus that poked their head from the water all had their eyes on Twilight as she stood up. Twilight was a bit shaken at what she saw.

"Um, I come in peace?" Twilight was unsure on what to say. "What's another cheesy line, how about take me to your leader? Please don't hurt me."

The pack of animals all gave their cries as it caused Twilight to jump a bit. Soon they parted to the side as they created a path for Twilight to pass through as it revealed a stairway to a place at the tip of the mountain.

"Oh you're kidding me. If I'm gonna climb 2,000 stairs, there better be someone up there who speaks English." Twilight then began to walk through the animals and eventually starting to climb the stairs. During the climb up, Twilight had to take several breaks in between, "This is suppose to be a virtual world, so why couldn't there be an elevator in this place? That's it, no more Deluxe Hayburgers for me. It's bad enough that Rainbow Dash has to make fun of me for doing exercise, but this is just rubbing it in my face. I get it, I'm not an exercise person!!" shouted Twilight to the heavens as she was venting her frustrations out. Eventually, Twilight made it to the top of the place as she had to take a few minutes to catch her breath. She then approached the doors as it opened up and there was even more of the same animals that Twilight saw down by the shore.

"Hello? Is anyone in there?"

"Of course. Open your eyes and look around, will ya?" said a voice. "You're surrounded by my army of animals."

"I know! I meant is there anyone in here without fur, or flippers, or anything animal related? More importantly, is there anyone who can help me escape from this place?"

"There's no one here but us, Twilight!"

"You know my name?"

"I know more than that, Twilight Sparkle... Let's see here, deck type: Spellbook, favorite ice cream: vanilla, boyfriend: Ugg, Isaac, I've got all the numbers in my report. And I'd say your number is up! Because I'm about to put the freeze on you!" chuckled the voice.

"Who are you? And what do you want from me, anyway?" asked Twilight with a stern look.

"Come now, Twilight. Don't tell me you forgot our last meeting. And not to mention that we meet even before then." Soon a bright light started to glow as out a came a monster. The monster standing before Twilight was none other than Abyss Soldier, but the voice that was coming out of it was none other than the Gamemaster.

"I'd think I'd remember you." said Twilight as she had a bit of a photographic memory.

"Look things are never what they appear to be. I'm the Gamemaster."

"Disguised as a Duel Monster card?" said Twilight as she was in disbelief.

"Yes, and I'll explain all that soon. But for starters, let's do a quick run through your numbers. Something I know you'll find fascinating." said the Gamemaster as they were showing off bits of more info about Twilight as if they knew Twilight was a girl who loved science and math. "According to my notes, there's a 100% chance that we're going to duel!"

"Me versus you?" said Twilight.

"Exactly, win and you get to see your friends again, but lose and your mind's trapped here forever. Now then, let's get back to my calculations. Says here you've dueled many times in your life, which when calculated gives you about 5% chance of actually winning this duel. It also says you've eaten 216 Hayburgers." stated the Gamemaster.

"Hey, that information is private!" exclaimed Twilight as she felt a bit embarrassed by that detail. She knew that she liked to eat a lot of Hayburgers and you would think that would result in her gaining weight; but somehow she was able to maintain her figure though at times there was a slight bit of pudginess to her stomach. Regardless, she felt a bit self-conscious about her eating habits and was surprised that Isaac didn't mind, probably because it was another reason why he loved her.

"I'll have you know that collecting facts and figures is a hobby of mine. Besides, in this world, numbers tell everything. And you'd be surprised by what numbers tell you about a person's life. Including yours."

"Look, whoever you are. My life's none of your business!" stated Twilight.

"I'm going to have to disagree with you. The first mistake you made was getting in my way and now it's time to pay the ultimate price, cause when I beat you, your mind will be trapped in here forever. And then Isaac will fall into a state of despair and lonely, knowing that he couldn't protect the one person he loves the most. HA, HA, HA." chuckled the person.

"Listen to me, Aqua Man. I've had enough of this, so I'm outta here!" shouted Twilight as she began to run out the doors.

"We'll see about that!" said the Gamemaster as he gave a soft chuckle. "You can try to run away, Twilight, but the odds are against you!" Soon the Gamemaster used his powers as Abyss Soldier to change the entire landscape.

Twilight was currently trying to run away when the scene around her began to change to both ice and snow. "What's going on?" said Twilight as she almost managed to slip on the ground as it was turned to ice in an instant. Soon the ice around her began to crack as a whirlpool surrounded her leaving her standing on an iceberg of sorts as it rose up in the middle of water. "This can't be good!"

"Nice try!" said the Gamemaster as he too appeared in his own whirlpool as it was now facing Twilight and between them was the freezing water. "Looks like my iceberg dueling field is about to leave you cold! Now then get ready, Twilight."

Twilight then activated her duel disk, as it projected a purple card tray. "Seems I've got no choice, alright then."

"Before we start, we'll have to choose our virtual decks from this card database. Not that it really matters what cards you decide to pick. The probability that you'll be victorious is slim to none!" stated the Gamemaster as they were sure of their victory.

"My chances may be low, but that's a risk I'm willing to take. Thanks to a certain friend, I've learned to never back down, even when the odds aren't in your favor." Twilight was selecting the cards she wanted as she went with what she knew. Soon she came across a pair of cards; for a moment she could sense Isaac as she had faith he would soon find her. Soon she had a deck that she was confident as it materialized in front of her.

"Okay. As per the new rules it's time to choose your Deck Master. It can be any monster in your deck."

"I know exactly who I want to choose. So check it out! Dark Magician Girl's my Deck Master." Twilight looked at the card as it brought her a sense of comforting. Even though, Isaac isn't here. I can still feel his spirit through this card, and I know we'll see each other again. "I have my, who's yours?"

"In case, you've forgotten. I've already taken the form of a monster known as Abyss Soldier, you fool! So I'm both the duelist and the Deck Master. Two threats in one! And once you're put on ice, you'll be frozen indefinitely."

"Guess again, Gamemaster! I'm not gonna let that happen." Twilight then slotted in her deck as her opponent did the same and activated their duel disk. "It's time to duel, fishface!" shouted Twilight as she tried to sound intimidating by using Isaac's saying as she really hoped that he would soon arrive.

"Which door to choose?" asked Spike. Seems when Isaac and Spike were sent down the black hole, they landed in a room that had three doors for them to choose. "If we don't pick the right one, we're stuck here."

"Don't touch it!" shouted Isaac. "We have to test all these doors for traps first."

Spike understood what Isaac was saying, if they wanted to see their friends again then they could afford to take any chances. Spike then pulled out a coin from his pocket as he tossed it into the direction of the door on their left. It made contact with the door as a white scary face came out of it while the coin landed by his feet.

"Testing doors is definitely smart." said Spike as he was a bit scared on what might have happened if that was him.

"It's true. We won our duels, but I sense a whole new game has just begun." stated Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Abyss Soldier's Life Points: 8000-

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"Time to kick your frozen butt!" shouted Twilight as she drew her card. Hmm... Mirror Force... "To begin I'll place one card facedown and then I'll summon Ancient Elf(1450/1200) to the field! And that's all for now, Gamemaster."

Turn 2: Abyss Soldier

"Now the fun begins." chuckled the Gamemaster. "Watch this, I'll start off by summoning my Giant Red Seasnake(1800/800)!"

"So, are you going to attack me or what?" taunted Twilight.

"Patience. I never rush into anything unless the numbers are there to support it. To attack now, I'd have to ignore one important fact... your facedown card! I'm more than 90% sure it's a trap. That's not the kind of risk I'm willing to take. Of course there's one way around that. I activate the magic card Cold Wave!" Twilight's facedown was then frozen in a block of ice. "When Cold Wave is in effect, it freezes all magic and trap cards for on the field for one full turn, which means your Ancient Elf is now a sitting duck! Attack, mighty Seasnake!"
Twilight's Life Points: 7650-

"My life points!" shouted Twilight. Soon her feet started to get colder as she saw that she was being encased on ice.

"Oops, I forgot to mention. As each duelist's life points decrease, his or her body will become encased in a block of solid ice! So get ready for quite a chilling ending! Your mind will be frozen stiff until the end of time!" snickered the Gamemaster. "Let's see if Isaac will still love you after he's seen you become a human popsicle."

"Man, it's cold..." said Twilight as she felt a chilling breeze blow as she did her best to keep warm. Not to mention that she was wearing some light clothing which really was causing her brain to go into shock as all she could think about was keeping her body temperature from falling. "I can't take this much longer!"

At that moment, both Isaac and Spike were able to hear Twilight from wherever they were.

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac. "Where are you, Twilight? Tell me."

"It's... so... cold..." said Twilight.

"Sounds like Twilight needs our help right now!" stated Spike. "We have to find what part of this virtual world the Gamemaster sent her to!"

"The Gamemaster's letting us hear her just to torture us. What a cruel trick!" Isaac was now clenching his fist, "I swear if anything happens to Twilight..."

"We have to break out of here and find her." Spike then began to charge through the door they tested earlier only for him to be swatted away and thrown onto his bottom.

"Don't panic, Spike. That's just what the Gamemaster wants us to do."

"What about Twilight?"

"Hmm. Look up over the doors." suggested Isaac as both he and Spike looked at it.

"A star?" asked Spike. "Hmm... Of course. In Duel Monsters, stars represent a card's strength."

"Right. So I'd say behind that door, a one-star monster awaits us." confirmed Isaac.

"And I bet if we can defeat it, you and I can get through that doorway!" Spike then turned on his duel disk as he drew the top card of his deck. "I summon Winged Dragon, Guardian of the Fortress(1400/1200)!" Spike now had another dragon appeared before him, "Attack! And see what's behind door number one!" Out came the monster that was guarding the door as Spike's monster took it out with ease. "Wow." Spike was impressed with how their plan worked.

"All right, we'll go in... but who knows where it leads?" suggested Isaac.

"Hopefully to Twilight." said Spike as he and Isaac began to run.

"What's the matter, Twilight, got cold feet?" snickered the Gamemaster.

"Really funny, Gamemaster."

Turn 3: Twilight

Twilight drew her card, but that proved to be more difficult as she could feel the cold getting to her. It was also affecting her mental game as she couldn't properly think about her moves as all she could focus on was keeping warm. "I-I place a monster in defense mode," Twilight was doing her best to keep her body warm as she saw her breath, "Then- I'll play the spell card, Spellbook of S-Secrets, so I-I add one 'Spellbook' t-to m-my hand." Twilight did her best to touch her duel screen as her fingers were starting to go numb.

"Sounds like someone's got a case of the chills. You should really dress more appropriately for the weather, dear." snicker the Gamemaster.

"Sorry, my parka was at the cleaners!" shouted Twilight.

"You got spunk. Too bad it'll all go to waste when your mind is frozen here!"

"Next, I-I set one card facedown. Y-your move..." Twilight was now freezing.

Turn 4: Abyss Soldier

"Now then... let's see... this could take me some time... this card's good, but there's always these..."

"Hurry up, frost breath. It's freezing!" shouted Twilight. "So just go!"

"Patience, I need to weight my options before I make my decision. Dark Magician Girl isn't much of a risk to me on her own, but if you added other cards, she could become more of a threat! Now then time to activate my Deck Master's ability, since I've took the form of Abyss Soldier, I can discard 1 Water monster to my graveyard which allows me to destroy one card on the field. So I'll do just that, as I wipe out the card you set on your last turn." With that a blizzard came over Twilight's field as her card were frozen and shattered.

"My f-facedown." shivered Twilight.

"I'll keep you guessing by playing these cards facedown. Then I'll wait for your meltdown." said the Gamemaster as they ended their turn.

Hmm... He didn't attack, which means he must be planning something big.

Turn 5: Twilight

"My draw, I play Mystical Space Typhoon! This card allows me to destroy one of facedowns!" With that Twilight got rid of the card on the right. "So say goodbye to that one!"

"You took my bait! You destroyed one trap card only to fall victim to another! I reveal my other facedown, it's called Driving Snow! When activated, it creates a giant blizzard to blow away one of your facedown cards! So get ready for the storm of the century!" A snowy wind then blew over Twilight as it got rid of her Mirror Force card that she set at the beginning of the duel. "Cold enough for ya? Now you've got nothing to stop my attack, so my Giant Seasnake is free to strike!"

"Oh yeah? It'll take a lot more than that to freeze me out!" said Twilight as she blew on her hands to keep them from going numb.

"Isn't the weather wonderful today? It's a pleasant negative 16 degrees!" snicker the Gamemaster.

Twilight was trying hard to pick the card she wanted, but she could barely tolerate the cold.

Twilight, wait! said Dark Magician Girl as she put her hand over Twilight's. Twilight was shocked by this as she looked at her monster, My Deck Master ability allows us to communicate mentally, I'm here to guide you.

"What?" asked Twilight.

Isaac cares about you and he told me to keep you safe. stated Mana.

"Okay, Mana. You have my trust." Soon she and Mana both played the card, "To start I'll play the spell card, Pot of Greed. So now I draw two more cards, now I activate this card! Offerings to the Doomed!" Soon pieces of paper began to emerge from Twilight's card as they wrapped around Giant Seasnake. "Looks like I've got this duel all wrapped up, cause my card destroys one of your monsters! See ya, snakey! Next I'll reveal 3 Spellbooks in order to special summon my High Priestess of Prophecy!" Twilight now had one of her ace spellcasters out with her. "Now for my facedown monster. I'll switch it from defense to attack mode! Reveal Fire Sorcerer(1000/1500)!" Twilight now had a little girl sorcerer as she came with flames in her hands.

"Pretty cool, right? And now, it's time to warm things up a bit!" Fire Sorcerer then put her hands together as she shot a ring of fire around Twilight who put her hands out as she warmed up. "Much better. Next I'll activate Fire Sorcerer's special ability! By discarding two of my cards, I'm able to burn through 800 of your life points!"

"Huh? Ouch! Hot, Hot, Hot!" said Abyss Soldier as its hands were on fire as it swung flailed them around before blowing on them with its breath to put the flames out.
Abyss Soldier's Life Points: 7200-

"And don't think I'm finished with you yet, Gamemaster! Now High Priestess, attack! Fire Sorcerer, put that walking fish in the hot seat!" shouted Twilight as she gave her monsters their command.

The Gamemaster was doing his best to stop the barrage of fire that was heading its way as it soon was showered in the flames. Once it was over, it was covered in soot and ember as it's eyes had swirls in them while they stood on one foot.
Abyss Soldier's Life Points: 3700-

"Anybody up for some steamed salmon? And since you lost life points, your own rule gets turned against you!" stated Twilight as the Gamemaster was now being encased in a block of ice at its feet. "How do you like being frozen?"

"I absolutely love it!" snicker the Gamemaster. "If you hadn't noticed, my body is made of thick skin. And I like things on the cool side. Or do you a need a lesson in zoology?"

"Well, now that you mention it, I do have a question, Gamemaster. I wanna know why you're so obsessed with trapping all of us here. I mean, what did we ever do to you?" asked Twilight.

"Everything!!! You and that boyfriend of yours made my life a living hell, but that'll soon be over." snickered the Gamemaster. "Once I defeat you, your mind will be trapped here forever. In the future, be more careful about who you hang around with. Of course, the odds of you actually having a future are slim to none! So let's continue this duel, now then..."

Turn 6: Abyss Soldier

"I summon Glacial Beast Blizzard Wolf(1400/700). Then I'll play the spell card, Absolute Zero. Now I can destroy one of your monsters and you take damage equal to its attack points; so say goodbye to your High Priestess." Just like that Twilight's monster was conceal in a block of ice as it crack and sent a chilling wind at Twilight.
Twilight's Life Points: 5150-

"But that's just the beginning! Next I'll play Wolf Fangs, raising my wolf's attack strength by 800 more points!"

"That's not good. My monster's toast!" shouted Twilight.

"That's right! And now my Glacier Beast Blizzard Wolf... Attack her Fire Sorcerer!" commanded the Gamemaster.

"That's my last defense!" shouted Twilight. Soon all the damage she took was now appearing in the form of ice as it started to encase her body as it stopped at her knees.
Twilight's Life Points: 3950-

"And since you lost more life points, the freezing continues!"

"You're s-sick!" shivered Twilight.

"It'll all be over soon, Twilight. Your life points are down almost 50% and with no more defensive monsters to hide behind, you're out in the cold!" stated the Gamemaster.

"You wish!" said Twilight.

Isaac and Spike were currently running as they were now in a similar room than the ones they previously passed.

"We don't seem to be getting anywhere!" responded Isaac. Just then he heard Twilight's voice echo.

"It's... freezing... my legs are... numb!"

"We're coming, Twilight!" shouted Isaac.

"We gotta find our way outta here, right now." said Spike.

"Spike. Look on the floor."

"Huh?" Spike then did what Isaac asked of him and he was shocked, "That's the same coin I threw at the door! We were here, before! So... that means we've been jus been running around in circles!" said Spike.

"A little chilly, are we?" snickered the Gamemaster. That's the least of your worries!" While the Gamemaster was laughing, Twilight was busying rubbing her arms together in an effort to keep her body temperature from dropping while Mana just looked on with concern.

Meanwhile back with Spike and Isaac, they were trying to figure out their way and plan to get out of this maze and rescue Twilight.

"This game's pretty simple. The stars above each door represent the strength of the monster behind that door. Beat the monster and get through!" stated Spike.

"However, there's a clue we're missing. said Isaac.

"But what can it be?" Spike then began to think before an idea popped in his head, "I know! Maybe the stars represent more than just the power levels of the monsters!"

"But what, Spike?"

"Well what if, they're like directions for us!" Spike then looked at all the doors, "Yeah! Through the one-star door first, then the two, then the three, then the four!"

"Yes, and the reason you and I have been traveling around in circles is because we've only been choosing to battle against the monsters that have one star." stated Isaac as he saw Spike's explanation.

"Well, let's try this door! So now I play Alexandrite Dragon!" shouted Spike as he ordered his monster to attack the monster guarding the two-star door. Alexandrite Dragon took out the monster with ease as the doorway opened.

"Well done! Now, let's go through and find Twilight!" With that both Isaac and Spike ran down through the door.

"A bit brisk isn't it?" said Twilight as she was shivering. "I can't even f-feel my toes!"

"Now let's get back to business, shall we?" snickered the Gamemaster.

Turn 7: Twilight

Twilight picked up her card but could barely grasp it properly, Mana then put her hands together around Twilight's hand to help keep her warm.

Be strong. said Mana through Twilight's thoughts.

Twilight nodded, "All right, let's do this!"

"Good. The sooner you make your move the sooner I can freeze you over and win this duel. Ha, ha. You're already knee-deep in ice! And the worst is yet to come, my dear! My all-powerful wolf is ready to tear through your puny defense!" stated the Gamemaster.

"No! If his Blizzard Wolf attack, I'll be wide open!" Twilight then looked at Mana, "And if I place you on the playing field to defend me, then he'll just destroy you!"

"So very true. And remember if your Deck Master is destroyed, well, then you automatically lose the duel, my dear!"

"Now I'll place one monster facedown in defense mode and then I'll end my turn, Gamemaster!"

Turn 8: Abyss Soldier

"An extremely desperate move for an extremely desperate girl! And my hand continues to grow more powerful! And now take this! Blizzard Wolf attack!" Twilight's monster was then destroyed in one attack. "HA! There goes your facedown card! Now you're back to where you started!"

"Not quite! You revealed my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy which lets me add 1 'Spellbook' card from my hand to my deck!" Twilight then selected the card she wanted, Spellbook of Power, this may come in handy.

"I ran the numbers and you've run out of luck, so play whatever pathetic cards you'd like, cause it's only a matter of time before you're frozen here forever."

Turn 9: Twilight

I need something to turn this duel around, Twilight drew her card, What's this? Maha Vailo? Now he's not powerful enough! There's no way he'll beat Blizzard Wolf!

Twilight, don't give up so fast. Remember, he has a secret skill that can help you! informed Mana.

"Huh? What kind of skill?" said Twilight as she was still cold. "Hold on! I'm starting to remember something!" Twilight then flashed back to a memory of when she first started her days at CHS and she was talking to Isaac in class.

"You wanna know which card is most like me?" asked Isaac.

"Wait, I know. It's so obvious." stated Twilight. "It's your Dark Magician, I mean come on; you two are basically one in the same. You're always relying on him to get you through some tough spots." said Twilight as she looked at Isaac's cards that were spread out on his desk.

"Well, even though it's pretty great, I don't think it's the card that's most like me." said Isaac.

"What!?! Why not? He's your star monster." Twilight was confused by the answer Isaac had given her.

"Look, Dark Magician is awesome, don't get me wrong. But there's another card that resembles a bit like me, okay." Isaac then began to look through his card, "Ah! This is the one! Pretty cool, right?" said Isaac as he showed the card to Twilight.

"Kuriboh?" Twilight had a confused look on her face, "Please tell me this is some sort of joke."

"Nope, it's true. He may not be as strong as the Dark Magician, well, not when you first look at him anyway. But if you look closer, you'll see a hidden power deep inside!"

"Of course! Now I remember! A monster's hidden strength!" said Twilight as that flashback helped her to figure out her plan. "I'm not done yet! Now I summon Maha Vailo(1550/1400) in attack mode!"

"Please, that monster's weak!"

"Wait, I'm not done!" shouted Twilight. "Check this out! I activate Wonder Wand, raising my monster's attack points by 500!"

"Here I thought you were the smart one of the group, because it's still too short on attack points to defeat my Blizzard Wolf!" commented the Gamemaster.

"I guess you forgot that looks aren't everything, see Maha Vailo's got a hidden power! His special ability allows him to get 500 extra attack points for each one of my equip cards!" said Twilight with a sly smile.

"No fair!"

"Oh, it's fair! Go, Maha Vailo! Attack his Glacier Beast Blizzard Wolf with Sacred Lightning!" shouted Twilight. "Add this up, Gamemaster!" Twilight's monster then fired it's attack as it took out its target and electrocuted Abyss Soldier as he once again had swirls in its eyes.
Abyss Soldier's Life Points: 3350-

"We're safe at least for now." said Twilight as she let out a sigh of relief.

Isaac and Spike were still currently running through the hall as they heard Twilight's voice getting louder.

"I'm f-f-freezing! I don't know how much longer I can last out here!"

"We're getting close." said Isaac.

"Yeah, Twilight's getting louder!" Time is running out. Isaac and I have to defeat more of the Gamemaster's monster so we can get through this virtual maze and find Twilight before it's too late! "I see another set of doors ahead!" Soon both Spike and Isaac came to another room with three more doors. "We need the three-star door! exclaimed Spike.

"There it is!" shouted Isaac as he pointed to it.

"Yes!" Spike then played a card, "Barrel Dragon, attack!"

"No, stop the attack!" called out Isaac.

"It's too late!" said Spike as his monster fired an attack at the door, only for it to be redirected right back and destroy it. "Barrel Dragon!"

"That door has been equipped with a trap card! Look more closely," said Isaac as he pointed, "Right under the stars!"

"Three facedown cards!" said Spike as the first facedown disappeared. "Of course! Then that blast had to be a Mirror Force trap card!"

"So try again." suggested Isaac.

"Here goes! I summon Baby Dragon!" stated Spike.

"It looks like Unknown Warrior of Fiend, a weaker monster." said Isaac as it appeared.

"Awesome! Say goodbye!"

"No, wait!" shouted Isaac. "Another facedown card is being activated! Now it's stronger!" Now the monster had 1600 attack points.

"Then I summon Time Wizard! Then I'll use this! Polymerization... fuse them together! To form Thousand Dragon! Now attack, my dragon!" shouted Spike. Spike's monster did the job as it took out its target and cleared the door for both to get through. "Yes! Let's go!" Isaac and Spike then ran as they soon arrived at their final destination. "Now, where's that four-star monster? There it is!" said Spike.

"Patience, Spike. We must be very careful. This door has been equipped with five cards!" said Isaac. "The Gamemaster could have hidden just about anything behind that door. And we're low on cards, so we have to choose wisely!" Spike looked at both his and Isaac's decks as their stack had diminished over the time they were figuring out the riddle to the maze.

"You're right! We only have a few cards left! And I already used all of my best monsters!" said Spike.

"Defeating a four star monster plus four facedown cards is no easy task." Isaac then stepped forward as drew his Dark Magician card, "This may do it! But I can't afford to play him as long as those facedowns are present," Isaac then drew another card off the top of his deck, "Then how 'bout the Heavy Storm card?" Soon a giant tornado came out as it appeared in front of the door. "It destroys all cards on the field!"

"Nice work. Now it's just the monster! With no facedowns to protect it!" said Spike. "Destroy it, Isaac."

"No problem, 4-Starred Ladybug of Doom should do the trick!" said Isaac as he played his monster card and a ladybug came out charging head first into the monster. "It may seem weak, but watch this! It automatically destroys all 4-star monsters! Oh yeah!" shouted Isaac as he did a fist pump.

"Cool move. Man, you're good." Spike was in awe at the move Isaac was able to do, now he saw why he was so phenomenal at the game.

"Thanks. It's a good thing I had that little critter stashed in my deck!"

"This could be the last door! Come on!" shouted Spike as he and Isaac ran through. Soon they reached the end of it as they came out into an ice cave where they saw Twilight dueling as they were behind the ice glass.

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac and Spike.

"This doesn't look good!" said Spike.

"Don't worry, Twilight! Stay strong! I'm right here for you!" yelled Isaac behind the ice as his voice was muffled. He knew that he need to comfort Twilight and he did his best to get her attention. He then saw Dark Magician Girl standing next to Twilight as he tried to mentally speak with her. Mana, protect Twilight!

Mana heard Isaac's call as she looked to where the voice was coming from, You have my word, Isaac.

Turn 10: Abyss Soldier

"All right, then I play Bolt Penguin(1100/800)! In defense mode! And as an extra precaution, I'll play one card facedown!"

Turn 11: Twilight

"Your little turkey only had 800 defense points! I can stuff if and roast it with one blast!" said Twilight as she tried to speak through the cold. Twilight then drew her card, "Maha Vailo, attack now!"

"All my calculations were right on the money! Now I activate... Revenge Sacrifice! Goodbye, Maha Vailo!" With that Twilight's monster was gone.

"No! not him!"

"Revenge Sacrifice destroys the card you used to attack my monster! And now I can special summon a monster from my hand, so I play Glacial Beast Polar Penguin(800/1000) in defense mode!"

"Not much of a monster!" shouted Twilight.

Turn 12: Abyss Soldier

"Don't think I'm done yet, cause I play Monster Reborn and bring back my Blizzard Wolf. Now I tune my Level 3 Penguin with my Blizzard Wolf! Do not underestimate this beast, for its ferociousness will freeze you with fear! I Synchro Summon, Glacial Beast Iceberg Narwhal(2700/1600)!" Out came a monster that was covered in ice. "I'll then place this card facedown, and summon Penguin Torpedo(550/300)! This little bird is a real blast, kid! Now my monsters attack!" With that both monster headed towards Twilight as she tried to put her arms up; the attacks caused ice and smoke to appear.
Twilight's Life Points: 700-

"Twilight!" shouted the boys.

"And since you've lost a chunk of your life points, you gain another chunk of ice!" stated the Gamemaster as Twilight was now covered in more ice as it stopped right at her waist. "Yes, it's quite chilling isn't it?"

Turn 13: Twilight

"L-L-Look... Gamemaster... I'm not out yet!" said Twilight as she drew her card. None of the cards or monsters in my hand can help to take down that monster of his! What do I do?

There is one thing you can do, Twilight. Move me onto the playing field. suggested Mana. Trust me. It's your last hope!

"I guess I have nothing to lose. Plus, it's better than what I have in my hand." said Twilight. "I move Dark Magician Girl to the field!"

"Don't you realize if your Deck Master is destroyed, you lose? You must have a pathetic hand to make that move!"

Turn 14: Abyss Soldier

"Now watch and learn! I activate Ocean of Regeneration and bring back my old friend, Penguin Torpedo! This card allows me to bring back any water monster back from my graveyard for one turn! Now time to finish you, Narwhal attack Dark Magician Girl!"

"Hold on, I activate my Soul Guard trap card from my grave. So I banish it and it stops your attack!" stated Twilight.

"In that case, I'll use Penguin Torpedo's effect. Attack her life points directly again!"
Twilight's Life Points: 150-

"No!" shouted Isaac as he saw the attack made contact. Now Twilight was fully encased in ice as the only parts of her body that remained were her head and both her arms.

"Soon I'll have my revenge!" chuckled loudly the Gamemaster.

"Leave her alone!" shouted Isaac as he pounded against the ice. "Twilight! If she loses this duel, she'll be trapped here! But it's not fair!" Isaac was starting to shed some tears, "She doesn't have to suffer this, it's me the Gamemaster really wants!" Isaac then opened his eyes as he looked on.

Turn 15: Twilight

I'm down to my last few life points. And my Dark Magician Girl isn't strong enough to get past his monster. Plus, since she's my Deck Master, if she's destroyed I automatically lose!

Twilight, there is one card in your deck that can save us. Remember?

What? Oh yeah, but what if I don't draw it? "It could be at the bottom of my deck for all I know!" said Twilight.

I will help you draw this card. To do this, I must first invoke my Deck Master special ability to call upon every monster in your graveyard, Twilight! said Mana as she was surrounding herself with some magical energy. "Behold! Dark Magic Energies! Please hear my call! Enter our graveyard and revive the monster within!" Soon five circles came out as they showed the spirits of Twilight's monsters.

"What's going on?" said the Gamemaster.

Twilight, I have formed a Soul Circle with the five monsters in your card graveyard. This allows you to draw five new cards. The rest is up to you.

Twilight's top five cards then started to float in front of her, Let's see. Did I draw the card I need? Twilight then saw it, "Yes! There it is!", she then grabbed it, "Now to... ugh - play it!" said Twilight as she struggled to move her arm with her duel disk close to her. "Ugh, stupid ice! There! Did it! Now I play Sage's Stone!"

Soon Isaac's deck began to glow as both he and Spike saw this happening, "What's happening?" asked Isaac. Now it was his Dark Magician standing right in front of Isaac. He looked at Mahad as he understood what he was doing to which he nodded his head and off he went to aid Twilight.

"What? How? My calculations were on points that I would be virtuous! This doesn't add up!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"The power of the Sage's Stone bestows upon me the unique ability to call forth the Dark Magician!" stated Mana.

"What? It can't be!"

"And that's not all, next I'll play Spellbook of Power and Bound Wand to give Dark Magician an extra 1700 attack points!" stated Twilight. "You thought you could separate me from my friends, but what you failed to realize Gamemaster is that even if we're far apart from each other. We'll always be there in each other's hearts, cause that's what it means to be friends, that's the magic of friendship." said Twilight. Thank you for helping me, Isaac.

"Now Double Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Mana as she and Mahad blast the monster on the Gamemaster's field and the rest of his life points as he screamed while turning to game data.
Abyss Soldier's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Twilight

Our task is complete. stated Mana as she looked at Mahad.

Yes, mistress Sparkle is now safe. The master will be pleased.

"Whoa, I won." said Twilight as she was in a bit of disbelief. She then passed out as the ice around her disappeared and she fell to the floor.

"Twilight!" Both Isaac and Spike had made their way towards Twilight. "Twilight." Isaac was now holding her in his arms as he had a couple of tears rolling down his face; he then looked at his two magicians who were still there. "Thank you, both of you. I can't express how grateful I am." said Isaac tearfully.

"It was our duty to protect her, while you found her, master."

"Twilight's a tough girl." stated Mana. With that both of them disappeared.

"Is she alright?" asked Spike.

Isaac then tried to wake Twilight up as he was still holding her, "Twilight, can you hear me?"

Soon Twilight heard a voice calling out to her as she opened her eyes and saw Isaac's face.

"Twilight! You did it!" said Isaac.

"Isaac, I was almost a human ice pop!" Twilight then threw her arms around Isaac as she pulled him into a deep, and crushing hug. "I'm so glad to see you!" she said as she let out a couple of tears herself.

Isaac's face had gone completely red given the fact that he could feel Twilight's bosom. He didn't want to say anything, so he just simply did his best to enjoy this position he found himself in, "Me too, Twilight. And now that we're together, I promise it'll stay that way."

"Grr. How cute." said the Gamemaster as the scene was playing on one of the monitors. "Little do they realize I'm just getting warmed up. Fools! They'll never escape my virtual universe! Never!"

Twilight was still hugging Isaac as she feared that if she let go, he would disappeared. Isaac had managed to get his arms out from being trapped and was now hugging Twilight as he pulled her close to his chest as if holding onto her for dear life. "I was afraid that... you never find me. That I never get to see you again." cried Twilight.

"That will never happen, Twilight. I will always find my way back to you; we will always be together." said Isaac as he did his best to comfort her.

Isaac then pulled away as he grabbed Twilight's face and pulled her into a deep and meaningful kiss as both let out a moan. Both brought their hands up to each other's cheeks as they let everything out, Spike just looked away for a bit as he let the two have their moment. Isaac was doing his best to kiss Twilight with everything he had as he was not only showing his affection for her, but also trying to warm Twilight up from the cold she experienced. It seemed to work as Twilight felt her body temperature returning as her heartbeat started to beat as she melted in Isaac's arm.

Author's Note

So my friend showed me this video yesterday, and I got to be honest. Am I the only one who would love to see Yugioh characters singing songs and create an album?

Chapter 91: Too Hot to Handle

The Gamemaster was currently watching the rest of the screens as they sat in their chair. "Those fools think that because they've won a couple of duels, victory is in sight. Well that couldn't be further from the truth."

"Excellent dueling, Twilight." said Isaac on the monitor.

"Th-Thanks, Isaac." said Twilight as she was still trying to stay warm as she was walking with Spike and Isaac.

"Seems I'll have to take some even more drastic measures if I want to make them pay for what they did to me." said the Gamemaster with an angry look on their face. "However, those last few duels have allowed me some helpful data. By analyzing their attack patterns, I can come up with a solid dueling strategy that is guaranteed to bring me success. I will stop at nothing to make Isaac and Twilight suffer, and if going through their friends is the way then so be it. Besides, they're associated with those two, therefore any friends of them are automatically my enemies! And I can't allow Isaac and his friends to make me look like a failure!" The Gamemaster was then skimming through the many screens.

Sunset was still walking around in the castle that she found herself in. Ever since she awoke, she figured there must be something inside the building to help her either find her friends or tell her how to get out. So she searched every single room and corner of the place, but found no clue.

"It's hopeless. All right, Gamemaster! Show yourself!" Seems Sunset knew that the only way to escape was to beat the Gamemaster at whatever challenge they were going to throw at her. "Well no response, man, where is everybody? I just wonder that wherever they are, they're safe. This is all my fault, I invited them and now we're stuck in a video game where the only way to escape is to beat this Gamemaster. And should we lose, our minds will be trapped here forever." Sunset was starting to feel a bit guilty for being the reason they were trapped.

"I'm sick of dis place!" shouted Sunset as she kicked the wall. Apparently, when she kicked it, a hole started to form and eventually it broke away. "Damn, I knew I was strong, but I didn't think that strong. Either that or these are some cheap walls." Soon the entire wall started to crumble, "Woah-- Real cheap walls! Hey, check it out. It's some kinda door!" said Sunset as the wall fell apart to reveal a giant door in front of her.

"Maybe I should knock... Nah!" Sunset then used her leg as she kicked the door open. "Seems all those karate lessons that Rainbow Dash taught me are really paying off." Sunset then began to walk through as all she saw was nothing but darkness, then she saw what appeared to be the room that they all started in. "Jackpot! I found the room where the Gamemaster had all of us trapped in before they split us up and that must be the way out," said Sunset as she looked at a portal, "Here we come, real world! I bet the gang's already waiting for me!" Sunset then rushed through the portal as she soon found herself back in her room.

"It seemed to work, I'm back in my house. But where's everybody? Hey-- Anyone here?" called out Sunset. "Guess not." She then noticed Isaac standing a few feet away from her as he was looking out the window of her house. "Isaac, I'm glad I found you. I thought we never would have escaped; I'm sorry for bringing this all on you and the girls." said Sunset as she put her head down.

"It's alright, Sunset. As long nobody got hurt, then everything is okay." mentioned Isaac as he still had his back to Sunset.

"That's a relief. Speaking of which, where is everyone? Where's Twilight?" she asked.

"Why should we worry about them? You're all that I care about." said Isaac.

"What? No... this isn't right. I know you, you would never abandon our friends. More importantly, Twilight." Sunset was now slowly backing away from Isaac, who still had his back turned.

"Why care about Twilight? You're the one that I truly love."

"Okay, I know for a fact that I love to flirt and tease Isaac to mess with Twilight. But there's no way he would ever say something like that, nor would I go behind Twilight's back to steal her boyfriend away." said Sunset as she was starting to piece together somethings. "Who are you, really?"

"Guess the gig is up." said Isaac as he turned to face her with his voice sounding different. He then began to change as standing there was now a girl who wore a cloak and wielded a staff as fire came from behind her.

"Who are you, anyway? Tell me now!" demanded Sunset.

"In case you've forgotten, I'm the Gamemaster. Ruler of this domain and person who's deciding all of your fates. If you would just take my card, it's all there." said the Gamemaster as they made business card appear between their fingers and tried to offer it to Sunset.

Sunset wasn't interested as she just swatted it away, "Save it! I'm not in the mood to talk, I want to know what you've done with my friends."

"Ha, ha." snickered the Gamemaster. "I can assure you that you're friends are perfectly fine, you on the other hand, are not."

"Oh yeah! Why's that?" demanded Sunset.

"Because we're about to duel and once I beat you, your mind will be trapped in here forever!"

"Well there's no way that's going to happen. I plan to defeat you and once I've done that me and my friends are escaping from this virtual prison!" stated Sunset.

"It's funny thinking that you actually stand a chance, you haven't realized that you've already lost before the first card has been drawn."

"Enough! Look I've had it with you! All your talking is making me dizzy, Gamemaster!" shouted Sunset.

"Then I'm doing my job, Ms. Shimmer." said the Gamemaster as it took pride in that statement.

"Well, listen to me!" said Sunset as she got in the face of the Gamemaster. "I say talk is cheap! So put your money where your mouth is! When you dragged us here you said we were gonna be dueling, so I'd said let's get to it so I kick your candy ass all over this god forsaken virtual world!" shouted Sunset as she was now fired up.

"Very well. Observe." smiled the Gamemaster with a smug look.

"Hey-- Why's the room spinning?" asked Sunset as she noticed their surroundings were begin to change.

"It's simple, I'm taking you to our dueling site, of course." The Gamemaster then changed the scene as they found themselves on top of a volcano with the two of them in the center as they were standing on platforms of rock. All around them, lava surrounded as the heat and flames could be felt by Sunset.

"What's goi' on here?" asked Sunset.

"I see you've got a red hot temper, Miss Shimmer. Not to mention the burning passion and fire in your eyes. So I'd figured why not duel in a place that resembles that red-hot passion. And what better place than a volcano? It matches your flames of fury as you're ready to bust out into a raging inferno."

"Be careful what you wish for, Gamemaster. You play with fire too much, you're gonna get burned really quick!" said Sunset as she was showing that spitfire desire as she flipped her hair. "And on a serious note, I won't lose!"

"I believe you'll change your tune, once you've had the opportunity to see what my Deck Master can really do." said the Gamemaster as it merged with Fire Princess.

"It's an improvement at least..." taunted Sunset. "But it's not gonna help you win this duel!"

"Now then, it's time for us to choose our decks from the card database so we can begin this duel." said Fire Princess.

Soon all the cards appeared in front of Sunset, "Woah! Cool." she said as she was in awe for a bit.

"Simply raise your right hand..."

"I know what to do!" shouted Sunset as she interrupted the Gamemaster. With that Sunset began looking through the cards as she selected the ones she wanted.

This duel is in the bag. I've researched your deck extensively and I know exactly what cards you'll choose, fool. The Gamemaster was just watching Sunset pick her cards as she had a smile forming on her face.

"All right! Let's do this!" stated Sunset as her deck she created appeared in her hand.

"Before we begin, you have to choose a monster from your deck to serve as your Deck Master." informed the Gamemaster as Fire Princess.

"Whatever." said Sunset as she rolled her eyes. "This shouldn't be too hard." Sunset then looked through all her monster cards that she selected as she was figuring out which one she wanted to serve as her Deck Master. "Folks, we have a winner! So... meet my Deck Master Black Metal Dragon!" said Sunset as her monster appeared by her side. "As long as this guy's standing next to me, Gamemaster, there's no way I can possibly lose this!" stated Sunset with a fist pump.

"As you know, I will be acting as my own Deck Master," said the Gamemaster as she reeled back in Sunset's attention, "and the monster that I've chosen to take the form of is Fire Princess. So now... let the games begin. And let the inferno rage on!" said the Gamemaster as she activated her duel disk.

"Think you can put this flame out, well prepared to be scorched!" exclaimed Sunset as she activated her duel disk projecting a red card tray as she slotted in her deck. All around her the lava began to bubble and shift as it matched Sunset's determination.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fire Princess' Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Fire Princess

"Since we're in my world, I'll begin this duel." said Fire Princess. "Watch and learn. Now, I summon Darkfire Solider #1(1700/1150)!" Out came a monster as it's upper body was shown while the rest of it was covered in flames. "That's all."

Turn 2: Sunset

"That's the most weak turn, I've ever seen! With moves like that, beating you will be a breeze." taunted Sunset.

"Silence! It's time for you to play your first card." demanded Fire Princess.

"Well, excuuuuuuuuse me, princess!" taunted Sunset as she drew her card. "Here goes!" Gearfried, the Red-Eyes Iron Knight! Sunset then looked at her duel disk as it told her a message which proved useful.

"I summon Gearfried, the Red-Eyes Iron Knight! And thanks to my Deck Master's special ability, he gets a power boost! So now my Black Metal Dragon can transfer 600 extra attack points and I give them to my Gearfried. Gearfried-- Attack her Darkfire Soldier #1, now, with Metal Forearm Thrust!" shouted Sunset. Her monster received its command as it took out its target with ease.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 7300-

"He shoots, he scores! Nothing but net!" said Sunset as her monster returned to her side. "Thanks, big guy." Gearfried just simply bowed his head to show its respect for his mistress.

Turn 3: Fire Princess

She used her Deck Master's special ability right away. Not bad. But this duel had only just begun! "My move..." said Fire Princess. "I'll place this monster facedown in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"Big deal." said Sunset as she wasn't amused by the Gamemaster's move. I'll admit making that choice served me well. I can be able to add 600 attack points and give them to my monsters. "Now I'll play The Black of Legend, then I'll use its effect so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Soon the lava around Sunset began to ripple as out came her ace monster as the lava was running down its body like water. Red-Eyes let out a mighty cry as the scent of molten lava could be smelled; Red-Eyes then took its position next to its owner as it bent its head down for Sunset to pet. "Hey there, boy. Here to help mamma." Red-Eyes let out a calming roar.

"Good." Sunset then gave her dragon a kiss. "So what do you say we try this again, huh? Check this out! One more time, princess! I'll move 600 attack points from my Deck Master to my Red-Eyes, and then I'll attack your facedown card! Smash it Gearfried!" shouted Sunset. Gearfried received his orders as it cleared the way by taking out Fire Princess' defense.

"It looks like you destroyed my Skelengel. This lets me draw one card." said Fire Princess as she drew her card.

"You'll need it... cause you're outta monsters! Which means, I can do this now! Red-Eyes! Attack her highness' life points directly! Inferno Fire Blast!!" shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes obeyed its owner's command as it opened its mouth and shot off a fire ball made of lava as it connected with Fire Princess.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 4300-

"So... having fun, Sunset?" asked Fire Princess.

"No, I'm having a terrible time kicking you around the lava pool!" laughed Sunset sarcastically. "Of course I'm having fun and this duel is just beginning, Gamemaster! Too bad you won't have anything to celebrate when I win." said Sunset with a smile on her face.

Foolish girl. She doesn't realize that I've let her get ahead. For it's not the beginning of the duel that counts, it's the final result!

"Come on! What are you waiting for, Gamemaster?" asked Sunset.

Turn 5: Fire Princess

I just like to watch my opponent squirm. Wait until she feels the wrath of my next move. "I summon Fire King Avatar Garunix(700/1700) in defense mode!" Out came a bird as it spread its wings as the flames around it died down with a bit staying on its tailfeathers. "And then I'll place one more card facedown. Any questions?"

Something is up, why is she just playing defense? I've got to be careful.

Enjoy this while you can, Sunset. For when the duel is over, you'll be left with scorch marks while your mind is trapped in this virtual prison!

"I'd give anything for a hot chocolate." said Spike. He along with Isaac and Twilight were currently walking in hopes of finding the others.

"M-me too... I just hope that the others are safe." said Twilight as she was still freezing.

Spike zipped up even more of his sweater as he did his best to keep warm. "Being temporary turned into a human has its downsides as I don't have my usual fur coat to keep me w-warm." said Spike.

"Y-you t-think that's bad. Try having nothing but wearing a skirt and a t-t-shirt." said Twilight as she rubbed her arms to keep warm. "I-I still can't believe that you're a human, Spike. And that y-you got to compete in a d-duel."

"W-well, it wasn't that bad. I had Isaac there to guide me, plus all that time I've spent listening to you actually came in handy."

"Y-yeah. God, it's freezing!" shouted Twilight.

"Here, take my hoodie." Isaac then took off his sweater as he placed it on Twilight's shoulders as it warmed her up a bit more.

"You're a total lifesaver, Isaac!" Twilight leaned in as she gave him a kiss. "Thank you. But aren't you cold?"

"It's okay. Being from Chicoltgo, I'm used to the weather being cold and I can tolerate it a bit longer." said Isaac with a smile as he tried to uplift Twilight's spirits. He then looked away as he was thinking of something.

Twilight noticed this, "Hey... you're worried about everyone else aren't you?"

"Yeah, I'm just worried about how our friends are doing. I mean, I almost lost you if it wasn't for my magicians. I'm just thinking about the others like Pinkie and Fluttershy; sure they've dueled, but compared to us, they aren't ones to always get hyped for a duel. Especially, Pinkie." Isaac was then thinking about how Pinkie was still trying to master that new deck of hers.

"True. But if I can beat the Gamemaster in my first duel, then I have a feeling they'll be fine." stated Spike.

"Yeah, you're probably right." said Isaac. Just then he began to hop between his feet as he started to get a bit cold.

"You okay?", asked Twilight, "You sure you don't want your coat back?"

"N-nah, I'm f-fine." shivered Isaac as he did his best to downplay the cold temperature. "L-let's just keep moving, alright?" suggested Isaac as the three of them kept on walking. "Let's just hope that all our friends found each other and they're pulling together to find a way out of this place!"

"Yeah, those guys always have each other's back." stated Spike. "I'm sure they're gonna be just fine!"

"Of course they are! Now let's get moving." said Twilight as the three continued moving forward while keeping each other warm.

Back with Sunset...

"It's your move." said Fire Princess

Turn 6: Sunset

"You've got it! Now look out!." said Sunset as she drew her card. Okay, so what's my plan here? She's got one monster on the field... and one card facedown. So first things first. I gotta get rid of her monster! "I summon Red-Eyes Wyvern! Pretty impressive lineup I've acquired, right? Well time for you to get a first look at them, all right, Wyvern... Time to crush her Fire King Avatar!" shouted Sunset as she thrusted her hand out.

"I reveal my facedown card!"

"Aw man-- That's not good." said Sunset.

An amateur move on her part. Time to show Sunset likes it when the heat is turned up! "Reveal, Firestorm Rage."

"What's happening!?!" asked Sunset.

Soon the lava around her started to exploded as the volcano began to rumble. Then a huge wave of lava and fire came at Sunset as her monsters put themselves in front of her to avoid Sunset getting severely hurt by the molten liquid. However, by doing so, Sunset's monster let out a cry of pain as they were washed away by the lava.

"Easy by giving up 1000 life points, this card allows me to burn away every single one of your monsters on the field." stated Fire Princess.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 3300-

"What, no way?" said Sunset in shock.

"And there's more! In addition, to you losing your monsters, you then take 500 points of damage for each monster that was burned alive. So that means, you're taking 1500 points of damage! I told you would get burned and now let's see how you handle these red-hot flames!!" shouted Fire Princess as her facedown card then shot a pillar of fire as it surrounded Sunset who used her arms to cover up as she could feel the heat from the flames.
Sunset's Life Points: 6500-

"I still have more life points than you do." Minor setback, but I can recover from this. Just like Isaac taught me, it's not over as long as I have life points to spare and cards to play. What do we got here? Sunset was now looking at her options. This could help, A Bottomless Hole trap card! This card allows me to remove any monster from the field with 1500 attack points or more... sweet! This could come in handy in case, she tries to summon something powerful. "Now I'll set one card facedown and end my turn!"

The trio were still traveling through the icy terrain while trying to keep warm. Soon Twilight saw something that caught everybody's attention.

"Woah, check it out!" she shouted. "Isaac, Spike, look! It's some kind of a doorway!"

"Well, what are we waiting for? Let's go! Any place is better than here!" yelled out Spike as he had enough of the cold weather and being a human without his usual fur coat as a dog.

"You heard Spike. Let's move it, god! It's freaking cold!" said Isaac.

"I wonder where it leads!" shouted Twilight as she ran in front of the boys as they ran past the doors and enter through the other side. Seems that doorway had led the three of them to the location of Sunset's duel as they were now standing on the outer edge of the volcano looking on.

"Who let in the draft?" said Sunset as she looked behind to feel the cold air hit her back.

"Can it be?" said Twilight.

"It's Sunset!"

"Hey, Isaac-- Twilight! And... Spike?" Sunset was confused on seeing that Spike was now human. "Was there something I missed? More importantly, where have you'll been?"

"Silence! We're still engaged in a duel!" said Fire Princess.

"You're in a duel? With her?" asked Spike.

"Yep, only it's not against her. But rather against the Gamemaster. And you're just in time for me to show this guy why I'm the burning phoenix that never dies out!"

Turn 7: Fire Princess

"I believe it's my turn! So the rest of you pipe down! As soon as I'm done with Sunset, I'll then take my revenge on all you three once again. And this time I promise to make you suffer, especially you Isaac." said Fire Princess as she looked at him with a death glare. "You're lucky that I don't throw you three into the lava right now!"

"Leave them alone!" shouted Sunset as she was defending her friends. "After all you should be focusing on me, cause I'm about to win this duel and get us one step closer on getting us back home."

"This doesn't look too good. Sunset has no monster and it's this girl's turn." said Isaac as he surveyed Sunset's situation.

"Come on, Sunset." said Twilight in a worried tone as she gave Isaac back his signature hoodie.

"Now then I'll play the spell card, Polymerization and with I'll fuse together the Mystical Elf and Curtain of the Dark Ones. I fusion summon, meet Kamionwizard(1300/1100)!" said Fire Princess.

"Aw man! Her monster only has 1300 attack points! My trap is useless against monster that have fewer than 1500!" Sunset was a bit upset that she could use her card as she was banking on the Gamemaster to summon a powerful monster.

"Next I'll play a little spell card known as Sinister Justice! Now Kamionwizard attack her life points directly!" shouted Fire Princess. Kamionwizard leapt high into the air as it brought its scythe down on Sunset who put her arms up to block the attack.
Sunset's Life Points: 5200-

"Oh no, Sunset!" the trio shouted from behind.

Sunset had dropped to her knees as she felt the brute of the attack. She was now breathing heavily as she looked at her opponent. She was also dangerous close to the lava as she was just a few inches away from her fingertips touching the hot stuff.

"Lucky move, Gamemaster."

"Sunset's in big trouble!" said Isaac.

"What do you mean?" asked Spike.

"As long as Sinister Justice is on the field, Fire Princess gets 800 extra life points everytime she attacks Sunset's life points with her Kamionwizard!" explained Isaac.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 4100-

"Wait, what?" asked Sunset as she was trying to register what Isaac just said.

"Your boy toy is correct!" said Fire Princess.

"Hey, only I get to call Isaac my 'boy toy'!" said Sunset as she took offense for someone else calling Isaac by her cute nickname she had given him.

"But that's not all, I'll place this card facedown to seal your doom! And then activate my Deck Master's ability. Now since I've taken the form of Fire Princess, whenever I gain life points you take 500 points of damage! Hope you can stand this searing pain!" Fire Princess then lifted her staff and shot out a fireball as it collided with Sunset who was dropped to her knees as her clothes smelled of ashes and ember.
Sunset's Life Points: 4700-

"Now both of them are about even." noticed Spike.

"If it wasn't for that trap card, I would have won this duel. Now everytime she attacks me, she gets stronger and stronger! While my life points keeping getting burned away bit by bit! You planned this all along, didn't you, Gamemaster?" demanded Sunset.

"Of course! But I have far worse in store for you, Sunset!" chuckled Fire Princess as she let out an evil laugh.

Turn 8: Sunset

"Oh yeah-- We'll just see. My move!" said Sunset. "All right, what to do? To start, I'll activate the effect of The Black of Legend in graveyard. So I'll add it to my hand and shuffle my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her cards as she added one to her hand and put the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. Her facedown card is probably a trap, but right now my bigger concern is getting a monster on the field to protect me. Cause if I don't, I'm wide open to an attack and thanks to her Deck Master ability, whenever she gains life points I lose 500. "Now I play Cards of the Red Stone, so I'll send 1 Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck to draw 2 more cards. Then I'll play Giant Soldier of Stone in defense mode and place one card facedown. That's if for me, princess."

Turn 9: Fire Princess

"You're up to something. Oh well... I'm not too worried." said Fire Princess as she drew her card. "Because I have this card! Ready, Sunset? I play the card, Burning Spirit! This card allows me to add 800 attack points to any monster that I choose. So my Kamionwizard is now stronger than Giant Soldier of Stone! Wizard, attack now!"

"Not so fast, you triggered my trap! Go Negate Attack! Now your the battle phase ends!"

"I don't think so, reveal my facedown. Counter Counter! Not your trap is destroyed/negated and my attack continues." Kamionwizard then brought its weapon down as it took out Sunset's stone monster.

"No, my monster!"

"Once again you have no monsters on the field. And as for me, you remember my Sinister Justice card, don't you? It gives me another 800 life points. Which in turn activates my Deck Master's special ability, so now you lose another 500 life points." Fire Princess then shot another fireball at Sunset who put her arms up to block the flame.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 4900-

Sunset's Life Points: 4200-

"Not again!" said Sunset as she got back to her feet.

"That will happen everytime my Kamionwizard attacks your life points!" stated the Gamemaster.

"Stop this guy!" shouted Spike.

"You almost had her beat once! Until she turned things around and whooped you!"

"Gee, thanks..." said Sunset.

"Enough backseat talking, make you're move!"

Turn 10: Sunset

The Gamemaster's got me right where she wants me! Thanks to her Burning Spirit card, her Kamionwizard gets a power boost of 800 points! Which means it has a grand total of 2100 attack points! All in terms of monsters, the only ones I have in my hand are my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon as well as my Black Stone of Legend. Neither of them are exactly top contenders to take out that Kamionwizard; I could use my Black Stone of Legend to summon back my Red-Eyes, but she still has that Firestorm Rage trap card. All she has to do is give up 1000 life points and she can wipe out my field and then everything will trigger, she'll attack me with Kamionwizard and gain life points while I lose more life points. What to do?

"What's the matter? Did little miss Sunset use up all of her best monsters during the first few moments of the duel?" snickered Fire Princess.

"Shut up!" shouted Sunset as she ticked off. The truth is I did! And now I'm paying the price...

"Well then... Make your move."

"All right fine, Gamemaster." Sunset then drew her card as she looked at it. "Now I summon my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode! And then I'll throw one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Gamemaster

"It's my move and I activate the effect of my Firestorm Rage trap card, so now by giving up 1000 life points, I can wipe out your entire field. And remember for every monster I destroy using this card, you lose 500 more life points."
Fire Princess' Life Points: 3900-

Sunset's entire field was covered in flames as she could feel the searing heat from both the lava and the fire. Sunset let out a scream as she felt the embers touch her skin.
Sunset's Life Points: 3700-

"Sunset!" shouted Isaac as he was concerned about her.

"I still have my facedown, reveal Scapegoat! Thanks to this card, I receive some tokens to protect myself." said Sunset.

"Are those fur-balls suppose to frighten me? I'll have them roasted from this duel in no time! This ought to do for starters, now then I'll play Pot of Greed. I bet you wish you'd drawn this card, don't you, Sunset? Now I'm able to draw two new cards, which is something that you need to do quite desperately!" said Fire Princess as she drew her cards. "Now I'll get rid of my Firestorm Rage trap card, by doing so I can add draw one card from my deck. Then I'll play the spell Fusion Recovery which allows me to add Polymerization and a monster from my graveyard back to my hand. Then I'll use Polymerization to fuse together my Fire King Avatar Garunix and my Berlineth the Firestorm Vassal, I fusion summon my Fire Warrior of the Ablaze(1400/700)!"

"Wow, big deal Gamemaster. I was expecting something with more power." said Sunset as she was unamused by the monster that the Gamemaster choose to summon. "Your monster is weak and doesn't have a special ability!"

"Guess you forgot about my Burning Spirt card, I can be able to give 800 attack points to my monsters when they attack. So now it kicks in as I power up my Kamionwizard as it tears down your first Scapegoat!" Kamionwizard then raised its scythe as it brought it down on Sunset's first token by slicing it in half. "Now it will increase the strength of my Fire Warrior of the Ablaze as it eliminates your second Scapegoat!" With that the Gamemaster had its second monster take down another one of Sunset's goat tokens as it was cut in one fell swoop of its weapon.

"Two down... and two more Scapegoats left!"

"Not if I stop you first!"

Turn 12: Sunset

"My turn," Sunset then looked at her hand as she tried to figure out her plan. "I'll place this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 13: Fire Princess

"That's all!?!" shouted Spike.

"Sunset doesn't have many left options left." said Twilight.

I hope you have a plan Sunset; I don't want to lose you. Isaac was concerned about Sunset's predicament.

"Now... Time to destroy one more Scapegoat!" said the Gamemaster as she drew her card. Her Burning Spirit card then kicked in as Kamionwizard then powered up as it received 800 more attack points; it then brought its scythe down one final time as it got rid of Sunset's third Scapegoat. "And last but not least, I'll enhance the strength of Fire Warrior of the Ablaze once more and dismiss your last Scapegoat!" Just like that Sunset's field was completely empty as the Gamemaster's monster took out her fourth and final line of defense.

"Check and mate!" snickered Fire Princess. "So... do you admit defeat?"

"Like hell I would!" shouted Sunset. "This duel isn't over until your life points are the ones to burn out, Gamemaster! No way am I'm giving up! Not a chance in hell!" shouted Sunset as kicked a rock next to her ."Ow! Note to self: do not kick virtual molten rock." said Sunset as she felt a pit of pain from her action.

"Come on, Sunset. You got to believe that you can win." Spike was doing his best to give her a lift of confidence.

Turn 14: Sunset

"Alright, my turn." said Sunset as she still had a determined look on her face as she drew her card. "Time for me to win this duel."

"It seems you really are as foolish as you look because you're about to lose everything, Sunset. Cause once I beat you, your mind will be sentenced to wander this cyber universe for all eternity without bail!"

"Ha, ha. Oooh... Wow I really should be scared, in fact I'm shaking in my boots. You're real tough!" taunted Sunset. "Here's the thing Gamemaster, try as you might, you'll never intimated me. Why, cause I'm one badass bitch! Now let's finish this duel! Draw!!" Sunset then drew her card as she had a slight smile on her face, "Well... looky here! I think my luck is beginning to change now!" said Sunset as she showed the card she drew.

"All right!" shouted Spike.

"Pot of Greed lets me draw two cards. Sweet! These two bad boys right here are just what I need. Time to bring this duel to a close! First, I move my Deck Master! Black Metal Dragon, go to the center of the playing field so I can use you to attack this princess!" said Sunset.

"Is that a wise move?" asked Spike. "Once Black Metal Dragon is destroyed, Sunset will automatically lose the duel."

"To think that the dog has more sense than you do, quite embarrassing." chuckled the Gamemaster.

Sunset just had a sly smile on her face, "Who said I'm done? Now I'll boost my Black Metal Dragon's power with Burning Soul Sword!"

"Not so fast! You need to sacrifice a monster for Burning Soul Sword to work."

"Hey, what makes you think I don't know how my own card works? Do you know who the hell you're talking to? You're right, first I have to select a monster. And then whichever creature's holding the Soul Sword gets more attack points! In this case, that's my Black Metal Dragon." stated Sunset.

"I stand corrected however you seem to have forgotten about one major fact about your strategy that will prove to be most unfortunate, Sunset. Look at the field! You have no monsters left to sacrifice, you fool! And I can guess that in your hand, you don't have a powerful monster that can allow you to win this duel. So your plan won't work!" said Fire Princess as she let out a witch like cackle as she was smiling.

"I'm not through yet! I still got this little number left! My Arduous Decision card!" said Sunset as she held it up high for all to see.

"Talk about risk! If this doesn't work, she could lose the entire duel to the Gamemaster right now, guys!"

"But how, Isaac?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, what about that card is risky?" said Spike as he needed an explanation.

"Let me explain, playing that card allows Sunset to draw two more cards from her deck and that's where things get tricky! Cause then the Gamemaster has to pick one of those two cards. If she chooses a monster, Sunset can summon it. But should she choose anything else, it goes to the graveyard and Sunset's turn is over."

"You're kidding!?!" said Spike and Twilight as they were shocked.

Alright, time to see if this works. It's make or break time... Here we go!!! Sunset then picked up her two cards as she looked at them. Sunset then put the cards behind her back as she traded them between her hands. After a few moments she then held each card out in her hands as it project a larger hologram in middle of the field for all to see. The backs of the cards were now in front of Fire Princess as she had to make her decision.

"Well... your choice!" said Sunset with a smug look. "If you haven't figured it out yet, the outcome of this entire duel depends on this one move! Which means that our fate will be decided by chance and more importantly, by whatever you choose."

"Your fate was sealed the moment we met!" replied the Gamemaster.

"Just pick a card, Gamemaster! And quit your stalling already!" sounded off Sunset. "Come on, it's not a tough choice! There's two cards, it's not like it matters." said Sunset with some snarky sarcasm. "Of course, if you choose a monster I can sacrifice it to power up my dragon and blast away the rest of your life points!"

"Yes, but if I choose a spell or trap card then your puny dragon remains weak and I'll destroy it, thus winning the duel!"

"Come on! What're you gonna do here? We ain't got all day!" Sunset was really starting to get impatient. "Choose! Right or left hand. The time is now!" shouted Sunset.

Seems Sunset's bantering was causing the Gamemaster to really think and focus on what card she should select. Sunset just keep a calm, tough face as she enjoyed the torture she was causing them; though she was still a bit worried if the worst was to happen. Regardless, the lava around the duelist started to bubble some more as each second passed by.

"Come on, pick a god damn card already."

"Spike, watch your mouth." shouted Twilight.

"Sorry, but all this suspense is driving me crazy! I can't this anymore!"

"Well, if you can't take it just imagine how Sunset feels right now!" informed Twilight as both of them gave a nod.

"Shush, it's happening." said Isaac as he watched on with intense focus.

"Hurry up!!!!" yelled Sunset. "The more you put it off, the harder it gonna be! Just pick a card, Gamemaster!"

"All right, all right." said Fire Princess as she was sweating a bit.

"Yeah-- I'm waiting."

"I pick your left hand." said the Gamemaster.

"Are you sure?" said Sunset with a straight face while slowly lifting it a bit higher. "I mean really sure?"

"I'm sure. That's an old trick but a good one. However, I won't be fooled by your childish antics! You asked me twice if I was sure. Your hesitation proves I've made the right choice!" informed the Gamemaster.

"Okay." said Sunset with bluntness in her voice.

"Little info about me, I've spent years and years convincing people that lies were the truth, so you have little chance of outwitting me, Sunset! I'm positive I haven't picked your monster card. So this duel is over! Now please show me the card in your left hand."

"Heh." Sunset gave out one of those small laughs that sounded like the Gamemaster chose wrong. It worked as it made the Gamemaster quickly rethink its decision.

"No wait!"

"Yes?"

"Ah... I change my mind!" pointed Fire Princess at Sunset's other hand.

"The right hand, then?" Sunset then flipped the card over as it was her Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon. "That's gotta suck." said Sunset with so much sass as the Gamemaster was left with a gasp for picking wrong. "You chose my monster card known as Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!" Sunset then played her card as it came out of the hologram cards that were projected and then joined Sunset on her field. "And just so you have some closure, it wouldn't have matter what card you picked." Sunset then showed off her other card as it was her Summoned Skull.

"Way to hustle the Gamemaster, Sunset." said Isaac as he was impressed by what she was able to do.

"So now I'm able to sacrifice my dragon and add their attack points to my Deck Master, Black Metal Dragon, thanks to the power of my Burning Soul Sword!" Black Metal Dragon then absorbed Sunset's dragon as it was covered in head to toe in gold as its strength rose to 3000 attack points.

"But I'm not done, cause next I play The Black Stone of Legend and then tribute it to summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon." The egg then cracked and when it hatched out came Sunset's top dragon as it let out a mighty cry for all to hear as the volcano and lava around them rumbled. "Next, I'll reveal my final facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. Now my dragon can attack up to two monsters in this one battle."

"All right!" shouted Spike.

"She did it!" cheered Twilight.

"You wanted to feel the heat? Well hope you're ready cause you're about to see just how hot I can get. Time to feel the power of a raging inferno! Now my monsters take out Fire Princess as well everything else. Attack!!!" shouted Sunset as she trusted her hand out. Red-Eyes then unleashed a powerful attack as it took out Fire Warrior of the Ablaze and Kamionwizard, while Black Metal Dragon opened its mouth and fired off a fireball that traveled over the lava. The heat from the lava actually made it more powerful as it got bigger and bigger, soon it made contact with the Gamemaster.

"This can't be! No!!" The fireball then hit Fire Princess as she was being set on fire and being consumed by the flames. "AHHHH!" With that there was a blinding light as the Gamemaster disappeared.
Fire Princess' Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset Shimmer

"All right!" said Sunset as she fell down.

"Sunset!" shouted the trio as a pathway for them to reach Sunset's rock appeared.

Isaac got there and he laid Sunset in his arms as they all tried to make sure she was okay. "Hey, Sunset. You okay?" asked Isaac.

Sunset opened her eyes as she saw her friends next to her. "I won."

"Yes, you did." said Spike as they both did a fist bump.

"So how did I do?"

"Honestly, that performance was muy caliente." said Isaac.

"Thanks, boy toy." Sunset then gave a quick kiss on Isaac's cheek as he helped her up.

"We're just glad you're safe." said Twilight as she gave her friend a hug.

"Thanks, wait! We still have to go find everyone else!" Sunset stated.

"Yeah, the Gamemaster might be targeting one of them right now. Everyone who's trapped here... we're all in this." said Isaac.

"Right, so let's go." Just then the volcano began to rumble as it caused all of them to try to not fall over, "Cause I have a feeling this place is about to blow!!" shouted Spike.

"This way!" shouted Twilight as she pointed to the set of doors they came through.

The group all then began to run back over to the door, as the volcano was now shooting bits of molten rock and lava as it was landing next to them. All four did their best to avoid any of the burning stuff to land on them as they were so close; the lava was now rising at a fast rate. Twilight and Sunset made it as they waited for Isaac and Spike.

"Hurry up, you two!!" shouted Sunset.

"I'm not gonna make it!" said Spike as he was behind Isaac and tripped over some rocks as he fell.

"Oh yes, you are! Twilight, catch!!!" shouted Isaac as he grabbed Spike by his shorts and with one arm yeeted him into Twilight's arms. Spike was the most surprised as he had a stunned look on his face as he was thrown by Isaac and collided with Twilight as both went through the doors.

"Give me your hand!!" shouted Sunset as she extended her arm out.

Isaac was running as fast as he could as the path behind him was disappearing and the lava was just inches from touching his feet. Soon the path in front of him crumbled as Isaac put all he had into a full on sprint and jump as he had his arm out. Sunset leaned a bit more as she caught Isaac by his arm and with one pull she reeled in Isaac as they fell through the door. Behind them the door closed and disappeared as the place erupted into fire and ash.

Chapter 92: Robots

The door closed as it was dark; soon that dark started to fade away as the background started to come into view. Isaac was currently lying on the floor as he slowly lifted his head up. He felt something on his chest as he saw that Sunset was lying on top of him. When he was escaping from the volcano, he had his arm out as Sunset was able to pull him to safety. However when Sunset pulled him in, it caused both of them to tumble through the doors as they landed on the hard floor as Sunset had managed to land on Isaac. Sunset then started to open her eyes as she took in the position that she and Isaac found themselves in.

"Well this is sight that I didn't expect to wake up to." said Isaac.

"You really want me that badly, boy toy?" said Sunset as she teased Isaac. "I don't mind being on the side, as long as I get to have a hands-on experience." Sunset was now starting to caress Isaac's cheek.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything." Twilight was now standing over the two as she addressed them with a stern tone and had her arms crossed.

"You really can't let me have any fun, huh Twilight?" Sunset then got off of Isaac as she dusted herself.

"Thanks, Sunset." said Isaac as he too got up from the hard floor. "Where are we?"

"Seems to be some sort of cave." said Spike.

"Great, so now what?" asked Isaac.

Rarity and Pinkie Pie were still walking along the hallway that they found themselves when they woke up. They figured that they could potential find a way out but it seemed that the hallway was endless. No matter how much they kept on walking it seemed like they were stuck in an loop.

"Pinkie darling, let's take a break. We don't seem to be getting anywhere." complained Rarity.

"I know we're close to finding the exit."

"What gave you that assumption?"

"Duh, my Pinkie sense. It's a tingling." said Pinkie. She then put her hands on the wall as if she was looking for something.

"This is a tragedy, how are we gonna find the exit? Let alone that, what about our friends? I can't imagine what that dastardly, Gamemaster has in store for us all." said Rarity as she was sitting up against the wall.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was by a pond as she looked at the animals.

"This place feels real, but yet it's a virtual. I don't get it." said Fluttershy was she dipped her hand into the water. "The breeze, it's as if I was back in the real world. I've changed my mind, I don't want to be alone anymore." shouted Fluttershy. Soon from behind her there was a rustling from the bushes, Fluttershy noticed this as she slowly backed away. "Who's there? Rainbow Dash? Isaac?"

"Pinkie, will you give it up already? There's no way for us to get out of here." said Rarity as she was trying to keep her hair in check.

"There's a door here, I can taste it." said Pinkie as she started to sniff the wall.

"Oh god, why did I have to get stuck with her?" complained Rarity.

"AHHHH!!!"

Both Rarity and Pinkie heard a scream as it echoed the hallway.

"Did you hear that? That sounds like Fluttershy!" Rarity was now concerned about her friend. "She must be in danger. We have to help her."

"Found it!" shouted Pinkie as she put a finger to the wall and the entire wall crumbled to reveal the outside.

"How? Did? I'm not gonna ask." said Rarity as she didn't understand Pinkie Pie's antics.

Both girls stepped through the opening as they found themselves on a castle as they were on the castle wall. They took in the sight before their eyes as they were surprised with how big the world was. Soon they heard a growl that was so loud, with that they found some stairs as they followed the noise to its very source. They then exited the castle as they came to a pond as they saw a sight that had their jaws drop.

"Does that feel better, Mr. Bear?" said Fluttershy as she was rubbing its sore paw. Soon a couple of squirrels and bunnies came as they brought some things from the forest to help heal the bear. "Thanks everyone." Fluttershy then took the stuff from the woodland critters as she began to make a cast made from leaves and applied a sap from berries and other stuff as it was to help sooth the pain. "There we go, all better. Now remember no climbing trees, you need to let that paw rest." demanded Fluttershy. The bear nodded as it nuzzled Fluttershy who just let out a giggle.

"Oh, hey girls."

"Fluttershy, we heard a scream and thought you needed help." said Rarity.

"Oh, yeah. Well turns out it was just a bear that was suffering from some pain. So I decided to help him and I asked all the other creatures to get me the supplies I needed to make him feel better." said Fluttershy.

Soon the animals all sense something as it caused all of them to fully retreat into the forest. The girls all noticed this as they felt a strong breeze starting to blow in their face as they tried to keep the skirts down. They then looked in the direction that the wind was blowing to see what was happening.

"That breeze feels nice... Ahh!" said Pinkie as she wasn't concerned.

"As much I hate this place, I'll admit it does have some good points." said Rarity. "Still I miss the real world and I hope the others are safe."

"We've got to work together to find a way out of here! And time's running out!" stated Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy is right, the Gamemaster could show up at any minute. It did say that every one of us will be dueling; so the Gamemaster is not only after Isaac, Twilight, Rainbow, or any of others who're more skilled. They'll also be targeting us." said Rarity.

"I just hope that everybody else doing better than us." said Fluttershy with concern.

"Don't worry about it. Nobody can defeat big bro, why I bet he's already looking for us." said Pinkie.

"Where the hell are we going!?!" shouted Isaac as he walking along with Spike and the girls along the cave.

"I told you the best way to get out of here is to find the exit. There should a be opening somewhere in this place." said Twilight.

"Well guys, the good news is that each of us has defeated the Gamemaster at least once." said Spike as he tried to lift their spirits. "Aside, from Isaac."

"The bad news is we don't know where the Gamemaster is gonna strike next! Or who they're gonna strike next!" stated Sunset.

"Well we better get moving then!" said Isaac as he began to run.

"Isaac! Wait up!" said the three of them as they chased after Isaac.

Back with the three girls, they were talking when they noticed a door appear out of nowhere. Safe to say that it was pretty obvious what this meant.

"Please tell me we're not going through that door!" said Fluttershy. "Right, girls?"

"Well... What if it leads back home to the real world?" said Pinkie with a cheery expression.

"And what if it doesn't?" Fluttershy was now hiding behind Rarity. "Maybe we should just turn back." Fluttershy then tried to walk away only for the door to follow her and appear in front of her. She then changed direction only for it to do the same. Seems like the door wasn't going anywhere.

"I hate to say it, but it doesn't seem we have a choice." stated Rarity.

"Okay then." said Pinkie as she rushed to the door and opened it.

"Pinkie! Hold on!" shouted the two of them.

It was too late as Pinkie opened the door and a bright light came out of it as it caused them to shield their eyes.

"Oh, it's too bright to see!" stated Rarity.

The light died down and the girls all opened their eyes. That light was more than just a visual effect as the girls realized they were no longer in the same terrain from before they opened the door. They were now in some sort of factory as they could see tons of machines and appliances at work. It seemed they were creating something.

"Where are we?" asked Fluttershy.

"My guess is that this is another part of the Gamemaster's virtual world." said Rarity. "Ugg, talk about messing, I could break a nail. Let alone the stench in this place." Rarity wasn't the biggest fan of what she saw.

"So... are we in the real world?" asked Pinkie.

"I don't think so... look!" said Fluttershy as she pointed up.

"It's some kind of a giant robot or something?" said Rarity.

The robot was now being lowered down as it stood across from them. Soon its systems were starting up as its eyes light up and it began to move and speak.

"Greetings, duelists. I've been waiting to meet all of you. As you're all aware, I'm the Gamemaster. But for this battle, I've taken the form of Machine King. A creature that represents the power of machine over man." stated the Gamemaster. "You see I've got a hobby of creating some advance machinery in my spare time. Now then... the shy one is first!" said Machine King as it pointed at Fluttershy.

"Me?" said Fluttershy as she was scared that she was the first target.

"Now hold on there, leave Fluttershy out of this!" stated Rarity. "If gonna duel someone, then duel me."

"No, fight me!" said Pinkie as she was bouncing up and down.

"Pinkie, now's not the time to games." she stated.

"Games? Oh, I love games." A lightbulb then went off in Pinkie's head, "I just thought of a great game we can play. How about me and Rarity team up and take on you?" giggled Pinkie with a smile on her face.

"Negative. But... you've given me an idea. The duel shall be three, against one!" said Machine King as he pointed at each of the girls.

"You're kidding!" said Rarity in disbelief.

"No. You see I know that you three don't spend as much time dueling as your friends. Which means this will be an easy task, for once I win, I'll be leaving your three minds trapped here forever!" stated Machine King. "When this duel is over, I'll have proven once and for all that machines are more powerful than people!"

"In your dreams." said Rarity. "Are you ready, Fluttershy?"

Fluttershy was hiding behind Rarity, she was still scared about dueling seeing as if she lost then her mind would be trapped here. But now that she knew she would have the others by her side, she felt a bit more confident as took a deep breath and put on a serious face. Pinkie just kept bouncing up and down with a care in the world as she was excited to have some fun with her friends.

"Seems we're all ready!" said Rarity as she flipped her hair.

"I intend to pull the plug on all three of you. So let us begin this duel!" The Gamemaster then activated his duel disk as the girls all did the same as it projected their individual color card tray. "It's time to build your decks for the duel. Simply touch the cards you desire."

"All right girls," said Rarity as she was in the middle of the two, "Remember what Isaac always says. Trust our instincts and make sure we pick a nice variety of cards." With that Rarity and the others began to select the cards they wanted.

"This... and this... and... Oh, that one!" said Pinkie as she was picking her cards in a fast pace. "Big bro would kill me if I didn't pick this one!" Pinkie then touched her card, "Whew, glad I got that over with." she said with a smile on her face.

"Well, here goes." said Fluttershy as she was picking the last bits of her cards for her deck. With that all three girls had their decks made as it appeared in their hands.

"Now it's time to choose a monster to act as your Deck Master!" stated Machine King.

"All right, my deck master is gonna be Crystal Seer!" said Rarity as her monster appeared next to her.

"Ohh, a new monster. Nice one, Rarity." Pinkie just kept on smiling. "As for me, I pick Madolche Magileine!" Out came a girl monster as she had a big fork in her hand.

"Hey, Pinkie? Since when did you have a new deck?" asked Fluttershy.

"I was expecting you to go with your classic Toon deck." Seems Rarity was also caught off guard by Pinkie's new deck.

"Well, I've been practice it with Isaac in secret. Still, I'll always love my little beloved Toons. Oh the memories, we've had. Don't worry little guys, Pinkie's coming home soon." shouted Pinkie as she saw her Toon monsters appearing in front of her as they wore t-shirts that had Pinkie's face and had a couple of posters of her as they cheered her on. Rarity and Fluttershy just looked at Pinkie with a confused look on their faces as they saw nothing.

"Right, well I choose Gallis the Star Beast!" said Fluttershy as her monster appeared next to her. It then lowered its head as it nuzzled against Fluttershy showing its love and devotion to helping her and their friends to win this duel.

"And I'll be acting as my own Deck Master, Machine King!" Soon the entire field began to change. "And just to make this duel more interesting, we'll be battling above a sea of radioactive waste. Play by the rules and you won't fall in."

"Play by the rules!?! Darling, I can barely stand the stench of this place." Rarity was now covering her noise as she did her best to not throw up from the smell of the waste. Seems the real threat was whether or not Rarity was going to tolerate the smell rather than who was her opponent.

"There's one regulation in particular I'll be strictly enforcing. Under no circumstances are any of you to discuss your strategy with one another. Break this rule and you'll plummet into the toxic abyss below!" stated the Gamemaster as it was taking every precaution to not have a repeat with what occurred in Spike's duel with him receiving advice from Isaac.

"Well, that just changed everything." said Fluttershy as she was even more terrified.

"Party pooper!" pouted Pinkie.

"It's all right, darlings. We can do this! We just have to believe in ourselves and our decks!" stated Rarity. "Remember what Isaac says..."

"Put your trust in your deck and it will trust in you!" said all three girls in unison as they all slotted in their decks into the duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Machine King's Life Points: 8000-

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 8000-

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-

"The shy one shall begin this battle. Engage!" stated the Gamemaster.

Turn 1: Fluttershy

"Whatever you say. Here goes!" Fluttershy drew her card as she began to decide, "Let's see. Which card should I play? Ahh, that's the one! Now I summon my Bicorn Re'em(800/1600) in defense mode. And that's all."

Turn 2: Rarity

"My turn, so stand back, darling." Rarity drew her card and was figuring out her plan. "I'll play my Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in defense mode. Next I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Pinkie

"My move, I summon Madolche Anjelly(1000/1000)." Out came a small girl as she floated above her pastry and had tons of little candies levitating near her. "Next I'll activate my monster's special ability, so now I can tribute this tasty treat for something even sweeter. So I bid farewell to Anjelly and with it I summon Madolche Puddingcess(1000/1000)." Pinkie's monster was then replaced with another tiny monster. This time it was a blond, cute little girl as she wore a dress that looked like pudding. "Since I used my Anjelly's effect to summon my Puddingcess, I have to shuffle her back into my deck at the end of my next turn. I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Machine King

"It's time for me to accelerate into high gear, with this! I summon Giga-Tech Wolf(1200/1400)! Now I'll have my Deck Master's ability activates which allows my machine-type monsters to gain an additional 100 attack points for every machine on the field, including me. So now my monster gains 200 more points. Attack the pinky puffy haired girl's monster!" Giga-Tech Wolf then raced forward as it leaped high into the air as it sunk it's jaws onto Pinkie's monster as it disappeared.
Pinkie's Life Points: 7600-

"The thing about my Madolche is that I can using them over and over again, kind of like ingredients. So now instead of going to the graveyard, my Madolche Puddingcess is now shuffled back into my deck." Pinkie then picked up beloved Puddingcess as she placed it on top of her deck for the autoshuffler to kick in.

"It appears the machines are ahead." chuckled the Gamemaster.

"Pinkie, are you okay?" asked Rarity.

"Of course I am."

"Not for long you won't, we're living in an age where machines rule! And now all of you are paying the price!" stated Machine King. "It's time to for you to feel my iron fist again! Even the three of you combined can't take me down. Now observe as I play my Final Artillery continuous spell card, now each machine monster I discard will inflict 500 life points of damage to each one of you!" The Gamemaster then sent three cards as each of the girls were about to take a big hit.

"Uhhh!!!" All of the girls felt the blast as it caused them to be flung onto their backs as their life points took some major damage.
Rarity's Life Points: 6500-

Fluttershy's Life Points: 6500-

Pinkie's Life Points: 6100-

"That's enough torment for now. So I'll place this card facedown and end my turn." said Machine King.

Meanwhile, Isaac and the group were still running through the cave when they heard a scream.

"Did you hear that?" asked Isaac as he stopped. "That was Fluttershy screaming just now, I know it!"

"Then that means she's close by! We better hurry, who knows what the Gamemaster is doing to her." stated Sunset.

"Fluttershy! We're coming!" Isaac then resumed back to running as the rest of the group followed behind him as they tried to follow Fluttershy's voice and possibly find her.

Turn 5: Fluttershy

"Okay." Fluttershy then drew her card as she tried to figure out a plan. This is bad, I can't be able to discuss my plan with the girls. Which means I can't coordinate with them on how to take down this Machine King.

"Stay calm, Fluttershy." Rarity was doing her best to help her stay calm.

"Silence! No discussing moves!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"Alright, time for me to activate my Deck Master's ability." said Fluttershy. "Now thanks to Gallis the Star Beast's ability, I can draw the top card of my deck and if it's a monster then you take damage equal to its level by 200. I've drawn my Heraldic Beast Unicorn, and it's level 4. So that means you'll be taking 800 points of damage." Fluttershy then sent her card to the graveyard as the spirit of her monster charged forward as it hit Machine King right in the chest.
Machine King's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Rarity

"Fabulous job, Fluttershy. Now time for me to take action," Rarity drew her card, "To start, I'll activate my Deck Master's ability, now Crystal Seer allows me to excavate the top 2 cards of my deck and I choose which one to add to my hand while the other goes to the bottom of my deck." Rarity then picked up her cards as she looked at them, once she made her decision, she then added the card she wanted to her hand while she slid the other card into her duel disk as it placed the card on the bottom of her deck.

"Next I'll play the card that I got, so I call forth my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat. Then I'll activate my Amethyst Cat's effect, so I can cut her attack points in half and she's allowed to attack you directly! Spring to it, my dear Amethyst!" shouted Rarity. Her cat then pulled out its sharp claws as it leaped into the air and left a good scratch on Machine King's chest.
Machine King's Life Points: 6600-

"With that, everything seems to be even." said Rarity as she ended her turn.

Turn 7: Pinkie

"My turn, I'll play the continuous spell card, Madolche Salon. Thanks to this card, I can now do two summons in my turn. So with that I'll summon a pair of Madolche Chouxvalier(1700/1300)." Pinkie now had two monsters that had a tiny cute boy riding a horse as they wielded what appeared to be a lance or sword that was made of peppermint. "Next I'll play Block Attack and with it I can change the position of one monster on the field."

"Nice effort... But it's time to reveal my facedown card: Riryoku Field. It destroys any card that's used on a monster!" The Gamemaster then got rid of Pinkie's card with ease.

"Aww, oh well. I guess I'll activate the effort of my Madolche Chouxvalier, now whenever he's summoned, I can add a 'Madolche' monster from my deck to my hand. And since I played two, I can double the fun by adding two 'Madolche' cards instead of one. "Now I'll overlay both of my Madolche to construct the Overlay Network; I Xyz Summon Madolche Queen Tiaramisu(2200/2100, OLU: 2)!" Pinkie's two monster transformed into orbs of light as they entered a vortex, a pillar of light then appeared as out came Pinkie's tiny queen as she sat on a throne of a taste chocolate sweet.

"Now time to fight back, I'll have my Madolche Tiaramisu attack your Giga-Tech Wolf!" shouted Pinkie. Her queen then took out her tiny scepter as she knocked it on the head of the wolf who fell over in a cartoonish way as it was destroyed.
Machine King's Life Points: 5800-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 8: Machine King

"Thanks for that, cause when a machine-type monster is destroyed, I can play my Reproduction spell card. So now I can replace the monster that I lost with a different one from my deck. So I choose to play a copy of myself, I call forth Machine King(2200/2000)." The Gamemaster then drew his card.

"What!?!" shouted all the girls.

"Now thanks to its special ability Machine King receives another 100 attack points for every machine-monster in play, including myself. And now it's time to put them to use! Machine King, attack the female's Madolche Queen Tiaramisu!" Machine King than lifted its fist as it pointed it at Pinkie's monster. Soon it detached its fist as it made contact with Pinkie's monster and then continued as it headed toward Pinkie who took the full brute of the attack as it caused her to fall to a knee.
Pinkie's Life Points: 5900-

"Pinkie!?!" screamed Fluttershy and Rarity as they were concerned.

"That hurt... now I know what Isaac goes through." Pinkie said as she tried to get back up. "I now reveal my facedown, Madolche Leftovers. Now I can bring back the monsters that I used to Xyz summon my Madolche Queen Tiaramisu in defense mode, but their effects are negated." With that Pinkie was able to get her monsters back as she had some form of protection.

"Now I activate Card of Sanctity! Requiring all of us to draw from out decks. Don't stop until you have six cards in your hand!" stated the Gamemaster as he and the girls replenished their hands. "Think of it as recharging your batteries to refresh the game!"

"Darling, are you done talking?" stated Rarity as she had a hand on her hip.

"Not yet. Next I'll activate my Final Artillery spell card, so I'll dispose of three machine monsters to deal each of you 1500 points of damage. Ready, aim, and... Fire!!!" With that three cannons shot out their ammo as it collided with the girls who all were brought to their knees as they felt the attack. "Soon you'll all be obsolete!" chuckled Machine King.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5000-

Rarity's Life Points: 5000-

Pinkie's Life Points: 4400-

"Now I'll place this facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Fluttershy

"Here goes... I summon Vampire Koala(1800/1500) in defense mode! With that I'll just end my turn."

Turn 10: Rarity

"All right then, now I summon my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise in defense mode. Then I'll switch my Amethyst Cat also into defense mode!"

Turn 11: Pinkie

"As for me, I'll summon my Madolche Petingcessoeur also in defense mode!"

"Looks like you've lined up your monsters for me to knock down one by one, as I move closer to disassembling all three of you." stated Machine King. "Or is it perhaps you're hoping that you can somehow stall long enough for all of you to implement a proper plan."

Turn 12: Machine King

"Unfortunately for you all, I won't let that happen." stated the Gamemaster as he drew his card.

"All right, you rust bucket! You'll never get past our army of defensive monsters." stated Rarity.

"Is that a good idea to taunt him?" asked Fluttershy.

"It's fine he doesn't have enough cards left to activate his Final Artillery spell card again, so our life points are safe." said Pinkie with a smile.

"Almost correct... but you've all forgotten about my trap card! I activate Backup Soldier."

"Oh no, what's that?" said Fluttershy as she trembled.

"Since I have more than five monsters in my graveyard, this trap card allows me to bring three of them back to my hand! So it looks like I'll be able to activate my spell card after all." said Machine King as she grabbed his cards. "Now I'll take the three monsters I've just received and deposit them back to the graveyard!" With that some more cannons appeared again.

"Darling, show some originality for once! You can't just simply rely on something out of date to stay relevant." demanded Rarity.

"Why change a good thing? Attack!" said the Gamemaster as all three of the girls took another major hit to their life points. "Reliability is the key to a good invention!"
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3500-

Rarity's Life Points: 3500-

Pinkie's Life Points: 2900-

"He's too strong!" said Fluttershy as she clutched herself.

"Affirmative... but you've only seen a small sample of my overall strength! What you're about to experience will blow your circuits! Meet Clockwork Night! This magic card has the power to transform all of your monsters into machines!"

"Say what?" stated Pinkie.

"Impossible." said Rarity.

"And in addition to turning your creature into metal, they'll each lose 500 attack points!"

Vampire Koloa (1800 → 1300), Bicorn Re'em (800 → 300), Emerald Tortoise (600 → 100), Cobalt Eagle (1400 → 900), Emerald Tortoise (800 → 300), Madolche Petingcessoeur (1400 → 900), Madolche Chouxvalier(s) (1700 → 1200).

"And don't forget, my Machine King gets an additional 100 points for every machine monster in play... and I count eight." The Gamemaster's monster then powered up as it now had 3200 attack points. "Finally, Clockwork Night gives my Machine King 500 extra points! Making it have a grand total of 3700 attack points!"

"Oh no, he can't be stopped now!"

"It's okay, Fluttershy. Everything's under control. Our monsters are in defense mode, remember? If we keep cool, that pile of scrap can't hurt us." giggled Pinkie.

"You must grow tired of being wrong all the time. Not to mention pretty annoying and down right stupid!!!" yelled the Gamemaster as it caused Pinkie to shed a few tears at the harsh choice of words. "Engage Malfunction! You see unlike humans, machines follow commands!"

"What's happening?" asked Fluttershy as their monsters were now standing up.

"I'm afraid we're about to find out, darling!"

"If you haven't already figured it out, this magic card gives me the power to change all your monsters from defense to attack mode! So once again, your life points are in danger!" stated the Gamemaster.

"I always did hate machines!" complained Rarity.

"He never lost control of this match for a second!" informed Fluttershy.

"Now witness the triumph of machine over man... or should I say 'female'! Now my monster prepare to attack Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise! End her life points! Your monster has sadly become last year's model!" With that Machine King then launched its fists at Rarity's Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise as it was destroyed and shattered into a million particles of gem dust.

"I reveal my facedown, Cut Jewel! Now I send a 'Crystal Beast' from my deck to the graveyard, as a result, I can cut your monster's attack in half!" Rarity then sent her Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth to the graveyard as she cut down Machine King's attack before it collided with her as she was sent flying back.
Rarity's Life Points: 1750-

"Rarity!!" shouted Pinkie and Fluttershy as they watched their friend get flung back.

"Uhh... I'm fine... darlings." said Rarity as she struggled to get back up. The attack really threw Rarity for a loop as her hair was now messing and she had a couple of scratches and dirt on her outfit. Rarity was trying to catch her breath as she was able to activate her trap card in time to save her from losing the duel all together. "Now since my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise was destroyed, I can place it in my spell and trap zone instead of the graveyard." A green gem then appeared in Rarity's backrow.

Back in the cave, Rarity's scream from when she hit by the attack was heard by the others.

"That sounded like Rarity!" said Spike.

"Then we better hurry!" shouted Sunset as they raced forward.

Turn 13: Fluttershy

"My turn," Fluttershy drew her card as she looked to swing the momentum. "First up, I'll use the ability of Deck Master, so now I draw a card and if it's a monster then I discard and you take damage. I've drawn my Blade Rabbit, so you take another 400 points of damage." Fluttershy then sent her card to the grave, as her tiny rabbit appeared next to Machine as he gave scratch on his leg as it was nothing.
Machine King's Life Points: 5400-

"Next, I'll play Key Mouse(100/100). But this little guy won't be around for long, cause I'm to use him to call on a better creature. So now I tune me Level 1 Key Mouse with my Level 4 Bicorn Re'em." Both of Fluttershy's monsters then took to the sky as Key Mouse turned into a ring as Bicorn Re'em jumped in it. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity as I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn!" Fluttershy's great beast raced down from the heavens as it landed with the sound of thunder.

"Now with my Bicorn Re'em gone, your monster loses 100 extra attack points which drops it to 1550. Furthermore, the effect of my Bicorn means you send the top 2 cards of your deck to the graveyard, since I used it for a Synchro Summon." The Gamemaster then sent his cards to the grave as Fluttershy looked ready to strike. "Then I'll have my Thunder Unicorn attack your monster." The Gamemaster's monster then lifted its fist as both were destroyed.
Machine King's Life Points: 4750-

"Now I'll have my Vampire Koala attack you direct!" With that Fluttershy's other monster sank their teeth and claws into the Gamemaster as its body was having lost of dents.
Machine King's Life Points: 3450-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 14: Rarity

"My turn, now I'll activate my Deck Master's ability, so I use my Crystal Seer to excavate the top 2 cards of my deck and choose one to add to my hand." Rarity then picked up her cards as she grabbed the one she wanted while sending the other to the bottom of her deck. "Next I'll play my Crystal Bond spell card, so I'll add my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger to my hand and place my Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle in my spell and trap zone. Then I'll play the card I added to my hand, my Crystal Promise. So now I release my Ruby Carbuncle and when Ruby is released so are my other Crystal Beast in my spell and trap zone." Ruby then came out as it lifted its tail and a red light emitted from it as it allowed Rarity's Emerald Tortoise to join the field.

" I'll then shift my Cobalt Eagle and Amethyst Cat to attack mode. Now time to end this duel, go my Crystal Beasts take this ruffian out!" Rarity gave her crystals their command as they looked to end the battle.

"Not so fast, one of the monsters I sent to my graveyard was Electromagnetic Turtle. So I banish it to immediately end the battle phase." A tiny turtle then came out as it released the stored electricity that was on its body as it created a wall that paralyzed Rarity's monsters.

"In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 15: Pinkie

"Guess it's up to me, here we go," Pinkie drew her card and she began to think about how she could potential end this duel on her turn. "I'll play the field spell, Madolche Chateau." Pinkie then changed the entire battlefield as a chateau made of cake and sweets appeared as a couple of her tasty monster came out to greet her and offer her some sweets. "Hmm. Tasty. Now I activate my Madolche Chateau, so now I can shuffle both all of the 'Madolche' monsters in my graveyard back into a my deck and in addition all my 'Madolche' monsters gain 500 attack and defense points. Next, I'll play Madolche Service. So I'll get rid of one of my Madolche Chouxvalier and as a result I can add a 'Madolche' card from my deck to my hand. Next I'll use my Deck Master's ability, Madolche Magileine allows me to add a 'Madolche' monster from my deck to my hand whenever I normal or special summon a monster. So I'll tribute my other Chouxvalier to summon my Madolche Puddingcess once again." Pinkie then picked the card she wanted from her deck.

"Don't forget that I also get an additional summon due to my Madolche Salon, so I'll tribute my Madolche Petingcessoeur to summon another Madolche Puddingcess!" Pinkie now had two of the same monsters, "Now I'll take this delectable duo of monsters and turn it into something even more tasty. I overlay both of Madolche Puddingcess and construct the Overlay Network; I Xyz summon Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode(2500/2200)!" Pinkie now had a different cute little princess as she was wearing a dress that looked like chocolate with a couple of frosting at the ends of it making some swirls. "Don't forget that thanks to my field spell, my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode receives 500 extra attack points! Now I'll have my devilish monster give you a sweet surprise... attack him!!!!!!" shouted Pinkie as she levitated in the air a bit while waving her arms.

"You really are a pain in the ass! So annoying, but you're even more stupid than you look!" stated the Gamemaster. "I discard Swift Scarecrow to negate your attack and end your battle phase!"

A scarecrow then came out as it stopped Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode in her tracks. It turned it's head towards her as it let a horrifying look as it scared Pinkie's monster to death that she immediately returned back to Pinkie's side and hide inside Madolche Chateau as the entire castle was shaking.

"Hey, nobody scares my monster!" shouted Pinkie. She then looked at Swift Scarecrow who did the same to Pinkie as she was now shaking in her boots. "I end my turn with a facedown, so stop looking at me!!!!!" shouted Pinkie.

Turn 16: Machine King

"Excellent." said the Gamemaster. "Since I'm acting as my own Deck Master, I shall call myself to the field! Machine King is now in play!" With that the Gamemaster then began to move as it took center position.

"Oh no." said all the girls as they were afraid of what was about to happen.

"Then I'll play a magic card known as Recycling Plant! This allows me to revive one of my former monsters. So I choose to revive my other Machine King, then I'll merge both of us to call upon an even greater force, a new unstoppable creature!" A pillar of light surrounded the two as a new robot's outline was shown with only its red eyes showing while it let out an evil laugh. "I am now more powerful than ever!"

"Pardon me-- what have you done?" said Rarity as she along with the girls were surprised.

"I've merged with my monster to summon Perfect Machine King(2700/2200)! You all have no idea of the power I possess. I gain additional 500 attack points for every machine on the field! Including myself, you all still have three monsters that are still morphed into machines. But it doesn't stop there. Thanks to my Clockwork Night magic card, I get an additional 500-point boost! So now my strength rises even more to 4700!!!"

"No way!!!" stated the girls as they had their eyes grow wide.

"He unstoppable!" yelled Fluttershy.

"Precisely! Now prepare yourselves! For when I wipe out the three of you out, all of your minds will be trapped here forever. And then I can take my revenge!!! Now I'll get rid of the annoying idiot, I attack Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode!"

"Hold on, I reveal my trap. Check, Please. Now whenever you attack, you must roll a dice and depending on what you determines what happens next." stated Pinkie.

"Very well." A dice appeared next to the Gamemaster as he tossed it into the air. "Yes, a five-- That must be good!"

"Sorry to disappoint you, but rolling a five cuts your attack points in half." smiled Pinkie.

"WHAT THE @##%#!?!" shouted the Gamemaster. "There's no logic to that, how does rolling a high number give you bad result!!!" The Gamemaster was really ticked off at Pinkie Pie's crazy and out of this world antics.

"It not all bad, I also get to roll too." said Pinkie in a happy, chirper voice as she tossed the dice. "Oh cranberries, I rolled a one. That means my monster loses a 1000 attack points." pouted Pinkie.

"No matter. Even with half the strength I'm far more powerful than you. Your Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode has only 2000 attack points and I have 2,350! Which means I can blast it away with ease. Firing missiles!!!" The Gamemaster then unloaded a ton of heat seeking missiles as it took out Pinkie's monster. "And my remaining missiles will blow a chunk out of your life points! Let see if you're smiling now!!!!" screamed the Gamemaster.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2550-

Pinkie saw the missiles heading her as she was put her arms up only for her to let out a painful cry as she dropped to her knees. At that moment, Twilight and the rest of the friends could hear Pinkie's scream.

"That's Pinkie Pie!" she said.

"We're coming little sis! Just hang on, big brother is coming to save you!! Move!!!" shouted Isaac as all four of them were now sprinting with more force behind them.

"I knew you mere mortals couldn't stand up to the power of a high tech machine like me." chuckled the Gamemaster. "Next, I'll activate the effect of Robotic Blaster from my graveyard, so by banishing it, I can not only gain 500 more attack points, but it allows me to attack once more. And this time, I'll take out Thunder Unicorn!" The Gamemaster then pointed fired its missiles at Fluttershy's field as her monsters was destroyed as it caused her to be flung back.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2850-

"Now then I'll end my turn. But let's face it, it's all over for you three. I'm the strongest monster on the field and don't forget about my Final Artillery card; once I have enough monsters to send to the graveyard, I can blast each of you with 1500 points of direct damage. In other words, you all have lost!!!" stated the Gamemaster. "So now I'll place one card facedown."

Turn 17: Fluttershy

"What do we do?" asked Fluttershy.

"We're coming, girls!" said Isaac as he was running.

"Does Isaac even have the slightest idea where he's going, Twilight?" asked Spike.

"I doubt it, but at this points his guess is as good as mine! Plus we don't have a whole lot of time!"

"Hey, check it out!" said Isaac as he noticed them seeing light coming at the end of the tunnel. "That could be the way!" Isaac then ran a bit more ahead as he pushed opened the door with his shoulder.

"Guys, any ideas?" asked Pinkie with some sadness.

"It's hopeless, darlings." cried Rarity.

"I guess we won't ever get to go home again." said Fluttershy as she let tears roll down her eyes.

"Don't tell me you girls are giving up now!!" shouted a voice from above.

The girls looked up on a platform and saw Isaac and the rest of the group there.

"It's really you?" said Fluttershy as she was happy to see her friends.

"Of course! Who'd you expect?" replied Isaac.

"Isaac! Twilight! Sunset! And... Spike?" said Rarity.

"Hey guys!" shouted Sunset.

"It's good to see ya!" replied Twilight.

"Sorry to interrupt this touching reunion... But I have a duel to win!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"You!" said Isaac with fury as he along with the others looked at the Gamemaster as they saw what monster they chose to take the form of.

"They need help!" stated Spike. "Maybe one of us could enter the duel."

"Alright, make room for me!" said Isaac as he was about to interject himself into the duel.

"Negative! Intruders are forbidden to duel." shouted the Gamemaster. Besides, I have more pressing plans for you, Isaac.

"Figures. Okay listen up, girls!" said Isaac as he got the attention of the three. "Whatever you do, don't give up! We're here for you all and we know you can do this!"

"We're gonna be your guardian angels, way up here in the rafters!" stated Sunset as she did her best to give them confidence. "Now show him what you got!"

"I'm afraid it's too late for all of you." said Perfect Machine King.

"Now..." Fluttershy then picked up her card as she began to figure out her plan to win. She quickly looked at Pinkie and Rarity to which they just nodded their heads to show they would back her up. As Isaac would say, I have to trust my cards. If I don't get the right card, then it's all over. Got to believe. Fluttershy put her hand over her deck and with deep breath drew her card. She nervously looked at it with one eye as she soon had a smile on her face.

"The card I've drawn is Rescue Cat so now I summon him to the field. Then I'll activate the effect of Rescue Cat, so by sending him to the graveyard, I can special summon 2 Level 3 or lower Beast-type monsters from my deck but their abilities are negated. So I choose two Baby Racoon Ponpoko." Fluttershy now had everything she needed. "Now I'll overlay both of my racoons, with these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Racoon Sandayu!" Fluttershy's small monster came out as it did a couple of tricks with his weapon.
Machine King's Life Points: 2650-

"Next, I'll activate Ronin Racoon's ability, so by using one overlay unit; I can create a token that's the same attack points as the monster on your field. And since you're the only one, my token now also has 2850 attack points." stated Fluttershy.

"Activate Rust Down. Now your measly token loses 1000 attack points. So much for winning." said the Gamemaster.

"That's not enough. They need more firepower." said Spike.

"Then let us help out!" said Rarity and Pinkie.

"For me I'm activating my facedown Glutton card, I can use this card to boost a monster's attack points by an extra 600." said Pinkie.

"And as for me, I'll activate Diamond Pressure card. Now each monster that I send to the graveyard allows me to add 100 extra attack points to any monster that I choose. So I choose to send all 4 of my Crystal Beasts that I have on the field and then I'll use their power to increase the Fluttershy's monster."

Both Rarity and Pinkie then gave Fluttershy's token a power boost as it showed off its tiny muscles getting bigger.

"Thanks, girls. Now with the extra boost, my token is now back to 2850 attack points."

"No!!!" said the Gamemaster.

"Now my monster, take him out!" commanded Fluttershy.

Fluttershy's Kagemusha Racoon Token then leaped high into the air as its katan got bigger and bigger as it headed towards Perfect Machine King. The Gamemaster tried to fight back as it raised its fist as it made contact with the tiny creature. Kagemusha Racoon Token then pushed forward as it was able to break through the defense and it broke Perfect Machine King's arm as it made a diagonal slash across the body of the Gamemaster as he was defeated.

"So what happens?" asked Spike.

"Well, since both monsters have the same attack points, they'll both be destroyed. However, since Perfect Machine King was the Deck Masters it gets destroyed and the Gamemaster loses." said Twilight.
Machine King's Life Points: 0-

Winners: Fluttershy, Rarity, Pinkie Pie

"Yeah-- way to go, girls!" cheered Isaac.

"You fools! I may be going offline, but this is far from over! Mark my words!!!" said the Gamemaster as a bright light came and soon there was nothing left.

"Finally." said all the girls as they dropped to their knees in exhaustion.

"You guys okay?" asked Twilight as she and the rest of the group were climbing down the stairs and rushing over to the three of them.

"Hey, big bro."

"It's alright, little sis. You did good." said Isaac as he helped Pinkie up.

"We were worried about you." stated Sunset as she helped Rarity to her feet.

"I'm glad we're all back together, you guys." said Twilight as she put Fluttershy's arm over her shoulder.

"Not all of us," everybody turned their attention to Spike. "We're still missing two of us. Let's just hope that we'll bump into them soon and then we can escape this virtual hell."

Chapter 93: Thorns

The forest was so big and full of vibrant colors; despite being trapped in a virtual world, it did have some perks. One thing is that the noise and the call of nature created a soothing atmosphere. And it seemed to be working as a certain blond-haired girl was currently sitting up against a tree as she looked out.

"Sure is pretty, but ah can't help but miss the real world. My kin, heck even Applebloom." Applejack was starting to clutch her heart as she thought of the possibility that she may be stuck in this place forever. "Ah hope everybody is doin' ok. Well, better get movin'."

Applejack was now walking through the forest as she hoped that it would lead to somewhere; she had been walking for what seemed like hours but given that they didn't know how time worked in this place, it could may have well been just a few minutes. She kept on walking as she needed to find her friends and hopefully they found a way to escape this place. Eventually, the forest around her started to fade as it was now transition into a harbor. Applejack noticed the change in scenario as she saw tons of warehouses, a few piers, and the huge stretch of water.

"Maybe there's someone who can help me." Applejack then began to look around. Unbeknownst to her, there was a camera that was watching her every move.

The Gamemaster was looking at the screen as they saw Applejack wondering about. "Hmm... What's a girl like you doing to begin here in the first place? To think that this is one of the people that Isaac chose to befriend. Well, let's see what she's made of." The Gamemaster then pushed a button as he sent a couple of minions to deal with Applejack. "A little science experiment to see if this country gal is all that. And I'll allow you to use your cards temporary."

"Ah swear, there's nobody here." said Applejack as she was looking around the different warehouses. She even checked inside to see if there was somebody to help, but they all came up empty. Some of the warehouses had a couple of machines and automobiles, but no sign of anyone.

"Well, I got nothing. What about you all?" asked Isaac.

"Nothing on our end." said Twilight as she came back with Sunset.

"Dead end." said Fluttershy accompanied by Pinkie Pie.

"Doesn't seem to anything in here that could give us a clue." said Spike as he returned with Rarity.

"Come on guys, there's gotta be a way out of here." exclaimed Isaac.

After the girl's duel, everybody was trying to find a way out of this factory. Seeing as how the door they used to get here was long gone, they looked around the place in hopes of finding another exit. However, there didn't seem to be one.

"It's hopeless." whined Rarity.

"We've been through worst, we can't let something like this get us down. I'm sure there's an exit, we just need to keep looking." stated Sunset.

"Uhm, you mean like that." Spike was now pointing at a door that appeared in front of them.

"That wasn't there before." said Fluttershy as she was scared.

"I'm guessing the Gamemaster is trying to lead us into another one of their games." suggested Isaac.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" said Pinkie as she bounced over to the door.

"Pinkie, wait!!!" shouted everybody.

Pinkie already had opened the door when the group tried to stop her, a bright light then caused everybody to shield their eyes. When it died down, they were now standing in what appeared to be a dock. They could see the water from the piers and noticed a couple of warehouses in front of them.

"Well the good news is that we're no longer trapped in there." smiled Pinkie.

"The bad news is that we have no idea where we are." stated Spike.

"Well, let's look around. Maybe we can find the others and possibly the Gamemaster." suggested Isaac. Everybody all nodded as they all broke off into pairs and began to explore their new surroundings.

"That's the fifth one I've check and still nothin'." Applejack had been checking each warehouse, but still came up emptyhanded, "Maybe the others are already long gone. Maybe I'm the only one that hasn't made it out." Applejack then continued walking, but she didn't get far as there was several figures that landed in front of here.

The figures that were in front of Applejack were the Gamemaster's minions. More specifically, there were The Rock Spirit monster card and there was five of them. They all gave Applejack an intimidating look.

"Who are y'all?" Applejack got into a ready stance.

"Look here brothers, we've got a girl who seems to be lost." said Rock Spirit #1.

"You mean she's afraid and all alone. Doesn't seem to have any friends." said spirit #2.

"Ah got friends!" stated Aj.

"Then where are they? Oh, that's right. They've abandoned you." snickered spirit #3.

"I wouldn't blame them, if I hung out with a someone as hillybilly as her, I would want to stay far away before I lost my brain cells." stated spirit #4.

"You say somethin', partner! Why don't you come over here, and I'll glad shove mah boot where the sun don't shine." said Applejack as she cracked her knuckles to show she meant business and wasn't being intimidated.

"Seems the cowgirl wants to fight, well we have our orders from the boss." said spirit #5. Soon all of them had their duel disks appear before them as they each slotted in their decks.

"So y'all want to tussle. Fine by me, mess with the bull you get the horns." Applejack then activated her duel disk as her deck appeared in front of her as she slotted it in and her duel disk projected a green card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the duel disks.

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Rock Spirits' Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"I'll start, draw. Ah begin by summonin' Predaplant Squid Drosera. Next ah activate the continuous spell card, Predaponics. This allows me to grow another Predaplant; take root Predaplant Moray Nepenthes!" Applejack now had two Predaplant monsters on her field. "Ah hope y'all can summon some delicious monsters for mah flowers to munch on cause they're famished." said Applejack with a smug tone.

Turn 2: Rock Spirit #1

"Oh really," said The Rock Spirit as he drew his card. "I'm gonna whack those weeds of yours with the help of Polymerization. I fuse together Drillroid, Steamroid, and Submarineroid; I fusion summon, Super Vehicroid Jumbo Drill(3000/2000) in attack mode!"

"That's mighty big critter for you." stated Applejack.

Turn 3: Rock Spirit #2

"It's my turn," Rock Spirit then drew its card as it had a smile on its face. "Just like my brother, I'm also activating Polymerization and using it to fuse Big Koala and Des Kangaroo." Both monsters then combined as they entered a vortex as out came a brand new monster. "I fusion summon, the thunder from down under, Master of Oz(4200/3700) in attack mode! This king of the ring has got a one-two punch that will send your mind to be trapped here forever."

"Ah like to see you try!" shouted back Applejack.

Turn 4: Rock Spirit #3

"You talk a big game but me and my pals are gonna mow down you and your pathetic posies. It's time to do some landscaping," said Rock Spirit #3 as he drew his card. "And I think I'll cut to the chase by playing Polymerization!"

"Another one?" said Applejack.

"I'll give you the royal treatment by fusing my three Ojama brothers; I fusion summon, make way for the king of the kini, Ojama King(0/3000) in defense mode!" Out came a huge monster as it wore a cape, a crown and, a kini.

"You king needs a little sun and lotta towel!" said Applejack as she insulted her opponent's monster.

"You might be laughing now, but once Ojama King uses his special ability to have his flunkies occupy three spots on your field, your laughs might turn to cries." Soon Applejack now had the three Ojama brothers on her field as they all looked at her.

"Well, these three lookers might make those tears a reality." said Applejack as she didn't like the appearances of the monsters.

Turn 5: Rock Spirit #4

"My turn, I draw! V-Tiger Jet(1600/1800), it's time to pounce and play!" Out came a mechanical tiger as it let out a growl. "And then I'll activate the spell Frontline Base, so I can summon W-Wing Catapult(1300/1500)!" Now there were two monsters that had a similar name. "Now by banishing V-Tiger Jet and W-Wing Catapult, I can fuse them together without using Polymerization." Both monsters then began to transform as they merged their bodies and created a brand new monster. "I Fusion summon, VW-Tiger Catapult(2000/2100)!"

"Hmm, an unexpected turn of events. Ah at least appreciate you keeping things fresh and lively. Ah was beginnin' to get bored of watchin' y'all do the same thing over and over again." said Applejack with a taunting tone.

"Then it's a good thing that me and my pals are chock full of surprises." snickered the Rock Spirit #4. "For now, I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Rock Spirit #5

"I'm up next! And I'm summoning X-Head Cannon(1800/1500)! Then I'll activate Frontline Base like my brother did, so I can summon Y-Dragon Head(1500/1600)! I activate Foolish Burial to send Z-Metal Tank to the graveyard!" The Rock Spirit then send his monster to the graveyard, "And I'll top those moves off by activating the spell Iron Call! It lets me roll out Z-Metal Tank(1500/1300) from my graveyard onto my field! With X, Y, and Z out and about, my next move is as simple as A-B-C!"

"Oh no." stated Applejack.

"I combine them to form XYZ-Dragon Cannon(2800/2600)!" All three machines then merged together as they formed an even more powerful monster. "Taking you down is gonna be a piece of cake! So I'll open the way for us to win by using XYZ-Dragon Cannon's special ability! By discarding one card from my hand, my cannon prunes your Moray Nepenthes!" XYZ-Dragon Cannon then aimed its weapons at Applejack's monster and then it opened fired as it blasted away her monster.

"I'm activating the trap card, Fellow's Gift!" exclaimed Rock Spirit #4. "That way I can give control of VW-Tiger Catapult to my brother!"

"Way to go, bro!" said Rock Spirit #5. "I banish VW-Tiger Catapult and XYZ-Dragon Cannon so I can Fusion Summon, V-to-Z Dragon Catapult Cannon(3000/2800)!" Once more all the machines began to morph for the final time as they created a huge battle mech as it looked to end Applejack.

"Ugh, impressive! If ah liked buildin' model robots." said Applejack.

"Well, this robot isn't about to toy around! Catapult Cannon blast that Squid Drosera back to the greenhouse!" commanded Rock Spirit #5. X-to-Z Dragon Catapult Cannon then fired its cannons at Applejack's monster as it blasted it and banished it from the duel. "So much for your flower power. Me and my bro whittled away all your pesky petunias!" snickered Rock Spirit #5 as he laughed. He was soon joined by the other as they all laughed at how helpless Applejack was.

Soon Applejack began to smile as it caused all of The Rock Spirits to stop laughing.

"What are you smiling at, cowgirl?" asked Rock Spirit #1.

"You think you got rid of mah flowers. Please, they'll be sproutin' back in no time because they're tough little things like me, Also it's thanks to mah Squid Drosera! When it leaves the field, its special ability unleashes Predator Counters, which latch onto each of yer monsters!" Soon tiny Predaplant Counter appeared as they went sent flying and each sunk their teeth into the monsters owned by The Rock Spirits.

"Yeah? So what?" said all The Rock Spirits in unison.

"Oh y'all see. So, hurry up and end yer turn!" shouted Applejack. "Because ah got a little surprise to share with y'all!"

"Eager to lose? Then go-- we're not scared of you! There's nothing you can do." stated Rock Spirit #5 as he ended his turn.

Turn 7: Applejack

"But you will be." said Applejack as she drew her card. "That's a promise! As mah first step, by givin' up 800 life points, ah can activate mah spell card Predaponics. Now ah can bring back mah Moray Nepenthes from mah graveyard! And joinin' it will be mah Predaplant Fly Trap! Now time for me to do what y'all did. With the power of Polymerization, ah fuse Nepenthes and Fly Trap in order to bring out the most toxic monster ever seen! Y'all never look at greenery the same way again! Ah Fusion Summon, the vicious, voracious and venomous... Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" Applejack now had one of her ace monsters as it appeared by its master's side.
Applejack's Life Points: 7200-

Applejack's monster caused The Rock Spirits to be frighten a bit as they took in her dragon.

"Scared? Well, trust when ah say it's goin' to get a lot worse!" said Applejack as she had a smug smile on her face. "You see, it preys on all yer monsters, feastin' on their attack points to increase its own." Applejack's dragon then began to open its several plant-like mouths that were its wings.

"What's that?" said Rock Spirit #1 in disbelief.

"If it gains that much power--" started Rock Spirit #2.

"There's no way of stopping that thing!" shouted Rock Spirit #5.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then opened its wings as it appeared all the power from its opponents as its stats rose.

"13,000 attack points? That's the strongest dragon I've ever seen!" said Rock Spirit #4 as he was shaking.

Applejack had a smile when she noticed her monster looking back at her. Nothing was said as both duelist and monster just stared at one another; both kept a calm and focused look. Then Starving Venom Fusion Dragon used its tongue as it licked Applejack as it left her covered in salvia and her hair was all wet. Applejack was stunned with how her monster chose to show its affection towards its mistress.

"Ah reckon you want them down too, right boy?" Applejack's response was met with a roar which was a good enough answer for her. "All right then," she said as she fixed her Stenson hat, "Also, never mess with the hat again or else I'll bring out weed killer!" Seems Applejack's threat got the message through as her dragon let out a whimper. Despite being big and bad, it still knew not to make its mistress upset and it seemed Applejack wasn't playing around. She then turned her attention back to the duel.

"Now Starving Venom Fusion Dragon can use one of yer monster's special abilities. And I'm choosin' yer thrillin' drillin' Jumbo Drill!" said Applejack as she pointed.

"Uh, no way, I've never heard of such a thing!" whimpered Rock Spirit #1.

"Starving Venom Fusion Dragon can now deal y'all damage even if yer monster is in defense mode! I'll start with the most vulnerable-- you, the one with no monsters!" Applejack was pointing at Rock Spirit #4. "Starving Venom Dragon, strike him down!" Applejack's Dragon then used its tail as it whipped it across the field and took out its target.
Rock Spirit #4's Life Points: 0-

"Next, by sendin' another of mah Squid Drosera to the graveyard, mah Dragon must attack every monster that had a Predator Counter. But believe me, it needs no coaxin'! It's feedin' time." Applejack's dragon then unleashed its wings as it opened up to reveal a set of jaws and ate Jumbo Drill.

"Aah!" Rock Spirit #1 was sent flying as it's life points dropped.
Rock Spirit #1's Life Points: 0-

"Next, KO that featherweight." Applejack's dragon then used its other wing as another set of jaws came out and gobbled up Master of OZ.

"Aah!" Rock Spirit #2 was now sent flying.
Rock Spirit #2's Life Points: 0-

"Dethrone the pale one." said Applejack. Her dragon then did the same as it ate up Ojama King.

"Aah!" Just like before Rock Spirit #3 was now defeated.
Rock Spirit #3's Life Points: 0-

"And last but not least, lay waste to that Catapult Cannon." Starving Venom Dragon then powered up as it used its wings to unleash all the powered it stored up as it fired it at its target.

"Aah!" said the last Rock Spirit as he was thrown for a loop. Soon all of them were defeated as they disappeared.
Rock Spirit #5's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Applejack

"That's game." said Applejack. She then looked back at her dragon as it let out a victory roar. "Good job, partner."

Staring Venom Dragon then used one of its vines and gave Applejack a high five, it then gave her one last lick as it showed its affection for Applejack before disappearing.

"Looks like I'm gonna need a shower after all this." said Applejack as she cleaned herself from the salvia of her monster.

"Impressive. Now I know why Isaac has a cowgirl like you in his merry band."

Applejack turned around to see who was talking and once she did, she got her answer. Standing in front of her was known other than the Gamemaster, this time they had taken the form of Gigaplant.

"Ahh, what is that?" said Applejack as she was startled by the thing she saw in front of her.

"Seems you carry a sort green thumb when it comes to plants and dueling. I must say you impressed me more than I expected against my minions." said Gigaplant.

"Minions? Then that means..."

"Of course you're still a dumb blonde." chuckled Gigaplant. "In case you haven't figured out, I'm the Gamemaster and it's time for your test." The Gamemaster had a duel disk made up of its own vines as it looked to challenge Applejack. "Now then, let's see you can take down this killer weed."

"I've been itchin' to get mah hands on you. Once ah beat you, I'm gettin' out of here." stated Aj.

"That's assuming you can handle me and my killer plants. Cause let me assure you that even the most delicate of flowers have the deadliest of thorns. Now then it's time to construct your deck. Just simply touch the cards you so desire." stated the Gamemaster.

"So ah build mah own deck, fascinatin'". said Applejack as she saw the cards in front of her. "Well like they say sometimes the simple stuff is always the best thing." Applejack then began to select the cards she wanted as she focused on building her team. "All done." With that Applejack's virtual deck appeared in her hands as she looked at it.

"Now choose a monster to serve as your Deck Master."

"Well alright, hmm. Ah choose to have this nifty rascal, Lord Poison!" Applejack now had her monster appear next to her.

"And as for me, I'll be acting as my own, so say hello to Gigaplant." roared the Gamemaster as it let out bits of spit that Applejack had to dodge. "Now then let the game begin."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Gigaplant's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Gigaplant

"I'll start things off, and what better way than with this delicate rose. I summon Witch of the Black Rose(1700/1000). Now when Witch of the Black Rose is summoned, I can draw a card and if it's not a monster then my witch is destroyed. I draw," Gigaplant drew its card as it had a smile on its face as it teeth showed. "I've drawn my Rose Fairy(600/1200). And since I added Rose Fairy to my hand from way of an effect, I can summon it to the field." Now the Gamemaster had two monsters out as it shot an evil smile at Applejack.

"You may have gotten two monsters, but they're still weak." shouted Applejack.

"Then pay close attention, redneck. Cause Witch of the Black Rose isn't just a monster, it's a tuner!"

"Tuner! Then that means..."

"I tune level 4 Witch of the Black Rose with my level 3 Rose Fairy!" Both monsters then merged as they combined their powers and allowed an even greater creature to appear. "I Synchro Summon, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon(2400/1800)!!!" Out came a fierce dragon as it had thorns and had a coat made up of beautiful red rose petals; it let out a screech as Aj looked on. "I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Applejack

"'Bout time, mah turn," Applejack drew her card as she began to decide her opening move, "Ah summon mah Predaplant Pterapenthes(300/2100) in defense mode. Then ah play mah Predaponics which allows me to call on mah Predaplant Spinodionaea(1800/0) in attack mode. Come out little buddy." Applejack now had two little plant-like dinosaurs as they showed off their deadly set of jaws. The creature then looked at Aj as they made their way to her feet; Applejack was a bit hesitant at what her monsters were going to do, but they just simply rubbed against her legs as they showed their affection for their caretaker. "So, y'all are just misunderstood critters," said Applejack as she bent down and petted her monsters while avoiding their jaws. "Well don't you worry, ah take good care of mah plants and monsters, now then I'll set one card facedown and end mah turn."

Turn 3: Gigaplant

"My draw, now to activate my Deck Master's ability. Since I've taken the form of Gigaplant, I can special summon 1 Insect or Plant type monster from my hand or graveyard, so I play Queen Angel of Roses(2400/1300)." Out came a monster that had a dress and wings made up of rose petals and wielded a sword. "Next, I summon the tuner monster Rose Girl(800/600)." A girl then came out as she was holding a rose that was the same size as her. "And since I have a tuner monster, I can also summon this monster from my hand, Dark Rose Fairy(800/1000)." The Gamemaster now had three monsters on its field.

"Now I tune my Level 3 Rose Girl with my level 2 Dark Rose Fairy, I Synchro Summon Garden Rose Maiden(1600/2400) in defense mode!" Out came a stunning girl as she had blond hair and wore a dress that was basically a white rose. "Now I'll have my Queen Angel of Rose take out your Predaplant Spinodionaea, and my Black Rose Moonlight Dragon will take out your Predaplant Pterapenthes!" With that the Gamemaster's monster then laid waste to Applejack's entire field.
Applejack's Life Points: 7400-

"Your field is empty and on my next turn, I've got a clear path. I end my turn."

Turn 4: Applejack

"Mah turn, first ah pay 800 life points to keep mah Predaponics in play. Then I'll use its effect to bring back mah Predaplant Spinodionaea from the grave." Applejack then got another token to appear.
Applejack's Life Points: 6600-

"Now ah play Pot of Greed, so ah pick up two more cards. Yeehaw, hope yer ready partner cause I'm playin' mah Predaplant Flytrap. Then ah use Fly Trap's ability to place a Predaplant Counter!" Aj's tiny monster then shot another seed as it sunk its teeth into Garden Rose Maiden's dress. "So ah get another Rose Token, now ah play one of mah favorite cards, Polymerization. So ah fuse together mah Flytrap and Spinodionaea, I Fusion Summon, the vicious, voracious and venomous, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!" Applejack now had her most powerful monster her as it let out a roar to show its allegiance to her.

"Then ah play the spell card Predapractice, so ah special summon mah Predaplant Moray Nepenthes(1600/1000) from mah hand and add a 'Preda' card from mah deck to mah hand!"

"More weeds?" said the Gamemaster.

"Seems you don't know about mah plants, see ah told you they were some tough vegetation. They may not look and seem the friendliest, but they know how to get the job done!" Applejack looked at her two Predaplant monsters as she gave them a smile, "First mah Moray Nepenthes gains 200 extra attack points for every 'Predaplant Counter' on the field which means it now has 1800 attack points. And mah Venom Dragon gains the attack points of all of your special summoned monsters and it gains one of those effects. And ah choose your Black Rose Moonlight Dragon! " Applejack's dragon then latched on its wing-like vines as it started to suck the life out of all of the Gamemaster's dragon as it raises its own stats and ability. The Gamemaster then watched Applejack power up her dragon as its stats rose to 9200.

"Now ah move to attack, mah dragon will take out Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!" Applejack's dragon heard its command from his mistress as he laid waste to the Gamemaster's monster.
Gigaplant's Life Points: 1200-

"Only thorns left on this rose." said Applejack with a smug smile. "Ah end mah turn."

Turn 5: Gigaplant

"My turn, I summon Twilight Rose Knight(1000/1000). When I summon Twilight Rose Knight, I can also summon a plant monster from my hand. So say hello to Revival Rose(1300/1300). Next I tune my level 3 Twilight Rose Knight with level 4 Revival Rose! A cold flames envelops the world and within its blinding light, a black flower blooms, appear Black Rose Dragon(2400/1800)!" Soon the shadow to the creature was shown as it was pulled back to reveal a dragon then was simply stunning as it wore red rose petals as skin and had thorns.

"That's quite a looker." stated Applejack as she put her hand to her hat.

"Now my Black Rose Dragon's effect activates, when it's summoned, it destroys all cards on the field!"

"No!!" shouted Applejack. She watched her monsters get wiped out as there was nothing she could do to save them.

"Now I play Monster Reborn and with I can revive my Black Rose Moonlight Dragon back to the field!" The Gamemaster then had its monster back as it let out a roar.

"I'm in trouble." said Applejack.

The roar from Black Rose Moonlight Dragon was so loud that it could be heard from the other side of the docks. And it seemed to catch the attention of certain people.

"Woah, what was that?" asked Isaac.

"Sounded like a roar." stated Spike as he had gone with Isaac as the group splitted off to search this place.

"Let's check it out." suggested Isaac as he and Spike began to follow the trail of the sound as they hoped it could lead them to finding a way out of this place.

"Now you have nothing to defend yourselves from my monster attacking. Time to repay the favor, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon, attack her directly!!" shouted Gigaplant. Black Rose Dragon then unleashed its vine-like whips as it hit Applejack square in the chest as she felt the pain and dropped to her knees.
Applejack's Life Points: 4200-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Applejack

"It's... mah turn." said Applejack as she struggled through the pain. "Ah play mah Monster Reborn, so now I can revive a monster and ah choose mah Starving Venom Fusion Dragon." Applejack for a moment had her monster back on her field.

"Not gonna let that happen, now I activate Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's special ability. Whenever you summon a Level 5 or higher monster to the field, I can target that monster and return it to your hand. However, since your Starving Venom Fusion Dragon is a fusion monster it goes to the Extra Deck instead of your hand." smiled the Gamemaster as Applejack watched her monster disappear.

"Fiddlesticks!" said Aj. "In that case, I'll summon mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500) in defense mode." A snake-like plant then appeared on Applejack's field as it looked to protect her. "Ah end mah turn."

Turn 7: Gigaplant

"Wasted effort, draw. Hope your ready, cause now I'll have my Black Rose Moonlight Dragon take out your pathetic little serpent!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon then used several of its vines as it whipped Applejack's monster around as it left scars and bruises all over its body before it was sent hurling at Aj's feet where it disappeared. "Next I'll play a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 8: Applejack

"Mah move, and ah counter by activatin' mah Deck Master's ability. Since ah have Lord Poison, ah can revive a Plant-type monster from mah graveyard, and ah choose mah Predaplant Spinodionaea. Then Spinodionaea's effect activates, so ah place a 'Predaplant Counter' on yer Black Rose Moonlight Dragon." Applejack's tiny plant-like dinosaur then shot off a seed as it embedded itself into the coat of Black Rose Moonlight Dragon. "Now I'll attack yer facedown monster, go Spinodionaea! Shred that card!"

"You had better be careful, cause the monster you just attacked was none other than my Wall of Ivy(300/1200). And when it's destroyed, one of my 'Ivy Tokens' take root on your side of the field." stated the Gamemaster.

Applejack then looked in front of her as she saw a seed being planted, soon it began to grow as it sprouted out a token for her in defense mode. "Ah don't the like the looks of these things, they could be a problem. It's yer move."

Turn 9: Gigaplant

"Your too kind," said Gigaplant as it drew its card, "Now then I reveal my facedown, Cursed Ivy. This lets me bring back my Wall of Ivy in defense mode. In case you can't tell, I've also got kind of a green thumb." snickered the Gamemaster. "Oh and by the way, I really should thank you. Cause Cursed Ivy gets powered up by my Ivy Wall, so now it's stronger than it was before."

Ah know what it's doin', its tryin' to increase the number of 'Ivy Tokens' on mah field. But why? What does this little guy...

"You gonna stand around and think or are you gonna duel!?!" shouted the Gigaplant. "Now Black Rose Moonlight Dragon will attack your Predaplant Spinodionaea." With that Applejack lost her monster as she lost some even more life points.
Applejack's Life Points: 3600-

"That's all for now."

Turn 10: Applejack

"Back to me, here goes. Once more ah mah Deck Master's ability and with ah bring back mah Predaplant Spinodionaea. Then its effect activates which lets me put another 'Predaplant Counter' on yer monster." Once more Applejack's monster then shot off another seed as it landed on Wall of Ivy. Ah hate to do this, but ah gotta get rid of that Wall of Ivy. Then ah can focus on takin' down that dragon. "Looks like yer Wall of Ivy is 'bout to be uprooted!"

"And looks like another 'Ivy Token' is about to shoot up on your side of the field." True to the Gamemaster's word, another token appeared on Applejack's field.

"Spinodionaea, attack!!" commanded Applejack as she thrusted her hand out.

"By destroying my Wall of Ivy, you've also taken out my Cursed Ivy trap card. And when my Cursed Ivy trap card is sent to the graveyard, it summons two more 'Ivy Tokens' to your side of the field."

"What!?!" said Applejack as she witnessed two more tokens in appeared as they now fully occupied her field. Ma, these things are growin' out of control even for me.

"You got anything else for me?" taunted Gigaplant.

Not really, since all the spots on mah field are filled, ah can't use mah Spinodionaea's effect to summon out another 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck. Shit! "Ah end mah turn with 2 facedowns."

Turn 11: Gigaplant

"That's disappointing." mocked Gigaplant. "I draw, and from my hand, I'm activating the Seed of Deception spell card! Seed of Deception lets me special summon a Level two or below Plant-type monster from my hand. So with the power of this spell card, I summon out Dark Verger(0/1000) in attack mode." The Gamemaster then had a monster come out as it had eyes on each of its two leaves.

"Creepy lookin' creature." stated Applejack.

"Well get one last look, cause I'm gonna do a little landscaping to make room for something stronger. I advance summon my Rose Tentacles(2200/1200) in attack mode!" Out came a monster that was basically a rose as it had a face on its body and had thorns that were tentacles, in fact it looked like some kind of squid. "The best thing about roses is that their thorns are as dangerous as their petals are beautiful! And your about to experience that first hand! Go Rose Retaliation!" Rose Tentacles then wrapped its tentacles around Applejack's monster as they unleashed their thorns and destroyed it sending some powerful winds towards Aj who put her arm up to protect herself.
Applejack's Life Points: 3200-

"That attack was just the beginning, so get ready for my Rose Tentacles' special ability about to squeeze you into submission. At the start of the battle phase, my Rose Tentacle gains an additional attack for every Plant-type monster on your side of the field; so since you had five Plant-type monsters, it can attack five more times." informed the Gamemaster. "And my Rose Tentacles ability allows it to deal an extra 300 points of damage for every plant-type it destroys."

"No way!!" shouted Applejack as her eyes grew big.
Applejack's Life Points: 2900-

"Now you'll take damage for the 4 Ivy Tokens on your field, this might hurt." snickered Gigaplant. "This is the part of the battle that I enjoy the most, cause now I get to watch the power of my Rose Tentacles and Ivy Tokens bleed your life points dry!" laughed Gigaplant. "Get ready cowgirl, cause I forgot to mention that for every Ivy Token that's destroyed you will lose 300 life points. So in total, you're gonna lose 600 points of damage." Rose Tentacles then shot out of of its many tentacles as it destroyed an Ivy Token and then wrapped around Applejack's right arm as it restrained her.
Applejack's Life Points: 2300-

"Here's one more. Attack!!" Another tentacle was shot out as it destroyed another token on Applejack's field as it wrapped around her right leg to keep her from moving.
Applejack's Life Points: 1700-

Applejack was feeling the pain and the sharp thorns as they constricted around her body parts. The Gamemaster was just smiling at they watched Aj suffering.

"You're not giving in yet? Well maybe this will change your mind!" Rose Tentacles then fired a third attack as it took out another token and then wrapped around Applejack's left leg and was now keeping her in place as she took some more damage.
Applejack's Life Points: 1100-

"I'm gonna enjoy." smiled Gigaplant evilly. "Now attack!!!"

Rose Tentacles then fired off another tentacle as it took out the last token. This time it wrapped its whole tentacle around Applejack's body as it lifted her high into the air as she was struggling to get free and suffering from some hurtful pain.
Applejack's Life Points: 500-

"Ha, ha, ha!!! Look at you up there, all helpless and alone. No one can help you and no know will. Where's your cowboy riding on his white steed to save you now? Time to end this!" laughed Gigaplant.

"Ah activate the effect of mah Predaplant Sarraceniant, since you declared a direct attack, ah can summon this little guy." said Applejack as her monster appeared in defense mode below her. Soon Rose Tentacles slammed down Applejack onto her monster as it served as its final additional attack for this round.

Applejack was on the ground as she had a couple of scuffs on her body and face. "Now mah monster's other effect activates, so now your Rose Tentacle is destroyed. And ah can add a 'Preda' card from mah deck to mah hand." said Applejack as she used her screen to select the card she wanted.

"My Rose Tentacles may be gone, but my Black Rose Moonlight Dragon still hasn't attacked. And since you have no monsters left to hid behind and only 500 life points left, you're about to lose this duel. And when you lose the duel, your mind will be trapped here forever! Time to say goodbye, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon attack her directly!! End this duel!!!" Black Rose Moonlight Dragon then sent its vines towards Applejack.

Applejack was barely on her right knee as she noticed the attack coming towards her. She barely had enough strength to lift her arm up, "Ah activate the trap, Card Defense. So by removin' one of the cards in mah hand, ah can negate yer attack. Then it allows me to draw a new card to replace it." Applejack then had a wall of cards appear as it protect her from the attack as she picked up her card. However, the force of the attack was still strong enough for her to feel the impact as a few thorns broke from the tentacles as they gave her a few scratches and cuts as she fell face first onto the ground.

"Persistent. However, it'll take more than that to defeat me. So I end my turn."

Applejack was still laying on the floor as she was really struggling to get up. "Ah can't lose, not now. Ah need to get back to the others, mah friends, mah family. Ah just have to..." Applejack was doing everything she could to just lift her body but it seemed to not be working.

"At this point, I wouldn't even try getting up. Just stay down and I promise to only hurt you a lot." laughed evilly the Gamemaster.

"Ah... ah..." Applejack was now thinking of how she should probably just stay down and maybe the Gamemaster would have some mercy.

"Don't tell me you're giving up now?" said a voice.

Applejack turned her head slight to her side as she saw Isaac and Spike on some fire escape stairs as they looked at her. "Boys, you're here." Applejack had a smile on her face when she saw her friends.

"I thought the Applejack I knew never bowed down to her opponents. Where's the country girl that I knew love to tussle and get down and dirty?"

"She's right here." said Applejack.

"Really? Cause to me it looks like you're taking a nap. I wonder what Rainbow Dash would say knowing that she could last longer than you. Guess she really does impress me more." smirked Isaac.

"Nonsense, I'm just catchin' mah breath." Aj then willed herself to get back up as she got some newfound support from her friends. She was able to stand up and dust herself off as she put on her serious face.

"There she is." smiled Isaac. "Spike, go get the others and bring them here."

"Right. Just keep Applejack safe." Spike then began to back track the way they came as he went to fetch the other girls.

"Now, show this Gamemaster what you're made of!" shouted Isaac.

Turn 12: Applejack

"Mah turn and time for me to take you down." said Applejack as she drew her card.

"With what? Let me remind you that my Black Rose Moonlight Dragon's effect allows me to return any level 5 or higher monster that you special summon back to your hand. And knowing that you rely on fusion to bring out your powerful monsters, you need not only a Polymerization but also the fact it'll be returned back to your Extra Deck." stated Gigaplant.

"Don't you think I know, first ah activate mah Deck Master's ability. So now ah bring back mah Predaplant Moray Nepenthes." A tiny plant appeared as it used its thin vines as its legs and hands. "As you know, mah Moray Nepenthes gains 200 extra attack points for every 'Predaplant Counter' on the field, so since yer Black Rose Moonlight Dragon still has a counter it gains 200 more attack points."

"Even with that power boost, your puny petunia still doesn't come close to taking down my mighty dragon." stated Gigaplant.

"Then ah reveal mah final facedown, DNA Transplant. Now all face-up monsters become dark attribute types." said Applejack.

"What a useless move, changing the attribute type of my monster doesn't change anything! Even if you fusion summon, I'll just use my dragon's effect to render it useless." exclaimed the Gamemaster.

"That's what you think!" shouted Isaac. "You see Applejack did that for a reason, and now she's just moments away from winning."

"Oh really?"

"Show him, AJ."

"The city slicker is right, cause I am gonna do a fusion summon. But I'm first, ah plannin' on usin' yer monster to do so."

"You can't do that? Polymerization only works for your side of the field." shouted Gigaplant.

"Your right, Polymerization does that. But the card ah have in mah hand is a different Polymerization." Applejack then turned her card over as she had a smirk on her face.

"No! No!" The Gamemaster was now losing their mind as they saw the card that Applejack had.

"Now ah discard a card to the grave, so that ah can activate Super Polymerization!!!" Applejack held her card high up in the air.

"Aw yeah!!" cheered Isaac.

"Now ah can use monsters from either player's field to conduct a fusion summon. So ah fuse together mah Predaplant Moray Nepenthes and yer Black Rose Moonlight Dragon!" A vortex in the sky opened up as both monsters were sucked in as they combined their energy to bring out a powerful monster. "I Fusion Summon, come on out buddy! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!!" Applejack was now able to call upon her ace as her dragon let out a fierce and loud roar.

"No!!!!!!!"

"Now Starving Venom Dragon, end this duel!!!" shouted Applejack as she thrusted her hand out. Starving Venom Dragon heard its mistress command as it flapped its wings and soared high into the air. Soon it started to fall back as it had its mouth open it showed its deadly jaws as it set its sights on the Gamemaster as it was about to gobble Gigaplant.

"I won't forget this!!!" was the Gamemaster's final words as Venom Dragon ate the monster up and let out a fierce roar.
Gigaplant's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Applejack

"Well, it's over." said Applejack as she let out a breath. She then fell down as her energy was zapped out.

"Applejack!" shouted Isaac as he made his way down the stairs and hurried over to Applejack as he bent down and held her. "Come on, Aj." Isaac then looked up and saw Starving Venom Dragon give a loud cry as it looked at Isaac.

Starving Dragon was concerned for its mistress when it saw Applejack collapse. When Isaac rushed to Aj's side, Venom Dragon went into protective mode as it felt like Isaac was going to hurt Applejack. Isaac noticed this and he tried to reason with Aj's dragon and get it to calm down. He tried to show that he didn't want to cause any harm, but Venom Dragon didn't seem to believe him. It was about to attack Isaac as he closed his eyes and covered Applejack's body with his; Mahad came out as he used his magic to put a strong barrier that held off Venom Dragon's attack as it caused it to fall back. Mahad then casted a spell that allowed him to communicate with Aj's dragon as he did his best to reason with it to show that Isaac meant no harm. It seemed to work as both just gave long stares and soon Venom Dragon gave one final roar as it disappeared. Mahad then turned to Isaac as he said thank you to his magician before he disappeared.

"Come on Applejack, wake up." said Isaac as he shook the farm girl in his arms. "Wake up, Aj."

Applejack slowly started to stir as she opened her eyes. "Isaac?"

"You're alright."

"What happened?"

"You won."

"Oh, ah mean, of course ah won." said Applejack as she tried to be prideful. "Hey, thanks for being there. Ah thought I would never see you or the gang ever again." Applejack then wrapped her arms around Isaac as she hugged him deeply.

"Hey, no matter how far apart we are, we'll always find our way back to each other." said Isaac as he returned the hug and stroked Aj's hair.

They both stood up as they broke apart. Isaac then picked up her stenson hat as he dusted it off and gave it to Applejack who put it back on her head and gave Isaac a quick peck on his cheek.

"So, where are the others?" asked Applejack.

"Well..."

"Hey, you guys!" shouted Spike. He was now running towards them as he had managed to round up the rest of the girls and brought them to where he left Isaac.

The girls were all happy to see Applejack was safe as they pulled her into a giant hug. Both of the boys just looked on with smiles on their faces as they gave each other a high five.

"Now that we have Aj back, all we're missing is Rainbow Dash. You don't where she might be, do you, Applejack?" asked Sunset.

"'fraid not."

"Well, we better get looking. Knowing the Gamemaster, I have a feeling that even if Dash passes her challenge, I doubt they'll let us go." stated Twilight.

"Well we searched all over the docks and the warehouses. Seems there's no sign she's here." said Fluttershy.

"Then our best bet might to be to follow that road." said Spike as he pointed to a highway that was connecting the driveway of the docks and extending over the sea that lay before them.

"Walking is going to take forever." complained Rarity.

"Wait a minute, didn't we see some vehicles in one of the warehouses?" asked Pinkie. Seems her question caused everybody to think the same thing.

"So... who knows how to drive?" asked Isaac.

Chapter 95: The Gamemaster

Author's Note

Happy Easter, everyone.

Chapter 95: The Gamemaster

So to recap, Rainbow Dash had managed to defeat the Gamemaster and pass the last challenge. At the same time, the rest of the group had managed to find her and were glad that she was safe. So now that they were all reunited, they just needed to find the exit to escape this virtual prison. Only problem was that the pick-up truck and the motocross bike that Sunset drove on where nowhere to be seen. It almost seem like they vanished into thin air.

"Well this is just great." said Isaac sarcastically.

"Seems the Gamemaster has decided to give us one last task." said Spike as he sat next to Isaac in one of the empty seats of the stadium.

"I should have figured that given that we beat all of the Gamemaster's challenge, it wouldn't be easy to be granted the exit." Isaac then leaned back in his chair as he hung his head.

"Well, nothing where we looked." said Sunset as she was accompanied by Pinkie.

"Same thing, darling." said Rarity as Twilight was next to her. They were in the section above the four of them.

"I don't get it, we beat all of the challenges. So, why doesn't the Gamemaster just let us out?" asked Twilight as she leaned over the railing looking down at them.

"You really expect somebody like the Gamemaster to play by the rules?" said Spike bluntly.

"Looks like we didn't have any luck on our end." said Applejack as she and Fluttershy were on the bottom level of stadium as they shouted out to them.

"So, what do we do now?" said Sunset.

"Any ideas, Mahad, Mana?" asked Isaac as his two magicians appeared.

"None."

"Sorry, master."

"Not even your magicians can help us." said Spike as he saw the two of them.

"I hate to say it, Twilight. But this situation is dire indeed." said High Priestess of Prophecy.

"Yeah, you're... wait a minute?" Twilight was now blinking in disbelief that one of her monsters was actually next to her.

"Uhm... Rarity?" said Twilight as she tapped her shoulder.

"What is it? Uhm, Twilight?" said Rarity as she slowly back up only to bump into something.

"Woah, watch it there. Wouldn't want to mess with my fur now?" said Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat.

Now Rarity and Twilight had the most scared faces as they couldn't believe that their monsters were talking as if they were actually real.

"What's going on?" shouted both of them.

"Really? You're just noticing this now!" shouted Spike. "Me and Isaac figured that out after we entered this place."

"What?" said Pinkie and Sunset.

"Just look next to you." said Isaac as he pointed.

Sunset and Pinkie then looked to their sides as they saw their monsters from their decks. For Pinkie she saw her Madolche Puddingcess and Queen Tiaramisu floating next to her as they had a couple of their treats in their hands. Sunset looked to her side and saw her Red-Eyes Baby Dragon flapping his wings really hard as he tried to stay airborne. Red-Eyes let out a cute roar and said 'Momma' as he snuggled Sunset's cheek. Applejack and Fluttershy saw this and when they looked behind them, there was Thunder Unicorn and Ronin Raccoon as they made their way to their beloved princess. Applejack then felt something on her boot as she saw her Predaplant Spinodionaea and Ophrys Scorpio near her feet.

"What's going on?" shouted all six of the girls.

"In this virtual world, our monsters can interact with us. Basically, you're doing what Isaac does on a regular basis with him and his magicians." stated Spike as Baby Dragon appeared next to him as he gave him a pet on the head.

"Can they talk?" asked Rarity.

"Some of them can." stated Isaac.

"That's so cool. Hi, little guys." said Pinkie.

"We love you Pinkie." said her little Madolche monsters in a cute little girls voice. They then had her some dessert as she smiled and ate them.

"That's impossible!" shouted Twilight. "This defies all scientifically logic."

"Twilight, you really need to open your mind a bit more." said High Priestess with royal voice. Even she thought her master was a bit skeptic. "Perhaps this book on Magical Properties could serve as a reference guide." High Priestess snapped her fingers and a book levitated in front of Twilight as her brain still couldn't process what was going on.

Rarity was having trouble on how she should approach her Crystal Beast. Amethyst Cat just simply licked its coat before walking towards its owner and sniffed her hand. Once she got her scent, she then licked Rarity's hand as she started to nuzzle it while letting out a calming purr. Rarity was taken aback by this, but soon she was comfortable as she bent down and petted her huge kitty.

"My, you are such a beauty, my dear Amethyst. You look lovely as ever." said Rarity.

"My pleasure, dear." said Amethyst as she snuggled her head into Rarity's chest as she brought her arms around her monster for a hug.

"Aren't you both just so adorable." said Fluttershy as she was petting her Thunder Unicorn and giving her Ronin Racoon a scratch behind his ears as he was sitting on the horse's back.

"Guess, this virtual place has one upside. We're not alone." mentioned Applejack as she bent down and petted her Predaplants.

"Momma." said Red-Eye Baby Dragon as he snuggled in Sunset's arms.

"I love you too, my baby." said Sunset as she rubbed her dragon's cute little head.

Isaac was watching how all of his friends were interacting with their monsters. It brought a smile to his face as he was glad they got a chance to actually bond with them. Eventually his magicians also had saw the same scene as they too had a smile. Soon he looked around and noticed something.

"Hey, has anybody seen Rainbow Dash?"

"Hey everyone!" shouted Dash as she was on the stage where she was competing as she called out to them. "Guess what I found!" Rainbow then began to run in the direction from where she came from; the others thought it might be something useful so they all started to follow after her with their monsters disappearing.

The group all made it to the floor level as they saw Rainbow running to another part of the backstage area of the stadium. They then turned the corner and saw what appeared to be a door.

"While I was searching through the backstage, my U.A. Midfielder appeared and he pointed me in this direction." stated Rainbow. "So we followed the energy source and well this door magically appeared."

"Well, the good thing is that you didn't just blindly open it yourself." said Applejack with a smirk.

"Hey!" sounded off Rainbow as she felt insulted.

Isaac then stepped forward as he approached the door.

"You think that this is a good idea?" asked Fluttershy.

"We don't have any other options." stated Sunset.

"Whatever happens, stay behind me." Isaac then took a deep breath as he placed his hand on the door handle. He then turned it as he opened the door. A bright light appeared as it caused everybody to shield their eyes.

Soon the light died down as the group found themselves in a different place, they now found themselves next to the side of some road as their was a street. They found themselves to be next in some kind of desert/canyon hybrid. Overall they were glad to be out of the stadium. But they had no idea on where they were now.

"Seems like we're just getting further and further away from the exit." said Twilight.

"We'll never get out!!!" shouted Rainbow as she kicked a pebble.

"And it will stay that way!!!!" shouted a voice from the heavens.

"Who's there?" shouted Twilight.

"Me!!!" Soon a pillar of light came down as it struck the ground in front of the group. Soon several different monsters stepped out as their eyes glowed red. The light died down and standing in front of them all was the Gamemaster as he was now speaking through all the different forms of monsters that it used to battle the group.

"Get us all of here!"

"Listen, Isaac! There's only onw way this all ends, and that's when I defeat you. For too long, you've been the bane of existence and I thought trapping you here would be the solution to my problem. However, you proved to be more of nuisance than I thought. So it appears that if I want to get rid of you, I must take some even more drastic measures." stated the Gamemaster. "And this time, the odds are firmly in my favor!"

"Alright, tell us what we have to do to get out of here!" shouted Isaac.

"Why, duel me one last time! Win, and you all escape. But should you lose, I trap all of your minds here forever." said the Gamemaster all the monsters stepped forward. "Now... let's duel Isaac!" The Gamemaster then had a duel disk appear on its arm.

"You're on! But on one condition, to make it a bit more fair, why don't I choose one of my friends to battle alongside me." suggested Isaac.

"Tell me, why I should let you do that?"

"Cause if you're so confident that you'll beat me, then it shouldn't matter if another person joins our battle."

"And risk the possibility of losing?"

"Oh, so you actually admit that you could lose?" snickered Isaac.

"Fool! I'm the all powerful Gamemaster and the only reason you and your friends have bested my challenges is because you'll cheated. Very well, if you're so insist, I'll grant you your wish."

"Then let's do this!" said Isaac as he turned on his duel disk and projected a gold card tray.

"Then tell me, who is your partner gonna be?" asked the Gamemaster.

"That's easy... Spike. Come on down."

"Me?"

The girls and him were both surprised at Isaac's choice. Not to say that they didn't support their animal friend turned human; it was just so out of left field. But given how confident Isaac was in his decision, they felt like he made the right call. Spike then stepped forward as he had his duel disk ready to go as it projected an orange card tray.

"You sure about this?" asked Spike.

"Absolutely." Isaac gave a thumbs up to Spike to show he had nothing to worry about.

"Now, since this battle will two against one... the only way for justice to be served is for me to start with 16,000 life points while you two begin with 8,000. Win and you'll be reunited with the real world. Lose and you all belong here!" stated the Gamemaster as it laid down the rules for this duel. "Are you two ready to lose!?"

"No! 'Cause you're fighting' da dream team!" said Spike as he tried to sound tough.

"That's a bit of a stretch, Spike. Still, love the confidence." said Isaac as he tried to be more realistic.

"Let's get down to business. Choose your virtual decks!" stated the Gamemaster as the card database appeared in front of the boys as they began to select their cards. "You'll need all the help you can get!"

Both Isaac and Spike had finished selecting their cards as a deck appeared in their hands.

"Now! It's time to choose your Deck Master!" stated the Gamemaster.

"I choose this monster-- Dark Magician!" said Isaac as he called forth his most powerful ally.

"Don't worry, master. I'll protect you with my very life." said Mahad.

"And I'll take Flame Swordsman!" said Spike as a fierce warrior appeared next to him.

"Were those good choices?" asked Fluttershy.

"I mean, Isaac won't have his ace monster on the field to perform all of his special summons like he normally does. And as for Spike...", Sunset was a bit worried about the monster that Spike chose, "well, it doesn't seem like it's gonna be useful."

"As for me, since I have several monsters, I'm going to be rotating my Deck Master! So we'll start with this... my Legendary Fisherman!" stated the Gamemaster as all the other monster vanished and all that was left was the monster chosen by the Gamemaster. "A strong investment!"

"How is that fair!?!" shouted Rainbow.

"It's not, partner. The Gamemaster can make up whatever it wants." stated Applejack.

"Let's hope that Isaac and Spike can win us our way out of here, darlings."

"Then get ready, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as both he and Spike slotted in their decks.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

The Gamemaster's Life Points: 16,000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Spike's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: The Gamemaster

"I'll begin!" said the Gamemaster as it drew its card. "HA! First things first. I'll play this magic card! A Legendary Ocean!" Soon the entire field was starting to change.

"Oh no!" shouted Isaac as he realized what was happening.

"Time to flood the market!" said the Gamemaster as a city appeared underneath all of the water that was surrounding them. "And now, I'll summon Deepsea Warrior(1600/1800)!" Out came a warrior that had fins and wielded a trident-like weapon as it dove under the water.

"Hey! Hold on!" shouted Spike. "You have to sacrifice something first to play that card! It's too powerful to summon to the field in your first move!"

"With his magic card he can!" said Isaac.

"Right. It's all true. A Legendary Ocean changes my five-star monsters to four! I'm afraid this simple fact allows me to summon them directly to the field without sacrificing another monster!"

"Be careful, Spike!" warned Twilight.

"Twilight's right. As long as that card's in play, he's at a dangerous advantage!" said Isaac.

"Don't worry, Isaac. We'll dry up his ocean in no time!"

"You'll sink long before that!" stated the Gamemaster.

"You take the next move, Spike. And remember the Gamemaster can't be trusted, so try to stay on your toes!"

Turn 2: Spike

"All right, watch this..." Spike then drew his card as the girls looked on wondering what he was going to do. "I summon Alligator's Sword(1500/1200) in defense mode!" Out came an alligator that wore armor and wielded a sword as it stood on its hind legs. "That's all for now! But this is just the beginning!"

Turn 3: Isaac

"It's my move now!!" shouted Isaac. "And I summon Gazelle, The King of Mythical Beasts... in defense mode! With that I'll call it."

Turn 4: Gamemaster

"And that's all?" snickered the Gamemaster. "Please, I'd expect better moves from you Isaac. Now... I'll activate my Deck Master's ability, now I'm free to bypass your defense and go straight for your life points. So take aim." The Gamemaster then had its harpoon appear in its hand as it threw it at Spike.

"Ahh!" said Spike as he put his arm up.
Spike's Life Points: 6150-

"Spike!" shouted the girls as they were concerned.

"Consider that a little payback for what you did to me, mutt. You nothing more than a lapdog; you are a sidekick!! You are someone comfortable being on the sidelines!! And that is the role that you should've stuck to!!!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"I'm fine, girls." Spike then shook off the attack as he noticed that the Gamemaster had now switched Deck Masters.

"Ready!?" said the Gamemaster as they were now Abyss Soldier.

"Come on guys!" shouted Twilight. "Crush that walking can of tuna! I already beat that him and so can you." Twilight was doing her best to cheer the boys on.

"Now my field spell, raises the attack points of all underwater monsters by 200! Here we go! Deepsea Warrior, attack Isaac's Mythical Beast now! It's all about the numbers boys! And your number's up!" Deepsea Warrior then took out Isaac's monster with ease as he didn't have anything to save it. "And next, I summon Catapult Turtle(1000/2000) in defense mode!"

"He played another five-star monster!" said Spike. "And thanks to that card of his, he didn't have to make a sacrifice!! Not good!!" Spike wiped his forehead as he was sweating from worriedness. "We gotta get rid of his Legendary Ocean card or we can say goodbye to our minds forever Isaac!"

"I end my turn."

Turn 5: Spike

"I'm up." Spike picked up his card. Sweet! It's Kunai with Chain. That's definitely a good start! I can use this little baby to reel in his Deepsea Warrior, hook, line, and sinker! "Now I place one card facedown."

"That's your big move!?" stated the Gamemaster as he was unimpressed.

"I'm not done! And now, I summon Cyber Harpie(1800/1300)!" Spike now had a female monster on his field as it had talons and claws. "And next... I switch Alligator's Sword into attack mode! And that ends my turn!"

Turn 6: Isaac

"And starts mine!" shouted Isaac. It's time for me to pick up where Spike left off! This doesn't look good. I don't have anything in my hand that can stop his Deepsea Warrior from attacking! Wait! Spike's facedown card! It could be my only hope! "First I summon Mystical Elf(800/2000) in attack mode!" Isaac now had a women who wore a robe on his field as she was deep in prayer. "Now let's see what you can do, Gamemaster!" said Isaac as he ended his turn.

"Attack mode? Why would Isaac do that?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hmm... I think I know why." said Rainbow as she realized the same thing Isaac thought of.

Turn 7: Gamemaster

"And noooooow... say goodbye to your Mystical Elf!" said the Gamemaster as he drew his card. "Behold! Deepsea Warrior attack!" commanded the Gamemaster.

"Not so fast!" shouted Spike as he tapped his screen. "I activate my trap card! Kunai with Chain!" Spike's card then wrapped around Deepsea Warrior as it stopped its attack and fell into the warrior as it dropped its weapon.

"Excellent move, Spike!" said Isaac.

"Hey, why da long face?" taunted Spike. "Don't tell me you're upset just because your Deepsea Warrior got a little tied up! Here he comes right now!" Deepsea Warrior then reappeared on the Gamemaster's side as it had the chain wrapped around its leg. "And thanks to my chain he can't attack while my Cyber Harpie gets even more powerful! Oh well, and things were going so good for you, too! Maybe now you know who you're up against!" said Spike with a smirk.

How could I let him do this? That little mutt is nothing but an inferior duelist and he made a mockery of me! Well he won't get me a second time, that's for damn sure!!! "I'll conclude by placing one monster facedown in defense mode. And one card facedown to end my turn!"

"Way to go guys!!" shouted Pinkie.

"Soon we'll all escape and go home!" said Applejack.

Turn 8: Spike

"Here we go again, look out!" Spike then drew his card, "Bingo baby! Now! It's time for me to dry up your ocean, Gamemaster! Cause I activate my Harpie's Feather Duster!" Soon a big wind came in as the water started to create some waves. "This card sweeps away every other cards on the field in your backrow, including your Legendary Ocean!"

"Huh?" The Gamemaster was surprised at what Spike just did.

"Now Cyber Harpie, attack his Deepsea Warrior!" Cyber Harpie then took flight as it used her claws and did a swipe that took out Deepsea Warrior. "Oh yeah! Watch this! My next victim is that facedown mystery monster of yours!"

"No, Spike! Don't! It's too risky!"

"Risk is my middle name, Isaac." said Spike as he was full of confidence. "So check this out! Alligator's Sword, attack his facedown monster!" Alligator's Sword then swiped down as it destroyed the Gamemaster's monster.

"You just triggered my Magician of Faith's special effect! Thank you, mutt! Now I can bring back one magic card!"

"What!?"

"I'll give you one guess which card I choose!" said the Gamemaster as he quickly turned it over. "Time's up!"

"Oh no! I was afraid of that! A Legendary Ocean! Sorry about that Isaac."

"You fools are making this way to easy! You're defeating yourselves!" chuckled the Gamemaster out loud.

Turn 9: Isaac

"Calm down Gamemaster. This duel is still on! My move! Now--"

Since my Legendary Ocean card is back in my hand, I can activate it in my next turn! Then I'll play Monster Reborn and bring back my Deepsea Warrior! It all adds up! I'll be right back where I was before! My chances of success are 99%!

"All right Gamemaster. Now... it's about time someone put you in your place."

"Go ahead!"

"I'll play Kuriboh in defense mode. Next I'll activate Card Destruction! Too bad!" shouted Isaac as the Gamemaster was unhappy by his move. "Now we must throw away all our cards which means your Legendary Ocean card is gone again!"

"Awesome! I knew I could count on you, Isaac!"

"Now, it's time for all of us to re-draw a brand new hand... right Gamemaster!" Isaac had a sly smile on his face. Soon everybody got rid of their cards as they got a new hand. "Lastly, I'll switch my Mystical Elf into defense mode. I'm through for now."

Turn 10: Gamemaster

"All right, you brats!" It's time to lay a little judgement on these fools! "Abyss Soldier has been dismissed kids, please welcome Fire Princess." said the Gamemaster as they changed Deck Masters once again.

"They switched again!" said Fluttershy.

"Well it seems to be workin'." said Applejack.

"What do you mean, darling?"

"You see, this duel is beginnin' to take it's toll on Isaac and Spike! But the Gamemaster keeps rotatin' players to keep itself fresh!" stated Sunset. "This isn't gonna be easy!"

"Time to bring you to justice! When you two lose this duel, you and your friends will be sentenced to an eternity in this digital dungeon."

"You're the one who's going down, Gamemaster." said Spike.

"Now then... my first maneuver should seem familiar to you. Well, at least for Sunset. I reveal my Firestorm Rage card."

"Oh no, not this move!" stated Sunset as she remembered her duel.

"Oh yes! First I'll give up 1000 of my life points. Now time for things to be engulfed in a roaring inferno." said the Gamemaster as her card then caused a huge fire to appeared as it caused all the monsters on Isaac's and Spike's field to be completely empty.
Gamemaster's Life Points: 15,000-

"All four of our monsters are gone." said Isaac.

"But that's not all I've done. Next you both lose 500 life points for each monster that I've crushed." snickered the Gamemaster.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

Spike's Life Points: 5150-

"And now that I've cleared the field of your monsters, it's time to work on your life points. I call upon my Darkfire Solider #1! And now... I think our spectators are really going to enjoy this next move. Now, Darkfire Soldier #1, attack Spike's life points directly!" Darkfire Solider then brought its sword as it did a diagonal slash at Spike.
Spike's Life Points: 3450-

"Now I remember why I'd loved being a dog." said Spike as he clutched himself.

"If you loved that one, just wait till my next move. Darkfire Soldier, use my Catapult Turtle's special ability to launch yourself at Spike once more!" Darkfire Solider then was launched as it collided with Spike as he lost even more life points.
Spike's Life Points: 2600-

"Spike! Are you alright?" asked Twilight as he was thrown onto his back.

"That jerk. Spike's life points are almost gone!" said Sunset.

"Come on, sugar, get up!"

"Are you sure you're all right, Spike?" asked Isaac.

"I've been better." he said as he got back to his feet.

"Tell me, Spike, are you beginning to understand my dueling strategy or do you need a hint? I plan to destroy the weaker link first. Then I'll concentrate on Isaac. And then when the time is right, I'll take you both out in one fell swoop."

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to be scared?" said Spike as he didn't let the Gamemaster's comment get to him.

"Ha, don't flatter yourself. I place one card facedown. And then I play the card, Fountain of Wishes!"

Oh no! Thanks to that card's effect, after three turns, the Gamemaster will be able to play any card from their deck! That will allow them to automatically summon a really powerful monster to the field! Isaac looked at Spike with a slight bit of concern.

"That's all."

Turn 11: Spike

"Good, about time. Now... all right. This'll help." said Spike as he looked at his card. "I summon Rocket Warrior!" This little guys packs a pretty strong punch, but I'm gonna boost his strength even more. "Now I'll activate my Deck Master's ability and give my Rocket Warrior an extra 800 attack points from his own stats. And now, Rocket Warrior, attack her Catapult Turtle!" said Spike as his monster transformed into rocket mode and destroyed the Gamemaster's monster.

"I activate Revenge Sacrifice!"

"No!"

"This card allows me to sacrifice the monster you just attack me with. So consider your Rocket Warrior dismissed. And I'll use it to summon a new monster." laughed the Gamemaster. "So please welcome Cyber Dragon(2100/1600)!" A machine-like dragon then came out as it led out a roar. "The decision is unanimous! You two don't stand a chance!"

Turn 12: Isaac

"All right, Isaac. Finish this guy!" said Spike.

"I'll try." said Isaac with a nonchalant tone as he looked at the cards in his hand. All right, I need to play Des Volstgalph, but in order to summon it to the field, I need to sacrifice another monster first. And I have no other monsters! Not yet, anyways! "It's my move, so here goes!" This is just what I needed! It's the Rock Spirit monster card! But in order to use it, I first have to take a monster out of my graveyard and remove it from the game. Isaac looked at his duel disk screen as he looked at all the cards in his graveyard. I was forced to send Buster Blader to the graveyard before, so I guess I'll take him out of play. "First I'll remove my Buster Blader from the game in order to summon The Rock Spirit(1700/1000)! But I'm afraid that's not all, Gamemaster! I'll sacrifice my spirit to summon this! Des Volstgalph(2200/1700)!" Isaac then switched out the monster on his card tray with the one in his hand.

What, is he serious? thought Spike.

"And now I'll place a card facedown and end my turn." Isaac had the smuggest of smiles on his face as he looked at the Gamemaster.

"Hmm?" Even the Gamemaster was confused by Isaac's move.

The Gamemaster's onto Isaac's trap. That move was too obvious! Even for someone like me. Spike then began to do a serious of charades as he tried to warn Isaac. "It'll never work!" Spike said so that only Isaac could hear him.

The girls were watching from behind them as they all raised their eyebrows at how Spike was acting.

"Don't you think Spike is acting kinda weird?" said Rainbow.

"I think maybe a bumble bee flew down his pants." stated Fluttershy.

"No, he's tryin' to warn Isaac about somethin'."

"What?" said the rest of them.

"See, y'all. Isaac played a weaker monster. Then he put a card facedown, which is a really predictable move." The girls all gasped at Applejack's explanation. "He wants the Gamemaster to attack him."

"Really?" said Pinkie.

"That doesn't sound like something Isaac would do. He knows better than that." stated Rarity.

Meanwhile, Spike was still doing his cartoonish charades as he tried to get Isaac's attention. Isaac still had that smug smile on his face as he stared at the Gamemaster as he was looking to intimidate them.

Turn 13: Gamemaster

"If you think I'm going to fall for that move, you're sorely mistaken. Even a little kid could do better than that." stated the Gamemaster as they looked at Isaac. "Time for me to rewire this duel and it starts when I switch my Deck Master, so welcome Machine King! Prepare to lose!" said the Gamemaster as they drew their card. That fool Isaac has played a monster weaker than my Cyber Dragon and a facedown card. It appears he has constructed quite an amateur trap, and I think he knows I'm on to him. "You look a bit nervous." said the Gamemaster as they could see Isaac sweating.

The Gamemaster knows his plan! Isaac may as well be wearing a sign that says "I set a trap, so attack me!"

"First thing I'll do is rid the field of your facedown card. So sorry, but take this! Heavy Storm! It destroys all your magic and trap cards on the field." A giant wind then blew in Isaac's face as it showed his card before being destroyed. "Mirror Force was your facedown card."

"That's right." said Isaac as he gritted his teeth at how his plan failed. "My plan was to reflect the attack of Cyber Dragon right back at you, Gamemaster."

"Come on, Isaac! That's the oldest trick in the Duel Book! And even I haven't had much experience dueling and yet I could see that from a mile away." stated Spike.

"It was worth a try."

"Worth a try?" said Spike as he was in disbelief that Isaac would do such a risky move. "There's too much at stake here to try a lame move like that, Isaac."

"All right, kid, it's time to dismantle you. First the effect of my Deck Master's ability activates. So now my Machine King gives all my machine monsters an extra 100 attack points for every machine on the field, including itself. So now it gains 200 attack points. Go, Cyber Dragon! Attack now! Disassemble his Des Volstgalph!" communed the Gamemaster. Cyber Dragon then unleashed a powerful beam as it headed straight for Isaac's monster.

At that very moment, Isaac's smug smile was now the biggest it had been. "Thank you!"

"What?" shouted the Gamemaster.

"Looks like you fell for my real trap, Gamemaster!"

"What trap? You have no more trap cards left in play!"

"You're obviously unaware of Des Volstgalph's special abilities so allow me to explain. When you play your Heavy Storm card, you increased my monster's attack strength by 200 life points, giving it a total of 2400!" True to Isaac's word, his monster powered up. "And now, Des Volstgalph, attack!" Des Volstgalph heard Isaac's commanded as it retaliated Cyber Dragon's attack by firing a beam of its own. Soon both attack collided as Isaac's monster pushed back the attack and destroyed Cyber Dragon.

"Lucky break, kid." stated the Gamemaster. "Now I'll get rid of my Firestorm Rage card, to draw one card from my deck."
Gamemaster's Life Points: 14,900-

"And my monster has one more effect. When it destroys your monster, you lose 500 life points, Gamemaster." stated Isaac.

"I'm not impressed. 500 points is nothing. I still have plenty of life points left."
Gamemaster's Life Points: 14,400-

"Hey, ah get it!" said Applejack as she snapped her fingers.

"Get what, darling?"

"See, Isaac just tricked the Gamemaster into attackin' him instead of attackin' Spike."

"You mean cause Spike is down to his last few life points?" asked Pinkie.

"So that means, Spike would have been one step closer to losing this duel." said Fluttershy.

"That's right. Without any monsters on the field to protect him, Spike would have been crushed by Cyber Dragon!" informed Sunset.

"So that's why Isaac set such an obvious trap!" stated Twilight. "He was looking out for Spike." Twilight was now smiling at how her boyfriend had managed to keep her dog/friend safe. She couldn't help but smile as she looked at Isaac with a lovestruck look on her face.

"The Gamemaster was sidetracked, so he forgot Spike!" exclaimed Rainbow Dash.

"Nice one, Isaac!" shouted Twilight. "Way to protect Spike!"

"Your acting was key." said Isaac with a sly smile on his face as he gave the boy a thumbs up. "That made it convincing!"

"Eh?" Seems like Spike was the very last one to realize what Isaac's plan was.

"Ah, so Spike knew!" stated Rainbow. "He was just playing along!"

"Well, ah'm impressed. He managed to fool me!" stated Applejack.

"Hey Rarity, maybe Spike can give you some acting lessons?" said Fluttershy.

"Good acting, Spike." cheered Pinkie.

"Way to fake 'em out, Spike!" exclaimed Sunset.

"Uh, yeah, that was no sweat at all for me, guys." said Spike as he nervously laughed. He quickly turned around as he realized what had occurred. That was close. If it weren't for Isaac, I'd be a goner for sure.

Turn 14: Spike

"That won't happen again!" stated the Gamemaster.

"All right, you're outta luck, pal. Cause other than that walking junkyard you call a Deck Master, it looks to me like you're out of monsters, leaving your life points wide open. Here goes!" Spike then drew his card in hopes of getting a monster he could play and attack with. Aw, yeah, Panther Warrior, baby! Wait... he can't attack unless I sacrifice another monster first. And I'm fresh out! Maybe dueling the Gamemaster with all those different Deck Masters at the same time wasn't such a good idea. Cause if we lose, we'll have all of our minds trapped here. I barely made it out alive in my last duel, if it wasn't for Isaac to give me some confidence, I would be a goner by now. "I summon Panther Warrior(2000/1600) in defense mode!" Least I can do is protect myself. "Now I'll wrap things up by placing this little number facedown. It's all you, Isaac."

Turn 15: Isaac

"Right. And I know what I need to do." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now, Des Volstgalph! Attack his life points directly!" Isaac's monster received its command as it opened fired on its target as it made contact.
Gamemaster's Life Points: 12,700-

"Now I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode! That's all for now, Gamemaster."

Turn 16: Gamemaster

"All right, say goodbye to this pathetic robot. Time for new venous predator to take root." said the Gamemaster as it switched out Machine King as Gigaplant was the one appearing on the dueling field. "Now, I'll draw."

"Not quite!" shouted Spike. "You triggered my trap. Sorry, Gamemaster, meet Drop Off. My card sends the card you just drew to the graveyard!"

"Guess again."

"Hmm?" Spike's trap card was then destroyed. "Now way! What gives? How'd you destroy my trap card?"

"Thanks to the ability of my Rose Archer, since I control a Plant-type monster in my Deck Master, I can send Rose Archer to the graveyard and negate/destroy your puny little card!" snickered the Gamemaster. "Now I play Pot of Greed allowing me to draw two more cards." The Gamemaster then picked up the cards as they smiled. Excellent.

"Ha, you just played a magic card which triggers my Volstgalph's special ability! So it gains 200 attack points!"

"Now is that so? He won't be around for much longer, anyway. For I summon my Fairy Lily(400/1500)!" Out appeared an angel as she had a nurse's outfit and had a big needle.

"Ha! Looks like she's only got 400 attack points, Gamemaster." laughed Spike.

"Looks can be deceiving, Spike." Isaac did his best to warn Spike about Fairy Lily as he knew about its special ability.

"I give up 2000 life points to increase her power!" shouted the Gamemaster. Fairy Lily then gained 3000 more attack points as it raised its needle up and took aim at Isaac's monster. "Lily, destroy his Des Volstgalph!"
Gamemaster's Life Points: 10,700-

"That maneuver cost you more life points than it cost me."
Isaac's Life Points: 6000-

"Not exactly! Cause I'm about to restore mine with my Sebek's Blessing card!"

"What's the deal with that card?" asked Spike.

"It increases the Gamemaster's life points by the same number of life points I just lost."

"Exactly." Soon tiny sparkles appeared as they showered the Gamemaster's field. "And if my math is correct, that gives me 1000 more life points! And finally I'll place one card facedown. Soon I'll beat you and the all of your minds will be trapped here forever."
Gamemaster's Life Points: 11,700-

"Isaac, we gotta do something and fast!" shouted Spike.

Get ready, boys... to have your minds tapped here! The Gamemaster then touched their duel screen to activate a card. "I just activated Gravity Bind, which stops all monsters with four or more stars from attacking. That includes everything except my Fairy Lily!"

Turn 17: Spike

"My turn," Awesome. "Now I sacrifice Panther Warrior so I can summon this! I summon Jinzo!" Spike now had a powerful monster on the field as he hoped to clear the way. "All right, Jinzo! Destroy his trap!" Jinzo then shot a power beam from its eyes as it got rid of Gravity Bind. "Oh yeah!"

"Celebrating so soon?" asked the Gamemaster.

"Yeah, why?" responded Spike.

"You may have destroyed my trap card, but my Fairy Lily is still the strongest monster on the field, Spike. Once I power her up again, she'll wipe out your Jinzo and soon the rest of your life points!" The Gamemaster's comment caused Spike to be scared for a bit.

"Spike, the Gamemaster is right!" stated Isaac. "Her special ability allows him to raise her attack points higher than any other monster on the field!"

"Oh yeah..."

"But then again... attack points aren't everything, are they, Spike?" said Isaac with another sly smile.

Wait a sec. Isaac's trying to tell me something. There is a way to crush that monster before it crushes me. Even though the Gamemaster can raise its fairy's attack points, her defense points stay pretty low. Spike then picked up another card in his hand, "I play Block Attack! This card switches your fairy from attack to defense mode."

"You can't!" shouted the Gamemaster.

"I just did." responded Spike. "Jinzo, do us all a favor and send that little monster back to fairyland, will you? Cyber Energy Shock Attack!" shouted Spike. Jinzo had no problem as it took out Fairy Lily. "Well, that's all from me, Gamemaster. Now back to you, Isaac. Pound this poser!"

Turn 18: Isaac

"Right. Time to take you down!" Isaac then drew his card as he started to implent his plan. "And I have just the card to do it in my hand. So I'll sacrifice my Big Shield Gardna so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl! Come forth, Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac now had his best female spellcaster as she appeared before her master. "Give me a hand, Mana?"

"Anything for you, Isaac." smiled Mana.

Isaac nodded as he looked back at the Gamemaster. "Your life points are wide open! Dark Magician Girl, attack him directly!" shouted Isaac. Mana then pointed her staff as she shot off a powerful attack.
Gamemaster's Life Points: 9700-

"Awesome! He just lost 2000 life points!" cheered Spike. He then gave Isaac a thumbs up as he returned with a nod.

"It's your move." said Isaac.

Turn 19: Gamemaster

The Gamemaster had a sly smile on its botanical face. "The time has arrived, my young friends, to reap the benefits of my magic card!"

"Say what, dude?" Spike was confused on what the Gamemaster was babbling about.

"Wait, he's right!" said Isaac. "It's been three turns since he last played Fountain of Wishes. Now he can summon almost any monster he wants!"

"You are correct!" smiled the Gamemaster as a card was picked up from the deck. Soon the Gamemaster began to laugh evilly.

"What's so funny, Gamemaster?"

The Gamemaster continued to laugh manically as it got louder as it cause both boys and the girls to be a bit worried.

"That's getting real annoying."

The Gamemaster then stopped laughing as it addressed Spike's comment. "If you were me, you'd laugh too!" Seems that was enough to cause Isaac to have his eyes widen. "For in my hand, I hold the most powerful creature! Say goodbye to your minds!" The Gamemaster let out another manically laugh.

"This doesn't look good guys!" said Rainbow.

"You couldn't begin to imagine what monster lurks in my deck."

"Tell me!" demanded Isaac.

"Oh, you'll find out. I'm about to summon it. But first time to rotate to my last Deck Master. So say goodbye to Gigaplant and hello to Top Runner!" said the Gamemaster as they changed forms. "Now thanks to my Fountain of Wishes, I can summon any monster I want, ignoring its summoning conditions!"

"What?" said everybody as they never heard of such a card.

"But before I do, I'll play Dark Hole and with it all monsters on the field are destroyed!" shouted the Gamemaster as they managed to wipe the field clean and leave Isaac and Spike defenseless. "Now it's time I summon my all-powerful Five Headed Dragon!"

"Wait, I must be missing something, cause even with the summoning conditions ignored! You still need to sacrifice two monsters to play that card." said Spike.

"Correct. You are missing something, Spike. Top Runner isn't my only monster, remember?"

"And what do mean by that, Gamemaster?" A lightbulb then went off in his head, "The other Deck Masters! That's right! They all count, too!"

"Yeah, but that doesn't seem fair at all..." said Twilight.

"Look, we've dealing with the Gamemaster since we all got trapped here and not once has it played fair. The Gamemaster will do anything to win. Who said it was fair?" stated Sunset.

"Now my Deck Masters, come forth! I call all of them to the field! First, the unstoppable Legendary Fisherman! Then, I summon the almighty Machine King! Followed by the cunning Gigaplant! Next I'll call upon her royal highness, Fire Princess! After that is the master of speed, Top Runner! And finally I'll call upon Abyss Soldier." All of the monsters then appeared on the field as a pillar of light came down from the heavens and struck them all. "Now listen to me, my monsters! I command all of you to join together to form a creature of unparalleled strength and supreme power!!!!" shouted out the Gamemaster as all of the monster were now having their powers transferred into the new creature. "Behold the ultimate monster, appear Five-Headed Dragon(5000/5000)!!!!" Soon a dark being was shown as it exited the pillar of light and with one step it shook the very earth that the group was standing on. Out came not one, not two, not three, but five dragon heads as they let out a fierce roar as the Gamemaster had now unleashed its true form and looked to end this duel.

"Bear witness to my ultimate form!!!!" said the Gamemaster as its voice came from the dragon. "I have the power!!!! Now I will have my revenge!!!! HA! HA! HA! HA!"

"Isaac? What do we do?" asked Spike.

"I don't know."

"Time to make sure that you remember my power, Five-Headed Dragon will attack Isaac directly!!! Time for you to feel all the pain and suffering you caused me!!!!!" With that the Gamemaster then opened all five of its mouths and unleashed a powerful attack that caused him to be thrown onto his back as he felt the attack.

"AHHH!" screamed Isaac.

"Isaac!!!" shouted Twilight as his scream made her clutch her heart.

"Isaac!" shouted Spike. "You okay, man?"

Isaac slowly moved himself as he tried to get back up. He was covered in some scratches and dirt as his outfit was now messy. It took a while as he was breathing heavily, he then tried to walk back to his dueling position as he fell for a second with Mahad catching him.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Master!" said Mahad with the deepest concern.

"I'm... fine... Mahad... Let's finish this." said Isaac as he tried to gain his strength back.

"Master. I would advise against that, you just took a powerful attack and must rest. Please, I..."

"Mahad!!" shouted Isaac. "I'm fine. Now let me go." Isaac looked at his magician who still held him in his arms. "Mahad! That's an order!!!" Isaac was now commanding his magician, which caused everybody to stay quiet. "You say that your duty is to protect me, well guess what, I'm going to keep on fighting. So if you want to serve your duty, then you'll follow me into battle. Am I understood!!!" said Isaac with a clear authoritive tone.

"I understand, master." Mahad knew that Isaac wasn't going to back down; so he knew that wherever his master went he would need to be there to keep him safe.

"Thank you." said Isaac as he got back to his position. "I'm alright Spike, just taking a quick breather." joked Isaac.

Spike just smiled at how Isaac was able to push through the pain. "Look Gamemaster, we've got plenty of monsters in our decks, and it's our move!" stated Spike.

"There's one more thing you should know. It's immune to almost all attack!" said the Gamemaster as it smiled knowing it stacked the deck against Isaac and Spike. "It cannot be damaged by Fire, Water, Earth, Wind, or Darkness!"

"Oh no! That leaves only one type of monster, creatures of light!" said Twilight.

"It seems to me that your chances of escaping this virtual prison just got a whole lot slimmer! And I think you all know what that means. It means you all will be trapped here and I'll finally have my revenge!!!" stated the Gamemaster. "Good luck, gentlemen. Now use your last turn wisely!"

"What am I supposed to do? It's got 5000 attack points and only one kind of monster can beat it. Any ideas, Isaac?"

"We can do this Spike. Trust in your deck and in your Deck Master."

"My Deck Master?" Spike then looked at his Deck Master as he looked at the warrior. Spike just kept looking at the thing till an idea went off in his head.

Turn 20: Spike

"I think I got it." Spike then drew his card, "Come on... I was hoping for a monster card." said Spike as the card he drew wasn't the one he wanted. "All right! You'll never get me and my friends, got that, Gamemaster? Flame Swordsman, it's all you out there now." Spike turned to look at his Deck Master as it gave a nod. "I call my Deck Master to the field!" Spike now had his monster move front and center. All right, Isaac. It's risky but I know that we can do this together. "That's all for me!"

Turn 21: Isaac

"Good work, Spike. I know what I have to do. I just hope it works! It's my move! Here goes!" Isaac drew his card as he looked at it. "Now I call my Deck Master to the field! Dark Magician!" Mahad then moved from his place as he was now in front protecting his master.

"Woah! Isaac and Spike both called their Deck Masters to the field!" said Rainbow as she wasn't expecting this from them. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"If those monsters are destroyed they lose!" stated Sunset.

"Yeah, but since they have no other monsters on the field, that five-headed dragon would have smashed them to smithereens anyway!" shouted Twilight.

"You've made this too easy. Your Deck Masters can't touch my dragon. And the best part is, once I destroy them, you two lose and all of you are gone forever!"

"Hang in there. I'm here for ya." said Spike as he looked at Isaac.

Isaac just had his eyes closed as took a deep breath. "This duel's not over, Gamemaster, and it's our move. We'll show you want real teamwork can do!"

"Very touching, but I'd say five heads are better than two!" responded the Gamemaster. "How do you plan to defeat my dragon?"

"Like this! I play Polymerization! And I fuse together my Dark Magician with Spike's Flame Swordsman!" stated Isaac.

"What good does that do!?!" said the Gamemaster.

"By combining our two Deck Masters together, I Fusion Summon Dark Flare Knight(2200/800)!" A warrior that had purple and red armor came out as it wielded a sword and shield that had a fire emblem on it. "Take a good look, Gamemaster! This is the monster that will bring about your destruction and return us back the the real world!"

"You challenge me with that? Don't make laugh! He's much too weak!"

"Yes, Dark Flare Knight is a combination of our Deck Masters. Just as your dragon is a combination of yours and you. And both Spike and I have faith in our Deck Masters!"

"We do?"

"You fool! That new creature of yours is a creature of darkness and I can only be beaten by a creature of light."

"We'll see." responded Isaac.

"Yes, we will!" snickered the Gamemaster.

"Isaac's monster is so much weaker than that dragon, darlings."

"If he attacks, it's gone!" said Pinkie.

"Plus, it's their Deck Master. So if it's destroyed, they lose the duel!" shouted Sunset.

Oh, man... I hope Isaac knows what he's doing out there. This move is our last chance!

"Dark Flare Knight, prepare to attack now!" commanded Isaac. "Your target is the Gamemaster." Dark Flare Knight heard its lord's command as he lifted his sword up and a pillar of fire shot out of it as it headed toward the Gamemaster.

"Time to take him down!" shouted the Gamemaster.

It then opened all five of its mouths as it collided with the attack of Isaac's Dark Flare Knight. Both attacks met in the center and for a while it was even, but then it started to push back the attack as it destroyed Dark Flare Knight. A brief wind blew in the faces of Isaac and Spike as they experienced the after effect of battle. However the major thing was that both of the boy's life points remained the safe and they were still in the duel.

"How can you two still be standing?" asked the Gamemaster in a loud shout.

"We're unharmed because of Dark Flare Knight's special effects! First it prevents us from losing life points when it's destroyed. But that's not all it does, Gamemaster! Our Deck Masters are gone, but noticed that Spike and I are still in this duel!"

"No!"

"I'm afraid so." A single ember was burning quite strong in front of Isaac as it awaited for his command. "Thanks to Dark Flare Knight's second effect. Whenever that card's destroyed... Mirage Knight(2800/2000) is then summoned to take its place!" Soon tiny bits of lights began to gather into the fire as if it was awakening something. Soon it all combined as out came a brand new monster that was being called on. Now the monster that was on the field was a knight that wore gold armor as it had long purple flowing hair and wielded a lance.

"That's your new Deck Master? Nice try, Isaac, but this knight's too weak also. So why did you go through all of this trouble just to bring that to the field? Unless... Mirage Knight has a special effect as well!"

"You're beginning to catch on, Gamemaster. Now Mirage Knight, attack the Gamemaster! Time to return home!" shouted Isaac. Mirage Knight heard Isaac's orders as he took flight and charged forward to the Gamemaster. "He may look weak... However, first impressions can be deceiving! So observe closely now, Gamemaster. The special ability of our Mirage Knight is about to seal our victory and get us out of here! You see, it's able to absorb all of the attack points of the opposing monster, giving our monster 5000 extra attack points! And there's one more thing you may want to know... Mirage Knight is a creature of Light, and you know what that means, Gamemaster! It's exactly the kind of monster I need to destroy you! And once it's wiped out, this duel will finally be over!"

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"

"Mirage Knight, end this duel!!!!!" shouted Isaac.

Mirage Knight had its entire body glowed in a pure white light as it felt the attack point boost as it honed in on its target. The Gamemaster tried to fight back by unleashing all of its attacks in hopes of slowing down Isaac's monster. Mirage Knight just simply avoid all of them and even took an attack head on as he pushed through the attack with ease. Soon it was now above the Gamemaster's head as it brought its weapon down and did a slash that spilt the Gamemaster down the middle as bits of light started to from from the cracks. The Gamemaster could feel themselves being defeated as all the power it had was now gone.

"AHHHHH!!!!"

The Gamemaster let out a defeated scream as the entire world around them started to flicker and soon the dragon disappeared as rainbow lights came out which soon transformed into a bright white light as everybody covered their eyes as it engulfed them all.
Gamemaster's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac and Spike

The white light lasted for a good few moments, soon Isaac opened his eyes and found himself on something soft. He felt the texture as it turned out to be a rug. He blinked at what he was feeling as he slowly lifted his head. Isaac looked around and saw all the girls were spread out lying on the floor next to him. But the main thing he noticed was his surroundings as he saw they were now back in Sunset's house. If he didn't believe it then he had another thing to confirm his theory as Spike was now back to being a dog and was in Twilight's arms.

"We did it. We're back." said Isaac.

Soon the others all woke up as they were coming to their senses. Twilight rubbed her eyes as she adjusted her glasses. Once she blinked, she noticed Spike sniffing her as he was now back to being a dog.

"Spike? Spike! You're back to being a dog." Twilight then hugged Spike as he licked her face.

"Yeah. And I can't tell you how happy I am to be one." he said.

"So... did we win?" asked Fluttershy.

Sunset looked at the TV screen as it had the word 'Victory!' in digital text as pixels of themselves were jumping up and down in a retro style. "Yeah, I say we're back in the real world."

"Well, that's a relief." said Applejack as she fanned herself with her hat. "Ah was beinnnin' to wonder if we were ever goin' to get out."

"Agreed let's never do this again, darlings." complained Rarity.

"Definitely!" they all shouted. They all let out a laugh as they enjoyed themselves.

"And by the way Spike, thanks. We make a good team, you and I."

"Pleasure to help. Besides, it was kind of fun being human for while. Especially, since I got to duel!" Spike was wagging his tail as he showed his excitement. "But I think I'm content with being a dog for the rest of my life."

With that everybody all decided to call it a day as they realized it was now Sunday. Guess what they say is true, time flies when you're playing video games.

A computer screen was now flickering on and off as it only displayed the words: "Error. System failed." The person at the keyboard was angry as they gritted their teeth. Soon another person entered the room they were in.

"So... how did it go?" stuttered the person.

"AHHHH!" screamed the person as they knocked over the monitor and smashed the set up. "I will have my revenge. I'll stop at nothing till I make them suffer!!!!!" The person then turned towards the person as they exited the room and slammed the door shut. The screen that the person punched flickered for a bit as it had a last bit of power as it showed a mark of a purple and white star with two blue glimmering streams.

Chapter 96: Turbo Duels

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 97: Spirit World

"Student #475, based on how well they performed the fire spell. Acceptable. Earth spell, failed to move rocks and instead created a potion that can grow petunias. Reminded to keep my eye on them." said Mahad as he was in his home at his work desk going over some class evaluations. "Well, past midnight. Best to finish this work in the morning." Mahad then began to turn in for the night when he noticed something on his bed as it gave a croak.

"Mana!!!" shouted Mahad.

Things worked differently in the Spirit World, in the past these two places lived in harmony with the realm of humans. But over time, evil forces caused both worlds to split and as a result these spirits lived in a world that was separate than the ones the humans lived in. Still they maintained a connection in the form of Duel Monsters; when a person played a card on their duel disk, it was more than just a simple summon. It was a calling to that monster to appear in limbo as it served to battle for the person that called them.

Morning rose as the sun shined down on the Spirit World. Tons of Kuribohs and Winged Kuribohs were floating about as they were delivering the morning mail to the inhabitants of the world. Mahad opened his home as Kuriboh had just arrived at his front door with a postal bag as he had letters and scrolls in them.

"Morning, Kuriboh. How's everything?"

"Kuri" said Kuriboh as he answer his comrade's question.

"I see, well any parchments you have for me?"

"Kuri". Kuriboh then reached into his bag as he pulled out a letter and some new scrolls for Mahad as he gave one last sound before leaving.

Mahad then closed the door of his home as he got to work on creating some spells and potions. Meanwhile, he had some tea that was brewing as he used the new scrolls he ordered and began to write somethings down. Soon he poured himself some tea as Mahad used his magic to levitate it in place. Soon he ran some test on the potions he created as he wrote down their results. Once he reread the results, Mahad then cleaned up as he prepared himself for the day. Despite, being Isaac's star monster, Mahad had other responsibilities that didn't involve protecting his master. One of them being that he was a mentor for other young spellcasters and magicians. So Mahad used his magic as he started to levitate towards the place as it was a magic school but it was also a palace. With that he entered his classroom as he saw all of his students present.

"Greetings students, now I'm sure all of you were able to perform the transfiguration spell I asked."

"Yes, Master Mahad!" said the students.

"Uhm, Master Mahad?" asked a student who had their hand raised up.

"Berry Magician Girl, did you used frog wart instead of toad again?" asked Mahad as she had the head of a frog and her hands were now webbed feet.

"I thought they were the same thing, they look the same. Sort of." said Berry Magician Girl as she had sad eyes.

Mahad snapped his fingers as he was able to undone the spell that his student did. Berry Magician Girl was thankfully that she was no longer an amphibian, but she did have a weird craving to catch some flies. Mahad then began his lesson as his students paid close attention to Mahad's strict lessons when it came to mastering magic. Soon Mahad dismissed his students as he gave them their assignment.

"Don't forget to do to the spells on Divination and Sorcery. And I expect a full report on all the incantations that you observed while perform the transfiguration project." said Mahad as his students left the classroom. Mahad then gather his things as he was about to take a seat when he noticed another croak. "MANA!!!!" shouted Mahad.

"You rang." smiled Mana as she appeared in front of her beloved teacher.

"Mana! That's the second time you've done this in two days." shouted Mahad.

"Oh, lighten up Mahad. I'm just having a bit of fun. Nothing than a harmless prank."

"Harmless prank?" Mahad then snapped his fingers as he now had a scroll of Mana's "pranks". "Let's see... according to this you've flooded the classroom of your teachers, revived all of the lizards used for ritual as it caused one student to suffer a hidden anxiety of reptiles, and you even unleashed the entire sanctuary of Droll Birds while also covering everybody in bird seed!" said Mahad sternly. "And all of this happened in the last hour."

"Okay, okay. Calm down." said Mana as she hated Mahad giving her a lecture.

"How can I can be calm, when everytime I get a report from the other magicians about my student causing mishap? Honestly, I don't know how our pharaoh and master put up with your antics." said Mahad as he let out a stressed sigh. "You should be studying and practicing your magic, it's become rather lackluster lately."

"Hey! My magic's becoming better!" shouted Mana. "Did you know that I froze all of the guards in the palace? It wasn't that hard." smiled Mana as she was proud of herself.

Mahad let out another disgruntled sigh. "Do not tell me you used your freezing spell? We need them to guard the palace!" said Mahad as he looked out the window with Mana.

"Oops, sorry. I release thee." Mana snapped her fingers as she felt like that would do the trick, but it didn't. "Uh-oh."

"Your magic's improving, is it?"

"Uh... let me try that again. Uh, uh." Mana then had her spellbook as she began to search for a way to reverse the spell. "It's in here somewhere." said Mana as she was sweating furiously.

"Just hurry up." said Mahad as he shook his head. It seemed that Mahad still had more training to do with his student.

"Uh, let's see. Turning humans into toad. Getting rid of bad breath. Ahh! The freeze spell." said Mana. She then had her wand appear as she read the spell. "Now I release thee." said Mana. However it still didn't work. "Uh, why didn't it work? Maybe I said the wrong thing." Mana was now reread the book as she was scared.

Mahad just snapped his fingers as he reversed the effects.

"How about this!?" said Mana as she pointed her wand. She saw that the guards were back to normal. "See, I did it." smiled Mana nervously.

"I don't have time to deal with this. We have a meeting to attend." said Mahad.

"Oh, road trip! Where are we going?" asked Mana as she floated next to her master.

"We're going to meet with Lady Priestess of Mistress Sparkle's deck. We have some very important things to discuss." stated Mahad.

"Oh, I see. Trying to sweet talk her, I knew you would finally grow out of your shell and meet a women who could put up with your mindset." giggled Mana.

"Mana, act mature. Nothing is going on between me and Lady Priestess, we're going to talk about our masters and their relationship with one another and how it affects all of us. Now come along." Both Mahad and Mana started to exit their place of residence as they stepped through a portal and were now traveling in space.

"Before we visit Lady Priestess in her realm, we need to make a quick stop." Mahad then led him and Mana into another portal as they touched down on the ground.

In front of them was a casino, as the sounds of coins machines and cards were going on. They both entered the place as they said hello to Dice Leveler who was the bouncer of the place. They made their way to the Blackjack section of the casino as they were looking for someone, they didn't have to look too far as the person who they found was making such a ruckus.

"Blackjack!" said Sleight of Hand Magician. "Looks like another for bust for you, Dicelops." Dicelops just paid a tip for Sleight of Hand Magician as he left the table. Sleight of Hand Magician then took the payment and slipped it into his vest as he noticed Mana and Mahad standing there.

"Friends. What brings you here? Care to try your luck?" said Sleight of Hand Magician as he pulled out a deck of cards and started to do some tricks and shuffling that was faster than the eye could see.

"We're not here to gamble. We're here to check up on you." said Mahad.

"Screw that. Deal me in." said Mana as she wanted to play.

"But of course." Sleight of Hand then began to shuffle the cards, "So what is that you wanted?"

"Well, it's been a while since our master took you and the other three as part of his deck. We just make sure that you're comfortable with your living arrangements that you chose.

"That all?" said Sleight of Hand Magician as he dealt the hands. "I'm having a ball, after Isaac took us in, I went exploring to see if I could find something to feel right at home. And well I came upon this realm and you know the rest. Nonstop gambling, people need their fortunes told, heck even just casual game of poker. I like it here."

"Hit me!" shouted Mana.

"21!" said Sleight of Hand Magician as he awarded Mana her winnings.

"Yes, now I can finally buy that wand I'm after." cheered Mana.

"You will not be doing anything of that sort." stated Mahad. He then used his magic to return the winnings back to Sleight of Hand Magician as Mana just pouted at what her teacher just did. "Not until you learn to properly use your magic and not pull pranks. Anyways, we must be going if we are to attend out meeting. Farewell, Sleight of Hand, glad to see you've become accustomed to your new home. Come along, Mana."

"See you Mahad, Mana. And hey, tell Lady Priestess she's smoking." stated Sleight of Hand Magician as he got back to dealing cards.

"Well that wraps the last person of our master's new cards. All of them seem to be content with where they chose to live." said Mahad. "Now then this way." Mahad and Mana then traveled for a bit more as they were arriving at their destination. They entered the portal and were soon welcomed to the sight of a magnificent castle.

"Man, does she have class." said Mana as she took in the sight.

"Follow me, and try to be on your best behavior." stated Mahad.

"It doesn't help that you have to remind me like every two seconds." argued Mana.

They both made their way to the castle gates as it was lowered down. They noticed someone guarding the entrance as they approached him.

"Halt! Who goes there!?" said the person.

"At ease, we mean no harm. We're allies." said Mahad.

"State your name and business."

"I am Mahad, spirit of the Dark Magician. And this is Mana, spirit of the Dark Magician Girl. We hail from Master Isaac's deck. We've come to see your Lady Priestess, who belongs to your Mistress Sparkle and is the beloved of our master."

"Ahh, yes. One moment. Lady Priestess, Master Mahad is here." said the person as he contacted her through his crystal ball.

"Good work, Defender. Send them in." responded Priestess.

"Raise the gates!" shouted Defender, the Magical Knight. "She's waiting for."

"Thank you. We'll give her your best regards."

"See ya, gatekeeper." smiled Mana.

"I'm more than just a gatekeeper, you know." shouted Defender as he went back to his position.

Mahad and Mana then entered the palace as they saw the interior of the building. The walls were white as they were lined with red cloth and banners. They were tons of chandeliers that sparkled beautifully due to the jewels that hung from it. The main hall was filled with tons of doors as they led to different parts of the castle. To the right was Twilight's Spellbook Magician of Prophecy as he was talking with Hermit of Prophecy. They noticed Mahad and Mana as they waved. Coming out of another door was Strength of Prophecy as she was carrying a portrait of Twilight as they were hanging it in the hall for all to see their beloved mistress. Both Emperor and Empress of Prophecy were seen walking arm in arm as they talked about their plans for the afternoon as they passed by Isaac's magicians and gave them a wave. Overall, almost all of Twilight's magicians in her deck were out and about.

"Damn, she really does have a big home." said Mana as she was in awe.

"Lady Priestess wanted to provide a safe place for all of Mistress Sparkle's comrades in her deck. So she transformed her palace into a place where all can come and live." informed Mahad. "Excuse us, do you know where we can meet your Lady Priestess?"

"Ah, you must be Mahad. She sent me to fetch you. Follow me." said Justice of Prophecy. With that she led Mahad and Mana in the direction of the throne room. Soon they pushed past a grand set of doors as they were now in a big open space with a long carpet that led to where the throne chair was. "Announcing Master Mahad and his student Lady Mana!" called out Justice of Prophecy. "You are now in the presence of the great High Priestess of Prophecy and her royal advisor Hierophant of Prophecy!"

"Your excellence." said Mahad and Mana as they bowed down in front of her.

"Master Mahad." said Priestess as she sat on her throne with her legs crossed. She then smiled as she looked at her allies, "To what due I owe this visit, other than you possibly just having an excuse to see me?"

"See told ya." said Mana to which Mahad just hit her on the head.

"Forgive my student's rather outburst. But I've come here to discuss some business, particularly our master and your mistress."

"Ah, yes. Your master Isaac as you call him, and my beloved Twilight. Very well." Priestess then got up from her throne as she began to walk down the stairs with Hierophant following behind her. "If you would accompany me." she said raising her hand.

"Of course." Mahad stood up as he took her hand and kissed the back of it. He then offered her his arm as she wrapped around it as they began to walk. Mana just smiled as she followed them along with Hierophant.

High Priestess of Prophecy led the three of them to the courtyard as they met up with Charioteer of Prophecy and Fool of Prophecy who were training with one another. They watched from afar as they saw the boys go at it.

"Getting sloppy on your counter." taunted Fool as he had his staff against Charioteer's sword.

"Please, if anything, you're the one who's getting sloppy. You left yourself wind open." replied back Charioteer.

"Yeah, watch this." Fool then kicked Charioteer in the side as it caused him to back off. This allowed him to raise his staff as he let out a powerful fire spell that started to surround Charioteer in a tornado.

Charioteer was able to break free as he stabbed his weapon in the ground as the flames disbursed. Then he raised his sword just in time as he was able to stop Fool from launching a sneak attack. "That all?" smirked Charioteer.

"That's enough!" shouted Hierophant.

"Lady Priestess!" shouted both of them as they bowed down to show their respect.

"Rise. You both were excellent out there." she said. "Allow me to introduce you to Master Mahad and his student Lady Mana. They are the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl; they belong to the love of our dear Lady Sparkle, Sir Isaac."

"Greetings, gentleman." said Mahad.

"Wow. Let me say for the both of us, how honored we are to be your presence." said Fool.

"Yeah, the stuff you've done for the Spirit World and all your accomplishments. You're the real thing, man." exclaimed Charioteer.

"Let's not get carried away, Mahad isn't that famous." said Mana as she loved to irate her teacher which seemed to work.

"Mana! What have I told you?" Soon Mahad and Mana began to argue as Priestess and Hierophant watched.

"I now see what our Lady Sparkle means when she says that the two of them love to argue. I do wonder how their master deals with this on a regular basis." stated Hierophant.

"Well, he must do a good job of it. Seeing as he got our Lady Twilight to fall for him." smiled Priestess.

Both Mahad and Mana kept arguing for a couple more minutes; during that time, Hierophant took Fool and Charioteer of Prophecy away as he wanted to run some more combat exercises with them. The both of them waved goodbye to their Lady Priestess as they left. Once Mahad and Mana finished their discussion, she then led the both of them to the library so that they could discuss what Mahad came here for. The library was massive as it had thousands upon thousands of spellbooks, and pieces of literature that lined the many shelfs. There were even other magicians of Twilight's deck as they were reading the many Spellbooks; some of them were even floating about. Both Mahad and Priestess sat in two chairs facing each other as she requested that they be brought some tea. Meanwhile, Mana was just exploring around the library as she was intrigued by the many books she saw.

"So, what is that you want to discuss about our owners?" asked Priestess as she sat in her chair with her legs crossed.

"Well, for starters, you know what happens when two people get together?" asked Mahad.

"Yes. All the spirits of both decks come together and try to become allies. That way should one be in trouble they call upon the other for assistance. We'll all meet your allies of your master's deck. And we're impressed with what he chose to call his friends. Even more so to find that both Slifer and Ra put their trust in him. Sugar?" asked Priestess as the tea was brought.

"I'll pass." said Mahad as he used their magic to serve both of them. He also levitated a book for Priestess to read as she smiled at him.

"So tell me, what's your master like? I know for a fact that he can see you and Mana. And I know that you've had a chance to see my Lady Twilight and protect her when none of us could." said Priestess as she sipped her tea.

"Master Isaac is sort of like another person I knew."

"Your pharaoh." she said. "The person to have said to not only save mankind but also the entire Spirit World. We're gratefully for what he's done."

"Yes, my pharaoh was a kind soul who looked out for others rather then himself. It warmed my heart to see him realize his destiny. After he disappeared, it would be millennia before we would ever meet again. And once we did, he found a new friend to help him regain his past and allow his soul to rest in peace. But before he passed though, he allowed to go off on my own and pick new master to serve."

"That would be Isaac, am I right?" asked Priestess.

"Correct. Master Isaac resembles a lot like my king. Both are willing to help their friends and show a passion for the game that is unrivaled. They aren't afraid to do what's right and make sure that everybody has a happy result." smiled Mahad.

"Indeed, I wonder how our masters are doing." Priestess then used her magic as a crystal ball came in front of them. She then casted a spell on it as it projected out for both of them to see. "Let's find out." Priestess then used her magic to look in the human world as she saw her mistress currently sitting at a table with her deck and cards spread out as it looked like she was challenging Isaac to a practice match. From what it looked like, it seemed Twilight had the upper hand and it was Isaac's move.

"Make up your mind already!" shouted Twilight as she was getting impatient. "Come on! You've been staring at your hand for almost an hour now, Isaac!" Twilight was doing her best to tell Isaac that he should get on with his turn as she knew she was about to win. "You don't have any moves left to make! Face it. The duel's over! I've won! Just give up!"

"No way, Twilight!" responded Isaac. "That's one move I'll never make! I know I got something, I just know it!" Isaac was determined to prove Twilight wrong as he felt like he could turn things into his favor.

Twilight just let out a sigh, "Yeah, I know. And... that's one of my favorite things about you, Isaac." said Twilight as she had a blush on her face. "That no matter what, you never give up." Twilight then leaned over the table and planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek.

Back in the spirit world, both magicians were watching this interaction between their owners as it gave them both a smile.

"It warms my heart to my Lady Sparkle so happy. Your Master Isaac is truly someone who can make her feel special." said Priestess as she shut off her crystal ball and snapped it away. "Perhaps, I should have a portrait of him painted and hung next to my mistress, so that all can see him."

"Perhaps." said Mahad as he finished his tea.

"Hey Mahad, look what I found." Mana had managed to find a spellbook that really caught her attention as it was filled with new spells that she hadn't seen.

"Mana! You know not take things that aren't yours." shouted Mahad.

"Relax, Mahad. Keep it. I have plenty of copies in my library. Twilight loves her books after all." smiled Priestess as she used her magic to teleport the tea set away.

"I thank you for your generosity, Lady Priestess." said Mahad as he took off his hat and bowed in respect. He then kissed High Priestess' hand as she just let out a giggle at Mahad being a proper gentleman. "Now we must be off, we've still got a lot to do back home before nighttime arrives. Come along, Mana."

"Coming, Mahad." said Mana as she followed her teacher.

High Priestess then followed behind them as they levitated towards the castle entrance. Along the castle halls, all the other magicians of Twilight's deck were saying goodbye to Mahad and Mana as they waved. Even Red, Yellow, Green, Gold, and Silver Gadget were matching towards the invention room when they saw them passing by as they all waved. With that all the gadgets then continued to march in a straight line, but not before bowing down and offering their praises for Twilight as they saw her portrait hanging in the hallway. Soon all three of them arrived outside of the castle gate as Mahad and Mana were about to step through the portal.

"Well, this was a lovely visit. I hope we can do this again, Mahad. After all, should our masters decided to spend their lives together, then I dare all of us, including our individual comrades will be that much closer." smiled High Priestess.

"I wish nothing for the best for my master. And for Mistress Sparkle; they both deserve to have happy lives." smiled Mahad. "Now we must take our leave. Thank you once again, Lady Priestess." said Mahad as he entered the portal.

"See ya, girlfriend. And thanks for the book; can't wait to try some of these tricks on Mahad." snickered Mana as she waved goodbye and stepped through the portal.

"Their master is lucky to have those two as his most trusted allies. Just like me and everybody else is happy to have Twilight as our master." High Priestess of Prophecy then started to make her way back into her palace as she closed the door and went back to her reading.

It was just about sunset when Mahad and Mana had arrived back to their home. After they left High Priestess' home, both of them went to check up on the other realms of Isaac's friends. The first stop they made so happen to be the home of Sunset's deck as they arrived in a lava zone where Red-Eyes was flying high above. While Mana played around with the Red-Eyes hatchlings, Mahad was speaking with Red-Eyes and his tribe of dragons as he wanted to check how they were handling their home and Sunset being their new master. Red-Eyes didn't say much but a few roars as all the others joined in, but from what Mahad could translate with his spell, he saw that Red-Eyes was happy with being with Sunset as they enjoyed her red hot passion and desire.

After that they paid a visit to Applejack's deck as they arrived in the realm of Predaplants. After some minor mishaps with Mana and the other Predaplants, Mahad was able to talk with Starving Venom Fusion Dragon and Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon as they were contented with Applejack as their owner. One thing they did to show their appreciation for their master was they had a statue made of greenery of Applejack as it was centered in the middle of the garden for all of them to praise. Mahad was glad that they loved Applejack, so with that he wished them farewell, well right after he got Mana out of some vines.

The next place they stopped by was a forest full of dense trees; they levitated a bit as they came out to a grassland where they saw all the creatures of Fluttershy's deck just running around and frolicking. Despite there being predator and prey, they all got along as they knew it was something that their master would want. Mana went into overdrive as she saw how cute Fluttershy's monsters were that she started to hug the furry little creatures tightly as they struggled to break free from their grip. Mahad was left to communicate with Thunder Unicorn, Behemoth the King of Animals, and Ronin Racoon as they all adored Fluttershy as their master and hoped that one day she would visit them so that they could show her this place. With that Mahad gave them their best wishes, but not before Mana was tightly hugging Ronin Racoon who was just so cute and cuddly she couldn't resist petting him. Ronin Racoon was doing his best to escape her arms, seems all his training and fighting experience didn't prepare him for this.

Next up was a place of bizarre as they arrived in Toon World, as they changed into their toon forms. Seems Pinkie's deck was a rather crazy one as her realm had both her Toons and her newly added Madolche deck. Seems both set of monsters were pleased with one another as they all made a statue of Pinkie out of delicious sweets to show their appreciation. The toons even had a portrait of Pinkie all over the entire realm along side their original owner who so happened to be Mr. William's grandfather. After a bit of a hectic experience, both Mahad and Mana were pleased to see that both archetypes were happy to have someone like Pinkie as their owner and master. Both got out just in time before they suggested a party as they knew Pinkie's influence had rubbed off on them.

They then arrived in Rainbow Dash's realm as they had arrived in the middle of a game as her Ultra Athletics were out in the stadium. They even saw a couple of her newly added Speedroids sitting in the stands as they had a couple of flags and posters cheering on their favorite superstars. Mana soon found herself in a sporting outfit as she joined in with the crowd cheering on her friends; Mahad simply went to talk with U.A. Star Player who was cheering on his teammates from the sidelines. Despite them taking after Rainbow's radically coolness and speaking lingo, Mahad was able to get the gist of what he said as they all were pleased they had someone like Rainbow Dash as their boss and head coach. Soon it was time for the halftime show as everybody in the stands and on the field all stood up as they looked at the huge screen high above. Soon a picture of Rainbow Dash came on screen as they all began to sing a song dedicated to her as they saw her as the most awesome person ever, even Clear Wing Synchro Dragon was flying high above as he let out a roar to show its love for Rainbow.

The last stop they made was visiting Rarity's realm as they saw all her Crystal Beasts out and about. They were currently having dinner as they all sat properly on their behinds at a long table. Seems Rarity's attitude and sense to be a lady had a huge effect on her Crystal Beast, well... at least Amethyst Cat as she was the only female old enough to keep the rest of the boys in check. Despite not understanding why they had to do this, the other Crystal Beasts all understood that it was something that their owner would like as they had several portraits of Rarity hanging along their giant home and even a statue made up of priceless gems and even a piece of the jewel that was a part of each of them. So after talking with them for a few minutes, Mahad and Mana said their goodbyes as they apologized for interrupting their meal and wished them a safe night. Once they left, all the Crystal Beasts and Rainbow Dragon started to just eat away at their meals very messy while Amethyst Cat just let out a sigh as she couldn't believe that this was her team of companions.

Soon they made it back as Mahad and Mana returned back to their homes which were right next to each other. Along the way they passed by some of Isaac's other monsters in his deck as they gave them their best wishes. The other monsters of Isaac's deck knew that their master treasured Mahad and Mana so much, but both of them did their best to say that Isaac loved them all equally. The Magnet brothers were powering down for the night as they had a big day tomorrow; Kuriboh was just arriving back to his little home as he let out a sound. All the magicians in Isaac's Extra Deck, along with his ritual monster Magician of Chaos and Dark Magician of Chaos had just finished wrapping up their meeting when they saw Mahad arrived from his trip as they said their peace and teleported back to their homes. Breaker, Queen's, King's, and Jack's Knight had all returned from the palace as they had finished their daily shift. Even Timaeus was flying above in his dragon form as he did his usual night portal of keeping everybody safe. Soon Mahad and Mana said their goodbyes and goodnights to one another as they each retreated into separately into their homes.

Mana immediately got to reading the book she got from High Priestess as she wanted to try some of these spells out. Mahad still had some spells he had to finish so he got to work on completely them. Once he recorded their results, he then decided to call it a night as he prepared himself for bed. Mahad noticed a book on his table as when he picked it up out dropped a photo. He picked it up and saw that it was a photo from the past as it was when he was still alive in Ancient Egypt as he was next to Mana and their late, great pharaoh. Mahad just let a smile appeared on his face as it brought back some heartwarming memories; he then opened the book to the page that it fell out of and saw another photo. This time it was more modern as it had Isaac in the photo as he was in engaged in battle as both him and Mana were side by side with their master preparing for battle. There was even a picture of them all sitting next to each other on top of Canterlot High as they watched the sunset with smiles on their faces. Mahad was happy as he saw the photo as he slid the fallen picture in and closed the book as he put it on the shelf.

"Isaac. I'm happy to have met you and allowed me to call you my new master. I will always be there to protect you and your friends, so is my duty as your protector and servant. But most importantly, as your friend. Thank you, for being my friend, master." said Mahad as he blew out the candle and soon the room was covered in darkness.

Chapter 98: Reality

The school year was winding down as everybody was looking forward to the summer. School was just a few weeks from ending as the students were making plans for the summer while also trying to get in some last minute studying as they knew that exams would be upon them. Principal Celestia had made the announcement that everybody was required to participate in a final year-end duel evaluation in the coming weeks. That alone made everybody scared because Principal Celestia had said that it would go on their permeant school record as it would help the dueling community with seeing if they saw any potential stars.

Also because it would allow the students to have a chance to be selected to by some sponsors and agents. The reason being is that this was the last summer before the students would return in the fall for their final year; so Celestial and Luna made sure that the students took this as serious as they could because the higher the score, the more valuable and options you would have. And then once Celestia and Luna sent the reports to the dueling community, should any agency see somebody they like then they could contact the student directly and allow them to do a sort of internship at their agency.

All that was enough to make any person nervous, but it was another thing to be graded and judged by the school champion. That's right, it seemed that Celestia had made Isaac an official judge in evaluating every duelist's performance. She did this so that Isaac could get the a sense of how the business side and political side of dueling worked. However, that didn't seem to be something that Isaac liked. All of this was something that Isaac didn't enjoy, more so that it made him feel like a corporate stooge and that he couldn't be himself by showing his love for Duel Monsters. Regardless, Isaac had to put his personal feelings to the side as he turned into the authority figure that his principals wanted him to be. One thing that Celestia and Luna did that really caught Isaac off guard, was that they invited Principal Sombra from Crystal Prep to serve as the fourth evaluator. Celestia and Sombra had both competed on the pro scene and were fully retired, so they felt like it would help the students if they were their to offer some inside insight on how things really worked.

"Well, that student performed rather horribly." said Sombra. "Sloppy moves, didn't know the basics of how to summon the monster they wanted. I think we could call this one a failure." stated Sombra as he gave a finally score.

"Can we give the person a retake?" asked Isaac. "I mean, they were nervous. Everybody gets the case of stage fright from time to time. I'm sure they'll do better if we give them a second chance." pleaded Isaac.

"I'm sorry, are you Canterlot High's duel champion or are you just someone who's willing to give anybody a second chance because they're nervous?" mocked Sombra. "Understand, Isaac. You only get one chance to make a first impression and that is the only thing that people will take away from you for the rest of their lives."

"Principal Celestia?"

"Principal Sombra is right, Isaac. If you don't make a good first impression in pro scene, then you say goodbye to everything you ever hoped for. All your dreams, your desires, it all goes away like that." said Celestia as she snapped her fingers to prove her point. "No retakes! Now then Isaac, will you call in the next person?"

"But..." started Isaac as he looked at the women and Sombra who just gave him a glare. Isaac let out a sigh, "All right. Next is duelist #32." said Isaac as he called out in not unexcited voice. Soon the person came through the doors as Isaac just leaned back into his chair with a unenthusiastic look.

Soon it went by as all four of them were criticizing everything single thing about a person's dueling style. Isaac felt hurt that he had to give some harsh words to someone who probably didn't know what half the stuff Sombra or the women were talking about. So he did his best to translate and try to use kinder words. Overall, it seemed the person was rather upset with how the judges evaluated her performance that she ran out of the room. Isaac tired to run after them, but Luna grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. She reminded Isaac that he had a job to do as a judge and didn't need his personal feelings to get in the way. Isaac couldn't do anything but sit down as he felt even more guilty. All day long, it went like this as the three adults expressed on how they felt about a person's performance.

Now granted there were some who impressed all of them as they offer some words of acknowledgement; they were especially happy to hear from Isaac as they felt like the champion of Canterlot High giving them kind words meant the world to them. As for the ones that did slightly less than average, the three adults were strict with their words as they pointed out all the flaws they made. Isaac just tried to be as sincere as he could, but it worked very little as most of them left with their heads hanging low. Soon it was all becoming too much for Isaac to see.

The last round of students for the day were nearly complete; it seemed that Sombra had decided to take part in a duel as he wanted to personally test the person's strength. Right now, Sombra was battling a student by the name of Ratchet as he was engaged with Sombra and his D/D deck. The battle had been going on for a while as both players were down to 4000 life points; that alone would think that Ratchet was putting up a fight. Well... he didn't, in fact the only reason Sombra was halfway through his life points was because of his own cards. So realistically, Ratchet hadn't done any damage to Sombra as he was bit shaken by all the pressure.

"What a waste of my time." said Sombra. "Well then, I guess I'll have no choice but to end this sorry excuse for a duel. Make your move."

Ratchet's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 7: Ratchet

"Right... uhm..." Seems Sombra's evil demeanor and the fact that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna being there were causing Ratchet to sweat heavily. "I now activate the spell card Beastborg Fusioner. This spell give me the power to Fusion Summon a Beastborg Monster. I'm fusing my Panther Warrior and Dark Sentinel." said Ratchet as he held his cards up high. "My new monster will mix the savagery of a jungle hunter with the attack strength of a high-tech combat machine. I Fusion Summon the most dangerous mercenary ever to walk. Beastborg Panther Predator(1600/2000)!" Out came a monster that was split down the middle as it had Panther Warrior on its right side and on the left side its entire body was covered in machine parts.

"Panther Predator's special ability activates. So you take damage equal to half of its attack points. Quasar Beam!" shouted Ratchet.

Sombra just remained a calm composure as he lifted his duel disk to guard the attack as he just look uninterested.
Sombra's Life Points: 3200-

"Now I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." said Ratchet as he was still a bit nervous.

Turn 8: Sombra

"A pity that this is the only real damage you've done so far. Horrible." stated Sombra as he drew his card. "To start, I'll activate a spell. Dark Contract with the Swamp King. And with it, at the beginning of my next turn. This spell card will deal me 1000 points of damage."

"Huh? So then what would be the advantage?" asked Ratchet.

"You should really study on your Duel Monsters knowledge." said Sombra in a stern tone. "Although, it will exact a heavy price as this duel continues, I can summon a Fusion monster without using a Fusion spell. Watch now as I fuse Double D Cerberus and Double D Lilith. I hope someone such as yourself is prepared for any and all situations because this duel is about to get very interesting. I Fusion Summon. Come forth and conquer all Triple D Flame King Genghis." Sombra now had one of his powerful monsters on the field as Ratchet was a bit scared. "Now attack. Flame King Genghis, take out Panther Predator with Scorching Sword Swipe." Sombra's monster had no problem with cutting down its target.
Ratchet's Life Points: 3600-

"Clever, but I'll turn that tactical maneuver to my advantage using this. I play the trap Beastborg Medal of the Shield! For every 100 points of damage I take, my Shield is awarded one medal. Since I lost 400, I gain four medals." Soon four medals appeared on the big metal shield as they were neatly lined in a row. "And even though you destroyed Panther Predator, I can still harness its special ability to bring back the monsters that were used to summon it. Panther Warrior and Dark Sentinel are back in play."

"Even so, it's but a mere delay to a result that has already been decided." said Sombra as he knew this duel was already displaying the end result.

Turn 9: Ratchet

"It's my move!" said Ratchet as he drew his card. "I activate Beastborg Fusioner! I fuse Panther Warrior and Dark Sentinel once again! And now my Panther Predator's ready for combat. And I'm going to get it primed for attack by activating my Beastborg Medal of the Shield. By sending it to the graveyard, it pumps up Panther Predator's attack points by 100 for every medal on the shield." Panther Predator then had its stats rise up to 2000. "And to further my tactical advantage, I'll activate my other facedown, Beastborg Medal of the Blade. For every hundred points of damage you take, my trap will be rewarded with one medal."

"It would appear that you enjoy collecting medals." said Sombra with a snarky remark.

"Now I use my Panther Predator's special ability, Quasar Beam!" Ratchet then had his Medal of the Blade trap card produce ten medals.
Sombra's Life Points: 2200-

"Now I think I need to power up my monster even more. By sending Beastborg Medal of The Blade to the graveyard, my monster gains 100 attack points for each of its medals for a total of 1000 attack points! Now it's got 3000. Now Panther, engage the enemy. Cyber Panther Slash!" said Ratchet. His monster then took out Sombra's monster with its jaws.
Sombra's Life Points: 1200-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Sombra

"Very well then." said Sombra as he prepared to take his turn.

"Don't forget Sombra, your Contract with the Swap King is still in effect." shouted Luna.

"I'm well aware of that." responded Sombra. "But as you know Luna, the tide of battle can always turn... and it shall." Sombra said as he drew his card. "As she so thoughtfully pointed out, my Contract spell has now come due, and it will cost me 1000 life points." Sombra then had his own spell blast him with a powerful beam as he stood there and took it.
Sombra's Life Points: 200-

"Not time to end this duel. Allow me to demonstrate." said Sombra as he had a sly smile on his face. "First, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale One Double D Savant Kepler and Scale 11 Double D Savant Galilei. Behold as they now work their wizardry. You won't believe your eyes." Sombra's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' spelled out to signal it worked. Sombra's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "I can now summon monsters from Level two through nine at the same time. The energy of the universe swings between the forces of darkness and of light. I shall now harness the power of this eternal oscillation. I Pendulum Summon and call upon my two monsters to emerge." Soon a portal opened above Sombra as his monsters appeared in bright lights.

"First, the majestic warrior Double D Proud Chevalier(2000/700)! And then the vessel that locks away the forces of chaos, Double D Pandora(1700/2000)!" shouted Sombra.

"What's a Pendulum Summon? How'd you do that?" asked Ratchet as this was the first time seeing this.

"Quite easily. For my final step, I overlay both monsters in order to build the Overlay Network. I now Xyz Summon. Triple D Marksman King Tell(2300/2000, OLU: 2). I'll use its special ability. When I take damage from a Contract by using one Overlay Unit, not only will your monster lose 1000 attack points, you'll also suffer 1000 points of damage." Sombra's monster then absorbed an Xyz material as it aimed its weapon.

"So you made that Contract knowing it would hurt me instead." stated Ratchet as he realized Sombra's plan.

"Preceptive. Now Electrostatic Arrow." shouted Sombra as his monster took aim and it split into two tiny arrows as they hit Ratchet in the chest and his monster in the foot.
Ratchet's Life Points: 2600-

"And since I still have one Overlay Unit remaining, I'll use that, too. Electrostatic Arrow!" Once more Sombra's monster used its last Xyz materials as Ratchet lost another 1000 life points and his monster got weaker.
Ratchet's Life Points: 1600-

"Ready for some more surprises?" asked Sombra with sly smile. "As it happens, my Contract has another effect. By banishing monsters from my graveyard, I can summon another Fusion monster without using a fusion spell."

"Another one?"

"By banishing Proud Chevalier and Pandora, I will create a monster that will seal your fate. I Fusion Summon. Cast your eyes upon the winged fiend destined to defeat your Beastborg. Triple D Oracle King d' Arc. Now take flight and wipe out his Beastborg. Strike the final blow." commanded Sombra.

"I... I activate my trap card, Beastborg Medal of Honor. By destroying my Panther Predator, I can summon the two monster that were fused together to create it. Panther Predator, thanks for the assist buddy. By giving one up for the team, you let me bring back Panther Warrior and Dark Sentinel. Medal of Honor has another effect. One that's a real game changer. We both take damage equal to my monsters' total attack points." said Ratchet as he hoped to at least end the game in a tie.

Sombra just fixed his shirt collar while looking at Ratchet. "A bold move, but it won't work. I activate Triple D Oracle King d' Arc's special ability. Instead of taking damage, I gain life points equal to that amount instead. Existential Escalation!" Sombra's monster then lifted its hand up as it gave him quite the health boost.
Sombra's Life Points: 7200-

"Now that I feel rejuvenated, I can finish what I started." smirked Sombra. "Our battle resumes. Oracle King, attack! Imperial Onslaught!" Sombra's monster then used its sword to destroy Panther Warrior. "One last attack. King Tell, take aim at Dark Sentinel. Ionic Arrow Strike!" Sombra's other monster then took out Ratchet's remaining monster as he was flung onto his back and his life points depleted.
Ratchet's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sombra

"You know you didn't have to go overboard with your Pendulum cards." stated Isaac.

"He barely made a move. I do hope he has a backup plan, he might want to consider switching careers." stated Sombra as he deactivated his duel disk and went back to his seat.

Celestia and Luna had Ratchet be carried away by Nurse Redheart as she helped carry him to the nurse's office as he was passed out. They then went back to their table as they looked over the final reports.

"Well, that's all the participants for today." said Luna.

"Overall, a dreadfully display of performance and talent." stated Sombra. "But what would I expect from someone who attends Canterlot High."

"He did his best." said Isaac.

"And yet, he lost." mentioned Celestia. "Keep in mind that the goal of these year end evaluations is to help the students to be noticed by sponsors that may help them should they decided to enter the pro dueling scene. So there's no room for error; you either step up or step aside."

"Still isn't the idea that everybody should be given a fair chance. Most of the people are really good, it's just that given that they're under some pressure, it's making them feel uncomfortable." mentioned Isaac.

"It doesn't matter. You need to understand that you need to leave your personal feelings at home, when you're in the pro league, if you show compassion towards your enemies too much, they will take advantage of you." stated Sombra. "Understand that whatever opportunities you have in life are of your own accord, they are not given by anybody who's willing to show kindness because they felt sorry for that person. No. No. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had put all their money and all their connections in you becoming their poster boy; that's not something to be taken lightly. Do you know how many people would kill to be where you're at; look at the position that you're in." stated Sombra. "You're at the top of your class in terms of Duel Monsters, you're a bright student based on your grades, you've got a beautiful and lovely girlfriend in Twilight. Not to mention that you hold the legendary Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, along with two of the Egyptian God cards. You've mastered all the known summoning methods and have gain possession of some new Pendulum cards. You are in the best shape of your entire life and you could be the greatest duelist to ever grace the duel field since the Big 4."

"All the adventures you've had Isaac, as admirable as they are, it won't matter as much if you don't focus on what's really important." stated Luna.

"And what's important?" asked Isaac.

"Your destiny. To become the pro duelist that you are." smiled Luna.

"My destiny? My destiny!?!" shouted Isaac. "You think that all of this is my destiny!?!"

"Is it not?" yelled Celestia. "You talk about how you love Duel Monsters and everybody you've met says that you would have one of, if not the greatest career in Duel Monster's history. Think about it, you could even be considered in the same class as your idol."

"Don't pull that bullshit with me, Celestia!!!" shouted Isaac as he looked at all three adults. "Trying to manipulate me, using my own idol against me to get your way. If that is what all three of you think of me, then I want out!" Isaac's response caused Luna and Celestia to had their eyes widen. "If that's all you care about, then I'll gladly turn in my title as champion and you can find somebody else to mold into your ideal." stated Isaac as he got up from his seat.

"Isaac!" shouted Celestia. "Just listen to what we have to say."

"Why!?! Tell me why!!" he shouted. "Everytime, everytime. People say that I would have a decent run if I decided to become a pro, and I don't doubt them. I know that my skills are on a another level, hell I've spent nearly my entire damn life trying to get better! And I did cause look at where I am. But to sit there and say that it's 'my destiny' to become a pro and nothing more. That's the reason why I'm so hesitant on going down that path." Isaac was now venting his frustrations and emotions he'd ever had. "You both feel as it you've already planned out my life and you expect me to follow the path that you've laid out for me like I'm some kind of corporate lapdog! That I'm suppose to be your singing and dancing monkey that you can just wave a shiny thing in front of my face, so that I can give you some amusement."

"Isaac, calm down." said Luna.

"Shut the hell up!" shouted Isaac. "I'm your diamond. Is that you've called me, Celestia, Luna? I'm suppose to be your saving grace that helped to redesign and rebuild Canterlot High from the ground up; my fellow peers calling me the champ that runs the camp! The face of this division, etc... the list goes on and on! And you want to sit there and say that it's 'my destiny' to become a pro. What about you two? Was it your destiny to become a pro duelist?" asked Isaac.

"Yes." said Celestia with a straight tone. "I knew I wanted to be a pro duelist and nothing more! I worked my ass off, day in and night out! All the times on the road that I've spent with my sister, all the times we've had to share a room cause we didn't have enough money to afford a bed! All the times we've had to spread out our meals until we got noticed and found a sponsor! All the stupid bullshit decisions we've made cause we were too dumb and stupid to realize!!! We've learned the hard way of getting hustled when it comes to the competitive scene; the only person you can look out for is yourself. Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." said Celestia.

"And you think that I'll make those same mistakes like you two did?"

"Only if you listen and follow our lessons. And you stay on the path that we've outline for you, then can you avoid all those horrible things. Isaac this isn't for me or Luna's personal desire, we just want what's best for you!"

"What's best for me?" responded Isaac. "If you really knew what was best for me, then you should know that I feel like dueling isn't all that I'm good for. But you two are here sitting on your asses thinking that this is what I want when you haven't asked me. Did you ever think that maybe, I don't want to become a pro."

"Don't you dare say that!" shouted Luna. "You will be a pro, that much is certain."

"Oh really, as certain as it was that I beat Celestia. Cause let's face if we really took a nice long look at it, you could say that it was 'my destiny' to put her career six feet in the ground!!!" shouted Isaac.

"Isaac, I suggest you take a deep breath!" warned Celestia.

"Become a pro, become a pro. That's all people say when they see my talents and skills. And I'm not denying that they're right, but I feel like I have so much more going for me than simply just being confined to one path. I want to see what the world has to offer me, what life throws my way. And if I choose to just stick with one route, then how will I know what I'm missing out on."

"Because that's not a concern." stated Celestia. "Isaac, the path laid ahead of you is already set in stone. You will become a pro duelist and you will pursue dueling. We're just helping you to get there a bit faster. This is not something you can control or have any decision over; you know that deep down inside, that becoming a top duelist is something you've always been made for. This is something that you've earned, this is your birthright and you need to grab that brass ring and break through the ceiling. This is your destiny! You can't fight what destiny has in store for you!!" shouted Celestia as she was trying to get her point across to her handpicked champion. "Now come with me and Luna..."

Isaac slapped away Celestia's hand as she tried to place it on his shoulder. He then looked at Celestia with fury in his eyes, "I'm not your puppet Celestia, you can't expect to pull my strings and make me dance against my will. I'm my own god damn person, nobody else! And even if my future is set in stone, I'll smash that future cause I want to make my own path, not follow yours, mine!"

"Then you will fail!!!" shouted Celestia.

"You will fail!!! And you won't be the duelist that people look up to!!!" joined in Luna. "You constantly say that you want to be like your idol. Well would he have done what we did, no! Because he was smart, he knew the right people to shake hands with and which were the ones looking to take advantage of him!! And I promise you, that if you don't listen to us and get it through your thick ego, then you will never be the duelist you claim to be!! You will never be like your idol because he was always that much better than you will ever be!! He could duel circles around you and you wouldn't even last 2 damn turns against him!!!" shouted Luna.

That last part said by Luna was enough to push Isaac over the edge. "I guess you're right. I may never be as good as him, hell I probably don't even belong in the same class as him. Yeah, he could outduel me and yeah he's definitely better than me. But at least I can say that I stood a chance unlike you did." said Isaac as he looked at Luna. "Cause if memory serves me right, didn't you face him and he OTK your ass!!!" shouted Isaac as he was letting out some personal stuff.

"You better watch what you say, boy! Or so help me..."

"What gonna you do about!?!" said Isaac as he and Luna were now staring at each other.

"Keep in mind that we are still your principals; and you do not want to cross us!!!"

"You're right, cause if that did happen you would join your sister over there in retirement!!! You both want to retire at the same time, then I've got no problem doing it right now!!!"

"Enough!!!" shouted Celestia using her booming voice. "Isaac, what we are doing by giving you all those lessons on business and being able to criticize everything and everybody is for your own good!! For the greater future; we want you to be the best duelist that you can be! So listen to reason and trust that me and Luna know what the hell we're talking about!!"

"But I don't want to follow your path; I'm my own person. And I follow nobody's path, I make my own. You guys carved a path, you paved the way. But when the hell do I get walk on that path!?!" shouted Isaac. Soon he realized what he just as as that last sentence was something he thought he never ever say. Isaac then walked out of the room as he needed to clear his head.

"Isaac, wait up!" shouted Luna as she was about to go after him.

"Let him go." stated Sombra. He had been sitting in silence watching this interaction between Isaac and his beloved principals. "The boy clearly has a lot on his mind. We're basically at the end of this school year and once school starts up again in the fall, Isaac will be in his senior year as a student here. After that, he'll have to make a choice on what he wants to do with his life. He acts like he doesn't want to become a pro duelist, because he knows that already has been decided for him. Not by people telling him, or because of your personal lessons, but because of fate. He knows that this is what he'll become, he's just simply scared that his time as a young adult is being taken away from him so fast that he won't have time to experience other things since he'll be so engraved as a professional. The thing that nobody is aware of when they decided to go pro, is that they are so focused on their career, that they tend to forget other things in life. Marriage, weddings, birth of relative, death of a beloved, you even forget about your family. You travel on the road 24/7, visiting different cities and places, working live events and house shows, that it becomes the only thing you can think about because it's the last remaining thing on your mind. Eventually, you forget everything else and only focus on yourself." said Sombra as that last part was personal to him.

"It's why I told Shining Armor when he graduated and decided to enter the pro scene that he shouldn't forget about the things that matter close to him. Especially, because he had asked Cadance to marry him right before he left. Thankfully, he remembered what I told him as he's making sure that he spends as much time as he can with Cadance and Flurry Heart." stated Sombra. "But Isaac is in a different position, he's made friends that have been carved into his heart for all of eternity. Not to mention there's the question of his relationship with Twilight; they love each other deeply, but he knows that they're currently in high school. What happens when they both graduate? Do they cease their love and go their separate ways, or do they stay together? Twilight knows she wants to go into card designing, it's why she's been applying to summer internships and has asked me for letter of recommendation."

"Yes, she also has received a letter from me and my sister." stated Luna.

"That alone shows two different career paths for the both of them. Card designing takes up as much time if not more than it does being a pro duelist. So Isaac feels like if he and Twilight were to continue their relationship after they graduate, they would only be miserable as they would barely spend any time seeing each other, especially if they decided to settle down. Overall, the major things holding young Isaac back, is his friends. He doesn't want to lose them or forget because they are what he draws his strength/power from."

"Isaac really cares about his friends. And I'm not saying that he should just forget about them, he clearly can see them whenever he wants, he'll just..."

"Be so confined with his traveling schedule that he'll have his agent be the one to communicate with his friends instead of himself." said Sombra as he finished Celestia's sentence. "Tia, the reason you've excluded Isaac from participating from these year-end duel evaluations is not because he's the champion. But because of his test scores and what would happen if you were to send his results to the dueling community. He would be flooded with tons of sponsors trying to sign him to their agency. I did a little side project of mine and I compared the results of Isaac's scores with that of Shining Armor's and the difference was quite shocking. Despite both being the best of their class, Isaac clearly has shown that he would rise to tops of the dueling world in just the first few months of him being there. That alone would mean that he would need to make at least 3 television appearances, 5 conference meetings, 2 signings, and still have to compete in a duel all before the next day; and that's not even being labeled as a busy day. Then depending on what his agent team has him doing, he'll either have an extra meeting or another appearance, then convert that into a 7-day schedule. At most, he'll only have but an hour and possibly not even that to meet and talk with his friends. Overall, Isaac will slave away doing the things he loves the most, while also being a prisoner."

Isaac was walking in the hallways as he was trying to comprehend things. Along the way he was replying the thing he said in his mind when he went off on Celestia and Luna.

"You guys carved a path, you paved the way. But when the hell do I get to walk on that path!?!"

"Those words, I never thought I would ever say them myself." Isaac didn't know why he said that, especially because he remembered his encounter with Starlight. He remembered that she was the one who used similar words, now he was starting to see why she was so fond of that saying. "No! No! I'm not like her." shouted Isaac but he could still hear Starlight laughing in his head.

Isaac continued walking as he noticed some little kids having some fun as they were dueling. It brought a smile to his face to see they so full of joy. He continued walking as he made his way to the main entrance; along the way he looked at all the photos that Celestia had decided to hang. There were photos depicting of Isaac and some of his duels that he has faced so far in his reign as champion. All those photos were as both a reminder and a lie; still it was the only thing he had to show his progress from where he started. Soon he got to the front of the school as he pushed past the doors and looked at the sky, the sun was just about to set as the moon was slowly rising.

"Is this truly all that I'm destined for? Is my future to just simply be the duelist that everybody here already knows that I am? What about my friends? Do I just forget they ever existed? And what about my family? Am I never see them again, to be nothing more than slave locked away to my own passion?" Isaac just let out a sigh as he put a hand on the Canterlot High statue. "I just wish... that I knew what the future held for me. Maybe then I could have a clear mind on what I need to do. I've always wanted to become like my idol, but does that have to come at the cost of those that I hold dearly to my heart? Do I really want to be like him, or should I just walk away from all this?" Isaac didn't know what to do as he simply turned away from the statue and began to walk away as the moon was now high into the sky as the stars were now shining in the night sky.

Chapter 99: Summer Plans

Seems the thing plaguing on Isaac's mind was still there as the year-end evaluations were still going. Even so, Isaac was still at odds with Celestia and Luna as they still argued over what was the best path for him to take. Regardless, they made sure to keep it behind closed doors as they didn't want anybody to know about this private conversation. So they put their different point of views to the side as they had to still do evaluations. Seems they did a good job at hiding their disdain as it looked like they were back to acting like nothing had happened. However, there was still that disdain all three of them had.

Soon all the tests were done, as there was a stack of scores and results all in several piles as Celestia putted them in her folder where she would send them to the dueling community. She also explained to Isaac that she was to attend a conference meeting with the dueling community and that she demanded he be there to get some real-life experience with how business was done in an actual duel setting. Isaac was not at all pleased by this idea as he told Celestia that he didn't want to. Mostly, due to how he wanted to spend the summer with his friends and not waste it on some boring meeting. However, it seems Celestia was very strict about it that she wasn't taking no for an answer. Isaac just brushed off Celestia as he exited her office. Celestia knew that Isaac was still being rebellious about following the path she laid out for him, but she knew it was the only way to make sure that he was kept safe.

Even though Isaac was less than pleased that he was being forced against his will to attend. He found it more disheartening that almost all of his friends had their own summer plans. According to what he heard, it seemed that almost all of them would be gone for about the first half of summer vacation. Rainbow was going to attend a summer camp that dealt in both athletics and dueling as it was her dream to become a top star in both divisions. Rarity was going to Manehattan for a internship where she would get to work with tons of fashion designers and possibly have her design be featured in the top magazine that was spread to all over the country. Fluttershy was going to on a retreat with the Animal Club as they would be going to Whitetail Woods where they were going to help animals that were being hunted. She was going to have a chance to help create homes for these creatures and help them to survive in the wild.

Applejack was going to help her family on the farm, but first she and her family were going to visit some of their relatives for the annual family meeting which was going to take place in Coltifornia. They also wanted to meet with some people who wanted to do business with them as they looked to expand their connections so that their farm could flourish. Pinkie... well... let's just say that she had her own plans to do. And as for Twilight, it seemed that what Sombra said was true. Twilight was going to be doing an internship in card designing as she would look to get some hand-on experience. The thing that really made Isaac happy was that Twilight would get to be working with Mr. William at Industrial Illusions as he felt like it would allow Twilight to flourish. As for Sunset, well... to be honest, he didn't know what she was doing. In fact, she hadn't said a word to any of them as to what her plans were for summer. If that wasn't enough, it turned out that Mr. Johnson was going to visit his niece so he was going to be out of town for a while. That meant that not only would Isaac be out of a job temporarily, but that he wouldn't get to teach the little kids about Duel Monsters. It seemed that this summer was going to one that Isaac was not looking forward to, especially cause it would be the last one he would have as he would soon enter his finally year as a student.

Sunset was currently in her room as she had headset on and was playing some video games. Despite the girls all going to be away for a while, Sunset wasn't too worried as she had tons of things to keep her occupied. She knew that she would see them once they all got back from their personal things as they could enjoy the rest of their summer. While she was busying trying to get a killstreak, a book that was next to her started to emit a glow.

"Alright, 15 kill streak!!" shouted Sunset as the game had ended with her getting the most kills and the least amount of death. Even the game showed her the winning kill as it was her getting a double kill with a collateral. She was so impressed with her skills that she didn't notice the book starting to glow. "Well, better get myself som..." Sunset now looked at the book as it was glowing. She then picked it up as she opened to the page that was shiny as she began to read from it; she was currently reading the message that was being sent to her as her eyes widen.

It had been about a week since school ended and the start of summer vacation. During that time, all the girls had left Canterlot and were on their own little mini retreats. Twilight had said goodbye to Isaac as she was leaving with Mr. William. It was hard to imagine that he wouldn't see his girlfriend for quite sometime, but she assured Isaac that she would be back as their one-year anniversary was coming up. Regardless, Isaac wished Twilight a safe return as they gave one last kiss to say goodbye. After that it was nothing but quiet. The girls all left after Twilight in the coming days as the town seemed to be much more lonely despite having there still being people.

Sunset was busy reading something as she tried to figure things out, it seemed that the message she got from the book was no joke. She thought for sure she wouldn't need the thing, but it seemed to serve as a reminder of her past. Soon the door opened as in came somebody.

"So... have you figured out why this happening?" asked the voice.

"I don't know. When I first heard about this, I was surprised that it was happening. One thing I do know is that I can't handle all of this myself. I need some help." she said.

"Understood, just tell what you need and I'm inform the..."

"No." said Sunset as she cut the voice off. "I know who can help us. I just hope he wasn't too fond of going to that business meeting he had to attend." said Sunset.

Isaac was currently lying on his bedroom as he was staring at the ceiling while playing catch with a rubber ball with his right hand. He was thinking about what he could do as all of his friends were gone, not to mention that Celestia had this conference she was scheduled to take part in as she was going to drag him to. Still it pained Isaac that he had nothing to do, especially cause this could potentially be the last time he could ever get to spend with his friends before they all took the next step and went on with their own individual paths. Isaac just let out a sigh as he out his arm down and the ball bounced hitting the floor as it lightly traveled to where Tigre was sleeping. She just simply opened her eyes as she looked at the ball before going back to her nap.

"Man, this is the worst summer ever!" shouted Isaac. Soon his phone started to go off as he was receiving a call. Isaac looked at his contacts and he saw that it was from Sunset. "Hello?"

"Hey, Isaac."

"Hey, Sunset. How are you doing? I mean, since the girls all left, I assume you were busy doing whatever it was you had planned for the summer."

"Yeah, well... let's say that somethings came up that caused my summer plans to be thrown off. Look, I know you have this meeting you're suppose to attend with Principal Celestia, right?"

"Tell me about it. I still don't want to go, but it seems I'm not being given much choice. Celestia thinks this is suppose to help me when I become a pro duelist."

"Yeah, look... I... there's something that has come up that needs my attention."

"Is everything okay?" asked Isaac with some concern.

"Hard to say; don't worry, I'm fine. But it seems that I can't figure out this problem myself, look I need your assistance. Do you think you can lend me a hand?"

"Sunset, you know that I'm always willing to help my friends."

"I knew I could count on you, boy toy." giggled Sunset. "Okay, look everything will become clearer once we meet. I'll be in town in about a day, don't worry, I've already told your family and Principal Celestia about you helping me with a problem that it will require you to be away for awhile. So in sense you're welcome for not having to attend that stupid meeting."

"Thanks, I guess. Where are we going?"

"I'll explain everything in due time, just make sure to meet me by the statue in front of the school. Also make sure that you bring your duel disk and deck. You're gonna need them. See ya then." With that the call ended as Sunset hung up.

Isaac looked at his phone as he tried to process what Sunset had told him. From what he could tell from her voice it seemed to be something rather urgent. But also she seemed calm so knowing that, Isaac knew that Sunset was in no harm. However, that meant there was still a problem. Not to mention that she had asked Isaac to meet her by the school statue and to bring his deck. Isaac could only assume that it involved something big and to be honest, he was kind of glad that he had something to do other than listen to Celestia's request.

It was the next day as nighttime was about to be upon them, Isaac had received a message from Sunset that told him to meet her by the school statue. So Isaac did one final check as he put on his duel disk and grabbed his deck as he put it in his deck box on his belt. He then quietly made his way out of the house and began to walk towards the school. It was all quiet, seeing as there was nobody at all inside the building. Isaac had saw the statue that Sunset had told him to meet her by.

"Well, this is the place. But where is she?" asked Isaac. He was standing in front of the statue as he observed it.

"Isaac?"

"Hmm? Who's there?"

"Pss, Isaac." called out the voice. They soon stepped from the other side of the statue as it was none other than Sunset.

"Sunset."

"Isaac, you made it."

"Of course I did, now what's going on? The way you sounded over the phone seems like there was something major happening. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just... let me ask you something. Are you sure you want to do this? You don't have to, if you don't want to? I only ask cause you're my friend. I don't want to get you involved if it doesn't concern you." said Sunset as she grabbed Isaac's hand.

"We're friends, Sunset. If something is bothering you, then it becomes my concern. Whatever you're going through, I'll be there to help you." said Isaac as he squeezed her hand tightly.

"Thanks, I knew you say that. Okay... follow me." Sunset then led Isaac to the back of the statue.

Isaac was confused on what or why there were here. Soon Sunset took a deep breath as she took a step forward and put her hand on the statue. Then the craziest thing happened as Isaac couldn't believe his eyes, Sunset then stepped through the statue and was gone. Isaac was left bewildered for a few seconds as he tried to wrap his head around what happened. He then put his hand on the same statue and his hand created a particle effect; he then pushed his arm in deeper and it disappeared, but more realistically it seemed to be some kind of portal. Whatever this was, Isaac knew that Sunset had gone through it and based on how concern she was. It seemed like this was going to be an adventure that was going to require a lot more time than usual. So with a heavy heart, Isaac took one last look at the school and the town of Canterlot as he had a feeling that he might be gone for quite a while. He adjusted his cap and took a deep breath as he stepped fully into the portal and disappeared. The inside of the portal was filled with lots of space as Isaac found himself spinning in swirl like pattern as he was being transported to where the portals was leading him. Soon a flash of magic and light appeared as out came Isaac as he landed facefirst on the floor with the portal disappearing.

"Well, that could have gone better." Isaac said as he rubbed his mouth, only to find that it felt squishy?

Isaac was still lying on the floor as he lifted his head to examine himself. It seemed that the portal did something to him as he was no longer a human, but rather an animal. It appeared that he now had fur which was brown, but one could say caramel even. He had a tail and a mane that was a darker shade, chocolate would probably be the closest similarity. He could see that he had a horn sticking out of his forehead; he still kept his signature look as they had been modified to fit his new body. He was wearing his jacket, he had a saddle bag that was in the shape of his deck box as it served as the placeholder for his deck. He even saw some kind of mark on his bottom as it appeared to be a Duel Monster card. Not to mention that he had his duel disk on his front left leg along with his watch. Finally to complete this ensemble, he sported the silver chain necklace he got for his birthday as it still had the shape of his Dark Magician as well as he still wore his cap on top of his head as it was position so that it wouldn't get in the way of his horn.

"Great, it seems that stepping through that portal has turned me into horse. Although, now upon closer inspection, it seems the correct term would be pony." said Isaac as he looked at himself as his tail swished.

"Halt, intruder!" shouted a voice.

Isaac looked up as saw that there was about 5 other ponies who had white fur as they all wore gold armor and helmets. They all had spears as they pointed at him as he was surrounding in a circle.

"Stay where you are, intruder! We have you surrounded, you can't escape!" shouted the head guard.

"Uh,... I come in peace?" said Isaac.

"Hold on!" shouted a voice as another pony came from behind the guard and stepped forward. "Isaac."

"Huh, yeah that's my name. But how do you know that, who are you?"

"It's me, Sunset."

"Sunset?" Isaac was confused by what this pony was saying. Eventually he started to examine her and true to her word, she was right. The mare standing before her had the same bacon-colored hair and had orange fur. Not to mention that she wore a duel disk on her arm. "Sunset, it really is you." said Isaac as he sat on his behind. "I was wondering where you went after you stepped through the portal."

"It's alright, guards. He's no threat." said Sunset as she dismissed the other ponies. Soon they all bowed to her as they left to continue their patrol.

"Well that was a different welcoming committee than I'm used to." said Isaac. He then looked at their surroundings as it was full of color and decorations. There were stained glass windows as well as some royal banners hanging along the columns and pillars. From what he could tell, it seemed that they were in some kind of castle. "So, mind telling where we are? More importantly, why we look like this?"

"It's a long story."

"Well, I'm not going anywhere." stated Isaac.

"So, let me see if I understand this? You're not a human, but rather a pony and this is where you're from. A place called Equestria. And you left here to go to our home after you ran away from your lessons with the princess. And more importantly, this place is like an alternative dimension from the one back home, in that majority of the population is ponies with a couple of other creatures, like dragons, griffons, yaks, etc... And you received a message from a book you haven't used in a long time and it told you that there was a problem that needed your help. But you couldn't do it yourself and so you asked me to come along and assist you." said Isaac as he summarized all that Sunset had told him. "Yeah, sure. I believe it."

"Weird how you're just quickly accepting it?" said Sunset.

"Hey, I've had lots of magical encounters and some Shadow Games. Compared to that, this is like the least strangest thing if you think about."

"Of course. Hmm." Sunset then looked at Isaac as she was taking a nice long look at him. Safe to say that she expected Isaac to be transformed into a pony, but she didn't expect him to be so attractive in his new form. Despite being a unicorn, Sunset could still see his slight muscles along his entire body as she started to turn red, especially when she was staring at his flank.

"Uhm, Sunset. You okay?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah." she said as she quickly got rid of her stare to avoid Isaac seeing her checking him out. She then stepped forward as she was in Isaac's face as she put her head under his chin and listen closely to his heartbeat.

"Uh, what are..."

"Shh." Sunset said as she was listening to Isaac's heart. She just simply wanted to enjoy this opportunity as she smiled. Sunset then pulled out as she gave him a wink.

"Okay?" said Isaac as he raised his eyebrow.

"Anyways, follow me. We have to meet with Princess Celestia about the issue." said Sunset as she started walking to the throne room.

"Princess Celestia? Ok-ay." Isaac at this point just chose to accept the fact and not ask anymore questions that might result in him having a headache.

Soon both of them were walking along the main hallway as they arrived at two huge doors in front of them with guards standing out front. Sunset then used her magic as she pushed open the doors as Isaac was impressed by what Sunset did. They both walked in as there was a long red carpet in the middle of the throne room as it led to a chair. Sitting on that chair was a much, much larger pony as she towered over them and everybody else. She also had a horn, but in addition to that, she also had wings on her back. She also had a tail and mane that matched the colors of rainbowish as they started to flow majestically. Isaac looked upon her flank for a second and saw the symbol of the sun; she also wore some gold shoes and regalia. They both stopped at the bottom of the stairs as they looked at the huge pony.

"You are now in the presence of the ruler of Equestria. The princess of the sun, Princess Celestia." said the guard standing next to her.

"Your highness." said Sunset as she bowed down.

"Princess, huh? Hey there." said Isaac as he greeted casually.

"Show some respect, intruder!" shouted the guard as he pointed his weapon at Isaac.

"Isaac!" shouted Sunset. "This is the princess, you don't say stuff like that."

"Sorry! The only experience I've had with royalty up to this point in my life is a Burger King drive-through." stated Isaac as Sunset just rolled her eyes.

"At ease." said Princess Celestia as she told her guard to lower his weapon. "So, you have returned Sunset. And you've brought someone."

"Yes, Princess Celestia. This here is Isaac and I believe he can help us with this problem." stated Sunset as she got up from bowing.

Isaac just simply waved with his hoof; Princess Celestia then stood up from her throne as she unfolded her wings as they made her seem that much more bigger and intimidating. She then started to walk down the steps as she got closer to the two of them. Sunset then took a few steps back as Princess Celestia was now standing in front of Isaac as she looked down on him. Isaac felt a bit scared at having the princess who was much taller than him look down almost like she was trying to scare him, it worked as Isaac was sweating a bit. Princess Celestia was taking a closer look at Isaac as she was inspecting him very closely; she was looking deep in Isaac's eyes as she was trying to see look into his heart. She then looked at his flank and saw his mark as she just let out a smile and light giggle.

"Seems he's the right one. Welcome, Isaac. I'm Princess Celestia and I rule this entire kingdom and watch over the ponies of all of Equestria." she said.

"Impressive, oh I mean, you're majesty." said Isaac as he tried to give the princess the proper respect.

"It's fine, you may just call me Celestia. No need for formalities, any friend of Sunset is a friend of mine." smiled Celestia as it helped to ease Isaac's nerves.

"Great. So, you mind telling me why I'm here? Or maybe what's going on?" asked Isaac.

"All will be explained shortly, follow me." Celestia then led Isaac and Sunset out of the throne room.

They were going to her room; along the way, Isaac got to see firsthand just how big this castle was as it served as a home for other members of the castle. They passed by the kitchen as Isaac saw tons of chefs working on the menu, while Princess Celestia was trying to smuggle some cake. Seems somethings never change, soon they passed by and looked out of the hallway windows as there were the royal gardeners at working taking care of the plants and animals of the garden. There were even a couple of butlers and maids who were at work when they saw the princess coming that they all bowed in respect. Soon they arrived at their destination as the door had a huge sun emblem on it as the princess opened it with her magic. She then used her magic to have a table appear as she began to explain the situation to Isaac.

"And that is what has been happening." finished Princess Celestia.

"Wow. I didn't expect Duel Monster cards to come to life and start to cause chaos in Equestria." stated Isaac.

"Believe me, I found it hard to understand when I first got the message. But now that I've seen it firsthand and have actually disposed of some of them, I dare say that Equestria is under some serious threat." stated Sunset.

"So why me? I mean, if you can barely contain them, what makes you think that I can make much of a difference?" asked Isaac.

"Well, you don't." said Sunset bluntly. "I'm sorry, it's just that this was getting too much for me to handle alone, so I wanted to get some help. But given that the girls all left before I got the message, I didn't have that much options. My only bet was to ask for your help seeing as how lonely you were getting and the fact that you were about to attend that conference."

"Oh trust, you caught me at the right time. Besides, this is much better than a conference. At least, I can't worry about my future or 'destiny' while I'm here. Thinking that being a pro is already set in stone, I'll show her." muttered Isaac that last part.

"You okay?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah, never better." said Isaac as he tried to play it off. "Just thinking about something, anyways, so what's the plan?" asked Isaac.

"Well, given the many reports that have happened in the past and where Sunset has confronted them, they've appeared just outside of a place called Ponyville." Celestia then showed the map to Isaac as she used her magic to point where it was located.

"See the princess thinks that the reason all these incidents are occurring around Ponyville is because they're drawn to a certain object. Or power." stated Sunset.

"Like?" asked Isaac.

"Ponyville is home to a small population of ponies, but also it's home to the bearers of the Elements of Harmony." stated Celestia.

"Elements of Harmony?" said Isaac.

"The elements are what have kept all of Equestria in peace and harmony since the beginning of time, it's also been used to defeat any evil force that has threaten the harm all of the citizens of this land. Over the years, me and my sister after we ascended to the throne, have watched over the land and kept the peace alive."

"Years? Just how old are you?" asked Isaac. Isaac then received a smack to the head by Sunset as she gave him a dirty glare. "Ow, what the hell Sunset?"

"You never ask a women her age? It's one of the sacred things you must never ask."

"Screw that ideology!" responded Isaac. "You can ask a guy that question and we're fine answering, but when it comes to girl, forget about it. I'm just wondering why can't women just answer the question and not get sensitive about it or make a big deal. It's not like it matters. Besides, I was just gonna say that she's not bad for someone who might be 'old'." stated Isaac.

Celestia then cleared her throat as she got the attention of the two ponies. "Yes, well, putting my age aside, there is still the matter at hand. Now then, as Sunset has pointed out it seems these 'Duel Monsters' are appearing and causing harm to all ponies. While my magic has some effect, it's still a lot for me to handle in addition to my duties as princess and ruler. So I've decided to have both you and Sunset journey to Ponyville to deal with any threats that may arise. Furthermore, I also expect that these creatures will be after the elements, so I expect you to keep the bearers safe by making sure nothing happens to them. Maybe we can finally solve this issue." stated Celestia.

"Count me in. I thought I was going to have a boring summer, but this is even better than I expected." said Isaac.

"We'll do what we can Princess Celestia, you have our word. We won't fail you." said Sunset.

"I know you won't. Now then I've made preparations for you to travel to Ponyville, now you best get ready as the train will leave Canterlot in an hour. Good luck, my little ponies." said Celestia.

"Why do I expect like a title drop or song to play when you said that line?" asked Isaac.

"Come along, boy toy. We've got work to do." said Sunset as she used her magic and dragged Isaac out of the room and closed the door, Celestia just smiled at the two of them.

"Okay. Can you let me go?" asked Isaac as Sunset released her magic. "How did you do that?"

"I'm a unicorn, my magic comes from my horn and I've spent years under the princess learning about magic." said Sunset very proudly.

"Huh?" said Isaac as he looked at his horn. He then touched it as if trying to turn it on; Sunset just smiled rolling her eyes and smiled at Isaac. Soon some aura began to surround his horn as it glowed, Isaac looked to the floor and saw a wrapper. He tried to see if he could pick it up; it proved to be difficult as Isaac was sweating.

"Try concentrating." stated Sunset.

"What do you think I've been doing?" shouted Isaac as he was still trying to pick it up as he let out some deep breaths.

"Also try to use your feelings, magic is tied to your emotions. The stronger you're feeling, the more powerful your magic will be."

Isaac took Sunset's words in as he closed his eyes and started to use his feelings to control his magic. It took a while, but Isaac could feel the connection being made as his mind and heart were becoming one. Soon the wrapper on the flow started to levitate as it was surrounded by his magic as Isaac opened his eyes and floated the object towards him. Isaac was sweating hard as he was happy to finally do it.

"Not bad, boy toy. Now come along, we'll practice a bit more on the train ride." said Sunset as Isaac just dropped the wrapper and followed her.

Soon both of them got onboard as their train departed for their destination. Isaac was sitting across from Sunset as he was trying to practice his magic while Sunset sat across from him as she read a book.

"So, Sunset. You've been here before, maybe you can answer some questions that I have?"

"Sure."

"Okay, like what exactly is Princess Celestia?"

"She's an alicorn."

"Alicorn?" asked Isaac.

"Basically, she's a combination of Pegasus and a Unicorn."

"Okaay. Well, she mentioned that she was a princess; are there any others?"

"Yes, see an alicorn is basically what happens when somepony does something worthy of gaining that status."

"And can only girls do that or what?"

"Well, so far it's only been a mare to gain wings. Not so sure about a male. In any case, there's currently 4 princess. There's Princess Celestia who is the princess of the sun and rules Canterlot and all of Equestria alongside her sister, Princess Luna who is the princess of the night. There's also Princess Cadance who is the princess of love and rules the Crystal Empire up north." stated Sunset.

"Interesting. But you said there's four princesses, so... who's the fourth?"

"Yeah... about that... the fourth princess is actually the latest to be crowned." said Sunset as she shifted her eyes slight to the right.

"And?" asked Isaac hoping for some clarification.

"Look, once we get to Ponyville, you'll understand."

"All right." said Isaac with a slow suspicious tone. "Well, what about these elements? Surely, you've met them seeing as how you've been dealing with some of these problems before you got me."

"Yeah, I have met the bearers of the Elements of Harmony." Sunset let out another deep breath as was having trouble on how to explain this to her friend. "Look, Isaac, all the questions you have will get answered once we reach Ponyville. I promise."

"Fine." said Isaac as he figured he drop the subject. He knew that if Sunset wasn't going to give him a straight answer, then it must be for a reason. He then looked back at his backside as he had one last question. "Can you at least tell me what this mark on my ass is? It's seems kind of like a tattoo." said Isaac as he looked down at it.

"That's actually called a Cutie Mark. It basically serves to show what a pony's special talents are. So for you, since you're so passionate and knowledgeable when it comes to Duel Monsters, you've got a Duel Monsters card on your flank." smiled Sunset.

"Interesting. Kind of cool." said Isaac as he took one last look at his mark.

"Well, we're about to arrive soon. One more thing, you're gonna have to change how you say certain things, like you're gonna have to say 'pony' after certain words like: somepony, everypony, etc... you get what I'm saying." stated Sunset as she put her book into her saddle bag.

"Yeah, I mean it's not that hard. Just might take a while to getting use to it." smiled Isaac.

"And one more thing." Sunset then switched over to sit next to Isaac as she brought her mouth up to Isaac's ear and nibble it before playfully yanking on it.

"Ow, what the hell?" screamed out Isaac as Sunset's actions hurt a bit. "What was that for?"

"Just something that I couldn't do normally when we were human." giggled Sunset. "It just means something between two ponies."

"What does it mean?" asked Isaac as he was afraid on what Sunset did.

Sunset just let out a small laugh as she looked at Isaac. She then brought herself and snuggled close to Isaac's body as she had her head under his chin. She then closed her eyes as she enjoyed this feeling; Isaac was surprised at what Sunset was doing, but seeing as they were both ponies meant that this was probably something normal. So he just closed his eyes as well as he rubbed the head of her with his cheek as he wrapped his right hoof around her as they enjoyed their little moment together.

Eventually the train arrived at their destination as both Isaac and Sunset had gotten off as they were the final two passengers. Isaac took in his surroundings as he noticed the small town of Ponyville.

"So, where do find these bearers or the princess for that matter?" asked Isaac. Sunset then turned Isaac's head in the direction of a giant castle that was sticking out as it looked like the only thing out of place in a town like this. "Ohh, well that kind of makes sense. A giant crystal castle in a place like this is like a sore thumb." said Isaac.

"Come on." said Sunset as she started to lead them both in the direction of the castle.

Along the way, Isaac could see what Sunset meant by this place having pony counterparts. He was seeing some ponies that resembled some people he knew from Canterlot High. It still amazed Isaac that a place like this existed. "Wow, you weren't kidding."

"Told you. Now you know how I felt when I came to Canterlot High for the first time." smiled Sunset.

"Yeah, it's..." Isaac stopped in his tracks as he turned around as if he saw something.

"Isaac, everything okay?"

"Yeah, just... I thought I saw something pink." said Isaac.

"That means we need to get to the castle, come on. We're almost there." said Sunset.

Strange, for a second it looked like... no... it couldn't be. Isaac quickly put that thought to the side as he followed Sunset.

Unbeknownst to Isaac, his eyes didn't betray him. He only caught a small glimpse of what he saw as it was something pink. But rather not something, but somepony. The pony was watching the two of them as she noticed Isaac, she then saw they heading in the direction of the castle as she had a smile on her face as she prepared her plan. Isaac and Sunset had made it to the front of the castle doors, as Isaac looked up to take in the giant building.

"Wow, can't believe there's a crystal castle in a town like this." said Isaac.

"Yeah, she didn't exactly get a say in where the castle appeared." said Sunset. She then knocked on the door as they waited for someone to answer the door.

They didn't wait too long as the door to the castle opened up as someone came to answer them. The person that answered the door really was shocking to Isaac as they seemed quite familiar but he couldn't figure out why. The person who had opened the door wasn't a pony per say, but rather a small dragon who looked to be a baby of sorts.

"Oh, hey Sunset. Are you back from your visit with Princess Celestia?"

"Yeah, Spike. And I brought somepony with me."

"Then come right in." said Spike as he opened the door and let Sunset in. He then saw Isaac enter behind her as the two looked eyes for a second as he entered. "So, who's the colt?"

"Spike, this is Isaac. He's someone who I believe can help us." stated Sunset.

"Oh, well pleasure to meet you. Name's Spike, Spike the dragon." smiled the little drake.

"Hey, kid. Name's Isaac." said Isaac as he extended his right hoof to shake his claw.

"Oh, you have one too." said Spike as he noticed the duel disk on Isaac's left hoof.

"You mean my duel disk?"

"That's what it's called. Cool name." Spike was fascinated by the device on Isaac's arm. He had managed to see it in action when Sunset used it, but to actually have an up-close look he was amazed by it.

"Anyways, mind taking us to her." asked Sunset.

"Oh, right. She's waiting in the map room. Follow me." said Spike as he led the two ponies.

"So..."

"You'll get used to it." said Sunset as she knew what Isaac was thinking.

"Alright, we're here." said Spike as he pushed open the door. "Twilight, Sunset and her friend are here!" called out Spike.

"T-Twilight?" said Isaac as he was stunned by that answer. True to Isaac's word, he saw what looked to be purple mare sitting on a chair as she had both wings and a horn. Isaac was stunned by this as he couldn't believe the sight before him.

"Thanks, Spike." said Princess Twilight. "Hello, Sunset. Did you have a safe trip?"

"Yeah, Twilight. It was fine, anyways I brought somepony to help us. This here is Isaac." said Sunset as she introduced him and took a step back to allow the two ponies to meet.

Both ponies took a long look at each other almost like they were in a trance. For Isaac, he was trying to wrap his head around knowing that there was a pony version of his girlfriend, unlike her, this Twilight wasn't wearing glasses. It still served as a weird experience as he couldn't believe what was in front of him. Twilight on the other hand was amazed by Isaac, she had met plenty of colts in the past, but for some reason she was drawn to Isaac. She looked Isaac in the eyes as she was looking into his soul and then started to examine his physique. Eventually, she started to turn red as realized how long she was staring at him. Soon the silence was broken.

"Uhm, hey." said Isaac.

"Hey." said Twilight as she returned the same amount of shyness as Isaac.

"Isaac, this here is Twilight. She's the princess of friendship and is currently the newest princess to be crowned." said Sunset as she had a smirk on her face of watching the interaction between the two.

"P-princess?" said Isaac as he realized that he was staring at the face of royalty. "My bad, your highness." said Isaac as for some weird reason he decided to bow down for Twilight. He seemed to bend too far as he fell over forward as he landed on the ground.

Twilight just giggled at Isaac's display. "It's alright, no need to be formal. Just call me, Twilight." said Twilight as she extended her hoof to Isaac as he pulled him up to his feet. "I must say, it's an honor to meet you, Isaac." Twilight still had a bit of red on her cheeks.

"The pleasure is all mine, princess." said Isaac as he responded with some redness of his own. Now I know why Sunset didn't want to answer my questions. Oh boy, this is going to be a long adventure.

Chapter 100: Incident in Ponyville

"And this is where you'll be staying." said Spike as he opened the door to one of the many guest rooms in the castle.

"Damn, she really has that much space." said Isaac as he couldn't believe the size of the castle.

"Trust me, when we first moved in, it was rather dull and empty. It kind of was uncomfortable to living and sleep here. But with the help of our friends, we were able to make the change and now we like it here.” stated Spike. "Anyways, I'll just let you get settled in. You've got a big day tomorrow meeting with the others."

"Don't I know it." said Isaac as he watched the little dragon start to leave the room. "Hey Spike..." called out Isaac as he eyed the baby drake, "Thanks, for everything."

Spike just smiled, "Don't mention it... oh, by the way, I know that Sunset said that you're from the other world. And you're a human? I think I'm saying that right. Well then, goodnight Isaac. See you in the morning." Spike then closed the door as he made his way to his room.

After the door closed, Isaac was left to examine the room. Despite being a guest room, it still had some personality to it. There was a window view that allowed Isaac to see the town of Ponyville. He had some astrology curtains and his own worktable and nightstand. He had a mirror and a little bookshelf as it had a few pieces of literature.

After a long gaze at each other, Sunset was able to break the silence by reminding the both of them of what the issue was. Twilight had gotten her concentration back as she told Sunset about somethings that had happened while she had gone to fetch Isaac. She had received reports about several townsfolks about how they encountered several strange creatures causing trouble. Thankfully, nopony was harmed as the creatures only managed to take their goods like hay, food, and some personal items.

Both Isaac and Sunset heard these reports and were no more determined than ever to get rid of these Duel Monster spirits. Twilight was really fascinated to see that Isaac too possessed the same device as Sunset on his leg as she could only assume that he was what was known as a "duelist". Twilight then asked Isaac if he could show a demonstration for her and her friends tomorrow; she knew that Princess Celestia had sent her a message saying that both Sunset and Isaac possessed the ability to deal with these creatures permanently, so she wanted to see how they were going to do that. Isaac said he'd be happy to show Twilight, so with that Twilight got to work on sending a letter to each one of her friends as Spike showed Sunset and Isaac to their temporary rooms.

Isaac was still trying to wrap his head around this idea about Duel Monster spirits being alive and causing havoc, the only explanation he could think of was given that they were in a world where magic was the living force, it seemed to be the only reason why all of this was happening. Isaac had gotten a bit better with his magic during the train ride that he was able to perform the basic uses with his horn. Soon he used his horn as he opened up his saddle bag and pulled out his deck and looked through his cards till he found his partners.

"Got to say this is much easier with magic. Too bad, I can't take this back with me." said Isaac. He then looked at his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, "Whatever is happening guys, we'll get through it together."

Soon their cards began to glow as both Mahad and Mana appeared in front of their master.

"What ever happens, master. We'll be there every step of the way."

"Appreciate it, Mahad."

"YEEEE!" squealed Mana. "So cute!!" Mana then lunged at Isaac as she grabbed him in her arms and started to snuggle him. "What cute little pony, you are Isaac. You're so fluffy!" Seems Mana just couldn't contain her feminine side as she saw what her master had turned into.

"Mana... need.... air..." said Isaac as he was being squeezed to death.

"Mana! You're suffocating the master!" yelled out Mahad.

"Oops, sorry." said Mana as she let go of Isaac as he fell face first.

"I'm okay." said Isaac as his face was stuck on the floor. He then pulled his muzzle off the ground in a cartoonish way as he got his breath back. "What was that?" said Isaac. "Seems the magic in Equestria has allowed you guys to see and feel as if you both were still alive."

"Indeed, master."

"Who cares?" said Mana as she scooped Isaac back into her arms. "It just means that I get to cuddle with you as much as I want. So soft." said Mana as she was rubbing Isaac's fur and mane.

"Mana, stop that!" shouted Isaac as he didn't like being treated as a pet.

"I can't help it, you're a pony. You're so cute and colorful! I just wanna hold you like a stuffed animal. It's like looking at Starbursts but with legs." said Mana as he held Isaac in her arms while giving him a pet through his head.

"Mana, listen to the master." stated Mahad.

"Alright," pouted Mana. "But one more snuggle." she said as she held Isaac in her arms as he tried to escape her vice-like grip. Eventually, Isaac saw that it was fruitless as he just hung his head in defeat and waited for Mana to finish having her fun.

Soon Mana let go of Isaac as she couldn't contain herself at seeing her master in his new form. Isaac assured his magicians that this was just temporary as they need to solve this problem. Both Mahad and Mana gave their word to Isaac as they understood what he meant. With that they disappeared back into his deck as Isaac prepared himself to get some sleep.

Seems Isaac got to experience firsthand how things worked differently in Equestria as he saw the rays of sunlight peer through the curtains. Isaac let out a yawn as covered himself under the sheets as he wanted to get a bit more rest. Eventually, Isaac got out of bed as he stretched his muscles. He used his magic to put on his jacket and cap as he looked at himself in the mirror.

"Still kind of feels weird that nopony wears clothes, but I guess it would be weird for the animals back home if they were suddenly wearing shirts and stuff." said Isaac. He then put his deck into his saddle bag as he strapped on his duel disk and started to head out of the door.

Apparently the castle was bigger than he expected cause the moment Isaac stepped foot out of his room, he was welcomed to the sight of so many other doors that all looked the same. Not to mention that he hadn't been given a tour of the castle, so he really had no idea on where to go. So he did the one thing that anybody would do in his situation, start checking every door and eventually he find something. That proved to be about as useful as finding a needle in a haystack, as they were so many doors that looked identical, it was becoming hard on keeping track of which ones he had already checked.

"God, why is this so hard!?!" shouted Isaac as he kicked open another door. Seems the one he managed to open led to the kitchen of the castle as there was Spike making some breakfast as he wore a chef's hat and apron.

Spike was busy making food, when he noticed Isaac entered the room. "Oh, hey Isaac. Sleep well." asked Spike.

"It's not the sleeping that's bothering me. It's just that this castle is so huge, if feels like you could get lost in here." shouted Isaac as he took a seat at the table.

"Yeah, that happens. But once you get used to it and you figure out where everything is, it becomes as easy as knowing the back of your hand or hoof in your case. Although you are still human, so maybe that saying applies to you..." said Spike as he too was trying to figure out what he was trying to say. "Anyways, you're just in time for breakfast. Here." Spike then served Isaac a plate full of pancakes as he handed them to Isaac.

"Thanks." said Isaac as he took a look at the food in front of him. They seemed like normal pancakes, but Isaac could tell they had a bit of wheat to them. "Right, I remember." What Isaac was referring to was his conversation with Sunset on the train ride yesterday about how being turned into a pony had altered his choice of diet. Meaning that the stuff he normally ate and enjoyed as a human had been changed to suit the needs of a pony. So in short, it meant that Isaac was now a herbivore as he could only eat things that didn't require meat. Which pained him a bit, since that was one thing he liked; but given how his body had changed maybe it was for the better.

Soon he used his magic to cut a piece of the pancake as he held the thing in front of him, he was hesitant on how it would affect his stomach, so he took a deep breath as he prepared himself for the worst. After that bite, Isaac just had his eyes closed as he swallowed it. He was expecting his body to reject the food and possibly have him return it to its rightfully owner; however, he didn't. If anything it seemed to be rather tasty, so Isaac began to nibble away at his food as it came like second nature.

Spike had been watching this from across the table and just rolled his eyes at how Isaac was acting. Of course being a dragon meant that he had a slightly different diet than ponies, one main thing was eating jewels as he had managed to crush some up into tiny pieces and sprinkled them onto his stack of flapjacks. "So, what do you think?" asked Spike.

"Not bad." said Isaac as he finished his plate. "Honestly, I was expecting myself to either throw up or just hate it altogether, but it tasted as if I'd been eating it my whole life."

"Seems that magic that turned you into a pony really is powerful." said Spike. "So, Isaac? Mind telling me something?"

"Like what?"

"Anything? Like what humans do? How different your world is compared to ours? Are their any dragons?" asked Spike as he was intrigued on listening to some stuff from Isaac.

"Well, first off, why are you asking me? I mean, wouldn't Sunset be a better pony to ask?"

"Yeah, but she's... well... a mare. And seeing as how you're technically a stallion/colt, I'd figured I wanted to get your perspective."

"You just want me to answer because basically I'm a boy." said Isaac bluntly.

"Well, yeah. Gees, you really don't blur the lines, do you?" said Spike as he shoved some food in his mouth.

"I just don't like it when people try to sugarcoat shi... I mean stuff." said Isaac as he tried to remember that Spike was still technically a kid, so he couldn't exactly curse heavily in front of the baby dragon. "Well, I guess you could say that we humans are a lot like you dragons. in a way, we're considered at the top of the food chain and we tend to eat both meat and veggies." stated Isaac. "What else, we're both protective of our desired treasures, we're tough, and we... like to... uhm... help out others?" said Isaac with an unsure tone about that last part for comparing dragons and humans.

"Oh really, wow." said Spike a he seemed to buy Isaac's somewhat bluff. "Man, what I wouldn't give to be human." stated Spike. "I can finally grow a couple of feet."

"Oh, trust me, If you had seen what your counterpart looked like when he got transformed into a human, you probably either like it or hate." said Isaac that last part to himself. He watched the little dragon starting to flex his tiny muscles as he imagined being a human and being a tad bit taller.

Soon both of the boys finished their breakfast; Isaac looked at his watch while Spike looked at the clock hanging on the wall. It had been an hour that passed since the two of them had started to talk and mingle with one another, soon Spike started to get to work as he fixed up some breakfast for both girls who were still sleeping. Isaac offered to help him clean up as a way to repay him for making him some food. Spike accepted Isaac's proposal as they got to work, another good thing about having magic is that Isaac was able to juggle multiple things at once. It still took a lot out of him as he wasn't used to this amount of stress on his body and being able to concentrate, but he still found a way. Eventually, they made a stack of pancakes for each of the girls while also serving some eggs on the side and some milk. Spike had offered to clean up with the dishes while he told Isaac if he could deliver the food to the girls. He pulled up a cart as Isaac placed the meals on them as he covered them up. Spike was able to hand Isaac a map of the castle as it showed where each of the girl's room was. So with instructions in his hand, Isaac got to work on delivering the girls their morning breakfast.

Isaac exited out of the kitchen and began to look at the map of the place as he tried to find his destinations. It took a while and couple of wrong turn, but Isaac soon found himself in front of Sunset's room.

"Let's see, make a left turn here, a right turn down the hallway and then it's three doors down. And... we're here." said Isaac as he put the map inside his saddle bag. Isaac then used his hoof to knock on the door hoping to get an answer. He knocked again, but still nothing. He then used his magic to open the door as he peaked his head in to see. Isaac found out that Sunset was still in bed as she had the sheets over her. So he slowly entered the room as he pushed the cart in, being careful to not wake her up, yet.

"Typically, Sunset. Always lazing around." said Isaac in a soft voice. "Alright, time to wake her ass up." said Isaac as he cleared his voice. "Wake up and look at your hair!!!!!" shouted Isaac.

"Huh! AHHHH!!!!" shouted Sunset as Isaac's wake up call seemed to have knocked her out of bed with the covers landing on her as she fell facefirst.

"So worth it, if only I had a way to record that." snickered Isaac as he was proud of what he did.

"Isaac!!! I'm gonna kill you!" shouted Sunset as she didn't like that her friend had to interrupt her sleep.

"Calm down, Sunset. I was just getting you out of bed, besides by the time you wake up, it'll already be noon. Now here, eat up." Isaac then picked up Sunset's breakfast as he placed it on her bed for her to see. He then opened up her curtains a bit as he let some light enter the room.

"Seems you're getting better with your magic." stated Sunset as she was impressed with what Isaac could do.

"Yeah, still I only know the basic stuff to get me by. All that other advanced stuff that you know is way above my level." said Isaac.

"Well, since we're gonna be here for a bit, it couldn't hurt to teach you some more advanced spells in case of emergencies." smiled Sunset as she began to eat away at her food.

"I'll take you up on that offer, since I have magic now, I better abuse this while I can. Cause once we go back, I'm gonna miss it." said Isaac as he began to leave.

"Hey, Isaac." said Sunset. "Thanks." She then wrapped gave a quick hug to Isaac.

"Anytime, now eat up. We've got some business to attend to."

"Oh, one more thing." said Sunset as she nibbled on Isaac's ear once more as she did on the train the previous day.

"Ow, what the hell?" asked Isaac as what Sunset did both hurt and felt good at the same time. "Why did you do that? And more importantly, what does that even mean?" asked Isaac as he was still clueless.

"Don't worry about, boy toy." winked Sunset.

Isaac felt like he should get out of there before something happened, so he left Sunset to finish her breakfast and get ready as he closed her door. "Just what does it mean, when she does that?" asked Isaac. "Can't think about that now, still got one more stop to make. Oh boy." said Isaac as he knew what the last stop was.

Isaac had pulled the map out of his bag and was now walking in the direction of his last stop and it was one that he was hesitant about for reasons. Surprisingly, it didn't take long for Isaac to get there as along the way it felt like he knew where to go despite not looking at the map. Sure enough Isaac found him in front of the door that lead to the princess' room. Isaac was taking some deep breaths as he was talking to himself almost as to psyche him up.

"Okay, you can do this. You can do this, it's just a simple greeting. Nothing more, a simple greeting between two ponies, more importantly a princess, who so happens to resemble my girlfriend. Oh, I'm in trouble." said Isaac as he realized this was a worthless effort. "Okay, focus. Get in and get out. Just drop off her breakfast and then leave. Simple as that. Right, here we go." Isaac then gulped as he knocked on the door. Like with Sunset, there was no answer; Isaac knocked again and still no answer.

That was now making Isaac sweat even more, he knew he couldn't just leave in case something bad had happened to her. So he ultimately decided to check on her, so Isaac used his magic as he opened the door to Twilight's room and slowly enter in with the cart as he quietly closed the door behind her. Upon entering the room was dark due to the curtains that blocked the sunlight from entering the room. Isaac noticed the things inside as it seemed to be things that the princess had a fascination for. Soon he saw the bed as there was the figure all snuggled up; Isaac slowly tip toed over to the curtains as he hoped that by letting in the sun it would wake the princess up naturally. Isaac then pulled back the curtains as the light from the morning sun slowly entered the room and lit it up. The rays of the morning star had landed on Twilight's face as it caused her to turn to her side, but she still remained asleep.

Isaac slowly brought the cart in closer to the bed as he looked at the princess. Despite being royalty, Isaac was able to see that Twilight was still a normal down to earth pony. "She really does look a lot like my Twilight." said Isaac. "Well apart from the obvious things, but even still, she's still beautiful."

Isaac was now staring at Twilight's face as he seemed to be under some sort of spell. He was so enthralled by Twilight's beauty and how she was so similar to his girlfriend back home, that it almost felt like she was here. Her mane and how it seemed to be taken with the proper care, her sleek lavender fur coat that seemed to be perfect no matter what. Her deep purple mane with a cute pink stripe running down the middle of it. Isaac then looked at her flank as it showed off her cutie mark which was a purple star with five white stars surrounding it; he had to admit was kind of adorable. Isaac had been staring for so long that he didn't realize that he was so close to Twilight's lips as he could feel her breath. Isaac felt like his body was moving on its own that he started to close his eyes and was about to kiss her when he heard a yawn that snapped him out of the trance as he fell on his back.

"Morning, already?" said Princess Twilight as she sat up and rubbed her eyes as she stretched her wings. She then looked at the cart in front of her. "Did Spike make me breakfast?"

"Uhm, he did your highness." said Isaac as he was still on the floor.

Twilight looked to where the voice came from and saw that it was Isaac who was still on his back. Twilight felt a bit of redness on her cheeks as she used her magic to help him up.

"Thanks." said Isaac as he dusted his jacket.

"Don't mention it. So did Spike have you deliver this to me?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, uh, y-yes he did your highness." said Isaac as he gave a quick bow to show respect.

"Isaac, I told you, you don't have to call me princess. You can just address me by my name, we're friends." said Twilight in a calm, heartwarming voice.

"Right, your name, Twilight. Y-Yeah." said Isaac as he scraped the ground in front of him.

"Is something the matter?" asked Twilight.

"N-no, just... you should probably eat." said Isaac as he took of the lid and levitated the food towards Twilight.

Twilight was amazed by what Spike was able to make for her as it looked tasty. Isaac had a smile on his face when he saw Twilight's face light up as it kind of warmed his heart. Soon she began to eat it as she enjoyed the taste of it; with his job done, Isaac felt like there was no need for him so he started to walk out of the room. Just as he was about to leave, Twilight called out to him.

"Wait, do y-you mind staying?" asked Twilight as she finished her food. "I just want to look at you."

"Oh, well..."

"I promise it won't take long." said Twilight.

"Well, all right." said Isaac as he closed the door and returned back to Twilight.

Twilight had gotten out of bed and was now standing in front of Isaac as she began to look at him.

"Interesting." said Twilight as she looked at Isaac. She then began to walk around him also like she was some kind of predator. All the while, Twilight was making mental notes for her brain as she absorbed these bits of information. Eventually, Twilight stopped in front of Isaac as she looked at him directly and stared deep into his eyes. This allowed Twilight the opportunity she needed as she was able to obtain some even more info about Isaac. Just as Isaac was about to say something, he felt hot fur press lightly against his body. The poor boy went rigid as he felt Twilight's head rest gently against his chest, her ear flickering ever so slightly, tickling him somewhat.

A gentle "hmmm" vibrated against his begin, followed by the words, "Only one." Twilight removed her head from Isaac's body, and he released a breath he had no idea he had been holding up until now. She then placed a hoof to her chin and gave Isaac a thoughtful expression. A moment or two had passed before she moved again, raising the same hoof to tap the top of his head none too pleasantly.

"Ow." Isaac raised a hoof of his own to rub at the spot where she hit him. Seems despite wearing a cap, it didn't give him much protection when Twilight did her little experiment. It didn't hurt, but it wasn't welcomed at least. "Hey, Twilight, mind telling me why I'm getting checked up like I'm at the doctor's office?"

A blush of embarrassment formed on Twilight's cheeks as she smiled sheepishly. "Oh! Heheh. Sorry, I was just making sure that you weren't an alien or changeling." Her embarrassment peaked as Isaac tilted his head questioningly, repeating what she said in the form of a question.

"Well, I don't know if I can technically be called an alien since technically, I'm not from here. And as for changeling, I don't think I have the power to shapeshift." said Isaac as he let out a small chuckle.

"You know about changelings?" asked Twilight.

"Ehh, more or less. From what I've read from books and seen on shows, I get that they can basically take the form of something or someone." stated Isaac.

"Fascinating." said Twilight as she was impressed by Isaac's level of knowledge and awareness.

Isaac took Twilight's finished plate and placed it on the cart as he began to leave. Twilight stopped Isaac from leaving as she reached for his hoof that had his duel disk on it. Isaac didn't do anything as he allowed Twilight to pull him in as so started to examine it.

"So... this is what's known as a duel disk, right?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, it's what I use to play Duel Monsters." said Isaac as he looked at Twilight who was rather close to his chest.

"Could you tell me how it works?" asked Twilight as she looked up and stared into Isaac's brown eyes.

"S-sure." said Isaac as he was staring back.

The two ponies just simply looked at each other for a few moments. But for them it felt longer, almost like they were in a trance. Eventually they both noticed how they had been staring at each other that they started to turn red and took a few steps back. They turned their head to avoid any awkward looks as they stood there in silence. Eventually, the dead air was broken.

"I-I think I should go." said Isaac as he turned to leave.

"Y-yeah, I still need to get ready. Well, thanks for bringing me my breakfast." smiled Twilight.

"Don't mention it." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to Twilight.

Twilight giggled at Isaac's action that she approached Isaac and then gently nibbled his ear and pulled it lightly. Isaac was caught off guard by this as he exited the room. Compared to when Sunset did that, Twilight's was a bit more gentle but he still got that same nice feeling that he received when Sunset did it. Isaac quickly got rid of his thoughts as he needed to prepare himself for meeting the other elements of bearers.

After Isaac left her room, Twilight was now blushing all different shades of red. She was starting to mentally hit herself for acting like that. More importantly, she couldn't believe that she did that to Isaac; not that she wasn't against it, it's just that she had never done that before. All these thoughts caused Twilight to have a freak-out inside her head as she quickly got rid of it as she had to get herself ready to introduce Isaac to the rest of the elements.

Eventually, Isaac had made it to the map room as there was Spike sitting there in his chair reading a comic. He noticed Isaac had entered the room.

"So did you get lost?" asked Spike as he looked up from his comic.

"A little." said Isaac.

Soon the doors opened up as in came Twilight who had Sunset alongside her.

"Hey girls." said Spike.

"Morning, Spike. Thanks for breakfast." said Sunset.

"No big deal." he waved his claw.

"Now then, it's time for you to meet the others." When Twilight said that the door opened up once again and standing there was the other bearers of the Elements of Harmony.

Isaac was finally understanding why Sunset didn't fully answer his questions when they were on the train before. "Now I get it." he whispered to her.

"Alright, we're here. So what's this all about!?!" shouted the pegasus that resembled Rainbow Dash.

"Ah don't mean to be madder than a wet hen, Twi. But what's gonna on?" asked the earth pony known as Applejack as she was in the middle of her chores.

"I’m just hoping that it doesn't have anything scary involved." said the other shy pegasus that was Fluttershy.

"Indeed, let's hurry this up please, I've got several orders to finish for Sapphire Shores." stated the unicorn that was Rarity.

"Settle down, everypony." stated Twilight as they all sat in their respective thrones. "Now then... wait, where's Pinkie?"

"I'm right here silly." said Pinkie as he was above them hanging from the chandelier.

"Pinkie, get down from there!!!" shouted Twilight as she didn't want her chandelier to fall.

Pinkie just simply floated slowly down as if she was defy gravity. She then sat in her throne chair as she let out a big smile and let out a squeal. Isaac could see that even this version of Pinkie Pie was just as zany as the one he knew back home. He did noticed her starting to cast a glare at him which got him a bit nervous.

"Now that we're all here. It's time to discuss somethings." stated Twilight. "As you know there have been some 'monster' sights as of late."

"Tell me 'bout. Those rascals have been takin' my vittles!" shouted Applejack as he she angry of her farm being vandalized by some monsters.

"Please, I can take those things with ease." boasted Rainbow.

"Maybe we could talk with them." suggested Fluttershy.

"All that aside, there's too many of them to deal with ourselves. So by order of the princess she's requested some help. She sent two ponies who have history with what we're facing." said Twilight as she pointed to Sunset and Isaac standing there.

All of the mares knew about Sunset as they had met her prior to this, but they were shocked to see somebody else. More importantly, a colt of all people. Isaac just simply waved as to avoid any awkward interactions.

"So, who's the newbie?" asked Rainbow.

"Seriously, did you not hear what Twilight just said?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean anything? So tell us, who are you?" responded Rainbow.

Isaac just rolled her eyes. "Well, I'm Isaac. And I'm here to help you out." stated Isaac.

"Howdy, sugarcube. Ah'm..."

"I know who you girls are." said Isaac as he cut off Aj's introduction. "Princess Celestia told me." said Isaac as he came up with a white lie on the spot.

"Fancy that, the princess of Equestria told you." stated Applejack as she looked at Isaac and was using her special talent to see if Isaac was telling the truth.

"Interesting, darling if it's not too much, could you tell me where you got your outfit?" asked Rarity as she was fascinated by Isaac's jacket.

Figures, Rarity would be interested in her own work. "This was actually given to me by a friend, she's an incredible fashion designer." stated Isaac.

"Well whoever they are, has got some fabulous taste. The colors, the design, I'm jealous." said Rarity as she fawned over the piece of clothing. "Do you mind if I take a look at it later?" asked Rarity to which Isaac just shrugged his shoulders.

"Putting fashion sense aside, can we focus on the matter at hand?" stated Twilight as she got everypony's attention. "Now the reason Isaac is here is cause he like Sunset can personally deal with those creatures should they show up. Show them." asked Twilight.

Both Isaac and Sunset showed the duel disk on their front limb as it caused the girls to all go big eyed. They were fascinated by the device on the ponies' left leg as they had never seen something so advanced.

"So when do I get one of those?" asked Rainbow as she felt like having one would make her that much cooler and awesome.

"That's not how it works." said Sunset.

"Indeed, while our magic may have some effect on them. Only Isaac and Sunset can deal with these monsters in a head to head battle." said Twilight.

"So how are you gonna do that?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, from what I've seen from the encounters I've had. I tend to use my duel disk to summon out my own monsters to fight back. And if necessary, I could always challenge them to a duel." said Sunset.

"A duel? Darling, perhaps you could tell us what that is?" asked Rarity.

"How about a demonstration?" suggested Isaac.

"Yes!!" shouted Twilight as she showed how excited she was for that idea. She cleared her throat and tried to regain her composure. "That's a good idea, Isaac." said Twilight as she was embarrassed for acting like a filly.

Isaac just smiled at Twilight's eagerness as it brought back some memories. "All right, well let's go outside." stated Isaac.

Soon the entire group all found themselves in a pasture next to the castle as they all stood side by side waiting to see what Isaac was going to do. Twilight was so excited for this that she had tons of scrolls and quills ready to take notes as she couldn't contain her excitement. Isaac on the other hand was looking at his duel disk as he tried to figure out how he would turn it on without hands. Seems the mark on his flank did serve as his true talent as Isaac almost immediately knew how to to turn on his duel disk in this world. So he concentrated as he used his magic to power up the device and it soon turned on as it was activated. A gold card tray projected out as it caught Spike and the girls' attention. Isaac then lifted up his front left leg as he normally would in a duel, but he used his magic to pick up the top card and hold it in front of him. He looked at the card and then played it on his card tray.

"Now I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior." shouted Isaac as he placed his card on the tray.

Soon some lights started to come when Isaac played the card and soon out came a robotic monster as it appeared for all to see. Everypony was shocked by what they saw, Twilight was frantically writing down all the things she observed as she was in disbelief. Soon Isaac called back his monster as he deactivated his duel disk.

"So, that's how you do it." said Isaac.

"Incredible!" said Rainbow.

"Land sakes!" said Applejack as she put her hoof to her hat.

"My word, darling."

"Is it safe to come out?" said Fluttershy as she was hiding behind Rarity.

"Oh, man. That was so cool." said Spike as he was the most invested out of the group. He then started to run towards Isaac as he wanted to get a closer look at it. "So, this is how you call out that monster?" asked Spike who had jumped up on Isaac's back to which he nodded. "And these cards are where the monsters come from?" Spike grabbed Isaac's deck as he began to hold them in his claws as he made sure to not scratch of destroy them.

"In short, yes." said Isaac as he addressed the little drake on his back as they walked back to the group.

"Yo, so when can I get one!?!" asked Rainbow as she was like a dog as she had her tongue out in anticipation.

"Hold yer horses, Dash." said Applejack as she grabbed Rainbow by the tail and dragged her back. "Give the new guy some space." said Applejack as she gave Isaac a wink.

"I have so many questions." said Twilight as she rushed over to Isaac and started to bombard him with questions. "Howdiditfeel? Wereyouabletousemagic? Canyousummonmultiplemonstersatonce?" Twilight was so engraved by her questions that she failed to realize that she had her muzzle making contact with Isaac until Sunset cleared her throat. Twilight saw this and immediately back off as she had turned the reddest she had ever been.

"Well..." before Isaac could answer, there was a scream that was heard.

It caused everybody to follow the source of the scream as it was coming from town. So they all galloped to see what was the issue, they arrived in town and saw a couple of ponies running away from town hall as there was some creatures causing some chaos. The group all arrived as they were shocked by the things, for Isaac and Sunset they knew exactly what they were.

"Is that..."

"Goblins?" said Isaac as he finished Sunset's statement.

Apparent there was tons of goblins from the monster card, Goblin Force. It appeared they were looting the town and taking stuff that they thought were personal to the folks of Ponyville. Everything from food, to prized possessions, to even soap. One goblin had raided a mare's closet and he found that he liked to wear some pink bows. Overall, there was a massive array of them as they were causing some damage to the town.

"I'm guessing this is what you ponies mean when you say 'monsters'?" said Isaac.

"Well, regardless these little guys shouldn't be a problem. Still they couldn't have come on their own, someone must be in command of these guys. Who?" stated Sunset. Soon she got her answer.

"Take everything! Leave no stone unturned!" shouted the commander of this force.

"Isaac, is that Ancient Lizard Warrior?" asked Sunset as she directed his attention.

"Tear this place apart!" shouted Lizard Warrior as he destroyed a cart full of carrots.

"Yeah, guessing he must in charge of this little attack." said Isaac as he made his way to confront the monster with Spike and the girls following behind him.

"Pathetic little ponies. Everything is so colorful here, it makes my eyes hurt." said Ancient Lizard Warrior as he couldn't stand all it.

"Hey, lizard boy!" shouted Isaac. "I think you took a wrong turn, the convention for Godzilla rejections is that way." taunted Isaac with a smirk.

"A pony? Get out of the way!" threatened Ancient Lizard Warrior.

"Yeah, I don't think I can. You're causing mayhem in this town and nobody's stopping you. I thought for sure there would be somepony to step up and take you down. Oh well, guess I'll have to do it." said Isaac as he got in position.

"A pony? You're as stupid as you look." said Ancient Lizard Warrior as he showed his arm and had a duel disk. "Be warned little pony, you don't know of the power I have." said Lizard Warrior as he played a monster card on his card tray. "Dispose of that pony." commanded Ancient Lizard Warrior.

"Isaac?" shouted the girls.

Spike just held on to Isaac's neck as he closed his eyes. Sunset just had a smirk as she knew Isaac would be fine. Isaac just stood his ground as he wasn't worried. Just before the monster made contact with Isaac it was stopped in its tracks by a staff. The staff belonged to none other than Isaac's Dark Magician who had appeared to protect his master. Mahad just gave an fierce glare as he wasn't too pleased that he repelled the attack and caused the monster to tumble back as Mahad fired a spell that destroyed it.

"What? But how?" screamed Ancient Lizard Warrior.

"You think you're the only one that can summon Duel Monsters?" smirked Isaac as Mahad stood next to his master.

Spike opened his eyes as he was still on Isaac's back. He was amazed to see that they were unharmed; Spike was even more stunned to see a monster that was standing in front of Isaac as he could only assume that he was the reason they were all safe. The girls were stunned to see one of Isaac's most powerful monsters as he just protect their friend from being attacked. Isaac looked at Mahad and he gave him a smile to show his thanks to which Mahad did the same.

"Now you've done it, you pest. Time to make you pay." said Ancient Lizard Warrior as he activated his duel disk and step forward.

"About time." said Isaac as Mahad disappeared back into his deck. "Hey, Sunset. Think you can handle the little swarms?"

"It's as easy as pie." said Sunset as she turned on her duel disk and slotted in her deck. Her duel disk then ejected a red card tray for her to use.

"Did somepony say pie?" asked Pinkie as she was now licking her mouth.

"Come on out, guys. Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight, and Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Sunset then placed her cards on her card tray as out came her monsters. They all let out a cry as they looked at their mistress. "Time to go to work, boys." said Sunset as her monsters got to work taking out the small other goblins in the area. "Twilight, these ponies need help."

"Right, Applejack, Rarity, Fluttershy. Go help Sunset in getting the others to safety." said Twilight. The girls all understood as they raced after Sunset. "Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, you both are with me. We'll stay in case Isaac needs some back up." stated Twilight to which the two of them nodded.

"Sorry to do this Spike, but I'm gonna need you to get off my back. It could be dangerous." said Isaac as he didn't want to put the little drake in harm's way.

"Understand buddy. Good luck." said Spike as he got off of Isaac's back and ran over to Twilight's side who put her hoof around him like a mother as they all watched Isaac prepare to battle.

"On the bright side, we get to see how Isaac does things in action." said Pinkie as she pulled up a chair and got comfy while eating some popcorn.

"Are you ready, lizard breath?" taunted Isaac.

"Enough stalling!"

"Well then, it's time to duel!!" shouted Isaac as he turned on his duel disk and projected a gold card tray. He then used his magic as he pulled out his deck from his saddle bag and slotted it into the deck compartment. He then took position as he raised his left hoof as he used his magic to draw and hold his cards in front of him.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Ancient Lizard Warrior's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"First move is mine, draw." Isaac used his magic as he picked up his card and looked at his options. "To start, I'll play my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode!" Isaac played his monster as out came a female monster that caused the girls and Spike to be amazed at what they saw.

"Interesting." said Twilight as she took a couple more notes in her head to write down for later.

"Next, I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Ancient Lizard Warrior

"My move," said Ancient Lizard Warrior as he drew his card. "Time to pay for getting in my way. I summon Weathering Soldier(2000/1200) in attack mode." Out came a rock monster that caused all of the ponies and dragon to drop their jaws. "Now Weathering Soldier take out his Magician's Valkyria!"

"I reveal my facedown, Magic Cylinder! Now your attack is negated and you take damage equal to your monster's attack points." shouted Isaac. Two pairs of cylinders came out as one of them absorbed the attack and then the other shot it right back as it collided with Ancient Lizard Warrior as he took some heavy damage.
Ancient Lizard Warrior's Life Points: 6000-

"That was so cool!" shouted Spike. "Did you see the way, Isaac was able to redirect his own attack?" shouted Spike in excitement.

"I'll say! Man, do I really want one now!" said Rainbow in excitement.

Twilight was just taking everything in. Isaac's opponent had a stronger monster and was looking to take his out. But he used a different card to not only protect his monster, but also deal damage at the same time. Fascinating.

"I'm not done, cause I play the spell Specimen Inspection. Now with this I send Shell Knight to the graveyard, then you have to send one monster that's the same level and Type as the monster I discarded from your deck or hand. Let's see you match a Level 4 Earth type."

"Fine, by me." Isaac's screen then showed the options that his deck had as he decided his choice. "I choose to send my Alpha the Magnet Warrior to the grave." Isaac's duel disk then confirmed his choice as it took the card from his deck and sent it towards the graveyard compartment.

"With that I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." said Ancient Lizard Warrior.

"Don't forget about your monster's ability! Weathering Soldier loses 600 attack points when you end your turn." said Isaac. True to his word, Weathering Soldier started to erode as it lose some strength.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, draw. I now play Graceful Charity, so I'll draw three cards and discard two." Isaac then picked up some more cards as he selected the ones he wanted to discard. "Next I'll play Magical Dimension, so now I'll sacrifice my Magician's Valkyria and call upon my Dark Magician!" Isaac then summoned his most powerful monster as it appeared for all to see.

The mares were amazed by the monster Isaac chose to call out; Spike could now get a good look at Isaac's magician as they saw him standing there with such presence. Twilight saw Isaac's face and looked at his monster; Twilight could feel the magic that flowed between Isaac and his magician as she could tell the two of them had been through everything as a team. Twilight was now more interested in Isaac due to how he had a fascination for spellcasters and magicians.

"Now the other effect of my Magical Dimension allows me to destroy 1 monster on your side of the field. So say goodbye to Weathering Soldier. Now that you have no monsters, I'm free to attack. So Dark Magician attack his life points directly! Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted Isaac as his magician pointed its staff.

"I reveal my facedown, Call of Haunted. Now I can bring back a monster from my graveyard in attack mode. So rise once, Weathering Soldier." stated Ancient Lizard Warrior. Soon he had a monster to protect himself as he was able to minimize the damage as Dark Magician's spell took it out.
Ancient Lizard's Life Points: 5500-

"In that case, I'll set one card facedown and play Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. I end my turn."

Turn 4: Ancient Lizard Warrior

"My draw, now I'll play Fossil Fusion! Now I can fusion summon using cards from either of our graveyards. So I fuse together my Weathering Soldier and your Alpha the Magnet Warrior." Soon a vortex started to appear as both monsters were sucked in as they combined together as the outline of a monster was shown. "I Fusion Summon, arise from the depths of the earth, Fossil Dragon Skullgar(2500/0)!" Out came a fossil-like dragon as it let out a roar. Spike and the mares were surprised with how big the creature was.

"Now I'll play the field spell, Scared Defense Barrier. Now whenever I normal summon a Rock-type monster to my field, I can place 1 'Protection Counter' on it. And should my monster by destroyed, I can remove said counter. Now I'll have my Fossil Dragon Skullgar attack your Gamma. Skullgar's effect allows my monster to deal piercing damage." With that Gamma was struck down by Skullgar's tail as he was destroyed. Isaac held his ground as he lifted his hoof higher to protect himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 7300-

"Now then, I'll place one card facedown and then summon Flint Cragger(800/1600) in attack mode. I end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"Back to me, here goes. Hmm. To start I'll play my Queen's Knight in defense mode. Then I'll play Magic Formula and give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. Now Dark Magician take out Fossil Dragon Skullgar." commanded Isaac.

"Reveal facedown, Sakuretsu Armor. Now your Dark Magician is destroyed!"

"No!" shouted Isaac as he saw his monster disappear in a blinding light. "When my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points." said Isaac. "Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 8300-

Turn 6: Ancient Lizard Warrior

"Now I play the spell Time Stream. With this I'll change a monster from the Cenozoic Era to the Mesozoic Era. Now I can tribute my Fossil Dragon Skullgar in order to bring out an even more powerful 'Fossil' Fusion monster, so begone Fossil Dragon Skullgar so that I can summon Fossil Warrior Skull Knight(2400/1100)!" Out came a monster that was a skeleton as it had a helmet and wielded a sword and shield. "Now Skull Knight take out his Queen's Knight." Skull King then raised its sword as it took care of Isaac's monster. "Now my Skull Knight's effect activates which allows him to deal piercing damage." Soon Isaac felt the after effect as he stood his ground and covered up with his hoof.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"Then the other effect of my Skull Knight triggers, so since he destroyed your monster in battle, he wage a second attack. So Strike him once more." Skull Knight's eyes glowed red as he locked on Isaac and swung its sword in his direction.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"But I'm not done, cause now my Flint Cragger is also take a bite out of you." With that Isaac noticed another monster coming his head as it showed its jaw bones. Soon it made contact as smoke and dirt were thrown up. Isaac took a big hit as he was sent tumbled into the ground but was able to land on his feet during the roll as he dug in his hoofs into the ground as he skidded along and eventually came to a stop.

"Isaac!?!" shouted Twilight.

The dirt smoke cleared as Isaac was still standing as he let out some breathes. He then turned towards Twilight and gave her a smile to show that he was fine. Twilight was relieved that Isaac was tougher than he looked. Isaac then looked back to his opponent.
Isaac's Life Points: 4300-

"Tough little colt. Very well, I'll activate my Flint Cragger's ability. So by sending him to the graveyard, I can deal you 500 points of damage." With that another shot was fired at Isaac as he took another hit to his life points. "Now I'll end my turn with a facedown."
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

Turn 7: Isaac

"Back to me, draw. First up is my Pot of Greed, so I'll draw two more cards. Now, I've drawn Pallidum Oracle Mahad, so now I can summon him to my field." Isaac now had his trusting monster back as he wore his other outfit. "Next, I'll have him attack your monster." Mahad then had his staff appear as he took out his target.
Ancient Lizard Warrior's Life Points: 5400-

"With that done, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Ancient Lizard Warrior

"My turn, first I'll activate the effect of Skull Knight, now by banishing him from the duel, I can destroy one monster on the field and I choose your Pallidum Oracle Mahad."

"You just triggered my Mahad's effect, since he destroyed by card effect, I can summon the Dark Magician from my hand, deck, or graveyard. Return to me, Dark Magician." Mahad then felt his robes transforming as he soon changed his appearance to appear in his magician's outfit as his hair changed back to purple.

"Don't worry, I'll send him back there. Now then, to start I'll play my Miracle Rapture, so now I send a 1 Level 4 or lower Rock monster from my deck to my graveyard. And since I have Fossil Fusion currently in my graveyard, I can draw an extra card." Ancient Lizard Warrior then sent the card he wanted as he looked to set his plan into motion. "Now I banish, my Fossil Dragon Skullgar to add a 'Fossil Fusion' from my deck to my hand." Now Ancient Lizard had all the things he needed. "Now then I play another Fossil Fusion and with it, I can banish my Flint Cragger and your Pallidum Oracle Mahad in order to fuse them together. I Fusion Summon, make way for Fossil Dragon Skullgios(3500/0)!" Out came what was basically a giant T-rex as it was just its skeleton.

"You know for a bunch of old bones, that thing looks pretty tough!" said Pinkie as she sipped some soda.

"Now my monster time to hunt your dinner! I activate my Skullgios' effect, now I can switch your monster's attack and defense points. Furthermore, any battle damage is doubled. So say goodbye to your Dark Magician!" Skullgios charged at Dark Magician as it opened its jaws and closed them shut on Dark Magician as he exploded into smoke. The attack caused Isaac to fall onto his back as he felt the aftershock.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Just one more attack your done. Take your turn, you'll need it."

Turn 9: Isaac

"Isaac, you okay?" asked Twilight.

"Never better." he said as he got back up. "Now my turn, draw. Perfect, I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. So now thanks to this trap card, I can bring back my Dark Magician. Next, I play Card of Sanctity, so now each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." Both duelist then replenished their hands. "Now I play Bond Between Teacher and Student. So I can call upon my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac was now joined by his other trusting monster as all three of them looked to end this duel.

The mares and Spike were in awe at the sight that laid before them. Isaac standing side by side with his trusting companions sent chills down their spines. Isaac was poised to finish this as he had just the cards to do this. "Now I'll play Eye of Timaeus and with I'll fuse together my Dark Magician with Timaeus." Soon a large dragon came from the sky as Mahad jumped on his back as they both began to combine together in a blinding light. "Now I summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!" Down with a thud came Timaeus as he had Mahad as its rider as he wore his suit of armor.

"My monster is still stronger and it doesn't matter which one I destroy cause you'll still take double the damage. That means you'll lose the duel." snickered Ancient Lizard Warrior.

"That's why I play this card, Dark Burning Attack. Now since I control Dark Magician Girl on my field, I can destroy every face-up monster you control!" stated Isaac.

"What!!"

"Do it, Mana!" said Isaac. Mana then lifted her wand high up in the air as she casted her most powerful spell and nuked the entire field of Ancient Lizard Warrior. "Now that you have no monsters left, you're life points are wide open. Lastly, I'll play my Dark Magic Twin Burst, so now my Dark Magician Girl transfers all of her attack strength to my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight. Which means she gives him an extra 2300 attack points. Now guys, let's end this!" said Isaac as he thrusted his hoof out.

"Double Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted all three of them as a powerful attack hit Ancient Lizard Warrior as his life points dropped.

"AHHHH!!!!!" screamed Ancient Lizard Warrior as he was surrounded by a light as he felt himself being defeated and then was gone.
Ancient Lizard Warrior's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The light died down and soon there was nothing left where Isaac's opponent once stood.

"The captain has been defeated!" cried out of the goblins. "Retreat!" Soon all of them began to fear for their lives as they all tried to run away.

"Time to take out the trash, go get 'em guys." said Isaac as his two monsters were still on the field. With that they both took off as they got rid of the remaining forces in town. Soon all of the goblins were defeated as Isaac and his monsters had managed to protect the town.

"That seems to be the last of them, master." said Mahad on top of Timaeus.

"That's what they get for messing with such cute little ponies. Oh, I can't help it anymore." Mana then grabbed Isaac as she pulled him into her arms and began to snuggle him as she petted her master.

"Mana, your... strength..." said Isaac as he found himself in a strong grip of his Dark Magician Girl.

"Mana! The master!" cried out Mahad.

"I can't help it, he's so cute and fluffy. I mean you were before, but now that you're a pony. It's like a life-sized stuffed animal." said Mana as she began to rub Isaac's head while giving him some kisses.

"Can you at least... let me... catch my breath?" said Isaac as he gasped for air. Soon Mana let go of Isaac as he doing his to return oxygen back into his lungs. "That's... much... better." said Isaac as he regained himself.

While Isaac trying to gain some feeling, Spike along with the girls all rushed towards him.

"Dude, that was wicked." said Spike. "I mean you were all whoosh, and then he was like pow, but you were like nah and then you did blam!" said Spike as he jumped on Isaac's back as was doing some cartoonish moves and sound effects to try to imitate the duel he just saw.

"Thanks." said Isaac as he just let the little guy has his fun.

"Hey now, when can you show me some of those sick moves?" asked Rainbow as she found it impressive of watching Isaac battle.

"Go team!" shouted Pinkie as she appeared in a cheerleader outfit and started to do a victory dance.

"I'm amazed, just the way you commanded that duel. The precision, being able to outsmart and outthink your opponent, not to mention believing in your monsters." said Twilight as she was also impressed by Isaac's battle. "You really were incredible." said Twilight as she let out a small blush.

"Oh, it was nothing." said Isaac with a small red on his face as he looked at Twilight. "But really I couldn't do it without them." said Isaac as he looked to his monsters that were still behind them. "I just trusted they had my back and they came through." smiled Isaac. The others saw Isaac's monsters and they too let out smiles of their own. "Thanks guys." said Isaac.

"Anytime, master." said Mahad as he and Mana disappeared back into Isaac's deck.

"Well, at least the town is safe." said Isaac as he looked the mess that those monsters created. "Though I think it's seen better days."

"Hey y'all." called out Applejack. "Reckon we check on y'all. Sunset managed to drive those little varmints out of town."

"It was simple." said Sunset as she appeared with the rest of the girls. "So, you won the duel, Isaac?"

"Was there any doubt?" smiled Isaac smugly.

"Hey everybody, there's the group of ponies that saved us." said one of the townsfolks. "Three cheers for Princess Twilight Sparkle and her merry band of friends." Soon all the other ponies came out of hiding and began to show their love and affection for the group.

"Don't thank me, thank the real pony who defeated that monster." said Twilight as she pointed at Isaac. It seem that Twilight's comment cause nearly everybody to start to swarm Isaac as they began to say their thanks and bombard him with questions.

"Girls, help!!!" shouted Isaac as he didn't like being surrounded.

"This is perfect, I was gonna throw a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party for Isaac, but I can now change it into 'Thanks for saving the day and fixing the town' party." smiled Pinkie. "This calls for some drastic measures, time to bust out the caramel." said Pinkie with dead serious tone.

The rest of the group and Spike just rolled their eyes as they all tried to help disburse the crowd and help get Isaac some space. If this was an example of the stuff that was to come and explain what's been going on, then Isaac knew he was in for one hell of adventure. But regardless, he was ready. As long as he had his friends to support him, then he was ready for whatever challenge was thrown their way.

Author's Note

Well, we've finally started a brand new arc. Also 100. 100. I never thought that the first story that I would write on this site that I would be able to reach that milestone. When this story was first coming together, I certainly thought about the idea of it reaching 100 chapters. Now granted it seemed like a ways off, but somehow I managed to do it. I managed to create 100 chapters of content for you guys to read; that alone is something that makes me happy. And the crazy thing is that I still have a couple more ideas that I haven't begun to write about. When it came to writing this story, I had several ideas that I wanted to explore which I'm sure you'll can tell which ones, but for some of the chapters, I just happen to just simply write and whatever came into my head I would write down and then fix it during editing.

Regardless, I thank everybody who has stood by and read this story. My only goal was to create something that everyone could enjoy. Whether it was the dueling, the story, or heck even a specific part of this story that you liked; it makes me happy to know that I could put a smile on your faces. Even just reading a single sentence is enough to make me proud of what I've created. So with that I say thank you and I can assure you that we still have a lot more ahead. Who knows, maybe I'll come up with another 100 chapters, though that probably might seem impossible. But nevertheless, I thank everybody and I'll see you all later.

Chapter 101: Boutique Mishap

The entire town was grateful for Isaac and Sunset in getting rid of the monsters that terrorized them. They wanted to show their appreciation for them that Pinkie basically decided to throw a party as a way to welcome Isaac to town and for saving the day. Soon everypony was getting into the festivities as they all enjoyed themselves. Some of them asked Sunset and Isaac if they could entertain them with a duel, but both declined as they needed to be ready in case more creatures showed up. Still it was one rowdy party as everyone was enjoying themselves.

Soon nighttime had fallen on the quaint little town as everypony decided to retreat for the night. All of their friends all departed for their separate homes, while Isaac, Spike, Sunset, and Twilight all headed back to the castle. Spike had fallen asleep as Sunset was carrying him on her back. Eventually they all arrived back at the castle as they opened the doors.

"I'll take it from here, Sunset." said Twilight as she took Spike from her with her magic. "I'll put Spike to bed; you two get some rest. After an eventful day like today, I think you both deserved it."

"All right, goodnight Twilight." said Sunset. "Come on, Isaac."

"Have a safe night, princess." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to Twilight.

With that both Isaac and Sunset left together in the direction of their individual rooms. Twilight on the other hand was heading over to Spike's room to put the little drake to sleep.

"Man, what a day. Now I know what you were talking about."

"Told you. Stuff like this has been happening for a while, but I can't figure out why." said Sunset as she was thinking about all of this.

"Hey, don't sweat it. As long as we keep doing what we're doing, we'll solve this mystery in no time." exclaimed Isaac.

"Always looking on the positive side of things aren't you boy toy." smiled Sunset as they arrived to her room. "Well, I'll see you in the morning."

"Night, Sunset." said Isaac as he waved goodnight to his friend. Isaac then began to walk towards his room as he bumped into Twilight. "Oh, hey Twilight."

"Hey." said Twilight as both her and Isaac were blushing from bumping into each other. "Uhm... you did a good job saving those ponies."

"Yeah... just did what was right." smiled Isaac nervously. "Well, I... should probably get out of your way." said Isaac as he stepped to the side and began to walk towards his room.

"Do you mind?" called out Twilight.

"What?" said Isaac as he stopped in his tracks.

"Do you mind, if you could show me how you do it?" asked Twilight as she was referring to Isaac and his duel skills.

"Well, I mean... if you want to."

"I do!" said Twilight quickly in excitement.

"Then how about after breakfast?" asked Isaac.

"Sounds good." smiled Twilight.

"Then I'll see you then. Take care, princess." With that Isaac said goodbye as he was on his way towards his room.

The following morning came as Spike, Isaac, and the two mares were in the dining room as they were currently eating the breakfast that Spike had made for them all to enjoy. Once they finished, they all began to discuss their plan for the day. Sunset had decided that she was going to head into town for a while. Twilight informed her that she had some questions she wanted to ask for Isaac as she wanted to learn more about dueling and Duel Monsters. While some of that was partially true, she also saw how Twilight was blushing when she mentioned Isaac's name. So she just gave her a sly smile so that only Twilight could see it as she got her message.

"So, you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" asked Sunset.

"Of course, Twilight wants to know a bit more about Duel Monsters. So I'd figured I give her demonstration seeing as how she's eager." stated Isaac.

"That's not the only reason she's so eager." said Sunset with a sly smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Just have fun with the princess." said Sunset as she gave a wink. With that she left through the door.

It had been a while since she was last in Ponyville, in general, Equestria. Mostly cause when she first got the message from Princess Celestia, she had been so focused on dealing with these incidents that she never had the chance to actually see her old home. So with Isaac here and based on what happened yesterday, she was safe to assume that today was a day where she could relax for a bit. With that she wanted to see the town. The first place she stopped by was the Ponyville Day Spa as she wanted to get a bit of rest and relaxation. It did the trick as Sunset was able to let go of some stress that she didn't know she had, one thing she made sure was to bring Isaac to this place as she knew for a fact that he would have some hidden stress from all his dueling. Soon she exited the place as she felt years younger and continued on her trip.

She passed by the Ponyville Schoolhouse as she said hello to the little fillies. Seems they saw what she and Isaac did as they were overjoyed with excitement. They wanted her to show off her monsters, but she declined saying that they needed to get back to class. She did promise that next time she would bring Isaac along with her and they could put on a show for them. After that she visited the marketplace as she purchased some foods and treats for her as she placed them in her saddle bags. She made a quick stop back at the castle to drop off her stuff, seems that the other three were in the back of the castle as Isaac was giving his demonstration to Twilight and Spike. With that she exited out of the castle once more and went back into town.

"It's nice to just sit back and not have to worry about the forces of evil trying to ruin everything." said Sunset as she was walking. She happened to pass by someone who called out to her.

"Oh, Sunset Shimmer." called out Rarity.

"Oh, hey Rarity. Everything ok."

"Everything is fine, darling. I'm just off to mine for some gems. My supply has been getting rather low and I need all that I can to fill my orders. Say perhaps you could accompany me, I'm in dire need of an assistant and Spike isn't here like he promised." stated Rarity as she looked around seeing if the little dragon was nearby.

"Yeah, well. Spike is back the castle with Twilight and Isaac." said Sunset.

"Oh yes, Isaac. My is he a dashing looking stallion, quite charming. I wonder is he's seeing anypony."

Oh, you don't know the half of it. thought Sunset.

"Regardless, I was hoping that maybe you could help me. So that I can have someone to carry the basket and possibly deal with any of those 'monsters' should they appear." asked Rarity.

After some pleading by Rarity, Sunset had agreed to act as Rarity's personal 'bodyguard/assistant' as they were off to the gem cave. They brought along some hardhats as it had a flashlight on them so that they could see in the darkness. Sunset also showed that her duel disk had a built in flashlight of her own as it allowed them to have a bit more visibility in the darkness. Rarity then got to work mining as Sunset had to use her magic to carry the basket as she caught the gems that Rarity was tossing her. Overall, they spent the next hour or two inside the cave being very careful to not wake the bats that were sleeping. They soon emerged with a wagon full of jewels as they made their way back to the Jewelry store as she wanted to give some of the gems to the place. Soon she received her exchange of bits for the gems she gave the store as the two mares then made their way back to Carousel Boutique. From there they dropped off the rest of Rarity's gems as she refilled her collection. Rarity was thankful for Sunset in helping her that she decided to treat her to lunch.

Soon both mares arrived at Café Hay, where their waiter by the name of Savior Fare came to take the orders of the ladies. Once they knew what they wanted, he then left as the girls began to converse.

"So tell me Sunset, darling? How's life treating you in your new home? I know that you left in spite of Princess Celestia's teachings and how you ignored her request on learning about friendship. If it's not too much trouble?"

"It's fine, Rarity." said Sunset as she was eating the plants on her table as they served as the appetizers. "To be honest, it was kind of frightening. Running away from my problems when I should've face them. And that really translated when I crossed into the other world. All that rage and anger that I had caused me to become a bully that made everybody's lives miserable. I saw Duel Monsters and I saw power. Power that I thought I could seize and use it to get back at Princess Celestia for abandoning me. And the scaring thing is that I would have done that, I was this close to seeing that nightmare come true."

"And what stopped you, if I may ask?"

"Well... it was a boy who had a passion for Duel Monsters." said Sunset.

"You're talking about Isaac?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah, if it wasn't for him and stopping me when he did, I dare say Equestria would have turned into a war zone. Everything happening with these Duel Monsters coming to life and wrecking havoc. I would have done ten times that amount; all because I had a petty grudge, but mostly because I was blinded by my anger." said Sunset.

"Here you are, ladies." said Savior Fare who brought the ladies their lunch. He then left as he let them enjoy their meal.

"So enlighten me, dearie. What is he like?"

Sunset just chuckled a bit when Rarity asked that question. "Well... let's say that he's someone who won't give up. Someone who is always willing to lend a hand, and even stare danger in the face and stand his ground. He doesn't call himself a hero, he just does what he thinks is right. But the greatest thing about Isaac is that he's in love with Duel Monsters." said Sunset as she had taken a bite of her sandwich.

"I notice that." said Rarity as she took a bite of her salad. "I must say from what the others told me, when he battled that creature yesterday. It was like watching a masterpiece, the way he was technically outsmart his opponent and then be able to outplay. Overall, that's a bit eye catching for a girl. Tell me, is there a lucky girl in his life?"

"Uhm, well... kinda hard to explain this."

"Just tell me."

"Okay, it's like this..." Sunset then began to explain to Rarity about her new home and how there were human counterparts of them and how each one of them including herself had gone on a date and still had a bit of a crush on Isaac. Soon she told her human Twilight and how they had gotten together.

"My word, that's a lot to take in. Now I see why he was... stunned when he saw Twilight."

"Oh, believe me. He wasn't the only one." said Sunset as Rarity seemed to figure out the hidden meaning in her statement.

With that both girls then continued to talk with one another about other things. Rarity even asked if her human counterpart was a duelist to which Sunset replied yes. She told her about the deck she used and it was no surprise that Rarity felt like her Crystal Beasts were the most fabulous deck she could ever ask for. Soon they finished their lunch as they started to make their way back to Rarity's house. Soon they heard a something.

"AHHHHH!!!"

"What was that?"

"Someone help me!" shouted the voice.

"Goodness, that sounds like Sweetie Belle." said Rarity in a worried tone. She then took off as she raced through town and turned the corner.

"Wait, Rarity." said Sunset. She then chased after the mare as she figured she was in danger. Sunset then turned the corner and was surprised by what she saw.

The scream did belong to Rarity's little sister, Sweetie Belle, who was being held captive. Turns out that Sweetie Belle was enjoying herself in her room as she was getting ready to meet with the other CMC, when she heard something downstairs. She thought it might have been Rarity coming home, but when she walked downstairs, she saw tons of little Dark Bats as they were flying about causing trouble and wrecking up the place. There was even some goblins that were raiding Rarity's collection of jewels as they started to put them into their bags. Sweetie Belle tired to a be brave pony as she used her magic and grabbed a broom as she started to whack the little bats and goblin as she wailed on them. However, she failed to realized the monster in charge as he snuck up from behind her and hit her with the back of his hand as she was sent down to the floor. The commander in charge was none other than the monster card, Dark Blade. He then order his minions to tie up Sweetie Belle and bring her along as they finished looting Rarity's place.

"We've got just about everything, boss." said one of the goblins.

"Good, bring the little one. We'll make sure to teach her a lesson not to mess with us." said Dark Blade as he pointed his sword at Sweetie's Belle throat.

With that they all started to leave Rarity's place. Soon Rarity saw the scene as she saw her sister being held captive as her older sibling instincts kicked in. She tried to rescue her sister by using her magic and even used some of her sewing supplies to tie up the goblins that were carry her gems. However the second she turned around, she was meet with the brute end of Dark Blade's sword as it caused Rarity to tumble to the ground. That gave the goblins and bats the chance to be able to tie her up and put her next to her sister.

"We got another one, boss."

"Stupid creatures, can't wait till they become extinct." said Dark Blade.

"Unhand us, you ruffian. I have half a nerve to..." Rarity was meet with a slap to the face as Dark Blade had struck her.

"Listen you prissy little bitch. If you know what's good for you, you'll shut the hell up and I may spare your life. Keep talking, and I'll kill faster than you can blink. And as for your little sister, maybe I should kill her as well, or should I start with her. Imagine the cold steel against her fur and with enough pressure you pop a vessel and then that vessel flows dripping, dripping stains and drops of red liquid and soon it ends with no one hearing you and no one finding you. All that will be left is your lifeless, cold, dead bodies." said Dark Blade in the most cold and evil voice the girls had ever heard as they were now scared for their lives.

"Finish them." said Dark Blade.

"With pleasure." said one of the goblins as a couple of them and a few bats started to zoom in on their targets.

Rarity had the one hoof she was able to get free and wrapped it around Sweetie Belle as she tried to do her best to protect her as they awaited what was about to happen. They both closed their eyes accepting what was to come. Soon a voice called out to them.

"Red-Eyes use Inferno Fire Blast." said Sunset as she had summoned her monster. Red-Eyes heard its master's command as it fired a fireball at the monsters surrounding Rarity and Sweetie Belle as they all were encased in fire and then disappeared into particles.

"What the?" said Dark Blade as he saw his minions getting beat up by a pony. He then looked over and saw a pony standing there. "You!" he said as he unsheathed his blades and started to charge at her.

Sunset noticed Dark Blade charging at her as she was holding a card with her magic. "Come on out, Gearfried!" Gearfried came out as he noticed the monster charging at his mistress as he blocked his swords with his own blade. The two exchanged a few attacks as they both dodged and tried to hit the others. Soon both collided with their attacks as they were pushed back by the collision.

"Hands off my friends!" shouted Sunset.

"Hmph, you're a strong one for something so small." said Dark Blade. "But know that you can't save your friends."

"Then how about we settle this in a duel. I win and you let my friends go." stated Sunset.

"A duel? Very well, but if I win, then I get to take you along with them." snickered Dark Blade as he sheathed his sword and had a duel disk appear on his arm.

"Like that's gonna happen." said Sunset as both of her monsters had disappeared back into her deck. She then activated her duel disk as it projected a red card tray. "Get ready, metalhead. You'll pay for messing with my friends."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disk.

Dark Blade's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Dark Blade

"My turn, draw. I'll play the spell card, Banishment of the Darklords. Now I can add a 'Darklord' card from my deck to my hand. Next I'll play my Darklord Nurse Reficule(1400/600) in attack mode. Then I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"Guess, it's my turn." said Sunset as she drew her card and looked through her hand. "To start I'll play The Black Stone of Legend and then I'll sacrifice it to summon out my Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Sunset's stone then started to break open as bits of lights were coming out. Soon out came dragon that was colored black as its eyes were crimson red. Red-Eyes then let out a cry as it caused the minions to cover their eyes.

Rarity and Sweetie Belle were in shock by what they as the creature that was in front of them was big and ferocious. They had seen dragons before, heck one of them was their friend but this was the first time they both felt scared. Sunset reassured them that this dragon was on their side by giving them a warm smile.

"Now Red-Eyes take out his monster." shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes heard Sunset's command as it opened its mouth and fired off a fireball as it took out its target with ease.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 7000-

"Nice shot." said Sunset.

Red-Eyes lowered its head till he was at Sunset's level as he was taking in his mistress' new form. Despite being turned into a pony, he could still see the fiery passion and desire that was in her eyes. It was that same fire that had drawn Red-Eyes to having Sunset as its owner. Sunset just simply petted her dragon to which he recognized the scent and gave a warm growl.

"Mind me helping me out, buddy?" asked Sunset as she gave her dragon a kiss. Red-Eyes gave a nod as it understood its mistress' request. "Good, now then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Dark Blade

"My turn," said Dark Blade as he drew his card, "I'll summon my Darklord Ukoback(700/1000) in defense mode. Now when my Ukoback is summoned, I can send a 'Darklord' card from my deck to my graveyard." Dark Blade then selected the card he wanted to get rid of as he slotted it to the graveyard. "Now I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"Fine then," I have to be cautious, even though he just played a monster, all it did was force him to send a card to the graveyard. And he's yet to activate his facedown. "Now I'll play my Red-Eyes Wyvern in attack mode. Then I'll play the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So now I'll send a level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck to the graveyard which allows me to draw 2 cards. Next, I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend, so now I can add it to my hand and shuffle a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' from my graveyard into my deck. Now I'll have my Wyvern take out your Ukoback and then Red-Eyes will attack your life points directly." Sunset gave her command as her dragons received their orders. They both took flight as they laid waste to the monster and took a shot at Dark Blade.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 4600-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Dark Blade

"My turn, now then since my Darklord Marie is in my graveyard, during each of my Standby Phase I gain 200 life points." Soon Marie the Fallen one appeared as her spirit granted Dark Blade some extra health.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 4800-

"Now I'll play Darklord Contract, so now I can revive my Darklord Ukoback in defense position. And since Ukoback was summoned, its effect activates. So I'll send a 'Darklord' card from my deck to my graveyard. Next I'll play Indulged Darklord, now when this monster is summoned, I can take 2 'Darklord' monsters from my hand or deck with different levels and place one of them on your side of the field in defense mode and add the other to my hand." Dark Blade then selected the cards he wanted as he had a smile under his helmet. "I've chosen Darklord Superbia and Darklord Morningstar. So I'll add Superbia to my hand and give you Morningstar." Dark Blade then flicked the desire card towards Sunset who used her magic to grab it.

Why give me a monster? Especially when it had some high stats that he could use. Sunset then placed the card on her tray as out came the monster in defense mode.

"Now, I'll play the spell Super Polymerization and with it, I can combine monsters from either player's field. So I'll combine my Darklord Ukoback and Indulged Darklord, along with your Darklord Morningstar." All three monsters then were turned into energy as they jumped into a portal as they were being used to call upon a new monster. "I Fusion Summon, The First Darklord(4000/4000)!!" shouted Dark Blade as out came a powerful monster that wielded a sword and shield as it sprouted black wings.

"Now since I used Darklord Morningstar as a fusion material, my monster can destroy all cards on your side of the field."

"Oh no!" said Sunset.

The First Darklord then raised its sword as dark energy came out of it as it swept over Sunset's field as her monster and facedown card was destroyed. Now she found herself defenseless as her opponent had yet to call his attack.

"Now that you have nothing to protect your life points, time to strike. Now Darklord attack that pathetic little pony, show her what happens when you stick your muzzle in other people's business!" shouted Dark Blade. The First Darklord then raised its sword and then flew towards Sunset as she braced herself as the attack threw her for a loop. Sunset tumbled as she landed on her side.
Sunset's Life Points: 4000-

"This duel is but over, should you summon a monster, then all I need to do is activate my Darklord's effect and then I can strike. So take your final turn, there's no way you can win now." said Dark Blade as he ended his turn.

Turn 6: Sunset

Sunset then started to stand up as she was struggling a bit. She was looking at her opponent and then at Rarity who was hugging Sweetie Belle really close. Sunset knew that if she wanted to save her friends, then she would need to take down this monster in front of her and defeat her opponent. So she dusted herself off as she finally had gotten back to her feet.

"You think that you've defeated me, well I wouldn't count on it just yet. Now my turn, draw! I play Silver's Cry to bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon from my graveyard. Then I'll play The Black Stone of Legend and then I'll tribute it to summon out my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon." Sunset now had two dragons on her field as she looked to fight back. "Now I'll overlay my Red-Eyes B. Dragon and Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon to build the Overlay Network. I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" Sunset now had one of her powerful monsters as she slide her two cards on top of each other as she replaced it with another card that ejected for her to grab from her Extra Deck compartment as she placed it on her card tray.

"Next I'll activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon to give my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon an extra 600 attack points. So now it has 3400 attack. Now I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Dark Blade

"Seems you haven't learned. Now then, first off I gain 200 more life points due to my Darklord Marie being in my graveyard." Dark Blade then got another boost to his health.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 5000-

"Darklord, lay waste to that dragon of hers!" shouted Dark Blade. The First Darklord heard its orders as it looked to take out Sunset's monster.

"Not gonna happen. I activate my Soul Guard!" shouted Sunset.

"How!?! You don't have any facedowns to activate!"

"You're right, but I do have one in my graveyard. In fact, I should thank you. When you used your monster's effect to clear my field the first time, you actually did me a favor by sending my facedown to the grave. Now I can use its effect, so I banish Soul Guard and I can negate your attack!" shouted Sunset. A barrier then appeared as it protected Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon as it caused The First Darklord's attack to bounce off as it was repelled back.

"My Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon has some unique abilities, since it has overlay units, it can't be destroyed by card effects." said Sunset. "It also has an additionally effect, while it has Xyz materials, anytime you activate a card or an effect, you take 500 points of damage."

"You're starting to annoy me, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, draw. Now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Now I'll play the Rush Recklessly spell card, so now I give my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon an extra 700 attack points till the end of the turn. So now my dragon had 4100 attack points which is more than enough to take down your monster. But before that I'll activate my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's effect, so by using one overlay unit, I can target a 'Red-Eyes' monster in my graveyard, so return to the field my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Sunset's mighty beast then appeared as it let out a cry.

"Now time to strike, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon take out The First Darklord! And then Red-Eyes follow up with an attack on his life points!" shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon then opened its mouth as it fired off an attack that took out it's target. Red-Eyes B. Dragon then looked to the same as it zeroed in on Dark Blade's life points.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 4900-

"I reveal my facedown, Darklord Rebellion. So I send a 'Darklord' from my hand to the graveyard and as a result, I can destroy your Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Dark Blade then had its facedown shot out a beam as it made Red-Eyes give out a cry as it bursted into tons of little particles.

"My Red-Eyes may be gone, but you forget about the ability of my Flare Metal Dragon. So since you activated a card effect, you lose 500 points." stated Sunset.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 4400-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Dark Blade

"My turn, as per usual, I gain 200 life points due to Darklord Marie being in my graveyard during my Standby Phase. Next I'll play Monster Reborn and with it, I'll revive my Darklord Superbia!" Out came a creature that was covered in black armor for its body and had wings as it had a mean look on its face. "Now I activate the effect of Darklord Superbia, since it was special summoned from the graveyard, I can target 1 Fairy-type monster in my graveyard and special summon it to the field. So arise once more, The First Darklord!" Once again the might monster was back as it let out a war cry.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 4600-

"Don't forget that my dragon's effect kicks in, so since you activated two card effects you take 1000 points of damage." said Sunset. Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon then fired off two fireballs as they connected with Dark Blade.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 3600-

"Well that monster of yours won't be around for long. Now Darklord the First, take out that annoying pest!" shouted Dark Blade as its monster went to strike down Sunset's dragon.

"I'll activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, so by using the last overlay unit, I can bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Sunset's monster then rose in defense mode as she looked to minimize the damage. Soon her dragon was destroyed by her opponent's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 3400-

"You may have gotten another monster, but it still won't do you any good. Darklord Superbia, take out her second dragon!" Darklord Superbia then took flight as it brought its claws and took out Sunset's last line of defense.

"Now I reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit. So now I can bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon once more. Rise my beast, in attack mode." shouted Sunset as she had managed to once again bring back her trusty monster. "And the effect of my Black Metal Dragon activates, so now I can add a 'Red-Eyes' card from my deck to my hand."

"My word, darling. Sunset's an incredible duelist. She just managed to avoid taking some huge bits of damage and was able to retain a monster on her field. And give herself some more options." stated Rarity as she was impressed by what she saw.

"Rarity, can I get one of those fancy things?" asked Sweetie Belle as she was overjoyed by what she saw Sunset do.

"I'm getting tired of this little exchange. I'll just place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn, to start I'll activate the effect of The Black Stone of Legend in my graveyard. So now I add it to my hand and shuffle my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon back into my deck." Two cards slotted out for Sunset to grab as she used her magic to put on in her hand and put the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Next, I'll play my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode. Then I'll play the spell card, Inferno Fire Blast. So now you take damage equal to my Red-Eyes attack points." Red-Eyes then fired off a fireball as it made contact with Dark Blade who felt the power and heat from the attack.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 1200-

"Due to me using this effect, I can't attack with Red-Eyes. But that won't matter cause I'm not gonna use him, now I play Polymerization and with I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes with Summoned Skull." Sunset's two card then floated above her as they were being fused together. "I Fusion Summon, come forth, the mighty Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Sunset's new monster let out a roar as fire shot out of its mouth.

"I reveal my facedown, The Sanctified Darklord. So now I send a 'Darklord' card from my hand to the graveyard to negate your monster's effects till the end of the turn. And then I gain life points equal to the monster I sent away." Dark Blade then slotted Darklord Amdusc to the graveyard as he received a life point boost.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 3000-

Clever move, by removing my monster's effect he was able to make sure that he didn't lose the duel this turn. "My monster may not be able to use its ability, but it can still deal damage. So Archfiend Black Skull Dragon take out Darklord Superbia!" shouted Sunset. Her monster then took flight as it opened it mouth and shot a massive pillar of fire as it took its target out.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 2700-

"With that I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Dark Blade

"My turn, now I'll activate the other effect of Darklord the First. So now I pay 1000 life points and then I can special summon 1 Fairy-type monster from my hand or graveyard in defense position. So arise Darklord Edeh Arae(2300/2000)!" Dark Blade now had two powerful monsters on his field.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 2900-

"So now Darklord the First take out her Archfiend Black Skull Dragon." shouted Dark Blade. Darklord the First then brought its sword down as it created a line that cut Sunset's Archfiend Black Skull Dragon in half.
Sunset's Life Points: 2600-

"I'll activate my facedown. Return of the Red-Eyes! Now since I control a 'Red-Eyes' monster, I can bring back my original Red-Eyes Black Dragon back to the field." Just like that Sunset once again had her ace monster as it appeared on her field.

"Seems like your still trying to hang on, admirable that you've lasted this long. It means you've got incredible skills as not only a duelist, but a warrior." complimented Dark Blade on Sunset's willingness to not back down.

"Thanks." said Sunset.

"But it won't save you, now then take your turn."

Turn 12: Sunset

"All right, here we go." Sunset then drew her card as she looked to the side and saw Rarity and Sweetie Belle having some hopeless looks on their faces. She knew that if she was going to save them then she need to end this duel now. "Now I'll play the spell card, Red-Eyes Insight. So I'll send 1 'Red-Eyes' from my deck to the graveyard to add a 'Red-Eyes' spell/trap card to my hand. So I'll send my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon from earlier to the grave." Sunset then sent her card away as he used her duel screen to select the card she wanted as it slotted out for her to grab. "Now time for me to win this, I'll now sacrifice my Red-Eyes B. Dragon to summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon!!" shouted Sunset. "Now my dragon's effect activates which means it gains 300 extra attack points for every dragon that's currently in my graveyard. Right now I currently have five dragons in my graveyard, so my Darkness Dragon gains 1500 extra attack points. Which raises its strength to 3900. But I'm not done, cause now I'll equip another Black Metal Dragon to give my new monster another 600 attack points which puts it at a grand total of 4500." All the dragon spirits of Sunset's graveyard appeared as they transferred their power to their comrade as he spread out his wings and let out a huge cry that could be heard.

"Time to end this, I reveal my last facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain."

"It's not gonna work, my monster's can't be targeted by your card effects." stated Dark Blade.

"This card isn't affecting yours, it's affecting mine. Cause with this, it allows my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon to conduct 2 attacks in this battle phase."

"What!?!" shouted Dark Blade as he realized what was about to happen.

"Time to end this battle, Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon take out both of his monsters!" shouted Sunset. Darkness Dragon then had its fallen comrades appear next to it in spirit form as they all opened their mouths and fired off an ultimate team attack as they destroyed both monsters. Soon their was nothing left as Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon was now staring Dark Blade in the face. "You shouldn't have ever messed with my friends, and now time for you to pay the price. Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon, finish this duel!!!" shouted Sunset. With that her last monster fired off a huge fireball as it collided with Dark Blade who was flung onto his back as the duel ended.
Dark Blade's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset Shimmer

"Game over." said Sunset as she flipped her mane. "Now release them!" demanded Sunset.

"Who said anything about that? I never agreed to set them free if you won." With that Dark Blade then rushed over to where Rarity and Sweetie Belle were tied up as he had them both in his arm as he brought out his sword and pointed it at their necks ready to slash their throats.

Sunset noticed this and was about to order her dragon to take the shot when she realized the predicament her friends were in.

"Seems like I've outsmarted you pony. You may beaten me, but I won't leave empty handed. Now call off your monsters and I may leave them with a slight chance of being alive." said Dark Blade with a sinister tone. "Do it!!"

"Don't listen to him, Sunset!" shouted Rarity. "Take the shot! Don't worry about us!"

"Call off them off, or they die! Do it!! Do you want their blood on your hooves!" shouted Dark Blade as he applied a bit more pressure from the sword.

"Sunset! Take the shot!" called out Rarity.

Sunset was now struggling with her predicament. She didn't want any harm to come to her friends, but she knew that she needed to stop this guy or else other ponies would suffer a similar fate.

"I'll give you till the count of three. And whatever happens after that is on you! One..."

Sunset then raised her hoof.

"Two!!!"

Sunset still had her hoof raised as she was trying to get a clear shot.

"Rarity!" screamed Sweetie Belle as she was scared.

"Three!!!" shouted Dark Blade as he went to do the deed. He started to move his blade when he felt something bump into him as he lost his balance for a bit and released his grip from the two ponies.

"Huh?" said both Belle girls. They both were then pushed out of harm from Dark Blade as the person that saved them was none other than a little drake.

"Spikey-wikey!" called out Rarity. She had never been so glad to see her friend save her.

"Hand offs of my friends!" called out Spike.

"You insolent, little son of..." stated Dark Blade as he got back up to his feet. "Fine, want to be a hero. Then die like one." shouted Dark Blade as he rushed towards Spike at high speed.

"Spike!?!" called out the girls as he just stood there.

Sunset saw this and she had to act fast. Dark Blade then brought its sword for a side swipe as Spike stood there with his eyes closed. Soon the sound of metal was heard. Spike opened his eyes and he expected to not be standing; what he saw was Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight had blocked the attack and protected the three creatures. Spike turned his head and saw Sunset giving him a smile as she wiped her forehead for cutting it close, literally. Gearfried then fought of the attack as it started to trade blows with Dark Blade as both went at it with lightning fast reflexes. Soon Dark Blade was attacked from behind as Sunset's Red-Eyes B. Chick had fired a little fireball at him as it wanted to help his comrade. That bought all the time Gearfried needed as he brought his sword in a diagonal slash across Dark Blade as he dropped his swords and fell to his knees. Soon he was kneeling as he looked up and saw Spike being surround by Sunset's Darkness Dragon, Alternative Black Dragon and Red-Eyes B. Chick as they backed up the little drake.

"Time to end this!" shouted Sunset as she gave the nod to her monsters.

Her dragons understood their mistress orders as they opened their mouths and blew some powerful fire at Dark Blade. Even Spike helped out as he inhaled and blew out his own flame as it combined with the other dragons as they all combined to reach an intense heat as they collided with Dark Blade who felt the intense flame as he felt himself being defeated as he turned into thousands of particles.

"Glad that's over." said Spike.

He then looked behind him as he was now looking up to Sunset's dragons as they looked at the little one. Despite not talking, both dragons understood Spike's bravery for protecting the ones that matter to him as they gave a commerative and honorable roar for showing incredible courage. Spike had a smile on his face; he then turned to his side as he saw Sunset's B. Chick looking at him as they were fairly the same height. He then snuggled next to Spike as he just simply petted the little thing on its head. Sunset then made her way to her monsters as she said thank you. All of them then nuzzled their mistress as they bent their head down to her level and showed their affection. Red-Eyes B. Chick jumped into Sunset's arms as it caused her to sit down; he then snuggled into her chest as he let out a cry that said 'Momma'. Sunset just gave her baby dragon a kiss as they all gave one last roar before disappearing back into her deck.

"Thanks for showing up when you did, Spike."

"Anytime, Sunset."

"Uhm, not to ruin this happy moment. But can you untie these ropes?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Oops." said both the mare and the dragon. With that they both untied Rarity and Sweetie Belle.

"You girls alright?" asked Sunset.

"Well, considering that we had our lives threatened and were just seconds away from perishing, I think it's safe to say that we need sometime to relax." informed Rarity.

"That's good to hear. By the way, Spike. What are you doing here? I thought you were back at the castle with Isaac and Twilight." said Sunset.

"I was, until I realized that I was suppose to help Rarity." Spike then turned to face Rarity. "I'm sorry, Rarity. I completely forgotten about you asking for my help. If I had just shown up, then maybe you wouldn't have been captured. It's my fault that you were in trouble." said Spike as he put his head down in shame.

"Oh, Spike darling. It's not your fault; everybody forgets things from time to time. I could never get mad at you, besides had you not come when you did, who knows what might have happened with that brute. I'm thankful for you saving me and Sweetie Belle, you really are considerate." Rarity then planted a kiss on Spike's cheek as it caused him to brighten up.

"Rarity's right, Spike." spoke Sunset. "If you didn't help them, I might not have known what to do when he threatened them. In a way, you were kind of the hero today." smiled Sunset.

"Thanks, Sunset. But to be honest, you took care of most of the work. So really you were the hero." replied Spike.

"Guess we both did our part, agree?" said Sunset.

"Agree." said Spike as he shook her hoof in a handshake.

"Well, despite this touching display, it's getting rather late. And I for one would like to forget about this encounter for a while." said Rarity.

"I certainly will." said Sweetie Belle. "Thanks for saving us Sunset, you too Spike." she then gave both of her friends a hug as she disappeared back into the boutique.

"Thanks again, both of you." said Rarity as she entered her home and closed her door.

Both Spike and Sunset then decided to head back to the castle as they got there in time as the moon was just barely starting to rise in the night sky. They entered through the doors as Isaac and Twilight were in the main hall chuckling when they saw the two of them enter the place.

"So, how'd your day go?" asked Isaac.

"It was rather boring." said Sunset as she gave Spike a sly smile.

"Boring? How so?" asked Isaac.

"Ehh, not much happened." said Sunset.

Spike then let out a yawn as Twilight noticed this. "Seems like someone needs his nap."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I'm off. See you guys in the morning." said Spike as he left to his room to get some rest.

"I think we should all turn in for the night, thank you for helping me today, Isaac." said Twilight.

"My pleasure." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to Twilight. Soon she left as Isaac and Sunset were left alone. "So... nothing happened?"

"Yep, nothing happened."

"Huh? Weird. Well, I guess even evil forces need a break from time to time." stated Isaac.

"I guess. Anyways, I'm kind of beat. See you in the morning."

"Night, Sunset." said Isaac as both parted ways as they all headed to their rooms to get some shut eye.

Chapter 102: First Duel

"So, you sure you'll be alright by yourself?" asked Sunset.

"Of course, Twilight wants to know a bit more about Duel Monsters. So I'd figured I give her demonstration seeing as how she's eager." stated Isaac.

"That's not the only reason she's so eager." said Sunset with a sly smile.

"What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Just have fun with the princess." said Sunset as she gave a wink. With that she left through the door.

Isaac was trying to figure out what Sunset was trying to imply. He eventually gave up as he simply shrugged his shoulders and started to make his way to the map room. Isaac entered the place and saw Spike in his chair reading his comic as Twilight was in the chair next to him as she had several scrolls out in front of her.

"Let me guess, some royalty papers that need to be signed?" asked Isaac.

"A little. Mostly, Princess Celestia just wants me to go over some important documents for an upcoming meeting." stated Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah. Look can we just take care of them later." pleaded Spike. "I want to see Isaac give a demonstration. You promised, Twilight."

"All right, just let me finish this stack of papers." said Twilight. "You don't mind waiting, do you, Isaac?"

"Of course not." said Isaac.

He then sat on one of the other seats as he used his magic and pulled out his deck as he spread them out on the table. While Isaac was looking over his cards, Twilight snuck in a couple of glances at his direction as she noticed how attentive he was to his allies. It gave her a slight blush as she tried to finish up her work. Soon Twilight was able to finish her documents as she informed both of the boys. With that they all made their way to the back of the castle as both Twilight and Spike were eager to see how Isaac did what he did.

"So how do the monsters in your deck come to life? More importantly, can you just play any card you want?" asked Spike with excitement as he reached into Isaac's deck box and pulled out his deck.

"Spike." shouted Twilight as she used her magic to take the cards from him. "You know you need to ask permission before you take stuff that isn't yours." she said while giving her a stern mother look. "Sorry about that, Isaac. It's just that Spike is really excited, and I am too."

"It's fine." said Isaac as he took back his cards from Twilight. "Now then, are you both ready?" asked Isaac.

"Yup!" stated both of them. Twilight then had a scroll and quill appear as Spike sat on the floor ready to see some action.

"All right." Isaac then used his magic as he took out his cards as he sat in front of them and spread a couple of them on the grass. "So in my world, Duel Monsters is a game. A game that well, basically kind of runs the whole world in a way. What I mean is that everybody knows as it's sort of a way of life. So based on what you two saw when I took on that creature, the objective of the game is to be winner. That much is obvious; the way you win is by you draining your opponent's life points till they reach zero. Now that's the most common way, however there are a couple of alternatives. Now then a duel is consisted at the most of two players, sure there can be more, but in general you need two people to have a duel. And each person has a deck that they use to try to beat their opponent and win the game. Is this all clear so far?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah." said Twilight as she was scribbling stuff down on her scroll.

"And so this deck consists of what you call, 'Duel Monsters', right?" asked Spike.

"Correct. However, a deck isn't just based on that. A deck also needs to have some spells/magic and trap cards that can help it to give balance." informed Isaac.

"Makes sense." stated Twilight. "If you had a deck full of monsters, you practically lose everytime. I mean there's no way you can win with just monsters. Right?" asked Twilight.

"Well... yes and no."

"What?" said Spike as he tilted his head in confusion.

"Yes, it's ideal to have cards other than monsters. But there are certain decks/archetypes that don't benefit from them and they can still function. But I'm getting ahead of myself, overall about 95% of decks do have some sort of spell/traps cards." said Isaac. He then used his magic to pick up a few cards as he showed them to the mare and dragon. "Now a monster card looks like this, it has its stats on the bottom right. And it shows how many stars it has on the top. And sometimes these monsters have an effect which can usually be found under the artwork."

"So this card is called... uhm, Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts?" said Spike as he felt like he was saying the name right.

"You're correct. So pay attention to its stats? What do you see?" asked Isaac.

"Well, it has two different numbers." stated Spike.

"Exactly! These two different numbers represent the card's attack and defense."

"Ahh, I see. So the number on that comes first is the attack power of the monster, while the number after it is the defense power."

"You got it, princess." stated Isaac. "Now as you can see Gazelle has 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points. So when you summon a monster there's different ways you can do it. For attack mode, you just simply play it like normally faceup. But when it comes to defense mode, you can either choose to play it faceup or facedown; regardless if you want to play a monster in defense mode then you just simply put the card sideways. Now that's what we call a normal summon, which is basically everybody's one free chance to summon anything they want. Now there's also a term called 'special summon', unlike a normal summon, there's no limit to how many times you can special summon in a turn. And when you special summon a monster, you get the choice of what position you want it to be in. Understand?"

"Of course, normal summon once per turn. Special summon is unlimited." stated Spike. "And depending on how you position the card determines if it's in attack or defense mode."

"Yup. Now the next step about monster cards is their star levels. So as you can see, Gazelle has 4 stars meaning that it's a basic enough monster that's neither too weak or strong." Isaac then used his magic to pick up some other cards as he showed them to the pair. "Now take a look at this card, how stars does it have?"

"Five."

"Correct, Twilight. This here is my Jack's Knight. Now I can't normally summon it like I do with Gazelle. So if I were to play him, then what I would need to do is sacrifice my Gazelle and then I can play this card. Now what about this one?"

"It's your Dark Magician. And it has 7 stars." stated Spike.

"Correct, now for me to play this card, I need to sacrifice two monsters to summon him."

"I understand. Monsters that have levels 4 or below you can play normally. In the case of five or six stars, you need to only sacrifice one monster. And should it be seven or higher, it means you need two monsters to meet the summoning requirements." stated Twilight as she looked over her notes.

"Yes, however, there are cases when a monster above 7 requires 3 tributes. But that's not important for now. Okay, next item of business is moving on to spell and trap cards." Isaac then pulled out some other cards as he explained their functions. "In short, spells are cards that you can activate at anytime on your turn. Traps require you needing to set them first before you can activate them. Spells are what you mostly use to boost your monsters, while traps are what you use to counter your opponent's move."

"So just to reiterate? Each card type has subtypes. Spell cards, for instance, are divided into Quickplay, Continuous, Field, Equip, Ritual, and Normal, while Trap cards are divided into Continuous, Counter, and Normal." said Twilight as she was looking over her notes for reference.

"That's right. Now the next big thing about dueling is not just summoning high level monsters, but also trying to call out different forms of monsters using the more superior forms of summoning. Now the one you'll saw me use against that monster was Fusion. Basically it consist of combine monsters to bring out a combination of the two. The main card is called Polymerization as its the O.G. that people use to fuse; there are other forms of it that applied to their specific deck. The other ones are Synchro and Xyz. Synchro is all about summoning out low level monsters and then tuning them together to bring out more powerful monsters as fast as you can. And Xyz is about overlaying monster cards to create monsters that use overlay units to activate their special ability. In fact, Xyz is one of the trickiest summonings to pull off. Usually because it revolves around having monsters to be the same level and having cards that can manipulate a monster's level to get it just right for you to overlay." stated Isaac.

"Fusion, Synchro and Xyz?" said Spike as he counted his fingers. "Seems kind of hard to keep track."

"It's tough to take it all in at once, but once you get experience, it becomes second nature. Conveyance is something that everybody struggles with, when it comes to playing this game, I love it when things go into detail. But I also know that sometimes too many details can bog down someone else's brain because in my mind those details are normal but in someone else's mind those details do not matter in the slightest. That's why it's better to just play the game and learn that way." stated Isaac. "Now, normally when people create their decks, they usually try to revolve around one of those certain types of summonings. That being said, it takes a lot of time to master you're preferred form of summoning. So people generally stick with just one."

"Well, what about you. What's your preferred form of summoning?" asked Spike.

"Well, I like them all. Each one has their own advantages and disadvantages."

"All of them?" said Twilight in disbelief. She then quickly looked at her notes as she scrambled back and forth between them and Isaac. "Impossible, based on how time consuming it is to master just one form of summoning, two is just tiring. But with all three, you would have to be a master."

"Well, I'm no master. I just simply practiced a lot when I was young. Sure it took a while, but eventually I was able to understand and from there I worked on refining my skills as a duelist." stated Isaac.

"That's amazing, wow, you're amazing." said Twilight as she caused both of them to blush as they turned their heads to the side for a bit.

"Yeah, yeah he's amazing. What don't we know?" interrupted Spike. "Now then, enough with the talking, just show us!" said Spike in excitement.

"All right." Isaac then slide on his duel disk as he prepared to show Twilight and Spike. "Now I'll use the Eye of Timaeus to combine my Dark Magician Girl, I Fusion Summon, Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight!" shouted Isaac as he called upon his monster. "Next I tune my Turbo Synchron with my Sonic Chick and Dark Magician, and when using Dark Magician as Synchro Material he counts as level 6 instead of 7." Soon all three of Isaac's monster were tuning together to call upon another one of his magicians. "I Synchro Summon Dark Sorcerer Magician!" Isaac's second magician came out as Spike and Twilight were in awe. "And then I'll overlay my two Magician of Dark Illusions and build the Overlay Network, I Xyz Summon Ebon Illusion Magician!" Isaac's other magician came out as it had its units floating around it. "And then I'll play the ritual spell card, Chaos Form. So now I'll tribute my Gaia the Fierce Knight and Kuriboh in order to ritual summon Magician of Chaos!" With that Isaac's last form of magician appeared as he stood along side his comrades and their master.

Spike and Twilight were just sitting there with huge eyes as they couldn't believe the sight in front of them. Sunset had entered the castle as she had purchased some groceries; she notice something from one of the castle windows as she got close to see what it was. When she looked outside, she saw that Isaac was giving his demonstration to Twilight and Spike. With that she exited out of the castle once more and went back into town.

Isaac and his magician all gave one final bow as Spike and Twilight applauded them all. With that they turned back to Isaac as they smiled at their master, soon they all returned back to his deck as Isaac slotted out his cards. "So, did you both enjoy the show?"

"Totally, I mean it had everything. Fireworks, spotlights, even magic." said Spike as he was the most excited of the two. He then climbed on Isaac's back as he looked at his cards. "Man, now I really want to know how to play."

"If you want, I could teach you the basics." said Isaac.

"You do that?" asked Spike.

"Well, seeing as how I'm going to be here for a while, I'd figured I got some free time on my hooves. So I could teach you the basics."

"That be awesome. Thanks Isaac." said Spike as he gave the colt a hug around his neck.

"What about you, Twilight? Do you... want to learn?"

"I'll think about it." said Twilight. She didn't want to answer right away, but based on what she saw her immediate reaction was yes. "Well, we've spent enough time. Why don't we head inside and get some lunch?"

"Time? Time!" shouted Spike as Isaac felt his ears ring. "I totally forgot that I was suppose to meet with Rarity to help her out today. How could I have forgotten, sorry guys but I need to go. See you both later." said Spike as he hopped off of Isaac's back and began to run as fast as his little legs could. Soon he disappeared out of sight as it was just Isaac and Twilight left alone.

"I guess, he really wants to help her?" said Isaac in confusion.

"Well, I mean he sort of has a crush on her." informed Twilight.

"Oh." said Isaac. Then it's probably good that I don't mention to him about me going on a date with the Rarity's human counterpart. I don't want to mess with the little's drakes dreams, especially if she feels the same way.

"Well, anyways, want to head inside. I'm kind of hungry."

"Yeah, me too." said Isaac as he followed Twilight back inside the castle.

They both entered the castle as both ponies began to discuss some options. Ultimately, Twilight had decided on ordering some food. "Hey, Isaac. How does takeout sound to you?" asked Twilight.

"Sure."

"Great. What do you feel about hay burgers, fries and some soda drinks?" asked Twilight.

"All that sounds good, just one question? What's a hay burger?" asked Isaac.

Twilight had a surprised look at Isaac's answer. That alone was enough to make Isaac worry, "You never had a hay burger!?! It's only the best thing ever, trust me you'll love it." she said.

"If you say so." replied Isaac.

Soon Twilight placed her order as she wrote it on a scroll and then used her magic to teleport it to the place. They replied with a scroll that said they received her order and would send someone to her castle. "Well, I already placed the meal, I made sure to get you the deluxe sandwich combo, that's the best way for you to get the full experience. Besides, it's been a while since I've had one as well." Twilight was now in a cheery mode.

"Just wondering how much have you eaten from that place?" asked Isaac.

"Oh, not much. Maybe a couple, okay several, alright fine a mouthful." said Twilight as she felt a bit embarrassed at her eating habits.

"Hey, I'm not judging. I'm just amazed that you can eat that much and well still maintain your form." Twilight blushed when Isaac mention her figure as he realized what he had just said. "Uhm, what I mean is, uhm... you must do a lot of exercise if you can consume that much and not gain any weight." chuckled Isaac sheepishly as he turned his head.

"I... I understand what you meant. And to be honest, I was never one for working out. I guess being an alicorn has some perks like not gaining any significant pounds." stated Twilight with some red on her cheeks.

"So... what do we do till then?" asked Isaac as he wanted to ease the tension between them.

"Well, I've been meaning to ask you something? If you don't mind me asking?"

"Shoot."

"What was your first duel like?" asked Twilight as she made a table appear and pulled up a couple of chairs for them to sit on.

"That's something, I haven't told in a long time." stated Isaac as he sat down on the chair.

"You don't have too, if you don't want." said Twilight as she took a seat next to Isaac.

"No, it's fine." said Isaac as he looked at her. "Well, let's see... it all started when I was young."

(Flashback)

A four year old Isaac was now walking down the street as he had a couple of card packs in his hands as he was staring at them with wonder in his eyes. He had managed to save up from finding some extra money lying around and was able to afford a couple of card packs as he hoped to get something good. He was so busy that he didn't pay attention in front of him as he bumped into another person as he fell down.

"Ow, that hurt." stated Isaac in a kid voice.

"That's why grownups always say look where you're going." said the little boy who was standing over Isaac. He then helped Isaac up by pulling him to his feet.

"Thanks, Eddie." said Isaac.

"Of course, we're friends." Eddie then looked at the card packs that Isaac had in his hands. "You actually got some cards?"

"Yeah, I saved up as much as I could. I went to the store and bought some, it wasn't much."

"We need to see what you got." stated Eddie.

With that both boys rushed over to Eddie's house as they entered the living room and put Isaac's packs on the table. They both started to open them as they wondered what cards Isaac had purchased. Safe to say they weren't the most known cards that the pros used on TV and stuff, but they were suitable cards that kids their age could understand.

"You got some awesome stuff, man." exclaimed Eddie. "Say, let's have a duel."

"What?" asked Isaac as he wasn't prepared for that answer.

"Come on, we need to see what these cards can do." Eddie then ran off to his room as he grabbed his box of cards and then brought them down. He placed it on the table and began to search inside of it as he pulled out his beginner deck. "Now then, let's do this."

"I don't know. I mean, I'm not that good." stated Isaac.

"Neither was he." said Eddie as he pointed to a poster that he hung on the wall. "They say the King of Games wasn't just master from the start. He practiced a lot and a lot till he became a great duelist; he's got super cool monsters. And not just him, all of them." Eddie then showed off another poster on the wall as it contained the Big 4 duelists, "I hope that when I grow up, I can face one of them. Don't you?"

Isaac looked at the poster of the Big 4 and then at the one they called "The Kings of Games". At this point, Isaac was a fan ever since he first saw his first duel on TV. He was amazed by what this person could do, not to mention his ace monster as the two of them looked like superheroes who were always putting smiles on people's faces and entertaining kids. Isaac took a long look at the poster as he had dreams of one day being just like those four.

"I want to be just like him." said Isaac in the most innocent voice.

"Then we have to practice. So come on." said Eddie as cleared the space in front of them as he sat on the other side of the table and began to shuffle his deck.

Isaac didn't have much cards to create a strong deck, but from what he got from the card packs, he had enough to actually put them together and it could be considered a deck of sorts. So Isaac then gathered all of his card together as he placed all into one pile as he did his best to shuffle them. Eddie then pulled out a piece of paper and had a calculator next to him as he wrote down both of their names and put their life total at 4000. They then flipped a coin and Eddie was going to make the first move.

Turn 1: Eddie

"My draw, I'll play Bolt Penguin(1100/800) in attack mode. And that's all for me. Your turn, Isaac."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Right." said Isaac as he picked up his card. What do I do? "I guess, I'll play this." The card Isaac had chosen to play was none other than Winged Dragon Guardian of the Fortress #1(1400/1200). "Now I'll attack your monster."
Eddie's Life Points: 3700-

Turn 3: Eddie

"Nice monster, Isaac. Now let's see what I get." Eddie then picked up his monster as he put it in his discard pile and then drew the top card of his deck. "I place this one monster facedown. That's all."

Turn 4: Isaac

Isaac was now looking at his opponent's field as they had placed a monster in defense mode and one facedown. That sight got Isaac to worry for just a little bit. "Okay, my turn. I'll attack your monster with my dragon." stated Isaac.

"Sorry, bud." said Eddie as he flipped over his monster. "You attack my Giant Soldier of Stone and it has 2000 defense points. Which means your monster won't win and you lose 600 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 3400-

"Aw man." pouted Isaac. "Uhm, then... I guess I'll play this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Eddie

"My turn, I now play Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness(1800/1500) in attack mode." Eddie then played a powerful monster as it was higher than Isaac's dragon. "Now I'll attack your dragon with my warrior which means you lose your monster."

"Oh no." said Isaac in a scared voice as he lost a monster and some more life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"I then end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he drew his card which wasn't something that could help him. This won't help me and if I don't have a monster that can take down his. What do I do? Isaac was struggling on how he could play, then he noticed the card he set down previously as he flipped it over to read its effect. "Okay, I'll activate my facedown, Swords of Revealing Light. Now thanks to this, you can't attack me for three turns." stated Isaac.

"What!?! No way." said Eddie.

"I'll just end my turn." said Isaac as he couldn't do much more.

Turn 7: Eddie

"That's a nice card you got Isaac." said Eddie as he drew his card. "Too bad I can't attack, oh well, I'll pass."

Turn 8: Isaac
(Turn count: 1)

"My turn." said Isaac as he put his hand over the deck. Give me something good. Gazelle, no. He's not strong enough take care of Eddie's monster. But I only have two more turns left and then I'll be open to an attack. Maybe I'm not meant to be a duelist, I can't do anything. Isaac just looked at his hand and put his head down as he felt like he was going to cry. He let out a few sniffles when he thought back to something his idol once said.

Remember, Duel Monsters is all about combining your monster cards with your other cards. Like spells, magic and trap card to increase their strength. That way you can unlock their true potential and call upon an even greater monster.

"Use other cards to increase my monster's strength?" said Isaac to himself. He then took another look at his hand and began to look through. He then saw a card that could help him as he hoped that he could pull it off. "Hope you're ready, Eddie. Cause I'm going to use my other cards with my monster cards to play an even more powerful one.

"How?"

"Like this, I play Polymerization. And so I'll combine Gazelle and Berfomet to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast." Isaac then replaced his two weaker monsters with a much stronger looking one.

"Awesome." said Eddie as he was impressed by Isaac's move.

"Now that I have stronger monster, I attack Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness!" said Isaac as he got rid of Eddie's monster. I'll then end my turn."
Eddie's Life Points: 3400-

Turn 9: Eddie

"My turn, for now I'll play this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac
(Turn count: 2)

"My turn, draw. Now I'll my Chimera attack your Giant Soldier of Stone. And now you have no monsters left on the field." said Isaac as he was a bit overjoyed. "That's all for me."

Turn 11: Eddie

"My turn, I'll play Pot of Greed and so I'll draw two more cards. Then I'll just play this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac
(Turn count: 3)

"My turn, and since you don't have any monsters, I can attack your life points directly. Then I'll end my turn and that means my Swords' effect wears off."
Eddie's Life Points: 1300-

Turn 13: Eddie

"Time for me to win." said Eddie as he drew his card. "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Call of the Haunted. So now I bring my Sea Serpent Warrior of Darkness. And then I'll play the Cost Down card, so I'll get rid of one card in my hand so that I can lower all of the levels of my monsters in my hand by 2. Then that means I only need to sacrifice one monster to play this, Slot Machine(2000/2300)."

"Nice monster, but mine is still stronger." stated Isaac.

"Right, but I'm gonna do what you did and use my other cards to increase my monster's strength. I play the spell, 7 Completed. So now I give my monster 700 more attack points. Which means it's stronger than your Chimera."

"Oh no!" said Isaac as he knew what that meant.

"So your Chimera is destroyed and you lose life points. With that I'll end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 2400-

"Well your monster is not the only one with ability, my Chimera allows me to bring back either Gazelle or Berfomet back to my field." Isaac then looked at the two cards in his discard pile as he was trying to figure out which one he wanted. "I think I choose this one." said Isaac as he placed Berfomet back onto the table in defense mode.

Turn 14: Isaac

"My turn, I'll place this monster facedown and then play one card facedown. That's all."

Turn 15: Eddie

"I was expecting more, oh well." said Eddie as he drew his card. "Okay, I'll play another 7 Completed, but this time I'm increasing my monster's defense points. And then I'll play Trident Warrior(1800/1200) and this guy's got a cool ability, cause now I can play another monster for free. So I choose... this one. Achacha Archer(1200/600). And when I play this guy, I can deal you 500 points of damage."
Isaac's Life Points: 1900-

Uh oh.

"Now I'll attack your Berfomet with Slots Machine and then my Trident Warrior will take out your facedown monster." Isaac then flipped over his card to show that his monster was Beaver Warrior as he put it and Berfomet into his graveyard pile as he had no monsters left. "Sorry, bud. But I'll attack with Achacha Archer, which means you're almost out of life points." stated Eddie as he ended his turn.
Isaac's Life Points: 700-

What do I do now?

(Stop)

"Huh?" said Isaac as he realized that Twilight had gotten up. "Hey, Twilight? Don't you want to hear the rest of my story?"

"I do. Just that our food is here and I'd figured we'd could finish the story while we're eating." stated Twilight.

"That's not bad. In fact, this seems like the perfect time for quick intermission." said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall. "All right, everyone go grab snack, or use the restroom. We'll resume after this quick break."

Twilight had answered the door and sure enough it was the delivery pony who had arrived with her food. She paid the pony and gave him a decent tip as she took it and closed the door. With that she made her way back to Isaac as she placed the food on the table and they began to eat. Isaac looked at his hay burger and was observing it like he was expecting it to come alive; it also didn't help that next to him he was watching something that he never thought a princess would do.

“Mmmmm. Mmm this is so good!” Twilight stated, her cheeks puffing out from the burger she happily munched on. Red sauce was splattered all over her purple cheeks.

“Man for a princess you sure-” Isaac started to say. One angry glare from the purple mare quickly stopped him from finishing; he needed to choose his next words very carefully. “Uh er I mean for a princess you umm s-s-sure do have excellent…taste! Yes, excellent taste in the uh b-b-burgers” he corrected; laughing weakly. Twilight soothed her scathing gaze and returned to enjoying her meal. Isaac then took a bite of his own burger to avoid feeling the mare's wrath. Safe to say that he found the meal to actually be really good.

"So... what happened next?" asked Twilight.

"Right... well...."

(Resume Flashback)

Turn 16: Isaac

There's nothing I can do, Eddie has three monsters and I have none. Maybe I should I give up, nothing I have in my hand can take down his powerful monster. I doubt even any of those guys could find a way to win, and if they did, well I guess it means that I suck at this game. Isaac was really starting to cry as he could feel tears starting to fall down his cheek. Every kid wanted to be great duelists, but given the situation he was in, it didn't seem possible. Maybe this was a sign that the universe was telling him that he would never grow up to be a good duelist.

Don't give up. Remember, a duel isn't over until the last card has been played. Remember, believe in the heart of the cards. Trust in yourself and you will always prevail.

Isaac was reminded of that as he knew that it was one of his idol's most famous line. Isaac then started to wipe his eyes as those words had given him the confidence he needed. Isaac then looked at his hand and to his field. He had one card that he placed facedown; he then looked at Eddie's field and saw that he had three monsters and had 1300 life points. So Isaac knew that if he wanted to win then he would need to summon a powerful monster. So Isaac took a deep breath as he looked at his deck as his hand hovered above it.

Okay, believe. Believe that I can do this. Isaac then closed his eyes as he put his hand over the top card as the spirit of his idol also put his hand on top of him as he prepared to draw the card with Isaac. Heart of the cards, guide me. Isaac then picked up his card as he looked at it and then saw the end goal.

"Okay, I'll play facedown card, Graceful Charity. So now I draw three cards and discard two." Isaac then picked up the cards he wanted as he set his plan into motion. Now I'll set a card facedown and play Celtic Guardian in defense mode." said Isaac as he ended his turn. Just got to play this right, it's about timing.

Turn 17: Eddie

"My turn, hate to do this buddy. I'll play another 7 Completed and give my Slot Machine another 700 attack points, now it has 3400 attack points. Next, I attack your Celtic Guardian with my Trident Warrior. And that leaves you wide open. So I'll attack you with Slot Machine."

"I activate my facedown, Defense Draw. Now I negate your attack and I get to draw a card." said Isaac as he picked up another card from his deck.

"Okay, but I can still attack with Achacha Archer." stated Eddie.

"I'll send Kuriboh from my hand so that the battle damage becomes zero." said Isaac as he sent his favorite little guy to the graveyard as it had done its job. Thanks, little buddy.

"Nice, you held off all of my attacks. Well I got nothing else I can do, so I'll end my turn."

Turn 18: Isaac

"Time for me to win, let's go." exclaimed Isaac as he drew his card. "All right! Now time for me to win, and it starts with these three monsters." said Isaac as he showed them to Eddie.

"Huh? What do you mean, Isaac? Those are some cool monsters, but they can't beat my Slot Machine."

"Sure these little guys aren't powerful enough on their own, but their true strength is the bond they share. The bond they have as brothers and together they form a powerful monster. So I'll send my Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Magnet Warrior so that I play Valkyrion the Magna Warrior!" stated Isaac as he place his three cards in the graveyard as he placed another one from his hand. "And my Magna Warrior has 3500 attack points."

"That's such a cool looking monster, oh but wait." Eddie realized just what it meant.

"Yep, that means my Valkyrion has enough strength for me to win this duel. So I attack your Achacha Archer with Valkyrion." said Isaac as he pointed at the card.
Eddie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Man that was a fun duel. Thanks Isaac."

"Thank you, Eddie." smiled Isaac. "But I couldn't do it without my friends." said Isaac as he looked at his cards. He then looked at the poster as he saw his idol, "And I couldn't without you."

(End of Flashback)

"And that's the story of my first duel." stated Isaac as he finished his telling his tale.

"Wow, that's a fun tale." said Twilight as she was invested. "But wait, you didn't play your Dark Magician?"

"Yeah, well... I didn't really get him until I was bit older. I went to the card shop one day and bought an old pack; when I opened it up I was able to obtain a copy of him and well, since then we've become friends. And my Dark Magician Girl, well I got here not too long after. And from there the rest is history." Isaac then pulled out his deck as he took out his two magicians and looked at them. "I'm so lucky to have monsters that are willing to stand by my side. It kind of makes me happy." Isaac then started to shed a few tears of happiness as Twilight noticed this. "I can't begin to tell you just how much they mean to me", he said as he wiped his eyes.

"I can tell." said Twilight as she approached him and placed a hoof on his shoulder. Her lips curved into the sweetest, most genuine smiles Isaac had ever seen. His heart felt like it melted into a pile of warm butter.

“Thank you," he exclaimed. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle at seeing Isaac so cheerful and optimistic. He leapt forward and embraced Twilight in a passionate hug. Her cheeks flashed pink, eyes widening a bit, she certainly wasn’t expecting that.

“Um you’re very, very; VERY welcome” she nervously replied. The mare looked down at her colt friend. It was so strange. Though the sudden hug took her off guard, the longer she remained in it…the better she felt.

Okay, this is certainly a new development. I’ve been hugged by my friends lots of times, but none of them ever made me feel like…this. I feel warmer; his fur feels so comfy I swear I could fall asleep like this. And what’s up with his chest muscles? They’re amazing! They’re strong like diamonds and yet they’re as comfy as pillows, how is that scientifically possible? Are these romantic symptoms? Is there a book I should read that tells me if this means I’m attracted to him or not?

“You smell nice,” Isaac murmured tenderly into Twilight’s ear. The colt realized what he said and immediately stepped back from the hug. “S-s-s-sorry I um that was uh a-” he started to say before being interrupted by Twilight.

“Mistake?” she interjected. She looked at him with concerned eyes, like she was worried he was going take what he said back.

“Yes, NO, ugh I mean no,” he slapped himself in the face and groaned, “I meant to say that was my brain talking.” Sweet Celestia what a stupid excuse! He did genuinely thought she smelled nice, just like lavender flowers.

“Oh I see.” she replied; biting her lip with uncertainty.

The princess sighed hopelessly. She really didn’t know why she played along with Isaac’s lie, or more importantly, why his words held such power over her. Everything was numbers, figures and magic with her. Nothing she was experiencing made a lick of sense. These feelings, these thoughts; none of it could be measured or documented into a scientific form; it was just like when she first experienced the concept of friendship. And just like with friendship, love felt like an alien concept she couldn’t get her head around. Like a test she wasn’t ready to take yet.

Suddenly Isaac and Twilight realized how close they were to each other. Their cheeks had inadvertently rubbed together; smearing sauce on Isaac's cheek as well. The two ponies found themselves trapped in the simple beauty of each other’s eyes. They didn’t speak, didn’t move, they just stared and felt the world seemingly dissolve away into the background.

It was just the two of them…alone.

“Here you got a little something on your” they both said in unison. Twilight and Isaac simultaneously lifted their hooves to the other’s cheeks; they slowly and softly wiped the sauce off each other’s faces. Though the gesture was simple, the skin on skin contact sent both of their hearts into a feverous flurry of raw, intoxicating emotions. Their hooves simultaneously stopped at the edge of each cheek, they felt the heat of their mutual blushing warm the tip of their hooves.

It felt so good, sweet Celestia it felt so unbelievably good. They stared at each other like they wanted to remain in this moment for all of eternity. The ponies slowly started to lean closer, their eyes closing as their lips began to purse. Just as they were about to make contact, a thought ran through Isaac's head as he placed his hoof on Twilight's shoulder which caused her to stop.

"Uh, we should... probably stop... before we do something that..." trailed off Isaac.

"Yes... we should... Spike is probably home... maybe we should check up on him." said Twilight with a bit of sadness in her voice as she left Isaac's touch.

Isaac just stood there as he was wrestling with some thoughts in his head. I'm not a cheater. I'm faithful to Twilight, just... is it okay to kiss her, even if she's a pony counterpart of my girlfriend? Isaac put those thoughts to the side as he grabbed his deck and put it back into his box as he left to catch up with Twilight.

He found her as they began to talk about other stuff. Twilight even answered some questions that Isaac had like her and her friends each represented an Element of Harmony and how they saved Equestria on multiple occasions. Ultimately, Isaac began to tell the princess some more tales about his duels as she each one she grew more fond of. They both let out a chuckle as Spike and Sunset had entered the place.

"So, how'd your day go?" asked Isaac.

"It was rather boring." said Sunset as she gave Spike a sly smile.

"Boring? How so?" asked Isaac.

"Ehh, not much happened." said Sunset.

Spike then let out a yawn as Twilight noticed this. "Seems like someone needs his nap."

"Yeah, you're right. Well, I'm off. See you guys in the morning." said Spike as he left to his room to get some rest.

"I think we should all turn in for the night, thank you for helping me today, Isaac." said Twilight.

"My pleasure." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to Twilight.

He watched her leave until she was out of sight. Isaac thoughts still plagued on his mind about what happened with Twilight and whether or not he made the right move in stopping them from doing something that could prove disastrous. All in all, this was something that was weighing on his mind as he tried to do his best to be faithful to his relationship.

Chapter 103: Sweet Apple Acres

The sun was rising as Celestia used her magic to bring about the morning light for all the ponies to begin their day. And on this day, two ponies were currently making their way to their destination.

"So, ever worked on an apple farm?" asked Isaac.

"Can't say." replied Sunset.

The pair was currently walking to Sweet Apple Acres as Applejack had requested some help in getting her harvest done in time for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration that was to be held all throughout the land of Equestria. Applejack had asked her friends prior if they could lend a hand, but it seems like everybody was busy getting ready for the upcoming event. Even more so, Twilight who received an invitation from Princess Celestia to attend the Summer Sun Celebration party that was to be held in Canterlot. She even asked her to bring Isaac and Sunset along, so that she could also talk to them about their current progress in eliminating the threats. Overall, it meant that the entire group was scheduled to attend a fancy party.

Regardless, that was but a ways off. Right now Isaac and Sunset were needed elsewhere. After saying goodbye to Twilight and Spike, both ponies made their way to Sweet Apple Acres as they looked to get in a good day's work. Along the way, Isaac had some questions about the Summer Sun Celebration.

"Well, ideally, it's suppose to be a reminder of when Princess Celestia restored the sun to Equestria by defeating an evil force."

"Which was?" asked Isaac.

"She defeated a being called Nightmare Moon." informed Sunset.

"I think I've heard of that name. From what Twilight told me when I asked her, she said that it was an evil pony who wanted to shroud all of Equestria into internal darkness."

"Well, she only told you part of it. See Nightmare Moon was actually Princess Celestia's sister, Princess Luna. She was jealous of all the attention that her sister got and how nobody appreciated the nighttime. So eventually she refused to lower the sun and all that jealousy started to grow in her as darkness was born from her heart. Then that darkness took over and it consumed until it eventually changed her. And soon Celestia had to confront her sister; then they engaged in a battle." said Sunset in a serious tone.

"So... what happened in the end?" asked Isaac as he was afraid of the answer.

"Celestia banished her sister to the moon."

"What?" Isaac had to take a second to consume all that.

"She had to, or else all of Equestria would forever be in darkness. It wasn't easy, but she had to what was necessary to protect the ponies of Equestria. In the end she used the Elements of Harmony to send her sister away for a thousand years. It broke her, deep down she deeply regretted not helping her sister when she needed her the most. And so she had to make the ultimate choice, either exile her, or face the possibility of death for either one of them." stated Sunset as she finished her tale.

"Damn. That's some dark shit." said Isaac as he took all this in. "To think you fight someone who's jealous of you, and to make matters worst, it's your own flesh and blood. I can't imagine what Princess Celestia must have went through knowing that she had to banish her own little sister to keep her from hurting others. All that trauma must have really affected her."

"It did. When I was her student, I noticed that she kept to herself for a bit. She was always pushing me to learn about friendship and see that not everything revolved around magic. In the end, I didn't see what she was trying to do and so I abandoned her. I could only assume that it added more fuel to the fire of her being alone." Sunset stopped as he put her head down and started to shed a few tears.

Isaac noticed this as he approached her and brought her in for a hug. "Hey, it's okay. Things happen that aren't in our control. What's important is that we face our issues head on instead of trying to run away. And you did just that, you were able to reconnect with the princess and repair your relationship with her. That takes a lot of guts to do."

"Thanks for saying that." Sunset brought her head into Isaac as she just snuggled into his fur. Isaac just sat there as he stroked her mane till she felt better. Soon she smiled at Isaac as they began to continue walking.

"So, anything else you can tell me about this Summer Sun Celebration?" asked Isaac.

"Well, it's a rather special day for Twilight and the gang cause it symbolizes when they all became friends. When Twilight first came to Ponyville she was very much against the idea of making friends, so when Nightmare Moon escaped, she and the other girls all journeyed to find the Elements of Harmony to defeat her. Eventually, they were found out that they themselves were the elements as they used their bonds and defeated Nightmare Moon and purge the darkness in Luna's heart." said Sunset.

"And these Elements of Harmony is what keeps the balance of Equestria, correct?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah. The Elements of Harmony are: Honesty, Generosity, Kindness, Laughter, Loyalty, and Magic. Together those six work in unison and helped to keep the order in this world. Without them, Equestria would fall into chaos and disorder. And so Twilight and her friends have used the elements to protect Equestria from all sorts of evil beings."

"Now I'm impressed. The closest thing that we've done is compete in a Shadow Game. But they've done so much more, no wonder so many ponies look to them as heroes." stated Isaac.

"Right, well we'll worry about what the princess wants to talk about us when we attend the party." said Sunset as they had just arrived on the road overlooking Sweet Apple Acres. "Well we're here. Sweet Apple Acres home to Ponyville's endless supple of apples and apple-related products."

"Well, better give Applejack a hoof." stated Isaac. They both then made their way towards the entrance.

They both made it pass the gate, as they saw a couple of chickens clucking about their home. They saw a couple of other veggies other than apples. They saw the pigs in their pin rolling around in the mud and eating from their trough; they passed by the barn as they saw Big Macintosh putting some barrels of apple inside. Soon they knocked on the door as it was answered by Applejack herself.

"Well, howdy Sunset, Isaac."

"Hey, Applejack. We're here to help you." stated Isaac.

"Of course, but first y'all arrived in time for breakfast. Come on in." invited Applejack.

So both Sunset and Isaac had breakfast with the rest of the Apple family. During their meal, Applejack had asked Sunset and Isaac some questions about their home world and about her human counterpart. They didn't say much other than they were similar for the most part, Isaac even told her about how in their world she had a Predaplant deck. Applejack found it weird that her human self had a deck full of plant and weeds, but seeing as how they were tough like her, she started to find them fascinating.

Once they finished with the dishes, all three of them then headed out as they started to get to work. Applejack had decided to have Sunset help Applebloom with sorting the apples, and being able to package certain products into crates and labeling them. That left Isaac to wonder what his task was going to be, which Applejack just had a smile on her face as she led Isaac into the orchard.

"So, what am I gonna do, Aj?"

"This right here, sugarcube." said Applejack as they arrived at a tree.

"Uhm, a tree?" said Isaac with a confused look on her face.

"Yup, and you're gonna pick all these apples." stated Applejack.

"All those, okay. Just give me a few minutes to concentrate and use..."

"Nope! No magic."

"No magic? Then how in Celestia do you expect me to pick all those apples, what you want me to climb a ladder and hoof pick them." exclaimed Isaac. "What's the point of magic, if I can't use it?"

"Calm down, sugar. Ah'll show you." Applejack then took a few steps in front of the tree as she turned her back to it. Isaac was confused on Applejack's actions till he saw what she did. Applejack then lifted her back legs and with so much precision and force, she hit the trunk of the tree as the apples that were once up high felt the force of the impact as it cause them to fall onto the ground with a most of them falling into the basket.

Isaac was impressed by what he saw. Based on his experience with his version of Applejack, he knew she was strong. But the fact that her pony counterpart was able to use her legs to get apples down from the tree, almost made him nervous as he didn't want to be on the receiving end of one of those. Heck even just being behind Applejack made him scared that she would accidently buck him.

"Now then, think you can handle that?"

Isaac looked at Applejack as he approached the tree and stared up at it. "Seems simple enough." Isaac took a deep breath and tried to get in the same stance that Applejack did. While he was trying to get his position, Applejack was watching the colt and she couldn't help but laugh at he trying to do his best. Once he was ready, Isaac then lifted his hind legs and took a deep breath as he hit the trunk of the tree with his back legs as it shook.

The force wasn't as strong as Applejack's as the tree just barely moved as only a few apples fell down. Soon the after effect started to kick in as Isaac felt slight pain in his back legs. "Ow, okay that hurt a little." said Isaac as he sat on his bottom and started to rub his hoofs.

Applejack just couldn't help but laugh at Isaac's reaction. She then approached Isaac as he helped him up. "It's not as easy as it looks. Still for yer first try, not bad. Let me show where to hit the tree so you don't hurt yerself as much." Applejack then showed Isaac the sweet spot to aim for to reduce the strain on his body. Soon Isaac tried for a second attempt as he hit the spot where Aj told him and to his surprise he didn't feel as much pain as he did the first round. Not to mention that he actually managed to get a couple more apples down. So with that they both got to work on bucking apples.

They went at it for a while as they moved from tree to tree as they cleared sections of the orchard. During that time, Isaac had gotten the hang of bucking apples as he started to get better with each tree. Soon the sun was high up in the sky, not to mention that his jacket was causing Isaac to fell even hotter with all the exercising he did. So he took off his clothes as it helped to cool him off. Applejack would sometimes glance over at Isaac to see how he was doing; she had managed to see Isaac take off his jacket as he took off his cap to wipe his forehead. Even though not wearing clothes was normal, Applejack couldn't help but to stare at Isaac. Granted he wasn't the strongest, nor did he have the biggest muscles. But he had enough to give him plenty of strength and stamina, how else would he still be going. Still it caught Applejack's attention as he found herself staring longer than she thought as her cheeks turned red. She quickly got rid of that thought as she went back to work.

"Whew, I think... I need... to take a quick break." said Isaac as he sat back against the tree he just finished bucking.

"Takin' it easy, sugarcube." asked Applejack as she stood over Isaac.

"I may have more energy than most ponies, but even I need time to catch my breath." stated Isaac.

"Ah guess we can take five." said Applejack as she grabbed the saddle bags she brought with her and sat next to Isaac against the tree. "Care for some?" asked Applejack as she pulled out a bottle of apple cider.

"Yeah." said Isaac as he grabbed the drink with his magic and began to drink the cool, refreshing beverage. "Ahh, that hit the spot." said Isaac as he took off his cap and fanned himself.

"So, Isaac, tell me? How are things goin' with these 'monster spirits', y'all been tasked with?" asked Applejack as she took a sip of her own drink.

"Well, not much. Other than the major encounter that happened in Ponyville a little while back. Everything has been rather chill, I mean there's been a small incident here or there, but for the most part me or Sunset have taken care of it."

"Nice to know that we ain't got nothin' to worry 'bout." chuckled Applejack. "So you said that in yer world, there's human versions of me and girls. Any chance that well, ah took you on in duel?"

"Are you kidding?" laughed Isaac. "Heck you are one of my favorite individuals to duel."

"You're just sayin' that to be sweet, sugar." said Applejack.

"I mean it. Heck on my way to becoming champion, you were one of the duelists I had to beat. And I had blast." said Isaac. "You're a tough individual, not to mention very honest and caring for your family." While Isaac was saying all these things about Applejack, she tried to hide the blush on her cheeks as she lowered her hat to hide her face.

"Mind tellin' me a tale?" asked Applejack as she wanted to hear about a duel between her and Isaac.

"Sure." said Isaac as he began to tell Applejack about the first time he faced her in a duel.

(Flashback)

Isaac was the first to break concentration. "Well Aj, here's to a hard fought battle. May the best duelist, win."

"Same to you, sugarcube." With that they both shook each other's hands and took their respective positions.

"Let's duel!" they both shouted.

"I'll play the spell Polymerization and fuse my two creatures. I Fusion Summon my Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!" When Applejack played her card, a mirror popped out. The mirror pulsed and glowed purple, its surface cloudy. The mirror cracked down the center, the image of glowing purple eyes appearing in either half. The mirror shattered and a massive dragon flew out of the frame. Its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy.

"Next I'll do a fusion summoning of my own, I play the spell Eye of Timaeus and fuse it with my magician. Now I Fusion Summon Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500)." Isaac played his own dragon and when it appeared on the field, it looked at Applejack's dragon and began to give an intimidating roar. Both beasts were looking each other in the eye as they prepared themselves for battle.

"Get ready! I tune my level 3 Junk Synchron with my Tuningware and by the way, when I'm synchro summoning, Tuningware's effect lets me treat it as a level 2 monster. From two come one, and from one will come great power! Watch as they merge their might! Combine their courage to Synchro Summon, Junk Warrior(2300/1300)!" Out came a monster that was made of metal parts as it made an intimidating pose before landing on Isaac's field.

"I tune my Twilight Rose Knight with Lord Poison. A cold flame envelopes the world, within its blinding light, a black flower blooms! Appear Black Rose Dragon(2400/1700)... Prepare for destruction! My Black Rose Dragon destroys all cards on the field when it's synchro summoned." Black Rose Dragon then whipped out its thorns as it destroyed everything in its sight.

"I summon my level 4 tuner Bri Synchron(1500/1100) and tune it with my level 4 Junk Warrior. Behold as the cosmos creates a monster of galactic might, behold as I Synchro Summon Stardust Dragon(2500/2100)!" Isaac play the card on his duel disk and out came a dragon that was white and blue as its entire body was covered in stardust particles that shinned very brightly under the spotlight...Now Applejack it ends here, I tune my level 2 Formula Synchron with my level 9 Stardust Dragon and level 1 Junk Destroyer! I Synchro Summon Shooting Quasar Dragon(4000/4000)... Shooting Quasar Dragon doesn't leave the field without leaving something special behind, when my monster is destroyed I get to special summon Shooting Star Dragon! And it looks like your field is wide open. Shooting Star Dragon attack Applejack directly and finish this duel with Stardust Barrage!" Isaac's dragon took flight and it soared high up in the sky then it came descending down on Applejack who was completely helpless against it as it reduced her last remaining points to zero.

(End of Flashback)

"Wow." said Applejack in awe as Isaac finish telling his tale. "Ah can't believe ah did all that."

"I told you, you're one of my favorite individuals to duel against." stated Isaac. "Not to mention, I love it when you and Dash go at each other."

"Seems even in yer world, me and Rainbow are still tryin' to compete." chuckled Applejack. "Say Isaac, ah know yer just here to take care of these monster sightin'. But ah just wonder if y'all remember me. Not just me though, also the others."

"How can I not forget this? This has honestly been one of my favorite adventures to go on. Of course, I'll remember all of you." smiled Isaac.

"That's good." said Applejack as she returned the smile.

Aj then leaned in closer to Isaac as she rested her head on Isaac's side as she closed her eyes. She was enjoying this moment of being with her friend; Isaac took off her hat and put his hoof around her as he held her and stroked her blond hair. Eventually they both caught a quick nap as they just enjoyed being in the presence of one another. About half an hour passed as the sun was now starting to head down; they both awoke from their quick slumber They both looked at each with a smile and a bit of red on their faces as they stood up. They decided to call if for a day as they had bucked enough trees. With that Isaac used his magic to carry the baskets as the two of them began to walk back. The journey through the orchard was a pleasant one until they arrived back at the farm and were welcomed to a sight that caught their eyes.

"Get that varmint!" shouted Applebloom as she was chasing after some rabbits.

They weren't just any rabbit as it was the Duel Monster Blade Rabbit. And it seemed several of them had invaded the farm. However, they weren't the only ones causing trouble. There was also a couple of Queen Birds circling about as they started to swoop in and steal some more crops.

"I got it!" shouted Sunset as she tried to catch the bird in a net. It worked as she trapped one, only for her to drag her along the dirt cartoonish style as she collided into Big Mac who also was doing the same.

Even Granny Smith was getting in on the action. "Go on, shoo!" shouted the old mare. "I'll teach you not to mess with my farm." stated Granny Smith as she grabbed one of the birds and started to wail on it with an old branch.

Applejack and Isaac were seeing the scene play out in front of them as he put the basket on the floor and they both rushed to help out their friends. There were a couple of other monsters that started to munch on the crops, in fact they were none other than the monster card, Giant Rat. Applejack didn't take to kindly to seeing her hard work get eaten by thieves that she rushed over to the creatures and started to dodge and kick the creatures. Safe to say that Isaac was impressed with how Aj was handling herself; soon he started to use his magic and blasted a few of the creatures.

"Sunset, what the hell happened?" asked Isaac as he dodged a claw swipe aimed for him.

"Well, while you and Applejack were busy in the orchard. We were minding our own business putting the stuff into storage and for delivery. When out of nowhere, these tons of little animals started to show up and cause havoc." said Sunset as she clocked one of the birds with a piece of wood as it started to have cuckoo clocks swirling on top of its head. "Anyways, we've been dealing with these things while also trying to get back the food."

"Safe to say, we didn't expect this much." stated Applebloom as she caught another one of the Blade Rabbits only for it to bite her as it caused her to let it go. Soon holes started to appear as the monster Prevent Rat came out as they started to nibble on some crops.

"Yup." said Big Mac as he chased after some birds.

"Want a granny whoppin'? Here, take this." said Granny Smith as she was still beating up the one Queen Bird she had gotten her hoofs on earlier. Isaac was impressed with how well the old prune was handling herself, though he started to feel bad for the bird as it was now covered in bandages as Granny just kept wailing on it. Granny Smith started to take it up a notch as she started to deliver some elbow drops on the poor thing.

Meanwhile, Isaac and Applejack were dealing with the Giant Rats who were slightly a bit bigger than the two. Both kept dodging out of the way of their attacks and when they found an opening, they counterattacked. Applejack was having fun as she got to punch something that wasn't a tree, while she was avoiding the attacks she didn't notice a Giant Rat had snuck up from behind her. It was about to bring its claw on her as she looked up at the last second. Thankfully, Isaac noticed this and was able to push the mare out of the way as he tackled her and they tumbled onto the ground out of danger. They stopped rolling as Applejack found herself on top of Isaac as they stared at each other. Seems Isaac didn't count on the country mare to be on top of him, but he didn't mind, especially since their muzzles were touching each other.

"Woah there, lover boy. Ain't this kind of movin' fast?" said Applejack with a sly smile as she looked at Isaac.

Before Isaac could respond with a witty remark, they moved out of the way as they avoided another claw swipe from the Giant Rats. They got back to their feet as they were side by side ready for action. Soon they started to work together on taking down the huge foes in front of them; but as fast as they took one done, another one was back up and ready to fight.

"They just keep comin'!" shouted Applejack as she bucked one of them into a pile of scrap metal.

"Then let's even the odds." said Isaac as he pulled out his duel disk and called on some allies. "Come on out, Queen, King, and Jack's Knight." said Isaac as he held his cards out and his three monster all appeared. "Counterattack." shouted Isaac as his knights got to work on fighting off the Giant Rats.

"That's some mighty fine thinkin', city slicker." stated Applejack as she was fighting another monster.

"Sunset!" shouted Isaac.

"On it!" she responded as she pulled out her duel disk and slotted in her cards. "Give us hands, guys." Sunset had managed to play her Red-Eyes Baby Dragon and Black Metal Dragon as they got to work on helping Applebloom and Big Mac in dealing with the other creatures.

"We can't keep this up, we need to take out whoever's in charge." stated Isaac as he fired off some magic.

"I didn't see anything when they got here." said Sunset as she fired off some magic of her own.

"Isaac, I see something. Over by the barn." stated Applebloom as she worked with Sunset's baby dragon to nab the little rabbits and destroy them.

"Got it, Applejack. Think you'll be fine on your own."

"Ah'll be fine, Isaac."

"Okay." Isaac then looked at his knights. "You guys make sure that Applejack and the others are safe." Isaac's knight all nodded as they heard their master's orders. "Hang tight, Aj. I'll put a stop to this." said Isaac as he raced off into the direction that Applebloom said. He raced towards the barn and saw the monster in charge of this invasion as they were sitting on a hay bale and drinking some cider from a crate they stole. "So you're the monster in command."

"Indeed." said the monster which turned out to be Sky Scout. "Figured I cause some mayhem, but seeing as I came across this place. I'd figured why not get a snack while I'm trying to cause some mischief. And it would be a lot easier if you ponies just simply stopped resisting."

"Yeah, well we're stubborn little creatures. Especially me." said Isaac as he turned on his duel disk and a gold card tray projected. "So get ready to throw down, birdbrain."

"You challenge me? Now who's the real birdbrain. So be it." said Sky Scout as he showed a duel disk on his arm.

"Prepared to get swopped off your feet, pal! It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sky Scout's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sky Scout

"I'll take the honors, caw!" said Sky Scout as he drew his card. "I play the spell Summon Storm! Now thanks to this card, by paying 800 life points I can instantly summon a Wind Attribute monster. Like my Whirlwind Prodigy(1500/1600) in attack mode!" Out came a boy as high winds started to blow across the field as Isaac tried to hold his ground due to the monster's power.
Sky Scout's Life Points: 7200-

"Get ready to be blown away! Because by sacrificing my Whirlwind Prodigy, I'm allowed to summon another wind monster! So say goodbye to my prodigy and hello to my Simorgh, Bird of Divinity(2700/1000)!"

"It's a good thing you can't attack this turn." said Isaac as he was bit cautious about the monster his opponent summoned.

"I wouldn't exactly count on that! I play a facedown and play the spell Level Tax!"

"Not that card!" said Isaac.

"Ha, ha, ha-- but before I finish, I activate my Simorgh's special ability. Now we each take a thousand points of damage during every end phase!"

"A thousand points!"

"Go Divine Wind!" shouted Sky Scout. Soon his monster blew a power wind as it nearly took Isaac off his feet, his cap almost went flying as he was able to catch it with his magic and tightly secure it on his head as he felt the power of the attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"In case you're wondering on why I didn't suffer any damage it's because I've got a spell/trap card on my field. And each one I have allows me to reduce the damage by 500 for each card. So since I had two cards, I nullified all the damage." stated Sky Scout as he ended his turn.

Turn 2: Isaac

"Alright, pal, it's my move!" said Isaac as he drew his card. Time to think, as long as Simorgh stays on the field, I'll run the risk of losing 1000 life points each turn. And if that happens, then I'm not gonna last long in this duel. And then there's his other card, if I summon a Level 5 monster or above, that Level Tax Spell card of his will wipe out the same number of life points as my monster's attack points. First things first, I gotta stop Simorgh's special ability!

"Don't worry I know just what you're thinking. I've seen it before." said Sky Scout as he looked at Isaac. "How will I ever win, if I can't summon out a high-level monster?" said Sky Scout in a mocking tone as he let out a laugh.

"Guess again!" responded Isaac. "Now I'll play Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts in defense mode. Then I'll play Pot of Greed, so now I pick up two." stated Isaac as he looked at the cards he drew. "Now I'll lay two cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move!"

"Go Divine Wind!" shouted Sky Scout as his monster activated its effect. Soon both cards of Isaac's flipped up as they provided him with a barrier that nullified all of the damage.

I was able to survive for now, but something in the air is telling me that this isn't gonna be a breeze. Better figure out a strategy or I'm gonna be blown away!

Turn 3: Sky Scout

"Caw!" screeched Sky Scout. "I play Tornado Bird(1100/1100)! Now by paying 600 life points, I can activate the spell Wing Requital! And for every Winged-Beast monster on the field, I get to draw another card! And since I have two, I'll do just that." He then picked up his cards.
Sky Scout's Life Points: 6600-

"Caw! Of course, to use them, I have to wait until my next turn! But in the meantime... Simorgh will take out your Gazelle while Tornado Bird blows away some of your life points!" Soon Isaac's monster was destroyed as he felt the attack of Tornado Bird as it spun really fast as he tried to keep from getting lifted off the ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 5900-

"Before I end my turn, I lay down two facedowns. And now my Divine Wind takes affect!" With that both player's had their cards flipped up as it protected them from the effect.

"Ohh! Phew." said Isaac as he wiped his forehead.

"Pathetic! You have no offense, and your defense won't protect you from me forever! I'm undefeatable! It's the oldest law of nature-- only the strong survive! And the weak perish! Ha, ha, ha!" chuckled Sky Scout.

Turn 4: Isaac

"All right, time to show you some offense!" said Isaac as he took his turn. "I play the spell Graceful Charity, and draw three cards!" Isaac took a look at what he pulled and he started to feel a bit better. "Now I'll send these two cards to my grave and then summon my Fairy Tail - Luna(1850/1000)!" Out came a foxlike creature as she appeared on Isaac's field as she gave her master a wink and hid herself behind a small mini fan.

"All that for a Level four?" snickered Sky Scout.

"There's more to her than meets the eye! But you'll find out soon enough! First effect activates, so now I can add a spellcaster from my deck with 1850 attack points from my deck to my hand. Now Fairy Tale - Luna, it's time ruffle some feathers! Target his Simorgh, Bird of Divinity!" commanded Isaac. Fairy Tale - Luna then used her fan as she shot a beam towards Simorgh. "And due to her special ability, both monsters return to our hands!"

"HA! I don't think so!" shouted Sky Scout. "I play a trap! Glory Level Talisman and when I equip it to Simorgh, then your Luna's effect can't target it. Looks like your little fox didn't serve much purpose." Simorgh then blew a powerful wind at Fairy Tale - Luna as she was blown off the field.

"Ugh! Not my monster!"

"Looks like your weak monsters are as ineffective as your strong ones! It's time to feel even more pain with my Icarus Attack! Now by sacrificing my Tornado Bird, the two protection cards you have on your field are automatically destroyed!" With that Tornado Bird then disappeared in a gust of wind as it blew away Isaac's facedowns. "And to keep things exciting, I reveal Explosion Wing! Now with this in play, for every card that was destroyed this last turn, you take 500 points of damage!" With that tons of bombs started to rain down on Isaac's field.

"AAH!!!" shouted Isaac as he felt the attack from the card. The force of the attack caused him to be flung back as his cap was sent flying and carried off by the after wind.
Isaac's Life Points: 4900-

"I play two facedowns and end my turn."

"Looks like someone gets to duel another round!" said Sky Scout as his Simorgh's effect took place and a powerful wind kicked up.

Turn 5: Sky Scout

"It been quite entertaining watching you squirm throughout this duel. You've put up quite the fight. But now I intend to blast you away once and for all!"

There's gotta be something in my deck that can clip this guy's wings.

"Now Simorgh attack his life points directly!"

"I play my trap! A Hero Emerges!"

"You sure about that? Cause my Level Tax spell card is still in play! So, as soon as your hero emerges, your life points will take a major hit!"

"Is that a fact? Okay, then go right ahead and pick the hero I get." said Isaac as he showed his cards.

"Ha, ha, ha! It doesn't matter! But... I'll choose the middle." said Sky Scout as he pointed at Isaac's hand.

"Well looks like you picked my Magician Boy(1500/1200). And you know what that means." Out came a tiny boy wizard who was wearing clothes that were too big for him as he tried to wield a staff that was slightly bigger than him.

"That little guy? Ha ha! It means your deck's weaker than I believed!" snickered Sky Scout.

"It means that you're in a heap of trouble! With Magician Boy, your level tax is 'bout to get refunded! 'Cause big surprises are often found in small packages! Remember! Level Tax doesn't affect Level 3 monsters."

"Maybe so, but he's about to be destroyed."

"Don't think so, my Magician Boy isn't going anywhere thanks to his special ability. Not only is he not destroyed, but any damage involving him I can then send to your life points." Soon Magician Boy used all of his little strength he could muster as he lifted his staff high enough to shoot off a spell before being pushed back and fell over. The spell made contact with Simorgh as it caused the wind to change direction to target Sky Scout.
Sky Scout's Life Points: 5400-

"You may have survived, but my Divine Wind is still in effect. And since you lost a facedown. it means you'll lose 500 more life points." said Sky Scout as his Simorgh caused a giant wind to blow away.

"Ahh!!!" shouted Isaac as he felt some more pain.
Isaac's Life Points: 4400-

Turn 6: Isaac

"Well, I'm about to end this duel!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now I'll reveal my other facedown, Idol Worship." Soon some magic particles started to form around Magician Boy as the image of Dark Magician appeared in front of the kid monster as he gave a smile. "Now that Magician Boy is on the field he gains the attack points of a monster in my hand and his level bumps up by that as well. So now he's level 10 and has a total of 4000 attack points. And it bypasses the effect of your Level Tax cause my monster was already on the field to begin with." Magician Boy then felt the power flowing through him as he did a few poses and could suddenly lift his staff with ease.

"But what's my Magician Boy without his best friend, meet Mage Annette(1300/1700)." Isaac now had a female spellcaster as it was the same height as his Magician Boy. She had brunettes hair as she had a book in her left hand and a wand in her right. She wore glasses and wore a white shoulderless dress as she twirled around with bits of particles appearing as she spun in a circle.

"So what, those puny little monsters don't mean a thing."

"Well, let introduce you to Mage Annette's special ability. When she's summoned, I draw a card. Then play Dark Magic Veil so that I pay 1000 life points to summon a Dark spellcaster from my hand or graveyard. And I choose Dark Magician!" Mage Annette then opened up her book as she looked for the proper spell, once she found it, she closed her eyes and began to chant and soon Isaac's ace magician joined them on the field.
Isaac's Life Points: 3400-

"My Level Tax still is in effect and since you summoned a level 7 monster, you take damage equal to his attack points." Soon a powerful beam shot out as it hit Isaac square in the chest as he felt the pain.
Isaac's Life Points: 900-

"Don't worry, that card is about to leave. Especially when I play Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands and with that done, I'll then play this, Dark Magic Attack. Now Mahad, blow away all his spells and traps." shouted Isaac as Mahad raised his staff and eliminated Sky Scout's entire backrow. Both Magician Boy and Mage Annette were in awe as seeing their mentor take care of the threat with ease.

"No way!"

"Oh you better believe it, now I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student. Now time to turn this tremendous trio into a fantastic four! Come on out, Dark Magician Girl!" Soon Isaac had four magicians on his field as they all were ready to do battle. "You guys ready to end this."

"Of course, master."

"Right behind you, Isaac." stated Mahad.

"What about you two?" asked Isaac as he spoke to his two mini magicians for the first time.

"I'm ready. Let me take him on." shouted Magician Boy in an excited tone.

"Just try to be careful, I don't need you to hurt your self again." stated Mage Annette as she often had to clean up after her best friend's antics.

"All right then. Time for an out attack!" shouted Isaac. Both Mahad and Mana then picked up Isaac's other two tiny magicians as they put them on their shoulders and gave them a smile. Both tiny monsters were overjoyed as they all combined their power and started to create a power as they all casted a big spell. "Fire!!!" shouted Isaac as all of his magicians used their magic to blast away Sky Scout's monster the rest of his life points.

"CAW!!!!!" screeched Sky Scout as he was defeated and was gone.
Sky Scout's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Isaac looked at his magicians as they all had a smile on their faces for a job well done. "Good work everybody." said Isaac. both Mahad and Mana set down the two tiny magicians as Isaac looked at them. "Even you two."

"You're welcome, Isaac." shouted both children.

They then gave their master a hug as Isaac used his own magic and put them both on his back as he began to play with them for a bit as they were laughing and having fun. Eventually, they all disappeared as Isaac bid farewell to his magicians, both Magician Boy and Mage Annette were sad as they wanted to spend some more time with their master, but they knew he had given his orders. So they got off his back and hugged his legs as they waved goodbye; Mana gave her master a quick snuggle as well as a goodbye kiss as all three of them joined with Mahad as they all disappeared back into Isaac's deck.

Isaac made his way back to the others as he saw Sunset cleaning up the last bit of monsters. Applejack and her family had finally rounded up all of the pests and they either ran away or Sunset had taken card of them. Overall, the farm was secure as there was several bits of crops spread out.

"Finally!" stated Sunset as she collapsed onto her back as she was exhausted.

"Take that sonny." said Granny Smith as she was stilling beating up the bird she had from earlier. Soon he had X's for his eyes as he disappeared. "Can't handle this old mare, huh?" stated Granny as she went back to her rocking chair.

"Thanks for keeping them safe, guys." said Isaac to his knights as they all bowed before their master before disappearing into his deck. "So need some more help." asked Isaac.

"Ah think we'll be fine. As long as we stopped them varmints from tearin' up mah crops, then the rest is easy." stated Applejack. "Thanks for the help, partner."

"My pleasure." said Isaac as he gave Aj a smile and a wink.

"Oh, ah almost forgot." Applejack then pulled out Isaac's cap. "Ah noticed this blowin' in the wind. Ah figured it was yer, so ah kept it safe." Applejack then put Isaac's cap back on his head as she gave him a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Aj."

"Don't mention it, sugar."

With that everybody got to work on cleaning up the mess left behind from those monsters. Soon the sun was setting behind the horizon as the moon was also rising up at the same time. Sunset and Isaac then said goodbye to Applejack and her family as they wished them a safe journey back to home. Both ponies said goodbye as they began to walk back to the castle and rest after a hard day's work.

Chapter 104: Jealousy

"There we go, that should be everything I need." said Rarity as she had just finished taking Sunset's measurements.

"Really appreciate you doing this, Rarity."

"Oh it's no trouble at all, Sunset. Besides it's my way of saying thank you for saving me and Sweetie Belle from that horrid monster."

"I'm pretty sure you would be making me an outfit even if that didn't happen." said Sunset with a sly smile.

"You're right." chuckled Rarity. "But the major reason is the Summer Sun Celebration. Of course next to Grand Galloping Gala, this is one of the biggest events for all of Equestria. Plus, we're all invited to attend the party being held in Canterlot. Not to mention that the princess will be wanting to see how you and Isaac have been dealing with these problems."

"Well, so far, we've been able to handle them. Granted some of the major and more bigger opponents we've had to duel against, but for the most part, we've gotten through it." stated Sunset.

"Indeed and we're lucky to have the two of you here to help us with this problem. Well, I'm now done."

"Thanks, Rarity." Sunset then opened the door and standing on the other side was Isaac. "Your turn, boy toy. I'll wait downstairs." With that Sunset left Isaac alone with Rarity as she got to work.

"Well now, it's been a while since I've had a stallion model for me. Before we start, mind taking off your jacket?" asked Rarity.

"Yeah, okay." said Isaac as he had gotten used to ponies not wearing clothes.

"Thank you, darling." said Rarity as she took Isaac's jacket in her magic and placed it on her work table.

"Just what do you plan on doing with it?"

"Oh, I just merely want to examine it and observe it. My, the clothing, the texture, not to mention the durability. I would expect something like this to have a couple of tears and cuts from what you've been through, but it seems to be in perfect condition." stated Rarity.

"Yeah, well. I take extra good care of it, plus it's my signature look, don't want to mess with it." said Isaac.

"But you have to tell me darling, just who is the individual who made such a fabulous outfit for you." asked Rarity as she couldn't take her eyes off of Isaac's hoodie.

Isaac was hesitant on answering but he knew he had to come clean. "It's..... you. Well, your version in my world." said Isaac softly.

Rarity heard Isaac's words as she let it sink in. "Oh... I see." said Rarity. She then began to hold the piece of clothing in her hooves as she looked at it and then back at Isaac who just stood there smiling sheepishly. "And I assume that necklace around you was also made by me?"

Isaac looked at his necklace as he brought his hoof to touch it. "Yeah, you... well your human version made this for me on my birthday. It really is something that I love." stated Isaac.

"Of course. I should have known." said Rarity as she placed the piece of clothing back on her table as she looked at it once more. "The texture, the specific colors that were incorporated. Not to mention just how much it highlights your personality and handsomeness. Only I could make something this special." She then looked at Isaac as she walked back towards him. "I just hope that I... I mean, she appreciates you taking extreme care of it."

Isaac placed his hoof on Rarity's shoulder as he looked at her. "I do, I really appreciate all you've done for me, Rarity." said Isaac as he brought the mare in for a hug. Even though she wasn't his version, she was still his friend and he was grateful for all that she had done for him in his life.

"Well, I'm glad to have you as a friend." said Rarity as she broke away from Isaac's embrace and looked at his face. She then placed her hoof on his cheek as she got lost in his eyes. She then leaned in and planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek as she broke apart and both had a bit of red on their faces. "Now then... I... should get to work on creating your outfit." stated Rarity. "Now then, just step on the platform and I'll get started." Isaac then obeyed Rarity's request as she pulled out her measure tape and put on her sewing glasses as she worked her magic.

"The good thing about being a pony is that I don't have to worry about wearing pants." stated Isaac as he felt more relaxed that he could just wear a suit and still meet the dress code.

Rarity was really determined on creating something special for Isaac. A part of her wanted to make something that would match Isaac's personality; also cause the fact that she now knew Isaac's clothes was made by her human self made her both happy and motivated. Seems even competing against your own work can be enough to motivate you to do better and possibly outdo it. Eventually, Rarity had gotten a lot of ideas as she kept taking Isaac's measurements. Soon she finished her research as she put away her sketches.

"Well, I think I've got some general ideas on creating your outfit." said Rarity. "I do thank you for your cooperation, darling." Rarity then grabbed Isaac's outfit as she trotted back to him. "I thought I could make a few improvements to this, but I can't. It means too much for you and for my human self."

"It's fine, Rarity." said Isaac as he grabbed his outfit and put it back on.

"Once again, thank you. I'm really happy to have somepony like you in my life." Rarity then placed her hoof on Isaac's chest as she felt her heartbeat. "I know about my human self going on a date with you in the past. Yet, I'm sort of jealous in a way."

Isaac knew what Rarity was insinuating, but he also knew about what Twilight had told him. The fact that Spike had a crush on Rarity and here she was being fond of him. He didn't want there to be tension between him and the little dragon as he knew he didn't want to unintentionally break his heart. So he tried to ease Rarity's advances.

"Look, Rarity. I know what this is, and I don't want any trauma. For a certain reason, so..." trailed off Isaac.

"Oh, yes... I'm so blind for not realizing that you probably have someone back in your world that you're committed to." stated Rarity as she removed her hoof off of Isaac's chest.

"Yeah, that's the reason." said Isaac as he decided to go with that explanation. "But... I am technically a pony, right now. So, maybe if you want, just for one night we could..."

"I accept." stated Rarity. "One night. That's all I need."

"Okay then." said Isaac as he felt comfortable with that suggestion.

"But that's not a concern as of right now. What's important is you dealing with those monster sightings. Now then, I need to get to work on making the girls' outfits, and don't worry, we'll figure something out at a later date."

"Right. Well, thanks for everything, Rarity. Can't wait to see what you create for me." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to her and said goodbye. Isaac then opened the door and headed downstairs as he saw Sunset had fallen asleep in a chair as a drool bubble was coming out of her mouth. Isaac then used his hoof as he popped the bubble.

"Huh? What? What's happening?" said Sunset as she scrambled in the chair.

"Time to go, Sunset." stated Isaac.

"Already." said Sunset as she let out a yawn. She then looked out of the window of the boutique as the sun was starting to go down. "I guess it is getting late. So how did it go with Rarity?"

"It was... interesting." said Isaac as he exited through the door with Sunset following behind him. Both ponies then started to walk back to the Castle of Friendship as they turned in for the night.

The following days rolled by as there was a few more incidents occurring in Ponyville; you'd think stuff like this would be boring and getting rather repetitive. Well, it was but more importantly, it was actually kind of fun as Isaac and Sunset, along with the rest of the Elements of Harmony were taking on the horde of monsters that appeared. This time it happened to be a herd of Spiritual Beast Apelio who were causing mayhem. Soon all eight of them started to lay waste to the spirits as they were all having fun.

"What is this, like the fifth one this week?" asked Isaac as he dodged and blasted the creature.

"Seven, if you count the two incidents by the Castle of the Two Sisters." said Sunset as she too was dodged an attack.

"What does it matter? It just means we're good at kicking butt!" said Rainbow Dash as she delivered a right hoof that knocked out a Spiritual Beast Apelio.

"Hey, Aj. Head's up." said Isaac as he blasted a monster in the direction of the orange mare.

Applejack saw this and did a backflip as she landed on her feet and raised her hind legs as she bucked the monster with so much force that he went flying into the sky as he let out a puppy dog whimper.

"I give that a solid ten." said Isaac as he watched the creature go flying.

"Twenty from me!" said Pinkie as she pulled up a scorecard that had the number 20 on it.

"Can we please focus on saving the town instead of comparing scores?" said Twilight as she released a full blast that took out the circle of monsters that surrounded her.

"Ease up, Twilight. Just having a bit of fun." said Isaac as he had a smile on his face as he blasted another one with his magic.

"Everypony!" said Fluttershy as she pointed to the bigger Spiritual Beast Apelio who was the leader of this pride.

"Sunset, me or you?" asked Isaac.

"I've got him." said Sunset as she raced towards the beast and activated her duel disk. "Gearfried, give me a hand." Sunset's monster then appeared as it fought alongside its mistress as they both worked together to take down the giant creature.

"Well, we're just about done here, as long as..."

"Ahhh!" came a scream as it interrupted Isaac's statement. He looked to where the sound came from and it came from none other than Rarity who had been carried off by one of the monster spirits.

"Somepony help me!" shouted Rarity. "Watch the fur, you overgrown hairball." complained Rarity as she had given a good soak in the morning.

The monster just simply rolled his eyes as he was now regretting ever taking Rarity as a hostage. Soon the beast jumped onto one of the houses as it dangled Rarity in her mouth. Rarity was still complaining as the beast tried to drown the sound of her whinnying by covering its ears. The others were busy dealing with the other beasts while Isaac was the only one who was trying to come up with a plan.

"Okay, so... how do I do this?" asked Isaac.

"Don't worry, Rarity. I'll save you." shouted Spike as he leaped into action to rescue her.

"Wait, Spike." called out Isaac as he had yet to figure out a plan.

"I'm coming." This is my chance.

Spike was hoping that this could be his lucky break on getting Rarity to see his true feelings for her. Spike then somehow made it on top of the same building as Rarity was still driving the beast insane as he couldn't take much more of the mare's complaining.

"Hey, buddy." called out Spike.

"Spike!" shouted Rarity.

"Let her go!" responded Spike as he tried to sound tough. The beast jumped simply shrugged his shoulders as he did just that. Or rather he flung Rarity towards Spike with so much force that he wasn't expecting that. "Uh-oh." said Spike as he caught Rarity for a second but it caused him to stumble as he lost his footing and found himself teetering on the edge. "Woah, woah... Oh no!" With that they tumbled over the edge as they started to fall.

"Ahhh!" shouted both of them as they were plummeting fast.

"Well, I guess I have to improvise." said Isaac as he began to run towards his falling group of friends. "Mahad, give me a boost." said Isaac as he called his trusting companion. Mahad then grabbed Isaac in his arms as they started to float towards their friends.

"What's the plan master?" asked Mahad.

"Just get me as close as you can." stated Isaac.

Soon they were nearing both ponies as they were gaining more momentum with each passing second.

"Maybe I should have thought about this." said Spike as he covered his eyes and prepared to meet his fate. He was hoping to make contact with the ground but soon found himself in the other arm of Isaac's Dark Magician. "Am I glad to see you guys."

"I'm still falling!" shouted Rarity.

All three of them looked at Rarity; soon they heard a roar as the beast that had captured her was still on the roof and he had his sights set on the boys.

"What should I do, master? I can't defend and save Miss Rarity all at once." stated Mahad.

Isaac thought for a second as he tried to find a solution to this dilemma. Soon an idea came to his head. "Mahad, launch me!" stated Isaac.

"What!?!" said both Spike and Mahad.

"Mahad, do it now! Launch me! I'll be fine."

"All right then." said Mahad as he obeyed his master's command.

"Get Spike to safety and take care of the beast." said Isaac as his final order when Mahad launch him through the air.

Isaac tucked in his legs as he shifted his body so that he was pointing facefirst into the ground. Seems physics actually did teach him something useful as was now moving faster as he soon found himself on the same level of Rarity as they were about a few minutes from plummeting into the ground.

"Isaac!" shouted Rarity.

"Take my hoof." said Isaac as he reached out his hoof towards Rarity. Rarity reached out for Isaac as she wrapped her hooves around Isaac's neck as she clung for dear life.

"Please tell me you have a plan!" shouted Rarity.

"Maybe." said Isaac as he hoped that what he was thinking would work. Isaac's response caused Rarity to close her eyes as she prepared for the worst. Isaac then turned around so that his back was now facing the ground. "Kuriboh!" called out Isaac as his tiny monster came out. "You know what to do." Kuriboh heard Isaac's command as he touched the ground and then began to multiply as soon there was thousands upon thousands of little Kuribohs appeared as they all created a soft landing for their master to fall one. Isaac then landed on his soft pile of monsters as they cushioned his fall. "Well, that worked out well." said Isaac as he got off and stood on his hind legs. Kuriboh then started to shrink back down till there was just one. "Thanks, buddy."

"Kuri." said Kuriboh as he gave a smile before disappearing.

Isaac then looked at Rarity who still had her eyes closed and still had her hoofs wrapped around his neck as he held her in his forelegs. "It's alright, Rarity. You can open your eyes now." said Isaac.

Rarity did that as she expected herself to be dead, but found her to be alive and well. Even more so when she saw that she was currently in Isaac's arms as she looked at his face. She turned a bit red due to Isaac holding her. "Oh, it seems we're fine."

"I told you, I'll always be there to catch my friends from danger." said Isaac as he looked at Rarity. Soon they found themselves staring at each other. They were interrupted by Isaac's Dark Magician.

"Master, are you okay?" called out Mahad as he had just finish disposing of the monster.

"We're fine, Mahad." said Isaac.

Mahad smiled as he was pleased that his master was safe. Spike was still in Mahad's arm as he had witness Isaac's magician do battle with the creature and defeated it. He then saw Rarity clinging to Isaac as he felt a tad bit upset. Soon Rarity let go of Isaac as Mahad landed next to his master and set the little dragon down. They didn't have time to talk as they all got back into action as they needed to take care of the last remaining forces that were still around. Soon all of the Duel Monsters that appeared were taken care of as the town was once again safe.

"Well, I'd say that should last us till... what do you think, two days?" asked Isaac.

"I'd say about a day." stated Rainbow.

"I'd say about half a day." chimed in Aj.

"Well, we'll place bets later." stated Twilight. "I just wish that these occurrings wouldn't happen so relatively close to each other. I just wish that evil could give us a day off."

"Yeah, right!" shouted everypony in unison as they knew that would never happen. All of them just laughed at how cliché this stuff was. Soon they all got to work on repairing the damage; it took a while but they were to assure everypony that the threat was eliminated.

Pinkie felt like they should celebrate their victory with a party as she invited them all to Sugarcube Corner. Everypony seemed to like that idea as they all were in the mood for something tasty. Everypony then began to follow Pinkie; Isaac was doing the same when he was stopped by Rarity.

"Everything okay, Rarity?"

"Of course, darling. I just wanted to say that I'm thankfully for what you did by risking your life to save me."

"Hey, it's no big deal. I was just doing what any good friend would do." stated Isaac as he tipped his cap to her.

"And I appreciate that. And, well... I was wondering, do you remember what we discussed days ago?"

Isaac took a while to think back as he tried to remember what Rarity told him. He soon realized what she meant as he started to look at her. "Oh, yeah... so about that..."

"I'm free tomorrow night. If you want, you can come over and we could have a simple dinner. Think of it as my way to say thank you for saving me." said Rarity with a bit of red in her cheeks.

"That... sounds nice." said Isaac. "I'll see if I can bring something so that you don't have to make a full meal."

"Then, we're on?"

"Yeah." stated Isaac.

With that both ponies then began to catch up with their friends. While both had made plans for their 'date', they didn't notice that a little drake had chosen to stay behind and listened in to their conversation from a far. Spike was feeling all kinds of moods; on one hand he was happen that Rarity was safe, but couldn't help that he could have done more. And then there was Isaac, with Isaac being here, it allowed Spike to have another male to whom he could chat with to discuss guy stuff. So when he noticed Isaac saving Rarity and holding her in his arms, he couldn't help but feel a tad bit angry. He knew that it was unintentional cause had he not done that then Rarity would have suffered an even more cruel fate. But the main reason had to deal with the crush he had on the white mare. Spike then decided to catch up with the rest of the group as he hoped he could drown his sorrows with sweets.

The party at Sugarcube Corner went for a while as it was nighttime. The group all disbursed as they had to head home, Rarity told Isaac about their plan to which she simply told him to come over to her place for their 'date'. Isaac agreed as Rarity had managed to give Isaac a suit that he could wear for their outing. With that everything was set as Rarity was looking forward to this event. Soon the four of them all arrived back at the castle as Twilight and Sunset departed to their rooms, while Isaac and Spike left to their rooms.

Along the way, Isaac was thinking on what he could bring to the dinner he had planned with Rarity. Spike had his head down as he was thinking about all of this. Soon he stopped walking as Isaac noticed this.

"Everything okay, little buddy?"

"Don't hurt her." stated Spike.

"What?"

"Don't hurt her!" said Spike with a bit more volume. "Rarity, whatever you do, don't hurt Rarity!"

"I would never do that."

"Of course not," said Spike as he walked past Isaac and was a few feet in front of him before he stopped, "but if you do, then I will hurt you." stated Spike as he didn't look at Isaac.

"Spike, are you threatening me?" responded Isaac with the same tone.

"That depends on how you look at it." Spike then began to walk as he disappeared around the corner.

Isaac was left there as he observed the little drake's warning. He knew what he meant and he could only assume he knew about him and Rarity. So he left towards his room as he knew that this issue was far from over.

The next day was a tense one. Isaac was currently sitting in the map room as he awaited for someone. Both Sunset and Twilight had gone out for the day as they wanted to check up on the town from the incident the previous day. Soon the door opened as Isaac opened his eyes and saw the person who he wanted to talk with. Spike saw Isaac waiting there for him as he took a seat in another chair as he was now looking at the caramel colt.

"Well, I'm here. What did you want to talk about?" asked Spike.

"You know what this is about." said Isaac as he was already addressing the issue right off the bat.

"Again." said Spike as he didn't want to talk about it. "Look, I'm just saying..."

"Spike, I know about your crush on Rarity." interrupted Isaac.

Spike's eyes widen when he heard that. "Is it that obvious?"

"Well, I didn't know. It was Twilight who told me."

"I see." said Spike as he traced his finger on the table. "I know what you're going to say. You're just like everybody else; I'm dragon and she's a pony, it won't work. Or maybe there's a slight age difference and that's the reason why it won't work. Or how about that it's just a puppy love crush that everybody goes through. Well, I'm telling you..."

"Spike, I never once said that." stated Isaac.

"What!?!" Spike was now all kinds of confused.

Isaac took a deep breath as he leaned forward on the table. "Spike, I would never do anything to hurt you or any of our friends. You know that."

"I do. It's just that with what happened yesterday, I felt like it could give me the courage I needed to possibly telling Rarity how I feel. And then you saw what occurred, I messed up and I ended being the one who had to be saved; then I saw how you swooped in and rescued me and Rarity. I'll admit I was kind of jealous, especially when you were holding her. And then to overhear you going on a date with Rarity, it kind of made me lose a bit hope." stated Spike.

"Spike, I didn't ask for this. Let me tell something, a few days ago when me and Sunset were getting fitted for our outfits for the upcoming Summer Sun Celebration, Rarity approached me. I noticed she was flirting a bit with me, but I stopped her. I let her down cause I have someone back home who I'm committed to. But the biggest reason was because of you. Don't worry, I didn't mention your name."

"Thanks."

"What I'm trying to say is that I'm not taking Rarity away from you. She just simply wants to repay me for saving her and so she decided to ask me out to dinner. We're just friends, nothing more. There are things you don't do in life, you don't tug on Superman's cape, you don't piss in the wind, and you definitely don't stab your friends in the back." said Isaac as that statement got the dragon's attention. "And I'm not betraying your trust, little buddy. I respect your decision to be with her, hell, I support it. I'm not like everybody else, sure I'm not from here so I don't know how things work here between different species, but I recognize when someone truly loves someone. I see that this crush you have on Rarity is more than that, you want to be there for her, you want to stand by her side whenever she's in trouble. Your feelings are without question: I can hear it in your voice when you talk about Rarity. You are in love with her. I respect that and I say go for it."

"Really?" said Spike as he wasn't expecting Isaac to support his decision.

"Of course, I'm not gonna use the excuse that 'oh it will never work' or 'that it's just impossible' like everybody has said. My response to that is: Why? Why won't it work, cause a pony and dragon? If that's the reason, then that is the stupidest and lamest excuse. More importantly, how will you know it won't work if you don't try? Like you said, everyone has already judged this obsession that you have with her. And to those that won't support this, well I say to hell with them. They're just some pricks who like to look at things and judge only on the negative side of things, to that I say they should disappear and never show their face." stated Isaac. "But I'm not like the others cause to me, the one thing that I could ever ask for is to see my friends being happy. And to you that's getting to be with the pony that you love. Like I said, I'm all for it and I will support you 100% of the way. I just don't want there to be any tension between us due to you thinking that I'm trying to steal your girl. That's the one thing you don't do as a guy and that's take away your buddy's girl."

"I see what you're saying. And I know... I know that you are the type of person who would never betray his friends." said Spike. "I just felt a tad bit jealous seeing the two of you together, it hurt me a bit. But like you said, you've got someone back home and I know you would never do anything to intentionally hurt your friends." Spike let out a deep breath as he felt a bit better about himself.

"Also some words of advice on how you can get closer to Rarity." stated Isaac.

"Like what?"

"Well, I suggested you stop trying to worship the ground Rarity trots on and just show a genuine interest in her and be true to yourself when you're with her. I can tell how important Rarity is to you and how much you truly care for her. ”

Spike took those words in as that seemed to resonate with the little drake. "All right, thanks for that." smiled Spike. "Just make sure she has a good time."

"I will." smiled Isaac.

"But like I said..." Spike then got on the table as he walked over to Isaac as he stared at his eyes, "You hurt her, and I will hurt you." Spike leaned in and pressed his claw firmly into Isaac’s chest; hammering in each and every word, “Don’t. You. Dare. Hurt. Her.”

"And like I said before, are you threatening me!" said Isaac with a stern tone as he stared back at Spike as he stood up.

Both boys were staring at each other trying to intimidate the other. Nothing was said as they just kept staring, soon they both broke into laughter as they just simply had fun with one another. Seems the issue with Isaac and Spike was handled successful as Spike gave Isaac a hug to show that he was alright.

"Well then, I better get ready for my night with Rarity." said Isaac as he looked at his watch. "And I've yet to decided on what I want to bring to our dinner."

"I think I can help with that." said Spike as he offered to lend his friend a hand.

Nighttime had fallen over Ponyville as the moon had just reached the sky. Isaac had put on the outfit that Rarity had given him. He was wearing a small black suit, wore a silver shirt instead of a white ruffled one. Adorning his neck was the red bow tie; Isaac had a small bouquet of roses and a sealed up box.

“What do you think? Too much, too little, should I lose the tie?” Isaac asked; still anxiously waiting for a reply.

"You're fine." said Spike.

"Okay, well better get going. Or else I'll be late." said Isaac as he began to walk out of the door.

"Make sure she has a good time." shouted Spike as he waved towards his friend as he closed the door behind him.

Isaac waved back as he began trotting over to his destination. His eyes were deadlocked on that beautiful little shop ahead of him; eagerly awaiting to greet the shop’s even more beautiful owner.

KNOCK! KNOCK!

“7 on the dot, just like I asked” Rarity said with a giggle, “Such a punctual colt.”

Rarity used her magic to open the door. Isaac stood before her, offering flowers, dessert and the most charming smile his lips and cheeks could pull off.

“Good evening my lady, for you.” Isaac said as he bowed while trying to act like a gentleman. He offered the gifts to her, like a queen being presented with her crown. "Sorry, just a bit nervous." said Isaac as he rubbed his neck.

"It's alright, darling. Come on in." He looks like such a gentlemen, and he’s wearing the tie I made for him, how terribly sweet of him! I knew he was bringing over dessert but I didn’t think he was doing all of this too. Rarity took the flowers and dessert as she sniffed the floral.

Isaac looked up and he took in the mare's appearance. "Wow, you look absolutely amazing” Isaac said. He was almost too stunned by Rarity’s beauty to speak clearly. Her beautiful mane was shining like there were stars embedded in the strands, and that heavenly scent brimming off her snow white fur; it had to be Victoria Saddle’s: Love is Celestial perfume.

“Oh you.” Rarity giggled, she waved her hoof in a playful manner at Isaac’s compliment.

The seamstress welcomed Isaac into her home and closed the door behind him. Isaac was pleasantly surprised to see a cozy little table set up for just the two of them, complete with candlelight, a royal gold colored tablecloth, two chairs and two plates. He could feel his nose twitch from the smells wafting from the kitchen.

“Mmmm that smells good,” Isaac commented.

"That’s part of it darling but there’s certainly more,” Rarity explained.

Isaac looked around the shop and noticed it was fairly dark, aside from the candle light. Everything looked so secluded and fancy, like it was a private restaurant closed off for just the two of them. The seamstress smiled as she noticed Isaac was enjoying her cozy little dinner-for-two set up. She levitated the flowers into a vase filled with fresh water and placed the dessert off to the side.

“Now go on, please take a seat,” Rarity said as she winked towards the stallion. “I’m bringing out dinner as we speak.” Isaac nodded and sat down at the table, Rarity sat down as well; levitating several dinner plates across the table. Two glasses were added as well, Rarity’s had sparkling grape juice and Isaac’s had regular cola.

“Whoa, now THAT is what I call a spread.” Isaac exclaimed.

There were gemstones on numerous plates, each one coated with a different sauce, seasoning; or paired with oats and hay. Rarity had imported oats coated with cinnamon and a sweet, royal jelly like sauce. Her plate was surrounded by fresh rose petals from one of Isaac’s flowers.

“Why thank you Isaac,” she beamed, “I certainly do hope it’s to your liking. Being creative comes naturally."

“Are you kidding? If it tastes half as good as it smells and looks, I know I’m going to be blown away.” Isaac happily replied.

The unicorn blushed faintly at the colt’s kind words; it felt good to hear someone actually appreciate her hard work. With that they both began their dinner date. He took a bite of the food and nearly jumped out of his fur; Isaac greedily took several more gulps and stopped when he had to breathe.

“This is amazing; I love it!” he beamed.

“Music to my ears,” Rarity sweetly said after sipping her drink. The two sat there in comfortable silence eating their dinners. Rarity’s batting eyelashes never leaving Isaac out of her sight, watching his body movements and reactions; as if studying him.

“Is everything all right Rarity, do I have sauce on my face or something?” Isaac asked hesitantly. He raised his hoof towards his cheeks in search of any sauce stains.

“No-no nothing like that darling, I just had something on my mind.” she answered softly.

“Well, what is it? You can ask me anything. That is what you do on dates right, ask each other questions and talk?” he asked curiously.

“Yes, most dates go that way, though some can end up being a bit more,” her cheeks burned bright red, “Different, yes, let’s go with that word; different.” Isaac seemed to notice the hidden meaning behind Rarity's sentence.

“So then what’s on your mind?”

"I guess, I'm wondering is what will happen when you complete your mission?" asked Rarity. "I know that you and Sunset are here to rid Equestria of these Duel Monsters and find the source of this problem. And once you've completed that, you'll head back to your world. I guess what I'm saying is that I'll miss you when you're gone."

"Ahh." said Isaac. He knew what Rarity was saying, hell it was the first thing that was on his mind when he was given this mission by Princess Celestia when he first arrived. Of course it was going to be hard to say goodbye to his new friends, but he knew that he couldn't stay here. He had other people waiting for him back in his world as he knew that was where he belonged. "I know that it will come, I'm not denying it. But I'm not thinking about it, right now I want to spend as much time with you girls so that I can hold onto those memories, that way I can look back on it when I return home and remember all the fun I had." said Isaac as he smiled at the white mare.

"I see, well then, until that time comes. I look forward to spending as much time with you as I can." stated Rarity as she lifted her glass.

"Same here." said Isaac as he did the same. They both clinked and drank their respective beverage as they continued on with their dinner.

Sometime later both ponies were discussing as they talked a bit about their lives. Rarity was really fascinated by Isaac's story as he told her about all the amazing duels he's had; she was really amazed that she felt a tad bit jealous that she couldn't get to experience it herself, but was still entertained nonetheless. The colt and fashionista were sitting at the dining table enjoying the homemade dessert that Spike made for the both of them. Rarity looked at him with a slight, sheepish pink color to her cheeks; slightly embarrassed about Isaac’s sudden outburst.

“I don’t believe it, so you’re a closet detective fan girl?” asked Isaac.

“Well, I don’t know if I’d use those words but-” Rarity started to say. Her tone and manner was shaky and nervous, as if scared for revealing this secret to the young stallion.

“That’s awesome!”

Rarity blinked in surprise at that statement. Isaac wasn’t mocking her, no, he actually liked that she liked detective stories. “W-w-wait, you don’t think it’s s-s-silly that I like detective stories?” Rarity curiously asked.

“No, of course not,” Isaac quickly answered, “I always thought of detective stories like super hero adventure stories, but you know, without super powers.” Isaac wiped a piece of pie from his face with a napkin, “Like fighting crimes with their mind and stuff.”

“Ah yes, I guess that is one way of looking at it,” Rarity said as she giggled. “I just can’t resist the cunning charm of such intelligent and independent women like Shadow Spade and Nancy Horseshoe,” Rarity smiled contently as she rattled off her favorite detective characters.

“So why’d you think I would think your silly for liking detective stories?” Isaac asked as he chomped down another chunk of dessert cake.

“Well when I mentioned it to another stallion,” Rarity almost vomited just mentioning his name, “Uncouth cur, Slick Charmer, he said broads like me should worry more about keeping our bodies in shape; rather than keeping our brains sharp with pointless literature.” The unicorn felt like she needed a full day spay treatment every time that creep popped back into her mind.

“Awe, what does he know? That guy sounds like a total dick.” Isaac bluntly stated.

“Isaac! That is a dreadfully vulgar word that should never be mentioned in front of ladies.” Rarity huffed. She always kept an air of professionalism and grace; even when bad mouthing a womanizer who deserved it.

“Oh, sorry Rarity," Isaac weakly nodded and scooped more cake into his mouth. "Though really, if you would've heard some of the other things I've said in my life, this is probably the least vulgar thing I've said."

“But to be perfectly honest”, Rarity’s proper tone turned giggly and immature, “You’re absolutely right; he really was a dick!”

Both Isaac and Rarity burst with laughter. Rarity laughed so hard she even snorted like a pig, she held a hoof to her lips; slightly embarrassed by such a crude reaction. Isaac simply laughed harder as a result and seeing that made Rarity laugh even harder and louder. The fashionista couldn’t remember the last time she enjoyed another colt’s company this much; this was the best date she’s ever had. The seamstress stood up from her seat and approached Isaac. He watched her curiously; unsure of what she was doing. Rarity embraced Isaac in a warm and tender hug; wrapping her hooves around him and nuzzling him close to her frosty white chest. Both of them remained speechless. Isaac felt his cheeks redden; being this close to Rarity was mesmerizing; he felt completely at peace and completely on edge at the same time. His tensed up, the mare could feel all of the colt’s stresses and anxieties melting off his body.

"Thank you for this date, Isaac. I'm glad to have a bit of happiness in my life that I can hold onto. You've made me feel like the happiest mare in all of Equestria."

"My pleasure, Rarity." said Isaac.

The two separated from their hug. They started cleaning up the dishes and clearing off the table. Rarity insisted Isaac didn’t need to help clean up since he was the guest, but the stallion said it would be most “un-gentlemen like” if he didn’t help out. Isaac let loose a hearty yawn as he finished drying off the last dish. Rarity took a quick glance at her nearest clock and saw it was getting rather late.

"It looks like a certain somepony needs to get his beauty sleep,” Rarity pointed out.

“Huh? Oh yeah, I guess it is pretty late,” Isaac said as he yawned once more.

“It’s been a long and wonderful night darling,” Rarity leaned in and nuzzled Isaac’s cheek, “And I think I could also benefit from a good night’s sleep.”

Isaac nodded and gave Rarity one more tight hug before heading towards the door. He pushed the door open and was about to exit the boutique.

“W-w-w-wait just a minute dear,” Isaac stopped and turned, still holding the door.

Rarity’s cheeks were slightly flushed; her once composed and regal like demeanor had been replaced with a shuffling, nervous demeanor that made her look like a high school filly trying to make a speech in front of a classroom. Rarity was never nervous or antsy unless she was meeting some big fashion designer she admired, or meeting a pony she had a major crush on.

“Yeah, what is it?”

“It occurred to me that you did most of the sharing tonight. A proper date requires that both parties contribute personal stories and discussions, and it would be unfitting for a lady of my stature to not share something personal after you’ve shared so much.”

“Umm okay, what would you like to tell me?”

“Well, since we were talking about detectives being like superheroes, I thought I would tell you who my favorite super hero is.”

“Wow, I didn’t know you liked super heroes enough that you had a favorite! So who’s your favorite hero?” asked Isaac.

The mare hesitated answering for a moment. Her eyes sparkled luminously in the star studded night sky as they stared at her caramel friend. She bit her lip and grinned to the confused stallion. Rarity then planted a soft, yet, powerfully sweet kiss on his cheek. The soft smack of her lipstick coated lips crackled like thunderstorms in Isaac’s ears.

“You are, Isaac,” Rarity said; in her sweetest, most seductive voice. It sent shivers up and down Isaac’s spine and through his tail tip. “Goodnight darling, this has been a most wonderful evening.” she said with a sultry purr.

Isaac nodded and waved to Rarity; his best effort to wish her a goodnight and a fond farewell. Rarity let loose the most adorable little chuckle as she watched him make his way back to the castle.

She closed the door and locked it shut. Every part of her felt tingly, so refreshingly warm and content. Rarity sighed as she leaned back against the door; letting her purple curls slide up the door as she dreamily smiled. “Now that…was a lovely date.” Rarity blissfully cooed.

Isaac arrived home as he pushed past the door and closed it behind him. He then turned around and was meet with the little dragon who had been up all night waiting for the colt's return. Isaac blinked several times as he saw Spike standing there with his arms crossed as he stared at him. Both boys stood there in silence as they stared at one another not saying a word, each not backing down from the other trying to be intimidating.

"So... did you give her a good time?" boomed Spike.

"Yeah." responded Isaac.

"Good." Spike now had his face soften as he had a smile. "Well, goodnight bud. See you in the morning." Spike then gave Isaac a hug as Isaac wrapped his hoof around his tiny body.

"See ya, Spike." said Isaac as he let go of the hug and watched the little dragon make his way to his room. Isaac then untied the bow tie around his neck as he let it dangle and made his way to his room for a well deserved sleep.

Chapter 105: Everfree Forest

"Tell me, that we're finally done." said Sunset as she collapsed on the floor as she was out of breath.

"Come on, Sunset. Only twenty more laps to go." stated Rainbow as she took off.

This morning, Sunset had decided to accompany Rainbow Dash on her morning jog. Despite having a fine figure, she still wanted to keep herself in shape, so sometimes she would off go on some morning jogs to help keep herself feeling good. This day, she just so happened to run into Rainbow who was doing the same thing; so she thought that both girls could workout together. Seems she was already regretting that decision when Rainbow had somehow made them run laps around Ponyville to which was more tiring than her usual run. In fact, Sunset was currently tired and full of sweat as her mane was frizzled up and her legs were shaking. She then arrived at townhall as Rainbow was waiting there for her.

"What took you so long?" asked Rainbow as she did a couple of wing pushups.

Sunset didn't have the energy to argue like usual as her legs buckled and she fell facefirst into the ground.

"I think that calls for a break." stated Rainbow to which Sunset just slowly raised her hoof to signal she was relieved.

Somehow, Sunset was able to literally drag her body all the way back to the castle as she struggled to grip the door with her magic due to how tired and sore her body felt. She then entered the place as she was still dragging along the main hall. Spike and Isaac had just turned the corner when they saw Sunset lying down on the floor.

"Let me guess, Rainbow Dash?" asked Isaac.

"You have no idea." cried Sunset as she let out tears of pain. "I need a bath, but I can't move."

"Spike."

"On it." said the little dragon as he knew what Isaac was going to say. With that he left to start the bathroom for the orange mare.

Isaac was left as he looked at Sunset who was writhing in pain from the extreme workout she had experienced. He couldn't help but let out a small laugh at how she was acting.

"Mind helping me up, instead of standing there and making fun of me." said Sunset as she held out her hoof out for Isaac to grab.

"All right." Isaac then made his way towards Sunset's side. Sunset was confused as she was expecting Isaac to help her up, but instead he position his head near her side and with one movement of his head lifted her up and placed her on his back. "Figured you be too tired to walk, so I'll just carry you." stated Isaac.

"Thanks." said Sunset as she wrapped her hooves around Isaac's neck as she closed her eyes and let her body relax.

Isaac then started walking as he made his way to the bathroom; Spike had just finish getting the water to just the right temperature when he saw Isaac enter the room with Sunset on his back. He then left as Isaac dumped Sunset into the tub to which brought her extreme relief and happiness.

"Ahh." said Sunset as the water that surrounded her body eased the muscles aches. "This is much better."

"Well, you're all right. Time for me to leave." stated Isaac.

"Thanks for carrying me, boy toy." said Sunset as she flipped her wet mane out of her face and planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek.

"Anytime." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to her. With that Isaac let Sunset have some privacy as he had some other things to take care of.

Isaac made his way to the map room as he saw Spike there as he read a comic on his little throne. When he woke up, Isaac had met with Twilight as he wanted to see if she had received any new reports of incidents happening. It had been about close to 12 days since he first arrived with Sunset and during that time they had encountered quite a large number of problems. Of course, all eight of them including Spike were able to properly take care of them and for the ones that required more attention was either left to him or Sunset and their monsters. Regardless, so much had already happened in such a short span of time. Not to mention that the Summer Sun Celebration that they were all invited to was just but a few days away. And the princess had told Twilight that she wanted to speak with Isaac and Sunset so that they could give her an update of how their progress had been so far. Isaac put the formal event in the back of his mind as he still had plenty of time to enjoy himself.

Spike noticed Isaac approaching the table as he put his comic down and was excited. Ever since Isaac had done his demonstration to him and all of their friends, Isaac had spent some time with each of them teaching them the basics of Duel Monsters in the case should they prepare for the worst. Granted, he didn't bring enough cards with him to recreate the decks each of their human counterparts had, as he only brought with him a handful of cards so that he could swap out his options before he stepped into a duel. Regardless, the others still enjoyed what he was doing for them. Especially, cause sometimes Isaac would allow them to practice using his own deck.

"Okay, so when can I play this card?" asked Spike as he showed the card to Isaac.

"Well, seeing as how it has an effect that allows to search your deck for another monster. Ideally, it would be a good opening move. See if you do stuff like that in a duel, then you set yourself up for tons of options. Like for example, you could bring another monster with the same level and then you could perform an Xyz summon. Or you could bring out a tuner monster and then line yourself up for a Synchro summon." stated Isaac.

"So, what would be the best thing to do in this scenario?"

"That's all on what you do. I can't just simply tell you what to do Spike, you need to decide on your own. I don't know how your mind works; what I would do is vastly different from what you might do. Ultimately, it comes down to you sticking to a plan and then seeing if you can follow up on that plan."

"Man, Duel Monsters really gets your brain to think. One false move and you're in serious trouble."

"It's all a mental game, like chess. Counter, offensive, defense, counter-offensive, and simply outthinking your opponent. If you think about it like that, then that's where the fun of the game comes from." said Isaac.

Soon the doors opened as in came Twilight who had just arrived from visiting Zecora's house in the Everfree Forest. She noticed the two boys playing with their cards as she couldn't help but smile.

"So how was your trip, Twilight?" asked Isaac.

"Very pleasant, Zecora was able to give me a couple more samples of that tea I like." stated Twilight.

"Though, I'm just wondering how the hell is she able to keep rhyming while also saying what she wants to say. I can barely come with a rhyme on my own, let alone a sentence. God, I'm surprised she hasn't lost her mind by now." said Isaac. He remembered the first time when Twilight and Spike introduced him to the zebra that he almost didn't have a clue to what she was saying. He was able to get the gist of it by focusing on the important stuff she said, but overall still had a difficult time to understand the black and white horse.

"Tell me about it, I tried to speak like Zecora for a day to see if I could rhyme like that." stated Spike.

"And?"

"I only lasted a few minutes before I gave up." said Spike as he put his head down in embarrassment. Isaac just rolled his eyes at the little drake's story.

"Still, you're sure you didn't need me or Spike to accompany you? I mean you said so yourself, the Everfree Forest is a place that's unlike anywhere else in Equestria."

"It's fine, Isaac. I know the route to Zecora's hut like the back of my hoof. The only real worry is avoiding the poison joke."

"Oh, yeah. That story still cracks me up." said Isaac as he was reminded of when Spike told him that story and he couldn't stop laughing.

"Yes, well it was embarrassing. So can we please not talk about it?" stated Twilight as she didn't want anypony laughing at her, especially Isaac.

"Anyways, do we all have our outfits all picked out?" said Spike. "I want make sure that I look dapper in my tux." Spike was really hoping that he could get Rarity to notice him during the party.

"Calm down, Romeo." said Twilight. "Rarity said she should have our outfits all finished by noon. I was going to go pick up mines and yours," Twilight then looked at Isaac, "Do you... want to come with me, Isaac?"

"I'm good. I'm gonna head into town for patrol. Sunset seems to be down for the count, so it looks like I'll have to be the one to cover today's shift." said Isaac as he looked at his watch. "Speaking of which, I should probably get a move on. Sorry, Spike. Looks we'll have to cut this game short." Isaac then took his cards from Spike as he put them back into his deck box as he started to head towards the door. "I'll see later, Twilight." said Isaac as he tipped his cap to the princess as he left through the door and headed into town.

"I was really hoping that he come with me." said Twilight in a soft tone so that Spike couldn't hear her. But I can't blame him, he's been given a mission by the princess to stop these monster sightings. And I can't help but feel like I'm holding him back, all because of what I feel inside. I can't allow myself to be a distraction, especially when he has to leave.

"Twilight, you okay? You seem to be thinking about something." said Spike as he noticed that she hadn't taken her eyes off of the door that Isaac stepped through.

"I'm fine." said Twilight as she did her best to put on a fake smile.

"O-kay." he said with a bit of uneasiness.

"Anyways, I've got some paperwork I need to attend to. So I'll be in the library if you need anything." Twilight then trotted off to her favorite room as she needed to attend to these important matters and possibly do a bit of research to help her with a certain topic.

Isaac was currently strolling through town as he kept an eye out for any signs of trouble. While he was on patrol, his noticed that Rainbow was currently doing some flips and tricks.

"Impressive."

"Thanks." said Rainbow. "Figured I'd practice my tricks since the Summer Sun Celebration is almost here. Plus, the Wonderbolts will there which means it'll be a chance for me to show off my cool tricks. Then they'll beg me to be on the team."

"Yeah, they definitely want a pony who can only think about her ego every 5 seconds." snickered Isaac.

"Exactly. Hey!!!" shouted Rainbow as she felt insulted by Isaac's comment. "You know I can still hurt you and my ego is not that big."

"You're right it's just even Ghastly Gorge isn't big enough to hold your damn ego." stated Isaac.

"All right, you're dead." said Rainbow as she tried to tackle Isaac to the ground only for him to side step out of her way.

"Too slow." stated Isaac.

"Oh, you're asking for it." Rainbow then started her best to tackle Isaac to the ground, but for some reason he was able to get out of the way ever time she flew by.

In fact, she was now steamed as she did some fancy moves and trick to confuse Isaac but even with that, he still managed to get out of the way of her path. Isaac thought it was unfair to Rainbow that he decided to lower his cap over his eyes as he felt like it would even the playing field. Rainbow thought he was mocking her as she was really looking forward to putting a hurt on the stallion. Despite not seeing, Isaac still managed to avoid Rainbow's punches as he let out a yawn. That really ticked off Rainbow as she took a different approach and decided to launch a sneak attack. It worked as Isaac just stood still as he couldn't tell what Rainbow was doing; Rainbow had managed to sneak behind Isaac as her body was lowered to the ground like a lion hunting its prey. Then she jumped high into the air as she looked to pin Isaac to the ground, then in a moment's notice, Isaac did a parkour corkscrew as time moved in slow motion. Rainbow was stunned that when time slowed down she turned her head to look at Isaac who was above her. Isaac's cap uncovered his eyes as he was in midflight twist as he just gave wink to the rainbow haired mare as time resumed.

Isaac landed on his feet as Rainbow was still stunned that she flew straight into a tree as it moved due to Rainbow's speed, only for it to bounce back and ricochet Rainbow in the other direction as she let out a scream. It was something like out of a Looney Tunes episode as Isaac pulled out a scoreboard and had a ten on it. Soon Rainbow was falling fast as Isaac placed an x-mark on the ground and moved slightly to the left as Rainbow fell on it. Dust and bits of dirt formed a cloud from the impact of Rainbow hitting the ground.

"Uhhh." groaned out Rainbow as she had swirls on her head and in her eyes. She regained conscious as she saw Isaac standing over her as he had a smile on his face. He then placed his hoof on her chest as he held her down and pinned her.

"Had enough?" smirked Isaac.

"All right, you win." stated Rainbow as she gave up. "Just how did you dodge all my attacks?"

Isaac then pointed to his horn, "Let's say that Twilight and Sunset have been teaching me some magic while I've been here. Nothing big, just a simple spell that allows me to boost my speed for a few minutes. Which was just enough time to dodge all of your attempts."

"Well, what about that sneak attack? I was quiet as a mouse, so how did you avoid that?"

"My Dark Magician told me." smiled Isaac. "Thanks, Mahad."

"Anytime, master." said Mahad as he appeared for a second before disappearing with a smile on his face.

"Great, I feel even more humiliated." stated Rainbow.

"Hey, I love knocking your ego down a bit. It's fun, plus your cute when you're angry."

"I'm not cute!" said Rainbow as she felt a bit red from Isaac saying that. "Now help me up, it's kind of embarrassing." stated Rainbow as she thankfully that nopony else was around to see the position that she was in with Isaac towering over her as he had his hoof on her chest.

Isaac then helped Rainbow up as he pulled her up; Rainbow dusted herself off as she was still upset about what happened. She then looked at Isaac who stood there with a smirk on his face.

"Not a word to anypony! Understand!" shouted Rainbow as she didn't want ponies to know about this incident.

"Why should I? What's stopping me from telling everypony about how some ordinary unicorn, just so happen to take down the legendary Rainbow Dash, the savior of Equestria and the Element of Loyalty." said Isaac as he had the upper hoof.

"If you do, I'll... I'll.."

"What hit me? Try to throw a punch? We saw how that worked out."

"God Celestia, you're annoying." pouted Rainbow as she realized that she wasn't in the position to make threats.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." said Isaac as he looked at her. He then snuck in a quick kiss on her cheek as Rainbow was now turning all kinds of red.

"You really are asking to die, today." Rainbow was now steamed at what Isaac did. She had steam clouds coming out of her ears as she looked to slug Isaac, but realized it was fruitless.

"Come on, I'll treat you to some cider. Plus, let this be a lesson. Never overwork, Sunset." stated Isaac as he led the two of them away.

With that both ponies then made their way to the apple stand that was being run by Applebloom. Isaac paid for two mugs with some bits that was given to him by Princess Celestia when he first started his mission. Isaac gave a couple more for the cute little filly as she rubbed her head and gave her a kiss on her bow as they waved goodbye. The two then began to talk as Rainbow asked Isaac for some stories from his world. Isaac was happy to quench the rainbow mare's thirst, especially when he told them about their previous encounters.

"So you stopped Sunset when she was a crazy she-demon that was hell bent on taking over the school and was looking to evade Equestria? Woah, that's not bad." said Rainbow as she took a sip from her mug.

"I mean you saved Equestria how many times at this point? That's probably a normal day for you girls." stated Isaac.

"Yeah, it is. But still for someone who lives in a world without magic, that's kind of impressive. I mean not as impressive as the stuff I've done, obviously. But still good for your standards."

"Nice to know you to know you still same jockey attitude as your human self." said Isaac.

"Hell yeah." said Rainbow as she let out a huge burp from drinking her cider.

"Better out than in, I always say." chuckled Isaac as he too let out a bellowing burp which caused both of them to let out a huge laugh. "Well, I think I've been distracted long enough. I need to get back on patrol."

"Why don't I give you a hoof? Besides, you might need me to save your hind in case you encounter a problem you can't take care of." taunted Rainbow.

"Hmm. All right, could be nice to have a sidekick for a change."

"Hey, you're the sidekick." clarified Rainbow.

"Really now?" smirked Isaac. "What go another tussle in ground?"

"Buck you." replied Rainbow Dash to which Isaac just teased her some with a quick peck on her cheek. So for the rest of the day both Rainbow Dash and Isaac got to work as they scouted the town of Ponyville in search of any problems that may arise.

Twilight was in her library as she was looking over some important documents and doing a couple of magic researches. She had managed to pick up both her and Spike's outfit when she went to visit Rarity. After that she made her way back to the castle as she had some things that needed her attention. Despite the documents that were laid out on the table, she also was sitting in her chair as she had a certain book in her hooves.

"Hopefully this gives me some answers." said Twilight as she looked at a book that was titled: Matters of the Heart.

Twilight then got to work as she began to research the thing she'd been experiencing whenever she was near Isaac. And it seemed the book was able to offer her some insight.

"Heart beat raising, stunned silence, face heating up, emotions..." said Twilight as she was reading this from the book and writing it down on a scroll. "Seems this book really is useful. Though, if I'm being honest, is this all for nothing." From what the book is telling me is that I've developed an attachment towards Isaac. This is weird, I've never experienced something like this. I can tell what friendship is and the emotions that go with it, but this feeling right here is just so unorthodox. It says here that these feelings are a sign of love. Twilight gained her thoughts as she tried to put what the book was saying to her own personal experiences.

"I'm just so uncertain about all this. I've never thought about love or even the idea of it. Heck, that's probably the last thing I would ever think, due to how oblivious I was to the concept of friendship. And I'm still learning about it, but now there's this." Twilight then thought back to the time when she and Isaac had touched cheeks and were this close to their lips, but Isaac stopped them. "I can only assume that Isaac stopped that for a reason, but what." Twilight then began to continue reading as she hoped for some answers. During that time, a storm was starting to roll in as dark grey clouds were appearing in the sky.

The storm came out of nowhere as ponies had started to run for cover and were looking to get home. During that time, Sunset had fallen fast asleep, after she had a two-hour bath to ease the tension in her muscles, she fell for a long nap. In fact, she was knocked out cold for the rest of the day. Heck even a stampede of cows running through town couldn't wake her up at this point. As for Spike, he had already gone to sleep as soon as the moon came up. He had gotten all snuggled up for bed as he had a Rarity plushie and had sleep mask and earbuds in so that he could get a good night's rest. Twilight was still in the library as the rain and thunder was pouring outside.

"Well..." said Twilight as she let out a yawn, "I think that's enough for tonight." said Twilight as she put her book back on the shelf and blew out the candle. The lightning outside was enough to give her a bit of a fright as she made her way to her room. During the lightning, the flash caused a shadow to be shown as it had a red eye. The figure had its target in its sights and was set to strike.

Twilight exited the library and was walking to her room when at that moment, the lights went off. Twilight then used her horn as a sort of flashlight as she provided some dimly light. "Hello, anybody there? Spike? Sunset?" called out Twilight.

Soon a noise was heard, Twilight heard that and she quickly turned around, but there was nothing there. Another noise was heard as she turned back and still she couldn't see anything. The noise got louder and louder as it was more of a growl, and not just a simple growl but multiple growls. All those growls started to get closer as it was starting to get closer to the princess who still couldn't see the threat in front of her. Twilight then back up slowly as she felt something behind her and when she looked at it, her eyes went wide.

Isaac had just barely made it back to the castle as he hadn't expected for it to rain. His patrol was solid as he didn't encounter any incidents along with Rainbow Dash. Seems he was impressed with the pegasus' ability to control the clouds as she kicked one open and allowed him to rest for a while. Soon she had to leave as Isaac thanked her for the help, with that he began to race back to castle as tried his best to conjure up a rain shield to make sure that he didn't fully get wet. He had reached the front of the steps as he shook himself dry.

"Well, I made it back. Wonder how..." Isaac didn't finish his thought when he heard a scream.

"AHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

Just then the window was broken as a few creatures came through; their bodies where still covered by the shadows. Isaac raced to where he heard the noise and saw the shadows of the creatures standing there with the tall one having something in their arm which so happen to be none other than Twilight.

"Twilight!"

"Isaac!" Twilight's response caused the creatures to look at the stallion as Isaac could see their red-eyes through the harsh rain. Soon they all let out a howl as they all ran with the big one carrying Twilight. "Help me!!!" cried out Twilight as she was carried away.

Isaac then noticed something fell from the creatures as he got a good look at it. He picked it up as it appeared to be some sort of gear. "Oh no." said Isaac as he knew what/who he was dealing with. "I'm coming, Twilight!" shouted Isaac as he raced after the creatures.

The chase had led the creatures to the edge of Ponyville as they approached the Everfree Forest. With that they all took a quick turn behind them and saw Isaac was still on their tail, so they continued on with their plan as they all ventured into the forest with their hostage in tow. Isaac approached the place and took a quick glance at it.

"The Everfree Forest." said Isaac as lightning flashed the moment he said that. He looked back at it and then back at the town, he knew that going in there was a danger, but it would be even more so if he let something bad happen to the princess. So with the rain still coming down on him, Isaac tighten his cap and took a step in as he entered the wicked place.

The Everfree Forest was a place that was not to be trifled with. So many creatures and things called this place home that it was basically a death sentence to even take a walk. Isaac was doing his best to navigate the place and avoid any traps. He kept walking as he was doing his best to find Twilight or the monsters that had taken her. Soon he heard a scream as he began to pick up the speed and followed the source. Every step Isaac took got him closer and closer as well as the tiny nuts and bolts that the creatures left as he followed the trail. Soon he pushed through the last of the branches and bushes as he came to what seemed to be some kind of clearing inside the Everfree Forest. Standing there before Isaac were the creatures who all stared at him and Twilight who was in some kind of bubble. Twilight tried to use her magic to blast out, but apparently the bubble was magic resistant. Isaac then stepped forward as he confronted the enemies in the rain.

"Twilight!"

"Isaac!" cried out Twilight as she was glad he came to rescue her.

"Release her at once!" shouted Isaac. The creatures just let out growls at Isaac's command. Soon the one in charge stepped forward as the shadow had revealed their true identity. "Figured it be you, release the princess this instant!"

"I'm afraid I can't do that." said the figure which was none other than Ancient Gear Knight. He was also surrounded by his allies which were none other than Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds. "We've got a mission of our own and we intend to complete it."

"And I've got a princess to protect." shouted Isaac. "So the way I see it, one of us is gonna leave empty handed." Isaac then slotted on his duel disk as he activated it to project a gold card tray. "So get ready to rumble!"

"I was hoping to face you." Ancient Gear Knight then called off his dogs as he ordered them to guard the bubble holding their hostage.

"Then you got your wish, now then it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac and he put his deck in. Just hang on, Twilight. I'll save you and I'll make sure these creatures pay for hurting you.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Ancient Gear Knight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off, draw. I'll summon my Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Ancient Gear Knight

"My turn," said Gear Knight as he drew his card. "And I think I'll start with this, I summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound(1000/1000)!" Out came one of the dogs that was guarding Twilight as he let out a fierce growl and then looked at Isaac as he rushed forward and sunk his teeth into the colt as he was flung back.

"AHHHH!!!" shouted Isaac as he felt the attack give him some real life pain.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

Twilight was in shock as she saw her friend take some damage. "Why did Isaac take damage?"

"In case, you're wondering, when I summon my Hunting Hound he slams you with 600 points of direct damage." stated Ancient Gear Knight.

"Trust me, I felt that first hand." said Isaac as he got back to his feet. I knew he had that deck, god I fucking hate Ancient Gear decks. Isaac had plenty of unkind things to say whenever someone would mention or even play that deck as he found it downright annoying to play against.

"But my turn is far from done, cause now I'll play the field spell, Geartown." shouted Gear Knight. Soon the forest around the two duelist then started to change as buildings made up of gears surround the two competitors. "Now thanks to this all of my 'Ancient Gear' monsters require one less tribute. Then I'll play the spell, Ancient Gear Tank. I'll then equip it to my Hunting Hound to give it an extra 600 attack points." Hunting Hound let out a wolf cry as it felt the powerup. The ones guarding Twilight responded with a cry of their own.

"With that I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Then it's back to me." said Isaac as he drew his card. Got to think of something and fast, cause if I don't then this duel will be over before I know it. I really hate Ancient Gear decks!!! "Now then I'll play my Magician's Rod in defense mode. Then the effect of my Magician's Rod activates, so now I can add a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card to my hand." Isaac then selected the card he wanted as he grabbed it. "Then I'll play the card that I got, Dark Magical Circle. Now my Dark Magician Circle allows me to look at the top 3 cards of my deck to reveal a 'Dark Magician' or spell/trap that list 'Dark Magician'." Isaac then looked at his three cards as he selected the one he wanted.

"I choose to reveal my ultimate monster, Dark Magician. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Ancient Gear Knight

"What a wasted turn, now then. Now I summon Ancient Gear(100/800) in attack mode." stated Ancient Gear Knight.

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Dimension. Now I'll tribute my Magician's Rod so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell then absorbed his Magician's Rod as out from the coffin came Isaac's ace monster. "Then the other effect of my Magical Dimension allows me to destroy one monster on the field, so I choose to destroy your Ancient Gear." With that Ancient Gear was exploded into tiny bits of metal.

"But that's not all, next the effect of my Dark Magical Circle activates. So since I summon my Dark Magician, I can now banish one card on the field, so say goodbye to your Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" Dark Magician then raised his staff as he used the power of the circle to rid the field of Hunting Hound. And just like that, Isaac had managed to clear the field of Ancient Gear Knight as he had no monster remaining.

"Impressive, you got rid of my field. But I have more cards to play. Now since my field spell, Geartown is still in effect. The number of tributes is reduced by one, so that means I can still play this monster for free. But first, I play Double Summon which means I can summon Ancient Gear Engineer(1500/1500)!" Out came a robot as it had a drill on its arm.

"But first, since my Ancient Gear Tank was destroyed, you take 600 points of direct damage!" Soon a tank appeared as it shot a blast to Isaac who took it as it caused him to drop for a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 6800-

"Next I'll play the continuous spell card, Ancient Gear Castle. Now all my 'Ancient Gear' monsters gain 200 more attack points. So now my Ancient Gear Engineer has a total of 1700 attack points." Ancient Gear Engineer then felt its circuits get more power as the lightning flash to show its scary look. "Now Ancient Gear Engineer, take out Beta the Magnet Warrior!"

Isaac just stood there as he knew there was nothing he could do to stop that attack. So Isaac watched his monster be destroyed as Isaac felt the aftereffect of the attack. Twilight noticed this from her bubble and she had concern on her face.
Isaac's Life Points: 6700-

"As you know, my Ancient Gear monsters make it so that you can't activate your spell or trap cards until the end of the damage step. But as for my Ancient Gear Engineer, he has another effect that whenever he attacks he can destroy 1 spell or trap card on your field. So say goodbye to your Dark Magical Circle." With that Isaac's spell card was gone as Ancient Gear Knight had managed to shut down his combo with ease.

"Now then I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, now I'll play Graceful Charity and so I'll pick up some more cards. Nice." Isaac then selected the cards he wanted to get rid of. "Now I'll send another card to the grave, so that I can play my Apprentice Illusion Magician. Now time to strike, Dark Magician attack his Ancient Gear Engineer. Now I'll use my Apprentice Illusion Magician's effect, so by tributing her she can give my Dark Magician an extra 2000 attack and defense points till the end of the turn." Dark Magician then felt the power boost as he unleashed a powerful attack that dealt some serious damage to Isaac's opponent.
Ancient Gear Knight's Life Points: 5200-

"Nice one, Isaac." said Twilight from inside the bubble. Just then the bubble that Twilight was in started to glow as electricity flowed through and gave Twilight a shock. "AHH!!!!" screamed Twilight.

"Twilight!"

"Oh, did I forget to mention. That everytime I lose life points, that bubble releases an electric surge. So everytime you attack me, the princess here gets quite a shock. The higher the damage the more voltage." snickered Ancient Gear Knight.

"You sick mother..."

"Ah, ah. Watch your language, we're in the presence of a princess." mocked Ancient Gear Knight.

"I'll end my turn." Isaac said as he gritted his teeth. Now what do I do, he's got me back into a corner.

Turn 6: Ancient Gear Knight

"Pity, now then. I'll play Card of Sanctity, so now we both replenish our hands." With that both Isaac and Ancient Gear Knight now had a full hand. "Be grateful for this gift, not that it will help you. Now I'll play the spell card, Ancient Gear Catapult, since I don't control any monsters, I'll send my Ancient Gear Castle to the graveyard. As a result, I can summon an 'Ancient Gear' monster from my deck ignoring its summoning conditions. So arise, Ancient Gear Golem(3000/3000)!!!" Soon the rain picked up as there was more lightning that was seen and the thunder boomed as out came a giant metal robot.

Isaac was scared as he saw the towering monster as its red eyes locked on him. He knew about the power of this card and right now he was about to be on the receiving end of it.

"Impressive, isn't it. Now Ancient Gear Golem, attack his Dark Magician!! Mechanized Melee!!" Ancient Gear Golem then reared its arm back as it made its hand into a fist and with a mighty blow took out Isaac's magician as he felt even more pain.

"Ahh!!!" shouted Isaac as he dug his heels into the ground to keep from being flung onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 6200-

"Next I'll summon my Ancient Gear Beast(2000/2000) in attack mode. With that I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 7: Isaac

"Man, I'm really getting pissed. I despise Ancient Gears." muttered Isaac as he collected himself and drew his card. "I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. And with it I can bring back my Dark Magician." Isaac then had his ace monster back on his field. "Now then I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as giant portal above him opened up. "I Pendulum Summon my two Magician of Dark Illusions!" said Isaac as he had a pair of two monsters on his field.

Twilight was in awe from what she saw inside her bubble. She had seen Isaac show off all of his other known summoning methods, but this was a brand new one.

"So you managed to summon two high level monsters, but even with that fancy new trick, none of those monsters come close to matching the firepower of my Ancient Gear Golem." stated Ancient Gear Knight.

"Well, I'm not done. Now that I have two level 7 monsters, I'll overlay them and construct the Overlay Network." Isaac's two magicians then transformed into two purple lights as a vortex opened up and the two were sucked in as a pillar of light shot out. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon High Magician in defense mode!" shouted Isaac as his monster appeared in the rain.

"So, are you going to attack me or what?" taunted Ancient Gear Knight.

Isaac was hesitant on having his magician attack as he knew what would happen. "I... I..."

Twilight saw the predicament that Isaac was in. He knew that he wanted to save her, but to do so would mean she would suffer the effect.

"Well, I'm waiting."

"I... I... I end..." started Isaac.

"Don't!" shouted Twilight from inside the bubble. "Don't worry, Isaac. Just do what you gotta do."

"But, Twilight..."

"I'll be fine, I can take it."

Isaac looked over at the princess as he looked at her eyes. He knew that he was given a job to protect the princess and her friends; and he knew that if he was gonna save his friend then he needed to attack. Isaac just looked back at Twilight as he gave her a nod.

"Alright, then. Now Mahad, take out his Ancient Gear Beast!" shouted Isaac. Mahad then raised his staff as he shot off his attack to the sound of the thunder as he destroyed his target.
Ancient Gear Knight's Life Points: 4700-

The attack caused Ancient Gear Knight to put his arm up as he covered himself. He then had a smirk on his face, "Don't forget, I'm not the only one whose gonna feel the attack." The bubble surrounding Twilight then shot another flow of electricity as Twilight felt an even more powerful shock.

"Twilight!" shouted Isaac.

"I'm... fine." she said as her legs buckled a bit.

"Just hang on. I'll get you out of there. I'll end my turn with a facedown." said Isaac.

Turn 8: Ancient Gear Knight

"My turn, now then time for me to win this. I'll play Polymerization and I'll fuse together two more Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds in my hand. Prepare for a killer monster, I Fusion Summon Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound(1400/1000)!!" Soon out came an Ancient Gear monster that had two heads. "Next, I'll summon my Ancient Gear Wyvern(1700/1200). Now my monster's effect allows me to add an 'Ancient Gear' monster to my hand. Now since I used my monster's effect, I can't set any cards this turn.

"Hold on, I'm going to activate an effect." stated Isaac. "I discard Effect Veiler to negate the effect of your Ancient Gear Golem." Isaac's monster then appeared as it shot a feather storm at the metal beast which lost some of its power.

"That won't matter, cause now time for me to wipe you out. Get ready, Ancient Gear Golem! Mechanized Melee!" Golem then raised it arms as it looked to throw a punch and strike.

"Now I activate my Ebon High Magician's effect. So by using one Overlay unit, I can play a quick-play spell or trap card from my hand during your turn. And I choose to play my Mirror Force!"

"No!! Stop!!" called out Ancient Gear Knight, but his monster had already made contact with Isaac's magician as the wall absorbed the attack and then repelled back as all the monsters on his field were destroyed.

"Looks like your plan backfired." stated Isaac as he had managed to wipe the field of his annoying problem.

"Like that's going to stop me, I reveal my facedown, Ancient Gear Reborn. Now since I control no monsters, this allows me to bring back my Ancient Gear Golem but this time he's got 200 more attack points." Just like that thunder boom as lightning flashed as once again the same monster rose from the earth as Ancient Gear Golem had risen up; Isaac was now even more scared as he still had to deal with the same threat. "With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Isaac

Great, I thought I found a way to win this duel, but that Golem is back and stronger than before. I need to push through, but how. Isaac drew his card as he tried to figure out what move to make. "I'll play Pot of Greed so now I pick up two more cards. Next I'll activate the effect of my Eternal Soul, so now I'll add Thousand Knives to my hand. But then I'll play Thousand Knives and with it, I'll destroy your Ancient Gear Golem." Isaac spell then produced knives which then were sent flying and destroyed the giant metal beast once again.

"Now with your field empty, time for me to strike. Dark Magician, attack his life points directly!" Dark Magician heard Isaac's command as he fired his staff at Ancient Gear Knight as he put some extra power into it as Ancient Gear Knight fell to his knees.
Ancient Gear Knight's Life Points: 2200-

"Once again, I'm not alone when I feel the pain of your attack." True to Ancient Gear Knight's word, another volt of electricity was sent to Twilight's way as she took it best she can.

"Almost there, Twilight. Just hold on a little bit longer. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 10: Ancient Gear Knight

"Now time to seal the deal. I'll activate the effect of my Ancient Gear Reborn, so arise one more time, Ancient Gear Golem!!"

"I really fucking hate Ancient Gear decks." said Isaac as he was exhausted and had enough of these monsters.

"And that's not all, now I'll reveal the two cards I set facedown. My Ancient Gear Spark Shot and Ancient Gear Booster." Both cards then flipped up and shined as they Ancient Gear Golem received some extra power. "Now thanks to Ancient Gear Reborn, my golem received 200 extra attack points. Then Ancient Gear Spark Shot allows me to deal half of my Ancient Gear Golem's attack points directly to your life points. And lastly, my Ancient Gear Booster allows me to double that damage!"

Isaac's eyes widen when he heard that, "Which means..."

"Which means, you'll be taking a whopping 3200 points of damage!" shouted Ancient Gear Knight. Ancient Gear Golem then raised its fist as it fired off a powerful shot that really hurt Isaac as he was thrown onto the ground and into a puddle.

"AHH!!!" screamed Isaac as he felt the pain of the attack and his body as it hurt him badly.
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"Time to die. Cause now I'm activate the spell card, Ancient Armageddon Gear. Now whenever a monster is destroyed, that player then takes damage equal to the attack points of the monster that was destroyed. So say goodbye, my little pony!" laughed Ancient Gear Knight evilly. "Now Ancient Gear Golem, attack his Dark Magician!! Mechanized Melee!" With the command given, Ancient Gear Golem laid waste to Dark Magician with ease as Isaac who was just barely getting up was hit back onto the ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"Now my Ancient Armageddon Gear will deal you damage equal to your monster's attack. And since he had 2500 attack points, that's more than enough to finish you off! Now blast him away!!!" shouted Ancient Gear Knight. The cannons all pointed to Isaac as he was still on the ground as he could barely move due to the amount of pain he was in. Soon the cannons fired as they all headed towards Isaac and looked to deal the winning blow.

"Can't... give... up. I... just... gotta..." said Isaac as he struggled to play the card he wanted. His vision was starting to fade as he did his best to not faint, thankfully he had enough strength to concrete and use his magic. "I... send Clear Kuriboh to the graveyard. So now any effect damage done this turn becomes zero! Help me... little buddy." said Isaac. Clear Kuriboh appeared in a flash as he saw his master on the ground, he then saw the attack coming and without hesitation, he blocked it to the best of his ability as he was determined to save Isaac. Soon he was able to protect his master as the attack was nullified.

Isaac looked at his tiny monster and gave a smile. "Thank you." was all Isaac said.

"Kuri." replied Clear Kuriboh as he disappeared.

"Err! You managed to survive this round, but I can assure you that you won't next time. Especially when I play this, my Ancient Gear Scarp Fusion. So now I can fusion summon using the Ancient Gear monsters in my graveyard to call upon an even greater beast." Thunder and lightning were full on display as the vortex opened up and the monsters that were being combined jumped in as they called upon a the ultimate weapon of mass destruction. "I take all my monsters and fuse them together! Once joined, they'll form an Ancient Gear of Goliath proportions! I Fusion Summon, the ground-shaking, Chaos Ancient Gear Giant(4500/3000)!!!!" Out on the field was the biggest monster of the Ancient Gear family as it let out a mechanical noise. Even the trees were small in comparison and Isaac who was still on the floor was looking straight at this monster dead in the eyes.

"You can't even stand up to fight, but unfortunately my turn comes to an end. Not that it matters, you can't fight back and even if you did, you don't have a single monster that can stand to towering power of my Chaos Ancient Gear Giant. Seems you failed in protecting the princess, but don't worry, I'll take good care of her." said Ancient Gear Knight as he looked at Twilight who was now scared herself as she looked at the massive monster behind him. "Now then, take your turn. That is, if you can."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Gotta get up..." said Isaac as he tried to get up, "... can't... let... him..." Isaac collapsed as the pain was unbearable for him. So much so that he couldn't even stand up, seems Isaac's bones were hurting as he felt them. It can't end like this, alone, out here where no one may find me. And what about the promise I made to the princess, to protect Twilight and her friends. I already failed at that and I can't even stand up to get her back!!! With the rain coming down, it helped to hide the tears that was coming down Isaac's eyes. I'm suppose to be the hero and I can't help myself!!!

Twilight was inside her bubble and she could see how Isaac was acting. She knew she couldn't cast any magic to help her escape, but she sat down as she closed her eyes and her horn was lighting up.

Why? Why!?! What do I need to do to save her!?!

Believe in yourself.

Isaac heard a voice calling to him as he looked around but there was nothing but rain and lightning. He then looked at the bubble as he saw Twilight sitting there with her eyes closed and her horn was lit. Twilight?

I'm communicating with you mentally through a spell. Listen to me, Isaac. You haven't failed me, you can still complete your duty.

How can? I failed to keep you safe; when you needed me the most, I wasn't there to protect you from harm. I failed.

Then fix that failure, your duty was to protect me and the rest of the bearers. We knew that one of us could potentially get captured, that's why we kept our hopes up knowing that you would come rescue us. We know you don't give up and you don't ever leave your friends behind. So don't start now, cause Isaac, right now I need you. I need you, more than you know.

Isaac had his hoof out in the direction of Twilight as he was trying to reach her. Twilight opened her eyes and did the same as she placed her hoof on the surface of the bubble.

"Don't ever forget, you're never alone. Your friends are always beside you." said Twilight.

"My friends..." said Isaac softly. "My friends are my power and I'm theirs." Isaac then placed his front hoofs on the ground as he tried to get up. "AHH, come on! Come on! AHHH!" shouted Isaac as he tried to ignore the pain that shooting throughout his body.

"Like a rabid animal, just clinging on for dear life." said Ancient Gear Knight as he watched the colt's struggle to stand. "Seems I have..."

"AHHH!!!!!!" shouted Isaac as he let out a scream that echoed throughout all of the Everfree Forest. He somehow had managed to muster up the courage to get back on his feet as the rain was falling on him. He took a fierce position as lightning went off behind him as he had a set of determined eyes. "AHHHH!!! Time to end this, now draw!" Isaac drew his card as it was covered with a trail of rainbow light.

"How? How can you still stand!?!"

Isaac then took a step forward as his body glowed; Twilight took noticed of this and was surprised by what she saw.

"First things first, I'll use the ability of my Sorcerer Swordsman's' pendulum ability, so now I can return any number of monsters from my graveyard to my hand so long as they fall in between the scale I've set. So I return my Dark Magician and Dark Magician of Chaos back to my hand." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out his two cards as he grabbed them and looked to finish this duel off. "Now I'll pendulum summon my two monsters that I just received. So come on out, Dark Magician and Dark Magician of Chaos!!!" shouted Isaac as the portal opened above him and he had two magicians on his field.

"You're insane!" shouted Ancient Gear Knight.

"No, I'm doing my duty and that's protecting the princess! Now I tribute my Ebon High Magician, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Dark Magician!" Isaac's three monsters then disappeared as their spirits were being called upon a beast that could stand toe to toe with the giant monster on the opposite side.

"Oh mighty protector of the Sun in the sky, I beg of thee, please heed my cry! Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight! I beseech thee, grace our humble game! But first I shall...call out thy name, Winged Dragon of Ra!!!!" Isaac had finished the chant as the storm clouds pulled back as an orb was unlocked with a blinding yellow light. It then died down as their stood one of the most powerful monsters as it gave a loud roar as it was about the same size and height as Chaos Ancient Gear Giant.

"What is that!?!" said Twilight as she was frozen at the sight of the monster that was in front of her.

Ancient Gear Knight slowly backed up as the Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds that were guarding the bubble, gave whimpers as they were leaking oil.

"Now my Winged Dragon of Ra has a combined total of 7600 attack and defense points!"

"7600!!!" said Ancient Gear Knight as his systems were started to malfunction.

"But that's not all, now I give up but all of 1 of my life points and I transfer them all over to Ra!" Ra then felt the spirit of Isaac as it absorbed his power. "Now Ra has a total of 10,099 attack points!!!"
Isaac's Life Points: 1-

"No!!! Please, have mercy!!"

"You don't deserve it! You messed up the moment you took the princess!!! And now you're gonna pay the price!!! Plus, I mean it with every fiber of my being! I HATE ANCIENT GEAR DECKS!!!!" screamed Isaac. "Now, Winged Dragon of Ra. Take out Chaos Ancient Gear Giant!!!" Isaac gave his monster its command as Ra opened its mouth and shot out a powerful attack as Gear Giant raised his fist as the attack pierced through him clean as he had a huge hole in its stomach as it went hay wire and then exploded.

"AHHH!!!!" shouted Ancient Gear Knight as he was gone with the light as well as the Hunting Hounds that were guarding Twilight as they all were destroyed.
Ancient Gear Knight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Isaac still had the glow around him as he stood there as Ra disappeared. "Finally." said Isaac as he collapsed on the ground.

"Isaac!" called out Twilight. Soon the bubble that she was in, was gone as she dropped to the floor and rushed over to her friend. "Isaac, talk to me." Twilight looked at the colt as she was scared at what he put his body through to save her. She saw he was still breathing, but he had a some scratches along his body. "Stay with me, Isaac."

"Twilight." said Isaac softly.

"I'm here." she replied.

"You're safe. That's all that matters." said Isaac as he put his head down and was letting out some deep breaths.

"I gotta get you back to the castle." Twilight tried to lift Isaac up, but that proved to be a challenge. Even with her magic, she struggled to pick up the stallion as she draped his hoof over her neck. The rain was still coming down, as Twilight used her magic to pick up Isaac's cap and teleported them away from the Everfree Forest.

Twilight had managed to teleport them as they were in her room. She then used her magic as she lit some candles and then placed Isaac on her bed as she rushed to treat him.

"Twilight." said Isaac as he was in pain.

"Shush, you need immediate care." Twilight then looked in her cupboard and then pulled out a med kit. She even had a book appear as she was furiously flipping through the pages.

"It's fine... I... as long as... I..." said Isaac as he breathed heavily.

"Save your strength. You gonna need it." said Twilight as she returned to her bed and found the page she was looking for.

"What... are..."

"You suffered some broken bones in that duel, I'm casting a spell to help your body to heal." Twilight then closed her eyes as she chanted the spell; her horn then light up in a purple aura as it started to cover Isaac's body.

Isaac could feel Twilight's magic as it started to course through his body. He felt the place where his pain was coming from as it helped to ease his suffering a bit. Twilight finished her spell as the aura surrounding Isaac disappeared.

"That should stabilize you for the time being, you'll still need time to recover. I'm just surprised that despite all that pain, you still managed to get back up." stated Twilight.

"That's adrenaline for you." said Isaac as he let out a chuckle which cause his body to ache.

"Shut up!" stated Twilight as she sat on the edge of the bed and looked at Isaac. "I need to wrap some bandages around you." Twilight then used her magic as she took off Isaac's coat and then wrapped her hoofs around Isaac's body. "Why? Why did do that?"

"Cause I couldn't let them take you." said Isaac.

"There could have been other ways to save me! Why? Why are you just so, stubborn, dumb-headed, arrogant..." trailed off Twilight as she noticed her hoofs were feeling Isaac's pony body and his chest as she was looking into his eyes. "... self-centered..."

Both ponies realized the situation that was before them. The rain was now gently falling as it eased up, the candles offered the perfect light as they could look at each other. Twilight still had her hoofs on Isaac's body as she started to move it towards the place where his heart was as she could feel it beating. All thoughts in her mind were gone as she looked at the stallion that was in front of her.

"Why..." stated Twilight as she started to get closer.

"I've... got a job to do." said Isaac as he also leaned in.

Both parties had their lips getting closer and closer as their eyes were closed. They looked to connect, when a thought ran through Isaac's mind as he brought his hoof to Twilight's mouth.

"I... I... I just..." said Isaac as his face was still close to the purple princess.

"Can you just let it happen?" said Twilight. "Whatever your reason is, I respect it. But can you just let this happen?" said Twilight as she closed in the space between the two of them as she pushed her lips to Isaac.

Isaac put his hooves on Twilight's body as he held her; Twilight felt the sparks fly as she enjoyed the kiss from Isaac as she let out a moan while they were kissing. She then placed both of her hooves on his chest as she pushed Isaac onto his back as she used her wings to feel the area of his muscles. Twilight broke the kiss as she leaned her neck against Isaac's as she began to nibble on his mane and eventually made her way to his ears. Isaac just moved his hooves along the princess' body as they trailed along her slim figure. He then noticed that he was getting dangerously close to her back side as he gently massaged her flank and her cutie mark as Twilight let out a moan of pleasure. She then moved her head back and planted her nose on Isaac's nose as they shared another passionate kiss as the rain outside was matching the movements of their little make out session.

Both stallion and mare were still kissing as they let out all of the emotions they each were holding back. More so for Twilight as all the stuff she had read about told her about this, but to be honest, her textbooks didn't mention it would feel this good. For Isaac, he had been missing his girlfriend that he had forgotten how good it felt to kiss and hold her. Both broke apart as they were laying on their side as they held each other in their arms. Nothing was said as they just stared at one another and just let this moment set in for both. Twilight then scouted closer as she placed her head under Isaac's chin as she closed her eyes and breathed into Isaac's chest as his fur felt her hot breath. She wrapped her wings tightly around Isaac making sure to not hurt his bandages but also to keep him from leaving her.

Isaac let out a breath as he held the princess in his arms. I've missed this. He then looked at her right hoof as he saw that it was slightly bruised. "Twilight, you're hurt too? Are you ok?"

"I'm fine. It's just a scratch." she said as she used her magic to float the bandages toward her.

"Hey, let me help." said Isaac as he took the initiative of bandaging up her hoof. "Can't have ponies wondering why their princess is all bruised up. Wouldn't look good on your beautiful and regal fur?" he said as he finished tying the bandage wrap.

"Thank you, Isaac." said Twilight as she smiled.

"Hey, it's the least I can do." Isaac then ran his hoof through Twilight's mane as she moaned at his gentle touch. Twilight closed her eyes as Isaac brushed her mane making sure not to mess it up.

"Isaac?"

"Hmm?"

"Will you stay with me tonight? Please?" said Twilight as she looked at his eyes and gave a quick peck.

"Sure." replied Isaac in a soft and soothing voice.

He then leaned in and gave his beloved princess another kiss. They both held each other as they snuggled well into the night. In that moment, all that matter was each other as they both drifted off into a deep slumber.

Chapter 106: Summer Sun Celebration

The morning came as the sun's rays were doing their best to dry up the puddles from the rain that fell the previous day. The morning dew on the grass allowed some of the animals a shower as they doused themselves with the water as it awoke their systems to start the day. The birds were out as they chirped to the start of the new day. The ponies were getting out of their homes as they avoid the puddles to continue on their day.

While others were already out and about, there was a pair of ponies that were still asleep. The light from the sun entered Twilight's room; Isaac who felt the warmth on his fur was the first to stir as he slowed opened his eyes. He still felt a slight pain as he saw that his waist was wrapped in the bandages. Isaac then turned his head as he looked at the sight that lay before his very eyes. Right next to him was the princess, the princess of friendship herself and she was cuddling in his arms. Isaac just let out a smile as he brushed some of her mane out of her face as he gave a quick peck on her nose. Twilight awoke from that encounter as she slowly blinked her eyes. Once she regained her vision, she saw Isaac there just smiling back at her as she felt happy.

"Hey."

"Hey." replied the princess.

"So how did you sleep?" asked Isaac.

"Honestly, that was the best sleep I've ever gotten. Can't remember the last time I woke up with a smile on my face." said Twilight. Isaac then leaned in as he captured her lips for a few seconds. Twilight just brought her hoof to his face as she enjoyed this moment for just a bit longer. "Well, we better get up." Twilight then slowly left Isaac's embrace as she rolled out of bed and stretched her limbs.

Isaac then sat up on the bed as he let out a yawn of his own and did a little stretch as he felt his body ache. "Ugg, still feels a bit sore."

"I told you, the spell I casted was to help stabilize you from suffering some serious injuries. Of course, you'll still need some extra rest before you fully recover." stated Twilight as she was brushing her mane.

"Well, I'm been known to be a fast healer." said Isaac.

"So, how do I look?" asked Twilight as she stood before Isaac as she had finished brushing her mane and stood there in her lovely stance.

"Perfect." said Isaac as he stared at the princess' natural beauty.

"Thanks." said Twilight as she had some red on her cheeks. She then used her magic as she put Isaac's jacket on him and then placed his cap back on his head as he stepped off of the bed. "And you look as handsome as ever."

"Thanks." Isaac stared at the pony in front of him as the memory of the previous night came rushing to him. "Listen, Twilight... about all this..."

"Let's... just take it slow." said Twilight as she placed her hoof on Isaac's chest. "I know you have your reasons and I respect whatever it is. But as for what's happening between us, well... just consider us snuggle buddies."

"Snuggle buddies?"

"You know, someone who you're close with and whenever they're feeling down or just not their usual happy mood. They can cuddle with someone and help to make them feel better." stated Twilight as she leaned her neck against Isaac's and began to nuzzle.

"Is that a real thing or did you just make that up?" asked Isaac as he also nuzzled against Twilight's neck.

"Maybe." replied Twilight as she retracted her neck and looked at Isaac. She was about to bring herself for another kiss when a knock came from her door.

"Twilight!?!"

"Ahh!" said Twilight as it caught her offguard. "It's Spike."

"Twilight! Are you up yet?" asked Spike.

"Yeah, I'm up Spike. Give me a second." said Twilight. The door was then opening as Twilight flung Isaac onto the bed and tossed her blanket on top of him as she sat on him as she tried to act normal as Spike entered her room.

"Oh, you are awake. I thought you would still be sleeping."

"Yeah, well... I wanted to get an early start. Plus, I had a pleasant dream last night." smiled Twilight as she tried to act innocent. It didn't help that Isaac was making some noises from under her as she kicked him in the muzzle to quiet him down.

"That's good, anyways I just wanted to see if you wanted anything special for breakfast. Plus, I wanted to remind you that the Summer Sun Celebration in three days." stated Spike.

"That fast?" replied Twilight as she had bits of sweats rolling down her face. "Well, then we better make sure we're all set."

"All right, then." said Spike as he started to leave. "Oh, was there anything you wanted for breakfast?"

"What you decide is fine with me, Spike." Twilight put on the biggest smile she could.

"Ok-ay." said Spike as he simply walked out of the room and closed the door.

Once Twilight made sure that Spike was gone, she then flung the blanket off of Isaac as he had a glare on his face. "Could you be any more louder than you were!?!" stated Twilight. "What if Spike saw you in my room?"

"Well sorry, princess!" shouted Isaac. "But it's kind of hard to be quiet when you've got a blanket over and a mare sitting on top of you. I was running out of oxygen, I could barely breath."

Twilight just rolled her eyes, "If you want some oxygen, then let me give you some CPR." Twilight then leaned down and captured Isaac's lips with hers. She placed her hooves on his chest as Isaac held her. Soon she broke away as she looked at the colt she had pinned down on her bed. "That enough air for you or do you need more?" said Twilight with some seductiveness in her voice as she had the bedroom eyes.

"I think that'll do for now." smiled Isaac as booped the princess' noise as it got a giggle from her. Twilight then got off of Isaac as he got off the bed. "Well, I better make my way to my room. Before Sunset or Spike suspects anything." said Isaac.

"You could just teleport." stated Twilight.

"Right. Just... don't know how to do that?"

"It's simple. Just picture the place in your mind and concentrate."

"Okay." said Isaac. He then closed his eyes as he pictured his room. Isaac was really doing his best but his horn wasn't allowing him to do what he wanted.

"Remember, magic is tied to your emotions. Use that to control your magic."

"I'm trying." said Isaac. He tried to get his magic to sync in with his emotions as the spark from his horn started up. Soon his horn produced an aura as it started to surround Isaac's body as he tried to teleport but it wasn't working. "Doesn't seem to be working." said Isaac as he opened his eyes as he was still glowing.

"Let me help." said Twilight. She then stepped forward and gave another kiss to Isaac on the lips as it shot a wave of emotion through the colt. It seemed that was all the stallion needed as the spell worked and he disappeared in a flash as it was just Twilight standing there. Once Isaac was gone, Twilight let out a sigh as she thought back on the previous night and the moments she experienced waking up. All she could muster was a smile on her face as she felt like floating on cloud nine. She thought about Isaac and as she did, her wings seemed to have stood up and she was fully embarrassed as she tried to get them to lower down.

Isaac teleported back into his room as the sound of knocking came from his door. After taking a quick second to look himself over, he opened the door and was welcomed to the sight of Sunset. She wanted to check up on Isaac as she was asleep for almost the entire day due to Rainbow Dash's extreme workout from the previous day. Isaac just told the orange mare that he took over her duties for the day and did the usual patrol. Sunset thanked Isaac and then noticed the bits of bandages that were wrapped around his waist. Sunset was concerned about Isaac's health, that he just simply told her that he took a nasty bump when he hit the ground too hard. It seemed to work as Sunset believed him and didn't ask anymore questions. She just simply said for Isaac to take it easy and let her worry about their duties for the time being. Isaac gave her a nod and Sunset gave him a hug before she headed towards the map room. Isaac then closed the door as sat back on his bed and decided to get some more rest.

The rest of the day went by as Sunset took her turn of scouting out the town of Ponyville in search of any trouble. Meanwhile, Isaac spent the time trying to not do any hard labor as he wanted his muscles and bones to heal as he wanted to get back into the action as quick as he can. As for the rest of the town, they were starting to get ready for the Summer Sun Celebration that was about to occur. Everypony was decorating the town as they prepared for the event. As for our main cast of ponies, they were getting ready to head out soon, as they were all invited to Canterlot. Every now and then, Twilight would check up on Isaac as she would apply some fresh new bandages around his waist. Of course, it didn't come at a price as Twilight gave a couple of kisses to the stallion to which he returned and they snuggled for a couple of minutes before she had to head out to avoid any suspicion.

The day of the Summer Sun Celebration came as everypony across the land was in full swing to celebrate this momentous occasion. As for Isaac, he had untied his bandages around his waist as he was nursed back to full health. He then did a couple of physical therapy exercises that Twilight had him do to help heal him; he found that all the pain was gone as his muscles and bones didn't hurt anymore.

"Seems I'm fully healed." said Isaac.

"Indeed, it's a relief to see you back in full health." stated Mahad.

"Yes, now I can hug you." said Mana as she scooted up Isaac and began to hug him tightly.

"Mana!!!" shouted Isaac. He knew his bones were fine, but if this kept up then he might need some even more time to recover.

"Mana! Be gentle with the master!" shouted Mahad as he pulled her ear which caused her to drop Isaac. "Don't you see what he had to encounter."

"Sorry." said Mana as she rubbed her ear from the pain. "I just can't help it, he's so cute as a pony." Mana then grabbed Isaac once more as she gave him a light hug as she nuzzled her cheek on his head as she gave him a pat.

"Story of my life." said Isaac with a blunt tone as he just accepted this from Mana.

Eventually, Isaac informed both of his magicians about how tonight was a special night. Mostly, cause it will be the first time they've met with Princess Celestia ever since she sent him and Sunset down to Ponyville to deal with these monster sightings. Both understood their mission and promised that they would watch from a far and should they report anything then they would notify him. With that they all gave a fist bump, or in the case of Isaac, a hoof bump as they were ready for tonight. He then exited his room as he made his way to the map room as he met with Spike and the two mares. They were going over the plan they had for tonight's event. Once they agreed they all made their way to Rarity's boutique as they needed to get dressed.

The girls all went upstairs as they needed to make sure they would look their best. That left Spike and Isaac to wait downstairs as they changed into their outfits. Rarity had designed a similar outfit for both boys as they wore a tux with Spike's undershirt being white while Isaac's blue. Isaac also was given a fedora to wear on top of his head as it had a yellow band wrapped around it. While the boys waited, they began to discuss their plan for tonight. Spike told Isaac that the only thing he hoped for was being able to spend some one on one time with Rarity so that he could talk with her. He even told Isaac that after the party, he would take him to Donut Joe's donut shop to get a taste of some delicious donuts. Isaac gave the little dragon a nod as he looked forward to that.

Soon the girls came down as they each wore their respective dresses for the event. The boys gave each of the girls some compliments as they all headed outside. Seems the way they were going to get to Canterlot was by carriage ride. So Twilight was able to turn an Apple into a carriage as it would serve as the thing that would carry everypony. Well... almost everypony. Seems it needed both a rider and someone to pull the thing, so it seems the boys would be pulling double duty. So with a disapproving sigh, Isaac attached the harness to himself as he made sure not to mess up his suit. Spike sat at the front of the carriage as the girls all piled inside and with a moment's notice, they were off.

The ride there took a while as Spike had to inform Isaac about the route to reach the city and from there they would then need to head towards the castle. Nighttime had fallen on the whole land as a full moon was out. Isaac noticed the castle as it had been a while since he last saw it. Eventually they all made it to the front gates as the draw bridge was down and allowed the ponies to cross the moat. Spike opened the door as the girls all stepped out in their regal attire and trailed inside with the boys following behind.

Inside the castle, there was music playing and tons of food being put out by the chefs. The ballroom itself was littered with ponies, some who lived in Canterlot and some who were elite. Regardless, everypony was seen mingling as they awaited for when Princess Celestia would raise the sun.

"So, what should I expect?" asked Isaac.

"Honestly, don't get your hopes up high. All these Canterlot parties are nothing but a bore." said Spike. "It's full of nothing but ponies talking about their status and whatnot."

"Wow, that actually makes me appreciate all the formal events back in our world." said Isaac as he pointed to him and Sunset.

"Yeah, these things are just for formalities. But that doesn't mean we can't make our own memories." stated Twilight as she got the group's attention. "Alright, everypony. Let's all split off for a while and come back in an hour." The rest of the group all nodded as they broke away. Twilight was hoping that Isaac was still there, but it seemed he disappeared in a flash. She was hoping to spend the night with him to discuss some stuff, but it seemed he had other matters to attend to.

"Man, this castle is big." said Isaac as he was now walking in one of the halls. He had just simply wandered in one direction for no more than two minutes and already he was inside the castle and away from the party. "Now I just need to find where the hell I am and how I can get back. Don't want to into any trouble." stated Isaac.

As he was walking, there was a shadow that was watching the colt from behind the pillar. They took a step forward as they made a sound; Isaac quickly turned around expecting to see what made the noise but there was nothing there. Isaac took a good scan of the area but he didn't see anything. So he turned around and bumped into a figure. The figure wore a dark black hood as Isaac couldn't see their face. Isaac got back up as he saw the pony standing in front of him as they were a bit taller than him.

"Who are you?" demanded Isaac.

The pony didn't say much as they simple lifted up a bit of their cloak to reveal a duel disk on their leg as it projected a moderate sapphire blue card tray. The figure then had their horn be reveal as they made a deck appear in their aura and slotted it into the duel disk.

"So, you're here to crash the party?" said Isaac as he took a step back. "Fine then, I knew to expect trouble, just didn't expect to find it this fast." Isaac then pulled out his duel disk as he put it on his leg and slotted in his deck; he then turned on his duel disk as a gold card tray projected. "Now then it's time to duel."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

???'s Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start this duel off, with my Magician Boy. And with him out on the field, I can summon his best friend to the field. Come on out, Mage Annette." Isaac now had a couple of his kid magicians out on the field. "I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: ???

The figure just looked at Isaac's field as they observed his monster and the colt himself. The figure didn't say anything as they carried out their move. They just laid a facedown and then played the monster...

Sunset had gone off in search of the princess. She didn't have to look far as she saw her greeting guests at the entrance of the castle as she stood at the top of the stairs and shook their hoofs and welcoming them.

"Thank you for coming." said Princess Celestia as she welcomed a couple.

"Still busy as ever, I see." stated Sunset as she appeared next to her mentor. "The more things change, the more they the same."

"Sunset Shimmer, it's so good to see you." said Princess Celestia as she gave her former student a hug. "How was your trip?"

"Pleasant ride, but I was hoping I could talk with you."

"I would love that, but it seems I've got other matters on my hooves. I was hoping Luna would be here so that she could take my place while I discuss somethings with you." said Celestia as she continued to greet guests.

"Yeah, such a shame. Too bad you can't just magically cast a spell on these ponies to make them think they've already met you." said Sunset with a smirk. She then used her magic as her horn lit up and she casted a spell that caused everypony in line to to think they already met the princess and were on their way. Princess Celestia was in awe at what Sunset chose to do while she had a smile on her face. "Seems I still remember the first spell you taught me."

"Honesty, I'm glad you showed up." snickered Princess Celestia herself. Soon he began to walk with her former student as they made their way to one of the room upstairs to discuss matters.

The pair ran into Twilight just as they were about to climb the stairs; it seemed she also wanted to discuss somethings with the princess that Celestia decided to let her tag along. She informed the guards that she would be busy for a while and told them that should they see anything usual happen, to report to Princess Luna and let her know. The guards received their orders as they fanned out and began to do their duty. So all three mares then walked up the stairs as Princess Celestia led them to the library as they sat on couches and had some tea all prepared for them.

"I was hoping to talk to both of you, but I guess this fine." stated Celestia as she took a seat facing both girls.

"Yeah, I wonder where Isaac went off to." said Sunset. "Oh well, can't blame him. This is his first party that he attends as a pony, probably just wants to get taste of how things are different from back home."

"Well then, I'm sure you can tell him of our meeting. Speaking of, it's been a while since I last saw the both of you. So how has your mission been going?" asked Princess Celestia.

Sunset then began to tell her former mentor about all the incidents that her and Isaac had to take care. Even Twilight chimed in with her own observations as she was able to add some bits of info about how Isaac and Sunset were able to properly dispose of the bigger threats. Overall, Celestia was impressed with what both ponies had done as she was glad they were able to keep everypony safe.

"It does me good to know that I picked the right group of ponies to handle this. I'm grateful for your help."

"It's no problem, Princess Celestia." said Sunset. "Though I will say that I'm stiff trying to figure out why these things are happening. What did that minion mean when he said, 'the five are at war?'. Sunset was remembering something that she happened to come across in the past few days.

"Did you say something, Sunset?" asked Twilight.

"Oh, it's nothing." said Sunset as she didn't want to tell everybody until she fully understood that statement. "I was just wondering how Isaac managed to get hurt? From what he said it had to do when he was on patrol?"

"Yeah... that's weird..." chuckled Twilight nervously. She was surprised that Isaac didn't tell Sunset about the incident with her and the Everfree Forest, but she was also grateful that he didn't say as she wanted to avoid any concerns.

"You wouldn't happen to know what might have happened, do you Twilight?"

"Me? Why me? I mean, you said he told you that he took a nasty fall." Twilight was now sweating hard as there was visible drops of sweats falling down her face. "He probably was just dealing with an incident or he was helping somepony; not everything he deals with has to be Duel Monsters related."

"I didn't say it was Duel Monsters related." clarified Sunset.

Twilight bit on her lip as she didn't mean to let something like that slip. Thankfully, Sunset just dropped the issue as she didn't press the matter anymore.

"Well, it's been wonderful talking with the two of you. My it warms my heart to see two of beloved students working side by side, I'm proud of you both." said Celestia as she gave a hug to both ponies. "Now then, let's return to the party." stated Celestia as she led the three of them back down to the ballroom.

Isaac was panting heavily as he was currently engaged against an opponent who had appeared out of nowhere. He was expecting something like tonight to be interrupt, but he wasn't expecting someone who was a pony to wield a duel disk let alone know how to play. As far as he knew, only him and Sunset knew how to play. The duel between Isaac and the mysterious figure had gone back and forth as they both had delivered some serious hits to each other's life points. Right now, Isaac had his Magician's Valkyria out on the field as well as Apple Magician Girl. As for his opponent they were still hidden as were giving him a hard fight.

"Now thanks to you I can bring back the monsters that I used to summon my great beast, but this time they're level 4." said the hooded figure as they had a pair of monsters on their field. "And now it's time, I overlay both my level 4 Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and The Phantom Knights of Torn Scales to build the Overlay Network!" Both monsters then transformed into purple lights as a portal opened up and the two combined their powers to call upon a brand new creature. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons, appear Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!!" Out came a huge dragon as it let out a mighty roar.

"Now I'll activate Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's ability, now by using one overlay unit, Dark Rebellion cuts the attack points of your Magician's Valkyria in half and then Dark Rebellion gains those attack points. Now attack!" shouted the figure as they gave their dragon its command.

"I reveal my facedown, Shift. Now I'm switching the target of your dragon to my Apple Magician Girl, then her ability activates. So now I can summon a spellcaster from my hand and it becomes the new target, furthermore your monster's attack points are cut in half. So appear, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he had his star monster appear and counterattack.

"I reveal my facedown, Half Unbreak. So now my Dark Rebellion Dragon is safe and the damage I take is cut in half." said the hooded figure as the attack between the two monsters caused a smokescreen to appear.

Isaac let out a cough as he tried to avoid inhaling the smoke. Despite being blinded by the smoke, he could still make out his opponent by their silhouette. He was about to make his move when a bright light appeared causing him to cover his eyes. Once he opened them, he found himself in the same place he was, but all his monsters were gone. This confused the stallion as he didn't know what was going on.

"I've seen everything I need." said the figure as they stood in front of Isaac. They then pulled down the hood as they revealed their face to the colt. "You're a strong individual."

"Who are you, you seem rather familiar?"

"Forgive me, but we haven't been properly introduced yet. Thou shall call me Princess Luna, princess of the night and formerly known to all subjects as Nightmare Moon." stated Luna.

"Princess Luna?"

"Yes, well I'm not the Luna of your world. But we're quite similar in more ways than one."

"Well, I was wondering when I was going to meet you? Just how..."

"How did I know how to play your little game? The answer is simple, I took a glance at thy memories. Before thy stepped into the hallway, I casted a spell on you. One that teleported us to the dream world."

"Wait, dream world? Like the realm of dreams? As in where you can do anything?" asked Isaac. True to Isaac's word he thought about having being human and soon he started to glow as he was back in his usual form. "Cool." said Isaac as he switched back.

"Yes, in this dream world. I can access thy mind and thy past memories. So I looked back on the duel you witnessed with your Vice-Principal and was able to absorb all of her duels and playstyle and then implemented it in my mind for our battle. That explains why I was able to duel as if I knew how to play." stated Luna.

"Wow, no wonder it felt like I was actually battling Vice-Principal Luna. So, you said you wanted to meet me?"

"Yes." Luna then lit her horn as she returned them both to the real world. "Thou heard about you from my sister and how she asked a certain pair of ponies to help us with these sightings. I've been watching over the ponies of the land during the night as I've seen them talk about these 'monsters' and how you've been able to defeat them and bring peace." stated Luna as she stepped forward and looked down at Isaac. "I must say, you're much younger than I expected you to be."

"Thanks?" said Isaac as he didn't know if Luna was either complimenting him or disappointed.

"Well, now that we've properly met each other. Time to return to the social gathering." said Princess Luna as she began to walk in the opposite direction as Isaac followed behind her. "So, mind enlightening thou with some stories from your world?" asked Luna.

Isaac granted Princess Luna's request as he told her about some of his adventures. He was expecting her to have a stern, no nonsense type of demeanor based on how his experience with his version of Luna, but here she was giddy like a little filly as she pranced bout in front of him as his stories got her excited. Safe to say that was something Isaac wasn't expecting to come from the nighttime mare, especially given that she was a princess. Along the way, Luna told Isaac a bit about herself, one thing that really shocked him was that the princess was actually into video games. Which really shocked Isaac as he didn't expect this world to have that given that ponies had hooves instead of hands. Though it was still a mystery to him how he could use his hooves to grab certain things and do other stuff that would require hands.

"Here I thought you were the type to be all serious. But to think that the princess of the night is a gamer girl, that totally reeks of awesomeness." stated Isaac.

"Totally reeks... of awesomeness? I do not understand. I find smelling bad to be a most unpleasant habit and do not partake in it. As for this awesomeness, whatever you speak of, perhaps you could ask Rainbow Dash for some as she boasts how she had plenty to share." said Luna.

"No-no, what I meant was that I find it cool that you're not the typically stereotype that royalty always depicts. You're just a normal pony and someone who I would love to hang out with." explained Isaac.

Luna slowly processed everything Isaac was saying. Her grasp over common colloquialisms and slang was still rusty at best, but Isaac's vernacular was leaps and bounds more confusing that what she's heard from others.

"I see... Thou speaks in very strange and usual manner, said Luna.

"Funny, I was going to say the same thing about you."

The alicorn princess paused for a moment. Her face lit up with a newfound surge of joy, her lungs bursting with youthful laughter. The young colt had an eerily enchanting effect on the blue mare; one that she was enjoying thoroughly.

"Yes, I suppose that is true," she said; smiling warmly.

With that both Isaac and Princess Luna talked some more as he taught the princess of the night some of his speaking lingo from his world. Safe to say that a couple of phrases required Isaac having to clarify on what it meant and as Luna took the words too literal. Regardless, Isaac was enjoying his time with the princess as Luna too felt the same. Soon they made it back to the main floor as they witness many ponies were still talking and mingling with each other.

"Well, I thank thou for giving me some attentive time." spoke Luna.

"Anytime, princess. I had a nice time chatting with you."

"Yes, well I shall peace out, my main pony." said Luna as she tried to speak some of the slang that Isaac taught her.

"Yeah, don't do that." said Isaac as he cringed at Luna trying to speak like that. "We need more to work on that before you're ready."

Isaac just simply brought his hoof up as he showed it to her. Luna looked at Isaac for a second before she remembered this was a sign of expression that ponies did, so she brought her hoof as well and gave Isaac a bro hoof. They both smiled as they went their separate ways.

After his little meeting with Princess Luna, Isaac had decided to check up on how the others were doing. So he opened a door and found himself in the royal gardens as he decided to take a walk. He heard some birds chirping as well as some squirrels and other small creatures give off a noise. Soon he heard a lovely whistle as he followed it to the source. He turned corner and saw Fluttershy standing there as she was surrounded by the all the animals.

"Thanks everyone." giggled Fluttershy.

"So, you've been here all night?" said Isaac as he made his presence known.

"Oh, Isaac. Yes, I always like to come to the garden and meet all the little animals that live here."

"I see they really like you."

"Well, they didn't express that the first I came here." said Fluttershy.

"What do you mean?" asked Isaac. Fluttershy then told Isaac about the time she came to the Grand Galloping Gala and how she became obsessed with wanting to befriend the animals that she went insane trying to set up traps. Ultimately, Isaac burst out into laughter as he couldn't contain himself as he fell onto his back as he was dying which caused the shy pony to blush. "You? The gentle, shy-natured, Fluttershy turned into a big, scary, insane pony. All because she wanted to be friends with the animals when they didn't want anything to do with you."

"It's embarrassing." stated Fluttershy.

"Now I need to ask Twilight for a picture." said Isaac as he still cracking up.

"Don't you dare mister, or so help me." shouted Fluttershy.

"Why I should be scared of..." said Isaac as he looked at Fluttershy who was giving him the stare. Fluttershy didn't normally use this as she only used it on animals when they got out of line, but the stare was just as effective on ponies as Isaac could feel like she was staring into his soul and it scared him a bit. He then flicked his hoof on Fluttershy's forehead as it caused her to lose concentration and made her fall on her haunches.

"Ow!" said Fluttershy as she rubbed her forehead.

"Yeah, Twilight told me about that. Can't work if you don't concentrate." said Isaac as he found a way to get out of the pony's intense look.

He then took a sit next to the yellow mare as he too listened to the sounds of the small animals as they created some beautiful music. Both ponies then began to talk as they exchanged some stories from their lives. Fluttershy was shocked to find that her human counterpart was actually a decent duelist; she figured that given her shy nature, she would be someone who was easy to defeat given that they were scared of getting physical. Isaac told the buttercup mare about the first time he met her and how she was like that. He informed how when they first met her deck was so properly constructed that he took it upon himself to rebuild it from the ground up by offering her some of his cards and giving her some pointers. Ultimately, it paid off as he watched how much more confident she got when she wielded the deck and eventually made it her own.

"Wow, to think that I did all that. I know I'm willing to support my friends whenever they need, but I also try to stay out of anything that may result some violence. I just want everybody to have peace." said Fluttershy.

"I understand that. Still you won't believe how far you've come since I first met you." said Isaac as he gave her a compliment. "Especially, when you made it to the top 8 of the Fall Formal."

"Mind telling me about it?" asked Fluttershy.

Isaac granted her request as he began to tell Fluttershy about the time she along with him and their friends entered the Fall Formal to stop Sunset when she was evil. He told her that she shocked everybody by being able to rack up enough wins to make it to the finals. Then he told her about how they were selected to face each other in the first round; Isaac told her it was difficult given that he had to fight one of his friends who he helped to get better, but that her human self had reminded him of the promise that they made when he built her new deck. It was enough to get Isaac his mind straight as he was able to grant Fluttershy her request and the two had a fantastic duel that resulted in both having the time of their life.

"And well, you know the rest." said Isaac as he finished her tale.

"Wow, I never would have thought that I would be able to gain that much confidence and then get to make it that far." said Fluttershy as she was shocked at herself for changing so much.

"Yeah, it was a tough pill to swallow. But in the end, I overcame that challenge and I have you to thank." smiled Isaac.

"You're welcome, also..." Fluttershy then brought her hoof as she clocked Isaac in the head making sure that she didn't knock off his fedora.

"Ow, what the hell!" shouted Isaac as he felt the shy pony hit him.

"That's for beating me!" stated Fluttershy.

"I said I'm sorry. What was I suppose to do, just let you win!?!" complained Isaac.

"Yes." stated Fluttershy as she showed some brass. She then leaned into Isaac as she gave a quick kiss on his cheek.

"I can't tell if you hate me or you love me." said Isaac with a straight tone.

Eventually, both made their way back inside the castle as they headed towards the ballroom. Once they stepped inside they saw both Applejack and Rainbow Dash having a cider drinking challenge as they were trying to outdo the other. Both let out a deep burp as it caused the attention of the elites who just simply had disgusting looks on their faces. They both were arguing over who had won their little contest when Isaac and Fluttershy made their way to their table. Both mares asked Isaac on who the winner was, he just told them that they tied as he didn't want to get involved. Across from them at the buffet table was Pinkie as she was gobbling up everything in sight.

Isaac excused himself from the group. He eventually bumped into Spike as he was wondering how the little dragon was handling his crush.

"Hey, Spike."

"Oh, Isaac. There you are."

"Hey, you've seen Rarity?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, she's over there." pointed Spike.

Isaac looked in the direction as he saw Rarity with a stallion that had a light gray coat and light amber mane. But from what he could see, it seemed that Rarity was trying to get away from him.

"For the last time, Prince Blueblood. I'm not interested; you had your shot." said Rarity.

"You know that this is the best that you're ever gonna get. Do you think that you'll find another stallion better than me? Please." stated Prince Blueblood.

"Everything ok, Rarity?" asked Isaac as he appeared next to her.

"Oh, Isaac. Thank goodness you're here." said Rarity as she was glad her friend was able to save her.

"Pray tell, who is this commoner?" asked Blueblood.

"This is Isaac and I'll have you know that he's much better gentle pony than you will or ever be." said Rarity as she stood next to Isaac as she leaned on him.

"This stallion? Please, he's nothing than a lowlife. In fact, he doesn't even deserve to be here. I mean look at him, he doesn't have royal status, or money."

"True, but at least he's honest about who he is. He doesn't need any fancy title to show that he's a genuine person." stated Rarity.

"Please, he's nothing but a criminal. All mares need to be obedient and listen to what their stallion says. It's a lady's place to serve their man and to be at their beck and call. And this ruffian is a disgrace to all of pony kind. Why just being in my presence is affecting my worth? Nothing more than street rat and he'll die a street rat! I suggest you get out of my sight, commoner. Or else I'll have my..." Prince Blueblood didn't finish his sentence as he interrupted.

Before Blueblood could see it coming, Isaac reared back his right leg, and delivered a hard punch. He wanted to shut up the prince, and he did just that by clocking him straight in the moneymaker. And down he went like a ton of bricks as all the other elites and guests saw what had happen. Rarity had a surprised look on her face at what she saw; watching this happen, Spike couldn't help, but say...

"Oh, you got knocked the buck out!!" shouted Spike as he also watched this interaction and was impressed.

"ISAAC!" shouted Rarity.

"What!?! He was talking too much, so I just shut him up. Plus, he was getting on my nerves." stated Isaac.

"At least, let me have a chance to strike him." said Rarity. "But, thank you. He did deserve it." Rarity then awarded Isaac for his actions with a kiss on his cheek.

"My pleasure, my lady." said Isaac as he bowed to Rarity. With that he grabbed Spike as all three of them returned to join the others.

Together the six of them all met up as they began to talk among themselves. Soon Princess Celestia had arrived as she was accompanied by Sunset and Twilight. With that she needed to attend to other matters, so she gave the group a quick goodbye. Soon the music began to pick up as Pinkie jumped on the stage and began to do her thing. Isaac had manage to intentionally shove Spike into Rarity as they found themselves on the dance floor. From there Spike offered his claw as the two shared a friendly dance. Isaac gave the little dragon a smile as he watched him be happy.

"So, how has your first party in Equestria been?" asked Twilight as she pulled Isaac to the side.

"Honestly, rather dull." smiled Isaac.

"I see..." Twilight quickly looked away as she saw tons of couple dancing together. Soon an idea popped into her head, "Well, I may know something that could make it better."

"Pray tell, what did you have in mind?" asked Isaac.

"Take my hoof." said Twilight. Isaac did as he was told and she led the two of them to the dance floor.

Despite being a horse and walking on four legs instead of two, Isaac was still impressed that he could dance. Twilight and Isaac swayed side to side; hooves wrapped lovingly around each other's waists. Their friends saw this from their table and couldn't help but smile, especially Sunset.

"You know, I have to admit, when I first met you I never would have expected we'd end up here; dancing to a slow song during a party. But I'm sure glad we did," said Twilight; chuckling softly.

"Yeah. Talk about strange," commented Isaac.

Twilight smiled sweetly at her friend. She leaned in and gave him a quick peck on the cheek, both of them were blushing furiously as he placed her head into his chest. "Strange yet... wonderful," she said breathlessly.

Isaac leaned in and buried his muzzle into the crook of her neck. Isaac breathed in her lavender scent and sighed; visibly content. He then looked at the purple princess in his arms as he gave a smile. Twilight returned the smile as they both looked stared at each other. Soon they started to lean in and were about to connect their lips.

CRASH! CRASH!

Just then a pair of windows was shattered as the glass fell to the floor. Two creatures emerged as they were Lava and Swamp Battleguard. All the ponies were frighten when they saw the two monsters that some backed away slowly. The guards saw this and tried to engage the creatures in battle but it proved to be a futile effort.

"Well, brother. Seems we made quite first impression." stated Lava Battleguard.

"Indeed, brother. Now then time to make these ponies suffer." said Swamp Battleguard.

"Well, I was wondering when this was going to happen." said Isaac as he still had Twilight in his arms. "Sorry, to cut our dance short, Twilight. But duty calls." Isaac gave the purple mare a quick peck on the lips as he stepped forward. "Sunset, you with me?"

"On it!" shouted Sunset as she too raced forward with Isaac.

The guards were doing their best to fight back the monsters who just had unamused look on their faces as they just merely flicked their fingers and sent the guards back. They both let out a yawn as they found this to be rather boring. Soon they would get some entertainment in the form of two duelists.

"Rather dull." said Swamp Battleguard.

"I was hoping for these ponies to put up a fight. They really are peaceful creatures." stated Lava Battleguard.

"Then how about taking us on!" shouted Isaac as he and Sunset stood side by side. "Nobody likes a party crasher, but I'll admit you two did do a better job at giving these ponies some entertainment."

"Well now, it seems we've got some ponies who do have some backbone." said Lava Battleguard. He then noticed that both Isaac and Sunset were wearing duel disks. "And they seemed to be duelists."

"Indeed, and based on what we've heard from the boss about two ponies who have been causing a nuisance, I say we found them. Now's our chance to take them out so that our boss can take over this land." stated Swamp Battleguard.

"Well, whoever this boss of yours is, is gonna solely be disappointed." replied Sunset. She then looked at Isaac as they used their magic and took off their dress code as they stood there with Isaac wearing his regular clothes.

"Darlings, watch it! I spent a lot of time preparing these." said Rarity as she caught the outfits for both of them, including Isaac's fedora.

"Finally, some excitement." said Lava Battleguard as he had a duel disk appear on his arm.

"Been itching for a fight, or a duel in this case." responded Swamp Battleguard as he had a duel disk appear two. "First some rules, this will be a tag team duel in which we're alternate taking turns. Each player takes one turn before we're allowed to attack, in addition, for this battle both players will share life points and the field!"

"Interesting," said Twilight as this was a brand new style of dueling that Isaac told her but had yet to see it in action.

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Let's do this." stated Sunset.

Both Isaac and Sunset slotted on their duel disks and popped in their decks. "It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he turned his disk on to project a gold card tray while Sunset's projected a red card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Lava and Swamp Battleguard's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac and Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

"All right, dinner and a show." said Pinkie as she pulled up a chair and some popcorn as she began to watch the duel with the others.

"We've seen both of them duel, but I wonder how well they'll work?" asked Fluttershy.

"This is gonna be wilder than a buckin' bronco." stated Applejack.

Turn 1: Lava Battleguard

"I'll start things off, draw. I'll start by summon my War Rock Fortia(1700/1700) in attack mode. Then since I summoned an earth warrior to my field, it means I can also call upon my War Rock Gactos(1900/1900)." Two warrior monsters then appeared as they came out of the earth and had a mean look on their face. "With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Guess I'm up, here we go. I'll start by summoning my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Swamp Battleguard

"I'm up, I'll take a different approach than my brother. I'll activate the field spell, War Rock Mountain!" Soon the entire field start to change as a mountain that was shaped like a face appeared as all four of them were standing on it. "Hope you both aren't afraid of heights." chuckled Swamp Battleguard. "Now I can add a 'War Rock' monster from my deck to my hand."

The ponies watching this were amazed at what they saw, soon they started to stomp their hooves as they applauded the show they were watching. The main 6 and Spike all had different looks as they knew this wasn't a show. They just hoped that Isaac and Sunset could be able to take care of these two monsters.

"Next, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"Now my turn, draw. I'll start with a classic, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode. Then I'll start with the spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So now I send a level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my deck and from my hand so that I can draw two cards." Sunset then selected her Red-Eye Zombie Dragon and Red-Eyes Toon Black Dragon as she slotted them away and picked up her cards. "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Lava Battleguard

"Now that we've each taken a turn, time to strike." said Lava Battleguard as he drew his card. "Now time to battle, so a couple of things happen. First my brother's field spell activates, at the start of the battle phase, since I control nothing but 'Warrior' monsters I can special summon War Rock Bashileos(2700/2700)." Soon a bigger, more powerful monster appeared as it wielded a mighty axe. "Now, I'll have my War Rock Fortia attacks Magician's Valkyria." Soon Isaac's monster was destroyed.

"Well, now my monster's effect activates. Since my War Rock Fortia battled, I can add a 'War Rock' monster to my hand. Then all my 'War Rock' monsters gain 200 more attack points until the end of my opponent's turn." With that all the other monsters then felt the power surge through their veins. Then, I'll have my War Rock Gactos attack Red-Eyes Baby Dragon." Sunset's monster was then destroyed as it created an explosion.

"Now my monster's effect activates, so now my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon allows me to summon a level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster. Then I can equip it so that it gains 300 extra attack points. So I choose my trusty monster, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Sunset now had her signature monster on the field as it let out a cry. Red-Eyes Baby Dragon then appeared on the back of the bigger dragon; the ponies watching were in awe based on how big their eyes were as they watched the spectacle.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my War Rock Bashileos, now during the battle phase when my Earth Warrior monster battles, it can attack your life points directly!!" War Rock Bashileos then dashed forward as it headed straight for Sunset and Isaac's life points as it brought it axe down on the ponies.
Isaac and Sunset's Life Points: 5100-

Both Isaac and Sunset were able to stand their ground as their friends had worry in their eyes. All the other ponies had calmed down and took a seat at the tables as they all were pleased by what they saw.

"Thanks for that, cause I activate my facedown, Dark Horizon! Now I can summon a spellcaster who attack points are equal to or less than the amount of damage I took. So I call upon, the one, the only... Dark Magician!" Now it was Isaac's turn as he had his ace monster appear on his side of the field.

"Now I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, watch out." said Isaac as he drew his card and looked at his hand. "Now I'll play Pot of Greed so now I pick up two cards. Perfect, now time for me to set the stage. Using the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 8 Mirage Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale." Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Pendulum Scale?" said all five mares and Spike as they didn't know what Isaac said aside from Twilight.

"But first, I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's pendulum ability and it allows me to add my Magician's Valkyria back to my hand." Isaac's card then slotted out for him to grab. "Now time to pendulum summon. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as giant portal above him opened up. "She's certainly an eye-catcher as she's back for an encore, please welcome Magician's Valkyria. And she brought along a feather friend this time, it's Sonic Chick!" Isaac now had two more monsters appear as they were in defense mode.

Every pony watching was amazed by what they saw. They were impressed with what the stallion had managed to do based on all the fancy lights they saw. Their group of friends just had their mouths opened as they couldn't believe what Isaac had managed to do as he summoned multiple monsters in one move.

"Next, I'll play Card of Sanctity, so now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." said Isaac. "Now, time to attack, Dark Magician attack War Rock Fortia!" Isaac gave his monster his command and he delivered his attack as it took out the card.
Lava and Swamp Battleguard's Life Points: 7400-

"Next, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Swamp Battleguard

"Now bad, but it's my turn. Now I'll reveal my facedown, War Rock Ordeal. Now during the turn this card activates, it gains 3 counters."

"And does it do?" asked Sunset.

"You'll see in due time. But for now, I'll summon my War Rock Orpis(2100/2100) since we control nothing Warrior monsters, I can summon this guy without tributing. Then I'll enter my battle phase and have Orpis take out your Magician's Valkyria. So now my field spell, allows me to special summon a 'War Rock' monster from my hand, so I summon my War Rock Skyler(2200/2200)." Out came a female warrior as she wielded a sword. " War Rock Skyler gains 100 attack points for each monster that you both control. So it gains a temporary 400 attack point boost. Now time for War Rock Orpis to take out your Magician's Valkyria. And then War Rock Skyler will take out your Sonic Chick!" commanded Swamp Battleguard.

"You may have taken out my Magician's Valkyria, but my Sonic Chick isn't going anywhere. Thanks to its special ability, it can't be destroyed in battle by monsters with 1900 or more attack points. Looks like this bird isn't going to be roasted so easily." said Isaac as his tiny monster took the attack and was flung back as he caught her with his magic. He then brought his monster down as she gave a happy peck and rubbed against Isaac for saving her as she took her position.

"Very well, but I can activate the effect of my spell card. So by removing one counter from my spell, I can draw one card. I'll end my turn with a facedown. And my War Rock Skyler loses 100 attack points so it drops to 2500."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn." Sunset drew her card and began to formulate her plan. "Now I play Red-Eyes Fusion, so by using monsters from my deck, I can be able to conduct a fusion summon. So I combine my Summoned Skull and Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon to call upon a monster with incredible power, I Fusion Summon, B. Skull Dragon!" Sunset now had a powerful monster on her field as it gave out a powerful cry. "Now time to attack, B. Skull Dragon take out War Rock Bashileos!"

"Hate to interrupt you, Sunset. But I'd figured I'd figure I give you a hand, I reveal Dark Spiral Force, now with this card out I can select a monster on the field and double its attack points for the duration of the turn." stated Isaac as he helped Sunset's monster to gain even more power.

"Thanks, boy toy. Now B. Skull Dragon's attack rises to 6400. So go, Molten Fireball attack!!" shouted Sunset as he monster opened its mouth and fired off its attack.

"I activate the effect of my field spell, so by sending it to the graveyard, I can protect my brother's monster from being destroyed." said Swamp Battleguard.

The attack made contact as it caused smoke to appear as the rock that they all stood on slowly started to crumble as they all return to the ground level.
Lava and Swamp Battleguard's Life Points: 4300-

"Very well, but I still have my Red-Eyes. So now Red-Eyes take out War Rock Skyler, it may have gotten an extra 100 points when I summoned my B. Skull Dragon, but it's still weaker than my Red-Eyes!" stated Sunset. With that her monster took out its target as it dealt some more damage.
Lava and Swamp Battleguard's Life Points: 4200-

"Now I'll end my turn with a facedown and my monster's attack returns to normal."

"Awesome, now they both are in the lead." cheered Rainbow Dash.

Turn 9: Lava Battleguard

"My turn, draw! I'll play Fusion Sword Murasame Blade and equip it to my War Rock Bashileos, so it can gain 800 more attack points to raise it up to 3500." War Rock Bashileos grabbed the weapon in its other hand and felt even stronger. "Now I'll play Riryoku!" said Lava Battleguard.

"Riryoku!?!" said Isaac as he was surprised by that card.

"It's all greek to me, Isaac." said Sunset as she didn't know what the card did.

"Riryoku, it's a rare and mighty card, Sunset." said Isaac.

"The pony is right, Riryoku legendary power allows me to take half of my monster's attack points and I get to add that to my monster, so B. Skull Dragon drops to 1750, while my War Rock Gactos rises to 3650!" Both monsters felt the effect as Sunset's got weaker while Gactos got much stronger. "Now War Rock Bashileos, take out B. Skull Dragon and War Rock Gactos will take out Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" With that both monsters brought their weapons down as they cleared Sunset's field and dealt damage to both ponies.
Isaac and Sunset's Life Points: 2400-

"Now the other effect of my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon activates, since it was attached to a monster that was sent to the grave, I can add a Level 1 Dragon from my deck to my hand." Sunset then grabbed her monster card. "Then I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit and with I'll revive my Red-Eyes Black Dragon in defense mode."

"In that case, I'll end my turn and my Gactos returns to his original attack."

Turn 10: Isaac

"I'm up, so stand back. To start, I'll play Graceful Charity so I pick up three cards and get rid of two." Isaac drew from his deck and then selected which cards he wanted to get rid of. "Now once again, I'll use my Sorcerer Swordsman pendulum ability, so I'll add my Magician's Valkyria and Junk Synchron back to my hand. Next, I'll play a couple of spells, Fissure and Hammer Shot. So now my Fissure allows me to destroy your Gactos and Hammer Shot gets rid of your Bashileos." Isaac's two spells then did their magic as they managed to clear the way for what he was about to do. "Now it's time and once more, I'll use the scale to pendulum summon." A portal opened up as this time two different monsters came out. "Say hello to Junk Synchron and Magician Boy!"

"Those two little weaklings don't have enough fire power to help you both win this duel." stated Swamp Battleguard.

"True, but I'm about to show you the power these guys have. Now Level 3 Junk Synchron tune with Level 1 Sonic Chick and Level 3 Magician Boy!" Junk Synchron then changed into three rings as both monsters jumped in. "Now from three come one, and powerful one at that! I Synchron Summon, the Junk Archer(2300/2000)!" Out came a new monster from Isaac as it wielded a bow.

"You really do love showing off." said Sunset with a smug look on her face.

"That monster is still weak." commented Lava Battleguard.

"Then let me activate Junk Archer's special ability, now once per turn, it can banish a monster until the end of the turn."

"What!?!" shouted both brothers.

"So let your arrow fly, Junk Archer. And take out War Rock Orpis with Bullseye Banishing!" said Isaac. Junk Archer then pulled back the strings as it fired off an arrow as it got rid of War Rock Orpis. "With your monster gone, you're wide open to a direct attack by my two monsters. Now Mahad, attack his life points. Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac as his magician dealt a devasting blow to their opponents.
Lava and Swap Battleguard's Life Points: 1700-

"Now time to end this, Junk Archer take out the remaining life points!" said Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown, Counter Gate. Now I can negate your attack and in addition, I draw a card. And if it's a monster, then I can summon it in attack mode." Swamp Battleguard drew his card as it turned out to be a monster. "I've drawn another War Rock Fortia." chuckled Swamp Battleguard.

"In that case, I'll end my turn. And so your monster comes back." said Isaac as War Rock Orpis appeared.

Turn 11: Swamp Battleguard

"Time to end this, now. I'll sacrifice my War Rock Orpis to bring out another War Rock Skyler. And as you know, Skyler gains 100 extra points for every monster that my opponents control. So since you both have 3 monsters, Skyler gains 300 extra attack points." Skyler raised her sword as she felt herself getting stronger. "It may be much, but it's enough to seal the deal. But first, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back War Rock Bashileos. Now War Rock Skyler, take out Junk Archer." Skyler then brought its sword down as Junk Archer tried to use its bow to block but it broke in half and destroyed him.
Isaac and Sunset's Life Points: 2200-

"Now my spell card activates, so I remove a counter and draw a card. Then War Rock Bashileos' effect activates, so now it can strike directly at your life points. So say goodbye!" War Rock Bashileos then appeared as it looked to strike the final blow to the pair of ponies.

"I reveal my facedown, the trap Final Offering! Now the battle phase ends and in addition, I can give one card in my hand to another player. So here you go, Sunset." said Isaac as he threw his card to her.

Sunset looked at the card Isaac gave her and her eyes widen. "You sure?"

"Positive." smiled Isaac.

"Doesn't matter, my brother will finish you both off." said Swamp Battleguard as he ended his turn. "Make your final move!"

Turn 12: Sunset

"With pleasure, draw." Alright, time to close this duel. "Hey, Isaac. Cool if I piggy back off of your play?"

"Of course, we're a team. And my cards are your cards."

"Thanks, now I'll play card that my partner gave me, Polymerization. And with it, I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Isaac's Dark Magician!" Both monsters then jumped into a vortex as their energies were being combined as they brought out an invincible monster. "I Fusion Summon, Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon!" Out came a powerful monster as it wore black armor and took an striking pose.

"Awesome monster!!" shouted Rainbow as she was had her tongue out like a dog waiting for treats.

"Darling, watch the dress. I used high quality cotton to make these outfits." complained Rarity as she got bits of drool on her outfit.

"Well, it still lacks power." said Lava Battleguard.

"Guess, I should inform you about my dragon's effect, once per turn he can destroy up to the total number of 'normal' monsters used to summon it and then you both take damage equal to those monster's attack points." smiled Sunset.

"Oh no!!" shouted both Battleguards.

"Which means since both of the monsters I used were 'normal' monsters, that means I can destroy your two monsters at once and end this duel." replied Sunset. She then used her magic as she pulled Isaac close to her as she gave him a flirty look. "Now how about we end this together, boy toy?"

"Let's, Sunny." said Isaac.

"Now Red-Eyes Dark Dragoon, take out both of their monsters and end this duel!" With its order given, Dark Dragoon took out its target with ease.

Sunset then gave Isaac quick peck on the lips as she gave him a wink. Isaac then followed her lead as he grabbed her hooves and twirled her around for a few seconds; he then caught her as she was facing him as he dipped the orange mare. With that their monster lead waste to the creature and the others soon fell as everything was covered in a blinding light.

"AHHH!!!" shouted both Battleguards as they were defeated and disappeared.
Lava and Swamp Battleguard's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac and Sunset

The attack faded a few fireworks went off and petals started to fall down from the sky. Isaac grabbed a rose with his hoof as he still had Sunset dipped. He then looked at the orange mare as he gave her a wink and pulled her up and gave her another kiss as he put the rose behind her ear. With that their duel had ended in them being named the winners.

"Awesome job, guys." shouted Rainbow Dash.

Soon they were surrounded by their pony pals as they too were impressed by how well the duo worked together.

"It's no big deal." said Isaac.

"Besides, this was probably the only thing that I actually was glad to come to." replied Sunset with her own smart comment.

Soon both heard an applause coming from the other guests and patrons as they loved the show the two put on. Isaac and Sunset just rolled with that idea as both just gave a simple bow and wave.

"My word, I dare say, that was quite a show." said a gentlepony.

"Where did the princess get all the extra effects for this grand display? And those costumes were so life like?" said another mare.

"Are you two trained actors?" asked another pony.

"Uhm, do they know it wasn't an act?" asked Spike.

"Let's just leave it at that, no need to cause a panic." whispered Isaac to the young drake.

"Stellar performance, I must say." said as both Princess Celestia and Luna came through the crowd.

"Princess Celestia." said Sunset.

"What's up, Princess Luna." said Isaac as he gave a quick salute to the blue alicorn.

"Isaac!" shouted Sunset and Twilight as they tried to get him to show the proper respect.

"What?"

"It's quite all right. No harm, no foul." stated Luna. "As long as the vibe wasn't ruined, I think we can kick back and chill, won't you agree, Isaac." said Luna.

"You're speaking my language, princess." said Isaac as he gave Princess Luna a bro hoof to which she returned. Isaac looked at the others who all had their eyes wide open and their mouths hanging as they couldn't believe Luna's new language/mannerisms and how Isaac just basically was buddy-buddy with the princess of the night.

"I just want to thank you for taking care of tonight's intrusion. I'm glad to have you two on the case."

"Happy to lend a hand princess, or hoof." chuckled the caramel stallion.

"Yes, by the way, I found this in the hallway." said Luna as she pulled out a scroll. "It seems to have belonged to one of those creatures you just disposed of." She then handed the letter to Isaac as he opened it and began to look at it with the others.

"This... is a drawing. A really bad drawing, it's in canyon." said Twilight.

"Yeah, but look there's writing on it." pointed out Fluttershy.

"It says: Be the last one of the five standing?" said Isaac as he read that out loud. "Anypony know what that means?"

"Of course, now I think I'm understanding it." said Sunset.

"What? Do you know something, Sunset?"

"Well, you remember how you were injured and spent the day recovering? Well, during my patrol, I took care of some small sights. But I also overheard of them talking about how they needed their side to win this race of global domination. I didn't figure out what he was talking about, but now seeing this scroll makes sense. These five drawings seem to be the head of their faction. And they seemed to be fighting against the other factions to see who can conquer them all." stated Sunset.

"That all? Please, that's nothing." said Rainbow Dash. "It just means we got to find take these five leaders out and bam, the day is saved."

"You make it sound like it's easy." stated Isaac.

"Well, is it not. As long you take the one in charge all the others fall." replied Dash.

"Yeah, but... well... you've got a point." said Isaac as he couldn't argue with that logic. Based on their previous encounter, whenever they took out the monster in charge of the group, the others usually disappeared alongside them or they just retreated all together.

"Well, looks we've got another adventure on the horizon." state Applejack.

"I hope you two can handle this; we'll assist in any way we can." stated Celestia.

"Of course, but can it wait for another time?" asked Isaac. "I don't know about you'll but I'm in the mood for some donuts. Spike?"

"Way ahead of you, Isaac." said the small dragon as he and the colt began to walk toward Donut Joe's donut store.

All the others just rolled their eyes as they couldn't believe the stallion's mentality. Eventually they along with the princess all let out a laugh as they all decided to join the boys in getting some victory donuts. Now that they had a new objective in dealing with these Duel Monsters. They had to switch focus, but for now, they wanted to celebrate the Summer Sun Celebration with some delicious tasty treats.

Chapter 107: The First Leader

It was a peaceful day in Ponyville. Now that our group of heroes had a bit more info on why Duel Monster spirits were appearing, they began to work on a plan to get rid of them. The only problem was they didn't know where to begin; the piece of parchment that was found at the Summer Sun Celebration didn't contain much information other than that statement. Sure there was a map of Equestria, but it didn't help much as there wasn't any significant locations. The only thing that was drawn on the map was drawings of the head figures but they were in crayon. So all in all, it was back to square one, which to Isaac wasn't all that bad.

"Well, nothing we can do." said Isaac as he sat back in the chair he was sitting on.

"Really? You're not even gonna look another time." shouted Twilight.

"Spike." called out Isaac.

"We've been searching the library and doing research for about 5 hours, going on 6." stated Spike.

"Exactly, my point. If we can't find anything, nothing to do but try again later." said Isaac as he let out a yawn.

"But don't you want to be prepared."

"Look, Twilight. I get wanting to make sure you know what threat you're dealing with, but when you're at a dead end and you can't go any further, then there's 3 reasons. One, you don't have the resources; two, you're missing something, or three, you just can't." exclaimed Isaac.

"What about never giving up?" fired back Twilight.

"That doesn't apply to this situation." stated Isaac. "Look, Twi. We've been at this for hours, and I haven't eaten anything since breakfast. In fact, I'm so hungry I could eat a... a... well I can't really say horse. What's the equivalent of that in this world?"

Twilight just rolled her eyes at Isaac as it brought a smile to her face at his goofiness. "Alright, we can pick it up later. So, who wants takeout?"

"Really? Hayburgers, again?" said Isaac as he gave the princess a look.

"Well, I mean, they've got a new sandwich I've been meaning to try." said Twilight as she was embarrassed at Isaac calling out her eating habits. "Okay, I get it. I need to cut back on the junk food."

"I didn't say that, I'm just really amazed that you are in love with that kind of food. Plus, it doesn't seem like you gain any weight when you eat that kind of stuff, so it doesn't mess with your perfect figure." complimented Isaac.

"Well, I do have a way of keeping myself in peak condition." said Twilight as she gave Isaac a flirty look. Isaac then shot a similar look to Twilight both just stared at each other.

Spike was looking between the two as he was trying to figure out what to say. "So... are we gonna eat or what?"

"Oh, yeah." said Isaac as he got snapped out of his gaze. "Any new recipes you wanted try to make, Spike?"

"Actually, there is." said the little dragon as he began to walk out of the library as he headed towards the kitchen.

"I suppose you might be right." stated Twilight as she walked alongside Isaac.

"Of course, I'm right. Besides, you can't think on an empty stomach."

Twilight let out a small laugh at Isaac's comment. "Listen, I was thinking about tonight..."

"Again? That's the third time you asked me to be your snuggle buddy in a row." said Isaac with a sly smile.

"Well, I..." Twilight was now stuttering her words.

"I'm joking, it's fine." said Isaac as Twilight perked up in an instance at Isaac agreeing to her request. With that both ponies then headed over to kitchen.

The days rolled by as the group was still trying to figure things out. During that time, Isaac and Sunset did their thing as they patrolled the town and kept things in check. Even Princess Celestia and Luna were having their guards and spies look all over Equestria as they searched for anything suspicious. However, it seems they found nothing. So for the time being, it seemed that things were rather quiet.

Isaac was outside of the castle as he laid down on the ground and looked at the sky. "Been a while, since I've done this." said Isaac. As much as he enjoyed being in this world, he still missed his home. He knew that he couldn't abandon these ponies until he completed his mission. "The sky, it's the same as back home. There are many worlds, but they share the same sky. One sky. One destiny." stated Isaac as he tried to ease his mind.

"I get it. You miss home." said Sunset as she stood over Isaac as her shadow covered over Isaac.

"How did you do it? You're from here and yet you call our world your home. Didn't you ever get homesick?"

"Plenty. But don't forget, I was bitter when I arrived. All I could think about was getting my revenge and since Duel Monsters was the way people expressed themselves, I took all the emotion and anger into making sure that people feared my power. But despite, all that, there were times that I did feel lonely. And not just because I didn't have any friends, but because I was trying to reflect on my past mistakes and try to mend my relationships." said Sunset.

"Huh?" was all Isaac said.

"But in a way, I found a new home. A place where I'm much more happy, especially cause I have friends who will always have my back." smiled Sunset as she leaned her head down and rubbed her muzzle against Isaac's as he was stunned by her actions. "Not to mention I found a favorite boy toy to keep me excited."

"Still, I miss home. But you're right, these ponies need our help and we can't just abandon them." Isaac then sat up as he put on a determined face as he looked at Sunset. "So let's make sure that we do our job."

"Glad to see you're back to your usual self." smiled Sunset. "Though, if you don't mind me asking, how have you've been treating the princess?" said Sunset with some slyness to her voice.

"Uh, what do you mean?" Isaac was now a bit nervous at what Sunset was implying.

"Don't play dumb with me, boy toy." said Sunset as she used her magic and grabbed Isaac's hoodie as she pulled him closer to her. "I know about you getting cozy with Twilight."

"Uh, you're misreading, Sunset. She's a princess and I'm just a regular colt. I'm nothing special." said Isaac as he was sweating a bit.

"You're lying, besides..." Sunset then leaned in as she whispered into Isaac's ear. "I know about your snuggles."

Isaac felt red from both Sunset figuring out and feeling her hot breath on his ear as it tingled a bit. "Uh... well..."

"Relax. I'm not judging," Sunset's reaction changed from sweet to sultry, "that is... if you let me get in on some action." Sunset was now giving Isaac the bedroom eyes as it caused Isaac to sweat even more.

"I... I... I.... well... you see..." Isaac was at a lost for words as he tried to wrap his head around what Sunset was implying.

"Just think about it, boy toy." said Sunset as she turned around and started to leisurely walk away. As she turned, Sunset's tail playfully smacked Isaac in the face as she swayed her hips taunting the colt. "Besides, if you remember, Twilight said she was willing to share her boyfriend." With that Sunset left, as Isaac fondly rubbed the spot where Sunset's tail struck him as he turned several shades of red.

"Is this suppose to be a good thing for me?" asked Isaac as he was questioning whether or not he found himself in a good or bad position with these two mares.

It seemed Isaac would get the answer to his question in the form of the two mares pulling him back and forth between the two with their magic as they were arguing over who Isaac should snuggle with more. Twilight never thought she would ever act like this, but somehow she was being possession of Isaac as she almost felt jealous of Sunset. Sunset knew she wanted to mess with Twilight and this was the most effective way to do it, plus she really did want to snuggle with the stallion.

"Sunset, who said you could interfere in our business?" said Twilight as she pulled Isaac close to her.

"Come on, Twilight. Isaac likes when he has a hooves on experience." smirked Sunset as she pulled Isaac closer to her.

"That doesn't mean you can butt in." said Twilight as she pulled Isaac back to her.

"Isn't the princess of friendship suppose to spread the ideals of friendship to everypony? Well, one of those ideals is being generous." said Sunset as she pulled Isaac back to her her.

"It's also about being loyal." stated Twilight as she tugged Isaac to her side.

"Show some kindness." stated Sunset as she tugged to pull Isaac.

"What about honesty?" countered Twilight as she yanked Isaac.

"You need some laughter in your life." replied Sunset as she yanked the stallion back to her side.

"Uhm, girls? Do I get a say in this?" asked Isaac.

"NO!!!" shouted both mares in unison as they looked at Isaac briefly before going back to staring at each other.

"Sharing is caring, Twilight." stated Sunset as she pulled.

"It's my home and my rules." said Twilight.

"Possession is nine-tenths of the law." countered Sunset.

"Well, I know Isaac better." replied Twilight as she pulled.

"I've known him longer." said Sunset.

"Girls, stop! Please!" said Isaac as all the tugging they were doing was making his head spin.

"He wants to snuggle with me!!!" shouted both mares.

"Enough! Mahad!!!" called out Isaac.

"Yes, master." stated Mahad as he appeared.

"Get me out of here!" shouted Isaac.

Mahad heard his master's command as he teleported the both of them away.

"Isaac!!! Get back here!!!" shouted both mares.

Mahad had managed to teleport them to Isaac's room. Isaac then got to work on locking his door and window to avoid both girls trying to break in.

"Thanks, Mahad. I'm glad you're my loyal servant."

"Just doing my duty, master. Though I must ask, what was Ms. Sunset and Miss Sparkle doing with you just now? From what it looked like, they were trying to stretching you? Or is it that 'tug of war' game you described to me once?" asked Mahad.

"Yeah, that... well... let's just say that it was a girl thing. Best answer to go with." said Isaac as he didn't want to explain to this to his partner.

"Oh, I know exactly what they were doing." said Mana as she appeared. "And let me say that they're both wrong, cause they forgot about me. Don't forget, I'm the one who's been with you the longest. So technically, that makes you, mine." said Mana as she picked Isaac up and started to hug him as she rubbed his head. "You're so cute, it warms my heart."

"Well, at least this I can tolerate." said Isaac as he was used to Mana doing this as it was her way of showing that she cared about him.

"What a cute little pony." said Black Arts Trickster as she made her appearance and started to pet her master as well.

"It's Isaac." stated Mana.

"Makes sense, he's still a cutie. Now he's ten times as adorable." said Black Arts Trickster as she fell in love with their master's new form.

"Master, can you give me a ride?" asked Mage Annette as she appeared in front of Isaac who was still in Mana's arms.

"Annette, I told you, you don't have to call me master." said Isaac.

"Can I still get a ride?" asked the little mage as she gave him the puppy dog eyes.

"So... we're bonding over ponies? Super." said Black Robe Mentalist in a typically modern goth teen voice.

Soon all of Isaac's other female magicians/spellcasters all appeared as they started to pet Isaac in his pony form. Isaac just folded his front legs with an unamused look on his face as he let his monsters have their fun as he waited for it to be over. Soon Isaac broke free from Mana's arms as he gave the order for them to leave. With that they all nodded and obeyed their master's command as they disappeared back to the spirit world. Black Robe Mentalist just gave a peace sign while Mana and Black Arts Trickster gave a kiss to Isaac as they all left. Mahad was the last one as he gave one final bow to Isaac as he too returned home.

"Well, at least my female magicians don't see me as personal property." said Isaac. He then let out a yawn as he got ready for bed.

The next morning came as the sun rose high into the sky. Isaac felt the rays hit his eyelids as it caused him to open them. He let out a yawn as he turned to his side and noticed a blob of purple. He blinked for a few seconds when he realized that Twilight was next to him, Isaac let out a surprised gasp when he felt something against his back. He then looked to his other side and saw Sunset who was also in his bed as he was positioned in between the two of them.

"Okay, what the hell is going on here!?!" shouted Isaac as he woke the two mares.

"Oh, you're up." said Twilight in a chirper mood.

"Keep it down, boy toy. " said Sunset as she too sat up and yawned.

"Alright, everypony out!!" yelled Isaac. "Out!!!"

Both Sunset and Twilight were pushed out by Isaac as he slammed the door behind them shut. Both girls then began to argue with one another as they tried to blame each other for making Isaac angry. Isaac let out a stressed sigh as he leaned against the door. Soon his Dark Magician appeared as he heard him shout.

"Everything alright, master?" asked Mahad as he checked on Isaac.

"Just peachy." said Isaac with an uninterested look.

After that stressful wake up call, Isaac was eventually able to get his mind focused as he got dress and headed towards the kitchen. There was no one there as he was thankfully, he then started to eat some breakfast. Soon he made his way to the map room as he noticed both of the girls were talking amongst themselves; both Twilight and Sunset tried to put on their best innocent smiles, but Isaac just shot them a nasty glare at them as he sat down in another chair that was far from them. Seems the message got through as both mares had their ears flop down. And as for Spike, it seems Rarity had needed his assistance as she had a huge order that needed to be completed so he left early.

After a tense situation between all three, Isaac decided to head out on patrol. Before either girls could say anything, Isaac gave one last dirty look as it caused the mares to sit down. With that Isaac headed out the door as he needed to destress from all this.

"Why? Why can't they just give me some space?"

"Cause the girls find you adorable." said Mana as she appeared beside Isaac.

"Mana, don't start that." stated Isaac. "I don't mind you doing it, cause that's just how you show your affection to me, plus it's because I'm pony and girls like cute small animals."

"Your right, speaking of which." Mana then grabbed Isaac once again in her arms and gave him another loving hug. Isaac just had a straight face with his hooves crossed as he waited till Mana finished. "Alright, I'm done." said Mana as she had her daily dose of hugging her master.

Isaac fixed his clothes as he looked at his magician girl who had a smile on her face. Isaac just rolled his eyes and returned a smile back to Mana. At least, she knew understood Isaac and knew when to give him space during all the affection she showed her master. With that Mana disappeared as she gave Isaac one final kiss as he continued on his patrol. During the time, Isaac met Applejack and Applebloom as they had their apple stand set up and he purchased a couple. Soon he made his way to the outskirts of the town as he checked for anything usual; he quickly looked in the direction of the Everfree Forest as that night came back to him in an instance.

So much pain and he almost was responsible for the princess being hurt or worse. Isaac then touched the spot where he had hurt himself as he could still hear the point of impact when he broke his bones and when he heard Twilight calling out to him from her prison. His mind then changed as it showed what happened after that and how Twilight had helped to heal him. How she had taken care of nursing him back to health, even though it was his fault for letting her get captured in the first place. Still that moment, he shared with the princess and how they stared at each other; it brought back some memories for Isaac. He then put it out of his mind as he returned back home. All seemed good as he was walking in the marketplace when he was almost squashed by a rock.

"Woah! What the hell!?!" shouted Isaac as he barely managed to get out of the way of a giant boulder being thrown that nearly landed on top of him. Isaac then looked up as he saw the thing responsible for this. Tents were being knocked down and stands were being destroyed. Ponies were scared as they were running for their lives, the mothers were grabbing their kids as they all ran for cover. A little filly had fallen down as she noticed a Duel Monsters about to strike, Isaac leaped into action as he used his magic and fired a blast that caused the creature to be distracted long enough for him to grab the little filly and get her to safety. He then turned around as he came face to face with several Battleguards, but unlike the ones he encounter at the Summer Sun Celebration they were much smaller.

"Guess, they must be the minions." said Isaac as they charged towards the colt. Isaac blasted a couple with his magic and was able to dodge their attacks. Once he disposed of the first wave, he then saw tons more coming at him as there was thousands of these little creatures. "Time for action, guys." said Isaac slide on his duel disk and slotted his deck in. "You know this seems unfair, well at least for you all. So about I even the playing field, Gamma, Beta, Alpha!" stated Isaac as he had his magnetic warriors come out. They saw what was coming and with a flash they knew what their command was.

All three magnetic brothers then started to take out the little Battleguards as they engaged. Eventually, they took care of several waves when they encountered the commander in charge as he swung his weapon and knocked all three as they collided with each other and were destroyed. The creature in command was none other than Battleguard King who let out a loud roar.

"Who dares to get in the way of my conquest?" shouted the king.

"I don't know somepony who doesn't smell like a yak's hide." snickered Isaac.

"I have no time with your quips, pony. I'm here to conquer all of this land and to avenge fallen breadthen; I will find the one responsible for defeating my brothers. They will pay, and these ponies shall be no mercy till they know the pain that I've felt."

"Well, I'll save you the trouble of looking." stated Isaac.

"You!?! A mere pony? A pony is responsible for taking down my comrades?" said Battleguard King as he looked around him and saw his minions having beaten defeated and disappearing. "So, you're the one who took my brothers away from me."

"Hey, to be fair, they crashed a party. They did provide some entertainment before I almost died of boredom." chuckled Isaac.

"AHHH!!" shouted out Battleguard King. "Time for you to suffer, and once I get rid of you; I'll turn my attention to conquering all of Equestria."

"So... I'm guessing you're one of the five leaders trying to compete against the others to conquer this land? Well, the good thing is that I can tell Twilight that we didn't have to look too far." said Isaac as he turned on his duel disk and projected a gold card tray. "Then let's settle things."

"I won't stop till I put you six feet in the ground!" shouted Battleguard King as he ordered all of his forces to create a circle around them all.

"Then prepare yourself, it's time to duel!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Battleguard King's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Looks like I'll start, so here goes. I'll summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian in defense mode. And since there's a level four or below monster on field, I can summon Mage Annette also in defense mode." Isaac now had two monsters on his field as his little girl magician appeared. "Thanks to Mage Annette's ability, I can draw a card when she's summoned. With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Battleguard King

"My turn and time to put a hurting on you." said Battleguard King as he drew his card. "To start, since you control monsters and I don't, I can summon Big Piece Golem(2100/0). Then I'll play the spell card, Feast of the Wild LV5. This allows me to summon two level 5 monsters to the field, so long as I negate their effects. So I play Backup Warrior(2100/0) and Earth Armor Ninja(1600/1200)." Battleguard King now had three monsters on his field as he looked to get his revenge on the caramel stallion.

"Now Big Piece Golem, take out his Obnoxious Celtic Guardian." state Battleguard King.

"Hate to break it to you, but my monster can't be destroyed by monsters with 1900 or more attack points." Celtic Guardians took the giant rock fist as he held it off with his sword as it broke.

"Then, I'll just have my Earth Armor Ninja take care of him." Ninja then ran forward as he dashed and delivered the second blow that took out Isaac's monster. "And then Backup Warrior will take out Mage Annette." Backup Warrior then pointed its weapon at Mage Annette as he fired it off as Isaac's magician exploded in an explosion.

"You were able to avoid a direct damage due your monster's ability, but that won't happen again. Now when I have three monsters all set to strike. So now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards and end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, I'll play Graceful Charity, so now I can draw 3 cards and discard 2." Isaac then picked up his cards as he looked at his hand and then sent his cards to the grave. "Now, I've drawn Watapon and since I did, I can summon him. But he won't be around for long, cause now I'm going to sacrifice him so that I can play Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac now his female spellcaster come out as she took her position.

"Seems she's far too weak to take out my monsters."

"Alone, she may be. But with this spell card, the tale is a bit different. I play Dark Burning Attack! So now my Dark Magician Girl can destroy all your monsters on the field."

"What!"

"Do it, Mana." said Isaac. His magician then pointed her wand at Battleguard King as she took out his entire field. "And with your field gone, my Dark Magician Girl can attack you directly! So take a chuck out of his life points!" Mana heard Isaac's command as she took flight and dealt a massive hit to Battleguard King.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 6000-

"With that, I'll lay card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Battleguard King

"My turn, now I'll play my Barrier Statue of the Drought(1000/1000) in defense mode. Thanks to this monster, neither person can special summon monsters except Earth monsters. Then I'll play the spell Double Summon, so now I can play my Granite Battleguard which in turn lets me special summon my Boulder Battleguard." Battleguard King now had three monsters on his field. "With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn." As long as that Barrier Statue is out on the field, I can't special summon my monsters. So the first thing is trying to get rid of it. "Now I play my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4) in attack mode. Then I use my Mentalist ability, now based on how many monsters there are on my field, I can then look at that same number of cards from the top of my deck and add one of those to my hand." Isaac then picked up two cards as he selected the one he wanted to take. "Now I'll have my Mentalist attack your Barrier Statue of the Drought and Dark Magician Girl will take out your Granite Battleguard!" shouted Isaac. Black Robe Mentalist used her dark powers as it took out Barrier Statue; Mana then raised her wand as she looked to take out her target.

"I activate the effect of my Boulder Battleguard, now I can negate the attack of your monster against one of my 'Battleguard' monsters once per turn." Boulder Battleguard then stepped in front of his comrade as he repelled Mana's spell.

"I'll just end my turn."

Turn 6: Battleguard King

"My turn, now I activate Card of Sanctity so now we both must draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hand. Next I play my Battleguard Sorcery, since you control two or more monsters and I have a 'Battleguard' on the field. I can take control of one of them, so I choose your little lady over there." said Battleguard King as he selected Dark Magician Girl who appeared on his field. "My, do you look pretty." said Battleguard King as he tried to flirt with Mana.

"Keep dreaming." said Mana as she didn't like this situation. "Isaac's the only man for me."

"Thanks." said Isaac in a blunt tone.

"Now, I'll sacrifice my Granite Battleguard to call upon a familiar face. Appear my brother, Lava Battleguard(1550/1800) in attack mode!" Lava Battleguard came out as he saw Isaac and he had a furious look on his face. "Time to little payback, first I'll have your own magician take out your monster."

"Sorry, about this girlfriend." said Mana as she pointed her wand at Black Robe Mentalist.

"Great." said Black Robe Mentalist in her goth voice as she was destroyed.

"It's alright, Mana. Cause now my when my Black Robe Mentalist is destroyed, I can place her in one of my empty Pendulum zones." Isaac then placed his monster on the right side of his card tray as she appeared in a column of light and had the number 7 in front of her.
Isaac's Life Points: 7700-

"Now I'll have my Lava Battleguard attack you directly!" shouted Battleguard King. The creature then made contact with Isaac as he was flung back as he dug his heels in to keep from falling.
Isaac's Life Points: 6150-

"And then Granite Battleguard will also take a hit." commanded Battleguard King.

"Not this time, I'll reveal Defense Draw. So now the damage becomes zero and I get to draw a card." said Isaac as he had a wall of cards appear before him as he added one of them to his hand.

"Lucky break, I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, and first I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's pendulum ability, so now I can take control of one of your monsters. So come on back, Dark Magician Girl." said Isaac. With a flash, Mana returned to Isaac's side as she was thrilled to be back with her master.

"Oh thank you, Isaac. The odor was almost enough to kill me." said Mana as she grabbed Isaac in her arms and began to nuzzle/pet him as she gave him a kiss.

"Mana, can you do this after we win?" said Isaac as he reminded his magician that they were still engaged in battle. With that, Mana let go of Isaac as she took her position. "Now then, I'll play the Magic Formula card and give Dark Magician Girl an extra 700 attack points. Then I'll set my Rune-Eyes Illusionist in my other pendulum zone." Isaac then placed his second pendulum card on the far left side of his card tray as his monster appeared in a column of light as the number 3 appeared in front of him. "Now, I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Battleguard

"My turn, now I'll reveal my facedown, Call of the Haunted. So now I resurrect my Big Piece Golem, but then I'll sacrifice my Golem so that I can summon Swamp Battleguard(1800/1500). And now since I have both Lava and Swamp Battleguard on my field they each gain 500 extra attack points!" With that all monsters let out a cry as they looked at Isaac.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: Isaac

Great, now he's got his buddies back. And as long as Boulder Battleguard is out on the field, he can just negate my attack. "My move, so here goes something." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now then since I have my pendulum all set, I can summon monsters from level 4 through 6 all the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monster's ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as giant portal above him opened up. "Time for the master of decks to start his show, appear Sleight of Hand Magician(2100/1500, Scale 2, Level 6)." Out came Isaac's other pendulum card as he appeared with several decks levitating around him.

"So, what are the chances of us winning, Isaac?"

"I say very slim, if can't deal with that Boulder Battleguard." stated Isaac.

"That bad, huh?" said Sleight of Hand Magician as he did a couple of card tricks.

"So what's the plan then?" asked Mana.

"Let me think," Isaac was looking at his hand as he was trying to figure out how he was going to handle this problem. Soon a lightbulb went off above his head. "I think I've got it." said Isaac as he informed his monsters. "I'm activating Book of Effect so that I can negate your Boulder Battleguard's ability."

"What!?!" said Battleguard King.

"Now I'll have my monsters attack. So Dark Magician Girl take out his Swamp Battleguard and Sleight of Hand Magician take out his Boulder Battleguard." shouted Isaac as his two magicians took to the field. Mana took out her target with ease as she casted her spell; Sleight of Hand Magician snapped his fingers as he had a wall of cards start to surround Boulder Battleguard and when he snapped his fingers again, the wall disappeared as Boulder Battleguard was nowhere to be seen.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 4700-

"I'll activate my facedown, Battleguard Rage. Now my remaining Lava Battleguard now gains 2000 extra points, so now it has 3550." stated Battleguard King.

"Well, now I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Battleguard King

"My draw, I'll begin with Pot of Greed to take two more cards. Then I'll activate my Battleguard Commander spell card. Thanks to this, since you control two monsters, I can summon a monster from my deck who's attack points are lower than your highest monster. So since your Dark Magician Girl has 2700 attack points, it means I can summon a monster with fewer than that. And I choose to summon my Shaman Battleguard(2000/3000) in defense mode. Then I'll use my Shaman's effect, so now I can take control of your Dark Magician Girl once again." Mana then appeared on Battleguard King's side as she had a disgusted look on her face.

"Say, I'll forgive you if you allow this smoking babe to come with me." offered Battleguard King.

"As if!" shouted Mana.

"Yeah, sorry buddy. Unfortunately, she's already committed to someone." said Isaac as he gave Mana a wink.

"Well, then let's see how you like it. I'll have your Dark Magician Girl attack your other magician."

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Cylinder. So now your attack is negated and you get slammed with the same amount of attack points as Dark Magician Girl." Isaac then had two cylinders appear as one absorbed the attack and fired it out the other as it shot Battleguard King in the chest.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 2000-

"AHHH!!!" growled Battleguard King as he was furious to which Isaac and Mana just laughed. "Well, you won't be so lucky this time, Lava Battleguard attack his Sleight of Hand Magician!" commanded Battleguard King as his monster took out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 4700-

"Now the effect of my Battleguard Rage activates which means the monster I just destroyed goes back to your hand. And then I'll reveal my facedown, Battleguard Magic. So now any monster that was sent to the hand this turn, I gain life points equal to half of its attack points." stated Battleguard King.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 3050-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Time to see what I can do." said Isaac as he drew his card. "To start, I'll use my Black Robe Mentalist pendulum ability once again. So now I can gain back control of my Dark Magician Girl. Then, I'll play Sage's Stone. With that, I can now summon my Dark Magician!" Isaac now his ace magician appear as he took his position. "Next, I'll play Dark Magic Twin Burst which gives my Dark Magician a power boost equal to my Dark Magician Girl. So now my Dark Magician has a grand total of 5200 attack points." Mana then casted a spell as Mahad felt the powerup.

"Now I'll play Diffusion Wave-Motion, so by paying 1000 life points, my Dark Magician can attack all of your monsters!" shouted Isaac. With that Mahad was able to clear the entire field.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 1400-

Isaac's Life Points: 3700-

"Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 12: Battleguard King

"Time to end this, I play Premature Burial so I give up 800 life points to revive my Lava Battleguard. Then I'll also play the spell Monster Reborn to bring back Swamp Battleguard." Soon both monsters rose as Battleguard King was looking to end this duel.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 600-

"It's time, now my brothers lend me your strength and together we shall wipe this pony out of existence. I sacrifice my two monsters to call myself. Battleguard King(3000/1100)!!!!" A bright light appeared as Isaac had to shield his eyes, once it died down there stood Battleguard King himself as he looked to end Isaac's life.

"Now I get to attack two more times and that's enough to end you." Battleguard King then brought his huge club as it took out Dark Magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 3200-

He then took out Dark Magician Girl as Isaac shifted his weight to keep himself from flying as he moved a couple of inches from the impact of the attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 2900-

"Since Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points." said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 3900-

"Even so, I still have one attack and you don't have any monsters left to hide behind. Time to feel the wrath of my fallen brothers." shouted Battleguard King as he swung his club as it connected with Isaac as he was flung onto his back and tumbled in the dirt.
Isaac's Life Points: 900-

Isaac took a deep breath as he collected himself from the attack. Thankfully he was able to make sure that he didn't suffer the same result as he did last time as he protected his bones. He was still a bit rocked as he had a couple of scuffs on his face and his clothes as he looked back at his opponent.

"One more attack, and then I'll put you down for good."

"Yeah, I heard." said Isaac as he wiped his mouth of some dirt. "Too bad, I don't know when to give up." stated Isaac as he got back to his feet and prepared to take his turn.

Turn 13: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he took a deep breath as he looked at the field and his hand. "Alright, I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. So now my Dark Magician is back. Then I'll play Pot of Greed to pick up some more cards." said Isaac as he looked at the cards and had a smile on his face. "Alright, time to send you packing, I've drawn the Eye of Timaeus. So now I'll combine, Timaeus with my Dark Magician and with I fusion summon Amulet Dragon!" shouted Isaac as a brand new monster came out.

"Even that dragon doesn't have enough attack points to defeat me." stated Battleguard King.

"You're right, that is, unless I activate my monster's ability. So by removing every spell card in my graveyard, my Amulet Dragon gains 300 attack points for each one I banish. And I count 8, so my dragon now gains 2400 attack points which raises his attack to 5300!" stated Isaac.

"No!!!" shouted Battleguard King.

"Now Amulet Dragon, finish this duel!!!" commanded Isaac. Amulet Dragon then opened its mouth as Mahad pointed his staff and together they combined their attacks as it collided with Battleguard King as he went down and his life point counter dropped.
Battleguard King's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Well, it's over." said Isaac as he collapsed on the floor as he was a bit tired.

"This isn't over!!!" shouted Battleguard King as he slowly got back to his feet. "You may have defeated me, but I didn't say that I would keep my word. Kill him!" said Battleguard King as he pointed at Isaac. His minions heard their command as they started to surround Isaac as they prepare to strike.

Isaac forced himself to stand up as he noticed he was surround. Soon they all started to charge at him as Isaac pulled out some more cards. Both Black Arts Trickster and Dark Magician of Chaos came out as they started to defend their master. Despite, being small, there was tons of minions that were still coming. Isaac summoned out his Magician Boy and Queen's Knight as he hoped to give his monsters some help. It worked as they started to mow down the waves, even Magician Boy who had trouble lifting his weapon was able to spin in a circle as he fired his spell before he fell on his back.

"Not looking good, Isaac." said Black Arts Trickster as she used her magic to defeat several foes in front of her. "At this rate, we might not last long."

"We... have to." said Isaac as he was still a bit worn out from his duel and the bumps he took. "Can't let them... harm the others."

Some of the minions had managed to sneak behind Isaac as they looked to launch a surprise attack. They then jumped as Isaac noticed at the last possible second. A blast then hit them as it caused them to disappear; Isaac looked to where the blast came from as it turned out to be Twilight who used her magic. Standing next to her was Sunset who had her Red-Eyes Black Dragon behind her.

"Red-Eyes, let's give Isaac a hand!" shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes heard her command as he took flight and started to blast some fireballs as they landed in front of Isaac's monsters as it took out some more minions.

"Thanks for the assist." said Isaac as both girls appeared next to him.

"Can't have my boy toy be killed, how else would I have fun." said Sunset with a smirk as she helped Isaac to stand up.

Twilight then casted a spell as it allowed Isaac to regain his vitality back as he was no longer tired. "That should do the trick. How do you feel?"

"Like a million bits." said Isaac as he was able to stand up without exhaustion. He then looked at their monsters and saw that they were still struggling. "How about we give our monsters a hand?" stated Isaac as both mares nodded.

"Gearfried, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, Black Metal Dragon!" said Sunset as she called out some more monsters.

"Mahad, Mana, time for round two." said Isaac as he his two loyal servants appeared and started to lead the charge against the horde.

The three ponies were able to use their magic as they blasted any monsters that got close to them while they had their monsters push forward. Battleguard King was furious as he saw his forces starting to diminish rapidly. Mahad and Mana were back to back as they fought off the minions; soon they heard a loud growl as they noticed Battleguard King was bringing his weapon down on them as they got out of the way in time. They then retaliated by pointing their wands and blasting him. Despite being weaken by their master in the duel, Battleguard King was still standing as he tried to hit Mana and Mahad as they kept dodging.

While Isaac was taking care of his own little wave, he saw his magicians having trouble with the big beast. He then looked at his other monsters as they were working with Sunset's creatures as they were starting to reach the end of the remaining forces. He then got any idea as he raced forward.

"Where's he going?" asked Twilight as she blasted another creature.

"Don't worry, I think Isaac has a plan." stated Sunset.

"Almost there, everybody." said Black Arts Trickster as she informed the whole group.

"Keep it up, guys." said Isaac as he raced towards them. He then used his magic as he picked up his Magician Boy and placed him on his back.

"Huh?"

"Hold on tight, little buddy." said Isaac as he started to race forward with his tiny magician on his back. Soon they were heading in the direction of Mahad and Mana as they were still trying to take Battleguard King off of his feet. They were getting closer as Isaac told his magician his plan. "Alright, on my signal, blast him with everything you've got."

"Yes sir, Isaac." said Magician Boy as he gave a tiny cute salute to his master.

"Steady, steady..." Isaac was just about under the great beast as Mahad and Mana noticed their master. "Now!!!" shouted Isaac. Magician Boy heard Isaac's command as he struggled to pick up his staff, he then aimed as he focused his shot and pull out of his magic into his staff as he fired his spell which almost knocked him off of Isaac's back.

The spell shot by Magician Boy was heading straight for Battleguard King that he didn't noticed the attack until it was but inches from his face. Soon it collided with him as he stumbled from the attack as it caused him to drop his club, that allowed Mahad and Mana the opportunity to point their wands as they hit Battleguard King in the chest.

"Nice shot, little guy." said Isaac as gave a smile to his Magician Boy.

"Thanks." said Magician Boy as he gave a thumbs up.

"Mana! Mahad! Finish this!" shouted Isaac.

"Right!" shouted both.

"Ready, Mana?"

"All set, Mahad!"

"Twin Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted both of them they combined their staffs together and created a massive ball of energy. They then let out a cry as they unleashed everything they had into the spell as they fired it. The ball of energy headed towards Battleguard King at rapid speed that it got there within seconds as he let out a cry of defeat as a bright light appeared.

"NO!!!!!!!" shouted Battleguard King as he felt himself disappearing. The bright light then died down as standing where Battleguard King once was, was a giant hole in the ground.

"We did it." said Isaac as he sat down from the running as Magician Boy was now sitting on top of his head.

"Score one for the good guys!" shouted Magician Boy as he was happy.

"My word, that was dangerous, master." said Mahad.

"Yeah, but it worked. It allowed the time you guys needed to get in position to hit him with your most powerful magic." said Isaac.

"Well, I for one am grateful." said Mana as she planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek.

"Isaac, the rest of the forces have been dealt with." said Black Arts Trickster as she appeared next to him.

"Good." said Isaac.

He then made his way back to the others as he still had Mahad, Mana, and his Magician Boy with him as they had just finished.

"That seems to be the last of them." said Twilight.

"So, who you did you piss off, this time?" asked Sunset.

"Just the first leader of the five figures trying to take over Equestria." said Isaac with a shrug.

"Wait, that was the first leader?" asked Twilight. "Why didn't you get us, or the others?"

"How the hell am I suppose to know this shit? The figures of the leaders are drawn in crayon. In crayon!!!" stated Isaac. "Besides, he was causing trouble so I just did what I normally do."

"Well next time, inform one of us. Better to have some back up." said Sunset.

"Yeah, well that would be a good idea. If you two weren't at each other's throats this morning." said Isaac as it caused both mares to look away as they remembered what went down in the morning.

"By the way, good shot, little buddy." said Isaac as he looked at his Magician Boy.

"Yeah, it was." said Magician Boy as he got off of Isaac's back. "Did you see the way, ow!!" stated Magician Boy as his back hurt when he fell on the ground earlier.

"I told you to be careful!" said Mage Annette as she appeared. "How many times are you going to ignore me?" Mage Annette was starting to give her best friend a stern talking at how reckless he was. "I'm not always going to be around to pick up after you. Now hold still." Mage Annette then opened her book as she started to cast a spell to heal her friend's back. "There, now don't do anything like that again. Or else I'm really going to hurt you!"

"Alright, Annette. I'll be a bit more careful." said Magician Boy as he put on his best sorry face.

"I just care about you, you're my best friend." said Mage Annette as her stern look then softy to a smile. She then did something unexpected as she planted a kiss on best friend's cheek. Magician Boy just had a dumbfound smile as he was trying to process what she just did.

Isaac then picked up both of his tiny magicians as he started to give them a pony ride as they had the biggest smiles on their little faces. The girls just watched as they saw Isaac having fun with his magicians as it warmed their hearts. Soon Isaac and Sunset called back their monsters.

"Thanks, both of you." said Isaac.

"Just doing our duty, master."

"By the way, thanks for saving me from him. I couldn't stand another minute being next to him." said Mana.

"You know me, Mana. I never leave my friends behind."

"And that's why I love you." said Mana as she picked up Isaac in her arms and gave her master a hug. She then looked at Sunset and Twilight and smirked. She then gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek as she did it in front of the mares; both girls were a tad bit jealous as they saw this. After a few seconds, Mana removed her lips from Isaac's cheek as she gave her master a wink. "That should help get the message across." said Mana. With that both of them disappeared back into Isaac's deck.

"Well, this was certainly an eventful day." said Isaac as he started to head in the direction of the castle.

"Isaac, wait." said Twilight as she stopped the colt. "We just want to say, we're sorry. We're sorry for making you uncomfortable with our fighting."

"I know I love to tease you, but I'll admit I went a bit far thinking I could just butt in to you and Twilight's personal business. I'm sorry, a true friend wouldn't do that." said Sunset.

"So... can you forgive us?" asked Twilight.

"I don't know." said Isaac.

"Please?" said both mares as they gave the puppy dog eyes.

Isaac looked at them with a stern look that it caused them to lose those eyes. His face then soften as he let out a sigh and then had a smile. "All is forgiven." Isaac's response got the girls to perk up. "Now how about we head home, I'm tired."

"Sounds like a good idea. And don't worry about cuddling with me, I'll let Twilight have you." said Sunset.

"Well, I mean... I don't mind sharing Isaac." said Twilight as she scrapped the ground with her hoof. "I'm willing to allow you to snuggle with him."

"Don't worry, next time you ask him. I'll let you two have your time." said Sunset as she gave Twilight a hug to show they forgave each other.

Isaac was slowing trying to sneak away, "It's good the girls are back to being friends, but I think I might need some alone time if they're constantly be snuggling with me." said Isaac.

"Isaac! Where are you going?" stated Sunset.

Isaac didn't say anything as he was gone in a flash as he raced back to the castle. The girls just giggled as they started to head back to the castle themselves. Isaac made it to the castle as he rushed to his room as he knew that the girls were like a pair of lionesses and he was the meal; so he prepared himself for what was about to happen. And it did as the girls teleported in his room and immediately tackled him to the floor as he tried to escape. The girls had their hooves around Isaac as he tried to escape, but they weren't letting him go as Isaac was forced to be between the two mares for the rest of the night.

Chapter 108: Cloudsdale

"Let's see, I'll sacrifice my Baby Dragon and Ancient Dragon so that I can play Barrel Dragon(2600/2200)." said Spike as he placed the monster on the table. "Then based on its ability, I can destroy a monster on your side of the field. Just had to get two heads." Spike then pulled out a bit as he flipped it in his hand. After 3 times, Spike had managed to get have the coin land on head twice. "Nice, so I choose to get rid of your Dark Magician." said Spike as he pointed at the card. "Then, I'll have my Barrel Dragon take out your Dark Magician Girl."

"Impressive." said Isaac as he put his cards in the discard pile.

"Thanks, now let's how you take down my dragon." said Spike with a proud smile on his face.

"It looks tough," said Isaac as he picked up his card with a smirk, "but maybe this card will help. I'll now banish my Kuriboh and Mystical Elf so that I can summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning." said Isaac as he played the card for Spike to see. "Now I'll have my soldier attack your Barrel Dragon and then it can attack once again due to its special ability."

"Which means, I lose." said Spike as he put his head down.

"Yeah, but still A for effort." stated Isaac as he patted the little drake on his back.

Soon the door opened as in came Twilight who had just returned from a mission called by the map.

"So, how'd it go?" asked Isaac.

"Standard stuff, Fluttershy was able to convince the two families from fighting."

"So... that big book you created that had all the possible solutions didn't help." said Spike.

"Okay, it wasn't as useful as I thought. But it did provide me with a good read." smiled Twilight.

"Still the nerd as ever." said Isaac.

"Don't call me that!" Twilight had a pouting face as she sat in her chair and crossed her arms.

"But it's true." stated Isaac with a smile on his face. "Anyways, we don't you join us. You've been meaning to play since I first showed you."

"Fine." said Twilight as she got up from her seat and took Spike's place as he grabbed stool and pulled out some gems to munch on.

"Ready." said Isaac as he finish shuffling the decks and placed it in front of the princess.

"Ready." said Twilight as she picked up her opening hand with her magic and began to engage in battle with Isaac.

The duel was certainly an action packed on as Twilight was ruthless in her moves as she managed to match Isaac blow for blow. She even was able to gain a massive lead in life points for half of the duel; even Isaac was struggling to come up with a plan to take down the princess' defenses. But he should have expected this based that she was a pony version of his girlfriend and she knew how to push Isaac to his limit. Twilight took out Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl with ease as she had her monster ready to finish Isaac.

"Now that you're magicians are gone, time for to win. Silent Magician attack directly and end this duel." said Twilight with a smug smile.

"No way!!" said Spike as he was shocked to see Twilight about to win.

"I reveal my facedown, Mirror Force. Thanks to this, my trap reflects your attack and destroys your Silent Magician." said Isaac as he barely managed to survive Twilight's final assault.

"Buck!" said Twilight. "I nearly had you."

"You did, and that makes me proud. You went from not knowing how to play to already being an above average player. Heck, if you actually used the deck your human counterpart uses, you'd win." said Isaac.

"Well, this game really does test my mental skills. Plus, I had a wonderful teacher." said Twilight as she gave Isaac a warm smile.

"Hmm, I wonder who he is." smirked Isaac.

"Oh, just a ordinary colt. Stubborn, good-hearted, handsome." said Twilight as she traced her hoof on the table.

"Well now, I'm jealous." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Well, good game Twilight. Cause I'll summon my Magician's Valkyria and attack you one final time." With that move, Twilight lost the last bit of her life points as Isaac won their duel.

"Good game, Isaac." said Twilight as she shook his hoof.

"Trust me, that duel could have gone either way. I just got lucky being able to activate my Mirror Force card."

"That was awesome, you two." Spike was giving both of them a round of applause. "You definitely did better than I did against Isaac."

"Anyways, it's getting late. We should all turn in." said Twilight.

"Yeah." said Spike as he let out a yawn as he scratched his scales.

"Time to hit the hay." said Isaac as he picked up his cards and put them into his saddle bag.

The three of them all exited the map room as they made their way to their rooms. Isaac wished the pair a good night as he retreated to his place. He then snuggled into bed as he let out a yawn and drifted off as he let Luna work her magic.

The following day came as all the ponies were out and about. Particular one rainbow pegasus who was busying practicing her tricks for an upcoming event. She wasn't alone as Fluttershy was there who was doing her best to offer her some support.

"Now, what have we learned?" asked Rainbow as she circle around the yellow pegasus mare.

"Loss of control." said Fluttershy with a straight face as she stood still.

"Good."

"Screaming and hollering."

"Yes, and most importantly?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Passion!" responded Fluttershy.

"Right! So now that you remember the elements of a good cheer, let's hear one."

Fluttershy took a deep breath as she let out a soft, "Yay."

"... Ugh. You're gonna cheer like that? Louder." demanded Rainbow Dash.

"Yay."

"Louder!"

"Yay."

"Louder!" shouted Rainbow.

Fluttershy took the biggest deep breath she could and with all of her lungs she said, "Yaaay," in the quietest of tone.

"Ugh.." said Rainbow as she just collapsed on the floor in frustration. "Why did I think you would get better after last time?" said Rainbow.

"Hey, keep it down." said Isaac as he was with Sunset. "My ears are ringing from all your cheering." said Isaac as he was referring to Fluttershy.

"What's with all the screaming?" asked Sunset.

"I'm just trying to get Fluttershy to get more comfortable with cheering." stated Rainbow.

"Why's that?" asked Isaac.

"Well, it just so happens that I've been invited to be a judge for the Best Young Flyer Competition in Cloudsdale. I happen to win it last time and so they asked me to come back as a representative and a judge. Can't blame them." said Rainbow as she had a proud and smug look on her face. "Plus, the Wonderbolts will be there. So it allows me to perfect chance to show them the amazing and daring tricks that I can do."

"Of course, it can't be anything normal that doesn't involve you in thinking about your overinflated ego." snickered Isaac.

"Exact... I hate you!!" shouted Rainbow.

"Hey, can't argue with the facts." responded Isaac.

"Oh, I'm killing you." stated Rainbow as she tackled Isaac into the ground and the two began to tussle as they formed a dust cloud. Sunset just rolled her eyes as she approached Fluttershy.

"So, are you also a judge?"

"Oh, no. I'm just going for morale support. For Rainbow Dash." said the yellow mare.

"Got ya!" shouted Isaac as he managed to pin Rainbow Dash as he yanked on her hind leg in an ankle lock. "Tap. Tap. Tap!"

"Alright, I give up! I tap!!!" shouted Rainbow as pounded her hoof on the ground to show she gave up.

Isaac let go of her and placed his front hoof on the her. "Pinned ya." said Isaac with a smug look. He then helped the rainbow pegasus as she dusted herself off.

"I hate when that happens." muttered Rainbow. "So, anyways, I'm just doing some last minute practices so that I can show them off to the Wonderbolts."

"Well, we wish you both the best." said Isaac.

"You don't want to come." asked Fluttershy. "Rainbow asked the others if they come, but they all had other things."

"I would, but Twilight and Spike need my assistance with some their chores." stated Isaac. "Though, I don't think Sunset has anything planned."

"I was just going to relax at the Spa, but I always did want to see Cloudsdale. Alright, I'll tag along." said Sunset.

"Nice!" shouted Rainbow.

Sometime later, Twilight was preparing her air balloon along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. Isaac took the opportunity to speak with Sunset.

"You sure you'll be alright? I can go with you."

"It's fine, I can take care of myself. And if anything does happen, I'll just handle it like we normally do." said Sunset.

"Just be safe."

"Aren't I always." said Sunset as she gave Isaac a hug.

"Everything is ready to go." shouted Spike.

Sunset then hopped into the balloon with Rainbow and Fluttershy as Spike untied the rope. The balloon then started to rise all three mares waved goodbye to the group on the floor as they ascended into the air. While they were soaring above the clouds, Sunset had a couple of questions.

"So what's the Best Young Flyer Competition?"

"It's where all the greatest Pegasus flyers get together and show off their different flying styles!" stated Rainbow Dash. "Not to mention that the winner of the competition gets to spend the day with the Wonderbolts."

"Sounds like a nice prize." stated Sunset.

"Duh! I mean, I won it last time. And then I got to try out for the Wonderbolts as I ended up becoming a reservist member. Though, I hope that they'll eventually make me a full fledged member. I mean, I was the best flyer to come out of Cloudsdale and Equestria." said Rainbow with a prideful smile.

"Don't forget about the sonic rainboom?" chimed in Fluttershy.

"Sonic... Rainboom?" said Sunset as she had an eyebrow raised.

"It's kind of a legendary thing, you know how you in your world, there's a thing call a sonic boom." said Rainbow.

"Yeah, it's basically moving faster than the speed of sound." stated Sunset.

"Well, there's a similar thing here, but we call it a sonic rainboom. It's just basically when a pegasus goes really fast that they not only break the sound barrier but they also create a huge rainbow at the same time."

"And Rainbow Dash here's the only pony to ever pull it off!" said Fluttershy.

"Twice actually. Once when I was a filly and when the last time I had competed in the Best Young Flyer Competition when I had to save Rarity from certain doom. Heck, it's how I got my cutie mark. Well all of us." said Rainbow as she looked at Fluttershy.

"Wow, to think that something so small actually meant so much more in the long run. That sonic rainboom is actually what brought Twilight and you girls together. That's crazy." said Sunset.

"Yeah, it kind of is. But enough about that, we're here." said Rainbow as she pointed ahead. Their destination was right in front of them as the balloon landed on the clouds.

Rainbow and Fluttershy hopped off with ease as they walked on the clouds. Before leaving, Twilight had taught Sunset the spell she used last time as it would allow her to walk on clouds indefinitely till she reversed it. Soon she stepped out and to her surprise it worked as she was walking like a pegasus. Sunset then began to trot forward as she caught up with the two girls.

"Here it is: the greatest city in the sky!" Rainbow announced as they reached a spot where they could see the entire city, which was a collection of various large clouds that had building on them.

"Incredible. Even before I left Equestria, I only ever saw pictures of this place in books. It's even more outstanding in real life." said Sunset.

"Some of the greatest Pegasi have come from Cloudsdale." said Rainbow. "But the greatest of all is standing right next to you."

Fluttershy just smile at her friend's statement while Sunset rolled her eyes. "Speaking of which, isn't this where they make the weather?"

"Yeah, it's this way." said Fluttershy as she and Rainbow led Sunset to the weather factory.

It wasn't much longer before they arrived at the building to the weather factory. Ponies were hard at work as some thunder could be heard in the background as the three ponies entered. For safety protocol, each pony was geared in a white work shirt and matching hard hat.

"This is where they make the snowflakes," Rainbow explained as some ponies were hard at work crafting and collecting snowflakes, "Each one is hoofmade."

"Is that why they say no two snowflakes are alike?" asked Sunset.

"You got it," answered Rainbow, "As you can see, it's a delicate operation." She then guided them towards an area that appeared to be loaded with pools of colored paint. One already had its rainbow colors inside it.

"And here's where they make the rainbows!" said Rainbow.

"Wow," said Sunset, "It must take alot of work to get the bands of each color perfect and keep them from mixing with each other."

"Tell me about it," said Rainbow, "But that's actually a Pegasi secret."

"Bummer," said Sunset, hoping to learn about it. She then dipped her hoof into the paint and she examined it.

"Word of advice, don't put that in your mouth." said Fluttershy as she got Sunset's attention.

"Why would I do that?"

"Well, Pinkie Pie did it the last time we were here. Safe to say she found out the hard way that rainbows aren't really that tasty." chuckled Fluttershy.

"If she really wants to taste the rainbow, remind me to send her some Skittles." giggled Sunset. She then wiped her hoof on her coat as she got rid of the paint.

"Alright, moving on." stated Rainbow as she led Sunset to where they made the clouds.

They were able to show Sunset a bit more of their home as she was able to see how things worked from when she read about them from her books. She also knew that Isaac would be jealous that he got to miss out on seeing this place; it wasn't much longer before the sound of trumpets could be heard as pegasi from all over Cloudsdale gathered at the Cloudeseum to watch the competition. The crowd cheered as small groups of three to five sat on one of two rows of clouds. Inside a small area was a waiting and changing room where the competitors had registered and were ready to go. Out on one of the clouds were Fluttershy and Sunset who were getting ready to see the show. Just then, a colt named Madden appeared in the center stage riding a small cloud, which was nothing since the Cloudeseum had no floor.

"Fillies and gentlecolts!" Madden announced, "Please rise and join us in welcoming the celebrity judges for the Best Young Flyer Competition: the Wonderbolts!" Cheers and applauses were made as six ponies donning blue and yellow uniforms zoomed overhead. They did a quick flying formation before setting down on their own cloud. "And please give a warm welcome for our other celebrity judge. She's a pony that has saved Equestria on multiple occasions and is the sole pony to ever pull off a sonic rainboom. Put your hooves together for Rainbow Dash!!!"

Rainbow then zoomed above as she did a couple of fancy maneuvers as Fluttershy and Sunset cheered for her. She dazzled the crowd with her tricks as she did her signature pose and then landed next to the Wonderbolts on her own cloud; Rainbow smiled as she saw them.

"And now, let's find out who will take the prize as this year's best young flyer!" said Madden as everypony cheered.

"Okay, contestant number one, you're up!" said a pony Lucy Packard, who was the backstage organizer in charge of making sure everyone went up in a timely manner.

With that the show began, many of the competitors were nervous seeing as they would be competing in front of tons of ponies. Eventually, they all shook off their nerves as they started to showcase their skills for the Wonderbolts and Rainbow as they were impressed with what they saw. Sunset and Fluttershy was were watching from the stands as they were amazed by all the performances they saw.

"I loved number seven," said Sunset, "Doing fifteen barrel rolls in a row can't be easy."

"My favorite is number ten," commented Fluttershy, "She just looked like such a nice pony."

"Not bad from #15, though she could use a bit more confidence." said Spitfire. "What do you think, newbie?"

"I say she's got potential." stated Rainbow. "With a bit more polish, she'll be a top contender for tryouts."

"See might even break the records you set during your tryout." snickered Spitfire.

"Woah, okay. Let's not get carried away." said Rainbow.

"Up next, we have number 16." said Madden as he pointed to the curtain. "Uhm, number 16." Once again at Madden's announcement, no pegasus stepped forward. "Well, it seems number 16 failed to show up. Number 17, come on out." This time somepony stepped through as they began their routine.

"That's strange, I wonder what happened to number 16?" said Fluttershy.

"Yeah,... strange." Sunset then got up as she was a bit suspicious.

"Going somewhere, Sunset?"

"Just wanted to get a snack. Be right back, Fluttershy."

Sunset then began to exited from her seat as she made her way into the hallway and began to explore. She made her way to the waiting area as she was hoping to find some clues on the missing participant. Nothing was out of the ordinary as she examined the place and checked the changing rooms. She then peaked her head through the curtain and saw that the performances were still going. She then began to think, she then noticed a pair of stairs. Sunset had a feeling that there was something down there as she descended. The stairs led to a sort of basement room as it was still made up of clouds. She was about to turn the corner when she heard some voices.

"Well, this was a waste." said a voice. "This was suppose to be a simple scout mission and now we got caught." The voice that was shouting belonged to none other than Birdface. "We were suppose to sneak in and gain information about this place, now that one of the head figures has been taken out, it means our boss has a better chance of winning this fight and ruling this place."

"Sorry, cap." said Bladefly.

"And on top of that, we got spotted by a pony." said Birdface as he pointed to a pegasus that was tied up. The pegasus happened to be the missing participant.

"Perhaps, there's still a way to get what we what." said another Bladefly.

"I knew there would be trouble. Well, good thing I came prepared." said Sunset as she slide her deck in.

"Nevermind that, let's return back to base." said Birdface.

"And what about our hostage?" asked one of the Bladefly minions.

"Dispose of them."

"With, pleasure." Soon tons of Bladeflys began to swarm the pony as they showed their claws and set of jaws. Just as they were about to strike, a fireball was shot in their direction as it burned up a couple of the insects.

"Nice shot." said Sunset as she had summoned her Black Metal Dragon. She then began to run over to the pony that was tied up as her dragon provided cover fire. "You, okay?" asked Sunset as she freed the pegasus.

"Yeah, just a bit shaken." stated the pegasus.

"Well, get out of here." said Sunset as she pointed to the stairs. "I'll take care of this." With that the pegasus ran up the stairs as Sunset was left to deal with the threat in front of her. A couple more Bladeflys began to head towards Sunset who just commanded her Black Metal Dragon to shoot a few more shots as they were engulfed in flames and were destroyed. She then noticed the monster in charge as she confronted them.

"So, who are you working for?"

"That's none of your business." said Birdface.

"Let me guess, one of the remaining five leaders competing against each other to see who can conquer all of Equestria." stated Sunset.

"So, you know? However, I won't tell you who that is."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure I'll run into him soon. And then I'll take him down. But for now, I think I'll start with you." said Sunset as she activated her duel disk and projected a red card tray.

"Then I better make sure that you don't leave this place alive." said Birdface as he called off the rest of his minions. He then showed a duel disk as he activated it. "Now then, prepare to pay the price for sticking in your nose in our business."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Birdface's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Birdface

"I'll start," said Birdface as he drew his card. "I'll play Cloudian - Sheep Cloud(0/0) in defense mode." Soon one of the clouds around them started to move towards the playing field as a face appeared on it and had a smile. "Next, I'll throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My move, so stand back." said Sunset as she drew her card. His monster only has 0 attack and defense points. It's basically no threat, so... that must mean it has a powerful effect. Gotta be careful then. "I summon Red-Eyes Wyvern in attack mode. Next, I'll have my Red-Eyes Wyvern attack your Cloudian - Sheep Cloud!" Red-Eyes Wyvern heard Sunset's command as it took flight and sliced and diced its target. Soon the pieces left behind started to take shape as two more cloud creatures took place.

"What gives?" asked Sunset.

"My monster's special ability. When you destroyed my Cloudian - Sheep Cloud, you allowed me to summon 2 'Cloudian Tokens'(0/0) in defense mode." True to Birdface's word, two clouds formed on his field.

"Wasn't expecting that, but no matter. I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Birdface

"My draw, now I'll sacrifice my 2 tokens so that I can play Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon(3000/1000) in attack mode." Both cloud tokens then began to merge together as it started to form a blue cloud as it soon had one eye sticking out. "Next, I'll play my Quick Summon spell card, so now I can normal summon one monster. So I'll summon my Cloud - Altus(1300/0) in attack mode." Another cloud started to take shape as this time it was a lighter color and had a slightly bigger stomach.

"Now my Cloud - Altus' ability activates, when its summoned I can place a 'Fog Counter' on each Cloudian monster that I control and since I have two at the moment, I gain 2 counters." said Birdface. (Counter 2). "Then I'll play the continuous spell card, Cloudian Squall. So now during each of my Standby Phase, I can place a 'Fog Counter' for every monster on the field. Next, I'll have my Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon attack your Red-Eyes Wyvern. My monster makes it so that whenever it attacks, it changes the battle position of all faceup monsters."

"Well, that was stupid, cause now my life points will be safe." stated Sunset as her dragon shifted modes.

"Not when I reveal my facedown, my continuous trap card Natural Disaster. Now everytime a card(s) you control is destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can deal you 400 points of damage." said Birdface. Eye of the Typhoon then raised its fist as it took out Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 7600-

"Now that you have no monster's left on your field, I'll attack you directly with my Cloud - Altus." Birdface then gave his monster its command. It then appeared in front of Sunset as it inhaled as much air it could and then blew it all at the orange unicorn.
Sunset's Life Points: 6300-

"Hey, what gives? I thought you said that all faceup monsters change battle positions due to your Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon when it attacks."

"That's true, however, my Cloudian monsters have no effect. So that means my monsters are safe." stated Birdface. "Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"Bout time." said Sunset. Alright, what to do? As long as that Eye of the Typhoon is out, he can just change the battle positions of my monsters, and then his trap makes it so that whenever my monsters are destroyed, I take 400 points of damage. "Now, I'll play my Cards of the Red Stone, so now I send one Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck in order to draw 2 cards." Sunset then sent a pair of her Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon to the graveyard as she picked up some more cards. "Next, I'll play Polymerization and I'll combine my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with my Summoned Skull." Sunset then held both of her cards up high with her magic as a vortex appeared and both cards were sucked in as they merged together. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" shouted Sunset as she called upon one of her most powerful monsters in her deck.

"Next, I'll play the Black Stone of Legend and then I'll activate it's ability. So I tribute it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon from my deck." Sunset now had another powerful monster on her side of the field as both let out a cry. "Now, time to strike. Archfiend Black Skull Dragon take out his Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon! Thanks to my monster's effect, you can't activate any cards till the end of the damage step." Sunset gave her monster its command as it fired off an attack that collided with the cloud monster as it caused a smokescreen to appear.
Birdface's Life Points: 7800-

"What?" said Sunset as the smoke cleared and standing there was the monster perfectly fine. "Your monster should have been destroyed, and there's no way you could have activated any card effects since my dragon's ability nullifies it during the battle."

"It's cause my Cloudian monsters come equip with the ability to not be destroyed in battle. So even your most powerful monster can't take down my clouds." stated Birdface as he had a sly smile on his face.

"Your monsters may not be destroyed by physical attacks, but that doesn't mean your life points are safe. Cause now I'll have my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon attack your Cloud - Altus!" Sunset's other dragon then brought its claw down on the monster as it just absorbed the attack.
Birdface's Life Points: 6700-

"And you're about to feel a whole lot more burn, cause now the other effect of my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon activates. So since it did damage this turn, I can now deal you damage equal to my Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack in my graveyard and then I can shuffle it back into my deck." Sunset's monster then had her Red-Eyes appear in spirit form as it shot towards Birdface in a blaze of fire.
Birdface's Life Points: 4300-

"With that, I'll end my turn." Sunset's duel disk then moved her Red-Eyes card from the graveyard and slotted it back on top of the deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

Turn 5: Birdface

"My turn, draw. And now my Cloud Squall activates, which means all faceup monsters get a 'Fog Counter'." Soon all monster had a cloud appear above them. (Counter: 6). "Now the total counters is 6. Which is more than enough than enough when especially when I summon my Cloud - Cirrostratus(900/0) in attack mode. Now all my 'Cloudian' monsters each gain another counter." Birdface then had another cloud monster on his field as it had a cute face. (Counter: 9). "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Cloud - Altus, now I can remove 3 Fog Counters from anywhere on the field so that I can discard a card from your hand." Birdface then removed the Fog Counters from Sunset's monster and from Cirrostratus itself as it formed a strong breeze as Sunset kept herself from moving as a card was sent flying from her hand and to the graveyard. (Counter: 6).

"But it doesn't stop there, cause now I'll activate the effect of Cloud - Cirrostratus. So I remove two more Fog Counters, so that I can destroy 1 monster on the field. So say goodbye to your Archfiend Black Skull Dragon!" Birdface then removed two more counters from his Cloud- Altus as it blew a giant wind as it swept Sunset's monster off the field and destroyed it. (Counter: 4).
Sunset's Life Points: 5900-

"Don't forget about my Natural Disaster, since you lost your monster, you lost 400 life points. And now I'll have my Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon attack your Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon! And my monster's ability makes it so that it switches to defense mode." Sunset's monster then shifted positions as Eye of the Typhoon brought its fist down on it and took it out. Sunset then felt the aftereffect as she lost some more life points.
Sunset's Life Points: 5500-

"Now time to strike with my other monsters. Attack!" shouted Birdface.

"Hold on, since you destroyed my monster its effect kicks in. So now I can summon now summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' from my graveyard. So I choose to revive one of my Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon!" Sunset then had a monster on her field as it appeared in front of Birdface's monsters. "And that's not all, cause now I activate Miracle's Wake, so now my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon is back in play." Once more, Sunset now had another monster on her field as it let out a cry.

"Annoying little unicorn, I'll call off my attack. Then I'll play Card of Sanctity to give each of us a brand new hand. Next, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Sunset

"My turn, time to kick things up a notch. Cause since I have two level 7 monsters on my field, I'm going to overlay them." Sunset's two dragons then transformed into two purple energies as a vortex in the hole opened up and a pillar of light shot out. "I construct the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon!" Out came Sunset's dragon as it let out a roar and had its units circling around it.

Meanwhile up above in the Cloudeseum, Rainbow felt the roar of Sunset's monster as it caused her cloud to shake.

"Woah, did you guys feel that?" asked Rainbow.

"Probably just some turbulence." said Spitfire as she continued to watch the performances.

"Now as long as my Red-Eyes has Xyz materials, you can't destroy it with card effects. So your Cirrostratus' effect is useless. Next, I throw two facedowns and then have my monster attack your Cloudian - Cirrostratus!" Red-Eyes Metal Dragon then opened its mouth as it fired off a fireball that clouded with Cirrostratus as the sound of thunder was heard that even the ponies above them could hear it.
Birdface's Life Points: 2400-

"With that, I'll end my turn." said Sunset.

Turn 7: Birdface

"Now then, draw. First the effect of my Cloudian Squall grants all faceup monsters on the field with a Fog Counter." Soon all monsters had a cloud appear above them as the number shot up. (Counter: 8).

"Well, this time it's my turn to dish out some damage. Cause thanks to my Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon's effect, anytime you activate a card or effect, you take 500 points of damage. So since you used your spell card, you now lose 500 more life points." smiled Sunset.
Birdface's Life Points: 1900-

"Now I'll sacrifice my Cloudian - Cirrostratus so that I can summon my Cloudian Nimbusman(1000/1000) in attack mode." Cirrostratus then began to disperse as it more clouds began to form together as a brand new monster appeared. "Like all my other Cloudian monsters, whenever Nimbusman is summoned, I can place a counter on each of my own monster so I gain four more." (Counter: 12).

"Don't forget, since you activate an effect you take 500 points of damage." stated Sunset as her dragon burned away some more points.
Birdface's Life Points: 1400-

"That's a small price to pay, especially when I'm about to deal some heavy damage right back. Cause now my Nimbusman gains 500 extra attack points for every Fog Counter that I have, so since I eleven Fog Counters, my Nimbusman gains 6000 points making him have a grand total of..."

"7000!" shouted Sunset as her eyes widen.

"Now my monster take out Sunset's dragon!" commanded Birdface. Nimbusman raised its fist and was about to strike Sunset's monster.

"I activate a trap, Gravity Bind. Now thanks to this, all Level 4 or above monsters can't attack." said Sunset.

"What?" shouted Birdface as he saw his halted its attack. "You'll pay for that, I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll have my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon attack."

"But how, your Gravity Bind makes it so that any monster that level 4 or higher can't attack." stated Birdface.

"Then it's a good thing that Xyz monsters don't have levels, they have ranks. Which means my trap card won't work on my monsters. So now my dragon, attack his Cloudian - Altus and end this duel!" said Sunset as her monster prepared to finish this battle.

"I reveal my facedown, Gift of the Mystical Elf. So now I gain 300 life points for every monster on the field." said Birdface as he got a boost of 1200 more life points.
Birdface's Life Points: 2600-

"Doesn't change the fact, that you're still gonna lose life points." said Sunset as her dragon subtracted some of the life points Birdface got.
Birdface's Life Points: 1100-

"And don't forget, you lose another 500 life points since you activated your trap card. Now then, I'll play Red-Eye Insight, so by sending my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck to my hand, I can add a 'Red-Eyes' spell/trap card to my hand." Sunset then used her duel screen as she selected the card she wanted and slotted out for her to grab. "Next, I'll use the effect of my Black Stone of Legend in my grave. So I return it to my hand and the other Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon in my grave back to my deck. Now, I'll end my turn."
Birdface's Life Points: 600-

Turn 9: Birdface

"Now then, once more my spell allows me to gain even more counters." Birdface's spell then did its magic as the number of total counters increased by 4. (Counter: 16).

"Don't forget, you lose another 500 points since your spell activated."
Birdface's Life Points: 100-

"Time for me to exterminate that dragon! First with more counters, my Nimbusman gets stronger, 2000 more points stronger." Nimbusman's stats then shot to 9000. "Now, I'll play Dian Keto the Cure Master to give myself 1000 life points." said Birdface.
Birdface's Life Points: 1100-

"Once more, you lose 500 life points." stated Sunset.
Birdface's Life Points: 600-

"Now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon and with it, I'll get rid of your Gravity Bind." With that a storm blew over as it took out Sunset's trap.

"Don't forget your spell doesn't come without a price."
Birdface's Life Points: 100-

"Now time to deal you some serious damage. Nimbusman, attack Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon and end this duel!" Nimbusman then raised its fists as it look to end Sunset.

"I'll use the effect of Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon's effect, so by using one overlay unit, I can summon out my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset now had her dragon. "Then I reveal my facedown, Nutrient Z. So now I gain 4000 life points."
Sunset's Life Points: 9500-

Nimbusman then made contact with Sunset's dragon as it was destroyed as it caused Sunset to be thrown against the wall which thankfully was made up of clouds as it offer a soft impact.
Sunset's Life Points: 3800-

"You may have survived, but that doesn't mean your life points are safe, cause now Cloudian - Eye of the Typhoon take out your Red-Eyes B. Dragon! And then Cloudian - Altus will attack your life points." Sunset's monster then destroyed as she took another hit.
Sunset's Life Points: 2500-

"And don't forget about my Natural Disaster card, for every card of yours that was destroyed this turn, you take 400 points of damage, and I destroyed three cards. So you lose 1200 life points." said Birdface as Sunset felt the effect of the card as it caused her to fall down.
Sunset's Life Points: 1300-

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Cloudian - Altus, so by removing 3 Fog Counters, I can discard 1 card from your hand. With that I'll end my turn." (Counter: 13).

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'm going to end this. To start, I'll play Pot of Greed so I draw two more cards. Nice, now time to take down your monsters."

"Good luck, my Nimbusman has a whooping 9000 attack points. Not to mention that it can't be destroyed in battle." said Birdface with a smug smile.

"True, but I'm talking about it's defense points. And it starts with this, I play the Black Stone of Legend. And then I'll tribute it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" Sunset's stone then started to crack as bits of light came from it and then opened up as her new monster appeared. "Now time to activate Archfiend's ability, now it can destroy all faceup monsters you control that have less defense points than my monster's attack points."

"Wait, what!?!" cawed Birdface as he looked at his field. "But my monsters don't have any defense points."

"Precisely, which means it time some precipitation!" shouted Sunset. She then gave her monster's its command as it caused some intense flames that caused all of the Cloudian monsters to fell themselves starting to evaporate as they started to get bigger and bigger until they popped and the steam caused bits of rain to come down. "Now time to end this, Archfiend attack him directly!!!" stated Sunset. Archfiend heard Sunset's command as it shot a pillar of fire towards Birdface who was completely defenseless.

"CAW!!!!!!!!!" shouted Birdface as well as the remaining Bladeflys who were caught in the attack as they all disappeared into particles.
Birdface's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunset

The duel ended as Sunset's monster gave one final cry as it disappeared back into her deck. Sunset then flipped her mane as she had a smile on her face. Once she made sure there was nothing remaining, she then started to make her way back up the stairs and back to her seat. She was able to make it back just as the show had reached its final performances.

"Oh, there you are, Sunset. I was beginning to worry." stated Fluttershy.

"Well, there was a long line." stated Sunset.

Soon the winner was announced as Rainbow awarded the pegasus and gave them the trophy. Once the event was over, she then met up with Fluttershy and Sunset.

"Hey, guys. What did you think?"

"Stellar." said Sunset.

"I know, though I have to ask. Did any of you girls hear that rumble earlier?" asked Rainbow.

"Rumble? What rumble?" said Fluttershy. "I didn't hear anything, did you, Sunset?"

"Not a thing." stated Sunset with a smug tone.

"Huh? Weird. Oh well." shrugged Rainbow.

"Come on, girls. Time we head back to Ponyville." said Sunset as she started walking. The three ponies then got into the air balloon as they started on their way back home.

Chapter 109: Ambitions

Isaac was currently walking along a meadow as he found himself in some sort of weird place. He was still a pony, but where he was, he noticed the sky above him was the brightest shade of baby blue and the flowers on the ground next to him were the prettiest he had ever seen.

"Okay, where am I? Wait... I know, I'm dreaming. So this is probably just some more of Princess Luna's magic. Though the real question is why am I here? Cause last I remember, I was dreaming about a duel."

"It was not my doing?" said a voice.

"Who's there?" asked Isaac as he noticed a rift open up in front of him. The pony that then appeared in front of the colt was none other than the princess of the night. "Princess Luna?"

"It's good to see you again, Isaac. So... how's it hanging?" said Luna.

"Okay, that one actually works." stated Isaac as he heard Luna's attempt to speak cool lingo. "Well, I was having a dream about me competing in a duel, but then it suddenly shifted and I found myself in some sort of meadow. So... I can only assume you had some part in doing that?"

"Normally, I only can influence certain things in the dream world. But as for your dream changing, well it was actually you who did it."

"Wait, what?" said Isaac in a dumbfounded expression.

"It seems your dream changed due to something inside of you. Something that's plaguing your mind." stated Princess Luna.

"Something on my mind? I don't know what that could be."

"Perhaps, you'll have a better chance at figuring it out when you wake up. Speaking of which, you should awake... now!" stated Luna.

At that moment, Isaac opened his eyes as he the sun rising high in the sky. He let out a yawn as it served as the signal to start his day. With that Isaac got out of bed as he stretched his limbs, he then thought about his dream and what Princess Luna said.

"Something on my mind? What could that be? I mean, I don't have anything that's bothering me. Except, no... no, it can't be that." Isaac quickly put the thought out of his mind as he choose to ignore it.

He exited out of his room as he entered the kitchen where he saw Spike washing some dishes.

"Hey, Isaac. Saved you a plate." said Spike as he pointed to the table.

"Thanks, Spike. Where's Twilight?"

"She's gone to Canterlot. Apparently, Princess Celestia sent her a note late last night about how they needed her for some kind of royal meeting. So she took the first train this morning and said she won't be back for awhile."

"Oh, bummer." said Isaac as he took a bite of his food.

"Anyways, I got to head out as well. I promised Rarity that I'd help her today." With that Spike finish the last bit of dishes as he wiped his claws dry and took off his apron. He then said goodbye to Isaac as he exited out the door and the castle.

Isaac was left alone as he continued to finish his meal and think about what it was that plagued his mind. He then began to head towards Sunset's room to see if she was there. He opened the room and found it to be empty, he noticed a note that was on her bed as it told Isaac that she had gone to help Fluttershy with taking care of some animals and that she would be gone for nearly the whole day. Isaac just let out a sigh as he was hoping to talk to the orange mare about his dream and possibly see if she had any answers. So Isaac decided to take his mind off of things by heading into town. The first place that Isaac visited was a place the girls had always wanted to bring him to which was the Ponyville Spa.

"Mister, it seems you have some stress that you've gain over the years." said a mare by the name of Lotus Blossom.

"Stress, what are you talking about?" asked Isaac.

"It happens to all of us, sometimes even though we don't feel it. It's there; now just lie down and let me take care of it." instructed Lotus.

"But I told you that I don't feel... oh... that's... actually feels good." said Isaac as he felt the pair of hooves rub his shoulder and backside. "Huh, guess I did have some stress."

"See. Now then let's focus on your muscles." said Lotus as she began to massage the colt's body. "My, all this stress and to think it hasn't caused you to age."

"Well, I guess being the hero is tiring work. But it does allow me plenty of exercise." stated Isaac as he felt the tension in himself being relieved. Soon Lotus pulled out some cucumbers and placed them on Isaac's eyes. "Okay, what the hell is this for?"

"To reduce the puffiness around one's eyes." Lotus said, with a sigh.

"Wait, seriously?" asked Isaac, raising a cucumber. "Huh... I thought these were just for presentation."

Soon Isaac felt himself being a bit younger despite him still being a young individual. He stretched himself as he felt his muscles become a bit more loose. In fact, it seemed the all stress that was on Isaac's body left him as he felt revitalized. He then thanked Lotus Blossom for all she did as he paid her a tip and tipped his cap to her. After he exited the place, Isaac decided to explore the town while also doing his usual patrol. He managed to buy a couple of groceries for Spike while he was out as he even bought some sweets. Pinkie even gave him a discount as she was thankfully for Isaac helping to baby sit the Cake Twins when she had a huge order to fill out the other day. Soon it was nighttime as Isaac had returned back to the castle. Spike was already fast asleep and as for Sunset, she had decided to spend the night at Fluttershy's cottage; seems taking care of the animals proved to be more tiring than she expected. And Twilight was still in Canterlot as the meeting was going for another day. With nothing to do, Isaac decided to hit the hay early. He was all set to bed as he closed his eyes and drifted off to dreamland.

"Now that the end is near. It's time to strike." said Isaac as he was dreaming about him in a duel as he was in his human form. "Now, my draw. Perfect, Now I'll sacrifice my monsters so that I can play, Dark Magician! But wait, that's not all. Cause next I activate the spell, Bond Between Teacher and Student. So now please welcome Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as he had his two ace magicians on his field. "Together the three of us are unbeatable."

"Is that so?" said Isaac's opponent in a deep voice. He then flipped his facedown as it caused a bright light to appear.

"What's happening?" said Isaac as he covered his eye. Soon the light died down as Isaac saw his magicians were frozen still. "What's happening? Mahad? Mana?" Isaac walked to the front and saw that his monsters were stone statues. He was surprised as he saw his best friends like that; he then saw several other statues ahead.

Isaac then began to check them out as they were some of the famous monsters used by duelist of the past. And they seem to be sectioned off by the method of summoning that they belonged to. Isaac walked along the path as the first batch he came across had several Xyz Number monsters as the head of that group was none other than Number 39: Utopia. After that Isaac walked a bit further and he saw six dragons that belonged to the group of people that ushered in Synchro Summoning as Stardust Dragon was the one in front. After that, he walked past them as he came to the next group of statues as they belonged to the great fusion duelist of the past. So many statues laid about with most of them belonging to the best fusion player to ever exist as he saw Elemental Hero Neos. The last group that came into view belonged to the pioneers of Duel Monsters as they had their signature monsters all overlooking the rest of the statues.

Isaac got up on the stage as he took in the statues and was impressed with their likeness despite being in stone. He then noticed two spots in the middle of the stage as it seemed to like something was missing. Isaac's deck then began to shine; he then pulled it out as he examined his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl as they were the ones causing the light. He then looked at them as it caused him to look away as the light got brighter, once it died down, Isaac was still holding his cards but the two spots that were empty were now replaced with statues of his ace magicians.

"What is this place? What does it all mean?" said Isaac as he looked at the statues in front of him and then out back to the many that were facing the stage. "Princess Luna said that mind has been dealing with something, but what? The only thing that's been constantly on my mind is going home, but that can't be it? And as much as I think... no... it's not that. I know for a fact that it's not that! No matter what she said, my destiny is not set in stone. It just can't be! I know it!" shouted Isaac.

"All of these duelists, they all became legends, but was it their destiny? Did they suffer what I went through?" asked Isaac. "Were they told that this was they were suppose to become and nothing else? I want to believe that I'm going to be more than just a pro, but the way things are going and how everyone mentions that, I don't think I want to be a duelist anymore." Isaac then punched the statue of Dark Magician in front of him. "I say I love this game, but if I love it, then why do I feel miserable? Why I do I feel miserable whenever I think about going pro? I appreciate that people see my skills and talents. But I can't help but feel that I'll end up in a life of misery. And my friends, am I never gonna see them again? My family? Was what Sunset said when she was still evil right, if I want to get to the next level does that mean I have to forget about the ones close to my heart?"

Isaac felt a few tears form in his eyes as he wiped them out. "I wish I could get some advice, how they did they handle this? What advice would they give me?" said Isaac. He let out a sigh as he then turned around; just then Isaac noticed something moving.

From among the field of Xyz statues there was a presence. At first glance it seemed to be nothing but a magical energy, but soon it started to take shape as it was taking the form of something or someone. Isaac noticed a similar thing happening coming from the Synchro statues as well as the Fusion statues. Soon all three energies appeared in front of Isaac as they had taken the form of a person. To Isaac he couldn't make out their faces, but the three spirits that were in front of Isaac was none other than 3 individuals that each revolutionized their own summoning methods. Isaac couldn't make them out until he saw their signature monsters appear above them. Isaac was amazed as he took a step back until he felt something; he then turned around and saw another presence. Like the others he couldn't see their face, but Dark Magician appeared behind him as Isaac had his eyes in awe.

"You? All of you? You're the Big 4." stated Isaac as the presences all looked at him. Isaac then looked at the figure in front of him as he could tell it was none other than his idol. "The King of Games." said Isaac as the presence in front of him just stared at the young boy. "Tell me, what do I do? How do I handle all this? How did you all do it?" asked Isaac as he hoped the spirits of the Big 4 could offer some insight to his personal demon.

The four presences then all lifted their hand as a pillar of light started to surround Isaac. Isaac was unsure of what was happening as he stood his ground as the wind was blowing in his face. Once the tornado around Isaac ceased, Isaac found himself as he was in a city of sorts. He noticed several people walking around, Isaac bumped into one person but they passed through him as if he wasn't there. Isaac then point his hand out and it phased through another person as they walked by.

"Woah, trippy." stated Isaac. Soon he heard a couple of voices.

"Come on, man. Hurry up. We're gonna miss him in action." said a person as they ran with their friends.

Isaac then began to follow the people as he wanted to see what they were talking about. He then phased through the massive crowd that had gathered as he appeared in the front and was welcomed to the sight of a duel. But not just any duel, it was a duel that had Isaac's idol as he was currently engaged in battle.

"Now, Dark Magician. Attack him directly! Dark Magic Attack!!!" said the person in a deep voice as he had so much confidence. Dark Magician then raised its staff as it took out his opponent and awarded the victory to his owner.

Once the duel ended, tons of reporters and journalists began to swarm the person as they asked him some questions. Isaac listened in closely as he saw his idol.

"Mr. King of Games? Over here. Stellar performance as always. Do you think that there's anybody out there that can provide you with a challenge?" asked one reporter.

"I pride myself on being a duelist. And one of those things is not whether someone can beat me, it's whether they can push themselves past the limit. Do they truly believe in the heart of the cards? That to me is someone who I would love to share the duel field with." said Isaac's idol as he looked in the direction of Isaac even though he couldn't see him.

"Question, over here. What was it that inspired you to become a pro duelist?" asked a female journalist.

"I never went with the intention of being a pro duelist, it just sort of happened. But at times, I'm glad to have gone down this career. I got to meet some wonderful duelists, all who have shown promise. Now whether they succeed or not is completely up to them, but one thing is for sure, is that your destiny is not one that's confined. You make the most of it." said Isaac's idol.

"You make the most of it." repeated Isaac to himself.

Soon the scene started to change as Isaac saw himself getting farther and farther away from him. Soon a bright light caused him to cover his eyes, it then died down as he found himself surrounded by trees and he could see the ocean's waves crashing against the rocks. Isaac then noticed a giant building that could be seen from the whole place as he noticed a sign that said: Welcome to Duel Academy. He then noticed a small group of people watching two people dueling. Isaac got closer look as he saw that one of the individuals was the person who was the best fusion summoner.

"Alright, time to finish this. Neos, Aqua. Contact Fusion!" shouted the male in a red jacket as his two monsters jumped into the air they made contact and began to combine with each other. "Say hello to Elemental Hero Aqua Neos(2500/2000)!" said the person as a brand new monster came out. "Now attack!" With that his monster then took out his opponent's creature as their life points dropped to zero. "That's game!" said the person as he did his signature pose.

"Nice work, Jay." said his opponent who was a much shorter person.

"Indeed, keep that up and you're sure to be the next King of Games." said a female as she wore a blue jacket.

"Well, can you blame him?" said another boy as he wore a yellow jacket. "He's the best out of all of us. According to my numbers, he's a sure fire to be the next dueling legend."

"Way to go, Sarge." said another person as he applauded his friend as he too wore a yellow jacket vest.

"Thanks, guys. Though I don't think I can be the next King of Games. Cause everybody wants to be that, so the only way I can truly be the next King of Games is to challenge everybody who I met. Then I'll be the last one standing, so then it's guarantee to be me." said the person as he gave a goofy smile. The others just smiled and nodded at their friend's line of thinking.

"I guess that makes sense. Still, I hope you won't forget about us when you become a pro." said the short person.

"How can I forget about you guys, you're my friends? All the adventures we've had, all the duels we've fought. That's the real treasure and I wouldn't trade it for the world." said the boy as he gave his friends a smile. "You hear me world, nothing is gonna stop Jaden Yuki from becoming the best. Nothing, as long as I have my friends by my side, I'll conquer any challenge you'll throw my way." said the boy.

"As long as I have my friends? By my side." said Isaac as he took in the words stated by Jaden.

Once more the scene was changing as Isaac covered his eyes again as it teleported him to another place. He know found himself in front of a building. Upon further inspection, it seemed to be some sort of garage. He then phased through the door as he saw the inside of the place. It had a couple of beds upstairs, but the main space of the garage had a couple of computers and parts spread all over the floor. He then saw the main door open as in rode three Duel Runners and two Duel Boards as they all arrived from their little drive.

"I think we figured out who the best is." said the tall blonde person in an accent.

"What are you talking about? I beat you several times." argued another person who had spiky orange hair. "As far as I'm concerned my Blackwings are better than your Power deck."

"Why you!?! How dare you make a mockery of my skills? I'm the best one of all of us, no debate!" shouted the taller person as they got in each other's faces.

"Those two really love to argue." said a girl who unhooked her duel disk as she got off her duel board.

"Yeah, glad we're not like that." chuckled her twin brother who had unhooked his safety pads.

"Yeah, cause I totally don't have a dork for a sibling?" snickered the girl.

"Dork? Who you calling dorky, sis?" responded the boy as he looked at his sister.

"I mean what I say." responded as she looked at her brother.

"Guys, settle down." said the last person of the group as she was an older female. "It's bad enough dealing with their constant bickering, you don't want to turn out like them." said the girl as she pointed to the males.

"What's wrong with turning out like us!?!" shouted both of the boys as they looked at each other.

"My point exactly." chuckled the girl as the two kids also let out a laugh. "Besides, you know who the best of us is."

"Right, your boyfriend." snickered the boy.

"He's not my boyfriend!" responded the girl with a bit of red on her face. "And keep in mind, I have physic powers which means I could squash you like a grape if I wanted to."

"They seem like a merry bunch." said Isaac as he sat on the stairs looking at the group with a smile.

Just then they heard the sound of an engine in the distance. It then began to get louder and louder until they looked at the garage entrance and in came another rider. The runner was red and the driver was someone who Isaac recognized, he removed his helmet and Isaac got to see the person in action.

"It's Satellite's Shooting Star." said Isaac.

"Hey, Yusei." responded the boy and girl.

"Hey, guys." responded the man as he gave them a high five and hug.

"Bout time you showed up." stated the blonde person.

"What's shaking buddy?" said the orange haired person.

"How's everything back home?" asked the older girl.

"Everybody's fine. The kids were all happy to see me." responded Yusei.

"Hey, guys? Do you think that we'll be together? I mean, I know the WRGP is coming up, but what about the future?" asked the boy. "I'm kind of feel scared about what's going to happen to us?"

"Leo's right. I'm glad to have met you all, even if was because of this mark on my arm. But I wouldn't trade it for the world. Still, I can't help but think what the future holds for each of us?" responded the girl. "I just hope that we'll stay friends."

"Of course we will, Luna." said Yusei. "To be honest, it really hurts me to think about what will happen when that day comes. I really want all of us to stay here forever. But I can't do that, and neither should any of us. After all, we're all on paths that we've chosen for ourselves."

"You sure our bonds will stand for that?" asked the older girl.

"Bonds are bonds, you know. They never shake away. But even so, the futures we'll be moving towards from here on out aren't ones that can somehow be attained with just our bonds. We have to live our own lives responsibly. And that starts now." said Yusei as he gave his friends a smile. "We're each stepping onto our next stage."

"When did you get all sappy, Yusei?" asked the blonde male.

"He's the good guy. It's what he does, he's been doing it since we were kids, remember." stated the orange spiked male.

"From this point on lies the futures we'll create for ourselves. So let's keep riding, you guys! In this Turbo Duel we call 'life'!" stated Yusei as he had his fist raised. All of his friends agreed with their leader as they all gave nods.

"We have to live our own lives responsibly; from this point on lies the futures we'll create for ourselves." said Isaac as he repeated the words. "Words to live by." he said as he dawned a smile. Soon the scene started to change once more as he felt himself being whisked away.

Isaac now found himself overlooking a river. He turned to his side as he saw a boy and girl standing there overlooking the body of water. The boy had a special key hanging around his neck as Isaac could that he was the person that made Xyz Summoning so grand. He then listened in as the girl behind him began to talk.

"So... you've made up your mind?" asked the girl.

"Yup... my mind's made up and I've decided on becoming the world's greatest duelist. Being the World Duel Carnival Champion was the first step. Now it's time to take things to the next level." said the boy.

"I'm happy for you. After all we've been through, finding your parents, restoring peace to our world, and collecting all the numbers. But... what the about the promise you made? To me." stated the girl as she put her head down. "After all the crazy adventures we've had, I thought that we would get to spend the rest of our lives together. And I'll always support you, no matter what. But we also had a dream to settle down together and now I..."

"Hey, do you trust me?" said the boy as he looked at her.

"Always."

"Then you know that I never break a promise. Especially not to my friends." said the boy as he placed his hand on her shoulder. "It's like I told Astral when he left, no matter how many times I fall, no matter how many times I get laughed at, I promise to keep trying to high-five the sky, 'cause when you're feeling the flow, there's no going back!" stated the boy. "I don't know what the future holds, but if the past is my guide to tomorrow, I don't fear the unknown, for the friendships I have forged have shown me that high-fiving the sky can overcome any obstacles that get in one's way. I'll always remember my friends and I'll always remember you. We'll be together forever!"

"Together till the end of time!" said the girl as she leapt at her friend and gave him a tight hug.

"I promise to come back and then we can finally start our dream, together."

"Then I'll wait for you, Yuma." said the girl as she gave a peck on his cheek.

Isaac was watching this scene as he started to think about his own relationship. "Together till the end of time. We'll be together forever." said Isaac as he clutched his heart. "The only thing is can this also work for me and Twilight, or are we just suppose to go our separate ways?" With that the light started to surround Isaac as he found himself back into the place he first started which was the statue garden.

He was back on the stage as he saw the three presences before him, but this time they were much clearer as he could see their faces and their appearances. Isaac looked behind him and the shadow of his idol was still there, but unlike the others, it was still covered in a blanket of shadows.

"You all showed me something. Pieces of what I'm struggling with when the times comes. All these different issues; I'm just so worried about myself, about what my friends will become and our relationships. About what the future holds for each of us, and quite possibly if I get to spend that future with the person that I care about the most." said Isaac as he looked at all four of the presences as he stated what each of them was trying to say. "The future is scary because you don't know what to expect, and not knowing makes you worry. But then again... sometimes that's a good thing. I... I... think I have a bit more clarity on the issue. Granted there's still some uncertainty, but I think I gained some closure."

The spiritual presences all smiled at Isaac as they gave him a nod. They all turned their backs to him as they began to walk. Isaac noticed this and called out to them.

"Wait! Before you all go, I just want to hear it from you all. Do you think... that... I could be like you guys? Inspire people, make believe in the impossible, more importantly, can I pave the way for the future with my deck? Just like you all did. I just want to know if you all think I've got what it takes." asked Isaac as that was the one answer that would decide everything.

"That depends." said Isaac's idol as his shadow spoke which caused Isaac's eyes to go wide.

"As long as you have fun..." stated Jaden.

"As long as you remember the ones who truly support you..." continued Yusei.

"As long as you stay true to yourself." finished off Yuma.

"Then you'll find your answer." said all of them in unison. With that they all disappeared into their own section of statues as the spirits of their ace monsters appeared behind them as they drifted off into the fog. Soon it was just Isaac by himself as he was still surrounded by the statues.

"These words of wisdom, I have to hold on to them. I look up to these legends and if I am to be just a sliver of what they stand for and what they created, then I need to trust in that when the time comes to make that decision. I'll have chosen the right one, I just hope it's the one that everybody is content with." said Isaac as he put his head down. Soon he felt something on his shoulders as his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl looked at their master. Isaac moved his head up and saw his magicians as they had a smile on their faces; Isaac returned one as they all were happy. Soon the place started to disappear as the statues began to crumble; Isaac then disappeared back into the dream realm controlled by Princess Luna.

"What do you think, Yugi?" asked Jaden. "The kid looks up to you."

"Indeed. But he looks up to all of us." responded Yugi.

"Kid's a natural, could tell that he duels with passion." stated Yusei.

"Then we better make room, guys. Cause soon, we might have another person join our ranks." said Yuma.

"Yes, soon." smiled Yugi as all four spirits disappeared back into the ether.

Chapter 111: Ponyville Schoolhouse

After the trio had fully recovered from their adventure, they all then packed their stuff and started making their way to the train station. The ride back allowed them to kick back as Sunset and Spike informed Isaac about her duel. Overall, the mission was a success as they had managed to dispose of another leader and were now much closer to finishing their mission. The train ride caused all of them to have sleepy eyes as they all caught a quick nap; Sunset had snuggled up close to Isaac as he placed his head on top of her. By the time they had arrived back in Ponyville, the moon was high in the night sky as it was close to about 9:30 pm. The trio all grabbed their bags and got off the train as they were glad to be back. They all started to make their way to the castle as they were all drained of energy. They arrived at the castle and all headed straight to their rooms as they were due for a long sleep.

The morning arrived as the sun rose high into the morning as the rooster let out a cry to signal the start of a new day. But for the three that arrived late last night, they were still asleep. Twilight check in on each one of them as she was surprised to see all of them were still tired. Ultimately, she decided to let them get some more rest. She had just finished checking up on Spike when she came to Isaac's room. She slowly opened the door to the colt's room as she tiptoed in. The sight before her was one that brought a giggle to her face as she saw the stallion having the covers thrown on him as his mane was messy and his cap had fallen next his head.

"Seems like the adventure really took a toll on him." said Twilight as she slowly lifted the cover up to see the face of the brown stallion. She then began to look at Isaac as she couldn't help but blush. "He's someone who I never thought I would meet. It's gonna hurt when the time comes for him to leave, but... I can't just make him stay. He's got people back home who are waiting for him, and he's got a special someone who's dying to see him." Twilight then gave Isaac a kiss on his forehead as she put the covers back over him. "Sleep tight, my prince." said Twilight as she exited the room.

Thankfully, there wasn't any disturbances as both individuals were able to get a full day's rest. During that time, Twilight was doing some princess duties as she informed Princess Celestia about the mission being a success as she told them that once they woke up, she would ask them for details and then would send the full report to the princess. Celestia was thankfully for her student as she wished Isaac and Sunset her best wishes. The next day rolled around as both ponies got out of bed and let out a huge yawn as they felt recharged; for Isaac he was also hungry. They made it to the kitchen as they saw Spike already making some breakfast but this time Twilight was helping the little dragon prepare some food.

"Didn't expect you to be in the kitchen?" asked Sunset.

"Well, seeing as how both of you were exhausted after your trip. I figured you both needed some extra calories in your system." said Twilight as she pulled out some muffins from the oven.

"I'm not complaining." said Isaac as he quickly got seated and began to eat away the food that was on the table. Twilight couldn't help but smile as she saw Isaac eating away.

Soon they all got seated as they all shared their meal. After breakfast, Isaac helped Spike with the dishes as Sunset and Twilight made their way to the library as she told the princess about the details of their trip. While the boys were cleaning up, Spike made a conversation with the colt.

"By the way, here you go, Isaac." said Spike as he returned the Flame Swordsman card back to the colt. "Seems you were right, this card did help keep me safe."

"Hold onto it for a little longer." said Isaac. Before Spike could protest, Isaac put the conversation to rest.

After that they both headed into the library as Sunset had finished talking with Twilight about the details of their trip.

"Wow, I can't believe you were able to hold off that many spirits." said Twilight.

"Well, it wasn't easy." said Isaac as he took a seat in another chair. "But I had to create a distraction to allow Sunset to destroy the drills."

"I appreciate you doing that." said Sunset. "Not to mention that we managed to take out another leader. Now we just have to scout and take down the final 3."

"Well, I think for the time being, we should take a rest." said Spike as he sat next to Twilight. "Besides, I think I've had enough adventures for the time being."

"Then it's a good thing, I have a way for us to take our mind off of some things." said Twilight as she pulled out some boardgames. She told the three of them that she also invited the rest of the Main 6 as they got to enjoy each other's company as the trio told the girls about their adventure.

The next day came as Sunset and Isaac had left the castle and were heading somewhere as they were walking on the dirt path. Soon their destination came into view as it turned out to be a building that had a bell on the roof, a flag in the front yard, and a sign on the lawn depicting an open book and the silhouettes of two rearing fillies.

"So, do you think the kids will love this idea?" asked Isaac.

"Definitely, plus I kind of promised the fillies this. Just haven't had a chance to since a lot of stuff has come up in such a short amount of time." stated Sunset. With that the two ponies arrived at the front door as she knocked.

The door opened and out came Cheerilee. "Oh, Sunset. Good to see you. Wait here." she said. Cheerilee then entered her classroom as the fillies were talking amongst themselves. "Class, settle down." stated Cheerilee as she got the little ponies' attention. "Now we have some very special guest visiting us. Please give a warm welcome to Sunset Shimmer and her friend, Isaac."

"Hey, my little ponies." said Sunset as she walked into the classroom with Isaac beside her.

"Hello, Ms. Sunset." said all the fillies in unison.

"I hope you're all doing well. Now I promised that I would bring my friend, the next time I stopped by and here he is. Fillies, this here is Isaac. He's the one who saved town hall from that creature and his minions." stated the orange unicorn.

"Hey, kids." said Isaac as he gave a wave. The little fillies all gave a wave back to Isaac as he smiled.

"Now, class. Do you have any questions for Mr. Isaac?" asked Cheerilee.

"Uhm, mister? I'm just wondering how were you able to save the town?" asked one of the little filly by the name of Aquamarine.

"Well, where do I begin?" said Isaac as he sat in front of the class as they all gathered around the stallion as they too sat on their hinds as they listened. "Well, the best way is that I use my own monsters to save the town."

"What kind of monsters?" asked a unicorn filly by the name of Liza Doolots.

"Is he a good monster?" asked Featherweight.

"Yes, in fact, he's my best friend." Isaac then used his magic as he pulled out his deck and showed the fillies and colts his Dark Magician. "This here is my most valuable ally, his name is Mahad." said Isaac as he got a warm response from the kids. "But that's not the only one, meet my Dark Magician Girl, Mana." Isaac then pulled out his other ace magician as the kids were now giddy with excitement.

"So, do you like them?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah!" said the kids as they began to jump and down and then started to swarm around the colt's body.

"Alright, class!" stated Cheerilee as she got them to calm down and say Isaac from being overrun by the fillies.

Sunset just chuckled as she saw that somethings still remained the same. She then told them that she and Isaac would give them a little demonstration as they all exited the classroom and out to the playground. Soon Sunset and Isaac took their position as they gave a stare at each other.

"Ready, to show these kids some fun?" asked Isaac.

"Always." said Sunset as she activated her duel disk and projected a red card tray.

"Then, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he activated his duel disk and projected a gold card tray. Seems the kids liked Isaac saying that line as they had happy looks on their faces.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

The little fillies were excited as they couldn't wait to see both ponies in action. They were also excited to see what cool creatures and monsters both ponies could summon.

"I'll let you take the first move, Sunset." said Isaac.

Turn 1: Sunset

"Hope, you don't regret that decision, boy toy." smiled Sunset as she flipped her hair and gave Isaac a wink. "Now, I'll summon my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in attack mode." Sunset had summoned out one of her monsters as the kids were in awe. At first glance they were a bit frighten by the dragon, but then they saw how it snuggled into Sunset's chest and how she hugged it while giving it some kisses.

"Don't worry, kids. My dragon may seem scary, but he only attacks bad ponies." said Sunset as she gave her baby one last kiss and he took his position on the field. "Now, I'll just place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My move, so here goes." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Alright, now then." said Isaac as a spotlight appeared above him as the little fillies had the biggest eyes as they were filled with wonder. "Fillies and gentlecolts, I welcome you all to today's entertainment. We're so glad that you could attend, now then are you ready for some magic?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah!" shouted all the kids, even Cheerilee was giddy on her hooves as she couldn't contain her excitement.

"Well, then. Let's get on with the show. Now then, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Pretty lights." said Twist as she and the rest of her classmates were amazed by the light show and magical burst from Isaac's side.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 7 all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as a giant portal above him opened up. "Take to the stage, Apprentice Illusion Magician. Next, meet the keeper of relics, Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Scale 3, Level 5)." said Isaac as he had his two magicians out on his field.

"So cool!" shouted the fillies.

"Now, since I special summoned my Apprentice Illusion Magician, I can now add my Dark Magician to my hand. With that, Rune-Eyes Illusionist time to strike. Take out Sunset's dragon, Rune-Eyes' special ability activates so now he gains the attack points of the monster that he battles till the end phase. But why stop there, cause next I'll activate the effect of Apprentice Illusion Magician, so by sending her to the graveyard, I can increase my Rune-Eyes Illusionist's attack by another whopping 2000. So do the math, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist now has 5000 attack points!" shouted Isaac as his magician tapped into the power of his relic eye and pulled out his staff as he shot a powerful spell at Red-Eyes Baby Dragon as Sunset took some massive damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 4200-

"Well, time for my monster's ability to activate. Now when Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, I can summon a 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' from my deck and then I can equip my dragon to my new monster to give it 300 extra attack. And I think you know which monster I'm choosing." said Sunset as she shot a sly look at Isaac. "So rise up, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" shouted Sunset as she had her trusting monster on her field as it had 2700 attack points.

"With that, I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn. So now Rune-Eyes' attack returns to normal." stated Isaac.

Turn 3: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll play The Black Stone of Legend and then I'll tribute my monster so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" shouted Sunset as it was her turn to deal Isaac some damage. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Archfiend of Lightning, so now he can destroy all monsters on your side of the field with defense points that are less than my monster's attack points." With that Sunset's fiend then struck the ground as a pillar of fire surrounded Isaac's magician as it was destroyed.

"Next, I'll discard a card from my hand so that I can play Twin Twisters. So now I can destroy up to 2 spells/traps card on the field and I choose your pendulum cards." said Sunset as she got rid of Isaac's cards.

"As always, when my Pendulum cards are destroyed, they go to my Extra Deck instead of the graveyard." said Isaac as he grabbed his pendulums and slotted them into the Extra Deck compartment of his duel disk.

"Maybe, but now you have no scale in which to summon them back and you have no monsters on the field. So now Red-Eyes Archfiend attack Isaac directly!" Archfiend heard Sunset's command as it raised its fist and collided with Isaac. "Now, Red-Eyes, take out that pony who hurt you're beloved mistress." said Sunset as she gave Isaac a wink. Red-Eyes heard Sunset's command as it shot a fireball at Isaac as he lost some more life points and was thrown on his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 2800-

"Could you tell your Red-Eyes to back off a bit?" said Isaac as he was being pinned down by Sunset's dragon.

"He's just protective of his mistress." said Sunset as she had some sass. "Though he does get a bit jealous when he sees you snuggled next to me." Sunset then called off her dragon as it let Isaac up and returned to her side. "Don't worry, buddy. You're still the one that means the most in my life." stated Sunset as she was petting her dragon and gave him a kiss. "Now, I'll lay a facedown and call it a turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Guess, I better get back on track." said Isaac if he wanted to win. "Alright, now I'll play Card of Sanctity so now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand. Now, I'll reveal my Magician Navigation. So now I'll call upon my most trusting monsters, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as his pair of magicians appeared by their masters side. Even the little fillies were happy as they were in love with Isaac's monsters.

"So, you all like them?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah!" shouted all the fillies.

"Now, I'll play Magic Formula and give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. So now, Dark Magician take out her Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" said Isaac as his magician fired off a powerful spell that took out Sunset's dragon.
Sunset's Life Points: 3700-

"Now the effect of my Baby Dragon activates, so now I can add my Black Stone of Legend back to my hand." said Sunset as she got back her card.

"I'll just lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Sunset

"My draw, now I'll activate Cards of the Red Stone, so now I'll send a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck so that I can draw 2 cards." Sunset then selected the monsters she wanted to get rid of as she picked up some more. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Archfiend, so now your magicians are destroyed." Once again, Sunset got rid of Isaac's field with ease.

"Since Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 3800-

"Even with that boost, I'm about to end this. Now, I'll summon my Black Stone of Legend and then tribute it so that Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon can rise up." Sunset now had two monsters on her field as she looked to end this duel. "Now Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon attack Isaac directly!"

"I reveal my facedown, Defense Draw. Now the damage for this battle becomes zero and I get to draw a card." said Isaac as a wall of cards appeared in front of him as blocked the attack and he drew his card.

"You may have stopped my dragon from attacking, but let's see what you will do when my archfiend strikes." said Sunset as she thrusted her fore leg out and gave her monster its command as it took a chunk out of Isaac's life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, time for me to take control of this duel. So once again, I'll set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 2 Sleight of Hand Magician and Scale 7 Black Robe Mentalist." Isaac then placed his two new Pendulum cards on the far ends of his duel disk as both monsters rose in a column of light as the numbers appeared in front of them. "With a brand new scale to work with, I'm allowed to summon monster from Level 3 through 6 all at the same time. Ready or not, cause here they come!" shouted Isaac as a portal opened up and three lights came out. "Back for an encore is my Rune-Eyes Illusionist, making their grand debut is none other than Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4) and Mirage Magician(1600/1700, Scale 8, Level 6)." Other than Isaac's first magician, Sunset was shocked by the other two cards as Isaac normally used them for setting his scale. His first magician was male teen who wore an swordsman outfit made up of blue and white clothing as it had a few belts on his jacket; he also wielded a silver sword in his hand and a pirate hat on his head with a feather sticking out. Isaac's Mirage Magician was a female teenager spellcaster as she had a masquerade eye mask over her eyes, but Sunset could still see that they were brown. In terms of her outfit, she had black long hair as she wore fishnet sleeves and stockings as well as a white corset that all matched with a cerulean trench coat.

"Impressive." said Sunset as she took in Isaac's new monster.

"Finally, we've been freed." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he got in a ready position. "I will live and die by your command, Isaac." said Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Been meaning to have a chance to see you." said Mirage Magician as she looked at her master. She then used her magic to see Isaac in his human form as she let out a smile. She then lifted up her mask so that Isaac could look at his magician for her true beauty. "My, my. I definitely like what I see, strong, intelligent, dashing. Well, I'm impressed." said Mirage Magician as she caressed Isaac's cheek and gave him a wink.

"Well, please to meet you two. As your master, I promise to put my trust and support in you. The only thing I ask is that you do the same and that you consider me your friend." said Isaac.

"We pledge our loyalty to you, Master Isaac." said both teenager magicians as they bowed.

"Alright, then." said Isaac as he gave them the command to rise up. "Now Sunset, time for me to take my Pendulum skills to the next level!"

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset as she was unsure what Isaac was saying.

"Let me show you, now I activate my Mirage Magician's special ability. Now I can fusion summon using a monster the field with one in my graveyard or on the field without Polymerization!"

"You can what!?!"

"Let me show you, so I'll fuse together my Dark Magician and Mirage Magician so that I can form The Dark Magicians(2800/2300)!" Both monsters then combined as a pair of new monsters were created and appeared on Isaac's field.

"You... managed to fusion summon without Polymerization?" stated Sunset as she was in shock of Isaac's cards.

"That's not all, cause next I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's special ability. Since he was pendulum summoned, he can now take away one of your monster's attack points!" shouted Isaac. His Sorcerer Swordsman then raised his sword as it started to shine and then he unleashed a slash as it moved across the field and hit Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon in the chest as it felt its power depleting. "Now time to strike, Rune-Eyes Illusionist attack Sunset's Archfiend and don't forget that when my Illusionist attacks he gains the attack points of the monster he's battling till the end of the turn." Isaac's Illusionist then rose 4300 attack points as it took out Sunset's monster with ease.
Sunset's Life Points: 2600-

"I reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Burn. Now since a 'Red-Eyes' monster was destroyed, we both take damage equal to its attack points. Which means you lose!" shouted Sunset.

"Don't think so, cause I banish my Magician Navigation from my graveyard so that I can negate and destroy your trap card." Isaac's card then appeared as it shot a beam that took out Sunset's facedown. "But that's not all, cause next I activate the effect of my Dark Magicians, now once per turn, if a spell/trap is activated, I draw a card. Then depending on what I draw dictates what happens next, so here we go." said Isaac as he drew his card. "The card I drew is Dust Tornado and since it's a trap card, that means I can activate it. So say goodbye to your other facedown card." Now Sunset had no facedowns as Isaac looked to finish this duel. "Now, The Dark Magicians take out Sunset's Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon and end this duel!!" shouted Isaac as his monster lifted their wands and took out Sunset's last defense as her life points dropped.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as Isaac was declared the victor. Soon all of his monster disappeared as this time his Sorcerer Swordsman and Mirage Magician were still out as they took this time to speak with their master.

"We did it." said Isaac.

"Talk about a workout." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he sheathed his sword and rotated his arm. "Glad to be a part of your squad, eh boss." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he brought his fist up and gave Isaac a fist/hoof bump.

"What stellar performance." said Mirage Magician as she flipped her hair and took off her mask to look at Isaac. "Tell me do you have someone who's special to you?"

"I do." stated Isaac.

"Well, she's a lucky girl." said Mirage Magician as she put on her mask. She then leaned forward and gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek as he was used to it as this point. She and Sorcerer Swordsman both said goodbye to Isaac as they returned to his deck.

Before Isaac could check on Sunset he was swarmed by the little fillies as they all piled on him as he fell onto his back as they started to jump up and down on the older colt. Sunset sat up and saw the sight as she couldn't help but let out a giggle as seeing the little kids all surround Isaac.

"Class, let Mr. Isaac breath?" said Cheerilee as she got the kids to calm down and got off of Isaac who was at the bottom of the pile.

"You okay, boy toy?" asked Sunset as she used her magic to lift Isaac on his hooves.

"Yeah, I think so. And hey, good duel."

"Thanks, though you really impressed me. Using your Pendulum cards to fusion without Polymerization. What other tricks have you been hiding from us with those cards?" stated Sunset.

"You know that a magician always keeps his audience guessing." said Isaac with a sly smile.

Soon the kids all swarmed the two ponies but this time they didn't jump on them as they started to ask the pair a couple of questions. Isaac and Sunset did their best to entertain the little fillies and colts; they even managed to summon out a few of their monsters out so that they could play with the kids. While Isaac was watching the kids playing with his Watapon and Kuriboh, he overheard something. He looked in the direction and saw Applebloom as she was talking with a pair of other fillies.

"Come on, Applebloom. Stop messing with us." said a pegasus filly.

"Besides, there's no way you know the hero." said a unicorn.

"I'm tellin' y'all, I do. He helped me deal with them varmints that were reckin' mah farm." said Applebloom as she tried to do her best to convince her friends that she truly knew Isaac.

"Ain't this a familiar sight." said Isaac as he remembered a similar moment. He then began to make his way towards the group.

"Sure, sure. Look I've been waiting all day and I have some things that I want to try." said the orange pegasus.

"I'm tellin' you that I know him. Look I'll get him to talk to us." said Applebloom.

"Like that's going to happen." said the white unicorn. "You really think that the hero who saved Ponyville is just gonna walk over and talk to us."

"Well, that depends." said Isaac as he got the attention of the fillies.

"It's... it's..." stuttered Scootaloo.

"I... I..." stuttered Sweetie Belle as well.

"Told ya." said Applebloom with a smug smile. "Howdy, Isaac." said Applebloom as she gave a hug to the colt.

"Howdy, Applebloom." said Isaac as he returned the hug. "How's my favorite filly doing?" asked Isaac as he rubbed Applebloom's head making sure he didn't mess her pretty pink bow.

"Wow, you were right." said Scootaloo as she was in shock.

"Uhm, hello. I'm..."

"Sweetie Belle. And your name is Scootaloo." said Isaac as he knew the two fillies in front of him.

"You know our names? How?" asked Scootaloo.

"Well, let's just say that we've met before."

"You know, that kinda makes sense." said Sweetie Belle as she believed Isaac's statement.

"So... what did you think?" asked Isaac.

"That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen." said Scootaloo as she cheered the loudest she had. "The lights, the atmosphere, the action! It was like something out of a movie. Mister, can you teach me?"

"No, teach me." said Sweetie Belle as she wanted to learn.

"Hey, I'm the one who introduced the two of you to Isaac." said Applebloom as she felt left out and gave a pouting face.

"Don't worry, girls. I'll show you." said Isaac. The three fillies were excited that they jumped on the colt as he fell down with them all giving him a hug.

Isaac then began to show the CMC how he was able to duel and summon out his monster. He even let them hold his cards and let them place the cards on his duel disk as they got to witness the creature come out. Eventually, Isaac began to tell the girls about the reason on how he knew them. He told them about how he mentored their human counterpart in helping them to get better at the game. The CMC were shocked by what they heard, but ultimately were proud.

"Hey, Isaac?"

"Yeah, Applebloom."

"I know we're not yer versions of us. But do you think we could... you know... be as good as you?" said Applebloom.

"You have potential. All three of you do." said Isaac as he addressed the three fillies sitting in front of him. "When I first met you three, I was proud to see young individuals like yourself taking an interest in this game. But it warmed my heart even more when you wanted to get better and you started to learn from me. I'm proud to have helped you girls to become better duelists and I know you three are destined for great things." smiled Isaac.

"Thanks." said Sweetie Belle as she wrapped her hooves around Isaac's forelegs. Applebloom jumped on Isaac's back and hugged his neck.

"I'm good." said Scootaloo. She got a dirty look from the others. "But, I am thankfully for what you've done." said Scootaloo as she approached the colt and gave him a hug as well.

"I'm proud of you girls. And you all keep doing what you're doing. You've got your whole life ahead of you which means you've got tons of adventures to experience." said Isaac as he addressed the three fillies.

The four of them then broke apart from their hug as they all made it back to the main group as Isaac and Sunset continued to show off their monsters for the kids as they had the biggest smiles on their faces. Soon the school day was coming to an end as Ms. Cheerilee thanked Isaac and Sunset for entertaining the kids. With that Ms. Cheerilee dismissed everypony as they all gave their thanks to the two teen ponies as they had smiles on their faces. They both returned back to the castle as they told Twilight about their experience with the little kids and she was proud of them. Soon they all decided to turn in for the night.

Chapter 112: Discord

Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.

"I'm bored. How long has it been?" asked Spike as he was slumped in a chair.

"About 2 minutes since the last time you asked me." said Isaac as he looked at his watch and informed the dragon while he too was slumped in a chair. "I never thought I'd say this, but I wish something would happen. Heck, not even a single Duel Monster has shown up in the past 2 days. First they show up nonstop and now all of a sudden they decided to take a break." complained Isaac.

"I thought evil never takes a holiday." stated Spike.

"Guess, we're wrong." sighed Isaac.

The boys were in the map room as they were bored out of their minds. The Twilight and Sunset had gather all the girls and were taking a little 'girl trip' as they had made plans to hang out with each other. So that left Isaac to hang out with Spike; now normally that wouldn't be a problem, especially cause it allowed the two of them to have a duel, but eventually Spike got tired of it and wanted to do something else. So the boys engaged in several board games that were in the castle as they entertained themselves for the next few hours. However, that soon got them bored as they had nothing left to do.

"Hey."

"Hey." responded Spike. "How long..."

"35 seconds." said Isaac as he knew what Spike was going to say.

"Sweet Celestia, it's so dull!" shouted Spike. "Huh? Wait... I just thought of something we could do."

"Like what?"

"Wait, right here." said Spike as he ran off to find what he was looking for. Soon he came back as he had a box with him as he placed it on the table.

"What is that?"

"Just a 'top secret' thing I do with Big Mac whenever the girls are out of town. Meet... Ogres & Oubliettes!" said Spike as he lifted the lid of the box and revealed the contents inside.

"Ogres & Oubliettes? What's that?" asked Isaac as he had a confused look on his face.

"Ogres & Oubliettes is a fantasy role-playing adventure game." said Spike. "Basically, its using your imagination and pretending to be someone you're not. Don't you have something similar in your world."

As soon as Spike said that Isaac began searching his brain for an answer. "You mean... Dungeons and Dragons?"

"That's what it's called in your world?" asked Spike.

"I guess... no offense, but I've only ever heard of the game. Never had a chance to play it due to another game existing that was that caught my attention a bit more."

"You mean, Duel Monsters?" stated the little dragon.

"Hey, no offense to anybody who plays that game. But Duel Monsters just gives provides me with a bit more excitement. The rush of the duel, back and forth anticipating your move and what your opponent might do, being able to draw the right card that could swing things, heck even having a bit of luck. All of it just made be more invested in Duel Monsters than any other game. Not to mention that you get to see legends and icons of some of the greatest duelists to ever exist." said Isaac as he was now a kid and had wonder in his eyes.

"Right, well anyways. I was thinking that we could get a game in. I'll even teach you." said Spike. Isaac agreed to Spike's proposal as he got up from his chair and began to listen to him explain the game. "Okay, the goal, defeat the evil Squid Wizard, or as I call him... the Squizard!" said Spike. "The Squizard has laid siege to the last free city in Spiketopia. That's the name of the land. He's kidnapped a beautiful unicorn princess named Shmarity. Uh, which is like a normal name in Spiketopia, so, you know, don't think about it too much."

"Don't worry. I won't tell." said Isaac as he rolled his eyes at Spike's romantic delusions. "Just a word of advice, try not to name it after the pony you're in love with."

"Right. Moving on." said Spike as he cleared his throat. "Anyways, right now. I'm currently doing a campaign with Big Mac, but since you're new, I could come up with a new game for the two of us. Assuming that you want to play this?"

"Like you said, we've got nothing better to do." said Isaac.

"Alright then. The character that I am is Garbunkle, a famous magician. I'm a level 30 Enchanter with major skill points assigned to Intellect and Perception. Big Mac's character is Sir McBiggun, a level 27 Black Knight Unicorn from Castle Chadwick! When his king aligned himself with the Squizard, Sir McBiggun would not besmirch his honor. And so it came to pass, the magician and black knight vowed to rid Spiketopia of the evil Squizard." said Spike as he finished telling his campaign. "Anyways, that's what we're working on. But for this, we could create a mini story for the two of us, since you know..."

"I won't be around for long." said Isaac.

"Well... yeah." said Spike. "Anyways, do you have a name for your character?"

"Uh... uh... uh..." said Isaac as he was trying his best to come up with a made-up name. "Uh... uh..."

"Let's skip that for now. Maybe it'll help if you decide on what class you want to be? There's tons of options, there's Archers, Mages, Rogues..." said Spike as he listed off the options.

"Well, you know me and how I have a fond of spellcasters. But seeing as how you're a magician yourself, it wouldn't provide much versatility having two characters of the same class." said Isaac. He then began to look through the different classes as he looked for something that would intrigue him. "How about a paladin?" said Isaac.

"Paladins are the most durable, survivable, and self-sufficient class in the game. As such, they both make excellent solo characters and are excellent additions to nearly any party regardless of existing capabilities. In a party, they serve as a Defender, Face, and Striker. They do have some healing and utility options, but not enough to replace a full spellcaster in most parties. Your choice of subclass will influence which of those roles your character emphasizes, though typically it's just a sliding scale between Defender and Striker." said Spike as he read the class. He then began to fill out Isaac's character sheet with the proper stats.

"Okay, all that's left is to come up with a name? Any ideas?" asked Spike.

"Uh... uh... uh... what about... uh... Rowen... Dragespear?" suggested Isaac.

"Not a bad name." said Spike as he wrote Isaac's character name. "Alright, we're all set."

Soon Spike did his job as Gamemaster and began to do a mini campaign for the two of them. It took a while for Isaac to fully get invested, but once he did, he found himself having fun. And so the two continued this for the next few hours.

Their game had ended as the sun was starting to fall, Spike had made dinner for the both of them as they ate their food. Once they finished, Spike let out a yawn as he was tired out from their little session. With that Isaac decided to wash the dishes as he said good night to the little drake. Once Isaac finished cleaning the dishes, he then began to walk out of the kitchen as he was taking a stroll in the castle halls.

"Man, wonder when the girls will be back?" said Isaac. Soon he heard a chuckle as he turned around. "Huh? That's strange. I thought I heard something." Isaac kept walking a bit more until he heard another chuckle. He turned around again, but there was nothing. He then turned back around and came face to face with... himself?

Isaac was stunned by what he saw; he then lifted his left hoof as the mimic did the same. He then raised his other hoof and the mimic did the same. Isaac then did a couple more movements and each one he did, the mimic did the same thing. Soon he had a raised eyebrow as he was trying to figure this out.

"Okay. This doesn't make sense." said Isaac.

"Make sense?" chuckled the mimic as they laughed evilly. "Oh, what fun is there in making sense?"

"Alright, I've had enough! Who are you?" demanded Isaac as he took a step back.

The mimic then started to be surrounded in a green light and soon he started to change. Isaac looked on and standing before him was a draconeqqus. He then showed his face to Isaac as he laughed manically.

"Another leader?" asked Isaac as he prepared his duel disk for a fight.

"What, no hello? After all this time, I finally have a chance to meet you. And this is how you show your hospitality, Isaac."

"Huh? How do..."

"I know your name? Well, it's plain simple. I'm none other than Discord, the spirit of disharmony and chaos." said Discord as thunder and lightning appeared behind him.

"Who?" said Isaac as a record scratch sound appeared as Discord had a stunned look.

"You're joking. I'm sure Twilight has told you about me." said Discord.

"Nope."

"Not even Luna and Cay-Cay. That's what I call Princess Celestia, what a hoot!" snickered Discord.

"Like I said, who the hell are you?" said Isaac.

"Seriously!?! Ugg, I really need to get in touch with my agent." said Discord as he pulled out a banana and started to talk into it like a phone. "June, honey. We need to talk about my publicity."

"Ok-ay." said Isaac as he slowly started to walk away from the draconeqqus.

"Now hold on!" said Discord.

Isaac heard a 'POP' and felt a small weight on his back. He turned his head to find that Discord had shrunken down to the size of a squirrel and was lounging on Isaac.

"What do you want, Discord?"

"I'm glad you asked! I want to know about you."

"If you knew my name, then you probably know about me." stated Isaac.

"No doubt. I've heard about you from Fluttershy. I've even listened in on some of your conversations with Princess Twilight. It's amazing what you can listen when you're but a simple fly on the wall." snickered Discord. "So tell me, how's the princess?"

Isaac knew what Discord was implying, but he didn't show his expression. "She's a reliable friend." stated Isaac as he kept on walking.

'Oh, please. I want the juicy details. Despite me listening, I can't seem to enter Twilight's room due to her magic keeping intruders from listening in on her room. But I know that when she needs something from you, she always calls you to her room. So... what are you two doing in there?" suggested Discord.

"Like, I said. Nothing, I'm just answering questions she has about me." said Isaac as he made up a white lie to which Discord didn't press the issue anymore.

"Regardless. I'm more interested in you as a person. So tell me, how do you manage to be the hero this long?"

"Dumb luck, I suppose."

"Oh? I doubt that's the only factor here."

"What do you want!?!" demanded Isaac.

"Oh, you're no fun!" said Discord.

The weight disappeared off of Isaac's back and Discord rematerialized in front of the colt, full size this time.

"You're a incredible duelist that has the highest level of skill and talent for someone your age. Not to mention that you've got buddy-buddy with a certain group and have someone special and you think it's all dumb luck?!" stated Discord as he had a list manifest as he read from it with it wrapping around Isaac.

Isaac just stepped around the draconeqqus and kept on walking.

"Oh, and did I mention about your idol?" said Discord with some evil in his voice. Isaac immediately stopped and turned his head at Discord. "Now, I've got your attention." snickered the draconeqqus.

"Say what you want to say. But don't make me anger."

"Or what? You? Threaten me? ME!! AS if you could anything to the Lord of Chaos! Ha!" laughed Discord. He then used his magic to encase Isaac as he pulled the colt towards him. "Let me clarify some things, my little pony. I'm not like anybody you've intimidated in the past; I'm a whole different breed. I am a god! And with a snap of my fingers, I could send you away and nobody would even bat an eyelash. So... care to rephrase how you address me?"

"Kiss my ass!" said Isaac as he stared at the draconeqqus.

"HA! HA! HA! Oh, I knew I would have fun with you. Ahh Isaac. You're really quite entertaining-- the way you scowl and sneer. So defiant." taunted Discord as he released the stallion from his grasp. "Your friends are the source of your power and yet take them away and you find yourself in a helpless state. It's no wonder you're so hesitant on your future."

"Watch what you say!" shouted Isaac.

"Tell me, Isaac. You say you duel out of love. But what about your desire? Is it simply to be the best, or is there another reason?"

"I dunno. I mean, why do mountain climbers climb mountains? It's because they're there. Isn't that what they say?" replied Isaac.

"So in other words, you have no reason. There's nothing driving you but thrill, ambition... perhaps boredom." stated Discord. "But I know your type, you crave a duel. You want a duel that has you riding full throttle on the cutting edge with everything to lose and everything to gain! Is that not the kind of duel you want in on, Isaac?"

Isaac didn't say anything as he looked at Discord and absorbed his words. "I can neither confirm nor deny that."

"Oh, but if you had to choose? If you had to choose?" said Discord as he was looking to get Isaac to talk.

"Leave me alone!" shouted Isaac as he began to walk.

Discord snapped his fingers as the carpet that Isaac was walking on turned into an escalator. Isaac tried to walk faster but it was keeping him in place as Discord continued to have his way with the colt.

"You didn't think we were done? We're just beginning to have fun." smiled Discord smugly. "Besides, what about Princess Twilight?"

"What about her?" asked Isaac. Discord then snapped his fingers as he made a quarter appear in his hand before he tossed it to Isaac who held the thing in his magic. "What's this for?"

"I figured you would like something to test just how firm her flank might be." snickered Discord. "Why I bet you could bounce one half ways to Canterlot off that fine backside. Hmm." said Discord as he raised his eyebrows.

"No!" shouted Isaac as he tossed the coin away. "I'm not doing that! I'm not the kind of person to have dirty thoughts about my friends." said Isaac.

"But you've thought about it, haven't you. It's naturally, you're a teen and who wouldn't get like that with Princess Twilight whenever she's close to you."

"Enough!" said Isaac. "I had enough of your mischiefs and temptations, Discord. I can tell you're trying to get under my skin and you want me to lose my cool. Well, I'll tell you something. You can't shake me; as a duelist, I've learned to have confidence. Growing up the life around me, seeing stuff happen on the streets, I've grown tough skin and seen some unpretty sights, even for a kid. So know that this little mind game you're trying to play, it's not gonna work." said Isaac as he got off the escalator and was walking away.

"Oh, we're not done!" shouted Discord as he snapped his fingers and transformed the entire room.

"Huh?" said Isaac as he noticed his surroundings changing. "What's going on? Tell me, Discord."

"Why, we're playing a game. A game you're quite familiar with." snickered the draconeqqus. "A game of Duel Monsters." said Discord as he transported them to an empty space filled with nothing but black.

"Let me out! Now!" shouted Isaac.

"Not after I'm done with you. Consider this a fighting chance. Beat me and you're free to go. But lose and well... Ha! Ha! You don't want to know." said Discord with the most manically tone in his voice as a duel disk appeared on his arm.

"If it's a duel you want, then game on!" said Isaac as he activated his duel disk and projected a gold card tray. "It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

Believe me, Isaac. I plan to find what I'm looking for.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Discord's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Discord

"Tall, dark, and handsome creatures go first." said Discord as he drew his card. Now then, time to pick your mind, young colt. What's inside of that head of yours? Discord then used his magic as he allowed his eyes to look into Isaac's soul; he then gasped as he found what he was looking for. Discord couldn't help but let a small laugh, despite Isaac having a tough wall around him, he had a poor defense in hiding his personal demon.

"You think you can beat me? Well, let's find out who destiny favors?" snickered Discord. "I play one card facedown and end my turn." said Discord.

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn!" said Isaac as he drew his card. That facedown card is obviously a trap, he's either baiting me or trying to scare me out of attacking. Time to find out which one it is.

"Don't tell me you're getting cold feet? Or are you still toying with your demon about your destiny? snickered Discord.

"What do you know about 'my destiny'?" shouted Isaac. "As far as I'm concern, that's none of your business!!!"

"Oh, believe me. It is my business!! Just as it's everybody's else to find out what your true 'destiny' is."

"You don't get it!"

"You don't get it!!" shouted back Discord. "There are incredible forces at play here, Isaac. You humans are just a means to an end. You're not important! You're disposable cogs in a machine. Your individual lives mean nothing!"

"Now by sending one card to graveyard, I can special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician. And doing so, I can add Dark Magician from my deck to my hand!" stated Isaac as he got rid of one card. His duel disk then slotted out his Dark Magician as Isaac added it to his hand. "Now, my monster attack his life points directly!!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's magician heard his command as he raised her staff above and shot a powerful spell at him.
Discord's Life Points: 6000-

"With that I'll place one card facedown." said Isaac as he ended his turn.

Turn 3: Discord

"It's my turn now, from my hand I activate the field spell, Malefic World!' shouted Discord as the field around them started to change as they were surrounded by huge buildings with odd colors. "Now, instead of drawing a card during my Draw Phase, I'm allowed to add a random Malefic monster from my deck directly to my hand. Next, I'll send my Cyber End Dragon from my Extra Deck to the graveyard, which means Malefic Cyber End Dragon(4000/2800) now appears!" True to Discord's word, out appeared Cyber End Dragon but this version was much more evil and had certain parts of it covered in metal armor despite it having metal skin.

"That's all for now, I'll give you a chance." said Discord as he ended his turn.

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. And place another card facedown." said Isaac.

Turn 5: Discord

"That's all, please. Now my field spell activates, so I'll add a random Malefic monster to my hand. Then I'll send Rainbow Dragon from my deck to the graveyard, which, as you saw before, means I can summon Malefic Rainbow Dragon(4000/0)!" Once again Discord had gotten rid of a monster's good version to allow their evil persona to arise; Malefic Rainbow Dragon appeared as it too had pieces of metal across its body.

"Now, Malefic Rainbow Dragon, attack! Spectral Surge!" shouted Discord as his monster took out Isaac's Magician Valkyria with ease. "Malefic Cyber End Dragon, attack!" shouted Discord as he had his second dragon take out Isaac's other magician.

"Uhh. Ohh..." said Isaac as he was flung by the attack and thrown onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 6000-

"I'll now place a facedown. But before I end my turn, I'm activating the Destiny Activator spell card! Now all I need to do, is draw the top card from my deck and send it to my graveyard. From this point forward, if what you draw is the same type of card that I send, then your life points are cut in half!" said Discord as he sent Malefic Paradigm Dragon away. "The card I sent away was a monster card, so make your next move, Isaac. And hope against hope that you don't draw a monster card."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Here goes." said Isaac as he drew his card and revealed so that both could see it.

"HA! HA! It's a spell card." laughed Discord. "Looks like destiny is toying with you."

"My turn, now I'll discard a card so that I can play my Card Rotator spell card. Now this forces all of your monsters into defense mode." Soon all the monster's on Discord's side changed battle positions. "Next, I'll play the card I drew, Pot of Greed. So now I'll pick up two more cards. Now, I'll banish my Apprentice Illusion Magician and Magician's Valkyria in order to summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" shouted Isaac as he had a powerful monster on his field.

"And then I'll have my Black Luster Soldier attack. So charge, Black Luster Soldier! Vanquish that Malefic Cyber End Dragon!" shouted Isaac as he gave his monster it's command. Black Luster Soldier then dashed forward as he brought his sword down and stabbed Malefic Cyber End Dragon in the chest as a red light came out from it as it fell apart and was destroyed. "Oh, and by the way, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning's ability allows him two attacks in this one battle!" said Isaac with a smirk.

"Two attacks?" said Discord in disbelief.

Black Luster Soldier then came back around as he had his sights set on another monster. Just like before, he grabbed his sword and slashed it across the chest of Malefic Rainbow Dragon as it left a mark on the monster. Soon a bright light emerged and then an explosion happened as Discord's other monster was gone.

"You've heard about knights slaying dragons before, well how about taking down two at once." said Isaac with a smile.

"Let's see if you're still smiling after this. I play the trap Malefic Tune." said Discord. "Now, since a Malefic monster has been destroyed, I get to draw two cards from my deck."

"Fine. I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Discord

"It's my turn, but instead of drawing, I'll use my field spell to add a random Malefic monster to my hand." said Discord as the card ejected for him to grab. "Excellent! Now I have all that I need to win this right at my fingertips. I send Stardust Dragon from my Extra Deck to the graveyard. Now, rise up. Malefic Stardust Dragon(2500/2000)!" Like before out came Discord's monster as it had several pieces of armor over parts of its body.

"Next I summon Malefic Parallel Gear. Now, Parallel Gear, tune with my Malefic Stardust Dragon!"

"What?" shouted Isaac.

"You're not the only one here who can Synchro Summon, Isaac." Parallel Gear then transformed into two green rings as Malefic Stardust Dragon jumped between them. "Behold, as the shadows drip down through the cracks of time, and witness how the darkness pools together to create pure evil!! I Synchro Summon, Malefic Paradox Dragon(4000/4000)!" shouted Discord as he had a more powerful monster on his side of the field.

"Not good." said Isaac with concern.

"And next, I'll activate its special ability! You see, since I Synchro Summoned, I'm allowed to bring back a Synchro Monster from my graveyard straight to the field. So rise once more, Stardust Dragon!" stated Discord.

"Two dragons again?"

"That's right, Isaac, and now Paradox Dragon reduces the attack points of your monster by the attack points of the monster I just revived. So, Black Luster Soldier, power down!" stated Discord as Isaac's warrior was reduced to 500 attack points.

"Black Luster Soldier, no!" shouted Isaac. If this keeps up, I won't last much longer!

"I would say you put up a good fight, only you didn't. Malefic Paradox Dragon, destroy Black Luster Soldier!" Malefic Paradox Dragon then powered up its attack as it looked to take out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"I reveal my facedown, Miracle's Wake! With this, I can revive a monster that was destroyed in battle. So now, my Black Luster Soldier rises up one more time. Return to battle!" said Isaac as he had his monster back in play.

"I'm sorry, Isaac. But even your best, won't be good enough here, not so long as I have Stardust Dragon, because due to Malefic Paradox Dragon's ability, your monster's attack points decrease by Stardust Dragon's attack points!" stated Discord as he reduced Black Luster Soldier. "Next, I'll place two cards facedown to end my turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"Then it's my move now! So get ready!" shouted Isaac.

"Don't forget about my Destiny Activator, should you draw a monster card, your life points are cut in half." stated Discord.

Isaac drew his card and this time it was a trap card.

"Now then, I'll play my Card of Sanctity so now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand. I then activate the spell card known as Ancient Rules. With it, I'm allowed to summon a Level 5-or-above monster directly from my hand. So take to the field, Dark Magician!"

"As if I didn't see that coming." said Discord with an uninterested look on his face. "However, he's still subject to Paradox Dragon's power-down effect." With that Discord's monster lowered Dark Magician's stats.

"From my hand, I play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student! Since I have Dark Magician out on the field, I can summon his student, Dark Magician Girl in defense mode!" shouted Isaac as he had his two ace magicians with him. "Next, I play the spell Magic Gate of Miracles. Now, since I have two spellcasters out on my field, I can switch one of your monsters to defense mode and switch it to my side." Isaac's card then had two transdimensional gates appeared as a set of hands came out to grab one of Discord's monsters.

"Oh! I play a trap-- Malefic Force!" said Discord as he was caught offguard by Isaac's move. "And by equipping Malefic Force to my monster, it can't be affected by your spells, which means Paradox Dragon is no longer up for grabs." snickered the draconeqqus.

"Yes, that's true, but Stardust Dragon still is." said Isaac as he managed to outsmart the Lord of Chaos.

"No! You... you sneaky... little pony." stated Discord as he was angry.

"Correction, I'm a human. And this human just outsmarted a god." stated Isaac with a smug smile on his face. "Speaking of Paradox Dragon, its ability is no longer in affect, which means my monsters' attack points return to normal." said Isaac as his Dark Magician and Black Luster Soldier gained their stats back.

"Bravo, Isaac. But so what if you restored your monsters' attack points? My Paradox Dragon still has them beat with a total of 4000! Face it. You're simply outmatched."

"I wouldn't say that," smiled Isaac, "Now my spell allowed to set another card. And now I activate my Dark Magic Twin Burst! With this, Dark Magician's attack points increase by the attack point total of Dark Magician Girl!"

"What?"

"Now your monster is the one who's outmatched, Discord. And not only that, it also happens to be outnumbered, two to one. So, attack, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!" commanded Isaac.

"You heard the master, Mana." said Mahad as he leaped into the air.

"Right, Mahad." shouted Mana as she too joined in with her teacher.

Both then combined their weapons as Mana transferred her power to Mahad as they created a huge ball of dark energy.

"Here goes." shouted Mahad.

"Now!" responded Mana.

"Twin Dark Magic Attack!" yelled both of them as they shot their attack and took out Paradox Dragon.
Discord's Life Points: 5500-

"And then, Black Luster Soldier take a swipe at his life points!" shouted Isaac as he commanded his monster to attack and took another chuck of Discord's points.
Discord's Life Points: 2500-

"You may have gotten rid of my monsters, but you've also cleared the way for something else-- something grand, something almighty!" stated Discord.

"Spit it out!" shouted Isaac as he was annoyed.

"I activate the trap Malefic Paradigm Shift! With Malefic Paradox Dragon destroyed, by sacrificing half of my life points, I can summon my most wicked beast, Malefic Truth Dragon(5000/5000)!!!" shouted Discord. Soon a portal opened up and out came a massive dragon that was the biggest Isaac had ever seen. It let out a loud roar as it towered over Isaac and his entire field; Discord was on top of the dragon's head as he looked down at the pony with a sick smile on his face.
Discord's Life Points: 1250-

"Ok, I've seen some big monsters in my life, but that behemoth definitely takes the cake! Hell, it probably ate it too!" said Isaac as he couldn't get over the size of the dragon.

"This is your doing, Isaac! I hope you're pleased with yourself." snickered Discord.

"I place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Discord

"It's my turn," said Discord as his field spell activated giving him a card, "and I activate Malefic Selector! By removing Malefic Parallel Gear and Malefic Cyber End Dragon, I'm allowed to add two cards from my deck to my hand. Next, I'll send two monsters in my deck to the graveyard and summon forth their counterparts, Malefic Blue-Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500) and Malefic Red-Eyes Black Dragon(2400/2000)!" shouted Discord as he got rid of the cards and in their place rose two dragons as they also had pieces of metal over certain parts of their bodies.

"Both Blue-Eyes and Red-Eyes?" said Isaac as he was a bit worried.

"That's right. And now for a taste of their power! Red-Eyes take out his Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Discord as Red-Eyes shot a fireball heading towards Isaac's female magician.

"Ohh!" said Mana as the attack was heading towards her.

"Oh! And since Malefic Truth Dragon is out, if one of your monsters goes down, all of your other monsters are also destroyed." shouted Discord as his attack was getting really close to Dark Magician Girl who closed her eyes and prepared for the worst.

"I'll save you, Mana." shouted Isaac. "I reveal my Spellbinding Circle! So now Red-Eyes loses 700 attack points and can't change battle positions. Which means Dark Magician Girl is safe!" shouted Isaac as he managed to save his magician and cause Discord to lose some more life points.
Discord's Life Points: 950-

"Thanks, Isaac." said Mana as she thanked her master and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You may have saved your 'girlfriend' from being destroyed. But my other dragons can still attack. Go, Blue-Eyes! Pick up where Red-Eyes left off! Take out his Dark Magician!" shouted Discord as his dragon fired off a power attack as it took out Isaac's other magician.

"Aaah!" yelled out Mahad.

"Mahad!!!" shouted Isaac as he watched his friend be destroyed in front of him.
Isaac's Life Points: 2000-

"Next, Malefic Truth Dragon's special ability activates, which means all the remaining monsters you have on the field are destroyed." Soon dark spikes appeared as they levitated in the air and then all headed towards Isaac, as one nearly struck him if he hadn't move his hoof out of the way, as it was embedded into the ground.

"Sorry, Discord. Don't think so! I activate Stardust Dragon's special ability, so by releasing my dragon, I can negate your dragon's effect and then destroy it altogether."

"What?"

"So say good-bye!" shouted Isaac. Soon the spike turned direction as they were now heading back to Discord.

"Not so fast. I play Truth Dragon's other ability! By removing Malefic Rainbow Dragon in my graveyard from play, Truth Dragon is saved, and you know what that means! It can carry out its attack!" shouted Discord as he prepared to take out Isaac's Black Luster Soldier and end the duel.

"I reveal my second facedown, Book of Moon. So I'll switch my Black Luster Soldier from face-up to facedown position." said Isaac as he managed to protect his life points as his monster was destroyed.

"Don't forget about my dragon's effect remember, when one goes, they all go!" stated Discord as Isaac's Dark Magician Girl let out a cry as she too was destroyed. "Oh, and did I mention? For every monster destroyed by this special ability, you take 800 points of damage!" shouted the draconeqqus.
Isaac's Life Points: 1200-

"Next, I play the spell Malefic Divide. With it, I can bring back one Malefic monster from my graveyard until the end of this turn, and the Malefic monster I choose to bring back is... Malefic Stardust Dragon!"

"No!" said Isaac.

"Malefic Stardust Dragon, unleash your fury!" shouted Discord as he commanded his dragon. "This is it-- the moment destiny has been pushing towards!"

"I reveal my last facedown, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. Now I can add Kuriboh to my hand." The card then materialized in Isaac's hand. "Now I activate Kuriboh's ability which allows Kuriboh to take the hit instead of me and reduce all damage to zero." Kuriboh then appeared in front of Isaac as he did its best to neutralize the attack.

"Ugh! Aah!" let out Isaac as the attack was so powerful it threw him for a loop as he was sent flying. His cap was flown off and his jacket came off of his body as he laid on the ground with scratches and scuffs.

"That's right, lie there and prepare to accept your fate!" stated Discord.

"Can't... give up. I... have to keep fighting no matter what." said Isaac as he tried to lift himself off of the ground.

"Keep fighting? You can't even defend yourself!" laughed Discord. "With that I'll end my turn." said the draconeqqus as Malefic Stardust Dragon disappeared and Stardust Dragon reappeared on Isaac's side.

Turn 10: Isaac

Isaac was still a bit sore from the attack, but he managed to stand up. He then used his magic to dust off his clothes as he put them back on and his cap. He then slowly made his way back to his position as he looked at Discord up above. Discord couldn't help but laugh as he sipped a glass of iced tea leaving the drink itself while the glass went down his throat.

"Isaac! What are you waiting for? Ha ha ha!" chuckled the draconeqqus with the most evil voice possible. "Are you too scared to draw? It's understandable if you are, as I would be too, if half of my life points depended on what kind of card I picked."

"I'm not scared!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. This time however, Isaac had managed to draw a monster card.

"Well, you should be since you just drew a monster card. Now because of that, the Destiny Activator spell activates and all but ends this duel!" shouted Discord as his card took away even more of Isaac's points as the pony dropped to the ground once again.
Isaac's Life Points: 600-

Isaac shook off the attack as he took a deep breath and got himself back on his legs.

"Ha ha ha. Destiny has you in its grasp. It's crushing you." said Discord as he used his magic powers once more to look at the colt and could see the demon inside of him starting to grow. "This duel is over."

"It's not over till the last card is played." shouted Isaac.

"Impressive. You have the will to fight on after all. I suppose you inherited that stubbornness from your idol, even more so the legends that you look up to. How fascinating that after all these years, after all your legends have moved on with their lives. They managed to spark hope in one person who looks up to them; who spent countless time growing up trying to study everything there was about Duel Monsters, hoping to perhaps become the next legend himself and here you are without realizing that this was all planned. And you think destiny's not in control." snickered Discord.

"I've had enough!" shouted Isaac as he felt he had enough of people mention that this was his 'destiny'. "The only destiny is the one we make, Discord!" Soon Isaac's body began to glow.

"Strong words, Isaac, especially for someone hanging on by a thread, but you're up against a force with power you can't begin to comprehend." stated Discord. "You are special, Isaac. Destiny has hand-picked you, you've been marked for greatness. Destiny has chosen you, Isaac. And no one can hide from their destiny forever."

"Stop this!" shouted Isaac as he tried to silence the draconeqqus from talking anymore about his 'destiny'.

"This is destiny's hour, Isaac, but don't be too discouraged. You've done what you were suppose to, you've played a very pivotal role in this incredible story." stated Discord.

"SHUT UP!!!!!" yelled out Isaac as he had fury in his eyes and looked at Discord.

Discord noticed this and he was smiling, he saw the demon inside of Isaac as it had now merged with his soul. He decided make a chair pop out as he leaned back and prepared to watch Isaac destroy himself. While the demon inside of Isaac had been lurking, his body was still glowing as it was transmitting something, almost like it was reaching out for someone or rather someone(s).

Back in the human world...

Rainbow Dash was busy practicing some soccer drills as she had the ball in play. She was also trying to dodge some obstacles as she guided the ball with her feet. Just when she was about to reach the end of the course, she felt a jab in her heart as it caused her to tumble and fall down on the ground.

"Rainbow Dash, you okay?" called out one of her teammates.

"Yeah, I'm good." she said. "Just... felt something." What was that? It's almost like... Isaac is calling out to me.

Whitetail Woods was home to many animals. As well as it was full of tons of volunteers and employees that did their best to care for the wildlife that lived here. Fluttershy was tending to some wildlife animals as she was giving them some food.

"Here you go, everybody. Remember to share." she said as he brought them their meal.

Just as she was about to give the animals their food, she felt a surge flowing through her body as she dropped to her knees. The animals also sensed this as they rushed over to her side to check up on her. Soon it passed by as Fluttershy saw the animals worried about her.

"Thanks, everyone. I'm fine." said the shy girl as she calmed down the animals. But... I can hear Isaac.

Rarity had been sewing some pieces of clothing as she was putting the final touches on her outfit.

"I dare say this is your best work yet, Rarity." said her partner.

"Oh, believe me. Sassy Saddles. This is just the first part of the line that..." Rarity didn't get to finish her statement as she dropped her measuring tape and fell to her knees as she clutched her arm.

"Rarity!" shouted Sassy Saddles. "Are you hurt?"

"Oh, strange. I haven't felt a rush like that since... Isaac." It's as if... I can feel his presence.

"Come on, Applejack." shouted Applebloom.

"Easy there, sugar. Dinner is just about ready." said Applejack as she finished cooking the stew and was carrying it out to the table as her family was already seated. "Hope y'all are hungry. Cause this here is..." Applejack then dropped the pot she was carrying as it hit the floor and a bit of the stew splattered.

Her family was shocked by Applejack's actions that they raced over to her to check if she was okay as she fell onto one knee.

"Aj? What happened?" asked Applebloom as she was worried for her big sis.

"I... dunno know. It's like I was suddenly weak all of a sudden." said Applejack. Soon she felt her strength come back as her brother helped pick her up from the floor while Granny Smith and Applebloom got to work cleaning the mess. Applejack then took a seat as she let out a deep breath. Strange, it's as if Isaac was talkin' to me.

"Order #45! We need it at table 3!" shouted a manager.

"Got it!" shouted Pinkie as she roller bladed and picked up the meal and brought it to the table.

"Order #17!" shouted a chef.

"Okey-dokey lokey!" said Pinkie as she zoomed off.

Back and forth this went as Pinkie was constantly rushing between the kitchen and the dining room as she took orders and delivered the customers their food. Despite all this, Pinkie was not once tired which really made the owner of the restaurant happy as he had a committed worker. He soon approached Pinkie as she was counting the resister.

"My, Ms. Pie. You've certainly have outdone yourself. Thanks to you this place has become a popular place for people to come in. Not to mention that we've been receiving some wonderful ratings." said the manager.

"Aw, shucks. It's no big deal. I just follow Pinkie Pie's certified TLC. Which are..." stated Pinkie before she felt herself being drained of her excitement and soon slumped against the counter.

"Pinkie? Are you okay?" asked the manager as he checked up on his employee.

"Wow. What a doozy." said Pinkie as she had her head to her forehead as she was out of energy. "It felt like, I had no stamina."

"You're probably tired. Why don't you take a break and let the others handle the rest of the orders?" said the manager as he led her to the break room.

"Yeah." said Pinkie as she agreed with her boss' order. Still... I sense big bro.

At Industrial Illusions, all the people that interned were given their own private workspace so that they could study. Twilight was busying working at her desk as she was trying to solve a problem about a certain card. Spike was sleeping next to her desk as Mr. William was generous enough to let Twilight bring her pet along with her. The only thing was that Spike didn't cause too much trouble. Twilight then took her glasses off for a second as she rubbed her eyes; she had been at work for hours trying to come up with a solution.

"I'm close. I know it. If this works, then we could have a major break through on our hands." said Twilight.

"Still hard at work, Twilight." said Mr. William who appeared in the door way of Twilight's workspace.

"Oh, Mr. William. Sorry, I just can't sleep if I can't figure out the problem. I know that once I do, they'll be ready for testing and then potentially the world." said the smart girl.

"I admire your dedication, Ms. Twilight. But even geniuses need their rest, Einstein himself got some much needed sleep before he became a Nobel Prize winner." stated Mr. William.

"I know, just... I feel like I'm close." said Twilight.

"Very well, just try not to stay up too late." said Mr. William as he wished Twilight a good night.

Twilight then gave Spike a pet as he just shifted over to his side. She then looked at the two pictures on her desk as one was of the whole gang as Twilight missed having her friends around. She knew she would see them; she then picked up another photo as it was her and Isaac on one of their past dates as they were holding hands and smiling.

"Isaac. I just hope you're not missing me too badly." said Twilight as she took her seat.

However, the moment Twilight sat in her chair she felt the same surge the other girls felt as it caused her to fall out of her chair and onto the ground hitting her back. Spike heard this and woke up as he saw Twilight lying on the ground and went to check up on her.

"Twilight, you okay?" asked Spike.

"I think." said Twilight as she sat up and looked at her hand. "But what was that? It's like I can hear and feel Isaac."

True to what each of the girls said, they could feel Isaac's presence. While they couldn't exactly see, they could hear his voice calling out to them. Soon the magic that connected them started to manifest in each of the them as they heard Isaac speak. Sunset was with the rest of the girls as they were doing a fun activity; however, during that she and the entire group all felt a surge flow through their bodies as they too heard Isaac. Soon both groups could sense Isaac's presence as they heard him talk and could listen in to his speech that he was giving Discord.

Back to the duel...

"Discord, I've listened to you go on long enough. You do terrible things, then you say it's all just destiny's will. Well, I've got some very bad news for you, Discord-- There is no such thing as destiny!!!!" shouted Isaac. "There's only what you do and what you don't do!!! But listen, I understand that life is a long series of chain reactions. If I didn't discover Duel Monsters, then I probably wouldn't be here right now. I probably would never have met some incredible people in my life. Hell, I probably end up in the streets with the gangs running around. Making my parents worry that one day that their son wouldn't come home and that he'd be found dead in the streets!!!!" yelled out Isaac as he had a couple of tears in his eyes. "But I am who I am, I'm not some cosmic chess piece. And as for my friends and all the bad stuff they've had to go through, don't tell me that's fate!! Don't tell me everything happened 'cause it was meant to!!"

"Isaac." said both groups as they heard him.

"That's bullshit!!!! It happened because of you and the choices you made!"

"If only you knew how wrong you are." stated Discord.

"You're kidding yourself. There's no way we could know what happens. Look at it this way-- if I never discovered Duel Monsters, I never would have came to CHS. I might have not met with the others and become best friends. Good things lead to bad things leading to more good things, and that's just life!!" said Isaac. "And at the end of the day-- we all have choices. We aren't 'destined' to make them. You're just using destiny as an excuse, or who knows-- maybe it was my 'destiny' to say all this. But either way-- I'm finishing this duel!!" stated Isaac as he looked at Discord. "Ya know what-- all that really matters is that we listen to ourselves. And that we do what think is right. Maybe there is destiny. But if that's the case, then you were destined to fail!" shouted Isaac as the magic inside of him and his demon were now merging. "Now it's to end this!!!" Isaac had the magic inside of him now start to infuse with his soul, the card(s) in his hand were now glowing in a rainbow coloring.

"Now, I place my Black Arts Trickster in my Pendulum Zone. Then I'll activate her effect, which means I can add a pendulum monster from my deck and then place it in the other Pendulum Zone. So I'll set the pendulum scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 3 Black Arts Trickster. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Impossible!" said Discord as he wasn't expecting this. He thought for sure that the demon residing in Isaac would take over, but it seemed that he was rather bonding with it. He was merging his soul with it along with the magic from his friends, it allowed Isaac the power to control it instead of letting it take control.

"Now I activate the other effect of my Black Arts Trickster, if there's a 'magician' in my other Pendulum Zone, then I raise the scale of her up to 10." Soon the number in front of Black Arts Trickster then went up. "Alright, pendulum. You swung his way, now you're gonna swing my way. Now I activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's Pendulum ability, now I add monsters from my graveyard to my hand so long as their level falls in the scale I've set. So I'm adding 4 monsters back to my hand." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his cards. "Now time to pendulum summon! I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 9, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as a portal opened up and out came four lights.

"Make way for Magician's Valkyria. Time to shine some light in the darkness, Apprentice Illusion Magician. Give a warm welcome to the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl. And lastly is our star attraction, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he had a field full of monsters. "Now! Behold as I combine the power of all my magicians on the field!" The four magicians rose up, floating level with Isaac’s Pendulum monsters. Strands of light in seven colors whirled around each of them, the seven glowing brighter and brighter. "I harmonize the spirits of my monsters, and open the dimensional gates to call upon a shining spirit of hope.” Isaac’s magic burst into a spectacle of colors. “Unitatis Summon! Ascend, Harmony Magician Warlock!” Out came Isaac's new monster as he started to light up with his aura starting to shine brighter than ever. "Harmony Magician Warlock can be summoned by tributing any number of spellcasters on my side of the field, be they in the Monster or Pendulum Zones. For each card tributed from a Monster Zone, he gains that monster’s original attack points, and for each card tributed from a Pendulum Zone, he gains an additional attack this turn.”

"This can't be!!" said Discord.

"Now my Harmony Warlock Magician now has a total of 8100 attack points! And thanks to my Pendulum monsters, my monster can attack a total of three times! So now Harmony Magician Warlock, end this duel!!" His monster then raised his staff as he brought it down and with one swipe took out all of Discord's monsters as he was caught up in the blast as a light surrounded everything.
Discord's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

After that attack, the connection with all of the girls disappeared. They still didn't know what that was all about, but they could sense that Isaac was okay. Inside that huge white light, Isaac had his eyes closed as he was in his human form. He soon opened them as he saw his demon inside of him appear in front of him; they both looked at each other with intense focus. Soon behind Isaac, the spirits of the Big 4 appeared as they looked at him. Isaac looked back at them as he knew what they were telling him; they all gave him a nod as Isaac did the same. He then turned back to the demon as he put his hand out; the demon then did the same as both started to fuse together as it entered Isaac's body. Isaac could feel the demon inside of him, but he also felt the magic as well as the presence of the Big 4 as they too entered Isaac's body. Soon Isaac could feel himself in control as he had finally reached clarity.

The light died down and Isaac was back in the castle hall in his pony form as he opened his eyes. Discord was also back as he was in front of him. Seems the battle with Isaac had not gone the way he wanted, but he also sensed the power that Isaac had. To be honest, what Isaac did in that moment with the speech he'd given, gave Discord a legit scare as he could tell the power that Isaac had.

The boy has a strong will. And now that he's conquered his demon, he's finally ready. Discord then started to give a clap to Isaac as it caught his attention. "Bravo, bravo. Seems what I had originally intended has actually helped you. I look forward to seeing what else you can do, Isaac. And I know that destiny can't be stopped, but maybe you can have a say in it turns out. Farewell." Discord then snapped his fingers as he disappeared in a shower of particles.

Soon the door to Spike's room opened up. "Isaac. You okay? I heard you shout." said Spike as he had awoken from his sleep hearing Isaac's shouting.

"Yeah." said Isaac as he looked straight. "I guess... I'm finally ready." stated Isaac as he had a smile on his face and was prepared for what his fate was to be.

Chapter 113: The Crystal Empire

After the whole incident with Discord, the girls were a bit worried about Isaac. Later that night, both Twilight and Sunset had arrived from their hang out with the rest of the girls. They wanted to find Isaac to discuss what they heard and felt, but when they reached his room. He was fast asleep as he had a smile on his face; they exited out of the room and met up with Spike. They tried asking the dragon what happened while they were gone, but all he told them was what Isaac had said. And that he was quote: "ready". The girls didn't know what that meant as all they could do was ask the colt himself in the morning. Soon the sun rose across the land of Equestria. The warm rays made there way to Isaac's room as he let out a huge yawn and stretched his limbs. He then shook his mane as he put on his jacket and cap; he then stepped out of his room and made his way to the dining room.

Once he got there, he noticed Sunset, Twilight, and Spike already eating and making conversation. When Isaac entered they all went quiet as he took his seat and used his magic to fill his plate.

"What? What are you all staring at me for?" asked Isaac.

"Just... wondering how you're feeling?" asked Twilight.

"When we arrived, you were already asleep." chimed in Sunset.

"Well, I had a busy day. My stamina was kind of drained." said Isaac as he took a bite of his food.

"And nothing else happened." asked Spike.

"Like?" asked Isaac.

"Nothing." said Spike.

Isaac just gave a shrug as he went back to enjoying his meal. The trio just ate their food in silence but they were still staring at Isaac. Soon after breakfast, while Spike was collecting the plates and beginning to wash them. The girls took a moment to talk with Isaac as they wanted some answers. Sunset told Isaac about how she and the rest of the gang were hanging out and then they all felt a magical surge flow through them. It didn't hurt, but the one thing they noticed is that they could sense Isaac and they could hear the speech he was saying when he was facing Discord. Isaac just gave the girls a smile and told them that everything was alright. He told them that he was dealing with a personal issue and that duel with Discord had somehow managed to help him realize something. And once he achieved that sense of tranquility, he was now more confident than ever, especially cause now he was in full control of his demon.

The girls didn't know what Isaac was talking about, but he told them not to worry about it. With that Isaac headed out on his usual patrol while the girls were left to discuss with each other.

"Any idea what he might be saying?"

"I've got no clue, Twilight. It seems that whatever Isaac went through with Discord, seems to have given him a sense of nirvana." stated Sunset.

"Still, Discord showing up. I knew I shouldn't have left Isaac and Spike alone. Discord hasn't fully understood all the friendship lessons we've given him and still causes mischief." said Twilight with some worry in her voice. "And if he was trying to tempt Isaac to something evil, then I..."

"Hey, it didn't happen. Besides, Isaac has a strong mind. From what it sounded, it didn't seem like Discord was trying to persuade him. If anything, it sounded like he was afraid of something. But that's not the case now." said Sunset. "I guess we trust Isaac and believe that everything is okay."

"I guess. Still, I'm a bit worried." stated Twilight. With that both mares then headed towards the map room.

The following days after that was spent with dealing with Duel Monsters and having some fun. It seemed that Princess Luna had received some word that there was another problem arising somewhere else as she could sense the citizens of the place having some nightmares. So she did some digging and found out that they were replaying events of stuff that happened. So Luna sent a message to Twilight and told her the location.

"The Crystal Empire?" asked Isaac as he looked at the map.

"Never heard of it." stated Sunset. "When I was Princess Celestia's student, I don't remember there being anything in any of the books that I read."

"There wouldn't be." stated Twilight. "Few remember it ever existed at all."

"Then how do you know about it?" said Isaac.

"Cause we actually had to stop an evil ruler from trying to take it over again." said Spike.

"His name was King Sombra."

"Did you say, King Sombra?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, why?" asked Twilight.

"No reason." said Sunset. She then looked at Isaac and remember their encounter with Sombra when he was corrupted by magic during the Friendship Games.

"Well, anyways. One thousand years ago, King Sombra, a unicorn whose heart was black as night, took over the Crystal Empire. He was ultimately overthrown by Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, turned to shadow, and banished to the ice of the arctic north." said Twilight as she told the pair the tale. "But not before he was able to put a curse upon the Empire. A curse that caused it to vanish into thin air. If the Empire is filled with hope and love, those things are reflected across all of Equestria. If hatred and fear take hold... then darkness is spread and consume all in its path."

"Lucky for us, we made sure that didn't happen." said Spike. "When it did return, the princess had me, Twilight and the rest of the gang all head north to protect the empire. From there we found out Sombra had erased everypony's memory and that to restore harmony to the Crystal Empire, we had to throw a Crystal Faire to lift the spirits of the Crystal Ponies so the light within them can power the Crystal Heart, which allows the Empire to be protected!"

"Well, it almost didn't happen. Sombra had hidden the Crystal Heart so that nopony could find it. But after a bit of detective work, me and Spike were able to locate the heart. However, Sombra had one last trap. When I tried to get the Crystal Heart, I was trapped by spikes that rendered my magic useless. So I had Spike be the one to deliver the Crystal Heart to the Faire and in the end Sombra was defeated." said Twilight.

"Wow." noted Isaac as he was impressed by their story.

"Well, seems things are different this time." said Sunset as she looked at the map. "If Princess Luna is right, then it means that Duel Monsters have invaded the Crystal Empire. Which means we need to head up north."

"So when do we leave?"

"I thought you might say that." said Twilight as she answered Isaac's question. "Seems Princess Luna told her sister about this development and has decided to send all of us to help Princess Cadance and Shining Armor. Plus, it gives me a chance to see my brother and sister-in-law. Oh, I can't wait to be an aunt." Twilight had the biggest eyes as she dreamed of meeting her niece or nephew.

"I think you'll enjoy it." said Isaac so that only him and Sunset could hear that. Isaac though back to his world and how his version of Twilight acted in a similar fashion.

"Spike, do we have everything packed?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm your #1 assistant. We leave first thing in the morning." said Spike with a smug smile on his face.

The crew then got ready as they prepared for their trip. Both Isaac and Sunset made sure that their duel disks were working and made sure to do one last check on their decks. Once they were satisfied, they then exited out of their rooms and made their way to the main hall where Twilight and Spike were waiting for them. They all exited the castle and made their way to the train station. The girls all arrived as the entire group boarded the train and they were on their way.

The other all packed some winter gear; Isaac seemed to be more or less prepared given that he had a jacket. But as for Sunset she didn't have anything for the cold, thankfully, Rarity had managed to make her a scarf, some ear muffs, and some boots to allow her to stay warm and walk on the snow without getting her hooves wet. She also made an extra scarf for Isaac as he was thankful for her. During the ride, Twilight had told the group some extra info that the princess noted. It consisted of how Duel Monsters were appearing and causing havoc for the Crystal Ponies and the empire. Shining Armor had led his platoon of soldiers and were able to hold off several attacks, but they just kept coming and were getting closer and closer into the city with each wave.

Safe to say that the gang were surprised by how far the enemy had managed to make it into the city. But they knew that if they got access to the Crystal Heart then the entire empire would plunge into darkness. Isaac and Sunset knew that if this kept up then the entire place would become a battle zone, not to mention that the citizens that would get in the crossfire. Twilight told the gang that they would meet with Shining Armor and discuss what to do in regards to the city and the citizens. Soon their destination came into view as they all got dressed for the cold weather. They all stepped out and the wind was blowing in their face.

"Not gonna lie. Kind feels like home." said Isaac as he was used to extreme cold weather.

"Well, we better get movin' before we freeze." stated Applejack.

Soon they all trekked through the snow and eventually came into the city. The group noticed several guards positioned all around the city as they were on high alert. Twilight led the group to the castle as they entered the throne room; upon entry, she saw Shining Armor at a table as he was going over some plans.

"Shining Armor!"

"Twily!" called out the stallion as he rushed over to his sister and gave her a hug as he gave her a ruffle through her mane. "Seems the princess sent some help."

"Believe me, I brought my friends and some extra assistance." said Twilight as she pointed to the girls. She then pointed to Sunset who Shining Armor smiled. When Twilight pointed to Isaac, Shining Armor was now staring at the colt.

Isaac had finally gotten a good look at Twilight's brother and he saw the resemblance. Both stallions took a step forward and stared at each other, Shining Armor was a tad bit taller than Isaac as he looked down at him. Twilight was a bit tense in seeing her friend and brother gazing at each other; the tension was there as it looked like two alphas trying to intimidate each other. For Isaac, he was staring at the pony version of one of his greatest rivals as his memories of their duels came flooding back to him which still gave him nightmares. For Shining Armor, he was staring at a colt who was next to his sister as his brotherly instincts were kicking in. Not to mention that he sensed a strange aura coming from the colt.

"Shining Armor, this is Isaac. Princess Celestia sent him to help with these monsters." said Twilight as she stood next to Isaac and tried to ease the situation with the boys.

"So... you're the hero the princess mentioned?" asked Shining Armor. "Funny, I thought you would have been older; I wasn't excepting a teenager to be the savior of us all."

"Well, I get told that alot." said Isaac.

"So... how can we help?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Well, it hasn't been easy. Everyday those monsters keep getting closer and closer within the city. My men are tough, but even they have limits. Everytime we take out a wave, more show up faster than we can regroup. It's becoming harder to keep the citizens safe, not to mention Cadance." stated Shining Armor.

"Speaking of the princess, where is she?" asked Rarity.

"She's resting in her room. Ever since she heard you were coming, she's been excited. Come along." said Shining Armor as he led the group to their bedroom. He opened the door of the main hall and let the girls and Spike through. He then put his hoof out in front of Isaac and looked at him once more. "Listen... I don't know what your deal is or what's going on between you and my sister. But know that I'm her brother and I don't care if you're suppose to be the one who can help us. You hurt my sister, and I promise you it's not going be a pretty sight."

"Nothing is happening between the two of us. We're just friends." said Isaac as he stared back at Shining Armor.

"Nice try, but you can't fool me. There's something going, but for now, I'm not going to upset my sister." said Shining Armor with authority in his voice as he exited out the door with Isaac following behind.

The group then followed Shining Armor as he led them to him and Cadance's room as there were guards positioned in front of her doors. He gave them a salute and they opened the door for the group.

"Twilight, it's so good to see you." said Cadance as she got out of bed.

"It's good to see you too, Cadance." said the purple mare as she hugged her sister-in-law.

"Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake! Clap your hooves and do a little shake!" said both princess as they did a little dance and let out a giggle.

The others watched this interaction and had smiles on his face. Even Isaac saw this and couldn't help but smile; though he did noticed that there was a slight bit pudginess to Cadance's stomach.

"How's the baby?" asked Twilight.

"They're coming along nice. The doctor told me not to strain myself too much to avoid any problems." stated Cadance.

"In addition, to dealing with these monsters, I've also been checking up on Cadance." said Shining Armor as he approached his wife and gave her a kiss.

"Well, don't worry. Me and my friends are here to make sure that nothing bad happens." stated Twilight as she showed her friends.

"Good to know." said Cadance. She then saw Isaac and in a moment, she could sense the love magic flowing between Twilight and the colt. "Ohh, who's this? Did the studious Twilight finally get a coltfriend?"

"No!" shouted Twilight in a instant. Twilight then cleared her throat, "It's not like that. Cadance this is here is Isaac, he along with Sunset Shimmer have been sent by Princess Celestia. They're here to help with the problem."

"Well now." said Cadance as she approached Isaac.

"It's an honor to meet you, your highness." said Isaac as he gave a quick bow.

"Please, no need for formalities. And call me Cadance." Cadance then began to stare at Isaac and using her magic she could tell that both him and Twilight's eyes had a certain 'sparkle' to them.

"So how have you been holding up, your highness?" asked Fluttershy.

"I'm doing well, I just wish that we could say the same about our forces. Those creatures are getting closer and closer." stated Cadance.

"Well, don't worry. Now that we're here, we'll take care of those monsters."

"It's not that simple, Rainbow." stated Sunset. "Keep in mind, that Isaac and I are the only ones who can take these monsters in a head to head battle."

"And how are you going to do that?" asked Shining Armor.

"Well..." started Sunset.

"Pardon me, your highness. But those monsters have returned." stated a guard.

"Already? I thought they wouldn't return for a while." said Shining Armor as he grabbed his helmet and raced out onto the balcony as he saw the wave of monsters already making their way into the city.

The others all rushed out onto the balcony and saw the sight. Tons of monsters were starting to destroy the houses and buildings as the guards were doing their best to fend off. Soon they started to retreat as they were being overwhelmed.

"I need to get down there. We need to repel them." stated Shining Armor. He then turned to the guard and told them to regroup and hold a position. "At this rate, they'll breach the castle gates in a matter of moments."

"Then let's stop them." shouted Rainbow.

"We can't just rush in. We need a plan." stated Rarity.

"Rarity's right, if we don't have a way to stop this properly. Then they'll just come back." said Twilight.

"Well, guess this is where me and Sunset take over." stated Isaac. "You ready?"

"Always." said Sunset.

"Good. Now then." Isaac then hopped onto the railing as he looked at the enemy fast approaching.

"Isaac, wait. What are you doing?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, I can't sit here and do nothing. Don't roll like that. Now then... here we go!" shouted Isaac as he jumped off of the railing and started to fall to the ground. The others were shocked by what he did as they didn't expect Isaac to just jump head into danger without a plan. Isaac then used his magic as he encompassed himself with it and then tucked in his legs as he was moving fast.

The enemies saw something fast approaching, soon it was coming at them in a blazing speed as it collided with the ground and caused some of the enemies to be thrown back and burst into particles.

"Superhero landing." said Isaac with a smile.

"Ehh, I give it an 8. A little rough on the landing." said Pinkie as she held a scoreboard up.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Isaac. The monsters then started to charge at Isaac who just had a smile on his face. He then activated his duel disk and called upon his monsters. "Mahad, Mana. Showtime!" said Isaac as he summoned his most trusted magicians. Mahad and Mana then fired their wands as they cleared a path straight down the middle.

The others up above were shocked by what they saw. Shining Armor and Cadance were most surprised with seeing how Isaac was able to clear a huge wave all by himself.

"Now I see why the princess asked for his help." said Shining Armor.

"Regardless, Isaac can't hold them off by himself. He needs backup." said Sunset as she used her magic and teleport down to the ground to where the fighting was taking place. She saw a couple of monsters had made it past Isaac and were dealing with the guards. "Alright, time for me to have some fun." said Sunset as she turned on her duel disk and then called out her Gearfried and Red-Eyes B. Dragon as they took care of the minions and rescued the guards.

Soon the whole group had teleported down to Sunset thanks to Twilight and Cadance's magic.

"Shining Armor, get your troops to regroup and then stay behind me. I'll clear the way with my monsters and they take care of any stranglers." stated Sunset as she started to blast some monsters as well.

"You heard her!" shouted Shining Armor as he told the guards nearby.

"We need to get in on the action." said Rainbow as she and Applejack raced forward to join Isaac who was up ahead still dealing with his side.

"What took you so long?" joked Isaac as he blasted some monsters with his own magic.

"Can't let you have all the fun, sugarcube." said Applejack as she started to buck creatures left and right.

"Besides, there's no way I'd let you outshine me." said Rainbow as she flew by and delivered a uppercut to some more enemies.

Fluttershy and Pinkie helped to gather up the guards, while Twilight and Rarity stayed by Cadance as they provided long distance support for Sunset. Soon there was two forces moving about as Isaac was up ahead with Aj and Dash as they cut the forces in half, while Sunset and her squad took care of the forces behind the main group. Even the soldiers got in on the action as they took care of any monsters that dodged the magic blasts. Spike found himself taking part as the card that Isaac gave him started to glow as he looked at it and soon Flame Swordsman came out as he did his duty to protect the little dragon. Eventually, our heroes were not only making progress, but they were actually pushing the enemy back. With each step Isaac took, he and his magicians blasted about a hundred monsters as they were gaining some of the territory that they had lost to begin with. Soon the enemies realized that they were in a losing effort as they all decided to pull back.

"They're retreating!" shouted Pinkie.

"Keep pushing!" shouted Isaac.

Soon our heroes had the enemy on the run. Isaac had blasted a couple more of the huge force in front of him when he turned behind him and saw the enemy trying to run. "Mana! Mahad! Finish this!"

"As you wish!" they both shouted.

"Double Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted all three of them as they fired off a powerful attack that took out the enemies in front of Sunset and her team. Eventually they managed to take out all of the enemies.

"We did it!" shouted Aj.

"Of course we did." stated Rainbow Dash.

"Good job, everypony." said Cadance. One remaining monster was on top of a building as he had his weapon in his hand. He looked to attack the princess as he leapt high into the air and was ready to strike her down. Soon a cry was heard, and everything was silent.

Isaac had his eyes closed as he appeared by Cadance's side in a blazing speed as he had a smile on his face. "Too slow." said Isaac as he had managed to use his magic and slay the monster that would have severely injured Cadance as it disappeared into particles.

Everybody was shocked at how fast Isaac reacted, had he been a second too late, then Cadance would have been hurt. Even Shining Armor was impressed by the colt's reflexes and how he was able to protect his wife and soon to be born kid. Cadance was surprised by Isaac's actions, but was gratefully that he was able to protect her.

"I think that's all of them." said Sunset.

"Sir, the enemy has moved way out of position. We've got some more territory than we did before." reported a guard.

"Good work. Have the men rest. Then we'll set the defense; they'll be back. Though it does buy us sometime to get ready." commanded Shining Armor. "And you...", said Shining Armor as he looked at Isaac, "I can't thank you enough. Had something happened to my wife, I would be devasted. Good job, soldier."

"Doing my duty, captain." said Isaac as he gave a salute.

After clearing the huge force, our heroes were riding a huge wave of momentum as they had managed to repel the invaders and gain some ground that was previously occupied. Shining Armor along with the rest of the guards thanked Sunset and Isaac as well as their monsters for helping out. Soon they all began to get to work as they looked to use this time to get some rest and prepared should the enemy come back. Nighttime had fallen on the Crystal Empire; Twilight had managed to have Spike send a report to both of the princesses to tell them about their small victory they gained. During that time, the group was treated to a dinner made by the ponies in the castle. Soon everybody decided to turn in for the night as they had a big day to come. The girls were all given their individual rooms to sleep in, while Spike was given a bed so that he could sleep in the same room as Twilight.

Shining Armor told his guards to be on high alert incase the enemy should try a sneak attack. Isaac was walking the hallway when he was approached by the captain.

"Hey, Shining Armor. What's up?" asked Isaac in a straight tone.

"Come with me." said the older stallion as he led the young colt.

Shining Armor brought the two of them to his room as he opened the door and let Isaac in. He then closed the door behind him as the caramel stallion was left alone. Or so he thought.

"So glad to see you." said a voice.

Isaac turned his head and saw Cadance who was laying in bed as she looked at him. "Pardon me, your highness. I think Shining Armor led me to the wrong place."

"No, he brought you here cause I told him to." said Cadance as she sat up. "Relax, I just want to talk. And please, just call me Cadance. Come here, I wish to see your face." suggested Cadance.

Isaac did as the princess told him to do as he approached the bedside of Cadance. Cadance then looked at Isaac's face as she examined each of his facial feature. She was able to see his maturity for someone his age despite still looking so young. She saw Isaac's passion for Duel Monsters as it emitted an aura from him; she even could tell about Isaac's recent struggle with his inner demon and how he had managed to control it. But there was another big thing that really caught her attention and she didn't need to use her special talent to see what that was.

"My does your face tell a story." smiled Cadance.

"I've heard that before." said Isaac.

"Thank you. Had you not leaped into action, then I couldn't imagine what might have happened to my kingdom. Or to me for that matter. I owe you my life."

"No biggie, Cadance." said Isaac nervously.

"So, mind telling me something." asked Cadance as she used her magic and brought a chair for Isaac to sit on.

"What do you what to know?"

"Tell me a bit about yourself. I can tell you're not from here."

"That obvious." chuckled Isaac. "Well, you're right. I'm not from here, in fact, I come from an alternate world. It's sort of similar to this place, but we're slightly more advanced and everyone is human."

"And the thing on your leg?" asked Cadance.

"This is a duel disk. See where I come from people play a game called Duel Monsters. And we use these devices to summon our cards and monsters. It's also how I've been handling these monster sightings since arriving here."

"I see. I can tell you're passionate about it."

"Ever since I was kid. There wasn't a moment that went by that I didn't watch every single duel that I could see." said Isaac.

"I'm sure. So... do you have someone special back home?" asked Cadance with a sly smile.

Isaac turned his head at that question as he stuttered. "About that... I mean... I... y-yes."

"Do tell?"

"Her... name is... Twilight." said Isaac as he closed his eyes as he was afraid of what Cadance might say. He then opened them and saw that she was just smiling with a huge grin as she captured the colt in a hug.

"I thought I noticed Twilight having a bit more pep in her step." said Cadance as she hugged the colt.

"Hold on! It's not what you think." Isaac tried to clarify as he broke the embrace.

"Don't worry, I know. I know that you're struggling with missing the person you love back in your world. And when you saw the Twilight of this world, it kind made you feel like she was here. You miss her." stated Cadance.

"I do. A lot, actually. Especially, cause..."

"Cause of what you're going through. Your run-in with Discord and you accepting your destiny." said Cadance as she was able to read Isaac's feelings. "I tell that you were trying to run away from all this, the idea of someone telling you what the rest of your life will be and what you'll ultimately become. I can tell that it was manifesting in you and just waiting to be release. It's the reason why Discord wanted to get under your skin. He was hoping that you would let that demon take control of you, but in the end your will overcame that and now you're in control."

"Yeah, I... I no longer feel a burning ache inside of me. I guess you could say I'm ready for what fate has in store for me." stated Isaac.

"And I'm sure that you'll turn out fine. As long as you remember those that matter to you, then you never have to feel like you're all alone." smiled Cadance. "And as for Twilight, well, just while you're here make her happy."

"I will, you have my word." said Isaac.

"I know you will." said Cadance. She then gave Isaac a kiss on his forehead as she thanked him for saving her and her child.

"Well, I should let you rest. Shining Armor has asked me to do a bit of guard duty in case the enemies tries a sneak attack. So I need to get a move on." said Isaac as he got up from his seat and started to walk towards the door.

"Isaac, don't let Shining Armor get to you. He's just protective of his little sister." responded Cadance.

"Believe me, I already know that." said Isaac as he thought back to his memories when he first got with Twilight in his world. "Well, good night princess. If you need anything, I'll be outside your door for a few hours." stated Isaac as he opened the door and closed it behind him.

The next few hours, Isaac stood outside of Cadance's door as he kept an eye out for any signs of danger. He did a few perimeter checks while also keeping an eye on the other girls. Soon a guard came to relieve Isaac of his duty as he could finally get some sleep. Isaac then made his way to the room he was staying in as he let out a yawn and climbed into bed.

The morning came as the sun rose over the Crystal Empire. The girls and Spike all woke up as they made their way to the throne room. Shining Armor was already up as he was talking with some guards. Seems they reported some more monsters that were coming from the frozen land outside of the city. And based on how far they were it would only be a matter of time before they reached the city.

"What's the word, Shining Armor?" asked Twilight.

"Well, given what we were able to accomplish yesterday. It won't mean much if we don't hold off the massive force that's headed out way." said Twilight's brother. "From what we gathered in our reports, they'll be striking several places at once."

"No sweat! We just do what we did last time and whip their sorry butt." said Rainbow.

"Except, the enemy will be more prepared. We caught them off guard last time, but now that they know about Isaac and me, they'll be that more difficult to deal with. Not to mention that we need to be able to protect all the zones were they're gonna attack." stated Sunset.

"Which is why, we need a plan." said Cadance as she entered the room.

"Cadance, you should rest." said Shining Armor as he was concerned for his wife. "You know the doctor said not to suffer from too much stress, it could hurt you and the baby."

"I'm fine, dear. Besides, I can still do stuff without too much physical labor. Plus, I can't just stand by and watch my citizens be scared for their lives, they need a leader who will stand in the face of danger."

"But..."

"But nothing!" shouted Cadance. "Like it or not, I'm sticking with you till the end. Plus, I want to make sure that the baby has a chance to see their father."

"Pardon me for interrupting this tender moment, your highness." said Rarity. "But we still need to deal with those ruffian that are fast approaching."

"Rarity's right. We need a plan. Any ideas, y'all?" asked Applejack.

"Uhm, hide." said Fluttershy.

"That's your answer for everything." responded Rainbow.

"I know you're all probably aware, but we're seriously outnumbered here." stated Spike. "In other words, a frontal assault isn't an option."

"Sunset, Twilight?" said Pinkie.

"At the moment... the first thing we need to do is to defend all the places." requested Sunset. "Which means we need to get to those positions and secure them."

"Even so, that still may not be enough. One thing about fighting is that while numbers can be an advantage, it all depends on which side has the better strategy. While I'll admit, defending the places will give us some foothold, the enemy will quickly overwhelm us." stated Twilight. "Not to mention that they aren't going to just let us take them, though. If we can find a way to get most of the army to focus on one specific section of the battlefield, it may allow us the chance to defend the other places and then start to push forward and converse on the main army. Then all we to do is finish them off."

"If we were to do that, we would need to make sure that the enemy delivers all their attention to that one spot. We need a diversion." said Shining Armor.

"Somepony to catch their attention by coming at them head on." chimed in Cadance. "But who?"

"Hey, now. Why didn't anypony wake me up?" asked Isaac as he came into the throne room. "I wake up and find that none of you are in your rooms. So what's going on?"

"I think we found our volunteer." smiled Cadance. Soon all the girls gave similar looks as they eyed the brown stallion.

"Why do I feel like something happened while I was gone?" asked Isaac as all the girls were surrounding him like he was a piece of meat and they were hungry lionesses.

"Well, I won't argue with this plan. But why do I have to be the bait?" asked Isaac as he was in the middle of the town as he was waiting for the enemy to arrive.

"Cause you're the one who pissed them off." said Sunset as she spoke into a tiny ear bud in Isaac's ear.

"Hey, it's not my fault I have that effect on everyone."

"Can we focus on the plan?" shouted Twilight.

"Chill, Twi. Anyways, mind going over it one last time?" asked Isaac.

"From what Shining Armor mentioned, the enemy will be attacking the Stadium, the Spa, and the Library. All of these places are spread out and will be too much for us for a frontal assault. So to make up for that, we will place a small strike force to repel any invaders coming in. Meanwhile, the main group will approach the center of town and once they see Isaac, they'll be focused on attacking him." stated Twilight as she relay the info through everypony's ear buds.

"Again, do you have to word it like that?" complained Isaac.

"All good, Twilight. Me, Pinkie, and Spike are just arrivin' at the Spa." informed Applejack.

"Rarity, Fluttershy, and I have made our way to the Stadium." stated Rainbow Dash.

"Excellent, Sunset and I will take the Library. And Shining Armor will defend the home base along with Cadance. Remember, we have to hold them off and then push them back." stated Twilight. "And Isaac, it's your job to make sure that not too many enemies slip by you. Plus be careful, from what Sunset and Spike mentioned about you doing this during your adventure in the Dragon Lands, you nearly ran out of breath."

"Don't worry, Twilight. I'll pace myself; you guys just focus on clearing out your sections and then meeting me in the middle." said Isaac as he activated his duel disk.

"It seems we all know our plan. May Celestia protect us all." said Cadance as she spoke from the throne room and looked out from the balcony. She looked down at the castle entrance and saw her husband getting his troops ready should they make it to them. She looked out into the city and could see the three small groups as they prepared to fight back. She then looked up a bit pass Isaac's position and could see the massive army heading towards the colt's position. "Here they come!" shouted Cadance.

This time the enemy consisted of several monsters. Instead of there being just Abyss Warriors, there was also Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier, Giant Red Seasnakes, and even some Turtle Tigers. And they were all marching through the streets as they headed into the center of town. Isaac had decided to sit down on his hind and closed his eyes as he cleared his mind for a while. Soon they all approached the town square and saw the brown colt just sitting there as if he was waiting for them. Isaac opened his eyes as he had a smile on his face.

"Been waiting for you, so... how was the trip?" asked Isaac with a playful smile.

The enemies all let out a cry as they saw Isaac. They remembered what he did the previous day and were looking to get revenge on the pony. Soon they all started to charge at him.

"Well, that worked." said Isaac as he pulled out some of his cards. "Let's go, Beta, Apprentice Illusion Magician, and Marshmallon!" shouted Isaac as he had a few of his monsters appear. Soon they all charged forward to meet the enemy as Isaac stood his ground and began to blast some with his magic as they ran forward to the pony.

The sound of the fighting could be heard as they heard and saw some magical blast coming from Isaac's position.

"Well, seems Isaac has pissed them off even more." said Sunset.

"Then we have no time to waste." said Twilight as she relayed the info to the rest of the groups.

While the main army was focused on taking down Isaac, they also had their mission. Soon several members broke off from the main group as they headed towards their destination. A small group of Turtle Tigers were now heading down the street towards the Spa, while a few Blizzed, Defenders of the Ice Barrier had started to make their way towards the Stadium and the Giant Red Seasnakes all were slithering to the Library. That left Isaac to deal with majority of the Abyss Soldiers and a few of the other enemies as he prayed that he could buy the time the girls needed.

Applejack was on the ground floor as she stretched her muscles getting ready to fight. Pinkie had been stationed above the Spa and had several of her party cannons stationed along some nearby buildings as she would bounced between them and fire them off at the enemy. Meanwhile, Spike was to assist Applejack on the ground. Thankfully, Spike had his Flame Swordsman out as he gave a pat on the little dragon's head to show that he would protect him and his friends. Now they all waited which wasn't long as they were coming into view.

"Yeehaw, get ready y'all. Mess with the bull, you get the horns!" stated Applejack as she stood her ground and clawed her right hoof into the ground as if she was getting ready to charge.

"Locked and loaded." said Pinkie as she and Fluttershy finished preparing the cannons.

"Here we go." said Spike as the enemy was now in front of them and were racing towards the group.

With that Applejack and Flame Swordsman raced forward as they began to take out some Turtle Tigers. Spike was able to provide some long range support as he used his fire to shot out some flames that caused the Turtle Tigers to be afraid of the fire and the ones that got hit by it all burned and turned to particles. Pinkie was bouncing between the roof tops with a smile on her face as she pulled the string to fire food and confetti at the enemy as they were blinded and allowed the ground force to attack them. Once she fired the cannons, she then got to work on reloading them for another pass. Soon all four of them were starting to hold their ground.

In the stadium, Rarity along with Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy were preparing themselves for what was about to come. They had set up a little barricade for themselves as they had a few of the guards with them due to their lack of firepower in terms of Duel Monster cards to help them. Rainbow Dash would provide assistance from the air as Fluttershy would play support and help any pony that would get hurt. Soon they saw several Blizzed, Defenders of the Ice Barrier as they were in the air.

"Time to kick some frozen butt!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

She then took off as she met the force head on in an air battle. Most of them focused on the rainbow pegasus while others disbursed and went after the others. Rarity was using her horn as she blasted any ones that came into her line of sight. Some of them landed on the ground as it allowed the guards to get in as they sprung into action. Overall, they were doing their best to fend off their site.

At the library, Twilight and Sunset had put up a magical barrier. This was so they could offer some protection as it would force the enemy to enter inside and engage the two. They didn't wait long as they saw several Giant Red Seasnakes appear as they approached the barrier. Some started to bang on it in order to let the others through, soon one by one they started to slowly trickle in one by one. Twilight and Sunset started to fire at them with spells; it worked for a while as soon the enemies started to split their advance and create another line as it caused Sunset to take even drastic measures as she called on a couple of her monsters to assist. Twilight kept a close eye on the shield as it was holding but eventually cracks were starting to form. All they could do was try to push the enemy back.

With all four teams doing their best to hold the enemy off, safe to say that it was at a stalement. The small groups were doing their best to hold their position, Isaac however had the tough job as he was in a 1 vs 1000 position. The good thing is that most of the army was focused on taking him out as they were driven by revenge. Isaac was doing his best to dodge the attacks by the Abyss Soldiers as he did some dodge rolls and used a bit of his parkour skills to evade.

"How we holding up, everypony?" asked Isaac as he talked into his tiny ear bud.

"All good on our end." shouted Pinkie.

"Sunset and I are starting to push them back."

"Not so much on our end." said Fluttershy as she was frighten. "Could maybe we get help?"

"Our forces are spread too thin." informed Sunset.

"Maybe not." said Isaac as he blasted another monster in the face. "Black Arts Trickster, Rune-Eyes Illusionist, and Mage Annette." Isaac's three magicians then appeared in front of him. "Go help the others at the stadium. Now!" shouted Isaac. They all gave their master a nod and went on their way as they ascended into the air. "Fluttershy, I'm sending over some reinforcements."

"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

Before she could get an answer, she noticed Rainbow had been hit by an icicle and was sent tumbling into the ground. She rushed over to check on her friend and saw that the tips of her wings had ice, not to mention she had managed to land on it when she hit the ground.

"Rainbow Dash, are you hurt?"

"I'm fine, ow. No I'm not." stated the rainbow mare.

"I hate to say it, but we lack the firepower like the other groups." said Rarity as she rushed over to her friends.

"They're surrounding us!" shouted one of the guards as they were starting to be overrun.

"Fall back!" shouted another guard as they slowly were stepping back.

Eventually they all gathered up with the three mares as they were surround from all ends by the monsters. Fluttershy was doing her best to tend to Dash's wing.

"I guess this is how we go out." said Fluttershy was she closed her eyes and prepared to meet her fate.

Soon all the enemies jumped into the air and were about to finish the small group as they all closed their eyes. Soon a couple of blasts could be heard as screams came after that. The group expected them to be torn to shreds, but found themselves to be perfectly fine. They saw the enemies around them as they were being defeated and turned into particles. The entire group looked up and saw Isaac's magicians as they had arrived just in time as they took care of the enemies surrounding the ponies. Mage Annette then appeared in front of Rainbow Dash as she opened up her book and with a flick of her wand, she was able to heal Dash's wing immediately.

"Guess, Isaac sent some help." said Fluttershy.

"Alright, back in the fray!" shouted Rainbow as she took off and delivered a solid right hoof to the creatures.

Soon the others joined in as they got back into action and started to fight back. With the addition of Isaac's magicians, they were having a much easier time as they started to push the enemy back and were starting to make their way out of the stadium and onto the streets. Back with Aj's group, they were starting to make similar progress as the small force of Turtle Tigers found themselves retreating due to how hard they were being destroyed. Pinkie was relentless in her assault as she kept on firing her cannons nonstop. On the ground, Flame Swordsman and Applejack were making some leeway as they started to have their side push back the enemy. Even Spike had gotten on Aj's back as he provided some cover fire. The same thing was happening on Sunset and Twilight's side, it took a while but the girls were able to push back their obstacle just as the barrier was about to break. Soon all three sides were beginning to converse which was especially true as Isaac was starting to run low on steam.

"They just keep coming, but I have to do my part." said Isaac as he wiped his face with his leg to get rid of the sweat. He saw his latest row of monsters be destroyed as they all turned towards him. "Time to bring out the big guns. Mahad! Mana! Showtime!" shouted Isaac as he called out his ace magicians.

"Remember, we hold the line. No matter what." commanded Isaac. Both of his magicians gave a nod as they stood their ground and all three of them casted their magic and a huge ray of beam came out as it took the enemies in the face as they started to walk forward as a team while still casting the attack. "Keep pushing!" shouted Isaac as he and his magicians were slowly moving up.

"Need a hoof!" shouted Applejack.

Isaac and his magicians stopped their attack and they looked to their left to see that Applejack, Pinkie, along with Spike and his Flame Swordsman had managed to push back their line of enemies back into the main army. Isaac then turned to his right and saw Twilight, along with Sunset and her monsters also pushing back their line and joining the main force. He then looked up and saw Rainbow, Fluttershy, as well as his three monsters he sent to help them as Black Arts Trickster was carrying Rarity in her arms.

"Good to see you haven't collapsed." stated Sunset.

"Were you doubting me." said Isaac with a smug smile. Soon both Mage Annette and Mana casted a spell on their master as it restored even some more of his vitality. "Thanks you two. Now let's finish this!" said Isaac as he stood up and took the front position of the group. Isaac then looked at the remaining forces in front of him as he had a smile on his face. "You girls might want to cover your ears, cause this is going to get real loud. Now Mage Annette, Black Arts Trickster, and Rune-Eyes Illusionist lend me your strength so that I can call upon an even more powerful beast!" Isaac's three magicians then used their energies and combined together as they ascended into the heavens. Soon the roar of thunder could be heard as it caused everypony around them to look up and they saw the shadow of a massive creature.

"Now come forth, Slifer the Sky Dragon!!!" shouted Isaac as he called upon one of his Egyptian God cards.

"What is that!?!" shouted Spike and the girls as they couldn't believe the sight of the creature that Isaac called upon. Sunset and Twilight were the only ones who had a smile on their face as they knew about it.

"Now, Slifer, Mana and Mahad! Strike the final blow!" shouted Isaac as he gave his monsters their command.

Both Mana and Mahad jumped on Slifer's head as they all charged their attacks, once it was fully charged, they all let out a cry as they fired off their attack. Soon it all came together as it wiped out the remaining forces in an instant. A huge white light caused everybody to cover their eyes. Once it died down, there was nothing but a huge smear in the ground.

"Well, we did it." said Isaac as he fell on his behind as he was a bit tired. Fluttershy approached Isaac as she began to check on his health.

"Steady. You took some massive amounts of energy trying to fend them off." said Fluttershy softly.

"Just trying to buy you guys time."

"Well, it worked. Also, thanks for sending your magicians to help. They really saved us." said Fluttershy as she gave Isaac a quick peck on his cheek.

"You're welcome." said Isaac as he was helped by the shy mare.

"Hey, everypony." shouted out Shining Armor as he was racing towards them.

"Good news, big bro. We managed to repel the invasion."

"That's nice, Twily. But I just received word that this invasion isn't over. While you'll were busying dealing with the main force; there was a couple of enemies that snuck into the castle. Thankfully, we were able to stop them. But they dropped something." Shining Armor then presented the scroll to Twilight as she looked at it with her friends.

"This doesn't look good." said Twilight as she showed it to Sunset.

"Figures. Guess we now know who's in charge of this massive invasion. And based on how we were barely able to hold off this attack, I doubt we can last another one." stated Sunset. "You thinking what I'm thinking, Isaac." asked Sunset as she showed the scroll to Isaac.

"Seems we got another mission." said Isaac as he looked at the scroll and it had the picture of the monster that was in charge.

Chapter 114: The Frost King Cometh

The gang had managed to repel the attack from the invading forces. The Crystal Ponies expressed their gratitude to the group; however, during the invasion, Shining Armor and his forces were able to stop a small group that had managed to sneak into the castle. They were able to dispose of them and in the process, one of them had managed to drop a scroll before they disappeared. Shining Armor then raced out from the castle to the center of the square where Isaac and the gang had just managed to finish wiping out the entire army with the help of his Egyptian God card, Slifer the Sky Dragon.

He then presented the parchment to his sister as she showed it to Isaac and Sunset who were able to figure out that this entire army was under the command by another one of the leaders looking to take over Equestria. With that the gang knew what needed to be done as they started to prepare themselves for what was to come.

According to the message, the command in charge had sent his minions in hopes that the heroes were successful. He wrote that he was impressed with the ponies that had stood up to his forces and were able to fight back. However, he was still unhappy with how they were messing with his plans on taking over the Crystal Empire. So he decided to end this, he would make his way from his hideout from the mountains and he would challenge the ponies to a winner take all duel in which the losing side would surrender. That alone made everypony hesitant as they didn't know if they should believe this message; however, to confirm he was telling the truth, he had sent a Bolt Penguin to deliver another message to our heroes explaining what his intentions were in conquering all of Equestria. It seemed that he knew about the Crystal Heart and its unique power, so he planned to shroud the entire Crystal Empire in a never-lasting blizzard. And eventually he would use the Crystal Heart to do the same to all of Equestria. Regardless, it meant that if the gang wanted to avoid that happening, then they would need to agree to his terms.

Based on what the message explained, they had about a day and a half to prepare for the arrival of the enemy commander. During that time, Shining Armor and the guards worked to get the Crystal Ponies into safe shelters in case the worst should happen. The girls helped with the evacuation as they did there best to tell the citizens that everything would be alright. Meanwhile in the castle, Twilight was discussing with Sunset and Cadance about the message sent to them.

"Do you really expect he'll keep his word?" asked Sunset.

"Honestly, I don't know. But based on what he has planned and the amount of his army, we can't survive another attack like before. We barely got out of that alive, not to mention it took alot out of Isaac to take that many on by himself. I don't doubt his skills, but in 1 versus all situation, even Isaac can't fend them all off." stated Twilight.

"Well we have to do something. As ruler of this kingdom, it's my duty to make sure that my citizens are safe." informed Cadance. "And I will not let some evil manic threaten our home!" shouted Cadance that she stumbled a bit.

"Easy there, Cadance. Don't get too worked up, it's not good for the baby." said Twilight.

"Sorry, it's just that we can't give up. We need to make sure that we eliminate them for good."

"Which is why it seems our best bet is to accept his challenge to a duel." stated Sunset. "That being said, it falls to either me or Isaac to end this."

"Then, I pray that whoever volunteers is victorious." said Cadance.

"Well, we'll see. Isaac is still recovering from fighting that many foes at once." said Sunset. "I'll go check on him." Sunset then began to walk out of the throne room as she left to check up on the colt.

"Good thing Isaac was able to help us in our time of need." said Twilight.

"Indeed. He's certainly a eye catching colt, isn't he." said Cadance with a smirk on her face as she looked at Twilight.

"Uhm, well... that's one of saying it." said Twilight as she chuckled nervously.

"I wonder, does he make you feel special."

"What does that have to do with our situation?" shouted Twilight as he cheeks blushed. "Isaac is just here to help get rid of these monsters."

"Even so, it doesn't mean you can't get close to him? So... how have your snuggles with him gone?"

"How... how did you know?"

"Twilight, did you forget who your sister in law is?"

"Right." said Twilight as she put her head down as she mentally punched herself for forgetting Cadance's secret talent. "It's just... this is all new to me. It's like when I first felt about the idea of friendship; I had no experience with it that I felt like it wasn't worth my time. But like friendship, it's something that has made me feel happy."

"I'm not judging. I'm just happy that my sister in law finally has a special somepony in her life." smiled Cadance.

"Well, it's not. Isaac has someone back in his world, I just..."

"Happen to look like her." said Cadance as she finished Twilight's train of thought. "I understand that this must be hard for you, Twilight. Ever since you were a little filly, all you had were your books. But now that you've met somepony who makes you feel special, you're hesitant on what will happen. I understand, but think about how Isaac's taking this. He's currently in another world, miles away from his family, from his friends, from the person he loves. And I can only assume that when he saw you for the first time, he immediately started to think of her. And the more time he's been around you, the more he misses her."

"But I can't just interrupt his personal life. Besides, he's only here till this whole issue is taken care of. And then he'll return back home. I'm not saying that I want him to stay, that would be selfish of me to force him to make that decision. But is it wrong that I can't let him go." asked Twilight as she stepped out onto the balcony and put her head on the railing.

"I understand this must be hard for you. For both of you. And I know you're a bright girl and I trust you to make the right choice when the time comes." said Cadance as she stroked Twilight's mane. "But maybe for the time being, you two could temporary fill the missing void for each other. After all, everyone deserves to have a little love in their life."

"Thanks, Cadance." said Twilight as she hugged her sister in law.

Sunset was walking through the castle as she made her way to the infirmary room. She opened the door and walked in as Isaac was in bed. Thankfully, he had woken up from his nap as the nurse was checking on him.

"So, how is he doc?" asked Sunset.

"Quite well, a little rest and he should be fine." said the nurse as she finished running her tests on the colt. "Alright, you're good to go. Just don't put on more stress or else it'll take a bit longer for you to get better."

"Of course. Though does dueling count as stress?" said Isaac as the nurse left the room.

"Good to see that you're still kicking, boy toy." smiled Sunset as she sat on the bed.

"It'll take a lot more than that to keep me down. So what's the plan?" asked Isaac.

"Well, Shining Armor and Princess Cadance are evacuating the Crystal Ponies to safe locations in the event we fail."

"That's smart. Though come on, you and I are some top notch duelists, there's no way we'll lose." said Isaac with some positivity in his voice.

"I just wonder how you can always find the bright side of things." chuckled Sunset. "Speaking of which, I noticed that you used Slifer to take out the last bit of enemies."

"Yeah."

"Maybe you could have done that at the beginning and saved us some time." suggested Sunset.

"Yeah, but if I did that, then I would be out of energy really fast. No offense but when summoning those god cards, they take bit out of you." stated Isaac.

"I guess. So which one of us is going to accept the challenge?"

"Can't we worry about that later. Besides, I want to enjoy the peace that we got before they arrive."

"Well, not much to do since given that the city is under lockdown. Well, I better go see what the others are doing." said Sunset. She then leaned in and gave Isaac quick tug of his ear as she smiled. "Maybe tonight, I could get a snuggle, been awhile since it was just me and you." With that Sunset left as she went to check on the rest of the group.

Isaac decided to get a bit more rest as he leaned back on his bed as he put his cap over his eyes. Sometime later, Isaac had awoken from his nap and decided to get some fresh air. He then grabbed his duel disk and slipped it on as he walked out of the room and into the hall. During his walk, he saw several guards that were doing their usual patrol. The guards were thankfully for what he had done as they gave him a respectful salute to which Isaac returned. He then made his way to one of the balconies as he looked out into the Crystal Empire. He looked out further and saw a few mountains in the far off distance to which he could only assume was home to the one in charge of the army. Soon they would meet the monster in charge and then the fate of this entire place would be decided.

Isaac then looked down as he heard a sound coming from the stadium. He was able to see a small dot which so happen to be Shining Armor. With that Isaac decided to make his way to the building as he wanted to check up on the captain/prince. He entered the training grounds as he saw the older stallion practicing his sword skills. Ever since the invasion, Shining Armor knew that he wanted to make sure that his skills were on par. It also served as a way for him to let out some stress. Shining Armor had a blindfold on him as he used his instincts to target the practice dummies as he was quick on his hooves. He was hacking away with lightning fast movements that he didn't noticed Isaac watching until he nearly knocked out the colt.

"Hey, Shining..." Isaac saw the sword coming at him with fast speed that he barely got out of the way or risk suffering a major blow to his head. "Woah!"

"Huh?" Shining Armor then took off his blindfold and wanted to know who was interrupting his training. He saw that it was Isaac as he let out a sigh and returned back.

"Almost took my head off." said Isaac. "So what are you doing?"

"Training." responded Shining Armor.

"Look I just want to see how you're handling all this?" asked Isaac.

"Look, Isaac. You're a good pony; you risked your life to keep everyone safe. Not to mention you saved my wife's life and for that I'm truly thankfully. But now that the commander is coming to meet us and we're being forced to put everything on the line. It kinda makes me tense." said Shining Armor as he let out a breathe. "I'm just preparing in case things go south. I don't deny your skills, but you can never be too careful. That said... I hope that tomorrow either you or Sunset is victorious."

"We'll do our best." replied Isaac.

"Good. Cause I hate for my little sister to be upset if she saw her coltfriend lose."

"Yeah, look... me and Twilight... well... we're not exactly... you know."

"I see... well then..." Shining Armor then began to walk to the rack of swords as he used his magic and tossed one to Isaac. "En garde."

"What?" said Isaac as he held the object in his magic.

"En garde!" shouted Shining Armor as he rushed towards the brown colt.

Isaac brought his sword up just in time to stop Shining Armor's initial strike. Shining Armor then did an attack from the side as Isaac blocked that. Soon Shining Armor started to test Isaac's reflexes as he began to spar with the young colt. Isaac didn't have much in the way of sword play as he was just following his instincts and trying not to get hit. Which seem to be working as he was able to counter everytime Shining Armor tried to strike him. Once Shining Armor started to add some fancy footwork, Isaac was now scared as he could only dodge roll. Soon Shining Armor started to chase after Isaac as he added a couple of magic blasts; thankfully, Twilight and Sunset had taught Isaac how to put up a shield using his magic as it deflected Shining's shots. Now Shining Armor was rushing at Isaac with everything he got as he let out his emotions and charged at him.

Isaac had just did another barrel roll when he saw Shining Armor standing over him as he was in a crouching position while Shining was about to bring his sword down on Isaac. Isaac just put his sword up in a horizontal position as Shining Armor started to wail on Isaac's sword as he was doing a flurry of rapid strikes with his own weapon. Isaac was doing his best to stand his ground, but the force and the speed along with the power of Shining Armor's attack were causing him to be pushed back as his hooves dragged along the floor. Soon Isaac felt his legs buckle as Shining Armor flung the sword out of Isaac's magical grip. Isaac noticed this and he tried to chase after it and just as he was about to grab it, Shining Armor had proven how much faster he was as he cut off Isaac and planted his sword on top of Isaac's weapon that was on the ground as he had another sword pointed at him. Isaac was surprised by this, so he started to close his eyes and concentrated. Soon the sword on the ground disappeared.

"What!?!" said Shining Armor as he was surprised.

The sword then reappeared in Isaac's magical aura as he brought a swipe down on Shining Armor. Soon there was silence. Shining Armor then dropped the weapons he was holding as his magic faded. He then dropped to his knees as he looked at Isaac who was still stunned by what he was able to do.

"You make a good other." smiled Shining Armor.

Isaac didn't say anything as he was confused by what the captain said. So he just simply gave a nod and then sat on his hind as he too let out a tired breathe. Now both boys were looking at each other; to Isaac this was similar to how Shining Armor in his world was able to push him to his limits based on his skills as a duelist. For Shining Armor, he couldn't help but let out a laugh at how a colt that was but a few years younger than him was able to keep up with him and land a strike against the captain which none of his other guards had been able to do. Soon both boys just laughed, eventually both Twilight and Cadance came to check up on them as the two stallions shared a hoof bump.

The rest of the day was spent with the ponies trying to do their best to relax as the impending doom was soon upon them. During that time, Isaac and Sunset had gotten in some special training as both wanted to be ready for whatever may be thrown their way. Despite not wanting to have anypony interrupt their training, it didn't stop the whole gang as they all hide behind some bushes and watched the two ponies go at it. Safe to say they were amazed by what they saw as Isaac and Sunset told a story with their dueling. For Isaac and Sunset it was just another fun duel, but for the others who hadn't seen the two in action it was like watching a movie. Heck, it was better then a movie.

Soon the day was upon the group as the sun rose and shined down on the Crystal Empire. And with that it was time, the whole group had gathered in the square as they prepared for what was about to come. Shining Armor had his guards set up a barricade as they prepared in case the enemy tried anything funny. They waited and waited and then... they saw something coming over the hill. It was the same monsters that the group had fought the other day as they marched forward; soon the first few rows parted as a group of them were seen carrying something. They were carrying what appeared to be a throne as they set it down on the ground. The monster sitting down on it could be seen as his body was nothing but ice. He then got up as Isaac and Sunset could see who the one in charge really was.

"So... this is the rag tag group that has been causing me some problems." said the commander who was none other than Mobius the Frost Monarch.

"Yup." said Sunset.

"Very well." Mobius then stood up from his throne. He then snapped his fingers as one of his minions brought a big sword. This caused everypony to worry; Mobius then grabbed it as it transformed into a duel disk. "Now then, I've kept my word. So which one of you will step up and duel me?"

Just as Sunset was about to step forward, Isaac stopped her with his magic as he stepped in front of her.

"That would be me." stated Isaac.

"Splendid. I can tell you'll give me a great battle." said Mobius.

"Isaac?" asked Sunset.

"Trust me, Sunset." said the colt as he looked at her. Sunset just let out a sigh as she let him have his fun.

"Oh, boy. Here it comes!" shouted Rainbow and Spike as they were excited for this duel.

"Now then, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac. He then took his position and activated his duel disk as it projected a gold card tray.

"Aw, the chills!" said Spike and Rainbow as they loved it when Isaac said that line. The others just rolled their eyes at the two, but they did admit that it made Isaac feel more intimidating by saying the phrase.

"Opponent detected. Duel mode set. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Mobius the Frost Monarch's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Mobius

"Now then, winter has cometh. So time for you to freeze over." said Mobius as he drew his card. "Now I'll start by playing Abyss Warrior(1800/1800) in attack mode. Then I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Guess, it's my turn. So watch out!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "To start, I'll play Breaker the Magical Warrior. Then I'll equip Breaker with Bound Wand, so now Breaker gains 100 more points for every level it has. So that means he gains 400 attack points, on top of that, he also gains 300 more points when he's summoned. So we're talking 2300 total attack points!" stated Isaac.

"Impressive." said Cadance as she was amazed by what Isaac was able to do.

"Oh, trust me. You haven't seen anything yet." stated Twilight as she was giddy in excitement at watching Isaac duel.

"Now, Breaker attack Abyss Warrior!" Breaker heard Isaac's command as he leaped into the air and brought his sword down on Abyss Warrior as he took it with a slash straight down the middle as its target turned into particles.
Mobius' Life Points: 7500-

"With that, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Yeehaw, looks like the city slicker is on the right course to win." stated Applejack.

Turn 3: Mobius

"Not bad, now by banishing my Abyss Warrior I can special summon my Aqua Spirit(1600/1200) in attack mode. Then I'll play the spell Medallion of the Ice Barrier which means I can add an 'Ice Barrier' monster from my deck to my hand." Mobius' duel disk then slotted out the card he wanted. "Next, I'll summon my Dewdark of the Ice Barrier(1200/800). But it won't stop there, cause now I'm preparing to synchro summon!" stated Mobius.

"What?!" shouted everyone behind Isaac.

"I tune my Level 2 Dewdark of the Ice Barrier with my Level 4 Aqua Spirit." Dewdark then changed into two green rings as Aqua Spirit jumped in between them as they were combining to call upon a new monster. "I Synchro Summon, Dewloren, Tiger King of the Ice Barrier(2000/1400)!" Out came a giant pillar of snow as on top of that was a white tiger that wore armor and let out a roar. Soon it had its eyes locked on Isaac as he imagined the colt was his dinner as he jumped down from his position and landed on Mobius' field. "Now I'll activate my tiger's effect, so by returning my facedown back to my hand, I can increase my cat's attack points by 500. So time to pounce!" shouted Mobius. Dewloren then leaped into action as it raced over to Isaac's side of the field as it jumped on Breaker and with one swipe of its claws pinned him to the ground and destroyed him.
Isaac's Life Points: 7800-

"Since Breaker was equipped with Bound Wand, he gets to come back." said Isaac as his monster appeared in defense mode.

"So be it, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. Now my tiger's attack points return to normal."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn then," said Isaac as he drew his card, "I'll just set one more card facedown and then summon Gamma the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. That's all."

Turn 5: Mobius

"Interesting, now then," said Mobius as he drew his card and had a smile on his face, "Since you have two or more cards in your spell/trap zone, I'm allowed to summon Escher the Frost Vassal(800/1000) in defense mode. Then I'll play Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier(1300/0)." Out came a male sorcerer as he wielded a frost staff. "Now thanks to my Cryomancer's special ability, since I control another 'Ice Barrier' monster, you can't attack with any Level 4 or higher monsters."

"Not good." said Isaac with disdain.

"Come on, that's gotta be cheating, right?" asked Rainbow.

"'Fraid not. In Duel Monsters, that's a legal ability." informed Sunset.

"So, basically Isaac can't do anything." stated Rarity.

"Not really, see monsters with abilities like that are strong, but it does have a draw back. If Isaac wants to attack, then he needs to take out that Synchro monster. Once it's gone, then Cryomancer can't use its ability." said Sunset.

"Right, and don't forget girls. Isaac may not be able to attack, but that doesn't mean he can't take out his opponents monsters with his spells and traps." added Twilight.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my tiger, so I return my Escher the Frost Vassal so that it can gain 500 more attack points till the end of the turn." Escher then turned into a light as it returned to Mobius' hand as Dewloren gave a roar as it felt the power up. "Now my tiger, take out his Gamma! Then I'll have my Cryomancer take out your Breaker." Cryomancer then raised his staff as he casted a freeze spell that caused Isaac's warrior to be turned into a block of ice as it cracked and was destroyed. Dewloren then used its claws as it took out Isaac's other monster.

"Now, with that I'll end my turn and my tiger returns to his original attack points."

Turn 6: Isaac

"Right then." Alright, what to do? As long as he has another 'Ice Barrier' monster on the field, my monsters can't attack. Which means I need to take out one of his monsters. And I think I may have something to help me out. "Now, I'll summon my Magician's Rod. Now my Magician's Rod allows me to add a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card to my hand." Isaac then used his duel screen as he selected the card he wanted as it was added to his hand. "Now, I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown."

"That's all?" asked Pinkie.

"I mean, Isaac's good. But even he needs time to figure out a plan." said Sunset.

"The question is: can he survive to figure out one?" stated Fluttershy.

Turn 7: Mobius

"Well now, I was expecting more. Once again, I'm allowed to summon Escher from my hand. Next, I'll summon my Numbing Grub in the Ice Barrier(1300/1800) in defense mode." Out came a caterpillar as it was munching on an icicle.

"Nasty." said Sunset.

"Repulsive little thing." mentioned Rarity.

"Now since I summoned my grub, I can select 1 unused Monster Zone." Mobius' insect then shot some ice over to Isaac's field as it frozen one of his monster zones. "Now so long as my grub is out, you can't use that monster zone."

"Just great." said Isaac.

"Now, Isaac can't attack with his high level monsters, but he just lost a monster zone? This doesn't look good." said Spike.

"Have faith, Isaac is a tough and smart duelist. He'll figure this out, I hope." stated Cadance.

"Now, I'll use my tiger's effect once more, so I return Escher back to my hand and give my Tiger 500 more attack points! Now time to pounce!" shouted Mobius as he gave his tiger its command and started to charge at Isaac's monster.

"I was hoping you would do that." smiled Isaac.

"Come again?" asked Mobius.

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Dimension. So now I tribute my Magician's Rod so that I can call forth an even more powerful monster. So make way as I summon my Dark Magician!" The coffin absorbed Isaac's monster as it closed and then opened up as his ultimate spellcaster took to the field. "And now my Magical Dimension can destroy one of your monsters, so now your Dewloren is now extinct!" said Isaac as the tiger was gone.

"Clever move, in that case, I'll switch my Cryomancer into defense mode." said Mobius as he ended his turn.

Turn 8: Isaac

"Now that your monster is gone, time for me take control of this duel." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now, I'll reveal my facedown Dark Spear. With his spear it allows my Dark Magician the ability to deal piercing damage to a monster in defense mode."

"Keep in mind, that since I control another 'Ice Barrier' monster, you can't attack with your monster." stated Mobius.

"Don't you think I know that, which is why I play this card: Thousand Knives! Now with this, I can destroy one of your monsters on the field and I choose your Numbing Grub in the Ice Barrier!" Soon tons of small daggers appeared next to Dark Magician as they started to fly and then got rid of Mobius' insect. "With your grub gone, my monster zone that was frozen has now melted. And in addition, your Cryomancer's effect is now nullified."

"No!" said Mobius as his eyes widen.

"Now, Dark Magician, attack his Cryomancer!" shouted Isaac. Dark Magician then raised his spear as he leaped into the air and took out Cryomancer as Mobius the Frost Monarch lost some huge points.
Mobius' Life Points: 5000-

"Nice shot!" shouted Spike as he applauded the colt's move.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Mobius

"My move, now I'll summon my Pilgrim of the Ice Barrier(1500/1000) in attack mode. Thanks to my Pilgrim's effect, it can't be destroyed by monsters with 1900 or more attack points." stated Mobius. "Now, I'll activate my facedown, Call of the Haunted, so now I bring back my Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier." Mobius now had two monsters on his side of the field. "And as you know my Cryomancer makes it so that since I control another 'Ice Barrier' monster, you can't attack with your Dark Magician."

"Again?" said Fluttershy.

"Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Isaac

"Alright, my draw. Now I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student. So now that my Dark Magician is on the field, I can call upon my Dark Magician Girl. Come forth!" Isaac now had his two most loyal companions as on his field. "Now I'll activate my Dark Burning Magic which means all cards that you control are destroyed!"

"Can he do that?!" asked Shining Armor.

"Trust me, it's one of Isaac's signature moves. Plus a very powerful one." stated Sunset.

"Now that your field is empty, it means that I can wage a direct attack. Now my magician, Double Dark Magic Attack!!" Isaac gave his command as his two magicians pointed their wands and together they took out Mobius' entire field and nearly all of his life points.
Mobius' Life Points: 500-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Mobius

"Your skills well developed for someone your age." said Mobius. "Now, I'll summon my Zuijin of the Ice Barrier(500/300). Then I activate its effect, so I can tribute it so that I can summon General Gantala of the Ice Barrier(2700/2000)!" Now Mobius the Frost Monarch had another monster as this one was a warrior who wore ice armor over certain parts of is body and had a symbol on his forehead.

"Now time for my monsters to strike. Medium of the Ice Barrier take out his Dark Magician Girl, and my General Gantala of the Ice Barrier will take out your Dark Magician." Mobius gave his monsters their command as they were successful in taking out Isaac's monster who stood his ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

"Now the effect of my General Gantala activates, during the end of my turn I can special summon 1 'Ice Barrier' from my graveyard, so arise Defender of the Ice Barrier in defense mode." Mobius now had three monsters on his field as they all looked at Isaac with anger on their faces. "Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac

"Very well, now I'll activate Pot of Greed, which means I can draw two more cards. I'll summon Magician's Valkyria in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 13: Mobius

"This whole duel, I've been able to restrict you in one way or another. And now I've got you right where I want you." said Mobius as he drew his card. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Zuijin of the Ice Barrier from my graveyard. Now I can target a Level 3 or higher Water monster that I control and lower its level by 2. So I choose my General Gantala of the Ice Barrier." General Gantala's level then went from 7 to 5. "With that it allows me to bring back my Zuijin back in defense mode. Then, I'll summon my Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier(1500/800)." Mobius now had a field full of monsters as he looked to summon an even more powerful monster.

"Prepare yourself, young colt. Cause I tune my Level 3 Defender of the Ice Barrier with my Level 5 General Gantala and my Level 3 Shock Troops of the Ice Barrier!" Soon all three monsters jumped into the air as Defender of the Ice Barrier turned into three green rings with the other two jumping in between. "I Synchro Summon, Trishula, Zero Dragon of the Ice Barrier(2700/2000)!" Out came a dragon as it was covered in ice armor as it shined the brightest and let out a cry. "My dragon has an incredible ability, when its synchro summoned, I can banish up to 3 cards that you control. So say goodbye to your entire field. Trishula then opened its mouth as a harsh blizzard came upon Isaac's field as all the cards he had were gone and he was left defenseless.

"Now that you have nothing to protect you, my monsters are free to attack. So Trishula attack the colt and Medium of the Ice Barrier follow up!" shouted Mobius. Soon both of his monsters then let out an attack that caused Isaac to cover himself as he was thrown onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"Isaac?!" shouted the group as they were worried for the colt as he had taken a huge dent in his life points.

"I'm fine." said Isaac as he got back up and shook himself of the snow that was on his clothes.

"Now, I'll play my Monster Reborn and bring back my General Gantala of the Ice Barrier. I'll then set one card facedown. And since we've reached the end of my turn, Gantala's effect activates which means I can also bring back my Cryomancer of the Ice Barrier. And thanks to him, you can't attack with any monsters that are Level 4 or higher." snickered Mobius.

"And he's down to his last 2500 life points. Which means if he doesn't find a way to turn things around, then it's over." informed Sunset.

"Come on, Isaac. You've been in tougher situations before." said Twilight as she tried to give her friend some support.

Turn 14 Isaac

"My turn, I'll play Graceful Charity. Which allows me to draw 3 cards as long as I discard two."

"That's all? Out of everything he could play, he chooses that card." said Rainbow.

"Now, I'll banish my Breaker the Magical Warrior along with my Mystical Elf so that I can special summon Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" Isaac now had two powerful monsters on his side of the field.

"Don't forget, my Cryomancer makes it so that your powerful monsters are useless." stated Mobius.

"Which is why I have a way around it, I activate the effect of my Black Luster Soldier. And with I can banish a monster, so your Cryomancer is no more. And with him gone, I'm now free to attack. So from my hand, I play Guiding Wisdom which allows me to summon another spellcaster with 3000 or less attack points from my deck, so I play Palladium Oracle Mahad. Now Mahad attack Medium of the Ice Barrier!" shouted Isaac.

"Before my monster is destroyed, I'll activate this: Gift of the Mystical Elf. So now my life points increase based on the total number of monsters by 300. Since there's currently 5 monsters on the field, I gain 1500 life points." Mobius the Frost Monarch then got a huge boost as his monster was destroyed.
Mobius' Life Points: 1700-

"You may have gotten a life point boost, but I'm now free to play as many spell/traps as I want. And so, I'll now play this, Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands. Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 15: Mobius

"Now then, I'll summon my Secret Guards of the Ice Barrier(100/1600). Thanks to him, now all of my 'Ice Barrier' can't be targeted by your monster's effects. Which means you can no longer banish them. And now, I'll have my Trishula, Zero Dragon attack your Palladium Oracle Mahad!" Trishula then opened its mouth as it took out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"Since Palladium Oracle Mahad was destroyed, I can now special summon my Dark Magician from my graveyard. Arise once more my friend." said Isaac as he had his signature magician back.

"Well, I'll just get rid of him again. General Gantala take out his Dark Magician once again!" For the second time, Mobius the Frost Monarch was able to get rid of Isaac's magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 2100-

"Now, my Gantala's effect activates which means I can revive my Blizzed, Defender of the Ice Barrier in defense mode." Once more Mobius the Frost Monarch had nearly a full field of monsters as he ended his turn.

Turn 16: Isaac

"My draw, I may not be able to banish anymore of your monsters. But my Black Luster Soldier has another ability, so I'll have my monster take out your General Gantala!" Isaac's soldier then swung its sword as it took out his target with ease. "Which means his ability kicks in, so since he destroyed a monster he can now wage a second attack. And this time he'll target your Trishula, Zero Dragon!" Once more, Black Luster Soldier brought its mighty sword as it slayed the dragon in front of him.
Mobius' Life Points: 1100-

"Thank you, cause now my Trishula, Zero Dragon's effect kicks in. Which means I can now summon Trishula, Dragon of the Ice Barrier from my Extra Deck but its attack increases to 3300." Soon the dragon on Mobius' field started to crack as out of the ice came an even more powerful dragon as it let out a roar. "And now your monster loses half of its attack points and its special abilities are negated." Black Luster Soldier then powered down as its attack reduced to 1500.

"I'll just end my turn."

Turn 17: Mobius

"Now then, I'll summon my Dance Princess of the Ice Barrier(1700/900). Then I'll activate my princess' ability, so now I'll reveal another 'Ice Barrier' monster in my hand and then I can return your set facedown." Dance Princess then looked at Isaac as she gave him a wink and blew a kiss as it caused his card to be teleported back to his hand. "With that done, Trishula, take out his Black Luster Soldier!" Mobius gave his dragon its command as it opened its mouth and took out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 1800-

"Next, I'll have my Dance Princess attack you directly!" Mobius gave his other monster her command. Dance Princess then began to do a dance routine as she made her way over to Isaac's side of the field. Isaac was confused by what she did as he had his eyebrow raised, so instead of attacking the colt she simply blushed and gave Isaac a small kiss on his cheek as it counted as her attacking.
Isaac's Life Points: 100-

"Well, that was something." said Isaac as he wiped the mark left on his cheek. Meanwhile, the other girls were a tad bit angry by what Dance Princess did.

"Now my turn has come to an end." stated Mobius.

Turn 18: Isaac

"Right then, draw!" said Isaac as he hoped to turn this duel around. "Perfect, now I'll activate the effect of my Magician's Souls. So by sending my Apprentice Illusion Magician from my deck to the graveyard as well as my Magician's Souls, I can revive my Dark Magician!" said Isaac as his ultimate wizard was back in play. "Next, I'll play the tuner monster, Nitro Synchro. And now time for me to end this duel, cause I tuning my Level 2 Nitro Synchron with my Dark Magician and when using Synchro Material he counts as Level 6 instead of 7." Nitro Synchron then changed into two green rings as Dark Magician hopped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician!" Out came Isaac's monster as he made the gang have their mouths open as they were stunned by his appearance.

"With that, it's time to end this duel! Dark Sorcerer Magician attack his Trishula!" stated Isaac.

"My monster has more attack points." informed Mobius.

"Not after I activate my magician's ability, now once per turn, my Dark Sorcerer Magician can cut your monster's attack points in half and then Dark Sorcerer Magician can gain those points. Which means your Trishula is reduced to 1650 while my monster's strength rises to 4150! And that's just enough to end this battle."

"Uh-oh." said Mobius as he realized what the result was.

"Now Dark Sorcerer Magician, end this with Stardust Blast!" Isaac's magician then pointed his staff as the magical symbols all started to appear around him in a circle with a stardust effect. He then concentrated all of his power into casting the spell as it connected with Trishula and took out the dragon in one shot as Mobius was flung onto his back.
Mobius' Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel had ended as Isaac was declared the winner. Mobius the Frost Monarch was seen kneeling down on the floor as his duel disk transformed back into a sword as it laid in front of him. Isaac then began to walk over to his opponent as he looked at him in the eyes.

"You've proven to be a worthy opponent." said Mobius the Frost Monarch. "And I'm a man of my word, we are defeated." said Mobius. Soon his entire army started to to turn into particles as only Mobius remained. "It looks as though... my path... will end here. You, young pony... claim your victory." Mobius then presented his sword to Isaac as he was giving it to him so that Isaac could strike the final blow himself. "Strike me down. You must! Even now... across this land, there is still chaos and mischief. If you do not act now, this conflict... will go on forever. The inhabitants of this world, shall forever be scarred in an unforgiving war. Your path... lives across my grave. It is time for you to find the courage to walk it. If I must fall... let it be by your hand."

Isaac picked up the sword with his magic as he looked at it. The others were worried by what he was going to do; they looked to stop him, but Shining Armor put his hoof in front of them as it served that they shouldn't interrupt. Isaac looked between the sword and Mobius who had gotten on his knees and closed his eyes as he had his arms out. He was ready to accept his fate; Isaac twirled the sword around a bit as he then held it high above him as he looked at Mobius. Then with a deep breathe, Isaac brought the weapon downwards as there was silence. Nothing was said, not a sound was made as there was complete silence.

Mobius opened his eyes and saw that he was unharmed as he saw his sword was plunged into the ground next to him. He then looked back at Isaac who stood there with a serious look; soon Isaac offered his hoof to the monster.

"Someone as honorable as you does not deserve an end like this. Your strength is remarkable." said Isaac. "So then. Let me ask you a question. What does strength mean to you?"

Mobius thought about Isaac's question as he gave his answer. "To some, you need strength to fight, win, and take everything. But to me, strength is the ability to make that which you believe in, a reality." answered Mobius. He then grabbed Isaac's hoof as he gave a respectful smile to Isaac which the colt returned as Mobius started to fade into particles and disappeared.

Isaac watched as he let out a nod and as he was honored to have faced a worth opponent in battle. With that he then turned around as he headed in the direction of the castle as the entire group stepped to the side and allowed him to walk. The girls and Spike were a bit confused on what had transpired between Isaac and the monster. Shining Armor just simply had a smile on his face as he had given Isaac his full respect as a soldier/warrior, but also as a pony.

Chapter 115: Icon vs Icon

After saving the Crystal Empire, Shining Armor and Cadance had Spike write a report to Princess Celestia and Luna as they informed them about the mission being a success. Both rulers were pleased with that Twilight and her friends were able to stop the imposing threat from getting any worse. The Crystal Ponies were really grateful for the group in helping to keep their home safe. So to celebrate, they decided to throw a festival to show their appreciation, especially Spike. Seems Spike forgot to tell Isaac and Sunset that the Crystal Ponies viewed his a a hero/savior due to how he helped to put the Crystal Heart back in place. So the group spent a bit more time in the Crystal Empire as the power of the Crystal Heart shined and changed everypony's appearances so that their coat looked like it was actually made up of crystal.

"Nice!" said Sunset as she liked how she looked in her temporary form.

"That's some magic." said Isaac as he too was impressed with how he looked.

Soon the group all headed back to Ponyville. Shining Armor and Cadance walked the group to the train station as they said their goodbyes. Twilight gave her family a hug as she wished them the best and to inform her should any new updates arise regarding the baby. Both agreed to the purple alicorn's request; they then looked at Sunset and Isaac as they thanked them for helping in their time of need. Shining Armor even admitted that he was glad that there was somepony like Isaac to keep his sister safe, even if it was for the time being. So he gave Isaac a quick bro hoof as he wished him luck in his mission. The train then arrived as the entire group boarded the train and waved goodbye to the royal couple and the Crystal Empire as their train rode along the tracks and disappeared into a tunnel.

They all arrived back in Ponyville as nighttime was falling on the small town. The ride back had caused all of them to doze off for a bit, the train buckled a bit as it pulled into the station as it woke up everypony. Twilight had rubbed her eyes and found that she accidentally was leaning against Isaac during her nap. She quickly pulled away as a blush appeared on her cheeks as Isaac awoke. The gang then got off the train as they all did a quick high five as they congratulated themselves on a job well done. With that they all said goodbye as they each retreated to their separate homes.

After an adventure like that, everypony needed some relaxation. And it just so happen that Isaac was doing that as right now he was currently playing a game of chess against Twilight. Granted Isaac was a master tactician when it came to Duel Monsters, but Twilight had smarter wilts as she was beating Isaac. Now she wasn't exactly crushing him, as Isaac had played chess before, but given that Twilight was basically a genius it proved to be a tough challenge for Isaac. So often time, Isaac would take some time before he made his every move, while he was thinking, Twilight couldn't help but smile as she found it admirable seeing the colt not giving up.

"Alright, what to do..." said Isaac as he tapped his head with his hoof. "I think... I'll..." Isaac was trying to figure out which piece he should move that would help him. "I... move... my bishop to e5." said Isaac.

"Not bad, you made a solid move by taking out my knight. However, you left your right flank exposed. So, I'll just simply move my Queen to d4 and... checkmate." smiled Twilight.

"Oh come on." pouted Isaac.

"Don't be too upset, you lasted longer this time. Which means you're getting better with every game. But it also means something else." snickered Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah. So what will you make me do this time?" asked Isaac as he dreaded his punishment for losing.

"Hmm. Tough choice." Twilight then looked at Isaac as she started to walk over to his chair as she pulled him into a deep kiss.

Isaac was unprepared for this as he eventually leaned into the kiss. Twilight then took it a step further as the two were now in the chair Isaac sat in as she started to put her hooves on Isaac's chest as she felt his body with her wings. Isaac then brought his hooves to Twilight's body as he held the purple alicorn in his embrace as he rubbed her backside. Soon Twilight broke the kiss as she nuzzled her neck against Isaac's as both closed their eyes and let out a moan of pleasure. Their interaction ended as Twilight placed her head under Isaac's chin as they enjoyed each other's presence. After a couple of minutes, both ponies looked at each other as they had a smile on their faces.

"So, up for another game?" asked Twilight.

"How about we take a break? Besides, I just want to hold you." said Isaac.

"I was thinking the same thing." smiled the princess as she returned to snuggling next to her beloved knight.

The next couple of days was as laid back as they could be. During that time, Isaac and Sunset had helped their friends with their individual things. Fluttershy had need help to take care of several animals, so both ponies helped her out to make sure that the shy mare wasn't too overworked. Applejack needed her friends to help make and sell some cider; it was hard work, but in the end they had made plenty of cider. The only thing that proved to be a problem was trying to get Rainbow from drinking all of the cider as it proved to be an addiction of sorts for the chromatic pegasus. Pinkie needed some taste tasters for the new recipes she was planning to sell for Sugarcube Corner. Even Rarity required some assistance as she need Isaac to model for her as she wanted to create some new designs for stallions; of course, Spike accompanied the colt as he couldn't keep away from the white unicorn. Overall, it seemed that the group was being given some downtime as they fully deserved it.

One day, Twilight was doing creating some potions as it was one of her many things we did for fun besides reading books. As for Isaac, he served as the princess' assistance as he handed Twilight the things she needed while he just sat in a chair as he currently reading one of Spike's Power Ponies comics.

"Nice references of superheroes that are common in my world." said Isaac as he looked at each of the superheroes and figured out which ones they were mimicking.

"Isaac, pass me that vial." said Twilight as she was looking through a microscope.

Isaac looked to where Twilight was pointing as he picked up the vial with his magic and teleported it over to the princess. "Here you go."

"Thanks."

"So what's the potion you're working on?"

"Just something I've been working on since magic kindergarten." said Twilight.

Isaac then got up from his seat as he made his way over to the purple alicorn as she had just finish adding the last drop from another vial as it made contact with the other substances as it let out a tiny explosion of cloud.

"So what's in this stuff?" asked Isaac as he held the test-tube with his magic.

"Careful. It might be dangerous." said Twilight as she took the test-tube out of Isaac's magic.

"How? Does it turn you into a monster?"

"No." replied Twilight.

"Does it make you invisible?"

"No."

"Does it transform you into a hydra?" asked Isaac.

"Technically, that's a monster. So, no." responded Twilight.

Isaac then blinked at Twilight as he stared at her as a thought occurred in his mind. "Okay, I'm almost afraid to ask, but... is it a love potion?"

"No!" shouted Twilight in a quick response as she had some red on her cheeks. "It's none of those things."

"Then why is it dangerous?" asked the colt.

"Because..." said Twilight until she stopped herself. "I don't really know what it is."

"Woah, hold up. Rewind. You don't know what it is and you made it?" said Isaac.

"Yes, I did." said Twilight with some pride in her voice.

"But if you don't know what it is, then how do we know it's dangerous?"

"I don't." said Twilight as she had her hooves out.

"But... you made... it." said Isaac as he was at a lost for words.

Twilight just rolled her eyes. "Look, Isaac. In theory, it's suppose to be a talent enhancer. It should increase the pony's natural abilities by a significant amount. For example, if I drank it it would make my magic extremely powerful."

"What about me?"

"Well... in theory, your dexterity would increase as well as your physical strength and visual aptitude." stated Twilight as Isaac just looked at her. "In other words..."

"I understood what you said." stated the colt. "Seems even I can understand when you go into full nerd mode in this world."

"Don't call me that!" pouted the princess. "I don't mind Dash saying that, but not my best friend."

"Chill out, Twilight. I'm just having fun, plus you know you like it when I call you a nerd." smiled Isaac as he began to nibble a bit on the princess' mane as she felt a bit of blush on her cheeks.

"Alright, enough of that." said Twilight as she pushed Isaac away. "Time to put this thing away for safe keeping." Twilight then began to put the test-tube away, however, she failed to realize a vial had rolled onto the floor as she stepped on it and soon lost her balance as she slipped.

"I got you." said Isaac as he rushed over and caught Twilight in his fore hooves as he stopped her from hitting herself on the floor. "You okay." asked Isaac.

"Yeah, thanks for the catch. Wait, where's the potion?" asked Twilight.

Both ponies looked up and the test-tube was in the air, it spun in place for a bit as soon gravity did its thing. The object then came crashing down as it landed on Isaac who felt the liquid drop on his body. Soon Isaac felt the affects of Twilight's potion, but they weren't what she explained. Eventually, he soon found himself closing his eyes as he fell onto the floor.

"Isaac? Isaac!" called out Twilight as she was trying to see if her friend was okay. "Isaac! Say something?"

Isaac found himself as he was surrounded in darkness as he was drifting through space. Eventually he opened his eyes as the sun was beating down on him. "Where am I?" asked Isaac as he lifted his hand to block the sun's rays from making him go blind.

"Wait, I'm human?" asked Isaac as he looked at himself. It seems that wherever he was, he was now back in his human form as he was wearing his usual clothes. "Well, I'm not complaining. Though I think Twilight's spell might have been wrong; I don't feel any different."

Isaac then took a look around as he observed his surroundings. He saw a couple of tall buildings as they had many lights. There was also several highways towers that appeared as their were several blimps flying about. Isaac then saw the water in front of him as he could only assume that he was on a riverbank of sorts.

"Wonder where I am" Isaac then looked to his left as he saw a sign. "Welcome to Heartland City." said Isaac as he read it aloud. "Interesting, that name sounds familiar but I can't put my finger on it. Well, seeing as how I have nothing better to do, best start looking around." Isaac then got up as he started to explore his surroundings.

Eventually, Isaac began to walk along the sidewalk as he took in the sights. Safe to say he could sense this place was a peaceful city, not to mention that it had some major history. He kept on walking taking in everything, eventually, Isaac came upon a bridge as he decided to take a seat.

"Not bad of a place, still I need to find a way to escape whatever I'm in." said Isaac as he looked up at the sky. Just as Isaac was about to return to the place where he woke up, he managed to hear something.

"Been meaning to challenge you." said a voice.

Isaac then looked around and saw that it came from another bridge. Isaac then got up and he headed over to the source. He came upon the scene as he noticed a person who had duel disk and something on his eye.

"Been meaning to take my shot at you. Once I beat you, then I'll be the one people will be talking about." said the male.

"Yeah, well don't underestimate me. I'm not the World Duel Carnival Champion for nothing." said the boy's opponent.

"Be careful." shouted the girl behind the boy as she was concerned about her friend.

"Don't worry." said the boy as he gave her a thumbs up and a smile.

Isaac looked at the pair as he examined them. The girl had green hair, orange/hazel eyes. Her outfit consisted of a pink and fuchsia dress with her knee length socks and fuchsia shoes. She too also had something on her left eye. Her friend was a boy who had tan skin, red eyes, and black and red spiked hair that pointed out and upward. He wore a key of sorts around his neck that was be held by a black string. He too had a device over his left eye as it was white and yellow with a green lens. He wore a red vest with a white hood and a blue sleeveless shirt with a green "D" symbol; he also wore white pants with designs of three orange moon crescents attached to one another with yellow outlines at the bottom, a white brown-stripe belt, and black with blue streaks shoes with white straps. Other accessories included a brown fingerless glove on his left hand, a black protective pad on his right elbow and a thick, dark blue bracelet with light blue gems and red outlines on his right wrist.

"Hope you're ready to lose." stated the opponent.

'Not gonna happen. Cause I'm feeling the flow!!" shouted the boy as he was pumped. He then tossed something into the air. "Duel Disk go!" The object that was thrown into the air then began to morph as it changed and then combined with another device on the boy's arm. "Duel Gazer, let's roll!" said the boy as the device on his eye activated as well.

"Augmented reality vision link established." said the A.I.

Soon the entire field began to change, Isaac looked at his duel disk and it was responding to the change in his surroundings. Since it was the latest duel disk that everybody owned, it had a couple of features that even Isaac didn't know about. Like the fact that it allowed Isaac to see the duel without the use of a duel gazer. With that Isaac began to watch this duel as once the name of the participants came up, he was shocked to discover who one of them was.

???'s Life Points: 4000-

Yuma Tsukumo's Life Points: 4000-

"No way... is it really him?" asked Isaac as he was in awe.

Turn 1: ???

"I'm up first. So watch out." said the opponent. "To start, I'll summon Giant Solder of Stone in defense mode. Now whenever I normal summon a Level 4 monster, I can also summon Kagetokage(1100/1500) also in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Yuma

"Time to see what he can do." said Isaac as he watched from the sidelines with an intense stare.

"My move, I draw!" said Yuma. "To start, I'll activate the spell Parallel Unit. This card copies your monster, so I have a Giant Soldier of Stone of my own. Next, I'll activate Solid Overlay. This spell substitutes for a monster when I Xyz Summon. With these two cards, I build the Overlay Network." Soon both cards transformed into a pillar of light as a vortex opened up. "I Xyz Summon! Rise, Number 39: Utopia!" Out came giant warrior as it had the number 39 embedded on its left shoulder.

"No way! He managed to summon his ace." Isaac was amazed by what he was seeing from one of the members of the Big 4.

"Now, I activate Double Rank-Up Magic Utopia Force. With this spell, I summon two Xyz monsters that are higher in rank than Utopia, and then Utopia's two Overlay Units are divided among them." Soon two more vortexes appeared in the sky as each overlay unit disappeared into one of them. "First up is Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray Victory(2800/2500, OLU: 1). Followed by Number 39: Utopia Beyond(3000/2500, OLU: 1)."

"Incredible, he's got three Utopias!" said Isaac.

"But I'm not done. Utopia Ray Victory attack Giant Soldier of Stone with all your might." stated Yuma. "Rising Sun Double Victory Slash!" Utopia Ray Victory then leaped into the air as it unleashed a dual slash attack that took out Giant Soldier of Stone with ease.

"I play a trap, Call of the Haunted. So now my Giant Soldier of Stone is back in play." said Yuma's opponent.

"Not bad, cause now I'll have my Utopia Beyond take out your Kagetokage and have Utopia take out your Giant Soldier of Stone once more." Yuma's other two monsters then took to the field as they cleared his opponent of his monsters. "Next, I activate Rank-Up Magic Dark Force. When my Xyz monster destroys your monster in battle, I can send it to the graveyard to summon two new Xyz monsters with even higher ranks. So Utopia, make way for Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray V(2600/2000)! And Number 25: Force Focus(2800/2400)!" Yuma now had a total of four monsters on his field.

"Four monsters?" said Isaac as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Time for one more trick, I activate Grave Chaos. Since Utopia was sent to the graveyard, I can summon a Chaos Xyz monster that has the same rank. Which means I summon another Utopia! Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray(2500/2000)!" stated Yuma as he had a field full of powerful monsters. "But why stop at four Utopias when I can have five? Utopia Beyond uses one Overlay Unit to banish Force Focus and bring Utopia back from the graveyard." Now Yuma had a field full of his best monsters as he looked to end this duel. "Lastly, I also gain life points equal to half of Utopia's 2500 attack points."
Yuma's Life Points: 5250-

"Yuma summoned five Utopias!" said the girl.

"Utopia Ray, attack him directly with Rising Sun Chaos Slash!" shouted Yuma as his monster unleashed a powerful attack. "And Utopia Ray V, finish this duel! Rising Sun Star Slash!!" With that Utopia Ray V then dealt the final blow to Yuma's opponent as he was thrown back and was down for the count.
Winner: Yuma Tsukumo (OTK)

The duel ended as everything returned to normal. With that Yuma took off his duel gazer as he looked at his opponent who was still down.

"Man, I wish he lasted longer." said Yuma with a pout.

"Great job, Yuma." said the girl as she raced to her friend and gave him a hug.

"Thanks. But I really couldn't have done it without you, Tori." smiled Yuma as he hugged her back.

Meanwhile, Isaac was watching from the sidelines as he was still trying to process what he witnessed.

"What did I just see? I've seen some impressive turns, but that was a whole another level. Now I know why he's considered a member of the Big 4." said Isaac as he saw Yuma. "I've done my fair share of Xyz summoning, but the energy, the flow, the passion. He made it seem effortless." Isaac saw the two of them as he couldn't help but smile. He decided to leave, but just as he turned to walk away, someone called him.

"Hey, hold on!"

Isaac turned around to see who was calling him and it was none other than Yuma himself. Seems before the duel started, he managed to get a sneak peak at Isaac standing there. Even while he was dueling, he was amazed that he could still see Isaac and vice versa without the use of a Duel Gazer. Safe to say, Isaac was an individual who caught Yuma's interest as they locked eyes with one another and the story was being told by their eyes.

"So, did you watch my duel?"

"Yeah." responded Isaac in a nonchalant tone.

"So.. what you'd think? I was awesome right, tell me I was awesome." stated Yuma with excitement.

"Knock it off." shouted Tori as she hit Yuma on the head to tone down his energy.

"I'll say, it definitely was something." said Isaac as he let out a smile.

"Come to think of it, I haven't seen you before. You new in town?"

"You could say that, I'm just passing by." Isaac then extended his hand out. "I'm Isaac."

"Cool name, Yuma Tsukumo." responded Yuma as he returned Isaac's handshake. "And this is my girlfriend, Tori Meadows."

"Hi there." said Tori as she extended her hand.

"Pleasure to me you." said Isaac as he shook Tori's hand. He then turned to the back of it as he planted a kiss on it. "Gotta admit, Yuma is one lucky guy to have a girl like you by his side."

"Finally, someone who agrees with me." stated Tori as she gave Yuma a dirty look.

"Okay, I get it." said Yuma. He then placed his arm around Tori as he gave her a smile as she forgave her boyfriend. "Anyways, I can tell you're a duelist. Based on that duel disk on your arm, but it's not like our duel disk. Cause you were able to see our duel without a duel gazer. So tell me, who gave it to you and where can I get one?" asked Yuma in excitement.

"Honestly, I didn't know it could do that." stated Isaac. "But if you're looking for one, well unfortunately, I can't help you on that front. This duel disk is from where I come from."

"And where's that?" asked Tori.

"It's kinda of a long story." stated Isaac.

"Well, we have nothing better to do." informed Yuma.

With that Isaac began to tell Yuma and Tori about where he was from as they were surprised. They never heard of Canterlot but based on Isaac's description, they could tell that it seemed to similar to their city of Heartland as it was filled with tons of energy and happiness. From there, the three of them began to talk about their own lives and the adventures they had. Safe to say that both boys were amazed by what the other had done as they couldn't help but contain their excitement. Eventually, all three of them made their way back to the riverbank that Isaac awoke as they all sat down and talked.

"So you had to save your school from some evil magic that infected your friend that caused her to turn into a raging she-demon. And it happened once more to your girlfriend during a school competition." stated Tori as she sat next to Yuma.

"Yup."

"Don't forget about him having to save an entire camp. And the fact that he took on 2 Egyptian God cards. Man, I heard about those things, but I've yet to see them with my own eyes." stated Yuma.

"You mean these?" said Isaac with a smug smile as he pulled out the cards. He then handed them to Yuma who was sitting next to him.

"You mean it? Woah." Yuma's eyes were filled with wonder at seeing such legendary cards

"Amazing." said Tori as she looked over her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Yeah, though I tend to refrain from using them in every duel. Not much fun if I constant rely on their power solely so that I can obtain victory." stated Isaac.

"I understand. It's how I feel when I'm using my Number cards, if my opponent doesn't have one, then I tend to refrain from using them, other than Utopia." Yuma then handed Isaac his cards back as they all looked at the water as the sun was starting to set as an orange color was appearing in the skyline.

"You know, it's these moments like this that make me appreciate all I've done and been through." said Yuma as he pulled Tori closer as she placed her head on his shoulder.

"I hear you." responded Isaac. "To think you've had your share of adventures. Collecting all the Number cards, becoming Duel Carnival Champion, saving Barian World, and you managed to make friends with all your enemies that you ever encountered. That only is impressive, as much as I believe that anybody could be friends through dueling. Sometimes, there are people who won't listen."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't have a good time." said Yuma. "It's like Astral said before he disappeared, dueling is a way for people to communicate. Through dueling, people talk heart-to-heart and deepen their bonds as friends. No matter how many times you get knocked down..."

"You get back up." said Isaac as he finished Yuma's sentence.

"You know it." Yuma then gave Isaac a thumbs up to which he returned one as well.

"Hey, you both mind answering me something? How do you both do it? With Yuma being a pro duelist, how does it affect your personal life?" asked Isaac.

"Well, it's not easy." stated Tori. "Ever since he was a kid, all Yuma could think about was dueling. Granted he sucked as he had no skills."

"I'm right here, you know." said Yuma as he was offended his own girlfriend would say that.

"But he never stopped giving up, and I think it's one of the many reasons why I had a crush on him. But more importantly, it was his desire to always get back up and continue to fight." said Tori as she looked at Yuma. "But as we've grown up and started our life together, I know that Yuma will never give up dueling. So we both agreed that as long as we support each other and always be there for one another, then our relationship will continue to grow. Even if sometimes we're far apart, as long as we think of each other."

"That's kind of sweet." said Isaac. "You're lucky to have her, Yuma."

"I am." replied Yuma as he gave Tori a quick peck.

Soon all of them returned to watching the sunset for a bit more as it offer tranquility and allowed for all three of them to put their mind at ease.

"Well, thanks for a great day, you two. I really enjoyed this." said Isaac as he stood up.

"You're welcome. And maybe next time, you could bring Twilight with you. So that way we could have a double date." stated Tori.

"Or a couples duel?" said Yuma with a fist bump. "Though Tori might need some practice."

"Yuma!" shouted Tori as she hit her boyfriend on the head.

"Well, Twilight is a pretty good duelist. But I think we might be down for that." said Isaac as he the couple a smile. "Well, nice meeting you." said Isaac as he turned to leave.

"Hold on! Are you really just going to leave?" asked Yuma as Isaac turned to look at him. "Come on, you know where this is going. And you didn't really think I take the chance? So... wanna duel?"

"Interesting." smiled Isaac.

"Think about, the World Duel Carnival Champion vs Canterlot High's Champion. That's a match of icon vs icon, generation v. generation. That's the type of duel that puts a smile on people's faces. So?"

Isaac was intrigued by Yuma's idea to say the least. He looked at Tori who just simply shrugged her shoulders as she knew she couldn't stop her boyfriend from his passion. So he looked back at Yuma and did his own fist bump. "Then, let's do this."

With that all three of them made their way to the bridge from earlier as they were about to have their battle. Yuma had already taken his position as he was doing a bit of stretches to get himself psyched. Isaac was on a nearby bench as he was going over some last minute additions to his deck. He knew he was about to engage in a duel against one of the Big 4, so he was doing his best to make sure that he was prepared. Especially, with how he saw how Yuma was able to wipe the floor with his opponent with ease from earlier. Isaac was checking and doubling checking as he knew he was going to be in one hell of duel.

"Alright, I've done all I can to prepare. Now time to see what happens." said Isaac.

"Remember, have fun." said Tori as she sat next to Isaac on the bench. "I've seen Yuma get excited for a duel, but this is the first in a long time that I've seen him ecstatic. in fact, he hasn't been this pumped since when Astral was with him. So, thanks Isaac. It warms my heart to see him so happy."

"Well, I didn't do much. We just happen to both love Duel Monsters." informed Isaac.

"I guess." giggled Tori.

"Hey, are we duelin' or what?" complained Yuma as he was raring to go.

"Guess this is it. Hope you won't get too mad, Tori. But I don't plan on losing this duel."

"Not at all, Isaac. Plus, it kind gives me joy to see Yuma get his butt handed to him. So between the two of us." Tori then whispered into Isaac's ear, "Kick his ass." said Tori as she pulled back with a smile.

Isaac returned one as he gave a nod and one final kiss to her hand. He then got up as he took his position across from Yuma as both duelist had a serious look on their faces. The battle between the two was about to take place as the wind blew in their direction. Tori watched from the bench as she was preparing to see her boyfriend and new companion get ready to duel. In her heart, she could see that Isaac was the type of duelist who could show Yuma a good time and vice-versa. Both boys just stared like two cowboys waiting to see who would make the first move.

"Ready?" asked Yuma.

"Always." stated Isaac.

"Good, cause I'm gonna high five the sky!" shouted Yuma as he tossed a piece of his duel disk in the air. "Duel Disk go!" It then transformed and combined with the other piece on his arm as it created his duel disk. "Duel Gazer, let's roll!" stated Yuma as his duel gazer was over his left eye and came online.

"Well, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he activated his duel disk and projected a gold card tray. Both Yuma and Tori were impressed by Isaac's device.

"Augmented reality vision link established." said the A.I.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Yuma's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Yuma

"I'll start things off." said Yuma as he drew his card. "And get the show on the road with this... I summon Ganbara Knight(0/1800) in attack mode." Out came a warrior as it dropped from the sky and landed with a thud as it wielded dual shields on his arms.

"Huh?" said Isaac. Why would Yuma do that? Ganbara Knight is better off in defense, so why play it offensive? I know he's a legend, but even I know not to make a move like that? So what's he up to?

"Hey. Hope you're not nervous." said Yuma as he saw Isaac was in deep concentration.

"Of course not. It'll take a lot more than that to throw me off." stated Isaac.

"Good, cause I want to see what you're made of. Now then I'll play the spell, Zerozerock! Due to this card's effect, you can't attack monsters that are in attack mode with zero attack points!" stated Yuma.

"That's why." said Isaac. I'll admit, Yuma's good. He's doing a move that I would never have thought of. That alone shows just how vastly different our skills are. He's a master. Still, if I want to beat one of my inspirations and get one step closer to immortality, then I need to beat him.

"I end my turn, Isaac!" shouted Yuma. "So let's see what you can do."

Turn 2: Isaac

"I'm happy to show off what I've got in store right now!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now, I'll play Graceful Charity which allows me to draw 3 cards and discard two." Isaac then drew his cards as he had a smile on his face. "Then, I'll activate the effect of my Magician's Souls from my hand. So by sending my Apprentice Illusion Magician and Magician's Souls to the graveyard, I can bring back my ultimate monster. So appear, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had his ace wizard on the field as it descend onto the battlefield.

Both Tori and Yuma were in awe. They had been able to see Isaac's star monster when he showed them his deck, but now that they got to see Dark Magician in action, they could tell this was a force to be reckoned with.

"Hope you're ready, Mahad. This is one of the biggest fights we've been in." said Isaac.

"Then I will do my part, master." said Mahad.

"I look forward to seeing how you two work together." said Yuma as he could see Isaac talking with his monster. "I can sense your bond with him and it's strong. Right, Tori?"

"Yeah." responded Tori who could also see Isaac talking with his magician.

"Well, then I hope we don't disappoint." stated Isaac.

"That depends, how are you gonna get past my monster?"

"Like this, Dark Magician attack Ganbara Knight!"

"I don't think so! Due to Zerozerock's effect, since Ganbara Knight has zero attack points, you can't attack it!"

"Don't be so sure! Cause from I'm activating an effect from my grave, since I sent my Seer Warlock to the graveyard. I can banish him and for the rest of the turn two of your cards lose their effect. However, a monster on my side of the field has to lose half of its attack points." said Isaac. "And I choose Ganbara Knight and Zerozerock!" Soon Isaac's magician from the graveyard appeared in spirit form as he pointed his wand and casted a spell that nullified Yuma's cards.

"Very impressive." said Yuma with a smile.

"Not only did Isaac manage to summon out his monster, but he neutralized Yuma's defense and he did them both in the same turn!" stated Tori as she was amazed by the move Isaac did. "Now the question is: how does Yuma respond?" she said with a smile on her face.

"Now Dark Magician attack Ganbara Knight! Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac. Dark Magician then pointed its wand at Ganbara Knight as it took the monster out with ease. Despite being at half of its strength, Yuma still felt the full effect of the attack as he was thrown onto his back.
Yuma's Life Points: 2750-

"Wow, I did it. I managed to actually land a hit against Yuma." said Isaac to himself. The rush of the attack and the adrenaline was kicking in as he couldn't contain his excitement. "Oh, yeah!" shouted Isaac as he jumped into the air with a fist pump.

"Yuma, you're not giving up, are you?" shouted Tori.

"Nah... he just got lucky..." said Yuma as he tried to regain his composure. Though real, he did that of his own accord. Isaac's got skill and I'm glad to have this duel with him. Yuma then did a kip up as he was back on his feet and looked at his opponent. "Not bad. Not bad at all! But this duel is far from over!" smiled Yuma.

"Glad to see we're both having fun. Now I'll activate another card, the continuous spell card, Battle Gravity! Now during the end of the battle, if we have monsters that didn't attack then that person takes 1000 points of damage." stated Isaac. "How's that for some excitement?"

"Totally speaking my language. It just means that I get to battle your Dark Magician a whole lot more. And who wouldn't want that?" shouted Yuma as he was excited.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn. And since my turn is through, my Seer Warlock's effect ends, so Dark Magician attack points, as well as your Zerozerock's effect return to normal."

Turn 3: Yuma

"This is what dueling's all about." said Yuma as he looked at Isaac. "You make a move, then I try to outdo it... Dueling's loads of fun, huh?"

"Couldn't agree more." stated Isaac. "Trust in the cards."

"Right! Not only is it a great feeling, but it'll up your game too!"

"He's right." chimed in Tori.

"Feeling the flow is what I live by. What matters is having fun! Winning just happens that way... And maybe you'll make a new friend too."

"I already have." smiled Isaac. "But don't think that I'm gonna lie down and let you win, Yuma. Cause I plan to beat you."

"No way that's happening!" snickered Yuma. "'Cause I'm feeling the flow! My turn, I draw! And I'm summoning out Goblindbergh(1400/0)! When Goblindbergh is successfully summoned, I can summon another monster from my hand! And here it is, Gagaga Magician!"

"Here it comes." said Isaac as he prepared himself.

"Next, I overlay my Goblindbergh and Gagaga Magician! With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network. And Xyz Summon Number 39: Utopia!" Yuma now had his ace monster on the field as it looked to do battle with Isaac's ace magician.

"Win this!" cheered Tori.

"I knew it wouldn't be long before he summoned his Number!" muttered Isaac.

"Now Utopia, attack Dark Magician!"

Why do that? Both of our monsters have the same attack points, so they'll both be destroyed. Unless...

"Now I use one Overlay Unit to stop Utopia's attack!"

"What? If you do that then you'll take 1000 points of damage." informed Isaac.

"No, cause I'm not through... I activate the spell Flash Effect! Since Utopia used its special ability, it not only gains 800 attack points, but all monsters lose their special abilities!"

"Wait, what! But is that happens?"

"Oh yeah! That means Utopia powers up to 3300 attack points! And Utopia loses his special abilities! Which means, Utopia's attack continues, however this time it's packing some extra power! And now, Utopia, attack Dark Magician!" shouted Yuma as he gave his monster its command.

"I activate my facedown, the trap Battle Simulation! Now both our monsters' attack points are cut in half! And neither can be destroyed in battle!" said Isaac as his card lowered the strength of both monsters.

"One more thing..." smiled Yuma smugly.

"Uh-oh." said Isaac with a worry expression.

"I activate the spell Double Bind! And this card spells double the trouble for you, because it doubles Utopia's attack points! And that's not all, your Battle Simulation comes to an end and Dark Magician can be destroyed!" Utopia's attack then rose to 3300 as it looked to take out Isaac's magician.

"Bring it on, Yuma!" shouted Isaac as he prepared himself.

"Let 'em have it, Utopia! Attack with Rising Sun Slash!" commanded Yuma. Utopia then raised its sword up high as it brought it down with a streak of sunlight as it took out Dark Magician. Now it was Isaac's turn to feel the effects of Yuma's attack as it caused him to be thrown onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 2050-

"Now the effects of all traps and spells end and Utopia's attack points and special abilities return to normal. Now I'll just place one card facedown and end my turn!" stated Yuma. "Aw yeah!" Yuma then did a backflip in excitement as he felt the rush. "That wasn't just awesome! It was awesomely awesome!"

"Good job, Yuma!" cheered Tori.

Isaac then sat up as he saw Yuma celebrating. He really is quite remarkable. No matter how many times he's knocked to the floor... he always jumps right up again and gets back to dueling... even though it usually means falling down all over again. And that attack, that move. He's something else; if you gave me all the time in the world, I would never have done what Yuma just did. Let alone replicate that same move. He can see and do plays that I would never think of. That's why he's earned the right of being one of the members of the Big 4.

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn. I draw! To start, I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards. Next, I'll play my Seeker Wisdom spell card. With this I'm allowed to summon a pair of magicians from my deck or hand to the field, however, not only are their effects negated, but their defense points are zero and can't change position. So from my deck, I call upon two Magician of Dark Illusions." Isaac now had two more monsters on his field as he prepared to make his next move.

"So, are you gonna do it?" asked Yuma with a smile.

"You know it. Let's see how you judge my Xyz summoning, I overlay my two Level 7 Magician of Dark Illusions. With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network." Both of Isaac's magicians then transformed into dark purple lights as a vortex in the ground opened up and they were sucked in as a new monster was being born. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon Illusion Magician!" Out came a powerful magician as it had its Xyz materials circling around it.

"Incredible. Never seen that monster before." stated Yuma.

"Don't get too excited, cause I'm not through. Next, I'll play another spell, Divination of Arts. Thanks to this I can be able to not only drop the attack points of your Utopia to 0, but all cards on the field lose their effects till the end of the turn." Isaac's card then began to glow as it shot out multiple lights that affected their monsters and facedowns as they lost a bit of their power.

"Utopia's special abilities are gone?" said Yuma in shock.

"Which means, your Zerozerock won't matter. So Ebon Illusion Magician, take out Utopia!" shouted Isaac. Ebon Illusion Magician then pointed it staff at Utopia as it took it out and sent another breeze that caused Yuma to be thrown for a loop.
Yuma's Life Points: 250-

I'm this close to beating him, just got to last a bit longer. "I end my turn, your move."

Turn 5: Yuma

Yuma had got to one knee as he looked at Isaac. Safe to say that as a master of Xyz summoning, he was more than pleased with how Isaac was able to handle it. Not to mention he was actually giving him a hard fought fight. He then stood up as he dusted himself off.

"Isaac, you better watch out 'cause I'm feeling a comeback kicking in. And I'll back that up, by taking you down!" smiled the boy. "My turn, I draw! I activate the spell, Card of Spell Containment. This means I can draw two cards. And that's gonna add up to double the trouble for you." said Yuma as he picked up his cards as he looked at them and saw his next move. "Yes! I summon Gagaga Caesar(1800/600)! When I have a 'Gagaga' monster on my field, I'm allowed to summon Gagaga Clerk(400/800)! It's time to kick this Gagaga party into gear. I'll activate Gagaga Caesar's special ability. By banishing one monster from my graveyard the Levels of all my monsters become the same as it. This way by banishing Level 4 Ganbara Knight, Gagaga Caesar and Clerk become Level 4!"

"He now has two Level 4 monsters which means..." stated Isaac.

"I overlay Level 4 Gagaga Caesar and Gagaga Clerk!" The two monsters turned black and came together, light shining from them. Yuma’s duel disk gleamed as he held it up, his other hand over it. He brought the card out of his duel disk with a flourish. "With these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network and Xyz Summon, reign over this battlefield, Heroic Champion Excalibur(2000/2000, OLU: 2)!" The ground shook and then erupted outward. A warrior in bulky silver and dark red armor leapt up onto the field, a massive broadsword held in the air. It landed, light rippling off spikes on its shoulders and helmet, and gripped the blade with two hands, holding it steady. Twin orbs of purple light circled it, pulsing.

"This is gonna hurt." said Isaac.

"Now Excalibur attack Ebon Illusion Magician! I use Excalibur's special ability. By using all my Overlay Units, Excalibur's attack points are doubled till the end of my turn."

"4000 attack points?" said Isaac as he was bit scared.

"Bingo. Go Excalibur, attack with Double Shock Sword Slash." Yuma's monster then lifted its sword as it brought it down on Isaac's magician as it cut him in half as it resulted in an explosion that caused Isaac to hit the ground and tumble a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 450-

"Now they're about even." said Tori.

"Is... that... all you got?" asked Isaac as he willed himself to get back on his feet and look at Yuma with a smile.

"Not even close, but now I end my turn." responded Yuma with a smile of his own.

"It looks Yuma and Isaac are having the time of their lives." stated Tori as she saw how ecstatic the two boys were.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Here I go, my turn, I draw! I activate the Miasma Γ spell card. I can equip this to bring back a monster from my graveyard in attack position, however if it has any special abilities then it loses those and 400 of its attack points in battle. Welcome back, Dark Magician!" said Isaac as he had his ace monster back.

"This duel just got a whole lot tougher. Which means it got a whole more fun too." stated Yuma.

"Dark Magician, attack Excalibur! Go Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac. Dark Magician then pointed it wand as it took out Yuma's monster as he was thrown onto his back once again from the brute of the attack.
Yuma's Life Points: 150-

"Yuma!" shouted Tori as she was concerned for her boyfriend.

"Now that that's over. Dark Magician's attack points return to normal. I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Yuma

"Alley-Oop." stated Yuma as he did another flip to get back on his feet. "Nice move. But I've got a few of my own. Get ready."

"Count on it, Yuma."

"My turn. I activate Gagagadraw! By banishing three Gagaga monsters from my graveyard I can draw two cards. Here goes." said Yuma as he drew from his deck. "Ha. One of those cards was the spell Xyz Revival. It lets me bring an Xyz monster back from my graveyard. So are you scared?"

"Not at all, I know which monster you're gonna bring back." answered Isaac.

"I just do what works Isaac. And I know this'll do it. Come on back, Utopia."

"So how do you plan on taking down my Dark Magician? They both have the same attack points."

"That's about to change. Go! Chaos Xyz Evolution. Appear, Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray." Utopia then began to transform itself as it changed into an even more powerful monster. "Seeing as how I have Chaos Number 39: Utopia Ray on my field, let me put it to work. Isaac, get ready 'cause now I'm activating Utopia Ray's special ability. Overlay Charge. By using one Overlay Unit, Utopia Ray gains 500 attack points this turn. But don't think I forgot about your monster. Dark Magician loses 1000 attack points."

"No!" said Isaac.

"The stage is now set for my monster to take down yours. Go Utopia Ray, attack his Dark Magician with Rising Sun Chaos Slash!" shouted Yuma as his monster closed in on winning the duel.

Got to time this right. Isaac saw the attack coming at him as his magician was hit by the attack. "I activate the other effect of Miasma Γ. By sending this card to the graveyard, my Dark Magician isn't destroyed."

"Well, yeah, but you still take damage. So you lose... Huh?"

Yuma's attack had caused smoke to appear. Soon it disappeared as standing there was Dark Magician and Isaac who had fallen to a knee. But the major thing that shocked Yuma was that Isaac's life points remained the same.

"Expecting me to go somewhere?"

"Hey, what gives?"

"What gives is that since my Dark Magician is no longer equipped with Miasma Γ, it loses all of its attack points."

"Then why didn't Isaac lose life points?" asked Tori.

"Cause it's thanks to you, Yuma. Or should I say your card."

"Or course, my Zerozerock's effect. So... it's all cause of me?"

"Well, yeah. To be honest, I owe my move all to you. Now neither of us can attack a monster with 0 attack points. And so Utopia Ray's attack was cancelled out."

"This is bad!" said Tori.

"But it gets far worse. Remember my spell Battle Gravity? Since Utopia didn't attack, you take 1000 points of damage."

"I don't think so. I activate Dimension Gate. This trap allows me to banish Utopia Ray. And since I can't attack you, your Battle Gravity won't deal me any damage. I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Man, what a move." shouted Isaac. "You really are a master; you were able to find a way to protect yourself even I used your own card's effect against you."

"Thanks, but I gotta give props to you. You managed to use your own cards and be able to swing the tide of the duel in your favor and rendered my attack useless. You got skills and I can see you're a phenomenal duelist. And I'm glad to have had the opportunity to share the duel field with you." responded Yuma as he gave Isaac his respect.

Safe to say Yuma's comment hit Isaac in the heart as he felt a few tears form in his eyes. He quickly wiped them as he looked back at the boy. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from you. Yuma, I promise to make you proud and all the others."

"Right on."

Turn 8: Isaac

"Then it's time I take this home. Cause I'm feeling the flow!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card which was surrounded in a white light. "Here we go! Now I'll play my Second Chance spell card, with this I can revive a monster in my graveyard. So I bring back my Magician of Dark Illusion and the best part about my Second Chance is that it allows my magician to count as two monsters." Isaac now had three magicians that were all the same level.

"Here it comes." stated Yuma.

Isaac closed his eyes as he could feel the power flowing through him. "Now, I overlay my Dark Magician with my two Magician of Dark Illusions! With these three monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" All three monsters then turned into purple lights as a vortex opened up in the ground as they all were sucked in. Soon a card manifested in front of Isaac as it glowed in a white light. He then grabbed it as it became clear and had the image of his new monster. "Show the world the wizardry and wonder, I Xyz Summon, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged from the portal a brand new monster. It was a sorceress who had long flowing red hair with vanilla skin tone. She wore an emerald necklace and had white gloves that covered her smooth hands. Her outfit consisted of light blue dress that stopped at her knees; she wore black heels that weren't too high, as well as earrings that matched her necklace. She did a quick twirl for all to see as bits of magical particles surrounded her as it made her look even more beauty.

"Amazing!" said both Tori and Yuma as they were amazed at Isaac being able to summon a new monster.

Chaos Mageía descended on the battle field as she got a chance to see Isaac. Isaac didn't say much other than a smile to which his magician did the same. With the bond formed between the two, Chaos Mageía blew a kiss in Isaac's direction as she snapped her fingers and a short staff appeared in her hands as she looked to serve her duty to Isaac.

"Since I used Second Chance to summon my new monster, it loses 500 attack points. But even then, it's still just enough to finish this duel."

"Then what are you waiting for? Take your best shot." taunted Yuma.

"Now, Chaos Mageía attack him directly. Divinity Arrow!" Chaos Mageía then had an arrow appear in front of her as her want transformed into a bow. She then pulled back on the string as she had her targets in her sights, she gave a quick wink as she let the arrow fly. It started to travel at fast speeds as it was soon surrounded in a golden light as it raced across the air.

"Come on, Yuma!" shouted Tori as she cheered that her boyfriend had a plan.

"Not so fast, Isaac. Because now I send Dimension Gate to the graveyard."

"Huh?!" shouted Isaac as he wasn't expecting that.

"By doing that, it lets me re-summon the monster it banished. And you remember which monster that was don't ya?" Isaac's eyes widen at hearing Yuma's questions. "Utopia Ray!" Soon the ground opened up as out came Yuma's monster as it was now in the path of Isaac's attack. "And since Utopia Ray and Chaos Mageía have equal attack points, they'll both be destroyed." Utopia Ray then used its swords as he shot out a beam of energy that struck Isaac's sorceress as both were destroyed and a huge explosion occurred that caused both of the boys to cover up and stand their ground.

"I'm feeling the flow!" shouted Yuma. "And I'll prove it by activating my final facedown, Xyz Double Back! When my Xyz Monster is destroyed, I can summon it back along with one other monster from my graveyard that has equal or fewer attack points."

"What?" shouted Isaac.

"Return to the field, Utopia and Utopia Ray." Soon a portal opened up in the sky as Yuma's two monsters descended onto his field as they looked to bring the win for their master. "Hate to say it, Isaac. But it seems that I've won." stated Yuma.

Soon another portal opened up as this time out came Ebon Illusion Magician and Chaos Mageía as they reappeared on Isaac's side of the field.

"What? How is this possible? You got both of your magicians back?" Yuma then looked over at Isaac who was breathing heavily as that last attack nearly drained him of his strength, but at the last possible second, Isaac found the courage to play his final card.

"I... managed... to play my card." Isaac showed his card as it flipped over for Yuma and Tori to see as they both gasped. "Look familiar, Yuma. I used my own Xyz Double Back spell card. And as you know, it allows me to summon my Chaos Mageía back to the field along with another monster that has equal or fewer attack points." stated Isaac as he got back up to his feet.

"That means..." said Tori softly.

Yuma finally realized what was about to happen. For a split second he didn't say anything, but then he started to make a sound. It was the sound of him applauding Isaac. "Good job. You dueled well and now you're the winner. I mean it when I say this, you've earned my respect and my praise."

"Thank you." said Isaac as he took a deep breath. "Now Chaos Mageía attack his Utopia with Divinity Arrow!" shouted Isaac as he gave his sorceress her final command. Chaos Mageía shot her final arrow as it traveled at the speed of light and collided with Utopia as it exploded and signaled the end of the duel as Yuma took the attack and was thrown back.
Yuma's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as the only sound was a clock ringing as the sun was just going down over the horizon. Isaac stood there with his mouth open in disbelief, he then dropped to his knees as he let out signs of exhaustion. He then looked at his hands as he could see they were shaking, not from fear, but of shock.

"I... I... won." said Isaac to himself. "I actually dueled against one of the Big 4 and won." The realization hit Isaac hard as he could feel the tears starting to form as he couldn't hold it back anymore. He then placed both of his hands on the floor as he cried tears of happiness.

"Yuma, you okay?" asked Tori as she was bent over checking on her boyfriend.

"Yeah, I think." said Yuma as he sat up and rubbed his head. "How-- how I'd do?"

"Okay, for losing?" said Tori with a smug smile.

"No need to rub it in." pouted Yuma.

Tori just let out a laugh as she gave him a quick peck on the lips. She then helped him up as they both looked across the field. Isaac was still trying to process what happened that he didn't notice the two of them approach him. Soon he looked up as he saw Yuma standing over him and offering his hand. Isaac still had tears in his eyes as he saw the display of respect being shown to him by one of his inspirations. He then wiped his tears as he took Yuma's hand and stood up. They stood up not once breaking the handshake or eye contact from each other as they stared.

"You did good."

"Thanks."

"You're definitely ready. Remember this experience and use it to help make your dueling that much better." said Yuma as he broke the handshake. "You've got what it takes, Isaac. And I'm proud to have faced you, the future is now in your hands. Make the most of it."

"I will."

Yuma then put his fist out, Isaac then did the same as both knuckles touched. "I'll see you around, buddy."

"Yuma, Tori. Thanks for everything." smiled Isaac as he looked at the happy couple. Soon his body started to slowly disappear as he felt his time was up. Isaac gave them one final nod as he was now gone; he found himself traveling in darkness as he floated with his eyes closed. He didn't know where he was going, but he was being drawn to someone calling his voice. It soon got louder as a bright light appeared and surrounded Isaac.

"Isaac? You okay?" said a voice.

Isaac opened his eyes as his field of vision was coming to him. He saw that the voice belonged to Twilight who was towering over Isaac as she had been checking on her friend ever since he got knocked in the head with her test-tube and spill the contents of her potion all over him.

"You okay?" asked Twilight.

"I think so." said Isaac as he tried to sit up only for the princess to tackle him back to the floor as she pulled the colt into a tight hug.

"I was worried about you."

"Okay, I'm fine. Can you let me go, I can't breath?" said Isaac as he felt the air get squeezed out of his lungs.

"Sorry. I was just scared. I've been trying to wake you up for the past few minutes. Apparently, I looked back at my notes and it turns out I added the wrong ingredient. So it wasn't the talent enhancer that I thought, but a whole different potion."

"Which was?"

"I dunno know." said Twilight.

"Well, whatever it was. I'm kind of glad." smiled Isaac. He then used his magic as he took out his deck from his saddle bag on his side. He then flipped over some cards and sure enough there was his Chaos Mageía as she gave a quick wink to Isaac as he now had a new friend to add to his deck. But not just any new friend, this one was formed from the bond he now had with one of the Big 4.

Chapter 117: First Exposure

It was a typical day in Ponyville as the citizens of the town were out and about doing their thing. Isaac was in his room as he sat on the bed as he looked at his deck. He had a couple of his cards spread out but mostly, Isaac was looking at the monsters from his extra deck as he began to think about something. Ever since, his experience with meeting Yuma and obtaining a brand new monster, Isaac was now curious about the magic that flowed through him.

"So, are really content with having me as your master?" asked Isaac.

"Why not? Young, handsome, full vitality. What more could a girl ask for?" winked Chaos Mageía.

"It's just... well... I'm just a normal boy. Nothing special about me, so is that really someone who you want to call your owner?"

"My you really don't give yourself enough credit. Listen, Isaac is it? I'm more than happy to be a part of your deck. I sensed your power and desires when you first summoned me. And I can see you're determined individual and that the future ahead is your greatest fear. But know that I will be here as a guide, just like the others, we're here to follow your lead and orders. And in return, our duty is to protect you." smiled Chaos Mageía. "Besides, it feels nice having a master who's relatively around the same age as me."

"To be honest, I thought you were older." said Isaac as most of his magicians in his deck were either adults or children. He did have a handful of magicians that were around his age group, and it seemed he had another one who fell into that category.

"What, do I look old?"

"No. You actually are beautiful for someone your age." stated Isaac.

"I knew I made the right choice by sticking with you." Chaos Mageía then used her magic as she pulled Isaac into a hug as she could feel his fur against her skin. "You're just so cute, not to mention cuddly. No wonder the other females love having you as their master." stated Chaos Mageía as she found out why Isaac's female spellcasters loved having Isaac as their owner. "And to be honest, I don't mind sharing you. So long as I get my daily dose of snuggling you like a stuffed animal."

"Keep in mind, this is just a temporary form." informed Isaac. Soon he was let go from his magician as she gave him kiss and disappeared back into his deck. "Well, looks like I've got another female who's going to give me tons of attention." With that he gathered up his cards and put them back into his saddle bag and left his room.

Isaac stepped outside as he saw Spike and Sunset lying down on the grass as they were getting some rays.

"Are you guys working on your tan?" asked Isaac.

"Hey, I'm dragon. I'm cold-blooded, remember." stated Spike.

"That hasn't stop you before." said Isaac.

"Look man, I wanted some sunshine so don't ruin this for me." said Spike as he put on sunglasses.

"What's your excuse?" said Isaac as he looked at Sunset.

"Take a guess, boy toy." stated Sunset as she too wore sunglasses.

Isaac just rolled his eyes as he took a seat next to the pair.

"So, just for reference, how many have we've taken down?" asked Spike.

"Well, given what happened at the Summer Sun Celebration a while back. We discovered that Equestria is basically up for grabs between five different factions of Duel Monsters." said Sunset. "The first one so happened to be Battleguard King who along with his buddies tried to interrupt the party in Canterlot."

"Then there was dealing with Battleguard King himself, when I challenged him to a duel and took him down. Thus taking care of the first leader." said Isaac.

"After that was when we traveled to the Dragon Lands." said Sunset.

"Yeah, that whole debacle. We all had to take a trip there and found out that another leader was trying to cause a war with the dragons so that all of Equestria could descend into chaos. Thankfully, Sunset was able to stop the leader, Fire Kraken, and destroy his machines." said Spike.

"True, but I couldn't have done it without Isaac. He did provide the perfect distraction; he's got that certain personality that just irks certain people." smiled Sunset smugly.

"You know I'm right here, you know?" stated Isaac.

"Exactly my point." said Sunset. "And that's doubly true in our recent adventure to the Crystal Empire. You really know how to piss off anybody to make them your enemy. You should have seen how many of those Duel Monsters just wanted to slug Isaac in the face."

"Again, I'm right here." stated Isaac as he didn't like it that Sunset and Spike were describing him like this.

"Anyways, we were able to repel that massive army and stop the Crystal Empire from falling into enemy hands. And you managed to defeat the third leader who was in charge of that army." said Spike. "So based on that and how many leaders are remaining, you guys only have two more commanders to take out and then you're mission is complete."

"Still can't believe the portraits were drawn in crayon." said Sunset as she sat up and took off her sunglasses as she looked at the scroll.

"Anyways, we should focus on making sure that we take down the remaining commanders. So any leads?" asked Isaac.

"None from Twilight. And the princesses haven't informed us of any other incidents occurring." mentioned Spike.

"So it seems like we got nothing for the time being." stated Isaac.

"What can you do? At least this gives us a chance to relax." smiled Sunset.

So for the rest of the time, all three of them just kicked back and relaxed as they had nothing better to do.

While they were just lying on the ground, Spike had asked a question.

"Hey, Isaac. I know you said that growing up, you had a fascination for Duel Monsters. But do you remember the first ever duel you saw with your own eyes?"

"Come to think of it, you never did tell me or the rest of the gang back home." said Sunset as she sat up. "I'm kind of interested."

"Well..." Isaac then began to think back on his first ever live duel he ever saw. "As crazy as it may be, the first duel I ever saw live in person wasn't my idol. Tickets for the event had been sold out, so my parents decided to take me to another exhibition duel that was being held the day before. And safe to say that it was a duel that was something."

(Years Ago)

The atmosphere was electric as tons of people had arrived at the stadium waiting to see the entertainment that was about to happen. Isaac and his parents had arrived at the arena as they took their seat. For Isaac, it had been only a few weeks since he got interested in Duel Monsters and during that time he kept watching the TV for every single duel that was broadcasted. So when his parents told him that they had purchased tickets to attend the duel in person, it was the best thing his little heart could take, especially cause his 5th birthday so happen to fall on the actually day of the event. With that Isaac and his parents all settled in as Isaac couldn't contain himself as he was moving all around in his chair. Soon the lights started to dim and the event began.

"Welcome everybody to this special exhibition duel. For those of you that don't know me, I'm Maximillion Pegasus. I am the creator of your beloved card game and the host of this special event. I know that the duelists that are competing in this event are all talented and I'm truly impressed with your abilities. I know that you all competed ferociously to get here and I'm looking forward to crowning one of you as champion."

"Talented duelists?!" shouted another voice as he appeared on another platform. "Dueling is all about speed, and these duelists are among the slowest I've seen. I've seen psychic snails move faster than these competitors. You've haven't seen talent until you see me, the Master of Faster! Jack Atlas!" said Jack as the crowd gave him a cheer. "I will crush any one of them faster than you can say 'Red Dragon Archfiend'."

"Well that's some confidence you have there. Perhaps you'd like to put your skills to the test against me." stated Pegasus as he looked to have some fun.

"With pleasure. But after I completely destroy you, I hope a more challenging opponent steps forward." snickered Jack.

"Let's duel." said Pegasus in a calm manner.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Pegasus' Life Points: 4000-

Jack Atlas' Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Pegasus

"I'll start this duel off with Pot of Greed! This card lets me draw 2 cards from my deck. Next, I activate Graceful Charity to draw 3 cards and discard two." said Pegasus as he drew some more cards. "I drawn 3 cards and discard Mimicat and Red-Eyes Toon Dragon. And now the fun begins. It's finally time to bring this duel into... Toon World! I activate Toon Kingdom! Now I'll banish the top 3 cards of my deck. My Toon Kingdom is home to my most extraordinary monsters; the Toon Kingdom is the safest place for a toon monster to be while Toon Kingdom is on my field, you can't target any of my toon monsters with card effects and that's not all. While Toon Kingdom is face-up on my field, all of my toon monsters can attack you directly." laughed Pegasus.

"Attack me directly?!" said Jack.

"That's right, Jackie-boy, you're no match for my toon monsters. Now, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back the Red-Eyes Toon Dragon that I discarded earlier. And then I'll use my dragon's effect to special summon Toon Dark Magician from my hand." Pegasus now had two monsters on his field as it caused all the little kids to go wild, including young Isaac. "Next, I activate the effect of my Toon Dark Magician, once per turn by discarding a toon card from my hand, I can special summon a toon monster form my deck ignoring its summoning condition. I discard Toon Barrel Dragon from my hand to have Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon join the fray. So how do you like that?"

"Please, you're pathetic caricatures of monsters don't intimidate me." huffed Jack.

"Pathetic caricatures? These are new and improved versions of the legendary duelist signature cards." said Pegasus as he addressed the crowd. "And you're staring down all of them at the same time." mentioned Pegasus as he looked back at Jack.

"Whatever. Are you done yet?"

"Almost. Lucky for you, none of my monsters can attack this turn. So I'll just set one card facedown. It's your turn." smiled Pegasus.

Turn 2: Jack

"I draw. First, I'll clear out all the smoke you're blowing with my Twin Twister spell card. I discard Barrier Resonator from my hand to destroy your facedown card and your Toon Kingdom." stated Jack.

"Blowing smoke? My toon monsters are certain to live up to the hype, they're every bit as strong as I said they are. Maybe even stronger and so is my Toon Kingdom because it's not going anywhere. I activate my trap card, Judgement of Anubis. I discard one card from my hand to negate the effect of your Twin Twisters and destroy it."

"Fine! Your kingdom of monsters will fall all the same. I special summon Vice Dragon(2000/2400) from my hand. While you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon my Level 5 Vice Dragon with its attack and defense points cut in half. Next, I normal summon the level 3 tuner, Dark Resonator!" Jack now had two monsters on his field as he was about to do something big.

"Level 3 tuner? I see that you're planning..."

"That's right." interrupted Jack. "I tune my Level 3 Dark Resonator with my Level 5 Vice Dragon. From the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power, I Synchro Summon, now rise Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend(3000/2500)!" Out came a dragon that was huge as it caused everybody in the audience to look in awe. "My Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend has 3000 attack points and an incredible effect. Once per turn, I can destroy all other special summoned effect monsters on the field with attack points equal to or less than the attack points of my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. Then you lose 500 life points for each monster that's destroyed! Since all 3 of your monsters are effect monsters with 3000 or fewer attack points that was special summoned they're about to be obliterated by my dragon. You're finished, Pegasus. Starlight Red Dragon Archfiend, activated your effect. Destroy Pegasus of his monsters and take me one step closer toward victory." shouted Jack.

"Oops. I forgot to tell you about my Toon Kingdom's other effect. Whenever one of my beloved toon monsters would be destroyed, I can simply banish the top card of my deck facedown instead. Rather than losing all three of my monsters and 1500 life points to your Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's effect, I'll banish the top 3 cards of my deck facedown. My monsters are all perfectly safe."

"That was just a minor setback that only slightly delays your inevitably crushing defeat. I activate Resonator Call. This card lets me add any 'Resonator' from my deck to my hand. I'll add the Level 1 tuner Synchron Resonator to my hand. As long as there's a synchro monster on the field, I can special summon my Synchron Resonator from my hand. Since Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend is on the field, that's exactly what I'll do." Jack then summoned his new monster to the field. "But it won't stay on my field for long because I'm tuning it with my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!"

"Another Synchro Summon?" asked Pegasus.

"Archfiend unleashed from darkness of the abyss, let your rage explode. I Synchro Summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss(3200/2500)! My Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss has 3200 attack and just the effect I need. Once per tur, I can negate the effects of a faceup card on the field until the end phase. Next, I'll use the effect of my Synchron Resonator, if Synchron Resonator is sent from the field to the graveyard, I get to add one 'Resonator' from my graveyard to my hand. Since I just sent my Synchron Resonator to the graveyard by using it as a material in synchro summon, I can return Barrier Resonator from my graveyard to my hand. Now I activate the effects of Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss to negate the effect of Toon Kingdom."

"Even without Toon Kingdom protecting them, my toons would never abandon me."

"Then I'll guess I'll just have to destroy your toons with brute force!" stated Jack. "I activate Double Summon. This card lets me normal summon a second time this turn and I'll use that additional summon to add the Level 1 tuner Barrier Resonator to my field."

"Another tuner?" stated Pegasus.

"Now I tune my Level 1 Barrier Resonator with my Level 9 Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss. Let the peeps soar, split the mountains and come forth along with the flames of the earth. I Synchro Summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane(3500/3000)!" One more Jack had a powerful monster on his field as it let out a roar that caused the whole building to shake.

"Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane?"

"That's right, but don't get too used to it because I'm about to tribute it to activate its effect."

"You're tributing your Level 10 synchro monster, what for?" asked Pegasus.

"For my victory. Pegasus in this particular scenario my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane is a mere stepping stone to get back to the monster I really want on my field. By tributing it, I can special summon a 'Red Dragon Archfiend' monster from my graveyard. I tribute my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Bane and special summon my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend back to the field."

"You already tried using that monster it didn't work."

"That was before. You thwarted my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend's effect by using the protective powers of your Toon Kingdom, but now that your Toon Kingdom's effect is negated thanks to my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend Abyss. Your monsters are powerless against the awesome might of my Scarlight Dragon."

"Oh no." said Pegasus as he was now worried.

"Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend activate your effect and destroy all of Pegasus' monsters. Nothing will save them this time!" With that Jack's dragon took out Pegasus' entire field as he was left defenseless. "All of your monsters are destroyed and you lose 500 life points for each of them."
Pegasus' Life Points: 2500-

"Oh, my beloved toons. This isn't good." stated Pegasus.

"Now Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, use your 3000 attack points to attack Pegasus directly and end this duel!" shouted Jack.

"No!" said Pegasus as he put his arms up as the attack made contact.
Pegasus' Life Points: 0-

Winner: Jack Atlas (OTK)

(Brief pause)

"Wow!" said Spike.

"That was some duel." stated Sunset.

"Oh, it gets better." said Isaac as he had more to tell of his tale.

(Back to flashback)

"Just as I thought, you couldn't even last one turn against me. You're a has been Pegasus. Everyone here is completely overrated; there isn't a duelist in the room who can stand up to me." stated Jack as he did his signature pose. Just as he was about to leave the stage, another platform was rising and another person was standing on it.

"I wouldn't be so sure about that." said the individual.

"Who are you?" asked Jack as he was disgusted that this person who stand up to him.

"I'm Aster Phoenix." The crowd went wild as they showed their appreciation for the young duelist. "And I'm here to prove you wrong."

"You? You think you can beat me?" asked Jack.

"Think I can. It's my destiny to defeat you, Mr. Atlantis." mocked Aster.

"The name is Jack Atlas. And when I crush you in a duel, you'll never forget it."

"Oh, sorry about that Mr. Atlas. But you shouldn't count on beating me, I'm a professional duelist and one of the best players that Duel Academy has to offer."

"I just hope you're more of a challenge than my last opponent." stated Jack.

"Be careful Aster." said Pegasus as he took a seat preparing to watch the two duelist fight. "Jack not only talks a big game, he has the skills to back it up. He defeated me in just a single turn."

"Don't get too comfortable in, Pegasus. I'll be taking my throne right back after I win this duel."

"Don't worry, Mr. Pegasus. I've got this. I'm the hero these people need to kick his ego down a notch." stated Aster.

"I can't wait to defeat you." snickered Jack Atlas.

"Let's duel." said both boys as they activated their duel disks.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jack Atlas' Life Points: 4000-

Aster Phoenix's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Aster

"All right, I'll start this duel off with my spell card, Destiny Draw. Now by discarding one 'Destiny HERO' monster from my hand, I get to draw 2 cards. I ditch Destiny HERO - Disk Commander to draw 2 cards." Aster then sent his monster to the graveyard as he added some more cards to his hand.

"Hmm. I see that Aster Phoenix is relying on his signature Destiny HERO monsters that allowed him to rise up the ranks at Duel Academy. Aster certainly is a depth at wielding their power, but Jack Atlas is no pushover. This will be a tough duel for them both." said Pegasus as he was now commentating on the duel for the people watching everywhere else and in the audience.

"And that's not all I'll be drawing this turn. Next, I activate Pot of Greed. Unlike Destiny Draw, Pot of Greed has no strings attached. And now I normal summon D Cubed(0/0) from my hand. When I normal summon D Cubed, it becomes a 'Destiny HERO' monster for as long as it's on the field. Next, I activate D Cubed's special ability; by discarding 2 cards from my hand, I get to special summon two more copies of my D Cubed from my deck. I'll throw Destiny HERO - Doom Lord and Destiny HERO - Malicious into my graveyard and swarm the field." Aster then sent his cards to the graveyard as he had two more dog monsters on his field. "How do you like my triple threat?"

"3 monsters with zero attack and defense points? They have more bark than bite. You call that a threat?" mocked Jack.

"Well, I guess not. But now that they're all on the field together, I get to tribute them for something much stronger. I tribute all three copies of D Cubed to special summon Destiny HERO - Dogma(3400/2400)!" Aster now had one of his most powerful monsters on his side of the field as the audience gave an applause. "And my Destiny HERO - Dogma has 3400 attack points."

"Incredible. Since Destiny HERO - Dogma has over 3000 attack points, it isn't vulnerable to the effect of Jack's Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend. Aster must have been watching my duel against Jack Atlas and planned accordingly." mentioned Pegasus.

"Impressive." stated Jack.

"Oh and I'm not done yet, Mr. Atlas. I'm throwing 2 cards facedown before ending my turn."

Turn 2: Jack

"Now let's see if you can last longer than the old man." mocked Jack.

"Ah, rude!" shouted Pegasus.

"I draw."

"Oh, not so fast, Mr. Atlas. That's all it takes to activate my Destiny HERO - Dogma's special ability. During your Standby Phase, Destiny HERO - Dogma cuts your life points in half. Since you still have all 4000 of your starting life points that means you're about to lose 2000." stated Aster.
Jack's Life Points: 2000-

"Jack just drew his first card and already he has lost half of his life points." informed Pegasus.

"I don't care how thin you divide my life points as long as I have one life points remaining, I'll crush you with my absolute power and I'm starting on my path to victory with this. I summon the Level 2 tuner monster, Force Resonator(500/500). But that's not all, when I normal summon a tuner monster like Force Resonator, I get to special summon my Level 6 Red Warg(1400/2200) from my hand. When I special summon Red Warg from my hand in this way, its attack and defense points are cut down to 700, but that doesn't matter because it's not sticking around for long. I tune my Level 2 Force Resonator with my Level 6 Red Warg."

"Here is comes." stated Pegasus.

"Rend the obsidian darkness, scorch heaven and earth isolated absolute king, I Synchro Summon Hot Red Dragon Archfiend(3000/2000)!" Jack now had a powerful dragon on his field as it was engulfed in flames.

"Woah, that was pretty cool." said Aster as even he was amazed by the monster in front of him.

"My Hot Red Dragon Archfiend has 3000 attack points and 2000 defense points, plus an incredible power. Once per turn, my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend can destroy all other face-up attack position monsters on the field. Your Destiny HERO - Dogma may have more attack points than my monster, but that won't stop my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend from destroying it. Hot Red Dragon Archfiend activate your effect!" shouted Jack. Soon his dragon raised it claw as it slammed it into Dogma as it was erupted into flames. "Ha, your monster has been obliterated by mine and it doesn't end there. Now, Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, attack Aster directly!"

"I activate my trap card, D - Fortune!" shouted Aster. "This card lets me banish one 'Destiny HERO' from my graveyard to immediately end your battle phase. I'll banish Destiny HERO - Doom Lord to protect my life points." Soon the spirit of Aster's monster appeared as he shielded him from Jack's attack.

"Fine, I'll set 2 cards facedown and then end my turn."

Turn 3: Aster

"It's my turn, I draw. I'll start off this turn by activating my facedown card, Limit Reverse. This card lets me special summon a monster with 1000 or less attack points from my graveyard in attack position. And I choose Destiny HERO - Disk Commander(300/300)!" Aster now had a monster on his side of the field as it had disk plates on the back of its hands. "Now my Disk Commander's effect activates. When it's special summoned from the graveyard, I get to draw 2 cards. And next, I activate Graceful Charity. I draw 3 cards from my deck and discard Destiny HERO - Celestial along with Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious."

"You'll need all the cards you can get if you hope to even stand a chance against me." mocked Jack.

"Oh, don't worry. I'll be sure to put those cards to good use, but first I activate the effect of my Destiny HERO - Malicious. By banishing it from my graveyard, I get to special summon another copy from my deck. Arise, my second Malicious(800/800) in defense mode. Now I normal summon Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude(1400/1600) and activate its effect. I excavate the top card of my deck, if it's a spell card I send it to the graveyard. Looks like I found Monster Reincarnation on top of my deck, since that a spell card, I ship it off to the graveyard." stated Aster.

"What's the point of that?" asked Jack.

"Even though most spell cards can only be activated from a duelist's hand, Diamond Dude lets me activate the effect of a spell card that it excavates. I can't activate the effect of that spell card until the turn after Diamond Dude sends it to the graveyard, so it sort of gives you a glimpse into the future by showing you one of the effects that I'm destined to use on my next turn. And now that I have 3 monsters on the field, I tribute them all for a monster that can only be summoned by sacrificing all of them. I offer up Destiny HERO - Disk Commander, Destiny HERO - Malicious, and Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude to special summon Destiny HERO - Plasma(1900/600)!" Aster now had a super powerful monster on his side of the field.

"I've seen this before." said a young Isaac. He then remember awhile back when he was watching the TV and coincidentally, Aster played the same monster against his opponent who so happen to be none other than Jaden.

"You're finished. Destiny HERO - Plasma activate your effect to absorb Jack's monster." Aster's monster then shot out some plasma as it sucked in Jack's dragon.

"No way! My Hot Red Dragon Archfiend was assimilated into your Destiny HERO - Plasma?" said Jack as he was caught off guard.

"That's right. Now my Destiny HERO - Plasma gains the effect of your Hot Red Dragon Archfiend, but more importantly half of its 3000 attack points are added to my Destiny HERO - Plasma's 1900 attack points for a grand total of 3400 attack points. And since you only have 2000 life points left, it looks like you're destined to lose. Destiny HERO - Plasma attack Jack directly and end this duel!" shouted Aster.

"I make my own destiny, Aster. And I'm switching up fate with my facedown card; I activate Changing Destiny! This trap negates your attack and presents you with a choice. You can inflict damage to my life points equal to half of the attack points of your monster or you can gain life points equal to that same amount. The choice is yours, by the way, I'm still in this duel." stated Jack.

"Those are some good choices. Since you have so few life points to spare already, I'll choose to inflict 1700 points of damage to your life points." smiled Aster as he made his choice.
Jack's Life Points: 300-

"This duel is going so well for you Mr. Atlas. You're down to just 300 life points; I'll throw one card facedown and end my turn. You should probably be a bit more modest in the future that way you'll avoid looking like a fool when you fall so far behind."

Turn 4: Jack

"A fool! The score may be in your favor but I have you exactly where I want you. I draw." stated Jack.

"From where I'm standing it's clear that Aster had a decisive lead. What could Jack be planning?" asked Pegasus.

"First, I activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards from my deck. But that's not all, now I'll speed through my deck with Pot of Desires. I banish the top 10 cards of my deck facedown to draw 2 more cards."

"You'll need all the cards you can get if you hope to even stand a chance against me." mocked Aster as he threw Jack's previous comment back in his face.

"Now I send Red Resonator from my hand to the graveyard to special summon Power Giant(2200/0). I can special summon Power Giant by sending any monster from my hand to my graveyard. Then Power Giant loses levels equal to the level of the monster I threw from my hand. Since I sent my Level 2 Red Resonator to the graveyard to special summon Power Giant, my Power Giant is now a Level 4 monster."

"How interesting. Jack can use his Power Giant effect to modify its level and prepare for a synchro summon. I see where this is going." stated Pegasus.

"Next, I play Monster Reborn to special summon Red Resonator(600/200). Whenever I special summon Red Resonator its effect activates, I gain life points equal to any attack points of any monster on the field and I choose your Destiny HERO - Plasma!"

"My Plasma has 3400 attack points." called out Aster.

"Exactly! I gain 3400 life points." stated Jack.
Jack's Life Points: 3700-

"Next, I normal summon my Level 2 Power Supplier from my hand, but none of my monsters are staying on the field for long. I tune my Level 2 Red Resonator with my Level 4 Power Giant and Level 2 Power Supplier." Red Resonator then transformed into two giant green rings as both monsters jumped in between them. "From the ancient chasms of a lost world, I awaken a great and terrible power. I Synchro Summon, now rise Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend!" Jack's mighty dragon then descend onto the field as the crowd applauded what they saw.

"Go right ahead. Your Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend has 400 less attack points than my Destiny HERO - Plasma. That means you can't beat it in battle and my Destiny HERO isn't susceptible to your monster's effect."

"We'll see about that. Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend attack Aster's Destiny HERO - Plasma." shouted Jack as he monster took flight.

"This doesn't make any sense." said Pegasus. "Destiny HERO - Plasma has 3400 attack points and Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend has only 3000 attack points. The pressure of this duel must have really gotten to Jack."

"Why would you attack with a weaker monster?" asked Aster.

"I'll show you! Now that our monsters are about to battle, I activate my trap card Red Cocoon. The Red Cocoon protects my monster by negating the effects of any monster that my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend battles that means your Plasma's effect is negated and it no longer gains a boost from assimilating my Hot Red Dragon Archfiend. It's attack points drop back down to 1900." stated Jack with a sly smile on his face.

"Oh no." shouted Aster.

"Your Destiny HERO - Plasma is destroyed!" shouted Jack. His dragon then took out Aster's hero as he put his arms up to cover himself up.
Aster's Life Points: 2900-

"Now I have the upper hand as I should. And I'm not done yet, Aster. Since I control Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend, now I can activate my Red Dragon Vase to draw 2 cards. I set one of those cards facedown and end my turn."

"And here I thought that Jack's threats were all bluster, but he actually managed to turn this duel around." stated Pegasus.

Turn 5: Aster

"I draw. I summon Vision HERO Vyon(1000/1200)." said Aster.

"A Vision HERO?" asked Isaac as he had never heard of such a card.

"My Vision HERO monsters can see the destiny that awaits them and that destiny includes our victory. Next, I activate Vyon's effect, if it's summoned I get to choose one 'HERO' monster from my deck and send it to my graveyard. I think I'll pick Destiny HERO - Decider. Now I banish Destiny HERO Malicious from my graveyard to special summon another copy from my deck."

"Big deal." said Jack as he wasn't impressed.

"Oh, I'm not even close to done. Since my hand is empty, I'll activate the effect of the Destiny HERO - Celestial in my graveyard. By banishing it alongside another Destiny HERO while I have nothing in my hand, I get to draw 2 cards. I'll banish Destiny HERO - Celestial and Destiny HERO - Captain Tenacious from my graveyard to draw 2 cards."

"How exciting 2 more cards for Aster." said Pegasus.

"Next, I'll activate the second effect of my Vision HERO Vyon, once per turn I can banish a 'HERO' monster from my graveyard to add Polymerization from my deck to my hand. I'll banish Destiny HERO - Diamond Dude to grab Polymerization. Now I activate this spell card, Premature Burial. By paying 800 life points, I get to return one of my monsters to the field." said Aster. "And I special summon Destiny HERO - Disk Commander back from my graveyard and activate its effect to draw 2 cards."
Aster's Life Points: 2100-

"800 life points to summon a monster that draws two cards. We're about to see if that empty cost was worth it?" said Pegasus as he informed the audience.

"And don't forget what fate has in store from last turn. Now I use the effect of the Monster Reincarnation in my graveyard to add Destiny HERO - Plasma to my hand. It's time for Plasma to return to the field, I tribute Destiny HERO - Malicious, Destiny HERO - Disk Commander, and Vision HERO Vyon." Aster's three monsters then transformed into lights as they were being used to summon a brand new monster. "Come on out, Destiny HERO - Plasma! Since you're already familiar with Plasma's abilities there's no need for me to explain them again. Destiny HERO - Plasma activate your effect to absorb Jack's monster."

"Not so fast, I activate my trap card, Fiendish Chain!" shouted Jack. "This card negates your monster's effect and paralyzes your monster. My Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend isn't going anywhere."

"Ha, ha. You took the bait." smiled Aster.

"Bait?" asked Jack.

"Although my Destiny HERO - Plasma is powerful, I'm about to use it to summon an even stronger monster. I have to admit your Synchro summons are pretty cool but I prefer combining monsters the old-fashioned way. I activate Polymerization! This card combines the Destiny HERO - Plasma on my field with the Destiny HERO - Dasher in my hand." Aster's monster then appeared as their spirits were being fused together. "The hero consuming the adversaries of faith and the hero dashing toward the inevitable destiny, now become one and reign in a pitch-black future. I Fusion Summon, Destiny HERO -Dystopia(2800/2400)!"

"Destiny HERO - Dystopia?" questioned Jack.

"Incredible." said Pegasus.

"Your future is looking bleak, Mr. Atlas. I activate the first of my Destiny HERO -Dystopia's special abilities, when I fusion summon it, I get to inflict direct damage to your life points equal to the attack points of one of its fusion materials. Since Destiny HERO - Dasher had 2100 attack points when I used it as a fusion-material, you lose 2100 life points." stated Aster.
Jack's Life Points: 1600-

"Next, I activate my trap card, D - Chain. This card increase Dystopia's attack points by 500 all the way up to 3300."

"Now it's stronger than my dragon." said Jack.

"That's true, not that it matters. Since Dystopia's attack points changed, I get to activate his effect to destroy any card on the field. Destiny HERO - Dystopia activate your effect to destroy Jack's Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend." Dystopia then leaped into the air and with a quick dash punched through Scarlight as it exploded in the air. "It's over, you have no cards left on your field and are completely vulnerable to my monster's attack. Destiny HERO - Dystopia use your 3300 attack points to attack Jack directly and end this duel!" shouted Aster.

"It's not over yet!" stated Jack. "I special summon Battle Fader(0/0)! When you declare a direct attack, I can special summon my Battle Fader to negate your attack and end your battle phase."

"That was a close one for Jack." informed Pegasus.

"That was a great play, it looks like you survived another turn. But to make sure that I do too, I'm building up my defenses. First I activate Pot of Acquisitiveness, this card lets me return 3 of my banished monsters back to my deck and draw one card. I'll send Destiny HERO - Celestial both copies of Destiny HERO - Malicious to my deck in order to draw a card. Now the two copies of Destiny HERO - Malicious will return to my deck, I'll banish the Malicious in my graveyard to special summon a copy of Malicious from my deck back onto the field in defense position. All right, Jack. That's it for my turn, you're up."

"I'm not letting you end your turn just yet, Aster. Remember when you sent my Red Cocoon to the graveyard by destroying my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend."

"Yeah."

"Well, in the end phase of the turn that my Red Cocoon is sent to the graveyard, its effect activates allowing my Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend to reemerge. Before you turn ends, I've special summoned Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend back to the field."

"I'm impressed that you've managed to bring back such a powerful monster so easily but against my Destiny HERO - Dystopia, your Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend doesn't stand a chance."

Turn 6: Jack

"Yeah, we'll see about that. I draw. Perfect, I summon Double Resonator(0/0) to the field. This Level 1 tuner has a special ability, if its summoned I can select another monster on the field and transform that monster into a tuner as well. I'll turn my Battle Fader into a tuner." said Jack.

"This doesn't make any sense, every synchro monster I've seen requires one tuner monster plus one or more non-tuners to summon it. Why would Jack want two tuners on the field?" asked Pegasus.

"So, now you have two tuners on the field. What's the point?" asked Aster.

"You're about to see as I perform a special synchro summon that uses two tuners at once. I combine my Level 8 Scarlight Red Dragon Archfiend with my Level 1 Double Resonator tuner and Level 1 Battle Fader tuner." said Jack as all of his monsters were being combined together.

"He's tuning together two tuners?" said Pegasus as both him and the audience were surprised.

"Together these monsters will call forth an absolute power destined to rule this duel, now I Synchro Summon, bow down and tremble before the Level 10 synchro monster, Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend(3500/3000)!" shouted Jack as his great new beast descended down and let out a huge roar.

"It has 3500 attack points?!" said Aster in shock.

"And that's the least impressive thing about my Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend. My Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend rules with an iron fist and wills 2 impressive effects that help it do so. It's first effect destroys all other cards on the field, its second effect will negate and destroy any spell or trap card activated in the battle phase and then grant my tyrant 500 attack points for each of those cards. Now Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend, reign in a new era of tyranny and activate your effect, destroy all cards on the field!" shouted Jack. Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend then opened its mouth as it shot off a massive fireball that decimated Aster's entire field.

"No!" shouted Aster as he saw his field get wiped out.

"Thanks to Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's effect, now Aster is defenseless. I had to admit, you lasted longer than I thought you would Aster. But now your monsters are all gone and there's no one left to protect you from my Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend's direct attack. Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend, use your 3500 attack points to attack Aster directly and end this duel!" shouted Jack as he thrusted his arm out.

"Oh no... it's over!" shouted Pegasus. Even the crowd was on the edge of their seat as they believe it to be so.

"I wouldn't say there's no one left to stand up against the tyranny. I discard Destiny HERO - Dynatag from my hand. He's just the hero I needed, Dynatag intercepts your attack and prevents all of the battle damage that your tyrant would inflict to my life points. Thanks to Dynatag's effect, we each lose 1000 life points instead of taking any battle damage." stated Aster. Soon his monster appeared in spirit form as he stopped Jack's attack while also dishing out some damage to both players.
Aster's Life Points: 1100-

Jack's Life Points: 600-

"Thanks to Destiny HERO - Dynatag, Aster survived." stated Pegasus.

"Lucky break." said Jack. "But my Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend is still too powerful for you to beat. Even though I couldn't finish you off right now, your defeat on my next turn is inevitable. Go ahead." stated Jack as he ended his turn.

Turn 7: Aster

"I draw. I'm not planning on giving you a next turn Mr. Atlas. I'm planning on defeating you right now."

"Ha, impossible." chuckled Jack.

"We'll see."

"Let's see if Aster had what it takes to turn this duel around." said Pegasus.

"First I banish my Destiny HERO - Malicious from my graveyard to special summon the last Malicious from my deck. Next, I activate Pot of Desires. I banish the top 10 cards of my deck facedown and draw 2 new cards. Perfect, my Pot of Desires gave me everything I wanted. Now I activate Monster Reborn to bring back Destiny HERO - Dystopia. "

"My Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend is still stronger." informed Jack.

"True, but I'm not done yet. I activate Fusion Recovery. This card lets me return the Polymerization and a fusion material that I used in a Fusion Summon from my graveyard to my hand. Since I used Destiny HERO - Plasma as a fusion-material for Destiny HERO - Dystopia earlier in the duel, I'll return it to my hand along with Polymerization with the effect of my Fusion Recovery. Now it's time, I activate Polymerization! I fuse the Destiny HERO - Dystopia on my field with the Destiny HERO - Dreamer in my hand." Both monsters then had their spirits being merged and sucked into a colorful vortex. "Hero from the world of darkness, hero from the dream world, now become one and reign over the utopias twilight. I Fusion Summon, Destiny HERO - Dusktopia(3000/3000)! Destiny HERO - Dusktopia can be fusion summoned by combining Destiny HERO - Dystopia with any other 'Destiny HERO' monster and its arrival on my field sheds new light on this duel." stated Aster.

"As impressive as it may be. Dusktopia still falls 500 attack points short of my monster." said Jack.

"Oh, but it's Dusktopia's skills that allow it to shine. When its summoned, I get to combine monsters from my hand and field to fusion summon an ally for Dusktopia. I combine the Destiny HERO - Malicious on my field with the Destiny HERO - Plasma in my hand." said Aster.

"A second fusion summon for the turn?" said Pegasus.

"The hero of inevitable evil and the hero consuming the adversaries of faith become one and share your vision of victory. I Fusion Summon, Vision HERO Adoration(2800/2100)!" shouted Aster as he now had two monsters on his field. "Vision HERO Adoration is summoned by combining any two 'HERO' monsters."

"My Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend is still the strongest monster on the field."

"It won't be for long. First I activate the effect of the Destiny HERO - Dynatag in my graveyard. By banishing it, I can increase Destiny HERO - Dusktopia's attack points by 1000. Bring it up to 4000." smiled Aster.

"Oh no!" said Jack.

"Oh and it doesn't end there. Now I use the effect of my Vision HERO Adoration, once per turn, Adoration can decrease the attack and defense points of one of your monsters by the attack points of one of my HERO monsters. Since Destiny HERO - Dusktopia has 4000 attack points, your Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend loses 4000 attack and defense points. Since your monster doesn't have that many points to spare it loses all of them." smiled Aster.

"My Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend? You've stripped it of its power." said Jack as he was in disbelief.

"How the mighty have fallen." stated Aster as he looked to strike the final blow. "Now Destiny HERO - Dusktopia use your 4000 attack points, attack Tyrant Red Dragon Archfiend and end this duel!!" shouted Aster as he thrusted his arm out.

"NO!!!!" shouted Jack as he watched his monster be destroyed as his life points were dropped.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Aster Phoenix

The duel ended as the audience had given a round of applause for the two competitors for putting on a show. While Aster had a smile on his face, Jack Atlas was less than pleased as he was also shocked.

"I can't believe I lost to you!" stated Jack.

"Hey, it was destiny." said Aster in a calm tone. "Just because you haven't met someone before, that doesn't mean they won't be able to beat you in a duel. This room is full of players you haven't met and I bet a bunch of them are talented duelist just like you." said Aster as he looked at the audience. He did catch a quick glimpse at Isaac who was sitting in the crowd as he could tell the small boy had so many things ahead of him.

"Well said, Aster." said Pegasus as he congratulated Aster on his win.

"That was a great duel, Jack. You shouldn't feel bad about it." said Aster as he extended his hand out.

"I may have underestimated the quality of duelists strung to this event." said Jack as he accepted the handshake. "You beat me today, but the next time we duel. I guarantee I'll take a swift victory."

"You can try, but I think the same outcome as today is faded for our rematch." said Aster with a confident grin.

"That was a fantastic duel that I thoroughly enjoyed watching, please give it up for both duelists and the show they put on here tonight." said Pegasus as all three of them took a bow as the audience showed their appreciation.

"And that was the first ever duel I saw in person." said Isaac as he finished telling his tale.

"Man, talk about action. Two legends going at it, that's the kind of stuff people love to see." said Sunset.

"Awesome story, bud." said Spike. "So do you think that you and Sunset might have a duel like that."

"That remains to be seen." said Isaac as he looked up at the sky. "We've had our own amazing battles in the past, but to have a duel like all these dueling legends, well that's the dream. Besides, if that were to happen, the it means that I need to accomplish my goal and my 'destiny'." said Isaac as he felt much more comfortable saying that word. "And I think it may happen, I can feel it."

"Well whatever happens, know that I'm glad to have battle you, boy toy." said Sunset as she smiled at him.

"Anyways, it's getting late. And we did nothing productive today which I classify as a good day." said Spike. "Best to retreat for the night." The little dragon then started to head back to the castle as Sunset and Isaac followed him as they too were a bit tired.

Chapter 118: Tartarus

Cold, wet, dark, but more importantly hell. These word alone couldn't begin to describe just what this place was. A place where the damn are condemned, where the evil are left to rot. And the darkness comes crawling seeking vengeance. The sound of the clanking restraints could be heard from every direction of the dark prison. No one but the worst of the worst ended up in this soul crushing world of never ending darkness, so it’s only natural to hear the clanking sound of metal rattling against restricted flesh. Ever since the two sisters used their magic to guide Equestria into a more peaceful and prosperous place, there have been creatures who wreaked terrible destruction and darkness across the land. Creatures that have proven time and time again that they belong no other place than to be shackled and cut off from the rest of the world for all of time.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves, so let's rewind a bit to set the stage...

It was another peaceful day for the ponies as they were busy doing their normal stuff. As for the gang, they had decided on doing a picnic as a way for them to relax from all the adventures they've had. Even more so is that they all brought their pets so that they could have a 'pet playdate'. Soon they all arrived in the park as the group began to enjoy themselves. Of course, Isaac and Sunset provided the entertainment as they put on a few duels for their friends to enjoy.

"Ahh, isn't this nice." said Isaac as he laid down on the picnic blanket as he looked at the sky.

"Indeed, we all need some R&R." said Rarity as she had managed to bring a fainting couch with her.

"I'm just glad to be with all of you. And the pets." said Fluttershy as she was petting Angel.

"Got to say, it's kind of nice to not worry about evil forces for a while." stated Twilight as she was lying down on the blanket reading a book.

"Too bad it can't always be like that." said Applejack as she was leaning against a tree with her hat tipped down. "As far as we know, we still got a job to do."

"Friendship missions, Duel Monster spirits, personal stuff. Can't we just forget about for one day." stated Rainbow as she was in the air doing some fancy flight maneuvers.

"Yeah, especially when we still have yet to play some of the games, I've brought for this hangout." said Pinkie with excitement.

"Well, when you say it all at once, we all have done a lot in such a short amount of time." said Spike as he was munching on a sandwich.

"That's why I need this." said Sunset. "Plus, it's nice to visit my old home and see how it's changed since last I remember."

"So call we official call this a 'well deserved day off'?" asked Isaac.

"Agreed!" said everypony else. Even their pets made noises.

"Well, if that's the case. Why should I only be the one to relax?" said Isaac as he looked at his deck. "Come on out guys." Soon Isaac's deck began to glow as the spirits of his monsters all appeared in front of their master. "Go on and have fun." said Isaac as he gave his monsters their order.

They all nodded as they began to mingle with each other, though Mahad still remained by Isaac's side as he told the pony that it was his duty to protect him at all cost. Isaac just simply shrugged his shoulders as he let Mahad do his thing. Eventually, Sunset did the same as she let out all of her monsters of her deck as Red-Eyes and his tribe of dragons appeared. Even the Spike's Flame Swordsman decided to join in as he began to talk with some of his old friends. Overall, it was a nice, peaceful day that served everypony.

As good as the gang enjoyed their day off, it was now back to business, especially with some important news. Princess Celestia had received reports from some of her guards. Apparently, they were checking on Tartarus making sure that nothing that was locked inside had escaped. Everything seemed fine, until they noticed a creature nearby. It didn't see the guards as it slipped through a tiny crack in the wall as it entered the place. The guards then decided to check it out as they opened the gates of Tartarus, once they opened it up they saw the many evil creatures that were imprisoned. They then saw Cerberus as he was doing his regular patrol; eventually they heard some nearby noise as they looked down below the main floor. What they could make out was several groups of Duel Monsters as they were talking among the officers with the commander sitting at the head of the table. They didn't hear much other that they were planning on releasing the creatures imprisoned and use them as their army to take over Equestria. The guards then left as they informed both princesses.

Once Celestia and Luna had received the report, she then had her secretary, Raven Inkwell send a message to Twilight. Twilight then got the scroll as Spike burped it out and she read it as her eyes grew wide. She then told Spike to gather Sunset and Isaac as she felt like this would be a tough test.

"Tartarus?" said Isaac.

"Yup." nodded Isaac.

"As in the place talked about in Greek Mythology where the wicked are punished?"

"Yup." confirmed Spike.

"Seems whoever is in charge of that underground group is looking to cause a lot of trouble." said Twilight. "Tartarus is a place where the most evil creatures are kept and most of them are dangerous. Especially, him." said Twilight.

"Who?" asked Sunset.

"Nothing." said Twilight as she didn't want to worry her friends. "Anyways, it seems we don't have much time. Based on what the guards saw, they seem to have enough forces to bust open the cages and then use those creatures as the main force of the army. if that happens, they there's no stopping what's to come. You both need to defeat them."

"Don't you mean, 'we'?" said Isaac as he pointed to her.

"Sorry, I wish me or the others could come. But it seems Pinkie needs our help with planning a party. Apparently she managed to get pony popstar Countess Coloratura to perform here for the Helping Hooves Music Festival. So she needs out help in setting up the event. Which means you two are going to have to handle this yourselves." said Twilight.

"Nothing we're not used to." smiled Sunset. "Well, we better get ready."

Both ponies then began to head back to their rooms as they prepared for a trip. They both knew the danger of this trip and more importantly it was going to be the dangerous they both had so far. Eventually both prepared their bags as they met in the hallway of the castle. Twilight and Spike had met with the two as they wanted to see the two of them off.

"Okay, just remember. Tartarus is a place that's full of evil; no matter what, don't give in to the darkness. And try to come back alive." said Twilight with a worry tone.

"You make it sound as if we're gonna die." said Isaac. "Chill, Twi. We'll be back, nothing to worry about."

"You're surprising calm with all this." said Spike.

"Hey, Shadow Games. Remember?"

"Oh, right." said Spike.

"Anyways, this spell will help you guys to enter the place. But there's a time limit, you only have two hours to find and defeat the person in charge. After that the spell will wear off and you'll be locked inside." said Twilight. "Also they'll be creatures you haven't seen, whatever you do, be careful."

"Anything else we should know about." asked Isaac.

"Just one, make sure you avoid a certain prisoner. No matter how convincing he is, don't let him fool you." said Twilight with extreme in her voice.

"Alright, we'll be careful." said Sunset.

"Be safe and I pray that you guys are successful." Twilight and Spike then gave Isaac a hug as they wished their friend the best of luck. "Try not to do anything stupid."

"Can't make any promises." said Isaac as he let out a smile. "But don't worry, I'll be back. Besides, I have a princess that I need to protect." Isaac then ran his hoof through Twilight's mane as she moaned at his touch. She then gave a quick kiss on the colt's cheek as Spike gave him a hug.

With that both waved goodbye as they were on their way. Twilight had given the pair a map as it showed the route to take. So they were off to deal with a serious threat that may put Equestria in jeopardy. It took a while as the trek was longer than anticipated. They stopped a few times to rest their hooves before continuing on their way, eventually they arrived at the place that laid before them. It was about sundown as the moon was starting to come up, thankfully it provided some light so that both ponies could see.

"Well, here it is. The door to Tartarus itself." said Sunset.

"Did Princess Celestia ever take you to see this when you were her student?" asked Isaac.

"No. And to honest, I'm glad she didn't." Sunset then approached the door as she placed her hoof on the metal door as she could sense the evil magic flowing through. "Remember, once we cast this spell to open the door, we'll have two hours to finish the job. A second late, and we'll be trapped in there forever."

"Then let's not waste anytime." said Isaac. "On your command." Isaac then grabbed Sunset's hoof as he prepared to do the spell with her.

Sunset nodded as she closed her eyes and both ponies concentrated. They felt the magic flowing from their bodies as it caused them to sweat heavily, soon their horns lit up as it shot against the door and made a huge unlocking sound as it caused the door to open. Immediately it was dark as both ponies took a minute to prepare themselves. They then stepped into the hellish place as the door behind closed with a thud.

The darkness inside was still there as Isaac and Sunset could only see each other's eyes. Soon it started to fade as the darkness lifted. The first thing that both ponies saw were cages as they rattled against one another; the main thing that really caught Isaac's attention was the creatures that were locked inside the cage. He noticed what appeared to be a sort of Chimera as it was a mesh of a tiger and a goat in body with the tail as a snake. Plus it also had a head for each animal part. Another creature, the pair noticed seemed to be some sort of bear, but it had bug parts. It was a giant bear with two sets of arms, wings, and a giant stinger on its bottom. Isaac then looked at a sign that said 'Beware. Don't look directly at Cockatrice.'

"What?" was all Isaac said when he heard a sound. Isaac currently was next to the cage that held the Cockatrice as he still had his head down.

"Isaac. Whatever you do, don't look up." said Sunset as she had her hoof over her eyes to avoid being turned into stone.

"No shit!" responded Isaac. He then slowly walked away as he still kept his head down to the ground.

Both ponies still kept their head down as they walked past the Cockatrice as it let out a cry. Once they were a fair distance, they then lifted their heads up as they looked around and saw other creatures that were growling and snarling as they saw the pair as food. Both of them kept an eye out for anything suspicious as they kept on walking past the many creatures. Soon they came onto a crossroads as it provide the pair with two paths.

"Which way do we go?" asked Isaac.

"We don't have much time. Our best bet is split up and check each path. One of them is bound to lead to our objective." said Sunset. "You go left, and I'll go right. Should we see something, we go get the other immediately."

"Alright, be safe Sunset." said Isaac as he began to walk on the left path.

"Be careful, boy toy." said Sunset as she descended on the right path.

Sunset continued down on her path for a good amount as she kept looking around her. Nothing but cliffs and rock as it felt like she was literally in hell. Soon she heard something as her ear flicked. She then looked down below her and could make out something. She then started to slowly tip to into a hole in the wall as she traveled through the caverns. As she kept walking, she could hear the voices getting louder as she got close. Soon she came into a hole in the wall as she could look in what appeared to be a small discussion room with several Duel Monsters all gathered around the table. Thankfully, none of them could see Sunset as the hole was far too small for them to notice. Soon the noise died down as in came the one in charge.

The one in charge was the Duel Monster spirit Armored Zombie. He was joined by his comrades in the form of Clown Zombie and Reborn Zombie. Soon all three of them sat down as they discussed something.

"So, what's the status so far?" asked Armored Zombie.

"Well, my liege. According to our scouts, it seems we're one of the last remaining ones left. Battleguard King had fallen, Fire Kraken burnt up, and Mobius met his demise up north. Which means we only have one person left to content with if we want our side to be victorious." said Reborn Zombie.

"Well, that means we have more fun for ourselves. I'll admit the ones who have taken down our foes are doing wonders for us." cackled Zombie Clown. "They were fools to pick places where the denizens of this land can strike them. We managed to pick a smart place, in which is no one would ever dare step foot."

"Even so, that means we don't have as much forces as the others did. But that can be fixed with the creatures in the upper level. Once we make the final preparations, we'll free the animals and force them to fight on our side. Then we break down the door to Tartarus and let the evil that reigns in this world come alive." said Armored Zombie.

"And what about our special guest?" said Reborn Zombie. "Based on what he told us when we first got here, it seems he isn't the 'team player' type."

"I have no intentions for him, unless he's willing to join our side." said Armored Zombie. "Now then, both of you. Prepare your groups, we leave to carry out our plan very soon." stated Armored Zombie as the others nodded and they all left.

"I need to find Isaac." said Sunset as she began to make her way out of the cave and in search for the colt.

Isaac was walking along the path as he kept looking around him as he saw tons of rocks and caves. He soon noticed his path was starting to head upwards. Isaac then heard a rumbling as he saw a giant monster in front of him. More importantly, it was a three headed dog as it let out a roar.

"I guessing your Cerberus." said Isaac. He then pulled out a ball from his saddle bag as he waved it in front of the beast who immediately turned into a giant puppy. "Fetch boy!" shouted Isaac as he threw the ball and Cerberus chased after it. "Good thing Pinkie has balls stashed around all over Equestria, in case of ball emergencies." He then started back on walking as he noticed something at the top of his path. Eventually Isaac came to the end of his trail as he noticed a cage in the center but inside was something or someone.

"I swear when I get out of these wretched, vile chains; I will show those accursed ponies what REAL power looks like." said the thing inside the cage which was some sort of centaur. "Those princesses…they think they’re so smart with their magical powers. They’d be nothing but glorified swine without their precious magic." Soon the sound of hoofs was heard as it caused the creature to cease his mumbling. "Finally come to gloat, Princess..."

Isaac stood there as he looked at the creature inside. It had red skin and was rather skinny.

"A pony? No... there's something different about you. Of course, a human."

"You know what I am?"

"But of course, I can sense the magic that flows within you. Perhaps you could share some of that power with me?" snickered the centaur.

"Why would I do that? I don't even who the hell you are." stated Isaac.

"Forgive, my name is Lord Tirek. The rightful ruler of Equestria."

"Ahh, so you're Tirek." said Isaac. "Twilight told me all about you."

"Did she now?"

"Yup, told me how she whooped your ass all over Equestria." smiled Isaac smugly.

"Well, your little princess forgot to mention that I forced her to give me her magic in exchange for her pathetic friends. And I would have won if it wasn't for them." said Tirek. "But that's all in the past, and I'm willing to turn over a new leaf. So why don't you let me out of this prison and we could work together to defeat Celestia and Luna."

"Yeah, going to take a hard pass on that. Seems Twilight was trying to warn me about you." said Isaac. "Besides, I have a job to do."

"Aww, yes. Your mission. Despite being locked away, news has a way of spreading in Equestria. Not to mention, I've felt the shift in balance when it comes to magic."

"You mean you know about these Duel Monster spirits that've been appearing." asked Isaac.

"I felt them the moment they stepped foot in Equestria. I knew then that would be my opportunity to escape this hell. But I also noticed another force, one more powerful than them. Almost as if it was destiny itself." said Tirek as he looked down at Isaac.

"You mean me?"

"Correct. I can see that the demon that was once locked inside of you; begging to be release, trying to take control of you. You managed to join your spirit with it." said Tirek as he licked his lips. "A power like that is definitely a tasty meal. Perhaps you could give me a taste." Tirek then opened his mouth as he tried to suck the magic out of Isaac. Isaac just stood there as a barrier appeared around the colt as Tirek's absorption just bounced off. "What sorcery is this? Explain yourself colt!" demanded Tirek.

Isaac just simply smiled as the barrier around him disappeared and the spirit of his Dark Magician appeared.

"As long as I'm here, no harm shall come to the master." said Mahad. "So try your best, beast. For I will do all I can to protect my master. As his loyal servant, it's my duty."

"Hmm, you're a strong one colt. You would make a fine ally." said Tirek.

"It's alright, Mahad. I can handle him." said Isaac as he dismissed his Dark Magician. He then sat in front of Tirek as he pulled out somethings from his saddle bags.

"What are you doing?" asked Tirek.

"You're right, all of this talking is making me hungry." smiled Isaac smugly. He then pulled out a couple of foods that ranged from sweets to sandwiches to even some honey-glazed gems that could be editable for ponies. "Man, so much to choose from. I can't decide what I should eat. The creamy flavor of the cupcakes; the rich vanilla bean as it touches your tongue not to mention the chocolatey frosting that melts on it. But there's the daisy sandwich, rich in flavor and the satisfy crunchy sound when you bite into it." said Isaac as he was like a master chef describing the food in the most mouth watering description. "And that's not to forget about the honey-glazed gems, the right amount of coatness to get that savory taste. The way it melts in your mouth and sticks to your teeth."

"You really are a villain." said Tirek as he too fell for Isaac's way of speaking as it got his stomach to grumble.

"But all this food and I can't decide. Maybe I should ask the magic conch." said Isaac as he pulled out a seashell that had a little string on it and a speaker. "Magic conch, should I eat the cupcakes?" asked Isaac as he pulled the string.

"Yes." said the shell.

"Good enough for me." said Isaac as he began to eat in front of the centaur. "Oh my bad, did you want some?" smiled Isaac smugly.

"Give me. This place doesn't serve the most well prepared meal." said Tirek as he tried to grab at Isaac and the food.

"Ah, ah. You gotta ask the magic conch." said Isaac as he pulled out the shell for the centaur to use.

Tirek just swiped it as he couldn't believe he was falling for the colt's antics, but he was famished. "Magic conch, should I have the sandwich or the gem?" asked Tirek as he pulled the string.

"Neither." said the shell in a sassy voice.

"Oh, how about the cupcakes?"

"I don't think so." replied the shell.

"Could I have something to eat?"

"No."

"Could I have something to eat?"

"No."

"Could I have something to eat?"

"No."

"Can't you say anything else but no?" asked Tirek as he yanked on the string as he was now fully mad.

"Try asking again." replied the shell.

"Can I have something to eat!?!" shouted Tirek.

"No." said the shell as it pushed Tirek over the edge as he threw the small piece into the abyss below him.

"Ha, ha. That was priceless." said Isaac as he couldn't stop laughing at what he saw. His laughing was soon interrupted by Sunset who had found the colt.

"Isaac. Enough fooling around, I found our targets and need to move fast." said Sunset as she called out to the stallion.

Isaac then stood up as he prepared to chase after Sunset when he turned back and looked at Tirek who had just turned away in his cage in disgruntle. Isaac then used his magic as he pushed the food into the cage as the centaur was surprised by what the colt did as he looked at him.

"I may be temporary a pony, but I'm still human. So I hope you accept my act of humanity." said Isaac as he raced back down the path.

Tirek just looked at the food that had been laid out for him as he watched Isaac disappear back down the trail. He then began to eat away at the food as he let a tiny smile on his face.

Isaac had found Sunset back at the crossroad where they split as she led him down the path. Isaac looked at his watch and saw that an hour had already passed and if they wanted to complete their mission and get out, they needed to hurry. So Sunset and Isaac raced down the path she had followed earlier as they passed the hole that Sunset walked into to listen in on the conversation. They reached the end of the trail as it winded down in a spiral as they found themselves at the bottom. Soon they heard some noise as it cause both of them to hide in a small crack; due to it being a tight fit, Sunset had to push herself up against Isaac as they remained quiet. They noticed some minions walk by as they were Ghostrick Ghoul and Ghostrick Mummy.

They soon passed by, but just as Isaac and Sunset were about to step out, Reborn Zombie appeared as he looked at his forces.

"Hurry up. We're on a time limit. Once we get up there, we're to free those freaks and use them to our advantage." stated Reborn Zombie as he gave his command. Soon all of them disappeared into another cave as they went on their way.

Isaac peaked his head out a bit to check his surroundings. "I think the coast is clear." said Isaac as he pulled his head back.

"Good." said Sunset. She then got a sly smile as she realized the position they were in. She then placed her hoof on Isaac's chest as it stopped him from exiting their spot.

"Sunset, what are you doing?" asked Isaac.

"Just having a bit of fun." said the orange unicorn as she gave Isaac a seductive look. "Been awhile since we found ourselves in this position. Better make the most of it." Sunset then planted her lips on Isaac's as she let out a moan. Isaac was caught off guard by Sunset's actions but he didn't have much space to move around as he let the mare finish. Sunset then retracted from Isaac's lips as a trial of saliva was left hanging before she nuzzled her neck against Isaac's and nibble his mane a bit before yanking playfully his ear.

"Finished?" asked Isaac with a sly smile.

"I'm satisfied... for now." said Sunset. With that she got out first as it allowed Isaac to now move around.

Both of them then took a quick look around before they heading into the cave that Reborn Zombie came through. They came into a much larger room as it had several blackboards and tables covered with tons of designs and maps. From what both ponies could make out it seemed to be all of the plans that this group of monsters were hopping to do once the gates of Tartarus were opened. They even had specific locations of all the places they looked to strike.

"Seems they plan an all out invasion." said Sunset.

"What's this?" said Isaac as he looked at a piece of machinery on a nearby work table. Isaac then picked it up with his magic as he examined the small device. It wasn't anything special as it just had a few writing on it that Isaac could barely make out.

"Be careful, we don't know what it is." said Sunset. Soon she heard some more voices as she used her magic to pull Isaac down underneath the table as she was on top of him.

Walking into the room was none other than Zombie Clown and a few of his minions. "Time for the mayhem to commence. Ha, ha, ha." cackled the clown. "Now then, let's see. Whoppie cushion, jack in the box. Of course a circus, an evil circus. Time to give these ponies a fright then won't soon forget." laughed Zombie Clown. "Now then, let's get the show on the road!" laughed evilly Zombie Clown as they disappeared into the tunnel that Isaac and Sunset entered through.

"How are we doing on time?" asked Sunset.

"We've got 30 minutes." said Isaac.

"Then we need to act now!" said Sunset. "Let's check this room." suggested Sunset as she pointed her hoof the way Zombie Clown came in from.

Both of them then entered through the entrance way that their enemies came from as they saw a flight of stairs. They began to quietly walk up as they approached the door. They then slowly opened it as they came to a throne room of sorts as it had skulls hanging on the walls along with torches lined along the path to the throne. In the middle of the room was Armored Zombie as he was kneeling down on the floor almost like he was doing a ceremonial practice.

"There's our target." said Isaac.

"Boss, we're just about ready." spoke a minion that was contacting Armored Zombie through his helmet.

"Excellent. Get ready, once I get there. We move out." said Armored Zombie.

"We need to stop him now." said Sunset.

"But we also need to take care of the his sub-officers. Think you can handle this guy." asked Isaac.

"Please, I can take him. Good luck, Isaac." said Sunset. Isaac then went back down the stairs as he made sure to not let anybody disturb Sunset as she stepped foot into the room. She did her best to remain quiet as she hoped to perform a sneak attack while he was distracted. Just as she got closer, Armored Zombie opened his eyes and shot out some shurikens as Sunset noticed this and put up a magic shield that protected her from being hit by them.

"You're quick on your feet." said Armor Zombie.

"I'm here to stop you." stated Sunset.

"I'm afraid you're too late. My forces and I am already set on invading all this land has to offer. And I should thank you, because of you and your friend. We've gotten that much closer to being the winning side between the other factions. Not all we need to do is wipe out the other group and then Equestria will ours for the taking." said Armored Zombie as he stood up.

"Well, I plan on stopping you." said Sunset as she took her position.

Isaac was outside as he was guarding the stairway when he heard voices.

"Boss, what's taking so long?" shouted Zombie Clown.

"We need to continue on with the plan." informed Reborn Zombie.

"I'm afraid your boss is busying at the moment." said Isaac as he got the attention of both officers. "Besides, my friend has an important meeting with him that's not to be interrupted. So for the time being, you both are going to have to deal with me." said Isaac as he activated his duel disk and projected a gold card tray.

"Seems the only way this is going to end is with one of us winning this duel." said Sunset as she activated her duel disk and projected a red card tray.

"A fitting place for someone like you, to be left alone where no one will ever find you." said Armored Zombie as he slid on his duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Armored Zombie's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Armored Zombie

"I'll begin, to start I summon Spherous Lady(400/1400) in defense mode. And then play one card facedown and end my turn." said Armored Zombie.

Turn 2: Sunset

"I'm up, so here goes." said Sunset as she drew her card. "I'll play the ritual spell card, Dark Dragon Ritual. So I'll send my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight so that I can ritual summon Paladin of Dark Dragon." Sunset then sent her warrior to the grave as a portal up above opened up and out came a dragon and a rider that were covered from head to toe in black armor. "Now I'll have my monster attack Spherous Lady." shouted Sunset. "My monster has a unique ability in that at the start of the damage step, it can destroy that monster. With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Armored Zombie

"Impressive, now I'll play the continuous spell Vampire Domain. Now once per turn, I can pay 500 life points to conduct an additional summon this turn. So I'll do just that." said Armored Zombie.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 7500-

"Now, I'll summon my Vampire Hunter(1600/1600)." Out came a male that wore a cape and held a whip. "But that's not all, cause I'll also call out Vampire Sorcerer(1500/1500)." This time a female sorcerer appeared as she wielded a staff and gave a mean look. "Now time to attack, Vampire Hunter take out her Paladin of Dark Dragon."

"Go right ahead, my monster is stronger than yours." said Sunset.

"Oh, I guess I forgot to mention Vampire Hunter's special ability. At the start of the Damage Step, when it battles a Dark it can destroy that monster."

"What?!" said Sunset. Soon her dragon raised its lance only for it to be knocked out of its hand and then struck down by Vampire Hunter's whip.

"And now, Vampire Sorcerer will attack you directly!" shouted Armored Zombie. Vampire Sorcerer then casted a spell that shot towards Sunset.
Sunset's Life Points: 6500-

"And now the second effect of my Vampire Domain activates. So whenever you take battle damage, I gain the amount you lost." said Armored Zombie. "With that, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 9000-

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn, I draw." This isn't a good spot, that spell card of his allows him to pay 500 life points to summon another monster and then he just gain more life points whenever I take battle damage. Not to mention that his Vampire Hunter makes it so that whenever it battles a Dark monster, it's instantly destroyed. "I'll now play the Black Stone of Legend then I'll activate its effect so that I can summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Sunset now had her ace dragon as it let out a mighty roar. "Next, I'll play Hammer Shot to destroy your Vampire Hunter." said Sunset as the monster was gone. "So now Red-Eyes take out his Vampire Sorcerer!" Red-Eyes then shot a fireball that took out Vampire Sorcerer as it exploded into flames.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 8100-

"Now the effect of my Vampire Sorcerer activates, now I can add 1 'Vampire' monster or 1 'Vampire' spell/trap from my deck to my hand." said Armored Zombie. Soon he made his choice as his duel disk slotted out the card for his to grab.

"Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown." said Sunset.

Turn 5: Armored Zombie

"Now, I'll reveal my trap Vampire Awakening. Thanks to this, I can special summon a 'Vampire' monster from my deck but at the end of this turn it's destroyed. So I choose to summon my Vampire Dragon(2400/0)." Out came a dragon as it had fangs and one eye as it looked at Sunset. "Then, I'll activate the effect of my Vampire Sorcerer so by banishing her I can normal summon a Dark 'Vampire' monster without tributing. So join the ranks, Vampire Fraulein(600/2000) in defense mode." Armored Zombie now had two monsters on his field as it caused Sunset to get a bit worried.

"Now that I have two Level 5 monsters, I'll now build the Overlay Network." shouted Armored Zombie as both of his monsters transformed into dark lights as they were sucked into the vortex. "I Xyz Summon, Crimson Knight Vampire Bram(2500/0, OU: 2)." Out came an undead warrior as it wielded a sword and shield while letting out an undead cry. "Now time to strike, Crimson Knight Vampire Bram attack Red-Eyes B. Dragon." said Armored Zombie as his monster slayed Sunset's dragon.
Sunset's Life Points: 6400-

"As per my spell, I now gain the life points you lost." said Armored Zombie. "I'll then end my turn."
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 8200-

Turn 6: Sunset

"My draw, to start I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend to add it back to my hand and shuffle Red-Eyes back to my deck." Sunset's duel disk then slotted out her Black Stone card for her as it moved her Red-Eyes card back into the deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Now, I'll play the spell Red-Eyes Fusion and with I'll combine my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with Summoned Skull from my deck." Sunset's monsters then appeared as they were being combined together a new more powerful beast was coming. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon." said Sunset as her new monster landed with a thud.

Outside, Isaac and the other officers could hear the sound of Sunset summoning her monster as it shook the ground.

"What was that?" asked Reborn Zombie.

"Oh, nothing." smiled Isaac. "Now then let's back to our duel, Dark Magician take out the rest of Clown Zombie's life points." said Isaac. His magician heard Isaac's command as he fired off a powerful spell that took out the rest of Clown Zombie's point as he fell back and turned into particles. "Just one left." smiled Isaac.

"Now time for my monster to strike. Archfiend Black Skull Dragon has a special ability, when it attacks or is attacked, you can't activate any cards/effects till the end of the Damage Step. So take aim and destroy that vampire!" shouted Sunset. Her monster then opened its mouth as it shot off a fireball that took out the undead monster.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 7500-

"And you're about to lose some more life points." said Sunset. "Cause my Archfiend has another ability, in which I can return my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back to my deck and as a result, you take damage equal to its attack points." shouted Sunset. Red-Eyes then appeared as it spirit was engulfed in flames and sent crashing into Armored Zombie.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 5100-

"With that done, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Armored Zombie

"Not bad, now then." said Armored Zombie as he picked up his card. "To start, I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three more cards." Armored Zombie then picked up his cards as he selected the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Now, I'll reveal my facedown Call of the Haunted. So now I can revive my Vampire Scarlet Scourge(2200/2200)." Out came a monster that wore a red cape as bats flew from it. "Now, since my Scarlet Scourge was summoned, I can pay 1000 life points to revive another 'vampire' in play but it can't attack. So arise, my Vampire Red Baron(2400/1000)!" The ground opened up and a knight covered in red armored appeared as it rode on a horse who also wore red armor.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 4100-

Now he has two Level 6 monsters.

"Now, with these two monsters, I build the Overlay Network once again." said Armored Zombie. Both monsters then transformed into orbs as they were sucked into the portal that opened in the ground. "I Xyz Summon, Dhampir Vampire Sheridan(2600/1000, OLU: 2)." Out came a monster that was dressed in a proper suit as it was white and had a skull on its shoulder pads. "Now I'll activate my Sheridan's ability, so by using one Overlay Unit, I can target one card on your side of the field and send it to the graveyard. So say goodbye, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon."

"Oh no." said Sunset as she watched her monster be sent away.

"Now, I'll have my Dhampir Vampire Sheridan attack you directly!" shouted Armored Zombie. His monster then heard its command as he delivered a powerful attack to Sunset.
Sunset's Life Points: 3800-

"And don't forget that since my Vampire's Domain is still in play, I gain the amount of life points you just lost. Next, I'll end my turn."
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 6700-

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll play the Black Stone of Legend once more. Then I'll sacrifice it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Alterative Black Dragon." Sunset's stone then cracked as out came a dragon as it let out a roar. "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Armored Zombie

"Poor move, now I'll activate my Vampire's Domain, so by paying 500 life points I can conduct another summon this turn." said Armored Zombie.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 6200-

"Which means, I'll summon my Vampire Familiar(500/0) and then sacrifice it to summon my Vampire's Curse(2000/800). Then I'll activate my Sheridan's effect, so using the last Xyz material, I can send your dragon to the graveyard!" Sheridan then pointed his staff at Sunset's monster as it was gone in a red light. "And now that your field is empty, my two monsters will wipe out the remaining life points. Sheridan attack her directly!" shouted Armored Zombie as his monster leaped into the air as it looked to strike down Sunset.

"I activate the effect of my Battle Fader, when you declare a direct attack, I can special summoned this monster and end the battle phase." said Sunset as her monster came out and made a huge clanking sound as it brought Armored Zombie's monster to a stop.

"Lucy break. Well, I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Sunset

"Back to me, now I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend..."

"Not gonna happen, cause I reveal my facedown, Vampire Domination. So now the effect of your Black Stone of Legend is negated, which means you can't add it back to your hand." stated Armored Zombie.

"Not good." said Sunset as that was a move she was always relying on. "I now play this, Cards of the Red Stone. So by sending one Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand and deck, I'm allowed to draw two cards." Sunset then sent a pair of Toon Red-Eyes as she looked at her deck. I hope this works. Sunset took a deep breath as she drew her cards. "Now, I'll play my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in defense mode. And with that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Armored Zombie

"A small dragon, well I can't blame you. Now I play Graceful Charity so that I can pick up 3 cards and discard 2. Then I remove my Vampire Lord from play so that I can summon my Vampire Genesis(3000/2100). And now, I'll have my Dhampir Vampire Sheridan take out your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon." Sheridan then unleashed its power as Sunset's tiny monster tried to hang on only for it to be blown away.

"And now it's time for me to win, cause now my monster's effect activates so that means I can summon a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck. So arise, Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon! And I can equip my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon onto my new monster to give him an extra 300 attack points." Sunset now had her own undead monster as it appeared on the field.

"Well, your dragon is still weak. Now Vampire Genesis take out her beast."

"I reveal my facedown, Negate Attack. So now the battle ends once mode." said Sunset as she managed to dodge an attack for the second time.

"I've had enough of this! Fine then, I'll just end my turn." shouted Armored Zombie as he was angry.

"Time to finish this, now Black Arts Trickster end this." shouted Isaac as he gave his female spellcaster her order and she casted her magic from her hands as it took out the rest of Reborn Zombie's life points as he dropped to his knees and then turned into particles. "Well, that's taken care of. Better check on Sunset." said Isaac as he deactivated his duel disk and began to climb the stairs to check on his friend. Isaac opened the door and was surprised by what he saw.

Turn 12: Sunset

"Time for me to win this, cause we go, I draw!" shouted Sunset as she hoped to get the card she needed. "Perfect, now I summon Red Resonator and since I summoned Red Resonator, I can also summon a Level 4 or lower monster from my hand, so come on out Red-Eyes Wyvern!" Sunset now had four monsters on her field as she looked to do something new. "And now the stage is set, behold I tune my Level 2 Red Resonator with my Level 1 Battle Fader and Level 4 Red-Eyes Wyvern!" shouted Sunset as her tuner monster split into two green rings as the other monsters jumped in between.

"No way? Sunset is synchro summoning?" stated Isaac as this was the first time she was doing this type of summoning method with her own deck.

"I Synchro Summon, Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon(2400/2000)!" said Sunset. Out came a dragon that looked similar to Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon as it was engulfed in blue flames as it let out an undead roar.

"Talk about nothing, that dragon is even weaker than your other one." stated Armored Zombie.

"Then I should probably explain my monster's effect, see Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon gains 100 extra attack and defense points for every Zombie that's in the graveyard and on the field." smiled Sunset.

"What? Repeat that?" asked Armored Zombie as he was surprised.

"So let's give a quick roll call." said Sunset as all the Zombie cards that had been in play so far appeared as their spirits were giving power to her dragon. "Thanks to you, there's a total of 11 'Zombie' cards so that means my Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon rises up to 3500 attack/defense points." Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon then felt its flames get bigger as it felt the power surge. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Black Metal Dragon and give my Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon another 600 attack points to give him a grand total of 4100 attack. Lastly, I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain to grant my Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon a second attack. And now, Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon attack Vampire Genesis and Dhampir Vampire Sheridan." said Sunset as her dragon shot a blue flame as it took out its targets.
Armored Zombie's Life Points: 3600-

"And my Red-Eyes Zombie Necro Dragon's effect activates, which means since another 'Zombie' monster was destroyed in battle, I can revive a 'Zombie' monster on my side of the field. So I choose to bring back your Dhampir Vampire Sheridan." said Sunset. Dhampir Vampire Sheridan then appeared on Sunset's field as it came from a coffin.

"No!" said Armored Zombie as he realized the situation dawned on him.

"Looks like this duel is all wrapped up, now Red-Eyes Zombie Dragon and Dhampir Vampire Sheridan finish this duel!" shouted Sunset. Her monsters heard her command as they combined their attacks and shot it towards Armored Zombie who was thrown against the wall as he fell to the floor before disappearing into particles.

Sunset let out a deep breath as she fell on the floor a bit.

"Not bad." said Isaac as he entered the room. "Didn't expect you to Synchro Summon of all things?"

"Well, this seemed like the perfect situation for me to do it." chuckled Sunset as she got back to her feet. "Which means you better what out, boy toy. Not that I know how to perform all 3 summoning methods."

"It takes more than just one Synchro summon, okay Sunny." mocked Isaac. "Anyways, we need to hurry. Cause we only have... 5 minutes?!" shouted Isaac as he looked at his watch.

"What are waiting we for?! Hurry up!" shouted Sunset as she and Isaac raced out of the door and began to run.

Both ponies put everything they had into running up the path they used as time was ticking down. They manage to get to the main level as they took a few seconds to catch their breaths as they had only a minute and a half before the spell wore off.

"I don't think we're gonna make it." shouted Sunset as she could feel her horn sending the message that the spell was wearing off.

"We have to!" shouted Isaac. Soon a light began to glow from Isaac's pocket. It caused the colt to stop and pull out the device he kept from the worktable. "Huh?"

"Isaac?!" shouted Sunset as she was on the outside of the entrance as the doors were now closing fast. She tried to use her magic to keep it open, but it was like trying to pull someone who was heavier as her feet dragged on the floor.

Isaac was still looked at the small device he held in his magic as the light was starting to get brighter and brighter as it caused him to close his eyes to avoid being blind. Soon the doors closed and Sunset fell on the floor as the sound of unlocking was heard. Sunset was scared as she saw that Isaac wasn't out.

"No! No!" shouted Sunset as she banged on the solid metal door. "Isaac?! What am I gonna tell Twilight?" said Sunset as she started to cry a bit. Soon she heard something as the door was starting to make sounds as if it was being unlocked; Sunset then took a few steps back as she was unsure of what was happening. The door then slowly opened as she saw something that shocked her. There was Isaac, but he was now in the clothes of his Dark Magician almost like they were one in the same.

"Sunset! I can't hold it forever, mind giving me a hand." said Isaac as his horn was lit up as he was keeping the doors open.

Sunset gave a nod as she used her magic to surround Isaac and put everything she had into pulling him out of the damn place as they collapsed on the floor with him landing on top of her as his appearance changed back.

"Thanks, Sun..." was all Isaac said before he was kissed by the orange unicorn.

"You idiot!" shouted Sunset. "Why did you stop moving?"

"Well, something was happening to the device I picked up." stated Isaac.

"Still, you couldn't have done that after we got out!" Sunset was still angry at Isaac. She then wrapped her hooves around Isaac as she gave him a strong hug as she was scared he would do something stupid if she let go. "I... was... scared. Scared that you wouldn't get out and that it be my fault. Imagine what I would have to tell both Twilights?"

"I understand, and I'm sorry." smiled Isaac as he lifted her head to look at her face.

"You better be. What would I do without my favorite boy toy?" she said as she looked at the stallion. "Let's go, I want to go home."

"Alright." said Isaac as he began to walk with her.

"By the way, why were you wearing your Dark Magician's outfit?" asked Sunset.

"Well, it seems that device is more than what it appears to be. Apparently it attached to my body and well become some sort of chest plate. Next thing, I knew was my Dark Magician appeared in front of me and then we just sort of combined together. Almost like our souls were connected." said Isaac. "I could see and feel everything that Mahad was seeing as well as vice versa."

"Why do you get all the cool shit?" asked Sunset with some sass.

"Hey, protagonist powers. Blame the person that came up with that idea that almost every show and movie follows." said Isaac.

Both ponies just let out a laugh. Soon they started to make their way back to Ponyville. They had managed to reach the hilltop overlooking the town as nighttime had already fallen on the town. Both of them saw the massive crowd of ponies gathering around the stage as Countess Coloratura was singing a powerful song and brought Aj and the CMC on stage with her as they performed one last song. Isaac and Sunset just simply watched from the hilltop as they relaxed as their job was completed.

Chapter 119: Summer Snow

"Okay, what the hell is this?" shouted Isaac as he looked out of a window.

Outside the town of Ponyville was covered in snow. In fact, there was a decent layer of the white stuff as the little fillies that walked on it didn't fall too deep when they stepped. Now normally snow wouldn't be too much of a bother, but it was summer.

"It's summer! And there's snow!" yelled Isaac as he couldn't believe this.

"I forgot to say that the weather in Equestria is a bit different than back home." said Sunset.

"I thought you said the Pegasus controlled the weather." stated Isaac.

"Yeah." said Twilight.

"Then why is it snowing during the summer?" asked Isaac.

"The same reason we have a Christmas episode air in the summer." said Spike as he looked at the fourth wall.

"What that does even mean?" asked Isaac.

"Don't worry about it." smiled Sunset. "This at least gives us a chance to cool off."

"If we wanted to do that, then why not jump in the lake?" asked Isaac.

"Either way, with snow it means one thing." said Twilight as she held a shovel in her magic as she looked at Isaac before giving him the shovel.

"Of course. Leave all the heavy lifting to me." grumbled Isaac as he started to exit the castle and began on shoveling the stairs of the castle.

Spike even helped Isaac as he got his own mini shovel and the two of them got to work. While the boys got to work on creating a path, the girls were left with cleaning the windows that had been covered in ice. It took about an hour of two as both boys were hard at work shoveling the snow; thankfully, Isaac was prepared for this kind of work as he was used to this type of weather given where he had grown up. They did stop to have some fun as Spike threw a snowball at him to which Isaac returned with an even bigger one as it smacked the little drake in the face. Eventually, both were able to lure the girls out of the castle as they launched a sneak attack as they pelted the girls. Soon it had now turned into a war as both sides engaged in a fierce snowball fight. Soon a truce was called as both sides were tired and decided to head inside to warm up a bit.

Spike used his dragon breath as he put some fire in the fireplace as the flame brought the room to a nice, warm temperature. The girls all had blankets wrapped around them as Spike brought them some hot chocolate. Isaac was wiping his hooves clean as he wanted to avoid trekking snow inside the castle.

"Well, at least we got some fun out of this, not to mention me and Spike finished shoveling."

"Thanks for that." smiled Twilight.

"So nothing to do but sit back and warm ourselves up." said Spike as he had a robe on with a pair of slippers.

"So what do we do to pass the time?" asked Isaac as he stood next to Spike's chair.

"Uh, dunno." said Spike.

"Well, for one. We need to discuss about that device you found when you and Sunset ventured to Tartarus a while back." said Twilight.

"Well based on the tests that you've done, it just transforms into an armored chest plate that attaches to me. And then if I summon a monster than I can somehow fuse together and become that monster itself." said Isaac.

"That's true, but I'm also talking about other things. Like your physical strength and combat fighting ability. Not to mention your awareness to react." stated Twilight as she began to list off the results of the experiments she ran as the others just sat in boredom as they let the princess ramble on.

"Okay, moving on." interrupted Isaac which caused Twilight to give a pouting face.

"Well, we could share some stories." suggested Spike.

"How is that any different than what we could normally do?" asked Sunset.

"Well, I mean I'm not from here. So, do you ponies have some interesting tales?" asked Isaac.

"Well, there's the tale of Hearth's Warming Eve. Which is basically about the history of ponykind and how Equestria was founded." mentioned Spike.

"Interesting. Tell me more." said Isaac.

With that Spike began to narrate his tale. He explained that the Earth ponies grew food, and in payment for providing weather, the Pegasi demanded some of the food. The Unicorns also demanded payment for magically raising the sun and moon. None of the tribes cared what happened to each other. This fragile relationship continued until a large blizzard came along causing a food shortage. Without any food, the leaders of each pony tribe met up to discuss on what to do. The meeting however went poorly, as each of the leaders continued to argue with each other. After the assembly, three ghostly horses were overlooking the land below from a passage in the clouds; which were known as Windigos. Each of the leaders then returned to their second-in-command and explained that the meeting went poorly because the other leaders refused to cooperate. As a result each of the tribes set out in search of a new land. The land they did find was full of resources, however they soon discover that each tribe had claimed the same land, and of course more arguments ensue which caused another blizzard to appear. To escape the blizzard, the ponies made their way into a cave.

Once in the cave, they continued to argue over who gets what part of the cave. Due to their constant arguing, the windigos returned, causing an ice blizzard, which froze each of the leaders solid. The advisers, however, managed to hold good relations to each other, regardless of the different tribes they hail from. They deduced that the leaders' arguing is what caused all of this, and told stories and sang, the songs of which became the carols that are still sung in Equestria today. Eventually the display of friendship touched the hearts of the leaders as it melted the ice encasing them and soon the tribes learned that the warmth of harmony and love to each other can conquer over the coldness of hatred and grief. After the leaders settled their differences, they all finally lived in harmony with each other while founding the new land, Equestria.

"Wow, that's a interesting tale." said Isaac as he was fascinated by the story and history of this land.

"We even put on a play about this tale in Canterlot once." said Twilight as she sipped her warm beverage. "Do you have something similar in your world?"

"I mean we have Christmas." answered the colt.

"What's that?" asked the little drake.

Sunset then began to tell the pair that Christmas was basically their version of Heart's Warming as it was worldwide cultural and commercial phenomenon. They did similar things like exchange gifts and spent time with family and friends. But the story behind Christmas was vastly different. They even mentioned about an iconic figure that would travel the whole world in one night and deliver presents to all the good kids of the world.

"What a nice guy." said Spike.

"Well, I think it's time for us to get some sleep." stated Twilight. "We still have a lot of more shoveling to do tomorrow."

"You mean I have more shoveling to do." stated Isaac as he left to his room.

The next day came and thankfully the snow was starting to melt a bit. Still it meant that Isaac and Spike still had some more work to do; the girls all left to pickup some groceries as they headed into town. While the boys did the hard labor, Isaac's magicians appeared as they volunteered to help their master. Seems the job went by quicker as Isaac's magicians just simply zipped away the substance or casted a transfiguration spell as they turned the snow into some cute little animals. With the work done, Isaac thanked his monsters as they all disappeared back into his deck.

"Well with your magicians helping, we're way ahead of schedule." stated Spike as he put the shovels away.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Isaac.

Spike then brought out his Ogres and Oubliettes game as he wanted to continue his little side story with Isaac. Eventually the girls returned as they watched the boys just have their little game well until the sunset. The next day was even stranger as it was now snowing even more. Now it really caused Isaac to raise an eyebrow and apparently there was a reason. It seems Cloudsdale had experienced a malfunction of sorts as they were trying to make rain clouds but instead they made snow clouds. And they didn't notice the issue until they heard complaints from the adults of Ponyville; so they sent out a weather team to round up the rogue clouds. However, it meant that it would still be snowing in Ponyville for a while as all the clouds were being gathered up. Which meant it was more work for Isaac as he had to keep the ground around the castle clean.

"I know I'm used to this, but why do I have to be the one to do all the physical labor?" asked Isaac as he was shoveling even more snow.

"Cause you're a bit stronger than us." smiled Sunset as she sat on the stairs and looked at Isaac.

"And what are you doing?" asked the colt.

"Just watching you sweat." said Sunset. "Plus, Twilight needed Spike's help with going over some documents. So I decided to assume the role of supervisor."

"Great, so you just stand there and watch me work, while you do nothing."

"Oh, I wouldn't say nothing exactly." said Sunset as she had a bit of bedroom eyes. "Now get back to sweating, boy toy."

"I hate you." said Isaac as he got back to work.

While Isaac was working, Sunset was making some metal notes as she looked at Isaac's body as she would save them in her head for later. Eventually, it was about midday as Isaac had decided to take a break and flopped down on the snow as he wanted to take a quick break. Sunset just laughed as she made her way to the stallion whose chest was moving up and down.

"I... need... a... quick break." said Isaac as he put his hoof up.

"I guess, I can allow you to get some rest. But don't take too long, I need some more images for my brain." said Sunset with a slyness in her voice. She then sat in front of Isaac as she wanted to ask him something. "Hey Isaac."

"What's up?" asked Isaac as he was still lying down.

"I'm just wondering, what do you have planned for the future?"

"Huh?" Isaac then sat up on his haunches as he looked at the orange unicorn.

"I mean, if this issue in Equestria didn't occur, what would you be doing now? Based on what the others said to us before they left, they each were going to do something to help them for what they each have planned. Rainbow Dash was attending a summer camp that deals with athletics and wants to become a superstar in dueling. Fluttershy has her dream of owning an animal sanctuary. Rarity was to become a famous fashionista and create her own business; Pinkie wants to spread laughter to everybody. Applejack with her farm and well Twilight wants to become a card designer." stated Sunset.

"And you?" asked Isaac.

"To be honest, seeing as how I'm passionate about my art skills. I'll probably want to pursue a career as an artist or become a sushi chef." smiled Sunset. "But what about you, I mean you're probably the easiest one who has their life already planned out? You'll become a pro. How can you not?"

"If only it was that simple." said Isaac as he put his head down for a bit.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to offend you, I just thought that given your skills, you have the obvious path out of all of us."

"It's fine, Sunset. And well, you're kind of right." said Isaac as he took a deep breath. "I've been dealing with a personal issue for a while now. It started when the school term was ending and we were about to start our summer vacation. Those year-end evaluations that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna made you guys do, well it was sort of to help me understand the other side of being a pro. They both have this perception that they've already planned out my life after graduation and they've been giving me some private lessons on the side about that."

"That explains why we weren't seeing you in certain instances. So, she made you feel like it was your destiny to become a pro duelist and nothing more?"

"Yeah, and I lashed out. Honestly, I was pissed off. To think that people are planning my life out as if they expect me to follow a certain path. That's just not how I roll and so I had some bitter anger towards our principals. But then you asked me for help and we arrived in Equestria." stated Isaac. "While on the surface it may seem like I was actually helping. inside I was just using this as a coverup to avoid how I felt. And then I had a moment of clarity that helped me to put my mind at ease."

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset.

"It means, I see the path ahead of me more clearly. I've accepted what's to come, but I'm not going to follow the path that someone else has laid out for me. I'm going to create that path and I'm doing it my way." said Isaac. "You know if you asked me when I first came to CHS or hell, even when I was just a little kid that I would grow to become this phenomenal duelist that people want to look up to. I probably wouldn't have believed you. But look at me now, life really does work in mysterious ways."

"I can attest to that." Sunset then placed a hoof on Isaac's chest as she looked at the colt. "To think, if I didn't meet you, CHS would be an entirely different place. I would still be a angry bitch, no friends, alone. And this..." Sunset then pulled out her Red-Eyes Black Dragon card. "Without you, I probably would never have gotten this card. This card was a reminder to show my hidden potential and I did that, but I also gained a valuable companion. And I thank you, Isaac." Sunset then moved in close and placed her body close to Isaac's as she snuggled into his chest.

"You're welcome." said Isaac as he wrapped his hooves around the orange mare as he gave her a hug and held her. "And hey, when I do follow my path, I'll make sure to remember you and all of our incredible battles."

"You'll really remember that." asked Sunset as she looked at the colt's face.

"Always." smiled Isaac.

Sunset returned the smile as she pushed Isaac onto the ground and on a bit of the snow as she began to rub her muzzle against his. She then put her neck against Isaac's as they created some friction as she started to slowly nibble on Isaac's ear. She pulled on it, as it provided Isaac with both happiness and excitement. Sunset then laid her body on top of Isaac's as she began to kiss him as her hooves were placed on his chest. She then began to move them over the stallion's body as he understood what she wanted as Isaac started to feel Sunset's backside and eventually reached her flank as began to massage her to evoke some sexy moans from the unicorn. After some intense minutes, Sunset removed her lips from Isaac's as she looked at the colt she had pinned underneath her as she placed her head under his chin and let out a happy sigh.

"I'm going to miss these kinds of moments between us when you're gone, boy toy."

"Yeah, I am too. But like I said, I won't ever forget my friends." stated Isaac as he held the mare in his embrace.

The next few days were spent getting rid of the remaining snow as the weather team from Cloudsdale had finally managed to round up all of the rogue clouds. Isaac was finally glad as he could now take it easy for a bit as he let out a sigh of relaxation.

"Thank Celestia!" shouted Isaac. "Now I don't have to worry about it snowing anytime soon."

"Too bad, I was getting used to seeing you work out." smiled Sunset. "Still, we have a job to do and we only got one more challenge. Just one final commander and then our mission is done."

"To think that we've been here for quite a while, but at the same time it feels like time has flown by." mentioned Isaac as he looked at his watch to emphasize his point. "If I recall, the girls back home should be arriving from their trips in about a week."

"Well, let's hope that we can finish by then. I can't wait to see them." stated Sunset.

"Yeah, going to be tough to leave this place. Especially with all the memories I've made." said Isaac as he looked out at the town. He then wiped his eye as he felt a tear starting to form.

"As long as we hold this place in our hearts, then we'll never forget about it." said the orange unicorn.

Both of them then entered the castle as they wanted to check up on Twilight and Spike. Once the pair entered, Twilight was busy taking care of some documents when she noticed Spike had let out a message. She then began to read it as her head tilt a bit in confusion.

"What's the matter?" asked Spike.

"This letter is from Princess Celestia and Princess Luna, it says that they want to meet with Isaac and Sunset. But it doesn't say why?"

"The princesses are asking for us?" asked Isaac.

"Must be something important if both are going to be present?" said Sunset.

"Still, I'm trying to figure out why? Maybe something urgent has come? Or she thinks that you two aren't capable of finishing the job? Or maybe..." said Twilight until she was smacked in the face by Sunset. "Did you just smack a princess?"

"Yes, I'll do it again." said Sunset as she gave Twilight another smack as it brought her back to her senses.

"Sorry, I'm just a bit scared as to why the princesses want to talk with you two. I mean, you're nearly done with your mission." informed Twilight.

"Maybe she actually found out where the last commander is hiding and wants to confirm with me and Sunset. Either way, I'm sure it's nothing to worry about." said Isaac.

"I guess. Alright, I'll have Spike send a letter saying that you two will meet with them tomorrow." said Twilight.

Once Spike had sent the letter to the princesses, everybody started to head to bed as it was already nighttime. The morning came and Isaac and Sunset had arrived at the train station in Ponyville as they waited for the train. Soon the train pulled in as both ponies got onboard. It took a while but eventually the pair arrived in Canterlot as they saw tons of ponies walking around the popular city. The pair then made their way to the castle as they entered the palace and into the throne room as Princess Celestia and Princess Luna were standing there waiting for the pair.

"Your highness." said Sunset as she bowed for the rulers.

"Hey, there." said Isaac as he just greeted them casually to which Sunset just rolled her eyes. "So, what's up?"

"We're glad you both could come at our request." said Princess Celestia. "There's something we plan to discuss with you two. Raven, tell everybody that I'll be occupied for the rest of the day." informed the princess as she talked to her secretary.

"At once, your highness." said Raven Inkwell.

"Now you two, come along with us." said Princess Luna as she and her sister exited the room with Sunset and Isaac following behind them.

The sisters led the pair of ponies to their room as they relieved the guards of their duty and told them to take the day off. With that the four of them entered the room as they gathered around a table. Princess Celestia then used her magic as she pulled up some video images of Isaac and Sunset as it showed all the battles they had in taking down the creatures. Princess Luna then casted her magic as it entered the minds of the two ponies as she was looking into their memories as their eyes turned white. Soon she found what she was looking for as the pair's eyes turned back to normal.

"Give me a warning next time you try to probe my mind. Don't want any... private stuff to be seen." said Isaac as he let out a cough.

"Forgive me, young Isaac. But I needed to access your memories." stated Princess Luna.

"Anyways, me and Luna just want to show our appreciation for the two of you. Despite not having much help, you two have been able to slowly rid Equestria of these monsters. And be able to keep the peace for all throughout the land."

"We're eternal grateful for aiding us in our time of need. And seeing as how your mission is nearing the end of its course, let us say that we hope you've had a wonderful time here in this world, Isaac. I know it must have been tough to suddenly adjust to your new surroundings."

"It's alright, Luna. I'm happy to have helped, this honestly has been one of my favorite adventures to have gone on in my life. I definitely won't forget this." smiled the colt.

"We're glad. And I know that you two are just about to wrap up your mission." started Princess Celestia as her horn lit up and she transformed the room into a what seemed to be like a meadow of sorts.

Isaac and Sunset were caught off guard by this as they started to touch the main flowers and grass as it felt so lifelike. They were so amazed by what they saw that when they looked at the princesses, they noticed that both had a smile on their faces as they lifted their front left leg and a duel disk magically appeared on it.

"My sister here has shown me that this game of yours is a lot of fun. And so I looked at each of your memories to see how my human counterpart duels and have implemented it into my brain." smiled Princess Celestia as she had a huge grin on her face. "And once Luna told me about how much fun she had when facing against Isaac, I figured I get in on the action."

"So, Sunset. Isaac. Care to give me and my sister some fun for the day. But be warned, we have the memories of your principles, so defeating us won't be a walk in the park." stated Luna.

Soon she and Princess Celestia used their magic to create an exact replica of the deck their human versions used as they slotted in the decks and felt the spell work its magic as they had the knowledge of how to play the game and the skills to match their playstyle. Isaac and Sunset were surprised by the princesses' request; they looked at each other as they tried to process this.

"Well, I'm game. What about you, boy toy?" asked Sunset as she looked at Isaac.

Isaac just looked at the two sisters as they had a determined look on their faces, but deep down they were like little fillies as they couldn't wait to play the game. So Isaac just had a smile appear on his face as he looked at the princesses. He then turned on his duel disk and looked at Sunset who did the same thing as both took a position and got ready to battle.

"If you wanted to have fun, you could have just said so." smiled Isaac. "But who am I to deny a challenge? So Princess Celestia and Princess Luna... it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"Ohh, that sounds intimidating when he says that. Don't you agree, Lulu." asked Princess Celestia.

"Indeed, dear sister." said Princess Luna.

With that both Isaac and Sunset spent the entire day battling against Luna and Celestia. For the two royal sisters, they had the biggest smiles on their faces as the game of Duel Monsters brought them happiness in a very, very long time. It also provided them with an escape from their royal daily duties as they could be young again. And so that's how it went, till the sun went down, the four of them engaged in hard-fought action packed duels that caused all of them to have enjoyment and allowed them a moment to bond not just as duelists, but more importantly as friends.

"Okay, Luna. You ready?" asked Isaac.

"I think I get the point of this 'beatbox'." said Luna. Seems Isaac had introduced Luna into the world of rapping and beatboxing as she seemed to have found it fascinating that you could mix your dialect into something that was both poetic and entertaining. She was in her room with Isaac as they were doing this small activity without anypony to disturb them.

"Okay, what words do I get?" asked Isaac.

Luna then pulled out some words from a small jar as she pulled out 3 slips of paper. The words that Luna pulled out were: 'Waffle Fries', 'Pikachu', and 'Puerto Rico'. The challenge was for Isaac to try to come up with a freestyle rap while using all the words he was assigned.

"Oh god!" said Isaac as he took in the words.

"Now then." Luna then cleared her throat as she started to make some beatbox noises as Isaac then began his attempt at rapping.

"My mind is open like a lighthouse, but it's scared about what's going on in the White House. Look around, those look like some awful guys, I wanna hit them with chancletas and some waffle fries. Aw yeah, so many plans, I can't hatch them all. But it's like Pikachu and I gotta catch 'em all. WTF is going? I rock into the break of dawn with my Pokémon. Aw, but all things being equal. This is the freestyle sequel from here to Puerto Rico. Aw yeah, you're picking up what I caught, now let's hear it for the moon's #1 astronaut." said Isaac as he finished his freestyle rap while pointing his hoof at Princess Luna.

"Marvelous." said Luna as she pulled the colt with her magic and gave Isaac a tight hug. "Thy tongue is sharper and more polished then thy pen."

"Luna.... can't breathe.... too... strong..." said Isaac as he felt the nighttime princess's strength as she was crushing the colt's lungs.

"Oh, my bad." said Luna as she put Isaac down who flopped on the ground.

"It's... okay..." said Isaac as he took some deep breaths to gain back some the air he lost.

"Would it be pleasant to try thyself?" asked Luna.

"Give... me... a minute." said Isaac as he lifted his hoof up. After a few moments, Isaac was full of oxygen as stood in front of Luna. He then cleared his throat as he started to make his own beatbox tempo and style as Luna prepared her attempt.

"Now, once upon time, not long ago, when people read books and lived life slow. There was bossy letter by the name of 'R', and anywhere she went, vowels acted bizarre. She was sitting in the park with a friend, letter A. And when it got dark, this is what she'd say. 'I think you need a brand new start. You sound different in 'cat' than you do in 'cart'. When we stick together, we go so far as you go from a to ar'. Letter A turned and said, 'I see. Wouldn't you rather be with your friend, letter E? She acts so different when you're with her. So instead of we, we got the way we were. From eh to er, from a to ar.' Then, they turned around, and guess who they say? O, the vowel, on nearby towel, with a round little face and an angry scowl. She said, 'no, no, R, can't take anymore. I sound so different than I did before. I was O for show. Now I sound like or. Please, go away. You are such a bore.'" stated Luna as he finished her little rap.

"Woah!" said Isaac as he ceased his beatboxing and smiled at the princess. "That was impressive."

"Thy was splendid, it made me feel, 'cool'." stated Luna. For the rest of the night, Isaac and Luna began to have fun as they enjoyed this little activity between the pair.

Chapter 120: Independence

The sun rose up as it signaled another day to start. Rainbow Dash was already up as she was currently doing some laps around the camp as she enjoyed these morning jogs. For one it helped her to not only stay fit, but to calm her mind. It was about half an hour past 7 when she returned to the showers as she saw some of her campmates talking.

"So, how'd you enjoy your morning jog?" asked Spitfire as had just finish changing into her clothes.

"Standard stuff. Also trying to come up with some new strategies for my deck." stated Rainbow as she sat on the bench and started to wipe the sweat off her face with a towel.

"Well, whatever plan you come up with. It won't save you from me beating you." snickered Fleetfoot.

"We'll see about that." replied back Dash. "Don't forget who helped tune my deck."

"Yeah, yeah. Your little 'boyfriend', the champ." stated Misty Fly.

"Technically, he's Twilight's boyfriend. She just allows me to kiss him on the cheek whenever I want to show affection towards him." said Rainbow Dash as her face turned a bit red at saying stuff like this to her teammates.

"Yeah, but that didn't stop you from breaking Twilight's sacred rule when you kissed him on the lips." said Blaze as she had a smug smile on her face.

"That was just to get Zephyr off my back. God he was so annoying, and Isaac just happen to be by. Look can we just drop this?" asked Rainbow as her friends just laughed at how the rainbow haired girl was turning all shades of red.

"Either way, you should consider yourself lucky. I would love to have the champion look at my deck and make some adjustments." said Spitfire. "Based on when I battled him, he's the real deal. It makes me wonder just how successful of a career he'll have once he goes pro."

"He'll easily be the next King of Games, hell, he might be the next duelist to become a legend." said Misty Fly.

"I mean he knows all the summoning methods, not to mention that Pendulum power of his." stated Fleetfoot. "I want to take a crack at him before we graduate."

"Well, I could put in a good word for you." said Rainbow. "Though don't get your hopes up, cause when it comes to beating Isaac. I'm the one for the job." said Dash as she pounded her chest.

"Well, we better get going. The counselor wants us to get on the course." said Spitfire as she let the other members of the team know as they all started to exit the room.

"I'll catch up, just want to take a quick rinse." said Rainbow.

She then opened her locker as she looked at a photo of her friends. She let out a smile as she also saw her deck; she then grabbed it as she began to look at each of the cards as it brought her memories. Rainbow was now reminiscing on the past years of CHS and how once school started at the end of the summer, she and their friends would enter their senior year before they would all head out on their own individual lives. For Dash, she knew that she wanted to become a star athlete in the world of sports while also becoming a dueling superstar. Granted it was something that would require a long road, but she knew it was what she wanted. Rainbow Dash also thought back on when she first met Isaac and really began to think on how much had happened since that first encounter.

"Isaac really has made an impact in my life, and also my deck. To think I was content with how it was; I never once thought that I could change it. But Isaac showed me that no deck is perfect and that you can improve on it. Gonna miss the geek when this is all over, but I'm glad to have got to have met him." Rainbow Dash then put her deck in her pocket as she grabbed a change of clothes and began to wash herself of all the sweat on her body as she couldn't wait to see her friends in about a week.

"So what I hope to have is a beautiful habitat where every animal – whether sick or scared or even just lonely, feathered or furry, scaly or slimy – every critter would be welcome. My sanctuary can be the one place where they call home 'til they feel ready to take on the world." said Fluttershy as she pitched her idea.

"Interesting." said the person who was a women by the name of Dr. Fauna. "So... do have any blueprints?"

"Um, not exactly. It's more of a dream board." said Fluttershy as she showed off the board behind her.

"Hmmm, that sure doesn't look like an animal hospital." said Dr. Fauna.

"Well, that's because it's not. It's a sanctuary. A place that is safe but not restrictive. Cozy but natural. A place where the animals can come and go as they please." said Fluttershy as she went over some more of her ideas. "I want the sanctuary to have an open floor plan. No walls. More like an enclosure that melts into the trees. With a gate in the back. That way, the animals can return to the forest right when they feel ready."

"I'll say, it really is something that I haven't heard of. But I am fascinated by it; well Fluttershy I dare say we're in business." said Dr. Fauna as she extended her hand to the shy girl.

"You mean it?" asked Fluttershy as Dr. Fauna gave a nod. "Oh, thank you Dr. Fauna."

"No problem, now then may I request you join me for a stroll." said Dr. Fauna as she made her way to the door and the two of them exited out of the room.

The two girls then started to take a stroll throughout the nature reserve. The place had been founded about 50 years ago and the owners who were a married couple loved animals. Exotic, plain, even animals that were nearly extinct, so they wanted to make a place where all of them could be peacefully. Over the years the place grew bigger and bigger. Sure enough, it soon became the biggest place in the world. Now every animals ever listed in the animal kingdom was placed in the same spot. Both of the girls then walked through the entrance, as the beauty that they saw could not be described, for it was an amazing sight. For all around the land was as large as Disney Land's land property, with every part of the place that would fit for every animal perfectly. Soon both of the girls then made their way to the bird section of the place as they began to chat.

"To think that I started out helping Whitetail Woods when I was about your age." said Dr. Fauna as she fed some of the parrots that landed on her shoulder. "In fact, it was this very same place that caused me to become an animal doctor."

"Really?" stated Fluttershy as she too fed some birds that landed on her finger.

"It's just something about caring for animals that makes me happy. The way predator and prey can live in harmony and have better odds of surviving. The cute baby animals, it all just makes me feel..."

"Like you can talk with them. Like they listen to you about any problem you may have." finished Fluttershy.

"I guess you really do know the exact feeling." smiled Dr. Fauna. "Tell me, Fluttershy. What's your future plan? You're about to enter your last year of high school and after that, you're free to do whatever you choose with your life. So, do have any plans?"

"Well, I want to continue my passion. And that's helping to take care of animals. It's why I have this vision of creating an animal sanctuary. A place like this, where no animal is in danger and they can relax."

"A bold vision. Though some might call it impossible, even stupid." said Dr. Fauna.

"Well, I won't know unless I try. I'm not the same Fluttershy I once was, I've grown. My friends have told me about building my confidence and not letting others walk over me. And it's because of our friendships that I can finally have my dream come to fruition and give me the determination I need to tackle anything." said Fluttershy as she had a proud look on her face. "But... it also has to do with this." Fluttershy then pulled out her deck as she looked at it.

"Your deck? It's all the rage these days with you kids." said Dr. Fauna as she wasn't too heavily invested in Duel Monsters.

"Well, to be honest, this deck has played a pivot role in helping to shape my character." said Fluttershy.

"Tell me then." said Dr. Fauna as the two kept on walking.

"Well, when I first got into Duel Monsters, I wasn't the biggest fan. In fact, the only reason I had a deck to beginning with is because my parents wanted to get me a birthday gift. So they asked the lady of a store what was something that kids liked, and she pointed them to Duel Monsters. Of course they didn't know much about it, so they just bought me a random deck and some cards." stated Fluttershy. "I knew about the game from my friends and from Rainbow Dash as she would always be up for a challenge. So she would talk me into battling against her; granted I wasn't good as I was scared. All those big monsters, and the thought of them fighting against each other. It was almost too much for me to handle. so much so that I thought about throwing my deck and never playing again."

"And yet you didn't?" said Dr. Fauna.

"I guess, even after all that, I couldn't bring myself to doing it. Mostly cause my parents poured their money into getting that gift. So I kept it, but I did my best to avoid ever getting in any kind of confrontation. I just let my friends do most of the dueling."

"And what changed?"

"Well, I met a boy. His name was Isaac and well, he showed me the wonders that Duel Monsters could bring. I know I'm passionate about animals, and he showed that same level of admiration towards the game." Fluttershy had a smile on her face as she thought about when she first met Isaac. "The first time we met, he offered to help me. I'll never forget that, and soon thereafter he discovered that I had a deck. Isaac couldn't say no and so he helped to rebuild my deck from the ground up; he even gave me some cards from his own collection. That's why I treasure this deck, not just because it was created by someone who's important in my life. But by someone who wanted me to get better, someone who was willing to push me past my comfort zone so that I can become a better duelist. And I did."

"Well, I'm sure he's proud that you've been able to make that deck your own. And no doubt he's happy of the duelist you've become." said Dr. Fauna.

"Yeah, Isaac really has made a difference in my life." said Fluttershy. And I'm going to miss him, once we go our separate ways. I just hope he'll remember me.

With that both girls then made their way into the other sections of the reserve as they checked on the other animals.

Manehattan was a busy city that was constantly on the move. In fact, it seemed to be even busier in the night rather than the day. And it was none truer than a certain fashionista as she was currently trying to finish a design for Sapphire Shores with the help of her assistance.

"My word, Rarity. You've been at this for two days straight; you've barely caught a wink of sleep." said Sassy Saddles.

"Forgive me, Sassy. But I have to finish this assembly for Sapphire Shores. All the work we've done is to help get our design into the magazine that will be viewed throughout the whole wide world." said Rarity. "So understand that I can't just simply take a break, at least not until I'm satisfied with my work."

"I understand, but you need to rest. I'm sure Sapphire Shores will understand if you take a quick break."

"Sorry Sassy. But I must press on, this is my chance to get an opportunity and I'm not throwing my shot." said Rarity as she started to get back to work with even more determination.

Sassy knew that there was no point in getting Rarity to stop, so she decided to help her friend as they worked all day and into the night. After some trials and remeasuring, they were able to finish the order for Sapphire Shores as both girls let out a sigh and collapsed on separate couches.

"Finally, we finished."

"Indeed. I can't thank you enough Sassy. I'm sorry for making you stay up just to help me finish this order."

"It's fine, Rarity. My only concern is making sure that you see your design featured." stated Sassy Saddles.

"And I appreciate that; and don't worry I'm going to keep my word. Once I've established a boutique here, I'll make sure that you're hired. It's the least I can do to repay for all the help you've given me." mentioned Rarity.

"Thank you, Rarity. By the way, I've been meaning to ask, your designs from when you first showed me. I love the work you've put into them, the colors, the patterns, even the different styles you chose to incorporate for each one. It makes me wonder where did you get the inspiration for all this?" asked Sassy.

"Well, darling. Those designs came from a special place in my heart, but also because of some close allies." Rarity then saw her duel disk on the table in front of her as she slotted out her deck and looked at her cards.

"Your cards? I don't understand." said Sassy.

"Indeed, my Crystal Beasts are my full inspiration for all my designs. Each one holds a special place in my heart, and they are the reason why I've had so many ideas. Of course, it's not just their fancy jewelry, but the way they dominate the battlefield while looking stylish. It's the major reason why I chose to have this deck. My Crystal Beasts know the value of style, grace, all while being ferocious in battle." smiled Rarity. "And I can't forget about my Rainbow Dragon, such a beast with incredible power, but yet even something as him can be filled with substance and caring for his mistress."

"I can tell your deck is something that you've treasured. Not to mention a certain boy." smiled Sassy.

"Yes, Isaac has brought me happiness in my life. I'll never forget the moment he arrived at CHS. From first glance, I knew he was special and he proved that right when he dethroned Sunset and became champion. But he also made me feel something that I've longer for. Something that parents only tell their kids about in fairytales and fantasy." Rarity then reached into her pocket as she pulled out something. The object that she was holding was the hair pin that Isaac had bought her when they went on their date. She remembered how Isaac had gotten her as a way to say thanks and she flashed back to that night on when she kissed him. It made Rarity have some red on her cheeks as it didn't go unnoticed by Sassy Saddles.

"Seems Isaac is still making you fall for him, even though he's taken." smiled Sassy with a smug smile.

"Yes, well. He's chosen to be with Twilight and I respect his decision, though he's still quite the charmer and I'll always hold a special place for him in my heart. Not to mention all the work he's done for my deck." said Rarity. She then put the hair pin in her hair as she pulled out a small hand mirror to look at her reflection. "To think, that I would met someone like Isaac would not only made my heart race, but showed me the wonders that Duel Monsters can bring. The passion he has for this game is not only makes him attractive, but it makes him determined. He's willing to go beyond his limits to prove to not just himself, but to others that the biggest dreams can still come true."

"I have no doubt that Isaac will be a successful duelist. You just make sure that if things don't work out with Twilight, you better be there to claim him before the others do." stated Sassy.

"As much as I would like that, I'm afraid I'll be too busy focusing on my career. Once I graduate, I plan to proceed forward with creating my fashion empire and showing the world my generosity. I even want to give back to the community and help other young designers seeking to make their mark and give them a chance to shine." stated Rarity. "And with my friends and my beloved Crystal Beasts along side, I know that I'll accomplish my goals." Rarity stood up with a determined look; unbeknownst to her, the spirits of her Crystal Beasts and Rainbow Dragon all appeared next to their beloved mistress as they too shared her sentiments and promised that they would always be there to protect her.

"Well, I'm glad to see the future you have planned. Now then, let's get some rest. We can't present our project to Sapphire Shores if we're tired." said Sassy as she let out a yawn and retreated to her room.

"Yes, of course." said Rarity as she too let out a yawn. I can't wait to see the others and I look forward spending our last year together before we each go our separate ways. Rarity then exited the room as she turned off the lights and prepared to get some long deserved rest.

Applejack and her family were just wrapping up their business in Coltifornia. They had managed to met some respective business that were looking to invest in some of their apple products, especially their apple cider and jam. So the apple family allowed some sample for the investors to try and it seemed they could taste the profits that they would make. With that, they talked with the entire Apple family as they shook their hands and were pleased to be partners. They also caught wind of Applejack being a duelist; so the country girl did her job of showing these investors as she showed off her skills with her trusty Predaplants. Safe to say, they now saw double the business as Aj showed off some potential in being a strong duelist.

Applejack was sitting at a table as she had her cards scattered out in front of her as she was holding several in her hand. She wasn't alone as Applebloom joined her as she took a seat.

"Can you believe all the sponsors we got? Our business is sure to boom, not to mention we can finally expand our farm back home." said Applebloom with excitement in her voice.

"Don't catch our chickens before they hatch, sugarcube. I've told you about overconfidence." stated Applejack.

"I know, Aj. But this is different, all we have to do is give them what they ask for and they'll help to spread our word to other places. Imagine how much money we'll be rakin' in."

"It's not gonna be say, plus trust works both ways, sugar. We have to trust them that they won't betray us as they have to trust that we can deliver the goods they demand." said Applejack. "Listen, sis. Granny is gettin' old and she's not gonna be around forever. Just like with Ma and Pa, when it's time for her to go, we need to accept that and move on. We can't mournin' over her too much or else we'll lose focus on other things and risk the family business and our home in great danger."

"I understand, but don't forget about what those businessmen mentioned. They were impressed by what they saw in yer skills. I mean you're the best duelist to come out of our family, big sis. You and yer Predaplants are really tough." said Applebloom. "Ah just wish, ah could be a sliver of that."

"Applebloom, don't say things like that. Ah may be a good duelist, but that doesn't make me the best in this family."

"But you are! You got skills that are top notch, you've got a powerful deck in Predaplants, and you're master at Fusion Summoning." stated Applebloom. "You've competed in lots of school tournaments that have propelled you to new heights. Ah just hope that ah can be like that."

"Applebloom." Applejack then set the cards she was holding on the table as she looked at her little sister. "Ah understand you look up to yer big sis. But you know that you can't be like me, cause you're you. Listen, sugar. Ah maybe a good duelist, but ah'm far from bein' a pro. That's not mah dream; mah dream is help carry on the family business. And ah appreciate you wantin' to follow in mah footsteps, but you can't do that." smiled Applejack. "Besides, look at mah deck. It wasn't always like this, ah've had plenty of changes made to it by one individual. And that same individual is the person who helped with yer deck."

"Ah know, Isaac. But compared to yers, mines are just wimpy petunias. Ah just want to carry on yer legacy." said Applebloom.

"Look, sis. You know ah only want what's best for you. And that means you have to stop tryin' to model yerself after me and make yer own path." stated Aj. "Mah time at CHS is comin' to an end, and after ah graduate, it'll be up to you. You and the rest of the Crusaders are wantin' to be like us, but you need to be yer own person. Me, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are sorry we couldn't help y'all, but Isaac proved to be better mentor than we ever could. He took time out of his own life to give back and help you three to become better duelist than when y'all started."

"And I'm grateful for that, he's become like another big brother. And all those lessons he's given me and the rest of the girls; we can't express just how grateful we are for him helpin' us." said Applebloom. "Ah just want to make sure that ah can pick up where you left off. That's the only thing ah ask for."

"Come here." said Applejack as she gave her little sis a hug as both girls had tears in their eyes. "You're the best little sis, ah could ever ask for. And ah know yer more than capable of carryin' on mah legacy. But you have to promise me something."

"What's that?"

"That you create yer own path and that you build off of mine. Ah laid the foundation for our family, now it's up to you to make it yers. Ah believe you can go farther than ah ever did, heck, you may just surpass me." smiled Applejack. "And if that does happen, than ah couldn't be more proud to have a little sis like you." That was all Applejack needed to say as she broke down in tears as she held her sister. Applebloom too was crying as she had finally got the approval she had been looking for from her big sister. From that moment on, Applebloom was ready to fill the shoes left behind by her sister and looked to make her own path.

Thank you, Isaac. For all you've done for me and mah sister. Ah hope that whatever yer future is, you'll remember those who you helped along the way. I'm grateful for all you've done.

Pinkie had just finished another day at her job as she arrived back at her home. She was greeted by her sisters Marble, Limestone, and Maud Pie as they all looked at their sister. Despite maintaining her puffy hair, Pinkie still felt a bit of sadness as she missed her big bro.

"Quit the whinnying already, sis. 'Big bro' ain't coming back. Just accept it and move on, it'll make you feel better." said Limestone in a bitter tone.

"I can't!" shouted Pinkie. "I miss Isaac. I just wish he was here so I can him a hug."

"Uhhhh—" stated Marble.

"Huh, you're right Marble. I should plan a surprise party for him. He needs to know how much his little sis has missed him." said Pinkie.

"Again, he's not your brother!" shouted Limestone.

"I dunno know. He seems like a solid dude. Isn't that right, Boulder?" said Maud in a deadpan tone as she looked at her pet rock. "Boulder agrees."

"Still, I need to show Isaac how much I care about him. He's my big bro and it's my job as his little sister to make him smile."

"He's not your big brother!" shouted Limestone. "Just cause he made you a brand new deck and helped improved your old one doesn't make him a part of our family."

"Uhh..." whispered Marble.

"Exactly, Marble. Since the moment, Isaac arrived at Canterlot High, he's been helpful towards me and the girls. He's taken it upon himself to tune our decks and make them even better than they once were. And despite my antics sometimes driving him mad, he knows that deep down, I'm just trying to make sure that he smiles." Pinkie then cut off Marble once again. "And I know that this will be our final year before we're off to handle the world. For me that's my life's purpose: making people happy and spreading laughter." Marble was about to speak, but Pinkie cut her off again only for her to shove her hand in Pinkie's mouth as she could finally say what she wanted.

"Look Pinkie, I'm glad you have a brotherly figure in your life. I'll admit, it's something I wish for too. But you need to understand that Isaac isn't always going to be around, once this year rolls around, he'll have plans on what he wants to do with his life. And I think you know what that is, so the best thing you can do is make sure that he knows he has his little sis who will always cheer him on." state Marble Pie as she finally got to speaking. The other Pie sisters were shocked by hearing her speak, though Maud still had a straight face.

"You're right, Isaac is moving on to better things in his life. And as my responsibility as his sister, I have to show my support for whatever he decides to do. Thanks! These Pie sister talks are the best!" said Pinkie as she gave all of her siblings a great big hug as they all had different expressions on their faces.

Twilight was busy wrapping up her meeting with Mr. William and his team of card designers as she was going over her latest idea.

"So, what do you think? Based on my calculations, it's quite possible to do it." stated Twilight.

"All the numbers are there, Twilight. But keep in mind the problem we've been encountering with those cards." stated Mr. William.

"Which is why I've come up with a solution, one that I think will help us to finally solve the mystery of these cards. Plus it could pave the way for us to release more to the general public." said Twilight.

"Very well, thank you Twilight. We shall review all that you've presented to us and report any new findings that might occur. You're dismissed." said Mr. William.

Twilight then gave a quick bow as she exited the board room. Spike was waiting outside as he was putting his ear to the door as he tried to listen in on the meeting. Soon the doors opened as out came Twilight. He then jumped into her arms as he started to lick her face as Twilight let out a giggle.

"So how'd it go?" asked Spike.

"Well, we'll have to wait and see." said Twilight as she began to walk with Spike in her arms.

They were walking in the hallways when Spike noticed Twilight as she was lost in thought.

"Hey, what's on your mind?"

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking about how the others are doing. Just wondering what Isaac is doing?"

"I'm sure he's fine. From the message we got from Sunset, it seems like whatever she needed his help with wasn't too much of a problem."

"It's not just that, Spike." Twilight let out a sigh. "In case, you haven't noticed. This year will be the final one I share with my friends."

"And is that a bad thing?"

"Well, yes and no. On one hand, it means that I'll finally graduate and hopefully get accepted into Everton University so that I can become a card designer. It's been my dream since I could read my first binary numbers. But it also means another thing; it means that I'll have to say goodbye. To everybody at CHS and more importantly, Isaac." Twilight then thought back to the time she and him were in the cottage house as she remembered Isaac talking with her about the future of their relationship.

"I see now what Isaac fully meant by when he questioned the future of our relationship. We both are about to become adults and with adulthood comes some big life changes. The major one being is what we want to do with our lives. My plan is already decided as I'm sure the others have. But Isaac, the logical and obvious choice is for him to become a pro. But then again... is that really what he wants to do?" asked Twilight as she contemplated.

"I mean, why wouldn't he? He's clearly a great duelist, a master technician when it comes to the game." stated Spike. "I believe he'll be fine a competitor on the pro scene; your brother is certainly doing alright with that career path."

"Still... is Isaac's path already been decided? Or is there something he's waiting on?" Twilight just kept her mind busy as she tried to answer all the questions she had.

Soon they came across to a fork in the road as Spike looked at Twilight as he wondered why she stopped. Twilight then put the mutt down as she began to walk on the path leading to the left.

"I thought we were going to the café." said Spike as he pointed to the right path with his path.

"I... I've got something I need to do." said Twilight while not looking at Spike.

"Oh, in that case. Let me come..."

"Alone."

"What?" said Spike as he raised an eyebrow.

"There's something I need to take care of by myself."

"That's ridiculous. I don't mind..."

"Spike! Stay!" shouted Twilight. For the first time ever in her life, Twilight had yelled a command at her dog. Spike was shocked by Twilight's tone as she let out a sigh. "Look, there's something that I need to work on in private. Something that I can't let anyone know about. Not even my own family, not even you. There's only one person who I can trust with what I'm doing. And I'm not talking about Isaac. So understand this, Spike. I need some privacy for a bit."

"Okay." said Spike.

"Thank you. Now go on and explore, just try not to cause any trouble." said Twilight as she continued down her path. Spike watched his owner until she was out of sight as she continued down his path.

Twilight then entered a blank room as she turned on the lights. She then went to a keypad on the wall as she entered some numbers. Soon the room registered her code as it locked the door behind her and soon the entire room started to change like it was in a spy movie. There was blackboards coming out with several tables coming up with one having a computer, while the other has pieces of paper along with different images of Duel Monsters. There was even a couple of pictures of legendary duelists that hung around the room so that people could see them. Twilight then approached one of the tables as she checked for a certain paper as she read it through and wrote down some important notes. She then made her way to the table with the computer on it as she sat in her chair and logged in. While the computer was verifying her access, Twilight then looked at the desk as she had several pictures on it. She picked one up as it was a group photo.

"Almost there. Just a few more days and I'll be able to see you guys. And I can't wait for our last year together." said Twilight. "Isaac, I may not know what's going to become of our relationship. I don't know if we're going to continue it after we graduate and should we part ways, well then... it was nice getting to know you." Twilight had a bit of a tear rolling down the side of her face. "Thank you for everything, you helped guide me back into the light when I fell into darkness. And that's something I'll never forget, cause since then my life has been a rollercoaster ride of emotions. I'll always be there and whatever the future holds, I'm just glad I was able to get close to your heart." Twilight then took her glasses off as she wiped her eyes. She then put them back on as she got back to working on her secret project.

Isaac had his eyes closed as he was in deep concentration. Soon he started for a sprint as he opened his eyes.

"Now come forth, Magician of Chaos!" shouted Isaac as his monster appeared. "Now merge with me!" stated Isaac as he was wearing the chest plate armor he got from Tartarus. Soon both of them combined as Isaac was now standing in his pony form as he wore the garments of his monster.

"Now Ebon Illusion Magician, combine with me!" shouted Isaac as he merged with another one of his monsters.

All day, Isaac kept at it as he practiced with his new equipment as he was testing out the limits of his armor. It seemed that whenever Isaac merged with his monsters, they were in complete sync. Isaac had set up some handmade targets as he practiced shooting some spells and attacks as he took them down with ease. He kept at it as he could feel his stamina and physical capabilities improve greatly. Soon he had finally gotten all he needed as he de-synced with his Dark Magician. Isaac then fell to the floor as he was exhausted as the device had transformed into a small orb as it fell on the ground in front of him. He then looked up as all of his magicians and monsters in his deck all gathered around their master as they helped him back onto his feet. In the front of that massive crowd were Mana and Mahad as they looked at their master.

"We're almost done, with this new device, we're that much closer to going back home. And then from there, it's just preparing for what's to come. With my life, and more importantly, my destiny." said Isaac.

"We'll follow you to the ends of the earth and time itself to serve you, master." said Mahad

"Our duty is to protect you." said Mana.

Both of them then bowed down as it caused all the others to do the same. All the monsters surrounding Isaac showed their love and admiration for their master, but mostly their respect. Isaac took the sight that laid before as he could see and sense the loyalty that his monsters, no his friends had for him. And as their friend and the role of their master, he knew that it was his duty to make sure that they were successful. Isaac then raised his hoof as he spoke.

"Thank you all. You've been the best group of monsters that I could call my allies and friends. And as your master, I promise that we'll all make it out. We shall end this fight and bring peace to this land. But it won't be easy, so that is why I ask you all for your answer. Should you choose to fight and stand by me, then I can't guarantee we'll be successful. But I can promise a tomorrow for these ponies. Know that I will fight till the end, till my last dying breath, until my body can't go anymore. So I ask again, do you ride with me?" asked Isaac.

"Till the bitter end." stated Mahad.

"I won't let them harm my cute master." said Mana.

All the others gave their answer as Isaac had a smile on his face.

"Then rise, all of you." stated Isaac as he gave his monsters their command. "Let it be known, that from here on out, we fight as one!"

"As one!" shouted all of Isaac's monsters.

"Then let's go forth and win!" shouted Isaac.

"Yes, master!!" shouted all of Isaac's monsters as they disappeared back into his deck.

"I promise." said Isaac as he saw Sunset waiting for him. He then started to walk towards the orange unicorn as they prepared to for their final mission.

Chapter 121: Showdown at sundown

"Alright, now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician, I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as two lights came out of the giant portal above him. "Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl. And lastly, please give a warm welcome to the star monster of the show, Dark Magician!" stated Isaac as he had his two magicians on his field. Soon they disappeared.

"Alright, I think I have everything ready." said Sunset.

"Good, here you go." said Isaac as he handed Sunset his pendulum cards.

Sunset took the cards in her magic as she held them. She took a deep breath as she closed her eyes. Sunset then activated her duel disk as it projected a red card tray. She then drew some cards as she prepared to attempt what she was about to do. "Time to see how I handle this, using the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 8 Mirage Magician, I set the Pendulum Scale." Sunset's duel disk registered what she was doing as she placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of her card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. The two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Now I can summon monsters from Level 2 through 7 all at once." A giant portal opened above her as three lights emerged. "I Pendulum Summon, Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight, and Red-Eyes B. Dragon." stated Sunset as she now had 3 monsters on her field.

"Nice work." said Isaac as her monsters disappeared.

"I... can't believe it. I did it." said Sunset as she couldn't believe that she managed to successful Pendulum summon on her first try. "I really Pendulum summon there."

"Pendulum summoning is easy, it's the many ways you can incorporate it to your playstyle that makes it more difficult to understand."

"Still, I see why you do it." Sunset then handed Isaac's cards back to him. "Now I really want some Pendulum cards of my own."

"Hey, no need to rush. Your deck is fine without these cards. Plus, we don't even know if there any Pendulum cards that can mesh with your Red-Eyes deck." said Isaac.

"Still I want to make sure that I'm not too far behind. But you're right, my deck for the time being is fine." smiled Sunset. "But don't get too comfortable, boy toy. Cause once I get my own set of Pendulum cards, then you're not going to be the only one."

"The key word is: if you get Pendulum cards." said Isaac with a smug smile on his face as he looked at the orange unicorn.

Both ponies just let out a laugh as they made their way back into the castle. The next day had arrived as Twilight had received a report from Applejack as it appeared that her cousin Braeburn was in need of some assistance.

"What's the problem?" asked Sunset.

"Seems mah cousin, Braeburn, has run into some problems." stated Aj.

"What kind of problems?" said Isaac.

"More like, a Duel Monsters problem. Seems a ragtag group is causing some trouble to the townsfolk."

"Has anypony been hurt?" said Sunset.

"Thankfully none so far. All they've been doin' is just causin' some mayhem and stealin' money from the bank. Not to mention, they've been drinkin' all the cider!" stated Applejack as that last part was personal to her.

"Let me guess, you want us to help your cousin and run those outlaws out of town?" commented Isaac.

"Darn tootin' partner."

"Then you all better get ready. It's a long train ride to Appaloosa." mentioned Twilight. "And I'll also be having Applejack accompany you two."

Once Twilight finish going over the details, the three ponies all got ready for their trip. They all made their way to the train station as the train had arrived and the three got onboard. During the ride, Applejack had informed Isaac and Sunset about the last time she and the others had visited Appaloosa. She told them how they were delivering a tree to be planted and along the way, a tribe of buffalo had managed to kidnap the train car that was holding the package and Spike who had decided it was a good idea to sleep next to something so precious. The result was less than pleasant as both Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie had entered the territory of the buffalos in an effort to rescue the young drake. Meanwhile the others had made it to town and discussed with Braeburn about the problem they were running into. The main problem was figuring out who had the rightful ownership of the land as it caused the buffalo tribe and the townsfolk to hold disdain for each other. So much so that the two sides went to war with each other as they nearly destroyed the town. Thankfully, they were able to come to a peaceful solution as both sides agreed to share the land. The train was now coming to its destination as it slowed down and let out some steam with a loud whistle. The three ponies then got off as they were greeted by a peachy yellow pony with a two toned orange mane and tail wearing a cowboy hat and a brown hoofmade vest.

"Hey there!" he said cheerfully, "Welcome ta A-A-Appaloosa!"

"Hey Braeburn!" said Applejack. "How's y'all doin'?"

"We're hangin', but with all these attacks recently, I don't know how much longer we'll last." said Braeburn.

"Well don't worry, ah brought some help." Applejack then pointed her hoof towards the ponies behind her. "Sunset, Isaac meet mah cousin Braeburn."

"Howdy, y'all." stated Braeburn as he shook the hoofs of Isaac and Sunset.

"Nice to meet you. So, you've been experiencing some problems?" asked Sunset.

"Darn tootin'. But we'll take care of that tomorrow, the sun is goin' down. Best to check into the motel and pick things up in the morning." stated Braeburn. He then led the three ponies as he brought them to the motel as they all got some rest after a long train ride.

The sun rose high on the western style town as many of the townsfolk were out and about. Applejack, Sunset, and Braeburn had already awaken as they were outside of the motel they stayed in. They were already to solve the problem as they waited for a certain colt.

"Where's that city slicker?! We've got a job to do." shouted Applejack.

"Hope I didn't keep everypony waiting." said Isaac. Everypony had to do a double take as they examined the colt. Seeing as how they were in the Wild West, Isaac had decided to dress in proper Appaloosa attire. He wore a black shirt, a leather jacket and a cowboy hat.

"What are you wearin'?" asked Applejack.

"Duh, I'm cowboy. Figured I'd dress the part."

"What are you trying to be, a Texas Ranger?" stated Sunset with a smug smile.

"Ha, ha. Very funny." mocked Isaac as he stuck his tongue out at the orange unicorn.

"Well, come along and I'll treat you to place for breakfast." said Braeburn.

The four of them then made their way to a small diner as they got a good hearty meal. After that they all exited the place, as Braeburn led them to the outskirts of town as he showed them some tracks. He then showed the three the many places that the bandits had stolen ranging from the bank, to the townhall, and even the saloon. Even the head waitress was expressing her disdain about the bandits not paying their tabs.

"And that's about it." said Braeburn. "Thankfully, they haven't harmed anypony as they just take what they want. But they did mention that we if don't answer their demands, then they'll really start hurtin' ponies."

"Well don't worry, partner. Sheriff Isaac is here to make sure nobody disturbs the town's peace."

"Sheriff?!" shouted Applejack.

"Okay, now you've let this go to your head." said Sunset.

"Quiet, Deputy." said Isaac as he pointed at Sunset. "Anyways, when can we expect to see these troublemakers."

"Well, based on their patterns. They come once a week to pillage the town, and that so happens to be tomorrow." mentioned Braeburn.

"Then, I guess nothing to do but wait till tomorrow." said Sunset.

"So what do we do till then?" asked Applejack.

"Well, we're gonna have an Appaloosa jamboree tonight." stated Braeburn. "It's the biggest event at Appaloosa. It's something the town does once a month as a way for us to take our minds off of things and trust me, with the recent activity, it does wonders for us. Y'all should come too."

"That sounds great." said Sunset.

"It be nice to just kick and not worry about any trouble happenin'." smiled Applejack.

Later that night, sure enough, nearly half the town had gathered at a large building near the center of a town. Everypony walked through the doors, while among them, the trio had arrived at the building.

"Wow, this place is amazing." said Sunset, amazed by what she was seeing.

As the crowds had a tendency to bump into one another whilst going inside the building, one of them bumped into Sunset and Applejack by accident. Before both mares stumbled, Isaac immediately grabbed them both out of instinct.

"Here," said Isaac as he held both girls close, "Don't wanna get lost in the crowd."

"Thanks, sugarcube. Sometimes I wonder why everypony has the tendency into bumpin' into one another."

"Trust me when I say this Aj, that question has been left unanswered since the beginning of the 21st century." said Isaac.

Eventually all three of them made it to a table, where so many of the townsfolks were having the time of their life. They looked around and saw that all of them have gathered. On stage, they could see Braeburn talking to everypony from the stage.

"Alright there everypony!" said Braeburn. "Welcome to the monthly Appaloosa jamboree!!" Everypony cheered as some stomped their hooves, with some whistling, for this was truly a momentous occasion for everypony. "We'd like to welcome all the fine members of this town and new friends that came from afar for our little shindig!!!" said Braeburn. "So without further ado, we'd like to get this party underway!!!"

Everyone cheered for the announcement. Sure enough, within the first half hour, everyone was singing, dancing, and enjoying some of the festivities. Soon everyone began to gather near the dance floor. The trio really started to enjoy themselves as the beat of the music and the band that was playing provide some good country music.

All throughout the night, everypony was enjoying themselves. Sunset and Applejack even took turns as they danced with Isaac. Applejack even managed to teach the pair how to properly square dance which was harder than it looked at first glance. Nevertheless the three of them enjoyed themselves as the night was full of excitement and fun.

The next day came about as the crew awaited for the gang to show up. The townsfolk were hiding behind barrels and inside of buildings as they watched from the windows. Soon the four ponies stood in the center of town as they awaited for the trouble to show up.

"Hope y'all can help." said Braeburn.

"Don't worry, Sheriff Isaac and Deputy Sunset are on the case." said Isaac as he tipped his cowboy hat.

"Again, who gave you the right to call me your deputy?" asked Sunset as she was offended that she was labeled as Isaac's sidekick for this adventure.

"And who said you could play dress up?" asked Applejack.

"Just let me have this moment!" shouted Isaac. "Don't ruin this for me!"

"Uh, no offense Isaac. But we have an actually sheriff." stated Braeburn as he pointed to a stallion named Silverstar who was a grayish-brown pony with dark brown mane and tail, with a black mustache. He was also wearing a blue denim vest, a red handkerchief around his neck, and a black cowboy hat.

"Dang nab it!" shouted Isaac as he threw his hat on the floor in anger.

Soon a rumbling was heard as the ground began to shake. Isaac picked up his hat as he dusted it off and put it back on his head. The townsfolks knew what that sound meant as they quickly ducked for cover. The group saw a massive cloud of dust coming as it got closer and closer until it screeched to a halt as it caused the four of them to cough a bit. Soon the dust settled as the group looked ahead and saw a few real-life horses as they had red-eyes and each had a rider on them. From what Isaac could tell, them all seem to be the Duel Monster spirits, Magical Musketeers as they each wielded their own weapon. While Braeburn was a bit intimated, Isaac and the girls all stood their ground and kept a determined look on their face.

"So, who's in charge?" asked Isaac.

Soon the group parted ways as the leader came through the crowd as it turned out to be Magical Musketeer Starfire.

"Okay, was not expectin' a girl to be the one in charge of this ragtag group." stated Applejack.

"That would be me. So which one of you is the sheriff of this quaint little town?" asked Magical Musketeer Starfire.

Everypony looked at Sheriff Silverstar who just simply locked himself into his office as he barricade it. The three just rolled their eyes as Isaac took a step forward.

"That would be me, and this here is my deputy."

"I'm not your deputy!" shouted Sunset. Soon Isaac made a hat appear on Sunset's head as she just gave a scowl at the caramel colt.

"Is that so? Well then, you know what I'm here for. Give me what I demand and I'll let this town survive on my way to domination." said Magical Musketeer Starfire as the rest of her comrades all agreed as they fired off their weapons towards the sky. "Especially, cause now that all the other leaders are gone, it means I've won this war by default. I knew it was the smart plan to just sit back and let the other fall one by one."

"Yeah, well you have us to thank for that. And congrats on winning this little race of yours, you get a prize for being the last one standing. And that's me running you outlaws out of town." stated Isaac.

"Got backbone for such a young and small pony." said Magical Musketeer Starfire as she looked at Isaac.

"We both know how this is going to go, so let's just skip the formalities and get on with our duel." suggested Isaac.

"Very well, on one condition. You must first defeat my associate." Starfire then snapped her fingers as Magical Musketeer Kidbrave stepped down off of his horse and appeared before the colt. "Beat him in a challenge and I'll agree to face you."

"Fine by me, just remember when I win, you leave on the horse radish you rode in on." said Isaac as he now got into character as he deepen his voice to fit that of a cowpony.

Soon both of them looked at each other as the scene cut to a western movie with the camera focused on the combatant's eyes. Applejack and Sunset were shocked by what was happening as they were question what was with all the dramatic effects. They eventually saw Isaac get in position as he stared down his challenger. For a moment, nothing was said as the sound of showdown music played as everypony watching this was waiting to see what would happen. Then it occurred, from the group, Magical Musketeer Casper started to make some sounds with his mouth as if he was beatboxing.

"What is this?" asked the girls as they were surprised by what they were seeing and hearing.

"Is this a rap battle?" asked Braeburn.

"Ready!" shouted Kidbrave.

"Ready!" yelled Isaac in time with the beatbox.

"Draw!" shouted Starfire as both began to rap.

"Where I do start? Oh this dreadful, you want some negative words, I've got a handful of rhymes. That are terrible and wicked." rhymed Kidbrave.

"And I can make the terrible, terrific when I kick it. Whoop, whoop, wicked I can flick it in reverse and make it wonderful without the need to rehearse it." countered Isaac with his own rhyme. "Take a head full of dreadful and make it dreamy. I can turn your sadness into smiles when you see me."

"Oh leave me alone, I think this place is awful. You're a frankfurter, well I prefer a falafel. Every waffle and frozen food is horrendous."

"And this is going from awesome to stupendous. When this started, see I knew you were resilient."

"More like resentful."

"See that's brilliant."

"What?" asked Kidbrave.

"Kidbrave, give me another word. I make it positive rest assured." said Isaac as he was still rhyming. Seems the others were also into this little rap battle that was happening.

"Jealous."

"Joyful."

"Repulsive."

"Refined."

"Gross!"

"Well this is great! What else you got on your mind?"

"Well this is dumb."

"It's divine. I'm delighted you visited."

"Miserable."

"It's a little magnificent, isn't it."

"Spoiled!"

"Sparkling!"

"Lousy!"

"Laughter! We can live..."

"Horribly!" shouted Kidbrave.

"Happily ever after! Phew!" said Isaac as he fired the last shot as the battle ended with Kidbrave not having anything else to say. Soon Isaac blew his hoof to signal that he won this little challenge laid before him.

Everyone around them was shocked by what they saw and heard. Soon both Aj and Sunset joined Isaac's side as they couldn't believe what they just witnessed.

"What the hell was that?!" shouted Sunset.

"When did you get some rappin and rhymin skills?" asked Applejack.

"Hey I'm from the city." said Isaac. "It's something I picked up on the streets."

"Sorry about that boss." said Kidbrave as he prepared for a scowling by his leader as he made his way back to the gang.

"Never mind that. I was going to challenge him either way, I just wanted to have some fun." Magical Musketeer then looked at Magical Musketeer Casper as he reached into his saddle bag and pulled out what appeared to be two guns but were actually duel disk when activated. She then grabbed it as she stepped forward and looked at Isaac.

"You did well, now time to see if you're quick on the draw as you are with your mouth." said Starfire as she tossed one of the gun duel disk in front of Isaac as it slide over to him.

Isaac grabbed the small thing with his magic as he looked at it and position it into his gun holster as Magical Musketeer Starfire did the same thing. Both Applejack and Sunset noticed how tense the situation was as they stepped back with Braeburn as they prepared for a duel to take place. The clocktower was ticking as it would soon serve as the signal for the duel to get underway. But before that... we need to set the scene and the mood. So... three... two... and action!

It was moments before high noon in Appaloosa. The sun was a blazing! The townsfolk were nervous and down on main street... a pony and Duel Monster prepared to face off. They both looked confident.

(Cue Western Showdown noise effects. And have a tumble weed roll by.)

Soon the clock struck twelve.

"Draw!" shouted everyone.

Both Isaac and Magical Musketeer then drew their guns as they placed it on their duel arm and it transformed into a duel disk as they drew their cards in one movement and spread them out. This was done to see who would go first and the shocking part was that both went at the same rapid speed that it was a tie.

"You're a quick draw, colt." said Magical Musketeer Starfire as she was impressed by the boy's skills.

"You as well." complimented Isaac.

"But who was first?!" asked Braeburn.

"In the event of a tie, the person who threw down the challenge has the choice." said Magical Musketeer Wild.

"Very well. Let's get this started." said Magical Musketeer Starfire.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the duel disks.

Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starfire

"Hope you're ready." said Starfire as she drew her card. "To start, I'll summon Infernity Mirage(0/0) in attack mode." Out came a fiend that wore an outfit as it let out a terrifying face.

An Infernity deck? Uh oh. Isaac knew how much trouble he was going to be in.

"Next, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn." said Starfire.

"Uh, Sunset. I know ah don't duel, but why would she summon a monster in attack mode if it doesn't have any attack points."

"I don't know. This is a deck that I'm not too knowledge about."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn, so here goes something." said Isaac as he drew his card. "To start, I'll summon my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. Then cause there's a Level 4 or below monster on the field, I can also summon my Mage Annette also in defense mode." Isaac now had two female spellcasters on his field as they were prepared to protect their master. "Now Mage Annette's effect activates, so since she was summoned, I get to draw an extra card."

"I now activate my facedown, Full Salvo. Thanks to this trap, I now must discard my entire hand and then you take damage for every card that I send by 200." Magical Musketeer Starfire then sent all of her cards away as missiles appeared and started to bombard Isaac as they made contact with the colt.
Isaac's Life Points: 7200-

"And I'm not done, cause now I activate Infernity Mirage's effect. Since I have no cards in my hand, I can now tribute my Infernity Mirage so that I can summon 2 'Infernity' monsters from my graveyard. So rise up Infernity Archfiend(1800/1200) and Infernity Destroyer(2300/1000)." said Starfire as she now had two more powerful monster replace her previous one. "And since my Infernity Archfiend was special summoned, I can add 1 'Infernity' card to my hand."

I was afraid of this. Now the duel can work in her favor as long as she stays cardless. "I'll just lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Starfire

"My draw, and I'll play the card I drew, Infernity Burst. Now with this card, I can inflict 800 points of damage for every 'Infernity' monster that I control. So since I control 2 'Infernity' monsters, you take 1600 points of direct damage." stated Starfire.
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

"Next, I'll have my both of my monsters attack your magicians." said Starfire as her monsters took out Isaac's entire field. "Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown. And you're now down to nearly half of your life total."

"Isaac, you okay, sugar?"

"Just fine."

"This is bad, seems her strategy revolves around her having zero cards." said Sunset.

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he drew his card, "To start, I'll play Graceful Charity so that means I can pick up 3 cards and discard two." Isaac then looked at his hand as he figured out which ones he wanted to get rid of. "Next, I'll play my Ancient Rule."

"Now gonna happen, cause my facedown, Infernity Barrier. So now your spell card if negated and destroyed." said Starfire as she put Isaac's plan on hold.

Great, that ruins my attempt to swing the duel into my favor. "I'll just play my Big Shield Gardna in defense mode and call it."

Turn 5: Starfire

"My draw, to start I'll have my Infernity Destroyer attack your Big Shield Gardna." Infernity Destroyer then brought it claws as it slashed on Big Shield Gardna who repelled the attack. Soon Isaac's monster then started to change mode as it stood up.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 7700-

"Now since your monster was attacked, it now forces it to switch modes. A small price to pay, but well worth it cause now I'll have my Infernity Archfiend to take out your monster." said Starfire.

"I reveal my facedown, Half Unbreak. So now not only is my monster safe, but the damage I take is cut in half." Isaac's card then caused a bubble barrier to appear as he protected his monster and helped to minimize the damage.
Isaac's Life Points: 4750-

"A bold move. But it won't matter, so I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, so first I'll switch my Big Shield Gardna back into defense mode. Then I'll play my Monster Reborn to summon my Dark Magician." Isaac now had his ace magician as it appeared and descended on the field. "Now time to strike, Dark Magician attack Infernity Destroyer with Dark Magic Attack!" Dark Magician heard Isaac's command as he blasted his target off the field.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 7500-

"Now, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Starfire

"Impressive, now then. To start, I'll play my continuous spell card Wave-Motion Inferno. Then, I'll summon my Infernity Wildcat(1400/0) to the field." Out came a cat as it had fangs and its front claws were on fire. "Next, I activate Infernity Wildcat's ability, so I banish my Infernity Knight from the graveyard which allows me to reduce the Level of my monster by 1." said Starfire as she prepared to summon a powerful monster.

"Don't tell me." said Isaac.

"I now tune my Level 2 Infernity Wildcat with my Level 4 Infernity Archfiend." Both monster then jumped into the sky as Infernity Wildcat turned into two giant green rings as Infernity Archfiend was in between them. "I now Synchro Summon, Infernity Doom Archfiend(2200/1600)." Out came a monster as it had a scary face with its arms out to its side and wore a symbol on its back. "Now a couple of things happen. First the effect of my spell card, Wave-Motion Inferno activates. Since I control no cards in my hand, my 'Infernity' monsters gain 400 attack/defense points. Also I'll activate the effect of my Infernity Doom Archfiend, since I have no cards in my hand, it can negate the effect of one of your monster and then destroy it. So bid farewell to Big Shield Gardna." said Starfire as she snapped her fingers.

"Now I'll have my Infernity Doom Archfiend, attack your Dark Magician. Oh and I should mention, that while I control no cards in my hand, the damage my monster deals is doubled." Infernity Doom Archfiend then raised his hand as he shot out his attack as it collided with Dark Magician and took him out.
Isaac's Life Points: 4550-

"Isaac!" shouted both mares.

"I'm fine, girls." Though really, I'm not. Cause if I don't find a way to turn this duel around, I may have to turn in my sheriff hat.

"Almost done, now then it's your move."

Turn 8: Isaac

"My turn, I draw. Time for me to take back control of this duel. To start, I'll play my Pot of Greed so that I can pick up some more cards." Isaac then looked at his hand as he started to figure out his plan. "Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. With this, I can now bring back my Dark Magician. Then I'll play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, with that I can now summon the Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had his two star spellcasters as he looked to deal some massive damage. "Next, my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst, but before I activate it. I'll play Thousand Knives and with it, I can destroy your Infernity Doom Archfiend!" shouted Isaac. Soon magical daggers appeared as they headed towards Infernity Doom Archfiend who was destroyed.

"With that you're now wide open to an attack, so now I'll activate my Dark Magic Twin Burst to raise the attack power of my Dark Magician by the attack strength of my Dark Magician Girl. So now go my magicians, attack with Double Dark Magic Attack!" said Isaac as he thrusted his hand out as both of his monsters delivered a powerful blow.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 1000-

"With that I'll end my turn." smiled Isaac.

"Yeehaw, nice shootin' sugarcube." cheered Applejack.

Turn 9: Starfire

"Very good, but I'll still be the victor. Now then, I'll play Pot of Greed to allow me to draw 2 cards."

"What?" asked Isaac.

"I know what you're thinking, why would I want to draw cards when my whole strategy revolves around me not having any. Quite simple actually, it allows to have more options and allow me to get a certain card like this. I now play the continuous spell card, Infernity Launcher. So now I'll send my Infernity Beast from my hand to the graveyard, so that I can revive 2 'Infernity' monsters back to my field. And I choose Infernity Doom Archfiend and Infernity Beetle(1200/0)." Magical Musketeer Starfire now 2 more monster on her field as one of them was a tuner.

"Not again." said Isaac.

"Indeed, now I tune my Level 2 Infernity Beetle with my Level 6 Infernity Doom Archfiend." Infernity Beetle then unfolded its wings as it flew into the air as it transformed into two giant green rings as Infernity Doom Archfiend jumped in between them. "Watch as the sinister spirits that inhabit each of these creatures combine into one. Watch, as I summon forth the Infernity Doom Dragon(3000/2400)!" Out came a powerful dragon as it let out a mighty roar that caused the townsfolk to quake in fear. "Hope you're ready, cause now the other effect of my Infernity Doom Archfiend activates, since it was used as Synchro material for a Dark Synchro Monster, that monster can now make 2 attack on each of your monsters during each Battle Phase."

"What?" shouted Sunset.

"And don't forget about my Wave-Motion Inferno, my Doom Dragon now gains 400 attack and defense points. So now my dragon, take out his magicians!" said Magical Musketeer Starfire as she gave her monster its orders. Doom Dragon then opened its mouth as it took out Isaac's entire field.
Isaac's Life Points: 2250-

"Ahh!" said Isaac as he felt the force of the attack as he tumbled a bit in the dirt.

"Isaac, you okay?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah." said Isaac he wiped the scuff near his mouth with his hoof.

"Not for much longer. So take your turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"Alright, time to see what I get. Here goes!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "Perfect, now I'll play Card of Sanctity. Which means we now must draw until we're holding 6 cards in our hand. And since your spell only works when you have no cards, your infernity Doom Dragon loses those extra 400 attack points." stated Isaac. "Time for me to swing this duel into my favor, so here goes. Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 3 Black Arts Trickster. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"What good does that do, Isaac?" asked Sunset. "His scale makes it so that he can only summon Level 2 monsters."

"What are you planning?" asked Magical Musketeer Starfire.

"You'll see, but first let me explain the pendulum ability of my Sorcerer Swordsman, he allows me to add monster from my graveyard to my hand, so long as they fall in the scale I've set."

"Even so, the scale is only 2? And Isaac doesn't have any Level 2 monsters in his graveyard." said Applejack.

"That's where my other pendulum card comes in handy, cause now I activate my Black Arts Trickster's pendulum ability. Since I control a 'magician' in my other Pendulum Zone, I can raise the scale of my Black Arts Trickster's up to 10."

"You can what?!" shouted everybody as they were amazed by what Isaac and his pendulum cards could do. Soon the number in front of Black Arts Trickster then went up.

"Now I have brand new scale to work with and so I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's pendulum ability. So I return both of my magicians as well as Magician's Valkyria." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out his card for him to grab and add to his hand. "And now the time has come, I'm allowed to summon monster from Level 2 through 9 all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hoof into the air as three lights came out of the giant portal above him. "Meet the stunning magician who's here to shine light in the darkness, Magician's Valkyria. Make for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl. And lastly, give a warm welcome to the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had 3 magicians on his field.

"I'll admit, I've never seen anything like that. But even with your fancy new move, your monsters are still too weak to take my Infernity Doom Dragon down."

"Then maybe this will change your mind, I play Magic Formula to raise the attack points of my Dark Magician by 700. Now he's more than capable of taking down your monster and allowing my two other ladies to finish you. So Dark Magician attack Infernity Doom Dragon." said Isaac. His magician then took out Infernity Doom Dragon as it looked to be all over as Isaac's other spellcasters looked to strike.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 800-

"This isn't over yet, I discard Swift Scarecrow to negate your direct attack and end your battle phase." said Starfire as she managed to protect herself. Her gang were sweating too as they thought their leader was nearly defeated.

"Impressive." said Isaac. "In that case, I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Starfire

"My turn, and I'll play the spell Monster Reborn. So arise once more Infernity Doom Dragon. Now I'll have my monster take out your Magician's Valkyria." said Starfire as her monster rose from the ground and took out Isaac's monster. "Next, I'll just lay this card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Isaac

"Time for me to win, so here goes. Now Dark Magician, take out Infernity Doom Dragon once more." said Isaac. Dark Magician then took out its target.
Magical Musketeer's Life Points: 600-

"Just what I had hoped, now I reveal my facedown Infernity Reflector. Whenever an 'Infernity' monster is destroyed, I now send all the cards in my hand to the graveyard. But now the monster that was destroyed comes back, so Infernity Doom Dragon is back in play. And you take 1000 points of damage." smiled Starfire.
Isaac's Life Points: 1650-

"I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 13: Starfire

"Indeed, now then." said Magical Musketeer Starfire as she drew her card. "I now play my Infernity Randomizer(900/0) in defense mode. Then I'll activate the effect of my Infernity Conjurer(1200/900) from my graveyard, so since I control no cards in my hand I can special summon him from the grave. In addition, your monsters all lose 800 attack points." stated Starfire. "Don't forget that all of my monsters gain 400 extra attack/defense points since I control no cards. Which is more than enough to finish you. Now Infernity Doom Dragon and Infernity Conjurer take out his magicians and end this duel!" shouted Starfire as she looked to end this as both of Isaac's monsters were destroyed.

"Ahh!" said Isaac as he held his ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

"You lose." said Starfire.

"Wrong!" yelled out Isaac. "I reveal my Relay Soul trap card, so now I can special summon one monster from my hand and as long as that monster stays on my field, I remain in the duel. So now I entrust my fate with this monster... Dark Magician of Chaos." said Isaac as his monster appeared on his field. "And since I summoned my Dark Magician of Chaos, I can add a spell card to my hand." stated Isaac as he selected the card he wanted.

"Quick thinking, well then, I now activate the effect of my Infernity Randomizer and draw a card. Should it be a monster, you then take damage equal to its Level by 200, but a spell or trap then you take 500 points."

"What good will that do you? My trap makes it so that I can't take damage." said Isaac.

"I know," said Starfire as she drew her card and revealed it. "It was a monster, but it won't matter."

Turn 14: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac. I know what her card is due to her monster's effect, so why even do that move at all? "Regardless, I now activate the effect of my Sorcerer Swordsman' pendulum ability once more. So now I return my Magician's Valkyria and Dark Magician Girl back to my hand. And now I'll pendulum summon once more." said Isaac as the two cards he got back were now on his field. "Then I'll play my Dark Burning Attack, so now Dark Magician Girl can take out all of your monsters on the field." said Isaac.

"Not gonna happen, now I banish Infernity Mimic so that I can negate the activation and destroy your spell card. However, at the end of this turn, I take 1000 points of damage." informed Starfire.

"In that case, I'll play the spell card Wonder Wand to give my Dark Magician of Chaos an extra 500 attack points. So now, Dark Magician of Chaos take out Infernity Doom Dragon." said Isaac as his monster took out the dragon once again.
Starfire's Life Point: 300-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

"And so the effect of my card now activates." said Starfire as she took 1000 points of damage.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 0-

"Which means she loses." said Applejack.

"Not quite." snickered Starfire. Soon a presence appeared behind her as it started to take shape; the shadowy presence then became clearer as it was revealed to be a monster that looked like an idol. "The card that I had in my hand was none other than Infernity Zero, if my life points become 0 by way of effect damage, I can special summon this from my hand. Furthermore, while I control this card, it can't be destroyed and I remain in the duel."

"That's unfair." said Sunset.

"Well, there is a draw back. For every 500 points of damage that I take, I gain a Doom Counter, should I get 3 then I lose the duel." said Starfire.

"So this duel is literally whoever can deal the final blow." stated Sunset.

"Quite fitting given we're in the Wild West. Now then..."

Turn 15: Starfire

"I believe it's my turn." said Starfire as she drew her card. "And so now I summon Infernity Necromancer(0/2000) and since I did, I can switch it to defense mode. But like always, since I control no cards in my hand, I can activate my Necromancer's effect to bring back my Infernity Doom Dragon! And don't forget due to my Wave-Motion Zero, all of my Infernity monsters gain 400 attack and defense points. So now I'll have my Infernity Doom Dragon take out your Magician's Valkyria." stated Starfire as her dragon too out Isaac's monster.

"I end my turn."

Turn 16: Isaac

"This is it, time to bring this duel to a close." said Isaac to himself as he looked at his deck. Nothing in my hand can help me. This next draw, decides it all. Come on! Isaac took a deep breath as he closed his eyes and drew his card. "Now, I'll activate the effect of Eternal Soul and with it, I can bring back my Dark Magician."

"What are you planning?" asked Magical Musketeer Starfire.

"You're about to see. Cause now, I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Mage Annette." said Isaac as he had one of his smaller magicians appear.

"I don't have a lick of sense what you're doing?" stated Starfire.

"If you remember that when Mage Annette is special summoned, I get to draw a card." Isaac then picked up another card as he could feel its presence. Soon the sky started to turn a bit dark. "The time is now, I tribute my Mage Annette, Dark Magician Girl and Dark Magician... so that I can call upon Slifer, the Sky Dragon!" shouted Isaac as a pillar of light came crashing down and there was his great beast.

"Woah, nelly!" said Applejack as she was taken aback by the size of the creature that laid before her.

"You dragon is still weaker than mines."

"True, but if you recall, that when I summoned my Dark Magician Of Chaos, he allowed me to return a card back to my hand. Well the card I brought back was my Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hand. And that means Slifer's attack points raise up to 6000!"

"No!! If that happens?!" Magical Musketeer Starfire now had her eyes widen as she realized the situation.

"Now... Slifer end this duel with your Thunderforce Attack!!!" said Isaac as he thrusted his arm out. Slifer then opened its mouth as it unleashed a powerful attack that wiped out the entire field as well as Starfire's entire gang.
Magical Musketeer Starfire's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The dust settled as there wasn't anything left from the ragtag gang. Isaac then let out a sigh as he sat down on his hind. He took off the duel disk as it short circuited.

"Gotta say whoever came up with this design as a duel disk is a genius." said Isaac.

"Nice shootin', Tex." stated Applejack.

"I think we can call this mission a success." said Sunset.

Soon the three of them heard some cheers as they looked back at the town and saw everypony congratulating them on saving the town.

"Thanks for helpin' us to get rid of them rascals." said Braeburn as he extended his hoof out.

"It was our pleasure." said Isaac as he shook the stallion's hoof.

The rest of the day was spent tracking down the thief's hideout as it wasn't too far from the town. Soon everypony had their belongings returned to them as gave the three ponies their gratitude. With that they decided to have a special hoedown to celebrate their town from being free from those dastards and to say thanks to our heroes. It was one rowdy party as it was filled with dancing, singing, and some good old fashioned apple cider.

"Hey, Isaac. I'm going to step out for a bit." said Sunset as she wanted to get some fresh air.

"Alright." said Isaac.

Sunset then made her way through the crowd as found herself outside of the building. She then began to walk as she wanted sometime with her thoughts.

"Man, this has been one heck of an adventure. To think we actually did it. And now it's time for us to leave. Going to miss Equestria, but it was nice to see my old home." smiled Sunset as she looked at the night sky.

Sunset then heard something as she quickly turned around. Her eyes focused on what was in front of her as her ears flicked. Soon a shadowy figure appeared as it started to blast some magic at her. Sunset was able to dodge and countered with some magic of her own as the figure got out of the way. They traded some blasts for a bit when the figure disappeared into the shadows. Sunset then closed her eyes as she focused on trying to hear the mysterious figure. She concentrated and soon she heard a noise as she blasted to her right. She found her target, but it was the wrong one as she blasted a can; the plan worked as the shadowy appeared behind her and as quick as it could blasted Sunset with its magic that it knocked her out.

The figure then slowly stepped forward into the moonlight as it was revealed to be a pony based on its size and shape. They then took off the hood as they looked at the Sunset's unconscious body.

"I swore I would have my revenge. I'm still shocked that she was able to foil my plan. But a good villain always has an insurance policy." The pony then pulled out a canister as it held a shadowy substance. "I promised you that I would give you a host, and so Tantabus. Let your power take control of her mind." said the figure as they released the thing inside the container and it started to enter Sunset's mind as it was starting to corrupt her.

Isaac was busying watching the party when he was approached by Applejack.

"Isaac, you need to come now!" said Applejack in a frantic voice.

"What's going on?!" asked Isaac.

"It's Sunset." mentioned Aj as it was enough for Isaac to run after her.

The pair made their way outside as Applejack led him to where she wanted. Isaac got there and he was shocked by what he saw, lying there on the ground was none other than Sunset's duel disk. Isaac then grabbed it with his magic as he begin to examine it and saw that her deck was still inside.

"This doesn't make any sense. Sunset would never leave her cards, let alone her Red-Eyes B. Dragon. Where is she?" asked Isaac as he looked at Applejack.

"She's gone. Someone left this note." said Applejack as she handed it to Isaac who began to read it.

"I've captured your friend and she is now under my control. Consider this even for foiling my plan. Say goodbye to what's left of this land. Cause they'll be nothing left once I'm done." said the note.

Isaac then crumbled up the note as he felt the anger burn inside of him. "Sunset is gone. This is all my fault!"

"We'll find her, sugarcube. And we'll save her too." stated Applejack as she approached Isaac and hugged the colt to calm him down.

Isaac felt himself getting anger that his friend was captured and now she was under some mind control that he let it out.

"Sunsetttttttt!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Isaac as his scream echoed into the night.

Author's Note

Talk about a twist at the end. Seems this adventure isn't quite done yet.

Chapter 122: Defending the Homefront

It had been a day after Isaac left with Sunset and Applejack to Appaloosa, Twilight went to back to the library as she needed to take care of some stuff. Spike was in the kitchen as he was preparing them lunch; Twilight used this time by herself as she wanted to go over an issue that was on her mind that was bothering her.

"I guess, it's time. Time for me to say goodbye. Once Isaac and Sunset return from their mission, then they'll leave." sighed Twilight with some sadness on her face. "I know I shouldn't hold Isaac back, he has to go home. But him being here, it changed me. I never knew what love was, since all my life, I never experienced it. And yet when I saw him, I couldn't help but want to get closer to him." Twilight then was thinking back on all the times she had spent with the caramel colt as it came rushing to her.

"My heart, it felt great when he arrived. And now that he's leaving, I feel it breaking into a million pieces. I... I... want Isaac to stay here. Let us continue to be friends and maybe even more. But I can't, he has someone back home. Not to mention his family, I can't imagine being responsible for not seeing his family." said Twilight. "Why am I even thinking this way? Why kind of princess or pony would wish someone to not go back home just so that they could fill their own personal desires? I have to accept this, Isaac is leaving the moment his mission is a success. The right thing to do is to make sure that he enjoyed his time here and that he'll have something to look back on." Twilight felt her heart ease up on the pain as she had a tiny smile on her face. With that she began to get started on completing her selected books she chose for her break.

Spike had finished making lunch as he brought a plate to the library as he saw Twilight being engaged in a book. He saw that based on Twilight's posture, she was deeply engraved into her literature that she couldn't be bothered unless she finished or she could sense something was out of order. So the little drake just simply dropped the platter on the side table next to Twilight's couch as he slowly exited and quietly closed the door to not disturb the purple princess.

With that Spike began to do some chores around the houses as he had a small list of things to do around the castle. Thankfully, Twilight had taken care of most of them the other day, which meant that there wasn't much left for the dragon. He then got started on cleaning every window in the castle as he whistled a merry tune. After that he got to work on sending some scrolls to different ponies; he then took care of properly disposing the trash as he dumped several bags into the bin. The last thing on his list was to check the kitchen for any supplies they might need. While it wasn't too empty, having four ponies to feed did take a toll. So Spike made a quick shopping list on the items he would need to restock when he was out in the market. Once everything had been checked off, Spike then decided to see how Twilight was doing as he peaked his head in. Seems Twilight was still engraved in her books as she had already been through 10 since he last checked on her and she still had 20 more to go through. Spike knew that Twilight would be busy for a while so he just grabbed the finished plate and closed the door.

Spike had a saddle bag around his body as he was currently heading towards the market as he had his shopping list. Once he got to the marketsquare, he immediately started to find the items he needed. While he was shopping, he managed to run into some ponies.

"Okay, need 8 carrots. 2 eggs. A cartoon of milk."

"Hey, Spike!" shouted several voices.

"Oh, hey girls." said Spike as the ponies that were addressing him were none other than the CMC. "So what are you little fillies doing here?"

"Well, we're looking for Isaac. We were hoping to get another lesson in Duel Monsters." said Sweetie Belle.

"Yeah, I can't wait to see what Isaac is going to teach us." said Scootaloo.

"Well, sorry but Isaac isn't here." said Spike.

"Come again, partner?" asked Applebloom as she raised her eyebrow.

"Didn't Applejack tell you? She along with Isaac and Sunset headed to Appaloosa to help Braeburn. Apparently, there's been some trouble that needs their attention." stated Spike.

"Well, ah was with Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo this morning. Guess Applejack forgot to tell me." said Applebloom. "But you know what that means, girls?"

"Seems like Isaac won't be able to give us a lesson till he gets back." said Sweetie Belle as she put her head down.

"More like never, based on what Applejack described the problem, it seems like this might be their final mission before they head home." mentioned Spike.

"Great. Guess we'll never have another lesson." said Scootaloo as she too put her head down and the three little fillies began to walk away.

"Hey don't sweat it. I'm sure he'll be back and give you all one final lesson before he leaves. Besides, I was hoping to get one final lesson from him as well." stated the little drake. "Why don't you come over, that way we can talk about all the things Isaac has each taught us?" suggest Spike.

So all four of them all made their way back to the castle as Spike dropped off his groceries and put them in the kitchen. They all then entered the map room as they all took a seat and began to talk. They each began to talk about what Isaac each taught them as they all had different pieces of info given to them by the colt. Spike then went to fetch the spare deck that Isaac had made with the spare cards he had brought with him. Granted it wasn't much but it did serve its purpose of teaching the others about the game. So for the next couple of hours, all four of them took turns using the model deck as a way to entertain themselves.

"You know, while these Duel Monsters have been giving us some problems, it's nice to see how fun this game could be." said Scootaloo as she played a card.

"Totally. Despite being held hostage at one point, I can see why Isaac is in love with this game." stated Sweetie Belle as she looked at the cards on the table.

"No doubt. I can only assume that he'll be a great duelist back in his home." suggested Applebloom.

"Regardless, I'm going to miss having Isaac around." said Spike. "It was nice having another male to talk to, plus we found a way for us to bond. Now, I'll summon this monster and attack your last line of defense." said Spike as he was named the winner.

"Rats!" said Scootaloo as she hated that she lost.

"So with that the score is now tied, we each got 2 wins and 2 loses." said Applebloom.

Just as they were about to begin the next game, there was a noise that went off as they could see a dust cloud from the window. The four of them then rushed out of the doors to see what caused the problem.

"Who's bright idea was it to have me fall out of the sky?" said the voice which happened to be Ancient Brain.

"What's that?" asked Scootaloo as she couldn't figure out what she was seeing.

"You all, know where I can find a certain pony. Wields the Dark Magician and is annoying." asked Ancient Brain.

"What do you want with him?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well, I was told by my master that he'd be here. Something about attacking his headquarters." rambled Ancient Brain.

"Well, he's not here." shouted Applebloom.

"Bummer, oh well, at least I found out where he's stationed. Now to report back."

"You really think we're going to let that happen?" stated Spike.

"Yes?" replied Ancient Brain.

Spike just rolled his eyes as he couldn't believe how dense the creature was. "You do know that we can't let you do. Since you're working for the enemy, it means we have to take you out."

"And how will you do that?"

"Uh, a duel?" suggested Applebloom.

"Do you all even know how to play?" asked Ancient Brain.

"A little." said all four of them.

"I'm surrounded by idiots." said Ancient Brain as he facepalmed himself. "Very well, I'll take you up on your suggestion. So who's going to be the one?"

"Uh, give us a second." said Sweetie Belle as she pulled the four of them into a group huddle. "So... who's going?"

"I thought you were." said Spike.

"I thought Applebloom." said Sweetie Belle.

"Scootaloo was mah pick."

"Well, I'm not doing it." replied the pegasus filly.

"Somepony better." stated Sweetie Belle.

After a few moments, the group determined the best way was to draw straws and whoever drew the short one would be elected. So they all did that and it seemed that the lucky one to duel would be Spike as he put his head down and was a bit scared. Sure he'd seen and taken lessons from Isaac, but then again he wasn't on the same level as the stallion. Not to mention that they only had the one backup deck that Isaac made for everypony to practice, which based on how it worked didn't seem to be much viable. Regardless, it was better than nothing as he held it in his claws.

"Now then, let's begin." Ancient Brain then snapped his fingers as he made a pair of duel disk appear for both him and the drake. "I pray you know what you're doing."

"I hope so too." said Spike as she grabbed the duel disk and put it on his tiny arm as it fitted perfectly. He then slotted in the deck as he his position. "Now then it's time... Oh wait, I can't say it. That's Isaac's line."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said the duel disks.

Ancient Brain's Life Points: 8000-

Spike's Life Points: 8000-

"I'll let you make the first move, you'll need it." said Ancient Brain.

Turn 1: Spike

Spike then drew his card. "First, I'll place one card facedown! Then I'll place a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 2: Ancient Brain

"Come, now. That's the best move you could come up with... then I've already won." said Ancient Brain as he drew his card. "Now then, meet my DoomCailber Knight(1900/1800). And say farewell to your facedown monster." stated Ancient Brain as he gave his monster its order to strike down Spike's facedown.

"You triggered my monster's special effect!" shouted Spike. "His name is Marshmallon and when he's attacked, you lose 1000 life points." said Spike.
Ancient Brain's Life Points: 7000-

"And as an added bonus, he can't be destroyed in battle!"

"Is that a monster or a dessert topping?" mocked Ancient Brain. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Spike

"My turn, first I'll place this facedown. Then I'll summon Silent Swordsman LV0(1000/1000) in attack mode!" Out came a tiny swordsman as he wielded a smaller sword.

"First, that Marshmallon thing and now this?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"What kind of freak-deck is Spike playing with?" stated Scootaloo.

"Apparently the deck that Isaac made with his spare cards so that he could teach the others the mechanics of the game." informed Applebloom as she too was stunned by the cards that Isaac put together for that model deck.

What's that pip-squeak planning? He just played 2 weak monsters in a row. But why?

"Reveal facedown card... Marshmallon Glasses!" shouted Spike. "And I'll place them on your knight. Now the only monster it can attack is Marshmallon!"

"But that runt can't be destroyed!" stated Ancient Brain.

"And my life points are safe too!" said Spike as he ended his turn.

Turn 4: Ancient Brain

"Only if he remains in defense mode!" snickered Ancient Brain. "Which he won't... now I activate Negate Defense! Switching your gelatin mold into attack mode. Next I'll have my knight attack your Marshmallon." said Ancient Brain as his monster brought a downward slash at Isaac's monster as it bounced for a bit as Spike took some serious damage.
Spike's Life Points: 6400-

"What was that about your life points being safe?!" snickered Ancient Brain. "Next, I'll place one card facedown."

Turn 5: Spike

"It's my move... which means my Silent Swordsman grows from a Level zero monster to a Level one!" said Spike as his monster got a bit taller and stronger. "Now, for my next move..."

"Hold on!" shouted Ancient Brain. "I'm afraid you've just triggered my trap! Call of the Earthbound! And I'll use it on that Swordsman! Now that worthless warrior of yours will be forced to engaged in battle with any monster on the playing field that I see fit. However, that's not my only trap! I now chain my Zoma the Spirit(1800/500) trap card. Let the battle begin!" stated Ancient Brain as Spike's monster was now forced to attack and destroyed it.

"Now when Zoma is attacked, it transforms! And this new and improved version of my beast has the ability to strike back. attacking your life points directly with twice the strength of your Swordsman." stated Ancient Brain as his spirit was now heading towards Spike.

"Spike?!" called out the CMC.

Soon the spirit disappeared as Spike was safe.

"But how?" asked Ancient Brain.

"I activated my Turn Jump magic card, that's all!" said Spike.

"What on earth is that?" asked Ancient Brain as he and the CMC were confused by Spike's card.

"It allowed me to negate the attack of your spirit monster by skipping right over the battle phase of this turn." stated Spike. Thank goodness, I paid attention to when Isaac showed me how to use this card. "But wait, that's not all it did!" said Spike as his swordsman now grew 3 more levels and got stronger.

"It can't be!"

"I'm afraid it's true! My Silent Swordsman just jumped to Level 4!"

"It has 3000 points?!" said Ancient Brain in shock.

"That's right! Now, Silent Swordsman, attack!" said Spike as he gave his monster its command as it took out Ancient Brain's knight.
Ancient Brain's Life Points: 5900-

"One more. Marshmallon, attack!" said Spike as his second monster took a bite at Ancient Brain.
Ancient Brain's Life Points: 5600-

"Easy, boy." said Spike as he got his monster to calm down and ended his turn.

"Nice, you want s'more?" joked Scootaloo as the others just rolled their eyes for her making such a lame pun/joke.

Turn 6: Ancient Brain

"That little runt has no idea what I have in store for him. It's my move now!" said Ancient Brain as he drew his card. "And I'll start by activating this magic card! Spirit Sword of Stealing! This allows me to choose any one of your monsters currently in play and instantly remove it from the field!" said Ancient Brain as a sword stuck Spike's monster in its card form as it was pinned against one of the castle walls.

"Not my Silent Swordsman!"

"Yes and I'm afraid you can't rescue him using any card effects! Nor can your swordsman use its own abilities! And that's just the beginning of my comeback for now I summon my Disgraced Mage(1700/1400) in attack mode! Now my mage attack with Doom Staff-Strike!" said Ancient Brain as his monster took out even more of Spike's life points.
Spike's Life Points: 5000-

"Don't you know by now that my monster can't be destroyed in battle!?" stated Spike.

"Yes and what a shame. However, it was your mistake because had your pink mucus monster gone to the graveyard, your captive swordsman would have been set free!"

"Huh?" said Spike and the CMC.

"You see any monster imprisoned by the Spirit Sword of Seal is automatically released when another monster belonging to the cardholder is destroyed. Too bad. But it seems the special ability of your Marshmallon actually backfired this time!" snickered Ancient Brain. "That's enough damage for one turn."

Turn 7: Spike

"Then here I go! Now... I summon Blocken(100/300) in defense mode!"

"But that thing only has 300 points. What's Spike thinking?" asked Scootaloo.

"That ends my turn." said Spike.

Turn 8: Ancient Brain

"So... just when I thought your deck of miniature misfits couldn't possibly get any worse... you play that. Now I'm questioning who really put together that deck and what they were thinking?"

"I'll have you know that this deck was made by one of my friends and he knew exactly what he was doing when he put it together." said Spike. At least, I hope.

"Now... let's turn up the heat, shall we!?" said Ancient Brain as he drew his card. "Alright Disgraced Mage... roast that Marshmallon on your stick!" With that his monster then leaped into action as it looked to strike.

"I now activate Blocken's ability, when one of my monsters is under attack, Blocken steps in and takes the hit!" said Spike as his monster took the attack and was destroyed.

"Awesome! Now that a monster was sent to Spike's graveyard, Spirit Sword is deactivated!" said Applebloom.

"As usual you ponies have no clue! Whenever my Disgraced Mage defeats another monster in battle, that monster goes back to the player's deck. In other words, your swordsman is still trapped!"

"Still thanks to Blocken's special ability, I'm not done yet! Cause whenever it's destroyed in battle, I'm able to summon a monster known as Lengard(300/100) to take its place." said Spike as he replaced his monster with another.

"You're kidding me! That's the worst deck, I've ever seen. You expect me to believe your friend made that prototype deck, all your monsters are weak. Your Silent Swordsman was your best bet and now you can't even use it." laughed Ancient Brain.

He's kinda right, I mean what was Isaac thinking when he made this deck. Sure it helped me and the rest of the girls to understand how to play the game, but in terms of power, I'm severally lacking in it.

"I place three cards facedown. That ends my turn!"

Turn 9: Spike

"My turn, now Marshmallon attack his Disgraced Mage!" said Spike as he gave his monster its command. Soon they collided but Spike's life points remained the same.

"No! What have you done?" asked Ancient Brain.

"I activated my Lenguard's effect. Whenever one of my monsters is damaged, the result is automatically transferred to Lengard! So my life points are safe!" said Spike as his monster was destroyed. "And now that one of my monsters was sent to the graveyard, the special effect of your sword is over! And my Silent Swordsman is free!" said Spike as the sword was removed from the card as his monster appeared back onto the field.

"So that was Spike's plan all along." said Sweetie Belle.

"Now Silent Swordsman destroy his mage with Silent Sword Slash Attack!" said Spike as his warrior took out its target. However, Ancient Brain didn't lose life points.

"Huh? His life points didn't budge?" stated Scootaloo.

"How observant of you! You're not the only one whose monsters have special effects. My Disgraced Mage came complete with a little lifesaving trick of his own! Whenever it's destroyed, I can avoid losing life points by returning my entire hand to my deck!"

I need to stay focus and never give up no matter what! And if Isaac were here, he'd say the same thing.

Turn 10: Ancient Brain

"Now... I'll start by activating Pot of Greed, which lets me draw 2 more cards from my deck. Next I reveal my facedown card. The Cursed Twin Dolls!" said Ancient Brain as two mannequins appeared with one holding a red box and the other holding a black box. "As you can see, each one of these two precious playmates is carrying a gift box. One of which contains a curse! Now which gift are you going to choose!?"

I guess I've got a fifty/fifty shot of getting this right... so here goes!"Alright... I'll take the red one!"

"Then the black box goes to me." said Ancient Brain. "Let's begin with the contents of yours." The gift then opened as it started to surround Spike but it didn't cause him any harm. "It appears you've chosen wisely. Now everytime a card is sent to the graveyard, you shall receive 200 extra life points."

"Way ta pick 'em, Spike!" cheered Applebloom.

"Alright... time to see what's in your box."

"He, he. I told you. It's a curse. And as soon as this curse is released, my graveyard will be no more."

"What? But how can you duel without a graveyard!?" asked Spike. Soon the spirits of Ancient Brain's monsters appeared. "Hey! Those monsters have been destroyed!"

"Right you are! And since I no longer have a graveyard, they've returned to the field as phantoms!" said Ancient Brain. "Not to worry. Though they're on the field, these phantom creatures can't attack or defend. In other words, they're of no threat to you... yet! Lastly, I'll play my Necro Soldier(0/0) in defense mode!"

He's up to something... but what!?

"Now that my twins are finished, why don't you go?"

Turn 11: Spike

"I was hoping you would say that." said Spike as he drew his card.

"Not so fast. I'm afraid you've just triggered the special effect of my Necro Soldier. As long as he remains on the field, everytime your turn begins, my Necro Army increases by one... and since this ability applies to my new soldier as well, I now have an army of 3." said Ancient Brain as he had 3 Necro Soldiers on his field. "As you were."

"How's Spike supposed to beat an army of little zombie freaks?" said Sweetie Belle.

Actually, it shouldn't be too hard since each of his monsters has zero points. "Here goes, first my Silent Swordsman jumps to Level 5 with 3500 points, but that's just the beginning. To accompany my Silent Swordsman, I'll summon my Silent Magician LV0(1000/1000)." Out came a tiny magician as he was about the same height as Marshmallon. "Now Marshmallon, Silent Magician, and Silent Swordsman attack all 3 of his Necro Soldiers." shouted Spike as his monsters did just that. Silent Swordsman was about to take out its target when it stopped its sword from connecting.

"No way! But why did my Swordsman stop? It doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does. I played my Narrow Corridor trap card."

"Yeah, and what does dat do?" asked Applebloom.

"This handy trap card prevents your friend from attacking with more than 2 monsters in any given turn, and might I remind you, my graveyard is gone. So the soldiers you just destroyed shall return to the field as spirits. I hope you don't mind if my phantom monsters stick around to watch me win." said Ancient Brain.

What I want to know is, what's he planning on to do with all of those monsters?

Turn 12: Ancient Brain

"I'll take over from here." said Ancient Brain as he drew his card.

"Oh, did I mention my magician's ability? When you draw, he jumps up one level and gains 500 points." said Spike as his kid magician got a bit taller and powerful.

"Should I be impressed?" mocked Ancient Brain. "The time has come to reveal my true strategy."

"True strategy?" said Spike with a slight bit of worry.

"Yes. Is there an echo in here? Behold my Counterbalance magic card."

"What does that do?" asked Spike as he never heard about this card from Isaac.

"As long as this card remains on the field, each of us must transfer a certain number of cards from our deck to the graveyard at the end of our turn. How many, you ask? You must discard as many cards as there are on the field. Of course, that includes my phantom monsters."

"Oh, no way. Then we'd be throwing out practically our entire deck. But why would you play a card that also puts you at risk, too?" asked Spike. "It doesn't make any sense."

"To work, it requires a graveyard, and I don't have one. Guess that means I can't participate." snickered Ancient Brain.

"So that was your plan. You wanted to force me to get rid of my cards."

"Aw man, Spike's only got a few turns left." said Applebloom.

"And it only gets worse, for now I summon another monster to the field-- Necro Mannequin(500/500). But that's not all. Next, I activate the trap card Necro Cycle. As long as my Mannequin remains on the field, this trap allows me to automatically summon another one each turn."

"Look at all those monsters." said Scootaloo.

"And just think, each one represents a card you're going to lose. And all the fun begins in your next turn." said Ancient Brain as he ended his turn. "Remember, you lose a card for every monster on the field, and so far, there are 10."

Turn 13: Spike

"Oh, yeah? Not for long." said Spike as he drew his card. "First, my Silent Swordsman increases one level and 500 points."

"Hold on. Your monsters aren't the only ones who can do tricks. Necro Mannequin, show that runt your newest talent." said Ancient Brain as one of his mannequins produced a second one. "Now there's a total of 11 monsters on the field."

"How's Spike suppose to get rid of all of those monsters?" asked Scootaloo.

"I mean, didn't that monster play some card that limits Spike's attacks or something?" stated Sweetie Belle.

"Right you are. Narrow Corridor, to be exact, and it limits his attacks to just 2 attacks per turn. Plus, thanks to my Necro Twins, whatever monster he destroys will return to the field as phantoms." said Ancient Brain.

"First, my swordsman will attack your Necro Soldier with Silent Sword Slash. And then I'm sending my Silent Magician to destroy your Necro Mannequin. Now go." said Spike as his monsters took out their targets.

"Not bad, but your turn is over, and you know what that means. 11 cards go to your graveyard." informed Ancient Brain as Spike took a huge portion of his deck and sent it off. "Now if my math is correct, that leaves you with at least 17 cards in your deck, and once they're all gone, it's game over. However, my twins will make sure your turn doesn't end on a sour note by giving you 2200 extra life points."
Spike's Life Points: 7200-

"Sounds good to me."

Turn 14: Ancient Brain

"And why are you so chipper?" asked Ancient Brain as he drew his card.

"Well, for one, my magician got stronger." stated Spike.

"It's going to take much more than that to save you now. I now play Necro Wall(0/0) in defense mode. This lets me increase my monster army by adding Necro Wall tokens equal to the number of zombies on my field other than my Necro Wall, which gives me two extra monsters." said Ancient Brain as his field was now full. "That gives me a grand total of 14. Now make your final move."

Turn 15: Spike

"This duel isn't over yet. First, my Silent Swordsman gets a boost." said Spike as his monster was now Level 7 and had 4500 attack points. "Now get ready for another double attack. Silent Swordsman attack his Wall Token #1 and, Silent Magician, attack Wall Token #2." Spike's two monster then leaped into action as they took out their targets.

"Impressive. Unfortunately, since you've used up your two-attack limit, you're turn is over." stated Ancient Brain.

"That may be true, but I can still activate my Aria From Beyond magic card. It allows me to choose any magic card that has already been removed from the game and re-activate it. And I choose one of yours-- Spirit Sword of Sealing-- and I'm using it to imprison one of my own monsters-- my Silent Swordsman." said Spike as the sword made contact with his card and stuck it back onto the wall of the castle behind him.

"Is it me, or did he just harpoon one of his best cards?" asked Scootaloo.

"That's so weird. His opponent has a field full of monsters, and Spike targets one of his own?" said Sweetie Belle as she to was confused by Spike's choice.

"That ends my turn." said Spike.

"Glad to hear it. Now then, discard 11 cards." demanded Ancient Brain as Spike did just that. "You may gain a few life points, but you lose most of your deck."
Spike's Life Points: 9400-

Turn 16: Ancient Brain

"Just one more turn, and all of your cards will be gone... and victory will be mine." said Ancient Brain as he drew his card and Spike's Silent Magician gained another level and got stronger. "I'll now summon my Necro Jar(1100/800) in attack mode. Now attack his Silent Magician."

"But why?" said Applebloom.

"Yeah, isn't Spike's monster stronger?" said Sweetie Belle.

Spike's monster was able to repel the attack as it destroyed Necro Jar. "You just gave up some life points. Why would you do that?"
Ancient Brain's Life Points: 4200-

"Good question. It was all part of my master plan. You see, thanks to my Necro Jar, you must discard one card for every 300 points I just lost, and since my damage was 1400, you lose 4 cards from your deck." shouted Ancient Brain. "Soo off to the graveyard, they go."

"Wait a second. Dat's gonna leave Spike with only one card left." said Applebloom. Spike then sent 4 cards to the grave as he got more life points.
Spike's Life Points: 10,200-

"And so the end is here-- now let's review, shall we? 12 monsters remain on the field, and you only have one card left in your deck, and as we all know, when you run out of cards, you lose." informed Ancient Brain.

Turn 17: Spike

"I have one card left, and that's all I need." said Spike as he drew his last and final card of his deck.

"What do you expect with one card?" mocked Ancient Brain.

Spike looked at his card and had a smile on his face. "I sacrifice my Silent Magician and Marshmallon so I can summon this-- Gandora the Dragon of Destruction!!!" shouted Spike as his two monster disappeared as he played his monster on his card tray as a bright light appeared. Spike's mighty dragon let out a huge roar as it descended on the field and towered over the little drake. "The game isn't over till the last card is played, and my last card is the one with the power to beat you."

"But how? I have a field full of monsters and you only have one." said Ancient Brain.

"Gandora, activate your special ability-- Boundless Gigarays!!!" yelled out Spike as his dragon unleashed multiple rays from its body and as it decimated Ancient Brain's entire field.

"Ahh! Ahh! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" shouted Ancient Brain as he saw his entire field be wiped out like that in a blinding white light. "My monster may be gone, but my life points aren't!"

"After my Gandora strikes... it goes to the graveyard." said Spike as his dragon was no more. "And as I'm sure you know, when one of my monsters is destroyed, your Sword of Sealing is deactivated! So my Silent Swordsman is free!" said Spike as his final monster appeared.

"4500 attack points?!" said Ancient Brain.

"More than enough to wipe you out! Now, Swordsman, attack!" said Spike as he thrusted his arm out. His monster dashed forward and with the slice of his sword granted the little drake the win.

"Uhh... Ahh!" yelled out Ancient Brain as he was defeated and turned into particles.
Ancient Brain's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Spike

The duel ended as the duel disk on Spike's arm disappeared as the cards were left scattered on the floor. He then picked them up and put them together as the CMC came running to his side as they cheered their friend for winning.

"Nice one, Spike." said Sweetie Belle as she gave him a hug.

"Ah knew you were the right dragon for the job." said Applebloom.

"Wait till Isaac hears about this." said Scootaloo.

"I guess, Isaac really knew what he was doing when he put this deck together. It may taken me a while, but I now know what he means by trusting your deck and knowing that no card is worthless. As long as you can come up with a good plan." said the little drake as he began to walk with the CMC back to the castle.

They entered and found Twilight frantically looking for him as she heard a loud roar and wanted to check up on him. Spike just simply said he hadn't heard anything and that he was with the CMC. The girls all backed up their dragon friend as they just explained they were practicing with Isaac's cards. Twilight just stood there rubbing her head as she couldn't figure out their hidden meaning. Soon nighttime had fallen upon Ponyville as everypony was getting ready for bed. Spike had just changed into his PJs as he was walking to his room when he noticed the main door open and in came Isaac and Applejack.

"Oh, Isaac you're back. You won't believe what..."

Isaac just walked past the little dragon as he didn't bother listening to him. Isaac had his head down as the sniffles from his eyes could be heard as he made his way to his room. Spike was stunned by what he saw as Isaac never acted like this, he then turned towards Applejack who also watched their friend disappear.

"Applejack? What was that about?" he said as she looked at the orange mare. "And where's Sunset?"

"Sugarcube, Sunset... was taken. And she's now under the control of someone." informed the country mare as it caused Spike to fall to his knees as he let that sentence sink in.

Chapter 123: Friends till the End

Author's Note

Based on the title, you know what this is a reference to.

Chapter 123: Friends till the End

The situation was a dire one. Isaac and Sunset had left with Applejack to tackle a problem in Appaloosa which turned out to be none other than the final leader. Thankfully, Isaac was able to take down their boss as he proved to be the last outlaw standing. For what it was worth, it seemed that everything was fine. The mission had been completed, but yet it wasn't. Sunset had stepped away from the party for a bit when she was attacked by a mysterious pony who had a piece of the Tantabus that Twilight and her friends sealed away as they infused it with Sunset's mind as they hoped to carry out their plan for revenge. So with that Sunset was nowhere to be found, as Isaac was now blaming himself for not protecting his friend.

Twilight caught wind of this when she overheard Isaac crying in his room as he didn't want to look at the princess. Twilight was concerned that when she put her hoof on Isaac as it caused him to burrow his face into the princess' fur as she comforted the colt. Isaac then explained the situation to Twilight who simply said that they would find and save Sunset. And so Twilight sent word to the princesses, to which Celestia was heartbroken to hear her former student was kidnapped and now brainwashed. Luna did her best to calm her sister as she panicked as she informed Twilight and her friends to find the culprit and take them down, while she helped to stabilize her sister and keep the kingdom from worrying. Twilight gave her word as she told the others and they began to get to work. They spent days trying to figure out where Sunset could possibly be, but given that Equestria was a big place, it would take forever to search.

During this time, Isaac was in his room as he held Sunset's duel disk in his magic. Isaac was still kicking himself as he felt responsible for all this. Sunset was the one who had asked his help to rid her home of these Duel Monsters and through thick and thin they did. But when it mattered the most, he was unable to help her and as a result it now meant she was in danger and he let it happen. Isaac looked at the Red-Eyes card he gave Sunset as he could feel the dragon's spirit as it was calling out for its mistress.

"Please, forgive me, Red-Eyes. I'm sorry I couldn't protect, Sunset." said Isaac as he let out a few tears. "But I swear on my life, that I will find her and I will do whatever it takes to reunite the two of you. I promise." Red-Eyes appeared before Isaac as he let out an angry growl as he looked at the colt.

Both Mahad and Mana appeared as they sensed Red-Eyes' fury as they prepared to protect their master from harm. Isaac put his hoof out as he told his magicians to stand down as he approached the dragon who was still anger. Red-Eyes gave a death glare and scowl at the colt; Isaac looked at the creature before he put his head down and left himself wide open to let Red-Eyes take its anger out on him. Red-Eyes then unfanged its teeth and looked to attack Isaac. Mahad and Mana were about to leap into action to protect their master when Red-Eyes just brought its head down and looked at Isaac straight in the eyes. The dragon was upset about Sunset, but he also knew that his mistress trusted Isaac as she would often tell him that Isaac wasn't one to give up on his friends. So Red-Eyes made it clear to Isaac that he should find Sunset as it let out a menacing growl.

"Thank you." said Isaac as he put his hoof out and touched the dragon's face. "I promise to bring Sunset home, not just for you, but for everyone around her and the rest of your comrades." said Isaac. Red-Eyes heard Isaac's words as they rang true and he vowed to help the colt in any way possible as he disappeared back into his card. Isaac's magician gave their word as they too would help search for Sunset. With that Isaac exited his room as he saw the others and began to help in searching for their lost friend.

And so it went, all potential searches ended up empty as the gang was trying to find their lost friend. Isaac was determined to bring Sunset home that he couldn't afford to sleep, not until he found the orange unicorn. Still it was but an fruitless effort, Twilight had managed to convince Isaac to get some sleep as she told him that she would continue the search. Isaac was hesitant, but Twilight clocked him on the head as she gave him a stern talking. And so Isaac made his way to his room as he hoped to get some rest. Just as he made his way to his room, he noticed a small note that was laid on his bed as he grabbed it with his magic. He read through it as his eyes grew wide.

"If you want to save your friend, then come to this location. And come alone, or else... well, millions will die."

Isaac looked at the place as he pulled a book from one of his shelfs as it had a map of the place. He then saw where it was located and saw that he could get there through the train. So with a determined look, Isaac had his plan as he got ready to get some sleep. Morning rose as the sun was in the sky, for many they would still be asleep, but for a certain colt he was more than awake. Isaac put on his clothes and slotted on his duel disk as he prepared himself. He then made his way to Twilight's room as he slowly opened it to see the princess was still asleep. Isaac approached the purple mare as he looked at her and ran a hoof through her mane.

"I'm going to fix all this." said Isaac softly. He then brought his lips to kiss Twilight on her forehead as she smiled. Isaac then left a note on her table stand as he walked out of the room and exited the castle.

Isaac made his way to the train station. He purchased a ticket as he got onboard the train and prepared to head towards his destination. The rattle of the train was in his mind as he was the only one on at the moment. Throughout the ride, Isaac was looking at his deck as he prepared himself for what he might expect. He soon looked at his saddle bag on his side as in it was Red-Eyes and it started to bring back memories for the colt.

(Flashback)

"I think this might help you." Isaac then pulled a card out of his back pocket and handed it to Sunset.

Sunset looked at it and was surprised with what Isaac was giving her. She had to do a double take as she looked at the card; she then looked at Isaac who had a goofy smile on his face.

"You sure about this?"

"Of course, unfortunately, I don't have all the proper cards to support it. That is going to be a challenge on your part. You need to be willing to put in the effort, do you think you can do that?"

"You have my word, Isaac. I promise to not let you down and to show this card the proper respect." stated Sunset.

"Next I'm going to summon out the card you gave me. I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon." said Sunset as her monster appeared.

(End of Flashback)

"I have a promise to keep. And I will save you Sunset, count on it." said Isaac as he was getting closer to his stop.

In the city of Baltimare, there was a hooded figure as they overlook the docks as the sounds of waves crashed against the piers. Soon behind them appeared Sunset as she was under the control.

"Isaac should be arriving momentarily. Time for him to pay for messing with my plan." said the person.

"And do you think that he'll come." said the Tantabus as it came out of the voice of Sunset.

"Trust me, Isaac has been given the role of the good guy. And as the good guy, it's his responsibility to try to save everyone, it's just the law of nature. So I've taken it upon myself to make sure that he dies like the hero he is. I managed to free you from the ether, but I extracted a part of you. So I used my magic to bring you back to life but in order for you to fully survive, you need a host. More importantly, their mind. So while Isaac may think that he's coming to save his friend, he'll soon realize it was all for nothing. Because once you've fully consumed Sunset's mind, you'll have no need for the host and then you can manifest your own body." snickered the mysterious figure. "Now take this deck, I've prepared for you."

"Of course." said the Tantabus.

"When Isaac is forced to battle his brainwashed friend, he's sure to lose it all. HA HA!" laughed the figure. "This is my most ingenious scheme yet. I took the things that mean the most to Isaac-- his friends."

"Brilliant plan." said the Tantabus.

"I know. Now come on, Isaac. For this will be the last duel, you'll ever fight."

Isaac's train had pulled into the station as he stepped onto the platform. He looked around as he saw several ponies talking and getting ready to board their own train. He then adjusted his cap as he prepared to make his way to his destination. Isaac was now walking to where the note told him to meet as he soon found himself walking to the harbor as he neared the pier. While he was walking, he noticed someone ahead of him as they were standing still. That figure was none other than Sunset as she was waiting for Isaac.

This is it. When that fool realizes I've turned his friend against him, he'll be completely devasted. said the Tantabus as they were talking through Sunset's mind.

"Well, well."

"Sunset!" shouted Isaac.

"Not exactly." said Sunset as her voice was distorted. "Sunset is not present. She's gone away."

"Who are you, and what have you done with Sunset?!"

"Who I am is of no concern, at least not yet. But what should be a concern is whether or not she'll still be in one piece after I'm done corrupting her mind. Now if you want your friend back, then you'll listen to me."

"Listen, Sunset. You've got to be in there." said Isaac as he tried to reach Sunset's inner voice.

"It's pointless. Now, you listen, Isaac. We're playing by my regulations. I'll release your pathetic friend as soon as I get what I want. However, there's only one way to do this. You and I are going to duel." said Sunset as she lifted up her leg to show a duel disk and deck.

"You're insane!" shouted Isaac.

"Refuse and your friend will be mine forever!" said Sunset.

"Release her from your mind control!" demanded Isaac. "Sunset, I know you can hear me. You must break free. Understand?" Sunset just stared at Isaac. "Sunset, I know you're in there, and I'm going to set you free. Whoever has you under control, their power is weak compared the strength of our friendship. Please say something, Sunset. Sunset!" shouted Isaac.

"You'll never set her free unless you follow me, Isaac." said Sunset as she began to walk with Isaac slowly trekking behind her. She led the two of them to a section of the pier as the dock was in the shape of a duel arena with the water in between the two platforms where the duelists would stand. "Welcome to my special dueling arena. Look around you, should you accept, you'll be battling against your friend in a duel like none you've ever experienced for the highest stakes imaginable."

Isaac then took his position as he began to walk to one side of the dock as Sunset was across from him as the water separated the two of them. Given the situation, it seemed like he had no choice. "All right, let's duel. If it means saving my friend." said Isaac.

"Let's begin." snickered Sunset as she was now holding chains in her magic and locked Isaac's legs inside them.

"What is this?" asked Isaac as he felt the chains around his legs were dragging him down.

"Notice that we're both securely fastened to a chain that leads to a large anchor hanging above you. 30 seconds after a player's life points hit zero, the anchor will drop to the bottom of the sea. Now look down," said Sunset as Isaac did as she told him, "that small yellow box is your life point counter, but it also contains the key to your survival. When one player's life points reach zero, the other player's box opens, revealing a key that unlock their shackles. Remember you'll have 30 seconds to free yourself before the anchor drops." snickered Sunset.

"So the loser of this duel will be dragged to the bottom of the ocean while the winner frees themselves at the last minute?" said Isaac.

"That's right, quite ingenious. Isn't it?" smiled Sunset evilly. "And for this duel, since we're upping the stakes and I'm the one in control, we're going to battle with 4000 life points to get some excitement."

"You're a sick individual." said Isaac with a scowl on his face.

"Thank you. Now then, do you agree or not!" demanded Sunset.

"Hold on, if I win this duel? Do you promise to free Sunset from your control?" asked Isaac.

"You'll have to fish her out of the sea first." said Sunset. "And just in case, you had any plans on refusing to duel, think again! If there's no winner within 60 minutes, the anchor will automatically drop, sending both of you plummeting into the sea. But you will lose, Isaac."

"You're not going to get away with this." said Isaac.

"Now then, if everything is set, let's get the show started." said Sunset as she activated her duel disk.

"Very well." said Isaac as he reached for his saddle bag to pull his deck out with his magic. I can't risk Sunset's health, so I'll avoid using my Egyptian God cards, it's much too risky. Wait a second. As Isaac was pulling out his deck, he noticed a certain card behind his god cards as it caught his attention. I know something that may be able to help. Sunset's Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Isaac was now thinking back to when he first gave Sunset the card. This card means so much to Sunset, I gave it to her to signal our friendship. Well, I'm putting it in my deck; I made to promise to her and Red-Eyes that I would unite them and that's exactly what I'm going to do. Isaac then placed the card on top of his deck as he activated his duel disk and the autoshuffler kicked in as it projected a gold card tray. I know the real Sunset is in there somewhere, and maybe there's a way I can use this card to save her.

"I think it's time to begin this duel." said Sunset in her distorted voice.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset's Life Points: 4000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

"Isaac, you draw the first card. It's the beginning of the end for you." stated Sunset.

Turn 1: Isaac

I've got to find a way to stop this duel. When that anchor falls down, it's taking one or maybe both of us down with it.

"What's the problem, Isaac? Are you too frightened to play a card?"

"I don't think so, Sunset." said Isaac as he drew his card. "I summon Gazelle, the King of Mythical Beasts." Isaac now had his monster appear as it was in defense mode. "That ends my turn." I don't know what Sunset has in that deck of hers, so I better play it safe until I figure it out.

Turn 2: Sunset

"Very well." said Sunset as she drew her card. "Isaac, time to say goodbye to your Gazelle, for I play Raigeki, which destroys it."

"Not that card." said Isaac as he watched his monster be destroyed.

"And now I summon Alligator's Sword. Attack his life points directly!" shouted Sunset as her monster took a big swipe at Isaac who felt the brunt of the attack.

"Ahh!" said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"Ha ha! Surrender yet, or do you want some more? I hope you're not going easy on me because we're old friends, Isaac. You'll be sorry." stated Sunset.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, and I summon Big Shield Gardna in defense mode."

Turn 4: Sunset

"So, you think that's enough to protect your life points, Isaac? So naïve." said Sunset as she drew her card. "I play my Hinotama magic card. Now watch closely as its power blasts away your life points." A fire ball then came hurling from the sky as it collided with Isaac who felt the pain of the attack as he now had some scuffs on his body.
Isaac's Life Points: 2000-

I've got to figure a way out of this. I'm already down to half of my life points. And if I lose this duel, then all of Equestria and Sunset are in danger! But if I win, then she gets dragged to the bottom of the ocean! There must be a solution!

"Time is running out, Isaac."

She's right. In less than an hour, that anchor drops automatically and we're both doomed. Come on. Heart of the Cards, guide me!

Turn 5: Isaac

"It's my move." said Isaac as he drew. Let's see, her Alligator's Sword has 1500 attack points, and I don't have anything powerful enough to beat it. But I do have Big Shield Gardna, which has enough defense points to keep me safe for now. But I still need to figure out a way to win this duel without hurting Sunset. That trap card might help me for now until I can figure out a plan. Well, here goes. "I place this card facedown, and then shall summon Kuriboh in attack mode and end my turn."

"Are you playing some sort of joke? Kuriboh's weak! It only has 300 attack points. Why would you play it in attack mode, unless you're trying to lose this duel on purpose to save your friend?" said Sunset.

Turn 6: Sunset

"Alright, then. If losing is your goal, then let me help you." said Sunset.

"I won't lose. Understand? I'll defeat you and free Sunset from your control!"

"Wrong. I'm afraid that this time you're in over your head, Isaac. So now, Alligator's Sword, attack his Kuriboh!" shouted Sunset.

"Hold it right there! Activate facedown card!"

"It's a trap!" stated Sunset.

"Alligator's Sword is now caught in my Spellbinding Circle! Your monster's power has decreased by 700, while my Kuriboh is safe and sound."

"All right, Isaac. I've had enough of your childish games. Now it's time for me to regain control of this duel. Ready? Since it worked so well last time, I'll use another one! Hinotama, attack his life points!" laughed Sunset as she had a sick smile on her face as Isaac felt even more pain as he let out a scream. A pillar of smoke came from his body as Isaac could smell the after heat of the fireball as he laid on the floor.
Isaac's Life Points: 1500-

"I've attacked your life points yet again, Isaac. Ha ha ha. You're finished. As soon as I wipe out the rest, that anchor will drop. Taking you with it right into the sea." laughed Sunset.

"I can assure you that won't happen." said Isaac.

"Is that so, Isaac? I say you're no position to make threats."

"I know the real Sunset is still in there." said Isaac as he slowly lifted himself up from the ground. "And I'm going to set her free no matter what it takes."

"Isaac, your friend is long gone."

"I don't think so."

"Then make your move. Not that it matters, neither one of your monsters is powerful enough to defeat my Alligator's Sword."

Turn 7: Isaac

"It's my move." Come on, heart of the cards. Please guide me and help me to rescue Sunset. Isaac then picked up his card as he was shocked by what he pulled. Its Sunset's Red-Eyes Black Dragon! This is my only hope! This Red-Eyes has always been special to Sunset. Its what symbolizes our bonds as friends. She's got to remember it! I gave it to her to help her remind of the untapped potential she still had when it came to Duel Monsters and to help her atone for her sins. Once she sees it, the real Sunset will break through. This better work. "I know you're in there somewhere, Sunny. I just hope that you're paying close attention, cause I'm about to jog your memory with an old friend of yours that's not too easy to forget-- your Red-Eyes B. Dragon." said Isaac to himself.

"Remember when time runs out, that anchor will drop. So make your move!" stated Sunset.

In order, to summon Red-Eyes, I'll need to sacrifice 2 monsters. Luckily, I've got Kuriboh and Big Shield Gardna on the field. All I need to do is send them to the graveyard and I can bring out Red-Eyes. Isaac was about to do it when a thought crossed his mind. But wait, is that the right call? I mean, what if Sunset has something that can destroy Red-Eyes and with only 1500 life points, I have to be careful bout which card(s) I play. As soon as my life counter reaches zero, that anchor will pull me into the ocean and the entire world of Equestria will be in jeopardy.

"Go! What's taking so long?!" shouted Sunset as she was getting impatient.

There's got to be a way to show Sunset this card without actually summoning it to the field. Maybe that card can help, but then again, that's an even risker move. Still, no matter what the risks, Sunset is my friend and I have to do whatever it takes break the mind control over her and save her. There's no other choice. After all we've been through, the bonds we share of our friendship will always stay intact. I promised that I'd always be there for her and she'd always be there for me. And I'd never break a promise to a friend no matter what. So now it's time to show what true friendship is all about.

"I play Exchange!" said Isaac.

"A foolish move." said Sunset. "Look at you. You must be desperate to play a card like that. But if you insist, I'd be glad to take a card from your hand, Isaac." said Sunset as she began to walk around over to Isaac's side of the field while Isaac just stood there with his eyes closed as he waited for her. "Not that I need any help. Show me your pitiful cards. Now... which one shall I take?" Sunset now looked at Isaac's hand as she scanned his cards, soon she got to a certain card as it caused her to gasp and do a double take. "Aah! My Red-Eyes!" said Sunset as she recognized her signature card.

"Silence, Sunset!" yelled the Tantabus inside her mind. "You're under my control now. You have no mind of your own. I own you!"

"Well, pick your card, Sunset. You can have anyone you want, including the Red-Eyes B. Dragon." said Isaac as he just held the cards in front of Sunset as he still had his eyes closed.

It's the card that Isaac gave me. My Red-Eyes! Sunset was now starting to remember when she was gifted this by her friend. It seemed to have an effect on Sunset as she could feel her mind starting to resist.

"Quiet, you fool! I'm in control of your mind." shouted the Tantabus.

Isaac... needs that card. Sunset was now starting to resist more, the longer she stared at Red-Eyes. She could feel the tiny bit of presence of her dragon as it was calling out to her as he too tried to wake her up.

"You will do as I say and take that Red-Eyes Black Dragon card from Isaac, now. You have no mind of your own, Sunset. Say it!"

"I... have no mind of my own." repeated Sunset.

"Excellent. So take Isaac's Red-Eyes right now." Sunset seemed to listen as she was about to select that card.

"Your friend is long gone." said Sunset. "So I'll be taking your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." said Sunset as she had her magic grip her choice.

It's not working, she's still under control. Isaac then opened his eyes as he saw that Sunset was struggling to remove the card as she was fighting with her magic. Almost like she was doing everything in her power to not pick that card.

I can't take Red-Eyes. Isaac needs it.

"No, you fool. Take that dragon now. I command you. Take the Red-Eyes from Isaac." yelled the Tantabus as Sunset put her other hoof to her head as she was fighting herself.

"No, I can't. Not that card." said Sunset as she was fighting.

"Obey me. Take that card so that we can finish Isaac off, now."

"No! Isaac needs it."

"Take it now!" shouted the Tantabus as Sunset now pulled a card out of Isaac's aura as she held it up high in her magic. Safe to say that Sunset was somehow able to break free for just a moment as she didn't take Red-Eyes from Isaac's hand.

"Ha! Yeah, Sunset! You didn't take it." said Isaac in a cheerful voice.

"What? How dare you disobey me! You'll pay for this." stated the Tantabus.

"Sunset?" asked Isaac.

"No. I told you. Sunset is long gone. And I'm here to defeat you, so I don't need your Red-Eyes to secure my victory." said Sunset as she was back to being controlled.

"That's what you think. Now I get to pick one of your cards, Sunset." Isaac then selected the card he wanted from Sunset as he took it with his magic.

"I said, Sunset is gone... and you're finished." With that both players had made the exchange as Sunset began to walk back around to her side of the dueling field.

"We'll see about that." said Isaac with a smile on his face. "You can deny it all you want, but I know my friend is in there and I'm gonna set her free."

"You're fooling yourself."

"I don't think so. That's why you didn't take my Red-Eyes, cause the real Sunset is in there fighting to get out."

"That's enough."

"Admit it. As soon as she saw that card, the real Sunset came through."

"What are you talking about? I'm controlling her mind!" yelled out the Tantabus.

"Not for much longer. I know I can use this card to stop you and bring my friend back." said Isaac as he showed off Red-Eyes. "Just wait."

"Don't hold your breath. Now, let's get on with this duel, already. So that I can get rid of you, once and for all."

"It's still my turn, so stand back." said Isaac.

"Go ahead and make your pathetic move, Isaac. There's not a card in your hand that can stop me from wiping out the rest of your life points."

"And now I sacrifice my 2 monsters, so that I can summon this to the field. Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Isaac as his two other monsters were now gone as they were replaced by Sunset's signature card. Red-Eyes let out a mighty roar as it was hoping to get its mistress to break free which seemed to work as Sunset was starting to slowly remember the bond she had with that monster.

"It's my Red-Eyes. Isaac!!" called out Sunset.

"That's right, Sunset. Fight it." shouted Isaac. "Look at your Red-Eyes and break free."

"This can't be happening. I'm losing control over my mind slave; my power over her is slipping away." said the Tantabus as it could feel Sunset resisting as it felt itself becoming weaker.

"That's right, Sunset. I know you remember your Red-Eyes."

"I remember my dragon." said Sunset as she was looking directly at Red-Eyes as it was stilling calling out to its mistress.

"Sunset! I'm going to try to blast you back to your senses. If it doesn't work, then you, me and all of Equestria are in danger. Sunset, I'm only doing this cause I'm your friend." said Isaac as he had tears in his eyes. "Now prepare to be knocked back to your senses. Red-Eyes B. Dragon. Attack her Alligator's Sword with Inferno Fire Blast!!" shouted Isaac as Red-Eyes could feel Isaac's spirit as they combined their energy as it let out his attack and took out Sunset's monster as Sunset was knocked to the floor.
Sunset's Life Points: 2400-

"Are you there, Sunset?"

"Argh! Get back up and fight, mind slave."

"Hey, Sunset, is that you?" asked Isaac as Sunset was getting back to her feet.

Turn 8: Sunset

"Sorry, Isaac. Your trick didn't work. I'm still in control." said Sunset in her distorted voice. "And now its time. I'll wipe out what's left of your life points. It's time for me to finish you off, so say goodbye." Sunset then drew her card. "As I attack your life points again with yet another Hinotama magic card. Fire Shower Attack." stated Sunset as another ball of fire came raining down from the sky as it made contact with Isaac who felt the power of the attack and was thrown onto the ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"What's the matter, Isaac? Did my direct attack leave you speechless?" mocked Sunset.

Isaac was struggling to get back up as he looked at Sunset. Please, Sunset. Come to your senses.

"Surrender yet, Isaac?"

"Listen, I'm not going to stop till my friend is safe from harm."

"Too late, cause I'm about to send you into the sea when I summon Rocket Warrior. Any monster struck by Rocket Warrior loses 500 attack points for the duration of the turn. Then I'll play Attrition. Rocket Warrior, attack now. In its invincible mode. it will weaken your Red-Eyes while remaining unharmed." Sunset's monster then transformed as it took Red-Eyes head on as it weaken the dragon. "And now my Attrition card activates. It takes the attack points of my Rocket Warrior and subtracts them from your Red-Eyes, making it even weaker. How sad." said Sunset. Soon her mind was starting to go into shock as she could feel the pain that Red-Eyes was feeling. It seemed that when Sunset felt Red-Eyes getting weaker, she could feel its suffering and it was affecting her mind.

"What's going on? I feel my control weakening again."

Red-Eyes let out a cry as Sunset put her hoof to her head as she could hear her monster suffering. Isaac noticed this and he knew that he was starting to make progress with freeing Sunset.

I hope that move was able to help Sunset be free before it's too late. Cause that anchor's gonna fall into the ocean in about 20 minutes taking me and Sunset with it! But if Sunset, comes to her senses soon, we may be able to escape. I gave Sunset Red-Eyes to symbolize our bond and I know that its stronger than whatever is controlling her. I've already seen signs of her breaking free. When Sunset saw her Red-Eyes B. Dragon, it triggered something in her.

"You're little friendship plan, won't work Isaac." said Sunset. "Your friend's mind belongs to me! Isaac! Get on with the duel! The sooner you make a move, the sooner I can eliminate your life points! And you better act quickly, because you only have 14 minutes before that anchor pulls you and your friend into the ocean's depths! Then you'll be out of my way once and for all!"

Turn 9: Isaac

"Make your move, Isaac!"

"Fine!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "Since your turn is now over, Red-Eyes regains 500 attack points!" Red-Eyes gave a soft growl as it was still lying on the floor as it felt weak from Sunset's card. "Get ready!"

Beta the Magnet Warrior could help! I need to free Sunset's mind! And last turn when Sunset attacked her favorite card-- Red-Eyes B. Dragon- the real Sunset broke through. So I have to make that happen again if I'm going to save her and get us out of this mess! But Red-Eyes is weak and if it does get attacked, I could be in great danger.

"I place two cards facedown! And then I summon Beta the Magnet Warrior in attack mode! And that will end my turn."

Turn 10: Sunset

"How foolish!" said Sunset.

"He could have attacked us! Instead he left himself wide open for us to attack him! So don't disappoint me!"

"It's time to end this!" Sunset then drew her card.

"Excellent. Panther Warrior is strong enough to destroy that Red-Eyes and Isaac, too!"

"Destroy Isaac."

"That's right my obedient servant! So do it!" demanded the Tantabus.

"Alright Isaac! Time to wipe out your Red-Eyes and your life points! I play Panther Warrior! You're done!" Sunset now had her new monster as it looked vicious. "But first, before I strike, I'll transform Rocket Warrior into its invincible mode!" Rocket Warrior then transformed as it headed straight for Red-Eyes.

"Not so fast, I reveal my facedown trap! Activate Magic-Arm Shield! I'll intercept your Rocket Warrior and redirect the rocket attack! Towards your Panther Warrior! And thanks to your Attrition magic card, Panther Warrior loses 1500 attack points bringing its strength all the way down to 500! Also, because Rocket Warrior was in its invincible mode, your monster loses 500 extra attack points leaving it with zero!" said Isaac as he used his card and changed the direction as Rocket Warrior had now collided with Panther Warrior as it was weaken.

"You're only delaying the inevitable. I end my turn, and so now Rocket Warrior's effect is over, my Panther Warrior regains the 500 life points it just lost."

Turn 11: Isaac

"Big deal! Watch this!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "I sacrifice Beta the Magnet Warrior, so that I can summon my Beast of Gilfer! I'll save you yet, Sunset! Now my mighty beast attack her Rocket Warrior!" shouted Isaac as his monster unleashed a powerful attack that caused Sunset to put her front leg up to cover herself as she suffered a few scuffs of her own.
Sunset's Life Points: 1700-

"You there, Sunset?"

"No! Sunset is gone! See unlike your dragon, I've got plenty of strength left!"

She's right. Thanks to her Attrition card, Red-Eyes is down to a measly 900 attack points. And I can't let it get destroyed. It may be my only hope to save Sunset.

"I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before you and your pathetic little friend are out of my way for good!" said Sunset as the timer was now at 10 minutes and 46 seconds as it continued to count down, fast.

Turn 12: Sunset

"Say goodbye to the rest of your life points!" stated Sunset as she drew her card. "Ready to lose everything?"

"Come on, Sunset! You've gotta break free!" yelled out Isaac as he was still slightly in pain. "Snap out of it Sunset! Time is running out!" Maybe if I bring up some more old memories, she'll remember something! "Come on, Sunset. Don't you remember the Fall Formal? The duel that we had! You gotta try, think back!"

(Quick Flashback)

"Let me be serious for one second, there was only one person who I wanted to face in this entire tournament and that person was you. Nobody has your passion, your drive, your fire, your desire, your will to win. No one except me! From one duelist to another and I mean this with everything, you are good. You have more talent than I've seen from everybody who's walked through those doors. That's why I've come to respect you not only as a duelist but also someone who is worthy of being called my enemy." stated Sunset.

"Stay down!! Just stay down!!! Everytime I've beaten you to a pulp, you still find some way to get back up! I kick your ass and you get back up. I kick your ass again and you still try to get back up!! Maybe your parents told you that if you face a bully and they're beating you down then you should just get back up. Well let me tell you, the next time that bully is not going to let you get up. They're going to keep beating you till they make sure that you don't get up! I said that you were going to be in for the beating of a lifetime, but you still are trying to fight. So tell me!! What do I have to do!? What do I have to do to get you out of my life!? Tell me!!! Sunset now had the evil look in her eyes as the evil magic surrounding her was starting to take control as her hair was now floating.

"Now you know, Sunset. You said it yourself, that I'm going to be in for the beating of a lifetime. Well that's like saying that the sun will come up tomorrow. Of course I know that, I know that. But I also know what it takes to beat you! You see that's the difference between us. You have no passion for anyone but yourself! You're tough, you're powerful, and you're damn good. But what separates me from you Sunset is heart. And when the chips are down, you may beat the hell out of me but you're going to have beat every last breath out of this body!!" The magic that had entered Isaac's deck was started to surround Isaac, but only Sunset noticed this.

Sunset had a disgusted look on her face like that was most stupidest answer she ever heard from someone.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong I see you, I see the look on your face. Because we don't use/say the word love around here, especially if you're a guy because when we say that we don't look tough. Please I'm a grown ass man, I could do/say what the hell I want and I don't give a damn on what anybody else thinks! I love this game, I love the fact that I can make people happy, I love every little aspect that Duel Monsters brings to me and my life! I love the look on these people's faces; I love the smiles that I put on for the people not just in here but also for the fine folks at home watching and to the readers who're reading this story. It warms my heart when I'm pulled to the side and people say 'thank you'. I am here out of love, what the hell are you doing here!! Cause I'm not just fighting for me, Sunset. I'm fighting for everybody whose dream was to be here, whose dream was to stand here on the grandest stage of them and say they've made it. Know that because this is my life! This is my passion! This is all that I got!!!" screamed Isaac.

(End of Flashback)

"Remember how angry you were, you were hell bent on taking over CHS? And I stopped you and gave you a second chance. It was the day after that, that I gave you Red-Eyes." said Isaac.

"I-sa-ac" said Sunset as she was starting to remember. Soon she had another memory return.

(Flashback)

"Red-Eyes Black Dragon. So tell me did you bully someone into getting that card or did you steal it?" stated Twilight.

"What are you talking about?"

"I didn't beat anybody to get this card, this was given to me by my friend."

"Oh please, do you actually want me to believe that someone gave you such a card? Whoever they were was stupid to just hand over a powerful card to a former power hungry maniac."

"I'm not that kind of person anymore, I've changed."

“My cards symbolize the bonds I’ve forged with my friends. They’re unique and special, they’re proof of how far I’ve come!" Sunset sighed and looked down at her duel disk. "Make what you want of me, but I'm serious when I say that I'm not who I once was and that this deck is a reflection of my new attitude. Someone gave me a chance when no one else would and that alone is reason to keep fighting."

(End of Flashback)

"Or how about the Spring Fling when I selected you as my opponent?" said Isaac as another memory came rushing to Sunset's mind.

(Flashback)

"I've got a bunch great selections, but I've made my choice. This individual I feel deserves to have this opportunity to face me for this title. After what has been nearly a crazy school year, I feel like this person deserves the opportunity to showcase how far they've come since they began. Their journey is one that I feel should be recognized and well it showcases that a person can change if their given the opportunity. Now if she should choose to select me and accept my challenge, well... I..." The crowd leaned in as Isaac was about to make his decision. "I select Sunset Shimmer."

"Well, I gave my reason. You're a different person from when we met; you've undergone a lot of stuff that has morphed you into the young lady I see standing before me. There's nobody else who I want to share the dueling field than with you. I chose you Sunset because I want to face you. I want to see what you can do, no magic, no smoke and mirrors, just a straight up duel. I want to see if you've learned anything since turning over a new leaf."

"You're right, things are different this time. I'm no longer some girl who's lonely and just finding a way to take her anger out on everybody else. This time I fight with passion, I fight with a purpose in life. I can't thank you enough; Isaac, you're the reason why I'm standing here as who I am. If you didn't stop me, when you did. Who knows how different this place might have been? And I like to think that you beating was the best thing that could have happened; but you also know me as someone who doesn't like to lose. Even if that person is someone who I deeply care and I would pour my heart and soul out cause everytime I step on the field with you, I feel alive. I feel free knowing that I can be myself and just go all out, and it's all thanks to one person: You. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you." stated Sunset.

(End of Flashback)

"And I can't forget about the gift you gave me for my birthday." said Isaac.

(Flashback)

"Let's say that I did some digging on the internet and found a copy online. All I had to do to win it, was beat the guy who owned it in a duel." smiled Sunset. "I know how much it means to you."

"I can't even describe how I'm feeling, thanks Sunset." This time it was Isaac who took first action as he gave Sunset a hug.

(End of Flashback)

"I... remember..." spoke Sunset softly.

"That's right, fight it Sunset!" shouted Isaac.

"I remember... how annoying you are. Not to mention, stupid. I told you, your friend is long gone so stop trying to save her."

"Never!" yelled Isaac.

"Now I'll play 2 cards facedown on the field and end my turn. So, try and attack my monster if you dare!" said Sunset.

"Once he does, I'll crush Isaac! He can try to reason with his friend, Sunset all he wants... she'll never break free from my magical grip! And soon victory will be mine!" laughed the Tantabus. "Excellent dueling, my mind slave. It's almost over!"

Turn 13: Isaac

"Snap out of it!"

"Haven't you realized that your friend isn't coming back! You're dealing with me now and I'm about to take everything away from you!" said Sunset as the timer was now at 5 minutes and 35 seconds.

"Sunset, wake up! Time's running out." said Isaac as he drew his card. This trap card may help.

"Nothing can save you!!"

"Well, I'll place one card facedown and now... Beast of Gilfer! Attack her Panther Warrior!" said Isaac as he gave his monster its order. "This is for your own good, Sunset!"

"You've fallen into my trap, Isaac! And your foolish mistake will cost you dearly! As soon as your beast attacks, you're done!"

"Don't be so sure about that! Gilfer, roast her Panther Warrior with your flame attack!"

"Wrong! Reveal Skull Dice! And just to make sure that my move works... I'll add this card! My Graceful Dice! Stop his attack now!" Sunset's facedowns then flipped up as two mini monsters appeared with huge dice in their hands. "Graceful Dice will increase my monster's attack points according to the roll of the die! While Skull Dice reduces your monster's strength! And I'm feeling very lucky today!"

"Guess again!" responded Isaac.

"What?!"

"Now I'll reveal my magic card De-Spell! I'll use it to destroy your Graceful Dice!" Isaac's card then got rid of Sunset's blue die. "Sorry to disappoint you Sunset, but now you can't raise the attack points of your Panther Warrior!"

"But I can still weaken your monster! Go Skull Dice!" Sunset's red die then began to roll as it tumbled. Soon the die stopped rolling and it landed on the number 2. "A two?!"

"Sorry, that only cuts my monster's attack strength in half!" said Isaac as his his Beast of Gilfer was reduced to 1100 attack but was still strong enough to defeat Panther Warrior.

"My monster is doomed!" stated Sunset as her creature was destroyed and she took some more heavy damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 1100-

"You may have destroyed my Panther Warrior, but you're about to lose this duel, Isaac! In just over 5 minutes, you'll sink to the bottom of the sea."

This is my last chance to get through to Sunset and save us both!

Turn 14: Sunset

"The end is near, Isaac!" said Sunset as the timer was now at 3 minutes and 50 seconds. "So here goes!" said Sunset as she drew her card.

"Meteor of Destruction! Excellent work my mind slave! That's just the card to finish Isaac off! Now destroy your friend!" ordered the Tantabus.

"One more move and you'll be gone for good! The card I hold in my hand is the key to my victory! As soon as I play it, you'll be gone forever!"

"Not if I set you free, Sunset!"

"The moment I've been waiting for is about to arrive! It's all over, Isaac!

"Come on, Sunset! This is your last chance to break free!" yelled Isaac.

"Ignore that fool! All he's done is make you play second fiddle! Before he came into your life, you were the best duelist both in and out of Equestria. You were unstoppable, nobody could touch you! Then he comes along and hogs all the spotlight, he said he would never betray his friends. But he did the ultimate betrayal when he decided to become the center of attention and toss you aside. That was rightfully yours and he took it from you. Not to mention he chose to be with someone else and he's demoted you to be being nothing more than his side piece. Now time to make him pay!" shouted the Tantabus. "Now finish him off with Meteor of Destruction, once the card is played, Isaac will take 1000 points of damage. Now do as I command and strike the final blow against him!"

"This is it, Sunset!!! You have to remember who you are!!! Now!!" shouted Isaac at the top of his lungs.

"I... I... am... Sun-set." Sunset was now starting to feel her mind fighting back as she clutched her head. Isaac noticed that Sunset was trying to fight back as she struggled with the thing controlling her mind. "It's faint... but I also remember my friends... I remember the Fall Formal... and you helping me to atone for my sins by giving me a second chance... and all the other battles/duels I've had." Sunset now starting to regain her memories as she started to remember her friends. She was remembering how her life had become for the better since meeting Isaac; all of it was coming back and the final breaking point was a recent memory.

(Quick Memory)

"And this..." Sunset then pulled out her Red-Eyes Black Dragon card. "Without you, I probably would never have gotten this card. This card was a reminder to show my hidden potential and I did that, but I also gained a valuable companion. And I thank you, Isaac."

(End)

"It's real..." struggled Sunset.

"You have no past!!! Now Finish Him!!! Destroy Isaac!!!"

"AHHH!" shouted Sunset. "Get outta out of my head!!!"

"Your feeble brain is no match for my power! Play, the card!!"

"I can't!!!" yelled Sunset as she fell down to her knees. "He's my friend! I won't destroy Isaac!"

"Fight it, Sunset!" shouted Isaac as he called out to the orange unicorn.

"Silence! Obey me!!"

"You can do it, Sunset! I know you can. Be Strong!!"

"Gotta... be... strong..."

Our friendship is strong, and I know her will is too! She's just gotta keep fighting and break free before that anchor drops into the ocean taking us with it! Isaac looked up at the time and saw that only 1 minute and 49 seconds remained. Come on, Sunset. Time is running out!

"Ahh!" let out Sunset as the power inside her mind was now taking full effect as it absorbed her mind. "It's over, Isaac! I activate... Meteor of Destruction. So by paying 500 life points, I can deal you 1000 points of direct damage! Looks like your friend was weaker than you thought!"
Sunset's Life Points: 600-

A portal opened up and a meteor was heading straight for Isaac as it hurled through the air in blinding speed. While this was happening, Sunset could see all of this happening as she saw her friend fighting to save her.

"Isaac... help me pleaaase!!!!" shouted Sunset as that last shot image was enough to fully break free of her mind control. "Aah!!" A pillar of light came from Sunset as the source of the mind control was starting to dwindle.

"What's happening? No... no! My control! I'm losing control!" shouted the Tantabus as it felt its grip on Sunset's mind slipping away until it could no longer.

"Get the hell out of my head!!!!" shouted Sunset.

"This can't be happening!!!! No, seems Sunset's will was too powerful to overcome! NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!" shouted the presence as it was obliterated by Sunset's power and disappeared forever.

Meanwhile from the shadows, the mysterious figure was watching the duel as they were seeing what was happening. They just simply had a disappointed look on their face. "Seems even it was too weak to control the mind of one who holds the value of friendship."

"Isaac!" said Sunset in her normal voice.

"You did it!" said Isaac as he was happy to see her safe. I knew her heart was too strong to be controlled. There's only one thing left to do! "Trap card... activate! Mystical Refpanel will stop Meteor of Destruction!" Isaac's then was able to suck in the power of the meteor as it held it in place. "My trap card has absorbed the effects of the card! Now my Mystical Refpanel can redirect the meteor's attack to wherever I want! I'm not gonna put you in danger, Sunset Not after all this."

"... Isaac." spoke Sunset softly.

"It's alright, and now I have to put an end to this duel. There's not much time left..." said Isaac as the counter was now reaching the final 20 seconds, "If one of us doesn't win, then we'll both be pulled under, and there's no way I'm gonna let that happen, Sunset!"

"What are you saying, Isaac?"

"I'm saying I've decided to save you, Sunny. There's no point in both of us going down. And if I lose, you're safe."

"But... I can't let you do this, Isaac."

"It's my decision." said Isaac as he felt tears falling down his eyes. "Just promise me, you'll look after the others. So now..."

"No, Isaac!"

"Take care of our friends. Now it's time!" shouted Isaac as he was crying. "Refpanel direct your attack towards me!" Isaac's card then turned towards Isaac as it shot the powerful meteor straight at him.

"Isaac!" shouted Sunset as she watched her friend take the bullet for her while shedding some tears of her own.

Isaac took the attack head on as he closed his eyes and accepted his fate. The attack caused Isaac to fall down as his jacket and cap were blown off of him and he was left with even more scuffs along his fur. With that Isaac's counter reached zero as the box on Sunset's side opened up to reveal a key.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Sunset looked down and saw the object in front of her. The key. But I can't just save myself! I gotta help Isaac, too! Sunset looked up and saw the timer had counted down and registered a loser as it reset and now 30 seconds appeared until it would pull Isaac into the ocean.

"Sunset, free yourself now..." said Isaac as he was worn out and looked at his friend, "... you've only got 30 seconds to make it out... then the anchor falls... you have to unlock your chains now... come on, Sunset... hurry... before the anchor falls and pulls you under..." said Isaac as he removed his duel disk from his leg as he made sure to protect his deck and let them live.

"Err! Forget it! No way, am I letting you become fish food! We're in this together Isaac, and there's no way I'm letting you take the fall. We're gonna make it out of this! Ohh! Don't give up, Isaac... I'll think of something!" At the moment, a thought occurred in her brain. That's it! Meteor of Destruction has another effect... since Isaac has a monster on the field, I can force it to attack me. This duel isn't over yet! "Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" shouted Sunset as her dragon looked at its mistress and was happy to see she was okay. "Attack! Wipe out my life points, so Isaac's key will be revealed!" Red-Eyes heard Sunset's request as the fire in its eyes burned as it obeyed and fired an attack as it made contact with Sunset as she now had some scuffs on her coat.
Sunset's Life Points: 0

Winner: Draw

Good old Red-Eyes, thanks buddy. Sunset then saw her dragon disappear as it gave one last growl as it was happy to have its mistress back. "Isaac, you've always been the one to save people, well now it's my turn." Sunset then took off the duel disk she was wearing and tossed it as she looked to save Isaac. But the moment she bent down to grab the key with her magic, the timer ran out and with a sudden jerk, pulled both ponies into the water as the anchor dropped at a fast speed with the help of gravity. Both ponies were now underwater as Sunset was still conscious as she saw Isaac just floating there.

"Isaac! I'll save you!" spoke Sunset through a spell as she was talking while she held her breath.

"It's alright, Sunset." spoke Isaac as he used his magic to quickly snatch the key from Sunset as he unlocked her chains and pushed her to float back to the surface.

"No! Isaac!" shouted Sunset as she couldn't believe that Isaac would do that.

"Well, seems I won't be able to make it back home. My friends, mami and papi, I'm sorry. Looks like your son isn't coming back." was all Isaac said as he closed his eyes and let the anchor pull him into the ocean as he drifted away.

"Hurry!" shouted a voice as that was the last thing Isaac heard as a dark silhouette appeared in front of him. After that everything was black.

"Give him some oxygen!" said a voice.

Soon Isaac started to hear some voices as he slowly started to see some light. It then surrounded him as it caused him to open his eyes and he saw Sunset who was pumping his chest up and down as she put her mouth to his as she was giving him some CPR. That caused Isaac to let out a cough as bits of water and spit were shot out of his mouth as he got the flow of oxygen into his system as he took some deep breaths.

"Isaac!" shouted Sunset.

"Hey... what..."

"You're safe." shouted Sunset as she wrapped the colt in a hug. "I thought you were going to die."

"What happened?" asked Isaac.

"You were sucked into the ocean." said another voice which happen to be Twilight and the rest of their friends along with Spike.

"Twilight? You're here." said Isaac.

"Of course! After I read that note you left me, I immediately had Spike gather the others and we all hopped onto the next train to Baltimare. We arrived at the last moment, when the timer reached zero and the anchor dropped. So we rushed over and that's when Sunset came up from the water. She then told us that you were still under and you didn't have your key, so just as Dash was about to grab it and dive down. Something happened."

"Your deck started to glow." said Spike as he held Isaac's duel disk in his tiny arms.

"Huh?" Isaac then looked up in the sky as he saw his Dark Magician. "Mahad, you..."

"Yes, master."

"Thank you." was all Isaac said as he was glad his most loyal monster was willing to rescue him.

"It's my duty to protect you, now and forever." said Mahad as he floated down and bent down to look at his master. "I will always be there."

"Thanks, my friend." said Isaac as he extended his hoof out and Mahad grabbed it with his hand as they looked at each other and were grateful to have the other in their lives. With that, Mahad disappeared back into Isaac's deck as he was left with a smile on his face.

"Let's go home, y'all." stated Applejack.

It was about midnight when they arrived back in Ponyville as everypony was glad they were able to track down Sunset and bring her home safety. Isaac had entered his room when he saw Sunset was sitting on his bed as she had wanted to talk with him. He then made his may over as he took a seat next to the orange mare.

"Listen, I'm sorry for how I acted. I... I... just couldn't help it. It was messing with my mind."

"I understand, but I never gave up on you. I knew the bond of our friendship was strong, whoever they were that thought they could control your mind, left out the biggest mistake. Your heart, as long as we remember the bonds we've forged with each other, that's where the real magic comes from. You were able to pull through and show just what kind of magic you have inside." said Isaac. "And I've told you before, that I never give up on my friends."

"And I'm grateful to have someone like you in my life. Thanks, Isaac." smiled Sunset as she brought the colt into a hug.

Isaac wrapped his hooves around the mare as she nuzzled against his neck and held the unicorn. Sunset then brought her face to look at Isaac as she leaned in and made contact with his lips. She then used her magic as she removed his cap and jacket off of Isaac as she put her hooves on Isaac's chest as she pushed him on his bed. Sunset then got on top of Isaac as she began to nibble on the colt's mane and eventually made her way to his ears. Isaac followed Sunset's actions as he started to move his hooves along Sunset's body as he got her to evoke some sexy moans of pleasure. Once Isaac made it to her backside and massaged her flanks, Sunset felt it as she pulled a bit tightly on Isaac's ear as she let out a moan. She then looked at Isaac as she gave him a seductive grin. Sunset then brought her muzzle to make contact with Isaac's as she continued to kiss him as Isaac just kept rubbing her flank as she let out sounds of pleasure into Isaac's mouth. After sometime, she removed her lips as Sunset looked at the colt she had pinned down; she then placed her head under Isaac's chin as they both closed their eyes and for the rest of the night they stayed like that embraced in each other's arms as they kept one another safe.

Chapter 124: Battle Royale

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 125: Goodbye Equestria

Author's Note

The first half of this story was going to be a part of the previous chapter, but given how long it was already getting not to mention that I was tired when I finished writing it at the moment. I decided to move it to the next chapter, so that I could have more content for this chapter. Especially, cause there are things in here that set up for the next story arc. Now another thing, depending when you consider the start of this adventure to be whether chapter 99 or 100; if you count them up too this point then that's essentially roughly 26 chapters. And if it were to translate into a chapter equals an episode, then that's essentially 26 episodes which is about the same amount as a season of MLP. So in a weird pseudo, I created a season of MLP. Now was this intentionally when I made the story arc, no. It just happened to work out that way. But regardless, hope you all enjoyed it. We've got a few chapters in between now and the next arc, so I'll see you all till then.

Chapter 125: Goodbye Equestria

The light was so bright it caused everyone to shield their eyes. It lasted for a solid two minutes as all that was seen was a huge white explosion. Soon it died down. Isaac had his eyes closed as he slowly opened them and to his surprise, he was back in his pony form. In fact, he was lying on the ground as the grass touched his muzzle. He lifted his head and looked to see that the others were back in their normal forms as they too laid around him. Isaac then looked at his surroundings and saw that they were now back in Ponyville.

Isaac noticed the device that had transformed into the chest plate he was wearing had now been damaged and was destroyed as it crumbled into millions of pieces. Soon the others began to stir as they shook off the effect of the battle as the magic that encompassed all of them had helped to heal their wounds. Even Sunset's duel disk had been fixed due to the magic; Isaac then looked in front of him as all of his monsters that he summoned to protect his friends were all looking at their master. They didn't say anything other than a simple smile to which Isaac returned. They soon all got on their knees and bowed their heads towards Isaac as they all showed their commitment and loyalty to their great master. Isaac did his duty as he lifted his hoof up to show his response. After that they all disappeared and soon the spirits of the Big 4 appeared as they too were impressed with what Isaac did in choosing to stand by his friends. They all extended their fists out to which Isaac did the same as they all shared one big collective smile. Soon they all disappeared as Isaac was left by himself.

"So... did we win?" asked Fluttershy.

"Hey, check it out guys! We're back." said Rainbow as she lifted herself off of the ground and started to flap her wings.

"We did it!" said Pinkie as she jumped into the air and had confetti explode.

"So, let's never do that again." suggested Spike.

With that the rest of the group all let out a collective sigh of relief followed by a rowdy response of laughter. With that they all decided to head home as they were exhausted from their latest adventure and just wanted to enjoy the peace. So in the end, the entire group all headed towards their respective homes as they would meet in the morning to see Isaac and Sunset be off.

Up above the moon was high as it covered the land in a beautiful light. However, on top of one of the buildings was the mysterious figure who had used their magic to watch the entire battle. Safe to say they excepted the outcome but the way Isaac had managed to secure the victory for his team was one they didn't see coming. Nevertheless, they still had a smile on their face.

"The battle to determine which challenger is worthy has ended. The Tantabus chose to sacrifice his allies in order to further its own strength, while Isaac sought to protect his friends even at the cost of his victory. That difference decided their fates. Isaac has proven his worth of being called a 'leader'." said the figure. "However, the paradox of a true leader is that 'he who is deserving of the power to unite mankind can do so without it.' And Isaac proved he could do just that. And now that he's leaving, it means I can carry out my plan without any distractions. Farewell, Isaac. And Twilight... I'll be waiting for you, very soon." The figure then slipped into the shadows and was gone almost as if they weren't there. But before they vanished, they used their magic as they held the time travel scroll and had a sinister smile on their face.

The sun was starting to come up as the rays of Celestia's morning light touched the land as Luna's moonlight slowly departed. The sound of the birds chirping and a rooster was enough to signal that a new day had arrived. And with that arrival comes departure. Isaac sat up in his bed as he let out a yawn and looked at his room.

"Today's the day." said Isaac. He knew that today was the day he would return home, but it was also when he would have to say goodbye to Equestria and all the friends he made. So Isaac put on his jacket and cap as he looked at his deck for one final time. "It's hasn't been that long since I've been gone, but it sure feels like it. Well, time to go home." Soon it started to glow as Mahad and Mana appeared before their master.

"Our time in this land was come full circle." stated Mahad. "Still it was an eventful trip that I'll never forget."

"I guess that means no more cuddles." said Mana as she had a sad smile that she wouldn't get to pet her master anymore.

"Fraid not." smiled Isaac. "But... go on."

"Yes!" Mana then grabbed Isaac as she began to pet his mane while she snuggled him into her arms. "I'm gonna miss you as a cute little pony."

"Hey, now. I'm still be me, Mana. Besides, isn't it better that I'm a human?"

"You're right. As long as I get to show my affection for you, it doesn't matter what form you take. You'll always belong to me." smiled Mana as she planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

"Same here, Mana." said Isaac as he was brought into another hug by his magician.

"Can I get in on this action?" asked Black Arts Trickster as she appeared.

"Pretty please, Isaac?" asked Mage Annette as she looked at him with pleading eyes.

"Sure why not." said Isaac as all of his female spellcasters appeared as they started to pet and rub Isaac's mane. He then saw his Black Robe Mentalist as she was simply standing away from the others as she looked on. "Don't you want to give me a petting?"

"Not my style." said Black Robe Mentalist in her goth voice.

"Ignore her, Isaac. She's all dark and brooding. She clearly doesn't know how to have fun." said Mirage Magician.

"Hey, I'm fun. In fact, I'm filled with joy. Look at my face." said Black Robe Mentalist as she had a cold-dead panned look.

"Right." said Mana as she felt a bit creeped out.

"Besides, I want to go home and read my spellbooks." said Black Robe Mentalist as she levitated towards Isaac. She just simply patted his cap. "There I gave him a petting, now leave me alone." With that she disappeared as the other females were stunned while Isaac just smiled.

Soon the others disappeared as they prepared for the trip home. Isaac then put his cards back in his saddle bag as he checked himself one last time in the mirror. With that he exited out of the room as he headed towards the dining room. Once he got there, Isaac was welcomed to the sight of a grand feast as all the breakfast foods you could think of were all prepared. Soon Sunset came in as she too was surprised by what she saw, eventually out came Twilight and Spike as they had prepared the feast as a way to say thanks for the pair. They even invited the others as they all wanted to share one last meal with the two before they saw them off. After they all finished eating, they all helped Twilight and Spike in cleaning up as they washed the dishes and sweeped the floor. Once all that was done, they all headed outside as they started to trek towards the train station. They purchased some tickets to Canterlot as they awaited for the train. It didn't take long as soon the train pulled into the station as they all boarded. And with that they were well on their way to Canterlot.

They arrived at the city as everypony that lived there was going about their day as usual. The group all exited the train as Isaac and Sunset all took in the sights of this city one last time. With that they began to walk towards the castle as they prepared for the final leg of their journey. The castles guards recognized the group as they were given orders by the princesses. Once they saw them, they immediately went to inform Princess Celestia and Princess Luna who simply gave a nod and told them that they would be there shortly. The guards then led the group to a waiting room as they informed that the princesses would be arriving shortly. It didn't take long as both Celestia and Luna arrived as it caused everypony to bow down, even Isaac.

"At ease, my little ponies. Sunset, Isaac." stated Princess Celestia.

"Yes, your highness?" asked both of them in unison.

"I can't express how grateful I am of what you two were able to do." said the princess of the sun.

"You showed valor, courage, and most importantly, bravery. You were able to stare danger in the face and not back down." said Princess Luna. "The dedication you've both shown in helping us to rid Equestria of these Duel Monsters and restore peace to the balance of the universe. That is without question the highest honor anypony can do."

"We're glad to have helped you." said Sunset.

"But it wasn't just us, without the help of our friends, we probably wouldn't be successful." said Isaac as he looked back at the group. "Together we were able to overcome the darkness and restore the light in this world."

"I have no doubt that you all did an excellent job. Thank you, all of you." smiled Princess Celestia.

"Now then, it's time. Come along." said Princess Luna as she and her sister led the group to the Royal Library as they wanted to show them something.

They opened the doors and passed several bookshelves until they came to a piece of the room that was bare and leaning against the wall was a mirror. The group was surprised by what they saw as they had more questions than answers.

"This mirror here will allow the two of you to return home. Normally, it only works every 30 thirty moons, but we were able to modify it so that we it activate at any given moment, simply powered by this book." said Princess Celestia as she placed the piece of literature onto of the mirror as it magical properties started to make the mirror power up as it lit up and soon a portal was shown in the reflection.

"Now the link between your world and ours has been connected." said Princess Luna. "For safety reasons, we've entrusted Twilight to be the keeper of this mirror as it'll be transport to her room once you all leave."

"So, this really is it?" asked Isaac.

"Yup." nodded Sunset.

"Once we step through that, we'll never come back?" asked Isaac.

"Like I said, the link between our worlds has been connected. So in theory, you should be able to cross back into our world just as you did the first time. In theory. But even so, it's best to keep this world a secret to avoid any unpleasant attention."

"We understand." said Sunset. "Well, thank you. Princess Celestia. I was able to come back and full repent for all that I did as your student. If I could take it all back, I would do so."

"I forgive you, Sunset Shimmer." said Celestia as she gave her a motherly hug. "While I admit, it was tough not having you by my side, it seems you're decision allowed you to have something else happen in your life. You met some incredible friends and someone who helped you to escape the darkness. For that I'm a bit grateful that you got to experience the magic of friendship in your own way. I couldn't be more proud."

Isaac had approached Princess Luna as he looked at the nighttime princess. "Catch you around."

"Be seeing you later." smiled Luna as she stuck her hoof out to which Isaac did the same as they did a hoof bump. "But before you go, maybe one last time."

"Well then..." smiled Isaac. Soon he started to make sound with his mouth as Luna started to mimic his mouth movements as she too made some sounds. Eventually they both were beatboxing as the others were shocked by what they saw.

"Cuh, ss, cuh, cuh, cuh, ss, cuh, cuh, cuh. Ss, cuh, cuh, cuh, ss, ss, ss." sounded Luna as she used her mouth to beatbox.

"Woah!" said Isaac.

"Cuh, ss, cuh, cuh, cuh, ss, cuh, cuh, cuh. Ss, ss, ss, ss." continued Luna.

"Oh, Luna, I love that beat. Everything you beatbox sounds so sweet, but can you see what I see?" rapped Isaac in time of Luna's beatboxing. "You're using the sounds of hard and soft c. Cuh, as in cacophony or coal, cupcakes, calories. I can't control. Can you call me before you go?"

"Caw, caw." said Luna.

"Was that a canary or a crow? Soft c is also nice at the end of words like rice or twice. It sounds like an s, but take my advice. Sometimes you need a soft c to add that spice." said Isaac as he was still freestyle rapping.

"Cuh, cuh, cuh, cuh, ss, ss, ss, ss, ss. Cuh." beatboxed Luna in a faster pace.

"And when the sounds work together, the circus is in town. They run circles around this ground. The other letters fall back. This is just a little hard c, soft c practice." finished Isaac as Luna reached the end of their little activity.

The others were stunned by what they saw Luna and Isaac did as it blew their minds. Even Celestia was shocked by what her little sister just did as she didn't expect her own sister to have a hidden talent in whatever she just did with Isaac. They soon put it in the back of their minds as they prepared to say goodbye to Isaac and Sunset. They both stepped up onto the platform as they put their hooves on the mirror as it fizzled and phased through just like the first time. The others all approached the pair as they had tears in their eyes.

"Hey!" called out Dash. "Gonna miss you, geek."

"Have a safe trip, sugarcubes." said Applejack as she tipped her hat.

"Hope we'll see you again." smiled Fluttershy.

"Take care darlings." responded Rarity.

"Hope you don't forget us." mentioned Pinkie.

"Gonna miss seeing you both." spoke Spike. "And thanks for teaching me how to duel. And the deck."

"No problem." smiled Isaac. He then turned towards Twilight who stepped forward and looked at the colt. Nothing was said as both ponies looked at each other in the eyes. Nothing.

"Hey."

"Hey." responded Twilight. "I... I... I..."

"Hey, just say what's on your mind?" spoke Isaac in a assuring voice.

"I... I'm gonna miss you. I never felt like this towards anypony else. And I doubt I ever will, but if that's the case, then I'm glad to have met you." Twilight then gave Isaac a hug as she cried into his chest as Isaac felt the wetness from her tears against his fur. "I wish you could stay here with me."

"Me too, but we both know I can't. I'm gonna miss you too, Twilight." said Isaac as he let out a few tears of his own as he petted her mane. "You gave me a sense of comfort while I was away from the people that love me. For that, I'll always cherish the time we spent together. All the memories we made, I won't ever forget them." Isaac then looked at the princess' face as he grabbed both of them with his hooves and wiped the tears out of her eyes. He then brought her in as he captured her lips as both shared one final passionate kiss. The others just smiled as Isaac retracted from Twilight as he looked at her and gave a smile.

"I'll miss you." spoke Twilight.

"Here, take this." said Isaac as he opened his saddle bag and pulled out some cards as he gave one to Twilight and the rest to each of the girls. "Something to remember me by." said Isaac as the card he gave the group was Kuriboh but they were all different colors. Soon their spirits came out as they nuzzled against the girls as they all laughed and smiled. "And hey, if this world is parallel to mine, then maybe there's the Equestria version of me."

"I'll check it out." smiled Twilight as she stepped down from the platform and joined the others.

"Farewell, you two." said Princess Celestia.

"Ready to go, boy toy?" asked Sunset.

"Ready." said Isaac. Sunset then stepped through the portal as she disappeared. Isaac took a step forward but before taking one last look at his friends. He knew whether or not he would ever see them or come back to this world, but he still kept a smile on his face. So with that he stepped through the portal and disappeared.

In an instant Isaac found himself helplessly adrift weightlessly in a blinding sea of spiraling colors. His body felt itself twist and bend in ways his understanding of physiology would deem impossible, screaming throughout the dimensional dive as he went spiraling towards a light at the center of everything… Upon entering the light at the end of the spiraling vortex, Isaac felt sore, both physically and mentally. His body felt strange and his mind and senses addled, at this point only capable of feeling the pull of gravity as he lay on something hard. His sense of touch could at best describe the feeling as if lying on solid concrete.

"Guess that means we're back." said Isaac as he lifted his head off of the ground as he rubbed it.

"Yup." said Sunset as she was standing in front of the boy as she was wearing her normal attire. She then offered him a hand as she helped the boy back to his feet. They looked at the building in front of them and sure enough it was CHS. "Well, you better go home. I know your family is worried about you."

"Yeah, well I'll call you later, Sunset." said Isaac as he waved goodbye to his friend and started to head home. Despite, being gone for quite awhile, Isaac was able to remember where he lived as he soon found himself at the doorsteps of his home. He soon reached into his pockets as he found his house keys and slotted them in as he opened the door. Once he opened it, he was greeted to the sound of arms hugging him as his parents were glad to see their son.

"Welcome home." said Isaac's dad.

"We've been worried that you wouldn't return." responded Isaac's mom. "So, how was your trip with Sunset?"

"It was fine. It's just good to be back. I missed you guys." said Isaac as he closed his eyes and just felt the warm embrace from his family. He then made his way to his room as Tigre was sleeping on his bed as he gave he woke her up as she let out a meow. "Hope I didn't worry you too much, girl." responded Isaac.

"Meow." was all she said as she rubbed against his hand as she let out a purr.

Isaac then fell on his bed as he took out his deck and place it on his side table as he let out a sigh of relief. "I'm home."

After a couple of hours being back, Isaac received a text from Sunset saying that she needed him to cover over to her house. She didn't say much, so Isaac replied that he would be over. Soon after 20 minutes, Isaac found himself at the doorstep of Sunset's house. He then knocked on the door and was immediately pulled in by a huge force as he fell to the floor as he felt something pressed against his chest. He looked and saw that it was none other than Twilight as she pressed herself against him as she was hugging him tightly.

"You're back!" said Twilight.

"Yeah, I..." was all Isaac could get out before Twilight put her lips hard against Isaac's as she closed her eyes and let out a moan of pleasure. Soon Isaac closed his eyes as he wrapped his arms around his nerdy girlfriend.

"I can't tell you, just how much I missed you."

"Same here." responded Isaac. Twilight then allowed her boyfriend to get up as he saw that it wasn't just her, but all of their friends.

"Pinkie put together a surprise 'Welcome Back' party the moment I entered my house. So she asked me to invite you." said Sunset.

"Figures. So when did you get here?" asked Isaac.

"Well, sugar. We got here just yesterday. But seein' as how you and Sunset weren't back from your little trip. Pinkie wanted to throw a little get together." stated Applejack.

"So where did you guys go?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, just nowhere important." Sunset then looked at Isaac as she gave him a wink.

After being reunited with their friends, the group began to make plans for the remainder of the summer as they knew that once school started they would then enter their final year and eventually go their separate ways. The following day, Isaac had left his house as he had a lot of things he needed to take care of that required his attention. The first item was with his boss. Mr. Johnson had arrived a week ago from visiting his niece and was looking for his employee. His parents had informed him that their son was currently away on a trip and would be back soon.

Isaac had got in contact with Mr. Johnson when he got back home and he informed Isaac that he wanted to have a talk with the teen that pertained about his job and the future of the store. Isaac was a bit confused on what his boss meant as he feared the worse. Now he was in front of the store as he opened the door and made his way to the counter. It didn't take long as Isaac saw Mr. Johnson at the counter as he was restocking the card packs.

"You wanted to see me, Mr. Johnson?"

"Ahh, Isaac. Welcome back and yes, there's something I need to discuss with you." Mr. Johnson then told Isaac to follow him to the storage area in the back. "Dominick, take care of things for a bit." said Mr. Johnson as he addressed a boy who was 2 years younger than Isaac.

"Yes, uncle." replied Dominick.

"Is your nephew visiting?" asked Isaac.

"Actually my sister asked me if he could live with me. She wants to teach him some responsibility, so she asked me if I could take him in and have him work in my store. Also cause he'll be enrolling at CHS in the fall." stated Mr. Johnson as they entered the storage area. Isaac closed the door as Mr. Johnson stood in front of him.

"So what is it that you want to talk about?"

"Isaac, I remember when you started working here about a year ago. Before you came along, I was but a simple, old man who had nothing but his store to keep him company. Not to mention cards that reminded him of his youth. Then you came along and well, this store has seen success that I haven't seen since my father ran this store." said Mr. Johnson.

"Thanks for the kind words." said Isaac.

"You deserve it. But I also want to talk about your future, I know that once school starts up, that's it. Your finally a senior and after that it's graduation, which means your life will begin. And I can tell that you have a general path that you want to pursue for the rest of your life."

"Yeah. At first, it was a bit unclear. But after a recent experience, I am now no longer afraid of the path that's to come." mentioned Isaac.

"I want nothing but the best for you, my boy. And that's why, I want to say congratulations." Mt. Johnson then stuck his hand out. "You are now officially the co-owner of this store."

"Sir? You're joking, right?" asked Isaac as he couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"I'm serious. My age is starting to catch up and well, I can't keep this up. So I figured that when the time comes for me to step down, I want to make sure that I give my business to someone who can keep this place running and make it better. So I've chosen that person to be you." stated Mr. Johnson.

Isaac didn't know what to say as he was shocked to hear this announcement as all he could say was, "Thank you. I promise to make sure that when you fully retire, I'll make this the best card shop in Canterlot for all to come. Even when I start my career as a pro, I promise to keep this place in shape." said Isaac as he shook Mr. Johnson's hand.

"I knew I made the right choice." smiled Mr. Johnson. He then pulled out some papers as he signed them and then gave it to Isaac so he could put his signature. Isaac grabbed the pen and then signed the document.

After some more business papers to go over, Isaac was now a co-owner of the store as he talked with Mr. Johnson and his nephew about some ideas he was thinking about. Safe to say that Mr. Johnson was pleased with his decision as he knew that Isaac was the right choice; after meeting with his boss, Isaac said his goodbye as he had some other things he needed to take care of.

"So, you're sure that this is what you want to do?" asked a women in a suit.

"I'm positive." said Isaac.

"Very well, now let me just run the final numbers." stated the women as she punched somethings into her computer as she went over the proper paperwork. "Alright, now all that's left is to discuss the cost."

Isaac then pulled out some stacks of cash from the pockets of his hoodie as he placed them on the table for the women to see. "Name your price." smiled Isaac.

Once the cash was accounted for, the women gave a document to Isaac and a set of keys. Isaac thanked the women for her assistance and told her somethings he wanted for her to do. She told him that she would agree to his request and should have it finished very soon. Isaac then exited the office building as he looked at his watch and saw that it was already 3pm.

"Well, one more stop." said Isaac as he had one more thing to take care of.

Isaac was now walking as he soon found himself in front of his destination. To think that this was the same place on where it all started and where he would soon end his journey. But this time, he was now walking into the place with a different purpose in mind. Isaac then looked at the doors of the building as they opened up and standing there was the person with whom he wanted to talk with. Principal Celestia had heard about Isaac returning as it was he himself who informed her that he had arrived from his 'trip' with Sunset. Isaac then approached the tall women as they stared at each other; nothing was said as they both locked eyes with each other. Their last encounter had them both ending on not so friendly terms, but this time the situation was different. Isaac soon gave a small smile as he looked at his beloved principal.

"Are you ready?" asked Principal Celestia.

"Yes." said Isaac with confidence as he started to enter the building with Principal Celestia following behind him. As they were walking, they passed a hallway that had a tons of pictures that had all of Isaac's duels and adventures that he had encountered at his time of attending CHS. While Isaac was looking at the photos, some gently music was starting to play as Celestia walked alongside Isaac as she began to sing.

As the song was starting to wind down, Isaac found himself at the end of a hallway as he placed his hand on the door as he let out a deep breath. He then opened it as both he and Celestia entered the room with Luna already waiting for them. The door closed and they got to talking about something. The conversation took nearly about 5 hours, but in the end, they had all reached a conclusion.

"Do you expect this to work?" stated Principal Celestia.

"I'm confident in this idea." said Isaac.

"The process will be tedious, but it could work. The question is: do you really want to be responsibility for this? Need I remind you Isaac, if anything unfortunate happens, it could affect you and this school."

"That's a risk, I'm willing to take, Luna. I know the dangers that can come with this decision, but I know the benefits that will occur if this is successful. Not to mention my destiny, I've still got some last minute things I need to do before I leave. And this is one of them."

"Very well, I'll let the board know." said Celestia.

"Good, once we get approved. Luna, I want you to start reviewing the applicants and then send them all to me, I'll make the final picks." stated Isaac.

"Consider it done." said Luna.

Isaac then began to stand up from his chair and was starting to leave when Celestia called out to him.

"Isaac! Welcome back, and welcome to the business." smiled Celestia.

"We look forward to seeing what you have planned for your final year." said Luna as she too had a smile.

"I can promise you ladies, that this year will be like no other. And not just me as a student, but also as champion." said Isaac.

"And as for the offer I made you." said Luna.

"Keep me posted, then once you've got the details, inform me." said Isaac as he was referring to Luna's request that she asked of him. Isaac then exited the doors as he left the building and looked up at the sky. Isaac just had a smile on his face as he knew that he was about to start his final year as a student, and to be honest with all that he was doing and had planned, he was really looking forward to it.

The city of Chicoltgo was busy as ever as ponies were going about their normal day. Not to mention that it was currently pouring as everything and everypony was being rained on as they rushed to get to their destination. One particular pony was walking along the sidewalk as he had some saddlebags on him as he casted a rain shield over them to keep the things inside dry. Soon he approached his home as he opened the door and put his bags on the floor. He then took off his rainboots and took of his raincoat as he put them to dry.

"Man, the pegasi weren't kidding. It really is coming down." said the colt. "Well, at least I got the shopping done." The colt then entered his kitchen as he used his magic to put the stuff in the cupboards. After that he then started to head upstairs as he entered his room. "Can't wait to just relax and play some..." the pony didn't get to finish what he was saying as he had to blink at the sight in front of him.

"Oh, you're home. I was beginning to wonder when you would arrive. Hope you don't mind, but I kept myself busy by reading one of your books." said Twilight as she was sitting in one of the chairs.

"Uh... uh... uhm..." was all the colt could say as he didn't know what surprised him more. The fact that their was a mare in his house, more specifically, in his room or the fact that the mare was none other than Princess Twilight herself.

"Oh, my bad. Sorry for entering your house. Anyways my name is..."

"Princess Twilight." said the colt. "I know who you are."

"Oh, right." said Twilight as her cheeks turned red from embarrassment. "I mean, why wouldn't you know who I am."

"Well, we here in Chicoltgo aren't too invested in the royalty of Canterlot. But we do know when something drastic happens in Equestria. Like the ascension of a new princess." said the colt.

"I see." said Twilight. "Well, you have a nice and cozy home... Isaac."

"How do you know my name?" asked the colt.

"Let's say, that we've met before. Well, not you per say, but another you. That and well I did some digging in my library and ran some cross-references in the Chicoltgo archives." smiled Twilight.

"You know, as strange as that sounds, I kinda believe you." said Isaac. "But why are you here? What could the princess of friendship want with a nopony like me? I'm not special, I just run a simple 9 to 5 job."

"Well, let's say that... you've caught my eye." Twilight then got off from her chair as she approached Isaac.

She could see the resemblance that both had as it brought back some memories for the purple mare as she had a smile. She then put her hoof on the colt's chest as Isaac didn't move her hoof, instead he let the princess do her thing. Twilight then moved her neck in close as she nuzzled it against Isaac's as she closed her eyes and let out a happy sigh. To Isaac he found it strange that the princess was doing this, but a part of him found it comforting as he too closed his eyes. Soon they pulled back as both ponies were staring at each other, Twilight then let her body move on its own as she brought her muzzle in and made contact with Isaac's as she kissed him. Isaac didn't know what was happening, but he wasn't complaining as one of the princesses of Equestria was actually kissing him. He thought it was all a dream, but it was actually real. So he put some more into kissing the purple mare as he feared that once he broke contact, she would be gone. Both then broke apart to catch some air, as Isaac brought his hoof up as he brushed the mare's mane as she let out a moan of pleasure from the way Isaac was stroking her mane.

"You know, that felt right." said Isaac.

"Yeah." smiled Twilight. "Well, I should probably leave. Don't want to bother you anymore and sorry for sneaking into your home." Twilight then started to make her way to the door.

"Wait." called out Isaac as he made his way over to the princess. "Look... it's raining... and the train station is probably already closed... and the trip alone is pretty far to Ponyville. So, I mean... I did some grocery shopping, so if you want to stay..."

"That sounds like a nice idea." smiled the princess as she looked at the colt.

"Great." smiled Isaac.

Twilight then put her head against the colt's chest as she let out a sigh as she listened to his heartbeat. She then looked at the stallion as she gave one last quick kiss to him as she left through the door as she gave him a wink. Isaac was left with a stunned look on his face as he tried to process what just occurred in the last few moments.

Is this real? Is Princess Twilight actually in my home? And did she just... kiss me? Me? A regular colt? Isaac's brain was started to malfunction as he tried to figure out what all of this meant. What does she mean, I've caught her eye? I never meant her in person until just a few moments ago. Maybe, this is all just a dream, what would she ever see in colt like me?

"Hey, you coming?" called out Twilight.

"Yeah, yeah. Just give me a few moments." responded Isaac. "I guess I better just go with it, and hope for the best. But seriously, me with a princess? That just seems so farfetched." Isaac then began to make his way down the stairs as he looked at Twilight who just stood there with a genuine smile as it highlighted her natural beauty which caused Isaac to have his heart flutter a bit. For the rest of the time, the two of them began to talk and eat as they learned a bit more about each other.

Chapter 126: Anniversary

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 127: End of an Era

The days rolled by as the town of Canterlot moved on. During that time, the girls all started to bring over some stuff from their parent's house to implement in their rooms. Even Twilight brought Spike to the new house as he seemed to take a liking towards it, especially cause Isaac had brought Tigre over to now explore her new playground; Isaac had to make the strict rule that he not mess up the furniture and that he take his business outside. They even told each of their parents about what Isaac did as they invited them over to view the house. Safe to say they were impressed with what they saw as they liked what he did. They all wanted to make plans, but the girls immediately told them no as it was their home and not their parents. As for Isaac, he was glad the girls enjoyed the present he got for them, though he still had yet to finish his room as it was still bare. Mostly, cause Isaac would always return to his parent's house as he was always tired from his shift at work.

Regardless, the girls all liked it as they made sure to take good care of Isaac's home that he paid for with his money. Soon Isaac got a text from someone as he noticed the date was fast approaching. He informed Mr. Johnson that he would be away for a few days as he would be taking a trip. The day came as Vice-Principal Luna appeared in front of his parent's house as Isaac grabbed his backpack and walked out of the door and got in the car as Luna drove off.

"So, are you excited?" asked Luna.

"A little, to be honest, I haven't been dueling as much since I've gained my new responsibilities at work and presenting the girls with the house. Not to mention that I'm still waiting on the other thing I asked from you and your sister. Speaking of which, how's it coming along since we last talked?" asked Isaac.

"We're nearly done. We should have the finals ones admitted by the end of the week, after that I'll send them to you for the final selection."

"Good, I can't thank you enough Luna. I promise that this idea I have is going to benefit Canterlot High." stated Isaac as he looked out of the car window and prepared for the long trip to Manehattan.

It had been about a year or so ago, since the pair was last in Manehattan as the last time they visited was due to the special trip Celestia had planned for the group. After driving for a couple of hours, they arrived in Manehattan as the city was still as busying as ever. They arrived at the hotel they were staying as they check into their rooms; once Isaac got unpacked, he then made his way to Luna's room as she wanted to go over some last minute details.

"So I just received word that a very special guest will be arriving tomorrow."

"What, who?" asked Isaac as he didn't expect this.

"That is something I can't tell you." smiled Luna smugly.

"Come on, I want to know." pleaded Isaac.

"My lips are sealed." stated Luna with a firm tone. "Besides, it's not like it matters, we need to focus on the event itself."

"I guess, I mean when you first mention that the dueling committee was promoting you to be in an exhibition duel, I was surprised. I know you still compete on the pro circuit even after Celestia retired all those months ago, but to find out that you personally wanted me to be your opponent, how can I not jump at that opportunity." said Isaac as he smiled with wonder in his eyes.

"Yes, well I thought it might be best to give you your first exposure at what a real duel in the competitive scene feels like. Which means they'll be tons more people coming to see our duel. Way more than when you competed in front of your hometown." stated Luna.

"Trust me that was a huge number, but this is going to be even bigger. Oh, I can't wait for us to battle." said Isaac.

"I'm excited too." smiled Luna I just hope that you can give me what I want.

The next day arrived as it was the day of the big duel. Tons of people were already lined up outside of the arena where the even would take place as they too were ecstatic. More so cause they were hardcore Luna fans as they loved everything about her, due to her popularity, Luna had earned the nickname the Phantom Princess, due to the deck she used as well as her love for the nighttime. Regardless, there were several little girls who had decided to dress up as Luna with their hair dye her color as they held signs and poster to show their love for their favorite duelist. But the crowd was also excited because of who Luna's opponent was. They didn't know much about Isaac, since he hadn't made any buzz when it came to the pro circuit. But there were rumblings that this boy was able to defeat the current world champion in Shining Armor when he was still a student at Crystal Prep, though they quickly dismissed them as false. So in theory, this would be the first time the pro scene of Duel Monsters would get a look at Isaac; which meant he was under some pressure to make a good first impression.

Isaac was in his waiting room as he was trying to psyche himself up. Safe to say he was anything but scared, in fact he was terrified. He knew the pressure he was under to not only give Luna a good duel, but to put on a good show for the many talents and agents that would be watching if they ever wanted hope in signing him when he would go pro. Isaac tried to take some deep breaths which worked for a bit, but he was still having some panic attacks.

"Focus, focus, focus!" shouted Isaac.

"There's need to worry, Isaac." said Luna as she entered the room. She was wearing a different outfit as she wanted to spruce up her appearance for the duel.. She had dawned a dull green formal shirt, as well as a black cape-like garment with ripped sleeves and edges plus dark blue pants and black boot-like shoes. Overall, Luna looked like a punk-style rebel which really caused Isaac to be surprised. She also had a choker and wristbands, black with silver studs.

"I'll admit that's some sick wardrobe." said Isaac as he couldn't believe his own vice-principal could look so badass.

"Thanks for the kind words, put it simply I wanted to look like my monsters. It makes them happy to see their beloved princess looking like one of them." smiled Luna. "And you shouldn't worry. You'll be fine."

"I guess, it's just this the first time that people from the actually dueling committee are going to be watching. I just hope they're impressed by what I can do." said Isaac.

"You'll be fine, to be honest, I was bit like you when I first saw my pro duel." said Luna.

"Really, tell me about it." asked Isaac.

"Well..."

(Memory)

Both Luna and Celestia were currently in the city of Las Pegasus as they had been invited to watch an exhibition duel that was scheduled to take place. By this point, they were well about 9 months into their careers as pro duelist and were still a ways off from ever meeting the Big 4. But during those early times of their careers, they had managed to make some friends and rivals in the dueling committee. And so here they were about to watch a duel of epic proportions.

"Hurry up, Lulu! They're about to start!" shouted Celestia as she raced towards their private sky box.

"I'm coming sister." said Luna as she rushed after her sister who was faster than her due to her having longer legs. Soon Luna stopped for a bit to catch her breath when she noticed a Duel Monsters card on the ground. She then picked it up as she flipped it over. "Curious."

"Come on, Joey. You're going to be late for your match." said a voice.

"Give me a sec, Tristan. I know I dropped that card around here, I just know it." said another male individual.

"Excuse me, young man. Is this what you're looking for?" asked Luna as she showed off the card.

"Let's see. Hey it is, thanks miss. You don't know how badly I needed this, to think I almost lost this."

"My pleasure." said Luna as she looked at the two individual in front of her.

One of them was a young man who had dark blond hair in a sporadic hairstyle and dark brown eyes. He had a blue denim jacket with a raised collar, a white t-shirt underneath and blue jeans. The person next to him had a long brown coat with a raised collar, a white buttoned shirt underneath and black jeans. His brown hair is arranged such that a large portion spikes out from the front of his head.

"Well got to run, thanks miss. Cheer for me will you Tristan." said the man as he rushed down the corridor.

"You got it Joey."

"Is your friend dueling?" asked Luna.

"Yeah, he's the one who taking part in the exhibition duel." said Tristan.

"I see, well would you like to join me and my sister?" offered Luna.

"Sure, why not." said Tristan as he began to follow Luna to her private box.

"Lulu, where were you?!" shouted Celestia.

"Well, you see sister..." before Luna could finish all the lights turned off.

Soon a spotlight was shined down as it displayed the dueling field as everybody got settled in. For Luna and Celestia they were seated above the duelist who would be competing. Soon a voice could be heard as the show was about to get underway.

"Now ladies and gentleman, it's time for our exhibition duel. Making his way towards the stage it's none other than Joey Wheeler." said announcer as Joey rose up from a platform as he was waving to the fans.

"Hello, everybody. Never fear, Joey is here." said Joey as he was soaking in all the attention he was being given. While he was distracted by the attention he failed to hear the announcement of who his opponent was as he soon heard an all too familiar voice. "Time for me to win and kick butt!"

"Well, well, well if it isn't Joey Wheeler and his friend Tristan Taylor."

"Seto Kaiba?!" said both boys as they were shocked to see who was standing on the dueling field.

"Out of everybody they could get me to duel, they had to get you." said Kaiba as he felt disgusted that he had to see Joey. "I'm surprised they even let you in the door."

"I'm going to make you eat those words, rich boy." responded Joey.

"Yeah, you tell him Joey." shouted Tristan as he backed up his friend.

"I did." responded Joey with a smile as he heard Tristan.

"Please, even the mighty King of Games himself can't beat me." said Kaiba with a smirk.

"How dare you diss my bud, Yug. I'm gonna beat you right here, right now." said Joey as he activated his duel disk as it combined together.

"Please, I'd have more of a chance playing Solitaire. But if you really want to embrass yourself in front of this many people, fine." said Kaiba as he activated his duel disk as it combined together. "Let's duel, I'll even let you go first since you need every advantage you can get." laughed Kaiba.

"Opponent detected. Duel mode set. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Joey Wheeler's Life Points: 4000-

Seto Kaiba's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Joey

"Okay Joey, remember what Yugi says. Believe in the heart of the card and it'll never steer you wrong." shouted Tristan from the private box directly above him.

"I'll start things off with Alligator's Sword in defense mode." Joey played his card as out came his monster as the fans started to applaud in seeing one of Joey's famous cards. "This mighty lizard swings his sword faster than the speed of sound. I think I'll set a card facedown before ending my turn. Now let's see what you got." taunted Joey as he looked at Kaiba.

Turn 2: Kaiba

"My turn, I activate Pot of Greed. This lets me draw 2 cards from my deck."

"Kaiba, greed? Big surprise." said Tristan.

"Well, how's this for a surprise, I summon Battle Ox!" Kaiba now played on his signature monsters as it let out a war cry upon being summoned. "Battle Ox attack his Alligator's Sword."

"Ah man, my gator's a goner." said Joey as he saw his monster get destroyed.

"That's all." said Kaiba.

Turn 3: Joey

"It's my turn to draw, first I'll activate my facedown, Graverobber." shouted Joey.

"Yeah, that card allows you to take a card from Kaiba's graveyard. So which one are you going to take?" asked Tristan.

"I think I'll take his Pot of Greed. Thanks for the 2 cards, Kaiba." smiled Joey as he picked up some more from his deck. "Next, I use Silent Doom to bring back Alligator's Sword back to the field. But it won't be along for long, I'm using Polymerization to fuse my Alligator's Sword with Baby Dragon." Joey's two monsters then appeared as they swirled around in the vortex behind him. "I summon Alligator's Sword Dragon!"

"Ah, how cute. But with only 1700 attack points, your two-bit baby is no stronger than my ox." said Kaiba as he mocked Joey.

"I already know a way around that Kaiba. Alligator's Sword Dragon has a special ability, since the only monster on your field is an earth monster, my dragon can attack you directly. Attack Alligator's Sword Dragon." said Joey as his monster flew over to Kaiba and actually managed to hit him.
Kaiba's Life Points: 2300-

"Oh, yeah. Joey takes the early lead and the crowd goes wild." said Tristan as the fans did just that.

"Next, I set one card and end my turn. You're going down, Kaiba."

Turn 4: Kaiba

"One lucky attack and you think you have me beat. You're delusional, I'm about to show you why an amateur like you can never beat a champion like me." said Kaiba with tons of confidence. "I activate Enemy Controller. Left, right, A, B. Now by giving up 1000 life points, I take control of your dragon."
Kaiba's Life Points: 1300-

"Uh, hey Joey, I'm no expert but that doesn't sound too good." said Tristan.

"It's time to show this crowd what they really came here to see. I tribute Battle Ox and Alligator's Sword Dragon, come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Once Kaiba's monster came out, the fans really did cheer.

"Hey, hey, stop cheering." shouted Joey as he wanted the crowd on his side.

"Aw, did that hurt your feelings? It's probably because no one's ever cheered for you in your miserable life." mocked Kaiba.

"Oh yeah, I'll cheer for you Joey. Go Joey!" shouted Tristan as he backed up his bud. Luna and Celestia were surprised by this, but they too soon started to cheer for Joey.

"Thanks, Tristan. And you two girls." said Joey as he looked at them.

"Yeah, I take that back. No one important." said Kaiba as he looked at the three watching while saying that comment. "Blue-Eyes attack with White Lightning!"

"I activate my trap card, now instead of dropping to 1000 life points, I go up to 5000."

"How?" asked Kaiba.

"Nutrient Z, that's how." responded Joey as his life points got hit, but he still remained in the duel. "If I lose 2000 more life points in battle this card give me 4000 life points first."
Joey's Life Points: 5000-

"As if that's going to help you. I set one card and end my turn."

Turn 5: Joey

"It's my turn to draw, ah man. I got nothing stronger than your Blue-Eyes, I guess I'll just summon Little-Winguard(1400/1800) in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 6: Kaiba

"I draw, Blue-Eyes attack his Little-Winguard!" said Kaiba as his dragon took it out with ease as he ended his turn.

Turn 7: Joey

"Come on, Lady Luck." said Joey as he drew his card. "I draw, alright this is just what I needed. I summon Copycat(0/0). Copycat takes one monster on your side of the field and copies its attack points. I choose your Blue-Eyes." stated Joey.

"Ha, ha, ha. Of course you would copy me." laughed Kaiba. "Just like you copied Tristan during your math test last week."

"And we both got a D+." said Tristan as he was somewhat proud of that accomplishment.

"Laugh it up all you want, Kaiba. But my Copycat is as strong as your dragon. Copycat attack his Blue-Eyes."

"Not so fast, Wheeler! I activate Negate Attack! Now I know this may be hard for to understand, so let me explain it's effect very slowly for you. Your attack... is... negated." said Kaiba.

"Yeah, yeah, no kidding Einstein." said Tristan.

"I set a card facedown and end my turn. Your move."

Turn 8: Kaiba

"I bet that's a trap for my dragon, but I'm not concerned." said Kaiba. "First I'll use Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw 3 cards and discard two. Next, I activate a Wingbeat of Giant Dragon, no my Blue-Eyes safely returns to my hand and your trap card is destroyed."

"Hey, I was gonna us that!" shouted Joey as his facedown was gone.

"Yeah, he was gonna use that." said Tristan.

"'Yeah, I was gonna' well too bad!" shouted Kaiba. "I set a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 9: Joey

"It's my turn to draw, I summon Tiger Axe(1300/1100). Attack his facedown monster." Joey's new monster appeared as it rushed across the field with its axe in its hand as it brought it down on Kaiba's card.

"Ha ha ha. You did exactly what I wanted you to do! You've attacked my Cyber Jar!" shouted Kaiba. "Now all of our monsters are destroyed, next we look at the top 5 cards of our decks and special summon any Level 4 or below monsters among them." Both duelist then revealed their cards as one of the cards in Kaiba's hand was his second Blue-Eyes.

"Oh man, Kaiba just got his second Blue-Eyes." said Tristan.

"At least he can't summon it yet." said Joey. "I summon Rocket Warrior and Axe Raider(1700/1150) in attack mode."

"And I summon Vorse Raider." said Kaiba.

"Rocket Warrior, enter invincible mode! Now Rocket Warrior can chip off 500 attack points, plus Rocket Warrior can't be destroyed and I can't lose any life points, attack Vorse Raider!" Joey's monster then pointed it head at Vorse Raider as it flew towards it as it lost some strength. "Now that your Vorse Raider only has 1400 attack points, my Axe Raider is free to strike." Joey then had his other monster take out Vorse Raider. "I set two cards and end my turn."
Kaiba's Life Points: 1000-

Turn 10: Kaiba

"My move, first I'll summon Lord of Dragons. Then I'll activate the Flute of Summoning Dragon. When my Lord of Dragon plays its flute, I can special summon two dragons from my hand. I summon two Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" said Kaiba as his pair of dragons descend onto the field.

"Oh yeah, well your Lord of D. plays its flute, I can special summon a dragon from my hand to, I summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" Now it was Joey's turn as he had his dragon descend onto the field. For the first time, Celestia and Luna were silent as they both two legendary dragons as they stared down at each other.

"That's you best monster." said Tristan.

"That's right." responded Joey.

"Next, I'll use Monster Reborn to bring back the Alexandrite Dragon that I discarded earlier. Blue-Eyes, attack his Axe Raider!"

"I activate my tap card, Kunai with Chain!" said Joey. "Now my Axe Raider gains 500 attack points and your Blue-Eyes White Dragon is all wrapped up and switched into defense mode."

"Do you even know how to play this game?" asked Kaiba.

"Sort of." said Tristan as Joey looked at his friend with a dirty look for making such a comment.

"While Lord of D. is on the field, my dragons are unaffected by your traps."

"Say what?!" shouted Joey.

"I said my, oh forget it. Your Axe Raider is destroyed and you lose 800 life points. Now it's my other Blue-Eyes turn to attack. Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack his Red-Eyes and Alexandrite Dragon attack his Rocket Warrior." Kaiba had managed to clear the field of Joey as he no longer had monsters.
Joey's Life Points: 3700-

"Well look at that, four monster to zero. Hmm. I like these odds." snickered Kaiba. "Now Lord of D. attack Wheeler directly."

"I say we even those odds with Scapegoat." Joey now had four lamb tokens appear on his field. "Now I summon four tokens tot he field or as I like to call them 'Joey' tokens. One of them will take the hit for me." Joey now had one of his tokens step in the line of fire.

"I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Joey

"I activate Pot of Greed. This lets me draw 2 cards from my deck. Next I summon Panther Warrior. Now, Kaiba. I sacrifice a 'Joey' token to attack your Lord of D." Soon one of Joey's lamb was gone as his Panther Warrior was able to take out Lord of D.
Kaiba's Life Points: 200-

"I'm setting two cards before ending my turn."

Turn 12: Kaiba

"I draw."

"Hold on, Kaiba. I activate Drop Off, now the card you drew is sent to the graveyard instead of your hand So show which card of yours is going bye-bye." said Joey.

Kaiba then looked at his card as it caused his eyes to widen. "It's my Blue-Eyes! Ah, whatever. I still have two on the field. I activate Gift of the Mystical Elf. This card gives me 300 life points for every monster on the field, including your 'Joey' tokens."
Kaiba's Life Points: 2000-

"What, but that's..." Joey then started to use his brain as to do the math in his head. "1800 life points!"

"Oh, I'm surprised you know how to multiply since you got that D on your math test."

"Hey, you mean D+." said Tristan.

"Blue-Eyes attack his 'Joey' token!"

"Go Magical Arm Shield! Now instead of attacking my 'Joey' token, your Blue-Eyes attacks any one of your monsters that I choose and I pick your other Blue-Eyes. Now both of your Blue-Eyes are destroyed. That puts all three of yours in your graveyard." said Joey as he was proud of what he did.

"You'll pay for that, Wheeler. Alexandrite dragon attack another 'Joey' token. I set one card and end my turn."

Turn 13: Joey

"I draw, Panther Warrior attack Kaiba's Alexandrite Dragon. Swift Panther Slash." With that both monsters were destroyed. "I set one card and end my turn."

Turn 14: Kaiba

"My turn, first I summon Ryu-Kishin(1000/500). Now that Ryu-Kishin is on the field, I can activate this Soul Demolition. By paying 500 life points, I can force each of us to banish a card from the other duelist's graveyard."

"Why would you want to do that" asked Tristan.

"Pay attention. Because I also have this Soul Absorption. Whenever a monster is banished, I gain 500 life points. I'll use my Soul Demolition's effect eight times. Your banishing all 8 monster in my graveyard, but I'll banish 8 monster from your graveyard too. Now thanks to Soul Absorption, I'm up to 6000 life points." said Kaiba as his points shot up.
Kaiba's Life Points: 6000-

"But you were just at 200 a couple of turns ago." said Joey.

"And now I'm up to 6000. The rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Now Ryu-Kishin attack Wheeler directly!" shouted Kaiba as his monster made contact. "I set a card and end my turn."
Joey's Life Points: 2700-

Turn 15: Joey

"Now I summon Gearfried the Iron Knight. Gearfried attack his Ryu-Kishin! Metal Forearm Thrust." shouted Joey as his monster took out Kaiba's but he was smiling.
Kaiba's Life Points: 5200-

"Perfect! I activate my trap card."

"Trap card?!" said Joey and Tristan.

"Yes, Crush Card Virus! When you destroyed my Ryu-Kishin you unleashed a virus, all monsters with 1500 attack points or more on the field and in your deck are now destroyed." Soon the effects of Kaiba's card started to head towards Joey as they look to infect his deck.

"Ah, you think a little virus is going to stop me. Well I got the cure and it's called Psychic Shockwave!"

"Where'd you get that!?!" shouted Kaiba as he wasn't expecting Joey to have such a power and rare card. He really was caught offguard by his move.

"One of my adoring fans gave it to me before our duel, just for being Joey Wheeler." Joey then looked up as he looked at Luna to which he gave her a smile and a wink. Luna saw this and could help to smile back and give the boy a wink. "I was the runner-up at the Duelist Kingdom, you know." said Joey as he turned his attention back to Kaiba. "This card lets me discard a trap card to special summon Jinzo from my deck. Jinzo, negate Kaiba's crush card." said Joey as his monster appeared and took out the virus.

"Oh no!" said Kaiba.

"And that's not all, I'm still in my battle phase, I can still attack. Jinzo attack Kaiba directly!" said Joey as his monster delivered a powerful blast that caused Kaiba to put his arms up to cover himself. Joey then ended his turn.
Kaiba's Life Points: 2800-

Turn 16: Kaiba

"I hate it when luck beats skill. But now I'm going to put you back in your place, I activate Dimension Fusion. First, I pay 2000 life points then we each special summon our banished monsters that means I return all 3 of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to the field." said Kaiba.
Kaiba's Life Points: 800-

"All three?" said Tristan.

"Don't forget Kaiba, when you use Dimension Fusion, I get to special summon my banished monsters too. I special summon Red-Eyes, Alligator's Sword and Panther Warrior in defense mode. And if I get a Time Wizard next turn, I'll be the champ, chump."

"Oh that's clever. There won't be a next turn, Wheeler. I activate Polymerization! To fuse together my 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons together to create a monster without fear, a monster so powerful that no monster can stand against it, I summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!" shouted Kaiba as he had his most powerful monster appeared as Joey was now scared as he fell on his bottom while looking at the beast.

"This is bad!" said Tristan.

"Really bad." said Joey.

"Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Wheeler's Gearfried! Wipe the rest of his life points! Neutron Blast Attack!" shouted Kaiba as he put his arm out which took out Joey and ended the duel.
Joey's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Kaiba

"I told you I would win." said Kaiba as he left.

"Aw man, I lost." While Joey was upset that he lost, the audience and the fans showed their appreciation for him as they gave him a standing ovation for doing his best.

After the match, Luna and Celestia met with Joey as they began to talk. Joey even helped Celestia and Luna by offering the girls some advice on their decks and even took part in some duels against the young man. Soon after that, they got a group picture as it was something Luna and Celestia would look back on.

(End of Memory)

"Wow." said Isaac as Luna finished telling his tale to the him.

"Indeed." She then looked at her duel disk as she got the message that it was time. "Well, we better get going."

"Right." Isaac then stood up with Luna as they started to make their way to the stage.

"Ladies and gentleman, we hope you're all comfortable. For we have an action packed duel for you today, so please give a warm welcome to our competitors." said the announcer. "So on the right, please welcome a duelist who is competing in his first duel to be seen on a big platform, it's Isaac."

Isaac was seen rising up as the crowd saw the kid and had initial thoughts. Isaac could hear a few mumbling as he gave a quick wave; he then turned towards where all the dueling agencies and sponsors were as they too had small mumbles about the young teen.

"And his opponent is none other than the Phantom Princess herself, give it up for Luna!"

Luna rose up as she was given a warm reception as her fans went crazy. The fans loved the outfit that she was wearing as it highlighted her natural beauty while also keeping her sense of mysterious intact. Luna then looked at Isaac as they both stepped forward and took their position across from each other.

"Ready?" asked Luna.

"Ready." nodded Isaac.

"Good now then." said Luna as she activated her duel disk to project a moderate sapphire blue card tray.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he activated his duel disk to project a gold card tray. Once the agencies heard what Isaac said, they immediately took interest as that line belonged used to be said by someone else.

Meanwhile, the special guest that Luna mentioned had arrived as he took a seat and watched from his sky box as he wanted to observe this duel.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Luna's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Luna

"I'll start things off, I draw." Luna then looked at her hand as she had a smile on her face. "Now I'll set 3 cards facedown and end my turn." Three cards then materialized in front of Luna as Isaac had to do a double take as what he saw.

"What?" was all Isaac could say.

"What's the matter, Isaac? I didn't play a single monster, which means you're free to attack my life points." said Luna as she was smiling.

Turn 2: Isaac

She didn't play anything but 3 facedowns. Is Luna trying to intimidate me? No, gotta focus. "My turn, so here goes. I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior and I'll boost his power with Bound Wand." said Isaac as he summoned his monster as it appeared for all to see as it powered up to 2300.

"Impressive, so... are you going to attack or not?" said Luna as she was still smiling. Even the agents were looking on to see what Isaac was going to do.

"I... I... very well, Breaker attack Luna directly." shouted Isaac. Breaker then charged forward as it looked to bring down its sword on Luna.

"I activate my trap card, but why stop at one when I can activate two. I activate The Phantom Knights of Vambrace, thanks to these your monster loses 600 attack points and my 'Phantom Knights' can't be destroyed in battle. Then both of these traps transform into Level 2 monsters on the field with 600 attack points." Luna's facedowns then started to glow as her traps cards changed into monsters as they lowered Breaker's attack by 1200.

"You may have lowered my monster's strength, but it still has enough to deal damage." said Isaac as Breaker still connected with one of Luna's monster as she took some damage.
Luna's Life Points: 7500-

"Thanks, cause now that I took damage I can activate this, The Phantom Knights' Twin Medals." said Luna as her last facedown flipped over. "Now I can use my two 'Phantom Knights' for an Xyz Summon."

"What? You're Xyz Summoning during my turn?!" said Isaac as he surprised by what Luna just did.

"I'm not a pro for nothing. Your attack helped more than it hurt. Here we go, I use both of my Phantom Knights to build the Overlay Network." Luna's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as they entered and a pillar of light appeared as her monster was being summoned. "Presenting a warrior who's bad to the bone, I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin(1600/0, OLU: 2)!" Out came a warrior that was all skeleton as it had flames coming out of its shoulders and had a shield in one hand with a javelin in the other.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he was amazed by how Luna was able to be one step ahead of him.

"If you think that's impressive, then watch this. I activate my Cursed Javelin's effect, by using one Overlay Unit, his javelin not only blasts away your Breaker's special ability but also all of his attack points." Cursed Javelin then absorbed one of its materials with its weapon as it pointed at Breaker and reduced it of all of its strength.

"On no!" said Isaac as he saw his monster was a sitting duck. The agents saw Isaac's play and so far based on how he played, they weren't that interested if he was caught off guard by Luna's move. "I end my turn."

Turn 3: Luna

"My turn then." said Luna as she drew her card. "To think, I was expecting more Isaac; I had hoped you would give me what I wanted. Seems I was wrong, now Cursed Javelin take out his Breaker!" stated Luna as she gave her monster its command. Her knight obeyed the ordered given to him by his princess as he pointed his javelin at Breaker and threw it with so much force and power that it destroyed it.
Isaac's Life Points: 6400-

"Ugh." said Isaac as he covered up from the attack. "Since Breaker was equipped with Bound Wand, he gets to come back." Isaac's monster then rose up in attack mode.

"I'll end my turn. Your move, let's see if you can even make a decent move." insulted Luna as she addressed Isaac.

Turn 4: Isaac

"What you say?! Be careful what you wish for!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. "Now, since there's a Level 4 or below monster on my field, I can special summon my Mage Annette. And when she's summoned, I get to draw an extra card." Out came Isaac's kid girl magician as she opened up her textbox and a card was inside as it floated over for Isaac to grab.

"In that case, I'll use Cursed Javelin's effect once more and strip Breaker of all of its attack and special abilities." said Luna as she stopped Isaac from thinking about launching an attack. "Now your only monster that was in attack mode can't even do that."

"Who said I was done with my move, watch this. I now sacrifice my Breaker the Magical Warrior so that I can summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician. And when she's summoned, I get to add 'Dark Magician' to my hand." said Isaac as his duel disk slotted out his card.

So Isaac now had his ace monster. This should be interesting.

"And now that your monster used up all of its overlay units, Apprentice Illusion Magician take out Cursed Javelin!" stated Isaac. His female spellcaster then pointed her wand at the undead warrior and blasted it off the field.
Luna's Life Points: 7100-

"With that I'll lay a facedown and pass it over to you."

Turn 5: Luna

"My turn, and I'll kick this off by activating The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic-Burial." said Luna. "This spell allows me to summon a 'Phantom Knight' Xyz monster from my graveyard. Rise from the ashes, The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin." Once more Luna had her monster back as it had terror in its eyes. "Then Rank-Up-Magic-Burial lets me to tribute The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin to summon a monster that's two ranks higher from my Extra Deck and it also attaches to that new monster as an Xyz material."

"This is bad." said Isaac as he had a feeling he knew what was coming.

The special guest from up above who was watching had a smile on his face as he too knew what Luna was about to do.

"I Xyz Summon!" shouted Luna as both her spell and monster were turned into dark orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as her new beast was arriving. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons. Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution! Show yourself my pet, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" shouted Luna as she now had her most powerful creature on the field.

"And there it is, Luna's star monster of her deck. Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon, well folks it looks this duel won't last much longer. Pity to think that Luna's opponent wasn't able to put up much of a fight." said the announcer. Seems almost everybody agreed with him as they too were disappointed that the duel was going to end as they wanted excitement.

"I'm disappointed, to think I asked you to give me what I want and you failed. Now Dark Rebellion, attack his Apprentice Illusion Magician. Mauling Mandible Charge!!!" shouted Luna as she thrusted her hand out.

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Dimension." said Isaac. "Now, Mage Annette lend me your power so that I can call upon an even greater monster. I summon the Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell the absorbed Mage Annette's strength as it was used to bring out his ultimate magician as he descended onto the field.

"Did he... just say Dark Magician?" said the announcer as he spoke those words accidentally into the microphone as everyone in the audience heard that comment.

Seems that really got the fans talking as they murmured to themselves and to each other about how someone like Isaac had such a legendary card. The dueling agents were really now starting to buzz as they too couldn't believe their eyes, like the fans in attendance, they certainly had heard about the Dark Magician existing. But given that there was only one person to have ever held that card in all of Duel Monsters history, it came quite a shock to see someone of Isaac's age have that card. Isaac noticed this as he looked off to the side and the agents talking about his magician, he looked back at Luna as he continued on with the duel.

"Now the other effect of my Magical Dimension activates and with I can destroy a monster on your side of the field, so say good-bye to your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." said Isaac.

"Not gonna happen, cause from I play Card Guard. So I discard a card and as a result, for this turn, my monsters can't be destroyed by battle or card effects. So now your spell is useless and my attack continues." stated Luna. Soon her dragon made contact with Isaac's magician as it took her out.
Isaac's Life Points: 5900-

"I'll lay a facedown and end my turn." said Luna.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Then it's my move, so here goes. To start, I'll place Sorcerer Swordsman in my Pendulum Zone." said Isaac as he placed one of his pendulum cards on the far left side of his tray. His monster then appeared in a column as he ascended and had a number appear in front of him.

"Pendulum Zone? Did Isaac just say that?" spoke the announcer as once again he managed to surprise everybody in attendance by doing such a play. "Just who is this kid and what else does he have in store for us, ladies and gents."

"Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Magic Formula. So now my Dark Magician gains 700 attack points which raises his strength to 3200. Now he's stronger than your dragon. So Dark Magician, take out Luna's monster, Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to do better than that, cause I activate my facedown. Half Unbreak, now not only is my dragon protected from destruction, but the damage I take is cut in half." Soon a bubble barrier formed around Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon as it was able to keep it safe from Isaac's attack.
Luna's Life Points: 6750-

"In that case, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Luna

"My turn then, to start I'll play Pot of Greed which allows me to draw 2 more cards. Now, I use Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's special ability, by using one Overlay Unit your monster loses half of its attack points and then Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon gains those attack points." Dark Rebellion then absorbed an Xyz material as it unfurled its wings as it was sucking out Dark Magician's strength as it boosted it's own. "Now my dragon attack his Dark Magician. Mauling Mandible Charge!!!"

"I reveal my facedown, Mirror Mail. Now my Dark Magician attack rises up to match that of your Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon."

"What?!" Luna was shocked at how Isaac was able to turn his situation around. It seemed that he had planned for Luna to use her dragon's effect and was prepared for it. But not only that, he thought one step ahead and was able to make sure that he could take out her own monster.

"In that case, I'll activate the spell card The Phantom Knights' Round Blaze. By banishing 2 'Phantom Knights' from my graveyard, it triggers total destruction by ending the battle phase and burning up both of our monsters." said Luna. "But my dragon will be safe thanks to this other card in my hand, Cascade Barrier. Now by dropping all of my monster's attack points to zero. I can protect it from being destroyed." stated Luna.

Despite Luna managing to protect her dragon, she had to use up alot of her own resources just to counter Isaac's one move. That alone showed signs of what she knew, and she hoped that she could be able to last long enough to see the final result of this duel. Soon the entire field was nuked as Dark Rebellion was safe while Dark Magician was gone. However, the story was on the faces of the duelists as Isaac had a smile while Luna had a disgruntled look not to mention that she was breathing heavily like she was starting to slow down.

"Hope it was worth it." smiled Isaac with a smug expression.

"Shut up! Cause my spell The Phantom Knights' Round Blaze has another effect, I can hit you with 800 points of damage for every monster that was just destroyed. I end my turn and so my Dark Rebellion dragon gains all of its attack points."
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"Not so fast, before you end your turn, I'm activating an effect. Since I played a spell/trap card during your turn, I special summon my Magician of Dark Illusion from my hand." Isaac then played the last card in his hand as he had a monster appear." Once again Luna was stunned with how far ahead Isaac was able to think, he managed to dwindle her hand significantly and get a monster on his field all at once. "And since my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gained 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 6100-

Turn 8: Isaac

"Well, now time to see what I got, here goes. I'll now play Card of Sanctity, so now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hands." Both players then replenished their hands. "Now, since I activated a spell/trap while my Magician of Dark Illusion was on the field, I can activate it's other effect which allows me to revive my Dark Magician." said Isaac as he now had his ace monster back on the field.

Now everybody was amazed at the skills that Isaac was showing as he managed to replenish his hand and bring back his star monster. The agents were now starting to get heavily invested in Isaac as he was showing off his skills and safe to say they were impressed by what they saw from someone so young.

"Now I lay play my Guiding Wisdom spell card and with it I can summon a spellcaster that has 3000 or less attack points from my deck. So I choose to play another Magician of Dark Illusion." Isaac now had three monsters on his field as they were all the same level. "Now time for me to take things to the next level, I overlay my 2 Magician of Dark Illusions to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Isaac as both of his monsters transformed into dark orbs as they entered a portal that opened in the ground as Isaac was calling on a new monster. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon High Magician!"

The agents and the fans were amazed by what Isaac did as he managed to pull off the trickiest summoning method with ease. The guest above was watching the duel as he had a smile on his face.

"Next up, I'll place my Black Arts Trickster in my other Pendulum Zone." Isaac then placed his female magician on the far right side of his card tray as the word 'pendulum' spelled out in rainbow coloring to signaled that it was complete. Isaac's magician then appeared in another column of light as it had a number in front of her. "Normally, I can only pendulum summon monsters that fall in between the scale I've set, so as of right now I can only summon Level 2 monsters. But she's not called a trickster for nothing, cause now since there's a 'magician' in my other Pendulum Zone, I can raise the scale of her up to 10." Soon the number in front of Black Arts Trickster started to go up as she looked at Isaac and gave her master a flirty wink.

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown." smiled Isaac.

Turn 9: Luna

"My turn." said Luna as she drew her card. Isaac really is taking this seriously, I thought he wasn't at first, but it was all a ruse. In fact, he was the moment this duel started, he really is destined to be on this platform. And for my future, well... Luna looked at her hand as she could see it was shaking a bit. Best to go all out. "I assume that the card you placed down is something to destroy my dragon. Seeing as how you brought out your Ebon High Magician, you'll use its affect to protect either of your magicians from my dragon's attack. So I'll eliminate that option with my Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your facedown." said Luna as a storm started to blow over to Isaac who stood his ground to keep from flying off as his card was destroyed.

"Thanks for that Luna."

"What?"

"I knew you would think that way, which is why I baited you. I played the defense so that you would go on the offense. Cause the card you just destroyed was my Chaos Spector Blast, since it was destroyed while it was in my spell/trap card zone, I can now special summon my Dark Magician of Chaos from my deck. And when he's summoned, I can add a spell card from my graveyard back to my hand." Isaac now had a third magician on his field as he touched his duel screen to select the card he wanted as it slotted out for him to grab.

Marvelous, he's outsmarted me again. I thought I knew his plan, but he fooled me completely. "Very good, but now I'll set one card facedown. Then summon my Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves to the field and I think a pair of boots will go lovely with my gloves. I summon the Phantom Knights of Silent Boots!" Luna now had two more monsters join her Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon as they were both the same level. "Now you know what comes next, I use both of my Phantom Knights to construct the Overlay Network." Luna's monsters then transformed into purple orbs of light as they entered a vortex as out came a brand new monster. "I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword! Rise my mighty beast!" Out came what looked to be a headless horse man as it had flames on where its head and upper parts of its body were suppose to be. "And since I used my Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves to summon my Break Sword it gains 1000 attack points. Making it have a total of 3000." said Luna.

"Just great." said Isaac as he didn't like what was in front of him.

"Now I'll activate my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon's special ability, using the last Overlay unit, I'll the cut the attack points of your Dark Magician of Chaos in half and gain those attack points." Dark Rebellion then zapped away the power of Isaac's magician. "Now time to strike, take flight my pet and attack."

"I'll activate the effect of Ebon High Magician, so by using one Overlay unit, I can play a trap or quick-play spell card from my hand during your turn. So I play my Prevent Reborn. With this I can reduce the battle damage I take by 1000." Soon Luna's dragon made contact as it took out Isaac's monster as he was thrown onto his back as he was able to successful roll through as he was on one knee.
Isaac's Life Points: 4600-

"Now the other effect of my trap allows me to bring back my Dark Magician of Chaos. And since he was brought back, I can add a spell card from my graveyard to my hand." said Isaac as he grabbed another card from his duel disk.

"Maybe, but I still deal damage, go Break Sword. Take out his Dark Magician!" shouted Luna.

"Once more, I'll use the effect of Ebon High Magician. So now I'll play Dark Magic Inheritance, by banishing 2 spell cards, I can add a spell/trap from my deck to my hand that list 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician Girl' in its name." Isaac then used his screen as he saw his options and selected the one he wanted as he pressed confirm and slotted out for him to grab as his monster was destroyed.
Isaac's Life Points: 4100-

"You survived well, not bad. I'll now end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play the card I got back when I summoned my Dark Magician of Chaos, Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards. And then, I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman Pendulum ability so now I can add monsters from my graveyard to my hand so long as they fall in the scale I've set." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out 2 cards for him to grab. "Now the moment has arrived." said Isaac as a spotlight shined down on him. Luna just smiled at how much of an entertainer Isaac was becoming.

"Ladies and gentleman, hope you're all enjoying the show so for cause I'm about to take things to the next level. Now using the scale I've set, I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 9, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his hand into the air as two lights came out of the giant portal above him. "Coming back for an encore is my Magician of Dark Illusion and lastly give a warm welcome to the star attraction of our show, Dark Magician!" Isaac was able to wow the crowd even more by utilizing his pendulum summoning, especially one person watching.

"What a match!!" expressed the announcer. "In just the last few turns, Isaac had been outthinking Luna of all people in every move she's made. And not only that he's managed to perform the legendary summoning method from our comrades across the sea. Is there anything else he's got in store for us?"

Seems the fans were now fully behind Isaac as they started to chant his name more so than they did for Luna. Even the little girls were amazed by the many lights and magic that flowed around Isaac as to them, he was like a real-life superhero. The agents were now foaming at the mouth as they had the power that Isaac possessed and started to argue over who should be the one to sign him to their agency after the duel.

The time is nearing. Soon everything will be decided. Luna was now looking at Isaac as she could sense what she wanted; her heart started to beat a bit louder as she took some major deep breaths.

"Now I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now that my Dark Magician is on the field, I can now call upon my Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as once again he blew people's mind by having another legendary card. Once Dark Magician Girl appeared, the hard cam cut to Isaac as they got a fantastic shot of Isaac standing next to his two magicians as they had such a dominate presence that it reminded everybody of another great duelist. "Now thanks to my spell I can activate my Dark Magic Twin Burst from my deck and with I can raise the attack points of my Dark Magician by the attack points of my Dark Magician Girl." Dark Magician then felt the power up from his student.

"Now time to strike, Dark Magician of Chaos take out Luna's Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon." said Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown, Dimensional Prison. And so I can banish your Dark Magician of Chaos." Luna's trap then opened a portal as it sent removed Isaac's magician from the game.

"In that case, I'll have my Dark Magician attack your Break Sword!" shouted Isaac as his magician took out Luna's monster with a powerful spell as it caused her to buckle her legs and drop to a knee.
Luna's Life Points: 5250-

"Thanks for that cause now the monsters I used to summon it come back, but this time their level increases by one." said Luna as both her Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves and Silent Boots rose up in defense mode.

"Then I'll have Dark Magician Girl attack your Phantom Knights of Ragged Gloves." said Isaac as his magician girl took out another one of Luna's monsters.

"Well played. I'll just place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Luna

"My turn." said Luna as she drew her card. "Time to finish this, I activate Thunder Short to deal you 400 points of damage for each monster you control. So get ready to take 1600 points of direct damage!" shouted Luna as a thunderbolt came down and struck Isaac as he did his best to take it.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"Next, I'll play another spell, Lightning Vortex. So I discard a card and that allows me to wipe out your entire field and soon the rest of your life points."

"Oh no!" said Isaac as he saw all of his magicians be destroyed as he was now wide open to Luna's dragon.

"Now time to finish this. I play my Graceful Charity which allows me to draw 3 cards and discard two." Luna then picked up her cards as she selected the ones she wanted to get rid of as she looked to execute her plan. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Phantom Knights of Stained Greaves, by banishing it I can special summon my Phantom Knights of Fragile Armor but its level increases by 1." Luna now had a monster that wore torn up pieces of clothing appear as it had flames where its limbs were suppose to be as it was now Level 5.

"Time to end this, I now play the spell card, The Phantom Knights' Possession. Thanks to this I can target 1 Xyz Monster on my field and treat it as having the same Level as another monster on my field. So now my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is now a Level 5 monster." Luna's dragon then had its stats change from rank to level.

"You can do that?" said Isaac as he was amazed by what Luna did.

"Now I overlay my Level 5 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with my Level 5 Phantom Knight of Fragile Armor to build the Overlay Network!!" shouted Luna as both of her monsters were turned into orbs as they were sucked into a portal into the ground as her most powerful and devasting monster was being summoned. "Dragon from the bleak, black pit! Fierce, fearless, ferocious fighter! Rise and master the skies! I Xyz Summon! Arise, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon(3000/2500, OLU: 2)!" Out came Luna's new more powerful monster as it let out a cry that shook the very arena.

"Woah!!" shouted Isaac as he saw the new dragon standing next to Luna as they looked powerful.

"Finish him!!! Dark Destruction!!!" shouted Luna.

"I activate my facedown, Flute of Summoning Kuriboh. Now I can add Kuriboh to my hand." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out his card. "Then I'll activate Kuriboh's effect so by sending him to the graveyard, I take no battle damage!" Kuriboh then appeared as it stood before Isaac as he put his tiny arms up to protect its master as it took the attack from Luna's monster head on.

Luna was breathing heavily as the attack she yelled out to her dragon took a lot out of her as she felt her strength slowly fading as she dropped to a knee. Isaac noticed this as he made a mental note in his head. Soon Luna stood up as she clutched her arm as she continued with her move.

"I play one card facedown... your... turn." said Luna as Isaac could hear the tiredness in her voice.

Turn 12: Isaac

"My draw!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "To start, I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. My turn I now activate my Sorcerer Swordsman Pendulum ability so I return 3 monster from my graveyard to my hand. And then it's time to Pendulum Summon. So come out, Dark Magician and my 2 Magician of Dark Illusion." Isaac now had 3 monsters on his field as he prepared to summon his own powerful monster. "Now it's my turn, I overlay all 3 of my magicians to construct the Overlay Network!"

"What are you summoning?" asked Luna as she never saw Isaac do this.

"The magic that flows from the universe is now harnessed. Show the world your wizardry and wonder, I Xyz Summon Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU:3)!!" shouted Isaac as he was summoning his brand new card. Out emerged from the portal a brand new monster. It was a sorceress who had long flowing red hair with vanilla skin tone. She wore an emerald necklace and had white gloves that covered her smooth hands. Her outfit consisted of light blue dress that stopped at her knees; she wore black heels that weren't too high, as well as earrings that matched her necklace. She did a quick twirl for all to see as bits of magical particles surrounded her as it made her look even more beauty.

"Where did you get that card?" asked Luna as she heard had heard of it.

"Let's say that someone special gave me this card." smiled Isaac as he thought back to his duel with Yuma. "And now to show off it's power, since I used 'Dark Magician' to summoned this monster, I can negate the effects of all other monsters currently on the field."

"You can negate them?" said Luna in disbelief as her dragon was stripped away of its special powers.

"And then I'll activate her special ability, by using one Overlay unit, I can send all other Xyz materials from all other monsters on the field to the graveyard and then she gains 500 extra attack points for each of those materials and it gains an extra attack." said Isaac.

"But... then..." Luna didn't need to finish her statement as she saw her dragon be confined by Isaac's magicians as she casted her magic over the dragon as it lose all of its power and overlay units as they empowered her instead.

"Now my Chaos Mageía has 4000 attack points." stated Isaac. "Now Chaos Mageía take out Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon, Divinity Arrow!" shouted Isaac. Chaos Mageía then had an arrow appear in front of her as her wand transformed into a bow. She then pulled back on the string as she had her target in her sights, she gave a quick wink as she let the arrow fly. It started to travel at fast speeds as it was soon surrounded in a golden light as it raced across the air.

Luna noticed the attack coming at her as she prepared herself for what was about to happen. "I reveal my final facedown, Floral Shield. Now your attack is negated."

"I'll see your trap and then raise you with one of my own, I reveal my facedown, Dark Illusion. Now I can negate and destroy your Floral Shield. Which means my attack presses on! Do it!!" shouted Isaac as his attack from his magician pierced through the heart of Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon as it let out a cry which Luna heard and felt as the attack caused her to be flown back.
Luna's Life Points: 4250-

The attack was met with so much force that it generated a wind effect that caused everybody to hold onto to their seats as they didn't want to go flying. Isaac just stood their as she shifted his weight and put his arm out to protect his eyes. Soon the attack wore off as there was Luna lying on her back, all Isaac had to do was call his final attack and he would be declared the winner. Just as he was about to do that, Luna started to stir as she got to her knees as she was breathing heavily as she tried to stand up but it seems her body didn't allow her too. Luna then looked at Isaac as she began to crawl towards him. Everybody was surprised by what they saw as Isaac just stood there.

"Stay down, Luna! Just let it go, if I wanted to I would have ended this duel already. I've outsmarted, outplayed, and straight up outdueled you since the opening play. Just give in." said Isaac. "Stay down!!!!"

Luna heard Isaac, but she didn't seem to listen. Soon she had crawled all the way over to Isaac as she grabbed his feet with her hand and inch by inch, slowly, she tried to stand up as her body was in pain, not physically but mental pain. Luna could barely stand as she had her body leaning against Isaac as Isaac looked down at his Vice-Principal who was on her knees.

"You... can kiss... my ass!!!!" yelled out Luna to Isaac's face. She then propped herself up as Isaac looked at her in disarray. Then with the last bit of strength she could muster, Luna gave her final act of defiant as she brought her hand and as hard as she could, she slapped Isaac in the face as it caused his head to turn as she fell to her knees.

Isaac saw this and he turned back to look at her with fury and anger in his eyes. "Chaos Mageía, put her down! Finish Luna off!!!" shouted Isaac as he brought his thumb and slid it over his throat as he gave his monster the signal to put Luna out of her misery. Chaos Mageía heard Isaac's command as she shot her attack and it made contact with Luna who fell forward and would have hit the ground if Isaac didn't catch her in his arms. A giant explosion went off as the field was covering in a blinding white light as it caused the everybody around to temporarily look away.

Inside that attack, Isaac still had Luna in his arms as he had his eyes closed. As the attack was dying down, he simply bent down with Luna in his arms as he laid her on her back. He then grabbed both of Luna's hands as he placed them together on top of her chest as he said the final words to her. "Rest in peace, Luna."
Luna's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

After the duel, Isaac was now in him and Luna's locker room as he had finished rehydrating himself from the duel. He then saw the door open as in walked Luna but was surrounded by reporters as they tried to get a word from her.

"Luna? Luna? Luna?" shouted out several reporters trying to get her attention.

"Luna? Tell me, how did you perform in that duel?" asked a reporter.

"That duel is something that I will be forever engraved in my memory." answered Luna.

"Question? What's next for you? When will your next duel be?" asked another reporter.

"As exciting as that is, I'm afraid there won't be a next time. This duel took alot out of me, my body was starting to hurt from pain, not physical but mental. I was afraid that I didn't have it in me anymore and I'm safe to say that's not the case. However, while my mind is saying that I've got plenty in my, my body and health are telling a different store. And so as of right now, this duel was my very last one."

"WHAT?" shouted the reporters as Luna started to walk away. "LUNA? LUNA? LUNA? LUNA?" shouted the many reporters and photographers as they wanted to get some more words from Luna but the security guards did their job as they shooed away the mass of people out of the room.

Luna then made her way to Isaac was was sitting on the bench as she stood in front of the boy.

"You're retiring?" said Isaac as he was in disbelief at what he heard.

"Come with me, I what to show you something." Luna then lead Isaac out of the room as they traveled down the hallway.

They then approached the upper levels of the arena as they found themselves in the VIP section that was reserved for celebrities and top notch duelists. They arrived at their destination as they came to a door, Luna then knocked on it as a guard came out and saw Luna. She spoke a could of words before he let her in as Luna gestured Isaac to follow her. Isaac followed his Vice-Principal as he saw her walking forward to a chair that was facing away from them as she talked with the that was sitting. Soon the chair turned as the person was revealed and Isaac was stunned.

"Great duel, kid." said the person.

Compared to when Luna first met the individual, he had now grown a bit older as he was about Isaac's age. The boy had crimson eyes, and dual-colored green and crimson hair of average length sticking out in downwards pointing spikes all around his head. He wore a pendant on a simple string around his neck, and a buckled choker, and a pair of golden goggles with orange lenses on his forehead, with a blue star obscuring the right lens. He had on a simple orange t-shirt with a thick, silver-buckled brown belt over it, green pants with what appear to be "Deck pockets" on each leg, and magenta shoes, as well as crimson wristbands. He also wore a gold and red lined white school jacket over his shoulders like a cape.

"Isaac, meet Yuya Sakaki." said Luna.

"Sup." responded Yuya.

Chapter 129: Third Year

It was a glorious day as the sun was high in the sky as it provided both warmth and light for the people of Canterlot. And on this day there was something happening; in fact the school building of Canterlot High was abuzz with tons of people walking around the school and looking in the school itself. The reason being was it was the date of the Freshman Fair; the Freshman Fair was something that the school had for students that were now going to transition into the highschool part of CHS and for any new students who would be enrolling. It was a event that was held a month before school started as a way for the new class of students to actually see their new environment. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had the entire building opened for the family and the students so they could ask either them or any of the other faculty members some questions they had.

The entire outdoor field of Canterlot High had been transformed into an activities fair as all the clubs and their members were setting up and trying to see if any new students were interested in joining. There was a even a small section of the field reserved where a couple of duels were taking place as it allowed new students to see what kind of people they might face at CHS. Overall, this was one of the most important and fun events that almost everybody at CHS was looking for.

Sunset was currently walking through the activities fair as she waved to a couple of her fellow students. To think that in less than a month she and her class would enter their final year at CHS. Then it would soon be time for graduation as it would mean that everybody would go on their separate lives. Sunset found it hard to believe that her time at CHS was starting to come to a close; she had been applying to several art places as an internship in which she could hopefully get access to an actually job. She had managed to find a place that accepted her application as they wanted a personal demonstration to see what she could do. They were interested in Sunset's skills as they mentioned there was room for improvement, so they gave her a chance for the internship. Seems it worked out well as she quickly got a call from an art school out of state and told her that after she graduated high school she could attend the institution with them covering the full tuition. Sunset was ecstatic as it brought tears of happiness. So it seemed that Sunset now had a path ready for her once she graduated as did most of her friends.

She then entered the school building as she waved to a couple of the new freshman that she would be seeing as well as their families. Sunset then found herself standing in front of a door as she let out a deep breath before knocking.

"Come in." said the voice on the other side.

"You called for me, Principal Celestia?" said Sunset as she entered the office.

"Yes, Sunset. Don't worry, you're not in trouble. I just wanted to ask, how are things?"

"Everything's been fine, me and the girls are all looking forward to our last year here. Not to mention what awaits all of us after graduation."

"Yes, graduation. Well, that's still a ways off. Best to enjoy the time you have left at this place. Don't want it to go too fast, now." smiled Celestia. "Now then, I was hoping you could give a group a tour of our school. Me and Luna are busy with the final paperwork before the semester starts."

"Sure thing, Principal Celestia." Sunset then left Celestia's office as she made her way to the front of the school. She got to the entrance of the school as there was a group of people waiting for her as it consisted of a few students along with their parents. "Welcome everybody, my name is Sunset Shimmer and I'll be your tour guide for today. I'm currently a student here at CHS. In fact, I'll be a senior here once school starts up. Now let's begin." Sunset then began to lead the group throughout the building.

"And this here is our music room where we have class. If you ever want to reserve it, just let Principal Celestia know ahead of time. Next up is our café which is open to all kinds of requests on what to serve and if you have any allergies, then you just tell the staff and they make a mental note." Sunset continued this pattern as she began to explain CHS while answering any questions that people had. Soon they reached the end of the tour as they ended up in the main entrance way.

"And that about covers it." stated Sunset. "So... any last questions?"

"Uh, just one?" asked a girl. "What's dueling like here?"

"Excuse me?" said Sunset.

"Well, the brochure says that this place is popular for dueling." said another girl.

"Yeah, something like how this place has experience extreme forms of dueling." said a boy.

"Well now, remind me to talk with Principal Celestia about what she promotes." said Sunset to herself before turning back to the group. "CHS is popular for its dueling, though most students here have to figure out on their own due to CHS not having the proper funds to teach Duel Monsters. So most of the students here created their deck and playstyle all by themselves."

"It says here there's also a champion that has helped this school. Any idea on who they are?" asked a parent.

"Well, the champion is someone who really does have a passion for Duel Monsters. In fact, when he enrolled in CHS, he quickly rose up the ranks of the division and became the champion." informed Sunset.

"How did it start?" asked another person.

(Flashback)

"So Isaac, I know you're new here but I wanted to get your thoughts on the Fall Formal tournament coming up? Interested?" Rainbow was hoping Isaac was excited just as she was.

"Actually, I've never heard of that. To be honest I don't even know what that is?". It seemed his answer was not what Dash was looking for.

Rainbow was a bit embarrassed. "Oh right. Anyways it's a big tournament that CHS holds to determine who will be crowned the Fall Formal duel champion. Everybody at CHS enters hoping they can win to not only to take their game to the next level, but possibly be scouted by the pro leagues. To many people this tournament is a chance for them to break out and separate themselves from the pack. Of course being the champion helps because it shows everybody that you're the best, but it also puts a huge target on your back as everyone is gunning for you and that top spot. This year promises to be the biggest it's ever been. That's why I called you here; me and the girls are going to be entering. With your help we could have a chance to win this and take her down once and for all."

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sunset Shimmer. Pleased to meet you.” She extended her hand to Isaac which he gladly refused. “Left speechless, I tend to have that effect on people, especially boys. Listen I’m here because my lackeys have been trying to inform me about a certain someone who holds a rare card... No matter I know all about that card and how powerful it is. That’s why I’ve come with a proposition. It seems you’ve become friends with a certain group of individuals, if you’re wondering how I know about them let’s just say I’ve had some run-ins with them in the past. To put it plainly I want you to forget them; those girls are just dead weight to you. I’ve seen what you can do and you are capable of so much more. If you continue to hang with those girls all there going to do is keep holding you back; as a duelist we always strive to be the best to push ourselves beyond our limits. The CHS tournament is an event that is a once in a lifetime that could elevate someone to stardom; take it from me the best way to improve is to not be carrying any more dead weight. Don’t you want to be the best?”

“Of course, who doesn’t want to be at the top?” said Isaac.

“Then heed my advice, ditch the girls so you tune all of your focus on surviving in the tournament. Or don’t it’s up to you. Still know that this is my place and I run it; meaning I decide who lives and who suffers my wrath. If you play your cards right kid, I might let you slide. Are we clear?”

Isaac answered with a bit of bitterness. “Crystal.”

“If she's such a bully, why haven’t Celestia or Luna done anything to stop her?”

"Calm yourself Isaac, you'll get your hands on Sunset. Right now, Dash is the one you should worry about!" Luna tried to get Isaac to calm down and not let his angry get the best of him.

"Listen to what Vice-principal Luna is saying, it's for your own good. As for you Isaac that was just a preview of what I'm going to do to you and everybody else when I beat you and take my rightful place among the gods as the new face of fear! So enjoy your last moments while you can, because once our duel starts there will be no salivation to save you from hell that is coming!" Sunset then left as she made her way out of the room and disappeared.

(Brief pause)

"So what happened at the Fall Formal?" asked a student.

(Resume)

"Oh, we talking now, huh Sunset! You hearing me now, ain't acha! You're nothing more than a big bad meanie!"

"You're about to see how mean I can get!"

"Then do something about it!"

Sunset tried to get at Isaac but was stopped by Celestia holding her back. "I'm going to kill you, you son of a bitch!"

"Hey, Sunset! If you're feeling froggy, jump cause I say lets dance!" Isaac rebutted back as Luna tried to hold him back.

"Bravo, bravo Isaac. They should really give you an award for inspiration speaking because that story almost made my heart break. The keyword being: almost. See just hearing your sob story is enough to make me throw up. I'm going to tell you something, that little fairytale ending that you have planned it would make for a very good tale if this wasn't reality. You want to shoot from the hip, fine then lets shoot. Just like I told your friend, I'm tell you the same damn thing. People call you the underdog in this match, when in reality it's just code for them feeling sorry for you. And they will feel even more sorry for you when I beat you and destroy their hopes and dreams. The reason is because I know how to play this system, so you can play whatever character you want but the fact remains. You could put a mask on a pig, but it's still a pig."

Isaac then cut off Sunset. "You of all people, waltz down here and use the same pathetic excuse that every single other person before you has done. You, with all your gifts and all of your opportunities! You have the gull to blame me. That's fine, that's fine Sunset. Congrats it took you awhile to figure that out but I'm about to shrink you done to size, fam. You want to blame me that's fine, I've been hearing that mine entire life and I'm still not sick of it. I've been called a lot worse by a lot tougher. You blame me fine, then I blame you! I'm still here because you can't do your job!"

"Everybody that I've faced has cowered before my power and come Friday you will join that list, Isaac. Come tomorrow, there will be no room for excuses, they'll be no room for luck, and there will certainly be no room for jokes! I've been proving myself ever since I stepped foot in this place."

"This place? Oh big whoop, I've be proving myself in this game my whole damn life. What's another day or two? I feel like everytime I walk into this building its been 'this is the biggest duel of my life'. 'Guys, next week, it's the biggest match of my career'." said Isaac with a mocking tone. "This Friday, it's not just the biggest duel of my career, it's the biggest moment of my life, Sunset."

Sunset had a smirk on her face. "The whoop is understanding the difference between a main event that last for one night. And a main event that's life altering."

Fast forward to the duel...

Stay down!! Just stay down!!! Everytime I've beaten you to a pulp, you still find some way to get back up! I kick your ass and you get back up. I kick your ass again and you still try to get back up!! Maybe your parents told you that if you face a bully and they're beating you down then you should just get back up. Well let me tell you, the next time that bully is not going to let you get up. They're going to keep beating you till they make sure that your don't get up! I said that you were going to be in for the beating of a lifetime but you still are trying to fight. So tell me!! What do I have to do!? What do I have to do to get you out of my life!? Tell me!!! Sunset now had the evil look in her eyes as the evil magic surrounding her was starting to take control as her hair was now floating.

Sunset had a disgusted look on her face like that was most stupidest answer she ever heard from someone.

"Oh no, don't get me wrong I see you, I see the look on your face. Because we don't use/say the word love around here, especially if you're a guy because when we say that we don't look tough. Please I'm a grown ass man, I could do/say whatever the hell I want and I don't give a damn on what anybody else thinks! I love this game, I love the fact that I can make people happy, I love every little aspect that Duel Monsters brings to me and my life! I love the look on these people's faces; I love the smiles that I put on for the people not just in here but also for the fine folks at home watching and to the readers who're reading this story. It warms my heart when I'm pulled to the side and people say 'thank you'. I am here out of love, what the hell are you doing here!! Cause I'm not just fighting for me, Sunset. I'm fighting for everybody whose dream was to be here, whose dream was to stand here on the grandest stage of them and say they've made it. Know that because this is my life! This is my passion! This is all that I got!!!" Now it was Isaac's voice that was heard by everybody.

"Say hello to my Chromatic Paladin(3000/3000). My paladin has a unique ability because when he's summoned he gains the attack points of your monster, so now my Paladin's attack points rise up to 10,000!"

"10,000 attack points! That's impossible!!"

"Nothing is impossible, Sunset! Now Chromatic Paladin, attack Sunset's Demon Inferno. Rainbow Slash!!"

(End of Flashback)

"And well that's what happened." said Sunset as she finished recounting her tale.

"Howdy, Sunset!" called out Applejack as she waved to her friend. "Givin' these folks a tour."

"Hey, Applejack. Yeah, Principal Celestia asked me to."

"She also telling us about what happen with the person who became the champ." said a boy.

"Is she now, well as good as that sounds, how 'bout we all get something to eat. The school is serving some mighty fine food out back." suggested Applejack as everybody all started to head out to the back of the school where the activities fair was set up as they began to eat.

Sunset just stood on top of the stairs as she looked at what laid before her. Applejack noticed this as she came to check on her friend.

"You okay, Sunset?"

"I'm fine, Aj. Just taking it all in, we are now officially upperclassman, and soon we'll graduate. Which means our individual lives are about to take off. Just trying to enjoy these last moments as much as I can."

"Ah hear you, sugarcube. Goin' to be hard when we leave this place. Really goin' to miss it, not to mention all the adventures we've had." said Applejack as she began to reminisce about the past.

(Flashback)

"Crystal Prep? Never heard of it." said Isaac.

“Canterlot’s rival school,” Applejack explained. “A bunch of upper-class snobs with more money than talent.”

"No doubt it was them! Why else would they be snooping around here but to try to get a closer look at our decks just before the Friendship Games."

"Ok, I'm extremely loss. Someone mind explaining. Friendship Games? Rival School?" asked Isaac.

"Well seein' as how they squash at everything, kind hard to get along with them, sugarcube."

"I want you to be a part of the team to represent CHS, in fact, I want you to be the team captain." Celestia then extend her hand to Isaac.

Celestia then bent down on her knees and looked at Isaac while placing her hand on his shoulders. "Isaac, I wouldn't be asking you to do this if I didn't think it was in your best interest. Everybody here is grateful for all you've done; you've helped to elevate the level of competition here and have raised the bar on what it means to have a good duel. There was torch sitting here and you took the damn thing and ran with it; I couldn't be more proud of you as an individual and as student who I can say, it's been an honor to be your principal."

"I'll do it. I'll assume the role of team captain."

Fast forward to the Friendship Games...

"So you had the balls to show up? I can respect that." snickered Shining Armor.

Isaac snickered back with his own comment. "Just promise me one thing, Shining Armor. Before you step on the dueling field with me, that you retrieve your balls from Cadance's purse."

Luna then spoke into the microphone. "Ladies and gentleman, your winner of the first round in the Friendship Games: Sour Sweet! With that Crystal Prep takes the lead." The scoreboard then changed to show 1-0 for all too see.

"Students of Crystal Prep and Canterlot High.... the third duel... has ended in a tie." said Luna as she was out of breath.

Up in the sky box, Candace covered the microphone and cleared her throat, then took her hand back. “The winner of the final duel of the day is Canterlot High’s Sunset Shimmer!”

"Lemon Zest has defeated Pinkie Pie in the 6th round." spoke Cadance.

"The winner of the seventh duel is Canterlot High's Rainbow Dash!!" said Luna. "After 7 rounds of dueling, the score is now tied with 3-3 for both schools. Therefore we'll have one final duel; each team will select one duelist they want to compete. The selections will be kept secret until the duel actually starts, then the winner of those two will be declared the victor."

"Sombra needs to pay for what he has done, endangering the lives of his own students, corrupting them with magic, willing to sacrifice innocents just to fulfill his own selfish desires. I can't let someone like that continue to run rampant. Plus, I'm not going to risk losing either you or Twilight. My friends have already suffered enough." Isaac then stepped forward as he activated his duel disk and out shot a gold light tray. "If it's fight you want, then it's fight you'll get. You'll be dueling me, Sombra."

“No…” Twilight raised her arms in front of her, folded up her cards, and slid them into her duel disk. “We’re ready.”

Sombra crossed his arms. “Nothing on the field, nothing in your hands. And no teammates or friends to back you up. Face it, Isaac. You're all alone! There's nothing you can do! Take your final turn before this duel ends.”

"No!" Isaac then stared at Sombra. "It's like you said my magic is strong. Well I believe that my magic is stronger than yours and I'm going to prove it now!... I harmonize the spirits of my monsters, and open the dimensional gates to call upon a shining spirit of hope.” Isaac’s magic burst into a spectacle of colors. “Unitatis Summon! Ascend, Harmony Magician Warlock!”

(End of Flashback)

"You're telling me." said Sunset as she listened to Applejack as she finished remembering. "And that was just the tip of the iceberg."

"I'll say!" stated Rainbow Dash as she was next to Fluttershy. "CHS has had tons of great adventures when it comes to Duel Monsters."

"Especially cause of you know who." said Fluttershy. "Remember the Spring Fling."

"Of course, that was sort of my full-circle moment in that everybody got to see just how far I came since the Fall Formal." mentioned Sunset.

"And then shortly after that, was the graduation duel with Shining Armor at Crystal Prep Academy." added Fluttershy.

"Then we went on our camping trip to Camp Everfree." said Rainbow as the two began to remember that trip.

(Flashback)

Luna the spoke up, "When we were your age, we made some of our favorite memories in these woods, we're sure you will, too."

"From what he said, his reason was that it was all related to Gaea Everfree?" suggested Sunset.

"Animal cruelty? Why's that?" asked Sunset as she raised an eyebrow.

"Cause I'm going to beat him like a bitch!" said Isaac with fury in his voice.

"Oh, I got this. And I'm going to use it to save my camp. I just need more power!" Gloriosa then reached up to grab the remaining geodes.

"How do we do that?" asked Fluttershy as she cowered in fear.

"Same thing I always do. Save the fucking day." said Isaac as he ran off to confront Gloriosa.

"So now Harmony Magician Warlock, attack Gloriosa's monster and end this duel!!!" Isaac's entire body started to shine bright as he was covered in a gold aura, he then fused his spirit with his magician as together they delivered the final blow. Gloriosa felt her power starting to fade as Isaac's attack drained her of her magic and the geodes that she was wearing started to lose their color and then broke into tiny pieces.

(End of Flashback)

"Trust me, that was one camping trip that I never want to relive." said Rainbow as the others 3 girls just laughed.

Soon all three decided to take a walk as they made their way to the bleachers. They then began to talk with one another about some even more memories before they were interrupted.

"My gift was way better than yours, Applejack!" shouted Rainbow.

"Well ah made mines with mah two hands. You bought yer gift, where's the heart and love in just buyin' a gift." shouted Applejack as both girls pressed their foreheads together as they looked to go at it.

"Even something as little as gift giving is enough to cause an argument between those two." said Sunset as Fluttershy just nodded as they were seated.

"Darlings, please. Are you two seriously fighting over who gave him the better gift? You ought to be ashamed of yourself. Besides, nothing could top the necklace that I gave him, my did I do a fabulous job on making it." stated Rarity.

"Seriously?!" shouted Applejack and Rainbow.

"Yeah, sillies." said Pinkie as she emerged between the two as they let out a scream.

"Pinkie! Don't do that." shouted Rainbow as she fell down.

"Sorry, hehehe." giggled Pinkie. "But come on, it's our last year. We're suppose to have fun, not fight. It's just like when we went on that trip across the country." Pinkie then began to tell the tale of the summer trip that all of them took as they performed for tons of kids and helped their school to get the necessary resources to be up to par with Duel Monsters.

"I remember." said Fluttershy. "The heist in Las Pegasus."

"The battle simulation in Horsolulu." added Sunset.

"Even the duel in his hometown." stated Rainbow Dash.

"Exactly, and don't forget when he and Twilight won the Duos Cup." said Pinkie.

"Then a... less than pleasant event happened right after that." said Rarity as the others knew what she meant as they too began to painful recall.

(Flashback)

"All the respect that you paid me, every word that has ever come out of your mouth about me and what I've been and who I am means nothing if you don't give me an opportunity to have the greatest duel of my career on the grandest stage of all." Celestia was really staring down at Isaac.

"SHUT UP!!!!!!" screamed Celestia as it caused everybody to tuck in their cheeks. "This is the Yugioh World Class trophy. I won it when I was 25 years old!!! This is an accomplishment that very few duelists can ever hope to get in their career. This is an accomplishment that is only awarded to an individual not just based on their success, but on character, on heart, on passion!!!" yelled Celestia as a few spits were coming out of her mouth. "Only a select few have ever gotten the opportunity to ever get one in their life because this trophy shows that you can hang with the best. All the greats of the past have held this trophy at one point in their career!!! This is what you grew up admiring, wanting to know what made a machine like me go!!!" Celestia's response was met with some cheers as the students could feel her passion.

Isaac simply raised the microphone to his mouth and said his final word. "Like I said, I'm putting you out of your misery."

Fast forward to the duel...

"It's time." said Celestia. She then dropped to her knees as she looked at Isaac. "Do it."

Isaac was now trembling as he was struggling to give his monster its command.

"Do it. I accept what's to come." Celestia even had her arms out to the side as she closed her eyes. She looked like she was waiting to be sacrificed.

Thank you, Isaac. I can now find some peace. Celestia was then on her back as her life points dropped.

"Celestia's career... is over."
(End of Flashback)

"I think that was an experience that all of us had a sour taste in our mouths." said Sunset as the girls nodded.

"Still, it had to be done. Celestia wanted to go out on her terms and she did just that." said Rainbow.

"Even after all this time, still hurts just thinkin' about it." mentioned Applejack.

"Let's move on, shall we." asked Rarity.

"I think it's for the best that we do." said another voice as it belonged to Twilight.

"Twilight, been wondering where you were?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, I had to help several clubs set up, not to mention answer some questions from some students/parents and help Principal Celestia organize all this." explained Twilight.

"And you're sure he's fine without having you constantly kissing him at every second?" smirked Dash as she made fun of her geeky friend.

"Kissing him isn't my only function in life, Dash. I have other interests too you know." stated Twilight. "You're just jealous that he chose me to his girlfriend instead of you." smirked Twilight back.

"I'm not jealous!" shouted Rainbow as she had a bit of blush on her cheeks.

"Be lucky that I let you kiss him, Dash." said Twilight. "Though I still haven't forgotten when you broke my rule. And that goes for all of you! He's mine, and don't you forget it!" Twilight's anger caused all the girls to nodded their head while Sunset just had a look on her face to show she didn't care.

"Please, I rather be stuck in cyberspace than suffer your wrath." spoke Rainbow.

"Not that whole debacle." said Twilight as it caused everybody to start remembering. "Trust me, we were literally playing Russian Roulette with our minds. That was as dangerous as it got, I almost lost Spike."

"Hey, I'm still here." spoke the mutt as he was near Twilight. "Besides it allowed me the chance to duel, something that I had to constantly listen to you throughout the years growing up."

"Be lucky that you had someone there to help and guide you. Otherwise who knows what the Gamemaster might have done." stated Twilight. "There also the time when he gained his pendulum cards and started to show off the new summoning method. And apparently when you two went with him to learn about Turbo dueling." said Twilight as she remembered him telling her about that experience. "And then you're most recent adventure when you two took a trip. Where did you guys go?"

"That's a secret." said Sunset as she gave Twilight a wink.

"Well what matters is that through all these adventures, we're still all friends. And we'll continue to be friends, even when we go our separate ways." said Applejack.

"Agreed, I'm looking forward to seeing what this final year has planned for us." said Rarity.

"One thing is for sure, some form of crazy magic is gonna happen." said Pinkie.

"We'll just do what we normally do, save the day or just him take care of it for us." mentioned Rainbow.

"Not to mention the brand new house that he bought us." said Fluttershy. "Can't believe he did all that just for us."

"Guess, we're all thankfully for what he's done. Not to mention fine tuning our decks." said Twilight as she and the others all pulled out their decks and looked at them as they could feel their connection.

Celestia and Isaac were watching from her office as they looked out the window.

"Seems this year promises to be a big one." said Celestia.

"Things are shaping out to be that way." spoke Isaac. "Things are changing and we need to adopt to it."

"Indeed." said Luna as she was looking over some papers. "By the way, Celestia and I have finished the request you asked for. I do hope that this works out." Luna then had several portfolios in her hand.

"It will, I have full faith." said Isaac as he took the items from Luna as he began to look them over. "Everything is in place. The first step is done, now the hard part begins."

"Then I look forward to the final result." said Celestia as she dismissed Isaac.

Isaac tipped his cap to his principals as he took the portfolios with him as he exited out of the office. He then started to make his way to the rooftop as it was his place to think. Isaac looked down and he could see the massive amount of people that were still out and about. He then sat down as he looked at the horizon as his magicians appeared.

"This is it, our final year is upon us. Are you guys ready?" asked Isaac as he was still staring straight forward.

"By your side till the bitter end." said Mahad as he took a seat on Isaac's right.

"Together till the end of time." said Mana as she sat on Isaac's left.

"Then let's do this." said Isaac as he prepared himself for all the things that were about to happen.

Author's Note

It begins. For those that know, you know. And for those that don't. Well, you'll see soon enough.

Chapter 130: New Students

The day had come. It was a day that most students of Canterlot High either dreaded or were excited. And for several students they were pleased, cause in just a couple of months, they along with the rest of their class would soon walk across that stage and officially be graduates. Fluttershy had just finished getting ready as she prepared for the first day of her senior year. She had woken up as the sounds of birds chirping had caused her to awake as she approached the window and opened it.

"Oh, good morning, little friends. Your singing is oh-so pretty." said Fluttershy.

"(Bird Chirping)"

"Yes, it is a very beautiful day today. Certainly something worth singing about." said Fluttershy as some music began to play.

There's music in the treetops
And there's music in the vale
And all around the music fills the sky
There's music by the river
And there's music in the grass
And the music makes your heart soar in reply.

While she was singing, Fluttershy was getting dressed as tons of small birds flew into her room as they began to harmonize with the buttercup girl. Soon she slide down the rail poll as the last note of the song ended and she land as she struck a pose. What she failed to realize was that the others were in the living room as they were shocked to see their shy friend singing all by herself. Fluttershy then realized this as she started to trace her foot in the ground.

"Wow!" shouted Pinkie as she had a huge smile on her face.

"Oh... you... um... you didn't hear me... um..." spoke Fluttershy as she was embarrassed.

"Singing in the most beautiful voice ever?!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Uh, yeah, we did!" said Rainbow.

Fluttershy just let out a gasp which was followed by a whimper as she tried to hide behind her hair.

"Alright, that's enough." said Sunset as she came to her friend's aid. "We all know Fluttershy has a lovely singing voice."

"Any reason why you're so happy?" asked Twilight.

"Well, I guess it's because it's the first day of school and for us we're starting our senior year at CHS." said Fluttershy.

"Yup, kind hard to believe that time has flown by so fast. It feels just like yesterday that we were all tryin' to takedown Sunset from her cruel and evil power." stated Applejack. "No offense."

"I'm used to it at this point." said Sunset with a confident smile.

"Anyways, are we all set, darlings? We still need to actually get to school. Despite us being upperclassman, it doesn't mean that Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna are gonna let us have a free pass." stated Rarity.

"Speaking of which, where's Isaac?" asked Fluttershy as she was expecting their male companion to be with them in their house.

"Apparently, Isaac left early. He said he had to take care of a few things, he didn't say what exactly." informed Twilight as she had just finished feeding Spike and Tigre their breakfast as she gave the two pets a petting.

"Well we better get a move on!" shouted Rainbow as she was already stepping out of the door.

The others soon grabbed their backpacks as they did the same with Pinkie being the last one to exit the house as she locked it. With that the seven of them all started to walk towards the school. They got there as they saw several other of their fellow classmates as well as some new fresh faces as they got a good look at the large group of freshman. Soon the school bell rang as it signaled that school was just moments away from starting. The girls all made their way to Principal Celestia's office as they were going to get their schedules for the following year.

"Good day, girls. Hope you're all excited for your final year." said Principal Celestia. She then handed them their schedules as they all took a look at them to compare classes.

One thing being a senior at Canterlot High is by the time you reached that level, there wasn't that many classes left. Or in the case of Twilight and Sunset, they had reduced the amount of classes that were left available. So in general, the girls all had 4 classes for the whole day which meant they had an entire block that was their free period. For Sunset and Twilight, they only had 3 classes. So it seemed that it would be any student's dream to have this kind of schedule, but that wasn't going to be the case.

"Sweet! Only four classes!" said Rainbow as she was the most excited that she would have a lot of free time on her hands.

"Not exactly, Rainbow. Just because you only have a few classes, doesn't mean you'll have all the free time you want. In fact, all of you girls will be using your free period for a reason." said Celestia as it got the attention of all the girls.

"What do you mean, Principal Celestia?" asked Applejack.

"It has come to my attention that Duel Monsters is vastly growing, and we here at CHS don't teach it like other institutions do. But a recent development has occurred that I believe will help CHS moving forward. This year, we've got a number of freshman who applied to this school. And one of the main reason was Duel Monsters, now as you know every student here learns about it on their own as we don't teach it. Which is why this year, there will be a special program dedicated to teaching and tutoring these students about the game. And you girls are a part of that." said Principal Celestia.

"What?!" said all the girls in unison.

"You're joking, right? Me, teaching? What kind of idea is that? Look I'm all for helping others, but teaching? They're gonna think I'm an egghead!" shouted Rainbow as she wanted to keep her image up. "Besides, who the hell came up with that idea?"

"It was mines." said Isaac in a booming voice as he now appeared from shadows as stood next to Celestia as the girls were shocked.

"You?" said Rarity.

"What's the meanin' of this, sugarcube?"

"Let me explain. As you know Duel Monsters is a way of life. To some it has the potential for them to have a new life, to start over on clean slate. To help them achieve their dreams. Without Duel Monsters, I probably wouldn't be the duelist that I am today. Which is why I want to give that same opportunity to others. I saw first hand how learning about Duel Monsters affected kids when I was Cheerilee's aid during my sophomore year. And last year when Twilight and I, taught an intro to Duel Monsters class. I want to see what other hidden talents there are. Which is why I had this program created and funded."

"Woah, back up. You created this program and paid for it with money out of your own pocket?" asked Sunset.

"Just how did you manage that?" asked Twilight.

"Remember the money I made during our trip to Las Pegasus." said Isaac.

"Dude, you mean to tell me that you were rolling in cash all this time and you didn't let me have any?!" shouted Dash.

"And what about your little sister?!" shouted Pinkie. "All the times I as you to buy me something and you said no!"

"Calm down. Yes, I made a small fortune during my Blackjack dealings. Add the interest that went with it when I put it in the bank, safe to say that I had enough leftover and then some." smiled Isaac. "But look that's not important, what's important is that we help these kids with their future. Now I told the Board of Education about this idea and they were fairly on par with this program. However, they need to see some results before they can officially back it up and implement it into our education. So I came up with a proposal. I told them that to start out we would have 7 students enter the program and at the end of the year, they'll come down and see the final results for themselves." said Isaac.

"Interesting... but wait, why 7? Are you not going to actually take part in your own program?" asked Rarity.

"No, cause I'm going to be the one to oversee things." said Isaac. "You all will be the teachers, and I'll be the one in charge."

"That's alot to take in." said Sunset.

"Indeed, but I wouldn't ask you guys if I didn't think you all were up for the challenge. You're all incredible and strong duelists, and I believe you'll make fine tutors for these kids." said Isaac.

The girls all looked at each other as they began to discuss this idea. Seeing as how Isaac had poured alot of his own resources into this little project, it would be ashamed if they just left him hanging. Especially after all he had done for them and their decks. So they all turned their head back to Isaac as they gave a collective nod.

"Alright then, now time to introduce the students." Isaac then had Luna hand him the portfolios as he started to put them on the table as he began to explain each one of them. "First up, is a student by the name of Shadow Moonrise. Age: 17. He was left on the orphanage by his birth parents when he was just a baby and he was adopted when he was 1 year old by a kind rich family who couldn't get children of their own. As for his experience, he's started playing Duel Monsters when he was 10 years old and has competed/won in some local tournaments. Nothing too major. Deck type: Raidraptor." said Isaac. He then presented another folder.

"Next up, is a girl by the name of Lucky Star. Age: 16 She comes from a middle-class family, her father is a doctor and her mother is a law attorney. However, when she was young, she didn't get to spend as much time with them as she liked. So for her 5th birthday, her family got her a dueling deck as a way for her to be occupied when they were out on business. Still she's fairly new and has a whole lot to learn. Deck type: Harpies." said Isaac as he finished telling about the female teen.

"Next is another boy, called Bryant Lopez. Age: 16. Growing up he was fascinated by Duel Monsters at a young age. Even in defeat, he's always willing to show respect for his opponents even if they don't express that same feeling. Nevertheless he makes sure to give it his all and he deeply is connected with his family. He has dreams of becoming a duelist, to what extent we don't know, but maybe we can help him. The deck he uses is special in that it's a Performapal deck." stated Isaac.

"After that is another girl named Penny. Age: 17. She comes from a family of three as she has two older sisters who are celebrities and models. She discovered Duel Monsters when she was waiting in her sisters' dressing room. Her sisters aren't big fans of her dueling as they believe it be a waste of time, especially cause they think it's more suited towards boys then girls. They want her to follow in their footsteps, but she doesn't seem to have too much an interest in it. Deck type: Blackwing." mentioned Isaac.

"This one is interesting. A kid by the name of Jack Hunt. Age: 18. Comes from a modest family of hard working people. His father is in the Army and his mother is a cook. They moved all over the place due to his father being in the army so he never had a chance to gain any real long lasting friends. The only thing that was constant in his life were video games, he has pet cockatoo named Odis. He's a novice player and doesn't take the game so seriously as others do. He did have one card that he loved above all others. In fact, one night while his family was sleeping their house caught on fire. They got out in time but Jack went back inside to get his deck or at the very least, his favorite card. While inside there he got trapped under some burning rubble and has severe burns on his right side of his face. He has since been healed up but has permanent burn marks. Some on his neck and face and his whole right arm is burnt. He wears long-sleeve shirts to cover that up and a glove on his right hand to cover it up. Still despite all that he's got an friendly demeanor towards others and will open up about what happened if he trusts you. Deck type: Battlin Boxer." stated Isaac.

"This next person is a girl called Amber. Age: 15. She's the youngest of this group. You would think that she would have a typical girl childhood. She scored high marks on the entrance exams and got a superb score when it came to her Duel Monsters IQ. But watch out! She gets angry if you treat her like a child. As for her parents, well they're currently away on some business with their jobs as historians." said Isaac as he showed some family photos of their travels to other countries. "Her level of experience is on a average. Deck type: Lunalight." chuckled Isaac.

"And the last of the bunch, is a boy named Jason 'Ironhide' Starr. His parents are wrestlers as well as duelists. He's been traveling with them across the world and has return to finish his studies. He applied to Canterlot High when he heard about the many challenges that occur. Age: 18. Plus he's a bit of an exercise person, given his family, so he likes to stay in shape. Despite all that, he still tries to show as much respect as he can for others. Deck type:... Blue-Eyes/Kaiju." said Isaac as he put the last folder on the desk as he looked at the girls.

"And there you have it. Those are the 7 students that have been selected and hand-picked to be a part of this program." said Celestia.

"Interestin' bunch." said Applejack.

"I'll say all those different stories and tales. Kinda makes me wonder if we got what it takes to teach the next generation of students." said Sunset.

"Ditto, oh well, I'll take this person." said Rainbow as she started to reach for a folder when she was smacked on the back of her hand by Principal Celestia. "Ow, what the hell?!"

"You're not going to be choosing who you get. None of you will. I will." said Isaac with a tone that caused all the girls to straighten up and give a gulp. "Consider it a test, not just for the students, but also you girls. Besides, there's another reason why I've done this which I'll explain after we see the new recruits."

"Alright then, so we do we meet them?" asked Twilight.

Isaac looked at his watch as he let out a smile. "Right now, in fact. Which means we need to get a move on." said Isaac as he started to exit the classroom with the girls following behind him.

"I hope this idea of yours is successful, Isaac." said Celestia.

"Indeed, cause if not. He's gonna have a huge debt in his pocket." stated Luna.

The new freshman class was full of all different kinds of students that all ranged from different personalities. Among those group were several individuals. A boy who had a peach skin tone, silver hair and red contrast eyes; he wore a red jacket with a red shirt underneath it. The back of the jacket had the symbol of the Duel Monsters logo on the back of the card; he also wore red pants as well as black sneaker shoes. He was excited to start his first day of school as well as the special program that he 'supposedly' enrolled. He was taking in the sight of his school that he failed to noticed where he was going as his back bumped into someone.

"Woah, sorry! Didn't see you there? I'm Bryant Lopez. Are you a student here, too?"

"No, I just figured I'd randomly stand here and see how many people would walk into me." said the person in a sarcastic tone as he let out a huff.

The boy that Bryant had bumped into was another male teen who was a year older than him. His name was Shadow Moonrise. He had dark blue skin tone, as his hair and eyes were azure colored. He was wearing a black and dark blue hoodie with black jeans and azure sneakers. One thing that was noticed about the teen was the gaming device in his hand it served for his love of video games.

"Thanks to you, I just lost all my lives and have to restart the level. Next time, pay attention." said the kid as he started to walk away as he returned back to his game.

"Hey, don't go." said Bryant as he chased after the kid. "Look, I'm sorry for bumping into you and for ruining your game. Can I make it up to you?"

"Why are you asking that? I don't even know you." said Shadow.

"Well, then lets get to talking. Maybe we could become friends. What are your interests? For my its dueling, wanna see my deck?"

"Seriously? Kid, I don't know how things go in your world, but you don't just stumble onto the streets and just make friends with whoever. Not how life works. You don't just give a stranger all the info on yourself. Plus, I already got a deck and trust me, my Raidraptors are way better than your cheap circus acts." said Shadow as he was trying hard to beat the level.

"They're called Performapals." responded Bryant.

"Whatever." said Shadow.

"Coming through, people!" shouted a voice as the person collided with the two boys as they all fell down. The person who bumped into them was a girl by the name of Lucky Star. She had spring green skin tone, as she had blond hair that was in a ponytail. Her outfit consisted of a green jacket with a blue shirt underneath it as the sleeves of her jacket were cut off. She had white shoes, black leggings, and wore a cyan blue skirt that came just above her knees.

"I said I was coming through! God, why are boys always distracted by their toys?" said Lucky Star as she got off of the males. "No wonder they say girls are better than boys."

"What you say?!" said Shadow as he stood up and looked at the girl.

"You heard me. You're too busy dwindling your thumbs that you don't focus what's in front of you." stated Lucky Star as she placed her right hand on her hip.

"I think we're all equal." said Bryant as he looked for the peaceful solution.

"Whatever, I'm here to see what this school has to offer. Nothing can stop me and my Harpies, we're gonna have a smooth ride to the top." stated Lucky Star.

"As if, those overgrown turkeys are just some cheap knockoffs of what real birds are like. Kinda like that perfume you're wearing." said Shadow.

"Are you disrespecting my deck?" asked Lucky Star as she was ticked off.

"Hey you started this when you bumped into me and ruined my game." shouted Shadow.

"Let's all settle down, no need to cause a fight. Especially on the first day of school." said Bryant as he hoped to avoid an unnecessary conflict.

Just as both of them were glaring at each other, they heard somebody laughing as they looked to their right and saw another girl who was leaning against the lockers as she too was watching this interaction.

"You're both delusional, the real bird of prey deck belongs to my Blackwings. Not some overcomplicated Xyz monsters." stated the girl named Penny.

She had fair skin, brown eyes, and dark burgundy hair. Her hair was mostly chin-length with the addition of elbow-length bangs that frame both sides of her face. She her front bangs were rolled up with a hair curler on top of her head, while a bit hung down on each side. Her attire had her wearing a purple shirt along with a hoodie that was colored black. Her shoes were brown as she wore white socks that were just below her knees and she wore a burgundy mini skirt.

"The best kind of summoning method is Synchro. And nothing better than to have a deck that revolves around it. So you both can take your little 'pigeons' and fly away. Besides, they're way more popular then your two decks. I think everyone in the dueling committee can agree on that." stated Penny.

"Synchro summoning? When it comes to dueling, it's all about going big or going home." stated Lucky Star.

"As much as I hate Ms. High and Mighty over here, I have to agree. The best way to win a duel is to perform the most advanced and trickiest summoning methods. And that's Xyz summoning and Raidraptors are all about that. Swarming the field and overwhelming your opponent." boosted Shadow as he defended his deck.

"What does it matter who has the best deck?" said a voice. All four of them then looked off as they saw someone who was in the shadows as they only saw the left side of his face. "We're all good in our own way, the only indication of one's skill is to see how they handle high pressure situations."

The person that was talking was another male by the name of Jack Hunt. From afar, only his left side was shown as his whole right arm was burnt as well as some permanent burns that ran alongside his face and neck. He had short hair, red-eyes, tannish skin as his current attire was a long-sleeved shirt as he wore some shorts and some running shoes as well as glasses.

"Okay, who ordered the creepy student talking in the shadows?" asked Lucky Star.

"Trust me, it's best that you don't see my other side." said Jack.

"What, did you mutation when you were born?" asked Bryant.

"No, worst."

"What, got six fingers, or it toes?" asked Shadow.

"Far worse."

"Oh for crying out loud, just show us!!" shouted Penny.

Jack just took a deep breath as he slowly stepped out of the shadows. He showed off his right side as the others could see his burn marks. Despite having the proper treatment, it still left a patch of skin that was burnt out as the others noticed this.

"Yeesh." all four of them said as they looked at the kid.

"Now you know." said Jack.

"Gotta say, it's not bad look for you. Show that around the ladies and you may catch their attention." said another person as he appeared in front of the group.

"Alright, what's your introduction?" asked Shadow as he found this starting to get repetitive.

"My name is Jason 'Ironhide' Starr." said the boy. He too had tannish skin, as his hair and eyes were colored brown. Compared to the others, he was currently dressed in workout clothes with a couple of sweatbands.

"Nice to meet." said Bryant.

"Same here." said Jason.

"Well I've had enough of you guys wasting my time." said Lucky Star. "I need to get to class."

With that all of them began to walk. What they didn't notice was that all of them was heading to the same place as they started to have outrun the others. Soon an entire dust cloud appeared as they all tumbled and started to push each other out of the way as they struggled to fit through the door. Soon all six of them came tumbling down into the door way as they all fell on a pile.

"You guys are late." said a girl who was sitting in a desk with a book in her hand.

She was had vanilla skin as she had brunette hair that stopped at her shoulders as she had a pink in her hair. She had emerald green eyes as she wore a shin-length pink dress that buttons up the front and a denim bolero jacket. She wore brown boots and had metal bracers on her wrists and around the edges of her jacket sleeves.

"They expect us to be on time, and these are my classmates. I knew I should have request a private one-one session." said the girl who was named Amber.

"Well we know who the child of the group is." said Jack.

"Child, I'm only 15. And compared to you all, it seems I'm the only one who's mature enough." replied back Amber.

Soon everybody started to argue, while this was going one they failed to realize someone had entered the room till they heard a voice.

"I see you've all met." said Isaac in a loud tone as they saw the upperclassman entering the room with his arms crossed.

"Someone want to explain to me, who the hell that is?" asked Jason.

"What do I care?" stated Shadow.

"Seems kind of cute." said Penny.

"In case you're wondering, I'm the one who asked for all of you. Now take a seat!" said Isaac as all 7 students all sat down as Isaac stood in front of him. "Now you all got a letter explaining that you were selected for a program, well that program is something that I've started as a way to see if CHS can get the proper funds to actually teach Duel Monsters."

"So we're just your guinea pigs?" asked Lucky Star.

"Don't know how I feel about being an experiment." said Bryant.

"Believe me, this is more than just an experiment." said Isaac. "Each of you possess some talent. What that is, well that remains to be seen. But based on the decks you all have, there's potential."

"No offense, but I'm pretty experienced when it comes to my deck." said Jason.

"So am I, won a couple of tournaments when I was younger." said Shadow.

"Hate to break it to you, but those were child play at best. This here, CHS is where the best of the best compete. Be lucky that you're surrounded by talented duelists from all walks of earth." said Isaac. "Now, let me explain the program. Each of you will be assigned a tutor. You'll meet 4 days out of the school week, but you'll each be in separate rooms. And on the day you guys don't meet with your tutor, you'll be gathered in a room and I'll be checking in with each of you to see your progress. Over the course of this year, you'll learn everything there is to know about Duel Monsters as well as trying to improve your skill set. At the end of the year, some special guests will be here to judge what you learned. Pass and you'll be hailed as heroes for future generations." Isaac then snapped his fingers as the girls all entered the room as the students all had different expressions on their faces.

"How may girlfriends do you got?" asked Jack.

"The girls you see standing before you are my friends, but more importantly, they'll be your tutors for this year. Listen to them, pay attention to their lessons and you should be able to pass this program."

"And what's the consequence if we don't listen?" asked Amber.

"Then you'll have to deal with the champion."

"Hold on, you're the champion of this school?" asked Shadow.

"Two years, he's been defending his rank as champion at this school." said Rainbow.

"Yes, though let's put that aside for now. Do you all understand?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, yeah." said all of the students.

"Good, cause I also have another announcement. One that I haven't told the girls, but now I can cause everybody is here. As you're all aware the Fall Formal is one of the biggest events to Canterlot High. And the past two have been quite entertaining to say the least. But this year, I talked with Principal Celestia and well she agreed. In the coming weeks, they'll be a tournament, the winner of the tournament will face me at the Fall Formal for the title of champion." said Isaac as that really got the student's attention. "Now you girls are going to participating, and as for the other seven, well... that will be you all." said Isaac as he pointed to the students.

"You mean that we could potentially face you and beat you?" asked Bryant.

"That's assuming you have the skills to back it up." taunted Isaac as that seemed to get the competitive edge out of all the students. "Now then, it's time to assign mentors. So here are my decisions." All the girls and the students all leaned in and listened closely to hear what Isaac was going to say.

"Shadow Moonrise, you'll be paired with... Pinkie Pie. Amber will go with Rarity. Jason 'Ironhide' Starr will be Twilight's student, Bryant Lopez will be paired with Fluttershy, Lucky Star will get Applejack, Jack Hunt your mentor will be Rainbow Dash, and lastly Sunset will get Penny." With that Isaac made his choices as it left mixed emotions not just on the students, but on the girls as well. "Now then, take the time to meet your student and we'll begin out lessons tomorrow in the gym." said Isaac as he walked out of the room.

Safe to say that Isaac's choices were met with less than pleasant choices as he had a few of the students confront him about his decision.

"This is a joke, right?" asked Shadow Moonrise. "You really put me with that pinky puffy haired girl?"

"Is there a problem with that?" asked Isaac.

"Uh, yeah. No offense but after you left she just kept going on and on. I couldn't stand her rambling anymore, she's downright annoying." said Shadow Moonrise. "I'm not going sit here and say that I'm giddy for this, but I was willing to give it a chance until you gave me a weird person to be my mentor."

"So you're calling Pinkie weird? You call Pinkie weird, well she's my honorary little sister. And it feels like you're disrespecting her, and if you disrespect her, you disrespect me. So it sounds like you're saying that you don't respect me. So I ask, are you disrespecting me?" said Isaac as he was looking at the kid.

"Don't try to twist this. That's not what I said."

"But that's what you're implying." sounded off Isaac as he still had his scowl face on. "Let me ask you this, Shadow Moonrise. Which way does a tree fall?"

"What the hell kind of a question is that?" asked Shadow Moonrise.

"Which way does a tree fall!?!" said Isaac in a booming authority tone.

"I dunno know. Down?" answered Shadow Moonrise.

"A tree falls the way it leans. Be careful which way you lean." said Isaac as he dismissed the boy.

Soon another student came in as it was Lucky Star.

"Look Isaac, we need to talk. So why did you put me with that country gal? She seems to be nothing more than a hillbilly girl, besides I don't have time for deadweight." stated Lucky Star.

"First of all, her name is Applejack. You best remember it. And second, you should be lucky to have Applejack as your mentor." said Isaac.

"Still, what could she have to offer me?"

"How about being all alone?" said Isaac as that got Lucky Star's attention. "You were alone for most of your life. Your parents constantly being called to work, you had nothing but your deck. Applejack prides herself on the idea of family and honesty. Perhaps she can provide you with some, since you've been missing it your whole life." Lucky Star just shook her head as she left the classroom.

The last person came in and it was Jack Hunt. But before he could say anything, Isaac immediately got to talking.

"Before you say anything, know that I had stern talking with Rainbow Dash. And if she even makes fun or does an unnecessary comment about your burns, then I will deal with her personally." said Isaac.

"I appreciate that." said Jack. "But I want to ask, why did you pick me of all people to be part of this program? Look at my scars, it's a sign that I'm a former shell of myself. That fire burned a part of me away; I still fell the searing pain, the burning."

"You showed courage when you entered that building to get this." said Isaac as he showed off Jack's favorite monster of his deck which was Jinzo. "You and this card are similar, in that you're both unique. You're not human, but you're not a monster. Besides, your deck shows the fighting spirit that you've had that has allowed you to get past the nasty remarks made by people. Rainbow to has a fighting spirit and I believe she can help you to channel that inner anger you have." said Isaac. "And most important of all... fear."

"I guess."

"Trust me, now go on." said Isaac as he dismissed Jack.

Isaac then let out a deep breath as he returned back to his seat as Twilight entered the room.

"How you holding up?" asked Twilight.

"Well, seeing as how I've had some requests from the students about certain things, I think we call this a successful day." said Isaac as he felt some stress come upon him.

"Let me help." said Twilight as she started to massage Isaac's shoulder as she tried to get her boyfriend to calm down which worked. "So, do you really think these kids will listen to us?"

"They better." said Isaac as he tried to relax.

"Isaac?"

"Yeah, Twi?"

"What's happening to you?" asked Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend. "Just that ever since you came back from your trip with Sunset, you've changed a bit. First you became the co-owner of Mr. Johnson's store. Then on our anniversary, you surprise me and the girls with our own house. And now you started up a program that you're paying for out of your own pocket."

"What's your point?" asked Isaac.

"It's just feels like you're taking on new responsibilities, like you're becoming an adult."

"That's basically what were are about to be, Twilight. Its just since my time as a teen is starting to wind down, I'm just preparing for the next stage of my life even after graduation." said Isaac.

"I just worry you're growing up to fast." said Twilight softly.

"Look, we'll discuss this another time; school is about to be over. And I need to get going, I'm suppose to close the store tonight and do the inventory for next month's orders. So I won't be home till late, just tell the girls to not worry and to make sure that the house is clean." said Isaac as he got up from his chair and exited the room as Twilight was left standing there with a sad look on her face.

"Isaac... I know you're planning for the next phase of your life, but do you really have to mature so fast?" said Twilight as she clutched the necklace she was wearing as she remember when Isaac gave it to her that he was much happier then. "I understand your new role and with it comes new responsibilities, but... can you still be the same person you once were?"

Author's Note

Well, it officially begins. And as you can tell the ending of this particular story arc will end at the Fall Formal. Now onto a bit of background info, so this idea of having the main cast tutor students was something that I started to look into way back when I was writing the Equestria story arc. I wanted to do an idea that would involve some of the fans of this story. So I reached out to some people both in the comment section and people who personally PM me and we got to talking. I explained the idea to them about having their own character involved, now each of the decks that each student has was all my idea. 5 out of the 7 choices were selected by me, with the others resulting in me having to bend some rules. Regardless, everything else about the character's which includes their background and stuff was made by the person who created them. I just gave them the choice of what deck they wanted to have. Also during these interviews, I had each person rank the girls; this was done not only to select pairings but also will be used for future references, especially when we get to the tournament. Now for those of you that have their character, if you have any questions, send me a PM if you have any concerns. My only hope is that I can be able to give the character you described to me the proper treatment; that's all I ask. Now then, this is going on long enough, so take care everybody and I'll see you next time.

Chapter 131: Test Evaluations

The next day rolled around as Isaac had arrived at school and was in the gymnasium as he prepared for the evaluations that were about to take place. He was busy overlooking the profiles of the students that he had selected as he knew that each of them was special, but more importantly, the type of decks each had and their experience with playing them.

"Still working hard." said Twilight.

"You know that..." Isaac didn't get to finish his statement as standing before him were his friends. But the major thing was that they weren't in their regular attire, but rather they upgraded their current style. Safe to say that each of the girls wanted to change up their looks given that they were in their final year of highschool. (Better Together outfits)

"Well what do you think of our new outfits?" asked Rarity.

"I'm liking what I see." said Isaac as he had to admit that their new outfits really stood out.

"Thanks for that darling, perhaps we can upgrade your look."

"Maybe another time, Rarity." said Isaac as he still loved what he was wearing as it was his signature look.

"Okay, now that he's had a chance to see our new outfits. Are we ready to get started?" asked Rainbow.

"In a moment, Dash." said Isaac.

Soon the door to the gymnasium opened up as the 7 students entered the place as they all had different expressions on their faces. Isaac then began to walk towards them. "Good to see that you all made it."

"Not like we had a choice." said Shadow Moonrise.

"Is this going to take long?" asked Penny.

"Cause even though we're just freshman, it doesn't seem the teachers care about the amount of assignments they've given us to complete for homework." explained Lucky Star.

"Not to mention they're having us take a test on the school rules just to remember them." whined Bryant.

"Do they really expect us to memorize all that? The only one I know is the 'No Pets Allowed' rule and that's about it." said Jason.

"Alright, calm down." said Isaac. "Now you all will using your decks and I'll be testing and judging your ability. So up first is going to be Jack Hunt and you'll be facing... Fluttershy." said Isaac as he pointed to her.

"Me? First?" said Fluttershy as she hid a bit behind her hair.

"At least it's a fair fight." said Jack to himself as he made his way to the field.

"Good, now you'll need this." said Isaac as he tossed a spare duel disk for Jack to use. "You'll get your own duel disks in time, but for training purposes, you'll use these. They're a bit old school, but they'll get the job done. Now, both of you take your places. And for these training purposes, you'll both be starting with 4000 life points. And the same goes to everybody else, when you're training with your tutor, you'll play by these rules to help ease you into the more advanced tactics." said Isaac as he took his seat at a table with the other girls sitting behind him on the bleachers while the rest of the 6 students all sat next to them in another section.

"So anybody want to place bets on this one?" asked Jason.

"Isn't betting bad?" asked Bryant.

"Not when you're trying to make cash." said Lucky Star. "I'll give the shy girl a chance and place 5 bucks on her."

"10 bucks says she lasts 3 turns." said Amber.

"50, that Jack will win." said Shadow. All the others were shocked to hear him bet so much cash. "Hey, I got money to spare. This is pocket change to me."

"All right, enough of that." said Isaac as he overheard their little conversation. "If you're all done making your wagers then it's time to get this duel underway. Besides, I got 100 dollars on Fluttershy." stated Isaac as it caused the students to have their jaws drop at how much Isaac was betting on the timid girl.

"Good luck." smiled Fluttershy as she activated her duel disk which projected a pink card tray.

"Same here." said Jack Hunt as he activated the duel disk on his arm and it combined together.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 4000-

Jack Hunt's Life Points: 4000-

"So anybody have any idea what deck that girl has?" asked Amber.

Turn 1: Jack Hunt

"I'll start things off." said Jack as he drew his card and to his surprise it was none other than Jinzo. Guess, Isaac slip this in my deck when I wasn't looking.

"So what's the level of experience when it comes to Jack?" asked Sunset.

"Well based on what Isaac said, he's a bit of novice. Doesn't have too much experience when it comes to Duel Monsters." said Twilight.

"Guess that's the reason why Isaac has him facing off against Fluttershy." said Rainbow.

"Alright, my move. To start, I'll play Battlin' Boxer Headgeared(1000/1800) in attack mode. Then since I normal summoned my monster, I can send a 'Battlin' Boxer' monster from my deck to the graveyard." Jack then selected the card he wanted to get rid of as he sent his card away. "That's all."

"Uh, does he know that he didn't set any spells or traps?" asked Pinkie.

"Remember he's a novice, cut him some slack." mentioned Sunset.

While all of this was being said, Isaac was making mental notes and writing down stuff for later.

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"Guess it's my turn, I draw. To start, I'll banish a spell in my hand so that I can special summon my Monoceros(1000/1000)." Fluttershy then got rid of her card as out came a beast that had a long horn. "Then I'll summon my Uni-Horned Familiar(0/1000) in defense mode." Fluttershy now had another beast on her field as this one was a tuner. "Now I tune my Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar with my Level 3 Monoceros." Fluttershy's Uni-Horned Familiar then transformed into two giant green rings as Monoceros jumped in between them. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity as I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!" shouted Fluttershy as she had one of her ace monsters raced down from the heavens and land with a the sound of thunder.

"Suddenly that girl has my attention." said Penny as she was surprised to see Fluttershy knowing how to Synchro Summon.

"Definitely didn't expect that from her given how shy she was." said Jason.

"Now Monoceros' effect activates, since I used him along with a Beast-type tuner monster for a synchro summon, then I can bring that tuner. So now Uni-Horned Familiar rises up in defense mode." Fluttershy then had her monster appear as she now had some more protection.

"Man, when did Fluttershy get this good?" asked Pinkie.

"I'm guessing Isaac spent some special time with her before the match." offered Twilight.

"Now I'll activate my Thunder Unicorn's ability, so now your monster loses 500 attack points for each monster that I control other than my Unicorn." Thunder Unicorn then pointed its horn at Battlin' Boxer Headgeared as it lost some more power. "Now time to attack, Thunder Unicorn take out his monster!" shouted Fluttershy. Thunder Unicorn then raced over as it charged with its horn as Battlin' Boxer Headgeared was just grabbed the horn as it hit him in the chest before he flung the attack back.
Jack Hunt's Life Points: 2300-

"My monster has a special ability, while it's in attack mode, once per turn it can't be destroyed in battle." said Jack.

"Still, you took damage." said Fluttershy.

"Yeah, that's the drawback of that ability." said Jack as he realized that for himself.

"Interesting." said Isaac as he watched on and made some notes.

"Well don't get too discouraged. Now I'll lay a facedown and end my turn. Which means you're monster's attack points return to normal."

Turn 3: Jack

"Then it's back to me, I draw." said Jack as he looked at his cards. "To start, I'll play my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400). When Switchitter is summoned, I can target 1 'Battlin' Boxer' monster in my graveyard and then summon it. So I choose to bring back my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer(1200/1400)." Jack now had 3 monsters on his field as it caused Isaac to have some curiosity. "Now I overlay my both my Level 4 Battlin' Boxer Sparrer and Switchitter to construct the overlay network." Soon both of his monsters then turned into orbs as a portal in the ground opened up and a pillar of light appeared as a new monster was being summoned. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 2)!" shouted Jack as his new monster appeared as it was in chains.

"That's a big monster." said Fluttershy as she looked at the monster that laid before her.

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Fluttershy

"Then I'm up, so here I go." said Fluttershy softly. "I'll summon my Nimble Momonga(1000/100) in defense mode." said Fluttershy as a flying squirrel appeared on her side of the field. "I'll then use the effect of my Thunder Unicorn, now I'll reduce your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke by 500 attack points for every other monster on my field." Thunder Unicorn then pointed its horn as it reduced Lead Yoke by 1000 points. "Now Thunder Unicorn, take charge and take out his monster."

"Not gonna be that easy, I activate my Lead Yoke's special ability, so by using one Overlay Unit, I can protect my Lead Yoke from being destroyed." Lead Yoke then broke one of their chains as it used its free hand to block Fluttershy's Thunder Unicorn as it still made contact before he flung the animal back. "And then my Lead Yoke gains 800 attack points." said Jack as his monster rose to 3000.
Jack's Life Points: 1300-

"Impressive, well then I'll end my turn." said Fluttershy.

Turn 5: Jack

"Any ideas on what Jack could do to get back in this game?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Just watch Rainbow." said Isaac. Don't be afraid, Jack. Play the card.

"My move, here goes." Guess, I've got no choice. "I'll now sacrifice my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared so that I can summon this, Jinzo!" shouted Jack as out came a cyborg monster as it had its brain showing. "Thanks to Jinzo's effect, all traps care destroyed." Jinzo then shot out a beam from its eyes as it took out all of Fluttershy's facedowns.

"Okay, was not expecting that from him." said Amber as she was surprised by what move Jack made.

"Where did he get such a powerful card?" asked Jason.

"Now time to attack, Battlin Boxer Lead Yoke take out Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Jack as his monster raised its fists and punched Fluttershy's monster as it was thrown back and disappeared into particles. "And Jinzo take out her Nimble Momonga." Jinzo then did just that as he took out Fluttershy's little squirrel.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3200-

Fluttershy felt the effect of the attacks as it caused her knees to buckle a bit before she straightened up and dusted her new outfit off. "Not bad." smiled Fluttershy as she gave props for Jack on being able to turn the tide of the duel in his favor.

"Thanks. Now end my turn." said Jack.

"Well hold on, since my Nimble Momonga was destroyed, I not only gain 1000 life points, but I can replace it with 2 more Nimble Momonga in facedown defense positions." Fluttershy now had two more of her monsters appeared.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 4200-

"So that attack was worthless." said Lucky Star.

"All it did was help the shy girl and give her some more life points." informed Shadow.

Turn 6: Fluttershy

"Now my turn." Since Jinzo is on the field, I can't play my traps. "I now summon Trident Warrior(1800/1200) and when this monster is successfully summoned, I can special summon one Level 3 monster from my hand, so I choose to play my Delta Flyer(1500/900). And then Delta Flyer's effect activates, when it's summoned, I can increase or decrease the level of one faceup monsters on the field by 1." Trident Warrior then had its level increase from 4 to 5. "Now I tune my Level 3 Delta Flyer with my Level 5 Trident Warrior." Delta Flyer then soared high into the air as it turned into three giant green rings as Trident Warrior jumped in between. "Let the sky open up and now give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I Synchro Summon, Lightning Tricorn(2800/2000)!" shouted Fluttershy as her new beast emerged.

"When the hell did Fluttershy get that card?" shouted Rainbow.

"Isaac?" asked Rarity as all the girls looked at him to which he just kept looking forward with a smile on his face.

"But I'm far from done, cause now I'm using my 2 Nimble Momongas so that I can build the Overlay Network!"

"Wait, she can Xyz Summon?!" shouted the students as they couldn't believe what Fluttershy was doing.

The two beasts turned into transparent red outlines and slid together, undulating. "I unite the powers of my two squirrels, to summon a brave new animal guardian!” She then grabbed the card that ejected from the top of her duel disk and then played it on her duel field. “I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000)!” The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Jack.

"I think I'm liking having Fluttershy as my tutor." said Bryant. If that was what Fluttershy could do then he was looking forward to being her student.

"You know two summoning methods? I thought you could only learn one." asked Jack.

"Don't limit yourself to what you can do. Besides, I had help from someone." said Fluttershy as she looked at Isaac to which they both smiled. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Ronin Raccoon, by using one Overlay unit, I can create a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. Since Lead Yoke had 3000 attack points, my Token now has 3000 points." The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back.

"Now, I'll play this spell card, Big March of Animals." said Fluttershy as she played the last card in her hand. "With this, all my monsters gain 200 extra attack points for every Beast-type monster on my field, so since I currently have 3 monsters, they all gain 600 extra attack points." Fluttershy's beasts then felt the power up as they let out several animal noises. "Now Lightning Tricorn, take out his Jinzo and my Kagemusha Raccoon Token will battle your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke! And by my math, that's enough to end this duel." said Fluttershy as her beloved animals obeyed the order given to them by their princess. Lightning Tricorn took out Jinzo with ease as her token brought its katana down on Lead Yoke who blocked it. But regardless it was enough damage to pierce through.
Jack Hunt's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Fluttershy

"That's enough!" shouted Isaac as the duel ended and the holograms disappeared.

Fluttershy's beasts all made their way to their beloved princess as they showed their affection to her as Fluttershy let out a giggle.

"Okay, seems the shy girl isn't all that I thought her to be." said Lucky Star.

"Hey hands off, she's my mentor." said Bryant as he couldn't wait to learn under Fluttershy. If she could do that on the dueling field, then he couldn't wait to see what she taught him.

"Damn." said Jack as he kicked the ground. "She's good."

"Don't get too discouraged." said Isaac as he approached the kid. "You did good, not bad for taking on Fluttershy. But you did make a few errors. You're major one is summoning your Jinzo since it didn't allow you to play any of your trap cards and based on what was in your hand, you had something to survive Fluttershy's attack."

"How did..." asked Jack.

"I can tell by your expression on your face." said Isaac. "Not to mention that the only monster you have in your Extra Deck is your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke. Which means you don't have much versatility in the way of your Extra Deck. Similar to another person that I knew who had a deck that started out like that." said Isaac as he pointed to Rainbow. "She was the same way, thinking that she didn't need to anymore cards since she was content with how it played. But eventually she accepted my help and together we improved her deck. I believe she can do the same for you."

"I see." smiled Jack as he went to join the others.

"And Fluttershy!" stated Isaac as it caused the shy girl to straighten up as she approached her friend. "Good job." Isaac gave his friend a thumbs up as she had a happy expression that she gave Isaac a tight hug as she was proud. She gave him a quick kiss on his cheek as she went back to hugging him. "Alright, now let's continue with the rest of the evaluations." said Isaac as he broke the embrace.

For the next few hours, Isaac had the students compete against the girls as he wanted to see just where they were in terms of skill and compare the experience level between each one of them. He also told them to hold back against the students as he wanted to test some of his theories.

"Now I'm summoning the last of my Raidraptor Vanishing Lanius!" said Shadow Moonrise as another one of his feather friends appeared. "Now it's time, I overlay all 3 of my Vanishing Lanius to construct the Overlay Network." All 3 birds then transformed into dark orbs as they were sucked into a portal that opened in the ground as a pillar of light appeared. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 3)!" Out came a giant raptor as it had its Xyz materials as it was sort of mechanical as it had a symbol on its body. "Now I activate my monster's special ability, by using one Overlay Unit, it gains the attack points of all your special summoned monsters on the field till the end of the turn. Now it makes my Rise Falcon the strongest monster on the field! And it can attack all of those monsters once per turn." shouted Shadow as his creature shot up in strength.

"Now take our those puny petunias! Ravaging Rebellion!" shouted Shadow as his raptor soared high into the sky as it encased in flames as it hurled itself at Applejack's monsters and won him the duel.

"Performapal Sleight Hand Magician destroy her monster!" shouted Bryant as he had his monster start to charge towards Rainbow's creature.

"Not gonna happen, Clear Wing Synchro's ability allows to negate your effect and then destroy it all together!"

"It can what?!" said Bryant as he was shocked to hear that.

"Go Reverse Revenge!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon repelled the effect and took out Performapal Sleight Hand Magician. "And since my dragon destroyed your monster, it gains the attack points of your monster." Clear Wing then had it stats rose up as it let out a roar. "Time to end this! Spin Storm Sky Strike!" said Rainbow as her monster took out Bryant's remaining life points.

"Now by the power of a Synchro Summoning, these two Blackwings will beat as one! Soar to power, Black-Winged Dragon!" Out came a powerful monster as it let out a roar. "Now I'll have my Black-Winged Dragon attack your Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle!" shouted Penny.

"That's why I had this ready, reveal my last facedown card, Rainbow Gravity!" Soon all 7 Crystal Beasts of Rarity's appeared as their images appeared before they turned into pillars of light as they created a rainbow. "Now since I have 7 Crystal Beasts with different names on my field, I can special summon my Rainbow Dragon!'" Out came Rarity's ultimate monster as it shined the brightest. "Now the other effect of my Rainbow Gravity activates which means all your other monsters are now forced to attack my Rainbow Dragon." stated Rarity.

"Oh no!" said Penny as she watched her monster be destroyed and the remainder of her life points drop.

"I fuse together my Lunalight Cat Dancer and Lunalight Blue Cat." Amber's two monsters then started to merge together as a new brand of creature was being born. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer is on the prowl! And now to take out your monsters. So say goodbye!" Amber then had her monster lock its eyes on Twilight's High Priestess of Prophecy as she managed to take out her monster and the remaining life points.

"Blue-Eyes, finish this! Attack Red-Eyes B. Dragon with White Lightning Attack!" shouted Jason as he had his dragon take out Sunset's monster with ease. Sunset's dragon did the best to protect its mistress from harm as Sunset stood her ground.

"Now Harpie Ladies Sisters, take out Toon Buster Blader!" shouted Lucky Star as she had her monsters take out Pinkie's last remaining monster.

With that the final evaluations had taken place as Isaac watched and wrote down the results. He was able to see the results from each of the students as he made notes on what they did well and what they needed to work on.

"Not bad, all of you. You all did the best you could, now either you won or lost doesn't matter."

"Then what was the point of us winning?" asked Shadow as he pointed to the ones that actually won their matches.

"The point was to see your skill level and see where you are compared to others." said Isaac. "But don't let that get to your head, overconfidence is the biggest thing that can affect your performance." said Isaac.

"Couldn't have said it, better than myself." spoke another voice. The voice belonged to none other than Shining Armor as he had made a surprise appearance.

"Shining Armor?!" shouted Twilight as she was shocked to see her own brother standing here.

"Sup, Twily." said Shining Armor as he approached his sister and gave her a hug.

"What... what are you doing here?" asked Twilight.

"Well, I just got back in town and am resting before I head out on my next trip. So I'd figured why not surprise my sister at her school and see how she's doing. Though I didn't figure that she now be teaching."

"Well, that's actually my idea." said Isaac as he now looked in the eyes of one of his greatest rivals. Isaac than began to talk with Shining Armor as he told the world champion about his idea to start this program and how it could help CHS in the long run. While the boys were chatting, the group of students were talking among themselves.

"Guys, is that really the world champion?" asked Jack.

"Sure looks like him." said Bryant.

"What's he doing here at this school?" asked Lucky Star.

"I'm guessing he knows this group." stated Amber.

"Champion, correct? What kind of deck does he use?" asked Jason.

"Duh, it's a Blue-Eyes deck. And he's unstoppable." informed Penny.

"Hmm." Soon Jason started to stand up as he made his way towards Isaac and Shining Armor. "Pardon me, Isaac. But I want to face Shining Armor."

"Excuse me?" said Isaac.

"Look I hear he's got a Blue-Eyes deck, and so do I. Just give me this challenge, please." pleaded Jason.

"Look, I can't..."

"It's fine, Isaac." said Shining Armor. "Let the kid have his fun, besides I want to see what kind of power he has with his cards." Shining Armor then looked at Jason as he could tell that the kid wouldn't be satisfied until his request was made. The funny thing was that Shining Armor was here for his own request but it would seem that would have to be put on the backburner for the time being.

"Are you sure you want this?" asked Isaac. "Shining Armor is not someone to be taken lightly."

"I'm not scared." said Jason with some overconfidence in his voice.

"Alright then, everybody clear some space!" shouted Isaac as he, the girls and the students all made their way to the bleachers as they prepared to let both of the boys prepared to duel.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Shining Armor's Life Points: 8000-

Jason Starr's Life Points: 8000-

"I'll let you have the first move." said Shining Armor.

Turn 1: Jason

"Don't try to show me pity, I want to duel against the best this place has to offer." said Jason as he drew his card. "I'll start by summoning my Maiden with Eyes of Blue." said Jason as a women appeared in her natural beauty. "I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shining Armor

Solid play from the kid, but he's not me. Shining Armor then drew his card as he looked at it and had a smile on his face. "I'll start by playing my Cards of Consonance, so I'll discard The White Stone of Ancients from my hand to draw two cards." Shining Armor then sent his card away as he picked up some more cards. "Next, I'll activate Forbidden Chalice. So I'll raise your Maiden's power by 400 but it's effects are negated."

"Still since you target my Maiden with Eyes of Blue, I can activate its effect to summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand." said Jason as he had one of his powerful monsters appear on his field.

Shining Armor just simply laughed at the roar that his opponent's monster decided to let out. "That may be, but now you can't use your Maiden's other effect. And as for me... well my turn is far from done. Now I summon Kaibaman and then I'll activate Kaiba's man effect to summon my own Blue-Eyes from my hand. Bear witness to the real Blue-Eyes master!" shouted Shining Armor as his dragon appeared and gave a much more fierce and intimidating roar that caused everybody to cover their ears.

"Now, I'll play Burst Stream of Destruction. And so my Blue-Eyes wipe out his entire field!" shouted Shining Armor. His dragon then opened its mouth as it took out Jason's entire field with ease. "Luck for you, I can't attack with my Blue-Eyes this turn. But that won't matter, cause now I set one card facedown and end my turn. In my end phase, the effect of the White Stone of Ancients activates, since I discarded it earlier in my turn. I can special summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck." Shining Armor now had 2 great beasts as they carried such a presence.

"Anybody getting flashbacks to when Isaac dueled against Shining Armor?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Yup!" said all the girls.

"Woah!" said the students as they were impressed by the skills that the world champion was doing.

Turn 3: Jason

"You may have 2 dragons on the field, but that's about to change. My turn." said Jason as he drew his card. "I'll start by playing Interrupted Kaiju Slumber. This spell allows me to destroy all monsters on the field and then I can summon 2 'Kaiju' monster from my deck with one on my side and the other on your side. But they can't change position and must attack." with that Shining Armor had both of his monsters destroyed as they were blasted off the field, but he wasn't worried.

"So I'll summon Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju(2200/3000) from my deck to your field. And for me I'll summon Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju(3000/1200). But before I attack, I'll play Trade-In, so I'll discard my Lava Golem to pick up 2 more cards. Now Dogoran attack Gameciel!" shouted Jason as his monster launched his attack and took out its target.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 7200-

"Not much of a champion if you let your opponent get the first hit. Especially when I play this, I reveal my facedown, Elemental Absorber. So I'll remove one of my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon from play and as a result, all the monsters that you have on the field that are of the same Attribute can't attack." smiled Jason.

"Talk about a rock and a hard place." said Pinkie.

"No kidding, especially cause my brother relies on his Blue-Eyes to win."

"I'll end my turn with a facedown. Let's see what else you got." taunted Jason.

Turn 4: Shining Armor

"My turn, now I'll play Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards. Then I'll play Melody of Awakening Dragon. So now I discard one card in my hand so that I can add up to 2 Dragons with 3000 or more attack points and 2500 defense points or less from my deck." Shining Armor then had two cards slot out for him to grab as he had a smile on his face. "Now I'll play Polymerization to fuse my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand with the 2 Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragons. I Fusion Summon, Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon!" Shining Armor's great new beast let out a cry as everybody who looked at it was given a bit of a scare.

"Now my Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon's effect activates, since I used 'Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon' to summon it, I can now destroy 3 cards on your field so say goodbye to your monster as well as both of your cards in your backrow." Shining Armor's dragon then clear out Jason's entire field as he had nothing.

"I'll now activate the effect of the card you sent to the graveyard during your turn. I activate my Waking of Dragon trap card, so now I can special summon 1 monster from my Extra Deck. So arise, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon(2500/3000) in defense mode!" shouted Jason as he had his monster.

"You know that I could this duel right now if I wanted to." said Shining Armor as he had the serious of all looks. "But you wanted to challenge me, so I'll give you a chance. There's one card that's in my deck and once I draw it, I'll immediately play it and end this duel. So you have till then to see if you really are as good as you say. So, time's ticking kid. Let's see if you can cash in the check that your ass is writing." shouted Shining Armor as he ended his turn.

Turn 5: Jason

"Shining Armor is serious." said Isaac as he knew that kind of look from his rival. All the girls and the students were now scared by what Isaac just said.

"My turn." Okay, so all I have to do is beat the world champion before he summons, whatever card he draw. No pressure, just got to find some way to take down that beast. "My draw, this might work. "First I'll activate Azure-Eyes' ability, with it I can target a Normal monster in my graveyard and summon it to the field during my Standby Phase, so arise Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Blue-Eyes then rose up on Jason's side as it let out a roar. "With that, until the end of the next turn, neither player can target my Dragon monsters with card effects nor can they be destroyed by card effects. Then I'll play the spell card, Dark Ruler No More. With this I can negate the effects of your Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon, but for the rest of the turn, you take no damage."

"Every well, but how will you take down my beast?" stated Shining Armor.

"Like this, I play Raigeki to destroy your giant beast." said Jason as a thunderbolt took out Shining Armor's mighty dragon.
"I'll play a monster in defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 6: Shining Armor

"My turn, and let's see if this is when I end this duel." Shining Armor then slowly picked up his card as he looked at it. Nothing was said on his part as it caused everybody to worry. "Looks you survive... for now. I summon The King of D. Now I'll discard a card to add Dragon Revival Rhapsody to my hand. Now I'll have my monster take out your facedown monster." said Shining Armor as his monster took out Jason's set monster.

"The monster you attacked was my Morphing Jar. Now we send all the cards in our hand and then draw 5 new cards." said Jason as both he and Shining Armor drew new cards.

"I may not have gotten the card I'm looking for, but you helped me with another plan." smiled Shining Armor. "So prepare yourself, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." said Shining Armor.

Turn 7: Jason

"Like that's suppose to scare me." said Jason. "Time for me to end this duel. Now, I draw. I'll activate the effect of my Spiral Galaxy Dragon(2500/2500) since I control 2 Light Dragon monsters, I can special summon this monster in defense mode. Then I'll play Monster Reborn to bring one of my Blue-Eyes; then I'll activate the effect of my Azure Eyes Silver Dragon to bring back another Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Jason now had a field full of dragons as he looked to finish off Shining Armor.

"Impressive." said Lucky Star.

"Seems he might actually beat the world champion." said Shadow.

"Time to end this, I overlay both of my Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragons to build the Overlay Network." Both of Jason's dragons then turned into orbs of light as they were being sucked into a portal in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(3000/2500, OLU: 2)!" Out came a new breed of dragon as it let out a huge roar that caused the room to shake a bit. "Now I'll attack your King of D. with my Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon. But first I'll activate my dragon's effect, at the start of the Battle Phase, I can detach an overlay unit so that I can negate the effect of all of your faceup monsters."

"Hold on, I'll reveal my facedown, Negate Attack. So now your battle phase comes to an end." said Shining Armor as he managed to avoid defeat with ease.

"Damn it!" shouted Jason. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Shining Armor

"My draw, first I'll play Pot of Desires, now I banish the top ten cards of my deck facedown and draw 2 cards." said Shining Armor as a huge chunk of his deck was taken out as he drew his cards. "Then I play Soul Release so that I can remove my 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon and Kaibaman from play."

"Okay, anybody want to explain why the world champion did that?" asked Amber.

"Seems kinda of waste, if you ask me." mentioned Bryant.

"Just want are you planning, Shining Armor." said Isaac to himself as he knew that Shining Armor had a reason for doing such a move.

"Now, I'll just lay a card facedown and end my turn." said Shining Armor.

Turn 9: Jason

"Guess, you were wrong in saying that I couldn't cash in the check that my ass was writing. Cause I'm about to collect." said Jason as he drew his card. "Now I'll switch all of my dragons to attack mode. Time to finish this, Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon take out his King of Dragons." stated Jason with pride and confidence in his voice as his dragon took out Shining Armor's monster.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 4800-

"I activate my facedown, Shrink. So now I can cut the attack points of a monster in half. And I choose... my King of Dragons." said Shining Armor as his monster powered down to 600.

"Why do that?" asked Jason. At the moment something began to happen as Shining Armor was smiling.

"So that this can take effect, cause now I activate my second facedown, Crush Card Virus!" shouted Shining Armor. Soon a virus started to enter Jason's duel disk as his entire deck was being affected.

"What's going on?!" asked Jason. Soon he looked to his field as all of his dragons were letting out sick cries as they felt the powerful effect of Shining Armor's card was taking full effect. Soon all of Jason's dragons disappeared as he was now left with an empty field. "Where did all my monster's go?"

"My Crush Card Virus is responsible for all this. As we speak my Crush Card Virus is infecting your hand, field, and deck. Now for the rest of this duel, any monster in your hand that has a draw with 1500 or more attack points is immediately destroyed; plus any monster on your field with 1500 or more is immediately destroyed and don't even think about special summoning any monsters with 1500 or more because they'll suffer the same fate as well." said Shining Armor.

"Okay, now that's powerful move." said Penny as she along with the rest of the students were shocked by what Shining Armor was able to do and completely shutdown Jason's deck as nearly his entire deck was now rendered useless.

"I gave you a chance, and it looks like you failed." said Shining Armor as he had a serious look.

"I-I... set a card facedown." muttered Jason as he had nothing to do.

Turn 10: Shining Armor

"Time to end this." Shining Armor then drew his card as he looked at it. "Now I'll reveal the card I set since my first turn, Return from the Different Dimension! Now by paying half of my life points, I can special summon as many of my banished monsters as possible. So arise my my 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons, Blue-Eyes Alternative Ultimate Dragon and Kaibaman." shouted Shining Armor as he now had a field full of monsters.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 2400-

"Impossible." said Jason as he stared at the sight in front of him.

"What did he say?!" shouted all of the girls and the students as they couldn't believe what Shining Armor was playing. Isaac just had a calm and collected look on his face as he looked to his deck box on his side as he could sense both Ra and Slifer as they detected their comrade's presence.

Soon a giant monster emerged onto the field as it have a mean look as it let out a cry.

"Is that really Obelisk?" asked Jason as he fell down on his bottom.

"Indeed, now a taste of its power. I activate Obelisk's ability, now I tribute my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and Kaibaman so that Obelisk's attack rises to infinity!" Obelisk heard Shining Armor's command as he grabbed both of Shining Armor's other monsters in his hand as he absorbed their power with ease as its eyes glowed as the strength rose. "Now, finish off the kid, with your Fist of Fury!!" said Shining Armor as he had his hand out. Obelisk then raised his fist as it was surrounded by a powerful force and then it thrusted his hand out as it made contact with Jason who was thrown onto his back as he felt the attack of the god card.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Shining Armor

The duel ended as Shining Armor smiled and he looked at Obelisk as before it disappeared. The girls and their students all had their jaws drop as they couldn't believe what they saw. Isaac was the only one who moved as he went to check on Jason.

"Now you know why I'm the world champ. Don't forget it, kid." said Shining Armor as he looked at the kid who was starting to stir at Shining Armor as he just put his head down in disappointment. "With that done, now I can take care of the business that I'm here for. Isaac."

Isaac then stood from checking up on Jason as he looked at Shining Armor in the eyes.

"I come with a request. One that I need to have fulfilled. It's something that has been eating away at me for a long time, it's like a cancer inside my soul and body. And the only way I'll have closure is if you grant my request. Isaac, I challenge you to one final duel." stated Shining Armor.

The girls and their students were shocked by what they were hearing. At that point, all of time seemed to slow down as if it was frozen. Isaac had heard this as he just looked at Shining Armor with a scowl of his own. Nothing was said as Isaac just stared. Not a word.

Chapter 132: Running the Gauntlet

What could be said? What started out as a simple day of test evaluations had now drastically shifted. Shining Armor the current world champion of Duel Monsters had just returned from competing in his most recent duel; he had arrived in Canterlot for a few days of rest before he got back to his traveling schedule. During that time, he stopped by Canterlot High as he wanted to see his little sister, but more importantly he was hoping to bump into a certain individual. Shining Armor entered the gymnasium and he was welcomed to the sight of Isaac addressing his new batch of students when he made his presence known. After accepting a request from one of Isaac's students, he was able to show his dominance and display why he was the world champion. The duel ended and now he was met face to face with Isaac as he gave him his request.

"I want to face you in one final duel." said Shining Armor. His response was met with everybody having their jaws drop as they couldn't believe what they had heard. Isaac just stared at Shining Armor. "The dueling community is building a brand new arena here in Canterlot and is expected to finish it by the end of next week. And to commemorate it, they want to have a exhibition match be held. So when my agent team and sponsor brought this to my attention, I immediately said yes. I grew up in this city and I wanted to give something back. They started to run down a list of opponents for me to battle, but I declined them all. I told them that there was only one person who I would take as my opponent. The one person that has managed to beat me in my entire dueling career, the person who pushed me to the limit in my graduation duel. The person who I know deserves to share the field with me, and that individual is you. So... what's your answer?"

"Uh, I don't mean to be rude." shouted Shadow as he made his presence known. "But you're the world champion and if you were able to do that to one of us, how the hell will Isaac fair any better?"

"Yeah, I mean he's Canterlot High's duel champion, but you're the world champion." stated Lucky Star.

"You haven't told them?" said Shining Armor as he leaned in so that only Isaac can hear him.

"I don't want to brag. Besides, it doesn't matter to them." responded Isaac.

"Kids, let me ask you. Do you know why Isaac is the champion of this school?" said Shining Armor as he approached the group.

"Uh, cause he's good." stated Bryant.

"He won a tournament." responded Penny.

"Yes, but's not the real reason."

"Shining Armor, they don't need to know this." said Isaac as he looked at him.

"What are you two talking about?" asked Jason.

"Kids, the reason Isaac is the champion of CHS isn't just because he won some tournament, he's always two steps ahead. He thinks of absolutely everything, from his monsters to his spells to the mental aspect of the game. Truth is he's a master of every strategic element there is to know in dueling." stated Shining Armor as he informed the students while also looking at Isaac who still had a scowl on his face. "See, Isaac doesn't just have great cards, but also the best strategies, too. He's also mastered all the summoning methods."

"Really?" asked Jack.

"Look, Mr. Champion, the fact that Isaac knows how to do all the summoning methods is somewhat believable. It explains why our tutors know about them." said Amber. "But what can Isaac do?"

"Well, answer me this. What decks do your tutor have?" asked Shining Armor.

"Easy, Rarity's got a Crystal Beast." said Amber.

"Fluttershy uses a Beast deck." stated Bryant.

"Predaplants for Applejack." spoke Lucky Star.

"U.A. with a couple of Speedroids." mentioned Jack.

"Spellbook." said Jason.

"Red-Eyes." explained Penny.

"Toons and Madolche." finished off Shadow.

"And what deck does Isaac have?" said Shining Armor.

"We don't know." stated Bryant. "He hasn't shown us."

"Like I said, I don't want to brag." said Isaac as he looked at the group of students. He then unclipped his deck box on his belt and pulled out his signature card as he flipped it over for the kids to see.

"You're kidding?!" said Jason.

"I don't believe it!" shouted Amber.

"You mean... is that... the Dark Magician?" asked Bryant.

Isaac then slid his thumb over his card as he revealed a second card behind it which was his Dark Magician Girl.

"And the Dark Magician Girl?" spoke Lucky Star.

"You see, Isaac is the real deal." said Shining Armor.

"Still I didn't want them to know. I didn't want to distract their attention from their studies." said Isaac as he put his cards away. "Besides, I'm currently busy with other stuff. So I'm sorry Shining Armor, but I'm going to have to decline." Isaac's response was not what everybody was expecting.

"You're kidding?"

"I'm not."

"I thought you said you would take on any challenge? And you won't even answer this?" said Shining Armor as he raised his voice a bit.

"Like I said, I have other things in my life that I'm currently busy with. Not to mention that I'm preparing for my life after I graduate. And I need to finish all of my objectives before it's too late." said Isaac as he started to walk as he was heading for the door.

"So that's it. Seems you really have changed, you took your ball and went home." shouted Shining Armor as it caused everybody to create some mumbles as they knew Shining Armor was calling out Isaac. Isaac just ignored Shining Armor's comment as he kept on walking. "I thought I had someone who can push me to the limit. Someone who actually stands a chance against me and can give me a fun time on the dueling field. In all my 4 years at Crystal Prep, there wasn't a single person who could do that. Yeah, my little sister, but she's family. She's blood. I’m talking about someone who I can hit and they ain't afraid to throw a punch right back." Shining Armor was now getting fired up as Isaac just kept on walking.

"You know maybe it's you whose lost your passion. Maybe you've spent too much time kissing my little sis to know how to do anything else! Here's an idea, why don't you ask Twilight if you get your balls back from her purse? Cause let's be honest you don't wear the pants in this relationship, but you do wear her panties don't you!" said Shining Armor.

"Shining!" shouted Twilight as she approached her brother and grabbed her brother's arm as she couldn't believe he would ever say something like that.

Isaac had heard Shining Armor's comment as he was about to reach for the door handle. He heard the insult that Shining Armor gave him as that seemed to really affect him. He had a sly smile on his face as he slowly turned his head back to look at his rival as he was still angry. The girls and the students saw the look on Isaac's face as they could see he was pissed off. Isaac then marched forward to Shining Armor as he got in the face as both boys were now staring at each other as the look in their eyes sent the message that they wanted to kill each other.

"You know what? That's a hell of an idea." smiled Isaac as he looked at Shining Armor. "It really is. I think I'll do just that. I'll ask Twilight if I can get them back; it's just... there so big. And it's such a burden carrying them around Shining Armor, it really is. It really truly is a burden. I mean you wouldn't know anything about that because let's be honest, you never had a set of balls to begin with anyways." Isaac now fired back with one of his own burn comments as Shining Armor couldn't help but smile and laugh a bit. "At least, that's what Cadance said when she saw mines."

"Isaac!" shouted Twilight as she was now afraid of her brother and boyfriend about to literally throw some fists.

"You know your agency and the writer of this story has done all they can to make you feel special. You got the cool entrance, you got the music, you got the cool effects, you got the girl. You got a loving family and a beautiful daughter; all of this to make you feel special. You know what they do to make me feel special, they say 'Let the freaking duel begin'!!" stated Isaac. Everybody went quiet and had their jaws drop at what they heard. "So, Shining Armor? Congrats, you got your wish. I'll see in a week." said Isaac as Shining Armor was now smiling for Isaac to accept his challenge. Isaac then walked towards the door as he exited the room as Shining Armor was left staring.

The others couldn't believe all that had transpired as they couldn't put into words on what they saw.

"Guys, what did we just see?" asked Sunset.

The next few days came and went as Isaac and the girls continued their one on one sessions with their students as Isaac had implemented set lessons for each pair to study. One day out of the week, Isaac would gather all of the students together in a room and he would go over what each person learned to see if they really paid attention to what the girls were teaching. However, because Isaac was doing this, along with running the store with Mr. Johnson and making sure that the house he and the girls were living in was kept in a clean state, Isaac didn't have much time to duel. And his match with Shining Armor was fast approaching. The girls all noticed this as they tried to talk with their male friend in hopes of getting him to relax and not get too wrapped up in work, but he just brushed it off or simply said he was alright. Even Twilight tried to get him to listen to her as he just said they would discuss it some other time. It seemed that all of this work and business that Isaac had going on in his personal and professional life was starting to affect his mental game and his passion for Duel Monsters. And the girls weren't the only ones to notice this.

"So... if you have Madolche Anjelly and Baaple in your hand along with the spells Mystical Space Typhoon and Madolche Saloon, and the trap Madolche Lesson. What would be the optimal play?" asked Pinkie. She was currently allowing Shadow to practice using her cards so that he could learn about branching off from his usual plays. Seems the boy wasn't paying attention as he was looking out of the window.

"Hey, silly? What's going on?" asked Pinkie.

"Huh, sorry Ms. Pie." said Shadow.

"That's alright, what's going on in that delicate brain of yours?"

"Well, believe it or not, it has to deal with Isaac."

"Big bro?"

"Again, why do you call him that? You're not related." stated Shadow.

"But he's always willing to help out others. Not to mention he'll do anything to make sure that everybody has a happy ending, even if it means that he has to give up his." informed Pinkie. "But that's not the clear recipe. You're worried about what happened with him and Shining Armor." Seems Pinkie had hit the cherry on top as she could tell based on Shadow's expression that it was what the young boy was thinking. However, he wasn't the only one as all the others students and the girls were having the same conversation at the same exact moment.

"Just how does he stand a chance against the world champion?" asked Amber as she was with Rarity in another room.

"I mean he beat me with ease." mentioned Jason to Twilight.

"I don't doubt his skills given he's earned the rank as champion." mentioned Bryant to Fluttershy.

"Sure he has the Dark Magician, but compared to Blue-Eyes it basically a mismatch." said Lucky Star to Applejack.

"Not to mention that the champ has an Egyptian God card." said Penny to Sunset.

"Does Isaac know what he's getting into?" spoke Jack to Rainbow Dash.

"You all think that Isaac will lose?" asked the girls in unison despite them not being in the same room.

"Yes?" said the students in unison as the girls without realizing the others had said the same thing.

"I wish I could answer that." said Twilight as she looked at her student. She then clutched her necklace that Isaac had given him as she approached the window and looked out of it.

"Isaac's an individual who does things his own way." spoke Sunset.

"He's cunning." said Rainbow.

"He's crafty." said Fluttershy.

"He's the definition of grit." stated Rarity.

"Ever since he was little, all he thought about was Duel Monsters and worked hard to achieve that dream." stated Applejack.

"He's been inspired by the legends of Duel Monsters and hopes to one day become just like his idol." said Pinkie as she sat down next to Shadow. "And I believe he can make that dream a reality."

"Still, does he stand a chance?" asked the students as they looked at their mentors.

The girls all smiled as they showed some videos of Isaac taking on Shining Armor during the Friendship Games and how the duel ended in a tie. The students were shocked to find out that these two had actually faced each other before. They were even more shocked to find out that their next duel had come during Shining Armor's graduation duel in which both competitors had just went back and forth as they laid some heavy shots against each other. The ending was very poetic as Isaac had somehow managed to dig deep and be able to win the duel against Shining Armor. But both boys were tired as they beat the hell out of each other. Regardless it seemed the students had a bit of hope that Isaac could handle Shining Armor, but given that Isaac had other stuff on his mind, it started to translate to the students and the girls that his dueling skills were starting to show some ring rust.

One day, Isaac exited his final class for the day as he started to make his way to the classroom for his lessons with all the students. He entered the classroom and found that not a single one of them was there which really made him scratch his head.

"Looks like I'll have to doc them for being tardy." said Isaac as he approached the teacher's desk.

Just as he was about to put his backpack down, he noticed a note that was on the table as he picked it up and read it. It was addressed to him as it was from Twilight as all it said was they needed to talk and that it was urgent. Isaac knew not to keep Twilight waiting as he grabbed his backpack and started to make his way to the gymnasium. Once he got there, he was surprised to see that nobody was there, not even Twilight.

"Did I just get punked?" asked Isaac. Soon the doors behind Isaac closed as out emerged the 7 students as they all surrounded Isaac in a circle as he was in the middle.

"Told you it would work. All you got to do is mention his girlfriend's name and he'll come running like an obedient dog." said Lucky Star.

"What are you all doing?" asked Isaac.

"It's obvious." said Shadow as he slid on a duel disk which the others all did the same as they combined together.

"We're here to duel you." said Amber.

"You're joking?" smiled Isaac.

"Does it look like we're joking?" asked Jason.

"Trust me when I say this kids, you don't want this." stated Isaac.

"I think we do." mentioned Bryant.

"I see." said Isaac as he realized what the kids were doing. "Again this is your last warning. You don't want this smoke." said Isaac as he put his backpack next to him on the ground as he pulled out his duel disk and turned it on to activate a gold card tray. "You all still have alot to learn. I advise you all to put your duel disks down and walk away. You should be practicing your lessons with the girls."

"Yeah, we're gonna take a raincheck on that." said Jack. "We're not leaving till you defeat all of us."

"Besides, we all want to see if you're really all that based on what our tutors say." mentioned Penny.

Isaac had his eyes closed as he took a deep breath, then he opened them and in a quick sequence of movements. Isaac pulled out his deck and slotted it in as the autoshuffler kicked in and then the lights went out for a just a second as Isaac was nowhere to be seen when the lights came on. The students were shocked by what they saw as they couldn't believe what happened. Soon they heard a sound coming from the bleachers as there was Isaac as he was in a half kneeling position as he had his right elbow on the knee that was being bent. Isaac had a smirk smile on his face as the others looked at him from down below. Soon he jumped down and landed like a superhero as it caused the students to take a step back.

"So... who's first?" asked Isaac in a deep, serious tone as he raised his duel disk.

The students all looked at each other as they were intimated by Isaac's presence. They were starting to slowly regret their decision on trapping Isaac with themselves, but they knew not to back down. Soon a person stepped forward.

"I'll volunteer." said Bryant as he took initiative.

"It's time to duel!!" shouted Isaac as it made soundwaves that caused the students to be scared when they heard Isaac say that line. Almost like it was giving him power.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks. "Gauntlet mode activated."

Bryant's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"Take the first move." shouted Isaac.

Turn 1: Bryant

"Very well, I draw." said Bryant as he drew his card. "I'll summon Performapal Friendonkey(1600/600) in attack mode." said Bryant as his monster came out as it had some saddle bags on him. "Then my monster's effect activates, when it's summoned, I can special summon one Level 4 or below 'Performapal' monster from my hand or graveyard. So I choose to summon my Performapal Hip Hippo(800/800)." Soon another animal came out as it was a hippo as it had a top hat.

"Next, I'll activate the continuous spell card, Bubble Barrier. With it, once per turn, all my 'Performapal' monsters can't be destroyed by battle or card effects and I take no damage from any attacks that involve them. Now I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn, so watch out!" said Isaac as he drew his card which caused a wind to generate as it caused all the students to cover up. Bryant, you may have the same deck as another person I know. But you clearly don't have his skills, at least not right now. "Now I'll summon Breaker the Magical Warrior." said Isaac as he played one of his most famous opening plays. "Then I'll equip him with Bound Wand to raise his attack even more." said Isaac as his warrior rose to 2300. "Next, Breaker's ability activates, so I'll get rid of his spell counter so that I can destroy one spell/trap. And I choose your Bubble Barrier." said Isaac as Breaker pointed his sword and took out the kid's card as he lost some power.

"Not good. But I'll activate my facedown, Command Performance. Now until the next turn, I'll shift your Breaker into defense mode." said Bryant as his facedown flipped up and caused Isaac's monster to kneel.

"Interesting. Then I'll just lay a facedown and end my turn." smiled Isaac.

Turn 3: Bryant

So far, so good. I've been able to stop Isaac from attacking, just got to keep on the pressure. "My draw, now I'll play the spell Performapal Recasting, so now I reveal all the 'Performapals' monsters in my hand and then shuffle them back into my deck, then I get to draw that many cards plus an extra one." Bryant's hand was then projected as out of the 3 remaining cards in his hand, two of them were Performapals. "So I'll shuffled back Performapal Flip Hippo and Performapal Thunderhino to my deck and draw 3 new cards." Bryant then did that as he pulled out his deck and then began to manually shuffle it as he slotted it back into his duel disk. He then drew his cards as he looked away for a bit before taking a glance. "Alright, just what I need. Now since I control 2 or more 'Performapal' cards, I can summon my Performapal Elephammer(2600/1800) from my hand without tributing." Out came an elephant as its nose was a hammer and let out a trumpet noise.

"Then since I summon my Elephammer, I can summon my Performapal Helpprincess(1200/1200) from my hand. Lastly, I'll tribute my Performapal Hip Hippo so that I can special summon my Performapal Sleight Hand Magician(2500/2000)!" said Bryant. "Next, up I'll play the spell card, Performapal Hurricane. With I'm going to blow away your entire field, cause thanks to this I can return one of your cards for each 'Performapal' on my field." Soon a giant hurricane appeared as it caused Isaac's monster and his facedown to reappear in his hand but he wasn't worried at all. Now he had 4 monsters on his field and Isaac was wide open.

Isaac looked at the monsters on Bryant's field as he just had a calm look on his face. Seems like he knew this would happen and to be honest, he wasn't worried.

"Now since you've got nothing to protect you, time for me to win this duel! Performapal Elephammer, let's start with you and lead the charge!" shouted Bryant as his elephant started to stomp its way towards Isaac as his other monsters followed. Soon they approached Isaac as he hadn't moved an itch.

"You're gonna have to do better than that! I discard Swift Scarecrow to negate the attack and end your battle phase!" said Isaac. Soon his monster appeared as it caused all of Bryant's monsters to halt as they were sacred by the look Isaac's monster had given them as they ran over back to his side. Isaac just smiled as he twisted his neck as he prepared to himself for his turn.

"Was not expecting that." said Bryant as he was now scared at how Isaac just brushed off his attack and stopped all of his momentum with just a single card. "I... end my turn." At least I have field full of monsters, so my life points are safe.

Turn 4: Isaac

"Let's have some fun." chuckled Isaac as he drew his card. "I play Dark Magic Veil so that I can summon my Magician of Dark Illusion at the cost of 1000 life points." said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"Now I'll play my Card Destruction. So now we must discard our entire hand and restart." smiled Isaac as he was the only one who the spell affected as he sent all of his cards away and drew a new hand. "And now the other effect of my Magician of Dark Illusion activates, since I activated a spell while he was face-up, I can now bring back my Dark Magician from the grave. But I'm not done, cause next I activate Bond Between Teacher and Student so now I also summon Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as he now had his two ace magicians as Bryant and the others students were now terrified of Isaac. "Now thanks to my spell, it allows to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst, but I'll use it right now to raise my Dark Magician's attack points by that of Dark Magician Girl. Then I'll play Dark Burning Attack and with it, I'll wipe your entire field!" Isaac's Dark Magician Girl then put raised her wand as it created a huge burst of energy as she casted some powerful magic as Bryant's entire field of monsters was gone like that.

"Time to end this, I'll switch my Magician of Dark Illusion to attack mode and now finish this duel!!" shouted Isaac as his monsters were given their command and with one attack they took out Bryant as he was sent flying and onto his back.

"Oh no!" shouted all the other students as they saw their fellow classmate fly by them and land on the ground.
Bryant's Life Points: 0-

"Who's next?" asked Isaac.

"I'm up." shouted Lucky Star.

Soon Isaac's duel disk then shuffled his cards back as he redrew his hand in a matter of seconds as he was all set.

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Lucky Star

"Let's see how you do against me." stated the girl as she drew her card. "To start, I'll play the continuous spell card Alluring Mirror Split. Now when a 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' are destroyed in battle, I can summon 1 'Harpie' monster from my deck. Next I'll summon Harpie Lady 1(1300/1400) and thanks to her effect all Wind monsters gain 300 extra attack points. But it won't stop there, cause I'll also play Cyber Shield and give my Harpie 500 more attack points." Soon Lucky Star's Harpie Lady now shot up to 2100 attack points.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"I'm up, so stand back!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. "I'll play a monster in defense mode and then I'll discard a card from my hand so that I can special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician." said Isaac as he had a female teen spellcaster appear on his side of the field as she looked at her master and they did a quick high five before she took her position. "Now her effect activates which allows me to add 'Dark Magician' to my hand."

"Already?" shouted Lucky Star as she was surprised that Isaac was able to add his ace monster to his hand in just his first turn.

"Just how many cards does Isaac have that allow him to get his magician?" asked Jason as he and the other students were surprised by how the many ways Isaac could summon his signature monster.

"I'll then lay a facedown and call it a turn."

Turn 3: Lucky Star

"I'm- I'm not scared, watch." shouted Lucky Star as she drew her card as her hands trembled a bit. "I'll play my field spell, Harpies Hunting Ground. Thanks to this my 'Harpie' monsters get even stronger, 200 points stronger. Now I summon Harpy Lady 3(1300/1400). And it along with the rest of my monsters get 200 more points." Lucky Star's new monster then got the extra boost from its comrade and the field spell as it shot up to 1800 attack points. "Furthermore, since I summoned a 'Harpie Lady', I can destroy 1 spell/trap on the field, so say goodbye to your facedown." Lucky Star then got rid of Isaac's card he set as it was destroyed.

"Thank you." smiled Isaac.

"Thank you?!" shouted the other students.

"What do you mean?" asked Lucky Star.

"The card you just destroyed, was my Chaos Scepter Blast. And since it was destroyed while in my spell/trap card zone, I can now special summon my Dark Magician of Chaos!" Isaac had just turned the tables on the students once more as he now had a powerful monster on his side of the field and it wasn't even his turn. "Thanks to my magician's effect, I can add a spell card back to my hand." Isaac's duel disk then slotted the card he sent away during his turn as he added it to his hand.

"You... doesn't matter. I can still attack your other monsters. So Harpy Lady 1 take out his Apprentice Illusion Magician." shouted Lucky Star as her monster flew high and took out Isaac's teen girl magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 7700-

"And Harpy Lady 3 take out his defense monster." shouted Lucky Star as her other took flight and slashed away at Isaac's set monster but it still remained.

"You triggered another trap. The monster you attack was my Marshmallon. Now since it was facedown when you attack it, you take 1000 points of direct damage. And my monster can't be destroyed in battle." stated Isaac.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7000-

"How did he plan all that?!" asked Shadow.

"He thought 12 steps ahead." Amber was astonished by how tactical Isaac was.

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My draw, now I'll play Pot of Greed this allows me to draw two more cards. Now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your field spell." said Isaac. "Now I'll play my Premature Burial, so I pay 800 life points to raise my Apprentice Illusion Magician from the grave." Isaac now had his fallen magician emerge as she was back in action.
Isaac's Life Points: 6900-

"Now I'll have my Dark Magician of Chaos attack your Harpy Lady 1 and Apprentice Illusion Magician will take out your other Harpy Lady." Isaac then had both of his magicians take flight as they took out Lucky Star and her monsters as she lost some points.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6100-

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split allows me to summon a 'Harpie' monster from my deck when my Harpy Lady was destroyed. So arise, Harpie Dancer(1200/1000)."

"I'll then set a card facedown and end my turn." smiled Isaac.

Turn 5: Lucky Star

"My turn, to start, I'll play my Pot of Greed so that I too can draw more cards. Then I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Harpy Lady 3. Then I'll summon the original Harpie Lady 2(1300/1400)." said Lucky Star as she played the last monster card in her hand. "Now it's time, I overlay all three of my Level 4 Harpies Ladies to build the Overlay Network." Lucky Star's three monsters then turned into orbs as they were being sucked into a portal that appeared in the ground as a pillar of light emerged and out came a new monster. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out came a dragon that was similar to Harpie Pet Dragon as it let out a cry.

"Now I activate my dragon's effect and that means I can attack you directly!" shouted Lucky Star as her dragon took flight and bypassed Isaac's magicians as he stood his ground and didn't move an itch.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"And that's not all, as long as my monster has its overlay units, you can't target any of 'Harpie' monsters with effects or attack any with your monsters. I'll then end my turn, however, I must remove one Xyz material from my dragon." stated Lucky Star.

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, I play my Seeker Wisdom spell card. With this I'm allowed to summon a pair of magicians from my deck or hand to the field, however, not only are their effects negated, but their defense points are zero and can't change position. So from my deck, I call upon two Magician of Dark Illusions. Next I'll play my Card of Sanctity so now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hands." Both duelists then drew a new hand. "Now I'll play Ancient Rule so that I can summon my Dark Magician." With that Isaac now had his ace magician as he looked at Lucky Star with a look as he had a field full of monsters.

"Now time to show you some Xyz summoning, I overlay my Dark Magician with my two Level 7 Magician of Dark Illusions to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Isaac.

"What's he doing?" asked the other students.

Isaac's 3 magicians then turned into orbs as they were being merged together as a portal opened up in the ground as a pillar of light came out. "I Xyz Summon Chaos Mageía!" Isaac's new female spellcaster came out as she twirled around as she allowed everybody to get a look at her beauty before she blew a kiss at Isaac as her Xyz materials circled around her.

"I've never seen or heard of that monster." said Lucky Star.

"A special person gave me this card. Since I used 'Dark Magician' to summon my new magician, she can negate the effects of all other monsters on the field." said Isaac.

"What?" shouted Lucky Star as all the cards on her field lost their power.

"I now activate my Chaos Mageía's special ability, by using one Overlay Unit, I can send all other Xyz materials from all other monsters on the field to the graveyard and then she gains 500 extra attack points for each of those materials and it gains an extra attack." said Isaac. Soon his magician worked her magic as it sent away the Xyz material away from Lucky Star's Phantasmal Dragon as it allowed her to gain 1000 more attack points as she rose to 4000. "Now Chaos Mageía take out her Phantasmal Dragon. Divinity Arrow!" Chaos Mageía heard Isaac's command as her wand turned into a bow and an arrow appeared as she pulled back the string and then fired. It traveled through the air in a golden light as it took out its target.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4100-

"And my Chaos Mageía has two more attacks it can carry out. So go Divinity Arrow, one more time!" shouted Isaac. His spellcaster then shot another arrow as it collided with Lucky Star who was thrown back from the attack as she landed next to Bryant on the floor.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 0-

"My turn!" shouted Amber as she immediately stepped up and everything reset.

Amber's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start, I draw. I summon my Magician's Valkyria in defense mode. Then since I have a Level 4 or below monster, I can summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) to the field also in defense mode. And when she's summoned, I can draw an extra card." said Isaac as he had a pair of magicians on his field as he drew his card. "I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Amber

"My turn, and I'll kick things off by playing Polymerization. So I fuse together my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly." Amber's two monsters then appeared as their spirits were being fused together as a vortex opened up behind her. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Out came a female beast-warrior as she wore garments while doing a quick dance.

Isaac looked at the new creature as he knew the power this great monster had.

"I'll then play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Just what I was hoping for. Now I'll play my Card Rotator spell card, so I'll discard a card from my hand so that I switch all of your monsters modes." Amber's spell then caused Isaac's monsters to switch into attack mode. "Next, I'll play the spell Lunalight Perfume which allows to bring back my Lunalight Blue Cat(1600/1200)." Amber now had her monster return as she looked to execute her strategy. "Now since Lunalight Blue Cat was special summoned, I can target 1 'Lunalight' monster and double its attack points till the end of the turn. But I won't stop there, I'll activate Cat Dancer's ability, so I tribute my Lunalight Blue Cat so that Cat Dancer can attack each of your monsters twice." stated Amber as her other monster was tributed as Cat Dancer gained more points and felt the power surging through her.

"Now time to strike Cat Dancer attack Magician's Valkyria. Due to Cat Dancer's effect, your monster isn't destroyed by the first attack." said Amber as Cat Dancer attack Magician's Valkyria who was able to block with her wand but was pushed back a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 4800-

"But now my Cat Dancer will attack a second time and your magician is a goner." shouted Amber as this time Isaac's Magician Valkyria was taken out.
Isaac's Life Points: 1600

"I reveal my facedown, Dark Horizon! I may taken damage but that has allowed my to summon my dear friend, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now had his ace monster on the field.

"Again?" shouted the rest of the students that were still standing.

"So what? Now Cat Dancer attack his Mage Annette!" shouted Amber.

"Hold on, cause I'll reveal my second facedown, the quick-play spell, Ricochet. With this I can bounce a monster on your side of the field and then I get to draw a card. And since Lunalight is a fusion monster, it goes to your Extra Deck instead of your hand. Which means you have summon it all over again if you want to use it." said Isaac.

"No!" Amber then saw her monster give out a cry as a card was shot out of Isaac's deck as it made contact with her and then bounced back heading towards Isaac who caught the card with his left hand as he gave a badass look at Amber.

"Nice try, kid." said Isaac.

"I... go on." said Amber as she put her head down.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, I'll play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so arise Dark Magician Girl! And as you know my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst from my deck, but I won't activate it just yet. Cause I'm going to do my own fusion summoning, I play the Eye of Timaeus. Now Timaeus merged with my Dark Magician!" Soon a giant dragon descended onto the field as Mahad jumped on his comrades back and they combined their powers together. "I Fusion Summon, Dark Magician the Dragon Knight!" shouted Isaac as his new more powerful monster emerged. "Now my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight while it's on the field, it names becomes 'Dark Magician' which means I can activate the card I set down, so Dark Magician Girl boosts my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight by her attack points. And since my Dark Magician is in my graveyard, Dark Magician Girl gains 300 extra attack points." With that Mana boosted Isaac's fusion monster by 2300 attack points.

"Now my monsters finish this duel, attack her directly!!" said Isaac as he thrusted his hand out. All three of Isaac's monsters then looked at each other with a smile as they combined their powers together and they shot off a powerful spell that blasted Amber in the square in the chest as she was flung to where Bryant and Lucky Star were as she too suffered a similar fate.
Amber's Life Points: 0-

"Alright enough playing around, time for me to scorch this rebellion!" shouted Shadow Moonrise as he quickly stepped forward and took his turn to fight Isaac.

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off by playing my Seeker Wisdom spell card, which I'm sure you know allows me to summon 2 magicians from my deck to the field in defense mode with their abilities negated. So I choose my Magician of Dark Illusions. Then I'll overlay my 2 magicians and build the Overlay Network." Isaac's monsters then changed into orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon Ebon Illusion Magician. Then I'll use Ebon Illusion Magician's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can special summon one normal-type spellcaster to my field from my hand or deck. So I choose my Dark Magician." Isaac's card then slotted out of his deck as his ace monster was back on display.

"Next, I'll play my Dark Magic Veil so by giving up 1000 life points, I can summon Dark Magician Girl. Then I'll play Graceful Charity so I pick up 3 cards and discard two." Isaac then drew his cards as he selected the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Then I'll play Mage Power and with it I can boost my Dark Magician's attack points by 500 for every spell and trap card on the field, with that done I'll play Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician Girl an extra 700 attack points and place one facedown before ending my turn." said Isaac as he now had a trio of monsters as his Dark Magician had gain attack points.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

Turn 2: Shadow

"That was the worst mistake you could have made." said Shadow as he drew his card. "I summon Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius(1300/1600) to my field. And this feather friend allows me to call upon another Vanishing Lanius in my hand." said Shadow as he had a pair of raptors on his field. "By why stop there, cause since I special summoned, I can summoned my Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius(500/1500). Then I'll play Raidraptor - Sanctuary which allows me to draw 2 cards since I control 3 'Raidraptors'. Next up is the spell card, Double Summon so that I can play a pair of Raidraptor - Heel Eagle(700/700)." Shadow now had a field full of monsters as he looked to be the one to take down Isaac.

"Now time for a double Xyz Summon, I overlay my 2 Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius to build the Overlay Network." Shadow's 3 monsters then turned into orbs as they were sucked into a portal that opened in the ground as a pillar of light appeared. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 3)! Then I'll overlay both of my Level 3 Raidraptor - Heel Eagle." Once again Shadow had both of his monsters turn into orbs as another monster was being summoned. "I Xyz Summon, Raidraptor - Fiend Eagle(1000/0, OLU: 2)!" Shadow had two Xyz monsters on his field as he looked to strike.

"I'll activate the effect of my Fiend Eagle, by using one overlay unit, I can target one special summoned monster on your side of the field and you take damage eagle to its attack. And I choose your Dark Magician!" Shadow's bird then unleashed a powerful effect as Isaac used his arm to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 4500-

"Then I'll play the spell card, Rank-Up Magic Raid Force. Now I can use my Fiend Eagle to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" shouted Shadow as he got rid of his current monster to call upon an even more powerful bird. "I Xyz Summon! Raid Raptors - Force Strix(100/2000) in defense mode!" Shadow now had two feather birds on his field. "Now I activate my Rise Falcon's ability, by using one overlay unit, it gains the attack points of all your monsters and then it can attack all of them." Rise Falcon's attack then shot up to 8100 attack points.

"8100?" said Shadow's peers as they were stunned by the power of his monster.

"Now Rise Falcon put Isaac in his place and take him out!" shouted Shadow as he his monster was encased in flames as he took flight and dived down towards Isaac.

"You still have alot to learn, I reveal my facedown, Mirror Force with I can reflect your attack and your Rise Falcon is destroyed!" Isaac's trap then had a reflective wall appeared as Rise Falcon made contact and then repelled the attack as it pushed back Rise Falcon as it was gone.

"No! My raptor!" said Shadow as he was in disbelief that Isaac just countered his move like it was nothing.

Turn 3: Isaac

"Time to join the others." smiled Isaac. "Go my magicians, my Ebon Illusion Magician had another effect, whenever a normal type spellcaster declares an attack it can a banish a card, so say goodbye to your Force Strix!" Mahad then pointed his staff as he removed Shadow's only monster from the duel. "Now attack him directly!" shouted Isaac as all of his magicians fired off a powerful spell that caused Shadow to be thrown as he laid in front of the other 3 as they were still down.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

"Flawless victory." said Isaac as he used Shadow's own catchphrase against him.

"Do I have to do everything around here?!" shouted Penny as she stepped forward. "I'm not going to end up like the others."

"That's what they all said." stated Isaac as his cards were once again shuffled.

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start by summoning my Beta the Magnet Warrior in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Penny

"Time to outpace and put you down. Here goes." said Penny as she drew her card. "Since you're the only one with a monster on his field, I can special summon Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(2000/900). And since birds of a feather like to flock together, since I control another 'Blackwing', I can summon my Blackwing - Bora the Spear(1700/800). But I'm not done, cause now I'll summon Blackwing - Pinaki the Waxing Moon(1200/1000)." Penny now had 3 monsters on her field as one of them was a tuner. "Now time to soar high, I tune my Level 3 Pinaki the Waxing Moon with my Level 5 Sirocco the Dawn." Pinaki then flew high as changed into 3 giant green rings as Sirocco jumped in between as they were being called upon a new monster. "Now by the power of a Synchro Summoning, these two Blackwings will beat as one! Soar to power, Black-Winged Dragon!(2800/1600)." Out emerged a fierce dragon as it had feathers on its wings.

"Now I'll move in to strike, Blackwing - Bora the Spear attack his Beta. Thanks to Bora the Spear's ability, I'm allowed to deal you piercing damage." Bora the Spear then took out Isaac's monster. "Then I'll have my Black-Winged Dragon attack you directly!" shouted Penny as she had her dragon open its mouth as it fired off an attack that caused Isaac to raise his duel disk up as he blocked it.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"I reveal my facedown, Dark Horizon. You know what that means, Dark Magician come on out!" said Isaac as he managed to bring out his signature monster once again with ease.

"Man, is there no way for you to not summon your magician?" asked Penny as she was annoyed by how consistent Isaac was in bring out his ace. "I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn. And now Pinaki the Waxing Moon's effect activates, which allows me to add a 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, watch out!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. "I'll now summon Apple Magician Girl." Isaac now had an apple appeared in his hand as he tossed it into the air as it was surrounded in a white light. Soon out came a teen female spellcaster as she appeared in front of her master and mentor. "Then I'll play one card facedown and then have my Dark Magician attack your Bora the Spear. Dark Magic Attack!" said Isaac as his magician pointed its staff and took out Penny's monster.
Penny's Life Points: 7200-

"I reveal my facedown, Blackback. With it, I can now special summon one 'Blackwing' monster with 2000 or less attack points from my graveyard. So arise, Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn." Penny now had another monster rise up on her friend.

"Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Penny

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield(100/1800) in defense mode." Out came a bird as its face was a silver shield. "And now I tune my Level 2 Mistral the Silver Shield with my Level 5 Sirocco the Dawn." Silver Shield then flew high up as it flapped its wings and turned into 2 giant green rings as Sirocco the Dawn jumped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armor Master(2500/2000)!" Penny now had another powerful synchro monster as it joined the field with her dragon.

"Now time to strike, I'll first have my Blackwing Armor Master attack your Dark Magician." said Penny.

"Hey, Jason. Any idea why Penny is doing that, I mean both monsters have the same attack points?" asked Jack to which his comrade didn't have an answer.

"Blackwing Armor Master's effect makes it so that it can't be destroyed and I take no battle damage. Not to mention that your monster is now out of the of the picture, I think that's a sweet deal." smiled Penny as her monster raised its fists and collided with Isaac's Dark Magician as it was destroyed but her monster was safe. "With your ace out of the way, this duel is about to put me in the fastlane. Now Black-Winged Dragon take out his Apple Magician Girl!"

"Looks like I'm gonna have to put the brakes on your assault, cause I activate Apple Magician Girl's special ability. When Apple Magician Girl is attacked, she can bring out her friend! And this friend's bound to leave a sour taste in your mouth. She's Lemon Magician Girl! And your dragon's attack is diverted to her! But that's not all, she cuts the strength of your attack points in half! Hope you like lemonade!" shouted Isaac as he had a lemon appear in his hand as he tossed it in the air and out came another teen girl magician as she cut the dragon's strength in half.

"There's more. Like Apple Magician Girl, Lemon Magician Girl also calls up her friend! So appear, Dark Magician Girl! And she does the same thing once more cutting your dragon's attack in half and becomes the target!" Isaac now had his favorite female magician appeared as she did a quick twirl and wink as she stepped in front of her comrades as she reduced Black - Winged Dragon's attack all the way to 700. "Now counter attack, Mana!" shouted Isaac. His magician then pointed her wand and with a sly smile she blasted away Penny's dragon as it let out a cry and dealt Penny some huge damage.
Penny's Life Points: 5900-

"Either way, none of your monsters can take out my Blackwing Armor Master. So I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, now I'll play Card of Sanctity so now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hands." said Isaac as both replenished their hand. "Now I'll play Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)." said Isaac as he had another teen girl magician.

"Gees, you really love your magicians girls, don't you." said Penny.

Isaac just raised his eyebrow at Penny's statement in confusion as he looked around him. Seems all of his female magicians on his field had all surrounded Isaac as they gave him lovely smiles and looks with hearts floating next to them as they showed their love for their master. Mana then appeared behind Isaac as she wrapped her arms around him as she snuggled her cheek against his back as she gave him a hug. Isaac just folded his arms as he had an unamusing look on his face.

"Alright, Mana let me go!" shouted Isaac as he struggled to break free from his Dark Magician Girl's arms. He was able to do so as he fixed his clothes and his cap as he looked at all of his female spellcasters. "All right enough fawning over me, let's finish this!" commanded Isaac as he looked to his monsters.

"Whatever you say, Isaac." smiled all of his magician girls as they couldn't help but giggle at how cute their master was when he was iterated as they all gave him a group hug as he was squished between all of them as he felt a certain object from all the girls' chest as they wrapped their arms around him. Soon they disbursed as Mana did the same as she gave Isaac a kiss.

"Mana!!" shouted Isaac as he was starting to get annoyed.

"Hehehe." giggled Mana as she took her position.

"Thank god nobody can see any of this, except me." said Isaac as this was one of the times he was glad monster spirits couldn't actually move. "Now, I'll activate my Chocolate Magician Girl's special ability, so I'll discard my Apprentice Magician, so that I can draw a card. I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Penny

"My draw, I'll summoned my Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North(1300/0). And when this little bird is summoned, it allows me to bring back a Level 4 or below monster from the grave, so arise Blackwing - Bora the Spear in defense mode. But these aren't going to stick around for long cause I'm tuning my Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with my Level 4 Bora the Spear." Blizzard the Far North then turned into 2 giant green rings as Bora the Spear jumped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armed Wing(2300/1000)!" shouted Penny as she had a powerful monster descend from the skies.

"Next, I'll play Cards for Black Feathers, so I'll send a 'Blackwing' from my hand to draw 2 cards. And one of those cards I just drew, was my Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr(1100/300) and since I added it to my hand by way of a spell card, I can summon it to the field. Then since I control a 'Blackwing', I'll also special summon my Blackwing - Kris the Crack of Dawn(1900/300)!" Penny now had 4 monsters on her field as she was about to summon something powerful. "Now time for a second Synchro Summon, I tune my Level 3 Breeze the Zephyr with my Blackwing - Kris the Crack of Dawn!" Penny's tuner then flew high into the air as it turned into 3 giant green rings as her other bird flew in between them. "And by way of their cosmic bonds, I can form an even mightier beast! I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" Out came fierce bird warrior as it wielded a long sword.

"Now my Raikiri's effect activates, so now based on how many 'Blackwings' there are on my field, I can destroy that many cards on your side." said Penny as her monster looked to strike.

"Ain't gonna happen, I discard Effect Veiler to negate your Raikiri's ability till the end of the turn." Isaac's monster then appeared as it launched a barrage of feathers that rendered Penny's synchro monster useless.

"I hate you!" shouted Penny as she was annoyed by how Isaac was able to survive and counter her moves. "I'm pissed! Blackwing Armor Master take out his Lemon Magician Girl!" shouted Penny as she was blinded by rage.

"I'll activate my facedown, Shift. So I'll switch the target of your attack to my Chocolate Magician Girl."

"Whatever, you're still losing a monster!" yelled Penny.

"Not quite, Chocolate Magician Girl's effect activates, since she was targeted for an attack, I can special summon one spellcaster in my graveyard and it becomes the target of your attack. So my Dark Magician is back! And your attack strength is cut in half!" Isaac's Dark Magician appeared as Mahad did his job of protecting his students as he created a barrier with his magic as the others magicians were in awe by what their teacher was able to do. Mahad then transferred the barrier's energy into an attack as he blasted Blackwing Armor Master as he was pushed back.

"My Blackwing Armor Master can't be destroyed in battle, and he left a Wedge Counter on your Magician. So I'll remove it so that your magician loses all of his attack/defense points." stated Penny.

Mahad then felt the power of the counter as he dropped to a knee as he was hurt as it caused all the other magicians to worry as they looked at their mentor. Mana kneeled next to Mahad as she checked up on her teacher as he was in pain while trying his best to smile.

"Now that your Dark Magician has zero attack points, he's now a big target." shouted Penny. "You survive, but I'll end this next turn. I'll set a card." stated Penny as she ended her turn.

Turn 7: Isaac

"Time to finish this, draw!" said Isaac as he created a wind effect that caused Penny to move a bit as she looked at Isaac as she could see the demon inside of Isaac as it sync with his soul and the magic inside. "I'll activate my Lemon Magician Girl's effect, so I'll tribute my Chocolate Magician Girl so that I can add a spellcaster from my deck to my hand." Chocolate Magician Girl then approached Isaac as she feed him a piece of chocolate and gave him a kiss before she disappeared as a card was now floating to where she once was as Isaac grabbed it.

"I'll now play my Enchantress of Melody(900/1800)!" said Isaac.

Soon a beautiful young girl with crimson-colored eyes, an determined and gentle look and mid-length dark brown hair tied into two twin-tails to a ribbon that laid on her shoulders. She wore black robes and a cloak, she wielded a silver staff and kept a short sword sheathed around her waist. Underneath the cloak, she wore a low-cut blouse, ultra-short pink miniskirts, and wore burgundy boots that stopped before her knee caps She also wore some leggings that stopped halfway to her thighs as she still showed off her fair smooth skin. Enchantress of Melody opened her eyes as she gave a wink and smile as she struck a pose for all to see. Like the others, she looked at who summoned her and it was none other than her master as she gave him a hug and kiss.

"I really need to tally on how many times this happens." said Isaac as he was referring to when his girl magicians expressed their affection to him as he wiped his cheek. "Now the time has come, time to show you some Synchro power. I tune my Level 3 Enchantress of Melody with my Level 2 Lemon Magician Girl and Level 3 Apple Magician Girl." Enchantress then casted some magic with her wand as she turned into 3 giant rings as the other two girls jumped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician!" Isaac now had his synchro monster as out came a spellcaster that had white hair and had garments that were dressed in a indigo/purple color scheme. It wielded a staff and was surrounded by bits of stardust and and magical symbols.

"What kind of cards do you have?" asked Penny as she had never seen this kind of monster.

"You don't want to know. Now my Dark Sorcerer Magician's effect activates, when it's summoned, I can destroy one spell/trap, so say goodbye to your facedown." said Isaac as his magician used it staffs and using the symbols floating around it was able to get rid of Penny's last line of defense. "Lastly, I'll play Dark Burning Magic! And that means your entire field is gone." Isaac snapped his fingers and in a matter of seconds Penny watched her monsters be destroyed as she had nothing. "Now finish this, attack her directly!!" shouted Isaac as all of his monsters laid waste to Penny.

"Ahh!!" shouted Penny as she was thrown back.
Penny's Life Points: 0-

"How about me!?!" shouted Jack as he took his turn.

Jack's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Jack

"I'll start by summoning my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared. When he's summoned, I can send a 'Battlin Boxer' from my deck to the graveyard." said Jack as he selected the monster he wanted to get rid of. "Then since I control a 'Battlin Boxer', I can special summon Battlin' Boxer Sparrer to the field. And now that I have two monsters, I'll overlay them to construct the Overlay Network." Jack's two monsters then changed into orbs of light as they were sucked into a portal that opened up as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" shouted Jack.

"I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn and time to show you something new. I'll place my Black Arts Trickster in one of my Pendulum Zones." Isaac then placed his pendulum card on the far right side of his card tray as she appeared in a column of light with a number in front of her.

"Pendulum zone?" said Jack as he was confused.

"Now I'll activate my Black Arts Trickster's pendulum ability, so now I can add a pendulum monster from my deck and place it in my other Pendulum Zone and I choose my Sorcerer Swordsman." said Isaac as his duel disk then slotted out his card as he grabbed it and placed it on the far left side of his card tray as he appeared in a column of light with a number in front of him. "Now the other effect of my Black Arts Trickster takes root, since there's a 'magician' in my Pendulum Zone then I can raise her her number from 3 to 10." Isaac's pendulum scale then shot up as he now had a bigger scale to work with. "With that it's time to pendulum summon!"

"What's a pendulum summon?!" Jack and Jason were now really confused as they couldn't understand what Isaac was doing or saying.

"Let me show you, I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 9, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as a thrusted his arm into the air as a portal opened up and out came 3 lights. "They say all good things happen in threes, well let me introduce you to this terrific trio. First up is my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Scale 3, Level 5), next up is my Sleight of Hand Magician(2100/1500, Scale 2, Level 6), and lastly is my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4)." said Isaac as he had his trusty pendulum monsters appear.

"What the hell did I just see?" asked Jason as he was astonished by what Isaac did. Meanwhile, Jack had his jaw drop at what Isaac was able to do.

"Now I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability, now since there are 3 monsters on my field, I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck and then choose one to add to my hand." Black Robe Mentalist then closed her eyes as she put her arm out and concentrated. Soon the images of Isaac's cards appeared in front of him as he clicked confirm on his duel disk as he selected the one he wanted. "Thanks." said Isaac to his Mentalist.

"Hmph." was all Black Robe Mentalist said.

"Come on, don't be like that. Smile." said Isaac as he tried to get his magician to open up a bit.

"I am smiling." said Mentalist in her goth tone voice as he had a deadpanned look on her face.

"Yeesh, I hate to see what your other expressions are." said Isaac. Remind me to spend some one-on-one time with her. "Now then, I'll play the card I just got which is my Ancient Rule spell card."

"Not gonna happen, I activate my Dark Bribe trap card. So now your spell is negated and destroyed, but you draw 1 card." said Jack as he was taking every precaution to not let Isaac summon his Dark Magician.

"Very well, now I'll attack. Rune-Eyes Illusionist attack his Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke." said Isaac.

"Why do that? My monster is stronger than yours." informed Jack.

"I guess I should inform you about my Rune-Eyes Illusionist's special ability, once per turn it can gain the attack points of the monster it battles. So since Lead Yoke has 2200 attack points, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist now had a total of 4000 attack points." said Isaac as his magician used his relic eye as he absorbed the power of his target as he used his staff and fired a powerful spell as it made contact with Lead Yoke.
Jack's Life Points: 6200-

"As you know I can detach an Xyz material to allow my Lead Yoke to survive your attack and boost its strength by 800." Lead Yoke then broke one of its shackles as it powered up.

"Very well, now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Jack

"My turn, to start I'll detach the last overlay unit from my Lead Yoke so now it gains 800 more attack points, bringing his total to 3800." said Jack as his monster broke the last of his shackles. "Why you ask why I did that, cause it allows me to special summon this guy, Battlin' Boxer Shadow(1800/1400). Now time to attack, Lead Yoke attack his Rune-Eyes Illusionist. But I'll give my monster a little power boost, so I banish Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch from my graveyard so that Lead Yoke gains 1000 more attack points till the end of the turn." Lead Yoke then raised his fist up as he brought it down on Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Then I'll have my Battlin' Boxer Shadow take out your Black Robe Mentalist," responded Jack as he took out another one of Isaac's monsters.
Isaac's Life Points: 4900-

"With that I'll lay a facedown and call it a turn, so Lead Yoke loses the extra 1000 attack points."

Turn 4: Isaac

"It's my move, and time for me to end it. First I'll play Card of Sanctity which allows us to draw till we're holding 6 cards in out hand. Then it's time to pendulum once more." Soon a portal opened up as three lights came out. "Returning back for an encore is my Rune-Eyes Illusionist and Black Robe Mentalist, but also welcome my Dark Magician!" said Isaac.

"Wait, how can you summon those monsters? They were sent to the graveyard." stated Jack.

"Not quite, see these monsters are Pendulum monsters and unlike ordinary cards, whenever they leave the field they go to my Extra Deck instead of the grave." informed Isaac.

"Is that a real thing?" asked Jason.

"Now like before, I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability so I'll excavate the top 4 cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." Isaac then had his female magician use her powers as he saw his options as he selected the one he got. He then looked at his magician expecting her to have a different expression but she just had the same look.

"Seriously?"

"Leave me alone." said Mentalist.

"I'm trying to get you to be happy." said Isaac.

"I am happy, I have my books." stated Black Robe Mentalist. "Now can we please end this duel? I have some reading to do."

"Man, is she a tough one." said Isaac to himself as he knew he was going to have his work cut out for him if he was ever going to have his magician open herself up and try not to act so moody. "But you're right, so let's end this duel. So I'll play my Dark Magic Attack spell card to destroy all of your spells and traps." stated Isaac as his magician took out Jack's entire backrow. "With that done, I'll then activate my Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. Now time to attack, Rune Eyes strike down Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke. And you know my monster's ability." said Isaac as he got rid of Jack's monster.
Jack's Life Points: 4400-

"And then Dark Magician take out his Battling Boxer Shadow." said Isaac as Mahad cleared the way for his comrades to attack as he took out Jack's remaining monster.
Jack's Life Points: 2600-

"Now Sleight of Hand Magician and Black Robe Mentalist take out his life points!" shouted Isaac as his monsters struck the final blow as Jack suffered the same fate as his fellow classmates. "Now get the hell out of my dueling field!" shouted Isaac.

"Ahh!" yelled Jack as he joined the others on the floor.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

"I'm the last one standing." said Jason as he was the final duelist hoping to beat Isaac.

Jason's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Jason

"My turn, to start I'll play The Melody of Awakening Dragon spell card, so I'll discard a card so that I can search 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragons from my deck. Then I'll play Trade-In, so I'll discard my Nebula Dragon so that I can draw 2 more cards." Jason then sent his monster to the grave as he picked up some more cards. "Next, I play Return of the Dragon Lords to bring back my Nebula Dragon. Now reveal the Blue-Eyes in my hand so that I can special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon. Then I'll overlay my Nebula Dragon with my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Jason as his two monsters turned into orbs as they were being sucked into a portal that opened up as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon Number 97: Draglubion(3000/3000, OLU: 2)!" Soon out came a fiercer monster as it let out a roar as it looked at Isaac. "Then I'll use Draglubion's special ability, by using one overly unit, I can summon 2 Dragon 'Numbers' from my Extra Deck and summon one of them to the field while the other is attached to it. So I choose to summon Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy(3000/2500, OLU: 1) and attach Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon to it as Xyz material." said Jason as he had another dragon appear on his field.

"Then I'll reveal my Danger! Bigfoot! from my hand to activate its effect. Now you choose one random card in my hand and then I must send it away, if the card you chose wasn't my Danger! Bigfoot!, then I get to draw a card and special summon it to the field." Jason then showed his hand as he had 4 cards in his hand which meant that Isaac had a 25% chance of getting it right. "So which one do you choose?"

Isaac looked at the cards as he pointed at one of them. "I choose... the card on the far right." said Isaac.

Jason then smiled as he sent the card Isaac had chosen to the graveyard. He then showed off the remaining cards in his hand. "Looks like... you were wrong, so now come to the field Danger! Bigfoot!" shouted Jason as his monster appeared on his side of the field. "And now I draw a card thanks to my monster's other effect, and the card I just drew was Monster Reborn which I'll play to bring back the monster that was just sent away, Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon(3000/2500)!" Jason now had another powerful monster on his field as they all let out a cry as they stared at Isaac with anger in their eyes. "My monsters are ready to end this on my next turn, you may taken out everybody, but I'm still the last one and trust me, I'm the toughest one you'll face. You've seen how I held my own against Shining Armor."

"You mean how he made you his bitch!" responded Isaac.

"What you say?" responded Jason as he felt insulted by Isaac's comment.

"Just take your turn, so that I can beat you."

Turn 2: Isaac

"This duel is already over!" said Isaac. "Time to end this little façade." Isaac then showed his entire hand to Jason as his eyes widen in fear.

"No. No! NO!!!!" shouted Jason as he fell down.

"I've assembled all five pieces of Exodia." stated Isaac as he put the cards on his tray and spread them out. Soon an ancient seal appeared behind Isaac as all parts of Exodia then started to merge as it appeared and gave an intimidating look that would cause anybody to have fear.

"This can't be!" said Jason as he was starting to back away slowly as all his monsters were now cowering in fear.

"Exodia! Obliterate!!!" shouted Isaac as Exodia thrusted its arm out and with one shot took out all of Jason's monsters and his life points as he was sent flying and he too joined the others on the floor.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac(OTK)

"Gauntlet mode deactivated. Winner: Isaac." said his duel disk.

Isaac deactivated his duel disk as he had a scowl on his face as he looked at the sight that laid before him. The students laid before him as they were still on the floor. Soon they all began to stir as they looked at each other and then saw Isaac as they looked into his eyes as it caused them to be scared for their lives. Isaac then began to step forward as the students slowly crawled a few inches from their headmaster as they were still lying on the floor.

"What you all saw was my power. I don't just talk a big game, I have the skills to back it up. This is what awaits you, and if this is as far as you all can go. Then I strongly suggest that forfeit your spot in the tournament; I want to face someone who will push me to the limit." said Isaac. "So listen to your tutors and study hard; till then I expect you all to get better. I put this red X on my chest because I know I am the target. So a little piece of advice to whoever wants to come at me next and to everybody reading this right now, remember one thing. They stop manufacturing the cloth that I'm cut from!!" shouted Isaac as he displayed his dominance. Isaac then started to grab his backpack as he was about to leave the room when he put his hand on the door handle and stopped. He had a smile on his face as he looked at the group. "Good luck you all, and I hope you'll cheer for me in my duel against Shining Armor." Isaac then left the room.

"Well... that... worked out." said Shadow as he was out of breath.

"Yeah... let's... never do this again." stated Amber as she didn't want to get pushed around by Isaac's power.

"I... agree Amber." said Bryant.

"What... the hell... happened?" asked Jack.

"We... got.. our asses... handed to us... by Isaac." informed Lucky Star.

"No shit!!" shouted Penny as she and the rest of the gang all collapsed with their arms and legs spread out as they were in a circle.

"Guys... let's pay attention... to our tutors... and get better." spoked Jason.

"Agreed!" yelled out all seven of them as they were tired and motivated, but mostly tired.

Isaac had arrived at the house as the sun was just starting to set. He then entered the house as he closed the door behind him. "Twilight! You here?" called out Isaac.

"Up here, Isaac." said Twilight as she appeared at the top of the staircase. "I was just in my room with Spike; I thought you would be at work. Seeing as how you had some orders to take care of."

"Well, Mr. Johnson decided I could take the day off given that I've put so many hours working. Also cause he knows about my duel with Shining Armor that's coming up." said Isaac. "But we need to talk."

"About what?" asked Twilight as she started to walk down the stairs as Isaac met her by the bottom of the staircase as she was still on them.

"Did you and the girls have the kids challenge me as a way for me to practice and distract me?" asked Isaac as he looked deep at Twilight's eyes.

"W-what?" responded Twilight. "No, what made you think that?"

Isaac just chuckled as he grabbed Twilight's chin with his hand and brought his lips to make contact with his girlfriends. Twilight leaned in as she put her arms around Isaac. He then broke away as he scooped up Twilight in his arms as he picked her up bridal style and carried her over to the couch where he sat down as he place Twilight in his lap. Isaac then gave another kiss to Twilight as he held her. They then pulled away as they looked at each other and Twilight placed her head into Isaac's chest.

"Did you?" asked Isaac.

"We were joking." stated Twilight. "We didn't they actually listen to our suggestion." Twilight then let out a sigh as she looked at Isaac. "It's just... me and the others were worried about you. You're a completely different person than you once were. Before a big duel, you would always be excited and would practice as much as you can. But recently, you've changed. You've got a whole new set of responsibilities that you taken on. And it's completely morphed your character. " said Twilight. "I understand what you're doing... but I can't help but feel like you're growing up too fast when me and the others all wanted to enjoy our last year together."

"Twilight, I get it. But keep in mind, I'm 19 years old going on to be 20 sometime after we graduate. This is the time in one's life when they start to transition into adulthood and they start to think about what they want to do with their life and what career they're going to have." said Isaac. "I know that I haven't been the same like in the past, but that's because I'm preparing myself for what comes next after graduation. My road ahead is still unclear, but I've got a glimpse of what it holds and I'm just doing everything I can to make sure that I get there." Isaac then grabbed Twilight's chin as he forced her to look at him.

"But maybe you're right. I have been spending a lot of time taking care of things. So I'll do my best to cut back and try to spend as much time as I can with you and the girls." said Isaac. "Besides, it seems my skills could never rust when it comes to Duel Monsters." snickered Isaac.

"Does that mean you were victorious in that little challenge of yours?" said Twilight with some seductiveness in her voice as she stroked Isaac's cheek.

"What did you expect the result to be?" said Isaac with a flirty expression. "Plus, I think the kids now know how serious to take this tournament. Not to mention it was kind of fun to remind them who actually runs this yard." Isaac then captured Twilight's lips once more as they both placed their arms around each other as they held one another. "So how badly do you want me to kick your brother's ass?" asked Isaac.

"Let me think about that. Hmm..." said Twilight as she had an evil smile appear on her face as she thought about her revenge. "Make him pay for all the times he beat me and bullied me with his Blue-Eyes." demanded Twilight.

"Consider it done, my princess." said Isaac as he gave Twilight one final kiss as the two just laid down on the couch as they eventually fell asleep in each other's embrace.

Chapter 133: One Final Beat

Imagine being at the top of your game. Being able to say that you conquered every single challenge that has been laid before you; you faced every single opponent that has ever stepped up. And in the end, you've survived them all. So the question is: Are you the best? But what if... just what if... there was someone who just haunted your every waking moment. No matter how many times you try to sleep, no matter how many times you tried to look away, everything single thing reminded you of that moment.

On one of the biggest stages for Duel Monsters, Shining Armor was able to realize a dream that he had been chasing for over 12 years. And he would get it when he would become Duel Monsters Champion.

"And we have a new world champion... Shining Armor!!!" shouted the announcer.

"The amount of people who told me that they cried when they saw me win this duel and become champion. I didn't realize that so many people were touched by this moment. Uhm, but they are, that's a huge responsibility for me, to keep this, to keep fighting for them." said Shining Armor as he was in an interview immediately after his championship match.

"He fought his way through everything that he got here. He pushed his ass to the limit. And this is the moment. Congratulations." said Shining Armor's head agent as they were backstage after the duel answering questions. He then shook his client's hand and gave him a hug as tons of reporters and photographers took pictures.

While one man had taken his rightful spot at the top of a mountain, another man was looking to start his own climb to the same mountain. Isaac the brash, young, outspoken individual. Some who say his skills are on another level; but to him he was but a kid who was fighting for his dream.

"You know growing up, life was hard. The many gangs running around, causing havoc, the many sights you see on the streets of Chicoltgo. It's a lot to take in for such a young age." said Isaac with a deep breath as the scene changed to him sitting in a bleacher sit as he looked outward while his voice still narrated. "I've been in love with this game for over 15 years and since the moment I had my hands on a single Duel Monsters card, I knew... that this is wanted to do in my life. My parents weren't the huge supports of my ambitions, but you know that's just life."

And so for years, both Isaac and Shining Armor would take different paths to achieve their dreams. Shining Armor along with his sister Twilight, would be given their decks when they were just young. From there he took every opportunity he could to battle anyone. And it proved to be effective as he shot up the ranks in his neighborhood; once he entered Crystal Prep Academy, he quickly showed just how much of a master he was when it came to wielding his skills and his deck. But who could blame him, for he had none other than the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon which was spoke of in legends and myths; in fact the only one person to have gotten Blue-Eyes so much recognition was its original owner. But that didn't stop Shining Armor from trying to be compared to him, and so he began to forge his path to greatness, and he did so as all of his four years at high school, he reigned supreme as the #1 duelist and would do so well until his graduation as he was undefeated.

Isaac who at his young age was memorized by his idol, the one duelists that was said to rule them all. The one person who could put smiles on people's faces and when you looked at him, you knew you were in not just for the duel of your life, but the fight of your life. Years passed as Isaac would watch countless duels of legendary duelists, but the one that he kept as his favorite was none other than the King of Games. And his love and admiration who continue to manifest when Isaac would finally get his own cards and deck. At the start, Isaac's mother who had secretly gotten him a tin box of cards had surprised her son in giving him a gift; in fact it was enough to break down the kid as he knew the amount of money his mother had to sacrifice to give him this. And on that day, Isaac made a vow that he would do whatever it takes to repay his parents for all they did and to allow them to rest easy during their old age. Isaac hugged his mother and it was that sign of affection that would launch Isaac into the duelist he would become. Years passed, as Isaac honed his craft of dueling, even if it meant he lost more than he gained, in the end he was fueled by determination and passion. And his efforts would pay off, as soon he too would be in possession of a legendary card, the Dark Magician, as this one was held by none other than his idol.

Two different paths, two different childhoods, but they all share the same desire. To be the best. For Isaac he was considered Canterlot High's champion and when the two met for the first time, everybody knew at the moment, they were seeing the birth of a new rivalry. And it showed when both duelists had summoned their ace monsters in an all out fight that took both of them out. And their second encounter was no different as both had stepped up their game and this time they were battered and bruised as they managed to beat the hell out of each. So one could only assume that this next confrontation would not only be as epic, but it would get much more bloody.

"This match is going to be a fight, a simple fist to fist fight." shouted Shining Armor as he looked at the camera.

"When that duel starts and match officially begins, there's no stopping it. There's no stopping this fight until one of us is left standing." said Isaac. "I've beaten him once, I can do it again."

"He's beaten me, great. But you know what it did, it fueled me. It gave something to fight for!! This is a cancer and it's eating me alive and I know the only way to cure this sickness inside of me is to have this duel!! And for me to come out on top." yelled Shining Armor.

"This match, one outcome, one result."

"No bullshit, no interference, no nothing. Two duelists going in with everything they got in their decks and one person walking out." said Shining Armor.

"Somebody's got to give and it won't be me." said Isaac.

"This issue will finally be put to rest, and it will be me standing at the top." stated Shining Armor.

Two duelists in their prime, two great individuals who look to settle this issue and write the final chapter of this historic rivalry. Two top males looking to cement their claim as the "best", and the time was now. Tonight, prepare to witness a duel that will be talked about for all to come. A duel that will have you at the edge of your seat, after that duel ends we'll see who truly deserves to be called "the best."

"One" said Isaac.

"Final" stated Shining Armor

"BEAT!!!" said both boys in unison.

Soon an image of them standing as they looked at each other appeared. They had a determined look on their faces as the images of Blue-Eyes and Dark Magician were shown above their respective masters as they prepared for the brutal encounter that was to come.
(End of Cold Open)

It was now the day before the big match. Everybody in Canterlot had heard about it, in fact, tickets for the event had been sold out as it seemed they were wanted to see this duel. For some it was because the World Champion was here and it would be an honor to see him. But for others, they were looking to see just what these two boys had as they believed they were in for a spectacle. The girls had heard about what Isaac did to the students as they were shocked that he took them all on and won. Though they were a bit happy that he got them to be a bit more motivated to learn from them. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna knew about the event as told Isaac that they wished him the best of luck and to try to not hurt himself too much in his bout. Isaac said he would do his best and gave them his word that he'd be careful.

"So, make sure you pay attention, kids?" said Isaac as he was talking with the students.

"Trust us, after the ass whupping you gave us. We can't wait to see what you do in your duel against Shining Armor." said Penny.

"I appreciate that. Well, I'll see on Monday." said Isaac as he exited out of the door.

"So, anybody want to come over tomorrow night and watch the duel?" asked Shadow to which they all agreed.

Isaac had stopped by the store as he spoke with Mr. Johnson and his nephew. They just merely wished their business partner good luck as Isaac thanked them. He then pulled out some cash as he told them that he would pay to have his duel broadcasted to their TV for them to watch. With that he left as he was but less than 24 hours from his duel with Shining Armor. Isaac then approached his house as he entered the place and saw all the girls had gathered in the living room. They didn't say much as they just said "good luck". The girls knew that Isaac was getting his mind focused and knew not to disturb him, but they also had faith in that their friend would hopefully win. He just smiled at his friends as he made his way to his room upstairs, which had finally been decorated thanks to the help of the others, as Isaac prepared himself for a long night of studying and prepping.

"Been a while since I've done this." said Isaac as he sat on his bed with his cards all spread out. He then began to work on fine tuning his deck as he wanted this to be the his most powerful one to date and that meant taking out certain cards and implementing more powerful ones. Isaac worked well into the night as he hadn't gone to sleep until almost 3 in the morning.

Soon the sun rose as it was now officially the start of the weekend. But that wasn't what everybody was looking forward to, today was the day of the duel. The duel between Isaac and Shining Armor that everybody was going to be talking about. Isaac had awoken up as he got himself ready as he exited the house and made his way to the arena. Even though it was closed till tonight, Isaac wanted to actually see the event the place where his duel would take place. The security recognized Isaac as they allowed the boy to enter the place as he made his way into the main entrance. The students would be watching the event from Shadow's house while the girls would be watching from the house. Isaac and Shining Armor's parents would be watching from their individual homes, while Cadance, Flurry Heart and Twilight would be at the arena a private skybox requested by Shining Armor.

Once Isaac stepped in the place and was on the main place where the dueling arena would take place, he got a good look at the place. There was tons of people and teams putting up screens and titrations as there were making sure to broadcast this duel for all of Canterlot to see. Isaac saw some sound teams testing the noise and speakers, also saw other teams as they were testing the holograms and making sure that they were as real as they could be. Isaac was taking this all in when a person called out to him.

"Impressive, isn't it?" said Shining Armor as he got Isaac's attention.

"Yeah." responded Isaac as he looked at Shining Armor who was accompanied by another person behind him. Soon they both began to walk towards Isaac. "So... are you ready?"

"Always." smiled Shining Armor as he looked at his rival. "By the way Isaac, I want you to meet someone. This here is Roland, he's my advisor as well as my head agent for my sponsor."

"Please to meet you." said Isaac as he extended his hand.

"Likewise, so you're the duelist that Mr. Shining Armor has mentioned?" stated Roland. "Impressive, for someone your age. Though I see you have potential."

"Roland, why don't we mention that proposal?"

"What proposal?" asked Isaac as he looked at the pair.

"Of course, see Mr. Shining Armor here has told me about your skills. So I've taken the liberty of seeing your duels myself and safe to say I like what I saw. Which is why I offer you this, Mr. Isaac. How would you like to join KaibaCorp and sign with us as pro? I know you're still in your final year in highschool, but you have plans for being a pro. So why not sign with the best dueling agency there is?" offered Roland.

"You're serious?" said Isaac.

"Granted my original boss would have taken a liking to Shining Armor given that he has his favorite card, but since you have the card of his rival, I doubt he would like you much at all." stated Roland.

"I can imagine that." said Isaac as he remember the battle simulation he took part in during his trip to Horsolulu.

"Still, he did teach us to recognize talented duelists, and you are among the best I've seen. Nowadays he's long gone and retired as his brother is now the owner of the company. But I'm sure he would like to have you as a respective. Imagine KaibaCorp having two phenomenal duelists under its umbrella and both potentially becoming champion." said Roland. "We could help you just as we did with Shining Armor, we would grant you all the requests you desire and make sure that you have a successful career."

"Any requests?" asked Isaac.

"Whatever you desire, we make our clients feel happy."

"Even spending time with my friends given my busy schedule." said Isaac.

"If that is your wish, then we will make time for you to have with your friends. We'll inform all promotions and interviews that you're busy doing other things. Whatever you want, we will see to it." said Roland. "You want cards, we will make sure the best are flown overnight and arrive to you in the morning. You want more money to appear at live events, we will make sure that places pay you more. We make sure you get whatever you want out of this business and career path. You won't have to go and make phone calls and beg and plead to be on the cup of 7-Eleven; 7-Eleven will call us and demand that you're on it." stated Roland.

"So, what do you say, Isaac?" asked Shining Armor.

Isaac thought about what Shining Armor and Roland were offering him. He'd be lying if he didn't say that he wanted this, but was it what he truly wanted? The fact that Roland and KaibaCorp were willing to do whatever it took to make Isaac happy if he signed with them, made him think about his friends. That was still the major thing on Isaac's mind as he feared that he would never get to spend much time with them after they went on their separate paths. But if he signed with this agency then he could have all he wanted and more, he wouldn't have to forget his friends, cause he could see them whenever he wanted. But was it what he truly wanted, was it something the girls wanted?

"Look... I... I... appreciate you sticking your neck out for me Shining Armor. I really do, but I don't know. Don't get me wrong, this is something that anybody would automatically say yes, and I would too. But I... I just..."

"Hey, don't worry." said Roland. "I understand you still have to graduate and deal with the other things you're involved in. So you don't have to give me your answer now, you have till all of your graduation to think about it." Roland then gave Isaac his business card as he asked Isaac to give him a call once that time came. "Well then, we must get going Mr. Shining Armor. It was nice to see you, Mr. Isaac. I wish the both of you the best of luck." Roland and Shining Armor then left as Isaac was left by himself with his thoughts. He then looked around the arena as the time was fast approaching.

It was now nighttime as tons of people were filling in as they had their tickets scanned as they made their way to their seats. The students, the girls, and both of the boy's parents had all gathered in their own homes as they prepared to watch an incredible duel that was about to take place. Cadance had arrived with Flurry Heart in her hands as Twilight joined her side with a backpack as they entered the place and were escorted by Shining Armor's agency team as they led them to their private skybox.

"Daddy! Daddy!" shouted Flurry Heart as she was happy for Shining Armor to duel.

"Yes, sweetie. Daddy is going to perform for us." smiled Cadance as she gave her baby daughter a kiss to which she giggled.

"I just hope everything will be okay." said Twilight.

"The boys will be fine, they have their toys to keep them occupied. Speaking of which, Twilight. Tell me, you didn't bring homework to work on during the duel?" asked Cadance.

"No! It's a different reason." Twilight then opened up her backpack as inside was something.

"Hey y'all." said Spike as he gave a wave and a wag of his tail.

"Doggy!" giggled Flurry Heart as she reached her tiny arms towards Spike.

"Twilight!!!!" said Cadance as she raised her voice like an angry parent.

"I know! They have a strict 'No Pets' allowed policy. But I wanted to bring him." said Twilight as she picked up Spike in her arms.

"Very well, just try to not let anybody else see. The boys are focused on their match and they don't need any distractions. Not to mention we'll also get in trouble and kicked if security finds out." informed Cadance as she sat down in seat as she placed Flurry Heart in her lap as she began to bounce her daughter up and down as she let out giggles.

"Alright. You heard her Spike. Don't let anyone see or hear you." said Twilight as she sat down next to Cadance as she had Spike sitting in her lap so that he could see the duel.

"Way ahead of you." responded Spike as he gave her a lick. "Hey, Flurry." responded Spike as he turned towards her.

"Doggy." said Flurry Heart as she reached her arms to pet Spike on his head before wrapping her arms around the mutt's throat as she was giving the poor dog a tight hug that had him trying to break free to breath.

"Ladies and gentleman, the moment has arrived! Now before we begin, please all rise as we listen to the official theme for Duel Monsters." said the announcer.

(Cue your favorite Yugioh theme song)

"Now then, tonight's exhibition duel promises to be a banger. So without any delay, let's introduce the participants. On the right is none other than Canterlot High's champion, please welcome Isaac!" said the MC as he came out from one side of the arena as he made his way to the dueling stage. Once Isaac took his spot, on the titration behind him an image of a duelist appeared behind him for all to see. "And now welcome, the current Duel Monsters World Champion... Shining Armor!!!!" Shining Armor then received his fair share of cheers from the fans as he took his spot and like Isaac, he had an image of a duelist appear on the screen behind him.

The fans in attendance and the people watching the TV were surprised by what the images behind the competitors meant until the MC started to speak.

"Before the duel gets started, we had each of the competitors picked a duelist who they want to honor in this duel. So for Shining Armor, he's chosen the duelist who was the first person to hold the Blue-Eyes and is the brother of the currently owner of KaibaCorp." said the MC. Behind Shining Armor he had a picture of Seto Kaiba as he wanted to dedicate this match to him and his agency for signing him and backing him up as a pro.

"And for Isaac, he's has chosen none other than the King of Games himself." Behind Isaac, there was a picture of Yugi as Isaac wanted to make sure that his idol was looking down on him and wishing him luck. Isaac just briefly looked at the picture of this idol for a moment before turning back towards Shining Armor.

"Now then, we've waited long enough... so let the duel begin!!!" shouted the MC.

"It's time to duel!" shouted both boys as they activated their duel disks with Isaac's projected a gold card tray, while Shining Armor projected a blue card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Shining Armor's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start this duel off with Graceful Charity. This card lets me draw 3 cards and discard two." said Isaac as he picked up his cards. "I'll draw 3 cards and discard Electromagnetic Turtle and Magician's Navigation from my hand. Next, I summon Magician's Rod(1600/100) in defense mode." said Isaac as he summoned his monster.

"A Magician's Rod? Where's the magician, Isaac?" mocked Shining Armor.

"You'll see soon enough. When I summon my Magician's Rod, I get to add a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card from my deck to my hand." Isaac then used his duel screen as he looked at all of his options and thought about which one he wanted. "I add Dark Magical Circle. Now I'll activate my Dark Magical Circle and when I activate it, I search the top 3 cards of my deck for a 'Dark Magician' card to add to my hand." Once more Isaac's duel screen showed his options as he knew which one to take. "I add the ultimate wizard himself, the Dark Magician to my hand!"

"Ok, I see what you're up to. Your old tricks again, Isaac. I truly admire your skill in wielding the Dark Magician's strength, but in this new age of dueling, it doesn't stand a chance. My monsters are far superior to your magician." said Shining Armor.

"We'll see about that, Shining Armor. I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shining Armor

"I draw, first I activate my field spell card, Mausoleum of White." Soon the entire field started to change around the boys as they were now in a mausoleum building that was lined with columns and pillars of ancient structure. It was still transparent for the audience to see and for the people watching at home. "This field spell card sets the stage for my triumph and your demise, Isaac. Now I special summon Kaiser Vorse Raider to my field. My Kaiser Vorse Raider(1900/1200) has 1900 attack points and while I control no monsters, I can special summon it from my hand. Next, I summon Maiden with Eyes of Blue(0/0)!" said Shining Armor as he played his monster and out came a beautiful women. Shining Armor made sure to look at Cadance when he play that card as he blew her a kiss to which she blushed heavily.

"Once per turn, whenever she's targeted by a card effect, I can special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand, deck or graveyard. I activate the effect of my Mausoleum of White, by sending a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck to my graveyard, I target my Maiden with Eyes of Blue and increase her attack and defense points by 800." Shining Armor's maiden then felt the light give her power as she put her hands together. "Now that I've targeted my Maiden with Eyes of Blue, I activate her effect. Come forth, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" said Shining Armor as he summoned his pet from his deck. His dragon let out a cry as it caused everybody watching to be in shock as the sight of the creature; soon Blue-Eyes looked at Isaac as it bared its teeth at him as he wanted to tear Isaac to shreds due to the scent he got from the boy.

"By summoning your Blue-Eyes White Dragon, you played right into my hand." smiled Isaac. "I activate Magical Dimension. I tribute my Magician's Rod to allow my Dark Magician to descend from my hand and take its place. Come forth, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac. Now it was his turn to amaze the crowd as out came his signature monster and most loyal companion. Just like with Shining Armor, everybody was amazed by how easily Isaac had summoned his magician and now the tension was here.

Both Blue-Eyes White Dragon and Dark Magician laid eyes on each other while their owners looked at one another. Not to mention that both monsters looked at the picture above their respective owners as it ignited all different types of feelings in them. Seems the next generation of their former owners was now present as Shining Armor and Isaac were locked in an intense fight. The stage and the moment couldn't be better if you asked for it, the only best way to describe it was you had to see it to believe it and feel the electricity that flowed throughout the duelists.

"That's not all." spoke Isaac. "My Magical Dimension also allows my Dark Magician to strike down one of your monsters when it's summoned. Dark Magician destroy Shining Armor's Maiden with Eyes of Blue." said Isaac as his magician took out Shining Armor's monster.

"Even with my Maiden with Eyes of Blue gone, I still have two powerful monsters on my field."

"You won't for long." said Isaac. "My Dark Magic Circle enhances the power of my Dark Magician while it's face up on the field, Dark Magic Circle allows my Dark Magician to banish one card from your field when it's summoned. I banish your Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the duel!"

"Oh no!" shouted Shining Armor as he watched Isaac's magician point his staff and with a spell removed his beloved pet from the field.

"Now you only have your Kaiser Vorse Raider and that monster is far too weak to take down my magician."

"I set one card facedown and end my turn." said Shining Armor with bitterness in his voice.

Turn 3: Isaac

"It's my move, I draw. I summon Kuribandit(1000/700) to my field, I now activate Kuribandit's effect. By tributing Kuribandit, I draw and reveal the top 5 cards of my deck. I reveal my Spellbinding Circle, Thousand Knives, Seven Tools of the Bandit, Mystic Box, and Dark Illusion." said Isaac as all the cards he drew materialized for all to see in attendance and watching at home. "Since all five of the cards I revealed are spell/trap cards, I keep all five of them in my hand. Now I attack, Dark Magician use your dark magic attack to destroy Kaiser Vorse Raider."

"I activate my trap, Shadow Spell!" shouted Shining Armor. "This card stops your attack and reduces your Dark Magician's attack by 700."

"Not so fast, Shining Amor. I banish Magicians Navigation from my graveyard, I can banish Magician's Navigation to negate the effect of one of your face-up spell or trap cards. I'll use my Magician's Navigation to negate your Shadow Spell until the end of the turn." With that Isaac's magician then took out Shining Armor's monster as he dealt some damage.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 7400-

"Your monster is destroyed and you've already taken damage." said Isaac with a smile.

"True, but that means my Kaiser Vorse Raider's effect activates. Since your Dark Magician destroyed my Kaiser Vorse Raider in battle, your magician loses 500 attack points. "

"I set two cards facedown. It's your move."

"Now that your turn is over, my Shadow Spell once again shackles your magician dropping its attack points to just 1300."

Turn 4: Shining Armor

"I draw, first I activate Pot of Greed. This lets me draw 2 cards, next I summon Alexandrite Dragon(2000/100) in attack mode. Now I activate Silent Doom. This card lets me special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon back from my graveyard. Take flight, Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Once more Shining Armor had his faithful pet appear on the field as he let out a cry. "Oh, and that's not all. Now I activate the second effect of my Mausoleum of White."

"Second effect?" said Isaac.

"Hmm. My Mausoleum of White is more than just an attack boost, once per turn, my field spell card lets me normal summon an additional monster as long as that monster is a Level 1 Light tuner."

"Light tuner? But... that must mean..." Isaac was now had his eyes widen as he realized what Shining Armor was about to do.

(Cue epic Kaiba theme)

"That's right, Isaac. I normal summon my Level 1 tuner, Sage with Eyes of Blue(0/1500). And activate its effect to add The White Stone of Ancients to my hand. Next, I activate Cards of Consonance. This lets me discard my White Stone of Ancients to draw 2 cards from my deck." said Shining Armor as he sent his card away and picked up the top cards of his deck. "Finally I tune my Level 1 Sage with Eyes of Blue and Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon." Sage with Eyes of Blue then transformed into one giant green ring as Blue Eyes had appeared inside of it. "I Synchro Summon, Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon(2500/3000) in attack mode!" said Shining Armor as he had a new monster as it let out a cry.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he was staring at the face of Shining Armor's new monster.

"I knew I would need to step up my game to defeat you, Isaac. And just because I now have powerful access to powerful new monsters, well that doesn't mean I can't summon powerful old monsters, I banish Kaiser Vorse Raider and Sage with Eyes of Blues from my graveyard to conjure up the forces of chaos that will lead to your demise. I special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End!!" Shining Armor now had a trio of powerful dragons as they let out a collective roar while looking at Isaac and his magician as they wanted to tear them apart.

"My dragon has the same stats as my Blue-Eyes White Dragon but also packs a devasting effect, by paying 1000 life points, my dragons lets me send all cards on the field and in our hands to the graveyard and inflicts 300 points of damage to your life points for each card sent to the graveyard. I activate my dragon's effect." said Shining Armor. "You'll never survive the aftermath of my Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect. You finished, Isaac."
Shining Armor's Life Points: 6400-
(End Theme)

"Hmm. I wouldn't be so sure about that, Shining Armor." smiled Isaac with a smug look. "I discard Clear Kuriboh from my hand to negate the activation of your Chaos Emperor Dragon's effect. Clear Kuriboh negates the activation of any effect that would inflict to my life points." Soon out came a tiny monster as it pumped its little arms and headed straight towards Chaos Emperor Dragon as it look to take down the mighty beast only for it to bump into the dragon's chest before he fell down with swirls in his eyes as he disappeared. Still he had managed to do his job as Chaos Emperor Dragon couldn't activate it power. "It looks like my life points and my cards are perfectly safe."

"Even with my dragon's effect negated, I still have 3 powerful monsters with which to attack. Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician."

"I activate the effect of my Electromagnetic Turtle, by banishing it from my graveyard, I can end your battle phase." said Isaac.

"I activate the effect of my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon, whenever you activate the effect of a card in your graveyard, my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon can negate its activation."

"No!" said Isaac as his move was halted.

"Your turtle is powerless against my dragon and now your Dark Magician is a goner. "

"I activate my facedown my trap card, the Spellbinding Circle. This card paralyzes your Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon and reduces its attack points by 700. My Dark Magician is safe." A magical circle then shot out towards Shining's dragon as it stopped it in its tracks. "Plus by activating my Spellbinding Circle during your turn, I've unleashed the effect of my Magician of Dark Illusion(2100/2500). Come forth my magician." Soon another spellcaster descended from Isaac's hand and onto the field in defense mode. "While face up on my field, my Magician of Dark Illusion is one and the same as the Dark Magician which means its empowered by my Dark Magical Circle. Magician of Dark Illusion use the power of Dark Magical Circle to banish Shining Armor's Chaos Emperor Dragon from the duel." said Isaac as his other magician removed Shining Armor's dragon from the field.

"I still have one monster with which to attack and your Dark Magician only has 1300 attack points. Alexandrite Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician." Shining Armor gave his order as his dragon opened its mouth and took out Isaac's spellcaster as it caused him to put his arm up to cover up.
Isaac's Life Points: 7300-

"I set one card facedown and end my turn. In my end phase, the effect of The White Stone of Ancients activates, since it was sent to the graveyard this turn, I get to special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck." Once more, Shining Armor had another one of his great beasts join the field.

"Shining really does love his pet." said Cadance as she smiled at her husband while also giving him a lovesick look.

"Daddy! Rawr!" said Flurry Heart as she tried to mimic her dad's dragon.

"With my Blue-Eyes White Dragon joining my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon and Alexandrite Dragon, you don't stand a chance. It's your move."

Turn 5: Isaac

"I draw, first I activate my spell card, Thousands Knives. My magician hurls a thousand knives at your spirit dragon to destroy it."

"Sorry, Isaac. But I chain my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon's effect, I tribute my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon to special summon a new synchro monster. Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon(2500/3000) in its place. It looks like your magician missed the mark." said Shining Armor with some smug in his voice. "When my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon is special summoned, its effect activates. Now the dragons I currently control can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects until the end of the next turn."

"Impressive, Shining Armor. But my turn is far from over. Since I activated a spell card while my Magician of Dark Illusion is face up on my field, I now get to special summon Dark Magician from my graveyard. Return my ultimate wizard!" said Isaac as he had his most loyal companion appear. "Now the power of my Dark Magical Circle activates banishing your Mausoleum of White from the duel." Isaac's monster then casted a spell that caused the whole field to change as they were now back in the area.

"Now behold as ancient powers enter a new era, I build the Overlay Network!" Both of Isaac's monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as they merged together into a portal that opened up in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "I combine my Level 7 Dark Magician with my Level 7 Magician of Dark Illusion to Xyz Summon, Ebon High Magician(2300/2800) in defense mode!" Out came a powerful monster on Isaac's field as he had the orbs circling around him.

"And just because I used some advanced summoning techniques, doesn't mean I can't summon old favorites just like you did. I banish Magician's Rod and Clear Kuriboh from my graveyard to invoke an ancient chaos summoning technique. As the forces of light and darkness combine, a new soldier is born. Come forth, Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning!" shouted Isaac as he now had his own powerful monster as it appeared. "My Black Luster Soldier has 3000 attack points and 2500 defense points plus an incredible effect. My solider has the ability to banish one monster and/or attack twice each turn."

"Thanks to my Azure- Eyes Silver Dragon's effect, my monsters are safe from your banishing effect."

"But they will not be spared from his attack. Black Luster Soldier attack and destroy Shining Armor's Alexandrite Dragon!"

"I activate Negate Attack!" shouted Shining Armor. "Your attack is halted and ends your battle phase."

"I chain my trap card, Seven Tools of the Bandit!" countered Isaac. "I give up 1000 life points and my seven tools disarms and destroys your Negate Attack trap card. Black Luster Soldier continue your attack!" Isaac's soldier then leaped high into the air as he brought his mighty sword down on Shining's dragon as it left a mark on its chest before it disappeared. "Now Black Luster Soldier attack and destroy Shining Armor's Blue-Eyes."
Isaac's Life Points: 6300-

"Both of our monsters have the same attack points which means both of them are destroyed." said Shining Armor.

Black Luster Soldier heard Isaac's command as he looked at Blue-Eyes and with a mighty throw, he tossed his sword straight into the heart of Blue-Eyes as it let out a cry as it fired off its own attack before perishing. Black Luster Soldier then lifted his shield up as he did his best to protect himself before being destroyed as well.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 5400-

"I set one card facedown before ending my turn."

Turn 6: Shining Armor

"Normally a monster summoned by Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon would be destroyed in the end phase of the turn in which it's summoned, but my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect stops that from happening which means my Azure-Eyes is here to stay. It's my move." said Shining Armor as he drew his card. "I draw a card and then activate the effect of my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, during my Standby Phase, my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect lets me special summon a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard. Return Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" shouted Shining Armor as he once again had his pet on the field.

"Jesus, it really is his pet at this point." snickered Twilight as it seemed that Blue-Eyes would always return to Shining Armor when he needed it the most.

"Now I activate Card of Demise. This lets me draw until I have 5 cards in my hand as long as I discard my hand in five turns, but I can promise you this duel won't last long, Isaac. I will defeat you long before then."

"We'll see about that." responded Isaac.

"Next, I activate a Wingbeat of Giant Dragon. By returning my Blue-Eyes White Dragon back to my hand, I destroy all spell/trap cards on the field." Blue-Eyes then flapped its wings as it caused a huge wind to blow over as Isaac had to shift his weight to avoid flying away. "Now you're defenseless, Isaac."

"That's not true." said Isaac as he slowly put down his arm as he revealed a smile on his face. "I still have my Ebon High Magician."

"We'll see what good that does you. I activate Trade-In, this card lets me discard a Level 8 monster to draw 2 cards." Shining Armor then sent his Blue-Eyes to the grave as he picked up the top cards of his deck. "And the card drawing doesn't stop there, Isaac. I activate Pot of Desires, now I banish the top 10 cards of my deck facedown to draw 2 cards. Next I activate Silver's Cry. This lets me special summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon back from the graveyard, welcome back my pet." smiled Shining Armor as it appeared. Shining Armor put his hand out as he started to pet his dragon's side as it gave a roar of affection towards its master. "Now I activate Swing of Memories, this lets me summon another Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard."

"2 Blue-Eyes White Dragon?!" said Isaac as he was now worried.

"Unlike my Blue-Eyes by Silver's Cry at the end of my turn, this Blue-Eyes White Dragon will become just a memory as it returns to the graveyard from which it came. But one turn with Blue-Eyes White Dragon is all I need, Isaac. Cause I plan on wiping you out with an onslaught of monsters, right now! I summon Luster Dragon(1900/1600). Finally, I switch my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon into attack mode. You're finished Isaac, I use the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that I summoned back to the field with my Swing of Memories to attack and destroy your Ebon High Magician!"

"I activate my Ebon High Magician's special ability, by detaching one of its Xyz materials, I can activate a spell or trap card from my hand during your turn. I detach an Xyz material from my Ebon High Magician to activate Magic Cylinder from my hand." said Isaac.

"Magic Cylinder!?!" shouted Shining Armor. "

This card reflects your Blue-Eyes White Dragon's attack right back at you."

"I won't go down that easily, I chain my spell card Enemy Controller! I tribute my attacking Blue-Eyes White Dragon to unlock my Enemy Controller's hidden mode. Not only does this prevent the backfire of my dragon's attack, but it also lets me take control of your Ebon High Magician. Hand it over, Isaac!" demanded Shining Armor.

"Not so fast, Shining Armor! I activate my Ebon High Magician's special ability once again, by detaching its second Xyz material, I activate Dark Illusion from my hand. My Dark Illusion negates the activation of your Enemy Controller and destroys it. My Ebon High Magician is staying right where it is."

"Well played, Isaac. Well played, but your Ebon High Magician has no Xyz materials left. That means you're cut off from any more spell or trap cards this turn. Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Ebon High Magician." Shining Armor's dragon then opened its mouth as it fired off an attack as Isaac lost his monster.

"Since you've destroyed my Ebon High Magician, I get to activate its effect. When its sent to the graveyard, I get to special summon a Dark spellcaster from my deck in attack position. I special summon, Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac now had his favorite female magician as she appeared with a twirl and gave a smile for all to see. Isaac then quickly looked up at Twilight as he gave her a wink to which she just put her hand on her chin as she gave her boyfriend a flirtly look. "My Dark Magician Girl gains 300 attack points for each 'Dark Magician' in my graveyard giving it a total of 2300 attack points. Then thanks to my Ebon High Magician's effect, my special summoned magician strikes down one monster on your field. Since your Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect prevents me destroying it and your Luster Dragon is your only other monster that hasn't yet attacked, I'll strike down your Luster Dragon." Dark Magician Girl then raised her wand as she blasted her target with ease. Isaac gave her a thumbs up to which she just smiled and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician Girl." Shining Armor then had his dragon take out Isaac's remaining monster. "I set two cards facedown and end my turn."
Isaac's Life Points: 6100-

Turn 7: Isaac

"It's my turn, I draw. I activate Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw from out decks until we're holding 6 cards in our hands."

"Thanks for the cards, Isaac." snickered Shining Armor.

"I've drawn Palladium Oracle Mahad(2500/2100). When I draw this card, I can special summon it to the field." Soon out came Isaac's spellcaster as he appeared on the field in bright colorful garments. "Mahad is a trustworthy and ancient protector of my deck; he is a powerful ally and I am proud to have him by my side." said Isaac as he looked at his monster. Mahad then looked at Isaac as he too let out a smile at his master. He then looked up at the picture behind Isaac as he saw his king. For Mahad, he could see his king's spirit in Isaac as it brought memories of him fighting alongside his former owner as they took on countless of challenges.

"Next I activate Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards, but that's not all of the card drawing I'll be doing. I activate Pot of Desires, just like you did on your previous turn, I banish the top 10 cards of my deck facedown to draw an additional 2 cards."

"Yeah, are you just gonna draw cards or are you gonna actually play them?" taunted Shining Armor.

"If you insist, Shining Armor." said Isaac with a smug tone. "I activate a new spell card, Mirage Staff. Now this card allows me to banish another spell from my deck and then all of its power is transferred over to my Mirage Staff. So I'll banish my Magic Formula from my deck so that I can give my Mirage Staff its power and with that I now equip my Mahad with the power Mirage Staff. Which means he now gains 700 extra attack points due to the effect of Magic Formula card that I copied." Mahad's strength then rose up to 3200. "Finally, I activate this spell card, Diffusion Wave-Motion. I give up 1000 life points to allow Mahad to attack all of your monsters. Pallidum Oracle Mahad channel your power and attack Shining Armor's Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Mahad did just that as he took out Blue-Eyes. "Now Mahad attack Shining Armor's Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" With that Mahad then took out Shining Armor's other monster as he dealt some more damage.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

Shining Armor's Life Points: 4500-

"Your field is empty. I set four cards facedown and end my turn. It's your move."

Turn 8: Shining Armor

"My field may be empty, but thanks to your Card of Sanctity, my hand is full. I draw, I activate the effect of The White Stone of Ancients by banishing it from my graveyard, I add a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my graveyard to my hand. Now I reveal a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand to special summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon(3000/2500)!" Shining Armor had called upon another mighty dragon that was just as powerful as his regular ones. "Now I activate its effect, once per turn, my Alternative White Dragon can destroy any monster on your field. I activate it's effect to destroy your Mahad."

"Oh no!" said Isaac as he covered to avoid the explosion in his face. "But's that okay, when Palladium Oracle Mahad leaves the field, it leaves behind a Dark Magician to protect me. Come forth, Dark Magician. Plus when you sent my Mirage Staff to the grave, it had the other effect of the Magic Formula it copied which means I gain 1000 life points since it left the field." stated Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 6100-

"Your Dark Magician doesn't stand a chance. I activate Return of the Dragon Lords. This card let me return a Level 7 or 8 dragon from my graveyard to the field. Return to me, Blue-Eyes White Dragon! You're finished, Isaac. I activate Polymerization! I fuse the Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon on my field with the Blue-Eyes White Dragon on my field and the Blue-Eyes White Dragon in my hand." Shining Armor then held all 3 of his cards in his hand as the spirits of all of them appeared as they were combing together into a vortex that appeared behind them. "I Fusion Summon, Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)!!" said Shining Armor as a great new beast let out a cry as it landed with a thud as it caused everybody to cover their ears.

"4500 attack points!" shouted Isaac as he looked up at the beast as he was bit scared.

"Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Isaac's Dark Magician!!"

"If you want to attack my magician, then you'll have to find him first! I reveal my trap card, Magical Hats! Magical Hats Materialize!" shouted Isaac as he had four hats appear as they covered his magician and then shuffled them as they spun in a circle before spreading out in a row. "My Dark Magician is hiding under one of these four hats, good luck finding him."

"Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack the rightmost hat!" shouted Shining Armor as his dragon fired a powerful blast.

The hat exploded as it resulted in smoke to appear while Isaac had a smile on his face. "It looks like you missed."

"Unfortunately for you, I get to try again. I activate my ultimate dragon's special ability, by sending a 'Blue-Eyes' fusion monsters from my Extra Deck to my graveyard, I get to attack again. I send my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon to my graveyard and attack the middle hat!" stated Shining Armor.

"Missed again." said Isaac as he still had a smug smile on his face.

"My Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon still has one attack left, I send my Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon to my graveyard to strike once more. Attack the hat on the left!" said Shining Armor as he fired off another attack as another one of Isaac's hat exploded.

"Strike three." taunted Isaac. "Now that my Dark Magician's location is no longer concealed, I dispel my Magical Hats." said Isaac as the smoke disappeared and there was Isaac's monster left standing.

"Even though all three of my attack failed, I still intend to win this duel. I reveal my facedown card, Ring of Destruction!" shouted Shining Armor as a ring appeared and latched itself on his dragon. "My Ring of Destruction destroys my dragon and inflicts 4500 points of damage to both of our life points."

"You would sacrifice your dragon to take out both of our life points?" asked Isaac.

"Ha ha. My dragon yes, but my life points, no. I activate Ring of Defense!" said Shining Armor as another ring popped up. This card shields my life points from the explosive impact of my Ring of Destruction. Now only you lose 4500 life points!"

"You're right about one thing Shining Armor. And that's who will be evading the damage, cause it'll be me." smiled Isaac. "I reveal my trap card, Mystical Refpanel! My Mystical Refpanel displaces your protective ring, shifting it from your side of the field to mine." Shining Armor's card then appeared on Isaac's side as it was now working for him. "Your ultimate dragon is vanquished by your Ring of Destruction."

"I thought you might try something like that, Isaac. Which is why I held on to this, I activate Diffusion!" said Shining Armor. "I split my monster back into the three dragons that I used to summon it." Shining Armor then had his monster split as he had 3 dragons appear. "My life points are safe. Plus since there are 4 minsters on the field, my life points are about to get a big boost. I activate my trap card, Gift of the Mystical Elf. This card increase my life points by 300n for each monster on the field. Since there are 4 monsters on the field, I gain a grand total of 100 life points." Shining Armor then saw his life points shoot up.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 5700-

"Since I'm still in my Battle Phase, I still have three more attacks to finish you off. Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon attack and destroy Isaac's Dark Magician!" commanded Shining Armor.

"I activate my facedown card, Mirror Force! This card reflects your monsters attack right back at you, destroying all of your Blue-Eyes White Dragons."

"Not so fast, Isaac! I activate the effect of Return of the Dragon Lords, by banishing it from my graveyard, I protect all of my dragons that are threatened by any one of your card effects. Your Mirror Force is nullified. Seems my monster's attack continues. Which means your Dark Magician is destroyed and you lose 500 life points." said Shining Armor.
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

"My Dark Magician." said Isaac in a somber tone as he watched his best friend be destroyed in front of him.

"Isaac." said Twilight as she too was sad for her boyfriend.

"Now it's my next Blue-Eyes turn to attack. Blue-Eyes White Dragon, attack Isaac directly!!" shouted Shining Armor.

"I activate my last facedown, Nutrient Z!" said Isaac. "This card gives me 4000 life points right before your dragon strikes." Soon Shining's dragon then fired off its attack as it shot directly at Isaac who put his arm up as he tired to cover up before he was flung onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 6600-

"I'm still in this duel." said Isaac as he got to one knee.

"For the moment, yes. For the moment, but I still have one more Blue-Eyes with which to attack. And since you have no more cards to activate on your field, and only one card in your hand. You have nothing to protect you from my last dragon's attack. Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack Isaac directly!!!" shouted Shining Armor as he thrusted his arm out.

"I may not have any cards to activate on my field, but that doesn't mean that I'm out of this duel quite yet. I discard Kuriboh from my hand to prevent all damage that would be inflicted by your Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" said Isaac. Kuriboh then appeared as he put his tiny, cute arms out as he did his best to protect Isaac as he was sweating hard. Eventually the tiny furry monster did his job as he floated on the ground as he let out a breath from exhaustion. Isaac then bent down as he gave the tiny thing a pat on the head as Kuriboh nuzzled himself against Isaac's cheek as he smiled and disappeared. "Thank you, Kuriboh."

"Your Kuriboh may keep you in the duel for one more turn, but it's only prolonging my inevitable victory." stated Shining Armor. "I enter Main Phase 2 and activate Dragon's Mirror! This card lets me banished the 3 Blue-Eyes monsters on my field to fusion summon my Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon back from my Extra Deck!" Shining Armor's monster rose once again as it gave out a loud roar. "I set one card facedown before ending my turn. It's your move, Isaac. But with 4500 attack points on my field, this duel is as good as over." said Shining Armor as he laid the final card in his hand facedown.

Turn 9: Isaac

"I draw. I activate my spell card, Monster Recovery. This card lets me return all of the cards in my hand and on the field and draw a brand new hand of 5 cards. That's five more cards for me to use to defeat you Shining Armor." said Isaac as he now had refilled his hand. "It seems I've drawn Watapon(200/300), when this card is added to my hand, I can special summon it to the field. Next I activate Premature Burial, by paying 800 life points, I special summon Magician of Dark Illusion back to my field. Now I activate my Upstart Goblin, this spell card gives you 1000 life points and lets me draw one card from my deck." said Isaac.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 6700-

"But more importantly, since I activated it while my Magician of Dark Illusion is on the field, I get to activate my magician's effect to special summon Dark Magician from my graveyard. Return to my field, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had a trio of monsters on his field.

"So you managed to summon 3 puny monsters. None of them are as strong as my Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon." stated Shining Armor.

"True, but my turn isn't finished." said Isaac. "I tribute Watapon, Magician of Dark Illusion and Dark Magician to summon the almighty, Slifer the Sky Dragon!!!" shouted Isaac as he held his card up high.

At that moment, everybody came out of their seats as electricity and energy flowed from the card as Isaac held it up and place it on his card tray. A pillar of light shot up as it was being used to call upon one of the most fiercest Duel Monster ever know to exist. Soon thunder could be heard as a flash of lightning occurred outside of the arena as it messed with the broadcast of the duel for a second, then it happened. Everybody looked up at the skyline as they could see the giant creature descending from the heaven as it landed with a thud that caused everybody to hold on as it felt like an earthquake was passing by. Slifer let out a roar that literally shook the entire building as it caused every single person to cover their ears.

"Scary!" said Flurry Heart as she turned her head to hide her face in her mother's shirt as she had a few tears rolling down her eyes.

"It's okay, sweetie." responded Cadance.

Cadance as she did her best to cover her ears while trying to keep her daughter from being frightened by the massive creature she saw. Spike tucked his tail between his legs and hid under Twilight's chair as he was starting to fear for his life at seeing the giant creature as he shivered. Just the size comparison alone was enough to make him feel minuscule.

"Your monster pales in comparison to my Egyptian God!" stated Isaac.

"Ah, no way! You've summoned an Egyptian God card!?!" yelled out Shining Armor as he couldn't believe it. Even his agent team and Roland were surprised that Isaac was in possess of a legendary card that used to belong to another the rival of his former boss.

"That's right, I've summoned Slifer the Sky Dragon!" said Isaac as his monster had his body wrapping around him as he showed his loyalty to the young boy while giving out a roar.

"Even while you control Slifer the Sky Dragon, I control the strongest monster on the field." stated Shining Armor. "Slifer the Sky Dragon only gains 1000 attack and defense points for each card in your hand. Which means it only has 2000 attack and defense points. My ultimate dragon's 4500 attack points are far higher. My dragon will wipe out Slifer on my next turn."

"Your ultimate dragon's attack may be higher for now, but they won't be for long. I activate Double Spell, by discarding Makiu the Magical Mist from my hand, I get to activate a spell card in your graveyard." Isaac's duel disk screen showed all of Shining Armor's card as he selected the one he wanted to use. "And I choose... your Card of Demise!"

"Oh no!" shouted Shining Armor as he realized what that meant.

"Now I draw until I have 5 cards in my hand as long as I've discard my entire hand in 5 turns, consequently Slifer's attack points shoot up to 5000." said Isaac as his Egyptian God powered up. "Slifer the Sky Dragon use your Thunder Force attack to destroy Shining Armor's Neo Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon!!" said Isaac. Slifer then opened its mouth as it charged up its attack and then unleashed a very powerful attack that blasted right through Shining Armor's dragon and headed towards him who put his arm up and was flung onto his back.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 6200-

"Your dragon is destroyed. I set one card facedown and Slifer's attack points drop to 4000. It's over, Shining Armor. Nothing you draw can defeat my Egyptian God card." said Isaac as he was telling his rival that he was set to win this duel.

Turn 10: Shining Armor

Shining Armor had gotten back to his feet as he stared at Isaac and looked at Slifer. "Okay, okay, okay. I draw!" said Shining Armor as he still believed he had a chance to take down Isaac and his god. He then looked at the card he drew as the expression on his face turned into a creepy smile. "Perfect, seems you were wrong, Isaac. I did just draw something that can take your Egyptian God down." Shining Armor then revealed his card to Isaac.

"No! No! Is that..." trailed off Isaac.

"It's my Egyptian God!" said Shining Armor as the card he just drew so happen to be Obelisk the Tormentor.

"You may have drawn Obelisk the Tormentor, but with no monsters to sacrifice on your field, you still can't summon it." stated Isaac.

"Hehehe, my facedown card will change that, Isaac. I activate Return from the Different Dimension!!!" shouted Shining Armor as he revealed the final card he had set. "Now I give up half of my life points to special summon 5 of my banished monsters back to the field. I special summon Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End, Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon, and all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!!!" Shining Armor's entire field was now flooded with some of his most powerful creatures as they all let out a collective roar.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 3100-

"My Slifer's lightning blast activates, eliminating 2000 attack points from each of your five monsters. All their attack points are now reduced to 1000." said Isaac. Slifer then opened its second mouth as it fired off 5 blasts as it struck each one of Shining Armor's dragons as they lost power and had smoke and steam emerging from their bodies.

"Ha, that's all I need because they're about to be tributed for something greater. I tribute all three of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons!! Come forth, Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!!!!" shouted Shining Armor.

Now it was his turn as he held his card up high into the air. Soon a bright light was coming from it as all three of Shining Armor's dragons were being sacrificed as their energy were being used to call upon an even greater force. Soon his monster was descending from the heavens as it appeared in a blue pillar of light as everybody could see Shining Armor and his god card. Obelisk let out a cry as it made its presence know; it then looked across the field as it got a glimpse of Isaac. Seems even he was sensing the spirit of the young boy as it reminded him of another duelist. It then looked up as it saw Slifer as it turned angry and let out a cry as Slifer let out a roar of his own as each were trying to not back down from the others.

"Ladies and gentleman, don't adjust your screens. This is truly happening, 2 of the legendary trio of the Egyptian God cards are here. How long has it been since the last time these 2 great beasts were seen in the same room!!" shouted the MC. The crowd was now into it as they were in awe by seeing such powerful cards ever to have been created.

"Slifer the Sky Dragon's effect kicks in and your Obelisk loses 2000 attack points until the end of the turn." said Isaac. Slifer then opened its second mouth as it unleashed a powerful attack that collided with Obelisk it clutched his side as it felt its power being drained away. "Perhaps, you'll think twice about summoning a monster in Slifer's presence." stated Isaac as he addressed Shining Armor.

"My Obelisk the Tormentor may be weaker than Slifer for now, but it will show you no mercy!!" shouted Shining Armor. "I activate Obelisk the Tormentor's effect, I offer my Chaos Emperor Dragon - Envoy of the End and Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon as tributes to Obelisk." Obelisk then grabbed both of Shining Armor's remaining dragons as it absorbed their strengths and powers with his eyes as both monsters let out a cry. Soon they disappeared as Obelisk's power shot through the roof. "Now my Obelisk's attack points rise to infinity!!! And it attacks everything you control with its Fist of Fury! Your Slifer the Sky Dragon is no match for my Obelisk and your life points will not withstand its attack. It's over, Isaac!!!!" shouted Shining Armor. Obelisk then raised its powered up fist and look to make contact with Slifer and end Isaac.

Everybody was leaning in as they were wanting to see what would happen. Twilight was leaning in as she bit her nails as she feared for her boyfriend. Isaac saw the attack coming and he too had sweat coming down his face, soon his expression changed on a dime.

"It's not over yet, Shining Armor." said Isaac in a low, confident voice. "I activate my trap card... Zero Gravity!!!" shouted Isaac as he activated the last card that he set previously. "This card changes the battle position of all monsters on the field."

"It's naïve of you to think that a change in gravity will interfere with the infinite powers of my Obelisk. Yeah... my attack continues unimpeded!!!" yelled out Shining Armor as his monster pushed forward.

"Perhaps, but a slight change in gravitational force is just what my Slifer the Sky Dragon needed to switch into defense mode." With that Slifer then changed positions just as the attack from Obelisk made contact with it. "Now that my Slifer the Sky Dragon is in defense mode, it will guard my life points from your Obelisk's attack." said Isaac.

"Even so, your Slifer is destroyed and Obelisk remains on my field." stated Shining Armor. Obelisk's attack caused Isaac to buckle his knees as he did his best to stand his ground before he was thrown off his feet.

"AHH!!" shouted Isaac as he tumbled onto the ground as he landed on his back as his cap was tossed off of his head as he had scuffs on his face and clothes.

"I end my turn and Obelisk's attack points return to 4000. You're defenseless against my Egyptian God card, Isaac. Without a god card to defend you, my Obelisk will wipe out what's left of your life points on my next turn. I am about to prove to everyone once and for all that I am the stronger duelist!!" yelled out Shining Armor as he ended his turn.

Turn 11: Isaac

"Ugg! Uhh!" said Isaac as he slowly got back to one knee.

He was now sweating like on a hot summer day as his energy and stamina was now starting to take effect on him. Isaac looked at Shining Armor and he too was breathing heavily, both boys were tired and spent. The fact that they had the energy to even summon their own god cards was a testament to how much they were willing to push past their limits, but also it meant that their life energy was now depleted as they struggled to stand up as their legs were shaking and losing their strength. Isaac wiped his mouth of the scuff that appeared as he took several deep breaths while looking at the god towering before him before looking back at his deck.

He had a point, I have nothing left on my field. And none of the cards in my hand can beat an Egyptian God card. But I can't give up, though the odds are slim, they aren't impossible. It may not be easy, but if I take a chance and believe in the heart of the cards, I'm sure that I can win this. Isaac then looked up at the image of his idol as it was on the screen behind him as he remember all the things the King of Games would say. He knew that if he was here right now, he would tell him the same thing. So Isaac then willed himself to stand up as he muscled through the pain. Heart of the cards, guide me. Isaac then closed his eyes as he pictured his deck as he tried to call out to it to help him. Soon the spirit of Isaac's idol appeared beside him as he infused his spirit with Isaac's and together they mimicked each others move as they both drew the top card of the deck. Isaac opened his eyes in awe as he sensed his idol's spirit as he looked at the card that he drew.

"I activate my spell card, The True Name."

"The True Name? What in the world is that?!" asked Shining Armor.

"This card lets me predict the name of the card on the top of my deck, if I'm wrong the top card of my deck is sent to the graveyard and with nothing left to defend me against your Obelisk, I will lose this duel. But if I'm right about which card is at the top of my deck, the named card is then added to my hand and I get to add a 'Divine' monster from my deck to my hand." said Isaac.

"Divine monster?!" said Shining Armor as he wasn't sure of what Isaac meant. Until, he really got to thinking, "But... t-that means..."

"The card I name is Monster Reborn!!" shouted Isaac.

"You're going to gamble the outcome of this duel on one single guess?" asked Shining Armor as he thought Isaac was insane.

"I reveal the top card of my deck." said Isaac. He then drew his card to see what the result was as everybody was wanting to see if he was right or wrong. "I reveal... Monster Reborn!!!" shouted Isaac as he showed his card off for everybody to see.

"NO WAY!!!" shouted Shining Armor as he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"I add Monster Reborn to my hand and search my deck for... The Winged Dragon of Ra!!!" said Isaac as he now had the card in his hand.

"Even though you have The Winged Dragon of Ra in your hand, you still have no monsters on your field that you can tribute to summon it!" stated Shining Armor.

"That's about to change, Shining Armor. I activate Monster Reborn to resurrect my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning. Next I activate Dark Magic Veil, by giving up 1000 life points, this spell card lets me special summon a Dark spellcaster from my hand or graveyard. I sacrifice 1000 life points to special summon the Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600) from my hand. Now my Dark Magician of Chaos' effect activates, allowing me to return a spell card from my graveyard to my hand. I return Monster Reborn, but it won't stay in my hand for long. I activate Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician." said Isaac as he now had a trio of monsters.
Isaac's Life Points: 5600-

"No way!" yelled Shining Armor. "You managed to summon to summon 3 monsters to the field!"

"That's right, Shining Armor. Now prepare to face the ultimate Egyptian God, I tribute my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning, Dark Magician of Chaos and Dark Magician!!" Isaac's monsters all then turned into energy beams as they were now being used by their master as he called upon a mighty beast as a yellow light came from the card he held high. Isaac then had his eyes close as he pulled the card down as he started the chant. "Oh mighty protector of the Sun in the sky, I beg of thee, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game." Isaac then opened his eyes as he finished the saying, "But first I shall, call out thy name! Winged Dragon of Ra!!!" Soon a bright yellow light enveloped the whole field as it caused everybody to shield their eyes.

Soon a giant yellow orb appeared as it descended onto the battlefield. Then a yellow glow appeared as it started to unlock as The Winged Dragon of Ra emerged from its sphere and soon it was on the field as it let out a cry. Now people were taken back by what they saw as they couldn't believe that they got to witness all 3 of the legendary Egyptian God cards in one place.

"Now The Winged Dragon of Ra emerges with attack points and defense points equal to the combined power of my tributed monsters, with the strength of my tributed Black Luster Soldier, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Dark Magician. The Winged Dragon of Ra has 8300 attack points!!" said Isaac.

"8300?!" shouted Shining Armor as he couldn't believe the stats on the Egyptian God card he saw standing in front of him.

"And The Winged Dragon of Ra's power doesn't stop there. Next, I'll give up all but one of my life points to increase The Winged Dragon of Ra's attack points by the number of life points I sacrificed." Soon Isaac transferred almost all of his life points as Ra felt the power coming from the young master as its attack rose to 14,299.
Isaac's Life Points: 1-

"It's over, Shining Armor. Your Obelisk's 4000 attack points pale in comparison to the Winged Dragon of Ra's 14,299 attack points!" said Isaac.

"This can't be happening!!!!" yelled out Shining Armor.

"It is. The Winged Dragon of Ra, attack Obelisk the Tormentor and end this duel!!!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his arm out as he had his monster opened fire with its attack as it made contact with Obelisk.

"NOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Shining Armor as he tried to cover up only for him to be thrown onto his back as his monster was destroyed.
Shining Armor's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as the image of Isaac was projected onto the screen around the arena and at home.

"The winner... is Isaac!!!" shouted the MC.

The fans couldn't believe it as they gave a thunderous applause at had occurred. They got to witness one of the most intense duels to ever take place in the history of Duel Monsters. The images of the 2 duelists that each competitor had chosen to honor in the battle, now had so much more meaning behind them, as they felt like if they were here in person they too would consider that match a worthy duel of their caliber. For Isaac he had taken some heavy breaths as he fell to his knees, confetti and pyro went off as Isaac was being awarded for his victory. All around him, Isaac could see the fans in attendance all standing up and applauding not just him, but also Shining Armor as both of them just went to war and left their heart and soul on the battlefield. Shining Armor was being to stir as he slowly sat up and looked at Isaac; both boys were tired and sore as the only thing said was a nod. Both boys understood what it meant as they didn't say anything else.

Isaac was still on his knees when he felt something behind him as it almost caused him to fall to the floor. He soon felt a pair of arms wrap behind him.

"Isaac!" yelled out Twilight as she had made her way down to the arena and had rushed the stage. She had managed to pick up his cap as she fell to her knees and started to wrap her arms behind her boyfriend as she began to bombard him with kisses along side his neck and cheek. "You did it! Congrats." said Twilight in between kisses.

"Yeah, I did." said Isaac as he put his hand over Twilight's as she just brought him into her chest as she had her head on top of his as she smiled as she embraced her boyfriend. "Thanks for your support." Isaac then looked at Twilight as she pulled out a small handkerchief from her pocket as she started to wipe Isaac's forehead from all the sweat as she put his cap back on his head. Isaac responded by reaching up into Twilight's hair as he undid her ponytail and let her hair fall as he grabbed her face and pulled her into a deep kiss as both were on their knees as they closed their eyes.

The kiss lasted for a while as they broke apart for a few seconds only for Twilight to pull Isaac back into another kiss. Soon they broke apart as they looked up at the private box Twilight was watching the duel from as Cadance, Flurry Heart, and Spike were all cheering and smiling at them. The pair then saw Shining Armor being helped by his agent team as Roland held Shining Armor as he had his client's arm over his shoulder. Shining Armor was banged up but he still made an effort as he leaned on Roland as he made his way toward Isaac. Isaac then stood up as he was now leaning on Twilight as she had his arm over her shoulder. Shining Armor then let go as he found some energy to stand on his own two feet as he stared at Isaac.

"I finally have my answer." said Shining Armor as he was now cured of the cancer that plagued his soul and health. "Here take it, you deserve it." Shining Armor then tossed Isaac a card as he caught it in his hand. Isaac turned the card over and was shocked by what he saw.

"You sure?" asked Isaac as he was currently holding Obelisk the Tormentor.

"It belongs with you." said Shining Armor as he look at Roland and gave him a nod a he understood his boss' orders as he began to take him to get check out by their medical team.

"Shining, wait!" called out Twilight. Her brother then looked at his little sister. "Where did you get that card?"

"You remember the incident with the thief and how they stole Slifer. Well, turns out Sombra was in possession of Obelisk. If you recall, Mr. William's grandfather had copies made of the god cards and hid them in separate locations. His grandson and his company would be in charge of Slifer, Luna and Celestia were tasked with guarding Ra, and he gave the last one to Sombra." informed Shining Armor. "So when the incidents with the Shadowbolts occurred, it was Sombra's plan should the person strike again, he wanted me to confront him using Obelisk; I had been secretly training with it and with Sombra. Even when he was corrupted, Sombra saw that I had the power necessary to wield a god card and he helped me to harness it." stated Shining Armor. "And now it's yours. Besides, my deck is perfectly fine without it." With that Roland then helped Shining Armor get checked out by the medical team as they brought him to a medical room where Cadance and Flurry Heart were waiting for him.

"Daddy! Daddy!" said Flurry Heart as she reached for her father.

"Hey, princess." said Shining Armor as he was sat up on a medical bed as he grabbed his daughter in his arms as he gave her a hug and kiss. "Did you watch, daddy?"

"Yeah, funny daddy." giggled Flurry Heart. "Big drgoon, magic, Isac."

"You did well, sweetie." smiled Cadance.

"Yeah, but the outcome doesn't matter, cause I have a much better prize than being known as World Champion. I have a loving family and drop dead gorgeous women as my wife. What more could I ask?" smiled Shining Armor. He soon found himself pulled into a deep, passionate kiss as Cadance was kiss her man with so much emotion and passion.

While Shining Armor was being helped to the back, Isaac was still out in the arena as he took in the sight that laid before him as the fans were still cheering his name. He then looked at the Obelisk card that Shining Armor gave him as he had his other hand reach for his deck and pull out the other 2 god cards. He then put the 3 of them together as they seemed to be resonating and responding to Isaac's soul as they searched him for any signs of evil. Soon all of their spirits had deemed Isaac as a worthy duelist to wield the them and promised to lend him their power whenever he needed it.

"Obelisk the Tormentor. Combine that with the other ones, I now have all 3 of the Egyptian God cards. It's been a long time coming and I never thought in my life, I would ever hold them, much less be in possession of them all, let alone one. But now that I have them in my deck, what am I suppose to do with them?" said Isaac to himself. "Well, I made a promise that I would keep them safe and that I honor their trust."

Soon a thought ran through Isaac's head as he remembered his earlier conversation with Shining Armor and his agent.

"If that is your wish, then we will make time for you to have with your friends. We'll inform all promotions and interviews that you're busy doing other things. Whatever you want, we will see to it." said Roland. "You want cards, we will make sure the best are flown overnight and arrive to you in the morning. You want more money to appear at live events, we will make sure that places pay you more. We make sure you get whatever you want out of this business and career path. You won't have to go and make phone calls and beg and plead to be on the cup of 7-Eleven; 7-Eleven will call us and demand that you're on it." stated Roland.

Twilight then looked at Isaac as she could tell what was on his mind, so she just simply grabbed his hand with hers as she smiled and gave him another peck on his cheek to show that she would stand by him. Isaac returned the smile as he kissed Twilight's forehead, he then looked up at the picture of his idol that was still being shown on the screen. For a second it looked like Isaac saw the image move as his idol gave the young boy a smile and thumbs up. Isaac blinked and the image returned to its natural pose; Isaac didn't know whether his mind was playing tricks on him or he was just too tired, but either way he could sense his idol helping him to draw the card he needed in his duel and he couldn't be more happy. Isaac then held the god cards as he lifted them high into the air as their respective lights came out from the cards as Isaac stood there with Twilight by his side and a smile on his face. Soon the entire scene faded to black as the music in the battleground played.

Author's Note

What a match. What a way to end a rivalry. Not to be perfectly honest, I didn't plan out for Isaac to gain each of the god cards in the way he acquired them. Gaining Slifer, then Ra, and lastly Obelisk was just a pure coincidence that happen to work out and doesn't have any correlation with the years of high school. Regardless, this was match that I wanted to have both duelists just go all in and lay it on the line. I did think about having both Isaac and Shining Armor have a battle that referenced Yugi and Kaiba's duel in the coliseum as their final matchup, but I decided against that as I wanted to do something original. And I hope that it was enough to live up to that certain level of dueling and expectations.

I did have both duelists have a sort of tribute to them as a way to acknowledge the kind of battles that both Yugi and Kaiba would have as everytime you would watch them duel, it was the best thing to see, especially as a kid watching the show. Anyways, enough said. I'll see you in the next chapter and hope that you all enjoyed this. Though I will leave you with some thought.

Now that these two have ended their rivalry, the question now is: Which of the 3 duels did they have was considered the best one? Was it the Friendship Games, the graduation duel, or this one? Something to really get your brain going.

Chapter 134: Smitten

"So... I finally have all 3 Egyptian God cards in my possession?" said Isaac as he was in his room as he was sitting up on his bed.

"How long are you gonna keep staring at them boy toy?" asked Sunset as she too was in his room. In fact, she wasn't the only one as all the girls were in Isaac's room as they all sat on chairs that circled his bed.

"Well, then." Isaac then tossed his god cards in three separate directions as Sunset, Fluttershy, and Pinkie were the ones who caught them as they began to examine them with the others overlooking their shoulders.

"So, what? Does that make you like, untouchable? Given that you got 3 powerful monsters." said Rainbow Dash as she looked over Sunset's shoulder and saw Obelisk the Tormentor.

"Plus, all the other cards he's got in his deck." added Sunset.

"Yeah, okay that's a bit of a stretch. Keep in mind the promise I made when I got these god cards."

"That you wouldn't use them for personal gain and that they should only be used in emergencies or when the situation calls for it." said Pinkie as she was holding Slifer the Sky Dragon.

"Correct, little sis."

"Still, it makes you that much more of threat if people know that you have these cards in your possession." informed Rarity as she looked at the card in Pinkie's hand.

"Tell me something I don't know." said Isaac as he felt his side be a bit sore. "Ow."

"Easy there." said Twilight as she approached Isaac's bedside. She then lifted up his shirt a bit as she applied some cream on the spot where Isaac's bruise was as she treated his pain. "That should do it."

"Thanks, Twi." said Isaac as he put his shirt back down.

"Well, we better let you rest." said Fluttershy as she grabbed Isaac's deck and put The Winged Dragon of Ra back on top of it. Sunset and Pinkie then did the same as they put the cards back and then put Isaac's deck on his nightstand next to his bed.

"Come on, y'all. Isaac needs to rest, he spent all night tryin' to come up with a plan to win his duel." said Applejack. The girls all nodded as they decided to leave Isaac's room.

"We'll try to keep things quiet in the house, while you rest." said Twilight as she gave a kiss to Isaac.

"Appreciate, Twilight." smiled Isaac.

"Now get some rest, you deserve it." stated Twilight as she closed the door to Isaac's room.

"Yeah." responded Isaac which was soon followed by a yawn. Isaac then laid down as he put his head to his pillow as his eyes started to close as he soon found himself asleep.

The rest of the week went by it seemed that Isaac was more tired then he expected as he sleep through the entire weekend. Regardless, it was another day of school as it was now back to business as the Fall Formal was just a few weeks away. And in terms of the tournament that was to take place, it would begin at the end of the week. Which meant that both the girls and the students would need to be ready, especially for the students, cause the tournament would serve as a sort of checkpoint to see if they were seriously taking the lessons that the girls were trying to teach them and allow Isaac to see what else he would need to teach before the end of the year.

So the morning sun came, as Isaac awoke. He then got ready as exited his room and made his way downstairs as she saw Applejack, Fluttershy, and Pinkie had already gotten up as they were in the dining room eating some breakfast. Isaac joined them as they all got to talking. Eventually the others all woke up as it was soon time for school; with that they all grabbed their backpacks and their decks that were all spread out on the table as they exited the house with Rarity locking it behind them. Once they arrived at school, safe to say the younger students started to swarm Isaac as they wanted to hear his tale of the duel he took part in. So Isaac began to tell the kids about his match with Shining Armor as it was a real barn burner.

"So... you really do have all the 3 Egyptian God cards?" asked Shadow as he and the other students were in a classroom as it was just Isaac with them.

"Yup." responded Isaac.

"So... you mean you could have played them when we challenged you and wiped the floor even more with us?" asked Amber.

"Yup."

"Well shit." said Jack.

"Look, just because I have them, doesn't mean I'm gonna their power. There was an incident that happened about a few years ago. And let's say that it involved a certain god card. Bottom line is, that I won and beat the person who was causing trouble. Then fast forward a few months to my 18th birthday and I received said card as a gift, but more so as a promise to someone. And then last year at the Fall Formal, after I did something and now, I have them all." said Isaac as he informed the students about his journey to getting the god cards.

"Then, we don't have to worry about you using them against us?" asked Penny.

"Well, more likely yes, but you never know. Look, this isn't why I called all of you here. I wanted to discuss the tournament as well as the Fall Formal." said Isaac.

"Yeah, we know. The winner of the tournament between the seven of us and our tutors will earn the right to challenge you for the title of Canterlot High duel champion at the event itself." stated Jason.

"Correct, which means the tournament is gonna officially start this Friday." said Isaac.

"That soon, already?" said Lucky Star as she was surprised with how it had snuck up on the students.

"But we've only been doing this for just 3 weeks, not even a full month." said Bryant. "How do you expect us to compete with our tutors who have some pretty powerful decks themselves. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Sunset alone are enough to take us all out, might as well throw in Twilight for extra credit."

"And the lessons the girls have been teaching us are based on your plan." said Shadow.

"Which are?" asked Isaac.

"Learning traps, spells, monster effects, basic shit." informed Penny.

"Different types of decks and constructing them." added Amber.

"Not to mention having to use different decks than the ones we own." spoke Jason.

"Well, that's as good of a start as any. You can't just rush into the big stuff until you master and understand the basics." said Isaac.

"But we know the basics!" exclaimed Jack. "You saw that we all know the beginner stuff, so shouldn't we focus more on advanced tactics and strategies for our decks/playstyles."

"Even if you guys focused on that, I still would have whupped your asses." said Isaac as that caused all the students to sit back in defeat as they knew not to go toe to toe with Isaac when it came to speaking ability. "Look, this tournament will allow me to access where you guys are at and whether or not you're improving. Most of all, I want to see if you guys can handle the pressure. Know why?"

"Confidence." said Bryant.

"Exactly, Bryant. Confidence, that mixed a deck, is what makes up a duelist also a bit of skill. But confidence plays a key factor to not just dueling, but to everything in life. So this tournament will see which one of you all, has the confidence and which ones need work." said Isaac.

"Well, you can consider our confidence way down after the beating you gave us." said Amber.

"Then I suggest you get it up before Friday. Work hard, listen to the girls, but most importantly, practice. I'll be spending all this week checking in with the others to tell me of your progress, I'll also be working on the brackets. So, get ready you guys. Cause if you're serious about your skills and want to learn the 'advanced' tactics, then you all need to bust your ass!" With that Isaac dismissed the group as they all headed in separate directions to meet with their mentors.

Shadow Moonrise was walking along the hallway as he was walking to the classroom where he would meet with his mentor. Safe to say that Pinkie was an... eccentric one as he called it. In his head, he found the pink haired girl to be a tad bit annoying due to her hyper demeaner and the fact that she would keep on rambling. He did wonder how Isaac was able to handle the girl and still consider her an honorary sister. Regardless, he kept those thoughts to himself as he had to tolerate her strange behavior, though she did admit that she did make some delicious treats. Shadow eventually arrived to his destination as he took a deep breath as he prepared himself for what he was getting himself into. He then placed his hand on the door as he opened it and was immediately blasted with confetti to the face.

"Surprise!" exclaimed Pinkie as she had a huge smile on her face as she was standing next to her party cannon.

"Ugg." said Shadow as he brought his hand and wiped his face of the confetti. He tipped his head to the side as he hoped to get the pieces that had entered his ear.

"Well, were you surprised?" asked Pinkie as she leaned in.

"Whopee." said Shadow in a deadpanned tone. He then started to make his way over to a student desk as he sat down.

"Before we get started, I made these." said Pinkie as she pulled out some cupcakes from her puffy hair as she offered them to Shadow.

"How? You know, I'm not gonna ask." said Shadow as he didn't want to get a headache from Pinkie's weird antics. "Thanks."

"Now then, I hope you're ready for the tournament. I know I am, big bro is genius for coming up with this idea." smiled Pinkie.

"He's not your brother." stated Shadow.

"Oh, Shadow." said Pinkie as she patted the boy's head. "Of course, Isaac's my brother. Now then, did you do what I asked?"

Shadow then pulled out some pieces of paper as he put them on his desk. "Here's the 3 page essay you wanted me to do on traps, spells, and monster cards. While also explaining why the dueling committee put Pot of Greed on the ban list?" said Shadow as he looked at the fourth wall with a smug look.

"Excellent, I'll just take that." Pinkie then grabbed Shadow's essay as she then crumbled it up.

"Hey!" exclaimed Shadow.

Pinkie then started to tear the ball of paper up as it turned into tiny pieces as she collective grabbed them while they were in the air and started to load them into her cannon as she pulled the string and fired a powerful blast as it was now falling on Shadow's head while Pinkie just let out a laugh.

"That was my paper."

"Exactly, and I made some confetti out of it." responded Pinkie with an innocent smile.

"Then what was the point of me doing the assignment if you were just gonna do that?"

"Duh, the party store won't have their next shipment for another day. So I had make due with I had, and you helped me. Thanks, I'm glad to have a student like you." giggled Pinkie as she rubbed the boy's head.

"Stop that!" said Shadow as he waved off Pinkie's hand. "So have all the papers I've been doing for you, meant nothing."

"Spot on!" said Pinkie.

"Ahh!!" Shadow let out a scream as he put his head down on his desk.

"Don't worry, I'm sure I'll come up with another assignment you can do."

"All the time I spent doing that, when I could have been doing something else." mumbled Shadow as he had his head down. "Why did I get stuck with her?"

"What was that?" asked Pinkie.

"Nothing." responded Shadow.

"Cheer up, silly. It's a beautiful day, let's go outside." suggested Pinkie to which Shadow just simply put a thumbs up as he still had his head down.

With that the pair began to head outside, they were in the hallway as Pinkie was bouncing up and down while Shadow was next to her as he tried to hide his head. He still felt embarrassed that he had Pinkie as his tutor that he didn't want the other students of his class grade to see him with the wacky girl.

"So, were you cheering big bro on in his duel?" asked Pinkie.

"Yeah. Trust me, being champion wasn't just a title he has to brag. He really is a talented duelist." said Shadow as he thought back to when he was watching Isaac duel against Shining Armor.

While he was with the others, they all saw just how skilled Isaac was. Being able to match move for move with the world champion and come out the winner was not an easy task. And based on the short battle he had with Isaac, safe to say that Shadow had some new found respect for Isaac for being able to run through the entire gauntlet and not break a sweat. It did invoke a bit of terror in the boy, especially with the tournament coming up at the end of the week. For one the main prize was that the winner of the tournament would face Isaac at the Fall Formal for a chance to become champion, but based on his encounter with the champ and his recent duel with Shining Armor, Shadow was now worried of what the outcome might be if he was the one to win. But then again, by that time, he was to be in better shape than he was previous, at least that was what he hoped.

"Well of course he is. Have you been living under a rock?" asked Pinkie.

"What? No, I..." said Shadow as he was too busy looking at Pinkie that he didn't pay attention in front of him as he had bumped into someone as he fell down. "Ow."

"Pardon me, young man." said the voice which so happen to be Vice-Principal Luna.

Shadow then looked up as he saw the tall women and the first thought that had crossed his mind was that she was beautiful.

"Sorry about that, Vice-Principal Luna." said Pinkie. "Shadow here was thinking about cupcakes recipes."

"I see." said Luna as she just chose to believe the pink girl's statement rather than asking for more details.

Shadow was too distracted to answer as he was fascinated by Luna. Not just fascinated, he was drawn in by her. To him, she was beautiful as her hair complimented her fair complexion. In Shadow's mind, there was an angelic light that shined down on Luna as he saw her like some kind of real life god. He was so caught up that he didn't pay attention to what was saying to him.

"Are you okay?" asked Luna as she asked the boy.

"Shadow? Shadow." called out Pinkie as she waved her hand in front of the boy as he didn't move.

She had raised her eyebrow as she didn't know what to do. Soon a literally lightbulb appeared on her head as she grabbed it and then replaced the light on the ceiling as it went out. Pinkie then replaced it before pulling out a bucket of water from her hair as she then splashed it on the boy as it finally caused him to snap out of his trance.

"What the hell!" shouted Shadow as he was now drenched.

"Good, you're not dead." said Pinkie as she smiled.

"Why would you think that?"

"Well, your heart stop beating." said Pinkie as she was now dressed in a doctor's coat as she had a stethoscope and was listening to the boy's heart as she lifted his shirt.

"Hey!" yelled out Shadow as he shooed Pinkie off and put his shirt down. "Don't you know about personal space?"

"No." nodded Pinkie while smiling.

"Well, if everything is fine here. I best be off." said Luna. "Do keep out of trouble, Ms. Pie. And try to look where you're going Mr. Shadow." With that Luna began to walk as Shadow just watched her leave.

"Who's that?" asked Shadow.

"That's Vice-Principal Luna. Trust me, you don't want to mess with her. She's the one who deals with bad students and gives them harsh punishments. She made one student brush the boy's and girl's bathroom with just a toothbrush." stated Pinkie.

"Luna? What a beautiful name." smiled Shadow.

"Now come on, we got a lesson to get to." said Pinkie as she grabbed the boy's arm and began to drag him outside as she ran.

"Now then, I know big bro wants us to teach you guys. But we all need practice before the big day, so I don't think he'll mind if we do some training." said Pinkie as she had lead her and Shadow to the soccer field outside as she reserved a spot for them to duel. "So, ready?"

"She was amazing." said Shadow as he was still stunned by Luna.

"I'll take that as a yes." said Pinkie as she pulled out her duel disk and slide it on as she turned it on and projected a pink card tray. "Now then, which one deck should I choose." Pinkie had her two decks in her hands as she was trying to figure out which one she wanted to use. "Shadow, which one do you suggest?"

"Whoever thought an angel like her could exist?" responded Shadow.

"The right one, okay." said Pinkie as she had a smile and then slotted in the deck as she put the other in her pocket. "Now then, time to party!" shouted Pinkie.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 4000-

Shadow Moonrise's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Pinkie

"Yippee, I get to start to things off." said Pinkie as she drew her card. "Which one, of course! Every good story needs a tale, 0 and all good tales being in... Toon World!" shouted Pinkie. "Now I pay 1000 life points to unlock all the powers of my Toon World. Then I'll play Dark Rabbit(1100/1500) in defense mode." Pinkie then had a bunny appeared on her field as it had a goofy smile on his face. "I'll then place 2 cards facedown, all you Shadow." smiled Pinkie.
Pinkie's Life Points: 3000-

Turn 2: Shadow

"Huh? Oh yeah, whatever." said Shadow as he drew his card. "I'll play Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius(1000/1000). Now I activate it's ability and so I can deal you 600 points of damage and all monsters unless they happen to be 'Raidraptors' can't activate their effects until the end of the turn." Shadow then had a bird appeared on his field as it opened it mechanical beak and fired a pillar of fire as Pinkie just side stepped and had some marshmallows out as she began to roast them.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2400-

"Mmm. Gooey." said Pinkie as she ate one of the sweet treats.

"Okay then." said Shadow as he moved on with his move. "Well, now that I have one 'Raidraptor', I can special summon summon my Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius to join the hunt. Now I'll overlay my Level 4 Fuzzy Lanius with my Napalm Dragonius to build the Overlay Network." Both of Shadow's monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they were sucked into a portal that opened up in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! I Xyz Summon! Take flight! Raidraptor - Force Strix(100/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow's new monster then appeared as it spreaded its wings and let out a screech.

"Only 100 attack points?" asked Pinkie as she tilted her head.

"I activate the effect of my Force Strix, so by using one overlay unit, I can add 1 Level 4 Dark Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll grab Raidraptor - Heel Eagle(700/700) and since there's another 'Raidraptor' on the field, I'll summon it. Then I'll activate the effect of the Fuzzy Lanius in my graveyard, which means I can add my second one to my hand, but I'll immediately summon it." Shadow now had two more birds join in as they let out a collective screech.

"Now he's got two more birds?" said Pinkie.

"Then Force Strix gains an additional 500 attack and defense points for every other Winged Beast-type monster on the field other than itself. So with my two other Raidraptors, it gains 1000 extra attack points." said Shadow as his Force Strix let out a cry. "And then I'll attack with my Force Strix."

"You're attacking?" Pinkie now raised her eyebrow at why Shadow was thinking. Which he wasn't.

"Force Strix take out her Dark Rabbit." said Shadow.

"Silly, Shadow. My monster is in defense mode, not attack mode."

"Wait, what? I thought you said attack mode." stated Shadow as he blinked in confusion.

"Sorry but no cherrychanga. But I'll take advantage of this situation and activate a facedown, called Toon Page-Flip. Now I reveal 3 Toon monsters from my deck, and here's the best part. You choose which one I get to summon." exclaimed Pinkie.

"How does that benefit me?" asked Shadow.

"Duh, you pick. So here are your choices. Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon, Toon-Gemini Elf, or my personal favorite and in memory of my big bro, the one and only, Toon Dark Magician!" exclaimed Pinkie. Soon all of her toons appeared as they did a small dance and wave as they looked at Pinkie. "So which do you want to have fun with? Try to not hurt their feelings." Pinkie's cards then flipped over as they spun in a circle while awaiting Shadow's decision.

"I duh know. The left one?" asked Shadow.

"Oh, the left one. Any more bets, going for 500? Do I hear 600? Anybody for 600? 650?" rambled Pinkie as she was starting to talk like an auctioneer.

"Just pick it!" shouted Shadow as he was getting annoyed.

"And the grand prize winner is... Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon!" said Pinkie as she returned the other two cards to her deck and then summoned her brand new monster as it gave out a cartoonish roar.

"Well, doesn't change the fact that I'm still going to target your Dark Rabbit." said Shadow.

"Ohh, goodie. Then I can activate my other facedown, Shift. So now your monster changes targets so it goes after my Toon Blue-Eyes White Dragon.

"What?" yelled out Shadow.

Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon saw Force Strix coming at him as he put on a sad face as he held up a sign that said: 'Help'. He then turned that frown upside, literally, as he huffed and he puffed and he puffed even more until, Force Strix stopped in front of him as he just blew a small gust of wind as it destroyed his target. He let out a small cackle as he enjoyed his mischief.

"Naughty Blue-Eyes, don't take all the fun." giggled Pinkie as she too broke out into laughter at what her monster did. "Oh, don't forget. You lose life points." exclaimed Pinkie with a wave.
Shadow's Life Points: 1500-

"I'll end my turn." said Shadow as he didn't bother to set any spells or traps.

Turn 3: Pinkie

"Ohh, it's my turn." said Pinkie as she drew her card. "Now I'll pay 500 life points so that my Blue-Eyes Toon Dragon can attack, and get this... it can attack you directly!"
Pinkie's Life Points: 1900-

"How?" yelled out Shadow.

"Duh, you don't have a toon on your field. Didn't I tell that this a party playdate and you need to bring a toon? Your invitation must have gotten lost in the mail, next time check your emails." stated Pinkie. "Now then, Blue-Eyes attack Shadow directly and end this duel!!!" said Pinkie as she thrusted her arm out. Blue-Eyes heard Pinkie's command as it huffed and puffed it chest and blew an attack that caused Shadow to be thrown onto the ground.

"Ahh." stated Shadow as he flew just a few centimeters after being blasted.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Pinkie

Shadow laid on the ground as he had his arms and legs spread out. He had the sun in his eyes until a shadow casted some darkness over his face.

"Wow, you suck." said Pinkie as she was leaning over and checking on her student.

"Huh? Hey! What the hell do you mean, 'I suck'?" yelled out Shadow.

"You made stupid moves, attacking while my monster was in defense mode, not looking at my field, or placing any facedowns." stated Pinkie. "I mean, how are you gonna win the tournament if you make moves like that?"

"I would never make rookie mistakes like that." said Shadow.

"Replay doesn't lie." said Pinkie as she showed her duel disk to Shadow as the video was playing.

"That doesn't count! Let's go again." exclaimed Shadow. "Besides, I can't lose to you. It makes me look like a chump."

"I thought you never ask. Okay, this time I'll use my other deck." said Pinkie as she skipped over to her side of the field as she pulled out her other deck from her hair and slotted it in as her pink card tray projected. "All set!"

"The fact that she beat me adds to her annoying tactics. Hopefully I can shut her up in this next round." said Shadow.

Pinkie's Life Points: 4000-

Shadow's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Shadow

"I'll start things off this time, so watch out." said Shadow as he drew his card. "I summon Raidraptor - Rudder Strix(0/1600) in defense mode. And when this feather bird is summoned, I can deal you 600 points of damage." said Shadow as another one of his mechanical birds appeared and opened its beak as it fired off a shot at Pinkie.
Pinkie's Life Points: 3400-

"With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn. That's much better, as if I made a mistake." said Shadow as he was proud of himself for pulling off a better move then his previous one.

Turn 2: Pinkie

"My turn." said Pinkie as she drew her card. "I summon Madolche Chouxvalier(1700/1300)." Out came a tiny soldier as he rode in one a tiny horse underneath him as he wielded a lance that was made of a tasty treat. "Then I'll play the continuous spell card, Madolche Saloon which means I can get an additional normal summon each turn. Now, since I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon my Madolche Petingcessoeur(1400/1400) and when she's summoned, I get to special summon another 'Madolche' monster from my deck but its level decreases by 1. So I choose to summon my Madolche Baaple(0/1800) in defense mode." Pinkie now had two more of her tasty monsters appear on her field as they all giggled.

"Now I overlay my Level 4 Madolche Petingcessoeur and Madolche Chouxvalier to build the Overlay Network." said Pinkie as her two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they combined together into a portal that opened in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu(2200/2100)." Pinkie now had a tiny queen who sat on a throne of tiramisu as she wielded a tiny scepter. "Now time to attack, I'll have my Queen Tiaramisu attack your Rudder Strix."

"Now I activate the other effect of my Raidraptor - Rudder Strix, since it became the target of your attack, I can now summon 2 'Raidraptors' from my hand. So arise, Raidraptor - Wild Vulture(1600/2000) in defense mode. And as long as my Rudder Strix is out on the field, you can't target any other monsters but it." said Shadow as his monster that was destroyed was quickly replaced by two different ones.

"Impressive, I'll just set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Shadow

"My turn, so I'll activate my Raidraptor - Pain Lanius(100/100) so I can target a 'Raidraptor' on my field, and then not only do I summon my Pain Lanius but its level becomes the same as the monster I targeted. So now my Pain Lanius is now Level 6, the only downside is that I now take damage equal to Wild Vulture's attack or defense, whichever is lower." said Shadow as he summoned his new monster but was then struck with a blast as he lost some points.
Shadow's Life Points: 2400-

"Now I have all that I need, I overlay my two Level 6 Wild Vulture and my Level 6 Pain Lanius to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's three monsters then changed into dark orbs as they were combining together as they entered a portal that opened in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! I Xyz Summon! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 3)!" Shadow now had a more fierce looking bird on his field as it let out a screech. "I activate Revolution Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, my raptor can attack all the monsters you control. So take flight, and now my falcon makes it so that at the start of the Damage Step, all your special summoned monsters lose their attack and defense points. Go! Blitz Bombardment!!!" shouted Shadow.

"That's not sweet." said Pinkie as she watched her monsters be stripped of all of their power. Soon Shadow's falcon made contact as it dropped tons of bombs as it took out both of her monsters as Pinkie dropped to a knee as she took a major hit. "Well, the effect of my Baaple activates which means I can shuffle it back into my deck instead of sending it to the graveyard." stated Pinkie as she grabbed her card and placed it on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1400-

"Now then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Pinkie

"What a doozy." said Pinkie as she stood up and wiped some dirt off her new skirt as she drew her card. "To start, I'll activate my field spell, Madolche Chateau." A giant chateau made of delicious sweets appeared as it made Pinkie lick her lips as she got a craving for her sweet tooth. "Once my field spell is activated, I can shuffle all the 'Madolche' monsters from my graveyard back into my deck." Pinkie's duel disk then slotted her Madolche Petingcessoeur and Chouxvalier for her to grab as she placed them on top of her deck to let the autoshuffler do its job, while her duel disk moved her Madolche Queen Tiaramisu from her graveyard into her Extra Deck compartment.

"Since I added a 'Madolche' from my graveyard shuffled back into my deck, the other effect of my Madolche Saloon allows me to set 1 'Madolche' spell/trap card directly from my deck." Pinkie then used her screen as she selected the one she wanted as it slotted out for her to grab and then placed it facedown. "I now summon my Madolche Messengelato(1600/1000). My field spell now gives my 'Madolche' monsters an extra 500 attack and defense points. Which means my Messengelato now has 2100 attack and is stronger than your falcon. So Messengelato take out his Revolution Falcon." said Pinkie.

"I activate my facedown, Raidraptor - Evasion." said Shadow. "Since a 'Raidraptor' Xyz Monster I control was targeted for an attack, I can return one of its Xyz materials to my hand and negate the attack." Shadow then grabbed his Wild Vulture from under his Revolution Falcon as he added to his hand as Pinkie's monster was brought to a halt.

"Good one, Shadow. I thought for sure it be light's out if attack connected." said Pinkie.

"Light's out?" Shadow was now hung up on that phase Pinkie said as he started to imagine Vice-Principal Luna as he was now thinking of her hair and how it shined like the night sky, all while daydreaming.

"Well, I'll end my turn." said Pinkie. "Your turn."

Turn 5: Shadow

"Huh? What? Oh, uh then... I'll just attack you to win. So I'll use the last overlay unit of my Revolution Falcon, to drop all the attack points of your monster and then have it attack for game." said Shadow as he didn't even bother to think through his whole move.

"I'll reveal my facedown, Madolche Nights. Now when a monster effect is activated, and I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can negate your activation. So Revolution Falcon doesn't drop my monster's attack points which means my Messengelato is the stronger and destroys your monster." smiled Pinkie. "But not only that, I'll activate my other facedown Madolche Waltz. Thanks to this whenever my Madolche is attacked or attacks, I can deal 300 points of damage to you."

"Wait, let me take my move back!" exclaimed Shadow but it was too late as his falcon was bombard by Pinkie's monster as it got rid of his bird and Shadow was blasted in the face with some treats.
Shadow's Life Points: 2000-

Turn 6: Pinkie

"Hehehe. Hope you like you're 'just deserts'." smiled Pinkie as she drew her card. "Now Messengelato finish this duel, attack Shadow directly!!" stated Pinkie as her monster heard his command and he delivered a hard right punch to Shadow as he knocked the boy to the ground.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Pinkie

"NO!!!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Shadow.

"Everything okay?" smiled Pinkie as she hopped over and looked down at her student.

"Don't tell me, I lost. To you of all people." complained Shadow.

"Twice, actually." said Pinkie.

"That makes things worst!" shouted Shadow.

"Cupcake?" offered Pinkie.

"Yes, please." said Shadow as he grabbed the sweet from Pinkie's hand as he wanted to drown his loss with some comfort food.

"I think today's lesson went well." said Pinkie as she had a big smile on her face as he patted her student's head.

"I need to talk to my doctor." said Shadow as he was eating the cupcake while crying tears.

The next day Isaac was in Principal Celestia's office along with Vice-Principal Luna as they were talking before school started.

"Well, I hope everything is coming nicely for the tournament." said Celestia.

"Trust me, Celestia. I've taken the liberty of making sure the girls are preparing the students for this event." informed Isaac.

"I to look forward to seeing what they've been learning and whether or not they actually are paying attention." said Luna. "I would hate to give out some extreme punishments for students that aren't doing the work."

"You don't have to worry, Luna. I..." Isaac's statement was soon interrupted by a knock at the door. "Were you girls, expecting anybody?"

"Not that I'm aware of." said Celestia. "Lulu?"

"Don't look at me, Tia."

Isaac then approached the door as he opened it and it happen to be one of the staff members as they were carrying something.

"So sorry to interrupt your meeting with the Principals, but I was asked by someone to deliver this." The staff person then hand a bouquet of flowers in their hands as she gave it to Isaac.

"Uh, thanks. I'll make sure they get this." said Isaac as he dismissed the women and closed the door. "Okay, which one of you is this for? Cause it sure as hell ain't Twilight sending me flowers, or any guy for that matter should be receiving flowers." said Isaac as he looked at the women.

"Not me." said both women.

Isaac just rolled his eyes as he noticed something on the end of the bouquet as he grabbed the tiny note and began to read it. "Well, there's no name on who sent it or who it's even address for. Did they forget to include that part?" said Isaac as he was holding the bouquet of Moonflowers that were colored blue. "Seriously, is this any of you?"

"I'm confident it's not for me, what about you, Lulu?" stated Celestia. "Are you seeing someone behind my back?"

"Don't kid yourself, Tia. You would be the last person I would tell if I had someone I was dating." said Luna as took a jab at her own sister. "Plus, not that I'm bragging but what would you know about dating?"

"Hush your mouth, Lulu." replied Celestia as she took offense to her little sister's remark.

"Just because you can't get a man, doesn't mean you have to take your anger out on me." said Luna with a smug expression.

"I'll have you know, Lulu, that I'm perfectly capable of getting a man. I'm just more occupied with my occupation." stated Celestia.

"Keep telling yourself that, sister." responded Luna with the smuggest of smiles.

"Just because you more accustomed to being at social gatherings, doesn't mean you can judge me for not having a date in a long time."

"At least, I can say that I've had some experience with dating unlike you." said Luna.

"If you call going to the arcade when we were younger as a date." snickered Celestia as she took her own jab at her sister's video games.

"Leave my video games out of this! Besides you're secret is even worst than mine. At least my secret doesn't go to my hips and make me look fat." shouted Luna.

"Don't you dare mention my cakes!" shouted Celestia.

"Should I be hearing this?" said Isaac as he watched the two women begin to act like siblings based on how they got on each other's nerves.

"By the way, what did the card say?" asked Luna as she wanted to drop the little bickering she had with her older sister.

"To my dearest and fair maiden, I have been enthralled with you upon the moment of first glance. It's like the gates of heaven opened up and you escape from it. The nighttime pales in comparison to you as the stars are but flickers of light that compared to your eyes." said Isaac as he finished reading the note.

"Interesting." said the girls as they had mixed reactions about the note.

"Honestly, I was expecting something else." said Isaac as he crumpled the note.

"Such as?" asked both women.

"Something like," stated Isaac as he began to recite a rhyme.

'Her eyes the glow worm lend thee,
The shooting stars attend thee;
And the elves also,
Whose little eyes glow
Like the sparks of fire, befriend thee...'"

"Robert Herrick, 'The Night Piece: To Julia'." said Celestia. "Didn't expect you to know that, Isaac?"

"I'm taking AP Literature this year, so you best believe I'm killing myself in that class for learning and speaking this kind of language." said Isaac as he was suffering a headache whenever he attended that class. Thankfully, Fluttershy was in that same class as she able to help ease his pain as she would often translate some stuff for him.

"Yes, well. Nevertheless, let's not let this distract us. We must all turn our attention to the tournament and to see if your program is producing results. Pray that the students don't disappoint us, Isaac."

"You have my word, Luna." Isaac then grabbed his backpack as he slung it over his shoulder. "So, what do you girls want to do with this?" asked Isaac as he was still holding the bouquet and the note.

"Perhaps you can give them to Twilight, I'm sure she would like that." said Celestia.

"Well, at least I don't have to buy her gift now. Plus, she does like a bit of poetry." said Isaac. "Thanks. Well, I better get to class. See you ladies, later." Isaac then exited out of the office as he closed the door and went on his way.

The following days leading up to the tournament were filled with hard days of training from the girls and the students as they all were putting in the extra time and devotion to be as ready as they could be. During that time, there was even more gifts being sent that ranged from even more flowers to sweets, which Celestia just swiped away as she stuffed her mouth. All the while there was even more little notes that were attached, but they still had no name. So both ladies decided to give the gifts that were being mysteriously sent to Isaac so that he could give them to Twilight. Which was working out as everytime Isaac brought his girlfriend something, she immediately gave him a kiss.

Though with the amount of gifts that were being sent, it did make Twilight beg the question on where Isaac was getting them. As for Isaac, he had done a bit of investigating of his own as he wanted to know who was sending these many gifts; after some detective work, he had his hutch. He knew that the tournament was coming up and that it was going to be the main focus so he decided to address it after all was said and done. Though the one thing about the gifts being sent is that it allowed Isaac to have some quality entertainment with both of his principals. He couldn't help but grin at seeing Luna and Celestia fight about which one of them was more attractive and could be capable of getting a man.

Chapter 135: Family

Lucky Star was currently walking down the hall as she was heading to her meeting with her mentor, Applejack. She had made her way to the gym when she entered the place and saw her mentor as she was talking with her sister.

"So now ah play Predaplant Spinodionaea and attack yer Aromage Cananga. Looks like it's over, sugarcube." said Applejack.

"Aw man!" shouted Applebloom as she had lost. "Ah thought I had you."

"Applebloom, I'm not the big sister for nothin'." said Applejack with pride in her voice. She then turned her head as she saw Lucky Star standing there as she watched this interaction with Applebloom. "Howdy, Lucky Star."

"Hey." responded Lucky Star.

"This here is mah little sis, Applebloom."

"Pleasure to meet you." said Applebloom as she extended her hand.

"Likewise, kid." said Lucky Star as she shook the younger girl's hand.

"Alright, Applebloom. Run along now. Me and Lucky Star need to prep for the tournament on Friday. Don't wait up for me, okay."

"Ah hear you, Applejack." said Applebloom as she grabbed her cards and backpack.

"Also, don't try anythin' funny with Tender Taps." stated Applejack with a smug smile.

"He's just a friend, Applejack." said Applebloom while turning her head away as she tried to hide the blush on her face. Applebloom then rushed out of the room as she wanted to avoid anymore embarrassing moments from her big sis.

"Nice to see she's taken an interest in a boy. Even if she tries to deny her little crush." smiled Applejack.

"Yeah, well then... I'm here. So that we can get this over with." stated Lucky Star as she pulled out her deck.

"Woah there, Sally."

"Name's Lucky Star."

"Ah know, I'm just sayin' to hold yer horses. No sense in jumpin' in to our lesson so soon. Take a seat." suggested Applejack as she made her way patted the spot her to her. Lucky Star just rolled her eyes as she did what she was told as she took a seat next to Applejack on the bleachers.

"So, what?"

"Easy there, bucko."

"I told you, my name is Lucky Star." Seems Lucky was starting to be annoyed by how Applejack kept referring her by these weird countryisms names. "Look, this whole mentor-student relationship just isn't working."

"And how do you know that?" asked Applejack.

"Look, I'm focused on winning this tournament and taking Isaac's title."

"Is that right, sugar?" asked Applejack. "Cause if ah member correctly, seems Isaac wiped the floor with you faster than slippery floor covered with suds."

"How do you know that?"

"Told me, himself, the city slicker."

"Snitch." responded Lucky Star.

"Isaac ain't no snitch. He's honest with his friends, like me." said Applejack.

"Yeah, yeah. Look I've tried to work with this whole program, I really am. But we just don't click. So just teach me today's lesson so that I can go home." stated Lucky Star as she stood up and began to walk.

"You mean go home to an empty house." said Applejack as that got Lucky Star to stop in her tracks. "Go home, without no one there. All by yourself, no ma or pa."

"Watch what the hell you say!" said Lucky Star. "You don't know anything about my life or my parents."

"You're right, ah don't. So it's wrong of me to assume, but based on yer behavior and the kind of attitude you're throwin' mah way. Ah can tell that bein' by yerself for so long has made you depressed." said Applejack.

"My life is none of your business, so just stay out of it! How would you like it if I talked about your parents?" said Lucky Star with an angry tone.

"Go ahead!" responded Applejack with the same tone. "Go on, say what you want about mah ma and pa. Go on, I'm sure they can take it from their graves."

"What?" Seems Applejack's response had taken Lucky Star aback.

"Mah ma and pa are long gone, so go ahead, run yer mouth and say what you want about them." Applejack was now in the face of Lucky Star as she looked down as the girl in front of her. She then cracked her knuckles as she prepared herself to get physically.

"I... I... I didn't know." said Lucky Star as she put her head down. "What happened..."

"They disappeared. When ah was little they just left, and ever since that day. We never heard from them since." said Applejack as she pointed her head upwards. "Applebloom was just a tiny baby, and Big Mac was just a bit older than me when our parents up and left. Granny did her best to comfort us and say that we would get through it. And we did, but ah think we all suffered from that loss. Everyday we did our best to carry on with our lives, but there was still that feelin' that maybe, one day, just one day. They could come home and we be a family once again. We still think of that to this day." Applejack had a few tears in her eyes as she let out a sniffle and wiped her eyes.

"Mah parents left some things for us before they were gone. One of them was a deck, they had left a note sayin' that they hoped one day their children would be mighty fine duelists. Big Mac was the first one to hold the deck, but he soon found out that he didn't want it, so ah took the mantle. And from there, ah did everything ah could to learn about Duel Monsters and how to play mah deck. Eventually, I began to understand it and well ah started competin' against other duelists and winnin'. Granny Smith saw mah potential and declared me the best duelist of our family, even mah other relatives some mah skills as they too were impressed." said Applejack. "Then ah enrolled at CHS when I was young and from there, ah meet some fine folks and got mah game to be even better. Especially cause I found a group of friends to call family."

"Friends? Family?" asked Lucky Star. "Look I get your sob story, okay. But the idea that you say friends are like family, just is weird to me. Family is about people who are connected with you by blood and they will always support you. Friends, just are friends. They're people who you just meet on a everyday basis and eventually will fizz out as you grow up. They're not gonna stick around like family does."

"Then ah guess, Isaac will forget 'bout us." said Applejack.

"Hardly, based on how much he hangs out with you, it seems he treats you all like..."

"Family." said Applejack as she finished Lucky Star's sentence for her as she had a smug smile on her face. "Tell me 'bout yer folks?"

"Fine." Lucky Star then took a deep breath as she began to recount her tale to Applejack. "I was born to a loving family, my dad was a doctor and he met my mom when she was still in law school. One day while my father was performing an operation on someone who had been in a violent struggle, the door opened and in came the person's attorney. That attorney was none other than my mother who had come to see her client she had been assigned to. So you could say that was the first time they met and it certainly wouldn't be the last time. So while my father performed the surgery, my mother began to explain the details of the case to him; eventually, they began talking about each other and soon became friends. Once the patient had been treated properly, my mother began to explain the situation of the case as they began to prepare for the trial. Before leaving the hospital, my mother thanked my father for helping to treat her client and gave him his number in case they ever wanted to go out for coffee."

"So what happened after that?" asked Applejack.

"Well, my dad kept in contact with my mom and would often times hang out with her when they both weren't busy. But the most times they ever hung out was when my dad had a new patient to work on and it so happen to be the same person my mother was assigned to. I guess you could say it was their ideas of a date." chuckled Lucky Star.

"How romantic." smiled Applejack.

"Well, anyways they grew closer to each other and then one day my father took the initiative and proposed to my mother, right in the emergency room. Of course my mom said yes, but only after he saved a person from a failing heart. It took a while, but my father was able to save a life as he was hailed as a hero in front of his coworkers. My mom especially, as she congratulated him and gave him a kiss as he slid the ring on her finger and they were engaged. Soon they had a wedding as both of their family members were proud to have seen them find love. For their honeymoon, they went on a trip all around the world. Eventually they settled down and then I was born. My parents say it was the happiest day of their lives, but it would soon be over and I found them to be lying." Lucky Star's tone then sadden as she had her head down.

"For the first few years, my parents did their best to spend as much time with me as they could. They even hired a nanny so that they could have someone to watch over me when they were both away, which was almost all the time. Even when I started school, I didn't have my parents to see me off. So when I saw all the kids talking and laughing with their parents, I guess I was jealous that I couldn't do that with folks. Though the nanny that my parents hired did her best to make me feel happy, so I guess you could say she was like my parents. But I still longed for that love from my actual parents. So when my 5th birthday rolled around, my nanny put together a small party for me and a few friends I had at the time. She had received a message saying that my folks would be arriving to celebrate my birthday, but they never did. I fell asleep waiting for them, but they never showed up. In the morning, my nanny gave me a box as it was a gift that my parents had sent."

"Your duelin' deck." stated Applejack.

"Yup, there was a note that said they had been called in to work. So to apologize for missing my birthday, they got me something that was popular for kids. It was nothing much, but I had barely understood the idea of Duel Monsters. So I took it under myself as I looked over the cards and was fascinated by them. I guess, they served as some sort of comfort for being all alone. Granted I wasn't the best when I started and compared to where I am now, I'm decent enough. But I will admit, there was an upside to having that deck. It seems a famous celebrity was currently hiding from the paparazzi as she wanted to avoid the attention. So I happen to bump into her and she begged me to find a place to hide her. So I did what any kid would do, I take something I found on the streets home. Safe to say she was ecstatic as she craved attention but even she needed some alone time. Turns out she was famous duelist by the name of Mai Valentine; now I didn't know at the time given that I didn't follow current trends of Duel Monsters and their celebrities, so I thought nothing of it." stated Lucky Star.

"Eventually, I told her she could lay low at my house for awhile. So she did just that and when I pulled out my deck to practice, it caught her eye. Seems she too had a Harpies deck, in fact, she's the reason why it's reached new heights because she the first one to use the deck in the pro scene. Again, I didn't think of it as I wasn't that big of a fan. The crazy part was that she actually challenged me to friendly game as she wanted to see what I could do. Again, I wasn't good and I just accepted the challenge. Safe to say that it opened my eyes, from the way she used her cards and was able to come up with good strategies, I realized there was more to this game than just a simple 'play a card and see what happens.' Eventually her publicist was able to track her down and made sure there was no fans that followed them. So with that she thanked me for helping her, but not before she said something."

"Just remember kid, Duel Monsters isn't about just playing whatever card you feel like. You actually need to think and not just let things happen; keep in mind that you can make the duel flow the way you want it to go." said Mai.

"Yeah, yeah." said Lucky Star in a disinterested tone.

"I mean it, are you just gonna let the boys rule of over this game? It needs women who can be able to keep these men in line and show we're just as good as they are, if not better. Look I get it, being alone is something that's affecting you."

"How did you..." asked Lucky Star.

"Call it a hunch, kiddo. Look you have a chance to turn this sad soap opera into something wonderful; believe me if you think life is hard now, you don't know what awaits you when you grow up. Take my word kid, I too was like you. I too felt like I was all alone, I felt like all the self esteem I had and pride not only as duelist but as individual, I felt it all just leave and I had nobody there to guide me. But then I met this dumb boy, sure he wasn't the brightest bulb in the woodshed, but he had a big heart. And even I turned my back on him and his friends and helped an evil force nearly take over the world, he never once stopped trying to get through to me. In the end, he was able to remind me that my friends are always around me even when they're not present. That I'm not alone and that there are others out there who are willing to be your friends and help you, you just gotta give them a chance." said Mai as she bent down and put her hand on Lucky Star's shoulder.

"Ms. Valentine, we really must go." said her driver.

"Yeesh, don't you know that I don't pay you to butt in to my conversation!" said Mai as she was annoyed.

"Sorry, Ms. Valentine." apologized her driver to avoid getting fired.

"Chin up, kiddo. Things will work out, you'll see." smiled Mai as she stood up and was starting to head for the door when she stopped and turned her head to look back at the little girl. "And by the way, top notch deck. Couldn't pick a better than yours truly. Keep it up, and I hope to cross paths with you on the dueling field. See you later, sweetie." said Mai as she hopped into the back seat of the car as the driver thanked Lucky Star for her hospitality as he got in the front and drove off.

"After that meeting, I took a step back and tried to see what she meant. Turns out she was right, she had similar childhood like me. So I guess we were two peas in a pod." said Lucky Star. "And so I took another look at my cards and began to the take the game a bit more seriously, granted I still wasn't the biggest fan, not like Isaac. I just an average girl who knew how to handle herself if things got rough. Eventually I learned the name of the duelist that was at my house as she was one of the dominate females to take the dueling scene by storm. So I started watching her duels whenever I could, learned a few things from her and tried to implement them myself. So I guess, in a weird twist of fate, she became a sort of role model to me in a time when I really didn't have any."

"And yer parents, what about them?" asked Applejack.

"Now a days, they're called in less and less to work as they got assistants to cover for them. So they've made an effort to try to cover up for all the lost time they missed seeing their daughter grow up. But... the pain is still there. Nothing can change the fact that they weren't around for much of my childhood, and to be honest they know. Which is why they're suffering as well." Lucky Star then had a few tears drop from her eyes as she wiped them.

"Hey, ah understand. And I know the past can't be changed, believe me, I've tried. I spent so many nights thinkin' if ah could, just have a few moments to see mah ma and pa again. But that ain't how life works, the best we can do is just prepare ourselves for whatever hand we're dealt with. And make the most of it." smiled Applejack. "Take mah little sis, she thinks she needs to follow in mah footsteps just so that she can be recognized as a duelist instead of just simply 'Applejack's kid sister'. But me and Isaac have told her that she doesn't need to live up to that expectation; she needs to find her own path, especially once I graduate at the end of this year."

"Well, I'll admit this. She's lucky to have a sister like you." smiled Lucky Star.

"Thanks for that, partner." said Applejack as she placed her hand on Lucky Star's shoulder. "Now then, you ready for a good old fashion rodeo?" said Applejack as she stood up and slide on her duel disk as he it changed and activated to project a green card tray.

"I'm gonna have you and your puny plants for a salad, country girl." snickered Lucky Star as she put on a duel disk and slid in her cards as her duel disk combined together.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Applejack's Life Points: 4000-

Lucky Star's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"I'll start, so stand back!" said Applejack as she drew her card. "Ah summon mah Predaplant Moray Nepenthes(1600/1000). Then ah play the spell card, Predapractice. With this ah can summon another one of mah plants from mah hand, so ah choose Predaplant Drosophyllum Hydra(800/2300) in defense mode." Applejack now had two plants monsters on her field as one of them resembled a hydra while the other had its stem and vines like a body. "Mah spell then allows me to add 'Predap' card from mah deck to mah hand. And then lay it facedown, your move." said Applejack as she selected the card she wanted as her duel disk slotted out for her to grab and then set it facedown.

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"Time for me to uproot you, so stand back!" shouted Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I'll start by playing Harpie Lady(1300/1400). Then I'll play Elegant Egotist, since I control 'Harpie Lady', I can now summon Harpie Lady #2(1300/1400) from my deck." Lucky Star now had a pair of monsters.

"Now time to activate one of my favorite cards, it's a little spell called Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!!" shouted Lucky Star as she held her card up high. Soon both of her monsters then soared up into the sky as they dove together as they created a phoenix as it was in a blue flame and came crashing down on Applejack's field as it caused the country girl to look away for a bit.

"Mah monsters, they're gone?" asked Applejack as she was stunned.

"My Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation allows me to destroy your monsters up the number of 'Harpie Lady' monsters that I control. So since I had two that meant I can destroy both of your plants and here's the best part, you take damage equal to the combined total of their attack points."

"Say what?!" shouted Applejack as she was surprised. "That's a mighty powerful card!"
Applejack's Life Points: 1600-

"Granted the draw back is that since I played that card, my monsters can't attack this turn. But I think I did enough damage and then some for this turn, so I'll just lay this facedown. You're up." said Lucky Star.

Turn 3: Applejack

"Mah turn, so to start I summon mah Predaplant Spinodionaea(1800/0). And when this little critter is summoned, ah can place a 'Predaplant' counter on one of yer monsters and lowers its Level to 1." Applejack now had another one of her plant-like monsters appear as it looked to be some sort of dinosaur. It then opened its jaws on its back as it shot out a seed as it landed on Harpie Lady. "Now it's feedin' time, so go Spinodionaea devour that bird." said Applejack as her monster did just that. Soon it was crawling real fast as it leaped into the air as the set of jaws on its back grew bigger and bigger until it closed them around Harpie Lady as she was destroyed.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3500-

"Now mah Spinodionaea's other effect activates, since it destroyed a monster that was a lower level, it allows me to special summon a 'Predaplant' from mah deck. So take root, Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500) in defense mode. Now mah Cobra's effect activates since it was special summon by way of another 'Predaplant', ah can add Polymerization to mah hand." Applejack then had a snake-like plant appeared as it started to slither up her body as it wrapped around her arms as the bud on its tail end opened up and inside of it was the Polymerization card. "Mighty thanks, little bud." said Applejack as she gave a quick pet to her monster before it slithered off her body and took position.

"I'll then end mah turn."

Turn 4: Lucky Star

"My turn, to start I play the field spell, Harpies' Hunting Ground." Lucky Star then caused the entire field to change as they were now in a sort of jungle as they were in a giant clearing with tons of bird flying up above. "Thanks to this, now all my Winged Beast-type monsters gain 200 attack and defense points. Then I'll reveal my continuous spell, Alluring Mirror Split. Then I summon my Birdface(1600/1600). With that, I'll now strike. Harpie Lady #2 take out her Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra." ordered Lucky Star as she gave her monster her command.

"Ah activate my facedown, Predaprime Fusion." said Applejack as her card flipped up. "Now ah can fusion summon." Applejack's monsters then had their spirits absorbed as a vortex appeared behind Applejack as her monsters were combining together as their energy was being used to call an even greater monster. "Now, the luscious leaves and succulent stems of these two precious plants will give birth to a vicious, vengeful, diabolical botanical! Ah Fusion Summon! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!" The ground shook as a massive plant bud grew behind Applejack and rose into the air. It shone purple and burst apart, a dragon flying out of it and circling the field. Its body was lithe and green, armored in hardened purple growths with thorns emerging from them. Orbs of orange light lit up on its claws, shoulders, and wings, pulsing with energy. The dragon stopped its flight above Applejack, a vine-like tail lashing the air, and roared.

"That's one big plant!!" shouted Lucky Star as she looked at Applejack's monster. Safe to say she was now having a second option on how she viewed plants based on Applejack's dragon.

"Indeed, and he's bout to get even more bigger. Cause now my Starving Venom Fusion Dragon allows him to suck away all the attack points of all of your special summoned monsters till the end of the turn." Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then then had it vine-like tail attach to Harpie Lady Sisters as he let out a growl and sucked the strength from Lucky Star's monsters as it let out a roar. "Now mah dragon has a total of 4100 attack points." stated Applejack.

"Harpie Lady #2, stop your attack." shouted Lucky Star as her monster stopped mid flight and appeared back on her field. "I'm not taking a chance with that dragon of yours. So I'll end my turn."

"Smart move, now my dragon loses its power boost." Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then reduced back to his original size as he lost his strength.

Turn 5: Applejack

"Mah turn, now ah play Pot of Greed so now I draw two more cards. Next, ah summon mah Predaplant Flytrap(400/800) in attack mode. When this little guy is summoned, ah can place a 'Predaplant' counter on one of yer monsters." The ground in front of Applejack cracked open. A small spindly vine with hand-like leaves and a pair of jaws formed from two large leaves grew up from the crack. Flytrap then opened it jaws as it launched a seed at Harpie Lady #2 as it landed on each of their wings. "Now it reduces yer monster to Level 1, now attack Flytrap!" shouted Applejack.

"You're kidding? My Harpie Lady is gonna turn your puny petunia into lettuce." shouted Lucky Star.

"Nope. Flytrap’s got a special ability. See, any time it battles a monster with a lower level, that monster gets destroyed instantly.”

Lucky Star’s eyes widened. “Wait, what?!"

Flytrap stopped in front of Harpie Lady #2, raised up, and opened its jaws. The Predator Counter on Harpie Lady #2 glowed brighter and exploded in a cloud of green spores. The spores fell around Flytrap and it took on the same glow as the counter. Before Lucky Star’s eyes, Flytrap grew taller and bigger, until it towered over her monster and its jaws were as large as a person. It dove down and snapped its jaws over Harpie Lady #2 as they had a scared look on their faces. The girl convulsed and exploded in a spray of purple and green spores.

"When Flytrap destroys a monster with that effect, its level increases by its level. So now mah Flytrap gains 4 levels which makes him become level 6.” Flytrap slunk back to Applejack’s field, still glowing. "But the fun don't stop there, cause now Venom Fusion Dragon take out her Birdface." Aj's dragon then unleashed its tail as it gave it a whip and took out Lucky Star's other monster.

"Ahh!" shouted Lucky Star as she was tossed onto her back from Applejack's attack.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3000-

"Can you keep goin', partner?" asked Applejack.

"Yeah, it'll take more than that to keep me down. Especially, cause I activate the special ability of my Birdface. When it's destroyed in battle, I'm allowed to add a 'Harpie Lady' from my deck to my hand. Then I shuffle my deck." Lucky Star then had her duel disk eject her card as she pulled out her deck and manually shuffled it before putting it back. "Can't wait to get one of those duel disks that our tutors use, it'll make things so much easier." said Lucky Star to herself.

"Not bad, so ah end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Lucky Star

"My turn, I'll start by reveal my facedown, Call of the Haunted. So I'll revive my Harpy Lady #2. Then I'll play Monster Reborn and also bring back my Harpy Lady. Lastly, I'll summon my Harpy Lady #3(1300/1400)" Lucky Star now had three of her most ferocious monsters on her field. "Now that I have three Level 4 monsters, I build the Overlay Network!" Lucky's 3 monsters then turned into dark orbs of as they were sucked into a portal that opened up in the ground as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)." Lucky Star then had one of her ace monsters on the field as she looked to bring this duel to a close.

"Not bad, but mah dragon has yer outbeat." stated Applejack.

"That may be true, but dragon has a special you should know about. While it has Xyz materials attached to it, not only can't you target any my 'Harpie' monsters with attacks or effects. But as long as it has those overlay units, my dragon can attack you directly!"

"It can what?!" shouted Applejack as she didn't expect that.

"And since you only have 1600 life points left, one attack and you're done. So go Phantasmal Dragon, attack Applejack directly!" shouted Lucky Star.

"Ah reveal mah facedown, Defense Draw. Now all the damage ah would have taken is reduced to 0 and ah draw a card." said Applejack as a wall of cards appeared before her as it saved her from losing the duel.

"Lucky break. I'll end my turn. And with it, I remove one Xyz material from my dragon. Either way, I'm ending this duel, next turn."

Turn 7: Applejack

"Mah turn." said Applejack. As long as that dragon has them overlay unit, I can't attack it. Mah best bet is to hold out. If ah can. "Ah switch Flytrap to defense mode, then ah end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Lucky Star

"My turn, and now I activate my dragon's effect, so now it attack you directly!"

"Ain't goin' be that easy, sugarcube. Ah activate my facedown Counter Gate. So now your attack is negated and ah draw a card and if it's a monster then ah can summon it in attack position." Applejack picked up her card and saw it wasn't a monster card.

"Very well, I'll end my turn. And so my dragon loses another Xyz material." said Lucky Star.

Turn 9: Applejack

"Mah draw, now ah play Dragon Treasure and give mah Starving Venom Fusion Dragon an extra 300 attack and defense points. And lay one card facedown and end mah turn." said Applejack as that was all she could do.

Turn 10: Lucky Star

"My turn, and to make sure that I hit my mark, I play Harpie's Feather Duster." Soon a giant wind started to blow as it got rid of Aj's facedown. "With nothing to protect you, this duel is as good as gone. Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, attack Applejack directly and end this duel!!" shouted Lucky Star as she thrusted her hand out. Her dragon heard its command as it flew high into the air as it prepared to strike the final blow against Applejack.

"Not bad, partner. But... ah was hopin' you get rid of mah facedown." smiled Applejack.

"What?"

"Cause ah can activate it from mah graveyard, ah play Harvestation Fertilization!" Applejack's card then appeared as it came from the ground as it shined a bright light that mirrored the power of the sun.

"What's happening?" asked Lucky Star.

"First, I need to sacrifice mah own monster. So Predaplant Flytrap, I release you." said Applejack as her monster absorbed the sunlight and then turned into petals as it blew with the wind picking up as it blew in the face of Phantasmal Dragon. "Now with the power of this spell, whenever you declare an attack, it automatically ends the battle phase." With that Applejack had managed to survive Harpie Pet Phantasmal Dragon's final assaults as her wall of petals attached to the giant dragon and caused the great beast to be repelled.

"Incredible, you managed to survive my dragon's final attack." said Lucky Star as she realized the situation she was in.

"Well, not really. Seem there's a drawback for havin' this card, one monster on mah side of the field slams us both with damage equal to its attack points. And since the only other monster ah have is mah Starving Venom Fusion Dragon..."

"... then that means we both get hit with 3100 points of damage." stated Lucky Star.

Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then felt itself started to detonate as it let out a roar as soon it bursted into particles and plant juices as it caused both duelists to put their arms up as they did their best to take the attack head on. Soon they felt their feet move as the force was too strong as both were flung onto their back as their life points dropped.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Lucky Star's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Draw

Both girls were lying on their backs, as they were breathing heavily. Soon that breathing turned into laughter as both girls just chuckled.

"You know, for a country girl, you ain't half bad." stated Lucky Star.

"Right back at ya, partner." smiled Applejack.

Both girls then sat up as they were still laughing. Soon the looked at each other with a smile on their faces.

"I look forward to facing you in this tournament, Applejack."

"That's assumin' we're paired in the openin' round. But if it does happen, then watch out. Cause I ain't holdin' back, wouldn't be mah style. Plus, ah mean it when I say this, I want to takedown Isaac."

"Then may the best girl win." said Lucky Star as she extended her hand out to which Applejack did the same before spitting in her and shook her student's hand. "Well, I better get going." stated Lucky Star as she grabbed her backpack and was starting to head out of the gymnasium when a voice called out to her.

"Hey, hold up. Ah know you still have a lot on yer mind concernin' yer folks. And ah wish nothin' for the best, but how you would like to come over for dinner at Sweet Apple Acres?" asked Applejack. "Maybe so you can at least get a feelin' of havin' folks be there to dine with. If you want?"

"You know, that sounds nice." smiled Lucky Star.

"Then let's get goin'." stated Applejack as she grabbed her duel disk and put it in her backpack as she slung it over her shoulder and the two girls began to exit.

While the girls were talking to each other and made their way out of the school through the main entrance, there was another person who had been watching from a far as he had been spying on the students and the girls as he wanted to see how they were preparing themselves for the tournament.

"I knew Applejack could help Lucky Star come out of her shell. Hope this at least helps her to understand that she's not alone. She has people who care about her and will always be there to make sure that she doesn't have to worry about not being loved." smiled Isaac.

After that. the following days leading up to the tournament were filled with hard days of training from the girls and the students as they all were putting in the extra time and devotion to be as ready as they could be. Soon it was upon them as everybody was looking to prove themselves.

Chapter 136: Diamond in the Rough

Amber had grabbed her backpack and books as she closed her locker.

"Now let's see, finished math homework. So all I need to do is answer questions #5-12 for World Literature, finish the science project for Physics, read 3 chapters for Physiology and that's just extra credit. Well, I should be able to finish it all in 1 hour. Then I can probably work on the extra, extra credit." smiled Amber. "Oh, wait. I have to meet with my mentor to discuss about my progress, and to prepare for the tournament. Well, I guess I have to push everything back, which means I'll be done with everything by 7:30 pm, which means I won't have enough time to read more of Moby Dick." complained Amber.

"Guess, I got no choice but to listen to professor Isaac's orders. Especially, with what happened last time." Amber then began to reminisce on the time she and the others challenged Isaac to a duel as it made her shudder in fear at how easily he wiped the floor with all of them.

"You know what they do to make me feel special, they say 'Let the freaking duel begin'!!" stated Isaac.

"God, if that was him when he wasn't trying; I hate to be on the receiving end when he actually is trying in a duel. Well I better hurry up, if I'm still going to make it in time to read my book later." Amber then began to walk out of the school as she started to make her way to her destination.

Amber soon arrived at the place as she was standing in front of the building. She read the sign as it said: 'Rarity's Boutique for you.'

"Well, let's get this over with." said Amber as she opened the door and entered the building as the bell on the door rang. Upon entry, Amber was amazed by what she saw as there was tons of outfits and models that displayed the clothes. She had expected this, but to be honest, she never expected this much. In fact, just being in this place made her feel a bit more mature.

"Just a moment, I'll be right with you." called out a voice which belonged to Rarity as she was dealing with someone.

Amber looked to where Rarity as she decided to wait for the fashionista to finish her business, thought she did pay attention to what they were talking about and how Rarity acted.

"Aw, are you sure? Thank you so much!" said Rarity as she had a bit of flirtiness in her voice as she was talking with the delivery boy. She had managed to use her charm and natural beauty to get him to retake the package and avoid paying an unnecessary fee, as well as she gave him a nice gem as a tip.

"Ahem..." said Amber as she watched this interaction while she had her arms crossed with a bit of disdain on her face.

"Hm?" Amber then lifted her head a bit as she saw Rarity making her way towards the young girl.

"Um, Amber? What are you doing there? Don't tell me you were listening just now, darling? And judging me getting other people to do things for me?!" asked Rarity.

"I've got better things to do." stated Amber as she was disinterested in Rarity just did. "Although I do wonder why everyone is always so eager to help you."

"I only ask for help if they offer, darling! I don't ever pressure people."

"So I've noticed. That's what strikes me as odd."

"I suppose they're just so taken with me, they want to help me out." stated Rarity.

"I see... That would explain it." said Amber as that felt like a logical conclusion.

"Oh dear. I was expecting you to argue, not to agree with me right away." confessed Rarity.

"There's no reason to deny what's clearly true. Everything about your outward appearance is immaculate and well thought out. Even your fingernails are always well kept and painted—no doubt your toenails are the same." stated Amber.

"I can't tell if you're complimenting me or accusing me of something, darling."

"And you smell delightful. Like...candy. Or wait—Am I catching a hint of floral?" asked Amber as she was intrigued by the scent.

"I'm so glad you noticed! Honestly, the only other person who recognized the scent was Isaac as I was hoping to catch his attention. And it seemed to have worked. It's oil extracted from a flower that only blooms at night." stated Rarity.

"Floral oils, huh? I didn't think they had much use outside of homeopathy and house cleaning..." said Amber.

"I have some right here, actually. Here, I can give you a splash!" Rarity then pulled out a bottle of her perfume as she sprayed some on Amber. "There we go! I put it on your wrists, so you'll want to rub them together. Body heat is what activates the scent. Your wrists and your neck are relatively warm, so they're good spots to apply the fragrance. For a very subtle fragrance, you can also try putting it under your clothing."

"..." said Amber as she was sniff herself as she liked how she smelled.

"So, what do you think?"

"Mmm. It's lovely. Now I smell just like you, Rarity."

"..." Seems Rarity was confused by what Amber had said.

"Somehow this makes me feel a little more...mature. Thank you." Amber then started to make her way to one of the benches on the windows as she started to pull out some homework as she waited for Rarity to finish. Though she did take a chance to smell the scent as she seemed to love it.

"So, that's it!" said Rarity as she began to remember what Isaac had told her when he first assigned Amber as her student.

He told her about how she was the youngest student of the group and often times led people to treating her like a child due to her age. Though given how smart Amber was and hard working it was when it came to her grades, she felt like that was old enough to show others that she didn't need to be treated like she was a helpless kid as she felt like she had the mind of an adult. Still people often resorted to treating Amber like a kid even though it pained her that people saw her like that.

"She just wants to feel more grown-up. She's hard to read, that one. That smile, though! Who knew she could be so cute?" giggled Rarity. She then got back to work as she had some last minute things to do before she her tutoring lesson with Amber.

After sometime, Rarity had finished up as she closed up shop early and flipped the sign over. Once she finished she then made her way to where Amber was sitting and was surprised to see that she wasn't there, as only her books and homework was there as it seemed she had finished all of her school assignments. She wondered where the young teen might have gone as she then headed upstairs and looked in her sewing room as she Amber looking over several of her designs and plans as she was fascinated by Rarity's designs. To Amber the fact that Rarity was able to make so many of these things despite being no more than just a few years older than her showed that people saw her as a young adult and she wasn't treated like kid.

"Ah, found you! Hello, Amber." said Rarity in a cheering voice as she had something in her hands.

"Uhh, Rarity? What's that box you're holding... It's...making me nervous for some reason." stated Amber.

"Your big sister Rarity's here, and she's going to make you look all grown-up!"

"I, uh, don't recall ever asking you to—"

"That's right, I knew exactly what you needed! You didn't have to ask. Now, take a seat!" said Rarity as she pulled up a chair and had Amber sit down as she opened the box and began to work her magic. "With makeup, you can't just pick your favorite colors. You must choose colors that suit you and the occasion. If you'll be up close and personal—if you're going to a ball, for example—you want to keep it subtle. On the other hand, if you're going to be onstage, the colors should be overt." Rarity then began to apply some on Amber's face.

"Uh... I've never used makeup before. It sounds...complicated." said Amber as she found it a bit weird.

"Let's put up your hair to show off your neck. But we'll leave a few strands hanging, to make you look more vulnerable." Rarity then began to work on Amber's hair to show off her beauty.

"Why would I want to appear vulnerable? I don't want to be attacked!" stated Amber as she was concerned.

"This is for wooing, not warring. When you're older, you might understand the importance of looking a little vulnerable."

"Ugh. You're treating me like a child... But I guess it's mostly harmless." said Amber as she let Rarity do her thing. Once Rarity was finished, she then pulled up a mirror as she allowed Amber to see her new look, while she remained the same with the only changes being her hair and the makeup, she did admit that she did look pretty and mature.

"Now, when you're standing, put your non-dominant foot a step back. It looks more elegant. When sitting, don't lean back, but don't slouch either. And ensure at all times, you're gracefully extending your fingers." said Rarity as she demonstrated for Amber.

"Gracefully...extending... Argh. Suddenly standing and sitting are an exhausting activity!" shouted Amber as she fell out of her chair and fell face first on the floor. "Rarity, that's enough. This is wearing me out." Amber then stood up as she wiped the dirt off her skirt.

"I knew you had potential! You'll go far, my darling. A couple of years to develop your charms, and no girl will outmatch you!"

"I'm not sure I'm cut out for this type of thing."

"Oh, believe me, you are. With a little help from me, you'll have men falling at your feet!" giggled the fashionista.

"No, thanks. You're more suited to such things. I'll leave it to you. I haven't the time or the energy to fuss over how I'm perceived. Even with my best efforts, I'll never be as good at this as you are. Still, this was rather fun. Thank you, Rarity." said Amber as she made her way out of the room and back downstairs.

"She really is brimming with untapped potential. When she smiles like that, wow! Even my heart skips a beat." said Rarity to herself as she observed Amber. "Isaac had a reason for assigning me as Amber's tutor and I'm think I'm starting to get a general idea on what his explanation might be." Rarity then began to head out of the room as she too made her way downstairs as she saw Amber gathering her things as she put them back into her backpack. "Well, if you're ready." said Rarity as she pointed to a table that she had set up for them as she also had some tea and cucumber sandwiches.

"Right." Amber then reached into the side pocket of her backpack as she pulled out her deck. She then made her way to the table as she sat down as she began to shuffle her deck.

"Tea, darling?" offered Rarity as she poured a cup for herself.

"Sure, why not? Though, do you have some cake?" asked Amber as sweets was one of her guilty pleasures, especially cake as she found that she couldn't live without the delicious thing.

"I'll check." said Rarity as she went to the small mini-fridge she had installed in her workshop. She then returned with a plate of cake as she offered it to Amber who immediately starting acting like a small child as she grabbed it and began to take a big spoonful as she loved the test of the sweet treat. "Then if everything is in order, let's begin." said Rarity as she pulled up a chair and took out her deck as she too began to shuffle it a bit before placing it on the table as Amber pulled out some paper and a pencil.

Amber's Life Points: 4000-

Rarity's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Rarity

"I'll start things off, darling." said Rarity as she and Amber drew their cards. "I draw, to start I'll play my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise(800/2000) in defense mode." said Rarity as she placed her card on the table in front of her and Amber.

"Huh? Not bad for old reptile." said Amber.

"Thank you for that, darling. Now, I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Amber

"My turn, now then." Amber picked up her card from the top of her deck and began to look at her options. "To start, I'll discard my Lunalight Black Sheep from my hand. By doing so, it allows me to add a Polymerization from my deck to my hand." Amber then put her monster in the discard pile as she picked up her deck and began to search her deck for the card she desired. Once she found it she then added it to her hand as she began to reshuffle her deck. "Next I summon Lunalight White Rabbit(800/800) and when I summon White Rabbit, it allows me to special summon another 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard in defense mode. So I bring back Lunalight Black Sheep." Amber then retrieved her monster from the graveyard pile as she placed it next to her monster sideways.

"Impressive." said Rarity.

"Trust me, Ms. Rarity. This is just the beginning, cause now I activate Lunalight White Rabbit's effect, so now based on the number of 'Lunalight' monsters I have on my field, I can return that many spell/traps back to your hand. And so since I currently have 2 'Lunalight' monsters on my field, it means I can return that facedown that you previously set." said Amber as she pointed at Rarity's backrow.

"Very well." said Rarity as she picked up her card and added it to her hand.

"Now time for my favorite move, I play Polymerization and fuse together my Lunalight White Rabbit and Lunalight Black Sheep. By combining the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, with the lively white rabbit illuminated by the moonlight, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon, Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber then grabbed both of her cards as she placed them in the discard pile as she grabbed her new monster from the Extra Deck pile for Rarity to see.

"My word, an impressive monster." complimented Rarity.

"Well, if you're impressed by this. Then watch, cause now I activate the other effect of my Lunalight Black Sheep. Since it was sent to the graveyard as Fusion Material used for a Fusion Summon, I can add 1 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard to my hand other than Black Sheep. So I retrieve my Lunalight White Rabbit." said Amber as she grabbed her monster from the discard pile.

"So that's your plan. You mean to summon your Lunalight White Rabbit which will allow you to bring back your Lunalight Black Sheep. Then once you have the means to fusion summon again, you can then trigger Black Sheep's effect to add White Rabbit back to your hand and repeat the cycle." stated Rarity. "That is actually solid game plan."

"But of course, this is my signature play. I've won tons of duels in quick fashion using this strategy. Especially, when I attack. So I'll have my Lunalight Cat Dancer attack your Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise." said Amber. "And with that your monster goes to the graveyard."

"Hate to disappoint you, darling. But it seems you don't know about my monsters. See my Crystal Beasts have a unique ability, whenever they're destroyed, I can choose to place them in my spell/trap card zone as a continuous spell instead of being sent to the graveyard."

"Wait, wait. You can do that?" asked Amber.

"Don't you know? I thought you were the intelligent one of the group, or least you claim to be." smirked Rarity.

"Well when it comes to academia." stated Amber. "Let me check." Amber then pulled out a small Duel Monsters rulebook as she began to check something. She then found the section of deck archetypes and went to the C column as she found Crystal Beast and began to read about them and how they worked. "Okay, it seems legit." said Amber as she put her tiny book away.

"Amber, dear. You could learn a lot of things that aren't found in books." said Rarity.

"Well anyways, I'll just place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rarity

"My turn, now I play my Crystal Bond so now I add 1 'Crystal Beast' to my hand and place a different one in spell and trap card zone." Rarity then grabbed her deck as she began to search for the cards she wanted. "I choose to add Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus to my hand and as which one I'll place in my spell and trap card zone; I choose this little cuddy creature, Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle." Rarity then grabbed her two cards as she added her pegasus to her hand and placed Ruby Carbuncle in her backrow. "Now I summon Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus(1800/1200) to the field, and when he's summoned, I can place another 'Crystal Beast' from my hand, deck, or graveyard into my spell and trap card zone as well. So I choose to add my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger(1600/1000)." said Rarity as she grabbed another one of her beloved monsters from her deck and placed it next to Ruby Carbuncle as she shuffled her deck.

"I see your strategy." stated Amber as she observed Rarity's playstyle. "You rely more on field advantage than brute force, especially with how you can swarm the field with multiple monsters."

"Exactly, you're catching on. Just like your plan using your Lunalight White Rabbit to repeat a process, I can do the same with my Crystal Beasts by summoning them over and over. And I'll demonstrate my plan, cause I activate the effect of my Ruby Carbuncle(300/300). While it's treated as continuous spell in my spell and trap card zone, I can special summon it to my field." Rarity then moved her monster from her backrow onto the field. "And when Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned, it can release all the other Crystal Beasts in my backrow." Rarity then moved her other two monsters onto the playing field as she now had 4 monsters on her side of the field.

"That's a lot of monsters you've accumulated." said Amber. "But even so, none of them come close to matching my Lunalight Cat Dancer's attack points, so it's still the strongest monster on the field."

"Yes, for now. That is if I don't play this card." said Rarity as she played a spell card and equipped it to her monster. "I equipped my Sapphire Pegasus with the spell, Crystal Release. This allows me to give my monster an extra 800 attack points which raises my pegasus' attack to 2600. Which means it's more than enough to take out your Lunalight Cat Dancer."

"Uh-oh." stated Amber as she was worried.

"Now I'll have my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus take out your Lunalight Cat Dancer."

"In response, I'll activate the effect of my facedown. Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Since you destroyed my Lunalight Cat Dancer in battle, I can now add 2 'Lunalight' monsters from my deck to my hand." Amber then put her monster in the graveyard as she grabbed her deck and began to search for the cards she wanted. "I choose to add Lunalight Purple Butterfly and Lunalight Blue Cat to my hand." stated Amber as she grabbed her two cards and then began to shuffle her deck.
Amber's Life Points: 3800-

"Well, not that you're out of monsters and you have no spells or trap cards to protect you, I'll now have my other monsters attack you directly. So I strike with my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger, Ruby Carbuncle, and Emerald Tortoise." said Rarity as she had managed to deal a massive blow to Amber's remaining points.
Amber's Life Points: 1100-

"And now the effect of my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise activates, which means I can switch one of monsters that attack this turn and change it into defense mode. So I'll do that and have my Ruby Carbuncle go on the defense." stated Rarity as she turned her monster sideways.

"With that, I'll place two cards facedown and end my turn." said Rarity as she leaned back in her chair as she had her legs crossed and sipped her tea while lifting her pinkie.

Turn 4: Amber

"Then I guess I better step it up if I want to win." said Amber as she quickly took a bite of her cake as she drew her card. "To start, I'll play Lunalight Perfume which allows me to revive a 'Lunalight' monster in my graveyard. So I choose to bring back my Lunalight Cat Dancer." said Amber as she picked up the card from her discard pile and placed it back on the field. "Then I play the spell card, Fusion Sage. Thanks to this I can now add another Polymerization to my hand." said Amber as she grabbed her deck and searched for her second Polymerization in her deck. Once she found it she then grabbed it and then shuffled her deck.

"Let me guess, you'll now summon your Lunalight White Rabbit to bring back your Lunalight Black Sheep and then combine them so that you can use Black Sheep's effect." stated Rarity.

"Well, that would be the case. See Ms. Rarity, you said so yourself that you figured out my dueling strategy. So I'm just going to change things up a bit." smiled Amber with a smug look on her face. "So now I play Polymerization and fuse together my Lunalight Purple Butterfly with my Lunalight Cat Dancer. By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber then put her two monsters in the discard pile as she grabbed a new monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the field.

"Now I banish my Lunalight Purple Butterfly from my graveyard so that I can special summon my Lunalight Blue Cat to the field. And when Lunalight Blue Cat is special summoned to the field, I can double the attack points of 1 'Lunalight' monster on the field until the end of the turn. So now Lunalight Panther Dancer has a grand total of 5600 attack points!" shouted Amber.

"5600?" stated Rarity as she nearly spit out her tea.

"And Panther Dancer's effect allows her to attack each of your monsters twice and for each she destroys, she gains 200 extra attack points till the end of the turn."

"Oh dear." said Rarity as she was now nervous.

"Now Lunalight Panther Dancer will attack your Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus and end this duel!" shouted Amber. "Of course, the first attack won't destroy your monster but it will leave a huge dent in your life points."

"I'll activate my facedown, Gravity Bind!" shouted Rarity as she flipped over her card. "Now as long as this trap stays on the field, all Level 4 or higher monsters on the field can't attack."

"Impressive. Well since I can't attack, I'll just lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

'I must admit, Amber. You had me panicking, your Lunalight cards are very powerful, not too mention deadly." complimented Rarity.

"Of course, they can deal massive amounts of damage in just one attack. One of the reasons why I like this archetype, and is going a solid plan when going against Isaac."

"Yes, assuming that you can it to the finals of the tournament. Keep in mind, you're not the only one who wants to face Isaac and beat him." smiled Rarity as she drew her card. "For the time being, I'll switch all of my Crystal Beasts to defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 6: Amber

"My draw." Amber then drew her card. "Now I summon Lunalight White Rabbit and then it's effect allows me to return any number of spells or traps based on how many 'Lunalight' monsters I control. So your Gravity Bind returns back to your hand which means I'm now free to attack." said Amber as Rarity picked up her card and placed it in her hand. "So now I'll have Lunalight Panther Dancer attack all your creatures. As you know she can attack all your twice this turn, but since they're all in defense mode, you don't take any damage. But at least my Lunalight White Rabbit can attack you directly."
Rarity's Life Points: 3200-

"As you know instead of being sent to my graveyard, I can place each of my Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone." said Rarity as she took all four of her monsters and moved them into her backrow. "I'll then activate the effect my equip spell card, Crystal Release. So I can now place another one of my Crystal Beast in my spell and trap card zone from my deck." Rarity then grabbed her deck as she selected the card she wanted. "So I choose to place my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat." said Rarity as she found the card she wanted and placed it faceup in the last slot she had as she shuffled her deck. Now Rarity's entire backrow was completely filled.

"Indeed, but as tough as your Crystal Beasts are, they suffer a major drawback. In that you can choose to avoid sending them to the graveyard, but it comes at the cost of filling up your spell/trap card zone. So in short, it limits what other cards you can play because it requires you to need the space to play them. So as long as I keep taking your beasts and filling your backrow, not only will you not play any of your other cards, but you'll be defenseless." stated Amber.

"You are indeed dedicated to your studies, to think you're quite mature for your age." smiled Rarity as she looked at the girl who was her student.

"Well, not everybody thinks that way of me. Just because I'm younger than the rest of my class, makes them think that they have to treat me like I'm a little kid. I'm perfectly capable of holding my own." informed Amber. "Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Rarity

"My turn, while all of my spell and trap card zones are preoccupied at the moment, I still have a way to deal with that. Now I activate the effect of my Ruby Carbuncle, while its in my spell and trap card zone as a continuous spell, I can special summon it to the field." said Rarity as she moved her tiny creature onto her field in defense mode. "Now since Ruby was special summoned, I can special summon as many of my other Crystal Beasts from my spell and trap card zone. Then I play this spell card, Rare Value. And how does Rainbow Dash put it, 'Gives me more bling for my buck'." said Rarity as she had a smug smile on her face. "So now you choose which one of my beloved gems in my backrow gets to go to the graveyard and I draw 2 cards."

"I choose, well now let's see." Amber then looked at Rarity's monsters that were in her backrow as she reached over and looked at each one of them as she read their effects. "Well, after reading them, my best option would be to send your Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat to the graveyard."

"Very well." Rarity then grabbed her monster and put it in the discard pile as she picked up some more cards. "One of the cards I drew was Pot of Greed, so I'll play it and then draw 2 more cards." Once again Rarity added 2 cards to her hand.

"Now my Ruby's effect triggers so now all my other monsters in my backrow are released." Rarity then moved her three monsters from the back to the front with Sapphire Pegasus and Topaz Tiger were in attack mode while, Emerald Tortoise was in defense mode. "And like always, when my pegasus is summoned, I can place another 'Crystal Beast' from my deck in my spell and trap card zone. And I know which one, my Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle." Rarity then grabbed her card from her deck and placed it in her backrow and then shuffled her deck.

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Amber

"My turn, first things is that I'll have my Lunalight White Rabbit attack your Ruby Carbuncle."

"I reveal my facedown, Crystal Raigeki. So now I can destroy one of my Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone to destroy one of your cards. So I choose to destroy your Ruby Carbuncle." said Rarity as she sent her Cobalt Eagle to the graveyard as Amber did the same by sending her Lunalight White Rabbit away.

"Well, that means I can attack with my Lunalight Panther Dancer and like before it can attack twice. So I'll attack your Ruby Carbuncle." said Amber as she got rid of Rarity's creature.

"I activate my facedown, Cut Jewel. So I can send a 'Crystal Beast' from my deck to my graveyard so that I can lower your Panther Dancer by half of its original attack points. Which means since it has 2800 attack points, it loses 1400; making it weaker than my monsters." Rarity then grabbed her deck as this time she sent her Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth to the graveyard and then shuffled her deck. "And with your Panther Dancer weaken, your monster is destroyed."

"Not quite, I reveal my facedown, Rush Recklessly. With this, I can give a monster on the field an extra 700 attack points. So now Panther Dancer's attack raises to 2100; which means it's still strong enough to take out the rest of your Crystal Beasts. So Panther Dancer now strikes your Sapphire Pegasus which means you're taking a total of 600 points of damage. Then when my Panther Dancer battles your Topaz Tiger so like before the first battle doesn't destroy it, but it attacks twice. Which means you lose an additional 1000 life points for a total 1600." stated Amber.
Rarity's Life Points: 2400-

"Not bad, but I still have life points remaining." stated Rarity.

"Which is why I'm not done, cause now from my hand, I play De-Fusion. So now I split my Lunalight Panther Dancer back into its fusion materials. So I return Lunalight Cat Dancer and Lunalight Purple Butterfly." said Amber as she placed her fusion monster back into her Extra Deck and then grabbed her selected monsters from the graveyard as she put them on her field. "And since these monsters were summoned in the middle of the battle, they can attack. So..."

"So... I lose." said Rarity.

"Spot on! So Lunalight Cat Dancer attacks you directly for me to win." smiled Amber as she folded her arms as she finished her cake.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Amber

"Well, it seems this battle has reached its conclusion." said Rarity as she put her cards down. "Congratulations, Amber. You were the victor."

"Thanks, Ms. Rarity." said Amber as she shook her hand.

"Darling, just call me Rarity. No need for formalities, Isaac wants us to bond as both mentor and mentee."

"Believe it or not, I'm glad to have had this battle. And thank you."

"Whatever for, dear?" asked Rarity.

"For treating my with respect. Honestly, in the beginning, I thought you were going to be like everyone else. Treating me like I'm a kid because of my age, but you didn't. And to be honest, I had my thoughts about you as well. I thought you were nothing more than just a girl who used her looks to get any guy to do whatever she wanted, but instead you have a generous heart. Not to mention a love for fashion and makeup and stuff." smiled Amber.

"Well, I just treated you like the young adult you are." said Rarity as she returned the smile. She then looked at the clock as she noticed it was getting late. "Well, I think that's enough for today's lesson. Best hurry along before it gets too dark."

"Right." Amber then threw her plate away as she picked up her cards and went over to her backpack as she put away her deck and homework. She then put her bag over her shoulder as she was about to exit out the door when it flung open and standing there was Isaac with his backpack slung over his right shoulder.

"Hey, Amber."

"Hey, professor." said Amber as she addressed Isaac. "I was just leaving."

"Alright, did you have your lesson with Rarity?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, it went well. Just prepare yourself, cause once I win this tournament, it's payback for when you humiliated me."

"Well, if it does happen to be you, then I can't wait." smiled Isaac as he patted her shoulder as he stepped aside and held the door for the girl as she waved goodbye to her teacher and headmaster.

"So... was she any trouble?" asked Isaac as he turned to Rarity.

"Darling, she was no trouble at all. In fact, I learned something new about her." smiled Rarity as she grabbed her backpack and purse.

"That's all I ask." said Isaac with a smile. "Here let me carry that." Isaac then took Rarity's backpack from her as he slung it over his left shoulder.

"Such a gentleman, darling."

"But of course, my lady." said Isaac. "Now you ready to go."

"Lets." said Rarity as she locked the place behind her and turned at Isaac as the two of them started to head home to their house.

Chapter 137: Scorch Marks

Jack Hunt had parted off from the group as he was on his way to meet with his mentor, which was none other than, Rainbow Dash. Based on first impressions, the vibe that Jack got from the chromatic haired girl is that she had a cocky attitude. And he wasn't too far off, as during the first few meetings they each had, Rainbow immediately resorted to talking about herself and her achievements. Jack did his best to try to be polite, but just the way she acted and talked just rubbed him the wrong way. So he was very hesitant on being her student, but given that the decision was made by Isaac to put the two together, Jack had no choice but to go along with it. Though he was wondering just how she was going to help him improve his duel skills. Soon he found himself entering another classroom as he saw Rainbow as she was bouncing a soccerball.

"96, 97, 98, 99,... and 100!" shouted Dash. "Yeah! 600 bounces!" stated Rainbow as she was proud to have beaten her own record. "Oh, hey kid."

"Hey." said Jack. "So, you ready?"

"Totally! Pull out your deck." said Rainbow as she started to work on a new record as she bounced the ball in the air.

"Okay, then what?" asked Jack as he took a seat in one of the empty student desks.

"I dunno. Just look it over and tell me if you see anything worth changing." said Rainbow as she was more focused on the task she was doing with her feet.

"How does this help me?"

"Look, kid. You're smart, figure it out." stated Rainbow.

Jack just let out a sigh as he looked at his right arm as he could feel the burning sensation from his marks as it started to flare. It was all in his mind as he put it to the side and just focused on doing what Rainbow asked him to. Sometime had passed as Jack had his cards all spread out in front of his deck as he had his head down as he had made almost zero progress. When it came to Duel Monsters, Jack wasn't the most 'experienced', he considered himself a novice at best. Especially with how he had stacked up against Isaac and Fluttershy in his previous duels. Not to mention that his deck was mediocre at best. Though he did have one card that he loved above all else. Jack then picked up his Jinzo card as he looked at the monster. Since the 'incident', Jack had kept this card as a reminder. Especially since he saw himself like the monster as both had a human part that was badly injured or scarred.

Jack then just let out a sigh as he saw he was making no progress. He then looked up and saw that Rainbow Dash had actually fallen asleep as she was slumped in a chair for the past hour. He then stood up as he walked over to his tutor and gently nudged her as she awoke.

"Huh? I'm awake! No sleeping in class!" shouted Rainbow as she scrambled in her chair as she almost fell out.

"You were the one sleeping." commented Jack.

"Hey, I'm the teacher. I can afford to sleep."

"You have like 4 classes since you're a senior. And you're finished by lunchtime." stated Jack.

"Exactly. With all the free time I have, I need to catch a nap every now and then." said Rainbow with a cocky smile on her face. "Besides, you should be focusing on doing what I told you to do?"

"I did and I'm not getting anywhere." stated Jack. "Ain't you suppose to help me to improve my deck before the tournament?"

"Dude, I don't know shit about your deck. Hell, I didn't even volunteer to be a part of this program. The only reason why I'm one of the tutors is because Isaac forced my hand." stated Rainbow. "I'm more of the getting into the action type of person when it comes to a duel, I don't think too much about preparation beforehand."

"But Isaac said you could help me improve my deck?" asked Jack.

"Eh... I'unno." said Dash as she shrugged her shoulders.

"What!?" shouted Jack as he was starting to get annoyed by Rainbow Dash's carefree attitude. "Then how will I get better?"

"Be a duelist." said Rainbow. "Cause you clearly ain't one if can't improve your deck. Not to mention you lost to Isaac pretty badly. I, on the other hand, have gone toe to toe with Isaac and held my own."

"Be a duelist?!" said Jack as he felt disrespected by Dash's comment. "Is that what you think of me, that I'm not a real duelist?"

"I mean you lost badly when you and the rest of the kids tried to take on Isaac. You have to be a dummy to challenge Isaac at your current level. Word of advice kid, stay in your area. That way, you don't embarrass and make a fool of yourself." chuckled Dash as she always laughed when Isaac told her about the story of how he wiped the floor with the kids.

"You think it's funny?" asked Jack.

"Hell yeah. Taking on Isaac when you're noob. Jesus, you have to be the dumbest person in the whole world to even think of that idea." said Rainbow as she was still cracking up.

"That's it, I'm out of here." shouted Jack as he walked back to his desk and started to pick up his cards.

"Hey, kid. Where are you going?" asked Rainbow.

"If you can't help me, then I don't want you as my tutor." said Jack.

"Fine by me! At least, I can focus on the tournament without having any distractions." stated Rainbow. "Hey, hope you don't crash and burn!"

Seems Rainbow's words had an effect on Jack as he froze for a bit and looked at his hand as it was shaking. He then place it on his head as he fell to his knees as his brain was starting to relieve his memory, especially of that incident.

"Hey, kid. You okay?" asked Rainbow as she made her way to Jack.

While Rainbow was calling out to him, her words just echoed in Jack's head as he was starting to think back on the incident as it brought some unpleasant memories. He then saw himself in the middle of the building as he was surrounded by flames as he could feel the heat from the fire as it was starting to turn into a raging inferno. Soon he looked down and saw his arm had now erupted into flames as it started to burn and melt some of the skin off of Jack as he tried to do everything he could to put the flames out but it wasn't working.

"Ahhhh!!!!" shouted Jack as he soon fainted.

"Is he okay?" asked a voice.

Soon Jack opened his eyes as he found himself sitting in one of the student's chairs. He then looked up and saw Isaac was talking with Rainbow Dash.

"I told you, he just fainted." said Rainbow Dash.

"Still, that's not enough. There must have been something to trigger his cognitive to respond like that." said Isaac as he put his hand to his chin as he was thinking. "You sure you didn't say anything that might have caused this?"

"Like what?! All I said was that he was stupid to even challenge you to a duel and that he ain't much of a duelist. Also told him not to crash and burn." stated Rainbow.

Isaac then facepalmed himself as he couldn't believe what he had heard. "Rainbow!!"

"What?"

"God, you're... 'idiot' isn't even the right word to describe you and I'm trying to be generous!" said Isaac with a groan.

"Hold on! If you got something to say, then say it to my face!" shouted Rainbow.

"He's talking about you saying that I should crash and burn." stated Jack as both teens looked at him. "Not to mention the fact that you said, I'm not a duelist."

"Well, it's true. I mean, what? You lasted like 2 turns against Isaac. If you can't get past 3 turns, they you just straight up suck!" shouted Rainbow.

"Rainbow!" said Isaac as he started to raise his voice.

"What about you?! You brag nonstop about your achievements. News flash, nobody gives a shit about you!" shouted Jack.

"You wanna repeat what said, punk!" said Rainbow as she got in Jack's face.

"You heard what I said, bitch!" responded Jack as he wasn't backing down from Rainbow disrespecting him.

"Both of you!" said Isaac as he tried to defuse the situation.

"Listen, kid. You don't know what I can do! I'm the best duelist this school has to offer, I've been in the top 3 of every single tournament that CHS has put on! I've had more victories than you will ever have." said Rainbow as she pushed her finger into Jack's chest. "As far as I'm concerned, I'm still your tutor. So you listen to me!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Yeah, and I'm the one who gave you that position! So you listen to me!!!" yelled Isaac as he got in the face of Rainbow Dash as she backed off a bit as she looked at Isaac and was scared of the tone of his voice and the fury in his eyes. "And as for you, Jack." said Isaac as he looked at the boy. "You ain't off the hook either. Even is Dash isn't helping you, you don't just stand by and look like a deer in headlights!! I get it, your past. But looking at what has already happened ain't going to change the present and it certainly as hell, ain't going to change the damn future!!!" yelled Isaac as both individuals were keeping quiet as Isaac went off on both of them.

"You know when I started this program, I thought I wouldn't have any mistakes to encounter. But I was wrong, I had two mistakes. The first one was assigning Rainbow to be a teacher. And the second was picking you, Jack. Now I don't know about this hostility going on between the two of you. But I'm going to figure it out, and by the end of the school day, someone's ass is gonna pay!!!" stated Isaac as he exited out of the classroom and made sure to slam the door as it caused both Rainbow and Jack to jump as they were in fear at Isaac berating the both of them.

"This is all your fault!!!" shouted both Rainbow and Jack as they pointed at each other. "ME?! I was trying to not get Isaac angry!!"

"If you didn't have that freak accident, we won't be in this mess!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Well, you should pay attention and actually made an effort to teach me. Not to mention, you should have known about my bitter past." replied Jack.

"As if. Isaac didn't tell me much, other than you got burnt." stated Rainbow.

"Well, it's more than that." said Jack.

"Like?" asked Rainbow as she placed her hand on her hip.

"Well, not like you care... but... my while life, I've been blessed with a curse. My father is in the army, and my mother is a cook. So growing up, I had to move alot. My father was drafted into the army when he was 18 years old. After that he was stationed across the sea while he trained; it was grueling from what he told me. But after a couple of months, he had managed and he was soon dispatched into the field. From what he told me, it was both scary and heart pounding. The idea that at any moment, your life could end in a snap. Not to mention that you had to have the will to take another person's live, even if they're evil. Regardless, it's not something easy that a person can go through. One time while was in the field, his team had been in an ambush. They had been sent on a scout mission to find the supply convey, turns out the enemy knew and they launched a surprise attack the moment my dad and his squad arrived." said Jack.

"What happened?" asked Rainbow.

"Safe to say it was a bloodbath. My father did everything he could to survive, even tried his best to save his troops. But no matter how hard you try, sometimes you can't save everybody." stated Jack as he put his head down and remembered all the times he watched his father shed a tear as he looked back at some old photos.

"Did he survive?" said Rainbow.

"Barely. Out of the 7 members of his troop, only 3 including him, made it out alive. The others sacrificed themselves so that he and the remaining soldiers could live to tell the tale. So they were forced back into a small farm and the enemy was closing in on them. Soon a tank appeared and my father and the other 2 soldiers were in its line of sight, my father thought it was all over. Then the cavalry arrived and reinforcements showed up as they were able to save them. Eventually, the enemy was driven back as my father and the 2 other members met up with the army and relayed the info they were able to scout out. My father's sergeant was proud of him and how he was able to survive that long; my dad thanked him but he couldn't stop thinking about the lives he failed to protect. In the end, the sergeant just told him, 'don't let their deaths be in vain'."

"Did he ever make it back home?" asked Rainbow.

"After that incident, my father spent a few more years in the war. Eventually, they were closing in on the leader they had been tracking down. They had managed to locate the person in charge as they were using an old castle as their base of operations. So the whole platoon and the entire army all went in guns blazing. It was bloody and brutal, my father described it as everywhere you looked, you could see men falling down left and right. Some even had their limbs blown off by the bullets. My father had managed to avoid all the bullets and made it up to the castle entrance. From there he had memorized the castle's schematics and entered through a small opening that led to the dungeon. He then had to open the gate from the inside and after fighting off tons of soldiers, he made it to the control room as he lowered the bridge and let his army in. But just as he turned around, the enemy commander was standing there with a gun pointed at him and then shot my dad in the arm before he could react." stated Jack.

"What happened after that?" said Rainbow.

"Just as the commander was about to finish my father off, he noticed a gas pipe on the wall near the commander. So using his skills, he had managed to create a distraction by making the pipe burst as it caused the commander to go blind temporary which allowed my father to tackle him through the window where he fell through. Thankfully, he landed in some haystacks that were positioned at the bottom, but at that point the entire team of my father had cleared out the enemy forces and surrounded the person as he surrender. After that, my father was hailed as a hero and achieved the rank of lieutenant; from there he was sent back home for some time off."

"And that's when your mother came into the picture?" asked Rainbow.

"Yup, my father was now 22 years old and had gotten back from his trip. He arrived in his hometown and went to a diner; upon entering he found himself greeted by people who recognized his uniform and saw that he was a veteran. So he sat down and he noticed this young women who was carrying tons of trays to the back. Seems the floor was still wet as she lost her footing and slipped as the tons of plates she had been carrying went flying high into the air. My father acted out of instinct and saved the women from hitting the floor as he caught her in his arm and covered her to avoid getting hit by the plates. Eventually they looked at each other and she was amazed by what the person had done for her. So she thanked him for his help and they went about their way. After that, my father kept coming back to the diner as it was his favorite place to hang out and to talk with her. Seems my mother was also smitten when she met my father that she had memorized his order that whenever he walked into the diner, it was already ready for him. From there they would always talk and smile, eventually he started asking her out and soon they got married and 9 months later, I was born." said Jack.

"They must have been happy." said Rainbow as she had a genuine smile on her face as she looked at Jack who let one appear on his face for a second.

"They were and me being born brought the biggest smiles on their faces. Eventually, my father was called back into the army so I didn't see him as often I did. While I was young, I kept believing that he would come back and didn't think about the possibility of him being KIA. Thankfully, he was called back to train the new recruits as the army felt like he had done enough to serve them. However, he did have to go to several bases across the country, so that meant we had to move constantly. At most just sticking in a place for 3 months, so I didn't have a chance to make some friends."

"Must be tough. So... about that mark on your arm?" asked Rainbow as she was hesitant on saying this.

"One night, a fire caught our house. The smoke alarm went off and my parents pulled me out of bed as they rushed out of the house. The entire building was engulfed in flames and the heat was intense. At this point, I had just discovered Duel Monsters. I didn't have a full deck at the time, but I did acquire my first card." Jack then pulled out his Jinzo card as he examined it as it had slight burns on the card but was still functionable to be played and registered by a duel disk. "Anyways, I rushed back into the house as it was starting to come down. That card meant everything to me and was the first real friend I had that was always by my side. So I was willing to give up my own life just to save a friend, heh. Guess I inherited that trait from my father. Anyways, I grabbed the card, but a beam came crashing down on me as the flames trapped my arm. I fainted from lack of oxygen, when I woke up, I was in the hospital and saw my arm was completely bandage. The doctor told me I suffered some serious burns to my entire right arm and a few to my face. I was devasted when I first saw my appearance, overtime it healed, but the scars are still there." Jack then brought his right hand that was covered with a black glove as he touched the part of his face where the burns were still noticeable.

"Since then, these burns have been a reminder of that incident. And I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have nightmares; everytime I close my eyes, I think the same thing will happen. That I'll wake up to the scent of fire, the scent of burning flesh, the scent that will lead me to my demise. Just like my father, I just I have some PSTD." said Jack.

"So how'd you get your current deck?" asked Rainbow.

"Just picked out some random cards. But I guess I was lucky that I got a deck full of fighters; even still everytime I see flames or hear any word associated with 'fire'. I'm drawn back to the night and I can't help but tremble in fear. Must be another reason for my deck, cause they have to show no fear when they're battling."

"Wow. I... never knew that." said Rainbow with a somber tone.

"Nobody does, well at least the people who I trust with my story." replied Jack.

"Do you trust me?" asked Rainbow.

"That depends." said Jack as he looked at his tutor with a straight face.

"Kid, come on." said Rainbow as she made her way to the door.

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"Just trust me, and grab your things." stated Dash as she exited out of the door with her backpack slung over her shoulder. Jack was hesitant on what Rainbow was thinking, but eventually he did as he grabbed his belongings and followed behind her. Unbeknownst to them, there was a person who was standing around the corner as they had listened to their entire conversation and began to follow them from afar.

"Okay, why are we here?" asked Jack as he was surprised that Rainbow Dash had brought them to the park.

"What else? To train." said Rainbow as she put her bag on the ground and took our her duel disk and put it on her arm. She then reached into her pockets on her jeans as she slid her deck in and her duel disk projected a sky blue card tray.

"You're serious? After all that has happened." asked Jack.

"Hey, dead ass serious. Put your duel disk on and let's battle." said Rainbow with a smile.

"Fine." Jack then pulled out his duel disk as he pulled out his deck and had to manually shuffle it before sliding it in as his duel disk combined together.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jack Hunt's Life Points: 4000-

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Jack

"I'll start things off." said Jack as he drew. "I summon Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage(1100/1400) in attack mode." Out came a fighter that was completely wrapped in white bandages around its body as it had its fist up. "Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Rainbow

"My turn, to start I play the spell card, U.A. Signing Deal. This lets me special summon 1 'U.A." monster from my deck, however its special abilities are negated, I can't use it for a Synchro or Xyz summon and I take damage equal to its level by 300." stated Rainbow.

"Then what good does that card do you? It seems to hurt more than it helps you, especially with our life points so low to begin with." stated Jack.

"That's why I'm the teacher and you're the student." said Dash with a smug smile.

"You sure don't act like it." responded Jack with his own comment.

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow as she was annoyed by that. "Anyways, the monster I'm choosing to summon out is my U.A. Rookie(300/300)." Out came a boy who had brown scruffy hair and wore a shiny bronze metal suit with blue and orange patterns, compared to his teammates who all wore shiny silver metal suits. "And my U.A. Rookie is Level 2 so that means I take 600 points of damage."
Rainbow's Life Points: 3400-

"Again, why do that?"

"Just watch, now I can tag out my U.A. Rookie so that I can special summon U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800) to the field." Rainbow then had her new monster appear as he gave the boy a high five before he disappeared back to Rainbow's hand. "And since I special summoned a monster to my field, I can also summon Speedroid Rubberband Plane(1800/0). However, since I special summoned this monster, it can't attack this turn. But the best part is that it allows me to lower a monster's attack by 600 points." Rainbow's plane then flew over as it fired its cannons and let loose a barrage of lasers as it lowered Jack's monster strength to 500.

"Then I summon my Speedroid Gum Prize(0/800). Now I tune my Level 1 Speedroid Gum Prize with my Level 5 Speedroid Rubberband Plane." Speedroid Gum Prize then jumped into the air as it turned into a giant green ring as Rubberband Plane jumped into it as they were combining. "Come forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon, Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)!" shouted Dash as she had a brand new monster on her field. "Now I activate Kendama's ability, so I banish my Speedroid Rubberband Plane so that you take 500 points of damage." said Dash as her monster fired a beam that made contact with Jack.
Jack's Life Points: 3500-

"Now since I used Speedroid Gum Prize for a Synchro Summon, I look at the top card of my deck and if it's a 'Speedroid' monster, then my Synchro monster gains 1000 more attack points." Rainbow then flipped over the top card of her deck and it wasn't a monster as she just sent it to the graveyard. "Oh, well. Now to attack, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker take out his monster." said Rainbow as her monster charged forward.

"Going to take a lot more than that to beat my monster. My Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage, can't be destroyed in battle, once per turn. But that's not all, cause now I activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch. So I banish this card from my hand and gives my monster an extra 1000 attack points till the end of the turn." said Jack as his monster gained some of its strength back as it took the attack head on before dropping to a knee. Jack felt the power of the attack as he tried to stand his ground and try not to look scared.
Jack's Life Points: 2500-

Interesting. Rainbow had paid close attention to how Jack responded to the attack as she noticed something. "Well, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn. So now your monster regains the 600 points it lost." stated Dash as Jack's monster returned back to his original stats.

"Why didn't Rainbow attack, her other monster would have taken out my Battlin' Boxer and deal more damage to me? So why did she not do it?" asked Jack to himself.

"Hey! You scared?!" asked Rainbow as she said that in a serious tone.

"No!" responded Jack though there was a slight hesitation in his voice which didn't go unnoticed by Rainbow.

"Then make your move."

Turn 3: Jack

Can't worry about why she spared me? "My turn, now to start I'll activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage, so now I can return my Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch that I banished to the field. And then all monsters on my side of the field become the same level as the monster I brought back. So now Big Bandage's level is 3. Then I'll switch him into defense mode. Now I summon my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400) and the best part is that it counts as 2 tributes for an Xyz summon. So I overlay my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter to construct the Overlay Network once more. I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000)!" shouted Jack as he had one of his most powerful monsters appear on the field. "Now time to attack, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke take out her Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Both monsters then made contact as they collided but only Dash's monster was destroyed. "As you already know, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke can survive the battle by removing one overlay unit and it gains 800 extra attack points." said Jack as his monster broke on of his chains and powered up. "With that, I'll then activate the effect of my Flaming Knockout. So since a monster of mine destroyed yours, you now take damage equal the monster's attack points that was destroyed. So since Kendama had 2200 points, you're about to get to delivered by a heavy right!" shouted Jack.

Rainbow saw the boxing glove coming her way as she put her duel disk above to protect her face to avoid getting punched. The attack still sent her back as she skidded across the grass. She then fixed her jacket as she straight her hair.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1200-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Rainbow Dash

"Not bad, my turn. Now I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw 2 cards. Then I play the spell card, Speed Recovery. Now I can bring back my Hi-Speedroid Kendama back to the field in defense mode. However, because I played this card, I can't normal summon this turn. But that won't be a problem, cause since I control a Wind monster, I can special summon my Speedroid Taketomborg(600/1200) to the field. Then I can activate my monster's ability, so I tribute it so that I can summon a 'Speedroid' tuner from my deck. So I choose to bring out my Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100)." Rainbow now had three monsters on her field as one of them was a tuner.

"Now I tune my Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with my Level 6 U.A. Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" Rainbow's two monsters then jumped into the air as Red-Eyes Dice turned into a giant green ring as Dreadnought jumped in. "Beat yours wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon descended from the sky and let out a cry.

"Woah!" said Jack as he took in the sight of Rainbow's monster.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm awesome, tell me something that isn't true." replied Rainbow with a bit of cockiness in her voice. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Jack

"My turn, so now I'll have my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" shouted Jack as his monster raised his right fist and took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 700-

"Then I activate my facedown Overlay Accel. Since my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke took out your monster, I can remove the last overlay unit to not only raise him by another 800 points, but this time to attack you and end this duel." said Jack as he had his monster break the last chain as he looked to take out Rainbow. "

"Thank you." smiled Dash.

"What?"

"You didn't forget about my facedown that I set at the beginning. I activate my Dice Roll Battle, now since you declared an attack, I can send 1 'Dice' monster from my hand to the graveyard, so that I can Synchro Summon using monsters in my graveyard."

"Synchro Summoning from the grave?" asked Jack as that wasn't something he knew you could do.

"So I tune another Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" said Rainbow as her tiny monster then changed into a giant green ring as her dragon flew in between it. "Watch as these monsters combine to pave the way for an even mightier dragon! Watch as the essence of that monster takes shape! Watch as it is forged by raw power! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(3000/2500)!" Rainbow now had a brand new monster appear on her field as it let out a roar.

"Woah!" was all Jack said.

"Now the other effect of my Dice Roll Battle activates, which means all of your monsters must now attack my Crystal Wing."

"Well, my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke has 3800 attack points and since you only have 700 life points left, the difference is enough to take you out."

"Not if I activate my second facedown, Burning Sonic. Now since a monster I control was target for an attack, I can target that monster and then negate the attack." Rainbow's monster then had a barrier appear around it as it survived the attack. "And that's not all, as long as it stays in my spell and trap card zone, my dragon gains 500 additional attack points."

"Either way, it's still not strong enough to defeat my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke." informed Jack. "I end my turn."

Turn 6: Rainbow

"Then it's my draw. Now I equip my Crystal Wing Dragon with the spell card, Supreme Wing! And then I'll have it attack your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" stated Rainbow.

"You're kidding." said Jack.

"Nope. Go my dragon, Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon did some sharp maneuvers in the air as it soon collided with Jack's monster. Soon her dragon was destroyed as she lost some points.
Rainbow's Life Points: 400-

"What was the point of that?" asked Jack. "My monster was stronger."

"See the effect of my Supreme Wing now activates, since my monster was destroyed in battle while it had Supreme Wing equipped, I can now target the monster that destroyed it and then deal you damage equal to its attack points." said Rainbow. "So since Battlin' Boxer had 3800 attack points..."

"I lose." said Jack. Soon the aftereffect happened as Crystal Wing Dragon appeared in spirit form and then dealt the damage to Jack and his monster as his eyes widen in fear and he was thrown onto the ground.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rainbow Dash

"Oh yeah!" shouted Rainbow as she jumped into the air with a fist pump. "Wait, till we face Isaac. He's gonna be in a for a tough battle." said Rainbow as she couldn't wait to fight Isaac with her new monster. She then noticed Jack lying on the grass as she approached him.

"Okay, that's enough." said Jack as he got the wind sucked out of him. He then sat up as she looked at his hand as it was trembling a bit.

"When staring into the eyes of a powerful foe, you tremble in fear. It's what you experienced when you battled Isaac and in our duel just now." said Rainbow as she stood over her student.

"Huh?"

"It's only natural. Our monsters are no different than us; they're forced to confront those fears everytime we duel. You felt the terror, the buckle under the weight of your knees as you trembled. I may have pushed you a bit hard, but you felt it, didn't you. You felt the fear that our monsters have to wrestle with everytime we summon them into battle in our names. When you learn to make that fear your own, and when you master how to tame it. Only then will you truly be able to conquer your past and move a monster." said Rainbow Dash as she gave some compelling words of encouragement.

"I can't believe it. I always thought that monsters weren't afraid of anything, even my tough fighters. But that's not true. They're just like me." said Jack as she looked at the glove on his hand.

"It's one of the reasons why Isaac is a good duelist. Cause he knows his monsters will be destroyed, he knows that they fight under our names and they have to deal with the issue of fear and being destroyed. So he's learned to embrace and use that fear as a way to push past the nightmares and realize his dreams. You can do that same too, that is if you're still willing to have me as your tutor." said Rainbow as she extended her hand out.

Jack looked at the girl in front of him as he looked back at his covered up hand and then at his deck. He then remembered back to his duel with Isaac and how he had told them all to get better and step up their game.

"I put this red X on my chest because I know I am the target. So a little piece to whoever wants to come at me next, remember one thing. They stop manufacturing the cloth that I'm cut from!!"

It wasn't cause he was disappointed with them, but rather the opposite. He wanted them to become better than they think they could. So he then grabbed Rainbow's hand as she helped him up.

"I'm honored to have you as my tutor."

"Same here. And I promise to put in more effort as your teacher to help you." smiled Rainbow.

"However, this won't mean shit since Isaac is gonna have a decision to make." said Jack.

"I think he already knows what happened between the two of us. So I think we're fine. Now run along, kid. And starting tomorrow, we'll work on improving your skills before the tournament on Friday."

"Look forward to it, teach." said Jack as he grabbed his belongings and exited the park.

Rainbow saw the kid off as she grabbed her backpack and slung it over her shoulder as she started to make her way back to the house. The same person that was watching them from before was also present as they stepped from behind the tree with their arms crossed and had a smile on his face.

"You finally learned, Dash." smiled Isaac. "Hope the two of won't cause me too much trouble." Isaac then grabbed his backpack as she started to exit the park and was walking towards Rarity's boutique.

Chapter 138: Influence

Bryant Lopez was making his way to meeting with his mentor. Safe to say, when he found out that Fluttershy was going to be his mentor, he wasn't too sure of the choice. Mostly, cause the vibe he got from the girl was, well... shy. And it proved to be true when she first spoke to him at how timid she was. So Bryant just merely nodded and waved; he felt like he got stuck with the pity member of the group. Not to mention he was concerned on how someone like her was chosen to be a tutor. Safe to say he had an entirely different opinion on that when he noticed a video playing that had her competing in the Fall Formal in which she had made it to the top 8 and most of all, she had managed to take on Isaac in one of the quarterfinal rounds. Granted she had lost as Isaac had won and eventually would win the whole tournament to become champion of CHS, but the fact that Fluttershy was able to face Isaac and hold her own surprised him and the others.

The one thing that he and the others students all thought was that when they first saw Fluttershy, they assumed her to be the weakest member of this collective group based on her appearance, personality, and some of the cards she showed off to the group. However, that assumption was quickly shattered during the test evaluation in which Fluttershy took on Jack and was able to win in such a convincing fashion as she shocked the expectations that they each had. Now that Bryant knew that Fluttershy had some skill and could hang with the others, he was pleased to have the shy girl as his tutor. He had grabbed his backpack as he made his way to the front of the school. He was able to see Fluttershy sitting in front of her school statue as she had Angel in her arms as she was petting the small bunny.

"How's that Angel?" asked Fluttershy as she was scratching her bunny's back.

"You sneak a bunny into school?" asked Bryant as he stood over his tutor.

"Oh, Bryant. Well, not really. See I have to bring Angel to his doctor's appointment later, but given that we have our tutor session. I won't have enough time to go pick him up. So I kinda tucked him into my bag." said Fluttershy as she smiled sheepishly.

"Then how has Principal Celestia not caught you red-handed?" asked the boy.

"Well, I guess being shy has its perks, not too mention timid, scared, terrified of bad things happening." said Fluttershy as she was now starting to shake from all the things she said as she hid behind her hair.

"Okay, I get it. So are we gonna get started?" said Bryant as he sat down in front of his teacher.

"In a little bit, just relax." said Fluttershy as she kept on snuggling her pet.

Sometime had passed as Fluttershy was just playing with Angel as Bryant just sat with a bored expression on his face. Eventually, Fluttershy started to reach into her backpack. Bryant thought she was going to pull out her deck so that they could get started, but it turned out to be a carrot as she was just feeding her bunny.

"There you go, Angel. Eat up." said Fluttershy with a calm voice.

"Ahh!" said Bryant as he let out a yell.

"Something wrong?"

"It's just... the tournament is Friday. And I really want to learn from you. I thought I was given the pity pick by having someone like you as my mentor, but after seeing your skills in person, I'm now more than excited to have you teach me. Besides I need to, if I'm to stand a chance against Isaac." Bryant then looked at his hand as he made a fist. He still remembered the fight he had against his headmaster as he squashed him with ease.

"I put this red X on my chest because I know I am the target. So a little piece of advice to whoever wants to come at me next, remember one thing. They stop manufacturing the cloth that I'm cut from!!"

"Try to not get stressed." said Fluttershy as she put her hand on top of his fists. "Here. Hold this." Fluttershy was holding Angel in her hands.

"Um, why?" asked Bryant as he had his eyebrow raised.

"Holding a bunny always makes me feel better." Fluttershy then handed her student her pet.

"Well, that's ridiculous. Who in their right mind would...but... ooh. It actually kind of works." stated Bryant as he felt his anger and worries drift away as he held the small and cuddly little creature.

"See." smiled Fluttershy as she watched her student being happy. "And don't let your defeat to Isaac get to you. I get it, but think about it. Compare your current level with that of Isaac's. As much as I hate to use the word, 'rookie'. You and the rest of the students are essentially that. Now you all have different levels of when it comes to dueling, but when you measure up against, Isaac. You have alot to learn." stated Fluttershy.

"But I have a huge admiration for Duel Monsters. All the great legends of the past that have made their mark in this game, I want to be a great duelist, but if I can't even takedown Isaac, then I might as well give up."

"Why is it so important that you takedown Isaac?" asked Fluttershy.

"Cause he whupped my ass. It wasn't even close, he manhandled me." said Bryant.

"Did he now? Or were you just not giving it your all?"

"What do you mean?"

"Let me pick your mind a bit. Do you think Isaac won because he had better cards? Cause he had a better strategy? Or maybe cause he says a catchphrase that gives him superpowers." said Fluttershy as she had a sly smile. "I know, maybe he's just that damn good?"

"What are you getting at?" said Bryant.

"What I'm saying is that you claim you want to be a duelists like those before us, but you're missing the one thing they all had. A bond."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, Isaac has top notch skills and cards. But the major thing that drives him towards victory is the bond he shares with his deck. Everytime Isaac gets on the dueling field, he takes a moment to acknowledge his deck and talk with his cards for a few seconds."

"Talk with his cards?" said Bryant. "Look I can believe a kid would do something like that. Given Duel Monsters and how it captivates everyone at a young age. But Isaac isn't a kid."

"Still, he has that bond with his cards. Something that everybody takes for granted; that bond is what allows him to draw the cards he needs when he's in a tough predicament. Its what's driven him to be the duelist he is today. It's the reason why he beat you all so convincingly." stated Fluttershy.

"So what do I do?" asked Bryant.

"Take a moment to look at your cards and talk with them. Let them know that you're not just someone who calls on them whenever he's in battle. You need to develop a trust and acknowledge that you can't just expect them to do what you ask of them, without giving them trust." stated Fluttershy.

Bryant then put Angel in his lap as he reached into his pocket and pulled out his deck. He then began to look at them as he started to see if he could do what Fluttershy was telling him to do. If he really wanted to be a duelist and defeat Isaac, then he had to do something that he didn't fully understand. So try as he might, Bryant closed his eyes as he tried to come up with a connection with his cards. Moments passed and there was nothing, some more time passed and all he could hear was nothing but silence as he opened his eyes as he was sweating.

"Nothing." said Bryant.

"Don't fret. Everybody goes at their own pace; you'll develop your bond with your monsters eventually." smiled the shy girl.

"Well, what about you?! Someone as timid as you would get tons of responses that say you would never be a good duelist. They probably treat you as a doormat and just step on you." replied Bryant.

"If people think that of me, then why did I get to the top 8 of the Fall Formal. Hmm." said Fluttershy with a smug smile. "I'll admit, in the beginning I was a terrible duelist. Anybody could beat me, even some of the younger people. Cause I was just so afraid of the idea that I would fight by myself and that I didn't have strong cards per say. But even so I still kept my deck. And it was the right choice when Isaac arrived."

"He improved it." stated Bryant.

"Yes, but real he rebuilt from the ground up. He did something that I never asked him to do and he made me a new deck as a sign of our friendship. He was able to help and show me some tricks, but when it really came down to making it my own. I did just that and made Isaac proud. Now I'm doing moves that I never thought I would do; let alone my confidence from where I started has shot up significantly. Now everybody knows to think twice about my animals and they show they can be just a fierce as any other deck. I took a mediocre concept of a deck and showed just how versatile it could be; not to mention I developed a bond with my cards." stated Fluttershy.

"Huh? Still, I'm not sure about this whole connection with the cards." said Bryant.

"Well, maybe this will help." Fluttershy then stood up as she dusted off her dress and reached back into her backpack as she pulled out her duel disk and put it on her arm as it morphed and projected a yellow card tray. She then reached into the side pocket of her bag as she slotted in her deck.

"You mean?"

"Come on, get up." said Fluttershy as she took her position.

Bryant then put Angel down and stood up as he took off his bag. He then pulled out his practice duel disk as it combined together, he then pulled out his deck as he shuffled it manually as he slotted it into the compartment.

"Opponent detected. Duel mode set. Streaming data. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Bryant's Life Points: 4000-

Fluttershy's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Fluttershy

"I'll start things if you don't mind." said Fluttershy in a calm voice as she drew her card. "I summon Eucalyptus Mole(300/1300) in defense mode. Then I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Bryant

"My turn, so here goes." said Bryant as he drew his card. "I summon my Performapal Friendonkey(1600/600). And when he's summoned, I can also summon this guy. So take the stage Performapal Sword Fish(600/600) in defense mode." Bryant now had two monsters on his field as he looked to make the first attack. "Now I'll have my Performapal Friendonkey attack your Eucalyptus Mole!" shouted Bryant as he gave his monster its order as his donkey raced over and stomped on the head of Fluttershy's mole as was pushed into the ground and destroyed.

"Since my Eucalyptus Mole was destroyed in battle, I can summon a 'Koala' from my deck. So come on out buddy, Big Koala(2700/2000)!" shouted Fluttershy as behind her came a huge Koala as it had leaves in its mouth and sat on its behind.

"I get the feeling that this koala isn't just fluffy." stated Bryant. "With that, I'll throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Fluttershy

"Not bad, very good job." said Fluttershy as she was still cheering her student on.

"No offense, but you shouldn't you be trying to act more seriously." asked Bryant.

"Oh, right. My bad." smiled Fluttershy sheepishly. "Now then I play this, Polymerization so that I can fuse my Big Koala with my Des Kangaroo in my hand." said Fluttershy. Her two monsters then appeared as their spirits were being fused together into a vortex that appeared behind Fluttershy. "I Fusion Summon, the thunder from down under, Master of Oz(4200/3700)!" shouted Fluttershy as she was showing off a brand new monster to her deck and a new summoning method.

"Woah, woah. Wait! You also know how to do Fusion Summoning." shouted Bryant as he was caught off guard.

"I dabble a bit." snickered Fluttershy. Won't Isaac be surprised by what I learned behind his back.

"That's why you need to bond with your cards, that way you can your open world to so many other possibilities." said Fluttershy. "But back to our duel, I'll summon Baby Raccoon Ponpoko(800/0) in attack mode." A small raccoon with a tiny drum strapped to its chest jumped in front of Fluttershy, scratching its ear. "I'll then activate Ponpoko's special ability, when he's summoned I can then special summon 1 level 2 or lower beast-type monster from my deck in facedown defense position." Fluttershy then touched her screen as she looked for the monster she wanted; once he made her decision, she then tapped her screen and pulled her card from her duel disk and set it on her card tray.

"Now Master of Oz attack his Friendonkey!" shouted Fluttershy as her monster charged forward.

"I reveal my facedown, Last Minute Cancel. So now all the monsters I control are changed into defense mode." said Bryant as he had managed to protect his life points as Master of Oz brought its fist down and took out his monster. "Now the other effect of my Last Minute Cancel activates, so instead of my Friendonkey going to the graveyard, it returns to my hand." Bryant then picked up his card as he placed it back into his hand.

"Wonderful job, Bryant. Well, I end my turn."

Turn 4: Bryant

"My turn, so I'll summon my Performapal Skeeter Skimmer(500/1600) in attack mode." said Bryant as he had an insect appear as it floated on some water. "Now I activate my Performapal Sword Fish's special ability. Which allows me to lower a monster of yours by 600 attack points till the end of the turn." Sword Fish then fired off a couple of swords as they landed near Baby Ponpoko as it covered itself with its tiny paws as its attack dropped to 200. "Now Skeeter Skimmer attack her Baby Raccoon Ponpoko!" commanded Bryant.

"I reveal my facedown, Beast Soul Swap." Fluttershy then touched her screen and activated her facedown as it appeared and rose up in front of her. "Now I can target 1 beast-type monster that I control and return it to my hand. Then I can special summon a beast-type monster that's the same level as the one I returned to my hand; return to me, Baby Raccoon Ponpoko!" Ponpoko glowed and shot away in an orb of white light; Fluttershy then looked through her hand and once she made her decision, she held her card up high. "Taking the place of my raccoon will be my Mogmole(800/800) who I'll summon in defense mode." A small anthropomorphic mole with goggles and a giant hand drill popped out of the ground.

"In that case, I'll hold off on attacking." stated Bryant had his monster stop its attack. "So I'll end my turn with a facedown." Sheesh, Fluttershy ain't no joke. Despite her kind nature, she knows how to hold her own. That's something nobody would have thought of.

Turn 5: Fluttershy

"My draw, so now I'll flip up the monster I set last turn, Baby Raccoon Tantan(0/800)!” A raccoon with a larger vertical drum over its chest rose from the card backing, banging padded drumsticks on its instrument. “Now his ability activates, when Tantan is flipped up, I can special summon a level 2 beast-type monster from my deck. I call upon Catnipped Kitty(0/500) in defense mode.” A pastel purple cat hopped onto Fluttershy’s field, a jingling bell on its collar, and rolled onto its back. "Then I'll summon my Key Mouse(100/100)." Fluttershy then had a tiny little mouse that held a key in its mouth as it appeared on her shoulder and nuzzled against her as she let out a giggle.

"5 monsters on the field?" said Bryant as he was scared by what Fluttershy was thinking.

"Don't worry, most of them won't be sticking around for long. Cause now I tune my Level 1 Key Mouse with my Level 2 Baby Raccoon Tantan and Mogmole." Fluttershy's tiny mouse then transformed into a giant green ring as her other two beasts jumped into it as they were calling on a powerful monster. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity as I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!" Fluttershy's great beast then raced down from the heavens and landed with a thud as the sound of thunder went off which caused Bryant to jump back a bit.

"Good boy." said Fluttershy as she petted her monster who gave an affection nuzzle to its princess. "Now time to strike, Master of Oz attack that Skitter Skimmer." stated Fluttershy. Her monster then nodded as it leaped forward to strike down the small insect.

"I activate the effect of my Performapal Skitter Skimmer. Since you targeted it for an attack, Skitter Skimmer can switch itself into defense mode. And then it can negate the attack." said Bryant as he had managed to not only stop Fluttershy's attack but save his monster from being destroyed.

"Okay, well how about stopping my Thunder Unicorn. Take out that Sword Fish." stated Fluttershy.

"I activate my facedown, Draw Muscle. So now since I control a monster with 1000 or less defense points. I can draw a card, and if it's a monster than I get to add its defense points to my Performapal Sword Fish's defense. Furthermore, it can't be destroyed in battle." exclaimed Bryant. He then drew his card as he closed his eyes for a second. "Nice! I drew Odd-Eyes Dragon and since it has 2000 defense points, my Performapal Sword Fish gets a 2000 points boost to his defense bring it up to 2600." said Bryant as his monster got the extra power. "So now it's stronger than your attack and you take the difference as damage." Thunder Unicorn then collided with Sword Fish as it managed to hold off the great beast and repel it.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3400-

"Good move." said Fluttershy as she couldn't help but give an applause for her student as he had managed to survive both of her monster's attacks.

"Thanks." stated Bryant.

"Now I end my turn."

Turn 6: Bryant

"My draw, so to start, I'll switch my Performapal Skitter Skimmer back into attack mode. Then I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two more cards. Oh yeah! Now since I control 2 'Performapal' monsters, I can summon my Performapal Elephammer(2600/2000) without tributing." Bryant now had his own massive monster appear as an elephant gave a cheerful trumpet.

"He seems very happy." said Fluttershy as she felt herself communicating with Bryant's monsters. Now she was seeing my Isaac had made him her student. "Even so, my Master of Oz is still the strongest monster on the field."

"Now after I make my move. Cause now I play Double Summon so that I can summon my Performapal Whip Snake(1700/900)." Out came a snake as it was wearing a top hat and fancy bowtie. "Now my Whip Snake's ability allows him to switch the attack and defense points of one of your monsters till the end phase. I choose your Master of Oz. Then I'll activate the ability of my Performapal Sword Fish which as you know lowers a monster's attack points by 600." Sword Fish then launched a barrage of swords as they reduced Master of Oz's strength. "But wait, there's more. Now I play the spell card, Burden of the Mighty. So now all your monsters lose 100 attack points times its own level. So since Thunder Unicorn is Level 5 it loses 500 attack points, but the big thing is that since Master of Oz is Level 9 it loses 900 attack points which means it's grand total is now 2300." stated Bryant as he had managed to several weaken Fluttershy's monsters.

"Oh no!" said Fluttershy.

"So now Elephammer attack her Master of Oz." stated Bryant with a sly smile. Soon his elephant made contact with Master of Oz as it brought it hammer-like trunk down and made a cartoonish sound as it destroyed its target.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3100-

"Next, I'll then have my Performapal Whip Snake take out your Thunder Unicorn." stated Bryant as he took out another one of Fluttershy's monster as he sacrificed one of his own. "Then Skitter Skimmer will take out your Catnipped Kitty. With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Fluttershy

"Excellent turn, you managed to take down some of my powerful monsters." giddy Fluttershy. "But that means... I can stop going easy on you." Fluttershy's expression then changed as one second she was innocent and the next she had a sinister smile on her face. "Now, I draw! First up is that I summon Nimble Momonga(1000/100) in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Bryant

"My draw." What's she up to? All she's done is play a squirrel. "To start, I'll have my Elephammer attack your Nimble Momonga." Bryant gave his order as the elephant took out her squirrel.

"Now the effect of my Nimble Momonga activates, when it's destroyed in battle, I gain 1000 life points and can summon 2 more copies of my Nimble Momonga from my deck." said Fluttershy as her field was replaced with some more monsters.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 4100-

"Doesn't mean that I'm going to allow you to keep both of them. So Skeeter Skimmer take out another one of her Nimble Momonga!" shouted Bryant as his mosquito took out another one of Fluttershy's monsters. "And then Performapal Sword Fish will take the other out. Now I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

"Don't forget their special ability, when they're destroyed in battle I gain 1000 life points and since I had a pair. That means I gain 2000 extra life points." stated Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6100-

Turn 9: Fluttershy

"My draw, I play my Ayers Rock Sunrise. So now I can bring back a Beast-type monster from my graveyard. So come back, Master of Oz!" shouted Fluttershy as she had brought back her powerful monster. "Then all of your monsters lose 200 attack points for every Beast, Plant, and Winged Beast-type monster in my graveyard. Roll call, my furry little animals!" Fluttershy's duel disk then began to glow as the spirits of all of her monsters appeared. "I have a total of 11 monsters so that means all of your monsters lose 2200 attack points." stated Fluttershy as her little creatures all charged forward and zapped away the strength of Bryant's monsters as Elephammer was reduced to 400 attack points and both Performapal Sword Fish and Skitter Skimmer had all of their attack points drop to 0.

"This is a problem." said Bryant as he was in trouble.

"Indeed, now Master of Oz take out that Elephammer and end this duel!" shouted Fluttershy.

"I activate my facedown, Command Performance! Now I switch your Master of Oz into defense mode and it can't change position until the end of your next turn." said Bryant as he had managed to survive himself from losing one of his monsters and taking huge damage.

"Then I'll end my turn." said Fluttershy.

Turn 10: Bryant

"My turn, so I'll start by sacrificing my Performapal Skeeter Skimmer so that I can special summon my Performapal Sleight Hand Magician(2500/2000). Then I'll play Raigeki. So your Master of Oz is now gone." shouted Bryant as his card took out Fluttershy's powerful beast. "Now that your field is empty, time to strike. So I'll have my Performapal Elephammer and Sleight of Hand Magician as well as my Sword Fish attack you directly!!" shouted Bryant as his monsters delivered a huge blow to Fluttershy who covered up.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 500-

"Almost there. So I end my turn." stated Bryant.

Turn 11: Fluttershy

"My turn, so here we go!" said Fluttershy as she drew her card. "I play the spell Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hands. And with that, I'll then play Silent Doom so that I can bring back my Thunder Unicorn in defense mode." Fluttershy then had her mighty horse rise up as it stomped the ground. "Next up I summon my Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest(400/900) in defense mode. Now I activate the effect of my Valerifawn, so I discard a card from my hand so that I can summon a Level 2 or lower Beast-type monster in facedown defense mode." Fluttershy then used her duel disk screen as she selected the one she wanted as she placed it onto her tray facedown. "Now the card I sent to the graveyard to activate my Valerifawn was Nimble Angler, and when it's sent from my hand to the graveyard I can activate its effect. So now I can summon up to 2 Level 3 'Nimble' monsters from my deck. So I summon a pair of Nimble Beavers(400/100)." Fluttershy now had a field full of monsters on her field as she looked to give her lesson.

"Don't tell me..." stated Bryant.

"Let's not forget, that I'm teacher and even though I'm shy. I still have to teach you a lesson. So watch as first I tune my Level 2 Valerifawn with my Level 5 Thunder Unicorn." Valerifawn then jumped into the air as it turned into two giant green rings as Thunder Unicorn jumped in between them. "Watch as the storm clouds give way to a stampede of rolling thunder. Now I Synchro Summon, Voltic Bicorn(2500/2000)!" This time out came a different breed of horse as it had two horns on its head made of electricity and wore a chest plate of armor and had its tail in a curved pattern as it let out a neigh. "But it doesn't stop there, next I overlay both of my Level 2 Nimble Beavers to build the Overlay Network." The two Nimble Beavers then lowered into the water as a portal opened up in the ground and a pillar of light emerged as Fluttershy clasped her hands together. "I unite the powers of my two beavers and call on a brave new animal guardian!” She then grabbed the card that ejected from the top of her duel disk and then played it on her duel field. “I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!” The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Bryant.

"Both Synchro and Xyz summon? In one turn?" asked Bryant as he was surprised by what Fluttershy was able to do.

"Now I activate the effect of my Ronin Raccoon." One of the red orbs around the samurai shot across the field and circled Performapal Sleight Hand Magician. Red light leaked off of it into the orb. “By detaching one of Ronin Raccoon’s Xyz materials, I can Special Summon a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. Since your Performapal Sleight Hand Magician has 2500, my Kagemusha Raccoon Token(2500/0) now has that same amount.” The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back.

"Now I play my spell Big March of Animals, so now all my monsters gain 200 extra attack points for every Beast-type monster currently on my field. So since there's a total of 4 monsters, that means all of my monsters now gain 800 more points till the end of the turn. So now my token is stronger than your Sleight Hand Magician." stated Fluttershy as she had her monster leaped over and was about to bring it katana down on its target. "Then I'll have Voltic Bicorn take out your Performapal Elephammer." said Fluttershy as she had her horse take out Bryant's dragon.
Bryant's Life Points: 500-

"Ugh." stated Bryant as he tried to stand his ground as he was flung onto the ground.

"Now time to finish this, Ronin Raccoon take out his Performapal Skeeter Skimmer and end this duel!" shouted Fluttershy as she had her furry little creature leap high into the air as it did some fancy flips as it looked to bring down its polearm.

"I activate my monster's special ability to switch it into defense mode and negate the attack." state Bryant.

"Very well, so I'll end my turn with a facedown." stated Fluttershy. Now, Bryant. Let's see if you can win this duel. Cause if not, my facedown will finish the job for me.

Turn 12: Bryant

"It's my turn." said Bryant as he placed his hand on top of his deck. This is it, Fluttershy has an array of monsters on her field and is all set to wipe my out on her next turn. Thankfully, her Card of Sanctity gave me some options, but can they help me? Am I really suppose to believe that Isaac has a bond with his deck which allows him to draw the cards he needs when he's in a tough situation? That just doesn't seem possible. Bryant was now started to doubt himself as he struggled to even draw his card as his hand was shaking.

He had closed his eyes and when he opened them, he saw a mirage image of Isaac standing there as he had his magicians standing behind them as they all had a fearless look on their faces. That image alone was enough to cause fear in Bryant's eyes as he soon remembered the beating that Isaac gave him in their duel. Soon he started to see the so called, 'bond' that Isaac had with his monsters as their spirits were being infused with him as well as the demon that lurked in Isaac. At that moment, Bryant opened his eyes in shock.

"I draw!" shouted the young boy as he picked up his card and slowly turned it over as he saw it. At that moment, everything was starting to become clearer to him as he saw what he needed to do. "Time for me to win."

"So tell me, how are you going to win. Cause if you attack my Ronin Raccoon, it can't be destroyed in battle." stated Fluttershy.

"I already thought about that, as well as your facedown. First I play Performapal Hurricane, so now I can return cards on your side of the field up to the number of 'Performapal' monsters that I currently control. So since I have 2, that means two of your cards are returned back to your hand. And I choose your facedown and your Voltic Bicorn. And Voltic Bicorn is Synchro monster, so it goes to the Extra Deck instead of your hand. Which means you have to summon it all over again." stated Bryant as a huge hurricane blew over the entire field as it was making its way toward Fluttershy.

Fluttershy felt the powerful wind as it was blowing her dress as she tried to stop it fluttering in the wind while also trying to avoid being blown away. Voltic Bicorn noticed this as he made his way over to his beloved princess and wrapped his entire body around her to shield the shy girl from the powerful wind. Soon the storm blew over as standing there was Fluttershy perfectly fine as her beast was nowhere to be seen as it was carried off by the hurricane.

"Now time to finish this and so I'll sacrifice my two monsters so that I can summon this Odd-Eyes Dragon(2500/2000)." A portal opened up and within arose the sauropod-eques dragon with red scales covering portions of its predominately purple body. Its head thrashed in a display of primal triumph, letting loose a most distinct call. Its distinctly dichromatic eyes lit up ominously.

"While your Ronin Raccoon can't be destroyed, in battle, I can still deal you damage. So Odd-Eyes Dragon attack Fluttershy directly and end this duel!" shouted Bryant as his monster then raced over and look to fire a beam at Fluttershy, instead it lowered its head down and gently nudged the shy girl. He then nuzzled himself into Fluttershy's embrace as she began to pet his nose and work her magic.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Bryant

Soon the duel was over as the monsters all disappeared as Fluttershy made her way to her student. She then gave him a pat on the back as she smiled.

"Congrats." smiled the shy girl.

"Thanks." Bryant then looked at his cards as he could feel something. It felt warm and was comforting; he still didn't fully grasp the idea of forging a bond with your deck, but he did have a starting ground on the concept.

Soon it was time to go as Fluttershy told her student that he needed to get home and that they would practice more in the coming days before Friday. Bryant nodded as he grabbed his backpack and waved goodbye to Fluttershy as he started to head home. Fluttershy just smiled as she too grabbed her backpack and picked up Angel as she started to make her own way to the animal center. Watching from a window was none other than Isaac who had seen the entire thing; he was happy to see that Fluttershy was able to step up and teach Bryant a valuable lesson. He then started to walk in the hallways as he overheard a conversation that was taking part in the gymnasium which caused him to listen in and soon it evolved into a duel to which he watched with a smile on his face.

Chapter 139: Popularity

Once the kids all left, Isaac then left the room. Thankfully, he only had one more class to for the rest of the school day as he made it in time for his AP Calculus class. He rushed over to his table as there was Sunset already sitting down as she was currently reading a magazine with her feet on top of the desk.

"Made it." stated Isaac as he sat across from Sunset at their table.

"Let me guess, you were talking with the kids about the upcoming tournament that starts on Friday." stated Sunset as she closed her magazine and put her feet down.

"What can I say? It's been about a month or so, since I first assigned them to you girls. I want to see if they've been actually listening to you all, as well as to see if you guys are actually taking this seriously." said Isaac as he looked at his bacon-haired friend. "Speaking of which, how are your sessions going?" asked Isaac.

"That's a secret." said Sunset with a sly smile on her face.

"Oh come on! You know it's my responsibility to see how they're behaving when they're suppose to be learning from you girls."

"Well... I might reconsider. In exchange for something." Sunset wiggled her eyebrows as she looked at Isaac.

"I know where this is going. What's the new game you want to buy?" asked Isaac as he pulled out a piece of paper and a pencil as he prepared himself.

"Well, I was thinking of something else." Sunset then stood up from her seat and walked over to Isaac's side. She then sat in his lap as he caught the young boy off guard as she captured his lips with his.

Isaac was caught off guard by Sunset doing this, especially since they were about to start class. Eventually he wrapped his arms around her as Sunset was putting a lot of effort into the kiss. Isaac then placed his hands on Sunset's waist and then started to move them till he touched her upper legs/thighs. Eventually he started to move them upward underneath her skirt and soon felt her butt. Since Sunset had changed her outfit, she no longer wore pants that were able to highlight her curves, but at least now Isaac could touch her skin as he got the girl to evoke a moan of pleasure into his mouth. She then pulled away as she gave a wink at Isaac.

"Maybe now I'll tell you." said Sunset as she looked at Isaac with some seductiveness in her eyes. "Though that new game ain't bad."

"Okay, now you're pushing your luck." said Isaac as he got Sunset to get off of his lap.

Sunset just laughed as she returned back to her seat just as the teacher entered the class and it served as the signal to start class. The class started out like normal, each day the teacher would have a quick mini quiz on the lesson they had covered the previous day as well the homework. This was done so that the professor could actually monitor to see which students actually paid attention and who did the homework instead of slacking off given that they were seniors. Since Isaac, Sunset, and Twilight were the only ones out of their group that had AP Calculus, the three of them often study together after school as it allowed them to get a firm grasp on the concepts they were learning. Especially, for Isaac, cause as smart as he was. Sunset and Twilight were that much smarter than he was when it came to complex math problems, so really he used their study group as a way to practice his comprehension on the many topics and to have the girls clarify him with any issues he ran into. Sometime had passed, as both Sunset and Isaac were at their table as they were working on some problems.

"Now let's see... if I plug this in then I should get this." stated Isaac as he was trying to solve problem from one of the math packets. "Got it, now onto the next one... No that's not it... No... No... Ahh!" said Isaac as he put his hand to his head.

"Something wrong, boy toy?" asked Sunset.

"It's this problem that I'm trying to figure out. I've done all the proper steps, but somehow it's not working."

"Did you check all your steps? Maybe you forget something, or did a slight miscalculation." suggested Sunset.

"I did and it's still not adding up. No pun intended." stated Isaac. "What the hell did I do wrong?" Isaac was now starting to punch his head as he was trying to get his brain to function. "If I can't solve this math, then how the hell did I learn how to play Duel Monsters?"

"Cause it's a game that just requires basic math. Not freaking equations." chuckled Sunset as she began to help her frustrated friend. "I see what you did, mind if I show you?" said Sunset as she began to scribble on a piece of paper. After a while, Sunset was able to help Isaac with the problem. "So after that, it just becomes a simple limit question."

"Of course! Then you just insert 3 as the x for the difference quotient and after simplifying, you find that the limit f'(3) as h approaches 0 is equal to... 6." said Isaac as he wrote down his answer on his notebook and showed it to Sunset.

"You got it. Seems like you can learn." snickered Sunset.

"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." replied Isaac with some sass as he stuck his tongue out at her.

"Then how about this problem?" asked Sunset as she wanted to test Isaac's knowledge.

"Easy, so here you would use integration by parts." said Isaac as he began to work on the problem in front of Sunset. "First you set this part of the integral equal to u, and then take its derivative..."

And so it went for the rest of the class until the school bell rang. With that class was dismissed as both Isaac and Sunset began to walk out of they had finished with all of their classes for the day.

"Not too bad, am I right?" asked Sunset.

"Other than a few hiccups, it wasn't bad. Trust me, when it comes to smarts in the field of academic, you and Twilight are way above me. You girls know enough to get A+ in all your classes; me, I'm more like an honor roll student. Mix of A's and B's, but overall still know enough to pass. Heck the highest I could get is an A or A-. Which is why I'm glad we have those study sessions to help me understand stuff better." stated Isaac.

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean you can't try to get an A+." said Sunset.

"Still, my knowledge level is still going to be the same. So I'm fine with where I'm at. It just shows that there are people who have better talents than me. No need to feel down about as long as I'm happy where my skills are at." stated Isaac with a smile.

"I guess." said Sunset as she just smiled back at her friend.

"So anyways, I got somewhere to be. What about you?"

"Well, I texted my student that I had one more class for the day. So I told her to meet me at the house so that we could go over our lesson for the day. Speaking of which, she's probably already there." stated Sunset as she looked at her phone.

"Well you better not keep her waiting. I'll see you back at the house." said Isaac.

"See ya, boy toy." stated Sunset as she grabbed Isaac by his hoodie and gently pushed him against the wall as she gave him one final deep passionate kiss.

"Please tell me, you're gonna tell Twilight about this." said Isaac as he needed to remind Sunset about Twilight's sacred rule.

"You know that I never do that, especially cause I let you tell her for me." said Sunset with a sly smile as this was her way to get some excitement with Isaac.

"Yeah, then she starts to rant at me." stated Isaac.

"Exactly." Sunset then gave a pat on Isaac's cheek as she was on her way but not before swaying her hips in front of Isaac as she continued to tease him.

Isaac just prepared himself for what Twilight would say as he left in a different direction.

After parting from the others, Penny had texted Sunset about their scheduled meeting. Sunset replied that she still had one more class and told her that they would continue their lesson afterschool. So she texted her student the address of Isaac's house. Safe to say that Penny was surprised that Isaac was able to afford a house given that he was still basically in high school and there's no way he could have saved up all that money from his job. So it got her to thinking just how was the person who was considered the champion of CHS in terms of Duel Monsters was able to afford such a place and have the girls live there.

"Clearly, there's something a mist. I get the feeling that Isaac isn't all that he claims to be." stated Penny as she was thinking. "He works at a card shop and is now the co-owner of the place. Even with that promotion and if he saved all of his earnings, there's no way he could be able to buy and pay off all the expenses that came with the house. So how did he earn that much money? Did he steal it, or maybe he did something illegal?" Soon Penny found herself at the address as she took in the place where Isaac and their tutors lived.

"Not bad."

"You made it." shouted Sunset as she had ran from school. "Hope you didn't wait too long."

"I just got here a few moments ago." stated Penny. "So how the hell do you all afford to live here?"

"Well, Isaac actually paid for the house. He just allows us to live here whenever we want." stated Sunset. She then opened the front gate, soon they made their way to the front door as Sunset pulled out her set of keys and unlocked the front door as both of them entered inside of the building.

"Okay, the inside of the house is much bigger than I thought it would be." stated Penny as she was surprised by how much space was inside of the building.

"Doesn't seem like anybody else is home right now. Which means we won't have to worry about anybody interrupting our lessons." stated Sunset as she made her way to the living room area where there was a huge couch and a couple of couch chairs that were position nicely as they all faced the TV. Next to it was another TV that was hooked up to many gaming systems that Isaac had implemented.

"You have two TVs next to each other?" asked Penny.

"Isaac had that installed so in case one of us wanted to watch TV, they could take one screen while the ones who wanted to play video games could have their own set up and not cause any arguments with the others. Or if you want to watch TV while playing video games." informed Sunset.

"Damn, talking about flexing." said Penny as she found that rather impressive.

"Anyways, take a seat." stated Sunset as she pointed to one of the sofa chairs. "Want anything to drink?"

"What do you got?" asked Penny.

"Let's see. Rainbow Dash should have the grocery shopping this week." stated Sunset as she made her way to the fridge in the kitchen. "Guess she actually did it." Sunset was surprised that she had actually managed to the shopping for them instead of backing out of it. Though she probably did it, cause Isaac was holding her apple cider hostage.

He did manage to find her secret stash of the stuff and whenever Rainbow didn't do her part, he threaten to drink the gold liquid in front of her. Rainbow didn't believe Isaac as he demonstrated that he was serious as he opened up a bottle and in 15 seconds flat he down the whole thing which caused Rainbow's jaw to drop. He then wiped his mouth as he grabbed another bottle and was about to pop open the cap when she threw herself onto her knees and at Isaac's feet as she was now begging him to stop this cruel and unusual punishment as she tugged at his shirt. With that Isaac was able to find Rainbow's weak point and whenever she didn't contribute, he did this as it got her off of her ass.

"So you want grape juice or fruit punch?" asked Sunset.

"Grape is fine. So how the hell did Isaac afford this place?" asked Penny.

"Blackjack!" shouted Sunset as she pulled out the drink from the fridge and grabbed some cups from the cupboards as she poured the liquid.

"Blackjack?!" said Penny as she raised an eyebrow.

"Long story short, about roughly a year or so ago, me and the others all took a trip to Las Pegasus. Isaac had to cover for a dealer so he did just that and won some money. After that we had some laughs, some fun, and one big great adventure that resulted in a duel." said Sunset as she returned back to the living room with the drinks in her hand as she gave one of them to her student.

"Fascinating." said Penny as she grabbed her drink and took a sip. "So, mind if I ask you some questions?"

"Shoot." said Sunset as she sat down in a couch chair facing her with her legs crossed.

"How does a girl like you get in with Isaac?"

"Huh?"

"Let me phrase it like this. Why do you hang out with Isaac? A girl of your stature doesn't seem right with a boy like Isaac. Compare the both of you; you're hot, cute, beautiful, you have boys falling head over heels when they see you. Heck even just your name is enough to make everybody have a crush on you. You're an ideal girl that anybody would love to have as their girlfriend." said Penny.

"Thank you?" Sunset wasn't sure if Penny was complimenting her or running her down.

"Now lets talk about Isaac. A boy. Just an ordinary boy, sure he's got his smarts, he's decent looking, he's got a passion for Duel Monsters that has allowed him to rise above the ranks of everybody else."

"You saying all that makes it more believable for a girl like me to want to hang out with Isaac." replied Sunset.

"You're probably not listening to what I'm saying. You're a popular girl, and Isaac is well... Isaac. Not to disrespect him, he's got skills in Duel Monsters, but that's all. You are a well-rounded individual that would have any success with whatever she wants to do with her life. You could be a successful business women, you can create your own artwork, heck you probably could land a husband with tons of cash. You're popular, but Isaac is only good for one thing." stated Penny. "So why do spend your time around him? For one thing, you're not his girlfriend! Unless, you and him are having a secret affair behind Ms. Sparkle's back. Not to mention that you're probably doing it, behind closed doors."

"Woah there, TMI." said Sunset as she wanted to clear some things up. "First of all, Isaac is not a cheater. He's devoted to his relationship with Twilight. I just like to have fun with him and tease/flirt with him."

"Isn't that illegal? I mean, what does Twilight think of you putting your hands on her boyfriend?"

"She knows this is how I get my excitement. Besides, if I really wanted to, I could take him all for myself. I still can, but don't tell Twilight that." said Sunset as she gave a playful wink at her student. "Next thing, is that we're still high schoolers, so sex isn't something that either of us are planning to do for a long time. Then you say I'm popular, well that part is true. But you saying that Isaac is just an ordinary boy and that as the 'well-rounded' individual that I am, I shouldn't associate myself with the likes of him. Man, looks I'll need Isaac to whip your ass again in a duel." said Sunset as she didn't even bother on sugarcoating her explanation.

"Didn't expect a blunt answer?" said Penny.

"You don't know anything about me, girl. So word of advice, check your resources before you make an ass of yourself." said Sunset.

"Sorry." Penny put her head down as she felt guilty that she jumped to conclusions.

"Now for a little reality check. I'm not the popular girl that I stand before you as; I don't if they ever told you about this at orientation, but I used to be the biggest bitch on campus." said Sunset as stated bluntly.

"Gees, you really tell it like it is." said Penny as she was surprised that this was how Sunset talked. Though she did like it having her tutor have this kind of attitude.

"Everybody wanted me to disappear, they hated my damn guts. Some even went further and thought I should kill myself. But then again, I did invoke fear into them. So really, I had an iron hand when it came to running the place. Especially in Duel Monsters, I just invoked my power into making everybody bow down before me." said Sunset.

"So what changed?" asked Penny.

"Isaac arrived. For years, I was the top villain of the school. Then out of nowhere, he comes along and just seemed harmless to me. But soon he started to catch my attention, in more ways then one, I might add." said Sunset with a wink. "Anyways, fast forward to when the Fall Formal came about and it was me vs Isaac as he was the hope that the others carried. So in the end, Isaac beat me and gave me a second chance. After that the rest is history and now everybody has given me a chance and I've atoned for my sins. So as far as my popularity goes, I think it rose in stock."

"Okay, but about your advances towards, Isaac?"

"Isaac doesn't mind when I do it to him. Especially our hands-on experience."

"Okay, TMI. I'm still younger than you." claimed Penny.

"What I'm saying is that a person's popularity isn't just something that you should just care about? You need to take time and understand why somebody choose to hang out with the people they decide. It's not because of their popularity, but rather the relationships and friendships they have with certain individuals." stated Sunset. "But enough of that, cause we have something more important." Sunset then uncrossed her legs as she pulled out her deck with a smirk on her face.

"Exactly." Penny then reached into her backpack as she pull out her deck and then began to shuffle it with Sunset as they placed their cards on the table in front of them.

"Since popularity is all we're talking about, then I'll go first. Especially, since my deck revolves around a certain popular card." stated Sunset as she wrote down their life total on a piece of paper.

Sunset's Life Points: 4000-

Penny's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"To begin, I'll summon my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Penny

"It's my turn." said Penny as she drew her top card of her deck. "Since I don't have any monsters on my field, I can summon Blackwing, Gust the Backblast(900/1400), in attack mode! Gust the Backblast lets me summon another Blackwing-- the tuner monster, Oroshi the Squall(400/600)!" Penny now had summoned 2 monsters on her first turn with ease. "It's time to ruffle his feathers! Oroshi the Squall tunes Gust the Backblast! I Synchro Summon! Fly forth, Assault Blackwing - Kuniyoshi the White Rainbow!" stated Penny as she put both of her two monsters in the graveyard pile and grabbed a new monster from the Extra Deck as she placed it in attack mode.

"Not much." stated Sunset as she looked at the stats of Penny's monster.

"Just wait, I send a 'Blackwing' from my hand to the graveyard so that Kuniyoshi can blow away 300 of your life points." stated Penny as the monster she discarded was Jetstream the Blue Sky.
Sunset's Life Points: 3700-

"Next, I'm gonna play the tuner monster Blackwing-- Blizzard the Far North(1300/0)!" stated Penny as she played one of her favorite cards in her deck. "This'll speed my victory along. Once Blizzard the Far North is on my field, it can also bring out another Blackwing from my graveyard! I'm choosing my Blackwing, Jetstream the Blue Sky(100/800) in defense mode! I then tune Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky! I Synchro Summon Assault Blackwing - Kunisada the White Rainbow!" said Penny.

"A pair of birds, huh?" stated Sunset as she looked at the playing field in front of her. She still saw that they were still relatively weak. "Still, I ain't scared of no chickens." taunted Sunset.

"Don't bite off more than you can chew! Kunisada lets me bring a Blackwing in my graveyard back to my hand, and then I can add its attack points to both my Synchro Monsters, so my two Blackwings will be flying high!" stated Penny as she looked through her discard pile and selected her Blizzard the Far North to add to her hand. "Unfortunately, I can't attack on the turn I use this effect. But I did get what I needed. It's your move."

Turn 3: Sunset

"My draw, first I'll play the spell Cards of the Red Stone, so I send a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' from my hand so that I can draw 2 cards. Then I send another 'Red-Eyes' Level 7 monster from my deck to the graveyard." Sunset then put her Red-Eyes Toon Dragons in the discard pile as she shuffled her deck and then drew her cards. "Now I'm going to play my Back Stone of Legend(0/0), then I'll activate it's special ability, so I tribute it so that I can summon a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck. And I think you know which one." said Sunset with a smile as she picked up her card and flipped over one of them as she showed it to Penny. "Say hello to my Red-Eyes B. Dragon(2400/2000)."

"Impressive. To think you have a such rare card." stated Penny as she looked at Sunset's dragon on the table.

"Now how about a taste of its power, my Red-Eyes B. Dragon will attack your Kunisada the White Rainbow." stated Sunset.
Penny's Life Points: 2600-

"Now I'll place one card facedown and then end my turn."

Turn 4: Penny

"My draw, to start I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards. Next, I play Monster Reborn so that I can revive my Kunisada the White Rainbow." Penny then reached over to her graveyard as she grabbed her monster.

Interesting choice. Sunset raised her eyebrow at why Penny did that move so early in the duel.

"Now by sending Blackwing, Harmattan the Dust to the graveyard, I can activate Kuniyoshi's special ability and deal you 300 points of damage!" stated Penny as she deposited her monster in the discard pile.
Sunset's Life Points: 3400-

"Next, I summon a familiar bird of prey, Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North! Then with the help of Blizzard's special ability, I can summon Harmattan the Dust(800/800) from my graveyard!" Penny then grabbed the monster she discarded just a few moments ago and placed it back in her field as she prepared for the next part of her plan. "I'm taking my game to the next level... literally. Thanks to Harmattan's special ability, when he's summoned, I can target another 'Blackwing' that I control and increase its level by that monster. So since my Kuniyoshi is Level 3, it means I can increase Harmattan's level from 2 to 5! All right. Time to seal the deal! I tune my Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with my Level 5 Harmattan the Dust. I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" stated Penny as she had one of her most powerful monsters of her deck appeared on the field.

"Now that's a monster." said Sunset as she looked at the card in front of her.

"I've got a whole battalion now, and Raikiri can use that to its advantage, cause for each 'Blackwing' on my field, it can destroy one of your cards on your side of the field!"

"Wait, then that means..."

"Yup, your facedown on the left as well as all of your monsters are now gone." stated Penny as she had managed to wipe out Sunset's entire field.

"Okay, kid. You managed to wipe out my entire field and leave me almost defenseless."

"Got that right, and now you have nothing left to protect your life points. So now time for me to win. Raikiri, how about you make it rain with pain! So now I attack you directly with my Raikiri." said Penny as she also managed to deal a huge amount of damage to Sunset and looked to finish her off.
Sunset's Life Points: 800-

"With just 800 life points, this duel is about over. So now all I need to do is attack you with one of my other monsters and I win. So I'll do just that."

"Normally you're right that would be the end of the duel, if I didn't have this card." Sunset then flipped her facedown over. "I activate the spell card, Resonator Command. So I'll discard a Red Resonator from my hand so that I can special summon Dark Resonator(1300/300) from my deck in defense mode." Sunset then put her card in the discard pile as she grabbed her deck and looked for the card she wanted as she placed it on the table in defense mode as she shuffled her deck.

"Crafty." said Penny as she looked at her tutor.

"Of course." said Sunset as she flipped her hair.

"Well, I'll still attack." said Penny.

"Dark Resonator has a unique ability in that once per turn it can't be destroyed in battle." stated Sunset.

"Fine, cause I'll have my other monster attack it. With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Sunset

"My turn, and it's time I show you my powerful monsters. See my Black Stone of Legend has another effect, in that I can bring it along with a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster and my stone returns to my hand while my other monster is shuffled back into my deck." said Sunset as she grabbed her two cards. She added her stone back to her hand, while Red-Eyes B. Dragon was shuffled back into her deck.

"So that's how you manage to keep summoning your Red-Eyes." stated Penny. "For something that is weak in points, it makes up for it in its special ability. Not to mention that you probably have more than just one Black Stone of Legend; that coupled with your other cards makes it so that you can keep calling on your dragon and busting out your powerful monsters."

"Remind you of anybody else?" asked Sunset with a sly smile.

"Can I just say, I'm happy you're my tutor." said Penny as she couldn't contain her excitement anymore as she loved the fact that she was Sunset's student.

"Really now, I thought you were judging me cause of my popularity?"

"Well, maybe. Truth is I have two older sisters who are models, so as you can tell their jobs revolve around getting people's attention and the more popular you are, the more people recognize you. And because I'm so much younger than they are, all my life I've been given their hand me downs. Just once, I wanted to have something that didn't belong to them." said Penny as she looked down for a bit.

"Let me guess, that's where your deck comes into play." informed Sunset.

"Sort of, see they never cared or were interested about Duel Monsters. Hell, I was the same way. The only reason why I have this deck or even play the game is because I was in a room by myself. Being the youngest meant that I had to listen to my sisters and obey them whenever they had to do shoots, so that meant taking their kid sister along with them. Which they thought was a hassle at times, so I just waited in their dressing room until they or someone from their team came to get me. I had nothing to do, so I just sat with a bored look on my face. Then one time, I noticed a stack of cards that were on the table; whether someone forget them or they were just there, I didn't know. But it was better than just sitting in silence; so I got to looking at the cards and then began to read their effects. There was even a dueling guide on how to play Duel Monsters and some basic strategies that was included in a note that was with the deck. So I entertained myself for a couple of hours." said Penny.

"Eventually, my sisters managed to finish as they came to get me. Since I didn't want to lose these cards, I slipped them into my jacket and took them with me. After that, whenever my sisters were too occupied with their fashions shoots and photo ops, I kept myself busy by playing with the cards. For the first time, it felt like I had something that I could truly call 'my own'. Eventually, they found out and were not interested in it, especially cause they were birds and dressed in black. Apparently, it reminded them of a terrible incident that resulted in them getting overrun by turkeys during a commercial shoot that left them covered in feathers."

"Turkeys?" said Sunset as she couldn't help but let out a laugh.

"Trust me, I had the same reaction." giggled Penny. "Anyways, they didn't do much about it. Though at times they did say that I should stop wasting my time trying to play a 'boy's game' as the idea of a girl/women playing Duel Monsters was so farfetched. They said that I should follow in their footsteps and try to become a model like them so that I could gain popularity."

"That's why you asked me." said Sunset.

"Now you know. They still try to persuade me to give it up as nobody would ever take a girl serious if they continued to play this type of game. Not to mention they seriously don't like how my monsters look."

"Then I guess I should quit Duel Monsters as well. I mean a girl like me with my natural looks and popularity shouldn't waste her time with a 'boy's game'." said Sunset.

"You're different. I mean from the way you look to how you're dressed." said Penny as she pointed at Sunset's appearance and her new look. "Nobody would ever tell you what you can and can't do. You don't need to listen to anybody's suggestions."

"Then the same could be said for you, right?" Sunset had a smug smile on her face as she said that statement to Penny who had to take a moment to register what she was trying to say. "Anyways, back to my move. I play the spell Red-Eyes Fusion, so now I can conduct a fusion summon using monsters from my hand, deck, or my side of the field. So from my deck, I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with my Meteor Dragon. I Fusion Summon, Meteor B. Dragon(3500/2000)." stated Sunset as she placed her two monsters in the discard pile and replaced them with a more powerful looking card.

"Now then it's time I fire back. So I'll have my Meteor Black Dragon attack and take out your Assault Blackwing, Raikiri the Rain Shower." stated Sunset as she blew Penny's card off the field.
Penny's Life Points: 1700-

"With that I'll end my turn. So had enough." smirked Sunset.

Turn 5: Penny

"I may be down, but I'm not out! Watch." said Penny as she drew her card. "The spell Back Against the Wind should get me back in the game! With this, I can retrieve Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North from my graveyard by taking damage equal to its attack points." Penny then grabbed her monster from the graveyard as she added it to her hand.
Penny's Life Points: 400-

"That move was bold but risky." informed Sunset.

"I summon Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North! And now I'll activate Blizzard's special ability, to also summon Jetstream the Blue Sky from my graveyard." said Penny as she grabbed another one of her fallen birds as she place it on the field and now had all she need to bring the duel to a close. "Next, Jetstream the Blue Sky tunes with Blizzard the Far North! This the first step towards finishing this duel! I Synchro Summon, Assault Blackwing - Kunifusa the White Rainbow!"

"Your monster still is weak." stated Sunset.

"Yeah, I know, but since I used a 'Blackwing' to synchro summon Kunifusa, it turns into a tuner monster, so that gives me some interesting options!" said Penny with a smug smile of her own.

"Tuner?" said Sunset as she didn't expect that.

"Oh yeah! Level 3 Kunifusa tunes both my Level 3 Kuniyoshi and Level 3 Kunisada the White Rainbows!" stated Penny as she combining her monsters together. "Assault Blackwings, combine your strengths to call forth the harbinger of disaster! I Synchro Summon! Here comes Assault Blackwing - Kusanagi the Gathering Storm!" said Penny as she grabbed a card from her Extra Deck and placed a new monster on the field that had 3000 attack points.

"Even with that new monster, my dragon is still stronger." said Sunset.

"I'm not done, are you ready, Sunset!? Cause Kusanagi is about to become more powerful than you ever thought possible! It gains the attack points of all three White Rainbows I used to summon it!"

"6000 attack points!" shouted Sunset as she realized what the end result was going to be.

"Kusanagi the Gathering Storm, bring the thunder and lightning and attack Sunset's Meteor B. Dragon!" yelled out Penny as she made her attack and was declared the winner.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Penny

"Good game. You should be proud." said Sunset as she shook her student's hand.

"Thanks, but you made me work for that win. Now, I just got to do the same and then I can settle the score with Isaac." said Penny as she thought back to her duel with Isaac and how he put her down with ease.

"I put this red X on my chest because I know I am the target. So a little piece of advice to whoever wants to come at me next and to everybody reading this right now, remember one thing. They stop manufacturing the cloth that I'm cut from!!"

"Well, if you play like you did today, then I know you stand a chance against Isaac. But keep in mind, that it's not just me in the tournament, there's going to be a whole lot of tough people who all want a shot at Isaac for the title. Also, I won't be holding back." said Sunset. She then looked up at the clock hanging on the wall as it was getting late. "Well, that's it. You better head home."

"Right. Thanks, Sunset." said Penny as she grabbed her cards and place them in her backpack as she put on her shoes and started to head out the door as Sunset accompanied her. They were about to reach for the door, when it opened and standing there was Isaac and Rarity as they had come from Rarity's boutique.

"Oh, hello Penny." greeted Rarity.

"Hello, Ms. Rarity. Isaac." said the girl as she looked at the pair standing before her.

"Training?" asked Isaac.

"Of course, and just a little spoiler warning for you and everybody reading this story. I'm going to win this tournament and I'm taking your title." said Penny as she wasn't backing down and looked at Isaac with a determined look on her face.

"A lot of people want to face the champ, so get in line." said Isaac as he let out a small chuckle as he patted the girl's head. "Now, go home."

"I'll see you in school tomorrow, Sunset." stated Penny as she made her way out of the door and started on her way home as Isaac and Rarity entered the house.

"Well, today's been an eventful day. Thanks for carrying my backpack, Isaac." said Rarity as she took her bag from Isaac.

"No problem, Rarity." said Isaac as he was taking off his shoes and place them next to Sunset's boots in the closet.

"Well, I'll be in my room if you two need anything. I've got some homework to do as well as some new designs to work on."

"We got it, we'll try not to disturb you. And we'll fetch you when dinner is ready." informed Sunset as she laid down on the sofa.

"Thanks, darlings." said Rarity as she headed towards her room.

"So, were you able to help Penny?" asked Isaac as he sat on the armrest of the sofa that Sunset was lying down on.

"Yes, I did. Are you going to constantly check in on all of us for updates?" asked Sunset with some sass in her voice.

"I'm just doing my job as headmaster. By the way, Twilight had an activity to do afterschool and is gonna be arriving a little late for our AP Chemistry study session."

"Well, if you're going to constantly keep an eye on me. Then at least make it something worth while." said Sunset as she sat up on her knees.

"Huh?" said Isaac as he raised an eyebrow.

Sunset then started to slowly crawl towards Isaac as she had the look of a predator in her eyes. "I think that everytime you ask me for any updates, you can let me have a hands-on experience."

"S-Sunset, wait a minute. Wait." said Isaac as he got up and started to slowly back away from the orange girl as he put his hands out. He didn't pay attention to where he was walking as he fell back and landed in one of the sofa chairs as Sunset had now tackled Isaac as she straddled his lap. "Hold on!" stated the boy.

"I need to give you a quick preview of what to expect." said Sunset with a smug smile. She then grabbed Isaac's face and pulled him into a kiss as she started to passionately kiss the boy as she moved her hands and explored his body as she touched his muscles.

"Okay, okay. I get it." said Isaac as he tried to get up from his position only for him to be thrown back into the chair as he was now sweating.

"We're not done." said Sunset as she grabbed Isaac's cap from his head and tossed it to the side as she took off her leather jacket. "I think you still want more. Besides, Twilight isn't going to be home for quite awhile."

"Somebody help me!!" shouted Isaac before he was pulled into another kiss by Sunset that soon turned into another one of their make out sessions.

Chapter 140: Sports Entertainment

"Okay, just focus Twilight. You always wanted to be a teacher, you just didn't expect it to come so fast. Nor in high school. No pressure." said Twilight as she was doing her best to calm down from having a panic attack. "Calm, just be calm. I'm calming!!!!" shouted Twilight as she was having an anxiety attack.

"Twilight!!" shouted Isaac. "I got headphones in my ears and I can still hear you." said Isaac as he got up from one of the study areas nearby as he was with the nerdy girl in the library. After he parted ways with Sunset, Isaac headed to the library to not only check up on his girlfriend but also to get some assignments done. However, knowing how Twilight always got before her lessons he shouldn't have expected anything less.

"I'm trying not to panic!" sounded Twilight. "I got everything. Flashcards, dueling manual, pen and paper, my deck. Am I missing anything else?" asked Twilight as she was looking inside of her backpack.

"Yeah, common sense." said Isaac with a smart remark as he leaned against the table that Twilight was sitting at.

"Screw you!" yelled Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend.

"You're welcome." smiled Isaac with a smug look.

"God, you're annoying." said Twilight. "Look instead of standing there, why don't you help me. You're my boyfriend."

"I'm your boyfriend, not your personal assistant." replied Isaac. "Besides, my job as the headmaster of this program is to oversee how you girls are teaching these kids and give my input. Not directly take over for you, plus the one day out of the week they meet with me is to see what the results are so far. That way I can see who really is learning and who's slacking."

"Yeah, okay. By the way, what are you listening to?" asked Twilight.

"Just something I listened to when I was a kid with my family." said Isaac as he put on the ear buds in his right ear while Twilight grabbed the other and put it in her ear as she started to listen to Isaac's music.

"Interesting." said Twilight.

"Well, anyways, I should leave you be. I need to take care of somethings. But we're still on for our Chemistry study session tonight." asked Isaac.

"Of course."

"Great, I'll see you then." said Isaac as he prepared to grab his backpack only for Twilight to grab the sleeve of his hoodie.

"Before you go." Twilight then captured Isaac's lips with hers as she closed her eyes as she cusped Isaac's face.

Isaac responded by wrapping his arms around Twilight as he lifted her off the ground and held his girlfriend. Twilight then pulled away as Isaac put her back on the ground as they both looked at each other. Soon Twilight pulled Isaac into another kiss as it lasted a bit longer than this time.

"Alright, that's enough." said Isaac as he broke from his girlfriend's arms as he grabbed his backpack and slung it over his shoulder. "I need to get going."

"I'll see you tonight." smiled Twilight. "By the way, what did you want to say to me before I went into a panic attack?"

"Oh, uhm..." Isaac's eyes immediately widen at Twilight's question. "Well, it's uhm..." Isaac then put a chair in front of him as he walked around the table as he was on the other side.

"Isaac? What are you doing?"

"Just making sure that I have my escape path." said Isaac nervously as he was sweating. He then put another chair in between him and Twilight as his back was in front of the door and saw that he had a clear shot.

"What? Look whatever it is, just tell me." stated Twilight as she took a step forward only for Isaac to take a step back.

"That's what I'm afraid of." said Isaac as he made sure to watch Twilight's movements and act accordingly.

"Just tell me!" demanded Twilight as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Well, it's just that..." said Isaac as he covered his mouth.

"What?"

"That...." mumbled Isaac.

"Speak up."

"Sunset... me." said Isaac as he still had his hand over his mouth.

"Take your hand off your mouth, now!!" shouted Twilight as it caused him to go stiff as a board for a second. "Tell me!"

"Alright, uhm... Sunset... broke your scared rule."

"WHAT!?!" shouted Twilight as the whole library shook. Thankfully, there was nobody there.

"And that's my cue!" said Isaac as he started to make a run for it as Twilight immediately tried to grab at Isaac only for her to fall through the obstacles Isaac had put in front of him as it had managed to slow her down.

"Isaac!! You get back here!!" shouted Twilight as she was on the ground with the chairs having been knocked over as she pounded the ground. "Sunset!" gritted Twilight as she couldn't believe that her friend would break her rule. "How many times do I have to tell her, Isaac is mine!" huffed Twilight as she had steam coming out of her ears.

"Calm down, Twi. At least, Isaac was honest with you. He knows he would never cheat on our relationship, besides it was Sunset who threw herself at Isaac, not the other way around." said Twilight as she tried to be reasonable with her boyfriend. "He always tells me when stuff like this happens, nothing major, right? Unless, he's not only doing it with Sunset. What if the others have also done this and Isaac's keeping it all a secret? Is he cheating on me? Are the girls lying to me? No, not possible. It's not like if we broke up that Isaac doesn't have tons of options standing in front of him with our friends. Who would so easily hook up with him in heartbeat." said Twilight as she went into full panic mode as she freaked out.

"Is that what Isaac thinks of our relationship? Is he gonna kick me out of the house now?" said Twilight. "Keep it together, girl!" stated Twilight as she slapped herself in the face. "Okay, I think that worked. Ow!" Twilight rubbed her cheek as she regretted that action. She then took a deep breath as it gave her a sense of clarity; she then looked at the clock as she had to gather herself as she would soon meet with her student.

Jason Starrs had just finished putting his books away in his locker as he had finished his classes. Once he opened his locker, he got a message from his phone that said his parents had a match tonight and they wouldn't be home till late at night. He then responded to them as he put it in his pocket and looked at the many small photos that littered the inside of his locker as it was of him and his family as well as all the accomplishments they won in the world of wrestling. Still he did question how Pinkie was able to get a hand on these of photos of his and break into his locker to decorate it. Regardless, he grabbed his deck and looked at it for a bit as recent memories came to him.

(Quick replay)

"Looks like you still have a lot to learn." said Shining Armor as he looked at his opponent as he was disappointed. "Word of advice kid, know when you're in over your head, cause if you don't then you'll get severely hurt. Now I sacrifice my 3 Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" Shining Armor's monsters then turned into energies as their spirits were being used as the card that Shining Armor had drawn was now being held high as the power was being seeped into it. "I now summon Obelisk the Tormentor! Now, finish off the kid, with your Fist of Fury!!" said Shining Armor as he had his hand out. Obelisk then raised his fist as it was surrounded by a powerful force and then it thrusted his hand out as it made contact with Jason who was thrown onto his back as he felt the attack of the god card.

(Memory Change)

"Word of advice for you and the rest of them. Never start something you can't finish." said Isaac. "I didn't ask for this challenge, but I'm sure as hell gonna end this and give you all a proper lesson... This duel is already over!" said Isaac. "Time to end this little façade." Isaac then showed his entire hand to Jason as his eyes widen in fear.

"No. No! NO!!!!" shouted Jason as he fell down.

"This can't be!" said Jason as he was starting to back away slowly as all his monsters were now cowering in fear.

"I put this red X on my chest because I know I am the target. So a little piece of advice to whoever wants to come at me next and to everybody reading this right now, remember one thing. They stop manufacturing the cloth that I'm cut from!!" shouted Isaac.

(End of Memory)

"Grr. They both made a fool of me." gritted Jason as he clutched his deck.

"How could he say stuff like that to me?!" asked Jason. "My cards are some of the most powerful to ever be used in the dueling committee and the pro scene. Thousands of people have similar decks to mine, where they have supped up and powerful cards. So why doesn't Isaac see that?" Jason then looked over his cards as he was trying to figure out the answer. "Whatever. I need to get going." said Jason as he slammed his locker shut and made his way to his destination.

It didn't take long as soon he found himself standing out of the door as he looked at the sign in front of him. "Well, this is the place. Though given how she introduced herself when Isaac assigned her as my tutor; I should have guessed that this would be her hangout." Jason then put his hand on the handle as he opened the door and walked into the library. It didn't take long as he soon found the table Twilight was at as she had apparently fallen asleep while panicking over be prepared. Jason just rolled his eyes and saw the collection of neatly organized pencils as he got an idea. He then reached over and moved one slightly out of place.

"Ahh!" yelped Twilight as that was enough to wake her up.

"Oh my god, that shit worked." said Jason as he was surprised that his idea worked. He then took a seat across from Twilight.

"Oh, you're here." said Twilight as she put her glasses on and put the pencil back in its proper place. "How long..."

"Just arrived." said Jason.

"I see. Well then, I guess you're ready to start." asked Twilight.

"Ehh." said Jason as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Okay, now pull out your worksheets." suggested Twilight.

Unlike the other girls, Twilight took her lesson to heart, as she always had Jason writing a short essay on several topics about Duel Monsters. Which usually ranged from different types of cards, to the different summoning methods, to even describing what a card does. Safe to say that Twilight took the role of teacher literally as she gave Jason assignments and provided a grade on each of them. Isaac knew what his girlfriend was doing, but given that everytime he tried to convince her that she didn't need to do this, she just ignored him and went about her own business. In the end, Isaac just gave up on trying to change Twilight's ways of teaching. He only hoped that she could be able to get her student to learn something.

"Can I just say something?" asked Jason as he pulled out his 3 page essay on the history of spell cards.

"You can ask me anything you want? That's what a good tutor does, right?" said Twilight with the biggest smile she could muster as her left eye twitched.

"Right. At least the ones who aren't insane." stated Jason as that last part he said to himself. "So, you're Isaac's girl?"

"Well, that's not the word I'd use, but yes." said Twilight.

"So, how did you end up with him?"

"Well, that is a story in itself. To be honest, we first met in a duel."

"Figures." said Jason as he rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, well at the time we were rivals due to a school competition that was around the corner."

"I think I remember hearing something like that at orientation. Something called the Friendship Cup?"

"Friendship Games, actually." corrected Twilight. "It was Crystal Prep taking on Canterlot High in a school rivalry of sorts. Anyways, I was currently a student at CPA and had been selected to compete, against my will."

"Let me guess, Isaac and the others were your enemies?" stated Jason.

"Enemy is strong word, but... yeah. CPA wanted to destroy CHS to show their dominance. So me and the others all spent weeks studying their past footage, collecting data, even running drills/scenarios with our practice bots that used their decks."

"If that was the case, then you and your team swept CHS clean?" asked Jason.

"That was far from the case. Turns out Isaac had a plan of his own, he simply added and fine tuned each of the girls' decks and they managed to take us by surprise. Moreso that they tied and eventually won the competition."

"Woah, woah. Hold up. He just added cards to their decks and that was enough to throw you and the rest of CPA in disorder. Kinda pathetic really." stated Jason.

"What do you mean, pathetic?" asked Twilight.

"How does one card or just adding something to a deck have that much significance? It's doesn't make sense, if you all studied their decks then surely you would have noticed any changes they could have potentially made. And yet, Isaac just magically adds cards and that's enough to throw you off your game." stated Jason. "That's the dumbest reason to lose."

"How would you know? Enlighten me." demanded Twilight.

"Simple. A deck is made up of cards that are fitted to certain archetype. Take for example, a Burning Abyss deck. They have specific cards that make it function, there's no room to add other hodgepodge cards. It'd be weird if you suddenly threw in something like a Phantom Knight cards, cause it wouldn't work. As far as I'm concerned, a deck has to be strict in what it's required to use, not just a mix of other cards that don't match it's playstyle. Nor should you include cards that just catch your attention, you need to stick within the confines of what your deck is made to do. Like mine." said Jason as he put it on the table. "It's mostly has Blue-Eyes cards, with a bit of Kaijus, but overall they high powerful monsters that I can call upon with ease. It makes no sense if I suddenly decided to add something like Solemn Judgement or something that hinders my performance." stated Jason.

"Then I wonder how Isaac beat you? Since his deck is full of mixed cards." stated Twilight.

"Yeah, that's not true. He relies too much on his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. And his overall theme of his deck is spellcasters." informed Jason.

"Then you didn't pay attention when he embarrassed you all in that gauntlet match. See, my boyfriend isn't a one trick pony. He's always constantly changing the cards in his deck and allowing different types of monsters to shine. Sure he uses some repetitive cards, but he works off of that and builds on it to improve new ways to duel." said Twilight as she put her hand on the desk. "He's shown that not everything has to be black and white, it can be filled with a plethora of colors. I used to think the same way, that a deck should only be made to fit a certain function. But Isaac showed me that a deck doesn't have to be mechanical, cause if that's all its for, then you lose the idea of having fun."

"Mechanical? Fun? A deck is suppose to help you win. And my cards say that I can win. They are powerful, they are tough and they unstoppable. The only reason why I lost to both Isaac and Shining Armor is because..."

"They're that much better than you!!" interrupted Twilight as she raised her voice. Jason was taken aback by how Twilight acted as he never picture the nerdy girl to behave like this. "Listen, you can choose to ignore what I say and believe whatever ideal you want. But you better watch what you say about my brother and especially about my boyfriend!" Seems all the time Twilight had spent listening to Isaac's mic skills and his tough demeanor from growing up on the streets of Chicoltgo was now having an effect on the adorkable girl as she was now showing off her aggressive side.

"Sorry, didn't mean to make a fuss over it." apologized Jason as he wanted to avoid suffering anymore of Twilight's wrath.

"I'm sorry too." said Twilight as she shook herself as she didn't know what came over her just now. It did feel good for a while. "Look... Isaac needs us to trust one another. And to be honest, all I've been doing since you got paired up with me is doing the lessons I've assigned you. So why don't tell me a bit about yourself?" asked Twilight as she leaned back in her chair and pulled out a small notepad and a pencil.

"Where to start? I guess, it begins with my parents. Both of my parents are wrestlers. They've traveled the world honing their craft against other people. But I'm getting ahead of myself. My father was born to a small family, at a young age he wanted to pursue wrestling. So he enrolled into a small wrestling school where he began to train hard. By the age of 11 he had a bit more muscle than kids his age. Eventually, after he was done with highschool, he tried to strike out on his own in the wrestling scene instead of going to college. He wasn't the biggest fan of school and didn't want to be buried in tons of debt. Anyways, for the first few months, he did some work on the independent scene, or 'indies' as they're called." said Jason.

"Fascinating." said Twilight as she was scribbling all of this information. "Continue."

"He had a fair amount of success, nothing too big. All the money he made from his time during the indies, he was able to afford a decent car. Though he never had enough to afford a place, so often times he had to sleep in that car and eventually lived out of it. For the next few years, he kept traveling around visiting city from city, trying to find an agent that would manage him. During that time, he met some other people in the wrestling business that had 'personal' issues."

"Like?" asked Twilight.

"Drug use, abuse between loved ones, murderers." stated Jason. "Though he did his best to keep away from that type of group. Being in this kind of business, can really affect your mental and health in just a matter of moments. Continuing on, my father was in a city performing in a school gymnasium for a group of 50 people. After the show, he was approached by someone dressed in a business suit. Turns it was an agent who was looking for some talent. He had been watching my father for a quite a while and was impressed by what he saw. He said that he still had a long way to go, but there was potential. So he gave my father his business card and my father took it under consideration. Eventually, he agreed and the two of them met to discuss business."

"What happened after that?" said Twilight.

"They became partners, the man started to manage my father as his agent and promotor. It wasn't a good start in the beginning, the only thing that changed was that my father got to work with some famous and professional wrestlers, but he was paid to lose those fights. It was almost broke him that he was being forced to lose when all he wanted to do was show off his skills. One time while he was doing a house show, he met the person who he was facing as he was a well renowned superstar who belonged to a well established wrestling company. They were going over the finish of the match and as predicted, they wanted my face to eat the pin. As frustrated as my father was, he had a job to do and he would do it to the best of his ability." informed Jason. "So they had the match and my father was able to hang with his opponent despite him being a pro. However, while they were hitting each other with strikes and open palms, the person who was wrestling my father saw his ruthless aggression. And so he did something that nobody saw coming?"

"What?" asked Twilight.

"He let my dad win. After a trade of chain wrestling moves, my father hit his big finish. And then went to cover and the referee counted one... counted two... and then his hand came down for the final time as my dad was declared the winner. Everybody was in shock, especially my father and his agent. After the show, he came up to the both of them and he did the most unprecedent thing and that was shaking my father's hand and wishing him good luck." Jason had a smile on his face as he remembered when his dad told him that story. "It was the happiest moment of my dad's career. And he took those words to heart and continued to chase after his dream. And he would get it when he signed with a wrestling promotion. But the journey didn't stop there, in fact it got harder. He had to learn that this was a business and in business sometimes you have to do things that you aren't a fan of. One being is that you have to 'job' to other people who are prioritized more."

"Care to clarify?" stated Twilight.

"See wrestling is more than just some fancy moves, or seeing people sweat. It's main function is to tell a story; it's called sports entertainment, so you have to entertain the crowd you perform for and try to convey a certain message. Not to mention there are roles in wrestling?"

"Roles?"

"You know good guy, bad guy. We call them 'faces' and 'heels'."

"Go on." said Twilight as she was writing this down.

"As you know, wrestling is primarily a battle between good vs evil; however, it doesn't end as predictable as you think. Sometimes the bad guy wins the feud and is acknowledged as the better man; the idea is to make what you see as real as it can get. So even though the hero is suppose to win, sometimes they just come up short and that's just life, which is true. Other times he becomes the underdog and he fights with all he's got and through everything that's thrown his way he survives and still comes out on top. Again that's a real-life scenario, but not as common in reality. The key thing is to tell a story." stated Jason. "Which I guess dueling and Duel Monsters do the same thing."

"What kind of story?"

"Real anything. Good v. Evil, friend vs friend, betrayal between partners, love triangle, etc... Things that happen in real life that you can connect with." said Jason. "Anyways, for the first 2 years, my father was given the role of 'jobber' which is essentially means he has to make others look good by losing. There are roles you need to follow in this business, and my father was given the lowest one. But still it paid good money and he was able to afford a house and upgrade his car. Eventually, while he was working a match, he got paired with the person who was the world champion of the company at the time. Surprisingly it was the same person who he had met all those years ago during the house show event. Like before they had barn burner match, he even allowed my father to shine and show off his moves as he chose to eat the strikes and moves. But they still had to follow a script and unlike last time, my father had to lose."

"What next?" asked Twilight.

"Well, both of them shook hands in front of the crowd as they cheered them for putting on a classic. They made it backstage to guerrilla where the champion got to talking with the owner. Safe to say he was less than pleased that his star champion had gone offscript and allowed my father to show off his moves. My father was nearby and knew that they were talking about him; but he knew it wasn't his place to interrupt so he just sat in silence and overheard the conversation." stated Jason. "The owner was pissed by what he saw as he asked the champ what the hell he was doing. He just responded by saying, 'We need future stars. And if you can't see talent in front, then you're missing out on some serious potential.' After that he walked off and the owner looked at my father with a scowl. It wasn't pleasant, but it was the start of my father finally getting his push. The following matches after that, he was put with other superstars that were considered 'main event' caliber. And each match he had he got better and slowly started to gain the owner's attention. Soon he was booked into several feuds and began to win them until finally he got a shot to compete for the world title. And it was none other than the same person who had helped him, and so their finally blowoff match, my father beat him clean and became champion. They both showed sportsmanship and were given a standing ovation."

"He must have been proud." said Twilight.

"He was, but he soon would be happier cause he would soon meet my mother. She was one of the new referees that had been hired by the company my dad worked for. One time while backstage, she was being hit on by another performer. She didn't want anything to do with him, but he wouldn't take no for an answer. So my father came to her rescue and told him to back off, especially cause he was the world champion which nobody wanted to tussle with him. Soon they got to talking and well, they eventually got to know each other. The easy part was that since they worked in the same business, they didn't have to worry about picking spots to go on dates since the company was always traveling from city to city. During sessions, my mother would always observe my father running through his drills with his trainer and agent. Eventually, he saw how committed she was and asked if she had dreams on becoming a wrestler. My mother didn't reply at first, so my dad offered to show her some techniques. So when he executed a wrestling hold on her, she counter beautifully and took down with my father with ease and put him in the hold. Safe to say that my father was now both impressed and scared by my mother." chuckled Jason.

"So they trained together and eventually, my father convinced the owner to give my mother a trial match for the women's division of the company. He granted him his request and when the time came, she knocked it out of the park. Even my father admitted that she did better than he did in his debut match. Soon both of them climbed the ranks of the wrestling ladder as a couple. Then something magically happened, the night my mother was main eventing the card, she was also competing for the women's title. It was a struggle but she won and then my father rushed the ring and in front of the thousands of fans, got down on a knee and proposed to her. It was like a fairytale ending, and the two got engaged. Then, I was born."

"And how did that change things?" asked Twilight.

"Well, as wrestlers, they had a commitment to their jobs. They had their material leave, but once my mother was cleared to return to the ring, they knew they couldn't abandon their son by not being there for most of the time. So they made the decision to bring me to work, and so I grew up in this business as I watched my parents do the thing they loved the most. Eventually, the traveling got too much for them as their bodies were starting to take a toll on them, and so they each a farewell match as they put over a younger talent. Since then, we settled down and my parents are sometimes called back to make an appearance or do a one off match every so often. But growing up and traveling meant that I had to move from place to place and I could never get a proper education. So that's one of the reason why I'm here at CHS, to get the education that I missed out on." said Jason.

"Look, my life may not be like yours. And I'm not in the position to judge your childhood, but I can understand where you're coming from." said Twilight. "So, I promise to do all that I can to give you the proper education that you deserve."

"Okay." said Jason.

"Now then, let's have our duel." said Twilight as she flipped another page of her notepad and wrote down their life totals.

Twilight's Life Points: 4000-

Jason's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"I'll start things off," said Twilight as she drew her cards, "I'll start by summoning my Amores of Prophecy(600/2000) in defense mode. Then I activate the effect of my Amores of Prophecy, so by revealing a 'Spellbook' in my hand, I can special summon 1 Level 4 or lower spellcaster-type monster from my hand. So I reveal my Spellbook of Fate so that I can summon my Apple Magician Girl(1200/800)." said Twilight as she had two of her monsters on the field. "With that I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Jason

"Then it's my turn, so here goes." shouted Jason as he picked up his card. That facedown that Twilight put is obviously the card she showed me when she activated her monster's effect. So I'm too worried, plus I've got powerful cards that will render it useless. Question is: which one should I play?

Just keep thinking like that, Jason. Soon you'll find out the hard way that being closed minded is going to hurt more than you expect.

"I'll start by activating the spell card, The Melody of Awakening Dragon. So I discard a card from my hand so that I can add 2 Dragon monsters from my deck with 3000 or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points. So I'll discard my Return of the Dragon Lords so that I can 2 copies of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to my hand." said Jason as he placed his spell in the discard pile while he grabbed his deck and added his monsters to his hand as he shuffled his deck.

"Hmm." said Twilight.

"Something up?" asked Jason.

"No, continue with your move." stated Twilight. She knew why Isaac assigned Jason as her mentee due to the fact she had lots of experience facing Blue-Eyes from her duels with her brother.

"In that case, I'll reveal the Blue-Eyes in my hand so that I can summon Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon(3000/2500) to the field. Then I'll play the spell Polymerization so that I can fuse together the 2 Blue-Eyes in my hand so that I can fusion summon Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon(3000/2500)." said Jason as he placed both of his monsters in the graveyard and replaced them with another monster from his Extra Deck. "My monster's ability allows it to make 2 attack during the Battle Phase. So I'll now clear your field by taking out your Amores of Prophecy. Then I'll take out your Apple Magician Girl."

"My Amores is destroyed, but my Apple Magician Girl isn't." said Twilight with an anime smile as her glasses were now blank white. "Cause since you attacked her, you activated her special ability, which means I can now summon 1 Level 5 or lower spellcaster from my hand and then your dragon has to target it. So I special summon my Kiwi Magician Girl(1800/1200)." said Twilight as she summoned her new monster on her field.

"Not like it changes anything, it's still weaker." scoffed Jason.

"Perhaps I should have instructed you on your reading. Cause my Apple Magician Girl's effect makes so that you target my new monster, but she cuts your monster's attack points in half. Which means your Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon loses 1500 attack points making it weaker than my magician." said Twilight with a smile on her face.
Jason's Life Points: 3700-

"No way! How could my dragon lose against a card like that? It's powerful." exclaimed Jason.

"Like Isaac said, having 'meta' cards doesn't mean shit." stated Twilight with a scowl on her face. "Though that does mean my Kiwi Magician Girl is banished."

"In that case, I'll end my turn." Twilight got lucky, I won't make that same mistake again.

Turn 3: Twilight

"My turn, so I play my Spellbook of Knowledge. I send my Spellbook of Life to the graveyard so that I can draw 2 cards." Twilight then grabbed her card and put it in the discard pile as she picked up the top cards of her deck. "Next I'll summon my Charioteer of Prophecy(1800/1300) in defense mode. Then I activate his ability, so I discard a 'Spellbook' so that I can add a spellcaster back to my hand." Twilight then sent her Spellbook of Master in the discard pile as she added her Amores of Prophecy back to her hand. "Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Jason

"Back to me." said Jason as he drew his card. I know what Twilight is doing, she's hoping that I attack her Apple Magician Girl. Well, it's not going to work. "To start, I'll play the spell Raigeki so that I can destroy all the monsters you have on the field."

"In response, I'll activate my Spellbook of Wisdom and apply its power to my Apple Magician Girl. Now she can't be targeted by spells." said Twilight as she managed to save her monster from destruction as she still had one monster on the field.

"Grr. In that case, I'll play De-fusion to split my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst back into two Blue- Eyes White Dragons." said Jason as he sent his monster away and grabbed from his discard pile the two monsters. "Now I play The White Stone of Ancients(600/500). Now I tune my Level 1 White Stone of Ancients with my Level 8 Blue-Eyes White Dragon in order to synchro summon Azure Eyes Silver Dragon(2500/3000) in defense mode. Since I synchro summoned it, you can't target my dragons with card effects till the end of the next turn nor can it be destroyed." stated Jason. "So your little trick isn't going to work this time. So Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon take our her Apple Magician Girl."
Twilight's Life Points: 1200-

"Well, you're nearly beat. So I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Twilight

"My turn, so I play Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. Then I now activate my other facedown, Hidden Spellbook. So now I can add the 2 spell cards in my graveyard back to my deck." said Twilight as she placed her monster in the discard pile and then grabbed her chosen spells as she reshuffled her deck. "I now play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add a 'Spellbook' to my hand. And I choose this one, Spellbook of Power." said Twilight as she grabbed her card and then began to shuffle her deck once more. "Now I'll play the field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower and then place a monster in defense mode."

Turn 6: Jason

"Looks like you have nothing, just I expected, when you have powerful cards like mines. You're guaranteed to win. Watch." said Jason as he picked up his card. "Now I'll have my Alternative White Dragon take out your facedown monster."

"My facedown monster was Apprentice Magician and when it's destroyed, I can special summon another one to take its place." said Twilight as she grabbed her deck and placed another copy of her monster in defense mode.

"It makes no difference, my second Blue-Eyes can still attack and it will do just that." said Jason as he took out Twilight's monster.

"Just like before, I'll replace it with my third one." said Twilight as she summoned her third Apprentice Magician as she shuffled her deck.

"I end my turn."

Turn 7: Twilight

"My turn, first the effect of my field spell activates. During my Standby Phase, since I control a spellcaster, I can return a 'Spellbook' from my graveyard to the bottom of my deck and draw a card." Twilight then grabbed her Spellbook of Secrets and placed it on the bottom of her deck as she picked up a card. "Then I draw a card for my turn. Just what I needed to finish this duel, now I play Spellbook of Nullification. With this, you can't activate any spells/traps till the end of my turn."

"What? Fine, you still can't take down my dragons." said Jason.

"Wanna bet, cause now I play my Oracle Scroll." said Twilight as she played a spell that had a picture of a scroll and a quill. Now the first thing is that for every spell currently in my graveyard, my Oracle Scroll gains a spell counter. So right now I have 4 counters, then I'll flip over my Apprentice Magician which allows me to add another spell counter thanks to its effect. So now my Oracle Scroll has 5 counters." stated Twilight.

"So what's the point?" asked Jason.

"Let enlighten you, one thing that my Oracle Scroll allows me to do is that depending on how many counters it currently has, I can summon a spellcaster from my deck whose level matches that number once per turn. So I can summon my Emperor of Prophecy(2300/2000)." said Twilight as she grabbed her deck and summoned her monster. "Now I activate its effect, so I banish my Apprentice Magician and 1 'Spellbook' from my graveyard so that I can take control of one of your monsters till the end of the turn. So I choose your Blue-Eyes White Dragon." said Twilight as Jason handed his monster to Twilight.

"Even with my dragon under your influence, there's no way you'll deal me enough damage."

"Now my Oracle Scroll has multiple effects that I can activate with its counters, like this one. I remove 3 spell counters to destroy all the monsters you control on the field."

"Wait, what?" stated Jason as he was surprised by how Twilight was able to wipe his field.

"Now since I used Emperor of Prophecy's effect, I can't attack with him. But I have a way around that, cause I now activate another effect of my Oracle Scroll. So I remove the last 2 counters so that I can draw a card. And I think you know where this goes." smiled Twilight.

"Yeah, you'll draw a card and if its a monster you'll summon it and then take out my life points using it and my dragon." said Jason.

"Indeed, now then." Twilight drew her card. "I drew Fool of Prophecy(1600/900). So this is game." said Twilight as she didn't even bother calling her attack.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Twilight

"Man." said Jason as he threw his cards on the table. "How did you beat me? I had an unstoppable force! My cards were about to crush you."

"Like I've been telling you, powerful cards don't guarantee you a win. Your deck is fine and strong, but that alone won't get you far in life. If you're serious about being a top duelist, then you need to rethink about your mindset. Cause if not, then the same thing will happen again. Isaac and Shining Armor are going to embarrass you to the point that it will make you quit Duel Monsters. Believe me, I know." spoke Twilight in a soft tone as she had a similar experience growing up and having to face her big brother. Everytime she felt like she had him figured out, he would always respond with his Blue-Eyes that would be able to put away Twilight with ease that sometimes she cried at times.

"I... I... see. I'll... think about what you said." said Jason.

"Sorry." said Twilight as she hadn't realized that she had been shedding some tears. "Anyways, we're done. Go home and practice before Friday."

"You got it, Ms. Sparkle." replied Jason as he gathered his stuff and exited out of the library.

"I should probably head out too, Isaac and Sunset are waiting for me." said Twilight as she grabbed her backpack and started to head home. She quickly looked at her deck as a thought occurred. Shining Armor may have bullied me growing up with his pet, but at least I get my revenge through Isaac. She arrived at the house as Isaac and Sunset were at the dinner table as they had their Chemistry stuff out and were studying.

"You're finally here." said Isaac as he saw Twilight.

"You guys started without me." said Twilight as she took a seat at the table and took out her notes.

"We just started." said Sunset. "So how'd your session go?"

"I think I was able to get the message across." said Twilight.

"Hey, that's all I ask." said Isaac as he had walked into the kitchen and brought out a bowl of chips. "Care for a quick snack? Applejack is having dinner with her family, Fluttershy and Rainbow won't be back till later tonight. Which means Pinkie is going to be the one who's in the kitchen."

"Just hope it doesn't explode like last time." said Twilight as she grabbed a chip.

"Tell me about it, I nearly lost my shit when that happened." said Isaac as he was less than pleased by what his little sister did.

"Putting that aside, are we all ready for the tournament?" asked Sunset as she munched on a chip.

"Luna and Celestia have overlooked the finalization and we're good to go." said Isaac as he sat back down. "Though I'm saying right now, whoever wins better rest up. Cause the real challenge is going to be that much harder."

"Well, I got 10 pet treats riding on Twilight to win the tournament." said Spike as he made his presence known as he was accompanied by Tigre as both of them were walking down the stairs.

"Meow." responded Tigre.

"Twenty?" shouted Spike.

"Meow."

"Of course, I'm not scared. Ugh... fine. Deal." said Spike as he shook paws with Tigre. He was hoping that he wouldn't live to regret his decision.

Isaac and the girls just laughed. It seemed that nearly everybody was ready for the tournament on Friday. And it came sooner than expected as the event was upon them. In which one person would earn the right and challenge Isaac at the Fall Formal in a few weeks to battle for the title of Canterlot High Duel Champion.

Author's Note

Well, that was the last prep chapter between the students and the tutors before the actually tournament begins. So the question now is: who's going to win? Well, I know the answer to that since I'm the one writing it; in fact by the time you're reading this, I'll be finishing up the last duel of the tournament. But still, it's fun to pick someone and see if your guess is right. So get your bets in people, also for those of you living in the US, want to wish a quick Happy 4th of July.

Chapter 141: Opening Round

The days flew by as both the girls and the students were hard at work practicing and preparing for the tournament. Soon it was the night before Friday as everybody was fast asleep. All the girls had went to bed as tomorrow the entire school day would be dedicated to the first rounds, so the whole school was grateful that because of the tournament, there would be no school. However, everybody was expected to follow the school rules or risk getting in trouble with Vice-principal Luna. The duels would be taking place out in the fields where the Friendship Games were held as Celestia and Luna had spent the past days setting everything up and checking with the teams and engineers making sure that everything worked.

Meanwhile there was one individual who was still awake. Isaac was currently in the living room as he had a small lamp turned on that allow a minimum light so that he wouldn't wake up the girls on the bottom floor. Isaac had his deck and cards scattered in front of him as he sat on the couch in a thinking position as he had his eyes closed. He then lifted his head and saw his magician cards as they were in front of him.

"It's about time." said Isaac.

All the time, all the money he spent, everything that the girls had been doing with the students up to this point was about to be on full display. Granted the kids had only been studying under the girls for just about a month or so, but to Isaac that was enough to see just who was taking this seriously and who he would be cut from the program if it came to that decision. Nevertheless, it wasn't just the students that were getting evaluated, but also the girls. Isaac had faith that they could teach them, but he had to prepare for the worst. Regardless, Isaac would be critiquing everybody as it was his duty as headmaster and founder of this little experiment. He then looked at his watch and saw that it was about 3 in the morning as the sun would soon be up in about 2 hours or so.

"Well, best get some sleep. I've got so much left to finish and not a lot of time left." said Isaac as he knew his future was fast approaching as well as his destiny. He then turned off the lamp and grabbed his cards as he quietly made his upstairs to not disturb the others sleeping as he entered his room.

The morning rose as everybody at school was excited for the tournament that was about to start. The girls all had awoken as they let out a yawn. They each got ready as they changed into their clothes and all exited out of their rooms at the same time. At that moment, a smell came from the kitchen as the girls all followed it and were welcomed to the sight of a feast of breakfast foods. It took all the girls combined to keep Pinkie from wolfing it down right then and there, as she couldn't contain herself. There was even a note that was left on the plate of waffles as Applejack picked it up and read it aloud for the others. It was from Isaac who said that he had to leave very early for school to go over some last minute things and that he had some business to take care of before the tournament started. So he made the girls breakfast so they could feel energized since they had a big day. The girls were upset that Isaac wouldn't join them on such a momentous occasion, but nevertheless they sat down to enjoy the hard work that Isaac put in creating them breakfast.

"Alright. Is there anything else?" asked Isaac as he was the on the phone.

"Isaac? Are you ready?" asked Luna who knocked on the door and peaked her head in.

"Just about Luna." responded Isaac. Luna nodded as she closed the door and let Isaac continue with his call.

"Anyways, so... you won't know when you'll be available?"

"That's right. Sorry, bud." said the person on the other end of the call. "Anyways, I heard what you're doing. Starting that program, I only wish the best for you. Especially one you graduate and are on your way to becoming a pro."

"I appreciate it, man. My only concern is, do I have enough time to finish what I need to do here at CHS before I leave? It feels like it's slipping away." said Isaac.

"Look, focus on this tournament. And don't worry too much about how time you have left. Enjoy your last year, cause it'll be over before you know it. Trust me."

"I'll try. And hey, thanks. Take care, bud."

"See ya, Isaac." said the person as the call ended.

"I guess he's right. Still I can't help but not think of the future." said Isaac as he looked at his phone. "Well, he said I should focus on this tournament. Better get to it." Isaac then grabbed his tablet device on the table and strapped it to his arm as it extended to become his duel disk.

Everybody had gathered out on the field as they were taking their seats in the stands as they prepared for a full day of dueling. The girls all arrived together and took in the sight before them as their fellow classmates were cheering them, the entire field was rigged up to look like the Friendship Games as there was tons of screens and cameras that would be broadcasting the duels.

"Woah. Didn't expect this level of investment?" said Lucky Star as she took in the sight of the field in front of her.

"When Isaac says he goes big, he goes big." said Bryant as he was amazed by how many people would be watching their duels.

"There you guys are." said Isaac as he approached the group. "So, what do you think?"

"To be honest, I didn't know what to expect." said Shadow.

"Though, this many people are going to be watching?" asked Penny.

"Yup, and they'll be broadcasting it too. I told you this is going to be the first big experience you all have. Oh, and I have something for you all." said Isaac as he pulled out somethings from behind back.

Isaac then presented the group with a present of sorts. In his hands were rectangular devices that were similar to what he and the rest of the girls had.

“Duel disk online.” said the mechanical voices.

"You're kidding?" said Jason as he received one of the devices.

"Is this..." started Amber.

"Put your decks in." said Isaac as they all did what he said and slotted in their decks.

The mechanical voice from the disks droned to life as the disk lit up. The students' deck shuffled themselves as the touchscreen projected holograms into the air, a ring of the cards in their decks rotated in front of them. On the front end of the disk, the holographic emitter slid open and projected a field of hard light energy around it, forming a curved card tray light. Each student had their own color: Shadow had a dark blue card tray, Amber had an amber color tray to match her name, Penny received a black card tray, Bryant going with burgundy color, Lucky Star's card tray consisted of emerald light, Jack was given a bright purple card tray, and Jason was given a white color tray.

"So, how do you like them?" asked Isaac.

"I'm in love with it." said Jack.

"Good, cause from this point on. They're yours; you've earned it. Now, can you keep them? I gave this to you all as gift, but it didn't come cheap. You have to show me why you deserve these duel disks and if you don't show the proper respect or slack off, then I'll gladly take them away from you. Am I understood!" shouted Isaac.

"Yes, sir." responded the students.

"Good, now get ready. We'll start soon." said Isaac as he left the group as he made his way to the girls.

"So, you guys ready to show these newbies what we can do?" asked Rainbow Dash with a boastful tone.

"That's assuming they don't embarrass you. Though you might be an easy one, Dash." said Isaac as he appeared in front of his friends.

"Screw you, Isaac." shouted Rainbow.

"You know you want to." responded Isaac with a remark that cause Rainbow to turn her head as she was blushing from Isaac's comment. Isaac and the others just let out a laugh at Rainbow's behavior.

"Now that we've had our daily laugh, are the kids ready?" asked Sunset.

"Yup, even gave them their new duel disks. Now they can go toe to toe with you girls. Now the time has come, but first we need to take of something. Since both groups are made up of 7 people, in total there are 14 people competing. So the way the brackets were going to be structured, it means 2 people will get a bye into the next round. So to be fair, I'm going to give one to each of the group." said Isaac.

"Easy, not that I need the help. But I'll take it." said Rainbow.

"You ain't getting shit!" shouted Isaac. "I'm being fair in who gets the bye into the next round. Plus, I never pegged you to be chicken in turning down a duel."

"I hate you, you know!" said Rainbow as she got up in Isaac's face.

"But you love me still." said Isaac as he smirked and snuck a quick peck on her cheek as Rainbow turned even more red. "Now then, Applejack. Your hat."

"Sure thing, sugar." Applejack then took her hat off of her head as she gave it to Isaac.

"At least it doesn't smell bad as the one time we had to use your boot to draw names." said Isaac.

"You mean my 'lucky boot'." said Applejack as she wiggled her eyebrows at Isaac.

"Trust me, I can still smell it." Isaac then got that thought out of his mind as she placed some straws into the hat and gave it a good shuffling. "Now whoever draws the short end is the one who gets the bye." Isaac then put the hat in front of the girls as they all reached into the hat and pulled out their straws. They each then began to show their pick as the person who had drawn the short straw was Twilight. "Alright, looks like Twilight is the lucky one."

"Favoritism." said Rainbow as she was pissed.

"What was that, Dash!!!" shouted Isaac as he overheard that remark.

"Nothing!" said Rainbow as she put on a fake smile while clenching her fists.

Isaac then gave Applejack her hat back as he told them to meet in the center of the field as he went to do the same thing with the students. From that group, it seemed that Penny was the one who would receive the bye. Soon they all too joined the rest of their tutors in the middle of the field as they looked in front of them as both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had gathered in front of them as they stood on the podium with a microphone.

"Greetings, everybody. I hope you all have a wonderful time. Today, we shall see some epic duels that are sure to catch your attention." said Celestia to which the crowd cheered at her remark.

"To those that stand before us, know that this is an honor to compete. And remember what each of you is fighting for, to not only become the winner of this tournament. But the victor shall challenge Canterlot High's duel champion at the upcoming Fall Formal in just under a few weeks." stated Luna. "So I advise that you give it your all and leave everything you have on the battlefield. Now give a warm welcome to the current champion of CHS, the person responsible for this tournament to happen in the first place. None other than... Isaac!!!" shouted Luna.

Luna was pointing to the sidelines as there was a podium that was set up with a throne chair on top of it. A spotlight was then shined down as it revealed Isaac standing there with his hand in his pocket as he dueling arm was raised. His duel disk projected his card tray and he had a smile on his face.

"Know that you all have been selected for a reason. To show everybody here what you already know, that you're a duelist. But are you truly worthy of holding that name? Well, that remains to be seen. Cause to whoever wins this, know that the battle has only just ended and the war that awaits you will be like no other." said Isaac. "Now let the tournament... begin!!" shouted Isaac as the crowd cheered and a couple of fireworks and pyro went off to signal the start of the event.

"Now as you know, given the number of participants, we've had to change some matchups. So the two people who have been chosen at random to receive a bye into the next round are Twilight and Penny. So that leaves 12 competitors to fight for a spot in the quarterfinal rounds. So now let's find out who will be facing off in the opening round." Isaac then pointed to the screen behind him as the portraits of the remaining 12 duelist appeared and they began to flash quickly as the computer was generating the participants to determine the matchup. Soon it slowly down as two portraits were selected.

"Well, now. This is unexpected." said Isaac. "The first duel shall consist of Shadow Moonrise and he'll be taking on... Sunset Shimmer!"

Everybody was shocked to see the pair that would kick off the tournament. Soon Isaac told everyone to get of the field as the duelists that were selected had 2 minutes to prep and get ready before their match. The girls and the students wished both Shadow and Sunset the best of luck as they made their way to the field. Shadow on took his position as he faced Sunset, they both quickly looked in the direction of Isaac as he sat down on his throne.

"Hurry up, cat!" shouted Spike. "They're about to start!"

"Meow!" stated Tigre as she hurried over to the living room area and jumped on the couch next to her friend as both had several pet snacks all laid out as they prepared to watch the tournament. "Meow."

"Don't worry, I'm putting up the volume." said Spike as he used his paw to put some more sound on the TV.

"Well, good luck Shadow." said Sunset as she extended her hand to the boy.

"Same to you." responded Shadow as he shook her hand.

Both of them then began to take their positions as they slotted in their duel disks as it began to come online. Sunset's duel disk projected a red card tray while Shadow's projected a dark blue. Soon their decks were done shuffling as they drew their cards.

"Now... begin!!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

"Interesting. Shadow who uses his Raidraptors and Sunset who relies on her Red-Eyes deck. Truly something that nobody saw coming, especially to open up the tourney." said Isaac to himself.

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll start things off." said Sunset as she drew her card. "I'll summon my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in attack mode. Then I'll end my turn with a facedown. Your move."

Turn 2: Shadow

"Right, here goes." said Shadow as he drew his card and soon all the new functions of his duel disks were active as it showed him some valuable and useful information. "Woah, hi-tech stuff. Now I get why everybody here has these duel disk, they're awesome."

"Hey, you done making with out with your duel disk or what?" said Sunset with a bit of sass.

Sunset's right, gotta focus. Especially with someone like her, she's a tough duelist. So if I want to beat her, I gotta step up my game. "Alright, to start I summon Raidraptor Vanishing Lanius(1300/1600) in defense mode. Then the effect of my Vanishing Lanius activates, which means I can summon another Vanishing Lanius from my hand. By why stop at two when I can have a third Raidraptor, cause since I control a 'Raidraptor', Fuzzy Lanius(500/1500) I can also summon it in defense mode!" said Shadow as he had two more birds appear on his field as they let out a cry.

"Already have 3 monsters on the field? Then I better get ready." said Sunset.

"Now I overlay my 2 Raidraptor Vanishing Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's monsters then transformed into orbs of light as a portal in the ground opened up. The orbs then combined together and entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 3) in defense mode!" Out came a huge bird that had a mechanical look as it let out a piercing screech that caused most of the people in attendance to cover their ears.

"Not bad." said Sunset as she looked at the big bird that was staring at her. "Still, your monster only has 100 attack points."

"Don't be fooled by my raptor's attack points. Now then I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn." (Hand 2)

Turn 3: Sunset

"My turn, stand back." said Sunset as she drew her card. Something's up, why would he summon a monster that only has 100 attack points.

Well, Sunset. How you gonna deal with that Rise Falcon? Isaac placed his hand under his chin as he wanted to see if Sunset could handle Shadow's monster.

"To start, I'll play my Cards of the Red Stone so now I send a Level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand and one from my deck so that I can draw 2 cards." Sunset then sent her Red-Eyes Alternative Dragon from her hand to the grave as she used her duel screen to send another one from her deck to the graveyard. She then drew her cards as she added them to her hand. "Now I play the spell card, Red-Eyes Fusion so that I can fusion summon using monsters in my deck."

"Did you say fusion summon from your deck?" said Shadow as he never heard of that move before.

"So from my deck, I fuse together my Red-Eyes B. Dragon and my Summoned Skull!" Sunset's two monsters then appeared aside to their mistress as a vortex appeared behind her. Their spirits then combined together as were sucked in as a new monster was being summoned. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3500/2500)!" Sunset now had a powerful monster as it appeared with flames and lightning went off as it gave a hug cry.

"That's a big boy." said Shadow as it was his turn to stare at Sunset's monster.

"Now to feel it's power, Archfiend B. Skull Dragon attack his Raidraptor Rise Falcon." shouted Sunset. "Thanks to my monster's effect, you can't activate any cards or effects until the end of the damage step." Archfiend B. Skull Dragon then opened its mouth and shot a fireball that took out Shadow's monster. "Then my monster's other effect activates, I can now deal you damage equal to the attack points of my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Sunset's monster than unleashed a devasting attack as it was heading straight for Shadow who tried to put his arms up as he was tossed onto the grass and on his back.
Shadow's Life Points: 5600-

"Now I can shuffle my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck." said Sunset as she grabbed her card and placed it on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "With that I'll end my turn."

"Hold on... I activate my facedown... Rank-Up-Magic- Raptor's Force. Since my monster was destroyed, I can bring it back and then I can be able to Xyz Summon a monster using it that's 1 rank higher." said Shadow.

"You can do that?!" said Sunset in a calm tone.

Not bad, but you still have yet to fully learn how to use your Rank-Up cards properly, Shadow. Only time will tell. Isaac looked on from his throne as he made sure to make mental notes for later.

"So my Rise Falcon is back, but then I'll use it to Xyz Summon." Shadow's monster then appeared and was soon transformed into a single orb as a portal opened in front of him as it disappeared into it and a pillar of light emerged. "Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! I Xyz Summon, Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon(2000/2000, OLU: 1)!" Shadow now had another monster on his field as it let out cry as a single orb circled it.

"Alright, I'm impressed kid. So then show me what you got." said Sunset.

Turn 4: Shadow

"With pleasure, hot stuff. Now watch out." said Shadow as he drew his card with a determined look. "Now since I control an 'Xyz' monster, I can special summon my Raidraptor - Singing Lanius(100/1800) from my hand in defense mode. Then I summon my Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius(1700/1000) in attack mode. Next, I play the spell card, Raidraptor - Sanctuary, since I control 3 'Raidraptors', I can draw 2 cards." said Shadow as he picked up some more cards. "Now time to return the favor, I activate Stranger Falcon's special ability, by using its overlay unit, I can target one monster you control and destroy it. So your archfiend is gone."

Sunset then looked at her monster as it let out a cry as it exploded with her putting her arm up to cover herself.

"And there's more, cause now you take damage equal to your monster's attack points." said Shadow as Sunset took a major blow to her life points.
Sunset's Life Points: 4500-

"Now I'll have my Stranger Falcon attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon." said Shadow as his monster took out Sunset's monster and dealt her some more damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 3700-

"And then my Sharp Lanius will attack you directly!"

"Not gonna happen, cause when you destroyed my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon, you activated its special ability. Since it was destroyed, I can now special summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, and then I can equip my dragon to give it an extra 300 attack points. So arise, Red-Eyes B. Dragon(2400/2000)!" shouted Sunset as she summoned her signature monster as it let out a cry as her tiny dragon appeared on it shoulder as it gave it more power.

"I'll put the brakes on my attack." said Shadow as he got his monster to stop. "I may not have taken out your monster, but I can do something else. I now activate my Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius' effect, since it attacked this turn, I can bring a 'Raidraptor' monster in my graveyard and I choose my Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" said Shadow as he now had another monster on his field as it rose in defense mode.

"I'll just throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Sunset

"Back to me, so stand back." said Sunset as she drew her card. "I'll now play the ritual spell card, Dark Dragon Ritual. So I send my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight to my graveyard so that I can ritual summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)!" A portal opened up in front of Sunset as a dark being emerged as it was covered in head to toe with black armor as the dragon it was on was also black as it wore dark armor. It then raised its lance high into the air as the dragon let out a cry. "Now time to strike, Paladin take out his Raidraptor Rise Falcon." shouted Sunset as her monster took flight and flew high into the sky.

"My monster has more defense points than your paladin."

"Then let introduce you to paladin's effect, it can automatically destroy a monster in defense mode." said Sunset as her monster took Shadow by surprise and his monster was destroyed. "Now I'll then have my Red-Eyes attack your Raidraptor Stranger Falcon! Inferno Fire Blast!" Sunset's dragon then heard her command as it shot out a fireball that made contact with the bird.
Shadow's Life Points: 4900-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Shadow

"My turn, and first up I'll Overlay my Level 4 Raidraptor - Singing Lanius and Sharp Lanius to construct the Overlay Network." Shadow's two birds then changed into dark orbs as a vortex opened in front of him as they were sucked in and a pillar of light emerged. "Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! I Xyz Summon! Take flight! Raidraptor - Force Strix(100/2000, OLU: 2)!" Out came a bird as it let out a screech as it soared down onto the field. "Now I activate my Force Strix's ability, by using one overlay unit that I can add a Level 4 Dark Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand." Shadow then used his duel disk as he selected the one he wanted.

"Now I summon my Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius(1000/1000) in defense mode. Then activate its special ability to deal you 600 points of damage." said Shadow as his bird opened its beak and fired a pillar of fire towards Sunset who put her arm up to protect her eyes.
Sunset's Life Points: 3100-

"You always you said were 'hot stuff'." said Shadow.

"That supposed to be your way of flirting with me. Sorry to disappoint you, but I only have eyes for one 'boy toy'." said Sunset as she looked in the direction of Isaac as she gave a quick wink.

"Whatever, now then the other effect of my Force Strix activates and it gains 500 extra attack/defense points for each other Winged Beast-type monster on the field other than itself. So now Force Strix has 2500 defense points. And I'll give it some more power thanks to my equip spell card, Raidraptor - Iron Heart to give 500 more attack points to my Force Strix." said Shadow as he ended his turn and his monster pumped up.

Turn 7: Sunset

"My draw, now time for me to take down that bird of yours. Paladin attack his Raidraptor Force Strix!" stated Sunset as her monster took flight and brought its mighty lance down on the bird. "Paladin automatically destroys your monster."

"Now I'll activate the other effect of my Raidraptor - Iron Heart. When it's sent to the graveyard, I can target 2 'Raidraptor' Xyz monsters in my graveyard and bring one of them back while the other becomes Xyz material attached to it. So arise Rise Falcon and Stranger Falcon." Shadow now had a pair of birds appear before Stranger Falcon turned into an Xyz material as it circled Rise Falcon.

"Interesting play, now then I'll have my Red-Eyes take out your Raidraptor Napalm Dragonius." said Sunset as she took out another bird. "With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown." said Sunset as a card materialized in front of her.

Turn 8: Shadow

"My turn, I draw. Now I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw 2 more cards. Then I'll switch my Rise Falcon into attack mode. Now it's time, Rise Falcon attack!" shouted Shadow as his bird soared high into the sky.

"My monsters are going to swat that pigeon out of the air!" shouted Sunset.

"Now when I activate Rise Falcon's ability, by using one overlay unit it gains the attack points of all your special summoned monsters. So now both of your monster's attack points are added to my Rise Falcon and it can attack each one of them." said Shadow as Rise Falcon's stats rose to 4700.

"4700 attack points?!" said Sunset as her eyes widen as she saw the bird getting ready to strike.

"Now Rise Falcon end this duel! Ravaging Rebellion!!!" shouted Shadow. Rise Falcon let out a screech as it ignited into flames and was covered in fire. It then flew down as the speed of gravity caused the flames to get hotter and bigger as it looked to nuke Sunset's field and finish the remaining of her life points.

"If this attack connects, then Sunset will lose the duel!" shouted Celestia as she and Luna were commentating the duel for everybody watching and in attendance. Everybody else watched on as they looked to see what would happen.

What are you going to do, Sunset? said Isaac in his mind with a calm tone.

"I activate my facedowns." said Sunset as she touched her duel screen and activated them. "First up is my Nutrient Z trap card which allows me to gain 4000 life points whenever I'm about to take 2000 points of damage."
Sunset's Life Points: 7100-

Shadow's falcon then made contact with Sunset's field as it engulfed her monsters in flames as they perished. Sunset stood her ground as she dropped to a knee but still held on.
Sunset's Life Points: 2300-

"Then I'll activate my second facedown, Return of the Red-Eyes so now my dragon back in play." said Sunset as Red-Eyes rose once more. "Now the ability of my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon activates, since it was sent to the graveyard while it was attached to another monster, I can add a Level 1 Dragon monster from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Sunset then used her screen as she looked at her deck and selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"Well, now you managed to survive that. In that case, I'll end my turn. Now my Rise Falcon's points drop to its original." said Shadow as his monster returned back to 100.
Turn 9: Sunset

"Folks that was too close for comfort." said Luna. "If Sunset hadn't activated her Nutrient Z when she did, she would have been defeated."

"But thanks to her quick thinking, Luna. Sunset was able to not only survive the attack but in the process she got a card and summoned her dragon all in one move." stated Celestia as they did their job of commentary.

"My turn, let's go." said Sunset as she drew her card. "To start, I'll play The Black Stone of Legend(0/0) and then tribute it so that I can activate its effect, so now I can special summon one Level 7 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck. So come forth, my third Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000)." shouted Sunset as she now had another one of her monsters appear. "Time to take this to the next level, I overlay both of my Level 7 dragons to build the Overlay Network!" Sunset's monsters than transformed into orbs of light as a portal opened up in front of her. They were sucked in as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon(2800/2400), OLU: 2)!" Sunset now had a meaner looking dragon as it let out a roar and landed with a thud.

"You can Xyz summon too, huh?" said Shadow as he was amazed by the monster that Sunset was able to bring out.

"Time for my dragon to strike. Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon attack his Rise Falcon. Seek and destroy your dinner!" shouted Sunset.

"I reveal my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Battle Up Force! Whenever you declare an attack, I target 1 'Xyz' monster that I can control and then I can use it to summon another monster from my Extra Deck that's 2 ranks higher." said Shadow as his falcon disappeared into an orb of light and a portal opened up in front of it as it entered in and a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 1) in defense mode!" Shadow now replaced his previous monster with an even powerful one.

"Now since I used a monster that was a lower rank than my Revolution Falcon to summon it, I can destroy one monster on your field and you take damage equal to half its attack points!"

"Think again, cause my Flare Metal Dragon has his own ability. As long as it has Xyz materials attached to it, it can't be destroyed by card effects. So your effect doesn't work. Furthermore, while my dragon has materials, it can deal you 500 points of damage everytime you activate a card or effect. So since you used your spell card and your monster's special ability, you take 1000 points of damage." stated Sunset as her dragon shot a fireball and caused Shadow to cover up. She then had her dragon stop its attack.
Shadow's Life Points: 3900-

"Nice counter." said Shadow as he didn't expect Sunset's monster to have a unique ability.

"Thanks, now I'll activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon." Sunset then grabbed a card from underneath her Xyz monster card as she slid it to the graveyard. "Now I can bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from the graveyard." Red-Eyes once again rose up as it appeared next to Sunset who bent its head down and gave her a nuzzle to which she petted his head and gave a quick kiss. "I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Shadow

"My turn, so I'll switch my monster into attack mode. Now I activate Revolution Falcon's special ability, by using its overlay unit it can attack each one of your monsters and they lose all their attack and defense points!" said Shadow as Sunset's monsters were stripped of their power.

"Keep in mind, it doesn't come without a cost." said Sunset as her dragon burned away even more points of Shadow's life points.
Shadow's Life Points: 3400-

"That's a small price, cause I'm about to win this duel!" Revolution Falcon then soared high into the sky as it ascended. "Attack, avenge those who have fallen and take out Sunset! Blitzing Bombardment!!!" shouted Shadow as his monster soared high into the sky and unlatched its compartments as tons of bombs started to rain down as it was heading towards Sunset's monsters.

"I activate my facedown, Defense Draw. Even though my monster will be destroyed, this will cut the damage down to 0 and I get to draw a card." said Sunset as her Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon was destroyed.

"You may have survived that one, but how about this one! Take out Red-Eyes, Blitzing Bombardment!!!" shouted Shadow as more bombs started to fall from the sky. Sunset then covered herself as Red-Eyes let out a cry as it was hit by the bombs.
Sunset's Life Points: 300-

The battle was over as the entire field was devastated as there was tiny holes left in the ground by Shadow's attack. Soon the smoke cleared and there was Sunset who was down to a knee, but she quickly stood up and dusted herself off as she flipped her hair to show that she was still standing. The crowd really was into it as they gave an applause, even the girls and the students couldn't help but join in at the amazing duel they were seeing. Isaac was sitting from his throne as he had a smile covered by his hand.

"You're still standing, man are you a tough girl." said Shadow.

"Like I said, it's going to take a lot more than that to keep me down. You forget who battled Isaac on multiple occasions." said Sunset.

"Yeah, which means this duel isn't over. In that case, I'll end my turn." said Shadow.

Turn 11: Sunset

"My turn, here goes." said Sunset as she drew her card. She looked at her options and knew what she had to do. "To start, I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." Once more, Sunset now had brought back her ace monster as it looked to win this duel for its mistress. "Now the stage is set, I tribute my Red-Eyes Black Dragon so that I can call upon a creature with absolute power." Soon pillars of fire started to surround Sunset as she and her dragon stood there with a determined look as the draft from the flames caused a bit of wind to blow against her as her hair fluttered in the wind. "Now make way... for Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)!!!!" shouted Sunset as she held her card up high before placed it on her duel disk as the fire around her surround her body and traveled as it reached her card and her monster emerged from the pillars as it disbursed. It let out a loud roar as everybody was in awe by what they saw.

"Oh boy." said Shadow.

"Now my dragon activate your ability, my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon now gains 300 extra attack for every dragon in my graveyard. Rollcall!!" shouted Sunset as she held her duel disk arm up high as the spirits of her dragons appeared next to her as they let out a collective roar to show their love for Sunset as their mistress. "There are currently 9 dragons in my graveyard, so my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon gains 2700 extra attack points which when added up gives him a grand total of 5100."

"5100 attack points?!" said Shadow.

"Now attack, take out Raidraptor Revolution Falcon!!" shouted Sunset as she thrusted her arm out. Her monster heard its command and it flew high into the air and opened it mouth as it charged its attack and then unleashed it as it was sent hurling towards Shadow and his monster as he was flung back.
Shadow's Life Points: 300-

"Now we're even. So I end my turn." stated Sunset.

"Sunset just delivered a devastating attack!!" shouted Luna into the microphone.

"With that last move, both duelists are now tied at 300 life points apiece. And Sunset currently has the strongest monster on the field, if Shadow doesn't do something about it. I'm afraid it's all over. I wonder what Isaac thinks about this." said Celestia as she looked over to where Isaac was sitting as he just had a straight look on his face.

Turn 12: Shadow

Shadow slowly rose to his feet as he surveyed the situation in front of him. He looked at Sunset who stood there with a smile on her face as her dragon bent down in front of her so that she could pet him as he nuzzled against its mistress. Shadow then rubbed his arm as he was a bit in pain. He then looked over at where Isaac was sitting and he saw him with a straight look on his face. Soon the memory of Isaac beating him in a duel came into his mind as he clenched his fist.

Time I earn my keep, if I want to face Isaac and pay him back for embarrassing me. Then I need to win; as mush as Pinkie annoys me, she's right. I have to trust my cards. "Here I go, draw!" shouted Shadow as he drew his card and looked at it. "Hope this works. I play the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force, so I pay half my life points so that I can bring back a 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster. Then I can use that monster to Xyz summon a monster that's 2 ranks higher from my Extra Deck. However at the end of the turn, I'll take damage equal to that monster's attack points." said Shadow as this move would decided everything.
Shadow's Life Points: 150-

"Here we go, I bring back my Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon. Then I'll use it to Xyz Summon!" Shadow's monster then turned into an orb of light as a portal opened up in front of him as it disappeared and a pillar of light emerged. "Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Go, Rank Up Xyz Evolution! You're clear for take-off! Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon(3000/2000, OLU: 1)!" Shadow now had his own monster as it looked to go toe to toe with Sunset's mighty dragon.

"And Shadow responds with his own monster!!" shouted Luna as everybody looked on with interest.

"I activate Satellite Cannon Falcon's ability, by using one overlay unit, I can lower your monster by 800 points for every 'Raidraptor' in my graveyard!" shouted Shadow. Soon out from his duel disk came the spirits of his fallen birds as they soared around him and infused into Satellite Cannon Falcon as it gave a loud screech. "There are currently 10 'Raidraptors' in my graveyard, so Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon loses all of it attack points!"

"No!!!" said Sunset as she watched her mighty dragon be stripped away of all its power.

"Now to end this, attack Sunset directly!!" Shadow's monster then flew high into the air so much so that it left the atmosphere and entered into space then it looked down and locked onto it target. Soon it unfurled its wings even more as it produced the symbol on its back as it unloaded it weapons and pointed them. "Go, Vengeful Vengeance!!!!" shouted Shadow as his monster raced down with so much speed and power as it fired off its cannons and Sunset's dragon was helpless against it, even Sunset tried to protect herself but it was too much as she was tossed onto her back.

"Ahh!" said Sunset as she was flung onto the grass.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Shadow

"And ladies and gentleman the duel is over!" said Celestia. "The winner of the first round and will be moving on is... Shadow Moonrise!!"

The crowd just applauded as they showed their love and respect for Shadow in being named the winner. Shadow was most surprised as he didn't expect to actually win the duel given that his opponent was Sunset Shimmer who was an experienced duelist. But he did and now he was moving on to the next round of the tournament. He looked over at Isaac who was still sitting in his throne chair on the podium as he just cracked a small smile. Soon he noticed Sunset getting up as she wiped the dirt off of her leather jacket and blew the tiny piece of hair in front of her as she fixed it back in place. She then stood up and made her way to Shadow who just straighten up.

"Congrats, kid. You're moving on." said Sunset as she extended her hand.

"Thanks." said Shadow and returned the gesture to show his respect for Sunset.

"Hope you make it far kid, I'll be rooting for you." Sunset then made her way off the field as Shadow just took in the moment for a bit longer.

All the thoughts rushed to his head as he couldn't believe that he made it past the first round and would continue on. "Flawless victory." said Shadow as he said his little catchphrase.

Author's Note

Well, now. Bet you didn't expect that result, did you. If that happen, then what awaits the other duel? Hmm.

Chapter 142: Pride before the Fall

"We'll take a short 5 minute break to reset the system and the field." said Celestia as the duel with Sunset and Shadow had left a few holes in the ground.

Everybody in the stands began to talk amongst themselves as they discussed what they saw. Many were surprised by what the result was and if that was any indication of what the others would turn out, then this tournament was going to have many twists and turns. Sunset had made it back to the others and the students as they were talking.

"Not bad there, sugar." said Applejack.

"Thanks, Aj. Well, looks like I won't be challenging Isaac anytime soon."

"Yes, that's one person who I don't have to worry about." stated Rainbow as she failed to realize that the girls were all giving her dirty looks. "Uh, I mean. Boo hoo, Sunset lost."

"Anyways, darling. That was still a stellar performance. Hopefully the rest of us can step up our game, cause believe me. We all want a shot at taking on Isaac." said Rarity.

While the girls were talking with each other, Isaac had managed to catch Shadow as he wanted to talk with him.

"Congrats on your win." said Isaac.

"Thanks." said Shadow as he look at Isaac.

"Though, those Rank-Up cards. You still need to work on them, they were fine for your current level, but you need to fully understand them. Here." said Isaac as he handed Shadow somethings.

Shadow took them from Isaac and flipped them over as they were Duel Monster cards and a few Rank-Up magic cards. He was confused as he looked at Isaac who had a stern look.

"What?"

"Like I said, you need more work on them. But for the time being, you can hold onto to them. Now whether you can unlock their full potential, that remains to be seen." said Isaac as he turned around and prepared to walk away. He then stopped as he still had his back turn towards Shadow. "That will be your next lesson after this tournament is done and I'm willing to help you get there. But not just me, Pinkie will also be helping you to take the next step in bettering yourself as a duelist. So for now, enjoy the tournament and I may see you at the finals." Isaac then began to walk away as he left Shadow with his thoughts as he looked at the new cards that Isaac had given him.

"Too bad you lost." said Isaac as he approached Sunset who was sipping a water bottle. "Seems you couldn't handle a rookie." taunted Isaac.

"Screw you." said Sunset as she stood up to Isaac and took of his cap and poured her water bottle all over Isaac as he was now soaked. Sunset then put Isaac's cap back on his cap as she stood there and admired her handiwork.

"Why?" asked Isaac as he started to dry himself as he took his cap off of his head and began to wring it out.

"That's what you get for saying that." said Sunset. She then pulled out a small handkerchief from inside her leather jacket as she began to wipe some of the water off of Isaac's face as she stroked his cheek. "Still, it means I won't my opportunity to have you all to myself. I really had something planned for us; something enticing." Sunset looked at Isaac with a set of bedroom eyes.

"Uh, should I be worried?" asked Isaac as he was starting to sweat a bit.

Sunset then grabbed Isaac's hands as she brought them down to her thighs and eventually placed them firm on her butt as she wrapped her arms around Isaac's neck. She had hoped that this would give Isaac a clue as to what she was referring to.

"Well?" asked Sunset as she looked at Isaac.

"Uh, I think I hear my name being called." said Isaac as he broke free from Sunset's arms and removed his hands from Sunset's sexy ass. He then quickly disappeared as he hoped to get away.

"Heh, I love having you as my boy toy." smiled Sunset as she enjoyed teasing Isaac.

"Ladies and gentleman, after that quick break we are now set to continue on with the rest of the duels. Now onto the next round." said Celestia as she pointed to the screen behind Isaac.

Soon the remaining contestants were shown as their portraits appeared on the screen and then the computer began to generate the matchup. The portraits flashed quickly until they started to slow down and landed on two pictures as they inflated to be shown for everybody to see.

"Seems the next duel shall see Canterlot High's Rainbow Dash taking on Amber." said Luna. "Duelist, you have 2 minutes to make it to the field and prepare your decks for any last minute changes."

"Time for me to take over." said Rainbow as she stood up and straight her jacket. She then made her way to the field as she quickly overlooked her deck one final time.

"Guess, I'm up." said Amber as she was a bit nervous. Especially since her opponent was a top contender when it came to Duel Monsters. Amber took a quick minute to overlook her cards, she then put them in her pocket as she walked onto the field and was now face to face with the chromatic haired girl.

"Good luck, kid. Just don't be too amazed by my awesomeness." said Rainbow as she extended her hand out.

"Trust me, your level of awesome is subpar at most. You really need to spend more time hitting the books." said Amber as she stood her ground and wasn't too interested in hearing Rainbow talking about her or her ego. She then shook her hand and the two spilt as they took their positions.

Both then grabbed their decks and slotted them in their duel disks as they came online. Rainbow's duel disk projected a sky blue card tray while Amber's produced an amber card tray. Soon the autoshuffler activated as it shuffled their decks.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Amber's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"Let's see if we can outdo the last duel." said Rainbow as she drew her hand and card. "Time to start like only I know how, I summon U.A. Midfielder and then switch out so that I can summon my U.A. Blockbacker(1600/2700) in defense mode." A portal appeared in the air before her and her monster jumped down into a crouch, an athlete with spiked brown hair and glowing silver and green armor. It then tagged in its partner which was an athlete as it was covered in silver and yellow armor as it put its hand out and had huge shoulder pads. "Not bad of a starting lineup, don't you think. I'll just lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Amber

"Please, if you spend more time studying instead of trying to boast about your pride. You would have made a decent move." said Amber as she drew her card. "Now to do the proper analysis." Amber then used her duel disk as on her screen she tapped on the picture of Rainbow's monster as it displayed its stats. "Let's see, 1600 attack points and 2700 defense points. At least she managed to put it in the proper mode." Amber then touched the image of the monster again, but it didn't give her the info she wanted. "Seems I can't see what its special ability is until Rainbow activates it so that duel disk can register it for further reference. Well, time for plan B." Amber then used her duel disk as she looked at the cards in her hand and began to run her options as she read and reread her own cards even though she knew what they did.

"If I do that my chances increase my 5.789%. But then I lose attack power. However, on the other hand this might increase my overall input by 0.3% which will prove beneficial in the long run if..."

"Ahh! Are you gonna play something or not?!" shouted Rainbow.

"I'm running all my options so that I figure out the best way to defeat you efficiently." stated Amber.

"Look, dueling is all about making your play in the moment."

"That's no way to win, you need to have a plan. Without that, victory won't come." replied Amber.

"Gees, kid. Just make a move based on your instincts and try to work from there." suggested Rainbow.

"Thanks, but no thanks. Besides, you're not my mentor; so please keep your suggestions to yourself. And I'm not some child!" said Amber as she hated that Rainbow decided to address her as a kid.

"Yeesh, Rarity. Just how did Amber behave with you?" asked Twilight.

"Don't fret, darling. She's just expressing how she feels. Besides, she's starting to come out of her shell." said Rarity.

"If you say so." said Fluttershy.

Isaac was watching the interaction between Rainbow and Amber as he listened to what Rainbow was trying to tell the teen. So Amber, are you gonna let the fact that people call you a kid get to you? Cause if that's the case, then you can forget about whatever plan you have. Because you've already lost then. Though Dash is right in a way, but as are you.

"Now I've planned out my plan and I'll follow through with this. I discard my Lunalight Black Sheep from my hand so that I can add a 'Polymerization' to my hand." Amber then sent her card into the graveyard slot of her duel disk as it registered her card and monster's effect as it brought up her card on her screen. She then clicked on it and confirmed her choice as it slotted out for her to grab. "I'll admit, these duel disks that you and the rest of your friends have are really top notch designs. Much better than the ones we were using to practice with. Now then using the spell card I got I'll now set the next part of my plan into motion."

"Rainbow better be careful, dearies." said Rarity as she couldn't help buy crack a smile at what Amber was about to do.

"I now play Polymerization so that I can fuse my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly." Amber then held her cards up high as a vortex behind her appeared. Her monsters then appeared in spirit form as they were sucked in and twirled in a vortex of purple and orange as their energies were combining together. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber now had a monster that was a cat women who wore white garments as her dress was revealed so that it could show off her smooth legs and thighs as it wore a cat mask that had a moon shape as well as wore bracelets on both of her arms. She struck a pose as it showed off her dominance as well as her beauty.

"Alright, that's a cool looking monster." said Rainbow.

"Just wait, now I..."

"Hold on kid, I activate my monster's effect. Once per turn, whenever you special summon a monster, I can switch its battle positions and negate its effects." smirked Sunset.

"Huh?" said Amber as she looked at her monster as it switched into defense mode and lost all of its power. "Impossible."

"Hey, just because I don't think about my plans as much as you do. Doesn't mean that I don't at least look into cards and their effects. I learned the hard way of underestimating a card's effect."

"But even so, how did you predict that I would summon one of my most powerful monsters on the field?" asked Amber.

"I learned to see all the angles and plan accordingly." said Rainbow. She then looked at Isaac who had a smile on his face as they both thought back to their little exercise they did in the library before the Winter Ball in their second year as Isaac had gotten her to open her mind and think outside of the box.

"Still, that doesn't add up. Grr, I'll just place a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rainbow

"Back to me." said Rainbow as she drew her card. "Like before I summon U.A. Midfielder and then switch out so that I can summon U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)." Rainbow’s monster then materialized as a muscular basketball player in dark blue and black pants and a thick silver and orange chestpiece appeared on her field. "Now I'll have my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker attack your Lunalight Cat Dancer!" shouted Rainbow. Dreadnought Dunker held up a hand, an orb of blue energy gathering from its fingertips. Dreadnought Dunker grinned, spun in place, and hurled the ball of energy it held across the field. The orb struck Lunalight Cat Dancer and blew right through it. "My monster can deal piercing damage even if your monster is in defense mode."
Amber's Life Points: 7500-

"I reveal my facedown, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Since a Lunalight was destroyed, I can add 2 'Lunalight' monsters to my hand from my deck." Amber's duel disk then showed her options as she began to scan and look over the ones she wanted. Her duel disk then slotted out her cards as she grabbed them.

"Not bad, so I'll just end my turn."

Turn 4: Amber

"My turn." said Amber as she drew her card. Minor setback, but I can recover. I have to. "I summon Lunalight Emerald Bird(1200/1000). Then its special ability makes it so that I send one card to the graveyard and draw 1 card." Out appeared another women as this time she was dressed as a bird with her wings being colored green. Amber then selected her choice as she sent her card off and picked up a brand new one from her deck. "The card I sent to the graveyard was my Lunalight Crimson Fox and since it was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can target one monster on your field and drop its attack points to 0 until the end of the turn. " The spirit of Crimson Fox appeared as it was another women who wore fox-like attributes as she zapped away all the strength from Rainbow Dash's U.A. Dreadnought Dunker.

"Now time to pounce, Emerald Bird attack her U.A. Dreadnought Dunker!" shouted Amber. Her monster then flew into the air a bit and then soared towards Dreadnought Dunker who saw the bird women swoop in with her talons as he put his arms up and was destroyed.
Rainbow's Life Points: 6800-

"Now I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Rainbow

"My draw, so watch out! I'll start by changing up the scenario with this the field spell, U.A. Stadium!" A column of light burst up from behind Rainbow and split, fanning in a circle around her and Amber. In its wake appeared the walls of a massive sports arena, glass windows framing spectator boxes and rows of seats. As the circular energy met again and finished forming the field, a large ring appeared floating in the air above them and activated in rows of blue lights, holograms projecting displays and statistics of the duelists.

“That’s more like it.” Rainbow grabbed another card from her hand. “I'll then summon one of my favorite openers, U.A. Midfielder.” A portal appeared in the air before her and her monster jumped down into a crouch, an athlete with spiked brown hair and glowing silver and green armor. Rainbow reached to tap on her duel disk’s screen. “When I normal summon a U.A. monster, the effect of U.A. Stadium lets me add a 'U.A.' monster from my deck to my hand.” The holographic field projected the image of a card that flipped over as Rainbow took her card from her deck. “I’ll take this, U.A. Goalkeeper. Next I’ll return Midfielder to my hand in order to special summon Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode.” Midfielder swirled up into another portal. With a large thud, Rainbow’s monster descended to the field, a massive creature in thick white and orange hockey armor with glowing green lines crossing the pads. It crouched and held its hands out to the side, a red visor over its eyes lighting up. “Special summoning a U.A. monster activates the other effect of U.A. Stadium, giving all my monsters a permanent boost of five hundred attack points.” Rainbow snapped her fingers and pointed at Goalkeeper as electricity surged over its armor. “Now my Goalkeeper as strength of 1500 attack points. I'll then end my turn.”

Turn 6: Amber

"Now time for my turn." said Amber as she picked up her cards and looked at her hand. "I summon Lunalight White Rabbit(800/800), then her effect activates. When she's summoned, I can special summon a 'Lunalight' back in defense mode." said Amber. "So now I revive my Lunalight Cat Dancer."

"And I know what you're gonna do, so that's why I activate my U.A. Blockbacker's special ability. Sure it forces your Cat Dancer into attack mode, but at least her special abilities are negated." said Rainbow as she had her monster switch Amber's monster into attack position.

"Grr, you're really starting to annoy me." shouted Amber. As long as that Blockbacker in play, I can't do what I normally do.

Improvise, Amber. You can't always rely on the same tactics to win a duel. Isaac had a straight look on his face.

"Fine then, I play the spell Rush Recklessly to give my Cat Dancer an extra 700 attack points. Which means she now has a total of 3100 attack points and is more than enough to take out your monster. Cat Dancer sink your claws into her U.A. Blockbacker!" shouted Amber as she gave her monster it command as it leaped into the air and unfurled its claws.

"I activate the ability of my U.A. Goalkeeper, during your turn, I can make another one of my 'U.A.' monsters be indestructible to battle." said Rainbow. Cat Dancer then pounced on U.A. Blockbacker as he held his arms up and protected himself as he skidded along the field and then pushed back Cat Dancer as she did a few flips and landed back on Amber's side.

"Grr!" growled Amber. "Fine then, I'll use the effect of my Lunalight White Rabbit, since I control 2 'Lunalight' monsters other than my White Rabbit, I can return that same number of spells/traps on your side of the field back to your hand. So say goodbye to your U.A. Stadium and your facedown." Rainbow's cards then turned into white energy beams as they returned to her hand as her duel disk ejected the cards for her to grab. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 7: Rainbow

"Then it's back to me, so watch out. First, I'll replay U.A. Stadium. Then I summon U.A. Midfielder but then switch out to summon U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/70)." Out came another athlete as this one wielded a baseball bat and did a couple of swings as he got himself ready. "As before when I get to add a 'U.A' monster to my had and now all of my monsters get a permeant 500 attack points boost." said Rainbow as her monsters pumped up even more as she selected the card she wanted and grabbed it. "Now I play Hammer Shot which destroys the monster on the field with the highest attack points on the field and that your Cat Dancer!" A giant hammer then came down from the sky as it crushed Cat Dancer under its weight and was destroyed.

"Now time to attack, Mighty Slugger attack her Lunalight White Rabbit!" shouted Rainbow. Her monster then tossed another baseball and this time it was sent toward Lunalight White Rabbit as she tired to hop out of the way but it was meaningless as it caused another explosion of smoke to appear.
Amber's Life Points: 5500-

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Amber

"I've had enough!" said Amber as she pouted while she drew her card. "Time to get in control, and I'll start by playing this Lunalight Eclipse. Now since I control a 'Lunalight' monster, until the end of your next turn, my monster's can't be targeted and are unaffected by any of your cards. So now I also play the spell Lunalight Perfume to bring back my Lunalight Cat Dancer." said Amber as this time her monster rose up without any problems. "Now you can't negate her abilities, which is perfect case I'm about to strike. Now I banish my Lunalight Perfume from my graveyard and discard Lunalight Kaleido Chick so that I can add a 'Lunalight' monster from my deck to my hand. Then Kaleido's effect will kick in, since it was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can add a 'Polymerization' back from my grave to my hand." Amber then sent put her card in the graveyard slot of her duel disk as she drew a card and grabbed the Polymerization that slid out.

"Let me guess, you're gonna fusion summon again?" asked Rainbow as she crossed her arms.

"Actually, no. But what I am gonna do is this, activate my Lunalight Purple Butterfly's effect from the grave. So by banish her, I can be able to summon another 'Lunalight' monster from my hand and I choose to play the card that I got, Lunalight Blue Cat(1600/1200)." Amber now had a monster appear as she was a cat girl that wore a skirt and had her right eye had a mask that was in the shape of a crescent moon. "Now Blue Cat's activates which means I can double my Cat Dancer's attack points and finally I'll activate Cat Dancer's effect herself, so I tribute my Lunalight Emerald Bird so that my Cat Dancer can attack all of your monsters twice."

"Twice?!" said Rainbow as that really caught her off guard.

"Now time to play!" shouted Amber as she gave her Lunalight Cat Dancer her order as she leaped high into the air and struck U.A. Mighty Slugger as it delivered a high kick that caused Rainbow's monster to be pushed back a bit.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4800-

"Your monster survives the first attack, but I still dealt you damage. And now I'll deal even more when Cat Dancer attacks you again." stated Amber as her monster got ready to attack.

"Well, I may not be able to target your monsters but I can target my own, so before my U.A. Goalkeeper is destroyed, I'll use his effect to keep my U.A. Mighty Slugger safe." said Rainbow as Goalkeeper put his hands out and transferred some energy to protect his teammate before he was destroyed along with U.A. Blockbacker.

"Fine, but you'll still take damage." said Amber as her monster hit Player Manager as it knocked him down onto his back. Cat Dancer then laid waste to Rainbow's other monsters on her field.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2800-

"That's enough for now, so I end my turn and Cat Dancer's attack points return to normal."

Turn 9: Rainbow

"My turn, time to take things the next level if I want to win. So since I control a 'U.A' monster on the field, I can summon this the tuner monster, U.A. Strategist(1000/600)." Next to Mighty Slugger rose a monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and let out a grunt. “I activate U.A. Strategist’s special ability!” Rainbow held up her duel disk as cards began to emerge from her graveyard. “Once per turn, I can return up to three U.A. monsters in my graveyard to my deck, and a U.A. monster on my side of the field can gain or lose a Level for each of them.” The transparent images of Goalkeeper and Dreadnought Dunker appeared above Strategist. “I return 2 monsters to my deck, and have U.A. Strategist gain two Levels, making it Level 5!” Strategist raised its whistle and blew into it; at the sound, the specters of Rainbow’s monsters flowed into it in flashes of blue light.

“And now, I tune my Level 5 U.A. Strategist with my Level 5 U.A. Mighty Slugger!” Strategist’s whistle echoed as it turned into five green rings that floated into the air. Mighty Slugger rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field!” Rainbow’s duel disk popped open to reveal her card from the Extra Deck. She grabbed it and held it up. “Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Around the field, the spotlights on U.A. Stadium swung around, shining on the monster. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

"Interesting monster." said Amber.

"Don't forget the effect of my U.A. Stadium is still in effect, so my Star Player gains 500 more attack points for a grand total of 3200. Now Star Player take out that Lunalight Cat Dancer!" Star Player tensed its limbs and leapt into the air. With a laugh, it brought its arms together and thrust them forward, firing a beam of blue energy. The beam lance through Lunalight Cat Dancer and the monster exploded.
Amber's Life Points: 5000-

"Now I'll reveal my facedown, U.A. Discharge. So bid farewell to my U.A. Midfielder in my hand and U.A. Libero Spiker in order to draw 2 cards." Rainbow then sent her monsters to the grave as their spirits appeared in front of her as they nodded and gave her one last five high to show they trusted her to win. Rainbow smiled as she picked up some more cards. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Amber

"Folks I dare say, we've been treated to a stellar duel. Even though Rainbow doesn't have much life points left, she was able to summon one her ace monsters and took out Amber's creature." said Celestia.

"Now the question is: how does Amber respond?" said Luna.

"My turn." shouted Amber. Just great, how am I gonna win now? Lunalight Cat Dancer was doing the job well, and now my plan is in ruins. What's my backup strat?

"Hey, kid. Don't think too much." said Rainbow.

"I told you don't call me a kid!" shouted Amber. "Just because I'm younger than you doesn't mean you have to treat me like a child, I can take care of myself."

"Hey, I don't mean to offend you. I just want to say congrats, you're starting to understand it."

"What do you mean?" asked Amber.

"Ever since my second turn, you've haven't been overanalyzing the situation like you normally do." said Rainbow.

"I haven't? Oh my gosh, I haven't! What's wrong with me, I never do that?!" said Amber as she started to panic for just playing on the fly.

"Relax, it's a good thing. It means you've been living in the moment. Sometimes in a duel, you just need to play it by heart and not put too much into thinking of a plan."

"Living in the moment?" said Amber as she looked at the cards in her hand and her deck.

"That's how you can grow as a duelist and sometimes make plays that you never would thought of since your mind is now clear." added Rainbow.

"Make plays you never thought of? Clear my mind?" said Amber.

You're learning. Seems I have another lesson that Rarity will have to teach you. Isaac smiled at how Amber was starting to open herself a bit to others.

"Play in the moment? Well, better try it." said Amber to herself. "Now my turn and... I draw! Perfect! I now play the spell Pot of Greed so that I can gain two more cards. Next up is Monster Reborn so that I can summon back my Lunalight Cat Dancer from the grave. Then I play the spell card, Polymerization so that I can fuse together my Cat Dancer and Blue Cat." A vortex opened up behind Amber as her two monsters appeared and their energies were being sucked into the vortex as they twirled in colors of orange and purple. "By combining my two monsters, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber now had another catlike women appear as this one had dark skin as she wore a purple corset and thigh stockings as she too had a skirt that was open a bit to reveal her legs as she wore rings around her wrists and unsheathed her claws.

"Another one?" asked Rainbow.

"And this is even meaner. But first, I'll play the spell card Alley Catastrophe! So now my monster gains 500 extra attack points during the battle. Now Panther Dancer attack U.A. Star Player!" shouted Amber. "My monster's ability allows her to have two attacks in this battle. And like before the first attack won't destroy your monster, but it will deal damage." Panther Dancer then brought her claws down on U.A. Star Player as it left a claw mark on his face as he looked at his reflective shades and saw his face had been damaged.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2100-

"Hey! Don't mess with the moneymaker!" shouted Rainbow as she didn't like it that her Star Player had a scratch on his face.

"That's nothing than a scratch at least compared to this, Panther Dancer now strikes a second time!" said Amber as her monster then did a backflip and then pounced forward as it tackled Star Player to the ground as it pinned him down and caressed his cheek with her claw. She then growled as she raised her claw and brought it down as she took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2000-

"With that I'll then activate the other effect of my Alley Catastrophe. So I pay 1000 life points so that I can destroy a spell/trap card on the field. So say goodbye to your field spell." shouted Amber as Rainbow's stadium started to tumbled down as it fell apart and the field changed back to normal.
Amber's Life Points: 4000-

"Before you end your turn, I'll reveal my facedown. Synchro Spirits, now I banish a Synchro monster in my graveyard so that I can bring back the monsters that were used to summon it. You did good Star Player, but looks like you're gonna have to share the spotlight this time. So rest on the bench as I substitute you, to summon back U.A. Mighty Slugger and Strategist." Rainbow's duel disk then ejected her Synchro monster as she slid it into the banished compartment of her duel disk as she grabbed the other two cards and placed them on her card tray as her monsters appeared on her field.

"Not bad, I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Rainbow

"My turn, now time to take it up a notch once more. I tune my Level 5 U.A. Mighty Slugger with my Level 3 U.A. Strategist!" U.A. Strategist lit up green and split into three rings that rotated and floated around Mighty Slugger. Mighty Slugger glowed orange as a column of yellow light rose around it. “I align the brain of the coach and the ball of the athlete, and bring out a grand new titan!” Rainbow grabbed her card and slapped it on her duel disk. “I Synchro Summon! Rise up, Colossal Fighter(2800/2000)!” The light receded, revealing a massive figure in thick beige armor. It stood up, light gleaming off a green visor over its eyes, and crossed its arms.

"Not bad, but your monster doesn't come close to taking down my Panther Dancer." said Amber.

"Why don't we find out. Colossal Fighter, attack Lunalight Panther Dancer!” Colossal Fighter bellowed and charged across the field, arm raised.

"I told you, our monsters have the same strength so they'll both be destroyed."

"Too bad my Colossal Fighter has a boosting effect too. He gets an extra hundred attack points for every Warrior-type monster in the graveyard.” She held up her duel disk. “I count five – Mighty Slugger, Blockbacker, Strategist, Midfielder, and Libero Spiker. So now he has 3300 attack points which more than enough to take down your Panther Dancer."

“Dang.” said Amber.

Colossal Fighter jumped up and descended, slamming a massive fist into the front of Panther Dancer. The cat warrior buckled and then exploded. Colossal Fighter jumped back in front of Rainbow.
Amber's Life Points: 3500-

"I’ll set one card down and end my turn.”

Turn 12: Amber

"My turn, to begin let's start over by playing the Card of Sanctity spell card." said Amber as it allowed her to have a fresh new hand. "I'll then summon Lunalight Kaleido Chick(1400/800). Now I'll activate Kaleido Chick's ability, it can take the name and special abilities of a monster in my Extra Deck simply by sending it to my graveyard. So I'll send another copy of my Lunalight Panther Dancer so that my Kaleido Chick can gain all its powers." Amber's duel disk then opened up as a card from her Extra Deck compartment slid out her card to which she grabbed and sent if off to the graveyard as her monster now transformed into it.

"Next up, I'll play Polymerization and fuse together my monster on the field with my Lunalight Black Sheep and Lunalight Purple Butterfly in my hand." Amber held her cards up high as they appeared in spirit form as a vortex appeared behind her. They then combined together and entered the vortex as the colors orange and purple twirled around them. "By combining the precision of a panther, with the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, and the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! The majestic, the mighty, the masterful Lunalight Leo Dancer(3500/3000)!" Out came another cat women warrior that was just as beautiful and ferocious like the others. She wore a red skirt that was attached to her hip and had gold pieces of armor spread all over her limbs. She wielded a large sword as she gave off a tough look. "Now then since Lunalight Black Sheep was used as fusion material, I can add a 'Lunalight' monster from my deck to my hand." Amber then selected the card she wanted as she grabbed it.

"Now, time to attack, go Leo Dancer." shouted Amber as her monster leaped into the air. "Now Leo Dancer's ability activates, which means it can attack your monster twice." Leo Dancer then brought its mighty sword down on Colossal Fighter as he put his arms up to protect him.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1800-

"Like before your monster survives the initial attack, but this one will put it away for good." said Amber as her monster came for a second round and this time it cut Colossal Fighter in half with a slash as it exploded.
Rainbow's Life Points: 1600-

"Since my Colossal Fighter was destroyed, I can now bring back a 'Warrior' type monster from my graveyard, so rise up U.A. Midfielder." said Rainbow as she had a monster rise up.

"Why summon him, Colossal Fighter would have been a better option. Oh well, I can't expect you to make a smart play given your grades. So I'll end my turn."

Turn 13: Rainbow

"There's a reason why, so let me show you." said Rainbow as she drew her card. "And I'll start by summoning Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke(1000/1000)." Out came a tiny robot warrior as he had his weapon which looked to be a drum at the end of it. "Now Level 3 Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke tunes my Level 4 Midfielder." Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke then changed into 3 giant green rings as Midfielder jumped in between them. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" Out emerged a dragon as it let out a cry and soared in the air before it landed in front of Rainbow.

"As powerful as that dragon is, my Leo Dancer is still stronger." stated Amber.

"For now, but it won't be. Cause since I summoned my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon, I can also special summon my Speedroid Rubberband Plane(1800/0). Then when its summoned I can activate its effect, so now one monster on the field loses 600 attack points until the end of the turn." stated Rainbow.

"So you plan to reduce my Leo Dancer's attack points, hate to break it to you. But my Leo Dancer can't be targeted by card effects." stated Amber.

"Don't kid yourself, I've learned to look at all the angles. That's why the monster I'm targeting with my Speedroid Rubberband Plane is my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" said Rainbow as she pointed at her own monster.

"What? You would target your own monster, now it's much weaker."

"Not if I activate my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special ability, now when it comes the target of a monster effect, it can negate that effect and then destroy that monster. Go Reverse Revenge!" shouted Rainbow as her monster used its power to destroy its own comrade. "Then Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the attack points of the monster it destroyed. So now my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon has a total of 4300 attack points."

"No way!" shouted Amber as she realized her monster was now weaker. She used her own effect against her and turned it to her advantage. There's no way she could have learned that all by herself. Amber then quickly looked over to where Isaac was sitting as he had a straight look on his face. I see; surprised he had the patience to teach you.

"Now Clear Wing, take out Leo Dancer! Spin Storm Sky Strike!!!" shouted Rainbow. Clear Wing heard her command and took off as it soared into the air. It then dived down as it spun really fast and soon collided with Leo Dancer as a huge explosion occurred. Amber didn't put her arms up in time to protect herself as she was thrown back a bit and landed on the grass.
Amber's Life Points: 2700-

"Now I'll end my turn with a facedown." said Rainbow as her Clear Wing returned back to its original points.

Turn 14: Amber

"My turn." said Amber as she got up from the floor and looked at her duel disk. "This is it, time to see if I can win. I draw! I'll play another Lunalight Perfume which as you know allows me to revive a Lunalight from my graveyard. So return Lunalight Leo Dancer!" said Amber as she had her monster back on the field. "Now time to strike, take down that Clear Wing!" shouted Amber. Leo Dancer then leaped high into the air as it brought its sword down on Clear Wing but didn't destroy it.
Rainbow's Life Points: 800-

"Your monster survives the first attack, but its special ability now activates, so since it attacked, it can destroy your monster." said Amber. "So finish this, Leo Dancer!!"

"I activate my facedown, Miracle Mirror. So now I banish a card from my graveyard so that I can prevent the destruction of one of my monsters." said Rainbow as she banished another one of her cards.

"You still lose!" shouted Amber.

"That's why I'm activate my last facedown, Speed Pursuit. This allows me to change modes for one monster on the field. And I choose my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" shouted Rainbow as she had managed to protect her life points and keep her monster on the field as they both collided. It generated a huge wind that blew over the field as Rainbow managed to dig her heels in and keep from blowing away.

"Quick thinking on your part. No wonder they call you, 'Dash'." smiled Amber. "So I'll end my turn with 2 cards facedown."

Turn 15: Rainbow

"My draw, now I play Graceful Charity. So I draw 3 cards and discard two." Rainbow then picked up her cards as she saw what she drew and smiled. She then sent her selected cards to the graveyard as she believed victory to be in sight. "You dueled well kid, but it ends here. Now I activate the effect of my Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke from my graveyard, so I banish him so that I can resurrect a 'Speedroid' tuner monster from my graveyard. So rise up Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice(100/100)." Rainbow now had two monsters on her field as she looked to close this duel out. "Time to seal the deal! I tune my Level 1 Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice with my Level 7 Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" Speedroid Red-Eyed Dice then changed into a giant ring that circled Clear Wing. "Time to pave the way for an even mightier dragon! Watch as the essence of that monster takes shape! Watch as it is forged by raw power! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(3000/2500)!" Rainbow's new beast let out an even mighty roar as it caused everybody to look in awe.

"Now Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon eliminate that Leo Dancer!" said Rainbow.

"What are you up to?!" asked Amber given that her monster was stronger then Rainbow's.

"See Crystal Wing's ability allows it to gain the attack points of the monster it battles." Clear Wing then had its attack points raise to 6500.

"What?! That's broken." said Amber as that was something she didn't expect.

"Go Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!!" shouted Rainbow. Her dragon then did some fancy flight maneuvers as it soon made a beeline for Leo Dancer and looked to finish this duel.

"You're monster has a powerful ability, but it's not impossible. You just need to have the right plan and cards. Like this, I activate Mirror Mail! Now my Leo Dancer's attack points rise up to match that of Clear Wing." said Amber as her monster pumped up and soon had the same strength as her monster as they both collided and were destroyed. It generated a huge wave that caused a breeze to blow as the entire field was affected. Soon it died down as neither monster was left.

"Now I reveal my facedown, Cat's Cradle. So now I can bring back monsters back to my field in defense mode but its effects are negated and they can't change modes. So rise up, Lunalight Blue Cat, White Rabbit, and Black Sheep!" shouted Amber as her monsters reappear on her field. Once she did that, it became clear on what was about to happen.

"Looks like this is it." said Rainbow. "Good game, kid." Rainbow gave Amber a thumbs up as she knew she had nothing left to play.

"Thanks." said Amber as she returned the gesture.

Turn 16: Amber

"Now then, I'll play the spell card, Lunalight Fusion so that I can combine all three of my monsters to conduct a fusion summon." All three monsters then combined together as a vortex behind Amber opened up as a brand new monster was going to appear. "I Fusion Summon, Lunalight Sabre Dancer(3000/2600)!" Out came another cat women as she had dark purple skin and wore gold garments while wielding a sabre sword in her right. "My monster's effect allows her to gain 200 extra attack points for every 'Lunalight' monster in my graveyard, and right now there's a total of 14 which means Sabre Dancer gains 2800 more points." Sabre Dancer then powered up as she raised her weapon. "Now finish this duel, attack Rainbow Dash directly!!" shouted Amber as she thrusted her hand out. Her monster obeyed the order as she leaped high into the air and then came diving down with its weapon in its hand as it did a downward slash on Rainbow Dash who used her duel disk to protect herself as she dropped to her knees.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Amber

Chapter 143: Animal Kingdom

"Ladies and gentleman, the second duel of the tournament has official ended. And the winner who will be moving onto the next round is Amber." said Luna as she told the crowd to give the girl an applause to which they did.

Amber took the sounds around her in, as she couldn't help but crack a small smile. She then took a courtesy bow as showed her respect. Rainbow Dash had gotten up from her knees and safe to say she was not satisfied with the result of the duel. Nevertheless, she had to admit that Amber was able to outduel her, especially with that last move. So for this time, she was willing to suck it up and swallow her own ego so that someone else could enjoy their moment. All she did was simply gave Amber a thumbs up to which she returned as she began to leave the field. Amber just kept that smile as she took in the applause, she then looked at Isaac who still had a straight look on his face. Amber's expression changed on a dime as she too had a straight look on her face as she remembered what Isaac told her.

I haven't forget, professor. And I will be the one to face you.

"Now then, we'll take another short break." said Celestia.

Rainbow was sitting on a bench as she had a juice box in her hand as she crushed it.

"God damn it!!" shouted Rainbow as she threw the drink on the floor. "I had it!"

"Don't beat yourself." said Isaac as he appeared behind her.

"Come to gloat." said Rainbow. "I can hear it now: 'The great Rainbow Dash lost to a newbie. I got my ass beat by a rookie'." said Rainbow in a mocking tone. "So come on, say it. I know you got a witty remark you want to say. So just say it!"

"Good duel." said Isaac.

"Well, I'll have you know... what?" asked Rainbow as she didn't clearly hear Isaac's statement.

"Good duel. You busted your ass and left it all out on the dueling field. That's what really matters."

"I... I did. Yeah. I mean, did you expect any less." said Rainbow as she put some cockiness in her tone.

"You really don't have to put up a tough demeanor just to protect your coolness." said Isaac. "We're your friends, and we don't think any less of you if you lose a duel."

"I know, just... it's who I am." said Rainbow.

"Anyways, just wanted to say that." said Isaac as he began to walk away. "Oh, and do you want to join me and Sunset later tonight for some video games?" asked Isaac as he turned around to address the chromatic haired-girl.

"Yeah, just don't complain when I beat you and her." said Rainbow with some smug.

Amber had approached a table as she grabbed a bottle of water as she took a sip. She then noticed Isaac behind her as she saw him in the reflection of her bottle. She then turned around as she came face to face with him. Nothing was said as both individuals just stared at one another. Just then Isaac began to speak.

"Not bad of a performance out there." said Isaac as he broke the silence.

"Were you doubting me?" asked Amber with some sass.

"No." responded Isaac.

"You weren't? Oh. Apologies for making an assumption." said Amber as she put her head down.

"Of course." said Isaac as he put his hand on Amber's head as it caused her to look at her head professor as he rubbed her head making sure to not mess with her hairband.

"Thank you. I've noticed for quite some time now—you treat all your students equally, don't you? You've never treated me differently simply because I'm younger than the others. And I've always appreciated that." said Amber.

"You're younger?" joked Isaac.

"Isn't it rather obvious? I'm roughly two to three years younger than the rest of the class. Have you not been paying close enough attention to those you teach? That's poor form for a professor." responded Amber with her own remark as she crossed her arms with a scowl on her face. Soon she and Isaac just let out a small laugh at their little fun.

"Just wanted to say you did good. And you allowed yourself to be more open with others besides me and Rarity. That's progress." said Isaac. "But I also noticed your next lesson for you two to work on after the tournament. Here." Isaac then pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket as he gave it to Amber.

"What's this?" asked Amber as she unfolded the paper. She then looked at it and it appeared to be a list.

"Just some suggestions that I believe can help you to improve your deck. Especially since it revolves around Fusion Summoning, you need to start looking into fusion specific cards. Just look up the cards on this that work for almost any fusion deck." Isaac then began to leave as Amber looked at her professor who was walking away. She was a diligent student and enjoyed the hard work that came in researching that she made it her mission to fulfill Isaac's request of her.

Once everybody got a chance to fulfill recharge themselves, Celestia and Luna then informed everybody to get ready as the next round was about to begin.

"Now then, if everybody is ready. We'll now pick the participants on who will be competing in the next duel." stated Celestia as the remaining duelists all looked to the screen behind Isaac as the portraits came up.

The computer then did its thing as the remaining competitors then began to flash rapidly as it was starting to run the generator as it was selecting the two people who would duel. Soon it began to slow down as the pictures slowly came to a stop, soon the computer generated the results as it made its choice. Isaac lifted his head up as he had a small grin on his face as he was sitting in his throne.

"Well, this is interesting. Seems our next duel will be a student vs tutor pairing. It will be Bryant Lopez taking on his mentor Fluttershy." said Luna.

Both competitors were shocked to hear that they would be facing each other. Especially cause they had been practicing with each other in the days leading up to the tournament and Bryant even scored a win over her.

"Duelists, you have two minutes to make your way to the field and prep your decks for any last changes." informed Celesta.

Fluttershy and Bryant then started walking towards the field together as they heard their fellow peers cheering for them. Soon they both looked at Isaac as he looked at the two the same way he had been looking at every competitor. And that was with a straight and determined look on his face with his hand on his chin. Both knew the stakes of this matchup and what would happen if one of them won the whole tournament. It meant one of them could potential have a shot at facing Isaac at the Fall Formal for the title of Canterlot High Duel Champion.

Fluttershy then extended her hand out, "Good luck. Hope I don't hurt you too bad. If I do, just tell me and I'll stop." said Fluttershy as she hid herself a bit behind her hair.

"I'll keep that in mind. And good luck." responded Bryant as he shook the timid girl's hand.

With that they both took their positions as they walked to opposite sides of the duel field. They both pulled out their decks as they slotted them in as the autoshuffler kicked in and their duel disks projected their card tray with Fluttershy projecting a yellow one with Bryant sporting a burgundy color. Soon the wind started to blow as they both prepared themselves as they were seconds away from starting their duel. Then the signal was given.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Bryant Lopez's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Bryant

"I'll start things off." said Bryant as he drew his card. I managed to beat you before, Fluttershy. And I know I can do it again, especially when I need to be the one to face Isaac at the Fall Formal. "I'll start by summoning my Performapal Bowhopper(1500/1000)." Out came a grasshopper as its head was attached to a bow, it also wore a tiny tuxedo and had white gloves on the rest of its feet. "That's all for this turn."

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"Then it's my turn, so wish me luck." said Fluttershy in a cheerful tone as she picked up her card. Once she looked at her hand and cards, Fluttershy's demeanor started to change. It's time for the matador to start angering the bull. "I summon Playful Possum(800/600) to the field in attack mode!" shouted Fluttershy as she was now speaking with lots of confidence in her voice. "Then I activate the possum's special ability! When you have a monster out on your field with more attack points than Playful Possum... I can destroy this card! Now go!" commanded Fluttershy as she gave her animal its order and he played dead as he was destroyed.

"What?!" shouted all the girls and the students as they were surprised by what the move Fluttershy made.

"That's weird... why bring a monster to the field and then destroy it right away?" said Bryant to himself as he too was confused.

Well, now Fluttershy. I didn't think you figured out this combo. So let's see it in action. Isaac had a small grin behind his hand as he had already knew Fluttershy's move and wanted to see if she could follow through.

"Due to Playful Possum's destruction, I can summon Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest(2600/1800) from my hand!" said Fluttershy. "You see, Bryant and everybody. When a Beast-type monster on my field is destroyed, I can then summon Green Baboon directly from my hand by paying 1000 life points." said Fluttershy with a smug smile. Soon out came a baboon that was colored green as it wielded a giant club in its hand.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7000-

"I figured it was something like that. I mean, I didn't think you were destroying the first monster you summoned for my benefit." said Bryant. "At least that's what you taught me."

"Correct, good to know you paid attention." said Fluttershy with a grin. "Now go, Green Baboon! Attack Performapal Bowhopper with Hammer Club!" Fluttershy gave her order and her monster listened to his princess as he leaped into action and took out his target with his club.
Bryant's Life Points: 6900-

Now they're about even. Impressive. Isaac couldn't help but smile at the move Fluttershy was able to make.

"If you thought that attack was something, just wait till you see what these two facedowns can do." said Fluttershy as she ended her turn by setting her cards. "Oh, hope I didn't hurt you too badly."

"No, I'm fine." responded Bryant.

"Thank goodness. Just tell me if I get too rough, and I'll tell my animal pals to back off." said Fluttershy as she was now back to her quiet and timid nature.

"Right." chuckled Bryant nervously. Gees, I didn't know she could be this intimidating in a duel. She kinda scares me now. Bryant looked at his tutor who just waved as she was smiling, but he then saw her other side as it caused him to let out a gulp.

Turn 3: Bryant

"My turn." said Bryant as he drew his card and began to figure out his plan. "First thing is dealing with that monkey of yours, and I got just the card to do it. But since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon this monster, Performapal Revue Dancer(800/1000) in defense mode." Out appeared a female spellcaster as she wore a cute outfit and wielded a whip of sorts. "Next up, I play the spell card, Expulsion Treatment. Now I can banish your monster until the end phase of the turn." Soon a giant net was flung onto of Green Baboon as it was tangled and struggled to get out as it was sucked into a black hole. "Now the effect of my Performapal Revue Dancer allows it to be counted as 2 tributes. So then I'll sacrifice her so that I can summon my Performapal Sleight Hand Magician(2500/2000)!" Soon the tiny female spellcaster then left the field as an even more powerful monster had arrived.

"Now that your field is empty, I can attack you directly. And that's exactly what I'll do, so Sleight Hand Magician do your magic and attack Fluttershy!" commanded Bryant.

"You're gonna have to work harder than that to get to me!" stated Fluttershy. "I activate Battle Instinct!" said Fluttershy as she tapped her duel screen and one of her cards that she set flipped up. "When I find myself the target of a direct attack... I can activate this card and summon a Level 4 or below monster from my hand! I call forth... Nimble Momonga(1000/100)!" A flying squirrel now came out as it unfurled it fur. Soon it stepped in the line of fire as it took the attack from Sleight Hand Magician.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5500-

"It's at this moment that Momonga's special ability activates! When it's destroyed in battle and sent to the graveyard... I can regain 1000 life points... and I can summon two more Nimble Momongas to the field from my deck in facedown defense mode!" Fluttershy's duel disk then ejected the cards for her as she grabbed them and placed them sideways on her card tray.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6500-

"I place one card facedown... and end my turn."

"Since we've reached the End Phase, the Green Baboon that your Expulsion Treatment spell card banished returns to the field." said Fluttershy as her baboon was back and it was angry.

Well, well, Fluttershy. You only lost 500 life points and managed to have 3 monsters on your field. You were able to use Bryant's turn to your complete advantage. Isaac couldn't help but offer his praise for how Fluttershy had been playing so far.

Turn 4: Fluttershy

"Your attack just now was careless, Bryant. Seems you forget that lesson in our teachings. You've got openings in your strategy... which I will now exploit!" said Fluttershy as she drew her card. "First, I activate Playful Possum's special ability! When Playful Possum is in the graveyard due to its own ability, I can re-summon it to the field during the Standby Phase! Then I release both Playful Possum and Nimble Momonga in order to summon Behemoth the King of All Animals(2700/1500)!" Fluttershy now used her two weaker, smaller creatures as their energies were being called to bring forth an even mighty predator and one of her favorite monsters. A large white image appeared behind Fluttershy and came into focus. A massive pink and purple monster loomed over the field, cuffs with broken chains wrapped around its paws. Curved horns rose into the air on either side of a massive mane of dark fur. Drool dripped from the beast’s jaws as it roared loudly.

"Whoa, that thing is huge." said Bryant as he got a good look at Fluttershy's behemoth as he was gigantic and he towered a bit over Fluttershy like he was protecting his mistress.

"As is the power of its special ability!" shouted Fluttershy. "When Behemoth is successfully summoned, I can move the same number of Beast-type monsters from my graveyard to my hand as the number of monsters I used to summon it! Which lets me gain two Nimble Momongas!" Fluttershy's duel disk then slotted out the cards of her choosing as she grabbed them.

Fluttershy has 3 back-to-back attack ready to go... Nice. smiled Isaac.

"I hope you're ready, Bryant. Cause it' about to get wild! Let's go! Green Baboon, Defender of the Forest, attack Sleight Hand Magician!" shouted Fluttershy as her ape then charged forward and was about to bring its club down on Bryant's monster.

"I activate my trap, Chain Arrow!" shouted Bryant as he touched his duel disk and his card flipped up. "This trap grants a monster being attacked a temporary increase in power by 500 attack points!"

"That means..." said Fluttershy as her monster raised its club to hit Sleight Hand Magician as it was destroyed.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6100-

"That means, since Sleight Hand Magician successfully used Chain Arrow to destroy a monster in battle, it can fire a counter attack shot that lowers another one of your monster's attack points by a thousand until the end phase of your turn!" said Bryant. Soon an arrow was shot out as it had a chain attached to it as it wrapped around Behemoth the King of All Animals as it restricted him from moving as he tumbled a bit to its side as it was lowered to 1700 attack points.

"You okay?" asked Fluttershy as she bent down to her monster's face as he let out a growl to show that he was fine. Fluttershy just smiled as she petted its face and nuzzled it as she got back to dueling. "I have to admit, I'm somewhat impressed." stated Fluttershy as she addressed Bryant's move.

"Thanks, now Chain Arrow effect wears off, and Sleight Hand Magician's attack points return to normal."

What incredible foresight. Bryant removed Green Baboon from play using a spell card, but he knew the big ape would return to the field during the End Phase and that Fluttershy would attack with it first. So he planted a trap card that would negate the attack, destroy baboon permantly, and weaken Behemoth at the same time. Not too bad. Isaac had to admit that he was impressed by how Bryant was able to think a head bit and prepare for Fluttershy. However, you still lack the bond necessary to take you to the next level. Not to mention that deck of yours could see some new additions.

"Well, well, I mockishly declared earlier that there were glaring openings in your strategy, but perhaps I was wrong. I take it back and humbly apologize... by activating Beast Burial Ritual! This trap lets me draw 2 new cards in exchange for sending one monster from my field to my graveyard. Say goodbye to Nimble Momonga!" said Fluttershy as her monster was now gone and sent off as she picked up some more cards.

"Grr." said Bryant as he had a bad feeling of what was about to happen next.

"As you may have guessed, when a Beast-type monster of mine is destroyed, I can pay 1000 life points to get Green Baboon out of my graveyard and back on my field!" Fluttershy's ape was then back as it let out a howl and banged its chest as looked at Bryant with fury in its eyes.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5100-

In that last battle, if it had been business as usual for Fluttershy, she would've attacked with Behemoth instead of Green Baboon considering that Behemoth is so much stronger. But by anticipating Bryant's thinking, Fluttershy was able to think a few steps ahead of him. So she turned the tables on Chain Arrow. She basically used Bryant's trap as an opportunity to draw two new cards. Once again, Isaac was impressed with how Fluttershy was playing her cards as this was different than how she normally battled.

My plan seems to be working, but I couldn't figure it out all by myself. It took a lot of time watching some videos on Isaac's past duels, but I was able to understand it. Isaac is better than anyone I know at reading his opponent, predicting their every move, and then using those moves to pave the road to victory. Fluttershy then quickly looked at her friend as she was briefly reminded of the first time they met and how much he changed her perspective when it came to Duel Monsters. I hope I can be able to do the same here and use it to win.

"Time to fight!" said Fluttershy as she turned back to Bryant. "Green Baboon, take out Sleight Hand Magician!" Green Baboon then raised its club as this time it was successful in taking out Sleight Hand Magician.
Bryant's Life Points: 6800-

"And now, with Sleight Hand Magician out of the picture, Behemoth moves in to attack you directly! This should shake things up!" Green Baboon then appeared next to its comrades side as he loosen up the chains a bit as it allowed Behemoth to stand up and then charged forward as he headbutted Bryant who was thrown onto his back.
Bryant's Life Points: 5100-

Once again, they both tied up. smiled Isaac.

"Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn! And Chain Arrow's effect wears off, returning behemoth's attack points to normal!" stated Fluttershy as the chains binding Behemoth were now broken as it let out a huge roar. It then lowered it head towards Fluttershy who gave it a kiss and snuggled her giant beast.

Turn 5: Bryant

"It's my turn now." said Bryant as he drew his card. With my current hand, I can't summon a monster to protect myself, but may be this can help. "Now I play the spell Performapal Recasting. So now I reveal my hand and then any 'Performapals' that are in my hand are then shuffled back into my deck. The upside is that for every 'Performapal' that I revealed, I get to draw that same amount of cards plus one." Bryant's hand then materialized for all to see as the 2 remaining cards in his hand were 'Performapals'. "So now I send my hand back to my deck and then draw 3 new cards." Bryant then placed his cards on top of his deck as the autoshuffler kicked in and he drew the top 3 cards. "Alright, much better. Especially cause I drew Pot of Greed so now I pick up 2 more cards. Next up, I summon a monster known as Shield Wing(0/900)." Out came a monster that was very different from the rest of Bryant's deck.

"I know what you're thinking why have a monster that's completing different than the rest of my deck. Well, there's nothing with variety, especially with a card as powerful as this. It would be a crime not to have it." stated Bryant. "Then, I'll place two cards facedown. That's all."

Shield Wing is practically a wall, that bird can usually withstand at least 2 attacks. Even if Fluttershy summons a third monster next turn, she won't be able to attack Bryant directly. Smart. Once again, Isaac was impressed by both competitors in this duel as they were in perfect sync and anticipating each other's moves.

Turn 6: Fluttershy

"It's my turn! I summon Nimble Momonga! Then I send one Beast-type monster from my hand to the graveyard in order to summon the Egotistical Ape(1200/1200) tuner monster to the field!" Fluttershy then sent her other Momonga in her hand to the graveyard as out came a tiny ape as it had a much larger spirit looming over its shoulders. "Egotistical Ape's level increases by the level of the monster that was sent to the graveyard to summon it!" Egotistical Ape's level then changed from Level 5 to Level 7.

Fluttershy's got 4 monsters on the field. Two to chip away at Shield Wing's defense points, a third to dish out the finishing blow, leaving the field wide open. For monster number four to move in and attack Bryant directly! Tell me, Fluttershy. Just how much have you been practicing and studying. I'm happy. Isaac couldn't stop smiling at how Fluttershy was playing this duel so effectively, it warmed his heart to see the shy girl was full of confidence.

"Before you go any further, I reveal one of my trap cards-- it's Shield Coat! When you summon a monster more powerful than a monster that I have in defense mode, I can use Shield Coat to double my monster's defense points!" Bryant's trap the allowed his Shield Wing to now have 1800 defense points.

Now it'll take a lot more than a freaky flying squirrel and a funny-looking monkey to destroy Shield Wing. Proper counter to respond. Good job, Bryant. Isaac leaned back on his throne as he was really enjoying this duel.

"Nice try, but my Level 7 Egotistical Ape is tuning my Level 2 Nimble Momonga! You didn't think I was going to try to one-two your monster with weak creatures, did you?" Fluttershy's Egotistical Ape then turned into 7 giant green rings as Nimble Momonga flew into them as they were calling a new beast. "I'm gonna let the king of the jungle, take out your Shield Wing. Say hello to Naturia Gaodrake(3000/1800)!" Out came a lion as it fur and mane were leaves that covered its entire body.

"When did she have that card?!" shouted the girls.

She totally knew that Bryant had a trap card ready to boost his monster's defense points. She was just waiting for him to play it. But by combining two of her monsters, she's now one monster shy of directly attacking Bryant. A give and take situation, the question is: what happens now?

"Baboon! Get in there and clobber Bryant's Shield Wing!" Baboon heard the command from his princess as he leaped into the air and brought its club down on the tiny dragon. "Alright, Behemoth-- your turn!" Behemoth then raised forward as it used his horns to headbutt Shield Wing as the tiny monster was still standing. "And now, to seal the deal-- Naturia Gaodrake pounces in for a third attack!" Fluttershy gave her last animal its order as it lunged forward and unfurled its claws as it took Shield Wing out completely.

"Now Bryant is completely defenseless." said Celestia as she commentated the duel.

"The good news is that Fluttershy doesn't have any more monsters she can attack him with." added Luna.

"My predator is still on the hunt, Bryant... I activate Howl of the Wild! When a Beast-type monster of mine destroys your monster in battle, Howl of the Wild can slam you for 300 points of damage for every beast on my field!"

"Aw, no." stated Bryant.

"'Aw, no' is right! See with 3 beasts on my field you'll be taking 900 points of damage!" shouted Fluttershy. Soon the energies of her animals all combined together as they shot towards Bryant as he took some damage.
Bryant's Life Points: 4200-

"I place one card facedown and end my turn!" said Fluttershy. Her monsters then all bowed before her as she gave them all a petting as they showed their love for their princess.

Turn 7: Bryant

"My turn, I'll just lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Fluttershy

"Then I'll take over. Time to end this, Naturia Gaodrake attack Bryant directly!" commanded Fluttershy. Her lion-like creature then leaped over her as it was charging towards its prey.

"I reveal my facedown, Performapal Call! Now since you declared a direct attack, I can target that attack and negate it!" Naturia Gaodrake then stopped in its tracks as it soon gave out a growl as it made its way back to Fluttershy. "Now I can add up to 2 'Performapal' monsters from my deck to my hand as long as their total defense points is lower or equal to the attack points of the monster that attacked." Bryant then used his duel disk as he was selected the cards he wanted. "I choose to add my Performapal Friendonkey and Performapal Elephammer!" said Bryant.

"Maybe, but my other monsters can still attack, so finish this duel!" shouted Fluttershy.

"I reveal my other facedown, Hippo Carnival! Now I can special summon 3 'Hippo' Tokens and the best part is that they're the only ones you can attack when they're on the field." Soon some confetti popped out as out came three female hippos in salsa's outfits as they danced. Fluttershy's other two monsters then took out 2 of the tokens as they returned back to her side of the field.

"I'll give you that, you survived all three of my monster's attacks. I'll just end my turn then."

Turn 9: Bryant

"My draw, so I'll summon my Performapal Friendonkey(1600/800). Then when he's summoned, I can special another Performapal from my hand or graveyard that's Level 4 or below. So I return back my Performapal Bowhopper. Then I play the spell Double Summon so since I control 2 or more 'Performapals', I can normal summon my Performapal Elephammer(2600/1800) without tributing!" Bryant now had his own big animal join the battle as his elephant let out a trumpet sound as he joined his other animal pals. "Finally is the spell card, Performance Hurricane. Now I can return any number of cards you control up to the number of 'Performapals' on my side of the field. So since I have 3 monsters, I can now return all of your animal friends back to your hand. And your Naturia Gaodrake is heading back to your Extra Deck." A giant hurricane soon blew over the entire field as it caused Fluttershy to put her hands on her dress to keep her from flying away. Eventually the storm died down and soon Fluttershy's entire field was empty. "Now to attack."

"Not bad, but now I activate my Pinpoint Guard. So now I can summon a Level 4 or below monster to the field from my graveyard in defense mode. So welcome back my Nimble Momonga!" Fluttershy then had her flying squirrel appear on her field.

"You may have gotten a monster, but I'll still destroy it. Elephammer take out that rodent." shouted Bryant as his elephant started to charge forward as the ground shook beneath it. It then raised its trunk and brought it down on Fluttershy's monster looking to destroy it, but it was still there.

"What gives?" asked Bryant.

"My trap card, see it not only brings back my monster, but it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects this turn." smiled Fluttershy.

"So that means all my other attack are useless this turn. In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Fluttershy

"My turn, to start I'll play the Card Destruction spell card. So now I discard my hand and then draw that same number of cards I discarded." stated Fluttershy as she got rid of their hands and redrew.

"Now that she's tossed out her Green Baboon, she must be planning on summon it." said Bryant to himself.

"Now I play the spell Card of Sanctity so now each draw till we're holding six cards in our hands." said the shy girl as she and Bryant refilled their hands. "Then I summon Uni-Horned Familiar(0/1000) in defense mode. Next, I remove a spell card in my hand from play to summon Monoceros(1000/1000) also in defense mode!" Fluttershy now had two monsters on her field as one of them was a tuner monster. "I know neither of these monsters is very impressive by themselves, but when put together..."

"She must be planning for a synchro." said Bryant to himself.

"I'll then place two cards facedown and end my turn." said Fluttershy.

That's strange. Fluttershy was all set up to Synchro Summon but didn't. Instead, she just kept both of her monsters sitting out there in defense mode. Guess, she's playing it safe. thought Bryant.

If Fluttershy was really playing it safe, she would have synchro summoned. I remember teaching her this combo, after all, when you synchro summon using Monoceros and a Beast-type tuner monster, you can then resurrect that same tuner monster right back to field. In other words, she would have had an even stronger defense. Isaac too was taken aback by Fluttershy's decision, but he was interested in what she had planned.

Turn 11: Bryant

"My turn." said Bryant as he drew his card. "Now time to end this duel, Performapal Bowhopper attack her Nimble Momonga." Bowhopper then fired its little friend as it took out Fluttershy's squirrel and left her defenseless.

"Nimble Momonga's special ability activates and I'm granted 1000 life points." stated Fluttershy.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6100-

"Then Performapal Elephammer attack Uni-Horned Familiar!" said Bryant as he gave his monster its order. Just as he was about to activate his monster's effect, he was interrupted.

"I play Uni-Horned Familiar's special ability. You see, when Uni-Horned Familiar is attacked while in defense mode, by removing a monster on my field from play, I can also remove Uni-Horned Familiar in play." Fluttershy's monsters then disappeared into a black hole as they were completely gone.

"What?" shouted Bryant as he was caught off guard by that move. Now her field is empty... unless, she must have been luring me into a trap. But my Elephammer can return her cards that she set back to her hand, but she knows that. So she probably has something else. Better play it safe. "In that case, nice try, Fluttershy, but I don't think so. I'm stopping Elephammer's attack here and now."

"You're not stopping anything, Bryant. My Uni-Horned Familiar's ability forces you to see your attack through to the end."

"What?"

"Come to me, Performapal Elephammer." said Fluttershy as the elephant was still charging towards her as she stood there with a smile on her face. "Sorry for doing this, but now time to be ensnared. I activate the trap, Different Dimension Barrier - Lost Force! Now the damage your Elephammer was about to inflict to me is deflected back to you!"

"That's not good!" shouted Bryant.

Elephammer then stopped in front of Fluttershy as it looked at the shy girl. He then bent down as he was eye level with her as Fluttershy just simply petted his trunk. She then turned on the charm as she was now talking with the giant animal as he immediately fell in love with her. She then pointed at Bryant as he understood and then charged back towards Bryant as the ground trembled before him.

"Wait, wait! It's me!" shouted Bryant as he saw his own monster raise its hammer-like trunk and brought it down on his head in a cartoonish effect as he had swirls in his eyes and cuckoo birds flying around his head as he fell over and fainted.
Bryant's Life Points: 1600-

"Ugh, that's gonna hurt in the morning." said Bryant as he sat up and rubbed his head as his monster was now back to his field. "You may have stopped my Elephammer, but my other two monsters can still attack. So Performapal Friendonkey attack her directly!" shouted Bryant. His monster then started to head towards Fluttershy, just as he was about to attack, he immediately stopped in his tracks. He looked at Fluttershy who just stood there with a smile and waved at the critter who immediately started to nuzzle against her and show his love towards her.

"Oh, come on!" shouted Bryant as he couldn't believe that his own monster was now turning against him.

"There you go, remember to get plenty of exercise and eat your meals." said Fluttershy as she pulled out some treats from her skirt pocket as she fed Performapal Friendonkey.

"Hey, you're suppose to be on my side!" shouted Bryant.

"Sorry." smiled Fluttershy nervously. "Go on, little one." said Fluttershy as she told him to return back to Bryant as he nodded and gave her one final nuzzle as it counted as him attacking.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 4500-

"Now I question where your loyalty lies." said Bryant as he addressed his monster as he couldn't believe that he abandoned him. "I'll now activate my Performapal Bowhopper's special ability, so I tribute my Performapal Friendonkey so that you take damage equal to its level by 100. So since Friendonkey is Level 3, you're taking 300 points of damage." Bowhopper then pulled its string back as Friendonkey turned into an arrow and then loaded into its comrades weapon as it unleashed the bow and then fired off at Fluttershy who put her arms up.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 4200-

"I'll end my turn." said Bryant as he had to discard a card to meet the hand limit.

Turn 12: Fluttershy

"My turn! First, the Uni-Horned Familiar that was removed from play last round returns to the field. So welcome back, my single-spiked fiend." A portal opened up as out came Uni-Horned Familiar in defense mode. "And next I'll be welcoming Unicorn Knight. But in order for that to happen, I must resurrect Monoceros and then special summon him. So, come back, Monoceros!" Another portal opened up as Monoceros was now back in play in defense mode. "Now appear, Unicorn Knight(1800/900)." Fluttershy now had 3 monsters on her field as she looked to execute her plan.

"And now, Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar, tune with Level 3 Monoceros." Uni-Horned Familiar then turned into two giant green rings as it circled around Monoceros who jumped in between them. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity! I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!" Fluttershy's great beast then raced down from the heavens and landed with a thud as the sound of thunder went off which caused Bryant to jump back a bit.

"That unicorn wouldn't scare a mouse. He's no match for my Performapal Elephammer." stated Bryant.

"Very true, Bryant. Right now, he's not. But did forget about his special ability?" taunted Fluttershy.

"Oh no!" said Bryant as he quickly realized that fact and was mentally punching himself for forgetting such an important detail.

"Once per turn, Thunder Unicorn can lower a monster's attack points by 500 for ever non-Thunder-Unicorn monster that happens to be on my field."

"Yeah, but wait... if you do that then only your Thunder Unicorn would be able to attack and since I still have a Hippo token on my field, it means you can't attack anything else. Not to mention you only have one non-Thunder Unicorn out."

"Did you forget about last time? My Monoceros' special ability, an ability that I can activate from my graveyard. You see, when Monoceros is used to synchro summon along with a Beast-type tuner monster, I can then resurrect that tuner monster. Welcome back, Uni-Horned Familiar." Fluttershy now had her beast rise up in defense mode as she had 3 monsters on her field.

"Now she has 2 non-Thunder Unicorn monsters on her field. But you're still forced to attack my token." said Bryant.

"Which is why I won't activate my Thunder Unicorn's ability. Instead, I'll have Unicorn Knight attack your Hippo token." said Fluttershy as her monster took out its target. "Now with that token gone, I'm free to attack and I'll do so by attacking, Performapal Bowhopper! Now go, Thunder Unicorn! Attack with Super Charger Bolt!!" said Fluttershy as her unicorn raised its horn and then with a diagonal slash cut down Bowhopper as it was destroyed.
Bryant's Life Points: 900-

"Now, I'll end my turn."

Turn 13: Bryant

"Then it's up to me to turn things around, here goes." Bryant then looked at his deck. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I need to believe that my deck can help me draw the card I need. If there is a bond that's suppose to exist, then sure as hell need it now. Come on. Bryant then placed his hand on the top of his deck as he drew it with his eyes closed. He then looked at it and had a smile on his face. "Now I'll tribute my Performapal Elephammer so that I can summon this beast. Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon(3000/2500)!" Bryant then had his elephant change into a white light as it shot in the sky as the new beast was being summoned. Soon it descended down from the heavens and landed with a thud as it let out a huge roar.

"Incredible." said Isaac as he was surprised by what Bryant was able to draw. Those cards, don't come in the standard box for Performapals. So where did you get that, Bryant?

"Now the effect of my Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon activates, since it was tribute summoned, I can destroy one monster you control on the field. So I choose to target your Thunder Unicorn!" Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon then opened its mouth as it fired off a powerful attack beam as it took out Thunder Unicorn with ease. "And not only is your destroyed, but you take damage equal to that monster's attack points." Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon then fired another beam as it headed towards Fluttershy as she put her arms up to cover herself.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2000-

"Now to attack, Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon attack Uni-Horned Familiar!" said Bryant as his dragon took out Fluttershy's other monster as she was now down to her Unicorn Knight. "Now the other effect of my Odd-Eyes Advance Dragon activates, when it destroys a monster in battle I can summon one Level 5 or higher monster from my hand or graveyard and summon them in defense mode. So rise up, Performapal Elephammer!" said Bryant as he now had another monster on his field.

"Thank you. Cause I reveal my facedown, Dimension Equilibrium! I can activate this card when you destroy a monster of mine in battle. Then the Battle Phase ends, and I get to summon back the monster that was destroyed. So my Uni-Horned Familiar is back in play." Fluttershy's monster once again rose up as it took a defensive position. "And the monster that attacked it... is now removed from play." smiled Fluttershy.

"My monster!" said Bryant as he saw his dragon being sucked into a portal as it was gone without a trace.

"Is now gone." said Fluttershy with such conviction.

"I'll... end my turn."

Turn 14: Fluttershy

"My turn, now I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw 2 cards. Then I summon, Trident Warrior(1800/1200) and when this monster is successfully summoned, I can special summon 1 Level 3 monster from my hand, so I choose to play my Delta Flyer(1500/900). And then Delta Flyer's effect activates, when it's summoned, I can increase or decrease the level of one faceup monsters on the field by 1." Trident Warrior then had its level increase from 4 to 5. "Now I tune my Level 3 Delta Flyer with my Level 5 Trident Warrior." Delta Flyer then soared high into the air as it turned into three giant green rings as Trident Warrior jumped in between. "Let the sky open up and now give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I Synchro Summon, Lightning Tricorn!"(2800/2000)!" shouted Fluttershy as her new beast emerged.

"By why stop there, cause now I tune my Level 4 Unicorn Knight with Level 2 Uni-Horned Familiar." Fluttershy was now performing a second synchro summon; Uni-Horned Familiar then changed into two giant green rings as it circled around Unicorn Knight. "I Synchro Summon... Celestial Wolf Lord, Blue Sirius(2400/1500)!" Fluttershy once again shocked everybody as not only did she perform two back-to-back synchro summons, but also show off another new monster. Out came a three-headed wolf as it stood on its hind legs and its entire body was blue as it let out a howl. "Time to end this, Blue Sirius attack Performapal Elephammer!" Blue Sirius then let into the air as it brought its multiple jaws on Elephammer as it let out a cry as it was destroyed. "Now Lighting Tricorn, finish this duel!!" said Fluttershy as she thrusted her arm out. Lightning Tricorn then charged forward as it pointed its horn as Bryant who saw the attack coming and was thrown back onto the grass.
Bryant's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Fluttershy

Chapter 144: Beauty and Brawn

"Ladies and gentleman, in a heart-pounding duel full of twists and turns. The winner is none other than... Fluttershy!" shouted Celestia as she addressed the audience and the people watching at home.

"I dare say that match could have gone either way, both duelists pulled the very best in each other. There were times when even I was on the edge of my seat and found myself rooting for both competitors." stated Luna.

"But in the end, Fluttershy was able to show her student why she is the teacher and will now get one step closer to potentially winning this tournament and challenging Isaac at the Fall Formal." said Celestia. She then told the camera crew to cut the camera as they were given another break.

"Meow." said Tigre as she was happy Fluttershy won.

"Alright, she made through the first round. I'll give her that." said Spike. "She's still ain't going to win. I'm sticking with Twilight." With that both pets decided to take a quick bathroom break as the TV was playing some ads.

Fluttershy was sitting on the bench as the others congratulated her on her win. They all then left to the refreshment table as they left the buttercup girl with her thoughts. She then looked at her duel disk as she took out her deck and spreaded out her cards in her hands.

"Thank you, everyone. I couldn't have done it without you." said Fluttershy as she thanked her animal friends.

"You were awesome out there." came a voice from behind her.

"Huh?!" said Fluttershy as she was caught offguard as she nearly dropped her cards. "Oh, my gosh. Oh... it's only you, Isaac."

"Didn't mean to startle you. But I got to admit, that duel right there. That was the most impressive duel that I've seen you compete in so far. You were in total control from the start, the way you played your monsters, to how you used your spells/traps, and how you perfectly anticipated your opponent's moves. I couldn't look away for a second." smiled Isaac.

"Thanks." said Fluttershy as she blushed at Isaac's compliments.

"You... man, did you show off big time. To think that when you first started, you were afraid. But now look at you, look at you. You made it to the Top 8 of the Fall Formal in the past, and played that duel like a pro. You're definitely someone that everybody should keep their eyes out."

"I appreciate it." said Fluttershy as she still blushed as she hid behind her hair.

"Hey, you did good." said Isaac as he brushed some hair away from her so that he could see Fluttershy's face.

"I just did what you would do. I studied all your old tapes and I tried to the best of my ability to think the way you do. I probably didn't match it to tee, but I think I gave it a good effort."

"I think you're right."

"Besides, I couldn't have done it without my animal pals." said Fluttershy as she lifted her deck in her hand. "They helped me to secure my victory."

"I'm sure they're proud as well." said Isaac as he placed his hand over Fluttershy's hand that held her deck as they looked at each other's eyes.

Soon the magic that flowed between the two did a few small swirls as it entered Fluttershy's deck. Then a few of Fluttershy's animals came out as they appeared in front of their beloved princess as they nuzzled against her to show their love and admiration for their master. Isaac just smiled at how Fluttershy bonded with her animals, he was too distracted that he failed to notice that Fluttershy's Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest had pranced around behind him. The little deer sensed the smell coming from both Isaac and Fluttershy as it smiled and bumped Isaac as he went forward. Thunder Unicorn appeared behind Fluttershy as it nuzzled her as he too smelled the same scent and bumped his princess forward. Soon both collided as Isaac caught Fluttershy and were holding one another in each other's arms.

Both immediately turned red from how dangerous close their faces were to each other. They looked away as the silence intensified the awkwardness of the position they found themselves in. Soon the rest of the small animals all gather around the young couple as they had smiles on their faces as they waited for it to happen. Isaac and Fluttershy knew what the animals were expecting as they just continued to blush and smile; Isaac then brought his right hand up and moved some more of Fluttershy's hair out of her face as he eventually brought it to cusp her cheek. Fluttershy closed her eyes for a second as she enjoyed Isaac's touch. She then cusped his face and then eventually leaned in as brought her lips to meet Isaac's as he too leaned into it. He then wrapped his arms around the shy girl as he held her and Fluttershy was putting more into the kiss. The animals all gave happy noises at seeing their princess get her fairy tale moment. It lasted for a few moments, as they pulled apart and looked at each other.

"Well... I... think I need to go." said Isaac as he broke from Fluttershy's embrace. "Good luck in the next round." Isaac then sidestepped the animals in his path as he walked away.

"Thanks." said Fluttershy to herself as she watched Isaac leave as her heart fluttered a bit. She then turned to address her animals pals. "Why did you guys do that?!" asked Fluttershy as she felt embarrassed on what her animals pals just did. They all let out collective sounds as she understood them and eventually they all returned back into her deck.

Bryant was looking over his deck as he was taking in the result of the duel.

"Tough break." said Isaac as he now appeared before the boy. "That duel had no clear winner in sight; it could have gone either way."

"Still, I lost. That means I'm out of this tournament."

"Is that what you're really focused on?" said Isaac. "In case you forget, this tournament is for me to see and evaluate your skills on where they currently are. Fluttershy has done well with teaching you. And she had allowed me to see what your next lesson will be. Let me see your deck."

"Sure." said Bryant as he handed his deck to Isaac.

Isaac then took it as he began to examine each of the cards. Given his recent encounter with a certain someone, he could tell how to improve Bryant's deck. He then took out a card as he gave the deck back to the boy as he looked at it.

"This card, where did you get it?" asked Isaac as he was holding Odd-Eyes Advanced Dragon.

"That one? To be honest, this was the first time I played that card. It came with the box when I got my deck, but for some weird reason I nevered used it." said Bryant. "Guess I just didn't think much about it."

"Seems you still need that bond if you want to improve your game." said Isaac as he gave the card back to Bryant. He then pulled out his phone as he was checking something; he then got what he needed as he closed his phone.

"What did you just do?" asked Bryant.

"Let's say that I did something that I believe can help improve your deck even more. Seeing as how you haven't used your Odd-Eyes card, I think it can work if we implent similar cards to your deck so that it can increase in both power and options. Trust me, with your just your Performapals, your deck is going to struggle, so that means it needs to have some variety." said Isaac.

"What are you talking about?" stated Bryant as he didn't understand what Isaac was trying to say.

"You'll understand in time." said Isaac as he patted the boy's shoulder and started to walk away.

"Alright, everybody. We're are now halfway through today's duels. So lets see who else will be moving on and joining the three that have already qualified." said Luna as everybody got back in their seats and got ready.

"Now direct your attention to the screen." said Celestia as she pointed to the titration behind Isaac as the remaining portraits appeared.

The computer then did its job as it began to randomly generate the matchups and calculated every possible outcome. Given that 3 of the slots had already been filled it, safe to say that the remaining participants were now more determined to stake their claim and be the one to earn the right to challenge Isaac. Then it started to slow down as the computer was starting to print out the results. It then stopped on two portraits as they were now enlarged on the screen for all to see.

"The next matchup will feature, Rarity taking on Jack Hunt." said Luna. "Duelists, please report to the field in 2 minutes and for any final changes to your decks."

"Guess, I'm up darlings." said Rarity as she flipped her hair and straighten out her dress.

"Hopefully, I won't get too scared." said Jack as he tighten the glove on his right hand and grabbed his duel disk as he put it on.

Both Rarity and Jack made their way to the dueling field as they stared at one another. Jack looked around him and he was still a bit uncomfortable about being in front of this many people that were mumbling about his scars/burns. Rarity noticed this and tried her best to calm the boy's nerves.

"Darling, cheer up. We're here to put on a good show for these lovely people in attendance. Of course any good drama can't be told with just the leading lady, she needs her leading man to help carry her act out. And seeing as how Isaac can't fulfill that role at the time being, I suppose you could step up." asked Rarity as she batted her eyelashes.

"I'm not sure about the whole 'drama' thing. But I get the gist of what you're trying to say." Jack then took a deep breathe as it caused him to relax a bit. "Okay, I'm ready."

"Splendid, darling." said Rarity as she pulled out her duel disk and slotted in her deck as it projected an indigo card tray. Jack dis the same as he projected a purple card tray.

"Now then both participants are ready, so let the duel... begin!!!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jack Hunt's Life Points: 8000-

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rarity

"Ladies first, dear Jack." said Rarity as she drew her card. "I'll play my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger(1600/1000)." A white tiger with a horn and a collar studded with yellow gems stepped forward as it let out a roar. He then noticed Rarity as he nuzzled his mistress while letting out a soothing purr. "My dear sweet, Topaz. Such a good little kitty, aren't you." stated Rarity as she bent down and petted her cat as he licked her face. "Now, now. We're in the middle of a duel." Topaz understood its mistress command as he returned back to the field.

"Now I play the spell card, Golden Rule. Now I attach it to my Topaz Tiger, then I can place two Level 3 or lower 'Crystal Beast' monsters from my deck and place them in my spell and trap card zone as continuous spell card." Rarity then used her duel disk screen as all of her options came up. She then selected the ones she wanted as she clicked confirm and with a snap of her finger, her cards slid out for her to grab. "I choose to add my Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle and Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in my spell and trap card zone." A bright orange gemstone with a shadowed form inside it materialized in front of Rarity in a cluster of light orbs. A pale amethyst crystal materialized to Rarity’s right, the shadowed form of a monster inside it. "Then Ruby's effect allows me to special summon it from my spell and trap card zone, so come on out Ruby Carbuncle(300/300) in defense mode.

"Now the last effect of my Golden Rule card is that I can special summon another 'Crystal Beast', this time from my hand. So join us my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth(1700/1600)." Within the rays of light appeared a small purple quadruple with large red eyes and a round red gem on its tail. It jumped down in front of Rarity and mewled. Rarity smirked. “When Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned, all of my crystallized Crystal Beasts in the spell and trap zone are released! Amethyst Cat(1200/400), I summon you!”

Ruby Carbuncle held up its tail and cried. The gemstone on its tail lit up red and shot beams of energy into the yellow and amethyst gems behind it. The gems glowed brightly and shattered. From the orange gem came a large mammoth, a circular amber stone on a crest on its forehead. And from the amethyst gem emerged a lioness as her fur coat was as white as snow with a collar studded amethyst gem as it let out a cry.

"4 monsters? And all on your first turn?" said Jack.

"Exquisite, don't you agree. Now I'll end my turn." said Rarity as she placed a hand on her hip.

Turn 2: Jack

"Alright, time to see what I got." replied Jack as he drew his card. "I summon my Battlin' Boxer Shadow(1800/1400) in attack mode." Out rose a boxing warrior as it had a dark color and wore a blue bandana as its fists were moving fast like a shadow. "Then since I control a 'Battlin Boxer' monster, I can also special summon my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer(1200/1400) in defense mode." This time another boxer appeared but attached to his arms were hitting pads as Battlin' Boxer Shadow started to wail on the pads as Battlin' Boxer Sparrer started to take them and move around.

"Strength, admirable. But you can't just impress a lady with just brawn, darling." said Rarity.

"Then how about this, I overlay both of my Level 4 Battlin' Boxer Shadow and Battlin' Boxer Sparrer in order to build the Overlay Network." Both monsters then changed into dark orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of Jack. Soon they entered the portal as they combined together and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 2)!" Out came a warrior as he had his fists wrapped in chains and carried some metal pillars that weighted down his shoulders.

"Still relying on brawn to solve your problems?" taunted Rarity.

"What do you mean?" asked Jack.

"Darling, it's quite simple. Your monsters are strong, but strength can only take them so far, you need to find the beauty in things. You can have substance, but without a little flair to make them stand out, they won't do much." offered Rarity.

"I... don't know how to respond to that. I'm just going to attack. So Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack her Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat!" shouted Jack as his monster raised his right fist and looked to strike a deadly blow.

"Tisk, tisk, darling. Amber Mammoth, do your thing." said Rarity as she snapped her fingers. Amber Mammoth then stepped in front of Amethyst Cat as he raised his trunk and took the attack from Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke as they both collided. Amber Mammoth did his best as he tried to protect his comrades as soon he the attack died down and he shattered into particles that soon reformed back into an orange jewel.
Rarity's Life Points: 7500-

"What gives? Why did my monster attack your mammoth?" asked Jack as he was all sorts of confused.

"Allow me to explain, dear. My Crystal Beasts are more than just good-looking, they're poise, deadly, stylish, dominant, but more importantly, they look out for one another. Just like my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth did, see when another 'Crystal Beast' monster is on my field and targeted for an attack. My Amber Mammoth can step in like the hero he is and take the attack, such a big, strong, and caring monster. Don't you think?" said Rarity as she flipped her hair.

"Then what's that on your field?" said Jack as he pointed to the strange orange gem that appeared when Rarity's mammoth was destroyed.

"Darling, ever hear of the expression: 'Jewelry is a girl's best friend'. See my Crystal Beasts give me the option of placing them in spell and trap card zone as continuous spell cards instead of sending them to the graveyard. I do love gems that both fashionable and functional."

"Great." said Jack with a groan. So basically, Rarity keeps her monsters but the downside is that they take up her backrow. Maybe I can use that to my advantage.

"I'll set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Rarity

"My draw." said Rarity as she did a quick twirl while drawing her card. "Now I play the continuous spell card, Crystal Tree." Soon a small tree started to sprout out on Rarity's field as it was colored blue.

"Looks more like a twig to me." said Jack.

"Sometimes beauty is in the eye of the beholder, to me this tree is just as beautiful as my monsters. But it's also efficient. Now I play Crystal Promise so that I can special summon my Amber Mammoth back into play." Once more the orange jewel started to crack as out came Rarity's pachyderm as it let out a trumpet sound before going into defense mode.

"You may have gotten your mammoth back, but none of your monsters are strong enough to take down my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke." stated Jack.

"Which is why I'm using another one of my Crystal Beasts' special ability. By lowering my Amethyst Cat to half her attack points, she's allowed to attack you directly." said Rarity. "Go get him, my kitty." Amethyst Cat then lunged forward as it locked its eyes on Jack like he was a piece of meat.

"Wait, hold on!" shouted Jack as he was pinned down by Rarity's cat as she growled in his face as her teeth shown. Jack was now scared for his life. Amethyst then raised her paw as she brought it down on Jack's upper shoulder as she signaled her attack. She then got off of her prey and then gave a snarl as she made her way to Rarity.
Jack's Life Points: 7400-

"Oh, Amethyst. Such a good little kitty. You're too adorable." said Rarity as she started to pet her sleek and beautiful fur to which she enjoyed it as she nuzzled against her mistress' touch.

"Ow." said Jack as he sat up and rubbed his shoulder as the pain was soon all gone.

"I think I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Jack

"My draw, and I'll summon Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher(800/1000) in attack mode." Out came another fighter as it bounced around on its legs like a rabbit. "Now time to attack, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke do your thing." said Jack.

"Once again, my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth's special ability activates. So now he takes the hit." stated Rarity as her mammoth stepped in front as it once again collided with Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke as it blocked the fist with his trunk. It then shattered and transformed back into an orange gem as the tree on Rarity's field started to glow as a fruit appeared.

"Thank you for that, darling. You're quite charming for helping a lady in her time of need." said Rarity in a dramatic voice as she put her hand to her forehead.

"What?" asked Jack.

"Remember when I play my Crystal Tree last turn, well it has an effect. Whenever one of my Crystal Beasts in placed in my spell and trap card zone, my tree grows a fruit. Then if I send my tree, how ever many fruits are on there, I can place that many 'Crystal Beast' monsters from my deck in my spell and trap card zone."

"How am I suppose to know that?" said Jack. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

"My draw, and now I play my E - Force spell card so that I can summon one of my 'Crystal Beast' from my spell and trap card zone. So here comes Amber Mammoth." The orange jewel now started to crack and when it did the ground was actually shaking. Soon it busted open as there stood Rarity's massive mammoth as he let out a trumpet before taking a dominant position.

"Not this again." said Jack.

"And it's about to get worse, cause now I play my M Force spell card and give my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger an extra 500 attack points until the end of the turn." Topaz Tiger felt the power up as his strength rose up to 2100. "Now Tiger attack Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke."

"My monster beats yours by 100." informed Jack.

"Let me inform you, of my Topaz Tiger's special ability. You see when it attacks a monster, it gains 400 more attack points. Add that to the 500 extra points I gave him earlier and his total strength is 2500." said Rarity as her tiger got even stronger as it leaped high into the air and looked to take down Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke.

"Your monster's not the only one with a special ability, I activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke. By using one overlay unit, my monster can survive the attack and then it gains 800 more attack points." Jack then had his monster absorbed an Xyz material as it brought its fist up as it blocked Topaz Tiger's assault as they collided.
Jack's Life Points: 7100-

"Not bad, darling. But I still have more attacks to dish out. Amber Mammoth take out that Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher." Amber Mammoth heard its mistress' orders as he charged forward and started to rush Rabbit Puncher. He was now towering over the monster as he brought his foot down on the monster who let out a cartoonish expression and was flatten like a pancake as he stuck to the ground before disappearing into particles.
Jack's Life Points: 6200-

"And don't forget about my Amethyst Cat's effect, I can attack you directly by cutting her attack points in half." said Rarity as she flipped her hair and pointed at Jack as her cat rushed over. She then tackled Jack to the ground again as she scratched his other shoulder as he felt pain for a few moments before it was gone.
Jack's Life Points: 5600-

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Jack

"My draw, so watch out." Jack drew his card and looked at it. This could help, but is it the right time? Last time, I played the card, I restricted myself which backfired really hard. "I summon my Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw(2000/0)." Out came a buff boxer as it had tons of muscle as it did a rapid flurry of punches to show off its power. "Now I'll reveal my facedown, Dust Tornado. So now I can destroy your Crystal Tree." A giant tornado then blew over as it created a huge wind effect as Rarity put her hands up to protect her hair from getting damaged. Her tree was then plucked out from the ground as it went flying and the fruit on the tree dropped to the floor and shattered as the tree itself broke apart.

"Now my trap allows me to set a spell or trap card from my hand." Best to just play this facedown. Jack then had a card materialized in front of him. "Now to attack, Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw attack her Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth." stated Jack as his monster rushed forward and with a heavy right was able to take Amber Mammoth off his feet which shocked the monster himself as he was thrown high into the air and soon came crashing down as he created a hole in the ground in front of Rarity as he shattered and turned into an orange jewel.
Rarity's Life Points: 7200-

"Now time to deal some real damage. Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger." shouted Jack as his monster raised his right fist and hit Topaz Tiger hard that he was shattered upon contact as he materialized into a yellow jewel.
Rarity's Life Points: 5800-

"With that the score is now even." smiled Jack. "And the effect of your Golden Rule now activates since it was equipped to your Topaz Tiger, it was destroyed and that means the monster that was used to summon it is also destroyed. So your Ruby Carbuncle is also gone."

Ruby Carbuncle then was shattered as it too formed another jewel for Rarity as it appeared in her spell and trap card zone. Now she had a total of three gems in her backrow as the only monster that remained on her field was her Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat.

"Not bad, so I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Rarity

"Marvelous, darling. Now then," said Rarity as she drew her card, "To start, I'll play my Rare Value spell card. See darling, I may be fabulous, but I also have a generous heart. And this spell exemplifies that, see this allows me to draw two cards, but the price is that I must send one of my Crystal Beasts in my spell and trap card zone to the graveyard. But the choice is yours." said Rarity as she batted her eyelashes at Jack.

"My choice? You're joking?" said Jack. Why would Rarity do that?

"Well, darling. Don't keep a lady waiting, what's your decision?"

Well the logical choice would be to send Ruby Carbuncle to the grave. That way, Rarity can't summon back her monsters. But she knows that, so does she expect me to pick that? Or does she have something else planned?

"Jackie, dear. Hesitant is something that a girl is not a fan of, you need to be confident in your choices. That way you're sure to attract more eyes, so..." asked Rarity as she crossed her arms.

"I... choose your Ruby Carbuncle." stated Jack as Rarity's red gem was sent off to the graveyard.

"Very well." informed Rarity as she drew her cards. "I think we need a change in scenario, darling. Something more flamboyant and with a bit pizazz. I play the field spell, Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins." Rarity activated her card as the entire field was now changing both her and Jack found themselves in an arena as everybody else was now in the seats of the stadium. "While it may be in ruins, it does give me a strong presence. Pay attention, Jackie. My field spell allows me to have several things based on the number of 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell and trap card zone. But first, I'll summon my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus(1800/1200)." A blue gemstone appeared in front of Rarity and shattered, a winged white horse flying out of the shards. “When my pegasus is summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard in the spell and trap zone.” Another card ejected from her deck into her fingers. "I'll place Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle in play." A shining cobalt rock appeared in another slot of Rarity's spell and trap card zone.

"I may not be able to take down your monsters yet, but I can still get to your life points. Amethyst Cat, time to play again." said Rarity in a cheerfully voice.

"No, not again!" shouted Jack as he had enough of being treated as a squeak toy for Rarity's cat. Just as he looked to run away, Amethyst Cat had lunged forward and bit Jack in his behind.
Jack's Life Points: 5000-

"Ow!!!" shouted Jack as he fell over and felt the pain of Rarity's cat.

Amethyst Cat then made her way back to Rarity who just gave her a pat on the head and a scratch behind the ears. "Who's a good little kitty? You are." said Rarity as she showered her monster with affection.

"I hate cats!" shouted Jack as he rubbed his behind.

"Darling, watch what you say. Or else, I'll really let my cat have some fun. Now then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Jack

"Then it's back to me." said Jack. "Since I control a 'Battlin' Boxer', I can special summon once again my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer. Then I summon Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400)." Jack now had three fighters on his field as he looked to take the lead in this duel. "Now Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack her Sapphire Pegasus." shouted Jack as his monster raised its fist and took out Sapphire Pegasus with ease.
Rarity's Life Points: 5600-

"Now Battlin' Boxer Switchitter attack her Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat." Switchitter then unleased a devasting one-two combo as he managed to KO Rarity's cat as it was changed into a crystal and filled up the last slot of her spell and trap card zone.
Rarity's Life Points: 5300-

Now Battlin' Boxer Sparrer attack Rarity directly!" shouted Jack as his monster rushed over in a rapid speed and looked to hit the girl.

"Such a brute! Now allow me to demonstrate one of the effects of my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruin. Since I have at least 2 'Crystal Beast' monsters in my spell and trap card zone, once per turn, I can half the battle damage that I receive." stated Rarity. Soon the power of her jewels shot out colored energies as they affected Battlin' Boxer Sparrer as he lost some strength as he hit Rarity.
Rarity's Life Points: 4700-

"You may have reduced the damage, but now your entire backrow is filled up. Which means you can't play any spells or trap cards." informed Jack. "So I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Rarity

"My draw, my backrow may be filled up, but it won't be for long. First since I have at least 4 'Crystal Beast' monsters in my spell and trap card zone, I can draw an extra card." said Rarity as she drew another card. "Now I'll activate another one of my field spell abilities, since it has 5 'Crystal Beast' monsters in my spell and trap card zone, I can summon one of them. So I choose to summon out my Crystal Beast Sapphire Pegasus." Once more Rarity, had her monster appear as it spread its wings and let out a neigh.

"And the effect of my Sapphire Pegasus activates, since it was summoned, I can place a 'Crystal Beast' from my hand, deck, or graveyard into my spell and trap card zone. And I think I'll choose this one, my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise(800/2000) in defense mode!" said Rarity. Out came a green jewel as it occupied the last of Rarity's spell and trap card slot. "Now Sapphire Pegasus attack Battlin Boxer Sparrer!" commanded Rarity as her monster took flight and used its wings to create a wing effect that took out Jack's monster.
Jack's Life Points: 4600-

Once again, both of them are even. Isaac had been watching this duel with much intensity as it was similar to how Fluttershy and Bryant's duel was in that both of them were playing smart and effectively.

"I'll then end my turn." said Rarity with a bit of disdain her voice given her current situation.

Turn 10: Jack

"My turn, now Battin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack Sapphire Pegasus!" shouted Jack as his monster took out Rarity's monster.
Rarity's Life Points: 3500-

"Next up, I reveal one of my facedowns, Flaming Knockout. Since a 'Battlin Boxer' monster of mine destroyed a monster in battle and sent it to the graveyard, I can then deal you damage equal to its attack points. So you're about to lose 1800 more life points." informed Jack.
Rarity's Life Point: 1700-

"And I still have another monster to deal you damage with. Battlin' Boxer Switchitter, attack Rarity directly!" commanded Jack.

"Once more, I activate another effect of my field spell, since I have 2 'Crystal Beast' monsters in my graveyard, I can cut the battle damage in half." Once more Rarity was able to reduce the amount of damage she took as she did her best to avoid falling over as her heels dug deep into the grass as she dropped to a knee.
Rarity's Life Points: 950-

"Very well, in that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Rarity

"My draw," said Rarity as she got up and got rid of the dirt on her knee as she had a disgusted look on her face, "I'll activate the effect of my field spell, since I have 4 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell and trap card zone, I can draw an extra card." Rarity drew her card as she was hoping for a game changer. "I'll then activate the other effect of my field spell, since I have at least 5 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, then I can summon one of them to my field. So I release my Topaz Tiger." said Rarity as her tiger was now on her field. "I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Jack

"It's my turn, and I'll attack your Topaz Tiger with my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke to end this duel!" shouted Jack.

"I reveal my facedown, Rainbow Gravity!" shouted Rarity.

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Psychic Shockwave, so I'll send a trap card from my hand so that I can summon my Jinzo." said Jack.

"Like I'd let that happen, I activate the effect of my Ancient City once more. Since I have at least 3 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, by sending one 'Crystal Beast' on my field, I can negate and destroy one spell/trap. I send my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger to the graveyard so that I can negate the activate of your trap and then destroy it all together." shouted Rarity as she had managed to avoid summoning Jack's powerful monster.

Rarity’s card flipped up and lit up in white light. Streams of light in the colors of the rainbow rose into the air. It reached the clouds and let out a wave of multicolored light across them. Rarity smiled and closed her eyes. "When I gather all seven Crystal Beasts, the greatest light in history resurrects! Meet the all powerful, Rainbow Dragon(4000/0)!" The light in the air above them shone brighter, the silhouette of a long, serpentine dragon appearing within it. With the sound of a mighty roar the light cracked and broke apart. From the shards came a giant white and gold dragon in a rainbow aura, massive white wings spreading into the air, gemstones in seven colors embedded in its scales. It descended behind Rarity and coiled in the air above her, glaring at Jack with golden eyes beneath a crested helmet of white and gold.

"Incredible." said Jack as he too in the sight of Rarity's great beast.

"Now the other effect of my Rainbow Gravity forces your monsters to attack my Rainbow Dragon. So if you want to get to my life points, you'll have to get past my beautiful dragon." stated Rarity. Rainbow Dragon then stepped in front of Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke as they looked to collide.

"I activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke, so I remove his last overlay unit so that he can survive the attack and then raise his attack points by 800." informed Jack as he used his last Xyz material to protect his monster as he broke free from his other chain and put both arms up to cover himself.
Jack's Life Points: 3600-

"Perhaps, but your Battlin' Boxer Switchitter still has to attack my Rainbow Dragon." stated Rarity as Jack's other monster leaped into the air and looked to confront Rainbow Dragon. It then looked to hit Rainbow Dragon, but it opened its mouth and blasted Battlin' Boxer Switchitter as it was destroyed.
Jack's Life Points: 1100-

"I'll play Pot of Greed and draw 2 cards. I'll then set two cards facedown and end my turn." informed Jack.

Turn 13: Rarity

"My draw!" shouted Rarity as she drew her card. "Seems we've reached the end of this dramatic performance and so the curtain must fall. But not before the leading lady has her final soliloquy." said Rarity in her drama queen voice while putting the back of her hand on her forehead.

"Isn't soliloquy suppose to be you speaking aloud when there's no one around you?" asked Jack as he was confused by Rarity's statement.

"Hush, darling. You know what I mean." She turned the card over, looked at it, and held it out. “I activate the spell card, Crystal Overfusion!” Rays of violet light shone from Rarity’s card. Above her in the air, the images of Sapphire Pegasus, Ruby Carbuncle, and Topaz Tiger appeared. In front of her, the crystallized forms of Amber Mammoth, Cobalt Eagle, Amethyst Cat, and Emerald Tortoise began to crack apart, glowing the same light. Rarity’s voice echoed as she spoke. “By banishing Crystal Beast cards in my graveyard and on my field, either as monsters or as spell cards, I conduct a Fusion Summon!” The crystallized monsters shattered, and the shards rose into the air, swirling around each other in a sphere. Rarity slid her card into her duel disk and a ray of seven-colored light shot up into the sky, engulfing the gem dust and lifting it into the clouds. The clouds twisted and swirled around each other, white light flashing within.

Rarity put a hand over her duel disk. “By combining the lights of the seven gems, I create the bridge to a new future and summon forth a crystal guardian like no other! I Fusion Summon! Descend, Rainbow Overdragon(4000/0)!” The clouds parted and Rarity’s new monster slowly lowered from above them. A massive white and gold dragon, even larger than Rainbow Dragon, spread its wings across the field and raised its head, eyes glowing white beneath a gold and silver horned crest. Its stomach was shining violet scales, light in seven colors pulsing within them. It hovered above Rarity and roared, the force shaking the field.

"Two dragons?" said Jack as he was staring at the face of Rarity's great beasts as they looked to grant the win for their mistress.

"Indeed and both have 4000 attack points. Which is more than enough to take out your monster and end this duel." said Rarity. "But I won't attack... at least not now." She then pointed at Jack's field. "It would be foolish of me to just ignore the cards you previous set on your turn, I may not know what they are, but I know you must be planning on using them to either protect your monster, or possibly destroy mines. So that alone means that if I were to attack foolishly, I would stand to lose more than to gain."

"Go on." said Jack as he wanted to hear Rarity's explanation.

"You're a sweet young man, Jack. And for those scars of yours, well they do add a certain charm towards you." smiled Rarity as she gave the young man a wink. "But I have a duel to win, and date to keep with Isaac. So now... I activate Rainbow Overdragon’s special ability! By offering it as tribute, all other cards on the field are shuffled back into the deck!”

Jack’s jaw dropped. “What?!!!”

Rainbow Overdragon spread its wings. Jack’s Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke lit up in seven-colored light and squawked as it was drawn across the field. Jack turned his head as the Battlin Boxer Lead Yoke behind him condensed; when the two forms were close enough, Rainbow Overdragon swept its wings around them and bowed its head. Sparks crackled over its wings and the dragon dissolved, Jack’s cards vanished from within its grasp.

Rarity then reached to her duel disk as a card ejected from her graveyard slot, and she held it up. “I activate the effect of Crystal Overfusion in my graveyard. By banishing it when the monster it summoned leaves the field, I can search my deck, hand, graveyard, or banished zone, for a 'Rainbow Dragon' card, and summon it.” With a shimmer of purple light over it, Crystal Overfusion in Rarity’s hand transformed into Rainbow Dragon. “Return to me, Rainbow Dragon!!!” The vanishing particles of Rainbow Overdragon came together behind her and formed into the visage of Rainbow Dragon, the beast roaring proudly.

"Oh no! If she attacks, I'm a goner!" said Jack as he realized that he had nothing on his field to save him.

She spun in place, hand brought back over her shoulder, and thrust it out, her clothing and hair sweeping in her wake. “Rainbow Dragon, attack Jack directly!” Rainbow Dragon opened its jaws as it summoned energy from the seven gemstones in its scales. It thrust its head forward and fired a beam of searing light. Jack grit his teeth and closed his eyes as the attack struck him.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rarity

Chapter 146: Closing First Round

"And there you have it, everybody. The person moving on to the next round of this tournament is Lucky Star. She made have had a rough time penetrating through Ms. Pinkie Pie's defense, but in the end she came up with a plan and prevailed as he was able to swoop and grasp victory from the talons of defeat." said Luna as her sister had just finished eating her sweets.

"Well, seeing as how we've nearly reached the end of the first day of the tournament and that we have our final matchup already set. We're going to take a bit longer break before we resume." said Celestia as she wiped her mouth of the delicate, sweet treat as she licked her lips.

"Fat horse." stated Luna as it got a glare from her older sister.

"I've never been relieved to have a duel end. I'm going to need therapy after this duel." stated Lucky Star.

"Lucky for you, Dr. Pinkie is in." said Pinkie as she now appeared in a doctor's outfit as she wore a lab coat, stethoscope, a doctor headlamp, and a clipboard in her hand. "So what's bothering you, today?"

"Help!!!!" shouted Lucky Star as she began to run as fast as she could away from Pinkie.

Everybody was soon given a break as it allowed both Applejack and Jason to have extra time to fine tune their decks as their match was the final one of the day. Isaac had managed to track down Pinkie as she was still looking for Lucky Star so that they could begin their therapy session.

"Where she'd go? I'm charging by the hour." said Pinkie.

"Pinkie, what are you doing?" asked Isaac as he stood with his arms crossed and had a scowl on his face.

"Isaac!" stated Pinkie in a cheery voice. "Duh, what does it look like? I'm trying to have a therapy session with Lucky Star. She said she had a headache after the duel. And so I took it upon myself to help cheer her up and put a smile on her face.

"I think she'll be happy if you leave her alone." said Isaac. "Besides, look what I got." Isaac then pulled out a toy as he waved it in front of Pinkie like she was a pet.

"Ohh, shiny." said Pinkie as she followed Isaac's movements with her tongue hanging out in anticipation like she was a dog. She then followed Isaac as he led his little sister away. "Gimme, gimme." shouted Pinkie as she tried to reach up and grab the object from Isaac.

"Hold on. I want to share a few words with you." said Isaac as he put the toy back in his pocket. "That was a solid duel, little sis."

"Ohh, that... well... I did my best." smiled Pinkie.

"Even in defeat you're still chirper." stated Isaac.

"I guess, but... can I..." said Pinkie as she approached Isaac. He just nodded as Pinkie put her head into Isaac's shoulder's as she let out some tears.

Seems despite having a positive outlook on her losing, she still felt like she could have done more and impressed her big bro. Pinkie just released everything she had as she pounded Isaac's shoulder lightly as she cried; Isaac just brought his left arm up and started to run his hand through Pinkie's hair as he tried to comfort her.

"It's okay, Pinkie. Not everybody can win every duel. Sometimes how you play, is much more rewarding than actually winning." stated Isaac as he pulled back a bit to look at Pinkie.

"That's easy for you to say." said Pinkie in a somber tone.

"Do you really think I go with the intent of winning every duel that I find myself in?"

"Yes?" answered Pinkie.

"Pinkie, I just play a duel and let things play out as they happen. Winning just occurs naturally, look I don't go with the mindset that I need to win every duel. Sure when there's some kind of evil trying to destroy all that we love, then yeah I tell myself that I have to win. But other than that, I'm solely focused on not winning. I try to use my dueling skills as a way to tell a story that I want to project for everybody else." said Isaac. He then wiped the remaining tears from Pinkie's face as he placed a hand on Pinkie's shoulder. "Do you remember what I said long ago when we hung out and I called you annoying?"

"Yeah, you said that you would do the dueling for both of us." responded Pinkie.

"Only if you would do the smiling for both of us. And how can you if you're feeling down in the dumps. What happened to the pretty girl that would always throw parties for anything, even dumb stuff. Who always makeup holidays and special occasions just cause she felt like it. Where's the girl that's the best little sis I could ever ask for?" said Isaac with a smile.

"She's right here, silly." giggled Pinkie as she laughed and began to poke Isaac in his side.

"Hey, stop that." said Isaac as he swatted her hand away.

"Sorry, I told you. You're cute and pokable." stated Pinkie.

Soon both of them let out a laugh as Pinkie was now feeling a bit better. She then gave Isaac another great big sibling-like hug as he returned it. He then kissed Pinkie's forehead as he showed his love for his little sis.

"So..." said Pinkie as she put on her pleading face with her eyes going wide.

"Here." said Isaac as he let out a sigh. He then pulled out the toy from his pocket and gave it to Pinkie.

"Just what I wanted. I love you, big bro." said Pinkie as she gave Isaac a kiss on his cheek as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Just making my little sis happy." stated Isaac as he tried to relieve himself from Pinkie's crushing hug.

Lucky Star had finally gotten the peace and quiet she needed as she had managed to escape from Pinkie. She then splashed some water on her face as she managed to get her hair wet. She took some deep breaths as she finally got to relax.

"At least she's out of this tournament. I can't imagine her winning this whole thing."

"Is that such a bad thing?!" said Isaac with a stern tone as he was standing behind the girl.

"Why is she your honorary little sister?" asked Lucky Star as she had some whining and moaning in her tone.

"You get used to it, though I will admit at times Pinkie can be a handful and give me a slight headache. But hey, that's what siblings are for, right." said Isaac.

"I wouldn't know, since I've never had any." said Lucky Star.

"So then, has Applejack made you feel like you have a home?"

"In weird sort of way, sort of. I'm not fully convinced on the idea that friends can family, but I'm willing to step out of my comfort zone and give it a try."

"That's all I ask. Speaking of which, Applejack told me about your story. And how you meet a famous female duelist; gotta say, impressed that you were able to hide a celebrity in your house." stated Isaac.

"Well, I didn't think much of it at the time. Not to mention I didn't even know who the hell she was until she told her backstory. But she did offer me some words of wisdom. And I guess, she did sort of inspire me to actually study this game and not BS my way through it." answered Lucky Star.

"Well, then. I can tell that if she was standing here, she would be proud to know you took her advice to heart. Especially when you have a chance to take me on and possibly become champion. Keyword: possibly." informed Isaac.

"How about: Definitely." Lucky Star then looked up at Isaac. "After that loss, I'm am going to make you pay for humiliating me. So enjoy your days as champ, Isaac. Cause I'm taking that title away from you!" stated the girl as she stood her ground.

Isaac just laughed with a smug smile, "We'll see about that." responded Isaac as he looked back at the girl with an intense focus. Soon he started to leave but both individuals still kept their eyes on each other even as he started to walk away.

"Well, we've just about reached the end of this day, as the sun is starting to slowly set. And over the course of this day, it's been a rather interesting one to say the least. Not only have we've seen some pretty interesting duels, but we've also seen who will be moving to the quarter final rounds of the tournament." stated Luna. "So for those of you who've been keeping score at home, let's run the results. The first two competitors received a bye due the number of individuals participating, Twilight Sparkle and Penny. After that the first round saw Shadow Moonrise as he defeated Sunset Shimmer in a hard-hitting affair, the next to follow was Amber as she was able to outpace Rainbow Dash as she zoomed to victory. The next duel had a surprising win as nobody thought she would do it, but she proved everyone wrong, Ms. Fluttershy. Then it was a battle of strength v. elegance as Rarity was able to style and profile her way towards a win. And after the recent battle, it was Lucky Star who managed to break through Pinkie Pie's defense and secure her spot in the next round." stated Luna as the portraits of the winners appeared on the screen behind Isaac.

"Well, looks you're still in this bet, Spike." meowed Tigre as she laid on her back while looking at the TV.

"Well, so are you. I'll admit, I didn't think Fluttershy would make it past the first round." exclaimed the dog as he grabbed a bag of dog treats and wolfed it down as he let out a burp which caused Tigre to have a look of disgust. "Either way, I'm not losing this bet to you, pussy cat."

"Let's see if that mouth of yours is actually useful other than licking your butt." meowed Tigre. Soon both pets turned their attention back to the TV as the last duel was about to begin.

"Now time to get on with the last duel of the evening. So this final bout will pit Jacklyn Apple against Jason 'Ironhide' Starrs." said Celestia as both duelists began to head towards the field.

"I really hate that name." said Applejack.

"I dunno know. It's kinda cute, Aj. Really gives you a 'fro-fro' charm." snickered Isaac as he said that from his throne chair. Applejack just stuck her tongue out at Isaac as her answer.

Soon both duelists appeared on the field as they turned on their duel disks with Aj's projecting a green card tray while Jason had a white card tray. They both slotted in their decks as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"Now... let the final duel... begin!!!!!" exclaimed Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jason Starr's Life Points: 8000-

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"Hope you don't mind, sugar. But ah'll make the first move." stated Applejack as she drew her card. "Ah summon mah Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio(1200/800)." A black scorpion appeared in front of Applejack, roots on its back running up to a plant sprout behind its stinger tail. "Now the effect of mah Scorpio activates, when he's summoned ah can send 1 monster from mah hand to the grave and in exchange I can special summon 1 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck. So an' send mah Predaplant Cordyceps to mah grave and special summon mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500)." A snake with a body like a plant vine slithered in front of Applejack, its jaws patterned like flower petals.

"Since ah summoned Darlingtonia Cobra from mah deck, I can use it's ability. Now I can add one 'Polymerization' from mah deck to mah hand." Applejack's duel disk then slotted out the card for her to grab. "Ah then set one card facedown and end mah turn. Now let's see what you've got, partner."

Turn 2: Jason

"My turn, so watch out." stated Jason. Knowing what kind of duelist Ms. Applejack is, no doubt she has plans to fusion summon. Especially since she just added Polymerization to her hand. Well, lucky for me, I can counter that. "My turn, and since you control a monster, I can special summon this monster to your side of the field. So come on out, Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju(2200/3000) in attack mode." Soon Applejack's Predaplant Cordyceps disappeared as on her field there was now a giant sea kaiju that appeared from the patch of water that appeared on her field as it let out a cry that caused everybody to cover their ears. Even Applejack was taken back by how big of the monster she had on her field.

"So, this is mah monster now?" asked Applejack.

"Temporary." stated Jason. "I know you rely fusing together monsters and with you adding Polymerization your hand. And with easily you managed to bring out multiple monsters and add the spell card to your hand all in your first turn; you plan to bring out your fusion monsters."

"Is that right?" asked Applejack with a smug smile.

"That's why I have a way to get rid of your monsters before you plan to use them. I'll admit, you're good if you did all that in first turn." stated Jason as he gave the upperclassmen his praise.

"Ah, shucks. You're makin' me blush, sugar." said Applejack as she lowered her hat a bit. "But either way, you trade my little plant for a killer."

"Not necessarily, cause since you control a 'Kaiju' monster, I can summon this guy from my hand. Arise, Dogoran, the Mad Flame Kaiju(3000/1200)!" Jason's field then began to rumble as the ground opened up and soon out emerged a large dino-like monster as it had flames around it and let out a roar. "Now, Dogoran attack Gameciel!"

Dogoran then opened its mouth and soon a pillar of fire came from its mouth as it headed towards Gameciel who responded by opening its mouth and shot a beam of water as both elements collided and met in the middle. Upon collision a huge steam was created as it caused a huge smoke screen to appear. It was a stalemate at first, until the flames from Dogoran started to burn even hotter as it was using the oxygen around it as it caused the fire to become hotter that it pushed back the water beam faster than it could put the flames out. Soon it collided back with Gameciel as it was destroyed as Applejack had to put an arm up to cover herself.
Applejack's Life Points: 7200-

"Impressive." said Applejack as she now had one less monster on her field.

"Now you have one less monster to fuse with and I now have a strong monster on my field. Now I'll place one card facedown and end my turn." said Jason.

Turn 3: Applejack

"Mah turn." stated Applejack. "You think you stopped mah way to fusion, well I got other ways of dealin' damage. Like this, I play the spell, Predaplast. Now ah reveal any 'Predap' cards in my hand and then for each one ah place a counter on each of yer monsters." Applejack's hand then projected for all to see the cards in her hand, as all of them qualified. "Lookie, there a full house." stated Applejack as a tiny seed now attached to Jason's monster.

"Like that matters." stated Jason.

"It does sugar, let me tell you. See whenever one of yer monsters has a 'Predaplant' counter on it, its level drops to 1."

"What? It can do that?" asked Jason as he had never heard of that before.

"Looks like ah got my own ways to take your deck. Like this move, ah reveal my facedown, Predaplanet. Then ah activate the effect of my Predaplant Banksiogre(2000/100). Now ah summon it to mah field simply by tributin' a monster of yers that has a counter on it. So looks yer beast is about to hit the road!" stated Applejack. Soon Jason's mighty beast was gone as a tiny pinecone like monster appeared on Applejack's field as it opened its eye.

"Uh-oh." said Jason as he realized the situation in front of him.

"Now my trap, Predaplanet activates since a monster with a 'Predaplant' Counter left the field, ah can now add a 'Preda' card from mah deck to mah hand." said Applejack. She then looked at her options as she selected the one she wanted as she clicked confirm and it slotted out for her to grab.

"Now ah attack with Predaplant Banksiogre!" shouted Applejack as her tiny monster then floated over to Jason as he hit the boy in his stomach. "Now time for mah Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio to lay the sting on behind." responded Applejack as she had her tiny monster now leap into the air as it brought its tail on Jason's arm as he felt the pain as he flicked the creature off and crawled its way to Aj's field.
Jason's Life Points: 4800-

"Ah then end mah turn."

Turn 4: Jason

"Lucky break. My draw, and I'll start by playing the spell Trade-In. So I'll send my Dragon Spirit of White to the graveyard so that I can draw 2 more cards." Jason then sent his dragon card into his graveyard as he picked up some more cards off the top of his deck. "Now I'll reveal a 'Blue-Eyes' in my hand so that I can special summon my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon(3000/2500)." Out came a dragon as it let out a cry as it caused everybody to do a double take to make sure they were seeing what they saw. "Next up is my spell The Melody of Awakening Dragon which allows me to add 2 dragons from my deck to my hand so long as they have 3000 or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points as long as I discard a card." Jason then used his duel disk as he sent away his card and added his other two copies of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons to his hand as he now had all 3 of them on standby.

This could be a problem. Applejack now knew what cards Jason had in her hand as she had to prepare for the worst.

"Now Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon attack her Predaplant Banksiogre!" shouted Jason as he had his great beast open its mouth and unleash a powerful beam of energy that blasted Aj's tiny plant off the field with ease.
Applejack's Life Points: 7000-

"Now mah monster's effect activates, since it was destroyed ah can place a counter on each one of yer monsters." stated Applejack. Soon two tiny seeds then were attached to Jason's monsters. "And like before any monsters that have a counter are reduced to Level 1."

"With that, I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Applejack

"Mah turn, and ah play Predaponics spell card. Now once per turn, ah can special summon a one Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from my hand or graveyard with its effects negated. So welcome back mah Predaplant Darlington Cobra." Applejack’s field shook and ripped open a chasm; Darlingtonia Cobra slithered out from within it. Applejack picked a card from her hand and swung it into her duel disk. “Next, ah activate Polymerization! Ah fuse Darlington Cobra with Ophrys Scorpio!” The crowd cheered as Applejack’s two monsters swirled together in a vortex of green light. “Ah combine mah stingin' predator and mah venomous predator, and let a vicious new plant bloom!” Applejack took the card her duel disk ejected as she held it up high. “Ah Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000)!” A large coil of vines burst from the chasm and splayed out on the field. A large circular mouth ringed with teeth and surrounded by plump pink petals was at the end of the largest of the vines, and two smaller mouths rose up beside it on smaller vines.

Applejack pointed at Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon on Jason’s field. “Ah activate Chimerafflesia’s effect; ah can target any monster on the field with a lower level than it, and banish it!” Chimerafflesia lashed out its two mouthed vines towards Blue-Eyes.

"I reveal my facedown, The Ultimate Creature of Destruction! Now my Blue-Eyes is unaffected by card effects this turn. So he's not going anywhere." shouted Jason as his dragon used the power of his trap as he avoided the effect of Aj's monster.

"Crafty." said Applejack. “Ah end mah turn with a facedown.”

Turn 6: Jason

"My turn, and I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two more cards. Next I play the spell card, Successor Soul. Now I tribute my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon and then I can also send one of your monsters to the graveyard. So say goodbye to your Predaplant Chimerafflesia." shouted Jason as both he and Applejack had their monsters be destroyed. "Now I can special summon one Level 7 or higher normal monster from my hand or deck. So I choose to summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon(3000/2500)." Jason now replaced the dragon on his field as he had a more powerful on his field.

"Don't forget, my trap Predaplanet is still in play. Now since your monster had a counter when it left the field, ah add a 'Predap' card from my deck to mah hand." stated Applejack as she selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"Doesn't matter, you're still wide open. Now Blue-Eyes White Dragon attack Applejack directly!" shouted Jason.

"Ah reveal my facedown, Defense Draw! Now all damage ah would've taken shimmer downed to 0. And ah get to draw a card." A wall of cards then appeared in front of Applejack as it acted as a barrier that protected her from the attack. Once it died down, she then had her duel disk eject her top card as she added it to her hand.

"Alright, I'll admit that was something that I didn't expect. In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Applejack

"Now mah turn. Applejack then drew her card. "First, in order to keep my Predaponics in play, Ah have to give up 800 of mah life points." said Applejack.
Applejack's Life Points: 6200-

"Then ah use it powers to bring back mah Predaplant Banksiogre in attack mode. Lastly, ah use the effect of Chimerafflesia in mah graveyard. The turn after it gets destroyed, ah can add a Fusion card from mah deck to mah hand.” She then touched her screen and searched for the card she wanted from her deck and then clicked on it as it slid out for her to grab. “Ah’ll take Fusion Recovery and activate it immediately to get Polymerization and Predaplant Ophrys Scorpio back to mah hand. And then ah’ll summon Scorpio to the field.” Applejack flipped a card out from her hand as her scorpion appeared in front of her. “Ah’ll use Scorpio’s ability and discard Rose Lover from mah hand, to summon Predaplant Flytrap(400/800) from mah deck!” The ground in front of Applejack cracked open. A small spindly vine with hand-like leaves and a pair of jaws formed from two large leaves grew up from the crack.

"This little thing is going to help lead me to victory." smiled Applejack.

"That small weed? Don't me laugh, it's barely anything compared to my powerful dragon. He doesn't even have to break a sweat to get rid of that seedling." said Jason.

"Is that so? Then how 'bout this. "Ah use Predaplant Flytrap’s special ability and place a ‘Predator Counter’ on your monster.” Flytrap opened its jaws and shot a glowing purple seed at Blue-Eyes. The seed landed on Blue-Eyes’ shoulder and sprouted into a tangled mass of green and purple vines, a growth in their center pulsing with purple light. “As long as that Predator Counter is on your monster, its level is sapped down to 1.” Applejack pointed. “And now, Predaplant Flytrap attacks Blue-Eyes!” Flytrap lowered to the ground and slithered like a serpent toward Blue-Eyes.

"Well, I knew plants were annoying." taunted Jason as he watched the tiny monster stand up to his great dragon.

"Well then, this will make you hate them even more. Cause Flytrap’s got a special ability. See, any time it battles a monster with a lower level, that monster gets destroyed instantly.”

Jason’s eyes widened. “No!”

Flytrap stopped in front of Blue-Eyes, raised up, and opened its jaws. The Predator counter on Blue-Eyes glowed brighter and exploded in a cloud of green spores. The spores fell around Flytrap and it took on the same glow as the counter. Before Jason’s eyes, Flytrap grew taller and bigger, until it towered over Blue-Eyes and its jaws were as large as a person. It dove down and snapped its jaws over Blue-Eyes’ head. The dragon convulsed and exploded in a spray of purple and green spores.

Applejack smiled. “When Flytrap destroys a monster with that effect, its level increases by its level. So now my Flytrap gains 8 levels which makes him become level 10.” Flytrap slunk back to Applejack’s field, still glowing. "And my trap, Predaplant activates. So I add another 'Preda' card from mah deck to mah hand." Applejack then decided on what card she wanted as she looked at her options; she then clicked confirm on her duel disk screen as it slid out for her to grab.

"Ah then end mah turn."

Turn 8: Jason

I can't let this girl beat me, not with the cards I've got. "It's my turn!" shouted Jason. "I play another Pot of Greed! Then I play the spell card, Interrupted Kaiju Slumber! Now all monsters on the field are destroyed. Then I can summon 2 'Kaiju' monsters to take their place with one of them on your side of the field!" Soon the entire ground in front of both duelists began to crack and rumble. It then opened up as all the monsters on both duelist's field fell through. "Now as for my spell card, I'll give you another Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju. And on my field appear Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju(3300/2100)!!" Soon the sky above started to form some thunder clouds formed, soon they pulled back a bit as it revealed a beast that had three heads as lightning came out of their mouths. "Then I'll play Silver's Cry to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" exclaimed Jason as he had his dragon rise up.

"You are not winning this Applejack, you hear me! I am!" shouted Jason with intensity in his eyes. "Thunder King, attack Gameciel!" Thunder King then opened all three of its mouth and then fired a powerful beam that conversed into one as it collided with the monster on Applejack's side of the field.
Applejack's Life Points: 5100-

"Now Blue-Eyes strike her!!" shouted Jason as his dragon opened its mouth and fired off a beam of pure white light that was headed towards Applejack. Applejack put her arms up to cover herself, as she did that, her feet started to move along the dirt. She then plunged her duel disk into the ground in front of her as she dropped to one knee; she was able to keep herself from being thrown onto the grass as she stood her ground and took the attack.
Applejack's Life Points: 2100-

"I end my turn with a facedown!!" said Jason with some fury in his voice as he let out some heavy breathing.

Turn 9: Applejack

Applejack then got up from the ground as she dusted the dirt off of her knee and straight out her denim skirt while she looked at Jason. "Alright, sugar. You want me to bring the bull, ah gladly do it, draw!!" shouted Applejack as she drew her card. "Ah destroy mah Predaponics spell card. Then I banish mah Predaplant Cordyceps from mah graveyard so that I can special summon two Level 4 or below 'Predaplants'. So time sprout again, Predaplant Flytrap and Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra!" Applejack now had her two monsters appear on her field. "Then Darlingtonia Cobra's effect activates, since it summoned using the effect of one of its comrades, ah can add a 'Polymerization' or fusion spell card from mah deck to mah hand." Applejack then grabbed her spell card as she added it to her hand.

"Next up ah activate my Flytrap's ability to place a counter on yer Thunder King. Now ah play Polymerization and with it ah fuse together mah Predaplant Flytrap and Darlingtonia Cobra!!" A purple vortex with tendrils of green energy appeared behind Applejack and drew in her two monsters. The vortex spun and flashed, its light growing. "Now, the luscious leaves and succulent stems of these two precious plants will give birth to a vicious, vengeful, diabolical botanical! I Fusion Summon! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!!!" She slammed her card on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up purple.

"Since ah just Fusion Summoned mah dragon, he gets an attack boost equal to all special summoned monsters on yer side of the field for the rest of the turn." stated Applejack. An aura of purple energy lit up over Blue-Eyes and Thunder King and trails of it swirled into Applejack’s dragon. The orbs on its wings grew brighter.

"9100 attack points!?!" shouted Jason as he watched Applejack's dragon let out a huge roar.

"This is what you get when you mess with the bull, you get the horns!!!" Applejack then thrusted her arm out. "Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, take out his Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju and end this duel!!!" Starving Venom Fusion Dragon swooped down and flew forward. The orbs covering its body sent streams of energy curling into its mouth, congregating into a large fireball. The fireball launched and engulfed Block Dragon, a plume of smoke shooting into the air.

"I can't lose, I activate my facedown Negate Attack! So now the battle phase ends!" Jason's card then activated as it caused Applejack's dragon to stop.

"Now am gettin' pissed." growled Applejack. "Ah end my turn with a facedown. And mah dragon's attack points return to normal." Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then lowered its head next to Applejack as she started to pet it while still looking forward at Jason as both were angry.

Turn 10: Jason

"I will end this!" shouted Jason as he drew his card. "I play the spell card, Pot of Extravagance. Now I banish either 3 or 6 cards from my Extra Deck facedown and for each 3 cards that I banish, I draw a card. So I'll get rid of 6 cards." Jason then used his duel disk as he removed his cards as his duel disk then moved them into the banished compartment of his device as he drew his cards. Now Blue-Eyes take out her Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" Blue-Eyes heard its command as it opened it mouth and unleashed a massive attack that collided with Applejack's dragon.
Applejack's Life Points: 1900-

Applejack shook her head as the smoke of the attacks cleared, the air crackling. “Ah ain’t goin’ without a fight. When Starving Venom is destroyed, he takes all yer Special Summoned monsters with him.” The ghostly image of Starving Venom flew out of Applejack’s duel disk and into Jason's monsters. It convulsed and shattered, its pieces raining to the ground and fading.

"My monsters?!" said Jason as he realized that he had nothing left on his field to attack with.

"Now mah trap card activates again and ah can add a 'Preda' card from mah deck to mah hand." said Applejack as she got another card.

"This isn't over, I now play Return of the Dragon Lords. To bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from the graveyard. Then I play Polymerization so that ah can fuse together it with the other two in my hand to fusion summon Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)!" Jason now had a giant and powerful monster on his field as it looked to put Applejack down.

"Then ah end my turn."

Turn 11: Applejack

"Mah draw!" Applejack drew with a flourish, holding her card out. She drew it back, looked at it, and grinned. “Ah activate Dragon’s Mirror!” A large mirror appeared in the air, the wings, claws, and tail of a dragon carved from its frame. “This lets me banish the Fusion parts needed to summon a Dragon-type Fusion monster from mah graveyard, and summon it. Ah banish Predaplant Flytrap and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

"Ah now activate mah Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's special ability, so now ah make your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon lose all of its attack points till the end of the turn!" shouted Applejack. Her dragon then unleashed its power as it striped away Jason's monster.

"My dragon lost all of its power?" Jason was in disbelief that Applejack had managed to take down his mighty beast and with ease no doubt.

"Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon attack his monster!!" shouted Applejack as her dragon then let out a roar. Greedy Venom drew back its mouth and fired a jet of purple energy. Jason raised his arm and braced himself as the blast struck Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, washing it away.
Jason's Life Points: 1500-

"Ah'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Jason

"My draw, and now I play Pot of Desires to banish the top ten cards of my deck and draw two cards. Now I play Monster Reborn, so rise up Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon once more." stated Jason as his monster once again appeared and it growled. "Now attack her Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon!"

"Ah reveal mah facedown, Negate Attack. So now I can end the Battle Phase." stated Applejack as she made sure that her dragon survived.

"Fine! I play the spell Pot of Avarice so that I can take 5 cards from my graveyard and put them back into my deck." Jason then selected the cards he wanted as he put them on top of his deck and then the autoshuffler kicked in. "Then I draw 2 cards. With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Applejack

"My turn, first up is getting rid of that facedown of yours, and I got just the card to do it, I play the spell card Mystical Space Typhoon. So now your little card is gone." said Applejack as the wind picked up and out started to blow away Jason's facedown.

"The card you just destroyed was my Waking the Dragon. So now I can activate its effect to special summon one monster from my Extra Deck. So I choose my Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon(2500/3000) in defense mode!" shouted Jason as he had another monster on his field.

"I'll then end my turn." Almost done, just gotta survive this turn.

Turn 14: Jason

"It's my turn, and I'll play Premature Burial so by paying 800 life points, I can bring back a Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my hand." Jason now had 2 dragons on his field.
Jason's Life Points: 700-

"Now Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon take out her monster!" shouted Jason. His dragon then opened its mouth and fired a triple beam of destruction as it connected with its target. Aj's dragon let out a cry as it was obliterated.
Applejack's Life Points: 700-

The force of the attack was enough to cause Applejack to fall on her back. It took a while but, she eventually got back up and had a smile on her face. "Thanks for assist, partner. Cause you just activated Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon's special ability; when it gets destroyed I can wipe out yer entire field as well as get rid of all yer monsters! And then each person takes damage equal to the combined total attack of their own monsters. So since yer Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon has 4500 attack points, yer Blue-Eyes Spirit Dragon has 2500 attack points and yer Blue-Eyes has 3000 attack points, it means yer life points are 'bout to crash." snickered Applejack.

"No!" said Jason as his eyes widen.

From the smoke of Greedy Venom’s destruction, a beam of purple energy erupted over Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon, the dragon exploding. Soon the entire field was covered in a blanket of smoke. Everybody looked on as they wanted to see what had happened; given how Applejack had baited Jason into attacking her so that she could trigger her trap it seemed to be that she had won. The smoke began to clear, revealing two large silhouettes where Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon and Blue-Eyes were destroyed. It disbursed and sure enough there was the dragons as they let out a roar and remained unscathed.

"Ah don't believe it." said Applejack as she was shocked to see the creature was still there.

"I activated my Return of the Dragon Lords. By banishing it from my graveyard, I was able to save my dragons from the destruction of yours. And so it dodged your monster's effect." said Jason.

"Then ah guess... this is it." said Applejack as she put her arms to her side.

Jason now was in control, all he had to do was have his other dragon attack and he would move on. Still he just looked at Applejack as he took a moment to access the situation. Throughout the duel with Applejack, he was so focused on winning the duel and getting to face Isaac for his revenge that he stopped to see what the purpose of the duel was suppose to be. He then looked up to Isaac's throne as he had a scowl on his face as he looked at the kid judging what he was going to do. Jason then took a deep breath as he cleared his head of the any angry thoughts.

"Thank you." said Jason.

"Huh?" asked Applejack as she looked at the boy.

"I'm not the biggest person when it comes to expressing emotion and feelings, but my parents did show me to acknowledge someone when they're willing to put somebody else over. So... thanks Ms. Applejack. I promise you won't regret your decision." stated Jason.

"Just doin' mah job, sugarcube." said Applejack as she tipped her hat at Jason. "Now promise one more thing, that you go on and win this thing. And you knock Isaac off his throne."

"Yes, ma'am." nodded Jason. "Blue-Eyes attack her directly! White Lightning Attack!" shouted Jason. Blue-Eyes heard its command as it opened its mouth and unleashed a powerful beam that made contact with Applejack as she stood there with her eyes closed and a smile on her face.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Jason

The attack died down and the result had been registered. Soon the holograms disappeared as the winner came up on the screen for all to see.

"And the winner of the final duel of the day is... Jason Starrs!" shouted Celestia. Everybody gave both duelists a round of applause as they enjoyed the duel that had happened before their very eyes.

"With that duel, we now know the remaining 8 participants who will move onto the next round. And here they are..." said Luna as she pointed to the screen behind Isaac's throne as their faces came up. "Twilight Sparkle, Penny, Amber, Shadow Moonrise, Fluttershy, Rarity, Lucky Star, and finally Jason Starrs. These are your final 8 competitors in this tournament." Luna's response was met with a rowdy set of cheers.

With Sunset, Rainbow Dash and Applejack; all of the front runners that people would have thought have been eliminated. Which means this tournament isn't going to be predictable as people think, which also means anything can happen. Isaac made sure to look at the fourth wall as his thoughts were heard.

"Students, you've done well. And so the rest of the tournament will take place on Monday. Best of luck to you all." said Celestia as she gave a sign to the camera crew to cut the feed and they went off the air.

It was just about to be nighttime as the sun was just barely setting behind the horizon as the moon was starting to get in place with a few stars in the sky. Everybody all started to gather their things and head home; Isaac gave some final praises to the students as he said he was impressed with all of their performances, apart if they won or not. They all smiled as he dismissed them. Soon he joined the rest of the girls as they all started to head towards their house.

It was about an hour since they arrived back home as the gang was starting to enjoy their Friday night. And for a certain trio, they were doing just that as Isaac, Rainbow Dash, and Sunset were all playing some video games. Well, the girls were in each of their rooms, while Isaac was down in the living room as they were all playing a game. And what game were they playing you may ask. Well...

"Who hit me with a red shell!!!" shouted Sunset into her headset as she was currently streaming in her room.

"He's another one!" said Rainbow as her character had managed to pick up another item. "Here you go, Sunset. A gift from my screen to your stream." snickered Rainbow Dash as she tossed another shell as it made contact with Sunset's avatar.

"Stop it!" shouted Sunset as she got hit and it allowed Rainbow to past by her.

"See ya, and now to win." said Rainbow as she looked to get past the final turn and win the race.

"Too fast!" said Sunset as she lost control of her cart and caused her to crash into the wall as she was trying to drift left but was too close to the wall. "No! No!"

"Victory!" shouted Rainbow as she was just seconds away from crossing the finish line.

Soon another cart appeared as it was launched off the ramp and soared through the air. It landed on top of Rainbow as it caused her to get hit as the avatar was shining gold from a star and it allowed them to steal the win from Rainbow.

"From 7th place to 1st! Oh, it feels good, huh Dash." said Isaac as he spoke into the headset. Soon the race results were tallied as Rainbow came in 4th and Sunset crossed the finish line in 9th place.

"I had that victory and you stole it from me, Isaac!" shouted Rainbow into her mic.

"There's something wrong with my controller!" shouted Sunset as she was pissed that she came nearly in last place. "There's something wrong with my controller!!" stated Sunset as she was furious and started to hit it on her desk.

"Yeah, it's the person holding it!!" responded Isaac into the mic.

"Ohh!!" said Rainbow and the rest of Sunset's chat as Isaac roasted Sunset with that comment.

"Fuck you, Isaac. You piece of shit!" shouted Sunset. "I'm going to come down there and beat your ass, myself." said Sunset as she turned off her stream and started to march downstairs in her Pjs as she looked to strangle Isaac.

Isaac had just turned off the game as he saw Sunset full on steamed as he stood on one end of the couch as Sunset stood on the other end.

"Get over here, boy toy. Say it again!" shouted Sunset as she cracked her knuckles.

"Come get me, then!" said Isaac.

Sunset then tried to jump at Isaac as he managed to side step her and she fell to the floor. Just as she was about to get up, Isaac leaped over the couch and began to head upstairs to his room in a hurry as Sunset was hot on his tail. He opened his door and locked it just as Sunset was trying to turn the handle and began to pound his door with her fists as Isaac put his back on the door to keep it from breaking down.

"Get out here, you can't stay in there forever!" shouted Sunset.

"I'll take my chances!" yelled Isaac from the other side.

Meanwhile, Rainbow was recording the incident on her phone as she smiled. The others all looked from the stairway as they just rolled their eyes at what they saw.

"I love these game nights. Can't wait to see how many views this gets on Snapgab." stated Rainbow as she continued to record the video of Sunset trying to kill Isaac.

Chapter 147: Black and White

The weekend went by as soon it was the start of the school week, but even more importantly, it meant that the tournament was still going on. That being said, despite there being no school, Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna made it clear that all the students needed to follow the rules of school. Which meant being on time, even if they weren't competing in the event, that didn't mean they got a free pass. So with the sun rising high into the sky, it meant that it was going to be another full day of dueling. The only ones in the house were Twilight, Fluttershy, and Rarity as the others had already gone on ahead.

"Twilight, darling. We need to get going or else we'll be late." stated Rarity from the living room as she put on her heels.

"In a minute." said Twilight as she called from her room. "Nicole, any issues." asked Twilight as she talked to her A.I. program that she was currently using for her secret project.

"Status, Twilight. Restoration at... 2%." said the A.I.

"Only 2%? That's not enough. Grr." said Twilight as she let out a disgruntled sound.

"Twilight, the girls are waiting for you." said Spike as he called from the other side of the door.

"In a minute." responded the nerdy girl. At this rate, I'll never get this project done. I need it to work. "Nicole, run schematics one more time and cross reference with the notes provided."

"At once, Twilight." said Nicole as she began to run her systems and scans.

"If any progress is made, send them to me." said Twilight as she closed her laptop and opened her door as there was Spike waiting for her.

"You okay, all I hear is you talking with someone." asked Spike.

"Yeah, just... working on something." responded Twilight.

"Which is?" asked Spike.

"It's secret."

"Twilight." groaned Spike.

"It's just... nobody can know what I'm doing. This is something special to me." responded Twilight as she bent down to her companion.

"No even our friends, Isaac. Or me." said Spike.

"I understand how you feel, but this... is something that only I can do and know about. But believe me, when it's ready, you and everybody else will be the first to know." said Twilight.

"Can I hold you accountable to that?" said Spike as he raised an eyebrow.

"Does 3 extra treats for a month sound like a good deal?"

"Make it 5 if you win this tournament." said Spike.

"Five?!"

"That's the deal, take it or leave it." sounded Spike.

"Fine. If I win this tournament, then I'll give you five treats instead of three. Deal?"

"Deal." said Spike as he began to lick her face to which Twilight giggled.

"Now you behave and don't mess up the house while we're at school." said Twilight.

"You can count on me." said Spike with a salute.

Twilight then gave Spike a dog treat as he began to munch on it. She then headed downstairs as she apologized to Rarity and Fluttershy for taking a while as they all left the house and locked it. Once Spike heard that the door was locked, he then looked at Twilight's door. He then began to walk towards it and was about to put his paw on it.

"Didn't Twilight tell you not to do that?" meowed Tigre as she was on the shelf above Spike as she was laying down.

"She said that she would tell me what she's working on." responded Spike. "I just want to take a peak so that I can have a sense of what her secret project is?"

"Oh, is that what you call it?" meowed Tigre with some sass. She then got up as she stretched her limbs and then jumped down and joined her canine friend on the ground. "If Twilight isn't sharing what her project is, she must have a reason."

"Like what?" said Spike.

"How should I know?" meowed Tigre.

"I just feel like Twilight is hiding something from us. And I worry it may put her in danger; that's something I can't to imagine." said Spike as he put his head down.

"Yes, well. It's best to trust in Twilight's judgement. She would know if she was doing something dangerous. Not to mention she has us and her friends to keep her safe from anything that might happen." meowed Tigre. "Now come along, the second day of the tournament is starting and I don't want lose this bet with you." Tigre then rubbed herself against Spike as her tail smacked him in the face as she kept on walking towards the staircase.

Soon both pets got to work on setting the place up. You know the old saying: "When the humans are away, the pets come out to play". Spike then put his ear to the door as he soon heard a sound. He then peaked his head through the doggie door as standing on the front step was the pets of the other girls as they all arrived to see the duels.

"Glad you guys made it. Come on in." said Spike as in walked Opal, Winona, Sunset's gecko Ray, Angel, and Tank all came through the doggie door.

Soon they all made their way to the living room as Opal and Tigre got to talking. Meanwhile, Winona was playing with a couple of Spike's toys and soon began to chase her tail. Ray had just climbed up on the table and lied down as he absorbed the warm rays of the sun coming in. All the while, Tank was the last one to get there as he soon stopped in front of the couch all the pets were gathered around as he soon tucked into his shell with his head popping out.

"Meow." said Opal.

"I'm coming, give me a second!" shouted Spike as he had a couple of pet treat bags in his mouth as he flung them onto the couch as he too jumped up and took his spot on the end of the couch next to Winona. He then used his paw as he turned on the TV and up came the broadcast of the school yard as the duels were just about to get started.

Twilight, Rarity, and Fluttershy had all arrived at the school field as they took in the sight. Just like it was on Friday, everybody was taking their seat in the bleachers as they were looking forward to another day of dueling. They soon joined the others as they saw Isaac talking with Celestia and Luna by the broadcasting table as he was going over some last minute maintenance. The rest of their students soon arrived as the ones would be moving on soon joined the girls on the field as they awaited for the tournament to begin. Soon Isaac started to walk towards his throne chair as he stepped onto the platform it was on as the participants watched and kept an eye on him. Isaac just looked at them with a smirk on his face as he sat down with a cocky smile.

"Now that everybody is here, we'll now begin the rest of the tournament. So everybody please give a warm welcome to the remaining 8 participants." said Luna as she introduced the competitors who were still in the tournament.

"As you know, this tournament has provided us with some unexpected results. And no doubt this next round will do so again. Now then you all know what awaits, the winner of this tournament will earn the right to challenge and face Isaac at the Fall Formal for the rank and title of Canterlot High duel champion." stated Celestia. "And now to see who will face off first."

The screen behind Isaac then came on as it had the remaining portraits of the duelists as the computer began to randomly generate the results. The pictures flashed very quickly as the computer was still tallying the results, soon it began to slow down as it generated the participants for the first duel.

"The first duel of the day will pit Jason Starrs who defeated Ms. Jacklyn Apple on Friday. And he'll be facing off against Penny." said Celestia. "Duelists please make your way to the field, the rest of you standby."

Jason then took his position on side of the field as Penny took the other side. Both then slotted in their decks as their duel disk turned on with Jason projecting a white card tray and Penny having a black card tray. They both took a quick glance in Isaac's direction as the beating that he gave them was now fueling them. They both took their stance as they got ready to duel.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jason's Life Points: 8000-

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Penny

"Since I didn't get a chance to show off my skills, I'll start things off." said Penny as she drew her card. "To start, since I control no cards, I can special summon this little guy. Blackwing - Gust the Backblast(900/1400) in defense mode." Out emerged a monster on Penny's side of the field as it took its position as it used its wings to shield itself. "Then I'll play the continuous spell card, Black Whirlwind. Now whenever I normal summon a 'Blackwing' monster, I can then add another 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand so long as its attack points are less than the monster that I summoned. So I'll then summon my Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak(700/1500) in defense mode." said Penny as she had another bird join her field.

"And since I summoned my Kochi, I can now add a 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand so long as it has 700 or less attack points." Penny then used her duel disk screen as her options came up. After a few moments, she selected the one she wanted as it slid out for her to grab. "I'll add this little birdie, Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall. Now time to soar high, cause I tune my Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak with my Level 2 Gust the Backblast!" Kochi the Daybreak then flew into the sky as it turned itself into two giant green rings that circled around Gust the Backblast as he was in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight(2400/1600)!" Out came another bird warrior as they wielded a huge sword as it let out a screech.

"Now since I summoned my Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight, he can deal you 800 points of damage." said Penny. Her monster then raised its sword up high and use its power to create a slash as it headed towards Jason who put his arm up as he protected himself.
Jason's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Jason

"Then I guess I'm up." said Jason as he drew his card. "I'll start by summoning my Sage with Eyes of Blue(0/1500) in defense mode. Now when I summon this monster, I can add one Level 1 tuner monster from my deck to my hand." Jason then used his duel disk as he selected the card he wanted. "I'll add my Maiden with Eyes of Blue to my hand. Then I'll play the spell card Melody of Awakening Dragon so now I'll discard a card so that I can add 2 dragons to my hand that have 3000 or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points." stated Jason as he retrieved both of his Blue-Eyes.

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Penny

"Then it's back to me, I draw." Penny then looked at her card as she began to plan her next move. "Now I activate the effect of my Blackwing - Nothung The Starlight, now I'm granted an additional summon this turn. So I'll summon my Blackwing - Damascus the Polar Night(1300/700) and my Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind(1000/1000)." Penny now had two more of her birds appear on her field. "Now the effect of my Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind activates, since I summoned it, I can target 1 'Blackwing' monster I control and either increase or decrease its level by 1. So I'll do just that and lower my Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind from Level 4 to 3. Then my spell card, Black Whirlwind activates. So since I summoned a Blackwing monster, I can add one from my deck that has attack points less than the monster I summoned. And since I normal summoned two monsters this turn. It means I'll add one 'Blackwing' monster that has 1300 or less attack points and the second card will be a monster with 1000 or less attack points." Penny then used her duel disk as she carefully selected the cards she wanted to add to her hand as it slid out for her to grab.

"Now once more, I'll tune my Level 3 Blackwing - Damascus the Polar Night with my Level 3 Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind." Penny's Decay the ILL Wind then transformed into three giant green rings as it circled around Damascus the Polar Night as it jumped in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armed Wing(2300/1000)!" shouted Penny as she had a monster appeared on her field as it wielded a rifle and had a blade attached to it. "Now time to strike, go Blackwing Armed Wing and take out his Sage with Eyes of Blue." Penny's monster then flapped its wings as it flew high into the sky with its rifle locked and loaded. "Thanks to my monster's effect, it gains 500 more attack points during the damage step. Furthermore, it can deal you damage even if your monster is in defense mode." stated Penny as her monster fired off a barrage of bullets and lasers onto Sage with Eyes of Blue as it tried to put its arm up to protect itself before it was destroyed.
Jason's Life Points: 5900-

"Then I'll attack once more with my Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight. Right at your life points." stated Penny as her other synchro monster took flight and brought its fist down on Jason who put his duel disk up as he blocked the punch.
Jason's Life Points: 3500-

"And just like that, Penny is off to a stellar start. The question is can Jason mount a comeback or is it too little too late?" asked Luna as she kept the people watching at home entertained.

"Meow." said Opal as she was watching the screen.

"There's still time for the kid to get into the swing of things." said Spike as he reached his paw into the bag of treats as he shoved it into his mouth.

"I'll then end my turn and now my Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind's effect activates. Since it was sent to the graveyard this turn, I take 1000 points of damage." said Penny. "Either way, it seems this duel isn't going to last much longer."
Penny's Life Points: 7000-

Turn 4: Jason

"My turn and time for me to take control of this duel. And I'll start by playing the spell card, Interrupted Kaiju Slumber. So now all monsters on the field are destroyed." Once more the ground began to open as all the monsters on the field were fell through and were sucked in. "Now the effect of my Interrupted Kaiju Slumber activates, now I can summon 2 different Kaijus from my deck with summoning one on your side of the field. So I'll give you Gameciel the Sea Turtle Kaiju(2200/3000) and I'll summon Thunder King, the Lightningstrike King(3300/2100)!" Out from the chasm came a tidal wave as it washed over Penny's field as her monster appeared on the field. Then from the sky above thunder clouds appeared for a bit as a bolt of lightning struck the ground and then it stopped to reveal the second monster as it had three heads and let out a collective roar. "Then I'll reveal a 'Blue-Eyes' in my hand so that I can special summon my Blue-Eyes Alterative White Dragon(3000/2500)!" informed the boy as his dragon rose up.

"Nothing more than an overrated card." said Penny.

"Now to strike, Thunder King attack her monster!" shouted Jason. His monster heard its command as it opened its mouth and then fired off a powerful attack.
Penny's Life Points: 5900-

"Now Blue-Eyes, attack her with White Lightning!" shouted Jason.

"Not gonna be that easy, cause when you declare a direct attack, I can special summon this bird. Go Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind(0/1600)!" Penny then had one of her birds appeared as it arrived just in time to protect her as it took the attack head on.

"Well, folks. This duel may be over than anticipated." said Celestia. "In the early part of the duel, Penny was in control and not swarmed the field but was able to gain a significant lead in terms of damage. Then Jason responded back with an attack of his own, but even then Penny had an answer for that and is still in the lead."

"Indeed, Penny has nearly twice the amount of life points than Jason has. But she currently has no monsters on her field. If she doesn't do something in her next turn, then it seems her dreams of winning this tournament and challenging Isaac are going to crash and burn faster than Rainbow Dash's math scores." said Luna.

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow.

"It's true!" shouted back Isaac.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Penny

"My turn, and my comeback begins with this little fella. Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North(1300/0). And when he's summoned, he allows me to fetch one Level 4 or below 'Blackwing' that's in my graveyard." Blizzard the Far North then landed on top of Penny's duel disk as he started to peck at the graveyard slot. He then pulled out a card as he gave it to Penny as her monster appeared on the field in defense position. "So welcome, back Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind!" said Penny as she brought back another monster that was a tuner. "Then I'll activate the effect of my Blackwing - Decay the ILL Wind, so now I can use its effect to either increase or decrease the level of one of my 'Blackwing' monster by 1. And I'll use its effect to lower my Blizzard the Far North's level from 2 to 1."

"Two tuners? But you can't synchro summon using just tuner." stated Jason.

"Which is why I'm not done, first the effect of my Black Whirlwind activates, so since I normal summoned my Blizzard the Far North, I can now add a 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand that has 1300 or less attack points." Penny then once again used her duel disk screen as she selected the monster she wanted. "Then I play Double Summon and play the card that I drew for my turn, my Blackwing - Elphin the Raven(2200/1200)." Out emerged another winged monster as it was covered in dark black feather and wore a blue tunic. "I can normal summon my Elphin the Raven without tributing since I control another 'Blackwing' monster. And when it's normal summoned, I can change the position of one of your monsters and I choose, your Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon." shouted Penny as her target switched into defense mode.

"Then my spell card Black Whirlwind activates once more, so now I can add another 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand that has 2200 or less attack points." Penny then had another card that she chose added to her hand. "Now it's time, I tune my Level 6 Blackwing - Elphin the Raven with my Level 1 Blizzard the Far North." Blizzard the Far North then flew high into the sky as it transformed into two giant green rings that circled Elphin the Raven as it jumped in between them. "By way of their cosmic bonds, I can form an even mightier beast! I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" Penny had managed to summon one of her favorite monsters as it wielded a long sword and landed with a dominating stance as it let out a battle cry.

"Impressive monster, but still weak." said Jason.

"Then about I introduce you to my Raikiri's special ability, once per turn, I can destroy cards you control up to the number of 'Blackwing' monsters that I control. So since I currently control 2 'Blackwing' monsters, I can destroy two cards of yours. And I'll get rid of your Thunder King, the Lightningstrike King and your facedown." stated Penny. Raikiri then had its sword powered up and it then unleashed a powerful slash that traveled forward at fast speed and collided with Jason's monsters as they were gone when the attack died down.

"No way." said Jason as he couldn't believe that Penny's weaker monster was able to take out his powerful beasts in one fell swoop.

"I told everybody of the spoiler alert, that I was going to win this tournament and beat Isaac. Now to do just that." stated Penny.

"Hold on, since the card you destroyed was my Waking the Dragon trap card, I can activate it. Since it was sent to the graveyard, I can now summon a monster from my Extra Deck. And I choose to bring out my Azure- Eyes Silver Dragon(2500/3000)!" Jason now had a new monster appear on his field as it was summoned in defense mode. "Now my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect makes it so that until the end of the my next turn, my dragons can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects until the end of my next turn." stated the boy.

"That may be, but I can still take them out the hard way. Raikiri take out that Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon!" shouted Penny. Her monster then took flight once more as it soared high into the air and then came down with its sword in its hand as it made a downward slash that sliced Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon in half as it let out a cry before it was destroyed.

"You'll pay for that!" shouted Jason.

"I welcome it." stated Penny. "I end my turn."

Turn 6: Jason

"It's my turn." said Jason as he drew his card and looked at his hand to consider her options. "First off the effect of my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon activates, during the Standby Phase, I can resurrect 1 normal monster from my graveyard. So I choose to bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon that I discard on my first turn." Jason now had one of his most powerful monsters as it rose up and let out a cry. "Now I activate the spell card, Trade-In. So I'll send my other Blue-Eyes in my hand so that I can draw two more cards. Then to battle, Blue-Eyes White Dragon take out her Blackwing - Raikiri!" Blue-Eyes then opened its mouth as it took out Penny's monster.
Penny's Life Points: 5500-

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Penny

"My turn, and to start, I'll summon my Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind(1000/1200) in defense mode." Penny then had another bird fly in as it created a whirlwind effect as some wind blew over the field. "And then now my spell card activates once more, so I can add a 'Blackwing' monster from my deck to my hand that has 1000 or less attack points. Then I activate the effect of my Tornado the Reverse Wind, since he was normal summoned while you control a special summoned monster. I can target one tuner monster in my graveyard and special summon it back to my field with its effects negated, so come on back, Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak(700/1500) in defense mode. Then since I control a 'Blackwing' monster, I can special summon another little bird, go Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall(400/600)." Now Penny had a total of 4 monsters on her field.

"Now I tune my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall with my Level 4 Blackwing - Tornado the Reverse Wind!" Oroshi the Squall then transformed into a giant green ring as it circled around Tornado the Reverse Wind as it flew inside of it. "There's a storm coming, and with it comes a deluge of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm(1500/2000) in defense mode!" Out came a brand new monster as it arrived to the sound of thunder and lightning as it held a sword of its own as it had electricity flowing through it. "Now the effect of my Sohaya the Rain Storm activates, since it was synchro summoned I can be able to special summon 1 'Assault Blackwing' from my graveyard. So you're back in play, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" shouted Penny as she once again had her powerful monster on the field as it too did a couple of slashes in the air as it landed on the battlefield.

"You going to use Raikiri's special ability?" said Jason.

"No." said Penny with a smug smile on her face. "I wanna see just what you can do with your monsters. As big and powerful as they are, they're nothing compared to the power of my Blackwings. So I suggest you make the most of this turn, cause if not, then I'm going to win this duel." said Penny. "Now I'll end my turn. Your move, if you dare."

Turn 8: Jason

"It's my turn and so I activate my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect, and use it to bring back the Blue-Eyes White Dragon that I discarded on my last turn." Once more Jason had another dragon rise up as it gave out a cry, even then Penny wasn't worried.

I got this duel in the bag, all I have to do is take out her Raikiri and then she'll have nothing left to stop me from wiping out her life points. Jason began to sweat as he looked at Penny who just kept on smiling without a care in the world. SO why is she smiling, does she not know what's gonna happen. She only has 5500 attack points and I'm going to summon another monster to the field. Then I'll wipe out all three of her remaining monsters and then she'll be wide open. So why is she smiling!?!

"Tick tock." said Penny while still having a smile.

Tick tock is right, Jason. Tick tock. Isaac was watching from his throne as he too had a smile on his face as he already knew what was going to happen in this duel.

"Tick tock!" said Penny with some enunciation on her words.

"You ain't scaring me, watch!" said Jason as he drew his card. "And I just drew the card that I needed to win this duel, I play Raigeki! Now all your monsters are destroyed this turn!" shouted Jason.

Soon storm clouds appeared as they caused some lightning and thunderbolts to start striking the field as all of Penny's monsters were now struck by the electricity as soon an entire smokescreen appeared on the field. After a few moments, the entire field that was covered in smoke clouds now started to slowly disburse as the only thing that was left on Penny's field was black marks from where her monsters once were. Even after all that move, Penny still had a smile on her face.

"This is over, my monsters now are going to finish you off!" shouted Jason as his two Blue-Eyes White Dragons started to open their jaws as they prepared their attacks.

"You know when I said you shouldn't have any problem taking out my monsters. I was hoping you would do that, so that I can activate my facedown. I reveal Negate Attack!" shouted Penny as her card flipped up. "Now your battle phase immediately ends!"

Jason's two dragons then ceased their attack as they closed their jaws. Safe to say, Jason wasn't too pleased by that, "You may have survived, but I'm still in this fight."

"True, but your turn is already over. And your Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon's effect comes to an end. Not that I needed it cause I have another way to take you out. And I should thank you, cause you see my facedown wasn't my really trap. Rather you destroying all of my monsters was." stated Penny.

"You're bluffing?" asked Jason. "How does getting rid of your monsters and leaving you with nothing on the field benefit you?"

Turn 9: Penny

"You're about to see." said Penny as she slowly drew her card as she began to set her plan into motion. "Now since you control a monster and I don't, I can summon this little feather friend, Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(2000/0). And birds of a feather like to flock together so I'm summoning out my Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield(0/1800). Join the party!" Penny now had two more monsters on her field as one of them was a tuner. "Time to soar to new heights, I tune my Level 2 Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield with my Level 5 Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn." Mistral the Silver Shield then flew high into the atmosphere as it turned into two giant green rings as it circled around Sirocco the Dawn as he jumped into between them. "I Synchro Summon! My winged warrior, Assault Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling(2600/2000)!" Penny's new monster was a warrior that was covered in feathers and wielded a long sword as it let out a cry as it descended onto the field.

"That's your big play, that monster can't touch my mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragons." informed Jason.

"This is why boys are so short-sighted. Among other things, obviously like smarts." snickered Penny. "Let me show you all, I activate my Chidori's special ability. Now for every 'Blackwing' that's currently in my graveyard, it gains 300 extra attack points." Penny's duel disk then started to shine with multiple lights as soon the spirits of her fallen comrades appeared as they soared onto the field and flew high into the air for all in attendance and those at home watching to see. Soon their spirits all entered Chidori's sword as he felt the power being given to him by his fallen allies as his own strength was being boosted.

"Thanks to you, I have enough firepower to win this duel. The number of 'Blackwings' in my graveyard is 13 which means my Chidori the Rain Sprinkling gains 3900 extra attack points. And when you add that to Chidori's original stats his new total is now..." shouted Penny.

"6500?!" said Jason as he was shocked to see Penny's monster was not only stronger, but it had enough to end this duel should she declare her attack.

"Right on the mark. Now Chidori the Rain Sprinkling, attack his Blue-Eyes White Dragon and end this duel!!!" shouted Penny as she thrusted her arm out. Chidori heard Penny's command as he took off with so much power that he created a small draft that blew in Penny's face as her hair fluttered in the wind.

Blue-Eyes saw the bird coming it as it tried to repel it by opening its mouth and firing off some attacks, but Chidori used its aerial maneuvers to its advantage as it did a few barrel rolls in the air and then raised its sword as it look to take out its target. Soon it flew above the dragon as it let out a cry and brought its sword down; in one last effort, Blue-Eyes fired off a beam of white lightning as it collided with Chidori's sword as it had no problem pushing back the attack as it descended. It soon met its ends as Chidori was able to bring its weapon in a downward slash as it sliced Blue-Eyes clean in half as a mark was shown as the dragon let out a cry as it soon exploded as it was defeated. Jason felt the attack as it caused him to roll onto the grass as his mighty dragon and his deck were defeated by Penny's flock of birds.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Penny

"And there you have it ladies and gents, the winner of the first duel of the day is... Penny." said Luna.

Everybody gave a respected applause as they congratulated Penny on her victory and defeated a tough competitor. While she took in the attention, Penny looked over to Isaac as he just had a straight look on her face.

Quick and fast, just how I like it. I already told everybody the spoiler warning: That I'm going to be the one to win this tournament and then I'll defeat you, Isaac. So start counting your days as champion, cause very soon, they'll be a new head honcho. Penny didn't take her eyes off of Isaac as she said that thought. Though Isaac must have know what she was thinking as he soon had a small smile on his face; it was almost like Isaac was for the idea of Penny winning this tournament and being the one to challenge him. But as of right now it was anybody's guess on who would earn the right to face Isaac at the Fall Formal.

Chapter 148: Wild Force

"Now that was a result that I didn't see coming. But in the end, it was Penny herself who was able to secure victory from the clutches of defeat." stated Luna.

"And with that we now have our first competitor who will be advancing into the semi-final round. Now then, let's all take a few minutes to reset everything." mentioned Celestia.

After everybody was given the cue for a break, Isaac then decided to track down the person he wanted to talk with. It didn't take long to find the girl as Isaac saw Penny drinking a bottle of water. He then made his presence known.

"One down, and just two more duels to win. Then it's payback time." said Penny with some bitterness in her tone.

"Payback, huh?" said Isaac as it caused the girl to turn around and look at her professor.

"Teach." said Penny as she addressed Isaac.

"Good match." said Isaac as he was giving the girl her dues.

"You doubted me?!" stated Penny as she threw the empty water bottle to the trashcan that was next to Isaac as she made a perfect basket.

"No. In fact, I knew what your plan was since you summoned your Blackwing - Raikiri the first time. Not bad."

"So what? You knew, shouldn't you be focused on me being the winner of this tournament." replied Penny.

"So, you think you've won already?"

"I told you and everybody else about the spoiler warning that was going to happen. I'm going to win my duel. I'm gonna go to the finals of this tournament, then I win and get my revenge against you for the way you humiliated me in our last encounter." Penny had a set of eyes that were focused as she scanned Isaac. "I've already completed the first step."

"Then, I await you at the winner's circle." said Isaac as he started to walk away. He did stop and turn one last time as he just gave a smile to the teen girl. "I will say, you're a good duelist. Maybe that will help you with your popularity."

"To be honest, it's not something that I'm currently thinking about. Lets say someone told me that a person's popularity doesn't fully explain who a person is. But rather its who you surround yourself with." stated Penny as she remembered her lesson with Sunset.

"Is that right?" said Isaac with a playful smirk. "By the way, I figured out your next lesson and I'll inform Sunset about it." With that Isaac then left the teen girl as she watched her teacher leave, though she did have a small smile on her face.

"Man, did that duel have me on the edge of my seat." said Spike.

"Meow." stated Opal as she licked her paw.

"What are talking about? Of course, Twilight's going to win. I mean, why wouldn't she?" replied Spike to Opal's comment.

"Meow." answered Tigre.

"Yeah, you just want to win the bet, pussy cat." said Spike with a bark. "I mean, come on who wouldn't want to see that duel between Isaac and Twilight?"

The discussion was then put on hold as the rest of the pets all made their respective animal sounds as they began to select who they picked to win. They all then turned their attention back towards the screen as the next duel was about to begin and it was one that both Tigre and Angel Bunny were excited about.

"Now then if everybody is ready we'll now begin the second duel of the quarterfinal round." stated Celestia as everybody in attendance and the remaining competitors turned their attention to the screen behind Isaac.

The computer then began to select the next batch of duelists for the next duel that was about to begin. The remaining six portraits were now flashing fast as the computer generator was starting to wind down as the final outcomes were being calculated. Then it happened, as the two photos of the participants were shown as it showed who would be dueling.

"And the second duel of the quarterfinal round has determined that it will be Amber taking on Fluttershy." informed Luna. "If both participants are ready, then please make your way to the dueling field."

Fluttershy took some deep breaths as she tried to get her mind to calm. Amber took a moment to look at her deck as she began to quickly look it over. Once both girls were ready they then made their way to the arena as they took their positions and looked at each other. Both of them had a small smile on their faces, they both did take a quick glance at Isaac as he just sat back in his throne with his hand to his chin and a straight look on his face.

"Ready?" asked Amber as she slotted in her deck and projected an amber card tray.

"Ready." nodded Fluttershy as she did the same and her duel disk projected a yellow card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Amber's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Amber

"I'll take the first move." said Amber as she drew her card. She quickly looked over her cards as her brain felt like it needed to do its regular routine, but this time she was listening to her heart. "I'll summon my Lunalight Emerald Bird(1200/1000)." Amber then played her card on her tray as out came her monster which was a monster that had green feathers and wingspan as she soared high into the air before landing in front of her owner. "Now when I summon my Lunalight Emerald Bird, I can send 1 'Lunalight' card from my hand to the graveyard so that I can draw one card. So I'll discard my Lunalight Yellow Marten and when she's sent to the graveyard by an effect, I can add 1 'Lunalight' spell or trap from my deck and add it to my hand." Amber then sent her card away as she drew her card and then used her duel disk screen as she saw her options and began to choose which one she wanted. She clicked confirm and her duel disk slotted out her card for her to grab.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"My draw, to start I'll summon my Nimble Sunfish(1000/100) in defense mode." Fluttershy then placed her card on her tray as a small pond formed in front of her. Soon a figure was jumping out of the water as it was blue and glowed in the sunlight as it landed with a splash.

"Cute, little thing." said Amber as she couldn't help but admire Fluttershy's animal pal.

"Thanks." smiled Fluttershy in her shy voice. "I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Amber

"Then I'm up. And I'll start by playing my spell card, Lunalight Fusion. And with it so that I can fuse together my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly in my hand. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber now had a monster that was a cat women who wore white garments as her dress was revealed so that it could show off her smooth legs and thighs as it wore a cat mask that had a moon shape as well as wore bracelets on both of her arms. She struck a pose as it showed off her dominance as well as her beauty.

"Uh-oh." said Fluttershy as she was a bit scared. That monster gave Rainbow a tough time, since it can attack twice.

"I'll now move in to attack, first I'll have Lunalight Emerald Bird attack your Nimble Sunfish!" shouted Amber as she gave her monster its command. Emerald Bird then swooped up high into the high and using its wings made a whirlwind attack as it started to blow in Fluttershy's face as she put her hands on her dress to keep it from lifting up. Her monster took the attack as it tried to hold on, but was soon blown off the field.

"Now the effect of my Nimble Sunfish activates, when it's destroyed by battle, I can send one Fish-type monster from my deck to my graveyard and then I can be able to summon another Nimble Sunfish from my deck. And the monster I'm choosing to send to the graveyard is my Nimble Angler." Fluttershy then grabbed the card from her deck as she slid it into the graveyard slot and then clicked on her duel disk screen to activate a couple of effects as she grabbed another Nimble Sunfish from her deck and placed it on her card tray as it appeared in defense mode. "And now the effect of my Nimble Angler activates, since it was sent to the graveyard from my deck, I can select two Level 3 'Nimble' monsters from my deck and special summon them. So I choose a pair of Nimble Beavers(400/100) in defense mode." Two small beavers with twigs in their mouths jumped up from a pool of water that spontaneously appeared at Fluttershy’s feet.

"They're so cute." said Amber as she couldn't contain herself at Fluttershy and her cuddly little animal pals. She was so giddy like that she realized that she was acting like a kid that she quickly recomposed herself. "Anyways... as cute as they are, we're in the middle of combat. So I have to do my responsibility and attack. Lunalight Cat Dancer attack her second Nimble Beaver." stated Amber as her monster looked to take out Fluttershy's beaver.

"I activate my facedown, Beast Soul Swap." Fluttershy then touched her screen and activated her facedown as it appeared and rose up in front of her. "Now I can target 1 beast-type monster that I control and return it to my hand. Then I can special summon a beast-type monster that's the same level as the one I returned to my hand; return to me, Nimble Beaver!" Nimble Beaver glowed and shot away in an orb of white light, the spear piercing the air where it had been. Fluttershy then looked through her hand and once she made her decision, she held her card up high. "Taking the place of my raccoon will be my Mogmole(800/800) who I'll summon in defense mode." A small anthropomorphic mole with goggles and a giant hand drill popped out of the ground, blinking up at the catwomen standing over it.

"Well my attack continues on." stated Amber. Cat Dancer then brought its claws down at Mogmole who screeched and exploded. Soon the ground next to the tunnel Mogmole had drilled shook, and another drill head emerged preceding a familiar pair of goggles.

"Don't think so!" smiled Fluttershy. "See my Mogmole has a special ability, when Mogmole is destroyed in battle I can revive it back in face-up defense position."

"Well then," smiled Amber as she was impressed by the power of Fluttershy's critters, "I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Fluttershy

"My draw, and I'll summon my Rescue Cat(300/100)." Fluttershy now had another feline appear on her field as it had a military hat on its head as it let out a cute meow. "And now I'll activate the effect of my Rescue Cat, so by sending him to the graveyard, I can special summon two Level 3 or lower Beast-type monsters from my deck but their effects are negated and they're destroyed at the end of the turn." Fluttershy then sent her little kitty to the graveyard as it disappeared into a white light. "And I'll choose to summon my Baby Racoon Ponpoko(800/0) and Baby Racoon Tantan(0/800)." Fluttershy had now replaced her cat with a pair of racoons. One was a small raccoon with a tiny drum strapped to its chest jumped in front of Fluttershy, scratching its ear. The second was a raccoon with a larger vertical drum over its chest rose from the card backing, banging padded drumsticks on its instrument.

"Watch closely! I unite the powers of my two raccoons, to summon a brave new animal guardian!” She then grabbed the card that ejected from the top of her duel disk and then played it on her duel field. “I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!” The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Amber.

"Not a powerful monster." said Amber.

"Well, I'm not done, cause I'm going to do another Xyz summon." stated Fluttershy.

"You're doing two?" Amber's eyes now widen at what she saw the shy girl was doing.

The two Nimble Beavers turned blue and slid together, then lowered into the water. Fluttershy clasped her hands. "I unite the powers of my beaver and sunfish to call on the spirit of the feline that dwells in the depths. I Xyz summon, come on out Cat Shark(500/500, OLU: 2) in defense mode!" A black and white aquatic monster jumped out from the pool and landed in front of Fluttershy in a spray of water, two orbs of blue light circling it. It stood on a pair of hind paws and waved a pair of front flippers in the air. A fish tail slapped the ground behind it and a cat’s face with whiskers and fur topped its body.

"Been awhile since you've done that play, Fluttershy." said Isaac to himself as the last time he saw the shy girl pull this move out was during the Friendship Games. But he was more so smiling at how Fluttershy was continuing to impress with her skills.

"Now I'll activate Ronin Raccoon Sandayu's special ability." One of the red orbs around the samurai shot across the field and circled Cat Dancer. Red light leaked off of her into the orb. “By detaching one of Ronin Raccoon’s Xyz materials, I can special summon a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. Since your Cat Dancer has 2400, my Kagemusha Raccoon Token(2400/0) now has that same amount.” The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back. "I'll then activate Cat Shark’s effect. By detaching an Xyz Material from it, I can select an Xyz monster I control and double its stats for one turn. I choose Ronin Raccoon which raises him to 2000." One of the blue lights surrounding Cat Shark floated into Ronin Raccoon. It puffed its chest and stood up straighter.

"This doesn't seem good." stated Amber.

"Now to battle, I'll have my Kagemusha Racoon Token take out your Lunalight Cat Dancer." stated Fluttershy.

"Both of our monsters will taken out." said Amber.

The spectral samurai leapt up and slashed with its katana as it fell. Cat Dancer screamed as the katana sliced across her torso in a wave of red light. She then brought her claw up and in a quick movement slashed it across the raccoon as he was sent flying and he too was destroyed.

"I'll now reveal my facedown, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Since a monster on my field was destroyed, I can add 2 'Lunalight' monsters from my deck to my hand." Amber then used her duel disk as she selected the monsters she wanted to add to her hand as it slotted out for her to grab.

"Now I'll have my Ronin Raccoon Sandayu attack your Lunalight Emerald Bird." Fluttershy then gave her command as her other raccoon heard its orders from its princess. The samurai charged across the field, the blade of its polearm held out as he made contact with its target.
Amber's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Amber

"My turn." said Amber as she drew her card and quickly looked at it. I don't remember having this card in my deck, and I would know. Wait a minute, the name? Amber then looked at Isaac who despite not being on the field, he knew what card Amber had drawn. This is one of the cards that Isaac had on that list he gave me on Friday. Well, no time like now to test it out. "Now I play the spell card, Re-Fusion. Now by paying 800 life points, I can be able to revive a Fusion monster from my graveyard. So Cat Dancer is back on the prowl!" stated Amber as she had gotten her monster back.
Amber's Life Points: 6400-

"Then I'll summon my Lunalight White Rabbit(800/800) in defense mode." Out came another female monster as she wore white garments and wielded a white hammer as it rested on her shoulder. "Now the effect of my Lunalight White Rabbit activates, now I can special summon 1 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard in defense mode. So I choose to bring back my Lunalight Purple Butterfly(1000/1000)." Amber now had another female warrior appear on her field as she wore butterfly wings as on her right eye was in the shape of a moon. "Now I'll activate the other effect of my Lunalight White Rabbit, once per turn, I can target your spell and trap cards and return them back to your hand for each 'Lunalight' monster that I control other than White Rabbit. So your facedown goes straight back to your hand." stated Amber as Fluttershy's facedown turned into a white light as her duel disk ejected her card for her to grab.

"Then I'll activate the effect of my Lunalight Purple Butterfly, so by sending her to the graveyard and I can give another one of my 'Lunalight' monsters an extra 1000 attack points till the end of the turn." stated Amber as her monster disappeared and transferred its power to Lunalight Cat Dancer as her own strength rose to 3400. "Then I'll activate the effect of my Lunalight Cat Dancer, so I'll tribute my Lunalight White Rabbit so that my Cat Dancer can attack all of your monsters twice. Full Moon Mayhem!" shouted Amber. Her monster then leaped high into the air and brought its claws down on Fluttershy's token.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7000-

"The first attack won't destroy your token, but you'll still take damage. And you'll take more damage this second time." stated Amber as her cat lady then did a few backflips as she landed on her feet and then used her legs as she delivered a kick to Fluttershy's token as it exploded and dealt some more damage.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6000-

"And now to take out your Ronin Raccoon." said Amber as her monster now its next target in its sight.

"As long as I control another Beast-type monster on my field, Ronin Raccoon can't be destroyed in battle." stated Fluttershy.

"Well, you're still taking heavy damage."

"Not if I activate the special ability of my Cat Shark, I can activate it during either player's turn and so I'll use the last Xyz material attached to it, I'll double the attack points of my Ronin Raccoon until the end of the turn. So now I won't take as much damage." said Fluttershy. Her Cat Shark then ate its last overlay unit as it transferred its power to his fellow comrade as Ronin Raccoon had its attack shoot up to 2000. Ronin Raccoon then raised its blade up as it deflected the attack from Cat Dancer.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 4600-

"Here comes attack #2!" shouted Amber. Cat Dancer then leapt high into the air as she brought her claws down on Ronin Raccoon as she delivered another strike.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3200-

Cat Dancer then turned her attention towards Fluttershy's two remaining monsters as she took out Cat Shark and Mogmole with ease, but thankfully they were both in defense mode. Soon her mighty cat warrior then leaped back to her mistress' side of the field as she took her position.

"You Mogmole only works for one attack." said Amber.

"My Cat Shark would have survived if it still had an Overlay unit, but I had to do what I needed to reduce the amount of damage I took." informed Fluttershy.

"Smart on your play, give up your Cat Shark's power to not be destroyed in battle in order to keep your life points intact." replied Amber as she found the move Fluttershy made was a genius one. "In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Fluttershy

"My draw, and so I'll use the ability of my Ronin Raccoon and use its last Xyz material to create another token that has the same attack points as your Cat Dancer." Ronin Raccoon then lifted its sword as the last overlay unit was absorbed into its sword and he plunged it into the ground as he had another ghostly token appear as it had the same stats as Cat Dancer. "Then I summon Trident Warrior(1800/1200) and when this monster is normal summoned, I can also summon one Level 3 from my hand, so take flight Delta Flyer(1500/900)." Fluttershy now had two more monsters join her little herd on the field. "Then Delta Flyer's effect activates which allows me to either increase or decrease a monster's level by 1. So I'll use it to raise my Trident Warrior's level from 4 to 5." Trident Warrior then had its level changed as Fluttershy was now set. "Now I tune my Level 5 Trident Warrior with my Level 3 Delta Flyer!"

Delta Flyer then soared high into the air as he changed into three giant green rings as it circled around Trident Warrior as he jumped in between. "Let the sky open up and now give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I Synchro Summon, Lightning Tricorn(2800/2000)!" Fluttershy now had a horse appear on her field as its body was colored yellow, blue mane, as well as three horns coming out of the top of its head and along its body. "Now time to attack, Lightning Tricorn attack Cat Dancer!" shouted Fluttershy.

"I reveal my facedown, Cat's Meeow! With this card, I can target my Cat Dancer and send her to the graveyard so that I can replace her with two monsters from my deck and it lets me draw 2 cards from my deck. So Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly are now in play." Amber's fusion monster then disappeared as it was replaced by Amber's new monsters as they appeared in defense mode as the young girl drew her cards.

"Press on my beast!" shouted Fluttershy as her Lightning Tricorn took out Amber's Lunalight Blue Cat.

"Now the effect of my Lunalight Blue Cat activates, since it was destroyed, I can now summon 1 'Lunalight' monster from my deck, so I'm summoning out another Lunalight Yellow Marten in defense mode." Amber's duel disk then slotted out her card for her to grab as she summoned her monster to the field.

"I'll then have my Kagemusha Raccoon Token attack your Lunalight Purple Butterfly!" Fluttershy's token then leaped high into the air as he did some over the top flips and tricks before he brought his katana down and slashed at its target. "You survived my two attacks and summoned a monster to set you up for your next turn." smiled Fluttershy as she was impressed by how Amber was able to think ahead. "Well, I'll lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Amber

"It's my turn, I draw. I'll play my Lunalight Perfume so that I can bring back a 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard, so Cat Dancer is back to play. Then by banish it from play and discarding one card, I can add a 'Lunalight' monster from my deck to my hand." Amber then sent her Lunalight Crimson Fox to the graveyard as she used her duel disk screen to selected the monster she wanted. She made her choice as she clicked confirm and it slid out for her to grab. "Then I'll play the field spell, Fusion Recycling Plant!" Soon the entire field began to change as both duelists found themselves in a recycling plant surrounded by piles of metal and junk.

"Thanks to this field spell, I can discard a card so that I can add a 'Polymerization' from my deck or graveyard. Next, I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I'll send my Lunalight Yellow Marten to the graveyard." Amber then sent her card away as she had a smile on her face. "Then I'll also discard my Lunalight Black Sheep. So when Lunalight Black Sheep is discarded, I can add a 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll retrieve one of my Lunalight Purple Butterfly." Amber then had two cards slot out one from her graveyard and one from her deck as she added the two cards to her hand. "Then I summon my Lunalight Kaleido Chick(1400/800)." Out came a girl animal warrior as she spread her tiny arms into a wingspan as she wore a tiny skirt and had her right eye in the shape of a moon.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Lunalight Kaleido Chick, once per turn, I can a send a monster from my deck or Extra deck to the graveyard and then my Kaleido Chick gains its name. So I'll send another copy of my Cat Dancer so that Kaleido Chick becomes it." Amber's duel disk then opened up her extra compartment that contained all the monsters of her extra deck. She then grabbed the card she wanted as she slotted it into the graveyard slot as her Kaleido Chick now changed in a bright light as it had now taken the form of Cat Dancer.

"I have a feeling that you're not done yet." said Fluttershy as she was a bit terrified by Amber's field.

"Spot on. Cause now I play Polymerization to fuse together my Cat Dancer and Lunalight Purple Butterfly in my hand." Amber then held her cards up high as a vortex appeared behind her as the spirits of her two monsters were shown as they were sucked into the vortex in orange and purple lights. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber now had another catlike women appear as this one had dark skin as she wore a purple corset and thigh stockings as she too had a skirt that was open a bit to reveal her legs as she wore rings around her wrists and unsheathed her claws.

"Now time to end this duel, Panther Dancer attack her Ronin Raccoon!" shouted Amber.

"I reveal my facedown, Book of Moon. So now I'll flip my Ronin Raccoon into facedown defense position. And since I control another Beast-type monster, my raccoon can't be destroyed." stated Fluttershy as her monster was tossed around by Panther Dancer as he had a bit of marks on his fur as he was still standing.

"You may have saved yourself from losing this duel. But I'll still attack your other monsters. So Panther Dancer attack her token!" commanded Amber. Panther Dancer then lunged forward as she brought her claws down on Fluttershy's token as she left a mark on the tiny raccoon.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3000-

"Now time to end that little rodent." said Amber as her monster delivered its second strike and took out Fluttershy's token.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2800-

"Then it'll attack your Lightning Tricorn! Oh, I forgot to mention that when Panther Dancer destroys a monster in battle, it gains 200 extra attack points until the end phase." Panther Dancer then let out a cry as she felt herself gain more power. Amber then pointed at Fluttershy's horse as her monster then leaped high into the air as she brought her claws down on Tricorn who used his horns to fight back.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2600-

"And with this second attack, your monster is history." said Amber as her Panther Dancer delivered the final blow to Fluttershy's Lighting Tricorn.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2400-

"Now I activate Lightning Tricorn's special ability, when it's destroyed I can then either summon Thunder Unicorn or Voltic Bicorn from my Extra Deck to take its place. And I choose my Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)." Fluttershy then grabbed the card that was being ejected from her duel disk as she placed it on her card tray. Soon from the skies the sound of thunder was heard as rushing down to serve its princess was Thunder Unicorn as it landed with a thud as lightning went off. It then pawed at the ground as it was showing its unbridle courage of not backing down from Amber and her monster.

"Your horse is still weaker than mine." said Amber. "Well, I'll end my turn. Then the effect of my Fusion Recycling Plant activates, once per turn during the end phase, I can target one monster in my graveyard that was used as a fusion material and add it back to my hand. So I'll add back my Lunalight Kaleido Chick." Amber then had her card slotted out for her to grab as she add it to her hand.

Turn 8: Fluttershy

"My turn, I'll play my Card of Sanctity so that we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand. Then I reveal my Gallis the Star Beast in my hand." Fluttershy then showed off her card as Amber and everyone got to see her monster. "By doing that, I can now send the top card of my deck to the graveyard. Then if the card I sent away was a monster, then you take damage equal to its level by 200. And I can be able to summon my monster, if not then it's destroyed." Fluttershy then put her hand over her deck as she was a bit scared by what she would draw. She then took a deep breath as she drew her card and looked away for a few seconds. Fluttershy then took a peak at the card she drew and released the breath she was holding in. "The monster I drew was my Big Koala and it has a Level of 7, so that means you take 1400 points of damage." stated Fluttershy.
Amber's Life Points: 5000-

"Then I'll special summon my Gallis the Star Beast(800/800) in defense mode. And now I'll activate my Thunder Unicorn's special ability, so now one monster on your side of the field loses 500 attack points till the end of the turn for every non-Thunder Unicorn monster I control, so with my Ronin Raccoon and Gallis the Star Beast, your Lunalight Panther Dancer loses 1000 attack points."

"Not gonna happen, I activate the effect of my Lunalight Crimson Fox from my graveyard, so by banishing her I can negate an ability that targets a 'Lunalight' monster. Then we both gain 1000 life points." Amber's Crimson Fox then appeared in spirit form as she was able to use her powers to provide a barrier that stopped the electricity from touching Panther Dancer.
Amber's Life Points: 6000-

Fluttershy's Life Points: 3400-

"Fine then, I'll take down your Panther Dance by force, cause now I'll play the equip spell Horn of the Unicorn. This gives my monster an extra 700 attack and defense points. So now Thunder Unicorn's attack power increases to 2900. So now my pet take down that Panther Dancer with Super Charger Bolt!" shouted Fluttershy. Thunder Unicorn then lowered its horn and then charged forward as Panther Dancer saw it coming and ready its claws. However, Thunder Unicorn zoomed past Panther Dancer as she felt the slash from the attack as it left a mark on her abdomen as she fell over and exploded into particles.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Amber

"My turn, and I activate the effect of my Fusion Recycling Plant, so I'll send my Lunar Eclipse to my graveyard so that I can retrieve Polymerization from my graveyard." Amber then sent her card to the graveyard as her duel disk then slotted out her card she desired. "With that the stage is almost set for me to secure my victory. Now I'll summon Lunalight Kaleido Chick once more and then activates its ability, so I'll send another copy of my Lunalight Panther Dancer so that it can become it." Amber's duel disk opened up the Extra Deck compartment as her card slid out for her to grab as she sent it to the graveyard; Kaleido Chick then transformed into Panther Dancer. "Then I'll play the spell card, Polymerization to fuse together my Lunalight Panther Dancer, Lunalight Purple Butterfly and Lunalight Black Sheep." Amber now held all of those cards in hand as she held them up high. Soon the spirits of all three of them appeared as a vortex appeared behind her as they were sucked in and twirled into a color of purple and orange lights. "By combining the precision of a panther, the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, and the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! The majestic, the mighty, the masterful Lunalight Leo Dancer(3500/3000)!" Out came another cat women warrior that was just as beautiful and ferocious like the others. She wore a red skirt that was attached to her hip and had gold pieces of armor spread all over her limbs. She wielded a large sword as she gave off a tough look.

"Since I used Lunalight Black Sheep as a fusion material, I can use its effect to add one 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll return my Lunalight Purple Butterfly, but it won't stay there for long cause I'll then send it back to the graveyard so that my Leo Dancer can gain 1000 extra attack points until the end of the turn." Amber's duel disk then ejected the card for her to grab as she then resent it away to give her monster a power boost as it rose to 4500 attack points. "Now time to attack, Lunalight Leo Dancer attack her Ronin Raccoon Sandayu!" shouted Amber as her monster then leaped into the air as it brought its sword down on the small creature as she blocked with his own weapon as he was pushed back a bit with his paws dragging along the floor.

"My Ronin Raccoon can't be destroyed since I control another beast-type monster." stated Fluttershy.

"I know, which is why I've got Leo Dancer's special ability, after it attacked the first time, it can destroy all of your special summoned monsters. So that means if I destroy your other two beasts, then your Ronin Raccoon's special ability can't save it, but before I activate it, I'll activate this spell from my hand, Feline Cunningness! With this, I can use its power to send one card in my deck to the graveyard, and then my Feline Cunningness than gains that card's power. So I'll send my Lunalight Dance trap card to my grave and then my spell gains its power." Amber's spell then changed its appearance as it now had the portrait of her trap card. "Now since my monster attacked, I can now change the battle positions of all of your monsters and cut their attack and defense points in half until the end of the battle phase."

"Hold on, I reveal my facedown, Beast Burial Ritual. So now I'll destroy my Gallis the Star Beast so that I can draw 2 cards." Fluttershy's monster then transformed into a white light as it shot towards her deck; she then drew her cards as she drew them.

Amber's trap then switched Ronin Raccoon into attack mode while Thunder Unicorn was switched into defense mode. "Fine then, cause I'm still taking out your Thunder Unicorn. And now to use my Leo Dancer's ability." Leo Dancer then unsheathed its sword and brought it down on Thunder Unicorn who countered using his horn as both collided. It worked for a few moments, as Leo Dancer was able to push through and broke Thunder Unicorn's horn as it shattered and was soon taken down with a slash as it exploded.

"Now the effect of my equip spell card activates, since it was sent from the field to the graveyard, it now returns to the top of my deck." Fluttershy's duel disk then ejected her card as she placed it back on top of her deck.

"Either way, it won't help you. Cause Leo Dancer is coming in for the second attack and your monster has been reduced to only 500 attack points. So Lunalight Leo Dancer attack Ronin Raccoon Sandayu!!" shouted Amber. Leo Dancer then swung its sword around and looked to strike down Ronin Raccoon who put his weapon up as he was still on his paws.

"My monster may be gone, but I'm still in this duel. I activate my facedown, Return Damage!" shouted Fluttershy as she touched her duel disk screen as her facedown flipped up. "Now I cancel out any battle damage I would have taken and then the damage is then sent your way." Ronin Raccoon then closed its eyes as he channeled into his aura as he mediated. Leo Dancer then brought its sword down on the tiny animal as it resulted in an explosion. Out from the smokescreen came Ronin Raccoon's spirit as it shot towards Amber who put her arms in an x formation as she blocked the attack as she was pushed a few feet.
Amber's Life Points: 2000-

"Not bad, but you still are defenseless. Not to mention that the next card you draw is your Horn of the Unicorn, which can't help you since you don't have a strong enough monster to take down my Leo Dancer." stated Amber. "Now the other effect of my Fusion Recycling Plant activates and I'll return my Lunalight Black Sheep back to my hand. And with that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Fluttershy

"Well, see about that. Draw." said Fluttershy as she drew her card which as stated was her Horn of the Unicorn. "Seems you forget that during your turn I activated my Beast Burial Ritual which allowed me to draw some extra cards before my Horn of the Unicorn spell card was sent to the top of my deck. And I'll use them right now. Cause now I'll play Polymerization!"

"She's fusion summoning?" said Isaac as he was shocked to learn that Fluttershy kept this secret from him.

"Time to beat you at your own game. I fuse together my Big Koala and Des Kangaroo." Fluttershy then held her cards up high as a vortex behind her appeared. Her two monsters appeared in spirit form next to their princess as they were sucked into the vortex as they twirled into a color of purple and orange lights. "I Fusion Summon, the thunder from down under, Master of Oz(4200/3700)!" shouted Fluttershy. Behind her appeared a huge animal as it landed with a thud and then did a couple of punches as it showed off its fighting style.

"Well, either way it's still not enough to end this duel." stated Amber.

"Which is why I play this, Ayers Rock Sunrise! Now I can special summon one Beast-type monster from my graveyard, so welcome back Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Fluttershy as her beloved horse was back into play as he clawed at the ground. "Then the second effect of my Ayer Rock Sunrise activates, now your Leo Dancer loses 200 extra attack points for every Beast, Winged-Beast, and Plant monster in my graveyard." Fluttershy's duel disk then shined with a bright yellow light as all the spirits of her furry little animals and critters appeared as they stood in front of their princess. All the small creatures surrounded the girl as they nuzzled against her as she couldn't help but laugh, while the bigger ones all stood behind her giving some happy animal sounds. She then turned her attention back to Amber as she stood with a confident look on her face as her animal buddies were standing with their mistress. "The total number is 14 which means Lunalight Leo Dancer loses 1400 attack points dropping it to 2100."

"No!" shouted Amber as she watched her own monster be reduced of its strength.

"Now time to finish this duel! Master of Oz, give that Leo Dancer a one-two KO, end this duel!!!" shouted Fluttershy as she thrusted her arm out. Her monster heard its command as it reeled back its arm and winded it up and soon it let loose a viscous, mean right hook under the chin of Leo Dancer as it was sent flying past Amber who watched her monster collide with the bottom part of the stands as she exploded into particles and the damage was then transferred to Amber who put her arms up as she dropped to her knees.
Amber's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Fluttershy

Chapter 149: Girl Power

"Once again this tournament continues to provide us with some unexpected results. The winner of the second duel of the quarterfinal round is Fluttershy!" stated Celestia as the crowd and the other students in attendance gave an applause.

"And now we are half way to determining the participants on who will move on to the next round." Luna then pointed at the screen behind Isaac's throne chair as up on the screen were four slots. Two of them were already filled in with Penny's and Fluttershy's portrait. Next to them were two more spots that were blocked out as the four remaining duelists who had yet to battle were now under them.

"Now then, as usual we'll take a quick break to give the competitors some time to breath." informed Celestia.

Amber was now sitting down on a bench as she looking at her duel disk and couldn't help but gently slam her fist on the bench.

"You throwing a fit? Isn't that a 'child' thing to do?" said Isaac with a smug look on his voice as he approached Amber.

"I'll have you know that I'm just letting out some anger. And I thought you of all people wouldn't treat me like a child, professor." said Amber as she addressed Isaac.

"Hey, now. I'm not doing that, I just wanted to check up on you." said Isaac. "How you holding up?"

"Alright, nothing hurt but my pride. I thought I could beat her." said Amber as she put her head down.

Isaac then bent down till he was at eye level with Amber as he grabbed her chin and slowly lifted her head up to look at the young teen girl. "Did the new cards work?" asked Isaac.

"Let me guess, you put them in my deck when I wasn't looking." answered Amber.

"Maybe, maybe not. Look Amber, what you did out there shows that despite your age, you clearly have a strong mindset. You said so yourself, you nearly beat Fluttershy. I doubt anybody who could go toe to toe with her would think of you as an 'infant'." stated Isaac. "Your skills are good, and your deck is strong. But there's no shame in admitting when you don't know about something. You pride yourself on proving to others that you're not a child based on your hard work and grades; but in life, no matter how much you read and prepare, there are somethings that just don't follow that logic. What I'm trying to say is that there's always more to learn, don't think just because you know alot of stuff means that you have the answer to everything."

"I see your point, professor. But it's just all my life, people have this notion that draws them to treat me like a kid. I just hope that one day they can see that I'm quite capable of doing things on my own and I don't need to rely on someone." stated Amber.

"Then it's a good thing that I've got someone who's going to help you get there." said Isaac as he was referring to Rarity. "Now then, rest up and enjoy the rest of the tournament."

"I will and thanks, Isaac." stated Amber as she gave her professor a quick hug as he was still on one knee. Isaac returned the embrace from the girl as it lasted for a few moments before she broke apart and stood up from the bench as she went to mingle with the others.

"Seems there's alot more for me and Rarity to teach young Amber. Well, really all of the students still have a lot to learn." Isaac just let out a heartwarming smile as he said his thought out loud. He quickly looked at his watch and saw that it was about time to start the next round, so he quickly adjusted his cap and fixed his necklace as he made his way back to the podium that his chair was on.

"Alright, you're still in this bet." stated Spike as he addressed Tigre.

"Meow." said Tigre.

"That'll be the day!" shouted Spike as he couldn't believe that Tigre was wanting him to admit that cats are better than dogs.

"Meow." stated Opal as she backed up her fellow feline friend.

"Let's just get back to watching the duels!" stated Spike as he mumbled under his breath while the cats just snickered and laughed. The other pets just let out their respective animal sounds as they all turned their attention back to the TV screen.

"Now then, we hope everybody has had a chance to collect themselves. And so we continue with the third round of the quarterfinal round. So let's get to it!" shouted Celestia as she pointed at the screen behind Isaac as the computer began to generate the results.

Like before the computer took the remaining competitors and began to randomly select the matchups not only for the next round but also for the final duel of the day. Now it made everybody all on edge as they were hesitant to find out who will be facing off in the final 2 duels. Then the screen projected the results as it showed the final 2 matchups.

"And there you have it, up next will be Ms. Rarity Belle taking on Lucky Star. And in the matchup to follow and close the day and the last duel of the quarterfinal round will pit Shadow Moonrise taking on Twilight Sparkle." stated Luna.

"Well, then. I'm up, darlings." said Rarity as she flipped her hair with confidence and grabbed her duel disk as she made her way to the field.

"Time for me to clutch my second win in this tournament." stated Lucky Star as she too made her way out to the field.

Both girls took their position as they looked at each other; they both did a quick glance at Isaac as they were reminded of what was at stake. Both let out the tension in their body as they put their duel disk on with Rarity projecting an indigo card tray while Lucky Star projected a a sage green color. They pulled out their decks and slid it in as their duel disks activated.

"Now... let the duel... begin!!!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rarity

"I'll start things off and I'll do it with grace and style." said Rarity as she drew her card. "I'll start by playing my continuous spell card, Crystal Tree." Rarity then played her card on her tray as out on her field out came a small tree that had thin branches. "Now whenever one of my beloved Crystal Beasts are placed in my spell and trap card zone, I can grow a fruit for my tree. Next up, I'll place one card facedown and then summon my Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle(1400/800) in attack mode." A bird with a jeweled collar set with blue crystals and the same crystals embedded in its wings swooped down to perch in front of Rarity.

"I'll end my turn there."

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"Then it's up to me, so stand back." said Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I'll start by activating my own continuous spell card, Alluring Mirror Split." Lucky Star played her card as out on her field appeared a mirror and inside of it was the reflections of all of Lucky Star's monsters. "Next I'll summon my Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300)." Out came a female who wore feathers and had sharp claws and talon. Her body was covered in a metal armor compared to her comrades that were covered in feathers.

"Now I'll attack your Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle. Take down that bird!" shouted Lucky Star. Harpy Lady heard the command given by her mistress as she soared high into the air and stayed there like an actual bird circling its prey. It then had its target locked in sights as it came rushing down and unclawed its talons.

"I activate my facedown, Last Resort. I can only activate this when you declare an attack, now I can select one Field spell from my deck and activate it." Rarity's duel disk then slotted out the card for her to grab. "And I'll take this one, my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!" Rarity then played her card in the field spell compartment of her duel disk as the entire field was now starting to morph. Just like in her duel with Jack, the entire place around them was now changed to match them in an arena while they were surround by rubble.

"Well, it's not gonna help your monster. It's still destroyed." stated Lucky Star as her monster did a slash. Cobalt Eagle tried to use its feathers to protect itself but it soon met its demise.
Rarity's Life Points: 7600-

"Well, my Crystal Beasts stick around, even in defeat they still look stylish." stated Rarity as a cobalt jewel appeared in one of her spell and trap card zones as a fruit began to grow on the tree.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Rarity

"My turn, and I'll start by summoning my Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger(1600/1000)." A white tiger with a horn and a collar studded with yellow gems stepped out with a loud roar. "And now I'll have my Topaz Tiger attack your Cyber Harpie Lady!" Rarity's tiger then rushed over as it looked to take down its prey. "My topaz tiger's special ability activates, when it attacks a monster it gains 400 extra attack points. Now my Topaz Tiger has a total of 2000 attack points." Topaz Tiger then leaped high into the air as it looked to take down Cyber Harpy Lady.

"I reveal my facedown, Mirror Wall. Now my trap card cuts your monster's attack in half; looks like your tiger lost some bite." stated Lucky Star as Topaz Tiger soon collided with a wall of crystal as he saw his reflection and instead of the mirror image having cracks, he now had a bite of cracks running along his body as he felt weak.

"Topaz!" shouted Rarity as she saw her monster in pain.

"Not so tough not huh little kitty." said Lucky Star as her wall disappeared as she and her monster were unharmed and had a smirk on their face.
Rarity's Life Points: 6800-

"Topaz, dear. Mama's sorry for making you do that." Rarity then looked at Lucky Star as her monster turned into a yellow gem that occupied another spell/trap zone of Rarity. Her tree then had another fruit grow on its branches. "You'll pay! I end my turn."

Turn 4: Lucky Star

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Harpie Perfumer(1400/1300)." Lucky Star now had another Harpie monster appear as she carried a bottle of perfume in her right claw. "Now when I summon my Harpie Perfumer, I can add 1 spell or trap from my deck that lists 'Harpie Lady Sisters' to my hand." Lucky Star then used her duel disk screen as all her options came up. She then choose the one she wanted as she clicked confirm and it slotted out for her to grab. "Then I'll have my Cyber Harpie Lady attack you directly!"

"I activate the effect of my field spell, since I have at least 2 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, then I cut the battle damage I receive in half." shouted Rarity as she saw the attack coming and put her hands up to protect herself as the spirit of the two crystal beasts appeared and did their job of protecting their mistress from suffering any harm.
Rarity's Life Points: 5900-

Rarity opened her eyes and saw her monsters in their spirit form as they stood in front of her. "Thank you, darlings." smiled Rarity as she addressed her cards as they let out growl and screech as they disappeared.

"Then about this attack. Now Harpie Perfumer attack her directly!" shouted Lucky Star.
Rarity's Life Points: 4500-

"So you managed to hang on a bit longer, no matter. I end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

"My turn, and now I'll activate the effect of my Crystal Tree. So by sending it to the graveyard, however many fruit were on it means that I take that same number of 'Crystal Beast' from my deck and place them in my spell and trap zone. So I'll place Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth and Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle." Rarity's duel disk then slotted out her two cards as she placed them in her backrow as a red and amber jewel appeared alongside her other two.

"Trying to make a necklace." taunted Lucky Star.

"You are going to regret saying that remark." said Rarity. "Now I activate the effect of my Ruby Carbuncle, since its in my spell and trap card zone as a continuous spell, I can spell summon it to my field in defense mode." Within the rays of light appeared a small purple quadruple with large red eyes and a round red gem on its tail. It jumped down in front of Rarity and mewled. Rarity smirked. “When Ruby Carbuncle is special summoned, all of my crystallized Crystal Beasts in the spell and trap zone are released! Amber Mammoth(1700/1600), Cobalt Eagle and Topaz Tiger, I summon you!” Ruby Carbuncle held up its tail and cried. The gemstone on its tail lit up red and shot beams of energy into the yellow, bluish-gray, and orange gems behind it. The gems glowed brightly and shattered. From the orange gem came a large mammoth, a circular amber stone on a crest on its forehead. Along with Topaz Tiger and Cobalt Eagle as they let out an animal cry.

"Then I'll play the spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon so that I can blow away your Mirror Wall." stated Rarity. Soon a giant wind then started to blow over the field as it caused Lucky Star's wall to crumble and fall into million of pieces as both girls just stood there with a determined look as their hair blew in the wind. "With your trap now gone, my monsters can now strike, so Topaz Tiger pick up where you left off!" shouted Rarity as she pointed at Cyber Harpie Lady. Topaz Tiger her Rarity's order as he rushed forward. "My tiger gets 400 extra attack points when it attacks a monster, so now it has more than enough to take down your monster." Topaz Tiger then jumped into the air and tackled its prey to the ground and it pinned Cyber Harpie and then unfanged it claws as it went for the head and caused an explosion to happen.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7800-

"Now the effect of my continuous spell card, Alluring Mirror Spilt activates, since a 'Harpie Lady' was destroyed in battle, I can replace it with a different 'Harpie' monster from my deck. So replacing my Cyber Harpie Lady is Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000//2500)!" stated Lucky Star as she used her duel disk as it slid out for her to grab and then summoned it to the field as it let out a roar.

"Now Amber Mammoth, it's your turn to attack. So strike down her Harpie Perfume." Amber Mammoth then charged forward as the ground shook below it and then raised its trunk as it brought it down on Lucky Star's other monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7500-

"Very well, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Lucky Star

"Then it's my turn. So I'll start by summoning my Harpie Lady #3(1300/1400). And then I'll activate the spell card, Elegant Egotist. Since 'Harpie Lady' is on the field, I can special summon Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) from my deck." Lucky Star now had her monster be surrounded in a light shower as soon standing next to her was a trio of her fellow sisters as they all took their position next to Harpie's Pet Dragon. "And as you know my dragon gains 300 extra attack and defense points for every 'Harpie Lady' monster on my field. So with my new monster, my dragon gains 300 more attack points making it have a total of 2300 attack points." said Lucky Star as her dragon let out a huge roar.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 7: Rarity

"My draw, and I'll switch all of my Crystal Beasts into defense mode." said Rarity as all of her beasts had now taken a defensive position. "Then I'll end my turn by placing one card facedown." A card then materialized in front of Rarity.

Turn 8: Lucky Star

"That's all? Please." mocked Lucky Star as she drew her card. "First I'll activate the spell card, Hysteric Sign. Now when I activate this card, I can add Elegant Egotist from my graveyard back to my hand." Lucky Star's duel disk then slotted out her spell card as she added it to her hand. "Then I'll summon my Harpie Channeler(1400/1300). And just like my other monsters, Harpie Channeler counts as a 'Harpie Lady' while it's on my field. Which then in turn activates my Harpie's Pet Dragon who gains 300 extra attack and defense points for every 'Harpie Lady' on my field." stated Lucky Star as her dragon had more strength. "Now to take out your monsters, Harpie's Pet Dragon attack her Amber Mammoth!" shouted Lucky Star. Her dragon then opened its mouth as it shot off a fireball that took out Amber Mammoth with ease as an orange gem appeared in Rarity's backrow.

"Now to take the rest of your pets out, Harpie Lady Sisters attack her Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger."

"Hold on, I reveal my facedown, Crystal Raigeki! Now by sending my Amber Mammoth from my spell and trap card, I can destroy one card that you control."

"So what, you plan to get rid of my Harpie Lady Sisters?" asked Lucky Star.

"Not quite, cause I'm choosing to get rid of that foul beast, Harpie's Pet Dragon!" shouted Rarity as she pointed at her target. Soon the power of Rarity's trap card then sent her orange gem to the graveyard as it shot a bolt of thunder down on Harpie's Pet Dragon as it fell victim and was soon blown off the field.

"No! My dragon!" said Lucky Star as she watched her monster get defeated. "You're gonna pay for messing with it. Harpie Lady Sisters, press on!" shouted Lucky Star as her monster took out Rarity's tiger as he too formed into a yellow gem in her backrow.

"Now Harpie Lady #3 is going to take out your Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle!" stated Lucky Star as her other monster brought its claws down on the bird as she slashed it till there was nothing but feather and an bluish-gray jewel appeared next to the yellow one.

"And lastly, Harpie Channeler will take out your Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle." With that Lucky Star had her last monster take out Rarity's remaining beast as Ruby tried to run only of it to get caught in the talons of Harpie Channeler as it pinned down the tiny animals like it was a mouse and she was the predator. She then lifted the tiny thing in her talons and then slammed Ruby into the ground as a small explosion of smoke went off and soon a red gem appeared in Rarity's backrow.

"Lucky for you that your monsters were in defense mode. But I wouldn't get too comfortable, cause this will all be over soon." said the girl as she ended her turn.

Turn 9: Rarity

"My turn and I'll make sure that my monsters' sacrifice wasn't in vain." Just what I needed. "I now play the spell card, Rare Value. With this, I'm going to get more bling for my buck. Cause now since I have at least 2 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell and trap card zone, you choose which one to send to my graveyard and then I can draw 2 cards." stated Rarity. "So which one do you choose, darling?"

"That's easy, your Ruby Carbuncle. It's the one that you rely on the most. So by getting rid of it entirely, I'll stop you in your tracks from summoning your other monsters." said Lucky Star.

"Very well then." said Rarity as the red gem on her field shattered as Rarity sent her monster card to the graveyard as she drew her cards and looked at them. "Seem you made the right choice, only for me to reverse it. Cause now I play this Crystal Blessing, now I can target up to 2 'Crystal Beasts' in my graveyard and then summon them as continuous spell cards in my spell and trap zone." Rarity's duel disk then slotted out her Ruby Carbuncle and Amber Mammoth as she held them and showed them to Lucky Star. "And since my only two are my Ruby Carbuncle and Amber Mammoth then they are what I'm placing in my spell and trap card zone." Once more Rarity now had a red and orange jewels appeared.

"As you know, when my Ruby Carbuncle is in my spell and trap card zone as a continuous spell, then I can special summon it to the field. And when it's special summoned, I can also summon the rest of my Crystal Beasts." Ruby and the others all broke out of their shells as they were now back in play. "Now to battle, Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger attack her Harpie Lady Sisters!" Topaz Tiger raced forward as he powered up from his effect and then took down the trio sisters.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7450-

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split activates, since my Harpie Lady Sisters were destroyed, I can now replace them with another monster. So rise up, Harpie Queen(1900/1200)." said Lucky Star as she had managed to summon the leader of her pack of monsters as the queen rose in all of her elegance.

"Now Amber Mammoth it's your turn to take a crack. Attack her Harpie Lady #3." stated Rarity as her mammoth charged forward once more. Harpie Lady #3 saw the huge thing coming her way as she tried to fly away but was soon caught by Amber Mammoth's trunk as he grabbed her right leg and then with a mighty tug started to swing about Lucky Star's monster as he repeated slammed the female monster into the ground and soon did one final grand slam as it left a hole in the ground.
Lucky Star Points: 7050-

"Now the effect of my Harpie Lady #3 activates, any monster that it battles with can't attack for 2 whole turns." informed Lucky Star.

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Lucky Star

"My turn, and now I'll place one card facedown and summon Phantom Gryphon(2000/0)." Lucky Star now summoned a gryphon onto her field as it let out a cry. "Now Phantom Gryphon attack her Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth!" The new monster then soared high into the air and soon headed towards Amber Mammoth as it used its lion-like strength to take down the giant pachyderm as it tumbled into the ground and left an orange gem in its wake.
Rarity's Life Points: 4200-

"Now Harpie Queen your turn and take out her Topaz Tiger." Once more Lucky Star had her monster soar high into the air as she unfurled her claws and then swooped down toward Topaz Tiger as she did a slash attack that took out Rarity's cat and left a yellow jewel.
Rarity's Life Points: 3900-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Rarity

"Then I'll take over." said Rarity as she drew her card. "Now I summon my Sapphire Pegasus(1800/1200)." A blue gemstone appeared in front of Rarity and shattered, a winged white horse flying out of the shards. “When my pegasus is summoned, I can place a Crystal Beast monster from my deck in the spell and trap zone.” Another card ejected from her deck into her fingers. “I’ll place Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat in my spell and trap card zone." Rarity placed her monster in her backrow as another gem appeared having a reddish purple color tone was shown. "Then I'll play my E Force spell card, so now I can special summon one of my Crystal Beasts from my spell and trap card zone. So Topaz Tiger is on the prowl once more!" Rarity now had her tiger appear as it made another appearance.

"Now time to strike, Topaz Tiger you know what to do." Rarity's tiger heard the command given to him by his mistress as he raced forward and set his sights on Harpie Queen as he gained a power boost and took out the female monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6950-

"Now Sapphire Pegasus take out her Harpie Channeler." Sapphire Pegasus spread its wings and conjured an orb of blue energy and fired the orb across the field, before exploding around Lucky Star.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6550-

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split that's still in play activates, so now since a 'Harpie Lady' was destroyed, I can summon a brand new monster to replace it. So rise up Harpie Harpist(1700/600) in attack mode." Out came a brand new harpie as she was playing a harp that she carried with as her claws plucked at the strings and played a gentle melody.

"Then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Lucky Star

"My turn, now I'll reveal my facedown, Hysteric Party. I now discard a card and then I can special summon as many 'Harpie Lady' monsters in my graveyard." Lucky Star then had her duel disk screen pull up all of her options. "I'll choose to bring back my Cyber Harpie Lady, and Harpie Lady #3! The I'll summon my Harpie Harpist(1700/600)." Lucky Star now had three monsters appear on her field as it was now full of monsters.

"I don't like the looks of this." said Rarity as she examined the sight before her.

"Indeed, cause now I overlay my Harpie Lady #3, Harpie Harpist and Harpie Channeler to build the Overlay Network!" Lucky Star's three monsters then changed into orbs of light as they levitated into the air. Soon a portal opened in front of her as all three little orbs then were sucked into the portal as they combined together and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz summon, Harpies Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged a fierce looking dragon as it had a chain wrapped around its neck as it let out a roar.

"Well now, that's a beast I don't want to get acquainted with." stated Rarity as she was looking at the dragon.

"My dragon may be weak, but you should really worry about its special ability. As long as it has overlay units, then you can't target my 'Harpie' monsters with effects or declare attacks. Furthermore as long as it has Xyz materials, my dragon can bypass your entire field and go straight for your life points." said Lucky Star.

"It can what?" gasped Rarity.

"Let me show you, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack her directly!" commanded Lucky Star. Her dragon was given its orders as it flew high into the air and then shot a fire ball that was heading towards the fashionista.

"I activate the effect of my field spell, since I have at least 2 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell and trap card zone, then I can cut the damage I take in half." Rarity's two gems then caused a barrier to be put up as it formed around Rarity as it help to absorb the attack while also lessening the amount of life points she would have lost.
Rarity's Life Points: 2900-

"You may have protected yourself, but I'm far from done. Now Cyber Harpie Lady take out her Topaz Tiger." Cyber Harpie Lady then soared into the sky and then rushed forward using the force of gravity as it unsheathed its talons and took out Rarity's cat as a yellow gem was now seen in her backrow.
Rarity's Life Points: 2700-

"Then Phantom Gryphon attack that Sapphire Pegasus!" Her other monster then also took flight as it had its eyes set on its target. Sapphire Pegasus then also took flight as it was now meeting its opponent as both were now going to battle in the air. Both charged forward as they collided head first as they showed off their strength as both managed to push each other back. They then collided once more as Phantom Gryphon used its lion-like muscles and grabbed Sapphire Pegasus by the horn and as hard as it could threw the winged horse to the ground as he was picking up speed and soon crashed into the ground as it made a hole.

"Pegasus!!!" shouted Rarity as she watched her monster get tossed to the ground as she fell to her knees. She saw her monster as it was covered in bruises and dirt as it let out a cry to which Rarity could feel the pain that her monster was feeling as she had a few tears fall from her eyes.

Phantom Gryphon then landed on top of the horse as it placed its right claw on the horse's neck as it gave a growl. Sapphire Pegasus was helpless as it couldn't muscle out as its opponent was that much stronger.

"Time to end this façade!" shouted Lucky Star. Her gryphon heard the order and then brought its mouth down on Sapphire Pegasus as it let out a painfully cry as it exploded into tiny bits of gem dust as soon there was nothing but a sapphire jewel left in the hole.
Rarity's Life Points: 2500-

The jewel then started to float towards Rarity's side, but if first stopped in front of Rarity as she opened her hands out and was now holding her Sapphire Pegasus in its crystal form. Rarity could feel the crystal pulse as she knew her Sapphire Pegasus was okay as it was telling its mistress that it was fine. Rarity just wiped the tears from her eyes as the crystal then position itself next to the others as Rarity now had a total of four gems and a facedown in her backrow as the only monsters she had on her field were Ruby Carbuncle which was in defense mode and her Cobalt Eagle in attack position.

"Don't fret, my dear pegasus. I'm going to take down that dragon of hers. That's a promise!!" said Rarity as she stood up with a determined look on her face.

"I like to see you try!" responded Lucky Star as she too was now fired up. "I end my turn and so my dragon loses an overlay unit."

Turn 13: Rarity

"Be careful for what you wish for! Draw!" shouted Rarity as she drew her card as it was covered in a indigo light that trailed behind it. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins, since I have at least 4 'Crystal Beasts' in my spell and trap card zone, I can draw an extra card." Rarity then looked at her deck as she let out a deep breath and then placed her hand on it as she was hoping it would listen to her. She then drew her card as she looked at it and had a small smile form on her face. "I summon my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise(800/2000) in defense mode!" Out came a green jewel as it soon cracked open and revealed a tortoise with green gemstones in its shell.

"Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 14: Lucky Star

"That's your big play after you say you're going to take down my dragon, not much." mocked Lucky Star as she drew her card. "Now Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack her life points directly!" shouted Lucky Star.

"I reveal my facedown, Defense Draw. So any damage I take from your dragon becomes zero and I draw a card." Rarity's duel disk then slotted out her card for her to grab as a wall of them appeared to protect her from the attack.

"You may have survived, but I can still attack with my other monsters. Cyber Harpie Lady attack her Cobalt Eagle!" shouted Lucky Star. Her monster then rushed over and took out Rarity's bird as it let out a screech as it turned into a gem and now filled out the final slot of her backrow.
Rarity's Life Points: 2100-

"Now Phantom Gryphon take out her Ruby Carbuncle!" Once more Rarity's tiny monster was caught and squeezed between the talons of Phantom Gryphon as it let out a sinister sound as it toyed with its prey. It then slammed the tiny creature into the ground as this time it was sent to the graveyard.

"Your Ruby Carbuncle was in defense mode, but the most important thing is that since your entire backrow is now filled up, it was sent to the graveyard. Which means you have no way of bring it back since you have no zones to play any spells or traps." stated Lucky Star. "And the only monster left on your field is your Emerald Tortoise and he can only protect you for so long."

"That's true, but your Phantasmal Dragon now loses an overlay unit and therefore it can only attack me directly one more time. And I just need to hold out till then." said Rarity.

"Like that's going to happen. I end my turn." informed Lucky Star as her dragon lost another Xyz material. (Hand 2)

Turn 15: Rarity

"It will, now watch and learn!" said Rarity as she drew her card.

Well, Rarity. What's your plan? Isaac had heard Rarity's speech and he too wanted to see just how the fashion loved girl was going to get out of this one.

"To start, I'll activate my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins. Since I have at least 4 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, then I can draw an extra card. And since I have 5, I can special summon one of them. So come back Sapphire Pegasus." Rarity now had one of her gems crack and in a burst of light was her monster as it spread its wings out and she drew an extra card from her deck. "Now then I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 16: Lucky Star

"My turn, time to end this duel." said Lucky Star as he drew her card. "Cause now I play my Harpie's Feather Duster, this powerful card will wipe out the remaining hope you have left!" said Lucky Star as a giant wind was starting to blow over.

"I may suffer my hair being frizzled, but I'll risk it cause now I'm activating the effect of my field spell, since I have at least 3 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, I can send one of my Crystal Beasts to the graveyard to negate its activation and destroy it all together. So Sapphire Pegasus, lend me your power for this turn and blow away her feather duster!" shouted Rarity. Her monster obeyed its command as he flew into the air and did the biggest whirlwind effect as it blew the card out of Lucky Star's hand and nullified her spell.

"Fine then! I'll play Cyber Shield and boost my Cyber Harpie Lady by 500 more attack points. Raising her strength to 2300 which is more than enough to take out your remaining monster. So do it!" Cyber Harpie Lady then took out Rarity's remaining Emerald Tortoise as she was now defenseless.

"Now Phantasmal Dragon attack her directly!"

"I activate the effect of my field spell, so now I cut the damage I take in half!" shouted Rarity as another barrier formed around her as she protected herself.
Rarity's Life Points: 1100-

"But you can only activate it once, which means this next attack is coming at you full force! Phantom Gryphon attack her directly!" shouted Lucky Star.

"I reveal my facedown, Card Defense. So I discard a card in my hand to negate your attack. Then I draw a new card to replace the one I lost." stated Rarity as she sent her card away as it produced a barrier that shielded her. The attack still had some effect as on Rarity as it left a tear on her attire as she noticed her skirt and her upper part of her attire had a few rips.

"Just about to end this, on my next turn, I finish the duel. Besides, there's not much you can do. So take your turn." said Lucky Star as her dragon lost its last Xyz material and set a card facedown.

Turn 17: Rarity

"My turn and now the time has arrived." stated Rarity. Streams of light in the colors of the rainbow rose into the air. It reached the clouds and let out a wave of multicolored light across them. Rarity smiled and closed her eyes. "When I gather all seven Crystal Beasts, the greatest light in history resurrects! Meet the all powerful, Rainbow Dragon(4000/0)!" The light in the air above them shone brighter, the silhouette of a long, serpentine dragon appearing within it. With the sound of a mighty roar the light cracked and broke apart. From the shards came a giant white and gold dragon in a rainbow aura, massive white wings spreading into the air, gemstones in seven colors embedded in its scales. It descended behind Rarity and coiled in the air above her, glaring at Lucky Star with golden eyes beneath a crested helmet of white and gold.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my spell card. Crystal Overfusion!" Rarity's facedown flipped up as rays of violet light shone from Rarity’s card. “By banishing Crystal Beast cards in my graveyard and on my field, either as monsters or as spell cards, I conduct a Fusion Summon!” The crystallized monsters shattered, and the shards rose into the air, swirling around each other in a sphere. Rarity slid her card into her duel disk and a ray of seven-colored light shot up into the sky, engulfing the gem dust and lifting it into the clouds. The clouds twisted and swirled around each other, white light flashing within.

"This might be a problem." said Lucky Star as she stared at the face of Rarity's two dragons.

"Oh it is, now Rainbow Dragon attack her Phantasmal Dragon!" shouted Rarity.

"Hang on, I activate my facedown, Nutrient Z! Now my life points increase by 4000 when I'm about to take 2000 points worth of damage." said Lucky Star.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 10,550-

Rainbow Dragon then opened its mouth as it shot a beam of rainbow color as it took our Phantasmal Dragon. Lucky Star had managed to stay up as the next attack was coming.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 8550-

"Now Rainbow Overdragon take out her Phantom Gryphon!" ordered Rarity as her other great beast took out another one of Lucky Star's monsters and delivered another dose of damage.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6550-

"Then I'll activate the effect of my Rainbow Overdragon. By offering it as tribute, all other cards on the field are shuffled into the deck!” stated Rarity.

Rainbow Overdragon spread its wings. Lucky Star’s Cyber Harpie Lady lit up in seven-colored light and squawked as it was drawn across the field. Lucky Star turned her head as the Cyber Harpie Lady behind her condensed; when the two forms were close enough, Rainbow Overdragon swept its wings around them and bowed its head. Sparks crackled over its wings and the dragon dissolved, Lucky Star’s cards vanished from within its grasp.

"Now Rainbow Dragon attack Lucky Star directly!!" shouted Rarity as her dragon was once again on the field as it was allowed to attack again and it fired off an attack that collided with Lucky Star as she took the full force of the attack as the young girl dropped to her knees.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 2550-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 18: Lucky Star

Lucky Star slowly got back up as she looked at the sight before her as she knew that if she didn't do something this turn then she would lose her opportunity to face Isaac. So she then got up from her knees as she dusted herself off and placed her hand on her deck.

"My turn, and... I... draw!" shouted Lucky Star. She then drew her card as she looked at it out of the corner of her eye as she smiled. "Now I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two more cards. Then I summon Harpie Lady #2(1300/1400)." Lucky Star then had her final monster on the field as she was about to execute her plan. "It's time, time for me to win!"

"Beg your pardon, darling?" asked Rarity.

"I'm going to win and now I play this card. Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!!" shouted Lucky Star. "Now I can destroy your Rainbow Dragon. Harpy Lady end this!" Harpy Lady #2 then shot up into the sky as it had turned into a phoenix; soon the giant fire bird got bigger and bigger until it was larger than Rainbow Dragon. Then it started to swoop down as it headed straight for the dragon as it collided and soon engulfed the great beast in flames as it let out a cry.

"Rainbow Dragon!" shouted Rarity as her monster let out a cry of defeat.

"Now the effect of my spell activates, so you take damage equal to your monster's attack points." said Lucky Star. "Which means... I win!" said Lucky Star.

Rarity then felt the force of the spell as it headed towards her; Rainbow Dragon was still engulfed in flames as with his last bit of strength he used his body to protect Rarity from getting hurt as he made sure to protect its mistress as he gave one last growl. Rarity admired her monster's sacrifice as she placed a hand on her dragon's body as her hand pasted through the flames as she gave him a rub.

"Thank you for protecting me, my dear Rainbow Dragon." said Rarity as she smiled and gave her beast a kiss as he disappeared and her life points dropped.
Rarity's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lucky Star

Chapter 150: Securing the Final Spot

The duel was over as the field was now back to normal as on the screen behind Isaac, had the portraits of the two duelists who just battled. One of them was now greyed out as the winner's portrait was highlighted in a yellow border.

"The third duel has concluded and the winner is... Lucky Star!" said Luna. "She was able to maintain her momentum even when looked like Rarity was about to secure the win for her, in the end, Lucky Star was able to pull through and claim victory."

"And with that victory she moves on to the next round of this tournament. And with that three out of the four slots are now filled." Celestia then pointed back at the screen as it showed the ones who had qualified. "The duelists moving on so far are as follow, Penny, Fluttershy, and now Lucky Star. That being said, we still have one spot remaining and how fitting is it that the next duel coming up will determine who gets that final spot. In the last duel of the day, it will be Shadow Moonrise taking on Twilight Sparkle."

Both Twilight and Shadow looked up at the screen as it told them that their battle was about to get underway very soon. Isaac too was looking at the screen as he had something weighing on his mind.

"We'll allow the participants to have sometime to prep themselves before we begin the final duel of the day." informed Celestia as she gave the sign for everyone and the crew to take a quick breather.

"Finally, we're gonna see Twilight battle." said Spike as the TV was now running commercials until the broadcast feed returned.

"Meow." said Opal as she stretched her limbs.

"I am not losing this bet!" shouted Spike. "Not when Twilight promised me 5 treats for every mealtime. That's a good as it's gonna get."

"Meow." said Tigre.

"Whatever!" said Spike. "I know Twilight's got this in the bag, plus it'll make for an interesting duel if she wins the whole thing. What do you guys think?" asked Spike as he addressed Tank, Ray and Angel. The others just looked at their fellow companion with different looks.

"Meow." said Opal with some sass.

"You'll see! And then I can put this pussy cat in her place." stated Spike as he pointed his paw at Tigre.

Shadow was now getting himself psyche for his upcoming duel. This is it, I've already taken down Sunset. Now it's Ms. Sparkle who's my opponent. Not to mention she's Isaac's girlfriend, which is an understatement. I can only assume that with how much time they spend together, she probably knows all of his moves. So in a weird way, it'll be like I'm facing Isaac. So hope she doesn't mind being target practice.

"Getting your mindset right?" said Isaac as he appeared behind the male teen.

"Believe it or not, yes." replied Shadow.

"You did well in your match against Sunset. Now you're facing Twilight. So you can expect this duel to be a bit more challenging."

"No shit! She's your girlfriend."

"Is that suppose to mean something?" asked Isaac as he added bit of sternness in his voice when Shadow made that comment.

"Woah, calm down. I meant that as a compliment." said Shadow as he didn't want to upset Isaac.

"You'd better." said Isaac. "Oh, and I know about your 'secret'."

"What?" asked Shadow.

"You know the one involving a certain 'night-time' lady." said Isaac.

"Oh... you mean..." said Shadow as he was starting to get flustered from what his professor was implying. "Look... it's..."

"I get it, but eventually you're gonna have to tell her. And whatever happens, happens." said Isaac. "Don't think too much of it now, just focus on this tournament."

"Okay." nodded Shadow.

"Good, besides. Maybe if you win, you could attract Luna's attention, especially given what her deck is." said Isaac with a sly smile as he left.

"What does he mean, the deck that Vice-Principal uses?" said Shadow as he was now beginning to wonder just what kind of deck did she have.

Twilight was looking over her deck as she made the final changes. She then looked at her phone as she began to input something as it sent her a message. Since the morning, Twilight's program for her 'special project' was hard at work in rescanning and trying to move forward with the process. Other than that, it seemed that there wasn't much progress that was made so she figured that once this duel ended, she would get started on it once they made it back to the house.

"Can't worry about that now. I have to focus, cause my duel is next. Then if win, then I have to win two more and give Spike those treats I promised him." said Twilight. "But if I win... then... it means..." Twilight didn't bother finishing her statement as she was looking at the ground in front of her as she noticed a shadow looming over hers. She didn't need to turn around as she knew who it was; so Twilight turned around and there was the one person she was just thinking about.

Isaac was now standing a few feet away from Twilight as he had his hands in his pockets as he looked at his girlfriend. But compared to the other times when they were together, they had a smile on their faces. This time... there was no smile, instead Isaac had a stern expression as he had a determined and serious look on his face. And it wasn't just Isaac, but Twilight also had the same expression as her boyfriend. Seems the smile and happiness that was always on their faces was gone as they looked at each other. Seconds, then a few more seconds, which then turned into a few moments. All this time nothing was said by both individuals as they just looked at each other. Nothing was said. Nothing. Complete silence as they stared at one another.

"Hey." said Isaac with a serious tone.

"Hey." responded Twilight with the same attitude as she crossed her arms.

Once again the silence returned as both duelists looked at each other's eyes. Seems both knew what the other was thinking.

"Just wanted to say 'good luck'." said Isaac. "And maybe, just maybe." Isaac then turned around as he was now walking back towards his throne.

"Maybe." said Twilight as she still held a serious look as she kept her eyes on her boyfriend.

"Alright, we're about to start. Everybody, be quiet!" stated Spike as he jumped back onto the couch after fetching some more snacks for him and the rest of the animal crew as the TV came back from commercials and the live broadcast was back on as the final duel was about to start.

"Now then, ladies and gentleman, this will be the final duel to determine who gets the final spot in the semi-final round. To recap, the three moving on are currently: Penny, Fluttershy, and as of the last duel, Lucky Star. And this duel will pit Shadow Moonrise against one of the top duelists in CHS, and that's none other than Twilight Sparkle." said Celestia.

"Yes, but keep in mind, Celestia. In the first duel, Shadow was able to topple Sunset Shimmer who many claim is the closest person to have ever come in defeating Isaac. Safe to say this will be no 10 second win, he did impress many by beating a top veteran in Sunset." stated Luna.

"She was impressed?" said Shadow as he felt a bit of red come across his face as he heard Luna's statement.

"Now then, duelists lets get on with the final duel of the day." informed Celestia as both Twilight and Shadow were now making their way to the dueling field.

Shadow took one last glance at Luna as he hoped to continue to impress the older women. His attention then shifted towards Isaac as he was back to sitting on his throne as it caused him to forget about Luna as he was now refocused on his objective. Twilight was also looking at her boyfriend, but with a different intent. That moment she had with Isaac was now intensified even more as the two of them were literally staring at each other. The story being told by their eyes.

"Now... let the duel... begin!!!" shouted Luna.

At that sound, both Twilight and Shadow pulled out their decks and slid them in place as their duel disks projected their card trays with Twilight having a purple color while Shadow's had a dark blue.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-

Shadow Moonrise's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"I'll start this duel off, so here goes." said Twilight in a calm tone as she drew her card. "I'll start by playing my continuous spell card, Spellbook Star Hall! Now whenever I play a 'Spellbook' spell card, I can place a counter on this card and then each of my spellcasters gain 100 more attack points equal to the number of counters I've accumulated. Then I'll summon my Berry Magician Girl(400/400) in attack mode. When she's summoned I can add a 'Magician Girl' to my hand from my deck, so I'll add Apple Magician Girl." Twilight played her monster as out came a tiny youngling magician girl as she had a wand and a pacifier in her mouth. Her duel disk then ejected the card she requested as she added it to her hand.

"With that I end my turn."

Turn 2: Shadow

"A monster with only 400 attack points?" said Shadow to himself. "My draw, and to start I'll summon my Raidraptor - King Lanius to the field. Then I activate his special ability which allows me to special summon 1 Level 4 or lower 'Raidraptor' from my hand, so I'll also summon my Raidraptor - Retro Lanius(800/1200) in defense mode." Shadow now had two monsters on his field compared to Twilight who had a tiny monster on her side. Soon Shadow's Retro Lanius then created another copy as it caused Twilight to raise an eyebrow. "I guess I forget to tell you, when using Retro Lanius for an Xyz summon, it counts as 2 monsters. So now I overlay my Raidraptor - King Lanius and my two Retro Lanius to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's trio of birds then changed into orbs of lights as they levitated into the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon the orbs of light disappeared into the portal as they combined together and a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000)!" Shadow now had a large mechanized falcon on his field as it let out a screech as it spreaded its wings.

"Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Twilight

"Then it's my turn, and I'll start by summoning my Amore of Prophecy(600/2000) in defense mode. Then I'll activate my monster's special ability, so by revealing my Spellbook Library of the Crescent, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower spellcaster from my hand. So I'll summon my Apple Magician Girl(1200/800)." Twilight now had a female magician appear on her field as she joined her fellow comrades. "Then I'll play my Spellbook Library of the Crescent, since I have no 'Spellbooks' spell cards in my graveyard, then I can reveal 3 'Spellbooks' from my deck and you randomly choose which one to add to my hand while the others are shuffled back into my deck." Twilight then used her duel disk as she selected the ones she wanted.

"Now I reveal my Spellbook of Power, Spellbook of Knowledge, and Spellbook of Secrets." said Twilight as her cards projected for everybody to see. Then they all flipped over so that their backside her shown; they then started to rotate in a circle as they spun faster and faster until then came to a completely halt and then were lined up. "So, what's your choice?" asked Twilight.

"Hmm..." Shadow looked at the cards in front of him as he was trying to think which one he wanted, though given that they all looked the same, it proved to be difficult.

"Well?" gestured Twilight.

"Okay... I'll pick... the card... on the right." said Shadow as he pointed to his choice.

Twilight's duel disk then ejected the selected card as she looked at it and had a small smile on her face. Her duel disk then took the other options as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"Thanks for the assist, cause now I'll play the spell you added to my hand, my Spellbook of Secrets." stated Twilight. "Now I can add another 'Spellbook' card from my deck to my hand." Twilight then used her screen as she selected the one she wanted as it slid out for her to grab. "And don't forget about my previous spell card, my Spellbook Star Hall. Everytime I play a 'Spellbook', it gains a spell counter and for each of those counters, my spellcasters gain 100 more attack points. So since I've played 2 Spellbooks so far, that means I've gained two counters and now all my spellcasters on my field gain 200 extra attack points." stated Twilight as her monsters got even stronger. (Counter: 2)

"Now I'll move in to attack, Apple Magician Girl attack his Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" shouted Twilight. Her monster then raised had a wand appear in her hands as she aimed it at Shadow's monster and then fired a spell as it looked to take out Rise Falcon.

"I activate my facedown, Raidraptor - Evasion. So returning one of its Xyz materials to my hand, my falcon can dodge your attack!" shouted Shadow as his Raidraptor Rise Falcon then flapped its wings as it soared up into the air as it evaded from Twilight's magician.

"Knew it wasn't going to be easy. In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Shadow

"Then it's my turn." said Shadow as he drew his card. "Now I play my continuous spell card, Raptor's Intercept Formation."

"What does that do?" asked Twilight.

"My Raptor Intercept Formation allow me to switch the attack points of my Rise Falcon once per turn whenever it's target for an attack." stated Shadow.

Now then, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 5: Twilight

"My turn," stated Twilight as she drew her card, "I end my turn."

Turn 6: Shadow

"My draw, and just what I needed cause now I play the spell card, Raptor's Ultimate Mace. Thanks to this equip spell, my Raidraptor gains 1000 extra attack points. Then I'll activate my Rise Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit it can absorb the attack points of all your special summoned monsters and then it can attack each one of them." Shadow then grabbed one of his cards from under his Xyz monster as he sent it to the graveyard as Rise Falcon absorbed it. "Now my Rise Falcon gets 1400 more attack points from your Apple Magician Girl which raises its total attack power to 2500! Now Rise Falcon take out Apple Magician Girl, Ravaging Rebellion!!!" shouted Shadow.

"Now Apple Magician Girl's effect activates, since it became the target of an attack, I can special summon one Level 5 or lower monster from my hand and it becomes the new target. So I summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode." Twilight now had another female magician appear as she stepped in front of her comrades. "And the best part is that your monster's attack points are cut in half!" Rise Falcon then collided with Magician's Valkyria as it was pushed back by a spell as it went tumbled onto Shadow's field.
Shadow's Life Points: 7250-

"So, are you still gonna attack?" asked Twilight.

"Yeah, right." stated Shadow as he had his monster drop back to its original 1100 attack points. "I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy your Spellbook Star Hall. "

"When my Spellbook Star Hall is destroyed, I can add a spellcaster from my deck to my hand whose level is equal to or less than the number of spell counters I had on my spell card. So that means I can add a monster that's Level 2 or lower." Twilight then used her duel disk screen as she selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"I'll then lay a facedown."

Turn 7: Twilight

"My turn." said Twilight as she drew her card. Since my Star Hall was destroyed, all my monsters lose the extra bonus they had. But it did allow me to add a free monster to my hand. "Now I'll summon my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(500/400) in defense mode." Twilight then summoned another magicians as it was a boy spellcaster as he had a book in his right hand. "Now the effect of my monster activates, when he's summoned I can add a 'Spellbook' spell card from my deck to my hand." Twilight then selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Shadow

"My turn, and I'll summon my Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius(1700/1000). Then it's special ability activates since it was summoned, I target one face-up attack position monster and switch it to defense mode. So now your Apple Magician Girl is in defense mode." stated Shadow. "Then I'll activate the effect of my Rise Falcon once more, by using the last overlay unit, it gains the attack points of all your special summoned monsters. So now it gains attack points equal to your Apple Magician Girl, and Magician's Valkyria and it can attack!" stated Shadow as his monster rose to 3900 attack points. "Go, Ravaging Rebellion!!!" Rise Falcon then engulfed itself in flames as it soared high into the air and then swooped down as it took out both of Twilight's monsters as her with ease.

"And then I'll have my Sharp Lanius take out your Spellbook Magician of Prophecy." said Shadow as his other monster took out another one of Twilight's magician. "Now, I play the spell Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! Now I can summon one Xyz monster from my Extra Deck that's one rank higher." Rise Falcon then turned into an orb of light as it levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of Shadow. Soon it disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-up Xyz Evolution, Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon(2000/2000, OLU: 1)." Shadow now had an even more powerful monster as it let out a screech.

"Now the other effect of my Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius activates, since it attacked I can now revive a 'Raidraptor' in my graveyard, so I special summon my Retrofit Lanius in defense mode." said Shadow. "I now end my turn."

Turn 9: Twilight

"Then it's my turn." said Twilight as she drew her card. "I now play Monster Recovery, now I return all my monsters on my field and cards in my hand back into my deck. Then I'll draw 5 new cards." Twilight then gathered all her cards as she place them on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in and then she drew a new hand. "Now I play my Charioteer of Prophecy(1800/1200)." Twilight now had a monster coming in on a horse as he wielded a magical sword. "Then I'll activate his special ability, so by sending a 'Spellbook' spell card to my graveyard, I can add a spellcaster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll do just that and add back my Magician's Valkyria." Twilight then slotted her card to the graveyard as another card slipped out for her to grab.

"Now the effect of the card that I sent to the graveyard activates, my Spellbook of Divinity. Since it was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, it allows me to remove a card from my deck for 3 turns." Twilight then selected the monster as she clicked on her duel disk screen as it moved the card from her deck to 'banished' compartment of her device. "Next up I play my Spellbook of the Deity, now upon playing this card it gains a counter. Then for every spell that's in play while this is on the field it gets another counter. With that I'll then have my Charioteer attack your Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius!" stated Twilight. Her monster then charged forward as he brought his sword down the mechanized bird as it exploded into tiny pieces.
Shadow's Life Points: 7150-

"With that I'll lay end my turn."

Turn 10: Shadow

"Right, then it's my turn." So far, Ms. Twilight just reshuffled her hand and played a decent monster. But then she sent a card away from her deck and now has a card that gains counters whenever a spell is played. Don't know what to expect, which means I need to end this quickly before she can hatch her plan. If she's Isaac's girlfriend, then I can expect her to be thinking 2 steps ahead. "Now I'll play my spell card, Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I'll activate my Stranger Falcon's special ability, so by using its overlay unit, I can target one monster on your field and then destroy it." Stranger Falcon then absorbed its Xyz material as it let out a screech and then a whirlwind effect occurred that took out Twilight's monster. "Then you take damage equal to the destroyed monster's attack points. So you're getting slammed with 1800 points of damage." stated Shadow as he dealt some heavy damage to Twilight.
Twilight's Life Points: 6200-

"Now that you're defenseless, I'll attack, Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon attack her directly!" shouted Shadow.

"Just what I hoped for, cause now I activate my Spellbook of Denial. So now I can negate your attack and end the battle phase." said Twilight as she had a sly smile on her face.

"Impressive, well then I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Twilight

"My turn, and now I'll play my spell card, Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere. Now thanks to this spell, since I have 5 or more 'Spellbooks' in my graveyard, I can reveal the top 2 cards of my deck and if any of them are 'Spellbook' then I can add them to my hand." Twilight's duel disk then projected her next two cards as everybody saw what they were. "Seems the cards are my Spellbook of Power and Spellbook of Wisdom. Since both are 'Spellbooks', I get to keep them. Then I'll summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000)." Out came a hooded figure as her face was concealed as she held a couple of flasks as they were connected by a magical chain and had symbols on the cups. "Now the effect of my Temperance of Prophecy activates, since I activated a 'Spellbook' previously I can then tribute my Temperance of Prophecy so that I can special summon 1 Level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster-type from my deck. So Temperance work your magic!" commanded Twilight. Her monster then obeyed its mistress as it started to chant some ancient saying as the cups it was holding were now overflowing as it spilled out and landed near its feet. Then it started to glow as it surrounded Temperance and soon encased her as it shined with a bright light. Then it started to crack as a new monster emerged.

"I now summon my World of Prophecy(2900/2400)!" shouted Twilight. Out came a being as it was in a mediating trance as it floated in the air. It had angelic wings as it was deep in thought. "Now my monster's effect activates, since it was special summoned by the effect of a spellcaster, I can now add 2 'Spellbooks' from my graveyard back to my hand. So I'll take back my Spellbook of Secrets and Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere." Twilight's duel disk then slotted out her cards as she added them to her hand. "And now I'll play my Spellbook of Neutralization which allows me to negate the effect of a card until the end of the battle phase. So I choose your Raptor Intercept Formation. Now I'll have my World of Prophecy attack your Raidraptor - Stranger Falcon." World of Prophecy heard Twilight's command as it began to do the order given to it by its mistress. Then it brought its hands together as it unleashed a powerful attack that took out Stranger Falcon with ease.
Shadow's Life Points: 6250-

"My monster may be gone, but you destroy one raptor another will replace it. Like right now, I reveal my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force!" Shadow's facedown then flipped up. "Now since an Xyz monster was destroyed this turn, I can revive it and then use it to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher." Raidraptor Strangler Falcon then rose up as it let a cry and then transformed into an orb of light as it levitated for a bit as a portal opened up. Soon it entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 1)!" Soon a new bird of prey appeared on Shadow's field as it was bigger and let out another screech.

"That's not good, I'll then play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add a 'Spellbook' to my hand." Once more Twilight used her duel disk as she selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab. "I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Shadow

"My turn, now I play the spell card, Raidraptor - Iron Heart and equip it onto my Revolution Falcon to give it 500 extra attack points. Then I'll activate the effect of my Revolution Falcon, since I used a Rank 5 or lower 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster to summon it, I can target one of your special summoned monsters and destroy it. Then you take damage equal to half of the monster's attack points. So say goodbye to your World of Prophecy!" shouted Shadow.

"Not gonna happen, cause I'll reveal the card I previously set, Spellbook of Immortality! Now I target one spellcaster on my field and for the rest of the turn, it can't be destroyed in battle or targeted by card effects." said Twilight as her monster chanted as some divine energy surrounded it as Shadow's effect was nullified.

"Sneaky." commented Shadow.

"I'll learned a thing or two from someone." stated Twilight as she did a quick glance at Isaac as he still had the same expression from earlier as both just stared at each other with a stern look.

"Well, then I'll just summon my Raidraptor - Rudder Strix(0/1600) in defense mode. Now since it was summoned, I can now deal you 600 points of damage." said Shadow as his small bird then flew over to Twilight as it used its beak to peak at Twilight who simply put her duel disk to block its pecks.
Twilight's Life Points: 5700-

"Then I'll overlay my Retrofit Lanius, remember it when using it to Xyz summon it counts as two monsters." Retrofit Lanius then transformed into two orbs of light as it levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in the ground in front of Shadow. Soon they were sucked into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! I Xyz Summon! Take flight! Raidraptor - Force Strix(100/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow now had another raptor as it let out a small cry as it had its units circling around it. "Now my Force Strix gains 500 attack and defense points for each Winged-Beast type monster on my field so since I have 2 on my field, it now gains 1000 extra attack and defense points." stated Shadow. "Then I'll activate my Force Strix's ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can add a one Level 4 Dark Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand." Shadow then used his duel disk as she selected the card he wanted as it slid out for him to grab.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 13: Twilight

"My draw, and now I'll summon my Magician's Valkyria to the field. And while she's in play, you can't target any of my other spellcaster without going through her first. But I'm not done, cause now I play Spellbook of Power and give my World of Prophecy an extra 1000 attack points." stated Twilight as her World of Prophecy got even stronger. "Then I'll play once again Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere, so like before I reveal the top 2 cards of my deck and then if any of them are 'Spellbook' cards, then I get to add them to my hand." Twilight's duel disk then projected her cards for all to see. "Seems once again they're both 'Spellbooks', so they get added to my hand. But I'll use one of them right now, Spellbook of Penetration! So thanks to this now my monsters can deal damage even if your monster is in defense mode. So World of Prophecy attack his Raidraptor - Rudder Strix!" shouted Twilight.
Shadow's Life Points: 5350-

"That's fine cause, when you target my Rudder Strix it allows me to summon up to 2 'Raidraptor' monsters in my hand, so I'll summon another Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius." said Shadow as he quickly summoned his monster as just as his Rudder Strix was destroyed.

"Man they just keep coming." said Twilight to herself as she witnessed how easily these Raidraptors were able to summon themselves. "Now the other effect of my Spellbook of Power activates, since it destroyed a monster, I can now add another 'Spellbook' to my hand from my deck." stated Twilight as her duel disk slid it out for her to grab.

"I'll then set one card facedown."

Turn 14: Shadow

"My turn, and now time to attack, I activate my Revolution Falcon's special ability. By using one overlay unit, I can drop all the attack points of your special summoned monster to 0 and then my monster can attack all of your monsters!" shouted Shadow.

"It can attack all of them?" said Twilight.

"Go Blitz Bombardment!!!" shouted Shadow. Revolution Falcon then soared high into the air as it was now overhead Twilight and her monsters. It then unhatched its compartments as tons of little bombs began to rain from above as Twilight had to look away as the sounds of explosions went off around her as it took out her entire field and her monsters as she took some damage.
Twilight's Life Points: 3200-

"Now Force Strix attack her directly!" shouted Shadow as his remaining monster then took flight and delivered some more damage to Twilight as was pushed back as her feet dragged along the grass and dirt.
Twilight's Life Points: 2100-

"With that, I then play my Raidraptor - Symbol. So since a 'Raidraptor' monster I controlled battled this turn, I can now add a 'Raidraptor' from my deck to my hand." said Shadow as he selected the monster he wanted as he added it to his hand. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 15: Twilight

"My turn." said Twilight as she picked herself up and dusted her knees of the dirt as she placed her hand on her deck.

There's no way she can win, she's got no monsters on her field. And even if she draws something, it won't be strong enough since I still have my Raptor's Intercept Formation, if she attacks any of my Xyz monsters, then I'll just switch its stats. But then again... she is Isaac's girlfriend. And knowing him, he wouldn't be with her if she didn't do something that caught his attention. So, what's this girl got?

"You may think that I'm out of this duel, but I'm not. Cause I got a plan, and it starts now! Draw!" said Twilight as she drew her card as it was covered in a purple light with some particle effects as it left a trail. "Now time to activate the effect of my spell card."

"What spell card?" asked Shadow.

"Remember what I played 3 turns ago." said Twilight. It took a moment for Shadow to understand, but soon he realized what she was talking about. "I played my Spellbook of Divinity which allowed me to banish a card for 3 turns, well 3 turns have passed and now I can play the card." Twilight's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed it and held it up high. "And since it was a monster, I can now special summon it. Arise, Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2200)!!" shouted Twilight as out came a magician as it wore a red outfit and wielded a staff as it pointed it at Shadow.

"Not much of a monster." said Shadow as he looked at the stats of Twilight's monster.

"This was my first ever card that I got, in fact, before I assembled my Spellbook deck and I acquired my High Priestess of Prophecy, this was my star monster I relied on." said Twilight as she looked at the monster that laid before her as the two of them gazed at one another. It had been a long, long time since the two last met, but even if that much time having pasted they both had fond memories of their early days.

"Interesting." said Isaac as he was shocked that he didn't know that about Twilight.

"Now then my Dark Red Enchanter has won me multiple duels when I was little, and it's time to win another. Cause for each spell counter that it has, it gains 300 extra attack points."

"So, what?" asked Shadow.

"Remember my other spell." said Twilight as she pointed at her Spellbook of the Deity. "This whole time, my Spellbook of the Deity has been collecting spell counter each time a card has been played. And the number of counter that have been collected is... 13! And now I destroy my Spellbook of the Deity, then any counters on it, I can place on a monster. So all thirteen counters go to my Dark Red Enchanter!" informed Twilight as her magician now infused itself with the power of the spell counters.

"Wait, if it has 13 spell counters and it gains 300 for each counter, then..." said Shadow.

"Then we're talking 3900 extra attack points." finished Twilight as her monster now rose to have an attack power of 5600. "And now, I'll reveal my Spellbook of Wisdom, Spellbook of Knowledge, and Spellbook of Eternity." Twilight's three cards then projected in front of her as everybody saw them. "By doing so, I can now summon my most loyal monster. Show everybody your beauty and grace, High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!!!" Twilight then held her card up high as she played it on her card tray; out came a beauty women as she had pink hair and wore an even more beautiful outfit as it was covered in robes and she had a book being held in her magic.

"So, Mistress Sparkle has summoned Lady Priestess." said Mahad as he made his presence known as she appeared next to Isaac.

"It would seem so, Mahad." said Isaac.

"This will be fun to watch." said Mana as she too appeared next to their master and watched on. "Hmm."

"What is it, Mana?" asked Isaac.

"Oh, nothing." said Mana. However what really caught her attention was the fact that Isaac was sitting in a throne-like chair and both her and Mahad were standing next to him. It reminded her of a past memory from when she was still human as she couldn't help but smile.

"Now I activate my High Priestess of Prophecy's special ability, so by banishing my Spellbook of Knowledge. My High Priestess can destroy one card on the field. And I choose your Raptor Intercept Formation!" stated Twilight as she pointed at Shadow's card. High Priestess of Prophecy heard her master's command as he opened up her book and then used her hand as she did a few motions and then got rid of its target.

"With that gone, you can't change your monster's stats. So Dark Red Enchanter attack Raidraptor Revolution Falcon!" commanded Twilight. Dark Red Enchanter then heard its orders as it lifted its staff and pointed it at the giant bird as he blasted it right through the middle as it let out a screech and soon an explosion went off as it blew up into pieces.
Shadow's Life Points: 2250-

"And now High Priestess of Prophecy attack his Raidraptor - Force Strix!!" shouted Twilight as her most trustworthy monster obliged and looked to claim the victory for her and her mistress.
Shadow's Life Points: 350-

"So I'll end my turn with a facedown." stated Twilight as the card she set was her Spellbook of Wisdom which she believed would offer some protection for her monsters.

Soon the ground in front of her opened up as a portal appeared, then out from the portal came a monster. In fact the monster that emerged was none other than Raidraptor - Rise Falcon as it let out a fierce screech as it had an overlay unit circling it. This shocked Twilight as she didn't expect to see a monster that she had already defeated.

"What? But how? How is your Rise Falcon back?" asked Twilight.

"See the moment you destroyed, my Revolution Falcon, you triggered my real trap. Remember I equipped it with Iron Heart which not only raised its attack points by 500, but when the monster its equipped with is destroyed, I can then select 2 'Xyz' monsters in my graveyard and revive one of them, while the other becomes an overlay unit. So I choose to bring back my Rise Falcon and then had Revolution Falcon become an Xyz material." informed Shadow.

"But if Rise Falcon has an overlay unit... then..." Twilight's eyes widen at the realization.

Turn 16: Shadow

"Now I activate Rise Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, my Rise Falcon gains the attack points of all of your monsters and then it can attack them all!" shouted Shadow as his Rise Falcon absorbed its Xyz material as its attack points shot all the way up to 8200. "Now finish this duel, Ravaging Rebellion!!!" Rise Falcon then soared high into the sky as it engulfed itself in flames and then came soaring down with great speed and power as it collided with Twilight's monsters as they were destroyed and Twilight dropped to her knees.
Twilight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Shadow Moonrise

"Flawless... victory." said Shadow as he fell down on his back as he let out a breathe of exhaustion. He was so worn out that he could say his victory catchphrase properly. I just barely made it out alive, I got lucky. No doubt, Ms. Twilight is a tough an difficult duelist. I'm lucky to have won. Now I see why she's Isaac's girlfriend.

"Ladies and gentleman, the winner of the four and final duel is... Shadow Moonrise!" shouted Luna as she and everybody else around them applauded him on securing the win.

"So close." said Twilight as she looked at her deck and at Isaac.

Consider yourself lucky, Shadow. You may have won the battle, but Twilight won the war and the mental aspect that comes with a duel. Take that to heart, kid. You barely survived, you barely survived. Isaac then noticed Twilight looking at him as he still had a stern look on his face. She didn't win... thank... you. Isaac now let out a breathe that he didn't know he was holding in as his face soften as he now had a smile.

"And with that, we now have the four participants who will be competing against each other in a quest to become the #1 contender to Isaac's championship match at the Fall Formal." Celestia then pointed at the screen behind Isaac as the portraits of the finalists were now shown and everybody got to see who could potentially be the winner. "The four remaining duelists are Penny, Fluttershy, Lucky Star, and lastly joining them is Shadow Moonrise. These four will compete tomorrow in both the semi-final rounds and then immediately following the second matchup, the final duel will begin and then the winner will earn the right to challenge against reigning, defending, undisputed Canterlot High's Duel Monsters champion, Isaac!!" Celestia's response was met with some cheers and even more applauses. The four duelists who qualified all looked at the board as they knew that they were just that much closer to potentially winning and beating Isaac.

"Thank you all, and we'll see you tomorrow for the conclusion of this epic tournament that has produced some interesting and stellar outcomes." said Luna as he turned to the main camera and gave the signal to end the broadcast as the screens on the TVs went black.

"Meow." said Tigre.

"Grr." sounded Spike.

"Meow." stated Tigre even more loudly.

"Grr." Spike was now fuming as his he felt his inner animal starting to come out.

"Meow." replied Tigre.

"I don't want to hear it!" shouted Spike as he grabbed a pillow and put it over his head as he didn't want to hear any more from his frenemy.

"Meow." said Tigre as she continued to taunt the mutt.

"Shut it!" pouted Spike as he couldn't believe that his pick to win the tournament was eliminated while her's was still in. "Your pick still needs to win. Remember pussy cat, we said all or nothing. Which means I still have a chance for you not to win this bet. I still have a chance!!" informed the dog.

"Meow, meow." stated Tigre as she wasn't too worried about that. She then continued to make fun of her friend as all the other pets began to laugh with their feline companion as they too joined in on the fun of Spike having his pick be knocked out of the tournament.

"I thought I had a safe bet in picking Twilight. Where did I go wrong?" shouted Spike to the heavens as he couldn't believe his luck.

The whole school was now starting to leave as the students had already left. Twilight was looking at her deck as she replayed the duel in her mind; she then noticed a shadow looming over her as she slowly lifted her head up and saw Isaac standing there. He was standing with his hands in his pockets as he looked at Twilight. Just like before, nothing was said, their eyes and the look on their faces told the whole story.

"Hey." said Isaac with a straight tone.

"Hey." responded Twilight in the same volume.

They both kept quiet for a few seconds as they looked at each other. Waiting to see what the other would do or say; once again their eyes told the whole story. Soon the silence was broken.

"Ready to go home?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah." said Twilight.

She began to walk towards her boyfriend and stopped in front of him as she looked at him. She then brought her hand up to his cheek as she then leaned in to capture his lips. Isaac then put his right hand up to Twilight's cheek as he too leaned into the kiss as it lasted for a few seconds. Then the broke apart as soon they had a small smile on both of their faces; with that they caught up with the others as they all started their trek back to the house.

"So, you nervous Fluttershy?" asked Sunset.

"A little." replied the girl as out of the whole group, she was the only one who qualified.

"Don't be, if you just keep dueling like you did in your past duels, then you'll cruise right into the finals and then have your chance to face Isaac at the Fall Formal." stated Rainbow Dash as she was showing support for her best friend.

"I appreciate your support, Dash. Thanks." said the shy girl as they reached the house and Isaac opened the front door for them to enter.

"Okay, who the hell let the pets in here!?!!!" shouted Isaac to which the girls all giggled at their male companion.

Upstairs in Twilight's room, her computer was closed. Though even though it was shut off, the program that Twilight was working on in the morning was still running as it was doing the command that Twilight asked of it. It had just finished it as it began to next phase of the plan.

"Rescanning complete. Reconfiguring. Status, analyzing. Restoration at 12%." said the A.I.

Chapter 151: Battle Birds

"Nicole, response." said Twilight.

"Scanning, Twilight. Restoration at 15%." said the A.I.

"At this rate, I doubt I'll have this finished in time." said Twilight as she let out a stressed sigh. She then began to type something on the keypad as she pulled up some images and schematics as she began to evaluate the data once more. "Are you sure, we've tried everything?"

"Everything you've disposed, I've analyzed and am running the configurations, Twilight. The best bet is to wait for the things to fall in place by themselves." responded her A.I. "This is something that I've never seen the likes of and know very little about. Perhaps you best take a break and distract yourself while I do my calculations."

"You're probably right. Thanks, Nicole." said Twilight. "If anything happens, let me know immediately." Twilight then closed her computer as she opened the door and standing there was Isaac as he had his fist raised.

"Oh, you're up. I was just about to knock." said Isaac.

"Oh, yeah. I've been up for a while, no big deal." said Twilight as she tried her best to put on the biggest fake smile possible.

"Ok-ay." said Isaac as he raised his eyebrow. "So... who were you talking to?"

"No one! Just myself. And my book." exclaimed Twilight. "Nothing like getting lost in the story, am I right?"

"I guess." said Isaac as he didn't fully believe Twilight's answer. "Anyways, you going to join the others. We're about to have breakfast."

"Yeah, I'm coming. Just let me fix my hair." said Twilight as she quickly closed the door in Isaac's face.

"But your hair is fine." said Isaac as he was looking at the door.

Isaac then scratched his head as he was trying to figure out what could Twilight's reason be for acting so weird, apart from it being morning. Eventually he decided to put it to the side as he made his way downstairs; Applejack, Pinkie, and Fluttershy were all at the dining table as they were eating some cereal; Isaac then took this time to head to the backyard of the house as he pulled out his phone. He then touched a number as it began to ring and soon he heard a person's voice.

"Hello." said the person.

"Hey, bud. It's me." said Isaac.

"Oh, Isaac. How are you doing? I've been seeing the results so far, so any particular one you want to face?"

"They're all make worthy challengers." responded Isaac. "So, any updates?"

"Sorry, bud. I'm going busy for the next few months. But I will make sure to send you the things you've requested." said the person.

"Thanks, I appreciate it." said Isaac. With that he ended the call as he let out a stressful sigh. Isaac then thought back to yesterday, when he and Twilight were staring at one another as he retreated back into the house.

After about an hour, everybody was now dressed and ready for the last day of the tournament. They each grabbed their duel disks and decks as they all exited the house. Seems after the incident with the pets yesterday, Isaac was not pleased with what Spike and Tigre had planned. But given that today was the final day of the tournament, he allowed the girl's pet to stay until the event was over. But he was strict that he didn't want to come to a messing living room like the night before. Since Spike was the only one who could communicate, he said that he would be in charge and make sure that they wouldn't cause too much of a mess. Eventually, he said his piece and Isaac along with the rest of the girls all left for school.

Once more, everybody was excited as the final days of the tournament were coming to a close. Especially, cause not only would the semi-finals be taking place, but immediately following the second duel, both winners would then begin their final match as everybody looked to crown a winner. But the bigger story would be the winner would face Isaac the current champion at the Fall Formal which was scheduled to take place next Friday. So it was safe to say that everybody couldn't wait to see the duels.

Each of the four remaining participants were now taking time to overlook their decks as this would be the last time to make last-minute changes cause once the tournament go underway, it would be nonstop action. So with that being said, the remaining competitors were now prepping themselves, while Isaac took the time to do something.

"Alright, I made it this far. Just got to do it again." said Shadow as he was sitting in a chair with his deck in his hand.

"Is that right?" said Isaac as he stood over the boy.

"Look if you're here to confront me for eliminating your girlfriend, then I'm sorry. I don't want any trouble." said Shadow.

"Come on, you me better than that. That's not why I'm here." Isaac then grabbed another metal chair as he position it with the back of it facing Shadow as he sat down. "I want to talk to everybody who's left. I wanna... make sure you understand what's at stake here. This is an opportunity to challenge for the title of Canterlot High's Duel Monsters Champion, Shadow. This is as big as it gets while you're a student here. And you're right there. Now I'm not blowing smoke up your ass, but I've seen too many duelists like you. You got everything it takes, very few guys and gals that walk through these doors can do what you do on the dueling field. But I've seen it, I just think you need that little bit extra something. I do think this might be your time to grab that brass ring and prove to the world that you're 'the man'. You know what I mean." said Isaac.

"Yeah... I do." answered Shadow. "I really appreciate that."

"I'll be watching. And maybe I'll put in a good word for Luna." said Isaac as he got up from his chair and left the boy with his thoughts.

"This is it, just like I told everybody else. The spoiler that I dropped is gonna come true. I win my first duel, I advance to the finals, and then I win the tournament and beat Isaac. Time to complete step 2." said Penny as she trying to get her mindset in the right place. She then looked at her deck as she spread out her cards in her hand. "What do you want?" asked Penny as she shifted her eyes up from her deck as she saw Isaac standing there.

"Just wanna have a chat." said Isaac as he set up some chairs as he offered for Penny to sit down. "You know what's at stake? And you're nearly at the finish line, I just wanna say that I'm impressed with how far you've come."

"I... well... thank you." said Penny as she smiled for the first time.

"Know that this is where things get tough. No disrespect to anybody else whose competed in this tournament. But this is where everything changes, so this means two things. You either step up or you crumble. No other way to say it." informed Isaac. "Duel Monsters is about showing the world what skills you have as a duelist and whether or not you can handle a deck. And I believe you've got what it takes, you and the other students that I've handpicked for this program. You all possess talent, me and the girls all want to help develop that talent. You're setting a bar with this program that hopefully many others will follow. In a way, it's a responsibility that you need to uphold. You understand?"

"Yeah... and... look... I'm grateful for what you, Sunset, and the others are doing. I know this isn't easy on your part; having an idea, then actually making that idea a reality, starting a program from the ground up and investing your own money into it. That's something that not many people are seeing, is that you've put a lot of hours and sleepless nights into having this small experiment. And I think me and the other students have been taking that for granted, so from me personally, I appreciate all the hard work you've done." said Penny. "But don't think this little sweet moment is going to take away from my objective. I plan on winning and then I take your title."

"Then I'll be rooting for you." smiled Isaac. "Good luck." Isaac then extended his fist out to which Penny did the same as she gave her headmaster a fist bump.

"See ya, teach." replied Penny as she went to get ready.

"Ready to whup butt, Fluttershy?" asked Rainbow Dash as she gave her best friend a strong pat on the back.

"No!" said Fluttershy as she was still a bit scared.

"Good job, Dash. Now you've gone and scared her." stated Applejack.

"I didn't mean it, intentionally." replied the chromatic haired girl.

"Darling, Fluttershy calm yourself. Just take a deep breath." said Rarity as she got the shy girl to do just that.

"Yeah, how else are you gonna enjoy your victory celebration when you win this tournament." stated Pinkie with a smile.

"Pinkie, she hasn't won yet." said Sunset as she placed a hand on her hip.

"Not yet." replied Pinkie as she was still smiling.

"Statistically, Fluttershy has a 25% of winning the tournament. About a 50% of winning her duel and making it into the next round." added Twilight as she gave the low down on the odds. "And that's not including multiple factors like..."

"Okay, we get it nerd." replied Rainbow.

"Math is important people." mumbled Twilight. She then turned to the side as she saw Isaac standing there with his arms crossed and a serious look on his face. "Isaac." Twilight's comment got the attention of the others as they saw their male friend standing there.

"Girls... mind if I have a private chat with Fluttershy?" asked Isaac. The others heard his request as they all left as it was him and the timid girl. Isaac then approached Fluttershy as he still had a serious look on his face. "Relax, just wanted to know if you dropped a card?"

"What?" Fluttershy then looked at her deck as she began to scan her cards. She then realized that she was missing one. "Oh my gosh, where is it? I can't believe I lost it." stated the panicked girl.

"Calm down, does it look like this?" asked Isaac as he unfolded his arms and then flick of his hand, he was now holding Fluttershy's Albert the Flying Squirrel monster card. "Does it look familiar?" smiled the boy.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it. Where did you find this? I thought I lost this forever. Thank you!" said Fluttershy. She then reached to grab the card as her fingers touched Isaac's as she stared at the boy and got lost in his eyes.

"This takes me back." said Isaac. "To when we first met."

"Yeah, it does." said Fluttershy as she began to remember the first encounter she had with Isaac. It all started with a simple card and then it blossomed into something wonderful.

"Be careful out there, and good luck. I kinda hope that I do face you." smiled Isaac.

"I'll do my best." stated Fluttershy as she pulled the card out of Isaac's grip and placed it back into her deck.

"Can't wait."

Isaac then felt his body being wrapped around as Fluttershy gave him a deep embrace as she buried her head into his shirt. Isaac eventually returned the gesture as he too embraced his shy friend as he ran his right hand through her pink hair as he stroked it. Soon their little moment was broken as Fluttershy gave him a quick peck on the cheek to which he tipped his cap and went off.

"Well, mom and dad. Wish you could see what your daughter is doing." said Lucky Star as she sitting down on a bench. She was looking at an image on her phone of when she was younger.

"Maybe they can." replied a voice as it turned out to be Isaac as he was standing in front of the girl. "Take a listen." Isaac then pushed some buttons on his duel disk as he was pulling something up. Soon he pushed played as a voice message that had been recorded was playing.

"Sweetie, me and your mother wish you the best of luck. Now I know we haven't been the best of parents, especially when you were growing up. But it makes us proud to see that you've become a fine young girl. We want nothing but the best for you and we fully support you. Know that we're cheering for you, your the daughter we always wanted, we just wish we could have been the parents that you needed." said the message as it ended and Isaac pushed another button to close it.

"They contacted the school once the first round began. I had them record a message to send to you, but they told me not to play until you made it to the very end." said Isaac.

"They said that? My parents." said Lucky Star as she felt a few tears forming in her eyes.

"Seems they really care about their daughter. You've exceed their expectations, it's just they feel like they failed you." Isaac then let out a deep breath as he began to address the girl. "Take it the extra step. Be willing to do anything. And maybe it is your time to grab that brass ring. Be willing to do anything and maybe Lucky Star will be the one to be called champion. Good luck." Isaac then turned to leave until he was caught in Lucky Star's arms as she gave him a quick hug.

"I appreciate you doing all this." said the girl as she broke their embrace. "And I will grab that brass ring. Guarantee it."

With that Isaac smiled and nodded. He then made his way to his throne chair as the duels were about to begin.

"We're about to start!" shouted Spike as he and the other pets all made their way to the living room as they prepared to watch the final duels take place.

"Ladies and gentleman, we've reached the closing rounds of this epic tournament. Out of the 14 participants that started, only 4 remain. And we're about to get even smaller." said Celestia. "For today we not only have the semi-final rounds, but also the final round. In fact, today we shall crown a winner to see who will earn the right to challenge Isaac at the Fall Formal next Friday."

"Indeed, I speak for everybody when I say this tournament has provided us with some unexpected results. Now then, let's see what the matchups will be!" shouted Luna. She then pointed at the screen behind Isaac as the computer pulled up the remaining portraits of the duelists as it began to randomize the results. Everybody watched on as they were waiting to see who would face who. Then it began to slow down as the computer had made the final picks for this tournament.

"And there we have the brackets. In the first duel it'll be Shadow Moonrise taking on Penny and in the second duel, it'll be Fluttershy taking on Lucky Star. Then the winners of the two duels will immediately face each other after the second matchup. So without any further ado, let's get these duels started!!" shouted Luna as she was met with a rowdy response from the crowd and the people watching at home.

"Here we go." said Shadow as he made his way to the dueling field.

"Time to show why girls are better than boys." smiled Penny smugly as she took her position.

Both students then pulled out their duel disk as they slid them on with Shadow projecting a dark blue card tray as Penny projected a black color. They then pulled out their decks and then put them in the compartments.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" shouted both individuals.

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Penny

"It's my turn!" shouted Penny as she drew her card. "And with it, I summon my feathered friend Blackwing, Jetstream the Blue Sky(100/800)! Birds of a feather like to flock together, so since I already a have 'Blackwing' flying about, I can also summon Blackwing, Oroshi the Squall(400/600)!" Penny now had two monsters on her field as she was set up to do her usual thing. "But it won't be staying for long cause I'm tuning my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall with my Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky!" Oroshi the Squall then flew high as it turned into a giant green ring that circled around Jetstream as it flew into the ring. "Show 'em how we turn the power of flight into the power of fight! I Synchro Summon... Assault Blackwing, Sayo the Rain Hider(800/100)!" Out emerged a small bird that wore some clothing and had a small katana in its hand. "Next, I'm activating the equip spell Charging Blade! And it's charging Sayo's attack points by 800! But that's not all this equip spell does. Since I synchro summoned Sayo, it deals 800 points of damage!" Sayo then used its blade as it did a slash attack that headed towards Shadow as he blocked it with his duel disk.
Shadow's Life Points: 7200-

"You might be up, but not for long!" stated Shadow. "Since I took damage, I can summon Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture(1700/100)!" Shadow now had a powerful monster on his field even before he had managed to take his turn.

"You sure made the most out of something bad. Now I'm curious to see what else you can do and how you handle the rest of this duel. I set one card facedown and end my turn." stated Penny.

Turn 2: Shadow

"I'm gonna 'handle' it by beating you. I draw!" said Shadow as he drew his card. "It's time for me to add to my aerial assault by summoning Raidraptor - Pain Lanius(100/100)! Next, Pain Lanius' level changes so that it's the same level as Avenge Vulture. But I have to take damage equal to my Raidraptor Avenge Vulture's defense points."
Shadow's Life Points: 7100-

"For real?" asked Penny.

"It's nothing more than a peck on the neck." stated Shadow. "And once again since I took damage, I can summon a second Avenge Vulture!" With that Shadow now had three monsters that were the same level.

"I get no pain, no gain, but this is ridiculous." said Penny to herself.

"Since I have three Raidraptors on my field, I'm allowed to activate the spell card Raidraptor Sanctuary! It lets me draw two cards from my deck!" said Shadow as he picked up some more cards. "It's go time! Avenge Vulture attack! Ground that Blackwing!" Avenge Vulture then soared over as it head towards Penny's side; her monster then used its blade to block Avenge Vulture's beak.
Penny's Life Points: 7900-

"Nothing's getting grounded! Sayo can't be destroyed twice a turn!" informed Penny.

"I can still swipe some life points!" shouted Shadow. "Now, swoop on it!" commanded the boy as he had his second Avenge Vulture attack Penny's monster.

"Sayo's still not going anywhere." said Penny with a smug smile.
Penny's Life Points: 7800-

"So far you're 0 for two, Shadow! No wonder girls are much better than boys." stated Penny. "Did you really think that would do much of a difference?"

"Well, you know what they say, third time's the charm!" said Shadow. Time to test out, some of the new cards that Isaac gave me. "I activate Raidraptor Rapid Xyz! It lets me Xyz summon during battle!"

"You mean like now?!" said Penny as she didn't expect that.

"I overlay my two Avenge Vultures and my Pain Lanius in order to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's three monster then transformed into dark orbs of light as they levitated for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. The three orbs then were sucked into the portal as they disappeared and a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 3)!" A giant mechanized bird soared from the sky as it gave a loud screech and then hovered over Shadow's field.

"By using one Overlay unit, it gains the attack points of your Blackwing. So it looks like my Rise Falcon's attack points are about to soar sky high!" Rise Falcon then absorbed an overlay unit as its attack points shot up to 1700.

"Wait a minute!" shouted Penny. "You're using my monsters to your advantage?"

"That's right! Looks like girls aren't that much smarter than boys." snickered Shadow. "Rise Falcon... attack Sayo the Rain Hider!" This time Shadow was able to hit his mark as he managed to successfully take out Penny's monster.
Penny's Life Points: 7700-

"I've grounded your game and left you with nothing. Maybe that will prove to you that boys are better than girls, especially when it comes to dueling."

"Oh, you best believe I'm gonna fight back all right. My Blackwings and I are just getting revved up, so you better be ready to eat those words!" shouted Penny as she gave back a glare at Shadow who returned the same look.

"Yeah, for your birds falling from the sky." replied Shadow.

"Funny, Shadow. But you won't be laughing once you lose!"

Man, do they love to bicker. thought Isaac.

Turn 3: Penny

"Check this out! I draw!" said Penny. "I'm summoning... Blackwing, Tornado the Reverse Wind(1000/1200)! And its special ability is gonna blow you away! It lets me summon a tuner monster from my graveyard! So welcome back, Oroshi the Squall!" stated Penny as she once again had two monsters on her field. "Now my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall tunes my Level 4 Tornado the Reverse Wind!" Oroshi then soared high into the air as it transformed into a giant green ring that circled Tornado the Reverse Wind. "There's a storm coming, and with it comes a deluge of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm(1500/2000)!" Penny now had a fierce looking bird warrior on her field as it wore armor and wielded a long sword.

"Since I synchro summoned Sohaya, I can now bring back another Assault Blackwing from my graveyard! Come... Sayo the Rain Hider!" Penny's monster then pointed its sword into the ground as a portal opened up that allowed Sayo to fly out an appear on her field. "And when it rains, boy, does it pour! Sohaya the Rain Storm counts as a tuner monster, and that means I can Synchro Summon one more time."

"That can't be!" shouted Shadow as it was now his turn to be shocked by Penny.

"Afraid so! And the forecast for this duel is about to get even worse! I'm unleashing a storm of trouble!" Penny then had Sayo turn into two giant green rings as they circled around Sohaya as it flew into them. "I Synchro Summon! The turbulent Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" A new feather monster appeared on the field as it landed with a fierce look on its face as it pulled out a long sword of its own. "Now Raikiri attack Rise Falcon!" shouted Penny as her monster then flew with fast speed and looked to take out Shadow's monster.

"By sending Raidraptor - Booster Strix to the graveyard, Rise Falcon can use one Overlay Unit to rocket itself out of harm's way!" Shadow's Booster Strix then attached to Rise Falcon as it used its jet-like engines and rocketed the both of them out of Raikiri's attack as it soared high into the sky.

"That thing just went supersonic!" exclaimed Penny.

"And by using another one of Rise Falcon's Overlay Units, it can take out the monster that tried to attack it!" stated Shadow. "So your Raikiri is history!" Rise Falcon then absorbed its last Xyz material as it did some sharp flight maneuvers as it looked to fight back against Raikiri.

"I don't think so! Cause I play the trap Blade Shade!" Soon a giant shield appeared in front of Raikiri as it spun really fast. "It shades Raikiri from being destroyed! But I can't say the same for your life points, cause Blade Shade's about to hit you with 500 points of damage!" Penny's monster then was able to repel the attack as it swatted Shadow's falcon away as he took lost some points.
Shadow's Life Points: 6600-

"Your move. But you gotta face facts, Shadow, I've got the upper hand and your aerial assaults can barely get off the ground. Once again this proves that girls are better than boys." stated Penny.

"I might be down, but I'll rise up." exclaimed Shadow. "And I'm going to enjoy it even more when I show you why boys are the better ones."

If Shadow wasn't fascinated by Luna, I swear people would think these two would make a couple based on how they're arguing. Isaac couldn't help but smile at his own comment.

Turn 4: Shadow

"Time to take to the skies! And unleash all my might! Now it's my turn!" shouted Shadow as he drew his card. "Here I go. I activate the spell Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! I overlay Raidraptor Rise Falcon to Xyz summon another Raidraptor that's one rank higher!" Rise Falcon then changed into a dark orb as it levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon it disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged.

"This can't be good!" said Penny.

"Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Rise up, Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon(1000/2000, OLU: 1)!" Shadow now had an even more power bird of prey as it let out screech as it made its presence known. "By using one Overlay unit, Blaze Falcon's special ability destroys your monster and deals you 500 points of damage." Blaze Falcon then launched several of its weapons that tracked Penny's monster and fired lasers at it in order to get rid of it.

"But thanks to my trap Blade Shade, Raikiri the Rain Shower is protected from being destroyed!" Once more Penny's shield then appeared in front of her monster as it spun really fast as it managed to block all the tiny lasers as it protected her monster from being destroyed. "You do know that if you keep this up, Shadow, you're totally gonna end up winning the duel for me. I mean, like I need the help consider that I'm proving why girls are better than boys." stated Penny as Shadow lost some more life points.
Shadow's Life Points: 6100-

Though I'll admit this, there's more to Shadow's game than meets the eye. I mean, he wouldn't just take 500 points of damage if he knew about my Blade Shade. But then again, boys aren't that smart and they tend to act before they think.

"And now Blaze Falcon... attack Penny directly!" shouted Shadow. His monster then soared high into the sky as it set its sights on the girl and then soon zoomed by as it delivered a powerful blow to Penny who fell back a bit onto the ground.
Penny's Life Points: 6700-

"And now I activate Blaze Falcon's other ability, when it deals you damage, it also gets to destroy your monster." Blaze Falcon then unhatched its back compartment as tons of little missiles came out of its back as they all targeted Penny's monster and they took it out with ease.

"That's a double whammy!" exclaimed Penny as she got back to her feet and was angry. "Since Raikiri is gone, Blade Shade is also destroyed."

"With that, I'll play two face-downs and end my turn!"

Turn 5: Penny

"You may think I'm down and out but you better watch out, cause I'm gonna ground you!" shouted Penny.

"Bring it on!" replied Shadow with the same volume as the two were still glaring at each other. "And after I get through with you, I'm taking out anyone else who dares get in my way! And prove to you why boys are superior!"

"There's one small problem with your plan. You can't beat me! So good luck, Shadow! Plus girls are better than boys!" shouted Penny as she drew her card. "When there are no monsters out on my field, I can summon Blackwing Gofu the Vague Shadow(0/0)!" Out came a small monster as it was surrounded by a mystical shadow. "When I summon Blackwing Gofu the Vague Shadow, I can also summon two Vague Shadow Tokens(0/0) in attack mode! And I'm puttin' 'em to use right away! I tune my Level 5 Gofu the Vague Shadow with both of my Level 1 Shadow Tokens!" Gofu the Vague Shadow then turned into five giant green rings that circled Penny's two tokens as they both flew into the rings. "FYI, Gofu the Vague Shadow let me Synchro Summon a monster from my graveyard instead of my deck!" informed Penny.

"From the graveyard?" said Shadow as he was caught off guard.

"Watch as my monsters unite to fight! I... Synchro Summon! Return to the fray, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" shouted Penny. Soon one of her best monsters was now back on her field as it looked ready to help its mistress to win the battle. "It's time to make it rain with pain! Raikiri, let's get back to the business at hand. Use your special ability to destroy his monster! Take out Blaze Falcon!" exclaimed Penny.

"I activate the trap, Raidraptor Reversal!" shouted Shadow as his facedown flipped up which was one of the new cards that Isaac gave him after his match with Sunset. "Not only does this trap card protect my Blaze Falcon from Raikiri's special ability, it also lets me draw a card!"

"I'm giving my Raikiri an upgrade that's gonna take you down! I equip Sky Excalibur on Raikiri! So now my Blackwing gains an extra 400 attack points!" said Penny as her monster now had an attack strength of 3000 attack. "Raikiri, take out Blaze Falcon!" Raikiri then flew over to Shadow's side as he raised his mighty sword and with a slash as quick as the eye could see he was able to cut down and destroy Shadow's monster in half as he lost some serious life points.
Shadow's Life Points: 4100-

"I activate the spell card Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force!" said Shadow as one of his facedowns flipped up. "It brings my Blaze Falcon back! Then I overlay Raidraptor Blaze Falcon to Xyz Summon a Raidraptor that's one rank higher!" Shadow's Blaze Falcon then appeared out of a black hole as it let out a screech and then turned into an orb of light as it stayed in the air for a bit as another portal opened up in front of Shadow. Soon it disappeared inside of the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 1)!" Shadow now had an even bigger and more powerful raptor to call upon as it too let out a piecing screech.

Just when you think one of them has the upper hand, the other manages to outdo them. Shadow with his Xyz summons and Penny with synchro summons. Anyone of them I would be glad to share the dueling field with. Isaac couldn't help but smile at the duel he was witnessing as it was both entertaining and hard-hitting. Even the crowd and the folks watch on TV were into this battle.

"Raidraptor Revolution Falcon's special ability activates destroying your monster, and dealing you damage equal to half of Raikiri the Rain Shower's attack points." stated Shadow. His falcon then fired off several shots that went off around Raikiri and Penny as both of them covered up as the explosions went off.

"Your falcon's blasts didn't do much damage at all! You can't mess with Raikiri as long as Sky Excalibur is in its hands!" informed Penny. Raikiri then used its sword and plunged it into the ground as it created a barrier that formed as it shielded both itself and Penny from the rest of Shadow's onslaught.

"Alright, no more holding back!" shouted Shadow.

"Oh, you mean to tell me that you weren't? Another reason why girls are better than boys." replied Penny.

"I'm going to prove to you who the superior gender is!" shouted Shadow.

"I'd like to see you try. I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Shadow

"It's my turn!" said Shadow as he drew his card and it so happen to be another card that Isaac had implemented in his deck. But given that he didn't have any other options, he figured now was as good of a chance as ever to play the card. "I activate the spell Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force! I overlay Raidraptor Revolution Falcon to Xyz summon a Raidraptor that's two ranks higher!"

"I'll admit this, when Shadow ranks up a monster, he doesn't mess around! It's kinda cute of him." admitted Penny as she did have to give Shadow his dues in this battle.

Shadow's falcon then turned into dark orb as both it and the overlay unit that it had attached stayed in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "When you've been through what I've experienced, you learn a thing or two: If you wanna stay in the game, you have to keep pushing to the edge! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! You're clear for take-off, Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon(3000/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow now had managed to summon the monster he used to take down Sunset in the opening round.

Not bad, Shadow, but not good enough to take out my Raikiri!

"But there's more to come!" informed the boy.

"More of what?" stated Penny as she was confused.

"This! By sending Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force to my graveyard, I can add the Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force that's in my graveyard to my hand!" Shadow then slid his card into his duel disk as it was sent to the grave and in returned ejected the card he desired as he grabbed it. "Then I'll activate Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force to put my next move in motion. I overlay Satellite Cannon Falcon to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's falcon then turned into a dark orb as both it and its Xyz materials stayed in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as they disappeared and a pillar of light emerged. "You've seen my Blaze, Revolution and Satellite Falcons, but now you're going to witness the next evolutionary step in my aerial arsenal! Go! Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Rise up! Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon(3500/2000, OLU: 3)!" Shadow now had one of his most powerful monsters on the field as it let out a screech that caused everybody to take in the sight of this new falcon.

"I activate Ultimate Falcon's special ability! By using an Overlay Unit, Ultimate Falcon negates the effects of all cards and lowers their attack points by 1000!" stated Shadow. His monster then absorbed an Xyz material as it managed to drop Raikiri's attack strength all the way down to 1600 attack points. "It's go time! Ultimate Falcon take to the skies and take out Raikiri! Broadside Barrage!!!" shouted Shadow. Ultimate Falcon then powered up as it created a dark orb of energy, once it was fully charged it then shot it towards Penny as both her and her monster fell the force of the attack as she dropped to her knees and her monster was destroyed.
Penny's Life Points: 4800-

"I have to admit that I didn't think you'd have enough firepower to take out Raikiri." stated Penny as she slowly back up to her feet. "But because you did, I have to send it to my Extra Deck due to me using Gofu to summon him." Penny then took her monster card as she the Extra Deck compartment of her duel disk opened up and she placed it inside.

"Well, that's good news for me, because now that you don't have any monsters on the field, Ultimate Falcon's special ability kicks in and you lose 1000 life points." stated Shadow.

"When you blasted Raikiri, Sky Excalibur was sent to my graveyard, but I can still draw from its power! I can bring back a blast from the past and summon a tuner monster from my graveyard. Welcome back, Oroshi the Squall!" stated Penny as she managed to bring back a monster to protect her life points.

"That bird can't save you, because Ultimate Falcon renders it useless! Just accept that it's over! And that girls aren't better than boys!" shouted Shadow. "I now end my turn." Gotta to admit, Penny sure is tough girl. Pushing me to my limits, kinda cute that she's doing that.

Turn 7: Penny

"Oh, I will! And I'll prove that girls are superior! I draw!" shouted Penny as she currently had no cards in her hand. "Now we're talking! Since there's a 'Blackwing' already on my field, I can summon Blackwing Bora the Spear(1700/800)! Oroshi the Squall tunes Bora the Spear!" shouted Penny. Oroshi then turned into one giant green ring as it circled around Bora the Spear who flew into it. "I Synchro Summon Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm! And when I summon this awesome bird to my side, I can bring back another Assault Blackwing straight from my graveyard! Say hey to Sayo the Rain Hider!" stated Penny as she now had 2 synchro monsters on her field. "Sohaya the Rain Storm counts as a tuner monster, and that means I can Synchro Summon again! Sohaya the Rain Storm tunes Sayo the Rain Hider!" Once more Penny had her Sayo turn into two giant green rings that circled Sohaya as it flew in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" Penny now had managed to summon out her monster once again.

"Impressive." said Isaac. "And I know what comes next."

"One more move and this duel is over! Since I have a monster on my field, Raikiri can destroy one of your cards! Your Ultimate Falcon is finished!" stated Penny.

"It took a lot of effort to revive Raikiri. But it was all for nothing, cause Ultimate Falcon is immune to its special ability!" stated Shadow.

"It's no biggie! My Blackwings can call upon their friends whenever they need help!"

"What are you planning to do?" asked Shadow.

"Oh, you'll see. Sohaya's super special, cause its special ability activates from my graveyard. So if I banish one, I can summon the other one to my field!" Penny then used her duel disk screen as she clicked confirm as her duel disk moved one of her Sohaya into the banished compartment of the device as it ejected the other one for her to grab as she placed it on her card tray. A portal then opened up on her field as her monster was back in play. "And since I used a 'Blackwing' to summon Raikiri, it can be treated as a tuner monster. I'm about to kick the duel into high gear, so I'll have Raikiri go ahead and tune my Sohaya the Rain Storm!" Raikiri then soared high into the air as it turned into seven giant green rings as it circled around Sohaya who flew in between all of them. "Get ready to feast your eyes on a thundering display of power that will have you shaking in your duel disks! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder(3000/2000)!" Out on Penny's field was one of the strongest monsters she had in her deck as it looked to bring victory for the young teen.

"Time to take flight! Onimaru, finish Ultimate Falcon once and for all!" shouted Penny as her monster took flight and charged at Shadow and his falcon. "Onimaru's special ability will now kick in. That means the power of its attack will increase by 1000 points for each Synchro Summon I made this turn!"

"For each one? Then that's a total of 3!" said Shadow.

"Exactly, so now Onimaru gains 3000 extra attack points."

"Well, I'll still have life points left." informed Shadow.

"Not after this attack you won't, cause I still have my facedown that I set previously. I reveal Synchro Baton, now a synchro monster on my field gains 600 extra attack points for every Synchro monster in my graveyard!" Penny's duel disk then glowed as the spirits of her synchro monsters were shown as they helped to give their comrade a power boost. "Since I have 3, that means my Onimaru gains 1800 more attack points." With that Penny's monster now had a total of 7800 attack points. "With this final attack, it's enough to win! Onimaru end this duel! Thundering Thrash!!!" shouted Penny as she thrusted her arm out. Onimaru then soared high into the air as it was surrounded in a yellow light as it did some sharp maneuvers. It then brought is sword down on Ultimate Falcon in a downward slash as it caused Ultimate Falcon to let out a screech as it exploded and crumbled to pieces as the aftereffect of the attack caused Shadow to be flung back onto the ground as his life points dropped.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Penny

"And with that, Penny soars to victory!" shouted Celestia. Everybody then began to clap as they were pleased by the fight they saw between the two duelists.

"Was there any doubt?" asked Penny confidently. "Step two of the spoiler complete. Now the final step." She then made her way toward Shadow who was still on the ground.

"No." said Shadow. He then saw Penny approach her as it caused the boy to sit up as he saw her extending her hand out. He then grabbed it as she pulled him back to his feet.

"Good fight." said Penny as she was giving her praise to the boy. "You know, maybe boys aren't that bad."

"Yeah. Same thing to you girls." said Shadow. "Stay strong and win."

"I will. And that was kinda cute in how you handle your Raidraptors." smiled Penny.

"Same thing to you and your Blackwings." stated Shadow as he returned the gesture.

With that the first duel of the semi-final round was done as the second bout was about to start. And then it would soon be time for the final round in which a winner will be named and then will go on to face Isaac at the Fall Formal which was fast approaching.

Chapter 152: Nature vs Nurture

"That duel was a really rebel rouser." said Celestia. "A battle between two phenomenal duelists and their flock of birds."

"Indeed, Shadow brought everything he could with his Raidraptors. But in the end, Penny and her Blackwings were able to outsoar and outfly the young boy as she will now be heading towards the final round of this tournament. But who will she face, that remains to be seen." stated Luna. "And we're not gonna waste a moment longer, ladies and gentleman on my right is none other than Fluttershy. And on my left is her opponent, Lucky Star." Luna's response was met with a round of cheers and applause as both girls approached the dueling field.

Both girls took the situation in as they knew what was on the line. Both were just one win away from getting into the final round, however as good as both of them were, there could only be one winner. Fluttershy and Lucky Star each gave a nod as they looked at one another. They both turned to look at Isaac who was sitting on his throne and he too gave a nod as it served as the signal to let the duel begin. They then grabbed their decks and slid them as their duel disks activated with Fluttershy's projecting a yellow card tray and Lucky Star materializing an emerald color tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Lucky Star

"I'll start things off, so watch out!" said Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I'll summon Harpie Dancer(1200/1000) in defense mode." Out emerged a birdwoman as she had white wings and had long flowing blond hair as she appeared in a tornado of feathers as it showed off her beauty. Harpie Dancer quickly looked at Isaac who was observing the duel as she silently blushed at the appearance of the young boy. "Why is she turning red?" asked Lucky Star as she noticed her monster's face lighting up. "Anyways, I'll just throw a facedown to end my turn."

Turn 2: Fluttershy

"My turn, I'll start by summoning my Beast Striker(1850/400) in attack mode." said Fluttershy. Out came an ape creature as it had some tusks on its mouth and wielded a large hammer over its shoulder as it let out a cry. "I now activate my monster's ability, so by discarding one card I can summon Moja(100/100) from my deck." Fluttershy then sent a card to her graveyard as out on her field came a small creature that was round and black as it had a yellow face. "Now the card I sent to the graveyard was my Fabled Cerburrel(1000/400) and since I discarded it, I can now special summon it back." Fluttershy's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed it and then played it on her card tray. Out on her field came a tiny monster as it had three heads and its tail had a face on it.

"Now she has 3 monsters all on her first turn." said Lucky Star to herself.

"Now I'll have my Beast Striker attack your Harpie Dancer!" stated Fluttershy as her creature then swung its hammer down on Lucky Star's monster as it was crushed by the weight of the object. "Next, I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Lucky Star

"My turn, and I'll start by revealing my Alluring Mirror Split. Then I summon Birdface(1600/1600)." Lucky Star now had a feather warrior appear on her field as it spreaded it wings as it let out screech. "Now Birdface, take out her Fabled Cerburrel!" commanded Lucky Star. Her monster then soared high into the air as it unleashed its talons and did a slash attack that took out Fluttershy's tiny monster.

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Fluttershy

"Then it's my draw." said Fluttershy. "Now I summon Bicorn Re'em(800/1600) in defense mode." Fluttershy now had a large feline appear on her field as it had two long horns sticking out from its head. "Now I tune my Level 4 Bicorn Re'em with my Level 1 Moja!" Bicorn Re'em then transformed into four giant green rings as it started to circle Moja as the little thing jumped in between them. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity as I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!" Fluttershy's new beast raced from the heavens in a bolt of lightning as it landed with the sound of thunder as it gave out a loud neigh as it clawed at the ground.

"Now since I used Bicorn Re'em to synchro summon, two cards from your deck are sent to the graveyard." Thunder Unicorn then charged forward as it used its horn to strike at Lucky Star's deck as her two top cards as she grabbed them and sent them away. "Then Thunder Unicorn take out her Birdface! Super Charger Bolt!" shouted Fluttershy. Her monster heard the command given to it by his beloved princess as he lowered his horn and started to race forward. Soon he made contact with its target as Birdface felt the surge of electricity as it was shocked and then exploded as there was nothing but feathers.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7400-

"Now I activate my monster's effect, since it was destroyed by battle, I can add a 'Harpie Lady' from my deck to my hand." Lucky Star then used her duel disk screen as she saw her options. Once she made her decision, she clicked confirm and then it slotted out her choice for her to grab.

"With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Lucky Star

"Then we're back to me." said Lucky Star as she drew her card and began to look at the field. "Now I play Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300) and I'll give her a boost with Rose Whip to raise her attack and defense points by 300." Out appeared a fierce female bird lady as she had claws and talons as she wore a metal suit that covered her body. She then had a whip appear in her hand as it was covered in thorns as she gave it a loud crack that was heard throughout the field as it sounded like a gunshot went off.

"Now Cyber Harpie attack her Beast Striker!" shouted Lucky Star.

Her monster then smiled sinisterly as she flew over to Fluttershy's side of the field. Beast Striker then tried to swat away Cyber Harpie as he used its hammer to hit the flying target. Cyber Harpie just dodged the swings with ease as she used her whip and wrapped it around the hammer as she yanked it out of Beast Striker's hand as he was now defenseless; she then zoomed in and using her whip unleashed a flurry of whips and lashes as that caused Beast Striker to let out a cry as its body was covered in marks as it was soon destroyed.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7750-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Fluttershy

"My turn, and to start I summon Mine Mole(1000/1200) in defense mode." The ground in front of Fluttershy now started to have a burrow appear as out came a tiny mole that had a miner's hat on its head and a small pickaxe in its claws. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Thunder Unicorn, for every non-Thunder Unicorn monster I control, your monster loses 500 attack points." Thunder Unicorn then pointed its horn at Cyber Harpie Lady as a bolt of electricity shot out and made contact with female bird lady. She felt the jolt as it paralyzed her for a bit as she dropped to her knees and dropped her whip.

"Now Thunder Unicorn attack, Super Charger Bolt!" stated Fluttershy. Thunder Unicorn then lowered its horn as it got into a jousting position; soon it took off as it pierced through Cyber Harpie Lady as he appeared past her as she exploded and created a smokescreen.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6800-

"Now my continuous spell card, Alluring Mirror Split activates. Since a 'Harpy Lady' was destroyed in battle, I can now replace it with another 'Harpie' monster from my deck. So I choose to summon my Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000/2500)!" A dragon that was covered in red and had a chain wrapped around its neck soon emerged as it let out a roar that gave Fluttershy quite a scare.

"I guess, I'll end my turn." stated Fluttershy as she was still terrified by the dragon she saw standing in front of her.

Turn 7: Lucky Star

"Okay, here I go! I draw." stated Lucky Star. "Nice, I now play Hysteric Sign. When this card is activated, I can add an 'Elegant Egotist' from my deck to my hand." Her duel disk then registered what she wanted as it slid out the card for her to grab. "Then I'll summon my Harpie Lady #3(1300/1400). And now the ability of my Harpie's Pet Dragon activates in which it gains 300 extra attack and defense points for every 'Harpie Lady' on the field." Harpie's Pet Dragon then let out a roar as it felt the power boost surge through as another female bird monster appeared as she wore a feather suit and had a chain in one of her claws that was connected to the chain around Harpie's Pet Dragon.

"Now my Pet Dragon attack her Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Lucky Star. Her dragon then opened its mouth as it charged for its attack, soon it unleashed it as it shot a fireball as it headed towards Thunder Unicorn who barely had anytime to get out of the way.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7650-

"Then Harpie Lady #3 take out her Mine Mole!" Lucky Star's other monster then flew high and unleashed its talons onto the tiny animal like it was dinner as it plunged the tiny animal into the ground as a small explosion occurred.

"My Mine Mole isn't going anywhere quickly, once per turn it can't be destroyed by battle." Soon next to Harpie Lady's talon there was another hole that was being dug up as out came Fluttershy's tiny creature as he stuck his tongue at the large female bird as she got ticked off and tried to swipe at the small rodent who just ducked back into his safety hole.

"Well, either way I took out your other monster. So I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Fluttershy

"My turn, and I'll play Foolish Burial and so I send one monster from my deck to my graveyard and the monster I choose is my Nimble Angler." Fluttershy's duel disk then slotted out her card for her to grab as she slotted it into the graveyard slot as its effect was now kicking in. "Then since I sent my Nimble Angler to the graveyard from my deck, I can now activate its special ability, which allows me to summon 2 Level 3 or lower 'Nimble' monsters from my deck. So I choose to play a pair of Nimble Beavers(400/100) in defense mode." Two smalls ponds of water now appeared in front of Fluttershy as out jumped her two furry mammals as they slapped their tails together like a high five as they each had a piece of bark in their mouths.

"Cute little things." said Lucky Star.

"Now I summon my Nimble Momonga(1000/100) in attack mode." Fluttershy now had a flying squirrel appear on her field as it joined the other 3 monsters on her field. "With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Lucky Star

"Interesting, well then." said Lucky Star as she looked at the card she drew and then began to examine Fluttershy's field. "I play Elegant Egotist so that I can special summon my Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) from my deck. Now Harpie's Pet Dragon attack her Nimble Momonga!" exclaimed Lucky Star. Her dragon heard its command as it opened its mouth and fired off a powerful fireball that scorched Fluttershy's squirrel and her life points.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6350-

"Now the effect of my Nimble Momonga activates, since it was destroyed by battle, I not only gain 1000 life points, but I can summon another one in facedown defense position." stated Fluttershy as she regained some points and then grabbed another Nimble Momonga from her deck as she positioned it sideways on her card tray.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 7350-

"Well, that won't save you, cause now I'll have Harpie Lady Sisters take out your Nimble Beaver!" said Lucky Star as they were successful in taking out the furry water creature. "And now I'll have my Harpie Lady #3 attack your second Nimble Beaver."

"Not this time, I reveal my facedown, Beast Soul Swap." Fluttershy then touched her screen and activated her facedown as it appeared and rose up in front of her. "Now I can target 1 beast-type monster that I control and return it to my hand. Then I can special summon a beast-type monster that's the same level as the one I returned to my hand; return to me, Nimble Beaver!" Nimble Beaver glowed and shot away in an orb of white light; Fluttershy then looked through her hand and once she made her decision, she held her card up high. "Taking the place of my beaver will be my Mogmole(800/800) who I'll summon in defense mode." A small anthropomorphic mole with goggles and a giant hand drill popped out of the ground, blinking up at the Harpie Lady standing over it. Harpie Lady #3 looked down in return before it used its talons to squash the little thing into the ground. The ground next to the tunnel Mogmole had drilled shook, and another drill head emerged preceding a familiar pair of goggles.

"Thanks to Mogmole's special ability, when Mogmole is destroyed in battle I can revive it back in face-up defense position." stated Fluttershy.

"Great, then I'll end my turn." groaned Lucky Star as she was having trouble taking out Fluttershy's animal pals.

Turn 10: Fluttershy

"My turn, and by sending the Nimble Beaver in my hand, I can special summon Egotistical Ape(1200/1200)." Out emerged a tiny ape as it was cute and cuddly. It was then surrounded in a shadowy veil as it resembled a larger mean ape as it had its face shown being scary. "Now the effect of my Egotistical Ape activates, which means I can either increase or decrease its level by the level of the monster I discarded. So I'll reduce my Egotistical Ape by 2 so that it becomes Level 3." Fluttershy's monster then had its level changed so that she was able to now execute her move. "Now I tune my Level Egotistical Ape with my Level 3 Mine Mole and Level 2 Mogmole." Egotistical Ape then turned into three giant green rings that circled both Mine Mole and Mogmole as they both jumped into the rings. "Let the sky open up and now give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I Synchro Summon, Lightning Tricorn(2800/2000)!" A bolt of lightning struck Fluttershy's field as out emerged a horse creature that had a yellow body with a blue mane and had three horns sticking out of its head with several along its body.

"Stellar monster." commented Lucky Star as she took in the creature that stood before her as it wasn't backing down from her dragon.

"Now my Mine Mole's special ability activates, since I used it to synchro summon, I get to draw one card." stated Fluttershy as he did that. "Now Lightning Tricorn attack her Harpie's Pet Dragon! Leaping Electric Lunge!!" shouted Fluttershy. Her beast obeyed her command as it zoomed over towards the dragon and then leaped up high into the air. It was looking to take Harpie's Pet Dragon head on as the two collided for a second. Soon a lightning bolt zoomed by as it touched the ground and there was Lightning Tricorn as it lifted its head up and let out a victorious neigh as the sound of thunder went off and Lucky Star's dragon was zapped and exploded.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6300-

"I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Lucky Star

"My turn, and I'll summon my Harpie Channeler(1400/1300) in defense mode. Then I'll discard my Gryphon Wing from my hand so that I can special summon a 'Harpie' monster from my deck." Lucky Star then sent her card into the graveyard slot as she used her screen to select the one she wanted. "And I choose my Harpie Lady Perfumer(1400/1300)." Another monster rose up besides Harpie Channeler as she carried a bottle of the perfume as she spreaded her wings to show off her beauty. "Now since I special summoned my Harpie Lady Perfumer, I can add a spell or trap card in my graveyard back to my hand which lists 'Harpie Lady Sisters' in its text. So I'll take back my Elegant Egotist." Lucky Star's duel disk then

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Beast Burial Ritual. So by destroying my Nimble Momonga, I can draw two cards." Fluttershy then sent her flying squirrel to the graveyard as she drew some more cards.

"Not that I needed your help in taking out your monster, but thanks. Now I think I'll kick things up a notch. I overlay my Harpie Channeler, Harpie Perfumer, and Harpie Lady #3 to build the Overlay Network!" Lucky Star had her three monsters transform into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon the trio of lights entered the portal as they disappeared and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)!" shouted Lucky Star. Out emerged a dragon that was a similar color scheme as Harpie's Pet Dragon as it let out a roar and looked at its prey.

"My dragon has a unique ability, in that as long as it has Xyz materials, it can attack you directly. But also you can't target any of my 'Harpie' monsters with effects or attacks." informed Lucky Star. "So now I attack you directly! Go get her my dragon!"

"I activate my facedown, Return Damage. Now I negate your attack and then you take the damage I would have taken!" shouted Fluttershy as her facedown flipped up. It provided a barrier that protected her and her monster as she was able to reflect the damage back at Lucky Star as she covered up as several explosions went off around her.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4300-

"Lucky break." said Lucky Star as she gritted her teeth. "I'll end my turn and so my Phantasmal Dragon loses one of its overlay units."

Turn 10: Fluttershy

"My turn." Fluttershy then looked at her cards as she was trying to figure out what to do. She then used her duel disk screen as she touched the portrait of Lucky Star's Dragon as she was reading its effects. She then looked at her life point counter as she was running all her options.

"I'll summon Lock Cat(1200/1000) in defense mode." Fluttershy summoned her monster as out came a white cat that had a big lock and chain around its neck. "Then the effect of my Lock Cat activates, since I normal summoned it, I can special summon one Level 1 monster from my graveyard but its effects are negated. So I choose to revive my Moja in defense mode." A key then appeared in front of Lock Cat as it then slid into the key hole as it unlocked the chain; the lock then opened up and fell off as out emerged Fluttershy's tiny monster as it appeared on her field.

As long as Lucky Star has those Xyz materials, my options are limited. Best I can do is play defense to stop her from dealing me even more damage. "I'll end my turn there." said Fluttershy.

Turn 11: Lucky Star

"Then it's back to me, I draw." stated Lucky Star. "I'll move in to attack, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack her directly!" Lucky Star's dragon heard its command as it opened its mouth and then unleashed a fireball that made contact with Fluttershy as she put her arms up as the attack landed around her.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 5350-

"Then I'll have my Harpie Lady Sister take out your Lock Cat." informed the girl as she had her other monster take out Fluttershy's feline as it let out a painful meow. "I'll then end my turn and so my dragon loses another Xyz material." (Hand 4)

Turn 12: Fluttershy

"My turn, and I'll set a monster facedown. Then I'll throw a facedown, that's all." stated the shy girl.

Turn 13: Lucky Star

"My draw, and now to attack I'll have my Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack you directly once more!" shouted Lucky Star as her dragon then opened its mouth for the third time as it looked to deal some serious damage towards the shy girl one final time.

"I reveal my facedown, Damage Lance. Now whenever a monster with 2000 or more attack points declares an attack, I can then inflict you with 1000 points of damage, then the attack monster losing 1000 attack points." Fluttershy's facedown then flipped up as it shot a beam of energy that pierced through Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon as it made contact with Lucky Star who was pushed back a bit as her feet dragged along the grass.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3300-

"Either way, my dragon is immune to your trap card's effect so it won't lose any attack points. Push through!!!" shouted Lucky Star as he gave out a yell as her then muscled through the effect of Fluttershy's card as it fired off an attack at the shy girl this time making sure it hit her head on as she covered up to avoid getting hurt.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 3350-

After that attack, both girls were now breathing heavily as they took some deep breaths. Both girls were giving it their all as they each wanted to be the one who would move on to the final round. This alone was translating into an incredible battle as everybody watching was intrigued. For Isaac, he had a smile on his face as he too was enjoying himself.

"Not bad, now I'll have my Harpie Lady Sisters attack your Moja." Harpie Lady Sisters then took flight as they all soared high into the air and then swooped down and took out Fluttershy's tiny creature. "Then I'll play my spell card, Harpie's Feather Rest. Now I can shuffle 3 'Harpie Lady' from my graveyard back into my deck, and I get to draw a card. But since I have a Level 5 or higher monster on field, I get to draw 2 cards instead. So I'll shuffle back my Harpie Dancer, Harpie Channeler, and Harpie Perfume back into my deck." Lucky Star's duel disk then slotted the cards out for her to grab as she placed them on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in and then she drew her two cards.

"Now I'll summon Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon(1200/600) in attack mode." A tiny egg appeared on Lucky Star's field as soon it started to crack and then it hatched to reveal a small tiny dragon as it let out a small roar and a small fireball. "Now my monster's effect, activates depending on how many 'Harpie' monsters I currently control other than my baby dragon. So since I control 2 'Harpie' monsters, that means my baby dragon has his attack and defense points doubled. And you can't target any of my other monsters except for him." stated Lucky Star. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 14: Fluttershy

"My turn, and I'll start by summoning my Playful Possum(800/600)." A small marsupial then appeared on her field as it gave a hiss. "Now I activate my possum's effect, so since you control a monster with higher attack points I can destroy it." Fluttershy's monster then played died as it disappeared from the field. "Then I'll flip over the monster I set previously, my Super-Nimble Mega Hamster(1100/1800)." Fluttershy flipped her monster over as it was revealed to be huge fat hamster that had a lighting bolt mark on its belly. "Now since I flipped over my hamster, I can activate its special ability, to summon a Level 3 or lower Beast-type monster from my deck in facedown defense position." Fluttershy then used her duel disk as she selected the card she wanted as it slotted out for her to grab as she position on her card tray sideways.

"Now time to attack, Lightning Tricorn attack her Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon!" commanded Fluttershy. Her horse then charged forward as it took out Lucky Star's little drake as he tried to stop the beast but couldn't.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 2500-

"I'll then place a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 15: Lucky Star

"My turn, and I draw. Now since I control a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon my Harpie Oracle(1300/1400) to the field. And by special summoning her, I can add a spell or trap card from my graveyard to my hand that list 'Harpie Lady Sisters'. So I'll take back my Harpie's Feather Rest." Another female bird lady appeared as she wore blue feathers and hair as she held a blue orb that allowed her to see things. Lucky Star's duel disk then slotted out her card for her to grab as she added it to her hand. "Next up is my Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Harpie's Pet Dragon in defense mode! And as you know, my dragon gains 300 extra attack and defense points for every 'Harpie Lady' monster on my field. So since I currently have 1 'Harpie Lady' monsters, that means my dragon has 2800 defense points." stated Lucky Star as her dragon let out a roar.

"Now I'll attack your Super-Nimble Mega Hamster with my Harpie Lady Sisters!" The three ladies then soared high into the air as they started to chase the chunky rodent as he tried to run away only for it get picked up out of the air as it was tossed high into the air as it soon started to fall down as it collided with the ground in a small explosion. "Now Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack her facedown!" Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon then fired a fireball as it collided with Fluttershy's facedown.

"I'm not going out without a fight!" Fluttershy shot back. Her facedown card flipped over, revealing a small feathered mask and a pair of hands clutching a tiny axe. "The monster that you attack was none other than my Hane-Hane(450/500), and when you flipped it up with your attack, you activated its ability. Now I can return a monster on the field back to the hand, and I choose your Harpie's Pet Dragon!" Hane-Hane swung its axe and sent a massive gust of wind up at Harpie's Pet Dragon who was blown off the field as it turned into a white light that appeared in Lucky Star's hand.

"You'll pay for that, I end my turn."

Turn 16: Fluttershy

"Then it's my draw, and now the second effect of my Playful Possum activates so that means I can summon it back to my field in defense mode." stated Fluttershy as she drew her card while her monster returned to her field. "Now I summon my Valerifawn, Mystical Beast of the Forest. And then I'll use its special ability, so by discarding one card, I can revive a Level 2 or lower Beast-type monster from my graveyard in attack mode or facedown defense position. And the monster I choose is my Mogmole." Fluttershy then sent a card from her hand to the graveyard as a tiny deerling appeared on her side of the field as it pranced about. She then took the card ejected by her duel disk and placed it sideways on her card tray.

"Now I overlay both my Level 2 Playful Possum and my Level 2 Valerifawn to build the Overlay Network!" Fluttershy's two tiny monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon they both disappeared inside of the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I unite the powers of my deer and possum to call upon a brave new animal guardian, I Xyz Summon, Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!" The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Lucky Star.

"Now I activate Ronin Raccoon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, it can create a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. And that so happens to be my Lightning Tricorn so it now has 2800 attack points." The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back.

"Now my token take out her Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon!" commanded Fluttershy as her furry little creature pulled out its katana and took out the bigger dragon that felt the slash as it exploded.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 1700-

"Now I'll have my Lightning Tricorn take out your Harpie Oracle!" stated Fluttershy.

"Hold on, I reveal my facedown, Harpie Lady Elegance! So now I shuffle back my Harpie Lady Sisters from my field back into my deck, and in exchange I can replace them with 3 different 'Harpie' monsters from my hand, deck, and graveyard." Lucky Star then placed her monster on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in and slotted out the two cards she wanted. "So from deck, I'll summon Harpie Queen and from my graveyard I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady, as well as I'm resummoning my Harpie's Pet Dragon all in defense mode!" Lucky Star now had three more monsters appear on her field.

"Either way my attack still continues and I destroy your Harpie Oracle!" said Fluttershy as her monster took out its target.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 1100-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 17: Lucky Star

"Then it's my turn, and time I end this duel." stated Lucky Star as she drew her card. "Now I'll play Harpie's Feather Duster so now I can blow away all of your spell and trap cards!" Lucky Star held her card out as a giant wind of feathers was starting to blow over the field.

"Not gonna happen, now sending my Albert the Flying Squirrel to the graveyard, I can destroy one spell or trap card!" shouted Fluttershy as she sent the last card in her hand to the graveyard. A flying squirrel then appeared as she gave her a smile, he then put down his goggles and then with the power of a jet shot off like a bullet towards Lucky Star as it exploded in her hand as she felt pain from the explosion.

"Ow!" said Lucky Star as she clutched her hand and soothed it from pain.

Good, now all I need to do is have her attack me. Then I can activate my Barrier Wave, it may mean giving up my Lightning Tricorn, but whatever monster Lucky Star attacks with, she'll take damage equal to that monster's attack points.

"I should have expected you do to something like that. I can only assume that your facedown is something that will wipe the rest of life points away. So I had to bait out any protection you had to keep that facedown." stated Lucky Star as it caused Fluttershy to go big-eyed. "Your facedown has been on the field for quite sometime, if it wasn't any major, you would've activated it already. That alone means it's a card that will finish me off. Well, sorry to say it won't happen. Cause I summon Harpie Lady #2 and then play the spell card, Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!" Cyber Harpy Lady and Harpie Lady #2 then soared high into the air as they were surrounded by flames.

"Thanks to this card, I can destroy your Lightning Tricorn as well as your token and then you take damage equal to their attack points!" shouted Lucky Star.

"No, but then that means..." Fluttershy realized that she couldn't activate her facedown to save her.

Cyber Harpie Lady and Harpie Lady #2 then soared down in a blazing inferno as they engulfed Lightning Tricorn and Fluttershy's token who both let out a screech as they were soon destroyed and Fluttershy felt the aftereffect of the card as she dropped to her knees as her life points ticked down.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lucky Star

"And the winner of the second semi-final duel is... Lucky Star!!" shouted Luna.

"MEOW!!" said Tigre as she and Angel Bunny were shocked by what they saw.

"Ha! Ha! Ha!" said Spike as he couldn't contain his laughter anymore. "Looks like you ain't winning this bet either, pussy cat." Spike was now enjoying himself as he was glad that he wasn't the only loser in this bet.

Tigre then knocked the dog off the couch as he fell down on the floor with a thud. Opal let out a meow as she felt it was uncouth of Spike. All the other pets just let out a small chuckle as they watched Spike had some tiny birds circling around his head as he lied down on the floor.

Chapter 153: The Final Round

"And there you have it, after a long hard fought battle, the winner of the second semi-final duel is Lucky Star!" said Luna.

"Indeed and we now have our final round all set." informed Celestia.

Lucky Star was lying down on the field as she had her arms and legs spread out as she was letting out some breathes of exhaustion. Soon a shadow came over her as it was Fluttershy; she then extended her hand out to which the young girl accepted it and got to her feet. Both took looked at each other as Fluttershy gave the girl a smile.

"Congrats, you did it." said Fluttershy.

"Well, it wasn't easy." informed Lucky Star. "Your cute little animals, are not to underestimated."

"Now you have one thing left to do." Fluttershy then pointed at Isaac who was stilling watching the two of them.

"I understand." stated Lucky Star.

"Well, that is... if you can past this last obstacle." Fluttershy then gestured her head to which Lucky Star looked behind and saw Penny already on the dueling field. With that she left as she allowed both girls to take a nice long look at each other as they were just moments away from their showdown.

Both girls had made this far, out of the fourteen competitors that started this tournament, they were the final two combatants. Both girls knew what this meant, that one final duel would determine everything. Especially since they both were looking at the one individual who was really going to be interested in this duel. Penny and Lucky Star both stared at Isaac as this time the boy now stood up from his throne as he looked at the pair of girls. The rush of flurry and the memory of what he did to both of them when they tried to take him on, now came to their mind as it caused them to have serious look on their faces. With that the final battle was now upon them as only one of them would get to earn the right to challenge the champion.

Penny and Lucky Star then both nodded as they activated their duel disks as Penny had a black card tray while Lucky Star had an emerald color. Both girls the had the autoshuffler kick in as they took their positions and awaited the signal to start. Isaac then lifted his arm up.

"Let the final duel.... begin!!!!" shouted Isaac.

"Let's duel!!" shouted both girls as they drew their cards.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Penny

"I'll start things off, so watch out!" stated Penny as she drew her card. I kept my spoiler warning true, I said I was going to make it to the finals and I did just that. Now I have to win, so sorry Lucky. I respect you girlfriend, but I need that match with Isaac more than you do. "Since I don't have any monsters, I can special summon my Blackwing - Gust the Backblast(900/1400) in defense mode. Then I summon the tuner monster, Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak(700/1500)!" Penny now had a pair of Blackwings on her field as she prepared to set her plan in motion. "You know what comes next, I tune my Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak with my Level 2 Gust the Backblast." Kochi the Daybreak then flew high into the air as it turned into four giant green rings as it circled around Gust the Backblast who flew into it. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armed Wing(2300/1000)!" Out emerged a fierce looking monster as it wielded a gun that had a blade attached to the end of it.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"Then I'm up." said Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I'll start by activating my Terraforming spell card, now this allows me to add a field spell to my hand." Lucky Star's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed it and then slide it into the field spell card slot. "I activate my field spell, Harpie's Hunting Ground." The arena then changed so that it resembled a jungle of sorts as the girls found themselves in an opening as there was several birds flying about. "Next, I'll summon my Birdface(1600/1600) in defense mode. And thanks to my field spell, all of my Winged Beast-type monsters gain 200 attack and defense points. With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Penny

"My draw, now since I control another 'Blackwing', I can special summon my Blackwing - Kris the Crack Dawn(1900/300)." Another bird appeared as it was carrying a small dagger in its left claw. "Now time to strike, I attack your monster with my Blackwing Armed Wing. My monster has a special ability, when it attacks it gains 500 attack points during the battle and since your monster is in defense mode, the difference in their points will come out of your life points!" stated Penny as her monster raised its guns and fired off some lasers that took out Lucky Star's monster as she took some damage.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7000-

"Now my monster's effect activates, since my Birdface was destroyed in battle, I can 1 'Harpie Lady' from my deck to my hand." Lucky Star then selected the card she wanted as it ejected out for her to grab.

"Maybe, but now your defenseless. So that means I can attack you again with my Blackwing - Kris the Crack Down." stated Penny as her monster then soared over to Lucky Star and brought its weapon down on Lucky Star as she lost even some more points.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 5100-

"That's enough damage for now. So I end my turn."

Turn 4: Lucky Star

"My turn, and now I summon my Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300)." Out emerged a female bird women as she wore a metal suit that covered her body as she landed on the field. "Now the effect of my field spell activates, which grants my monster an extra 200 attack and defense points. But everytime I summon a 'Harpie Lady' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters', I can destroy one spell or trap card." stated Lucky Star.

"Then I'll equip my Cyber Harpie Lady with Cyber Shield to give her an extra 500 attack points. So now my Cyber Harpie Lady has a total of 2500 attack strength. So now my monster take out her Blackwing Armed Wing!" commanded Lucky Star. Her monster then soared high into the sky as she had her targets in its sights. She then swooped down as Penny's monster tried to fire back by shooting some lasers in the air to take down Cyber Harpie who just dodged the lasers. She then used her claws as she did a slash attack that took out her enemy as it resulted in an explosion.
Penny's Life Points: 7800-

"Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Alluring Mirror Split. With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Penny

"Then it's my move, and I'll summon the tuner monster, Blackwing - Steam the Cloak(800/1200) in defense mode." Out came another bird as it was surrounded by steam. "And now I tune my Level 4 Blackwing - Kris the Crack Dawn with my Level 3 Steam the Cloak." Steam the Cloak then flew high into the sky as it turned into three giant green rings as they all circled Kris the Crack Dawn who flew into them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armor Master(2500/1500)!" Penny new monster was a monster that had a huge wingspan as it looked to have a metal bodysuit.

"And now I attack your Cyber Harpie Lady with Blackwing Armor Master." said Penny as her monster then took off. Blackwing Armor Master then raised its fist as it looked to collide with Cyber Harpie Lady who also took off into the air as the two of them met in the middle. Both monsters were pushed back as they then collided once more, but this time Blackwing Armor Master put in more power behind his fist as his attack took out Cyber Harpie Lady.

"As you know, my monster has a unique ability, it that I don't take any battle damage when my monster battles and it can't be destroyed by battle. So since both of our monsters had the same attack points, my monster is the only one that remains on the field." stated Penny.

"Well, time for me to activate my own effect. My Alluring Mirror Split is still activate, and since you destroyed a 'Harpie Lady' monster by battle, I can now summon a different 'Harpie' monster from my deck, so rise up Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000/2500) in defense mode!" shouted Lucky Star as her monster now rose up and let out a roar as it stood in the way of her life points and Penny's monsters.

"Not bad, so I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Lucky Star

"My draw, and now I'll play another continuous spell card, Hysteric Sign. Now when I activate this card, I can add an 'Elegant Egotist' from my deck to my hand." Lucky Star's duel disk then slotted out the card for her to grab as she added it to her current hand. "Next, I'll summon my Harpie Harpist(1700/900)." Out emerged another harpie women as she was playing a harp. "Now not only does she get a 200 attack and defense power boost from my field spell, but since I summoned a 'Harpie Lady' monster, that means your facedown you set is destroyed." Soon a giant wind blew over the field, as it caused Penny to cover up as her facedown was gone.

"I had feeling you would do that, that's why I had this set. The card you just got rid of was my Blackwing - Boobytrap!" said Penny. "Now since this card was destroyed by a card effect, I get to draw a card. And since I control a 'Blackwing', I also get to deal you 1000 points of damage!" Now a barrage of feathers was now flying towards Lucky Star who put her arms up as her dress and hair were messed up a bit.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4100-

Lucky Star then shook herself off as she kept on with the next part of her plan. "I'll now activate my monster's special ability, when she's normal summoned, I can target one Winged Beast-type monster other than my harpist and one monster you control. Then both of those cards are returned back to the hand."

"Wait, what?!" exclaimed Penny as her Blackwing Armor Master was now being surrounded in a white light.

"And since Blackwing Armor Master is a Synchro monster, that means it goes to the Extra Deck instead of your hand!" Soon both Harpie's Pet Dragon and Blackwing Armor Master both turned into white lights as they disappeared off the field. "And now that your monster is back in your Extra Deck, that means if you want to summon it then you have to synchro summon all over again." stated Lucky Star.

"Not bad, Luck." stated Penny as she gave Lucky Star a nickname.

"Thanks, so now I'll have my Harpie Harpist attack you directly!" commanded Lucky Star. Her monster then played her harp as she produced some music notes that were then sent flying towards Penny who covered up as they made contact with her.
Penny's Life Points: 5900-

"With that down, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Penny

"My turn, and thanks to you, I have no monsters on my field. So that means I can special summon my Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow(0/0). And by doing so it allows me to also me to summon two 'Shadow' tokens(0/0) to my field in attack mode." Penny now had her monster appear as it was a tiny bird that had a shadowy aura surrounding it as it was soon accompanied by two smaller shadow tokens. "Now I tune my Level 5 Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow with one of my Level 1 Shadow Tokens. And the best part is that Gofu allows me to Synchro Summon a monster from my graveyard. " Gofu the Vague Shadow then turned into five giant green rings as a shadow token flew into the rings as it circled it. "Come on back, I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armed Wing!" Penny now had her monster appear as it came out of a portal as it pointed its weapon at Lucky Star.

"Now time to attack, Blackwing Armed Wing take out her Harpie Harpist!"

"I reveal my facedown, Mirror Wall! Now your monster's attack points are cut in half." Lucky Star then had a wall of crystal prisms appear as it shielded her monster as Blackwing Armed Wing had dug its weapon into the reflection of itself as it was now showing cracks along its body as its strength was now reduced 1150.

"My Blackwing!" said Penny as her monster was destroyed. "Thanks to the effect of my Gofu the Vague Shadow, since I used it to synchro summon a monster from my graveyard, instead of going to the grave, I can return that synchro monster back to my Extra Deck." Penny then had her duel disk eject her card as the Extra Deck compartment opened up as she slotted the card in.
Penny's Life Points: 5350-

"I'll then play my Cards of Black Feather, so I send my Blackwing - Boreas the Sharp to the graveyard so that I can draw 2 cards." Penny then slotted her card into the graveyard as she picked up some cards and looked at her options. "With that I'll set one card and end my turn."

Turn 8: Lucky Star

"My draw, so stand back. I summon my Phantom Gryphon(2000/0)." A half lion and half eagle monster emerged onto Lucky Star's field as it let out a cry. "Now Phantom Gryphon take out her token!" shouted Lucky Star. Her monster then soared high into the air as it looked to deliver a slash.

"I activate my facedown, Blade Shade! Now thanks to this, I can negate your attack to protect my token and avoid taking any damage." shouted Penny as her facedown flipped up and her card produced a shield that began to spin really fast as it was repelling the attack by Harpie Harpist as she was pushed back.

"Too bad it only stops one attack. Now Harpie Harpist take out her Shadow token." demanded Lucky Star as her other monster managed to take out the token and Penny's Blade Shade.
Penny's Life Points: 3650-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 9: Penny

"My draw, just what I needed. I now play Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North(1300/0). And thanks to his effect, he allows me to bring back a 'Blackwing' that's sleeping in my graveyard that's Level 4 or below." Blizzard the Far North then landed on Penny's duel disk as it began to peck at the graveyard slot as it was trying to decided which one of its feathered friends it wanted to bring back. Soon it pulled out a card in its beak as it then landed on Penny's right shoulder as it gave it to its mistress who looked at it and then gave her bird a nod.

"And the monster I'm bringing back is my Blackwing - Kris the Crack of Dawn." Penny played her card as Blizzard the Far North was still on her shoulder. Soon out emerged her other monster as it took its position next to her token as Penny looked to execute the next part of her plan. "Then since I control a 'Blackwing' I can special summon my Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall(400/600) to join the fray. Now I tune my Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with my Level 4 Kris the Crack of Dawn and my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall!" Penny gave her Blizzard one last pet through its feathers as it flew high into the sky as it turned into two giant green rings that circled around Kris the Crack of Dawn and Oroshi as she was calling upon one of her strongest monsters. "I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" Penny now had a monster that wielded a long sword as it let out a cry.

"And I'm not done, cause since I already have a 'Blackwing' monster out on the field, I can summon this Blackwing - Gale the Whirlwind(1300/400)." Out emerged another monster as it had a face as it flapped its wings about. "Then I activate Gale's effect, once per turn it can cut your monster's attack and defense points in half." Gale the Whirlwind then flapped its wings as it caused a wing to blow over Phantom Gryphon. "Then since I used Oroshi to synchro summon, I can change your Harpie Harpist's battle position." stated Penny as she switched Lucky Star's monster into defense mode. "And now I activate Raikiri's effect, it can destroy one card on your side of the field for every 'Blackwing' monster on mine. So I'm getting rid of your field spell and your Mirror Wall. Let her have it, Raikiri!" shouted Penny. Raikiri then plunged its sword into the ground as it caused a quake in the earth to happen as Lucky Star felt herself losing her balance. Soon the mini earthquake got rid of her two cards.

"And since your field spell is gone, that means all your monsters lose 200 extra attack points which brings Harpie Harpist is down to her original 1700 attack points and now Phantom Gryphon is down to 900 attack points. So now Raikiri attack her Phantom Gryphon!" shouted Penny as her monster then raised its sword and did a diagonal slash as it took out its target.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 2400-

"Then Gale the Whirlwind attack her Harpie Harpist!" shouted Penny as she took out Lucky Star's other monster.

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split activates, since a 'Harpie Lady' monster was destroyed, I can replace it with another 'Harpie' monster from my deck, so rise up Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon(1200/600)." Lucky Star now had a small baby dragon appear on her field.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Lucky Star

"It's my draw." said Lucky Star as she drew her card. I'm nearly out of life points, which means if I'm going to win this duel and face Isaac. Then I need to make my move now, which means I need to push past my limits. And it starts with this. "Now I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I summon, Harpie Lady #3(1300/1400)!" Lucky Star now had a monster appear on her field that had blue hair as it let out a screech.

"Not bad, but your monster doesn't have enough attack points to take out my Raikiri." informed Penny.

"That's why I'm taking my game and skill to the next level. Cause now I'm going to perform a synchro summon." stated Lucky Star as it caused everybody to murmur.

"Synchro Summon? Look I'm no expert on the summoning method, since even I still have a lot to learn about it. But one thing I know for sure is that you need a tuner monster on your field to conduct it, and none of your monsters are tuners." stated Penny.

"That's where you're wrong, see for me to synchro summon this monster, I can treat one of my 'Harpie' monsters as a tuner, so all I need to do is match the correct levels to add together. And I have it right here, so go... I tune my Level 4 Harpie Lady #3 with my Level 4 Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon!" yelled out Lucky Star as she held her hand up in the air. Harpie Lady #3 then flew into the air as she turned into four giant green rings that circled around Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon as it flew in between them. "I Synchro Summon! Cyber Slash Harpie Lady(2600/1400)!" shouted Lucky Star as her card ejected from her duel disk as she held it up high in a white light and then placed it on her card tray. Out emerged a brand new monster as it was a harpie lady that wore a gold bodysuit and had pink feathers that matched her long flowing pink hair.

"You've done it, Lucky Star." said Isaac through his breath.

"Okay, okay. You got skills." complimented Penny. "But your new monster has the same attack points so if it battles with my Raikiri then they both would be destroyed."

"True, but like your Raikiri, my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady has a special ability. Like all of my other cards, it's name becomes 'Harpie Lady' while it's on my field or in my graveyard. So that means I can play this, Elegant Egotist so that I can special summon Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) from my deck." Lucky Star now had another monster rise up as it was composed of three monsters as they all ready their sharp claws and talons.

"So what?" asked Penny.

"This is what, my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady's effect, when a spell or trap card is activated, I can target one monster you control or one 'Harpie' monster I control and send it back to the hand. So since I just played a spell, that means I'll use my monster's special ability to return your Raikiri back to your Extra Deck!" shouted Lucky Star.

"No way!" yelled out Penny as she watched her monster get hit with a slash attack as it caused Raikiri to drop his sword and then disappeared in a white light as it was being sent back to her Extra Deck.

"Now Harpie Lady Sisters attack Gale the Whirlwind!" Harpie Lady Sisters then took flight as the three ladies managed to surround Penny's monster and delivered multiple slashes as it took out the bird.
Penny's Life Points: 3000-

"And now the way has been clear so, now Cyber Slash Harpie Lady attack her directly!" shouted Lucky Star as her monster then flew high into the air and then swooped down as it delivered a wicked slash that caused Penny to cover up as she took a huge hit to her life points.
Penny's Life Points: 400-

"And just like that, Lucky Star has taken the lead in this duel!!" shouted Celestia as everybody was impressed by what they saw.

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Penny

"My draw, and I'll just summon my Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield(0/1800) in defense mode." Out emerged a bird that had a face that was a shield as it still allowed for its eyes to be shown. "After that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Lucky Star

"Seems you've got nothing left to help you. I draw." said Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I now reveal my facedown, Harpie Lady Elegance. So by shuffling my Harpie Lady Sisters back into my deck, I can then replaced them with 3 different 'Harpie' monsters one from my hand, deck, and graveyard. So from my graveyard, I choose my Cyber Harpie Lady, from my hand, Harpie's Pet Dragon. And from my deck, I'll summon out my Harpie Queen(1900/1200)!" Lucky Star now has three more monsters join her Cyber Slash Harpie Lady as she looked to end this duel.

"As you know, my dragon gains 300 extra attack and defense points for every 'Harpie Lady' on my field, so thanks to my synchro monster and Cyber Harpie Lady, my dragon now has 2600 attack points." Lucky Star's dragon then let out a roar as it caused Penny to be afraid for a few moments as she was now staring at four monsters. "And now to finish this duel, Cyber Slash Harpie Lady attack her Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield!" Cyber Slash Harpie Lady then soared after the tiny bird who tried to fly away, only for it to be knocked out of the sky and create a large hole in front of Penny as her monster was destroyed.

"With your monster gone, time for me to end this duel. Since you only have 400 life points, one attack from my other monsters means... game over. So Cyber Harpie Lady attack Penny directly and end this duel!!" shouted Lucky Star.

"I activate the effect of my Blackwing - Mistral the Silver Shield. Since it was destroyed and sent to the graveyard, I can reduce the battle damage from the next attack to 0!" shouted Penny as the spirit of her Mistral the Silver Shield now appeared and blocked the attack head on by Cyber Harpie Lady.

"That's just one attack, and I still have two more monsters to attack you with. So go Harpie's Pet Dragon take her out!"

"I reveal my facedown, Negate Attack!"

"Fine then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 13: Penny

"Then it's my turn!" said Penny as she placed her hand on top of her deck. This is it, I made a promise to everybody that I would win this tournament. Then I need to draw the card that can help me shift the duel into my favor. Well... here goes. "I draw!" yelled out Penny as she drew her card and then looked at it. "Nice, I now play the spell card, Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." Both girls then drew till they were holding a brand new hand; Penny now looked at her options as she was formulating her plan.

"Now since you have monsters and I don't, I can special summon my Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn(2000/0) in attack mode. Then as the saying goes, 'birds of a feather like to flock together'. So joining the battle is another Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak. Then since the Level of my monsters on my field is 8 or higher, I can also special summon Blackwing - Calima the Haze(600/1800) in defense mode." Out emerged a monster that was glowing red as it appeared to be a spirit. "With that out of the way I'll tune my Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak with my Level 4 Calima the Haze!" Kochi the Daybreak then transformed into four giant green rings as it circled around Calima the Haze who flew in between them. "Now by the power of a Synchro Summoning, these two Blackwings will beat as one! Soar to power, Black-Winged Dragon(2800/1600)!" Penny now had a dragon appear on her field as it was huge and spread its wings out. It was black feathers all over its body and its wings as it let out a roar.

"Incredible." stated Lucky Star.

"And now I activate my Blackwing - Sirocco the Dawn's effect, now I can select a monster on my field and it gains the attack points of all of my 'Blackwing' monsters. So now my Sirocco the Dawn grants my dragon an extra 2000 attack points which raises its strength to 4800!" stated Penny as her dragon powered up. "And now time to attack, Black-Winged Dragon take out her Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" Black-Winged Dragon then powered up as it unleashed a powerful attack of black energy as it took out Lucky Star's monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 200-

"My Alluring Mirror Split is still on the field, which means since you destroyed my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady, I can replace her with another 'Harpie' monster from my deck. So arise, Harpie Oracle(1300/1400)." Out emerged another female monster on her field as it had blue color scheme for its hair and its bodysuit. It also had a blue orb in her hand that allowed her to use its power. "And thanks to my monster's special ability, when she's summoned, I can add a spell or trap card from my graveyard to my hand that list 'Harpie Lady Sisters' in its text. So I choose to add my Elegant Egotist back to my hand." Lucky Star's duel disk then ejected her card for her to grab as she added it to her hand.

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown. Now my Black-Winged Dragon loses the extra power boost and returns to its normal attack points."

Turn 14: Lucky Star

"It's my turn and time for me to end this duel! So here we go!" shouted Lucky Star as she drew her card. "To start, I play the spell card Harpie's Feather Duster so that I can blow away all of your facedowns." A giant wind of feathers soon started to blow over as it swept Penny of her facedowns.

So what, I still have a way. Since I have Blackwing - Boreas the Sharp is my graveyard, I can remove it from play to not only protect my monster, but also destroy any monster that Lucky Star attacks me with. And even if she does manage to get rid of my monster, I have Calima the Haze to help me out by bringing back a Synchro monster to protect me. Penny just had a smile on her face as she knew that she had a safety net to fall back on.

"I wouldn't be smiling just yet. I know you have someway to deal with me if I attack your monsters. Which is why I won't be doing that, instead I'll be attacking you directly!" informed Lucky Star.

"But how? I have monsters on my field and none of yours can bypass them." stated Penny.

"You're right, but also wrong." said Lucky Star. "Cause I'm going to combine my three monsters. I overlay my Level 4 Cyber Harpie Lady, Harpie Oracle, and Harpie Queen to build the Overlay Network!" Lucky Star's three monsters then transformed into three orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of her. Soon they all disappeared as they were sucked inside and a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)!!" A dragon now appeared on Lucky Star's field as it let out a roar and had its Xyz materials circling around it.

"Oh no!" said Penny as she realized what this meant.

"That's right. Now my monster can bypass your monsters and go straight for your life points. So let her have it! Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack Penny directly and end this duel!!!" shouted Lucky Star as she thrusted her arm out. Her dragon the opened its mouth as it powered up its attack and then unleashed a powerful fireball that was sent soaring towards Penny who covered up before she was thrown onto her back as it made contact wit her.
Penny's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lucky Star

With that the duel was over.

"And there it is!" said Celestia. "Ladies and gentleman, after three days of continuous dueling, we now have the winner of this tournament and the person who will be challenging Isaac at the Fall Formal is... Lucky Star."

The crowd heard Celestia's announcement as they all stood up and gave Lucky Star a round of applause. The screens showed her portrait as it said winner on all of them and she took it in. She felt a few tears form in her eyes as she dropped to her knees and just let out a few breaths as she was exhausted from competing in back to back duels. Penny now sat up and looked around her as the realization was starting to hit her. She was angry that she failed to win, but soon her expression soften as she too looked at her friend and gave her a thumbs up and a smile. Vice-principal Luna then got up from the commentary table and approached the girl as she helped her up, at the same time, Isaac now stood up from his throne and was now stepping down from it as he was now making his way to the pair of girls. Everybody saw this as they waited to see what would transpire.

Isaac now stood in front of Lucky Star as he was staring at her with an intense look as he had a serious look on his face. Lucky Star now too was staring at Isaac as she too had a serious look on her face as the situation finally hit her.

"And so it has been determined, it'll be Isaac vs Lucky Star for the title of Duel Monsters Champion at the Fall Formal." stated Luna as she stood in between the two competitors as she tried to relay the info to everybody in attendance and watching at home. "At this time, I'll allow both competitors to exchange a few words." Luna then held the mic to Lucky Star's mouth.

"Last time, Isaac. You embarrassed me, you humiliated me and you straight up whupped my ass. But I'm not the same person that I was back then, I've improved, I've learned some new tactics. And trust me when I say this, that I'm going to beat you. I'm going to end your reign as champion; I'm going to beat you in the middle of this dueling field till your life point counter reaches zero. Then I'll finally have my moment, and I will leave the Fall Formal as 'champion'." stated Lucky Star as she received some support from the others as they cheered her.

Luna nodded as she was about to put the mic to Isaac's mouth so that he could say what he wanted. Just then, Isaac snatched the mic from Luna's hands as it echoed into the feedback system which caused everybody to go quiet as they listened to what their champion had to say.

"Lucky Star, do you know who the hell you're talking to?! You think you know me." said Isaac in a serious tone. Everybody knew that Isaac was about to say something that was going to catch everybody's attention. "I'm the guy that put CHS back on the map in terms of Duel Monsters. I know a thing or two about high pressure situations. I know that at the Fall Formal, my reign as champion could come to an end. But in case I forgot, thanks for reminding me!" shouted Isaac into the mic. "I'm out here as the Master Tactician and have been watching this tournament with a close eye keeping everybody on high alert and you just told me what you're going to do! You need to worry about yourself! See I'm out here playing High-Stakes Poker, you're playing Old Maid!!!" fired Isaac with a response that got everybody to murmur. "There are fundamental differences with the way we think! I think at a different level than you! You're content with being awesome, I'm not!! I did that 2 years ago when I became champ, hell I've done it my whole life!! You want to talk about being champion, well I need to see this story through!!! I need to remain champion!!! Notice the damn difference!!!" shouted Isaac. "Think about it." said Isaac as he threw the microphone down onto the ground with so much force the feedback into the system was loud that everybody covered their ears. With that Isaac got the final word in as he started to walk off the field as everybody looked between him and Lucky Star as it seemed the battle was going to be an explosive one.

Author's Note

So when I wrote this a couple of weeks back, I didn't expect to upload this on my birthday. Yes, today's my birthday and I turn 22 years old. But don't let that take away from the main focus of this chapter. We now have our match set for the Fall Formal and the little segment that Isaac had at the end has more meaning behind it, cause it's a little foreshadow of a future story arc that I can't wait to write about. Anyways, be prepared for the finale of this long story arc that has started since Chapter 130. So I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 154: Star Making Moment

Now that Lucky Star had been declared the winner of the tournament, it meant that she was now the one who would be facing Isaac at the Fall Formal for the opportunity to be called champion. And given that it was nearly upon then, safe to say that both individuals were looking to not only putting on a show for everybody but also give each other a fight. Isaac was in his room as he sat up on his bed as he had his cards spread out in front of him. He had his head down in a thinking position as his hands were cusped together as they pressed against his forehead. Ever since Lucky Star had been named the winner, he had been meaning to look at his cards.

"My time is running out." said Isaac as he lifted his head. He then looked at his watch as it was slowly counting down the minutes and seconds of Isaac's life. He could feel each tick it was producing as it reminded him of his life and was ultimately symbolizing that he was starting to wind down. "The question is: do I still have enough to finish what I need to do?"

Soon the door to his room slightly opened as in came something. It let out a sound as Isaac peaked his head over to the side of his bed as he saw it was none other than Tigre. She let out a meow as she soon jumped up on Isaac's bed; she then made her way to her owner's lap making sure not to mess/step on his cards as she snuggled and laid down on his lap.

"Worried about me, girl?" asked Isaac as he began to give her a petting.

"Something like that." said another voice. This time it belonged to Spike who had accompanied his animal pal as he too slowly nudged Isaac's door and entered the room. "Never been in here before." said the tiny mutt as he soon jumped onto Isaac's bed as he now sat across the boy and his cat as he looked at the cards in front of him.

"Welcome." joked Isaac for a second. "Are you two checking up on me for the girls?"

"Nah, we just wanted to see what you were doing." stated Spike as he looked over at Isaac's cards. He then started to reach over to look at them.

"Meow!" said Tigre as she let out a hiss to warn Spike about touching Isaac's cards.

"I won't mess them up." said Spike as he put his paws out. He then looked over at Isaac's two star magicians as they were just there. "So, got your game plan all set?"

"Not really sure yet." responded Isaac as he petted Tigre with his left hand while reached over and grabbed his two star monsters with his right hand as he looked at them. "All I know is that I need to win."

"You've been saying that since the end of the tournament." stated Spike. "Besides, is it really necessary for you to be named the winner of this duel."

"Oh, then I should just lie down and let Lucky Star win, huh?!" said Isaac with a bit of volume in his voice.

"Meow." snickered Tigre as she chuckled.

"Okay, I get your point." stated Spike. "But look, I'm not saying that you should just roll over. I'm just saying that you could you know, make Lucky Star..."

"If she wants to be champion, then she needs to earn it!" shouted Isaac. "Listen Spike, I made an oath to myself when I became champion. I understand that I could lose this title as champ; championships come and go. I've been through a lot since coming to this place and if there comes a time where I am to lose my rank as champion then so be it. But they are going to have to earn it. I've been the workhorse for this school since I first arrived here, long before Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna put all their investments in me. But I will not lose this title because someone doesn't like me!" said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall to address the audience. "And if you don't got it, get it! And if you don't get it, figure it out!!!" yelled Isaac.

"Woah." said Spike as he was taken aback by the fury in Isaac's voice and the passion.

Tigre heard the intensity in her owner as she could feel his presence and the demon that lurked in Isaac. She then began to work her magic as she purred and rubbed herself against Isaac as it was starting to work. Isaac felt the soft fur and the calm purr as it provided a soothing sound. It was enough to get Isaac to relive all the stress that he was building up as he gave his cat a scratch behind her ears. She then stood up from Isaac's lap as she gave him a lick on the nose as he smiled.

"Thanks, girl." said Isaac. He then reached over and petted Isaac on the head. "You too, Spike."

"No problem, bud. Well, we'll leave you be." said the dog as he jumped off of his bed with Tigre soon joining her animal pal as the two left Isaac to himself and his cards.

"Well, better start prepping." said Isaac as he looked at his cards and gathered them together.

It was the end of the school day, as Lucky Star was in a classroom sitting down at a desk. She too had her deck out and had a few cards laid out. Ever since winning the tournament, she was now really focused on getting the opportunity to challenge Isaac. She finally had a chance to compete against Isaac and on the biggest stage for CHS, but more importantly, it served as a way for her to not only see how far she had come but to get her revenge. The sting of defeat by Isaac was still on her mind as she thought back to that moment and how Isaac had beat her with ease. With ease.

(Quick Memory)

"You know what they do to make me feel special, they say 'Let the freaking duel begin'!!" stated Isaac.

"You need to worry about yourself! See I'm out here playing High-Stakes Poker, you're playing Old Maid!!!" fired Isaac with a response that got everybody to murmur. "There are fundamental differences with the way we think! I think at a different level than you! You're content with being awesome, I'm not!! You want to talk about being champion, well I need to see this story through!!! I need to remain champion!!! Notice the damn difference!!!" shouted Isaac. "Think about it."

(End of Memory)

"Isaac." said Lucky Star as she looked at her cards and then at her hand. "You're special alright, a special pain in the ass. And it's time someone finally had the balls to shut you up."

"Is that right?" said a voice.

Lucky Star turned her attention to the door and saw it was her mentor, Applejack standing there leaning against the frame with her arms crossed.

"Applejack."

"Howdy, Lucky." said the farm girl as she made her way towards her student. "Still rarin' to give Isaac a good old fashion smackdown."

"More than you know." responded Lucky Star as she clenched her fist. "It's time someone beat him and I'm finally going to make him pay for what happened in our last duel. Time to collect."

"Then what?" asked Applejack. "Say you win, then what do you do after that?"

"Easy, I... I... I..." Lucky Star's voice was now trailing off as she had to think about the question given to her by her teacher. "I... don't know. All I'm thinking about is taking down Isaac and getting back at him. Sure I win and become champion, but what does that mean?"

"Heh." chuckled Aj lightly. "Sugar, you're focused on takin' down Isaac that you ain't seein' the bigger picture." Applejack then leaned against the teacher's desk as she looked at the girl. "See what Isaac said, wasn't to rile you up. But rather the opposite, he wanted to motivate you. He knows that you want to get revenge for how he beat you last time, but he also knows that you've grown since then. Throughout the whole tournament, the winner was not only goin' to give him a great duel, but it will allow the person who won to see the new kind of skills they've learned."

"How so?"

"Well, like that final duel. You managed to bring out a new monster. That alone is worthy an applause." praised Applejack. "Now Isaac sees what kind of competitor you are, and he knows to take you seriously, cause if he don't, then he'll kiss his title goodbye. Trust me, that city slicker is one tough hombre." said Applejack.

"I see where you're coming from, but I do admit. There's a part of me that's a bit nervous. I feel like once we get started on our duel, then the same thing might happen. Or worse." said Lucky Star.

"That ain't goin' happen. Know why, cause Isaac goin' to make sure that you shine." said Applejack as she bent down on one knee and was at eye level with her student as she placed her hand on Lucky Star's shoulder. "Isaac's job isn't to win, he's to make sure that the spotlight is goin' to be on you. This is yer moment, he's just wonderin' whether or not you're gonna step up. Show everybody why you deserve to share that duel field with him." stated Aj. "You understand what I'm sayin'?"

Lucky Star just nodded at Applejack.

"Good, then let's get to work on yer deck." Applejack then sat next to the girl as she looked at her cards.

"You're helping me? But isn't Isaac your friend." asked Lucky Star.

"Yeah, don't mean I don't wanna see his ass get kicked. Besides, me and the girls enjoy it from time to time, well apart from Twilight." snickered Applejack. With that the two of them then began to work on refining Lucky Star's deck for her upcoming battle against Isaac.

During the days leading up to the event, everybody was still hard at work at school. The girls and their students still carried out their lessons all the while everybody still attended their academics. Eventually, Pinkie and the rest of the party planning committee all had begun on working and decorating the auditorium and the field for the Fall Formal. And she wanted to make it extra special, especially since this would be the last one she would ever get to design before she graduated. So to her, she needed to put her best foot forward and make this a night to remember for all to enjoy. The same thing went for Rarity as she too was under a lot of work as she decided to not only create outfits for them, but for their students. Surprising not all of them were ecstatic for dressing up, but since they wanted to support their fellow student, they figured it couldn't hurt. Rarity had all of them meet afterschool at her boutique as she began to take their measurements and design some outfits that would fit their personality. Eventually she got want she needed as she informed the kids that they would get their outfits soon.

During that time, each of the girls had managed to meet with Lucky Star as they too offered their input about Isaac and how to take him down. They all had gathered in a room as Lucky Star was sitting in front of a paper pad as the rest of the girls were all instructing her.

"So let's go over the facts." said Twilight as she had a laser pointer in her hand as she pointed to the paper. "You have a Harpie's deck, and Isaac relies on his spellcasters, specifically his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl." She then gave a nod as Pinkie flipped over to the next page. "Isaac also has mastered all 4 summoning methods and has cards for each of them."

"Starting with Fusion." said Sunset as she took over the presentation. "He normally uses a spell card called The Eye of Timaeus which allows him to fuse, but it's only restricted to his Dark Magician or Dark Magician Girl. But that doesn't stop him as he does have a Polymerization to summon out his other fusion monsters. Dark Paladin, The Dark Magicians, and Quintet Magician are just a few to name." Sunset then told Pinkie to flip over the next page.

"After that, he's has a Synchro monster in the form of Dark Sorcerer Magician. But that's not all." said Rainbow as she took over. "He's also does a bit of ritual summoning, he's got Magician of Black Chaos and Magician of Chaos."

"Next up is Xyz monsters." said Fluttershy as Pinkie flipped the next page over. "He has Ebon Illusion Magician, Ebon High Magician, and lastly, his newly acquired Chaos Mageía."

"Trust me, I felt the wrath of that monster and what it can do firsthand." said Lucky Star as she remembered her duel with Isaac and how he won using the female spellcaster.

"And lastly, is his Pendulum cards." said Rarity as she explained the last bit of info. "Though he's had them for a while, we still don't know what they can fully do. To start off he has his Rune-Eyes Illusionist, followed by his Sleight of Hand Magician, then Black Robe Mentalist, after that is his Sorcerer Swordsman, next is his Mirage Magician and lastly his Black Arts Trickster." Rarity pointed at Isaac's cards as half of them were male and the other half were female. "And by using these pendulum cards, Isaac can be able to set a pendulum scale which allows him to pendulum summon and bring out multiple monsters. And the key with these pendulum cards is if they're are destroyed, unless stated otherwise, they'll go back to Isaac's Extra Deck for him to use and keep recycling them as long as he has a scale to work with."

"That's a lot to take in." said Lucky Star.

"Well, that's Isaac in a nutshell. It's what his deck is made up of. Not to mention that he also has a few mix and matches of other monsters in his deck. But remember he always has..." stated Rarity.

"Kuriboh!!!" shouted all the girls.

"Let me guess, he serves as Isaac's one trump card to save himself." stated Lucky Star.

"Always!!" said the girls collectively.

"He always has the little guy on deck to save his ass." shouted Rainbow Dash. "It's annoying how something that weak manages to be Isaac's second best monster."

"How does he justify it?" asked Lucky Star.

"He calls it the 'Heart of the Cards'." mocked Sunset. "He believes that the deck has a degree of sentience. That the heart of the cards seems to help only righteous duelists fighting for the 'right' causes. They, however, don't need to be strictly 'good' or 'evil'." explained the bacon-haired girl.

"What does that mean?" asked Lucky Star.

"We don't know. That's just want Isaac says as the best way to describe it. And probably everybody else reading this story understands it better." said Sunset.

"Don't worry about it, sugarcube. As long as you get yer head in the game and don't get nervous. You'll be fine against Isaac." said Applejack.

"Besides, big bro has an objective that he needs to execute in the duel. And that's to make you look good." said Pinkie. "Isaac is one of the best duelist you could ever ask to share the field with. If I was given the choice of picking someone to duel against, I would pick him. He's an incredible worker and great story teller. He'll do all he can to make sure that you get to show off your moves and allow you to respond to what he's doing. He's going to take great care of you, you have nothing to worry about; he's going to be there for you every step of the way. Just know that when it really matters, you let go of his hand and you show everybody what you can do."

"Remember the saying: 'It takes two to tango'." said Fluttershy. "Well, the same goes for dueling. You can't have a fantastic and exciting duel if you don't have someone who's got the same energy as you do. Not to mention they need to put in the work. Isaac can only carry you and the duel so far, the rest will be up to you. So all you need to do is show up and give the people a duel they won't forget." smiled the shy girl.

"Alright." nodded Lucky Star. "Thanks, all of you. I know you're his friends and the idea that you're helping me to possibly beat him feels kinda iffy. But I know that our duel will hopefully touch the hearts of everybody watching."

"You'll be fine, darling. Now come on, the Fall Formal is about to be here. Which means you need to rest up; you can't duel if you don't have energy." The girls all agreed as they dismissed Lucky Star as she left the classroom.

"Hope you don't feel too bad, Twi. I know it'll be hard to see your boyfriend be beaten." mocked Rainbow.

"Shut up." scowled Twilight.

The days rolled by as soon it was Friday. But more importantly, it was the weekend, But even more importantly, it was the day of the Fall Formal. Almost everybody was excited as they couldn't wait to see the duel that was scheduled to main event. Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna had given everybody the day off as a way to allow them to get ready for the momentous occasion that would take place later in the evening. With that, the girls had arrived at Rarity's boutique so that they could get ready. Rarity had managed to finish the outfits for the students as they all had picked up their outfits in the morning and left to get themselves ready. As for Isaac he was in the house as he was currently on the phone.

"So, nervous?" asked the voice through the phone as Isaac had them on speakerphone.

"A little." responded Isaac.

"Hey, remember to smile."

"I will." chuckled Isaac. "So how are things with you?"

"Oh, the usual. Still going to be busy. In fact, this will be the last time we speak for a while buddy. I'm going to have my hands full. But I will send the things you've requested."

"Thanks man, well take care. Until I hear from you again." said Isaac.

"Stay safe, bud. And be careful." said the voice as the call ended.

"Hope to speak with you soon." said Isaac to himself briefly. "Well, the girls are getting ready at Rarity's place. And I already got my suit from her. Not to mention that I still have sometime before I need to leave." Isaac then looked at a package that was next to him as it was on his doorstep when he entered the house. "Oh, right. The card company sent me my personal order of the new cards being released." Isaac then opened up the box and tore off the package paper as he was welcomed to the sit of multiple card packs.

"Let's see what's coming into the scene." Isaac then began to tear some packs open as he was amazed by some of the cards he had. "Woah, this will really help me with my royal knights. Arcana Triumph Joker, Joker's Knight, Imperial Bower, Joker's Straight, Face Card Fusion, Thunderspeed Summon, Joker's Wild, Court of Cards." said Isaac as he laid out some of the cards in front of him. "I could use these in my deck, thanks Konami. There's your free publicity." said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall to do a bit of advertising. "Alright enough of that, time to get move on to the next scene." Isaac then snapped his fingers as the transition happened.

The sun was now starting to set as the stars and the moon were starting to slowly rise. Isaac had finally gotten dressed as he snapped on his duel disk and put on his fedora hat to complete his ensemble as he grabbed something and made it out of the house. He arrived at Rarity's boutique as he knocked on the door and was welcomed to Twilight who was already dress in her outfit.

"Hey." smiled Twilight.

"Hey." said Isaac. "You look beautiful. Here." Isaac then presented a flower to Twilight who took it and gave it a sniff.

"Did you bring what I asked?"

"Yup." said Isaac as he handed the object to Twilight. "Though I don't how you're gonna get this into the place?"

"Leave that to me. Come on in, the girls are just set." said Twilight as she opened the door a bit more and allowed her boyfriend to enter.

After a while, it was now time to head over to the school as the Fall Formal was about to get underway. The group had just entered the building all except for Fluttershy and Twilight who were still by the stairs.

"There that should do it." said Twilight.

"Twilight? Fluttershy?" spoke an authority voice. Both girls turned to look at the voice belonged to none other than Vice-principal Luna who had a stern expression on her face with her arms crossed. "What are you two doing? Shouldn't you be inside with the other students? And what's with the backpack you're carrying, Ms. Shy?"

"Uh, well... that is..." stuttered Fluttershy.

"Fluttershy just... forgot something in her locker. And she... needed something to carry it home after the dance. Yeah, that's it." said Twilight nervously as she put on the biggest fake smile possible.

"Is that true?" asked Luna who looked at the buttercup girl.

"Yup." said Fluttershy as she nodded her head silently while trying to avoid Luna's death glare.

"Well, alright. Go on, don't be caught in any trouble." responded Luna.

"We won't." responded Twilight immediately. "Come on, Fluttershy. Let's go to your 'locker'." gestured the nerdy girl with her head as the two of them entered the building with Luna keep an eye on them till they were out of sight.

"I think that worked." said Twilight as she peaked out of a corner of lockers seeing if Luna or anybody of the staff was around.

"You okay?" asked Fluttershy as she opened up her backpack.

"Never better." said Spike as he gave a tiny bark to which the girls had to shush him.

"Remember Spike, try not to cause any trouble. Also don't let anybody see you, especially hear you talk. Unless it one of us." stated Twilight. "Isaac hasn't told the students about our magically encounters as he doesn't think they'll believe us. Aslo because he doesn't want to burden them with it."

"Not to mention they'll be freaked to hear a talking dog." stated Fluttershy.

"You got nothing to worry about. I'll stay silent as mouse; it'll be like I never talked at all." said Spike as he gave Twilight a quick lick on her face as she giggled and the three of them left to find their friends.

Meanwhile, Isaac was with Rarity as the two of them were in the auditorium as he had gathered the students together as they were all dressed in their outfits made by the fashionista.

"The time has come for the annual ball. But first, an eve of merriment!" said Isaac in a noble voice. "I'm just joking." chuckled Isaac.

"Ooh, I adore such things!" said Rarity in an excited manner.

"I'm more interested in the food that's being provided." said Jason. "Got keep my carbs up so that my parents don't think I'm slacking."

"Dancing, singing... I'm not either of those things. Nor are they my forte. Probably my big sisters." said Penny.

"So, darling? Dancing is fun! It's like a duel. Oh! And remember that you can't dance with the same partner multiple times. It's tradition!" stated Rarity. "That means you have to dance with all of the gentleman, swapping dance partners as you please..." Rarity let out a little giggle as she was acting like a little girl.

"No, it not!!" shouted Isaac as he knew for a fact there was no such rule as Rarity made that up. "And the fact that you say dancing is like dueling is absurd. Even after all these years, I still don't see the connection between dancing and dueling."

"How scandalous. I, for one, plan to simply behold the pure essence of dance." said Amber.

"You can ask... anyone? To dance?" said Bryant as he was a bit nervous about asking a girl. "Gah, whatever should I do?" Bryant was now looking at Amber and Penny and then looked around the entire room as he saw tons of girls as he was starting to feel nervous about talking with them.

"Lucky you, Bryant." said Jason as he pulled the boy's head in and gave him a quick noogie.

"As for me, I'm surely to be overwhelmed with tons of girls. A problem when you have rich parents." said Shadow. Especially since he still had his eyes set on a specific girl.

"Then perhaps you can hook us up." said Jack as he was hoping to have his companion let him meet some girls as he gave him a pat on the back.

"Hey, where's Lucky Star?" asked Isaac.

"I'm here." said the girl of the hour as she stepped forward and let the others see her. She was dressed in her outfit by Rarity as it helped to highlight her beauty.

"My, do you look stunning, darling. No doubt with my help, you'll be the belle of the ball. Especially since the spotlight is on you. Don't you agree, boys?" said Rarity with a sly smile as the rest of the male students were stunned by how Rarity's magic with makeup had made them infatuated with their female classmate. Isaac just rolled his eyes as how the boys responded.

"Well, seems my work had produced stellar results as always." said Rarity with pride in her voice.

"Now then, you all have fun. And I'll see you when it's time, Lucky Star." said Isaac as he tipped his fedora to the students. He then presented his arm for Rarity who wrapped her arm around Isaac's as they left the group.

The rest of the night went as planned as the entire building was in full swing. Twilight and Fluttershy had managed to meet up with the rest of their friends as Spike made his presence known. Spike made sure that he would stay out of sight from the staff who was overseeing the event for any trouble or students breaking the rules. So the entire gang all enjoyed their evening. Even the students were taking part in the activities as they too got into the mood; soon the hour was about to be upon them, however, Isaac had approached Twilight as he asked her for a dance. Twilight handed Spike over to Fluttershy as the two of them watched the young couple make their way to the dance floor with smiles on their faces.

Isaac was enjoying himself as he got to share a dance with his girlfriend and just let everything around them fade away. Both were happy as they couldn't help but smile as they enjoyed each other's presence. Twilight then put her head into Isaac's chest as she closed her eyes; Isaac then wrapped his arms around her as enjoyed being in the presence of his girlfriend. Eventually, both looked at each other and then connected their lips together as they shared a kiss.

With that it was time. Principal Celestia then informed everybody as everybody was now making their way to the field for the duel that was about to take place. Twilight wished Isaac the best of luck to which he kissed her hand as she joined their friends. Isaac then noticed that Lucky Star was now approaching him as she was waiting for their signal to enter the dueling field. Everybody else was now sitting in the stands; Twilight had Spike in her lap as they all looked to see the battle that was about to start.

"Hey, Isaac." asked Lucky Star.

"Yeah, Lucky Star."

"Promise me that you will not hold back." said the girl. "I want to face you with everything I've got and everything you've got. I'll never accept the fact that I beat you, if I didn't beat you at your very best. So promise me that you will bring everything you've got. Everything!" demanded Lucky Star as she was staring at her professor and friend.

"Alright. I'll bring everything." said Isaac with a nod. "Just promise me something."

"What?" asked Lucky Star.

"You said you met someone when you were younger who was a famous celebrity and duelist?" stated Isaac.

"Yeah, her name was Mai Valentine."

"Well, my idol is the King of Games." said Isaac. "So, what say we give a duel that they would be proud of?"

With that they were heard their cue as they began to head out side by side to the field.

"Ladies and gentleman, we thank you for a stellar evening. And of course, no evening would be complete without a championship duel. So without further ado, let's get started!!" shouted Celestia.

"Everybody please welcome the two individuals who will be granting us with the entertainment for this night. The stars are high in the sky and the moon serves as the perfect lightning." said Luna. "So give it up for the young girl who won the tournament and earned the right to compete for this opportunity, Lucky Star. And her opponent, is now other than the reigning, defending, undisputed CHS Duel Monster's Champion... Isaac!!!" Luna pointed at the door as both Isaac and Lucky Star made their way through it.

They then approached the dueling field as both Celestia and Luna applauded them. Both women wished the best of luck to both students as they nodded. Both sisters then made their way to the commentary table as both Isaac and Lucky Star took in the atmosphere.

"Let's have a great battle." said Isaac.

"Got it, teach." said Lucky Star as she shook Isaac's hand and the two took their positions.

They both slotted in their decks as the autoshuffler kicked in as their duel disks activated with Isaac's projecting a gold card tray while Lucky Star projected an emerald card tray. Both of them then waited for the signal to star.

"And now... let the duel... begin!!!" shouted Celestia.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" shouted both of them as they drew their starting hand.

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"You can have the first move." said Isaac.

Turn 1: Lucky Star

"Fine by me, cause after I win they'll be a new duel queen." said Lucky Star.

"Well see about that, it's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

"I draw!" stated Lucky Star as she drew her card. "I summon Harpie Channeler(1400/1300)." Out emerged a monster a female harpie as she wielded a staff and spread out her feathers for all to see. "While it's on my field, once per turn, I can discard a 'Harpie' card to special summon a 'Harpie' monster from my deck in defense mode. I'll discard my Harpie's Pet Baby Dragon so that I can special summon Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000/2500)!" Lucky Star then sent her card to the graveyard as her deck glowed and soon a light appeared as out came her dragon as it let out a roar.

"Already starting off strong, huh." said Isaac as he lowered his fedora a bit to keep it from flying off his head.

"My Harpie's Pet Dragon starts out with 2000 attack points and 2500 defense points, but as you know for every 'Harpie Lady' monster I have on the field it gains an extra 300 attack/defense points. So like most of my other cards, my Harpie Channeler counts as a 'Harpie Lady' when its on the field or in my graveyard. That means my Harpie's Pet Dragon has 2300 attack points and 2800 defense points." stated Lucky Star.

"I set two cards facedown before ending my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"That was an impressive first turn, Lucky Star. But it's nothing my deck can't handle. I draw." said Isaac. "First I activate this spell card, Dark Magic Curtain. By giving up half of my life points, I can summon special summon, Dark Magician Girl from my deck." A giant curtain then appeared on Isaac's field as it had a fiend at the top of it. It then pulled back its curtains as out came Isaac's top female magician as she did a twirl and gave a quick kiss to Isaac as she took her position. Like always Mana's presence caught the attention of all the boys, even the male students.
Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

"Okay, why is Isaac the lucky one to have Dark Magician Girl and Twilight?" asked Shadow.

"But she won't be by herself for long because I activate Sage's Stone! While I have Dark Magician Girl on the field, Sage's Stone lets me summon Dark Magician from my deck." A white stone then appeared on Isaac's field as Mana then casted a spell on it as it started to crack and white lights emerged from the stone as it soon opened and out came Isaac's monster. Now within the first turn, Isaac had both of his star monsters out on the field.

"Just like last time, Isaac has his top monsters on the field." said Lucky Star to herself as this was starting to look very familiar.

"Now I have two powerful magicians to make your monsters vanish."

"But neither of them are strong enough to destroy my Pet Dragon." snickered Lucky Star in a laugh that Mai once used.

"Don't be so sure about that, Lucky Star. I equip Dark Magician with Magic Formula raising his attack points to 3200 and that's not all. I also equip my Dark Magician Girl with Mage Power, increasing her attack and defense points by 500 for each spell and trap card on my field. Next I'll set a card to my spell and trap card zone. Now that I have three spell or trap cards on my field, my Mage Power raises my Dark Magician Girl's attack points to 3500!" stated Isaac as both of his monsters were powered up.

"Well, guys. Seems this match is about to be over." said Penny as she felt like Isaac was about to win.

"So much for your student, Aj." mocked Rainbow.

"It ain't over partner. Just watch." smiled Applejack as both her and everybody else were going to be for a rude awakening, especially Isaac.

"Now Dark Magician attack Lucky Star's Harpie Channeler with Dark Magic Attack!"

"You put so much work into increasing your monster's attack points that I almost feel bad about doing this to you. Almost." said Lucky Star with a sly smile on her face. "I activate my trap card, Mirror Wall! Now the attack points of each of your monsters that attacks me are cut in half. Dark Magician drops down to 1600 attack points." A wall of prims then appeared as Isaac's magician struck it with his staff as he attacked his reflection and soon he had cracks along his body.

"Good move. But not good enough." smiled back Isaac with his own sly expression. "Your Harpie Channeler only has 1400 attack points that means its still destroyed by my magician and with your Harpie Channeler off the field, your Harpie's Pet Dragon drops down to its original stats." Dark Magician then pushed forward as it shattered the prism wall as it raised its staff as Harpie Channeler as it took it out with a spell.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7800-

"It's no big deal. I only lose 200 life points and don't forget my Mirror Wall is a continuous trap card. So with your Mage Power, your Dark Magician Girl still won't take down my dragon."

"True, but I have one card that may help. I activate Thousand Knives!" shouted Isaac. "Behold one of my magician's greatest tricks as it sends a thousand knives hurling at your Harpie's Pet Dragon." A thousand little daggers then appeared next to Isaac's magicians as they soon were sent flying towards its target.

"Well, I have a trick of my own, Isaac. I activate Fairy's Hand Mirror." Lucky Star then touched her screen as her card flipped up. "This card diverts the path of your knives, looks like they're being reflected right back at your Dark Magician Girl instead."

"Oh, no! Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as his own monster was now gone.

"Talk about a move by Lucky Star. Not bad." said Sunset.

"Now you're back down to just one wimpy magician." stated Lucky Star.

"I have no choice but to end my turn." said Isaac.

Turn 3: Lucky Star

"It's my turn!" said Lucky Star as she drew her card. "First, I summon Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300)." Out emerged another female harpie as this one wore a metal bodysuit as she let out a screech. "With this monster on the field, it means my Harpie's Pet Dragon is back up to 2500 attack points and 2800 defense points. Next. I activate Card of Sanctity. Now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." Both duelists then refilled their hands as they had new cards to work with. "Next, I upgrade my Cyber Harpie Lady with Cyber Shield raising its attack points to 2300. Finally, I switch my Harpie's Pet Dragon into attack mode. It looks like this duel is going to be over much quicker than expected Isaac. Here you were talking about how I needed to step up my game, but you should have taken your own advice. Honestly, I'm disappointed in you, Teach." said Lucky Star.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon attack Isaac's Dark Magician with Fearsome Fire Blast!"

"You better watch what you say, Lucky Star." said Isaac as he had a smile on his face as it caused the young girl to be scared for a second. "If you want to destroy my Dark Magician, you'll have to find him first!"

"Oh no!" shouted Rainbow Dash as she and the rest of the girls and Spike knew what Isaac was going to do.

"Magical Hats materialize and conceal Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he touched his screen and out came four hats as they covered Isaac's monster and then shuffled as they all lined up in a row.

"What is this?" asked Lucky Star as the girls forgot to mention this move to the girl.

"I just realized, we never told her about this move with Isaac." said Twilight as all the girls facepalmed themselves.

"My Dark Magician is now hidden within one of these four hats. Good luck finding him." said Isaac with a calm tone in his voice.

"You only have four hats on the field and I have two monsters on the field that I can attack with. That means I have a 50/50 chance of finding your magician."

"Then go ahead and test your luck." said Isaac not once losing his sly smile.

"Harpie's Pet Dragon attack the leftmost hat!" commanded Lucky Star as her dragon shot a fire ball that exploded the hat in smoke.

"It looks like he wasn't hiding there." said Isaac still holding his sly smile.

"Well, I still have one more attack. Cyber Harpie Lady attack the middle hat!" ordered Lucky Star.

"Missed again."

"That's not good." said Fluttershy.

"You got lucky this time, Isaac. I'll set a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"First I dispel my Magical Hats and return my Dark Magician back to attack mode." Isaac's two remaining hats then vanished as his magician was now seen once again by everybody else.

"Why would you risk your magician's safety by having it leave your Magical Hats? Your Dark Magician only has 1600 attack points even with its Magic Formula still equipped to it. Your magician is still no match for either of my monsters."

"You'll see soon enough." said Isaac as he drew his card. "I activate Pot of Greed to draw two cards from my deck. It looks like I've drawn Watapon(200/300). When I draw this monster outside of my Draw Phase, I can special summon it to the field." Out emerged Isaac's tiny monster as it let out a cute squeak.

"Am I suppose to be afraid of a little cotton ball? Who I'll admit is adorable." said Lucky Star as she couldn't help but love how cute Isaac's monster was.

"You can insult my monsters all you want, but the strength of my deck is about to be revealed. I activate Black Magic Ritual! Watch as I tribute my Dark Magician and Watapon. Come forth, Magician of Black Chaos(2800/2600)!" Isaac's two monster then disappeared as out came an even more powerful magician as it was covered in head to toe in black.

"How the hell did you turn your two pathetic monsters into that thing?" asked Lucky Star.

"Even my smallest monsters are key components of my deck. My greatness lies with each one of them. You would be wise to never underestimate their strength." said Isaac as he said that in a stern teacher-like voice. "Since my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard when my Dark Magician was tributed in the ritual summon, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"That's a lot of work for a little payoff. I still have my Mirror Wall protecting me."

"But you won't for long!" stated Isaac. "I activate my spell card, Mystical Space Typhoon. So now I'll shatter your Mirror Wall leaving my Magician of Black Chaos' attack unimpeded. Magician of Black Chaos, attack and destroy Lucky Star's dragon. Chaos Scepter Blast!!" shouted Isaac.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7300-

"You'll pay for that!"

"We'll see. I set a card and then end my turn."

Turn 5: Lucky Star

"It's my turn to draw. First, I activate this card, Harpie's Hunting Call! With this spell card, I can summon two more 'Harpie Lady' monsters to the field from my hand or deck, however, they can't attack and lose all their special abilities. So from my deck, I summon two more Cyber Harpie Lady." Lucky Star now had a trio of monsters on her field as she looked to evolve them. "Now that I have three monsters, I overlay them all to build the Overlay Network!" Lucky Star's three monsters then changed into dark orbs as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon all three orbs disappeared inside of the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)." Her new dragon had arrived as it let out a roar as it Xyz materials circled around it.

"My Phantasmal Dragon may not have as many attack points as your Magician of Black Chaos, but that doesn't matter cause it can attack you directly. Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, tear Isaac to shreds!" shouted Lucky Star.

"Your monster may be powerful, but it's not invincible. I activate my trap card, Mirror Force!" stated Isaac. "Now your monster's attack is reflected right back at your dragon. Since my Mirror Force trap card doesn't target the monster whose attack it repels, your Phantasmal Dragon is powerless to stop it."

"But I'm not! I'll activate a trap card of my own, Isaac. Trap Jammer!" stated the girl.

"No!" said Isaac.

"Booyah! This card negates any trap card activated in the Battle Phase including your Mirror Force. Looks like my attack isn't reflected after all." said Lucky Star as her dragon made contact with Isaac who put his arms up as he was pushed back a bit by the attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"I'll end my turn. But before I do, I need to detach an Xyz material from my dragon during each of the end phase." responded the girl. "You're up, Isaac."

Turn 6: Isaac

"It's my move." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Since your Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon prevents me from attacking, I think I'll give you a taste of your own medicine. I activate my spell card, Swords of Revealing Light!" Soon out from the sky shot down a trio of light swords as they imbedded themselves on Lucky Star's field. "This card prevents your monsters from attack me for 3 turns. And since your Phantasmal Dragon detaches one of its Xyz materials each turn and needs those materials to use its effect, by the time my swords expire, your Phantasmal Dragon will be vulnerable to my magician." informed Isaac.

"Finally, I set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Lucky Star

"It's my turn!" said the girl. "I activate Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards from my deck. Perfect, I summon Harpie Queen(1900/1200)." Out emerged a female harpie as she was wearing very minimal clothing as she spread her wings. She looked over at Isaac as she gave the boy a wink, to which let out a gulp.

"I then activate this card, Harpie's Feather Duster!" shouted Lucky Star as she held her card up high. "This card destroys all your spell and trap cards. So much for your Swords of Revealing Light, Isaac." Soon a tornado of feathers was now starting to blow over as Isaac had to raise his dueling arm to keep it from getting in his eyes.

"I activate my spell card, Emergency Provisions!" said Isaac as his facedown flipped up. "Now I can send any of my spell or trap cards to the graveyard and gain 1000 life points for each one of them."

"Looks like someone's desperate." commented Lucky Star.

"Desperate, but smart. I'll send my Swords of Revealing Light and Spellbinding Circle to the graveyard to gain 2000 life points." Isaac then had his other two facedowns destroyed as he gained some health but now his backrow was empty.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Even so, now you're defenseless."

"Far from it, I may not have any spells or traps but I still have my Magician of Black Chaos protecting me."

"You won't for long. I equip my Harpie Queen with another copy of my Cyber Shield to raise her attack points by 500." stated Lucky Star.

"You should have paid more attention in math class and to Applejack." snickered Isaac as he shot his tongue out at the cowgirl who responded with the same gesture. "That only raises your Harpie Queen's to 2400 attack points, it's still no match for my Magician of Black Chaos."

"Maybe not yet, but now I activate Spell Reproduction. This lets me discard two spell cards, to return a spell card from my graveyard to my hand. I'll discard two spells to bring back another Cyber Shield to my hand. I'll then equip it to my Harpie Queen to raise her attack points to 2900."

"2900? That's stronger than my magician." said Isaac.

"Heh, I guess I was paying attention in math class and to Applejack's lessons than you, poindexter." mocked Lucky Star. She then looked to the stands and her saw her tutor smiling as she returned the same expression. "Harpie Queen attack and destroy Isaac's Magician of Black Chaos." shouted the girl as her monster flew over to his side of the field and did a slash that took out his monster.

"Oh no!" said Isaac as he protected his face with his arm.
Isaac's Life Points: 4900-

"Now it's my Phantasmal Dragon's turn to attack. Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon attack Isaac directly!" shouted Lucky Star as her dragon shot another fireball that collided with Isaac as he skidded along the grass as the attack pushed him back. Isaac then put his arms down as he dusted his suit of the wrinkles and straighten his fedora.
Isaac's Life Points: 2900-

"I can't take too much more of that." said Isaac to himself.

"You're down to your last 2900 life points. I'll detach an Xyz material from my Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon and then end my turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"It's my move." said the boy as he drew. "First, I set a card in my spell and trap card zone. Next, I activate Card of Sanctity; now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." Once more both duelist then began to draw until they had a brand new hand to work with. "Then I'll activate Graceful Charity, so now I draw 3 more cards as long as I discard two. Next, I activate Monster Reborn to special summon the Queen's Knight(1500/1600) I just discarded. Now I summon King's Knight(1600/1400). When King's Knight is summoned to the field while Queen's Knight is also present, I can special summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000) from my deck." Just like that, Isaac had his three royal knights on the field as they all raised their swords up high in the air as they clinked together. To Isaac he saw his loyal knights as they all bowed before their master and he just lifted his hand up to signal them to stand up and prepare to battle.

"You know I usually like flash and pizzazz, but this time I'm not impressed. Your royal runts are no match for my high-flying Harpies. You may have summoned three monsters to the field, but they're all useless." informed Lucky Star.

"I've told you before, Lucky Star. Nothing is useless. My turn may be over, but this duel is far from it."

Turn 9: Lucky Star

"I draw. I activate Harpie's Hunting Ground. As long as this card is faceup on my field, all of my Winged Beast monsters gain 200 attack and defense points. Plus whenever I summon a 'Harpie Lady' to the field, I get to destroy a spell or trap card. Therefore I summon a second Harpie Channeler." Lucky Star now had another monster join her field as she carried her staff and a chain in her other claw. "Next I activate Monster Reborn to special summon Cyber Harpie Lady in attack mode. Now I'll use the effect of my Harpie's Hunting Ground to destroy your facedown card. There goes your last line of defense." stated Lucky Star.

"I chain my trap card, Zero Gravity!" shouted Isaac. "Now all monsters on the field change their battle positions. That means all of our monsters switch into defense mode."

"Cool trick, but it won't help you. Since my Harpie Queen and Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon have been on the field since last turn, I can just switch them back into attack mode." Lucky Star then did that as both of her monsters were now ready to strike. "And since there are no more spell or trap cards left on your field, there's nothing you can do to stop my Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon direct attack. Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon, annihilate Isaac!" shouted Lucky Star.

"I don't think so." said Isaac with a smile on his face. "I discard Kuriboh from my hand to prevent all battle damage done from your attack!"

"Oh, come on!!!" shouted the girls. They couldn't believe that once again Isaac had managed to escape from defeat by using his furry little pal.

Kuriboh then appeared in front of Isaac as he saw the attack coming and he knew what to do. He then hovered in front of Isaac as he put his tiny arms out to protect his friend. Soon the fireball hit as Kuriboh put up a barrier using his energy as it covered both him and Isaac as he was repelling the attack. Eventually it died down as the attack faded and Kuriboh let out a bead of sweat as he was exhausted. Isaac then petted the little thing on his head as Kuriboh put on a happy set of eyes.

"Thank you, Kuriboh." smiled Isaac.

"Kuri." said the tiny monster as he disappeared.

"I can't believe my attack was stopped by that oversized hairball!" shouted Lucky Star as she was angry.

"Damn, who knew that little thing actually did something." said Jason.

"I'll admit that little monster does pack a punch." said Bryant.

"It's cute." said Penny and Amber when they saw Kuriboh appear.

"Girls." said Shadow as he just rolled his eyes as how they behaved.

"My turn isn't over yet, Isaac. I'll use my Harpie Queen to attack and destroy your Jack's Knight." said Lucky Star as her other monster took out his knight. "Now I set one card facedown. I'm about to win, Isaac. I have a whole crew of Harpies ready to wipe you out on my next turn while you just have a couple of knights on your field. There's no coming back from this, Isaac! It looks the 'King of Games' is going to pass his crown to me." stated Lucky Star as she was fired up. "Now I'll detach my last Xyz material from my dragon."

Turn 10: Isaac

"I appreciate you calling me the 'King of Games', but I'm not worthy of that title nor does it belong to me. That name alone has too much honor to be bestowed upon someone like me" said Isaac. "As long as I have a single life point, I will never give up." Isaac now looked at his hand and saw that he didn't have anything to help him at the moment, so he looked at his deck and placed his hand on it. "Heart of the cards, guide me. I draw!" stated Isaac as he drew his card, he then looked at it for a second as his eyes widen. Well, Lucky Star wanted me to hit her with everything, then I'll do just that.

"First, I activate The Shallow Grave. This card lets each of us special summon a monster from out graveyards. I'll special summon Jack's Knight back to my field." said Isaac as his duel disk slotted out the card for him to grab as he placed it sideways on his card tray.

"I'll special summon Harpie's Pet Dragon." said Lucky Star as her duel disk then slotted out her card to grab as she placed it sideways on her card tray. "Thanks for the free monster, Isaac."

"Next, I activate Premature Burial. I pay 800 life points to special summon Kuriboh from my graveyard." said Isaac as his tiny monster was back and floated next to his shoulder.
Isaac's Life Points: 2100-

"What?!" shouted the everybody as they didn't know why out of all the monsters in Isaac's grave, he chose to bring that one back.

"Are you the 'King of Games' or the 'King of Lames'?!" insulted Lucky Star. "You brought yourself to a measly 2100 life points to summon something that your cat coughed up."

"Kuri!" cried Kuriboh as he was a bit offended by Lucky Star's comment that tried to psyche himself up and prepare to fight.

"Look, it's totally ferocious, Isaac. I think it wants to attack Harpie's Pet Dragon single-handed." laughed Lucky Star as she found it amusing, while Isaac just had a straight look on his face. "Hmm. What, you don't think that's funny, Teach?"

"It's not, Lucky Star. Laugh all you want, but don't mistake Kuriboh for a joke when it's an important step on my way to victory in this duel."

"That hairball couldn't be an important step on the way to anything, except maybe chocking your cat." stated Lucky Star.

"What have I told you about underestimating the strength of my monsters, Lucky Star? With this spell card, I will show you what my Kuriboh can do. I activate Multiply!!" shouted Isaac. Soon his Kuriboh was now begin to multiply as they soon covered his entire field and were mass producing by the minute.

"So many Kuribohs!" said the students and the girls as they saw the seer number of the little guys as they swarmed Isaac's entire field.

"Now my field is flooded with Kuribohs."

"So what? My monsters are still the strongest." stated Lucky Star.

"That's about to change, Lucky Star. I tribute Jack's Knight, Queen's Knight and King's Knight!" Isaac's knights then transformed into white lights as they were sucked into the card that Isaac was holding high in the sky as he was looking to call upon its power. You wanted everything, Lucky Star. Then prepare yourself. "Legendary gods of Egypt, please hear my call. In the name of every pharaoh that came before, I now beseech thee. I summon... Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!!!" Isaac then placed his card on his card tray as it shot a blue light into the sky as it served as the beacon for his monster. Soon the heavens opened up and a blue light hit the ground as descending down from the sky was none other than Obelisk as it landed behind Isaac as he towered over the young boy and let out a cry as it echoed for everyone to hear.

"No way!!" shouted the girls and the students.

"Impossible, you've drawn an Egyptian God card?!" said Lucky Star as she was now staring in the face of one of the fiercest monsters that ever lived.

"You said to bring everything that I've got. Well, here it is!!!" said Isaac.

"I'm now regretting ever saying that." stated Lucky Star as she was now sweating.

"My Obelisk the Tormentor has 4000 attack and defense points, making it the strongest monster on the field."

"This can't be happening!" exclaimed Lucky Star.

"And my Obelisk's power doesn't stop there, by tributing two monsters, Obelisk the Tormentor not only destroys all of your monsters, but its power also becomes infinite! I tribute two Kuribohs to activate Obelisk the Tormentor's effect, now watch everybody as the strongest monster in my deck joins forces with the weakest to create an unstoppable power!" Obelisk then grabbed two Kuribohs in his hand as he absorbed their power through his eyes as he felt his strength rise to infinity. "Now Obelisk the Tormentor, end this duel with your Fists of Fury!!!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his arm out. Kuriboh then hopped on top of Obelisk's fist as the giant creature reeled his fist up high and then brought it down as Kuriboh was riding his fist as the two of them managed to deliver enough damage to decimated Lucky Star's entire field as she put her arms up to cover herself as she was flung onto her back.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"And the winner and still Canterlot High's duel champion, Isaac!!" said Celestia as both she and Luna stood up and applauded him on his victory. Soon everybody else joined in as they all stood up and gave an applause.

Isaac then straightened out his outfit as he made his way to Lucky Star. She was just coming to when she sat up as she looked at her professor. He then offered his hand as she accepted it and pulled her to her feet as she stood in front of the boy.

"I can't believe I lost, but at the same time the only way you could have beaten me just then was to summon an Egyptian God card. Good duel, Isaac."

"No, no. You mean, great duel. That was a duel that I believe our idols would be proud of." said Isaac. "Your cards are powerful and you displayed exceptional skill while using them, you still have a lot to learn, but you're on the right track. Not to mention, you had certain people cheering you on." Isaac then projected a small image as it showed that Lucky Star's parents were watching their daughter's duel and even cheering for her to have won. All of that was enough to make the young girl have tears. Soon Isaac noticed the crowd cheering for them as he knew what to do.

"Go on."

"What? They're cheering for both of us." said Lucky Star.

"Maybe, but they're cheering for you more clearly." said Isaac. "This is your moment, the spotlight was on you the whole time. I told you, I was gonna polish you up to make sure you were ready for the big stage. All you had to do was bring your A-game, and you did just that. Now go relish in it, take it all in." Isaac then left the dueling field as he allowed the girl to enjoy the attention as the crowd was cheering her.

Isaac watched from the side as soon he felt someone tap his shoulder as it was none other than Twilight who excused herself from the others.

"You did good." said Twilight.

"You mean, she did good." said Isaac as he looked at Lucky Star.

"That was nice thing you did, letting someone else have the spotlight." Twilight then wrapped her arm around Isaac's as she grabbed his hand.

"She earned it, plus I've had my moments already. Time to give somebody else the attention."

"Well, I think you did a good job making her shine." Twilight then captured Isaac's lips as she gave him a quick kiss to which he undid her hair to let it flow down and booped her nose as he let out a smile. Twilight giggled as the two just watched on.

"You know, it was nice to actually duel again." said Isaac.

"What are you talking about? It's only been 2 weeks since you defeated my brother." said Twilight.

"Funny, it feels longer." said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall.

Author's Note

And so we've reached the end of a long story arc. What a ride. The main focus of this arc was on the students and the girls as tutors as I wanted it to be about them, which is why everything else came second, hence why Isaac only dueled like two other times throughout the whole 24 chapters of story. Nevertheless, we've reached the end of this arc, but we still have more content to come. So hope the duel got you out of your seat and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 155: Hall of Fame

"Why?! Why!!!" shouted Isaac. "Tell me, what did I do to deserve this!?!" shouted Isaac.

"What's he crying about?" asked Rainbow Dash as she entered the living room of the house.

"He's upset." said Twilight as she was petting Spike.

"About what?" said the chromatic girl.

"About the Hall of Fame and how he can't bring his cat along." stated the nerdy girl.

"He wanted to bring his cat to the Hall of Fame?" stated Rainbow.

"I have my reasons." said Isaac as he dropped the somber act for a second before he went back to feeling sad. "Why?! I'm sorry, girl." said Isaac as he was petting Tigre.

"Meow." said Tigre.

(If this was an episode, this where the cue for the intro would be.)

"So remind me, why you wanted to bring your cat to the Hall of Fame?" asked Rainbow.

"I have my reasons." said Isaac. "But first we need to backtrack for the audience to understand."

True to Isaac's words we did need to set the stage. So what started like a normal day was just that. A normal day. Nothing major happening, just everybody attending class. Eventually there would be some excitement as Vice-principal Luna had gotten a call on the phone. Seems it belonged to the dueling committee as they called her to inform her of some good news. That being is that she was selected to be inducted into this year's Hall of Fame class. At that moment, Luna broke down in tears as she thanked the dueling committee; Celestia was nearby as she too was happy for her little sister as now both of them were in the Hall of Fame which was a dream that both of them had and it was finally becoming a realty.

Since Luna was also the recipient of the Favorite Female Duelist of the Decade Award, the committee decided to allow Luna to see where her portrait was going to be hung and where the statue of her would be placed just a few days before she was given her induction speech. They did allow her to bring some guests, but they weren't expecting her to bring a whole group. So as it turned out, Luna had asked Isaac and the girls to accompany her as she wanted to give them a chance to see something that very, very, very, very, very, few people would ever get to see much less visit. The group was ecstatic, but for Isaac when he asked Luna a certain question she quickly shot down his answer as he dropped to his knees and screamed to the heavens as it echoed throughout the school.

"And that's what happened." said Isaac. "Why?! Why?!"

"Again, why do you want to bring your cat to the Hall of Fame?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"I have my reasons!!" shouted Isaac as he went back to petting Tigre who just let out a meow which translated to she didn't know what was going on.

"Well, unfortunately, Luna nor anybody else gets a say in what the rules are for the Hall of Fame. See the Hall of Fame is run by the higher ups of the dueling committee, which means they are very strict on the type of rules that need to be enforced." said Twilight.

"Of, course it is! It's sacred ground!" said Isaac.

"What happen to you crying just a few seconds ago?" asked Rainbow.

"Like what kind of rules?" asked Spike.

"Strict rules." said Twilight. "The place is run by corporate authorities in the dueling committee, what they goes without any question or hesitation. So that's why Isaac is sad cause he can't bring his cat with him, which even I'm wondering, why?"

"I HAVE MY REASONS!!!" shouted Isaac to which the girls just rolled their eyes.

"Okay, what's going on here? I was getting 6 kills... and..." Sunset walked out of her room and saw Isaac on the floor as he tightly hugged his cat. "He still dealing with that issue."

"Well, anyways. That means we're gonna be gone for a like a day or two. The destination to the Hall of Fame is pretty far, even if we got there by air, it's a good distance." said Twilight. "So hope you don't get too lonely, Spike."

"I got nothing to worry, I got the pussy cat to keep me company. Just promise me you stop by the gift shop." said Spike.

"There's a gift shop?" asked Twilight.

"You don't know about the gift shop?!" exclaimed Isaac.

"What gift shop?" asked Twilight.

"You don't know about the gift shop, Twi?" responded Rainbow.

"Everybody knows about the gift shop." said Sunset.

"Ohh, we talking about the Hall of Fame gift shop?" asked Pinkie as she made her presence known.

"The gift shop, that place is stellar." said Rarity as she too added her two cents.

"Are we talkin' bout the gift shop?" said Applejack as she too walked into the room with Fluttershy.

"Okay, can somebody explain to me what's so important about the gift shop?!" demanded Twilight as she was the only one out of the loop.

"You don't know about the gift shop?!" shouted Isaac, Spike and the girls in one collective response.

"What is the gift shop?!!!" yelled out Twilight.

"It's the gift shop!" said Spike.

"Ahhh!!" Twilight let out a scream as she couldn't take it anymore.

"Look, Twi. We can't explain it, cause it's too hard to put it into words. The only way is to experience it yourself." said Isaac.

"How the hell do you all know about it, if you haven't seen it yourselves?" asked Twilight to the whole.

"Know someone!" said everybody.

"Great." groaned Twilight.

"Just when we get to see it, don't lose your mind." said Isaac.

"Like that's gonna happen." gestured Twilight. With that everybody then all got ready for the little business trip that they were going to go on.

Luna and the group all were at the airport as they were boarding the plane that they sent for them as they took care of their bags and attended to their every service needs. After a few hours, they soon were arriving at their destination as it was a sight to behold. There was a giant museum-like building that you could see just from the air. Soon the plant landed down as the entire group got off and followed Luna to the place.

"Here we are, the Hall of Fame." said Luna. "Many great duelists have walked here and left their mark on Duel Monsters. And this place is where they are recorded in history for all to see." Soon they approached the person in charge as he began to go over the rules of this place.

"Welcome all, I'm the caretaker of this place. So welcome to the Hall of Fame." said the caretaker. "Now then to go over the rules that you must absolutely follow. No food is allowed, no pets, no gum chewing, no tracking mud along the carpets. No touching of the statues, you may take any and all pictures that you like. And most importantly, respect this place. This is memorial of the greats of the past. Show the respect they deserve. Understand?"

"Yes!" said the group.

"Now then, come along." said the caretaker.

"Wait!" shouted Isaac. "We can't enter until you all wipe your feet."

"What?" asked Twilight.

"My bad, how could I forget about that. Thanks for reminding me, Isaac." said Luna as she did just that and wiped her feet outside of the door before she entered inside.

"What was that about?" asked Fluttershy.

"It's tradition to wipe your feet before you step inside the Hall of Fame for anything." said Isaac.

"Why, sugarcube?"

"It's to show respect that you're about to enter holy ground, not to mention that it will serve as the place for future duelists who too will be inducted as well." said Isaac.

"Really?" said Sunset as she raised her eyebrow.

"Just do it." Isaac then wiped his feet as he then looked at the caretaker who gave a respectful nod to the boy for following the rules.

The girls saw this and they had no choice but to play along with their passionate friend's advice as they too did the same as the caretaker allowed them to enter as they all went inside.

Soon they entered the place as it was much larger on the inside. Soon they arrived at the lobby area, as they stopped in front of the reception desk. The caretaker then gave a map for each one of them.

"Now you're free to explore this place to your hearts' desire. There are multiple floors here for you all to see. Which means you'll need these key cards to get to see them." said the caretaker as he pointed to the escalators and handed a card to each person. He gave Luna a special keycard. "Now the food court is just past the reception desk on this floor. However, if you look on your maps, there's a section that is only authorized to those who have access. The keycards I've given you are visitor's pass, so they won't allow to access that place. Well, apart from Ms. Luna. Nevertheless, I hope you enjoy your visit." With that the caretaker then left the group as they took it all in.

"Alright everyone, you heard him. We're here to follow the rules and... where's Isaac?" asked Luna.

The girls all look to see the outline of their friend from where he once was standing as he was no longer there. They all looked to the left and right to see if they could find their friend, but he wasn't in sight. Luna just let out a stressed sigh, but soon replaced it with a smile on her face.

"Well, I should have expected this. Perhaps he's right, let's all split up and meet here in a few hours." suggested Luna as the girls nodded as they all broke apart and went to explore the Hall of Fame.

Rarity and Applejack had broken off the group and were now exploring a section of the Hall of Fame. They took one of the many escalators from the main floor as it brought them to their destination. Soon they arrived to the entrance of a huge door as Applejack swiped her card and the door opened.

"Welcome to the History of Fusion Summoning." said the voice as the girls entered the place.

"Woah, doggie." said Applejack.

'My word, darling." said Rarity as the two girls entered the exhibit and were welcomed to the many portraits and statues that were on display for visitors to see. Both girls approached the main podium as Rarity pushed the button and the presentation began to play.

"Fusion Summoning is one of the biggest forms of summoning to ever exist. In fact, it was the earliest form that duelist could do to summon out monsters. Long before they became more implemented in the dueling committee, it was a rare occasion that duelists would fuse monsters together. In the beginning the only card that was available that everybody used was Polymerization. There were three other card that three special individuals used which were the Eye of Timaeus, the Fang of Critias, and the Claw of Hermos." The presentation then pulled them up cards as well as the images of the legendary duelists who used them.

"Soon time passed and Fusion Summoning was introduced. And no one made it more famous that the best fusion duelist of them all. But there were also others." said the voice. Then the presentation pulled up some other images as the girls were now on a moving walkway as it continued to talk and they saw several duelists the voice was talking about.

"One duelist who utilized Fusion to the full extent was a man by the name Zane Truesdale." An image appeared on the walls of the exhibit as the girls listen to the explanation. "A top student of a place called Duel Academy who rose to the tops of his school and the pro scene using his skills, smarts, attitude, and his beloved Cyber Deck. His fusion monsters involved Cyber End Dragon, Cyber Twin Dragon, and Cyber Dark Dragon just to name a few. In addition he had special cards that allowed him to fusion multiple way without always relying on Polymerization." explained the presentation as a small video came up for the girls to watch.

"Incredible." said the girls as the video ended.

"While Zane Truesdale was a top duelist, he also had a little brother by the name of Syrus Truesdale who wielded a Roid deck. In the beginning he was an insecure and unconfident duelist. But overtime he gained allies that gave him the strength to face his fears head on; the biggest thing that weighed on his mind was living up to expectation set up by his big brother. But after winning a duel using Power Bond, Zane knew that his brother was ready to surpass him and take his place." said the voice.

"Other duelists have also made fusion summoning popular, one of them was none than the legendary Aster Phoenix. A pro, one of the best to ever grace the scene and a top student alongside Zane of Duel Academy. Famous for using his Destiny HERO deck, he rose to the ranks of the pro circuit and dominated. A phenomenal duelist who very few could ever hope to match." said the voice as it moved on to the next set of duelists in the era of Fusion Summoning as the girls saw a short video playing.

"Of course, there were several more famous duelists from this batch. One of them was a man by the name of Jim Crocodile Cook. He was a young man who had Fossil Deck and had his own ways of fusing together monsters that didn't require Polymerization. His key card was Fossil Fusion. He was an expert geologist and paleontologist, having taken part in an excavation of a Tyrannosaurus in the past and had a crocodile named Shirley, who he carried around in a specially made backpack wherever he went." said the voice as an holographic image came up. "After saving Shirley from an animal trap, Jim injured his right eye. After regaining consciousness, he was imbued with the Eye of Orichalcum by a man who was touched by Jim's devotion to Shirley. The man who gave it to Jim told him it was supposed to have incredible powers when in the presence of a special comet. Afterward Jim kept his right eye bandaged."

"The next duelist on our list is man who wielded the Crystal Beasts, a young teen by the name of Jesse Anderson." An image now appeared as it caught Rarity's attention.

"I've seen him from before." said Rarity as she remembered the battle simulation she had when they went to Horsolulu. She didn't know it at the time, but turns out that her A.I. opponent was a legendary duelist from the past. And to think that in that duel, he had given her the blessing to handle the Crystal Beasts.

"A great duelist that was hailed by many to come. Of course his trusty Crystal Beasts were a force to be reckoned with. Nobody understood them more than Jesse himself, some even spoke of him having the power to speak with the spirits of his deck. But most importantly was the bond they shared, cause it wasn't Jesse who chose the Crystal Beasts, but rather the Crystal Beasts chose him. His brief duel with Zane Truesdale was one that highlighted the skill cap of each individual."

"What a chillin' duel, ain't it Rares." asked Applejack as the short clip of the battle ended.

"Indeed." Rarity then pulled out her Crystal Beast deck as she looked at it. The brief duel they watched allowed Rarity to see just how deeply connected Jesse was with the Crystal Beast when he was the owner of them. "I hope that they can treat me with the same respect and honor that they gave him."

"I think they do." said Applejack as she placed her hand on her friend's shoulder and gave her a quick hug. They soon turned back to the presentation as it started to wind down.

"Other famous duelists, involved individuals like Axel Brodie who wielded a Volcanic Deck, Tyranno Hassleberry who wielded a Dino Deck, Bastion Misawa who had both an Earth and Water deck. Blair Flannigan who had a Love Deck, as well as Chumley Huffington who wielded an Australian Deck due to his love for Big Koala. These and many other more were just a handful of individuals who changed the way of not only Duel Monsters, but of Fusion Summon." said the voice as the presentation ended and the girls found themselves at the exit as they got off the walkway and proceeded through the door.

Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash had decided to go on their own, well moreso that Fluttershy was scared of being by herself, so she decided to tag along with Rainbow in order to be safe. Eventually the two got on a different escalator as they were heading towards a different section of the Hall of Fame. Soon they arrived at a destination as Fluttershy swiped her visitor's pass and the door opened up.

"Welcome to the History of Synchro Summoning." said another robotic voice.

"Woah!" said Rainbow as she was taken aback by what they saw. The first thing inside this exhibit was a bunch of Duel Runners as she started to remember her trip she took with Isaac and Sunset during their spring break as when they all did some Turbo Dueling.

"Oh my." said Fluttershy as she still remained behind her friend as the two entered the place.

Like with Rarity and Applejack, there was a button that was on a podium as Rainbow Dash pushed it without hesitation. Soon they found themselves on a walkway as the presentation began to play.

"The world of Synchro Summoning is fast, high octane action, and pushing yourself past your limits. Nothing says dueling like tuning monsters together to kick it into high gear. And that is true for when Synchro Summoning was introduced. But more importantly, by several individuals throughout history." Soon the presentation projected a holographic image. "One of the famous duelists to take Synchro Summoning to new heights happened to be a signer. A man by the name of Crow Hogan." The girls then saw an image of the person appear on the walls moving past them as it began to relay some info. "New Domino City was split into two with people living in the city and the others living in a place that was an isolated ghetto called the Satellite. Crow from a young age was a prodigy of the streets and a sort of robin hood. Often time he stole from the rich and other wealthier people, even Sector Security as he had several children who looked up and depended on him. At a young age, he joined forces with several of his best friends as they helped to eliminate all the gangs running around Satellite; but after leaving he would soon wind up several times in the Facility due to his marks on his face."

"How horrible." said Fluttershy as she felt sympathy.

"But he still kept on fighting, and eventually he was soon discovered as the fifth signer as he bared the mark of the Crimson Dragon. He even helped to save the world from the group known as Iliaster alongside his friends, but he also couldn't have done it without the help of his trusty Blackwings." said the voice as a small video was shown of Crow summoning his monsters.

"Man, Penny would have loved to seen another Blackwing user." said Rainbow Dash.

"Synchro duelists aren't just young adults, they can be found in the forms of kids. Especially with these two, Luna and Leo the twins." said the voice as the image of the brother and sister duo appeared. "In the beginning both of the kids lived in the Tops area of the city which was reserved for the wealthy side of society. They spent most of their time together as their parents were usually at work. Despite being the oldest of the two, Leo was lively character, though oftentimes he could be carefree and acted a bit dumbly. Luna on the otherhand, was a polite, sweet, and kind young girl. She often criticize her brother but loved him deeply. Out of the two only one of them was signer and prosed a hidden power; Luna had the ability to sense and communicate with Duel Monster Spirits, her notable spirit partners were Kuribon, Regulus and the Ancient Fairy Dragon. She also was able to travel to the Spirit World due to the connection with the spirits, as well as, had the ability to sense when someone was in danger. All of this was able to show that she was a signer and possessed the mark of the Crimson Dragon. For Luna she wielded a Spirit Deck." mentioned the voice.

"Cute little things." said Fluttershy as she saw some of the cards that were shown in Luna's deck.

"Her brother was the exact opposite as he was a fan of his Morphtronics Deck. His ace was none other than the legendary Power Tool Dragon. While he may not have been a Signer per say, he did serve as the ultimate inspiration for his little sister as she often referred to him as the hero she relied on. So while he may have played the role of the comedy character, he still was an inspiration for future duelists to look up to. Overall the twins proved that just because you're young doesn't mean that you can't be a hero." stated the presentation as it displayed one final image of the siblings with their signature monsters behind them as a small video of them summoning their monster played.

"Not bad for a bunch of half-pints." said Rainbow Dash.

"And together they make a whole pint." smiled Fluttershy.

"Of course, besides our main cast, there were tons more people who revolutionized the world of Synchro Summoning. Some of them were once enemies to our heroes, but eventually they were able to change their ways and soon Synchro was given a new life and since then has been incorporated and improved on by every generation to come." stated the voice as the presentation ended and a few more videos of people synchro summoning played.

The girls found themselves getting off the walkway as they came through the end of the presentation as they saw so many other duelists who existed during the time of the heroes as they too left their mark on Synchro Summoning. With that they exited out of the door and it closed behind them.

Pinkie had gone off to another section, well not really, seems that Luna was hesitant about the young puffy haired girl being by herself, especially since Isaac took off without a trace which meant he wasn't here to keep an eye on her. So she took it upon herself to watch after her student. Eventually the two got on an escalator as they were now heading to another section of the Hall of Fame. Soon they arrived in front of a large door as Luna swiped her card and it opened.

"Welcome to the History of Xyz Summoning." said the voice.

The girls entered and just like the other sections it was lined with stuff used by people who used Xyz summoning.

"Oh, big red button!" said Pinkie as she immediately pushed it.

"Pinkie!" shouted Luna as she already started the presentation and the two listened in as the walkway began to move.

"Xyz Summoning is one of the known and famous methods used by duelists as way to call upon monsters from their Extra Deck. In fact, it is the trickiest summoning method one can learn and even more tricker to master. It involves by vertically stacking two (or more, if needed/possible) monsters with the same Level as the Xyz Monster's Rank, that are listed on it as Xyz Materials. After that, the player Summons the Xyz Monster from the Extra Deck in face-up Attack or Defense Position by placing it on top of the stacked Xyz Materials in an unoccupied Main Monster Zone." said the voice. Soon the presentation switched over to some images of legendary duelists who used Xyz summoning as it began to explain the individuals.

"One of the individuals who was proficient in this type of summoning method was a boy by the name of Reginald Kastle, or more commonly known as Shark. Originally an arrogant and callous person, but overtime he had grown quite humble. He was a mainstay for Duel Monsters as he was both a rival and a friend to the person known as the World Duel Carnival Champion." stated the presentation. "In the beginning he was more of a loner, usually sporting on stoic face/scowl. But he was well respected by his peers and classmates due to his exceptional skills and wielding an Xyz Water Deck. He only ever showed his soft side to two individuals with one of them being his sister, Rio Kastle who was a skillful duelist in her own right. And the other person was the World Duel Carnival Champion himself, who managed to make Shark change his outlook on his life and viewpoint." They looked at the walls that were passing them as a video was playing that showed some of Shark's Xyz summons.

"Say, Vice-principal Luna?" asked Pinkie. "Did you ever meet some of these people?"

"Well, when me and my sister were younger and full time pro duelists. We did manage to meet other duelists beside the big ones. We even dueled them, safe to say they aren't just legendary duelists for nothing." stated Luna. She remembered back to when one of the times she was a a pro that she actually got to duel the young boy.

"However, young Shark was really himself. Turns out he was a reincarnation of an person from the past known as Nash. He was the emperor of the United Lands of the Poseidon Ocean alongside his sister Rio or her reincarnation, Marin. One day their kingdom was attacked by a rival as they laid waste to their society and their people. It turned worst when Nash's sister sacrificed herself to help repel the invaders and allow her brother to live. After that, Nash made it an objective to get back at those that killed his sister. Eventually he found the person in charge by a person named Vector and the two engaged in a Shadow Duel with the highest stakes imaginable. As each time a person's monster was sent to the graveyard, the more soldiers their armies would die. So the result was bloody as Nash defeated Vector who was sent dragged into the afterlife literally by the people he murdered. As the sole survivor of a viscous war, Nash saw that all his loved one were now gone as he gave up his life to join them." said the presentation.

"That's horrible." said Pinkie as her hair now lost its puffiness as she was now sad Pinkie.

"As sad as it is, there's hope, Ms. Pie." stated Luna as she remembered Shark telling her about his tale. She pointed back at the presentation as it began to explain a bit more.

"After giving up his life, he and his sister were reincarnated as Barian Emperors by an evil force known as Don Thousand. Their souls were connected to Mythyrian 'Number' card, which were used to seal Thousand's power. Nash then became the leader of the Seven Barian Emperors, much to Vector's disdain who also had been reborn as a Barian Emperor. Soon all emperors launched an attack on Earth as Nash once again obtained his cold personality. Ultimately they were defeated by the World Duel Carnival Champion himself as his home and was soon revived by the Numeron Code as he was now human." said the presentation as it finished telling his tale.

"So glad he got a happy ending." said Pinkie. Soon another image of a duelist appeared.

"Another duelist that used Xyz summoning so happy to be the best friend of the World Duel Carnival Champion. His name was Bronk Stone; he was a competitive and adamant person who took pleasure in other people's embarrassment, even if it was his own friends." explained the voice as the girls were taking in the info. "He was a strong-willed person who didn't like to show his emotions, but yet he still showed his support to his best friend even though they were times when he believed that he couldn't turn the tide of the duel into his favor. He displayed his skills using a Gearspring Deck." A video then played as it showed Bronk summoning his Xyz monster.

"What a doozy!" said Pinkie.

"Though sometimes not all duelists need to be likeable people, despite having evil intentions at first, the Vetrix family also paved the way with their Xyz Summoning and Number cards. The four members of this family were, Trey, the youngest of the trio and wielded a Chronomaly Deck. Quattro who was the middle child and loved to toy with his opponents using a Gimmick Puppet Deck. And Quinton who was the wise and older brother while displaying his skills with a Space Deck. To them they were lead by their father Vetrix who, had a Heraldic deck, alongside his boys wanted to get revenge for a betrayal and were hell bent on collecting the number cards. Eventually they were stopped by the World Duel Carnival Champion and his friends as he saved his home from a terrible fate and reformed each of them." Pinkie and Luna then saw the presentation play some videos as it showed off some more famous Xyz summons.

"Of course we can't forget about a pro duelist by the name of Nistro who reigned the duel field with his Heroic Deck and his manager Dextra who displayed her grace and beauty using a Photon/Butterfly Deck." said the voice as their pictures came up and a bit of info was explained. "Originally set to capture the Number cards like the Vetrix family, they were hunters. But after several run-ins with the World Duel Carnival, they changed their ways and the battle for all Number cards was settled in the finals of the World Duel Carnival, they turned over a new leaf. With Nistro deciding to become a full time professional and would soon become champion of Spartan City with Dextra being there to make sure he didn't do dumb decisions as his career of being a pro." Once more the video started to play as it showed off both summoning their monsters.

"And these are just a handful of phenomenal duelists who took Xyz summoning to new heights. Of course there was the World Duel Carnival Champion himself. But together, they all changed the game of Duel Monsters forever." finished the voice as the presentation ended and both girls were at the end of the walkway as they both stepped off as the door opened up and they exited out.

Sunset was off by herself as she wanted to see some of the exhibits herself. She had seen a few that caught her eyes; she then looked at her map as there was one room that caught her eye. She began to head in the direction of said room as she was now standing in front of the door. She then swiped her visitor's pass as the door opened and in she went. Inside were several displays of individuals as Sunset took it all in, she then approached the main panel as there was a button that said: Start. She just shrugged her shoulders and gently pressed the button as the displays were now moving as they were holograms and a small text was there for her to read.

"Every great duelist needs a great opponent to take them to the next level. The history of Duel Monsters is often lead by the leaders of each famous summoning method. However, they wouldn't be the greats without some competition. Whether in the form of a best friend, or rival turned ally. Each great legends had someone there to help improve their skills." said Sunset as she read the small prompt. Soon the video projector played as it showed an image of a duelist as it caught Sunset's eye.

"No way. Him, I've met him before." said Sunset as she looked at the hologram.

"Joey Wheeler. One of the best friends of the great King of Games, Yugi Moto. In beginning he was no more than a rookie, even after he became a pro duelist, he still had a lot to learn. But most importantly were the friendships he made with his close pals. To start, Joey was far from being the duelist he would become, he was a beginner that couldn't tell a trap card from a spell card. Not too mention that he relied on luck to help wins his duels; he still does." stated the voice. "But there was no doubt that young Joseph had potential; and that potential along with his legendary Red-Eyes Black Dragon is what soared the young man into new heights." Soon a picture of Red-Eyes appeared behind the hologram of Joey.

"Red-Eyes." said Sunset as she looked at the shot of the iconic duo. "He was the original owner of this monster. I wonder if I'll reach the same level of success as he did using that card." stated the bacon-haired girl as she pulled out her deck and looked at it. A video of Joey summoning Red-Eyes then played.

"Of course, like stated before, every great hero needs a great rival to battle them. And for the King of Games, his greatest rival was none other than Seto Kaiba. Adopted into the Kaiba family as an orphan, Kaiba was at the helm of the world’s largest multi-national gaming conglomerate, KaibaCorp, serving as its majority owner and CEO. An intellectually gifted and innovative computer programmer, engineer, and inventor during his youth, he invented virtual software for playing video games as a young child prodigy. Nonetheless, an estranged relationship with his stepfather and outsmarting him auspiciously led the young Seto towards a seamless corporate takeover of KaibaCorp. With access to vast wealth, technological resources, and a wellspring of scientific and business expertise, Kaiba sought to expand KaibaCorp's business operations not just across Domino City but the entire world."

"Man, talk about deep pockets." said Sunset as she heard this info.

"Yet, Seto Kaiba was also a great duelist that very few could topple let alone survive in a duel. He was also the biggest rival to the King of Games who he often challenged to prove to everyone what he believed in. And that was that he was the greatest player to have ever existed in Duel Monsters. And some said he had a rightful claim to that title, especially since he wielded the legendary Blue-Eyes White Dragon." The image now showed Kaiba alongside his Blue-Eyes in a fierce looking position. "Kaiba was largely considered an anti-hero, as his motives were usually egocentric and his personality traits were selfish and arrogant, but he did sometimes help Yugi and his friends if it was in his best interest." said the voice. "He also didn't fully respect Joey as he felt like he was inferior and often time used the phrase: 'You're a third duelist with a fourth rate deck'." The line was said in Kaiba's voice as it made it sound so much cooler. Soon another video popped up as it showed Kaiba summoning his dragon, even his Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon.

"Moving on." said the voice as the presentation continued on as it displayed the next duelist. "Being a rival doesn't mean you can't be somewhat helpful in aiding your ally/frenemy. And for the greatest fusion summoner, Jaden Yuki, that was none other than the uptight, Chazz Princeton. Chazz was considered Jaden's primary rival in the same effect that Seto Kaiba was the primary rival of Yugi Muto. He was characterized as incredibly arrogant, self-conceited and often petty. Through his evolution, he went from being a duelist who only respected powerful cards to a duelist who believed that there can be effectiveness in any card, specifically shown in his use of Ojama cards." The image then had the three Ojama brothers appear next to him as they all looked like a tough pair despite being weak monsters. "Despite his begrudging use of the cards and his constant annoyance of their presence, Chazz and the Ojamas had developed something of a close companionship, with the latter being incredibly loyal to him. And with him learning to appreciate any card has valued, his deck consisted of mix of weak and powerful cards." Another video began to play as it showed off some cards that Chazz used during his time.

"The next legendary duelist was Satellite's Shooting Star and to him, none were a tougher challenge than his best friend/rival, the Master of Faster, Jack Atlas." The presentation then moved on as it showed a picture of Jack and his rise to the top in the world of Turbo Dueling.

"Turbo Dueling. I still remember that experience." said Sunset as she remembered the trip she took with Isaac and Rainbow Dash.

"Jack Atlas was Yusei Fudo's former rival as well as one of his many friends. He too was one of the Signers with the wings of the Crimson Dragon on his right arm. Jack's personality was similar in that he could be somewhat cold-hearted, and often acted as an anti-hero. Jack was an arrogant man at the beginning who thought of his opponents as little more than entertainment for himself and his audience. As king, he believed in a pursuit philosophy; where that he would drive himself into his own pinches only to crush his opponents with his absolute comeback strategies. However, after losing to his former friend, Jack realizes what he had been missing as king and decided on starting his own journey to becoming a real duelist. Upon meeting Carly Carmine, he realized the error of his ways, and tried to repay Yusei and the others. He also had a great love for ramen that spanned from his early days when he would eat ramen along with his friends." said the presentation. "And for Jack Atlas, the Master of Faster, he had an incredible and powerful monster in the form of the Red Dragon Archfiend." The image now showed Jack's ace monster as it was just as powerful as it looked as a video played for Sunset to watch.

"While many consider Shark to be Yuma Tsukumo's rival, some could make the case for this individual. Kite Tenjo." said the presentation as it switched to the next part as it showed the image of the young boy with a serious look on his face. "Kite Tenjo was the son of Dr. Faker, a Number Hunter, who gathered 'Numbers' for his father in order to help his formerly sick brother, Hart Tenjo. He was assisted by a robot named Orbital 7." The screen in front of Sunset then showed the images of the three for a brief second before moving on with its explanation. "When Hart was cured, he became friends with Yuma and Astral and cooperated with them in the Interdimensional War between the Astral World and Barian World, becoming directly involved with the Legend of the Dragons of Light and Time. After defeating Mizar on the moon, Kite deemed Mizar the true Dragon Tamer and entrusted him to complete his quest after succumbing to the vacuum of space. He was later revived by the power of the Numeron Code."

"Space?" asked Sunset. "Am I really suppose to believe this happened?" stated the girl while quickly shooting a glance at the fourth wall before returning back to the presentation.

"Kite initially carried a pious and self-righteous demeanor as he aimed to crush any opponent with a religious fervor in his duels. He also shared a brotherly bond with Hart similar to that of Seto Kaiba when it came to protecting his younger brother, who was his 'everything', from any danger. Kite clearly cared more about Hart's safety than his own, as he kept using the Photon Transformation to hunt Numbers, not caring that it damaged his body and was constantly ignoring Orbital 7's warnings because he needed the 'Numbers' to heal Hart." explained the presentation. "In the beginning, Kite despised those wielding the Numbers due to Hart's condition and the lies told to him by Mr. Heartland and his father as well. However, during the duel against his own father, Kite found that his reasons for hunting the Numbers were all a lie, his perception of those using such cards was wrong as he stated that all those he hunted were innocent souls. After Hart was cured and having reconciled with his father, Kite showed a much lighter disposition, but remained feeling guilty about the actions he committed when he collected the Numbers. Although Yuma helped to convince him to move on. He also had his trusty Galaxy Eyes Photon Dragon as it was the key to taking down Number cards." Another video began to play as it showed off Kite's skills.

"And the recent entries in the past few years is dedicated to Pendulum Summoning." said the presentation as it had one more piece of info to give. "Declan Akaba is the second CEO of the huge Leo Corporation across the sea. Declan is the youngest Duelist in history to be certified to Duel in the professional circuit, having done so at age 15." said the presentation.

"That young, wow." stated Sunset as she was impressed by that.

"In general, Declan had a grim and serious demeanor, but he took an interest in the pioneer of Pendulum Summoning, Yuya Sakaki. He was utterly polite without fail, save rare moments of a loss in composure. Declan was calm and collected, and was shown to be extremely level-headed and strong-willed. Despite his advanced skills, he was not overly arrogant, merely truthful; he took winning for granted and did not care for other duelists, though that changed after meeting Yuya. While he did not consider empathy as beneficial on the battlefield, he did seem to enjoy himself while Dueling, and even requested Yuya to demonstrate, his father, Yusho's Dueltaining. He was shown to smile when Yuya exerted his full strength. He later admitted that while Yuya's feelings gave birth to a great power, that would not always be the case and emotions could cost one on the battlefield. Eventually, he warmed up to Yuya as he acknowledged his skills." said the presentation as it displayed the image of Declan for Sunset to see. Soon a video then began to play as it displayed Declan's skills and it caused Sunset's eyes to widen.

"If Sombra is like this Declan person, being able to know all the summoning methods. Then I'm glad we where able to defeat him during the Friendship Games; who knows what might have happened if we failed." stated Sunset as she looked at the hologram of Declan. "He's good, and to think that Sombra probably got his inspiration from him." Soon the walkway she was on came to the end of its destination as the presentation was over. "No wonder Isaac looks up to these legends, look at all the rivals and friends them made in their careers." Sunset then exited through the door as it closed behind her.

Twilight had already gone through the Xyz wing of the Hall of Fame about an half an hour ago and was starting to make her way towards the other places she wanted to see.

"Alright, now to check out this section of the place. The rivals of Duel Monsters. Sounds interesting." Twilight was now starting to make her way towards the place that Sunset had been in just a little while ago. She got on an escalator and began to head up, eventually it came to the top as she got off and came to a huge door as she swiped her card as the door opened up for her.

Twilight entered the place and immediately was surprised by what she saw. "Huh? This doesn't seem like the place, did I take a wrong turn?" Twilight looked at her map and saw that she was in a different place than she expected. She then looked up and saw several portraits of female duelists as they all stood side by side. They made have been holograms, but they seemed so life-like. She then noticed a podium as it had a button and a prompt for her to read.

"For every great male duelist, there is a female lead. Whether she's a duelist or not, she tends to be a relatively important part for our main hero. Despite many changes throughout history, the formula that creates a main cast stays relatively the same. Usually they always have a main protagonists which is usually a male character, they have a main rival, they have a main villain, and they also have a main leading lady to some degree." read Twilight. "Well, I mean we sort of follow that rubric." stated Twilight as she began to figure out which one of their friends fell into what category of the formula. "Not to mention we also make up for the low percentage of women duelists, since Isaac's the only guy in our group." She then pushed the button as she finish reading the prompt and soon the magic began. Twilight soon found herself moving on the walkway as the presentation was starting.

"What does history say? Behind every great man there is a great women that follows him. Well, that's partially true. See the legendary duelists are some of the most well renowned people to have every existed, but what kept them going? Was it their drive to be the best, their money, fame, or perhaps their skills? Well, it was all of that, but it also had to do with the person who support them the most. And oftentimes that was the same person that they deeply cared about. To start, let's take a look at the very beginning." The presentation then showed a picture of Yugi for Twilight to see as standing next to him was a girl.

"The great Yugi Moto, or King of Games, was an incredible duelists who swayed the hearts of young girls. With his looks, to his cute, innocent demeanor. To even his voice, he became the attraction of so many young teen girls and women in generally. But there was one person that deeply cared about him and her name was none other than Téa Gardner." Twilight was now looking at the girl as she began to listen. "While she was never a duelist per say, she did usually partake in the game by Yugi and their friends. Téa was very good at dancing and had a dream of becoming a professional dancer, not to mention she was one of Yugi's friends since childhood. Out of the whole group, she served more as the role of a cheerleader as she was the one who lended her support the most to her friends. At time over the years, she harbored secret feelings for her friend, especially once they finished high school. Eventually she got to live her dream and became a dancer as for Yugi he kept his title intact. Years passed and eventually the two met and well... they got together and settled down for the rest of their lives." said the presentation as it now showed images of Yugi and Téa during their later part of their lives.

"Seems Isaac's idol also found love." mentioned Twilight. The scene now changed to a different female as Twilight began to listen.

"The next female lead was in fact a duelist. And she attended a place called Duel Academy as she was ranked as an Obelisk Blue. Despite Jaden Yuki being a Slifer Red, it didn't stop him from catching the attention of a certain girl named Alexis Rhodes." The images now showed a picture of the female duelist as it caught Twilight's attention. "Alexis was generally very confident, sweet, caring, brave and strong willed, yet she did not follow the crowd nor did she regard herself as better than other people like many of her Obelisk peers, though she did show some respect for them. Alexis was known well for her beauty, and many male students demonstrated an infatuation with her. Because she was the most beautiful girl in Duel Academy while also a great duelist, she had earned the names 'Madonna' and 'Queen of Obelisk Blue'. However, she was kind, humble and not prideful, and did not intentionally use her looks to her advantage, which most likely attracted the male students to her even more."

"I mean, I can't blame her." said Twilight as she too admitted that Alexis was pretty.

"Ironically, she actually did developed a crush on Jaden Yuki, whom was one of the few males not to show an infatuation with her. Her crush on him progressively became more obvious and stronger though she never had the courage to tell him. She finally wanted to confess her feelings to him, but decided not to and instead just said she was glad to have met him. He responded with the same thing as the two went about their separate ways for quite awhile. Eventually, years passed and the two did end up getting married. Seems the duel that happened when they were first year students proved right after all as Jaden really did become Alexis' finance. As far as the deck Alexis used it was a Cyber Girl Deck." Soon some images of Jaden and Alexis were shown as it was photos from the time they spent at Duel Academy and all the adventures they both were a part of. There was even a picture of the duel where she was brainwashed into the Society of Light by Sartorius as Jaden defeated her and set her free. A small video played that showed off Alexis summoning her monster.

"The next female duelist was a young women by the name of Akiza Izinski." The image changed once more as it was now showing Twilight a different person. "Known by her nickname as the 'Black Rose', Akiza possessed an extremely strong special ability which set her apart from the rest of humanity, and even the rest of the Signers. This ability enabled her to materialize and bring to life monsters and the effects of Duel Monsters cards, allowing her to freely control them similar to other duelists."

"Physic powers. Well, if me and the rest of the gang weren't use to seeing magic existing, I would find this hard to believe." stated Twilight.

"Initially, Akiza was very insecure and unsure of herself and had a very cold and distant demeanor, a result of spending years being treated as a monster. She viewed everyone around her as her enemy and eventually stopped caring about other people's feelings. It wasn't until Sayer showed her compassion that Akiza began to have hope in her life again. Despite this new feeling of self-worth from Sayer, Akiza's rage at the world continued to grow, which Sayer intentionally drove her towards. After meeting Yusei, Akiza began to question the path she took of distancing herself from normal society. Finding conflicted emotions between both Yusei and Sayer's words, Akiza began to lose her focus and by extension her performance began to slip. When Sayer disappeared and Akiza lost her last 'place' to turn to, her parents, the people who unintentionally drove her down her hate-filled path, showed how sorry they were for their mistakes and wanted her back with loving intentions. With assistance from Yusei this allowed Akiza to finally find peace and be willing to join normal society again."

"Harsh, I can sort of relate to when I was still a student at Crystal Prep Academy. I felt out of place and that nobody seemed to care about me." said Twilight with a soft tone. "But then I met Isaac and he changed my life, just like Yusei did for Akiza."

"After joining Yusei and his friends, Akiza's demeanor had become much more caring, sweet, brave, heroic, kind-hearted, and valuing of true friendship, and she had become more eager to help those close to her whenever possible. Akiza had also developed feelings for Yusei, as many of their friends would point out whenever it came to his safety she often get too worked up. She also deeply cared for children which was one of the many inspirations in her wanted to study medicine and become a doctor." said the presentation as it showed off some achievements by Akiza as she had won several awards in the field of medicine and was proclaimed as one of the best doctors.

"I have the dream of becoming a card designer. Am I going to have any awards let her? Will people hail me as a great card designer?" asked Twilight.

"Eventually the pair got married and settle down back in New Domino City. During the time they were apart, Akiza studied hard as a doctor. While Yusei became a doctor in his own right creating a generator that fueled his beloved city into the new generation; he also still kept on riding as he continued to Turbo Duel. Once the two got engaged, it brought a smile to their faces and to their friends." The presentation then ended with showing Akiza summon her signature dragon.

"Following that, the next person was a girl by the name of Tori Meadows. She was Yuma's best friend since childhood and always traveled with him throughout all his duels despite the dangers. Due to her unyielding personality, she tended to tease Yuma for his mistakes; despite this, she still cared for him and never left his side. Tori wasn't much of a duelist but she still showed her support for her friend." Twilight now saw the image of the girl as the presentation continued. "Tori was a very cheerful girl with the ability to manipulate computers, as demonstrated when their friend Flip framed Yuma and she discovered the whole fiasco. She was also protective and fiercely loyal to Yuma, when she believed in him despite the fact that there was 'undeniable evidence' against him and how she never laughed at Yuma when he challenged the impossible; she admired his unwavering will and determination of constantly challenging himself. Despite the fact that Tori sometimes got annoyed by Yuma's naivety and childish outbursts, she appeared to harbor a deep crush on Yuma, evidenced by how she blushed and became slightly angered when Yuma said some dumb stuff or when she smiled at Yuma's antics. In the end, she mustered up the courage to confess her feelings to the young boy and the two lived a happy life together." It even showed a small clip of Tori, Xyz summoning.

"What a fairytale ending." smiled Twilight as she had a few tears of joy in her eyes as she wiped them. Soon one last image was shown as it was the latest one to be told.

"And the last female leading lady was a girl by the name of Zuzu Boyle. A childhood friend of Yuya Sakaki and gave powerful pep talks. Her father owns the You Show Duel School, a duel school that she and Yuya attended, where they spent their time honing their dueling skills as well as becoming Dueltainers." Twilight was now looking at the image of Zuzu as the photos of her duels and adventures were shown. "Zuzu had a kind, strong-willed personality coupled with an extremely short temper, the latter often resulted in her actions causing huge consequences. One example of this was when she smashed her fists down on the Solid Vision technology computer at the You Show Duel School out of annoyance at how Yuya was Dueling, which ended up destroying the machine. Zuzu also had a tendency to hit people on the head with a paper fan, primarily Yuya and her own father, whenever they did something foolish."

"Maybe I should do something like that whenever Isaac does something stupid and foolish. It may help keep him in line." stated Twilight.

"She is was also quite argumentative, even went so far as to argue with a spectator who insulted Yuya and his father before his Duel with the Sledgehammer, showing that she can be just as defensive and caring of Yuya and his belief in his father. She harbored feelings for Yuya, especially when someone would mention it as she would do her best to deny said feelings. Zuzu's kind, gentle, truthful personality with a strong sense of justice made her the person that people from all over the world adored. She was a fusion duelist who displayed her skills using a Melodious Deck. As she and Yuya got older they started to used their acrobat skills to become successful Dueltainers; eventually they managed to finally get together and recently got engaged. Only time will tell on what the future holds for her and her beloved." said the narration as it showed off a small clip of Zuzu fusion summoning.

"These great female leads all lended their support for the great male duelists of Duel Monsters. And in the end they got to spend the rest of their lives with the person they loved the most." The presentation then ended as Twilight found herself at the end of the walkway as the presentation was over.

"I admit these ladies helped to keep their man in check. And they all got together with the person they deeply cared about, so... what does this mean in terms of my situation? Are me and Isaac going to have something similar or do we just go our separate ways after graduation? I don't know." Twilight then exited out of the room as the door closed behind her.

Twilight had now made it back to the main floor as the others too were arriving.

"Hey, Twilight." called out Sunset. "Man is this place full of history. So, how'd your visit go?"

"It was... interesting. My section was fascinating to say the least." said Twilight.

"No wonder Isaac ran off, with the amount of different sections there are. It's amazing to think he had enough time to see all of them." stated the bacon-haired girl.

"Hey, y'all!" called out Applejack as she and Rarity were coming from another escalator. "Y'all won't believe all the Fusion stuff we saw."

"It's truly extraordinary, darlings."

"Please, you should have seen the Synchro section." stated Rainbow Dash as she and Fluttershy now arrived. "It was filled with tons of cool duelists. Right, Fluttershy?"

"Oh, definitely." said the shy girl in a low tone.

"Oh my gosh, girls. You won't believe it, but Luna knows so many duelists from the Xyz section." said Pinkie as she appeared between the two girls.

"Ahh! Pinkie!" shouted Rainbow. "Don't scare people like that!"

"Hehe, sorry." giggled the pink haired girl as she bounced up and down as Luna was no present.

"Well, it seems you all enjoyed and got to learn something about Duel Monsters' history. Even you Ms. Dash." stated Luna with a smug smile as Rainbow turned red from embarrassment. "Still no Isaac?" asked the vice-principal as the boy still had not shown up since disappearing at the very start.

"Do you think he's lost?" asked Fluttershy.

"No way! That geek would never get lost in a place like this. This looks like a home to him, all these different duelists he looks up to. This is like his own personal heaven." stated Rainbow as she got glares from her comments from the others. "What, it's true."

"Do you reckon we go find the city slicker?" asked Applejack.

"Don't bother. Isaac will join us eventually, now then let's head over to the café. I hear they're serving something special. Also..."

"The gift shop!!!" shouted the girls except Twilight as they were all excited.

"Okay, what's so great about the gift shop?" asked Twilight. Soon the scene changed as she was standing inside of said gift shop. "This is the greatest gift shop ever!!!!!" yelled out Twilight as she couldn't contain her inner excitement.

Isaac was now at the upper, upper levels of the Hall of Fame as he just finished checking out the latest exhibit. After he quickly snuck away from the group in the first 5 seconds, it took him but less than an hour to see all the other exhibits that the girls all went through as he absorbed each detail with a smile on his face. For Isaac, this was the greatest moment of his life. It was like he had found what the meaning of life actually was and he didn't want to ever leave this place. So much rich history that was preserved here and he was walking on this scared, holy ground that generations and generations before him were. Isaac then took another escalator as he was now heading upwards even more; soon he stopped at the top as he was now standing in front of a large door. He looked at his map and it matched with what was in front of him.

"Well, this here is the special wing. The caretaker said that our visitor's pass, aside from Luna's, won't grant us access into the room. Man does that suck. I really wanted to see what is in there." Isaac then looked at the lock pad as he got an idea. "Well, can't hurt to try." Isaac then pulled out his card and then swiped it, for a second nothing happened, but then he heard something.

"Scanning... Access.... D-D-D-Deni... Granted." said the voice as the door was now slowly started to open.

"Wait, what?!" shouted Isaac as he didn't think that his card allowed him to get access into this room. He thought it must have been a mistake, but it was indeed a visitor's pass that he held and he was somehow able to open the room. "Well, you only live once." Isaac then took a deep breath as he stepped inside of the room.

The room was unlike the other exhibits because it was. All around Isaac in the display cases were memorabilia and other stuff used by the legendary duelists of the past. Soon he came to a giant wall that was hung as in the middle he read the name of this room.

"Welcome to the room of the Legendary Duelists. The Big 5." read Isaac. He had to do a double take to make sure that he was reading that right and it was true. Isaac was now in the private section that very few people had access to as this was the place where all the info about the Big 5 were held. He also noticed something scribbled in small writing as he did his best to read it.

"To be qualified as a Yugioh protagonist, you must meet 3 requirements. One, your name must have the letters, YU, in it. Second, you hair must be more than one color. And three, your signature monster must have 2500 attack points." read Isaac as he looked at his name and observed his short black hair. "Oh, well two out of three ain't bad. Am I right, folks?" asked Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall and gave a quick wink at the joke. He then looked back at the panel as he pushed the button in the center.

"Hello, and welcome to the exhibit of the Big 5 duelists. These fine folks took the Dueling World by storm and left their individual mark on the game." said the voice. "Now then what would you like to know?"

"Everything!" responded Isaac immediately as he was now a little kid with a huge smile on his face.

"Very well, let's start with the recent summoning method. Pendulum Summoning. Though it has only been introduced for a few years, it's mostly popular across the sea with ort comrades. Though here's hoping that our side of the world will soon have them transported so that everyone over here can learn about them. Anyways the person who introduced Pendulum Summoning was none other than the pioneer himself..."

"Yuya Sakaki." said Isaac as he finished the sentence and a picture of Yuya came up. Soon some music began to play.

"Yuya Sakaki was a born-entertainer who attended the You Show Duel School to advance his dueling expertise and became a Dueltainer, a specific type of professional Duelist similar to his father. A fun-loving and energetic boy, Yuya is very theatrical and loves to entertain people, traits he seems to have inherited from his father. He idolized and loved his father very much and wishes to become an entertainer like him one day. After his father disappeared during an important match, Yuya was left heartbroken and traumatized by the event because his beloved father was labeled as a 'coward'. During his duel with the Sledgehammer, Yuya proved to be quite clever and skilled in Action Duels, having learned everything from his father. However, after his duel with the Sledgehammer, during which he reportedly 'reinvented' himself, Yuya displayed a more serious demeanor, saving his theatrical persona for his finishing combos. Due to Yuya's initial buffoonery, his friends and other people were often baffled by Yuya's behavior and believed he didn't take things seriously." said the narration.

"Well, when I first met him, I kinda got that kind of vibe." said Isaac.

"Yuya believed that dueling is for the purpose of making people happy, and he was disgusted when it was used for war. As a spectator, he protested against any duel conducted with violence, hatred and/or anger. Eventually he ended the war between dimensions and soon everything was back to normal. He went on to become a successful Dueltainer, and has certainly surpassed his father as he continues to wow the crowd with his skills and Pendulum summoning. Of course, he couldn't be the success he his today without some help from his friends, Gong Strong who used his Strong-Style type of dueling mixed with his Superheavy Samurai deck, Sylvio Sawatari who possessed an Abyss Actor deck and often proclaimed himself to be better than Yuya. Other people that helped Yuya to reach the level of success that he encountered were individuals like Sora Perse who was a fusion summoner, and sort of acted like Yuya's student when he wanted him to teach him, he showed off his skills with his Fluffal/Frightfurs; Shay Obsidian who was a powerful Xyz summoner who used his trusty Raidraptors to soar to new heights and take down his foes; also his fiancé Zuzu Boyle who stood by his side and is the driving force that propelled young Yuya to take his game to the next level. These are a just a few individuals that Yuya was to touch the hearts of. And he often followed his duels with his famous line: 'It's time to swing into action'." The presentation then showed Yuya and his friends as it had photos from their adventures. Soon a video played that showed Yuya pulling off all the known summoning methods.

"Yuya and Pendulum Summoning." said Isaac. He then saw the presentation switch over to another member of the Big 5. Isaac then began to hear some music as the presentation was getting ready to play.

"Yuma Tsukumo was a young Duelist who aspired to be the greatest, despite his amateur skills. He found himself reluctantly partnered with a Dueling spirit called Astral. Together, they pursued the Numbers to recover Astral's scattered memories, becoming a Number Hunter while cultivating his dueling abilities during their adventures. After being victorious in the World Duel Carnival, Yuma became the Duel Champion of Heartland City. He was also the Original Number's other half that was separated from him, during Astral's battle with Don Thousand long ago. As Yuma cooperated with Astral and assisted him in the gathering of his Number cards, Yuma learnt the truths that connect him to his destiny through his beloved father, Kazuma Tsukumo, and became the most important participant in the Interdimensional War between Astral World and Barian World, bringing an end to the hostilities." said the presentation.

"I still remember the duel I had with Yuma. I may have been in Equestria and been a pony at the time, but I got to see and feel firsthand just how good he was." said Isaac.

"Yuma was a hasty, energetic, and cheerful young boy who liked to challenge himself to do anything that seemed impossible, which he normally failed at. Undaunted by his failures, he stated that doing these challenges got him fired up and will eventually accomplish what he sets out to do. Yuma greatly loved his parents and treasured the key they gave him, forthright and honest, Yuma was shown to assist others if they are in trouble, despite their protests. Due to his short-temper and stubbornness, Yuma was easily annoyed, and frequently clashed with Astral. Yuma tended to disobey Astral's instructions when they Duel, which lead to him making mistakes. He only started obeying when he was about to lose, as he believed the duels were his and listening to him would mean he needed help to win. Overtime, Yuma and Astral started working together, mostly after he called Astral his friend." The presentation then showed off some images from Yuma's adventures as Isaac saw the action that two friends went on. "They saved the world several times and because of their actions, we remember them for all they did. Of course, Yuma always did love to say: 'I'm feeling the flow!'." Another video played of Yuma showing off his skills.

"Yuma. Thanks." said Isaac as he looked at his deck and his Chaos Mageía. He then saw the video switch over to another individual as Isaac immediately knew who it was. Especially with the next song that was playing.

"Welcome to Neo Domino City. Where dueling evolved into a petal to the metal, way of life. A life lived in the fast line and no one lives it faster than Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo." The image was now showing Yusei as it brought Isaac back memories of the night he 'supposedly' encountered the man and challenged him to a Turbo Duel. "A master mechanic who's dueling metal enabled him to rise from the slums of Satellite and break down the barriers surrounding New Domino City. Yusei's unrelenting desire to make a better world for those around him was the catalyst that sparked a time of renaissance in New Domino City. Everytime he would rev up his duel runner, it was as though he was revving up something deep inside each and every one of those around him." The imaged then showed Yusei being accompanied by his friends and the battles they all fought.

"He inspired people to believe that there was a brighter future in store for all and there was. Especially, once Yusei discovered he was one of five signers linked by destiny to uncover the secrets of the Crimson Dragon. With the power of the Crimson Dragon and unwavering support from his friends, there was no stopping Yusei. Even though there were many who tried like the Dark Signer Roman and his Earthbound Immortal. And Director Goodwin who wanted to destroy the world and rebuild it in his image." Isaac now saw some images of Yusei's battle with the leader of the Dark Signers and Goodwin himself. "Soon thereafter a new threat would arise in the form of three Emperors of Iliaster, who wanted to end humanity as they believed that Synchros would end the world as we know it. When the odds were against Yusei, he always kicked things into overdrive. He had to steer through some hard times, but one thing was for sure. When Yusei was in the driver's seat, you knew the next stop was victory. Especially when he said: 'Let's rev it up'!" said the video package. It then switched over as it showed Yusei summoning his signature monster as well as his other synchros in his deck.

"Yusei, thanks for that great Turbo Duel." Isaac then pulled out some cards from his deck as he had three cards that were given to him by the man as one of them was his Enchantress of Melody and the other two were a secret.

"Now let's meet our next duelist, the star pupil of a school with one major: Duel Monsters. Let us meet, Jaden Yuki." said the presentation as it carried on to the next star as once again some more music played.

"Jaden had every intention to be the best, but when school got hard, Jaden hardly studied. During tests without fair, Jaden always failed." said the voice as it showed pictures of Jaden slacking off and sleeping in class.

"Reminds me of Rainbow." said Isaac.

"He might have not been the most studious of students, but when it came to dueling, he was at the top of his class. Jaden had the rare and special power to communicate with Duel Spirits, such as Yubel and Professor Banner. Jaden used that power to help his friends which was a good thing because they had a tendency to always get in trouble, but it's when the stakes were really high that Jaden truly got his game on. Like the time he took on the fiendish Kagemaru and the Sacred Beasts. Or when he fended off the depraved Sartorius who wanted to turn the world into mindless zombies. And when he schooled Professor Viper, an instructor who had a sinister agenda. And of course Yubel." The images of all of Jaden's adventures were shown to Isaac as he took it all in. "Yes, it's true Jaden never made the honor roll, but he was certainly on a roll when it came to dynamic dueling. Especially his catchphrase: 'Get your game on'!" said the voice. It then showed off some of Jaden's fusion monsters.

"Well, I guess Jaden showed that you don't have to be the smartest person. So long as you have the skills necessary to win a duel." said Isaac. He then started to notice something as he counted the individuals that were still there. "There's four... which means... the last one is..."

"Yugi Moto." said the voice. But the thing was that Isaac's brain didn't register the name Yugi Moto, moreso that his brain was telling him 'King of Games'." In fact, whenever the presentation said Yugi's name, Isaac's brain blocked that name out as it was always replaced by his nickname the King of Games.

"Long ago, when the pyramids were still young, Egyptian Kings played a great and terrible power, but these Shadow Games erupted into a war that threatened to destroy the entire world. Until a brave and powerful Pharaoh locked the magic away imprisoning it within the mystical Millennium items; now 5000 years later, a boy named Yugi unlocks the secret of the Millennium Puzzle. He was infused with ancient magical energies for destiny had chosen him to defend the world from the return of the Shadow Games, just as the brave Pharaoh did 5000 years ago. The ancient Egyptians could have never predicted that their mystical battles would evolve into the most popular card game in the world and to date: Duel Monsters." Images were shown of all kinds of Duel Monsters that got Isaac's eyes to widen. "And one of the best duelist to ever play this game was Yugi Moto; he was always up for a challenge. One day, his grandfather decided to give Yugi his greatest test to date: the impossible task of assembling of a five thousand-year-old artifact known as the Millennium Puzzle. But it wasn't impossible for Yugi, he solved the puzzle and when he did, he also unleashed the power of an ancient pharaoh. The two became great friends." It then showed images of Yugi's adventures and all the villains he faced.

"It wasn't long until Yugi and the Pharaoh would be working together to save the world from all sorts of wicked forces. Like the ruthless Seto Kaiba. And Pegasus, the cold-hearted creator of Duel Monsters who coveted Yugi's Millennium Puzzle. And the most fearful of all, the maniacal Marik Ishtar who wanted to get revenge on the Pharaoh. Yugi fought and won many battles earning him the title that is known by the world over and to this date: the King of Games. And what reign Yugi had! It wasn't long before a whole new generation of duelists would follow in his footsteps and learn the ways of Duel Monsters, but it all started here." The presentation had reached its end and a video played that showed off Isaac's idol.

"The King of Games." said Isaac as he still referred to him by that title and not his actual name. "All these legendary duelists, to think that I've met most of them. Whether by sheer coincidence or not, I'm grateful. But do I deserve to share the same spotlight as these 5. Am I really someone who's going to reach the same status as them? Or is this just fairytale ending I keep telling myself?" said Isaac as he took a step back to look at the huge wall in front of him as the holographic images of the Big 5 were displayed in front of him. Isaac just let out a deep breath as he began to admire his roles models.

Soon a noise was heard as it sounded like someone was crunching something.

"Boy, they really went all out with the presentation." said the person as he was munching on an eggwich.

Isaac looked to his side and saw the person as he blinked. He then turned back to hologram images as he turned back to the person standing next to him as he did several double takes. He then gasped at who was standing there next to him. The person wore a Slifer Red uniform, unbuttoned, and a black shirt underneath. A deck box was strapped above his waistline, largely hidden beneath the lower rim of his jacket. He wore an Academy-issued Duel Disk on his left arm that was customized with red outlines; his brown eyes were positioned directly beneath the bangs of the layer closest to his face and he wore dark pants.

"So what are you doing here, bro?" asked the person.

"W-wait. You're... Jaden Yuki." said Isaac.

"Yeah, so?" stated Jaden as he finished his eggwich and let out a burp as he threw his wrapper away. "No big deal."

"No big deal! Wait, a minute are you real or just a figment of my imagination?" asked Isaac.

"Don't know how to answer that. Never paid much attention to Professor Crowler's lessons." stated Jaden.

"This can't be real, there's no way the real Jaden Yuki would be standing here. Let alone seeing his own Hall of Fame shrine." said Isaac. "Speaking of which, why are you even here?"

"I go everywhere I want, bro." said Jaden as he gave Isaac hard pat on the back as it made his deck fall out of his duel disk.

"My cards!" said Isaac as he bent down and began to scramble on picking them up.

"Sorry about that, let me help." offered Jaden as he too began to pick up some of Isaac's cards. Seems upon touching them, Jaden felt the magic that followed through Isaac and his cards as he detected their bond.

"I think I got them all." said Isaac as he started to count them. "I'm missing one."

"You mean this?" said Jaden as he held the card out for Isaac. "Figure you'd need it for our duel."

"Thanks. I couldn't begin... what? Hang on, did you say duel?" said Isaac as he didn't quite hear what Jaden said.

"Yup." Jaden then pushed a button on a nearby wall as the entire room was now starting to change.

Both boys now saw the walls change as they pushed back a few feet. The floor they were standing on now started to rise a bit into the air as the padding below it morphed into an dueling arena as it then lowered the floor the boys were standing on back into place as they had plenty of room to duel.

"Didn't notice that button there before? And how did he know what it did?" asked Isaac.

"Sweet! Been a while since I've done this. So, got a name kid?" asked Jaden as he began to shuffle his deck and then slotted it in as it combined together and extracted it into a card tray.

"It's Isaac." said the boy as he pulled out his deck and looked at it for a bit. He then let out a breath and slotted it into his duel disk as the autoshuffler kicked in and produced a gold card tray.

"Well, then Isaac. Hope you're ready to get your game on!" said Jaden as he said his famous line and did his signature pose.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jaden Yuki's Life Points: 4000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

"Let's duel!" shouted both boys.

"You can have the first move." offered Jaden.

Turn 1: Isaac

"Appreciate it." said Isaac. And I better make it count, cause knowing Jaden, this isn't going to be easy. He's a master at Fusion, he's probably already got the cards he needs to win this in his opening hand. Then I better make the most. "I draw! To start I'll play Polymerization to fuse together my Berfomet and Gazelle the King of Mystical Beasts." Isaac then held his three cards high above as their spirits were shown as a vortex appeared behind the boy. Soon the spirits of Gazelle and Berfomet then were sucked into the vortex in a color of purple and orange lights. "I Fusion Summon, Chimera the Flying Mythical Beasts(2100/1800)." Out emerged a two headed creature as it had wings and had a snake for a tail.

"Brings back memories." said Jaden as he began to have some flashbacks.

"I'll end my turn. You're up."

Turn 2: Jaden

"Hey, not bad. But now it's my move, so stand back." stated Jaden as he drew his card. He didn't even look at it as he already knew what it was. "Now let me show you how I do it, I play Polymerization and fuse together my Elemental HERO Clayman and Elemental HERO Sparkman in order to create the Elemental HERO Thunder Giant(2400/1500)!" Out came a HERO monster as the top half of its body was green and was bulker and had electricity flowing through his hands.

"Impressive. With ease he fusion summons a monster." said Isaac. "Mines pale in comparison."

"Now I activate my Elemental HERO Thunder Giant's special ability, now it destroys one monster on your field with attack points that are less than my Thunder Giant. So time to take out your Chimera." said Jaden as he pointed at Isaac's monster. His Thunder Giant then raised his fist and struck the ground a bolt of thunder traveled towards Chimera as it exploded in which Isaac covered himself with his duel disk.

"My Chimera!" shouted Isaac.

"Now to attack!" stated Jaden.

"Well, your monster's not the only one with a special ability. When Chimera is destroyed, I can bring back either Berfomet or Gazelle. So I pick Berfomet in defense mode!" Isaac's monster then rose up in defense mode as it was now in the way of Jaden's monster as it took it out by slamming its fists.

"Nice move, bud. I'd give that an A if I were your teacher." smiled Jaden as he gave Isaac one of his goofy smiles.

"Thanks, but your move was way better than mines." said Isaac.

"Don't doubt yourself just yet. I can see the power you possess." said Jaden as one of his eyes changed color as Isaac noticed this.

"Well, well, Jaden. Seems you found someone who too possess great power." said Yubel who appeared next to the boy.

"Yeah, now to see what the kid's got." stated Jaden.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll start by playing my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And when she's summoned, I get to draw an extra card." Out came a female kid magician as she wore her white shoulderless dress with a book in her hand as she had glasses on her face that complimented her brunette hair.

"Here you go, Isaac." said Mage Annette as he opened up her book and there was a card inside of it as it levitated towards Isaac.

"Thanks, Annette." said Isaac as he grabbed the card given to him by his magician.

"Hey, she's cute." said Jaden as he was able to see Isaac talk with his magician.

'Huh? Oh right... I forget he can see Duel Monsters spirits." said Isaac as he lightly facepalmed himself. "Well, then I'll throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Jaden

"Then it's my move, so here goes something." said Jaden as he drew his card. "I summon Card Trooper(400/400)." Out emerged a robot on Jaden's field as it had a spotlight on its shoulder.

"I activate my trap, Dark Renewal. So now I'll tribute your Card Trooper and my Mage Annette so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac. A magical coffin then appeared on Isaac's field as it started to absorb Isaac's monster and Jaden's Card Trooper as both monsters were sucked in and it closed. It then opened up as out emerged Isaac's star monster.

"Ah." said Jaden as he felt the power that flowed between Isaac and his monster. "So... this is your power?"

"Yeah." replied Isaac as he knew what Jaden was asking him.

"Well, then. What are you waiting for, hit me with your best shot!" shouted the boy.

Turn 5: Isaac

"Alright, then! Dark Magician attack Thunder Giant! Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac. His magician then raised his staff as he pointed it at Thunder Giant and took it out with ease. The attack caused Jaden to cover his face as he had a smile on his face.
Jaden's Life Points: 3900-

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and call it a turn." stated Isaac. "Wow, I... I... I actually... dealt Jaden damage. I can't believe it, even though he's a legend, I got a hit in."

"Way to play, dude. Top notch move." smiled Jaden as he gave Isaac a thumbs up. "Those are some sweet cards of yours."

"Thanks."

Turn 6: Jaden

"Which means if I'm going to win this duel, then I need to step up. So here goes." said Jaden as he drew his card. "I summon Wroughtweiler(800/1200) in defense mode. Then I'll play Mirage of Nightmares, now thanks to this during your turn, I draw till I have four cards in my hand, but come my next turn, I have to discard four cards. So I'll throwdown a facedown and call it."

Turn 7: Isaac

"Then it's my turn." said Isaac as he drew his card.

"Well, speaking of turns, now my spell activates." Jaden then drew until he had four cards in his hand as he smiled at what he got. "Then I'll reveal my facedown, Emergency Provisions so now I'll send Mirage of Nightmares to the graveyard to gain 1000 life points." With that Jaden had managed to pull off a pro move as he not only refilled his hand, but got more health and avoid the consequence of Mirage of Nightmare.
Jaden's Life Points: 4900-

"Wow, what a play." admired Isaac. "Well, let's see if I can follow that up. I'll now play my Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800). Now Magician's Valkyria attack that Wroughtweiler!" shouted Isaac as his monster then pointed her staff at the dog as it blasted it off the field with ease.

"Now Wroughtweiler's effect activates, when it's destroyed, I can bring back an Elemental HERO and Polymerization from my graveyard. So I'll take back my Elemental HERO Sparkman." stated Jaden as his duel disk then slotted out his cards for him to grab.

"Maybe, but now you're defenseless. So Dark Magician attack Jaden directly!" stated Isaac as his monster raised his staff and fired off a spell that made contact with the boy as he put his arms up.
Jaden's Life Points: 2400-

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Jaden

"Then it's my draw, and I'll play Polymerization once more so that I can fuse my Elemental HERO Avian and Elemental HERO Burstinatrix to form the Elemental HERO Flame Wingman(2100/1200)!" Jaden's two monsters then entered a vortex as they combined together to call upon on his best monster.

"What a monster." said Isaac as he finally got to see Jaden's first fusion monster that he ever summoned with his own eyes.

"Now Flame Wingman attack Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Jaden. His monster then soared into the sky and brought its fist on Isaac's magician as it took her out with ease.
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"Then Flame Wingman's special ability activates, since it destroyed a monster in battle, you now take damage equal to its attack points." Flame Wingman then appeared in front of Isaac as he had the dragon fist open its mouth and shot a fire at Isaac as he protected himself from the flame with his arm.
Isaac's Life Points: 1900-

"Master!" shouted Mahad as he saw Isaac being surrounded by fire.

"It's... fine, Mahad." said Isaac as the flames around him stopped as he shook his clothes of the smoke and embers.

"Now I'll play the spell card, E - Emergency Call. Now I can add a monster with 'Elemental HERO' in its name to my hand." Jaden knew what card he wanted as his duel disk slid out his card for him to grab. "With that I'll throwdown a facedown. You're up, Isaac."

Turn 9: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play of Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Oh yeah, just want I needed. Now I summon Lemon Magician Girl(800/600) in defense mode. And now Dark Magician attack his Flame Wingman!" shouted Isaac as his monster leapt into the air and pointed its staff as Jaden's monster.

"I activate my trap card, A Hero Emerges!" shouted Jaden as his facedown flipped up. "Now since you declared an attack, you now have to pick a card from my hand, but if it's a monster then I can summon it to my field otherwise it goes to the graveyard. So what's your choice?" Jaden's cards then projected in front of him as the backside was shown facing Isaac.

Isaac was looking at the three cards in front of him as he was considering his options. Given that he added Elemental HERO Sparkman to his hand due to Wroughtweiler and that Jaden played his E - Emergency Call last turn to add another Elemental HERO to his hand, it meant that Isaac had a 66% of choosing a monster. The question was would he pick something that was powerful?

"Alright, I'll pick... the card on the left." said Isaac as he made his choice.

"Nice pick, well for me that is. It's my Elemental HERO Neos(2500/2100)!" shouted Jaden as his ace monster was now on the field as he appeared in front of his master.

"Either way, I'm still taking out your Flame Wingman. Mahad, continue your attack!" stated Isaac. Mahad heard Isaac's command as he blasted a spell that took out Flame Wingman.
Jaden's Life Points: 2000-

"And with that, we're now even." said Isaac as he and Jaden had the nearly the same amount of life points by a mere 100 difference. "I end my turn with another facedown ."

Turn 10: Jaden

"Then it's my move, and I'll also play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Sweet, I'll play Neos Space!" Soon the entire field started to change as both boys were now surround by constellations and quasars. "Thanks to this sweet field spell, my Neos gains 500 extra attack points. But I'll sup him up even more with this, Neos Force to raise his attack by another 800 points making him have 3800 attack points."

"This doesn't seem good." said Isaac.

"You got that right. Especially cause any monster that my Neos destroys with Neos Force, you then take damage equal to its attack points. So Neos, time to end this duel! Attack Dark Magician!" shouted Jaden. "His monster then leaped into the air and started to create a ball of energy as it looked to finish Isaac off.

"I reveal my facedown Magical Hats! Now if you want to destroy him and end the duel, you'll have to find him first. But be warned cause if you pick the wrong one, then it'll be bad news for you." said Isaac.

"Man, talk about not going down without a fight. I love it!" exclaimed Jaden with excitement. "Alright, Neos attack the hat on the far right." Neos then shot his energy ball as the force of the attack caused a huge explosion to go off that could be heard if anybody else was nearby as it caused both boys to cover up as powerful wind blew over. The hat exploded into smoke as it stayed on the field for a bit, soon something happened as something came out of the hat as it attached to Neos who couldn't move.

"Hey, what gives?" asked Jaden.

"I said to be careful in which hat you chose, cause I also hid another trap card under my hats. And you sprung it with ease, my Spellbinding Circle. Now Neos can't attack and loses 700 attack points, and since my Dark Magician survived the attack, I'll dispel my other hats." said Isaac as his magician returned to the field unharmed.

"Oh, man. I walked right into that one; keeping calm under pressure and then countering me with a great move. You're a good duelist, Isaac." smiled Jaden as he was impressed by the boy. "You're ready for anything and that means not just knowing how to use all of your cards, but knowing how to play them to. And you play your cards well, Isaac."

Isaac had tears in his eye as Jaden said that statement. "Thanks, that means a lot coming from someone as masterful as you. Sorry." said Isaac as he was trying to wipe the tears.

"Hey. Chin up. You're going to do great." smiled Jaden as he knew Isaac would have a bright future.

"Right. I promise to not let you down." smiled Isaac as the boys just enjoyed this moment.

"So then, let's continue our duel. Cause now I play my Neo-Spacian Air Hummingbird(800/600). Now guys, time to work our magic. Hummingbird, Neos. Contact Fusion!!" shouted Jaden as both of his monsters then soared high into the air as they made contact as they fused together. "Please give a warm welcome to Elemental HERO Air Neos(2500/2000)!" Jaden's new monster now appeared as it spreaded its wings as Isaac was in awe at seeing Jaden and his amazing power with his new monster.

"Wow!" said Isaac.

"Now I've shown you my power, so bring whatever you got, Isaac! I'm ready!!" shouted Jaden with a stoic face.

"Alright then! Let's go!!!" yelled out Isaac as he commanded his Dark Magician to charge forward to clash with Jaden's new monster.

Luna was currently in the hallways as she was trying to find Isaac. After the girls had been distracted by the gift shop, she decided to head out on her own to find her lost student. She knew that Isaac had to be somewhere in this giant place as she began to look all over the place. Eventually, while she was passing by she heard some noises coming from a nearby room. Luna then looked up at the name of the room and her eyes widen.

"Well, if Isaac would be anywhere. This would be the place." stated Luna.

Luna then swiped her card as it granted her access with ease. She then stepped in and looked around. Upon first glance it seemed like everything was normal, soon a giant viewing screen came on as it showed Isaac battling, but there was no opponent for her to see. Luna was surprised on seeing Isaac just battling by himself, but soon she felt something. It was the presence of someone she hadn't seen in a longtime and she smiled as it was a dear old friend.

"So... you're guiding young Isaac, huh? Very well." Luna then turned to leave as she closed the door at that exact moment Twilight appeared.

"Vice-principal Luna, where's Isaac? He's still missing." said the nerdy girl as she was getting worried about her boyfriend.

"Calm yourself, Twilight. Isaac is fine, I just saw him." stated Luna.

"Where is he, then?" Twilight then turned towards the door Luna exited as she too heard sounds of battling. "Is he behind the restricted area? What's he doing in there?"

"He's fulfilling his destiny." said Luna.

"His destiny? What are you talking about? Who's in there with him?" asked Twilight as she was now full blown worried.

"No one." answered Luna truthfully.

"No one? Then why do I hear sounds of battling? I need to check up on him." said Twilight as she tried to get past Luna who put her arm out in front of Twilight.

"I'm sorry, Twilight. But you can't interfere. What Isaac is doing right now, is for his benefit and for his future. No one must intrude. And that's not me saying it, it's fate that has decided this." said Luna.

"Fate?" said Twilight as she was confused and scared by what Luna was talking about.

"Isaac will be fine, he's going to be taken care of. We just need to wait for him to finish." said Luna in a calm voice.

"Ok-ay." said Twilight.

"Come along, let's go meet with the others and wait for Isaac." said Luna as he began to lead herself and Twilight away to allow Isaac some peace and quiet. Isaac, you're nearly there. Your destiny is almost fully complete. And... I'm glad to have felt your presence, one last time... old friend. My sister would be jealous she missed the chance to see you again. Take care of my student, he's the future.

Author's Note

What a rush! This chapter could also be labeled as 'Nostalgia'. So some behind the scene info, when I was making this chapter it took me literally 12 hours to write and edit it. There was so much that I wanted to include when talking about the legends of Duel Monsters/Yugioh that I couldn't fit it all, if I did this would be too much for my brain to possess and try to transcribe it to you guys. So I did my best with mentioning people that almost everybody remembers and tried to give each person a spotlight, and of course those that didn't, I made sure they got an honorable mention. Plus, you won't believe how much time I spent online trying to find clips for each person, but could only get a handful. Regardless, I wanted to create a chapter that everybody could just suspend what's going on in the real world and just look back at some fond memories of our childhood. For us, these characters gave us some stellar moments, and the way they connected with us, just made it all the worth. So here it is, a chapter for everybody to just look back at the characters we fell in love with. This was a feel good chapter. With that, I'll leave you guys to relish in some memories and see you in the next chapter.

P.S. For those that have been paying attention to this story since the beginning, you'll notice that whenever Yugi's name is brought up or mentioned, usually everybody calls him by that. But for Isaac he refers to him by his title 'King of Games' and not his actual name, why is that? Something to really think about.

Chapter 156: Movie Magic

It was another day in Canterlot as the students were going about their days. The weather outside was starting to get a bit colder, but the leaves were still green on trees outside. Nevertheless, it allowed everybody in the city to feel a cool breeze while the sun was high in the sky. The girls were in their own separate rooms as they continued with their tutor sessions with their students. After the event of the Fall Formal itself, it allowed everybody the time they needed to recharge and start over with their training. Especially, cause Halloween was soon coming in about 3 weeks, and knowing how Vice-Principal Luna loved that holiday, it meant that the school was going to put on a special festival for the students and their family. And if last year's festival was any indication of what sort of trouble may occur, they it was going to be a long night for everybody.

Rainbow Dash was currently in the skate park as she was pulling off some new tricks she wanted to show off. Seeing as how there was a small crowd of kids there who were amazed by her, she made sure to show off as much as possible. Eventually she landed a backside 180 kickflip as she screeched to a halt and did a signature pose as the kids cheered her applause. After that fun activity in the park, she was currently heading towards the Sweet Shoppe for a quick snack when she passed by the local theatre. She noticed a poster of the new Daring Do movie that was coming out sometime within the next few months as she couldn't help but let out a smile. Soon she noticed someone in the booth handing out flyers to people who were walking by the theatre.

"Excuse me, what are those?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Oh, didn't you hear the news. Apparently, the director of the new Daring Do movie, Canter Zoom is coming here to film some scenes for his new movie." said the person running the booth.

"You're kidding!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"No joke. In fact, there's a little contest that's being held in that one lucky person can win the chance to be on the set of the movie and see how they make the film. Care to try your luck?" asked the person as they gave Rainbow Dash a flyer. "Just simply scan the code at the bottom of the flyer and enter your name. And if you're picked, you and some friends could have the chance to go behind the scenes on the next film before it even hits the theatres in a few months.

"What have I got to lose?" said Rainbow with a shrug as she took a flyer and was on her way. Sometime later she scanned the code with her phone and inputted her name as it would serve as her entry into the raffle. It was about an hour later, that she received an email detailing her entry. And apparently, she had won.

"Guess, you can win them all." said Rainbow.

The next day at school, she had gathered the girls as she informed them of the details of the contest. As the winner, she was allowed to invite her friends on the set of the new Daring Do movie. Especially cause, this film would be vastly different than the others as this time the film was going to incorporate Duel Monsters, something that hadn't been done yet. The girls were all ecstatic as they too were huge fans of the film, especially Twilight who was just as, if not bigger fan than Rainbow Dash when it came to the Daring Do books and films. So safe to say that all the girls were on board, but there was still one person who hadn't given their response.

Isaac was on the rooftop of the school as he was lying down looking up at the sky as he had his hands behind his head and his cap was lowered to cover his eyes.

"The peace, the quiet, just need to slow down every now and then." said Isaac. "With no threats, or any magical mishaps, or some dueling problem. Just peace and quiet."

"Figured you'd be here." said Rainbow as her shadow loomed over Isaac as he lifted his cap up a bit to see the chromatic girl bending over looking down at him.

"Well, it was fun while it lasted." snickered Isaac. "If you want to challenge me, Rainbow. Then I'll gladly fulfill your request, though now that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had implemented that new Duel Request forms system so that people can see who challenges them. It might be easier if you fill out a form, so that way I get respond quicker."

"Yeah, that's not what I'm here for." said Rainbow as she got in a sitting kneel position which was easy for her since she did a bit of yoga to improve her flexibility and keep her in athletic condition. "I wanted to inform you of something. Hear of the new Daring Do movie that's in production?"

"Heard a murmur of it. Haven't had time to look into it." said Isaac.

"Well, the latest movie will include Duel Monsters in it. Something that hasn't been done before. And it'll sort of be a retelling of how Duel Monsters came to be, you know stuff about ancient mystical items."

"Why does that sound familiar?" said Isaac to not only Rainbow but also to the fourth wall.

"Regardless, yesterday after showing off my awesomeness to my young fans. I happened to pass by the theatre and they were handing out flyers with some info on it. Seems the director wants to film some shots here in this town. Also there was a small contest in which one lucky person would be picked from a raffle and they could earn the right to be on the set of the new movie. And yours truly got the winning draw." boated Rainbow.

"Whoopie." said Isaac in an unenthusiastic tone.

"Come on, at least try to sound proud for me." pouted Rainbow.

"Your cocky and brash attitude kind of gets in the way of that." smiled Isaac with a smug smile.

"Look, I asked the girls about this and they're on board to coming. So... do you want to come or not?"

"What's in it for me?" asked Isaac.

"I dunno know, what do you want?" asked Rainbow.

"Give me 15% of your secret apple cider stash and you got a deal." said Isaac.

"15%?! Oh, hell no!" shouted Rainbow.

"I'm being generous with that amount. Take it or leave it!" yelled Isaac.

"God, you're a pain in my ass." groaned Rainbow.

"True, but that's one of the things that you love about me."

"I don't love you!" shouted Rainbow as she bent down her face to Isaac's as they looked at each other. Rainbow had a bit of red on her face as Isaac smiled at her. Her body acted on its own as she connected her lips with Isaac's as they shared an upside down kiss. After a few moments, Rainbow pulled away as she still had some red on her face.

"So, do we have a deal?" asked Isaac.

"Fine, deal." said Rainbow as she was about to get up from her position, until Isaac extended his arm upwards and grabbed Rainbow's hand.

"Remember." reminded Isaac.

"I'll tell Twilight about this." said Rainbow as she promised to keep her word.

"Thank you." said Isaac as he now sat up and turned to face Rainbow. "So... what's the plot of the movie?"

A few days later the entire crew of the movie had arrived to the town of Canterlot as they were preparing to shoot for the film. The film was being headed by well renowned film director, Canter Zoom, who had done similar projects in the past. Especially cause he had the wonderful talent of telling an amazing story and making sure that he put in the work to make his vision become a reality so that everybody could enjoy it. When it came to following a script and being a director, he was in his element. But since the new movie was going to include Duel Monsters, safe to say despite being older it was something that he wasn't fully knowledgeable on. So he had done a bit of research on the subject and even then, he didn't fully grasp the concept. But he did have a basic understanding with how the game worked, so he decided to use that knowledge to the best of his ability.

Rainbow had been given the location of where she could meet the director and the location of the studio as she gathered everybody and they all headed over. Upon arriving, it turned out that Canter Zoom had heard about the group saving Camp Everfree from their crazy adventure and said thanks to the group. With that they all entered the studio as they prepared to shoot some shots that would be a part of the movie; due to avoid any form of recording, security gathered everybody's phones, but allowed them to keep their duel disks just that they avoid any unnecessary dueling. So the group was now taking in the sights that lay before them as they were amazed by what they saw. Everything from the setting, to the stage designs and the props, to even the lightning itself was top notch. It turns out that the basic plot of the film was going to have Daring Do stop the villain from using the Millennium items to take over the world. And safe to say that the items themselves appeared real, almost too real.

A person was seen entering the shot as they wore a dark robe that covered their face as they looked at a prop volcano. They then pulled down the hoodie as it displayed the villain of the story. "It is almost time. Once I have all seven Millennium items, no one will be able to stop me, and Marapore will fall! For I am Stalwart Stallion—!" said the actor playing the character as they let out an evil laugh as lightning went off in the back.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoa!" shouted Rainbow as it interrupted the scene.

"Ugh! Cut!" shouted Canter Zoom as he was annoyed that Rainbow ruined the filming... again.

"Sorry. But at this point in the story, Stalwart Stallion would be known as Mojo." clarified Rainbow as she was doing her job to point out any continuity errors with the lore of the story. She looked around and the others gave her a dirty look. "What? You think he wants Daring Do fans to call him out for making a mistake like that?"

"Let's go again. [through megaphone] And this time, say 'Mojo' instead of 'Stalwart Stallion', 'kay? And action!" instructed Canter Zoom as everybody began to run the scene again all the while Rainbow had a big, fangirl smile on her face.

"How many times has she done this?" asked Sunset.

"Too many times!" stated Isaac.

"765 times." said Twilight as she offered the proper number.

"Quiet on set!" shouted the camera man as it caused everybody to silence up as they watched the filming.

[clapperboard]

After the shooting and a few more outbursts by Rainbow Dash, the group was now walking with Canter Zoom as they were backstage as Fluttershy was caring Spike in her arms.

"I can't believe we're really here!" said Rainbow as she was still acting like a little girl who had been told by her parents that they were going to Disney Land.

"Thank you so much for letting us come, Mr. Zoom." said Twilight.

"We promise we won't get in the way. Again." stated Sunset as she shot a glance at Rainbow who let out a nervous laugh.

"Well, I dunno about Rainbow." said Isaac as she gave the boy an angry look to which he shot his tongue out at her.

"As a fellow Camp Everfree alum, I was more than happy to afford the individuals who helped save it, the chance to visit the set of our little film." said Canter Zoom.

"Eh-heh! Little? This is Daring Do we're talking about! This movie is gonna be huge!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Yeah, once we start shooting the scenes with dueling, then this film will really be out of this world!!" shouted Pinkie in her hyperactive voice.

"With all those 4k cameras, it'll make it seem like the monsters are real. Well, realer." said Twilight.

"I'll admit, having to incorporate Duel Monsters, a subject that I know little about, into a Daring Do film is quite a challenge. Especially, cause something like this hasn't been done before." stated Canter Zoom.

"You would think that's something almost every film here would do." said Isaac while shooting a quick glance at the audience.

"Well, regardless, I had some help on the subject to better understand the rules of the this game that you all play. And we're all hard at work on making sure this film is a success."

"It may just win an Academy Award." suggested Rarity to Canter Zoom's comment.

"I wouldn't go that far, Rarity." said Applejack.

Soon a P.A. came as they informed Canter Zoom of an issue. "Uh, there's a problem in wardrobe. They can't find the costume Daring Do is supposed to wear in the nightclub scene." said the girl.

"If we're ever able to finish it, it will be. If you'll excuse me." Canter Zoom then left to handle the issue, "Oh, and feel free to explore about, just try to not mess up anything before we resume." said the director as he left the group.

"According to our visitor schedules, they won't start shooting the next scene for a while, which means we have time to—" started Twilight.

"Get my picture taken with Chestnut Magnifico, the actress playing Daring Do!" said Rarity as she was now giddy like a little girl.

"And ask her to sign my petition to bring more bird feeders to Canterlot High!" said Fluttershy as she got some confused looks from the group. "Well, Chestnut Magnifico is an avid supporter of a foundation that helps build homes for animals in need." informed the shy girl as she nuzzled against Spike in her arms.

"Oh, okay. But I was thinking that we could—" once again Twilight didn't finish her sentence.

"Check out all the sets?" guessed Sunset as it was her turn to be excited.

"I'd sure like to get a closer look at that volcano." offered Applejack.

"Actually, I thought we'd—"

"Find the buffet!" stated Spike as he cut off Twilight as he wagged his tail at the thought of food.

"And the cupcake fountain!" shouted Pinkie as she took Spike from Fluttershy's arms as the two of them had their tongues sticking out as they licked their lips at the thought of food.

"I don't know what a cupcake fountain is, but I'm pretty sure they don't have one." said Rainbow Dash.

"Of course they do. I read it in my 100 Things You Didn't Know About This Movie Studio: Insider's Tour Guide." said Pinkie as she pulled out the pamphlet from her puffy hair.

"I don't even want to know where you got that little sis." said Isaac.

"Is the number-one thing we didn't know that the guy who founded this studio was an eccentric oddball with a sweet tooth?" asked Applejack.

"Oh! Yes!" said Pinkie as she checked her pamphlet and put on a smile.

"So we all have different ideas? What do you think, Isaac? What should we do?" said Rainbow as she wanted his input.

"What are you asking me for?! I'm not your leader!" exclaimed the boy.

"I guess we're splitting up?" asked Twilight to which all the girls agreed. Soon everybody disbursed as only Isaac, Twilight and Rainbow remained.

"I don't suppose you want to—"

"Check out the props that A. K. Yearling designed specially for the movie?" said Rainbow as she finished Twilight's train of thought.

"You read my mind!" said Twilight as she and Rainbow began to walk. "Do you want to come with us, Isaac?"

"Nah. You girls go, I'm just go wander around a bit." said Isaac.

"Okay, then. Be safe." said Twilight as she gave her boyfriend a kiss on the lips as it lasted for a few seconds.

"Come on, I didn't come all this way to see you two lip lock." said Rainbow as both of them gave their friend a look.

"Funny, you weren't like that a few days when we did it." snickered Isaac as it caused Twilight to let out a laugh as Rainbow turned her head in embarrassment. With that the two of them left as Isaac went off on his own.

[clapperboard]

Rarity and Fluttershy had happened to find Chestnut Magnifico's trailer as they were outside of it.

"Maybe we shouldn't bother her when she's in her trailer." suggested Fluttershy.

"Darling, please. Actresses love interacting with their fans." said Rarity. Soon the door opened it managed to hit Rarity in the face as her hair was now messed up. She quickly shook it off as she was back to normal as both girls looked at the actress. "Oh, Miss Magnifico! I—"

Rarity didn't get to finish her statement as standing there was a women who dark mulberry eyes, light tangelo skin, and had pale, light grayish olive with rose streaks. She let out a scream.

"Ugh! I don't care if I'm under contract! This is a joke, and I want this thing shut down! Do you hear me?!" screamed Chestnut Magnifico as she hung up her phone and stormed off steamed.

"She probably just didn't see us." giggled Rarity in a nervous tone.

Meanwhile Applejack and Sunset were checking out the set of one of the scenes as it had a volcano from earlier.

"Hmm. Wonder how long it takes to build somethin' like this." asked Applejack.

"Several weeks, I'd bet. I'm just surprised they were able to move it all here without destroying it." said Sunset as she and Aj were taking it all in.

"They sure do go all out makin' it look like the real deal, huh?"

Soon a crunch sound was heard as Sunset stepped on something with her boot.

"Though I don't think the rainforest is known for its... Bon Mot peanut butter praline crunch bars." said Sunset as she picked it up and read the label.

"Better pocket that. Wouldn't want it ruinin' the shot." suggested Applejack as Sunset just shrugged her shoulder before slipping it inside of her leather jacket.

Isaac was currently at another setup as he was watching several camera people at work as some P.A.'s were running around doing several tasks.

"This many people to make a something that we will see on the big screen. We often take it for granted just how much time and money goes into making a movie. I can only imagine how much one shot is to get right, and that's not including the many times they have to reshoot." said Isaac. He then noticed someone carrying somethings in their hand as it blocked their view.

"Almost there... woah... falling!" said the person as they fell down. "Ow, that hurt." said the person.

"You okay?" asked Isaac as he approached them. The person who fell down was a girl about his age. She had moderate azure eyes, pale light grayish olive skin, and had strong cerulean hair with moderate artic blue streaks done in a pigtail style as well as a pair of glasses on her face.

"I'm fine." said the girl as she saw who addressed her and wiped her glasses before putting them on and seeing Isaac.

"You took a nasty fall. Let me help you carry these things." said Isaac as he started to pick up the clutter.

"You don't have to do that." said the girl.

"Ehh, it's fine." said Isaac. "So, where do these go?"

"Over there." pointed the girl as she guided Isaac to a table. "Right here is fine."

"Alright." said Isaac as he put the stuff on the table as he wiped his forehead.

"Thanks for the help. Say, you're with that group that won that little contest, right?"

"Yup, my name is Isaac. What's yours?"

"It's Juniper Montage."

"Pleasure to meet you." said Isaac as he extended his hand out for her to shake.

"Likewise." said Juniper as she shook Isaac's hand. "Wow, such a strong grip." stated the girl as she was blushing on her face.

"Thanks?" said Isaac as he didn't know if what Juniper said was a compliment.

"So, how are you enjoying the visit?" asked Juniper as she played with her hair a bit while looking at Isaac.

"It's alright." said Isaac as he leaned back against the table with his hands on it. "I'm not big of a fan of Daring Do due to me not seeing most of these movies. But when Rainbow mentioned that this film was going to include Duel Monsters, I thought I check it out."

"Oh, you're a fan?" asked Juniper as she scooted closer to Isaac.

"Been my whole life, plus can't you tell." said Isaac as he showed off the rectangle device on his wrist above his watch as Juniper saw his duel disk.

"I must have missed that part." chuckled the girl while looking at Isaac's eyes.

"You play?" asked Isaac.

"Well, who else was able to inform Canter Zoom about the subject." stated Juniper with a proud smile on her face. "You won't believe how confused my uncle was when the pitch for the film was thrown."

"Uncle?" said Isaac as he raised his eyebrow.

"Yeah, Canter Zoom is my uncle. I'm his niece." said Juniper.

"I'll be. So, what's it like being related to a famous movie director?" asked Isaac. "I imagine you've seen tons of actors and actresses. Plus you get an inside look at the behind the scenes."

"Well, partly right. I'm a foyer so my job is to make sure that any requests that need to be carried out are fulfilled. It can be a bit tedious but it's worth it." said Juniper as she let out a smile. "Plus, I get access to some private areas. Would you like to see them?" Juniper had tucked her hair behind her ear as she was now really close to Isaac as she was about to put her hand on Isaac's without him noticing.

"Maybe some other time." said Isaac as he got up from leaning against the table as he removed his hands before Juniper could put hers on top of his. "I'm gonna go find my friends and my girlfriend."

"Oh, you... have a girlfriend." said Juniper as that statement caught her offguard and she looked to her side as she clutched her right arm.

"Yeah, anyways. I'll catch you later, Juniper." said Isaac as he tipped his cap and went on her way.

Sometime later, Twilight and Rainbow had managed to find the props they were using from the film.

"Wow! These are the seven Millennium items!" stated Dash as she was standing in front of them.

"The Millennium Puzzle!" said Twilight as she joined her friend in looking at the props.

"The Millennium Eye!" said Rainbow.

"Don't forget the Millennium Rod! You're from Canterlot High, right?" said a voice that belonged to Juniper.

"Uh-huh." nodded Twilight and Rainbow.

"I'm Juniper Montage, Canter the director's niece. What do you think?"

"They're awesome!" said Rainbow.

"A. K. Yearling is very hands-on when it comes to the sets and props for the movie." informed Juniper.

"Have you met her?" asked Twilight.

"Just once when she came to check out the relics. I did get her to sign a copy of the latest Daring Do book, though." Juniper let out a squee as her inner fangirl came out.

"So what do you do here?" said Twilight.

"Mostly, I bring my uncle coffee and help get everything ready for shooting. I've been on the set for all the movies he's shot here. Pretty much know every inch of this place like the back of my hand." giggled the girl. "I tried to convince him to cast me as Daring Do, but... he really didn't go for that." said Juniper as that last part was said in a low, bitter tone. "Hey! Have you guys seen the set for Caballeron's secret lair? They usually lock the door to that set, but I've got keys that open just about every door in this place. Come on. I'll show you." With that the three girls left to check it out.

Pinkie was in a director's chair as Spike sat next to her as she still had her pamphlet in her hands. "Three lunch buffets, six different kinds of fondue, two rooms with nothing but candy, and still no cupcake fountain!" shouted Pinkie as it was soon followed by a sigh. "Oh, well. At least we found those peanut butter praline crunch bars! They weren't in my guidebook, but they sure were delicious!"

"I'll say." said Spike as he leaned back a bit in the chair as he slapped his belly as it was bigger due to him overstuff himself. "You think they got any more?" stated the dog as his tail wagged. Just as Pinkie was about to answer him, they overheard something in front of them.

"Ahh! One more month, Chestnut! That's all we need! I'm doing everything I can to keep us on schedule! But with all the setbacks we've had, I don't think we can do it! If you could just agree to stay on for one more month...!" pleaded Canter Zoom.

"Unacceptable!" shouted Chestnut.

"But—"

"Where are my imported peanut butter praline crunch bars?!" demanded the actress.

Both Pinkie and Spike had uneasy looks on their faces when they heard that.

"Now would probably be a good time to resume the search for that cupcake fountain." whispered Spike as Pinkie nodded and the two sneak off to avoid being in trouble.

A bit while, everybody had all met up as they began to talk about what they saw. Just as Canter Zoom was about to begin shooting another P.A. came up as he told them of another problem that arose.

"Sorry, sir. But we've got another problem." said the P.A.

"What now!?!" asked the director.

"Apparently, the actor who plays one of henchman has come down. And they won't be able to make today's shooting." said the person.

"That's the last thing we need. We have enough problems on our hands and now this comes up." said Canter Zoom as he facepalmed himself. "And we don't have any backups. Now where are we going to find someone who can duel Daring Do in the third scene of the third act."

The whole group overheard this as they felt Canter Zoom's pain. Soon an idea was purposed.

"Hey, uncle." spoke Juniper. "I may have a solution. Why not ask Isaac to play the part?"

"Hold up, what?!" shouted Isaac.

"I mean, when I was talking with him, he told me that he's a duelist. And that he knows how to play the game." stated Juniper. "It might not be what we originally intended, but he could pass off as one of the henchman."

"Hang on! Don't I get a say in this!" said Isaac.

"Come on!" shouted Rainbow. "You're gonna throw away this chance to be in a Daring Do film. You could make your Applewood debut on the big screen."

"That's not what I want. I'm a duelist, not an actor. I don't know a thing of what they do." said Isaac.

"Well, we have no other options." said Canter Zoom. "Well, kid. Care to take part in this scene?"

"Seriously?" asked Isaac. "Twilight."

"You're always saying that you'll help those in need." said the bookworm girl.

"Yeah, but I didn't take into account that I would have to star in a film." said the boy as he looked at the girls for some backup, but they all encouraged him to do it. "This is why I hate being the only guy in the group. Fine." said Isaac with a groan. Twilight then gave her boyfriend a kiss on his cheek as Juniper saw this.

"Makeup!" snapped Canter Zoom as a team of people appeared. "Get him into wardrobe." They all nodded and in a quick session grabbed Isaac by his arms and zoomed over to the makeup trailer as they began to get Isaac into costume.

After a bit, the door opened and out came Isaac as he was dressed in his new outfit. He was wearing a fedora on his head as it had a high crown and a wide brim which gave him a very distinctive silhouette. He had a leather jacker that was a WWII-era bomber with a plain leather cuff and hem rather than elasticated jersey. His boots were Alden model 405s and the final pieces of his outfit was his shirt which was a take on a classic safari shirt —a button-up made from khaki twill with flap pockets and epaulets—while his trousers were WWII khaki wool twill army officer’s trousers. And lastly, he wore a satchel that was lung across his body.

"They really know how to make me look cool." said Isaac as he took in his new outfit.

"Well hot dag, sugarcube." said Applejack as she and the others all looked at their male friend in his new attire. "Ain't you lookin' mighty fine."

"Dashing, darling. I know I say clothes make the person, but I think you are the one that makes this outfit work."

"Thanks." said Isaac as he straightened his jacket.

"Oh, good. You're dressed." said Canter Zoom as he approached the group with Juniper beside him. "Now take this script, these are going to be your lines to read."

"Lines?" said Isaac.

"Of course, the duel is scripted. How else is this going to work?"

"By playing the game?" said Isaac with a raised eyebrow.

"This is a film, and the actors don't how to play the game." said Canter Zoom.

"Hold on!!" shouted Isaac. "You mean to tell me, that you hire people to play characters that play the game, but they themselves don't know how it works?!" said Isaac as he tried to understand this concept.

"Yes." said Juniper.

"That doesn't make any sense. There's no way that actually happens in real life, I mean, are people really acting like they know how to play the game?" said Isaac as he looked at the audience and the fourth wall.

"We don't have time for this!" shouted Sunset.

"Look, just look over these lines and you can improvise a bit." said Canter Zoom as he handed Isaac the script. "You'll also need this pre-made deck for the scene."

"Okay, that is where I draw the line. I'm using a deck that's made up of cards, that you just throw together for me so that I can follow the script. I'm content with using my own." stated Isaac as he stood his ground on that part of the agreement.

"It's fine, uncle. Let's let Isaac use his own cards." smiled Juniper as she looked at the boy who smiled back at her.

"Whatever gets us back on schedule. Places, people." shouted Canter Zoom.

"Good luck." said Twilight as she and the rest of the group all headed to behind the camera as everything was getting set up.

"Alright, everybody. Quiet on set. And.... action!" shouted Canter Zoom through his megaphone as a clapper board was clapped together in front of the camera as they began to roll.

(Scene)

Daring Do was currently shown running as she had a duel disk on her arm as she was dodging some bushes and trees. She soon came to a clearing as she stepped forward. Just as she was about to take another step, a whip starting to head towards her. Daring Do noticed this and quickly moved to the side as she landed on her feet and looked up to see who tried to hit her. The whip then retracted as it returned back to the person; it was none other than Isaac as he stepped from the shadows with his fedora tipped down to covered his face as he put the whip to his side as he let out an evil chuckle.

"We've been waiting for you, Daring Do." said Isaac as he acted his role.

"Back off! Those Millennium items hold great and terrible power! You don't know what they can do; and Stalwart Stallion is a fool if he thinks he can control their ancient magic." stated Daring Do.

"Why else do you think we stole them?" joked Isaac. "Imagine the entire world, crumbling before us. The power that is rivaled by the gods themselves! All of that in the palm of our hands. We would be unstoppable! All the world would bow down to its rightful rulers!" shouted Isaac.

"Isaac, really is getting into the part." said Juniper quietly to the others as they were impressed by Isaac's improvisation.

"Lift the camera up a bit." whisper Canter Zoom so that it could capture the faces of the actors.

"Stand down, those items will plunge this land into chaos and turmoil. Innocent lives will be lost, they'll be blood on your hands." stated Daring Do as she tried to reason with the henchman.

"Stuff happens, you can't make an omelet without breaking a few eggs. Or in this case, to reshape the world into our image, thousands of lives must be lost so that millions can live on. I think that's a fair trade, don't you agree?" said Isaac nonchalantly.

"So you're willing to let people die, just to fulfill your desires?" asked Daring Do.

"Circle of Life. Everybody dies, just the question of how and when it comes? And I'd say that your time is up, Daring Do."

"I need to stop Stalwart Stallion. And if it means beating you to get to him, then so be it. I've already taken out your comrades." said Daring Do as she pulled out her deck from her belt as slotted it into her duel disk as it projected a card tray that matched her skin color.

"You'll find that I'm much more tougher than those two fools. I always thought they were dumber than a monkey and now I know." said Isaac as he pulled out his deck and slid it into his duel disk as it projected a card tray. I need to buy the boss time.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"It's..." Wait, I'm the bad guy. I can't say that. Isaac knew that he had to remain in his role.

Daring Do's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Daring Do

"I'll start things off, I summon Shell Knight(0/2000) in defense mode. And when this monster is summoned, I can deal 500 points of damage." said Daring Do as she was sticking with the script and played the cards that she had to play. Out came a monster as it let out a cry, through the cameras, the monsters were so realistic that they appeared like they actually existed.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Isaac

"Want to die, step forward!" yelled out Isaac as he drew his card. "I summon Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000). And then I activate her ability, so by sending my Magician Boy to the graveyard, I can draw a card." Isaac then sent his monster to the graveyard as he drew another card. "Now, since I control a Level 4 or below monster, I can summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And her ability allows me to draw another card from my deck when she's summoned. With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Daring Do

"Then it's my draw." stated Daring Do. "I play the spell card, Fissure. This allows me to get rid of the lowest monster on your side of the field. So say goodbye to your Mage Annette." stated the woman as she took care of Isaac's tiny girl magician. "Next, up I'm summoning my Weather Soldier(2000/1200). Now time to take out that magician of his!" shouted Daring Do.

"Hold on, I activate my Chocolate Magician Girl's special ability, now whenever she's the target of an attack, I can special summon one spellcaster from my graveyard and then not only do you have to attack it, but your monster's attack points are cut in half. So welcome back, Mage Annette in attack mode." said Isaac as his kid magician appeared. Mage Annette then saw the big rock monster coming her way as she opened up her book to look for a spell as she found it and point her tiny wand as the monster as she blasted it off the field.
Daring Do's Life Points: 7700-

"That can't be." said Daring Do as her monster was destroyed. "I'll lay another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, and now I play Dark Magic Veil, so by paying 1000 life points I can summon a Dark spellcaster from my hand or graveyard, so arise the monster of your destruction! Dark Magician!!" yelled out Isaac in an evil tone. Out came his monster as he took an intimidating pose.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"Are you okay, master?" asked Mahad as he watched Isaac acting not like himself.

"It's called acting, Mahad. I'll tell you about it later, right now just follow my lead." said Isaac to his monster.

"As you wish." said Mahad as he got back to character.

"Gaze upon the monster that will tear you to shreds!" stated Isaac. "Now I summon my Melody of Enchantress(900/1800)!"

"Hey, when did Isaac get that card?" asked Rarity as neither she nor the others knew Isaac had that monster in his deck. Since the only other instance of Isaac using that monster was during the gauntlet match against the students.

"My Melody of Enchantress is more than just a pretty face, cause she's a tuner monster. But before that, I'll activate her ability, once per turn I roll a die. And whatever number it lands on I can either increase or decrease a monster on my field. So Melody, let's get to rolling." said Isaac as his teen magician appeared next to him as she snapped her fingers and made a six-sided die appear in his hands as it had the numbers 1-3 on it.

"Go Dice Roll!" shouted Isaac as he tossed the die into the air as it spun really fast. Soon it dropped to the floor as it bounced a bit before it landed on the number 1.

"With that number one, I'll increase the level of my Chocolate Magician so now she's Level 5. And with that the stage is set, now Level 3 Melody of Enchantress tune with my Level 5 Chocolate Magician Girl." Melody of Enchantress then used her magic as she turned herself into three giant green rings as they circled Chocolate Magician Girl. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac now had his Synchro magician on the field as it had its staff and runes floating nearby in stardust. "Now my monster's effect activates, when it's synchro summoned, I can destroy one spell or trap card on the field. So say goodbye to the facedown on the left." Isaac's monster then blasted Daring Do's card off the field.

"Now I'll play Mystic Box." A box then appeared on Isaac's field as encased him. Soon tons of swords then appeared as they slotted into the tiny slots as soon they all pierced the wooden structure.

"You barbarian. You're willing to sacrifice the lives of not only innocent people, but your own monsters!" said Daring Do.

"My monsters know that they are willing to sacrifice themselves to gain my victory. Besides, they a mere servants and I'm the master. And who says he's gone." Isaac then pointed at Daring Do's field as another box surrounded her monster.

"What's this?!" asked Daring Do. Soon she saw the box open on Isaac's field as his magician wasn't there, but rather her Skull Knight in card form as it was sliced and diced by the swords. Then the box on her field opened up and there was Isaac's monster unharmed.

"My Mystic Box switched places with your monster, and remained unharmed." smiled Isaac. "Now I'll play Rune Inheritance, so by sending another monster in my hand to the graveyard, I can transfer their attack points to a monster on my field until the end of the turn. So I'll send my Buster Blader to the graveyard, so that my Mage Annette gains its attack points." said Isaac as he slotted his card to the grave as his tiny magician had her stats go up to 3900. "Now to finish this, go my monsters!!" shouted Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown, Sakuretsu Armor! Now I'll target your Mage Annette and destroy her!" shouted Daring Do.

"Ha! You've triggered my trap card, Dark Illusion. So now your pathetic card is null and void!" shouted Isaac.

"No! If that happens..." said Daring Do as she saw the barrage coming towards her.

"I will break you!!!" yelled out Isaac in an evil and angry tone. Soon his monsters all made contact with her as she was flung back.

"Ahhh!" shouted Daring Do.
Daring Do's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"I win." said Isaac.

"Cut!!!" shouted Canter Zoom.

(End of the Scene)

"What was that?!" shouted the older man.

"Isaac?!!!" shouted the girls.

"What?!" yelled back the boy.

"That's not in the script. You're suppose to lose." said the director as he rubbed his forehead with his hands as he felt his veins popping out.

"I'm not going to throw a duel!" said Isaac.

"ISAAC!!!" shouted the girls.

"This wasn't how it was suppose to go!" shouted Chestnut Magnifico.

"Perhaps, we can all use a break?" suggested Juniper.

"Everybody take 5, or 10. I don't know!" stated Canter Zoom as he let out a stressed sigh. The bell rang and everybody stopped filming.

"I'll be in my dressing room, once they get somebody who follows the script." said Chestnut as she left to her trailer.

"Sorry." said Isaac as he took off his hat. "If I'm not putting my heart in whenever I duel, then it doesn't come off naturally."

"For once, can you just not focus on winning?!" asked Rainbow.

"It's not like I do it on purpose, Dash! It just happens." said the boy.

"Alright, y'all. Let's take a deep breath and relax." suggested Applejack as it got everybody to relive their stress. "There we go."

"By the way, darling. The way you got into character of playing the bad guy, my was that something." said Rarity.

"It's not easy playing the bad guy." said Isaac.

"Well, sometimes the girls like the 'bad boy'." flirted Rarity as she batted her eyelashes as Isaac.

"Oh, yeah. Of course. But they also say that the greatest heroes sometimes make the greatest villains." said Isaac.

"Who says that?!" said Twilight. "That doesn't make any sense."

"By the way, where did you get that card?" asked Rainbow as she was referring to Isaac's Enchantress of Melody.

"Let's say... that a certain Turbo duelist gave it to me." was all Isaac said as the girls and Spike were confused by their friend's answer.

After that break, everybody got back to filming. Seeing as how they were on a tight schedule, they decided to film some of the other scenes besides the duel between Daring Do and the henchman. So Canter Zoom was back in his director's chair as everybody else prepared for the scene.

"You guys should've seen the relics." whispered Rainbow to Applejack. "They were amazing!" Rainbow's volume was a bit too loud on that last part.

"Ugh! Quiet on set, please!" stated Canter Zoom as he turned around to address the chromatic haired girl.

"Sorry! Maybe I'll just go take one more peek at them." whisper Rainbow as she snuck off to see the items.

"And action!" shouted Canter Zoom through his megaphone.

The scene was now playing for everybody as it had Stalwart Stallion dressed in his robe as he approached the volcano to initiate his plan. Soon a piece of the set started to crack as it toppled over and fell over as everybody let out a gasp as the actor barely got out of the way.

"Cut! Cut! Cut! What is going on around here? We just filmed on this volcano, and it was fine! This could set us back weeks!" stated Canter Zoom as he had another problem on his hand. Just when things couldn't get any worst, it did.

"They're gone! They're all gone!" shouted Rainbow as she now appeared in front of everybody.

"What's gone?" asked Canter Zoom.

"The relics!" stated Juniper as she too appeared next to Dash as everybody let out a gasp.
[clapperboard]

"I wanted to check them out again up close, and they weren't there!" said Rainbow as she led the group to where the items were suppose to be.

"This can't be happening! What are we gonna do?!"

"Couldn't you just get the prop department to make new ones?" asked Sunset.

"The missing Millennium items were personally approved by A. K. Yearling! We could have new ones made, but we can't use them until Miss Yearling has given them her official stamp of approval! You think it'd be easy to reach someone who is always holed up in her office writing, but Miss Yearling is a very difficult woman to track down." stated Canter Zoom.

"I-It'll be okay, though, right?" asked Rainbow.

"Chestnut's contract with us is almost up, and with Mount Vehoovius collapsing, the duel scene not going according to script and now this, I fear we'll have to stop production altogether!"

"But-but you have to finish this movie! Think of all the Daring Do fans who'll be so disappointed if you don't!" commented Dash.

"Are you sure there's nothing you can do to—" started Twilight until they heard another sound that meant another problem had occurred.

"I'm so sorry. Please excuse me." said Canter Zoom as he was stressed and left the group with Juniper following behind him.

"Hmm..."

"What you thinking, Twi?" asked Isaac as he saw his girlfriend had her hand to her chin.

"There was trouble with one of the costumes when we first arrived. A set that was fine yesterday just collapsed. You winning the duel, when it's not what the script says. And now, the most important props in the movie have been stolen. I don't think these are just coincidences. Well, apart from you winning." said Twilight.

"Like I said, I didn't intend for me to win, it just happens." said the boy.

"All the things that have gone wrong on set have put production on hold. It seems to me like someone is going to a lot of trouble to make sure this movie doesn't get made." commented Sunset.

"Who would want to—?" started Spike as he was in Fluttershy's arms before he was cut off by the shy girl herself.

"Oh, dear! You don't think..."

"Oh, no-no-no-no. Certainly not!" said Rarity as the others looked at them with confused look as Sunset rolled her hand to get them to explain.

"What is it, girls?" asked Isaac.

"When Rarity and I followed Chestnut Magnifico to her trailer, we overheard her saying something about shutting down the movie..."

"Yes, but she said she wanted something shut down. We don't know that she was talking about the movie."

"Well, actors and actresses do tend to have a side that they don't show in pubic so that they can maintain a certain image for others and society." said Isaac.

"Maybe she's just really mad that they're always running out of her imported butter praline crunch bars." suggested Pinkie.

"Bon Mot butter praline crunch bars?" asked Sunset as she pulled the wrapper from the inside pocket of her leather jacket.

"Those are the ones!" confirmed the pink puffy haired girl with a smile.

"We, uh... may have tried a few ourselves. Heh." chuckled Spike nervously.

"I expect Pinkie to have bottomless stomach, but not you, Spike." said Isaac.

"We found this on the Mount Vehoovius set right before it collapsed." stated Sunset.

"It sure seems like all signs are pointing to Chestnut Magnifico as the one causing all the problems around here." stated Twilight.

"Isn't that too obvious?" asked Isaac. "I'm no mystery expert, but I don't think the culprit is the first person you think of."

"I don't know who's behind this or what's going on, but the first thing we need to do is find those relics." stated Dash.

"I agree. The relics were here earlier, and if Chestnut is behind this, then they must still be around here somewhere." said Twilight.

"Chestnut Magnifico is an acclaimed actress! She'd never do something so dramatic!" said Rarity.

"An actress? Dramatic? Never!" said Sunset in a sarcastic tone with a smug look on her face.

"The pot calling the kettle black, Rares." said Isaac with his own smug expression.

"Well, she might do somethin' like this if she was tryin' to get out of workin' on a movie she didn't want to do." suggested Aj.

"Why don't Fluttershy, Pinkie, Spike, and I follow Chestnut Magnifico and see if we can find anything out?" said Sunset as she began to walk.

"Let's do it!" cheered Pinkie as she and the others all began to follow Sunset.

"In the meantime, we should look for the relics." stated Twilight.

"Well, you girls can do that." said Isaac. "I need to go over and talk with the writers about this script." Isaac then left as he wanted to talk about the duel scene he was in and see if he could convince them to actually write a good duel.

"Where do we even start? It's not like there's some mysterious, thievin', cloaked figure we can chase after and say, 'Hey, tell us where you're keepin' the relics'!"

"You mean like that one?" pointed Rarity as there was a person that matched Applejack's description behind them.

"Hey! Stop right there!" shouted Rainbow as she began to chase after the mysterious figure. The rest of the girls soon followed after her.

Rainbow kept chasing the figure as she lead the chromatic girl on a wild goose chase. Soon they kept zooming in and out of the many places as Rainbow was having a tough time trying to catch up to the person. She eventually arrived at a backdrop as the other girls had managed to catch up with her as both Rarity and Twilight were out of breath from running.

"I can't believe I lost them! I guess being awesomely fast doesn't help when the person you're chasing knows their way around better than you do." stated the rainbow-haired girl.

"Hey, guys." said Sunset as she made turned the corner with Fluttershy and Spike in Pinkie's arms.

"Any luck findin' Chestnut?" asked Applejack.

"We couldn't find her." said Sunset.

"But we did find a cupcake fountain!" exclaimed Pinkie as she chomped on a cupcake that she pulled from her hair.

"That thing actually exist?!" said Isaac as he returned from the writers as he was still wearing his outfit for the movie.

"Then we got lost and somehow ended up here. What have you guys been doing?" explained Sunset.

"We spotted this super-suspicious cloaked figure, but they got away." Rainbow let out a sigh of frustration. "They're here somewhere."

"There you are! W-Where are your costumes? We've got to hurry! I-I-I'm so gonna be fired if you aren't ready. The director wants to shoot in three minutes!" said a nervous P.A. as he grabbed the group and put them into a backdrop as they were all in costume, even Isaac and Spike.

"Uh, I think there's been some kind of mistake." stated Aj.

"Wait, wait. Who are they?" asked another director who was also trying to film a movie.

"They're the Power Ponies!" said the nervous P.A. who the director just let out a groan. "I'm fired, aren't I?"

"So fired." said the director with a shake of his head.

"Wait, I know who you all are? But who am I?" said Isaac as he looked at his costume. He was wearing a yellow and black suit that had a golden lining on it resembling spider webs, black boots that had star prints on them, and a black and yellow mask that had black eye patches where his eyes should be.

"Oh, I remember." said Spike as he was in Fluttershy's arms as he was in his outfit. "You're Web-Stallion! You have a sixth sense that detects danger, you can also shoot webs using the special web shooters from your hands and walk on walls. Also you're known as the sass of the team."

"Ooo-hoo-hoo, so that means I get to use sarcastic quips while we battle, huh?" said Isaac excitedly while the others rolled their eyes.

"Don't get carried away." warned Twilight.

"The only thing I'm gonna carry away is you, beautiful," Isaac remarked, making the purple girl blush and roll her eyes.

"Hey! There she is!" shouted Applejack as he caught the attention of everybody as they looked to where she pointed.

Soon the chase was on as the entire group was trying to catch the person. It was like something out of a Scooby Doo cartoon; Isaac and Rainbow were at the front as they had a bit more stamina than the others. They managed to also past several different types of movie genres setting and callbacks to famous films like an old detective set in black and white noir, a medieval set, and a couple of cars that seemed to be used in a racing film as Pinkie tried to slid over the hood of the car only to set the alarm off.

"Running here's a bitch!" shouted Isaac as he and Rainbow were still hot on the tail of the culprit as the others were slowing down and were exhausted. Isaac then leapt over some obstacles in his way using parkour.

"How are you able to do that?" asked Rainbow as she just ran around the objects.

"Something you learn you growing up on the streets." said Isaac as he kept using his parkour moves as he dodged the objects and propelled him to gain momentum.

Soon the whole group burst through the door the person entered as they found themselves on another set for a movie.

"Uh, what's this place supposed to be?" asked Applejack as she finally had a chance to collect her breath.

"And where did she go?" stated Rainbow.

"She must be around here somewhere. Wherever here is." said Twilight as she looked around them.

"Are you kidding?! This is the set of Stormy with a Side of Pudding!" said Pinkie as she let out a gasp.

"NO!!!!!" shouted Isaac as he knew what that meant.

"Stormy with a side of what, now?" asked the cowgirl.

"It's only my all-time favorite movie!" stated Pinkie as the others were confused, except for Isaac. "I've tried to get you all to watch it, like, a kazillion-billion times!"

"And it's a pain in my ass!!!" shouted Isaac. "You forced me to watch that movie with you so many times, that I couldn't stop thinking about food in my dreams!!! That was a nightmare!" yelled out the boy to his little sister.

"I've heard they use real pudding! Oh, they do!" slurped Pinkie as she took a taste of the set and licked her lips.

"Ugh! We're running out of time! We're supposed to be hunting down the missing relics and catching the bad guy, not eating pudding!" complained Rainbow.

"We're trying. Maybe we should make our way back to the Daring Do set. There might have been some clues we missed." suggested Twilight. All the while, the person they had been tracking was behind them as they tossed a net high into the air.

"Hey, was that red 'X' always there?" asked Isaac as he pointed to the spot they were all standing on. Soon they saw the net coming down as Twilight was able to push Isaac out of the way at the last second as only he and Dash weren't the ones caught.

"Hold on, girls!" said Isaac as they saw the figure leave the room. 'Rainbow, go after them." said Isaac as he began to get the net off of his friends.

"Don't worry! I've got this!" stated the girl as she ran after the person. "I saw you come in here. Where are you?" said Rainbow as she noticed movement coming out of the corner of her eye as the figure entered the room. She was a bit scared of entering by herself but she knew she had to catch the thief. She then approached the door and ventured inside.

Rainbow entered a storage room as it was filled with tons of props. She slowly moved in case of any surprises, she got frightened by a few things but shook them off as she approached a locker and opened it. "Hey! This is just like the outfit Daring Do wears in the nightclub scene. What's it doing in here?" asked the girl, soon the door behind her creak as the person closed the door and locked her inside.

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow as she tried to open the door, but it was to no avail. "Hello? Anybody out there?" Rainbow let out a sigh as she snapped her fingers as an idea popped in her head. "No problem! I'll just call my friends and let them know— Except I can't because security took all our phones when we got here. Not to mention I forgot to get my duel disk when we started to chase the thief." groaned the girl. "Help! I'm trapped in here!" Rainbow kept pounding the door hoping for someone to find her.

"We have to find Rainbow Dash." stated Applejack as Isaac had managed to free the girls and Spike from the net.

"I don't see how. She moves so fast, she could be anywhere on the lot by now." stated Rarity.

"I know how to find Rainbow Dash! Follow the pudding! See?" said Pinkie as she took a taste and pointed at the trail of footprints.

"Follow me!" said Spike as he had the scent.

"Lead the way, Spike." said Isaac as he began to chase after the small mutt.

"You're a genius, Pinkie Pie!" complimented Twilight.

"I know!" said the pink girl.

"C'mon, this way!" shouted Sunset as she and the others all followed the boys.

"Eh, for the road!" said Pinkie as she picked up a bucket of pudding and put it in her hair as Twilight was unfazed by this as the two chased after their friends.

Soon the trail ended as Spike couldn't track its scent anymore.

"There's no more pudding. Which means she must be here somewhere." said Pinkie as the whole group was now searching the area.

"Hello? Is anyone here?" said Twilight.

"Rainbow Dash? Where are ya?" called out Aj.

Rainbow heard some noises as she began to pound the door to let everybody know where she was. "Help! Somebody! I'm trapped in here!" said Rainbow as her voice was muffled from the other side.

"Hello? Rainbow Dash? Are you in there?" asked Fluttershy as she pressed her ear to the door.

"Yes! Help! I'm locked in!"

"It's okay, Dashie. We're here." said the shy girl as she tried to open the door from her side, but it was locked tight.

"I'll go find somebody with a key." said Sunset as she was about to go for help.

"Wait." said Twilight as she approached the door. She then pulled out something from her pocket as she began to pick the lock of the door as it soon turned.

"Boy, am I happy to see you!" said Rainbow as she tackled Twilight to the floor in a giant hug.

"Remind me, to double check the door locks on our rooms. I don't want you trying to sneak into my room when I'm doing something private." said Isaac as he was both impressed and fearful that his girlfriend could pick the lock of the door.

"How did you find me? I gave up banging on the door five minutes ago." asked the chromatic girl.

"Pudding never lies." said Pinkie as she pulled the bucket from her hair and began to gulp it down.

"Hey, is that the costume that went missing when we first got here?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah. But I didn't see the person who locked me in, and there's still no sign of the relics."

"Huh. I say we head back to the scene of the crime. Maybe there's somethin' there that could lead us to the relics." suggested Aj.

"Or... we could let the culprit lead us to them!" said Twilight.

"Go on." said Isaac as he too was in the same line of thinking as his girlfriend.

"How? I just told you I didn't see who locked me in here."

"I've got a pretty good idea who our thief is. But we're gonna need Canter Zoom's help to catch her." said Twilight.

The group was now with the director, Juniper Montage, and Chestnut Magnifico as they were out of their costumes and Isaac was back in his signature outfit.

"You found this in a supply closet?" said Canter Zoom as he held it in his hands.

"We didn't find the relics. But we don't think the thief has had a chance to take them off the lot yet. We wanted your permission to search the Tricorners Village set from top to bottom. Maybe we'll find a clue that would lead us to where they're hidden." said Twilight all the while Pinkie was zooming in and out of the frame as she had a magnifying glass in her hand as she was looking for clues.

"Of course. Chestnut, I need you to get into hair and makeup. As soon as we get the relics, we're gonna start shooting again."

"Hmph. We'll see." said Chestnut as she didn't fully believe Canter Zoom.

"Juniper, can you do a smoothie run? I'm sure all this sleuthing is gonna make everyone thirsty." asked Canter Zoom.

"Absolutely!" said Juniper in an over the top voice.

The mysterious figure now had returned as they slowly made their way to a crate. Once then reached behind it, they then pulled up the seven Millennium items as they looked at them. At that moment, the hood went down and the person's face was shown to be Juniper.

"Well, well, well." said a voice as there was slow clapping that echoed.

"Who's there?" said Juniper as she turned around to see who made that noise but there was no one there. "Show yourself."

Soon a whip was shown as it knocked the items out of Juniper's hands as it was reeled back as it got a hold of the Millennium Puzzle. Juniper then scrambled to gather the rest of the items as she noticed the person in front of her was Isaac as he has the puzzle in his hand.

"Isaac?! What are you doing here?!" asked the girl as she wasn't expecting him.

"I think the bigger question is: What are you doing with those Millennium items?" asked the boy, though he already had an answer.

"Well... I.... I... okay. I can't lie to you. I took them, but I need them to carry out my plan." said Juniper.

"And what plan is that?" asked Isaac.

"I can't say, but maybe I'll tell you... if... you become my boyfriend?" said Juniper with a soft smile and a blush on her face.

"Excuse me? I already have a girlfriend. And I'm not going to cheat on her." said Isaac.

"She doesn't have to know." said Juniper as she tried to put her hands on Isaac who stepped back.

"I'm not a cheater!" said Isaac. "Plus, I'm contagious free and I'd like to keep it that way."

"Then you leave me no choice. I tried to be nice, I'd tried everything I can to make you mine, but if you can't see it. Then I'm going to have to make sure you never leave this room." said Juniper as the ring that was around her neck was starting to glow a bit as she took off her cloak and showed off a duel disk as it projected a card tray that was the color of her skin.

"Now, give me that puzzle!!" demanded Juniper.

Isaac looked at it for a moment as it seemed to be calling out to him for some strange reason. "If you want it, come and get it!" said Isaac as he slipped the chain around his neck as he was now wearing the Millennium puzzle as it dangled from his neck along with his necklace. He then slotted in his deck as his duel disk came online and shot out a gold card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Juniper Montage's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as wearing the puzzle seemed to make him even more powerful.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start." said Isaac as he drew his card. "I summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Juniper

"I didn't want it to come to this Isaac. Just forget this ever happened and let me be your girlfriend. You're a phenomenal duelist and I see your talent. You have the skills that could make you a pro with ease, and being my uncle's niece, I've had the opportunity to meet some professional duelists. Just let me go and I promise to repay you. I'll do whatever I can to help you get into the pro scene, I'll get you to meet some famous people. Let you live your dream, and maybe the two of us can start a life together. We could grow up, get married and have kids." said Juniper as she had a smile and some redness on her face as she looked at the boy in front of her.

"I can give you everything you want, even my love."

"Sorry, you stole something that doesn't belong to you. So Juniper, understand this? How can I love someone who tries to hurt their own family? That's not who I want to associated myself with, plus I told you. I already have something I love." said Isaac.

"Then I need to show you why I'm a better choice than your girlfriend." said Juniper as she drew her card. "I now summon Cameraclops(1400/1600) in attack mode." said the girl as her monster appeared and it had a human body with its head being a camera. "Now Cameraclops attack his monster. Cameraclops has a special ability, when it attacks a monster with higher defense points than its attack points, that monster is automatically destroyed." Just like that Juniper's monster took a snapshot of Isaac's magician as she disappeared.

"Isaac, please. Don't me do this, I don't want to hurt you, but I will if I have to." stated Juniper as she ended her turn.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll play my Berry Magician Girl(400/400) in attack mode. Then Berry Magician Girl's effect activates, so now I can add a 'Magician Girl' from my hand so I'll add my Lemon Magician Girl." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out his card for him to grab as he added it to his hand. "Now since I control a Level 4 or below monster, I can summon my Mage Annette. And when she's summoned, I get to draw an extra card." Isaac then picked up his card from his deck. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Juniper

"Please, Isaac. Stop this and just let me be with you." pleaded juniper.

"I told you, no!" said Isaac.

"Then I guess it's fruitless. Time to hurt you!" stated Juniper as the ring around her neck was starting to glow even more. "Now stand back, I draw. I now summon Film Magician(0/0)." said Juniper as she had her own spellcaster come out on her field. "Next up is the spell card, Establishing Shot. So now I can summon a Level 4 or below monster from my deck, so I choose to summon my Paparazzi Pest(1000/0). Then I activate my Paparazzi Pest's ability, so by tributing it, I can now raise the level of one of my monsters by two. So I'll raise Cameraclops to Level 6." said Juniper as her monster was now gone and raised the level of her other monster.

"Now Cameraclops attack his Mage Annette. Like before when Cameraclops battles a monster with higher defense points than his attack points, then that monster is automatically destroyed." stated Juniper as she took out another monster of Isaac's.

"I'll then lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll summon my Queen's Knight(1500/1600) in attack mode." said Isaac as he had a female knight appear on his field. "Now Queen's Knight attack her Cameraclops!" shouted Isaac as his female monster then leaped into the air as she looked to bring down her sword on the monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Reaction Shot. Thanks to this trap, I can be able to switch your attack to another one of my monsters on the field. So now you're attacking my Film Magician." said Juniper as her other monster was now in the way of Isaac's monster as she brought her sword down on the monster only for her photo to be taken and disappeared.

"What gives, where's my Queen's Knight?" asked Isaac.

"My Film Magician has a unique ability, it can't be destroyed in battle, and whenever it's attack by your monster it gains the attack and defense points of the monster it's battling until the end of the turn. So your Queen bit the dust while my Film Magician survived." informed Juniper.

"Not good, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Juniper

"My draw, and I'll start by playing the spell card, Two Shot. Thanks to this, it allows me to take a snapshot of a monster on the field and create a copy of it onto my field. So I'll take a photo of my Level 6 Cameraclops." said Juniper as her monster had its picture taken and transformed into a copy on her field with the same stats.

"Now she's got two monsters? This can't be good." said Isaac.

"Now Cameraclops attack his Berry Magician!" shouted Juniper.

"I activate Berry Magician Girl's effect, now I can change her into defense mode and then I can choose a 'Magician Girl' to summon to my field from my deck. So come out, Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as he now had his top female magician arrive.

"Well, I'll still attack your Berry Magician Girl." said Juniper as her monster took out Isaac's. "Next from my hand, I'm activating the spell card, Point-of-view Shot. So I can tribute my Film Magician so that I can take out one of your monsters, so say goodbye to your Dark Magician Girl!" Now Isaac's other monster was gone as he had nothing left to protect himself.

"Now my copy of Cameraclops attack Isaac directly!" shouted the girl as her monster delivered a hard punch to Isaac as he fell onto his back.
Isaac's Life Points: 6600-

"Please, Isaac. Just listen to what I say and we could have a happen life."

Isaac wiped the scuff on the side of his mouth as he still held a defiant scowl. "Like I said, how could I ever love a thief? Besides, I already have a love in my life." And it's not who you think it is.

"Then so be it!" shouted Juniper as the ring glowed even more around her neck. "I end my turn with a facedown. You're up!"

As the ring glowing on Juniper's neck started to glow, the puzzle around Isaac's neck was also glowing as he looked at it. For some strange reason, Isaac could feel its power.

Turn 7: Isaac

"My draw, so here goes. I summon Imperial Bower(1500/1500)." Out came one of the new cards that Isaac had managed to add to his deck as it was making its grand debut for all to see. "And check this guy out, when I have no other monsters on my field, I can tribute him to summon 2 monsters from my deck be they 'Queen's Knight,' 'King's Knight,' or 'Jack's Knight' and either add them to my hand or summon them to the field." Isaac's duel disk then slotted out his chosen cards as he grabbed them and showed them to Juniper. "And I'll think I'll summon them, so arise, King's Knight(1600/1400) and Jack's Knight(1900/1000)." Just like that, Isaac had two of his royal knights appear on his field.

"Next I reveal my facedown, Court of Cards!" shouted Isaac as he had another new card in his deck. "See if I control no monsters, or if the only monsters I control are my royal knights, then I can summon one of them from my hand or graveyard. So welcome back, Queen's Knight." said Isaac as he had his face cards all back in play in this high-stakes poker duel.

"So what? I don't doubt your skills and smarts, it's why you caught my interest." said Juniper as she turned her head with some red on her face.

"Then watch this, cause now by sending one my royal knights to the graveyard, I can special summon this monster. So King's Knight time to move over so that I can summon, Arcana Triumph Joker(?/2500)!" said Isaac as he held his card in the air. Soon King's Knight disappeared as in his place was replaced by a female knight as she wore a suit of armor that allowed her flexibility and movement as she had a sword and shield.

"So, it doesn't seem to have any attack points." stated Juniper.

"It will once I activate my Arcana Triumph Joker's effect, but first, I'll play the spell Card of Sanctity, so now we draw till we're holding six cards in our hand." said Isaac as both him and Juniper had a fresh hand.

"Why do that?"

"Why, cause now I activate my monster's effect! Arcana Triumph Joker gains 500 attack points for the combined number of cards in both player's hands. So since we're currently holding 6 cards each, the total is 12 which gives her a grand total of..."

"6000 attack points!?" shouted Juniper as she was surprised that Isaac had managed to summon a monster that was drew its power based on how many cards both players had.

"So now, Arcana Triumph Joker attack the copy of the Cameraclops!" shouted Isaac as his female knight raised her sword and then leaped into the air as it looked to bring it down on Juniper's monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Extreme close-up. With this, my monsters can't be destroyed this turn." stated the girl as Isaac's monster made contact with her as she took some massive amounts of damage.
Juniper's Life Points: 3400-

"Now my two other knights will attack also." said Isaac as both Jack's and Queen's Knight took their own slash at Juniper's monsters.
Juniper's Life Points: 2800

"Now then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Juniper

"My turn." said Juniper as she drew her card.

"Remember for every card that you draw, my Arcana Triumph Joker gains 500 more attack points." informed Isaac as his monster gain more attack points.

"Not for long she won't, cause I'm about to take her out. Especially, cause you helped me with your Card of Sanctity. First, I play the spell card, Reverse Angle Shot. So now I can negate all other spell and trap cards on the field and destroy them." said Juniper as she got rid of Isaac's trap card. "Then I'll overlay my two Level 6 Cameraclops to build the Overlay Network!" Juniper's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon the orbs then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 25: Force Focus(2800/2400, OLU: 2)!" shouted Juniper as the monster that came out was a large cinema movie camera.

"Now I play the spell card, Tight Framing. Now all monster on your side of the field now become 0 until the end phase." said Juniper as she managed to strip Isaac's monsters of all of their powers. "Next I'll play Three-Shot and as the name suggest, I can be able to have my monster attack 3 times, but first I have to give up an Xyz material to activate it. Small price, especially cause I'm about to deal triple the damage!" Force Focus then absorbed an overlay unit into its lens. "Now time to end this duel!!"

"I'll send Kuriboh from my hand so that I can turn of those damage to 0!" said Isaac as he managed to reduce the amount of damage he would take and still be in the duel as he covered up from Juniper's attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"You may have survived, but you've got no monsters left on your field." said Juniper. "Isaac, for the last time. Just be with me."

Turn 9: Isaac

"And like I told you, I can't!"

"Can't or won't!!!" shouted Juniper.

"Does it matter." said Isaac. "My draw! And now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 7, all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as three lights came out of the giant portal above him. "I pendulum summon a pair of Magician of Dark Illusions and give a warm welcome to the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" said Isaac as he had 3 spellcasters on his field

"And now I'll overlay my three monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Isaac's monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of him. The orbs then disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Isaac now had a female magician appear as she showed off her beauty.

"Now since I used 'Dark Magician' to summon her, I can negate all other card effects on the field. I now activate Chaos Mageía's effect, by using one Overlay unit, I can send all other Xyz materials from all other monsters on the field to the graveyard and then she gains 500 extra attack points for each of those materials and it gains an extra attack." said Isaac. Soon his magician worked her magic as it sent away the Xyz material away from Juniper's Force Focus as it allowed her to gain 500 more attack points as she rose to 3500. "Now Chaos Mageía end this duel. Divinity Arrow!" Chaos Mageía heard Isaac's command as her wand turned into a bow and an arrow appeared as she pulled back the string and then fired. It traveled through the air in a golden light as it took out its target.

"Ahh!" shouted Juniper as she was thrown onto her back. Both the ring and the puzzle around the teen's neck now lost their glow.
Juniper's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel was over as the other items were next to Juniper who laid on the floor as she was just coming to.

"No." said the girl as she picked up her glasses and put them on.

"You okay?" asked Isaac as he approached her.

Juniper then saw Isaac in front of her as it was now a similar scene to how they both first met. He then extended his hand out for her as she looked at the boy for a second with hesitation. Soon she put her hand in his as Isaac helped her to her feet. She looked at the teen in front of her as the lights came on around them.

"I told you, I have something else in my life that I love. And it's not what you think." said the boy.

"I told you all it wasn't Chestnut!" said Rarity as she and everybody else came out of hiding.

"Look! I found the missing relics!" said Juniper coyly as she tried to act innocent.

"Because you're the one who stole them!" said Sunset.

"She... She wouldn't." said Canter Zoom.

"She would. And she did. What she didn't expect was for Rainbow Dash to come to the Tricorners set before she was able to sneak them off to a safer hiding place. So she was forced to hide them in the first place she could find." said Twilight as the flashback began to play as she voiced over it. "But she knew she couldn't leave them there. So the first chance she got, she tried to sneak them away. Unfortunately for her, we spotted her! But Juniper knows 'every inch of this place like the back of her hand'... and was able to trap us and lose Rainbow Dash. For a while. But when Rainbow Dash managed to figure out where she'd run off to, she locked her in a closet with a set of keys that gives her access to 'just about every door in this place'... which gave her the time she needed to hide the relics here."

"When did you figure out it was her?" scoffed Rainbow.

"I started to piece things together when I unlocked the door to get you out of the supply closet. But I knew Juniper would never admit she was the one who had taken the relics."

"Unless, of course, she was caught in the act of trying to move them again!" said Sunset.

"Which is why I told you to send her on that smoothie run. So she'd think she had the opportunity to get the relics off the lot where we'd never find them." said Twilight as she turned towards Canter Zoom.

"But instead of searching the Tricorners set, you all were secretly following me here." said Juniper. "And you... you were told to confront me by yourself so that you could potentially change my mind." said the girl as she looked at Isaac.

"Yup." nodded Isaac.

"Why would you do this?" asked Canter Zoom to his niece.

"I'm sorry! Okay? I'm sorry. I just can't stand Chestnut! She's always eating all the peanut butter praline crunch bars, which are the only candy bars I like." exclaimed Juniper.

Pinkie had managed to secretly pull on of those bars from her hair as she munched on it which didn't go unnoticed by Isaac.

"Not helping, little sis!"

"Sorry."

"That's hardly a reason to go—" said Canter Zoom.

"And I was mad at you for casting her as Daring Do! I mean, I have told you over and over again how badly I wanted to play Daring Do, and you just ignored me!" said Juniper as she interrupted her uncle with an angry tone.

"But, Juniper, you're too young! You don't have any experience."

"I know! But I thought if enough things went wrong, Chestnut would maybe back out of the movie and then... you would give me a chance." said Juniper. "Especially, once Isaac filled in for the role of the scene, I thought this could be my chance to have the two of us shared the big screen moment. Together." said the girl as she looked at the boy who still had a stern look on his face.

"Not only did you jeopardize the production, endanger the safety of the actors and the film crew, but you also lied to me and took advantage of my trust!" shouted her uncle.

"I know. A-And I'm sorry. I never meant to hurt anyone, and I was going to return all the props, just as soon as Chestnut quit. I hope you can forgive me." said Juniper with a sad look on her face.

"You're my niece, Juniper, so, of course, I can forgive you. But I'm sorry to say you're no longer welcome on the set." Canter Zoom then snapped his fingers as a security guard appeared to escort her out. "And it'll be a long time before I consider allowing you back here! Keys!" demanded the old man as she did handed her set of keys to her family member.

She then looked at the crew as she had an angry look on her face. "And I would have gotten away with it too, if it wasn't for you meddling kids and your dog!" shouted Juniper.

"Wrong show!" shouted Pinkie and Isaac.

Juniper then put her head down as she was being to leave as Twilight put her hand on her arm.

"Before you go..." Twilight then brought her hand up and slapped Juniper in the face. "That's for trying to hit on my boyfriend, bitch!" stated Twilight as the others were shocked by what she did while Isaac had a smile on his face for how his girlfriend acted.

With that insult to injury, Juniper was taken off the premise and through the doors. Once she was outside, she was now angry. Soon she heard the sound of the door opening as there was Isaac looking at her.

"What?!" shouted the girl. "Shouldn't you be with your girlfriend!" said the girl with poison in her voice.

Isaac then approached her as he stood in front of her as his expression soften a bit. "Just wanted to give you something to remember me by." Isaac then grabbed Juniper's face with both of his hands as he pressed his lips to hers as she widen her eyes at what was happening. The kiss lasted for about 6 seconds as Isaac retracted and pushed Juniper's glasses to her face; he gave a quick wink as he returned back to the studio as she left the girl standing there flustered and full of red.

Isaac made it back inside as the others had returned the Millennium items to Canter Zoom.

"I'll admit those effects you added really made it seem like they were real." said Rainbow.

"Wait a minute, you mean to tell me the light that I kept seeing from the puzzle and the ring were all special effects." said Isaac.

"Of course, what you'd think they were real?" asked Twilight.

"It felt like it." said Isaac as he was still wearing the puzzle around his neck as he looked at it. For Isaac he certainly saw the glow, but for a second it really did feel like it had powers. He then took it off as he handed it back to the director.

"Canter, there you are! So sorry I'm not in makeup, but I've just gotten a call from my agent. I no longer have to work on that ridiculous documentary about nests next month. Ha-ha! I swear, when they approached me, I thought they wanted to do a documentary about my organization for homeless animals, not on various "nests" around the world! Completely misleading! But no matter! That's all behind us!" giggled Chestnut as she arrived.

"Does this mean...?" said Canter Zoom with a hint of hope.

"No more scheduling conflict! I can extend my contract and continue filming Daring Do. Hey, are those the missing relics?"

"Yes! And I don't think we'll have to worry about them disappearing again. And it's all thanks to our visitors from Canterlot High. First you save Camp Everfree, now the Daring Do movie. Y'all are certainly on a roll." said Canter Zoom.

"Heh, heh. Uh, speaking of roles... Don't suppose you've got any extra parts my friends and I could play? You know, heh, as a reward for saving the day?" said Rainbow as she hinted at something.

"I think we could figure something out." said Canter Zoom as he got an idea for the girls and Spike.
[clapperboard]

[action music]

"You will give me the Millennium Puzzle!"

"I don't think so, Stalwart!" said Daring Do as she pulled out her duel disk.

"Have it your way!" Stalwart then snapped his fingers as one of his henchman then forward which was Isaac as he raised his duel disk and projected his card tray. "Give up, Daring Do! That puzzle shall be mine!" said Stalwart as he let out an evil laugh.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Daring Do's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"This shall be your burial ground, draw!" shouted Isaac. "I summon King's Knight to the field. And then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Daring Do

"My turn, and to start, I'll play Weathering Soldier(2000/1200). And now my Weathering Soldier attacks your King's Knight." said Daring Do as her monster then threw a rock as Isaac's knight as she managed to take out his monster with ease.
Isaac's Life Points: 7600-

"Now I'll play the spell card, Specimen Inspection. So now I send one monster from my hand to graveyard so that I can declare a 1 type and 1 Level that you have to send from your graveyard from your hand or deck. Let's see you match a Level 4 Earth type monster." said Daring Do as she sent her Fossil Dyna Pachycephalo to her grave.

"Fine then!" said Isaac as his duel disk screen showed his options. "Beta the Magnet Warrior I have no use for you!"

"With that, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn. And now my Weathering Soldier loses 600 attack points."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, and now I summon Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. And then since I already have a monster on my field, I'll special summon my Mage Annette in defense mode. And when she's summoned, I can draw an extra card." said Isaac as he had his two magicians appear on his field as he drew a card. "Now Magician's Valkyria pummel that oversized pebble!" shouted Isaac in an evil tone as his monster took it out.
Daring Do's Life Points: 7800-

"When my Weathering Knight is destroyed, I can add a 'Fossil Fusion' from my deck to my hand." said Daring Do as she grabbed her card.

"Not much it will do you, I end my turn."

Turn 4: Daring Do

"It's my turn!" said Daring Do as she drew. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. And I'll now play the spell card, Fossil Fusion. So I'll combined the Weathering Knight in my graveyard, with your Beta the Magnet Warrior in yours in order to make this monstrosity. Fossil Warrior Skull Bone(2000/800)!" Out emerged an old fossil as it wore rocks for armor and wielded a lance made up of its bones and rock. "Now I play the spell Time Stream. By paying half my life points, I can change a monster from the Cenozoic Era to the Mesozoic Era. So I'll devolve my Fossil Warrior!"
Daring Do's Life Points: 3900-

"Devolve? Into what?!" shouted Isaac.

"Into something stronger!" shouted Daring Do. "Like Fossil Warrior Skull Knight(2400/1100)!" The new monster was now a skeleton as it had a crown and wielded a sword and shield. "Then I further devolve it!" said Daring Do as she played another Time Stream.
Daring Do's Life Points: 1950-

"And your life points. You're almost out!" stated Isaac.

"It's worth every point to bring out my Fossil Warrior Skull King(2800/1300)!" shouted Daring Do as her new monster was now a warrior dressed in skeleton armor. "Now time to strike, Fossil Warrior Skull King can attack twice during each battle and it can deal piercing damage even if your monster's in defense mode! Now I'll play the spell card, Rush Recklessly to give my Skull King 700 more attack points till the end of the turn." Skull King then had its stats rise to 3500 as it leaped into the air as it took out both of Isaac's monsters and dealt him some major damage.
Isaac's Life Points: 3900-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll play the spell card Dark Magic Veil, so I pay 1000 life points to summon my Dark Magician from my hand."
Isaac's Life Points: 2900-

"Then I'll reveal my facedown Bond Between Teacher and Student so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl as well." Isaac now had his team of monsters as they were on the field. "Now the effect of my spell allows me to set my Dark Burning Magic, which I'll immediately use to nuke your entire field!"

"No way!" shouted Daring Do.

"Do it, my servants!" shouted Isaac as he commanded his monster to obey his will as they did and put their staffs together as they took out Daring Do's entire field. "Watch how weak you are!!" shouted Isaac as he gave a battle cry as his monster hovered into the air as they combined their weapons and shot a massive ball of magic to Daring Do who put her arms up as she was tossed onto her back.

"Ahh!" shouted Daring Do.
Daring Do's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Must be awful to lose to me." said Isaac with a sinister smile.

"Cut! Again?!" shouted Canter Zoom as he shook his head at Isaac winning the scripted duel.

"ISAAC!!!!" shouted the girls as they were background characters in the shot of the duel taking place. They just yelled at their male companion for not following directions.

"I'm trying!!!!" shouted the boy.

Author's Note

Wanted to try my hand at one of the specials, I think it turned out well. Also congrats for anybody that gets the joke that Isaac made about how the voice actors who play Yugioh characters don't actually know how to play the game. I've seen so many interviews where they're asked that question and they say we just act like we know what we're saying or doing, when even they think it's a lot of information to understand how to play the game. Anyways, I'll see you all in the next chapter.

Chapter 157: Nightmare Night

"Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—
While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,
As of some one gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door—
"'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door—
Only this and nothing more."

Ah, distinctly I remember it was in the bleak December;
And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.
Eagerly I wished the morrow;—vainly I had sought to borrow
From my books surcease of sorrow—sorrow for the lost Lenore—
For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore—
Nameless here for evermore."

"Seems you're getting better." said Fluttershy as she was sitting next to Isaac at the dining table in the house as they were doing some homework.

"Well, the only reason I'm passing AP Literature is because of you. Trust me, without your help on understand what certain phrases and words mean, I probably would've failed the class." said the boy as she complimented the shy girl next to him.

"Thanks." said Fluttershy. "Speaking of our poems, any plans for the upcoming halloween festival?"

"Well, seeing as how Luna acted like a little girl and that Pinkie is planning the festival along with the Party Planning Committee, I think they'll do a good job." Just hope that things won't be crazy as it was last time.

Isaac then thought back to what happened on the last festival. Isaac's Dark Magician Girl had appeared and decided to cross the border between the human world and the spirit world for the night as she wanted to have a night like a normal person. Though there they did have to deal with an evil spirit that wanted to escape and cause havoc; though they were able to make sure that didn't happen as Vice-principal Luna stopped the evil spirit. So one would hope that this year it would be a bit less hectic, but one had to be prepared for anything.

The entire school was getting ready for the nightmare festival that everybody would soon enjoy. Pinkie even had the students help her at setting up as she couldn't wait to make her last halloween bash the biggest she could. With the festival being on everybody's mind, all the school was trying to have the field all set up; thankfully there were still some decorations from last year that it didn't take as much time to set up. And with this night coming up, it meant that many people would be dressing up. So Rarity took it upon herself as she allowed the kids to come to her boutique as she had tons of costumes already made as she allowed the kids to pick out the outfits they wanted to have.

As for the gang, they too were looking forward to their last halloween festival of their high school career. That being said, to avoid a certain issue like last time, Isaac was at his desk in his room as he was sitting in his chair as he was talking with his magicians.

"You both know what happened last time." said Isaac.

"Of course, master. Thankfully, Mana didn't cause any trouble that may have put both worlds in jeopardy." said Mahad.

"Hey, me and Isaac stopped Zombie Goblin from taking the souls of the students he captured and escaping into the real world. That counts as win in my book." stated Mana with a smile on her face.

"Well, regardless, I want to avoid another instance of that happening again." said Isaac.

"Exactly, which is why I'm going to be accompanying you again this year, Isaac." said Mana as she hugged Isaac from his side. "Can't have my cute master in danger, now."

"Mana, don't be ridiculous!" shouted Mahad. "Knowing you, you'll cause mischief. Keep in mind that on that night, even though we'll be able to see and feel things, we're still spirits. And our top priority is keep the barrier between our world and the realm of the mortals in check. Which means you can't fool around."

"This is the exact reason why I did what I did last year. You're too boring, you don't let me have fun." groaned Mana.

"Well, I wouldn't have to if you finally act responsible for once." replied Mahad as soon both he and his student began to argue in front of their master.

"Never gets old." said Isaac as he watched his magicians bicker.

"Halloween, spooky." said Black Robe Mentalist in her goth voice as she made a surprise appearance.

"Ahh! Oh, it's you. Sorry, I just didn't expect to see you." said Isaac as he looked at his teen magician. "So, let me guess. Halloween peak your interest."

"Blood, death, ghosts. All of it." said Black Robe Mentalist with a straight face.

"Ok-ay." said Isaac as he didn't know how to respond to that by his monster. "Well, knowing Mana, she'll probably want to tag along. Want to join in?"

"I'd rather read my books." said Black Robe Mentalist as she prefer to keep to herself.

"Come on. You can't just be like that, you need to get out. Meet some people, see how things are in this time period." said Isaac. I did say that I needed to spend sometime with her, this might be my best shot to get her to open up to me and learn about her.

"I've got it!" said Isaac as it caused Mahad and Mana to stop their bickering and look at their master. Black Robe Mentalist was reading her book as she listened to her master.

"Why don't you come with me to the halloween festival?" said Isaac as he looked at his Black Robe Mentalist.

"What?!" she said as she closed her spellbook of dark magic.

"You need to socialize and this might be the best way for you to opened yourself."

"I'll pass." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"On come on, girlfriend. Isaac might be right, you're always hiding away in your room. Me and the other girls all tried to get you to leave that place, but you never do." said Mana. "Personally, I agree with Isaac. You need to get out and expand your horizons and Isaac is the perfect guide to helping you."

"I promise to make sure you have a fun time." said Isaac.

"No." said Black Robe Mentalist as she turned her back to her master.

"How about this, if I can't get you to have a fun time or even smile once during our outing, I'll leave you alone for good. I won't ever bother you again." offered Isaac.

"Hmm." said Black Robe Mentalist as she looked at her master.

"You have more to gain than to lose." clarified Isaac.

"Fine." said Black Robe Mentalist as she let out a sigh.

"Then it's settled." said Isaac.

"Seems there's no stopping her. Very well, please try to not to cause trouble for the master, Mana during your night out." informed Mahad.

"You've got nothing to worry about Mahad. Lighten up."

"If only I could." said Mahad as both he and Mana disappeared back into Isaac's deck.

"Then it's settled." said Isaac as he looked at his Black Robe Mentalist. "By the way, seeing as how you're going to be with me. I probably should give you a name or an identity, instead of referring to you by your Duel Monsters name, just in case you interact with another person."

"Whatever." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Question is: what name should I give you?" said Isaac as he put his hand to his chin as he was thinking. He then looked at his desk as he saw the name of the poem he had to recite for his AP Literature class as it was written by Edgar Allen Poe. Soon a lightbulb went off in his head. "How about... Raven? I don't think anybody would question that, it seems like a normal name."

"Raven... so dreadfully." said Black Robe Mentalist.

'I'll take that as a yes." said Isaac. "Though it'll probably help if I actually see your face too. So, can I?"

Black Robe Mentalist looked at Isaac as she was thinking of whether or not to grant her master's request. She soon let out a sigh as she hovered in front of Isaac as she still had a straight look on her face. Isaac then brought his hands up and he threw back his magician's hood of her cloak so that he could see how she actually looked. Safe to say he was surprised by how much her hood was able to cover up her features as it amazed Isaac. Her hair was black and it was done in the style of a strong bob, her skin was a beige color as she wore a pendant around her neck that was connected by a black string.

"Huh, wow." said Isaac as he was really taken back by his magician's appearance. "You're actually beautiful."

"I don't do pretty." said Black Robe Mentalist as she quickly pulled her hood back up as she covered herself so that only her eyes and mouth were visible for all to see.

"Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Besides I think you'll have fun." said Isaac.

"I don't do fun, either. Are you always this annoying?" groaned Black Robe Mentalist.

"So I've been told." chuckled Isaac as he hoped to get a laugh from his magician but she still kept a straight face. "Yeesh, not even a chuckle. Man, do I have my work cut out for me?"

"I'm leaving, and tell Sunset the extra batteries are on top of the TV." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Huh?" said Isaac as his phone made a noise as he received a text. He then grabbed it and he checked his messages and true to his magician's saying, Sunset was asking Isaac were the extra batteries for the TV remote were. "How..."

"I'm a mentalist, mind, brain." stated Black Robe Mentalist as she disappeared back into her deck.

The days rolled by as soon it was the night of Old Hallows Eve. In the Spirit World, all the good-hearted Duel Monsters spirits were getting ready to enjoy a pleasant night. Even a few of the jokers and tricksters were looking forward to having a bit of fun. Inside her dark, black room, Black Robe Mentalist was currently mediating as she tried to clear her mind.

"Inner peace... inner peace... inner peace..." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Hey, girlfriend. You ready!!" shouted Mana as she was pounding on her door.

"Inner peace..." groaned Black Robe Mentalist as she tried to ignore the sounds interrupting her concentration.

"Hello." stated Mana.

"Ugg!" groaned the spellcaster as she put her hood over and then floated over to her door as she used her magic to open the door. "What?!" gritted her teeth in a cartoonish effect.

"Tonight's the night." smiled Mana.

"I was hoping you would forget." growled Black Robe Mentalist. "I don't know why I agreed to this stupid idea."

"Isaac, trying to get you to come out of your shell." said Mana.

"I like being in my shell. Nobody to annoy me." said the goth teen.

"That right there is why you need to get out. Now come on, We only have one night to be human again. Well, close to being human." said Mana as she grabbed her friend by her arm and dragged her off as the door to her room closed.

"Almost time." said Isaac as he looked at his watch as it was already nighttime as he was in his room. Soon a knock came from his door as he went to see who it was.

"There you are." said Twilight. "Like my costume."

"Love it." said Isaac as he saw his girlfriend was dress as her High Priestess of Prophecy. "Really makes you look just as stunning as she is." Isaac then grabbed Twilight by her waist as he pulled her in and brought his lips to make contact with her as Twilight brought her hand to cusp Isaac's face as he did the same. After a few moments, both pulled away as they both looked at each other with a loving smile on their faces.

"Okay, settle down. Don't want to cause suspicion to the others why my costume is all wrinkled." stated Twilight. "Speaking of which, what are your plans for tonight?"

"I've got something in mind." said Isaac.

"Like?" said Twilight as she rolled her hand for an explanation.

"It's a secret." said Isaac.

"And you can't tell me, because..."

"Remember last year, with my Dark Magician Girl."

"Not that again! Spirits?!" said Twilight.

"I mean, Duel Monster Spirits are real, Twi."

"Then how come everybody can't see them?" asked Twilight. "The reason you see your magicians is cause of your bond with them and your deck, it's not magic. I get that the cards we play in our decks do have souls to a certain degree, but to think that they can actually be human and interact with us. It's bit far fetched. And I know we've had magically encounters in the past, but we live in a world where Duel Monsters rule everything, from compromises, to settling issues, to even having fun. All of that is dedicated by this game we play. So if you think about, magic is just second to that and nobody eve thinks it exist." informed the nerdy girl.

"Then it's a good thing that only we fully understand these magical encounters." said Isaac. "Have fun tonight at Applejack's farm."

"You too with, whatever plans you have. Just be safe and don't do anything foolish." said Twilight as she put her hand to Isaac's cheek.

"I can't promise that, but I'll try." said Isaac as he grabbed Twilight's hand as he kissed it and then snuck one last kiss to his girlfriend as she said goodbye.

Isaac then entered back into his room as soon a small portal appeared as out came his Dark Magician Girl as she dragged Black Robe Mentalist by her arm as she was still against this idea.

"Seems you girls are ready." said Isaac.

"Oh, we are!" giddy Mana as she couldn't wait for the night.

"Yippee." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Mahad is busy protecting the border and making sure that no evil spirits escape this time." said Mana.

"Alright then, now we just need to get you girls into costume.

"Isaac." said Mana as she pointed to her and Black Robe Mentalist outfits.

"Oh, right. Nobody would expect real Duel Monster spirits to go as themselves." said Isaac. "Well, then we need to make sure that we get our stories straight when we're around others. So?" Isaac was scratching his head as he was trying to come up with a fake identity, for Mana the last time she went with him, he just told everybody else that she was his cousin who was visiting from out of town. But he was having a hard time coming up with a story for his other magician.

"How about we keep it simple and say she's my sister?" said Mana.

"What do you think?" asked Isaac to his Black Robe Mentalist.

"Whatever gets this night over the fastest." groaned Black Robe Mentalist.

"Alright, then. And I haven't forget about the deal we made, if I can't get you to have fun or crack a smile. I'll leave you alone."

"Great." said Isaac's magician.

"Then let's go to the festival." said Isaac as he put on his signature hoodie and place his cap on his head. He grabbed his duel disk and slotted it on his arm as he wanted to be prepared in case things went south. Soon both he and his female magicians were off.

While the girls and Spike were at Applejack's farm which had been turned into an fright place for people to enjoy. At the school, there was a festival happening that was attracting just as much attention as it was filled with tons of kids enjoying themselves as they played games and ate some delicious treats. Isaac arrived with his magicians as they entered the premise and just like before, all the boys were immediately smitten with Mana and her appearance. She thanked them for her compliments as she clanged to her master's side as it got some of them to be furious at Isaac. Thankfully, they bought his story that she was his cousin as it got them to back off.

"Why does this always happen?" asked Isaac as he felt his life was jeopardy.

"Cause they're just jealous that out of all the men I chose to be with for the rest of my life, I chose you." giggled Mana as she planted a kiss on her master's cheek.

"Does she always do this?" asked Black Robe Mentalist.

"More times than I can count." said Isaac.

Eventually, they arrived at a handmade haunted house as the three decided to check it out. Safe to say, that the effects and the effort put into it was top notch as it got Mana to be scared for a bit. However, Black Robe Mentalist just kept a straight look on her face.

"I'm grateful, Pinkie isn't here." said Isaac as he shivered a bit as they encountered some kind of horrifying food monster in the haunted house. He could only imagine what she would do if she saw it.

"You're telling me." said Mana as she too was a bit frighten.

"Ehh." said Black Robe Mentalists as she gave a shrug.

"That didn't scare you." said the young master.

"I've seen scarier stuff in my books." said Isaac's magician. "Besides, I don't do fear."

"Well, good thing we've got other stuff for you to enjoy." said Isaac. He was about to suggest something when he saw Mana pull out a white stone as it began to flash.

"What?!!" shouted Mana.

"NOW!!" shouted a voice from it as it sounded like it belonged to Isaac's Dark Magician.

"You're no fun, Mahad!" shouted Mana as she put the stone back into her mini skirt. "Seems Mahad needs my help with some spirits. He knows this my was suppose to be my night with you, I told him not to call me. Sorry, Isaac but I need to take care of it or else Mahad is gonna start yelling." said Mana as she made a portal open in front of her. "I'll be back as quick as I can."

"No worries, Mana. Be safe." said Isaac.

"He's going to pay for ruining my date with you." complained Mana as she entered the portal and went off to help her teacher.

"Well, that was unexpected." said Isaac as they were now down one party member. "But I think we still have fun.... and hey where are you going?"

"Home." said Black Robe Mentalist as she started to levitate away. "I've got books to read and demons to cast."

"Come on!" yelled out Isaac as he managed to stop in front of his magician. "The night's only started. And we've barely done anything to get you to have fun. Give me a chance at least."

"I did. And you failed, now keep your end of the bargain and leave me alone."

"We've only gotten started. Just give me time." pleaded Isaac.

Black Robe Mentalist looked at Isaac as she examined his face. She didn't know what compelled her to listen to her master's wishes, but seeing as how he was going out of his way to give her a 'fun time', she at least thought it fair to make her judgement after he ran out of options.

"Fine." groaned the goth girl as she hovered in a direction with Isaac following her.

And so the two went off as Isaac was determined to get his magician to come out of her shell. One thing that Isaac thought might get his magician to smile was a Halloween scavenger hunt that was about to start. Seeing as she was a mentalist and you had to figure out what each riddle meant. He thought she would enjoy solving these tiny puzzles; well, he was partially right cause once they got their list of things to find and their clues were given, it took them but 20 minutes for them to finish. Mostly cause Isaac's magician got it right away and then used her magic to make the stuff appear. Isaac just smiled and nodded when they presented the stuff to the overseer as he was impressed by how quickly they finished everything. Isaac just joked about it, but was a bit disappointed that she used her skills and magic to get this over with.

The next thing Isaac tried to get his magician to smile was bobbling for apples. All the while, Black Robe Mentalist just kept her same straight face as she watched her master make a fool of himself. After about 3 tries, Isaac finally managed to get an apple into his mouth as his hair was soaked. She then snapped her fingers as it got the boy's hair all dried up and back to its proper place. Isaac then allowed her to take a try to which she just approached the bucket of apples and looked at it. She then pulled down her hoodie as it allowed others to see her true face as she lowered her head into the bucket and immediately she had one as she used her magic to make it appear in her mouth. She then spat it out as she put her hoodie back on. She still held the same expression as Isaac was now even more determined to get her to smile.

After that, they tried several other games that Isaac thought would help lighten the mood, but it seemed she didn't care much about them as she often used her magic to win the games without anybody noticing except Isaac. Even all the food that was being served didn't help as she just ate it with a straight face; one thing Isaac did find out about his magician was rather shocking.

"What?!" said Isaac.

"I don't like sweets." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Nonsense! Nobody can resist something so delicious and sugary. Try it." asked Isaac as he had pieces of candy in his hand.

"No. I don't like sweets." stated Isaac's magician as she began to leave as Isaac ate the candy himself as he chased after her.

"Is it over? Cause I have other things I could be doing." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"The night is still young." said Isaac as he was trying to keep up with his magician which was hard as she was levitating faster than he could run.

"Professor?" said a voice.

"Huh?"

Isaac then turned to see who the voice belonged to as it was Amber who was accompanied by Penny as the two of them were in costumes. Amber was dressed as her Lunalight Emerald Bird while Penny was dressed as one of her Blackwing monsters.

"Surprised seeing you here." said Amber.

"How is that surprising?" said Penny.

"Oh, girls. Nice to see you." stated Isaac. "Cool costumes."

"Thanks." said Penny. "Who's the girl you're with? Are you cheating on professor Twilight?"

"NO!" shouted Isaac as everybody around them all turned their head to him before they went back to doing their own thing. "No, this is... my cousin's sister." said Isaac.

"Your cousin's sister?" asked Amber.

"Yeah... her name is... Raven." said Isaac as he did his best to put on his best fake smile. "She and her sister are visiting from out of town, so I invited them to come enjoy the festival at school. However, her sister had to take care of somethings so she left her with me so that I can show her a good time."

"Really?" asked Amber as she was looking at Isaac's Black Robe Mentalist.

"Against my will, I might add." She then looked at Penny as she took in the young girl's outfit. "Cool costume kid, love the black."

"It's bad isn't." said Penny. "And I love the dark cloak, giving me lonely vibes."

"So where are the others?" asked Amber.

"Well, Twilight and the girls are at Applejack's farm as they wanted to hang out. I was going to join them, but as you can see, something else came up. So I told them to go on without me; I've been trying to get her to come out of her shell." said Isaac.

"Well, how about this?" said Amber as she led the four of them to another stand that was set up for the festival.

"Here they have several material that you can use to make a Halloween Feel Box." said Amber.

"What the hell is a Halloween Feel Box?" asked Penny.

"Basically you have your box to decorate and then you fill it up with items that are cold, slimy, or otherwise unpleasant to touch, such as cooked spaghetti or peeled grapes. Then people stick their hands in the boxes and try to guess what the items are." explained Amber.

"Sounds intriguing. Well, care to try with me." asked Isaac.

"Does it look like I have a choice?" said Black Robe Mentalist as she and her master approached one of the table.

Isaac then began to decorate the box using the materials as he did it to the best of his ability to make it look presentable.

"Alright, now that the box is done. We just need to figure out what to put in." said Isaac as he looked at the stuff that they could put in their box.

"Done." said Black Robe Mentalist as she used her hands and casted a spell at the box.

"So... what did you put in there?" asked Isaac as he was a bit concerned.

"Alright, time to see what you guys have?" said one of the judges as they approached their table. He then reached his hand into the box as he immediately felt it both squishy and oozing. "Well, that's a strange sensation. Never felt anything like it. Soft, yet gooey, and also did it just move? What is it?"

"Fish eye and also Loxosceles reclusa." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"What?" said Isaac and the judge at the last part mentioned by the goth magician.

"Brown Recluse Spider." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Spider!?!" shouted the judge as he pulled out a literal fish eye as it was covered in goo and it actually blinked at him as it was still functioning. The spider was in the judge's hand as it then started to crawl up his arm as it was now on his shoulder. Soon it took a bit of the judge as he felt the effects of the bite.

"I... I... I... think..." said the judge as he fell on the floor.

"Oh, that's not good." said Isaac.

"That was fun." said Black Robe Mentalist as she still had a straight face.

"You didn't actually have to put real stuff in there. And is he going to be okay?" asked Isaac.

"All the other stuff bore me to death. No realism, plus I went light-hearted on what I put in the box." said Black Robe Mentalist. "And for him, he'll be fine. The venom will be give some allergic reactions within the next few hours. But he'll be fine, in a few weeks."

"Few weeks?! We can't wait that long. Can't you cast a spell on him to fix all this?" asked Isaac.

"Yes." said Isaac's magician in a deadpanned tone.

"Then what are you waiting for, do it! I don't want a death on my conscience." demanded Isaac to which Black Robe Mentalist just used her hand to cast some magic as she managed to revive the judge back to full health and make him forget about what happened.

"What's going on? It's feels like I feel down." said the judge as he got up. "Anyways, congrats you both win first place." The judge then handed a blue ribbon and put it on the box as he walked away.

"You two won? Nice." said Penny.

"So what did you guys put in your box?" asked Amber as she was about to put her hand inside.

"Don't do that!" shouted Isaac.

"I'm not a child, professor." said Amber. "I can handle myself." Amber then stuck her hand into the box as she felt the contents of Isaac and his magician's box. "Huh, rubber spiders and fish eyes. Funny, it feels so real."

"Huh?" said Isaac as he decided to stick his own hand into the box and to Amber's statement, all the stuff that was there before was now replaced with rubber stuff. Though to her credit, it felt like Isaac was actually holding the real thing. Well, minus the venom bite. He then turned to look at his magician.

"You're welcome." said Black Robe Mentalist as she started to walk away.

The next place Amber and Penny brought the pair to was an open stage where people were reading poems about Halloween. Isaac figured this might be a good idea, seeing as how his magician often read her spellbooks, she might like a bit of poetry, especially from some of the famous writers that his world had to offer. They all sat and listen, Isaac looked at his magician to see if she was having fun to which she kept a straight face. Soon they switched over to telling scary stories, as they wanted to give people some fright. One by one, people came up to the stage as they did their best to tell their story and try to give people a scare. While most of the stories were mediocre, they did send some chills down people's spines.

Isaac decided that he should have his Black Robe Mentalist go up and tell her own tale seeing as she probably had her stories to tell. She just shrugged as she approached the stage and tapped the mic as she got everybody's attention.

"Seems we have another person who wants to share." said one of the overseers as he and everybody else got comfy to listen.

Isaac was on stage with his magician as he wanted to provide moral support as he gave her a thumbs up. Black Robe Mentalist just rolled her eyes as she used her mind to create some special effects that allowed a visual for her tale.

She then cleared her throat. "The air was cold... the night skies black over the city. Many of the citizens slept on high alert (Or not at all), the rest rioting the streets due to the horrid events of..."

Everybody was shitting their pants when they heard the story by Isaac's magician. Normally the kids would have nightmares, but the story being told by Black Robe Mentalist was giving the adults nightmares. Not to mention the visuals created by Isaac's magician added more imagery that was going to be engraved in people's minds that would result in sleepless nights.

"The end." said Black Robe Mentalist as she finished her tale. There was silence as nothing but the wind blew. "Boo." she said in a soft tone.

"AHHH!!!!" shouted everybody as they all booked it and left in a trail of dust.

"That's some scary shit!!!" said Isaac as he too was a bit terrified.

After having sometime to cool off from the story told by his magician, they soon met up with Amber and Penny. They had been at the dessert table as Amber was stuffing her face with cake as fast she could.

"Mmmm! Ahh yes! These are the moments I live for!" said Amber as she was eating the sweet treat.

"I don't understand you." said Penny as she amazed the girl who was but younger than her not only had an appetite when it came to cake, but why she tried to hide it from other people knowing about it. She then tried to eat her own piece while watching Amber eat hers.

Isaac had gotten a piece for himself and gave one to his magician as he tried to get her to try a bite. While Isaac was turned around for a second, Black Robe Mentalist quickly gave it to a kid that was passing by as she told him it was a gift.

"So, Raven?" said Amber as she addressed Isaac's magician. "How did you like the cake? I bet you ate it, didn't you? I knew it was irresistible. What was the experience like? I'm curious, from a research perspective."

"I don't know. I didn't eat it. I gave it to some kid."

Amber spat out the food she had in her mouth as she heard the response from Isaac's monster. "You...gave it to some...undeserving child?!" shouted the young girl.

"We've been over this. I don't like sweets."

"Cake is not a 'sweet'. Cake is the divine essence of the heavens!" stated Amber as she was trying to justify her point.

"Why do I feel like Principal Celestia would agree with that statement." said Isaac as he took a bite of his own plate.

"Everyone has their own tastes." said Isaac's mentalist.

"That's true, but life without cake is no life at all. Your divisiveness regarding cake is inexcusable." said Amber.

"I'm not sure why you're so fixated on this." said Isaac's magician as she was impressed by how passionate Amber was for being so young.

"I simply can't resist the spongy magnificence of cakes. I don't understand how you can be so dispassionate about it."

"I don't know. I just don't like it."

"Just try a bite. Come on. Open up!" Amber then tried to feed a piece to Isaac's magician.

"No. I already told you, I don't want it." stated the goth spellcaster.

"But this one is made with care and attention—love even. Plus, it's light on the sugar."

"Not light enough, I'd bet." said Isaac's magician as she made a remark. "If I eat this, will you stop bothering me?"

"More or less. Just don't give it to some silly child this time." said Amber and she and Penny left.

"Let's get this over with." groaned the teen sorcerer as she reluctantly took a piece of the treat and used her power to lift the spoon to her mouth and ate it.

Isaac watched this interaction from his monster. "Well?" said Isaac with a hopeful smile.

"What?" said his monster.

"Seriously? Nothing." stated the boy.

"It was edible." said Black Robe Mentalist as she used her magic to whisk away the cake as she floated away with Isaac following her with his head down.

Eventually the two made it to the center of the festival as soon a noise was heard. Both looked to where it was coming from and it appeared to be some Zombie Warrior spirits who were starting to tear down some of the stands.

"Trouble, I should have expected this." said Isaac as he turned his duel disk on as it projected a gold card tray. "Time to send these spirits packing. Queen's, King's, and Jack's Knight!" said Isaac as he summoned his three royal knights as they stood in front of their master and charged forward to deal with the many spirits as they all started to trade swords while blocking each other's attacks.

Black Robe Mentalist soon got involved as she mindlessly hovered to the battle as she put her hands out and was blasting the monsters with ease as they crumbled into piles of bone and were defeated.

"How about a bit more help? Arcana Triumph Joker, Imperial Bower and Joker's Knight." said Isaac as he showed off some new cards of his deck as he summoned three more monsters with one of them being made up of two soldiers.

The new monsters then acknowledged Isaac as their new master as they too charged forward and got in on the action as they began to brawl with the enemy. While this was happening, the people around them watching all decided to take a seat as they believed this to be a part of the entertainment. After a good chunk of time, Isaac and his monsters had managed to repel the rest of the undead warriors as they all ran back into the portal they came out of as they returned back to the spirits world as it closed up behind them with a zipper sound effect.

"Man, are these new cards awesome!!" shouted Isaac as he loved the power his new monsters brought.

"What a show!!" shouted one of the individuals who watched the interaction.

"Huh?" was Isaac's response.

"My word, those were some cool effects. How did they make those skeleton costumes so real?" asked a women as she was clapping.

"I'm amazed as well, this looks like a real arm." said a women as she picked up an skeleton arm that belonged to one of the monsters.

"Uh, thank you. Thank you." said Isaac as he tried to play along with the crowd. "We hope to see you next year." said Isaac as he gave a bow to which his monsters did the same as they followed their master's movements. They then all returned back to Isaac's deck as only his Black Robe Mentalist remained. Isaac looked at her as she still had an unamused look on her face. Isaac just let out a sigh of defeat as the festival was soon over.

Isaac was on the roof of Canterlot High as he was sitting on the edge with his magician hovering next to him.

"Well, this night didn't go as planned." said Isaac.

"I predicted this." said Black Robe Mentalist as she soon sat down next to her master.

"I just thought that I could finally get you to come out of your shell. But I guess I couldn't." said Isaac as he put his head down. "I'm sorry I failed and I wasted your time." Isaac then stood up as he started to make his way to the stairs. "I'm man of my word, I'll leave you alone."

"Wait." said Black Robe Mentalist. "I had fun."

"What?" Isaac now stopped in his tracks as he turned back to look at his magician as she was still sitting on the edge of the building overlooking the place and staring straight forward as she talked.

"I had fun. I thought this night was going to be a drag and it was. But... seeing how determined you were in trying to make me interact with others and come out of my shell is admirable." said Isaac's sorcerer. "Not many people are, stubborn, annoying, self-centered,..."

"I feel like there's a 'but' coming." said Isaac.

"... idiotic, naïve, manipulative,..."

"Okay, you can stop anytime now?" said Isaac as his magician kept going on.

"...irritating, ignorant, headstrong..." continued Black Robe Mentalist.

"Not making feel better about myself." shouted the boy.

"... difficult, demanding, reckless..."

"I get it!" yelled Isaac as he put his head down.

"Determined." said Black Robe Mentalist as it caused the boy to lift his head.

"You're determined. You're willing to do whatever it takes to make those around you smile, even it costs your own happiness." said his magician as she soon hovered with her magic as she was now standing in front of her master. "I respect that about you. Which is why it was fun seeing you try so hard to get me to smile. And I thank you." smiled Black Robe Mentalist.

"You're smiling." said Isaac as he was shocked. "Holy shit, you're actually smiling."

"I could take it all back, right now." said his magician.

'No, no. It's okay. I'm just surprised that you had fun." said the boy.

"Well, I'll admit causing the judge to be paralyzed was amusing. So was scaring the others with my story. And the battle did allow me to have some fun." said Isaac's mentalist.

"And the cake?"

"It was satisfying and lightweight. I imagine it would be quite useful as a battlefield provision." said Isaac's magician.

"Not the compliment that Amber would like, but better than nothing." said Isaac. "And I won't tell anybody about it."

"I know you won't. It's not like you; I see why the others girls and female magicians all like you. Apart from your annoying side, you actually provided fun in the boring of scenarios." Once again she managed to smile as she looked at Isaac.

Isaac then raised his hand as he took off the hood of his Black Robe Mentalist as he wanted to see her hidden face with his own eyes.

"I meant what I said the other day, you're really pretty."

"Can you say stuff like that given you're in a relationship?" asked the goth girl.

"So? Just because I have a girlfriend, doesn't mean I can't give compliments to a girl's beauty. It's like saying you love someone, sure you normally say that to the special person in your heart. But you can also can say it and not have it be romantic. You don't need to be my special someone for me to say this. As my friend, I love you and I think you're beautiful. Same with the girls and all my female monsters." said Isaac as he had a smile on his face.

"You really mean that?"

"I do." said the boy.

"Thanks, master."

"You don't have to address me by that title. Only Mahad does that; just call me by my name. I treat you guys like my friends not my servants, even if that is our roles."

"Thanks, Isaac." smiled Black Robe Mentalist. She then brought her left hand to touch Isaac's cheek as she pressed her forehead to Isaac's as she closed her eyes.

Isaac was surprised by this when suddenly he felt the magic of his Black Robe Mentalist surging through him as his eyes widen. She was looking through Isaac's subconscious as she detected something radiating off of her young master. Inside his mind, she was mediating as she tried to focus; soon images started to flow. One image was what appeared to be two duelists battling but they were all blacked out as she couldn't make out who they were. Another image came as it showed another shadow of a person as they were taking on what appeared to be a another dark image but it was also blacked out. Another image saw the shadow of a person walking forward towards a door as a white light came from it and soon engulfed the person.

"These visions, what are they? And what do they mean?" said Black Robe Mentalist as she was trying to pick her master's mind a bit more. "I must know, what the future holds for my master. Wait... I sense something..."

Now huge room was depicted as it was all white and in the center were some more shadowy figures as they all stood side by side as they stared at a door. Soon the door opened and coming in was another figure as they all raised their duel disk and prepared to fight.

"Ahh." said Black Robe Mentalist as she had finished her magic but kept her forehead pressed against Isaac and her hand on his cheek.

"What is it?" asked the boy.

"I'm... not sure. From your mind, I've seen visions of what appears to be things that have yet to aspire." said the goth girl in a concerning voice.

"Is it bad?"

"I can't say. For some reason, my magic can't pernitrate your mind's defenses. It's like your mind is resisting my powers, or better yet a force greater than me is purposely blocking my view. But all I could see what shadows, followed by black and eventually darkness." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Is that all? Is there no upside?" asked Isaac.

"Hmm." Black Robe Mentalist then closed her eyes as she accessed the boy's mind which lasted for a few seconds. "There appears to be a while light... but that's all I can make out. To what it means, I don't know."

"Oh." said Isaac as the silence was now filling the air. It lasted for a few moments, before Isaac spoke again. "Well, I'm sure everything will be alright in the end. It has too be."

"I guess." said the sorcerer as she removed herself from Isaac's touch.

"Now come on, it's getting late. We need to head home." said Isaac as he started to head towards the stairs.

"Or we could do this." said Black Robe Mentalist as she used her hands and teleported both her and Isaac back to his room.

"Oh, right. I probably should have asked you to do that." smiled Isaac sheepishly. Soon a portal was opening up in his room as out emerged Mana.

"Great! I had to help Mahad and I end up missing the whole night! Why do spirits always have to ruin everything!?" pouted Mana. "I didn't get to enjoy our date."

"It's fine, Mana. I'll tell you about once we leave." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Huh. I didn't notice you, girlfriend. You actually have your hood down." Mana then realized what that meant. "Does that mean you were able to get her to open up, Isaac?"

"More or less." said their master.

"Anyways, the night's about to be over and the barrier is about to close." said Black Robe Mentalist as she approached the portal Mana came through. "See ya, Isaac. And thanks for tonight."

"My pleasure." stated the boy as his magician approached him.

"You're cute." said Black Robe Mentalist as she gave Isaac a peck on his cheek. "And I love you too." She then put her hood back up as she stepped through the portal and was gone.

"Isn't he?" smiled Mana as she planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek as well. "Wait up, girlfriend. I want to hear the story." stated Mana as the portal now sealed behind her as it closed.

Soon Isaac looked at his watched as it let out a beep as it read midnight. He then pulled out his deck as he took out his Dark Magician Girl card and saw Mana give him a wink to show she made it back safe. Isaac then pulled out his pendulum card as he saw his Black Robe Mentalist and observed her artwork to see if she was alright. Isaac stared heavily at her picture as she was displaying her magic with a serious look. Soon the expressed changed for just a second as she had a smile on her face as her the hood of her cloak was pulled down; it then changed back to her original art. With that Isaac let out a smile of his own which was soon followed by a yawn as he decided to head off to bed.

Chapter 159: School Duties

"God... why is this so hard?" asked Isaac as he was faced with a dilemma. It was currently Saturday night as the girls and Spike were out, which meant Isaac was in the house by himself. Which was needed as he was currently trying to figure some stuff out.

"What am I missing?" asked Isaac as he was sitting on the couch as he had a ton of cards spread out in front of him on the small table. He brought his hand up to his eyes as he could feel them starting to slowly close as he was tired from exhaustion. "Alot of things are riding on this, and if I can't figure it out, then all this work will be for nothing. Alright, let's look over these one more time." Isaac then let out a stressful sigh as he started to pick up the cards as his brain was now going into overtime in trying to figure out how to use them.

Isaac was so deep in thought that it was soon nighttime before he knew it as he was so engrained in the task in front of him. Eventually, the lack of sleep was starting to affect the young boy as he rubbed his eyes. He then thought about catching a quick nap for just a few minutes so that he could refocus his brain. With that Isaac slowly laid down on the couch with his cap covering his eyes as he slowly felt his eyes close. He was more tired than he expected as Isaac wound up outright falling asleep until the next morning.

The sun was now coming up on the morning as it peaked through the living room windows as a gentle breeze caused the curtains to flutter a bit. Soon the rays of the morning star peaked through as Isaac felt them as he slowly stirred.

"Morning? Don't tell me I fell asleep, when I have stuff to figure out." said Isaac as he still had his cap covering his eyesight. "That's weird, for some strange reason the couch feels nice, and warm, not too mention soft." Isaac then slowly lifted his cap over his eyes as he immediately blinked at the sight in front of him. Isaac was still lying down, but the sight that he was looking up at was a large object, rather two large objects as Isaac gulped. They were big and round, as Isaac could them bounce a bit with a boing sound. "Uhh, melons?" said Isaac as he was sweating a bit.

"Good, you're awake." said a voice which was none other than Twilight. She was currently holding Isaac's head in her lap as she looked at her boyfriend. "Figured you wanted something soft to rest your head on since you spent nearly all night staying up."

"Uhh, Twilight? Why is your... uh... your... your... bossom... uhm... uhm..." Isaac was trying to find the right words to properly describe the situation he was in, which was harder to do as he tried to look to his side.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight.

"You know, it's impolite to stare at a girl without her permission." said Isaac as he still kept his head turned to the side as she tried to not look at Twilight's chest. "At least that's what my mom told me."

"I respect that. But I'm your girlfriend, so I don't mind." said Twilight with a smug smile as she bent her head down and kissed Isaac as their lips connected. "Have a good nap."

"Somewhat." said Isaac as he got his head up from Twilight's lap and sat up as he looked at the cards on the table. "I've gone through half the stack, but even that took a while. And I still have yet to actually test them out." stated the boy as he reached over and picked up some cards in his hand.

"Don't put some much pressure on yourself." said Twilight as she put her head on Isaac's shoulder. "You've got alot on your plate with this program and me and the girls teaching the kids. Plus, we're graduating this year, so we need to enjoy our final year as high school students."

"I know. But don't forget that at end of the school year, the kids are going to be tested and whether the Board of Education is satisfied with the results, then that will determine if CHS will get the funds needed to make Duel Monsters a part of the curriculum." Isaac then let a sigh as all he could think of was the kids and whether or not they could be the key to helping CHS to flourish. "I've got so much on my mind and things I need to take care of, that I'm worried that I don't have enough time to finish it all."

"I get it, but if you spend all that time worrying, it'll be over before you know it. This is our last year, we're suppose to enjoy it. Make some last memories before we all go our separate ways." informed Twilight. "We'll going to be following our own paths, which is why we need to have somethings we can look back on."

"I see your point. But just that, this is something that I want to make sure it works. The kids are doing their part, along with you and the girls." informed Isaac as he started to put together a stack of cards that was pretty thick as he set it to the side. "Alright, those will be the cards I'm giving to you all and the students to help further their studies."

"What about that box?" said Twilight as she noticed a small black box next to Isaac.

"That's forbidden." said Isaac as he quickly put it in his pocket. "Sorry, but this one has a certain purpose behind it. Let's just say, that only I can look at what's inside."

"Why?" asked Twilight.

"I wish I could tell you, but I can't." said Isaac as he gave a quick kiss to Twilight as he grabbed his deck, a few other cards as he started to head back upstairs to his room as he put the small black box in his secret hiding place.

It was another school day as the students were currently in class. They were currently waiting for their teacher to show up to begin today's lesson. Soon the door opened up as the students stopped conversing as the person that stood in the doorway was none other than Principal Celestia.

"Good afternoon, class. I will be filling in as substitute teacher today!" said Celestia as her response and appearance caused some mumbles to stir with the class. As for Twilight she was sitting at the front of the class as she had a huge smile on her face as she almost fell out of her desk in excitement.

"Oh, this is so cool!" whispered a student.

"This is quite the treat for me." said Celestia as she let out a sigh. "I love being your principal here at Canterlot High, but I do miss my old teaching days sometimes. Let's get started on the geology lesson, shall we? Who can name the three types of rocks?"

Twilight immediately raised her hand in excitement as she was smiling. Just as Celestia was about to call on Twilight to answer the question, the P.A. system went off.

"Principal Celestia, please report to the library!" said Ms. Cheerilee through the speaker.

"I'm sure it can wait till after—"

"Immediately!" said Cheerilee through the speaker.

"I'll be right back, students. Twilight, you're in charge 'til I return." said Celestia as she left to take care of the issue.

Sometime had passed as the clock was ticking, Twilight was currently leaning against the teacher's table as she was reading the book that Principal Celestia had brought with her to teach the class. The door then opened up as in walked Celestia; Twilight then put the book down as she went back to her desk.

"So sorry about that. Now, uh, where were we?" asked Celestia as she was trying to remember her lesson. "Ah, yes. Who can name the three types of—"

Twilight immediately put her hand up as she was looking to answer until a knock came from the door.

"Eh, itty-bitty cafeteria crisis. You got a minute?" said the person who was Granny Smith.

"Uh, of course." said Celestia with a distressed sigh as she looked up at the clock.

Some more time had passed, as Principal Celestia had walked back through the door as she was wearing an apron with food splats on it as her hair was messed up and frizzled. She then made her way to the teacher's desk as she tried to untie the apron she was wearing, but she couldn't. Eventually she got fed up and just took the whole thing off of her as she placed it on the table with a deep breath as she tried to refocus.

"Now, let's try this again. Who can—" Celestia was now interrupted by a thud sound.

"Who can—" Another thud interrupted her.

"—name—" Once more the thud got louder.

"—the—" Celestia now had enough as the thud kept bothering her.

"I'll be right back." said Celestia as right eye twitched a bit. She then went to deal with the problem.

The noise was actually coming from a soccer ball being hit against the side of the school. And the person who was doing it was none other than Rainbow Dash who had decided to skip class to practice her soccer skills.

"One, two!" said Rainbow as she kicked the ball. On the second bounce it went higher than expected as it flew over Rainbow's head and was soon caught out of mid-air by Celestia who caught it in one hand and gave a glare at the chromatic girl. "Uh..." laughed Rainbow nervously. After a brief talking, Rainbow Dash made it back to her class as Celestia did the same by slamming the soccer ball on the desk.

"Okay, who knows the three types—" started Celestia as Twilight once again raised her hand. This time it was the school telephone ringing on the wall as it caused Celestia to be really irked. Her eye began to twitch even more as she picked up the phone and cleared her voice as she tried to answer it casually and avoid sounding angry.

"[garbled gibberish]" spoke the voice on the other line.

"You're sure Vice Principal Luna can't handle it?" said Celestia with a stressful sigh.

"[garbled gibberish]"

"I'll be right there." stated Principal Celestia as she let out a sigh with a bit of sadness and tiredness on her face. "Won't be but a moment!" joked Celestia as she went to take care of the issue.

"I'm back!" shouted Celestia as she slid into the room with a look. "And I'm quite certain that will be the final interruption. Ha! Now, who—" said Celestia as the school bell rang which signaled the end of the class as she flopped down on the teacher's desk and groaned.

"She was right about one thing. That was the final interruption!" said Rarity as she and Twilight were walking out of their class as they heard some frustrated noises coming from their principal who put her head down on the wooden table.

Twilight quickly looked at her principal wondering if she should do something to cheer her up. She then looked at the doorway as she saw someone and then left the room. Principal Celestia still had her head down on the table as a shadow appeared over her.

"I'm not in the mood for one of your witty remarks." said Celestia as she already knew who the person was.

"Talk about being in two places at once." said Isaac.

"I told you, I didn't want to hear any remark." groaned Celestia as she lifted her head up to see the boy as he stood there with a smile on his face. "I forgot, that being a principal means that I need to be on my toes for anything to happen."

"You're not the only one." said Isaac as he pointed to the door. Soon Vice-Principal Luna came through as she too had her hair frizzled and was exhausted as she had her own problems to take care of.

"Sister." groaned Vice-principal Luna as she too flopped her head on the teacher's desk.

"Don't get me started, Lulu."

"You two girls, need some help." said Isaac as he watched the sisters all give a noise. "With all the issues you girls have in running a school, it's no wonder you've left any problems that need to be settled with students to be settled in a duel. That way it's fair for both parties and takes a ton of weight off of your shoulders."

"Indeed." said both women as they had their faces still stuck to the table.

"Sometimes I miss the days when we were pros and all we had to worry about was who our next opponent was." said Celestia.

"Yes, especially all the times, my sister lost and made a fool of herself." stated Luna.

"Don't think you're a saint, either Luna." replied back Luna. "Did you forget about that you were once jealous that I won the Yugioh World Class trophy?"

"Yes, I would be jealous. If I didn't win the Favorite Female Duelist of the Decade award? Remember that, hmmm." smiled Luna smugly.

"As if I would jealous of you." said Celestia.

"Oh, really. Are you saying you can't be jealous of me." stated Luna.

"That's not what I said." stated the older sister.

"I can think of a couple of reasons ."

"Such as." said Celestia.

"Mom and dad, told you all your life how happy they were in giving in your deck so that you wouldn't feel jealous that they gave me a better one and more popular." said Luna with a sly smile as Celestia looked at her little sister with a look.

"That's absurd!" shouted the older sister.

"You don't think so." said the younger sister.

"Okay this is getting tense. How about a duel?" asked Isaac. "Something to get your mind off of things and let out all the stress." Isaac's response then got the girls to lift their heads as they looked at their student. Both sisters then looked at each other as they gave a shrug.

Now all three of them were outside on the soccer field as they prepared for their encounter.

"So, who goes first?" asked Celestia.

"Why not both of you?" suggested Isaac. "I always did want to see how the two of you worked together."

"Well, I did carry most of my sister's career." snickered Luna which got Celestia to give her a dirty look.

"Let's forget who won the trophy, Lulu." snickered back Celestia as Luna now gave her older sister a dirty look.

"Yes, because I was busy winning a better one." replied Luna.

"Well, the only reason I retired is cause I had a school to run." fired back Celestia.

"Keep telling yourself that, Tia." said Luna as she and Celestia began to get into another sibling argument as Isaac just watched them from afar.

"Oh, this should be fun." said Isaac as he pulled out his deck from his belt. He then slotted it into his duel disk as it activated and projected a gold card tray.

Luna and Celestia then did the same as they pulled out their decks and their duel disks came online with Luna projecting a moderate sapphire blue card tray, while Celestia's had a card tray that matched her rainbowish hair. Both sisters then stood side by side as they prepared to take on their student. All three of their duel disks beeped and a digital voice came from it.

“Initiating handicap duel, awaiting opponent confirmation.” The portraits shifted, positioning Isaac on one side of the screen and Celestia and Luna on the other.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks as the battle was about to get underway.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Celestia's Life Points: 8000-

Luna's Life Points: 8000-

"I know they say youth before experience, but I what to see what you girls can do as a team. So you both can make the first move." said Isaac.

Turn 1: Celestia

"Careful what you wish for, Isaac. Keep in mind, we both may be retired, but our skills are still as sharp as ever." stated Celestia as she drew her card. "I'll begin by summoning my Bountiful Artemis(1600/1700)." Celestia then played her card as out emerged her monster who wore a blue cloak and had white wings. "I'll then play my field spell card, The Sanctuary in the Sky. Thanks to this, all battle damage that I take will be reduced to zero. And to add more insurance, I'll play my continuous spell card, The Sanctum of Parshath and with this in play, you can't target any of our set spells or trap cards." informed Celestia.

"Already starting me off with a challenge, Celestia." said Isaac with a sly smile.

"I told you, just because we're retired, doesn't mean we haven't been sitting on our asses with our skills. But enough for now, I'll end my turn. Lulu, care to show Isaac what happens for taking both of us on at the same time."

"With pleasure, Tia." smirked Luna.

Turn 2: Luna

"Now then, my draw." said Luna as she drew her card and looked to help her sister in taking down their student. "This should look familiar, dear Isaac. I play two more cards facedown." stated the younger sister as two more facedowns materialized on her and Celestia's field.

"That can't be good." mumbled Isaac to himself.

"Then I'll play a continuous spell card, Phantom Knights' Spear. Now each time you activate a card or effect that targets my 'Phantom Knights', I can immediately deal you 500 points of damage." informed Luna. "So tell me, Isaac. Do you really regret taking on me and my sister?" Both sisters then had a fierce and determined look on their faces as they looked at their student.

Turn 3: Isaac

"Well, that depends. I mean, I didn't retire the both of you for nothing." replied Isaac with his smug smile as his remark really got to the sisters. "But maybe I need to prove it again, draw! You two did a real good job in setting up your field, normally anybody else in my position would struggle how to even approach it. But like I said, 'anybody else'; well, I'm not that. Watch, cause to start off, I play the spell card, Spell Shattering Arrow!" shouted Isaac as he held his card up high.

Soon an arrow appeared as it then shot out from Isaac's field as it split into three separate shots as it took out some cards on Celestia and Luna's field.

"Impossible." said Celestia.

"Our defenses are gone." mentioned Luna as she was shocked that Isaac was able to defuse the situation with ease.

"Now the other effect of my Spell Shattering Arrow activates, in that I deal you 500 points of damage for each card that was destroyed by my spell." said Isaac.
Celestia's Life Points: 7000-

Luna's Life Points: 7500-

"Now I'll play Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600/1000) and equip him with Bound Wand." said Isaac as his monster rose up. "Now Breaker gains a spell counter which allows him to gain 300 attack points and then Bound Wand gives him more power due to his level times 100. So now my monster has 2300 attack points. So Breaker attack Bountiful Artemis!" shouted Isaac as his warrior then raised his sword and brought it down on Celestia's monster as he dealt even more damage.
Celestia's Life Points: 6300-

"What's wrong, girls? Retirement made you both slow." mocked Isaac as he was doing a couple of jumping jacks. "I thought you both were pros, oh wait, my bad. Former pros. If I knew you both were this soft, I would've challenged you both the day I enrolled at CHS." Isaac now switched to doing some pushups as he still had a smug expression on his face.

"Sister! He's mocking us." stated Luna as she gritter her teeth at how Isaac was acting.

"Indeed, sister!" responded Celestia as she started to put her hair in a bun as rolled up her sleeves. "Perhaps, we should stop holding back and show him why he's still our student."

"Oh, you were holding back. I thought you were actually trying." snickered Isaac. "I mean you two would know, seeing as how you're both legends yourself. I mean, I'm just the kid that beat you both and retired you two. But obviously, you both know what you're doing. You said so yourself, I'm just your student. Not like I know any better."

"He's also annoying." said Luna as she too was putting her hair in a bun as she cracked her neck.

"Then time to smack him around a bit."

"Ohh, did I touch a nerve old-timers. Well, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Celestia

"My turn!" sounded off Celestia as she was now fired up. "I summon Harvest Angel of Wisdom(1800/1000). Then place one card facedown and end my turn."

"That all?!" said Isaac.

Turn 5: Luna

"My draw! I'll play another card facedown and end my turn." said Luna as another card materialized in front of her.

Turn 6: Isaac

"Nothing new, such a shame." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in attack mode. And when she's summoned, I can draw an extra card." said Isaac as a kid girl magician appeared with a book in her hand as she opened it up and inside was a card that floated over to Isaac.

"Special delivery, Isaac." said Mage Annette.

"Thanks, Annette." said Isaac as he grabbed the card from his spellcaster. "Now Breaker strike down her Harvest Angel of Wisdom." shouted Isaac as his warrior then did another slash to Celestia's monster.
Celestia's Life Points: 5800-

"And now Mage Annette, take a shot at Vice-Principal Luna." shouted the boy as his kid magician raised her wand and began to fire her spell at the nighttime girl.

"I reveal my facedowns, remember this Isaac, my Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace. So now these two traps morph into monsters with 600 attack points, then it lowers your monster's attack points by 600 and since I have two that means your Mage Annette is down to 100 attack points." stated Luna as her facedowns flipped up and changed into monsters.

"Oh no! What will I do?" mocked Isaac as he looked at his hand and held a certain card. "Maybe this, by sending Apprentice Illusion Magician tot he graveyard, my Mage Annette gains a temporary 2000 attack and defense point boost, so looks you're still taking damage!" stated Isaac as he sent his card away and the power was then transferred to Mage Annette as she fired her spell at Luna and her monsters.

"Thanks to my other effect, my 'Phantom Knights' can't be destroyed in battle." said Luna as she put her arm up as she was pushed back by the boy's attack.
Luna's Life Points: 6000-

"So close, Luna. I was just one step ahead of you, like our last duel." said Isaac. "Come on, ladies. I thought you were pros, give me a decent challenge for crying out loud."

"Lulu?" asked Celestia as she bent down to check on her sister.

"I'm fine." said Luna as she wiped the scuff on her mouth as she was on one knee. "He thinks we're nothing more than ancient relics. Well time we show him who runs this yard."

"Agreed." confirmed Celestia as both of them now stood and gave heir student a hard glare.

"Are we finally seeing some fight from you ladies?" mocked Isaac.

Turn 7: Celestia

"My draw!" shouted Celestia. "I summon my Power Angel Valkyria(1800/1050)!" Out on Celestia's field came a female warrior dressed in white as she wielded a shield and a javelin. "Now I play the spell card, Ties of the Brethren. So I pay 2000 life points to target one Level 4 or lower monster on my field, so now I can summon 2 monsters from my deck that have the same type, attribute, and level at the monster I chose. So from my deck, come on out Minerva, Scholar of the Sky(1700/400) and Gellenduo(1700/0) who I'll summon in defense mode!" Celestia now had two other monsters appear on her field. "However, my Ties of the Brethren forbid me from attacking or special summoning any more. But I've done all I need, Lulu take it away!" stated Celestia as she set the stage for her sister.
Celestia's Life Points: 3800-

Turn 8: Luna

"Yes, dear sister!" shouted Luna as she drew her card. "Now Isaac, prepare yourself. I overlay my two Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace to build the Overlay Network!" Luna's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as they entered and a pillar of light appeared as her monster was being summoned. "Presenting a warrior who's bad to the bone, I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin(1600/0, OLU: 2)!" Out came a warrior that was all skeleton as it had flames coming out of its shoulders and had a shield in one hand with a javelin in the other.

"Hmm." said Isaac as he still had a straight look.

"Now I'll use my Cursed Javelin's effect, by using one overlay unit, I can strip away all the attack points and special abilities of a monster on your field, by why stop at one? I'll use both of my monster's overlay units to render both of your monsters useless." said Luna as her monster raised its javelin as it absorbed its Xyz materials and then pointed it at Isaac's field as his monsters were wiped out of their power.

"Now Cursed Javelin attack his Mage Annette!" shouted Luna as her monster took out Isaac's magician. Isaac just stood there as the attack didn't even faze him.
Isaac's Life Points: 6400-

"Now time for me to take out your Breaker with my sister's Power Angel Valkyria!" informed Luna as another monster took out Isaac's warrior as he still didn't flinch.
Isaac's Life Points: 4600-

"Now the effect of my Bound Wand activates, which means I can bring back the monster that it was equipped with." stated Isaac.

"Now this time, I reveal my facedown, Dark Bribe. So now your little spell's effect is negated and you draw one card." informed Celestia as she stopped Isaac from bring back his monster. "And now the effect of my Power Angel Valkyria activates, which means since I negated the activation of spell/trap card, I can now add 1 Light Fairy-type monster from my deck to my hand. And my Minerva, Scholar of the Sky activates its effect and since I activated a Counter trap card, it gains 500 attack points." informed Celestia as she and Isaac both added a card to their hand.

"Now Minerva, attack Isaac directly!" shouted Luna as she continued with the assault.
Isaac's Life Points: 2400-

"With that, I'll end my turn." said Luna as she and her Celestia both had a smile on their faces.

"What's the matter now, Isaac? Not talking." mocked Celestia. "Seems these 'old-timers' are still capable of taking care of ourselves."

"Indeed, we may be retired, but you still have a lot to learn about being a pro." informed Luna. "Maybe next time, you'll show us the respect we deserve."

"Ha, ha, ha! Ha, ha, ha!" laughed Isaac as he couldn't stop snickering. His response didn't go unnoticed by the sisters as they looked at their student with confused looks as he had his head down. Isaac then lifted his head up as she was smiling from ear to ear.

"He's smiling?" said Celestia.

"And laughing?" added Luna as she too was confused.

"Respect? Respect! I have a hell of alot of respect for the two of you." stated Isaac as he took a step forward as this caused the girls to be legit scared of Isaac. "What's the old saying, respect is earned? Well, you both earned my respect long ago. But there's another saying, the future is staring you in the face. You two claim that I'm still your student, take good long look cause not only am I not your student, I've surpassed both of you in more ways than you can imagine. You said so yourself Celestia, that you and Luna put all your investments in me to be the diamond that would shine. Well, I've done that and more. I've literally, have accomplished alot more than you two have before you both were in your prime. You both know it, don't you. And that's not me bragging, that's just the reality of things. Aren't I right?"

Celestia and Luna didn't outright say, but they looked at each other for a second as they knew what Isaac was talking about. And that gesture alone was enough to prove Isaac's point.

Turn 9: Isaac

"Hate to do this, to you ladies. But when it comes to Duel Monsters here at CHS, you both don't run this yard. I do!" Isaac then placed his hand on his deck as he closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he was channeling the demon inside of him as it and his soul were becoming one. "Draw!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card with a white light trailing behind it.

"Time to show you somethings that you both never learned. Something only taught to me, by certain people or rather legends." informed Isaac as that statement had more meaning behind it from all his special duels with certain people. "First up is my Pendulum Call. So I discard a card so that I can add 2 'Magician' Pendulum monsters from my deck to my hand. And the ones I'm adding is my Sleight of Hand Magician and Mirage Magician." said Isaac as he had his duel disk eject his cards. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 2 Sleight of Hand Magician and Scale 8 Mirage Magician, I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Sister?!" said Celestia as she looked at Isaac and for a second it looked like there was another person next to Isaac as she knew who it was.

"I sense it as well." said Luna as she knew what presence she felt radiating off of Isaac as the only other person to have that same aura was none other that the master of pendulum summoning himself.

"But before we get there, I'm activating my Card of Sanctity so that we each draw till we're holding 6 cards in our hands." said Isaac as he and the others refilled their hands. "Now time to put the plan in motion, so let's get to it! I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 3 through 7 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as lights came out of the giant portal above him.

"Sing us a melodious song, Enchantress of Melody(900/1800). Get ready to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4). Watch out, cause she's a bit of a jokester, meet my Black Arts Trickster(1200/2700, Scale 2, Level 3). Batten down the hatches, it's my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4). And lastly, the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" said Isaac as his star monster was now on the field.

"Incredible." said both sisters as they looked at the huge field of monsters that Isaac had managed to amass on his turn.

"Now time to get things underway. To start, I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability, since I have 5 monsters on my field, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." said Isaac as his options appeared in front of him. He then touched the card he wanted as it appeared in front for him to grab. "Thanks."

"Leave me alone." said Black Robe Mentalist as she was still her moody self. She then look at Isaac as she had a smile on her face so that only her master could see it.

"Now my Sorcerer Swordsman's ability activates, since he was Pendulum summoned, I can now lower one of your monsters attack points to zero." said Isaac as he looked at his male teen magician.

"Roger, captain." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he flicked the feather in his pirate hat as he plunged his sword into the ground as magical powers shot from it as Celestia's monster lost its power.

"Hey, Melody. Why don't we give your ability a try?" suggested Isaac as he looked at his Enchantress.

"I thought you would never ask me, Isaac." giggled Melody as she had her personal harp appear in her arms as she began to play a tune.

"My Enchantress of Melody allows me to roll a die and then I can either increase or decrease a monster's level by what number it lands on from 1-3." said Isaac as die appeared in his hand as he grabbed. Soon his Enchantress of Melody put her hand over her master's as she looked at him with a smile.

"Talk about having an ace up your sleeve." chuckled Sleight of Hand Magician as he pulled out his poker deck and began to use his fast hands as he began to shuffle the card and then pulled out the number 7 as he tossed the cards towards his comrades as they had their level changed to seven.

"He can do that?!" shouted Celestia and Luna as they were more shocked by what Isaac was doing. They then looked at Isaac as there was another spirit next to him as it was none other than the World Duel Carnival Champion.

"Now I'll overlay my now Level 7 Sorcerer Swordsman and Level 7 Black Robe Mentalist to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Isaac as both of his monsters then changed into dark orbs as they hovered in the air. Soon a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs disappeared inside as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon Illusion Magician(2500/2100, OLU: 2)!" Isaac's new monster appeared as he opened his eyes as he had his staff in his hands.

"Now I'll tune my Level 2 Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician. And since I'm using Dark Magician as synchro material, he counts as Level 6 instead of 7." Isaac's enchantress then played her harp once more as she turned into two giant green rings as they circled around the copy of his ace monster. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" stated the boy as his monster that he was summoning wore a white magician's robes as he had a staff with bits of stardust floating around it. Once more there was another spirit next to Isaac as it was Satellite's Shooting Star. "And when my Dark Sorcerer Magician is synchro summoned, he can destroy one spell or trap card on the field. So your facedown is gone." stated Isaac as Luna's final facedown was gone.

"Xyz and Synchro in one turn?" said Celestia.

"I fear he's not done, either sister." stated Luna.

"Now Black Arts Trickster, care to have some fun." smiled Isaac.

"Anything for you, cutie." said Black Arts Trickster as she winked at Isaac and then straight out her leather jacket as she snapped her fingers and made her wand appear. "My Black Arts Trickster's special ability allows me to send one of your monsters to the graveyard, so that I can bring back a monster from my graveyard for one turn. So say goodbye to your Power Angel Valkyria." Black Arts Trickster then twirled her wand as she made a magical box appear around Celestia's other monster. She then approached it as she gave a sexy wink to the audience and everybody as she pulled back the box and out came Isaac's Dark Magician.

"Good to have back, Mahad. Now time to do some more magic, cause now I'll play the spell card, Eye of Timaeus!" shouted Isaac as he held his card up high as a bright white light came from it. Now the next spirit appeared next to the boy as it was none other than the star pupil of Duel Academy. "I Fusion Summon! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500)!" Out emerged Isaac's monster as his magician rode on the back of Timaeus as he wielded a sword as it let out a roar.

"Then I'll play the final card in my hand, Bond Between Teacher and Student. The great Dark Magician has a disciple who can more than hold her own. Say hello to Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Isaac as now he had his ace female spellcaster as she appeared along side her comrades. "Now my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Twin Burst which I'll activate to give my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight a power boost, so it gains attack points equal to my Dark Magician Girl and since I currently have Dark Magician in my graveyard, she gets 300 extra attack points. So her total is 2300 and now my fusion monster has 5300 attack points. Then I'll reveal my final facedown, Eternal Soul and activate its effect to add Thousand Knives to my hand. And then play it since my Dark Magician the Dragon Knight counts as 'Dark Magician' while on the field, so with my spell, I'll destroy Gellenduo." stated Isaac as he managed to rid the field of Celestia's other monster as he now had a full entourage of all his monsters.

Both sister had their jaws dropped as they took in the sight before them. In just one turn, one turn. Isaac, their student, had managed to Pendulum summon, Xyz summon, Synchro summon, and Fusion summon. Not to mention the aura that was radiating off of the young boy resembled that of certain people that the sisters knew. While they couldn't physically see it, the spirits of all the legendary duelists that Isaac had faced up to this point were standing behind him as they had determined looks on their faces as they too were observing the boy. Well, almost all of them.

"The future is me!" said Isaac to his principals. "Dark Magician the Dragon Knight attack her Minerva, Scholar of the Sky!" shouted Isaac as his monster delivered a powerful blast as it took her monster out with ease.
Celestia's Life Points: 700-

"Black Arts Trickster finish Celestia off!" shouted Isaac as his pendulum monster pointed her wand at the boy's principal as she fell onto her back.

"Ahh!" stated Celestia as she was flung back onto the grass.
Celestia's Life Points: 0-

"Sister!" said Luna as she was shocked.

"Dark Sorcerer Magician attack her Cursed Javelin. And since my monster is battling another monster, it cut your monster's attack points in half and gains that amount. So now he gains 800 more attack points." said Isaac as his synchro spellcaster took out Luna's final monster and left her defenseless.
Luna's Life Points: 3500-

"And now Dark Magician Girl and Ebon Illusion Magician, attack her directly and end this duel!!" shouted Isaac as his two other spellcasters smiled and put their staffs together as they created a ball of energy and then fired it at Luna who tired to put her arms up but was then thrown back onto the ground with her sister.
Luna's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The battle ended and the sisters laid on the grass as they were defeated. Soon both of them began to stir as they sat up and looked at each other. They then saw Isaac approached them as he smiled and offered his hands to his principal. For that moment, between the three of them, everything was being told. Their eyes, and how they stared at each other, all of it explained everything without having to say any words. So the sisters grabbed Isaac's hands as he helped them to their feet.

"You're right, you're no longer our student." said Celestia.

"You truly are better than the both of us." stated Luna.

"Thanks, I'll miss you both." said Isaac.

After that meaningful moment, Isaac decided to help the sisters to relax from their tedious school duties. So he offered to take them out to do something fun.

"Pray tell, how is this suppose to help us?" stated Luna.

"What, you never played miniature golf before?" asked Isaac as they got on the course.

"Well, she only plays golf on her computer." snickered Celestia as she made fun of her sister for being a gamer and not actually stepping out of her room.

"Shut up, Tia!" sounded Luna. "I'll have you know that I'm ranked 15th overall in Golf-It." stated Luna.

"There's a difference between the real thing and staring at your screen, Lulu." replied Celestia.

"Well, time to play." said Isaac as he started the game. He then was the first to step to the first hole as he concentrated and used his golf club to put the ball. It took a first few tries to get it in the hole, but he eventually got it in. "5 strokes, not good but not bad either."

After that, Celestia and Luna then did their turn at the activity as Luna managed to get it in three shots, while Celestia took 7 strokes and that was only the first hole. So for the rest of the afternoon, Isaac and the sisters enjoyed a rowdy game of golf as the girls were too distracted to worry about their duties as principals. One highlight of the game, was that Luna wanted to do a trickshot that she was able to do when she played online as she figured it would work. It didn't as her ball was now in the water.

"It should have worked!!" shouted Luna as she was upset.

"Real life physics is different from video games, sister!" mocked Celestia with a smug smile on her face.

Luna was anger that Celestia was making fun of her that she broke her golf club in two.

"I better watch myself." said Isaac as he thought it best to stay out of the way between the two sisters and their sibling disagreements.

And so it went as the trio continued with their little activity, soon the scores were tallied as Isaac had been keeping track with a piece of paper as both he and Luna had managed to tie as during the last hole, Isaac had luck on his side as he managed to score the ball with the recommended par. Celestia however came in last place as she was behind by a score of 17. Now it was Celestia's turn who broke her golf club in anger as she threw it on the floor as Luna snickered and made fun of her sister for sucking. The day ended as the sun was setting and the trio exited the golf course as the sisters had a smile on their faces.

"Thank you, Isaac. We really needed something to take our minds off of our responsibilities." said Celestia.

"My pleasure, Celestia. Everybody needs to cool off every now and then." said the boy as he tipped his cap.

"Seems video games actually pay off, sister." snickered Luna as Celestia gave her a dirty look. She then turned her attention back to their student as she let out a sigh. "Isaac, do you remember the final moments of our duels?" asked Luna as she looked at herself and Celestia.

"Yeah." replied the boy as he began to remember.

(Flashback)

"It's time." said Celestia. She then dropped to her knees as she looked at Isaac. "Do it."

Isaac was now trembling as he was struggling to give his monster its command.

"Do it. I accept what's to come." Celestia even had her arms out to the side as she closed her eyes. She looked like she was waiting to be sacrificed.

Thank you, Isaac. I can now find some peace. Celestia was then on her back as her life points dropped.

"Stay down, Luna! Just let it go, just give in." said Isaac. "Stay down!!!!"

"Rest in peace, Luna." said Isaac.

(End of Flashback)

"Isaac, know that you've surpassed our expectations faster than we could have imagined. Our only request is that you remember all that you've learn at your time at CHS." stated Luna.

"You were destined to become a better duelist than either of us. It's why we're satisfied to know that our final duels were with someone who we trust that can take the game of Duel Monsters to new heights. We thank you for give us our final farewell, good luck in your future. And may you remember us." said Celestia as she and Luna hugged the boy like a pair of proud mothers. They both broke their embrace as they had tears in their eyes.

"And I'm glad to be the one to have given both of you, your final resting place. Now you two can enjoy the peace and I get to pick up where you and all the great dueling legends left off. I promise to be the best duelist that I can be." said Isaac as he knew that this would be one of the final moments he would ever get to have with the ladies. Especially, with what was on the horizon and was fast approaching. Isaac gave one final smile at his principals as they too returned the gesture.

Chapter 160: Trauma

"Man, these are so good!" said Twilight as her cheeks were puffed out from the food she was currently eating as bits of burger sauce was on her face.

"Yeesh." said Isaac as he was doing his best to stop his food from being covered from the bits of food and sauce that were coming from his girlfriend.

"Aren't you hungry?" asked Twilight as she took a sip from her soda before going back to munching on her burger. "You said you wanted to go eat." informed the girl as she and Isaac were currently at her favorite fast food joint.

"Yeah, just kind hard to enjoy my food when... you know I'm not even going to finish that train of thought." said Isaac as he began to nibble on some fries. He then pulled out his deck as he began to get lost in thought.

"What is it?" asked Twilight as she looked across the table at the boy as she swallowed her food.

"Just... thinking about something." said Isaac.

"Like?"

"Like, how I ended up where I am. How for some weird reason, I got to have a girl like you to be my girlfriend?" said Isaac as he put his deck away and looked at Twilight.

"This again?" said Twilight as she had heard Isaac mention this topic time and time again.

"I'm just fascinated that you returned those feelings for me so long ago." said Isaac as he brought up the night of Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding where he confessed his love for the nerdy girl.

"Well, you caught my attention. Even more so, during our first meeting." stated Twilight as she was now remembering the time she was sneaking around CHS during a time when the Friendship Games were around the corner. It was there that she met the boy and the two confronted each other in a duel. "Not to mention, you saved me from evil magic. That's not something to be taken lightly; I'm grateful that you helped me that day. And since then, I slowly developed that interest of you into something more. Now look at us." Twilight then placed her hand on the table as Isaac put his over hers.

"About to graduate next semester. Going to live our own lives and separate paths. But through all that, we've had some incredible adventures and truly memorable friends. I wouldn't change anything." smiled Twilight.

"Your right." smiled Isaac lightly. "Just... trying to take everything in. Like you said, we're graduating soon. God, feels like yesterday that I enrolled in CHS and well, Rainbow was watching me from afar seeing if I could help her and the girls to take down Sunset. I'll never forget moments like that, especially all the ones I've made with you. I never thought that a girl like you would ever be with a guy like me, hell, I never considered myself being in a relationship. But I'm glad to have given it a try, cause I got someone who's smart, cute, beautiful, adorkable, and full of genuine magic that brightens up my world."

"And I'm glad you're my boyfriend." smiled Twilight.

Isaac then grabbed a napkin as he began to wipe his girlfriend's cheeks. The simple touch of skin on skin sent both teens' hearts rushing with emotions as Isaac finished cleaning Twilight's cheek as he still held it there as Twilight closed her eyes and enjoyed the moment. Both then leaned in as they shared a quick kiss as Isaac bopped Twilight's nose as it got a giggle from the cute bookworm.

Meanwhile, another person was in his house as they were trying to come up with a plan.

"Alright, this should get her attention." said a boy.

Canterlot High was having another school day as the students were in class. For a certain person, she was about to enter her office, when she opened the door and was greeted to a sight of flowers and other gifts.

"Again?" said Luna.

Recently, Vice-Principal Luna had been receiving tons of gifts from a mysterious person. The only good thing was that her sister didn't know about it or she would constantly being teasing her for having a secret admirer. Luna had too much duties on her hands to handle this situation that more often than not she just chose to ignore this, and as for the gifts, she gave them to her sacrifice, which was none than Isaac. Isaac was stunned by the all the gifts his vice-principal chose to give him that when he gave them to Twilight, safe to say he was immediately showered with a passionate kiss everytime. For Isaac, while he enjoyed Twilight kissing him, he knew what was really happening. And for a certain boy, he was watching this from afar as he snapped his fingers in defiance as he continued to do his best to get the attention of a certain women.

One day, Isaac and Twilight were in a classroom as they doing a bit of a study break.

"So, remind me why this method doesn't work for this problem?" asked Isaac as he pointed to his homework packet.

"Let me show you." said Twilight as she scooted closer to her boyfriend as she grabbed a pencil and paper as she began to work her magic. "Does that help?"

"Much better," said Isaac as he was now beginning to solve the problem with a determined look as Twilight watched him with a smile on her face, "What?" asked the boy.

"Just seeing you so focus on something really adds to your charm." smiled Twilight. She then leaned in and was about to capture Isaac's lips when the door opened up.

"Hope I didn't interrupt anything." said Cadance as she was holding Flurry Heart.

"Cadance!" shouted Twilight.

"Twilight, I didn't know you had that side of you. Does Isaac really bring it out of you?" said Cadance with a sly smile.

"It's not like that!" shouted the girl as she stood up with a face of embarrassment as she straightened out her skirt. "What are you even doing here?!"

"I wanted to stop by."

"Twily." said Flurry Heart as she reached out her tiny baby hands towards her aunt.

"Well, someone wanted to." said Cadance as she tickled her daughter's tummy.

"Hey, Flurry. Come to see, Aunty Twily." said Twilight as she grabbed her niece to which she nodded her cute little head. "You've got bigger since the last time I saw you."

"Hey, Cadance." stated Isaac as he addressed the young woman.

"How are you doing, Isaac? I hear you're responsibly for this program with the students. Much be a lot for you, not to mention you're a co-owner of a card shop, and set to graduate this year." mentioned the pink women.

"Believe me, it's not easy to juggle this many responsibilities at once. But I have to, especially cause my time is running out." said Isaac to the young women as he looked at her while Twilight was occupied with Flurry Heart.

"I get it. But you needn't worry about it so much. You'll get it done, I can tell." smiled Cadance as she placed her hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"I hear you." smiled Isaac. "How are you, Flurry Heart?"

"Isac." said Flurry Heart as she clapped her hands together and looked at the boy.

"Nice to see." said Isaac as he grabbed the little girl and held her in his arms.

"Isac. Uncle."

"I'm not your uncle." told Isaac to Flurry Heart.

"Magic. Magic."

"Want to see them?" said Isaac as he pulled out his magician cards. "Here you go."

"Magic." said Flurry Heart as she held Isaac's star monsters in her hands.

"So tell me, Cadance. Shining Armor still trying to get Flurry Heart to like his Blue-Eyes more than my Dark Magician?" snickered Isaac.

"He says that she's going through a phase that she'll eventually grow out of it." stated Cadance.

"Is that what he calls it?" chuckled Isaac.

"That's what I tell him." laughed Cadance as she found it funny that Shining Armor was trying so hard as a father to get his daughter to like his monsters instead of his rival. As Flurry Heart often put his beloved pets into her mouth and covered the cards in drool.

"So, Flurry? Care to talk to your father about letting me get you some spellcasters to build a deck of your own?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah. Magic." said Flurry Heart as she was still amazed by Isaac's cards. To Isaac he could see the spirits of his magicians as they looked at the little girl with smiles on their faces. To Mahad and Mana, they could sense Flurry Heart's potential as they looked forward to seeing the girl grow up.

"Okay, the other 51 plans didn't work out. But number 52 should do the... trick..." said Shadow as he happened to be walking by the room that all three of them were in. Shadow was now watching Twilight and Cadance play patty cake with Flurry Heart as Isaac was leaning against the wall with a smile on his face. "She's one lucky kid. Wish I had that." Shadow then began to look at Isaac with a close scan as he felt something when he looked at his professor. With that Shadow put his head down as he began to walk away, unbeknownst to him, Isaac and Cadance saw the boy from the corner of his eye as they watched the kid slowly leave.

"Where is the little boy?" asked Pinkie as she pulled a cupcake from her hair and was about to eat it when the door opened up and in walked her student. "He's here!!!" shouted Pinkie.

"Hey." said Shadow in a straight tone.

"I was getting worried, that you weren't going to come. I have a whole lot of fun activities planned for us." said Pinkie as she rubbed Shadow's head.

"Don't touch my hair." said Shadow as he waved off Pinkie's hand. He still found the pink girl to be rather obnoxious at times, especially when she invaded his personal space and touched his head without his permission.

"Aw, don't be like that." said Pinkie with a smile on her face. "We're here to have fun. Now come on, let's head outside." Pinkie then opened a window and then grabbed Shadow's arm as she literally jumped out of the window with the young boy.

"What the hell?!" shouted Shadow as he couldn't believe that Pinkie would do that. "What is wrong with you?"

"Duh, this was the quickest way to get outside. Plus, we're only 3 feet off the ground." smiled the pink haired girl as she got up and immediately started to bounce her way towards the field.

"If she keeps this up, I might die before I even become an adult." groaned Shadow as he then started to follow his tutor.

The pair now made their way to the field as Pinkie had a few of her party cannons set up. She then quickly changed into a coach's outfit as she had a whistle around her neck and a clipboard in her hands.

"What the hell is this?" asked Shadow.

"Training." smiled Pinkie. "Now step up."

Shadow just shrugged his shoulders as he approached one of the party cannons and looked at it.

"Is this safe?" asked the boy.

"Don't know." said Pinkie. "Now pull!!!" Pinkie then blew her whistle as she very close to Shadow's ears as his head was now ringing like a bell as he put his hands to stop it.

"Don't do that!!" shouted the boy. He then grabbed the string and pulled it as hard as he could as the cannon fired some confetti that was in as it shot outwards and landed by a yard line.

"Fascinating." said Pinkie as she scribbled something down on her clipboard. "Next!" shouted the girl as she and her student approached the next cannon.

And for the next moments or so, Pinkie kept having Shadow approach different cannons as they kept shooting out confetti as Pinkie had a serious look on her face as she wrote down the results.

"Hmm, move the decimal, carry the 2, and..." said Pinkie as she began to run some numbers quietly before announcing aloud, "All done!"

"What's the point of all this?" asked Shadow.

"Duh, I needed your help in figuring out which confetti goes the farthest. So I set up multiple cannons and filled them up with different confetti, but I didn't want to mess with the results, so I had you be the one to pull the string." smiled the pink-puffy haired girl.

"You're kidding me?!" shouted Shadow.

"Nope, numbers don't lie. Take a look." said the cotton candy girl as she showed off her clipboard to the boy. Safe to say that it didn't have any numbers on it at all but just random drawings and doodles.

"AHH!!" yelled out Shadow as he faceplanted himself on the floor. "Why does the universe hate me?! Why am I stuck with her?!" said Shadow as his voice was muffled by the ground.

"What was that?" smiled Pinkie.

"Nothing!" said Shadow as he still had his face on the ground.

"Come on, don't be such a baby." said Pinkie. "It won't help if you cry."

"I've done enough crying since I was a kid." said Shadow.

"See, if makes you feel better if you let it all out." said Pinkie. "Otherwise, people will think you have no heart. And if you have no heart, you can't feel anything. And you can't feel anything, you have no heart. And no heart means no love. And no love is well... it's just unbearable." exclaimed Pinkie for a bit before she went back to her cheery self. "It's why I'm happy that my big bro finally found love."

"Isaac must have had the best childhood growing up then. Being loved by his parents, having someone he looks up to, being good at Duel Monsters. Seems like all his life he's been blessed with good luck, I doubt there wasn't a time where he was growing up that he didn't feel like the world treated him unfairly." said Shadow as all he was saying was now taking a toll on his mind and was giving him a aching feeling. For second Shadow, could feel a tear in his eyes as him talking about Isaac's childhood now triggered a memory for him as it reminded him of his own beginning and how he almost never made it.

Isaac was now walking with a purpose as he immediately turned the corner and approached the door to Vice-Principal Luna's office. He had gotten a message from Pinkie as he excused himself from Twilight and Cadance as he said it was urgent. Isaac then grabbed the handle and opened the door as he was welcomed to a sight. Inside there was Luna, along with Shadow and Pinkie as the boy was sitting on a chair with Pinkie standing in front of her student.

"What happened, little sis?" asked Isaac.

"The weirdest thing, big bro. Me and Shadow were out on the field doing some experiments for my confetti, when all of a sudden I started talking about crying and soon he started to feel down. So much so that when I called on his name to see if he was okay, he just had a blank stare on his face. I tried everything I could, to get him to snap out of it, but nothing worked. Vice-Principal Luna was nearby and I asked for her help, but now even she could get a response from him. So we brought him into her office when I sent for your help." stated Pinkie.

"A blank stare?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, nothing we do gets him to snap out of it." said the girl.

"Isaac, any ideas?" asked Luna.

"Hmm." was all Isaac said.

He then approached Shadow as the boy still had his head down as Isaac looked at him and he too saw the blank stare. He then pulled out something from his pocket so that only he and Shadow could see it as Isaac leaned in and whispered something into Shadow's ear as soon it worked and the expression was now gone.

"What did you do?" asked Pinkie.

"Don't worry about it." said Isaac as he put the thing back into his pocket as he allowed the girls to see the young boy.

"Are you okay, Shadow?" asked Luna.

"I think so. Vice-Principal Luna?" said Shadow as he was surprised to see the person he had a fascination with standing in front of him that he started to get nervous. He then saw Pinkie and Isaac standing there as well as he the nervousness was now gone as he realized what had occurred. "It happened."

"What did?" asked Pinkie.

"I had a blank stare on my face, right?" said Shadow.

"You were like that for a while. We couldn't figure it out, so Pinkie went to get Isaac and he did whatever he did to snap you out of it." informed Luna.

"I knew it." said Shadow as he looked at his professor and saw him as he was now looking at Isaac as his memory quickly came back to him. Isaac just gave a nod to the boy which was enough for him to know what he was saying. "Sorry for making you girls worry, but I was just reminded of something from my past. Something I don't talk about much."

“Care to share?” asked Luna as she and the others looked at the boy sitting in front of them.

“Alright, I was forgotten by my birth parents. To be honest, I don’t even know who they are and I think it’s for the best.” stated Shadow. “I was abandoned on the doorsteps of an orphanage on a cold, dead night. There was a woman, who noticed some crying coming out of the door as she opened it. She looked at the basket and saw it was a child crying.”

“That child was you.” said Isaac as he was leaning against the wall with his arms crossed and his eyes closed as he listened deeply to Shadow’s story.

“Yeah.” nodded Shadow. “From there, they took me in. As I got older, I was put with certain caretakers. They only cared about two things: alcohol and sex.”

“How horrid.” said Luna as she was surprised by that fact.

“They didn't pay me much attention, in fact, they just saw me as nothing more than a freeloader and often times they just straight up ignored that I even existed. So for the first few years, I resorted to this kind of thing. All the nights, I spent listening to their yelling and bitching. All the nights they lashed out at me, they didn’t get physical, but there were times that I did get hit.” stated Shadow. “And that’s how it went, till one day, it seemed like all was lost.”

“What changed?” asked Luna.

“Hope.” said Shadow. “It was hope that granted me a chance. A chance to finally get out of the hell hole that life had thrown me in. One day, while the orphanage was taking me for a standard routine, a newly wed couple came in. From their appearance alone, I could tell that they were extremely wealthy. And so they came in, it seems there was a complication with them. Turns out the woman was infertile.”

“Infertile?” said Pinkie as she raised her eyebrow.

“It means not being able to physically have children, little sis.” said Isaac as he explained the meaning to the pink-haired girl.

“Seems her dream was to have kids, but according to their doctors, turns out she couldn’t live out that dream. It devastated them, especially the woman.“ informed Shadow. “So they went to an orphanage to adopt as a way to fill that void in their hearts. So they came and well… they saw me. It was the first time I actually saw kindness, the kindness that I had been missing my whole life. I legit had tears in my eyes when they saw me and decided to take me in. And so they did, they became my parents.”

“What happened after that?” asked Luna.

“The person who was my father, was a card designer for Industrial illusions. He’s officially retired from actually creating cards and serves more so as a tutor/overseer for the company when they need cards reviewed. He did so much in producing cards since he first joined the company that in a few years time, he rose up and became well respected by his peers.” said Shadow as he told the group about his father.

“The woman who became my mother, was a well known movie actress. Since the age of 19, she did all she could to get noticed by the acting world. She even moved to Applewood, in hopes of getting an audition for a major film that was looking for a female lead. Of course, they already had someone picked for the role, they just did this as a formality. So that was the first time my mother got a real taste at how the movie industry and acting world really functions.” stated the boy. “But despite all that, and the somewhat support my mother got from her parents, she still kept at it. And to be honest, she was literally at the end of her rope. Soon, just as she was about to move back with her parents, she got a call from one of the places that she auditioned for. While they didn’t have a role per say for her, they did say she could be an understudy for one of their actors. And so she went to the studio and did her part. She just watched from the side as she took it all in.”

“What did she do?” asked Pinkie.

“Well, one time while they were shooting, the main leading lady had gotten a call from her agent that said she had been booked for a bigger role and needed to meet with the producers of the show immediately. So she basically left the directors high and dry as she went after a bigger paycheck. With production already having been started, and them having to meet a certain deadline. They turned to my mother as they told her that she only had one chance to make an impression and show them what she could do. And boy did she rise to the occasion. She blew them away with how dedicated and hardworking she was willing to go. Her acting skills still needed work, but they knew they could polish it up with some lessons. So they gave my mother the leading role and she was soon on her way to making her Applewood debut.” informed Shadow as it brought a smile to his face. “Fast forward to when the movie was having its premiere screening and safe to say that my mother’s performance was passable. Now granted she wasn't freaking Cate Blanchett, but she had potential. And so after that performance, she met an agent to help her out and soon she began to get a few calls on some roles for commercials and advertisements for restaurants. Eventually, she got to work on another movie and when it came out, it was highly praised by critics. So much so that it was nominated for an Academy Award and a few Oscars. And it was at that moment, that my mother actually won the award for Best Female Actress as she and the rest of the team and producers all came up on stage with her as they said a few words to honor her persistence in making the film a success.”

“After that?” asked Isaac.

“Well, during a shooting for a TV show, my mother was in catering when she noticed a man walking in with a box. He was meeting with the props person as they were potentially talking about involving some card games. They shot down the idea, because they thought it would be silly to have a show where card games are the main focus of the show. Can you imagine that?” said Shadow.

“If only,” said Isaac as he briefly looked at the fourth wall.

“Well, anyways, after that quick meeting. My father was packing up his things as he dropped a few cards that landed by my mother’s feet. Now my father was a card designer, so he didn’t really play the game per say, but he knew the rules. Especially because of his boss.”

“Mr. Williams, I presume?” said Isaac and Luna.

“Yeah, how…”

“Long story,” said both individuals.

“Well, to save time, both of them met and eventually got to talking. And of course, yada yada, they fell in love and got married. Of course, they were so successful in their careers that they had tons of cash to retire with and basically were set for the rest of their lives. And now fast forward to when they adopted me and… it was the greatest feeling we all had.” said Shadow as he quickly wiped a tear from his eyes as Pinkie now sat next to her student and patted him on the back as she pulled out a cupcake from her hair as she offered it to the boy.

“I’m good, don’t want to know where that’s been.” said Shadow.

“Your lost.” said Pinkie as she shoved the sweet treat into her mouth.

“And so I finally had a family. Of course, my father was a card designer so oftentimes he did bring some cards with him from work. Usually extra copies.”

“And is that where you got your deck?” asked Isaac as he wanted to know the answer.

“Yes. Not at first, though. The way my father introduced Duel Monsters was more on a technical level in the sense of how to play the game.” stated Shadow. “Which is vastly different from what you and Pinkie have been teaching me. Which I’m grateful for.”

“Thanks for that compliment.” chuckled Isaac lightly.

“Anyways, my introduction to the game was mechanical. And so I came upon some interesting looking designs when I saw Raidraptors. To me they looked like fierce birds that were made for not only combat, but to express one’s anger. Just the names themselves, rang to me. So I began to search my dad’s work study where he kept all kinds of cards and eventually found the basic and standard cards needed for a Raidraptor deck. Of course, it was fully a Raidraptor deck, but enough to make it viable. And since I knew how to play the game, I began to practice with it. Now I’m far from calling myself a prodigy, even now, I’ll admit that I have a lot to learn. But compared to how I was doing to my small local tournaments being held. I did pretty well in them that I was considered advanced for my neighborhood. After that, I just kept at it, still remaining at my current level until I’m now here as a student of CHS.” said Shadow as he finished telling part of his tale. “But I’ll never forget what happened to me since I was born.”

After Shadow had finished telling his tale, he was still inside in Luna's office as Pinkie was there with him. Outside, Isaac and Luna were having a private conversation.

"I can't imagine what Shadow must have been through for such a young age." said Luna as she had a serious tone as she quietly talked with Isaac. "Isaac, did you know?"

Isaac was just leaning against the wall as he had his hands in his pocket with his eyes closed as his cap was over them.

"Isaac? asked Luna.

"Yes" confirmed the boy. "I didn't know the full details. When I looked at Shadow's profile, I only saw bits and pieces. So I made a call and talked with his adopted parents, even they only offered me a bit more info, but they said if I wanted to hear the full tale, then I would need to talk with Shadow. But I didn't want to do that to the kid, I didn't want to automatically ask him about his past until he was comfortable with talking about to me or the others."

"Does anybody..."

"No. No one, not even Pinkie." said Isaac as he lifted his head and turned it to look inside as he saw Pinkie and Shadow playing Connect 4. "I'd figured that if anybody can help Shadow to smile, it might be Pinkie. As annoying as he finds her to be, I believe she can help to cheer up the kid. And bring a happiness he hasn't experienced in a long time. Pinkie means well, despite her zany and weird behavior sometimes, she knows that her life's purpose is to make smiles happen. So she's trying her hardest to get Shadow to do that." Isaac then pulled his deck out from his pocket as he looked at it as he was now reminded of his childhood. "I noticed something with Shadow when he saw Flurry Heart being happy and laughing. And he saw it when he looked at me. I hate to say, but Shadow is a bit jealous of me. He thinks that I was given the good luck touch, that everything I touch turns into gold. And I can't blame him or anybody else who thinks that way. I mean, I've got smarts, dedication, a beautiful girlfriend, co-owner of a card shop all at age 19, not to mention I've been in some big time duels still as a high school student, and not to mention my skills at Duel Monsters. Safe to say, I've done a lot for someone my age, and I'm not even in my prime. What do you think I'll do once I reach that stage?" said Isaac.

"It legit frightens me when you say that. You're barely on the cusp of being an adult, and yet you're an experienced duelist when it comes to the game. Look at your deck and all the cards that have been with you since you were very young." said Luna. "It may have taken time, but look at the result."

"And yet, not many people see that. To them, they see a boy who's just lucky to be important. Growing up, my own childhood wasn't all sunshine and rainbows. I'm a prodigy of the streets; as a kid growing up in the city of Chicoltgo, it's not all nice. I watched it all from the front steps of my apartment, the same apartment that my parents spent tirelessly trying to provide the best they can for their son. Putting in extra hours just to cover rent, to give me the clothes on my back and still try to save some here and there. They did their best to try to shield me from the evil that kid shouldn't see at a young age, but they knew that they couldn't fully do it. Which is why, I just sort of matured when I was very young." Isaac's grip tightened on his deck as the spirits of his monsters could sense their master's emotions. "I watched the violence that ran the streets at times, gangsters causing trouble, crime, racism, sexism. All of it, I watched it front from those very steps. And the thing that kept me from going down that route, was my monsters. My deck. The moment, that my mother gave me that box of cards, was the moment that I knew I had to make them proud, that I had to beat the streets. And I did, but I also learned from it, I picked up street smarts."

"Isaac?" said Luna in a soft tone as she looked at the young boy in front of her.

"If I could trade places with Shadow, I would do it in a heartbeat. I rather have him live my life and become who I am, then have him suffer what he went through with being abandoned. I rather go a thousand years of being sad if it meant that the kid could have the happiness he craved. To me, seeing someone else be happy is enough to put a smile on my face."

"You really are selfless. You'd rather give up your own ending just to make sure everybody else gets theirs." stated Luna.

"Luna, I'm gonna need a favor." asked Isaac as he put his deck back in his pocket and got up from leaning against the wall as he looked at his vice-principal.

"I'm always willing to help students, it's my job."

"I need you to spend sometime with Shadow."

"I beg your pardon?" said Luna as she was stunned.

"Come on, Luna. I know you're smart, put two and two together. All those gifts you've been mysteriously getting, there from Shadow. You said it yourself when you met him and Pinkie during the hallway before the tournament took place. The kid just kept looking at you. It doesn't take a genius to figure out what it means." said Isaac.

"Even so, I have so many other things in my life that I'm occupied with." stated Luna. "My role is to help students, plus there's the obvious issue between the two of us. I don't have time to deal with the fascination he has with me."

"I'm not asking you to return whatever feelings he has towards you. I'm just asking for you to spend sometime with the boy and get to know him better. If he's going to smile, then he needs to trust people. People who he knows he can count on. Pinkie's role is to get him to smile and once he does that, he finally start to see that Pinkie isn't the annoying person that he makes her out to be. But that comes with time." said Isaac.

"I have full fate that Pinkie will in doubt help Shadow." informed Luna.

Which is why I need you to do this, Luna. You said it yourself, that your job is to help students. Well right now, Shadow needs help. Whatever happens between the two of you, happens. But right now, I want you to become his friend. Please, Luna."

Luna looked at Isaac as he examined her student. She then looked at the door window as she saw Shadow and how he was playing a game with Pinkie. She knew that given her role, she couldn't get too directly involved with Shadow and whatever feelings he had, but she knew she couldn't just abandon a student when they were in need of help.

"Fine. I'll fulfill your request."

"Thank you."

"On one condition." said Luna as she told Isaac her request.

Alright then." stated Isaac as he acknowledged Luna's request.

With that both of them then made their way back inside of the office. Around the corner, there was another individual who was listening in on the conversation that was being talked between Isaac and Luna. She had smile on her face as she listened in on a juicy detail that she couldn't wait to see, and tell to a certain principal.

Author's Note

First off, Shadow's backstory was done by his creator, Vakama95096. He gave me the details of what he wanted and I put it into story mode. So once again thanks to him for helping me out with this and the next chapter that will be published.

Chapter 161: The Hangout

"Any updates?" asked Isaac as he was currently at work as he was at the front counter of the store. Mr. Johnson and his nephew Dominick were currently in the back taking care of some inventory. They left the young boy to handle things in the front. Isaac was also on the phone with someone.

"Sorry, bud. Still no word." said the voice on the other line.

"I see. And hey, thanks for the gift you and him sent me. They're going to make a big difference, and not just for me." stated Isaac as he looked at his watch and then at his necklace around his neck.

"Hey, what are friends for?" chuckled the person on the other line. "Take care, bud."

"See ya, bud." said Isaac as he hung up his phone and let out a sigh.

He then noticed the small business card as it was from Shining Armor and his dueling agent, Roland. The thought still plagued on Isaac's mind as he looked at it.

Isaac was remembering that moment as he was set to take on the world champion, Shining Armor as both put on an exhibition match for thousands of people as they competed in one final duel against one another. He grabbed the card and looked it over as his mind as he was still wondering if he should sign with the agency that Shining Armor was a part of. On one hand, it would mean that he wouldn't have to forget about not seeing his friends, since he could see them whenever. He would have everything, money, fame, fortune, but most of all he would get to compete while keeping the thing that mattered most to him close to his heart. So why? Why did he not jump on to be signed immediately? For some reason, as good as it sounded, Isaac just couldn't bring himself to say yes.

"He said, I have until I graduate to make my decision. I just wonder if that's enough time." said Isaac as he put the business card back in his pocket and tried to get his mind distracted by work.

After a hard day, it was now closing time as Isaac was busying mopping the floor as Mr. Johnson was going over some paperwork while his nephew was counting the cash.

"Isaac, did you make sure to place the orders for next month?" asked Mr. Johnson as he had a calculator in his hand and writing stuff done.

"Yes, Mr. Johnson. Trust me, the holidays are coming up rather quickly, which means we'll get lots of parents coming in trying to buy gifts for their kids, and I'm not just talking about the cards. All the other board games and plastic toys."

"Then I guess we'll be really busy. With that amount we'll be raking in, we might have to order extras for the extras just to avoid running out." said Dominick as he closed the register and put the cash into a safe they had.

"Well, it means that I can give you a nice bonus this year." said Mr. Johnson.

"Being co-owner is enough of a bonus." smiled Isaac to his boss. "Though I won't deny free money."

"Don't you still have like a ton of cash in the bank from the small Blackjack dealings you made in Las Pegasus during your trip?" asked Dominick.

"Yeah, so. Couldn't hurt to have more." stated Isaac as it got a chuckle from all three of them.

Isaac then made his way back to the house as he entered the living room as both Spike and Tigre were watching the TV. Isaac could hear music coming from Rainbow Dash's room, as Sunset was in her room as she was currently streaming. He then made his way to Pinkie's room on the ground floor as he knocked on the door.

"What's the password?" asked Pinkie as she answered from the other side.

"Pinkie!!" shouted Isaac as he had his older sibling voice on.

"Opening the door now!" said Pinkie in a frantic voice as he knew that when Isaac put on his big brother voice, it meant he wasn't playing around. "Isaac." smiled the girl as she tried to act innocent.

"I wanted to know if you're all set for tomorrow." said Isaac with his arms crossed.

"I got everything I need." Pinkie then pulled Isaac into her room. She quickly spun him and her around really fast as soon they found themselves covered in black body suits with hoods.

"Pinkie, we're not trying to be freaking Mission Impossible here!" shouted Isaac. "Though I do admit, it is skin-tight."

"Alright, we'll do things your way." said Pinkie as she spun the two of them again as they were back in their normal clothes. "You don't let me have fun." pouted the puffy-haired girl.

"Your idea of fun is going to kill us." said Isaac. "Just... follow my lead, okay."

"Fine." said Pinkie as she pulled out a cupcake from her hair as she tossed one to Isaac and pulled out another for her. Both smiled as they began to eat the sweet treat.

Meanwhile, there was another person who was contacting someone else about tomorrow's "hangout".

"Why did I agree to this?" asked Luna as she was currently outside of a huge building. She then thought back to the conversation she had with Isaac in the hallway.

(Flashback)

"On one condition." said Luna as she told Isaac her request.

"What?" asked Isaac.

"That you watch from afar, I'm not sure what to do about Shadow's fascination with me. So in case it comes to that while we're talking, I want you there to help ease over the situation. Like I said, I've got other things in my life that make it hard for me to deal with the boy and his feelings. So promise me that you'll step in if anything bad happens. Plus, I don't want my sister to find out." stated Luna.

"Alright then." stated Isaac as he acknowledged Luna's request.

(End of Flashback)

“I can’t believe I’m doing this.” said Luna as she prepared herself for this supposed ‘hangout’. She then made her way inside of the arcade.

Once inside, Luna was in her element as she had been to this exact location of entertainment so many times in the past. Immediately she wanted to go try to beat her high score at Space Invaders, but quickly realized why she was here. So she made it past the old machines as she ventured into the new section of the place as it was home to many of the famous consoles that were sold by the many video game companies. Everything was here from Dark Souls, to Skyrim, Mario Kart, all the versions. Even classic fighting games like Street Fighter, Tekken, Fate of Fury, and even Luna’s personal favorite Super Smash Bros. Of course the arcade was home to single player games like Jump King, GTA, Assassin’s Creed, etc. Even multiplayer games were present. Heck the arcade even had a kids section for the more light hearted games like Animal Crossing, Tetris, Pokémon, etc.…

“Heaven.” said Luna as she took in the scent of the place as it brought her inner peace. The nighttime girl then began to make her way to the sound of the arcade machine going off as she figured that her target would be there. Safe to say, her instincts proved right as there was the boy as he was currently engaged with a game.

“Focus. Focus.” said Shadow as he was observing the movements of the screen as his eyes shifted. He then saw some movement out of the corner of his eyes as he shifted his weapon into the direction as he blasted the enemy. “Nice.”

“Decent shot.” said Luna as she made her presence known.

“Vice-Principal Luna?” said Shadow as he was surprised that he was actually seeing his vice-principal standing in a place like this in normal attire.

“Please, Shadow. We’re outside of school. I give you permission to call me by my regular name.” informed the women.

“Right. Just feels kind of weird to see your principal in someplace other than school.”

“What? You think teachers and principals live at the school?” asked Luna.

“Maybe.” smiled the boy sheepishly to which Luna rolled her eyes.

“Anyways, your depth perception lacks. Not to mention I could easily beat that score of yours.” said Luna as she saw Shadow’s points.

“I’d like to see you try.” mocked the boy.

“Hand me the blaster.” stated Luna as Shadow handed the weapon to Luna as she grabbed it with both hands and pressed start as the game began.

Luna took off as all the time she played shooter gamers and her natural ability when it came to video games was on full display for the young boy as his jaw literally dropped as he watched the women who he had a fascination with, be a natural gamer. Meanwhile, far from another section of the video games was another pair that was watching this.

“This place is huge.” said Pinkie as she had her head looking upwards as she took in the sight of the many games.

“Pinkie, focus.” said Isaac as he tried to get the girl to not get too distracted.

“And behind the barricade.” said Luna as she had the blaster in one single hand as she fired the final shot as her score came up and gave a sass look.

“Woah!” said Shadow as he was impressed by his vice-principal.

“Indeed.” stated Luna as she still had a smug smile. “Now then, what’s next?”

After that the two of them began to try out a few more games as Shadow wanted to see just what else Luna could do. So the two began to explore all of the arcade as Isaac and Pinkie followed behind and watched the pair. While Luna wasn’t fully for the idea, just the competitive side that Shadow had as he was trying to show off his own skills at video games was enough to temporarily put that thought out of her mind. When they made their way to the fighter’s section; Shadow was trying his best to impress the women as he hoped to finally one up her. Yet, Luna still showed off how versatile she was as she oftentime gave the young boy a handicap and still managed to win. But while the little competition was going on between the two individuals, the expression on Luna and Shadow was genuine as the pair was having legit fun.

Isaac and Pinkie were on standby as per Luna’s request as they too blended into the background as they took part in some video games of their own. Granted Pinkie did her best as she wasn’t a huge fan of the video games, but Isaac did allow some pointers to his friend. And so it went for the next few hours as Shadow and Luna were enjoying their little “hangout”. After they had run through all the games possible, even Frogger. Luna was able to show off a side that she rarely showed off, especially with her sister, as Shadow was even more impressed and fascinated with the women he was hanging out with. Luna then made the offer of taking the boy to eat as both exited the place with Isaac and Pinkie following them behind undetected. The pair made their way to the diner that Pinkie worked at as they entered the establishment. They found a seat as Isaac and Pinkie were seated two booths from them as it kept them hidden but allowed them a chance to see and hear the pair. It especially helped that they were at Pinkie’s work as she used her special privileges to treat her big bro to all the kind of food they had to offer. As Isaac munched on his food, he was currently listening to the conversion that was taking place with the pair.

“So, you’re a game girl?” asked Shadow as he sat across from Luna.

“What? Surprised to see that your Vice-principal has a life outside of school.” mocked Luna.

“I mean, given what you do. I kind of believed that.”

“Well, I’m more than just a vice-principal. I’m a regular human.” said Luna as she had a bit of fun.

“Remind me to remember that. Also, I hope all those gifts that I sent you didn’t bother you too much.” said Shadow as he put his hand on his neck while looking to the side.

“Granted, they were admirable. Though I do wonder how you could afford it, but then again your adopted parents are loaded.”

“Yeah, by the way what have you done with the gifts? I imagine you probably ran out of office space.”

“Yes… well… I found a way to deal with that.” smiled Luna sheepishly as she didn’t want to tell the boy that she had been giving her gifts to Isaac to give for Twilight.

“No shit!” shouted Isaac to which Pinkie immediately clocked the boy in the head to remain quiet. Thankfully, Shadow didn’t hear that outburst.

“Anyways, tell me a bit about your interest, young Shadow?” asked Luna. “Seems you possess some skills as your own in terms of video games. Perhaps you can tell me your likes?”

“Well, I do practice in my spare time. I tend to mostly play on my Nintendo Switch, plus I can’t get enough of my favorite game Pokémon, especially Diamond and Moon.” informed the boy. “But what about you, surely you have some games that you can’t seem to put down?”

“Yes, I do tend to find myself being occupied with games like Call of Duty. Master rank, of course.” said Luna with a smug look on her face.

“Wow!” said Shadow.

“But enough of that, I want to talk about something. Tell me, your parents. Do they love you?” asked Luna.

“They do. It gives me a sense of belonging; it almost makes me forget about my past.” said the boy as his food was brought and he looked at it.

“Isaac.”

“What?” said Shadow as he looked at Luna.

“Isaac. You think he’s got it good.” stated Luna. “Tell me, when you saw Cadance’s daughter, it reminded you of your own past, correct?”

“I… I… yes.” said Shadow as he thought back on seeing the tiny baby and how she was smiling at the people around her.

“I see. Tell me, what do you think of Isaac?” asked Luna.

“He’s dedicated. Despite his decision to put me with the crazy one of the group, I think he's a good teacher. Plus, I’ll admit, he’s probably got a ton on his plate, both in his personal life and professionally.” admitted the boy. “But I sometimes wonder, why did he get so lucky? Why out of all the people, was he handed that good life?”

Isaac was overhearing this as he had a serious look on his face.

“What makes you think he had it good?” asked Luna as she had a stern look on her face. “Are you a bit jealous of Isaac? Cause you think he had a better life growing up than you, well you’re wrong.”

“Huh?”

“Isaac wasn’t handed the good life, he was like you. He struggled from a place similar to yours. Full of violence, full of depression, full of anger and despair. And his parents may have been around for him, but they couldn’t fully protect him from what the world truly looks like. So instead of falling into the same state as others would of his city, he beat the streets. He saw Duel Monsters as a way to live a better life. Did you know that his mother saved up her own rent money, just to buy him a tin box of cards. A tin box? Do you know how much they’re worth?” asked Luna.

“Well, no. I mean all the cards I’ve gotten were from my…”

“From your adopted father. Who works for the premiere card game that produced Duel Monsters.” informed Luna. “So you don’t know how much it really costs to buy something like that. Do you know how much money that is to a person, let alone a parent trying to feed their child and pay off their utilities? You said so yourself, your parents are rich. They could afford whatever you wanted and you didn’t even question it.”

Shadow let Luna’s words sink in as he was hearing this.

“Isaac’s mother made a gamble with her money, because she wanted her son to get out and live a better life than she and her husband could provide for him. And so Isaac took that to heart, he trained days on end, even past his bedtime, trying to learn the game of Duel Monsters. Trying to improve his skills, improving his deck, improving his cards, he even went out of his way to look at old footage of the legends of this game and try to understand why they were so successful.” said Luna. “He pushed himself to be the best that he can be, and he’s done a hell of a job. Look at him now, he’s nearly on the cusp of realizing his dream, he’s made friends that will forever be remembered in his heart. He’s made his parents proud, and he’s helping the future generation even when he’s leaving in just a few months from now. That is why I’m glad to have had my last duel with him on the pro circuit; it’s why I’m glad Isaac retired me.”

“He retired you?” asked Shadow as he didn’t know that fact.

“He doesn’t like to mention it, cause it does bring a bit of pain to him. But he did the job.” said Luna. Soon the scene was now changing as everything around Luna was frozen as it was only her as she looked at the audience as she had something to say.

“As for the people that are still bitching about what Isaac did, get over it!!!” shouted Luna. “I made my choice, I made my decision!!! If it was the other way around and Isaac was in my position, I would make sure that he had one final match that he could go out on his back! I used my final moments of my career to put over Isaac, to put over someone who I believe is the god damn future!!! You want to know why I picked Isaac to be the other man standing across from me on that dueling field? I’ll tell you why! I wanted to have someone to have the nerve! One person I could trust to do the unthinkable! One person with the character to carry the burden with him the rest of his life!!! And you’re looking at him, that’s the reason why me and my sister picked Isaac to put us in our resting place!!! And despite what you all think, those two moments were the hardest that Isaac had to go through. Everybody else has already come to terms with it, so respect my decision!!!” shouted Luna as she finished saying all that she had to say.

The scene now changed back to how it was before as if nothing happened. Of course, the only person to have heard Luna’s message to the audience was Isaac himself as he took a deep breath and said a soft ‘thank you’.

“Wow, I always thought that Isaac had a good life. But he has a similar story as well.” said Shadow.

“Your story may not have such a happy beginning, but that doesn’t make you who you are. It’s the rest of your story. Who you choose to be.” said Luna as she reached over and grabbed Shadow’s hand as she looked at the boy. “Isaac did it, and I believe you can too.”

Shadow just had his head down even as Luna reached over to grab his hands. He was now thinking of all the fun times he had with his parents as he began to recall them and for the first time in a long time he smiled a bit. He saw all the happiness that his life now had, and even up to this point. From him getting his deck, to competing in his local neighborhood tournaments, being selected by Isaac for his program and being assigned to Pinkie as her student, to even the Fall Formal tournament itself where he was able to show everybody what he could do. All of it was making the young boy be filled with emotions.

“So, who are you, Shadow?” asked Luna.

“I am Shadow Moonrise.” said the boy as he looked at the older woman with a determined look on his face.

“I thought so, now come on.” said Luna as she told the boy to follow her to which he did.

“It’s time.” said Isaac as he informed Pinkie who was eating her pie that they needed to leave.

Unbeknownst to them, there was another pair who was also trailing Luna and Shadow as one of them was smiling while the other was seething through her teeth.

Luna now brought the boy to the park as the sun was starting to slowly go down as they were near a small pond as the stars above them were slowly coming out as it offered the perfect light to see each other.

"Beautiful." said Shadow as he took in their surroundings.

"Indeed. The nighttime offers a sense of relaxation." stated Luna. "Now then," Luna then pulled out her duel disk as it projected a moderate sapphire card tray.

"You're serious?" asked Shadow.

"Put your duel disk on, now!" stated Luna.

"Alright." said Shadow as he took out his duel disk as it projected a dark blue card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Luna's Life Points: 8000-

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

"Well, this should be interesting." said Pinkie as she was in some nearby bushed as she was peaking from the shrubbery.

"Indeed." said Cadance. "Hello, Pinkie."

"Hello, Cadance." said the girl nonchalantly as she expected her to be there. "So how has your spying been?"

"Interesting. I can sense the feelings Shadow has towards Luna." said the older woman as she began to also watch the duel unfold.

"Ohh, is it like when you saw it between Isaac and Twilight?" asked Pinkie.

"Hard to say." said Cadance.

"Where's Luna?!!" shouted Celestia as she was seething through her teeth.

"She not happy." asked Pinkie.

"Yup." chuckled Cadance as all they turned their attention back to the duel.

Turn 1: Luna

"I'll start things off." said Luna as she drew her card. "I'll start by activating my spell card, Phantom Knights' Spear."

"Phantom Knights?" said Shadow. "Now I know what Isaac meant by what deck, Vice-Principal Luna uses."

"Now as long as my spell card is in play, everytime you activate a card or effect that targets my 'Phantom Knights' you take 500 points of damage." informed the vice-principal. "I'll now lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

"What?" shouted Shadow as he was shocked by Luna's move.

"Something the matter, young Shadow?" asked Luna as she flipped her hair for a bit.

"Uh, nothing." said the boy as he had a bit of red from seeing Luna flip her hair.

Turn 2: Shadow

"It's my draw, and I'll start by summoning my Raidraptor - Napalm Dragonius(1000/1000)." Shadow summoned his mechanical bird as it appeared and let out a screech as it opened its mouth and out shot a pillar of fire as it headed towards Luna who just stood there not flinching.
Luna's Life Points: 7400-

"Once per turn, my Napalm Dragonius can deal you 600 points of damage. Now to attack, go my monster!" shouted Shadow as his bird started to fly over towards Luna.

"Seems you forget Isaac and Pinkie's lessons, never attack with just a monster on your field. I reveal my two facedowns, The Phantom Knights of Lost Vambrace, thanks to these your monster loses 600 attack points and my 'Phantom Knights' can't be destroyed in battle. Then both of these traps transform into Level 2 monsters on the field with 600 attack points." Luna's facedowns then started to glow as her traps cards changed into monsters as they lowered Shadow's monster as it now had no attack points.

"My raptor!" said Shadow.

"Such a rookie." said Luna as she was displeased. "Are you still going to attack?"

"No." said Shadow as he put his head down. "I'll just lay a facedown."

Turn 3: Luna

"To think I expected something. Seems Isaac was right." stated Luna as that comment caused Shadow to look at the women he had a fascination on and get an angry look at hearing Isaac's name come out of Luna's mouth.

"Now then, I'll now overlay my two monsters to build the Overlay Network." Luna's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as they entered and a pillar of light appeared as her monster was being summoned. "Presenting a warrior who's bad to the bone, I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin(1600/0, OLU: 2)!" Out came a warrior that was all skeleton as it had flames coming out of its shoulders and had a shield in one hand with a javelin in the other.

"Not good." said Shadow as his monster was defenseless.

"Now Cursed Javelin attack his monster." stated Luna as her knight heard its command and then raised its javelin as it tossed it over as it took out the boy's monster.

"Ahh." said Shadow as he put his arms up to protect himself.
Shadow's Life Points: 6400-

"Is that really enough to make you crumble? No wonder, Isaac is the only other than my sister that can hang with me." stated Luna as she shook her head. "I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Shadow

"My turn." said Shadow. If I have to hear Luna mention Isaac's name one more time, I'll show her that I can give her a good time. "Now I summon my Raidraptor - Rudder Strix(0/1600) in defense mode. And when I summon my Rudder Strix, you take another 600 points of damage." stated Shadow as he chipped away some more of Luna's life points.
Luna's Life Points: 6800-

"I'll then end my turn." said Shadow.

Turn 5: Luna

"My turn then, and I'll just lay two more cards facedown."

Turn 6: Shadow

Two more cards facedown. What is Luna up to?

Come on, Shadow. I thought you were fascinated by me, Isaac certainly would picked up my plan already.

"My turn, and I summon my Raidraptor - Vanishing Lanius. Then since I control another 'Raidraptor', I can special summon my Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius(500/1500) in defense mode." Shadow now summoned another one of his monsters as he looked to initiate his plan. "I'd like to see Isaac do this, now I play Raidraptor - Sanctuary, since I control 3 'Raidraptor' monsters I can draw 2 cards. I now overlay my three Raidraptors to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's monsters then transformed into dark orbs as they hovered in the air. Soon a portal opened up as they disappeared inside as a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow's new monster appeared as it let out a screech.

"Hmm." was all Luna said.

"Oh, what happens next?" said Pinkie as she ate some cotton candy.

"Pass the popcorn, Pinkie." asked Cadance as she too was watching.

"Now I activate my Cursed Javelin's effect, by using one overlay unit, I can zap away all the attack points and special abilities of your monster until the end phase." informed Luna as her monster absorbed an Xyz material and caused Shadow's plan to be put on halt.

"No!" shouted Shadow as he was both amazed and shocked that Luna was able to counter him with ease.

"Tisk, tisk. Seems you need to pay attention to Pinkie Pie's lessons more closely." said Luna.

"All her lessons are about random shit! At this rate, I'm going to wind up in an insane asylum." stated the boy. "Besides, what could I learn from her?"

"Isaac was right." said Luna.

"Why do you keep saying Isaac's name?" stated Shadow. "What does he have that makes you always mention him? What does he have that I don't?"

"How about he can actually give me a fun time and make me smile? He's not blinded by anger." said Luna with such conviction. "Now get on with your damn turn."

"Grr! I now play the equip spell card, Raidraptor - Iron Heart to give my monster 500 attack points. I then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Luna

"My turn, and now I'll have my Cursed Javelin attack your Raidraptor - Rise Falcon!" shouted Luna as her monster looked to take out Shadow's monster.

"I activate my facedown, Adversity. Since my Rise Falcon has less attack points than your monster, not only do I not take damage, but my monster is safe. Then it gains 1000 attack points." said Shadow as his falcon managed to dodge out of the way as it got stronger.

"Hmm. In that case, I'll use the last ability of my Cursed Javelin to drop all of your monster's attack points to 0." stated Luna as her monster used its last overlay unit to strip Shadow's falcon once more of his attack strength.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Shadow

"My turn, I draw! And now I play my continuous spell card, Raptor's Intercept Formation." said Shadow. Then I reveal my facedown, Raidraptor - Readiness. Now with this trap card, all my 'Raidraptor' monsters can't be destroyed this turn. So now I used my Rise Falcon's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, my monster now gains your monster's attack points ." Rise Falcon then absorbed one of its Xyz materials as its stats rose up.

"Now the effect of my spell activates, since you target my monster, you lose 500 life points." informed Luna as her spell took effect.
Shadow's Life Points: 5900-

"That's a small price to pay, cause I'm going to take out your monster. Go Ravaging Rebellion!!!" shouted Shadow with such fury in his voice. His monster then soared high into the sky as it was encased in flames and then swooped down as it made contact with Luna's monster as it was destroyed and Shadow's monster was still on the field.
Luna's Life Points: 5200-

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Luna

"My turn, and now I play the spell card, The Phantom Knights' Rank-Up-Magic-Burial." said Luna. "This spell allows me to summon a 'Phantom Knight' Xyz monster from my graveyard. Rise from the ashes, The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin." Once more Luna had her monster back as it had terror in its eyes. "Then Rank-Up-Magic-Burial lets me to tribute The Phantom Knights of Cursed Javelin to summon a monster that's two ranks higher from my Extra Deck and it also attaches to that new monster as an Xyz material."

"This can't be good."

"Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!" shouted Luna as both her spell and monster were turned into dark orbs as a portal opened up in the ground as her new beast was arriving. "I Xyz Summon! Raider's Knight(2000/0, OLU: 2)!" Luna was now showing off a new monster as it was a horsemen who was dressed all in black from head to toe as well as the horse it rode on. It wielded a lance as it had flames surround it.

"Never seen that monster before." said Shadow.

"Now I reveal my facedown, Phantom Knight's Wing. So now my monster gains 500 extra attack points. So now attack his Rise Falcon!" shouted Luna.

"I reveal my facedown, Overlay Armor, now by detaching one Xyz material from my Rise Falcon, it can't be destroyed in battle." said Shadow. "Furthermore, the effect of my Raptor's Ultimate Formation activates, so now my Rise Falcon's attack and defense points switch places when you attack it!" Shadow's bird then managed to fly away but not before Luna's monster was able to make a dent in its armor as it made contact.
Shadow's Life Points: 5400-

"So you minimized the damage, very well. I'll now play Mirage of Nightmares and end my turn."

Turn 10: Shadow

"Then it's my turn." said Shadow as he drew his card.

"Now the effect of my Mirage of Nightmare activates, so now I draw till I have four cards in my hand, but come my turn, I must send four cards to the graveyard."

"So why play that spell?" asked the boy.

"This is why, I reveal Emergency Provisions, so now I send my Mirage of Nightmare along with my Phantom Knights' Sword and gain 1000 life points for each spell or trap card I send to the graveyard." informed Luna as she sent her two cards away and got a boost to her health.
Luna's Life Points: 7200-

"Damn, she's good. If I thought I liked her before, woah boy." smiled the boy.

"Keep your mind on the game and not me. Isaac certainly did that." stated Luna.

"Again." gritted Shadow. "Now I play the spell, Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force. So now I can summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Shadow's falcon then turned into an orb of light as it still had its remaining material as both were now dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air. Soon a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs disappeared inside of the portal and a pillar of light emerged. "Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Rise up, Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon(1000/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow's new falcon emerged as it too let out a similar screech.

"Hope those extra life points were worth it, cause my Blaze Falcon can attack you directly!" shouted the boy as his monster now bypassed Luna's monster as she just put her duel disk up to cover herself with minimal effort.
Luna's Life Points: 6200-

"Now since my Blaze Falcon was able to deal you damage, it now has the power to destroy one monster on your field, so say goodbye to your knight." stated Shadow as he got rid of Luna's only creature. "Then since I control a 'Raidraptor', I can special summon my Raidraptor - Heel Eagle(700/700) in defense mode. With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Luna

"My draw, and now I'm bring out my Phantom Knight of Ancient Cloak(800/1000) in defense mode. And I think a pair of boots will go lovely with that, don't you think. I now also summon The Phantom Knights of Silent Boots(200/1200) also in defense mode." Luna now had her two ghostly creatures appear as they stayed very close to her side as they showed their undead loyalty for their beloved 'Phantom Princess'.

"Those definitely creep me out a bit." said Shadow as he was looking at the eyes of Luna's monster as they looked like they were staring into his young soul.

"My phantom knights, don't like when someone gets too close to their princess." smirked Luna. "Perhaps you should listen to them, cause now I overlay them both to construct the Overlay Network once more." Luna's monsters then transformed into purple orbs of light as they entered a vortex as out came a brand new monster. "I Xyz Summon, The Phantom Knights of Break Sword(2000/1000, OLU: 2)! Rise my mighty beast!" Out came what looked to be a headless horse man as it had flames on where its head and upper parts of its body were suppose to be.

"Next, I reveal my facedown, Phantom Knight's Sword. So now my Break Sword gains 800 more attack points." stated Luna as her monster's weapon glowed in a blue flame as it was hotter and charged forward as it looked to make contact with Shadow's monster.

"My spell card, Raptor's Intercept Formation is still in play, so now my Blaze Falcon switches its attack and defense points. Also my Overlay Armor trap card is also in effect, so I'll remove an Xyz material so that my monster won't be destroyed in battle." stated Shadow as he got rid of another overlay unit as his falcon was tossed around by Luna monster as it driven into the ground in front of the boy.
Shadow's Life Points: 4600-

"And since the overlay unit that I removed was my Fuzzy Lanius, I can now add another one from my deck to my hand." stated Shadow as his duel disk ejected the card for him to grab.

"Still hanging on, admirable. But it won't save you. Now I end my turn."

Turn 12: Shadow

"My turn, and I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then I play the spell card, Raidraptor - Call. So now since I control my Raidraptor - Heel Eagle, I can now summon another one from my deck. Then I'll overlay both of my Level 3 Heel Eagles in order to build the Overlay Network." Shadow's two monsters then turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit. Soon a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs disappeared into it as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Raidraptor - Fiend Eagle(1000/0, OLU: 2)!" A smaller bird now appeared as it joined its comrade on the front lines.

"Now I activate my Fiend Eagle's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can target one face-up monster you control and you take damage equal to its attack points." said Shadow as his eagle absorbed an Xyz material as it targeted Luna's monster and dealt her damage.
Luna's Life Points: 3400-

"Now I'll activate my the ability of my Blaze Falcon, by using one overlay unit, I can destroy your Break Sword and then you take 500 points of damage." stated Shadow.

"Sorry, not gonna happen. See I can protect my monster from your special ability, simply by sending my Phantom Knights' Sword to the graveyard." said Luna as her Break Sword then put its own sword up as the lasers bounced off of it as it lost the extra power.

"Then about this. My Blaze Falcon can attack you directly!" said Shadow as his monster made contact with Luna.
Luna's Life Points: 2400-

"And when my Blaze Falcon does damage to you, it can destroy one monster on your side of the field. So now you have nothing to protect your monster." informed the boy as he got rid of Luna's monster.

"Thanks for that cause now the monsters I used to summon it come back, but this time their level increases by one." said Luna as both her Phantom Knights of Ancient Cloak and Silent Boots rose up in defense mode.

"My Fiend Eagle can't take down her monsters with his attack points." said Shadow to himself. "In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Luna

"My turn, and now time to show off my monster. I overlay my Level 4 Phantom Knight of Silent Boots and Ancient Cloak in order to build the Overlay Network!" Luna's monsters once again turned into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air. Soon a portal opened up in front of the woman as they disappeared inside and a pillar of light emerged. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons. I Xyz Summon! Show yourself my pet, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!" shouted Luna as she now had her most powerful creature on the field.

"I activate my dragon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, Dark Rebellion dragon cuts your monster's attack points in half, and then it gains those attack points." Dark Rebellion then used one of its Xyz materials as it weakened Blaze Falcon to 500 attack points. "Then, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to take out your Raidraptor Intercept Formation. Now time for me to attack, go my pet. Attack his Blaze Falcon! Mauling Mandible Charge!!" shouted Luna as her dragon rushed forward and used its chin to attack as it took out Shadow's monster.
Shadow's Life Points: 2100-

"I now reveal my Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force! Now I can bring back my Blaze Falcon and then I can be able to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Shadow's monster then appeared as it turned into an orb of light as a portal opened and was sucked into it as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 1)!" Now Shadow had a powerful falcon as it let out a cry.

"Woah!" said Cadance and Pinkie as they watched with some snacks.

You may have Rank Up cards, but you've yet to use them to their full potential, another thing that Isaac was right about.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 14: Shadow

"It's my turn." said the boy as he drew his card. "Now I activate my Fiend Eagle's ability, so I use the last overlay unit so that you take damage equal to your monster's attack points." stated Shadow as he dealt another blow to Luna's health.
Luna's Life Points: 2500-

"Now I'll use my Revolution Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, it drops your dragon's attack points to zero. Go, Blitz Bombardment!!!!" shouted Shadow as his falcon then soared above Luna's dragon as it opened its compartments as it dropped downs of little bombs as it began to rain down on Luna's field.

Luna just had her eyes closed as he didn't even bother addressing the attack, "I activate my facedown, Adversity! And I think you know what it does." smiled Luna smugly as she dodged the attack with ease.

"No." said Shadow as he failed to take down Luna's dragon. "I end my turn and now your monster gains back the attack points it lost."

Turn 15: Luna

"I expect more, perhaps if you weren't distracted, you would have done better." said Luna as he drew her card. "I play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and then discard 2." Luna drew her cards and then selected the ones she wanted to get rid of as she was set to end this duel. "Now I banish my Phantom Knight of Stained Greaves from my graveyard so that I can special summon my Phantom Knights of Fragile Armor(1000/2000) in defense mode, but it gains a level." Luna now had a monster that wore torn up pieces of clothing appear as it had flames where its limbs were suppose to be as it was now Level 5.

"Then I play the spell, The Phantom Knights' Possession. Thanks to this I can target 1 Xyz Monster on my field and treat it as having the same Level as another monster on my field. So now my Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon is now a Level 5 monster." Luna's dragon then had its stats change from rank to level.

"No way! Is that even a thing?" asked Shadow.

"This is why you need to study and pay attention to Isaac's lessons." stated Luna. "Now I overlay my Level 5 Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon with my Level 5 Phantom Knight of Fragile Armor to build the Overlay Network!!" shouted Luna as both of her monsters were turned into orbs as they were sucked into a portal into the ground as her most powerful and devasting monster was being summoned. "Dragon from the bleak, black pit! Fierce, fearless, ferocious fighter! Rise and master the skies! I Xyz Summon! Arise, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon(3000/2500, OLU: 2)!" Out came Luna's new more powerful monster as it let out a cry.

"Now I banish my Phantom Knights' Wing so that I can revive a 'Phantom Knight' from my graveyard. Rise up Break Sword!" shouted Luna as she now had another monster to help her. "Now Break Sword attack his Fiend Eagle!" shouted Luna as her monster took out Shadow's bird as he took damage. "And to end this duel, Dark Requiem Xyz Dragon attack! Dark Destruction!!!" Luna's dragon the powered up as it unleashed a powerful attack that took out Shadow's monster and the rest of his points.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Luna

"Ahh!" said Shadow as the boy was flung onto the grass as he closed his eyes.

"Shadow. Shadow, you okay?" called a voice.

"Hmm." Shadow slowly opened his eyes as he saw pink. It was puffy and smell like cotton candy. "Oh no." groaned the boy as he knew who was trying to wake him up.

"Maybe this will help." Pinkie then pulled out a bucket of cold water and poured it on the boy as he immediately sat up.

"JESUS!!!" yelled out the kid as the cold water caused his systems to go into shock.

"He's alive." smiled Pinkie.

"What is your problem?!"

"I wanted to make you were okay, can't have my student dying on me." said Pinkie.

"I wish was dead, so that I didn't have to experience that." said the boy.

"You don't meant that silly." said Pinkie as she brought the boy into a tight hug as she ruffled his hair.

"Get your hands off of me!" shouted Shadow as he broke from Pinkie's embrace and waved off her hand from his hair.

"Ohh, Isaac. You made an interesting choice putting young Shadow with Pinkie." said Cadance to herself as she was near the students as Shadow was started to groan as Pinkie rambled on.

Shadow then looked across from him as he saw Luna standing there with a straight look on her face. She then straighten out her shirt as she looked at the boy.

"Thank you, for a nice hangout." said Luna with that same straight look. "I expect you both at school on Monday." With that Luna then began to turn her back and leave. As she was walking, she noticed someone behind her.

"So, you actually had fun?" said Isaac as he was leaning against the back of a tree with his arms crossed and his cap covering his eyes.

"I'll admit, I did. But like I said, the boy can his fascinations with me as long as he wants, but I have a duty to my job and to the school." stated Luna.

"Well, he at least has someone who can he trust and reside in." smiled Isaac.

"Lulu!!!" shouted Celestia as she appeared and looked at her sister.

"Don't start, Tia!" said Luna as she knew what her sister was going to talk about. "Now come along, Isaac."

Isaac then got off from the back of the tree as he began to follow his Vice-Principal; he then turned his head to look back at where Pinkie, Candance, and Shadow were. Shadow at that moment, saw his professor as he was going off with Luna. He now looked at Isaac with a straight face to which gave a stern tip of his cap as he vanished into the sunset.

Author's Note

Once more the idea for this hangout was Vakama95096. We came together and brainstormed the idea for Shadow's backstory and the hangout. He gave me some details and I used my writing and storytelling skills to produce two chapters that turned out really good. The duel, of course, I added in cause why not. But regardless, thanks to him for working with me to come up with some quality content to read. Anyway hope you all enjoyed this and the last chapter and I'll see you in the next one.

Chapter 162: Random Stuff

It was a casual school day as the clock striked three and everyone was officially done with school for the week. Some students left already, though there were quite a bit of them outside or in the halls just making conversation. Meanwhile there was a particular group of students that we all know and love. They were all outside at the front of Canterlot High School, where they were just having a casual conversation.

"Well, guys I'm gonna have to leave soon. I'm gonna have to get to my 3 hour shift at the sushi place," said Sunset.

"Meanwhile, I have to make a few dresses for a couple clients of mine," Rarity said as she painted her fingers nails in a sky blue color, "How about you, darling?"

"Everything is handled just fine at the animal shelter. I could be on break, but I still want to make sure that the animals are safe and accounted for." Fluttershy says a bit softly.

"Well, I need to work extra days." groaned Rainbow. "What? I'm actually serious."

"Sorry, sugarcube. It's just that we weren't expecting that to happen." said Applejack.

"Why are you working more? Doesn't seem like you." asked Sunset.

"Weeeelllllll, I might need a bit of cash to get a new skateboard." answered the chromatic girl.

"And I'm not giving you any of my cash!" shouted Isaac as he knew that whenever Rainbow wanted money, she always came to the boy and dropped to her knees as she begged him to lend her some.

"Wait, what happened to your last one?" asked Applejack.

Rainbow Dash just scratched the back of her head as she started to remember the incident.

(Last Week)

Rainbow was at the skateboard park trying out some new tricks she had been trying to master. Only a small amount of people were able to complete the trick, but she wanted to be the one who could do it with ease. The trick was to get as much air as she can after reaching up from the top of the half pipe skateboard ramp and then bring the skateboard up above her head and then quickly back under her feet and make the landing. It takes a lot of practice to get it just right and even more to land it without any bumps. Rainbow Dash was making her way to the half pipe to do the trick. she was going as fast as she possibly could, she was about to make the jump to do the nearly impossible trick so there was no turning back. She managed to get some air as she made sure to grab her skateboard and hold it above her head. After she completed that part of the combo, she tried to get her board back under her feet. As she had the board under her feet again, it was too late as it hit the corner of the half pipe and she fell down and injured herself a bit. After suffering that type of blow, she was pissed. She let out a furious frustration and the next thing she knew, she had completely broken her board in half.

"Oops..."

"Hey, paw pals! Welcome to this month's "Fancy Fetch Unboxing with Spike"! I love pampering myself, and of course putting it on the internet for you, my fans, first! #PuppySelfCare! I've decided to splurge a little this month and get the deluxe package!" said the dog as he had a small camera set up so that it could capture his unboxing video. "Let's get a better shot. Whoa! Look at this! Fabulous Fido's Faberge Flying Disk. Of course you can't actually throw it. Far too delicate. " said Spike as he had taken the lid off of the box and pulled out a flying disk covered in shiny rimstones as he gave it a kiss. "Hmm. What other gems do we have here? Oh! Slippers to make your paws feel plush! They're encrusted with locally-sourced amethysts. Oh... my... goodness!" said the mutt as he let out a small laugh. "This is why I started vlogging in the first place! I've been waiting for a sniff like this. It's a classic white ankle sock. Cotton/nylon blend, two hundred wears deep, never washed. This ain't no dry wick. This baby is as absorbent as they get!" Spike started to sniff the sock as it had a smelly scent as he heard a voice call out to him.

"Spike! Did you spend two hundred dollars on a box with a dirty sock in it?" asked Twilight as she had a receipt with her.

"Who the hell used my credit card to buy 200 dollars worth of useless shit!!!!" shouted Isaac as his voice ranged throughout the house.

"Meow." said Tigre as she told her owner it was her dog friend. Which Isaac seemed to understand what his cat was telling him, despite not actually understanding the feline.

"SPIKE!!!!!" yelled the boy.

"Can't put a price on... #PuppySelfCare?" said Spike as he laughed nervously.

[beep]

"And now, for my new show – 'Reboxing and Returning Stuff'." said the dog as he had the package all wrapped up.

"Sunset, I mean this with the greatest respect and love... but you're absolutely crazy!" announced Twilight.

Sunset, folding her arms, looked to her friend skeptically. "Oh, yeah? And you think your position is somehow saner?"

"There's no debate to be had! If you don't make the choice I've made, then clearly there's something seriously kooky going on with you."

Leaning forward, the Equestrian looked to Twilight with amusement. "Those are some fightin' words, Twilight, but you think you can back ' em up?" she declared, with a tiny bit of an accent to boot.

Twilight, adjusting her glasses slightly, smirked right back. "First of all, impersonating Applejack won't help you, and secondly..." She reached to the side, picking up her glass and holding it and the pink liquid within right in front of Sunset's face. "Everyone and their grandma know that strawberry milkshakes are the tastiest you can have!"

Sunset chuckled, shaking her head. "Oh, Twilight, you sweet girl. But oh so foolish. Clearly chocolate is the top-tier milkshake in this contest!"

Twilight looked to her, aghast. "I can't even believe what I'm hearing! how long have you kept this dark and terrible secret from me!"

"Sunset pointed an accusing finger to her. "I was gonna say the same thing about you!"

A tense pause, and after what looked like a dramatic standoff, both girls broke character and burst out laughing, taking a good glug of their respective drinks before sighing over the matter. "Honestly, I love them both... but strawberry really is the best," said Twilight.

Sunset shrugged. "Hey, whatever makes you happy, friend."

"You two girls finally stop bickering." asked Isaac as he approached their table as he had his own milkshake in his hand. "Cause clearly, those two are a close second. Nothing beats classic vanilla." snickered Isaac as he took a sip of his drink while looking at the girls.

"Where is that darn ladder?" asked Amber as she was in the school library trying to reach a certain book.

"Need help with something, Amber?" asked Jason as he approached the girl.

"I can't find the ladder anywhere, and I need it to check out the books up on that top shelf."

"Want me to just grab one for you?" offered Jason as he was a bit taller than her.

"No. I need to be able to dig around myself."

"No problem! You can sit on my shoulders instead! Up you go!"

"Hang on a sec— That's not! Agh!" stated Amber as she was soon picked up by Jason as she was on his shoulders. It worked as Amber got what she needed, but she was still upset about what happened. "I hope nobody saw that. Anyway, thank you. That was helpful. I can't believe how many fantastic books were hidden just out of reach up there. Thanks for being so patient while I rummaged."

"No problem at all! It was my pleasure!" stated Jason.

"So heavy... Ugh. I think I might've borrowed one too many books this time. And I have to return them at some point— ahhh!" Amber then fell down as the pile of books she was carrying fell as she did too.

"Everything OK?!" said Jason as he made sure the girl was fine.

"Argh, just my luck..."

"Let me help." said the boy as he gathered all the books and place them on the table in a stack.

"Thank you for the assistance. I can take it from here." stated the girl.

"Were you planning on carrying this much weight on your own?! Don't be ridiculous! You should've at least asked for help!"

"They're all books I need for my studies, and it's my own responsibility. No need to involve others."

"I'm happy to help you carry some of them. How about half? That's fair, right?"

"No, really. I have this. I am not incapable— and I'm not a child."

"Hahaha! As smart as you are, you sure are a silly person." said the boy. "I'm so tough! I'm gonna stand my ground! I don't need help from anyone! And when things don't go my way, I'm gonna act all sad and moody!" stated Jason as he put on his best little kid voice.

"You... are remarkably talented at channeling me..." said Amber.

"Huh? Oh, no! Sorry! I was imitating my little cousin. Her name's Maya. She's way smart, but she can be pretty stubborn. You remind me of her. What I mean to say is that I want to help, so swallow your pride and ask." stated Jason.

"Ugh."

"I'll be carrying this stack of books now. Got a problem with that?" asked the boy.

"Yeah, yeah. You seem obstinately determined to go against my wishes." stated the girl. She then lead Jason to her table where she was working on some assignments.

"All right! Is this a good spot to drop 'em?" asked Jason.

"Hey, what're you doing?! They need to be stacked neatly, otherwise they'll topple! This one needs to be rearranged, otherwise the rest won't fit properly!" exclaimed Amber.

"Wow, talk about picky."

"You're the one who was so insistent on helping. If you're gonna help, do it right or don't bother."

"Fine, fine!" smiled Jason as he listened to Amber's instructions.

"Oh no! This isn't right! Now what am I supposed to do?" asked Lucky Star as she was currently in home ec class.

"What's the matter, Lucky Star?" asked Bryant as he made his way to the girl's workstation.

"I accidentally made this food much sweeter than I wanted..." said the girl as she was trying to recreate the food that was demonstrated for the class.

"Let me taste it. Hmm, yeah, a little sweet. What if we try adding a few spices?" Bryant then grabbed some seasonings on the table as he added it to the food.

"Huh? This is delicious! You're an amazing cook, Bryant!"

"My dad used to own a restaurant. I helped out a lot around the kitchen, even as a little kid."

"I didn't know that. Wow, that's a lot of responsibility to take on at an early age. No wonder you always work so hard. I might learn something if I watch you cook!"

"Well, no promises. I just have a little bit of experience, that's all. But look at you—you're great at baking cakes!" said the boy as he complimented the girl's skill at making pastries. "I think you should ask Pinkie to be her apprentice so that she can teach you her secrets about baked goods."

"It's true that I'm quite good at baking, but I'm not the best when it comes to seasoning. Maybe it's because I don't like spicy food? It's tough to make food taste good when you don't enjoy it. I just had an idea! If the reason I can't cook spicy food is because I don't like it... Then all I have to do is eat some spicy food! If I learn to like it, then I'll be better at making it, right?" said Lucky Star as she seemed to believe her logic.

"I don't know. Maybe? What makes you say that?" asked Bryant.

"No, no, no. None of that matters. Once I've made a decision, I have to go with it! I'll make something spicy right away!" said the girl as she began to get to work.

"Oh, this won't end well. If I leave her to it, she'll make an even bigger mess." said Bryant to himself.

"Hey, Bryant! Which seasonings should I use? These ones?" said Lucky Star as she had several in her hand.

"Um, hold on, Lucky Star! Let me show you!" said the boy as he raced off to help his friend from creating another mess. "That one goes best with meat, but for stir-fry, what you really want is this..."

"Welcome to 'ShimmerCode', my game channel! I've decided to take a break from racking up crazy-high scores to introduce my friend, Fluttershy, to gaming." said Sunset as she was in her room with the shy girl as she was currently streaming.

"Yay, games." said the girl quietly.

"Okay, Fluttershy, your pick. What'll it be?"

Fluttershy then began to look at the selection of games that Sunset had until she saw something she liked. "Oh. The squirrel one."

"Yeah, sure. I usually play more advanced games, but what my guest player picks, we play. This will be... easy." said Sunset with a smug look.

"Time to press some buttons. Whee." said Fluttershy.

"Here we go!" Sunset then turned on her console as the game began. She then flipped Fluttershy's control upright as she was holding it the wrong way.

[video game music]

"The gameplay here is actually very simple. Get your squirrel to climb the tree..." said Sunset as she tried to demonstrate hoe to play.

[video game sounds]

"Climb the tree... [angrily] Climb the tree...!" Sunset was now starting to get angry as the mini picture of her avatar was also showing the same expression.

"Like this?" said Fluttershy as she managed to get her squirrel to climb the tree and score a point with ease.

[video game sounds]

"Uh... yeah." said the bacon-haired girl as she was shocked.

"Hmm? Oh. Ooh." giggled Fluttershy.

"What do you want from me?! TELL ME WHAT YOU NEED!" shouted Sunset to the screen as she was starting to let her anger out. Soon she went full gamer rage mode as she was starting to sob a bit before looking at her controller and starting to yell at it and banging it. Even her avatar was depicting how she was feeling, not to mention her squirrel she was controlling was now starting to question his own life. All the while, Fluttershy kept a calm demeanor as she enjoyed herself and eventually won.

[video game sounds continue]

"Yippee! Did I do it right?" asked Fluttershy.

Sunset had a stunned looked on her face, "That was... amazing! Can I watch you play it again?" said the girl as she handed her controller to her friend who just nodded and pressed play.

"Amber, I have to say you're really impressive. I respect you a lot, and I thought I should tell you." said Shadow as he just watched the girl's latest duel against another student.

"Uhh, OK." said Amber.

"It's just, you know, you're two years younger than me, but you work really hard at everything. I mean, when I was your age, I wasted all my time just goofing off and doing whatever I wanted."

"Doesn't look like much has changed for you since then. And unlike you, I don't have time to waste, so leave me be." said Amber.

"Are you going to do some extra training? I'd be happy to join you, if you don't mind. What do you want to start with?" asked Shadow.

"I am absolutely disinterested in spending any time with you. What is it you want, anyway? Clearly you haven't been listening to a word I've been saying. Perhaps it's because I'm younger, you see fit to ignore me when I speak. Is that it?"

"What? No! Age has nothing to do with it. You're amazing! You're true to yourself. You know what you want and who you are. Not a lot of girls I know can say that."

"Ah, so it isn't my age that's to blame for you breezing over my wishes. It's my gender."

"I— what? Where did you get that idea? I'm just trying to praise your smarts and hard work and everything. It's impressive how someone so young—"

"Your lack of self-awareness is deeply troubling."

"What I'm aware of is you trying to pick a fight. Calm down, kiddo." said Shadow as he quickly wished to take that word back.

"Look. I'm really busy. Super, extremely, inordinately busy. I've got one last thing to say to you."

"And what would that be?" asked Shadow.

"I'm skilled with a deck, and my abilities are finely honed. It's not like I need someone for target practice." said Amber as she walked off.

"No, but I do." said Shadow as he went off on his way.

(Sometime later)

"Shadow, I've been looking for you. Do you have a moment?"

"Hey Amber. I was about to grab some food. Would you like to come along?"

"Actually, yes. That sounds fine." said the girl.

"Great. Let's go." said the boy as the two went to the cafeteria to grab some lunch.

"Hmm... The dining hall isn't exactly relaxing, is it? If there's a next time, we'll go outside." said Shadow as they finished their lunch.

"I don't really care about the atmosphere. I just wanted to apologize." said Amber.

"Nah, I get why you told me off. There's nothing you need to apologize for."

"Ugh, can you just shut your mouth and listen for once? Here's something you may have already picked up on... I very much dislike being treated like a child. I worked very hard to be where I am now, and such treatment makes it feel like all of that work is being ignored." stated Amber. "Aside from everyone else, the only ones that treat me with the proper respect are Professor Isaac and Ms. Rarity."

"But I think you're a genius! And you work harder than I ever did. When I was your age..." said Shadow.

"Yes, you already told me all of this. Back then you were just as devoted to goofing off as you are now."

"Ah, so I already told you that... What a perfect memory you have."

"And there it is. You're always so quick to flatter every woman you come across. Must be the result of having parents with tons of cash, that they've taught you how to flirt with girls. I knew that, and yet I never thought you would direct your antics at me."

"Heh... Look, I'm sorry, OK? I know how hard you work, and I really wasn't trying to upset you. I just wanted to chat." said the boy. "Plus, the whole flattering thing, I just do it to get them off my back. Trust me, most girls just cared about getting a piece of my parent's money. Which is why I find it curse sometimes to belong to such rich family."

"I do not mind that you wished to chat with me. In fact... you might even say I was about it. Just a bit."

"Seriously? It sure didn't seem that way..."

"Well, it's true. Your behavior is maddening, but in retrospect, I realize that was you treating me as you do all women, rather than like a child. I wasn't thinking about it like that at the time, and so, I snapped at you. I could have perhaps approached the matter with a tad more maturity. Therefore, I would like to apologize."

"An apology? That is not how these conversations usually turn out. There's no need for that though. Really, you'll make me blush if you keep this up. Listen, Amber, I want you to know that I meant every word. Even if sincerity is... difficult for me. You're as lovely as you are clever, and you have this strange charm about you. That's what I really honestly think." said Shadow as he gave his friend a compliment.

"There you go again with your false flattery..."

"I swear to you, it isn't false at all! And it's not flattery if it's the truth." stated the boy as he tried to get the girl to believe what he was saying.

"Say what you will ─ you're still going to have to earn my trust. Just this once, I'll cut you some slack. Don't get used to it. It's not like I can change who you are as a person."

"Well, you're right about that." said Shadow.

"I'll leave you with this ─ don't say things you don't mean. It makes it impossible to tell the lies from the truth. Don't come crying to me if you carry on as you have and end up with no friends."

"Heh heh... I have to say, Amber, your harshness is one of those things I enjoy about you! Glad to have a friend like you."

"Ugh, you are exhausting. I guess the positivity is OK, though." said Amber as the two went off on their separate paths.

"Thank you so much for helping me with tonight's Canterlot Celestial Society Members' Social, Pinkie Pie." said Twilight.

"No trouble, space rubble. Stars are like the glitter of the sky!" exaggerated Pinkie.

"I'm so nervous. My favorite astrophysicist, Rosette Nebula, is here! She's so smart and cool and probably very funny. Do you think she'll like me?" asked Twilight as she was a bit nervous.

"Of course she will." stated the pink haired girl. Soon both girls noticed the guests starting to clamor at the person walking into the building.

"There she is! Rosette Nebula! I just have to meet her!" said Twilight as she let out a gasp as seeing one of her many inspirations when it came to astrology.

"And I have to get this celestial celebration into orbit! Woo-hoo! Space party!" said Pinkie as off she went.

Twilight had managed to see Rosette Nebula by the banquet table as she was getting some snacks. Twilight was a bit nervous as she took some deep breaths as she tried not to be awkward in front of the famous women. Pinkie happened to be walking by as she was eating a cupcake when she noticed her friend struggling and decided to help her out by pushing her towards the woman. Just as Twilight was about to get Rosette Nebula's attention, Pinkie put a balloon hat that resembled her plushie Gummy. At that moment, Rosette Nebula turned to look at the bookworm as she smiled nervously and walked away to avoid looking ridiculous.

After that, Twilight then saw the woman talking with some other people as she tried to put on her best face forward and began to make her way towards the person. She had made her way to the woman when suddenly...

"Party cannon!" shouted Pinkie as she jumped on a table with her cannon and pulled the string as she managed to cover Twilight in complete glitter as only her eyes were shown. The group then walked away with Rosette Nebula as both girls had sad eyes.

Sometime later, Twilight was seating in front of the statue of Star Swirl as she let out a disappointed sigh.

"Everything okay, Twilight?" asked Isaac as he approached his girlfriend.

"No." said Twilight as she started to cry a bit.

"Hey, it'll be okay." said Isaac as he sat down next to his girlfriend and pulled her into his arms as he stroked her hair. "What do I always say, never give up." said the boy as he gave Twilight a kiss on her forehead as he gave her some punch as he got up and left.

"Pinkie." said Isaac.

"Yes, big bro."

"Pull out, Operation: Big Bang." said Isaac.

"Big Bang?! Are you sure?" asked Pinkie as she was nervous about what he was suggesting. "But the possibilities of it going wrong could be astronomically! It'll be out of this world!"

"That's a chance I willing to take." said Isaac in a dramatic voice. "Godspeed, young cosmonaut." He then gave a salute to Pinkie who returned the same gesture as they both went off to do their part.

"Excuse me, Ms. Rosette Nebula." said Isaac as he managed to track down the woman as she was currently drinking some punch. "Nice to meet you, my name is Isaac."

"Pleasure to meet to you, Isaac." said the woman as she shook the boy's hand.

"Can I talk with you for a bit?" asked the boy to which the woman smiled. He then led her away.

Meanwhile...

"Atomic chocolate cake!" shouted Pinkie as she rolled out a huge cake for all to enjoy. Everybody then began to take some slices as Pinkie secured a slice for her friend as she gave it to Twilight.

Twilight then took a bite as she began to enjoy the sweet treat.

"Did you know the smell of chocolate increases brain waves and contains—"

"The neurotransmitter serotonin, which triggers relaxation and contentment." said Twilight as she then opened her eyes and was surprised to see that the person who said that was none other than Rosette Nebula herself. And to shock her even more was seeing her boyfriend standing behind the woman as he smiled at her.

"Mmm, sciency." said Pinkie as she pushed her friend forward a bit as she and Isaac left the two to talk.

"I'm Rosette Nebula."

"Oh! I'm Twilight Sparkle. It's such an honor to meet you. I'm so interested to hear about your theories on..."

"Cake fixes everything." said Pinkie from afar as she looked at the fourth wall.

"You're damn right, it does." said Isaac as he took a bite from the cake made by his little sister. "Really hit the spot on this one, Pinkie. Mind showing me the recipe?"

"Oh no. It's Jack. He's coming right at me. If I run, he'll chase me. Maybe if I just hold really, really still..." said Fluttershy as she saw the boy approach her.

"..." said Jack.

"..." responded Fluttershy.

"Ahem." Jack cleared his throat as he got the girl's attention.

"Whatever it is, I didn't do it! I swear!"

"No. Here. I believe this is yours." Jack was then holding something in his glove as he showed it off.

"Huh? Oh. Yeah, that's my satchel. Wait, wh-where did you get that?!" asked Fluttershy.

"Stop asking questions and just take it." demanded Jack.

"No! Trap! It's a trap!" said Fluttershy as she was staring at the boy's eyes and looking at his burns.

"Why are you acting like this?" said Jack.

"Acting?! Does this terror on my face look fake to you?!"

"You're being difficult. Come on, this is yours."

"I can't! Your icy glare has frozen me completely!"

"Shut up! Just take the thing." said Jack he felt this conversation was going nowhere. He then stepped closer to the girl.

"No! P-please don't hurt me!" said Fluttershy as she was a bit scared.

"What? Who's going to—" said Jack before he was grabbed by his arm and flipped onto his back as Fluttershy managed to take down the boy. "How did you—" Jack was surprised by what had happened that when he looked up, Fluttershy had vanished and was nowhere in sight. "What an odd girl. But she's certainly caught my attention. I've never seen that technique before. Oh. I still have to give this back to her." Jack just shook his head as he now had to track her down again.

"Hey, Fluttershy! Whatcha eating? Mind if I join you? I’m starving!" asked Jason as he sat down next to the shy girl.

"Huh? Oh. Um" was all Fluttershy said.

"All my favorite dishes are on the menu today! I might have grabbed too much. You want some?" asked the boy.

"No, thanks. I—"

"All you’ve got on your plate are leaves! Are you sure that’ll fill you up?" said the boy.

"I-I’m done eating now. I have to go." Fluttershy then excused herself as she left the student.

"Huh? You’re already done eating? But there’s still food on your plate! Hey! Fluttershy! Huh. Maybe she’s not feeling well. I should probably go check on her later." said Jason.

(Sometime later)

"Oh, is that so? I’m so happy you found all of that food! A little grey starling told me that you can find berries if you fly out towards the mountains." said Fluttershy as she was outside of school and standing in front of a tree looking at a bird.

"Oh! I found Fluttershy! I didn’t know she spent her time here. It sounds like she’s talking to someone..." said Jason as he saw the buttercup girl.

"What‘s that? You want to try some nectar from the flowers in the greenhouse? That might be tricky. I guess you could try it if I’m already there, otherwise you might get locked in." said Fluttershy as she was trying to figure out how to help her little friend.

"Hey, Fluttershy! Who’re you talking to?" called out Jason.

"Eeek!" yelped Fluttershy.

"Huh? Oh, the birdie flew off..." said Jason as he and Fluttershy watched it go.

"Y-yes, it looks like he has. What are you doing here, Jason?" asked the girl as she looked back at the boy.

"You were acting a little strange when we were eating earlier, so I wanted to check on you. I was worried."

"Uh, that’s sweet of you, but... I’m fine."

"Are you sure? Well, that’s good to hear. As long as— Wait a minute! Were you just talking to a bird?" stated Jason.

"Excuse me?!" said Fluttershy.

"Hah! I knew it! You can talk to birds! I’m right, aren’t I?"

"Ah, um... yes."

"That’s incredible! This place is full of interesting folks, but I didn’t think anyone spoke birdie!" exclaimed Jason.

"No, that’s not it. This bird just happened to be... speaking human." informed Fluttershy.

"Good morning, Amber! Out for a stroll, are we? It's lovely weather for it. I might go wander outside myself. I'm sure I can see some beautiful sights." said Bryant as he met with the girl in the school hallway.

"Bryant—hold still, will you?" said the girl.

"Uh, sure?"

"Your shoes are untied. It looks sloppy. Let me just fix it for you." Amber then bent down as she began to tie the boy's laces.

"Oh! Thank you for letting me know, but really, I'm perfectly capable of tying them myself." said Bryant.

"Pfft, clearly that's not the case, otherwise this wouldn't be an issue. Now, hush." said Amber. "There we go."

"Thanks..." said the boy.

"You've also got awful bedhead." said the girl.

"What?! But I examined myself in the mirror before leaving my house!"

"It's the back of your head. Quite unkempt. You really should get it together. You really should be more presentable."

"Sorry, Amber... You're always so perfectly put together. In fact I'd say you're perfect in all respects... I don't think I've seen you fail at anything."

"Well, consider that if I make even the slightest misstep, everyone will treat me like a child. There's nothing I hate more than that..."

"I see! Well, I think you're very mature. If anything you may be overdoing it somewhat. I mean, people treat me like a child sometimes. But I like it, because it reminds me that other people care about me. You know? No matter how much we stretch, some things are always beyond us. I think it's fine to be vulnerable and ask for help sometimes." said the boy.

"Bryant, are you really lecturing me about how I conduct myself right now? You're a sheepish, unreliable scatterbrain who can only ever think about what others think of him! Perhaps you should worry about your own maturity before you start questioning mine. Anyway, I've got things to do, so I'm going to go now."

"Uh, Amber, wait! Hey!"

"Outta my way. You're such a child, I swear..." said Amber as she left the boy with his thoughts.

"That was uncalled for. After all, I am older than she is." said Bryant nonchalantly.

"♪ Hm hm-hm-hm... Hm-hmm... ♪ Oh, it's Penny." said Fluttershy as she was strolling near the gardens one day.

"Perfect. The soil's ready. Let's get to planting." stated the young girl.

"She's so diligent I can barely... Oh, look at her elbow."

"There we go, all set. Now, a little water."

"Her sleeve's all torn. She should get that fixed."

"Hey, Fluttershy. What are you doing here?" asked the girl.

"Uh, Penny. I was, um..."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I was just...admiring your hard work." said Fluttershy.

"If you've got time to stare, you may as well help me out. Is that all you wanted to say?" stated Penny.

"Uh, not exactly."

"Well, come on. Out with it."

"Uh... It's, uh... Elbow!" said Fluttershy while trying to hide behind her hair.

"Your elbow looks fine to me. Is it bothering you?" asked Penny.

"Not mine—yours. Your sleeve's torn."

"Huh, how about that? You're right. I didn't notice. You could have just told me right away, you know. It's just a little tear though. Nothing to worry about."

"If you don't mind, I could fix it for you. It would only take a minute." offered Fluttershy.

"You can do that?" Penny was shocked as she didn't expect that from the timid girl.

"I'm actually pretty good at sewing."

"I never knew. Well, if you're offering, by all means! Just let me finish watering these. Oh, I guess I should get this shirt off first though, huh?" said Penny as she started to do that in front of the girl.

"What?! Hold on— Don't— You can't just— Aaaah!" said Fluttershy as she tried to stop the girl from exposing her 'goods' in the school garden.

"Hey, Applejack! Are you just getting back? Whoa! What's with the bag? It's huge!" said Rainbow as she saw her friend enter the house.

"Oh, this? Ha... I thought I'd get all mah chores done at once. Guess it got a little out of hand. Sorry to be a pain, but could you help me out?" asked Applejack as she put the stuff on the living room floor.

"I'm happy to help! Where'd you go to get all this stuff?" asked the chromatic girl to the country gal.

"Well, first it was just the cloth scraps from the tailor, then it was the used oil from a restaurant in town... After that, it was the books the scholars didn't know what to do with. I mean, that was just on the way." stated Aj.

"Whoa. It sounds like you did a lot of running around today." stated Rainbow.

"It wasn't so bad! I just figured it would save time if ah did it all in one trip."

"You planned all that out? Impressive! What are you gonna do with all the stuff you got?"

"The scraps will be good for dish cloths, and ah can make soap from the oil. The books are just to help with mah studies." informed the country gal.

"You really can't let anything go to waste, can you?" said Dash.

"Nope. Can't stand the idea." said Applejack.

"Who knew you were so thoughtful! I mean, with actual thinking ahead. You're so generous to everyone and always making food."

"Ah cook to relax. Whatever I give away is just the stuff that isn't useful to me. Ah pick up all sorts of things when I'm in town. Givin' things like that to people who need them, or who actually use them, makes sure they aren't wasted." said Applejack.

"That makes sense. You gotta use up the stuff you've got, after all. Hey, do you think you're like this because you didn't have much growing up?" asked Dash.

"I guess things were tough, now that you mention it. My folks definitely weren't rich. That doesn't mean I've grown up to be stingy. It just means ah don't like to squander. Anyway, enough of that. It's in poor taste to go on about yer own hardships. I've always got time for a meal with a friend. And it just so happens I've picked up some choice meat today. Why don't we share it? Plus, I've got some cider."

"Now you're speaking my language!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Hello, darlings! Welcome to 'Street Chic with Rarity'! A show that keeps you ahead of the curve, so you're always the first girl on your block to wear the most glittering and glamorous frocks in fashion! This week, I am bringing you the latest in summer flair! So let's get started!" said Rarity as she was set up outside of her boutique with tons of racks of clothes as the people around her were wearing warmer clothes due to the cold weather and the wind blowing through.

"As you can see, Applejack has a simply scrumptious country style that really works for her. So I will just make some simple tweaks." said Rarity as the country gal seemed to be passing by. She then snapped her fingers and in a flash, she was now wearing something an outfit for warmer weather. "Sometimes I just shock myself with how good I am!"

"Uh, d-d-d-don't you think it's a... pinch chilly for this getup?" said Applejack as she was shivering from the cold.

"Nonsense! You look gorgeous! And oh, so summer!" said Rarity as she ignored her friend's request as she continued on.

"C-c-c-c-c-c-c-c-cold..." said Applejack as she then grabbed another piece of clothing from the rack as she wrapped it around herself in an effort to keep warm. Soon some geese flew above them in an arrow formation as Fluttershy appeared with a scarf around her neck.

"Oh. They're starting to head north for the winter." informed the shy girl.

"It may be fall, darling, but we in the fashion world are in summer mode. And now, so are you!" said Rarity as she snapped her fingers and now her shy friend was wearing a summer outfit as she too shuddered from the exposed skin to the cold. Just then Rainbow Dash was passing by with some ear pods as Rarity found her next victim.

"She's sporty! She's stylish! And she needs a sensational summer look to dazzle all the other sports... people?" said Rarity as she didn't know what to properly describe. "Anyway..." Rarity then cleared her throat as she snapped her fingers and now Rainbow was in a similar outfit as the other two girls as she too was cold.

"It's elegant yet still sporty! She'll be bringing drama along with the summer sun!" stated the fashionista.

"That... doesn't look like the sun to me." said Rainbow as she pointed to the sky.

"Ignore the nature, Rainbow Dash. Summer chic is a state of mind. We'll see you next time on 'Street Chic with Rarity'! Until then, don't forget to strike a pose!" said Rarity as she and the other three did just that as soon a plop sound was made as all four of them were now covered in snow as only their eyes were shown.

"Uh, Rarity, you got anything for winter?" asked the chromatic girl.

"Ugh. Remind me to do our photoshoots indoors from now on." said the marshmallow girl as she too let out a shudder.

"Hello, Jack."

"Hey, Fluttershy. " responded the boy. "Well, I brought him like you asked." Jack was currently a bird cage with a sheet over it. "He tends to be cautious around other people." The boy then put the cage down and took off the sheet to reveal the bird inside as he was looking at his outer surroundings.

"Oh goodness." spoke the buttercup girl as she look at the animal.

"Yeah. He's been through a lot." stated the boy.

"Tell me." stated Fluttershy.

"Well my bird's story isn't a pleasant one. My family didn't originally get him, rather a friend of our gave him to us years ago. During those days, he was living with two other birds and his mate. But then... one night... the two other birds escaped their cages and snuck into his cage... and there was fight... his mate didn't make it and they badly injured him." said Jack as he had a sad tone. He then showed off the extent of his pet's injury as he was currently missing four toenails and his lower beak was crooked.

"How awful." said Fluttershy as she began to pet the bird as it trusted the shy girl.

"He was never able to regrow those toenails once they were completely pulled off. But one of those toenails got pulled off completely by me and my father when we were clipping his nails. It suddenly fell off and there was blood coming out and we all panicked. I had to hold the wound close with a towel while my father contacted my aunt on what we should do. We then superglues it shut back on him and for the next few days, we watched him day and night, closely, making sure that he was okay and no longer bleeding." said Jack.

"Anyways, back to his tale, my dad and his friend found Odis and saved his life. And as for the pair of birds that escaped and injured him... well... they met their demise... I don't know what, but to be honest I don't give a damn. I know you're not suppose to be happy for an animal to be killed, since there are just creatures and they can't control their natural instincts. But is it wrong to say that I was glad for them to be gone." said the boy as he petted Odis on the head. "Yet through all his life, through all the pain he's been through, I'm glad to have him in my life. They caused him so much pain, but to me, he's family. And family is something that my parents taught me is the an important thing to have."

"And I think he's glad to have someone like you as his owner." smiled Fluttershy as she was getting Odis to become safe.

"Must be tough. Especially for a pet." stated the girl as she looked at the bird and then at Jack. "You know they say pets take after their owners and I can see that Odis and you are similar. Sure you both went through pain and lost some part of yourself. But you didn't let it get you down. You pushed forward, you didn't let your painful experience stop you guys from being yourselves. It made you both better." stated Fluttershy. "What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. "

"Ain't that the truth." said Jack as he chuckled a bit at Fluttershy saying that line as he saw she was right.

"Anyways, don't worry about Odis. He's in good hands, that's a promise." responded the shy girl.

"Thanks." stated Jack.

"Gotta hurry!" said Isaac as he was running through some trees as he was currently leaping over some obstacles in his way.

Soon a river was approaching the boy as he started to run even faster. He then jumped up high as he managed to grab a vine that was hanging nearby as he managed to swing over the rapid river as he landed on the other side. He then took a deep breath as he kept on running. Soon he jumped over some more bushes as he kept on running; eventually his destination was coming in sight.

"Almost there." said the boy as he looked to reach the clearing. As soon as he stepped out he was immediately stopped in his tracks as there was a person standing in front of him. And that person had cotton candy hair.

"Going somewhere, big bro?" asked Pinkie as she raised her arm as her duel disk projected her pink card tray as she got into position.

Before Isaac could move, he then noticed several other figures moving as soon he was surrounded. He looked all around and he saw each of the girls had encompassed him in a circle as they all raised their duel disks as they each projected their own card tray.

"So close, Isaac. But if you want to ring that bell, you gotta get past us." said Rainbow as she slotted in her deck.

"And we're takin' you on at once." smiled AJ with a sly smile.

"Time for some fun, boy toy." said Sunset.

"No escape. And no way out other than a duel." said Isaac to himself as he watched the girls moving in close to him as he kept his eyes on his enemies. A bead of sweat was rolling down the side of his face as he was trying to figure out what to do. "Who knew these training session could get rough? Fine then, let's duel!!" shouted Isaac as he slotted on his duel disk and his deck as it projected a gold card tray. Isaac's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl then appeared as they looked at each other and gave a nod as they prepared to battle along with their master.

Chapter 163: Holidays Unwrapped

Winter time had arrived as the weather was starting to get a bit chilly. Granted there wasn't any snow yet on the ground, but based on the forecast it was projected to be a white Christmas by the time the actual holiday rolled around. Which was in about 2 weeks or so, and that meant that everybody at Canterlot High was busying with studying for their winter exams before venturing on their winter break.

"Dear, Princess Twilight

How are things in Equestria? Things have been pretty good since we last left; Isaac has actually started a program that he believes will help the school to finally get recognized into the system. That way CHS can actually be funded by the Board of Education and the state; he also hopes that they can add Duel Monsters to the curriculum to help students on how to play the game. He's determined I'll say the least, to think that in just a few months from on, we'll be graduating and going on our separate ways. I know they say never say goodbye, but I just can't help that we won't see each other as much as we do now. Especially, Isaac. He was hesitant at first on accepting his destiny, but after our trip to Equestria, he's now more sure of what his future will be. Which is probably why he's doing all that he can for Canterlot High before he leaves, he just feels like he's running out of time. We all appreciate what's he done and doing, just hope he can relax with Winter Break coming up. Anyways, talk to you soon.

Sincerely, your friend,

Sunset Shimmer.

P.S. How's your relationship going with a certain colt?"

Sunset then closed her book as she hoped that the princess would see her message.

"So did Princess Twilight have anything new happen in Equestria?" asked Isaac as he approached Sunset who was sitting at the table in the house. He knew that often time, Sunset would write in the book she had as it allowed them to communicate with the pony princess as she often asked for updates from them and vice versa.

"Just sending her a message that we're about to start our last Winter break as students, and told her about what you've been doing since you got back from Equestria." said Sunset. "Turns out right after we left, she had to deal with some sort of time travel issue with a certain pony. Now she's tutoring said pony as her student and teaching her about the values of friendship."

"Interesting. So, are you planning to go for Winter Break?" asked the boy.

"I still don't know about that, it would be nice to spend Christmas in Equestria." said Sunset. "Anyways, I need to head over to Pinkie's house. The girls all want to do some last minute study for the exam. You wanna join us?"

"Nah, you go on ahead. I need to take care of somethings for the students when I meet with them tomorrow and discuss my plans for when they return from break." said Isaac.

"Alright, then. Hope you won't miss me much, boy toy." said Sunset with a sly smile.

"I think I'll manage." said Isaac as he played along with Sunset's flirtiness.

"Well, see you at school tomorrow." said the bacon-haired girl as she got up from the table and put on her winter clothing as she exited out of the house and was on the way to meet the others.

"Well, got the whole house to myself. Which means I need to get to work." Isaac then started to go over the lessons he had planned for the students. He also made a few calls to his 'associates' as he got to talk with them about some stuff concerning the cards they sent him. It was about 7 at night, as Isaac decided to get some final studying in for his final exams.

Morning had arrived as the sun was rising over the town as it brought some warmth to the denizens. Isaac's alarm went off as he reached over to his side table as he turned off the noise. He then let out a yawn as he stretched his limbs; he then got out of bed as he prepared himself for school. Once he got everything ready, he then exited out of the house as he was on his way to school. He managed to make it as the bell rang, since he was one of the few individuals of the group who had 3 classes, it meant that Isaac had a bit more time before his exams started.

"I wonder, where the girls are?" asked Isaac.

Meanwhile...

Seems the late night studying didn't go according to plan, as the girls managed to fall asleep. So when the morning sun, came over the girls were all exhausted and tired as they each had bangs under their eyes. Soon an alarm went off as it awoke the girls as they let out a gasp.

"I'm awake! I'm awake! What time is it?! Did we sleep through the test?!" asked Pinkie before she immediately fell back asleep.

"No, but school starts in thirty minutes!" said Rarity as she turned off the alarm.

"How's everybody feeling about our test?" said Sunset as she let out a distressed sigh.

"Even after our all-night study session, I still don't know the difference between vaporization and sublimation." said Fluttershy.

"Reckon this test is gonna be an abomination." said Applejack as she put on her hat and she too let out a sigh.

"I can't believe we all fell asleep halfway through our first all-nighter!" said Twilight as she faceplanted into the book in her lap.

"Not all of us. While you chumps were studying all night, guess who was coming up with a plan." said Rainbow Dash as she was by the window and pulled apart the curtains as there was nothing there. After a few seconds, a tiny snowflake was then seen falling.

"You call that a plan?" asked Twilight as she and the others didn't fully understand what their chromatic friend was insinuating.

"Ugh! Come on! Do I have to spell it out for you?! It's snowing!" exclaimed Dash as the others still looked at her with questioned looks. "Snow day means no school! No school means no test!"

"Uh, it's hardly snowin', Rainbow Dash."

"Come on, guys! You are seriously lacking vision!"

"I've got twenty/twenty vision, and I can clearly see it's not snowing enough for the school to be canceled!" stated the bookworm girl.

"Too bad it's not a snow day." said the buttercup girl as she let out a sigh and put her book in her backpack.

"It's not a snow day yet. If we face the forces of evil and magic, I'm pretty sure we can convince Principal Celestia to call a snow day. There's a lot of innocent kids out there who probably didn't study, and they're depending on us! So what do you say? Who's with me?!" asked the chromatic girl.

"I don't know." said Twilight as she was still unsure about this plan. "And technically, it was Isaac who mostly had to deal with all those problems."

"Huh? Huh?" said Rainbow as she looked to the others for support as they were starting to see her idea.

"Hmmm... I guess." said Twilight as she accepted the idea.

"Yeah!" shouted Rainbow as she and the others all got to work on her plan.

"Hope, Isaac is doing better than us." said Twilight as she soon joined the others.

Pinkie was still snoring when the others exited the room, "Ah! Can't believe I almost slept through a montage!" said the girl as she awoke and then chased after the others, but not before taking a leftover slice of pizza and ate it.

And so the girls got to work on executing Rainbow's plan. They had managed to secure a blank canvas as they setted it in front of Principal's Celestia's office. Pinkie was currently working on a sack of potatoes as she was peeling them when suddenly she noticed a racoon in front of her staring at her and the food. The racoon and Pinkie looked at each other and then at the potatoes as he tried to slowly steal one to which Pinkie immediately grabbed them and began to fight with the furry creature. She tossed them up high into the air and then she leaped up and in slow motion was able to cut and peel the potatoes with ninja effects as the racoon watched in awe. The potatoes landed in the bowl as both human and racoon were still fighting each other. Meanwhile, the others were all doing their part. Applejack had managed to get some blocks of ice as Fluttershy was using her animal skills as she managed to get some woodpeckers to carve the ice to which then did. They even did a statue of her as Fluttershy just let out a cute giggle. Twilight was put on shovel duty as she was having to shovel the bits of snow and ice the fell from the woodpeckers doing their work; she also fell down several times due to her lack of strength. Sunset was given the task of painting the canvas to create a convincing backdrop which was easy given due to her artistic skills. As for Rarity, she just simply sat in a chair as she was knitting a scarf. Pinkie and the racoon had managed to put their difference aside and were now making a snowman from the potatoes.

"Yeesh, are they really that desperate." said Isaac as he watched this scene from the classroom. He then shook his head as he turned in his test to the front of the class as he exited his class and was making his way to meet with the students.

He made his way to the classroom as all of the students were present.

"Well at least you guys are on time." said Isaac.

"Uh, professor Isaac, where's are the others?" asked Amber.

"Yeah, what's the deal, teach?" stated Jason.

"They sick or something." said Shadow.

"Probably still doing their exams." responded Jack.

"No, it's something else." said Isaac.

"Like?" said Penny as she rolled her hand for an explanation.

"How would you guys like a little field trip?" asked Isaac.

"Where we going?" asked Bryant.

"Hope it's somewhere fun." exclaimed Lucky Star.

"Ohh, I think you all will get a kick out of it. In fact, it should be happening... right about... now." said Isaac as he led the group out of the classroom.

"We did it! We saved the world!" shouted Rainbow.

"I got to admit. We really did pull together as a team." said Twilight as she was even impressed by what they were able to accomplish.

At that moment, both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna came into her office as they saw the scene outside of their window.

"A blizzard? Quite an unforeseen development, I'd say." said Luna.

"Indeed." stated Celestia.

"Shall we cancel school?" suggested the younger sister.

"Hmmm..." Celestia took her sister's request and started to reach for the phone.

"She's making the call!" said Rainbow.

"Don't bother with the snow day! It's phony baloney! Hope those girls enjoy detention after their test!" said Cranky Doodle as he entered Celestia's office and told the women of the girl's plan.

Celestia now had an angry look on her face and was about to confront them, when another person showed up.

"Hold on, Celestia. Care if I add some input of my own?" said the person with a smug smile on their faces.

"What's going on?" asked Rarity.

"What are they doing?" stated Aj.

"Quiet, you guys! I'm trying to see!" said Rainbow. Soon she and the others all heard someone clear their throat as they turned around and saw Principal Celestia standing there with an angry look on her face.

The girls were now all in detention as Cranky Doodle was the moderator for the test as the girls doing their test.

"How are we supposed to know how snow fits into the water cycle?!"

"Pinkie, what have we been doing for the past two hours?" stated Twilight.

"All part of the plan. What better way to study than a hands-on project?" said Rainbow.

"Ohhhh! I get it! This test relates to our snow day! Which means... potatoes get mashed, then evaporate into potato moisture, where they converge into potato clouds! And when those clouds can't hold the weight, that's where the potato flakes come from! Or is it potato chips? Am I missing something?" said Pinkie as she managed to go on a tangent like usual.

The girls all just laughed at their friend's behavior as Rainbow felt a bit tired.

"I didn't sleep."

"Then, you better wake the hell up!" shouted a voice.

"Ahh, the replacement is here." said Cranky Doodle.

"Replacement?" said the girls as Cranky Doodle got up from his seat and the person now taking over for the old man was none other than their male companion. "Isaac?!"

"Hello, girls." said Isaac in a low and evil tone as he had his hands clasped together.

"Honey." said Twilight as she tried to put on a sincere smile.

"Yeah, don't try that with me, Twi." said Isaac as she immediately fell back in her seat. "I can't believe you, of all people, would go along with Rainbow's stupid idea."

"Hey! It worked, for a while." said the chromatic girl.

"Tell it to me when you're the one whose going to be shoveling the snow off the house steps." stated Isaac. "I had more respect for you girls."

"Well, what about you, boy toy?!" demanded Sunset. "You couldn't at least convince Principal Celestia to give us more time?"

"Hey, it's not my fault, you all decided to wait to the last minute. I'm busy with other stuff and I still had time to prepare for the test." said Isaac. "Speaking of which, how are you kids enjoying the show?"

"We love it!" said the students as they loved watching their tutors get in trouble as they couldn't help but laugh.

It was another day in school as it was the very last day before the students were going on their Winter Break. All the students of CHS were exchanging cards with each other. Applejack was passing by as she saw the many interactions that were happening, she gave a quick wave to Vinyl and Octavia as she climb up the steps to the next floor as she saw the rest of the gang near Rainbow and Rarity's lockers.

"Hey, y'all! Who's ready for a new holiday tradition?" asked the country gal.

"Technically, it's not a tradition if it's new. Tradition implies something that's been done before and everyone expects it and—" said Twilight as she was going on a tangent to correct her friend.

"How do y'all feel about startin' a holiday tradition?" said Applejack as she interrupted her friend.

"Sounds cool." said Rainbow.

"I'm in." stated Sunset.

"Oooh!" said Pinkie.

"Fabulous!" answered Rarity.

"Words matter, people." pouted Twilight.

"Don't be like that Twi." said Isaac as he kissed her forehead to cheer her up. "So what did you have in mind, Aj?"

"Every year for the Apple Harvest Festival, my family sends a theme photo to our friends. This is when we were pioneers. This year, we were the forest. And last year, we all pretended to be ghosts." said Applejack as she showed the group some pictures.

"Uh, there's no one in this picture."

"Because you can't see ghosts, Twilight. Sheesh." said the country gal.

"Indeed. We're all familiar with your yearly cards." said Rarity.

"I was thinkin' we could all get gussied up and do a holiday photo to send out to the whole school!"

"Ohhh... G-Goodie." said the fashionista as she and the others had a bit of a worried look on their faces.

"Oh, man, AJ, I would love to, but I have a... a thing. You know, right now. With Hoops Dunkington. You know, Hoops from Crystal Prep. We're gonna get... sandwiches." said Sunset as she was hoping to back out of it.

"Heh. You're so funny. Bring him along. He can take the picture." said Applejack.

"Aw, man. He just... canceled." said Sunset as she knew her excuse didn't work.

"Well, I need to meet with the students to discuss my plan for them when they return for the second semester." said Isaac as he was hoping his excuse would be more believable.

"Alright, you're excused city slicker. I know how hard you're working to kickstart this program." said Aj.

"Yes." said Isaac as he fist bumped.

"But you're helpin' to take the picture and gettin' the set ready for our pic." demanded the girl.

"Deal." nodded the boy.

"We just gotta figure out what we're all wearin'." stated Aj.

"I could design it!" offered Twilight.

"No!" shouted the other girls.

"Why is that a bad idea?" asked Isaac.

"You were busy doing whatever on Halloween, Isaac. But Twilight made us look silly." said Rainbow. "She made us be the quadratic equation."

"I didn't mind that costume." said Fluttershy.

"'Cause you got to be a plus or minus. I could barely function." Rainbow then let out a gasp. "Wait. Was that a math pun?!" asked Rainbow as Sunset shook her head to which she let out a groan. "You're ruining me!"

"Ah, don't be such a square." joked Twilight hoping to get a laugh from the others but nothing as Pinkie delivered a rim shot.

"Remind me to get you a joke book for Christmas." said Isaac to which Twilight looked at her boyfriend with a glare.

"I already decided on the theme. A cornucopia! You know, them goat horn-shaped basket thingies overflowin' with flowers, fruit, and corn? It's the symbol of the Apple Harvest Festival!" said Applejack.

"I'll take the lead on wardrobe." stated Rarity. "Simply tell us the location of the photo, and we will be there!"

"Well, this is the best news ever! Thanks, y'all. I'll get the auditorium ready for the shoot. See you guys this afternoon!" said Applejack as she turned to leave. "And don't forgot..."

"Yeah, I promise. Soon as I'm done with the kids, I'll head over to help." stated Isaac as Applejack left.

"Rarity, are you okay? I think you just offered to do something that you don't really want to do." said Sunset as she saw how distressed her friend was due to her giving a sigh.

"No, Sunset. Unfortunately, I offered to do something I have to do. As a good, generous friend, I have to save Applejack's photo shoot. I also have the best taste of anyone involved."

"Yup. Knew there was another reason." snickered Dash.

"I know not what a goat horn-shaped basket thing—"

"Uh, cornucopia?" said Rainbow with a smug smile.

"—cornu-huh-duh-buh is," said Rarity as she couldn't say the word due to her accent, "but I can guarantee that I will make us the most fabulous version of that... that... thing that I can." Twilight then showed Rarity a picture of the thing as she let out a gasp and nearly fell on the ground as she fainted.

"Rarity! Are you okay? What do you need?" asked Pinkie as she managed to catch her friend.

"Take me to the drama department's costume room! Time is running out!" shouted Rarity as Pinkie nodded and slung her over her shoulders as she ran leaving the others.

"Well, you girls have got your work cut out. I'll see you all later, can't wait to see what costumes you're wearing." snickered Isaac as he quickly left to avoid getting attacked by the girls.

The girls were all with Rarity as they were working on their costumes. Pinkie was just rocking out with a boombox in her hands as she was jamming to the music while bobbing her head. Sunset on the other hand was on her phone as she was trying to find an escape route from this ridiculous idea. Rarity was determined as she was at a table with a sewing machine as she was using the materials to make the costumes.

"I'm going to make this..."

"Cornucopia!" said Rainbow as she dashed away.

"...so fashionable that people will learn what a..."

"Cornucopia." said Rainbow again.

"..is." said Rarity as she still couldn't say the word due to her accent.

"So, no appointments this afternoon?" said Sunset as she was talking on her phone.

"What are you doing, Sunset?" asked Twilight.

"Trying to get any appointment I can for this afternoon. But my dentist, doctor, dermatologist, podiatrist, and guitar teacher are all booked." said the bacon-haired girl.

"You have a podiatrist?" said Twilight as she was surprised by that fact.

"I can't be in this picture, Twilight. We're gonna look silly." said the girl. "God, why did Isaac get out of this agreement? I rather teach the kids then do this."

"Yes, Sunset. Yes, we are. But we're going to be the most fashionable kind of silly there is. As Applejack's friends, it's the least we can do. For friendship." said Rarity as she handed the costumes to the girls.

"For friendship." said Sunset letting out a sigh.

With that the girls all got dressed as they put on their costumes and accessories. Safe to say they were... horrible.

"I would just like to point out that the quadratic formula was better than this." said Twilight as she looked at their costumes.

"Yeah, well, I'm feeling a little 'husky', so I don't want to 'ear' it." chuckled Pinkie as she was dressed as corn. "Sorry if that joke was 'corny', but it's all I have right now!"

"Well, I like my outfit. I'm a bunch of grapes." said Fluttershy with a sly smile.

"Let's just get to the auditorium before anyone sees us." said Rarity as she pulled a string on her costume as she inflated the bottom half.

They were all struggling to walk as they were making their way to the auditorium when the bell rang. At that moment, all the doors opened for the classrooms as out came the students and saw the girls in their wacky getups as they couldn't help but stare and create some chatter.

"RUN!" shouted Rainbow as she dashed away as quick as she could to get away from all the attention when her foot got caught in someone's bag as it caused her to trip and fall. "Aah! Oof!" said the girl as both her hand and foot were trapped all the while the group of students in front of her were laughing and taking pictures. "Help! I'm stuck!" called out Dash.

The others all started to run as well as Pinkie just stood there with a smile on her face as she chose to accept it as she posed for a few pictures.

"Oh! Whoa!" Twilight was having a hard time keeping her balance and walking in the getup as she bumped into some of the to other students who also fell down.

"I got you!" said Fluttershy as she was helping Rainbow get up.

The others weren't fairing any better as Rarity and Twilight managed to run into each other and then bounced off. Pinkie was still posing for some pictures when Sunset crashed into her as both fell down.

"Okay, so, now that we are a laughingstock—" said Sunset.

"Did someone say 'stalk'?" joked Pinkie.

"Let's just get to the picture. Nothing to lose." groaned Sunset as they were all humiliated and embarrassed in front of the entire school.

"With that, have a nice break, kids." said Isaac to the students. "Rest up, and enjoy the holidays. You're all officially at the halfway mark of not only completing your first school year at CHS, but also being part of this program."

"So, are we really almost done?" asked Bryant.

"Man, time sure flew by." said Shadow.

"Then that means once you guys start your second semester, I've got some challenges for you all to face." stated Isaac.

"Like what, Teach?" asked Penny.

"You'll see. Enjoy the break, you guys earned it." smiled Isaac as he dismissed the students as they left the classroom. "Well, better get to the auditorium." stated the boy as he looked at his watched and grabbed his backpack. Isaac entered through the door as they was Applejack on the stage with the set behind her as Photo Finish had her camera all set up.

"Finally, city slicker." said Applejack.

"Wanted to wish the kids a safe happy holiday." said Isaac. "But I'm here now, so what's left?"

"Just a few finishin' touches. Care to grab that and bring it to me?" asked Aj.

Isaac put his backpack down as he helped Applejack to finish the set for the girl's photo.

"Nice done." said Isaac as he looked at the backdrop.

"It's nice, isn't it. Say Isaac, mind fetchin' me mah stuff?" asked the country gal.

"Sure thing, Jacklyn." snickered Isaac as he left to avoid Aj from punching him in the face for calling her by her birth name.

"Grr, I hate that name." said Applejack as he gritted her teeth. She turned back to the photographer. "Looks great, Photo Finish." Soon the door opened as both saw the girls enter in their getups.

"Vat iz dis?" asked Photo Finish.

"Well, we told you we would do this photo shoot of dressing up and w-whatnot, Applejack." said Rarity.

"And we put ourselves through quite the ordeal to get here, amidst laughter and judgment. But it's because we're your friends. And we respect your family traditions. So if we have to look like corn and squash—" said Sunset.

"And grapes." added Fluttershy.

"Then we're willing to do it. We love you, friend." stated the fashionista.

Applejack could help but smile at how dedicated her friend were in keeping her traditions even if it meant being embarrassed that she just let out a laugh. "What?! Granny Smith is the one that made us dress up. I was just sayin' we should take a picture with a cornucopia set behind us. Should've known when you said 'wardrobe'." stated the country girl as the girls just sighed and groaned.

Sunset then got an idea as she whispered into Rarity's ear.

"Uh, we could change. But it would be a shame to waste the ensemble I made for you." said Rarity as she held Aj's costume with a sly smile.

"Uh..." laughed Applejack nervously.

"Alright, I'm back. App... What the hell did I just walk into!!" shouted Isaac as he saw the girls on the stage getting into position for the photo.

"Shut the hell up, boy toy! Don't say anything, just take the photo or we'll put you in something so you feel our pain." shouted Sunset.

"Sheesh, alright." said Isaac as he helped Photo Finish in taking the photo.

"Wishin' y'all a Happy Holidays, from our cornucopia to yours. Love, Applejack."

"Sunset Shimmer."

"Rainbow Dash!"

"Fluttershy."

"Rarity."

"Pinkie Pie!"

"And Twilight Sparkle!"

With that the photo was taken. All the girls smiled as soon another camera click was heard as they looked to see where it came from.

"Lovely girls." said Isaac as he had his phone out and took a quick pic of the girls in their costume.

"Isaac, you put that phone down and delete the picture. Or else we're really gonna hurt you boy toy!!" said Sunset as she and the others girls all seemed to be serious about that part, apart from Pinkie and Fluttershy. Isaac just slowly looked between his phone and the girls several few times. He slowly lifted his phone up and clicked the capture button. "Get him!!!" yelled Sunset as she and the others all jumped off the stage to straggle their male friend.

"It was worth it!" shouted Isaac as he began to run from the horde of girls. While he was running from the girls, Isaac managed to send the photo to the students so that they could laugh at their tutors to which they all did.

Applejack was busy helping her family getting ready for the annul event they were going to have. In fact, she knew it was going to be a lot of work as she had both Isaac and Twilight there to help them out. Moreso cause tonight, she and the boy would provide the entertainment for the party with a duel. Everyone was hard at work on making sure everything was good to go by the time the party started.

"Thank you so much for inviting us to your family's holiday party." stated Twilight.

"I always did want to see how you make your cider." stated Isaac as he was munching on an apple. "So, do you could give me a couple of extra bottles?"

"Isaac, you know you can't do that." snickered Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend. "Would you say the Apple Family Annual Holiday Harvest and Cider-Making Fest is more of a mulling fest or a chilling fest?"

"What kind of a question is that?" asked Isaac as he looked at his girlfriend.

"Don't you fret. It's always a blast. Well, aside from when the Flim Flam brothers make their appearance." said Applejack.

"Huh?" said Twilight as she was confused.

"Them again." said Isaac as he finished snacking on the piece of fruit. "I thought we dealt with them the last time, Aj."

"We'll they're persistent, Isaac. Even though you managed to beat them in a duel, you didn't expect them to keep their word." said the country girl as she turned back to Twilight. "They make it a tradition to swindle my family at the Harvest and Cider-Making Party. One year, they took all our ladders in the middle of the party." mentioned Applejack as she recalled the past memories. "We had to improvise. Another year, they de-bottomed our baskets. Last year, they gave Apple Bloom a pet worm."

"Don't remind me." said Isaac as he too remembered that encounter. "I still can't believe you kept the little guy."

"He was cute." shouted Applebloom as she addressed Isaac.

"Until Colonel Wigglesworth and all his friends ate up every apple we had." stated Aj.

"That's horrible. And to think, bow ties used to be a symbol of integrity that only cool people wore." said Twilight as she let out a gasp.

"Oh, honey, you're thinkin' of bolo ties." corrected Applejack.

"She's right." said Isaac as he was looking up the info on his phone. "According to Wikipedia, bolo ties are widely associated with Western wear and are generally most common in the western areas of the country."

"Anyway, this year we're settin' traps for those no-good Flim Flam brothers. If they try anythin' slippery, then things are gonna get sticky." said Aj as she pounded her fist.

"Applejack, I promise if you let me come up with a plan, we can out-bamboozle those bamboozlers!" said Twilight as she was offering her assistance.

"What do you think, Isaac?" asked the country girl.

"Hey, who am I argue?" said the boy. "I say let the nerd go at it."

"Don't call me that!" pouted Twilight as she didn't like it when her boyfriend called her by that.

"You know you enjoy it, plus your adorkable." teased Isaac as Twilight turned her head in embarrassment as she was trying to hide the shade of red on her face.

"Anyways, I was hopin' you'd say that!"

"Yes!" shouted Applebloom as she and the others all got to work.

With that the entire group got to work. The whole Apple family had gathered together as they sat down in front of Twilight who had a large and long blackboard with her. She then turned it to the other side as it had so many designs and plans that they were all confused, while Isaac just facepalmed himself as seeing his girlfriend go overboard with her brainstorming. Twilight then tried to find her personal laser pointer, but realized that she forgot it. She then heard a cluck as chicken was poking her leg as it she had a stick in her mouth and was pointing at it. Twilight then grabbed it and began to use it to point out and elaborate each of her steps. Even then, they still had not idea what Twilight was talking about. Isaac then stepped in as he knew what Twilight was trying to say as he translated using simpler terms that they could understand. The Apple Family nodded as they knew what the plan was as they pumped themselves up and split off to complete the objective.

"You couldn't let me have my moment." pouted Twilight.

"Hey, not everybody understands when you go into 'nerd mode'. For some weird reason, I can understand you when you do it, and I'm nowhere near as smart as you." said the boy.

"I told you, don't call me that!" shouted Twilight as she stamped her foot.

"But you're cute when you pout." said Isaac as he stood in front of his girl and gave her a kiss. He then pulled back as he smiled to which Twilight tried to hide her own smile but it was for naught as she blushed.

Applejack and Applebloom were now smashing some apples with their feet as Big Mac had a tub under a small nozzle as out came apple cider. He then presented it to Twilight who stuck her finger in it and tasted it to which she gave a thumbs up. Isaac tried to stick his own finger in until Twilight slapped his hand as she gave him a look. they then proceeded to pour the golden liquid into a jug as Twilight put the sticker label on it. They then moved onto the next part, Applebloom was currently working on putting a neck inside of a jack-in-a-box as it then popped out and fell on her head. She then did several attempts on trying to get the net to stay in, but they all ended the same way as they kept on capturing her instead. Applejack came by as she took the net off her little sister and then neatly wrapped it up as she put it back into the box as it didn't come out. Twilight now had Big Mac blindfolded as she had to direct him on where to dig some holes.

In the barn, Isaac was helping Granny Smith as they were currently putting pepper into a tub of water. Twilight then arrived as she took a taste of it as she let out a face of disgust. She then gave a thumbs up as Granny Smith put more pepper into the water as Twilight grabbed an jug that had a pepper shaker label on it as she replaced it with an apple cider

"Is this really gonna work?" asked Isaac.

"Have faith in your girlfriend." smiled Twilight smugly. "I mean, I did catch your attention the first time we met with my smarts."

"Well, that and other things." Isaac smiled back at his girlfriend as the two let out a laugh. With that everything was set into motion.

It was now time for the party as the guests were standing around very still inside of the barn.

"Nobody's talkin. They're just standin' around. Guess a cider party ain't much fun without cider." said Applebloom.

"Huh. You sure this is the best way to fool the Flim Flam brothers?" asked Applejack.

"It is in fact the only way. I triple-checked my game theory matrix. Those no-good grifters are gonna offer a fake diamond for the party's eponymous cider. We'll play along, and by the time they figure out we sold them pepper and salt water, we'll be celebrating our victory with the real cider, which is hidden in here." said Twilight with as she placed her foot on the container that contained the cider.

"Twi, just how many detective stories have you been reading lately?" asked Isaac.

"Shut up!" pouted Twilight.

"Hey, I believe your plan will work. I just wanna know how much you've invested in those books I've bought you?"

"Just few, hundred. Okay, I have been reading a lot, lately." said Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend who just rolled his eyes.

"I hope you're right." stated the country girl.

"Trust me." stated the purple girl as there was a knock on the door.

"Greetings!" said Flim.

"Salutations!" stated Flam.

"No tricks this year!" exclaimed Flim.

"Cross our hearts of gold!" replied Flam.

"Speakin' of gold, how would you feel about selling us your cider? For the generous sum of..."

"...Let's say..."

"...Ohhhh..."

" ...This genuine real-life diamond?" said both brothers as they actually were doing what Twilight.

"Holy shit." said Isaac. "I don't know what's more impressive, the fact that Twilight called this or that they actually have a diamond."

The group then gave the brothers the 'supposedly' apple cider as they loaded it into their trunk.

"Y'all come back next year, ya hear?" said Applejack as she waved them off as she closed the barn doors.

"We did it!" shouted Granny Smith.

"Yee-haw!" shouted Applejack.

"That was amazin'!" exclaimed Applebloom.

"Twilight was one step ahead of 'em from start to finish! Let the real Apple Family Annual Holiday Harvest and Cider-Makin' Fest begin!" Applejack then opened the trunk that Twilight had hidden the real cider as she let out a gasp. "Uh-oh. Where's the real cider? Did they take the real cider?!" The entire family then lifted the trunk as they noticed a hole in the trunk as it as connected to a hole in the ground.

"Aw, man!" pouted Applebloom.

"That ain't fair! They must've known about the switcheroo and double-reverse switcheroo'd us right back!" said Applejack as she had a panicked look on her face.

"Unless I knew they'd doubled-back and take the real cider using a series of tunnels I dug knowing they'd find them and use them, ensuring that when they emerged right outside the front door, they'd get... trapped in a net!" said Twilight as she was grinning ear from ear at explaining her plan.

The family then looked at Isaac for some explanation.

"Hey, don't look at me." said Isaac as he had no idea about any of this.

"Did you do that?" asked Applejack to her friend.

"You tell me!" shouted Twilight as she opened the door and to her surprised the brothers weren't captured in the net.

"Nope." said Aj bluntly.

"Looks like you got an 'L' on this one, Twi." said Isaac.

"Uhhh..." said Twilight with a stunned look on her face.

"Looking for this?" said Flim as his brother Flam was holding the box with the net inside.

"Nobody outsmarts the Flim Flam brothers. Oh, thanks for the cider!" said Flam as he winded up the box and soon the net came out as everybody ducked to avoid getting caught as it landed on the outer guests.

"Time to go!"

"See you next year!"

"Oh, and one more thing..." said Flim as he tossed the jug to Twilight.

"Enjoy your pepper water!"

"Yah-dun-dun-dah-dun-dah! Hey!" said both brothers as they got into their car and zoomed off.

"Well, that went well." said Isaac as he tried to lighten up the mood.

"Guess this party's over." said Applejack as she took of her hat and was starting to walk away.

"Actually... it never got started." said Twilight with a sly smile and her glasses were white.

"Oh, boy. She's got the anime glasses." said Isaac as he saw his girlfriend and knew what that meant.

Twilight then took off the net from the guests as she pushed Ms. Cheerilee as she fell to the floor as it was revealed to be just a stand-in.

"No wonder Scootaloo was so quiet." said Applebloom.

"But... who... how... how'd you...?" said Applejack as she was shocked.

"These clocks are all wrong. The real party doesn't start for another twenty minutes." said Twilight as she picked up a clock and then put it down as she grabbed a pair of cups and gave one to Isaac as he clinked his cup with hers as both took a sip. "Mmmmm. Delicious!"

"Oh, that's good." said Isaac as he licked his lips.

"You didn't switch the cider, did ya?" said Applejack.

"Mm-hmm." nodded Twilight as she peeled the sticker to show the label.

"The one move that nobody ever sees coming." stated Isaac as he took another sip.

"Surprise me once, shame on you! Surprise me twice, shame on me! Surprise me three times, the fourth surprise is gonna be on you! " laughed Granny Smith. "You're the surprised ones! " Soon her laughter turned into her cackling.

"Huh. Wow. I... I don't know what to say."

"How about... cheers?" offered Twilight as gave a cup of cider to her friend as they joined in with Isaac as they let out a laugh.

Sometime later, Isaac was busying shoveling the holes Big Mac had dug up as he was covering them full of dirt. While he was doing this, Twilight was leaning against the side of the barn with a cup of cider in her hand as the party was already starting inside. Isaac took his cap off as he wiped his forehead as he was sweating, he then looked at Twilight.

"What you staring at?" asked Isaac.

"Uh, nothing." said Twilight as she turned her head as she wanted to avoid telling her boyfriend that she enjoyed watching him sweat.

"Nothing, huh." smiled Isaac as he got in the face of Twilight as they were inches apart as he grabbed her chin with his right hand as he looked at her. "How does a nerd like you capture my attention everytime?" flirted the boy.

"The same reason why a geek like you makes me fall in love with you over and over again." responded Twilight with a flirt of her own.

Isaac then leaned forward as he captured Twilight's lips with his as they shared a moment.

It was another cold day as school was officially out for winter break. Isaac had managed to finish what he needed as he came up with the next assignments for the students to focus on once they got back from their break. As for the group, after the incident with the girls trying to fake a snow day, they had managed to finish up their remaining exams as they were now on Winter Break. Despite, being on break, they also had something to take care of and that was the Toys for Kids Festival in which the group would be giving kids some toys to kids who didn't have any. As for Isaac, being the co-owner of a card shop, he was able to secure some extra piles of cards as he also hoped to give it to the kids. Right now the entire group was walking to Sunset's locker to get the toys they would be giving.

"It's winter break, I have hot cocoa, and we're about to bring a giant wagon of toys to little kids! This is the best day ever!" said Pinkie as she let out a gasp and took a sniff at what she saw. "Is that... a marshmallow? Today just got better!" squealed the girl.

"And there's more." said Isaac as he put some caramel and sprinkles in Pinkie's beverage as she took a sip.

"Aw, that's delicious." said Pinkie as she licked her lips. "You know me so well, big bro."

"Do I know my little sis or do I know my little sis?" said Isaac with a smile.

"Mighty kind o' ya to let us keep all these toys in your storage locker, Sunset. I didn't have the space after Granny Smith converted our barn into a hot yoga studio."

"No biggie. Nice to finally use this darn thing. I've been paying monthly, and I never use it."

"What is it, a gym membership?" snorted Twilight as she let out a laugh. She then looked at her friends to see if they too found her joke funny, but none of them were laughing. She then looked at Isaac as she hoped he would back her up.

"What do you want me to say?" asked Isaac as he too found the joke not that amusing.

"Let's just open the locker." said Twilight as she wanted to move pass the joke.

"Yeah... Good idea, Twilight." said Sunset as she rubbed her neck. "You know, the Toys for Kids Festival is gonna start soon, so just open this lock with the key. Pinkie?"

Pinkie just blinked a few times before answering. "Oh! I gave the key to Rainbow Dash."

"I gave it to Fluttershy."

"And I entrusted it in Chad. Do you have it, Chad?" asked Fluttershy as she had an owl perched on her arm. Chad gave a hoot as he looked at Rarity.

"Oh, right! The key! I put it in a charming little bag, and I gave it to you."

"Yeah... and I left it in my locker." said Sunset as she realized what it meant.

"So basically, nobody has the key." said Isaac bluntly.

"Oh, no worries. We'll just run down to the school, get the key, and we're back in business." said Rainbow as they all began to leave.

"Uh, school's closed." said Twilight as she let out a sigh.

"Cheer up, Twi." said Isaac as he then began to walk with her after their friends.

The group now found themselves at the entrance of the school as Sunset was trying to do everything she can to open the door, but it was to no avail.

"Like I said, school's closed for winter break." repeated Twilight.

"Well, this won't do at all. Without the key, there's no toys. And that means those adorable children at the Toys for Kids Festival are going to open empty boxes!" said Rarity.

"Ah! That's worse than clothes!" exclaimed Rainbow.

"Excuse me?!" stuttered Rarity as she took offense to the comment made by her friend.

"Well, as much as the kids will like the cards that I'm giving them. They gonna want other toys as well." said Isaac.

"Not on my watch. I have a plan. The school doors might be locked..." said Sunset as she began to tell her plan in a voiceover as heist music was playing as it looked to be something that would happen in a Mission Impossible movie. "...but the air vents aren't. Unfortunately, the hallway has a motion sensor security system, which we'll have to hack into and disable. That's where Twilight comes in. Once we're in, we'll need a distraction so the janitor doesn't see us." said Sunset as she planned to have Chad to serve as the distraction. "I'll grab the key, and we're out. Any questions?" asked the girl to the group as she had a pair of sunglasses.

"A few. You do know that you're describing breaking and entering, right?" said Twilight as she had her personal notebook in her hands.

"Well—" started Sunset.

"And Fluttershy is friends with animals, sure. She's not going to use them to attack our janitor." clarified Twilight as she kept on pointing out errors.

"Not 'attack' exactly."

"And finally, climbing through a vent is dangerous, and if a young person saw us doing it, they might try to imitate it and get hurt." responded Twilight as she made her final point.

"Plus, you forgot the cool explosion at the end when we're all walking away." said Isaac as he pointed out the biggest flaw with Sunset's plan. "Cool guys and gals, never look at explosions." stated the boy as he turned his head to the side as he put on his own pair of shades as a make believe explosion went off behind him.

"Then I guess it's game over." stated Sunset as she let out a sigh.

"Except game not over, 'cause ch-ch-check out my awesome plan! Here's what I'm thinking..." said Pinkie as it was her turn to come up with a plan as she put on her shades. The same thing happened with Sunset as heist music was playing as Pinkie voiced over her plan to the group. "First, we bake a dozen pistachio cream cupcakes." stated the girl as the oven went off. "Then, we leave them outside Principal Celestia's office to lure her out. Once she's out and while the door's still open, I'll use my licorice whip lasso to catch the door handle. Then, when we get the key... that's where these chocolate-covered crunch nuggets come in." Pinkie then pulled the treats out of her hair as she began to chomp on them. "Mmm!"

"What are those for?" asked Sunset.

"To eat, silly! After all this heisting, we're gonna be hungry! Any questions?" asked Pinkie.

"Actually yeah. So, how are we supposed to bake two dozen cupcakes before the Toys for Kids Festival, hmmm?" said Twilight as she was pointing out flaws in Pinkie's plan.

"Uhhh—"

"And I don't think a licorice lasso is a real thing." said the bookworm.

"Mmmm... it could be." said the pink-haired girl.

"And once again, this is trespassing. Come on, someone has to have a plan that's not a crime." informed Twilight as she looked at the group.

"We got powers! Why ain't we using them?" groaned Applejack. "Well... one of us does."

"What are you looking at me for?" asked Isaac.

"Come on, city slicker. Can't you just use yer fancy schmancy magicians to poof the key into our hands?" asked Applejack.

"That's not how it works, that's not how any of this works." said Isaac. "I can't just tell my magicians to do whatever I say, plus it's not magic that allows me to talk to them, it's our bond. Plus, none of you all can see them."

"Exactly what I was going to say." said Twilight.

"You know what? Fine. Why don't you plan the heist?" stated Sunset.

"Hmmm..." said Twilight as she had a smug smile on her face. She then plugged in her ear pods as she pulled out her phone and began to use it.

At the same time, Principal Celestia was in her office as the phone went off. She then looked at it and soon was heading out the door and towards her destination. As Celestia was walking, Twilight just kept dwindling with her phone as the others looked at her as they were worried about the plan. Soon it was done.

"Thanks again for letting us come in and get Sunset's key, Principal Celestia." said Twilight as she looked at the tall women while in the background, Sunset was opening her locker and grabbed the small object.

"Of course, Twilight. You know that all you had to do was knock." said Celestia as she was beginning to walk away.

"Thank you." whispered Sunset to her friend.

"Oh, and Isaac make sure you lock the door when you all leave." said Celestia as she turned the corner.

"Wait, what!?" shouted Sunset as she looked at her male friend who was spinning the key chain with his finger.

"Principal Celestia has given me a set of keys to entire school building." said Isaac.

"Why didn't you tell me?!" shouted the bacon-haired girl as she was steaming.

"You never asked." snickered Isaac.

"Did you know about this?" said Sunset as she looked at Twilight.

"Maybe." stated Twilight with a smug smile. "Honestly, sometimes I want to stay late at the library so I ask Isaac."

"I tend to stay with her till she fills her heart's desires." said Isaac as he knew of all the time his girlfriend and him stayed way past the hours in the library as he loved seeing her be happy.

"I hate both of you." Sunset said as she gritted her teeth. "Let's just get the hell out of here."

The gang was now at the mall where they were giving the kids all the toys they had collected. The girls all had smiles on their faces as they enjoyed making the children happy. One kid dropped his gift as it caused Pinkie and Fluttershy to have sad looks, especially for the kid who dropped it as he looked to cry. Pinkie then reached into the pocket dimension that was her hair and pulled out another present for the kid as Fluttershy let out a breath. Soon Isaac arrived as he had a huge box with him, he then opened it up as it was full of cards for the children as they all looked in awe and wonder. The amount alone was enough for the kids to think it was Santa himself who came to deliver the gifts; all the kids then started to surrounded Isaac as he smiled and bent down to their level as he started to hand out cards for the kids to have their own makeshift decks. The girls all just smiled as they watched their male friend put smiles like only he could with children, they even offered some advice with the kids by picking out cards that they would enjoy.

"Well, that's the last gift." said Sunset as she handed some cards out to a kid as she held an empty sack. "Now who wants to go cash in some gift cards?" The girls all cheered as they liked that idea. "Twilight, where's that bag I gave you?"

"I left it at school!" gasped Twilight. "But I got an idea." said the girl as she put on some shades with a sly grin.

"Uh, Twi." said Isaac as he dangled his set of keys to the school.

"Oh, right." laughed Twilight sheepishly.

It was another day as Sunset was currently with Pinkie Pie in her house.

"Oh, your soufflé's looking great, Pinkie Pie." said the bacon haired girl as she saw the pastry and then stood up and leaned against the oven as she gave a thumbs up.

"Adagio Dazzle, Aria Blaze, Applejack, Apple Bloom, Big Mac, Chestnut Magnifico, Chumbly-Bonk-Bonk..." said Pinkie as she had her eyes closed and was standing still as she was reciting names.

"Pinkie Pie?"

"...DJ Pon-3, Flash Sentry, Fluttershy, Gloriosa Daisy, Juniper Montage, Lily Pad, Lyra Heartstrings, Maud Pie, Muffins..." Pinkie was still rambling on.

Sunset then grabbed the timer on the stove as she looked at it and was it was now moving, "But you forgot to set the timer!" said Sunset as she let out a gasp.

"...Octavia Melody, Photo Finish, Rainbow Dash— Shhhh! Zecora, Zephyr Breeze, Zipporwhill... Done! I stopped using the timer after I realized a soufflé takes the same amount of time as saying all my friends' names in ABC order!" said Pinkie as she began to take the soufflé out of the oven.

"You're friends with someone named Chumbly-Bonk-Bonk?" asked Sunset.

"Eh, he's more of a walk-by-what's-up acquaintance, but I needed an extra half-second on the list." stated the puffy haired girl as she closed the oven with her leg and the two took a sniff of the treat.

"Mmm-hmmm! So what's this for?" Sunset asked.

"This is a holiday tradition I have with Rarity." said Pinkie as her imagination began to take control as she voiced over the cartoon imagination. "Every year, I surprise her with a dessert that's as elegant as she is. And every year, she asks me why it's all deflated." said Pinkie as her imagination had her pastry become flat.

"What...?" interrupted Sunset as her imagination had a drawing of her appear.

"Soufflés are only good for a little while, and I never get it to her in time. We have seven minutes to get to Rarity's house before this soufflé frumples into a soggy yuck-bucket!" stated the girl.

"Seven minutes? How many friends' names is that?" asked Sunset.

"How would I know?" scoffed Pinkie. "Gimme that timer, woman!" She then set the timer for 7 minutes as they began to get ready.

The two girls then zipped up into their winter clothes as they prepared to head out. Just as Sunset was putting on her gloves, Pinkie was thinking when she had an idea and started to add more winter clothing on her friend.

"Uh, Pinkie? [muffled] Pinkie? Pinkie! The time!" shouted Sunset as she tried to tell her friend.

"Half the time is gone! Why didn't you say so?!" shouted the girl as she yanked Sunset out of the extra layers as she was standing back in her original outfit. "Now, this year I have it all planned out. The route, the speed, the exact angle I need to hunch over at to protect the soufflé from the wind. There will be no deflation this year!" Pinkie then took an inhale of air as she opened the door and was introduced to the sight of a bloodbath, uh I mean, snowball fight.

The two girls saw the scene before them and it was a war! All around them laid dead bodies, the scent heavy with flesh and death. The image of seeing individuals fall over with a single shot, this is... Saving Private Ryan! Oops, wrong script. Just give me a second to find the right one, one second... ah here it is. Ahh, there we go. Much more family friendly. And begin scene.

The two girls saw the scene before them and it was a war! All around them was a gathering of people as they were currently engaged in a snowball fight to the death. Back and forth the snowballs were flying as each side was trying to take down the other. Neither side was giving an inch as they didn't want to be the one to surrender. Pinkie closed the door for a moment, to avoid her and Sunset getting pelted by the snowballs as they opened it back up slowly to see the scene. Even their friends were getting in on the action.

"You go!" commanded Photo Finish as she ordered Snips to move forward as he threw a snowball and hit his target.

Pinkie looked at her soufflé and then at the path they had to cross as she covered it with her hands and took a deep breath as both her and Sunset engaged in the line of sight. Maud came to the front door as she was unamused by the sight as she was covered in snowballs as she closed the door.

Applejack looked over her wall as there was a flag next to her that had an apple on it. "Ambuuuuush!" shouted the country girl as she noticed Sunset and Pinkie near their base as she thought they were enemies.

"Whoa! Whoa! Whoop! Oof!" said Pinkie as she and Sunset managed to get behind some cover as she noticed her soufflé wasn't in her hands. It then appeared as it seemed to still be intact, "Whew." Both girls then noticed Fluttershy next to them.

"We've been pinned down for hours with no reinforcements and no handwarmers." said Fluttershy in a dramatic war-like voice as she breathed heavily. She then noticed one of her fellow soldier lying in front of her.

"I'm cold... S-S-So cold..." said Trixie as she was a bit freezing and acting like she was in pain.

"Stay with me, Trixie!" said the shy girl as she still had the dramatic voice as if trying to keep her comrade alive.

"Uh, hold up, everyone! Pinkie Pie and I aren't in the game!" said Sunset as she hoped to ceasefire.

"What game? This here's war! Fire in the hole!" shouted Granny Smith as she and her family threw apple juice covered snowballs at Sunset as they acted like grenades on a battlefield.

Sunset barely managed to get out of the way as she was back behind cover. "One hit, and this thing's finished!"

Pinkie then pulled out her timer as she let out a groan, "Oh, well. Maybe next year." Pinkie let out a whimper as she felt sad and was looking to cry.

[dramatic music]

Sunset was looking over her wall of protection as all around her it really was like D-Day as everybody was crawling along the floor. Nobody was safe, not even dogs, as Winona took a bullet for Applebloom as she let out a scream as the dog just smiled and had her tongue out. Sunset then noticed Applejack on top of her wall as she had a huge snowball she was currently holding as she struggled a bit to lift it over her head.

"Real life ain't the same as them silly ol' video games you play, ain't that right, Sunset?!" mocked Applejack.

"Nobody calls Tickle Fruit 2 "silly"!" fired back Sunset as she took offense to that.

Applejack then threw her giant snowball as Sunset had a snowball of her own. Then as if it was something out of the Matrix, she managed to step on the snowball as she used it to propel herself and then threw her snowball as she managed to hit Applejack square in the chest as she fell over as Big Mac caught her in his arms and down Aj went.

"Rarity is getting that soufflé, and you're gonna get it to her!" stated Sunset as she was determined. "Flash Sentry! To me! Double time!" shouted the girl.

"Reporting for duty! And seriously, thank you, Sunset! 'Cause, like, I've been wanting to come on one of your adventures for so long 'cause, I mean, you guys do so much cool stuff, and I—" started the boy.

"Flash." said Sunset as she got him to stop talking.

"I promise I won't mess this opportunity up." said Flash.

"Whatever! Stop talking! Are you ready?" asked Sunset.

"I was born 'are you'." stated the boy.

Sunset then grabbed some snow as she put some on her face to create some marks that athletes used. Sunset grabbed Pinkie as she was holding her like a log as she was running low and close to the ground as Flash provided cover before he fell down.

"Well, that was embarrassing. Go on without me! I'll be fine!"

"Pinkie! Run! Aah!" shouted Sunset as she out her friend down and grabbed some snow to provide cover fire as she was pelted with snowballs and down she went.

"Sunset!" called out the pinky girl as she went to check on her friend. She then flipped her over as there laid Sunset with a snowball in her left eye as she wasn't moving. "Sunset!"

Sunset let out a cough in between her words. "Tell... Rarity... OW!"

"You okay?"

"Yeah, I fell on my keys. Go, go!"

"Right! Bye!" said Pinkie as she went on her way.

"All right! Who threw those cheap shots?! Was it you?!" demanded Sunset as she was back in the game and looking at the person who she thought hit her.

"I'm a conscientious objector!" said Bulk Biceps as soon he was pelted with snowballs.

Pinkie was slowly crawling through the snow as the timer went off when she pulled it out. "Oh, my sweet little soufflé! All I ever wanted was for you to be torn apart and digested by my friend Rarity so she could feel the same kind of joy she brings to me!" sobbed the girl.

"Is that this years' soufflé?" asked Rarity as she was standing in front of her friend.

"Rarity?! Where'd you—?! How did you—?! Wait, tell me later! Eat!"

Rarity then used a fork as she took a bite of treat as she munched on it. "It's heavenly!" exclaimed the fashionista.

"YES! I finally did it!" exclaimed Pinkie.

"Target acquired." said Rainbow as she was inside of the snowman behind the two girls as she looked to strike her foes. "Sneak attack! Bet you weren't expecting this!" shouted the girl as she threw her snowballs only for them to be stopped by some kind of barrier. "What the hell?!"

"Hey, Rainbow!" shouted a voice.

Just then the girl turned her head in the direction of the voice and Isaac caught her in the head with a nice shot as down she went like a ton of bricks.

"Never shout 'sneak attack' when you're doing a sneak attack." said Isaac as he managed to hit his friend from afar and land a clean shot. "Threat neutralized, milady." said Isaac as he bowed before Rarity.

"Thank you, Isaac. I knew it was smart to enlist your services." giggled Rarity as she gave the boy a peck on his cheek for protecting and keeping her from harm.

"Well, I couldn't have done it without my magicians." said Isaac as both Mahad and Mana were next to their master as they both had different looks.

"Aww, no fair! I spent two days as a snowman for that!" complained Rainbow. "Hey, Isaac! No one say you could use your monster to help you!"

"Nobody said I couldn't!" replied the boy. Just then he found himself surrounded by the other girls as they all had evil grins on his face as they each had snowballs in their hands. "Uh-oh."

They all then threw them at Isaac as he closed his eyes to accept his fate. He then opened them for a second as he was now being protected by his magicians as they put a shield around their master, soon they had the snowballs bounce off the walls and hit the girls back as they fell to the floor.

"Cheater!!" shouted Rainbow.

"Hey, it's not my fault my magicians are loyal to me. It benefits when you're the only one who can Duel Monster's spirits." snickered the boy. He then pulled out a fork as he took a taste of Pinkie's treat as he gave a thumbs up to his little sis.

The holidays were in full swing as everybody was doing some last minute shopping. All around inside the mall, there was tons of people who were all looking for their gifts. Whether it be for their family or for someone in particular, the mall was busy trying to fulfill every customer's needs. Soon there came a streak as it was someone who was dashing through the halls of the mall as she was trying to make her way to her destination.

"Sorry I'm late, everybody. Hard to park at the mall at this time of year." said Rainbow as she panted from being out of breath.

"That's why we carpooled." said Fluttershy.

"Ugh. Really gotta start checking my texts." said Rainbow as she looked at her phone.

"Especially, the ones where I ask you to pay me back all the money I lent you." said Isaac.

"Shut up! I said I'll pay you back!" pouted the chromatic girl as she looked at her male friend.

"Why didn't you just run here to avoid parking?" asked Sunset.

"I learned the hard way that high velocity and icy sidewalks don't mix well." laughed Rainbow nervously as she didn't feel good about that experience.

"Hey, you got daily science lesson in. I'm proud of you, Dash." snickered Isaac.

"Shut up, geek!" stated Rainbow as she stuck his tongue out to him to which Isaac responded back with his own.

"Now that we're all here, who wants to go first?" said Twilight with devious smile.

"For what? What are we doing?" asked Rainbow.

"The secret present switcheroo!" said Twilight as she and the rest of the group all pulled out their gifts.

"That's today?!" said Rainbow.

"Remember? We pulled names from Applejack's boot when she forgot her hat." stated Fluttershy.

"You mean my lucky boot." said Applejack with a sly expression on her face.

"Remind me why we had to use that thing again." said Isaac as he was against using Applejack's boot to draw names.

"Uhhhhmmm..."

"Didn't get that text either, huh?" said Sunset with her own smug look.

"Oh, yeah! N-No, yeah, uh, I did! Um, I just have to... go to the bathroom!" said Rainbow as she dashed off. "Sorry!" said the girl as she managed to bump Bulk Biceps into Derpy. "I forgot! I can't believe I forgot to get Fluttershy a present!"

"Rainbow." called out Isaac as he excused himself to go after his friend.

"Don't say it, I don't want to hear a smart remark from you. I get it, I forgot, you don't have to bring it up." pouted Rainbow.

"I was going to say if you wanted help." said the boy.

"Yeah, I... what?"

"I think everybody knows that you forgot to get a gift. So better late than never." stated the boy.

"But about your gift, shouldn't you give it to your special buddy?" asked Rainbow.

"I could do, but then again, I couldn't be able to help my friend."

"You're really are a sucker for playing the good guy. Thanks." smiled Rainbow as she gave him a jab to the arm. "How am I supposed to find a present in the next five minutes?!"

"Really?" said Isaac as he used his eyes to get Rainbow to look at where they were.

"Oh, yeah. I'm at the mall. This is where presents are born. I won't let you down, Fluttershy!" shouted Rainbow as she was determined to complete her mission. She then dashed off again as Isaac followed behind her.

"A line?!" said Rainbow as she came to a store; she then zoomed over to another place. "Ugh! An even longer line?! Really?! Come on!" Rainbow now groaned as off she went again to another part of the building. "Please no line, please no line, please no line...! What is with the mall being so crowded on the holidays?! Some of us have last-minute shopping to do!" yelled out the girl.

"What do you fricking expect, it's the mall?!" said Isaac as he caught up with his friend. "Plus, this is why you do your Christmas shopping ahead of time."

"Yeah, yeah. I already now my lesson, don't rub it in my face." said the chromatic girl as she looked at her male companion.

"Need to cut the line?" said a voice.

"Yes! I would do anything—!" stated Rainbow.

"You might want rephrase that." said Isaac as he pointed to who was talking with the girl.

"Shit! Undo! It's been less than three seconds! Doesn't count, what I said!" said Rainbow in a panic at who she was talking with.

"Rainbow Dash. It's all good, Miss Awesome." said Zephyr Breeze with some charm in his voice. "And... Isaac." Though that last part he had some bitterness in his voice as he recognized his sister's friend and the incident of what happened last time he appeared when it was just him and Rainbow. "Come on in to 'Trend of the Line', your home for everything from wi-fi shoelaces to... uh... regular shoes and... smaller shoes? Uh, how's it go again? Come on in to your home for everything from wi-fi shoelaces to, uh... just plain old regular shoes and... Ugh. How's it go again?" said the boy as he tried to remember what he was suppose to say for the customers.

"You work here?" said Rainbow with a distressed look on her face.

"More importantly, why did they hire you?" asked the boy.

"It was mostly my charm. But I won't be here for long if I can't remember our slogan, but yeah. Since we're buddies, I'll let you jump the line." said Zephyr as he led both individuals inside, well mostly, Rainbow as he still kept a glare at Isaac.

"Uh, thanks, but I don't know if 'buddies' is exactly the word I'd use." said Rainbow. "No! You gotta be nice."

"You sure you want to do this?" asked Isaac in a similar whisper. "I know you want to get Fluttershy a gift, but is it really worth it to get help from her brother? Who I remind you has tried to hit on you so many times in the past?"

"You think I'm ecstatic about this?!" responded the girl in a similar volume. "Trust me, I thought after what happened last time, he could take the hint. But it seems he just thought it was one time deal." stated Rainbow as she was referring to the time when Isaac happened to be passing by and she had him fake being her boyfriend and even kissed him on the lips to "convince" Zephyr.

"Yeah, no shit. Did you really expecting kissing me on the lips one time was enough to persuade him?" asked Isaac.

"I said I was sorry, and I kept my word and told Twilight about breaking her sacred rule." responded the girl. "Besides, do you think I enjoyed that?"

"Yes." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"I didn't!" said Rainbow in a bit more volume but made sure that only her friend heard. "You're so annoying."

"But that's what you love about me." said Isaac.

"I don't love you!" stated the girl as she had a bit of red on her face. "I'm only doing this because I love Fluttershy."

"Fluttershy?" said Zephyr as he managed to just hear that last part that Rainbow was whispering. "Follow me, milady. And... other." Zephyr made sure to give a look at Isaac as they entered the store to which they came upon some fidget spinners as they both had dreaded looks on their faces.

Zephyr led them to a section of the store where Rainbow immediately got distracted by some sort of board as she got on it and did a couple of tricks on it.

"This is so Fluttershy. A high tech basketball hoop. Oooh! It's yells at you to 'get good!' when you miss a three-pointer, so you're always motivated to reach your athletic performance goals." said Zephyr as he held the box in his hand and showed it to the pair.

"Uhhh... I want that, but... no, I don't think Fluttershy would." said Rainbow.

"That might depress her if is constantly has reminder that she's failing." said Isaac.

"Cool! I knew you'd love it!" said Zephyr as he ignored what the pair just said.

"No, no, no. I'm not here for me. I need a gift for Fluttershy." said the girl.

"Got it." said the boy as he went to get another possible gift.

Both Isaac and Rainbow then approached some kind of staff looking things as she picked one up and held it for a few second. Soon some glitter came out of the top as it hit Isaac in the face as he had a angry look as he wiped the stuff off of him, he even had to cough some that got in his mouth.

"How 'bout these?" said Zephyr as he came back wearing some kind of VR headset.

"Aah! Ooh. They look expensive." said Rainbow.

"I am not lending you money to buy that!" said Isaac as he already gave his friend enough money from his own savings account.

"They are! And when you wear them, it takes everything you see and turns it into an urban landscape." said Zephyr as he pushed a button on the headset and the pair could see the image he was talking about.

"Even forests with cute animals?" asked Rainbow.

"Absolutely nonexistent when you're wearing these bad boys!" The screen then went blank as it malfunctioned.

"Uhhh... nah. I don't think Fluttershy would like that." said the girl.

"Right, right, right. My bad, my bad. One sec." said Zephyr as he left once again.

Rainbow then saw a plushie animal as it brought a smile to her face as she squeezed it to make a squeak.

"Aw, cute." said Isaac. Rainbow then gave it a harder squeeze as it had the animal's eyes and tongue popping out. "What the @#$%!" shouted Isaac. "Put that little devil thing back!" stated the boy as Rainbow did just that.

"Oh, yoo-hoo! Rainbow Daaaash?" said Zephyr in a singsong voice. "How about this?"

"What's that?" asked the girl as she was looking at the object in the boy's hand.

"It's for high-fiving when you're really far away or when you're really short. Like... [grunts] ...or like... [grunts] ...or maybe... [grunts] ...oh, come on... [grunts] ...you know? [grunts]" said the boy as he had to put some effort into extending the thing so that Rainbow could high five it.

"What?! That's not a gift! That's not for anybody! Who would want this?!" asked Rainbow.

Isaac was about to answer that when they heard a voice behind them.

"Oh, this thing rules! Snails is gonna love it!" said Snips as he bought the item and rushed out of the store as the pair watched him leave.

"Well, that answers your question." said Isaac to which Rainbow gave him a hard jab to the arm to silence him from making his usual smart remark.

"These are your suggestions? Do you even know Fluttershy?" asked the chromatic haired girl.

"Who?"

"Your sister!" shouted Dash.

"I know, I know. I-I was joking. Sorry. Look. I know a gift that will make Fluttershy super-happy. I'll grab it for you now." said Zephyr as off he went to the back to fetch the item.

Rainbow let out a groan as she approached some headbands. She took one that had some flowers on top of it as she put it on with a look, before she put it back on the rack. Just as she was putting it back, there was snap sound as Isaac had pulled his phone and took a picture of Rainbow wearing the cute headband.

"Now that's a cute picture." said Isaac as he showed it off to the athlete.

"Hey, who said you could take a picture! Give me that photo!" demanded Rainbow as she didn't want anybody to see her acting all girly. She tried to get Isaac's phone so that she could delete the photo as Isaac held it over his head as Rainbow was trying to reach for it.

"I think I'll keep this one." snickered Isaac. "The girls will get kick out of seeing you being all 'girly' and cute."

"No, you won't. Give me that phone!" shouted Rainbow as she wanted to maintain her cool image, even in front of her friends.

"Why should I?" asked Isaac as even with the phone above his head, he managed to put it into a message for their group chat and was all ready to go the moment he pushed 'send'. "All I got to do is push the button and the girls get the photo."

"I beg you, don't send that message!"

"What are you gonna do?" asked Isaac.

"I'm do anything you ask me."

"Anything?"

"Anything! I'll pay back the money I owe you, I'll give all of my secret cider stash, I'll give you my skateboard, just don't do it!" pleaded the girl as she looked at her friend.

"Not persuading my mind." said Isaac.

"Fine you want me to say it!" said Rainbow as she took a deep breath and couldn't believe she was about to say this to the boy. "Alright, I love you. Is that what you want to hear, I love these little moments between us. I love kissing you, I love it all! Is that what you want?!"

"Well... not really. Didn't expect that to come out of your mouth?" said Isaac as he was surprised by what Rainbow chose to confess. "But I think I've made you suffer enough." Isaac then clicked send as the message was being delivered.

"You promised!" shouted Rainbow.

"Relax, Dash. I sent the message, but not to our friends. Check your phone."

"Huh?" Rainbow's phone then went off as she received a message. She then opened it up and to her surprise it was the photo that Isaac took a few minutes.

"As much fun as it would be for the girls to see you, I know you still want to uphold your image." said Isaac. "Besides, I got my money's worth in making you suffer."

"I hate you." gritted Rainbow as she looked at the photo.

"True, but..."

"Yeah, I love you." said Rainbow as she knew what her friend was going to say. Both then let out a quick chuckle as they found it a bit hilarious.

"You can delete the photo if you want." stated Isaac.

"Actually... I'll keep it." said Rainbow as she archived the photo. "Something to look back on."

"And I won't say, this will be our little secret between the two of us." said Isaac as he snuck a quick peck on Rainbow's lips as he smiled to which she did the same with a bit of red.

"Here it is!" called out Zephyr as Rainbow quickly got rid of her blush as the pair looked at the boy approaching them with a an object in his hand. "She'll love it. Instant camera. Around this time last year, Fluttershy's favorite instant camera broke. She really wanted another one. Get someone something they'd never get themselves. Trust me."

"Huh. That's actually... a great idea!" said Rainbow as she let out a small laugh. "Thanks, Zephyr! You're amazing!" Rainbow then dashed out of the store as she left the money in his hands.

"Right on!" said Zephyr.

"Well, better get back to the others." said Isaac. "Thanks for the somewhat useful help."

"No problem, just remember, she's mine." said Zephyr.

"Yeah, okay pal." said Isaac as he tipped his cap and exited the store as he had to meet up with the others.

"And who got Fluttershy?" asked Twilight as all the gifts were on the table.

"Standing here the whole time! Here you go, Fluttershy!" said Rainbow as she was out of breath and handed her gift to her friend.

"An instant camera? I love it!" said the animal loving girl as her face was filled with joy.

"You do?"

"It's perfect for fun candid photos. Zephyr got one for me last year after my first one broke." informed the buttercup girl.

"He did?!" said Rainbow as she let out a groan. "I should've known. I'm sorry—"

"Now that I have two, I can finally do two-angle instant photo bear cub candids!" giggled Fluttershy as she gave her friend a hug. "Thank you, Rainbow Dash!"

With that the rest of the gifts between the girls were given out. Applejack had given Pinkie a tiny party cannon as it was perfect for not creating so big of a mess around the house. It even fired off a shot of confetti as she gave the country gal a hug. Rarity had made Rainbow a sports jersey that was colored red as it had the number 1 on it as they both shared a hug and got a picture taken. Sunset somehow managed to fit a giant parakeet plushie into the small box as even Twilight was amazed by how she was able to do it. Fluttershy ended up getting Applejack a hammer for her farm work as she took a picture. Pinkie had gotten Sunset a new video game, but it turns out it was a sequel to the squirrel game that she had played with Fluttershy as she put on her best fake smile. She really despised the game, but Fluttershy on the other hand was interested in playing it. And lastly, Twilight had gotten Rarity a new Shadow Spade book as she was brimming with happiness as they each got their picture taken. Everybody was enjoying their gifts, as for Isaac he was watching his friends from afar as he couldn't help but smile himself. Just as he was about to say something, he heard some voices as he looked to his side.

"You got me the same thing that I got you?!" asked Snails as both him and Snips got the same weird present.

"High-five!" said both boys as Snails was starting to cry.

"You... Y-You crying, Snails?" asked Snips.

"No. Friendship means never having to say 'high-five'." stated the boy.

"Well, all's well that ends well." said Isaac as he rolled his eyes at the little moment he saw. My time, is running out. Halfway there. Isaac looked at his watch as it was serving as a constant reminder that his time was fast approaching and soon he would be no more.

"Hey, Isaac!" shouted Rainbow. "Come on, geek. We want to see the presents you got all of us."

"Again, why was I the only one who had to buy everyone a gift?" complained the boy.

"Cause you're the one who has the most in his savings account." said Rainbow.

"Plus, we took a vote on it and we all agreed." said Twilight.

"This is why I hate being the only guy in the group. You all gang up on me." said the boy.

"Yeah, but you make up for it with your skills, boy toy." said Sunset. "Now give us our gifts."

"Oi vey." said Isaac.

Sometime later, the gang was back in the house as they were having their own holiday party filled with music, games, and food. They all did a celebratory toast as they were celebrating the last Christmas they would have together as high schoolers. While the girls were enjoying themselves, Isaac quietly excused himself as he headed upstairs. He entered his room as he locked it to make sure that nobody would interrupt him. Tigre was on his bed as he gave her a petting before he went to his desk as he opened up laptop. While it was starting up, Isaac reached into one of the drawers as he pulled out a different box from the one black one he had hidden. Just then his computer was on as he started to click on somethings and pressed some keypads. Once it was done, Isaac now found himself in a group call as he saw several other of his acquittances.

"There he is, the man of the hour." said one person as he saw Isaac enter their group call.

"How's it hanging, bud?" asked another person.

"Everything is fine on my end." said Isaac as he looked at the screen and the people he was talking with.

"How are your friends doing, they keeping out of trouble?" asked a third person.

"More or less." chuckled Isaac.

"So, got the thing?" asked the fourth person.

"Yeah." said Isaac as he showed the box he was holding. "You guys told me not to open it until a special occasion, I think the holidays counts as that."

"Then open it." said all four of them.

Isaac then took the ribbon off as he took the lid off of the small box. He then took off the paper as his eyes widen at what he saw; he then pulled them out as he and the others saw it.

"You're all serious?" asked Isaac.

"We trust you." said the third person.

"Hey, you need all the help you can get once you're set." spoke the second voice.

"Thanks, guys." said Isaac. "I don't... know what to say."

"Hey, keeping doing what you're doing and you'll have nothing to worry about. We noticed you crying but you showed that you belonged on that dueling field." stated the fourth voice.

"Now, let's tell you how they work." said the first person as each of them began to inform Isaac about his special gifts.

Chapter 164: Hanging with Spirits

The weather outside was blowing hard as both snow and wind combined into one to cover the town and the citizens that lived in it. The amount of rain and sleet that was coming down from the heavens was brutal, you couldn't see 3 inches in front of you if you stepped out of your house. And the roads were covered in ice as the sanitation team did their best to put some sand and salt to help the cars avoid any unwanted crashes. As for everybody else, it was declared that everybody stay indoors until the storm blew over before heading out. The gang were all currently in the house all tucked in with their warm sweaters and hoodies as the heater was working its magic in keeping the house all nice and toasty. The girls were all in the living room as they were currently watching their favorite movies. However, there was one person missing as he told the girls that he was not to be disturbed as he had some important business to attend to.

Isaac was currently in his room as he was busy doing something that required his attention. He was currently sitting on his bed as he had his eyes closed as he was thinking back on some memories.

(Memory)

"You know you're not a bad Turbo Duelist, kid." said Yusei as he was overlooking the city from the skyline they were on.

"Thanks." said Isaac as he got off of the Duel Runner as he stood next to Satellite's Shooting Star as they watched the sunrise coming over the city. "So, why?"

"Why? That's easy, I wanted a challenge." said Yusei.

"You think I gave you a challenge?" asked Isaac.

"Listen, Isaac. I've seen tons of duelists in my time, you're someone who pushed me to my limits who aren't my friends. You're talented, and don't downplay your skills. I'm saving this from the bottom of my heart, you've got a bright future kid." said Yusei. "Let me see your Synchro monster."

"Sure." said Isaac as he pulled out his Dark Sorcerer Magician and gave it to one of his role model. "It's not much."

"You're right, not much." said Yusei as he reached into his back pocket and pulled out three cards. "I think these belong with you."

Isaac then took the three cards as he flipped them over. One of those three cards that Yusei had given him was his tuner monster, Enchantress of Melody. And the other two cards were both synchro monsters. Isaac was shocked on what was given to him by one of the legendary duelists that when he was about to say 'thanks' to Yusei, he saw the young man getting on his Duel Runner as he prepared to leave.

"Hey, hold on." called out Isaac as he got the attention of Yusei. "Will, I ever see you again?"

"That depends, keep on pushing forward kid. And maybe I'll pass you by when I'm on the road." smiled Yusei. "I hope that you can fulfill your potential, and those cards can help you get to the next level." Yusei then put his eye shield down as he started his engine and then gave one last salute to Isaac as he drove off down the road.

Isaac watched the man drive down the road as in the distance of Yusei's direction were 5 other figures that Isaac could make from their outlines. Once Yusei passed them, they all followed behind their leader as they disappeared into the sunrise as it was now high into the sky as morning arrived.

(Transition)

Isaac was still trying to process what happened that he didn't notice the two of them approach him. Soon he looked up as he saw Yuma standing over him and offering his hand. Isaac still had tears in his eyes as he saw the display of respect being shown to him by one of his inspirations. He then wiped his tears as he took Yuma's hand and stood up. They stood up not once breaking the handshake or eye contact from each other as they stared.

"You did good."

"Thanks."

"I will."

Yuma then put his fist out, Isaac then did the same as both knuckles touched. "I'll see you around, buddy."

(Brief Pause)

"Yuma." said Isaac as he remembered it was that battle he acquired his new Xyz monster, Chaos Mageía.

(Next transition)

"If it's a duel you want, then I'll happy grant your request." said Isaac as he pulled out his duel disk and slotted in his deck as it projected his own card tray color that matched Yuya's.

After the duel...

"Not bad, Isaac." said Yuya as he was thoroughly impressed by Isaac's ability to pendulum summon. "To think that you mostly were able to practice this all on your own, that's worth a praise from me."

"Thanks, it means alot." stated Isaac.

"Here." said the boy as he pulled the small black box out of his pocket and tossed it at Isaac. It was the same black box that he was still keeping hidden.

"What's this?" asked the boy.

"A little gift from me to you. But don't open it yet." stated Yuya.

"Why?" asked Isaac.

"Just keep it safe for now and when the time is right, you'll know when to open it." smiled Yuya.

"Ok-ay, I trust your judgement." said Isaac as he held the small item in his hand as both boys returned back to meet with Luna.

(Scene change)

"You alright?" asked Jaden as he approached Isaac who was exhausted from their duel.

"Yeah, just taking a quick breather." joked the boy as he grabbed Jaden's hand as he pulled him up and looked the boy in his eyes.

Their duel was a hard hitting affair as both boys were all out until the final result was determined. Right now both still had their hands locked in a firm handshake as the story in their eyes was saying it all. The look, the facial expressions, the spirit that both possessed all of it was being seen by the other.

"I have to know." said Isaac as he still had the firm handshake locked with Jaden. "Our duel, just now. I have to know."

"Yes." said Jaden as he answered Isaac's question. "Good luck, and I'll see you soon." smiled the legend as he let go of Isaac's hand as he started to walk away, but not before he passed along a special skill for the boy to learn.

"Will, I?" called out Isaac.

"Hey, I'm real aren't I?" joked Jaden as he soon left through the door and it closed behind him as Isaac was left by himself.

(End of memories)

"Yusei, Yuma, Yuya, and Jaden." said Isaac as he remembered all the duels he had with each of them. He was looking at his hand as he thinking about what each one of them said to him about his future and the career he was about to embark on.

"Troubled mind." said Black Robe Mentalist as she appeared. She took of the hood of her cloak off as she only did it when it was just the two of them.

"Just thinking about something. Wondering if, I'm just setting myself up for failure? You know, these legends they believe I'll be fine, and I tell myself that to a certain degree, but what if it's all a lie. What if I'm just saying what I want to hear? The results of all the duels I had with them, allowed me to grow and learn, but is it enough?" stated Isaac as he was still looking at his hand.

"Unfortunately, my powers can't figure that out for you, master. I'm still a mentalist, but I can sense your desire. And I believe that everything will come in due time." smiled Isaac's goth magician as she managed to cheer up the boy. "Now about a little fun between the two of us?" suggested Black Robe Mentalist as she began to have some one on one time with her master.

"I'm a male. If Albert's son is my son's father, what is the relationship between Albert and me?" said Isaac as he repeated the question that was asked by his Black Robe Mentalist.

"Well?" asked Black Robe Mentalist in her goth voice.

"Uhm... uhm," Isaac was really trying to think of the answer to this riddle, "Isn't it, you're Albert's son?"

"Correct." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"Finally." said Isaac as fell back and laid on his bed. "My brain hurts from all these riddles."

"But your suffering is fun for me." smiled Black Robe Mentalist.

"Great, that makes me feel so much better." said Isaac in a sarcastic tone as his magician just smiled. "Nice to see you smiling."

"I'm not smiling." said Black Robe Mentalist as she got rid of her expression and went back to her moody mood.

"You sure about that?" snickered Isaac.

"Do want to see demons in your dreams?" asked Black Robe Mentalist as her hand was lighting up with her magic.

"Alright, alright." said Isaac in a panicked voice as he stopped his teasing of his magician.

"Did I mention how much I love seeing you get scared?" snickered Black Robe Mentalist. Soon another spirit was starting to make their presence as she quickly put the hood of her cloak back on as Isaac just rolled his eyes.

"How's it hanging, Captain?" asked one of Isaac's male teen magicians as it was his Sorcerer Swordsman. "You won't believe what I found on my latest treasure hunt." said the male as he pulled out his sword and infused his magical powers as he made the chest appear in front of Isaac as it was full of jewels and doubloons.

"Woah." said Isaac as he let out a wolf-whistle at the amount of treasure that his magician found on his latest crusade.

"Trust me, the battle with the Kraken was no easy task." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he took off his pirate hat and dusted it off making sure to not mess up the feather on it.

"This is why I told you to steer clear of that creature." said another one of Isaac's female teen magician as it belonged to his Mirage Magician. "My outfit got soaked and the rest of your skeleton crew were looking me when I got wet. All they said was, 'Pretty lady'." stated Isaac's magician as she took off her masquerade eye mask.

"Hey, it's not my fault you wear clothes like that." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he pointed to his friend's appearance as he was referring to her fishnet sleeves and stockings as well as a white corset that all matched with her cerulean trench coat that she dawned.

"How about my hair?!" shouted Mirage Magician as he managed to have a crab sticking out of her long black hair.

"Hey, he likes you." chuckled Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Why did I choose to stick with you when we first appeared in Isaac's deck?" said Mirage Magician to herself as she snapped her fingers to send the crab away.

"What are you two doing here?" asked Black Robe Mentalist as she didn't like seeing her comrades show up unannounced.

"What, we can't hang out with our captain?" asked Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Are you really trying to keep Isaac all to yourself?" snickered Mirage Magician.

"Don't be ridiculous. He drives me insane with all of his positivity." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"I'm right here, you know." stated the boy as he didn't appreciate that comment. "Damn, you're ruthless, girl."

"Ignore that emo, cutie." said Black Arts Trickster as she appeared out of her magical box as flaunted her beauty. "It's not our fault, we all got along with each other. While you just lock yourself in your room and become all dark and broody."

"I like the quiet, it gets me way from you guys and your crazy antics."

"You need to find a new hobby, girlfriend. By the way, care to see my new trick, Isaac?" asked Black Arts Trickster.

"I'll think I'll pass. Remember the last time you did this."

"It told you before, that not all 'Black Magic' is bad." said the women. She then took off her leather jacket as only her mini skirt, and her yellow vest with a white undershirt remained. "See, I can make a bunny appear out of my jacket. I know the light and friendly stuff that your so called 'magicians', perform at kids' parties." The bunny then snuggled against Black Arts Tricksters as she gave it a petting before making a carrot appear as she feed the little thing.

"Guys, guys. Enough of the bickering." said another voice as it belonged to a male magician as Isaac's Sleight of Hand Magician appeared with his decks of cards levitating around him. He then straighten out his blackjack dealer outfit before snapping his fingers as a poker deck of cards appeared in front of him as he used his fast hands to shuffle and do a couple of tricks. "I say nothing more than kicking back with a friendly game of Blackjack."

"I'm not one for trusting a card shark." said Mirage Magician.

"Hey, I'm no card shark. I'm fair when I'm dealing, you just suck at luck stat." stated Sleight of Hand Magician. "Plus, whenever you guys come to visit, I make sure that my friends have all the good luck they required to win big, plus I'm the casino's star dealer. So they need me more than I need them." stated the magician.

"If that's the case, why don't they make you the owner?" asked Isaac.

"Too much work, I just enjoy playing a game of chance." said Sleight of Hand Magician as he had a small table appear in front of him as he dealt some cards for himself and his master.

"Well, what will it be Isaac?" asked Sleight of Hand Magician as he looked at his master's card as one of them was the clubs of seven.

Isaac then looked over the other card and saw it was the five of diamonds, coupled that with the seven he already had, Isaac was currently at 12. That being said, he looked at the pair of cards that his magician had as he had currently had the Jack of Spades, along with the nine of hearts which gave him a grand total of 19. So the ball was in Isaac's favor on whether or not he would risk it.

"Hit me." said the boy as his magician pulled out the top card of the deck as it was the seven of hearts.

"We're tied, Isaac. So, are you gonna hit again?" asked Sleight of Hand Magician.

Isaac was thinking on whether that was a good move, as he stand to lose more than to gain. His other magicians all looked at their master as they were waiting to see what he would do. Black Robe Mentalist took a quick peek into her master's mind as she already knew his answer.

"Hit me." said Isaac as he was willing to take a chance.

"Twenty-one." said Sleight of Hand Magician as he managed to deal Isaac the two of clubs that allowed him to win. "See, I give good luck to my friends." stated the magician to his comrades.

"Yeah, cause Isaac doesn't have good luck already." said Black Arts Trickster with a sarcastic tone as she was still feeding the bunny in her hands.

"Hey, anybody else hear elephants?" asked Isaac as he heard a faint sound. Soon a portal opened up as out came his last pendulum monster as it was his Rune-Eyes Illusionist in his ringmaster outfit.

"Well, that routine didn't go as plan." said Rune-Eyes Illusionist as he adjusted the relic in his left eye.

"You better not stampede those things into my room!" shouted Black Robe Mentalist as she hated having her mediation session interrupted by her friends' shenanigans when it came to his acts.

"Lighten up, my crew is rounding them up as we speak. Plus, I needed a break from testing out my relics." said the spellcaster. "So what's going on?"

"Nothing much." said Isaac as he looked at all of his pendulum cards in front of him as they began to interact with one another. Isaac saw the scene as he couldn't help but let out a sigh which didn't go unnoticed by his monsters.

"Something the matter, Isaac?" asked Rune-Eyes Illusionist.

"Just... thinking about stuff." said the boy.

"The future." said Black Robe Mentalist as she gave Isaac a look that reminded him that she could read his mind.

"A little. I'm almost set to graduate in a few months and I've done a lot since I first came to CHS as a sophomore. My destiny was one that I didn't want to accept fully when Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna mentioned it. But after taking sometime to process it all and meeting some influences, I'm ready." said the boy. "I just hope that when the time comes for me to move on, you'll all be by my side."

"We'll always stick with you, Isaac." said a pair of kid voices as Isaac's Magician Boy and Mage Annette appeared as they hugged their master from the side.

"We had so much fun battling with you." said Magician Boy as his hat was starting to fall over as he slipped on his overgrown clothes.

"Here you go." said Isaac as he helped his tiny magician up and put his hat back on his head as he fixed it.

"God, don't be a klutz in front of Isaac." said Mage Annette as she facepalmed herself.

"Hey, I slipped, Annette."

"This is why I tell you to get robes that match your size." said the small girl as she was starting berate her best friend.

"I told you, they look cool." said the boy magician.

"God, you're pain to deal with." said Annette to herself.

"You know, Annette. You could tell him." said Mirage Magician as she gave a wink to her ally.

"No." said Annette in a voice so that only she could hear her. "Besides, it's not like I like him or anything." stated the small girl as she looked away to avoid eye contact with her best friend.

"What are you girls talking about?" asked Magician Boy.

"Nothing! Just butt out!" said Mage Annette as she had a bit of red on her face as she looked at her friend.

"Hey, Isaac. Can I show you my new spell?" asked the kid boy as he looked at his master.

"Go for it, little guy." said Isaac.

"Yes." said the young boy as he rolled up his oversized sleeves and then struggled a bit to pick up his staff and to avoid falling off of Isaac's bed. Once he got a steady grip, he then concentrated as he chanted some words. Soon some magic began to come from his staff as it fired off and he was pushed back as he fell into Isaac's lap.

"You okay, bud?" asked Isaac as he looked at his tiny magician.

"Yeah, nothing hurt but my pride." said Magician Boy.

"Thanks for the kale." said Black Arts Trickster as she grabbed the piece of vegetable that remained from Magician Boy's spell as she rubbed the kid's hair as she feed her rabbit.

"It wasn't suppose to be that." said the boy.

"This is why I say you need to read." said Annette as she started to lecture her friend as she pointed to the book in her hand.

"Come on, Annette. Don't kick me when I'm down." said the boy as he let out a groan as he hurt his back a bit from the blast of the spell. Annette just rolled her eyes as she did her job of taking care of her friend.

Isaac just smiled at seeing his kid magicians interact when a tap on his shoulder got his attention.

"Isaac?" said Berry Magician Girl as the small baby held a book in her hand as she sucked on the pacifier in her mouth.

"Is it time already?" stated Isaac as he grabbed the small story book from his baby magician as she sat on Isaac's shoulder and got comfy. "You all want to hear a story?" asked the boy to his other magicians as they all nodded.

"Care for some musical accompaniment, Isaac?" asked Enchantress of Melody as she appeared with her lyra in her hands.

"Sure." said the Isaac.

So they all gathered around the boy's bed as he opened the small book and began to read. "There once was a man from Nantucket. Whoops wrong story, give me a sec." said the boy as he flipped through the pages.

Isaac then found the right story as he read it to the crowd of his magicians that were present as they listened to their master telling the story. Berry Magician Girl who was on his shoulder just leaned against his cheek as she sucked on her pacifier.

"And so the forces of evil were defeated and our valiant heroes who were brought together by fate purged the darkness that plagued the land. And together they ushered in a reign of peace that would last for the next thousand years. Or at least until another evil appeared that threaten to harm their home land, but that's another story." said Isaac as he closed the book. "Like it?"

"Yeah." said Berry Magician Girl as she took the book back in her hands as she nuzzled against Isaac's cheek and gave him a wet kiss.

"I love the dragon part." said Magician Boy as he started do some growls as Annette just facepalmed at how her friend was acting.

Just then there came a knock on Isaac's door.

"Isaac? Everything okay in there?" called Twilight.

"Lady Sparkle." said all of Isaac's magicians as they recognized the voice of their master's beloved.

"Yeah, everything's ok, Twi." said the boy.

"Okay, just checking up on you for the girls." said Twilight before she retreated back downstairs to join the others.

"Lady Sparkle really is a wonder." said Magician's Valkyria as she now made her presence known.

"It's no wonder, she caught Isaac's attention." said Apprentice Illusion Magician as she appeared alongside her friend.

"She's the fairest maiden I've seen on the seven seas." stated Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Isaac, do you love Twilight?" asked three more voices as they belonged to Lemon, Chocolate, and Apple Magician Girl as the trio appeared.

"Well, yeah. I mean, I'm her boyfriend."

"I think the girls are referring to something else." said Kiwi Magician Girl as she now appeared. "What they mean is, do you love her?"

"Uh, uh,... well, I mean..." Isaac was having trouble on answering that question posed by his monster as all of his magicians were waiting to see what their master would say. "Look... I love Twilight... and... well... I... maybe or maybe not..."

"Great, you broke him." said Black Robe Mentalist as she saw her master's mind as it was struggling to work.

"Guys, look I don't know what's going to happen between us when we graduate. As far as I know, Twilight's got her career path that she wants to follow. So, I can't just ask her to stick with me. We both would feel miserable, since we can't spend any time together, plus we've got different careers. So that alone means it wouldn't work out." said the boy.

"Is that what you think?" asked Mirage Magician.

"You really think that when you grow up, Twilight and you can't keep in contact?" stated Magician's Valkyria.

"Look, Isaac. We may be spirits, but we've also got a sense of humanity. And we can tell that answer isn't fully honest." said Rune-Eyes Illusionist.

"Well, I don't have an honest answer!" said Isaac with a bit of volume to his voice as it caused all of his monsters to back up a bit as they heard their master's response. The spirits of Isaac's monsters all were now cautious as they heard their master's outburst and were feeling a bit sorry for making him shout. Isaac then let out a sigh as he laid back on his bed.

"A lot of things are changing for me and in my personal life. Come graduation, that's it. I'm done, it's over, never to be seen again. I'm going to be a pro, and that takes time and dedication which is not an easy thing. All the adventures I've had, the memories, even the girls themselves, those all become afterthoughts cause I'll be solely focused on my career. You've all seen my life through my memories, and you all know that I'm trying to do the best that I can with what I'm given." Isaac now sat up as he looked at the nightstand next to his bed as he saw the picture of his family, next to it was his deck as he grabbed it. "I've put my full trust in these cards, in you guys. Before, I had nothing, then I met all of you. Despite our roles being that I'm the master and you all are the servants, I don't see it that way. I see you guys as my friends, and all I've asked in return from each of you is that you trust me."

"And we do." said Mage Annette.

"You're one of the few people who actually treat us like we're human." said Black Arts Trickster.

"Most people just look at their deck and see nothing more than monsters, soldiers even. They just summon us to do their bidding in battle." stated Kiwi Magician Girl. "But you treat us as comrades, allies, friends. We know the dangers of getting on the battle field, but we do so knowing that we trust you to lead us to victory."

"You're a great master that we all are lucky to have." said Chocolate Magician Girl.

"We believe that you're going to do fine with your life. And we'll be there right beside you, every step of the way." said Magician Boy.

"We love you, Isaac." said Berry Magician Girl as she wrapped her small arms around her master's neck.

"Thanks, everyone." said Isaac as he looked at his magicians.

Soon his monsters from his Extra Deck all appeared as they too expressed their happiness on having the boy as their master. Then both Mahad and Mana appeared as everybody went silent at seeing Isaac's star monsters. They all bowed down as in respect as they waited in silence as they allowed the three to talk.

"So, have you two been listening to all of this?" asked Isaac.

"Well, we saw nobody was home. So we figured they must have gone somewhere, just didn't expect them to all appear before you." said Mana.

"Master."

"Mahad."

Both just looked at each other; for Mahad he had a duty to uphold and that was to keep his master from harm and to be there whenever he was in trouble. Isaac knew that he was connected with his deck as his monsters could feel and sense his feelings. They knew what the other was thinking, that they feared that they would let down each other and ultimately themselves. That thought alone was what kept each other going as it pushed them forward and hoped that they could be the leader that their other comrades looked up to.

"Mahad."

"Master."

"I... I... I hope..."

"I understand." said Mahad as he looked at Isaac. He then snapped his fingers as he made a book appear in front of the boy. "Open it."

Isaac then did what his Dark Magician requested as Isaac opened the book. He saw some very old and worn down photos of Mahad and Mana from when they were human in ancient Egypt. It looked like there were standing next to someone who Isaac assumed it was their original master as he couldn't make out their image. He then flipped over some more pages as he was now seeing some modern photos as it had him in it and they were moving. Isaac saw the first time he actually talked with his magicians as it was the day of the Fall Formal where he took down Sunset from her evil reign. There were even more photos, like their battle against Shining Armor and his Blue-Eyes in the Friendship Games, then when they took on Slifer, the graduation duel at Crystal Prep for Shining Armor, Camp Everfree, his concert duel with Rara, his 18th birthday and Cadance's wedding where he and Twilight became an item, the trip they went on as they got to perform in front of Isaac's hometown. Then their encounter with Starlight and Sunburst at the Duos Cup, then facing Celestia in her retirement match as he ended her career. After that was when they joined forces with his pendulum comrades, then the incident with the Gamemaster, then the adventure they had with going to Equestria. Isaac then saw his battle with Luna as he put her to rest in her farewell match, and lastly was him teaching the kids. Of course, there was also photos of Isaac's duels with the four legendary duelists that he mentioned earlier.

All of these precious memories, Mahad had made and captured them in this spellbook as it served to him as a reminder of all of his adventures so that he could look back on his young master. He may not show much emotions due to him being loyal to his duty, but he did care about Isaac and he wanted to show the boy just how much.

"These are all the adventures we've had." said Isaac as he looked at the pages. He felt his eyes started to tear up as small drops fell onto the pages as he smiled.

"You matter to us, master." said Mahad. "No matter what you go through, no matter how much you change when you grow up, this will always remain constant. We believe in you, and we will always be there for you. We've been there for you since you were young, we may not have been able to communicate, but we had your back. And we will continue till the end of time."

"No matter if you get old and wrinkling, you're still the only man who I have eyes for." said Mana as she sat next to Isaac as nuzzled against his cheek. "You made me feel like a human, even after becoming a spirit. That's the best thing I could ever ask, and I love you because of that. I'll be there for you."

"Thanks, Mana." said Isaac as she kissed his cheek.

"Together." said Mahad as he extended his hand out to the boy.

"Together." said Isaac as he put his hand on top of his magician's. Mana then did the same as the three of them all smiled and looked at each other. The other magicians all lifted their heads and saw the touching moment between the three as they smiled.

Black Robe Mentalist even smiled despite nobody else seeing her face. Soon a rush of energy came at her as her eyes were now white. The images from when she peaked into her master's mind were now coming back to her as she clutched her head. Once more she saw the image of two duelists battling as they were shrouded in darkness as she still couldn't make them out. But this time there was more to it as it changed scene and it had one of those shadows falling down onto their knees and then laid on the ground. The second vision she saw once again had two shadows as one of them was a duelist as they were taking on something big. Like before, she couldn't figure it out but this time the scene changed as it showed the same duelist now facing off against someone who was sitting on top of a throne as they were surrounded by tons of other duelists as they prepared to fight against the one lone survivor. Then the last image she saw for the second time had a person walking towards a door as it slowly opened up as a white light came from it, standing on the other side were several similar shadows as if they were waiting for the person to arrive as they raised their duel disks up. But for this one, everything stayed the same. However, it did allow a whole new and totally different vision to appear as all the girl magician could see was the three god cards, and two other monsters as they had magical powers in them as they blasted a spell at the three gods and everything went white. She was trying to figure out what they meant, but they were still faded out and were nothing but shadows.

"AHHHHHHHH!!!" shouted Black Robe Mentalist as she fell to both of her knees while she clutched her head with both hands. Her hood becoming undone as everybody could see her true face.

"You okay, girlfriend?" asked Mana as she rushed over to her friend's side as everybody else was worried too.

"Is she alright?" asked Isaac as he got off of his bed and rushed over to his monster's side.

"I'm... fine..." said Black Robe Mentalist as she slowly stood up as she kept a hand to her head.

"Sit her down." said Isaac as he cleared the path from his magicians as he got his Black Robe Mentalist to take a seat to ease her headache. "You okay?"

"I said... I'm fine, Isaac." said the goth magician. "I just... felt a presence. More like a vision."

"What was it?" asked the boy.

"I don't know, the images that I've been seeing and trying to figure out. They're all difficult to see, they're shroud in darkness. They've developed, I'm now seeing more visions. But yet, there's still the while light that I see." said Black Robe Mentalist.

"What does it mean?" asked Mana.

"I can't figure it out. But... I can say this. This will the last time, we all will be here in this same room. All of us, together for a quite a while." said Black Robe Mentalist as her response caused everybody to have their eyes widen as there was nothing but silence.

"Is there anything else?" asked Isaac as he was concerned about that part.

"All I can say Isaac, is be strong." said Black Robe Mentalist as she started to disappear. All the other magicians then did the same as they vanished back into Isaac's deck.

Only Mahad and Mana remained as they looked at their master with some concern on their faces. Isaac too had some concern on his face as he was trying to figure out what these visions that his Black Robe Mentalist was seeing that said some form of darkness was approaching. He then looked at his faithful magicians as they put on a determined look on their face.

"Be strong, Isaac." said Mahad as he and Mana disappeared back into his deck.

Isaac looked at his stack of cards as he could feel all of his monster's presence. He then closed his eyes as he gripped his deck tightly and put it close to his chest as he prayed that whatever evil his magician had detected he would be able to defeat. Cause he didn't know it right now, but something was telling Isaac that whatever was coming was not only bad news, but it may be his greatest challenge to date. While Isaac closed his eyes the demon that lurked inside of him appear as well as the spirits of the legendary duelists that Isaac had faced up to this point. However, there was only 4 duelists out of the Big 5.

Author's Note

Once again, planting the seeds for the final arc. Now I said, during the Hall of Fame chapter, that Isaac doesn't call Yugi by his name, but rather by his title. And I asked why is that? Well, I'll give you guys a hint, it's the same reason why Isaac called all the other members of the Big 5 by their title and not their actually name. Before he met them, he referred to them as their title/nickname. But after his experience, he now calls them by their actual name. So taking that into consideration, maybe will help you to starting thinking about why Isaac doesn't call Yugi by his actual name. And no it's not as simple as, them meeting and saying my name is... There's more to it than that.

P.S. When we do get to the final arc, which is whenever I feel I can finally start it, it will be beneficial to reread certain chapters not only to get a refresher but since they contain parts that will be brought up in the final arc. But don't worry, I'll tell you what chapters to reread when we get there, so don't worry. With that, I'll see you all in the next chapter.

Chapter 165: New Year's Sitting

What's the old saying? Time to get rid of the old year and ring in the new. Well, that's exactly what everybody in Canterlot was doing as New Eve's was soon upon the world. And then they would usher in the new year that many believed would be more promising. It also was the time that people made New Year's resolutions, but then again nobody every keeps them. So the entire gang was currently getting to ring in the new year in a few days.

"Nicole, respond." said Twilight as she was at her laptop.

"Scanning, Twilight." said the A.I. "Restoration at... 25%."

"AAHHHHH!!!!!" shouted Twilight as she knocked over somethings on her desk as they fell to the floor as they made a loud crash sound as they scattered around the floor.

"Everytime okay." asked Spike as he was outside of the Twilight's door when he heard the sound coming from his owner's room.

"It's just!" yelled the girl as her anger was starting to show. Twilight was now seething and breathing heavily as she looked at her computer as it produced the results. Twilight then closed her eyes as she started to do the breathing exercise that Cadance taught her as it got her to calm her mind and steady her temper.

"Yes, thanks Spike." said Twilight as she sat down in her chair and closed her laptop.

"Hey, what's wrong?" asked the dog as he hopped into Twilight's lap.

"This project is just not going the way I intended. No matter what, I'm not making any progress." said Twilight as she looked at her friend.

"Why not ask..."

"I can't." said Twilight. "This is something, that only I can know about. Nobody needs to get involved, not mom, not dad, not my brother or Cadance, not our friends, not you, and certainly not Isaac." Twilight now put her hand to her face as she took of her glasses for a moment to rub her eyes. "I know I promised you guys that when this project was done you and the others would be the first to know, but at the rate this is going, I don't think I'll get to that point."

"Hey, cheer up." said Spike. "I know you'll figure out whatever problem you're running into. I know you don't give up easily, especially before I gained the ability to talk, you were always determined on whatever you set your mind too."

"I appreciate it, Spike." said Twilight as she hugged him to which he responded by licking her face as she giggled. "Well, better pick up this mess." stated the girl as she and Spike began to pick up the items littered on the floor.

Isaac was currently downstairs at the dining table as he had some stacks of papers with him as he as taking care of some business. Some of the papers had to deal with his job like placing and restocking the card display with more copies and new prints of cards. So Isaac was currently running the numbers for his boss, Mr. Johnson, as well as preparing for when they would reopen after the holiday. Along with that, Isaac also had personal papers as they were his plans and ideas for the students on their next set of lessons. With the second semester about to start soon, it meant that they had only 5 or 6 months left before the Board of Education would arrive at CHS and see the results of Isaac's little experiment which would determine if Canterlot High could finally get the proper funding it needed, get placed into the school system, and most of all, incorporate Duel Monsters as part of the curriculum. With all that, it seemed that alot was riding on the students to be success, but most importantly, it all came down to Isaac. If the board didn't like what they see or they deemed the kids failures, then Isaac would be the one responsible for everything failing.

"Oh, god." said Isaac as he put his hand to his head as the work was starting to take its toll on him. He then looked at his hand as he started to remember what his Black Robe Mentalist had said about the visions she saw of things yet to come and how she warned him to remain strong.

"Still working boy toy?" asked Sunset as she was leaning against the wall looking at her friend.

"I'm working on the lesson plan for you girls and the students. So, pardon me if I have tons of papers and plans that I need to reevaluate." stated the boy as he got back to work.

"You need to relax and take your mind off of things." said Sunset. She then got an idea as she approached the boy from behind and placed her hands on his shoulders. "Let me take care of this." said Sunset with a smug smile as she began to rub Isaac's shoulders.

"What the hell are you doing?" asked Isaac as he shooed Sunset's hands from his shoulders as he was determined to finish his work.

"Come on, boy toy. You know what they: All work and no play, makes Sunset a dull girl." stated the bacon-haired girl as she had a seductive look on her face. Isaac just went back to his work when Sunset grabbed his face and pulled him into a deep liplock as she fell into his lap.

Isaac was shocked by what Sunset did as she did her usual thing and put her hands on Isaac's chest as she began to feel the boy and the bit of muscles spread out along his frame. She then pulled apart as she looked at her friend.

"Sorry, but that's not working this time." said Isaac as he got the girl off of his lap and then refocused on completing his work.

"Isaac, you need to relax. I get it, we're halfway through the school year, we'll be graduating very soon and the board of Education is going to evaluate the kids to see whether or not this program of yours is going to help Principal Celestia and Vice-principal Luna get the proper funding they've been requesting for a longtime." said Sunset. "But you also need to relax and enjoy these last few moments, cause once graduation is over, that's it. We all begin our individual lives."

"I understand where you're coming from, Sunset." said the boy as he let out a sigh. "But know that this program means so much to me, I want to give something back to this place that has allowed me to shine and become the duelist that I am today. I want to give one final parting gift for Celestia and Luna, something that they've longed for since they first started the school. And I believe this is the only way."

"And I respect your ambitions, me and the others do, but we also want to make some final memories with you. Cause believe it or not, you're the one that we may see the least of. You're going to be a pro, which means your travel schedule is to be filled with tons of appearances and meetings." said Sunset. "I just... want to spend one final time with you. My friend who helped to me to atone for my sins." Sunset now placed her hand on top of Isaac's as it caused the boy to look at the girl.

"Sunset, you're always be my friend, and you'll always have a special place in my heart along with the girls. And even when I'm doing all that traveling, I'll always think of you and the time we spent together." smiled Isaac. He then put the papers to the side. "I guess, I can afford to take a break."

The next few days rolled by as the time for New Years was about to be here. And everybody was getting ready for it.

"Hurry up, Twi. Pinkie asked us to pick up the cake for the party." said Isaac as he was in the living room as he was tapping his foot.

"I'm coming, stop rushing me." said Twilight as she came down the stairs.

"It's not my fault, you decided to read the last 50 chapters of your book. You knew we had somewhere to be." stated the boy.

"Don't talk about my books!" shouted Twilight as she got protective of her boyfriend talking about her personal belongings.

"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess," teased Isaac as Twilight stuck her tongue out at him.

"Anyway, it's alot," said Twilight, "but if we stick to the schedule, I know we can get it done."

Spike was on the couch curled up when he heard the pair talking and based on what Twilight said, he knew her well enough to he didn't have confidence on his face and he showed it. "Yeah, knock on wood," said Spike bluntly.

"Give me some credit, Spike." said Twilight.

"Why don't I set a time table so we know how much time to spend on each task. I can even create a few time buffers so we have some flexibility for the unexpected." said Isaac.

"Now that is called smart planning! See Twilight, you could learn a thing or two from Isaac." snickered the dog as Twilight shot him a glare. "Go for it, buddy."

Isaac just grabbed Twilight's schedule and was about to make some edits, when there came a knock at the front door.

"Wonder who that could be?" said Isaac, "The girls are all out completing their own tasks."

Twilight simply just opened the door to find out. There before them was Cadance, Shining Armor, and little Flurry Heart.

"Surprise!" said Cadance and Shining Armor together. While Flurry Heart was all cheerful and happy, Cadance and Shining Armor both looked frazzled and even their hairs were very messy. Also, at least in Isaac's eyes, they looked a tad mentally unstable.

Twilight gasped as a huge smile appeared on her face. "Oh, my gosh!" exclaimed Twilight, "How's my favorite niece?"

Twilight took Flurry Heart into her arms as she began to tickle her belly and nuzzled her cheeks as she let out a laugh. She then gave her niece a kiss on the cheek as Flurry returned the gesture. She then saw Isaac standing there as she extended her forearms as if reaching for the boy to carry her. Isaac just wiggled his finger in front of the baby, as Flurry Heart grabbed it and put it in her mouth as she began to suck it.

"So, what brings you two by?" asked Isaac as he wiped his finger from Flurry's saliva as Twilight was in the background with Flurry Heart.

"Heh, funny you should say that." chuckled Shining Armor.

"Oh, no." said the boy as he knew where this was sort of going.

"I know we came at a bad time, but we had no other option." stated Cadance. "See Shining Armor has been invited by his dueling team and agency to attend a fancy party for New Years, seeing as how they believe the World Champion will boost their popularity. And well we were all set to go, until our sitter called off."

"And you both want to dump this on me?" stated Isaac as Twilight was still in the background of the house with Flurry Heart.

"Doggy. Kitty." said Flurry Heart as she was sitting on the couch in between the pets as she began to give them a petting as Twilight watched with a smile on her face.

"I know this is last minute and you probably had plans with your friends, but can you please do me this favor?" asked Cadance.

"You're kidding me." said Isaac as he let out a groan and started to rub his temples.

"I wouldn't ask for you two to do this, if I wasn't desperate." said Shining Armor.

"So that's what you think of me?" stated Isaac.

"Sorry, I'm stressed." said Shining Armor as he looked at himself. "Look, Isaac. I know you to be someone who can take on any challenge, I've seen what you can do on the dueling field. So I wouldn't think you wouldn't be able to handle this if you weren't up for it."

"That's your excuse for dumping your daughter on me so that the both of you can have a night to yourselves." said Isaac with a straight face.

"Please." said Shining Armor as he was pleading.

"Hmm... I'll do it, on one condition." said Isaac with a sly smile.

"Uh-oh." Shining Armor was now afraid of what the boy was about to suggest.

"We'll take care of Flurry Heart, if... if, you allow me to get her some spellcaster cards so that she could have deck when she's a bit older." Isaac had a smug smile on his face.

"I... I... I..." Shining Armor was having a tough time trying to agree to Isaac's terms as he wanted his daughter to take after him and his Blue-Eyes instead of his rival and his magicians.

"Honey." said Cadance as she looked at her husband with a bit of an insane look as her left eye twitched. It seemed to work as he knew that he and Cadance needed sometime to enjoy themselves.

"F-f-fine. I'll let you get her some cards." said Shining Armor as he shook Isaac's hand as the deal was made.

"Just don't be too jealous, when she eventually gets her own Dark Magician and starts beating your Blue-Eyes." snickered Isaac.

"No daughter of mine is gonna have a Dark Magician in my house." said Shining Armor as Cadance slapped her husband in the back of the head as she had a glare. "Uh, I mean sure. It's just a phase, she'll go through. I'm sure she'll take a liking to my Blue-Eyes, eventually."

Twilight was just holding Flurry Heart in her hands as she peppered her cheek with kisses and then blew a raspberry at her little tummy. Flurry Heart giggled happily. "Who's a little cootie? Who's a little cootie?" cooed Twilight as she tickled her tummy lightly, making Flurry Heart giggle even more. "Flurry! We've got a surprise for you! Don't we, dear," Twilight told the baby as she gave a wink to her boyfriend.

"What? Oh.... right." said Isaac as he now facepalmed himself at what his girlfriend was talking about.

"Are you ready to see what it is, sweetie?" asked the lavender girl.

Flurry Heart nodded as Twilight set the baby down as she approached a set of double doors in the living room. The little baby tried to stand up on her feet but then plopped down onto her stomach.

"Ooh... are you okay, Flurry?" asked Twilight with concern. Flurry Heart just sat up, smiled cutely, and did a small dance on her bottom with her tongue hanging out.

"Well, aren't we an excited little baby," said Spike as Flurry Heart just smiled at him.

"Meow." said Tigre.

"Just a couple of toys that reminded us of Flurry."

"You mean you!" shouted Isaac. "I gave her some money to buy a gift, but I didn't expect her to go overboard with what she bought." stated the boy.

"Nothing for the best for my niece." replied Twilight as she stuck her tongue out at the boy. She then went to open the double doors. Isaac's eyes shrunk as he saw how quickly Twilight was opening the door.

"Twi, wait! Don't... UGH!"

Isaac was too late. Twilight opened the door and a huge pile of wrapped presents came tumbling out, burying both Twilight and Flurry Heart. Shining Armor, Cadance, and Spike gasped in the background. Twilight popped her head out of the pile as she quickly looked to get Flurry Heart out of the pile of presents. Flurry Heart just giggled happily and the others were surprised to see Isaac holding onto her. Isaac managed to save the baby from being buried under the huge pile as Cadance and Shining Armor let out a sigh of relief.

"I was gonna say the presents had piled up," remarked Isaac. "You okay, Flurry?" asked Isaac.

Flurry Heart just looked at the boy as she smiled. She then hugged the side of Isaac's face as he smiled. Isaac then set the baby down on the floor as she started to crawl towards the pile of presents as she checked out one of them.

"You're sweet, Twilight," said Cadance as she looked at the many gifts, "You didn't have to do that."

"I know, but I can't help myself!" said Twilight, "Best Aunt Ever!"

"U-uncle?" asked Flurry Heart as she looked at Isaac for a brief second.

"Sorry, kid. I'm not your uncle." said Isaac. He then grabbed the one present he got for the kid as he picked it up from the pile. "I got you at least something, here open it."

Flurry the tore open the wrapping paper and inside was a toy train that had the same colors as her hair and skin.

"I had this train painted in the same color as you," said Isaac and then turned to Cadance and Shining Armor, "And it's soft like a plushie so she can use it like a cuddle or sleep toy." Flurry Heart used her hands to pickup the train and set it on the floor.

"Woo-woo!" Flurry Heart tooted as she rolled the train on the floor, "Woo-woo!"

"That's right, Flurry," said Isaac, "A train go 'woo-woo'! But they also go 'chugga-chugga'!" Flurry Heart just looked at Isaac as she clapped her hands together. "Oh, one more thing. I also got this." Isaac then reached into his pocket as he pulled out a duel monsters card and gave it to Flurry. The baby took the card from Isaac in her hands and looked it over as she examined it. "It's called Blue Dragon Summoner. It's a spellcaster monster."

"Hey." said Shining Armor.

"Honey, you promised." said Cadance as she jabbed her husband in the side.

"Right." said Shining Armor as it pained him to see his daughter having a card from his rival instead of from her father.

"Relax, it has a cool ability. When it leaves the field, it allows you to add 1 Normal-type monster be it, Warrior, Spellcaster, or Dragon from your deck to your hand. That okay with you, Shining Armor." said Isaac as he looked at the young man.

"Y-yes, that's fine. I just didn't expect you to give her cards immediately." said Shining Armor as it still pained him that his daughter could potentially become a spellcaster user instead of his own Blue-Eyes cards. But it hurt even more when he saw Flurry Heart hugging the card as she had a smile on her face; he now hated that Isaac had a way with kids.

"Open this one, Flurry," said Twilight as out a polka dotted present in front of her. Flurry Heart did and found inside that inside of the package were two teddy bears. One was blue and the other was red. Flurry then used her hands as she picked up the blue bear, then growled as she held it and giggled again.

"Exactly!" said Twilight, "They're bears! You're one smart cookie." Twilight gave Flurry Heart a wink.

"Mmmmm, cookie..." Spike hummed as he got behind Flurry's ear and peppered it with kisses.

"Spike, no eating Flurry!" teased Twilight, "She's not a real cookie!"

"Fine." said Spike, pretending to pout, as Flurry snickered quietly to herself.

"We'll just put Flurry's things over here, Twily." called out Shining Armor.

"Uh-huh, totally," said Twilight in a rather distracted tone.

"I've got this, Twi." said Isaac, "You two have fun." Flurry Heart then whimpered sadly.

"Aw, don't be sad, sweetie," said Isaac, "I'll be back soon. Just gotta talk to your mommy and daddy, okey-dokey?" Flurry Heart smiled and nodded. Isaac then walked up to Cadance and Shining Armor.

"Okay, I see her stroller," said Isaac as Spike was next to him, "what else she got?"

Shining Armor then handed Isaac some baby food. "Mashed peas, her favorite", said the man.

"And diapers," said Cadance as she handed over one of the package of diapers, "Uh, extra diapers. Oh, and backup extra diapers. Heh." Cadance then handed over two packages of diapers and then added three more.

"Oh, Jesus. Just how many diapers does she go through?" asked Isaac as the couple was about to answer when he stopped them. "You know what, forget I ever asked?"

"Mashed peas, her favorite," said Shining Armor as he handed over another jar of baby food and then blinked, "Wait, did I say that already?" Poor Isaac was carrying all the stuff in his arms as he struggled from keeping it from toppling over.

"Uh-huh," said Spike as a matter of fact as he watched the boy struggle.

"Gee, I don't think you packed enough diapers, Cadance," remarked Isaac bluntly.

"Really?! I thought I packed plenty of diapers for..." Cadance said worriedly, blinked, and gave Isaac a glare, "Oh for god's sakes! You and your sarcasm!" Isaac laughed and even Spike and Shining Armor snickered.

"Gotcha that time, didn't I, Cadance?" Isaac teased with a smirk.

"Nevermind," Cadance remarked with an eye roll and then blinked again, "Oh, and this is the most important thing of all- her Whammy." Cadance then pulled out a tan colored snail with a green shell from her purse.

"Spike." called Isaac.

"I got it." said the dog as he went to fetch the item for the boy. Cadance then put the object in Spike's mouth as he took it out of his mouth and looked at it. "I take it Flurry named it?" Spike asked with a smirk.

"Yup," said Cadance, "If she gets fussy, just give her the Whammy and she'll calm right down." Isaac hummed impressively.

"Ah, that'll definitely come in handy," said Isaac. Shining Armor then noticed Twilight was still playing with Flurry Heart.

"You getting all of this, Twily?" asked Shining Armor.

"Whammy. Got it." said Twilight. Isaac just rolled his eyes and smiled.

"Don't worry," said Isaac as he went to put the stuff next to the couch, "If she forgets, I've got it covered. See? I took notes!" Isaac then pulled out a notepad from his pocket and flipped it open to a page that had writing on it.

"Good," said Cadance, "But you sure you can watch her?" It was then Flurry Heart started to suck on Twilight's ear as Twilight just tickled her tummy. "Have no fear! The best aunt ever has everything under control!"

Isaac and Spike both made a long face. Cadance and Shining Armor smiled, looked at each other, and then the former grabbed Flurry Heart over to them so they could give the baby a kiss goodbye. He then handed his daughter back to his sister afterwards.

"Thanks again, Twily and Isaac." said Shining Armor as he and Cadance went to leave.

"Wait up!" said Isaac as he handed them both some cash.

"What's that for?" asked Shining Armor as he held the money.

"You both look a bit frazzled," said Isaac in a gentle but honest tone, "You might want to freshen up at the spa before you both head for the event." Cadance and Shining Armor then looked at each other and sighed.

"That would be a good idea," said Cadance slowly, "We'll pay you back."

"Forget it," said Isaac firmly, "Go have fun on your date and we'll see you in a few hours."

"I can't express how grateful I am Isaac, thank you again." said Cadance as she grabbed the boy and pulled him into her chest as she gave him a hug. She then took off his cap and planted a kiss on his head.

"Alright, Cadance. No need to make Shining Armor jealous." joked Isaac as she put his cap back on his head. He then waved goodbye to the happy couple as they left; the front door had barely closed when Isaac spoke up. "Okay, let's grab that Whammy thing and go."

"Uh-uh!" Flurry Heart replied, shaking her head, and held her blue bear with her hands as she growled playfully.

"Oh, you want to pretend we're the bears," said Twilight, "I suppose we have time for a quick game."

"Do you, though?" Spike asked as he glared at Twilight.

Flurry Heart just giggled as she started to crawl for her life. Twilight then growled as well as she chased after the baby, leaving the blue and red teddy bears behind.

"Hey! All right!" said Twilight as she growled like a bear, "I'm gonna get ya!"

"Twilight!" called out Spike.

"I'm catching up!" Twilight called out, growling like a bear. "Got ya." said Twilight as she managed to corner Flurry as she was a scared. "Uh-oh. Sorry, bug. Did that scare you? It's okay. It's just Auntie Twily!" Twilight then showed her niece her face.

"Bleh!" said Flurry Heart as she blew a raspberry playfully at her. She then shook her head about while making funny faces. Isaac just laughed. She then crawled over to the card that Isaac gave her as she picked it up and pretended that she was summoning it. She then noticed some cards scatter across her as the monster in front of her was Armed Dragon LV 10. Flurry then picked up some cards from the scattered pile as she placed Mage Power, Spellbook of Power and Bound Wand as her monster was now stronger than the dragon.

"You're pretending to play Duel Monsters. You know, that was an advanced move for someone your age. Looks like you're already taking after your Auntie Twily." Twilight then gave Flurry Heart a wink. Flurry Heart, in the most adorable thing ever seen, tried to wink as well, but had some trouble doing so, she then just blinked both of her eyes and gave her aunt a smile.

"All right, that was pretty adorable," said Spike bluntly, "But now..."

"We know, Spike. Twilight, we need to leave to get the things." said Isaac.

Flurry Heart then stood up on her hind legs when her stomach gave a grumble. Flurry Heart then clutched her stomach, feeling a little embarrassed at the rumbling.

"I just have to feed her real quick," said Twilight as she opened up a jar of baby food and went to feed Flurry Heart with a spoon. Flurry Heart blew a raspberry and leaned away as the spoon came towards her mouth.

"Let me try. Come on, Flurry," said Isaac as he tried to feed her, "Here comes the choo-choo train. Chugga-chugga, woo-woo! Going into the tunnel!" Isaac then tried to put the spoon in her mouth, but then Flurry Heart used her own hands to grab the spoon away and then flung the baby food at the two teens.

"Yikes!" yelped Isaac as he and Twilight leaned away just in time to avoid getting hit as the baby food splattered against a nearby wall.

"Why do I get the feeling that Cadance and Shining Armor forgot to tell us something?" Isaac pondered skeptically to his girlfriend and the pets. Spike just glared at Twilight as she just smiled sheepishly.

Sometime later...

"When they said mashed peas were her favorite..." said Spike when a glob of baby food smacked him in the face. Flurry Heart just laughed as she moved about in the seat that Twilight and Isaac had given her to sit and eat.

"...did they mean her favorite thing to decorate a room with?!" Spike finished angrily as he licked the food off of his face. Flurry Heart then launched some more chunks of food at them. Behind them the wall and column was covered in food; Flurry Heart just kept on laughing and chucking more food.

"Aw, come on, Spike," said Twilight. "That wasn't too bad."

"Yeah, and we're only twenty minutes behind schedule." said Isaac as he looked and pointed at his watch.

"Twenty minutes?!" Twilight said in shock and then exhaled, "It's fine. We can totally do this."

Flurry Heart then chucked some more food at Twilight as it hit her face. Isaac rolled his eyes as he began to get ready. Twilight quickly changed into a spare set of clothes as she grabbed her winter clothing. Isaac grabbed his jacket as he managed to bundle up Flurry. He took a look at the wall as he figured he might need to buy some extra cleaning supplies, that was until Spike started to lick the stuff off the wall. Well, at least that was one problem that he didn't have to worry about when he returned. Twilight grabbed Flurry from him as she placed her in her stroller as Isaac told Spike he was in charge of the house and to clean up the wall to which he nodded. He then grabbed his keys and Flurry's Whammy as he locked the door behind him. With that the trio was now heading towards their destination to take care of several things.

"So first stop is heading over to the Sweet Shoppe to check up on the order that Pinkie requested from the Cakes." said Isaac as he and Twilight were walking down the street as Twilight was pushing the stroller.

"Then we better hurry, we're already behind schedule." said Twilight.

"Yeah, due to a certain someone." stated Isaac as he glared at his girlfriend.

"Just shut up, we need to move." said Twilight as she pushed the stroller a bit faster as she raced down the street as Isaac rushed after them.

They arrived at the place as they entered inside. Isaac and Twilight both made their way to the counter as they saw Mrs. Cake.

"Hello, Mrs. Cake." said Isaac.

"Hello, Isaac. Twilight." said Mrs. Cake. She then looked down and saw Flurry Heart as she noticed the small baby. "What a cute baby, is it yours?"

"NO!!!!" shouted Isaac and Twilight as they both turned their heads away from each other as they had some red on their faces.

"It's my niece, we're just babysitting her for my brother." said Twilight.

"I understand, for a second I thought you two had gotten married." said Mrs. Cake as it caused the teens to have more red on their faces, especially Twilight.

"Anyways," coughed Isaac to move on, "We're here to check up on the order that Pinkie made."

"Ah, yes. Just need one of you to come with me in the back to check on it." said Mrs. Cake.

"You go, Twilight. I'll stay with the baby." offered Isaac.

"Thanks, dear." said Twilight as she gave Isaac a quick kiss.

"Why did she call me that? She never addresses me by a nickname." said Isaac as he pushed the stroller to one of the booths as he took Flurry Heart out of the stroller and placed her next to him in the booth. "So, Flurry? Having fun?"

"Yeah, yeah." said Flurry Heart as she clapped her hands together. Isaac pulled down the hood of her winter jacket as he fixed the baby's hair and little headband.

"Such a cute thing."

"Isn't she just?" said Mana as she appeared as she put her finger to Flurry's chin. "Who's a cute baby? Who's a cute baby? You are." Flurry Heart just giggled as Mana was playing with her.

"How is she able to feel and see Mana?" asked Isaac.

"It's because she's a baby." said Mahad.

"Explain." stated Isaac as he looked at his magician.

"Well, as an infant, they're full of wonder. Their imaginations are still developing and it's the purest form of a human individual. Flurry Heart's imagination is so vast since she's still an infant. So in a way, she can see both me and Mana."

"So, it's like the idea of a child having an imagery best friend that they tell their parents?" asked Isaac.

"Similar to that, master. Of course, once she grows older that imagination will cease to exist, due to her mind being filled with other important knowledge, like manners, facts/opinions, etc... Right now her mind is in the beginning stages of a human individual, so once Flurry Heart grows older, she won't see us as do other infants. Unless of course, she possess a certain skill or has a deep bond with her deck." stated Mahad.

"Huh? I didn't know that." said Isaac as he looked at Flurry Heart as Mana was tickling her tummy. "Can you see them, Flurry Heart?" asked Isaac as he placed the small infant in his lap.

"Yeah, magic." said Flurry.

"Want to have some fun?" asked Isaac to which she nodded. "Guys?"

"It be my honor to entertain something so cute and adorable." said Mana as she had her staff out. She waved it a bit as some magic particles flowed from it, soon it began to take some shape as it now transformed into tiny stardust animals as they danced together.

"Magic, funny." said Flurry Heart as she and Isaac watched the little show in front of them.

"Come on, Mahad. Don't be heartless to the little thing." stated Mana.

"I'm not heartless. I just use my magic to protect the master, not to entertain others."

"It's alright, Mahad. Go on and put a show for Flurry Heart." said Isaac.

"Very well, master. If that's your command then I will obey it." said Mahad as he gave a bow. He then lifted his hand up as he chanted some words as the small stardust in front of Isaac and Mahad now started to take shape. Soon he started to paint a scene as the stardust depicted a sun with a background that resembled an oasis in the middle of a desert. The tiny animals that were dancing were now singing and celebrating as they had a party with some fireworks going off.

"Magic. Magic." said Flurry Heart as she clapped her hands at the show she and Isaac were watching.

"Seems you do have some way with children. Now only if you had it with women." snickered Mana.

"Mana, grow up. Unfortunately, I haven't the time to pursue other interests due to my duty in protecting the master. Which is why you need to mature and stop your childish pranks." said Mahad as both he and Mana began to bicker between them.

"Ehh." said Flurry Heart as she looked at Isaac while pointing at his magicians.

"They're always like that, you get used to it, kid." said Isaac as Flurry just bounced in his lap. Isaac just looked at the small thing as he wondered about something. "Hey, guys. Do you think that maybe Flurry Heart will see spirits like me? Or what she'll be like when she grows up?"

"Unfortunately, we can't do that master. But we could look into her soul to see what her spirit will be like." said Mahad as he looked at Mana. Both of Isaac's magicians then floated to Flurry as they both placed their hands on top of her head as they were looking into Flurry's heart to see what kind of individual she'll be. "Seems, she'll grow into a fine young lady. She does possess a strong will, which translates to having a strong heart when it comes to Duel Monsters."

"You hear that, Flurry? You're going to be a strong duelist when you grow up." said Isaac as he tickled her tummy as he got a reaction from her.

"Magic?"

"Maybe, your dad agreed to let me get you some spellcasters to help build a deck for you when you're old enough."

"Yeah. D-d-duel." said Flurry.

"Just promise me you'll grow up to be a good girl and that you learn to read and write as well know how to do basic math. If you do all that, they I can give you some lessons." smiled Isaac.

"Uncle?"

"Look, kid. I'm... you probably don't understand, but I'm not going to around for long." said Isaac as Flurry looked at the boy with a sad face. "Let's just say that life has a way of throwing a curveball at you, and when I become a pro like your daddy. I'll have to say goodbye to my friends and to Twilight. So I won't be with her forever; but I promise to make sure that I teach you. That way you can beat your daddy and his Blue-Eyes."

"Isaac?" said Flurry Heart as she touched the boy's cheek.

"I'm going to miss you, Flurry Heart. I just hope you don't forget me." said Isaac. Flurry Heart just wrapped her arms around Isaac's cheek.

"Love you." said Flurry Heart as it legit got the boy to shed a tear. She then touched Isaac's necklace as she saw it was in the shape of his Dark Magician. Isaac then took his cap off of his head as he placed it on the little girl as it was a bit big for her as it covered her eyes. She then lifted it up a bit as she had her tongue sticking out as she gripped it and looked at the boy.

"She's going to grow up to be a fine girl." said Isaac as he looked at his magicians to which they smiled at their master's statement. They then disappeared as Twilight was coming back.

"Sorry it took so long, seems Pinkie wanted pistachio icing on the cake. Ugg." said Twilight as she made a face of disgust. "Flurry, what are you doing? Are you wearing Isaac's cap?"

"Yeah." said Flurry Heart as she clapped her hands for her aunt while wearing the object.

"Well, time to give it back." stated Twilight.

"Fine." said Flurry as she pouted a bit before looking at Isaac.

"Thanks, kid." said Isaac as he took the hat from the baby and put it back on his head. He then handed her to Twilight as she placed her back into the stroller.

"Time to go, seems we still need to make a few more stops before we head back to the house." said Twilight.

"Then let's get going." said Isaac as the pair exited out of the Sweet Shoppe.

Isaac and Twilight were now heading towards other locations as they had to pick up some additional supplies for the gang. They arrived at the local mall as they needed to pick up several things such as plates, napkins, and serving utensils. While Twilight was picking out some stuff, Flurry Heart was trying to reach for something she wanted. She then unhooked herself from her stroller as she started to crawl towards the shelf. She then stood on her legs as she tried to reach for it, unaware that the shelf was starting to shake. Isaac noticed this just in time as he managed to sweep the little girl from danger as he put her down for a second as he used his hands and right leg to keep the stuff from hitting the ground as he tried to balance them. Twilight saw this as she put Flurry back in her stroller as she scolded Isaac for playing around.

After paying for their stuff, both girls were hungry so they made a quick stop at a restaurant as they dined in. Safe to say, that Flurry Heart was enjoying this more than her usual mashed peas. But it didn't help that Twilight was acting like her usual self when it came to fast food.

"SO GOOD!!" said Twilight as she stuffed her cheeks full of food as she devoured it and then took a big sip of her beverage.

"That's your aunt, Flurry." said Isaac as Flurry had a surprised look at seeing Twilight pig out. She then grabbed her own small meal as she brought it to her mouth and immediately loved it. "You like it, huh?"

"Yeah. Tasty." said the baby.

"Just don't tell your mother I gave you junk food." said Isaac as he put his finger to his mouth to signal to keep it a secret. Flurry nodded as she copied Isaac's action and kept on munching.

So Isaac and Flurry tried to enjoy their meals in peace as Twilight was drawing a bit of attention to herself as she was pigging out, not too mention how much of a bill it was when Twilight received the receipt. Eventually the pair left but not before Flurry Heart pleaded with Isaac getting some ice cream. Isaac just rolled his eyes as he got some for the tiny thing.

The pair was now in the park as Flurry Heart was in the sandbox as it was covered with snow as she began to play with it and made small snow angel when she fell down. Twilight was watching this from the slides as Isaac was next to her dangling upside down from the monkey bars as he managed to make sure that his cap didn't fall off.

"Flurry really is cute." said Twilight as she watched her niece try to create a snowman. "I can't wait to teach her Duel Monsters and then she'll be just like her aunt."

"Slow your brakes, Twilight. First off, she needs to speak and read before she gets to dueling. It's like the saying you need to walk before you can run and you need crawl before you can walk." stated Isaac.

"I know, I just can't help it." smiled the girl excitedly.

"Ehh." said Flurry Heart.

"Alright, sweetie. We're leaving." acknowledged the girl to her niece.

"We still need to get the cake." said Isaac as he pulled himself up and sat at the top of the monkey bars.

"Right, but first... can you hang upside down for me?" asked Twilight as Isaac gave her an eyebrow raise. He then did what he was asked and dangled upside down in front of the girl. Twilight then brought her hands to cusp the side of Isaac's face as she brought her lips to capture his as the two shared a deep kiss. A few moments passed as Twilight pulled away her lips.

"Let me guess, a fantasy of yours?" said Isaac with a sly smile.

"Maybe," remarked Twilight with an embarrassed smile, "Let's go tiger." Twilight then grabbed Flurry as Isaac jumped down and the two left the park.

After that, they then had to make one final stop before returning to the house as they needed to collect the cake for the party. So they ventured back to the Sweet Shoppe as they needed to pick up the dessert. So the pair arrived back to meet with Mrs. Cake as both of the cake twins were out with Mrs. Cake. As Isaac and Twilight were talking with Mrs. Cake, the cake twins were playing with some toys when they started to argue back and forth. Flurry Heart tried to get some help as she tossed a block she was playing with to Isaac.

"Ow! Flurry!" said Isaac as he rubbed the back of his head as he turned to address the baby when she flailing her arms about as she pointed to her friends. "On it, superhero Isaac to the rescue." Isaac then approached the two twins as they were struggling with the toy when the older boy was standing in front of them. Isaac then grabbed the toy as he then had a small blanket cover it and then with the snap of his fingers, he now had two of the same toys in his hand as he gave it back to the twins as they were happy and hugged his legs.

"Well, that should calm them down." said Isaac. "Good eye, Flurry." Isaac then tickled her tummy as she let out a giggle.

Once the purchase was made, Mrs. Cake put the treat inside of a box as Twilight paid for it and Isaac carried the object in his arms. With everything all set, the pair then grabbed Flurry Heart as they said a Happy New Years to the entire Cake family as they left the establishment. There had now reached the house as Twilight pulled out her set of keys as she opened the front door and the trio entered the house.

"You guys are back, and I cleaned the wall of food." said Spike as he pointed to the wall with his paw as it was clean of any food mess. "The cat supervised."

"Meow." said Tigre as she was lazily napping on the couch.

"Good job, Spike." said Twilight as she handed 5 pet treats for a job well done.

"And good supervising, Tigre." said Isaac as he put the cake down on the table. He then fetched a ball of yarn as he gave it to his cat who immediately started to purr against her owner.

"Uh, Isaac?" said Twilight.

"What? Oh god!!!!" shouted Isaac as he smelled something foul.

"Duty calls." said Twilight as she held Flurry Heart in her hands as there was stench lines coming from the baby.

After the small... incident with Flurry Heart. Both Twilight and Isaac had to take a deep breather of air. Soon the rest of the girls arrived as they were surprised to see Flurry Heart as she was playing with both of the pets and squeezing them both with a tight hug. Isaac and Twilight told them about the little adventure they had with the baby as the girls began to take turns of playing with the small girl. It was now nighttime as the countdown to the New Year was about to begin as the gang had the party going as the TV was on as it was showing the ball about to drop. During the small get together, Twilight had received a text from Cadance that said if Flurry Heart could spend the night with them, to which she replied with a hearty: "yes". Soon the ball was moments away as the whole gang watched the TV.

"TEN!"

"NINE!"

"EIGHT!"

"SEVEN!"

"SIX!"

"FIVE!"

"FOUR!"

"THREE!"

"TWO!"

"ONE!!!"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!" shouted everybody across the world as they rang with excitement.

The party didn't last much longer as nearly everybody was tired, even Flurry Heart had managed to stay up with the rest of the gang as she wanted to experience the moment with her aunt. Soon it was time for everybody to sleep as everybody retreated to their rooms as Flurry Heart was going to sleep with Twilight. It had been about 2 hours since the party ended as everybody was deep in sleep; Isaac on the other hand was still awake during that time as he had his hands behind his head. He was staring at his ceiling as he was thinking about some stuff, his eyes were slowly starting to close when there came a knock and his door slightly opened.

"Isaac? You awake?" said Twilight as she peaked her head.

"I was just starting to doze off. Need something?" asked the boy.

"Well, not me per say." Twilight then entered the room in her Pjs as she was shown to be carrying Flurry Heart in her arms as she was hiding in Twilight's chest. "She's a bit scared and misses you."

"Scary." said Flurry Heart as she was a bit afraid of the dark.

"It's okay, Flurry. There's nothing to be afraid of the dark, not so long as I'm here to protect you." said the boy as he was lying down on his bed.

"I know this may be weird, but... can she sleep with you tonight?" asked Twilight.

"Scary. Isaac." cried out Flurry Heart.

"Sure." said Isaac as he let out a sigh.

Twilight then placed Flurry Heart on Isaac's bed as he made room for the small thing as she was still frighten. Isaac then had an idea pop into his head as he reached over to his drawer and pulled out her Whammy and the Blue Summoner Dragon card; Isaac gave it to Flurry Heart as she immediately clutched both of them and felt safer as she scooted closer to the young boy. Isaac just petted her on the head as he covered her with his blanket and she started to grab his hand as she slowly fell to sleep.

"Well, she's fast asleep." said Isaac in a whisper to not wake her.

"This really has been one crazy baby sitting adventure." smiled Twilight as she kept her voice low to not wake her niece.

"Well, I'll see you in the morning Twi. Don't worry, I'll keep her safe." said Isaac as he put his arm over Flurry.

"Right." said Twilight as she turned to leave. Soon she stopped in her tracks as she looked at Isaac.

"Huh?" said Isaac as he felt something on his bed. When he looked up, he saw that Twilight had entered his bed and was now lying on Flurry's other side. "Twilight, what are you doing?" whispered Isaac.

"Hey, the B.A.E. needs to keep her niece safe?"

"B.A.E?" said Isaac.

"Best Aunt Ever."

"I know what that means, I just can't believe you referring to it as that." said the boy.

"Well, it also means something else." said Twilight as she put her hand to Isaac's cheek as she looked at her boyfriend. "Happy New Year, Isaac."

"Happy New Year, Twilight." smiled the boy. Isaac then gave Twilight a kiss as he capture her lips for a few moments. He then kissed Flurry on the head.

Spike had entered the room with Twilight as he decided to sleep with Tigre. He then gave her a lick as he let out a yawn and then laid beside the cat, Tigre just returned the gesture by licking Spike as she placed her head on top of her friend as both fell asleep. Soon both teens fell asleep in each other's arms as Flurry Heart was between them as she felt safe and happy. For Isaac, it brought a smile to his face as he enjoyed the very first moment of the new year as it was a pleasant one and filled his heart with warmth. The same was with Twilight as she enjoyed being protected and held by her boyfriend as she drifted off to dreamland. As for Flurry Heart, she was sucking her thumb as she was dreaming of being in a meadow with tons of flowers as all around her were friendly Duel Monster spirits as they played with her, even Mahad and Mana showed up as they watched over the little thing and entertain Flurry as she had the happiest and purest of smiles on her face.

Author's Note

So unfortunately, we won't see Flurry Heart duel since she's still a baby in this story. So that being said, I want to hear from you all, what kind of duelist do you think she'd be? Do you think she'll be like her dad and have Blue-Eyes or be more towards spellcasters given her alicorn counterpart. Or maybe she does both or neither? Let me know what you guys think and I'll see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 166: Training

It was now officially the start of the new semester at Canterlot High. Which meant that the students of the institution were now getting back on track for the remainder of the school year. Especially the upcoming class as in just a few months, they would be given their diploma and then officially become graduates. But for a certain young boy, it meant that he was running out of time as soon the decision that would determine the school's fate would soon be upon him. So that meant he had to kick it into higher gear. And he had just the idea.

The girls and the students were all gathered in the auditorium during one of the free periods as they were trying to figure out why they were all called. Soon they got their answer as in walked Isaac as all the small talk ceased. The young boy now stood in front of the large group as he addressed.

"So, hope you kids enjoyed your break." said Isaac.

"It was nice to not worry about school." said Jack.

"Especially, lessons from our tutors." said Shadow as he looked at Pinkie as she just smiled as it caused some pain for the young boy.

"Well, time to put all that behind you." said Isaac in a stern tone. "We've reached the halfway point, and in a few months you seven will be put to the test. A challenge that determine the fate of this school."

"You make it sound like the kids are responsible for saving the world." said Sunset.

"In a way, yes!" addressed Isaac. "The time for kicking back and lazing around is over. Time to sweat. Which is why, we're all taking a little trip."

"A trip?" asked Bryant.

"Where are we going?" asked Amber.

"You'll see, I've informed each of your guardians about this little field trip, and they agreed. Me and the rest of the girls will accompanying you all as chaperones. So get to packing kids, cause this next week is going to be the toughest of your lives." Isaac then gave the students their assignments as they all left to pack for their little trip.

"You sure about this?" asked Applejack.

"And where exactly are we going?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Let's say that I got some acquittances of mine that have allowed me to use their training facility." said Isaac as that was the only thing he said.

Now everybody was on a plane as they were soaring above the clouds as they headed to Isaac's desired location. It didn't take long as soon Isaac looked out of the window as he saw the building in view. Soon the plane landed on the runway as everybody got their bags and all made their way into the huge building. Twilight made sure to grab Spike as Isaac carried Tigre in his arms as they walked to their destination. It was about the afternoon when the whole gang arrived at the huge building as Isaac then swiped a card as he logged them into the building. He then approached the front desk as he stepped behind the counter and pulled out some keycards as he gave each person their own.

"Okay, who are these acquittances of yours?" asked Jason.

"That's a secret. Best to leave it at that." said Isaac. "Now each of you unpack, dinner will be delivered to your rooms. So for now, just rest." Isaac dismissed the kids as he pointed to the right corridor of the building as that is where the kids will be staying for the week. He then lead the girls to the left corridor as they walked a bit before coming to huge space that had several rooms as he let the girls choose their rooms. Isaac climbed the stairs as he went to the third floor as there was just one single room. He then typed in a password as it recognized the code and allowed him to enter the room.

"Good thing they gave me the password." said Isaac as he was thankfully, his acquittances had allowed him to use this room as his temporary stay. Isaac then sent the girls a quick text saying that he needed to have all of them meet up tonight.

The morning came as the students were sound asleep, when suddenly an alarm went off in each of their rooms.

"WAKE UP!!!!!" shouted Isaac through the speaker as it got the kids to cover their ears. "Report to the desk, immediately! Anybody caught late will do 50 laps!!!"

"Ugh!!!" said all the students as they all fell back on their beds.

They all then exited out of their temporary rooms, as they went back down the corridor as they found Isaac in front of the desk as he had his arms crossed and had a stern look on his face.

"Why?" asked Jason.

"Be quiet, all of you!" shouted Isaac as it got the kids to stand up straight. "Prepare to sweat your asses off, kids." Isaac then pushed another button behind the desk as the wall next to them was now transforming as it popped open and soon another corridor was shown.

"Follow me."

The kids heard Isaac's orders as they followed the boy; it didn't take long as they soon came to what seemed to be a workout/exercise room as it had tons of contraptions and machines. There was a couple of treadmills, a mile track in the above level, some bench presses for lifting weights, and some weird device that had a string attached to it. Isaac then lead the kids down to the center of the room as each of the girls were waiting for them.

"This here is where you guys will train. As you know Duel Monsters isn't just about cards. It requires dexterity when drawing the cards, athleticism when playing the cards, and endurance when you're in the tenth round of a tournament or in a high pressure situation. If you can master these three, then you'll be a better duelist than when you walked in." informed Isaac. "Now time to do the course."

"You're kidding?!" shouted Shadow.

"You expect us to do all that?" asked Lucky Star.

"Did I Stutter!!!" stated Isaac in a sergeant like tone. "Rainbow!" Isaac then snapped his fingers as the chromatic girl then stepped forward as she got in a ready position. She then smiled as she began to do the workout that Isaac had told the kids to do as they were shocked to see that she was doing it not only with ease but with speed.

Rainbow was now reaching the end of the course as she finished lifting some weights as Isaac stopped his stopwatch.

"Rainbow finished the course in 3 minute and 35 seconds." said Isaac.

"You expect us to finish in that time?" asked Jack.

"Of course not, you're all slow." said Isaac. "Sunset!" shouted the boy as he snapped his fingers once again as it was now Sunset's turn to step up and do the course. While Sunset wasn't as fast as Dash, she did managed to finish the course in a good time as Isaac stopped the watch and showed the time for the kids. "Sunset's time is 5 minute and 25 seconds. That seems like a reasonable time for you all to beat."

"You're kidding me?" asked Amber.

"Fluttershy finished the course in 4 minutes and 15 seconds." said Isaac as that fact got each of the kids to shut up. "So stop whining and moaning like little bitches and get to sweating." Isaac then snapped his fingers as each of the kids went to start on a different part of the course. Isaac turned back to look at the girls, "You guys know what to do," said the boy as he left the girls to supervise the kids.

The first few hours saw the kids struggling with the different parts of the courses, even for Jason as despite him being a workout person, he found it to be tough. As expected, the kids' times were over the expected time limit as they were letting out breaths of exhaustions. The girls, all did their part as they served as spotters and did their best to motivate the kids despite their muscles being soared. Both Spike and Tigre were watching from afar as they knew to not get in the way of everybody working out and to avoid the mutt from talking in front of the students. So in the end, the first day of training was a success as Isaac smiled. The next day the kids were still sore, but since they knew what to expect, their bodies were a little more than prepared. Even the girls were doing some workouts as they wanted to train alongside the students. Isaac did show them the device that had a string sticking out; he then approached it as he grabbed the end of the string and as hard as he could, he pulled it as it displayed the power he used as the entire bar was filled to the max.

Isaac told the kids this was to practice their arm strength and their pulls as to help them when drawing their cards. So all the kids took turns approaching and pulling the string as they had relatively weak pulls based on their scores. And so it went as both students and tutors were hard at work training, even Rarity was willing to get dirty and sweat, mostly cause it allowed her to get a nice, deep, hot bath after it as she looked forward to it that she was willing to work out. Everybody was at different stations as they were all working out, Isaac in the meantime was in the middle of the room on the small area as he plugged in his duel disk into the small cord as he was currently facing against an A.I. on the highest setting as he was making sure his dueling skills were sharp.

"I now play my Arcana Triumph Joker." said Isaac as he summoned his powerful monster as it appeared in front of him. "Now to end this duel." informed the boy as he gave his monster her order as she did a downward slash as Isaac beat the A.I.

"Test simulation over. Success." stated the program as it gave Isaac a score of 100. He then prepared to reset set the simulations as he wanted to take on two A.I. at once.

"Look at Mr. High and Mighty over there." said Jason as he was lifting a dumbbell with his right arm.

"I get Professor Isaac wants us to train and get better, but this is going to kill me before the week is over." said Bryant.

"Don't tell me you boys are chickening out?" asked Twilight as she was nearby on a treadmill doing some laps.

"Isaac may be tough on you, but he cares." smiled Fluttershy as she wiped her forehead with a towel as she finished doing some splits.

"Yeah, by yelling at us." said Jason as he looked at their headmaster. "He thinks this is suppose to get us to become better duelists, this is suppose to get us to believe in the stupid nonsense of the 'Heart of the Cards'."

"And how is this suppose to help us create this 'bond' you mentioned, Fluttershy?" asked Bryant.

"Trust Isaac." smiled Fluttershy.

"Bryant, Jason!!" shouted Isaac as he finished beat the two A.I. in one move as he received another perfect 100. "Get over here." informed the boy.

The two boys then looked at each other in shock as they ceased what they were doing. Isaac also called over Twilight and Fluttershy as they too were shocked. Both pets also wanted to see what would happen as Spike kept his vow to not talk with the students present. Soon all four of them approached Isaac as he was still on the small dueling field as he had his eyes closed. He then opened them as he looked at the pair of boys with a straight look on his face.

"You guys are weak." said Isaac bluntly.

"Oh, no we're not!" said Jason as he felt offended by that comment made by Isaac.

"Well, I'm moving on." said Isaac.

"What do you mean, there's more to this training exercises?" asked Bryant.

"One on one battles." informed the boy.

"Huh, so you're gonna battle us." said Jason as he and Bryant were a bit excited for that idea.

"Okay, you first." said Isaac in deadpanned tone as he pointed at Bryant.

"Wait, what?!" shouted Jason. "No fair, you got problem with battling with me first."

Isaac just ignored Jason's remark as he still had that deadpanned look on his face as he looked at Bryant. Soon the boy joined Isaac on the small field as Fluttershy, Twilight, and Jason were watching from the sides; the other students and tutors were still doing their exercises as they didn't pay attention to what was happening. Isaac now raised his duel disk up as it projected a gold card tray, Bryant then did the same as he had a burgundy card tray, but for a second his arm hurt as he hadn't fully recovered from lifting weights.

My arms are still tired from earlier. Bryant now flexed his hand a bit as he opened it and closed it.

"This is your chance." said Isaac as he still had that deadpan look and tone in his voice.

"Huh?" said Bryant.

"This is your chance to prove to me that you're someone that's worth battling. I'll take the first move. Can you keep up?" asked Isaac.

"Of course, I'm going to be able to keep up." responded Bryant with a determined look.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Bryant's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll draw." said Isaac as he made little effort in picking up his card. "I summon Marshmallon(300/500) in attack mode." A white blob now appeared on Isaac's side of the field as it had a face.

"Why is Isaac doing that?" asked Twilight. "That monster is better served for defense, sure it can't be destroyed, but he'll still take damage if its in attack mode."

"I'll just lay a facedown." said Isaac still in his deadpanned tone.

Turn 2: Bryant

"My draw, and I'll summon my Performapal Friendonkey(1600/600). And when he's summoned, he can bring along another friend to join him, so I choose my Performapal Bot-Eyes Lizard(1600/1200)." Bryant now had two monsters on his field.

"Not bad, but this is only the beginning." said Isaac with a grin.

"You got that right, especially when I activate my Bot-Eyes Lizard's special ability. When he's summoned, I can declare 1 'Odd-Eyes' monster in my deck and my Lizard becomes that name." Bryant's lizard then had the mirage image of Odd-Eyes Dragon appeared as his lizard changed into the monster.

"You're aiming to deal me damage with two attack. Have it your way then." said Isaac as he wasn't interested in Bryant's move.

"No, I'm doing one better. Cause now I play Polymerization." said Bryant as he held the card up as both of his monsters now disappeared into a vortex of orange and purple lights. "I Fusion Summon, Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw(3000/2000)!" Out emerged a brand new card that Isaac had given the boy as it was a monster that had metal claws and were long as it let out a roar.

"Incredible." said the girls and Jason. They were surprised that Bryant had decided to use his two monsters as key components to summon a brand new more powerful creature. "Now since I used Polymerization to fusion summon my monster, it's unaffected by other cards' effects. Now Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw, attack his Marshmallon, by the way when my monster declares an attack, it gets an 300 points power boost." stated Bryant.

"Nicely done, I like the way this is going." said Isaac with a sort of evil smirk. His Marshmallon was then struck by the attack as he didn't bother covering up as he took the attack head on. While was took the attack he looked at Bryant as for a second it looked like the boy had the spirit of his monster appear behind him as it legit got him to widen his eyes.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Yeah!" shouted Bryant as he managed to deal damage to Isaac.

"He did it." shouted Jason.

"What do you know? He was able to take Isaac head on and deal him almost 3/4 of his life points." said Fluttershy as she too was impressed by the boy's move.

"He actually dealt some legit damage to Isaac." said Twilight.

"You have proven yourself." said Isaac as he returned back to the deadpan look and tone in his voice.

I'll do another attack like that my next turn. Right now, best to play it safe. "I place..."

"Hold on, I reveal my facedown, Dark Horizon. Now thanks to you dealing me damage, I can bring out a spellcaster whose attack points are less than the damage I took. So... rise up Dark Magician." said Isaac as he now had his star monster appear on the field.

"I'll just place one card facedown and end my turn." said Bryant.

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll start by playing my spell card, Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician 700 more attack points. Now it's stronger than your Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw. Next, I'll also equip him with this, Relic of Demise. Now to attack your monster." said Isaac as his magician then pointed its staff at Bryant's monster as it fired a spell at his creature.

"My monster's not going anywhere, thanks to my trap card, Half Unbreak. So now the damage I take is cut in half and my Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw is safe from destruction."

"Nice move, now Isaac's going to have to come up with a different plan to destroy Bryant's monster." said Bryant.

"That won't work." smiled Isaac. Soon Mahad pointed his wand at Bryant's trap as it disappeared and his monster was then destroyed as it let out a cry.
Bryant's Life Points: 3800-

"Hey, what happened to my trap and my monster?" asked the boy.

"My Relic of Demise allows my monster to negate and destroy one spell or trap card when it battles. So you Half Unbreak is gone and your monster perished. But that's not all it does, if my magician destroys a monster in battle after it takes out one of your spell or trap cards, it gets to attack again. Of course, I'll also activate my Dark Magic Expanded from my hand to give my monster an extra 1000 attack points." said Isaac. "So Dark Magician finish this duel, Dark Magic Attack." stated the boy as he didn't even bother putting his arm up. Mahad heard Isaac's command as he pointed his wand at Bryant and hit the boy square in the chest as he tumbled onto his back.
Bryant's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Unbelievable." said Jason as he was shocked that Isaac won.

"That's the power of a highly experienced duelist." said Twilight as she and Fluttershy were in awe at Isaac winning.

Isaac just looked at Bryant as the boy had his eyes widen. Isaac still had the deadpanned look on his face as he soon changed it into a smirk. Soon it was Jason's turn as he wanted to take on Isaac.

"All righty, it's time for me to go all out from the get go." said Jason as he was soon stopped in his tracks by Twilight.

"Hold on!" shouted the girl.

"Oh, what's up, Twilight?" asked Jason as he looked at his tutor.

"You saw Bryant's battle, didn't you? If you want to beat Isaac, you're gonna need a plan." said the girl.

"If you go in without thinking, you'll be begging Isaac to put you down like it's nothing." said Fluttershy.

"Well, then I'll just attack him and drop his points to zero before that happens. Trust me, my cards are powerful and they don't need any stupid belief." said Jason as he got on the dueling stand as he took position across from Isaac as he projected a white color tray.

"Take him down, Jason. You got this!" shouted Bryant.

"Good luck." said Fluttershy as she too was showing her support for the boy.

"Oh, yeah. He's going down faster than he can expect. Time for revenge." said Jason.

"There's no point in battling against you." said Isaac to Jason's face. "And I'm gonna demonstrate why."

"What do you mean by that?!" shouted Jason as he felt a bit disrespected by Isaac's comment.

"You don't believe in it, do you?" said Isaac.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jason's Life Points: 4000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Jason

"My draw, and I'll start by playing my spell card, The Melody of Awakening Dragon. So now I'll discard a card so that I can add up to 2 Dragon monsters with 3000 or more attack points and 2500 or less defense points to my hand from my deck." Jason then sent away his Sage with Eyes of Blue as he added a pair of his Blue-Eyes White Dragons to his hand. "Next, up, I'll play Polymerization so that I can fuse together the trio of Blue-Eyes in my hand to create Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon(4500/3800)." Jason's monster then appeared as it let out a meek roar as it looked at Isaac but he wasn't even intimidated by the huge creature in front of him.

"Now I play my Mischief of the Time Goddess. With this spell, I can now skip my turn to go into my next turn's Battle Phase." said Jason.

"Can he do that?" asked Fluttershy and Bryant as they hadn't heard of that.

"Yup, that card is legit." said Twilight.

"Hmm." Isaac just had a blank stare on his face as he watched Jason about to make his move.

Turn 2: Jason

"So now that we're at the battle phase, it means I can attack you before you take a turn." informed Jason. "So now, Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon attack Isaac directly and end this duel." The boy's dragon then opened its multiple mouths as it looked to end Isaac.

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand to make all battle damage equal to zero." Isaac then sent his tiny monster to the graveyard as it appeared before him as it took the attack head on with ease as barely anything got past him.

"You're kidding me!!" shouted Jason as he was surprised that Isaac had managed to survive. "You're starting to annoy me. I'll just summon my Maiden with Eyes of Blue."

"Then in response, I can activate this card." said Isaac.

"What? It's not your turn, how can you play something?" asked Jason.

"Simply, because you summoned a monster, I can now activate the effect of my Intervention of Fate spell card from my hand. So I discard which in turns allows me to activate 1 Normal spell card from my hand. So I'll pick this one, Ace of Sword." Soon a sword appeared in front of Isaac as it was stuck into the ground, it then rose up as it hung in the middle of the dueling field as it waited.

"What is this?" asked Jason.

"Something you fail to believe in." said Isaac. "Now my Ace of Sword kicks into gear, so I select a monster and I choose your Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon. Then I flip a coin and then depending on what side it lands on determines which effect it activates. Should it land heads, you take damage equal to a monster's attack points on the field, but land on tails, then I take the damage." said Isaac.

"So then..." started off Jason.

Isaac then flipped the coin high into the air as it was hurling through. Everybody watched the coin as it stayed in the air for a bit, Isaac just had his eyes closed. Soon it started to come down really fast as Isaac caught it in his hand as he still had his eyes closed. He then opened it as he looked at Jason with his hand still closed around the coin.

"So... what is it?" asked Jason.

Isaac didn't bother saying as he just tossed the coin over to the boy so that he could see the result.

"It's..."

Ace of Sword then hurled through the air as it pierced Blue-Eyes Ultimate Dragon who let out a cry as it resulted in an explosion as it was sent heading towards Jason who fell onto his back as he felt the effect.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Wait, what the..." said Bryant.

"Did that just really happen?!" asked Fluttershy as she was shocked and had her mouth opened at the result.

"But, but why..." said Jason as he was on his knees looking at his hands as he couldn't believe what occurred.

"So it is possible." said Twilight.

"What's possible?" asked Jason as he looked at his tutor.

"It's rare, but Isaac was able to win the duel before taking even taking a turn. It's something only legends and pros ever talked about or mention, and even fewer have had a chance to see it." informed Twilight. "Isaac just pulled off something legendary."

"Wait, something like that is possible?" said Jason as he was in disbelief at what he was hearing.

Isaac then started to leave as he stepped off the dueling field as he looked to leave the training room.

Gotta hand it to you. You knew all along he was gonna come at you with full strength, so you had the perfect counter waiting. Twilight was impressed by how her boyfriend was able to execute such a timely and precision based move to win the duel.

"One more time!!" yelled out Jason as he watched Isaac walking away. His response got both girls and Bryant to be shocked. "I can do better, let's go again! Please just battle me one more time. I won't ask you for anything else, come on Isaac. Please!" said the boy as all the pressure and ass whupping that Isaac had given him was enough to make him drop to his knees as he broke down in tears.

Isaac just put his hands in his pockets as he was still walking away. He was about to leave the room when he was called out by someone.

"I'm asking you too!" shouted Twilight. Her response worked as Isaac stopped in his tracks and turned to look at his friend. "Please take Jason on again. What's one more duel?" said Twilight as she was standing up for her student. "Facing off against you will definitely push him to get stronger, isn't that what you want from him, from the others!!" shouted Twilight. "Even just one more match will be enough."

"Twilight that's..." started Fluttershy as she looked at her friend.

Isaac looked at his girlfriend as he could see that she was being serious. The look on her face, it was the same one that she had when they both interacted in the tournament and how they gave each other a serious expression. Isaac with the sternness in his face looked over at Jason as he could see the tears coming out of the boy's eyes from all the pain that he was going through.

"Just once, okay." stated the boy with a straight tone.

Twilight was happy that her boyfriend was willing to give her student another chance as she couldn't help but rush over to him as she wrapped her arms around his neck as Isaac just stood there.

"Thank you, Isaac. I owe you one, I knew I could always count on you in moments like this." said Twilight as she smiled at her boyfriend.

Isaac just waved off Twilight's arms as he made his way back to the stage as he activated his duel disk.

"All right, I've got another chance." said Jason as he was excited. "This time, I'm gonna take him down for sure." Soon, he was tapped on the shoulder by Twilight as whispered into her student's ear. "Huh?! What do you mean, don't attack?"

"Isaac's gonna expect you to attack, so you'll have to hold back. Don't worry, you'll get your shot. Just wait for the opportunity to attack. It's the only way." said Twilight.

"No way! I'm gonna dive in and attack with everything I've got. I don't need some stupid belief about cards." said Jason.

"You really don't get this." said Twilight as she couldn't believe her own student wasn't listening to the advice she was giving him. "At your current level, you don't have the strength to take Isaac head on. You get up all in his grill, he's gonna ricochet it back to you. Try giving it a shot just this once and maybe you'll learn something."

"Look, Jason. You want to beat Isaac, right. Just listen to Twilight." said Bryant.

With that both boys were now back on the dueling field as they prepared to duel. Soon Jason, the girls and Bryant noticed Isaac tinkering with his duel disk as he changed some settings for himself.

"For this duel, I'll start off with 4000 life points and you can start with 8000. Furthermore, I'll start with three cards in my hand and I won't draw till my second turn." said Isaac.

"What?" said Jason as he was surprised. "Don't mess with me!!" shouted the boy.

"Mess with you. If I don't do this, the duel will end instantly." said Isaac in a blunt tone. His response definitely got to Jason's head as he felt like Isaac was showing him disrespect.

"Don't let him get in your head." stated Twilight. "Remember what we talked about. Just stick with the plan, now you got that."

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jason's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start, I'll place one monster facedown in defense mode, and then place two cards facedown." said Isaac.

Turn 2: Jason

Hold back at first and don't attack. Just be patient and don't attack. Be patient. Jason kept repeating that thought to himself as he had his hand on his deck.

Are you really fine with that? spoke a voice.

Oh, who said that? Jason was now looking around as he thought he heard something. Soon he felt the whole room being surrounded by black as he was in some space as he floated about. Soon there was a white light that pierced through the darkness as it spoke. Wait, hold on. What is this?

Are you truly going into this battle without attacking from the beginning? said the voice.

Twilight told me not to.

But are you fine with that?

No! stated Jason. I want to go full force like I always do, my cards are powerful and I want to show off that power like I always do.

Well then, it's settled. said the light as it started to push away the darkness.

Wait, tell who are you? asked Jason as he wanted to know who he was talking to.

You already know the answer to that. stated the light as it soon covered everything. Jason was now back to where he first started as he had his eyes closed and his hand on top of his deck.

"All right, let's show 'em how we do this!" shouted Jason. "I draw!"

"That's it, just be patient." said Twilight to herself as she watched Jason following her plan.

"Now I play, Polymerization so that I can combine my two Blue-Eyes to create Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon(3000/2500)!" Out emerged a dragon as it had two heads as it let out a roar.

"Come along now." said Isaac as he expected Jason to attack.

"Now Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon show him your might!" called out Jason.

"No way. He's attacking?!" said Twilight in disbelief.

"Let's go, Blue-Eyes. Ramp up to full power!" shouted the boy as his monster had one of its mouth open up and take out Isaac's monster.

"The monster you attacked was my Apprentice Magician, and when it's destroyed, I can replace it with another one." said Isaac as he summoned another Apprentice Magician in defense mode.

"Good thing my dragon has a cool ability, it can attack twice in a single battle. So time to take shot #2!" shouted Jason as his dragon's other head opened its mouth and took out Isaac's second copy.

"You're attacking again, eh? Well, that won't do you much good." said Isaac in a blunt and deadpanned tone as he was unimpressed. He then summoned the third copy of his monster in defense mode as Jason's monster had used up all of its attacks.

"I told him this would happen." said Twilight.

"At this rate, Isaac will the duel." said Bryant.

"We've gotta go head on. Just keep on attacking." shouted Jason.

"You're out of attacks." said Isaac.

"My Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon may be, but I didn't say he would be the one attacking. Cause from my hand, I play De-Fusion. So now I can split my monster back into its fusion materials so rise up my two Blue-Eyes White Dragons!" shouted Jason as he now had a pair of dragons on his field.

"Still nothing, let's finish this." said Isaac to himself.

"Now Blue-Eyes attack his monster once again." said Jason as his dragon took out Isaac's remaining magician. "Now to attack you directly, Blue Eyes!"

"Not gonna work, I reveal my facedown, Spellbinding Circle. So now your dragon loses 700 attack points and can't attack." stated Isaac.

"I expected that." smiled Jason. The girls, Bryant and even Isaac let out a gasp by what Jason said. "From my hand I activate my Twin Twisters, so I'll discard the last card in my hand and in return, I can take out 2 spells or trap cards on the field. So I'll get rid of your Spellbinding Circle as well as your other facedown." stated Jason as not only did he get rid of Isaac's Spellbinding Circle, but also his Mirror Force.

"No, my Mirror Force." said Isaac. Soon he took the attack from Jason's Blue-Eyes as it pushed him back a few feet as he felt the attack connect. As the attack was stilling going, Isaac put his arm up to protect him when he saw Jason as his eyes glowed with a more passion than usual and there was the same white light that was talking to him from earlier. Isaac's own eyes then responded with the same light as he knew what it meant. The attack died down as Isaac's counter dropped.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Alright, that was my best move yet!" cheered Jason as he ended his turn with excitement.

Turn 3: Isaac

"End this, Mahad." said Isaac as he had his head down, he then drew his card as it was covered in a bright white light.

"Wait, Isaac. Are you..." said Twilight as she could feel what her boyfriend was doing as his soul was covered in rainbow coloring as well as the demon inside of him was merging with him.

The light coming from Isaac's card got brighter and brighter as it caused the two girls, and the two boys to covered their eyes to avoid being blind. Isaac just kept his eyes open as soon the white light enveloped the field. Soon it died down and there was nothing left, but Isaac's Dark Magician and from where Jason's two dragons were, there was nothing but smoke and ashes. The girls and Bryant looked at Jason as he was on his back as he slowly sat up and was shocked by what his duel disk read.
Jason's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Isaac, you..." said Twilight.

Isaac just fixed his cap as he started to get off the dueling field as he started to exit the room.

"Unbelievable. He really stayed true to his own style of battling." said Fluttershy.

"Oh, man. I lost!!!" shouted Jason. He then looked at Twilight as she had her arms crossed. "Wait, I can explain Ms. Twilight. I was gonna do like we planned and not attack at first, but then out of nowhere I heard a voice."

"A voice?" said Bryant.

"Yeah, and it was totally awesome. And then...." Jason then began to explain as Fluttershy and Twilight looked at each other for a bit.

"So, then Jason..." started Twilight.

"Yup." smiled Fluttershy.

"... and then it asked me: Are you fine with this? Do you really want to go in without attacking?" said Jason as he was still telling his story as the girls just smile. But for Bryant, he still had his eyes widen at the idea of Jason hearing a voice.

Isaac was now back in his room as he picked up some photos as he looked at them.

"Hey, you okay?" asked Twilight as she was walking in the direction of her boyfriend.

"Depends on what you mean: Okay with what?" said Isaac as he put the photos back into the drawers as he locked it as he didn't want Twilight to see them.

"That battle with Jason. And that white light that appeared when you drew your card. What was it?" asked Twilight. "Something seemed kinda off."

"It's nothing." said Isaac. "What I played doesn't matter?" Isaac then began to walk past his girlfriend as he placed his hand on her shoulder for a bit as he looked at her. "You're a good teacher, Twilight. Jason's lucky to have you, now he just has to follow your instructions if he ever hopes to be a good duelist." Isaac then walked out of the room as he descended down the corridor.

Bryant was still in the training area as all the other students and girls had left. He was looking at his deck as he thought back to what Jason had said about him hearing a voice. "Can something like that really happen?" said the boy as he looked at his cards. "If so, I can too."

Bryant was now closing his eyes as he tried to connect with his cards, but it wasn't working. "Come on out!" shouted the boy as he yelled at his cards and his monsters. But nothing responded. "Come on out! Guys! Come on!" yelled Bryant. "Let's try again."

"You're way too tense." said Isaac as he appeared before the boy.

"You want to know if I've ever met my magicians?" said Isaac as he repeated Bryant's question. He was leaning against the wall as Bryant was sitting in a chair facing him.

"Jason said he heard a voice calling out to him. That it appeared before him. I wonder if that kind of thing is even possible."

Isaac just had a soft smile on his face, "What he meant was he felt his cards were right by his side."

"Huh?" said Bryant.

"That's the kind of bond you have with your deck, with your cards, with your monsters." said Isaac.

"Did you say 'bond'?" Bryant was now remembered what Fluttershy had told him about this so called 'bond' when they were preparing for the Fall Formal and the tournament. It had been the primary lesson she'd been trying to get him to understand.

"That's right. When we forge a bond, a true bond between us and our cards, we have the potential to be the strongest we can be."

"Forge a bond with our cards?" said Bryant. He then looked at his deck in his hand, "Can I make that happen too?"

"Well, do you like dueling?" asked Isaac.

"Huh, oh yeah, I do."

"Then you've got nothing to worry about." smiled Isaac with as Bryant looked at his professor and he too chuckled a bit. "Now let's have a battle." offered Isaac.

"Go on, Performapal Sleight Hand Magician!" shouted Bryant as he commanded his monster to attack.

"There you go. Give me a lot more of that." said Isaac as Mahad was on his field and he clashed with the boy's monster as they were battling.

I can do this too. Bryant was now determined to make his bond with his deck a reality.

Chapter 167: Power Plays

It was another day at the training facility as everybody was doing their best to keep their skills sharp. The kids awoken to the sound of Pinkie blaring a flugelhorn as it sounded terrible. Soon they all stood outside of their rooms as the girl was still going.

"Shadow, how do you manage when Pinkie is your tutor?" asked Penny as she had her hair all messy from sleeping.

"I don't. I'm barely surviving." said Shadow as he pulled his pillow over his ears as he tried to drown the noise from the pink-haired girl as he was slowly losing his insanity.

"Hope everybody is up, big bro usually is the one to do this. But I told him, that I would do it if for him. Nothing like getting all of you here and present." smiled Pinkie. "Especially you, Shadow. I couldn't ask for a better student." stated the party girl as she just started to rub the boy's hair with a smile on her face.

"If only I felt that way with you being my tutor." muttered the boy under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Pinkie.

"Nothing. And stop touching my hair." said Shadow as he swatted away Pinkie's hand.

"Now then, everyone follow me." said Pinkie as she bounced up and down as the students all groaned as they quickly changed and then followed the girl.

Pinkie lead them to the training room as Rainbow, Applejack, and Fluttershy were already at work. Well moreso Aj and Dash as they were having a little competition on who could do more pushups as Fluttershy just cheered her friends on.

"I can do more than you, AJ." said Rainbow as she was sweating.

"Like hell." responded the country girl as she too was showing any signs if defeat.

"Maybe both of you could call it a tie." suggested Fluttershy.

"Never!!" shouted both girls. Soon both felt their arm strength starting to show as they struggled to push themselves off the ground. They mustered out the last bit of strength as both pushed up and then immediately fell face first with their limbs spread out.

"I... beat... you..." said Rainbow as she was breathing heavily.

"Kiss... my... flank..." responded Applejack as she too was out of air.

"You both good?" asked Fluttershy as she went to fetch her friends some water.

"Man, do they love to compete." stated Amber.

"Indeed." said Isaac as he jumped down from a stack of blocks as he was practicing his box jumps as the students watched their headmaster as he was jumping from the floor and landing on two boxes that were stacked on top of each other. "Hope you're all rested, cause you're all starting off with some laps."

"More running?" groaned Lucky Star.

"Boys first, meanwhile the girls will be doing some squats and jumping jacks. Then after 5 minutes, you'll alternate. By then both AJ and Dash should have at least recovered some energy." said Isaac he then sent the students off to do their things as the boys all climbed the stairs leading to the track above as the girls all began to get in position for their exercises. Isaac watched when the doors opened up and in came Rarity, Twilight and Sunset.

"So, who won?" asked Sunset as she was AJ and Dash behind Isaac lying on the ground still trying to recover.

"Why don't you ask them yourself?" chuckled Isaac. He then told the three girls what the students were doing as he appointed them to supervise and do the exercises with the kids. Meanwhile, he was going to go practice his arm strength. Isaac approached a huge stack of cards as they were piled on top of each other. He then placed his left arm behind his back as he used his right arm and began to draw the cards from the stack as he eventually picked up speed with each new draw.

So it went as for the next 2 hours, everybody was getting their daily dose of exercise in. The girls made sure to supervise the kids as they also took part in the training regiment. After a while, Isaac called it as he allowed everybody to take a break. With that, he dismissed the kids as they all left to the café section to fill up. The girls all soon followed as Isaac stayed behind as he approached a punching bag and began to hit it a bit. The girls returned as they saw their male friend still going at it as he was sweating a bit before he landed on final punch and took one big breathe. Both Spike and Tigre had also entered the place as they awoke from their nap as they went off to the side to watch the humans go at it. It was then that the kids came back as Isaac gave them their next assignments. It was now time for one-on-on battles as Isaac started to assign partners for the kids and the girls. Once they were given their opponents, they all disbursed to different parts of the room as they began to train.

"You ready, Jack?" asked Sunset.

"Ready as I'll ever be 'hot-stuff'." said Jack.

"Sorry to break your heart, but I my eyes on one boy toy." stated Sunset with a smug smile as she quickly looked at Isaac who was doing some pushups.

Sunset then slid on her duel disk as she slotted in her deck. It then activated as it produced a red card tray light. Jack then did the same as he slid in his deck into his duel disk as it projected a purple card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jack's Life Points: 4000-

Sunset's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll start things off," said Sunset as she drew her card, "I'll take things slow and play my Black Stone of Legend(0/0). And now I'll activate its effect, so I tribute it so that I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, and I'll choose my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact(1800/2000)." Sunset now had her stone start to crack as some light was escaping it and soon it hatched as out came a brand new dragon let out a growl.

"I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Jack

"Then it's my turn." said Jack as he picked up his card and looked at his current hand as he saw some of the new cards that Isaac had given him. "I'll start by summoning my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400). And when I use Switchitter for an Xyz summon, it counts as 2 monsters." Jack's monster then had a mirage image of itself appear next to its original self. "Now I overlay both of my two monsters to build the Overlay Network." Jack's monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they levitated into the air as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon they disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU:2)!" Jack now had one of his staple monsters of his deck as it appeared with chains wrapped around its neck and fists as it carried the heavy pieces of wood and metal.

"Now time to attack, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack her monster." shouted Jack as his monster used its chains to take out Sunset's dragon.
Sunset's Life Points: 3600-

"Not bad, kid." said Sunset as she straighten her leather jacket.

"Next, I'll throwdown a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Sunset

"My draw, and I'll now play my spell card, Cards of the Red Stone. So I'll send my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon from my hand and one from my deck so that I can draw 2 cards." Sunset then sent the card in her hand to the graveyard and used her duel disk screen as she sent off the one in her deck as she picked up some more cards. "Now I play the spell card, Red-Eyes Fusion. Now I can fuse monsters from my deck, so I'll combine my Red-Eyes Black Dragon with my Dark Blade!" Sunset's two monsters then appeared in spirit form as a vortex appeared behind her as they were sucked into the vortex in a color of orange and purple. "I Fusion Summon, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon(2800/2400)!" Sunset now was showing off a new monster as it appeared. Out came a dragon as it was covered in metal plating, as on its front claws there was blades attack to the side of its claws as well as its wings were super sharp.

"Now to attack, cause now I'll have my Red-Eyes Slash Dragon target your monster. And now my monster's effect activates, since a 'Red-Eyes' monster declares an attack, I can now equip 1 Warrior monster from my graveyard and place it on my Red-Eyes Slash Dragon and it gains 200 extra attack points, making it now have 3000 attack points." informed Sunset as her dragon powered up as it swooped over and used the blades on the side of its claws and charged at Lead Yoke.

"My monster's going to be tough to take down, cause I'll activate my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can not only save my monster from being taken out but it gains 800 more attack points." informed Jack as his monster broke one of its chains as it raised its fists to meet with Sunset's dragon.

"Maybe, but you still take damage." stated Sunset.
Jack's Life Points: 3200-

"Fine, cause now my Lead Yoke has 3000 attack points, which means both of our monsters are no even."

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend in my graveyard, so I'll add it back to my hand and then shuffle back my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck." stated the bacon-haired girl as her duel disk slotted out her two cards as she added one to her hand and placed her dragon on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Jack

"My turn, and since I control a 'Battlin' Boxer', I can special summon my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer(1200/1400). And now I'll have my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke attack Sunset's dragon." shouted Jack as his monster then raised its fist to punch Sunset's monster. "Both our monsters, have the same attack points, but I'll remove the last overlay unit of my Lead Yoke so that not only does it survive the encounter but it gains 800 more attack points."

"Well, your monster's not the only one who has a special ability, since my Red-Eyes Slash Dragon was destroyed, it can summon any monsters that it had attached to it, so now my Dark Blade is back in play." stated Sunset as her warrior appeared in attack mode.

"Doesn't matter, cause I got this card, Rush Recklessly. So I'll give my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer an extra 700 attack points so now it's stronger than your monster. So take her other monster out!" shouted Jack as his monster raised its punch and took out Sunset's creature.
Sunset's Life Points: 3500-

"With that, I'll then end my turn." said Jack as his Sparrer returned back to its original attack points.

Turn 5: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll play my Dark Dragon Ritual so I'll send my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight to the graveyard so that I can ritual summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)." Sunset's new monster then appeared as it was dark black dragon as both it and its rider were covered in black armor as the person on its back wielded a lance. "Now Paladin attack his Battlin' Boxer Sparrer!" shouted Sunset as her monster raised its lance and took out its target.
Jack's Life Points: 2500-

"Then I'll activate the effect of my Paladin of Dark Dragon, so I'll tribute him so that I can special summon one 'Red-Eyes' from my hand or deck, so now I'll bring out my Red-Eyes B. Dragon." said Sunset as her smaller monster was now shining in a light as out from the light came Sunset's ace monster. "But it doesn't stop there, cause now I play my Black Stone of Legend and then I'll activate it's effect so that I can tribute it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000)!" Sunset's small stone then cracked as soon another dragon came out as it let out roar.

"Two dragons?!" said Jack as he was fearfully of what the girl was about to do.

"I now overlay both of my dragons to build the Overlay Network!" Sunset's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon the orbs were then sucked into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon(2800/2400, OLU: 2)!" Sunset's new monster then let out a roar as it caused the boy to drop on his bottom as seeing Sunset's dragon. Sunset just smiled as her dragon then bent down as it curled its body around the girl as he lowered his head near its mistress as she stroke his face as she gave it a kiss.

"Still jealous of Isaac putting his hands on me?" said Sunset as all of her monsters were protective of their mistress. To Sunset, her dragons recognized Sunset's scent as she had a bit of fire as it reminded them of their lava homes, but they also smelled Isaac's pheromones due to their hands-on sessions.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Jack

"My turn, and I'll start off with the spell card, Xyz Treasure. So now I can draw a card for each Xyz monster on the field, so since there's two, I'm allowed to draw two cards." said Jack.

"Yeah, well that won't come without a price, cause thanks to my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon, since it has Xyz materials, you lose 500 life points each time you activate a card or effect." said Sunset as her dragon shot a fireball at Jack.
Jack's Life Points: 2000-

"Then I better get the cards, I need." said Jack to himself as he drew his cards. "Nice, I now play Battlin' Boxer Spirits, so I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard so that I can bring back my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter."
Jack's Life Points: 1500-

But it doesn't stop there. Cause like I mentioned before, Switchitter counts as 2 monsters. So now I overlay my two Battlin' Boxer Switchitter to build the Overlay Network!" Jack's monster then transformed into two separate orbs as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon they disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser(2300/1600, OLU: 2)!" Jack now had managed to summon one of the new cards that Isaac had given him as it reigned over the battlefield next to its comrade as clamped its fists together to make a sound.

"Hmm." said Isaac as he watched Jack summon one of the new cards he gave him.

"Nice. Huh?" Jack's duel disk then sent him a message as it was relaying some info for the boy to read. "Cool. Let me show you my new monster's special ability, once per turn, I can attach a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my hand or graveyard as Xyz material to my Nova Kaiser. And for every Xyz material that my monster has equipped, it gains an additional 100 extra attack points. So I'll take my Battlin Boxer Sparrer and transform it to an overlay unit, then my Nova Kaiser has 3 units giving it 300 more points for a grand total of 2600 attack points."

"Either way, it comes at a cost." said Sunset as her dragon's ability burned another 500 life points.
Jack's Life Points: 1000-

"Don't worry, cause I'm about to take your dragon out. Now Battlin Boxer Lead Yoke attack her Red-Eyes Metal Flare Dragon!" shouted Jack. His monster then raised its fists as it looked to take out Sunset's monster.

"I'll activate my dragon's effect, so by using one overlay unit, I can bring back one 'Red-Eyes' normal monster in my graveyard." Sunset then grabbed her Red-Eyes B. Dragon as she slid it to the graveyard to activate her monster's ability, then it it ejected it right back as she placed it on her field in defense mode as her monster was destroyed.
Sunset's Life Points: 2500-

"Then time for Nova Kaiser to attack your Red-Eyes!" declared Jack as his new monster then took out Sunset's dragon.

"Now I'll activate my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit which allows me to revive a 'Red-Eyes' monster."

"Well, I'll activate my facedown, Xyz Block!" shouted Jack as he played another new card given to him. "Thanks to this baby, all I have to do is remove an Xyz material from my monster and I can negate the effect of your card." Jack then did just that as he removed an overlay unit from Nova Kaiser as he rendered Sunset's card useless.

"Damn." muttered Sunset to herself.

"With that, I'll lay one facedown and end my turn." said the boy. "Man, do I love these new cards from Isaac."

Turn 7: Sunset

"My turn, now I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend in my graveyard, so I'll return it to my hand and then shuffled back my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon back into my deck." Sunset's duel disk ejected her cards as she placed one in her hand and the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Then, I'll play my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in defense mode and then place one more card facedown."

Turn 8: Jack

"My turn, and like before, my new monster can take a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my graveyard and become an Xyz material." Once more Jack took his Battlin' Boxer Sparrer as he transformed it into another overlay unit for his monster as it was back up to 2600 attack points. "Now I'll have my Lead Yoke take out your baby dragon." Lead Yoke then took out Sunset's tiny monster with ease.

"Now baby dragon do your thing, whenever it's destroyed, I can replace him with one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck and then I can equip my baby dragon to give that new monster 300 extra attack points. So welcome to the game, Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000)!" shouted Sunset as her new monster appeared with her baby clinging to its neck.

"Fine by me, cause I'll still attack your new monster, especially when I banish my Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch to raise Nova Kaiser by 1000 attack points until the end phase." said Jack as he removed his card and the spirit of his monster gave its energy to its comrade as it allowed it to take out Sunset's dragon.
Sunset's Life Points: 1600-

"Now my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon's effect activates, since it was destroyed it battle, I'll now bring back my original Red-Eyes, but this time, it's got twice the attack points." said Sunset as brought her dragon back as it let out a loud roar.

"I'll then summon my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage(1100/1400) in defense mode. And then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Sunset

"Then it's my turn, and first up, I'll play my Black Stone of Legend then tribute it so that I can bring out another Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon." Sunset now had two dragons on her field. "So go, Red-Eyes attack his Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke! Inferno Fire Blast!" shouted the girl as her dragon took out Jack's monster.

"Now I activate my Defense Draw so now I take no battle damage and draw one card." said Jack.

"With that, I'll call it a turn." said Sunset.

Turn 10: Jack

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared(1000/1800). And when I summon him, I can send a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my deck to the graveyard. And don't forget about my Nova Kaiser, so I'll take my Lead Yoke and transform it into an overlay unit so now my Nova Kaiser has 2700 attack points. Then I'll play another Ring Announcer to summon my Battlin' Boxer Veil(0/1800). I now overlay my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage, Veil, and Headgeared to build the Overlay Network once more!" Jack's three monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up for the boy. Soon they all disappeared as they entered and a pillar of light emerged. "Oh yeah, I Xyz Summon, Number 105: Battlin Boxer Star Cestus(2500/1600, OLU: 3)!" Jack now had another brand new monster as it appeared and made a small crater. "Now this is what I needed, all of these new cards. Now to finish this duel, Star Cestus attack Sunset's Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

"What?!" said Sunset as she was shocked that the boy was choosing to attack her dragon as it had 4800 attack points.

"Now I activate my Star Cestus, special ability, by using one overlay unit, not only is my monster not destroyed, but any damage I would have taken from that attack, you take instead." informed Jack.

"Shit." muttered Sunset as her dragon fired a fireball at Star Cestus who used his arms to block it as it was now heading towards Sunset who put her arm up as she dropped to one knee.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Jack

"Yes, yes!!" shouted Jack. "I knew it, these cards would make a difference. Oh, I'm so glad to have them. Now I can finally put up a fight, hell I can take on anyone. And it's all thanks to these new additions to my deck." Jack now pulled out his deck as he was admiring the new cards that Isaac had given to him as he couldn't stop praising them.

"You okay, Sunset?" asked Isaac as he was by his friend's side checking on her.

"That barely did a scratch." snickered the bacon-haired girl. "But, I don't mind you carrying me, boy toy."

"So, he won?" said Isaac as he looked at Jack. "Is that what you believe in?" muttered the boy, "Sunset, go trade places with Rainbow and tell her to come here."

"Why?" asked the girl.

"Just do it." said Isaac as he still looked at Jack as he was too busy looking at the cards he had given the boy. Sunset then went to fetch Dash as Isaac was now walking towards the boy.

"I love these cards."

"You do, huh?" said Isaac as he made his presence.

"Hey, Isaac. Thanks for these bad babies, now I can stand a chance. Before don't even think about, but now I'm unstoppable." said Jack.

"Is that so? Then how about taking me on?" stated Isaac.

"What?" said Jack as he now stopped looking at his cards and looked at his head professor.

"You and me, one on one." said Isaac in a competitive tone as he quickly slotted in his deck into his duel disk as it projected a gold card tray.

"Uh, sure. I think I stand a chance of beating you." said Jack as he put his deck back in as the autoshuffler kicked in and his duel disk projected a purple card tray.

"What does Isaac want me to be here for?" asked Rainbow to herself as she arrived just in time to see her friend and her mentee about to throwdown.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Jack's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Jack

"I'll start off," said Jack as he drew his card, "I'll play my spell card, Ring Announcer which allows me to special summon a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my hand, so I choose to summon my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400). Then I summon my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared(1000/1800) in defense mode. And when I summon my Boxer Headgeared, I can send a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my deck to the graveyard, so I'll choose my Battlin' Boxer Rabbit Puncher." Jack's duel disk then ejected his chosen card as he sent it to the graveyard. "Now time to show my new monster once again, my Switchitter counts as 2 monsters when performing an Xyz summon. So now I'll overlay my monster." Jack's monster then transformed into two dark orbs as it hovered in the air for a bit. A portal then opened up as the orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser(2300/1600, OLU: 2)!" Jack now had the new monster appear as it had its materials circling around it. "As stated before, once per turn, I can attach a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my hand or graveyard and give it to my Nova Kaiser and then for every overlay unit it has, it gains 100 extra attack points. So with three, that means my monster has 2600 attack points."

"Impressive for summoning that monster out on your first turn. You're definitely improving." said Isaac.

"Damn right, these cards are really doing the job." said Jack.

"Well then..." said Isaac.

Turn 2: Isaac

"It's my turn, I draw. And I'll start by summoning my Magician Boy(1500/1200) in attack mode. And he's not alone, cause now since I control a Level 4 or lower monster I can special summon this, his best friend Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode." Isaac now had both of his kid magicians on his field as they appeared to serve their friend and master. "And when Mage Annette is summoned, I can draw an extra card."

"Here you go, Isaac." said Mage Annette as she opened her textbook and inside was a card as it floated over for him to grab.

"Thanks, Annette." stated the boy. "Now to attack, Magician Boy attack his Nova Kaiser!" shouted Isaac.

"What?!" said Rainbow as she was stunned by the move her friend made.

"Uh, Isaac?" asked Jack as he too was shocked.

Magician Boy then tried to lift his staff up as he used his tiny arm to aim it at the big fighter. He then pushed his hat that was covering his eyes up a bit as he launched his spell and the blast made his fall face first.

"Whenever my Magician Boy battles, he can't be destroyed in battle, and any damage done is throw to your life points instead of mine." said Isaac as the spell now hit Jack as he lost some points. "But it doesn't stop there, cause whenever my Magician Boy fails to destroy a monster, he can take out one of yours and then you take damage equal to its attack points. So your Battlin Boxer Headgeared is now gone." stated the boy as he took out Jack's other monster and lost even more life points.
Jack's Life Points: 1900-

"Something's wrong, why didn't Isaac target Jack's Nova Kaiser. If his Magician Boy allows him to destroy a monster and have its user take damage to its attack points, wouldn't it make sense to get rid of the big guy? That way, he only have 300 life points." stated Rainbow as she was observing. "It's almost like he intentionally didn't do that, almost like... he's... toying with Jack."

"You good, bud?" asked Isaac to his Magician Boy.

"Yeah, all good." said Isaac's small magician as he pulled his face from the ground in animated way. "Didn't feel anything."

"Hold still." stated Mage Annette in a stern tone as she was checking on her best friend.

"Annette, what are you doing?" asked the boy magician.

"I'm checking to make sure your dumb actions didn't get you hurt like always." said the girl as she began to place her hands on her best friend's forehead looking for any bumps.

"I told you, I feel fine." said the boy magician. "You're so headstrong, it's like you like me or something."

"I don't like you!" shouted Mage Annette as she had a bit of red on her face when she said that statement. "Besides, what would I ever see in you? You're childish, reckless, not to mention naïve." All the while Mage Annette turned her back to her friend all the while she was playing with her hair as she thought about all the traits that made up her best friend as her face was heating up even more.

Isaac was just watching the interaction between his kids magicians as he couldn't help but smile at how the pair acted. "Hey guys, don't want to break up this interaction, but we still need to win."

"Isaac's right, Annette. So let's do this." said the tiny boy as he was now pumped up.

"Fine, for Isaac." said Mage Annette. "Just try to be more careful."

"Now where were we, oh right, I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Jack

"My turn, and time I take control of this duel. And with the cards I got, there's no way that's not gonna happen." said Jack as he drew his card. "Now I'll detach an Xyz material so that I can special summon my Battlin' Boxer Shadow(1800/1400). But I'll then activate the effect of my Nova Kaiser so then I'll reattach that material I removed and give it back to my Nova Kaiser. Then I'll play the spell card, Battlin' Boxer Spirits, so now I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard so that I can bring back my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared." said Jack as he brought his monster back as he now had a trio of monsters on his field. "Now I'll overlay both my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared and Shadow to build the Overlay Network!" Jack's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon they disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 2!" Out emerged another powerful monster as Jack had a smile on his face while Isaac had a straight face.

"Now I'll play the spell card, Xyz Treasure. So now based on the number of Xyz monsters on the field, I can draw that many cards, so since there's currently two it means I draw two cards." stated Jack as he drew some more cards. "I now play the spell Overlay Flash. So by removing one Xyz material from my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke, I can negate the effects of your Magician Boy. And by removing an overlay unit, my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke gains 800 more attack points making it now have 3000 attack points. So go my fighter attack his Magician Boy!" shouted Jack.

"I reveal my facedown, Magicians' Defense!" said Isaac as his facedown flipped over. "Now the damage I take is cut in half."
Isaac's Life Points: 3250-

"Well, it won't matter, cause now I'll have my Nova Kaiser attack your Mage Annette." said Jack as he had his other monster take out Isaac's other tiny spellcaster. "I'll then summon my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer(1200/1400) in defense mode. And then place one card facedown."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll start by placing one card facedown. Then I summon my Imperial Bower(1500/1500). And now I activate his ability, since I control no other monsters, I can tribute it so that I can summon 2 'Royal Knights' to my field from my deck. So I choose to summon my King's Knight(1600/1400), and Jack's Knight(1900/1000) to the field in defense mode. And then from my hand, I summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) also in defense mode." Isaac now had his three royal knights as they all put their swords together as they swore an oath to fight in the name of their master.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Jack

"That's all? My monsters are gonna have no problem taking them out. Watch." said Jack as he drew his card. "Especially since I got these new cards, my victory is at hand. Now I summon another Battlin' Boxer Headgeared and like before when it's summoned, I can send another 'Battlin' Boxer' from my deck to the graveyard, so this time I choose my Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw. And when my Glassjaw is sent to the graveyard, I can add another 'Battlin' Boxer' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll take back my Battlin' Boxer Shadow back to my hand." said Jack as his duel disk then ejected his card for him to grab. "Now I can special summon my Shadow by detaching an Xyz material, so I'll do that from my Nova Kaiser so that I can summon my monster. But it won't be gone for long, cause then Nova Kaiser allows me to add that material I detached back to it so it's attack points are still 2600, however, I now have three Level 4 monsters which is what I need to construct the Overlay Network!" Jack's three monster now transformed into orbs of light as a portal opened in front of the boy. Soon they disappeared into it as a new monster was being called upon. "I Xyz Summon, Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus(2500/1600, OLU: 3)!" With that, Jack now had a total of three Xyz monsters on his field as he looked to clear out Isaac's entire field.

"Well, what do you think? I mean, I am liking my deck now." said Jack.

"Hmm." was all Isaac said as he still had a straight look on his face.

"Keep it up, Jack." said Rainbow as she too was lending her moral support for her student. "Just like I taught you, hit 'em hard and fast."

"Rainbow." said Isaac as he shook his head as he finally had his answer.

"Now time to attack, Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser take out his Queen's Knight, Lead Yoke attack his King's Knight, and then Star Cestus destroy his Jack's Knight!" commanded Jack as all three of his brawlers all raised their fists and took out Isaac's knights. "But don't think you're safe, cause I activate the spell card, Flaming Knockout. So now you take damage equal to the attack points of your Jack's Knight." said Jack as he dealt Isaac some damage as he merely blocked it with his duel disk.
Isaac's Life Points: 1350-

"How's that? My monsters pack quite the punch, literally." laughed Jack as Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle. Isaac had his arm over his face as they couldn't see his eyes, but then his mouth now had a sly grin.

"Well, then. I think that's enough as I'm almost about to win. So, I'll end..."

"Hold on!!!" shouted Isaac. "I activate my facedown, Magicians Navigation! So now I can summon my Dark Magician from my hand and then special summon one Level 7 or lower Dark spellcaster from my deck. So I'll also summon my Magician of Dark Illusion. But why stop at just one, cause since I activated a spell or trap card during your turn, I can special summon my second Magician of Dark Illusion(2100/2500) from my hand." Isaac now had more monsters on his field, just like that he was able to replace three monsters that were destroyed with three new monsters and it only took the help of one card.

"You may have your magician, but like I said, my cards are powerful. There's nothing you can do to stop me from winning. Thanks for the cards by the way, they work wonders for me." said Jack.

"I wouldn't thank me just yet." spoke Isaac in a serious tone that it caused both Rainbow and Jack to look at the boy. "In fact, you won't be saying that when I'm done with you!"

Turn 6: Isaac

"Time to end this!" said Isaac as he took his turn. "I now overlay all three of my magicians to build the Overlay Network!" Isaac's monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon all the orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Show the world your wizardly and wonder! I Xyz Summon, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged a sorceress who had long flowing red hair with vanilla skin tone. She wore an emerald necklace and had white gloves that covered her smooth hands. Her outfit consisted of light blue dress that stopped at her knees; she wore black heels that weren't too high, as well as earrings that matched her necklace.

"Rainbow!" shouted Isaac as he got the chromatic girl to look at him. "You disappointed me."

"Huh?" said Rainbow as she didn't understand what her friend was saying.

"Since I used 'Dark Magician' to summoned this monster, I can negate the effects of all other monsters currently on the field. I now activate Chaos Mageía's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can send all other Xyz materials from all other monsters on the field to the graveyard and then she gains 500 extra attack points for each of those materials and it gains an extra attack." said Isaac.

"Wait..." said Jack as he fell on his bottom at hearing Isaac say that.

"You have three Xyz monsters, your Nova Kaiser has three units, Lead Yoke has one, and Star Cestus had three as well, which brings the total to 7. So that means my Chaos Mageía can attack seven times and she'll get a power boost of 3500 extra attack points for a total of..."

"6500?!!!!" shouted both Jack and Rainbow as they had their mouths wide open.

"End this!" demanded Isaac to his monster.

"With pleasure, Isaac." said Chaos Mageía as she heard the orders given to her by her beloved master. She then had her wand transform into a bow as she pulled out some magical energies in the shape of an arrow out of her quiver as she pulled the bow back and locked in on her targets.

"Hmm, too easy", laughed Chaos Mageía, "Divinity Arrow!!"

She then released her arrow as it flew through the air with tons of speed and velocity. It then shattered into seven smaller arrows as three of them pierced through Jack's monsters as the four remaining were racing towards the boy who just put his arm up as they exploded around him.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Just what I thought." said Isaac as he was not happy.

He then started to approach Jack who was still on floor as he was slowly coming to, at that moment his deck had slotted out of the duel disk as it was in front of him. Just as he reached over to it, Isaac placed his foot on top of the boy's hand as he couldn't move it from under his headmaster's foot. He looked up and saw Isaac's face as it told everything.

"Isaac... I... can explain..."

"You know, people thought I was crazy for picking someone like you given your backstory to be a part of my program. And I wanted to prove them wrong, which is why I chose you to be one these students. Because I believed in you." said Isaac.

"I can explain..."

"No this is where you Zip It! The adult is talking!!" spoke Isaac with a bit more volume in his voice. "I get that you struggled with your deck; I get it you didn't have the resources to improve it. Which is why I went out of my way to help you. I went out of my way to talk to one of my close acquittances to give me some of his spare cards so that I can help my students. He understood the situation I was in, in fact he gave those cards to me in a heartbeat. He knows what I'm doing and is willing to help get this program to be a success. But how can it, if you have that mindset. Is that what you thought when I gave you those cards, that you suddenly let them go to your hand. You think cause I gave you some supped up powerful cards that you can just do whatever you want with them. Let me tell you something, Jack. You go with that mindset in Duel Monsters and in life, you're gonna fall on your ass, hard. If he was here and he saw how you were treating the cards that he lent me to give to you, he too would be disappointed."

"Isaac?" said Rainbow.

"I'll deal with you in a bit, Dash!" said Isaac as he turned to glance at his friend.

"Do you know what would happened if you did that shit during the final exam? If the Board of Education was here and they saw that duel, you think they would be impressed? You think they would like to see a kid be overconfident and think that because he's got new cards that he's unstoppable, untouchable. Is that the example you want to set for future generations that will enroll in this program?!" asked Isaac with some volume. "What would have happened if you took the test right now and failed? Different story, cause that's on you. And if you fail, I feel like that's on me. I don't need that on my conscience to know that I failed a friend."

"I'm sorry." said Jack as he felt some tears forming at Isaac's words.

"Sorry doesn't cut it."

"I... I... I just... wanted to be like you."

"And I wanted you to be better." replied Isaac as that sentence hit hard. He bent down as he picked up Jack's deck and then took out all the cards he had given the boy as he placed them in his pocket. He then handed the boy back the deck.

"No, don't do this, Isaac. I need those."

"No you don't."

"You don't understand, this is all that I have. I'm nothing without those cards!" replied Jack.

"If you're nothing without these cards, then you shouldn't have them." responded Isaac. He then turned as he began to walk away as he left Jack to grab his deck as he looked at it with some sadness in his eyes. Rainbow saw the whole thing as she made her way to the boy as she placed her hand on his shoulder as she offered some comfort.

Isaac was walking through the corridor to his room when Rainbow stopped him.

"What the hell?!" asked Rainbow. "You could have lighten up on the kid."

"I know you're not one to talk about being brash." said Isaac. "Besides, I told him the truth. If he acted that way during the final exam in a few mouths, he jeopardizes everything. He puts the entire school at risk, the reputation, of not just me. But also you Dash. You want people to have that notion about you, that you tutored a student who turned out like that."

"No... but..."

"But nothing. Answer me this, Dash. Have you been criticizing Jack's progress?"

"Well, yeah..."

"Don't bullshit me!!!" shouted Isaac as he punched the wall with his voice echoing in the hallway that if anybody was nearby they would have heard him.

"A little... not really..." spoke the chromatic girl.

"Rainbow, Rainbow, Rainbow." said Isaac as he put his hand to his head.

"You saw how happy he was to finally have his deck be upgraded. He's a beginner and well, he wanted to know what it feels like to win." spoke Dash. "Ever since our encounter, I've been trying to be a better teacher. I finally got used to the kid and well so did he. And whenever we practiced using those cards, I just gave him a smile and thumbs up since he was ecstatic to see the progress he's been making."

"Very little progress." said Isaac. "Rainbow, I get you wanted to make Jack happy by saying he was doing okay. But he's not improving his skills or he develops this attitude and belief when it comes to Duel Monsters, and all you're doing is smiling and waving. You're straight up lying to his face. This game means too much to me, and I will not stand by to see someone disrespect it."

"I get it, but... you know what he's been through." said Rainbow as she reminded her friend of her student's backstory. "This is the one time in his life that he feels happy."

"Happy because you're telling him a lie. I went easy on him, you think others, the world will be as harsh as I was. No, they will be harsher because we live in a world where most people don't care about your feelings." said Isaac. "I had faith in you Rainbow, and I truly believe that you're doing all you can to help young Jack. But you let me down, and as my friend, you lied to me. Again."

"Isaac." spoke Rainbow in a soft voice.

"Okay, it's not working. I'm going to make some changes. First, give me back my cards." said Isaac as he took Rainbow's deck and started to take all the cards he added to her as he pocketed them.

"For how long?" asked Rainbow.

"Forever." said Isaac as he tossed her cards back at him.

"You can't do that?! They're my cards!" shouted the girl.

"Cards that I gave you. Remember what I said to you, who gave you this position as teacher. Me. So you report to me. And like I said, these were my cards long before they were ever yours. You said it yourself when we first met, you don't need to change up your deck, cause it's perfect the way it is. I'm just keeping what you said true. Remember." stated the boy. "Now get out of my sight, I've got a lot to think about." Isaac then entered the passcode on the door as he entered his room as he left the girl standing there.

Isaac now sat down on his bed with his hands to his head as he was deep in thought. He then took out the cards he took from Jack as he looked at them. He then looked at one of the many photos on the drawers as it had the picture of Isaac's acquittance who had let him borrow said cards. For Isaac he had promised the person that he would make sure that the cards would be treated with respect and use to their full potential, but it seemed he couldn't live up to that promise. Especially given who his acquittance was.

"Forgive me for betraying your trust, Y..." was all Isaac said before the scene cut him off.

It was now nighttime as everybody had got to sleep. Well almost everybody, Jack was still in the training room as he sat down in a chair as he had his deck in his hand. Every since his encounter with Isaac, he never once stopped looking at his deck. He then flipped it over as it was his Jinzo card as the words of his professor echoed in his head.

"If you're nothing without these cards, then you shouldn't have them."

"I'm sorry." said Jack to himself. Soon he heard some footsteps as the shadow of a person loomed over him.

"This seat taken." asked Rainbow. She then pulled up a chair as she sat next to her student.

"Is Isaac..."

"Ehh... he's... thinking about making some changes." was all Rainbow said. "Listen, Jack. I'm sorry."

"No, I'm sorry." said the boy. "I just felt like since I now had some good and powerful cards, I felt like everything would come naturally, especially winning. I guess I got carried with showing off the new cards that Isaac gave me."

"Well, I also apologize. As your teacher, I should have been more honest with you. Crazy, Aj is usually the one that fits that description. I'm always the loyal one, but I wasn't loyal to my own student. I just wanted you to be happy. Once we got training and Isaac gave you those cards, I felt happy for you kid. Especially once you started to actually do different moves instead of the same old thing." stated Rainbow. "I guess, I wanted you to be happy to know that you were improving and that you were starting to win your duels despite being a beginner. But I see that I was wrong, I should have told you what you were doing and give proper pointers, instead of stringing you along thinking you were doing good. Sorry."

"I understand and... I forgive you. But, Isaac is right. If I'm not anything without those cards, then I don't deserve to have them. I can't take advantage and think that winning will come with ease. I need to show why I can win. Besides, Isaac said he got these cards from an acquittance of his, I just hope whoever they are understands that I wasn't trying to disrespect him or Isaac." said Jack.

"Then let's go." said Rainbow as she stood up her. "Let's do some special training."

"Right." smiled Jack as he stood up and put on his duel disk as it projected a purple card tray as Rainbow's produced a sky blue color. Both looked at their decks as they knew that there were missing some cards due to Isaac but that didn't stop them.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rainbow's Life Points: 4000-

Jack's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"I'll start off," said Rainbow as she drew her card, "I'll start by summoning my U.A. Midfielder, then I'll switch him out so that I can summon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700)." Rainbow’s newest monster descended from a portal above her, a baseball star in black and silver sports armor. It posed with an arm held out, a metal cylinder in its hand, and with a flash of light it extended a holographic red light in the shape of a baseball bat.

"With that I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Jack

"My turn, and I summon my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400). And when using Switchitter to Xyz summon, he counts as two monsters. So now I overlay my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter to build the Overlay Network!" Jack's monster then transformed into two dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon they disappeared inside of the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 2)!" Jack now had his monster appeared as it had its hands chained together. "Now I'll remove one Xyz material so that I can special summon my Battlin' Boxer Shadow(1800/1400). And since I removed an Xyz material, it means my Battlin' Boxer gains 800 more attack points making it now stronger than your monster. So Lead Yoke attack her Mighty Slugger!" shouted Jack as his monster broke one of its chains and then raised its fist to as he managed to take out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3300-

"Now you're wide open, so now I'll have my Battlin' Boxer Shadow attack you directly."

"Not this time!” Rainbow growled. “I activate my trap card, Reinforce Truth!” The card flipped over and lit up. “This lets me special summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior from my deck.” Rainbow tapped the hologram of her selected card and it ejected. “I’ll summon X-Saber Pashuul(100/0) in defense mode!” An elderly warrior with a massive mess of tangled black hair, dark blue armor, and a massive sword, appeared in front of Rainbow and knelt.

"X-Saber Pashuul can’t be destroyed in battle." informed the girl.

"In that case, there's no point in me continuing my attack. So I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Rainbow

"My turn, and like before I'll summon U.A. Midfielder so that I can switch out to summon my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)." A portal opened up as out materialized a muscular basketball player in dark blue and black pants and a thick silver and orange chestpiece. "I'll now attack your Battlin' Boxer Shadow!" shouted Rainbow. Dreadnought Dunker held up a hand, an orb of blue energy gathering from its fingertips. Dreadnought Dunker grinned, spun in place, and hurled the ball of energy it held across the field. The orb struck Battlin' Boxer Shadow and blew right through it, leaving a gaping hole before it exploded.
Jack's Life Points: 3300-

"Now we're even." said Rainbow. "Now the effect of my Dreadnought Dunker activates, since it dealt damage, I can now destroy one card on the field, so I choose your Lead Yoke!"

"Not gonna work this time, cause I'll remove the last overlay unit so that I can protect my Lead Yoke from being destroyed." said Jack. "And since I removed an overlay unit, my monster now gains 800 more attack points for a grand total of 3800."

"So much for that idea." stated Rainbow. "I'll then end my turn."

Turn 4: Jack

"My turn," said Jack as he drew his card. "Now I'll play my spell card, Battlin' Boxer Spirits so I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard so that I can summon back my Battlin' Boxer Shadow. Then I'll sacrifice my Battlin' Boxer Shadow so that I can summon Jinzo(2400/1500)!" Out came a cybernetic robot as Jack looked at the monster that had been with him since his incident. "And thanks to Jinzo, since he's on the field, all trap cards are useless." Jinzo then shot some beams from his eyes as both Jack's and Rainbow's facedowns were gone.

"Now to attack, Lead Yoke take out her Dreadnought Dunker." shouted Jack as his monster took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2000-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Rainbow

"My turn, and I should thank you for taking out my facedown. See you destroyed my U.A. Penalty Box and so I can banish it from my graveyard so that I can add one 'U.A.' spell card from my deck to my hand." informed Dash as she used her duel disk to add the card she wanted as it slide out for her to grab. "Now I summon Midfielder then tag out so that I can summon my U.A. Goalkeeper(1000/2800) in defense mode." Midfielder swirled up into another portal. With a large thud, Rainbow’s monster descended to the field, a massive creature in thick white and orange hockey armor with glowing green lines crossing the pads. It crouched and held its hands out to the side, a red visor over its eyes lighting up.

"That's all."

Turn 6: Jack

"My turn, and now to take out your Goalkeeper." said Jack as he commanded his Lead Yoke.

"Not this time, cause my Goalkeeper allows me to grant one 'U.A.' monster to not be destroyed in battle." informed Rainbow as her monster survived the attack by getting banged up a bit.

"Then I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Rainbow

"My turn," said Rainbow as she drew her card. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker and since I control a 'U.A.' monster, I can special summon this guy, U.A. Strategist(1000/600)." Next to Midfielder rose a monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and let out a grunt. "Now I tune my Level 7 U.A. Dunker with my Level 3 Strategist." Strategist’s whistle echoed as it turned into 3 green rings that floated into the air. Dunker rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field! Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

"Now I'll play the spell card, U.A. Support. So now I can send one 'U.A.' monster from my deck to the graveyard so that my Star Player can gain its attack points, so I'll send U.A. Playmaker to the grave so that my Star Player gains its stats so now it has 5100 attacks." said Rainbow as her monster glowed blue. "Now Star Player attack!"

"I reveal my facedown, Lightning Clinch. Since you declared an attack, I pay 3000 life points to negate all attacks from you for the entire turn." said Jack as he lost a huge part of his life points to survive Rainbow's attack.
Jack's Life Points: 300-

"Well, in that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Jack

"My turn," said Jack as he drew his card and looked at Rainbow's side of the field as he looked to execute his plan. "Now I play the spell card, Brain Reboot! I can only activate this card when my life points are 1000 or less, so now I can return all the monsters on your side of the field back to your hand and then you take damage equal to the combined levels of the monsters times 500. So while your Star Player may be returning back to your Extra Deck, your Goalkeeper still counts so since it's Level 6, that means you're taking 3000 points of damage." informed Jack as his spell started to take effect, as her monsters started to shine in a white outline as they resulted in a thunderbolt to fall on her as she took the damage.
Rainbow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Jack

The duel ended as Jack fell on his back with his arms and legs out as he was breathing heavily, Dash was on one knee as she too was breathing.

"Good, job. Kid." said Rainbow as she tried her best to give a thumbs up.

"Thanks." said Jack as he too put a thumbs up while lying on his back. Soon another shadow loomed over him as he looked and saw who it was.

"Not bad." spoke Isaac as he had been watching the duel and the little moment between the two. "So?"

"I think I get it now." spoke Jack as he sat up.

"Then you're gonna need these." said Isaac as he handed back the cards to Jack as the boy was now looking at them with a different purpose and outlook other than just obtaining a win.

"I promise to treat these cards with a bit more respect and to the person who lent them to you." said Jack.

"That's all I ask." Isaac then offered his fist as Jack returned a fist bump to his headmaster. "Now get to bed, it's late." responded the older teen as he dismissed the younger teen boy as he left towards his room. Isaac then turned back to look at Rainbow who was now sitting as the duel had taken a bit out of her.

"So, change your mind?" asked Rainbow.

"Yeah,... friends again."

"We never stopped being friends, geek." chuckled Rainbow.

"Here." said Isaac as he handed back his cards to Rainbow as she held them tightly before putting them back in her deck. "Now it's late and we've all had a long day." Isaac then began to leave when he saw that Rainbow was still sitting.

"Can... you... carry me? Please?" asked Rainbow while trying to hide her face of red.

"I thought you weren't for touchy feeling things." snickered Isaac.

"Never mind then, idiot!" pouted Rainbow. Soon she felt herself being picked up as Isaac was now carrying her in his arms. She then looked at her friend as he had a smile on his face as Rainbow wrapped her arms around the boy's neck as she nuzzled into his chest with her eyes closed.

"Man, you're heavy." complained Isaac.

"Hey!" shouted the girl.

"I'm joking, Dash." said Isaac as he gave a quick kiss to his friend on the lips and to her forehead. With that Isaac had to carry Rainbow to her room to where he dropped her off as he then left to his room where he looked at the photo of his acquittance and thanked him silently before getting into bed and drifting to sleep.

Chapter 168: Frenemies

It was now the last day of the week as today was the final time the students and the group would be at this training place. Over the course of the days, the students had been hard at work, not just in terms of dueling but also physically training. Isaac believed that the students needed to train their stamina and body to fully understand getting their minds and the pressure of being in a duel. All week long, Isaac and the girls had done some exercising themselves as they encountered some hurdles along the way with the students and did their best to help them. For Isaac he was in his temporary room as he was on the phone with an important call.

The students had gotten used to Isaac's training exercises that it had gotten easier overtime. Now their final day, they weren't doing any routines as they were just waiting in the training room. Soon the door opened as in came their tutors along with Spike and Tigre, but still no Isaac.

"Any word, from Teach?" asked Penny.

"We thought y'all would have some." spoke Aj.

"You're his friends, shouldn't he tell you guys that stuff." stated Shadow.

"Well the geek didn't respond to our texts this morning." said Rainbow.

"No offense, but even I was looking forward to doing some exercises." said Bryant.

"I'm sure Isaac will be along very soon." informed Fluttershy.

Just then the door to the room opened up as in walked Isaac.

"You're all here, good." spoke the boy. "Now then, I hope you all have enjoyed our little stay here. I hope this has at least helped you all to get a better understanding on what it takes to reach the next level of your training."

"Depends on what you mean, boy toy." spoke Sunset.

"First, I want to say thank you to you all." Isaac was pointed at the students. "You've done well despite the conditions you were put under in a short amount of time. Understand that while I may have been rough at times, know that I cared about you all. I wanted to push you guys past your standard barriers. And the girls, you all did a good job helping to supervise them." Everybody smiled and gave high fives to each other. "Now, as you know, tonight we'll be heading on the plane back home. What a week it's been here, I'm grateful that my acquittances allowed me to use this place."

"Who are they?" asked Lucky Star as everybody wanted to know just who Isaac was referring to when he said his 'acquittances'.

"It's doesn't matter." Isaac brushed off the question, "The point is, you did well. So I'd figured why not have a little fun before our time here is over. So I came up with a small challenge for the students, you'll be taking part in some one-on-one duels."

"Yes, I call Sunset!" shouted Penny as she wanted to duel against her tutor.

"Calm yourself, guys. The girls aren't going to be your opponents." said Isaac.

"Then who is?!" asked Rainbow.

"Who do you think, Dunce?!" shouted a voice.

"No... it can't be..." Rainbow heard the voice and she immediately knew who it belonged to. She and the girls all turned around and standing there were five individuals.

"Been a long time, Crash." spoke Indigo Zap as she was flanked by her fellow Shadowbolts as they were dressed in their Crystal Prep attire.

"You!" said Rainbow as she gritted her teeth as seeing Indigo.

"Country girl." spoke Sugarcoat.

"Sugar." responded AJ as she adjusted her hat.

"Dreadful this place." said Sunny Flare.

"Well, a diva like you would have that mindset." snickered Rarity.

"Aw, the whole gang is here." said Sour Sweet with a smile on her face before changing her tone, "Makes me sick of all this positivity."

"We're sorry for that." spoke Fluttershy in a soft voice.

"Party time!!" shouted Pinkie and Lemon Zest as they began to rock out as their friends were glaring at each other.

"Easy up, no need to get physically." said Isaac as he got in between Rainbow and Indigo as he separated the two side of girls.

"What are they doing here?!" asked Rainbow.

"I invited them." responded Isaac.

"You?" said Twilight.

"I contacted Principal Sombra; told him what I was doing and asked if I can receive some assistance. So he sent the Shadowbolts."

"Just for the record, none of us agreed on this." spoke Indigo. "But when Sombra said that we would be excused from classes, I figured what the hell."

"And the rest of you." asked Twilight.

"We just tagged along." spoke Sunny Flare. "Seems you're doing fine, Twilight."

"Of course she is, look who she managed to get as her boyfriend." spoke Sugarcoat bluntly.

"Lucky bitch." muttered Sour Sweet under her breath.

"Anyways, they took time out of their busy schedule to come here. So try not to get into too many arguments, Dash."

"Why are you looking at me?" asked Rainbow as she looked at her friend.

"Cause you always do it!!" shouted the gang.

"Don't have to say in front of them!" responded Rainbow as she pointed to the Shadowbolts.

"Uh, mind telling us who they are?" asked Jason.

"Right, students. These fives girls are the Shadowbolts, they attend Crystal Prep Academy. There names are Indigo Zap, Sugarcoat, Sunny Flare, Lemon Zest, and Sour Sweet." said Isaac as he introduced the girls to the students.

"Wait, Crystal Prep? As in the rival school we were told about during orientation that you all faced during the Friendship Games two years ago." stated Amber.

"The same one that Ms. Twilight who used to go to?" asked Jason as he looked at his tutor.

"That's right." responded Isaac. "Plus, a lot has changed since the last time."

"Yeah, cause last time we had to say thank to you for taking down that thief who stole Slifer after we got taken out." spoked Lemon Zest.

"We would have taken him out if we knew what he had, he just caught us off by surprise." said Sunny Flare.

"And your little victory celebration at Shining Armor's graduation duel." spoke Sugarcoat.

"Well, like I said it's been a while since we last saw them." said Isaac.

"Yeah, cause we're also set to graduate this year. And we all got plans to be pros." stated Sour Sweet as she and the girls had made the decision to join the pro circuit after they graduated high school.

"Ha, good luck with that." joked Rainbow as she laughed.

"Something funny, Crash!" responded Indigo.

"Yeah, Yap! Cause you want to be the best, when Isaac is going to be. My buddy here has already decided that he's going to go pro. So you all don't stand a chance competing for the title of 'World Champion', now me on the other hand, I can take Isaac."

"Oh, really?" said Isaac.

"Please, remember our last encounter." said Indigo as she got in the face of Dash.

"As a matter of fact, I do. I whupped your ass!!" responded Dash as she butted foreheads with the girl similar to her.

"Only cause you got lucky!" spoke the indigo girl.

"Alright, Dash. That's enough." said Applejack as she and Fluttershy pulled their friend apart.

"Anybody else getting 'doppelganger' vibes from our tutors and those girls?" asked Shadow.

"Yeah." responded the rest of the students.

"Settle down, Skittles." said Isaac.

"I'm going punch you in the face for calling me that Isaac." shouted Rainbow as she didn't like being called that as she had a bit of red on her face.

"Take your best shot." taunted Isaac.

Rainbow then broke free from Aj's grip as she charged forward with her fist raised as she started to try to swing at her male friend. Isaac kept dodging and move out of the way of Rainbow's shots as he soon grabbed both of her fists. Rainbow then tried to knee Isaac in the gut to which he blocked with his own knee and then pulled the girl as he landed a quick peck on her cheek as it was enough to get the chromatic girl to back off.

"Cheater!!" shouted Rainbow.

"You started it." said Isaac with a smug tone. The others all just laughed at Rainbow acted, even the Shadowbolts couldn't help but snicker. "Now then, if we're all done wrestling each other. Time to give the students their challenges."

Isaac then began to talk with the students, he told them that only five of them would get to duel against one member of the Shadowbolts so he had to flip a coin several times to see who would sit out as it turned out that Jason and Bryant would sit this one out. So that left the others to be selected; Isaac then assigned the students who their opponents would be. As for the girls they were talking among themselves as Twilight was a few meters away seeing Isaac as he was talking with the kids. Her train of thought was then interrupted by her old 'comrades'.

"So, Superman make you feel safe?" asked Sour Sweet as she and the other Shadowbolts all looked at their former classmates.

"The question is: Are you still the same person you were back then? Cause you couldn't get the job done for Crystal Prep." spoke Indigo.

"Why don't you find out yourself!" responded Twilight with a new found aggression as she looked at the Shadowbolts before she went back to normal. "Sorry, forgive me. I don't what came over me."

"Isaac, obviously." said Sugarcoat.

"Tell me, dear. Is he everything you ever dreamed of?" asked Sunny Flare as she was fishing for some juicy gossip.

"Well, that's a bit of stretch. But... he's done a lot for me since saving me." said Twilight as she turned back to look at her boyfriend as he finished talking with the kids. "I'm glad he chose me to be his girlfriend."

"How sweet, so disgusting." said Sour Sweet.

"Dudes, ready to rock out!" said Lemon Zest as she continued to play her air guitar to her headphones.

"Alright, we'll all set. So to start off, it'll be Penny taking on Lemon Zest." said Isaac as he called everybody to gather around the platform to begin the duels.

"Aw, yeah! I get to go first, rock on!" shouted Lemon Zest as she lowered her headphones down around her neck as there was still music playing.

"This should be easy. I mean, I was the runner-up for the tournament." said Penny as the girl got herself on the platform as well. She then slid on her duel disk as it projected a black card tray while Lemon Zest had hers on and it produced a tray of bright green energy projected from the front.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Lemon Zest's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Penny

"I'll kick things off, and since I control no other cards, I can summon this feather friend, Blackwing - Gust the Backblast(900/1400). And since birds of a feather like to flock together, I'll also going to summon the tuner monster Kochi the Daybreak(700/1500)." stated Penny as she had two monsters on her field as she looked to execute her plan. "Now I'll tune my Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak with my Level 2 Gust the Backblast." Kochi the Daybreak then soared high into the air as it turned into four giant green rings as it circled around Gust as it flew in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing Armed Wing(2300/1000)!" Penny's monster emerged as it wielded a long rifle with a swordblade at the end of it.

"Cool move, dude." said Lemon Zest as she was impressed that the girl she was facing also was a synchro user.

"Please, you haven't seen anything. So I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Lemon Zest

"Then it's my turn," stated Lemon Zest as she drew her card as she could still hear the music from her headphones around her neck, "Rock on, I'll start by activating the spell card, One for One. This lets me discard a monster card from my hand, and then I can summon a Level 1 monster from my deck.” Lemon twirled a card in her hand and slotted it into her duel disk, then tapped a prompt on her screen. “I’ll get rid of Morphtronic Cameran and summon Morphtronic Celfon(100/100)!” A large yellow cellphone appeared in front of Lemon Zest. A sheen of light washed over it and it broke apart, transforming into a large yellow robot with bright pink eyes. The screen of the phone cracked down the center and swung back, forming a pair of wings.

"Only 100 attack?" said Penny as she was expecting some big play given who her opponent was.

"Careful, Penny. She's a Morphtronic user, and her gadgets are a doozy." said Pinkie as she was trying to warn the student about what Lemon Zest's deck could do as it brought back memories during the Friendship Games.

"Morphtronics? What the hell are those?" asked the girl to group as she didn't know what type of archetype that was.

"Dude, you ain't ever heard of these sweet babies? Let me show you then, cause I activate Celfon’s ability. Once per turn I can roll a die, and whatever the result is, I can reveal that many cards on the top of my deck and summon a Level 4 or lower Morphtronic monster among them.” Lemon snapped her fingers. “Go, Morphtronic Speed Dial!” Celfon thrust out its chest, made up of the top half of the phone form’s dial pad. The numbers lit up in rapid sequence before stopping on ‘2’.

“Awesome!” Lemon grabbed two cards from her duel disk, looking over them, and nodded. “I’ll bring out Morphtronic Remoten(300/1200)!” A white remote control for a video player appeared next to Celfon. The screen blipped to life to show a pair of eyes as arms and legs cords shot out of its sides. Lemon nodded at Remoten. “Next I’ll use Remoten’s ability. By banishing a Morphtronic monster in the graveyard, a Morphtronic with the same Level can be added from my deck to my hand. I’ll get rid of Cameran(800/600) and get a second one out, and then I’ll summon him.” The card ejected from her duel disk and she swiftly slotted it on the card tray. A large red camera appeared in front of her and transformed into another robot, the flash of the camera mounted on the back of its arm.

"She's got three monsters all on her first turn." said Penny as she was shocked that Lemon Zest was able to summon multiple monsters.

"They won't be around for long, cause I tune my Level 3 Morphtronic Remoten with my Level 2 Morphtronic Cameran!” Morphtronic Remoten burst apart into three glowing green rings. The rings floated around Cameran and began to spin, while Cameran glowed yellow. Lemon smiled. “I align the frequencies of my remote control and my camera together, and home in on the signal of a high-tech prodigy!” She brought her arm back and raised her duel disk, her hand poised over the back of the device. A card snapped out from it and she grabbed it and placed it on her duel disk. “I Synchro Summon! Come on out, T.G. Hyper Librarian(2400/1800)!” The rings around Cameran contracted and then exploded out, revealing Lemon’s new monster. A tall, slim humanoid figure in a white and black robe stood in front of her, a white cloak trailing down its back. It raised its head, concealed by a military cap and glasses, and snapped an arm out, a book tracing out in green light and then popping into existence in its hand.

Lemon lifted a card in her hand. “Next, I’ll banish Morphtronic Remoten from my graveyard, to special summon Morphtronic Smartfon(100/100) from my hand.” A slim smartphone materialized in Lemon’s line of monsters and snapped apart, the pieces within unfolding to form hands and feet. The top of the phone popped up, revealing a slim pair of red eyes. “I’ll activate Smartfon’s effect. It’s kinda like Celfon’s effect, but instead of summoning a Morphtronic monster from the deck, it adds a Morphtronic card into my hand. Go, Morphtronic Messenger!” Smartfon’s screen on its chest began cycling through numbers, stopping on a six.

"Sweet," said Lemon Zest as she excavated the top six cards of her deck as she fanned them out to see her options, "I'll take this little baby, Morphtronic Vacuumen. But I ain't done by a long shot, I’ll tune my Morphtronic Celfon with my Morphtronic Smartfon!” Smartfon turned into another green ring that rose up and lowered over Celfon. Lemon extended a hand into the air. “I align the frequencies of my cellphone and my smartphone together, and home in on the signal of a high-tech speedster!” She grabbed her card from her duel disk and put it on the tray. “I Synchro Summon! Rolling out, Formula Synchron(200/1500)!” Lemon’s new monster was shaped like a race car, with legs emerging from below it and arms from the sides between the wheels. It stood next to Hyper Librarian and rested its hands on the car part that formed its chest.

"Another synchro summon?" said Penny as she was surprised.

"When I summon Formula Synchron, its effect activates, letting me draw a card. Also, performing a synchro summon activates the effect of Hyper Librarian, letting me draw again.” Lemon picked up her two cards and folded them into her hand with the rest. "And now to attack, Hyper Librarian take out her Blackwing Armed Wing!" shouted the girl as her monster brought its hands together and formed an orb of pale blue light. The orb sparked and shot a beam of energy across the field.
Penny's Life Points: 7900-

"Wow, she's good." said Penny as she dusted herself off.

"That's the power of my Morphtronic babies." said Lemon Zest as she was smiling at how she loved her cards. "I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Penny

Man, she's tough. Taking out my monster and filling her hand all in her first turn. I see why our tutors struggled to beat them during their encounter at the Friendship Games. Their decks hit hard and fast, just means I got to beat her faster. "I draw, and I'll summon my Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky(100/800) and then since I control a 'Blackwing', then I can summon my Blackwing - Oroshi the Squall(400/600) to join the fray. Now I'll tune my Level 1 Oroshi the Squall with my Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky!" Oroshi the Squall then flew high as it turned into a giant green ring that circled around Jetstream as it flew into the ring. "Show 'em how we turn the power of flight into the power of fight! I Synchro Summon, Assault Blackwing, Sayo the Rain Hider(800/100) in defense mode!" Out emerged a small bird that wore some clothing and had a small katana in its hand.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Lemon Zest

"That all, come on. Gimme something cool." said Lemon as she put a hand on her hip and frowned. "Guess I should have expected that from a student who attends CHS. Let a real duelist show you how it's done, I draw! I'll activate the spell card, Junk Box. This lets me revive a Morphtronic in my graveyard, but it’ll be destroyed at the end of my turn. I revive Morphtronic Celfon.” The hologram of Lemon’s Spell card broke apart into scrap metal that rapidly reformed into the yellow robot. "Like before I'll activate Celfon's special ability, go Morphtronic Speed Dial!" The six numbers on Celfon’s chest lit up and stopped on 5. "Five, alright." Lemon picked up the five cards on her deck and flipped one out. “I summon Morphtronic Magnen(800/800) in defense mode.” A blue horseshoe magnet materialized in front of her and turned a pale blue, light gleaming on its surface. “And now, I tune my Level 1 Morphtronic Celfon with my Level 2 Formula Synchron!” Lemon held her hand up as Formula Synchron turned into green rings that encircled Celfon. “I align the frequencies of my cellphone and my speedster together, and home in on the signal of a musical marvel!” She placed her card on her duel disk with a grin. “I Synchro Summon! Rock on, Martial Metal Marcher(500/2200)! I summon you in defense mode!” A squat robot built of brass rose in front of Lemon, its body formed from old musical instruments, with arms made from horn pieces and the pipes of an organ mounted on its back. A screen on its chest lit up and displayed volume levels as it raised its arms and blasted a soundwave out.

"Summoning Martial Metal Marcher activates the effect of my Hyper Librarian, letting me draw a card. I also get to use my Metal Marcher’s own ability, which is to revive a Tuner monster in my graveyard with its effects negated. So Formula Synchron is coming right back.” Lemon drew as Formula Synchron rose next to the Metal Marcher. "Now, time to attack!" Lemon pointed across the field. “T.G. Hyper Librarian, take out that puny bird!”

"This time I'm one step ahead of you, cause Sayo the Rain Hider can't be destroyed twice a turn!" shouted Penny as her tiny bird used its small blade to block the attack from Lemon's monster.

"Okay, that's a good move. Not bad, girl. Since there's no point in me to attack, I'll end my battle phase. But I got one more thing to do," informed Lemon Zest, "Watch as I perform one more synchro summon. I tune my Hyper Librarian with my Formula Synchron!” Formula Synchron’s twin green rings floated over Hyper Librarian. The monster inside sparked as metal began to gather around it and circle it. "Time to call on a monster with some major motor, a beast built out of pure brawn! Here he is, the star of my deck, the Power Tool Dragon(2300/2500)!" The metal shell shattered, revealing a large, gold, mechanical dragon with silver plates of metal running down its back to its tail. Its right arm was an electrical screwdriver bit, and its right a large shovel claw. Red eyes flashed to life and it flew over the field, circling behind Penny to return to Lemon and alighting beside her.

Turn 5: Penny

"My draw." said Penny. I may have bought myself time, but even my Sayo can't protect me forever. "I now summon Fang the Steel Chain(500/800). And now I'll play the spell card, Cards for Black Feathers, so I'll send my Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame so that I can draw two cards from my deck." Penny then sent her card away as she drew some more cards. "Then I'll equip my Sayo with Charging Blade to not only give him 800 more attack points, but now you take 800 points of damage." Sayo then used its blade as it did a slash attack that headed towards Shadow as he blocked it with his duel disk.
Lemon Zest's Life Points: 7200-

"Now thanks to the ability of my Fang the Steel Chain, I can attack you directly!" shouted Penny as her monster bypassed Lemon Zest's monster and went for her as she just put her duel disk up to block.
Lemon Zest's Life Points: 6700-

"And when my Fang the Steel Chain deals damage to you, I can change one of your attack mode monsters into defense mode. So I'll switch your Power Tool Dragon into defense mode. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Lemon Zest

"My draw, and now I'll play the spell card, Morphtronic Accelerator. So now I'll return my Morphtronic Scopen from my hand to my deck so that I can destroy one card on the field, and I choose your Fang the Steel Chain." said Lemon Zest. Lemon’s card fired an orb of orange light across the field; it struck Penny’s monster and shattered it. “Then, I get to draw again.” Lemon drew and looked down at her card, then went back to her hand. "Now play the Iron Call spell card, since I control a machine-type monster, this allows me to get back my Morphtronic Smartfon from my graveyard. Then I'll activate my Power Tool Dragon's special ability, Once per turn I can take three Equip spell cards from my deck, then you randomly pick one of them and it gets added to my hand.” Lemon reached to her duel disk’s screen and tapped through the display. The holograms of three cards appeared in the air over Lemon’s head. “Okay, go for it.”

"I guess... I choose... the card on the left." said Penny.

"Thanks, cause I knew you picked that card." said Lemon Zest as she revealed that out of the three cards she had chosen, two of them were the same. "Now I'll play the equip spell card you chose, my Double Tool C&D. Now my Power Tool Dragon gains 1000 more attack points. Next up, I summon my Morphtronic Lantron(200/200). Then I'll tune my Level 1 Morphtronic Smartfon with my Level 1 Lantron." Lemon put her hand over her duel disk and leaned forward as Smartfon turned into a green ring that hovered around Lantron. “I aligned the frequencies of my smartphone and my lantern together, and home in on the signal of a flying scout machine!” She grabbed her card and held it out. “I Synchro Summon! Reporting in, T.G. Recipro Dragonfly(300/300)!” A small red and green insectoid robot appeared in front of Lemon, a propeller blade set into its midsection spinning to keep it in the air.

"Then I'll move in to attack with my Power Tool Dragon!" shouted Lemon Zest as her monster then brought the drill down on Sayo as it took it out. "Oh, I probably should mentioned, my spell allows me to negate the effects of the attack target, so your Sayo can't use its ability."
Penny's Life Points: 6200-

"Then I reveal my facedown, Black Thunder. So now since a 'Blackwing' was destroyed, I can deal you damage 400 points of damage for every card you have on the field. So that's 2000 points of damage coming at you." informed Penny as she dealt some damage right back.
Lemon Zest's Life Points: 4700-

"Not bad, but time I end this duel, cause I reveal my facedown, Urgent Tuning. So now I can Synchro Summon during the battle phase!"

"Oh no!" shouted Penny as her eyes widen.

Lemon Zest then put her headphones back on her ears as the music was now picking up the tempo as she started to move her head to the beat as she started to do a bit of air guitar. "Aw yeah, crank up the volume! I tune together my Level 3 Martial Metal Marcher, Level 2 T.G. Recipro Dragonfly, and my Level 7 Power Tool Dragon!"

"All three?" said Penny as her jaw dropped.

Martial Metal Marcher turned into three golden rings that began to spin. Dragonfly and Power Tool Dragon flew into the middle of the ring, sparks shooting between them as they hovered closer. “I align the frequencies of my scouter, my musician, and my dragon together, and home in on the signal of the ultimate battle mech!” The three monsters lit up yellow and sent a column of light up into the air. Lemon looked up and stretched out her hand. “I Synchro Summon! Seek and destroy all in your path! Descend, T.G. Halberd Cannon(4000/4000)!” A bolt of lightning struck the ground behind Lemon. From the flash of light, a massive robot stood up. Streamlined black limbs were covered in orange and yellow armor, glowing brightly. Its head, silver and sculpted in an expression of stern determination, rose from its main body and its eyes flashed to life. It raised its hand and the image of a gigantic polearm appeared as a green wireframe, before it materialized for real. The robot gripped it tight and twirled it over its head, then planted it in the ground.

"Look at the size of that thing." said the other students as they were shocked by the monster they saw.

"Power chord time!" said Lemon Zest as she still played air guitar. "Now T.G. Halberd Cannon attack, but I ain't done yet, cause I play the spell card, Limit Removal! At the end of this turn all of my Machine monsters will be destroyed, but until then, their attack points double!” Across Halberd Cannon’s body, sparks flew and wires and gears popped out of its joints. A pair of rocket boosters on its back activated and shot it toward the ground faster. Halberd Cannon’s polearm stabbed into the ground in front of her and erupted in a massive shower of lightning.
Penny's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Lemon Zest

"That's it." said Isaac as he was now on the platform as he was by the side of the girl.

"What the hell? She's good." said Penny.

"Yup, that means you still have a lot to learn." said Isaac.

"Hey, kid! Nice moves." said Lemon Zest as she at least gave Penny a compliment. "I mean, I know you weren't gonna win, but at least I still had a chance to rock out." said the girl as she jumped off the platform and made her way to her comrades as she continued to rock out. Eventually Pinkie joined in as the two were just jamming.

"Next." said Isaac as he called the next pair.

"This is just a waste of time." said Sugarcoat as she slapped on her duel disk as she projected a pale violet light.

"Show that gal what I taught you, Lucky Star." said Applejack as she offered her student some moral support.

"You got it, Applejack." said the girl as she put on her duel disk as it produced an emerald card tray.

"So Applejack got you as her student? Well, I shouldn't have expected anything from that little hillbilly." snickered Sugarcoat.

"Watch what you say, that's my mentor." responded Lucky Star as she was liking Sugarcoat bad mouthing AJ.

"Did she tell you, that when we faced in the Friendship Games, I beat her? It was easy really, all she had to do was spring my trap and she fell for it like a moth to a flame." stated Sugarcoat bluntly.

"Ah still haven't forgotten." shouted Applejack as that lost to Sugarcoat was still something that ate at her.

"Well, I'm going to avenge that lost here and now."

"As if. Reality check, kid. You're not winning, we're just doing this cause it's a formality. The winner is obviously going to be me, just try not to lose like Applejack did when I beat her so convincingly. But then again, I probably should expect, after all, you are her student." stated Sugarcoat as she pushed her glasses up a bit with a snorty look.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sugarcoat's Life Points: 8000-

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sugarcoat

"I'll start things off, I draw. I'll start by playing the field spell Magnetic Field, now with this card in play I'm allowed to revive a level 4 or below 'Magnet Warrior' from my graveyard. As long as I control an Earth-Attribute Rock-type monster." Pillars of shining grey steel rose in the shape of a cross around Sugarcoat, sparks coursing along their length. Sugarcoat held up another card. “I'll then summon Delta the Magnet Warrior(1600/1400).” Trails of electricity rose from the ground, tracing out the image of a monster that solidified in a flash of silver light. It was a spindly robot, limbs of circular steel cable connecting hands, feet, and a head of silver-blue metal with magnetic bars running along the edges. A horseshoe magnet around a triangular prism of metal made its head, yellow eyes blinking on the metal.

"Now Delta's ability activates, when he's summoned I can send a Magnet Warrior from my deck to the graveyard. I choose Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior(1700/1100). I then immediately use the effect of Magnetic Field to revive Alpha to my field.” he pillars of steel shot bolts of lightning to the ground next to Delta. Another robot manifested, covered in bulky grey armor with magnets on its joints. It held outs its hands and summoned a shield with a magnet, and a staff consisting of a magnet and two long electrical coils, and swung them out. "Now's a good time to tell you about Alpha's special ability; when he's summoned I add a ‘Magna Warrior’ monster from my deck to my hand. I choose this, Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior.” She placed the offered card in her hand.

"She's already got a high leveled monster in her hand on her first turn?" said Lucky Star in shock.

"Don't let that fool you, Lucky Star!" called out Applejack. This is just how Sugarcoat did it with me in the Friendship Games. Just stay focus and don't let her monster's effects mess with your head. Show them why you won the Fall Formal tournament.

"Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"I'll start by summoning my Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300). Then I'll play the continuous spell card Alluring Mirror Split. Then I'll have my Cyber Harpie Lady attack your Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior!" shouted Lucky Star.

"I now activate the effect of my Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior, now I can tribute it during your turn to special summon a Level 4 or lower 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck. So I choose to add another copy of my Delta the Magnet Warrior and summoned it, which in turns activates its effect so now I'll send my 'Beta the Electromagnet Warrior' from my deck to my graveyard." The shrapnel of Alpha’s destruction congregated in an orb of metal and lightning, reforming into a new Delta, kneeling with a barrier of electricity around it.

"Either I'm still going to attack one of your monsters." said Lucky Star as her Harpy Lady continued its attack as it took out one of the two Deltas.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 7800-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 3: Sugarcoat

"Now then, time to beat you." snickered Sugarcoat as she adjusted her glasses and then drew her card. "I reveal my facedown, Magnetic Conversion. This lets me select up to three 'Magnet Warriors' in my graveyard and return them to my hand.” She tapped three more times, the cards sliding out of her duel disk as she did, and then held them up. “I’ll take back Beta and Delta. And then, I’ll summon Delta to the field.” As the silver magnetic robot appeared in front of Sugarcoat in a shower of sparkles, she ignored it in favor of pressing tool prompts that popped up on her duel disk. “I activate Delta’s effect to send Gamma The Electromagnet Warrior(800/2000) from my deck to the graveyard, and then use the effect of Magnetic Field to revive Gamma.” Sugarcoat’s newest monster manifested from the lightning of Magnetic Field. It was a short, stocky robot with thick armor in dull gold, a magnet forming its collar and a magnet mounted on the back of each large fist.

"Now Gamma's ability activates, when he's summoned I can also bring out a level 4 or lower 'Magnet warrior' from my hand. I'll choose to summon Beta The Electromagnet Warrior(1500/1500). But I'm done, because like Gamma, Beta's ability activates the moment he's summoned. So I'll then use its effect to add one level 4 or lower 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck to my hand. I choose to add, Alpha the Magnet Warrior." Sugarcoat smiled and looked up at her three monsters hovering in front of her. “And now, all the pieces are in place.” She pulled a card from her hand and held it up. “I banish Alpha The Electromagnet Warrior from my graveyard, and Beta and Gamma The Electromagnet Warriors from my field, to special summon!” Her two monsters on the field turned into orbs of lightning and began to swirl around her, Alpha’s hologram emerging from her duel disk and turning into lightning to join them. “Come forth, Berserkion The Electromagna Warrior(3000/2800)!” She slammed her card onto her duel disk.

"3000 attack points?!" said Lucky Star as she saw the stats on the monster.

"This is starting to feel familiar." said Applejack.

"Now Berserkion pummel the kid and her monster." stated Sugarcoat bluntly as her monster used its sword and brought it down on Lucky Star's monster as she took a big hit and had to cover up.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6800-

"Now the effect of my Alluring Mirror Split activates, since my 'Harpy Lady' was destroyed in battle. I can now replace it with a brand new 'Harpie' monster, so I choose to summon out my Harpie's Pet Dragon(2000/2500) in defense mode." stated Lucky Star as she had a new monster appear on her field.

"Nothing I can't handle. I'll throw down a facedown. Your move."

Turn 5: Lucky Star

"My draw, now I'll summon my Harpie Harpist(1700/600)." Out emerged a harpie monster as she had a harp in her hands. "Now the effect of my monster activates, when she's summoned, I can target a Winged-Beast type monster on my field and a monster that you control and return both to our hands. So I'll choose my Harpie's Pet Dragon and your Berserkion!" informed Lucky Star as both monsters were surrounded in a white light as shot back into cards and appeared in the girl's respective hands.

"Nice! Now that Lucky Star did that, Sugarcoat can't summon her Berserkion since the requirements are removed from play." stated Applejack as she was proud of her student on taking out her rival's powerful creature.

"This is why I beat you with ease, Applejack. Plus country folk really are simple-minded." stated the blunt girl.

"Why I!!!" shouted Applejack as she started to climb on the platform as she wanted to take a swing at the cold-hearted girl as Isaac and Sunset were holding their friend back. "Let me at her! Let me at her!!" shouted the country girl.

"Settle down, hillbilly. Or else you'll miss this, I reveal my facedown, Burial from a Different Dimension. Now I can target 3 of my banished monsters and place them back in my graveyard." Soon the images of Alpha, Gamma, and Beta the Electromagnet Warriors appeared as they all appeared in Sugarcoat's graveyard.

"Oh, no." said Lucky Star as she realized that Sugarcoat was able to out think her.

"Drat, she figured out a way to get those warriors in the case that Lucky Star got rid of her monster without triggering its effect." said Applejack.

"I would have done the same play in our last duel, Applejack. It's no surprise. Seems Lucky Star really is your student, cause you both suck."

"I'll still take out your Delta that's on your field." said Lucky Star as her monster took out Sugarcoat's monster.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 7700-

"I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Sugarcoat

"My draw, and like before I'll banish Alpha, Beta, and Gamma the Electromagnetic Warriors from my graveyard so that I can summon my Berserkion once more." Sugarcoat now had her powerful monster on the field as it landed with a thud. "Now I summon Alpha the Magnet Warrior(1400/1700) and like before I'll use the effect of my Magnetic Field spell to revive my Delta the Magnet Warrior from my graveyard. Then Delta's effect allows me to send a 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck to my graveyard, so I'll choose my Gamma the Magnet Warrior." stated Sugarcoat as she sent her monster to the grave. "Now I'll play the spell card, Magnet Induction. Since I control a 'Magnet Warrior' whose Level is 4 or lower. I can now special summon different 'Magnet Warrior' from my deck. So I choose my Beta the Magnet Warrior. Furthermore, for the rest of the turn, my monsters can't be destroyed in battle or by card effects." stated Sugarcoat as her new monster appeared as she now had four monsters on her field.

"Now to battle, Alpha the Magnet Warrior attack her Harpie Harpist." stated Sugarcoat.

"Are you nuts?" asked Lucky Star. "My monster's is stronger than yours, sure yours can't be destroyed this turn, but your life points still get hit." Harpie Harpist then used her harp as she played it and an energy beam came out and hit Alpha as it fell to the floor.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 7400-

"Aj, look familiar." asked Isaac as he wanted to see if his friend recognized what her rival was doing.

"Oh, shit." said Applejack as she knew what Sugarcoat was doing.

"I wasn't planning on destroying your monster, in fact, it was intentionally that I attack. Cause now I can activate the second effect of my field spell, since a monster that battled with an Earth-Attribute Rock-type monster of mine was not destroyed, it returns to its owner’s hand.”

"It what?" shouted Lucky Star as her monster turned into an orb of light as it now appeared in her hand.

"Now you're defenseless, and your spell's effect doesn't activate. So Berserkion, attack her directly." stated the shadowbolt girl as her mighty monster did a slash attack as Lucky Star covered up.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3800-

"Now to attack, Delta and Beta strike her." Sugarcoat's two remaining monsters heard her command as they too delivered an attack as they did some massive amounts of damage to the student.

"Ahh." said Lucky Star as she fell on her back.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 500-

"Now then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Lucky Star

"My turn," said Lucky Star as she was now down to the last of her points and still had a powerful monster to deal with, "I'll summon my Harpie Channeler(1400/1300). Then I'll activate her effect, so I'll discard a 'Harpie' card so that I can special summon a 'Harpie' monster in face-up defense mode. So now I'll summon my Harpie Dancer. Then I'll tune together my Level 4 Harpie Channeler with my Level 4 Harpie Dancer!" Harpie Channeler then transformed into four giant green rings as it circled around Harpie Dancer. "I Synchro Summon, Cyber Slash Harpie Lady(2600/1400)!" Lucky Star now had her synchro monster on the field as she looked to turn the duel around. "Then I'll activate my spell card Elegant Egotist, so since I control 'Harpie Lady', I can special summon Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) from my deck. And my Cyber Slash Harpie's effect activates since a spell/trap or effect activated, I can return your Berserkion back to your hand." stated Lucky Star as she got rid of the monster again.

"Now I'll have my Cyber Slash Harpie attack your Alpha the Magnet Warrior!" shouted Lucky Star as her monster took out Sugarcoat's monster.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 6200-

"Now Harpie Lady Sisters attack her Beta the Magnet Warrior." stated Lucky Star as she launched another attack.
Sugarcoat's Life Points: 5950-

"I'll now end my turn."

"Before that, I'll activate the effect of my facedown, Magnet Reverse, so now I can special summon one of my banished Machine or Rock monsters and summon it to my field. So Alpha the Electromagnetic Warrior is back in play. And Alpha's effect activates upon being summoned, so I'll add a 'Magna Warrior' from my deck to my hand." said Sugarcoat as her duel disk then ejected the card she wanted.

Turn 8: Sugarcoat

"Applejack, your student has failed miserably. At least you gave me a challenge, your student on the other hand, not so much." stated Sugarcoat.

"What 'cha you say?" shouted Lucky Star.

"Kid, let me show what a veteran can do." stated the girl as she drew her card. "I now play the spell card, Polymerization. And so I fuse together my Berserkion the Electromagna Warrior and Valkyrion the Magna Warrior." Sugarcoat leaned forward, light reflecting off her glasses. “I combine the energy of the magnetic valkyrie and the electromagnetic berserker, to bring forth the ultimate electrical marvel of battle!” She grabbed her card from her duel disk. “I Fusion Summon, Imperion Magnum the Superconductive Battlebot(4000/4000)!” She placed the card on her holographic card tray and it lit up in rays of blue light. The fusion vortex in front of her widened as her new monster stepped out of it. The components of both its Fusion materials – rather, the pieces of the six individual Magnet Warriors – had merged to form a robotic centaur knight, hooves beating at the ground. A massive sword with a guard shaped like a magnet was in its right hand, and a pronged cannon emerged from its left shoulder, electricity coursing along its length. Imperion Magnum swung its sword and sent out waves of energy along the ground, bellowing.

"No." said Applejack as she realized the result of this duel and the painful memory of the monster.

"Like I told, I win." snickered Sugarcoat as she looked at Lucky Star, she then looked at Applejack as she gave her a sly smirk. "Now Imperion Magnum, destroy Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" Imperion Magnum drew back its sword and galloped forward. It jumped up above Cyber Slash Harpie Lady and descended, swinging its sword to point down. The blade impaled Cyber Slash Harpie Lady between the shoulders and pinned it to the ground, Imperion Magnum leaning over it. The cannon on its shoulder hummed and fired a beam of blue energy obliterating its target.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sugarcoat

"Like student, like teacher." said Sugarcoat as she looked at Aj. "But what can I expect, she's learning from you." With that she got off the field and Sugarcoat gathered her cards from her card tray.

"Just you wait. One day." said Applejack as she look at her rival. She then hopped up and bent down to check on her student. "You okay, sugar."

"Yeah, just... sorry. I couldn't defend your honor." said Lucky Star as she looked at her teacher.

"You did the best, that's all that matters." smiled Aj as she helped her mentee up and both cleared the way.

"Next!" shouted Isaac.

"Finally, how dare you make me wait." said Sunny Flare as she got up from the chair she was sitting on as she flipped her hair and made her way to the platform. She activated her duel disk as it projected a moderate cerise card tray.

"Good luck, Amber." said Rarity as she was giving some last words to her student. "Take that diva down."

"I promise, Ms. Rarity." nodded Amber as she got on the platform and had her duel disk project an amber color light.

"You think you'll defeat me. Please. The only reason why Rarity was able to beat me before was because she cheated and used a card she hadn't used previously." stated Sunny Flare.

"I still beat you fair and square." barked out Rarity.

"If you call using a card that nobody's seen 'fair'. But I'm not one to dwell on the past for too long. Besides, I only have limited time, so let's hurry this up." said Sunny Flare snootily.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunny Flare's Life Points: 8000-

Amber's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunny Flare

"My draw, and I'll summon Hazy Flame Cerbereus(2000/200)." A circle of fire lit up in front of Sunny. From within them rose a large three-headed dog, its entire body made of flickering orange and red flames. The three heads looked at each other before turning forward to growl at Amber. "Despite it being level 6, I can summon it without a tribute. All I have to do is sap its strength in half." Cerbereus groaned as its body lit up red, the flames of its mane dying down.

“I end my turn.”

Turn 2: Amber

Her monster only has 1000 attack points. What is she planning? "It's my turn, and now I summon my Lunalight Emerald Bird(1200/1000)." Amber now had a monster appeared as it was a women who had green feathers along her entire body as as had her right eye had a half moon mask.

"I'll admit, Rarity does have good taste. She picked a student whose monsters are colorful and stylish. My word, the colors, the material, all of it speaks to me." said Sunny Flare.

"Thanks, now the effect of my Lunalight Emerald Bird allows me to send my Lunalight Crimson Fox to the graveyard so that I can draw one card. Next up, I'll play my spell card, Alley Catastrophe. Thanks to this, my monster now gains 500 extra attack points during battle. So now time to swoop in, Emerald Bird attack her Hazy Flame Cerbereus!" shouted Amber as her monster swooped high into the air and did a whirlwind effect as it took out its target.
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 7300-

"Thank, dear. I activate my monster's special ability. When Hazy Flame Cerbereus is destroyed, I can add a ‘Hazy’ card from my deck to my hand.” She held up her card. “I’ll take this, the continuous spell card Hazy Pillar.”

"In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Sunny Flare

"My turn, and now I'll activate my spell, Hazy Pillar." The ground behind Sunny split apart. A glowing, wavering pillar of bright orange fire rose up from it, the top flickering and snapping the air. “As long as this card is in play, any Hazy Flame monster I may summon requires one less tribute for their summoning.” She flipped another card out of her hand and swung it onto her card tray. “Since I now I have need no for tributes for this monster, I’ll summon the Level 6 Hazy Flame Sphynx(1900/1900) in attack mode.” A large fireball emerged from the Hazy Pillar and floated in front of Sunny. The flames expanded and grew into a form laying on the ground, and then receded to reveal her monster. A beast with the body of a lion and the head of a woman lounged on the grass, her mane a field of orange and red fire. Jeweled blue and yellow regalia covered her forehead and neck.

Sunny smirked and reached to another card. “I now activate the spell card, Card Advance. This allows me to look at the top five cards of my deck and place them back on top of the deck in any order I wish, and I’m also afforded an extra tribute summon this turn.” Sunny’s cards ejected from her duel disk, and she picked them up and fanned them out. She let out a small giggle. "Does this remind you of anything, Rarity?" asked Sunny Flare with a sly smile.

"Grr." growled Rarity as she remembered this was the same move Sunny Flare used in her duel against her.

"So you're trying to manipulate the cards you want by placing them in the order you desire." stated Amber.

"Clever girl, but not really. Allow me to demonstrate," One by one, Sunny put the five cards back on her deck, and rolled her neck when she was done, "I activate the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx. Once per turn I can guess if the top card of my deck is a spell, trap, or monster card. I then reveal and discard that card, and if I guessed correctly, I can summon a Fire monster from my hand or graveyard.” She put a hand on the top of her deck and smirked.

"Ah, so that's why you played that spell." stated Amber as even she was impressed by Sunny Flare's plan.

"I guess the top card to be a monster." Sunny drew and held up the card. She press a hand to her cheek. "Who would have guessed, it is a monster. Hazy Flame Hydra! Hydra now gets discarded, and I can summon a monster.” She pursed her lip. I now use the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx to revive my Hazy Flame Hydra(2300/200)!” Hazy Flame Sphynx turned its head and opened its mouth to shoot a column of fire at the ground. The flame formed into the shape of Sunny Flare’s monster and dispersed to reveal it, a writhing mass of red serpentine necks topped by pairs of red jaws with glowing eyes.

"Like before, the effect of my Card Advance allows me to conduct an additional summon this turn. I summon Hazy Flame Mantikor(2200/300), and by the effect of my Hazy Pillar, I shall do so without needing a tribute.” A swarm of fireballs floated out of the pillar of fire and congregated, growing into a quadrupedal form and dispersing. A large red lion with leathery wings crouched in front of Sunny, its mane a ring of orange fire. Sunny laughed and pointed forward. "Now Hazy Flame Sphynx attack her Lunalight Emerald Bird!" Hazy Flame Sphynx leaned its head back and shot a jet of fire from its mouth. The fire struck Emerald Bird and knocked it through the air, as it struck the ground and exploded.
Amber's Life Points: 7300-

"I now activate my facedown, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Now since my monster was destroyed, I can now add 2 'Lunalight' monsters from my deck to my hand." stated Amber as she used her duel screen to make her selection on the cards she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"Well, it won't help you. Cause now both my Hazy Flame Mantikor and Hazy Flame Hydra attack you both directly!" shouted Sunny Flare. The Hydra’s heads turned to face each other and summoned an orb of fire between them. The orb launched forward and engulfed Amber in a flash of light. Sunny’s Mantikor roared and leapt through the air. It lifted its paw and extended claws of flickering orange fire as it did a slash on the young teen.
Amber's Life Points: 2800-

"Ahh!" said Amber as she fell onto her back from the attacks.

"Tisk, tisk, dear. You've barely made a move, and I'm about to win this duel in record time. Rarity, you might want to find a new apprentice, this kid is last year's model." snickered Sunny Flare.

"I'm not a kid!" shouted Amber as that comment got her angry. "And don't you dare insult, Ms. Rarity."

"Seems she's a feisty one, typical for a child. Now let me show you some discipline." Sunny Flare sneered and held a hand into the air. “I overlay my Hazy Flame Hydra and my Hazy Flame Mantikor! Using my two Level 6 monsters, I construct the Overlay Network!”

Rarity’s eyes widened, "No, not this monster." recalled the marshmallow girl as her memories of it came flooding to her mind.

Sunny Flare’s two monsters turned into orbs of orange light and swirled into a flaming vortex above her, red light gleaming from the center. She spun in place as she reached to her duel disk, her hair and skirt flying through the air. "By uniting the serpent of fire and the lion of fire, I spark the kindling that will light the flames of malice!” She stopped with her hand in place, a card ejecting into her fingers. “I Xyz Summon.” She swung her card out and onto her duel disk with one swift motion. “Take flight, Hazy Flame Basiltrice(2500/1800, OLU: 2)!” The Hazy Pillar behind Sunny blazed hotter as a shadowed form appeared within it. With a loud screech, a massive avian monster flew out of the flames and circled the field, two balls of orange light orbiting it. Wings of fire and gold swept through the skies, feathers in blue and orange and red rustling and a long serpent’s tail flicking the air in its wake. The monster touched down behind Sunny on six claws and raised its chest proudly, red eyes blazing beneath a golden crown and a hair of blue fire.

"Woah." said Amber as she took in the creature in all of its glory.

"Impressive, isn't it. But I'm not done, When my Hydra is used as an Xyz Material, the monster I summon with it gains an additional Xyz Material, in the form of another Hazy Flame Monster in my graveyard. I choose my Hazy Flame Cerbereus.” A third ball of light rose from Sunny’s duel disk and joined the other two orbiting the Basiltrice. "Now the effect of my Basiltrice activates, since it has 3 Xyz materials it gains an extra 200 attack and defense points for each one of them making it now have 3100 attack." informed Sunny Flare.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Amber

"My turn," said Amber as she drew her card and looked at, "Here goes, I now play the spell card Polymerization and I'll use it to combine my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Black Sheep. By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber now had a monster that was a cat women who wore white garments as her dress was revealed so that it could show off her smooth legs and thighs as it wore a cat mask that had a moon shape as well as wore bracelets on both of her arms. She struck a pose as it showed off her dominance as well as her beauty.

"Now the ability of my Black Sheep activates, since I used it to fusion summon, I can add my Lunalight Emerald Bird back to my hand." said Amber as her duel disk ejected her monster for her to grab. "Then I play the spell card, Lunalight Perfume. So now I can bring back a 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard, so come back, Lunalight Blue Cat(1600/1200). And when Blue Cat is special summoned, I can double the attack points of my Cat Dancer. Finally, I'll activate Cat Dancer's ability, so now by offering up my Blue Cat is tribute, my Cat Dancer can attack your monster twice!"

"Well, I didn't see that coming." said Sunny Flare in a nonchalant tone.

Cat Dancer now had its stats soar up to 4800 attack points, "Do it, Cat Dancer! Attack Hazy Flame Basiltrice, Full Moon Mayhem!!" shouted Amber. Her monster then leaped into the air as it delivered a powerful kick to Sunny's monster before it leaped back.
Sunny Flare's Life Points: 5600-

"The first attack doesn't destroy your monster, but this second attack will." said Amber as her monster unleashed a moon slash attack as it was heading towards Hazy Flame Basiltrice.

"I activate my trap card, Slip of Fortune. This negates your attack and banishes Hazy Flame Basiltrice until the next turn.” Basiltrice turned into a ball of flame and was drawn into the Hazy Pillar. Cat Dancer’s attack flickered out and vanished in the air.

"Why do that? Now when your monster comes back, it'll no overlay units." informed Amber.

"Only a child would think so closed-minded." snickered Sunny Flare.

"I'm not some child!" shouted Amber as she ended her turn.

Turn 5: Sunny Flare

"Yes, you are. And time I show you what the adult can do." said Sunny Flare as she drew her card. "Now the second effect of my Slip of Fortune returns Hazy Flame Basiltrice to my field.” The Hazy Pillar behind her flared up and the Basiltrice flew out of it, embers swirling in the air in its wake. Sunny tossed her hair and gestured to Hazy Flame Sphynx. “I shall now use the effect of Hazy Flame Sphynx. I guess the type of card on top of my deck and then send it to the graveyard, and if I guessed right, I can revive a Fire monster in the graveyard.” Sunny place her hand on her deck. “I’m going to guess it’s a monster card.” She turned the card over and barked out a chuckle. "You lose this duel. It’s another copy of Hazy Flame Sphynx. It goes to the graveyard, and I’ll revive my Hazy Flame Hydra.” A jet of flame erupted from the ground in front of Sunny, and the multi-headed serpent slithered out of it and rose up.

"Next I'll summon my Hazy Flame Hyppogrif(2100/200)." A fireball floated from the Hazy Pillar and expanded into the shape of a new monster. The flames receded to reveal an avian with fiery wings and four talons crouching on the ground, a crest of red fire on its head. Sunny smirked. “And now, I think you know what comes next. I overlay my Hazy Flame Sphynx, Hazy Flame Hydra, and Hazy Flame Hyppogrif! Using my three Level 6 monsters, I construct the Overlay network!” The three monsters turned into orbs of flame and floated towards the Hazy Pillar, circling it in streaks of light. Sunny held her hand up. “By uniting the serpent of fire, the avian of fire, and the lion of fire, I spark the kindling that will light the inferno of malice!” She swept her arms through the air, bringing her hand down to her duel disk. “I Xyz Summon!” She whipped the card out and slid it into place on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up. “Take flight, Hazy Flame Basiltrice!” A shockwave of orange and red energy burst out of the Hazy Pillar, signaling the Basiltrice’s arrival as it flew out. It circled around Sunny and landed on her right, three orbs of orange light circling it.

"You remember the special ability of my Hazy Flame Hydra, right? When Hazy Flame Hydra is used as an Xyz Material, another Hazy Flame monster in my graveyard can be attached as an additional Xyz Material. I choose my Hazy Flame Mantikor.” Another ball of light emerged from the ground and floated into orbital formation with the other three. “Now that that is taken care of, I think you should be aware of my Basiltrice’s other abilities.” Sunny chuckled softly. “With three or more Xyz Materials, my Basiltrice gains two hundred attack points for each of them. And with four or more Xyz Materials, you cannot target my Basiltrice with card effects. But I'm not done, cause my spell card, Hazy Pillar allows me to add another monster as Xyz material to my Basiltrice, and I choose my Hazy Flame Peryton." Now Sunny's monster had a total of five materials as it was now untouchable. "Now with 5 overly units, it can't be destroyed by card effects!"

"It's unbeatable." said Amber as she had no plan to take down that monster.

"Now to win, I activate Hazy Flame Basiltrice's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can banish a monster on your field. So say goodbye to that Cat Dancer." Hazy Flame Basiltrice opened it beak as one of its orbiting lights flew into its mouth. With a loud caw it snapped its head forward, a beam of bright orange light lancing across the field. Cat Dancer mewled as the light consumed it, its forming shattering under the blast. Amber grit her teeth and looked away, raising an arm to block her eyes.

"Now to end this, Hazy Flame Basiltrice attack the 'child' directly!!" shouted Sunny Flare. Basiltrice opened its mouth and fired a stream of flame.
Amber's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sunny Flare

"Like I said, you're just a child pretending to know what she's doing. Grow up and then maybe I'll take you seriously, but then again, you have a lot of growing up to do." snickered Sunny Flare as she fixed her hair and got off.

"Amber, darling." said Rarity as she went to check on her student.

"Sorry." Amber had her head down as she feel disappointed that she let her teacher down.

"You did well." said the fashionista as she led her student off the field.

"Next!" called Isaac.

"So which one of you students am I going to have fun with?" smiled Sour Sweet. "And by fun, I mean crushing your very soul in defeat." said the girl as her expression changed on a dime.

"That would be me." said Shadow as he was now up to bat.

"Careful, Shadow." said Fluttershy as she remembered her last encounter with Sour Sweet at the Friendship Games.

"Remember, what I taught you Shadow. Keep calm, focus, and have a party." stated Pinkie.

"How's that last part gonna help?!" shouted the boy. "God, why did I get stuck with you as my tutor?" muttered the boy under his breath.

"What was that?" asked Pinkie with a smile.

"Nothing." said Shadow as he slipped his duel disk on and projected a dark blue card tray which Sour Sweet matched with her pale pink color.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

Sour Sweet's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sour Sweet

"Ladies first," said Sour Sweet as she drew her card, "I'll activate this spell card, Quiet Life. Now pay close attention, cause for the rest of this duel, everything changes. If you normal summon on your turn, then you can't special summon and vice-versa."

"I can't what?" said Shadow. "So I can only do one or the other."

"You are a smart boy, shame that you're slow and dumb." snickered Sour Sweet. "Now I'll activate the spell card Amazoness Call, now I can add 1 'Amazoness' monster from my deck and add it to my hand. I now play the spell card, Polymerization so that I can fuse together my Amazoness Tiger and Amazoness Spy." The two monsters flickered and were drawn up into the vortex. Sour Sweet held her hand up. "Get set for some paws, claws, and like, warring roars! I Fusion Summon Amazoness Pet Liger(2500/2400)!" A pillar of dark red light burst out, revealing a massive liger, pale beige with black stripes. Armor plating with spikes covered its shoulders, gleaming blue against the dark orange of its mane. It prowled up next to Sour Sweet, glaring at Shadow with one red eye, the other closed by a jagged scar, and roared at her.

"He's such a cutie, isn't he?" Sour Sweet smiled and patted the monster on one of its armored portions. "I'll then lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shadow

"My turn." said Shadow as he drew his card; he then touched his duel screen as he looked at the card on Sour Sweet's field and enlarged it as he read its effects. So I have to pick which method of summoning I do for the turn, cause I can't do the other. This is going to be tough.

"I'll throw down a facedown and end my turn."

"That's all?" asked Pinkie.

"There's not much he can he do on his first turn, little sis." informed Isaac. "For Shadow to even begin to summon his Xyz monsters, he has to normal summon on his first turn. Then usually he can special summon all the monsters he wants, but Sour Sweet's spell card forbids him from doing that. So in a sense, she's locked Shadow from ever summoning his monsters."

"Right, cause like you said, Shadow needs at least one monster on his field for his deck to work. And with that spell in play, his options are either limited or he straight up can't do anything." added Twilight. "Sour Sweet has basically forced Shadow to just play a monster once per turn, and then she can just slowly take care of them one by one until he's defenseless."

"So, he's lost and it's the first turn." said Rainbow.

"Weren't you paying attention to what we were saying?" said Isaac.

Turn 3: Sour Sweet

"Got nothing, don't worry, I'll put you out of your misery really soon." said Sour Sweet as she drew her card. "Faster, than expected. Now I'll have my Pet Liger attack you directly. And when he attacks, he gains 500 extra attack points. Chew him up, kitty." informed the girl as her monster now raced forward and tackled he boy to the ground as it had him pinned down. It then unsheathed a claw as it traced it along the boy's face as he was scared of the beast with its fangs out; Liger then raised it paw up and left a scratch on Shadow's face.

"Ow, that hurt!" said Shadow as he sat up with claw marks on his face as it glowed red for a second before they disappeared.
Shadow's Life Points: 5000-

"But it's worth it, cause since I took damage, I can now special summon my Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture(1700/100) from my hand." said Shadow as he managed to summon a monster to his field.

"So you took the damage to set yourself up for the next turn. I don't know whether you're smart or just dumb. Maybe the second option." stated Sour Sweet. "Well, either way, I'm done for now. I'll place another card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Shadow

"It's my turn and time for me to take advantage of this duel." said Shadow as he drew his card.

"Alright, Shadow. Let's see what you got." said Isaac to himself.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Raidraptor - Pain Lanius(100/100), so by taking damage equal to my Avenge Vulture's defense points, I can special summon this bird to the field. And since I took damage, I can summon a second Avenge Vulture." said Shadow as he now had a trio of birds on his field.
Shadow's Life Points: 4900-

"It's go time, I overlay all three of my Raidraptors in order to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's three monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon all three orbs disappeared inside of the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU: 3)!" Out came a huge bird that had a mechanical look as it let out a piercing screech.

"An oversized turkey? That's your big play, it only has 100 attack points." stated Sour Sweet as she wasn't impressed.

"Just watch, I activate Rise Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit it gains the attack points of your Liger!" shouted Shadow as his monster rose up to 2600 attack points. "Now take out her Liger, Ravaging Rebellion!!!"

"Yeah, that's like, not gonna happen. I reveal my facedown, Amazoness Substitution. Now since you targeted an 'Amazoness' monster, I can now special summon a Level 4 or below 'Amazoness' monster from my hand and it becomes the new target, so I choose my Amazoness Swords Woman(1500/1600)!" said Sour Sweet as out came a female warrior as she wielded a sword.

"Doesn't matter, you're still taking the damage." informed Shadow.

"Wrong again." said Sour Sweet. "See this is why girls are much better than boys, see my Amazoness Swords Woman makes it so that any damage it encounters, you take it instead." said Sour Sweet as Shadow's bird collided with the female warrior as the boy felt the after effect.
Shadow's Life Points: 3800-

"Not good." said Pinkie as she watched her student was now down to nearly half of his life total.

"You got lucky, I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 5: Sour Sweet

"My turn, and now I'll sacrifice my Amazoness Swords Woman so that I can advance summon my Amazoness Queen(2400/1800). A large wooden throne decorated with animal skulls appeared. Sitting on it was a blue-haired warrior clad in armor of animal hides. A large curved sword with a spiked guard rested between her legs, her hands on the end of the hilt. "Now to attack, Amazoness Pet Liger attack that bird, remember he gains 500 more attack points when he attacks."

"This time I'm ready, Raidraptor Evasion, so by sending one of its Xyz materials to my hand, I can dodge your Liger's attack." said Shadow as his bird survived Liger's claws.

"So what? I still have my Amazoness Queen to attack with, attack my mighty monster." said Sour Sweet as her monster raised its sword up high and was about to take out Rise Falcon.

"I activate my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Battle Force. When you declare an attack, I can target 1 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster I control and then use that monster to Xyz summon a monster that's 2 ranks higher!" Shadow's Rise Falcon then transformed itself and its last overlay unit into orbs of light as they stayed in the air as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs disappeared as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow now replaced his previous monster with an even powerful one.

"So what, it's still weaker. I continue my attack." stated the girl.

"Now I reveal my last facedown, Adversity. So I dodge your attack again and then my Revolution Falcon gains an extra 1000 attack points." said Shadow as his monster dodged the attack and was now stronger.

"Alright, well I end my turn."

Turn 6: Shadow

"My turn, and now I activate Revolution Falcon's special ability, by using one overlay unit, my Revolution Falcon can attack all of your monsters. And so I'll start by attacking your Pet Liger, and so his attack and defense points drop to zero!" stated the boy as the cat lost its stats. "Go Blitz Bombardment!!!!" shouted Shadow as his monster was dropping tons of small bombs as they went off around Liger.

"See, my Liger ain't going anywhere, cause my Amazoness Queen's effect makes it so that all my 'Amazoness' monsters can't be destroyed in battle." informed Sour Sweet.
Sour Sweet's Life Points: 5000-

"Maybe, but you still take damage. And now my Revolution Falcon will attack your Amazoness Queen!" said Shadow as his bird was charging towards the monster.

"Not gonna work, see Liger doesn't like when you attack its owner, so it can negate your attack! And it's roar is something to real howl about." said Sour Sweet as Liger unleashed a powerful roar as it stopped Shadow's monster in its tracks.

"No way." said Shadow as he was surprised by that move.

Turn 7: Sour Sweet

"Time to finish this, and I'll start by playing Pot of Greed to draw two cards, then I'm summoning my Amazoness Tiger(1100/1500). And this little cute thing gets 400 extra attack points for every 'Amazoness' monster I control, so now it has 1900 attack points. Then I play the spell card, Amazoness Spellcaster. So now I switch the original attack points of my Pet Liger with your Revolution Falcon." Pet Liger now had 2000 attack points while Revolution Falcon dropped to 2500 attack points. "Now Pet Liger attack and as you know when it battles, it gains 500 more attack points, but due to my Queen's effect, all my monsters remain." Pet Liger then collided with Revolution Falcon as it resulted in an explosion to occur as only Pet Liger remained. "Now to finish you off, Amazoness Queen and Tiger take him out!" stated Sour Sweet as her two monsters finished off Shadow's remaining points.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sour Sweet

"Easiest win of my life." stated Sour Sweet as she flipped her hair and got off.

"Why?" said Shadow as he pounded the ground in frustration.

"Aw, cheer up." said Pinkie as she approached her student. "So you didn't win, I mean you're the fourth person who's lost in a row. And is the one who lost the most points in a few turns. And not to mention got your butt whupped by a girl." rambled Pinkie as she was going on a tangent.

"Is this suppose to be you making me feel better?" asked Shadow.

"Somebody needs a hug." said Pinkie as she pulled her student in for a tight squeeze.

"I don't want a hug, especially from you of all people." said the boy as she struggled to break free from his teacher's strong grip. "Why does the universe hate me for giving you as tutor?"

"What was that?" asked Pinkie with a smile.

"Nothing." said Shadow as he continued to get free and away from Pinkie.

"Next!" said Isaac.

"Best for last, I ain't complaining." said Indigo Zap as she was raring to go as she jumped on the platform and put on her duel disk as it projected a card tray of dark blue energy.

"Alright, Jack. Listen up!" said Rainbow as she was talking with her student. "The others all failed, so it's up to you to make sure that those Shadowbolts don't walk away with all the wins. You're the last line defense, solider. Go out and win, show no mercy!" shouted the chromatic girl to the boy. "Am I understood?!"

"I'll try." said Jack nonchalantly. He then got up on the platform as he slid on his duel disk and it projected a purple card tray.

"So, Crash really became a teacher. Man, is she an egghead." snickered Indigo. "Hey, kid. How's it like learning from a loser, like your mentor?"

"Keeping talking and I'm coming up there myself to shut you up!" shouted Rainbow as she waved her fist. "Jack, no mercy!!! This is war, private!!!"

"Yes, captain." said the boy as he told his commander.

"So kid, I got a burning question: tell me how it feels to be roasted at 300 degrees?" snickered Indigo. "You know what they say, if you can't take the heat get out of the kitchen. Maybe you should stopped, dropped and rolled."

"Grr." said Jack as he was amused by Indigo making fun of his burns. He could feel the sting and heat from his right side as he touched his right arm as his headache was bring back some memories.

"Hey, knock it off. The kid..."

"Enough, Rainbow." said Isaac. "Indigo knows about Jack's past, it's why she's making those comments. See, another thing that Jack needs to overcome is the remarks and comments that people will make about his burns. He needs to be able to not let those remarks or his past memory get in his head and affect his mind. He does that, and he'll lose faster that you down a bottle of apple cider. Everybody has to face stuff that people make fun of, they need to be able to use that bullying and push forward or let it forever guide your life in fear."

"Anybody tell you, that you should have wore a blazer when you caught on fire." snickered Indigo as the rest of the Shadowbolts joined in on chuckling. The girls all had glares, but Isaac told them to let it go and let Jack deal with it himself.

"Rainbow's right, you talk too much, Yap. Time for me to shut you up." said Jack as he wasn't letting Indigo's insults get to him.

"Then get ready to crash and burn kid, but then again, you already know how that feels. Especially your parents." stated the girl.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Indigo Zap's Life Points: 8000-

Jack's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Jack

"I'll start, I draw! I summon Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna(800/1400) in defense mode." Out came a boxer as it did some moves and had a red chest plate. "Now I'll lay a card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Indigo

"My turn, and time to send you packing like your little friends. I activate the field spell, F.A. Circuit Grand Prix!” A horizontal wave of energy shot out behind Indigo, leaving black asphalt on the ground behind it, steel-blue railings lining the edges. The wave turned and weaved up and down the walls of the stadium, tracing out a racing track along the edges of the field. The energy wave reached the start of the track behind Indigo and rippled out, creating a large circular pit zone around her.

"Next I’ll summon F.A. Sonic Meister(0/1000).” A horizontal portal appeared on the road behind Indigo. With a roar of an engine, a gleaming silver, blue, and orange race car sped out, two large rocket engines blazing on either side of a large central rear wheel behind the driver. The race car turned and moved into position next to her, the engines dying down.

"Great, here comes my worst enemy: math." groaned Rainbow as she starting to get a headache.

"How do you think I feel, now I'm gonna have to add and recount to relay the info for you guys." said Isaac as he had to inform the entire group on what current levels and effects Indigo's monsters would have at the given time.

"Your teach is right, kid. See while my F.A. Sonic Meister might start with 0 attack points, it has a kickass ability. They have attack power equal to their Level times three hundred.” Indigo held up four fingers. “Sonic Meister is Level 4, so that works out to twelve hundred attack points.” Sonic Meister’s driver grinned inside his helmet and revved his engine. “Next I’ll throw a card face-down and end my turn.” Indigo rolled her shoulders and slumped back. “Go for it.”

Turn 3: Jack

"My draw, and I'll summon my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400). And when using Battlin' Boxer Switchitter, he counts as 2 monsters. So now I'll overlay my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter so that I can build the Overlay Network!" Jack's monster then transformed into two orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon the orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 1)!" Out emerged one of Jack's strongest monsters as it had its fist all wrapped in chains and wood.

"That's your big play." scuffed Indigo. "Yeesh, seems that fire did damage your brain, it made you lose a few brains cells."

"I'm gonna punch her in the face." gritted Rainbow.

"Rainbow, calm yourself." warned Isaac.

"But she's insulting my student."

"And you don't think Jack can handle her?" asked Isaac to which Rainbow remained quiet for a bit as she saw her friend's point. "Trust in the boy."

"Alright." nodded the chromatic girl.

"By the way, I noticed that you called Jack 'your student'. Seems you're really taking this teacher role seriously."

"Shut up! I'm anything but a teacher, I'm cool." stated the girl. "I'm not an egghead like Twilight."

"Hey!!" shouted Twilight.

"Now I'll attack your Sonic Meister!" shouted Jack.

"Wait, don't do that!" shouted Rainbow as she tried to warn her student.

"Too late, Crash. Cause now I reveal my facedown, F.A. Downforce. This lets me increase the level of my Sonic Meister by two for the rest of the turn.” Sonic Meister’s engines lit up blue and began to rev louder. “Oh, and my Sonic Meister has an ability, too. When I activate an F.A. spell or trap card or its effect, it gains a level permanently.” Indigo held up her hand again, three fingers extended. “All in all, Sonic Meister is at Level 5 now, plus two for the rest of the turn, which means it’s attack points are at twenty-one hundred.”

"Either way, your monster is still destroyed." stated Jack.

"Confirmed, you're Rainbow's student. You're both stupid." stated Indigo. The smoke of the attack cleared, revealing Sonic Meister, engine still revving. "Cause Sonic Meister’s special ability – it can’t be destroyed in battle when it battles a monster with a lower level than it."

"But Jack's monster has a rank, not a level!" shouted Rainbow.

"That's not what I'm talking about, Dunce!" howled Indigo. "See, the effect of my Circuit Grand Prix field grants all F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during the battle phase. And now that he’s at Level 9, Sonic Meister has twenty-seven hundred points. Which means your monster is destroyed and you take damage!"
Jack's Life Points: 7500-

"My life points may have taken a hit, but my Lead Yoke has a cool ability of his own. By using one overlay unit, I can protect my monster from being destroyed and it gains 800 attack points." informed Jack. His monster then broke of its chains as its fist was released.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Indigo

"My turn!" Indigo drew and reached to her hand. “I’ll start this turn by summoning F.A. Whip Crosser(0/1000).” A portal opened behind Indigo. An armored blue and yellow motorbike rode out of it, the driver clad in armor of the same color scheme. He popped a wheelie and drove up beside Indigo before letting the wheel down. “Whip Crosser has similar abilities to my Sonic Meister,” Indigo said. “Namely, he has three hundred attack times his level, and he increases in level as I use F.A. spell and trap cards or effects.” She reached to her duel disk. “Like this one. I activate the effect of F.A. Downforce in my graveyard.” The image of Indigo’s card appeared above her and dissolved. “By banishing Downforce, I basically get its effect again, boosting my F.A. Sonic Meister two levels for this turn only. And since I activated the effect of an F.A. Spell card, they also get another permanent level gain.” Indigo held her hands out to gesture to her two monsters. “That means Sonic Meister is Level 8 for this turn, and Whip Crosser is Level 5.”

"Either way, your monsters' levels mean nothing since my Lead Yoke has a rank." stated Jack.

"True, but I still attack it. I switch Sonic Meister to defense mode, and then activate the spell card F.A. Test Run.” A computer console rose next to Sonic Meister, cables snaking out of the machinery and attaching to the car. “This card changes Sonic Meister back to attack mode, and then I get to destroy one card on the field. I choose to destroy your facedown." said Indigo as Jack's facedown exploded. "And by the way, just to make sure you’re still keeping up, that’s another F.A. Spell activated and another level on my monsters.” Indigo grinned. “I think we’ve built up enough speed now, so let’s see how they run! I enter my battle phase, and now the effect of my field spell gives my F.A. monsters another boost of two levels. F.A. Sonic Meister is now level 11 and has 3300 attack points, attack Battlin' Boxer Rib Gardna!” Sonic Meister revved up and sped off across the field, crashing through the guard rails of the pit stop. It drove into Rib Gardna, the fighter splaying out across the front of the car, and after driving another second, it screeched to a sudden halt. Rib Gardna flipped through the air and crashed into the wall of the stadium.

"I'm not done." Indigo’s duel disk beeped and ejected a card, which she picked up. “Once per turn, when an F.A. monster destroys a monster in battle, I get to draw a card due to the effect of my field spell. Oh, and since that’s an F.A. spell effect triggered, that’s another level booster! And one more thing, as long as it has a current Level of seven or higher, F.A. Sonic Meister can attack two monsters a turn! With the additional level, it gains another 300 points. Now my monster is level 12 and has 3600 attack points! Here comes the second lap!” Sonic Meister roared to life again and turned to drive at Lead Yoke. The car shot passed it, braked, and turned, and the rear end of the car slammed into Lead Yoke and sent it tumbling across the grass.
ack's Life Points: 6900-

"I reveal my facedown, Last Minute Substitution. Since I control an Xyz monster with no materials, I can attach one monster from my hand so that it becomes an overlay unit." said Jack as his Lead Yoke now had another overlay unit to use as the attack made contact. "Like before, I'll remove the last overlay unit, to make my Battlin' Boxer survive the attack and increase its attack by 800." said Jack as the last chain broke free of his monster.

“I end my turn with a facedown, and the spell boosting effects wear off of my monsters. So now my Sonic Meister is back to Level 8 and has 2400 attack points, and Whip Crosser is back to Level 7 and welding 2100 attack points. ” Sonic Meister and Whip Crosser glowed as their engines slowed.

Turn 5: Jack

"My draw, and now I summon Battlin' Boxer Headgeared(1000/1800) and when this guy is summoned, I can send a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my deck to my graveyard, so I'll send my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage. Then I play the spell card, Battlin' Boxer Spirits, so I'll send the top card of my deck to the graveyard so that I can revive my Big Bandage. Next, I activate Big Bandage's effect so now all my 'Battlin' Boxers' gain the same level as one in my graveyard, so I'll choose my Battlin' Boxer Glassjaw to make Bandage Level 4. Then I overlay both Bandage and Headgeared to construct the Overlay Network." Jack's two monsters then turned into orbs of light as a portal opened up and they disappeared inside. "I Xyz Summon, Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser(2300/1600, OLU: 2)!" Jack's new monster appeared as it clamped its fist together. "And my Nova Kaiser allows me to attach my Glassjaw to it, to gain another Xyz material to raise its attack by another 100 for each material so now it has 2600 attack points."

"Not bad." scoffed Indigo.

"Then to attack, Lead Yoke attack her Sonic Meister!" shouted Jack as his monster took out its target.
Indigo's Life Points: 6600-

"And now, Nova Kaiser will attack your Whip Crosser!"

"Now this time, Half-Unbreak. So now my Whip Crosser is safe, and I take half the damage." stated Indigo as she survived the attack.
Indigo's Life Points: 6500-

"Lucky, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Indigo

"Alright, this game's gone on long enough. Time to burn you up, kid. I draw!" said Indigo as she drew her card. "First things first, I activate the effect of my spell card, F.A. Test Run that's in my graveyard. By banishing Test Run, I can destroy a card on my field.” Indigo looked around as she made her choice. "Say goodbye to your Lead Yoke!" With that Jack's monster was now gone.

"Now since I used the effect of Test Run in my graveyard, my F.A. Whip Crosser gains a level. Then, the effect of Test Run lets me special summon an 'F.A.' monster from my deck. I summon F.A. Turbo Charger(0/1500).” A bright yellow portal opened on the track behind her and a massive monster truck rolled out, painted bright purple with glowing yellow exhaust pipes emerging from its hubcaps and the sides of its cabin. It rolled up next to Indigo, looming over her. "After, that I'm playing Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Then I'll upgrade my field spell for this new one, I activate the Field Spell F.A. City Grand Prix!” Indigo slipped her card on her duel disk with a grin. A wave of energy rippled out from around her. City streets with painted crosswalks and streetlights traced around them, transparent holograms of scenic buildings rising up from the ground. When the field was completed, the streetlights simultaneously lit up green.

"This nifty spell gives all of my F.A. monsters a boost of two levels during both the Battle and Main Phases, and it prevents you from targeting them with effects. And that's another boosted level my monsters get for playing my field spell.”

"So, how strong are you monsters?" said Jack as he lost count of the levels of Indigo's monsters.

"Whip Crosser's level rises to 11 and now he has 3300 attack points! And Turbo Charger is level 9 and has 3000 attack! points. Now I'll play the spell card, F.A. Pit Stop thanks to this spell card, it allows me to reduce my Turbo Charge's level by two and draw a card. But since I activate an 'F.A.' spell, it'll gain back that level so it's now Level 8. Then I summon the tuner monster, F.A. Auto Navigator(0/0)." A small cylinder rolled out in front of Indigo and unfurled into a tablet computer. Its screen lit up, projecting the holographic image of a small woman in a pink dress with a parasol and bushy blue hair. Indigo looked down at the hologram. "Now I tune my Level 1 Auto Navigator with my Level 8 Turbo Charger!" Auto Navigator glowed green and separated into one giant glowing ring. Turbo Charger hovered higher into the air and glowed orange as the rings came along it, energy crackling between them. Indigo tilted her head back to look up at them, a hand above her duel disk. “I align the avatar of speed and the monster trunk of speed, and together they accelerate towards a titanic new form!” Her monster ejected from her duel disk and she seized it and placed it on the card tray. “I Synchro Summon! Roll out, F.A. Motorhome Transport(0/3000)!” The ground shook and the race track behind Indigo cracked apart and lifted into the air, revealing the doors of a lift platform built into the ground. The platform rose into Rainbow’s view, carrying a massive white truck, orange and blue stripes painted along the sides. Retracted ramps were built into the sides, and vehicle maintenance bays were visible through the windows. The truck ground to a halt, the cab hissing, and two large mechanical claws lifted out from the sides and clinked together.

"What... is that thing?" said Jack as he looked at the size of Indigo's new monster.

"F.A. Motorhome Transport has the same effect as my other F.A. racers, namely that his attack power is equal to its Level times three hundred. It’s currently Level 9, and then rises two more from my field spell. So now its level is 11 and its attack rises to 3300.” Motorhome Transport revved its engine and glowed orange. "Lastly, I'll play the spell card, Limiter Removal to double both of my monster's attack points until the end of the turn." Indigo then did a thumbs down to Jack, "Time to burn, kid. F.A. Whip Crosser attack his Nova Kaiser!" shouted the girl as her monster revved up its engines and took out Jack's last monster. "Now F.A. Motorhome Transport, steamroll him!!" shouted the girl as her last monster made contact and sent the boy on his back.
Jack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Indigo

"No way!" said Rainbow as she was shocked to see her student lose.

"Clean sweep." said Isaac as he now got on the platform and approached Indigo. "Good job."

"Of course." scoffed the girl as she met with her friends and they all exited the room.

Sometime later, Isaac was with the Shadowbolts alone in the room.

"You really believe the kids are gonna pass?" asked Indigo. "The way they dueled against us, they were weak."

"I knew you girls would win." said Isaac as his back was turned to them as he had his arms crossed.

"Then what's the point of us even battling if you already knew that." stated Sugarcoat bluntly.

"To give them a small preview of what their final exam will be." stated Isaac. "The kids now know what to expect when the Board of Education comes and they see the duels."

"So, we were nothing more than guinea pigs?" asked Sunny Flare.

"I didn't say that." smiled Isaac. "The kids still have a lot to learn and I still need to complete my final objectives."

"Glad I'm not in your shoes." said Lemon Zest.

"Well, you probably show look for better students, safe to say these fell short." responded Sour Sweet.

"Though real talk, we actually had fun." said Indigo as she step forward to look at Isaac. "We have not have shown it, but we did enjoy ourselves. Gotta say, Isaac. You got your work cut out for you; this and then you going pro after graduation. It's alot, but we five believe you can do. And hey, when you are a pro, be watchful of the five of us. Cause only one of us is going to be 'World Champion'." stated Indigo as she and the rest of the Shadowbolts all agreed.

"Well, there's only one person who'll be 'World Champion'. And that's gonna be me." smiled Isaac. "Good luck, girls. And I look forward to seeing you all in the pro circuit soon." Isaac then extended his hand as all the girls shook it with the boy and each wished him good luck with the students and the program.

Chapter 169: Zing Zang Zoom

The entire group was now on the plane taking them back to Canterlot as their time at the special training facility was now over. Everybody wanted to thanked Isaac's acquittances who let them use the place so they asked the boy who they were. But Isaac just said no as he promised to keep their name a secret. Isaac didn't say anymore as they landed back home. The trip took all about an entire school week as they arrived Friday night as the students went to their individual homes as the girls and Isaac all left for their house. Seems they were all a bit jetlagged as they all turned in for a nice long sleep.

It was now Saturday morning as most of the house was still fast asleep. The TV was currently on in the living room as both Spike and Tigre were watching the screen.

"Meow." said Tigre as she was lying on her side.

"Well, we've been through all the channels and there's nothing good on." said Spike as he was flipping through the remote with his paw.

"Meow."

"We've seen that movie five times already." said Spike. Soon a commercial came on talking about a device that was advertised as giving dogs 'spa treatments'. "Hey, now."

"Meow." reminded the cat.

"Yeah, I remember. Isaac was not pleased I used his credit card last time." said Spike as he quickly put that thought out of his mind. Soon another commercial came on as it caught the attention of the pets.

"Come one, come all. Come experience a world where we will suspend your belief. Come see amazing feats of strength, athleticism, and most of all, magic. Come see the 'Greatest Show on Earth'." said the person as they now showed off what appeared to be a circus that would be coming to perform in the park.

"Meow."

"You read my mind, pussy cat." said Spike as he and the cat left to find their owners.

"A circus?" asked Twilight as she was in her room with Spike on her bed and Tigre in her lap as she was petting the feline and purring.

"Yeah. We figured let's do something that we haven't done. Plus, don't you remember going to the circus when you were younger."

"No." said Twilight as she smiled sheepishly. "I might have been in my room studying when mom and dad took Shining."

"Right, forgot about that." said the dog. "Well, the good thing is you can still enjoy it. So just ask Isaac to buy some tickets for us."

"I'm not just gonna walk up to Isaac and ask him to buy us tickets. Besides he probably has some stuff he needs to do." said Twilight.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea." said Isaac as the scene now changed to Twilight standing in front of Isaac's door as the boy looked at her from behind it.

"Really?" stated the girl as she was surprised her boyfriend was for the idea.

"It's been a while since I've seen a circus. Plus, I don't have work for both school and my job. Just tell the girls about the idea and I'll invite the students, see if they want to come." said Isaac as he closed his door.

"Meow." said Tigre as she lifted her paw.

"Good work, pussy cat." said Spike as he also lifted a paw and gave his animal pal a side high-five.

And so it was about a hour or two later as everybody was now in the park as a giant tent was set up. Twilight asked the girls if they wanted to go to the circus to which they all agreed as they hadn't been to one since they were little. As for Isaac, he contacted the students to see if they wanted to join them to which they all agreed. Twilight made sure to grab Spike as Fluttershy grabbed Tigre as they were now in the park as Isaac had purchased the tickets for the entire group. Soon they all met up as they went inside the giant tent. They all got to their seats as Pinkie had went overboard with getting popcorn and other snacks. Soon everything turn dark as a single spotlight was shown as it shined down on a person in the center of the arena as they had a top hat and a fancy suit to which everybody could figure he was none other than the ringmaster.

"Ladies and gentleman, boys and girls, children of all ages." shouted the ringmaster. "I'll be your host for tonight's extravaganza. My name is Mister Bristle and we welcome you to the 'Greatest Show on Earth'!" Everybody clapped as they were looking forward to the show. With that everything was under way as the routines began to get underway and the entire audience fell in love. Safe to say that the group was impressed with what they saw, especially Isaac's magicians as they all appeared and hovered above their master and they too were watching some of the acts.

"We thank you all for coming to see our show. We'll be here all day and please join us for tonight's performance." said the ringmaster as he and the other circus performers all bowed and left through the curtain.

"Well, now that was a show." said Rarity as she and everybody else was leaving pass the entrance.

"I'll say. Those acrobats the high flying, I wish I could do that." said Rainbow.

"I like the animals. All the cool tricks they did." said Fluttershy as she was holding Isaac's cat in her arms.

"I will say the magic acts did catch my attention." said Twilight as she was holding Spike.

"Look out!" shouted a voice.

The group all stopped in their tracks as one of the hoops used by the circus was now rolling towards the group as there was a person chasing after it.

"I got it." said Isaac as he stopped the object with his hand.

"Thanks, a bunch kid." said the person as he was one of the performers who the entire gang had seen.

"Hey, aren't you one those performers?" asked Isaac.

"So you just saw our show, huh? Names, Maverick. Appreciate you for helping me." said the man as he grabbed the hoop from the boy.

"Don't mention it."

"Say, care to bring your friends backstage. The boss won't mind some visitors, so long as you don't exploit our tricks." said the man.

"What do you guys think?" asked Isaac to the girls and the students to which they all nodded.

"Great. Follow me." said Maverick as he led the huge group to the back area.

Once they were in the back area, they saw tons of other small tents and trailers, as well as gathering places as all of the circus performers were out and about either practicing their tricks, eating, or just casually talking with one another. Maverick then began to lead the group to his boss' trailer as they passed some folks as they all waved at the group, they even passed some of the animals as they were a bit hesitant on getting near the cages. Soon they arrived as Maverick knocked on the door.

"Hey, boss. Got some guests."

"I already told you that I'll have... Oh, you're not who I was expecting." said the person in charge as there was a women standing behind him.

"Everybody, meet the one in charge and our beloved ringmaster of this circus. Mister Bristle and right behind him is his assistance, the lovely Natasha." said Maverick.

"Welcome, everybody. I hope you enjoyed our little performance that we put on." said Mister Bristle.

"It was a doozy." said Pinkie as she bounced up and down.

"I missed seeing this when I was a kid." stated Jason.

"Well, we hope you enjoy. Cause I doubt we'll be here much longer." said Mister Bristle.

"Why's that?" asked Sunset.

"Seems, we're in the danger of being put out of business by someone." said Natasha.

"Out of business?" said Bryant.

"Someone wants to get rid of us. Says he's willing to pay us whatever price we want so that we can close down out little circus. But I can't, see these folks here. This is all they have for majority of them. Maverick here was just 12 years old when he left home. He soon joined our circus when it was just starting out. Since then, we've been like family." said Mister Bristle.

"And I'm grateful for you giving me a home, boss." said the man.

"Anyways, Maverick give the group a tour and let them meet the others. I have to prepare to meet with the person this afternoon. And make sure everybody practices, cause tomorrow, we may have done our final show." said Mr. Bristle.

"Got it chief." said Maverick. "Follow me, gang." stated the man as he was starting to lead the group away.

"Excuse, Mr. Bristle. Perhaps I can help." said Isaac.

"I beg your pardon." said Natasha.

"Well, maybe I can help convince the person you're meeting to give up their pursuit and allow you guys to perform in peace." said Isaac.

"Isaac, you sure 'bout that?" asked Applejack.

"Positive."

"Well, at this point, I don't have much else to lose." said Mr. Bristle as he entered his trailer with Isaac climbing the steps.

"Isaac." said Twilight as she handed Spike over to Sunset.

"I'll join you." said Twilight to which Isaac just shrugged his shoulders. "You guys enjoy, we'll figure out this issue."

"Aright then, Twilight." said Sunset.

"Take care of Spike for me, Sunset. And Spike, remember." said Twilight as she gave a quick wink.

"Bark." was all Spike said as he knew the students were there.

So Twilight and Isaac entered the trailer with Mr. Bristle and Natasha as Maverick led the remaining students to meet the other acts. Once inside, Natasha brought a table out as it allowed all four of them to sit.

"So tell me about this circus?" asked Isaac as Twilight sat next to her boyfriend and pulled out a notepad as she wanted to record this tale.

"Well, I've been in this line of business for over 30 years. In fact, it goes back even longer than that." said Mr. Bristle. "My grandfather started this idea, he was but a simple man with a dream. And that was to give his family a proper home, so he took a job as an accountant. Though the pay was good, he felt like he could do more, see more of the world then waste his time in some office. So one day, he purchased an old building, it was nothing but former wax museum. In it's hay day, it had drawn tons of people who come to see the realistic statues. So he got to thinking, what if these statues could move. With that he began to scout for people with amazing talents, people who a unique ability to do amazing feats that only your imagination could think of. Something that only one place could have it. Eventually he got what he desired and from there he got to work on creating his little project. Of course something as grand as that doesn't come cheap so even with the savings my grandpa had it still wasn't enough so he had to borrow a loan. Naturally once he was ready to show it off to the world, they were hesitant. To the people they saw the performers as nothing but freaks, people who the world had tossed aside and made fun of. But my grandfather saw they had potential and he unlocked that potential and together they showed just how weird and unnatural things a person has, can put on a barrel of laughter and enjoyment. And so it went, they soon got big and eventually traveled the world, going from city to city, country to country, they even performed for the Queen of England. Since then it's been passed down from my grandfather to my father. In fact, my father met my mother when she came to one of his shows, it's how they fell in love. And then they had me, and when it was time, I took over the family business." said Mr. Bristle as he finished telling his tale as he had the top hat of his grandfather in his hands.

"My grandfather would be proud of the thing he's created. But he would be sad to know that his precious baby is on the verge of being no more."

"Bristle, don't think that way." said Natasha as she held her lover's hand. "We'll get through this. I know we will."

"Natasha, you've stuck by me through thick and thin. I can't imagine a day without you. Thank you." said Bristle as he kissed her hand.

"She's right. You can't give up, your grandfather wouldn't and neither should you." said Twilight. "You said so yourself, that these people here. To most of them, this is all they have. They would be heartbroken if they found out their home was being taken away."

"I promise we'll set things right." said Isaac.

"Thanks you, kids." said Mr. Bristle. Soon the door opened and in walked the person who he was scheduled to meet as Isaac looked up and recognized the person.

"You." said Isaac with an angry glare.

Maverick was leading the group to the center of the performing square as all the head performers of their sections met with their pal. After deciding which trick each person wanted to see, the group split up into small pacts as they went to explore. Fluttershy, Sunset, along with Shadow and Lucky Star with the two pets were all meeting with the animal trainer of the circus who was named Sylvain. The students and the pets were all watching from outside of the cage as they saw the man working with the lions and the tigers as he was getting them to do some tricks for tonight.

"Angelia! Up!" shouted Sylvain as he had a small baton in his right hand as he commanded the tiger to follow his orders as he touched it on the noise as the big cat gave a roar as it stood on its hind legs and began to jump towards the trainer as soon it stopped and then laid back down. "Good girl." said Sylvain as he gave the cat a treat.

"May! Over here!" said Sylvain as he got the lioness to hear his command and then had her run through some hoops on top of a thin board.

"Excellent." said the man as he gave the lioness a treat.

"Good job, everybody." said Fluttershy as she waved at the animals.

"Care to see them up close?" asked Sylvain.

"Uh, I want to live." said Shadow.

"And I don't taste good." said Lucky Star.

"Relax, I've trained them myself. They won't harm anybody unless I say so." said Sylvain as he opened the cage and let the kids in as Fluttershy stepped in without a care in the world with Tigre in her arms as Sunset, Spike, Lucky Star, and Shadow were a bit hesitant on being locked in with a bunch of killer animals.

"Hello everybody." said Fluttershy as she approached the big cats as they started to make their way to the shy girl as they smelled her scent. Immediately they rushed over to her side and began to lick her face as they fell in love with the buttercup girl.

"Well, they really like you." said Sylvain. Even he was impressed by how the animals just flew to the girl in an instant.

"Well, I have a fondness when it comes to animals." said Fluttershy as she gave the cats a petting.

"Meow." said Tigre.

"Roar." said Angelia and May as they looked at the small cat who was part of their animal family.

"They look like cousins." said Lucky Star as she examined Tigre next to the lion and tiger.

"So, how long have you been training these guys?" asked Shadow.

"Well, I joined the circus when I was nothing more than a zoo keeper. I've always seen animals as sort of companions." said Sylvain.

"Is there more?" asked Sunset.

"Yup." said Sylvain as he pointed to four other cats in the corner as half were lioness and the other half tigers. "Those two other tigers are Angelia's sisters, Felica and Tonya. The lioness, Paula and Sandra."

"Remember to make sure to listen to Sylvain." said Fluttershy as she gave the big cats some food as they licked her hands. "Don't be afraid, guys. Come pet them." encouraged the shy girl as the others were hesitant. They all stuck their hand out as the cats just sniffed them and soon rubbed their heads against it.

"Care to see the rest of the animals." said Sylvain as he pointed to some elephants and some horses that he would use for the other performers for their acts. The students all nodded as they put the pets down.

Spike and Tigre now found themselves between the two big cats as they looked down at the little things. Spike was bit uneasy being surrounded by larger animals that could chew him up like a squeak toy, while Tigre was comfortable with the feline members of her family. She then got an idea as she let out a meow which caused the two lead cats to look at their small cousin as she whispered something into their ear as they looked at the small pet and nodded. Soon both cats now stood in front of Spike as they let out intimidating growls.

"Uh, hey girls." said Spike as he felt even smaller looking up at the cats. Both cats just let out a growl as they looked at the small dog as he starting to be scared as he tucked his tail between his legs. Both cats showed their teeth as it got Spike to pee a bit, he then let out a yelp as he ran towards Fluttershy. "I won't ever mess with you again, pussy cat!" shouted Spike as he ran towards the girl for safety.

"Meow." said Tigre as she smiled. She then lifted her paw up as both cats gave their small cousin a fist paw for having some fun with the small mutt.

Pinkie, Rarity, Amber, and Jack all had decided to go with a man named Mr. Gravity as he was the head clown and wanted to introduce him to his troupe of clowns. Which were a lot.

"Hey, guys. Look sharp, we've got some guests." said Mr. Gravity as he told his gang.

"Guests, you say." said another clown as he threw a pie which hit Pinkie in the face.

"Hmm. Chocolate." said the pink girl as she used her tongue and cleaned all of her face and munched the treat.

"Oh, missed a spot." said another clown as it was female and this time hit Amber in the face.

"Watch my outfit." said Rarity as a few splats hit her dress.

"Guys lighten up, we have guests." laughed Mr. Gravity.

"Fine." said both individuals.

"Well, that seems to be over. I was wrong." immediately said Jack as he slipped on a banana peel and was now flying forward as the clowns pulled up a pool of water as the boy fell in. He then emerged as a fish was caught in his mouth and wiggling when he pulled it out and it was a fake as it squirted some mashed fruit on his face.

"Don't they say, never go swimming after you eat." joked Mr. Gravity.

"I love this place!" said Pinkie.

"Sorry, couldn't help ourselves." said Mr. Gravity. "Alright everybody line up!" shouted the man as all the clowns gathered around which were alot. "As you can see, we've got a lot of members of our troupes. In fact, these two help me keep them in check. Meet Bubbles and Calliope."

"Pleasure to make your acquittance." said Rarity as she and Amber extended their hands to shake only for them get joy buzzed as they pulled back.

"Classic gag." said Pinkie as she helped Jack dry off.

"Couldn't resist." said Bubbles as he laughed.

"Childish." said Amber.

"So, what do you guys do? Besides make fun of us." said Jack.

"What do you think? Have fun." said Calliope. "Love the scars, kid." said the woman as she admired Jack's burns.

"So what's your story?" asked Amber.

"I was abandoned by my family when I was two years old." said Bubbles. "All I remember is them dumping me by the side of the road as I cried. Soon along came a person as it was none other than Mr. Bristle's father and so he took me in and gave me a home. He was like a father figure of sorts; so I did my best to entertain the folks as a way to give back to him for giving me a chance."

"Me, divorced from an abusive relationship." said Calliope. "My husband was such a control freak that he didn't allow me to even look at another man as he felt like I would cheat on him. So you best believe I took the first chance I saw to get out of that relationship and take a bit of his money while doing so. The first thing I did with the money I won was seeing the circus in town, Mr. Bristle was just a young man learning from his father who was still in charge as we got to talking and soon he offered me a chance to make other people laugh to not only heal my wounds of my relationship but also of others."

"And you?" asked Jack.

"Well, I came from a different country." stated Mr. Gravity. "I wanted make some money to help my family back home. My mother encouraged me and bought one ticket to come here, so she gave it to me as she believed I had the best chance of turning my life around and making a living. So I took the chance given to me by my mother and soon I was on a boat and found myself here. I did my best job hopping trying to find the one that would suit me, but nothing stuck. Until one day I snuck backstage during a dress rehearsal as Mr. Bristle's grandfather was going over demonstrating the acts for his group; I was amazed by what I saw that I knocked over some boxes as I exposed myself. I was afraid on getting caught, but Mr. Bristle's grandfather welcomed me with open arms as we talked and he understood my situation. From there, he allowed me to help my family by performing in front of thousands; I made enough money to send back to my mother as she was ecstatic and she was able to move in to better living conditions and has since then been doing fine."

"Wow." said Rarity. "You all have interesting backstories."

"We do the best we can. We all stick together." said Bubbles.

"Why don't we show them how we do some of our acts?" said Mr. Gravity as all the other members agreed. Soon a tiny car pulled up as every single one of them all got in and fit as it cause the group to have their jaws drop, well Pinkie still smiled. Soon it drove around for a bit as a few exited out with some objects in their hands and then began to juggle them for the small group. Soon some more emerged from the car as they began to do a few flips on the ground, others did some chorography moves while others waved around a flag. Majority if them grabbed pieces of metal and together they combined to created a boat float as they moved as it seem like the float was moving on its own. There was even a couple of throwing knives; the group all sat down as they clapped and applauded the troupe.

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Bryant, Penny, and Jason all left with Maverick as he was leading them to the acrobats where they were doing some flips. Some were above on the trapeze as there was a women walking the tightrope. Maverick then led the group to the middle of the area as he gathered the leaders of each section.

"Everyone meet the leaders of the squads. Antonio, who's family has been doing trapeze and gymnastics for 3 generations. Cinnamon Moon, who's are renowned tightrope walker along with her sister, Petunia who's performs on the Chinese Pole and twirls on the silk curtain. Dimitri who has does stunts with his group and is our star performed for the Wheel of Death. As for me, I'm in charge of things like plate spinning, Chinese yo-yo, hooping, and other things." said Maverick as he introduced the group to the many acts.

"Hey, there." said Dimitri as he shook Aj's hand. "Well, now. Strong grip for a girl."

"Years of working in the farm." said Applejack as she flexed her arm muscles a bit.

"Reminds me of when I was younger in my home country. My father pushed me to lift wagons with a harness to deliver the vegetables and fruits that was grown on our farm." said Dimitri.

"So you two do the high flying stuff?" asked Penny.

"Yup, taking risk above the circus top." said Cinnamon.

"Also getting shot out of a cannon." added Petunia as she appeared next to her sister.

"Does it ever get scarying?" stated Penny.

"Well, we you've been doing gymnastics for about nearly your whole life, it becomes second nature." said Cinnamon.

"It takes a lot of courage and movement to be able to move from swing to swing and executing the moves." said Petunia.

"Do you really do flips?" asked Jason.

"So how extreme do you guys get?" asked Rainbow.

"Me and family do just about everything your imagination can come up with." said Antonio. "Watch."

He then approached one of the Russian Swings that they were practicing on as they began to show off their acrobatic and diving skills as they swung back and forth like a pendulum as they did some somersaults and front flips in the air as they landed perfectly on their feet on the other Russian Swing as it swung and made contact. Some of Antonio's family were also experts on contortion as they showed off their flexibility and walked on their hands while their legs curved above them. They even shook hands with the group with their feet. All in all, the entire gang was enjoying their time at the circus as they got to see many cools tricks and rehearsals that the performers did as it allowed them to appreciate the real show even more. Soon everybody had all gotten back in the center with their individual leaders as they began to talk about the different acts. Eventually all eyes turned to Twilight who called out to the group.

"What's wrong Ms. Twilight?" asked Lucky Star.

"Isaac is about to duel." said the lavender girl.

Twilight then lead almost all of the circus members, students, and the girl to Mr. Bristle's trailer as Isaac had his duel disk all ready to go. The entire lot all surrounded the boy and his opponents as they prepared for a fight. The gang arrived and were surprised to see that Isaac's opponent was Filthy Rich and one of his lawyers.

"What's Filthy Rich doing here?" asked Sunset.

"He's the one who wants to shut down this circus and put these folks out of a home." stated Twilight.

"What?" asked Bryant.

"Apparently, Mr. Bristle's grandfather borrowed some money from Filthy Rich's great-grandfather and he believes they owe him. Though Mr. Bristle's grandfather paid back the loan in full, Filthy Rich believes they own 'interest'. So he tried to get Bristle to either give the money his family owes or risk putting everybody out of a job and home. So as you can tell, Isaac took matters into his own hands and is doing like only he knows how. He challenged Filthy Rich to a duel, he wins, Mr. Bristle is debt free and they keep their home. But if Isaac loses, then tonight will be there last show." stated Twilight as she told the stakes.

"Last chance, Isaac. Let the businessmen do their thing." said Filthy Rich.

"Well, I'm also a businessman in my own right. Besides fighting with lawyers is such a hassle, if anything they don't solve problems they make 'em. Now a duel can solve anything." said Isaac.

"Have it your way, but since you threw the challenge allow me to fire back with my own. This duel, it won't be just me. You'll be facing my lawyer as well. So you have to beat both of us in two duels. Plus, since I'm in a hurry, we'll duel with 4000 life points." stated Filthy.

"That's wasn't part of the deal." said Mr. Bristle.

"Plans change all the time in business." smiled Rich smugly. "So do you accept or not?" asked the man.

"Deal, on one condition. Why don't I let somebody else take on your lawyer and I'll take you on at the same time in a separate duel." said Isaac. "If you're so confident in your lawyer on winning, then he should have no problem besting who I pick."

"I never agreed to that proposal." said Filthy.

"Plans change all the time in business." said Isaac as he used Rich's own line against him. "So, moneybags? Do you agree?"

"My lawyer will beat whoever you pick." said Rich.

"In that case..." Isaac was now looking at the group as he was figuring out which person to pick. "Penny, come on out."

"Me?" said the teen girl. "Uh, okay." She then emerged from the group as she took her position next to her teach.

"A girl? This will be easy. Now then enough wasting time, let's do this." said Filthy Rich as he and his lawyer projected their card trays as Isaac projected his gold card tray while Penny had a black light.

"So both duels are going to happen at the same time?" asked Jason.

"This I gotta see." stated Jack.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Filthy Rich's Life Points: 4000-

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Filthy Rich

"I still haven't forgotten how you embarrassed me last time at Camp Everfree, Isaac. And I will make you pay for making me lose thousands in property and stocks that I had invested." said Filthy Rich as he drew his card. "I now play the spell card, Upstart Goblin. So I give you 1000 more life points so that I can draw one card."
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Huh? Why's he giving Isaac extra points?" asked Shadow.

"Because I happen to be a very nice guy." snickered Filthy Rich. "Now since you have more life points than me, I can special summon my Nefarious Trader(0/0)! Next, I'll bring out Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector(800/1300) in defense mode!" said Filthy Rich as he managed to summon two monsters on his first turn.

"And then I'll place one card facedown to end my turn." said Filthy Rich. "Now, then, how about repaying those life points I loaned you?"

"Not a chance, bloodsucker!" said Isaac.

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn!" said the boy as he drew his card. "I'll summon my tuner monster, Enchantress of Melody(900/1800)!" Isaac now had his other magician appear as she had her small lyra in her hand." said Isaac as he now had a female teen spellcaster on his field.

"So you're really not going to pay those life points, eh? Fine, but you asked for it!" stated Filthy Rich. "I activate the trap Endless Loan! This makes it so that when you summon a monster... I can summon a Loan Token(0/0) to your field in defense mode!"

"What the hell is that thing?" asked Rainbow.

"Since you refused to pay me back the life points I lent you, I've decided to take them back! Actually my Debt Collector Toichi will be the one doing the taking. And for every Loan Token he takes off your field, Toichi deals you 1000 points of damage. Also so long as you have a Loan Token out on the field, my Debt Collector can't be destroyed in battle. Of course, you can destroy a Loan Token yourself, but it'll cost you a card from your hand!" stated Rich.

"So basically, the only way Isaac wins is by getting rid of his cards?" said Bryant.

"Sure seems that way, partner."

"Now, I play the spell card, Shield and Sword so that I can switch the stats of all monsters on the field till the end of the turn. Melody attack that Nefarious Trader!" shouted the boy as his monster took out her target.
Filthy Rich's Life Points: 2200-

"When Nefarious Trader is destroyed in battle, another Loan token is summoned onto your field!" stated Rich.

"Now he's got two tokens." said Rarity.

"And if big bro summons any monsters, he'll only get more of them." said Pinkie.

"I now end my turn with three facedowns."

Turn 3: Filthy Rich

"Fine-- refuse to pay a card. Instead I'm just going to make you pay the price." said Filthy Rich as he drew his card. "I equip the spell Illegal Business Practices onto Toichi the Nefarious Debt Collector! This doubles all effect damages!"

"Wait, with two tokens out, that damage Isaac's gonna take will be... a lot!" shouted Rainbow.

"Time to collect out debt, Toichi!" said Filthy Rich as he activated his monsters effect as Isaac felt the effect as two more tokens piled on the ones Isaac had on his field as he dropped to one knee.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Just face it, Isaac. If you want to save the last of your life points... you'll do as I say."

"No way! I'm not going to play by your rules!" shouted the boy.

Turn 4: Isaac

"It's my move! And first, I play the spell card, Ancient Rule so now I can special summon one Level 5 or higher normal monster from my hand. So I summon my Dark Magician!" Isaac's star monster was now on the field as he appeared before his master.

"Ah, that was an excellent move, Isaac, excellent for me, that is!" snickered Filthy Rich. "Because now Endless Loan activates which means another Loan Token will appear on your side of the field." Now Isaac had a total of three tokens as it took the last spot of his field. "Now you're done, cause come next turn, Toichi will take out the rest of your life points. You all better start calling the unemployment line."

"Not just yet." smiled Isaac.

"Huh? The duel is over, next turn you lose." said Filthy.

"There is no next turn. Cause I'm ending this duel. I now activate my Enchantress of Melody's effect, so now I roll a die and I can either increase or decrease a monster's level by that number. Dice Roll!" shouted Isaac as he tossed a die up high into the sky as soon it came down and landed on a one. "So now I'll lower my Melody's Level from 3 to 2. Then I tune my Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician, and when using Dark Magician as synchro material he counts as Level 6 instead of 7." Enchantress of Melody then turned into two giant green rings that circled Mahad as he was in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac now had his synchro monster out on the field as it twirled its staff before taking its position.

"What good does that do you?" asked Filthy Rich.

"Watch, I now reveal one of my facedowns, Zero Hole! With this card, if I have no cards in my hand, then all cards on the field are destroyed."

"Say what?! All of the cards?!" shouted Filthy Rich as soon the entire field was now covered in a huge hole as the entire field was destroyed and now a single thing was left on either player's side.

"Now one of my facedown, was Magicians' Defense. So when this card is sent from the field to the graveyard, I can special summon one spellcaster from my graveyard to the field. So return, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now had his loyal servant on the field once again. "Like I said, this duel... is over. Mahad, finish this with Dark Magic Attack!" shouted the boy as his magician raised his hand and unleashed his attack and took out Filthy Rich as he fell onto his back.
Filthy Rich's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Hey, Penny hurry up." called out Isaac to the student as she was still having her duel and was struggling a bit.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Filthy Rich Lawyer's Life Points: 4000-

Penny's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Filthy Rich's Lawyer

"I draw! I summon Maternal Junk(300/1500) in defense mode!" Out emerged a robot as it was made up of junk parts as it had a skirt and a spatula for its hand. "I then lay a card facedown."

Turn 2: Penny

Out of all the things, that I duel. I never imagined that I would duel against a lawyer in my life. "I draw!" stated Penny as she picked up her card. "I summon Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor(800/0)! And since birds of feather flock together, I can summon another 'Blackwing' from my hand to join Vayu on the field. Say hello to Bora the Spear(1700/800)!" Penny now had two monsters on her field as she hoped to land the first blow. "When Bora attacks a monster in defense mode, and it's rocking more attack points than your monster's defense points... it slams you with the difference! Duck and cover, you tight wad! Cause Bora's attaching with Spiraling Spear!" shouted the girl as she commanded her monster to attack.

"I activate a trap-- Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! So now it allows me to block your attack." said the lawyer as he managed to stop Penny's assault. "After Scrap-Iron Scarecrow scraps your monster's attack, I can once again place it facedown on my field!"

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Filthy Rich's Lawyer

"It's my turn. I summon Paternal Junk(1600/1200) in attack mode!" Out emerged another robot as it too was made up of scrap junk parts as it had a suit and tie like a father. "And when Maternal Junk is on my field... Paternal Junk gains an additional 500 attack points! And now from my hand, I activate the Junk Factory Field spell!"

"What is this?" asked Penny as the entire field around her began to morph.

"Now the effect of Junk Factory gives all 'Junk'' monsters on the field an extra 500 attack points. Now I attack with Paternal Junk!" said the lawyer as he directed his monster to attack Penny's Vayu as it was destroyed.
Penny's Life Points: 2200-

"Never thought I say this, but seems lawyers are good for something. Cause since you destroyed my monster, I can now use Blackwing Vayu the Emblem of Honor to synchro summon from my graveyard. So my comeback starts now." said Penny.

"Not here you won't."

"Huh?"

"See in the Junk factory, when one of my 'Junk' monsters destroys one of your monsters... I can snag it from your graveyard and shuffle it back into your deck." stated the lawyer. Penny's duel disk then ejected her card as she placed it on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kick in.

"I place three cards facedown and end my turn!"

"Hey, Penny hurry up." called out Isaac as he finished his duel already and disposed of Filthy Rich.

"I'm trying, teach." said the girl as she addressed her professor as she was struggling a bit.

Turn 4: Penny

"I draw!" said Penny as she looked at her card and began to think of her plan. "I activate the Black Winged Strafe spell card, which wipes out one of your monsters in defense mode by sending a 'Blackwing' from my hand to the graveyard! Let's say goodbye to my Shura the Blue Flame... and then say goodbye to your Maternal Junk!"

"Not so fast. I reveal Scarp-Iron Barricade!" said the lawyer as one of his facedowns flipped up and protect his monster. "During this turn, you can't destroy the monster protected by this barricade with card effects! And just like Scrap-Iron Scarecrow-- after being activated, Scrap-Iron Barricade can return to its facedown position on the field.

"Pretty good, you snake! But let's see how you handle Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North(1300/0)." said Penny as she summoned her tiny bird as it perched on her shoulder. "When Blizzard the Far North is successfully summoned, I can then special summon one Level 4-or-below Blackwing from my graveyard to come and join him on the field." Blizzard the Far North then landed on Penny's duel disk as he began to peck at her graveyard slot as he eventually pulled out his comrade's card to which he then landed back on his mistress' shoulder as he gave it to her.

"Thanks little bud." said Penny as she petted and ruffled the feathers of her monster as it chose to remain on her shoulder. "Now I bring back my Blackwing Shura the Blue Flame(1800/1200) in defense mode!"

"Then I'll just activate another trap! Scarp-Iron Pitfall!"

"Huh? You gotta be kidding me!" shouted Penny as she was getting a bit annoyed.

"Yeesh, those cards are troublesome." said Bryant as he saw his fellow student having a hard time.

"When you use a special summoning to bring a monster to the field, it falls right into my Scrap-Iron Pitfall, and returns to your hand." stated the lawyer.

"Aw, man!" said Penny as her card now appeared back in her hand.

"And now just like my other traps-- this card returns to its facedown position."

"So is there no way for Penny to get through?!" stated Shadow.

"From my hand, I activate the Cards for Black Feathers spell. Which gives me the power to draw 2 new cards from my deck in exchange for sending a 'Blackwing' from my hand to the graveyard. So by shipping off my Shura the Blue Flame, I can draw!" said the girl as she picked up some more cards hoping for something. She looked at her cards as she had a smile. This could work. "When there's another 'Blackwing' on my field, I can summon Gale the Whirlwind(1300/400) from my hand in attack mode! Now I activate Whirlwind's special ability! This Blackwing can halve one of your monster's attack and defense points!" Gale the Whirlwind then flapped its feathers as a giant wind blew over to Paternal Junk as it stats dropped.

"With that done, Bora the Spear can attack Paternal Junk!" shouted Penny.

"I activate my trap! Scrap-Iron Scarecrow!"

"I was afraid you'd do that." said Penny in a nonchalant tone.

"You're never getting to my monsters, little girl." said the lawyer as his trap stopped her attack and then flipped back facedown.

"Heh! Never say 'never'. Gale the Whirlwind, recycle that Paternal Junk!" shouted Penny as she had her second monster to strike.

"Why is Penny doing that, both monsters have the same attack points?" asked Rarity.

"Before attacking, I'm activating the Blackwing - Kalut the Moon Shadow's special ability from my hand! By sending this card to the graveyard, I can increase Gale the Whirlwind's attack points by 1400." stated the girl as her monster was now stronger. "Gale the Whirlwind attack!" shouted Penny as her monster took out Paternal Junk.
Filthy Rich Lawyer's Life Points: 2600-

"I now activate my trap card!"

"What? You got another one?" said Penny as she thought she had seen all of her opponent's facedowns.

"With the trap, Junk Spirit in play-- when a 'Junk' monster is destroyed in battle and sent to my graveyard... I can re-summon that monster during the end phase!"

"No way!!" shouted the girl. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

"And now Paternal Junk returns to the field! And once again, because of Maternal Junk and Paternal Junk's special abilities, Paternal Junk gains a thousand attack points!

"Aw, great... so we're back to where we were."

Turn 5: Filthy Rich's Lawyer

"I draw! I activate the Junk Barrage spell card. And I equip it onto Paternal Junk! And with that boost... now, Paternal Junk, attack Blackwing Gale the Whirlwind!" shouted the lawyer as his monster took out Penny's blackwing as she felt the aftereffects from the attack.
Penny's Life Points: 900-

"Now the other effect of my Junk Barrage activates, so you take half the attack points of the monster that was destroyed." said the lawyer as Penny lost some more points and fell to one knee.
Penny's Life Points: 250-

"I'm activating the Black Thunder trap card! When a 'Blackwing' on my field is destroyed in battle-- Black Thunder crashes down on you for 400 points of damage-- for every card on your field! And since you've got 7 cards on your field, well... you do the math." smiled Penny.
Filthy Rich Lawyer's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Penny

Penny was declared the winner as she managed to beat her opponent as the lawyer was thrown onto his back as Filthy Rich was starting to coming to as he saw what occurred. The bag his lawyer was caring had now gone flying as it landed in front of Penny as she bent down and opened it as inside were some papers and a huge contract. She them smiled as she tossed it over to Isaac who was now holding said papers. He then ripped up the contracts as he looked at the billionaire.

"Keep your little circus." said Filthy Rich as he picked up his lawyer while glaring at Isaac and his student. "I will make sure you pay, Isaac." With that both Filthy Rich and his lawyer now started to leave the premises as they wanted to get far as possible from this sideshow of freaks.

"He's gone." said Isaac as he had the ball of torn up contracts in his hand as he addressed Mr. Bristle. "And now nobody has to worry about losing their home."

"Thank you, Isaac. I knew it was smart to count on you." said Mr. Bristle as he shook the boy's hand. "Cause of you and your friends, we now can continue to perform to our heart's content." said the man as around them the performers were cheering and making noises at Isaac freeing them from under Filthy Rich's influence. "Now then, let's get ready for tonight's show." stated the ringmaster as the others heard their boss and prepared themselves for showtime.

"Well, teach. Everything turned out well." stated Penny.

"If there's anything I can do to repay you, just name it." asked Mr. Bristle.

"Anything, huh?" said Isaac as he looked around and saw the performers performing and interacting with his friends as he got an idea. "I think I might have something." Isaac then whispered his request to Mr. Bristle and Natasha as both just smiled and nodded as they began to work and fulfill the boy's request.

Soon it was showtime as night was starting to fall.

The night had fallen on the town of Canterlot as thousands of people were filing into the big tent as they were looking forward to a wonderful show. Backstage, everybody was going over their routines one final time as they prepared to go out and wow the crowd.

"Packed house." said Spike as he and Twilight peaked through the curtain.

"Almost time for curtain." said the girl as she and the dog pulled back. "Places, everybody we're about to start." said Twilight as she passed by Mr. Bristle as he was talking with Isaac.

"Ready, to entertain, Isaac?" asked Mr. Bristle.

"A little nervous, not gonna lie. What about you guys?" asked Isaac as he turned to look at the students and the girls as they too nodded a bit.

"Wait, darling!" called out Rarity as she emerged from the wardrobe trailer with Amber by her side as they were busying making outfits for the performers.

"You're gonna need this, professor." said Amber as she handed Isaac a top hat.

"Thanks, Amber. You too, Rarity." said the boy as he showed his gratitude to his friends. He then took a deep breath as he stood in front of the main curtain as he put on the top hat and he stepped through with Mister Bristle.

The audience was in their seats talking and conversing with each other when the lights went off and soon a single spotlight was shown. Standing in the spotlight was Mister Bristle as the audience knew who he was and immediately gave him a standing applause.

"Welcome, one and all! You know me as your beloved ringmaster of this fine circus, Mr. Bristle." said the man as the crowd cheered. "Before we get started, I want to say from the bottom of my heart, this circus has been in my family for generations and recently I thought all of that would come to end. But thanks to a certain someone, he's now rid us of greedy money bag and now we are free to perform as much we like!" Mr. Bristle was starting to get more responses from the crowd. "And to everybody in the back, you're all very talented and I'm proud to call you a part of my family. So let's get on with the show, but I'm gonna need some help from my friend. So please give a warm welcome to my co-ringmaster for this evening... Isaac!!!" said Mr. Bristle as he pointed to a platform that was rising out of the ground as there was Isaac standing in a ringmaster outfit as he had a cane with him as he had the top hat on his head and a mic in his ear. Mister Bristle then got on the platform next to Isaac as he gave the signal for the boy to lead.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, children of all ages. Tonight we hope to dazzle your expectations and blow away your mind!" said Isaac as his voice was projected for all to hear. "We will do amazing feats like never before, we push past our limits to bring entertainment to your hearts, and we will put smiles on your faces. So please welcome to 'The Greatest Show on Earth'!!!! Zing Zang Zoooooommmmm!!!!" shouted Isaac as he stomped his foot and a cannon shot out towards a box as the sides fell apart with a few women emerging as smoke as they had capes and began to do a bit of choreography. Isaac and Mister Bristle began were walking towards the smoke as they both grabbed a huge cloak as they placed it on the ground and then lifted it up as out emerged Natasha and Twilight dressed in their circus outfits. For the audience they believed they appeared out of nowhere, but really they were on a platform that rose up while the boys covered it with the cloak. Natasha then wrapped her arm around Mister Bristle while Twilight wrapped her arm around her boyfriend.

"The lovely, Natasha and Twilight Sparkle!" announced Mister Bristle. "Natasha is here to lift your spirits. Come on, honey. show them what you can do." said Mr. Bristle as a cable was dropped down as an acrobat attached a silk cloth to it as Natasha was now grabbing on it and began to do a couple of spins and maneuvers all the while some music began to play as there was singing occurring.

There's something in the air alright,
You can feel it, you can hear it.
Feels like something magically,
it's the sound of circus spirits.

Feel's like flying, soaring skyward where magically we've never flown,
But it's more than magic, it's the circus.
The most magical plaaaaace!!!

Twilight and Isaac were now on a float as they climbed the stairs on the back of it and were now moving on it around the area as Twilight took the lead of singing while Isaac was getting the crowd into the song as he encouraged the crowd to sing along. Natasha was still twirling in the as soon she came back down and grabbed Mister Bristle as they started to walk towards another float as when Twilight started the chorus of the song, Isaac pointed to the entrance as that served as the signal for all to come out as all the performers now ran through the curtain as the crowd showered them with applause and cheers.

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

The highest jumps! There's always more,
amazing things you've never seen before.
The wiz of magical, real unbelievable, spinning, spinning around the room.
Zing Zang Zoom!

Isaac along with everybody else was also singing the chorus as Twilight kept on showcasing why she was the lead vocalist and singer of the Rainbooms. The clown troupe was being lead by Mr. Gravity, along with Calliope, and even Pinkie as they decided to let her in on the act. Pinkie had some pins with her as she began to juggle next to them as well as Jack who was forced into the act with Pinkie but the puffy haired girl had him juggling knives which was something extreme that he did not agree to.

"Why did I let Pinkie talk me into this?" said Jack as he was doing a decent job of juggling the knives while also making sure to not let anything unfortunate happen, but he was still scared for his life.

Antonio and his family all began to do a few somersaults and flips. Some of them began to ride in on some scooters and skateboards as they drove off of some ramps and did a few tricks in the air. Among those was Rainbow Dash as they allowed the chromatic girl to take part in their routine as she started to show off as she rode up the ramp and stood on her hand as she began to show off her skills as the crowd was into it as Antonio and his family too were pleased by the girl's actions. Riding in a small clown car, was Bubbles as he had Bryant, Penny, and Jason all standing in the backseats as they waved flags to the crowd as they gave them some applause. Fluttershy came out but she was riding on some elephants as they were all connected by grabbing the tail in front of them as they were marching around the arena; the buttercup girl was waving to the crowd. Next to the elephants were a few horses as they too rode along the massive animals as Sylvain was riding on the front with Shadow trying to stay on his horse as he had never ridden one before.

Spike was on the saddle of one of them as he waved, while Tigre appeared next to him riding on the back of Angelia the lioness as she let out a meow followed by a growl by the big cat as Spike held on as his ride trotted faster and away from the big feline. Maverick was on the floor with Lucky Star and Sunset as all three of them were doing some tricks he taught her on the Chinese yo-yo as they managed to grab the audience's attention. Up above, Petunia and Cinnamon Moon were doing a few trapeze moves as they flipped from one bar to the other as it got the crowd to gasp as they never seen flips done so high up. Dimitri was with Applejack as the country girl picked the man up and he was spinning some plates on his fingertips. All of this was a spectacle as the song and music still kept going.

Welcome to a world that's, that's never been flat or round.
Where the things that go up and up and up,
don't ever got to come doooown.
Imagination lives,
and spirits keep on rising!
Where happiness is happening!
And everything is surprising!!!

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

The highest jumps! There's always more,
amazing things you've never seen before.
The wiz of magical, real unbelievable, spinning, spinning around the room.
Zing Zang Zoom!

You'll see with your own eyes.
Things you've never seen before.
Where you think that you've might have seen it all.
We're gonna show you more!!!

We're going up and coming down.
And make your heads spinnnnn!!!
Cause anything can happen now,
in this circus, we will say.

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

The highest jumps! There's always more,
amazing things you've never seen before.
The wiz of magical, real unbelievable, spinning, spinning around the room.
Zing Zang Zoom!

Imagination lives,
and spirits keep on rising!
Where happiness is happening!
And everything is surprising!!!

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

The highest jumps! There's always more,
amazing things you've never seen before.
The wiz of magical, real unbelievable, spinning, spinning around the room.
Zinnnnng!
Zaaaaaaaang!
Zoooooooooooooom!!!

Mr. Bristle and Natasha's float then stopped in the middle of the arena as they were next to the float that Twilight and Isaac were on as Twilight was starting to finish the song as she held out the last note and they all posed as the song ended with everybody striking a pose. The crowd cheered as they showed their appreciation; Isaac grabbed Twilight by the waist and dipped her as he gave her a kiss. He then winked as he slid down the steps as all the other performers were starting to make their way back.

"And now, everybody time for some magic." said Isaac as he approached a small trolley.

"What's Isaac doing? This wasn't part of rehearsal." said Sunset from behind the curtain as she and the girls, students, and all the performers were watching the boy as he addressed the audience.

Twilight was nervous as she had no idea on what the boy was doing, while Mister Bristle and Natasha just let Isaac do his thing.

"Now then, Fluttershy bring me Kesha the Elephant." said Isaac as Fluttershy came out as she walked beside the massive animal as she stroked her trunk before getting her to step on the trolley as she went back through the curtain to see what her friend was going to do.

"Now time to make this pachyderm disappear." said Isaac. "A simple white sheet, with nothing on it." said Isaac as he covered the entire trolley with the white sheet as the only thing it showed was the outline of Kesha the Elephant." Some of the dancers still out on the floor were also intrigued with what Isaac was going to do since he wasn't using their methods on making things disappear. "Everybody on this side, I need you to say: Zing!" said Isaac as he pointed to the left side of the audience.

"ZING!!" shouted the crowd.

"And on this side, I need to hear a: Zang." said Isaac as he pointed to the right side.

"ZANG!!" shouted the right side.

"And down in the middle, give me a: Zoom." stated the boy.

"ZOOM!" responded the audience.

"That's it. Let's do it!" said Isaac as he now looked at the trolley as the elephant was still there as it let out a trumpet sound. "Zing Zang Zoom. Zing Zang Zoom. Zing Zang Zoom!" shouted Isaac as he then approached the trolley and tore down the piece of cloth and standing inside of the trolley was nothing as Kesha the Elephant had disappeared.

Everybody in the audience had their mouths drop, even Mr. Bristle and his entire circus troupe were shocked on what Isaac just did as he made an elephant vanish into thin air without using any misdirection. It was like it was magic. Isaac just smiled as he took a bow as the audience gave him a round of applause.

"They seemed to have enjoyed it. Thanks, guys." said Isaac as the spirits of all of his magicians in his deck appeared as they had helped their master to perform the trick with ease as they really made the elephant disappear. "It's magic!!!" shouted Isaac as the crowd got louder. Isaac then nodded at Twilight as she knew her cue as he music started up on last time as everybody was now heading back through the curtain as the opening was reaching its end.

Zing Zang Zoooom!!!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

There's magic here for alllllllll!

GO! GO! GO!

Zing Zang Zoooom!

Zing to the Zang Zoom, Zing to the Zang Zoom!

We make your heart go through hooops!

GO! GO! GO!

The highest jumps! There's always more,
amazing things you've never seen before.
The wiz of magical, real unbelievable, spinning, spinning around the room.
Zinnnnng!
Zaaaaaaaang!
Zoooooooooooooom!!!

With that Isaac, Twilight along with Mr. Bristle and Natasha all were the last ones to exit through the curtain as the crowd applauded and they were now fired up to see the show. The four stepped through the crowd as the entire cast all applauded as well, they even gave props to Isaac for pulling off a trick and make it so convincing. They asked him how he did it, but he kept quiet. Everybody now got ready for the order of their tricks as some went to Rarity and Amber for wardrobe change.

"Now them let's get to it!" shouted Mr. Bristle and Isaac as they ran back out through the curtain to the center of the floor as a spotlight shined on them.

"We must remind what you're about to see is performed by trained professionals. So please whatever you do, do not try this at home!" said Mr. Bristle as he whistled and a train sound was heard.

Soon Bubbles was leading some of his clowns to the floor as they were riding some clown cars as Pinkie and Bryant were in the backseat of one of them as they started to spray some of the audience with some super soakers as a giant mechanical device was being brought out as it was being pulled by a train model. Some of the clowns jumped on some small platforms as they began to do some choreography.

"A word of caution to the children!" shouted Natasha as she appeared next to Mr. Bristle. "Do not try this at home!"

Soon the device was in the center of the room as some music was playing for everybody to get in the groove.

"Meet the Stretcher!" shouted Isaac as he pointed to the device as it opened up and had enough room to fit a person. And on the other side was a small wheel. "Now all it needs is a volunteer. Hmm..." Isaac was now looking around the room while stomping his foot to the music as he made his choice.

"How about.... you!" said Isaac as he pointed to Jason who was in one of the clown cars.

"What!" shouted the boy as Isaac immediately grabbed him and put him into the device as he shut the door. Jason's head poked out of the hole in the top as he had a bit of a scared look on his face.

Stretch him up, stretch him up, wayyy up.
Turn that crank and see how he grows.
Looks like somebody needs some new clothes.

Sang Twilight as she and Natasha did a bit of a synchronized dance.

Isaac then looked at Jason as he was shaking his head fast. Isaac just ignored him as he started to spin the device really fast as he ran around it and watched it spin. He then stopped it as Jason's arms that were sticking out now starting to fall down as he let out a shocked surprise to which Isaac lifted them back up into place as he kept on with the act. He then approached the wheel in the back of Jason.

"Zing Zang Zoom!" shouted Isaac as he said the magic words. He then turned the wheel to the left as Jason now felt himself being stretched as his body grew as his arms that were sticking out from the device were still as his normal height, but his upper body was stretched.

"What the hell!" said Jason as he couldn't believe what he witness and how Isaac did it.

Isaac just looked at the audience with a bow as they cheered the boy on his trick. He then looked to his side as he winked at his Black Arts Trickster as he thanked her for helping him to complete the trick. She just smiled and planted a kiss to her master as Isaac then began to keep the show rolling as nodded at Mister Bristle to keep on with the next act. The music kept playing as the clowns all started to race back through the curtain as they grabbed the device Jason was still in as they wheeled him into the back. Calliope then brought out another giant device as this time, Isaac grabbed Bryant as he put him into the device as his head, arms, and legs were sticking out. Natasha then brought out a saw of sorts as she gave it to Isaac as he grabbed one end and Mr. Bristle grabbed the other. The two then began to slice and dice at the outer layer that Bryant was in as soon it made contact with the back board and pulled the saw out as Mr. Bristle handed it back to Natasha.

Slice baby, dice baby.
Cut him in half.
Or maybe two-thirds, you do the math.

Sang Twilight along with the music.

"Miss Twilight?!" shouted Bryant as he was worried and flayed his arms about.

"Okay, this is one is a bit of a challenge." said Isaac as he addressed the audience. "And I'm gonna need some back up from you all!" stated the boy as he pointed to the audience. "Just cast the magic spell with me. Say: Zing, Zang Zoom!!!" shouted Isaac as he grabbed the part that had Bryant's lower body and then pulled it out as the boy was cut cleaning in half without any blood or fluids. It was like cutting through butter, it was that smooth as his lower body parts still responded to the boy as his legs were still kicking despite not being connected to his other half. Isaac then rolled the part that had Bryant's bottom half to Penny as she began to spin the wheel.

Spin that wheel see where it lands.
Look his feet can clap his hands.

Sang Twilight as Bryant's feet did make the boy clap his hands as they had a mind of his own.

Isaac then had Penny stop the spinning as he had her wheel Bryant's two separate parts to the back as they exited the curtain. Isaac's Sorcerer Swordsman gave his master a high five as he thanked his magician for helping to pull off the trick as he raced back to the center of the floor as the dancers were back out.

Do not try this at home.

Sang Twilight along with Natasha as both girls kept in time with the music and did a small jig.

Mr. Bristle was now bring out another device as he managed to grab Lucky Star as she had a worried look on her face. She immediately looked at Isaac as he had a sly smile on his face. He then grabbed the teen girl as he placed her in the small space as Mr. Bristle and Natasha place the top part and side parts on the box as they spun it around on its wheels.

"We call this one, the Human Skillet!" shouted Isaac as he was now holding piece of wood that had spikes on the other end as one of the engineers of the show started to light them up. "And boy does it live up to its name."

"Fire!!" shouted Lucky Star from inside. "Let me out!!!" cried the girl as even though she couldn't see what was happened, she heard Isaac and the scent of fire as she knew it meant danger. Lucky Star was banging on lid but Natasha and Mr. Bristle ignored it as Isaac kept on with the act as he placed the wooden piece with flaming spikes on the far end of the device as all he needed to do was push it into the box.

Stick her with the spikes, yum yum nice job.
Are you ready for a little krusty kabab.

Sang Twilight to the audience as she soon turned her attention back to her boyfriend as he was prepared to do the trick.

"Remember, do not try this at home." said Isaac as he addressed the audience.

He then got back in position and without a moment to lose pushed the spike through the box as everybody could see them sticking out of the black as the ends were still on fire. He then played to the audience for a few moments as he pointed at the box as they were in awe. Soon both Natasha and Mister Bristle took of the top part and the side part of the box as the spikes were shown going through the object, but Lucky Star was nowhere to be seen, once again it was like she actually disappeared. Mr. Bristle and Natasha then put the box back together as he took out the flaming spikes as gave them to the engineer to put out as Isaac now approached the box and adjusted his top hat as he prepared to complete the trick.

"Come on, everybody. Let's do it!" shouted Isaac.

"Zing Zang Zoom!" shouted Isaac and the crowd as they said the magic phrase. He then opened the lid and out popped Lucky Star as she had a surprised look on her face and checked her clothes for any burn marks, but she was perfectly fine. He then had Twilight and Natasha rolled Lucky Star away through the curtain and into the back as Mr. Gravity and Pinkie approached them as they had some wands in their hands.

"That was great." said Mr. Gravity.

"How about another?" said Pinkie.

"Zoom Zang Zang!" shouted both clowns as they raised their wands for spark to fly out but nothing happened.

"What do you think you're doing?" said Mr. Bristle as he and Isaac approached the two clowns as they continued on with the act.

"What's with the wand, Pinkie?"

"What does it look like?!" shouted both clowns. "Zoom Zang Zang!" shouted both individuals as their wands back fired again.

"That's not how it goes." said Mr. Bristle.

"Oh, yeah. You think you both can do better?" shouted both clowns.

"As a matter of fact, yes we can." said Isaac as he and Mr. Bristle stood in between the two clowns with Mr. Gravity on Bristle's left side, while Pinkie was on Isaac's right side.

"Zing Zang Zoom!" shouted both individuals as they said the proper magic words while looking at the arena as it lit up in color and wonder. Both put their arms out when they said the words as they hit Pinkie and Mr. Gravity in the face as they pretended to be knocked out as part of the comedy act. Soon the curtain was being pulled back as out was emerging the acrobats as they were on next while Isaac, Mr. Bristle, and the rest of the people left from the act were now making their way to the back in the darkness. Isaac did make sure to thanked his Mirage Magician for pulling that trick with Lucky Star successful.

"Nice job, so far, everyone." said Mr. Bristle as he addressed everybody in the back as out in the arena the acrobats were swinging and flying about. "Especially, you Isaac. You got a natural talent for showbiz and magic."

"Well, I dabble a bit." said Isaac with a proud smile.

"So, how did you do all those tricks without any misdirection?" asked Twilight as she approached her boyfriend in her outfit.

"Twilight, you know a magician never reveals his secrets." said Mr. Bristle as he winked at Isaac and left to check on the other acts.

"Well." said Twilight hoping for an answer still.

"Come here." said Isaac as he pulled out a rope full of handkerchiefs from his sleeves as he wrapped it around Twilight's waist as he pulled the lavender girl into his arms as he dipped her. He then brought his lips to hers as Twilight fell into it as she placed her hand to cusp her boyfriend's cheek as he pulled back and let her up as he booped her nose which cause Twilight to turn red. Isaac then gave her another passionate kiss as he lifted Twilight into the air as he held her.

Antonio and his family were performing on the Russian Swings as they traded back and forth with the object as they did some crazy bumps and flips. Halfway through, Dimitri came out as he brought Applejack with him. He then had a brick wall brought to him as he wanted Applejack to punch it, now really it was made of paper mache, but the way it was colored and designed by Sunset made it seem so life like. As well as it was covered in cement dust so that when it broke it would seem like Aj punched the brick. Applejack then cracked her fist as she let loose a right punch as she broke the wall clean in half as the audience was amazed by the country girl. Applejack then began to perform some feats of strength as the crowd was amazed by what she could do. Soon Isaac and Mr. Bristle came out as they helped to transition between acts.

"Once again, give it up for the Antonio and his family. As well as Dimitri and Applejack." stated Mr. Bristle as the audience clapped with the group going back through the curtain.

"Now time to move onto to some animals." said Isaac as a growl and roar was heard. He then pointed to a cage arena that was being lowered down as coming from the curtain was Sylvain and Fluttershy dressed in animal tamer outfits. They stepped into the caged arena as Shadow was setting up some stands. He then quickly got out of the cage and stood outside of it as he didn't want to be inside.

Fluttershy then let out a whistle as soon the lionesses and tigers all raced out from the curtain as they went into the small door for them to enter as they all tackled the shy girl. The crowd let out a gasp, but soon saw the big cats all licking the girl's face as she let out a giggled and then petted them as she instructed them to get on the chairs. Sylvain then began to get to work as he had a small whip and baton to get the animals' attention. With that, Sylvain and Fluttershy then worked their charm as they got the big cats to perform tricks. They even set up a hoop as they lit it on fire and then had the cats jump through it in quick session as the crowd was entertained. Soon they dismissed all the cats by giving them kisses on their noses as they all left through the curtain and back into their holding pen. Fluttershy let out another whistle as the elephants came out as they stopped in front of the girl. She then talked to them as they understood and then began to line up as they stood on their hind legs while placing their front legs on the back of the elephant in front of them.

Soon both individuals dismissed them as Sylvain also exited through the curtain. Isaac came out with Spike in his hand.

"Truly something amazing. But not as amazing as a talking dog." said Isaac as he gave Spike to Fluttershy as they began to wink.

"So Spike, what you say about this show?" asked the girl.

"Well, I think we're a smash hit." said the mutt as the crowd gasped as they had never seen a talking dog. Even the students were shocked how Fluttershy was getting Spike to talk. To anybody but Isaac and the girls, they thought Fluttershy was doing some ventriloquism. Soon they told some jokes as they bowed down as they made their way to the back with Isaac transition to the next act.

"Look to the skies, as you'll see the duo sisters, Cinnamon Moon and Petunia as they prepare to fly through the circus top." said Isaac as he pointed above him and some spotlights shined on the girls as they were on opposite ends on platforms with the trapeze in each of their hand. Isaac gave the signal as the women began to do some flips and acrobatics as the crowd couldn't look away. Soon they reached the end of their perform as Mr. Bristle and Isaac were back out as they now had a cannon with them.

"Now time to be amazed as we fire the shot across the arena." stated Isaac as he then had another piece of cloth as he placed it on the floor and then pulled it away to reveal Sunset in her circus outfit as she was shocked.

"No! No!" shouted the bacon-haired girl.

"Yes. Load the cannon." said Isaac as he now grabbed the girl and then started to push her down the barrel of the cannon.

"Boy toy! You let me out or I'm gonna kick your..."

"Aaaaand here we go." said Isaac as he cut off Sunset as he nodded and Mr. Bristle then light the fuse as the sizzle was heard as it started to slowly to reach the end.

"Uh-oh." said Sunset as she realized what was happening.

"Fire!" shouted the boy and the owner as Sunset was now shot out of the cannon as she was now sent flying high into the air as she let out a scream. Soon she cam crashing down on the landing pad as an explosive went off around her as Sunset was fine as she was breathing heavily as the crowd cheered. Isaac took a bow as he made sure to wink at his magicians as they appeared and too were having fun helping their master to pull of these tricks.

"I'm sure we can do something to top that." asked Twilight to the audience as she made her way to Isaac.

"You're right, how about... this!" said Isaac as he casted his hands at Twilight as she was now starting to float up in the air.

"What! Isaac! ISAAC!" shouted Twilight as she rising into the air as Isaac had his left hand to his mind so it was made to see he was using his brain to lift Twilight without any wires or cables.

"How is Isaac doing this?" shouted the students from behind the curtain.

"ISAAC!!!" shouted the bookworm as she was up in the rafters as a spotlight was shining on Twilight.

"What do you think?" stated Isaac as he turned his back to his girlfriend as he looked at the audience as they clapped. He then took a bow as at that moment, Twilight was plummeting down.

"HELP!!!!" shouted the girl as she was falling fast as the crowd let out gasps.

Isaac was still bowing when he heard some muttering. "What's that? I'm missing something, I wonder it could be." The boy was now playfully thinking as Twilight was still falling.

"ISAAC!!!" shouted Twilight.

"It's on the tip of my tongue." said Isaac dramatically.

"ISAAC! You ass-"

"Oh, right." said the boy as he turned around and out from his sleeves came some handkerchiefs as they wrapped around Twilight's waist as they caught the girl before hitting the ground as the boy yanked them as he pulled his girlfriend into his arms as he smiled and waved to the crowd as they applauded his act.

Twilight was hyperventilating as she was taking massive deep breaths that she almost became a splat on the floor. She then looked at her boyfriend as she had a steamed look. "I'm gonna kick your a..."

Isaac then cut Twilight off as he gave her a deep kiss to which Twilight fell into it as she cusped his face. He then pulled away as she rolled her eyes.

"I don't whether to kill or make out with you right now." said the girl as her hormones and adrenaline were being mixed together. Isaac just chuckled as looked above to see his Black Robe Mentalist smiling as he gave her a quick wink for her help.

"And now, for the final act. Gaze your eyes on the Wheel of Death!!" said Mr. Bristle as the huge metal thing came out as Maverick was preparing to do his act.

Maverick was able to show his skills as he was inside of the wheel and then got on top of it as it was moving as he started to do jump rope on the wheel as it was moving. He even did a front flip on the wheel as it was going down on its rotation as he held onto it as it came back up and he did another flip as he then went back inside of the wheel as he continued to amaze the crowd. Soon he did his final trick as it came to a stop as the crowd clapped and he remained out there as out came Mr. Bristle and Isaac as they addressed the audience.

"We want to thank you all for coming out to tonight's show." said Mr. Bristle as the crowd was loud.

"We hope that you were all entertained." said Isaac.

"And give one more thanks to Isaac and his friends for helping us to keep our home and helping us to put on a grand show." said the owner as he pointed to Isaac who took a bow as the crowd showed their appreciation. "And now we must bid you adieu." said Mr. Bristle as he snapped his fingers as the entire place went dark. Soon some music started to play as a single spotlight shined down on Mr. Bristle.

[ENSEMBLE]
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah
Woah

Ladies and gents, this is the moment you've waited for(Woah)
Been searchin' in the dark, your sweat soakin' through the floor(Woah)
And buried in your bones there's an ache that you can't ignore
Takin' your breath, stealin' your mind
And all that was real is left behind

Don't fight it, it's comin' for you, runnin' at ya
It's only this moment, don't care what comes after
Your fever dream, can't you see it gettin' closer?
Just surrender 'cause you feel the feelin' takin' over
It's fire, it's freedom, it's floodin' open
It's a preacher in the pulpit and your blind devotion
There's somethin' breakin' at the brick of every wall
It's holdin' all that you know, so tell me do you wanna go?

Where it's covered in all the colored lights
Where the runaways are runnin' the night
Impossible comes true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show
We light it up, we won't come down
And the sun can't stop us now
Watchin' it come true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show

Mr. Bristle started the song as he toss his cane in between his hands. He then pointed at the main curtain as out came his cast as they started to do the final closing acts as they were doing all they could to give the audience one final goodbye. They even joined in with their boss as they began to sing the song. He started to walk towards Natasha as he passed by Bubbles who was strapped to a rolling wheel as Mr. Gravity was throwing some knives at it as he made the outline of his comrade with it before giving Mr. Bristle a high-five. He then went under Calliope as she was walking on some stilts as Petunia somersaulted off of her shoulders as she landed on a seesaw as it tossed her sister, Cinnamon Moon, into the air as she grabbed on a trapeze as it was flying by. Mr. Bristle then approached Natasha as he spun her around and she began to sing with her beloved while their friends were still doing their acts.

(Woah)Colossal we come these renegades in the ring
(Woah)Where the lost get found in the crown of the circus king
Don't fight it, it's comin' for you, runnin' at ya
It's only this moment, don't care what comes after
It's blindin', outshinin' anything that you know
Just surrender 'cause you're callin' and you wanna go
Where it's covered in all the colored lights
Where the runaways are runnin' the night
Impossible comes true, intoxicatin' you
Oh, this is the greatest show
We light it up, we won't come down
And the sun can't stop us now
Watchin' it come true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show

It's everything you ever want
It's everything you ever need
And it's here right in front of you
This is where you wanna be(This is where you wanna be)
It's everything you ever want
It's everything you ever need
And it's here right in front o' you
This is where you wanna be
This is where you wanna be

Natasha sang her line with such conviction as Mr. Bristle gave her a kiss. Soon he grabbed her hand as the rest of their friends continued on with the song as the both of them made their way back to the curtain as Isaac and his friends/students were all watching the closing act. Soon Mr. Bristle approached the gang with Natasha having her arm wrapped around her beloved as he gave Isaac his personal top hat.

"Huh?" asked Isaac.

"Take it, kid. You finish it. As they say: The show must go on." said Mr. Bristle as he was letting Isaac and his friends finish the song.

Isaac grabbed the hat and put it on his head as he gave a nod, Mr. Bristle tossed the cane to Isaac as he grabbed and he started to run out with his friends as they began to finish the song as the students all stayed behind with Tigre and Spike to watch them. The girls all broke apart as they ran out through the curtain as Isaac then did a quick slide as he sang the next part of the song as Twilight soon accompanied her boyfriend in singing.

This is the greatest show!!!
Where it's covered in all the colored lights
Where the runaways are runnin' the night
Impossible comes true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show
We light it up, we won't come down
And the walls can't stop us now(Oh, this is the greatest show
We light it up, we won't come down
And the walls can't stop us now)
I'm watchin' it come true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show(I'm watchin' it come true, it's takin' over you
Oh, this is the greatest show)

'Cause everythin' you want is right in front of you
And you see the impossible is comin' true
And the walls can't stop us (now) now, yeah(Cause everythin' you want is right in front of you
And you see the impossible is comin' true
And the walls can't stop us)

Isaac and then grabbed Twilight's hand as they he began to lead the both of them to some pillars as each of their friends were on one of their own as they were all different heights. Rainbow and Rarity's were the tallest one stationed, Applejack and Fluttershy were on ones that were a bit lower than the two. Sunset and Pinkie on pillar that were lower than theirs but still not touching the ground. Isaac and Twilight got on pillar that was at the bottom as it touched the floor. The girls saw the group get on theirs as they began to help finish the song as they sang, all the while Isaac looked out to the audience as he wrapped his left arm around Twilight's waist as he saw his all of his magicians of his deck appear as they began to work their magic by adding some fireworks to the show as the crowd believed it to be part of the show. They all smiled at their master as he alone gave a nod.

This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show (Oh!)
This is the greatest show! (Oh!)

The song ended as the pillars each of the friends found themselves moved as they rearranged the group. Fluttershy's pillar was on the far right as it was lowered; Rainbow Dash's pillar was on her left as it was a bit higher than hers, and Sunset's pillar was next to Rainbow's as it was higher than hers. Rarity's pillar was lowered as to her right; Applejack's pillar was raised up a bit as it was higher, next to Applejack was Pinkie standing on her pillar as she was higher than the one Aj was one and in the center that connected the two sides at the top of the pillar was Isaac and Twilight as the boy held the girl in his arms as the spotlight shined down on the group as they reached the climax of the song they ended it. The crowd cheered as they all bowed with the members of the circus, the students, with Mr. Bristle and Natasha looking from behind the curtain as they clapped. Isaac then dipped Twilight one final time as the girl grabbed the hat from her boyfriend as she pulled him in for one final deep kiss as the scene ended with the two of them having smiles on their faces.

Chapter 170: Crushes

"Nicole, respond." said Twilight.

"Scanning, Twilight. Restoration at... 35%." said the A.I.

"Alright, well... progress is slowly growing. But is it moving fast enough?" said Twilight as she leaned against her chair and let out a stressed sigh.

Twilight then took out her phone as she opened it and looked at her wallpaper as it was a shot of Isaac and his Dark Magician in a dueling pose. She then opened her photos as she had tons of photos that highlighted her journey since transferring to Canterlot High. She then opened one of the files she had labeled in her gallery as it pulled up the photos of her and Isaac smiling and enjoying each other. It had tons of photos that showed the many dates they went on, the times he made a fool of himself in front of her as she facepalmed herself, the times he was shown to be dominate and confident when competing in duels, and of the times he made her feel special. Twilight looked at the first photo that was taken of the two of them together as it was the night of her brother's wedding where she and Isaac confessed each other's feelings in the garden. After sharing their first kiss, she pulled out her phone and took a selfie of the two of them holding each other's hands as she had her head on Isaac's shoulder.

Twilight couldn't help but smile as she touched her necklace. The necklace that Isaac had given her the previous Christmas served so much meaning for the lavender girl. To think that not only would she gain friends and have a more friendly life, but that she wound up in a relationship. And with someone who was very passionate about Duel Monsters, but was able to bring her happiness every single day.

"I can't believe how lucky I am." said Twilight as she smiled. She then closed her laptop as she decided to let her program continue scanning in rest mode. Twilight then laid down on her bed as she reached into her drawer and pulled out her deck. She then pulled out her High Priestess of Prophecy as it served as her ace card. "Isaac's like his magician, both are dedicated, tough, and willing to make other smiles. Not to mention handsome. So... am I like my High Priestess?" asked the girl as she held her monster. "Isaac says that the monsters in our decks take after us, so do I feel like I'm connected with my monster in the same way as Isaac?"

Isaac was downstairs as he on his laptop currently in a group call with some people.

"So, if I were to do that, would it work?" asked Isaac.

"Well, it worked for me." joked the first person as he let out a laugh to which the others and Isaac just gave him a glare. "Sorry, about that. But yeah, all you gotta do is play the card and if your duel disk registers it, then you should be able to summon the monster."

"And what about these two cards?" asked Isaac as he showed them to the screen as they had a white frame.

"You still have that tuner monster I gave you?" asked the second person. "Then just met the levels and you can summon it. Then have your Dark Sorcerer Magician out and combine the two of them. Just remember to say the phrase when you summon it."

"Well, compared to what I have to say when I summon the Winged Dragon of Ra, this isn't as long as that." chuckled Isaac as he got the other four people he was currently talking with all laugh too.

"And have you been practicing the skill I taught you?" asked the third person.

"More or less." said Isaac as he pulled out a certain card. "Just haven't had the time to actually use it in a duel."

"Well, you'll probably experience it sooner or later." said the person.

"By the way, Isaac? You still have that secret box I gave you after we met?" asked the fourth person.

"Of course, I haven't let anybody see it." replied Isaac. "And I haven't opened it, either. I obeyed your wishes and have not touched it. Just wonder what's inside of it." said the boy as she shook the box to try to hear what may be in it.

"Don't worry, you'll know when the time is right to open it." said the fourth person.

"Alright. Look guys, I appreciate this. I know I've said this multiple times, but I am truly thankful for all you've done for me. And not just the cards you've all sent me for the kids and the program, but just for taking the time out of your lives and busy schedule to teach me. Thank you, seriously." stated Isaac.

"Anything for a friend." said the first person.

With that all four persons said goodbye to the teen as the call ended as Isaac was now staring at a blank screen.

"Feels nice that I can talk with them." Isaac then leaned back on the couch as he pulled out his phone and open it.

He then pulled up the calendar on his phone as he saw that Valentine's day was coming up fast. Which normally meant that all the couples would require the male to buy lavishing gifts and other stuff for their lady/girl. But seeing as how Isaac and Twilight had gotten on so many dates and spended a lot of time together, she didn't need anything special from the boy on this specific day. As long as they got to spend it with each other, that was as good enough present for the bookworm. Isaac however, quickly put that out of his mind as he looked at several other dates on his phone. One was marked for Spring Break that this year Twilight had planned a cruise in advance for their class and were all set to sail when they got on break. Another was a music festival of sorts coming up just at the end of the Spring Break as it would be the final thing before they all returned back to school. But the major thing weighing on Isaac's mind was the date of the final exams for the students. On that date, the Board of Education would send some representatives to monitor and judge the kid's skills and see if they were successful in one final duel to determine whether or not CHS could finally get Duel Monsters as a part of the curriculum and help Celestia and Luna get the proper funding from the system and state that they so longed for many years.

Once more Isaac looked at his watch as he started to remember that Twilight gave it to him for his birthday as it was that small act of gift giving that tugged at his heart strings and allowed him to realize the feelings he harbored for the nerdy girl. Soon thereafter he confessed to Twilight the night of her brother's wedding as soon they became much more happier. But the watch also meant something else for Isaac. For him, in this moment, at this present time, it was the countdown for the young boy. The countdown to his time at CHS, the countdown till he would be gone, the countdown till all would be no more. And for Isaac, he was racing against the clock, trying to beat Father Time himself.

"Time. Time... is running out." muttered the boy. He then reached back into his pocket as he pulled out the slip of paper as it was the contact info that Shining Armor gave him as he was willing to help the boy by having him sign with his agency as they would take good care of him. "Is this my answer?"

Before Isaac could say anything else, his phone received a message. He then looked at it, as it was from Pinkie. Seems she wanted some extra help from the boy in setting up the auditorium up for the school event. So Isaac put the slip of paper back in his pocket as he grabbed his cap and hoodie and was on his way to help his little sister.

The special "love day" was upon the whole town as once again everything was painted in the colors of red and pink. And like always, it was about spending the time with that special someone. Twilight was in her room doing her studies on the history of this holiday when she heard a knock on the door.

"Come in." she said plainly as Isaac entered the room with a smile on his face and hiding some items behind his back.

"Happy Valentine's Day." said Isaac as he placed a bouquet of dozen pink roses and a box of candy in front of her. Twilight smiled excitedly.

"Oh, thank you!" Twilight said happily as she gave him a hug, "You didn't have to get me anything!"

"Well, you know how I feel about you," said Isaac as Twilight kissed his cheek, making him blush when he remembered something, "I hope you'll enjoy the candy."

"Of course, you know how much I love chocolate." said Twilight as she returned to her desk.

"You should know that these chocolates aren't store bought." Isaac told her with a smirk and Twilight gasped.

"Isaac... you made these chocolates?" she exclaimed, deeply touched.

"Try them out." Isaac said as Twilight excitedly opened the box and gobbled down a candy. The taste and the texture of the candy were pure bliss as Twilight let out a long happy sigh.

"So good," Twilight exclaimed as her mouth was still full before swallowing, "I didn't know you could make chocolate candy."

"I had some help from Bon-Bon," Isaac explained, "it took me four tries to get them just right. I put alot of love into these candies and I'm glad you enjoyed them." Twilight just placed a hand to her heart and smiled as she walked up to him. They were just inches away from a lip to lip kiss...

"Hey Twilight!"

... the moment was spoiled thanks to a certain dog.

"Yes, Spike?" Twilight asked with a hint of annoyance in her tone as Isaac gave the little dog a discreet glare.

"I was coming inside from my walk when I saw this on the front porch." said Spike, holding a freshly cut red rose in his mouth with a piece of parchment attached to it.

"Somebody else sent you something?!" Isaac said in shock as Twilight tore off the parchment.

"Ever since you came to town," Twilight read aloud, "I can't take my eyes off your natural beauty. I've been waiting for a day when we could finally speak to each other face to face. I have hidden several of these red roses about town. If you can find them all, we can have a special date together. Here is the first clue:

Just as the sunrise glows
you go to this person for such a beautiful rose."

"Oooo-ho-ho-ho!" Spike snickered as he nudged the teen boy standing next to him, "Looks like you've got some competition for Twilight's heart, Isaac!" Isaac glared indignantly.

"I might have to turn this guy into mashed hay." Isaac remarked jealously.

"Oh, stop it, Isaac," said Twilight, "We are dating after all. This guy will just have to accept the fact that I'm not interested." Twilight then tossed the red rose into a nearby waste bin, including the parchment. And then got back to reading her book. Isaac and Spike just looked at her blankly.

"So... you're not gonna find out who sent you that rose?" asked Spike.

"Nope." replied Twilight.

"You're... not the least bit curious?" said Isaac.

"Nope." said Twilight and kept on reading. There was a long silence as Spike's eyes shifted from Isaac to Twilight and back again.

"Okay," said Isaac plainly, "Well, I need to help Pinkie in finishing up the school auditorium for the Valentine's day party tonight. I'll see you later, Twilight. Hope you enjoy the other pieces of chocolate candy!" Twilight just waved him off as she kept on reading. She waited a few seconds until she rushed over to the nearby window in her bedroom and peaked out of it. She watched Isaac disappear out of sight before she went back to the bin and grabbed the red rose and parchment. Spike looked at her skeptically.

"I thought you said you weren't interested." Spike remarked with a teasing tone. Twilight snorted.

"Well... look at it this way, Spike" said Twilight, "Someone went through all this trouble to set this up for me and it would be kind of mean for me to leave them hanging. Either way, once I found out who this mysterious person is, I'll tell them that I'm dating someone else and if he wants to be friends. Now... let me see... person with roses... oh! Roseluck! See you later, Spike." Twilight then grabbed her satchel, a small book, the rose, the parchment, and then headed out of the house. Spike then noticed that Twilight had left her candy box behind. He tiptoed towards the box.

"And no touching my chocolate candy! You know what it will do to!" Twilight shouted, making Spike flinch.

Pinkie was doing her best to set up the place for the party tonight, Isaac arrived in time as she immediately started to put stuff in her big brother's arms for him to hold as he trailed behind the pink girl as she went into 'concentration' mode as she was very critical when it came to designing any kind of party. Isaac wasn't the only one there, turns out the boys where also helping Pinkie and the party planning committee in decorating. Okay, well mostly Pinkie had given Shadow no say in whether or not he wanted to help. She just considered it a good time for student and teacher to bond, at least in her eyes. Not so much for Shadow.

"Hey, Bryant." called out Shadow.

"What is it, bud?" asked the boy.

"How about switching tutors with me?" asked Shadow.

"Dude no way, I like have Fluttershy as my teach." stated Bryant.

"Jason, how about you?"

"Yeah, that's a big no." stated Jason.

"Jack, man. I'll give you money, just switch places with me. Rainbow won't notice."

"Yeah, she won't notice the difference in our skills and our deck." stated the boy bluntly.

"Ahhh." said the boy as he let out a scream which then turned into a cry as he slumped down against the bleachers.

"What's your problem with Pinkie?" asked Jason.

"Look at her." said the boy as he pointed at his teacher.

"The cupcake needs to be hanging from the wall, that punch needs to be sprayed all over the Dj booth. Big bro! Where's my speaker set!?" shouted the Pinkie.

"On it, little sis!" shouted the boy as he rushed over.

"Ya see." said Shadow as he exclaimed. "She's nuts. She's making me lose my sanity each day of my life. Please, I'm begging you guys, help a bro out."

"Why don't you ask Isaac?" asked Bryant.

"I already tried. He says he's not changing groups." complained the boy. "I know he wants us to get ready for the final exam and whatnot. But I don't think I'm gonna make it that till then with this girl."

"I don't envy your pain at all." mocked Jack.

"Big Bro!!!!" shouted Pinkie as she had a crazed look on her face.

"Coming little sis!!!" yelled out Isaac as he rushed over towards the girl.

"I'm glad Twilight isn't like that." said Jason as he watched their professor overdo himself in pleasing Pinkie with the decorations.

"It's bad enough that I got to deal with her all the time, but especially today." stated Shadow. "This is the worst day for any guy that's single."

"You mean us?" stated Bryant.

"Ain't having rich parents something that works in favor of today's holiday?" asked Jason.

"Yeah, if all you want is gold-diggers." stated Shadow.

"It's not all bad, so what if we're single. That means we don't have any commitments to anybody and we admire any girl from afar."

"Or card crushes." said Bryant.

"Card crushes?" asked Jason.

"Come on, almost any guy has a crush on a card." stated the boy as he pulled out his deck. "For me, it has to be this girl. Performapal Revue Dancer. Look at her, all cute and the outfit she wears. Makes my heart stop a bit."

"I'll admit that's a good choice." said the other three boys as they looked at Bryant's choice of cards.

Meanwhile...

"Now where did that clue go," said Twilight as she tried to remember her next clue, "Whenever you slice this fruit apart, you'll find it resembles the shape of a heart. Hmm, what fruit would resemble a heart?" Twilight then noticed a particular girl selling various baskets of freshly grown strawberries. Twilight then looked at them when she picked one up and noticed something.

"Wait a second!" said Twilight as she looked at the strawberries, "The shape of a heart! Strawberries! Um, excuse me... someone said I that would find a rose here with fruit that's shaped like a heart?" The girl giggled to herself as she handed Twilight another red rose with a piece of parchment on it. Twilight smiled as she tucked the rose into her satchel, as well as paid for some strawberries for later. She had already collected a few roses from her travels about town. She then walked away reading the next clue by tucking it in front of her book.

"What about you guys, don't you all have a certain card you have a crush on?" asked Bryant.

"Easy." said Jason as he pulled out his deck and showed off his Maiden with Eyes of Blue. "Ain't she a looker. Cute, majestic, beautiful. And like all best partners, she understands what men want: women and dragons. All that wrapped into one package. Tell me that ain't a good deal."

"Hard to argue with that logic." said Jack.

"What about you, what's your card crush?"

"Tricky one, but if I had to answer. It would have to be this gal." Jack then used his duel disk to project the image of his card crush. "For me, it's this little cutie, Blizzard Princess. They say happiness is scientifically proven to be attractive, and that's why spirited girls like her are hard to overlook." replied the boy as the others did agree to that statement. "Plus her hair is nice shade of blue, eyes that say 'I'm a nice girl' or 'You mess with me and I'll hurt you'. Not to mention she's a princess, boys. So not only are we talking about cash, but her attitude. I'm thinking of her as elegant, but also the playful tomboyish that loves to pal around. Also got a thing for strong girls." stated Jack as he pointed to her weapon.

"Nice one, man." said the rest of the boys.

"Alright, Shadow. What about you? What's your ideal card crush?" asked Jack.

"Well, I got a few. But two that come to mind are Hiita the Fire Charmer and Silent Magician." said Shadow as he used his duel disk to projected the images of the cards for the rest of the boys to see.

"Nice one, dude." said Jason. "Definitely a killer."

"She is, isn't she. But there is one that I do harbor a more of a crush on?" said Shadow.

"Which is?" asked Bryant.

Shadow then looked to his side as his eyes shifted from left to right. "Is Professor Isaac nearby?"

"Coast is clear, why?" asked Bryant.

"Cause I don't want him to hear this." said Shadow as he told the guys to huddle up as he wanted only them to hear his response. "Okay, real talk. Nothing gets out of this little huddle. Guy code, none of this happened, okay?"

"Yeah, we understand the guy code. So what, is that bad you don't want anybody else to hear it?" asked Jack.

"Yes." Shadow peaked his head up one more time to make sure that nobody was around. "Okay, I will admit, I do have a strong card crush on Dark Magician Girl."

"You two, bud." said Jason.

"Shit, you're right. She is good looking." stated Bryant.

"She's cute, I'll admit that. Fine figure too, but not so much for a crush for me. Still she's smoking, can't deny that." replied Jack.

"If she was real, I wouldn't even leave her side for a even a second." stated Shadow.

"And then what would you do?"

"I would... wait, who said that?" stated Shadow as he looked at the boys to see if one of them said that statement.

They all were still huddled up as they shook their heads at their friend. Shadow then raised an eyebrow until he heard a cough as it caused him to let out a gulp as he felt a presence behind him and he had a feeling he knew who it was. All the boys then lifted up as Shadow turned around and standing there was none other than their head professor Isaac as he had his arms crossed.

"Shit." said Shadow as he saw the boy standing there.

"So, which one of you mentioned 'Dark Magician Girl'?" asked Isaac as he cracked his knuckles a bit.

"It was him!" shouted the boys as they pointed at each other in hopes of not upsetting their professor for talking about his card and ace female magician.

"For the record, I just said she was cute and looked fine. I don't have the level of interest as these guys do." stated Jack as he was a bit worried and hoped his explanation was enough to not get beat up too badly.

Meanwhile, Twilight had arrived at the Sweet Shoppe.

"Hi, Mrs. Cake. I was told that by this note here that I was to ask this person if you are sweet, and you will get a rosy treat." Mrs. Cake giggled to herself as she ducked under the counter and presented Twilight a chocolate frosted cupcake that had a tall rose sticking out of it. Like the other rose stems, this one had another note attached to it.

"Thank you." said Twilight as she held the rose with her hand and began to eat her cupcake as she walked away. Sometime later, she found the answer to another clue.

"Good day there miss," said the jeweler person named Karat, "How might I help you?" Twilight approached the counter as she held the sheet of paper.

"Ask this person if you are pretty as a diamond, you'll find that you and this gem have much in common." Twilight recited to Karat. Karat smiled as he presented Twilight with a rare purple diamond that matched the color of her eyes. Alongside of it was another red rose. Twilight took the rose and found another note.

"Just how many of these roses are around town?" Twilight wondered as she examined her satchel, which was loaded with lots of red roses.

"I should inform you that this purple diamond was paid for by the person who sent you the rose," said Karat, "If you give me a second, I can have it fitted for a ring or necklace. Your choice, miss." Twilight's eyes sparkled. It wasn't often she got the chance to wear or own jewelry.

"So who muttered the words 'Dark Magician Girl' through their lips?" asked Isaac.

"Shadow started it!" said the rest of the boys.

"So much for guy code." stated Shadow as his friends left him to fend for himself. "Look, Isaac before you kick my ass for talking about your magician girl. I just want to say that she's lucky to have someone like you. Plus, you probably have the biggest crush on her since she is your card." Shadow was now sweating bullets as he was trying to avoid upsetting his head professor.

"Keep going." said Isaac in a nonchalant tone.

"Huh?" said the boys as they were shocked to hear their teacher just have a straight face.

"Don't let me stop you, finish what you were gonna say about my Dark Magician Girl."

"Uh, that's she hot."

"I can't deny that part." said Isaac with a bit of a chuckle.

"Hold on, you're not angry at us for talking about your magician girl even if she's with you." said Jason.

"You think I don't know about this type of shit." said Isaac as he sat down on one of the bleachers as he let out a small laugh. "Guys, I've literally seen it happen since I was a young boy. You won't believe how many other kids fell in love with her. And to be honest, I can't blame them or her." Isaac then pulled out his deck as he flipped the top card over and he showed off his Dark Magician Girl.

"Well, what about you?" asked Bryant. "You gotta have at least a tiny crush on her before you met Professor Twilight."

"Well... I mean... yes-no." responded Isaac.

"What kind of answer is that?" stated Jack.

"It's... complicated. Let's say that the relationship between me and my Dark Magician Girl is rather mutual, but also affectionate." said Isaac as that was the best way he could describe it to the boys since they couldn't physically see Duel Monster spirits to fully understand how Mana acted whenever she was around Isaac.

"What the hell does that mean?" stated Jason.

"I'm starting to think that Isaac doesn't have a card crush." said Shadow.

"Look, I'm not going say that having a 'crush' on a card is ridiculous, I get it. Card crushes are a thing that people have, and not just boys. Girls also have them, but you mostly see boys into it. Plus, no offense but I was a late bloomer when it came to romance; my first ever kiss came when I was still a sophomore at CHS. And I will admit that my Dark Magician Girl is cute, she's a hell of an eye catcher. Which is also why I tend to be cautious whenever I play her." stated Isaac. "But it's also because of what I went through when I was young."

"What?" asked the boys.

"Well, before I explain. Let me ask you all this, do you believe our cards have spirits?" asked Isaac.

"Spirits?" asked Jack.

"You know, do you think they have a soul of sorts." stated Isaac.

"Why would a card have that?" asked Shadow.

"Well, bear with me then. So since I was a kid, I kinda talked to my cards as if they were alive. I thought that they had a soul and that their spirits were watching over me."

"This guy is our head professor?" said Jason as he looked at the other boys as they weren't fully believing Isaac's explanation in saying that cards have spirits.

"Isaac, you really don't think that Duel Monsters cards have spirits, right?" asked Bryant.

"I mean, it's not like you can see them." said Jack.

"Look just listen." said Isaac as he began to speak. "I was about 6 years old, now by that time, I had gotten into Duel Monsters for about 2 to 3 years roughly speaking. Now I did have my deck with me, granted it's not what I have today, but most of the groundwork was similar. Anyways, at this point in my life, I had just gotten my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl about a month or so ago. So one day while I was sitting on the front steps of my apartment, I was looking over my cards when one of the neighboring kids who was my friend approached me. He asked me if we wanted to have a battle to which I said yes. So we dueled and then I drew my Dark Magician Girl and so I summoned her to the field."

"Then what?" asked the boys.

"What do you think?" said Isaac sarcastically. "I played her and all the other boys just dropped what they were doing and looked at her. Even my friend who was dueling me didn't pay attention to the rest of the duel as I won. Then I was immediately swarmed by the other kids as they asked me what I would do to trade them my Dark Magician Girl card. I didn't know what to say so I just carefully walked away to my house and locked the door. It was the same thing that always happened when I played her, every boy would look at her and admire her. Then they would surround me as they tried to bribe me or make me some deals in hopes that I would give them the card. I said no for that fact that well, I didn't want to trade my cards."

"So how did you handle this issue?" asked Bryant.

"Well, I took a trip to one of my cousin's house. My cousin was more of a casual fan of Duel Monsters, so oftentimes since he was way older than me, he often played with me. So one time while we were battling, I summoned my Dark Magician Girl and right there he told me how lucky I was to have a card. He told me that any guy would kill to have a hot girl like that by his side, of course as a kid I didn't even know what he meant by that. Nor did I even think about it cause it's not something you think as a kid. To put it into words that I would understand, everybody else had white chocolate and I was the one with dark chocolate and everybody else wanted a piece of it. With that analogy, I understood it a bit better for a kid. And from then on, I choose to just accept the fact that people would always flock to my Dark Magician Girl. Now a days, I realize how luck I was growing up. To have such a highly like card and I was in possession of it." said Isaac as he looked at his female magician as he was admire his friend.

"Even to this day, I feel like she knows how popular she is. Which is why she likes to mess with me and have fun. But at the end of the day, she knows how I feel about her and that she'll always be by my side in the face of danger." Isaac looked at his card as soon Mana appeared as she was sitting next to Isaac as she had a joyous smile on her face. Mana then hugged Isaac as she nuzzled his cheek with hers as she planted a kiss for her master as she disappeared.

"Got any fives?" asked Jason as he and the other boys were on the floor next to Isaac as they were playing Go Fish during Isaac telling his story.

"Hey." called out Isaac.

"We heard it." said Shadow as he played his card. "You got lucky that you had the Dark Magician Girl, everybody else was jealous of you. You didn't know why and now you realize just how lucky you are to not only have a hot girl as your female ace but also have Twilight as your girlfriend. Got any sixes?" asked the boy.

"Go fish." stated Bryant.

"So much for telling my story." said Isaac as he crossed his arms and had a pout look on his face. "At least, you listened to my story, Mana."

"How can I not? It was the first time, I had a crush on you." joked Mana.

"You're not the only one." said Isaac nonchalantly as all the other female magicians of Isaac's deck appeared as they looked at their master with cute and lovestruck looks on their faces.

"I guess not only can you have a crush on a card, but a card can have a crush on you." stated Isaac as all of his female magicians were admire their young master.

"We love you, Isaac." said all the girls.

Isaac just smiled as he knew what the relationship was between him and his female spellcasters. Soon a noise was heard from the outside as all five boys rushed out of the auditorium and looked at the field as they saw a huge hole in the ground as Pinkie was at the bottom of it.

"Pinkie, what the hell happened?!" shouted the boy. Isaac and the other boys all rushed out to see the party girl was trapped in a hole that was a bit taller than her.

"Well, I was trying to get the right measurements for the bouncy castle. It needs to be dug deep into the the ground to avoid it flying away." stated Pinkie with a smile as she was covered in dirt and scratches.

"I think this is deep enough. Alright guys, time to get her out." stated Isaac.

"Do we have to?" asked Shadow. "Can't she just say down there for a bit longer. Perforable forever." said Shadow with a hopeful smile.

"Trust me, that is a good idea and I'm all for it." said Isaac as he too liked Shadow's thinking. "But we have to get her out."

"Alright." groaned Shadow as he and the others all began to find shovels to cover the hole as Isaac got a ladder for Pinkie to climb up.

It took about 3 hours to finally get the hole filled up as Isaac and the boys had patched it up as they were sweating and had a bit of dirt on themselves. Isaac thanked the students for helping him as he told them they should go home and freshen up for the event that was about to start very soon. The boys all agreed and said goodbye to their professor; at that time, Twilight arrived as she saw the boys all messy and dirty as she was still on her little quest.

"What happened?" asked Twilight.

"You don't want to know." answered Isaac.

"Okay..." said Twilight uneasily when she noticed Isaac glaring at her, "Yes?"

"I thought you said you weren't going to bother with... this mystery person and his little game?" Isaac asked sternly, "enjoying your new necklace?" Twilight then realized that she was holding one of the red roses and that her satchel bag was loaded with lots of red roses in clear view. Plus she was also wearing her purple diamond as a sterling silver necklace around her neck.

"Isaac, please..."

"If you don't see me that way," said Isaac angrily, "Just tell me!!! Tell me so that I can move on to somebody who will!!"

"It's not like that okay," Twilight yelled in Isaac's face as they were legit arguing with each other, "I'm just going to find out who it is and turn them down! I am dating you after all... despite your bad attitude!"

"Well, excuse me for being jealous!" Isaac shouted, "I'll even confess to it! Huh, can't believe I wasted all my time with you. If I had known this is was gonna happen, I would kicked you out of the house this morning." spoke Isaac with the bitter of bitterness in his voice. "I trusted you, and you betrayed me. I don't want anything else with you." Isaac then started to walk back inside of the auditorium as he could feel a bit of tears rolling down from his eyes. Twilight watched Isaac walk and enter the building with a sad look on her face. Suddenly looking at her necklace made her feel sick to her stomach as she took it off and tucked it into her satchel bag. Twilight just sighed as she made her way to the destination of the clue.

"Hello, Twilight." stated Rarity, "What brings you by this Valentine's day?"

"Well," said Twilight as she held the most recent rose she received , "The note said a beautiful girl like you always looks her best, visit this girl to find the perfect dress." Rarity giggled to herself as she reached under her counter and pulled out another red rose. However, unlike the others, this one had an envelope attached to it with the number 22 on it.

"Is... 22 the clue?" Twilight asked curiously.

"No darling," said Rarity, "I cannot give you the clue the next rose unless you have 22 red roses in your possession." Twilight blinked as she began to count the red roses she had. She was shocked to see that the total was just that.

"I have exactly 22," said Twilight.

"Then you can have this," said Rarity as she handed the purple girl the envelope, "Though I am a bit surprised that you are actually looking for this person. I thought you were dating Isaac."

"I just want to turn the guy down nicely instead of just... ignoring his efforts," said Twilight in annoyance as she opened the envelope, "it's bad enough Isaac is anger at me for actually trying to find him."

"Oh dear..." said Rarity with some concern, "The poor thing must feel so jealous..." Twilight just hummed in agreement, not wanting to tell Rarity that Isaac had taken off crying as she read the parchment inside of the envelope.

"With twenty-three roses, you have completed my little plight," Twilight read out aloud, "Now you can meet mister right. Meet me at this location just after sunset by following the clue: You will find me at this place where it is the best, where the sun takes its daily rest. Hmm, well the sun sets in the east... the best place to watch the sunset... (Gasp) I got it! See you later, Rarity!"

"Goodbye Twilight!", said Rarity as Twilight exited the shop, "And please don't be too harsh on the person!" Rarity sighed to herself before getting ready to leave for the party happening at the school.

The sun was now starting to lower in the sky. For most people they were at the school for the party that Pinkie was throwing; for the pink haired girl she was trying her best to comfort her friend and big brother as he was still upset with what transpired with Twilight earlier. As for Twilight herself, she had made it to the hill where you could watch the sun set as she slowly approached a particular mount of grass that allows a person to watch the sun set behind a vast green landscape. And right there was a person sitting alone on the hill; Twilight approached the person as he had black hair and purple skin wearing a pair of dark glasses with a black beret and a red sweater with a red heart on it.

"Umm, excuse me," said Twilight as she stood a distance away, "I'm Twilight Sparkle."

"Ah Miss Sparkle I presume?" said the person with a rough French accent, "I have been waiting for you. Quite zee lovely sunset, oui?"

"Oui... I mean yes it is," said Twilight, "I want to thank you for all the lovely roses and the diamond."

"Oh you are zee most welcome, mademoiselle," said the person as he turned to face her, "It is just a small way of expressing zee love to thee." Twilight just sighed.

"I appreciate the gesture," said Twilight, "But I'm afraid I can't accept any of these roses or the necklace." The person frowned.

"You... have zee boyfriend I presume?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." said Twilight. The person just looked at her blankly.

"Does he... treat you well?" he asked.

"I feel like a princess when I'm with him," Twilight replied with a smile, "and he is the sweetest and most loving guy I've ever met." The person smiled.

"He's a lucky guy to have zee affection of such a beautiful girl." the person remarked. Twilight just giggled. "I'm zee sure that Isaac is more than worthy of you." he added as Twilight looked stunned.

"Wait... you know Isaac?" Twilight said in surprise. The person then removed his glasses. With one smooth transition, he took off all of his clothes and standing there was a familiar boy as he wore a Dark Magician necklace and his cap with his signature hoodie. Twilight's jaw literally hit the floor as she was dumbfounded.

"Gotcha good didn't I?" said Isaac slyly as Twilight recomposed herself and snorted.

"I can't believe you!" said Twilight, trying to sound upset but failing miserably, "You tricked me! This was you the whole time?!"

"Eeyup," said Isaac, "I knew right away that I had to throw suspicion off of myself. So right before I gave you my present, I dumped the first rose off and acted like I was jealous to throw you off my trail. I know how much you like mysteries so I set up this little scavenger hunt for you to find some red roses and a very special diamond." Twilight couldn't help but smile as her eyes sparkled.

"I still can't believe you did all of this just for me." said Twilight, deeply touched.

"Well, today is Valentine's Day." said Isaac as he pulled out a red rose from under his hat.

"Not another clue." groaned Twilight.

"No clue," said Isaac, "Just answer this question: Twilight Sparkle, will you accept this rose and be my special someone tonight?" Twilight replied by diving into his arms, gave him a quick kiss on the lips, and hugged him tightly.

"Yes!" replied Twilight happily.

Isaac chuckled as they pulled away and he used his hand to tuck the rose behind into Twilight's hair and behind her left ear. he also grabbed the necklace inside of her satchel bag and then combined it with the necklace that he had given her for Christmas as the two combined together to form a new piece of jewelry as he slipped it around her neck so that she could wear it proudly.

"Time for an upgrade." stated the boy. Twilight giggled as she snugly herself under Isaac's chin and sighed happily.

"Happy Valentine's Day." said Twilight as she closed her eyes and relaxed as he held her in his arms.

"Happy Valentine's Day." Isaac replied sweetie as he held her lovingly and they watched as the sun set and the stars began to populate the early evening sky.

Author's Note

So be honest. Were you fooled by Isaac's acting and his plan?

Chapter 172: Sibling Disagreements

"You're kidding me?!" shouted a girl.

"Look, like we get it, this isn't your thing, but there's no other choice you have." said the other voice on the phone.

"Uh, maybe just letting me stay. I'm old enough to take care of myself, I know how to cook, clean, wash, all of that. So I think the answer is pretty obvious. Not to mention that I'm still in school and if I were to leave then it could pose some problems, especially..."

"The program that you're apart of. Honestly, I don't know why you bothered to be a part of the thing." said another person on the phone. "If that's your idea of getting popular then you should really consider, especially when it involves, your, birds."

"I'll have you know those birds have given me so much more than you think." responded the person.

"Look, we're leaving at the end of the week. You have till, like, then to inform your professor about this. End of the discussion." said the person as the call ended and the person looked at her phone.

"What do I do?" said Penny.

It was another day at CHS as Spring Break was coming up very soon. Both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna had decided to take the new class of students on a special trip. So for the girl's mentees, they were going to go on that trip with both women along with the other students of their class. And based on where they were going, almost all of them were excited. For Penny while she was certainly looking forward to the trip the two ladies were taking their grade class, she on the other hand had more serious matters going on.

Penny was currently walking in the hallway as she opened her locker and let out a sigh. Her deck was on the upper shelf of her locker as she grabbed it and examined it. Her Blackwings served more than just cards or monsters, but rather they were the only ones that actually listened to her problems and comforted her whenever she went through any issues or problems when she was younger. She then closed the door as she put her deck in her pocket as she began to walk.

Penny now arrived at the library as she was scheduled to meet with her tutor to discuss her lesson before she left for her class trip. Sunset was currently sitting on one of the couches with her legs crossed as she was reading a book in her hand. She then saw her student as she arrived.

"What's hanging, Penny?" said the bacon-haired girl.

"Hey." said Penny nonchalantly. She then slumped down on another couch.

"What's wrong?" asked the girl as she uncrossed her legs and looked at her student.

"Just... going through something."

"I see. So... who you got the hots for?" said Sunset with a sly expression.

"Not that, Sunset." said Penny. "It's family business."

"Family business, you mean your sisters?" stated the older girl.

"You know the little Spring Break trip that Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna are planning for our entire class?"

"Yeah, cause thanks to Twilight, she's organized a cruise trip for our class for Spring Break. So we'll both be doing our own thing." said Sunset.

"Well, I got a call from my sisters, yesterday. And well... they're currently planning on going on a trip of sorts for their modeling career. And... I have to go with them." said Penny. "But I don't want to."

"Can't you tell them no. I know you mentioned that you were their little sister, and that they often had to take you with them to whenever they did any kind of shots. But you're older now and can take care of yourself."

"Tell that to my sisters. Seems cause they're older that I should listen to what they say without question."

"Don't you have any family you can stay with?" asked Penny.

"Well, my mom and dad are living in Baltimare. I moved in with my sisters once they got their own house and have been staying with them since. Naturally, I learned something from them such as cooking, cleaning, basically learning how to take care of myself in case there was a situation that I would be on my own." said Penny.

"Then why won't they respect your decision." asked Sunset.

"Cause they're older than me. Not to mention popularity. You remember I asked you that question when we were having our lessons before the tournament. How I was judging you and a girl of your status shouldn't be running with the kind of people you're involved in." repeated Penny. "Well, I also said that a person's popularity allows you to have a voice and see just who is actually listening to what you say."

"But you can't let your sisters dictate your entire life, Penny." said Isaac as he appeared from listening to the conversation between the girls. "Sure they may be your older siblings, but they should at least listen to what their little sister has to say."

"That'll be the day." said Penny.

"Well if they're so demanding on you obeying them, then how did they let you take part in this program?" asked Sunset.

"Ask Teach." said Penny as she pointed at Isaac who was silently leaning against a bookshelf with his arms crossed and his eyes closed.

"Well?" asked the bacon-haired girl as she looked at her friend.

"I made a call and talked with Penny's sisters." said the boy as he opened his eyes.

"And?"

"We did business."

"What kind of business, boy toy?" asked Sunset. "Don't tell me..."

"Get your mind out of the gutter, Sunset. No. I simply talked with them about choosing Penny for the program. Told them how I wanted her to be a part of it and that she could help to get CHS the proper funds it needed."

"I doubt my sisters would agree to that statement and let me be a part of it." stated Penny as she felt like there was more to Isaac's statement.

"Well, I promised that if you were in the program, you would gain some massive popularity. That seemed to be the convincing statement that allowed your sisters to let you be a part of it." stated Isaac.

"I should have known. My sisters only expect me to become popular, so that I could potentially follow in their footsteps." said Penny. "However, it's not just that they're asking me to go with them, but moreso that this trip means I'll be gone for a while."

"How long?" asked Sunset.

"A long time." responded Penny. "In fact, I don't know if I'll ever come back here. And I never thought I said this, but I made friends here. Friends that aren't my Blackwings. I just... don't want it end so soon. You know?"

"I understand what you're saying." said Isaac. He then pulled out his phone as he began to look through his contacts; he then found which one he was looking for as he excused himself from the girls as he had to talk.

"So, I guess that means I won't be taking part in the final exam and test. Which means, you and Isaac will be disappointed in me." said Penny.

"Hey, don't say that about yourself. You can never disappoint me or Isaac. I like having you as my student, you remind me of me. Well, not as hot as me of course, but I see you got that drive to be the best. And you proved when you told everybody that you were going to go to the finals of the tournament." said Sunset. "If anything, I should be the lucky one to have a student like you. I would think since I told you about my past evil self, you would tell Isaac that you didn't want me as your tutor."

"Are you kidding, girl. I love having you as tutor; you're cool and you got sass, even to Teach." said Penny as she referred to Isaac. "I think out of everybody who got their tutors, I got the lucky draw."

Sunset just chuckled as Penny was saying that she loved having the former evil girl as her mentor. She then extended her fist as the two shared a fist bump. At that moment, Isaac came back as he was still on the phone as they could hear bits of his conversation.

"Yeah, alright then. I understand. She's right here, care to talk to her." said Isaac as the voice made a sound on the other line. Isaac then handed his phone to Penny as she was surprised; she then took it and put it to her ear as she recognized the voice and her eyes widen as the details were relayed to her as the call ended.

"Who was that?" asked Sunset.

"My sisters." said Penny as she handed Isaac back his phone.

"Your sisters?" Sunset then looked at Isaac as she was all sorts of confused. "Well, what did they say? Are they still forcing you to go with them on their trip?"

"Not really." said Penny.

"I called her sisters, and talked to them. I tried to get them to understand that Penny didn't want to go with them on their travels. They were persistent in standing their ground, they said she should listen to them since they're older. So I came up with a proposition that suited them." said Isaac.

"Which was?" asked Sunset.

"Penny will take one of her sisters in a duel. She wins, they allow her to not go with them on their trip and she can stay. But she loses, and she has to go with them." said Isaac.

"Well that's no big deal. Penny will win her duel easily."

"Not so, Sunset." stated Penny.

"Why not?"

"See Penny's sisters only agreed to the duel under one condition. She can't synchro summon her monsters in the duel." informed the boy.

"Wait, what?!" shouted Sunset as she looked at her student as she was taking all of this in. "That's unfair, how can you have agree to these terms? Do you even care about Penny?"

"Of course, I do Sunset. I wouldn't be agreeing to their terms if I didn't have confidence in Penny's skills. You've seen how of much a talented duelist she is, I have faith in her."

"Well, I don't." said Penny. "Isaac, I appreciate you looking out for me, but I don't know if I can win."

"Come on, you're one of the toughest duelists I've faced."

"Yeah, and that's the problem, Sunset." said Penny.

"Huh?"

"It's about Penny being too tough, specifically her deck. You know as well as I do, Sunset. That Penny's deck, specifically her Blackwings, rely on combing together to form their bond. They rely on summoning multiple monsters each turn so that she can tune them together to call out her most powerful creatures. That's the purpose of a Blackwing deck or any Synchro deck for that matter. So by her sisters taking away her ability to synchro summon, it renders Penny as she's limited to what she can do." stated Isaac. "I'm not saying that it's going to be easy, in fact, it's going to be extremely tough. But I believe you can do this, Penny. This is a chance for your voice to be heard by your older sisters and show them that you don't need to listen to everything they say just cause they're older. You can tell them how you feel."

"I just hope your right, Teach." stated the girl as she looked at her deck.

It was now the next day as Isaac, Penny, and Sunset were at the soccer field as they were waiting for Penny's sisters to show up. Penny was currently going over her deck as she was still doubting that she could win without the use of her synchro monsters. Soon a noise was heard as a limo was seen pulling up in the parking lot. The driver then exited out of the vehicle as he stepped to the back door and grabbed the handle as he opened the door. Out emerged two older women who looked to be in their mid-20s as they wore a dress and had their hair done and makeup applied. A man in a black suit was shown behind them as he was carrying a briefcase in his hand. Soon the pair was making their way to the field as Penny started to walk as well.

"Hello, sisters." said Penny as she let out a small groan.

"Penny, like, give your sisters some love." stated the older women.

"Exactly, show how happy you are to see your big sis." said the second women.

"If only that was the case." said Penny as her big sisters all rubbed her hair roughly as she broke from their touch and put the hair curler on top of her head back in place. "Guess, I should introduce you to my professors. Come on." Penny was now leading her older sisters as she made her way back to Isaac and Sunset.

"Isaac, Sunset. Meet my sisters, Phoebe and Pearl." said Penny as she introduced the pair.

"Hey there." stated Sunset.

"Pleased to meet you ladies." said Isaac as he extended his hand out for the girls to shake to which they did by shaking the boy's wrist instead.

"So, like, is he your boyfriend?" asked Phoebe.

"What, no!" shouted Penny. "Isaac is my professor, don't put that idea in my head. Oh, god. Now that image is going to be stuck in my mind."

"I mean, he's only about 2 years older than you. Keep your options open, you never know." stated Phoebe as Penny was having none of it.

"I'm Penny's tutor." said Sunset.

"So you're the one who got the burden of teaching our baby sister. Well, I don't envy you." stated Pearl.

"Ok-ay." said Sunset as she could tell the vibe she was getting from Penny's older sisters.

"Anyways, ladies. Now that you're both here, it's time for the agreement we all made." informed Isaac.

"Right. So, like, don't get too discouraged, Penny. You'll love the wonderful trip we have plan. We'll see so many different places and like, you can finally become the model so that you can complete the set." stated Phoebe.

"How many times do I have to say? I don't want to be a model, that's both of your dreams. That's not me!" stated the girl.

"Like, you're still in your rebellious phase." said Phoebe as she let out a snoot.

"Come on, Penny. Just listen to your big sisters, we know what's best for you. We are older after all." said Pearl.

"This is why I rather listen to my Blackwings than ever obey anything you both tell me." said Penny.

"You mean those drab and dark turkeys you play around with." mocked Pearl.

"Don't make fun of my Blackwings." stated the youngest sister.

"Like, be lucky that we let you use your Backblack whatever birds you call them." said Phoebe. "If we wanted to, we could have, like, made you duel with monsters only having 500 attack points. So, like, give your sisters some love."

"If you really loved me, then you would listen to what I say once in a while." growled Penny as she looked at her two older sisters. "Now enough talking, which one of you two am I dueling?"

"That's like, so rude." stated Phoebe. "Like, you'll be facing me and, like, all these rare cards I've asked for." She snapped her finger as the man carrying the briefcase stepped forward and opened it as inside was a duel disk as it was rose colored. Phoebe then grabbed the deck and then slotted the duel disk on her arm as it projected a fuchsia color card tray.

"At least, this way I can kick your ass and you can't yell at me." stated Penny as she slid her deck in and her duel disk projected a black card tray.

"Like, watch your mouth. Such vulgar language, sis."

"If you want to back out, just tell us, Penny." taunted Pearl.

"Does this answer your question?" stated Penny as she raised her duel disk and prepared to duel.

"Like, bring it." said Phoebe.

"Better clear out. Don't want to get caught in the crossfire of this sibling fight." stated Sunset as she and Isaac both sat in the bleachers to allow Penny a chance to solve this issue her way.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Phoebe's Life Points: 8000-

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Penny

"Check this out!" stated Penny as she drew her card. With the cards in my hand, I could easily summon one of my synchro monsters. But given that my sisters had to enforce that stupid rule, I can't summon them. "I summon Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame(1800/1200)!" stated Penny as she had one of her feather monsters appear on her field.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn. Let's see what you got sis."

Turn 2: Phoebe

"Like, no need to yell." stated Phoebe as she drew her card and was reading all the cards in her hand as she was figuring out which ones she wanted to play. "Like, let's give this a shot. I summon Wall of Ivy(300/1200) in defense mode." The older girl now had a plant monster on her field.

"Never expected something like that from you sis." stated Penny.

"Now I like, end my turn."

Turn 3: Penny

"My turn," stated Penny as she drew her card, "and since I control another 'Blackwing' on my field, I can summon my Blackwing - Bora the Spear(1700/800)! Now attack Bora and his special ability allows him to deal you damage even if your monster is in defense mode!" said the girl as her monster then used its spear and began to twirl really fast as it made contact with its target and took out Wall of Ivy.
Phoebe's Life Points: 7500-

"Like, that's so not cool to do that to your big sis." stated Phoebe.

"Just shut up for once." said Penny.

"Respect your siblings, Penny. You are our little sister." stated Pearl.

"Now like, my monster's effect activates. So now like a token appears on your field." informed Phoebe as a small plant token started to sprout on Penny's field.

"Doesn't matter, now Blackwing - Shura the Blue Flame attack my sister directly! Sorry but not sorry, big sister!" stated Penny as she was feeling pretty happy about this attack.
Phoebe's Life Points: 5700-

"I'm think I'm done punishing you around, so I'll let you off, sis." stated Penny as she did admit it felt good to smack around her big sister in a game of Duel Monsters.

Turn 4: Phoebe

"It's like, my turn." said the older girl as she drew her card. "Penny, like, you need a change of scenario so why don't we do that with this. The field spell, White Rose Cloister." Soon the entire field was starting to change as soon there was tons of white roses along the ground as there were hedges of beautiful plants as both girls were in an actually garden. There was even a stairway as Phoebe was at the top of it with a white rose in her hand as she sniffed it while Penny was at the bottom of the stairway.

"Well, Penny. Perhaps this will change your mind, just give up your rebellious acts towards me and Phoebe and you can gain some popularity that will help you in life." said Pearl.

"This is exactly why, I don't care about popularity anymore." said the youngest sister as she looked at the roses and then at her Blackwings. "I rather stay true to myself and gain it my own way. Not follow yours."

"And like, how do you expect to do that? By playing with those dark, brooding pigeons." snickered Phoebe.

"My Blackwings aren't pigeons!" shouted Penny.

"Come on, Penny. Listen to us, we are your older sisters. And we've been taking care of you since we moved out of the house and decided to take you with us. Remember you said you wanted to go with us, cause you were afraid of being by yourself." stated Pearl.

"I know that, but I've grown up since then. Clearly you two don't think I can handle myself. When I was with you, you had to take me to all your photo shoots and modeling sets. I was much younger than you two, so I didn't know how to clean, cook, or do laundry. But I'm 17 now, which means I can make my own decisions and I don't have to follow what you guys say." stated the girl.

"Correction, we're your big sisters. And we're not in mom and dad's house, you live under our roof. Which means technically, you do have to obey us and follow our every rule." stated Pearl.

"Still, I can take care of myself! I'm not the little kid you guys thought was a hassle cause you had to watch over me while handling your business." exclaimed Penny. "I have friends, and more importantly, my monsters."

"Those little rats with wings, again." scoffed Pearl.

"Say whatever, but let's back to the duel." said Penny as she looked at one single rose that was sticking out as it had a different color than all the other. She picked it up as it served to her as a reminder.

"Fine then." stated Phoebe. "Now the effect of my field spell activates, since I control no monsters, I can summon 1 'Rose Dragon' or 'Plant' monster from my hand. So I choose my Red Rose Dragon(1000/1800). And then I summon my Witch of the Black Rose(1700/1200)." Out emerged Phoebe's new monster as it appeared and Penny looked at it.

"Look familiar, Penny." asked Pearl.

"Yeah, it's the card that you both said I resembled. So much so that I dressed up as it for Halloween when I was three." said Penny as she had a distain memory of that moment.

"I mean the two of you are the same. You're both like, cute, and silly." said Phoebe. "But now that I summoned my little witch, she can like, let me draw a card and if it's not a monster, I destroy my witch. I like it, I now special summon White Rose Dragon(1200/1000)." Now there was a total of three small monsters on the field as two of them were tiny dragons covered in roses. "Now, like, let's see if it works for me as it does you. I tune my Level 3 Red Rose Dragon with my Level 4 White Rose Dragon." Red Rose Dragon then soared into the sky above the garden as it turned into three giant green rings as it circled around White Rose Dragon who flew into the rings.

"No way! You're Synchro Summoning?!" said Penny as she watched her sister do something she never thought they could do.

"This is like, so cool. I Synchro Summon, Black Rose Moonlight Dragon(2400/1800)." said Phoebe as she managed to not only summon a powerful monster, but using a summoning method that Penny was fond of which added more insult to injury towards her little sister.

"Just great. With Phoebe synchro summoning, there's goes my advantage." stated Penny as she looked at the dragon.

"Isaac, is this fair? Penny can't take down that beast unless she synchro summons." stated Sunset.

"Sunset, have faith in Penny. She is your student, and she'll get through this with the lessons you've been teaching her. Plus, this serves a good teaching moment." stated the boy. "For Penny, she's a talented duelist. But if she really wants to get to the next level, then she needs to know she can't rely on favorites or a preferred method that she likes. What I'm saying is while Synchro Summoning is powerful, you need to also understand that it's not something you can fall back on and just rely on to get you the win. A duelist knows how to win, not just by using a fancy summoning method, but trusting their cards that they can work together."

"And I get it, but come on. Penny's chances are even slimmer if she can't synchro summon." said Sunset.

"What I have I told you guys time and time again?" asked Isaac.

"Put your trust in your deck and it will trust you." repeated the girl.

"Exactly. Time to see if Penny understands that as you do." responded the boy as the pair looked back at the duel.

"So like, I don't want to hurt you, little sis. But if you just drop the duel and come with us on our trip. Then we can, like, forget this ever happened." stated Phoebe as she was giving Penny a chance.

"I told you, that I'm not going with both of you on your little trip. I can stay here and be fine." responded Penny.

"Seems she's still being a teen. Phoebe, go ahead." called out Pearl.

"Like totally." stated the oldest of the bunch as she snapped her fingers. Her dragon responded to it prepared to attack. "So since I used Red Rose Dragon to bring this beauty out. I can like, also summon another 'Rose Dragon' from my deck or hand. So I need some blue on my field." stated the girl as she now had Blue Rose Dragon emerge from her deck as it was tiny. "And I'll also add this card, Blooming of the Darkest Rose to my hand. Now time for me to like, attack." Black Rose Moonlight Dragon then opened its mouth as it fired a beam and took out Penny's Shura the Blue Flame.
Penny's Life Points: 7400-

"And then Blue Rose Dragon(1600/1200) will attack that Ivy Token I gave you as a present little sis." stated Phoebe as her other tiny dragon took out the token that was rooted on Penny's side of the field. "And when that token is destroyed, you take 300 points of damage."
Penny's Life Points: 7100-

"I reveal my facedown, Black Feather Beacon. Since I took damage from a card effect, I can special summon one Level 4 or below 'Blackwing' from my hand. And I know just the one, Blackwing Fang the Steel Chain(500/800)." said Penny as she had a monster on her side of the field.

"Again, like, why do you like those pigeons?" scoffed Phoebe.

"Cause they're something you both haven't been to me for a while." responded Penny.

"Whatever, I end my turn."

Turn 5: Penny

"Now it's my turn, and since I control a 'Blackwing', I can summon this guy without having to make a sacrifice, appear Blackwing - Elphin the Raven(2200/1200)!" shouted Penny as she had a powerful monster appear on her field as it wore a blue tunic. "And when I summon Elphin the Raven, I can then change the battle position of one of your monsters. So I choose your Black Rose Moonlight Dragon." informed the girl as she managed to switch her sister's monster into defense mode. "Now your dragon ain't so tough, but before that, I'll activate my Fang the Steel Chain's effect, so now it can attack you directly!" shouted Penny as her monster took flight and dealt a blow to Phoebe.
Phoebe's Life Points: 5200-

"Now since Fang the Steel Chain dealt you damage, I can switch one of your monsters from attack to defense. So now your Blue Rose Dragon gets switched also." stated the girl as the other dragon changed its mode. "Now Elphin the Raven take that dragon out!" Elphin the Raven then soared high into the air as it raised its claws and then did a slash attack as it took out the bigger dragon. "And now Bora the Spear attack her Blue Rose Dragon and as you remember, big sis. Bora deals piercing damage!" shouted Penny as she dealt some damage to her sister.
Phoebe's Life Points: 4700-

"When my Blue Rose Dragon was destroyed, I can use its effect to bring back my Wall of Ivy in defense mode." stated Phoebe.

Almost there, and this card is going to help me secure my victory. "I place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Phoebe

"I play the spell card, Ivy Shackles. Now as long this card remains on my field, during my turn all your birds become plant types. Which is like, so good, cause now I sacrifice my Wall of Ivy so that I can summon my Rose Tentacles(2200/1200)." Phoebe then got rid of her Wall of Ivy as her new monster emerged which was a squid plant-like monster as its head was a rose. "And like, you should know something, sis. Like, Rose Tentacles can attack more than once for every plant type monster you control."

"And with her Ivy Shackles currently on the field, all of Penny's monsters right now count as Plant-type monsters." stated Sunset.

"So that means, Rose Tentacles can attack four times in a row. Which means, Penny's about to take some serious damage." informed Isaac.

"Now I play the equip spell card, Vile Germs to give like, my monster an extra 300 attack and defense points. So Rose Tentacles, like, take out those disgusting birds." order Phoebe as her monster unleashed its tentacles and took out her Blackwing Fang the Steel Chain, Bora the Spear, and her Elphin the Raven as Penny covered up to protect herself.
Penny's Life Points: 4000-

"My monsters may be gone, but don't think I'm the only one taking damage. I reveal the Black Thunder trap card, since a 'Blackwing' was destroyed on the field, this trap deals you 400 points of damage for every card you control. So since there's 6 cards on your field, well you never were good at math, sis." snickered Penny as she dealt some big damage back to her sister.
Phoebe's Life Points: 2300-

"Well, like, I'm done with my move. Remember, Rose Tentacles still has one attack left, and you have nothing to protect you little sis." stated Phoebe as her monster unleashed an attack as Penny felt it connect.
Penny's Life Points: 1500-

"And now time to win, so like, Penny time to pack your bags and come spend time with your sisters." stated Phoebe as she ordered her Witch of the Black Rose to end this duel.

"Not yet! shouted Penny. "When you declare a direct attack, I can special summon my Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind(0/1600) in defense mode. So now this little feather friend takes the hit for me." Penny's monster then appeared as it descended from the sky as it put its wingspan out as it protected his caretaker as Penny held her ground as she dropped to one knee as the attack faded.

"So you survived. That's like totally gonna matter next turn."

Turn 7: Penny

"My turn, and now I'll play Cards for Black Feathers spell, so now I send my Blackwing - Calima the Haze, I can draw two cards from my deck." said Penny as she sent her monster off in hopes of drawing what she needed. "I now summon Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr(1100/300) in defense mode. Then I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Phoebe

"It's like, time for me to win." stated the girl as she drew her card. "And now I think I'll like totally, tune my Level 4 Witch of the Black Rose with my Level 6 Rose Tentacles." Witch of the Black Rose then turned into four giant green rings as it circled around Rose Tentacles. "I Synchro Summon, Ruddy Rose Dragon(3200/2400)!" Out emerged another dragon as it was covered in petals and thorns as it let out a roar as the petals in the garden they were still in had they blow away in the wind. "Now when this beauty is synchro summoned, I can like, banish all the cards in our graveyard. So don't expect any of your little 'pigeons' to save you." stated Phoebe.

"Exactly, what I was hoping you would do." snickered Penny.

"What?!" shouted Pearl.

"Do it." said Isaac as he knew what Penny's plan was.

"I reveal... my facedown!" Penny's card then flipped up as it was covered in a white light as it caused Phoebe to cover her eyes momentarily. "You triggered my trap, sis. Blackbird Close! Now since you activated your monster's effect, I can send my Blackwing - Breeze the Zephyr to negate it and then destroy your monster."

"What?!" shouted Phoebe as she saw her majestic dragon was now starting to lose its petals as they wilted and fell as it let out a cry as soon it was gone and the petals all fell to the floor in front of her.

"Now the second effect of my trap activates, and so I can summon... Black-Winged Dragon(2800/1600)!" shouted Penny as she now had one of her synchro monsters on her field as it led out a roar as feathers started to drop from it as it covered the entire garden.

"No way, that's like, cheating!" shouted Phoebe.

"You can't use your Synchro monsters, sis!" stated Pearl.

"Correction, the deal was that Penny couldn't synchro summon. So while you may have limited her in what she can do, it didn't stop her from finding a different way to summon her synchro monster. So technically, she didn't break any rules, so it's all legal." smiled Isaac as he gave a thumbs up to the girl to which she returned the gesture.

"You knew all along, that Penny had a way of summoning her dragon without synchro summoning." stated Sunset.

"What, did you really not have faith in your student?" taunted Isaac.

"Shut up, boy toy." said Sunset as she gave him a glare.

Turn 9: Penny

"Now to finish this, Black-Winged Dragon attack my sister directly!" shouted Penny as her monster opened its mouth and then shot a stream of darkness as it connected with the girl as well as it decimated the garden they were in as all the roses fell to the floor as the single rose that was a different color started falling through the air and was grabbed by Penny as she smiled and looked at it.
Phoebe's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Penny

The battle was over as the garden faded; Penny still had her dragon by her side as it nuzzled its beak-like mouth to its mistress as she gave it a petting.

"Thanks, you and everybody else in my deck." stated the girl as she smiled. Her dragon then disappeared back into her deck as she started to walk over to her big sister as she was coming to.

"So like, are you gonna gloat? You got your wish, so like don't even bother." said Phoebe.

"Thank you." said Penny.

"What?" said Pearl as she appeared next to her sister's side to help her up.

"Look, guys. I'll admit, the reason why I didn't want to go with you guys is cause I thought you were gonna think I was a burden." Penny then sat down in front of her sisters as she began to express herself. "You guys were 7 years old when I was born, and by that time you were already getting noticed by people, boys, everybody. To me, I was just your baby sister that you had to look after whenever mom and dad left the house. You could have done so many other things to help with your popularity, especially since you were both passionate about becoming models. I just felt like I was nothing than dead weight. Which is why I resented all those times you brought me to your photo shoots, I felt like I was getting in the way so I stayed in your dressing room. It was then I found these guys." Penny then looked at her deck.

"I thought that you both were tired of me, tired of having to take care of their kid sister, tired of me being a hassle when it came to both of your careers. Which is why I often I kept to myself with my Blackwings, this was one of the first things that wasn't yours, something I could call my own. But more importantly, these guys were teaching me that good sisters look out for each other, which is why I believed they were always there for me." stated the girl.

"Penny. Do you know why you came with us when we left the house?" asked Pearl.

"Yeah, cause I didn't want to be alone without my sisters."

"Well, your like, half right. See, we begged mom and dad to let you come with us. We knew you would be lonely without your big sisters around, so we did our best to convince our parents to let you come live with us. You were only 6 at the time, but they knew how much we loved each other. Even if don't show it." said Phoebe.

"Huh? You don't think I'm hassle, even if I'm getting in the way of your careers?" asked the girl.

"You've been doing it our whole lives, since we had to watch you." joked Pearl. "All the trouble you caused us when you messed the house up, broke mom's vase and ruin dad's shirt. Who do you think took the blame for you when all that happened? Sure, we may have been grounded, but we did it so that you wouldn't get punished. We did it, cause we love you little sis."

"The reason we judged you and your little birds when you showed them to us for the first time was cause of the turkey incident that happened." stated Phoebe.

"I still remember." laughed Penny as it caused all three sisters to let out a chuckle.

"But also, cause we didn't take the time to understand why you liked them. We were just afraid of something we didn't know since all our lives, we've been protecting our little sis from danger." said Pearl.

"But we finally see why you loves those birds of yours. I still can't get past black, but they say 'birds of a feather like to flock together'. And that means family. So Penny, can you like, forgive us?" stated Phoebe.

"Let us become our own flock like your birds?" asked Pearl.

"Of course. That's all I wanted." said Penny as she had a few tears in her eyes as she leaned in and gave her big sisters a hug as they too returned the embrace from their baby sister.

"Touching moment." said Sunset as she and Isaac watched the family moment.

"So, you sure you'll be alright?" asked Peral as she and Phoebe were getting their bags ready as their driver and taxi was outside of the door.

"Yes, sis. I'll be fine." stated Penny for the 15th time.

"You know like, maybe we should cancel? I mean, we need to make sure you don't get into danger." suggested Phoebe.

"I can take of myself, sis. Now go on, you both want this trip." said Penny as she opened the door and tossed the luggage bags to the driver as he fell down on the floor from suddenly catching the bags.

"Alright, then. Just if anything happens, call us and we'll come back." said Pearl.

"I got it. And don't worry, I won't mess up the house too badly." joked Penny.

"We're like, gonna miss you." said Phoebe as she gave her sister a kiss on the forehead as she hugged her.

"I'm gonna miss the two of you as well." said Penny as she wrapped her arms around her sister's waist.

"We'll be back soon." informed Pearl as she gave one final goodbye as she and Phoebe all entered the back of the taxi as the driver recovered and dumped the bags in the trunk as he went to the driver's seat.

The window rolled down as both sisters waved one last goodbye to their kid sis as Penny waved goodbye. Soon the driver started the car as he began to drive the women to the airport as they had a plane to catch. Penny watched the car drive until it was out of distance as she then entered back into the house. She then looked at her deck as she was looking at her Blackwings and how her sisters had finally come to somewhat be more open to how her monsters looked.

"Family." said Penny with a smile on her face.

Chapter 173: Spring Breakdown

It was now officially Spring Break as the entire school was let out. For this year, both Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna were taking the freshman class on a special trip. So the students were more than excited as it allowed them to get a chance away from school and enjoy themselves. Especially for Shadow as he didn't want to deal with any of Pinkie's antics during his well deserved break. So while the two principals were handling this trip, the senior class was taking their own trip for Spring Break as it turned out that Twilight had organized and planned a cruise for them to all relax. Though she did have to ask Isaac for some extra money to pay for it all, but that was minor issue in her plan. So safe to say, that all of the upperclassman were looking forward to the boat ride. That being said, Celestia and Luna had declared that Isaac be the one in charge of watching everyone in case of an emergency since he was the one they trusted the most. So it seems that Isaac would have to play "babysitter" for the trip, but then again he didn't mind as he too was looking forward to a break, especially cause last year for Spring Break he went with Dash, Sunset, and Luna to New Domino City to take part in some Turbo Duels.

Soon the day came, as everybody finished packing their bags as they all got to school and on the bus as it drove them to the harbor as there was a huge boat waiting for them. The girls had all changed into some more fitting outfits, as they all boarded the ship. Soon everybody was taken to their individual rooms on deck as they took it all in as the boat was starting to travel on the water. Some calypso music was playing on deck as seagulls squawked above in the sky as the ship's horn went off.

"Spring break!" shouted Pinkie in her new outfit as she shook the fourth wall as Rarity was sitting in one of the lounge chairs.

On the main deck the students were all talking with each other as there was a pool with some patrons swimming in it.

"Spring break!" shouted the pink girl as she made the person on the diving board who was about to jump lose his balance as he fell into the pool as the others were concerned.

"SPRIIIIIIIIIING BREEEEEEEEEEAK!" shouted Pinkie at the head of the boat as she had her arms out.

"Welcome aboard the Luxe Deluxe, where you'll set sail for a full week of luxurious luxuriating on our most deluxe luxury liner!" said Twilight as she was reading the pamphlet to the girls who were also next to her as they too were on the main deck.

"Ooh! Sounds... luxurious." said Fluttershy as she was helping Applejack who was a bit under the weather since they left the harbor.

"Did you see there's a petting zoo onboard?" stated the nerdy girl.

"Mmmm! Smoothies!" stated Pinkie as she held different beverages in her arms.

"And an all-you-can-eat dessert buffet you can... eat all you... can eat at?"

Pinkie just let out a scream of excitement and happiness, "Twilight, this cruise has everything! And a moving floor!"

At that moment the boat rocking back and forth seemed to not agree with a certain country girl, "I think I may have forgotten to pack my sea legs." stated Aj as she was trying her best to hold her stomach in as her face was turning green from being sea sick. It didn't help that Pinkie was trying offer her a smoothie as Applejack turned even greener.

"Thank you for organizing this trip, Twilight." said Sunset.

"It was easy, plus I did persuade Isaac to lend me some cash to pay for it." snickered the bookworm.

"I've gotta hand it to ya. You really have an eye for climactic battle settings!" said Rainbow.

"Huh?" said all the girls, except Sunset.

"Imagine going head to head with a sea monster by the pool!" stated the chromatic girl as she imagined what it would look like. "[voiceover] Ka-chow! Evil magic flows up the diving pool! [imitates explosion] The boat's sinking! Everyone's screaming!" All of this was happening in a cartoonish drawing as Rainbow told the details. "And then we save the day!"

"Oh. Is the sea monster okay in the story?" asked Fluttershy.

"Better than okay!" Rainbow then took a slurp of the smoothie Pinkie gave her, "She's our friend now! Best spring break ever!"

"Or we could do... not that." stated Sunset to which all of the girls agreed.

"I was hoping we could do something without... having to battle crazy evil magic for a change?" suggested Twilight.

"Plus, your little fantasy story is missing a detail, Rainbow." called out a voice.

"Huh?"

"Down here!" shouted the voice as it got the girls to look over the rail as it belonged to their male friend as he was on the lower deck below them. "You forgot the part where you'll just run behind me and leave me to deal with the biggest threat we come across, cause like I said, for some weird reason, you all decide 'Hey, let's give the biggest problem to Isaac to fight cause everything is gonna work out just fine. And then there will sunshine and rainbows'." mocked the boy in annoyance.

"Well, can you blame us." said Sunset slyly.

"You all are duelists and more than capable of handling it yourselves, so why give all the work to me?!" shouted the boy.

"Cause why not." snickered the bacon-haired girl as the others just chuckled in agreeance.

"This is why I hate being the only guy in the group, you all gang up on me."

"Yeah, but you make it up with your dueling skills. Plus, think about it, when's the last time we got to be superheroes and save the day from magic. It's been a while, which means by logic, this adventure is going to have us encounter magic. Huh, aren't you excited?"

"No!!" shouted the gang.

"In case, you forgot Rainbow. We're all seniors now, the time for our adventures is coming to end really fast. Plus, you girls are tutors for the students and I'm busy executing the final phases of my plan for CHS and for after graduation. Not to mention, that me, Twilight, and Sunset have the most AP classes out of all of us, so we also have to prepare for those academic exams." informed Isaac. "I think it's safe to say that our adventuring days are long gone, we're all on the cusps of being adults and once graduation happens, that's it. We're out in the world and off to do our own things."

"When you put it like that, Isaac. Our time really is coming up soon." said Sunset.

"Sooner than you think, we're graduatin' in a just under 3 months." spoked Applejack before the boat moved and caused her to become sick again.

"Isaac's right, darlings," stated Rarity as she let out a sigh, "And Twilight, this is a most deserved respite. We're all very thankful for the chance to relax and do absolutely nothing." stated the white girl as the other agreed, except Rainbow who was displeased. Soon her phone let out a buzz as she looked at it and gave a face.

"What is it? Evil magic?!" asked Rainbow as she was ready to get into action as she strapped on her duel disk.

"A GPS alert! We're in international waters!" informed Rarity.

Rainbow let out a gasp before asking, "What does that mean?"

"Tax-free shopping!" giggled Rarity. "Isaac, darling?"

"I hate being the one with the most money." Isaac then opened his phone as he opened his bank app and logged into his savings account as he then fast forward some spending money to his friend as her phone ringed to say she received. "Get me at least a keychain for all the cash I'm lending you." responded the boy to which Rarity nodded as off she went to the store.

Soon after Rarity left, all the others left to do their own thing as they wanted to take this opportunity to relax. Rainbow however was unpleased as she was still on the belief that evil magic was going to happen and wanted to be ready for action so she kept her duel disk on hand. She then looked back at Isaac as she gave him a glare.

"I hate you!" shouted Rainbow for Isaac on killing her hopes and dreams.

"Yeah, but that's what you love about me." responded Isaac with a smug grin as Rainbow left with a angry look while having a bit of red on her face. "Okay, everybody in the audience, take bets how long it takes for Rainbow to mess up the others having fun?" said Isaac to the fourth wall as he pulled the scene to the left for the transition.

The buffet room was packed with tons of food and there was quite a small number of people who were eating all of the delicious food. For one person in particular, they were hoping to look for a certain tasty delectable. Pinkie entered the dining room as she threw open the doors as she took in the many sights and smells that the cruise had to offer in terms of their buffet.

"Ooh! Honey walnut crisp! Candy-coated cupcakes! Banana sorbet delight!" Pinkie then saw what she had been searching for as she let out a gasp, "Triple Choco-Berry Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake?!" Pinkie let out a small squeal of joy, "I waited my whole life to taste a cake like this!" Pinkie then lifted up the lid and immediately her world was starting to crumble as the smile on her face slowly disappeared at the sight there was no more of the heaven cake as she screamed out loud, "NOOOOO!"

"Excusez moi, mademoiselle. How about one fresh from ze oven?" said the cook who was named Puffy Pastry as she had a new plate of the cake as she took the lid off.

And at that moment, it all became clear. It was as if there was someone smiling down on Pinkie and blessed her with this delicious cake. The scent coming off the cake was accompanied with a heavenly choir noise of little kids, why even the sun ray was peaking through the window as it shined a light on this delectable sweet. The heavens opened up and God himself was sent to deliver this cake goodness to the girl herself. Pinkie with the biggest of eyes and wonder looked at the cake as it served as the meaning of life. Life I tell! Life!!!

Puffed Pastry then pulled out her spatula and prepared to cut the pink girl a piece.

"Hee-yah!" shouted Rainbow as she tackled the poor cook to the ground as in her mind she thought Pinkie was in danger. The force of the tackle sent the cake high into the air.

"CAKE OVERBOARD!" shouted Pinkie at the top of her lungs as she watched the sweet treat starting to land as it splattered on another person's head.

Puffed Pastry let out a gasp at seeing what happened, "Mon gâteau!" which when translated was "My cake". Rainbow just let out a nervous smile as she slowly backed away as Puffed Pastry was steaming as her face was turning red from being furious. Not a second later, both Rainbow and Pinkie were literally thrown out of the dining room as Puffed Pastry was very unhappy as she slammed the doors shut and locked the girls out.

"You saw it. She had a... a... spatula. So... you're welcome." said Rainbow with a nervous laugh as she tried to justify her reasons to her party friend to which Pinkie was not happy. And that was saying something.

Fluttershy had decided to check out the petting zoo that Twilight mentioned as she wanted to see what kind of animals were onboard. The petting zoo was a sight to behold as they had tons of small animals like birds, rabbits, sheep, even goats to which amazed the animal loving girl.

"A goat on a boat?" stated Fluttershy as she let out a small laugh of seeing a baby goat climbing a tree in front of her, "Now I've seen everything." She then grabbed the baby goat climbing the tree as she petted and nuzzled it as she set it on the floor. She then noticed the bunny shelter as their was a couple of them coming to see the girl. "Aren't you just the softest thing?" stated the girl as she gave the rabbit a pat on the head.

[rabbit chittering]

"You have forty-two grandchildren? Wow, Mr. Bouncy, that is impressive! I'd love to meet them."

Just as the bunny waved to his family to come out from inside of the house, a streak of rainbow color zoomed in as it belonged to a certain chromatic girl.

"Not today!" shouted Rainbow.

"Whoa!" said Fluttershy as her friend pulled her back a few feet.

"Sure, he seems cute and cuddly now. But have you seen what a magic-infused evil rabbit can do?" Rainbow's comment got all the answers and other kids who were in the petting zoo to look at her with a weird expression.

"Um... eat carrots?" answered Fluttershy.

"Yeah, evil carrots!" exclaimed the chromatic girl as she pointed at the small rabbit. Her response got all the small animals to zip away as they were scared as it put sad faces on the kids and on Fluttershy.

Applejack was currently walking while placing her hand on the side of the boat as she struggled to walk on the deck. It didn't help that the smell of certain disgusting foods came into her nostrils as struggled to keep from throwing up. She leaned a bit against the wall as the boat moved at that moment and caused her stomach to make an unsettling noise as her legs were shaking as she approached the side of the boat and leaned over it facing the water.

"What's up, AJ?" asked Rainbow as she saw her friend.

"Hmmmph. Mmmph! Mmmmmph!" was all Applejack could say since her mouth had her cheeks puffed out from vomiting.

"You can't talk?"

"Mmmm-mmmmmm, mmm-mmmmm!"

"Evil magic stole your voice?!"

"Mmmmmm! Mmmmmmmm..."

"Out, evil spirits! Out!" shouted Dash as she grabbed Aj by the arms and shook her which was the worst thing she could do as Aj's stomach had a chain reaction going on inside of her.

Applejack pushed Rainbow off of her as she felt her stomach kicking in. She then gulp and let out a sigh as she felt it going away. In an instant, she quickly leaned over the side of the boat as she retched everything she was holding in as her stomach was doing its best to have her clean her insides.

"Or you're seasick," stated Rainbow as she looked away a bit from her friend vomiting, "Heh. Because of evil magic?!" Rainbow's response was met with a face from Aj as she wiped her mouth with her hand as it was in the shape of a fist. "Or not. Heh." stated the girl as she got the message.

"Clean up on the side of the boat!!" shouted Isaac from the upper deck as he had the clean up crew get to work.

Rainbow was now scouting out the main deck of the cruise as she was stilling being on high alert. She looked around to see if anything was happening but there was nada.

"Has anyone seen bad magic on board?!" shouted the girl as it got her classmates, crew members, and other patrons to looked at her. They all shook their heads for a bit until one of them pointed to a door as Rainbow got excited.

She then approached the door and looked inside of it as it led to a hallway as at the end of that room was another door. Rainbow then cautiously opened it as she was welcome to some magical pink smoke that was rising from the floor. She looked inside as the smoke and a few sparkles were shown; in the audience were two old men as they seemed to be unconscious as they were in the smoke as well. Rainbow then rushed the stage as their was an outline of someone who she assumed was the culprit.

"Prepare yourself!" shouted the voice from behind the smoke.

"I'm ready for anything!" said Rainbow as she activated her duel disk and projected a sky blue card tray.

"Prepare yourself... for the Great and Powerful Trixie of the High Seas! Two shows daily! Tip your waitresses!" said the girl as the smoke cleared and standing on the stage was the magic loving girl as she was dressed in a magician's outfit and top hat.

"Wasn't ready for that." said Rainbow in a disappointed tone as she deactivated her duel disk.

"Why, hello, Rainbow Dash. If you're hoping for a glimpse of the ultimate power in the universe, you'll have to wait 'til tonight." said Trixie as she noticed the girl getting on the stage with her as she wiped her top hat from any bits of dust.

"Nah. Just looking for bad magic." spoke Rainbow as Trixie took offense to that comment.

"Sorry to disappoint you, but the bad magic of others always follows the amazing magic of moi." responded the girl.

"What do you mean?"

"Ugh, I'm talking about the old grandpas in the audience who see my show and then try to impress their kids with a disappearing quarter trick on their way home!" complained Trixie as the old folks that were just asleep were doing what she said.

"Their magic only shows up in response to your magic!" said Rainbow as a thought was running through her head. "Huh! You're a genius!"

"Well, obviously. Now, do you mind helping me shove this ten-foot handkerchief down my sleeve?" asked Trixie as Rainbow ran out of the room. Trixie then began to struggle in putting all of those handkerchiefs down her sleeve.

Rarity had now reached the gift shop as she was in awe by what she saw. Tons of clothes, dresses, caps, plushies, etc... you name it. All of it was in front of the fashionista. So she got to work on splurging. She approached a mirror as she began to show off and model all the different items she was buying as she couldn't get enough. Soon she was buying stuff left and right, she even managed to get a keychain that Isaac requested. Once she got all that she needed the cashier then began to bag up and put the items in boxes/bags as she rang up the total price.

"Nine ninety-nine?" stated Rarity as she let out a squeal, "My savvy shopping smarts strike again! Though I probably should have asked Isaac to come with me so that he could carry all these bags. Here's ten." The cashier took the bill from Rarity as she then got her change which was a single copper penny as she tossed it over to the girl. Rarity struggled to catch the tiny coin that it fell down on the floor. She then bent down to grab it as soon another hand fell on top of it with her accidentally putting her on top of it before pulling away.

"By golly, that's real copper, it is! Blooming delightful!" said the person who was a boy with a cockney accent. "A... penny for your thoughts, miss?"

Rarity stammered a bit before responding, "Oh, you can't afford my thoughts."

"Quite right. Lovable scamp like meself. Ol' Ragamuffin, that's me name, innit?" said the boy as he helped Rarity onto her feet. "Uh, need a 'and?"

"Uh, Ragamuffin? I'm Rarity."

"Uh, Raar-it-ee? Hmmm." said the boy as he tried to say her name.

"Uh, no-no-no-no-no. Rarity." clarified the fashionista.

"Rarr-it-ee?" said the boy as his accent was getting in the way.

"Close enough." said Rarity as she let out a disappointed sigh.

On the main deck, the gang was getting ready for tonight's performance.

"Hmmm... Look at us! Getting ready to play at a pool party! Who knows what hijinks will ensue, am I right? Maybe I'll fall in the pool fully clothed! And everyone will laugh!" chuckled Twilight nervously hoping to get the others to bright up, but it didn't work. "Isaac! I need you!" shouted the girl as she called out to her boyfriend for help.

"What the hell do you want me to do?" shouted the boy as he was on the upper deck. He then grabbed a pulley as he swung down onto the deck as he dusted his shoulders off as he approached the group. "I'm already doing my part in that I'm providing the dueling entertainment with a duel for everybody on the ship."

"Yeah, but you need to calm me down before I lose it." stated the nerd as she reminded her boyfriend at how she could get at times when things didn't go according to plan.

"Fine." said Isaac as he rolled his eyes and looked at the three girls. "What's the problem?"

Pinkie just let out a sigh, "My whole life, I've been taught that you could only berry blast a butter biscuit on a bundt cake with two layers of chocolate. But this afternoon, I saw the truth. The buffet has a Triple Choco-Berry Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake."

"And you didn't get the recipe little sis?" asked Isaac as he was hoping to try it when they got back home.

Twilight rolled her eyes at what her boyfriend said, "How was it?!"

"I don't know! 'Cause Rainbow Dash got me banned from the buffet!"

"What?!" shouted Twilight.

"Everyone please, a moment of silence for this unfortunate tragedy." said Isaac as he put his head down and took off his cap in respect as Pinkie did the same by copying the boy's movement. There was a tiny violin in the background as it provided the pair with some sad music. "Let us not forget this day." spoke Isaac as Twilight just facepalmed herself at the actions her boyfriend and one of her best friends were doing.

"She also scared the animals in the petting zoo. Now they don't want pets." said the shy girl before whispering, "It's just a zoo."

"Ugh. She sure wasn't helpin' me not get sick off the side of the boat." spoke Applejack as she struggled to stand up.

"Yeah, thanks for charging me Aj." stated the boy as had to pay the bill for her throwing up.

"Screw you, city slicker. If I wasn't sick, I come over and slug you on the head." said Applejack before her stomach got queasy.

"But you're still having fun, right?" asked Twilight as she was worried.

"Oh, of course." said Fluttershy.

"Yeah." said Pinkie sarcastically as her head was down on her drum with her arm raising up to give a thumbs up.

Applejack's response was just a gag as she ran off to find someplace to throw up.

"I'm sorry, everyone." said Twilight as she felt bad her friends weren't having fun on their last Spring Break as high schoolers.

"It's not your fault." stated Sunset as she comforted her friend.

"Cheer up, Twi. How about we have a talk with Rainbow?" suggested Isaac as he pulled the girl in for a hug as he stroked her hair to which it made her feel a bit better.

"Hey, gang! Sorry I'm late! So, listen. I've got an idea for our show tonight! We unleash some awesomeness on the crowd! I'm talkin' rainbow lasers!" said the girl as she approached the stage and got on.

"Is that a thing?" asked Sunset.

"Oh hell no!" stated Isaac. "That'll cost more money and I already paid enough for this trip."

"I agree with Isaac, that's not a thing." stated Fluttershy.

"It will be after we do it tonight!" said Rainbow. "And stop whinnying about your money, Isaac. You still got plenty of cash from our trip to Las Pegasus."

"Yeah, but I don't spend it all in one place, and especially on your ass. You buy the most expensive shit that I've seen." responded the boy.

"Ah, forget you. Who's with me?" asked Rainbow hoping for some support from the others.

"Rainbow Dash, can we talk to you for a second?" asked Sunset as she and Isaac pulled their friend to the side. "Twilight worked really hard to plan this trip for all of us, and... uh, how can I say this without being mean?"

"I don't think you can, Sunset." stated Isaac.

"Just say it! I can take it!" stated the girl.

"You're ruining it for everyone!" shouted the bacon-haired girl.

"Ouch! Your words just... punched my feelings." said Rainbow in a somber tone.

"You said you could take it." exclaimed Sunset.

"Rainbow stop being a little bitch." stated Isaac as the got the message across loud and clear about her whinnying. That worked as she shot a glare at her male friend.

"Just stop looking for a problem when there isn't one. How's that?" suggested Sunset.

"And if that don't work, then about this? You upset Twilight and I'm gonna be mad pissed, and you've seen how I get when I'm pissed off!" exclaimed the boy as he didn't want his girlfriend to feel bad during the trip. Soon they heard giggling.

"Hello, darlings!"

"Where have you been?" asked Twilight.

"Avin' a li'l chat with ol' Ragamuffin, she was!" said the person as he was carrying all of Rarity's bags and set them on the stage. "All right, all right. Thanks for ev'rything, Rarit-y." said the boy as Rarity let out a sigh of lovesick, "Good luck for all that music an' whatnot." said the boy as he shook Applejack's hand who came back from throwing up and then had to leave again to vomit.

"It's like he fell out of a historical romance novel." said Rarity.

"Is that how romance sounds?" asked Fluttershy.

"Not when Twilight and I got together." said the boy. "Well, at least Rarity has someone she can chase after and finally lose the crush she still has on me."

It was now nighttime as everybody was getting everything ready for the girl's performance. The crew was moving the tables and setting up the food and drinks as they made sure their was enough room for the guests to move and dance. Isaac had to hand over the money for the extra lasers effects that Rainbow wanted as he was deeply regretting it. The girls were on stage as they had changed outfits for the performance and were wearing different skirts/dresses. Once everything was ready and the girls did a sound check, Rainbow gave the signal to Isaac that they were about to start as he got off the stage and stood on the side of the stage as he watched the girls do their thing as the music started to play.

Get in the groove
You bring your dancing shoes
I'll bring the attitude
You bring the crew so we can move

Light up the floor
Turn up the bass
Yeah, let me see that smile on your face

Come on and go with the flow
Gonna steal the show, yeah

The whole people on the deck were now moving and grooving to the girl's music as Isaac just folded his arms and leaned against a pillar as he listened to the song.

Let me show you how it goes

Repeat after me!

'Cause it's all, all, all, all good
I feel abso-absolutely amazing
'Cause it's all, all, all, all good
I feel abso-absolutely amazing

"Rainbow lasers!" shouted Rainbow as she looked at Isaac. He just rolled his eyes as he was next to the effect machines as he simply flipped a switch and as per her request tons of different sizes of rainbow lasers appeared as it helped to make the performance more visually appealing.

However at the moment, all the little stage lights had their light bulbs go out one by one as soon the whole ship shutdown as there was no power and they were dead in the water. Everybody on board got scared at what was going on that there was small bits of chatter and mumbling.

"Oh! It's about to go down!" shouted Rainbow as she threw her guitar on the floor and said that in an excited tone.

"The ship's going down?!" said one of the patrons as it caused all the other people to scream and run for their lives.

"Not the ship! The ship's not going down! Ugh! I meant evil! Stop screaming!" stated Rainbow.

"Rainbow, you dumb idiot!" called out Isaac. "Have you never watched Titanic, don't say shit like that!"

"I haven't gotten to that part yet!" responded the girl.

"It's a movie everybody has seen."

"I'm a slow movie watcher, other than Daring Do." stated the chromatic girl.

"What happened to the lights?" asked Fluttershy.

"What happened to the engine?" stated Rarity.

"Awww, I hate seeing a party get shut down before its time." complained Pinkie.

"The good news is now that it's dark, maybe my brain won't know I'm on a boat", stated Applejack as it worked for a second before he gagged, "Oh, no. It heard me. Blegh!"

"Let's not let a little thing like a total mechanical and electrical failure ruin our fun." said Twilight as she was trying to get the situation from getting out of more hand as the others had uneasy looks on their faces.

"Mahad, Mana." said Isaac quietly to himself as he summoned his magicians, "Do a quick sweep of the boat, don't want to fully believe it, but just to make sure."

"You got it, Isaac."

"At once, master."

Isaac's two magicians then left as they had been given their orders and left. Isaac then approached the girls as Twilight was trying to figure out how to turn this negative into a positive.

"Leave it to me!" said the girl as she left towards the engine room, "Come with me." Twilight grabbed Isaac's hood as she dragged her boyfriend with her.

"She's wasting her time! Because this is magic!" shouted Rainbow.

"Stop!" shouted Sunset.

"You stop! We should split up and search the ship! Who's with me?" asked the girl as the only answer. "Ugh! That's the last time I ask 'who's with me?'." mumbled Dash as she was on her own with a flashlight in hand as she was searching for any signs of evil.

Meanwhile, below the deck, Twilight and Isaac were with the engineers of the boat trying to get the power on. Well moreso for Twilight as she took it upon herself to get her hands dirty on fixing the engineer which Isaac did admit was a bit of a turn on seeing his girlfriend not mind getting right into the thick of things.

"I'm not trying to tell you how to do your job, but, heh, may I?" smirked Twilight as she slid under the control deck and began to look at it.

"Ohh, you guys messed up big time if you got my girlfriend doing this. And she's not a mechanic." smirked Isaac as he was leaning on top of the control desk. "I think this counts me as getting my money back for not being satisfied." said the boy as the crew all gave dirty looks as he had a sly smile. "How's it going, Twi?"

"Terrible!" shouted the girl as she let out a groan, "What a mess! Did you even read the six-hundred-page online emergency handbook?!" The crew just shrugged their shoulders as Twilight shook her head.

"Well, I can't blame them." stated Isaac as he pulled it up on his phone to look at it. "And this is the light version, compared to hardcover." said Isaac as he was holding the massive book in his hand. "This thing is so thick that I'm surprised you don't have this in your own personal library of books."

"Shut up, you." said Twilight as she ignored the remark made by her boyfriend.

"Well, excuuuuuuuuuuse me, Princess," said Isaac as he stuck his tongue out at her as it was his favorite comment to get a reaction from his girlfriend as she returned the gesture to her boyfriend before sliding back under the desk and getting back to work.

"I'll be expecting my money back soon." said Isaac to the crew as he left Twilight to handle things here as he exited the room.

[cartoony skittering]

Pinkie had snuck into the dining room as she was prepared to complete her mission.

"Time to raid the desert buffet under cover of darkness! Triple Choco-Berry Blasted Butter Biscuit Bundt Cake, here I come!" said the party girl.

"Who said zat?!" said Puffed Pastry as she heard a sound.

"No one!" shouted Pinkie as she quickly hid herself, "Shouldn't you be upstairs?"

Puffed Pastry then slammed the table with her hands as it was still dark, but if she had looked down she would have seen the pink girl hiding, "Somebody has to guard ze bundt cakes! Stay back! I have a spatula!" The chef then pulled it out as it was mere inches from Pinkie's face as she zipped away to try to avoid being found while also stealing the dessert.

"Hello... Ragamuffin..." said Rarity as she was looking for the boy in one of the main floors of the boat. There was some noise coming from a door as the sound was muffled.

"Ragamuffin? Are you down here? I was just, uh," Rarity then cleared her throat as she opened the door, "in the neighborhood, and, um..." Inside was the boy as he was entertaining some folks with a Irish jig of sorts as they were clapping to the rhythm of the music. "Who needs electricity when you have... whatever this is?"

Rainbow was currently leaning on the boat as her search for "evil magic" came up on a loose end. The rain above rumbled with electricity as the waves were fierce. The wind was blowing hard as her hair was flapping in the breeze. She then looked up and saw the lightning strike the water as she looked at it and it formed a symbol of sorts.

"Whoa! I knew it! Evil magic! You guys gotta see this!" said Rainbow as she raced off to find her friends.

Twilight was still working on the engine as she seemed to be about to finish.

"All that's left is to hold this lead wire in place while the auxiliary unit cycles, and everything should be back to normal in three... two... one—"

"No time for that!" said Rainbow as she grabbed her friend.

"Aah!" shouted Twilight as she was yanked from under the engine with the cord in her hand as it let out a small explosion as electricity flowed out.

Pinkie was still evading Puffed Pastry as she was this close to tasting the treat. She then pulled out a piece of candy from her hair as she tossed it to hit one of the plates as it made a sound and cause Puffed Pastry to check it out. That was all the moments she needed as she grabbed the cake and was about to take a bite of it when...

"No time for that!" shouted Rainbow as she dragged Pinkie with her as she dropped the cake and Puffed Pastry saw it hit the floor.

"Gah! Banned for life!" said the cook as she saw Pinkie before she disappeared around the corner.

In the stage room, Rarity was having a talk with Ragamuffin as he began to discuss his childhood.

"Well, me pa worked in a coal mine, but I always wanted to dance! Eh, a fancy girl like you wouldn't understand."

"Well, actually, in the school production of Bedazzled, I played a coal miner's daughter who danced in bedazzled magical boots from her fairy bootmother. So..." chuckled Rarity as she understood the boy's ambitions. They soon got closer until..

"No time for that!" shouted Rainbow as she now fetched Rarity and were soon out the door.

"Mahad, Mana, report." said Isaac as his magicians appeared.

"Nothing on deck, Isaac." said Mana.

"But... we feel something..." stated Mahad.

"I feel it too... like... magic... but not just any." said Isaac as he looked out over the sea and saw a storm coming towards them as both he and his monsters could sense a certain danger about to approach them. He then noticed the girls were on the deck below him as he listened in to what they were talking about.

"I promise, this is more important than all of your things." said Rainbow as she was leading the girls with a flashlight to where she saw the thing. The others were all skeptically murmuring amongst themselves.

"I don't think so!" said Pinkie as she said her comment out loud.

"Behold! Evil magic!" said Rainbow.

"Huh?" said the girls as they looked at the water but saw and found nothing.

"What? Huh? The whole ocean was glowing a minute ago! It went 'whoosh-whoosh-whoosh' w-with little ribbon thingies!" said Rainbow as she too was shocked to find that there was nothing even though she saw something earlier.

"Do you know which sorcerer can conjure the greatest magic of all? Mother Nature." stated Twilight indignantly with her arms crossed.

"What?"

"What you saw was probably nothing more than an innate phosphorescent biochemical property of common algae." stated Twilight as she went to her over the top explanation.

"Whaaaat? If that's what you think, then let's get in lifeboats and I'll prove it! The magic came from that way! We sail out and find the source!" stated Rainbow.

"And then?"

"Then we prep our decks. It's go time!"

"Which means?"

"We take no prisoners!"

"Where would we take them?"

"Who?" asked Rainbow.

"The prisoners. That's kidnapping! Are you even listening to yourself?!" stated Twilight.

"You don't want me to be right because you're scared to be a superhero!"

"We're not superheroes!"

"Oh, oh! Excuuuuse me! We're just ordinary girls who have saved the world from complete destruction multiple times!" said Rainbow as she was trying to prove her point.

"Uh, yes." said the girl, "And technically, when it came to stopping the big evil force, Isaac had to deal with it head on." added Twilight as Isaac was listening on the upper deck.

"Keep telling yourself that! But the rest of us aren't in denial! Right, everyone? Let's get to those boats and do what we do best! Who's with me?!" asked Rainbow as she looked to the other girls for some support but they were not buying her story. "Okay, that's the last time I say that." said the chromatic girl as she stormed off.

The other soon disbursed as they figured it be best to turn in for the night. Twilight was still uneasy at how the conversation went with Rainbow. She then looked up at the upper deck and saw Isaac as he had been listening and watching the whole thing. The wind had picked up as it was blowing against both of them as her skirt, and Isaac's hoodie fluttered in the wind as the two stared long and hard at each other with a look. Isaac tighten his cap on his head to avoid it flying off as he turned to leave as Twilight then reached up to her neck and touched the necklace that Isaac had given her as she started to head to her cabin.

The storm was still going as a lightning bolt struck the sea as it caused the ship to shake as the chandelier above it felt the force of nature as it caused some people to be worried. The girls and some of the other patrons were in the dining room having some breakfast even though the sky was still stormy.

"I wasn't very nice to Rainbow Dash last night." said Twilight as she was picking at her food lost in thought.

"No one's blaming you for wanting to give us a normal spring break." said Sunset. "Besides, what Isaac said yesterday when we first boarded is kinda true. We're graduating very soon, and that means our adventuring days are at this point close to being if not over. We all are becoming adults and being adults means having responsibilities. I see why Isaac is now scared about his future, cause he knew this was coming a long time ago. I guess all of use just took till senior year to finally realize that time has really flown by and we're all near the end of our journey."

"Yeah, he's right. As much as we enjoy having these fun adventures, we can't have them anymore. Out there in the real world, we won't have that luxury of hanging out with our friends and having fun cause we'll be doing our own thing." stated Twilight. "But I'm glad to have made all these memories and friends, I wouldn't trade you or any our friends for anything in the world. In any world."

"Aww. Same here. How about we make sure Rainbow Dash knows that, too?" said Sunset as she and Twilight left the dining room in search of their friend as when they opened the door, Pinkie was sitting next to it as the ban rule was still in effect as she cuddled her knees like a homeless person. She let out a sigh when Fluttershy appeared with a tray of breakfast to give to her friend as she let out a gasp and hugged her.

[wind blowing]

"Rainbow Dash! Let's have a do-over!" called out Twilight as she and Sunset were walking the deck with the wind blowing their hair.

"If you're looking for Rainbow, you won't find her." said Isaac as lightning went off and casted his shadow outline.

"AHH!" said both girls as they saw their male friend.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack, boy toy." said Sunset as she and Twilight had a bit of a jump scare. She then saw he was leaning against the railing as he looked out to the sea. "You don't think she went off into the storm, do you?"

"Oh, I'll call her." said Twilight as she pulled out her phone and dialed Rainbow' number as the phone rang but no answer as it went straight to voicemail.

"What up, nerds? It's Rainbow Dash having way too much fun being awesome to answer your call! So leave a message, if you're too old to text me!" said the voicemail as lightning struck and the storm clouds were rolling in.

"She left on one of the lifeboats and head towards that island." said the boy as he pointed out as there was tiny piece of land that was just in view.

"And you didn't stop her?!" shouted Twilight as she grabbed her boyfriend by his hoodie.

"You think I didn't try!" said Isaac as he grabbed Twilight's hand off of his attire. "Hell, she broke into my cabin and tried to take my deck."

"Wait, what?!" said Sunset.

"It may have still been storming, but I knew it was morning when I saw Rainbow trip and fall as she dropped my deck and the cards scattered on the floor. They were all facedown, so she just grabbed one without looking as she hoped it was my Dark Magician. Guess she was hoping to use it against whatever 'evil' she saw." said Isaac.

"This is bad!" said Twilight.

"Well, she didn't take it." said the boy as he pulled out his deck and then showed the top card as it was his ace magician. "She took a different card."

"Which one?" asked Sunset.

"Well, I looked through all my monsters and she took one of my pendulum cards. A lot of good it'll do her since she doesn't know how to properly use it."

"Well, either way we need to find her." said Twilight as she and the two of them all left to find the rest of their friends.

After telling the others of where Rainbow was, they all gathered by the side of the boat as there was a lifeboat as Sunset was getting ready to go after their friend.

"You're going after her?" asked Twilight.

"Of course!" stated Sunset as she got in one of the lifeboats. "What about you? Are you in?"

"Of course I'm in! A hundred percent on board!" said Twilight as the sound of thunder went off in the background.

"Then get on board."

"I just said I.... 'On board'." joked Twilight.

"Oof. I'll fix the engine while you're gone. We'll be ready to go before that storm hits us." said Applejack as she was still a bit sick. She almost fell over as Pinkie caught her friend.

"But you're seasick. Going below deck is the worst thing you could do." informed Sunset.

"Not worse than losin' Rainbow Dash." said the country gal.

"I'll help keep people calm! Get cake. I mean, keep people calm!" said Pinkie as she was still determined to complete her mission.

"And I'll make sure there's lifejackets for everyone. Even grandchildren." said the shy girl as she held a bunny.

"And I'll inform the below-deck crew. Even though we're from two different worlds. One a lonely coal miner, the other a sophisticated beaut—"

"Rarity!" shouted Isaac as he interrupted the girl's dialogue.

"I mean..." said Rarity as she cleared her throat, "I'll, uh, I'll, uh, I'll help Applejack."

"We'll find Rainbow Dash and be back as soon as possible." said Sunset as she and Twilight entered the lifeboat.

"Don't worry, I'll watch over everyone." said Isaac. "You two stay safe."

"Got it." said both girls.

"I'll be back." said Twilight as she stood up on the lifeboat as Isaac approached her.

"I know, and I'll do my best to keep everyone calm." stated the boy as he gave his girlfriend a good luck kiss as he then grabbed the pulley and began to lower the girls into the water. "And when you find Rainbow, smack her for me for taking my card!"

The lifeboat landed in the water as Sunset was the navigator while Twilight was in charge of the motor. Soon they were heading in the direction of the island. Or at least staying in place.

"You forgot to untie the rope." said Sunset as she noticed they weren't moving.

"Oh, yeah." stated the bookworm nervously as she did that and now they were off in search of their friend.

Isaac watched the two of them as they faded out of view. He wished them the best of luck as he turned back to look at the rest of the girls.

"Alright, you heard Sunset and Twilight. Don't worry, they'll bring back Rainbow. Right now our priority is to make sure everyone stays calm. So let's get to our parts, anything happens notify us on these walkie-talkies." said Isaac as he handed one to Applejack and Rarity. "Move out, girls!"

"Right!" said the gang.

They all left while Isaac remained on deck as he looked out at the sea as he noticed the storm produce lightning as it struck the water and he saw a glow. Isaac could feel a disturbance as strapped on his duel disk and it produced a gold card tray as his magicians appeared by his side as they felt something coming towards them fast. It was faint, but Isaac could hear some sounds as soon the things in the water had their targets and then swam towards the cruise ship.

Sunset and Twilight were in their lifeboat as soon they came upon their destination.

"There! That's her boat! Rainbow Dash?!" said Sunset as she took off her life vest and approached to see that their friend had taken off.

"Any sign of her? You don't think she... went in there?" stated Twilight as she pointed into the jungle.

[squawks]

"Where's Fluttershy when we need her?" said Sunset as she noticed a parrot squawking.

"I'm going in that jungle!" squawked the parrot.

"I'm going in that jungle?" repeated Sunset as she had a confused look on her face. Soon she realized something, "The parrot must be repeating what she said. Let's go!"

"In there?" Twilight was a bit nervous at entering the dark jungle. "Anyone could've said that."

"Or my name isn't Rainbow Dash!" squawked the parrot.

"Ugh! Fine."

Both girls then put on their duel disks as they prepared for any signs of danger. Sunset entered first with Twilight following behind her as she was scared of what was inside the dense shrubbery. And so they entered with Sunset pressing on without a care in the world as Twilight was let out screams at every little thing she came across as she was now wishing Isaac was here to keep her safe. As they were walking they soon heard a scream.

"Help! Help! Heeeeeellllllp!" shouted Rainbow as she was trapped. "Ugh! Way to go, Rainbow Dash. You did it again. You had to go off on your own, didn't you?"

"Rainbow Dash!" called out Sunset as she and Twilight found their friend.

"Oh, hey! Uh, heh, 'sup? Um, just takin' a rest in here, y'know? Finding evil magic is hard work." Rainbow was trying to play it off cool.

"Did you find any?" glared Twilight indignantly.

"Nah. Just quicksand."

"Ugh. Don't struggle. We'll find something to pull you out." informed Sunset as she began to look for an item to help their friend.

"Struggle? Who's struggling?" joked the chromatic girl as she was struggling.

"Typical Rainbow Dash!" muttered Twilight under her breath as she still had a glare expression on her face.

"I've had a little time to think. Okay, a lot of time, actually. And I spent most of it wishing I could make it up to you. Because you were right."

"Twilight's wrong!" squawked the parrot from earlier as it was sitting in a branch next to Rainbow.

"Anyone... could've said that." chuckled Dash sheepishly.

"Or my name isn't Rainbow Dash!" squawked the parrot as it ratted out the girl.

"Ugh. Gotta stop saying my name all the time." Twilight just gave a scoff at her friend as she broke off a branch from a tree. "I was a little annoyed at first, but I'll admit it: I ruined everyone's spring break for nothing. There's no magic out here! Nothing magical at all! The only villain trying to ruin spring break was me."

"...And maybe that giant plant monster?" said Sunset as she and Twilight noticed a huge object appearing behind their friend.

"What giant plant monster?" asked Rainbow.

"That giant plant monster!" said Twilight in fear as she pointed at it.

Rainbow looked up and saw the plant monster as it had mouth open above the her head. The girls all let out a scream at seeing it; the plant then descended its jaws as it looked to devour Rainbow when it was being held by some magic. Rainbow opened her eyes and saw that Twilight's deck was glowing as soon out emerged her High Priestess of Prophecy as she was using her powers to hold back the creature, but it was proving to be tough. Sunset then looked at her deck as it too was glowing and soon her Gearfried came out as it appeared and at that moment, small vines that were about to wrap around the girls were then cut down by his sword.

"Seems the magic is making the monsters in our deck real." said Sunset.

"Look that's awesome, but get me out of here!" screamed Rainbow as she was still trapped.

"We're trying!" said Twilight.

"Try harder!" screamed the girl as she was reaching for a stick that Sunset had extended out for her to grab.

"I can't hold it forever, Twilight. It's too strong." stated High Priestess.

Sunset was doing her best to reach forward as her Gearfried was making sure that none of the vines made it to his mistress as he needed to buy her time. Rainbow then got a hold of the stick as Sunset was now pulling her friend towards her when the head of the plant monster broke free from the magical hold of High Priestess as it slammed one of its vines into the quicksand as it broke the stick that Sunset was using as now Rainbow's whole body but her head was under.

"Oof! Take my hand!"

"Take your hand?" said Rainbow as she couldn't physically do that. A small bubble popped at it was small sparkles in it.

"I've seen something like this before." said Sunset as she began to dig a bit into the quicksand. Her hand then revealed a small portal as it was shining in her face. "This is definitely Equestrian magic!" She then turned back as her monster was now being overwhelmed by the vines as they wrapped around his arms to keep it from moving. Twilight and her Priestess were now starting to be surrounded.

"I have a way out of this. Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" answered Rainbow.

"See you soon!" said Sunset as she shoved Rainbow's head into the quicksand as she disappeared.

"Did you just...?!" shouted Twilight.

"I'll explain later! We jump on three!" informed Sunset.

At that moment, the monster overpowered Twilight's monster as she fell down and soon disappeared as her life energy was depleted.

"One, two, three!" said Sunset as she grabbed Twilight and the both of them were sent into the quicksand as soon they entered the portal and it shot a beam of energy into the sky for a few moments.

Back on the ship, Isaac was dealing with his own problems on deck as several Duel Monsters had showed up out of nowhere as he was engaged in horde of Atlantean monsters that were in the water as some of them jumped onto the ship. Isaac had his royal knights out to engage as they were doing their best to keep the enemy off as they kicked them off the ship and crashing back into the water below. Isaac managed to dodge roll a surprise attack as he looked up and saw the beam of energy shoot into the sky as Twilight and Sunset had entered the portal at that very moment.

"Oh no." said Isaac in a slow and worried voice.

The portal was now closed as the whole room was dark.

"Where are we?" asked Twilight as it was so dark that the only thing that produced light were her eyes.

"Not about to get eaten. Good enough for me." replied Rainbow as her eyes were the only things being shown.

"It's... more complicated than that." said Sunset as her eyes were now present. Soon a light produced from the top of her head as she was using her unicorn horn to fill the room with light.

"Whoa..." said Rainbow as she took in the surroundings and at what they had all turned into as Twilight just let out a scream.

Once they exited the cave, Twilight was still screaming as she looked at a pond of water to see her reflection.

"PONY FACE!" screamed the girl as it turns out she had glasses on her face and didn't have wings like her Equestrian counterpart. She did have her duel disk on her left front leg and the necklace Isaac had given her around her neck.

"Twilight! You're okay! This is supposed to happen!" said Sunset as she tried to get her friend to calm down.

"All my things are horse things!" gasped the girl as she looked at herself and saw a mark on her flank.

"'Round here we call them 'pony things'."

"Incoming! Wah!" said Rainbow as she had tried to fly given that she had wings, but soon came crashing into the ground and hit some bushes. Like the other two, she also had her duel disk on her front leg.

"That wasn't quicksand back there. The sand was covering a portal to Equestria. I thought there was only one from school to Celestia's mirror, but who knows how many there are and where they might lead?" said Sunset as she was surprised by this discovering. Not to mention that aside from Isaac, only she knew about this world existing.

"Sorry, I wasn't listening. Because we're ponies!" screamed the purple girl now turned unicorn.

"Y'know, Twilight, since I kinda messed things up on the boat, maybe this could be your vacation!" said Rainbow as she emerged from the bushes and shook off the leaves that fell on her.

"Hmmm..."

"We're here, we're ponies. Let's have some fun! Pony style! Whoa!" said Rainbow as she tried to stand up bipedal style.

"Uh, that's not a thing we say." stated Sunset.

"This would be a fantastic opportunity to study the physical laws of a novel dimension." explained Twilight.

"Shouldn't we be getting back?" suggested the orange unicorn.

"It's just a little rain. I'm sure our friends are fine." stated the pegasus.

"By the way, how and where are we?" asked Twilight as she wanted some answers.

"Guess, it's finally time I told you."

Sunset then had the pair sit down as she began to explain the details of this world and how she and Isaac traveled to this place during this past summer break as she told them about their adventure.

Meanwhile...

"Who gave you permission... to...board... my... ship!" shouted Isaac as he delivered a good kick to an Atlantean solider as he let out a scream and fell into the water as it made a splash. "Look at me, I'm the captain now." Soon a blade swung at his head as he ducked his head as his cap stayed in the air as he pulled it down and began to run as the Atlantean monster chased after him before he was struck down by King's Knight.

"Watch yourself, young Isaac." said the knight.

"No shit." replied Isaac as his Queen's Knight was now in front of the boy as she was guarding her young master from any danger.

"Let's have some fun!!" cackled Joker's Knight as he let out a hysteric laugh as he stood on one of the ships poles and then did a spinning slash as he took out several monsters and then had some big poker cards appear as they began to fire beams at the monsters as they soon fell back into the water.

"Control yourself, Joker." stated Arcana Triumph Joker as she knew how her comrade loved to let loose and go crazy given his role and name.

"But there's nothing like a wild card." laughed Joker's Knight. "What do you say, young Isaac?" asked the knight as he looked at his master.

"Keep it to a minimum." informed the boy.

"Yes." cackled the knight even more as he prepared for some madness.

Applejack was in the control room as she was looking to get engine back online as she wanted a status update.

"Breaker-breaker four-and-a-half, this is 'Red Delicious' requestin' a storm status update! Over!" spoke the girl into the walkie-talkie.

"Ahoy, uh, matey! Uh, this is Rarity. Please repeat.. the words you said."

The symbol that Rainbow Dash had seen earlier was now in the sky as it produced a bolt of lightning as it shot toward the girls and ricochet around them as the girls all ducked and the nearby people all hide for cover.

"I'm beginning to wonder if—" Rarity then let out a scream as another bolt of lightning hit the wall next to her as it caused her to fumble the walkie-talkie as it went overboard, "...if this is no ordinary storm!"

"I don't think she heard you." said Pinkie as more lightning was happening as it caused the three girls to scream.

Soon they noticed some fighting sounds coming from the front end of the boat as they decided to check it out. They peaked from the corner as they saw the boy and his monsters were engaged in a battle as they were slowly surrounded them. Soon their decks in their duel disk began to glow. Isaac saw that he and his knights were surrounded as they had no opening, soon a blur of lightning itself came and took out a side of the Atlantean monsters as it was Fluttershy's Thunder Unicorn. Soon some blasts and cartoonish effects were heard as Pinkie's toons and Madolche monsters all threw food at the big bad monsters.

"Huh?" said the boy as he saw the girl's monsters and then looked back as he saw the girls hiding behind the corner. "Thanks for the help, but are you girls gonna hide behind there or help me out!" shouted Isaac.

"Fine." said the girls as they all stepped forward.

"Rarity, summon your monsters."

"Very well." Rarity then picked the top three cards of her deck as they began to materialize as her Amethyst Cat, Topaz Tiger, and Amber Mammoth all appeared.

Both cats let out a growl as they were prepared from combat, however as soon as Rarity's Amber Mammoth landed on the boat, it suddenly started to tip over as the giant woolly creature was bringing the ship down.

"Rarity, too much weight!!" shouted Isaac as he grabbed onto a poll as the ship was tipping over.

"Sorry, darling." stated Rarity as she had to call back her mammoth to avoid sinking.

"Sorry, Ms. Rarity." said her Amber Mammoth as he couldn't help his mistress to fight given the circumstance and his weight.

"Don't fret, my sweet mammoth. You did the best you could." spoke the fashionista as she comforted her beast for being too "fluffy" to battle.

Once the weight was restored, the boat now tipped back in place as it allowed the kids to continue their battle with the sea monsters.

While the gang was dealing with their own battle at sea, Sunset had finished telling the story of her and Isaac coming to Equestria and how they had to keep it a secret and how she was originally from this place and whatnot. Bottom line is that she told them everything as they had made it to Ponyville as they were looking to get help from a "certain" princess.

"We'd better keep a low profile. Follow my lead." whispered Sunset as the three of them began to sneak around town as they made their way to the castle.

So using some cartoon effects they had managed to make it to the castle undetected as they hid in a bush. Along the way they did see Rainbow's Equestrian counterpart as they managed to hide at the last moment to keep the two from seeing each other as soon they were at the castle's gate. Inside the castle, a certain pony princess was dealing with her own issue.

"A little higher on the left." instructed Princess Twilight as she was getting Spike to hang a portrait on the wall as she helped the little drake position it with her magic. "Now on the right. A little more." The door then creaked opened as the princess turned around and saw Sunset peaking her head out from the bush. "Sunset Shimmer!"

"Twilight!" said the orange unicorn as she came out from the bushes.

"It's wonderful to see you!" said the alicorn as she hugged her friend, "What are you doing here?"

"It's a long story."

"Wait. But what are you doing here? The last time you came was to help me and my friends rid Equestria of evil Duel Monster spirits trying to takeover. After that you and Isaac left through Celestia's mirror and she had it sent to me for safekeeping. I put it in one of my spare rooms, so why did you come through the front door and not where I keep it?" asked Twilight as she soon let out a gasp, "Wait a minute, you found another portal between our worlds!"

"I guess it wasn't that long." said Sunset as the other two emerged from the bushes as well.

"Oh, I like her." said Twilight with a sly expression on her face.

"Rainbow Dash! And this must be the other me in your world! Please to meet you both!" said Twilight with a smile as she looked around the room searching for a certain someone. "What about Isaac?"

"Oh, well, he and the others are back home waiting for us. But they're fine. No reason to hurry back." said Sunset without a care in the world.

"Speaking of which, how do you know Isaac?" asked Twilight as she looked at her Equestrian counterpart as her cheeks blushed as she was starting to remember the details, especially of all the snuggled both did.

"Oh, I hope they hurry back!" said Fluttershy as she noticed one of the creatures about to strike her with his sword as she turned away. The monster was then kicked back by her small Ronin Raccoon as he took a defensive stance to protect his beloved animal princess. He then did his copy technique as his small brothers appeared ready to fight.

"Applejack said to tell you she's about to reconnect the engine and we might feel a little jolt." stated Pinkie as she got word about the ship.

"Oh. When?" asked the shy girl as her animals were fighting in the background.

"Oh, she didn't say." stated the pink girl.

[vroom!]

At that sudden moment, the ship was zooming really fast as it went forward as all the sea creatures were tossed off the boat and landed back into the water. The gang's monsters all felt the rush as they all returned back to their owners' decks as the teens struggled to hold on.

Isaac managed to grab onto a beam as he pulled out his walkie-talkie.

"This is 'gold leader' to 'Red Delicious', report over."

"Red Delicious to Gold Leader, report."

"What the hell happened, AJ!!!!" shouted Isaac into the walkie-talkie.

"I don't know, I can't slow it down!" shouted the country gal. Soon a lightning bolt struck the boat as it short circuited the control panel. "And we just lost steering!"

"Oh, you gotta be shitting me!" shouted Isaac. He then held on as the boat was still going fast.

Meanwhile...

"...and that's the last time I ever went to a dragon wedding!" said Spike as he was telling the four ponies his tale as they all laughed.

"Oh, you have to try Ms. Cake's chocolate fondue. It takes twenty minutes though." suggested Princess Twilight.

"Ah, we have all the time in the world." said Twilight.

"We're running out of time! Watch out for rocks! Watch out for everything!" shouted Pinkie as she screamed her head off and running on the ship as they all started to slip and slid. The girls were all moving from side to side as Isaac moved with the weight of boat as he held his ground.

"I am going to kick Rainbow's and Sunset's ass when we get home!!!" yelled out Isaac as knew where the pair was. He noticed that the boat was heading towards the island as the girls let out a scream.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like Pinkie Pie yelling." stated Sunset. They all remained quiet as they listened and the door opened up.

"I was yelling, silly! Standing at the front door yelling, 'Fondue delivery!' Oh, hey, Rainbow Dash, pony-in-the-glasses-who-I-don't-recognize. Here. You have to try this! It's a fresh batch!" said the pink pony as she just acted like everything was normal.

Sunset used her magic to grab the treat and eat it as Rainbow used her hoofs to grab it and put it in her mouth as she smeared her mouth.

"Uh, ow! Too hot! It needs to be, like, twenty percent cooler."

Twilight tried her best to put the treat in her mouth as she held it with her magic. She tried to aim it to her mouth but missed a few times as it smeared her left cheek, her glasses, and then got it in her mouth. "Mmm! I love this!"

"I hate this!" shouted Rarity as she was sliding on the deck as she collided with the front of the boat as both girls followed behind as Isaac was sliding on his feet as he stopped himself and held his ground.

"I can't take much more of this!" groaned Fluttershy.

"You might not have to!" gasped Pinkie as she saw where they were heading, "Rock ho!"

The boat then collided with some rocks as it made a slice into the side of the hole as it was now the literally situation of Titanic. The ship was sinking as water was starting to enter the ship. Inside the ship, people noticed the water entering as they all ran away from it.

"Behold! The vase is now empty! The question is – can the Great and Powerful Trixie bring the water back?!" asked Trixie as she was performing a trick for some people. As she was trying to execute her trick, there was a rumbling happening as soon the door busted down as a huge wave of water entered the room as the people in the seats all ran. "Oh, no. I'm too powerful. I'm too powerful!" screamed the magic girl as she too ran.

Fluttershy looked to the side of the boat as she let out a gasp, "We're... sinking!" said the girl as lightning went off.

"And that was from the time I was rescued by my own pupil!" giggled Princess Twilight as she told her tale to the trio, "Which really gave me some perspective on the importance of mentoring."

"Kind of like how Isaac is doing it with the program and us." said Sunset.

"You ponies are, like, superheroes!" commented Twilight to her counterpart.

"Oh, we're not superheroes." said the alicorn.

"Sure, just ordinary ponies who save the world from complete destruction multiple times." said Twilight as she slowly realized she made the same point to Rainbow who was smiling smugly at her unicorn friend.

"Sound familiar?" taunted the pegasus.

"Here's a good one." said the princess as she pulled the sheet off of an item. "This is from our battle with the Storm King. He stole our magic and used it to create the most powerful storm in Equestria. But, luckily, my friends and I were able to work together to drain his magic and seal his power into this." As the princess was telling her tale, the cloth that wrapped the relic showed a symbol as Rainbow looked at it with a closer inspection.

"This symbol looks familiar." said the pegasus as she saw it matched the symbol she saw in the water.

"You've... seen this before?" said the princess with a bit of concern.

"It's just... That symbol. It looks exactly like what I thought I saw in the water when we were back on the boat. But we decided the magic glow was just Mother Nature."

"When you saw the thing that looked exactly like this thing, there wasn't any thunder or lightning accompanying it, right?" said the alicorn with a nervous laugh.

"Uh, there was definitely thunder." stated Sunset.

"Affirmative on the thunder." added Twilight.

"Okay. Nopony freak out, but I think that maybe there's a chance when we destroyed the Storm King, we didn't capture all his magic, and maybe it found its way into your world! It might be turning into a giant, magic storm and threatening your friends as we speak! NOPONY FREAK OUT!" shouted the princess as her right eye twitched a bit.

"Our friends!" stated Sunset.

"We have to go back!" said Twilight.

"Ladies... it's hero time!" said Rainbow Dash as she stood on the table as they began to figure out their plan.

Back in the human world, the storm was rampaging as the water was now halfway into the ship as the patrons were all running to higher ground.

"We're sinking!" said Fluttershy.

"That's not the only problem." said Isaac as he activated his duel disk once more as the sea monsters from before were back as they finally had caught up and were now boarding the ship. "Time to bring out the heavy artillery." said Isaac as Mahad and Mana appeared next to their master as they prepared to fight. "Get the people off the boat!" shouted the boy.

"To the lifeboats!" shouted Pinkie to the other patrons as a huge bolt of lightning struck the boat and took out the lifeboats as they all fell into the water as they sank. "And there go the lifeboats. That was a very specific lightning strike."

The storm was going crazy as up in the sky there was the Storm King's symbol as everybody screamed. Isaac was dealing with his own issues in keeping the monsters at bay that he couldn't help his friends. It felt like he was about to experience failure as he couldn't keep everybody safe like he promised. At that moment, Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and Twilight all emerged from the jungle as they came back from the portal.

"No time to lose! Let's do this!" shouted Rainbow as she saw the situation.

"Everybody, grab on!" said Twilight as she was holding the staff.

"Right!" added Sunset as she put her hands on the staff as Rainbow did the same.

All three of them then lifted the staff up high into the air as it shot a beam of magic upwards. The beam was now starting to suck in the storm magic as all the clouds were gathering into the relic; the symbol in the sky was then sucked in as well as everybody looked away as lightning was still going. The Duel Monsters that appeared were now started to fade away as they turned back into particles as they were now gone as the magic that allowed them to come alive disappeared. The girls all looked to the side as they saw the storm clouds being sucked into the staff as the sun was now back and the sky was clear.

"Weather update – sunny!" said Twilight.

"With a chance of awesome!"

"I can't believe how easy that was!" stated Sunset.

"I think we all learned a valuable lesson today." said the bookworm girl as there was still some screaming in the background.

"I learned we don't have to go looking for trouble. Just have to be there for each other when it finds us."

"But I guess if you hadn't run off, we wouldn't have what we need to go back and save our friends." stated Twilight.

"All part of the plan." said the chromatic girl.

"The ship is still sinking." squawked the parrot as he pointed to the ocean to get the girl's attention.

"Guys! The ship is sinking!" said Sunset as she pointed.

"Oh, no!" shouted Twilight.

"We gotta help them!" stated the orange girl as she and Twilight ran to their lifeboats to help their friends.

"It won't start!" said the girl as she informed Sunset.

"What do we do then?" asked Sunset.

All three of them were now thinking of a plan to save the ship and the people on it as they were running out of time. Soon a thought ran through Twilight's head as she looked at Rainbow's duel disk and grabbed it from her arm.

"Hey!" shouted Rainbow.

"Let me see something." said Twilight as she pulled out Rainbow's deck and began to look through it as she found the card she was looking for. "I knew it, Isaac's pendulum card."

"Oh, yeah. Forgot that I stole it. I mean, borrow." chuckled Rainbow nervously as Sunset gave her a glare as it caused the chromatic girl to shrink herself.

"I might have an idea." Twilight then picked up the staff as she pointed the relic at Isaac's card as a magic beam shot out of it.

The magic was working as it was now summoning the monster inside of the card as out emerged an individual. The person that emerged was roughly about their age from the look on his face and his facial features; he wore a swordsman outfit made up of blue and white clothing as it had a few belts on his jacket; he also wielded a silver sword as it was sheathed into the side of his belt and a pirate hat on his head with a feather sticking out. The girls were amazed by what they were seeing in front of them.

"Alright, what's the problem, Cap... oh?" said Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Uh, hey." spoke Twilight as she put the staff down.

"You're not Captain Isaac." said the young man.

"No, sorry. My name is Twilight Sparkle and these are my friends." spoke the girl as the sorcerer looked at the other girls as they waved. "And we were wondering..."

"Did you say, 'Twilight Sparkle'?" asked Isaac's magician.

"Yes."

"Oh, my bad. Forgive me for not recognizing you Lady Sparkle; I've yet to actually see the face of my master's beloved. But I should have based on your voice, please accept my apology Lady Sparkle, it will not happen again." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he bent down on one knee and took his hat off to show his respect for Isaac's girlfriend.

"Ohh." giggled Twilight as she clapped her hands happily that Isaac had told his monsters that he was his girlfriend as they treated her with attention.

"Lady Sparkle?! Really?!" said both Sunset and Rainbow.

"Shut up, you two. Don't ruin this moment for me!" barked Twilight as she foaming at the mouth to show she was being serious. She then cleared her voice as she told the young spellcaster to rise up. "Don't worry about it, right now I am in need of your assistance."

"Anything for the beloved of my captain." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he put his hat back on. "Tis what does the fair maiden request?"

"Can you help save our friends and your master?" asked Twilight as she pointed out to see as the ship was sinking into the sea.

"Well, now. A job that big requires a ship, which fortunately I have." said the pirate magician as he snapped his fingers and soon out from the fog emerged a huge pirate ship as it was heading towards the group.

"No way!" said Rainbow as her jaw dropped at seeing the sight of the ship and the fact that Isaac had this monster as part of his deck.

"Incredible." stated Sunset as she and Twilight also dropped their jaws.

"She's the finest ship in the seven seas, but even she needs a crew." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he put on his pirate voice. "Thankfully, I've got the best one." The magician then pulled out his silver sword and pointed it to the ground in front of him as he began to chant a spell to himself. The magic was now surrounding his weapon as it then casted it to the sand as soon out rose some skeleton bones as they all rose up in pirate outfits and weapons as the girls huddled close as they saw the undead rise up.

The skeletons all looked at the girls when their captain called out.

"At easy lads, don't want to lay a hand on Lady Sparkle now, would we." stated Sorcerer Swordsman.

"Lady Sparkle." said the skeleton crew as they all bowed down in respect of Isaac's girlfriend.

"I think I can get used to this." smiled Twilight as she liked how Isaac taught his monsters to treat her with all the attention she wanted like a genuine princess.

"Yeah, look it's cool. But we need to save our friends!" shouted Sunset.

"Well then, all board! All hands! Prepare to make sail!" shouted Isaac's magician as he grabbed Twilight's hand and led her on the ship as Sunset and Rainbow followed behind them as the skeleton crew was behind them as they began to sing a pirate shanty.

Yo ho
Yo ho
A pirate's life for me

"Why does Isaac have a pirate on his team?" complained Rainbow.

"Technically, he's swordsman." stated Sunset.

"This is how it ends huh." said Isaac as he saw that they were just moments from going underway. Soon he saw some smoke appear as he figured something was coming. Soon it became more clear and bigger as it turned out to be a ship. It came into focus as Isaac saw a figure waving to them as it came up to the side of the boat.

"Ahoy, mateys!" said Twilight.

"Ridiculous imitation- and yet, I'm flattered." said Sorcerer Swordsman as he was at the helm steering the ship as he smiled at the girl who his master was with.

"Right on!" said Isaac as he now jumped from the cruise ship to the pirate boat as he landed on the deck and was met with Twilight wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Told you we come back." said Twilight.

"Took your time now, didn't you." snickered the boy. He then looked at the crew around them as they were now human, but more so that Isaac's magician casted a spell to make the undead crew look real in front of the others so as not to freak them out. He then looked at his magician as he tipped his pirate cap at his captain.

Isaac's deck now glow as soon his Mirage Magician appeared in her fishnet sleeves and stockings as well as a white corset that all matched with a cerulean trench coat. She then took off her masquerade eye mask as she looked at her male companion who was about the same age as her.

"Where we you?!" asked the girl.

"Pardon me, Mirage. But crewmate Dash snuck into the captain's quarters and winded up stealing my card." said Isaac's magician as he pointed at the chromatic girl to which Isaac shot her a glare. "Anyways, I'm back and in time. The crew was getting worried of not seeing you."

"Pretty lady." said the undead crew.

Mirage Magician just slapped a couple of the crew in a row as they all fell back and let out a comedic scream as they got hit. She then put on her mask back as she disappeared back into Isaac's deck to avoid the stares.

"So you helped them, bud?" asked Isaac.

"But of course, what kind of pirate would I be if I left the beloved of my captain high dry. Wouldn't be much of a pirate now, would I." stated Sorcerer Swordsman. "What's the orders captain?"

"Get everyone on board." shouted Isaac.

"Yes captain!" shouted the crew.

"Make way then, drop canvas! With a will, lads! Let's save these people before they're lost to Davy Jones himself." spoke Sorcerer Swordsman he started to direct the men.

It took a while but soon all the people were rescued by the crewman as they helped to get the patrons and the workers on board. Even the animals were all accounted for as they had strict orders from Fluttershy to save the critters. Pinkie even managed to save Puffed Pastry from being trapped underwater as she finally got to taste that cake despite it being soggy. With that the ship had finally dropped into the sea as everyone was on board and Sorcerer Swordsman was now heading for the island they came from. They landed as everybody got off as they were glad to be alive.

"Thanks, bud." said Isaac.

"Of course, Captain. You two, Lady Sparkle." said the pirate as he tipped his hat off and then steered his ship into the fog as they disappeared, but more so that the magic that made him alive from the staff now expired as it returned back to the relic and Isaac looked at his pendulum card to see his magician was back inside.

"Well, I s'pose this is goodbye." said Ragamuffin to Rarity.

"Take care of yourself." spoke Rarity.

"You, too, Rar-i-ee."

"Ragamuffin, don't let anyone tell you you can't be a dancer. For all coal turns to diamonds!" said the girl in her dramatic voice.

"That's the best advice I've ever heard!" said the boy in his normal voice as he dropped his accent and walked away.

"Thank yo— Wait. What?" said the fashionista as she couldn't believe what she heard. "Forget it, I can go back to having the crush on Isaac."

"So... now what?" asked Fluttershy.

"I might have a way home. But it's... kinda weird." said Sunset as she looked at the Storm King's staff.

"A little more on the left. A little more. Perfect." said Princess Twilight as she was still putting up her picture.

"Phew!" said Spike as he wiped his forehead. At that moment the door opened as it cause the picture to drop as Spike just let out a frustrated sigh and flopped down on the ladder as Twilight looked at the door with a surprised look.

"We're back!" said Sunset in a sing-song voice.

And so the plan to get back home was to go through the mirror. Thankfully, Isaac had his magicians use their magic to cast a spell that would wipe everybody's memories, except the main group, of them being in Equestria as they wanted to keep things secret. The last bit walked through the mirror as Sunset waved and stepped through herself. The only ones left were Isaac, and both Twilights.

"Promise me this won't happen again." stated the princess with a look.

"Can't say." said the boy turned colt. "Hey."

"Hey." smiled the princess back as it had been a long time since the two saw each other as they stepped closer.

"Ahem." said a voice as it belonged to Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Ah come on, Twilight. Don't tell me you're jealous of your own counterpart." teased Isaac. "It's still you, technically."

"Keep talking." said the girl with a look.

"Alright, fine. I can't have two Twilights." said Isaac.

"You're still the same." chuckled the princess.

"Of course, you still have the gift I gave you?" stated the boy.

"I keep it in a secret place." said the princess as she used her magic to make the Kuriboh card that Isaac gave her as a parting gift as the tiny monster appeared for a second as it nuzzled against the princess and the boy before disappearing. "He's quite the helper."

"So anything new, your highness?" asked Isaac.

"Well... there is one big change..." said the alicorn as she traced the floor with her hooves.

"So, Twilight? I want to apologize for being..." the voice that opened the door to the map room belonged to a colt as it looked vaguely familiar.

Isaac then stepped forward as did the colt as they were looking at each other. For Isaac he was seeing his counterpart but the only difference was that he was wearing his hoodie. Both males looked at each other as if time had stood still. They both started to do some movements as they were shocked to find the other did it at the exact same time. It was like looking into a mirror.

"You look like me." said both colts.

"Gotta say, that's one handsome stallion." said Isaac.

"Right back at you, bud." responded Isaac's equestrian counterpart.

"Oh yeah, they're related!" said both Twilights as they watched their boyfriends compliment each other.

"Isaac, we need to go." said Twilight.

"Right. Just a quick question, you handsome devil? How's it like snuggling with a princess?" asked Isaac.

"The best thing a colt like me could ever want." responded the colt.

"My man!" said Isaac as he gave his counterpart a pat on the back for getting a princess, specifically Twilight, to snuggle with him. With that he then proceeded over to the mirror as he waved goodbye as the two humans stepped through the portal.

"So, all that..." asked Isaac's equestrian counterpart.

"I'll tell you about it later. Besides, you must be tired from riding the train from Chicoltgo." said Princess Twilight as she led her coltfriend to her room where they played a game of chess and eventually took a nap in each other's arms.

The pair made it through the portal as they were standing in front of the school. The spell that Isaac had his magicians cast on the people's memories worked as all they could recollect was they had a fun time going on the cruise. With that everybody all left as the entire gang headed back home for sometime to relax. They entered the house but Isaac stopped Rainbow and Sunset from entering the house.

"Nope, you two are going to clean the yard!" stated Isaac.

"What?!" said both girls.

"I meant what I said. I was gonna deal with you two when we got home for taking your sweet ass time to save us. Now get to sweeping!" said the boy as Rarity and Pinkie tossed the two girls some brooms and rakes as the girls grumbled as they soon got to work.

"Finally, home." said Isaac.

"Hey, you guys are back." shouted Spike as he came down the steps with Tigre following behind her friend as the two welcomed their owners home. "So how was your trip?"

"Tiring!" shouted the girls and Isaac as they all left to each of their rooms as they all flopped down and soon were fast asleep for the rest of the day.

"Meow." said Tigre as she looked at her animal pal with a confused look.

"I agree. What it something we said?" stated Spike.

Chapter 174: Speed Duel

It was now the next day after the crazy cruise adventure. Everybody was still trying to recover and relax from the wild experience that took place; Isaac made sure to make a phone call to Celestia and Luna as he told them that they returned from their trip a little earlier than expected, he didn't say much other than that they ran into “weather issues”. They seemed to buy his story as they said they would see them in about a week where their class was scheduled to take a trip to a music festival that was going to be happening as almost everybody would be attending. So Isaac thanked the pair as he looked forward to seeing them once they finished their trip with the freshman class.

With that piece of info now out of the way, Isaac then made a call to someone. And it wasn’t any one of his acquittances that he always talked with, this was someone who was meeting and talking with in private.

“Hello.”

“Hey, it’s Isaac.”

“Right, sorry. Look, I just want to make sure that you’re comfortable with this decision.” said the voice on the other line.

“To be honest, I’m not. But I’m willing to give you a chance.” said Isaac.

“And I’m grateful that you’re allowing me to have that chance. Okay, I promise I won’t let this opportunity go to waste.”

“I know you won’t. Keep me in contact if anything arises.” stated the boy.

“Roger.” said the person as the call ended and the transmission was done.

A little while later the whole gang was in the living room as they were preparing to watch a movie together. They had ordered some Chinese food as they prepared to settle in for a long, laid back evening as they wanted to do something to wind down from their latest magic crazy adventure. Applejack had just entered the front door as she volunteered to pick up the food.

“Alright, y’all. Soup’s on, everybody!” shouted Applejack as she placed the food on the dining table as all the girls could smell the orders as they all got up to serve themselves.

“Thanks for picking it up, Aj.” said Isaac.

“No problem, sugarcube. By the way, it seems you got a package.” Aj then pointed to the front door as in the doorway was a medium size box.

“That’s weird, I don’t remember ordering anything.” stated Isaac as he went to fetch the box as he picked it up.

He then shook it a bit to see if he could figure out what it was based on the sound it made. From what he could hear it wasn’t heavy per say but there was something inside that was a decent size to make such a sound. Isaac then took the box into the living room as he placed it on the table as all the girls were near him with the two pets laying down together on the far couch.

“So what did you order this time, boy toy?” asked Sunset as she took a bite of her food.

“That’s just the thing, I didn’t.” said Isaac as he was examining all sides of the box. “Did any of you order anything?” asked the boy to which the others all shook their heads.

“Well, there’s no address to determine who sent it.” stated Twilight.

“Then open it.” stated Rainbow.

“Hang on, what if it’s a trap?” asked Rarity.

“I mean, our latest adventure had us nearly drowning in the ocean for Christ’s sake,” said Sunset.

“Maybe it’s an animal.” suggested the shy girl as she sat next to Isaac.

“Well, only one way to find out. Rainbow fetch me the boxcutter.” said Isaac as she zoomed over to the kitchen and opened one of the drawers as she found the small thing and gave it to Isaac as he began to open the box.

He opened the flaps as inside was a ton of papers and packing as he gave it to Pinkie so that she could have fun with it. Once that was all gone, Isaac and the girls all looked inside as their heads were shown from the top down camera angle. There were two smaller boxes inside as well as some other cards but the thing is that they weren’t Duel Monster cards per say. Isaac reached in and grabbed one of the smaller boxes and opened the lid as the others looked next to and over his shoulder as inside were some Duel Monster cards.

“Okay, now I’m confused.” said Rarity.

At that moment, Isaac’s duel disk was now beeping as he was receiving a call on it. He then placed the smaller box on the table as he grabbed his duel disk as he pressed a button and out projected an image of someone.

“Greetings, Isaac-boy.”

“Mr. William.”

“Yes, it’s been a longtime since we last talked. And why is that Isaac, you never call. You never write, I’m beginning to think that you don’t appreciate me.” joked Mr. William.

“It’s not that, Mr. William. Just got a lot on my plate at the moment.” said Isaac.

“Indeed, Celestia and Luna both told me about your little program that you’re trying to get recognized by the Board of Education. My, are you hard at work. Anyways, how are you treating those Egyptian God cards, hope you’re not using them to cause any chaos.”

“Not at all sir, I’ve been keeping them safe, like you asked.”

“Good, and by the way. I hope that I didn’t catch you all at a bad time but I figured I’d send you over somethings that Industrial Illusions is currently working on. I’m sure you’ll find this something that catches all of your interests. Twilight, you probably remember seeing this when you interned here in the summer.” stated Mr. William as he looked at the girl.

“If it’s what I think it is? Then… does that mean it's ready for launch?” asked the girl.

“Well, not yet. My team of scientists are still working out the kinks before this thing goes public. We’ve been having some pro duelists test out our new design and they’ve given us some stellar results. So I figured why not give you all a try so that we could get some more results.” said the older man. “So care to help us?”

“Sure, just what is it?” asked Isaac.

“Simple, it’s a little project that we’ve been working on to help find a different way to play Duel Monsters. We call it ‘Speed Duels’.” said Mr. William.

“Speed Duels?” said everybody as they were confused on what the owner was saying.

“Let me explain, the boxes I’ve sent you are filled with cards, but more so I’ve sent you essentially two starter decks. These starter decks will help you and your friends to understand how these Speed Duels work. And don’t worry, I made sure to make a deck that not only features some of your cards, Isaac-boy. But also features the bravery and boldness of your tactics.” said Mr. William. “Now then care to demonstrate this for me.”

“Sure, which one of you girls wants it?” asked Isaac as he held the other box.

“Ohh, me! Me!” shouted Pinkie as she immediately raised her hand. She then swiped the box from Isaac’s hand as she opened it and saw the cards inside. “Ohh, shiny.”

“Now then would you both please sync your duel disks.” asked Mr. William as both Isaac and Pinkie then sat on opposite sides of the table as they placed their small rectangle devices on the table as they were deactivated. Both players then sat down on the carpet as they followed Mr. William’s instructions as he was getting both of them to sync up so that he and the girls could watch this duel take place. Once that was done, both then grabbed the eye visor that was also in the box as they both placed it over their right eye as they could see the many functions and images it was projecting.

“Now then, let me explain the rules to you both about how Speed Duels work. First off, you both start off with 4000 life points, but since this is a Speed Duel and not an ordinary duel, you both only have 3 monster card zones and 3 spell/trap zones instead of the usual five as well as in your Extra Deck you only have 5 monsters instead of 15. And instead of the standard 40-60 cards, you'll be using half that amount, 20-30 cards. Furthermore, you both only get a single main phase each turn and most importantly, you both start with a skill card of your choosing.” said Mr. William.

“You mean these?” asked Rainbow as she was holding several skill cards in her hand.

“Correct, Ms. Dash. Now both of you read over the different skills and pick the one you want to use in this duel.”

“You can look first, little sis.”

“Thanks, big bro.” Pinkie then looked at the many skill cards as she was selecting the one she wanted. She then handed the stack back to Isaac as he picked out the one he wanted.

“Now then I should remind you of one last thing, in a Speed Duel the person who goes first can’t draw on their starting turn. And each player starts with four cards in their hand. Something to add a little bit of suspense, wouldn’t you say?” chuckled Mr. William.

“Well, I’m ready. Pinkie?”

“All set, bro.” said the pink girl as both clicked ready that appeared on their visors as it began to project a hologram image of the dueling field as each one had their own tiny avatar in pixels.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their visors as soon the girls could see the holographic images of the field of their friends as it was in the middle of the table.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Pinkie's Life Points: 4000-

"I guess, I'll start off. Is that fine, Pinkie?" asked Isaac.

"Sure thing." smiled the girl.

Turn 1: Isaac

"My turn." said Isaac as the cards he drew were appearing in holographic form as all he needed to do to play a card was touch it and then choose which slot to place it in.

"Ooh, activate skill." said Pinkie as she just touched the hologram that said activate as it allowed her skill to now function.

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he Pinkie both drew fours cards from the sample decks.

"I'll start this duel off with my trusted Celtic Guardian(1400/1200)." said Isaac as he placed the card on the table. Soon his visor registered what he said as on the holographic image of the field, both the girls and pets as well as Mr. William saw a 3D model of the monster appear as it moved about in real time.

"Woah!" said the girls as they saw the monster appear on the card without having to use a duel disk.

"Indeed, the visor that Pinkie and Isaac are wearing allows them to create 3D models of the monsters they play and with the holographic image that's being displayed between them, anybody not wearing a visor can also see it to enjoy." stated Mr. William.

"With that I end my turn. Go ahead, Pinkie."

Turn 2: Pinkie

"Aw, I was expecting something more. Oh well." smiled the pink girl as she drew her card and looked at her hand. "I'll start this duel off with my Toon Table of Contents. This spell card lets me add any 'Toon' card from my deck to my hand." So while Pinkie manually grabbed the pre-construct deck and looked for the card she wanted, up on the holographic field was all of Pinkie's options so that the girls and Mr. William could see.

"Man, this thing is incredible so far." stated Rainbow as she was now intrigued and was hoping to get a battle in with this 'Speed Duel'.

"Which one? Let's see, eeny, meeny, miny, moe. That one." said Pinkie as she just used one of her rhyme to pick a card at random since she couldn't decide which one she wanted.

"Did she really just do that?" asked Rarity.

"Perfect, I got Toon World!" said the girl as she placed the card on the field, but up on the screen for the others to see Pinkie's field had a book as it was tons of cartoonish buildings and worlds appear as some music accompanied it. "This is where the fun begins, so let's get this party started. So I pay 1000 life points to activate my Toon World."
Pinkie's Life Points: 3000-

"Now that my Toon World is active. I'm free to summon the rest of my beloved toons, come on out Toon Gemini Elf(1900/900) and Toon Mermaid(1400/1500)." Pinkie placed her card on the table but once more since she and Isaac had the visor one they could see the monsters appear in 3D while the others saw it on the screen being projected for them to watch.

"But my Toon Mermaid won't be sticking around for long, I tribute it to special summon Toon Summoned Skull(2500/1200) from my hand." said Pinkie as she replaced one of her monsters with a more powerful one.

"Oh, no." said Isaac as he realized the situation. Thankfully, Pinkie's toons can't attack on the turn they're summoned. Which gives me time to figure out a plan before she wipes me out.

"I set the last card in my hand facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, I draw." said Isaac. "To start, I'll switch my Celtic Guardian into defense mode. Then I'll activate my Backup Squad spell card, now each time I take 1000 or more points of damage from one of your card effects or monsters' attacks, this continuous spell card lets me draw one card for every 1000 points of damage that I take. Next, I activate Summoner's Art, this card lets me add a Level 5 or higher normal monster from my deck to my hand."

"Oh, I think we know which monster Isaac is gonna choose." said Sunset.

"I choose... Gaia the Fierce Knight!" said Isaac as he showed the card and added it to his hand.

"What?!!!" shouted the girls as they thought for sure their friend would pick his Dark Magician.

"Curious choice, Isaac-boy." said Mr. William as he too was shocked that Isaac wasn't choosing his magician.

"Why choose that, Isaac?" asked Pinkie.

"Let me show you. Go Activate Skill!!!" shouted Isaac as his visor heard his request and then began to function as granted the boy access. For the girls then were now seeing Isaac's skill card on the screen as it had some info for them to follow as Isaac continued with his turn.

"Your skill?" asked Pinkie.

"Remember, I'm quick learner when it comes to learning about different ways to play Duel Monsters. I activate Knight of Legend!" said Isaac as it was the skill he had chosen for this battle. "This skill allows me to normal summon a 'Gaia the Fierce Knight' without tribute each turn. Come forth, Gaia the Fierce Knight(2300/2100)." Isaac played the card on the table as in his vizor and on the screen it turned into a 3D model of the rider as his horse let out a neigh and he raised his lance high in the air. "In addition, to making it easier to summon Gaia, the Knight of Legend skill also allows any 'Gaia the Fierce Knight' monster or 'Gaia the Dragon Champion' monster I control to inflict piercing damage while it's attacking a defense position monster. Plus, once per turn, it if inflicts piercing damage with this skill, I get to draw two cards and then discard one card."

"I'm impressed with how quickly you've adapted to the rules of Speed Duel, Isaac-boy." said Mr. William as once again the boy managed to impress him with his skills.

"However, there's a drawback that's attached to my Knight of Legend skill. While Gaia is on my field, I can't activate set cards in my spell and trap card zone. But even so, I put my faith in Gaia the Fierce Knight. Gaia attack and destroy Pinkie's Toon Gemini Elf!" instructed the boy as on the screen and in his vizor his monster raced across the table and looked to take out the 3D image of Pinkie's toon monster.

"Nope." smiled Pinkie. "I activate my trap card, Security Orb. This trap card switches your attacking monster into defense position rending it harmless." Gaia then stopped in its track as it lowered its lance. "Aww, so cute. So tiny." said Pinkie as she put her head forward and petted the small creature. Gaia then spoke in small dialect that nobody could understand except the other monsters as raised his lance at Pinkie for petting him and calling the little thing, 'tiny'. He then slowly walking back to Isaac's side as he got into defense mode.

"I'll end my turn." said Isaac.

Turn 4: Pinkie

"My turn, I set one card facedown and then enter my battle phase. My Toon Summoned Skull can't attack unless I pay 500 life points but that's a small price to pay." smiled the girl.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2500-

"Toon Summoned Skull attack Isaac directly!" instructed the girl as her monster bypass her friend's monsters and went straight for his life points as she dealt a major hit.
Isaac's Life Points: 1500-

"Since I lost twenty five hundred life points from your attack, I get to draw two cards from my deck with the effect of Backup Squad." said Isaac as he drew from his deck.

"Now Toon Gemini Elf, attack Isaac directly and end this duel!! Also buy that candy wand!!!" shouted Pinkie as that last part was personally to her as her big brother didn't want to get it for her.

"Like I said when we saw, no! And this duel isn't over yet, Pinkie. I discard Kuriboh from my hand; Kuriboh's effect reduces all battle damage from your monster to zero." said Isaac as his tiny monster did its job and step in front of Pinkie's attack as he remained.

"Alright then, it's your move."

Turn 5: Isaac

"I draw. I tribute Gaia the Fierce Knight and Celtic Guardian, come forth my ever faithful companion, Dark Magician!!!" shouted Isaac. He now played his ace spellcaster as on the screen everybody watching was amazed by how Isaac's magician looked as he made his presence known on the field.

"With Gaia off my field, I can once again activate facedown cards. I'm setting two of them, now Dark Magician attack Pinkie's Toon Gemini Elf. Dark Magic Attack!" said the boy as his magician took out Pinkie's monster.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1900-

"I now activate Toon Mask. Toon Mask lets me special summon a monster from my deck with an equal or lower level than the level of a monster on your field. And what monster is better to compete with your Dark Magician then with my Toon Dark Magician." said Pinkie as she now had a cartoon version of her big brother's monster.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Pinkie

"It's my turn, and now to attack you with your own monster. Toon Dark Magician attack Isaac directly!"

"Not so fast, Pinkie! I activate quick-play spell card, Twister." said Isaac. "By giving up 500 life points, I destroy one faceup spell or trap card on the field and I choose Toon World." Soon a giant wind on the screen came on as it was traveling towards Pinkie's Toon World as it looked to blow it away. However, one the wind ended, Pinkie's Toon World was still in play.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"What?!" said Isaac as he looked into his vizor to see that Pinkie's spell card was still there.

"Oops, I forgot to tell you about my skill, big bro." smiled Pinkie. "I activated it at the start of the duel."

"Your skill?" stated the boy.

"That's right, Toon Mayhem." Pinkie then showed off her skill card as it came on the screen for the others to see. "With this skill activate the first time Toon World would be destroyed each turn it's not destroyed."

"I thought you might do something like that, Pinkie. Which is why I also set this card." Isaac then flipped over his second card he previously set on his turn. "Spell Shattering Arrow! This quick-play spell card can destroy all of your face-up spells and inflicts 500 points of damage to your life points for each of them. And since you've used your Toon Mayhem skill this turn, you're powerless to defend against it. Your Toon World is destroyed!" An arrow appeared in their vizors and on the screen as it shot towards the book and Pinkie's world of cartoons began to crumble as it was destroyed.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1400-

"And with it destroyed, so is your Toom Summoned Skull." said Isaac.

"Unlike the my other toons, my Toon Dark Magician can remain on the field after Toon World is destroyed."

"Perhaps, but without Toon World on your field, my Dark Magician will be able to defend me."

"Toon Dark Magician attack!" shouted Pinkie.

"Dark Magician counter-attack!" shouted Isaac.

On the screen both 3D models of the monsters raised their wands up and pointed it at each other as they fired a powerful spell that hit both monsters dead on as it resulted in two smokescreens to appear as they were gone and neither player had any monsters.

"I end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"It's my turn, so all I need to do is draw a monster with more than 1400 attack points and I'll win the duel." informed Isaac to Pinkie as he drew his card. "I set a facedown card and end my turn."

Turn 8: Pinkie

"I draw." said Pinkie as she was relived that her friend didn't summon a monster to wipe out her remaining points. Unfortunately for her, she too didn't draw a monster to summon. "Looks we're both lucky, bro. I end my turn."

"Seriously, neither of them drew a monster on their turn?!" said Rainbow.

"Guess this isn't going to be done anytime soon." stated Fluttershy.

Turn 9: Isaac

"My turn," said the boy as this time he did draw a monster card, "I summon Beaver Warrior(1200/1500). Now Beaver Warrior attack Pinkie directly!" said the boy as his tiny beast-warrior raced forward and did a light jab at Pinkie as she found it a bit ticklish.

"That tickles." laughed the girl. She then touched Isaac's tiny monster as he too shouted in a dialect that none of them could hear as he waved his sword at the girl angrily about before returning to Isaac's side.
Pinkie's Life Points: 200-

Turn 10: Pinkie

"Now it's my turn," said the girl, "I draw. I summon Sonic Bird(1400/1000) to the field. This monster's effect lets me add a ritual spell card from my deck to my hand. And I choose my Black Illusion Ritual."

"Oh no!" said Isaac as he knew what Pinkie was going to do.

"Now I activate Black Illusion Ritual. I tribute my Sonic Bird to perform a ritual summon, he's my monster that's quite the looker, Relinquished(0/0)." said Pinkie as she had a powerful monster on the field as it caused Isaac to be worried. "Now Relinquished activate your hypnotic attraction." Pinkie's monster then used its power as it started to absorb Isaac's Beaver Warrior into it as it was sticking out on its arm.

"Relinquished has the power to absorb any one of your monsters and gains the stats of any monsters it's equipped to that means it has 1200 attack points and 1500 defense points just like your Beaver Warrior did. And that's more than enough attack points to finish you off, big bro. Now Relinquished attack Isaac directly and end this duel!" said Pinkie.

"Not so fast, Pinkie!" stated Isaac. "I activate my trap card, the Spellbinding Circle." A magical circle that magical properties then shot forward on the screen and in their vizors as it captured Relinquished in it as it confided its movements. "This trap card ensnares your monster preventing it from attacking or changing its battle positions and lowers your monster's attack points by 700. My life points are safe."

"Fine, I end my turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"It's my turn," said Isaac as he had no cards in his hand as he drew from his deck, "I set a monster facedown and then end my turn."

Turn 12: Pinkie

"I draw, perfect." smiled Pinkie evilly. "Just because my Relinquished is trapped in your Spellbinding Circle doesn't mean that I can't put it to use. I activate Polymerization. Now I fuse Relinquished on my field with Thousand Eyes Idol in my hand." In the vizor and on the screen, Pinkie's two monsters appeared side by side as a vortex appeared behind them full of orange and purple colors as both were sucked in as the new monster's outline was shown. "I Fusion Summon! Thousand Eyes Restrict(0/0)!" Pinkie's new monster literally had one thousand eyes all over its entire body.

"My Thousand Eyes Restrict stops all other monsters from attacking bringing this duel to a halt. Plus, its effect allows it to assimilate any of your monsters. I'll choose the only monster on your field, your facedown monster and equip it to my Thousand Eyes Restrict." said Pinkie as she took a look at what monster Isaac had as she knew what he was planning to do with that monster.

"Oh no." said Isaac as he was without any monsters.

"Thanks for the Old Vindictive Magician, bro. Fortunately for you since your monster was facedown, my Thousand Eyes Restrict doesn't gain any attack or defense points from absorbing your monster. But it did allow me to stop it from triggering its effect, was that what you were planning?" asked Pinkie with a smug smile.

"Yes." said Isaac as he gritted his teeth.

"See, I know my big brother too well. It's your move."

Turn 13: Isaac

"I draw." said Isaac as he looked at his card and saw that he couldn't use it. "Pinkie you've bought yourself time by stopping all monsters from attacking but that won't be enough. I pass my turn."

"My, my." said Mr. William as he was intrigued that Isaac did an action that he rarely did.

Turn 14: Pinkie

"I draw!" said Pinkie hoping she could draw something that would end this duel. "Grr."

"What's the matter, little sis?" taunted Isaac as he could tell by the expression on Pinkie's face that she drew a bad card. "Is your Thousand Eyes Restrict getting in your way?"

"I too pass my turn."

Turn 15: Isaac

"Then it's my turn." said Isaac as he drew his card. "I set a card facedown and end my turn."

"Seriously?!" shouted Rainbow.

"These past three turns or so, neither of them has done anything. Nor have they drawn the card they needed." informed Twilight.

Turn 16: Pinkie

"It's now my turn," Pinkie looked at her deck as she prayed this time she could draw something useful, "Perfect. I've drawn just the card to break through this boring stalemate. I tribute my Thousand Eyes Restrict to summon the Level 5 Illusionist Faceless Mage(1200/2200)." Pinkie's old monster then disappeared as standing there was here new monster as it looked to win this fight. "With Thousand Eyes Restrict off of the field, the lock on our attacks is broken. But my Thousand Eyes Restrict bought me the time I needed to get a monster on the field that will finish you off. My Illusionist Faceless Mage has 1200 attack points and you only have 1000 life points. Illusionist Faceless Mage, attack Isaac directly and finally put an end to this duel!"

"I activate a trap card! Eliminating the League!" said Isaac as he used his vizor to activate his facedown. "By discarding a spell card from my hand, I'll be able to destroy any face-up monster on the field along with all copies of it from your hand. I choose your Illusionist Faceless Mage!" With that Pinkie's monster was destroyed as Isaac survived the round.

"Fine, party pooper. I end my turn."

Turn 17: Isaac

"Now then, it's my turn." said Isaac. "I draw! I activate Advanced Ritual Art!"

"Advanced Ritual Art?!" said Mr. William. "That card isn't in your Speed Duel starter deck." said the man as he remembered all the cards that were in both prototype decks that Isaac and Pinkie were currently using.

"Perhaps, but it was with the other cards that came with both prototype decks. And since you sent the variant cards to me in the same box as these starter decks, I added Advanced Ritual Art to my deck by simply swapping a card out right before the duel began." informed Isaac to everyone.

"Ha, ha, ha." laughed Mr. William as once again the boy surprised him with not only his skills but also his ability to adaptive and think ahead in any situation. "You continue to amaze me, Isaac-boy. But of course, I should have expected you to have a surprise up your sleeve."

"Thanks, sir." said Isaac before going back to the duel. "With this spell card, I can ritual summon a monster by tributing normal monsters in my deck. I send the Level 5 Curse of Dragon and Level 3 Giant Soldier of Stone from my deck to my graveyard." Isaac's vizor now projected his monsters side by side as they entered a stone platform as a beam of energy and magical fire enveloped them as the image of the new monster was shown by its outline. "The forces of light and darkness intertwine, I open the gates of chaos! Bring forth, Black Luster Soldier(3000/2500)!" Isaac's new monster appeared as it showed up on screen as it was a badass looking warrior with a sword and shield.

"My Black Luster Soldier has 3000 attack points which is more than enough to finish you off. Now Black Luster Soldier attack Pinkie directly and end this duel!!" shouted Isaac. His monster heard its command as it raced forward and delivered a hard slash as Pinkie's tiny avatar as her life points dropped.
Pinkie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Duel over." said the vizors as the holographic images and field that were projected disappeared and the vizors that Pinkie and Isaac wore powered down.

"What a doozy." said Pinkie as she took off her device and was giddy.

"I'll say." said the boy as he removed the device from his right eye. "This Speed Duel was a lot of fun. I enjoyed it, Mr. William."

"I'm glad you both had fun." said the man. He then had some results pop up on his computer that was sitting next to him as he had a smile on his face. "And the results that were transmitted to me show the duel was a 100% success. I thank you all for helping me to test these Speed duels out, I can't wait for this to finally be polished and then released out to the public."

"I'll say." said Rainbow. "This seems like my kind of alley."

"I wanna try one." said Sunset as she began to grab some cards.

"I'm willin' to give this a shot." stated Applejack as she took some of the cards in the big box.

"Glad you all enjoyed, I'll let you guys keep the cards. Have fun." said the man as the video call ended on Isaac's duel disk.

Sometime later, the gang was still trying out these Speed Duels and all the different skills they could use. Twilight got a message on her phone as she quietly sneaked away from the group and made her way upstairs to her room as she locked it so that no one could disturb her. Once everything was set, she then grabbed her duel disk as she received a call.

"Report." said Twilight in a soft tone.

"Yes, I've got the results you've requested, Twilight." said the person.

"Thank you, send them to my program. With that last piece of info, it should help finish my 'project'." informed the girl.

"At once, Twilight. Though I will say, there's a piece of data that we just discovered and are also transmitting to you. I hope this can help you to finish, I will say you took on a huge role doing this project."

"It wasn't easy, but I think I'm almost done with it. Keep me informed of any more updates." stated Twilight.

"At once. See you, Twilight." said Mr. William as the transmission cut off and ended.

Twilight then approached her laptop as she began to run the results and was getting closer to finishing her secret project.

"Nicole, respond."

"Scanning, Twilight." said her A.I. program as it implemented the new data it received from the current owner of Industrial Illusions. "Restoration at... 50%."

Chapter 175: Star Swirl Music Festival

“So, you really trust me?” said someone.

“I do.” responded Isaac as he was on the phone with the same person from the other day as they were going over some business.

“Very well, so in terms of branding, there are a couple of ideas that I came up. Of course, you’ll want to make sure that children are involved with the schedule, so I’ve made a few calls as well. Traveling issues, of course leave that to me. And then there’s the biggest obstacle, your friends.” said the voice.

“Yeah… that’s… my biggest concern.” spoke Isaac.

“And I understand, from what I saw about you and the girls, they matter. A lot, but... you know this business... I will try my best to make sure that I can fulfill this request.”

“That’s all I ask, and… I am looking forward to working with you.” said Isaac.

“I do too. I’ll keep in touch, but I’ll definitely see you at your graduation.” responded the person as the call ended.

“Well, I’m about 75% done with my life. All that remains is the student’s exams with the Board of Education, then graduation, and then… I cease to exist.” spoke Isaac as he put his head down in a serious mood.

It was now close to the end of Spring Break as Celestia and Luna had returned from their trip they took with the freshman class as they seemed to have enjoyed themselves. While Celestia and Luna seemed pleased that the students had fun, they were even more fun for the music festival that was coming up as it was something they attended when they were younger. Safe to say this music festival that was coming up was something that almost everybody was looking forward to as there would be several famous musicians and bands who would get to perform at this little gathering in the woods. Especially the girls as they were going to perform a couple of their songs at the festival itself, and there would be a couple of duels that would be happening.

So the day came as the gang was in their house as they were preparing to leave for the festival as it was still a long way even by car. Thankfully, Applejack and Isaac had managed to find an old recreational vehicle(RV) as they got it fixed up. The good thing is that there was enough room for all of them to sleep in. So it seemed that everything was set for the little trip that all of them were going to; the only thing now was to get the girls into the trailer and stop video chatting.

A webcam was set up as it came on and soon a video of Rarity was shown on her computer as she was wearing her festival outfit Which had a glam pop look with the fur coat and plenty of sequins to possibly blind someone if they stared too much.

“Some say the best part of a music festival is the music. But to me, it's fashion!” said the fashionista.

“An old pair of cowboy boots will keep you from steppin' in a pile of... uh... fashion emergency.” spoke the country gal as a pig oinked next to her. For Applejack, she had some funky apple-shaped glasses, a bejeweled cowboy hat, and a light white dress with a denim jacket that suited her country style.

“If you've got hang-ups with hangers, look for style right outside your window.” said Fluttershy as she now popped up on the video chat as she grabbed a bird’s nest and put it on her head on top of the flower crown she was wearing an earthy style attire with a bit of light blue on it.

“I believe they're famished for fashion.” said Rarity as the eggs that were in the nest on top of Fluttershy hatched and the baby birds made some noise.

“Well, actually, they do want me to regurgitate worms into their beaks.” said the animal girl as Rarity immediately changed the feed to avoid hearing or seeing any more before she lost her appetite.

“Innovative! Who's next?” asked the girl.

“Make sure you can move whether you're dancing at the festival or after a hat trick.” said Rainbow Dash as she was at the soccer field at school practicing her soccer moves. Of course, naturally she was wearing rainbow colors with some shorts, mini jacket, and a sun visor on top of her head as she made a goal without looking and then did a small kip-up.

“Touchdown!” shouted Rarity.

“Uh, that's not what it's called—” responded Dash before she was cut off.

“Can't go wrong with a classic.” chimed in Sunset as she was in her room listening to some music from her headphones in her festival outfit. For her she was doing a glam punk look as she wore glittery high waist pants, large belt buckle, and her signature leather jacket which worked well since the darker purple and orange complimented her bright red and yellow hair.

“Classic? You mean like... confetti? Confetti everywhere! Hmm. Classic Pinkie Pie.” chimed in Pinkie as she chimed in as she had a party cannon in her room and pulled the string as tons of confetti went off; safe to say Pinkie’s outfit matched her personality with all the different colored layers and was frilly, especially the mismatched stockings she wore.

“Aah!” shouted Rarity as for some weird reason some of Pinkie’s confetti got shot in Rarity’s room as she was not happy.

“Oops! Sorry.”

“You know what's always in style? Personal responsibility. Earplugs for high-decibel situations, a water bottle, flashlight and compass in case you get lost, the other kind of compass in case you need—” said Twilight as she began to go on about her safety measure before she was cut off.

“And there you have it, my loves. At the end of the day, it's always in fashion to be utterly yourselves. See you at the festival!” said Rarity as she and the other girls all popped up on the screen as they waved.

“Hey!” shouted another person as another picture popped up and then joined their call. “What the hell are you guys, doing? We need to leave as soon as possible, but you all are talking about fashion looks!” responded the boy.

“Aw, lighten up Isaac.” said Rainbow.

“We just wanted to show off our festival looks for everyone.” said Fluttershy.

“Yeah, you couldn’t do that when we get there instead of wasting time here making us late.” said their male friend.

“Come on, boy toy. About time you change your outfit for this event. You’ve been wearing the same thing Rarity gave you when you faced me at the Fall Formal.” responded the bacon-haired girl as she put her headphones around her neck.

“Well, it’s my signature look, plus it's awesome as it is.” said Isaac as he showed off his outfit. “Plus, it had sentimental value.”

“Come on, Isaac! Just for once, give us something new.” said Dash as the other girls all nodded.

Isaac just looked at his friends as they all wanted seemed to be for the idea; he then let out a sigh. “Fine, give me a few seconds.” stated the boy as he went offscreen for a few moments as he changed into a different outfit for the festival. He then zoomed back into frame as he showed off his new attire.

“How about this?” asked Isaac.

For Isaac, he returned wearing a red jumpsuit that had a long zipper running through the middle, ending with puffy shorts. He wore a crown-chain on his left side and a loosely worn blue belt. Over his jumpsuit, Isaac was wearing a black hoodie that was blue on the inside, and black on the outside with white sleeves ending in grey edging. He wore white fingerless gloves on his hands with blue, black and yellow straps. He still kept the necklace that Rarity gave him for his birthday around his neck. His shoes are mainly yellow and black with belt-straps holding them closed. The lower portions are grey and end with a small triangular patch of blue. And to top if off, of course Isaac kept the cap that Rainbow gave him on his head.

“I absolutely adore it!” shouted Rarity as she was amazed by Isaac’s new outfit.

“Where did you get these kinds of clothes, city slicker?” asked Applejack as she was pleased.

“Who cares? Not bad, bud.” said Rainbow

“Thanks, now are we ready to leave.” said Isaac.

“Yup!” said the girls.

“Then Rainbow and Applejack, get your asses over here or we’re leaving you both behind,” said Isaac.

“On our way!” said the girls.

With that the video call ended as everybody all started to get the final things they needed. Isaac stepped out of his room and made his way to the living room as the girls were all set. Soon Rainbow and Applejack stepped through the door as they all grabbed their small rectangle devices and strapped them on their wrists as they gathered in a circle.

“Roll call.”

“Beast-type.'' said Fluttershy.

“Predaplant.” responded Applejack.

“Crystal Beast, darlings.” spoke Rarity.

“Red-Eyes.” stated Sunset.

“Toons and Madolche.” added Pinkie.

“U.A. and Speedroids.” commented Rainbow Dash.

“Spellbook.” answered Twilight.

“Magician.” Isaac now lifted his duel disk as did the others as all of them were touching each other.

For them, it was something they did as a pre ritual thing to remind each other that no matter what, they would always have each other’s back and be there for one another in a crisis.

“One for all and all for one!” shouted the group as they all broke from their little huddle and then grabbed both Spike and Tigre.

As they all made their way to the RV as Applejack got in the driver’s seat as Isaac sat in the passenger side as the rest of the gang was inside of the RV as they drove down the road and were on their way towards the festival.

The trip was as long as they thought it was but it was still a decent way out of the town. They had to make some pit stops to allow everybody to stretch their legs and get some fresh air as Applejack kept making sure that the vehicle was okay while Isaac had to pay and pump gas into the vehicle. The roadtrip did allow Isaac to look at his deck as he pulled it out and placed his cards by the window so that his monsters could see the many sights that were passing them by. The sun was setting down as the gang was soon arriving at their destination. They then pulled into the lot as there were several of their classmates as they too had just arrived. Applejack then pulled into a vacant space as she turned the engine off and they all got out.

“Fresh air.” said Isaac as he took a big inhale to fill his lungs.

“Starswirled Music Festival, we have arrived!” shouted Sunset.

“Two days and nights of cool music, hot food, and sleepin' under the stars!”

“To Pinkie and me, this festival is about one thing only.”

“PostCrush!” said both Pinkie and Sunset.

“We know.” chuckled Applejack, “Y'all won't stop talkin' about it.”

“Who, PostCrush? That's only because PostCrush is the craziest, most amazing-est pop duo ever! PostCrush, PostCrush, PostCrush!” said Pinkie. Applejack was just smiling smugly, “Oh. I see your point.”

“After they cancelled their last tour to go on ‘indefinite hiatus’, we thought we'd never see them live.” informed Sunset.

“But we thought wrong! Roll call!”

“Wait, what roll call?!” stated Isaac.

“Kiwi Lollipop…”

“A.K.A. ‘K-Lo’!”

“...is the cool one.” said Sunset.

“While Supernova Zap…”

“A.K.A. ‘Su-Z’!”

“...is the zany one! Not unlike another certain dynamic duo I know.” said Pinkie.

“Yeah, cause we’re definitely not looking at them.” answered Isaac with a sly smile as the other girls just all let out a chuckle.

“All right, less laughin' and more gaffin'. We got an early mornin' tomorrow.” informed Applejack.

“Aj’s right, so let’s all hit the hay.” stated Isaac as all of them turned in for the night.

The morning sun was starting to rise as it was barely coming up from behind the trees. Isaac was asleep on one of the benches of the RV as the girls had all taken to sleeping on the floor and Sunset slept on the other bench inside of the RV. He was slumping against the wall with his cap over his eyes when he was awoken by someone.

“Wake up, city slicker.” said Applejack in a soft tone.

“Huh?” said Isaac. He lifted his cap and saw the girl standing in front of him. “Applejack?” groaned Isaac as he let out a yawn and then looked at his phone to see what time it was. “It’s 5 in the morning.”

“Exactly, the sun's about to be up. Which means we need to be up as well to get breakfast.”

“Can’t you wait like an hour?” groaned Isaac as he rubbed his eyes.

“Maybe, but then I wouldn’t have as much time to have you all to mah self.” said Applejack with a smug smile before planting a kiss on the boy’s cheek. “Now come on.”

“Fine, give me 5 minutes.” stated the boy.

Soon the pair was out of the RV as they prepared to cook and get breakfast ready. It took a while as Applejack had Isaac fetch some wood for a small campfire. As for the girl, she began to use her cooking skills as she used the tiny mini fridge that was installed by Rarity when they got the vehicle. It took a while, but Isaac then returned with a few logs as he set them down and collapsed on the floor.

“Why did you force me to wake up early?” asked Isaac.

“Like I said, ah wanted you to mah self.” stated the girl.

“Great.” said Isaac as he let out a deep exhale and he tried to get air back into his lungs. He then sat on one of the logs around the small campfire as he pulled out his deck and looked at his cards.

“So, everything ready for the students?” asked Applejack as she sat next to her friend.

“More or less, two months. Then whatever happens, happens.”

“The girls and I are doin our best to get the kids ready. Just hope that it'll be enough for you.” said the country gal as she placed her hand on Isaac’s leg.

“You and the others all did your part, and that’s all I could ask for.” said Isaac as he grabbed Aj’s hand and looked at her. “If anything, I should be the one who’s worried. Cause if the kids don’t impress, then it’s all my fault and for wasting all of your time.”

“Sugar, this isn’t a waste of time. Me and the girls enjoy being tutors; we’re all grateful for what you did for the kids and for us.” smiled the girl.

“Thanks,” said Isaac. Soon both him and Aj got a bit closer as their lips made contact as she brought her hand to the boy’s cheek as it lasted for a few seconds. After that they then got to work on making breakfast as the sun was now high in the sky and the girls were slowly starting to wake up.

Sunset was still fast asleep as she let out a couple of snores, soon her alarm went off as a photo of PostCrush was on it as she got excited and leapt out of bed as she changed into her festival outfit. She exited out of the RV as she saw the others, Rarity was with Spike and Tigre as she gave the dog a hat while the cat was wearing a small dress. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack were all sitting on logs as they were eating some pancakes made by the city boy and the country gal. As for Isaac he was busy cleaning up the dishes.

“Starswirled day one! Come and get it!” exclaimed Rainbow with her guitar in her hand.

“Hey!” shouted Sunset as Rainbow had accidentally smacked her in the ass with her instrument as she began to rub her butt.

“Oh! Uh, sorry. I'll be more careful from now on.” said the chromatic girl as she walked off.

“Ah. Not gonna let a little thing like intense pain ruin this perfect day!” said Sunset as she tried to keep a positive outlook.

“So, I says to Big Mac, ‘Get your own chicken coop!’” said Applejack as she told a joke.

Seems the joke had gotten Fluttershy to laugh as she spit out some of her orange juice on the country gal as it got on her outfit.

“Hey!”

“Sorry. That one has animals in it.” explained Fluttershy.

“What do you call a PostCrush fan with three eyes? Pinkie Pie!” said the girl as she started to push Sunset to the festival as they had a plan to stick too.

“Um, I don't get it.”

“It’s because you spell Pinkie Pie with 3 i’s.” said Isaac as he explained the punch line to Fluttershy.

“Ohhh, funny.” giggled the buttercup girl.

“Well, dishes are cleaned. But it looks like there’s someone who might need a change of clothes. Come on, Applejack. I think there should be some towels inside. You girls go on, we’ll catch up.” stated Isaac as he began to help clean up his friend as the girls grabbed both pets as they started to make their way to the festival itself.

It took a while, but Isaac was able to get the juice and the stains out of Aj’s outfit as the country gal was grateful for her friend as she gave him a quick peck. With that they both grabbed their duel disks and decks as they exited the trailer and were heading on the path towards the festival. They arrived as they saw the others all standing in line, it took a while for security to do their thing in making sure that everybody who was entering didn’t have anything dangerous, but soon all of them entered the place as they were given special bracelets that allowed them entry. They were all given some backstage passes that would allow them to go behind the scenes of some of the performers but that was until Day 2. For Isaac, since he was ranked as the champion of CHS, he did get a special privilege of going backstage on Day 1, but it meant that he couldn’t bring his friends along with him should he choose so. Once they all got in, Pinkie and Sunset began to execute their plan.

“Main objective – Get front row for PostCrush. Mission procedure – we cut around the neon garden to the main stage and rush the front during Pon Iver's set. We can camp there until showtime.” said Sunset as she told Pinkie her plan as the girl just nodded.

“Welp, y'all have fun seein' PostCrush. We'll see ya back at camp tonight.” stated Aj as apart from Pinkie and Sunset, everybody began to split off and explore the festival.

“Wow! These food trucks have such clever gimmicks! ‘Weak in the Cheese’, ‘Avocados Constant’, ‘Money for Waffles, and Chicken's Not for Free Either’...” said Twilight as she was reading her brochure.

“‘Lasagna Pop’?” read Fluttershy.

“Okay, most have clever names. It's like they stopped trying after ‘Bye Focaccia’.” said the girls as they happened to watch someone eating the weird named food in front of them as they had interesting looks.

“Now I've seen everything.” said the shy girl.

“Look I know the whole point for marketing and trying to come up with a catchy name to make sales, but come on. At least put some effort into naming your product.” stated Isaac.

“Exactly what I was thinking.” smiled Twilight as she looked at her boyfriend.

“Where's Lasagna Pop?! Where's Lasagna—?! Whoa!” said Spike as he ran into another dog when he wasn’t looking at he was sent tumbling onto his back. The dog he ran into was messy as it let out a sound.

“Awww. Are you lost, little girl?” asked Fluttershy as the dog just let out another frightened sound. “She needs our help!”

“And perhaps a bath.” stated Rarity as she looked at the dog as it was covered in mud.

“Meow.” agreed Tigre as she was in Isaac’s arms as he petted his cat.

“Come on, little one. We'll help you.” said Fluttershy as she bent down to the dog’s level and offered her hand. The dog looked at the girl for a moment and then at the other humans until it started to walk in the direction of a certain mutt.

“She's coming over! Like, to me! What should I do?! Uh... what should I say?” said Spike as he was a bit nervous at seeing the female dog approach him as both Rarity and Twilight had smug expressions on their faces. “Oh, I know!” stated the dog as he cleared his throat and fixed his hat, “'Sup?”

“Ooh, Spike's got a crush!” said Rarity in a singsong-like voice.

“What? No, I don't! I'm... I'm just happy to help!” said the dog as he let out a nervous laugh as the pup was now face to face with her. “Hi. I'm Spike. Nice to feet you. I-I mean, meet you! That wasn't weird.”

“Bark!” was all the dog said as she and Spike began to walk away while the others all just had smug smiles on their faces, even Tigre.

So for a while Spike and the lost dog began to bond, Twilight tossed a stick to play fetch with Spike as he caught it in his mouth as the purple, fluffy dog was impressed by what she saw. Soon both chased a squirrel up a tree and began to furiously bark at it as Spike looked at the dog and it seemed she was slowly capturing his heart. They then both rolled around in a patch of flowers as both sat up and the dog had a tiny flower in her nose as it caused her to let out a sneeze in Spike’s face as he was covered in petals and dog snot. The dog just smiled sheepishly as Spike didn’t care he was covered as he let out a smile. Twilight then did another game of fetch as this time it was the lost dog to catch the stick as Spike was fascinated by how she caught it perfectly and with grace as she landed with it in her mouth and gave the boy dog a wink as he turned red.

There were now all at a table as Isaac and Twilight were sharing a bowl of ramen as she was blowing on it to cool it off. Fluttershy was next to the pair as she happily munched on her ramen, while Rarity was taking pictures and posting it online. At the end of the table was Spike and the female dog as they too were sharing a bowl of ramen as they took a bite of a noodle and found it was the same one as they got closer and closer and closer until…

“Princess!” said a girl as she yanked the female dog as it caused Spike to spit out the ramen. The girl had pale yellow skin, brilliant cobalt blue eyes, and her hair was very light blue violet with very pale cyan and light brilliant magenta highlights.

“I was looking for you everywhere, little girl!” said the gal as she hugged her dog.

“Aw, man. I mean, thank goodness. We've been looking everywhere for you.” said Spike.

“We have?” stated Rarity.

“Uh, we have?” said Fluttershy as even she didn’t believe that.

“Yeah, right!” shouted Isaac. He then looked at the girl standing in front of them as there was something familiar about her. “Hang on…” Isaac then pulled out his phone as he was looking up something, he then looked at Twilight’s brochure as he saw the same picture of the girl on the front fab when it was all folded up.

“Don’t tell, are you… Supernova Zap, A.K.A. Su-Z?” asked Isaac.

“I am, and this is my dog, Princess Thunder Guts.” said the girl.

“Princess Thunder Guts?!” said Isaac and the girls in unison as they were surprised that was the dog’s name.

“Oh, I’m so glad you found her. I hope it wasn't a problem.” said the popstar.

“Not at all. Right, Spike?” asked Twilight with a sly smile.

“Happy to help…” said the mutt with some sadness in his voice.

“Well, hope to see you all for tonight’s performance. Thanks once again for finding my dog.” said the pop star as she thanked the group. “Come on, Princess.” instructed Su-Z as Princess Thunder Guts followed her. She started to walk, but not before noticing how Spike was as she walked back to the mutt and gave him a kiss on the cheek as her way of saying thanks for a great time as she soon followed her owner back to their backstage area.

“Oh, yeah. He's just ‘happy to help’.” said the fashionista as Spike was left in a trance with some red on his face as all four of them let out a chuckle.

“Meow, meow.” said Tigre as she appeared next to her animal buddy and patted him on the back as she tried to comfort him from his heartbreak and inform the dog that there were plenty of other fish in the sea.

“And so ends another tale of two lovers from ‘different worlds’. They always end as fast as they start.” said Isaac as the girls rolled their eyes at their friend’s way of expressing the situation that just occurred.

After a while, the group broke up a bit as Rarity, Fluttershy, and the two pets all went on their way as it allowed Twilight and Isaac sometime for themselves. So the pair began to head out on their own as they prepared to see what the festival had to offer.

"So what's first, taking part in an art show? Winning a tandem-bike? No way, A Hayburger stand!" said Twilight as she was excited about that last part.

"No, no, no, no, no, no." said Isaac as he swiped the brochure from his girlfriend. "Remember."

"I haven't had a Hayburger in one week, that's a new record for my diet on cutting back on it." stated Twilight with a pouting face.

"Yeah, cause that one time you snuck in a burger when you thought I wasn't looking counts." said Isaac with a smug smile.

"That doesn't count." pouted Twilight even more as she crossed her arms. "Besides, I don't gain any weight when I eat it."

"Yeah, but you make me waste tons of money." replied Isaac as that was the point he was trying to prove.

"You're no fun."

"Hey, I'm tons of fun. I just want us to try something new other than you pigging out. Which I will admit, is kinda cute of you." smiled Isaac. "Now let's see. What the... algorithmically-generated festival schedule?" Isaac raised an eyebrow at his girlfriend.

"I wanted to plan out my path to see all the bands." said Twilight as she smiled sheepishly.

"Really?" said Isaac in a blunt tone.

"Shut up!" pouted Twilight.

"How about not once having a plan and just going with the flow?" suggested Isaac.

"You're insane!" said the girl as she grabbed her boyfriend by his arms. "Don't you understand, without a plan, you can't prepare. And if you can't prepare, you don't know what to expect, and if you don't know what to expect, then my whole life is just random." shouted Twilight as Isaac looked at her as he was thinking she was going mental.

"Twilight! Calm down!" said Isaac as he got his girlfriend to stop shaking him. "I always say it's nice to have a plan when you duel, but sometimes there are points where you just wing it and let the duel play out. The same logic works for life, so how about we just put the brochure away and just pick an activity at random." suggested Isaac.

"But... my plan." said the girl putting the puppy dog eyes.

"I'll buy you a Hayburger later."

"Fine." said Twilight as she agreed to that decision.

"Good." said the boy as he folded up the brochure and put it in his pocket. "So, which one do we choose?" said Isaac as he and Twilight were thinking of which booth to go to. Soon they approached a booth as they were surprised to say the least at who they bumped into.

"Principal Celestia?" said Twilight.

"Twilight Sparkle! Isaac! How wonderful!" said the older woman as she was glad to see her two students.

"I didn't know you... did things." stated the bookworm.

"Really, Twi?" said Isaac as he looked at his girlfriend. "Isn't that the generic response you say about a teacher? Whether you're in school and see them out of school, or it's been years and you randomly run into them at a grocery store." informed the boy.

"Yes, well thank you for that... explanation, Isaac." said the older women as she too was dressed in a different outfit then normal as he was eating some sushi rolls. "And it's not just me. The whole Starswirl Squad's here, too." said Celestia and Luna and Cranky Doodle also appeared next to her.

"Okay, didn't expect Luna and Celestia to be this big of a fan of the festival." said Isaac.

"There's a lot of things you don't know about us, Isaac." said Luna with a smug smile. "Just because you retried us, doesn't mean we don't have secrets in our private lives. Besides, we may be the old generation, but there are somethings that we don't tell the newer generation." stated the nighttime girl as she looked at the boy.

"Touché." replied the boy.

"We're original 'Starswirlers'. Been coming together since the fest started back in... When was it?" asked Celestia to which Cranky just told her not to answer that.

"Okay, come on, fess up. How old were you?" asked Isaac as he wanted to know the answer.

"Regardless, Mr. Cranky Doodle loves his electropop under the stars. That and the secret falafel booth." said Celestia.

"There's a secret falafel booth?!" said both Isaac and Twilight.

"Stick with me. We're old-school."

"Very old school." said Isaac as it got him a death glare from both women.

"A paper schedule?" said Twilight.

"From the O.G. rainforest. I'm only teasing. I don't know where it's from." said Celestia as she tried to use some modern slang to sound cool.

"Please, don't do that." said Isaac as he cringed a bit from his principal trying to be hip while Twilight had a stunned look on her face.

So the trio of older adults then began to lead the two teens as they showed them the secrets they kept hidden. They led the teens to the secret falafel booth. After that was taking some photos in a photo booth as they began to make some faces as they too were having fun with the adults. Though they did have both teens take a photo together as one of the shots captured them in a kiss as it got the three of them to laugh at the image of the two teens. They then saw Cranky Doodle show off his breakdance moves as it really got the two teens to be in shock, especially cause both sisters were both beatboxing as that literally broke Twilight's mind. Though they did have to help him since he got stuck doing some of his moves. Seems Cranky also had a competitive side from when he was younger as he called out Isaac to try to out due him. Isaac just raised an eyebrow as he looked at Twilight to which she just shrugged her shoulders as he then turned his cap backwards as well and started to show off his moves he learned from the streets of Chicoltgo.

Seems Luna even challenged her student to a quick rap battle a Celestia continued with the beatbox as both individuals looked at each other as they began to free style.

"Yo, en Español, Ingles, from 'A' to zeta; your grandmother would hit you with the el chancleta. Oh, it hits me in the head till my hips hop, but I got smacked in the back with some flip flops. Oh, yeah, you know that I be jammin'; you know I keep it smooth like I got that seared salmon. Or is it smoked? I don't really know, I'm just freestylin' against Luna, but perhaps I should tone it down cause her time has gone past and my time is now. But I guarantee I'm knock 'em on they asses, I hit you with the BluBlockers. Prescription sunglasses." said Isaac as he finished his freestyle.

Luna just tried her hair in a bun as Celestia kept the beatbox up as she looked at Isaac dead in the eye as he began to rhyme.

"Hey, yo. I'm still the answer, Mansa Musa. I'm just absorbin' it all in, loofah. Still I never let a scrub get the last word, on my watch like a Netflix password." said Luna as she said that line while pointing at Isaac. "As far as the bar is just rigorous, makin' other rappers run like faras. Till y'all learn who the realest barbarian, I burn y'all, Daenerys Targaryen."

While the others let out some 'oohs' sounds, Isaac immediately went into another rap after Luna finished hers.

"Microphone check, what is this? I came here expecting that I should be on my guard and that I should dress to impress, but really all I got was some wack and phony rhymes, looks like all I needed to say was 'Well excuse me, princess'. I fly my rainbow colors like Celestia's hair business. Yes, I got some much love to give and I look at the colors wave around it's like ROY GIB V. Ah, started from the bottom now we here like my man, Drake. I'm flattening it, flours, eggs, like a pancake. Ah yeah, I bring any style you got. Just like you both found out first hand when I retired both your asses. I'm a superstar there's no doubt, I slam dunk like Michael Jordan with his tongue out!" said Isaac as he dropped the mic and Luna just smiled as that was it.

"Wordlife." said Isaac. "Basic Thuganomics."

"Well, sister." said Celestia as she had a smug smile on her face for trying to take on Isaac in a freestyle rap battle given the kid grew up on the streets.

"Fair play to the boy." said Luna as Twilight was hugging Isaac tightly for his rapping skills.

After that they all then sat up on a hilltop as they were watching the crowd get ready for the show that was about to start very soon as the sun was slowly starting to set. The two teens sat next to each other as they were in between Luna and Celestia.

"Thanks for teaching me so much today." said Twilight.

"Ahem." said Isaac as he cleared his throat.

"Alright, you were right." said the girl as she looked at Isaac and gave him a kiss on his cheek as the two older girls just smiled at the cute interactions between Isaac and Twilight.

"I should have you send me letters after every music festival telling me what you learned, hmm?" stated Principal Celestia.

"Uh..."

"Huh?" added Isaac.

"Just kidding." joked Celestia, "That would get old."

"I could text you." suggested Twilight.

"Hm. Let's just forget it." laughed Celestia as it got all four of them to laugh.

Isaac then received a message on his phone as it was from Pinkie saying that the show was about to start.

"We better get going, Twi." said Isaac as he did a small kip-up. "Pinkie said the show's about to start."

"Right, let's hurry." said the girl as she began to raced down the hill.

"Isaac!" called out Celestia as she got the boy to stop in his tracks as he was about to raced down the hill. "Two months."

"Two months." said Luna also as both women had a serious look on their faces.

"Two months." said both women in unison.

"I understand." said Isaac with the most serious look on his face as he then started to run down the hill to see the show.

The couple made it time as they found Pinkie as she was getting some churros for Sunset who had managed to secure their spots in the front as both had staked all day and secured.

"Mmmmm, Puffed Pastry's exclusive star-crusted, cinnamon-dipped churros!" said Pinkie as she was mouth watering over some.

"It's pronounced choor-raws." said Isaac with enunciation. "Repeat after me, sis. Choor-raws!"

"Yeesh, didn't expect you to get so defensive." said Twilight.

"Hey, I grew up on these things." said Isaac as he reminded his girlfriend of his Hispanic background. "So you best believe I've had to listen people butcher saying the name. Trust me, it means a lot to me." Isaac then grabbed one as he reminded of his childhood as he was taken back to when he was just a young lad. He then offered one to Twilight as she tasted the sweet treat and now she knew why Isaac loved these things.

And so the rest of the night, went as planned as PostCrush came up on stage as they began to perform their song as both Pinkie and Sunset were jamming out and soon they were selected by the due as they got on stage and perform with them as all of their friends were in the crowd watching the duo have the time of their life and live out a dream come true. And so the concert went well into the night as soon it was late as everybody all made it back to their tents while the entire gang all went to their RV as they were all exhausted.

The next day came up as this time, Applejack gave Isaac a bit more time to sleep in as she too was tired from the previous night from all the partying. Soon all of them got some breakfast as it filled up their energies, especially cause not only was it Day 2 of the music festival, but that the main attraction was that Isaac was going to be partaking in an exhibition duel, but his opponent was going to be determined in a small tournament that was going to take place between their classmates and the girls as they all wanted to take on the boy. So for most of the day, all the students and the people attending the festival as guests or performers all created a huge circle as they watched the duels unfold. And so it went as all the competitors were pushing themselves as they wanted a chance to take on the champion.

"Alright, ladies and gentleman. The next duel is about to start." said a Dj as the next two duelists got on the field.

"Good luck, Twilight."

"You two, Sunset."

Both girls then took out their decks and slotted it into their duel disk as the autoshuffler kicked in and each of them projected a card tray as Twilight had a purple light, while Sunset had a red light.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Twilight's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"I'll go first," said Twilight as she drew her card, "I'll play Spellbook of the Library Crescent. Since I have no 'Spellbook' in my graveyard, I can select three from my deck and you choose one of them to add to my hand. So I reveal my Spellbook of Divinity, Spellbook of Wisdom, and Spellbook of Penetration." said the girl as all of her cards appeared for all to see as they all flipped over.

"I guess, I choose... the card in the middle." said Sunset as she pointed at her choice.

"Very well." said the girl as she grabbed her card and placed the other two on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Now I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw 3 cards and then discard two." Twilight then selected which ones she wanted to get rid of as one of the cards she sent away was her Spellbook of Divinity which was the card that Sunset added to her hand. "Now since my Spellbook of Divinity was sent to the graveyard, I can now take one card from my deck and remove it from play for 3 turns, but after 3 turns, it then activates, and if it's a monster then it's summoned to the field." Twilight knew which card she wanted as she wasted no time in making her choice.

"Now I'll summon Gold Gadget(1700/1000) and like every good gadget, they come with cool functions. So now I can also summon Yellow Gadget(1200/1200) in defense mode. Then since I summoned Yellow Gadget, I can then move Green Gadget from my deck to my hand." Twilight's duel disk then slotted out her card as she grabbed it and added it to her hand.

"Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My turn." said Sunset as she drew her card. "And I'll start by playing my Black Stone of Legend(0/0). Then I'll activate its ability so that I can tribute it to summon a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck. So I choose to bring out my Red-Eyes Archfiend Lightning(2500/1200)." Sunset's stone then cracked as bits of light were coming from it as soon out emerged a huge fiend monster as it had lightning surrounding it as it landed with the sound of thunder.

"Now I activate my monster's effect, so now I destroy all of your face-up monsters on your side of the field that have defense points that are lower than my monster's attack points." said Sunset as her monster struck the ground in front of it as soon thunderbolts came crashing down on Twilight's field as her gadget monsters were short circuiting out and exploded.

"Now my Gold Gadget's effect activates, since it was destroyed, I can replace it with another 'Gadget' monster from my deck, so I choose my Silver Gadget(1500/1000). And when Silver Gadget is summoned, I can also summon another machine to join the ranks, so my Green Gadget(1400/600) is also on the field. And when Green Gadget is summoned, I can then move 'Red Gadget' from my deck to my hand." said Twilight as she quickly replaced her field with two new monsters as she added the last of her gadget monsters to her hand.

"Impressive." said Sunset as she showed praise to her friend for not panicking and instead turning her negative situation into a positive. "Either way, now Archfiend take out her Silver Gadget!" shouted Sunset as her monster took out Twilight's silver monster as it was destroyed.

"Now Silver Gadget's effect activates, like Gold Gadget, I can replace it with another 'Gadget' monster from my deck."

"But you don't have another Gadget monster, you only have those five." said Sunset as she and their friends watching were confused.

"Then what's this, I bring out Ancient Gear Gadget(500/2000)!" said Twilight as she did have a sixth gadget monster in her deck.

"Ancient Gear Gadget?" said Isaac as he was the most surprised to see Twilight using that monster.

"And now Ancient Gear Gadget's special ability activates when it's summoned. Now I choose between monster, spell, and trap, and whatever one I pick means you can't activate any of those till the end of the Damage Step. And I'm going to say spell card." said Twilight.

"Fine then, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Twilight

"My draw, and now I summon Red Gadget(1300/1500) to the field. Then I reveal my facedown, Metalhold the Moving Blockade!" shouted Twilight as her facedown flipped up and out emerged a huge machine as it had cannons on its shoulders and then had the smaller gadget monsters jumped into its sockets as they powered up the machine.

"This trap then transform into a monster that has the combined attack points of the monsters that I equip it to. So since I equipped all of my three gadget monsters, my Metalhold now has 3200 attack points." said Twilight as she had her robot power up. "Now time to attack, Metalhold load and fire your cannons!" shouted the lavender girl as her machine then pointed its cannons at Sunset's monster as it powered up and unleashed a powerful blast as it took out her monster with ease.
Sunset's Life Points: 7300-

"Now I'll play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add a 'Spellbook' to my hand." Twilight then used her duel disk as she selected which spell she wanted. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn, and now I activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend, so now I can..."

"Activate facedown!" said Twilight as her set card flipped up. "Spellbook of Banishment. So now, I can banish one card from either player's deck and then if the card was a monster-type that person gets to draw a card. So I choose to banish your Black Stone of Legend."

"Grr." said the bacon-haired girl as she couldn't do her usual play style. She then had to move her monster card into the banish compartment of her duel disk as she drew a card from her deck. "In that case, I'll summon Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in defense mode. With that, I'll then place another card facedown."

Turn 5: Twilight

"My draw, and now I summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in attack mode. And as long she remains on the field, you can't get to my other spellcasters, without going through her first. So take out her baby dragon!" said Twilight as she commanded her magician as she raised her staff and took out Sunset's monster.

"Now my monster's effect activates, so now since it was destroyed I can now summon one Level 7 or lower Red-Eyes monster to replace it and then I can equip my dragon to give it 300 more attack. So rise up, Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon(2400/2000) in defense mode." said Sunset as she quickly replaced her monster with a new one.

"Then I'll just take that one out as well." stated Twilight as her Metalhold then fired its cannons once more taking out her monster.

"Now my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon's other effect activates, so now since it was destroyed while attached to another monster, I can then add one Level 1 dragon from my deck or graveyard to my hand." stated Sunset as she then used her duel disk screen to select the card she wanted as she added it to her hand. "Then I reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit. So now I can bring back my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon!" said the girl as she managed to bring her dragon back once more.

"I guess I'll just end my turn."

Turn 6: Sunset

"Then it's my draw, and now I'll banish my Red-Eyes Black Flare Dragon so that I can summon this Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon(2800/2400)!" Out emerged a dragon as it had its entire body covered in metal armor as it landed with a thud and let out a screech. "And now I activate my Black Metal Dragon's effect from my hand, so now I can attach it to my new monster and then I can give it 600 more attack points making it stronger than your Metalhold." said Sunset as her smaller dragon then latched onto its comrade as it let out a roar with its stats rising up to 3400. "Then I reveal my other facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain. Thanks to this my monster can now attack 2 targets this round. So now my dragon take out her two monsters!" shouted Sunset as her dragon obeyed the command of its mistress as she opened its mouth and fired a fireball as Twilight's monsters were destroyed.
Twilight's Life Points: 6000-

"Then I activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, once per turn, I can summon a dragon type monster from my hand or graveyard. So rise up once more, my precious baby." said Sunset as her baby dragon appeared in defense mode as it snuggled close to her chest as it let out a purr at its mother before taking its position.

"With that I end my turn."

Turn 7: Twilight

"My turn, and now 3 turns have passed since I activated the effect of my Spellbook of Divinity. So that means the card I removed is now in play, so rise up... Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2200)!!" shouted Twilight as out came a magician as it wore a red outfit and wielded a staff as it pointed it at Sunset.

"That monster again." said Isaac as he remembered that the first time Twilight played that magician was during the Fall Formal tournament against Shadow. He recalled how Twilight said it was this monster that she relied on long before she assembled her Spellbook deck and acquired her High Priestess of Prophecy. It also meant that when Twilight was serious, she would call on that monster for help.

"My Dark Red Enchanter's special ability allows him to gain a spell counter whenever a spell is activated then my monster gains a counter and 300 extra attack points. So I now play the field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower. I then summon my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(500/400) in defense mode." Twilight now summoned a kid magician as he had a book in his hand as he was thinking. "Now since he was summoned, I can now add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand. And then I'll play the card I just got, Spellbook of Penetration. So now I can give one of my monsters the power to deal piercing damage this turn. And since I played a spell card, my Dark Red Enchanter gains a counter from both my field spell and my spellbook meaning it gains 600 points as it now has 2300 attack points. Dark Red Enchanter take out her Red-Eyes Baby Dragon!" shouted Twilight as her magician raised his staff and fired a spell as it took out Sunset's monster and dealt her some damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 5700-

"Now my monster's effect activates so now I can special summon one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, so I choose my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000) and it gains 300 more attack points." said the girl as she had a brand new monster rise up.

"I'll then lay two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll have my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon attack your Dark Red Enchanter!" said Sunset as her monster opened its mouth and let out a growl.

"I reveal my facedown, Spellbook of Fate! Now I can banish up to 3 'Spellbook' cards in my graveyard, to activate this card's power. So I'll banish my Spellbook of Divinity, Spellbook of Penetration and Spellbook of Banishment so that I can activate my card's third effect. Since I got rid of three 'Spellbooks', I can now banish a card that you control. So say goodbye to your Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon!" said Twilight as her card worked its magic.

"Oh no." said Sunset as she saw her dragon was now gone.

"And since that was another spell card played, that means my Dark Red Enchanter gains another spell counter and 300 more attack points." said Twilight as her magician got even stronger.

"True, but it's still weaker than my dragon. So take out her monster." called out Sunset.

"Now I reveal my Spellbook of Denial!" said Twilight as her other facedown flipped up. "So now your attack is canceled out. However, it was a trap card so my Dark Red Enchanter doesn't get any extra points."

"I'll just lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 9: Twilight

"My turn, and now I activate the effect of my field spell, since I control a spellcaster, I can return one 'Spellbook' from my graveyard and place it on the bottom of my deck to draw another card." said Twilight as she took her Spellbook of Fate and placed it on the bottom of her card as she drew two cards. "Now I'll play one of the card that I drew, my Spellbook Organization which allows me to look at the top 3 cards of my deck and put them in any order I choose." Twilight then looked at her duel disk screen as it showed the girl her options. She then used her finger as she selected the order she wanted to draw them.

"Now I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards and that means another spell counter for my Dark Red Enchanter. Then I'll summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000)." Out emerged a hooded figure as she wielded some cups as they had some smoke coming out of them. "Now the effect of my monster activates, so since I activated a Spellbook before I summoned my Temperance, I can now tribute it to summon a Level 5 or higher Light/Dark Spellcaster type monster from my deck." Temperance of Prophecy's cup were now starting to glow as even more smoke was coming from her cups as they overflowed and then surrounded the monster as it started to create a veil of smoke as it slowly covered the magician.

"So now I summon my partner, High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!!!" shouted Twilight as she summoned her star monster of her deck as a female magician appeared as she had pretty red hair, wore revealing outfit as she was in a seductive pose upon being summoned as she had a book in her lap with her legs crossed.

"I'll admit, Twilight's Priestess is rather hot." said Isaac as he was watching the duel from the stage.

"Lady Priestess does conduct herself in a rather elegant manner." said Mahad as he appeared next to his master.

"Maybe you should ask her out, Mahad. She seems like your kind of women, maybe she can get you to stop being so serious and show you what it means to have fun." teased Mana.

"Mana, be mature. I have an undying loyalty to my duty in protecting the master; which means I don't have time to pursue any forms of relationship. Besides, Lady Priestess is rather attractive women who I believe will do fine without the need to rely on anyone." said Mahad with his usual seriousness as all three of them looked back at the battle with the girls.

"Now since a spell card was activated that means another spell counter for my Dark Red Enchanter, so now he's at 5 which means he now has 3200 attack points." stated Twilight.

"Now Dark Red Enchanter attack her Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!" said Twilight as her monster raised his staff and pointed it at the dragon as it took it out.
Sunset's Life Points: 4900-

"Now I reveal my facedown, another Red-Eyes Spirit so now I can target a 'Red-Eyes' monster in my graveyard and then summon it to my field. So return, Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" said Sunset as she now had her giant fiend back on her field.

"Hmm. I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn, and I'll play Red-Eyes Insight so now I send my Red-Eyes B. Chick from my deck to the graveyard so that I can add a 'Red-Eyes' spell or trap card to my hand." Sunset then sent her monster to the graveyard as she used her duel screen to select the card she wanted as it ejected and she looked at it for a second. "Here we go, I now play the card I got, Red-Eyes Fusion. So now I can use monsters in my deck to conduct a fusion summon. I fuse together my Summoned Skull and my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset's two monsters then appeared behind their mistress as a vortex appeared behind them as it was filled with orange and purple colors as the two were sucked in. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!!" Sunset's new monster appeared as it landed with a thud.

"Now I activate the ability of my Archfiend of Lightning, so now all of your monsters that have lower defense points than my monster's attack points. So now both of your monsters are going to be destroyed."

"Now quite, I reveal my facedown, Spellbook of Immortality! So now this allows me to grant a spellcaster protection from special abilities." said Twilight.

"True, but you only get to protect one of them." stated Sunset. "Who which one do you choose to save?"

Sunset's question got Twilight to look at her field as she realized her dilemma. On one hand, she had a choice to make on which monster she should choose to save. The problem was these two were the ones she cared about the most, her Dark Red Enchanter had been the first card she used as it got her victories in her early stages of her life. And then her High Priestess was the one she had relied on the most when she assembled her Spellbook deck as she often resembled the lavender girl. Twilight was at a difficult crossroad as her spell could only save one of them and the other would be destroyed.

"Twilight's unsure of what to do." said Isaac as he looked at the face of his girlfriend as he saw her struggling. I can't blame her, if I was tasked with picking either Mahad or Mana in this same situation, I don't which one I'd choose.

"Well, Twilight. What's your decision so we can continue the duel." stated Sunset.

"I... I..."

Twilight didn't know what to say as she didn't want to lose either of her monster. She just put her head down for a bit when she brought it back up and saw both of her monsters looking at their master. High Priestess of Prophecy saw the dilemma her master was tasked with as she put on a smile.

"Are you sure?" asked Twilight to which her magician nodded. "Alright, thank you, Priestess." said the bookworm. Twilight's monster nodded as she relayed a message to Dark Red Enchanter to make sure to help their mistress win to which he nodded. High Priestess of Prophecy then opened her book as she casted a spell that protected Twilight and her comrade from the blast of Sunset's monster as she took one for the team.

"Nice play, I'll end my turn." said Sunset.

Turn 11: Twilight

"My draw!" said the girl. "And now I'll play Spellbook of Power to give my Dark Red Enchanter 1000 extra points for this turn and since that's another spell, it gains another counter and 300 more attack." said Twilight as her monster was currently at 4500 attack points. "Now Dark Red Enchanter attack Sunset's archfiend!" shouted the girl as her monster took out its target.
Sunset's Life Points: 2600-

"Now the other effect of my Spellbook of Power allows me to add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." Twilight then looked at her options carefully as she was trying to figure out which spell she wanted as soon it ejected for her to grab.

"I'll then place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 12: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll play Cards of the Red Stone, so now I'll my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon from my hand and one from my deck so that I can draw two cards." Sunset then sent both of her selected cards to the graveyard as she then placed her hand on her deck as she let out a deep breath as she drew. "I now play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Red-Eyes Black Dragon. Then I'll tribute my beloved Red-Eyes so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)!!" Sunset's dragon appeared for a second as soon it began to transform as it became darker and it had red marks on its body as it let out a roar.

"Now the effect of my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon's ability means it gains 300 attack points for every dragon in my graveyard, and currently in my graveyard I have 8 in my graveyard so that means my dragon gains 2400 more attack points for a total of 4800." said Sunset as her dragon let out a roar.

"Now Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon attack her Dark Red Enchanter!" shouted Sunset as her monster opened its mouth and then fired a huge fireball at it collided with Twilight's magician as it was destroyed.
Twilight's Life Points: 4700-

"Now time to end this duel, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attack Twilight directly!" shouted Sunset as she looked to end this duel.

"I reveal my facedown, Library Almanac!" said Twilight as her card flipped up and a book appeared. It then opened up as the numbers 1-10 appeared as they each had a different section of the book.

"What's this?" asked Sunset.

"First off, this card triggers whenever you declare an attack. Then my almanac randomly selects a number and whatever number it lands on determines what effect activates. Number 1, I draw a card; Number 2, I get to bring a monster from my graveyard; Number 3, I can activate a spell card from my graveyard; Number 4, I get to activate a trap card; Number 5, I get to add a card from my deck to my hand; Number 6, I banish a card from my hand; Number 7, I can take control of one of your monsters; Number 8, I have to discard my entire hand and then have to redraw till I have 6 cards; Number 9, I choose a monster to summon, but I can't play it for two turns; and Number 10, I get to perform an Xyz summon during battle." said Twilight as she finished telling the effects of her card.

"This I got to see." said Sunset as she wanted to see Twilight's book work its magic.

"Hope this helps." said Twilight as her book opened up and then began to flip through the different sections really fast as it waited for Twilight's command. A few seconds passed before, "S-Stop." shouted the nerdy girl as she closed her eyes to avoid seeing the result. The almanac stopped on the section when Twilight called out as the girl opened her eyes and smiled.

"My Almanac landed on the 2nd section of my book, so that means I can bring back a monster. So I choose my High Priestess of Prophecy!" said the girl as she had her partner appear.

"Not bad, but your monster is still getting destroyed." said Sunset as her monster pressed up and took out Twilight's monster. "Now the effect of my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon, so now I can deal you damage equal to my Red-Eyes Black Dragon's attack points." said the girl as the spirits of her dragon appeared and shot towards Twilight as she lost some points.
Twilight's Life Points: 2300-

"Now I can shuffle my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck." said Sunset as she placed her card back on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "I now end my turn."

Turn 13: Twilight

"My turn," said Twilight as she drew her card. "You're an amazing duelist, Sunset."

"You as well, Twilight." smiled the girl as her friend returned the gesture. "I've only had to push myself whenever I face Isaac, but you're a very close second."

"I appreciate the compliment. So you ready?"

"Yeah, give me whatever you've got."

"Alright then." Twilight then looked at Isaac, at that moment both had the same look they had during the Fall Formal. No smiles, no happiness, nothing but a stare, almost as if they were waiting for something.

"Now I'll play Spellbook of Greed so that I banish three random cards from my graveyard so that I can draw three cards. Now I play this, Spellbook of Harmony." Twilight's card then began to shine with a rainbow glow as swirls of magic now circled the entire field. "So now I pay half of my life points so that I can destroy every card on the field!"
Twilight's Life Points: 1150-

"Oh no." said Sunset as she realized what that meant.

Soon all colors of the rainbow appeared as they all combined into one huge rainbow blast as they shot towards Sunset and circled around her and her monsters as they let out a cry as soon the rainbow lasers were gone and there was nothing left on the field.

"Now I play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my High Priestess of Prophecy!" Twilight now had her partner back as for a second she gave her mistress a high five. "Now I'll play my Spellbook of Mimic. With this, I can be able to copy the effect of any 'Spellbook' either from my graveyard or in my deck. So now I'll use my Spellbook of Mimic so that I can copy the effect of my Spellbook of Power to give my Priestess an extra 1000 attack points which is just enough to end this. Now Priestess, finish this duel!" shouted Twilight as her monster opened her spellbook and fired off her most powerful spell as she aimed it at Sunset who put her duel disk up as she took the attack.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Twilight

"And so the winner of this duel is Twilight Sparkle." said the announcer.

"Great job, Twilight." said Sunset as she shook her friend's hand.

"Thanks, no wonder you're close second to Isaac." responded Twilight.

"The boy toy really does make things interesting. Speaking of which, don't worry, I'll watch over him as you progress in this tournament. I'm sure he won't get too lonely with our hands-on experience." said Sunset with a sly smile.

"Sunset!! Keep your hands off of Isaac!!" said the girl as she began to chase after her friend as she wanted to strangle her for saying that.

Isaac just watched the duel end as he saw the two girls chasing after each other. While he did smile, he quickly went back to thinking on the look both he and Twilight had. Something in his gut was telling him that Twilight was thinking the same thing as he was. And that meant it was only a matter of time till it happened.

Chapter 176: Smile

The music festival had reached the last of its day as everybody all gave a big applause to the many performers that came out to entertain the people. With that the whole gang was now boarding the RV as they all prepared for the long drive back home. They all boarded the vehicle as Sunset volunteered to be the one to drive everyone home. With that they all prepared and got on the road as they were now heading back to Canterlot.

During the ride home, Isaac got a call from the person he had talked with before he left for the festival. He knew he couldn’t answer it given that the girls were here and that Sunset would listen given she was driving, so he simply ignored the call and texted the person that he would contact them when he had a chance. It was nighttime when they all arrived back, Isaac made an effort to send another message to his contact as he told them that they would meet tomorrow.

The sun came as it rose high into the sky. Everyone was asleep in the house as Isaac quietly got out of bed, and out of the house as he made his way to the park. There were only a few adults there as they were going on a run. Eventually, Isaac found his target as they were sitting by the pond as he approached them.

“You’re here.”

“Of course,” said Isaac.

“Now then, let’s go over the details,” said the mysterious person.

“Right, but now here. Let’s go somewhere else.” Isaac then began to lead both of them to a coffee shop that wasn’t the Sweet Shoppe as they entered the establishment and got a booth as they began to talk business.

Shadow was now walking towards the park as he had received an email from his tutor. Even though he never told Pinkie his email, it seemed she got it anyhow. Turns out she wanted to meet with her student to do some extra lessons. That being said, Shadow was anything less than pleased. The boy soon entered the place as he saw the pink girl just bouncing in place while looking at balloons.

“Yay, you’re here.” said Pinkie as she wrapped her arms around her student and rubbed his hair.

“Get your hands off of me and my hair!” stated the boy as he got out of Pinkie’s embrace.

“Aw, don’t do that.” said Pinkie with a smile.

“I hate you as my tutor.” said Shadow under his breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” gritted the boy with his teeth.

“Now come on, let’s get to having fun.” said the party girl as she grabbed her student to begin the festivities.

“Why me?” groaned Shadow as he was dragged along with Pinkie’s antics.

One thing that happened was that Pinkie had set up some harmless pranks for people who would enter the park. Safe to say that was one thing that Shadow didn’t expect from his tutor as she didn’t partake his mentor to be one who was for devious tricks. So for the first few hours of the day, Shadow did have a laugh seeing others fall for Pinkie’s harmless pranks. After that Pinkie then had her student compete in a cannon target competition. Both approached their respective cannons as they pulled the string and fired a massive amount of confetti as they did several launches. Despite him not finding this as entertaining, he did see how his tutor was acting his age as Pinkie made a confetti angel as the boy just rolled his eyes. Overall, it seemed that Shadow was at least giving the girl a try. After running out of pranks, Pinkie then gave Shadow a present as it surprised the kid.

“Here you go,” said Pinkie.

“What the hell is this?” asked the boy as he looked at the small gift.

“Open it, silly.”

Shadow just rolled his eyes as he took the ribbon off of the present and then took the wrapping paper off as he looked at the gift inside. He pulled it out as it unfolded naturally as it was a shirt.

“Pinkie and Shadow, best student-teacher pair.” said Pinkie as she read the t-shirt as on it was a picture of the girl and the boy but it was an image of Pinkie being her usual, energetic self as Shadow was behind her as he had his arms crossed and looked irritated with the puffy haired girl.

“Well, do you love it?” asked Pinkie.

“Great.” stated Shadow bluntly as he looked at the shirt.

“See, already B.F.F’s.” said Pinkie as she pulled the boy in for a hug. “I love having a student like you.”

“If only I felt the same way.” muttered Shadow.

“What was that?”

“Nothing.” stated the boy as she tried to break free from the girl’s hug as he felt her strength.

“Come on, don’t be like that. Show some love.” stated the girl as she began to rub the boy’s head.

“Leave me alone!” shouted Shadow as he waved off Pinkie’s hand and then began to run.

“Ohh, we playing tag. No, hide and seek! I’ll count to ten.” shouted Pinkie as she thought Shadow was trying to have fun.

“God no!” shouted Shadow as he kept on running trying to get away from his tutor.

Shadow now noticed some bushes as he hid in between them as he peaked his eyes out to see if Pinkie was around. Once he did a full check, he then let out a sigh.

“What are we waiting for?” asked Pinkie who was also in the same bush as her eyes popped up.

“Get away from me.” shouted the boy.

“I found you.” said Pinkie as she popped out of the bush as Shadow ran out of the hiding place. “Uhm, okay… I’ll find you again.” said the girl as she thought that Shadow didn’t know how to play.

Shadow now leapt over the small pond as he kept on trying to get away from his tutor. He thought he was safe as he hid behind a tree only for him to turn to his left as Pinkie was there smiling and waving. Pinkie was about to speak when Shadow let out a scream and kept on running. He then hid behind the slides when Pinkie was then sliding down in front of him and he kept on trying to escape the girl. He then jumped over a painter who was setting up his canvas.

“I'm having fun with my student! Whoa!” said Pinkie as she didn’t pay attention to the paint cans as she stepped in one and it caused her to lose her balance as she fell over and face planted on to a tub of paint.

The chase went on as Shadow kept trying to outrun from Pinkie as he then ran through a small water fountain; Pinkie was right behind the boy but when she got in the center, all the water started to gush up as it splashed her in the face and then lifted her up in the air as she was soaked. Once more Shadow started to climb another tree as he believed that having high ground was good when dealing with a wild animal… I mean Pinkie. The boy then saw Pinkie trying to climb up the tree, but her appearance was all messy as she had twigs and sticks coming out of her hair, her clothes were wet and covered in paint. Shadow then jumped from one branch to another and then landed on the floor just as Pinkie made it to the top. The branch above where Shadow once was had a beehive and when the boy shook it, he accidentally caused the nest to drop and crack as the bees came out pissed. They looked up as they saw Pinkie and immediately thought her as the one who destroyed their home and then targeted their stingers at her as the girl let out a scream and fell down hard.

Shadow had now arrived back to where he started as he was now tired. He took one last look checking his surroundings, just when he felt like he could let out a sigh, he then heard some heavy breathing behind him as he saw Pinkie. She was like before all a mess but now her face was covered in stings from the bees as one of them was stuck in her cheek.

“There… you… are…” said Pinkie as she tried to talk given that her face was full of stings as she pulled the bee out of her face as it buzzed away.

“I give up!” shouted Shadow.

“I found you… I win.”

“Enough!” said Shadow, “Just get the hell away from me!”

“What?!” said Pinkie.

“Ever since this program started and I was assigned as your student, all I wanted to do was get the hell away from you. You annoy my ass with your stupid tactics.” exclaimed Shadow as he was letting all of his feelings about his tutor out. “You’re loud, crazy, irritating, bothersome, you don't anything seriously, and straight up annoying!!!”

“Annoying?” said Pinkie as now her entire face and appearance returned to normal as her hair deflated a bit. For Pinkie the inside of her heart had stopped beating as it literally broke in half.

“I would like nothing better than for you to leave me alone and never bother me again.” stated Shadow as he stood up. “To think that I held out this long, I should have done this from the moment we met! So leave me alone!!”

“Alone.” stated Pinkie softly as she put her head down.

“Maybe then I might get some peace and quiet; something I’ve been missing since I became your student.” stated Shadow.

“I understand.” Pinkie then let out a tear as she started to walk away. “You’re no longer my student.”

“Finally!” said Shadow as he let out a sigh as a huge weight was off of his shoulders. He didn’t notice that Pinkie had left as he was too busy enjoying the serenity he now had not having the party girl constantly annoy him.

“And that’s all I have so far.” said the person who was talking with Isaac.

“To be honest, I didn’t expect you to do all of this in such a short amount of time.” replied Isaac as he took a sip of his beverage.

“Well, I wanted to make sure that everything was set for my client.”

“Woah, there. That’s a bit much.” stated the boy. “But I am grateful for all you’ve done that I’ve requested.” Isaac then looked at his phone as he saw some pictures of his journey at CHS as all he could do was look at them. He didn’t know it but his eyes were watering up as some tears fell down his cheek.

“Hey, you okay?” asked the person Isaac was with.

“Y-yeah.” said the boy as he noticed a tear drop onto the screen of his phone as he wiped the tears away. “Just… had… a moment there…” Isaac was now breathing heavily as the photos were eating away at the young boy. After 3 minutes, Isaac finally got his tears under control as he wiped them clean.

“Sorry, just my time is literally winding down,” said Isaac.

“Yes, and then… it happens.” said the person.

“Anyways, thank you for the details. Same time tomorrow.” suggested Isaac.

“Of course.” said the person as they gave Isaac a handshake as both went on their way.

Isaac had now reached the house as he entered and saw Rarity and Aj talking with each other. The girls saw their friend as they quietly went silent.

“What?” asked Isaac as the girls looked at him.

“Sugar, you might want to hear this.” said Aj as they got their male friend to sit down as they told them about seeing Pinkie come home as her hair was all down.

That alone got Isaac worried as he knew what that meant, but even more so that Pinkie then emerged from her room after a few hours as her hair was back in its puffy colors, but she seemed gray.

“Any reason why she is like that? I get her hair being down, but the fact that it’s back to normal but she’s greyed out. I don’t know what it means.” said Isaac.

“We don’t know either, darling.”

“The only thing that she said she was goin' to do today was that she wanted to have some fun with Shadow.”

“Shadow, huh?” said Isaac. While the girls didn’t see it on his face, on the inside, you best believe that Isaac was full on pissed off.

“Girls, go check up on Pinkie for me. I’ve got some things to address.” said the boy as the girls left to see how their friend was doing. “Remember what I said to you Shadow, which way does a tree fall? It falls the way it leans, well you just leaned the wrong way.”

The next morning came as Shadow woke up. Usually, he would get some weird alarm waking him up by Pinkie but today he managed to get some sleep in as he awoke without any noise.

“Man, how long has it been since I woke up on my own?” said the boy as he let out a yawn and stretched his limbs. He then got dressed as he headed down for some breakfast when he noticed his plate full of food. He was about to take a bite when it felt like he was missing something.

Once again, Pinkie had somehow managed to break into Shadow’s house everyday and would often leave a plate full of muffins for the kid to enjoy with his food. But today there wasn’t any.

“Must be imagining things.” said Shadow as he began to eat his meal in peace.

He was about to take a walk when he noticed the shirt that Pinkie had given him as it was on his bed. He looked at it as he was reminded of the conversation he had with the girl as it served as the final thing that allowed him to get rid of the headache he had been receiving since becoming a part of the program and being Pinkie’s student.

“Good riddance. I can finally move on with my life.” said the boy. He looked at the trashcan as he held the piece of clothing, he just simply tossed the shirt onto his laundry basket as he would deal with it later. With that he headed out the door of his house.

Along the way the sounds of not having to listen to Pinkie’s ramblings served as a sign of peace. For once he could actually hear himself and his own thoughts as he couldn’t remember the last time he could do that since becoming her student. Still it felt like he was missing something, something that he was looking forward to, but what. Eventually, he arrived at the park as he then passed by the same place where he had the talk with Pinkie as surprisingly her party cannon was still there.

“Seems she forgot to get her cannon. Oh, well not my problem.” said the boy as he continued on walking. He then stopped as he took another look at the object as a thought ran through his mind. “I mean, what if she’s looking for it and somebody else comes and takes it. I might not like her, but I wouldn’t want to see her stuff get stolen.” Shadow was now wrestling with himself on whether he should do the right thing and return Pinkie’s belonging to her or just keep on walking. Eventually he made his decision.

“I don't know what compelled me to do this,” said the boy.

He somehow managed to drag Pinkie’s cannon all the way to the house that she and the girls shared with Isaac. He pushed past the front gate as he then climbed the stairs with the heavy object as he let out some breaths as he rested over it for a few moments. Shadow then caught his breath as he rang the doorbell hoping that whoever was home would give it to Pinkie and he would be on his way. Though he prayed that it wasn’t Pinkie herself; the door opened and the person who was standing there wasn’t Pinkie, but then again, Shadow might not have wanted this person to answer the door as well.

“Shadow.”

“Sup, Isaac.” waved the boy as his head professor just crossed his arms and gave him a stern look. “Anyways, Pinkie left her party cannon in the park and I’m just simply returning it.”

“That’s thoughtful of you. But I thought you weren’t her student anymore, and that you’re done with her.” said Isaac in a stern and low tone.

“Trust me, that was the best decision of my life. And as for this, I just don’t want anybody else to steal it. I know how much she loves this thing.” said Shadow.

“Oh, so you know how much she loves this?”

“Duh, I might have been getting a headache from her, but I at least recognize when someone loves a certain object.”

“Funny, if only you opened your mind to see something else.” said Isaac as he didn’t bother hiding the shade he was throwing at the boy.

“What’s that mean?” asked Shadow.

“You made Pinkie sad.” said Isaac as he kicked the party cannon inside of the house and slammed the front door shut as he and Shadow were on the front steps as he stared down the boy.

“So? I had enough of her.” responded Shadow as he tried to stand his ground. “I told you that she drives me insane. I never wanted her as my mentor!”

“Funny, cause Pinkie wanted you as her student. She was so insistent on having you as her apprentice when I ran down your file, that I decided to grant her request.” said Isaac as he let out some personal information. “You remember what I said to you about a tree falling?”

“It leans.”

“Correction, it leans in the direction it falls towards. You just leaned the wrong way; you disrespected Pinkie. And when you disrespect her, you disrespect me. So you’ve legit pissed me off!” shouted Isaac.

“I have no regrets with my choice,” said Shadow.

“Then maybe I regret choosing you to be a part of this program. Maybe I should have chosen someone whose parents are actually related to him.” said Isaac as he was willing to go the extra mile. “You want to shoot from the hip, Shadow? I ain’t got no problem with that.”

“Leave my parents out of this. Let’s not get personal.” said Shadow.

“Yeah, cause I would bury your spoiled rich ass before you can finish saying the alphabet.” said Isaac as he started to step forward as Shadow was slowly backing up. “You’ve made the wrong decision in pissing me off, Shadow. You know my mom used to whoop me whenever I did something I wasn’t supposed to do, she called it learning experience so that I wouldn’t do the same stupid shit again. Looks like I’m gonna need to be the person to give you an ass whooping, something that should have happened to you a long time ago so that you can learn some manners!” shouted Isaac. Shadow’s back now reached the gate as he now had nowhere to go as Isaac was staring him down with a furious look.

“A duel!” said Isaac.

“What?!” said Shadow.

“In the park, tonight! And if you don’t show up, then expect a little house visit. Cause I ain’t playing around, Montaña de mojones!” said Isaac as he spoke those last words in spanish. He then entered the house as it left Shadow to process what was just said.

Nighttime was soon upon the town of Canterlot. It was about 7 at night as there were still some people enjoying the place. Shadow had arrived as he was feeling a bit nervous about facing Isaac. He remembered what happened the last time when he and the other students tried to gang up on their professor as he took them out and destroyed them with ease. And that was when he wasn’t angry, now he was sort of praying that he would live after the duel was over. Soon he arrived back at the spot as he took a moment as he was beginning to remember some of the time he had with Pinkie in this place.

(Memory)

“And now add the yellow to the pink.” said Pinkie as she was instructing her student to follow his orders.

“Why am I doing this?!” asked Shadow as he was trying to paint the picture but he was hanging upside.

“Silly, you need to get a better angle. If you focus all your attention on being upright, you won’t see the other way to paint a picture.” stated the girl.

“Right now, I feel like I’m about to throw up. Oh, no.” said Shadow as his stomach agreed with that statement.

“Clean up!” shouted Pinkie as she changed into a sanitation outfit and got her student down.

(End of Memory)

“Heh.” said Shadow as he remembered that.

(Memory)

“Don’t forget to eat these cookies.” said Pinkie as she had a picnic blanket and basket with her as she had tons of sweets on the blanket as she was getting Shadow to eat them as he was full.

“Why? I’ve already eaten all these sweets, they’re good I’ll admit, but I’m stuffed.” cried Shadow.

“But you can’t increase your palette if you don’t have options. You can’t stick with the same thing or else you won’t grow. Which is why you need to eat!” said the girl as she shoved some cookies down Shadow’s mouth.

(End of Memory)

“Still liked the chocolate fudge cookies.” said Shadow as he did enjoy eating the treats Pinkie gave him.

(Memory)

“And this is my sister Marble Pie.” said Pinkie as she showed off the pictures if her siblings to her student. “Oh, I love them.”

“Again, all I asked was can you show me some tactics?” asked Shadow as a simple question turned into a 45 minute ramble nonstop of Pinkie telling her mentee about her life and her family as she loved them deeply.

“But then you wouldn’t have heard about my stories? And how I made my whole family smile.”

“So what, they’re your family. I'm sure they smile all the time.” stated the boy.

“Exactly, which is why it warms my heart to see them smile,” said Pinkie. “Which is why I love having you as my student, cause you make me smile.”

“If only I felt the same way about you.” muttered Shadow under his breath. Pinkie then gave her student a hug as the boy struggled to escape her tight grip.

“I’m glad to have someone like you.”

“Get off of me!!!” shouted Shadow.

(End of Memory)

“Smile, huh?” said Shadow as he was thinking about all the times he had spent with Pinkie.

“You’re here,” said Isaac.

“I don’t want any trouble,” said Shadow.

“You should have thought about that when you made Pinkie upset.” stated Isaac. “Now get your duel disk out!"

Shadow saw there was no way to reason with his head professor as he just put on his duel disk, he then looked at Isaac as he didn’t put on his.

“Where’s yours?”

“I said you’d be dueling, but not against me.” Isaac then stepped back as he revealed Pinkie who was standing behind the boy as she still had a blank look on her face.

“Pinkie?”

“Got a problem?” asked Isaac.

“This might be the only way to get my point across, is if I beat her and then show that I don’t want her as my teacher.” said Shadow as he slotted in his deck and projected a dark blue tray.

“Remember what I said, sis.” said Isaac.

“Of course, anything for you big bro, cause I love you.” said Pinkie as she had a smile on her face as she gave Isaac a sibling hug as it was genuine.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take you out for ice cream after.” reminded the boy of his promise as Pinkie stepped forward and slotted on her duel disk as it projected a pink card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Shadow's Life Points: 8000-

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's see which deck, Pinkie is using." said Shadow to himself.

Turn 1: Pinkie

"I'll start by playing one card facedown and then summon Madolche Baaple(0/1800) in defense mode." Pinkie now had a tiny monster appear on her field as it was sheep who had wool and was on a maple syrup covered piece.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 2: Shadow

"My draw, and to start I'll summon Raider's Wing(0/2000) in defense mode." said Shadow as he summoned a new monster to the field. Out emerged a new mechanical bird as it was black and let out a screech as it landed on his field.

"Then I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Pinkie

"My draw, and now I'll sacrifice my Madolche Baaple to summon my Madolche Puddingcess(1000/1000)." Pinkie now had gotten rid of her monster as out emerged a tiny pretty women as she had blonde hair and wore a dress made up of pudding. "Then I'll activate my field spell, Madolche Chateau." Pinkie then played her field spell as now a huge chateau rose up behind her. Pinkie's monsters of her deck appeared as they looked at Shadow. The tiny monsters all approached the boy as they gave him glares, they then slapped him with their tiny hands and blew him some raspberries.

"Ow." said Shadow as he was hit by the small delicious monsters.

"Now when my field spell activates, my Madolche Baaple that I got rid of is now shuffled back into my deck." Pinkie's duel disk then ejected her card as she placed it on top as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Now my field spell grants my monsters 500 attack and defense points, and my Puddingcess' ability allows her to gain 800 extra attack and defense mode when there's no monsters in my graveyard so now she has 2300 total attack points." said Pinkie.

"Now my Puddingcess, destroy Shadow and his monster!" shouted Pinkie.

"Destroy?!" said the boy as he didn't expect to hear his mentor, former mentor, say that.

"Now I reveal my facedown, Madolche Waltz! Now each time my monster attacks or is attacked, you take 300 points of damage!" said the party girl as her monster took out Shadow's bird as the boy got hit with some damage.
Shadow's Life Points: 7700-

"Since I took damage, I can now summon my Raidraptor - Avenge Vulture(1700/100) from my hand." said Shadow as he quickly replace one of his birds with another.

"Always did like those birds. Tell me, are you now taking me seriously?"

"What?" said Shadow.

"This is wanted you wanted, no smile. None of my crazy antics to drive you crazy, just straight up dueling without being a pain." stated Pinkie.

"Well, I mean... sure you were a pain... but..."

"Enough talking, I now end my turn!"

Turn 4: Shadow

"I don't know why you're taking your anger out on me. But I know for sure that I've finally gotten some piece and quiet."

"Then why are you doing same moves?" asked Pinkie. "Whenever you have Avenge Vulture in your hand, you don't play any spells or trap, cause you want to take damage to summon your monster, that way by the time your next turn comes, you can summon the Fuzzy Lanius that's also in your hand." stated Pinkie a true to her word, Shadow did have his Fuzzy Lanius in his hand.

"How do you..."

"You think that I didn't pay attention with all my goofy off." stated Pinkie.

"Nevermind, it's my draw!" said Shadow as he drew his card and then looked at his hand. He was considering playing his Fuzzy Lanius but hesitated for a moment as he was reminded of what Pinkie just said. Why am I thinking of what she just said, I'm not her student anymore. So I don't have to listen to what she says, she may have said something like that when she was judging me and getting me to try new moves, but I'm no longer her mentee. I'm my own person. "I'll do what you just said, but not because you told me to. So instead of summon my Fuzzy Lanius, I'll special summon this, my Raidraptor - Heel Eagle(700/700)! Then I play the spell card, Raidraptor - Iron Call; so now I can summon another monster that's the same as one on my field from my hand or deck, so rise up another Heel Eagle!" stated Shadow as his deck then ejected another copy of his Heel Eagle as he then summon it to his field in defense mode.

"I now overlay my 2 Raidraptor - Heel Eagles!" shouted the boy with fury in his voice as he looked at Pinkie who too had the same angry look on her face. Both of his monsters then into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both lights disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Raidraptor - Force Strix(100/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow's new monster emerged as it let out a cry as it landed with its materials circling around it.

"I now activate my Force Strix's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can now add one Level 4 Winged-Beast to my hand." said Shadow as he added one of his birds to his hand. "Now I'll special summon my Fuzzy Lanius(500/1500) to the field in defense mode. And now since I have another bird out on my field, my Force Strix gains 500 more attack and defense points for every other of its comrades that are on the field. So with two, that means my Force Strix now has 1100 attack and 3000 defense points." informed Shadow.

"I now place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Pinkie

"My turn, and I summon my Madolche Chouxvalier(1700/1300)!" said Pinkie as out came a small rider on his horse as he wielded a peppermint lance. "And like stated before, my field spell gives my monsters 500 extra points to both of their stats. Now time to dish out more pain, Madolche Chouxvalier attack his Avenge Vulture!" said the party girl as her monster heard its command and then charged forward as it took out Shadow's bird.
Shadow's Life Points: 7200-

"And don't forget, Shadow!" shouted Pinkie as she was still showing anger. "My trap Madolche Waltz deals an extra 300 points of damage."
Shadow's Life Points: 6900-

"And now Madolche Puddingcess take out his Fuzzy Lanius!" said the girl as her other monster then took Shadow's other bird as he lost even more points.
Shadow's Life Points: 6600-

"Pick up the pace, Shadow! Or you're really gonna fail the test!" shouted the girl.

"I quit being your student!" shouted the boy back as the two were looking at each other with fury.

"I end my turn. And don't forget without those puny birds, your Force Strix loses its extra points!"

"Watch your mouth when you talk about my Raidraptors, cause they also feel my anger whenever I was with you. And since you sent my Fuzzy Lanius to the graveyard, I can add another to my hand from my deck." stated Shadow as his duel disk ejected the card for him to grab.

Turn 6: Shadow

"My draw, and I'll activate the effect of my Force Strix, by using one overlay unit, I can add a Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand." said the boy as he grabbed another one of his birds. "Then since I control an Xyz monster, I can special summon my Singing Lanius(100/1800) from my hand in defense mode. By why stop at one, cause I can also special summon second Fuzzy Lanius also in defense mode." stated Shadow as he had a pair of birds on his field as his Force Strix was now back to having 3000 defense points.

"Then I play the spell card, Raidraptor Sanctuary. So now I can draw two cards since I control 3 'Raidraptors'." Shadow then drew his card as he began to think about what he wanted to do. "I now equip my Force Strix with Raidraptor - Ultimate Mace. So now it gains 1000 extra attack points, bringing its total up to 2100 attack."

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 7: Pinkie

"My draw, and I'll set this monster in defense mode. Now Chouxvalier take out that Singing Lanius!" shouted Pinkie as her tiny monster once again took out Shadow's monster and some of his life points with her trap card.
Shadow's Life Points: 6300-

"Puddingcess take out that Fuzzy Lanius!" shouted Pinkie as her other monster did the same as she took out another bird and some more points.
Shadow's Life Points: 6000-

"Once more, my Fuzzy Lanius allows me to add my third one to my hand when it's sent to the graveyard." responded the boy as he grabbed another card.

"Both are letting their anger out." said Isaac as he watched the interaction between the pair.

"I end my turn."

Turn 8: Shadow

"My turn, and now I summon my final Fuzzy Lanius from my hand in defense mode. Then I summon my Raidraptor - Sharp Lanius(1700/1000)! And when I summon my Sharp Lanius I can change a faceup attack monster to facedown, so now your Madolche Chouxvalier is switched into defense mode. And don't forget with the extra comrades my Force Strix gains another 1000 attack points for grant total of 2100. So now time to attack, Force Strix attack her monster!" shouted Shadow.

"My trap is still activate, so you pay 300 points!" shouted Pinkie.
Shadow's Life Points: 5700-

"Fine, by me. Take her puny monster out!" shouted Shadow as his monster took out Pinkie's monster.

"Normally my monster can be shuffled back into my deck, but thanks to my field spell, I can add it to my hand instead." stated the pink girl.

"Whatever, I did what I needed to do. Now take your turn so that I can finally move with my life." shouted Shadow.

Turn 9: Pinkie

"You want me to be serious, fine then!" shouted Pinkie as she drew her card. "Now I flip over my facedown monster, Madolche Magileine(1400/1200). And by doing so I activate her effect, so now I can add a 'Madolche' monster from my deck to my hand. And now I resummon my Madolche Chouxvalier and since my field spell is still on the field, it gain 500 more attack and defense points." informed the anger party girl.

"Now to attack, I'll have my Madolche Chouxvalier attack your Force Strix!" said Pinkie as her tiny monster took out Shadow's powerful monster.

"My monster may be destroyed, but since my Force Strix was equipped with Ultimate Mace I take no battle damage from that interaction. And then the second effect allows me to add a 'Rank-Up Magic' spell card from my deck to my hand." said Shadow as he picked the one he wanted.

"Well, guess what my trap is still active." said Pinkie as she burned away some more of the boy's points.
Shadow's Life Points: 5400-

"Now Puddingcess attack his Sharp Lanius!" shouted Pinkie as her other monster took out another one of Shadow's birds.
Shadow's Life Points: 4800-

"And an extra 300 for good measure." stated Pinkie with a smile.
Shadow's Life Points: 4500-

"Thanks." grinned Shadow as Pinkie was surprised by what the boy said. "I reveal my facedown, Xyz Reborn so that I can bring back my Force Strix and attach my trap card as an overlay unit."

"I end my turn."

Turn 10: Shadow

"I just had to get my life points low enough and you did just that. Now it's my turn and time for you to feel my wrath." said Shadow as he drew his card. "I now play the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force. Now I can use my Force Strix to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Shadow's monster then changed into an overlay unit as its Xyz material attached to it also floated in the air as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both lights disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Raidraptor - Blade Burner Falcon(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow had now summoned a new monster as his mechanical bird emerged as it let out a cry.

"Huh?"

"You expected me to summon my Rise Falcon?" asked Shadow. "Like you said, I need to expand my palette rather than stick with the old stuff."

"So what? You paid attention." stated Pinkie as she folded her arms as she looked away with a pouting face. "If you only you did it when I was trying to help you smile."

"Please, like you could get me to smile with your crazy antics." responded Shadow. "Now since I Xyz Summoned this monster and the difference between our life points is 3000 or more, then my Blade Burner Falcon gains 3000 attack points!"

"What?!" said Pinkie as that detail caught her attention.

"So now it has 4000 attack points. Now Blade Burner Falcon attack her Madolche Chouxvalier!" shouted Shadow.

"My trap still burns you for 300 points of damage." said Pinkie.
Shadow's Life Points: 4200-

"Yeah, but I'm about to deal you a hard right! Do it!!!" shouted Shadow as his bird heard the anger and fury coming from Shadow as he soared high into the air and then unleashed a devasting attack as it took out Pinkie's monster as she took a massive hit to her life points.
Pinkie's Life Points: 6200-

"Now I activate my monster's special ability, whenever it destroys a monster in battle, I can then detach as many overlay units it has so that I can destroy that same number of monsters on your side of the field. So by getting rid of all of its Xyz materials, I can destroy your two other monsters." said Shadow as his bird took out Pinkie's other monsters.

"Well all my monsters don't go to the graveyard, cause I can choose to shuffle them back into my deck." said Pinkie as she grabbed all three of her monsters and then put them on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"With that, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Pinkie

"My turn, and now since I currently have no monsters in my graveyard, I can special summon my Madolche Petingcessoeur(1400/1400). And by special summoning it, I can also summon another monster from my deck, but it's level is reduced by 1. So I choose to bring out my Madolche Puddingcess." said Pinkie as she now had two monsters on her field. "I now overlay both of my Level 4 Madolche monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Pinkie's two monsters then changed into dark orbs of light as as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl as a portal opened up. "You want to see some Xyz Summoning, then try this one, I Xyz Summon, Madolche Teacher Glassouffle(1800/2500, OLU: 2)!" Pinkie's monsters was a female teacher who sat on a throne as she had a book next to her.

"So what? Your monster is weaker than mine!" stated Shadow.

"Then how about this move, go Rank Up Xyz Evolution!" shouted Pinkie.

"Xyz Evolution?!" said Shadow as he was surprised by what Pinkie was doing.

Pinkie's monster then transformed into an orb of light as its materials also hovered next to it as another portal opened up as the orbs disappeared once more and a portal opened up as a pillar of light emerged. "Rise up, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode(2500/2200, OLU: 3)!!" shouted Pinkie as version of her puddingcess emerged but it was had a dress made of chocolate.

"You ranked up your monster?" said Shadow.

"I guess you could say, that I took inspiration from you and your rank ups." said Pinkie as she looked at her former student.

"I didn't know." said Shadow in a soft tone.

"If you only saw it with your eyes." responded the girl with a similar tone as she and Shadow were now thinking a bit more about each other and their relationship as mentor and apprentice.

"I'm... I'm... " Shadow was struggling to say the words.

"Save it." spoke Pinkie softly. "My field spell gives my monster an extra 500 attack and defense points. Then I'll play the spell card, Madolche Rush Order, so by discarding a Madolche monster from my hand then I can increase another monster on my field by its attack points. So I send my Madolche Messengelato to the graveyard to increase my Puddingcess by 1600 attack points. So time to battle, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode attack his Blade Burner Falcon!" shouted Pinkie as her monster delivered a powerful attack as it took out Shadow's powerful monster.
Shadow's Life Points: 3600-

"And don't forget that my trap deals you 300 extra for every attack interaction." said Pinkie.
Shadow's Life Points: 3300-

"My monster isn't going to be gone for long, cause I reveal my facedown, Rank-Up Magic Raptor's Force! Now I can bring back a monster that was destroyed in battle and then I can Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher!" shouted Shadow as his Blade Burner Falcon rose up and then turned into an orb of light as it stayed in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy as the orb disappeared and a pillar of light emerged. "Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Rise up, Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon(1000/2000, OLU: 1)!" shouted Shadow as he expressed his fury when he chanted the summon.

"I'll end my turn." (Hand 4)

Turn 12: Shadow

"My turn, and now time for my Blaze Falcon to attack you directly. Go!" shouted the boy as his falcon soared high and then did a slash attack as Pinkie was tossed onto her back.
Pinkie's Life Points: 5200-

"Then since I dealt damage to you, I can destroy one of your monsters, so your little princess is gone." said Shadow as he got rid of Pinkie's monster.

"I then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Pinkie

"My draw and now I play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-mode." said Pinkie as she had her monster rise up. "And like before my field spell grants its 500 more attack and defense points. And now time to take out that Blaze Falcon!" shouted the party girl.

"I activate my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Escape Force! So now I can target my Blaze Falcon and then your attack is negated! Then I can use my monster to Xyz Summon a different one that's one rank higher!" Shadow's Blaze Falcon then changed into an orb of light as it had its material also hover with it as a portal opened up in front of the boy as the orbs disappeared into it as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow expressed his anger and fury as his monster rose up as it let out a screech.

"Not bad." said Pinkie as she did have to admit that Shadow did pull off a good move. In fact, while she may not have shown it, she couldn't help but smile that throughout this whole duel, Shadow was steering clear of his usual tactics and exploring more options.

Turn 14: Shadow

"My turn, and now I'll use an overlay unit to activate my Revolution Falcon's ability! Now I can drop the attack points of your monster to 0. So go Revolution Falcon, time to dish Pinkie some even more damage. Blitz Bombardment!!!!!!!!!!!!" shouted Shadow as loud as he could as he was letting all his anger and fury out of being her student. His falcon then soared high into the air as it reached above the clouds and then opened its compartments as tiny bombs started to fall down over the field as Pinkie's chateau was also taking some damage as bits of its walls were blown as Pinkie covered up with her monster being destroyed.
Pinkie's Life Points: 3200-

"My trap is still active." said Pinkie as she dealt some damage to Shadow.
Shadow's Life Points: 3000-

"With that, I'll end my turn with one final facedown."

"They both have about the same life points." said Isaac as he watched the two individuals as they were both breathing hard as they struggled to stay up as the duel was taking a heavy toll on them. Isaac knew that both individuals were angry and this was the best way for both to let out their feelings and let the other know how they felt.

"It all comes down to this next move." said Isaac as the end of this duel was now moments away.

Turn 15: Pinkie

"Time to end this, I draw!" said Pinkie as she drew her card as it was in a trail of pink light as it had some particle effects. "I now activate the spell Rank-Up-Magic Madolche Goodness!" shouted Pinkie.

"A rank up card?" said Shadow as he didn't expect this from the party girl.

"Now I can select a monster in my graveyard and then summon a monster from my extra deck that's one rank higher!" shouted Pinkie as her Madolche Teacher Glassouffle rose up and then transformed into a dark orb of light as it stayed in the air and then a portal opened up as the orb disappeared into it as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, I Xyz Summon, Madolche Empress Haute(3000/2800, OLU:1)!" Out emerged a high class girl as she was dressed in a 14th century dress as they were made up of small portions of the food as she wore white gloves that covered her arms all the way up to her elbows. Her hair was done in a bun and when let down flowed majestically to her shoulders as she had brunette hair and a smile that made you fall in love with her as she wore a necklace.

"Well, now... she's definitely pretty." said Shadow as he did admit that Pinkie's new monster was stunning as it got the boy's attention heavily.

"Now to explain my new monster. When it's successfully Xyz Summoned, I can activate 'Madolche Chateau' from my deck. Also once per turn, if a 'Madolche' monster would be shuffled into the deck, I can attach it to this card as an Xyz material. And my monster's ability, I can use an overlay unit, and all 'Madolche' monsters can inflict piercing damage till the end of the next end phase!" stated Pinkie. "And of course, she gains 500 extra attack and defense points due to my field spell."

"Take it out!" shouted Pinkie as her brand new monster tossed off her heels as they made contact with Shadow's monster and took it out.
Shadow's Life Points: 1500-

"And my trap works once more!" said Pinkie as the flames that surrounded the dueling field engulfed the two individuals as it resembled their anger and fury to one another.
Shadow's Life Points: 1200-

"This duel is over!" screamed Pinkie with fury. Soon Pinkie saw something as it was the outline of someone as he emerged from the flames as he too had an angry look as he let out a scream.

"AHHHH!!!! There's now way you're gonna win this Pinkie!!!! You hear me!!!!! I've had it!!!!" shouted Shadow as he activated his facedown. "I activate Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force to resurrect my Revolution Falcon and use it to Xyz Summon another Raidraptor that's twice the rank!!" shouted Shadow as his monster appeared and then changed into a dark orb of light as a portal opened up in front of the boy as it disappeared into it and a pillar of light emerged as the monster itself was seeing coming out of the fire and the flames. "They say it is the phoenix that rises from the ashes of defeat, but they're wrong, it is the Raptor! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Raidraptor - Final Fortress Falcon(3800/2800, OLU: 1)!!!!" expressed Shadow as he said the chant with all the anger and passion he had up to this point. Out emerged Shadow's most powerful monster in his deck of falcons as it appeared and let out a screech as Pinkie looked at it.

Turn 16: Shadow

"Now! Raidraptor Final Fortress Falcon attack Madolche Empress Haute! Bombardment Blast Barrage!!!!" shouted the boy as his monster opened the tiny compartments on its body and and then shot out missiles as they zoomed at high speed and then made contact with Pinkie's monster as they took her out.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2900-

"My trap does its effect once more!" shouted Pinkie.
Shadow's Life Points: 900-

"Time to end this duel, cause up to twice per turn my monster can attack again, simply by banishing a 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster from my extra deck! So I banish my Blade Burner Falcon to attack you directly and end this duel!!!" shouted Shadow as the flames around both duelists intensified as his monster used those flames and shot towards Pinkie who covered up.
Pinkie's Life Points: 0

Winner: Shadow

The duel was over as the flames that were on the dueling field died down and extinguished as everything was turned back to normal. For Shadow and Pinkie, they both collapsed at the same time as both were tired and exhausted from this passionate brawl. Both just slowly lifted their head off the ground to look at the other, they couldn't hear it but from what they muttered and read from each other's lips, it seemed to get the message across. After a few minutes, both started to slowly get up as they each dragged their bodies closer until they met in the middle in the same exact spot that had them doing all the crazy activates from before. Both breathed heavily as they were still tired with bits of scuffs on their clothes and appearance as wanted to say something.

"I'm... sorry." said both individuals.

"I'm sorry... for making you cry. I'm sorry for pushing you away and taking my anger out on you. I just, couldn't take it anymore that I had to express what I was feeling. It just came out wrong." said Shadow.

"I'm sorry too. I just I should have realized my antics could get out of hand and was probably causing you to go mad. Isaac said I can be a handful at times, but sometimes I can't help it. I just go all out and overboard, especially with you, cause all I wanted to do... was make you smile." said the party girl.

"Make me smile?" said Shadow. Soon the memories from before the duel came back as the expression on his face soften then his lips slowly curved upwards as for the first time since being with Pinkie, the boy had a genuine smile on his face.

"Well, you did that."

"Yay!" said Pinkie as in an instant she was back to her usual self as the color returned and her hair got even more puffier. She then pulled the boy into a hug as this time Shadow just let her and eventually returned the gesture as Pinkie rubbed his hair.

"They finally made up. And just in time." said Isaac as the exam was coming up fast.

"So, can I be your student again?" asked Shadow.

"Silly, you never stopped being my student." said the party girl as she pulled out a cookie for her apprentice as he grabbed and smile. "Plus, I learned some new tricks from you, like my own Rank-Up-Magic card. Thanks, I love having you as a student."

"And I like having you as my tutor, even if you drive me insane at times." chuckled Shadow as he looked at Pinkie. He then saw Isaac approach them as he too smiled at the pair.

"So, who wants ice cream? My treat." stated Isaac.

"Oh, me. ME!" shouted Pinkie as she quickly zoomed over to the ice cream shop.

"Pinkie! Wait up, don't cause a mess like last time!" shouted the boy as he quickly chased after his little sis.

"Yeah, I think I'll let Isaac be the one to handle Pinkie's crazy tactics." said the boy to himself as he went after the two older teens and to possibly help his head professor in dragging Pinkie away making the ice cream parlor go bankrupt.

Chapter 177: Forgotten Friendship

In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find.

To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose.

Follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find what you are looking for.

Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach.

Canterlot High was doing its usual thing as all the students of the school were hanging out with their buddies and pals as they were smiling and having fun. To think that in just one month or so, the senior class would receive their diploma and then that was that. Graduation and then they would be off into the world to start their lives. But for one person, one month meant that it would be all the time left for him as he would be gone from existence.

Isaac had told the girls that in one month the Board of Education would arrive with some representatives to see the results of his little program and then would determine the fate of the school. That being said, the girls all stopped Isaac as they each sat him down and told them that the students were going to do just fine and that they had nothing to worry about. Seems those talks worked as Isaac finally got to relax and not let himself get too stressed out. With that the kids along with their freshman class were going on a field trip for the next two weeks as their teachers wanted to reward the students for making it past their first year at CHS. So with that, it meant that girls could take a quick break from tutoring as they had some preparations that needed to be completed.

"Make sure you enjoy your trip, private."

"Yes captain." said Jack as he gave a salute to Rainbow.

"Do you have that list of what to do in any given scenario?" asked Twilight.

"Yes, Twilight. But I'm pretty sure a tornado is not gonna happen." said Jason.

"You can never be too prepared." responded the nerdy girl as she began to run down some more checklists with her student as Jason groaned.

"Take lots of pictures of animals."

"I will, Fluttershy." said Bryant to his tutor.

"Amber, darling. I made this for your little outing." said Rarity as she gave her student a small outfit for the girl. "Wear this and I'm sure nobody will treat you like a child."

"Appreciate it, Ms. Rarity." smiled Amber as she hugged the older teen.

"Have fun, Penny." said Sunset as she gave her student a fist bump.

"Totally." said the girl as she returned the gesture from the bacon haired girl.

"Take this, Lucky Star." said Applejack as she gave a small object to her student for good luck.

"I promise I won't lose this, Applejack."

"You sure you'll be okay, I can come with you." asked Pinkie as she was having a hard time of letting Shadow go on his own.

"I'm fine, Pinkie." said the boy as he tried to release himself from the party girl's hug, it wasn't a tight hug, but she wasn't letting go.

"Maybe I should I come as a chauffer, I'm sure that you..."

"Pinkie!" shouted Shadow.

"Right, sorry. Toning down my antics." said the girl as she finally let go of her student as she rubbed his head. "Here I made you these." said Pinkie as she handed the boy a box of treats.

"Thanks." said Shadow.

"What about us?!" asked the other students.

"Nope, only for Shadow. He's the best student I have." said the party girl.

"Yes." said Shadow as he smiled and did a small fist pump at getting some treats from his tutor and they were all for him.

With that the students boarded the bus to join their grade class as they were on their way towards their getaway trip.

Sometime later the girls were all in the Yearbook room as they were helping Sunset in putting together the yearbook. Seems they were determined on making it the best possible, especially given all their adventures they had, it seemed to fill up a lot of space. While Sunset was holding a stack of papers, she didn’t watch where she was going as she bumped into someone and both girls fell down.

“Excuse me.” said the girl. She had grayish tangelo eyes, moderate aquamarine, and light greenish gray skin as well as had freckles on her face.

“I'm sorry. I didn't see you come in.” apologized Sunset.

“I've been here for a while.” responded the girl.

“I didn't realize.”

“I've been trying to get your attention for, like, the past half hour.” added the girl.

“Ain't she a quiet one?” whispered Applejack to Rainbow as they all watched the interaction with their friend.

“Yeah. And we know some pretty shy people. Am I right?” exclaimed Dash as she looked at their buttercup friend.

“We do? Who?” asked Fluttershy as she didn’t know who Rainbow was referring to.

“I'm Sunset Shimmer. President of the Yearbook Committee and editor-in-chief. Do you want to join? We could always use extra help.”

“I'm Wallflower Blush.”

“Nice to meet you.” greeted the girl.

“I've been on the Yearbook Committee all year,” said Wallflower bluntly.

“Oh! Um…” said Sunset as her face started to light with red from embarrassment.

“We met in ninth-grade English.”

“And... I was... saying it was nice to meet you then. You didn't let me finish.” said Sunset as she tried to play it off cool to which Wallflower just rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, I counted up all the votes for the yearbook Superlatives.” said the girl as she handed the list to Sunset.

All the girls wanted to see the results as they surrounded Sunset and looked over her shoulder as they looked at the piece of paper as Sunset read the list off.

“‘Most Likely to Succeed’, ‘Best Smile’, ‘Class Clown’,” Sunset then let out a gasp at the next column, “Ooh! We won ‘Best Friends’! Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Twilight Sparkle, Isaac, and me!”

“I always knew I liked you all, but now it's official! In yearbook form! The people have spoken!” stated the party girl as she got on top of one of the tables.

“Oh, good for Micro Chips. ‘Most Likely to be a Card Designer’. Not a reason to be jealous. Pfft! I'm not!” said Twilight as she laughed nervously a bit at hearing that statement.

“Don't worry, Twilight. We know you're a genius.” said Fluttershy as she put her hand on her friend’s shoulder to get her to feel better about herself.

“Besides, it's just the yearbook.” said Rainbow nonchalantly as she leaned against the table. Seems her expression got all the girls, except Applejack, to let out a gasp.

“Just the yearbook?!” shouted Sunset.

“Now ya gone and done it!” groaned Aj to her chromatic haired friend.

“The student body has entrusted me with the responsibility of gathering their memories into the pages of this book. In thirty years, we might not remember everything, but we will remember what's in the yearbook.” said Sunset with a proud statement.

“Well, given all the battles we’ve had and all the time we had to deal with some evil magic in duels, I’m pretty sure we can’t ever forget about that. Also I'm entrusting you not to put us next to ‘Best Muscles’. Every time you close the book, it'll be like we're kissing Bulk Biceps!” said Rainbow as she opened and closed the book as the girls just let out a disgusting look.

“Oh. Uh, why don't we take our picture at the beach on Saturday? Everyone's bound to look adorable.” suggested Rarity.

“Beach day! I'll make my world-famous fun-in-the-sun cupcakes.” said Pinkie as she did a somersault off the table and landed on her feet. “The secret ingredient is edible sunscreen! It's SPF fun-hundred!” said the party girl to her shy companion.

“Yech.” said Fluttershy as she stuck her tongue out in disgust.

Just then the door opened as in came someone.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie demands to speak to the yearbook editor immediately!”

“Unfortunately for me, that's me. What do you want, Trixie?” asked Sunset.

“Ha! Just as I suspected! I was not voted ‘Greatest and Most Powerfullest’! Explain yourself!” said the girl as she looked at the list Sunset was holding.

“How should I put this? You didn't win ‘Greatest and Most Powerful’ because it wasn't one of the Superlatives.” informed the bacon-haired girl.

“Hmm. Neither was ‘Biggest Meanie’, but that didn't stop you from winning it our freshman year.” said Trixie as she pulled out an old yearbook on the table and showed it to the group as they saw the picture of when Sunset was still a bully. “Plus, Isaac got his own Superlative to be voted as the ‘Best Duelist in CHS'.” stated the girl.

“That's different. First of all, Isaac earned that rank and has more than earned that title/Superlative. You’ve seen how he is on the dueling field. And second, the whole school voted for her that time.” said Applejack as she offered some facts.

“She was soooooooo mean.” said Pinkie so that Sunset couldn’t hear her but she was standing right next to the party girl as Sunset just put her head down and began to think about her time as a bully.

“Of course, we all know you've earned the right not to be remembered that way.” said Twilight as she tossed the old yearbook away as a hand picked it up from the floor.

“Thanks,” said Sunset to her friends before addressing Trixie, “We're not having a ‘Greatest and Powerfullest’ Superlative. Sorry.”

“Oh, you're the one who'll be sorry, Sunset Shimmer! When you least expect it, I'll have my revenge, and then I'll disappear! Like this! Behold! The Magician's Exit!” said Trixie as she dropped a smoke bomb in front of her as it quickly expanded as everybody coughed as the door handle jiggled as Trixie was trying to complete her exit.

“Allow me. We were actually on our way out.” said Sunset as she took out some keys and opened the door while leaning on it with a smug smile.

“Hmph!” was all Trixie said while trying to hold some pride as the girls all laughed and exited out the door.

“I'll just finish up…” said Wallflower.

“Ooh. Forgot to turn off the lights.” said Sunset as she didn’t know Wallflower was still there as she flipped the switch.

“...in the dark.” said Wallflower as she let out a sigh.

Isaac was on the rooftop of the school building as he sat on the edge of it overlooking the town and the front lawn of the place. He wasn’t alone as both of his magicians stood beside their master as they all watched in silence taking in this view that all three of them had seen so many times. And yet, no matter how many times they came up, it still felt the same which was nice.

“You know, I sometimes I wish time could just stop right here. And I wouldn’t have to worry about anything cause I would be at peace.” said Isaac to himself and his magicians.

“Yes, it would be nice, master.” said Mahad.

“The sun setting really paints a beautiful picture,” said Mana.

The three of them all smiled while looking forward when a door opened up as Isaac turned his head to see the girls had all found him.

“Hey, guys.”

“So this is where you always go to, sugarcube?” asked Applejack as she and the majority of the girls had never been on the rooftop of CHS.

“I must admit, we’re high up.” said Rarity.

“The trick is not to look down,” said Isaac, “So what are you all doing here?”

“We just wanted to find you,” said Fluttershy.

“But now looking at this view, it’s beautiful.” said Sunset as she too sat down on the ledge.

Soon the others all sat down next to each other with Fluttershy at the far end, then Rarity, Pinkie, Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Sunset, and then Applejack as Isaac sat on the far right. All of them now accompanied their male friend as they all took in the view of the town and the sun. To them this was a view that all of them would possibly see for the last time as not only students, but friends cause now that graduation was around the corner, it meant that their individual paths would soon cause them to split up. Particularly Isaac’s, because of his decision to be a pro and that meant saying goodbye forever.

“So, excited for the yearbook?” asked Rainbow to Isaac.

“Well, do you really need a book to remember all you’ve done?” asked Isaac as he addressed the girls sitting next to him.

“Darling, what do you mean? The yearbook is significant when looking back on one’s teens years. Ours especially.”

“I’m not saying it’s not important, Rarity. Quite the opposite. Not remembering something doesn’t really mean it’s gone.” said Isaac.

“What do you mean?” asked Fluttershy.

“When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another- and then another and then another. Our memories are connected. Many pieces are linked together like they’re linked in a chain- that makes up each of us. And even if the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there, right? So the memory of our promises and time with each other, will always be inside of you somewhere. I’m sure of it. We might forget about where we’ve been or what things we’ve seen, but we won’t forget who our friends are. Forgotten- but not lost.” said Isaac as he said one of the most heartfelt things as the girls all resonated with what he said as they smiled and looked back at the sunset. Pinkie then pulled out some ice cream bars from her hair and gave one to everybody as they all sat and watched the horizon while eating some ice cream on the roof of their school.

After some time, the whole gang had all left when Sunset pulled her friend to the side and told him about their plan for the group photo.

“What?” said Isaac.

“Come on, Isaac. Don’t tell you’re gonna chicken out, what does the idea of me and the girls in beach outfits get your interest.” said Sunset as she put on some seductive eyes.

“No, it’s for a different reason.” said Isaac as he looked away from his friend.

“Tell me.” said the girl.

“No, cause I know of the fanart that will come of you girls in beach outfits.” said Isaac as he looked at the fourth wall.

“So you don’t want to see Twilight in a bikini?” said Sunset with a sly smile.

“Why are you asking me that question?” said Isaac as he still wasn’t directly addressing his friend.

“There’s no shame in fantasying Twilight in that picture.”

“For the record, I would never do that.” responded Isaac as he often didn’t have dirty thoughts about his friends.

“Then you got nothing to worry about. Come on.”

“Fine,” said Isaac as he shook Sunset’s hand. With that they all left for their separate paths, though it did mean that Isaac would need to buy some swim trunks.

Before Sunset fell asleep, she did make an effort to pull out the book that she used to talk with Princess Twilight as she wanted to send her a message.

Dear Princess Twilight, I thought you'd be happy to hear that the girls, Isaac, and I were voted "Best Friends" in the yearbook today. Crazy to think that not so long ago, I was the mean bully that people feared. But now, everybody loves me and has forgiven all the terrible things I’ve done. Of course, I can’t take all the credit, if Isaac didn’t stop me when he did, this place might not have existed. Equestria would have been in chaos since I had plans to invade using magic and Duel Monsters. But thankfully, Isaac put a stop to that and since then I made friends and memories that won’t ever be forgotten. He gave me the second chance I didn’t deserve, and I’ll never forget it. Isaac even said that our memories are like a chain and that since they’re linked together, we won’t ever forget them. Kind of a weird comparison to make, but that’s what I love about the guy making up stuff that is kinda over the top.

Your friend, Sunset Shimmer.

Sunset then turned off her lamp and put the book to the tableside as she prepared to fall asleep. Not too long after the entire town was asleep, something happened as it seemed strips of paper were fluttering in the wind as they all circled around the top of CHS and then gathered together as they disappeared into the garden behind the school and into some trees as a magical light went off.

The sun was high in the sky as it loomed over the bench. People were out and about as they were having fun both on land and in the water. As for Isaac, well he was still in the changing room as he received a call from someone.

“So the final preparations are all set,” said Isaac.

“Yup, just waiting till graduation is all that remains,” said the person who had met with Isaac during the whole incident with Pinkie and Shadow.

“Thank you, once I’m done with the Board of Education, I’ll contact you.” stated Isaac as he ended the call and put his phone in the side pocket of his backpack. He then stopped at the door as he had his backpack over his shoulder as it was full of things for the beach as he took a moment to compose himself.

“Come on, Isaac. So the girls are in beach outfits, not like it matters. So why do I feel nervous seeing them?” said Isaac to himself. “Get that thought out of your head. Get that thought out of your head! You wouldn’t picture the girls like that, they mean too much to me. Okay, here we go.” Isaac then stepped through the door as he was welcomed to the sun shining in his face as he still wore his cap and necklace. He then made his way to where the girls were as he saw the swimsuits that the girls were wearing as he admitted they looked cute in them. He then looked around when a voice was heard.

“Looking for me?” said a voice behind the boy as he turned around.

“Uhm…” was all Isaac could say as standing before him was Twilight as she stood in her beach outfit as he had to admit it did make her look sexy. Isaac was now sweating hard as he looked at his girlfriend standing before.

“Seems Rarity was right.” chuckled Twilight as the fashionista had helped her friend to pick an outfit that would catch Isaac's attention. She wrapped her arms around her boyfriend’s neck as she looked at him.

“Uhm, Twilight…” Isaac was still stunned by what his girlfriend was wearing.

“Is that a fish in your pants or are you just happy to see me?” asked Twilight as she hinted at something.

“Ha ha, very funny.” said Isaac sarcastically as he grabbed Twilight’s arms and took them off his neck as he finally got his composure back. “Any more dirty jokes you want to make?” asked the boy with a nonchalantly look.

“Just teasing you.” chuckled the lavender girl as she grabbed Isaac’s hand. “Come on, let’s have fun.” Twilight then dragged Isaac over to their spot as there were a couple of chairs set up.

Isaac put down his backpack as he reached into the side of it as he sat down and pulled out his deck. Soon the images of all his monsters in his deck appeared before him as he told them to go have fun on the beach. Safe to say all the female magicians of Isaac’s deck all were excited while most of the males weren’t. Thankfully, his Sorcerer Swordsman made his pirate ship appear as he decided to take his male allies on a voyage trip to get away from their female companions to which they all did. Of course, Mahad chose to stick by Isaac’s side as he wanted to keep his master safe, Isaac just shook his head at how loyal his Dark Magician was to his duty. Twilight then wrapped her arms from behind her boyfriend as he was bent down as she nuzzled her cheek against his and gave him a kiss.

“Hold this,” said Twilight as she handed him her book. Isaac raised an eyebrow as he saw his girlfriend walk a few feet away from him as she then turned around and did a pose as out of nowhere a sound was made as a small drone floated in front of her as it snapped her picture.

“Group picture, practice run #36-A, attempt seven — success! Oh, no!” said the nerdy girl as she saw her drone starting to fall it then started to fly out of control as Applejack and Isaac saw this. “Your eyes do not deceive you. I finally invented a selfie-sensing camera. It hovers into position whenever it detects a selfie opportunity.”

“I prefer to take selfies myself... ie.” stated the country girl.

“Twilight, why did you build that?” asked Isaac as the drone floated over to him as he just yanked it out of the air and put it on the chair as it powered down. “There.”

“Thanks.” said the girl as she sat down on the lounge chair next to her boyfriend as she began to work on it.

Isaac just smiled as he grabbed Twilight’s hand as she looked at him; Isaac just brought Twilight in as he gave her a deep kiss as the girl placed her hand on his cheek as they both closed their eyes. They broke apart as their foreheads were still touching as they rubbed their noses together.

“Still keeping that necklace on.” said the boy as he looked at the object hanging from Twilight’s neck.

“I told you, I’m never taking it off.” said the girl as she kissed Isaac once more. She then pulled apart as she went back to working on the drone.

“Which beach blanket should we use for the photograph?” said Rarity as she was kneeling down on the sand with several blankets out in front of her.

“You mean the white one? Or the white one?” said Rainbow as she was standing behind her friend as she offered her answer.

Rarity let out a gasp at Dash’s response, “This is toasted oat and linen lamb's wool. Eggshell, warm frost, pale nimbus, and... Well, that one is white, I suppose.” said the fashionista.

“Yeah. That's the one I was talking about.” said the chromatic girl as the wind picked up and breeze flew through the girls as it picked up one of the towels.

“Don't worry, Rarity! I got it!” said Spike as the dog was digging up some sand when he noticed the towel traveling in the air and chased after it.

“No, I got it! I got it!” shouted Pinkie as the two were now chasing the towel.

Both were trying to outrace each other as soon they both fell down on top of each other.

“I don't got it.” said the girl and the dog. Soon both looked up as the towel in the water now rose up as it was covered in seaweed.

“Ocean monster! Ocean monster!” shouted Pinkie as she and Spike ran for their lives as the seamonster stepped on the sand.

“Quincy the sea turtle says the tide's coming in. We should take the picture soon or risk having damp ankles. Oh, he's so thoughtful.” said Fluttershy as she was the person who was behind the seaweed as she handed the towel back to Rarity.

“Ick.” said Rarity as she looked at the towel.

The girls all began to talk as Isaac watched them as he couldn’t help but smile. Twilight and the others all started to stand in front of the ocean as they prepared to take the photo as she struggled to get her drone into position. The girls called the boy over to join them when he noticed someone approaching. Sunset had now arrived in her beach wear as she looked at the group with a smile as she made her way towards them. As the others were getting ready to have their photo taken, Twilight’s drone then saw Sunset as it stopped in front of her.

“Oh. Twilight, you got the Selfie Sensor working?” said Sunset as she posed for a photo only for the drone to hover away as it hid behind Twilight.

“O... kay. So, who's ready to take a ‘Best Friends’ picture?” asked Sunset as the girls were all looking at her with unease looks. “Uh-oh. What did I do?” said Sunset as she felt like the others were playing a joke but they weren’t. “Should we do it now, or... did you wanna swim first? How's the water?”

“Sunset Shimmer? Askin' to be in our ‘Best Friends’ picture? Heh. Now I've heard it all.” said Applejack.

“Am I missing the joke here?” said Sunset with a confused look.

“The only joke is whatever this is you're playing on us, acting all nice like you're our friend.” said Rarity.

“And it's not funny!” spoke Fluttershy from behind her friend.

“Because you aren't nice.” shouted Rainbow.

“And we ain't friends.” shouted Aj.

“Wait. What?!” said Sunset.

“You got applesauce in your ears? I said, we ain't friends!” said the country girl as she stepped forward.

“No that can’t be.” said Sunset as she was shaken by what she was hearing. “No, we are. Come on guys, don’t you remember all the duels we’ve had and the adventures we’ve had up to this point in our lives.”

“Yeah, you running roughshod and making everybody’s lives a living hell.” exclaimed Rainbow Dash. “I remember how you kept trying to pulverize me after our duel in the Fall Formal semi-final round. I saw the sick look on your face as you kept whaling on me after the duel ended as you enjoyed it!”

“No, that’s not what happened. I mean yes, I did that but I changed after that. This has to be a bad dream. Wake up, Sunset. Wake up!” said the girl to herself as she felt something pinch her. “Ow!”

“Nope. You're awake. Ow!” giggled Pinkie as she now pinched herself, “Me, too!”

“This can’t be. I know I changed, I’m not the same person you still think I am.” Sunset then reached into her bag as she pulled out her phone and looked at her pictures as she showed them to the group.

“This is right here, it’s the day after the Fall Formal where you all helped me to rebuild myself and get a new deck. This one, when we competed in the Friendship Games against Crystal Prep. The trip around the country we had during summer, how about that time we were trapped in cyberspace and had to deal with the Gamemaster or risk losing our minds. Any of this is ringing a bell to you all?” asked Sunset.

“Ever heard of photoshop?” said Rainbow Dash as she saw the photos.

“Why is she still talking to us?” asked Fluttershy as she felt extremely uncomfortable being near Sunset.

“Pinkie Pie, what about when I came to your place to plan Isaac’s birthday party."

“Ha! The closest you've ever come to a party of mine is freshman year, when you pretended to be Applejack and texted me, ‘Your party is lamer than a hungry duck in snow boots’.”

“Like I'd ever say that,” said the country gal.

“It really hurt my feelings.” stated the party girl.

“And it wasn't very nice to the ducks, either.”

“Come on, you know that was so long ago. And you know that I was there to help plan the party.” said Sunset as she turned to another one of the girls, “Twilight, you remember me, right? We've been through so much together. Please…”

“I only met you once, when you yelled at me at the Games in our duel.” said Twilight as she remembered the brutal attack that Sunset delivered to Twilight as it caused her glasses to crack.

“Come on, I’m not the same person!” pleaded Sunset as she addressed the girls. She then looked to the side as she saw Isaac, “Isaac? Please, tell them.”

Isaac just looked at her with a straight face, he then looked at the girls and then back Sunset as he did several takes. He then let out a sigh as he stood up and then approached the bacon-haired girl. He now stood in front of Sunset as she saw his face, Isaac had a smile on his face as it caused Sunset to have hope.

“Sunset, when I look into your eyes, I see you for who you truly are.” said the boy with a smile on his face. “A no good lying bitch!!!” shouted Isaac as it got Sunset’s face to drop as the boy now had a scowl on his face.

“No, not you too.” said Sunset as she took some steps back. “Please, Isaac. Remember. Remember what you’ve done for me, you gave me a second chance.”

“I gave you a chance and you turned it down.” said the boy as he still held a scowl.

“No, that can’t be.”

“Let me give you a refresher. Our battle at the Fall Formal, I defeated you. I extended my hand out to you to give you a second chance, and I thought that there was still good in you. I thought maybe you could atone for all the evil that you did. But the moment I extended my hand out, you swatted it away and then you vowed to get revenge. It was at the moment, I knew I was stupid to think that you could ever change.” said Isaac as he told the tale.

“No, that’s not what happened. I changed.” Sunset then pulled out her Red-Eyes card as she showed it to the boy. “You gave this to me, you did!”

“How the hell did you get that card?” asked Isaac as it was one of the cards he had collected over the years.

“You gave it to me! You gotta remember.” shouted Sunset.

“Like I would ever give you that card. You don’t deserve to hold it!” shouted Isaac.

“Doesn't anyone remember that I've changed?!” said Sunset as she still couldn’t believe what she saw in front of her eyes as the others just gave her some looks. She then thought of something, “Maybe not anyone. I'll be right back!” said the girl as she ran off.

“Good riddance,” said Isaac.

“Don't hurry back, darling!” said Rarity snootily.

Sunset was now under one of the lifeguard posts as she pulled out her book and began to write a message, “Dear Princess Twilight, this is gonna sound crazy, but... are we friends? Am I... nice? Please answer…” said the girl.

Soon something happened.

“Of course we're friends!” said Twilight as she replied back as Sunset let out a sigh of relief, “Are you okay? What's going on?”

“Kinda hard to explain. Might be easier in person. Well, not "person", so to speak…” replied Sunset.

Sunset was now at the school building as she was walking towards the statue. She made to look around to see if anybody was around; once the coast was clear, she put her hand on the statue as her hand fizzled and she was sucked into the portal as she swirled around in it. On the other side, Princess Twilight was pacing back and forth as she was anticipating waiting for her as soon the mirror came online as out emerged the girl as she was in her pony form.

“Twilight!”

“Sunset?”

“Aah! Oops!” said the unicorn as she was standing on her hind legs before landing on all four. “I was trying to hug you.” said the unicorn before giving her friend a hug.

“So, what's been happening?” asked the princess as Sunset told her.

“This is bad, Sunset. It's way beyond anything I've ever heard of,” said the princess as she and the unicorn were walking out of the room, “Although…”

“What?” asked Sunset.

“I just had an idea.”

“I'll do anything to get my friends back, Twilight.”

“Well, then. We got a little trip to make to Canterlot.” said the alicorn princess.

“Why? … Oh.” said Sunset as she realized what her friend was saying.

Soon both ponies were on a train ride to Canterlot as they prepared to meet with the princess of the sun and the moon. They arrived at the castle as they made their presence known in the throne room. Both princesses were just wrapping up some official royal business as they saw the pair enter the room. Both were ecstatic to see Sunset as she told them her problem and they all got to talking.

“I am not familiar with the exact spell that could have erased your friends' memories. But it sounds like Equestrian magic is at work in your world.” said Princess Celestia as all four of them were walking down the castle hall.

“How convenient.” said Sunset with an unamused look as she was starting to see this get repetitive.

“Hmm. Indeed. The toilings of this nefarious enchantment could portend unimaginable catastrophe if left unchecked.” said Princess Luna in a serious tone as Sunset was trying to hold back a laugh to which Twilight used her wing to slap her friend from chuckling.

“Sorry. I'm just used to hearing you say no student parking in the faculty lot. Heh-heh.” chuckled Sunset.

“This ‘faculty lot’ you speak of sounds like a place of great power.” said the nighttime girl as both Twilight and Sunset let out a giggle.

“The answers you seek are in the Canterlot Library.” said the sun princess as she lead all of them to the place.

Soon all four of them were now at the Canterlot Library as they hoped to find the answer to Sunset’s problem.

“There's over a million books in here.” said Sunset as she entered the place and took it all in as she didn’t know where to begin.

“I wish! But don't worry. You're looking at somepony who knows this place like the back of her hoof,” said Twilight in an excited voice, “Where are you going, Princess Celestia?”

“To the restricted section,” said Celestia nonchalantly.

“There's a... a reh... a reh... a reh... “ said Twilight as she was starting to hyperventilate.

“Breathe, Twilight.” said Sunset smugly.

Both rulers then approached a shelf as there were two books next to each other as one had a sun on the side with the other having a moon on it. Both then used their magic to pull it as the shelf moved to the side to reveal a hidden passage. Twilight’s jaw dropped as Sunset just smiled and put her friend’s jaw back up. Soon all four of them descended down the flight of stairs as they came to a door as both Luna and Celestia pulled it opened with their magic as both girls looked at it in awe as Twilight had the biggest gasp and look on her face as her mouth dropped and her eyes widen.

“Oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh-oh-my-gosh! So many books all unread! Ancient historical artifacts! I just... I thought...! I can't...!” said Twilight as she was wheezing heavily.

“You sure you're up for helping me go through all this stuff?” said Sunset with a sly expression on her face at seeing how her friend was acting.

“Don't take this away from me!” shouted Twilight as she said in an over dramatic voice.

“I should warn you, however. The archives' mechanical catalog has not been... well-maintained.” said Princess Celestia as Sunset approached it and pulled a lever only for smoke and dust to occur as the machine malfunctioned and fell apart as both girls coughed.

“Guess we'll have to read everything! C'mon!” said Twilight as she was excited with the biggest smile and eyes on her face as she couldn’t wait another moment as she flew up to the books. “No way! Can you believe they have Canterlot Cantabiles Volume Thirty-One? You heard me! Thirty-One! Sunset, that's when it gets goooooooood!” said the Princess as she let out a pleasure filled moan of sorts. “Over here! An original Windigo Weather Warning from the pre-Equestrian era! Oh, my goodness! I can't! I just can't!”

Sunset and Princess Celestia just let out a chuckle at how Twilight was acting as they let her be. Sometime later, Princess Twilight and Sunset were busy reading some books as the princesses had to leave to deal with some other royal affairs.

“Did you know Chancellor Puddinghead tried to pass a law mandating Earth ponies drink carrot juice at every meal? I do. Know that. Now.” said Sunset as she finished reading a book and let out a tired yawn.

“Awww. Sounds like you got to read all the fun books,” said the purple alicorn as she let out a yawn, “We should probably take a break from looking…”

Sunset agreed until…

“Because I found something! You're familiar with The Seven Trials of Clover the Clever?” asked Twilight as she put a chest on the table in front of them.

“Obviously. Why?” said the orange unicorn.

“Well, first of all, these date back to before the founding of Equestria. Look at this.” said Twilight as she pulled out a scroll.

“The Memory Stone. That sounds promising.” said Sunset as she listened to Twilight’s tale.

“It belonged to an evil sorceress who was practically invincible. With the Memory Stone, she could erase any memory from anypony. Even fragments of memories.”

“Fragments like... memories of me being nice?”

“Mm-hmm. Clover the Clever knew the sorceress had to be stopped and the Stone destroyed, so he chased her across land and sea. But every time he got close, the sorceress would erase his memory and escape. But he kept finding her.”

“How?” asked Sunset.

“These scraps of parchment. He secretly wrote everything down so he'd know what had happened and where to go next. Like a trail of breadcrumbs.”

“Clever! Ohhhh. Clover the— Yeah, got it.” said Sunset as she noticed the pun. “What happened on the other side of this portal?”

“The last page is missing. Clover must've hid it to keep anypony else from finding the Memory Stone. Sunset, what if the Memory Stone ended up in your world?” said Twilight.

“And someone is using it to make everyone hate me again?”

“But who?” said both girls in unison as they were thinking about it.

“Any idea?” asked the princess.

“Unfortunately, no.” said Sunset as she put her head down. She then thought back to something that Isaac mentioned the previous day.

“Forgotten- but not lost.” said Sunset.

“Huh?” said Twilight.

“Just something Isaac said before his memory was wiped. He talked about how memories are like a chain and that if it ever breaks apart, the links that connect still exist.” explained Sunset. “I don’t fully know what he means, but I think he was trying to say something.”

Back on the beach the girls were still having their fun. Twilight was laying down on a beach towel soaking in some rays when she lifted up a captain’s hat she was wearing as Pinkie stood in front of her and the others.

“We’ve been out here a while. Time to reapply!” said the party girl as she splattered the cupcake icing all over her body and zoomed away as the others all had confused looks.

“I've been thinking... Should we be worried about Sunset Shimmer?” asked Twilight.

“Yeah! Worried she comes back! I think it's a shame the way she's treating you, pretending to be your friend. She's obviously up to something. Sunset thinks the whole school exists just to serve her.” said a voice as it belonged to Trixie who was also sitting next to them on the beach.

“Water, please!” snapped Trixie as Snips gave her a water bottle while Snails fanned her with a leaf.

The girls just looked at Trixie and then at each other as they listened to that statement.

“You know, seeing as how the yearbook president seems to be having a little identity crisis, I believe that means the vice president takes over. And, why…,” Trixie then let out a gasp, “That's you, Rarity!”

“If this is your way of asking to be made ‘The Greatest and Most Powerful’, the answer is no.” stated the fashionista. “And didn't we have this conversation yesterday? I can't quite remember.” The others all gave their friends looks as they shrugged.

“Maybe we did, maybe we didn't. Memory is such a fickle thing. You never know when you'll forget something important. Like how Great and Powerful I am, which is why I need to be in the yearbook!” demanded Trixie.

“I'll think about it.” answered the marshmallow girl with a groan.

“That's all I ask.” said Trixie as she returned back to her chair.

“Hmm. Follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find what you are looking for.”

“What did you say, Twi?” asked Applejack as she overheard her friend mumbling.

“Nothing just, I have the strangest feeling about something. Like there was something that was said to us, yesterday.”

“Which was?” asked Fluttershy.

“Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach,” said Twilight.

“What does that mean?” asked Rarity.

“I… don’t know.” said Twilight as she was now confused on what she said. “I’m gonna go for a walk.” said the lavender girl as she excused herself.

Isaac was currently sitting on some rocks by the ocean as he was looking out at the sea. The wind was blowing in his face as his necklace blew in the breeze as he made sure his cap didn’t fly off. While he was looking outwards, he then pulled out his deck and looked at it. Ever since Sunset left, he kept looking at his cards and thinking about Sunset. Almost like there was something he was missing and then the words he spoke of yesterday regarding some "memories".

“To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose.” stated Isaac.

“Something troubling you, master?” asked Mahad as he appeared next to the boy.

“Just, thinking about something.”

“The incident regarding Ms. Sunset.” spoke Isaac’s magician.

“Yeah, for some reason she thinks we’re friends. Funny, she wasn’t acting like this when I offered her a chance. Must have really hitten rock bottom to be so desperate to have a friend. Guess what I said to her when we had our face to face was true; she's was nothing more than a fake-ass bitch.” said Isaac. He then continued to watch the waves with his monster as they crashed against the rocks he was sitting on.

“Well, better… ohh.” said Isaac as he fell down from his seat and landed on the sand below him.

“Are you okay, master?” asked Mahad.

“Yeah, I’m fine Mahad.” said Isaac as he lifted his head up as he felt something wrap around him.

Isaac looked and saw that someone was on top of him, more importantly it was Twilight as the boy could feel her breasts pushing against his chest as his girlfriend laid perfectly on top of him as she showed her face and smiled.

“Pardon me, master. But I shall leave you and Mistress Sparkle for some privacy.” said Mahad as he disappeared to allow his master to have some alone time with Twilight.

“Hey.” smiled Twilight.

“Hey.” responded Isaac as he lifted up Twilight’s hat to look at her face. “What…”

Twilight cut off Isaac as she pressed her lips to his as she cusped his face as Isaac wrapped his arms around his girlfriend’s body. They both closed their eyes as their mouths began to play with the other. Soon their hands began to move as Twilight explored and touched the body of her boyfriend to feel the parts of his muscles. Isaac then moved his hands downwards as he felt Twilight’s smooth legs as it got the lavender girl to let out a moan in her mouth as they were still kissing. He then continued until he made his way to her bottom as he could feel its firmness through her swimsuit as it really got the girl to squeak as she parted her mouth from his for a second to let out a noise. She then pressed it back as he continued and rubbed Twilight’s butt as the girl was in sexual heaven as her boyfriend was making her feel good. After a few moments, the pair pulled apart as they ran out of breath as they kept their foreheads connecting.

“I’m glad to have come with you here, today.” smiled Twilight.

“So am I.” responded Isaac as he captured her lips once more as they engaged in another make out session on the sand.

Meanwhile...

“I should be getting back to my world. Maybe I can convince my friends I'm telling the truth, now that I know what we're looking for.” said Sunset.

“The Memory Stone. I'll stay here and search the restricted section top to bottom until I find a way to get your friends' memories back.” informed Twilight as she gave Sunset a picture of it.

“If that's even possible.”

“Oh, it's possible. Even if I have to reorganize the whole library by subject. Or maybe chronologically! Oh! And fix the broken catalog machine…,” said Twilight as she cleared her throat as she realized she was going on a tangent, “I'll figure it out.”

“Thank you. Both of you.” said Sunset to the two alicorns.

“This is quite a contrast from the first time we parted ways. But you are not that way anymore. With every choice you make, you prove yourself to possess a kind heart.” said Princess Celestia.

“Well, I had help along the way.” smiled Sunset. With that she and Twilight began to leave as she needed to get back through the portal.

“It's been a grueling afternoon, but here we are: the final match! Next point wins! A hush falls over the crowd of ten thousand fans.” said Rainbow Dash in a sotto voice as she looked at Twilight’s drone which was recording the volleyball match about to take place.

“Go, sports!” said Twilight as she and Isaac had made their way back to their friends as she was sitting on her beach towel reading a book as Isaac sat next to her in a chair as he rolled his eyes at his girlfriend.

“I'm not holding back this time!” shouted Rainbow.

“That's what I'm afraid of.” squealed Fluttershy.

“Bring it on, Rainbow Dash! You and Rarity just bought your team a one-way ticket on the express train to You're Going Down!” said Pinkie with some attitude.

“Ooh. Nice game face, Pinkie Pie” complimented Rainbow.

“Thanks! I've been practicing all day.” stated the party girl as she waved at Isaac for those lessons as she looked at Twilight’s drone in front of her as she grabbed it, “Isn't that right, little baby camera?! You're in my house now!” said Pinkie as the drone flew away from and towards Twilight.

Spike then started to bark at the drone as he hopped out of her lap and then started to chase the floating device.

“Somebody's jealous.” said Rarity as she let out a small laugh as she came back to sit on her lounge chair.

“As if he could be jealous that someone else has Twilight all to themselves.” said Isaac as he hugged Twilight from behind and lifted her up as he sat her on his lap as he sat down on his chair as he booped her nose and gave her nibble on her ear as Twilight felt it to be ticklish.

“Please! Call me when the flying can opener learns how to fetch.” said Spike when the drone then placed an open can of dog food in front of the mutt. “You're the worst.” said the dog as he soon then began to munch on the food.

The game was then on as Rainbow was on a team by herself but she didn’t mind. She then jumped into the air as she served the ball with a hard hit as Fluttershy squealed in fright as she put her arms up to cover her head as the ball bounced off and it set up perfectly for Pinkie as she spiked it into the net for it to ricochet it to her face as it now went over the net and over Rainbow’s head as she tried to hit it back but trip over the sand and fell down as it landed just a few inches above her head.

“I think that’s game, set, match.” joked Isaac as Twilight and Rarity gave a small chuckle.

“Great news, guys! I figured it out. Someone's erased your memory with Equestrian magic! You don't remember, but we're still friends!” said Sunset as she returned from her trip as she addressed the group.

“She’s back again.” said Isaac as he got Twilight off his lap as he stood with the girls as they all had scowls on their faces.

“This is the Memory Stone. Do you recognize it?” asked Sunset to the group as all of them all still held their expressions, especially Isaac.

“Ugh. Right. Guess not. But look. See?” said Sunset as she pulled out her phone again to show some even more pictures of their time together, “This is proof! We are friends!”

“Ehh…” said the girls as they all mumbled.

“It’s not working, Sunset. So do us a favor, walk away, leave us be, and never show your face to us again.” stated Isaac as he took a step forward.

"Oh, please. This is the same girl who made people hand over their most valuable cards to her and she even tore them up in front of them.” said Trixie.

“Yeah, wait a minute! Is this supposed to be me making such a ridiculous face? Ha! I'd never fake a face like that!” said Pinkie as she held Sunset’s phone that had the picture of her making the face as she was currently doing it for a side-by-side comparison. “Preposterous! Fake, I say!”

“My work here is done. Trixie out!” cackled the girl as she threw a smoke bomb. As it disbursed as the girl was now at the top of the stairs as everybody looked at her with straight faces.

“And don't forget, Rarity! You promised to put me in the yearbook!” said Trixie.

“Wait! You did what?” said Sunset as she was surprised by that fact she took a step back as her foot stepped on the volleyball as it caused her to lose her footing and balance as her other foot on crushed Twilight’s drone as it caused the others to gasp as Twilight broke from Isaac’s arm as she raced over to check on her device.

“It was an accident! I can help fix it!” said Sunset.

“I think you've helped enough.” said Twilight.

“Twilight?”

“Take another step to her and you have to deal with me.” said Isaac as he now slid on his duel disk as it projected a gold card tray.

“Isaac?” said Sunset. “Please, just listen to me. I’m your friend; you saved me.” pleaded Sunset.

“Get away from her.” growled Isaac.

“Maybe this might be the only way.” Sunset then pulled out her duel disk from her saddle bag as she put it on and it projected a red card tray.

“Backup everybody, looks like we got a brawl on our hands.” said Rainbow as she and the girls all stepped back to let the two have space.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"Isaac, please. Don't do this." pleaded the girl.

"Stop talking, take your turn!" shouted Isaac.

Turn 1: Sunset

"Fine, I draw." said Sunset in a low tone. "I'll start by summoning my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight(1800/1600)." Sunset's monster then appeared as it stood front and center on her field.

"I'll then end my turn with one card facedown."

Turn 2: Isaac

"That's all, what a weak move. My draw!" shouted Isaac. "First thing is I'm activating the spell card, Joker's Straight! Now I discard one card from my hand so that I can special summon Queen's Knight(1500/1600) to the field from my deck while also adding King's Knight or Jack's Knight to my hand." Isaac now had his female monster on his field as his duel disk ejected his other knight card to his hand. "Then I can be able to immediately summon a monster after this effect, so I summon my King's Knight(1600/1400). And when King Knight's is on the field along with Queen's Knight, I can special summon Jack's Knight(1900/1000) from my deck. Rise up my knight!" shouted Isaac as he now had his trio of royal knights before him as they all touched their swords together.

"Next, I send my King's Knight to graveyard so that I can special summon my Arcana Triumph Joker(?/2000) from my hand!" shouted Isaac as he replaced his knight with a more powerful on as she swung her sword and lifted her shield as the sun shined off of it. "Now my Arcana Triumph Joker's ability, kicks in, now she gains 500 attack points for the combined total of cards in our hand. So since you're currently holding four and I hold 3 that means her attack right now is 3500!" said Isaac as his female knight boosted her stats.

"Now my knights time to attack, Arcana Triumph Joker attack her Gearfried!" shouted Isaac as his knight brought her sword down and took out Sunset's monster as she felt the attack.
Sunset's Life Points: 6300-

"Now Jack's and Queen's Knight give Sunset the royal treatment!" shouted the boy as his two other knights also unleashed their own attacks.

"AHH!!!" shouted Sunset as the attack was felt as she dropped to a knee as she had some scuffs on her attire and body.
Sunset's Life Points: 2900-

"With that I end my turn with a facedown. And now that we've reached the turn's end phase, my Joker's Straight spell card that I activated earlier now has the second effect resolves. Since it's in my graveyard, I can target one Light monster in my graveyard and shuffle it back into my deck, so I'll take my King's Knight." said Isaac as the card ejected for him to grab as he placed it on his deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "But that's not all, cause now I get to add Joker's Straight back to my hand." Isaac's spell card now ejected out for him to grab.

Turn 3: Sunset

"My draw, and I'll summon my Black Stone of Legend(0/0) then I'll activate its effect, so I tribute it so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon(2400/2000)!" said Sunset as she now had her star monster appear as it let out a roar. "Isaac, remember. You gave me this card, this is what symbolized our friendship, please remember."

"Your mind tricks is not gonna work, Sunset." said Isaac.

"Then maybe I need to blast you, Red-Eyes attack his Queen's Knight, Inferno Fire Blast!" shouted the girl as her dragon opened its mouth and then took out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 7100-

"With that I now place one card facedown and end my turn. Which means your Arcana Triumph Joker loses 500 attack points since there's one less card in my hand."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Like I give a damn!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card. "I now play The Warrior Returning Alive spell card to get back my Queen's Knight. Then from my hand I can special summon my Joker's Knight(2000/1000)." Out emerged another one of Isaac's new royal knights as this one wore a mask resembling the joker card in a poker deck. "By doing so it requires me to send one of my royal knights to the graveyard, so I'll send the King's Knight in my deck to the graveyard so that my Joker's Knight becomes its name. Then from my hand I summon Queen's Knight!" Once more Isaac had his knights on deck as Joker changed into King's Knight but still had the mask on his face.

"Even so, now your Arcana Triumph Joker is now very weak." said Sunset as Isaac's monster now only had 2500 attack points.

"Maybe so, but now I reveal my facedown, Joker's Wild! So by sending a spell card from my deck to my graveyard, that lists 'Queen's Knight, Jack's Knight, and King's Knight', my Joker's Wild takes on its effects. So I'll send my Face Card Fusion to the grave so that my trap copies its abilities. And with that done, it now activates so now I can fuse together my Queen's Knight's, Jack's Knight, and King's Knight!" Isaac's three monsters then appeared besides their master a vortex opened behind them as soon they were all sucked in a swirl of orange and purple colors as a new monster emerged. "I Fusion Summon, Arcana Knight Joker(3800/2800)!!" shouted Isaac as his new warrior appeared as he wielded a huge sword and had a shield on his right arm.

"Oh no." said Sunset as she looked at Isaac's new monster.

"I ain't done, cause now I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards. Now Arcana Triumph Joker has a total of 3000 attack points. Attack Red-Eyes!" shouted the boy as his warrior leaped high into the air as it brought its sword down on the dragon as it sliced it in half clean and exploded.
Sunset's Life Points: 2300-

"Finish her!" shouted Isaac as he commanded his Arcana Knight Joker to deal the final blow.

"I reveal my facedown, Drowning Mirror Force! So now all your attack positions monsters are shuffled back into your deck." said Sunset.

"What a pathetic move!" shouted Isaac. "I activate Arcana Knight Joker's effect, so by sending a trap card in my hand to the graveyard, I can negate all other cards of the same type. So your facedowns don't mean shit!" yelled the boy as Sunset's cards were render useless.

"No, but..." Sunset then saw the monster in front of her as he delivered a downward slash. "AHHH!!!!" screamed Sunset as she fell to her knees.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"I didn't even have to use my magicians to make you lose." stated Isaac with the scowl on his face.

"No..." said Sunset as she picked herself off of the sand, "No, I won't let it happen. Isaac, duel!" shouted the girl as she quickly reactivated her duel disk.

"You just don't know when to quit." chuckled Isaac. "Fine, I got no problem kicking your ass again." Isaac then reactivated his duel disk.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start, draw!" shouted Isaac. "I summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800). Then I'll place one card facedown."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My draw, and now I'll play the ritual spell card Dark Dragon Ritual so I now send my Red-Eyes Retro Dragon so that I can ritual summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)!" Sunset's new monster emerged as both rider and dragon were all black as they wore even darker armor. "Now Paladin attack his Magician's Valkyria!" shouted the girl as her monster flew into the sky and raised its lance as it took out Isaac's magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 7700-

"Next I'll activate my Paladin's special ability, so I tribute it to summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon from my deck!" shouted the girl as her monster was now on the field.

"I then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll play Magician's Robes(700/2000) in defense mode."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll play my Black Stone of Legend and then tribute it so that I can special summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000) from my deck." Sunset now had another dragon rise up as it let out a cry as it joined it fellow comrade. "Now Red-Eyes attack his Magician's Robes!" commanded Sunset as her dragon fired a fireball as it took out Isaac's monster.

"Before my Magician's Robes is destroyed, I'll activate its effect, so I send my Dark Magic Curtain to the graveyard so that I can special summon from my deck, my ever faithful companion, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now had his ultimate wizard appear.

"In that case, I'll lay a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My draw, and I now summon my Magician's Rod(1600/100). And by doing so when its summoned, I get to add a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card to my hand." Isaac then used his duel disk screen as he selected the card he wanted as it slid out for him to grab. "Then since I control a Level 4 or below monster on my field, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode." One of Isaac's kid magicians rose up as she had her book in her hand and opened it up as inside was a card. "And when Mage Annette is summoned, I get one card from my deck."

"Is this the one you're looking for Isaac?" asked Mage Annette as she walked towards her master holding her book.

"It is, thanks Annette." said Isaac as he bent down to meet his magician at her level as he picked her up and gave her a loving hug as he gave the kid girl a kiss on her cheek as he put her down as she got back into position.

"With that, I end my turn with another facedown."

Turn 6: Sunset

"It's my turn," said Sunset but when she drew her card, her arm hurt a bit from their last duel a few moments ago, "Nevermind, I play the spell Advanced Ritual Art so now I can use it to ritual summon any monster simply by sending cards from my deck to my graveyard, so I'll send my Dark Blade and Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight so that I can ritual summon my Lord of the Red(2400/2100)!" Out emerged a humanoid dragon as it stood on his hind legs as he had flames coming from his claws.

"Now to attack, Red-Eyes B. Dragon attack his Mage Annette and my Lord of the Red will take out your Magician's Rod!" shouted Sunset as both of her monsters took out Isaac's two monsters.
Isaac's Life Points: 6500-

"With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn and now I'll reveal my Magic Formula so that I can give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points."

"I now activate my Lord of the Red's special ability, since you activated a spell card, my monster can now destroy one card on the field and it can also take out one spell/trap so now both your Magic Formula and monster are gone." said Sunset.

"My Magic Formula yes, but not my magician. Cause since you targeted my Dark Magician with an effect, I can now special summon Palladium Oracle Mana(2000/1700) from my hand. And now Mana's effect means that my Level 7 or high spellcasters can't be destroyed by card effects." said Isaac as the spirits of his Dark Magician Girl appeared as she was in her old Egyptian attire.

"Maybe, but she isn't so I'll destroy her instead." said Sunset as she still took out Isaac's monster and his Magic Formula.
Isaac's Life Points: 7500-

"Since my Magic Formula was destroyed, I gain 1000 life points. And since Mana was destroyed, I can now summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand, deck, or graveyard." said Isaac as his female magician appeared next to her teacher and master as she did her usual thing of giving Isaac a kiss on the cheek to show her affection to the young teenager.

"I knew about your monster's effect which is why I baited it out so that I can do this, from my hand I play Dark Burning Attack so now I can nuke your entire field!" shouted Isaac as his two magicians took out Sunset's entire field as she was left with nothing. "Then I banish my Magician's Rod and Magician's Valkyria from my graveyard so that I can special summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)!" Isaac held his card up high as out came a warrior dressed in armor as he had a sword and shield by his side as he had a fierce look.

"This isn't good, I'm wide open." said Sunset as she had a worried look on her face.

"Oh, believe me, this isn't what I have planned for you." said Isaac in a menacing tone. "I now tribute all three of my monsters!" Isaac's monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they combined together and conversed into the card that their master was holding high up as he soon brought it down as he closed his eyes and chanted.

"No... Isaac... don't..." pleaded Sunset.

"Oh mighty protector of the Sun in the sky, I beg of thee, please hear my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game."

"Please don't finish that chant!" shouted Sunset as she was afraid at what was coming.

Isaac then opened his eyes as he finished the saying, "But first I shall, call out thy name! Winged Dragon of Ra!!!" Soon a bright yellow light enveloped the whole field as it caused everybody to shield their eyes. Soon a giant yellow orb appeared as it descended onto the battlefield. Then a yellow glow appeared as it started to unlock as The Winged Dragon of Ra emerged from its sphere and soon it was on the field as it let out a cry.

"An Egyptian God?!" said Sunset as she was legit scared for her life. She looked at Isaac as he raised his arm up as he prepared to give his monster its command. "Isaac, don't!"

"I activate the Winged Dragon of Ra's special ability!"

"No! Please!"

"I give up all but one of my life points and the rest get transferred over to Ra!" shouted the boy as his monster powered up.

"Please, I'm your friend!!" said Sunset as she dropped to her knees.

"No you're not!! Take her out!" shouted Isaac as his Egyptian God then opened its mouth and fired off a very powerful beam of energy as it hit Sunset square in the chest as she couldn't put her arms up to protect herself.

"AHHH!!!!" shouted Sunset as she tumbled onto the sand as her clothes were full of the material as she had some more scuffs along her body.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Remember what you said to me about bullies during our battle at the Fall Formal. That if you try to get back up and stand against them, that bully is going to make sure that you don't get up ever again. So for your own sake, Sunset. Stay down!" shouted Isaac.

"Never..." said Sunset as she struggled to get back on her feet as her body was aching a bit. "You... taught me... to never give up... to fight for friendship..." Sunset was now on one knee as she was taking deep breaths as she willed her body to stand up. "So... like you said... I... won't... give... up!" screamed Sunset as she activated her duel disk once again to project her card tray.

"You really are a dumb bitch." stated Isaac as he activated his duel disk once more as he was going to end this little dance once and for all. Time to end you, Sunset.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"My... turn... draw!" shouted Sunset as she drew her card as it was surrounded in a red light as she was tapping into her magic. "I play Polymerization so fuse together my Red-Eyes Black Dragon and Summoned Skull!" Sunset held both of the monsters in her hand as they appeared beside their mistress' side as they entered a vortex of orange and purple as a new monster emerged. "I... Fusion Summon! Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" shouted Sunset as her new monster let out a roar.

"Then I play Fusion Recovery so that I can take back my Red-Eyes and Polymerization from my deck. Then I play Pot of Greed to draw 2 more cards. Now I play Polymerization once more so that I can fuse my Red-Eyes B. Dragon with my Meteor Dragon!" Once more Sunset was tapping into her magic as she was pulling out everything. "I Fusion Summon, Meteor B. Dragon(3500/2800)! Now I summon my Black Stone of Legend and then activate its ability to tribute is so that I can special summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon. Lastly, I'll play Monster Reborn to bring back my Red-Eyes from the grave!" shouted Sunset as the magic flowed through the girl as she shined red as it infused with her soul.

"I... I..." Sunset couldn't continue with what she wanted to say.

Turn 2: Isaac

"You're done, Sunset." said Isaac in a menacing tone as he drew his card as now his magic activated in an instant as Sunset saw this and got scared. She saw the magic Isaac possessed as well as the demon inside of him as it merged with the boy to grant power. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 2 Sleight of Hand Magician and Scale 8 Mirage Magician, I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"Then I activate my Cards of Sanctity so now we draw till we're holding six cards in our hand. Now let's get to it, I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 3 through 7 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as lights came out of the giant portal above him.

"Sing us a melodious song, Enchantress of Melody(900/1800). Get ready to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4). Watch out, cause she's a bit of a jokester, meet my Black Arts Trickster(1200/2700, Scale 2, Level 3). Batten down the hatches and drop anchor, it's my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4). And lastly, the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" said Isaac as his star monster was now on the field. For Isaac he was now channeling the inner power that was passed onto him by certain people.

"What... is..." started Sunset.

"To start, I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability, since I have 5 monsters on my field, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." said Isaac as his options appeared in front of him. He then touched the card he wanted as it appeared in front for him to grab. "Now my Sorcerer Swordsman's ability activates, since he was Pendulum summoned, I can now lower one of your monsters attack points to zero." said Isaac as he looked at his male teen magician as he lowered Archfiend Black Skull Dragon's attack. "Now I'll activate my Enchantress of Melody which allows me to roll a die and then I can either increase or decrease a monster's level by what number it lands on from 1-3." said Isaac as die appeared in his hand as he grabbed. Soon his Enchantress of Melody put her hand over her master's as she looked at him with a smile.

"Dice Roll!!" shouted Isaac and his monster as both of them tossed the die in the air. The die then rolled as it bounced a bit before it landed on a side. "With that number 1, I'll decrease my Enchantress' level so now she's Level 2." said Isaac as his monster used her musical instrument as she changed her own level. "Now time to activate my Sleight of Hand Magician's pendulum ability, twice per turn he can change the level of a monster on my field to match that of another. So Sleight of Hand, use your cards tricks and change my Sorcerer Swordsman and Black Robe Mentalist so that they match my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac.

"No... way!" said Sunset in awe as she looked at Isaac's magic growing more powerful as it made hers pale in comparison.

"I activate my Black Arts Trickster's special ability which allows me to send one of your monsters to the graveyard, so that I can bring back a monster from my graveyard for one turn. So say goodbye to your Meteor B. Dragon!" Black Arts Trickster then twirled her wand as she made a magical box appear around Sunset's monster. She then approached it as she gave a sexy wink and pulled back the box and out came Isaac's Dark Magician.

"Mahad, let's take down Sunset once and for all!"

"Yes, master!" said Mahad as he took his stance.

"Now I'll play the spell card, Eye of Timaeus!" shouted Isaac as he held his card up high as a bright white light came from it. "I Fusion Summon! Dark Magician the Dragon Knight(3000/2500)!" Out emerged Isaac's monster as his magician rode on the back of Timaeus as he wielded a sword as it let out a roar.

"Pendulum, Fusion, Synchro, and Xyz?!" said Sunset in awe. "No... no... no!"

All of Isaac's magicians stood beside their master as he glowed a rainbow coloring as Sunset's magic was now fading and being absorbed by Isaac's essence as he was using it as his own. Isaac then raised his arm out and he snapped his fingers as all of his monster raced forward as they were given their command as they combined their weapons together and shot a powerful attack that was covered in rainbow coloring as it headed towards Sunset who had nothing as her monster and her were hit.

"AAAHHH!!!!" shouted Sunset as she was thrown onto the sand hard as this time she was down for the count as her body hurt a bit but the magic that surrounded her made sure to protect her from suffering any serious damage.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac(OTK)

Isaac deactivated his duel disk as he knew that Sunset wasn't going to get up again. The girls were now heading back to their activities as they had seen enough; Isaac looked at Sunset as she lifted her head up and looked at the boy as she had tears falling down her cheeks from her eyes. Isaac still held a straight face as he looked at the girl, Sunset tried to stand up but this time her body told her no as she couldn't move. In front of her a few feet away was her Red-Eyes B. Dragon card as she extended her arm out to try to retrieve it as her dragon was calling out to its mistress. It was but fingertips away when Isaac bent down and picked up the card as he looked at it and then at Sunset as her face was begging him to give her the card.

"This... is mine." said Isaac as he pocketed the card that he gave Sunset long ago as he started to walk away.

"No... Isaac... please..." cried Sunset as she realized that she truly was all alone and had no friends.

Sunset then sat on the sand as she dusted her clothes of the mineral as she saw her friends having fun. All of it made her sad, she then turned to look at Trixie who was still watching from the steps as she had decided to watch the duels with Isaac. She then smiled smugly as she left, for Sunset she had an angry look at the girl, but it soon soften as the pain both physically and emotional came to her as she clutched her arm and left the beach as she had no one left.

Chapter 178: Chain of Memories

The weekend went by as everybody at school was going about their day. Well, the situation was a familiar feeling that everybody hadn’t felt in a long time. Sunset had arrived at school as almost everybody was fearful of her as they feared what she may do. While she did her best to try to get everybody to understand that she wasn’t a bully, they didn’t buy it or they just ran away from her. She did manage to bump into the others as they all looked at her, as soon as she saw Isaac, she was reminded of their duels on the beach as she clutched her arm and walked away. She also looked at her deck as she could feel her Red-Eyes calling out as her deck was incomplete without it.

Sunset was closing her locker as she was making her way to class as she passed by some other students in the hallways as they looked at the girl and gave her some looks as they mumbled about her in small talk. Some just ran for their lives to avoid getting in her way. She was too busy trying to avoid looking at anybody that she didn’t pay attention as she bumped into Micro Chips as the boy fell down. Sunset offered her hand to help the boy to which he reached into his back pocket and pulled out some cash as he placed it in her hand. Sunset was shocked by this as she looked at the money in her hand as it got her to be angry.

“I don't want your lunch money!” shouted Sunset as she picked Micro Chips up and gave it back to the boy as she let her temper out, “I'm not mean! Got it?! I'm not mean!” yelled the girl as the other students in the hallway all left to avoid pissing her off anymore.

Sunset then saw Trixie who was near her locker as she was reminded of what happened on Saturday. She then slammed the locker door shut as it got Trixie’s attention.

“So... here we are.”

“Here we do are.” said Trixie as she had to think about what she just said while trying to stand her ground against Sunset.

[intense showdown music]

“You really want to do this here in the hallway in front of everyone?” asked Trixie.

“Up to you,” said Sunset.

Everybody around them was watching as they felt like something was about to go down and get downright physical. Trixie then reached into her locker as she pulled out an object.

“Behold! Canterlot High School's Greatest and Powerfullest Student! If a seven-scale mockup doesn't convince you, I don't know what will.”

“Where's the Memory Stone? You turned my friends against me just because I wouldn't put you in the yearbook as the Greatest and Powerfullest?! ‘Powerfullest’ isn't even a word!” said Sunset as she got in the face of Trixie.

“What are you talking about?” asked Trixie as she was dumbfounded.

“It's not a word!”

“No. What Memory Stone?”

“The one you used to erase everyone's memory, you manipulative... bitch!” said Sunset.

“A stone that could make everyone forget all the bad tricks I've done...?” said Trixie as she was intrigued by that idea, “Which is no tricks. Your puny rock pales in comparison to the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“I don't believe it. You have no idea what I'm talking about.”

“I... don't. Sorry.” said Trixie as Sunset let out a groan. “Did somebody really erase everyone's memories of you?”

“Mm-hmm.” said Sunset as she slumped against the lockers.

“And even though we all know you're the Biggest Meanie, you're saying you're not mean anymore?” stated Trixie as she sat a few inches away from Sunset against the lockers.

“It's complicated.”

“So you have this idea of who you're supposed to be, but no one at school sees you that way. Is that it? Trust me. I get it.”

“Ha. I can't believe the only person who believes me is the one I called a manipulative bitch. Sorry.” apologized Sunset.

“I took it as a compliment.” smiled Trixie, “Let me help you find the Stone.”

“What's in it for you?” asked Sunset to which her answer was a smug smile, “No way. Absolutely not!”

“Well, if you'd rather go on being the Biggest Meanie, that's fine by me.” said Trixie as Sunset knew she had no other choice.

“I've looked everywhere! Why can't I find the missing pages? I've always been good to you, library!” shouted Princess Twilight as she let out her frustrations and planted her face on the desk as it knocked over something.

“This is it!” said Twilight with a gasp as Princess Celestia was also present, “The last piece was in a secret compartment! Clover the Clever buried the Stone! This rock formation must be somewhere in the other world. But it doesn't say how to get your memories back.” Twilight then zoomed over to the book as she began to read from it, "Perhaps if I had destroyed the Stone right away, some of my memories could have returned. But when the sun sets by the third day after a memory has been taken, it is erased forever."

“You must warn Sunset Shimmer at once,” said Princess Celestia.

“So, where should we start... partner?” asked Sunset with a sly smile.

“How about with what I call you? I'm thinking of the Great and Powerful Trixie's... Pretty Decent Assistant-Detective-Helper Person.” said the girl.

Both then began to walk from Sunset’s locker as she failed to realize it was glowing as Princess Twilight had sent her a message.

Isaac was currently walking through the halls as he waved to some of the other students as he opened his locker and out came a Duel Monsters card as it landed on the ground as it was Sunset’s Red-Eyes, correction, his Red-Eyes that somehow Sunset had gotten her hands on. Isaac just reached over to grab it when something came rushing to his head as he clutched it.

"When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another- and then another and then another. Our memories are connected. Many pieces are linked together like they’re linked in a chain- that makes up each of us. And even if the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there, right? So the memory of our promises and time with each other, will always be inside of you somewhere. I’m sure of it. We might forget about where we’ve been or what things we’ve seen, but we won’t forget who our friends are. Forgotten- but not lost.”

“Memory?” said Isaac as his head was ringing when his eyes flashed something to him.

(Memory)

“This helps because next I'm going to summon out the card you gave me. Time to see how well I handle it, I tribute to summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Sunset then played the card that Isaac had given her; out came a dragon that was black from head to toe. It's eyes had a shade of red and when it opened its mouth the scent of molten lava covered the entire field as it let out a growl and a roar.

"Hang on, Sunset? I..."

“I'll tell you what, I really want to thank you guys for your help. I've got a bunch of great selections, but I've made my choice. This individual I feel deserves to have this opportunity to face me for this title. After what has been nearly a crazy school year, I feel like this person deserves the opportunity to showcase how far they've come since they began. Their journey is one that I feel should be recognized and well it showcases that a person can change if they are given the opportunity. Now if she should choose to select me and accept my challenge, well... I..." The crowd leaned in as Isaac was about to make his decision. "I select Sunset Shimmer."

Isaac took Sunset's gift and his eyes grew a bit. Sunset's gift was a poster, but not just any poster. It was a poster of Isaac's idol as it had his signature and everything. Isaac knew how rare this was, not to mention expensive. "How... How did you get this? This is a one of a kind, limited edition poster. These things are hard to find, let alone pretty pricey."

"Let's say that I did some digging on the internet and found a copy online. All I had to do to win it was beat the guy who owned it in a duel." smiled Sunset. "I know how much it means to you."

"I can't even describe how I'm feeling, thanks Sunset."

(End of Memories)

“Ahh!” said Isaac as he fell on his bottom as he still held the card. “What was that?” asked the boy as he put his hand to his head. “It felt like a hidden memory, but how can that be if I don’t remember them? And yet, they feel… real.” Isaac just shook it off as he looked at the card and then put it in his pocket as he closed his locker door.

The café was full of students as at a nearby table were the girls all chatting about as Sunset had to watch from afar at a different table as she wanted to avoid any more conflict.

“A cafeteria full of suspects, two detectives, and only one Memory Stone. Seems impossible, but so does pulling a rabbit out of a hat, and I do that all the time. Let's talk motive. Who here hates you enough to erase everyone's good memories of you?” asked Trixie as she sat down next to Sunset.

“If you go back far enough... everyone.” said the girl as she let out a sigh.

“Known enemies: all." wrote Trixie.

The pair then made a stop by the nurse’s office as Trixie opened the door with conviction that the thermometer dropped from Bulk Bicep’s mouth.

“G-G-Good afternoon, ladies. Y-You feeling okay?” asked Nurse Redheart.

“That depends on how well you answer my questions. Has anyone come in complaining of memory problems in the last few weeks?” asked the illusionist girl.

“Not that I can recall…” said the nurse.

“You can't recall?” said Trixie before addressing her partner, “We're too late!” spoke the girl as Sunset just rolled her eyes.

Micro Chips was in the school library when he saw the reflection of Trixie and Sunset on the screen of his computer as he got nervous and then pulled out something from his backpack.

“Aah! Will you accept a half-chewed carrot stick?”

“What? Ew! I told you I don't want your lunch money, and I definitely don't want your lunch.” said Sunset.

“Speak for yourself. Mmm, thanks.” said Trixie as she grabbed the veggie and began to eat it, “Word around school is you know a lot about erasing memory.”

“I erased a ton of memory just this morning.” said Micro Chips.

“You did?!”

“Four terabytes of quantel-accelerflex memory to be precise.” said the boy as she showed the device to the girls as they just rolled their eyes and left. “How come no one's ever impressed by that?”

“Is there anything you can tell us about it? Anything at all?” asked Sunset as they had managed to track another person with whom they thought could help.

“I can't tell much from a drawing.” said Maud Pie in a deadpanned tone.

“Okay.” said Sunset as she took back the piece of paper.

“Only that it's felsic-intrusive igneous, granular in texture, most likely arranged in an equigranular matrix, with scattered biotite mica and amphibole, at least sixty-five percent alkali feldspar by volume, with a melting point of twelve-fifty centigrade, plus or minus ten degrees. Sorry I couldn't be more helpful.” continued Maud as she went off rambling as Trixie and Sunset slowly walked away.

They were now in a classroom trying to figure out their next move.

“Sure, it seems like we've only come up with dead ends. But I mean, it could be worse?”

“It's worse.” said Sunset as she let out a sigh as she looked out of the window.

“Good as new! Best Friends yearbook group picture, take two, #36A, attempt eight!” said Twilight as she programmed her drone a bit better.

“Twilight, darling. Shouldn’t we wait for Isaac?” asked Rarity.

“He said he had to take care of some things, but he did say we could take the photo without him. Don’t worry, we’ll take a brand new one with all of us later.” assured the bookworm as she then looked up at the window and saw Sunset as it caused her to have a sad expression that matched Sunset’s.

“Best friends!” said the girls as their photo was taken as Sunset stormed off unhappy.

Sunset was looking at the photo the girls had uploaded into the computer as she was in the Yearbook room.

“Oh, stop looking at that. You're just going to wind yourself up. You can't think if you're wound up. Oh, think, Trixie!”

“I wanted to come in here and see who we're missing,” said Sunset as she let out a sigh, “But we've talked to everyone, A to Z.”

“Wait; Not pictured: Wallflower Blush’. Who's Wallflower?” asked Trixie.

“I'm right here, you know.” said the girl as she happened to be sitting literally on the farest seat to their right.

“Uh, who are you?” asked Trixie as she had no clue.

“Wallflower. I've known you since third grade.” stated the girl bluntly.

“Ahh! I remember third grade. Not you specifically, but what a grade it was. The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie debuted her disappearing frog trick. You know, a lot of people don't realize how much work goes into raising tadpoles. You really have to coddle them…” yammered Trixie as she went on as Sunset noticed her book shining from her saddle bag as she silently opened it.

“Sunset, we think the Memory Stone was buried under this rock formation. And if you don't destroy the Memory Stone by the time the sun sets today, all those memories will be erased forever.” wrote Princess Twilight as she was communicating with the girl.

“How am I supposed to find a rock formation that looks... like... that rock formation?! That'll work.” said Sunset as she had an idea pop into her head.

Meanwhile, Isaac was once again walking in the hallways as he had to meet with the girls to take their “Best Friends” photo. However, the incident that occurred this morning still plagued his mind as he couldn’t get it out of his head. Soon he clutched his head as more of the same thing happened.

(Memory)

“Well, I have one person to thank and that's Isaac. He gave me a second chance when nobody else would; eventually I repented for all my troubles and mischief. Then Isaac gave me my Red-Eyes Black Dragon as he said it represented my untapped potential." Sunset then pulled out her deck and looked at it.

“Well, I gave my reason. You're a different person from when we met; you've undergone a lot of stuff that has morphed you into the young lady I see standing before me. There's nobody else who I want to share the dueling field than with you. I chose you Sunset because I want to face you. I want to see what you can do, no magic, no smoke and mirrors, just a straight up duel. I want to see if you've learned anything since turning over a new leaf."

"You're right, things are different this time. I'm no longer some girl who's lonely and just finding a way to take her anger out on everybody else. This time I fight with passion, I fight with a purpose in life. I can't thank you enough; Isaac, you're the reason why I'm standing here as who I am. If you didn't stop me, when you did. Who knows how different this place might have been? And I like to think that you beating was the best thing that could have happened; but you also know me as someone who doesn't like to lose. Even if that person is someone who I deeply care about and I would pour my heart and soul out cause everytime I step on the field with you, I feel alive. I feel free knowing that I can be myself and just go all out, and it's all thanks to one person: You. So from the bottom of my heart, thank you." stated Sunset.

"Listen, I'm sorry for how I acted. I... I... just couldn't help it. It was messing with my mind."

"And I'm grateful to have someone like you in my life. Thanks, Isaac." smiled Sunset as she brought the colt into a hug.

(End of Memory)

“Ahh.” said Isaac as he let out a sound as he put his hand on the wall as he clutched his head.

What is happening to me? It’s like these memories are trying to tell me something, but how can they if I don’t remember these moments. Isaac was wrestling with his thoughts, soon his deck glowed as out emerged his Black Robe Mentalist as she could sense her master struggling with his mind.

“Calm down, Isaac.” said Black Robe Mentalist. “I can feel your mind, it’s trying to tell you something.”

“But what?!” shouted Isaac as the headache was starting to get worse.

“Let me see.” said the goth magician as she floated in front of her master as she intertwined her left hand with Isaac’s and placed her right hand on his cheek as it glowed with magic. She then pressed her forehead to make contact with Isaac’s as she had her eye closed while Isaac’s eyes light up in white.

Isaac’s mind was normal as it could be whenever Black Robe Mentalist entered the mind of her master in the past. Yet for some strange reason she too could feel a disturbance of sorts, but she couldn’t figure out where it was coming from. She then concentrated even harder as she closed her eyes to mediate in the middle of her master’s brain. Soon she started to chant a spell of sorts as she made a copy of herself as it was made up of magical energies as she believed if she followed the trial then it would lead her to the source of the problem. Her copy then followed the trial as it seemed to be coming from outside of her master’s brain, so it exited Isaac’s mind as it followed the trail. Soon the trail came to a destination as it was coming from the Yearbook room. It phased through the door as it listened to the conversation that was happening.

“Can I ask a silly question, Wallflower? Where did you take that lovely photograph?” asked Sunset.

“Oh. That's my garden. Well, the school's garden, technically. I'm the president of the Gardening Club. I founded it, too. I'm also the only member. And the only one who's ever been to the garden. Or seen it. Or even asked about it.” explained the girl.

“You're not really into other people, huh?” stated Trixie bluntly.

“I was maybe going to add this picture somewhere in the yearbook. What do you think?”

“Sorry. Sunset doesn't let anyone put things in her yearbook. No matter how much they deserve them.”

“No! You should do that, Wallflower. Uh, so don't let us keep you from working on it.”

“What?! The Great and Powerful Trixie is... annoyed and insulted!”

“I sense the presence flowing from that girl. But I can’t physically probe her mind.” said Black Robe Mentalist. She then looked at Sunset as she got an idea. “Pardon, me Ms. Sunset. But I just need to use you for a few seconds.” Black Robe Mentalist then entered Sunset’s mind as Sunset didn’t notice except that her hand was moving on its own and then grabbed Wallflower’s arm.

“What are you...?” asked Wallflower

“I don’t know…” was all Sunset said too as soon her eyes widened and turned white.

“Success, now let’s see what’s in your mind.” said Black Robe Mentalist as she began to work her magic. Even though she was in control of Sunset’s mind temporarily, it seemed that Sunset herself was also receiving the same images that Isaac’s magician was seeing.

“Why should you notice me? After all, you're Sunset Shimmer. Everybody loves you now,” said Wallflower as she let out a sigh, “Why can't they see you haven't changed?” The girl then got an idea as she grabbed her bag and went to her garden. She then pulled out the stone and the scroll with it as she closed her eyes and concentrated as it began to respond to her as soon all the memories of the girls were taken away, even her masters.

“Impossible.” said Black Robe Mentalist as soon she felt the power of the stone through the memories as soon it came at her as it pushed her out of Sunset’s mind and all the way back to her real self in Isaac’s mind as she let out a scream.

“AHHH!” screamed Black Robe Mentalist as the hood of her cloak came off as Isaac saw his magician in pain.

“Are you okay? Talk to me.” asked Isaac as he was concerned for his friend.

“Master, Sunset...” said the goth magician as Isaac looked at her with a weird look.

Meanwhile…

“You erased everyone's memories?” said Sunset as she could see the same images that Isaac’s magician saw but she didn’t know she had invaded her mind.

“Uh... Yes.” said Wallflower with conviction.

“Wait. Who are you again?” asked Trixie.

Wallflower Blush then turned her back to look at the computers as she looked at a picture of the gang as they were smiling.

You don't see me fitting in
I'm sitting here alone
Right beside my shadow
Always on my own

If I could share my wildest dreams
Maybe they would see
I'm more than just a wallflower
There's so much more to me

I'm invisible, invisible
A droplet in the mist
Invisible, invisible
It's like I don't exist

Right beneath my picture
This is what you'll read
A laundry list of nothings
Not likely to succeed

A yearbook with blank pages
That no one wants to sign
A memory forgotten
Until the end of time

While Wallflower was singing, Sunset noticed she had left her bag unprotected. And based on the visions she saw when Isaac’s magician was using her mind, she knew that it was inside. So while the girl was busying singing her heart out, she quietly grabbed her bag and hide behind the counter as Trixie saw this and covered the view of Sunset. However as soon as Sunset opened the zipper of the backpack, Wallflower saw what she was doing as she interrupted her own song.

“Hey! What are you doing?!” asked the girl as she tried to grab the bag from Sunset as they struggled in a tug of war.

“What did I do to you?! Honestly, I don't even know you!”

“Exactly! You had everyone fooled, but now they know you're still... the Biggest Meanie!” shouted Wallflower Blush.

“You're about to see how mean I can get!” said Sunset as she wasn’t playing around.

“Whoa! Whoa-whoa-whoa-whoa! Let's not antagonize the person with the all-powerful mystery rock!” said Trixie as she
reminded Sunset who really had the upper hand.

“I don't like confrontation. Let's just... forget this ever happened!” said Wallflower as she pulled out the stone.

“Don't erase—!” shouted Sunset as a white light enveloped the room.

Soon the white light disappeared and Wallflower was long gone.

“Huh? What was I saying? I'm sure it was something brilliant. Also,” Trixie let out a gasp as she looked at the clock, “How is it already three o'clock? Why won't this door open? And what are we even doing here?”

“I... don't remember.” said Sunset.

“Is anybody out there? Somebody open the door!” shouted Sunset as she banged against the door. “If we don't get outta here and figure out who has the Stone, in a few hours, it'll be too late to restore everyone's memories. I'll lose my friends forever.”

“How are we supposed to catch someone who can erase our memory every time we get close to catching them?” asked Trixie.

“By being clever!” said Sunset as she pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.

“Wha?” said Trixie.

“I wrote myself a note. ‘Check the video’." read Sunset as she then went to the table that had Twilight’s drone on it. “Yes! It's been recording this whole time!”

“Twilight's camera? What are you talking about?” asked Trixie.

“I don't remember doing it, but I must have realized our memories would get erased, so I pressed record!” said Sunset as she grabbed the video and pressed play.

“That's my garden.” said Wallflower Blush on the video.

“Who's that?”

“Wallflower Blush.” said Sunset as she answered Trixie’s question.

“Name's not ringing a bell,” said Trixie.

“You don't see me fitting in…” said Wallflower as it appeared the video also caught her singing. “Ugh.” said Trixie as she pushed the fast forward button on the video. “Long song, huh?”

“What did I do to you?! Honestly, I don't even know you!” said Sunset on the video.

“Exactly! You had everyone fooled, but now they know you're still the Biggest Meanie!” said Wallflower Blush on the video.

“You're about to see how mean I can get!” said Sunset on the video as it ended.

“She's kinda right about you.” stated Trixie.

“Yeah, thanks,” said Sunset sarcastically.

“Actually, the Wise and Moralizing Trixie was making a point. You said you didn't do anything.”

“I didn't! I wasn't mean to her at all!”

“But maybe it's not good enough to not be mean to someone. Maybe you have to be nice.” suggested Trixie.

“You're right. Not that it matters. I'm still trapped in here,” Sunset then let out a sigh, “Unless you can magic us out of here.”

“Ooh, what's the point in trying? You've seen enough of my tricks to know what'll happen.”

“At least when the sun goes down and everyone hates me forever, I'll still have one friend in the morning.” said the bacon haired girl as she let out a sigh.

“Huh?”

“And I mean, she is the Greatest and Powerfullest Canterlot High School has to offer, so I guess I can't complain.” said Sunset with a sly smile.

“You poor fool! You actually believed me when I was pretending to give up? Mere stage banter! The Great and Powerful Trixie never gives up on herself or her friends. I mean, her Pretty Decent Assistant-Detective-Helper People. Behold! The Magician's Exit!” Trixie then threw a smoke bomb on the floor as she actually got it to work this time as she was out of the room.

“Yes! It worked! I finally did it!” said the girl as she was ecstatic.

“Still in here!” said Sunset as she was still trapped.

“Ummm…” Trixie let out a nervous laugh, “Um, all part of the trick! Have you out in a jiffy!”

Trixie then made several more smoke bombs as she kept on switching places with Sunset as one of them would always be on the opposite side of the door. Eventually, Sunset was on the outside as Trixie was back inside.

“You know what? Just leave me in here! Just go!”

“I owe you one, Trixie! I will never forget this!” said Sunset as she ran off in search of Wallflower.

“Never say never.” responded the girl.

Sunset was now running through the halls as she was looking everywhere to find Wallflower and get the stone from her to restore everyone’s memories. She then turned the corner as she stopped in her tracks as her path was being blocked by someone. And that someone brought Sunset to be scared.

“Sunset.”

“Isaac.”

Both teens just looked at each other waiting to see what the other would do.

“Look, you can chew me out later, right now I’m on a mission to save everybody. So just let me pass…”

“What do you want with my friends?” asked the boy. “I told you on the beach, to leave us alone.”

“I told you, we’re friends. Now move out of my way.” demanded Sunset.

“Then answer me this, why have I been remembering stuff about you?” asked Isaac.

“What?”

“Ever since I touched a card, it suddenly triggered something in my head that resulted in me getting a headache. Showing me visions of stuff that I don’t remember. Like giving you that card.” stated Isaac.

“What? So… you remember?” asked Sunset as she had hopeful eyes.

“Tell me, what did you do to me?!” demanded the boy. “Is this another one of your tricks to make my life miserable by torturing me with false memories!”

“They’re not false! I’m your friend, that’s the truth! You said it yourself when we were on the roof, we might forget about where we’ve been or what things we’ve seen, but we won’t forget who our friends are. Forgotten- but not lost.” said Sunset as she repeated the words the boy said himself.

“Enough!!!” shouted Isaac. “If you want to get to the girls, you have to go through me!” Isaac then put on his duel disk as it activated and projected a gold card tray.

I don’t have time for this, but… it doesn’t seem like Isaac’s giving me a choice. Sunset then put on her duel disk as it projected a red card tray. I may not have my Red-Eyes, but I believe I can get through to him. He said he’s been suffering visions of our memories as friends, maybe this duel can help me to get him to see we are. Once I do that, then he can help me to convince the others should I fail to get the stone.

“Here!” shouted Isaac as tossed something to the girl.

Sunset lifted her head just in time to catch the object with her right hand as she looked at it. It was a card, but not just any card, it was Red-Eyes B. Dragon. She was stunned as she looked at Isaac.

“I don't know what you’re doing to my head or how you got this card from my possession in the first place. But I do know that your deck revolves around that card, besides, I want to make sure that when I beat you, it’s a fair duel.” stated Isaac.

“Isaac… thank you.” said Sunset as she placed the card on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

“Don’t thank me, not till I put you down for good.” growled the boy.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

"It's time to duel!" shouted Isaac as he and Sunset drew their opening hand.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start off, I draw!" said Isaac as he drew his card, "I'll start by placing my Black Arts Trickster in the pendulum zone. Then I'll activate her pendulum ability, which means I can add a pendulum monster from my deck and then place it in the other Pendulum Zone. So I'll set the pendulum scale with the Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and the Scale 3 Black Arts Trickster. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "Now I activate the other effect of my Black Arts Trickster, if there's a 'magician' in my other Pendulum Zone, then I raise the scale of her up to 10." Soon the number in front of Black Arts Trickster then went up.

"With that scale set, Isaac can now summon any monsters that fall in between 2 and 9." said Sunset as she examined the scene in front of her.

"Next up, I'm summoning my Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600). Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My turn, I draw." said Sunset as she looked at her card and then added it to her hand. Isaac, I know you think that I'm still the same evil bitch, but I have changed. Thanks to you, you gave me the second chance. I never said this to anybody, but that day I made a vow to myself. Someway, somehow, no matter how long it took, I would pay you back to thank you for freeing me. I told myself that even after we graduate, even if we're on our separate paths, I would pay you back for all you've done. Well, time I keep that promise. You're my friend, and this time I'm going to be the one to help you.

"Stand back, here goes!" shouted Sunset. "First thing I'm going to do is play my Black Stone of Legend(0/0). Then I activate its ability so by tributing it, I can special summon from my deck one Level 7 or below 'Red-Eyes' monster. And I think you know which one I choose, rise up Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset now had her dragon appear as it let out a roar. "Next I'll play Polymerization so now I'll fuse together my Red-Eyes with my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact!" Sunset then had both of her monsters appear beside her as a vortex opened up behind her as both of her dragons were sucked in with orange and purple colors swirling. "I Fusion Summon, Meteor Black Comet Dragon(3500/2000)!" Sunset's new monster emerged as it had flames on its horns and claws as it let out a roar and spreaded its wings.

"Now my monster's effect activates, since it was fusion summoned, I can send one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck to my graveyard and then you take damage equal to half of its attack points. So I'll send my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon to the graveyard." said Sunset as she selected the card she wanted as it ejected for her to grab as she slide it into the graveyard slot as her monster then fired off a fireball as it made contact with Isaac who put his arm up to cover himself.
Isaac's Life Points: 6800-

"And now time to attack, Meteor Comet Dragon attack his Beta the Magnet Warrior!" shouted Sunset as her monster opened its mouth and took out its target as Isaac lost more points.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"Not bad." said Isaac as he dusted his shoulder of some embers.

"I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Now it's my turn, and time to pendulum summon, here we go. I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 9 all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next you'll soon know. So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory. My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his hand into air as a portal opened up and two lights came out. "Meet both of Magician of Dark Illusions(2100/2500)."

"Two level 7 monsters? Which can only mean one thing." said Sunset.

"I now overlay both of my monsters in order to build the Overlay Network!" stated Isaac as both of his monsters transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened in front of the boy. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon Illusion Magician(2500/2100, OLU: 2)!" Isaac's monster appeared as it was a spellcaster as he twirled his staff and then took his battle position as he pointed his wand at Sunset and her dragon.

"I now activate my Ebon Illusion Magician's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can special summon one Normal-type spellcaster from my hand or deck. So now I summon my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as his ultimate wizard appeared on his field from his deck. "Now time to attack, Dark Magician attack her monster."

"Huh?" said Sunset.

"Let me explain, see my Ebon Illusion Magician also has another effect, whenever a normal-type spellcaster declares an attack, I can banish one card you control. So your only monster is now gone!" stated Isaac as Sunset's creature vanished.

"No!"

"And with your monster gone, that means my Dark Magician now attacks you directly!" commanded the boy.

"I activate my facedown, Red-Eyes Spirit! So rise up, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" said Sunset as her monster rose up in defense mode. Soon her monster was taken out by Isaac's magician.

"I still have my Ebon Illusion Magician, and this time it's a clear target." said Isaac as his other wizard raised his staff and pointed it at Sunset as she covered up when the attack made contact.
Sunset's Life Points: 5500-

"Now I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"My turn, I'll now activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend in my graveyard, so now I can add it back to my hand while also taking my Red-Eyes and shuffling it back into my deck." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her two cards as she grabbed one and added it to her hand while placing the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Then I'll play this, the spell card Red-Eyes Fusion. So now I can conduct a fusion summon again by using materials from my deck. So now I'll combine my Red-Eyes B. Dragon with my Summoned Skull!" Once more Sunset's monster appeared behind their mistress as a vortex opened up in a swirl of orange and purple as both were sucked in. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" Sunset's monster appeared in all black as it let out a growl with flames coming from its mouth as it stood on its hind legs.

"Now to attack, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attack his Ebon Illusion Magician. Now my monster's effect makes it so that when it attacks, you can't activate any cards or effects till the end of the Damage step!" informed Sunset as her monster brought its claw down on Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 4300-

"Now my monster's other effect kicks in, in that at the end of the battle phase, I can shuffle my 'Red-Eyes B. Dragon' back to my deck and then you take damage equal to its attack points." said Sunset as once more her duel disk ejected her card as she placed it on her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. Her monster then opened its mouth as another fireball shot towards Isaac as he covered his face with his arm as the flames surround the boy for a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 1900-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My draw, don't think just because you have more life points than me that you've won. This duel isn't over till the last card is played." stated Isaac.

"It feels good to hear you say that Isaac, even if you don't remember me." said Sunset to herself as she smiled a bit.

"Now, I'll summon my Magician's Rod(1600/100) in defense mode. And by summoning my Magician's Rod, I can add a 'Dark Magician' related spell/trap card to my hand." Isaac's duel disk screen then showed his options as the boy cycled through all of them with his finger as he was deciding which one he wanted. He then made his choice as he pressed confirm and it ejected for him to grab.

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Black Stone of Legend and then trigger its effect so that I can summon my Red-Eyes Black Dragon once more. Now Red-Eyes attack his Magician's Rod. Inferno Fire Blast!" stated Sunset as her dragon opened its mouth and shot its attack as Isaac's monster was gone. "Now Archfiend attack his Dark Magician."

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Hats. Materialize!" shouted Isaac as four hats appeared as they covered the boy's wizard as they began to shuffle and then stopped in a straight line. "Take your best shot, Sunset."

"Still doing the same tricks, boy toy." smiled Sunset. "Still, that's what I like about you. Attack the second hat from the left." instructed Sunset as her monster locked on its target and took out the hat as it exploded into smoke. Once it died down, there were 3 other hats remaining.

"Looks like he wasn't hiding there." smiled Isaac.

"Say, boy toy. When are you gonna show me a good time on our date?" taunted Sunset smugly. "Right now it's just the same old thing you've been doing since you first got here, show a girl something new."

"Well, now. I usually save the best for the girls that are special." replied Isaac with his own sly smile.

Good to see you still have that sense of humor, Isaac. That means I'm getting closer to reaching you.

"So you finally believe me?" asked the bacon-haired girl. "Don't you remember our playful and flirty jabs we take at each other?"

"What are you talking about?" asked Isaac.

"Come on, Isaac. Remember, all the fun times we had dueling. Remember." Sunset was pleading with the boy to try to remember his memories.

"Look are you done with your turn or not?"

"Fine, I'll end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and then discard two." said the boy as she picked up his cards and then selected the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Now I'll summon my Berry Magician Girl(400/400)." Isaac now had a baby magician appear on his field as she used her tiny wings to hover in the air as she sucked on her pacifier while holding a tiny wand in her hand.

"You ready, Berry?" asked Isaac to his tiny spellcaster.

"Yes, Isaac." replied the girl as she gave a sucking sound with her pacifier.

"Now since I summoned my monster, she allows me to add a 'Magician Girl' of my choosing to my hand. Hmm, which cute girl do I want?" said Isaac as he was deciding which of his 'Magician Girls' he wanted to add as he knew that whichever one he selected the others would get a bit jealous they weren't selected by the boy. "Alright, I'll take my Chocolate Magician Girl. Sorry girls, but I still love all of you." said Isaac as the spirits of his magician girls all appeared as Chocolate Magician Girl gave a sly smile to her sisters as she nuzzled next to her master as she planted a kiss on his cheek. The others all had jealous looks as Kiwi Magician Girl did her job as the older sibling in getting the others to respect their master's decision as they all disappeared.

"Now then, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My draw, and now I'll play a second Black Stone of Legend and then activate it's effect so that I can special summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200)." Sunset now had another fiend monster on her field as it clamped its claws together as lightning came from them. "Now I'll activate my monster's special ability, so now I can destroy all of your monsters that have less defense points than my monster's attack points." informed Sunset, "I may not be able to tell which hat your monster is hiding under, but this will for sure get him."

"Not quite, I discard Effect Veiler(0/0) from my hand! So now I can negate the effect of your Archfiend until the end of the turn." shouted Isaac as his monster appeared and shot feathers from its wings as they rendered Sunset's monster powerless.

"Fine, I like to have a hands on experience when it comes to dealing with you, boy toy. Red-Eyes, attack his Berry Magician Girl!" shouted Sunset.

"My monster's second effect activates, so now I can switch her into defense mode and then I can summon a 'Magician Girl' from my deck, so now I choose my Dark Magician Girl!" In a flash of light, Isaac's female spellcaster appeared as she gave a hug to her master while giving him a kiss.

"Either way, your Berry Magician Girl is destroyed." said Sunset as the tiny baby was gone. "Now Red-Eyes Archfiend, attack his Dark Magician Girl!"

"I reveal Magical Pigeon! This card only works for my Dark Magician Girl, so now I can return her to my hand and then I can summon 2 'Pigeon' tokens(0/0) to take her place in defense mode!" said Isaac as his monster transformed into a white light as she was soon replaced by white birds as Sunset's monster took one out in flames as only feathers remained.

"Fine, now Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attack the middle hat!" shouted Sunset as her monster locked on to the hat and fired a fireball as it collided with the hat and smoke appeared. Soon something happened as a shining light came from one of the hats; it then flung at high speeds as it attached to Sunset's monster.

"You trigged my Spellbinding Circle that was hiding under that hat. So now your monster can't change modes or attack and it loses 700 attack points." informed Isaac.

"Clever. I end my turn."

"And now the effect of my Magical Pigeon wears off so now all my 'Pigeon' tokens are destroyed and I can then summon back my Dark Magician Girl from my hand." said Isaac as his monster was back on the field.

Turn 9: Isaac

"It's my turn, I draw." said Isaac as he looked at the card he picked up. "I'll now dispel my Magical Hats and reveal my Dark Magician. Now I sacrifice both magicians to summon the Sorcerer of Dark Magic(3200/2800)." Isaac's two spellcasters were surrounded in two pillars of light as they combined their powers and energies as a new magician appeared on Isaac's field as it had a dark cape and had a wand that had electricity flowing through it. "And with his rise to power comes your Archfiend's fall from grace. Because for every one of my Sorcerer's fallen comrades in the graveyard, your monster loses 500 points. And right now, there have been eight magicians laid to rest." said Isaac as all of his spellcaster monsters appeared in spirit form behind their master.

"So your precious fiend's power decreases by 4000 points but since it only has 2500 attack points, that means it now has no points."

"But that means my monster is vulnerable to attack!" said Sunset with a bead of sweat rolling down her face.

"That's exactly what it means. Attack with Celestial Blast!" shouted Isaac as his magician raised its wand and shot a spell card that took out Sunset's monster and dealt her some massive damage.

"Ugh." said Sunset as she felt the attack as she hit the lockers a bit.
Sunset's Life Points: 4800-

"Now I reveal my facedown, Time Machine. Now I can bring back my Archfiend Black Skull Dragon." said Sunset. Soon Isaac's magician began to spin his wand really fast as it produced a gold circle that effected Sunset's trap and destroyed it. "What gives?!"

"Sorry, Sunset. But my Sorcerer of Dark Magic's mystic powers are so mighty, he can stop the activation of trap cards like your Time Machine and destroy them." informed Isaac.

"With that, I've hit another roadblock. If I don't find a way to beat Isaac, then all is lost. The girls, him, and our memories will all disappear." said Sunset.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn," said Sunset as she drew her card. With Isaac's new monster, it doesn't matter what monster I summon, his magician will just use the power of all his spellcasters in his graveyard to reduce my monster's attack. And right now, it can lower them up 4000 points, if I destroy any more monsters, then I'm in serious trouble.

"Hope this works, I now play Advanced Ritual Art. So now I can conduct a ritual summon by using monsters in my deck, so now I'll send my Spear Dragon and Red-Eyes Retro Dragon so that I can ritual summon, my Lord of the Red(2400/1200)!" exclaimed Sunset as her monster appeared as it had flames in his hand.

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend so that I can add it back to my hand and then shuffle back a Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster to my deck." said Sunset as two card ejected with her grabbing one and placing the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Isaac

"My draw and now I'll have my Sorcerer of Dark Magic reduce your Lord of the Red of all of its attack points." said Isaac as his magician was zapping away her monster's strength.

"Now my Lord of the Red's special ability activates, so now since a card or effect was activated, I can now destroy one monster on the field, so your magician is destroyed." said Sunset.

"Not bad, but not good enough. Cause now since you target my Sorcerer of Dark Magic, I can special summon Palladium Oracle Mana(2000/1700) from my hand. And with Mana on the field, all my Level 7 or higher spellcasters can't be destroyed by card effects." Isaac's spellcaster then descend from his hand as she appeared in her Egyptian garments with her wand in her hand. "So my Sorcerer of Dark Magic isn't going anywhere."

"Maybe, but my monster's other effect allows me to take out a spell/trap card, so I choose to get rid of your Sorcerer Swordsman." stated the girl as Isaac lost one of his pendulum monsters in his scale.

"My Sorcerer Swordsman now goes to my Extra Deck and without another magician in my Pendulum Zone, my Black Arts Tricksters' scale drops back to 3. But your monster is still destroyed!" shouted Isaac as his magician took out Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 1600-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

We're just about equal in terms of life points. One more big attack from either of us and it's over. Sunset looked at the field as she was trying to figure out how she was going to win. She looked at her cards and then at her field as she had one thing in mind she could do, but it was a long shot.

Turn 12: Sunset

"My turn," said the girl. And if I don't draw the card I need, then it's over. Come on, trust in my cards and it will trust me. Sunset placed her hand on her deck as she closed her eyes and concentrated as she was trying to tap into her magic. She then drew her card as it was trailed with a red light.

"I now activate the spell card, Forbidden Chalice! So now I'll increase your Sorcerer of Dark Magic's attack by 400 and in exchange, I can negate his effect." informed Sunset as she pumped up Isaac's monster.

"What are you planning?" asked Isaac.

"Just wait and see, now Red-Eyes Archfiend activate your ability so I can destroy all of your monsters that have defense points less than my monster's attack points." stated Sunset as her monster then struck the ground as it made pillars of fire appear as they took out Palladium Oracle Mana.

"When Mana is destroyed, her effect allows me to special summon Dark Magician Girl from my hand, deck, or graveyard." said Isaac as his magician rose up in defense mode.

"Now I summon, my Black Stone of Legend and then activate its effect so that I can summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000) from my deck. And with that I'll now sacrifice my Red-Eyes B. Dragon so that I can special summon my Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon(2400/2000)." Sunset's new dragon emerged as it let out a roar. "Now my dragon's effect allows it to gain 300 extra attack points for every dragon in my graveyard. And there are 7 currently so right now my dragon gains 2100 more attack points for a total of 4500 attack points. Now to finish this duel, Red-Eyes Archfiend attack his Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Sunset as her monster took out Isaac's monster.

"Then Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon attack his Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" shouted Sunset as her dragon took out Isaac's last monster as he was defenseless against Sunset's remaining dragon.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Time to help you, Isaac. Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon attack Isaac directly and finish this duel!!!" shouted Sunset as she looked at her friend as the boy saw her and the rush of memories came at him as he put his hand to his head as he clutched it.

"Isaac!!!" shouted Sunset.

"Get out... of... my... head!!!" shouted Isaac as he let out a scream as his body now flowed with his magic as he shined with a rainbow coloring as he got his attention back to the duel for a second as he grabbed a card from his hand. "I discard Kuriboh from my hand to take no battle damage from your attack!" said Isaac as his tiny monster appeared and blocked the attack meant for his master.

"NOOOO!!" shouted Sunset. It's over.

Turn 13: Isaac

"Time to put you to rest!" growled Isaac as he drew his card. "I play Monster Reborn to bring back my Sorcerer of Dark Magic. And as you know when it battles a monster, it can lower that monster by 500 attack points for every spellcaster sleeping in my graveyard, I now have 9 which means I can drop all the attack points of your Red-Eyes Darkness Dragon."

"Isaac." said Sunset as she looked at the boy who just needed to call his attack and win.

"I told you, I have no memory of you!" said Isaac. "Sorcerer, attack with Celestial Blast!!!"

Isaac had his magician leap high into the air as he pointed its wand at Sunset's dragon as fired a shot of magic towards the dragon as it let out a cry as the attack created a huge explosion on the field as it produced a white light as Isaac lifted his arm a bit up to cover his eyes. He then noticed something as it was something coming his way as the object was a shadow and then it became more clear as it was Sunset's outline running at him. Sunset then leaped at Isaac as it got him to be taken by surprise as the girl wrapped her arms around the boy's neck as it caused him to start falling on his back.

"What are you doing?!" shouted the boy as he was falling.

"Remember, Isaac. Remember." said Sunset. "I reveal my facedown, Cross Damage! So now any damage I take from an attack, you also take as well."

"But then..." Isaac didn't finish his sentence as Sunset pressed her lips to his as the attack ended as the entire filed was covered in white.
Sunset's Life Point: 0-

Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Draw.

The whole duel ended as the result was declared. For the two teens, Sunset still had her mouth pressed to Isaac's as the magic inside of her was now flowing through Isaac as his mind was now having his lost memories return to him as his eyes widen as the boy was now starting to remember. Sunset then broke apart as she looked at the boy under her.

"Sunset?" said Isaac.

"Isaac. You're back." smiled the girl as she had a few tears in her eyes.

"What happen..." Isaac was cut off once again as Sunset connected her lips again with the boy as both teens closed their eyes and enjoyed the moment as it was a feeling that Sunset had been missing. Soon they broke apart as she allowed Isaac to sit up as he rubbed his head.

"You okay?" asked Sunset as she sat next to her friend.

"Yeah. I remember everything. Everything that happened, with you..." said Isaac as he looked at his friend, "Sorry. I'm sorry that I treated you..."

"Hey, I get it." said the girl.

"Still, I should have been there for my friend. I said it myself, we might forget about where we’ve been or what things we’ve seen, but we won’t forget who our friends are. Forgotten- but not lost.” stated Isaac. "Guess I should've taken my own advice."

"But can you blame yourself when there was strong magic affecting your memories? I don't, cause I never forgot about you. And all you've done for me." smiled Sunset as she planted a peck to the boy's cheek.

"Thanks." smiled Isaac. "Besides, don't we still have something to do?"

"Oh, right." stated the girl with a straight tone.

Both teens were now running through the halls as the sun was now starting to get closer to setting.

"So, you sure that if we get our hands on the Memory Stone, everything will be back to normal?" asked Isaac as he was running.

"That what Twilight says." replied Sunset as she ran next to her friend.

"Then we better pick up the pace, and hey, even if we don't succeed. Then maybe we can convince everybody else the same way you did with me." suggested Isaac.

"We'll see, boy toy." chuckled the bacon-haired girl. "There's the exit!"

Both teens then burst through the door as they were now in the parking lot of the school building as they looked around and saw Wallflower walking as she was heading towards her garden. The girls were also nearby as they were next to Applejack's family truck. Sunset then began to chase after the girl when she noticed her friends watching her as they still had scowls on their face as she just slowly looked at them as she continued to walk past. Soon they noticed Isaac approach them.

"Where were you?" asked Twilight. "We've been waiting for you."

"Sorry, Twi." said Isaac as he moved past the girls as they were shocked to see their male friend make his way to Sunset after all he the things he said to the girl.

"Wallflower, stop!" shouted Sunset.

"You remember my name?" said the girl.

"I remember everything! The Memory Stone, how I acted, all of it!" said the orange girl.

"What?! How?! I erased the whole afternoon!" yelled out Wallflower as the girls heard this and looked at her to which Wallflower was now regretting on saying that.

"Listen. I used to be just like you. Sure, I was popular, but I was lonely." said Sunset. "But I had someone who was willing to give me a chance." Sunset looked at Isaac standing next to her as he smiled, "And I want to do the same too."

"You're nothing like me, and I'm not lonely, because I have... plants!"

"What?" said Isaac as he raised an eyebrow at that response.

"That sounded less lonely in my head." said Wallflower.

"I'm sorry, Wallflower." said Sunset.

"No, you're not. You're just trying to look good in front of your friends!" exclaimed Wallflower as the girls were watching this with expressions on their faces, "And it's working! Gah! How am I supposed to get back at you if nothing I do matters?! I hate you!" shouted the girl as the words resonated with Sunset as she said those exact words to Isaac in their battle at the Fall Formal.

"Please, just give us the stone." suggested Isaac.

"Never, I tried to do this to get back at Sunset. But it seems that I need to take even more drastic measures." Wallflower then pulled out the stone from her backpack while also bringing out a duel disk. She then strapped on the duel disk as it produced am aquamarine card tray as the stone began to shine.

"Don't do something you'll regret." said Sunset.

"It's too late for that!" said the girl. Soon the stone began to shine even more as it produced a shadowy veil around the girl as it also captured Isaac and Sunset inside of it as all three of them were in a dome covered in shadows as the girls saw the pair trapped inside.

"A Shadow game." said Sunset.

"You know what that means." said Isaac as he looked at his friend. Sunset nodded at Isaac as both put on their duel disks as they each produced their own card trays.

"Time to make you disappear from everybody's minds, forever!" said Wallflower Blush.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Wallflower Blush's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off," said Isaac as he drew his card, "I'll start by summoning my Berry Magician Girl. Then since I control a Level 4 or below monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700)." Isaac now had two small magicians on his field as one of them was a bit younger than the other. "Now a couple of things happen, since I summon my Mage Annette, I can draw an extra card. Then by me summoning my Berry Magician Girl, I can add a 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand. And this time, I'll take my Lemon Magician Girl." said Isaac as his teen magician was happy that it was her turn to spend time with her cute master as she nuzzled against his arm while giving him a set of cute eyes.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My turn and I'll start by summoning my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in attack mode." said Sunset as a small dragon emerged and then let out a roar as a tiny fireball came from its mouth. "Then I'll play Cards of the Red Stone so now by sending one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand, and one from my deck, I can draw two cards." Sunset then selected a pair of Red-Eyes Toon Dragons to the graveyard as she picked up some more cards.

"I'll then throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Wallflower

"Time to see what she's got." said Isaac as he and Sunset went on the defensive to see what Wallflower would do.

"My turn, and I think... hmm... I summon Lonefire Blossom(500/1400) in defense mode." said Wallflower as a tiny lonely plant appeared. "Now I'll activate its effect so that I can tribute one faceup plant on my field to special summon one plant-type monster from my deck. So I'll get rid of my Lonefire Blossom so that I can summon my, Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers(2800/2600)." Out emerged a sunflower as soon the petals started to open up as soon the monster inside of it came out.

"Now I'll have her attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon!" said Wallflower as her monster unleashed its attack and took out Sunset's monster.
Sunset's Life Points: 6400-

"When my baby dragon is destroyed, I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my graveyard, so I choose my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning. Then I can attach my baby dragon to my new monster to give it 300 extra attack points." said Sunset.

"Well, then I'll play this spell, Mark of the Rose. And so now I can attach it to your Red-Eyes Archfiend and now I can take control of it." said Wallflower as Sunset's own monster now switched over to her side. "Now time to activate your own monster's ability, so now it can clear Isaac's field of his monsters." Red-Eyes Archfiend obeyed Wallflower's command as he struck the ground and a pillar of fire erupted as it took out Isaac's two magicians.

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown." Red-Eyes Archfiend then switched over to Sunset's field.

Turn 4: Isaac

"This isn't good Sunset, as long as Wallflower's Mark of the Rose is equipped to your monster, she can use it to help clear our field."

"So what do we do?" asked the girl to her friend.

"For now, we survive and think of a plan." said Isaac as he drew his card. "I'll summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode. Then I'll end my turn with one facedown."

Turn 5: Sunset

"My turn." said Sunset as she drew her card. I have to think of something quick to avoid having Wallflower use my monster to help her win. Let's see, right now my monster has 2800 attack points which is the same as Wallflower's monster so if they clash they'll both be destroyed, but then she would be wide open to another direct attack from one of my other monsters. I don't like having to sacrifice my own monster just to get rid of a certain card that causes trouble, but I might have no choice.

"Now, I'll play my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight(1800/1600)." Sunset now had her warrior on the field as she looked to execute her plan. "Now Red-Eyes Archfiend, attack her Mariña, Princess of Sunflowers!" ordered the girl as her monster then looked to take out its target.

"I activate my facedown, Wall of Thorns! Now when a Plant-type monster is target for an attack, I can destroy all attack position monsters that you control. So that means your Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning and Gearfried are now... destroyed." said Wallflower as she managed to take out all the monsters on Sunset's field.

"I may have no monsters, but my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon has another effect, since it was attached to the monster when it was destroyed, I can add a Level 1 dragon from my deck or graveyard to my hand. So I'll add my Black Stone of Legend." said the girl as her duel disk ejected her card.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Wallflower

"My turn, and now I'll play the continuous spell card, The World Tree. Next, I'll play another Lonefire Blossom and activate its effect so that I can destroy it to summon one plant type monster from my deck, so now I choose Chirubimé, Princess of Autumn Leaves(1800/2800) in defense mode." Wallflower now had another plant princess as she arrived with leaves falling down.

"Then the effect of my continuous spell activates, since a plant-type monster was destroyed, I can place a counter on it. Now time to attack, Mariña attack Sunset directly!" shouted Wallflower as her monster fired another attack on Sunset as she was focused on taking out her and making her feel pain.
Sunset's Life Points: 3600-

"Sunset, you okay?" asked Isaac.

"I'm... fine, Isaac." said Sunset as she fell to a knee from that attack.

"Now I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, and time I start making a move. I'll now sacrifice my Magician's Valkyria so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac's previous monster now disappeared as it was soon replaced his favorite female spellcaster. "Then I'll reveal my facedown, Sage's Stone so now that Dark Magician Girl is on my field, I can summon her teacher, so make way for Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as now he had his two loyal companions on his field. "Now I'll play Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points."

"Now time to attack, Dark Magician attack her Mariña!" commanded Isaac.

"Sorry, but my Chirubimé's special ability makes it so that any attacks are redirected towards her." said Wallflower as her other monster stepped in and took the brute of the attack as it was destroyed. "And since a plant-type monster was destroyed, I can place a counter on my spell. And then Chirubimé's other effect activates, so since it was destroyed, I can special summon one plant-type monster from my deck, so I choose Talaya, Princess of Cherry Blossoms(2800/1200). And with Talaya she gains an extra 100 attack points for all other plant-type monsters other than her."

"Not good," muttered Isaac, "I'll throw a facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Black Stone of Legend then tribute is so that I can summon my Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" shouted Sunset as her dragon appeared and let out a roar. "Next, I'll play Polymerization so that I can fuse together my Red-Eyes with my Dark Blade." Sunset's two monsters then appeared beside their mistress as a vortex appeared and then sucked both in a swirl of orange and purple colors. "I Fusion Summon, Red-Eyes Slash Dragon(2800/2400)! Then I'll have it attack your Talaya, then Red-Eyes Slash Dragon's effect activates. Which means I can equip the Dark Blade in my graveyard to it and my dragon gains 200 more points so now it has 3000 points which makes it stronger than your monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Plant Food Chain so now I can target one plant type monster that I control and it gains 500 attack points. So I choose my Talaya." said Wallflower.

"Oh no!" stated Sunset as her monster then collided with Wallflower's as soon it was repelled back and took out the dragon with ease.
Sunset's Life Points: 3200-

"Now I'll reveal my second facedown, Blossom Bombardment. So since a plant-type monster of mine destroyed your monster, you then take damage equal to that monster's attack points. So since your Red-Eyes Slash Dragon had 3000 attack points, you lose 3000 life points!" shouted Wallflower as Sunset was hit hard with blossom petals.

"AHH!!!" yelled out Sunset as she felt pain.
Sunset's Life Points: 200-

"Sunset!" shouted the Isaac.

"No!" shouted the girls watching as they too were concerned for the girl despite them not being friends.

"My monster has one last ability, since it was destroyed, it can bring back the monster that was attach to it." said Sunset as her Dark Blade rose up in defense mode as she had nothing else to do.

Turn 9: Wallflower

"This is it, the moment I've been waiting for. The moment, Sunset Shimmer is forever labeled as a 'villain'." said Wallflower. "Now Mariña take out her monster." Mariña then obeyed the command of her master as she shot her petals as they took out Sunset's last line of defense as she now had nothing to save her.

"Say goodbye, Talaya attack Sunset and end her!" shouted Wallflower as her other monster then shot her own set of petal as they came towards the girl.

"Sunset, look out!" shouted the girls.

"I reveal my facedown, Magic Cylinder!" said Isaac as his facedown flipped up and out came two cylinders as one of them absorbed the attack. "Now your attack is directed right back at you!" The other cylinder then shot out the attack as it headed to Wallflower as she took a big hit to her life points.
Wallflower's Life Points: 5100-

"Isaac, you saved me." said Sunset.

"Don't I always." smiled the boy as he gave a thumbs up to his friend.

"AHH!!" screamed Wallflower Blush as she looked at Sunset and then at Isaac as she couldn't believe that he saved her from being defeated. "I wanted to teach you a lesson by erasing your friends' good memories of you. But obviously that didn't work. Even then, you still find a way to foil it. But what if I erased all their memories of high school?" said the girl as she pulled out the stone from her pocket and held it in her hand.

"No, don't do it!" shouted Isaac.

"You can't! You'd be stealing their memories of each other!" said Sunset as she too tried to plead with Wallflower.

"They'll think of each other the way you think of me! Which is not at all!" said Wallflower as the Memory Stone heard her command and disbursed the shadow dome that surrounded them as it fired a beam of magic as it was heading straight for the girls. Isaac saw this and was about to act when somebody else did.

"Nooo!" shouted Sunset as she stepped in the line of the magic shot as took the hit instead of the gang.

"Sunset!" stated Isaac.

"I've ruined their friendship once before. I'd rather give up my own memories than let it happen again!" said Sunset as soon the stone was extracting her memories one by one. "Fluttershy! No! Applejack! Rarity! Aah! Rainbow Dash! Pinkie Pie! Twilight!" In her last seconds, Sunset looked at Isaac as she extended a hand to the boy. "Don't forget me!" Soon the stone had completed its job as Sunset was now striped of her memories.

"This isn't Canterlot. Where am I? Princess Celestia? What's happened to me? Somepony, help me! Who are you?" asked the forgotten girl as she was soon joined by the others.

"We're your friends." said Twilight as she bent down and placed a hand on Sunset's shoulder.

"We may not remember you..." said Applejack.

"But after seeing what you did..." stated Pinkie.

"...the sacrifice you made for us..." responded Rarity.

"...we'd be proud to call you..." answered Fluttershy.

"...our friend!" exclaimed all of them. They all placed their hands on Sunset's shoulder and gave her a smile as soon the magic that flowed through all of them began to awake as they all glowed.

"Time to wrap this up." said Isaac.

Turn 10: Isaac

Soon the girls' aura started to glow even more as soon a rainbow appeared around them as it swirled and then shot towards Isaac's deck as it shined with bright colors as the girls still had their colorful aura.

"Wallflower! You have magic you do not understand! But it is nothing compared to the Magic of—!"

"Yeah, yeah, we get it." said Pinkie as she interpreted Twilight's speech. "Big bro, kick her ass! shouted the party girl to Isaac.

"With pleasure, little sis. I draw!!" shouted Isaac as he drew his card with a white light as it trailed behind with a rainbow color and sparkles. "Haven't done this in a while, so girls help me out. I play the spell Harmonious Friendship!" Isaac held his card up and it began to shine very bright; the girls each felt some of their aura leave their body as they watched it traveled toward Isaac. "Now with this card, I'll combine using monsters in my deck and with it, I'll call upon my Chromatic Paladin(3000/3000)!" Out from the clouds came a paladin warrior who had a shield with 7 studded geodes that were each a different color of the rainbow; it wielded a sword that shined brightly as it had one side full of light and the other side full of darkness.

"My paladin has a unique ability because when he's summoned he gains the attack points of all your monster, so now my Paladin's attack points rise up to 8700!" said Isaac as his monster raised its sword and soon it absorbed the power of Wallflower's monsters as its shield lit up with even more color. "Now Chromatic Paladin, end this with Rainbow Slash!" shouted the boy. Isaac and the girls then fused their spirits with his monster as it lifted its weapon and then jumped into the air and with a mighty swing of its sword brought it down on Wallflower's monsters and struck the final blow to the girl as it brought her to her knees. The attack kept going on as it made contact with the Memory Stone as it soon cracked and then shattered as it was destroyed.
Wallflower's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac and Sunset

A white light was produced as it soon died down and the memories came back to Sunset and the girls as they were fully restored.

"Twilight... Sparkle?"

"Sunset Shimmer!" called out the girl as she gave her friend a hug for everything being back to normal. Soon the others did the same as they were glad to have their friend back. "We're so sorry."

"I'm just glad to have you all back." said Sunset as she looked at Isaac who watched the interaction from afar as they both turned their attention back to Wallflower as she was sitting on the concrete.

"I'm so ashamed. When I first found the Memory Stone, I only erased little things – awkward hellos, saying the wrong thing, literally any public speaking..." said Wallflower as Sunset approached her as she picked up a piece of the stone.

"I've had plenty of awkward moments I wish I could erase, too." said Twilight as she too approached the girl.

"Hey, I ain't perfect either." said Isaac.

"But it's no excuse. I was so used to erasing memories that I got completely carried away. I'm sorry for everything." apologized Wallflower.

"It's okay. I'm sorry, too. I may have stopped being mean, but a Great and Powerful friend helped me realize I still wasn't very nice to you. Everyone matters, Wallflower. No matter how insignificant or invisible they feel." said Sunset as she offered her hand to Wallflower who accepted it and then was pulled to her feet as they shared a hug.

"Again, remind me why I'm doing this?" asked Isaac.

"It's not easy on my part!" shouted Twilight from upstairs in her room as Sunset and Isaac could hear her from the living room.

"Calm down, boy toy. Can you blame Wallflower for wanting to use the Memory Stone so that she could rewrite your memories so that you would think that she was your girlfriend?" smiled Sunset smugly.

"Well, it nearly cost us something important!" exclaimed Isaac.

"And I'm not happy about it, she's lucky that I'm allowing her to go on a date with Isaac just this once!!!" shouted Twilight with disdain in her voice.

The bell then rang as Isaac opened the door and there was Wallflower Blush as she was a bit nervous as she saw Isaac.

"Hey." said the girl.

"Hey." greeted Isaac.

"Go on, you two. Have fun." said Sunset as she shoved her friend out the door. "I'll try to make sure that Twilight doesn't destroy anything valuable or the house." Sunset then closed the door as it left the two teens standing there with a blank look on their face.

"Uhm, is everything okay with Twilight?" asked Wallflower.

"Trust me, the less you know the better." answered Isaac as he pulled out his cap and put it on his head as he straighten it and his signature hoodie. "Alright, so any idea where you wanna go?"

"Well..." blushed Wallflower as she played with her hair while glancing away to avoid directly looking at the boy. "I was thinking maybe a movie and pizza."

"Sure." replied Isaac as he offered his arm for the girl as Wallflower accepted it as she clutched to the boy with the biggest shade of red as the two were off.

"I'm watching you!!!" shouted Twilight as she spied on the couple with her telescope.

Sometime later...

Sunset was in her room as she was writing in the book.

Dear Princess Twilight, you can add a new ending to the archives. The Memory Stone is no more. Thank you for your help. Give my best to Princess Luna and, of course, Princess Celestia. I'm happy to say everything is back to how it used to be. And... I can't wait to graduate, and move on to the next phase of my life.

The next day at school was when the yearbooks had arrived as the truck pulled into the parking lot.

"No student parking in the faculty lot." said Vice-Principal Luna as Sunset couldn't help but snicker.

She opened the back of the truck as it was filled with tons of boxes. Sunset then opened one as inside were the yearbooks. Soon everybody now had a copy of the yearbook as all the students were all looking back at some memories of these past years. Sunset watched all this from the front of the building as she smiled and entered the school as she was stopped by someone.

"I demand to speak to the yearbook president!" said Trixie as she called out Sunset. "How did this get in here?" Trixie then showed her the picture as it was her poster that she showed her as she had a smile on her face.

"A yearbook president never reveals her secrets!" said Sunset as she and Trixie let out a giggled as they continued on walking.

In the garden, Wallflower had received some new members as they joined her garden club as they were helping her to take care of plants.

"I've got a yearbook delivery for Best Gardener!" said Sunset as she handed Wallflower her yearbook as she opened it and inside was filled with tons of signatures.

Soon all of the girls were on the front lawn as they were having fun and laughing as Sunset leaned against the portal as she opened up her yearbook and flipped to the page that had the picture of them at the beach as they all took their group photo for "Best Friends".

"Oh, come on! Seriously?!" groaned Rainbow as she showed off the issue that she was afraid of.

Isaac was sitting on the rooftop of the school as he was watching the sun set. He had his own yearbook in hand as he flipped through the pages as he was looking back at all the adventures he had since enrolling in the school and all the duels he had taken part in. He then stopped on a certain page as it had his portrait as it was under the Superlative that the whole school decided to give him.

"Best Duelists in CHS." read Isaac. "Well, I may think that's a bit of a stretch, but everybody seems to have a different idea." Isaac then closed the book as he looked at the view as his magicians appeared next to him. Soon they were interrupted by the sound of a door opening.

"You up here?" asked Sunset.

"Yeah." said Isaac.

"So, did you get a lot of signatures for your yearbook?"

"You tell me." said the boy as he got the two of them to chuckle.

"Hey, thanks for saving me way back when. I might not be here as the girl that I am if you didn't stop giving up on me." said Sunset as she sat down next to her friend as she placed her hand on his leg.

"Of course, that's what friends do. No matter what, you help them." smiled Isaac to which Sunset returned the gesture. He then leaned in as he put his hand on Sunset's cheek and captured her lips with his as the two teens enjoyed the kiss for a few moments. They then pulled apart as Sunset smiled at Isaac before looking back at the view as she closed her eyes as some music began to play.

The music slowly died down as Sunset finished singing as Isaac was sitting next to her as he smiled at his friend. Sunset did the same and returned the gesture when they looked behind them as the others were arriving and soon joined the two. Twilight then took a seat on Isaac's right as the boy placed his arm around his girlfriend as the others all sat on the edge as Pinkie pulled out some ice cream bars. Apparently they were a special flavor she had been experimenting with, safe to say it tasted both salty and sweet. So all of the friends sat on the rooftop edge overlooking the town as they all enjoyed the sweet treat while smiling as they knew that they were almost ready to officially graduate.

In this place, to find is to lose, and to lose is to find.

To lose and claim anew, or to claim anew only to lose.

Follow your memories. Trust what you remember and seek what you forget. Then you will find what you are looking for.

Our most precious memories lie so deep within our hearts that they’re out of reach.

When you remember one thing, that leads to remembering another- and then another and then another. Our memories are connected. Many pieces are linked together like they’re linked in a chain- that makes up each of us. And even if the chain of memories comes apart, the links will still be there. So the memory of our promises and time with each other, will always be inside of you somewhere. We might forget about where we’ve been or what things we’ve seen, but we won’t forget who our friends are. Forgotten- but not lost.

Chapter 179: Substitute Teacher

“So what happened after that?” asked Isaac.

“What else, I beat the guy with my Blue-Eyes. Expect anything else.” said Shining Armor as he picked up his glass of wine and drank from it.

“Like I said, it’s practically his own personal pet at this point.” said Twilight as she sat next to her boyfriend.

“Well, if my pet was alive then he would make sure that both my queen and my princess are safe.” said Shining Armor as he pulled Cadance closer to him as the pair shared a passionate kiss.

Shining Armor was currently back in Canterlot for a few days as he was taking a break from his busy schedule as World Champion, so he decided to take Cadance out for a date to which she agreed. Though she had the idea of making it a double date so she invited Twilight and Isaac along. Eventually the married couple picked up the two teens as they went to one of the places that recognized the World Champion and his friends. While Cadance and Shining Armor had dressed up, Isaac was in his casual wear as Twilight wore a semi-formal purple short dress to not only match her boyfriend but also make up for him deciding not wanting to dress up. Of course, Isaac thought Twilight was a bit mental in thinking along that line of logic but he didn’t want to say anything.

So the four all arrived at the restaurant as their waiter arrived; it wasn’t a full fancy restaurant as there were several "common" foods that the menu had labeled. Eventually the pair made their decisions as the waiter took their orders and gave them some glasses of water for the two teens while giving wine for the two older adults. While the cooks were making their food, the two pairs began to listen to Shining Armor’s latest tale about his most recent challenger for his title.

“Sometimes I just wish there was someone who could give me a decent challenge for my title,” said Shining Armor.

“Like Isaac, dear.” said Cadance in her dress as she leaned on her husband’s arm.

“Well, maybe.” smiled the older male. “Can’t believe that you two are about to graduate and then I’ll see you on the pro circuit, kid.”

“Thanks.”

“By the way, have you?” asked Shining Armor as he took a sip of his wine.

“Well… not yet…” said Isaac as he knew what Shining Armor was referring to. “I can’t say yes, but I can’t say no. I appreciate you sticking your neck out for me, Shining Armor. But I just don’t know if I’m gonna sign with your agency.”

“I understand, but you're nearly there. Now Roland was generous in letting you have till you graduate to make your decision. Not a lot of agencies do that, especially KaibaCorp. But the fact that Roland was able to let you have that much time to think, shows that he and everybody else at the company and agency see something special in you. And of course having two duelists of our caliber under their umbrella would be good for their image. But it’s not about that, it’s about you.” said the older boy.

“And I get it, but... I’m still uncertain.” answered Isaac.

“And your relationship?” asked Cadance.

“That’s something we haven’t discussed,” said Twilight, “For obvious reasons.”

“And even more obvious reasons why it won’t work.” added Isaac.

“Really now?” asked Cadance as she could sense the love each teen had as it was strong but also starting to feel a bit of doubt inside of their hearts.

“Anyways, how’s your little program?” asked Shining Armor.

“Well, Twilight and the girls are doing the best they can.” said Isaac as he took a zip from his glass of water. “And the students have definitely grown from when they first started.”

“Especially after the gauntlet match when they tried to take you on at once.” chuckled Twilight as she told Shining Armor and Cadance about how the students thought it was a good idea to take Isaac head on.

“Well, they learned the hard way of taking on a challenge that’s way above their current level.” stated Isaac.

Eventually the waiter returned as he delivered the food to the table. While Shining Armor and Cadance might have sprung for some finer meals, Isaac was content with a regular old burger while Twilight had a salad and pasta.

“You know this will be the type of food you can expect to eat when you’re a pro, Isaac.” said Shining Armor as he cut a piece of his highly paid steak.

“Yeah, I think when it comes to spending my money on restaurants, a simple fast food chain is enough for me.” said Isaac as he took a bite of his meal. “Besides, even if people see me as a celebrity, I still want to be a normal person and eat at a normal place.”

“Nothing wrong with that.” said Cadance as she took a bit of her meal and drank her wine glass.

“Well, hope you make your decision soon.” said Shining Armor as he clinked his glass with his wife’s as he planted a kiss on Candance’s lips.

Twilight saw this and she just simply gave her boyfriend a peck on his cheek as she smiled and placed her head on his shoulder as Isaac just stroked her hair and undid her bun as her hair fell down. For the rest of the evening, the two couples enjoyed their meal and had a fun time with the other.

The next day of school was filled to the brim as the students were preparing for the final few weeks of school. But for the graduating class, in a few weeks, they would soon be officially graduating and then be free to make their own lives. The marching band was working hard to make sure that they got the graduation song memorized and practiced their movements. As for how graduation was going to take place, it was simply going to be all the students gathered on the field and would listen to a few people make some speeches as they would then each receive their diploma when their name was called. There was also going to be a special device that would be on stage that when the students came up to collect the piece of paper, they could put their deck into the device as it would scan and produce a portrait so that it could be hung in the archives section of the school for future generations to see. The best part about graduation was that there was no dress code was needed so most of the students could wear whatever they wanted as they seemed to be happy about that.

It was now the end of another school session as the students were preparing to leave. For one person, he was in a rather dilemma.

“Are you sure?” asked Isaac.

“I’m positive. If we don’t discuss this plan, then this could jeopardize everything we’ve worked for. Besides, we still need to talk about marketing and logo ideas if we want to spread the word.” said the person on the other end of the call.

“I understand, can you meet with me today?” asked the boy.

“Already on it, by the way, same meal as last time.” said the voice.

“You know me well.” chuckled Isaac.

“I’ll be at the place in ten minutes, don’t keep me waiting.” said the person on the other line as they had some pep in their voice when they told Isaac and then ended the call.

“Best to start heading over there.” smiled the boy as he grabbed his bag and was about to leave when he stopped himself by placing his hand on the classroom door.

“Wait, I’m supposed to meet with the CMC to go over our weekly lesson. I can’t just cancel on the kids since they look forward to this day of the week. Shit, what do I do? I want to stay and teach them, but… I have more important matters that need my attention.” said Isaac. “What to do?”

“Excuse me, Professor Isaac?”

“Huh? Oh, hey Amber.”

“Greetings, I was just wondering if everything was okay. You seem to be lost in thought, so I’d deducted that you must have something on your mind. Or perhaps you were contemplating on what decision you should make.” said the young teen girl.

“Wow, you knew me well, Amber.” chuckled Isaac.

“It’s actually reading people’s body language. Not to mention it also helps when you read a lot of books to keep your academia up and to get people to take notice that you’re not a child.” spoke the younger teen.

“No wonder you’re the studious one of the group.” stated Isaac.

“Well, I have a knack when it comes to academia and studying. But I also want to thank you as well, Professor.” complimented Amber.

“Anytime.” smiled the older teen.

“I'd love to do this again, if possible. Your advice is always so useful. Everyone thinks you're a wonderful teacher. You account for people's weaknesses while capitalizing on their strengths. Initially I wasn't sure you paid too much attention to your students. Clearly, I was wrong. After all, were that the case, you wouldn't be capable of providing such useful feedback. I'll continue to learn and grow from your instruction, Professor. I just know it!” exclaimed the girl.

“Just doing my job, Amber. Plus, you're quite determined.”

“You think I'm determined?”

“Yes. You're always pushing yourself.”

“Professor, I... Thank you! You're the only one who's ever praised me like that. I mean, people are always telling me I've got a knack for wielding a deck.”

“I’m just stating what’s true, Amber.” smiled Isaac, “But if I may ask: Why do you work yourself so hard?”

“Well, you see... I... It is because I am the only child of my parents. I must do all I can for them. I'm determined to someday be of real value to them, and that day must come soon. I can't waste any time.” said Amber.

“I understand, but I think they know you’ll never let them down.” smiled Isaac as he looked at the girl. “Trust me, I used to think the same way. That I would need to do everything I can to make my parents proud of me, but they told me the moment I was born not only was I destined for great things, but they were proud of me.”

“I see. Well then, I’ll leave you be, Professor.” said Amber as she began to walk.

“Hey, wait. Amber!” called out Isaac.

“Yes?” said the girl.

The CMC were waiting in their classroom as they had their decks out and were looking over their cards as they were excited. For them, their weekly lessons and one-on-one sessions with Isaac really was one of the best days of their lives that they looked forward to every week. Ever since Isaac first met the three kids, they had been taking private lessons from the boy so that their skills and game could improve. Right now the trio were currently waiting for their tutor to show up.

“Everybody excited?” asked Scootaloo with a hyper voice.

“I reckon, this week, I’ll be the one to walk away with the most wins.” said Applebloom with a smug smile.

“Wonder how Tender Taps will feel seeing you like this?” answered Sweetie Belle with a smug smile of her own.

“He’s just a friend, nothing more.” said the small country girl as she turned her head as it was starting to become red from thinking about her crush.

Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo just laughed and shared a high five at making fun of their best friend. Soon the door opened as the girls all looked at it expecting Isaac to walk in. What they got was something they didn’t expect.

“Well, this seems to be the correct room.” said Amber as she held a small piece of paper in her hand.

“Uh, Sweetie Belle? Ain’t that yer sister’s student she teaches?” asked Applebloom to her friend.

“Hello, children.” said Amber as she stood in front of the three younger kids as they sat at their desks.

“I know she may be a bit older than us, but we ain’t children.” whispered Scootaloo to her friends.

“As you can see Professor Isaac is unable to attend today’s session due to some urgent matters that need his attention,” said Amber.

“What?!” shouted all three kids.

“Fear not, he found a substitute to take his place for today.” said the older girl.

“You?” said Applebloom with an eyebrow raised.

“Is there a problem with me? What, have you seen me as a child due to me being younger than the other students in the program?” asked Amber with a bit of sass in her voice as she placed a hand on her hip.

“No, it’s not that.” stated Sweetie Belle as she knew from the time she spied on Rarity and Amber’s lessons, she knew how the young teen hated everybody referring to her as a child due to her age.

“Sweetie Belle, correct?” asked Amber.

“Yes.”

“I’d figured, Rarity always mentions you when we have our lessons.” said the girl.

“She mentions me?” said Sweetie Belle in awe.

“Says she looks forward to seeing what kind of duelist you’ll grow up to be when she leaves CHS.” stated Amber. “Now then, you three learn from Professor Isaac.”

“Yeah, but we don’t call him professor. Why do you?” asked Scootaloo.

“You have your way of addressing him and I have mine. Let’s leave it at that.” stated Amber. “Now he tells me that you all used to be beginners and by that I mean, you all were barely getting into the game. And now you’ve all at least improved.”

“That what he said, or you’re just makin’ assumptions.” stated Applebloom with some sass.

“Both, but leaning more towards one of those statements.” replied the girl. “Now then, let’s see what you girls got. So who wants to go first?”

“I’ll do it. I've been itching for a duel all day.” stated Scootaloo.

“Very well.”

"Remember girls. We're a team, and when one of us wins, we all win." said Applebloom as the two girls nodded. The each put their hands in as they did their little group huddle.

"CMC! CMC! CMC!" chanted the girls as they did their little pow-wow.

Amber then pulled out another desk as she placed it in front of Scootaloo’s as they faced each other. She then reached into her backpack and pulled out a deck box and flipped it open as she grabbed her cards. She then pulled out some paper and a pencil as she was following Isaac’s orders on what she should do with the CMC. Both girls gave a quick handshake as they began to shuffle their decks and placed them on the desk as they drew their starting hand.

Scootaloo's Life Points: 4000-

Amber's Life Points: 4000-

"You can start, Scootaloo."

Turn 1: Scootaloo

"Don't say I didn't warn you. I draw." said the younger girl. "I'll start by summoning my Jetroid(1200/1800) in defense mode. And then place one card facedown."

Turn 2: Amber

"Then it's my turn," stated Amber as she drew her card and began to formulate her plan, "Well, no sense in waiting, I play Polymerization. So now I'll fuse together my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly. By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a night time huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber then put her cards in the discard pile as she grabbed a monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the field for all to see.

"Woah!" said all three girls as they were looking at Amber's new fusion monster with wonder.

"Don't be too distracted from the duel," stated the girl, "Now Cat Dancer will attack that machine of yours."

"Not fast, see you triggered Jetroid's special ability, when it becomes the target of an attack, I can activate trap cards from my hand."

"From your hand, but you need to set them first before you can activate them." said Amber as this was something she never heard of or was told by Isaac or Rarity.

"You can learn something new at any age." chuckled Scootaloo. "So from my hand, I'm activating Cyber Repairer. With this, you draw one card but in return, all my Machine-type monsters can't be destroyed in battle."

"Clever move, and optical strategy." stated Amber as she gave the kid her dues. Seems Professor Isaac really has taught them a thing or two. "Well then, I'll just place one card facedown."

Turn 3: Scootaloo

"My turn and first I'll flip over my set card, Cyber Summon Blaster. So now everytime I special summon a Machine-type monster, you take 300 points of damage. Then I'll play Submarineroid(800/1800) and then its special ability allows it to attack you directly." informed Scootaloo.
Amber's Life Points: 3200-

"Then when it does that, it switches into defense mode." Scootaloo then switched her card sideways, "I'll then end my turn with another facedown."

Turn 4: Amber

"My draw," said Amber as she picked up her card and looked at it. Normally Lunalight White Rabbit would be useful in helping me to clear an opponent's backrow. But since Scootaloo's monster makes it so that when it's attacked, she can just outright play it from her hand without any consequences. So best to hold off until I get rid of that monster.

"I'll play Lunalight Yellow Marten(800/2000) in defense mode." stated Amber as she played her monster sideways.

"That's all."

Turn 5: Scootaloo

"My turn, I draw. Perfect, I play the spell card, Vehicroid Connection Zone. So now I'll combine my Rescueroid and my Amublanceroid so that I can fusion summon my Ambulance Rescueroid(2300/1800)!" Scootaloo then put all of her cards she selected in the discard pile as she grabbed a monster from her Extra deck and placed it on the field. "And thanks to my trap, you take 300 points of damage."
Amber's Life Points: 2900-

"Now I'll switch my Submarineroid into attack mode. Then to start off, I'll have my Ambulance Rescueroid take out your Lunalight Yellow Marten. And then Submarineroid's special ability allows it to attack your directly." informed Scootaloo.
Amber's Life Points: 2100-

"Now I'll flip over my facedown, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Since my Yellow Marten was destroyed, I can now add 2 'Lunalight' monsters from my deck to my hand." informed Amber as she put her monster in the grave as she grabbed her deck and picked out the cards she wanted as she added them to her hand and then shuffled her deck.

Turn 6: Amber

"My turn, and now I'll play the spell card, Lunalight Perfume. So now I can bring back my Lunalight Blue Cat(1600/1200). from my graveyard. Then when Lunalight Blue Cat is special summoned, I can select a monster on my field and double its attack points. So I select my Cat Dancer." informed Amber as her monster now had 4800 attack points. "Then I'll summon my Lunalight Crimson Fox(1800/600). Now I'll activate Lunalight Cat Dancer's special ability, so now by tributing my Blue Cat it allows my monster to each of your monsters twice."

"Attack each of them twice?" said Scootaloo as she was shocked to hear Amber's monster could do that.

"So first up is taking care of your two monsters in defense mode." said Amber as Scootaloo's monsters were gone.

"Well, my Amublanceroid's special ability allows me to revive one of my monsters in defense mode during the battle phase. So I'll bring back my Submarineroid." informed Scootaloo.

"Well either way, it once again destroyed. And now to attack your Amublanceroid, not granted the first attack won't destroy your monster, but you still take damage, so you'll take 2500 points of damage and then the second attack will take you out." informed Amber.

"True, but I got one last card to play," said Scootaloo as she flipped her card facedown. "I activate my Life Force trap card, so now instead of taking any sort of damage, I can pay 400 life points instead."
Scootaloo's Life Points: 3600-

"Not bad, but I'll activate my Space Typhoon from my hand. So while your card may still activate, it won't stop my second attack." stated Amber. "So now that my monster has battled the first time, it attacks again and this time you lose points and your monster."
Scootaloo's Life Points: 1100-

"Aw man." said the girl as she put her monster in the graveyard as she now had no monsters on her field.

"And so with no monsters left, I'll attack you with my Lunalight Crimson Fox to win." stated Amber.
Scootaloo's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Amber

"Good job, Scootaloo." said Applebloom as she put her hand on her friend's shoulder.

"No kidding." said Amber, "Professor Isaac has taught you well, I can see why he loves to tutor you three."

"Thanks, but you're Rarity's student, so I think that means you have a bit more experience than us."

"Not by much, that shows we're basically at an equal level when it comes to playing the game." informed Amber. "I enjoyed battle you, Scootaloo. Now, who's next?"

"Ah guess I'm up." stated Applebloom as she sat in the deck and pulled out her deck as both girls prepared for the next duel.

Amber's Life Points: 4000-

Applebloom's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Amber

"I'll start off, and I'll discard my Lunalight Black Sheep from my hand."

"Huh?" said Applebloom.

"Let me explain, by doing so, it activates Lunalight Black Sheep's special ability, so I can add Polymerization to my hand." informed Amber as she grabbed her deck and searched for her card as she shuffled her deck.

"Let me guess, you're goin' play."

"Not yet, best to let you guess when I'll play it. For now I'll summon Lunalight Blue Cat to my field in attack mode." stated Amber as she ended her turn.

Turn 2: Applebloom

"All right then, I draw. And I'll play mah Terraforming spell card, so now ah can add a field spell to mah hand." Applebloom then selected the card she wanted as she shuffled her deck. "Then ah play, Aroma Garden. Then I'll play Aroma Gardening, so with this, whenever ah summon an 'Aroma' monster, ah gain 1000 life points. So I'll set this critter in defense mode."

Turn 3: Amber

"Interesting turn, well then. I'll summon Lunalight White Rabbit(800/800) in defense mode. Then since I summoned my White Rabbit, I can target one 'Lunalight' monster in my graveyard and summon it in defense mode. So my Lunalight Black Sheep(100/600) is back in play. Then I activate Lunalight White Rabbit's special ability, which means I can return the same number of spells/traps as the number of 'Lunalight' monsters on my field other than White Rabbit, so since I control two other, that means both of your spells are going back to your hand." informed Amber as Applebloom picked up her cards.

"Now I'll attack your monster with my Lunalight Blue Cat."

"Well, the critter that I set was mah Aroma Jar(500/400). And since it was flipped up, it can't be destroyed in battle while on the field." informed the small country girl. "And since it was flipped up, now at the end of each of our turns, ah gain 500 life points."

"Crafty." complimented Amber. "Well, then I'll just end my turn."
Applebloom's Life Points: 4500-

Turn 4: Applebloom

"My draw, and I'll set mah field spell again and mah Aroma Gardening spell." stated Applebloom as she played her cards. "Then ah summon mah Aromage Jasmine(200/1900) in defense mode. Now a few things happen, I activate Aromage Jasmine's special ability, so now I can have additional normal summon this turn for a Plant-type monster. Then mah Aroma Gardening grants me 1000 life points since I summoned mah monster, and mah field spell gives me another 500 points so ah gain 1500 life points. And then since ah gained life points, Jasmine allows me to draw a card." informed Applebloom as she picked up her card. "Also all mah monsters gain 500 attack and defense points."
Applebloom's Life Points: 6000-

"That's a lot of effects for your turn. Isaac taught you well." stated Amber at how much of a move Applebloom was able to do given her age.

"Well, he was patient with me. And appreciate that." smiled Applebloom as she loved spending time with the boy as she got to learn new tricks.

"And the results show." said Amber.

"I now summon my Aromage Cananga(1400/1000). Cananga's ability activates, since mah life points are higher than yers, all yer faceup monsters lose 500 attack and defense points. So now I'll attack yer Blue Cat with mah Aromage Cananga." stated the girl.
Amber's Life Points: 3200-

"Since my monster was destroyed, Blue Cat allows me to special summon one 'Lunalight' monster from my deck, so I choose my Lunalight Emerald Bird(1200/1000)." stated Amber as she picked up her deck and then placed her monster on the field as she shuffled it.

"Well, ah end mah turn and ah gain more life points due to mah Aroma Jar."
Applebloom's Life Points: 6500-

Turn 5: Amber

"My turn, and now I think you know what happens. But first, I activate Lunalight White Rabbit's special ability so I'll return both of your spell cards once again. And then I'll play Polymerization so now I can combine both my White Rabbit and Black Sheep; by combining the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, with the lively white rabbit illuminated by the moonlight, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon, Lunalight Cat Dancer!" Amber then grabbed both of her cards as she placed them in the discard pile as she grabbed her new monster from the Extra Deck pile for all to see.

"Now since I used Black Sheep as fusion material, I can add a 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard back to my hand, so I choose my Lunalight White Rabbit. And as you know, I can sacrifice my Lunalight Crimson Fox to activate Cat Dancer's ability, so I'll do just that. Which means my Cat Dancer can attack all of your monsters twice this round. Then I play the spell card, Rush Recklessly to give Cat Dancer an extra 700 attack points. So of course your two Aromage monsters will protect your life points due to them being in defense mode and that your Aroma Jar can't be destroyed. But as for Aromage Cananga, the first attack won't destroy it but you take damage." informed Amber.
Applebloom's Life Points: 5300-

"And here comes attack #2." stated the girl as Applebloom lost her monster.
Applebloom's Life Points: 4100-

"Well guess what, the effect of field spell still activates despite not being on the field. So since an 'Aroma' monster was destroyed, I gain 1000 life points." stated the country girl.
Applebloom's Life Points: 5100-

"With that done, I'll lay a card facedown."

"Now my Aroma Jar grants me 500 life points at the end of yer turn." said Applebloom.
Applebloom's Life Points: 5600-

Turn 6: Applebloom

"Looks like yer attack barely made a dent in mah life points." said Applebloom as she drew her card. "I'll then place my two spells once again. Then since once again mah life points are higher than yers, I can special summon mah Aromage Laurel(800/0). And then like before with my two spells I gain a total of 1500 more life points." informed the small girl.
Applebloom's Life Points: 7100-

"Then Laurel's effect activates since ah gained life points, I can treat one non-tuner plant monster and change it to a tuner until the end of the turn. So I choose my Aroma Jar. I then summon mah Aromage Rosemary(1800/700). And now since I have a tuner monster on mah field, I can do this. I tune mah Level 1 Aroma Jar with my Level 1 Aromage Laurel and Level 4 Aromage Rosemary. I Synchro Summon, Aromaseraphy Sweet Marjoram(2200/2000)!" Applebloom put all three of her monsters in the discard pile as she managed to take a monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the field.

"Impressive, to think that Isaac taught you how to synchro summon. You're lucky to have him teach you." said Amber.

"Thanks, partner. Now my field spell gives mah new monster an extra 500 attack and defense points. And now to attack, Aromaseraphy will attack your Lunalight Cat Dancer!" shouted Applebloom.
Amber's Life Points: 2900-

"With that ah end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Amber

"My turn and to start I play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Now I'll play the spell Cat's Lives, with this I can discard a card from my hand and then draw one card. Now if the card I draw is the same type as the card that I sent then I can use it otherwise I have to sent it also to the graveyard. So from my hand, I'll send my Lunalight Blue Cat to my graveyard. I then draw." Amber then picked up her card as she looked at it. "The card I drew was also a monster card, so I can now special summon it, so I summon my Lunalight Purple Butterfly(1000/1000). Then I'll play my Lunalight White Rabbit and by summoning my White Rabbit, I can resurrect another Lunalight monster from my grave, so Cat Dancer is back. Next, up is the spell Lunalight Perfume so that I can bring back Blue Cat." Amber now had a total of four monsters on her field.

"And since Lunalight Blue Cat was special summoned, I can select a Lunalight monster on my field and double its attack points. So I choose my Lunalight Cat Dancer, then I activate Lunalight Purple Butterfly's special ability, so by sending it to the grave, I can give Cat Dancer another 1000 life points. So now she had 5800 attack points." stated Amber as she put her monster in the discard pile. "Then I'll sacrifice my Blue Cat so that I can give my Cat Dancer the ability to attack your monster twice this round. So time to deal some serious damage. I'll attack your monster with mine." stated Amber.
Applebloom's Life Points: 4000-

"Like before the first attack doesn't destroy your monster, but it still dealt you damage. So time for the second attack." stated Amber as she managed to fully get rid of Applebloom's monster as she had no more monsters on her field.
Applebloom's Life Points: 900-

"Then I'll reveal my facedown, Feline Cunningness! So by sending one card from my deck to the graveyard, my spell allows me to copy its effects. So the card I choose to send is my Cat-titude Subjection."

"What's that card do?" asked Applebloom.

"Simple it lets me fusion summon but the monsters I use to summon are banished, a fair trade especially cause the monster I fusion summon gets a 500 attack point boost. So now I can use its effect and I'll combine my Cat Dancer with my White Rabbit. By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the lively white rabbit illuminated by the moonlight, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber then put her two monsters in the discard pile as she grabbed a new monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the field.

"This ain't good." said Applebloom.

"Remember the effect of my Cat-titude Subjection gives my new fusion monster an extra 500 attack and since I summoned my Panther Dancer in the middle of battle, it can attack and since you have no monsters, it means I can attack you directly and you lose." stated Amber as she called out her attack.

"Well, Isaac told me to go down fightin'. And I'll do just that, cause I reveal mah facedown, Aromage Bloom!" shouted Applebloom as she flipped over her set card. "With this, if I take any sort of damage, ah can banish a Plant-type monster from mah graveyard so that you also take the damage as ah do." stated Applebloom as she removed her Synchro monster from her graveyard.

"But my Panther Dancer has 3300 attack points so..."

"So, we draw." confirmed Applebloom.
Applebloom's Life Points: 0-

Amber's Life Points: 0-

Draw

"Great job, Applebloom." said Scootaloo as she gave her friend some dues.

"Thanks, Scoots." said the country girl.

"Wow, you... you... managed for a tie." said Amber as she couldn't believe what the result of the duel was. "You girls are no pushovers, both you and Scootaloo really have taken Isaac's lessons to heart.

"You should seen us when we first began to play this game. We didn't even know what we were doing." chuckled Applebloom.

"Well, only one person left." said Amber as she looked at Sweetie Belle as it was her turn to duel.

Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 4000-

Amber's Life Points: 4000-

"This is gonna be good." said Applebloom as she and Scootaloo got comfy for the battle that was about to take place.

"Yeah, Rarity's little sister vs. her apprentice." stated Scootaloo.

Turn 1: Amber

"I'll start, and now I'll use the spell card Lunalight Fusion so that I can combine my Lunalight Blue Cat and Lunalight Purple Butterfly. By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer!" stated Amber as she already had her fusion monster out.

"Woah, Amber ain't wasting anytime." said Scootaloo.

"You think maybe cause Sweetie Belle is Rarity's sister and thinks she taught her some tricks." asked Applebloom.

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 2: Sweetie Belle

"Then it's my turn, and I'll start of this musical number with my favorite piece of music, First Solo Movement. Since I control no monsters, I can special summon one Level 4 or below 'Melodious' monster from my hand or deck. So I summon Serenade the Melodious Diva(400/1900) in defense mode." said Sweetie Belle as she grabbed her deck and then picked out the card she wanted as she shuffled her deck. "With Serenade out, her effect allows me an additional summon this turn. So since I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can special summon Tamtam the Melodious Diva(1000/2000). And since Tamtam was special summoned, I can add Polymerization to my hand." stated the girl as she now searched her deck for the card as she added it to her hand. "And I'm not done, cause now I'll tribute this duet and combine their melodies to summon a whole new monster! She'll blow you away with her musical talent - Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600/2000). And I'm also special summoning my Sonata the Melodious Diva(1200/1000) and since it was special summoned all my monsters gain 500 more attack points as long as she remains on the field."

"Anymore effects you're gonna play?" asked Amber as she was surprised by the sheer swarm of monsters on Sweetie Belle's field.

"Not right now, but I'll attack your Cat Dancer with my Mozarta!" stated Sweetie Belle as she gave her command to her monster.
Amber's Life Points: 3300-

"And then Sonata will take her turn and attack you." said Sweetie Belle as she dealt another attack to Amber.
Amber's Life Points: 1600-

"Woah!" said both girls as they saw their friend take out over half of Amber's life total all in her first turn.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Amber

"Alright, girl. No more playing it safe, my turn." said Amber as she drew her card. "I now play the spell card, Lunalight Perfume so that I can resurrect my Lunalight Cat Dancer. Then I'll discard my Lunalight Black Sheep so that I can add a Polymerization to my hand." said the girl as she put her monster in the graveyard pile as she picked up and added the card to her hand and shuffled her deck. "Then I'll summon my Lunalight White Rabbit and when my White Rabbit is summoned, it can bring back a monster of mine in defense mode. So I'll bring back my Black Sheep in defense mode. Next, I'll play Polymerization so that I can combine my Black Sheep and Cat Dancer! By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the cunning covertness of a stealthy beast, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber then put her two monsters in the discard pile as she grabbed a new monster from her Extra Deck as she placed it on the field.

"Now since I used Black Sheep as fusion material, I can add one 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll take back my Lunalight Purple Butterfly." informed Amber. "Now to strike, like my Cat Dancer, Panther Dancer can attack each of your monsters twice and when it destroys one of your monsters it gains 200 more attack points for the next target. So to start off, I'll attack your Tamtam which means you don't lose life points but it does raise my Panther Dancer's attack to now 3000. And then I'll have it target your Sonata and like before the first attack doesn't destroy your monster."
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 2700-

"And now attack #2 gets rid of it and raise my Panther Dancer by another 200 points for a total of 3200. Also without Sonata on the field all your monsters lose the extra 500 attack points." stated Amber.
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 1400-

"So like before the first attack doesn't destroy your Mozarta."
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 900-

"And now attack number 2 gets rid of your monster."
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 400-

"Ohh, talk about a hit." said Scootaloo as she watched Sweetie Belle's life points drop from 4000 to 400 in one attack.

"No kidding, Amber really is talented. No wonder she was selected to be a part of the program by Isaac." said Applebloom as the two other girls were munching on some chips as they watched this duel.

"I end my turn and now Panther Dancer's attack points return to normal."

Turn 4: Sweetie Belle

"My turn, and to start, I'll play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Tamtam the Melodious Diva. Then I'll summon Crystal Rose(500/500)." stated the girl.

"Crystal Rose? That's not a Melodious monster." informed Amber.

"You're correct, but as long as my Crystal Rose is on the field, I can use it as a substitute for a fusion material for a fusion monster. So now I'll play Polymerization so that I can combine my Crystal Rose and Tamtam the Melodious Diva. Together, you'll sing a sensational duet that will form an even more Melodious monster! I Fusion Summon, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir(1000/2000)!" said Sweetie Belle as she put both of her cards in the discard pile and then summoned a new monster from her Extra Deck. "Now since I used Tamtam to fusion summon, my Bloom Diva loses 500 attack points and then you take 500 points of damage." informed Sweetie Belle.
Amber's Life Points: 1100-

"Now time to sing a farewell performance. Bloom Diva will attack your Panther Dancer."

"Why? My monster is so much stronger than your Bloom Diva." stated Amber.

"That's why I'm activating my Bloom Diva's special ability, it can't be destroyed in battle and any damage that I would have taken you take instead." said Sweetie Belle.

"What?" shouted Amber as that fact shocked her.

"So the damage I would have have taken was 2300, but thanks to my monster's effect you take it instead and since you only have 1100 life points, that means..."

"You lose." said Applebloom and Scootaloo with smiles on their faces as their friend picked up the win.
Amber's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Sweetie Belle

"Nice job." shouted Scootaloo as she put her arm around Sweetie Belle's neck.

"CMC! CMC! CMC!" chanted the small girls as they celebrated the victory Sweetie Belle got as she managed to defeat Rarity's student. To them it was a team effort and a win for all.

"All for one..." said Sweetie Belle.

"... And one for all!" finished Applebloom and Scootaloo as they all had smiles on their faces.

"Impressive." said Amber as she was amazed by not only Sweetie Belle's skills but also the duels she had with each of the other two girls. "You all managed to give me a fight, and I'm not joking. You all are talented girls."

"Ehh, we try." said Scootaloo.

"Course, we still have a lot to learn." stated Sweetie Belle.

"I mean, out of our class. We're the best duelists, hands down." said Applebloom.

"I can tell, Isaac really has taught you all some tricks. And the fact that you were able to defeat me with his teachings, I can only look forward to what you three will do." said Amber.

"Well, since our sisters are graduating this year, we're trying our best to pick up the mantle and carry on what they started." said Applebloom.

"In that case, I hope you three continue to impress." smiled Amber as she the small girls returned the gesture and brought the slightly older teen in for a group hug as Amber just let the girls do their thing. For the rest of the day, all four of them began to practice their skills and have fun with one another. For Amber, she could see why Isaac loved to spend time with the younger girls.

Chapter 180: Return of a Familiar Face

The students of CHS were starting to really get more excited as each passing day, it meant it was one step closer to the school year being officially done. But for the graduating class, it meant that graduation was just weeks away and it was turning out to be one of the biggest events that everybody was looking forward to. Especially, for a certain group of friends.

Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna were in their offices as they were going over some paperwork and finalizing the plan for the upcoming graduation. Both women were happy to see another bunch of their students leave and then make it out in the world living their own lives, but it also gave the pair a sense of sadness since this bunch there was a special group of individuals that made the last few years memorable. Regardless, they were in a hurry as soon the celebration would be upon them and the entire school building.

Meanwhile, the girls were busy as they had their own task to complete. While graduation was one of the last things they were looking forward to, there was one thing that needed their absolute focus and it involved their students. The Board of Education was coming in about 3 weeks from now and they were coming to see the results of Isaac's little program. Since the school year started all those months ago, Isaac was determined to make sure that the kids were as ready as they could be. The incident with the Shadowbolts in the training facility proved to be a good preview of what the kids should expect their final exam to be. In fact, neither the girls nor the students had any idea on what the final exam actually was. The only clue that Isaac had given them was that they would be competing in one-on-one duels, but he didn't say who the students were facing. Isaac said they would find out in due time as he told the two groups to have faith and trust that he knew what he was doing. And so they didn't push the subject anymore.

It was another day at CHS as Isaac was currently in a classroom as he was talking with Twilight as they were discussing some matters.

"The kids have come a long way since you first introduced them to this program and to us." stated Twilight.

"Which translates that they paid attention, not necessarily that the program is succeeding." informed Isaac.

"But you've seen each of their individual success, I'm pretty sure..."

"That you can't make assumptions!" interrupted Isaac as his tone of voice got Twilight to be scared. "Come on, Twilight. I thought you were smart."

"Isaac, what's gotten into you?" asked the girl.

"What are you talking about?" said the boy as he was dumbfounded by the question asked by his girlfriend. He expect that kind of answer from the others, but not Twilight.

"I... never mind." said Twilight as she put her head down as she didn't bother saying anything else.

"Then we need to get back to work. Come on! The Board of Education will be here before you know it, and when that happens, it's sink or swim. No middle ground, either the students succeed or they fail." stated Isaac with a strict tone. "And let me say, if they fail. Then..."

"Then, what?" asked Twilight as she was nervous on what her boyfriend was going to say about the students.

"You don't want to know. Trust me. I'll be checking in with each of you later." said the boy as he walked out of the room and left Twilight all by herself as she clutched her arm.

"Isaac. Why are you like this? Where's the boy that I admired so long ago?" muttered Twilight to herself as she looked at Isaac and she was seeing a different boy than who she thought.

Throughout the day, Isaac kept to his word as he did check in with the girls' sessions as he wanted to see how the students were taking this knowing full well that all they were learning was about to be on display for the Board. While Isaac did observe, he also saw somethings that forced his hand. Seems the girls were surprised by their male friend as they saw a different side to the boy as it seemed like he was a man on a mission as he pushed the students to their limits while he just stood over them with a scowl on his face. Eventually, Isaac had seen all he needed as he left the room with a shake of his head as the girls helped their students up.

"Don't they know that the Board of Education is nearly here!" shouted Isaac as he was walking in the hallway. "I told them the fun and games were over, enough of that, enough of this bullshit. It's business. Time to be serious. Sink or Swim!!!" Isaac's mind was now turned up to eleven as he was more focused than ever on getting the students ready. While the boy was too busy talking with his thoughts, he was soon interrupted by someone.

"There you are, Isaac." said Vice-Principal Luna as she managed to track down the boy.

"Vice-Principal Luna, is there a problem?"

"Well, not a problem per say. But it's just that we've had some visitors arrive and they want a tour of this school." said the older women.

"At this time of the school year?" said Isaac with an eyebrow raised. "Graduation is only a few weeks away, so if they were looking to transfer here, they can't."

"Well, it's not a transfer. But rather they're from out of town, and they wanted to see this place."

"Why this place?" asked Isaac.

"Well, cause you're here." stated Luna. "Apparently, whoever it was that I talked on the phone said that they knew you attended here and wanted to take a tour of the school with you being the guide."

"That's... weird. And why me?"

"I'm afraid they didn't say. But they are here, they arrived earlier than expected." said Luna.

"Well, I better check it out." said the boy.

"I knew I could count on you, Isaac. Good luck." said the older women as she went on her way as Isaac started to make his way to the front of the school entrance. Eventually, Isaac was about to reach his destination as all he needed to do was turn the corner.

"Alright, what kind of people are..." At that moment, everything froze. Everything stopped; for Isaac his expression changed like that as he saw who the special guests were.

"So nice to see you... Isaac." said the voice as it had a touch of evil. "I was wondering when you and I were going to meet again."

"Starlight Glimmer." said the boy with venom in his tone. Standing in front of the boy was indeed the girl who he hadn't encountered in almost 2 years.

And it wasn't her, as behind Starlight was also Sunburst as he seemed to be his usual self. But from what he could tell from the boy, he seemed to be different, more happier in a sense. But Isaac wasn't focusing on that, he was moreso focusing his attention on the girl in front of him as she had a smile on her face as it caused Isaac to clench his fist as he remembered their last encounter. The incident at the Duos Cup and how Starlight's wicked ideology of making change in Duel Monsters so that everybody would think and act as one. And the fact that she disrespected the great duelists of the past, all of it was unlocking some hidden rage that was being bottled up inside of Isaac as he looked at the girl standing in front of him.

"What, no hello?" snickered Starlight.

"What do you want?" replied Isaac.

"No, how you've been doing since our last encounter? No, my Starlight are you beauty today? No welcome kiss?" taunted the girl as she still had an evil smug smile.

"What the hell do you want? And what are you doing here?" asked Isaac.

"Didn't Vice-Principal Luna tell you, we're the special visitors that requested you to give us a tour of this place." said Starlight.

"I know that's bullshit, you ain't here for no tour? So what are you doing here?" stated Isaac.

"Seems after all this time, your intelligence hasn't dropped. Good, I'll need that when I complete my plan." said the girl.

"You still believe in the idea that everybody should do what you tell them to do? That everybody should follow one mind and one voice." said Isaac.

"I told you, after the Duos Cup and how you and your pathetic girlfriend embarrassed us. I would get my revenge and I would carry out my plan." said Starlight. "It may have taken me a while, but I finally got everything all set up. The only thing left standing in my way is some old unfinished business."

"I'm giving you only one warning, Starlight. Stay away from me and my friends, get the hell out of my school. Walk your ass out of town and never let me see your face again." said Isaac as he was done playing games with the girl as it was now time to get serious.

"Uh, Star..." said Sunburst as he saw Isaac looking to get physically as he was about to step in to protect and take the hit for his friend when Starlight put her hand out to tell him she had it under control.

"Don't bother, Sunburst. I've got this." smiled the girl as she looked at Isaac.

"I can see where this is going, so since you took the time to come all the way here to explain to me and readers why you're back, why I don't say the real reason to everybody reading this story why you're back." stated Isaac as he was now going off script. "It comes down to business. What do I mean by that, it was good for business and this story that you came back into the fold. You see, the readers of this story have been dying and begging the author to bring you back and it's my job as the protagonist to give the people what they want. To try each and every week, to give them exactly what they want. The readers of this story spoke and they wanted Starlight Glimmer and you know, I put my personal feelings aside for a bit and gave them Starlight Glimmer." stated the boy.

"Yeah, I picked up on that. Personal feelings?" taunted Starlight as she still had that smug smile and played along with going off script.

"It... it was meant to be a compliment, just take it as that." replied Isaac.

"No, wait a second. Just cause you're now a businessman, please don't hide behind that persona." chuckled Starlight. "Personal feelings, I really am interested in to know now, just like all the readers of this story here are, I want to know what your personal feelings are for Starlight Glimmer." smiled the girl.

"Personal feelings are irrelevant, but if you insist," said Isaac with his own smirk, "I think that you're a smug, overrated, attention seeking, gal that puts a little bit too much stock in her own hype. Not that, that's a bad thing." stated the boy as he was breaking reality and the fourth wall.

"Well, I'm glad we could be honest. Smug, overrated... kinda like looking in the mirror, isn't it Isaac." said Starlight as she too was breaking the fourth wall and reality as well. "Yeah, am I smug? Yeah! You know what, absolutely! I don't wear a white cap, I'm kinda of a jerk. Am I overrated? Not really for me to say? Not up to me." stated the girl.

"I wish you'd just come out and say that you hated my guts though. That you hate my guts, but let everybody know what a commodity I am." said Starlight. "See because we live in this era that your so called legendary duelists built, right? They'll great duelists, all of whom you and everybody reading this knows about. You love them all, isn't that right. They all surrounded themselves with great people who said: 'Yes, Yes, Yes'. And they really screwed up the pooch on this entire talent roster, by letting people pass them by only for them to get handpicked by who they thought was going to be the next big thing." stated the girl. "Basically, not only did you want to see me go anywhere else, you couldn't afford to see me go anywhere else. I'm hot, I'm a commodity."

"Fair enough, you are a commodity. But since we're out here telling everybody the truth, why don't you tell the truth about why you're really here and why you came back at this point of the story?" fired Isaac with his own question.

"I already did, I want to facilitate change." stated Starlight.

"That's one way of looking at it. I think of another way of looking at it, would be... you did it for you. You wanted to hear your own voice. What do you call that, a pipe bomb?" asked Isaac. "Well, what happens if a pipe bomb goes off in the forest and nobody is there to hear it, does it make a noise? The answer is no, it doesn't! See you needed this platform, you needed the audience and the readers because without them, your pipe bomb and you... well really don't mean shit. That you did for your own ego."

"Well, that's a big maybe. That's 50-50 at best. And I don't like to hang my hat on 'maybes'. I like facts. 100% truths." said Starlight. "And the truth is... I'm back."

"Correction, you're back... but not for long." said Isaac as he started to walk away.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold on there, Isaac." called out Starlight as she got the boy to stop in his tracks. "I do love a good banter between good guy and bad guy, but... come back here for a second. This pipe bomb is about to go off in the forest and I want you around so that you can here it. I'm just getting warmed up. See I don't want you to think that just because I'm back, that you're gonna treat me the same way you do all your villains. Or that means that I'm gonna shut up. I don't want you to think that I'm gonna tow the company line, and spit out some PG doctrine. I'm not going to promo class, I'm not going to media training. I'm here to stay and I'm here to do things my way, bitch. You want to talk about egos, well then... Isaac. Let's talk about egos!!!" shouted Starlight as she got in the face of the boy.

"Let's talk about you hogging the spotlight, so many, many, many, many times over people who actually deserved a spotlight. Let's talk about the fact that you like to throw your weight around and push people and tell them what to do." stated Starlight. "I mean, how many times do you tell people what to do? You know, don't answer that question. Answer this question. How many times did you say: 'Well, you know. I just don't think he has what it takes' while you're lying in bed, snuggling and making out with Twilight?" sounded off Starlight as Isaac just had a smug smile from hearing the girl say that.

"See no matter what, if you're wearing a $5000 suit? If you're in your regular clothes? If you're dressed up like a low-rent, poor man's Conan, you are the same guy you've always been. You're a bully who likes to throw his weight around and push people." stated Starlight. "And... I'm not picking a fight; I'm just saying be careful who you push. Because you know, I like to push back."

"This comes down to ego, right? And I'll be the first guy to tell you, I got a massive ego." said Isaac. "And right now, that massive ego, is telling me to slap your skinny fat ass!!" shouted the boy as she and Starlight had their foreheads touching each other as they had scowls on their faces.

"But I'm not gonna do that, because this is bigger than that." said Isaac as he backed off from the girl. "This is bigger than that. I took the role as champion for them. The audience and the readers of this story. That comes with certain responsibilities, certain rules. Maybe I don't like those rules any more than anybody else would, but you know what? I respect them, and for them, I'm not gonna break those rules. And Starlight, I would strongly, strongly suggest that you don't break them either."

Starlight then took off her beanie as she shook her hair as it let loose some strands as she took off her leather vest and tossed both of them on the floor as Sunburst grabbed them and looked at her friend as it appeared she was going to get physically.

"Or what?" taunted the girl while getting in the face of Isaac. "You're gonna-- you're gonna beat me up? Huh? You gonna fight me? You gonna punch me in the face? You gonna put your hands on me? To be honest, I don't mind that idea. Pretty sure you wouldn't mind that, right?" said Starlight as she put her hands on Isaac's arms and was feeling him up as she got to his chest and felt it to as she has the same sly look on her face; Isaac still held a scowl as Starlight began to play with his necklace. "Or do you have to go and ask Twilight for permission first?" Starlight then back off as she flicked Isaac's necklace in his face as she backed up and began to walk away.

"Pipe bomb." stated the girl as she and Sunburst now were walking past Isaac as he watched them leave.

After the encounter with Starlight and Sunburst, Isaac had tried to focus on checking on the students, but he was having a tough time as he couldn't get the girl out of his head. Isaac was in a classroom as he was looking over his cards.

"Starlight. You had to show up just as I'm about to complete my objective." said the boy as he gripped his deck even more tightly. He was so distracted that he didn't notice anybody enter the room as they were looking for him.

"There you are! What are you doing here? Your duel is about to start." stated Twilight.

"Huh? Oh, Twilight."

"Are you okay?" asked the girl as ever since she last saw her boyfriend he had a different attitude than the one from the morning.

"Y-yeah." said Isaac as he was distracted due to him still thinking about Starlight being here.

"Well, hurry up. You need to get to your duel." said Twilight as she grabbed Isaac by his hand and then started to drag her boyfriend to the field.

Their friends and their classmates was all seated in the stands as they were looking forward to this championship duel. Both Twilight and Isaac arrived at the entrance to the field as they could hear the crowd noise.

"Made it just in time." said Twilight.

"Yeah, thanks Twilight." said Isaac.

"No problem, hold still." stated the bookworm as she began to fix her boyfriend's appearance.

"Listen, Twilight."

"Yeah." said the girl as she adjusted her boyfriend's cap on his head and his necklace.

"I'm sorry for yelling this morning. It's just with the test coming up, I'm just a bit worried about how the students will do. Everything rides on this, and now that we're literally weeks away, I'm more scared than ever. I know you and the girls all did wonderful jobs and I know the kids will be fine, it's just... I can't help but worry." said Isaac.

"Hey," said Twilight as she placed her hand on Isaac's cheek as it got the boy to look at her, "it's alright. We know the stress you're under. Do you know who your girlfriend is? If anybody knows what it's like to worry and have a mental freak-out, it's me. So I get it. Now go out there and defend your rank as champion."

"Right." nodded Isaac.

Twilight then captured her lips with his as Isaac cusped her cheek. While the microphone was telling Isaac to get on the field, the pair was still kissing as Isaac wrapped his arms around his girlfriend as he lifted her up as their liplock became more intense as their mouths opened and explore the other.

"One more time! Isaac, please report to the field or it will be a forfeit!" shouted Luna through the P.A. system. That got the pair to break apart as they were out of breath but still had their foreheads touching.

"I think I'd rather stay here and keep kissing you." joked Isaac.

"If only." chuckled Twilight. "Now go win and maybe, tonight I'll give you something special." winked Twilight. With that she then pushed her boyfriend through the door as there was a certain pair that had been watching this from around the corner as one of them had an evil smile as they soon moved to another location.

"Where is..."

"I'm here!" shouted Isaac as he appeared on the field as Twilight had gone off to take a seat with her friends to watch his duel.

"Gees, what took you so long?!" shouted Rainbow Dash.

"Something came up, Dash. But I'm here now."

"Good, I finally earned my shot at facing you and I'm not gonna win by forfeit." said the chromatic girl as she activated her duel disk and projected a sky blue card tray.

"Maybe you should have taken the forfeit, cause I don't plan on losing." said Isaac as he activated his duel disk and projected a gold card tray.

"Ladies and gentleman, this duel is for the rank of champion for CHS. In this duel, it'll be Rainbow Dash taking on the current champion, Isaac." stated Vice-Principal Luna as she stood up from her chair next to her sister. "So if both competitors are ready... let the duel... begin!!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start off, I draw. I'll summon my Obnoxious Celtic Guardian(1400/1200) in defense mode. Then since I control a Level 4 or below monster, I can summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700). And by summoning her, I get to draw an extra card." said Isaac as his kid magician opened her book and inside was the card as she used her magic to float it over to her master as Isaac took it and gave a smile to his monster.

"With that, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Rainbow

"Then it's my turn, so get ready!" shouted Rainbow as she drew her card.

Isaac looked at his friend as he could see she was trying to figure out how she wanted to start her turn. Which monsters are you gonna start off with, Dash? Your Ultra Athletes or Speedroids.

"Since I control no monsters, I can special summon this monster, Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600). And by summoning my Speedroid Terrortop, I can add a 'Speedroid' monster to my hand." Rainbow then used her duel disk screen as she was selecting the card she wanted as she made her choice and then it ejected the card out for her to grab. "Then I summon U.A. Libero Spiker(1800/1800)." Rainbow's monster then appeared as it was a person who had a metal suit as it powered up and the monster did a few serves as a volleyball appeared in its hand.

"Now to attack, your Celtic Guardian can't be destroyed by monsters with 1900 or more attack points, but my U.A. Libero Spike only has 1800 and has enough attack points to take it out. So get him bud!" shouted the girl. Rainbow's monster then raced forward as he tossed the volleyball to his captain. Rainbow caught it as she got into position and then she served the ball towards her monster who jumped up high as a volley net appeared and he spiked it down on the floor as it exploded neat the foot of Isaac's monster as it was destroyed.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, and I summon my Magician Boy(1500/1200)." said Isaac as he now had his other kid magician on the field in his oversized robe and hat.

"Is it my turn yet?" asked Magician Boy as he was eager to get in on the action.

"Calm down. Isaac is the one in charge."

"I've been itching for a battle, Annette. Can't wait to go all super power." said the boy magician.

"That's not even a sentence, god you're a handful." said Mage Annette.

"Lighten up, Annette." said Isaac as he talked with his magician. "Besides, have you told him?"

"Master! Not you!" pouted Mage Annette. She then made her way towards Isaac as he bent down to her level. "I thought you would understand."

"I do, Annette. But maybe you could take a chance." suggested Isaac.

"What are you guys talking about?" asked Magician Boy.

"Nothing! Just stay out of my business!" shouted Mage Annette.

"Come on, tell me Annette. I'm your best friend."

"No! Leave me alone!" stated the girl as she turned her back to her friend as she was trying to hide the blush on her face as she played with her hair.

"Isaac, tell Annette that I just wanted to hear what you two were talking about?" said the kid magician.

"Sorry little bud, but that's between me and her." informed Isaac. "But maybe she'll tell you if you say sorry."

"Why should I say sorry, she started it!" pointed the boy.

"Did not! You did!" stated the girl as she and the boy were now arguing like little kids.

"Guys, settle down." said Isaac as both of his magicians sat back to back as they had their arms crossed and had upset looks. "You guys are best friends, and friends fight, that's just naturally. But know that as upset as you guys may be with each other, you both need the other. To help and offer support when they need it the most. Like me, I need you guys to help me win this duel. So can you both stop getting on each other nerves?"

Both of Isaac's kid magicians looked at their master and then at each other as they soon smiled.

"Alright, Isaac." said Magician Boy as he stood up. "I'm sorry, Annette."

"I suppose I can accept your apology." said Mage Annette.

Magician Boy then offered his hand to his best friend as Mage Annette looked at her friend as the blush returned on her face. She then placed her hand in his as it made her heart flutter a bit as he pulled her up as she gave the small boy a deep and loving hug.

"That's what I like to see. Now let's get back to battling." stated Isaac.

"Yes sir, Isaac." said both kids as they got into position.

"Now I'll have my Magician Boy attack your U.A. Libero Spike. And with my Magician Boy's special ability, he can't be destroyed in battle and any damage he takes you take instead." said Isaac as his tiny magician tried so hard to raise his staff as he got a good aim and then fired his spell as he managed to not fall down this time as it collided with Dash's monster who blocked it with his fist as it ricocheted off his armor and headed towards the girl as it pinged her.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7700-

"Then the other effect of my Magician Boy activates, when it fails to destroy a monster, I can then one monster on the field and you take damage equal to its attack points. So your Libero Spiker is now destroyed." stated Isaac as this time Mage Annette now placed her tiny hand on her best friend's shoulder as she transferred some of her power as both kids fired a spell that took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5900-

"Nice job, you two." said Isaac as he bent down and gave his kid magicians each a high five. "I now end my turn."

Turn 4: Rainbow

"Not bad, but I ain't done. Just what I needed, I summon Speedroid Maliciousmagnet(0/0)! And now Maliciousmagnet allows me to synchro summon using any one of your monsters that's out on the field. So I'll borrow your Magician Boy, Isaac. And then I tune my Level 1 Speedroid Maliciousmagnet with your Level 3 Magician Boy!" Maliciousmagnet then soared into the air as it turned into one giant green ring as it circled around Isaac's spellcaster as a new monster was being summoned. "I Synchro Summon, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle(1300/1600)!" said Rainbow as her new monster was a ninja as it appeared on the field with such speed and agility.

"Now to attack, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle attack his Mage Annette. In case you forgot, Isaac. Hi-Speedroid Puzzle's ability allows him to double his attack points when he battles a special summoned monster until the end of the Damage Step. So now your other magician is gone." stated Rainbow as her monster managed to get rid of Isaac's other kid magician.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"Then it's my turn, and I'll summon my Berry Magician Girl(400/400)." Isaac now had a small baby appear on his field as she had tiny fairy wings that she flapped hard to hover while having a pacifier in her mouth. "And when I summon my Berry Magician Girl, I can add a 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand." Isaac's magician girls all appeared in front of their master as they were all trying to convince their master to pick them, well except Kiwi Magician Girl as she was the oldest of the sisters and just let the others be themselves.

"Hmm, tough choice in picking which cute girl I want. Berry, what do you think?" asked Isaac as he looked to his magician to get her input.

"Let me think." said Berry Magician Girl in her baby voice as she sat on Isaac's shoulder. "Lemon was mean to me the other day, she took my toy away." pouted the little thing.

"It was past your bedtime little miss." said Lemon Magician Girl to her baby sister.

"No!" pouted the small thing as she made a suck on her pacifier. "Apple's always nice, I pick her."

"Alright then." said Isaac as he agreed to that choice.

"Yes!" stated Apple Magician Girl. "That's why you need to be sweet with our sister." said the girl as she gave Lemon a smug smile that their baby sister liked her the most. Apple Magician Girl then snuggled Isaac's arm as she was glad to be picked by her master.

"Alright, Apple. You can fawn over me later." stated Isaac as he reminded his magician that they were still in a duel.

"Right, Isaac." smiled the girl as she now turned into a card as it was now in Isaac's hand.

"I picked my Apple Magician Girl. Then I'll place one more card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Rainbow

"My draw, and I'll summon my U.A. Midfielder(1200/1000)!" A portal opened up as out came Rainbow's monster as it landed on the field as its hair blew in the wind. He then turned to his left as he saw Hi-Speedroid Puzzle as he gave a quick fist bump to his comrade as Puzzle used his cannon hand to return the gesture.

"You guys ready to attack?" asked Rainbow to her two lead monsters as they nodded at their captain. "Good, now U.A. Midfielder attack that Berry Magician Girl!"

"You now triggered Berry Magician Girl's other effect, so it switches to defense mode and then I can special summon one other 'Magician Girl' from my deck to the field. So I pick my Chocolate Magician Girl(1800/1000)!" stated Isaac as a piece of a chocolate bar appeared as soon it began to melt and then appeared his monster as she gave a wink.

"Either way, I'm still going to attack your Berry Magician Girl." said Rainbow as her Midfielder took out Isaac's tiny magician with a powerful kick attack. "And now Hi-Speedroid Puzzle take out his Chocolate Magician Girl, and don't forget my Puzzle doubles its attack points since its battling a special summoned monster."

"Well, let me tell you about Chocolate Magician Girl's effect, so now I can revive a spellcaster in my graveyard and then it becomes the new target and its attack points are cut in half. So rise up, Mage Annette in defense mode. And by summoning Mage Annette once again, I draw an extra card. And with your monster's attack cut in half, that means it drops back to 1300." said Isaac as Rainbow's monster collided with Isaac's kid magician as she held her ground with her wand as she pushed back the machine.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5500-

"Good one, Annette." said Chocolate Magician Girl.

"Thanks, Chocolate. Hey, are we still going to hang out later?" aske Mage Annette to the older girl.

"Yup, and maybe this time we'll finally get you to work up the courage to admit to that crush of yours." giggled Chocolate Magician Girl as all of Isaac's female monsters and magicians all knew about Mage Annette's crush on her best friend as they often tried to get the small girl to open up and tell him about it.

"No! If I tell him, he'll laugh at me." said the small girl as she stroked her hair as she contemplated about telling her best friend she had a crush on him.

"It'll work out Annette." said Isaac as soon him and his monsters returned back to battle.

"Not bad, Isaac. But this duel is just getting started, I end my turn."

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, I draw. I'll activate my Chocolate Magician Girl's special ability so by sending one spellcaster in my hand to the graveyard, I can draw an extra card. So I'll discard my Apple Magician Girl." stated Isaac as he sent his card into the graveyard slot and then picked up an extra card. "I'll now sacrifice my Mage Annette so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl!" stated Isaac as his ultimate female spellcaster appeared.

"Isaac!" said Mana as she gave her friend a hug from the side as she nuzzled her cheek against his.

"Hey, Mana. I had Isaac first." stated Chocolate Magician Girl.

"But I'm Isaac's favorite girl outside of his girlfriend. Isn't that right?" asked Mana as she batted her eyelashes at the boy.

"I love you guys all equally, you're my friends." stated Isaac.

"He's so honest and cute." stated Mana as she gave a quick peck on the cheek before getting into position.

"Now then, I'll have my Dark Magician Girl attack your Hi-Speedroid Puzzle!" stated Isaac.

"Not so fast, I reveal my facedown, Burning Sonic. Now I can negate your attack and then target one of my monsters and give it 500 more points, so I choose my Hi-Speedroid Puzzle." stated Rainbow as she saved her monster from being destroyed and powered it up.

"Fine then, I'll have my Chocolate Magician Girl attack your U.A. Midfielder!" said Isaac as his other magician took out its target.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4900-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Rainbow

"My turn, and now I'll play my Speedroid Horse Stilts(1100/1100). And when I summon this monster, I can also special summon one Level 4 or lower Speedroid monster from my hand, so join the field, Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke(1000/1000)." Rainbow now had a total of four monsters on her field as she looked to take things to the next level. "I now tune my Level 3 Daiko Duke with my Level 4 Horse Stilts!" Rainbow's Daiko Duke then transformed into three giant green rings as they circled around Horse Stilts. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" shouted Rainbow as one of her powerhouses of her deck had arrived as it let out a growl as it prepared to due battle for its mistress.

"This could be a challenge." said Isaac as he knew how tough Rainbow's dragon could be, especially with its ability.

"Now to attack, Hi-Speedroid Puzzle attack his Chocolate Magician Girl! And remember since you special summoned her, my monster's attack double and with the boost from my Burning Sonic, it now has a total of 3600 points." stated Rainbow.

"Don't forget about my Chocolate Magician's Girl's effect, I revive one of my fallen magicians and then it changes over to it."

"Well, not if I send my Burning Sonic to the graveyard, by doing so it negates the activation of your monster's effect so you can't do your trick. It may lose the extra 500 points, but you're about to take a bigger hit." said Rainbow as her monster made contact with Isaac's monster as it was taken out.
Isaac's Life Points: 6700-

"And now Clear Wing take out his Dark Magician Girl!" commanded Rainbow.

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Pigeon. So now I can return my Dark Magician Girl back to my hand and then replace her with two 'Pigeon' tokens." said Isaac as his card flipped over as his magician turned into a white light as it shot towards his hand as he held her card and on the field were white pigeons as soon Rainbow's monster came in at high speed and took out one of them as only feathers remained.

"Not bad, geek. I'll end my turn."

"And now at the end phase, all my Pigeon tokens are destroyed and then my Dark Magician Girl is back in play." said Isaac as the white bird now had a light coming from it as soon Isaac's female wizard was back.

Turn 9: Isaac

"My draw," said Isaac as he drew his card and was beginning to think of how to properly deal with Rainbow's Clear Wing.

"Got a plan, Isaac?" asked Mana as she appeared next to her master as she looked over his shoulder to see his cards.

"I got something, do you trust me, Mana." asked the boy.

"Don't I always." responded the girl with a kiss.

"I simply lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Rainbow

"My turn, and I'll play the spell card, U.A. Signing Deal. So now I can special summon one 'U.A.' monster from my deck, but its effects are negated and I take damage times its level by 300. So I choose my U.A. Rookie(300/300) whose Level 2." Out came a boy who had brown scruffy hair and wore a shiny bronze metal suit with blue and orange patterns, compared to his teammates who all wore shiny silver metal suits.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4300-

"Now let's try this again, Clear Wing take out his Dark Magician Girl!"

"I reveal my facedown, Magical Hats! Materialize!" shouted Isaac as his trap now produced four hats that came out and then shuffled his monster. "You know how this works, Dash."

"I do. Which is why I hate you." said the girl as she gritted her teeth.

"But..."

"Yeah, I love you." said Rainbow so that only Isaac could hear that response. "Fine, Clear Wing attack the hat on the far right!" instructed the girl as her dragon took flight and then came rushing down as it made contact with the hat as it produced smoke. It soon disbursed as three other hats remained. "I'll fine her eventually, I end my turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll summon Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode. Now for long as she's on the field, you can't target any of my other spellcasters until you get rid of her. With that, I'll lay another card facedown."

Turn 12: Rainbow

"My draw, and now I'll tag out my U.A. Rookie so that I can summon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700)!" Rainbow's monster emerged from a portal as he did a quick high five with the little boy as he traded places with him; her new athlete then tossed a ball in the air as he swung his bat as he scored a homerun as he gave a nod to his fellow comrades.

"Now, Clear Wing this time take out his Magician's Valkyria." stated the girl as her dragon managed to take out Isaac's monster. "And this time my Mighty Slugger will attack the hat on the right, and thanks to his ability, you can't activated any cards or effects until the end of the Damage Step." stated Rainbow as she knew this attack she was for certain she could avoid Isaac activating his facedowns. Her monster then brought its bat down on the hat as once again there was nothing there.

"Strike two!" shouted Isaac with a smile.

"Either way, you have no more places to hide her. I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Isaac

"My turn and I'll dispel my Magical Hats." said Isaac as his magician was now revealed. "Now, I'll play Sage's Stone since I have Dark Magician Girl on the field, I can now summon my ever-faithful companion, Dark Magician!" shouted the boy as now he had his ultimate wizard on the field. "Then I'll play my Magic Formula so that I can give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. So now time to take out your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" commanded Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown, Shift. So now I can change the target, so my Hi-Speedroid Puzzle is taking the hit and it's special ability allows it to double its attack points when it battles a monsters that was special summoned, so I'll minimize the damage I'll take." stated the chromatic girl as her other monster stepped in front of her dragon as it collided with Isaac's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3700-

"Either way, you still have fewer life points than me. Now Dark Magician Girl take out her Speedroid Terrortop." stated Isaac.

"And now the ability of my Hi-Speedroid Puzzle activates, since it was sent to the graveyard this turn, I can add a different 'Speedroid' from my graveyard and add it back to my hand, so I'll take back my Speedroid Terrortop." said Rainbow as her duel disk ejected her card for her to grab.

"I end my turn."

Turn 14: Rainbow

"My turn, and I'll summon my Speedroid Razorang(2000/0). Then I activate its special ability, which allows me to target one monster on the field and change it to defense mode and it loses 800 attack points this turn. And the monster I choose... is my own Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!" said the girl as she pointed at her creature.

"But then you can activate..."

"Correct, I activate Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's special ability, it allows me to negate the effect of my Razorang and then destroy it all together. Go Reverse Revenge!!!" shouted the chromatic girl as her dragon unleashed her power and absorbed its comrade. "Then Clear Wing Synchro Dragon gains the attack points of the monster it destroyed with its effect, so now my Dragon has 5000 attack points!" shouted Rainbow as her monster powered up. "Now take out his Dark Magician Girl! Spin Storm Sky Strike!!" Clear Wing heard Rainbow's command as it soared high into the air as soon it was above the clouds and then came racing down with so much speed and velocity as it began to spin really fast as it made contact with Isaac's monster.

"Mana!!" shouted Isaac as he put his arms up and was thrown off his feet for a second before he roll through the attack and was bent down on one knee as his magician was gone.
Isaac's Life Points: 3700-

"With that attack, our life points are now even. I end my turn."

Turn 15: Isaac

"It's my turn, my Dark Magician Girl may be gone, but she won't be for long. Cause now I play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now I can bring back my female magician." said Isaac as soon Mana rose up once again ready to battle. "Then my spell allows me to set a card of my choosing from my deck, so I choose my Dark Magic Twin Burst, but it won't be staying down for long, cause now I'll activate it so that my Dark Magician gains attack points equal to my Dark Magician Girl raising his strength to 5200. Now attack her Clear Wing Synchro Dragon!"

"I reveal my facedown, Dicetadium of Fate! Here how it works, I pick a monster on the field to apply its effects, so I choose your Dark Magician. Then whatever number I roll determines what effect kicks in, an odd number that monster is destroyed, even number that monster gains 1000 attack points."

"You're making a risking play there, Dash."

"True, but I learned that from you. Besides, if it works in my favor, then I'll have be one step closer to be called champion. Now... Dice Roll!" shouted the girl as she tossed a die into the air as it began to bounce around as soon it landed on a side. "One, and that's an odd number so that means your Dark Magician is gone!" stated Rainbow as she managed to survive.

"I reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. So now I can use its effect to bring back my Dark Magician in defense mode." said Isaac as he prepared for Rainbow's next turn. "And since you also sent my Magic Formula to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 4700-

Turn 16: Rainbow

"Trust me, you're gonna need them. I draw, and I'll resummon my U.A. Rookie. Then I'll play the spell card, U.A. Turnover Tactics; if I control two or more 'U.A.' monsters with different names, I can shuffle those monster back into my deck and then I can replace them with two different monsters but they can't attack this turn. So I'll return my Rookie and Mighty Slugger so that I can substitute my U.A. Playmaker(2600/2000) and U.A. Strategist(1000/600)! Then the other effect of my spell allows you to special summon up to the same number of monsters that I shuffled back into my deck."

"Very well, then." Isaac then used his duel disk screen as he was thinking of which monsters he wanted to summon. "I choose my Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2500) and Queen's Knight(1500/1600) both in defense mode. And when my Dark Magician of Chaos is summoned, I can add a spell card back to my hand." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his card for him to grab.

"Now I'm activating my U.A. Strategist, so by returning 'U.A.' monsters from my graveyard back to my deck, I can increase or decrease the level of a 'U.A' monster on my field. So I'll return my U.A. Libero Spiker so that I can decrease my Strategist from Level 3 to Level 2. And with that, I'll then tune my Level 2 U.A. Strategist with my Level 8 U.A. Playmaker!" Strategist raised its whistle and blew into it; Strategist’s whistle echoed as it turned into two green rings that floated into the air. Playmaker rose up into them as they began to spin. A pillar of blue light shot down through the rings. “I align brains and brawn, coach and player, and call in the unparalleled master of the field!” Rainbow’s duel disk popped open as she grabbed her card materialized from her Extra Deck compartment. She grabbed it and held it up. “Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

Rainbow now had her two best monsters on the field as both gave a nod to each other as they prepared to help their mistress in winning this battle.

"Next, up I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and then discard two." said the girl as she drew her cards and selected the ones she wanted to get rid of. "Now, Clear Wing attack his Dark Magician Girl and Star Player attack his Dark Magician!" stated Rainbow as both of her monsters managed to take out Isaac's two magicians.

"With that, I'll one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 17: Isaac

"My turn, I'll activate the effect of my Eternal Soul so that I can bring back my Dark Magician. Then I'll summon my Enchantress of Melody(900/1800). And now I activate her ability, which means I can roll a die and whatever number it lands means I can either decrease or increase a monster's level. Now time for my dice roll!" said Isaac as he had a die appear in his hand as his Enchantress of Melody put her hand on her young master as she smiled.

"Dice Roll!" shouted both monster and master. The die then was tossed high into the air as it came down and rolled around a bit, as it stopped and landed one a side. "One, so I'll now decrease my Melody's level from 3 to 2." stated Isaac.

"Hey, Melody. Ready?"

"Of course, Isaac." said the girl with a wink.

"Now I tune my Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician and when using Dark Magician as Synchro Material, he counts as Level 6 instead of 7." Enchantress of Melody then turned into two giant green rings as they circled around Dark Magician. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac's new monster emerged as it made its staff appear out of stardust as it has seven symbols swirling around the top of its wand. "Now when my monster is summoned, I can select one spell/trap card on the field and destroy it. And the card I choose is my own." stated Isaac as he took out one of his facedowns.

"What?!" shouted Rainbow as she though for sure Isaac would have selected her facedown given what it was she laid down.

"You'll find out when it happens." said the boy. "Then I'll switch my Dark Magician of Chaos into attack mode. Now I'll have my Dark Magician of Chaos to attack your Star Player!" Isaac's magician then raised his staff and fired a powerful spell as it took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 3600-

"Then I'll have my Dark Sorcerer Magician attack your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon." said the boy as his other spellcaster prepared to trade blows with Rainbow's dragon.

"They'll both be destroyed, unless..." smirked Rainbow, "You gonna use your monsters ability to cut my dragon's strength in half."

"And then activate Clear Wing's ability in response to make itself stronger, nice try Dash. I may lose my monster, but at least I'll take out your dragon with it." informed Isaac.

"Smart, but I figured you wouldn't do that, which is why I had a backup plan. You should've destroyed my facedown, cause now it'll cost you. I reveal King's Synchro, now when you declare an attack on a Synchro Monster, I can negate that attack, then I can banish the Synchro monster you tried to take out and one tuner monster in my graveyard to synchro summon a new monster from my Extra Deck so long as its level equals to the combined total of the monsters I'm banishing." stated Rainbow as the image of her Speedroid Red-Eyed Diced appeared.

"So I banish both of them so that I can tune them together, to pave the way for an even mightier dragon! Watch as the essence of that Monster takes shape! Watch as it is forged by raw power! I Synchro Summon! Take flight, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(3000/2500)!" shouted Rainbow as she upgraded her beast for a more powerful version as it had wings made up of crystal as it let out a roar heard throughout the field for everybody watching the duel.

"Now things have gotten a bit more complicated." said Isaac as he looked at Rainbow's beast. "I end my turn."

Turn 18: Rainbow

"My turn and first off, I'm summoning Speedroid Ohajikid(1000/200). And when he's summoned, I can target one tuner monster in either of our graveyards and use it to synchro summon, so I'll use my U.A. Strategist." said Rainbow as her monster reappeared as it turned into three giant green rings that circled Ohajikid. "I now tuning them together to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)!" said Rainbow as she called forth another one of her synchro monsters. "Now to activate Kendama's special ability, by banishing a Machine-type monster from my graveyard, you take 500 points of damage." said Rainbow as she removed her Ohajikid as her monster fired a beam directly at Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 4200-

"Now to attack, Kendama attack his Queen's Knight. Kendama allows it to deal piecing damage to any monster in defense mode, so you're still taking damage." informed the girl as her monster took out the knight.
Isaac's Life Points: 3600-

"And now to attack, Crystal Wing attack his Dark Magician of Chaos, Crystal Wing's ability allows it to gain the attack points of the monster it battles so now it has 5800 attack points. Go Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon did some sharp maneuvers in the air as it soon collided with Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 600-

Isaac thrown from the attack as he landed on his back with some scuffs and dirt on his body.

"With that I end my turn."

Turn 19: Isaac

"Nice one, Dash." said Isaac as he slowly got up and wiped his mouth as he looked at his dragon. Given the power it possessed, Isaac knew it wasn't going to be easy.

"Now then, my draw! And to start off, I'll use my Eternal Soul to bring back my Dark Magician from the graveyard." said Isaac as his most loyal monster was back for one more round.

"So what? My Crystal Wing's ability will just gain the attack points of any monster when it battles, so even if you power up your magician, it won't matter." stated Rainbow.

"Then what about this move, I activate a card from my graveyard." said Isaac as a white light began to shine through from the ground.

"Graveyard, wait a sec..." Rainbow was now thinking back to when Isaac's summoned his Dark Sorcerer Magician and how he took out his own card instead of his own.

"Time to see it in action, the card I destroyed was my Broken Wand Ceremony!" shouted Isaac as up rose an altar as there were some torches that lit up as some ghostly spirits were circling about. "First off, I need to sacrifice a monster for this to function, so Dark Sorcerer Magician lend me your power for this turn." stated the boy as his monster gave a bow to his master and transformed into a light as it entered the altar itself as the flames of the torches grew even more powerful. "With that done, my victory is assured. Now a spellcaster on my field gets a power boost for every magician in my graveyard it gains 300 attack points. And currently there are 9 magicians laid to rest so that means my Dark Magician gains 2700 more points bring it to have a total of 5200. Now to battle, Mahad!"

"I told you, Crystal Wing's ability allows it to gain the attack points of the monster it fights, so I'll activate its effect to boost my dragon by your magician's power." said Rainbow as her dragon used its wings and shot a light at Isaac's monster as it powered up heavily. "Now it has 8200 attack points so... you lose."

"No I don't! Cause by activating your dragon's ability, you let me activate my Broken Wand Ceremony's additional effect." smiled Isaac.

"What?"

"When you activate a card or effect during the battle phase, my Broken Wand Ceremony allows to remove any number of spellcasters from my graveyard, to lower your monster's attack points by 1000 until the end of the battle. So I'll remove all nine of my magicians to lower your dragon's attack all the way down to zero. Now your monster is weaker and powerless against my magician, so thank for the help, Rainbow." said Isaac with a smug smile as he looked at his friend. All the spirits of Isaac's magicians in his graveyard appeared as they pointed their wands and staffs at Mahad as they gave their leader some power.

"All together now!" shouted Mahad as he lifted his staff up high.

"Yes, Mahad!" shouted the other magicians.

"Finish this, Dark Magic Attack!!!" shouted Isaac. His monster then fired a powerful spell with the help of his fallen comrades as the spell shot towards Crystal Wing who let out a roar as it was sucked of all its power and then started to feel itself be destroyed as it exploded and cause Rainbow to be thrown onto her back.
Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"And the winner of this duel and still champion, Isaac!" stated Luna as she stood up to make the announcement.

The crowd all cheered as they stood up and gave an applause to the two duelists who left it all on the line to bring them a entertaining fight. Isaac had dropped to a knee as Rainbow had managed to get the boy to be exhausted; he took a few moments before properly standing up and making his way to Rainbow who sat up and looked at her friend. He extended his hand out to which she accepted as Isaac pulled her up.

"Good fight." said Isaac with a hint of exhaustion.

"You too, geek." smiled Rainbow.

They saw their friends giving them some applause as they both decided to take a bow. However, just as they were coming up from the bow, an object was flying towards them. In fact it was aiming for Rainbow's head; Isaac noticed this out the corner of his eyes as it was coming at fast speed.

"Rainbow, look out!" shouted Isaac as he shoved the girl out of the way and stepped in the line of fire as he got hit hard in the head with the object as down he went.

"Isaac!" shouted Rainbow as she saw her friend get knocked down and fell facefirst into the ground.

She then raced over to check on her friend as the others were all concerned to as they got up from their seats and were starting to make their way to the field. The other students watching this were shocked as they began to do some small murmurs and talk at what they saw. Even Principal Luna and Vice-Principal Celestia were shocked by what they saw that they demanded whoever was responsible for trying to injure the pair to come out. Soon they got their answer in the form of an evil laugh. Soon on one of the screens projecting the duel, there was a feed cut as static sound was heard and then the picture became clear as it showed an empty room and a chair. Soon the person came into frame as they sat on the chair.

"Congratulations on your victory, Isaac."

"Starlight?!" said Twilight as she was shocked to see the girl.

"She's back?!" said the others.

Starlight then crossed her legs as she leaned forward a bit as she prepared to say wanted she wanted. "Isaac, while you lay there, hopefully, as uncomfortable as you possibly can be, I want you to listen to me." said the girl as Isaac was still in a bit of pain from taking the soccer ball to the head as he tried to get up but his body and the girls weren't allowing him to as he only could lift his head to see Starlight on the screen taking to him.

"I want you to digest this; I have a lot of things I wanna get off my chest. I don't hate you, Isaac. I don't even dislike you. I do like you. I like you hell a lot more than anybody else out there and anybody reading this story. I just hate the idea that you're the 'best' because you're not. I'm the best." said Starlight. "I'm the best in the world. There's one thing you're better at than I am and that's kissing Duel Monsters' ass!" sounded off the girl.

"You're as good at kissing Duel Monsters' ass as Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna were." said the girl as she made sure to direct that statemen to the two older women as it got them to have a scowl. "I don't know if you're as good as the legendary duelists though, I mean they were all pretty good ass kissers, especially your idol the King of Games, right? Always were and they still are. Oops, is that not in the script of this story; am I going against what the author wrote for me." mocked Starlight as she did a quick wave to the fourth wall for breaking reality. "Well, since we're going off script, I like to take this opportunity to everybody reading." said Starlight as she gave the middle finger to the readers. "Especially to the assholes that are always complaining and bitching about every single little chapter, including whining why isn't a certain character here, or why is he left out so hard of many things. To that I say personally, fuck you. Screw off and stop ruining the fun!! You're bothering other people and the author." Starlight then turned her attention back to Isaac as she had more to say.

"I am the best duelist in the world. I've been the best ever since day one when I got into this game. And I've been vilified and hated since that day because someone saw something in me that nobody else wanted to admit. I've grabbed so many of these imaginary brass rings that Duel Monsters is suppose to provide that it's finally dawned on me that they're just that. They're completely imaginary." said Starlight. "The only thing that's real is... me! And the fact that day in and day out, for almost 16 years of my life, I've proved to everybody in the world that I am the best! On this microphone, on that dueling field, even when I was tagging with Sunburst on the underground scene!! Nobody can touch me!!!" shouted Starlight with fury in her voice.

Isaac was now shifting his body as the girls helped to move their male friend as he now sat with his back leaning against Twilight as she held the boy while he saw Starlight continuing to talk. Fluttershy pulled out a handkerchief as she started to check his head for any internal damage.

"And yet, no matter how many times I prove it, I'm not on your lovely little tag that this story uses to attract people. I'm not on the cover pic for the program, I'm not even brought up by people in comment section asking where the hell am I. I'm barely promoted as is." said Starlight as for her she was attacking the readers and their comment made to this story. "I don't get to be in movies, like you Isaac. And I certain don't own a shitty card shop. But the fact of the matter is, I should be! And trust me, this isn't sour grapes. But the fact that you've been blessed with all this and made the protagonist of this story so you can have all this glory and accolades, and I don't have anything to show for my efforts, makes me sick to my damn stomach!!!" yelled the girl to everybody listening and watching her speech.

"Oh, hey. let me get something straight. Those of you who are cheering me right now in the comments section and agreeing with what I'm saying since I brought up all these points. And all those fakeass fans supporting me for speaking out right now. You are just the biggest part of what's wrong with this game and with this story!!" said Starlight once more breaking the wall of reality. "You're the ones who are buying into this BS, into this story. You buy those card packs, you buys those cards, you buy those figurines. You're the ones who buy those promo packs and programs that try to sell to the consumer and then you start to horde as much as you and then at 5 in the morning you try to sell it online on E-bay to make a quick buck because you're all too lazy to go get a real job!!" shouted the girl.

"The reason why you all are the problem is this. You are still gonna pour money into this game. I'm just a spoke on the wheel, I'm nothing more than a player in this world and reality. The wheel's gonna keep turning and I understand that. But this game is gonna make money because of you all bandwagon bitches!!" said Starlight.

"Someone cut it off!" shouted Celestia as she had enough of Starlight and her badmouth as one of the technicians tried to cut off her transmission.

"Ohh, but wait, I have a story to tell. I'm sure everybody wants to hear this cause it involves Luna and Celestia. Right girls, I think you know which one I'm talking about." said Starlight with a sadistic evil smile as both women had their eyes widen at what Starlight was going about to say.

"Hurry up!" shouted Luna.

"Students, let me tell you all a personal story about your beloved principals. All right. You know this whole bullying thing that they stand against, well guess what, they used to bully...." at the second the transmission cut off as they managed to end Starlight's broadcast.

"Got it." said one of the engineers.

"Very well, but I got my point across. Let's go Sunburst." said Starlight as the boy pulled the cables from the school's mainframe as they exited the room and left the premise without anybody seeing them.

Meanwhile out on the field, the message that Starlight did had everybody shooken. The student's chatter became more audible as they were now looking at their principal as it seemed they wanted to hear what Starlight was going to say about them. For the girls they couldn't believe that Starlight was back and had bad said all those things, but for Isaac he had finally gotten the strength to stand up as he looked at the screen where Starlight did her little broadcast as he clenched his fist as he knew that this time she was back and badder than ever.

Author's Note

Well... we've finally reached this point. The final story arc, and what a hell of a way to start it off and grab everybody's attention. Now this story arc, I've had this in my head since the moment, I was working on the Equestria story arc. All the way back then, that's how long I've had this idea cooking in my head. The hard part was being able to get to this point, and now that I have, I'm so happy I was able to just use every single thing I could think of between then and now. So, as you can tell, this story arc, is one that I've had fun with. One of those is that for this story arc, the main overall theme when it comes to when Starlight and Isaac talk/banter each other is the idea of going off script. What do I mean by that? Is what a character is suppose to say, versus what they aren't suppose to say? It's the idea of blurring the lines of reality; what someone says is true or not. So know that when the banter happens between Isaac and Starlight, all I can say is get some snacks, drinks, get comfy, use the bathroom if you have to, whatever you need. Cause the stuff they will say, ohh, it's juicy. Shade is gonna be thrown at everything, people, comments, etc...

Now that we have reached the final story arc, I mentioned that you all will needed to remember certain things. This is true, especially for the next chapter and what happens. So one of those things, you're gonna need to reread or refresh on is all of Isaac's moments where he meets the members of the Big 5. So chapters 96, 115, 128, and 155. Just get a quick reminder of Isaac's meeting with those duelist. Then also refresh on chapter 164 where he also brings up those experiences and the incident at the end of what happens in that chapter. And of course now that Starlight is back, reread chapter 76, specifically, the part where Starlight talks with Twilight and Isaac individually.

All of this is key details and what will drive the story going forward for this arc. And especially for the next chapter. So I urge you guys to refresh on these points in the story before the next chapter gets published because it will help you all to understand the points made by both Isaac and Starlight. And of course one last message I do want to convey throughout this story is the idea of which side do you choose. Will you side with Isaac and the points he make, or Starlight and the debates she'll bring up when the two of them clash.

Anyways, hope everybody is ready for the fourth wall to be broken a lot and to sink your teeth in on some juicy and personal banter between the two. Now then, go refresh yourselves on those chapters and come next chapter... oh boy.... get ready to have your mouth watering and be feed a full course meal.

Chapter 181: Unsanctioned Match

Author's Note

Alright this is it, once again this is your final warning. I mentioned in the previous author's notes of the last chapter that you needed to refresh on certain chapters and moments of this story so that you could have a better understanding of what's going to transpire in this chapter. So again, if you haven't done it, do so before reading this chapter. And for the ones that did it, then prepare yourselves... everybody get settled in, grab food/drinks, use the bathroom, put music on or whatever you guys do when you read this story. Cause this chapter is about to make you feel emotions. In simple terms, shit's about to go down. Now then... here... we.... go!

Chapter 181: Unsanctioned Match

It was the day after Starlight had done her little pipe bomb as it seemed to be taking an effect on the whole school. For the younger students, Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna were doing their best to tell them that the bad person wasn't going to harm them. But for the older classes, they were now starting to take Starlight's words to heart. Seems whenever the Principals were walking past them, they couldn't help but murmur some chattering as they looked at the older women. And it wasn't easy for the two girls either.

Principal Celestia was in her office as she was currently dealing with the issue of Starlight invading her school and hacking into the school feed to deliver her message. As much as Celestia wanted to deal with the girl personally, she couldn't get involved since both she and her sister were retired duelists and would put their position as school officials in jeopardy with the Board of Education if they took matters in their own hands without their permission. Soon the door to her office opened up as there was Isaac who was still recovering from the sneak attack that Starlight did to the boy the previous day.

"Celestia, where is Starlight?!!" asked Isaac.

"Isaac, I have no idea where she is. Seems she's gone from the school grounds. But next time she sets foot on this place, she will be dealt with." stated the older woman.

"You're damn right, cause I'm going to see to it personally." said Isaac.

"You will not get involve..."

"Shut the hell up, Celestia!!!" shouted Isaac as he slammed his fists on his principal's desk and yelled at her.

"I would strongly suggest you watch what you say to me, I'm your principal!!!" said the older woman as she got her face in Isaac's.

"And you're the one who I made my personal bitch by retiring you!" responded Isaac as he wasn't bothering to listen to what Celestia was going to say. "I'm going to make this crystal clear. The next time, Starlight shows her face here, you make it official. Me and Starlight in a duel!"

"Maybe I should remind you who the hell makes the rules around here!!" yelled the girl.

"Yeah, the person who's done more for this school than you ever did!" fired back Isaac. "Make it official!" said the boy as she stepped through the door and made sure to slam it as the photos hanging on Celestia's wall fell down and broke.

"Starlight! Where are you!" shouted Isaac through the halls of the school as some of the students could hear him from inside their class as they didn't want to get in the way of his wrath.

"Where are you bitch!" shouted as he started to bang his fists on some of the lockers seeing if she was hiding in one of them. "Where are you!!"

"Isaac, calm down!" said the girls as they all appeared as it took all of them to pull Isaac away into a separate room as the boy was filled with rage on getting his hands on the girl.

"Let me go!" yelled the boy as she struggled to move as the girls were doing their best to get him to settle down.

"Sugarcube, she isn't here." said Applejack.

"Let it go, big bro!" shouted Pinkie as she tried to pull back her friend.

"Isaac, look at me." said Twilight as she put her hands on her boyfriend's face. "It's me, Twilight. And our friends." Seems Twilight's voice was reaching Isaac's mind as all the anger inside of him was starting to settle down as he quit struggling. the girls noticed this as they let go and all fell down as they were exhausted from keeping their male friend from doing something he was going to regret.

"Isaac, we'll get through this together." said Twilight as she grabbed his hand.

Isaac didn't say much as he looked at Twilight as he gave a quick peck on the cheek as he walked past her with a determined look on his face.

"Isaac." said Twilight as she was now worried for her boyfriend and what he might do.

The next day arrived as Isaac was currently at his job as he was in the back in his office room as he was busy trying to deal and track down Starlight since her little appearance at school. For him, he wasn't going to stop till he confronted the girl and settled this issue with her in the way they both wanted. And that was a duel. Mr. Johnson and his nephew Dominik saw their business partner and friend having an issue based on how usually Isaac would always deal with customers face to face, but ever since he came in for his shift, all he had done was stay in the back. So they knew something was up.

"Isaac, we need to talk."

"What is it, Mr. Johnson?"

"Is there..."

"Oh, Isaac." said a voice as it appeared to be coming from a megaphone of sorts. "Isaac."

"Starlight." said Isaac as he recognized the voice and got off his seat as the pair stepped to the side and followed the boy as they felt like something was about to go down.

Isaac walked through the storage room as he opened the door and scanned the room as he looked to pinpoint where the voice was coming from. He then saw Starlight standing by the door with a megaphone in her hand as she was accompanied by Sunburst as the girl had an evil smile. At that moment, Isaac started to walk towards the pair.

"Get the hell out of my store, Starlight! Get the hell out of my store!" shouted Isaac as at that moment he was being held back by Mr. Johnson and Dominik as they didn't want their friend to do something he regret.

"I'm right here, Isaac." taunted the girl.

"Get the hell out of my store!" shouted the boy as he was being held back.

"Isaac, settle down!" said Mr. Johnson as he didn't like seeing his best employee acting like this.

"Seems we came at a bad time." snickered Starlight. "I was hoping to get some new cards and well, seeing as how you work here. I'd figured why not come here to see about making some improvements."

"You know damn well, that ain't what you're here!" yelled the boy.

"You're right," chuckled Starlight evilly, "I just wanted to say thank you and that I'll be dropping by your school on Monday for another one of my messages. So thank you, thank you for welcoming me to CHS, to letting myself just speak my mind. Thank you." Starlight just kept that evil smirk as she enjoyed taunting Isaac.

"You done talking?" asked Isaac as he settled down a bit as Dominick still had his arms around Isaac in case he go wild.

"Let's be honest, probably not. But would you like to say something?" smiled the girl. "I got a megaphone."

"No, no, I just want to make sure that you get it all out because you made a very truthfully statement the other day. We've been waiting for about 22 months for you to actually say you have a set of balls! Congratulations." said Isaac as he held a scowl on his face. "And apparently you also have a mouth and you like to run it. I'm here to set you straight! It's been three days since you hijacked that little screen and delivered your message. You said you're tired of being held down by the system and you were going to change things about Duel Monsters. You know that you got to go through me to do that, and you just act like I'm some kind of push over. Like because you're Starlight Glimmer and you a live mic in your hand and it's irrelevant on who face because nobody is going to stop you on your little crusade. I got news for you, jack. I'm no pushover. And nah, nah, nah, easy I know why you're thinking that."

"Why?" answered Starlight with a smug smile.

"Cause I was halfway knocked when you came up on screen and you said you were the 'best' duelist in this game."

"Wait, I'll stop you right there." responded the girl.

"Go ahead." replied Isaac.

"I am the 'best' duelist in the world!" said Starlight as she corrected the boy's statement.

"Congratulations, you got a set of balls, a big mouth, and self-confidence." said Isaac. "And you also said that I am a vision of what kind of duelist this game believes the best should be. Because I prance around for all these appearances and the readers, and smile for the camera. You got it twisted, I do it because I love it. I'm the best because I have this and I've earned it. You think you are the best duelist." stated the boy as he looked at Starlight. "Congratulations, for thinking that. I hate to tip my ace to you, there was a lot of people who thought that. A lot of people. Names like Yuya Sakaki, Jaden Yuki, Yuma Tsukumo, even Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo! Every single one of them, thought the kid couldn't hang with me. Thought there's no way that he can duel with me on this dueling field! Every single one was disappointed! I didn't come here to run my mouth, you think you're great, here's what I think. I don't care if you've got a mic or a megaphone. I don't care if you stay or go. I think I'm coming to whup your ass!" shouted Isaac.

Starlight just smiled at Isaac as the two began to open their mouths as they read each other's lips and understood what the other was saying as they began to banter a bit more. Soon Sunburst grabbed Starlight by her shoulders as he started to lead his friend out of the store to avoid any fighting as the pair left. Isaac then broke free of Dominik's arms as he let out a sigh and then disappeared back into his office as both Mr. Johnson and his nephew saw that the issue with Isaac and Starlight was going to be something not only ugly, but brutal.

The weekend went by as soon it was Monday. Mr. Johnson had informed Twilight about Starlight entering the store and had gotten Isaac riled up; Twilight then told the girls about this as now they were all scared of what was going to go down with Starlight showing up and Isaac looking to confront her and challenge her to a duel. And to make matters even worst, Starlight had Sunburst to send a message for all the student's phones saying as she was able to hack into a satellite feed and sent her message saying that they were all invited for the little face-to-face she was going to have with Isaac as she planned to expose somethings for all to hear.

"So, you got the video too?" asked Sunset as she looked at her friends.

"Seems, like Starlight is makin' a big deal about whatever she wants to say that our whole class needs to be present. At least, Applebloom and the other kids aren't involved in this." said the country gal as she was thankfully that Starlight hadn't gone after their little sisters and dragged them into all of this drama.

"Then we better get going." said Twilight as she and the others all started to make their way to the auditorium.

"Did any of you?" asked Shadow.

"Seems like out of everybody not in our tutor's class, we got the video." stated Penny.

Starlight had done a bit of digging on her part as she saw that Isaac had created a little program that he was hoping to get the Board of Education to see it as a legit program and that they would hopefully implement into the system. She also saw the students that Isaac had given to the girls as she believed that they deserved to know some hidden things about their head professor.

"Any of you have an idea on who this girl is?" asked Lucky Star.

The others all shook their head at their companion's question.

"Well, we can't just show up to this little gathering, it's only for our tutor's class grade." stated Bryant.

"Yeah, but doesn't mean we can't listen in." said Jack as he had a plan to listen in on the meeting in the auditorium as they all began to make their way to the place.

The whole class of the girls were now gathering in the auditorium as they were currently sitting on the bleachers as they were creating some small talk with each other about what could potentially go down. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna showed up as even more chatter was among the students, seems the little message that Starlight directed to the to woman and what she was about to expose about them before the transmission was cut seemed to be on their mind. As for the students, they managed to get a hold of Twilight's drone and connected it through Amber's laptop as they were now getting a bird's eye view of the room as it was filled with the graduating class as they now could see and listen to what was going down. The girls arrived as they sat down as soon everybody was waiting. Then the doors on right side opened up as Isaac walked in as both Principals tried to warn him about confronting Starlight but shoved off their arms off his shoulder as he walked in the middle of the room as he waited for the girl. The doors on the left side of the room opened up as standing there was Starlight and Sunburst behind her as the girl had a smile.

"Starlight, m-maybe we should forget about this." said Sunburst with a stutter.

"Sunburst, are you saying that you don't have faith in me." responded the girl.

"No, I... I have full faith in your plan. I'm by your side, you're my friend." said the boy.

"Exactly the answer I was looking for." said Starlight with a smug expression as she knew the boy would answer what she wanted to hear. "Now let's get to talking."

"Yes, Starlight." said Sunburst as he obeyed Starlight's command and followed his friend into the room as now they were standing across from Isaac.

Silence came over the room. Everybody, the girls, both principals, and even the students watching from Twilight's drone could see how tense it was. The situation was a gasoline waiting to be ignited as the tiniest bit of spark could set off a raging inferno. Neither Isaac nor Starlight said anything as they looked at each other with a stare down. Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna were watching this from behind Isaac in case things went south in a hurry. For the two woman, they had never seen Isaac so fired up and wound up, but yet Starlight was able to do that in just the first few seconds she showed up.
Both Isaac and Starlight then stepped forward as they each had a microphone in their hands so that everybody in the room could listen to what the two were going to say.

(Everybody reading right now, it's time... get ready.... here we go...)

"Well, here we are, Isaac. Me and you, right in the middle of this room with all eyes on us and everybody reading this story wants to know. And-- I don't wanna speak for you, but I'm fascinated at the fact that the entire world is watching, and they're waiting and they're wondering exactly what you and me are gonna say to each other. So if you don't mind, I'll go ahead, I'll start." said the girl as she cleared her throat.

"I respect you. I especially respect you for wanting to start a program that will help future generations get into Duel Monsters. But just because I respect you, doesn't mean I like you. And I know that that doesn't matter to you, because you don't like me." said Starlight as she pointed to herself. "I've known that since day one, and I know that because people like to talk. People tell me all the horrible little things you say behind my back. I also know this because I'm a great judge of character, and I can tell, it's all over your face. Everytime me and you are in a room together, when we share the dueling field together, anytime we have to have a conversation, your skin just crawls. You don't like me. I think when you first saw me, you referred to me as a pompous, undersized indie darling who couldn't be in the same league as the mighty Isaac."

"All right. That's changed a little bit." replied Isaac.

"That's the problem!" shouted Starlight.

"That's the problem. The fact that your perception of me has only changed a little bit, that's not good enough, just like it's not good enough that nothing around here has changed after you basically took over this school from Celestia and Luna as the new head honcho. You're just as bad as they were." said Starlight as she made sure to point and look at the two women as it seemed Starlight's message was getting some of the students in the bleachers on her side.

"You're just like them. Okay, you stand still and let all of this pass you by. You both share the same opinions and philosophies that a gal who looks like me, doesn't belong on the dueling field with somebody who looks like you." said Starlight as she referred to Isaac. "The big thing that infuriates me is that for years now, you and everybody else who plays Duel Monsters have this weird good guy, righteous, fetish/fantasy about what a main event-caliber duelist needs to look like and be recognized as a duelist. And based on that, people who don't fit your image, or more importantly, people that do fit it your image are afforded 10 times the opportunities."

"Oh, my god!" interrupted Isaac as he had enough. "Jesus, is this-- is this-- this is it? This is what you've got, huh? The good guy/protagonist? That's what you're gonna blame it all on?! Let me drop a few names on you. Seto Kaiba, Kite Tenjo, Declan Akaka, Joey Wheeler, Syrus Truesdale, the twins Leo and Luna, some of the biggest duelists in history of Duel Monsters. All of them were World Champions at one point in their careers. I'll go out on a limb and say that protagonist are not words that you would use to fully describe any of them."

"Oh, so you're gonna deny to me and all these people right now that this mind set doesn't exist?!" interrupted Starlight.

"Are you gonna use it as an excuse?!" interrupted Isaac.

"No, I'm not using it as an excuse!" said the girl as he cut off Isaac again. "But this is-- this is always the land of the giants, right? This is the law of the jungle, and the strong survive, right? Tell me, tell me, you're not that naïve, you don't actually believe that, right?" asked Starlight as she got a response from the students listening to her.

"If you wanna use it as an excuse for your failures, Starlight, go ahead." said Isaac.

"My failures." chuckled Starlight in a low and evil tone.

"See? You're worried about my opinion all the time. You don't need to worry about my opinion. My opinion doesn't matter. Their opinion does." said Isaac as he was referring to the fourth wall and the readers.

"Are you listening to them?" said Starlight as she could hear some of the people reading the story as they were cheering her name for being on her side.

"No. I am, Starlight. And that's today. And that's where you've changed my opinion. You see, it's the first 16 years that you bitch about incessantly, where you didn't get that reaction, but yet you thought, for some reason, you were being held back. You see, it's not about my opinion, it's about theirs. You wanna be a star? All you have to do is get over with them. Those people, when you get them on your side will come in droves to see you, Starlight. And when they do, you'll get everything you ever wanted out of this business and this story. People will tune into this story so they can see and read Starlight Glimmer and find out what she's going to do next."

"Spare me the imaginary brass ring speech because I've heard dozens and dozens of them over the years. I remember fondly my first brass ring speech. Let me take you back, if I could be afforded to tell you a little bit of a story." said Starlight.

"It was 16 years ago, I was roughly 3 and half years old at that time, I had already gotten into the game for about a year. And one day, my parents bought us some tickets to see a live duel that was happening and I was ecstatic as could be because the person who they got tickets to see was none other than your idol, the King of Games. And back then, if you bought a certain ticket with a special number on it, you could be afforded to meet the duelists who competed for a few moments. So naturally, I happen to have a lucky ticket and when the show ended, I was approached by security who brought me and a few other children to special spot where we could actually meet the King of Games one-on-one and if possible you take a photo. So granted my parents gave me a few extra bucks so that I could pay to have my photo taken. Then it was my turn to meet him, I was a small child and I too looked at him as an inspiration and so after I got to have a picture with him; I extended my hand for one final goodbye and I said to him: 'Mr. King of Games, I'm going to be a duelist like you and I already won my first ever junior tournament in school'." said Starlight.

"And his response, you know what his response was, he said: 'Congrats, kid. I had almost lost hope in you'." said the girl. "And after that it dawned on me, who the hell was he to say something like that to me. And to make matters worst, I saw him interact with the next kid in line who told him the same thing I said that they were going to be a duelist and you know what he responded with, he said: 'Congrats, kid. I hope to one day face you on this dueling field, cause I know you'll give me a good fight'. And to add to that disrespect, it was the person who he said it too, which I'm sure you know."

"What do you mean?" asked Isaac.

"Don't play coy. That kid who he said he was looking forward to one day battling against, was... you!" said Starlight in an pissed off tone as she pointed at Isaac.

"What?" Isaac was fully shocked at Starlight's story because he himself never remembered ever meeting the King of Games ever in his life.

"He somehow chose you to be the one to hand the keys to the kingdom. After that meeting, well unfortunately, the story doesn't have a happy ending because why would it. See, that was the first time I grabbed that imaginary brass ring, and went absolutely nowhere with it. See, Isaac, I don't play games. What you see with me, is what you get. And I would much rather be hated for who I am, than loved for something that I'm not."

"That's mighty heroic of you. So-- are you-- are you gonna tell me all this time, you've not had opportunities, is that what this is all about, right?" asked Isaac. "Let me see, multiple tournament wins in your school, several tag team trophies between you and Sunburst on independent scene. Tons of medals and awards given to you for small-time venues that you performed for. How about that little rock star, punk band that you made that has a record song, hmm?" stated the boy as he listed off some of Starlight's accomplishments that she had done. "You know, those sound like a lot of opportunities, Starlight, I don't know. Maybe, at some point in time, you have to look in the mirror, and look at yourself. Stop blaming everybody else and saying, I don't know, maybe you're not as good as you thought you were. Maybe you're not the best in the world." said the boy.

"You know, you told your story, how the King of Games came to up to you and he said, 'Congratulations, I'd almost lost hope in you'. And you were flabbergasted by this. How dare, the King of Games talk to the almighty Starlight Glimmer that way? Who the hell is he? Let me tell you who the hell he is!" said Isaac as he looked Starlight straight in the eyes. "He's a guy like all the other members of the Big 5 that came from nothing, and made themselves into the biggest stars in this industry. Some people love them, some people hate them. But the fact remains is that they draw attention and popularity all around the world. They did that on their own. They did it by winning these people over." said Isaac as he looked at the people in the room and acknowledged the readers. "See, you're worried about my opinion when it's theirs you need to worry about all the time. People ask me my opinion. I'm honest with them, I tell them the truth. Sometimes I'm right, Sometimes I'm wrong. Sometimes, I look at somebody and I say, 'Yeah, that person to me looks great. I think they're gonna probably be the biggest thing in Duel Monsters'. Turns out to be nothing. Other times, I look at someone and I say, 'You know what? I don't think they got anything to offer this business'. And then that person turns out to be someone like the Big 5, the biggest stars in this business. See, Starlight, it's all about winning them over. That's all you gotta do. Hey, they're with you here today."

"Wait a second, wait a second!" said Starlight as she cut off Isaac in an steamed tone. "Are you actually listening to this audience that you supposedly listen to?" asked the girl as she was hearing a different thing from the people that were actually on her side. "Are you-- hearing them? Don't tell me that I have to win them over!"

"These people right here reading this story take time out of their busy lives to watch and read what they enjoy. And you call them out, these people over here, these people over there. You talk about hypocrites, Starlight you're the biggest hypocrite of them all."

Starlight just made a "what" face at Isaac's statement.

"You will ask these folks if they want to see an apology, you will ask these folks to be the voice of the voiceless. My point is, your strongest attribute is also your biggest flaw. You are Starlight Glimmer, you beat to your own drum and I admire that. But in the path of doing things you wanna do, you've lost sight of everything."

"Oh, hold on, I'm gonna stop you right there, I'm not gonna have you stand here and belittle me and say I've lost sight of everything. I've lost sight of things, Isaac?! The reason I say all this is I don't fit a certain mold and because I am the underdog and that's exactly what you've lost sight of. Earlier you told me how you 'supposedly' had met some of these duelists, Yuya Sakaki, Yuma Tsukumo, Jaden Yuki, and Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo and you said that they used to look at you and think that the kid couldn't hang and now you stand here and look at me as the kid that can't hang!!" shouted Starlight.

"Isaac met them?" said the girls as they were the most shocked to hear that statement about their male friend.

"Isaac, I was there when I saw you meet with your idol and how he acknowledge you as the next big thing for Duel Monsters. And I stood there and said to myself that someday I'm not going to be standing out there in the stands watching you on the dueling field, I was going to be standing on that dueling field watching you go down to Starlight Glimmer!"

"See, here's the thing, Starlight. Yes, today, they're chanting your name. 22 months ago when we first crossed paths, not so much, and you know that to be a fact! You just started to get these people, but don't look back over the last 16 years, and play the martyr, and say you were held down, that's a load of shit!"

"Everything I've had, in the last 16 years, I've earned!" shouted the girl. "I was handed nothing! I busted my ass and I sacrificed for this business!!"

"Your damn right you did!!" shouted Isaac. "And congratulations, that's what you do to make it here in this industry!! You bust your ass each and every night! You leave it all in this field!! The blood, the sweat, the tears, all of it!! That's what you do, you're handed nothing!! But here's the thing, that's how you get over in this business. Whether it's your warped internet philosophy, if that doesn't match for you, that's a fact! That's how you get over in this business. But this is not about business!! This is going around in a circle here, this is about me and you, and this isn't business, it's personal!! You made it personal!! I tried to keep it business, you made it into a personal issue!! That's why when we have our duel, you're gonna step onto the dueling field with me. Not the business man!! Not the golden boy of CHS!! Not the multiple time defending champion!! Quite frankly, and quite simply, just a man!! A man you've insulted, and a man that is gonna kick your ass!!!" yelled Isaac as he got in the face of Starlight as they were inches away from each other.

"Well, la dee da. We can just add that little chestnut on top of all the other things you're dead wrong about." said Starlight. "This isn't about the King of Games. I am the best in the world. And yeah, you know what? You're gonna kick my ass, fantastic. Guess what else? I'm gonna kick your ass and at the end of the duel, I'm going beat you, one, two, three in the center of the field. I'm gonna make you go to sleep, because my quest for change in the world of Duel Monsters, it doesn't stop until you're no longer in my life. And I wanna tell you a little secret. Why it's gonna be so satisfying to me to kick your ass? And right not, this isn't bad guy talking to good guy, this Starlight Glimmer talking to Isaac straight up. The reason why it's gonna be so satisfying to kick your ass..." Soon Starlight's mic got cut off. She then hit it a few times as it was shut off completely as she looked at Isaac.

"Really?" asked Starlight to Isaac as only he could hear her as it seemed the students were making some noise as to why Starlight's mic got cut off. "Is this you doing it? Did you cut off my mic?"

"I ain't got nothing to do with this." said Isaac as Starlight threw her mic to the floor as he began to argue with Isaac. "You wanna say something? Say it to me. I don't care if they hear it or not. Say it to me."

"I want everybody to hear what I got to say." said the girl.

Isaac then touched his mic as it was still active. "Is this working?" echoed Isaac's voice so that everybody could hear him, "Hey, this is working use this." stated the boy as Starlight grabbed his mic and began to talk.

"Good, Isaac. Because the reason I'm gonna be so satisfied after I kick you..." Now that microphone was cut of as Starlight was legit pissed off as she threw it on the floor as her and Isaac started to argue as the students were starting to boo for not hearing what Starlight was going to say.

"What you doing?!" asked Starlight.

"I've got nothing to do with that!" replied Isaac.

"You're the champion! You walk around here since you own the place." argued Starlight.

"Give me a microphone. What the hell is going on?" demanded Isaac to one of the sound engineers of the school. He was then given a mic from one of the staff members. "What is going on, Frank, huh?" Isaac's voice was now projected for all to hear. "Who's pulling the strings? Celestia, Luna are you two the ones turning these mics off." stated Isaac as he called out the two women who was standing a few feet away from as he gave them a scowl before turning back to Starlight.

"You want this? Come on. Lay the pipe bomb on me, Starlight. Go ahead." said Isaac as he offered the mic to the girl so that she could say what she wanted.

Starlight looked at Isaac as she felt like the same thing was going to happen again. Isaac still held the mic out for her to speak her mind as she grabbed it from the boy. Starlight then slowly brought it to her mouth as it looked like she was going to speak. Then at that moment, as hard as she could, she used the microphone and clocked Isaac straight in the head the feedback from the mic picked it up and everybody could hear it in the room as Isaac went down hard.

"Isaac!" shouted the girls.

Starlight just tossed the mic away and smiled as she turned around and grabbed Sunburst as they began to leave.

"Isaac, you okay?" asked Fluttershy as she and the others checked on their friend as his cap was knocked off his head when he went down.

For Isaac he felt the impact of the mic hitting his head as there was a small bump in his head, seems Starlight was able to make sure she got a good hit on the boy despite him wearing his cap. Isaac put his hand to his head as he felt the area where Starlight clocked him as he was now more angry, in fact, if Starlight had aimed a bit lower when she hit the boy, the mic would have collided with his left eye. He shot a quick glance in the direction of Celestia and Luna as he was thinking of how the mics were turning off as the ladies just gave him some stern looks as they left the room without saying anything.

Sometime later, Principal Celestia was in her office as she had her hands on her head as all day since the little confrontation between Isaac and Starlight, she had been bombarded with student's comments and Luna was receiving calls from the Board of Education asking her how the hell she could let something like this happen. They told her to figure out the solution of she and Luna would be removed from their position effective immediately and the entire school would run the risk of shutting down. All of it was giving Celestia stress and it didn't help that her door opened up as in came someone.

"Celestia!"

"For the last time, Isaac. No!" shouted the women as she had snapped.

"You know what needs to happen!" said the boy as the bump on his head was slowly going away. "Give me the duel with Starlight!"

"I told you already Isaac, I can't sanction that! She doesn't go here as a student, so I have no control over her. But I do have over you."

"You wish you had control over me, bitch!" responded Isaac.

"Repeat that shit to me again, boy. And let's see what happens!" said Celestia as she wasn't playing around.

"You want your career to really suffer. I got no problem doing it again, in fact, I can beat you in three turns guaranteed. Old Yeller!!" said Isaac as he was flexing his skills at his principal.

"Don't call me that!" said Celestia.

"Listen to me, Old Yeller. Give me the duel with Starlight, one way or another, unless you want the Board of Education to take matters into their own hands! Give me the match!" said Isaac as he left Celestia's office as she slammed her fist on her desk as Celestia's anger was let out.

"So, do you all think it's true?" asked Rainbow.

"That Isaac met those Big 4 duelists he mentioned, come on, maybe?" said Sunset.

"Well if he has, why hasn't he told us?" asked Pinkie.

"We're his friends, he wouldn't hesitant to tell us that he got to meet them." replied Pinkie.

"So, you think Isaac kept it a secret, darlings?"

"Or do you think it's something else." suggested Fluttershy.

"Maybe they told him not to mention his experience." said Applejack.

"What do you think, Twilight?" asked Rainbow.

"I don't know. I don't know what's happening right now, Isaac is not himself, and then Starlight appears and it's like all they both can think about, they want to destroy each other, they want to tear each other from limb to limb. I'm scared of what's coming." said the girl.

"Best to make sure the students don't get involved." stated Sunset. "Starlight's beef may be with Isaac, but that doesn't mean she won't find ways to under his skin even more."

The girls all understood what was said as they prepared for what was going to happen between Isaac and Starlight as they knew both individuals were set for a full on collision course that was going to be bloody. They knew the only thing they could do was be there by Isaac's side in case of the worst case scenario happened. And it seemed it was about to happen.

The next day, Celestia had finally talked with the Board as she told them about her idea to handle the issue. The Board told Celestia that this was her only chance as should it fail, then she would be terminated from her position and her status as a duelist would be tarnished, along with Luna. Celestia understood the repercussions as she gave the Board her promise that this solution would solve everything. Luna then entered her office as she was holding a certain piece of paper as the two looked at each other and prepared to walk towards the auditorium. They made sure every student from the day before was present so they too could know what was going to happen, as well as the two individuals it concerned. The two ladies entered the place as all the students of the graduating class were present as there in the middle of the room was a table set up. Standing on one side were the girls as they had been told by Celestia herself to be present as she had a feeling things were going to get physical. Both ladies then approached the table as they stood on the side of it as the doors on the left opened up and there was Isaac as he was called by the principal. He then took a seat at one end as the doors on the right of the room opened up and there was Starlight being flanked by Sunburst as Isaac wanted to right then and there hit her in the face but was told by the girls and the principals to not engage until they informed the pair what was going on. Starlight then took her seat at the opposite end of the table with Sunburst standing behind her as Celestia stood in the middle of the table and began to speak into the mic.

"Ladies and gentleman, thank you for joining me here. Now it's obvious that situation between the two of you has gotten completely out of hand!!!" shouted Celestia as she had enough of Isaac and Starlight's fighting as the two just kept their eyes on one another not ever looking away as they listened the older woman. "It's reach boiling points, in fact it's got the whole bloody Board of Education involved!!! It's only a matter of time before the police are going to be involved with the two trying to kill each other!!! And I will not, nor my sister, have you both embarrass this game that so many people have worked hard to create!!! Now what I have here is a solution to this situation!!!" Luna then handed her sister the piece of paper as Celestia dropped it hard on the table in front of her. "This is a contract that the Board has approved of, for Starlight Glimmer to face Isaac in an unsanctioned duel. Now Starlight, you are not a student here, therefore I can not give you an official duel against Isaac; so this duel can only take place when you have both signed this contract! And you acknowledge that CHS, nor the Board of Education, is not held accountable for anything that happens to the two of you!!!" said the older women as she first presented the document to Starlight so that she could sign first.

"An unsanctioned duel?!" said the girls and Sunburst as this was a first they were hearing.

Starlight flipped the contract open to the page that she and Isaac would need to sign. She had the pen in her hand and was about to sign until she decided to say somethings as she put it down and grabbed the mic on the table.

"I want to tell a little story, Principal Celestia. I want you, and everybody here both present and reading this story to picture this. Really picture this. Imagine that you were born blind, that you could not see and then one day you wake up and you can see everything. You know what we can that, everybody. We call that a revelation. And I had one. That Isaac is still the same asshole that walked into this place three years ago. There is no Batman without Joker, there is no Luke Skywalker without Darth Vader, and there is no Isaac without Starlight Glimmer!!" said Starlight.

"You have disrespected me, you have disrespected my..." responded Isaac as he grabbed his mic and began to speak.

"I knew it!" said Starlight as she cut him off.

"No, shut the hell up, bitch!!!" shouted Isaac as he got up from his chair and wasn't going to let Starlight interrupt him talking. "Shut up! I'm not done talking, shut your damn mouth!"

"Say it! Go ahead!" taunted Starlight with a smug smile.

"Ever since I've been champion around here, despite of you disrespecting me, my family, my friends, this story, Twilight!" said Isaac with venom in his tone. "Despite all that, I tried to work with you. I bent over backwards to work with you and it still wasn't good enough, was it?! No, no, no, you had to push. And maybe, maybe I just need to be the bigger man. You know, maybe I just need to swallow my pride, do a better job. But I'm trying, Starlight, I'm trying my ass off to be the man and be the champion around here!! But the thing is, I can only take so much. You disrespected me. You insulted me as man. Now, you deal with me as a man!!!"

"I expect nothing less. You see, I don't want to fight the champion of CHS in our unsanctioned duel, I want the old Isaac. I don't want the new you, the new you sucks. I want the old you, everybody reading this agrees with me, ever since you became this business person, you've gone soft. You're the not same old Isaac you used to be." stated Starlight. "And you're right, maybe you're not the guy for the job and that seems to be my point all along. The last people who ran this place, maybe you know them, Luna and Celestia. Oh, hi ladies didn't see you there." mocked Starlight as she looked at the two women. "See they when they were in charge, they couldn't separate personal issues from business. And now, look at you. You can't separate personal issues from business issues. You think I hate Duel Monsters, I don't hate Duel Monsters, I love this game!!!" Starlight slammed her fist on the table to make her point.

"If I hated this game, I wouldn't be sitting here right now. I'd be at home a lot happier. You would be rid of the evil Starlight Glimmer and you'd be a lot happier. Want I want is change! I recognize when things suck and I speak my mind!! I want things to be different. I want things to be better! I want things to be better not just for me but for everybody!!!" stated the girl. "I am dying for a change. We are dying for a change. I want to be the catalyst for that change."

"Oh, save me!!!" yelled Isaac. "You want to be the catalyst as long as it benefits you!! I am sick to death of listening to you talk at how you're doing all of this for them!! Yeah, there are a lot of people out there and reading this story, maybe half of them agree with what you're saying, the other half, they don't give a damn! You know what, Starlight? Some of these people and readers actually like this story. Some of these people dig it, they tune in every single chapter. They love what they see, they come here to have a good time. They like it the way it is. Can it be better? Sure, it can be better. That's right. And that's my job to make it better. But when you talk about being the catalyst for change, really what you mean is, you will only accept change if it means Starlight Glimmer is on top, because unless Starlight Glimmer is the gal, the man, that's not enough change for you. That's not really what you want. See, you're no different than anybody else that's ever been in this business, including me. We're a lot alike. We did what we had to do to get on top. The difference is? I looked everybody in the eye and told you, I'm gonna step on you, I'm gonna walk through you to get to the top. You, you don't have the balls to do it! What you did is you backdoor your way around. You tried to do it being a martyr."

"So many things to say to you right now. You see me as a martyr? Well, unlike you, I'm not trying to step on anybody. I'm certainly not trying to be a martyr. But if you see me as a martyr, then maybe, just maybe, there's a lot of weight to what I say, maybe I'm saying the right things. And you talk about half these people tuning in and liking what they see and the other half not liking what they see. I want everybody to like what they see!!! I want everybody to tune in and enjoy this!!!" said Starlight as she slammed her fist repeatedly on the table.

"I want this to be fun again, all right? And if you think that I'm being selfish because I want to be the man? Well, you're right, I'm not gonna say I'm doing this for everybody, I'm doing this for me, absolutely. Because before I was a duelist, I was a fan. And at my core, I'm still a fan, I'm a fan of this and I will do what I can and what I know will make this better, will make this place fun again!! You became champion, I immediately started testing you, trial by fire, call it, and guess what, you failed. You're just like everybody else, you're just like Celestia and Luna, you're just like the Big 5. You know, I thought maybe since me and you, yeah, we are a lot alike, I thought maybe we wanted the same things, I thought we were on the same page, we wanted the same goals, but it turns out, you're egotistical, you're vindictive. It's the same old thing I've seen before, I mean, you hire your buddies to do your dirty work because you can't get your hands dirty." said Starlight as she pointed and looked at the girls.

"If I have to be the catalyst of change, if that catalyst of changes from going through you, so be it. Frankly, I think it's been a long time coming, me and you have never liked each other. Just do me the favor, since you're the guy that runs this whole school, after our duel, don't fine me, don't report me to the Board, after I kick your ass." With that Starlight then signed the contract as she slide the contract over to Isaac for his signature to be signed.

"You compare me to the Big 5, right? You think that I'm like them, that I can't separate the two. Let me tell you something, Starlight, one of the differences between me and you is something called respect. I respect them for what they've done, I respect them for building this game/industry into what it is!! We wouldn't be standing here right now if it wasn't for them and their friends/allies!!!" stated Isaac. "You wanna compare me to the Big 5, I say thank you, you couldn't give me any bigger of a compliment, but understand this, and this is where I'm nothing like the Big 5..."

"No, wait. Before you sign, the problem is, you respect them so much, especially your idol the King of Games and you, like everybody else looking at this story, wanna live in the past, you don't see the future, and trust me, I weep for the future, you're too shortsighted to see that they lost touch so very long ago and you are living in that shadow, you have lost touch, and I want change!!! And for the first time in 16 years after I beat you in our duel, I can finally sleep like a baby!!!" said Starlight.

"You want change? You're gonna get it. Let me tell you something, this is where I'm not like the Big 5, either one of them would've got on the dueling field with you and they sit there and taken a beating from you because it was good for business. This has nothing to do with business now with me and you. It's completely personal and I am gonna kick your skinny fat ass!!!!" said Isaac as he put the microphone down and picked up the pen as he prepared to sign the contract.

"Atta boy, Isaac. Go ahead and sign it, sign that death warrant." said Starlight as Isaac finished signing his name on the contract as the match was official. "You just signed your own death with that."

"You signed yours too, bitch!" said Isaac as he flung the pen in Starlight's face.

At that moment, Starlight immediately flipped the table over to the side as the contract went flying as both her and Isaac looked to punch each other in the face. The girls and Sunburst saw this and were quick into action as they stopped the two from delivering a hard right to the other's face.

"Come on, take a swing!!! I dare you!!! HIT ME!!!!" shouted both Starlight and Isaac as they were inches away as they were being held back. Soon they started to try to kick each other as the girls and Sunburst pulled more.

"Separate them now!!!" shouted Celestia as she didn't want a fistfight to happen in school.

"Come on, Starlight, you motherf*#@@#$@!!!!!" shouted Isaac as it took all the girls combined to drag him away.

"I'm gonna kill you Isaac, you rat@#$*@#@!!!!!" screamed Starlight as Sunburst wrapped his arms around his best friend's waist and was pulling her away.

"GET THEM OUT OF HERE!!!!!" shouted Celestia.

"GET THEM OUT!!" yelled out Luna as she helped the girls to pull back Isaac from breaking free as he so badly wanted to jump his enemy.

The contract laid on the floor as it was open to the page where it had Isaac's and Starlight's signatures as it was made official.

"Let me go!!!" shouted Isaac as he was dragged out of the auditorium by the girls and Luna as they opened an empty classroom and put the boy in as Twilight entered alone and closed the door.

"Isaac! Please calm down." said the girl as she was worried about her boyfriend's mental state.

"Let me at Starlight!" shouted Isaac.

"Isaac! Calm down!!" yelled Twilight as she brought her hand up and was looking to slap him but Isaac caught her wrist as it was inches away from making contact. Twilight tried to break free from Isaac's grip but he wasn't letting go, in fact, it seemed like he was applying some pressure. "Isaac? Let me go, you're kind of hurting me." said Twilight as Isaac gripped her wrist even tighter anymore pressure and there would be a mark on her wrist.

"I meant what I said, Twilight!!" shouted the boy in her face as he gripped her wrist even tighter. "I was gonna climb that mountain and confront Starlight, I'm gonna look that dragon in the eyes. And I'm gonna chop her damn head off!!!!" yelled the boy as he let of Twilight's wrist as he immediately grabbed a foldable steel chair and as hard as he could he flung it against the concrete wall as it ricocheted off the wall and made a gunshot sound go off. The force along with Isaac's power when he threw the metal object actually made a crack appear on the wall as Twilight was scared as she brought her hands to cover her mouth as she saw the sight before of.

Isaac was like a man possessed, the demon inside of him was letting his anger out as he then kicked the door open as he left the room; Twilight didn't know what to do as for the first time ever, she didn't know who or what her boyfriend was becoming. Twilight felt like crying as she touched the wrist that Isaac held as to her surprise there wasn't any mark from when Isaac was applying pressure; Twilight clutched her heart and sat down while letting a few tears fall.

Sunburst managed to bring Starlight to an empty room as she was still kicking.

"Sunburst, let me go!!!" shouted the girl as she stepped on his feet.

"OW!" said Sunburst as it caused him to let of Starlight as she immediately brought her hand and as hard as she could she bitchslapped Sunburst in the face that his glasses came off and huge red mark formed on his cheek in seconds.

"Starlight?" asked the boy as he dropped to his ass and felt the slap hurt.

Starlight was fueled by rage and hate that she didn't care she slapped her friend/ally. She then immediately grabbed a rock that was on the teacher's desk as she threw it as hard as she could and broke the window as glass shattered and could be heard as it got Sunburst to gasp. Starlight just growled at Sunburst as she too decided to leave CHS. Sunburst just picked up his glasses as he kept his left hand to his cheek as he knew that his friend and his only chance to get Starlight to be his special someone wasn't going to happen so long as Isaac was around. So he came to terms that if he was ever going to have a chance to be with her, then Isaac would need to be taken out.

The rest of the girls and the two principals all too had worried looks on their faces as they knew that Isaac vs. Starlight was going to be a blood bath and the only way a clear winner was going to happen was if one of them literally killed the other.

Nighttime was now over the town of Canterlot. The whole town was fast asleep. The moon was high up in the sky as it served as the only light; everybody was fast asleep, well except for one person. Isaac was sitting on his bed as he was awake; his small rectangle device next to him as his deck was on his nightstand. He had his eyes closed as he was in a thinking position as his hands were clutched together. Soon his alarm went off as it read midnight. Isaac then turned it off as he let out a breathe.

"It's time." said Isaac as he grabbed his duel disk and put it on his arm, he grabbed his deck and placed it in his deck box on his belt as he opened the door of his room. Isaac closed it quietly and slowly tiptoed his way down the stairs as he didn't want to wake the girls as they were fast asleep. He then exited out of the front door and then began to walk towards the site of his battle with Starlight.

While Isaac may have been silent when sneaking out of the house, there were some people who were still up. One of those was Fluttershy as she was worried about her friend and his mental health. So she had been secretly waiting for Isaac to leave the house to go for his battle with Starlight as she wanted to follow him to make sure he was safe. She wasn't the only one as both Pinkie and Rarity also were concerned as they made a plan to have the three of them follow Isaac when he left. So once the boy exited, they all snuck out in their Pjs and followed Isaac at a distance as they followed him.

Isaac eventually made his way to the place of his battle with Starlight as he stepped through the school gate and found himself on the field in the back. Isaac didn't wait long as soon the doors that connected the school to the field opened as there stood Starlight as both individuals clenched their fists as they prepared to do battle. Starlight then stepped onto the field as the cool wind blew in their direction as it was dark with the moonlight being the only light that provided them with enough vision to duel. Neither made a move as they waited to see what the other would do. The girls all hid in nearby bushes as they were out of sight from the two and could spring into action incase things went south.

"They're about to start, darlings." said Rarity in a low voice as the others all peaked through the bushes.

"Good luck, Isaac." said Celestia.

"Principal Celestia? Vice-Principal Luna?" said Fluttershy as she saw the two ladies next to them in their own bushes spying on the duel.

"Girls? What are you doing here?" asked Luna.

"What are you doing?" answered Pinkie.

"Nothing." said both women.

"Same thing." answered Pinkie.

"Then we never saw each other." said Luna to which Pinkie nodded as both shook their hands as all five of them turned their attention back to Isaac and Starlight as they were about to start.

"Duel!!!" shouted both individuals as they activated their duel disks with Isaac projecting a gold card tray and Starlight producing a pale, light grayish heliotrope light. Both took out their decks and slotted them in as the autoshuffler kicked in as they both drew their hands.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disk.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"I'll start off, prepare to duel your last duel, Isaac!!! Draw!!!" shouted Starlight. "I summon Constellar Shertan(700/1900) in defense mode!" Starlight summoned her monster as it was a ram who rose up in white armor. "And when I summon Shertan, I can add a 'Constellar' monster from my deck to my hand. So I'll take my Constellar Algiedi. Then I'll play the continuous spell card, Constellar Star Chart."

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll summon Berry Magician Girl(400/400). And when I summon her, I can add a 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand." said Isaac as he then used his duel disk screen to make his choice as it slotted out for him to grab. "I choose my Lemon Magician Girl. Then I'll play one card facedown."

Turn 3: Starlight

"It's my turn, and now I'll summon my Constellar Algiedi(1600/1400). And by summoning my Algiedi, I can activate his effect to special summon another Level 4 or below 'Constellar' monster from my hand. So I choose my Constellar Acubens(800/2000) in defense mode!" Starlight’s first monster descended from the golden portal above her, a slim figure in silver armor wielding a club with a blue gemstone set in it. Algiedi raised its club and fired a ray of light at the ground. Within the circle of light rose a second monster, a massive silver robot with a pair of glowing orange scissor claws. “The effect of Acubens activates now, raising the attack power of all my 'Constellar' monsters by 500 points! Now Algiedi attack his Berry Magician Girl!" shouted Starlight.

"I activate Berry Magician Girl's special ability, now since you targeted her for an attack, I can switch her into defense mode. Then I can special summon one 'Magician Girl' from my deck, so I choose my Apple Magician Girl(1200/800)!" An apple then flew onto the field as it had wings before it transformed and then turned into Isaac's monster as she gave a wink.

"Either way your monster is still destroyed." said Starlight as Isaac's baby magician was gone. "And then I'll overlay my Level 4 Algiedi and Shertan to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air with the nighttime stars and sky shining down on her monsters as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both orbs of light disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I unite the light of the ram and the light of the goat! Open a path to the cosmos and gather the light of the stars! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Praesepe(2400/800, OLU: 2)!" Starlight’s newest monster burst out of the light, a burly knight in bright silver and gold armor with a massive pair of energy disks mounted on the back of its hands.

“Now the effect of my Constellar Star Chart activates, since I summon an Xyz monster, I can draw an extra card. I end my turn.”

Turn 4: Isaac

"My draw, and time I kick things up a notch, I place my Black Arts Trickster in the pendulum zone!" said Isaac as he placed one of his pendulum cards on the far right side of his card tray. "Now I activate my Black Arts Trickster's pendulum ability, now I can add a pendulum card from my deck and place it in the other pendulum zone. So I'll choose my Sleight of Hand Magician." said Isaac as he placed his other monster on the far left side of his card tray as his monster rose up in his column of light with his number in front of it. "Then Black Arts Trickster's other ability activates, since there's a 'magician' in my pendulum zone, I can raise her scale from 3 to 10!" stated the boy as the number in front of his female spellcaster went up.

"Isaac's already pendulum summoning?" said the three girls and the two principals in the bushes.

"Pendulum, huh?" said Starlight as she looked at what Isaac was doing.

"Don't worry, I got plenty of ammunition to take you out!" growled Isaac.

"Bring it, bitch!" shouted Starlight.

"La Puta!" yelled out Isaac in spanish.

"I now summon Obnoxious Celtic Guardian(1400/1200) in defense mode!" shouted the boy as his monster rose up as it swung his sword. "I end my turn!"

"Look at them, they both despise each other." said Rarity as the anger and bad blood between Isaac and Starlight was clear as light and darkness.

"Big bro isn't happy, nor is he smiling. He just wants to destroy Starlight." said Pinkie as she saw how Isaac was acting as her hair deflated a bit.

"Montague vs Capulet, Yankees vs. Red-Sox's, Ali vs. Frazier, I don't know if any of those rivalries have anything on this fight, Isaac vs. Starlight." said Celestia as her words really got everybody to how those two fit that analogy.

Turn 5: Starlight

"My turn!!!!" yelled out Starlight. "I draw!!! I'll now summon my Constellar Pollux(1700/600)!" A knight in spiked silver armor stepped out of Starlight’s summon portal, a sword with two parallel blades in its hand. "And by summoning Pollux, I can conduct an additional summon this turn, so now I summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600)!" A small knight hopped onto Starlight’s field, eyes gleaming inside its helmet. It barely came up to the knees of her other monsters. "I activate Siat’s ability, and let it copy the level of Constellar Pollux. And I’m sure you know what’s next.” Starlight smirked and held up her cards.

"I overlay my Level 4 Constellar Pollux and Constellar Siat!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark robs of light they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I unite the light of the twins and the light of the waterbearer! Open a path to the cosmos and gallop to a shining new star! I Xyz Summon Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 2).” Another centaur rose in front of Starlight from the merging of her two monsters. "Now, I'll switch my Constellar Acubens into attack mode and then it'll attack and destroy your Celtic Guardian!" said Starlight as her monster managed to take out Isaac's defense.

"With that I'll now take this things to the next level. I'll give my Omega an upgrade!" said Starlight as her monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Go Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Omega burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 3)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"And now I activate the effect of my Constellar Star Chart which means I can draw an extra card. I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play the spell card, Pendulum Treasure. So now I can add one Pendulum monster from my deck to my Extra Deck face-up, and I choose my Sorcerer Swordsman." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his card for him to grab as he then sent it to his Extra Deck compartment. "Now to use the scale I've set, I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 3 through 9 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know. So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" shouted the boy as he thrusted his hand up into the air as a portal opened up and two monsters came out. "Batten down the hatches and drop anchor, it's my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4), time to seal the deal, meet my Magician of Dark Illusion(2100/2500)!" There was now two monsters on Isaac's side of the field as he prepared to execute the next part of his plan.

"Now since I pendulum summoned my Sorcerer Swordsman, he can lower the attack points of a monster on your field to zero." said Isaac as his pirate magician pulled out his silver sword and with a flick of his feather in his pirate hat chanted a spell as he plunged it into the ground as cracks made their way to Constellar Acubens as it was infused with the light in silver aura as it lost its strength. "Now I'll activate my Sleight of Hand Magician's pendulum ability, up to twice per turn, he can a monster's level on my field to match that of another. So I'll change my Sorcerer Swordsman's level so that it becomes the same as my Magician of Dark Illusion." stated the boy as his monster changed from Level 4 to 7.

"With that, I now overlay both my Level 7 Sorcerer Swordsman and Magician of Dark Illusion to construct the Overlay Network!!" Isaac's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon Illusion Magician(2500/2100, OLU: 2)!" Isaac's new monster appeared as he opened his eyes as he had his staff in his hands. "I now activate my Ebon Illusion Magician's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can special summon one Normal-type spellcaster from my deck. So rise up, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now had his most loyal monster on his field.

"Now time to take you down, Dark Magician attack! Now the other effect of my Ebon Illusion Magician's ability activates in that whenever a normal spellcaster type monster battles, I can banish a card that you control, and so I'll get rid of your Constellar Praesepe." stated Isaac as his magician raised its wand and took out its target as it was removed from the game. "And now Dark Magician will attack your Constellar Acubens!" said the boy as he took out Starlight's monster.
Starlight's Life Points: 5500-

"And with Acubens no longer on the field, all your monsters lose the extra 500 attack points. I end my turn."

Turn 7: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll use the special ability of my Constellar Ptolemy M7, so by using one overlay unit, I can bounce a monster of yours back to your hand. So I'll target your Ebon Illusion Magician, so that means it returns to your Extra Deck which means have to summon it all over again." smiled Sunset smugly.

"Now I'll summon my Constellar Aldebaran(1300/800)." A glowing portal of light appeared behind Starlight. A monster in silver and brown armor adorned with crests of stars jumped out and kneeled in front of her, a pair of curved horns rising from its helmet. "And when he's summoned, I can also special summon another Level 3 or lower 'Constellar' monster from my hand. So I choose my Constellar Leonis(1000/1800) in defense mode!” A second silver and brown-armored monster jumped from Starlight’s portal, this one covered in glowing blue spikes with a blue blade of energy extending from its wrist. "I then activate Leonis’ effect. Once per turn I can perform an additional normal summon of a Constellar monster. I summon Constellar Kaus(1800/700)!” A third warrior in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow. Starlight pointed at Kaus, “I activate Kaus’ ability. Up to twice a turn I can increase or decrease the level of a Constellar monster by 1. I reduce the level of Kaus.” Kaus turned and fired an arrow at the sky above itself. The knight glowed gold as it was struck.

"I now overlay both of my Level 3 Kaus and Leonis so that I can build the Overlay Network!" Starlight’s two monsters turned transparent, their images outlined in gold. Within each of them a spark of gold light floated out and began to orbit them, leaving streaks of light in the air. Starlight grinned as the two forms slid together into a mass of gold light. “I unite the light of the bull and the light of the archer! Open a path to the cosmos and gallop to a shining new star!” Starlight’s Extra Deck ejected her card and she picked it up. “I Xyz Summon, Constellar Hyades(1900/1100, OLU: 2)!" Starlight's monster appeared as it swung its weapons as it was illuminated by the moon in the sky.

"Now my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw a card. Now to attack, Constellar Hyades attack his Apple Magician Girl!"

"Now Apple Magician Girl's special ability activates." shouted Isaac.

"No, it won't, I reveal my facedown Constellar Cosmos. With this card, all your monster's special abilities are negated this turn." informed Starlight as Apple Magician Girl felt a shock to her as she couldn't move.

"Apple!" shouted as he saw the attack coming. "In that case, fine, I reveal my facedown Magicians' Defense. So now the damage I take is cut in half!"
Isaac's Life Points: 7650-

"Now Ptolemy M7 attack his Dark Magician!" ordered Starlight as her dragon opened its mouth and the fired off a powerful attack as it collided with Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 7550-

"And I'm not done, cause now I'll activate the card I just drew, Constellar Tempest!" said Starlight as she held her card up high as soon the whole sky started to have rocks appear as they were now set on a course to Isaac. "Now by removing both of my monster's Xyz materials, I can halve your life points! Time to die!!!!" screamed Starlight as her anger was in full control.

The rocks were now coming towards Isaac at fast speed that one landed by his feet before he started to move. Isaac then started to run and try to get out of the way as a giant one missed him by a few inches as he still felt the attack as he tumbled onto the ground hard as he laid there for a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 3775-

"I end my turn!!!"

"Isaac." said the people in the bushes in a tone that he didn't hear as they were worried about the boy.

Soon Isaac started to stir as his body had some scuff marks on him as his clothes got some dirt and dust as he shook them off.

Turn 8: Isaac

"That all you got!!!" yelled Isaac in a fit of rage. "I'm still standing bitch!"

"Good, cause I got more planned for you, asshole!!" fired back Starlight with disdain.

"My draw!!! I begin by activating the spell card Star Pendulumgraph. With this in play, all my Spellcasters are safe from your spell cards and effects!" stated Isaac. "Now I'll pendulum summon, so welcome my Sorcerer Swordsman!" said the boy as a portal opened up and out came his monster for the second time. "And like before his special ability activates, when he's pendulum summoned, he can lower a monster's attack points all the zero. And I choose your Ptolemy M7!" Sorcerer Swordsman then plunged his weapon into the ground as Starlight's dragon was stripped away of its power. "Now get rid of it!"

"Yes, master!" shouted Isaac's monster as he the order given to him by his master. He then raced forward and then leapt up high as he did a slash down the middle as it cut Starlight's monster clean in half as it resulted in an explosion.
Starlight's Life Points: 3500-

"They are both about even in terms of life points." said Luna.

"I end my turn."

Turn 9: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll activate the effect of my Constellar Tempest, so now I can attach an Xyz monster in my graveyard to one my field, so I'll take my Constellar Omega and turn it to an Overlay unit for my Constellar Hyades." informed Starlight as a small portal opened as her dragon appeared for a second before it turned into an Xyz material.

"But don't forget, thanks to my spell card, your effects are useless." stated Isaac.

"Like I don't have a plan for that, now I'll play the spell Constellar Star Cradle, so now I can add 2 'Constellar' monsters from my graveyard to my hand, however I can't conduct my Battle phase this turn. So I'll take back my Constellar Kaus and Constellar Pollux." Starlight's duel disk then ejected the cards she desired as she grabbed them and added them to her hand. "Next, up I'm special summon Constellar Caduceus(1600/1550) and by doing so I can now add a 'Constellar' spell/trap card from my deck to my hand. I'll then play the card I got facedown."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll send my Magician's Soul and my Apprentice Illusion Magician from my deck so that I can activate my Magician's Soul special ability, so rise up, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now had his wizard back. "Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Pendulum Back. Since I control 2 Pendulum monsters in my zone, I can now take 2 monsters in my graveyard and add them back to my hand so long as their levels fall in the scale I've set. So I'll take back my Apple Magician Girl and Berry Magician Girl. Then I'll pendulum summon, so come on out." said Isaac as both monsters he added to his hand were now on the field.

"Then I'll use my Sleight of Hand Magician's pendulum ability, so now I can change both of my magician girl's levels to match that of my Dark Magician." stated the boy as both of his female monsters had their levels manipulated. "With that, I now overlay my Level 7 Apple Magician Girl, Berry Magician Girl, and Dark Magician!" Isaac's three monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon all three lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Show the world your wizardry and wonder, I Xyz Summon, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged from the portal a brand new monster. It was a sorceress who had long flowing red hair with vanilla skin tone. She wore an emerald necklace and had white gloves that covered her smooth hands. Her outfit consisted of light blue dress that stopped at her knees; she wore black heels that weren't too high, as well as earrings that matched her necklace. She did a quick twirl for all to see as bits of magical particles surrounded her as it made her look even more beauty.

"A new card?" asked Sunburst as his voice came from Starlight's duel disk.

"So what? No doubt another special gift given to him because he was hand picked by the legends." said Starlight with disdain as she remembered the story she told about the tale of her and Isaac at a same young age getting different responses from the King of Games.

"Now since I used 'Dark Magician' to Xyz summon this monster, I can negate all other monster's effects currently on your field. And now I'll use my Chaos Mageía's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can remove all other Xyz materials from other Xyz monsters and then my monster gains 500 attack points and an extra attack this turn." said Isaac as his female magician used her wand to create a vortex as it started to suck away the Xyz material from Constellar Hyades as she boosted her attack by 500. "Now Chaos Mageía take out her Constellar Hyades and Constellar Aldebaran!" shouted Isaac.

"No problem, master." said Chaos Mageía as the order was given by her master and as the loyal servant she was, she had to listen to it. She then transformed her wand into a bow as she pulled out an arrow of energy from her quiver as she pulled back on the string as she closed her eye and had her targets in sight.

"Divinity Arrow!!" shouted Isaac and his monster as she released the arrow as it hurled at a fast speed and in a gold light as it then split into two as they took out Starlight's targets.
Starlight's Life Points: 1900-

"I activate my facedown, Constellar Nova! Now any damage I took during the battle phase, is also dealt to you!" shouted Starlight.

"Bring it on!" yelled Isaac as both him and Starlight started to glow from Starlight's card, soon the card had both of their spirits emerge as both collided in the middle as both raised their right fist and punched each other in the face. Soon both of their spirits then returned back to their bodies as they both felt the effect as both were tossed onto their back as the punch each other delivered hurt like hell.
Isaac's Life Points: 2175-

"They really do want to hurt each other." said Fluttershy as she clutched her heart as she saw how Isaac was acting.

"Big bro." cried Pinkie watching the boy's anger.

"Once again, their life points are about the same." stated Celestia.

"Seems the only way this issue will be solved is if one of them is sent to morgue at this rate." stated Luna as it got everybody to be worried even more.

Both Isaac and Starlight had bruises and scuff marks on themselves as they laid on the ground from getting hit in the face hard. Just as Sunburst and the girls were going to step out and check on them, both individuals started to stir as they slowly got back up, but their eyes were still filled with hate as it served as the main catalyst that made them immune to the pain.

"Come on, you chicken @#$$@$!!!!" yelled both individuals as it got Sunburst and the girls to gasp at what they heard.

"I now summon my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4). And then I activate her special ability, which means since I have 3 monsters on the field, I can look at the three top cards of my deck and add one to my hand." said Isaac as his duel disk displayed his options; he made his choice as it slid out for him to grab.

"I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Starlight

"My draw, and I summon Constellar Rasalhague(900/100). And now I activate its ability, so by tributing it I can special summon a 'Constellar' monster from my hand or graveyard. So rise up once more Constellar Omega!" said Starlight as her monster was surround in a light as it appeared.

"Next, I'm playing Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're holding six cards in out hand." said Starlight as both she and Isaac refilled their hand as they prepared to go another round. "I now play the spell card, Xyz Destruction! Since I control an 'Xyz' monster, that means all your spells and trap cards are destroyed this turn! Including your Pendulum cards!"

"No!" said Isaac as he watched his cards be destroyed by Starlight.

"My Pendulum cards go to the Extra Deck instead of the graveyard." informed Isaac.

"Maybe, but now you have no scale to work with for you to Pendulum summon."

"Fine because by destroying my Magicians' Defense, it allows me to bring back a spellcaster from my graveyard, so I choose Dark Magician."

"Fine by me, cause now I play the spell card, Xyz Revenge. So since you control an Xyz monster with an overlay unit, I can then special summon an Xyz monster from my graveyard and then detach one of your monster's overlay units so that I can use it as my own." Starlight's Constellar Ptolemy M7 then appeared as it let out a roar. "And now I activate Ptolemy M7's special ability, so now your Chaos Mageía is sent back to the Extra Deck!"

"My magician!" shouted Isaac.

"AHH!!!" let out Chaos Mageía as she was being sent away as she looked at her master as she let out a tear before disappearing.

"And now Constellar Omega attack his Sorcerer Swordsman and Constellar Ptolemy M7 attack his Black Robe Mentalist!" said Starlight as her two monsters then took out their respective targets as Isaac covered up from the attacks.
Isaac's Life Points: 275-

"When my Black Robe Mentalist is destroyed, if there's an empty Pendulum Zone, I can place her there instead of sending her to the graveyard." said Isaac as he took his female spellcaster and placed her on one side of his card tray as he sent his Sorcerer Swordsman back to his Extra Deck.

"With that, I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Isaac

"My turn, and now time to take you down, I play the spell Bond Between Teacher and Student, so now rise up Dark Magician Girl." said Isaac as he had his two star magicians as they prepared to finish this duel. "Now my spell allows me to set my Dark Magic Attack, so I'll use it right now to nuke your entire damn field!" said Isaac.

"No!" shouted Starlight as Isaac's magicians had a face of anger as they combined their weapons and together they casted a powerful spell as it wiped out her entire field as she had nothing left.

"Now to finish this, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl destroy Starlight!!!" shouted Isaac as his magicians just nodded. Both magicians then put their staffs together as they casted a powerful attack as it shot forward to the girl as she covered up as she was hit square on by the attack as it caused a huge smokescreen to appear.

Sunburst, and the girls all had their mouths drop at what they saw as Isaac fired his last command. Isaac still held a scowl as he felt as he watched the smoke, soon it ceased as his eyes widen.

"Nice try." said Starlight.
Starlight's Life Points: 550-

"How?!" asked Isaac.

"The card I had set previously when you nuked my field activates from the graveyard, now if I find myself for a direct attack, I simply can end the battle phase by taking damage to half of a 'Constellar' monster's attack points in my graveyard. So I choose my Constellar Ptolemy M7. Then the other effect of my card, is that I can banish it from my graveyard to add a 'Rank-Up-Magic' card to my hand."

"Rank-Up-Magic?" said Isaac.

Turn 13: Starlight

"I now play Rank-Up-Magic Constellation Force! Now I can target one 'Constellar' monster in my graveyard and then use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher. So I'll use my Constellar Omega!" shouted Starlight as her monster appeared and then it turned into an orb of light as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon that light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 1)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"Now my monster attack his magicians!" said Starlight the warrior looked at Isaac's magician as it then launched the spear towards the two monsters as it caused a massive explosion to go off as the boy's monsters were destroyed.

"And that is that. See ya." said Starlight as she began to walk off the field.

"AHH!!!" shouted Isaac as he felt the attack as he fell face first onto the ground as all of his cards in his hand and duel disk flew out and scattered around him.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"No!" shouted Rarity.

"Isaac!" yelled Fluttershy.

"Big bro lost?!" said Pinkie.

"His cards!" said Luna and Celestia.

Something doesn't feel right. Was Isaac's last thought as he fell down and his eyes closed shut.

"Isaac!!" shouted the girls as they all got out from the bushes and rushed over to the their friend as Rarity grabbed the boy and put his head in her lap as he still had his eyes closed.

"Wake up, Isaac. Wake up!" said Fluttershy as she tried to get the boy to open his eyes but he didn't.

"He's not opening his eyes." said Pinkie.

Starlight had met with Sunburst around the front of the school as he was waiting for her.

"So, you did it." said the boy.

"As expected, now onto to Phase 2." said Starlight.

"Yes, Starlight." said Sunburst.

The pair then began to walk when Starlight suddenly felt something as she fell down hard facefirst like Isaac as she collapsed.

"Starlight!!" shouted Sunburst as he checked on his friend. "Come on, Starlight. This isn't funny, wake up! Open your eyes!" said the boy as he held her in his arms but she wasn't responding. "I have to get her somewhere safe." Sunburst then picked up Starlight in his arms as he began to leave the place as he ran. Stay with me, Starlight.

Back at the field, the girls were trying to get Isaac to respond but he still didn't answer, Celestia and Luna told the three girls to help them move Isaac into the nurse's office inside of the school so they could check on them. They all agreed; the sun was now slowly rising up in the sky. While all of this was happening, Isaac's cards that were scattered all around the boy started to change as soon all the images of his cards flickered for a bit as soon they were replaced with nothing but white.

Chapter 182: Severed

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Chapter 184: Uprooted

Starlight had met with Sunburst under the bleachers as she finished her duel with Rainbow.

"Good job, Starlight. You were amazing as always." said Sunburst.

"Yes, I was, wasn't I." said Starlight. "I did enjoy toying around with Rainbow Dash, stringing her and everybody here and reading this story, along. To think she had a chance to fight for her 'boyfriend', which by the way is missing."

"Like I said." said Sunburst as he grabbed his glasses and wiped them. "After you collapsed and had to rest some more, I kept a surveillance on the school. But turns out that the night you fainted, Isaac just disappeared. He wasn't at the school the next day or the day after that."

"So... he really is gone? Huh?" said Starlight as the smile on her face grew even more devious.

"Right, so... does that mean... we..."

"Continue with the plan? Yes." said Starlight as she began to walk.

"I was gonna say, I wanted to go a see a movie with you." said Sunburst to himself.

During the time between the pair had first encountered Isaac, Sunburst did his best to stand by and support his friend. But he also took some advice given to him by Isaac as he tried to get Starlight to realize his feelings he had towards his best friend. During that time, while Starlight was planning and coming up with different plans, he did try to get her to not think about it by hanging out and spending time with her. One time he told the girl while she was scheming, that he had feelings for her, her only response was, "Okay", and left it at that.

While Sunburst may have told his feelings to Starlight, she was too obsessed with Isaac and her plan to change the world of Duel Monsters, that it moreso fell on deaf ears. So anytime they had a late-night meeting about her latest plan, Sunburst in his mind often considered those meetings, "dates". Not granted it was only in his mind, but to him he was at least spending time with his best friend, even if she spent time talking about another boy who caught her attention and was constantly on her mind. So Sunburst told Starlight one more time that he did like her and wanted to be more with the girl. Starlight was just so preset on taking down Isaac that she made a deal, that if he helped her and listened to her every command, then after they thrusted in her ideology of Duel Monsters for people to follow, then they could consider giving this dating thing a try. While Sunburst was happy, to Starlight, it was more of an empty promise that she made to get her friend to stop talking about them being an item and to help get Sunburst on board with her plan. And so even if Starlight didn't mean what she said that day, Sunburst knew he couldn't abandon his friend when she needed him the most. And for the first time in their lives growing up, she was really counting on him to help her plan. So how could he say no.

"Sunburst, is everything okay?" asked Starlight with a stern tone.

"Yes."

"Then why are you standing still? We have work to do." shouted the girl.

"Yes, Starlight." stated the boy as he started to walk towards his friend as the two walked side by side.

"So, we've already started the spark in this school. Isaac disappearing wasn't something I thought of nor accounted for. I just simply wanted to take over his little school and start a group to show everyone what change in Duel Monsters is really about. Now that the spark has been ignited, all we need to do is fan the flames of the ember. But we can't do it with the just the two of us, we need a third partner." said Starlight.

"Already ahead of you." said Sunburst as he pulled out a device as it showed the portraits of all the students in CHS as he used his finger to scroll through. "While you were busy with Rainbow Dash, I took the liberty of finding our third person. Safe to say, I think you'll like what they have to offer." Sunburst then pulled up the image of the person he was referring to.

"Hmm. Well now... this might do." said Starlight as she had another evil smirk on her face.

Fluttershy and Pinkie were now home as Rainbow was lying down on the couch as she was taking it a bit easy from the beating she received from Starlight.

"More soup?" asked Fluttershy.

"Yes, please." said Rainbow as her friend filled her bowl for a refilled before giving Pinkie some. "Man, she's tough."

"Now you understand what Isaac went through in his match with her." said Pinkie as she gulped her soup in one big chug.

"No kidding, but... damn! I couldn't make a move against her, and the way she dueled, anticipating my every thought, every card I played, it was almost like... I was dueling... Isa..." Rainbow didn't bother to finish her sentence as they were still feeling sad about their male companion disappearing.

"How's Twilight doing?" asked Pinkie.

"Well, better. That's good, but... she still misses Isaac. We all do." said the shy girl as she watered some of the house plants. "I just can't believe he's disappeared. What would make him vanish?"

"I know the lost of his duel with Starlight was tough, and he'd bounce back from that no sweat. But since he can't see or talk to his cards again, I think that might have been the final breaking point for the geek."

"Well, we still have a job to do. The students' date with the Board of Education is still on, which means even if Isaac isn't back by then, we need to make sure that the kids are ready for their final exam." said Pinkie.

"That's all we can, and we're going to have to keep doing that. Besides, I feel like Starlight might be the biggest challenge we've all faced." said the shy girl.

The next day came as it was another school day. This time, Starlight had sent another video message to the students as she expressed her vision to bring about change for Duel Monsters as many students were listening in on their phones. Even the schools news had broadcasted her message on the TV's in the passing hallways for others to listen to. One of those girls who was watching it among the crowd was Fluttershy as she did her best to avoid listening to the propaganda that Starlight was trying to influence on the others. She then turned the corner to head out to the back to the school garden to meet with her student when she stopped in her tracks and dropped her bag as standing in front of her as if she knew she'd come this way was Starlight. Behind her was Sunburst as he had his usual cheery self, Fluttershy was scared as she was all alone with the girl who took out two of her friends; nothing was said as Starlight simply raised her arm as it projected out a card tray.

Applejack was currently in the school auditorium as she was going over her lesson with Lucky Star. She happened to find out what happened to Rainbow as mentioned by the others, to which she felt a bit glad her own rival got her ass whupped, but also angry that she tried to take down Starlight herself without any backup and the fact that it wasn't her who got to whup her butt. Nevertheless, she told the chromatic girl to take it easy and not go challenging the girl so soon. As for the country gal, she was keeping to Isaac's word as she kept on teaching with her student. They had just completed their practice rounds as both were panting heavily.

"Nice one that time, Lucky Star."

"Thanks, Aj." said the girl as both were tired.

"Why don't ya take a beak?" said Applejack as her phone in her pocket went off as it was a call from Big Mac. The country gal excused herself as she went to talk privately with her call.

Lucky Star took that time to sit one the bleachers that had both of their backpacks as she pulled out a bottle of apple cider from AJ's bag as she often packed some for the two of them. She grabbed one and took the cap off as she drank the cold, sweet, delicious, and addicting golden liquid as it ran down her guzzle as a small drop from it slid down her neck.

"Shoot, that's good." said Lucky Star.

"Indeed." said a voice as Lucky Star turned her head and saw Starlight a few rows above her as she too had a bottle of cider as she chugged it down and finished it. Starlight wiped her mouth as she tossed the bottle away as she began to walk down the steps in the middle of the two sections of bleachers.

"You!" said Lucky Star as she realized who it was.

"Relax, no need to be frighten. I come as friend. So tell me Lucky Star, how does it feel?"

"How..."

"I know your name. So answer my question: how does it feel?" asked Starlight.

"How does what feel?" said the girl.

"How does it feel to know that you were the winner of the Fall Formal tournament?"

"It felt good. I mean, I worked my way from 14 people and then survived all the way to be the last gal standing. Then I got to face Isaac and really show how much my skills grew since our last encounter." said Lucky Star.

"Indeed, and it was a fine duel. Such a shame that Isaac had to bury all the momentum you had." smiled Starlight.

"What?"

"Oh, Lucky Star. Nobody ever told you, well this is an awkward situation." spoke Starlight. "But come on, did you really expect Isaac to put you over? When was the last time he ever did that for someone? He talks about being the underdog and how you have to fight for your dreams, yet he didn't realize he was starting to change. Soon it wasn't fighting to prove himself to be a champion, he was fighting to keep his rank as champion. I mean, why else would he use an Egyptian God card in your duel?"

"Cause, I gave him a fight."

"Don't tell me that's what you believe. Or did he tell you that so that you won't know the truth. Isaac didn't want you to take his spot. It's simple really, had you beaten Isaac, you would be prancing around this school as its champion and Isaac would be sent to the back of the line of long line of potential competitors. Instead, we got the same old vanilla flavor like we always do. Isaac on top, cause nobody else deserves to be at the top spot except for him. It's why he does want he does, he buries people and doesn't allow new talent to have their time in the sun, to have their moments. In short, you were just 'another opponent' that Isaac needed to face as champion because it's a formality." said Starlight.

"No, I proved my worth!" said Lucky Star.

"Did you now, then why didn't he put you over? Why didn't he let someone else run with the rank as champion? Why didn't he hand over the keys to this place given that he's about to graduate? The answer is: he doesn't want to. He's already made a notch under his belt by being champion for nearly three years since he showed up and won the championship match. So it makes sense for Isaac to go even bigger by graduating CHS as the rank of champion. So as you can see, you were nothing more than a stepping stone on his path to greatness. He said so himself, that he would look his opponent's in the eye and he was going to step on them and walk through them to get to the top." smiled Starlight.

"No... that's not true... Isaac knows I gave him a fight."

"Then why didn't he put you over, he had the chance to do it, but he didn't. Cause his ego didn't want him to lose and make him a pussy!" said Starlight. "Isaac always has to win cause he's the protagonist, and if he doesn't then the whole world will be in chaos. He does the same thing, the same moves, the same trash talking. It's the same thing over and over again, it's like missionary position every single night." chuckled the girl. "And Starlight Glimmer isn't interested in that, no, no, no. I don't get motivated by that, I don't get inspired by that. So once again do you really believe you put up a fight against Isaac, or did he bury your career before it could ever get off the ground?"

"No... I... I know... I... proved..."

"Just embrace the vision and follow my lead." said Starlight as she extended her hand out. "She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in her hands. She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang the girl. "Repeat with me."

"She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in her hands. She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang Lucky Star as she was about to put her hand in Starlight and join her vision when...

"Lucky Star, don't do it!" shouted Applejack.

"Applejack!" said the girl as she swatted away Starlight's hand as she rejected ever joining her cause. The country gal was back as Lucky Star raced over to her tutor who gave her a hug as she put the student behind her as Applejack was looking at Starlight.

"So, the country gal is here." said Starlight.

"Starlight, I know what you were tryin' to do. So leave mah student alone!" stated Aj.

"Applejack, CHS' most beloved country gal. One of the top students and duelists, your record in tournaments and in duels is good that your overall probability puts you at a 92% win rate. Truly a tough opponent." said Starlight as she looked at the teen girl.

"Ah don't care for yer fancy math or whatnot, leave mah student alone." responded the farm girl.

"I was doing nothing to her, I was simply talking with the girl. If you don't believe ask your student, she wouldn't dare lie, isn't that what you've taught her." asked Starlight.

"Ah said leave mah..."

"Ask her!" shouted Starlight. "If you trust your student so much, then why won't you listen to what she has to say?"

"Sugar."

"Nothing happened, AJ. Starlight is right." said the girl.

"Well, either way. Keep yer little mind trick away from me and mah friends. We ain't interested in what yer sellin'!"

"You know Isaac thought the same thing. That was until he disappeared. So tell me, Aj? How does it feel to see your big, strong cowboy ride off into the sunset never to be seen again?" taunted Starlight.

"Isaac didn't run away! He... just..."

"Vanished? Left you and your friends high dry. Didn't he say when you guys first met that he would stand by his friends, that he would always be there? Well, looks he lied to you guys. But's that alright, I mean when you all first met him, you all lied to his face and used him. So I can't blame the boy, he just did what you all did."

"That's not what happened. We may had some evil intentions of our own on recruitin' the city slicker, but we realized our mistake. We saw how it made him act, so we apologized and he forgave us." said Applejack as that memory was something she could never forget.

"Indeed, and what a stupid fool he was for doing that. Look where it got him, a one-way trip to being exiled." said Starlight. "Now he's left you and your little friends to fend for themselves, he really is a true friend. "

"The city slicker will be back!" shouted AJ.

"No he won't." said Starlight in a nonchalant voice. "That's why I come to you, Aj. I know you're the honest one of the group, and with that honesty that leads to truth and truth lends to power which in turns lends to strength. I know how powerful you are Applejack, your strength would be a key vital asset to my plan in revolutionizing the change necessary for Duel Monsters. Now Rainbow as loyal as she might have been, her hot headiness would damage my plans more than they might have helped. But you... you're calm and focused. That is someone who has a valuable place in my ideology. So, care side to with me, Aj?"

"Like hell I would." said the country gal as she swatted away Starlight's hand.

"I'm afraid you didn't hear me, I said..."

"Ah heard ya! And ah said, ah don't want to!" shouted the farm girl.

"Pity, a part of me expected you to do this. Seeing as how you're loyal to Isaac and your friends. I guess you really are content with being in his shadow, you really do like when he does the same old thing, so how's that missionary position going with him." mocked Starlight.

"That's enough! I ain't goin' stand by and let you badmouth mah friends. So put on yer duel disk and let's go." said Applejack.

"Well, that was easier than expected. Well then, this shouldn't take too long. You're on Applejack, at least when I beat you, you'll have been the third person that I've defeated of your little friend group." said Starlight as she began to walk away.

"Third person, but you've only defeated Rainbow so far." shouted Applejack.

"See ya soon, Jacklyn." said Starlight as she made one last comment to get under AJ's skin by calling her by her birth name.

"Applejack?" asked Lucky Star as she looked at her tutor to which her only response was her clenching her fists.

It was now later in the afternoon as Applejack and Lucky Star were on the field as they were waiting for Starlight to show up. Aj was currently going over her deck as she made some last minute preparations, she knew what Rainbow had went through with her battle with Starlight, which is why she made sure she wouldn't do the same mistakes as she did. Although there was a part of her that was really looking forward to rubbing it in Rainbow's face about how she could take down Starlight when she couldn't.

"Hey, Aj."

"Yeah, Lucky Star."

"Be careful. I... don't want to lose you." said the girl.

"Sugar, I ain't goin' anywhere. I'm just goin' to put Starlight in her place. Wherever the city slicker is, ah hope he's okay. Ah miss him, heh, he kinda is like my cowboy." said Applejack with a bit of red on her face as she thought of Isaac.

"Uh, Aj. Your face is red." said Lucky Star.

"It's just hot." said Applejack as she quickly got rid of it, as Lucky Star rolled her eyes as she knew hat her teacher was thinking about.

Soon they both looked forward as there was Starlight coming into view with Sunburst behind her. She whispered into Sunburst's ear as he simply nodded and left. Starlight then pulled out her duel disk as she activated it and slid in her deck as it projected a pale, light grayish heliotrope light. Applejack then stepped forward as she slid in her deck as it projected a green light.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Applejack

"I'll go first!" said Applejack as she drew her card. "And to start, I'll summon Predaplant Cephalotusnail(1300/1200) from mah hand!" Aj then summoned her monster as out came a plant with a set of jaws on it. "And then I'll place two cards facedown and mah turn."

Turn 2: Starlight

"A monster with just 1300 attack points and two facedowns, come on, Applejack. Is that really your best?" asked Starlight. "It's good, but it's not spectacular."

"Well, that depends on what you think, you just don't realize it yet. You're up!"

"Yes, I am. I draw. And to start, since you control monsters and I don't, I can summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600). Then since I control a 'Constellar' monster, I can special summon my Constellar Caduceus(1600/1550)." Starlight's two monsters rose up as one of them was a bit smaller than the other. "Now I activate Siat's special ability, and with I can make it match the level of one of my other monsters, so now it copies Caduceus's level making it now... Level 4. And Caduceus's effect allows me to add a 'Constellar' spell/trap card to my hand." Starlight's duel disk then ejected the card she wanted.

"So let me guess, you're goin' Xyz summon." stated Applejack.

"Now why would I do the same boring thing, I'm not like Isaac, Mr. Missionary might have done the same position. But I told you and everybody I'm not interested in that, that ain't my style, that's not what gets me excited. I want some fun, and I'll think I can with this spell, Magician's Right Hand!" said Starlight.

"Magician?" said Applejack as she knew that the only other person who used magician cards other than Twilight was Isaac.

"She's toying with you AJ, don't let her get to you!" shouted Lucky Star.

"Now since I control a spellcaster, once per turn during either player's turn, I can negate the activation of a spell card and then destroy it." said Starlight. "And I believe your spell card is much more valuable then you let on. In fact, I believe it's your key to winning this duel."

"Huh?" said Lucky Star. Seems she was stunned by what Starlight was saying.

"That's quite the proclamation. But you do realize that I have two cards out, right? So, you don't know which one is mah ace in the hole now, do ya?" stated Applejack.

"That does seem to be a problem." said Starlight. "That is, if I didn't figure out your plan already."

"What?!" seems Applejack was a bit stunned. "But yer card only destroys a spell card, correct? What if both of mah facedown cards happen to be traps?"

"They most certainly could be, and if I turn out to be wrong, I'll lose this duel and be at your mercy." taunted Starlight.

"Then how do you know for sure one of them is spell card?" asked Applejack.

"This is some next level stuff." said Lucky Star.

"Next, nextlevel." said Starlight. "Sure puts a smile on my face. But if I lose, I might not be smiling."

"Enough talking, go ahead and pick! But be sure to choose wisely." said the country gal.

"In due time, hillbilly, but first I'll attack Cephalotusnail!" said Starlight as she command her Caduceus to strike.

"Ah don't think so! Go Dark Seed Planter!" shouted Applejack as her facedown flipped up. "It transforms yer Caduceus from Light to Dark Attribute. And when yer monster attacks mah own Dark Attribute monster, the battle is negated."

"Exactly what I was waiting for." smiled Starlight. "Now from my hand, I activate the spell card, Magic Swap! This lets me take one card that's on my field and shuffle it back to my deck, but in return, I can activate a different spell from my hand. So I'll take back my Magician's Right Hand so that I can activate Magician's Left Hand!" stated the girl as she picked up her card and placed it on top of her deck for the autoshuffler to kick in as she played a different card from her hand. "And now, with a snap of its fingers, your trap is negated and then destroyed!"

"Oh no." said Lucky Star as Aj's trap was gone.

"Now Constellar Caduceus continue your attack!" shouted the girl.

"I'm afraid this is nothing ah can't handle. Mah monster's special ability activates so it can't be destroyed in battle! And the damage ah take is cut in half!" stated Applejack as her own plant put up a small shield to protect itself as some of the damage still carried over.
Applejack's Life Points: 7850-

"Looks like you guessed wrong."

"How so?" smiled Starlight.

"Your strategy was to use yer Magician's Right Hand to destroy mah spell card, mah key card as you said. But in order to protect yer monster, you had to replace it with a different spell card, yer Magician's Left Hand, makin' all the work you did for nothing." said Applejack.

"Quite the contrary, my southern friend. My intention all along was to use Magician's Left Hand so that I could destroy your trap card. It was essential to my plan."

"Huh?"

"Because for my plan to work against you, I required one thing. I needed you to have one facedown on your field instead of the two you originally had." smiled Starlight as Applejack had a gasp.

"So, then like everything you did, all those moves you made, were just to get Aj to use up her trap card?" said Lucky Star as she was shocked as well.

"Don't believe me, watch. You only have one card left. So it wasn't a sleight of hand, but more of a sleight of mind. And all it leads to this. I activate the spell card, Clairvoyance! I shall now attempt to guess whether your single remaining facedown card is a spell or trap. If I'm correct, that card returns to your deck, and I'm allowed to draw two brand-new cards from my deck." said Starlight.

"Say what?!" shouted Aj. "All those moves you did just leaves you with a 50/50 guessin' game?

"It's not 50/50. I told you, I know what card you set, why I'll take it up a notch and even guess the name of the card." smiled Starlight.

"There's no way she knows." stated Lucky Star.

"I paid close attention to the things you said. They may have just been passing comments to you, but to me they told quite the story. And none was more telling than what you said at the very end of your first turn of the duel."

(Quick flashback)

"Well, that depends on what you think, you just don't realize it yet. You're up!"

(End)

"With those words, it was clear to me you were planning to win the duel with one of the two facedown cards. So, I put this theory to the test. By saying that I would activate my spell Magician's Right Hand to destroy your key card. But you didn't seem concerned at all. As if you knew that my spell can't destroy your key card. Providing me with a crucial piece of information. The clues were there; I just had to piece them together." stated Starlight. "When you played Dark Seed Planter, I switched Magician's Right Hand with Magician's Left Hand. This enabled me to destroy your Dark Seed Planter. That card could've changed my Constellar Caduceus into a Dark monster, revealing even more about your strategy. Why would you need my monster to be a Dark Attribute? Why, because Applejack, you were setting the stage for something big, a grand... Fusion Summoning. And how exactly were you going to achieve this? By using my monster, Constellar Caduceus!"

"Grr!" spoke Applejack as it seemed Starlight was right.

"So, using my vast knowledge of Duel Monsters, what card can merge these monsters and isn't affected by Magician's Right Hand? Why, there's only one! Your key card... Super Polymerization!" shouted the girl as she pointed at Aj's facedown as it revealed to be exactly that.

"No way!" shouted Lucky Star. "How did she know?!"

"My, my... I'm right." smiled Starlight. "So now your card is shuffled back to your deck and I draw two cards."

"How did she know?" said Applejack to herself as she picked up her facedown and place it on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. It just doesn't make sense. The only other other person who I know would think that far ahead is the city... Applejack looked at Starlight as it made her gasp a bit.

"Now, I'll overlay both of my Level 4 monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both orbs disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 2)!" Starlight's new monster emerged as the golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with the two sparks of gold light circling it.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Applejack

"My draw!" said Aj as she drew her card. I can't believe she figured out my plan, gotta focus.

"I'll play the spell card, Rapid Seed Fire. Now ah can send one Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck to the graveyard. And then you not only get slam with 300 points of damage, but yer monster loses 600 attack points!" said Aj as she sent her Predaplant Cordyceps to the graveyard.

"Not gonna happen, I activate my Constellar Omega's special ability, by using one overlay unit, my monster is unaffected by spells/trap cards this turn." said Starlight as her monster wasn't affected by Aj's spell as she removed her Constellar Caduceus from under her monster and sent it to the graveyard.

"But you still take the damage." informed Applejack.
Starlight's Life Points: 7700-

"Now I'm summonin' mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500)." A snake with a body like a plant vine slithered in front of Applejack, its jaws patterned like flower petals. "Now ah activate Polymerization to fuse together together mah little plants!" A vortex opened up behind the country gal as both her monsters appeared beside her as they were sucked into a color of orange and purple as the outline of her new monster was shown. "Ah combine mah carnivorous predator and mah venomous predator, and let a vicious new plant bloom!” Applejack took the card her duel disk ejected as she held it up high. “Ah Fusion Summon Predaplant Chimerafflesia(2500/2000)!” A large coil of vines burst from the chasm and splayed out on the field. A large circular mouth ringed with teeth and surrounded by plump pink petals was at the end of the largest of the vines, and two smaller mouths rose up beside it on smaller vines.

"Hmm, not bad of a monster."

"Darn tootin'."

"Still, your monster can't banish mines since my monster has a rank not a level." informed Starlight.

"That don't mean I can't activate its other ability, now mah plant devour her monster!" shouted Applejack. "When mah battles, your monster loses 1000 attack points and mah gains that amount." Chimerafflesia lashed outs its tentacles again and shattered Constellar Omega.
Starlight's Life Points: 5600-

"Not bad, you managed to deal me more damage than Dash did. I salute you of that." said Starlight. "Too bad, you will also suffer, I reveal my facedown Constellar Nova! Now any damage I took during the battle phase, is also dealt to you!" shouted the girl as a beam of energy now shot towards Applejack as she put her arms together to block the attack as it hit her.
Applejack's Life Points: 5750-

"Their life points about the same. The fact that Starlight not only knew Aj's plan from the very beginning of the duel, but she prepared for when she was going to attack and made sure to counter it perfectly." said Lucky Star as she was in awe at seeing her mentor struggle a bit.

"Ah now end mah turn."

Turn 4: Starlight

"Then it's my turn, and I'll start by playing Pot of Greed to draw two cards then play the spell card, Constellar Star Chart. Then I'll summon my Constellar Algiedi(1600/1400). Then Algiedi' ability allows me to special summon one Level 4 'Constellar' monster from my hand, so rise up Constellar Kaus(1800/700)!" Starlight’s first monster descended from the golden portal above her, a slim figure in silver armor wielding a club with a blue gemstone set in it. Algiedi raised its club and fired a ray of light at the ground. Within the circle of light rose a second monster in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow. Starlight pointed at Kaus, “I activate Kaus’ ability. Up to twice a turn I can increase or decrease the level of a Constellar monster by 1. I increase the level of Algiedi and Kaus.” Kaus turned and fired an arrow at the sky above as it created a shower of particles for its comrade and itself. "With that done, I now overlay both my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "The light of distant stars shatters the dark of night. I Xyz Summon Constellar Pleiades(2500/1200, OLU: 2)!" Once more Starlight's monster arrived in a shower of light and particles as it let out a grunt.

"Now to activate Constellar Pleiades' effect, by using one overlay unit, I can return a card on the field back to the hand, and I choose your only monster. So it goes back to the Extra Deck!" said Starlight as her monster pointed its weapon at Applejack's monster as it let out a cry and disappeared.

"And with nothing on your field, Pleiades attack her directly!" said the girl.

"Ah activate the effect of mah Predaplant Sarraceniant. When you declare a direct attack, ah can special summon this little guy from mah hand to take the hit for me." said Applejack as her tiny monster appeared, it then turned to its mistress as it made a sound with its mouth as it jumped on Aj's leg and then started to crawl its way up her clothes as it was on her shoulder as it nuzzle against her for a bit before jumping in front of the country gal as it stopped the attack.

"Doesn't make a difference, destroy it!!" shouted Starlight.

"Now the monster that battled it is also destroyed!" shouted Aj as she managed to get rid of Starlight's monster. "Then when mah Sarraceniant is destroyed, ah can add a 'Preda' card from mah deck." Applejack's duel disk then ejected the card she wanted as she grabbed it.

"Impressive, well then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Applejack

"Mah turn! Now ah activate the effect of mah Predaplant Cordyceps from mah graveyard. By banishin' it, ah target two Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monsters in mah graveyard and summon them." Two portals then opened up as Aj's Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra and Cephalotusnail rose up. "Then Darlingtonia Cobra's effect activates, since it was summoned by way of one a 'Predaplant' effect, ah can add 'Polymerization' or a 'Fusion' card to mah hand. And ah take this one, Predaprime Fusion. Then I'll activate the effect of mah Rapid Seed Fire, so I'll send mah Predaplant Pterapenthes to deal you 300 points of damage and make yer monster lose 600 attack points." said Applejack as she sent her card to the grave as some seeds fired at Starlight and her monster.
Starlight's Life Points: 5300-

"Next, ah activate Predaprime Fusion to combine mah two monsters together." A purple vortex with tendrils of green energy appeared behind Applejack and drew in her two monsters. The vortex spun and flashed, its light growing. "Now, the luscious leaves and succulent stems of these two precious plants will give birth to a vicious, vengeful, diabolical botanical! I Fusion Summon! Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!" She slammed her card on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up purple.

"Another overhyped dragon." said Starlight as she looked at the beast with a pissed off look.

"Mah dragon is way better than Dash's cause once it's summoned, it can absorb your monster's attack points." An aura of purple energy lit up over Pleiades and trails of it swirled into Applejack’s dragon. The orbs on its wings grew brighter. "Now mah dragon has 5300 attack points. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack her monster!" Starving Venom Fusion Dragon swooped down and flew forward. The orbs covering its body sent streams of energy curling into its mouth, congregating into a large fireball. The fireball launched and engulfed Pleiades, a plume of smoke shooting into the air. Starlight looked away, teeth gritted, as her monster melted and exploded.
Starlight's Life Points: 2500-

Aj's dragon then flew back to its mistress side as it landed next to her. It then looked at the country gal as it used its tongue as it gave her a lick as she found herself covered in plant juice.

"What did ah say? Never mess with the hat, or ah bring out the weed killer!" stated Aj to her dragon as her hat got soaked. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon let out a dog like whimper at ruining its mistress valuable possession. Applejack soon had her scowl soften as it turned into a small smile as she put her hand up to which her dragon brought its head down and let her rub it. "It's alright, boy. Ah know you mean well. So, care to win and rub it in Dash's face and show why you're the better dragon than hers." Starving Venom Fusion Dragon just let out a small growl as it liked Aj's idea. She then hugged her dragon's head for a moment as she gave it a kiss before both of them turned their attention back to the duel; Aj's dragon did use its tail to adjust the hat on its mistress head as she smiled at her monster.

"So, you finally got one of your strongest monsters on the field? Heh, all the more reason why crushing you and that pathetic plant will make my victory that much sweeter." chuckled Starlight as she was unfazed by Aj's beast.

"We'll see about that, ah end mah turn."

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn, and now to put the plan into motion, I reveal my facedown Xyz Reborn. So now I can target one Xyz monster in my graveyard and then bring it back to the field, and this trap turns into an Xyz material for my monster to use, so rise up Constellar Pleiades." said Starlight as her monster was back. "Now time to kick things up a notch, I use my Pleiades to construct the Overlay Network!" Starlight's monster then turned into an orb of light with its overlay unit as the two hovered for a bit as another portal opened in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution!" shouted Starlight. "Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material; I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 2)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

Both dragons looked at each other as they gave a roar as they were not backing down and showing off their dominance.

"Looks like our beasts want to tussle." stated Aj.

"Please, my dragon isn't the overhyped, overrated monster that people just can't shut up about. It annoys, dare I say bothers me." stated Starlight while shooting a glance at the fourth wall. "But I digress, cause my monster is more powerful than yours, now then the effect of my Constellar Star Chart is still activate, so since I Xyz summon my dragon, I can draw an extra card. Well, now, I play the spell card, Constellar Star Cradle, so I can target 2 'Constellar' monsters in my graveyard and add them to my hand, however I can't attack now."

"What?" said Applejack as she was expecting Starlight to take down her dragon this turn.

"Did I make a mistake?" smiled Starlight smugly as her duel disk ejected her cards for her to grab. "Now then, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 7: Applejack

"Mah turn, once more ah send one 'Predaplant' from mah deck to deal you 300 points of damage and lower yer monster's attack points by 600." said the country gal as she sent away another one of her card from her deck as some sharp needles collided with Starlight and her monster.
Starlight's Life Points: 2200-

"Now ah activate mah Predapruning spell card to revive one of mah little plants, so sprout up buddy, Predaplant Lilizard(1200/1200). And when this guy is summoned, ah draw a card. Now to deal with that beast of yers, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon attack her dragon!" shouted Applejack as her monster then flew over as it prepared to opened its mouth.

"Just what I wanted!!" yelled out Starlight with a sick chuckle. "I reveal my facedown, Constellar Black Hole!" Soon a huge wind blew over the field as it stopped Aj's beast in midflight as a dark hole was forming as soon the wind retracted as it pulled both dragons in as Aj's beast let out a cry.

"Mah dragon!" shouted Applejack. She saw her beast now vanished within seconds.

"Just like Rainbow's. They belong where they're suppose to be in the trash with the all the other washed up monsters that've had their 15 minutes of fame." stated Starlight.

"Ah still have a monster on mah field, Lilizard take it to her!" shouted Aj in a fit of anger as her tiny monster then raced forward as it crawled on Starlight's body and then bit into her hand as the girl grabbed it by its throat and looked at the tiny thing as she threw it back towards Aj's field as it slammed into the ground as it felt a bit of pain.
Starlight's Life Points: 1000-

"You okay, little fella?" asked Aj as she bent down to check on her monster as it gave a sound to show it didn't suffer too big of a landing when Starlight threw it. It then crawled up Aj's body as it appeared on her shoulder as it gave a lick to her cheek to show its affection for it mistress.

"Glad to see yer tough little thing, like me." chuckled Aj as she put her monster safely back on the ground to continue the duel. "Time to end this duel, cause ah activate mah Dragon's Mirror!" A large mirror appeared in the air, the wings, claws, and tail of a dragon carved from its frame. “This lets me banish the Fusion parts needed to summon a Dragon-type Fusion monster from mah graveyard, and summon it. Ah banish Predaplant Pterapenthes and Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!”

The mirror pulsed and glowed purple, its surface cloudy. Applejack reached to her duel disk, fingers poised. “Ah combine mah botanical nightmare and mah carnivorous predator, to bring out a toxic terror like no other!” The mirror cracked down the center, the image of glowing purple eyes appearing in either half. “When you combine the viciously, voracious venom of a dragon with the cunningness of a carnivorous plant, the result is toxically terrifyin'! Ah Fusion Summon! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!” The mirror shattered and a massive dragon flew out of the frame. Its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy. It circled to float in front of Applejack, roaring down at Starlight.

Turn 8: Starlight

"Finally, the time has come. To slay another dragon and cut its head off!" shouted Starlight as she drew her card. "Perfect, since you're the only one who controls monsters, I can special summon another Constellar Siat. Then I'll summon the two monsters that I brought back with Constellar Star Cradle, Constellar Kaus and Constellar Algiedi!" Starlight now had three monsters on her field. "And don't forget, Kaus' ability allows him to increase my monster's level by one. So now my monsters are Level 5. The Siat's ability allows him to copy the level of another monster on my field so it is now Level 5. Now I overlay all three of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as all of her monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they all hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon all three lights entered then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 3)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"What is that monster?!" shouted Lucky Star as the reflection of Starlight's beast was shown in her pupils as it looked powerful and scary.

"So... this is the beast that took out Isaac?" said Applejack as she too looked at the huge monster as she saw her hands trembling a bit with fear.

"Prepare to feel it's wrath. My Ursa Proeliator has some unique abilities you should know about, one of them is that it attacks twice per turn. The second, you'll see as I use an overlay unit, now all 'Constellar' Xyz monsters in my graveyard are shuffled back into my Extra Deck and for each one that is returned, my monster gains 500 attack points." said Starlight as the mirage images of her Ptolemy M7, Omega, and Pleiades were shown as they gave their power to Starlight's mighty warrior as it rose up to 5500 attack points. "Now, end this, take out her monsters and end this duel!" Starlight's monster then charged forward as it raised its spear looking to pierce through the dragon with its weapon.

"I activate mah facedown, Ridiculing World! Yer monster now gain 100 attack points until the end of the turn, then any monster that has attack points higher than their original can't attack. So your attack is canceled out!" said Aj.

"No!"

"Huh?" said Aj and Lucky Star.

"Remember what I said about my monster having multiple abilities, well... by using another overlay unit, I can negate all your spell/trap cards on the field!" said Starlight as her monster used another Xyz material as it rendered Aj's cards in her backrow useless.

"No!" said the country gal.

Ursa Proeliator then stood up on its ride as it got into a ready position. It then leaped high into the air as its bear raced forward and stomped on Aj's little lizard as it crushed it under its weight, meanwhile Ursa Proeliator spun its spear in the air as it then aimed and threw its spear as it made contact with the heart of Aj's dragon as it went through clean as the monster let out a painful cry.

"Mah dragon!" shouted Aj as she saw her monster in pain, soon she too felt the pain of her monster. "AHHHH!!!!!" screamed the girl she grabbed her heart as it hurt like hell. Applejack was then blew onto her back as her monsters were gone.
Applejack's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"Aj!!!" shouted Lucky Star as she bent down to check on her tutor as she was fine with a few bruises along her body.

"Ha, ha, ha!" chuckled Starlight as she approached the pair on the grass as Lucky Star saw the teen as Aj was still down. She was about to put on her duel disk.

"Don't even do it, kid. Unless you want to end up like your teacher." said Starlight as it seemed Lucky Star was shaking in fear as she soon put away her duel disk. Starlight then looked at Aj as she looked at the girl with a scowl. "Three down and four to go." said Starlight as she began to walk away.

"She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world, in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." sang Starlight.

Chapter 185: Greater Evil

Starlight had just left Applejack and Lucky Star as Sunburst had returned.

"So, how'd you do?" asked the boy.

"Sunburst, have you forgotten who your best friend is?" said Starlight with some seductiveness in her tone as she touched the boy's cheek.

"My bad, of course you won."

"Now then, did you get what I requested?" asked Starlight as she dropped the act and returned back to her normal attitude.

"Yes, I had chance to speak with them and they're willing to meet with us tomorrow." said Sunburst.

"Excellent. And until then, I'll keep taking down the girls one by one, in fact, I already know who I want to target next." smiled Starlight as she and Sunburst left the school grounds.

Later that day, Applejack had returned to the house as she was greeted by Pinkie and Dash as they asked her what happened as she had a bit of a scuff on her mouth as the country gal wiped it off.

"So, Starlight got you as well?" said Dash.

"Yeah, not even mah monsters nor mah dragons could take down that beast of hers." said Aj.

"No joke, to think that beast of hers took down Isaac. Which means it's hell a powerful." responded Rainbow.

"She also said, I was the third person she defeated. But she's only defeated you so far."

"Not really, she told the truth." Rainbow then told the country gal about what happened with their shy friend. Seems they heard from Bryant how he was waiting for Fluttershy to show up for their lesson but never did. So when he went looking he arrived at the moment the duel ended as he rushed to check on her.

"So, she really is taking us all out." said Pinkie as she pulled out some comfort sweets for her friends as they smiled at their party pal and ate the sweet. "Any idea who she might target next?"

"No idea, but be careful Pinkie." said Rainbow. "That new beast that Starlight has, I dare say it might be the key to helping her with executing her plan."

The three of them all began to talk to see if anything new concerning Isaac was heard but nothing. Aj then asked how Twilight was doing, as they told her she was slightly getting better, but overall she did miss the boy.

Ever since Isaac had disappeared, Sunset was the one who comforted her friend the most as she resonated with losing someone you cared about. While the bacon-haired friend did her best, she knew that the only way for Twilight to get over the disappearance of Isaac was for her to get over on her own. But Sunset also had to offer some support whenever she and the others can.

It was now the next day as everybody was going about their classes. Sunset at her locker as she opened it and saw some pictures that were hanging on the door. She began to look at them as she stopped on one as it was a picture of Isaac.

"Where are you, boy toy? Twilight is worried about you, so are the others. I get you losing, but why would you run away? You told me that you can't run from your problems. You can try to avoid them as much as you can, but at some point you'll have to face them." said Sunset. "Was losing to Starlight so bad that you had to disappear? Does winning mean that much to you? I just... wherever you are... know that me and the girls are holding down the fort, but with Starlight running havoc, I don't know how long we can hold out. Please come back, Isaac. We need you, I need you." She then closed her locker door as she let out a sigh as she began to walk. Sunset then turned the corner and stopped in her tracks when she saw who was in front of her.

"Hello, Sunset."

"Starlight."

At that moment, the air turned dead silent as a cold breeze blew over the two girls as they stared at one another. Nothing, but their eyes was shown as it told the entire story. Both girls held an intense look as the aura surrounding each other was resonating off and colliding with each other as it had the recipe for disaster and chaos. Starlight and Sunset then crossed their arms as they held their ground as neither was showing any sign of weakness. Starlight then smiled as she snapped her fingers as Sunburst then handed her a device as she touched it and up came some info as she smiled.

"Sunset Shimmer. One of the top students of CHS, former bully that made people lives a literal hell, was unbeatable and untouchable when it came to ruling this school with an iron fist. But... then he came along, he convinced you to change your ways and then it's been happiness since then. My does that sound like a happy ending. Not to mention that he gave you your Red-Eyes and have since continued to win earning you a 96-97% win ratio." said Starlight as the device she was hold shut off as she finished reading her analysis and gave it back to Sunburst.

"What do you want, Starlight?" asked the bacon-haired girl.

"Just wondering, how's life without your boy toy?"

"Nobody calls Isaac 'boy toy', except me." said Sunset.

"Ohh, is that your sensitive spot?" taunted the girl. "I do wonder, why did Isaac choose Twilight over you? I mean look at you, you're hot, beautiful, sexy, flawless, I might add. And yet through all that, he didn't ask you to be his girlfriend."

"Isaac made his choice, me and the others respect him being with Twilight. Besides, I get my fun with him whenever I want." stated Sunset.

"Yes, and you could so easily get him to be your plaything cause all you would need to do is show him the goods. Ain't that right?" mocked the girl. "If I was Twilight, I'd be afraid to know that my best friend could easily snatch away my boyfriend, cause I didn't have the proper assets to please his every sexual desire."

"I would never steal Isaac from Twilight. He made his decision on who he wants to be in a relationship with. We respect it and we follow Twilight's rules."

"Except you." replied Starlight.

"What are you talking about?" asked Sunset with a scowl.

"Let me give you a life lesson, if you'll allow me. The world is so pained, for someone so much, it becomes obsession. It becomes a sin. Now, love, love can be blinding. It could cloud your judgement. Love can consume your well-being and it could very well cost you everything that you worked so hard for. But you, you're in luck, friend, because I have decided to reach deep inside of you and rip out that love like a cancer. And I'm gonna now fill this empty void with good old-fashioned fear, for fear is much stronger than any love could ever be. Think about it now. Sooner or later, you're just gonna have to watch everything you love fade away. And what will you do when that one thing you love so much, that one thing you cannot live without with is taken from you? I ask you, I'm doing you a favor, girl. So pay close attention, friend. I'm talking to you." said Starlight.

"Look whatever philosophical line or message you want to spew out for me to join your side, forget it. I've been down this path before, and it doesn't end well. You're only going to get hurt, or worst. Plus, I'm much happier where I am now, so don't even waste your breath. I'm never betraying my friends." said Sunset as she flipped her hair and began to walk past Starlight and Sunburst.

"So, tell me... you still hold that jealous in your heart?" asked Starlight with a sly smile as it got Sunset to stop dead in her tracks. "Tell me, do you still love Isaac?"

"What do you mean?" asked Sunset as she turned back to look at the pair.

"Don't play dumb, Sunset. You never told anybody this, but the moment you laid eyes on Isaac, you were in love. Now you didn't show it, but I could tell in your mind, despite you being the bad girl, you wanted him all to yourself." snickered Starlight. "And it pains you that Twilight snuck her way right into Isaac's heart and stole him away before you could make your move on him."

"Twilight didn't steal Isaac, she confessed her feelings and that's that."

"Is that the bullshit excuse you tell yourself? What about the day of the Spring Fling? Hmm, you had Isaac all to yourself, in your room, nobody to interrupt, you had him pinned under your hands and on your bed. So, what stopped you from going the extra mile? Hmm. What stopped you from enjoying some pleasure? Some excitement? Imagine what he would have done to you, how he would have held you, whispered into your ear as you let out moans of pleasure, imagine him inside of you. What stopped you from doing that?" asked Starlight with a smile.

"Don't go there!" shouted Sunset.

"Answer the question, Sunset. Why? Why? Why didn't you let Isaac take you to bed? What stopped you? You had the perfect opportunity to confess your feelings? You two would be the 'it' couple, and yet you let that escape right through your fingers. So I think me and everybody else reading right now wants to know, why didn't you make Isaac your boyfriend? Did you really let Twilight win the jackpot, because you felt sorry for her."

"Enough!" shouted the girl. "I'll admit, yes I did fall in love with Isaac the moment I laid eyes on him. A bad girl like me and a good guy like him, oh who wouldn't be turned on by that. I so badly wanted him for myself. I desired him, I lusted for him, I wanted him to hold me, to kiss me, to love me, to take me to bed, and yet... I didn't because I knew if I did that. I just be like who I was before, a selfish person looking to fulfill her own pleasures of life. And yeah, I'll admit this, I was jealous of Twilight. Jealous that every single moment, she spent with Isaac meant some pleasure, pleasure that I wanted, I desired, I needed, oh I still think about it to this day. What if? What if, I continued with Isaac, making it to second base then third base, then sliding into home base? Oh, it gets my heart thumping. But yet, through all that, I made the decision to not interfere with his relationship with Twilight. That would be the ultimate betrayal of our friendship, something I personally vowed to never do again." said Sunset.

"But you best believe that if I wanted to, if I really, really, really, wanted Isaac to make love to me, to get him to forget about Twilight and focus all his attention on me. I have the assets for a boy like him to want me." said the bacon-haired girl.

"So you do, and now she knows." said Starlight with a smug smile as her eyes looked away.

Sunset then raised any eyebrow at what Starlight was looking at, she then followed in the direction she was looking at as she turned around and let out a gasp. Standing a few feet away was Twilight herself as she had heard the whole conversation with the girls, especially the part about Sunset saying she could steal away Isaac with ease. Sunset didn't know what to say as there stood one of her close friends. Twilight just looked at her friend as she started to walk away.

"Twilight, please... let me explain... it's not what you think!" shouted Sunset to her friend but she was already tuning her friend out as she walked down the hallway with her head down as a small tear rolled down her cheek.

"Twilight, I didn't mean to say it like that." said Sunset softly.

"Looks like the cat's out of the bag." snickered Starlight.

Sunset balled up her fists as she grabbed Starlight by her shirt and pressed her against the wall as she held her there, but Starlight just had a sick evil smile on her face.

"You are going to pay for that you son of a bitch!" growled Sunset.

"I wasn't the one who hurt Twilight, you did. So that's on you. You just said what was in your heart, you let your true feelings out. It's not her fault she's so sensitive when it comes to sharing her boyfriend. She knew what type of things you like to do with Isaac, she's just lucky you haven't taken each other's virginities." said Starlight as that was the last straw Sunset needed as she had completely snapped.

"That's it! You and me, we end this!" shouted the bacon-haired girl.

"I was hoping you'd say that." laughed Starlight manically as Sunset let the girl down as she was still laughing. Sunset was now walking away as Starlight let out a mad laugh as she the scene transitioned.

Seems word got out that Sunset was challenging Starlight to a duel, as it was something that everybody was looking forward to. Soon a small crowd began to gather on the field as they wanted to see these two girls throwdown.

"You sure?" stated Penny as Sunset told her what happened. Despite hearing what Sunset said to upset Twilight, she knew it was Starlight trying to get under her skin.

"Positive." stated the bacon-haired girl.

"Very well then, be careful Teach." stated Penny as she left to watch from the sideline.

Sunset entered on the dueling field as she prepped her deck for her fight. She look up around seeing if Twilight was around, since that incident earlier in the day, she had been texting her friend so that they could talk about what was said in the hall. But Twilight just ignored her messages. Ultimately, Sunset said that if she did want to talk, then she would be challenging Starlight to a duel as the place to find her. Sunset then looked back at her deck as she couldn't focus on whether or not, Twilight was watching as she had bigger things to worry about. Soon Starlight came into view as it seemed some of the students watching were intrigued by the girl as they had been listening to her messages about change.

"Okay, just got to take on Starlight and beat her before she summons that monster of hers. From what Aj and Rainbow told me, is that her new beast can attack twice per turn, then it can use an overlay unit to return all her Constellar Xyz monsters to her Extra Deck and give her monster a 500 attack boost for each one returned. Then she could also use an overlay unit to negate all spells and traps on my field." said Sunset as she was repeating the information to herself. "However, I feel like that's not the only powers that card has, especially from what Pinkie and Rainbow told me that Starlight has two Rank-Up Magic cards in her deck, the question is: does she have more?"

Starlight then whispered into Sunburst's ear as the boy looked at his best friend and nodded as he left. With that, the girl then strapped on her duel disk as it projected a pale, light grayish heliotrope light. Sunset then slid in her deck as it projected a red card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Sunset

"I'll start things off," said Sunset as she drew her card, "I summon my Gearfried the Red-Eyes Iron Knight(1800/1600)!" Sunset's warrior then rose up as it let out a cry as it appeared on the field. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Starlight

"My turn," said Starlight as she drew her card and looked at Sunset's field.

No doubt, Sunset is an incredible duelist. She's gone toe to toe with Isaac in the past and has a few wins against him, but they were practice rounds, nothing more than mere training. Still, if anybody could take down the boy, Sunset would be a good pick... that is... if I didn't do it already.

"I'll begin this duel by summoning my Constellar Aldebaran(1300/800). And by summoning my Aldebaran, I can now special summon one Level 3 'Constellar' monster from my hand, so I choose my Constellar Sheratan(700/1900)." Two portals opened up as out came Starlight's monsters. "With that, I'll now overlay both my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's monsters then transformed into two dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Hyades(1900/1100, OLU: 2)!!" Starlight's monster emerged as it wielded its weapons in its hands as it took a stance in front of the girl.

"I'll now end my turn."

Turn 3: Sunset

"She's not attacking, smart on her move." smiled Sunset.

"I'd be a fool to attack Sunset's monster, without considering her facedown. Plus the damage won't even faze her, best to wait out and play the long game." said Starlight to herself.

"I draw, and I'll play Cards of the Red Stone. So by sending my Red-Eyes Toon Dragon from both my hand and deck, I can draw two cards." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed both monsters and sent them into the graveyard slot as she picked up some more cards. "Now I'll play Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in defense mode." Sunset now had a small dragon appeared as it let out a small fireball as it saw the girl as it flew over to her and landed in Sunset's arms as it nuzzled the girl as it saw her as its mother.

"My sweet little baby. I love you too." smiled Sunset as she petted her tiny dragon as she gave it a lovely hug and a kiss on it head as it then flew back to its position.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 4: Starlight

"My draw!" said Starlight.

She didn't attack either, guess we're a lot alike. smiled Starlight as she did admire Sunset's thought process when it came to dueling.

"I'll play the spell Constellar Star Chart, then since I control a 'Constellar' monster, I can special summon my Constellar Caduceus(1600/1550)." Starlight now had another one of her monsters arise as it wielded its staff. "Now my Caduceus allows me to add a 'Constellar' spell or trap card to my hand." Starlight then used her duel disk screen as she selected which one she wanted as it slot out for her to grab. "Now I'll have my Constellar Caduceus attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon!" shouted the girl as her monster then pointed its staff at Sunset's monster and fired a spell card as it took out the tiny dragon.
Sunset's Life Points: 7600-

"Now, my monster's effect activates, since it was destroyed by battle, I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck and then I attach my dragon to that monster to give it 300 extra attack points. So I choose my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200)!" Sunset's new monster then emerged as it was a fiend as it appeared in a pillar of fire from the ground as the people around them was they took in the girl's monster as it let out a cry.

"Hmm, well then, I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll activate my Archfiend's special ability, so now I can destroy all of your face-up monsters on your field that have lower defense points than my monster's attack points." said Sunset. Her monster then had its claws ignite with electricity as it struck the ground as pillars of fire then erupted from the ground as it circled around Starlight's two monsters as they both were gone.

"And now I'll attack, Archfiend strike her down!" shouted Sunset as her monster then struck the ground once more as another pillar of fire exploded near Starlight as she put her arm up to protect herself from the flames.
Starlight's Life Points: 5500-

"And now Gearfried attack her!"

"No! I reveal my facedown, Xyz Reborn. So now my Constellar Hyades rises up once more!" said Starlight as her monster rose up as it caused Sunset's monster to stop in its tracks.

"Gearfried, stand down!" called out Sunset as her monster then jumped back to its mistress side of the field. "Very good move."

"Why thank you." responded Starlight.

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll use Hyades' special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can change all your monsters to defense mode." said Starlight as her monster lifted up its staff as its Xyz materials was absorbed into it as it fired the spell over Sunset's field as her monsters then changed their battle modes.

"Next, I summon my Constellar Kaus(1800/700)." A monster in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow. "Now time to attack, Constellar Hyades attack her Red-Eyes Archfiend and Constellar Kaus attack her Gearfried!" shouted Starlight as both of her monsters raised their weapons and took out Sunset's two monsters.

"I activate my facedown, Red-Eyes Burn! Now if a 'Red-Eyes' monster is destroyed, then we both take damage to one of those monster's attack points. And I choose my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" Sunset's facedown then flipped up two pillars of fire shot in two directions as they collided with both girls who put their arms up to cover up.
Starlight's Life Points: 3000-

Sunset's Life Points: 5100-

"Now the other effect of my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon activates, so now I can add one Level 1 dragon from my deck or graveyard to my hand." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed it.

Not only did she get to add a monster to her hand, but she had a trap waiting for when her monster was destroyed. And she was able to burn my life points down to 3000. Very good, no wonder Isaac enjoys dueling against her. Sunset is a formidable opponent.

"In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Sunset

"My draw, and now I'll play the card I got when I used my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon's effect, my Black Stone of Legend((0/0). Then I'll activate my stone's effect, so I can tribute it so that I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, so rise up, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" shouted Sunset as soon her ace dragon rose up in a flash of light as it let out a roar as it caused some of the students watching to cover their ears from the loud noise from the beast.

"So, Sunset's dragon is now here." Starlight then began to examine the beast as she had seen images of it in textbooks and videos, but to get the chance to see one up close, that alone was enough for her to admire the beast.

"Now, Red-Eyes attack her Constellar Hyades! Inferno Fire Blast!" shouted the girl as her dragon then opened its mouth and shot a fireball as it made contact with the monster as it exploding in flames.
Starlight's Life Points: 2500-

"With that I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Starlight

"My draw, and I'll summon my Constellar Sombre(1550/1600). Then I'll use Kaus' ability to raise both him and Sombre's level by one." Kaus then pointed its bow up into the air as it fired two arrows as two showers of stardust and particles appeared above their heads. "I now overlay my Level 5 Constellar Kaus and Constellar Sombre in order to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 2)!" Starlight's monster emerged in a shower of particles as it pointed its weapon at Starlight's opponent. "And I draw an extra card thanks to my Constellar Star Chart." stated the girl.

"Now I'll activate my Pleiades' special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can return a card on your side of the field and I choose your Red-Eyes Black Dragon." informed Starlight as Sunset's beast was now gone as it transformed into a light as it zoomed back to her hand.

"With no monsters to protect you, Constellar Pleiades attack her directly!" shouted Starlight as her monster brought its weapon down on the girl as she covered up as the attack made contact.
Sunset's Life Points: 2600-

"Now our life points are almost the same." chuckled Starlight. "I now end my turn."

Turn 9: Sunset

"My turn, and now I'll play the spell Polymerization to combine my Red-Eyes and my Summoned Skull together!" Sunset's two monsters then appeared next to their mistress as a vortex opened up as it sucked in the two monsters in a color of orange and purple as a red light emerged. "I Fusion Summon, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon(3200/2500)!" Sunset's new monster emerged from the vortex in the red light as her monster had flames all over its body and had lightning go off as it let out a huge roar that caused the students watching this duel to cover their ears.

"Now time to end this duel, Archfiend Black Skull Dragon attack her Constellar Pleiades!" said Sunset.

"I activate my facedown, Negate Attack! So now the battle immediately ends!" said Starlight as she managed to survive.

"Lucky break, I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend to add it to my hand and shuffle my Red-Eyes B. Dragon back into my deck." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her two cards as she added one to her hand as she placed the other on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"I end my turn."

Turn 10: Starlight

"Now my turn, and I'll use my Constellar Pleiades to construct the Overlay Network!" Starlight's sole monster then turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. It then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged, the crowd went wild as Starlight’s monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Pleiades burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material; I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 2)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"Now, my Constellar Star Chart activates to let me draw a card. I'll then use my Ptolemy M7's special ability, and so by using one overlay unit, I target your Archfiend Black Skull Dragon and send it back to your hand, but since it's a fusion monster, it goes to the Extra Deck!" said Starlight as her dragon absorbed its Xyz material as it the show a celestial light at Sunset's monster as it let out a roar as it turned into a light and was zapped back to Sunset's duel disk as it returned to the Extra Deck.

"My monster!" said Sunset as she had nothing to protect her.

"Now then, what did you say about being defenseless. Well, you're right, only it wasn't me. Now Ptolemy M7 finish her off!" commanded Starlight.

"Like you, I also have a facedown, my Defense Draw! Now all battle damage that I take becomes zero and I draw a card!" A wall of cards then appeared in front of Sunset as Starlight's attack made contact as it was being reflected and bounced off as the bacon-haired girl survived. Soon it died down as the wall of cards disappeared as Sunset pick the top card of her deck and added it to her hand.

"Very clever, in that case, I'll end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 11: Sunset

"My turn, I draw! I play the spell card, Advanced Ritual Art, this allows me to ritual summon a monster by sending normal-type monsters from my deck, so I'll send my Dark Blade so that I can ritual summon my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900/1200)!" said Sunset as out came a red light as a monster emerged which consisted of a rider and dragon all covered in black as they wore dark armor.

"That monster is far too weak to take on my Ptolemy M7." informed Starlight.

"That's true, but I'm not done. Now I'll activate its special ability, so by tributing it, I can special summon one 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck or hand. So rise up, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" shouted Sunset as her duel disk ejected her card from her deck as she held it up high in the air a red light came from it. Her dragon was now back as it let out a roar. "Next up, I'm summoning my Black Stone of Legend and then tribute it so that I can special summon my Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000) from my deck!" A second dragon then rose up as it came in a red light as well as it too let out a roar. Sunset now had a pair of dragons as they looked to help their mistress win.

"Another dragon, and yet it's the same. It's far too weak to take down my monster." shouted Starlight.

"That's why I'm not done, I overlay my two Level 7 dragons!" shouted the girl as her monsters had a red light envelop them as they turned into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of the girl. Soon both orb entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged as a new dragon was coming out as its entire body was in a shadow outline as its eyes glowed bright red. "I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon(2800/2400, OLU: 2)!!" Sunset's new dragon emerged as it let out a roar as smoke came from its mouth as it let out a fierce roar with it materials circling around it.

"As long as my monster has Xyz materials, it can't be destroyed by card effects. And while it has Xyz materials, everytime you activate a card or effect, you take 500 points of damage." informed Sunset.

"What?" said Starlight.

"Now, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon attack her Ptolemy M7!" shouted the girl as her monster began to open its mouth.

"I activate my facedown, Xyz Encore!" shouted Starlight as one of her facedowns flipped up. "Now I target one monster on your side of the field that has Xyz materials, and this spell lets me detach them all!" said Starlight as a beam of energy came from her card and then shot towards Sunset's dragon as its overlay units were sent away. "But it doesn't stop there, cause now your monster is sent back to the Extra Deck and any monsters that were materials that were sent away are special summoned to back to the field. And their levels are decreased by 1." Sunset now had her two dragons back on her field.

"So you got rid of my monster." stated Sunset.

"Indeed, now your dragons are weaker than my Constellar Ptolemy M7. So, care to attack?"

"I end my battle phase."

"Then I'll activate my other facedown, Xyz Import!" shouted Starlight as her other facedown flipped over. "Now I target one Xyz monster that I control and one monster that you control that has less than or equal attack points than my monster that I selected, and that monster becomes an overlay unit for my monster to use. So I'll take your Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon!" Sunset's dragon then transformed into a light it transform into an orb as it circled around Constellar Ptolemy M7.

"I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Starlight

"My turn, and I'll summon my Constellar Rasalhague(900/100). Then I'll play Pot of Greed to draw two more cards. Next I'll activate its special ability, so by tributing it, I can special summon a 'Constellar' monster from my graveyard, or hand in face-up defense position. And I choose my Constellar Zubeneschamali(2100/1400). And by summoning my Zubeneschamali, I can add a 'Constellar' monster from my deck to my hand." Starlight then used her duel screen as she looked at her options and then smiled as she clicked confirm and picked the one she wanted as it slid out for her to grab. "I'll then activate this, my Rank-Up Magic Constellation Force!"

"Oh, no! Then that means..." stated Sunset.

"I can now summon an Xyz monster from my graveyard and use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Starlight's Hyades then appeared as it turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon it entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 1)!" The golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with one spark of gold light circling it.

"And now my Constellar Star Chart gives me an extra card." stated the girl as she drew the top card of her deck.

"Huh?" said Sunset as she was shocked.

"Were you expecting a different monster perhaps?" asked Starlight with a smug smile.

"Enough messing around!" shouted Sunset.

"Oh, your right. I'm done playing games, time to win. Now then how should I go about this, I think I'll start off by activating my Constellar Omega's special ability, by using one overlay unit, all my 'Constellar' monsters can't be affected by your spell or trap cards. So if you plan to use your facedown, forget about it. Now, Constellar Ptolemy M7 take out her Red-Eyes!" shouted the girl as her monster fired a powerful energy beam as it collided with Sunset's dragon as it caused the girl to put her arms up.
Sunset's Life Points: 2300-

"And now Constellar Omega finish her!"

"I reveal my facedown!"

"I told you, your spells and traps can't affect my monsters."

"I'm not doing that, I reveal Red-Eyes Spirit. So now I can bring back a 'Red-Eyes' monster, and I pick my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" shouted Sunset as she now had a monster who was stronger than Starlight's monster as it stopped in its tracks.

"Impressive."

"You could have won this duel right now, if you Ptolemy M7's special ability, you could have sent my Red-Eyes back to my hand and I wouldn't have anything to protect myself from your attacks." stated Sunset.

"Of course." smiled Starlight.

"Then why didn't you do that?" asked Sunset.

"And ruin the fun. Ha, ha, ha." chuckled Starlight as she was legit cracking up. "You Sunset know better than anybody else, when you've beaten someone, you like to have fun with them. Taunt them, marinate them, savor the moment. Because at that point in time, there's nothing they can do but watch."

"You mean..."

"I've already won, Sunset. But I just want to see how long you can prolong this loss? Besides, I was just getting to enjoy myself. So I'd figured, what the hell, let the duel go on a bit longer. You're welcome by the way, just know that I could have ended it right there and then. But I didn't, and anybody thinking this is going to backfire on me... LOOK AT ME!!!!" shouted the girl as her eyes were filled with flames. "Tick tock, Sunset. Doomsday is upon you."

"I'll make you regret you didn't finish the job when you had the chance." stated Sunset.

"I already told you, I've won. Now then, I end my turn with a facedown. Proceed."

Turn 13: Sunset

"My draw," said Sunset as she drew her card.

What do I do? Hass Starlight really won this duel, do I even try to stand a chance?

"Tick tock, Sunset. Tick tock."

"I'll now activate the effect of my Archfiend of Lightning, so now I can destroy all your monsters that have less defense points than my monster's attack points." said Sunset as her fiend then struck its claws into the ground as thunderclouds rolled in from above as they were struck with a bolt as they exploded and created a huge smokescreen. Soon it started to clear out as Starlight's monsters were fine.

"How?!" asked Sunset.

"I told you, there's nothing you can do. And as for my monsters, well, I revealed Xyz Reflect. When you activate a card effect that would destroy an Xyz monster, this trap allows me to negate that effect and then deal you 800 points of damage." informed Starlight as her trap then sent some of Sunset's electricity towards the girl herself as she felt it and let out a painful scream as she dropped to a knee.
Sunset's Life Points: 1500-

"I... I..."

"Everyone pays the toll." said Starlight. "Tick tock, Sunset. Tick tock."

"I summon my Black Stone of Legend, then tribute it so that I can summon a second Red-Eyes Alternative Dragon from my deck in defense mode." Sunset's stone then cracked open a bit as a red light was seen coming from the cracks, soon it cracked fully open as out emerged a dragon as it let out a roar before taking a position in front of its mistress.

"I end with a facedown."

Turn 14: Starlight

"A monster in defense mode and a simple facedown, you really have reached the end of what you can do." smiled Starlight. "See Sunset, there's a reason why you lost to me, cause I did something you never could do. And that was beat Isaac, you may have failed when you were a villain, but I'm no ordinary villain. I'm a supervillain. The difference, presentation." said the girl.

"Now, I draw, and I play the spell card, Constellar Quasar!" shouted the girl as she held the card up high as it shined brightly. "With this, I can overlay using Xyz monsters simply by having them match the level of a 'Constellar' monster on the field, so my Constellar Ptolemy M7 and Omega now turn into Level 5 monsters!" Starlight's monsters then had their stats change as her card turned their ranks into levels. "Now I overlay all three of my Level 5 monsters, to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's three monsters then surrounded themselves in a golden light as they all transformed into shining orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of the girl. All three lights then entered the portal as it shined brightly as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 3)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"Ah!" said Sunset as the moment Starlight's monster emerged on the field, she grabbed her wrist as she could feel the magic flowing inside of her as it was hurting and causing her pain.

"Feast your eyes, Sunset. On the monster that took out your boy toy!" shouted Starlight.

"Isaac." said Sunset as she was looking directly in the eyes of Starlight's monster as she could feel what happened that night and how this monster took out her friends.

"Now my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw an extra card, and then I'll play the card Constellar Asteroid so that I can destroy your Archfiend of Lightning." said as she took out Sunset's monster. "Now, time to end this, my monster can attack twice per round. So Ursa Proeliator take out her dragon!" shouted Starlight as her monster then commanded its bear to race forward as it did. The warrior on the animal raised its spear and then used its weapon as it delivered a powerful hit to Sunset's dragon.

"My monster's effect activates, when it's destroyed, I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my graveyard, and I choose my Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset's ace monster then rose up in a red light as it let the biggest and fiercest roar as it spread out its wings. "And because I chose Red-Eyes, his attack points are doubled!"

"So, what? Did your friends not tell you about my monster's effects, by using one overlay unit, I can have my Ursa Proeliator return all my 'Constellar' Xyz monsters from my graveyard back into my deck and then it gains 500 more attack points for each one of them. And I have four so my monster gains 2000 more attack points." said Starlight as her warrior lifted its spear into the air as it gathered light from the cosmos as it was enveloped in a golden light.

"A gold light? Just like Isaac." said Sunset as she saw Starlight's aura as it resembled that of Isaac and his power.

"And now it has 6000 attack points. Now finish her!" shouted Starlight.

"I reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Ascension!"

"That won't work! Cause I'll now use another overlay unit to negate your card!" said Starlight as her monster used a second Xyz material as it got rid of Sunset's card.

"Exactly what I hoped." smiled Sunset.

"Huh?!"

"Red-Eyes Ascension's true power now activates, by banishing it from the graveyard, I can give my dragon a boost equal to a monster's attack points, and so I'll give my Red-Eyes the power of my Archfiend of Lightning's attack points making it now have 7300! And here's the best part, you have to attack it and any damage you take from that battle is doubled."

"Which means..."

"Game over." said Sunset as her dragon let out a roar as it opened its mouth and fired a huge fireball as it collided with Starlight's monster as a huge explosion was created as a huge wind effect caused Sunset and everybody watching to cover up. Sunset then saw her dragon as something came out of it as it soon pierced the heart of her dragon as it let out a painful cry.

"RED-EYES!!!" shouted Sunset as she saw her dragon in pain as it brought tears to her eyes. She then saw what was sticking out of its chest as it was a spear as holding it was Starlight's monster as it remained unharmed.

"Another dragon slain." said the girl as she had a smile on her face.

"How..."

"By using the last overlay unit, I used the final effect of my monster, not only does it grant my monster indestructible, but any monster it battles, it gains their attack points." smiled the girl.

"No. RED-EYES!!!" shouted Sunset as he watched her dragon as it couldn't move with the weapon inside of it.

"Sunset, you used to be the biggest bitch around here. Well, girl, you ain't that anymore. Cause now I'm now the baddest son of bitch this school has seen!!" shouted Starlight as she looked at her monster. "Do what you do to all dragons, and put it out of damn misery and make it extinct!!!" Starlight's heard its mistress command as it plunged its weapon deeper into the heart of Sunset's Red-Eyes as it let out a vicious and pain cry.

"NO!!!!!!!" said Sunset as she dropped to her knees full of tears as she was shaking from pain and fear.

Starlight's monster lifted its spear up into the air as Red-Eyes was still attached at the end of it. It then tossed it with great power and force as it landed in front of the girl as before an explosion went off, Red-Eyes gave a tear to Sunset as the girl noticed the pain of her monster. It then was destroyed as Sunset was thrown from her knees onto her back as she rolled around in the dirt as her hair was messed up and had scuff marks all over her body.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"Number four." stated the girl. She then pulled out a small piece of paper as she then placed a checkmark next to Sunset's mark as she smiled. She then started to walk towards the girl as she was still down.

Sunset landed facefirst as her body was in a bit of pain, she slowly was stirring as her head lifted up to see Starlight coming towards her.

"They say karma is a bitch. But they also say what goes around, comes around. Well, Sunset. Time you get what you deserve." Starlight now had evil intentions as she planned to do the thing that Sunset did when she was a bully and that was to rip up her signature monster.

"No, please. Isaac... I... need you..." cried the girl as she was helpless.

"Superman isn't coming. There's only the devil himself." snickered Starlight as she was getting closer and closer.

"Isaac... save me... please..." said Sunset as she cried even more.

Starlight was about to be in front of the girl when she stopped in her tracks.

"Back off!!" shouted a voice.

Sunset couldn't lift her head anymore, but she soon same a pair of shoes in front of her as in front of her was none other than Twilight as she put her arms out.

"Twilight." said Sunset.

"Back off." stated the bookworm.

"Please don't tell me, you're actually sticking up for her? After all she said about your boyfriend, how she could so easily take him away from you? All with a snap of a finger, he would forget all about you. And then you'd be left all alone, just like you were before. No friends, no love, no friendship, all alone left to wander the darkness forever. Are you really going to stand up for her?" asked Starlight with a cocky smile.

"Yes!" enunciated Twilight with conviction. "What Sunset said does affect me, I would be lying if I didn't say it didn't. But I know she would never do it on purpose, she would never hurt her friends again, cause she too is afraid of being alone again. Our individual paths may have been drastically different, but the end result was the same, we got to be better people and gained some loving friends. And more importantly, friendship. Something you don't understand, and I would never throwaway a friendship, not even fighting for a boy." said Twilight as she looked at her friend behind her as she gave her a loving smile to which Sunset returned.

"So don't think your mind games are going to separate us or any of our friends! Not so long as she stand against you and whatever plan you have!"

"Oh, look at this tough girl." mocked Starlight. "I never wanted to sever your friendships, that was never my true intentions. You all are so closely knitted that it would be impossible for me to even try, in fact, it was just for sport to see if I could make it happen. But your right, Twilight. You and your friends do stand in my way, which is why I've taken it upon myself to eliminate you all one by one. And Twilight... you're the biggest fish I plan to catch. So consider yourself lucky, you have time till I come for you. But tick tock, the countdown to doomsday is at hand." Starlight then began to walk away as she sang her song once more.

"She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world, in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands."

"She's got the whole world in her hands. She's got the whole wide world, in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." replied some of the students who had been watching the duel as they sang Starlight's message.

Starlight now entered the school building as Sunburst was waiting for her as he had some peanut butter crackers in his hand.

"So, did you find them?"

"Yup, they're waiting for you." replied Sunburst.

"Then let's go." said Starlight as she grabbed a cracker from the boy's hand and tossed it into her mouth as the two left to meet with their "client".

"So, do we have a deal?" asked Starlight as she extended her hand.

"You've convinced me. Very well, I'll join your side." said the person as they extended their hand and shook it with the girl as the deed had been done.

"Now, onto to phase 3."

"Already ahead of Starlight." said Sunburst as some students their age approached them as it turns out they wanted to help Starlight with her plan and change Duel Monsters to be equal for all.

"Excellent." grinned the girl as she touched her fingertips.

Twilight had managed to make it back to their house as she had Sunset's arm over her shoulder. They got to the door, as Fluttershy saw this and helped Twilight carry their friend to the couch. Fluttershy then began to mix some of her medical herbs together to help Sunset heal.

"How you feeling?" asked Twilight.

"Bruised and battered, but I'll be fine." stated Sunset. "Hey, about this morning? I'm sorry, again. I just... I just let it all out... my personal feelings and desires... Starlight just made it come out... and I respect your relationship with Isaac, Twilight. I would never do anything to harm that."

"I know you won't." smiled the girl.

"Friends?"

"Friends." said the girl as she placed her hand on Sunset's shoulder.

"Any news on him?"

"None. It's been a week since he disappeared, and the date for the student's exams is nearly here." said Fluttershy as she finished mixing her home remedy and put some on Sunset's knee.

"Well, we have a job to do. To prep the kids for that date."

"And what about Starlight?" asked Sunset.

"She said she plans on taking out all of us, and with Sunset being number four, that only leaves you three." said Fluttershy.

"Let Starlight come, I'm not afraid. Now, if you'll excuse, I have some things to take care of." Twilight then started to walk up the stairs as she entered her room.

"Hey, Twilight." said Spike. The dog then saw his owner have a determined look as he knew what that meant. So for the rest of the time he was in the room, he zipped his lips and didn't say anything.

"Nicole, respond."

"Scanning, Twilight. Restoration at.... 67%" said the A.I.

"It's not going to be finished in time. Time for plan B." said Twilight as she pulled out one of the desks drawers and pulled out her deck as she flipped the top two cards as they were her Dark Red Enchanter and High Priestess of Prophecy.

Twilight looked at her cards as she was going to prep her deck when she noticed a small photo frame on her desk as it was a picture of the boy. She then picked it up as she let her eyes water up as some tears dropped onto the picture as is splashed on it. Spike noticed this and tried to comfort her but it wasn't enough. Twilight smiled and lifted him as she gave him a petting. She then placed him back on the bed as she sat on her window still as she opened her window and looked at the nighttime sky. The cool breeze blowing in her face as she reached into her hair and undid her ponytail and let her hair fall naturally as it fluttered a bit in the wind. Twilight looked up at the stars and the moon as it brought back memories of that night in the garden when she and Isaac confessed their feelings.

The small radio on her nightstand was on.

"Hope you're all having a wonderful night. This next song goes out to all those who miss someone. We hope that where you are, you're safe and know we miss you." said the Dj in a smooth comforting voice as the next song played.

"Isaac, where are you?" said Twilight as she looked up at the sky with a tear rolling down her check as it fell on her High Priestess of Prophecy card she was still holding as the scene then panned up to look at the night sky.

Somewhere else, there was a person who was trapped in a bubble as they floated about in some kind of darkness.

"Where am I?" said Isaac as he opened his eyes a bit before going back to him being unconscious and floating about.

Chapter 187: The Last Stand

A pillar of light was seen as it resonated from the back of the school as it came from the field. One of the smaller students saw this as he was walking home from class. He saw what was happening through the fence as he had some fear on his face.

"What is going to happen? It can't end like this." he whispered as a tear trailed down his face.

But then, he felt a comforting hand on his shoulder, and looked up to a hooded person, only a duel disk indicating anything about them... until, from the shadow of their hood did glow a pair of eyes.

"It won't..."

"Now, Ursa Proeliator attack both her Rainbow Dragon and Rainbow Overdragon!" shouted Starlight as her monster then raised forward and flung its spear through both of dragons as they let out a cry.

"Ahh!" said Rarity as she was thrown onto her back as she hit hard.

"Rarity!" shouted Amber as she rushed over to check on her tutor as she had some bruises. Amber had a few tears in her eyes at seeing her mentor being defeated by the girl. She noticed Starlight standing there she pulled out her duel disk.

"Don't even try!" shouted Starlight as her threat got Amber to be shaking. "I don't have time to play with children," was all she said as Starlight began to leave as Rarity was coming to as Amber helped her tutor who looked at the girl walking away as she rubbed her shoulder.

Starlight then disappeared as she met with Sunburst and their other ally. She smiled at them as several more students were behind her as they were looking to join her group and help usher in her idea of change.

Everyday, Starlight's influence was growing more and more by the minute. With each duel she won and each member of the gang she took out, more and more students were starting to put their full trust in the girl as they believed her to the savior that would usher in the change needed for all to be equal when it came to Duel Monsters. For the students, they weren't buying Starlight's vision, as they stuck by their tutors. But given how Starlight was taking them all out one by one, it made you question what would happen if, no, when she was successful in taking out all seven girls. Would it be the final straw to make the students join her side and embrace the vision?

Twilight was walking through the halls as normally it would be full of people talking and walking while greeting their fellow peer. Now... it was significantly less than that as Starlight's influence was strong. She was gathering power and forces to her side. As for Twilight, she was still missing Isaac as it had been now 12 days since the boy disappeared. Not to mention that she was also working on her secret project as it was slowly coming together. Celestia and Luna were busy with their own thing that they couldn't get directly involve with what was happening given the universal rule that everybody followed. That any and all issues were settled in a duel, and since both were retired, it meant they had no power. So it fell on the girls to try to get Starlight to stop, but given that she was nearly done with taking them all out. It seemed like it really was a dark time.

Twilight had been passing by Celestia's office when she overheard the women on the phone as she was communicating with Starlight as it was on the speaker phone for her and Luna to hear.

"With all due, respect, ladies, I think everything that's happened to you both in the last 20 plus years of your lives and careers, has been painfully detailed in that encyclopedia you call a book that you each wrote about yourselves." said Starlight as she was referring to Celestia and Luna's own personal autobiography that each had published for all to read about their journey.

"Now, I don't have such an ego that I would ever pen a book about myself, but if I did I think I would call it: 'What if?' Think about it, 'What if', as in what if Celestia/Luna dueled against Starlight in the last duel you both ever took part in."

"I don't think it really matters what if!!" shouted Luna through the phone as she was angry. "Because I have no doubt in my mind, that either me or my sister would have beaten you in three turns before you even could make a damn move!!"

"I don't believe you," chuckled Starlight through the phone, "And I can tell that not even the two of you believe what you're saying. For all your delusions, you know that's not true. So I'm tell you and everybody reading the chapter, exactly what would have happened. The game of Duel Monsters, as you know it, would not exist. Starlight Glimmer versus Celestia/Luna? That's easy. I'm the best in the world." stated the girl. "I don't need a blessing from legendary duelists or any of the Big 5 you're all close friends with and I know beyond the shadow of a doubt, I would haven beaten you with my two hands causing a chain reaction that would probably result in everybody not being here today."

"I mean you both can call yourselves the King of England. Hell, you could call yourself the 'Phantom Princess' but that doesn't make it true, right, Luna?" said Starlight as she threw some shade at the nighttime girl. "How about 'Queen', huh, Celestia?" mocked the girl as she referred to each woman the nicknames they were given by many of their fans during their time being pros.

"How are both of you ladies' bodies doing these days, huh? Did Isaac take away all the stress from the two of you when you both were begging to be put out of your misery for your own health?" taunted the girl. "No hard feelings, right?"

"You know I don't know what your business is with Isaac, but at least when it came time for our duel, he would show up!" shouted Celestia. "He wouldn't run like the coward you are!"

"Yes, but he beat and retired the both of you. And I beat him, so what does that make me? Speaking of Isaac, where's Isaac right now?" asked Starlight. "Is Isaac there? Oh, did he finally come out of hiding like the scared little bitch he is? Is he listening to our conversation right now? Does Isaac got you girls' back? Did you both ask Isaac to be your white knight to come save you, you old hags? Is Isaac going to run out and save you both when it gets a little too hot for the two of you old seniors to handle?"

"With all due respect--" started Celestia.

"RESPECT!!!!" shouted Starlight. "Respect! Shut the hell up, you old bitches! You don't know a damn thing about respect! You don't know about the meaning of the word! If you both did, you would not speak to me that way! I am the best! And I've been the best longer than any of you two have in your pathetic excuse you call a career! I will bring the change necessary for this game to evolve, and when I do, I will submit my legacy not as the best in the world, but the Greatest Duelist of all time." responded the girl.

"Do you hear that, girls?" asked Starlight. "That ovation these people that used to cheer for you both when you got on the dueling field? Well that is the respect and that is the admiration and that is the ovation that I deserve in every arena and every dueling field across the world when I compete! But you two, you two, your just like Isaac. You're overstated, you're overhyped, you're overrated. They say 'Legends never die', but they sure as hell can outstay their welcome. And Celestia and Luna, one last warning, you both get involved in any way, not only will I report you both to the Board of Education for breaking your retirement agreement, but I put you both to sleep, permantly. I'm going to turn both of you into a beaten, broken down, empty shell of a man even more than you two are now. So I just ask one thing left from the two of you and that's to apologize to me. I know the great Celestia and Luna don't apologize, but you're gonna apologize to me, hell you're not just gonna apologize to me, but to the readers as well, for being the biggest hypocrites I've ever seen in my life!"

You will apologize for keeping people like me down so that duelist like you can rise to the top. I've had friends, friends who have given their all to this game and have been unceremoniously held down because of people like you!"

"It wasn't out fault!" shouted both girls.

"It wasn't your fault, because you girls can't realize talent in front of you. Because you were buddy-buddy with the Big 5!" shouted Starlight. "You apologize to me for my friends, because they can't be here to stand up to the people like you, and let their voice be heard. But I am Starlight Glimmer and I am the voice of the voiceless! And you two will apologize and you both will like it!"

Both Celestia and Luna looked at each other as they heard Starlight's demand.

"Apologize! Apologize! Apologize and spare your school and yourselves from any further embarrassment."

"We don't give a damn what you say!" shouted Luna.

"That's the problem Luna and Celestia! You both don't give a damn anymore, but I do!!! You both may not give a damn, but my problem is I do!!!" yelled the girl. "Am I a bad guy? Absolutely, I don't wear a white hat, but I am damn sure in touch with these people and the readers; and right now I think they want to hear an apology!!"

"Sorry. We're sorry." muttered both women.

"What?" mocked Starlight as she heard them, but she wanted it to be louder.

"We said: we're sorry."

"What?" mocked Starlight as she had a smile on her face on her end of the call.

"We apologize you son of a bitch!!" shouted Celestia and Luna as on Starlight's end she was grinning ear from ear.

"This is better than winning the Superbowl multiple times." snickered Starlight. "The great Celestia and Luna just apologized to Starlight Glimmer." The call was then cut off as it ended.

Both ladies let out a sigh as they didn't know what to do, Twilight had heard this as she knew that Starlight needed to be stopped.

Twilight was busy as she had a notepad in her hand as she was going over what lesson she wanted to meet with her student. And also going over the past duels from her friends, she had collected the data from the girl's duel disks when they battled Starlight and she had been collecting data on Starlight's latest monster. She looked at the many replays as she was closely examining Starlight's key card. She wrote down all of its abilities and the requirements necessary for the monster to be summoned and work. With that piece of info, Twilight was working out her strategy necessary for her evitable duel with the girl as she knew that sooner or later, it would be her turn that Starlight would come hunting for. And it seemed even sooner.

"AHHH!!" echoed a scream as it got Twilight to stop in her tracks.

"Pinkie." said Twilight. She then began to race to find her friend as she followed the voice. Soon she pushed over some doors as she came to the field as she saw the final moments of the duel.

Pinkie was hit by a direct attack from Starlight's new monster as she took a hard hit. She then fell down as there was Shadow nearby who Pinkie was protecting from Starlight.

"Pinkie!" said Shadow as he was concerned for his tutor as she had sacrificed herself to protect him. "Pinkie, are you okay? Say something."

"Shadow, don't worry about me." smiled the party girl as she had some scuff marks on her body.

"Number six." said Starlight as she put another check mark on her list.

"Pinkie!" shouted Twilight as she rushed over to check on her friend to see if she was hurt. "Shadow, what happened?"

"Me and Pinkie were having our daily lesson, when we were interrupted by Starlight. Pinkie knew it meant trouble so she told me to stay behind her as she showed no fear in challenging Starlight to a duel. But as you can see... no matter how hard Starlight hit her, Pinkie didn't dare move from this spot, Starlight was relentless in throwing Pinkie for a loop." said the boy.

Twilight was checking on her friend as it seemed Pinkie would be just fine. She let out a small smile as she turned her attention to Starlight who was still there as she had a sick smile on her face. Twilight then stood up as she looked to confront Starlight. For the two girls this was something that both had been waiting for a long time. For Starlight, she wanted to take out the last bit of resistance that could foil her plans and the last remembrance of Isaac. And for Twilight, she was looking to get even with the girl who took out her friends and her boyfriend. So this duel that was now set to happen was going to be a personal one.

"Starlight."

"Twilight."

Both girls so similar, yet so different.

"How are you holding up. Twilight? Miss Superman." taunted the girl.

"I don't know what you did to Isaac, but I know this. He started the job, and I'm going to finish it."

"Oh, you finally started to grow up. Did playing the damsel in distress really get that boring? Doesn't it feel good, when Isaac wraps his arms around you? He holds, pulls you closely into his chest where you just feel the safest. He always comes to save the day and protect his princess from danger. Truly a happy ending." mocked Starlight.

"I can take care of myself!" shouted Twilight. "I don't need Isaac to always save me. And I'll prove it in our duel."

"Perfect, but... not today. Tomorrow afterschool, where I will kill the last remaining force of your little group." suggested Starlight as she informed Twilight of the place for their duel.

"Whatever," said Twilight as she looked to help Shadow get Pinkie to somewhere she could recover as both had her shoulders over theirs as they all prepared to walk.

"Just know Twilight, I plan to win our duel. And unlike you, my word is my bond. So tell me, did you give your mother your word?" said Starlight as that got Twilight to look at the girl.

"Didn't you promise your mother that you graduate from Crystal Prep? Didn't you promise your mother that you duel and retire undefeated? Didn't you promise your mother that you were going to get married and give her some grandkids? Didn't you promise that you would be a successful card designer?" said Starlight as she was trying to get under Twilight's skin as it seemed to be working.

"I'm impressed Twilight, not by what you've done in your life, but moreso to how far you've come by doing the absolute minimal effort. Tell me, how did it feel to finally be important cause you were dating Isaac. You got to be the leading lady of this story, because you were smooching it up with Isaac. You didn't earn that position, it was given to you cause you were with Isaac." said the girl.

"This has nothing to do with that, sure my relationship with Isaac gave me more eyes on me. But I earned that spot, I've shown that I can duel and hang with the best." said Twilight. "Isaac saw it in me when we first met and battled."

"You're right, though I doubt he'll want to be with you anymore. Like Sunset said, she could so easily take your man away from you. And I don't blame her, cause if I was Isaac, I definitely would go for the bigger steak. I mean Sunset's a pretty face with a wonderful body, and has a bit more to offer Isaac then you can." said Starlight as she pointed to Twilight's own body and her assets.

Twilight just ignored Starlight's threat as she wanted to get her friend to safety.

"I mean, think about it, Twilight. All Sunset needs to do to steal Isaac is show her ass and tits to him and he'll break up with you in 5 seconds." said Starlight.

At that moment, Twilight clenched her fists as she let Shadow carry Pinkie as she immediately started to tackle Starlight to the floor as she was furious at the comment she made. It was now a straight up catfight as both girls were kicking and punching each other as they weren't holding back. Both girls were trying to rip each other's hair out as they rolled around in the grass. Soon a pair of hands grabbed Twilight as they tried to get her off of Starlight. Sunset, along with Rainbow and AJ had happened to past by when they saw Twilight and Starlight fighting as it took all three of them to get their nerdy friend off of the girl. Twilight was struggling to break free as she wanted to continue to slung at Starlight for saying that last remark. Starlight was about to continue to jump at Twilight when she felt her won pair of arms wrap around her as it lifted her up in the air and dragged her away.

"Sunburst, let me go!!" shouted Starlight as she was kicking and screaming to get her friend to let go. "Let me go, Sunburst! Let me at her!"

"Starlight, calm down! Remember the plan." said the boy as he was tried to do his job in getting her to calm down.

"Let me go girls!" shouted Twilight as she too was kicking and screaming as she tried to get free.

"Twilight, settle down."

"Shut up, Sunset!" yelled the girl at the person who was holding her back.

"Tomorrow, Twilight! This ends!" shouted Starlight as Sunburst fully dragged his friend off the field.

"She's gone." said Applejack as she informed their friend as it got her to settle down.

Twilight then broke free as she looked at Sunset with a furious look on her face as the comment Starlight made about Sunset using her body to steal Isaac was on her mind as it got Twilight to be angry. She then left her friends as she started to walk away as the others looked at their friend with concern on their faces. Then they helped Shadow in getting Pinkie to recover from her duel.

Twilight now entered her room as she slammed the door as Spike was on her bed and heard the noise as it got the small pup to curl up. His animal instincts told him that Twilight was pissed off and he had better stay out of the way or risk suffer his owner's wrath. Twilight then began to work on her deck and strategies as she was determined to end Starlight and stop her plan. Four hours passed as it was now midnight as Twilight had finished rebuilding her deck as she had it perfected for her duel.

"Twilight." asked Spike.

"This ends, Spike. Starlight is going to pay for all she's done." said the girl as she prepared for the upcoming battle.

"Do you need me..."

"NO!" shouted the girl. "This is something you can't do, besides, this issue is personal to me. Starlight will stop at nothing to get her objective, and the means harming those who we care about. So it's safe to say that if you show up, she won't hesitant to use you to get in my head. So I'm getting rid of that possibility." stated Twilight.

"Just promise you'll be careful." stated the small mutt.

"No promises." was all Twilight said as she prepped for her duel.

The next day had arrived as it was a day that was long awaited. For the girls, they heard from Sunset, RD, and AJ that Twilight was going to challenge Starlight to a duel and she made a promise to stop her from finishing her plan. For the girls, they certainly hoped that Twilight could do what neither one of them could as they watched their friend on the field as she had her arms crossed and her eyes closed as the wing blew in her face as her hair and skirt fluttered in the wind. Twilight then opened her eyes as she saw Starlight making her way onto the field as she wasted no time in activating her duel disk which Twilight did the same as both projected their color card trays.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Twilight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"I'll start off." said Twilight as she drew her card. "I'll summon my Amores of Prophecy(600/200) in defense mode. Then I'll activate my Amores' ability, so I reveal my Spellbook of the Library Crescent so that I can special summon one level 4 or lower spellcaster from my hand. So I choose my Hermit of Prophecy(1200/700)." Twilight's second magician then emerged next to her first one as it was an elderly man. "Next, I'll play my Spellbook of the Library Crescent since I currently have no 'Spellbook' in my graveyard, I can select three from my deck and you choose one of them to add to my hand. So I reveal my Spellbook of Life, Spellbook of Secrets, and Spellbook of Divinity." said the girl as all of her cards appeared for all to see as they all flipped over.

"Not that it matters, I'll pick the card on the left." said Starlight as she made her choice.

"Very well, then." said Twilight as she took the selected card and then placed the other two on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. "Next, the effect of my Hermit of Prophecy activates, so now he gains 2 levels and his attack points increase by 300." informed Twilight as her magician was now Level 5 and had 1500 attack points.

"I now place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Starlight

"My draw!" shouted the girl as she looked at her hand. "I'll play the continuous spell card, Constellar Star Chart. Then I'm activating the card, Photon Veil. So now I shuffle 3 Light monsters from my hand into my deck and then I can add any 3 Light monsters that I want." Starlight then took the 3 monster cards in her opening hand as she placed them all on top of her deck as the autoshuffler kicked in. She then touched her duel screen as she was selecting the monsters she wanted as she pressed confirm and they all slotted out from her deck as she grabbed them.

"Now since you control monsters and I don't, I can special summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600). Then I summon my Constellar Shertan(700/1900). And by summoning my Constellar Shertan, I can add a 'Constellar' monster from my deck to my hand." Starlight now had both of her monsters in defense mode as her duel disk ejected the card she desired. "And now I activate Siat's ability, so now he can copy the level of another Constellar, so now he's Level 3." informed Starlight.

"I now overlay both of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's monsters then transformed into two dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I unite the light of the waterbearer and the light of the ram! Open a path to the cosmos and gallop towards a shining new star! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Hyades(1900/1100)!" The monster emerged as it held both of its weapons in its hands.

"And now the effect of my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw an extra card when I Xyz summon a 'Constellar' monster. I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Twilight

"My draw, and now I'll activate the effect of my Amores once again. So I reveal another 'Spellbook' in my hand so that I can summon my Strength of Prophecy(1500/1400)!" Out emerged a female spellcaster as she had some magical runes on her weapon. "I then activate the effect of my Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add any 'Spellbook' I want." Twilight's then selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab. "Now I'll activate my Strength of Prophecy's special ability, so now I can target one faceup spellcaster on the field and not only give it 500 more attack points but also increase its level by 1 and I choose my Strength of Prophecy. Then I'll sacrifice my Amores of Prophecy so that I can summon my Emperor of Prophecy(2300/2000). But I'm not done, cause now I'll overlay both of my Level 5 Strength of Prophecy and Hermit of Prophecy to build the Overlay Network!" Twilight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of lights as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Empress of Prophecy(2000/1700, OLU: 2)!" shouted the girl as she now had two of her monsters sitting on top of their own respective thrones as the married couple looked at each other with a loving smile.

"Now my Empress of Prophecy's effect allows her to gain 300 additional attack points for every Xyz material she has attached, so right now she has 2600 attack points. But I'll use one overlay unit right now, and by doing so, I can now look at the top 5 cards of my deck and for every Spellbook that I reveal, I can destroy a monster." Twilight's duel disk then projected her next five cards for Starlight and her friends to see as they saw her options. "Looks like I have Spellbook of Power and Spellbook of Divinity, so that's two spellbooks which means I can destroy your monster!" shouted Twilight as Starlight's monster blew up.

"Now I can take those five cards and put them in any order I choose on top of my deck." Twilight then moved the order of the cards in her hand as she placed them back on top of her deck. "And with no monsters left on your side of the field, I'll now move in for a direct attack! Empress let her have it!"

"I reveal my facedown, Constellar Equinox! So now I can avoid taking any damage by ending the battle phase, but I have to send a 'Constellar' Xyz monster from my graveyard as a cost for activating this spell." Starlight then sent a copy of her Constellar Omega to the graveyard as he managed to avoid Twilight's attacks.

"Now bad, I end my turn."

Turn 4: Starlight

"My draw, and I'll summon Constellar Algiedi(1600/1400) and by summoning Algiedi, I can also summon another Level 4 'Constellar' monster from my hand, so I summon my Constellar Kaus(1800/700)!" Starlight’s first monster descended from the golden portal above her, a slim figure in silver armor wielding a club with a blue gemstone set in it. Algiedi raised its club and fired a ray of light at the ground. Within the circle of light rose a second monster, in silver armor jumped in front of Starlight, this one wielding a large silver and gold bow. Starlight pointed at Kaus. “I activate Kaus’ ability. Up to twice a turn I can increase the level of a Constellar monster by 1. I boost the level of Algiedi and Kaus.” Kaus turned and fired an arrow at Algiedi and itself. The knights glowed gold as they were struck.

"I now overlay both of my Level 5 Constellar monsters to build the Overlay Network!" stated Starlight as her two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both lights entered the small portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I unite the light of the crab and the light of the archer! Open a path to the cosmos and gather the light of the stars! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 2)!" Starlight's new warrior raised its weapon high up as it struck a fierce pose.

"And by summoning my monster, my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw an extra card. Now I'll activate my Constellar Pleiades' special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can return one card on your side of the field back to your hand. So I'll return your Emperor of Prophecy!" said Starlight as her monster then swung its axe as it generated a huge wind effect as it caused Twilight's monster to be surrounded in a golden light as it returned to her hand. "And now Pleiades attack her Empress of Prophecy!" shouted Starlight as her monster then brought its axe down on Twilight's monster.
Twilight's Life Points: 7800-

"I reveal my facedown, Book of the Ancients! Now whenever one of my monsters is destroyed, in battle, it allows me to send one card in my hand to the graveyard so that I can draw another card. And if happens to be a monster, I can summon it straight to the field." Twilight then selected her card she wanted to get rid of she drew her card and looked at it. "Seems it wasn't a monster, so instead it goes to my hand. But I did what I accomplish, cause the card I sent to my graveyard was my Spellbook of Divinity. So now I take one card from my deck and remove it from play for three turns, then after those three turns, I can use the card." Twilight knew which card she wanted as she wasted no time in making her choice as she grabbed her card and put it in the banished compartment of her duel disk.

Hmm, curious. Why would Twilight remove a card from her deck for three turns? Out of all the girls of their little friend group, she's doing something that I wasn't expecting. She must be planning something, but what?

"I end my turn."

Turn 5: Twilight

Alright, my plan in motion, now to let the next three turns play out.

"I draw, and now I'll summon my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy(500/400) in defense mode. Then when he's summoned, I can add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." Twilight now had a small boy appeared as he put his left hand to his mind as he produced the card his mistress wanted as it appeared in front of Twilight for the girl to grab. "I'll now play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and then discard two." Twilight picked up her cards as she sent her Emperor of Prophecy and one other monster to the graveyard. "Now that I have the card I want in my graveyard, I can activate its special ability, so by banishing 3 'Spellbooks' from my graveyard, I can special summon my Prophecy Destroyer(2500/1200)!" Out emerged on Twilight's field was a devil-like fiend as it had wings and giant sword it carried by its side. It let out a roar as it caused the girls to cover their ear.

"He's not like my other monsters, but it doesn't hurt to have a dark side." stated Twilight as despite her Prophecy Destroyer being an evil creature, she still trusted her monster to have him on her team. And it was that trust by his mistress that the fiend swore an oath to serve and follow Twilight's command.

"Well, he won't be on the field for long, cause I activate Pleiades' effect, so by using the last overlay unit, your Prophecy Destroyer is now sent back to your hand!" said Starlight as her warrior absorbed the last Xyz material as it created another wind that caused Twilight's monster to be sent away to her hand. "So much for that."

"Actually, it was part of my plan." smiled Twilight.

"What?" said Starlight.

"Cause now I play my Spellbook of Miracles, with this I can target one Xyz spellcaster in my graveyard and 2 banished 'Spellbook' spell cards. So now the monster rises up and those 2 banished spellbooks become overlay units for my monster to use. So welcome back, my Empress of Prophecy!" shouted Twilight as she had her female monster returned as she sat on her throne with her overlay unit circling around her.

"Nice, Twilight was able to outsmart Starlight." said Sunset.

"Now, as you know my Empress gains 300 extra attack points for every Xyz material it has attached, but right now I'll use one right now. So I can now look at the top five cards of my deck and then for every 'Spellbook' I reveal, I can destroy a monster of yours." Twilight then looked at her five cards as they projected for all to see. "This time, I drew 3 different 'Spellbooks', so that's more than enough then I need to destroy your monster!" said Twilight as her Empress raised her staff and fired a spell that took out Starlight's monster. "Now I can put those five cards in any order I choose."

"And now you have to defend yourself, Empress attack Starlight directly!!" commanded Twilight as her monster lifted her staff and blasted her monster as Starlight covered up.
Starlight's Life Points: 5700-

"I now end my turn."

"Nice, Twilight got the first major hit against Starlight. She's doing better than either of us ever did." stated Rainbow.

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn," said Starlight as she picked up her card, "I activate Xyz Revenge. So now I can target one Xyz monster in my graveyard and bring it back. So Constellar Pleiades is back. Then I can take one Xyz material from your monster and give it to mine." said Starlight as she stole Twilight's overlay unit from her Empress as she lost her extra 300 point as she now had 2000 attack points.

"Now I'll use my Constellar Pleiades to construct the Overlay Network!" Starlight's sole monster then turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. It then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged, the crowd went wild as Starlight’s monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Pleiades burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material; I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 1)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"Now Ptolemy M7 attack and wipe out her Empress!" commanded Starlight as her dragon let out an attack as it took out Twilight's monster.
Twilight's Life Points: 7100-

"With that I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Twilight

"My turn, and I'll play Spellbook of Knowledge so I'll send my Spellbook Magician of Prophecy to the graveyard so that I can draw 2 cards. Then I'll activate the field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower!" Twilight then activated her field spell as soon a giant tower emerged behind her as it was very tall. "Next, I summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). And then activate her effect, so since I activated a 'Spellbook' previously, then I can tribute her so that I can summon one Level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster from my deck, and I choose my World of Prophecy(2900/2400)!" Temperance then had her cups fill with smoke as they were beginning to overflow as they soon started to surround the women as it caused a layer of smoke. Soon it disappeared as standing in her place was Twilight's new monster as it levitated in the air as it was full of vibrant colors and let off a powerful aura.

"Now I activate my World of Prophecy's special ability, so since it was special summon by the effect of a spellcaster, I can now take 2 of my Spellbooks in my graveyard and add them to my hand. So I'll take my Spellbook of Secrets and Knowledge." said Twilight as her duel disk ejected her cards as she grabbed them. "Then I'll activate the other effect of my monster, so I reveal Spellbook of Secrets, Knowledge, Power, and Immortality so that my magician can destroy every other card on the field!" shouted Twilight.

"No!" stated Starlight.

Twilight's World of Prophecy then raised its arms up as it casted a powerful spell as it was condensing into a energy ball as soon it shot out in multiple rays of light as the entire field was nuked as both players lost all their cards, except for Twilight as her monster was still safe.

"With that, World of Prophecy attack her directly!" shouted Twilight as she gave her monsters its orders as it then shot another beam at Starlight as she was pushed back a bit by the attack.
Starlight's Life Points: 2800-

"Next, I'll activate my Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add any Spellbook I desire. Then I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn."

Turn 8: Starlight

"Grr. My draw, and just what I need, I play Card of Sanctity so now we draw till we're holding six cards!" stated Starlight as she and Twilight refilled their hands. "With that I now activate the spell card Constellar Star Cradle, so now I can take two 'Constellar' monsters back from my graveyard to my hand. However, I can't conduct my battle phase this turn. But that won't matter, cause the monsters I want back are Constellar Kaus and Siat." said the girl as her duel disk ejected her cards as she grabbed them. "Now since you control a monster, and I don't, I can summon Constellar Siat to the field. Then since I control a 'Constellar' monster I can also summon Constellar Caduceus(1600/1550). Then I'll summon Constellar Kaus!" Starlight now had a total of three monsters on her field as she looked to bring out a powerful monster. "Caduceus' ability allows me to add a 'Constellar' spell/trap card to my hand. Now Kaus' ability activates so I raise the level of him and Caduceus by one. Then activate Siat's effect so that he can copy their levels." With that sudden change all three of Starlight's monsters were now Level 5.

"I now overlay all three of my Constellar monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as her three monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon all three lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged with a golden shining effect and particles flew out. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 3)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"There it is!" said all the girls as they were seeing Starlight's mighty beast as it was the sole one responsible for taking out Isaac and all of them. And now it looked to end Twilight.

"The good thing is that since Starlight played her Constellar Star Cradle to help set her up in summoning that monster, it can't attack." stated Sunset.

"So Twilight is safe." stated Fluttershy.

"For now, but come next turn, Starlight won't hesitate to attack." informed Pinkie.

"We'll just have to wait and see what Twilight is gonna do on her turn." responded Applejack.

"So this beast is the one who hurt my friends and took Isaac from me." said Twilight as despite her hand shaking a bit at being in the presence of this monster, she kept on a determined look to show she wasn't backing down or afraid.

"Now then, I end my turn with two cards facedown."

Turn 9: Twilight

"My turn, and now my field spell activates, so since I currently control a spellcaster, I can target one spellbook in my graveyard and place it on the bottom of my deck so that I can draw an extra card." Twilight's duel disk then ejected her card as she grabbed it and slid it on the bottom stack as she put her hand on the top.

Alright, this is it, I have all the cards I need in my hand to help execute my plan. But I'm still missing one piece of the puzzle, so I need to draw it, and right now, I could really use it. If Isaac was here he'd say: "Put your trust in your deck and it will trust you". Well, time to put my trust in my monsters and my friends. Never thought I'd say this but, Heart of the Cards, guide me.

Twilight then let out a deep breath as she drew her card very slowly as she extended her arm out. She then opened her eyes and looked at the card as she had a smile.

"I now reveal three Spellbooks in my hand, Spellbook of Power, Life and Magic." said Twilight as she revealed her cards with the third one being a new one that the others didn't see before. "By doing so, I can special summon my partner, arise my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!" Out came the beautiful lady as she radiated majestically with her red hair as she sat down in the air with her legs crossed and a book in her lap.

Twilight looked at her Priestess as she felt her connection with her monster as it was growing stronger. Priestess looked at Twilight as she so wished she could communicate with her master to inform her that Isaac was okay. Both nodded as they understood what the plan was as Twilight's body started to glow with a purple aura. The others took noticed of this.

"Guys?" asked Aj.

"Twilight isn't..."

"She is..." said Rainbow as she answered Fluttershy's question.

"But is it going to help?" wondered Sunset.

"Now, I send my Spellbook of Magic to the graveyard!" said Twilight as she sent away her card.

"Huh?" asked Starlight and everybody.

"Don't worry, you'll see it in due time. Now I'll banish Spellbook of Knowledge, to activate my Priestess ability, now I can destroy one card on the field and I choose your monster!" shouted Twilight as she pointed at Ursa Proeliator as her Priestess opened her book and fired a spell as it was making its way towards Starlight.

"I reveal Xyz Reflect! So now I can negate the effect of your Priestess and deal you 800 points of damage." said Starlight as the effect backfired.
Twilight's Life Points: 6300-

"I'll end my turn!"

Turn 10: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll play my equip spell Xyz Unit, so now my Ursa Proeliator gains 200 more attack points times its rank. So since my monster is Rank 5, it gains 1000 more attack points so now it has 5000 attack points!" said Starlight as her monster got even stronger. "Now, time to end this duel, I activate my Proeliator spell ability, by using one overlay unit, I can return all of my 'Constellar' Xyz monsters from my graveyard to my Extra Deck and then for each one my monster gains 500 more attack points!" Starlight's monsters were shown as they then zoomed back to the spear of her monster on the field as it now had a total attack power of 7000.

"7000!" shouted the girls as they were shocked to see the monster have that much power.

"Now Ursa Proeliator attack her World Of Prophecy, and by the way, since I used Caduceus as an Xyz material, my Constellar monster gains this effect. When it battles a Light or Dark monster, I can banish that monster, so your World of Prophecy is gone!" shouted Starlight as her warrior pointed its spear and took out Twilight's monster. "And don't forget it can attack twice, so now attack her High Priestess of Prophecy!" shouted Starlight as her monster then charged forward as it collided and took out her monster in one hit.

"AHH!!" shouted Twilight as she felt the hit from her monster as she was tossed onto the grass as her glasses were knocked off and landed next to her.
Twilight's Life Points: 1800-

"I now end my turn." chuckled Starlight as she knew the end was near for the girl.

"Twilight!!" shouted the others as they saw their friend lying on the ground.

"Can't... give... up..." stated Twilight as she had some bruises and scuff marks on her skin as she grabbed her glasses as they were still intact as she put them on. She sat on up as she looked at Starlight and her monster as she reached up and touched the necklace around her neck as she was reminded of Isaac. With that, Twilight then willed herself to get up and continue the duel.

Turn 11: Twilight

"My turn, I draw!" shouted Twilight as a portal opened up in front of her.

"What?" asked Starlight.

"Three turns have passed since I played my Spellbook of Divinity, so now the card I sent away is now in play. So rise... Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2200)!" Out emerged Twilight's monster as it was a sorcerer who wore red clothing as he wielded a staff. "Time to win, I activate the effect of my Spellbook of Magic from my graveyard, now I select a monster out on my field and whenever that monster is destroyed, at the end of the battle phase, the monster that attack it is also destroyed. And I know that your monster's ability can stop it from being destroyed, but only in battle, not card effects." informed Twilight.

"So what? All I need to do is attack your Dark Red Enchanter next turn and you lose!" informed Starlight.

"Then I better make this turn count, I play Spellbook of Power to raise my monster's attack points by 1000 and Dark Red Enchanter's effect allows him to gain a counter whenever a spell is activated. So with that he rises to 3000 this turn."

"No he won't, cause I'll activate my Ursa Proeliator's ability, by using one overlay unit, I can negate the effect of all your spells and traps you currently have on the field. So your cards won't work!" shouted Starlight as her monster then absorbed another Xyz material as it got rid of all of Twilight's cards in her backrow.

"To end my turn, I'll send this card, my Spellbook of Friendship." said Twilight as she sent another of her cards to the graveyard.

Turn 12: Starlight

"Time to end this, now! Ursa Proeliator take out her Dark Red Enchanter and end this duel!!" shouted Starlight. Her monster then raced forward as it aimed its spear and threw it with so much power that it collided with the monster as a huge explosion went off as a beam of light was shot in the sky.

It was so visible that anybody walking by would see from the school fence. Which so happen as a small kid saw the beam of light.

"Isaac!!!" screamed Twilight as she grabbed her necklace tightly.

"NO!!!!" shouted the girls as they watched their friend's monster be destroyed as the attack made contact.

"HA HA HA! I've finally done it!!!" chuckled Starlight manically as she had managed to not only beat Twilight but also take out the very last resistance that stood on her way. Soon something caught her mind.

"What's this?"

The smoke cleared and the beam of light disappeared as standing there was Twilight who now had more bruises and scuff marks on her skin, but the most surprising thing was that she was still standing.
Twilight's Life Points: 50-

"This can't be, that last attack should have ended her!" said the girls as they were stunned.

For Twilight the lens of her glasses had been bent and cracked a bit from the attack, she could still see as she took deep breaths.

"Now... I... I... my Spellbook... of Friendship saved me... and now since... my... D-... Dark Red Enchanter... was destroyed... my Spellbook of Magic...with it... your... monster... is also gone!!" shouted the girl as a rainbow coloring surround Starlight's monster as it then zapped seven different colors as the monster as it was helpless against the card. Soon it was gone in a powerful laser attack as Starlight's great beast was no more.

Turn 13: Twilight

"She's done it!" said Sunset.

"I can't believe it darlings, Twilight is going to win."

"My... draw..." Twilight felt so weak from the attack as it really her hurt that she was weak in energy as she wobbled a bit. "I play... Monster Reborn to bring back my High Priestess... then play... Spellbook of Mimicry... so that I can copy the... effect... of... my... Spellbook... of... Power..." said Twilight as her monster rose as it had been powered up to 3500 attack points.

"Hurry up and call your attack, Twilight!" shouted Rainbow.

"I... I..." was all Twilight could say as she ran out of energy and fell down facefirst as she was exhausted. In her hand, was the necklace she loved so much as it dropped from her grip and landed in front of her.

"Twilight!!!!" shouted the girls.

"Duelist unable to stand. Forfeit. Winner: Starlight Glimmer." said Twilight and Starlight's duel disks as they checked the vitals of the girl as it seemed they scanned Twilight to see she was in no condition to continue the duel.

"It can't be." said Fluttershy as she was shocked to see their friend couldn't call her final attack to win.

Starlight just smiled as how Twilight couldn't get the job done, she knew the girl didn't have what it took to beat as she pulled out her checklist and marked off the last checkbox. Starlight then began to walk towards Twilight's fallen body. Twilight opened her eyes as she saw herself lying on the floor. The necklace was in front of her as she heard her friends starting to run and check on her. She then moved her hand to grab the necklace when another hand swiped the item from the ground and held it over the bookworm's head as it caused Twilight to gasp.

"This thing, Isaac gave it to you. Well, consider it payment, for embarrassing me at the Duos Cup. I said that I would get my revenge on you, and this seems like the perfect thing. Imagine if I smashed it." said Starlight.

"No!" said Twilight as she had tears coming from her eyes. She tried to reach for it, but her body was too tired to function.

"You wanted to talk about breaking down doors, bitch please. I've broken down more doors than you ever could have imagined." shouted Starlight as she put her foot on Twilight's hand as she applied pressure and lifted the item up high as she looked to drop it. "The only door you ever broke down was the door to Isaac's bedroom!!"

"No!!" shouted Twilight as Starlight was bring her arm down.

All round time was moving slowly with Twilight's friends still running to help her friends as Twilight screamed at Starlight to stop. Starlight had a sick evil smile as her arm was slowly coming down. Then something happened.

"Huh?" said Starlight as her arm wasn't moving. She then looked as there was a hand that grabbed her arm as she followed it to see it belonged to a cloaked person. The person then took the cloak in one swift motion as they revealed themselves. Everybody stopped as they let out a gasp.

"Please, let's have a bit of respect for people's personal things." smiled Isaac as he grabbed the necklace from Starlight's hand as he held it.

"No, how! I thought you were dead!" shouted Starlight.

"My death was greatly exaggerated." chuckled Isaac.

"Isaac?" said Twilight as she saw the boy standing in front of her.

Isaac then tossed Starlight's arm as it caused her to be thrown back a bit.

"This can't be." said Starlight as she looked at the boy in front of her. It was almost like she was seeing the ghost of her past return.

"It can and it is." said Isaac with a smirk smile. "I'm back."

Chapter 188: The Homecoming Duel

"I'm back." said Isaac.

"This is... impossible." said Starlight as it seemed like the sins of her past had caught up with her as standing in front of her was the person who she thought she got rid of completely.

"Did you really expect me to be gone forever, Starlight?" asked the boy with a sly smile.

"This doesn't change anything." barked the girl. "Come on, Sunburst!" With that both individuals left the field as Isaac watched the pair leave with a smile.

"Isaac?" said Twilight as she was still lying on the floor as she looked up at her boyfriend.

Isaac didn't say much other than just simply looking at Twilight. He then dropped the necklace in front of her as he began to walk towards the school. The girls had been watching this as they made it to Twilight's side as they checked up on her to see if she suffered any major injuries but Twilight said she was just banged up. Fluttershy then pulled out a small canister as it contained a green paste as she began to work her herbal medicine in helping to heal the bumps on Twilight's skin. All the while the others all looked at their male friend as he entered the school as they couldn't help but smile at seeing him back. Well... almost everybody as one person had an upset look on her face.

"How is this possible?!" shouted Starlight as she and Sunburst were back at their hideout as she having so many questions running through her head that she couldn't think straight.

"I don't know... I too thought that Isaac had left for good." said Sunburst.

"Sunburst, you said that he disappeared." said the girl as she grabbed her friend's shirt.

"I told you the truth, Starlight. Isaac did disappear, have I ever lied to you?" asked the boy as he looked at his friend as she had the crazy eyes.

"No." said Starlight as she released her grip from her friend as she took a deep breath and then straight out his shirt from any wrinkles.

"Starlight?" asked Sunburst.

"Proceed with the plan." said the girl as she turned her back to her friend.

"But what about Isaac?"

"I dealt with him once, and I'll deal with him again. And this time, I'm not alone. Get in contact with our third party member, and tell them to be on standby."

"At once, Starlight." said Sunburst as he prepared to follow Starlight's command.

"Ohh, and bring the deck."

"Are... you sure?"

"Trust me, we're going to need it sooner rather than later." smiled the girl as she looked at her laptop screen as the image on it reflected in her pupils.

Upon entering the school, Isaac immediately started walking to Celestia's office as he passed several of his fellow classmates, they all had their jaws drop as they saw the sight of the boy. While in his mind, he was glad to be home. He didn't realize just how long he'd been gone in his time as the sight of him returning after so long, it was like he was a dead man who had risen up from the grave. He legit was like a ghost as nobody could believe what he was seeing, but for the ones who hadn't joined Starlight's side yet, they were glad to see a shining light in the darkness.

Isaac now found himself at the door as he grabbed the handle and stepped inside as he created a reaction. For both women, they were stressed out of their minds as they looked to have given up hope. When the door opened up, they both looked up as they dropped their mouths as they saw the boy. Isaac didn't get a word in as that moment, both women gave him a motherly hug as they had tears in their eyes. To them, he was the miracle they were praying for as it gave the girls some serenity; Isaac just smiled as it felt good to be back.

The next day rolled around as everybody was now questioning what was going to happen now between Isaac and Starlight. After Isaac met with the two principals, they asked the boy if he was still suffering from whatever condition he was, as Isaac just smiled as his answer. From there he then began to speak with the two ladies as they told the boy what had happening while he had been absent the past 12 days. Safe to say, he took it professionally as Isaac heard how Starlight had started the next part of her plan and in the process not only been recruiting people to her side but also taking out the girls one by one. Seems Isaac had arrived just in time as Starlight had been "technically" declared the winner between her duel with Twilight, but still... the result was as. Starlight won and had finished her personal list of taking out the girls, which meant it was now fell on Isaac to stop the girl from whatever plan she had. So Isaac said that he would deal with Starlight tomorrow as he had some other business to take care of. With that the two principals were thankful that their student was back and hoped that whatever Isaac's plan was to stop Starlight would be successful. Isaac sent a quick text to Sunset telling her to relay a message that he wouldn't be coming to the house as he needed to spend some time with his parents after being gone for so long. Sunset understood and said she'd inform the others.

The next day came as Isaac had actually contacted Starlight herself as he wanted to have a quick meeting with the girl in the auditorium. Starlight was hesitant in believing the boy, until Isaac said that it would be just him and nobody else, none of the girls, no Celestia or Luna, and nobody else to listen. Just him and her. Isaac was now standing in the middle of the room as he waited. It took a few moments, before he could hear footsteps getting louder as soon the door to the auditorium opened up as in came Starlight with Sunburst behind her. The pair saw the boy as Isaac just smiled at them as they soon stepped closer. Starlight and Isaac looked at each other as neither said a word, both just kept a long stare as they examined the other since it had been a while since both last saw each other.

"Well, you got me. Congrats, Isaac. You actually got me to believe you were gone for good. Take that to heart, it takes a lot for someone to actually surprise me. So be honored by that." said Starlight. "But this doesn't change the fact, I still don't like you. And I'll tell you this, as long as you stand and breath here, then my quest to change Duel Monsters will not stop. Until you're put six feet in the ground and I burn your ashes!!" shouted the girl.

"And you know that I will not stop fighting till I end your little plan for destruction. Cause I'm also fighting for my own reasons." said Isaac.

"Then we're back to square one. And to be honest... I wouldn't have it any other way." smiled the girl. "So welcome back, Isaac. Enjoy your time, cause it will be your final moments."

"I look forward to it. By the way, heard you talk about me being Mr. Missionary. Side note if you can find somebody who makes missionary position entertaining for 2 decades. Keep them in your life, it's gonna be worth it. I promise." said Isaac to the fourth wall. "Now with that out of the way, let's talk about me and you settling our differences."

"A proposal? Hmm. Isaac, I prefer dinner and good night of making love before you ask me for a proposal." mocked Starlight as Isaac just laughed at her comment.

"Oh, don't worry. I promise to give you a night you won't forget, in fact, Sunburst over here is going to be jealous about what I do to you." said Isaac as he played along with Starlight's foreplay.

"So... you want to duel me again? I'll think about it." said the girl as she began to walk away. "Oh, but I should tell you that you do have a challenge waiting for you tomorrow. Pass it and maybe... it'll persuade my mind about your proposal to me." Starlight then left the room with Sunburst next to her as Isaac just smiled as he looked forward to whatever test Starlight was going to have him go through.

Isaac was now walking back to the house as he opened the door as he was greeted to a welcome meow.

"Hey girl." said Isaac as he was petting Tigre who was rubbed herself against her owner as it had been so long since she last saw him.

"Miss me?" asked the boy.

"We all did." said Sunset as she and the other girls were all there as they were waiting for the boy.

"Welcome back, sugarcube."

"Big bro!" said Pinkie as she gave Isaac a great big hug. "I missed you."

"I missed you too, Pinkie."

"Great to have you back, darling." said Rarity.

"So where'd you ditch us this time, geek?" asked Rainbow.

"Well, if you can believe it. I went where no one has gone before! See, I went to the Spirit World! And I got to chill with tons of Duel Monsters. Then I got to stop an evil spirit and I even got to even hang out with your monsters in each of your realms. Oh, by the way, they all said 'Hi'." said Isaac with a smile.

"Okay, the geek has gone mad."

"It's true. Pretty wack story, huh, gang?" said Isaac.

"All the cool shit happens to him." said the chromatic girl as she got a jab to her side by Aj.

"But I'm back in the game." stated the boy.

"Good to have you back boy toy." smiled Sunset. "We did our best to stop Starlight, but she's tougher than she looks."

"Hey, you all did the best you could. So don't think your efforts were in vain, cause I guarantee you, we're going to stop her. Together."

"Together." said the girls.

"Besides, I've got a challenge tomorrow from Starlight herself. Seems she wants me to earn the right to face her, but I don't mind."

"Well, best of luck then. Come on girls, we need to leave him be." said Sunset as the others knew what she meant as they all left through the front door.

"Hey, Sunny." said Isaac as he got the girl to stop before she exited out the door. "Is she... you know..."

"Pissed off? Good luck, boy toy." smiled Sunset smugly as she patted Isaac's shoulder as she prayed that Isaac would live. She then closed the door as it left the boy by himself.

Isaac then turned to look at the stairs as he looked upstairs.

"I'm in deep shit." said Isaac. He then took a breath of air as he slowly began to walk towards the stairway as he began to climb.

With each step Isaac took he could feel his heart starting to beat as it got louder and faster. He could feel himself getting hotter as he got closer to the top. He then arrived at the top as he kept on walking as he came to a certain door. Isaac then looked down to his side as there was Spike outside the door as he too had a worried look on his face.

"How is she..."

"I've been avoid her too as well, I'm scared. Also if you die, I promised the pussy cat, she would be the boss of me." said Spike he had concern for the boy and that he didn't want his mortal enemy of his animal kind to be in charge of him. He then left downstairs as he didn't want to get caught in the crossfire.

"Welcome to hell's door." said Isaac with some fear in his voice. He then took a deep breath as he lifted his hand knocked on the door.

"COME IN." said Twilight in a stern tone.

"Well... she's in a good mood." chuckled the boy as he felt like he needed one last laugh before he died. Isaac then opened the door as he closed it behind him and locked it.

Isaac was now leaning against the door as he looked onward. Sitting on her bed was Twilight as she was anything but happy. She had her arms crossed as Twilight had her head turned away as she didn't want to look at her boyfriend. Nothing was said, as both sat in silence. Minutes turned to eternity as the pair didn't say anything. Twilight still had her head turned as Isaac lightly tapped his fingers on the door as he was trying to figure out how to sooth this over.

"Twilight."

"Don't talk to me!" shouted the girl as she still didn't look at him. The tone in her voice was less angry, but you could still hear the disappointment in it. Almost like she didn't want to be mad at Isaac, but had no choice in the matter.

"Fair enough, but let me at least explain." stated Isaac as Twilight didn't respond. "I didn't intend for me to just vanish, it just sort of happened. And it kind of was a good thing." Isaac then saw that, that point wasn't helping his case. "My loss to Starlight. You don't know what that does to a man, Twilight. It makes you feel worthless."

"After my duel with Starlight, I couldn't see my cards. I... I lost my will to duel. And so I thought to myself, if I can't do the thing I love the most, then I needed to leave. I know it's stupid, but put yourself in my shoes, dueling is the one thing that has influence my life so heavily that I couldn't beat the thought of everything I've worked for was taken away from me, before my career as pro and as a duelist started. It just scared me to death to think that I let this opportunity get the best of me. So I had to leave to find some solution and I did. And now I'm back. You and the others did well in trying to take down Starlight, I've saw your duel. You nearly beat her before you couldn't continue, but still, you came close. But I should have been there to support you guys. I'm sorry, but I'm right here now."

Twilight's expression soften a bit as she turned her head and stood up as she looked at the boy. Isaac smiled to as he started to approached the girl as he looked to give her a hug. Just then...

"Ow!" said Isaac as when he went to hug Twilight, the girl had managed to knee him hard in his gut. Isaac clutched his gut as he felt the pain. "Okay, I kind of deserve that."

"Isaac! What took you so long?!" shouted the girl as her eyes slowly started to form tears. "Don't you know how worried I was? That I'd never see you again. Scared out of my mind. Not knowing if, Isaac. You jerk!" Twilight then threw her arms around Isaac as she just let out her tears as she couldn't hold back anymore.

"Twilight." Isaac then wrapped his arms around the girl as he stroked her hair and comforted Twilight as she was still crying into his shoulder.

"I wondered if you were every going to come back. It frighten me. To think that I was never gonna see you again. Day after day I waited for you to come, but you never did. I didn't know where you were. I couldn't stand not knowing. I told myself, I should give up hoping. I was convinced that you'd forgotten all about me. I thought you were gone forever. But then I realized that you would never abandon me or our friends. And I decided, that I would wait for you. Even if it took the rest of my life to see you again. Now, you're here. I'm so glad to finally have you back, Isaac. It's such a wonderful feeling. I don't think I've ever been as happy as I am right now. Don't you ever leave me again, Isaac."

Isaac then pulled apart as he looked at the girl and brought his hands up to wipe the tears from Twilight's eyes.

"Don't you worry, Twilight. I never will." smiled the boy.

Twilight still had the water in her eyes as she looked at the boy as it made her smile a bit. She then brought her lips into Isaac's as she gave him a deep kiss. It was a kiss filled with every emotion possible, happiness, sadness, rejoicement, but most of all, comforting. Isaac returned the kiss as he too missed this. Twilight then brought her hands up as she took off Isaac's cap and his hoodie as she tossed it to the side as Isaac undid Twilight's ponytail while keeping their mouths connected. Soon they started to move towards the girl's bed as Isaac laid down Twilight as they kept on kissing as soon their mouths opened to add more action. Twilight then moved her hands as she was feeling up the boy and his body as she was being turned on as Isaac did the same as he moved his hands down south. Isaac's hands then slid under Twilight's skirt as he felt her upper legs and thighs as Twilight was enjoying it even more. His hands then found their target as Isaac felt Twilight's round rear as it was just as he remembered, nice, firm and round as he began to massage and rub it. All of it, was enough to get a reaction from the girl as she returned the gesture by sliding her hands under Isaac's shirt to feel his muscles.

"Mmm..." she moaned. "That feels so good..." Her hair was so soft like a feather. She rested her head against Isaac's chest as he continued to play with her hair and planting small kisses along every inch of Twilight's neck and whispering into her ear. Soon she captured his lips again as she continued their little make-out session.

Both teens began to enjoy themselves as they enjoyed their little activity that both longed for. Isaac and Twilight then looked at each others eyes as all that could been seen was joy to have the other back. Isaac then kissed Twilight for a gentle kiss as he stroked her hair while Twilight caressed his cheek.

"I missed this." said Isaac as he booped Twilight's nose.

"Isaac, I know that I don't have the same figures as Sunset, but..." said the girl as she looked at her rear and bosom size.

"Hey, I chose to be with you, didn't I? I don't care if your figures aren't like Sunset's. Do I admit that Sunset has some nice figures that I love, yeah. I'd be lying if I didn't say that, but... I like what you have to offer, that's enough for me." said the boy as Twilight put her head under Isaac's chin as she let out a sigh as Isaac closed his eyes and enjoyed this feeling of holding his girlfriend.

Twilight then brought her face to look at Isaac as this time he reached up and took the girl's glasses off as he put them on the nightstand. Twilight giggled as she and Isaac returned back to their make out session as both teen's desired more of each other. And so it went long into the night as both teens continued their make out session as it served as a sign of unity for both girl and boy as soon they fell asleep in each others arms as they had finally been reunited.

The next day came as it was now time for Starlight's little challenge. The girls had all decided to accompany their male friend as they were on the school field. While they stood on the side, Isaac was on the field as he waited. He then bent down on one knee as he placed his hand on the grass almost as he was seeing the previous duels from the girls that took place here as it came rushing to his mind. For the boy, he was also trying to clear his mind and concentration. Soon the door opened as there was Starlight as she came with Sunburst bey her side. Isaac then stood up as he prepared himself.

"Well, I'm here for whatever challenge you got for me. Just know that soon it'll be your turn."

"Settle down, Isaac. A girl doesn't like to be taken to bed off the bat without a little foreplay to warm up the mood." chuckled Starlight. "And like I said, I don't see a reason to challenge you right away. But, beat this duel and I might change my tune."

"Whoever you got, I've got no problem beating." said Isaac.

"Oh, believe me, you will. But I've been rambling on, time to meet your opponent." Starlight then snapped her fingers.

Soon another person made their presence known as Sunburst and Starlight smiled. The girls and Isaac all had a shocked look on their faces.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie is here." said the girl.

"Trixie?!" said the girls.

"Everybody, let me introduce to you the third member who I choose to help with executing my plan." said Starlight.

"Trixie? Why?" asked Isaac.

"Simple, Starlight made an offer to me that I couldn't refuse."

"See, Isaac. Unlike you, when I promise someone something. I follow through on it, so I simply gave Trixie what she deserved and I promise her that if she helped me to instate my ideology, I would give her what she wanted. Something you can't do for her." smiled Starlight as she raised her fist to which Trixie gave her new best friend a fist bump.

"Trixie..." said Isaac as he still couldn't believe what he was seeing.

"Enough talking. Let's duel, Isaac." said the girl as she put on her small rectangle device as it projected a pale light grayish cornflower blue card tray.

"Very well." said Isaac as he too put on his duel disk as the small rectangle device strapped around his arm as it activated and projected a gold card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Trixie's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start things off," said Isaac as he drew his card.

"You'd think he can win?" asked Sunburst as he and Starlight watched on.

"I want to see if Isaac has any ring rust on him." stated Starlight.

"For my first move, I summon Berry Magician Girl(400/400). And by summoning my baby magician, I get to add a different 'Magician Girl' to my hand." Isaac then used his duel disk screen as he was figuring out which one of his cute magician girls he wanted as he knew that the others would get a tad bit jealous. "I'll take my Kiwi Magician Girl." Isaac's duel disk then ejected his card as the spirit of his magician appeared as she was a bit taller than the boy. She gave a quick hug and peck to her master's cheek as her sisters were unhappy, but given that she was the big sister, they knew not to anger her.

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Trixie

"That all, stand back and be amazed by the Great and Powerful Trixie." said the girl as she drew her card.

At least, I know what Trixie's cards are.

"You see, Isaac. You thought you were special since not only have you mastered all summoning methods, but is the only one to have pendulum cards on this side of the world. Well, not anymore." smiled Trixie.

"What?!" said Isaac.

"Do it." stated Starlight in a calm tone.

"Now then, it's showtime! I set the pendulum scale with the Scale 3 Performage Bonus Dealer and Scale 6 Fire Dancer!" said Trixie as she showed her two cards and placed them on the far end of her duel disks as the word pendulum appeared in between them to show it worked. Trixie's monsters then appeared in separate pillars of light as they had their respective numbers in front of them. "Now I can summon as many monsters as I want from Levels 4 through 5." Trixie's pendulum heard her command as three lights came out. "Say hello, to Performage Ball Bouncer(1000/1800, Scale 3, Level 4), Performage Water Dancer(1200/1400, Scale 2, Level 4), and Performage Trick Clown(1600/1200)!" Out emerged three monsters as two of them were unknown to Isaac.

"No way, you pendulum summoned?!" said Isaac as he was in shock.

"How is that possible?!" said Sunset.

"Let's say that I borrowed these cards from a certain person, he doesn't even know they're gone." said Starlight. "But I've said enough, I upgraded my partner's deck. I told you, I help my allies, unlike you Isaac."

"Trixie thanks you, Starlight. Now she can compete with anybody and take down Isaac." said the girl as she looked back at her opponent. "Now then, I activate Performage Bonus Dealer's pendulum ability, since I pendulum summoned 3 or more 'Performage' monsters, I can draw two cards." said the girl as she drew her cards. "Now Performage Hat Tricker attack his Berry Magician Girl!"

"I activate Berry Magician Girl's special ability, so now since she became the attack target I can switch her into defense mode and then I can special summon another 'Magician Girl' from my deck, so I choose Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)." A chocolate wrapper then appeared in the boy's hand as he tossed it onto the air as soon it began to shine with a white light in midair as soon out came the boy's magician as she snuggled her master's arm while giving a small kiss.

"So what, I'll still attack your Berry Magician Girl."

"Go ahead, cause she's in defense mode, I don't take any damage."

"That's where you're wrong Isaac, I activate my Performage Fire Dancer's pendulum ability, once per turn, I can target one of my monsters to inflict piercing damage. And I choose Hat Tricker!" stated Trixie as her monster looked to deal some damage.

"In that case, I'll send my Kiwi Magician Girl to the graveyard." said Isaac as he slide his card into his graveyard slot. "By doing so, I activate her ability, which lets me grant all of my 'Magician Girls' that I currently control an extra 300 attack and defense points for each 'magician girl' with different names on the field and in my graveyard. So since I currently have three in total: Berry, Chocolate and Kiwi, that means both of my girls get a 900 point boost to both stats until the end of the turn. Meaning now my Berry Magician Girl now has 1300 defense points, which means I take less damage than expected." stated Isaac as his monster was destroyed as he was able to minimize the amount of life points he lost.
Isaac's Life Points: 7700-

"Not bad, the kid is still as good as ever." said Starlight as she gave Isaac his dues for being able to think on his feet.

"Impressive trick, Isaac. But not good enough, watch! I overlay my Level 4 Performage Hat Tricker and Performage Ball Bouncer!" Trixie's two monsters then transformed into two orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Direct your gaze to the skies above, as I present to you a swinging star performer! I Xyz Summon! Performage Trapeze Magician(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!" A purple pole with studded orange heads on either end spiraled over the field, when a comically thick white-gloved hand snatched it, thin golden beams of light shooting out from each end to the ceiling. Hoisting onto the pole that had turned into an on-the-spot trapeze was a predominately white, lanky humanoid: Its waist and neck adorned in a fluffy pink boa, while from its back billowed a wide, magenta cape. Its spindly legs ended in dark blue shoes curled at the toes, while affixed to its masked, ever smiling visage, sat a white conical hat.

"She pendulum summoned and then Xyz summoned?!" Isaac was now thoroughly both impressed and in shock at how Trixie was able to do it given her new additions that Starlight said she made.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw," said Isaac as he drew his card and was trying to figure out what to do. Guess, I have to counter with my own.

"I now play the spell card, Pendulum Call. So now I discard a card and then I can add 2 'Magician' pendulum cards from my deck to my hand." Isaac then sent his chosen card away as his duel disk then ejected his two cards as he grabbed them. "Now time to show you how it's done, I set the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 2 Sleight of Hand Magician and Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac. Isaac's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Isaac's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them.

"I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 3 through 7 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far Pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Isaac then thrusted his hand into the air as two lights came out of the giant portal above him. "Prepare to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300), Scale 7, Level 4). She's certainly an eye-catcher, please welcome Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800)."

"Well now, seems we've got a battle of pendulum summoning." stated Starlight.

"At least with Trixie's help, we can learn more about Isaac and his strategies when it comes to using his pendulum cards." said Sunburst.

"Now I activate the effect of my Black Robe Mentalist, since I control three monsters, I can now look at the top three cards of my deck and choose which one I want to add to my hand." Isaac's mentalist then closed her eyes as she chanted some words as black aura encompassed her hands as Isaac's cards projected in front of him as he was deciding which one he wanted as he made his choice as it slid out for him to grab.

"Tell me you have a plan." asked the goth magician.

"I do."

"No, you don't." said Black Robe Mentalist as she read her master's mind.

"Alright, fine. I don't have anything... yet." replied the boy as his magician rolled her eyes.

"Cut Isaac some slack. He's doing the best he can." said Chocolate Magician Girl as she leaning against her master's arm as she nuzzled it to show her affection for the boy.

"Well, you better think of something fast Isaac. Cause I can't play defense forever, especially with Trixie's pendulum monster." said Magician Valkyria as she pointed to Performage Fire Dancer.

"Yeah, that's the biggest problem." stated the boy as he looked at his hand and then at the three girls he had on the field as he was thinking. "For now I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 4: Trixie

"My turn, now I'll play the spell Magical Pendulum Box. So I draw two cards and if they're Pendulum monsters, then I get to add them to my hand otherwise they'll go to the graveyard."

"And I have a feeling I know what your cards will be." said Isaac with a groan.

"Seems they were," said Trixie as she showed the cards for the boy as she added them to her hand. "Now time to pendulum summon once more!" shouted the girl as the two cards she drew came out. "Introducing two Performage Wing Sandwichman(1800/2100, Scale 1, Level 5)!"

"Not good." stated Isaac.

"Indeed, cause now I'll activate the effect of one of my Performage Wing Sandwichman's special ability, which means all my other monsters have their level changed to match his." stated Trixie as her Performage Ball Bouncer now changed from Level 4 to 5. With that I now overlay both my Level 5 Performage Sandwichman and Ball Bouncer to construct the Overlay Network once more!" Trixie's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon they entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged as a new monster was being summoned. "I Xyz Summon! The Monster with the silhouette you can't forget! Performage Shadow Maker(2600/1000, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged Trixie's shadow as it got longer, soon it began to stand up on its own as it then started to take shape as it was her new monster as it had a tux, top hat, and a pair of scissors in its hand as it wore white gloves.

"I now activate my Trapeze Magician's special ability by using one overlay unit, I can target a monster and have it attack twice this turn, however at the end of the Battle phase it's destroyed. So I'll use my monster's ability and target... my Performage Shadow Maker!" said Trixie.

"What?!" said Isaac as he was shocked to hear that.

"Watch closely," said Trixie with a snap of her her fingers, "Cause now I can activate the special ability of my Performage Shadow Maker, since it was target by a card effect, I can now remove one Xyz material from it to special summon another Performage Shadow Maker from my Extra Deck." said Trixie as her monster raised up its pair of scissors as soon another shadow appeared. "But why stop at one, cause I'll use my Trapeze Magician's last overlay unit to target my Shadow Maker again and then have the effect of my Shadow Maker use another overlay unit to produce a third one!" stated the girl as she now had three shadows on her field.

"So wait, how many attacks can Trixie launch at Isaac?" asked Rainbow.

"5 attacks by my count." stated Sunset.

"And Isaac only has three monsters on his field, so if he doesn't do anything, then it's over." said Fluttershy.

"Now then, shall we get the show started. Cause remember I activate my Performage Fire Dancer's pendulum ability, so now I can select one of my monsters to deal piercing damage. And I'll choose my first Shadow Maker. Now Shadow Maker attack his Magician's Valkyria!" commanded Trixie as her monster took out Isaac's monster while dealing damage.
Isaac's Life Points: 6900-

"And then it'll attack your Black Robe Mentalist!" said Trixie as her monster went in for a second attack as it took out the boy's other magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 6000-

"Now my Black Robe Mentalist goes to my Extra Deck instead of the graveyard." said Isaac as he grabbed his monster and placed it faceup in his Extra Deck compartment of his duel disk.

"Now then, my second Shadow Maker will take his turn. Take out his monster." said the girl as it now had its sights set on Chocolate Magician Girl.

"I activate Chocolate Magician Girl's effect, since you targeted for an attack, I can now resurrect a spellcaster from my graveyard and switch the target to it and your monster's attack is cut in half. So I choose my Berry Magician Girl."

"Why would Isaac choose that monster?" asked Pinkie as she knew for sure her big bro had better options.

"So what, even if my Shadow Maker has its strength cut in half, the monster you brought back is much weaker than it. So you still lose a monster and more life points." said Trixie.

"I may lose a monster, but my life points are safe. Cause now Berry Magician Girl's effect activates, so now I can special summon a 'Magician Girl' from my deck. So make way for the girl that always has a special place in my heart, Dark Magician Girl!" stated Isaac as his female ace was now on the field as his Berry Magician Girl was destroyed but he saved himself from losing more life points.

"So you survived both of my monster's attack and only lost about 1700 life points, not bad. But not good enough, cause I'll have third Performage Shadow Maker attack your Chocolate Magician Girl and you can't use her effect anymore to save her." informed Trixie as her other monster took out Isaac's other magician girl.
Isaac's Life Points: 5000-

"And now time for your Dark Magician Girl to join your other harem girls in the grave. Trapeze Magician attack his Dark Magician Girl!" commanded Trixie.

"Mana, do you trust me?"

"Always, Isaac." smiled the girl.

"Good, cause now... I activate my facedown, Magical Pigeon! Now my Dark Magician Girl is returned to my hand and then I can replace her with two Pigeon token(0/0) in defense mode." said Isaac as his magician disappeared in a white light as she zipped back to his hand as two pigeons were replaced as one of them flew away as the other made contact with the attack as there was nothing but feathers.

"I should have known you had a trick up your sleeve. Out of all the girls in your little harem, you chose to save your favorite one." stated Trixie.

"Well, that's a bit of a stretch to describe the relationship between me and my female magicians." said Isaac as he looked at his deck and saw the spirits of his girl magicians that were about his age and older as they all adored their young master with a smile.

"Now that the battle phase is over, my first Performage Shadow Maker is destroyed, but I still have two more and Trapeze Magician. And I'll provide extra protection with this, Bubble Barrier. Now all of my 'Performage' monsters can't be destroyed at all once per turn and I don't take any damage from any attacks." informed Trixie.

"I now end my turn."

"And now that the turn is over, my Pigeon tokens are destroyed and Dark Magician Girl returns to the field." said Isaac as his one remaining pigeon had a light coming from it as soon Mana appeared as a shower of feathers rained down on her to highlight her beauty. "Told you I had it covered."

"I didn't doubt you for one second." giggled Mana as she planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek before taking her position.

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll activate the spell card, Pendulum Treasure. So now I can add one Pendulum monster from my deck to my Extra Deck face-up." said Isaac as he grabbed one of his pendulum cards and then slid it into his Extra deck. "Now then time to pendulum summon once more!" shouted Isaac as a portal opened up as two lights came out. "She's back for an encore, my Black Robe Mentalist. Meet the keeper of the relics, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Scale 3, Level 5)." Isaac's mentalist was back as this time she was joined by one of their comrades as he appeared in his ringmaster outfit as the rune in his left eye shined a bit as he wore a circus top hat.

"Now I activate my Mentalist's ability, so now I can look at the top three cards of my deck and then add one of them to my hand." Isaac's options were shown as he made his decision and then it slid out for him to grab. "I'll then play the card I got which is my Mage Annette(1300/1700) and I can special summon her since I control a Level 4 or below monster. And when she's summoned, I draw an extra card." Isaac's kid magician appeared as she opened her small book under her left arm and used her tiny wand in her right as she found the card stuck between her pages as she levitated it towards her master.

"Please tell me you have a plan."

"I'm working on it! Gees, girl. Why do you got to be so... moody towards me?" asked Isaac.

"You're down life points, your opponent has the upper hand, you barely got back and you're asking me why I'm moody?!" said the goth girl as she ran down her master a bit.

"You're not making me feel better about myself. Gees, I know you're the goth person of our group, but did you have to say it like that?" said Isaac as he couldn't believe the savagery that he got from his own magician. Isaac's pain brought a secret smile to the goth girl as she enjoyed having fun with her master as it was one of the things she loved about the boy.

"Lighten up, girlfriend. Isaac will figure out something." said Mana.

"Well according to my calculations, if Isaac doesn't have a plan, he'll lose by the next turn." said Mage Annette as she was reading her book for a bit.

"Well what do you propose, Annette?" asked Rune-Eyes Illusionist to the small girl next to him.

"First things first, is to deal with that spell of hers, that's our only thing stopping us from dealing any real damage." said Annette as she was examining the situation with in front of her.

"Perhaps you can use my pendulum ability, Isaac?" suggested Mirage Magician from the pendulum zone.

"That would allow me to create a copy of any one of my monsters for this turn, but there's her facedown that I have to account for. Plus if I use that ability, it means you're destroyed and sent to my Extra Deck at the end of the turn." said Isaac as he looked at his monsters and at the field. "I'll play Swords of Revealing Light, now you can't attack for three turns." said the boy as giant swords rained down and stuck into the ground on Trixie's field.

"Hope that buys us time, I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Trixie

"My draw, you may have stopped Trixie from attacking, but I'm not concerned. Cause I still have my pendulum scale and I'll use it right now to pendulum summon." said the girl as a portal opened up as some old foes reappeared. "Say hello to Performage Wind Drainer, and Water Dancer!" Trixie now had more monsters on her field as she managed to resummon her pendulum monsters from her Extra Deck. "I now play Pot of Greed, so I can draw 2 more cards." Trixie then drew her set as she managed to pick up something that she was hoping. "I now play the spell card, Polymerization!"

"No!" shouted Isaac as he knew what was about to happen.

"Since can Trixie fusion summon?!" said the girls.

"I now combine my Performage Wind Drainer and Performage Shadow Maker!" Trixie's two monsters then appeared next to their mistress as a vortex opened up behind her as they were sucked into it in a pool of orange and purple as soon a bright pillar of light emerged as the outline of her brand new monster was coming. "Let your magic and majesty mix, mingle, merge and become one, one with the power to both delight and destroy! I Fusion Summon! Performage Trapeze Witch(2400/1800!" Out was another humanoid similar to Trapeze Magician as it too swung in on a trapeze as it wore white gloves but this one was a female as it let out a laugh.

"What did Starlight do to Trixie's deck, she's using whole new monsters that I've never seen before and she fusion summoned?" stated Isaac.

"Seems the deck you stole really is working." said Sunburst to Starlight.

"Borrowed, Sunburst. I borrowed the deck." chuckled the girl evilly as the two went back to watch their comrade defeat Isaac.

"I now play the spell card, Xyz Gift. Since there's currently two Xyz monsters on the field, I can draw 2 cards." said Trixie as she picked up some more cards. "I'll play Xyz Unit and attach it to my Trapeze Magician so now it gains 200 extra attack points times its rank so, since it's Rank 4, that means it gains 800 more points for a total of 3300 attack. And don't forget about my monster's own personal effect, I can't take any damage if it's less than my monster's attack and with my Bubble Barrier in place, all my monsters are safe from ever being destroyed. It's only a matter of time before your swords expire, Isaac." stated the girl as she ended her turn with a facedown.

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, I draw. To start off, I'll use my Black Robe Mentalist's ability to now look at the top 4 cards of my deck and then select one to add to my hand." Once more Isaac's duel disk screen showed his options as he prayed that he could get a game changer to help. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Mirage Magician's pendulum ability, so now I can create a copy of a monster on my field. However, at the end of this turn, I have to destroy her. So I'll use her to create another copy of my Mage Annette." Mirage Magician then took off her masquerade mask as she unleashed her inner persona as she glowed with a red light as soon a shadow image of Mage Annette appeared next to the girl herself. "With that, I'll now sacrifice my two Mage Annettes so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" Isaac's kid magicians then disappeared as soon they were replaced with his top magician as he descended on the field.

"How long has it been since we last saw Isaac and his Dark Magician?" asked Rainbow with a smile.

"Far too long." smiled Applejack as she and the others were glad to have the boy and his team of magicians back.

"Then I'll reveal my facedown Spell Shattering Arrow, now I can destroy all your face-up spell cards and then you take 500 points of damage for each one. And don't forget those pendulum monsters count as spells when they're in the pendulum zone, so say adios to them as well."

"Well, I'm not the only one, cause I reveal my facedown, Magician's Tactics. So now I can copy the effect of a card on your side of the field, so I'll choose your Spell Shattering Arrow. So now I can destroy your swords and your pendulum cards as well." stated Trixie as her own arrow was now flying through the air as it took out Isaac's spells at the same time Isaac's did.
Isaac's Life Points: 4500-

Trixie's Life Points: 6000-

"Now my pendulum cards are put in my Extra Deck!" said Trixie and Isaac as both teens slid their pair of cards into the compartment of their duel disks.

"Now both are back to an even playing field." said Twilight.

"And now Isaac can deal with Trixie's monsters without having to worry about her Bubble Barrier." stated Rarity.

"Now, Dark Magician attack her Performage Trapeze Witch!" shouted Isaac.

"I reveal my other facedown, Negate Attack!"

Dark Magician then lowered his wand as he called off his spell.

"Not bad, I end my turn."

Turn 8: Trixie

"My turn, and now I play Xyz Treasure so that I can draw 2 more cards since there's currently two Xyz monsters on the field. Then I'll reset the Pendulum Scale, this time using my Scale 1 Bubble Gardna and Scale 6 Overlay Juggler!" Trixie then put her cards on the far side of her duel disk as he word pendulum spelled out in between them as her monsters appeared in their respective columns of light with a number in front of them. "Now I play the spell card, Xyz Transformation! With this, I can now change the rank of my Trapeze Magician into the same level as a monster on my field, so I target my Performage Water Dancer. And then both monsters gain a level." said Trixie as both of her monsters were now Level 5. "Now I overlay my two Level 5 Performage monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Trixie's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Performage Trapeze High Magician(2700/2200, OLU: 2)!" Trixie's magician now had been upgraded to an even more powerful version as it had magic flowing from his hands.

"And now I'll activate my Trapeze High Magician's special ability, by using one overlay unit, it can three times this round."

"Three times?!" said Isaac.

"Yes, but only one of those three attacks can strike you directly." informed Trixie as her monster absorbed one of its overlay units. "Now Performage Trapeze Witch attack his Black Robe Mentalist! And the effect of my Trapeze Witch's special ability activates, when it battles a monster, that monster loses 600 attack points." shouted the girl as her monster made contact with Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 3200-

"Since my Black Robe Mentalist was destroyed, if there's an empty Pendulum zone, I can place her there instead of sending her to my Extra Deck." said Isaac as he grabbed his magician and placed it on the far right side of his duel disk.

"Now Shadow Maker attack his Rune-Eyes Illusionist!" shouted Trixie as she dealt some more damage to Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 2400-

"Like my other pendulum cards, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist goes to my Extra Deck." said the boy as he grabbed his card and slid it into his duel disk.

"Now Trapeze High Magician attack his Dark Magician Girl!" shouted Trixie as it made contact.
Isaac's Life Points: 1700-

"And now his Dark Magician!" stated the girl as she took out Isaac's other star monster as he was thrown onto his back as he hit the grass.
Isaac's Life Points: 1500-

"Isaac!!" shouted the girls as they saw their friend as she was able to roll through the attack as he was bent down on one knee as he looked at Trixie and her field of monsters without fear.

"Time to seal the deal!" said Trixie as she gave her command to her Trapeze High Magician to attack Isaac one final time to end the duel.

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand so that I take no battle damage this turn!" shouted Isaac as he sent away his tiny monster as he came out and took the attack head on as he managed to save his master.

"Have we missed that." chuckled the girls as they saw Kuriboh save Isaac from losing.

"Very well, but it doesn't matter, cause come next turn, you lose." said Trixie as she ended her turn.

Turn 9: Isaac

"My turn, I draw." stated the boy as he was hoping to turn things around. Please give me something. Isaac then drew his card as he looked at all of his options.

"I now place my Sorcerer Swordsman in my other pendulum zone to complete the scale!" said Isaac as he placed his other monster on his far left side of his duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring spelled out between them. "Then I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's special ability, which means I can take back any number of monsters I want so long as their levels fall within the scale I've set. So I'll take back my Dark Magician Girl!" said the boy as his female magician card slid out for him to grab. "Then I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards."

"You're just stalling your defeat." stated Trixie.

"Then I better make this turn count. Now I'll pendulum summon any monsters from Level 2 through 6!" said Isaac as a portal opened up as this time four lights came out. "Back for an encore is my Rune-Eyes Illusionist. Her inner beauty comes from within, meet my Mirage Magician(1600/1700, Scale 8, Level 6). And lastly, give a warm welcome to the lady of the show, Dark Magician Girl!" stated the boy as he had four monsters on his field.

"So you summoned 3 monsters, but none of them can take out my monsters. Cause thanks to my Performage Trapeze Witch, my monsters can't be destroyed by card effects nor can you target them. And while I control another 'Performage' monster, you can't target my Trapeze Witch." informed Trixie.

"Then I better make this turn count, cause now I'll activate my Mirage Magician's special ability, so now I conduct a fusion summoning without the need of Polymerization and I can use any monsters on my field and/or in the pendulum zone and she can replace a fusion material. So I'll combine my Mirage Magician with all of my magicians on the field and in my pendulum zone!" said Isaac as he had all five of his selected monsters turn into a different color light as Mirage Magician threw her masquerade mask off her eyes as her inner persona starting to take over as she too entered the portal with the aura surrounding her.

"Persona!!" shouted Mirage Magician as she let loose her power.

"I Fusion Summon, Quintet Magician(4500/4500)!" shouted the boy as his powerful wizard descended onto the field with tons of magical energies gathered around it.

"Incredible!" said Rainbow as she saw Isaac's monster.

"Now whenever I use five different magicians to summon my Quintet Magician, I can destroy all the cards on your side of the field!" informed Isaac.

"So? Like I told you my monsters can't be destroyed by card effects." stated Trixie.

"True, but your pendulum cards are still vulnerable to my magician's effect. So now they are destroyed!" stated Isaac as he pointed with his magician taking out Trixie's two cards.

"So be it, they go to my Extra Deck." said Trixie.

"Now, I'll play this, Diffusion Wave-Motion. So by paying 1000 life points, my Quintet Magician can attack all of your monsters this round. And any monster it destroys in battle, you can't activate their effects." stated Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"Like that's going to make a difference." said Trixie.

"It will when I play my card in my hand, Dark Magic Expanded. This spell activates its effects based on the number of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl I have on my field and graveyard. So since I have both currently in my graveyard, not only does my Quintet Magician gain 1000 extra attack points, but this turn you can't activate any cards or effects in response to my spell/trap or card effects." stated Isaac.

"Then that means..." said Trixie with a set of wide eyes.

"Quintet Magician, strike down her monsters and end this duel!" shouted Isaac as he gave his powerful magician his command as several small magical circles with symbols on it appeared behind the spellcaster as he lifted his wand up and fired a beam as the circles fired their own beam as they all headed towards Trixie's monsters who struggled to hold on as soon they were all blown off and destroyed.

"AHHH!!" shouted Trixie as she was tossed onto the grass behind her as the attack made contact.
Trixie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"He did it!" shouted the girls.

"Never missed a beat." said Isaac as he flexed his hand as he was happy. His train of thought was interrupted by a slow clapping as Starlight stepped forward as Sunburst was next to her helping Trixie up.

"Very good, Isaac. I thought for sure that you would have forgotten how to play given that I made you afraid and I destroyed your confidence." smiled Starlight as Isaac had a scowl on his face. She then began to leave as her allies followed her.

"What about our deal?" stated Isaac.

"I never agreed to the deal. I said for to take on this challenge and maybe I'll change my mind. Right now, I'm not interested." said Starlight with a sly smile on her face as they all left.

The group was now back home as they all gave Isaac a high five as they were glad to have their companion back. Pinkie managed to make a quick "Welcome Back" party for the boy as the girls all gave him a group hug to which Isaac let out a happy sigh as it felt nice to be surrounded by his friends. It was now nighttime as Isaac was in his room as he was lying down on his bed as he had his deck in his hand and was looking at it. His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. Isaac then made his way to the door as he opened it up and standing there was Twilight.

"Can I come in?"

"Sure." said the boy he opened the door and let the girl in as he closed the door and leaned against it. "So, what is..."

Isaac didn't finish his question as when he turned around, Twilight immediately crashed her lips against his as she wrapped her arms around the boy's neck. Isaac then brought his hands up to Twilight's cheek as he returned the gentle kiss. They then parted as Twilight stepped in close to put her head to Isaac's chest as the boy wrapped his arms around and rested his head on hers. Twilight hummed happily and they just stood there, lost in each other's love. It was one of the happiest moments of their respective lives.

"I'm glad you're back. I love you." said Twilight as she looked at the boy.

"I love you too, my adorkable cutie!" said Isaac.

Twilight just brought her lips in for another tender kiss as the couple enjoyed it. Suddenly, Isaac felt Twilight bend her legs and jump. Instinct took over and he managed to catch her legs as she wrapped them around his back as she continued her assault. He felt her mouth open wide and her tongue darted into his own mouth and started to attack his tongue. Isaac was still too shocked for words; he had never done this with Twilight before that he didn't know what to do, so he just played along and continued the kiss. He pressed his tongue forward intertwining it with her own. Twilight moaned loudly in Isaac's mouth and fought back; their tongues jousting went on for, what seemed like five minutes, before Isaac pulled away. A small strand of saliva still connected their lips as they parted. Twilight looked at him curiously her mouth still ajar as Isaac smiled coyly. As the pair pressed their mouths against each other again, Isaac carried Twilight over to his bed as he laid her down on it as the pair had another one of their make out sessions as soon they fell asleep in each other's arms.

Chapter 189: Boyfriends

"Once more, please." asked Isaac as he was on the phone with the person he had been secretly meeting as of late.

"Of course, so these are the numbers that I ran." said the person as they began to list off some facts and figures for the boy to listen to as he took the information in.

"Thanks, and about my request..."

"Isaac... I'm trying my best, but... I... just..."

"I understand." said Isaac with some sadness. "I just..."

"I'm doing my best, Isaac. But this line of business... it's difficult to grant a person's wish."

"Of course, just wanted to have a sense of closure. But I guess that'll happen at graduation."

"I'll be there for your graduation. Then it's time." said the person as the call ended.

"Time for me... to say goodbye, forever." stated the boy as he put his head down as a tear was shown rolling down his side of his face.

"Hey, Isaac!" called out Pinkie as she saw the boy's back. "Ready for karaoke night?"

"Yeah..." said Isaac as he quietly sniffled his tears and got rid of them to avoid the party girl from seeing him be sad. "Just... give me a minute, little sis."

"Okay." smiled the pink haired girl as he zipped away as Isaac now had a few more tears in his eyes. "Oh god." Isaac was then taking some deep breaths as some water formed in his eyes. He quickly wiped them and tried to recompose himself; once he got rid of the water from his eyes, he grabbed his wallet and deck as he began to head out of the door with the rest of the party waiting for him.

The group had made a reservation at the place as they arrived and were escorted to the break room as they waited for their turn. To pass the time, they each were doing their own thing. Rarity had pulled out her notepad from her purse as she began to work on some designs, Sunset was playing a game on her phone, Pinkie playing Tic-Tac-Toe with Fluttershy, Rainbow and Applejack had pulled their decks out and were playing on the table while Twilight was reading a book. As for Isaac was he hutched over as he had his hands to his mouth as his eyes were closed.

So much weighted on the boy's mind that he couldn't stop thinking about it. From the student's final exams, to graduation, to stopping Starlight and then him going pro and never seeing his friends again. All of it was taking a toll on the teenage soon to be young adult. All of this was starting to get to him as the stress was real, but it wasn't just Isaac, for his monsters could also sense the inner struggle of their master as they all wished they could help the boy.

"Hey. You okay?" asked Twilight as she got the boy's attention by tapping his shoulder.

"Yeah, why?" said Isaac in a soft tone.

"You've just been quiet." stated the girl as she felt a bit of concern for her boyfriend as she closed her book.

"Just... thinking."

"What is this time, boy toy?" asked Sunset as she put her phone down on her leg as looked at her friend.

"Well... it's..." Isaac now stopped himself as he was debating on whether or not he should inform the girls of his plan.

"Come on, city slicker. You can tell us what's your mind."

"Aj's right. Spit it out, geek." stated Rainbow as all the others smiled to show their support.

"It's just... well... never mind."

"Isaac." said Twilight as she placed her hand on top of his. She looked at the boy to give a comforting smile.

"I'm sorry... Let's just say... come graduation... I won't be around." was all Isaac could say of his plan.

"What do you mean?" asked Fluttershy.

"Of course, you're not going to be around, cause we're graduating." stated Pinkie with a chuckle.

"No, sis. I mean... I won't be around..."

"Darling, you're not making any sense." said Rarity.

"Just... promise me when graduation is over, and I... fade into obscurity. If I should vanish, don't forget about all the times we've had as friends."

"Big bro, you're kinda scarying me right now." said Pinkie.

"Promise me!" said the boy as he looked at the group.

The girls all looked at each other with concerns on their faces as they didn't know what their male companion was saying as it was both cryptic and sincere.

"We promise." said the group in unison.

"Thank you," smiled Isaac, "Sorry, didn't mean to bring down the mood. Man, do they suck." stated the teen as they were hearing the group who was currently using the room as the music was loud but the singing was way awful.

"I agree, nails on a chalkboard provides a better sound." said Twilight.

"Anyways, so what are we going to do about Starlight?" asked Sunset as it got the attention of the whole group.

"From what I've heard from the student body, it seems most of the students are leaning towards her ideology." said Pinkie.

"So she's building an army?" said Rainbow.

"That's a bit of stretch. Maybe a cult." smiled the party girl.

"Not the word I'd used, darling."

"So, what do we do?" asked Applejack.

"Uh, panic." suggested Fluttershy.

"That's your answer for everything." stated Rainbow as she looked at her childhood friend with a glare.

"Well, we can't just do nothing. We have to stop her, cause her idea of changing Duel Monsters is going to cause more harm than good." said Sunset.

"What do y'all reckon?"

"Well, Starlight took us all out. Safe to say, she's completed her goal of stopping anybody who she thinks is a threat to her plans."

"Technically yes, but also no." replied Twilight.

"What do you mean?" asked Rainbow as she was confused.

"Keep in mind her duel with Isaac their first go around."

"Yeah, she beat him." replied the chromatic girl.

"Again, yes and no. See yes, it was a duel, but it was also unsanctioned. So technically she does have a win against Isaac, it's just not official. And once again, the key word 'unsanctioned' so the duel between them technically didn't also happen. So therefore, her win isn't legit, nor is Isaac's loss." said the nerdy girl as she explained the logistics.

"So... then... Starlight still has to deal with one last major problem?" said Fluttershy with hope.

"But what makes you think that she'll want to deal with Isaac a second time. She seems content with their first outcome that she doesn't feel the need to challenge Isaac again." said Rarity.

"There's a reason and she knows it." said Isaac as he knew the one major reason why Starlight would want to face him. "And I plan on getting her to agree to that match, one way or another."

"What are you thinking, sugar? You're not gonna..."

"You'll see." was all Isaac said.

"While we're on the topic, mind explaining somethings to us, Isaac?"

"What do you mean, Rainbow?"

"You remember what Starlight said when you guys first came to blows and traded verbal jabs." stated Sunset. "How she said you met your idol?"

"Yeah?"

"Well, did you sugar?"

"I don't know." said Isaac. "She claims that I'm the reason for everything bad that has happened to her and that I'm the reason she hasn't got the opportunities she deserves. But the thing about what Starlight said is, I don't remember that."

"So, she made it up. To mess with your mind, darling."

"Not really." said Twilight as the whole group looked at their bookworm friend. "As much as we hate Starlight, she's never been a liar."

"So it did happen? Then why doesn't Isaac remember meeting the guy?" asked Rainbow.

"Keep in mind, when Starlight told her story, they were but young kids. So it can be a bit difficult to remember things that happened when you were a kid." stated Twilight.

"I get that, but how did Starlight remember that moment in her life?" asked Pinkie.

"Well, again, it's a moment where she had her sense of clarity." said Sunset. "I guess the memory was so important to her life that it stuck with her. A memory that you're not suppose to forget."

"That still doesn't explain why Isaac doesn't remember that moment. I mean, that's a moment anybody wouldn't want to forget." said Rainbow.

"I guess... it's not important for me at least. But it should be, right?" asked Isaac as the girls could only give some looks as they didn't know the answer.

Soon the phone in front of them rang as he picked it up and answered it. "Okay, thanks." said Isaac as he put it back in its stand. "It's our turn." The group now all made their way into the room as they began to sing some songs and enjoy themselves.

It was now another day of school as the students were going about their business. Starlight was busy as she was gaining some new followers that she couldn't accept Isaac's little invite directly. So she sent a replacement. Isaac was waiting out on the soccer field as he was then approached by Sunburst of all people.

"Where's Starlight?"

"She's busy." said Sunburst as he looked at the boy who he consider a friend. "Been a while."

"Yes it has been." answered Isaac as he looked at the boy in front of him as the duel at the Duos Cup came flooding to both of their minds. "Tell me, Sunburst. Do you believe Starlight will keep her word?"

"What are you saying?" said the boy.

"Do you really believe that if you help her to execute her idea of change, that she'll finally drop all of this and return the feelings you have for her?"

"You don't know, Starlight like I do! She's been my childhood friend for years, we grew up together, we encountered every single hardship together, and everytime she kept saying that someday the world will know who we are. They will call our names as the revolutionists that helped to make this game better." stated Sunburst. "That's all I want for her."

"I admire your dedication to helping your friend and the girl you have feelings for. But what about you? Don't you want Starlight to return those feelings you have? Don't you want to be there for her, to protect her from her own self, to make sure that she doesn't go too far? Don't you want to be more than just friends?"

"Of course I do!" shouted Sunburst. "But we can't... at least... not now. She made me a promise that when this is all over, we would finally give it a try. We could finally live up to the name 'Power Couple'."

"And do you really expect Starlight to keep that promise? Or is she just saying that so that you can focus on helping her?" stated Isaac. "Sunburst, I know you feel for Starlight. I can sense you love her deeply, but right now she's just using you to accomplish her own set of goals. She doesn't fully intend on keeping that promise she made to you."

"You're wrong! I love her. With all my heart." said Sunburst. "The only reason that's stopping us from official becoming a couple is you. Starlight is obsessed with you, you are the only thing she thinks about, day and night. It's always, Isaac this, Isaac that, Isaac is on my mind. Why are you stealing her away from me?!!" shouted the boy.

"I'm not stealing Starlight. It's her own damn problem that's she obsessed with me, cause she will not stop until I'm erased from her existence, and I'm doing the same. The difference is that I'm trying to stop her from doing something that will put the world in jeopardy."

"Like I'm suppose to believe that. I put my trust in Starlight. I would follow her to the end of the world if it meant for a chance. For a chance! To be with her. If she asked me to lay down and sacrifice myself for her to complete her goal, I would give my life without any hesitation. If it meant... a chance. A chance! To be with her." said Sunburst.

"Then you're an even bigger fool than I realized." said Isaac. "You're just as blinded as she is, she really does have you in the palm of her hand. I guess I now know who the bitch of the relationship is!" Sunburst was taken aback by Isaac's comment as he was now furious.

"No, no, no, no. I'm the one who's blinded? No, you are the one who has lost sight like Starlight said!" responded Sunburst as he and Isaac got in each other's face. "And I apologize for raising my voice, cause I'm not that guy. But when you stand here and tell me that I've lost sight! When you the multiple time defending champion of CHS, who stands for hustle, loyalty, and respect. Who from Chicoltgo, lives and breeds these colors! The same colors as your Chicoltgo Cubs who also portray themselves as the underdog. I'm sure just like Blackhawks portray themselves as the underdogs! Just like the Bears think themselves as the underdog! Hey how about those Bulls, are they the underdogs too?! What about the White Sox, hmm?!"

"Easy there bud!" said Isaac as he was starting to bawl his fist up as Sunburst was running down his hometown.

"Here's what you've lost sight of Isaac, and I'm almost wishing that your family, your friends, and your girlfriend were all here right now so they can hear it."

"Easy there, that's the last time I'm going to tell you!! Ease up." said Isaac as he felt like snapping at Sunburst for all his disrespect.

"What you've lost sight of is what you are! And what you are is what you hate! You're the multiple time defending champion of Canterlot High. You're the man! Ladies and gentleman, the champ is here! You like your Chicoltgo Cubs, like Chicoltgo! Are no longer the underdogs! You're a dynasty! You are what you hate! You have become the St. Louis Cardinals!!" shouted Sunburst.

At that moment, Isaac snapped as he punched Sunburst straight in the face as he went down as Isaac was that close to breaking his glasses and knocking the boy out cold. Isaac stood over Sunburst who touched his face as he was pissed.

"Talk shit about my hometown again, Sunburst! I dare you! Talk shit!!! I dare you!!!" shouted Isaac as he was ready to beat the hell of the boy on the ground with an inch of his life. Isaac had fury in his eyes as he looked down at the boy before his vision shifted up and saw Starlight as she had been watching the whole interaction with the boys as she had a straight face and her arms were crossed.

"Starlight." said Sunburst as he saw his friend who just looked at him with a glare.

"Get your ass up!!!" shouted the girl to which Sunburst immediately grabbed his glasses as he stood behind the girl. She then looked at Isaac as she examined the boy.

"Let's go." said Starlight as she began leave with Sunburst.

"Starlight!" shouted Isaac. "You know what I want."

"Hmm. Why should I? My god, does it feel good to say I told you so. I told the world and everybody else reading this story that I was better than you and I proved it. Not only that, I proved once again that I am the greatest duelist in the history of Duel Monsters. And I know that you talk about how losing is a part of what we do when we compete in a duel. Yeah, if your name is Isaac, it does." said Starlight. "Also talking about how you went through the fire. You sure did and you got burned by old Starlight Glimmer. So Isaac, if I were you, I would highly, highly reconsider wanting that rematch, cuz you and I both know, I'll embarrass you all over again." mocked the girl.

"Just like last time when you couldn't even stand on your own two feet." said Isaac as he finally hit Starlight where it hurt the most as she stopped dead in her tracks as bawled up her fist. "Admit, you won. But that victory over me means nothing, doesn't it. Only one person walked out on their own terms and it was me!" stated Isaac. "You won the battle, but I won the war! And I know for damn sure, you ain't content with that outcome, cause it's an embarrassment to you. So Starlight here's your chance once again, to prove to everybody legitimately that you are the best."

"I know what I have to do to you, I have to finish you. One way or another." growled Starlight. "I have to take your soul myself and rip it from your body."

"I know what I have to do and I'm willing to put my entire body on the line again. Besides, I've done something you'll never do, I retired Principal Celestia and Vice-Principal Luna with ease." said Isaac as he had a huge bragging right under his belt.

"Tell me, did you enjoy killing them? Enjoying ending their careers? Putting them out of their misery? Taking their very souls like the Undertaker and putting them six feet in the ground?" asked Starlight with a sick smile.

"You're damn right it felt good!" responded Isaac with a sick smile of his own. "Look at my hands, Starlight. Look at them!!!" shouted the boy. "There is so much blood on these hands. Some of it I'm proud of, some of it I'm not. And in spite of you and that asshole who's still complaining about their retirements in the comment section, those duels were the hardest of my career. But right now, this isn't about some duels that people already by now should come to terms with and the ones that still don't, screw you!!!" said Isaac to the fourth wall.

"You say you want one more match with me. No, cause in my mind, you'll just come up short. Just like you do in the bedroom with Twilight, right?" smiled Starlight smugly.

"You know, Starlight. Maybe it's not so much that I'm coming up short, maybe it's just the field that I'm trying to play on, is just too damn big!" said Isaac as he looked at Starlight as she let out a gasp as Isaac stood there with a smile.

"I don't know what you mean by that!" responded the girl as she felt disrespected by that comment.

"You don't know what I mean, let me tell you what I mean, Starlight." stated Isaac. "Let me make it a bit more clear. You see, Starlight. Even a 747 looks small when you're flying into the Grand Canyon!" answered the boy. "Don't worry, right now you're not my focus. Sunburst! You had to put my hometown in your mouth, that I can't allow. So get ready cause later today, you and me, we settle it like men in a duel!!"

Sunburst was surprised by what Isaac was saying as Starlight held a look.

"Come on buddy, what do you say? It'll be just you. Me. And the great wide open over here." said Isaac as he pointed at Starlight while saying that last bit.

"He accepts!" said Starlight immediately as she grabbed her friend as she dragged him off as she had enough of Isaac insulting her as he smiled.

"Starlight, but I..." Sunburst didn't get to finish as he felt a hard slap to his face as Starlight left a good red mark on his cheek as he fell down against the lockers.

"You caused this! You fix it!!" shouted the girl as she pushed her male friend up against the locker as she stared him down with a death glare in her eyes. "I sent you to negotiation with Isaac, not to piss him off! What could he have said to upset you?!"

"Starlight, he..."

"Zip it, bitch!!" shouted the girl as she pressed her forehead towards Sunburst as he was a bit frighten by his friend. "I'm not your mother! So you fix this or you're out of this team!" said Starlight as she released her friend as she made on final slam of him into the lockers as his glasses came off as Starlight started to walk away with fury.

Sunburst watched the girl he had feelings for as she was more than upset as it made him feel bad that he let Isaac get to him and bait him into causing Starlight to have more stress. He grabbed his glasses as he cleaned the lens and saw his reflection in them as he heard Isaac's words.

"I now know who the bitch of the relationship is."

"I'm nobody's bitch." said Sunburst as he gripped his glasses tighter and put then back on his face. "For you Starlight, I will kill Isaac myself. And then... I can finally have the dream I've hoped for and the girl that I long for." Sunburst now put on a determined look as he pulled out his deck and prepared to end the boy and his very life.

"You did what?!" said Twilight as she let out a yell.

"I didn't ask for this. But Sunburst made the mistake of disrespecting my hometown, Twilight. I can't let that slide." said the boy.

"Yes, you can. Be the bigger man, like I know you are. You said you needed to focus on Starlight, Sunburst I believe still has a good heart, it's just... he's trying so hard to get Starlight to notice him and his feelings. That he's willing to do whatever she says just to see her be happy. I'm not saying he should do that, but I understand him wanting to confess his love for his best friend. I know." said the girl as she reminded the boy of their situation of going from best friends to now boyfriend and girlfriend.

"I understand, Twilight. But you also need to know that there are times where a man needs to settle his disagreement with another man. And the only way that can happen is if they just slug it out." said Isaac. He then grabbed Twilight's chin so that she looked at him as he leaned in for a kiss as it was a gentle one as both closed their eyes. Soon Isaac pulled away as he looked at his girl as he rubbed her cheek.

"Isaac."

"I'll be fine, Twilight."

"You just came back and you promised you would never leave again. I just... can't afford... to lose you again." said Twilight as she put her head down.

"Here." said Isaac.

Isaac then captured his girlfriend's lips once more as he put more into the kiss. Twilight fell into it as she too kissed back as she pushed the boy against the wall as the two were swapping saliva. Isaac then pulled apart as he looked at the bookworm as he stroked her cheek as Twilight was leaning into it with a worried look on her face. Isaac gave his word that he wouldn't do anything reckless in his duel with Sunburst as Twilight trusted her boyfriend. Though she did say that she would watch privately and have his back in the case Starlight tried anything funny.

It was now time for the duel as Isaac was currently sitting down in the middle of the field as he had his eyes closed as he focused his mind. Soon he could hear the sound of footsteps as he opened his eyes and saw Sunburst had arrived as he too had a similar look as Isaac. Starlight as also present but stayed back as she wanted to see if her friend could fix up the mess he was in. As for Twilight she was nearby hidden as she told the girls not to come as it only concerned seeing both girls watching their boy friends slug it out and settle it like ancient times.

"Ready?" said Isaac as he stood up.

"Ready." said Sunburst as he strapped on his duel disk as the small rectangle device activated as it projected a brilliant gamboge color tray.

"Then it's time to duel!" said Isaac as he put on his own duel disk as it projected a gold card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunburst's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's duel!" shouted both boys.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll begin," said Isaac as he drew his card, "I summon my Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600) in attack mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Luckily, I remember that Sunburst has a Gagaga/Gogogo deck, which means he'll mainly focus on Xyz Summoning, like Starlight.

Turn 2: Sunburst

"My turn and I summon Gogogo Golem(1800/1500) in attack mode." Out came a golem as it was a bit big as it stood in front of the boy. "Next, I'll play the spell card, Onomatoparia. So I send one card from my hand to the graveyard which in turns allow me to add 2 monsters from my deck but they can't be the same card. So I'll take one 'Gogogo' monster and one 'Gagaga' monster." stated Sunburst as his two cards ejected out for him to grab. "Next, I play the spell card, Gagagawind so that I can special summon one Level 4 'Gagaga' monster from my hand. So I choose one of my favorite monsters, Gagaga Magician(1500/1200)!" Sunburst now had another monster appear as she now had two monsters on his field.

"I now attack your Beta with my Gogogo Golem!" shouted Sunburst as his monster then delivered a hard punch to Isaac's monster as it took it out.
Isaac's Life Points: 7900-

"Now Gagaga Magician attack him directly!" shouted the boy as his magician raced forward and delivered a punch to Isaac as he blocked the fist with his duel disk as she was pushed back a few inches.
Isaac's Life Points: 6400-

"Now I overlay both my Level 4 Gogogo Golem and Gagaga Magician to build the Overlay Network!" Sunburst's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 55: Gogogo Goliath(2400/1200, OLU: 2)!!" Out emerged a very huge monster as it appeared behind the boy as it stood about 13 feet tall as it let out noise.

"I forgot that Sunburst has Number cards." said Isaac as he was also taking in just how huge his monster was.

"My Gogogo Goliath's special ability allows all monsters I control to gain 800 more defense points. With that I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw, and I summon Berry Magician Girl(400/400). And by summoning my Berry Magician Girl, I can now select a different 'Magician Girl' from my deck and add it to my hand." Isaac's magician girls all appeared in front of their master as Apple, Lemon, and Chocolate were all trying to persuade the boy to pick them as Kiwi and Mana just let the three slightly younger teens expressed themselves.

"All are incredible cute and good options. Oh, why did I get blessed with such a beauty batch of women?" chuckled Isaac as he looked at his female magicians. Soon Berry landed on his shoulder as the tiny baby sat on down and sucked her pacifier. "Berry, which sister do you want?"

"Hmm, I pick Lemon." said the tiny baby.

"Finally, my turn with Isaac." said the sour tasting girl as she appeared in front of the pair and gave her baby sister and master a kiss for picking her.

"I've chosen my Lemon Magician Girl." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected out the card for him to grab. "Next, I'll play Double Summon so that I can summon my Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode!" Another female spellcaster appeared as she spun her staff in quick session as she took her position as she blew a kiss to her master.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunburst

"My draw, and I'll start by summoning my Gagaga Sister(200/800) in defense mode." Out emerged a tiny girl as she wore a cute outfit with a cape as she wielded a wand and had a hat on her head. "Now when my Gagaga Sister is summoned, I can add a 'Gagaga' spell or trap card to my hand." said Sunburst as his duel disk ejected the card he desired. "Now, thanks to my Gogogo Goliath's ability, my Gagaga Sister gains 800 more defense points. Next, I'll move in to attack so Gogogo Goliath attack his Magician's Valkyria!" commanded Sunburst as his giant monster did another punch as it took out Isaac's monster.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play my Swords of Revealing Light. Now you can't attack for three turns." said Isaac as three giant swords came from the sky as it landed in front of Sunburst and his monster as it prevented them from moving. "Now since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And by summoning my Mage Annette, I can draw an extra card. Next, I'll summon my Lemon Magician Girl(800/600)." Isaac now had two more girl magicians appear on his field.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Sunburst

"My draw," Sunburst then drew his card as it was the spell card: Star Light, Star Bright.

For the boy it brought back a memory from when he and Starlight were kids as he opened a pack and got the card and how Starlight had told him to make a wish with that card so that it would eventually come true. It was at that time that he started to see his best friend in a different light as he made his wish of one day he and Starlight being together. For Sunburst, the card served as a reminder of what he was fighting for.

"I summon Gogogo Aristera & Dexia(0/2200)." The ground began to shake as soon a crack opened up as out came two hands as it was Sunburst's monster.

"That thing is your monster?" said Isaac as he was expecting something else.

"Don't forget my Goliath grants all my monsters an extra 800 defense points, so my Aristera & Dexia now has 3000 defense points. Next, since I control a 'Gagaga' monster, I can special summon my Gagaga Clerk(400/800) from my hand. Then I'll activate the effect of my Gagaga Sister so now I can target my Gagaga Clerk and now both of my monster's levels change so that they become the combined total of the two monsters. Since Gagaga Clerk and Gagaga Sister both are Level 2 that means their combine new total is now Level 4. And with that I now overlay them to construct the Overlay Network once more!" Sunburst's two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as another portal opened up in front of the boy. Both lights then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Gagaga Samurai(1900/1600, OLU: 2)!" This time the monster that emerged was a warrior who appeared in lightning fast speed and agility as it seemed like he was vanishing in a blink of an eye as he dual wielded a pair of katanas.

"I end my turn."
(Turn Counter: 1)

Turn 7: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll activate the effect of my Lemon Magician Girl, so by tributing my Berry Magician girl, I can add a spellcaster to my hand. So I choose my Dark Magician!" said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his card as he now had his ace monster on standby.

"Next, I'll tribute both my Mage Annette and Lemon Magician Girl so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he played the card on his card tray as his most powerful and loyal monster appeared on his side. "Now to deal with that Goliath of yours, Dark Magician attack his Gogogo Goliath!"

"Not going to work, I activate the effect of my Gagaga Samurai. When you target another monster on my field while my samurai is in attack mode, I can then change him into defense mode and then the target of your attack is diverted to him." informed Sunburst as Dark Magician now pointed its wand in the direction of the warrior as it fired the attack. "And don't forget due to the effect of my Gogogo Goliath, my Samurai gains 800 more defense points meaning it now has 2400 defense points."

"Maybe, but you still lose a monster." stated Isaac as he got rid of Sunburst's warrior.

"Now I reveal my facedown, Xyz Reborn. So now my Gagaga Samurai rises up and then my trap transforms into an overlay unit for my monster to use." A portal then opened up as Sunburst's monster that was just destroyed now rose up as the trap turned into an Xyz material as it circled around the monster.

"In that case, I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Sunburst

"My draw, and I summon Cardcar D(800/400). Then activate its effect, on the turn that Cardcar D is summoned, I can tribute it to draw 2 cards from my deck. However, I can't special summon at all this turn. But that's small price to pay since I currently am in a good position that I can afford a turn of not summoning any monsters." said Sunburst as he picked up his cards. "I'll then play one of those cards immediately, the spell Xyz Treasure. Now I can draw more cards equal to the number of Xyz monsters on the field, so since there are currently 2 monsters on the field, I draw two more cards. I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

(Turn Counter: 2)

Turn 9: Isaac

If I don't figure out a plan soon, then Sunburst is gonna have no problem taking out my monsters.

"I draw, I now summon my Magician Boy(1500/1200)." Out came a tiny boy as he was dressed in oversized robes as he struggled as he had a hat that was slightly to big for him as he carried a wand with him. "Now Magician Boy attack his Gogogo Goliath!"

"Did you forget about the ability of my Gagaga Samurai? It can redirect the attack of your magician to him simply by switching to defense mode. And with the added bonus my Samurai now has 2400 defense points, meaning now your magician's attack backfires and you get dealt damage." said Sunburst as his warrior raised its weapons to block the spell from Isaac's Magician Boy. While Sunburst thought he was safe, he soon realized that his warrior was pushed back by the attack as it hit him instead.
Sunburst's Life Points: 7100-

"What's the deal? Why did I lose life points?"

"Cause of my Magician Boy's special ability, see any damage that I would have taken is dealt to you instead. And when it fails to destroy a monster, I can select a monster on your field and destroy it and then you take damage equal to its attack points. So I choose your Gagaga Samurai." informed Isaac.
Sunburst's Life Points: 5200-

"Lucky break." said Sunburst as he dusted himself off.

"I now end my turn." said Isaac as he got down on one knee and gave his kid magician a high five.

Turn 10: Sunburst

"My draw, seems I have to take more drastic measures. I activate my Gagaga Revenge to bring back my Gagaga Magician from my graveyard. Then since I control a 'Gagaga' monster, I can special summon my Gagaga Child(800/1200). Then from my hand, I summon Gagaga Girl(1000/800)." said Sunburst as he now had a field full of monsters as three of them were a part of a family. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Gagaga Child so that I can match Level of another 'Gagaga' monster I control. So I'll target my Gagaga Magician and now my Gagaga Child is Level 4. Then I'll activate my Gagaga Magician's effect to change its level to 5. Now I'll use my Gagaga Girl's effect to match her level to that of my magician." Sunburst now had his two older magicians match as they were the same level.

"Now time for a double Xyz Summon, first I overlay my Level 5 Gagaga Magician and Gagaga Girl to build the Overlay Network!" shouted the boy as his two monsters now rose up into the air as they changed into orbs of light as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both lights entered the portal as soon a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 61: Volcasaurus(2500/1000, OLU: 2)!!" Another crack in the ground opened up as some pillars of fire emerged as soon a huge dino covered in molten rock and lava let out a roar. "Next, I overlay my Level 4 Gagaga Child and Gogogo Aristera & Dexia so that I can Xyz Summon, my partner, Gagaga Cowboy(1500/2400, OLU: 2) in defense mode!!!" shouted Sunburst as some gunshots went off as his most loyal monster appeared by the boy's side as he tipped his cowboy hat.

"He has three Xyz monsters on the field." said Twilight as she watched this and was concerned for Isaac.

"Excellent, Sunburst. I know you would never accept failure." said Starlight as she liked how Sunburst was in command of the duel now. For a second, seeing Sunburst be in control and so dominate did spark her interest a bit as she imagined what that might translate to other things. She quickly put that thought out of her mind as she went back to see what her friend would do.

"Since my Gagaga Magician was equipped with Gagaga Revenge when I used him for an Xyz summon, all my Xyz monsters gain 300 extra attack points. I now activate my Volcasaurus' effect, by using one overlay unit, I can target a monster on your side of the field and you take damage equal to its attack points. And I'll get rid of that little magician you have to avoid taking any more damage." said Sunburst as Volcasaurus absorbed one of its Xyz materials as it then fired some pillars of fire from its shoulders as they burnt up Isaac's monster as the boy covered up to avoid the flames.
Isaac's Life Points: 4900-

"Next, I'll activate my Gagaga Cowboy's special ability, while it's in defense mode, it can use an overlay unit to inflict 800 points of damage to your life points!" stated Sunburst. "Gagaga Cowboy use an overlay unit and fire at Isaac!" said Sunburst as he thrusted out his hand. His monster then spun his pistol really fast as he then had his target in his sights as he closed one eye and pulled the trigger as Isaac clutched his arm as the bullet barely scrapped against his skin but it still stinged a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 4100-

"Isaac." said Twilight as she saw her boyfriend fall to a knee as he grab his arm for a few moments before the pain went away as the mark left by the bullet was gone and there was no damage to his skin.

"Then I'll play the spell card Xyz Gift. Since I control 2 or more Xyz monsters, I can draw two more cards from my deck. I'll then end my turn." said Sunburst as he laid a card facedown.

(Turn Counter: 3)

Soon Isaac's swords now started to disappear as his card had now expired which meant on his next turn, Sunburst would be able to attack him.

Turn 11: Isaac

"With my swords now done, I need something to help me turn this duel around. Here goes," said Isaac as he put his hand on his deck and drew his card. "Nice, I now summon Kuribandit(1000/700) to the field. Now I'll tribute it to activate its effect, Kuribandit's effect lets me reveal the top five cards of my deck. Any spell/trap cards revealed are added to my hand and any monsters revealed are sent to the graveyard." Isaac then looked at his screen and it project the cards for everyone to see. "I reveal Magic Formula, Chaos Spector Blast, Dark Magic Veil, Thousand Knives and Electromagnetic Turtle. Since my turtle is a monster card, I send it to my graveyard, but I keep the rest of my cards." Isaac's duel disk then ejected all five of his cards as he grabbed his monster and sent it to the grave. "I'll then play Magic Formula so that I can give my Dark Magician can get an extra 700 attack points raising his strength to 3200." stated the boy.

"Then I'll play Thousand Knives so that my Dark Magician can destroy your Volcasaurus!" shouted the boy as thousands of magical daggers appeared as they were now all sent flying towards the dino as it let out a roar as it crumbled to the floor.

"With that, I'll throw down two facedowns and call it a turn."

Turn 12: Sunburst

"My draw," said Sunburst as he looked at his field to see that his signature monster was still with him. If I switch my Gagaga Cowboy into attack mode, I could its other ability. I could lower Isaac's monster by 500 points and raise Gagaga Cowboy's by 1000, but even then that's still not enough.

"I now summon Gogogo Giant(2000/0)." Another huge monster now descend and landed with a thud as it towered over Sunburst. "Now by summoning my Gogogo Giant, I can revive my Gogogo Golem from my graveyard in defense mode. And then Gogogo Giant changes to defense mode." Gogogo Giant then punched the ground in front of him as soon another crack in the ground opened up as Gogogo Golem was back in play.

"He now has two level fours, which can only mean one thing." stated Isaac.

"I now overlay both of my Level 4 Gogogo monsters, to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Sunburst. His two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as another portal opened up in front of the boy. Both orbs then entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Now arise my mighty steed. Awake from your age-old sleep and soar down to this world! Display your full splendor and might! I Xyz Summon, Number 44: Sky Pegasus(1800/1600, OLU: 2)!!" The sky was now shining a bright color as it descended from the heavens as it was revealed to be a pegasus whose coat was white as it let out a neigh as it landed on the field with its materials circling around it.

"Another number card." said Isaac as he had to admit that Sunburst was giving him a rather tough time.

"I now activate Sky Pegasus' special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can target one monster on your field and destroy it. So I choose, your Dark Magician!" said Sunburst as Sky Pegasus absorbed an Xyz material as it shot some electricity towards Dark Magician as it felt the shock. "Of course, you can save his destruction simply by paying 1000 life points."

"Then I'll do it!" shouted Isaac immediately as he wanted to save his monster from being destroyed. Soon the shock transferred to him as he felt the pain a bit.
Isaac's Life Points: 3100-

"Master!" shouted Mahad as he saw Isaac in pain.

"I'm fine, Mahad. This is nothing." said the boy as he shook off the pain.

"Interesting, he choose to save his monster without even thinking about his options. Almost like he used his heart and not his brain." said Sunburst to himself as he was rather stunned by how easily Isaac was willing to take the hit for his magician. "He's either really caring... or... he wanted to save him so that he could use those facedowns of his to turn this duel around."

"I'll now end my turn."

Turn 13: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll now have my Dark Magician attack your Sky Pegasus!" shouted Isaac.

"Not quite, cause now I'll activate my facedown, Bye Bye Damage! So my Sky Pegasus is safe, and any damage I would have taken you now take, double the damage according to my calculations." said Sunburst as his facedown flipped up as the attack now directed to Isaac as he let out a scream as it made contact.
Isaac's Life Points: 300-

"I'll activate my facedown, Emergency Provisions. Now I'll send my Chaos Scepter Blast to the graveyard so that I can gain 1000 life points." responded the boy.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"So, he made sure that he had enough points should I use Sky Pegasus' effect."

"I now set a facedown. And then end my turn by playing Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're holding six cards in our hands."

Turn 14: Sunburst

"My draw, and I summon my Flelf(800/1300) in defense mode. Now, I'll use Sky Pegasus' ability once more, so now I can destroy your Dark Magician or you can pay 1000 life points to save him. What's the choice, Isaac!!" shouted Sunburst as more electricity was heading towards his field.

"Once more, I choose to spare my magician!"

"Master!"

"Incredible." said Sunburst as he was surprised by Isaac's decision.

"AHH!!!" said Isaac as he felt the shock of the effect as he fell down to both knees and put his hands on the ground.

"Isaac!" said Twilight as she saw her boyfriend in pain.

"Master, you didn't need to do..."

"Save it, Mahad!" shouted Isaac. "I... can... still stand... which means... I can fight... Ahh!!" said the boy as he got back up on his feet and shook off the electricity.
Isaac's Life Points: 300-

Inconceivable. He once again chose to save his monster by paying his life points when he has so little now. But why? Why risk lowering your chances of winning even more, just to save his monster. Sure it's the strongest on the field at the moment, but I've been able to hold off his attacks with ease. So all I need to do now is deal the last bit of damage anyway I can and I'll have won. And yet, Isaac is still determined to win.

"You just made the biggest mistake by choosing to save your monster. Cause now you only have 300 life points remaining. I now activate my Gagaga Cowboy's special ability, by using the last overlay unit, I can deal you 800 points of damage. And this time, you don't have your Relay Soul to save you." said Sunburst as he reminded Isaac of the last time these two fought. "Now my partner, finish him!!" Gagaga Cowboy locked and loaded his gun as he pointed it at Isaac as he locked in on his target and then pulled the trigger. The bullet came flying out at lightning fast speed as soon everything was slowly down.

The slow motion saw Starlight leaning a bit forward as she had a huge smile on her face. While Twilight was in her hiding spot as she had her arm out as if she was about to call out Isaac's name. For Isaac he quickly looked at his hand as he grabbed a card and slid it into his graveyard as time resumed back to its regular speed.

"I discard Clear Kuriboh from my hand so that I don't take any damage from your Gagaga Cowboy!" said Isaac as his tiny monster came out and the attack hit it as it split into two before merging back together to give Isaac a nuzzle against his chest as he disappeared.

"Thank you, buddy." said Isaac to his small, but mighty monster.

"You're only delaying the evitable, Isaac. I end my turn."

Turn 15: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play my Dedication through Light and Darkness. So now I tribute my Dark Magician so that I can summon my Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600)." Isaac's magician then was then transformed as standing in its place was now a more powerful spellcaster. "And by summoning my new monster, I can take back one spell card from my graveyard back to my hand, so I choose my Card of Sanctity. And since Magic Formula is now gone, I recover 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"Then I'll give my magician some power with Wonder Wand to raise its attack by 500 points. Now I'll play Diffusion Wave-Motion so by paying 1000 life points, I can have my Dark Magician of Chaos attack all of your monsters and they can't activate their effects when they're destroyed!" said Isaac as his magician raised up its staff and spun it in quick fashion as it struck the ground as a huge shadow ball of energy came out and decimated Sunburst's entire field.
Sunburst's Life Points: 3300-

Isaac's Life Points: 300-

"I reveal my facedown, Gagagaback! Now during the turn a 'Gagaga' monster is destroyed, I can special summon as many of those monsters that was destroyed this turn, so I choose Gagaga Cowboy, Flelf, and Sky Pegasus!" said Sunburst as all of his monsters now rose up in defense mode. "Now I take 600 points of damage for each monster I revived."
Sunburst's Life Points: 1500-

"Now, I'll play the Shallow Grave. So now we pick a monster to bring back, but they have to be in defense mode. So I choose my Dark Magician."

"And I'll take my Gagaga Magician. Then activate my other facedown, Gift of the Mystical Elf so now I gain 300 more life points for each monster on the field, so since there's currently 4, I gain 2000 life points."
Sunburst's Life Points: 3500-

"With that, I'll then play Card of Sanctity once more."

Turn 16: Sunburst

"My turn, and to start, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Wonder Wand. Now I'll switch my Sky Pegasus to attack mode and then play the spell Blustering Winds. Now until my next Standby Phase my Sky Pegasus gains 1000 attack and defense points."

"I now end with a facedown."

Turn 17: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll banish my Mage Annette and Magician Boy so that I can special summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)!" shouted Isaac as both of his kids magicians appeared as they were channeling their energies to call forth one of their strongest comrades as he appeared wearing armor and wielded a sword and shield.

"I'll now have my Black Luster Solider attack your Gagaga Cowboy!" said Isaac as he had his warrior then delivered a slash attack as it took out Sunburst's monster. "And now my Black Luster Soldier's effect activates, so since it destroyed a monster of yours, it can wage another attack and this time I'll attack your Flelf!" Black Luster Soldier then brought its sword down on Sunburst's other monster as it too was gone. "And now I'll have my Dark Magician of Chaos move in to attack your Sky Pegasus."

"My Sky Pegasus has the same attack as your magician so they'll both be destroyed." informed Sunburst.

"Now after this move, cause now I discard my Apprentice Illusion Magician to raise my Dark Magician of Chaos' attack power by 2000 points making it stronger than your Sky Pegasus. Take it out!!!" shouted Isaac as his magician shot off a spell as it headed towards Sunburst's monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Pinpoint Guard, so now when you declare an attack, I can target one Level 4 or lower monster from my graveyard and summon it. And it can't be destroyed. So I bring back my Flelf." said Sunburst.

"Either Sky Pegasus is destroyed!" said Isaac as the attack made contact.
Sunburst's Life Points: 1500-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 18: Sunburst

"My turn, and now I'll play Hammer Shot to get rid of your Black Luster Soldier!" said Sunburst as he managed to get rid of Isaac's warrior. "Then I'll summon my Little Fairy(800/800)."

Sunburst now had a small fairy appear as she gave a smile as looked at Sunburst who couldn't help but crack a small smile of his own at his tiny monster. He then looked at the card in his hand as he knew what he had to do. If he was ever going to convince Starlight to keep that promise she made to him about them officially becoming a couple, then now was the time to prove he would follow the girl of his dreams to help complete her plan for change.

"I activate the spell card, Star Light, Star Bright!"

"Sunburst." said Starlight as she watched her friend play the card that he got when they were kids as it got her her attention.

"When I control two monsters with the same number of attack or defense points; Star Light, Star Bright lets me change one of those monsters levels to match the level of the other monster. Since Little Fairy and Flelf both have 800 attack points; Star Light, Star Bright changes my Little Fairy into a level 2 monster just like Flelf. Then I'll activate Gagaga Magician's effect to change it to Level 2." Sunburst now had three monsters with the same level as he was hoping to close out this duel with his next move.

"Now I overlay all three of my Level 2 monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Sunburst's monsters all changed into dark orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon all three lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 96: Dark Mist(100/1000, OLU: 3)!!!" This time the monster that came out was a dark splotch as soon it began to manifest as it took shape and revealed a monster that had claws and a set of jaws on its stomach and a set of eyes on flames.

"That thing only has 100 attack points." said Isaac as he looked at the monster Sunburst summoned.

"Now Dark Mist attack his Dark Magician of Chaos!"

"What are you up to?" asked Isaac.

"This! I activate from my hand, the spell card Numbers Impact! So now since my 'Number' monster is battling a monster with 1000 or more attack points, it gains the attack points of the monster it's attack so now my Dark Mist gets more powerful as it now has 2900 attack strength. Then I'll activate Dark Mist's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can half the attack points of the monster my Dark Mist battles and then my Dark Mist gains that amount! So now your magician is reduced to 1400 and my Dark Mist rises up to 4300. So you lose!!!" shouted Sunburst.

"I reveal my facedown, Book of Moon. So I'll switch my Dark Magician of Chaos into facedown defense position! So my life points are safe!" said Isaac as the attack made contact as Isaac covered up. "When my magician was destroyed, it's banished from the duel." Isaac then had his card eject as he slid it into the banished compartment of his duel disk.

"You survive, but not for long. Next turn, it's over."

Turn 19: Isaac

"My turn, now I'll tribute my Dark Magician so that I can special summon my Dark Eradicator Warlock(2500/2100)!" said Isaac as his magician now transformed as it wore a different outfit while wearing a cape and holding a staff. "Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul so that I can bring back my Dark Magician! Next, I summon my Apple Magician Girl. Then I'll play the spell card, Level Lifter. So now I send one monster from my hand to the graveyard and then my Apple Magician Girl becomes the same level as the monster I sent away, so since I sent away my Magician of Dark Illusion, my Apple Magician Girl now rises up to Level 7. And by playing a Normal spell card, I deal you 1000 points of damage due to my Dark Eradicator Warlock's special ability." said Isaac as his warlock pointed its staff at Sunburst who felt the spell.
Sunburst's Life Points: 500-

"Now they're both have similar life points which means..." said Twilight.

"... the next attack will decide everything." said Starlight as she too was invested in this duel.

"Now, I overlay all three of my Level 7 monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Isaac's three monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon all three lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Show the world your wizardry and wonder, I Xyz Summon, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged from the portal a brand new monster. It was a sorceress who had long flowing red hair with vanilla skin tone. She wore an emerald necklace and had white gloves that covered her smooth hands. Her outfit consisted of light blue dress that stopped at her knees; she wore black heels that weren't too high, as well as earrings that matched her necklace. She did a quick twirl for all to see as bits of magical particles surrounded her as it made her look even more beauty.

"4000 attack points?!" said Sunburst as Isaac's female sorcerer stood there with a smirk as blew a sass kiss at the boy she looked to take out.

"Time to end this!" said Isaac as his female magician appeared next to her master as she winked and gave the boy a kiss as she had her wand transform into a bow as she reached into her quiver and pulled out an arrow made up of magical energy as she pulled back the string.

"Ready when you are, Isaac." smirked Chaos Mageía as she had her targets in sight.

"Fire!" shouted Isaac.

"Divinity Arrow!!" shouted both monster and master as Chaos Mageía let go of the arrow and it flew at high speed soon it broke apart into three separate arrows as two pierced and stuck in Dark Mist's body as it felt the power of light starting to infect its soul as it let out a painful cry as the third one shot at Sunburst who put his arms up and was struck by the arrow as he tossed onto his back as his monster was destroyed.
Sunburst's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as both duel disks were deactivated as Isaac dropped to a knee as he rotated his left shoulder in a motion to help relieve some tension. Twilight then came out from her hiding place as she hugged her boyfriend from behind him as she placed her head on his back and nuzzled her cheek against it as she closed her eyes. The pair then saw Starlight approach as she simply looked at the two of them; Starlight's focus was on Isaac as their eyes told the story like always. She then looked at Sunburst as the boy sat up as she began to walk with him getting up and following her. Isaac and Twilight then stood up themselves as they began to leave in the opposite direction as Twilight put her hand in Isaac's as the couple made their way home smiling.

Sunburst and Starlight were in front of the school statue as Sunburst was now on both his knees as he looked at Starlight's feet. He felt like a failure for not defeating Isaac and for letting down the girl he had strong feelings for. He accepted what was about to happen as he looked up at Starlight as she raised her hand up as she looked to slap the boy; Sunburst closed his punishment and closed his eyes as he prepared for the sound and connection of the hand meeting his cheek. A few moments passed and nothing happened, Sunburst opened his eyes and saw Starlight's hand hadn't hit his cheek but was on his shoulder. He was stunned by this as he looked at it and then at Starlight as she held a look.

"Not bad, Sunburst." said Starlight as she cracked a small smile before going back to her straight look. She then began to walk past her friend as Sunburst looked at her. Starlight then stopped in her tracks as she turned to look at her friend. "You coming?" asked the girl as she did a hair flip.

"Y-yeah." smiled Sunburst as he began to follow his friend. "I'm right by your side, chipmunk cheeks." said the boy to himself as he walked with Starlight to move on with their plan.

Chapter 190: Action Duel

It was another day at CHS as graduation was inching ever so closer for the upcoming senior class. And the date for the Board of Education that would arrive to judge the students was nearly upon them. For Celestia and Luna they were in their respective offices taking care of some paperwork. Soon Luna got a phone call as she answered it and the person that was on the other line was one that caused her to let out a gasp and bring a tear to her eye. She then barged into her sister's room as she handed the phone to her older sibling.

"Hello?" answered the older woman.

"Celestia, how's it hanging?" said the voice.

The next day was a rather strange one as the entire field in the back of the school had been filled out as nearly all the students were requested by both principals to be in attendance. Everybody was asking why, but all the two women said was that a special guest was arriving. They didn't say anything more than just asking their students to be present. Soon everybody had gathered their seat. Celestia and Luna were a bit nervous themselves as they tried to look presentable given who their special guest was. Soon they were given the cue as they were on the field itself as both had a pair of microphones as it got everybody to look at them.

"Students, we want to thank you all for coming. Now I'm sure you all are wondering why I asked you all to be here." said Principal Celestia. "Well, to be honest, our special guest asked for it."

"Yesterday, me and my sister got in touch with someone who we haven't seen in a while. It was a surprise nonetheless and he has decided to not only pay a visit to our beloved school but also wants to put on a show." said Luna as that moment all the lights in the stands went off as soon a single spotlight was shown. Soon as if something was happening, small platforms that were all spread out within distance began to form at different lengths and altitudes.

"So, without further ado, please welcome one of our friends from across the sea!" said both women as together as some music began to play.

"Hello, Canterlot High!" said the person.

The boy had crimson eyes, and dual-colored green and crimson hair of average length sticking out in downwards pointing spikes all around his head. He wore a pendant on a simple string around his neck, and a buckled choker, and a pair of golden goggles with orange lenses on his forehead, with a blue star obscuring the right lens. He had on a simple orange t-shirt with a thick, silver-buckled brown belt over it, green pants with what appear to be "Deck pockets" on each leg, and magenta shoes, as well as crimson wristbands. He also wore a gold and red lined white school jacket over his shoulders like a cape.

"Is that?!" said the girls as they were seeing the individual who was standing on one of the many platforms hovering in the air as he jumped in between each of them and did some flips and acrobatics.

"My name is Yuya Sakaki! And I'm a Dueltainer." said the boy as he was welcomed to a thunderous applause from the students of CHS.

"Ladies and gentleman, please give a warm applause to one of our great friends of me and my sister." said Celestia as both she and Luna had tears of happiness in their eyes at not only seeing one of their close companions from when they competed in the pro circuit, but also that he was entertaining their students like only he could.

"I wanted to make an entrance, hope it wasn't too grand. Cause I still have to put on a show for you all." said Yuya as he took a bow for the huge crowd as they kept the cheers going. The girls were the most stunned as standing in front of them with their own set of eyes was none other than one member of the Big 5.

Soon a second spotlight was turned on as it took the attention away from Yuya who simply got up from bowing as he turned to where the lights stopped. Standing on the field was someone who he had a familiar feeling. Isaac had walked onto the field as he looked at the boy who he met with this past summer when he got back from his trip to Equestria. He then began to hop on the platforms and began to move effortless between them as he displayed his own set of parkour skills as he soon reached the same platform that Yuya was standing on as the two stared at one another with a focus look. All around, the entire crowd was silent as standing in front was the master and pioneer of Pendulum Summoning from across the sea as he was staring face to face with the duelist who was the champion of their school. For all seeing this, this seemed like a moment in time, a once in a lifetime moment to see two different generations of duelist meeting.

"Hello, Yuya." said Isaac in a low tone.

"Hello, Isaac." responded the boy in the same tone while keeping his glare.

Once more silence was filling the air as even Celestia and Luna were shocked to see some that two of their closest friends were literally in the same spot at the same time.

"CHS is my territory. This is my yard, and you're trespassing on it."

"What are you going to do about it." taunted Yuya as he wasn't backing down from Isaac.

Isaac looked at the boy who was just slightly a year older than him as he clenched his fists. He then raised it up for all to see as they were shocked to see that Isaac was about to hit a living legend. Yuya then did the same as he clenched his fist and looked to hit Isaac back as both boys made contact.

"Good to see you, buddy." said Isaac as he pulled Yuya in for a quick bro hug.

"Right back at you, man." stated Yuya as both boys let out a laugh.

"Isaac really knows him?!" said the girls as they couldn't believe that their own male companion was buddy-buddy with a member of the Big 5.

"So what are you doing?" asked Isaac.

"Well..." Before Yuya could explain there was some slow clapping being heard as it cause both him and Isaac to look in the same direction. Everybody else in the stands heard this as they too were shocked by what they saw.

"My, oh my. Is that none other than the legendary master and pioneer of Pendulum Summoning from across the sea himself, Yuya Sakaki." said Starlight in a sick and twisted, evil tone. Behind her was Sunburst and Trixie, soon some of the moving platforms stopped in front of her as they made a staircase of sorts as she began to climb as the two stayed behind.

"I must say it's truly an honor to be in the presence of not only a true master duelist, but a relic of the bygone era." said Starlight with a sick smile as that was her way of introducing herself to Yuya as he and Isaac stood side by side looking at the girl with some scowls on their faces.

"I have always been fascinated with pride. It is my favorite sin. It has the power to blind even the strongest man even those who claimed to be immortal." said the girl as she pointed at Yuya. "Hey kids, take your vitamins and say your prayers. All praise be to the virtue of hustle, loyalty, and respect, as if they can do you any good. You are both liars and your foolish pride allows you to prey upon the weak and fill them up with all this hope. But hope is dead as will be your legacy, Isaac and Yuya." chuckled Starlight as she mocked the boys.

"I can see it in your eyes. You don't get it. And how could you possibly get something that you can't comprehend, but I'll lay it out for you, boys, right here, right now. If you look up at me, you will see a friend. If you look down at me, you will see an enemy. But if you look at me square in the eye, you will see a god!" said Starlight as she put her arms out and closed her eyes as she was relishing in like she was being blessed.

Yuya was about to respond to Starlight's comments when Isaac stopped him and he began to step forward as he spoke.

"Do you even listen to all the weird shit that comes out of your mouth?" said Isaac as it got Starlight to now opened her eyes as she had a furious look on her face. For Isaac he did get a few laughs with his response from the crowd watching them as well as Yuya let out a chuckle.

"You just said pride was the fall of man and then you follow up by saying when I look at you I should see a god." said Isaac as he repeated Starlight's own words. "When I look at you, I don't see a god. Excuse me, Yuya, I may not be able to make those dinner plans we had in mind... because right now I wanna make an open challenge live in front of everybody right now both here in the stands and everybody reading this story. And you say hope is dead, I hope, hope is not dead. I hope you accept this challenge because I want you in one more duel, Starlight. And I hope to hell you say, 'yes'! Because you'd gonna get the ass whipping of a lifetime!!" shouted Isaac as he was done waiting and laid down the challenge he'd been wanting with the girl since he got back.

"Here's a thought, Isaac, a little bit more empty promises, a little bit more hope. Well, I say, it's always fun and games with you, Isaac, until it's you caught in the spider's web." said Starlight. "So, as for your challenge... well... I accept."

Isaac and Starlight now looked at each other as it seemed the challenge was made. Celestia and Luna were worried that Isaac had laid down the challenge since he couldn't do that nor could they sanction it between Isaac and Starlight given certain rules. Starlight then was about to walk back down the platforms when Isaac called her out again.

"Hey, where you going Starlight? Don't you want to see Yuya duel? He came here to dueltain, so why not attend his show? In fact, I just thought of an idea. Yuya, you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Oh, I think I know you're thinking of Isaac, but I'll let you tell everybody here." said Yuya with a smile on his face.

"What I was thinking of, instead of regular duel, why don't we have a tag team duel? Me and Yuya vs you, Starlight and Sunburst? What about it?" said Isaac he played to the crowd with Yuya as they were hearing a responding 'Yes' chants.

"Like I'd play your games, Isaac. I already accepted a challenge from you. I won't accept another one, but... I'm a person of the people, so I'll grant them their wish. It'll be Sunburst and Trixie taking on you two boys." offered Starlight.

"In that case, we'll have our duel tomorrow night." stated Yuya. "But we'll spice things up even more, cause it'll be an Action Duel!"

"What's an Action Duel?!" said the girls and the students as they were all surprised by what was suggested.

"Celestia, Luna. Care to have a show for your students that'll have them on the edge of their seat?" suggested Yuya with a smile on his face as he looked at the two ladies.

While it wasn't the initial intention of Yuya coming here for a visit, the ladies knew how the boy loved to showcase his skills for all to see. So they both nodded as the entire school was now looking forward to tomorrow night's event that was sure to be a stellar duel. Cause for the first time, it would be Isaac teaming up with a legend in the Dueling world in Yuya Sakaki as they would be taking on Starlight's team. Isaac and Yuya, never before, never again.

The girls were all now walking through the hallway as they soon turned the corner and they all found their target. Standing at the end of the hall was Isaac as he was casually talking with Yuya who was leaning against the wall as they were laughing and hanging out. All of them were eager to meet with the boy who was slightly older than them as they all hoped Isaac could explain somethings. The moment they were about to call out to their friend, a huge sea of students all crowded around them and blocked them as they too wanted to see Yuya themselves. Both boys noticed the massive wave of students getting ready to stampede them until a whole batch of security men in black suits all stood in front of the two boys as they held back the horde of fans from tearing apart their client. All the security kept the students from harming the boy they were tasked with taking care of as both Isaac and Yuya stood there with beads of sweat rolling down their faces in a cartoonish effect. Soon both Celestia and Luna arrived as they led the two boys into Celestia's office as the whole crowd of students surrounded the door with security still holding them back.

"Calm down, students. Calm down. CAlM DOWN!!!!" said Luna as she used a boom voice that was only reserved for specific reasons. "GO HOME!!!" said the nighttime women as everybody disbursed to avoid getting in trouble with the Vice-Principal. Luna then thanked the security for doing their job as she entered the room as they all stood outside to guard it.

The girls all approached the door as they hoped to get a chance to speak with Yuya, but security turned them down and told them to shoo off as this was a private meeting. All the girls were upset, as they hoped they could meet a legend in Duel Monsters. Inside, both boys and the two ladies were all having a blast as they were talking with each other and discussing some stuff since they last met. For Yuya, he was still keeping up with his busy schedule back home and told Isaac how he called Celestia and Luna the day before and said he had some free time from his busy travels that he hopped on a plane to come over here and visit the two ladies as he wanted to hang out with them.

Sometime later, Isaac had managed to actually round up each of the girl's students and introduced the group to one of his companions and inspirations when it came to Duel Monsters. Isaac even let the kids in on a secret that during the whole tournament for the Fall Formal, it had been Yuya who he was talking on the phone with the whole time and how he lent him some cards that he had given to some of them. Isaac made sure to mention to Yuya that Bryant also had a Performapal deck as he explained to his student that it was Yuya himself who had given Isaac some copies of Odd-Eyes dragons to give to the boy to help improve his deck. Safe to say, Bryant was more than grateful for what both Isaac and Yuya did for him.

The pair was now at the front of the building as it was the end of the school day and all the students had went home. Isaac stood in front of Yuya as he stood with the door to the limo opened as they were having one final conversation.

"So, you ready for tomorrow?" asked Yuya.

"Yeah, to think that I'd be getting a chance to duel with a legend in you and one of the greatest duelists to ever grace the game of Duel Monsters. This is a dream come true." said Isaac.

"Well, we're giving the people what they want. A dream team between me and you. Doesn't get much bigger than that." chuckled Yuya as Isaac did also.

"Come by my house tomorrow. We can practice our strategy and action duel skills in the backyard before the event." suggested Isaac.

"Sure, but... what about your friends?" asked Yuya.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure they don't get in the way of our practice. Just be prepared in case they start to swarm you."

"It's a part of being a great duelist. See you tomorrow, Isaac." said Yuya as he stepped into the back of the limo as Isaac closed the door and the vehicle drove off to take Yuya to the hotel he was staying at.

Isaac had now made his way back to the house as he pulled out his keys from his backpack slung over his right shoulder as he opened the door. He was immediately met with some looks from the girls, Spike was currently in Twilight's arms as they looked at their male friend.

"What?!"

"So, when are you gonna introduce us to your 'friend'?" asked Rainbow.

"Who?" asked Isaac.

"Yuya." said Sunset.

"So?"

"Darling, why would you keep a secret like that from us? We'd be honored to meet a legend like himself."

"In fact, it makes me wonder... the thing Starlight said before your first encounter with her. How you met other members of the Big 5? Is it true?" asked Twilight.

"What do you all think?" was Isaac's only response with a stern scowl on his face as he walked past them as he was climbing the stairs as he headed towards his room.

"So, is he coming over tomorrow?" asked Fluttershy.

"Excuse for a party!" said Pinkie.

"No party! And Yuya is coming over, but it's for us to practice before our duel. So I don't need any distractions from you all, Yuya has enough of that with his career. He doesn't need to be swarmed by you girls fangirling over him and his monsters." said Isaac as he continued climbing.

"So how do you know him personally?" asked Rainbow as all the girls looked at Isaac who was at the top of the stairs as he looked back at them.

"We dueled and... he gave me his phone number." said Isaac in a nonchalant tone as he entered his room.

"WHAT?!" shouted the girls.

They were stunned that their own friend just had the phone number of a duelist like Yuya in his contacts. It also got the girls to questions whether or not Isaac really had met the other members of the Big 5 and if he too had their phone numbers inside of his phone. To think that he could just call them whenever he wanted and have a chill conversation without freaking out made them stunned. Unbeknownst to the girls, Isaac really did have the phone numbers of Yuya, Yuma, Yusei, and Jaden in his phone, but he would never tell them that.

The next day arrived as it was the day of the scheduled tag team duel that would be taking part tonight at CHS. That being said, it was to be a private matter that only the students of CHS knew about. Yuya's agent team didn't want any reporters or photographers to be there as they heard the wishes from the boy himself as he wanted to have a night where he wasn't a big shot pro that people paid to see. He just wanted to be what he was to his core and that was both a duelist and a fan. The girls had decided to do some research on this so called, "Action Duel" that Yuya had proposed so they looked some videos online and to their surprise it seemed to be a way of life from where Yuya was from. They got to see the boy in his early stages from when he got his pendulum cards and was the first person to introduce them to listening to some interviews that had him talking about his adventure of traveling to different dimensions to save the world. Overall, the girls were now more excited than ever to not only meet the boy, but get to see him in action. Not to mention he would be teaming up with Isaac which meant tonight was sure to be a great duel.

Isaac stood outside of the house as he managed to slip past the girls when they were doing their research as he didn't want to attract any attention for Yuya. Soon the limo pulled up to the gate as Isaac went to go greet his friend. Yuya stepped out in his regular attire as usual as he gave a high five to Isaac. He told the driver and his security team that he wouldn't need them till tonight so he gave them the day off. While they were hesitant on leaving their client unattended, Yuya assured them that he would be fine as he put his arm around Isaac's shoulders as Isaac did the same. Eventually, the bodyguards respected the wishes of their client as they entered back into the limo as it zoomed away.

"Is this what I'm going to have to deal with when I go pro?" asked Isaac.

"Basically." said Yuya as he made him and Isaac laugh.

"Alright, follow me." said Isaac as he led Yuya through the side of the house to avoid the girls knowing that he was here. Soon they came to the backyard as it provided a ton of space for them to practice.

"Nice house." said Yuya.

"Thanks, so... ready to practice for tonight." said Isaac as he strapped on his rectangle device as it projected a gold card tray.

"Of course, a dueltainer always needs to be ready to put on a show." said Yuya as he put on his duel disk and projected a similar card tray color like Isaac.

"Generating Action Field. Crossover." said Yuya's duel disk as it began to work its magic of changing the environment around them into the proper setting for an action duel. Soon just like at the field at school, there was tons of platforms some moving about, as they were all spread out and scattered as it would serve as the battlefield for the two boys both physically and mental.

"Actions cards disbursed." said Yuya's duel disk as the boy snapped his fingers as a huge sphere of cards that had the letter "A" on the back of them were all scattered across the field that would allow the boys to pick them up and use it.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Yuya's Life Points: 4000-

"Let's duel!" said both boys.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll kick this show off, Yuya." said Isaac as he drew his card. "And I'll start by placing my Black Arts Trickster in the pendulum zone." said Isaac as he placed one of his pendulum cards on the far right side of his card tray. "Now I activate my Black Arts Trickster's pendulum ability, now I can add a pendulum card from my deck and place it in the other pendulum zone. So I'll choose my Sleight of Hand Magician." said Isaac as he placed his other monster on the far left side of his card tray as his monster rose up in his column of light with his number in front of it. "Then Black Arts Trickster's other ability activates, so I can raise her scale from 3 to 10!" stated the boy as the number in front of his female spellcaster went up.

"Now that the scale is set, time for me to get rolling. So here we go, I'm allowed to summon monsters from Level 2 through 9 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next you'll soon know. So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory. My monsters are ready, to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his hand into air as a portal opened up and lights came out. "Sing us a melodious song, Enchantress of Melody(900/1800). Get ready to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Scale 7, Level 4). Her inner beauty comes from within, meet my Mirage Magician(1600/1700, Scale 8, Level 6). Meet the keeper of the relics, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Scale 3, Level 5). And lastly, give a warm welcome to star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" said Isaac as his star magician was on the field.

"Now I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's ability so since I control 5 monsters, I can look at the top five cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." Isaac made his choice as his card ejected for him to grab. "I'll then play the card I got, Card of Sanctity so now we draw till we're holding six cards. And with that done time to kick things up a notch, I activate my Enchantress' ability so now I roll a die and whatever number it lands on I can increase or decrease a monster's level. Go Dice Roll!" shouted Isaac. The die then rolled as it bounced a bit before it landed on a side. "With that number 1, I'll decrease my Enchantress' level so now she's Level 2." said Isaac as his monster used her musical instrument as she changed her own level.

"Now time to activate my Sleight of Hand Magician's pendulum ability, twice per turn he can change the level of a monster on my field to match that of another. So Sleight of Hand, use your cards tricks and change my Rune-Eyes Illusionist and Black Robe Mentalist so that they match my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac. "Now I'll overlay my now Level 7 Rune-Eyes Illusionist and Level 7 Black Robe Mentalist to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Isaac as both of his monsters then changed into dark orbs as they hovered in the air. Soon a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs disappeared inside as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Ebon Illusion Magician(2500/2100, OLU: 2)!" Isaac's new monster appeared as he opened his eyes as he had his staff in his hands.

"Now I'll tune my Level 2 Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician. And when I use Dark Magician as synchro material, he counts as Level 6 instead of 7." Isaac's enchantress then played her harp once more as she turned into two giant green rings as they circled around his monster. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" stated the boy as his monster that he was summoning wore a white magician's robes as he had a staff with bits of stardust floating around it.

"Then I'll play my Monster Reborn to bring back my Dark Magician and then play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so that I can special summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac's star monsters now rose up together. "Next I activate my Mirage Magician's special ability, with I can fusion summon without Polymerization and she can count as one the fusion materials for that summon. I Fusion Summon! Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight(2600/1700)!" Out emerged Isaac's monster as she magician rode on the back of Timaeus as she wielded a sword as it let out a roar. Isaac now had four different monsters and his pendulum cards, along with his star monsters all on the field.

"I end my turn with two facedowns.

Turn 2: Yuya

"Not bad, let's see if I can follow that act up." said Yuya as he drew his card. "First off I'm summoning Performapal Duck Dealer(100/1100, Level 4, Scale 4) from my hand. And since birds of a feather like to flock together, I can automatically summon Performapal Card Canard(800/1600, Level 4, Scale 5) to take the air!" said Yuya as he now had two of his famous pendulum monsters on the field. "Next Performapal Duck Dealer gives its special ability a whirl to deal me another card from my deck. I really do hope it's a good one!" said Yuya as he drew his card with some special effects. "Then right away I activate Pendulum Card Burst, by sending both of my birds south, I can use this spell to draw two cards." said the boy as he destroyed both of his monsters as he picked up some more cards.

"I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Performapal Odd-Eyes Seer and my Scale 10 Performapal Ignition Eagle. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Yuya. Yuya's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Yuya's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 2 through 9, all at the same time. Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monsters are ready to swing into action!" Yuya then thrusted his hand into the air as his monsters were summoned.

"Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon(2500/2000, Level 7, Scale 4)! You can't solve it, dissolve it, Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver(2000/2600, Level 8, Scale 4)! Spin and win, Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron(200/600, Level 2, Scale 6)! And migrating all the way back from my Extra Deck are Performapal Duck Dealer and Card Canard!" Yuya now had five pendulum monsters on his field. "This is just the opening act! I activate Performapal Odd-Eyes Dissolver's special ability, I fuse him with Performapal Odd-Eyes Seer in my Pendulum Zone to bring out a diabolical, botanical." said Yuya as his two monsters combined together. "I Fusion Summon, the vicious, voracious, and venomous. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!" Out came one of Yuya's famous dragons.

"But why stop at two dragons when I can summon a third. I use my Performapal Ignition Eagle and my Performapal Odd-Eyes Synchron to synchro summon." Odd-Eyes Synchron then changed into two green rings as Ignition Eagle flew in between them. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear-Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" Now Yuya had his three dragon out as it let out a roar.

"Finally, I overlay Duck Dealer and Card Canard to build the Overlay Network!" Yuya's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective, I call upon the most dangerous of dragons! I Xyz Summon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!!" Yuya now summoned the last of his four dragons as they all let out a roar.

Both Isaac and Yuya looked at each other as for both duelists they just did all the summoning methods. Fusion, Synchro, Xyz, and Pendulum. And both had monsters from each summoning method as they stared down the other monster of similar summoning method and both had their star monsters looking at each other. Dragons staring down magicians and magicians getting ready to due battle with dragons. As both boys were about to have their monsters engage in battle...

"So cool!!!"

The girls as they all had been secretly watching the duel as they noticed a duel had engaged as all of them came out to the backyard. They both saw Isaac and Yuya showcase their dueling skills as they did all summoning methods in their first turn. For the girls, they had certainly see Yuya's skills on video, but in person it was a whole different experience.

"Oh, no! This is not happening!" said Isaac as he pulled out his deck from the deck slot as Yuya did the same as the entire duel was shut down and everything returned back to normal.

"Oh come on!!" shouted the girls as they booed Isaac for canceling the duel.

"Screw you, Isaac! We want to see!" said Rainbow.

"No, no, no, no, no. I told you to leave us to practice so that you don't distract us." said Isaac. "Look, under normal circumstances yes, but this is different guys. Come on, Yuya. Let's go up to my room." said Isaac as he began to lead his buddy past the girls and into the house.

"Nice to see you girls. Hope you all enjoyed what you saw, and don't worry that was just a preview. Tonight will be the real show." said Yuya as she gave the girls a smile as he followed Isaac into the house as the girls were now excited for tonight's performance.

Isaac now opened the door to his room as he let Yuya in as he closed it behind him.

"Sorry you had to see that... it's just... you've seen how Starlight gets under my skin. So I want nothing more than to send a message to her before our duel happens."

"I get it, Isaac. But don't you think you're letting your anger get the best of you?" asked Yuya as he sat down on Isaac's bed.

"What do you mean?" asked Isaac as he sat across from Yuya.

"Look, if anybody understands what it means to let their anger take control, it's me. Remember what I told you."

"Yeah, the evil being that took control over you and nearly destroyed all dimensions. But I'm not losing myself when I get angry, I got it under control. I just... Starlight... you've seen the kind of shit that she spits out. She thinks you and the others are a virus that is stopping Duel Monsters from evolving and she believes it needs a change that she sees fit. And me... well... I'm trying to stop her from messing up this game that I love. That you love. That everybody loves." said Isaac.

"And I see you have good intentions, but know that you can't stay angry at her. You have to..."

"Please don't give me your party line, Yuya. 'Dueling is suppose to bring people together and put smiles on their faces'." said Isaac as he repeated Yuya's purpose for dueling. "That may work for anybody else, but not Starlight. She's a totally different person than anybody you've experienced on your adventures. Besides, this is my fight, not yours."

"I was going to say that, but I was going to say it needs to be you to show Starlight the error of her ways. I've had my adventures, and this is something that only can do. Just control the demon that's inside of you, it gives you power, but it also can hurt you." said Yuya as he put his hand out.

"I'll remember. Thanks." said Isaac as he put his hand out as he grabbed Yuya's as both held it in an arm wrestling position as both smiled.

Soon they heard some meows, as Isaac approached the door as there was Tigre as she was clawing at her owner's door as she wanted to see the boy. Isaac grabbed his cat as he closed the door as he sat back down on his bed with Yuya; seems Tigre took a liking to Yuya as she then sat in his lap as he gave the cat a petting as she let out a purr.

"So, how about we start with your Pendulum cards. Take them out." said Yuya.

"Alright." said Isaac as he grabbed his deck and pulled out his six cards and spread them out between the two.

"Explain each of them to me again." demanded Yuya.

"Sure, my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Level 4, Scale 7). Her ability based on how many monsters I have on the field, I can look at that same amount of cards from the top of my deck and add one of them to my hand. The if she's destroyed I can place her in an empty pendulum zone. Her pendulum ability, I can take control of an opponent's monster. Second, my Sleight of Hand Magician(2100/1500, Level 6, Scale 2). By sending one card from my hand that's the same type, I can negate and destroy that same card on my opponent's side of the field. His pendulum ability, up to twice per turn, he can match the level of a monster with that of another on my field. Third, my Black Arts Trickster(1200/2700, Level 3, Scale 2). Her ability allows me to send one monster on my opponent's side to the graveyard so that I can get one back for one turn. Her pendulum ability as you saw, I can set her in the pendulum zone and then search for another pendulum card and place it in the other zone. And then if it's a spellcaster/magician, I can choose to raise her Scale from 3 to 10. Fourth, my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Level 4, Scale 1). When he's pendulum summoned, he can lower the attack points of a monster on the field down to zero. His pendulum ability allows me to retrieve any monsters from my grave so long as their levels fall between the scale I've set. Fifth, is my Mirage Magician(1600/1700, Level 6, Scale 8). She can be able to fusion summon using any monsters on my field and/or in my pendulum zone. Her pendulum ability allows me to create a copy of my monster, but she gets destroyed at the end of the turn. And lastly, my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Level 5, Scale 3). He can take the attack points of the monster he battles if it has higher attack points. His pendulum ability, I can either add one monster whose attack points are lower than his to my hand, or I can protect my monsters from being destroyed from card effects or battle." said Isaac as he finish telling his pendulum cards to Yuya.

"Not bad of a selection." said Yuya.

"Well, again I only have six in my deck. You have tons in yours."

"Indeed, and it looks like you could use just a bit more." stated Yuya. "You still have that small box I gave you after we met."

"Yeah." Isaac then went to his secret spot where he kept the box hidden as Yuya saw Isaac pull out the item. "You told me to not open it until the time is right. And I've kept to that promise."

"Good, then the time is now." said Yuya.

"You sure?" asked Isaac to which Yuya nodded as he petted Isaac's cat who let out a warming meow.

Isaac took a deep breath as he looked at the small box in the palm of his hand. He then undid the ribbon as he took the lid off of the box as he looked inside. For a second there was a golden light that shined until it died down as Isaac saw what it was as he looked at Yuya who nodded with a determined look.

It was now nighttime. The entire school of CHS had their field in the back all transformed a bit so that they could handle Yuya's style of dueling. Every single student was arriving as they entered the stands. Principal Celestia and Luna were strict in that the students still follow the rules given that technically they were on school grounds and had to obey the rules. Twilight had her drone up as she supped it up so that she could record the event and show it back home for all to see when it was done. Security stood around the perimeter to keep any unwanted media or new outlet from entering the place per orders of Yuya as he just wanted to have a normal duel without any press watching him. Both Celestia and Luna were given the word through their headset as they began to address the students in the stands.

"Ladies and gentleman, we hope you all are excited for tonight's duel!" said the older sister as the crowd went wild.

"Drone's online." said Twilight as she saw it through the small camera on her phone as it began to move on its own to get all the good angles during the duel.

"Tonight's duel promises to be a stellar one. For the first time every we have the champion of CHS teaming with one member of the Big 5 of Duel Monsters. Who would have thought this once in a lifetime event would happen? Isaac and the master/pioneer of Pendulum Summoning, Yuya Sakaki on the same team. Never before, never again." said Luna.

"And now let's get on with the duel. Presenting the team that will be taking them on tonight, the duo of Trixie and Sunburst." said Celestia as the pair was seen coming onto the field as they took one end.

"And the team facing them is CHS' own champion, Isaac. And his partner, Yuya Sakaki!!!" shouted Luna as both boys arrived as a spotlight shined on both of them as they waved to the crowd before doing a fist bump as they took their position.

"The battle is about to begin so... lets... get started!!" shouted Celestia.

Trixie and Sunburst activated their duel disks as they projected a pale light grayish cornflower blue card tray and a brilliant gamboge color tray. Isaac and Yuya then put on their duel disk as they both projected a card tray of similar color. Yuya then added the extra touch for their duel as he touched his duel screen.

"Generating Action Field: Crossover." said Yuya's duel disk as like before the entire environment was changing as all around the four of them were platforms being shown. He then snapped his fingers as up above him was a giant sphere of Action Cards that disbursed and scattered all over the environment and field.

"Action Cards Disbursed." said the A.I.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said all four duel disks.

"Let's duel!!" shouted all four individuals.

Sunburst's Life Points: 8000-

Trixie's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Yuya's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Trixie

"I'll start things off," said Trixie as she drew her card, "And since there's no monsters on the field, I can special summon my Performage Stilts Launcher(2200/0)." Out emerged a monster as it appeared to be standing on wooden poles. "Since I summoned my monster, I can't summon any more monsters this turn. So I'll end my turn with a facedown."

"Then I'll..."

"Wait, Yuya!" called out Isaac. "Let me go first, don't want to reveal all your secrets to them."

"Be my guest." stated Yuya.

Turn 2: Isaac

"I summon my Berry Magician Girl(400/400) and by doing so, I can now select a 'Magician Girl' from my deck to my hand. So I'll take my Kiwi Magician Girl." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his card for him to grab. "Then since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can also summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And by summoning Mage Annette, I get to draw one card." said Isaac as his kid magician opened her book as out came a card as it floated towards the boy.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 3: Sunburst

"My draw, and I'll play the spell card, Gagaga Academy Emergency Network! Since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon a 'Gagaga' monster from my deck. So I choose my Gagaga Caesar(1800/600)." said Sunburst as his monster emerged. "My spell prevents me from summoning any more monsters except Xyz monsters, so I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Yuya

"Then it's time I finally get on with the show!" said Yuya as he drew his card and looked at his hand. He then put on his googles as he then began to hop on some platforms as he kept jumping from each one to another as the crowd of students and Sunburst and Trixie were in awe at what their opponent was doing as Yuya landed on a platform and lifted up his goggles as a spotlight landed on him.

"Ladies and gentleman, we hope the show so far has been entertaining." said Yuya as the crowd gave a response. "Now then it's time to kick things up a notch. So to start off, I'm summoning my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker(1800/100, Level 4, Scale 8) to my field." stated Yuya as his monster appeared on his field. "My Skullcrobat Joker's effect lets me add a 'Performapal', 'Magician', or 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my deck to my hand. I'll activate its effect to do just that." Yuya's duel disk then ejected the card he desired as he was now set for his next move.

"Now it's time I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 3 Performapal Radish Horse and Scale 8 Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" said Yuya. Yuya's duel disk registered what he was doing as he placed the Pendulum cards on the far side of his card tray as the word 'Pendulum' in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Yuya's two cards then appeared in columns of light as they stood still as the numbers showed in front of them. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from level 4 through 7, all at the same time. Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monster's ready to swing into action!" Yuya then thrusted his hand into the air as his monster was summoned.

"Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon(2500/2000, Level 7, Scale 4)!" Yuya's signature dragon now appeared as it let out a roar as it landed with a thud onto the field. The whole crowd made a loud gasp as they saw the legendary dragon that Yuya consider his partner as it made them both famous. From the light appeared a dragon this one was large, bulky, with all of the leathery purply skin obscured by sharp, curved armored scales. The pronged horns were long, roughly triple their original span, added with an outward-curving crescent protruding from its back, one side bearing a red orb, the other a green orb. Its orange and teal eyes shone forth from underneath the protection of a great crest forming over its elongated snout. In a colorful glint from its eyes, it let loose a triumphant call.

"No way!" said the girls and their students as they saw the great monster with their own eyes.

"Figured he'd steal the show with his monster." chuckled Isaac as he expected Yuya to summon his ace.

"That dragon!" said Starlight as she watched the beast with pure hatred for Yuya and his signature monster.

"Now time to get underway." said Yuya as he put his goggles back on and hopped onto his dragon. "Now time to attack, Odd-Eyes attack Performage Stilts Launcher!" commanded Yuya as his dragon raced forward as it looked to take out its target.

"This attack won't mean anything." said Trixie.

"I now activate the effect of the Performapal Odd-Eyes Unicorn in the pendulum zone. Once per turn, while my Performapal Unicorn is in my pendulum zone, I can increase the attack points of an attacking 'Odd-Eyes' monster by the attack points of one of my 'Performapal' monsters. I'll increase the attack points of my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon attack points by the attack points of my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker giving it a grand total of 4300 attack points." Odd-Eyes then let out a roar as it felt the power surge.

"What?!" said Trixie as she was stunned by how Yuya powered up his monster with ease.

"I got another one, I activate the effect of my Performapal Radish Horse in my pendulum zone. Now I can target one monster on your field and one monster on my field. Then your monster loses attack points equal to mine, so now Performage Stilts Launcher loses 1800 attack points thanks to my Skullcrobat Joker dropping it down to 400 points." stated Yuya as his dragon leaped high into the air.

"No way!!" shouted Trixie in awe.

"Spiral Flame Strike!!" shouted Yuya as his dragon let out an attack as it made contact with Trixie's monster.

"And there's more, when Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon battles a monster that's Level 5 or higher, you take damage. Double the damage!" stated Yuya. "Reaction Force!!" shouted Yuya as his dragon powered up its attack as it dealt a huge blow to Trixie's life points as she was thrown onto her back.

"Ahhh!" said Trixie as she landed.
Trixie's Life Points: 200-

"Holy Shit!!" said Isaac as he was surprised as everybody else that Yuya nearly took out Trixie in one turn.

"Did he just do that much damage?!" said the girls and their students as there was no words to describe what they saw and the power Yuya possess. There was no doubt that he truly earned the title of being a member of the Big 5.

"He's gotten better since the last time we saw him." said Celestia as even she was shocked by how Yuya would have ended this duel with ease if this was a normal duel.

"I'm glad we retired when we did. If we faced Yuya now, oh boy." said Luna as she too had to sit down at seeing what Yuya did to one of her students.

"Now I'll have my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker attack your Gagaga Caesar." said Yuya.

"Our monster have the same attack points, so they'll both be destroyed." stated Sunburst.

Yuya then got off his dragon as he landed on a platform as he lifted up his googles. He then jumped ahead a few platforms as he found what he was looking for as he grabbed it. "I activate the Action spell, Charge Recklessly! So now my monster gains 600 extra attack points this turn." said Yuya as his Skullcrobat Joker was now stronger and took out Sunburst's monster.
Sunburst's Life Points: 7400-

"How did he do that?" asked Sunburst as Trixie now sat up next to her teammate.

"You fools!!!!" shouted Starlight through both their duel disks. "This is an Action Duel! In this duel, you can pick up special cards called Action Cards. You can use these cards anytime during the duel!"

"Okay, and how do we get these cards?" asked Trixie.

"They're scattered across the field, you find one by moving about the field. Use the platforms and whatever moves you've got. That was a shit performance from the both of you!!!!" yelled out Starlight as she was anything but pleased with how a legend like Yuya was able to take both of them on and nearly took out one of them with ease on his first turn.

"Roger that, Starlight. It won't happen again." responded Sunburst.

"It better not! Keep in mind you only have a certain time limit to find an Action card and use it. You can only have one in your hand at a time and there are a few traps that will work against you and activate the second you touch it!" yelled Starlight.

"Copy that." said Trixie as Sunburst helped her up as the two now understood how to play this new game.

"With that done, I'll end my turn." said Yuya as his dragon returned back to its original stats as Yuya took a bow as the crowd cheered his performance.

"Off to a strong start, Yuya." said Isaac.

"Just giving the crowd something to get them invested in this duel." said the boy.

"Oh, believe me. With that move you pulled out, they are extremely invested." said Isaac.

Turn 5: Trixie

"My turn," said the girl as she drew her card, "I'll now set the Pendulum Scale of my own, using Scale 2 Performage Water Dancer and Scale 6 Performage Fire Dancer!" said Trixie as she showed her two cards and placed them on the far end of her duel disks as the word pendulum appeared in between them to show it worked. Trixie's monsters then appeared in separate pillars of light as they had their respective numbers in front of them. "Now I can summon as many monsters as I want from Levels 3 through 5." Trixie's pendulum heard her command as two lights came out. "Say hello, to Performage Ball Bouncer(1000/1800, Scale 3, Level 4), and Performage Wind Drainer(2100/0, Level 5, Scale 4)! And since I special summoned my Wind Drainer, it's loses a level." stated Trixie.

"This can't be good." said Yuya.

"I now overlay my two monster to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Trixie as her two monsters then changed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as soon a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Direct your gaze to the skies above, as I present to you a swinging star performer! I Xyz Summon! Performage Trapeze Magician(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!" A purple pole with studded orange heads on either end spiraled over the field, when a comically thick white-gloved hand snatched it, thin golden beams of light shooting out from each end to the ceiling. Hoisting onto the pole that had turned into an on-the-spot trapeze was a predominately white, lanky humanoid: Its waist and neck adorned in a fluffy pink boa, while from its back billowed a wide, magenta cape. Its spindly legs ended in dark blue shoes curled at the toes, while affixed to its masked, ever smiling visage, sat a white conical hat.

"I have a funny feeling about that deck." said Yuya.

Trixie then began to do what Starlight suggested as she was looking for these so call "Action Cards" as she carefully and gently jumped from platform to platform as she got a few feet off the ground and because she had never done this kind of extreme dueling before. She soon found a card as she grabbed it and looked it over as she read its effects.

"I picked up the Action Spell, Energy Biscuits. So now I recover 500 life points." said Trixie as she played the spell as she restored some health back.
Trixie's Life Points: 700-

"Now, I'll activate Performage Water Dancer's pendulum ability, once per turn, I can target one attack position monster on your side of the field and then switch it to defense mode. So I choose Odd-Eyes Dragon!" said Trixie as Yuya's mighty beast changed modes. "Then I'll activate Performage Fire Dancer's pendulum ability, so now I can have my Trapeze Magician deal piercing damage. Now take it away, Trapeze Magician attack his Odd-Eyes!" shouted Trixie as her monster began to swing and looked to take out the dragon.

"Got find an Action card." said Yuya as he began to run and hop between platforms as he looked to get something that could safe his dragon. He soon found a card as he jumped off and played the spell in mid-air. "I play the Action spell, Miracle! Now my Odd-Eyes can't be destroyed and I take half the damage!" said the boy.

"Not this time!" shouted Sunburst as he too moved from his starting position and began to climb the platforms moving around as he too was searching for these cards. He noticed one on a nearby platform as he grabbed it while running and stopped in his tracks as he read it and played it. "I activate, No Action! So that little spell you picked doesn't work. So now your monster is still getting destroyed!"

Yuya's duel disk showed a red X as it meant his spell was useless. "I have to find another one."

"I got it!" said Isaac as he too was moving about the field moving effortless among the platforms using his own set of parkour skills as he jumped from his platform to reach a card that was on the edge of the platform above him as he grabbed it and then landed on another as he rolled through onto one knee. "I activate, Evasion! Now Yuya's Odd-Eyes can dodge the attack!" said Isaac as his spell made Odd-Eyes leap out of the way of the attack to avoid being destroyed.

"Whew, thanks Isaac." said Yuya as he was on a different platform that was lower than his teammate.

"I got your back, bud." smiled Isaac as he looked down at Yuya from his platform.

"The way Isaac reacted, it was like he's done this before." said Sunset.

"He did say he dueled against Yuya." said Twilight doing air quotes.

"So you think... Isaac actually dueled against Yuya and the other members of the Big 5 he mentioned?" asked Rainbow as neither them or their students knew what to believe.

"Fine then, I'll activate my facedown, Gift of the Mystical Elf! This allows me to recover life points for every monster on the field by 300. And right now there are four, so I'm gain 1200." said Trixie.
Trixie's Life Points: 2400-

"I now end with a facedown."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll sacrifice my two monsters so that I can summon my Dark Magician!" said Isaac as he now replaced his two smaller monsters with his star magician as it stood side by side with Yuya's beast.

"Hey, Isaac!" said Yuya as he got his teammate's attention. "Don't forget my cards are ours."

"You sure?"

"Go for it bud, we need to put on a show. And that means adding suspense." smiled the boy.

"Alright, then." said Isaac before turning back to his opponents. "Since Yuya set the pendulum scale already, that means I can now pendulum summon!" stated the boy as a portal opened up and out came two lights. "Prepare to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Level 4, Scale 7). Meet the keeper of the relics, it's my Rune-Eyes Illusionist(1800/2400, Level 5, Scale 3)!" Isaac now had his own pendulum monsters as the crowd was starting to love this team up. "Next up, I'm activating my Black Robe Mentalist's ability, so now since we control 5 monsters, I can look at the top 5 cards of my deck and then add one of them to my hand." Isaac's duel disk then showed his his options; Isaac looked at the given cards as he took a gasp at what one of them was as it was a card from the box Yuya had given him. Yuya could tell that Isaac was looking at one of the cards from the box as he hoped that Isaac could be able to use it. Isaac made his choice as it slid out for him to grab.

I got the card, now... I just have to use it.

"I'll now move in to attack, Rune-Eyes Illusionist, attack Trapeze Magician!" shouted Isaac. "Now Rune-Eyes' ability activates, if it battles a monster with higher attack points, it can absorb that monster's strength."

Trixie then began to jump to a another platform as she landed and lost her balance for a bit before regaining it and then grabbed a card. "I activate the Action spell, Damage Banish. So now any damage I would have taken becomes zero."

"But you still lose your monster!" shouted Isaac.

"No she won't!" replied Sunburst. "Cause I reveal my facedown, Gagagashield! Now I can target one spellcaster and it can't be destroyed by battle or card effects up to twice this turn! So Trixie's Trapeze Magician is safe and sound!" said the boy as he managed to protect his teammate as she kept her monster and life points intact.

"Very well, then I'll just attack you Sunburst. Dark Magician attack Sunburst directly!" shouted Isaac as his magician raised his wand and fired off a spell that hit the boy as he landed on a platform.
Sunburst's Life Points: 4900-

"Now Black Robe Mentalist, attack him also!"

"Since you declared a direct attack, I can special summon my Gagaga Gardna(1500/2000)!" said Sunburst as he now had a monster as it rose up in defense mode.

"Fine, I'll cancel my attack." said Isaac. "I end with a facedown."

Turn 7: Sunburst

"My turn," Sunburst then drew his card as he noticed something by his feet as it was an Action Card as he picked it up, "This will do nicely, I'll start by activating Twin Twisters, so I discard this Action card from my hand, so that I can take out two spells or traps on the field. And I choose your pendulum cards, Yuya!" said the boy as he got rid of the pendulum scale that Yuya had set.

"Like all my famous pendulum cards, they go to my Extra Deck instead of the graveyard." said Yuya as he grabbed his Performapal Radish Horse and Odd-Eyes Unicorn as he slid them into his Extra Deck compartment of his duel disk.

"Now, I'll summon Gagaga Sister(200/800). And by summoning her, I get to add a 'Gagaga' spell or trap card to my hand." said Sunburst as he was now moving about the different platforms as his tiny monster was summoned as she used her magic to make a card appear in her owner's hand. "Then I'll activate her effect, so now I can target another 'Gagaga' monster that I control and both her and that monster's level change to become the combined is now Level 6. Then I'll overlay both of them to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Sunburst as both of his monsters transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 6: Chronomaly Atlandis(2600/3000, OLU: 2)!!" Soon a giant monster appeared on the field as it towered over the boy as it let out a cry.

Sunburst had now stopped on a platform as he now saw two Action cards close to the edge of the platform as he grabbed the left one. "I now activate the effect of Trixie's Performapal Water Dancer pendulum ability, so now Skullcrobat joker is switched into defense mode. And then activate Fire Dancer's pendulum ability to deal piercing damage." Yuya's other monster now joined its comrade as both changed modes and were vulnerable.

"Now Chronomaly Atlandis attack his Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" shouted Sunburst.

"Need something." said Yuya as he began to jump looking for an Action Card. He hopped between platforms but couldn't find any, so he noticed one several platforms below him as he dropped down and was about to grab it, but the attack made contact with his dragon as the force of the impact pushed him away from the card as he landed on the ground below.
Yuya's Life Points: 7400-

"Yuya, you okay?" asked Isaac from an upper platform.

"Yeah, Isaac. Nothing I'm not used to." said Yuya as he stood up.

"Now I activate the Action spell, Wonder Chance! Now my Chronomaly Atlandis can attack a second time, and remember it can still deal piecing damage thanks to Performage Fire Dancer's pendulum ability. So now time to take out Performapal Skullcrobat Joker!" shouted Sunburst as his monster managed to take out Yuya's other monster as he lost some serious points.
Yuya's Life Points: 4900-

"Yuya!!" shouted Isaac.

"I'm fine. Both of my monsters are now sent to my Extra Deck!" said Yuya as he put both of his monsters back in his Extra Deck.

"All according to plan." said Sunburst.

(Flashback)

"You two need to make an example of tonight's duel." stated Starlight as she pounded her fist on the table. "Yuya Sakaki like all the other great duelist of the past are a plague on this game. They have the whole masses in the palm of their hands, they control their minds with their dueling skills. And I can't have that in this new age I plan to build. So tonight in our duel, send a message by taking out Yuya Sakaki! He should have stayed across the sea, and now he's going to pay for trespassing here." said Starlight with a sick smile.

(End of Flashback)

Sunburst looked at Trixie as he gave a nod to her as she returned the gesture.

(Flashback)

"Tonight both of you focus your attention on defeating Yuya Sakaki." said Starlight.

"But what about Isaac?" asked Trixie.

"Isaac will be relying on the star power of Yuya to pull the team together. He's not going to contribute much, since he'll let Yuya do most of the work. So take him out and then Isaac will have surely fall soon thereafter with no partner to lean on. Take Yuya out first, that is the main objective."

(End of Flashback)

"I now play Xyz Gift so that I can draw two more cards since there's two Xyz monsters on our side of the field." said Sunburst as he drew his cards and placed both of them facedown.

Turn 8: Yuya

"My turn," said Yuya as he drew his card. "Now I'll now play Pendulum Card Burst so I'll destroy both of Isaac's pendulum monsters so that I can draw two cards." Yuya then drew his cards as he looked at them and prepared to summon a mighty beast. "Now I'll set the Pendulum Scale with my Xiangke Magician and Xiangsheng Magician!" Yuya now placed his two new pendulum monsters on the far ends of his duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring as both of his monsters now rose up in columns of light with their number in front of them. "I can pendulum summon any monsters from Level 4 through 7. So time for an encore, Performapal Skullcrobat Joker, Performapal Horse Radish(500/2000, Level 4, Scale 3), and lastly, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya now had his monsters back as well as his ace dragon.

"Now I'll overlay my Performapal Skullcrobat Joker and Horse Radish to build... the Overlay Network!!" shouted Yuya as both of his monsters transformed into orbs of light as they hovered while a portal opened in front of the boy. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Cloaked in shadows and relentless in its objective I call upon the most dangerous of dragons. I Xyz Summon, Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!!" Yuya now had another one of his famous dragons as it let out a roar as everybody in the crowd was in awe at another one of the boy's famous monsters.

"I now activate my Xiangke Magician's pendulum ability, it lets me change Dark Rebellion's rank into a level." said Yuya.

"He can do what?!" shouted the whole crowd of students as this was something they didn't think was possible when it came to Duel Monsters. Soon Dark Rebellion changed from Rank 4 to Level 4.

"Now Xiangsheng Magician can have my Dark Rebellion match its level to my Odd-Eyes." said Yuya as once again he manipulated his monster's stats to where he wanted them.

"Amazing..." was all Twilight could say as she was seeing something truly groundbreaking with Yuya.

"He changed an Xyz monster's rank to a level and then change that level to match his other dragon. And now... he has two Level 7 monsters." said Sunset as she too had her jaw drop at how Yuya truly was a master and legend in Duel Monsters.

"With that done, I'll now overlay my Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon and Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon!" shouted Yuya as both of his monsters now transformed into orbs of light as they entered the portal that opened up as a brand new monster was emerging. "By joining together two of the strongest dragons in the universe, I'll create a dragon that's all the rage! I Xyz Summon Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon(3000/2500, Rank 7, Scale 1, OLU: 2)!!!" Yuya's new dragon let out a roar as it reigned over the battlefield as all were in awe once more at the monster that Yuya was able to create as it was a card that nobody knew existed.

"A pendulum Xyz monster?" said Isaac as this was something that Yuya never told him about.

"Now Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon's special ability activates, by using all of its overlay units, it can negate all faceup spells and traps on the field! So you're pendulum cards are destroyed and my dragon then destroys all other cards on the field and gains 200 points for each of them until the end phase." said Yuya.

"I activate the Action spell, Invisibility. So now my Chronomaly Atlandis can't be targeted or destroyed by card effects." said Sunburst as he saved his monster from being destroyed.

Yuya's dragon unleashed total destruction on the entire field as everybody looked away to avoid the blinding lights as Isaac had to jump on some platforms to avoid getting hit himself.

"A little bit extreme, Yuya." said Isaac through his duel disk to his friend.

"Hey, nothing wrong with a little destruction." joked Yuya as the boy let out a small chuckle.

"Now the total number of cards destroyed was 9, so Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon has 4800 attack points and now time finish this duel!" commanded Yuya as his dragon was now heading towards Trixie.

Sunburst then picked up the other action spell by his feet. "I play Illusion Dance! So now all attack position monsters are changed into defense mode until the end of the turn." said the boy as he managed to stop Yuya from taking out his partner.

"Not bad, I'll end my turn with a facedown and my dragon's attack points return to normal." said Yuya.

Turn 9: Trixie

"My draw, and now I'll play Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're all holding six cards. Then I play Rank-Up Magic Magical Force! So I can use my Trapeze Magician in my graveyard to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Trixie's monster then appeared as it turned into an orb of light as a portal opened up in front of the girl as it entered it and a brand new monster was emerging. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! I Xyz Summon, Performage Trapeze High Magician(2700/2200, OLU: 1)! But why stop there, cause now I play Polymerization so that I can fuse together 2 Performage monsters in my hand so that I can fusion summon my Performage Trapeze Witch(2400/1800)!" Trixie now had two powerful monsters on the field.

"Next, I'll activate the spell Xyz Retribution, so in exchange for drawing a card, an Xyz monster must be sent to the graveyard from our Extra Deck, but as an added bonus my Trapeze High Magician gets attack points added to the monster sent away. So I'll let Sunburst choose which one." said Trixie.

"I got the perfect one, Number 61: Volcasaurus." said Sunburst as he sent his monster away as Trixie's monster powered up by 2500 points.

"Now my Trapeze High Magician now has 5200 attack points. Now time to take out that dragon, Trapeze High Magician attack that Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon!" shouted Trixie. Her monster then leaped high up into the air as it had its hands glowing with power as it looked to take out Yuya's monster.

"I activate my facedown, Performapal Signal. Now I draw a card, and then I have to send it to my graveyard, but if the card I draw is a monster, then your attack is negated." Yuya then drew his card as he looked at it for a second as he sent it to his grave. He then to look around until he saw something.

"An Action card!" said Yuya as he noticed one way, way above.

"I can't reach that." said Isaac.

"Then how about this." said Yuya as touched a button on the boots he was wearing as soon some roller blades came out and he began to speed off.

"What the hell?!!" said Isaac as he was surprised to see that Yuya had come with a surprised.

Yuya was now using the roller blades to pick up speed as he hopped up and up towards the platform with the Action card. Trixie saw this and gave Sunburst a signal as he began to head to the same place where Yuya was going to cut him off and snatch the action card before him. Both boys were closing in on the card as it was a race to see who would get there first, the time limit was almost out as Yuya desperately needed that card to save his dragon. Soon both boys jumped as they reached their fingers out to grab, they were so close that it was anybody's game. Then it happened.

Yuya landed on a platform on a lower level as he looked at his hand to see there was nothing. He then looked up back at the platform, as there was Sunburst as he showed the card in his hand as he managed to just be a bit quicker in grabbing the card. Yuya had a scowl when he saw another card by his feet as he grabbed it and immediately regretted it.
Yuya's Life Points: 4100-

"Yuya!!" shouted Isaac as his duel disk saw that Yuya did pick up an Action card, but it was the trap, Shock Surprise as it dealt the person who picked it up 800 points of damage.

"Looks you failed to get a card." said Trixie as her monster now made contact with Odd-Eyes Raging Dragon as it was destroyed and Yuya was throw off the platform and onto the ground.

"AHH!!!" shouted Yuya as he hit the ground hard.
Yuya's Life Points: 1900-

"No, buddy!" shouted Isaac as he saw his friend on the ground.

"Oh, it gets worst. I activate the Action spell you tried to grab, Yuya. Wonder Chance, so now Trixie's monster can attack again, and this time it's aimed at your life points!" said Sunburst as Trapeze High Magician now powered up its hands and shot a powerful attack heading towards the boy's direction. Yuya sat up and saw the attack coming as he couldn't get out of the way in time.

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand, so that Yuya doesn't take any damage from this attack!" shouted Isaac as he sent his tiny monster to the grave as he came out and stood in front of the other boy as he stopped the attack head on. Soon it died down as it fell down with a bead of sweat as it was tired.

"Thanks little dude." said Yuya as he gave Kuriboh a petting as he let out a happy sound before disappearing. Yuya then gave a thumbs up to Isaac as he was on a platform.

"I thought you were a master?" mocked Isaac.

"Hey, even a master duelist can't survive everything." responded Yuya as he lightly laughed. "Like I said, every show needs some suspense. And I think the worst is over."

"YUYA!!!!" shouted a voice.

"Oh shit." said the boy as he turned to look behind him.

Isaac too looked behind his friend as he wanted to know why Yuya was scared. He then saw the reason why as even he too was scared. The girls heard the voice as they saw it was coming from behind the boy near the entrance of the field as it belonged to someone who they didn't noticed arrived. Standing there was a person who even security was afraid of. She had blue eyes and dark pink midback-length hair, which was tied up in pigtails, clipped down by blue, spherical hair clips. Her hair also featured two lighter pink bangs that fell to the side of her face. She had an outfit that consisted of a sleeveless light-blue and white shirt with a green musical note on the right collar, along with a pink tie, which she wore with a maroon skirt, dark stockings, and pink sneakers.

"Yuya Sakaki!!!" shouted the girl.

"Oh, Zuzu." said the boy as he heard the girl who was not only his childhood friend, but also his fiancé.

"You told me that you were going to use your break from your busy schedule as a pro to help plan our wedding! But I find you here goofing off with your pal!!" shouted the girl as she didn't appreciate that her fiancé lied to her so that he could get out of planning their wedding. She then shot a glance at Isaac as even he was a bit frighten by Yuya's fiancé.

"I can explain!" said the boy.

"Yuya, did you know Zuzu would be here?" asked Isaac as he was worried for his friend.

"I didn't tell her I was coming here. I just wanted to avoid talking with the wedding receptionist, those things are so boring that I didn't want to go. So I came here to get away." said Yuya.

"I heard that!!!" shouted Zuzu. "I'll deal with you when we get back home! For now, you better not lose this duel!!!"

"Yes, sweetie." nodded Yuya in fear as he began to hop on some platforms as he was now on one next to Isaac.

"That's your girl, huh?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah, that's my girl." said Yuya in a similar tone as Isaac as both boys didn't want to suffer Zuzu's wrath.

"I can see why you asked her to marry you." smiled Isaac as he did a small wave as Zuzu was steaming even more as it caused Isaac to quickly look away.

"If you're both done dealing with whatever, I'll end my turn. But once Sunburst takes his, it's the end for the two of you." stated Trixie.

Turn 10: Isaac

"Then it's my turn, and if I don't pull out something right now, then we're in trouble." said Isaac as he looked at his deck.

"You got this Isaac, just play the cards and they'll guide you." said Yuya as he knew that it was time for Isaac to finally up his game one last. And to do that, he needed to draw some certain cards.

"Right, put my trust in my deck and it will trust me." said Isaac as he put his hand on his deck and drew it. "I play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two more cards. Second chance to get it. Here we go." Isaac then drew his two cards as they had some effect to it as Yuya could already tell that Isaac got the cards he needed. He then snapped his fingers as he had the crew shine a spotlight on Isaac.

"Ladies and gentleman, we hope you've enjoyed the show so far. But now we've the end the our epic storytelling. So time for a grand finale, you won't soon forget." stated Isaac. "Now I'll play Magician Fusion Gate! This spell lets me fusion summon using monsters in my graveyard or Extra Deck, and I can also use this spell to substitute for a fusion material! So I'll use it with my Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell and his magician both turned into lights as they entered a vortex behind him as everybody was seeing what he was doing. "I Fusion Summon... Lychinus Enchanter(2800/2500, Level 8, Scale 1)!" Isaac now had a pendulum fusion monster on his field as out came a male adult magician who wore a bycocket(robin hood hat) on his head as he wore a black cape and a magician's robe with the sleeves cut off as in his left hand was a staff that was the same height as him and in his belt there was a small dagger as his outfit consisted of yellow, red, and black, with a hit of silver as he wore boots.

"Now I'll play the spell card, Magician Synchro Gate! Now I can synchro summon using monsters in my graveyard or Extra Deck and this spell then turns into a Level 2 tuner so I'll tune it with my Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell card then turned into two giant rings as they circled around Isaac's monster as another new monster was emerging as it was a pendulum synchro monster. "I Synchro Summon... Solis Witch(3000/2700, Level 9, Scale 10)!" The new monster was an adult female who had light blue hair and eyes, a slim figure with ample breasts, long legs, wide hips and blue waist-long hair that is partially tied into a loop with a spherical clip. She wore a sleeveless dark-blue feather dress with white trimmings, an extremely short dark blue miniskirt, a green bow around her chest with a blue gem in the middle, a translucent purple underskirt and detached white sleeves with blue and golden trimmings. She wore thigh-high blue heeled boots over white stockings with blue trimmings. Around her neck was a pendant as it was in the shape of a rune as used her magic and made an axe appear in her hand as it shined with relic symbols on it as elemental symbols appeared above her and infused her weapon.

"Lastly, I play the spell, Magician Xyz Gate! So I now I can summon monsters from my graveyard and/or Extra Deck. So I'll summon my Black Robe Mentalist and Rune-Eyes Illusionist and then my spell changes one of my monsters to have the same level as another monster so now my Rune-Eyes is Level 4 like my mentalist. And then I'll overlay them to build the Overlay Network!" Isaac's two monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs entered and then a pillar of light emerged as it was a pendulum Xyz monster. "I Xyz Summon... Ventus Oraculum(3500/2900, Rank 4, Scale 3, OLU: 2)!!" The last of Isaac's trio was a kid who looked to be 13 years old as he held a javelin-like spear as it too was infused with magic, he then brought his fingers to mouth as he let out a whistle as his pet wyvern appeared from the sky as he jumped on it and raised his weapon as it let out a roar. The kid had a small red cape, wore a kid magician hat colored purple as he wore a magician outfit with shades of dark red with green outlines and shade as there was hints of yellow.

"You did it, Isaac." said Yuya as he watched his friend and his three new monsters as they all glowed with the same aura.

"Time to bring the finale, first when my Solis Witch is summoned, I can negate the effects of all special summoned monsters on my opponents and drop their attack opponents to zero!" said Isaac as his female magician raised her axe as the elemental symbols powered up as she did a slash attack as it hit both of Sunburst and Trixie's monsters as they all appeared weak.

"Our monsters!" said both.

"Now I activate Ventus Oraculum's ability, by using one overlay unit, you guys can't use any spells or traps during the battle phase!" said Isaac as his kid magician lifted his spear up high as he pointed it up high as he managed to neutralize the entire field full of Action Cards as they lost their effects. "Then I'll activate my Lychinus Enchanter's ability, now once per turn, I can deal you damage equal to a magician in my graveyard. So I'll choose my Dark Magician and target Sunburst!" said Isaac as his third magician pointed his staff and shot a powerful spell as it hit the boy who crashed into Trixie as went down.
Sunburst's Life Points: 2400-

"Now time to end this! Lychinus Enchanter attack Chronomaly Atlandis. Ventus Oraculum attack Trapeze Witch, and Solis Witch take our her Trapeze High Magician!" shouted Isaac as all three of his new monsters now began to move as they each raised their weapons and took out their respective targets as the force of their attacks made both Trixie and Sunburst to go flying as they landed on the ground. Trixie's deck went flying out of her duel disk as it landed on the ground.
Sunburst and Trixie's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac and Yuya

The duel ended as all the platforms disappeared as both Isaac and Yuya landed as the crowd were giving an applause for the two boys as they put on one hell of a show. Yuya then grabbed Isaac's arm as he lifted it up high as he pointed with his other arm at Isaac as he was giving his friend the proper respect and admiration he deserved. Isaac was shocked at what Yuya was doing as the boy just smiled to which Isaac did the same. Soon he approached Trixie's deck as he pulled out the pendulum cards and began to examine them.

"I had a funny feeling, now I know where these cards went." said the Yuya.

"They yours?" asked Isaac.

"Well, they belong to an old friend of mine. But apparently they went missing a few days ago, but now I know who took them." said Yuya as he got back his belongings and tossed Trixie back her deck. He then began to walk back with Isaac.

Starlight looked at the two of them with an angry look.

"Isaac, I will kill you in our duel. Very soon. When we fight one more time, you will die. And if I have to be sentenced to hell itself to pay for my crime of killing you. Then it is worth the price." said Starlight as she grabbed Sunburst and Trixie by their collars and began to drag her two disappointing partners away to prep for the final showdown with Isaac.

"You did it. You took your game up one final time." said Yuya as he looked at the new cards Isaac was holding in his hands. "Take care of them, bud. Time for you to raise the bar more than I could, it's your time."

"I will, Yuya." said Isaac as he looked at his new hybrid cards and could feel their spirits as they appeared before their new master as they vowed their loyalty.

"I look forward to seeing you, when you go pro." said Yuya as he gave one final pat on the back.

It was now late as everybody had already gone home. The only ones left in the field were Yuya and Isaac, but they weren't alone as they each had their respective partners with them. And it seemed that Yuya was in deep trouble as he got hit by his fiancé as she pulled out her trusty fan and delivered a hard smack to his head as Yuya had to rub his head as it hurt like hell.

"That's the last time you try to get out of planning our wedding!" shouted Zuzu.

"Alright, I promise, Zuzu." said the boy as he got up from the pain. He tried to smile but it seemed like Zuzu was having none of that as Yuya put his head down. Soon his head was brought up by his girl as she gave a quick peck and a forgiving hug.

"Well, guess it's time for you to leave." said Isaac as he approached his friend.

"Yeah, hey, it was nice to go abroad and perform here. I might need to talk with my agent team about doing some shows across the sea. Take care bud, and remember what I said." stated Yuya as he extended his hand out.

"I will. Hopefully, I can stop Starlight from doing something horrible." said Isaac as he shook hands with Yuya.

"I have faith you will. It's like my dad once told me, when things get tough try to smile." said Yuya as he passed on some wisdom to his friend as he was going to need it for his upcoming final fight.

"You're lucky to have someone like Isaac, Twilight." said Zuzu.

"I guess I am. But I think Yuya is the lucky one to have you." responded Twilight as both girls were starting to become fast friends as they saw their boyfriends laughing and joking with one another. Soon both girls got an idea as they approached the boys and each whisper in their ears of their idea.

Both Isaac and Yuya looked at each other as they could tell what the other was thinking. So they nodded as both pairs broke apart. Isaac and Twilight on one end while Yuya and Zuzu were on the other. Soon they all put on their duel disk as the field began to change.

"Generating Action Field. Crossover." said Yuya and Zuzu's duel disk as the platforms were being created all over the field.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Twilight's Life Points: 4000-

Yuya's Life Points: 4000-

Zuzu's Life Points: 4000-

"Let's duel!" shouted all four of them.

Turn 1: Zuzu

"Girls first." as she drew her card. "I'll this performance off with my favorite piece, 1st Solo Movement. Since I control no monsters, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower 'Melodious' monster from my hand, so I summon Serenade the Melodious Diva(400/1900). And my Serenade counts as two monsters when I tribute summon. Now I'll tribute this duet and combine their melodies to summon a whole new monster! She'll blow you away with her musical talent - Mozarta the Melodious Maestra(2600/2000)!" said Zuzu as one of her ace monsters appeared as she had a conductor's baton in her hand as some wind blew. "Then I'll play the spell, Polymerization to fuse together my Aria the Melodious Diva and my Soprano the Melodious Songstress! Together, you'll sing a sensational duet that will form an even more Melodious monster! I Fusion Summon Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir(1000/2000)!" Zuzu was now showing off her skills of being a fusion summoner and being just as good of a duelist as Yuya.

"I end my turn."

Turn 2: Twilight

"Then it's my turn." said Twilight as she drew her card as she was excited on seeing how she could measure up with Zuzu herself. "Alright girlfriend, let's see how you like this. I reveal three Spellbooks in my hand, Spellbook of Secrets, Spellbook of Power, and Spellbook of Wisdom so that I can special summon my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!" said Twilight as she had her special partner on her field. "Next, I'll play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can get any 'Spellbook' I want from my deck. Then I summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000) and activate her ability. Since I activated a 'Spellbook' before I summoned her, I can now tribute her to special summon one Level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster from my deck, so I choose my Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2200)!" It was now Twilight's turn as she had her pair of ace monsters.

"Stellar move, Twilight." said Zuzu as she was giving the girl her praises.

"Thank you. Wow, it really does feel good to hear that from someone like you." smiled Twilight at her new friend. "I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

As soon as Twilight ended her turn, both her and Zuzu hopped onto the platform behind them as they prepared for what was about to happen. Both Isaac and Yuya got on the same platform as their girl as they gave them a meaningful kiss as the girls said good luck to their boys as they began to jump higher and higher as they were now looking at each other from different platforms.

"Well, Yuya. I think Twilight impressed well."

"Sure, she's good. But she's got nothing on my Zuzu." taunted Yuya.

"Oh really, cause I think that Twilight might just be if not better than Zuzu. No disrespect to your fiancé." taunted Isaac.

"Boys." said both girls as they rolled their eyes.

Turn 3: Yuya

"My turn and I set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Stargazer Magician and Scale 8 Timegazer Magician! I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Yuya as he placed his pendulum cards on his card tray as the word pendulum was in between to show it worked as his monsters appeared in columns with their number in front of them. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time! Swing far, pendulum! Carve the arc of victory! My monster's ready to swing into action!" shouted Yuya as a light came out. "Turn up the heat, Odd-Eyes Pendulum Dragon!" Yuya was now off to a strong start as he had his ace monster already to go on the field.

"Let's see if you can match that, Isaac." said Yuya as he placed two cards facedown.

Turn 4: Isaac

"You best believe I can, draw! Like you, I'm going to set the Pendulum Scale with Scale 1 Sorcerer Swordsman and Scale 8 Mirage Magician. I'm taking control of this duel, starting now!" shouted Isaac as he placed his pendulum cards on his card tray as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring was in between to show it worked. "I'm allowed to summon monsters from Levels 2 through 7 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory. My monster's are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he had two lights come out. "Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl! And lastly, give a warm welcome for the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" Now it was Isaac's turn as he had his ace monsters as they looked to due battle with Yuya.

"I'll then set two cards facedown. So, Yuya, Zuzu. You both ready?" asked the boy.

"Well, dear." said Yuya to his fiancé."

"Bring it!" said the girl.

"Twi?" asked Isaac to his girlfriend.

"Right behind you." smiled the bookworm.

"Then let's battle!" shouted Isaac as all monsters on the field raced forward as all four of them were hopping from platform to platform.

"Mozarta, Bloom Diva. Attack!!!" shouted Zuzu.

"Dark Red Enchanter, Priestess. Attack!!!" shouted Twilight.

"Odd-Eyes, Attack!!!" yelled Yuya.

"Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl. Attack!!!" yelled out Isaac.

All four had a smile on their faces as they were enjoying this duel between friends as they were all having fun as their monsters all collided in the middle and were about to attack each other when everything froze and faded to black.

Chapter 191: Build Up

"Isaac, are you sure?" asked Celestia.

"Yes." said the boy.

"You do this, and we will not be responsible for what happens." said Luna.

"I know, which is why I'm... willing to die for whatever occurs." said Isaac as he knew there was no going back.

"Then we pray that you live." said both women as they hugged the boy as they walked past him through the door.

"Isaac."

"Twilight."

Isaac then put his girlfriend down as he looked at her and then touched her necklace as he smiled. Isaac then gave one last kiss to Twilight's chin as he turned around and prepared to open the door in front of him as a voice went off.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is time..."

It was now another day at CHS as the whole school was getting ready for what was about to go down. In just a few days, it would be Isaac versus Starlight in a rematch that would determine the fate of the school and the fate of the game of Duel Monsters as they all knew it. Both competitors were getting ready as the days leading up there would be two big gatherings for both of them. One to have them sign their contract making their duel official and one debate before their duel to let them express to everybody what was going to happen. Safe to say this was the calm before the storm as everybody was getting ready for a war that was about to take place. But before all that, there was a to be a third thing for each to do.

Isaac was now making his way to school's newscast room as he was scheduled to have a sit-down interview with Luna as a way for everybody to hear what Isaac's mission was when looking to take down Starlight. He approached the media room as there was Luna already sitting in a chair as a few of the media students had a camera set up as they shook Isaac's hand and put the small microphone in the collar of his shirt so that they everybody could hear his message. Soon the cameras started rolling as every student saw the interview on TVs scattered around the halls as they listened.

"Good afternoon, everybody. As you know there where will be a huge duel being held in a few days. And later today, both individuals will be present in the auditorium later to sign their contract for their duel. Now after an unexpected circumstance, the duel will no longer be a normal contest, but rather the duel... is to be a championship duel. So both Isaac and Starlight will be fighting for the rank of Duel Monsters Champion of CHS. Now more on why that has happened in just a few moments." said Luna to the camera. "Right now I want to take a moment to introduce one of the competitors, you know him, he's the current champion of CHS. Please welcome, Isaac."

"Thanks for having me here, Luna." said Isaac as he address Luna and the camera.

"Now, Isaac before we start. I want to bring up something that you said before. Let's play what you said." Luna then directed the team of students to play the message as the TV next to them showed Isaac as he was addressing a small group of students who asked him what he was going to do in his duel with Starlight.

(Video)

"My name is Isaac and I've given the last nearly 2 decades of my life to this business/game. And ironically enough, I am in the same place where my career started and I'm doing the same thing right now as I did back then. I am standing tall right here! I wanna say something just so I can get it off my chest and help me come to grips with it. I'm afraid of Starlight." said the boy to the crowd. "I'm afraid of who she is, what she stands for, I'm afraid of what she says, but my biggest fear is that you people, you readers, are actually listening to what Starlight says. You see, Starlight Glimmer is different than any other person I've ever faced, everybody I've faced in the past, the object has always been who is the best on this field and get in here and prove it. Starlight, you don't give a damn about being the best. All Starlight Glimmer wants to do is destroy. Starlight will stop at nothing to destroy my legacy, every single thing I've worked for. And I can hear it, I can feel it happening. Starlight is trying to convince you, for 20 years I've been living a lie."

"Starlight is trying to convince you that when the lights go out, all of this is phony. That I am not who I say I am. And most importantly, Starlight Glimmer is trying to convince you that Isaac is filled with evil. I say, to hell with that!!" stated Isaac. "I've been here too long. I've been through too much. I am afraid of Starlight Glimmer, but I believe, I believe in everything I've done, everything I stand for, and everything I will do! For me, our duel is not about me fighting Starlight Glimmer. For me, our duel is about fighting for every scar I got on my body, fighting for every injury I've had to work to come back from, fighting for every man, women, and child that has ever believed the word that I have ever said!! In our duel, I will fight for my legacy!!"

(Pause)

"Okay, that's enough." said Luna as she had the video pause. She then looked back at Isaac to continue their interview. "Isaac, I've known you for what seems like a long time. Since the moment you stepped foot in this school, my sister and I knew, you were destined for great things. We put all our investments and time into making you the diamond that we knew you were going to be. I've had the honor and the privilege of calling all of your main event duels. Including the two with Sunset Shimmer during your first Fall Formal and the second one being my sister's retirement match the year after that."

"Yup."

"And I know how those matches affected you. Professionally and personally, in fact you and I have talked alot about them. And of course, my retirement match with you. All of these duels we've talked about them."

"Yes." responded Isaac.

"That video, I saw something in you that I've never seen before. Starlight Glimmer is affecting you in a way that nobody else has in your history."

"Uh, yeah. Uh, I reference those two duels with Sunset, Celestia and of course you, Luna. I wanted to beat them, I felt as if I needed to beat them. To justify my being, to justify my place in Duel Monsters. And regardless of maybe I'm here and I should be here, at least you understand that my work has meant something. I have been putting in all this time, I have been sacrificing myself, I've been donating my time for something. For purpose. I can give myself solace at the end of the day, sleep fine at night because I know everything is for the greater good. Everything is going in the right direction. Uhm, that's where Starlight is different. Because like I mention with those three duels that I had with, it was always about being the best. And you-- you know, you knuckle up and say, 'No, I'm the best'. Well let's get the two best on the dueling field and see who the best truly is."

"Starlight maybe it's because she's new, uh, she doesn't put any of that in perspective. And-- and it's just different cause here I am having worked day in and day out for almost my whole life trying to build this. I'm 19 years old, going on to be 20 in just over a month and by then I'll have already begun my career as a pro duelist. My goal not being, okay, a certain amount of dollars and I'm done. No! No, I wanna leave Duel Monsters a better place than when I walked in through that door the first time. That's what I want as my legacy. And someone like Starlight, who doesn't care about rhyme or reason or anything, she doesn't care about who the best is. She sees Isaac and-- and says I wanna turn that guy into a monster."

"Isaac, you said in that video, quote: 'I'm afraid... of Starlight'."

"Yeah."

"'Who she is? What she stands for?' You said you also fear that people might be listening to what she says."

"And that's-- that's the biggest thing. Uhm, I've had a lot of competition in my day. I've squared off in that dueling field with a lot of duelists. But every one of them was focused on defeating me for the purpose of climbing up the ranks. Starlight, I don't think she cares about winning. Uhm, she just wants to destroy everything I've worked my life to build and falsify everything. Uh, not necessarily wins and losses in a duel. But if she can weaken me to a point, to make more people listen to her... then that's the thing, people are listening to her. Uh, she has a weird way of holding people's attention. I listen to her, and that's why I said what I said. I had to-- had to come to grips with it, and I'm afraid of this. But I even sent out a message to the whole student body. I said: 'Fear is just an emotion and we all have it. Cowardice is a decision. So be brave enough to face your fears and give it your best shot'. Uhm, I just don't know-- she's unscoutable, I don't know what her endgame is. And uh, it would be like a tabloid photographer with, uh, criminating photos of a well respected politician or entertainment official and saying, 'At the right time, I'm gonna let these go. And it's all gonna go to hell'! I don't know what her plan is, but people are listening to her. And if she's successful in our duel in a few days, more people will listen because in this business the more momentum you gain, the more impressions you make." said Isaac.

"Isaac as you prepare for your duel with Starlight, uhm, finally. This match with Starlight in a few days, is it as simple as being... about your legacy?" asked Luna.

"I... I think it's protecting it. And-- and like I said, my biggest fear, this loose cannon, uh, gains enough momentum for people to be hypnotized. Uh, I've-- I've openly said all the time, you want to buy into my stock, this is what I believe in. You work hard, you show up on time, you stay loyal to those who support you, you respect enemies and friends. That's my stance. By the way, I don't ever give up. Either you're in or you're out. Never asked you, 'Hey, you need to do this, you need to do that'. Starlight is trying to shield this idea that those are just words. That all my sentiment, all my... genuine passion for all this is just false. And when the lights go off, there's a bad Santa back there, uh, giving the middle finger to everybody. That's tough, that's... that's tough to swallow especially for somebody like me who, breaks his bones and comes back in 25% of the recovering time. Who gets back up to finish a duel, despite having internal pain and bleeding, because I can't stand being away from the dueling field. I don't... refuse any challenge... I never get, uh, frustrated with any situation. But what I fear most is, all the sacrifices I've made to try to not win anybody over, but just to try to... get people to believe, yes this is what he stands for. So many times, people say, 'Ahh, I-- I hate your character, but I totally respect you'. That is-- that's it. That's my legacy. That's what I want. I don't agree with you, but I respect you." said Isaac.

"What Starlight is trying to do is take that respect away. Make, me... you know everybody talks about, 'Well, there's the Big 5 and there's just Isaac'. And Starlight is trying to make Isaac, some bullshit character, and uh, the belief and the respect will be gone. So all those opposed will say, 'I told you so'. And all those in favor will just simply say, 'Why'? And then I'll be back at square one and I'll have to start all over again and I've been here too long to do that."

"Isaac, before you go. There's one more thing I wanna talk about. You say that you have this 'demon' that lives inside of you. You've told it to me and my sister, but we want to know. Where does it come from and what is it?" asked Luna as she was curious about this.

"Everyone wants to know where the demon comes from. The demon comes inside." said Isaac as his eyes began to swift and change. "The demon is manifestation of everyone that's ever told me no or doubted me, or disrespected me. The demon unlocks a rage inside of me that cannot be controlled. I don't summon the demon, the demon summons me. Now Starlight and her posse, their disrespect it's just adding fuel to the fire. But Starlight will see, that the fire that burns inside of me, burns much brighter than the fires that burn all around me. You are looking, at the face of Isaac, but in our duel, you will see the face of the demon." Isaac's inner demon now had taken over the boy as his eyes had changed, soon he closed his eyes as the demon inside him was gone.

"Thank you Isaac. Good luck, and I'll see you later for the contract signing."

"Thank you Luna." said the boy as he shook her hand and left the room.

Sometime later, Luna was waiting for her next client as in came Starlight as she was by herself as she was here to do her interview with the vice-principal. Soon the cameras were rolling as now it was her turn to be heard.

"Starlight, first off, thank you. For granting us this opportunity, I've wanted to interview you for quite some time now. And there's so many things, I want to discuss. I wanna know about you, but let's start with Isaac. What does, 'Anyone but you', mean?" asked Luna.

"Before I answer that, let me say a few things to Isaac, cause I listening to his little interview earlier." said Starlight as she was looking directly at the camera as she knew Isaac was listening and watching. "You built this empire all around you and can you feel the energy? Can you feel these people, Isaac? You know, you remind me of one of those championship thoroughbred horses. One that's been running for a long, long time and it races and it wins. And it wins and the people, they just cheer for him! But one day, this championship horse, he starts to slow down. And that is when reality sets in. And now he finds himself not just looking for the next finish line. He is now sitting somewhere in the back of a barn laid out on a slab." said Starlight in a cult-like voice.

"And when-- oh, when your reality sets in, Isaac, how long do you think that you can just fend us off? Mercy is calling you by name." sang Starlight that last bit. "I am the reaper and I am going to put you down. Now, let me in on a little secret, Isaac. I know what you're really afraid of. For the loneliest man on earth, is the man who sits alone atop his empty castle. Who will be left for you, Isaac, when I take it all away?"

"Children believe in superheroes, Isaac. They wear masks and costumes because they wanna believe that the world is good. They haven't lived long enough to understand that everything, everything is a lie! My childhood, Isaac, let me-- let me fill you in about something about Starlight Glimmer. My childhood, it wasn't all rainbows and butterflies. You dare-- you dare talk about your scars, Isaac. Well, I've got a few scars too. The world gave them to me. They gave them to me because it was my birthright to have them." stated the girl. "They taught me that fire is hot and that blades are sharp. They taught me that everything that I love in life sooner or later is going to wither away and die!! But look at me now, Isaac. I could be just like you. I could sign autographs and kiss babies, and make sure that everyone buys what I'm selling. I could take everything I fear and hide behind laughter, tell jokes, make sure that I feel better about myself. Yeah, Isaac, that's you, man. But you were right about one thing. I am different than anyone you will ever face because in our duel, I don't care if I never live. I don't care if I die as long as the world sees you the way that I do." said the girl as she then finished and looked at Luna to answer the question she asked.

"You're an intelligent woman, Luna. I can tell. I can tell a lot of things by just looking at someone. From being around someone. May I see your hands?" asked Starlight. "Will you put your hands out?"

Luna was hesitant on doing what Starlight ask, especially since she was using her cult voice. Luna then did what Starlight asked as she had her hands just in front of her so that they were near her but Starlight could see them as even Starlight was copying her action.

"Do you see my hands?"

"Yes."

"I look at your hands, and I... see they're delicate. They're taken care of. My hands, not so much. Things have happened at the helm of these hands. But your hands... they tell me that your life story is very predictable." said Starlight as both girls put their hands away. "You went to college, you have parents and family that loved you. Support. People that care for you. Me. And my people, it was different. The world was too busy cleaning us out from underneath their fingernails. Pay attention to see if we had any true moral. They didn't think we were worth anything, they condemned us. Here's something Vice-principal Luna, what if I told you today, that everything that everybody has ever said about me is all true. Okay, so I came down from this world, okay? Just play along with me. I came down from some other world, some heaven. I came to your world and I said that I could fix everything that is wrong here. I could rewrite all your wrongs and past mistakes you've made. I could correct them. I walk on water in plain sight. What would your people think of me?" asked Starlight.

"Educated by a system. To think, hmm, she must be crazy. That's what you'd think, am I wrong? You would think I was crazy. You would put a label on me cause that's what you people do. You put labels on things that you do not understand! Like Isaac. Put a label on him, look at him and then look at me. You label me this, you label me that. Isaac, unique, unattainable. He's everything that every little child in your world should want to be. This world needs fixing! Me, I'm judged upon these things I do. People ask me all the time, they walk up and ask me, just right blunt to my face, 'Do you feel guilty? Do you feel guilty of all these horrible things that you do'? And I answer them, 'How can I feel guilty'? I would never do anything that I feel guilty about. How could I feel guilty for doing what in my mind, is the only right thing. I didn't make the world the way it is. You did." said Starlight pointed at Luna.

"You did. People like you did cause you think you're better. Think you're better and you crave things. And you can never have enough and you just want more, and more, and more, until you fill your mouth and it explodes out of your ears!! Me, I just want to fix things. If I was to feel guilty about something, it would be the fact that I haven't done enough. I wish there were a million of Isaacs, so I could take them all out at once. Then, then I'd, I'd would've accomplish something. I would've done something for the world, I would have made the world a better place."

"Starlight, you seem to really believe in everything that you say. That there are many out there who believe, your preachings for lack of a better term as well. Uh, there are others who don't. You've been called, a false prophet. Charlatan. Even been called a messiah." Starlight just chuckled evilly as Luna calling her a messiah. "But who is Starlight Glimmer?"

"You're all born the same way. Came into this world. And you didn't know how to lie, you didn't know how to cheat. You didn't know how to steal, how to hurt other people. You were taught this. You learn this. Through all this ridiculous, ridiculous teachings of a rotten, horrible, miserable society. Me... I came from somewhere else. And I have to teach the world, I have to victimize the world, I have to victimize Isaac and when he enters his domain. He has to understand that he's not walking in there with some person. I'm a beast, man. I'm a beast, but I understand things. Just like I understand that Isaac is dangerous. I understand that when you corner a dog, you should expect them to bite you. But like I said, I am a beast as well. And when the master raises his hand, the dog will sit down. It is imperative that Isaac collects his thoughts. It is imperative that Isaac goes around everyone he loves and tells them that he loves them one last time. Because uncertainty is awaiting Isaac. When he tells his parents, his friends, goodbye. He can't possibly know... that he'll be returning. You understand?" asked Starlight to Luna.

"Now who is Starlight Glimmer? I can give you only indefinitions, cause I have a thousand names, but in truth, I... am no one." said the girl as she got up and left as she said her piece.

It was now later as everybody of the senior class had gathered in the auditorium as they were waiting to see this contract signing that was about to be taking place. The girls were with their male friend as they were waiting for Starlight to show up. Since the morning, everybody had a chance to listen to what both said as they were being convinced to pick a side which was clear as the line in the sand was evident. Eventually the doors opened as in came Starlight being flanked by Sunburst and Trixie as they saw Isaac waiting for them. The trio approached the table as both Isaac and Starlight looked at each other with disdain and bitterness in their eyes. It felt like everybody was getting ready for a fistfight to break out, but both Isaac and Starlight did something surprising. Each of them told their group to go take a seat as they didn't want the other to be involved. It shocked the groups as they felt like that was a mistake, but based on how Starlight and Isaac were looking at each other, it seemed like they knew the other one wouldn't get physical during this contract signing. So both groups obeyed the request as they sat down but were nearby in case things went south. With that done, Isaac and Starlight approached the table as Luna and Celestia were the moderators as all four of them sat down.

"Welcome you two, now as you know Isaac laid out the challenge to have a duel with Starlight to which she agreed. Now under normal circumstances, this duel shouldn't even be taking place, since Starlight doesn't go here as an official student and any duel that Isaac is involved in on school grounds is a championship match. But given that both of you gave me compelling arguments and to the Board, they have signed off on this request. So it will be Isaac taking on Starlight in which the winner will earn the rank as Champion." said Celestia.

"Now then, that duel will take place in a few days and it will be a brutal encounter I can assure you. It is a duel, 16 years in the making. With that said, we have a contract to sign between the two of you." stated Luna as she turned it over to Isaac and Starlight.

"For the past few weeks, I have turned your world upside-down." smiled Starlight smugly. "Speaking of the world, they're still talking about what Starlight Glimmer did to you right here in this place. You know what, Isaac? In our duel, I'm gonna do it again. When that bell rings, I'm gonna run circles around you, because you can't beat me." laughed the girl. "Now, where do I sign?"

"That all depends on you, Starlight. See our duel is on, but I personally contacted the Board myself, hell not even Celestia and Luna know about what I said to them so this is the first time they and everybody else in this room and reading this story is gonna hear what I have to say. I talked with them and they agreed to my idea. Our duel will be a championship match, but it's a special kind. It's an ironman match." said Isaac as his response got everybody confused.

"Ironman, what kind of shit is that?" said the girl.

"Let me explain, you and I will fight. And for one hour, one hour, 60 minutes, we will duel. Nonstop. And everytime we win a duel, we're awarded a point. And whoever has the most points by the time the hour is up, will be declared the winner and is the undisputed champion of CHS." explained Isaac. "Now as you can see there's two contracts in front of you." Isaac now began to point at each of them. "One, right here that guarantees that our duel is a singles match. Starlight Glimmer versus Isaac. One, right here that guarantees a duel, but it's Isaac versus Starlight's club."

"Whoa, whoa, what the hell do you mean?" asked Starlight as she was confused by what Isaac said.

"What I mean is both will be ironman matches." Isaac then pointed to the contract on Starlight's right, "You sign this one right now and 16 years of what if, right here, right now, is answered. Because with your buddies by your side, you on the dueling field, and everybody allowed to be there, you're gonna get my best, until I can't fight, but you will win our duel and also secure your spot as Captain of the Bitch Club!" exclaimed the boy as it got Starlight to be angry. He then pointed at the contract on Starlight's left.

"But you can sign this one. You could sign this one and bring back the electricity and intensity that we had in our last encounter. 'Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer'." chanted Isaac. "'Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer. Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer. Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer. Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer. Let's go Isaac, Starlight Glimmer'!" Isaac then stopped chanting as it seemed the students copied his actions as they were chanting the words he said as it was literally split down the middle. "A universe divided. You could sign this and we get a real answer to the question, 'what if'?"

"I see what you're doing here, Isaac. I see. Everybody, both here and reading the story, it's Isaac. It's Isaac, he's got a silver tongue and he can spin anything. That's what he does, he's the king of all this. You got a big ass shovel in your hand and what are you gonna do, you're gonna do the same thing that you've always done. And that's bury as much young talent as you can. That's what you do, right? That's how you stay on top of the mountain, you'll do anything. You're just a backstabbing shark. But the thing is why you don't like me, Isaac. Is you can't bury me."

Isaac just laughed at Starlight's comment as he prepared to speak, "Okay, so everybody thinks I got this mythical golden shovel? That I got these magical powers, that I can control anything and keep everybody's fate. Girl, I can't tell if you're blind or stupid. Look and listen, they hold the keys. They always have, they always will." said Isaac as he pointed to the fourth wall and the wall of reality itself. "But you actually believe that I'm a shark, that I hold everybody down and that I swim to the top and keep them underwater at any and all costs. I'm level with you, homie. I haven't been in a big time duel, since the Fall Formal of this year, that was 37 chapters ago. When it comes to this yard, there's only one rule, step up or move aside. And over the years, there have been a lot of people to step up, but nobody to ever keep up. And then I finally hear about this one person, the Starlight Glimmer, the one who can keep up. Now I look at you, and I listen to you." Isaac had a face of disgust as he looked at the girl. "And you call me a part-time of sorts, you should be ashamed then, cause I'm doing this part-time, better than you could ever do at full-time."

The crowd was hot as both Isaac and Starlight stared at one another as they kept their glance at each other. The personal and verbal jabs that both were taking at each other. It was personally no doubt. And the thing was... they weren't done shit talking each other.

"I see what this is about, Isaac. You don't think I can beat you one-on-one, is that it? Oh, is it because you've defending your rank as champion multiple times? Is that it? Oh, no, no, no. Maybe it's because you retired both Celestia and Luna, two great legends of Duel Monsters? No, no, no, no. That's probably not it. Maybe it's because you're the face that runs this place?" said Starlight. "You want to talk about what ifs? Let's talk about it. What if Starlight Glimmer would've been here 16 years ago? Hell, 3 years ago even. I'll tell you, you wouldn't have been a champion. You've wouldn't have been blessed by your idol. You wouldn't have retired Celestia and Luna. You wouldn't be on magazine covers; you wouldn't be in a shitty movie! If the powers that be hadn't had kept me out of Duel Monsters and CHS for so long, I would have all those accolades, and I, Starlight Glimmer, would be the face that runs this place!!" shouted the girl.

"SHUT UP!!!!" shouted Isaac as he slammed his fists on the table.

"Enough, man! Your club isn't full of bullets, it's just full of bullshit!! Every single thing you've done, and I sit here and give you respect, and you waltz out, and whine, and bitch, and complain like every other single person before you entitled, thinking, 'It should've been me. It could've been me. I deserved that'. You didn't do it, chipmunk cheeks, but you're too stupid to see that you got a chance right in front of your face, to man up, knuckle up, and do it now!!" said Isaac as then pointed at the contract on Starlight's left. "So, you sign that and you prove me wrong. Or you sign that," Isaac then pointed at the right contract, "And you're not gonna need me to bury you, homes. Everybody here knows you're gonna bury yourself. We're gonna put your ass on a bullet train back to Sire's Hollow, cause apparently, you left your balls over there!!!"

Safe to say that comment alone got Starlight's pressure through the roof as she felt like punching the boy in front of her. She then furiously looked at the two contracts as she grabbed the left one and looked like she was going to sign it as she had the pen in her hand. She then stopped to look at Isaac.

"What's it gonna be?" taunted Isaac.

Starlight stared at the contract she grabbed as she looked over to the one on the right. She did several double takes looking between the two of them, as soon she made her decision. She then signed the contract on the dotted line for... a singles duel with Isaac. Isaac then grabbed the pen as she put his signature and their 1 hour ironman championship duel was now official. Starlight then grabbed the contract to show both of their signatures to the boy as she spoke.

"You see that right there? You're gonna fine out real quick, I'm not every other person with your Kmart shopping ass. After it's over, after our duel, maybe you'll get the message. Your time is up, my time is now!" said Starlight as she slammed the contract on the table as she began to leave with Sunburst and Trixie following behind her.

With that it was set, 16 years in the making, Isaac and Starlight going one on one with no backup from any of their friends. Both people going all in with everything to lose and everything to gain.

After that face to face, everybody was going about their day. Isaac was now walking in the hallway as he was minding his own business and preparing himself for his upcoming duel when he was attacked. It happened fast as Isaac was clocked in the back of his head as he fell down to both of his knees with his hands on the floor. He looked up as his vision was blurred as he saw two people standing over him as the last thing he saw was a fist coming at him as it went black.

"Pick his ass up! Pick him up!" shouted a voice. "Bring him to me!"

Isaac slowly was gaining conscious as he opened his eyes as saw two people dragging him by the arms as he looked forward and saw Starlight as she was standing in front of the boy. The persons who were dragging him were Trixie and Sunburst as they managed to launch a surprise attack. Isaac tried to break free when Starlight grabbed his chin and looked at him as Isaac had a scowl on his face.

"You didn't think I'd let what you said slide? I promise in our duel, I will kill you. You can forget about being a pro, you can forget about seeing your family or friends ever again. Cause I will kill you. I may go to hell, but that to me is my own personal heaven." said Starlight as she then brought the back of her hand and slapped Isaac across his face as hard as she can as she left a decent mark on his cheek. She then brought her knee and hit Isaac in the stomach as he couldn't even defend himself as Isaac let out a cough. She did it again and Isaac was now struggling a bit to breathe. Starlight was enjoying herself on brutalizing the boy but she knew she still needed him alive. So she did the necessary amount of pain to get her message across, as she kept punching the boy as he was being held down by Trixie and Sunburst. After a few minutes, her hair was a mess as she looked at Isaac as he was coughing heavily from being repeated punched in his stomach and gut.

Starlight smiled as she grabbed Isaac's chin again to look at him as Isaac was still defiant as ever with a scowl. She then did something unexpected as she put some hairs out of her face and then leaned down as she pressed her lips to his. Sunburst was shocked by what he saw as Starlight was really going in on the kiss as she moaned and used her tongue to make contact with Isaac's, almost like she lusted for the boy. Starlight then pulled away after 3 minutes of kissing the boy as she let out a gasp of air and a small trail of saliva connected their lips as she wiped them and smiled. Isaac then sucked in the saliva from their kiss and with a great big exhale spit at Starlight's face as he got her right in the eye.

Starlight backed away for a few inches as she wiped the spit on her face as she looked at the boy and gave one final slap and knee to him as Isaac fell down on the ground as he clutched his stomach. He groaned as he was in pain as he felt it. Starlight then reached to grab at Isaac's necklace as she slipped it off of his neck and looked at it with a devious smile. Isaac saw this and knew what she was thinking as he reached out with one hand while his other arm was around his body. Starlight just smiled and waved the shiny thing in front of the boy as she toyed with her food. She then smirked as she lifted it up high and as hard as she could she slammed it on the floor as the entire thing broke into tons of tiny pieces.

"NO!!!!" shouted Isaac. For him that necklace meant everything, he then could hear the spirits of his monsters in his deck as they all let out agonizing screams of pain as they felt their master's connection with them. "No, no, no." said Isaac as he crawled towards the broken thing as he grabbed a handful of the pieces in his left hand as he looked at it with tears in his eyes. Isaac could feel the pain as it caused him to legit break down in tears which added more to beating he just endured.

"She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world, in her hands. She's got the whole world, in her hands. She's got the whole wide world... in... her... hands." said Starlight.

Starlight smiled as her work was done as she told Trixie and Sunburst to leave as they all began to follow her. For the two, they did look at Isaac as he was lying on the floor in pain with his necklace broken, as they felt bad for the boy. They soon heard Starlight shouting as they had to follow her. Isaac was still on the floor as he held the necklace when a voice called out.

"Isaac." said Fluttershy as she found her friend.

"How's that?" asked Fluttershy as she had managed to bring her friend back home where Twilight was waiting and was shocked to see her boyfriend.

"Better." said Isaac as the shy girl pulled down his shirt as she managed to put a couple of bandages on it as she finished applying her home made medicine. Isaac then tried to get up.

"Isaac, don't move. You need to rest." said Twilight as she had her boyfriend's head on her lap as she had her hand over his forehead as she tried to make him comfy.

"I'm fine, Twilight... just... a bit sore." said Isaac as he sat up as the pain was still there.

"Please, rest." pleaded the girl as she begged her boyfriend to listen to her.

"Not until..."

"I advise listening to Twilight, darling." said Rarity as she came from her room as she had her hands behind her back.

"Rarity, did you..." asked Isaac.

"It was tough, but I was able to fix it and put it back together." said Rarity as she moved her hands from behind her back and presented Isaac with his fixed necklace as it was perfectly fixed like nothing had happened to it.

"Thank you." said Isaac as he put his hand over hers as he stopped to look at the fashionista. "I'm sorry... I'm sorry that, I let Starlight destroy your birthday gift for me. That necklace meant a lot to me, but also to you. I'm sorry it had to happen."

"Darling, it's fine." said the girl as she gave it back to the boy as she planted a kiss on his cheek.

"I promise it won't happen again." said Isaac as he put it back on as he could feel his monsters spirits as they too were pleased.

"Isaac, rest." said Twilight.

"Sorry, Twi. But Starlight fired the first shot. Which means, it's time I get to training." said Isaac as he grabbed his cap and hoodie as he put them on. The three girls began to follow their friend out the door as they soon arrived at a gym.

Isaac entered inside as there was the rest of their friends as Rainbow was doing some exercises when she saw their friends enter. She then got the other's attention as they had heard about what happened.

"So, ready for this?" asked the chromatic girl as she was wearing a trainer's cap on her head and a whistle dangling around her neck.

"Let's get to it." said Isaac as he handed his cap and hoodie to Sunset as he began to begin his training and conditioning for his match with Starlight.

"Now all we need is some training montage music. Which I got covered." said Pinkie as she pulled out a boombox from her hair and pressed play as the training montage was underway.

(Training Montage)

Isaac then got down and began to do some pushups as Rainbow was acting as his trainer and instructing the boy. After a few minutes, they moved onto other exercises as that focused on the boy's condition and cardio as they knew that one hour of dueling meant three things, stamina, pacing, and energy. Isaac was determined to improve his physical and mental strength as the girls all cheered on their friend as both Aj and Rainbow were encouraging him. Sometime had passed as Isaac was sweating as he wiped his forehead and took off his shirt as he showed off his biceps and other muscles on his body as he kept going on. Seems the girls, apart from Pinkie who just kept rocking to the music in the background, all had some red on their faces as they watched their male friend shirtless, even AJ and RD who were the closest to the boy.

Isaac was now running some miles around the block as Rainbow was next to him as she encouraged her friend as Twilight's drone tracked them as it was recording Isaac's time and recording down his data as he got better with every trial. Soon they moved to box jumping as Isaac pushed himself. He then had a huge card stack in front of him as he used his drawing hand to pull the top one off the stack and then do it again and again as he got faster and faster with each of his draws. Twilight was recording each piece of data as she could see her boyfriend pushing himself.

Isaac now sat down on a stool as Sunset had a piece of paper in front of the boy with the alphabet.

"Name all the archetypes that start with A. Go!" shouted Sunset as Twilight started her stopwatch.

"Abyss Actor, Aesir, Agent, Alien, Ally of Justice, Altergeist, Amazemment, Amazoness, Amorphage, Ancient Gear, Ancient Warriors, Appliancer, Aquaactress, Arcana Force, Archfiend, Armed Dragon, Aromage, Artifacts, Assault Mode, and Atlantean." finished Isaac.

"Time." said Sunset.

"18 seconds." responded Twilight as she wrote it down.

"Name all the archetypes that start with B. Go!"

"Batteryman, Battlewasp, Battlin' Boxer, Beetrooper, Black Luster, Blackwing, Blue-Eyes, Bounzer, Bujin, Buring Abyss, Buster Blader, Butterspy."

"15 seconds." said Twilight.

Starlight was also training for her duel as she had Trixie and Sunburst help her. She had a program that had analyzed all of Isaac's deck as she began to run an A.I. and had it face her several times so that she could know what exactly was waiting for her. She even had her program run and produced a digital copy of Isaac's deck as she began to use it against other different decks as she won each time and was getting a better understanding of how it functioned. She then began to jump rope as Sunburst was asking her Duel Monster questions as she answered them while training. She then began to run a small homemade obstacle course as Trixie blew the whistle and she was off and running as she made sure to complete each one with a dominate finishing time. She even was doing some laps in a swimming pool as both of her comrades encouraged her to push past her limit as she kept on swimming.

"Who do you want to beat?! Who do hate?!" shouted Sunburst as he was watching his friend do sit-ups.

"I hate Isaac! I hate Isaac! I hate Isaac!!!" shouted Starlight as she was doing her sit-ups with a twenty pound weight on her chest as she did the exercises as she was using her hate and angry to motivate her.

Both were doing more training as a voiceover started to play.

[Voiceover]

"I've been expecting, Starlight for a long time."

"Isaac's, greatest strength coming into this duel. It's going to be his experience."

"This is my biggest match to date. And when the pressure's on, becomes hard to breath and the nerves make your legs heavy. You see those rules, they don't apply to Isaac."

"A lot of people might try to train endurance. Thinking that they're going to catch up to where Isaac is."

"Isaac doesn't get gassed out." said the boy.

"The training prep for this duel is very simple." replied Starlight.

"Starlight, is a tough person."

"To create maximum damage." said the girl.

"She's a skilled striker."

"I stick to my strengths, strategize, evaluate, and anticipate their next move, before they even think or do it."

"She's fierce."

"I'm trained to hurt people."

"Starlight may try to dictate the pace of the match/duel. She fights on emotion. And when you fight on emotion, you make mistakes."

"I'm gonna light his ass up with shots that he's gonna carry with him for the rest of his life."

"The deeper we get into the match that deep water that's where she drowns." stated Isaac.

"Expect to see a champion, dethroned." said Starlight.

Both individuals were pushing themselves for their upcoming fight. The girls had the students join in on Isaac's training as they helped their head master practice his skills as he had each of them challenge him to a duel. Sunburst and Trixie had some of the students who joined Starlight's side take her on all at once as Starlight demanded the challenge. Both even were testing their body as well as Isaac currently sitting in a tub full of cold ice water as he was testing his body temperature and seeing just how much he could tolerate before losing numbness. Starlight was sitting in a sauna as the temperature was rising up with each minute as she wanted to see just how much heat she and her body could handle as she was focused.

Both then had a split screen as they each had boxing gloves as Isaac was now punching a sand bag with Rainbow and Applejack encouraging him while Sunset was in her sweats holding the bag as the boy was punching it. Starlight was punching a tree as it had a photo of Isaac as she imagined that she was punching the boy himself. Both of their friends could see what was going through their comrades as they hoped that whatever happened, everything could go hopefully go back the way it was.

Twilight had awoken up from her bed as she was thirsty; she exited her room and went downstairs to the fridge. She saw Isaac in the living room as he had fallen asleep sitting as he had all of his cards scattered around him. Isaac was fast asleep from his training as Twilight approached the couch to see her boyfriend tired out as she smiled. She looked at the cards scattered on the table as she gathered them and put them together as she grabbed a pillow and laid down Isaac on it as she placed his hoodie over him as a blanket. Twilight smiled as she gave a kiss to her boyfriend's cheek as she prayed he would win.

Sunburst came into the room where Starlight was at her computer as she too had fallen asleep from her training and program. Sunburst looked at the screen as he shut it off and then picked up his friend in his arms as he took Starlight to her bed. He placed her in the bed as he put the covers over her as for the first time, Sunburst got to see just how beautiful his friend was when she was happy and smiling. He prayed that Starlight would win so... that he could get his wish he so longed for. He then did something unexpected as he kiss Starlight on the cheek as she was asleep as he left and closed the door.

Isaac and Starlight were now outside as they were running and running as they were reaching the final moments of their training. They each went on a long mile run as they were running to their final destination Rocky style. Soon Isaac arrived at the pier as he came to a stop and looked out at the sea as he could listen to the sounds of the world around him as he knew he was ready. Starlight now reached the top of the hill that overlooked Canterlot as she looked at it and was now imagining that her vision of Duel Monsters was about to be realized as she was prepared.

(End of Training Montage)

It was now the night before the scheduled duel. Tomorrow, both Isaac and Starlight would have one final face to face as they would have a debate of sorts where they would answer questions from both Luna and Celestia as well as their fellow peers on why this duel was going to be so important. Right now Isaac was currently on his laptop in his room as he was in a video call with his acquittances.

"I've done all I can, tomorrow... is the big day. I just can't help... but... fear the worst."

"Everything is going to be fine, Isaac." said Yuma.

"Just remember what you duel for, use that to help guide you in your match tomorrow." stated Jaden.

"Remember your training and even the basic steps of dueling." said Yusei.

"And remember we'll be there in spirit." said Yuya.

"Thanks guys, I pray this won't be the last time I talk with you all. But if it is... I'm glad to have had a chance to meet each one of you and learn something. Thank you for the memories and for the duels."

"Good luck." said all four as the video call ended.

"Tomorrow." said Isaac as he got ready for bed.

The next day rose as it was the day of the huge battle, tonight was set to be a huge event. So much so that Celestia and Luna had to do a lot on their part to make sure that everything was ready per Isaac's request as their match would be going for one hour straight. Soon the auditorium was filled with students as on the stage were two podiums with Luna and Celestia being in front of the stage as they sat at a table and had tons of small cards filled with questions for both Isaac and Starlight. Eventually each person's friends arrived as they all took a seat behind the two ladies as Isaac and Starlight got on the stage and looked at each other for a bit before stepping to their podiums respective.

"Ladies and gentleman, tonight will a duel like no other, standing before are two duelists who for one hour will fight. Fight until they can go no longer. Now before that happens, I've gathered everybody here so that they can express some last minute thoughts." said Luna.

"Before we begin with the questions, I'll allow each of you to say something." said Celestia she then nodded at Isaac as he cleared his throat to speak.

"Starlight, you don't know what it feels like to tell the world and the people reading this story, the people that you care about, you have to do something... and then fail. Last time in our duel, I told every single person who would listen, especially those very close to me that I needed that duel. That I needed to win that match... and I failed. That moment, that match, it wasn't just a lost to Starlight. That match, that moment sent my life into a tailspin. Both professional and personally, because I could not get over my obsession with the fact that I failed. I couldn't jump over that hurdle with the fact that I told these people I was going to get it done and I didn't. You were responsible for my collapse. But through failure, I became stronger because you are also responsible for my turnaround. I get a chance to rewrite history, this is more than just a match for me. This is a shot at redemption. You realize how many people don't even get a first chance. I get a second chance, I've been gifted a second chance to write the biggest wrong of my life. So I'd figured I'd give you a heads up, I am not throwing away my shot."

"As much as it matters to you, Isaac, it matters so much more to me. When I walk out here and I step onto that dueling field. And I connect with every single person in this room, from top to bottom. And all the way. And connect to everyone at home and reading this story, every man, women, and child. Our connection, our bond, our strength. Isaac, it matters to me! So you get something straight right now, in just a few hours, you ain't getting redemption, jack. You're getting your ass kicked!!" shouted Starlight.

"You know, Mike Tyson was once quoted for saying, 'I'm going to eat his children'. It's sad we actually remember Mike Tyson for that because Mike Tyson is responsible for one of the most powerful quotes I have ever heard, and everytime I hear it, it reminds me of you." said Isaac looking at Starlight. "Tyson, in his prime, was once quoted as saying, 'In order to be the greatest that ever lived, you have to beat everyone living.' I have accomplished every single goal. I have jumped every roadblock in my entire career and life except for you. Our duel, your time is up and my time is now."

"Your time is now and my time is up? No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Starlight's time is just getting started. You want to quote famous athletes? Well, I got a quote for you. I've got a quote for you from a famous athlete and it goes like this, 'Winning is about heart. You've just got to have it in the right place'. The man who said that quote, Lance Armstrong. He was full of shit and so are you!" stated the girl just smiled smugly.

"Well played, Starlight. Unbelievable confidence. That confidence in your eyes, I had that last time. Listen, in a few hours, history will not repeat itself. I make history."

"You just crystallized everything that is Starlight and Isaac. Right here, I tell you in front of everybody and the world. Isaac, that's the biggest difference between you and me. You think you can beat me? I know I can beat you. And in our duel, I will beat you... again."

Both Isaac and Starlight let their words sink in as they stared at one another. Celestia and Luna knew what to do as they began to get both individual's attention before a possible fight broke out. Celestia then cleared her throat as it got both of their attention.

"Alright, now we'll begin with the questions. Now I will ask each of you some questions and once one of you has answered it, the other will respond." explained Celestia. She then flipped her cards over as she read the question. "This is question is for Isaac: Are you prepared to live with the type of regret that might accompany another loss to Starlight this time around?"

"There is no-- There is no mistaking that today will be a historic day for Duel Monsters. And whether I win or I lose that duel it is safe to say it will change the face of game forever. Celestia if I win the story is an easy tell. I get satisfaction, I get to retain my rank as champion and most importantly I get much needed redemption. If you were to talk to me last time about losing I wouldn't even speak of the subject because I said losing was not an option. And then Starlight defeated me. So I know damn well that losing is an option. Losing is a very real option. Celestia, you want me to talk to you about regret? Well, that's a-- that's a tougher story to tell. Because it means I may be good, but it will make people see me as someone who couldn't win the big one."

Isaac then looked at Starlight, "Celestia, that's one hell of a lot of regret but at least I'll be able to look in that mirror because I can handle failure. This gal right here, Starlight Glimmer, knows nothing of failure. Well, not yet, but she soon will."

"Starlight, your response." said Celestia.

"I don't know about failure. I know about failure. Isaac, let me tell you something. When I was 2 years old, my parents were so broke they couldn't afford to get a single card, they were barely paying the expenses of our house. They were so broke that I had to dig through hourly dumpsters to find old throwaway cards that people didn't want anymore. Me and Sunburst! And I can't begin to tell you all the fun things that were soaked into those dumpsters that we had to dig around in. And about year later, what happened? I won my first junior tournament of my school and then sometime later, I met the King of Games and he said what I told you, 'Congrats, kid. I'd almost hope in you'. And what happened after that, I started to lose and lose and lose, cause the other kids who had more money than me, they had better cards! They started to overwhelm and push me around for holding trash in my hand. I flopped, they looked at me and said, 'Starlight Glimmer, it just ain't working. Go home'! And it wasn't just the kids, it was teachers who said that to my face. I went home and I cried. But what did I do? I could've quit right there, could've given up my Duel Monsters career, but I didn't."

"I worked my ass off and I came back and when I came back into this game... I came back into the game at that time and I said one thing, 'Just give me a duel disk'! Two years after that, I started to win and I became stronger, faster, more powerful, it was I who now stood over those rich kids and mocked in their face that they needed to get better cards. Then for the next 10 years of my life, I won multiple tournaments for my school. I teamed with Sunburst in tag duels all across the underground and the independent scene. Multiple awards given to the both of us, trophies for being a team. We were dueling in small-time venues with no more than 15 people max. And then it happened we were invited to the Duos Cup to compete and we were riding high, we thought we could single-handedly win the whole damn thing and what happened? We went out and got our asses kicked by you and your girlfriend!!" shouted Starlight.

"I sat alone in that locker room. I sat alone in that locker room, thinking about the loss, thinking about the failure that same night. But I decided and I made a decision that I was gonna come back stronger and work hard and become the hardest working person every of all time and then come back and become one of the greatest of all time if not the greatest of all time. So that person, that person, those failures led me to be the girl that I am today. And the girl that I am today is gonna kick your ass in a few hours!!" shouted Starlight.

"Okay, our next question," said Luna as she moved on to avoid tension, "It really pained me last time to watch the two of you. It seemed to me that you both got overtaken with bad blood. And now, looking at you right now, I can see that something's changed. And what I wanna know, and what I think everybody wants to know, what happened? What changed?"

"I'll tell you what happened. I'll tell you what changed. Two duelists went at it wanting to be the best, the absolute best. I give you this Isaac, you beat the living shit out of me and I beat the living shit out of you; that means to me that you are the best. There were no cheap shots, there were no screw jobs, just two people going at it. I beat Isaac in the middle of the dueling field, one, two, three, after that loss, he didn't bitch, he didn't complain, he didn't moan. He took it like a man. And I respect that fully."

"Starlight, I respect the hell out of you and I appreciate you say that I took my loss with class and I took it like a man. And in a few hours, we're gonna see how you handle yours."

"All right. Next question," said Celestia as she looked at another cue card, "My question is to you, Isaac? You say that you think that you could beat Starlight? Well, I wanna know why. Everyone here wants to know why. Why are you gonna beat Starlight this time?"

Isaac didn't fully answer the question right away as he looked at the two principals and then at his friends and then at the crowd of students gathered. He then looked at Starlight as she and everybody else was waiting to hear his response. For Isaac he was also thinking about his friends in the Big 5 and how they would answer if they were in his position. Isaac took his cap off his head as he placed it on the podium as he ran his hand through his hair as he finally spoke.

"Because I have to... that's it. Because I have to."

"Because you have to. That's it?" asked Starlight as she addressed Isaac as she thought that answer was stupid. "That's it? Because you have to? What kind of shallow, weak answer is that, because you have to? Biggest duel of your life, because you have to? How about you wipe a monkey's ass with I have to!!" stated the girl. "Why don't you tell everybody, Isaac, tell them the truth. Tell them why you got to beat me. Tell them why you think you got to beat me. Go ahead, tell the truth, be honest, rip yourself open. Tell the truth!!"

"BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T BEAT ME!!!" yelled Isaac as his whole voice echoed around the room. "You didn't beat me! You cannot beat me! I beat me!!"

"And that's the first time I had ever said that publicly but that is fact! One, one bad decision. I get caught up in one personal moment. You know, I come out here every single day. Some people like me, some people don't like me, it's fine. Every single day for 20 damn years, I've been coming out here and half of them are over here and half of them are over here and I just go along for the ride. You are the only person that has ever clouded my judgement enough to make a stupid decision!!! Celestia, Luna, you both were there hiding in the bushes. I've watched the replay of that duel a hundred times. I had your ass beat!!!" shouted Isaac while pointed at Starlight. "You threw every ace you had at me, not enough. I handled the best you've got and I had you down and out and what did I do? I didn't take into account everything, a rookie mistake. Me an experienced duelist made a rookie mistake, not taking everything into account and why... cause I was so caught up in beating you and getting rid of you!!"

"One time, you personally got in the way of me of making the easiest decision of my life. Here's the good news, that is never, never gonna happen again. This time, I step onto the dueling field with you and I do it my way on my terms because I know! You want a reason?! Here is your reason. I know, I know I am better than Starlight Glimmer!!! And much, much more importantly, you know I am better than you. I'm not some battered veteran at the end of their career just trying to cling on to relevancy using their name cause that's the only thing they have left." said Isaac as he made sure to direct his attention to Celestia and Luna to show he was right.

"Here's what I do know. If you had me beat, you would have beaten me. But you didn't. Here's what happened. Everyone was there, the readers were there, the whole world was watching. You threw everything you had at me, but I had an answer. I beat you, I beat your star magicians, I left you speechless, and I beat you in the middle of the field. So between me and you Isaac, you will never be the man."

"That's what I'm talking about. You all need to take the gloves off. Your duel isn't about respect, it isn't about redemption, it's about winning and losing." said Luna. "There ain't no guarantees in this business and in life. You know what I'm talking about? None. Sometimes, you don't always get what you want. Sometimes, what you want is not always what you get. So, let me ask you this question in public... What do you guys really want in your duel later?" asked the vice-principal.

"I wanna win the big one. Not only win the big one, I wanna dominate Starlight. At the end of the hour, what I want is Starlight to be looking up at the open air sky, and she'll finally realize that this ball-cap wearing punk she says should have never even belonged here, belongs. And not only that, Starlight will realize that I am better than her. What I want to do to Starlight is what she did to me, hand her a loss so devasting, it will haunt her for the rest of her life. That is what I want."

"Haunt me for the rest of my life? Who the hell do you think you're talking to? Haunt me for the rest of my life? I ain't made that way. Isaac, I ain't wired that way. After our duel, I'm gonna wake up champion, while you're gonna wake up stuffing your face with Fruity Pebbles!! Asking yourself why... asking yourself why you couldn't get the job done again. Isaac, you bring it like nobody else in this school. It's the reason why we're going a second time. The bottom line is this, you wanna prove me wrong? Prove me wrong. You wanna prove the world wrong? Prove them wrong. Prove them wrong in our duel. But better than that, how about you prove me wrong right now?" taunted the girl as she stepped away from her podium.

Isaac just followed her lead as he too stepped away from his podium as he was now face to face with Starlight as both stared at each other in the eye. Celestia and Luna signaled the girls as they all rushed to put their hands on Isaac as they slowly pulled their friend away as he didn't resist as he kept staring at Starlight who too was being pulled back by Sunburst as they managed to avoid a fight.

Soon it was time, the sun was slowly setting down, everyone was gathered. Final preparations were being made as Celestia and Luna were making sure that all was ready. The stands were filled to the brim with students, the girls and their mentees were already sitting down as they prepared to watch their head professor in what could very well be his final duel. Starlight was with Sunburst and Trixie as she had some headphones on as she was rocking out and getting her mind focused. Sunburst then tapped her shoulder as she put them around her neck as he gave her the special deck that she had requested.

"Good luck." said Trixie.

Starlight just grabbed the deck as she looked it over and put it in her pocket. Just as she was about to leave, she was stopped by Sunburst who gave her his card: Star Light, Star Bright.

"Take it." said the boy as he placed the card in her hand and closed hers while putting his on top. "At least you know you have your best friend there to support."

"Fine." said Starlight as she felt like she didn't need the card but did it so that Sunburst could stop being sentiment. With that she lead her group to the field as she passed through the door and was welcomed to a reaction.

Isaac was in a classroom with Celestia, Luna, and Twilight as they were trying to convince Isaac to let this go, but it wasn't working.

"Isaac, are you sure?" asked Celestia.

"Yes." said the boy.

"You do this, and we will not be responsible for what happens." said Luna.

"I know, which is why I'm... willing to die for whatever occurs." said Isaac as he knew there was no going back.

"Then we pray that you live." said both women as they hugged the boy as they walked past him through the door.

"Isaac."

"Twilight."

"I... I... you know..." Twilight didn't get to finish her sentence as Isaac grabbed her by the waist and pulled her in as he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her in the air as the two had a deep and passionate kiss as they were letting their hormones take over as their tongues were dancing with each other. Isaac then moved and sat his girlfriend down on a desk as he kept kissing her as she did the same. Twilight didn't want to let go of him as she wanted Isaac to stay here with her and just forget everything, but he was determined. Soon he broke apart as he looked at Twilight with one last smile, he looked at the necklace he had given her as he gave on last kiss on her chin as he then walked out of the classroom. He was now in front of the doors leading to the field as he took a deep breath as he gripped his deck and then setted through as he was given a reaction.

"Ladies and gentleman, it is time... for the one hour ironman championship duel. Between Starlight Glimmer and Isaac." said Celestia as both individuals were on the field and activated their duel disk projecting their card trays and slotting in their deck.

"One hour, one hour straight, they will duel. And the person with the most points at the end of the hour, will be declared the winner and gain the rank of champion." stated Luna. "So... without... any further ado... let the duel.... BEGIN!!!!!"

"Let's duel!!!" shouted Isaac and Starlight.

Author's Note

And so we've reached the finale of this story arc. All of this now comes to a head in the next chapter. So the time is now... after all of the points made by Isaac and Starlight in this chapter, but also in the chapters when this story arc first start, what is your final decision on who you side with? The time is now... what is your final pick?

And for those of you that did enjoy all the jabs Isaac and Starlight did to everybody, including breaking the fourth wall a lot and getting personal. I'm glad, it was a fun thing to do. Also if you have a favorite point that either made, let me know what it was.

But either way, which side are you now? Your final decision needs to be decided now and before the next chapter gets posted.

Chapter 192: Ironman Match

(Cold Open)

It is the dream of the challenger to become champion.

"This is her big moment, this is her chance to steal it all, you know, to be the champion." said Isaac in a voiceover.

The crowning achievement of a lifetime of yearning for greatness. It is the dream of the champion to aspire to excellence, to have their legacy indelibly etched into history. Starlight Glimmer, the confident challenger, a maverick who spits in the face of adversity. Isaac, a tenacious champion, the mighty ring general who refuses to contemplate defeat.

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes to win." said Starlight in an voiceover.

Tonight, for one illustrious hour, in the epic Iron Man match. We will witness their passion, applaud their heroics, and marvel at their athletic prowess.

"It symbolizes who is the actual best duelist and he's/she's gonna find out that, uh, that I'm the best." said both in a voiceover as the picture of themselves was shown for all to see.

Two masters engaged in an extraordinary athletic event. Two duelists bound by one dream. After sixty grueling minutes, one person will have their arm raised high, the quest realized, the challenge overcome. The other will breathe loneliness, their dream shattered.

The image of Isaac and Starlight was now shown facing each other as they looked at one another with a long stare as the image froze as their monsters were shown above them as the battle was on.

(End of Cold Open)

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing." said their duel disks. "Ironman mode, initiated."

Timer- 60:00, Duel #1

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's duel!!" shouted both.

Timer- 59:59

I am willing to die to beat Starlight.

I will kill you Isaac.

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start off, I draw. I summon Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600/1000). Then Breaker gains a spell counter when he's summoned which raises his attack by 300. Next, I'll equip him with Bound Wand which raises his attack by an extra 100 for each of his level, so now he gains an extra 400 attack bring his total strength to 2300." said Isaac as his warrior lifted his sword up as he felt the power boost surge through him.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

"Nice with Isaac starting off like that, he basically has a monster with more than 2000 attack points and it's just his first turn. Now Starlight is sure to go on defense." said Rainbow.

Turn 2: Starlight

"My turn," said Starlight as she drew her card. She looked at her hand as she had an evil smile on her face. "Isaac, you think that I didn't have a plan coming in. Well, think again. See I had a secret weapon I wanted to test out against you, and with you picking this ironman duel, I now have a ton of time to make you suffer."

"Now I play the field spell, Geartown!" shouted Starlight as the whole field began to change as there was metal buildings as all around they had a common thing.

"Geartown? No..."

"I now summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound(1000/1000)." Out came a mechanized hound as it had a set of metal jaws. Soon it opened its jaws as a flamethrower was shown and fired some fire at Isaac as he felt the flames of the heat as he dropped down to a knee.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

"Ancient Gear!" said Isaac as he was shocked to see Starlight using the one deck that he really hated in all of Duel Monsters.

"I know how much you have a disdain for Ancient Gears. So I took it upon myself to have built one, so that I can use it to make you suffer." smiled Starlight as she was glad to have done some extra research. "Now thanks to my field spell, all my 'Ancient Gear' summons require one less tribute. I'll then lay two cards facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he drew his card. I didn't expect Starlight to use an Ancient Gear deck, that means I have to end this fast and get the first point. Isaac now looked at the time on his duel disk as the timer was counting down showing that he needed to get a move on.

Timer- 55:15

"I'll have my Breaker attack your Hunting Hound!" shouted Isaac as he had his monster leap into the air as he had his warrior do a downward slash at the pooch as it exploded into tons of small nuts and bolts.
Starlight's Life Points: 6700-

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll reveal my facedowns, Ancient Gear Reborn, so now since I control no monsters, I can revive an 'Ancient Gear' monster so my Hunting Hound is back and it gains 200 more attack points. Then I'll activate my Ancient Gear Spark Shot! Since I special summoned one 'Ancient Gear' monster from my grave, I can deal you damage equal to half of its attack points." said Starlight as her hound rose up as her trap fired a shot full of electricity as it hit Isaac who let out a painful scream.
Isaac's Life Points: 6800-

"Our life points are near the same, well not for long. Cause since my field lowers the amount of tributes I need by one, which means I can summon this monster simply by getting rid of my hound, so now I advance summon my Ancient Gear Hydra(2700/1700)!" Out emerged a machine monster hydra as it had three heads as they all let out a roar as they had all six eyes on Isaac as they looked to tear the boy apart. "Now my hydra attack his Breaker!" shouted Starlight as her monster had its middle hear opened its mouth and fired a beam that took out Isaac's monster as the boy covered up.
Isaac's Life Points: 6400-

"Now my Bound Wand's effect activates, so now I can bring back my Breaker in attack mode!" said Isaac as his monster rose up once again.

"Another chance for me to take him down and make you suffer even more, I end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My draw," said Isaac as he drew his card and saw that it was his Berry Magician Girl. If I play my Berry Magician Girl, I can't activate her second effect. Plus, given her stats, I'll lose massive life points cause of how I can't activate any card effects when an Ancient Gear monster battles. What do I do, this is why I hate Ancient Gears.

"I'll play the spell card Swords of Revealing Light, so now you can't attack for three turns." said Isaac as three giant swords came raining down from the sky as they embedded onto Starlight's field.

"You really think this will hold me?" taunted Starlight as she thought Isaac's spell didn't mean much.

"Now I summon Berry Magician Girl(400/400)." Isaac's baby magician then came out as she used her tiny wings to hover in the air as she sucked on a pacifier and had a tiny wand in her hand. "And when I summon my Berry Magician Girl, I can add a 'Magician Girl' to my hand." Isaac then used his duel disk screen as he saw his options and was thinking of which one he wanted.

This time it wasn't which cute girl he wanted, but more so which would provide him the most optimal play when dealing with Starlight. Even Isaac's magician girls knew what their master was thinking and the situation they found themselves in as they didn't do their usual thing of fighting to get their master's attention to pick them. They knew that decision was critical. Isaac was having a tough time as his Berry Magician Girl sat on his shoulder as she put her tiny hand on her master's cheek and sucked her pacifier as she looked at her master trying to make his choice.

"Which one do I choose? I need to pick the right one to counter Starlight." said Isaac as he let out a grunt of frustration. He then looked at the tiny baby on his shoulder as she made a suck sound with her pacifier as she smiled at her master. "You're right, Berry. I just need to trust my instincts. Alright then, so which one do you pick?"

"Hmm... I want Kiwi." said the small baby.

"Big, big sister it is. I select my Kiwi Magician Girl." said Isaac as his duel disk ejected his choice as the spirit of Kiwi Magician Girl appeared as she gave a kiss to her baby sister's cheek and rubbed her tummy. She then gave a kiss to her master as she disappeared into her card.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn," said the girl as she drew her card, "I now summon Ancient Gear Wyvern(1700/1200) and when I summon it, I can add an 'Ancient Gear' card to my hand from my deck. I then play Polymerization so that fuse together the two Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds in my hand." Starlight's two monsters let out a howl as they were sucked into a vortex as their energies were being used to summon a brand new monster. "I Fusion Summon, Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound(1400/1000)!" A new hound appeared as it had two heads for twice the bite and twice the power.

"I now end my turn."
(Turn Counter: 1)

Turn 7: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll sacrifice my Berry Magician Girl so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl!" Isaac then had his ace female spellcaster appear as she made her presence known. "Then I'll reveal my facedown, Dark Magic Expanded so that I can raise the attack points of my Dark Magician Girl by 1000. Then I'll discard my Kiwi Magician Girl so that I can activate her ability to raise the attack points of my Dark Magician Girl so now she has 3900 attack points."

"Oops, I forget to mention that when you summoned your Dark Magician Girl, she gains a Gear Counter!" said Starlight with an evil smile as a gear appeared above Isaac's magician as it rotated.

"Now Mana, attack that Ancient Gear Hydra!" shouted Isaac as he had his female magician take out Starlight's monster as it let out a cry as it was destroyed.
Starlight's Life Points: 5500-

"Now Breaker attack Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound!" said Isaac as his swordsman cut down the dog once more.
Starlight's Life Points: 5200-

"I end my turn."

Turn 8: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll play Card of Demise so that I can draw five cards as long as I discard my hand in five turns. To start off, I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy your Swords of Revealing Light. Then activate the spell card Re-Fusion so I pay 800 life points so that I can revive my Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound." said Starlight as her monster rose up once more letting out a howl. "Next, I'll sacrifice my Ancient Gear Wyvern so that I can summon Ancient Gear Golem(3000/3000)!" Starlight's monster then disappeared as it was soon replaced by a giant robot as it was huge and tall as it reigned over the field as it let out a mechanized cry.
Starlight's Life Points: 4400-

"Not that!" said Isaac as he looked at the size of the monster staring him down.

"But I'm not down, cause now I play the spell Ancient Gear Spark Fusion! So now I can fusion summon using monsters from my graveyard, so I'll combine both of my Ancient Gear Hunting Hounds, Ancient Gear Wyvern, and Ancient Gear Hydra!" all of Starlight's monsters now appeared as they were all sucked into the vortex that appeared behind them as a brand new and destructive monster was now appearing as Isaac had a scared look on his face.

"And now I have everything I need to bring out the greatest monster to take you down. I summon a monster that will crush all in its path! Stand in awe of the ground shaking Chaos Ancient Gear Giant(4500/3000)!!" The ground shook as Isaac and everybody else could feel it, soon it opened up behind Starlight as she had a sly smile as out emerged a colossal giant robot as it let out a sound as it had a pair of cannons on its hands as it pointed one of them at Isaac and his monsters. "Time to end this, cause thanks to my Chaos Ancient Gear Giant, he can attack each one of your monsters once. So my monster, start off with his Breaker!" commanded Starlight as her monster pointed its weapon at Isaac's monster and fired a powerful beam as it took it out.
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"And now my giant attacks your Dark Magician Girl. Oh my bad, see Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound has an additional effect, see when a monster with a Gear counter battles, that monster is instantly destroyed. So your Dark Magician Girl is gone!" said Starlight.

"No, my Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he saw Mana be destroyed.

"And now that she's destroyed, your life points are wide open! Finish him my monsters!" shouted Starlight as all of her Ancient Gear monsters all took their own swing at the boy as he was thrown for a loop and knocked onto the ground.

"AHH!!!" shouted Isaac as he hit the ground hard as he laid on his stomach.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"Starlight Glimmer scores the first point." said Luna as the scoreboard on the screen that showed their portraits, now had changed from a zero to a one on Starlight's side.

Points: Starlight Glimmer - 1, Isaac - 0.

Timer - 47:45

"No! He lost!" said Rainbow as she and the girls were shocked that Starlight was able to beat Isaac in the first duel and get the lead.

"He's already down a point." said Sunset.

"And that's not all, that duel took about 13 minutes and already Isaac has fallen behind. He needed that first point to set the pace of this thing, but Starlight caught him offguard with that surprise deck." stated Twilight.

"Well, at least Isaac now knows what he's dealing with. Which means he can now adjust on the fly and plan accordingly!" said Applejack. "If there's anything Isaac's good at, is being able to see his opponent and how they duel and make changes to his dueling style and strategies, like that." stated the girl as she snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

"True, but does he have enough time?" said Fluttershy.

"Second duel, begin!" shouted Celestia as Isaac slowly got back up from the ground as he looked at Starlight as she smiled and activated her duel disk. Isaac did the same as he had got some scuff marks on his body and skin as he activated his duel disk.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"I'll start this off," said Starlight as she drew her card. "I'll start off with my spell card, Ancient Gear Fortress. Now anytime my 'Ancient Gear' monsters are summoned, you can't target them or destroy them with card effects. Also you can't activate any cards or effects in response to my 'Ancient Gear' cards or effects. Then I'll play another continuous spell card, Ancient Gear Castle! Now all face-up 'Ancient Gear' monsters gain 300 attack points and each time a monster is normal summoned or set, I can place a counter on this card. So I'll summon my Ancient Gear Wyvern(1700/1200)! And by summoning my Ancient Gear Wyvern, I get to add an 'Ancient Gear' card from my deck to my hand." Starlight's monster then appeared as it let out a cry as it appeared as Starlight selected the card she wanted.

"I end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn," said Isaac as he still had scuff marks on him, "I discard my one card from my hand so that I can special summon my Apprentice Illusion Magician(2000/1700)." Isaac now had a female teen appear on his field as she took her position and twirled her hand as she pointed it at the monster. "And by summoning her, I can now add 'Dark Magician' to my hand. Next, since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And by summoning my Mage Annette, I can draw one card." said Isaac as he now had a kid magician appear on his field as she opened her book and a card floated from there to his hand.

"Next, I'll lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 3: Starlight

"Why even bother playing any cards facedown? You can't activate them due to my monster's special abilities." taunted Starlight. "Now then, I'll equip my Ancient Gear Wyvern with Ancient Gear Tank to give it 600 more attack points rising its strength to a total of 2600! Now Ancient Gear Wyvern attack his Apprentice Illusion Magician!" Ancient Gear Wyvern then opened its mouth as it fired a beam that took out Isaac's magician.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

"Next up, I'll activating my Terraforming card so that I can fetch a field spell and I choose Geartown and then activate it so that all my tribute require one less. So I'll sacrifice my Ancient Gear Castle so that I can summon Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound(3000/3000)!" shouted Starlight as the ground once again shook with Isaac feeling the effects as soon a golem rose up as it let out a mechanized sound as it stared down at the boy.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, I draw!" said Isaac. Starlight now has 2 monsters on the field with at least 2500 attack points, which means I need something strong.

"I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two cards." said Isaac as he drew his cards and looked at them. "Now I've drawn Watapon(200/300) so I can summon him to the field in defense mode. And the other card I've drawn was my Palladium Oracle Mahad(2500/2100) and I can special summon his as well!" shouted the boy as he had his two monsters now on the field as he looked to turn this duel around.

"I now end my turn with another facedown."

Turn 5: Starlight

"That's all? This is easy. My draw," said Starlight. "Now I'll have my Ancient Gear Wyvern attack your Mage Annette!" shouted the girl as her monster took flight and destroyed Isaac's kid magician. "And now Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound attack his Watapon!" Ancient Gear Golem then looked at the tiny creampuff as it then reeled back its fist and smashed the tiny thing as it created a huge hole. "Oh, I forget to mention that my monster deals piecing damage!" laughed Starlight evilly.

"AHH!!!" shouted Isaac as he felt the attack as it dropped him to both knees as he placed his hands on the ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 4700-

"And that's not all my monster can do, see up to twice per turn, I can discard a Machine monster from my hand and my golem can attack again. So now take out his Palladium Oracle Mahad!" said Starlight as her golem delivered a another hard right as Isaac lost another monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 4200-

"Now my Palladium Oracle Mahad's effect activates, so now I can special summon Dark Magician from my deck!" shouted the boy as he now had his ace monster on the field.

"So be it, I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My turn and I'll play Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we control six cards." said Isaac as he and Starlight drew their hands. "Now I'll reveal my facedown Spell Shattering Arrow, so now I can destroy your Ancient Gear Fortress as well as your Ancient Gear Tank and you take 500 points of damage for each spell I destroy. And with fortress spell gone, I can destroy your Ancient Gear Monsters with card effects." said Isaac as an arrow then shot towards Starlight's field as it took out her two cards and dealt her damage.
Starlight's Life Points: 6700-

"Well my Ancient Gear Tank has another ability, when its destroyed, you take 600 points of damage!" shouted Starlight as a shock of electricity was sent Isaac's way as he felt it and let out a pain.
Isaac's Life Points: 3600-

"And that's not all, cause since you destroyed my Ancient Gear Fortress, I can special summon one 'Ancient Gear' monster from my hand or graveyard, so I summon Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon(3000/2000)." Starlight now had an even mighty dragon as it let out a roar as it came from the sky.

"That's fine cause now I can play this Thousand Knives to destroy your Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound!" said Isaac as small daggers appeared next to his magician as he launched all of them at the giant robot as it exploded. "Next, I'll play Magic Formula to give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. Then play Diffusion Wave-Motion so I give up 1000 life points so that I can have my magician attack all of your monsters. Then reveal my facedown, Dark Magic Expanded so that my Dark Magician gains 1000 more attack for a total of 4200!"
Isaac's Life Points: 2600-

Isaac's monster then leaped into the air as it used its staff to create a huge ball of energy as it grew larger and larger until he pointed at Starlight's field and took out all of her monsters.
Starlight's Life Points: 3600-

"Not bad, but when you destroyed my Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound, it allowed me to add a 'Polymerization' to my hand. And also add an 'Ancient Gear' monster from my graveyard to my hand. So I'll take back my Ancient Gear Gadjiltron Dragon." said Starlight as she grabbed both cards that ejected as she added them to her current hand.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 7: Starlight

"Time to end this, draw!" said Starlight. "Now I'll use the effect of my Ancient Gear Reborn to bring back my Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound, but it now gains 200 more attack points. Then I activate my other facedown, Ancient Gear Spark Shot to deal you damage equal to half of my monster's attack points." said the girl as another shot hit Isaac square in the chest as he fell down on his knees with his arms to his side.
Isaac's Life Points: 1000-

"Now I play Polymerization so that I can fuse together my Ancient Gear Golem, with two more 'Ancient Gear' monsters in my hand." said Starlight as she had all three of her chosen monsters appear as a vortex opened up behind her as it sucked them all in as the new monster was shown and it was big. "Using my superior skills, I'll unite all the wisdom and savagery of past ages into a brutal behemoth! I Fusion Summon! Ultimate Ancient Gear Golem(4400/3400)!!!" Once more another huge monster came as it let out a mechanized sound as it had a claw on one arm.

"I said this duel was done, and now... finish him!" shouted Starlight as her monster brought its huge and mighty claw down on Isaac's magician as it was destroyed and Isaac couldn't put his arms up to protect himself as he was thrown even harder on his back as he had more scuff marks on his skin and body.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"Winner of the second duel, Starlight." said Luna.

Once more the scoreboard updated.

Points: Starlight - 2, Isaac - 0.

Timer - 35:21

"He lost again." said Pinkie.

"Shit, Isaac is now down by two points." said Rainbow.

"Isaac, come on." stated Twilight as she saw her boyfriend was struggling.

"This is your hero, everybody?!" shouted Starlight as she shouted to the students in the stands and to the readers. "This is your hero?! He can barely stand up, and he's already down two points. I said it before, my time is now!!!"

"The third duel will begin." said Celestia.

"Can't they give Isaac a few seconds to stand up?" asked Applejack.

"The rules state. One hour straight, no stopping the timer for anything." said Sunset as she too wished for Isaac to take a moment to recover as he struggled just to even get to his knees.

Isaac was breathing heavily as he felt the wind get sucked out of him as he tried his best to ignore the pain as he activated his duel disk while Starlight smiled.

"Isaac said he would have the advantage the longer this match goes, but I think he meant if he was in the lead. Isaac was hoping he'd be the one in charge so that he can drag the duel out and have Starlight run out of steam. Now he has to shift his plan to playing catchup instead of trying to drag it out. All Starlight needs to do is play defense till the timer runs out and given what she's playing, that's not gonna be a problem." said Twilight as the others were concerned.

"Third duel, begin!" shouted Celestia.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"The ball is my court, you can barely stand, so the question is should I just let the clock run out, or I should I try to get as many points as I can?" asked Starlight as she drew her card and looked at Isaac as he put his hand to his face as his vision was becoming a bit blurry.

"I've decided and that is... torture you as much as I can before the clock runs out. Pray to salvation that the clock can save you." chuckled Starlight.

"Isaac!" shouted the girls as they were shouting to their male friend to not give up and hang on.

"I'll summon Ancient Gear Statue(500/800) in defense mode." A small monster appeared as it was the head of an Ancient Gear monster. "I'll then end my turn, I'll give you one free turn before I end you." snickered the girl.

Turn 2: Isaac

"I... I... draw." said Isaac in a tired tone as he slowly drew his card as he wobbled a bit to his side as he saw the scuff marks on his skin as he focused. "I summon my tuner monster, Enchantress of Melody(900/1800) in defense mode." said Isaac. Isaac played his magician as a beautiful young girl with crimson-colored eyes, an determined and gentle look and mid-length dark brown hair tied into two twin-tails to a ribbon that laid on her shoulders. She wore black robes and a cloak, she wielded a silver staff and kept a short sword sheathed around her waist. Underneath the cloak, she wore a low-cut blouse, ultra-short pink miniskirts, and wore burgundy boots that stopped before her knee caps. She also wore some leggings that stopped halfway to her thighs as she still showed off her fair smooth skin.

"I... then set a card..." Isaac didn't have the strength to fully say his move.

"Come on, Isaac. Really?" asked Rainbow.

"Cut him some slack, Dash!" shouted Rarity. "The poor thing is bruised up, he can barely stand as is!"

"Isaac, please. Don't die." said Twilight as she closed her eyes and prayed at what her boyfriend said at how far he was willing to go to end Starlight. Even risk his own life to beat her.

Turn 3: Starlight

"Pathetic, I gave you chance. And now to end you." said Starlight as she drew her card. "I now activate the Machine Duplication spell card, so now I can special summon two more Ancient Gear Statues from my deck. So now I have three, and then I'll activate their abilities, so for each one that I tribute, I can replace it with an Ancient Gear Golem in my hand."

"Okay, that's a bit bad. It's not like she has three golems in her hand." said Pinkie. Soon her expression changed on a dime as Starlight showed her hand as she did in fact have three Ancient Gear Golems in her starting hand. "Oh, shit!"

"So I'll get rid of all three of my statues to summon my Ancient Gear Golems(3000/3000)!" shouted Starlight as her monsters appeared in front of her as the ground opened up as three large and huge machine golems appeared as Isaac found himself in a similar situation.

"I reveal my facedown, Tuner's Barrier. Now a tuner monster on my side of the field can't be destroyed this turn." said Isaac.

"So you managed to save your little pathetic girl. Seems even you try to play the hero for your monsters, well being the hero comes with a price and time to pay! Ancient Gear Golem #1 attack his monster!" shouted Starlight as her first golem raised its fist as a barrier formed around Isaac's monster as it protected her. "Don't forget, my golems can inflict piercing damage, hope saving one of your girls from your little harem was worth it!"
Isaac's Life Points: 6800-

"Attack, Ancient Gear Golem #2!" said Starlight as her second monster attacked.
Isaac's Life Points: 4600-

"And Golem #3, attack!!" shouted the girl as her third monster raised its fist and made contact with the barrier as Isaac fell down again.
Isaac's Life Points: 2400-

"Ahhh!!" said Isaac as he felt the attacks and more pain.

"Lie there like the bitch you are!!" said Starlight. "Even a dog has more sense than you, tuck your tail between your legs, pussy."

"Never!" said Isaac as he willed himself to get up.

"Time to end this. I play the spell Level Thunder to inflict you damage equal to the combined total of all my monsters by 100. And since each golem has a level of 8 and there are 3 of them, that means the damage comes out to 2400. And that's all you have left, so... good night." said Starlight as some lighting bolts were heading Isaac's way.

"Isaac!!" shouted the girls and their students.

"I send Clear Kuriboh from my hand so that I take no damage from your spell." said Isaac as he slid the tiny monster to his grave as it took the hit for its master as Isaac fell down to his knees once more.

"He survived." said the girls in a sigh of relief.

"So you hung on with a feeble little monster, well no matter, cause I have three golems on the field. And come next turn, they'll end you."

Turn 4: Isaac

Isaac was still on his knees as he tried to stand up and draw his card as the timer was ticking down. Starlight was enjoying this as she had a sick smile on her face as watching her enemy struggle to breathe much less get up.

"Looks like that's a third..."

"NO!!!" shouted Isaac as he yelled at Starlight and his body. "AHHHH!!!!" yelled the boy as his spirit raged on even bright as he willed himself and his adrenaline to take over as he stood up.

"Impossible." said Starlight.

"My draw! Stand back!" said Isaac. "I play Pot of Greed to draw two cards. Then activate Dark Magical Circle! So now I can look at the top three cards of my deck and then I can reveal a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card or the monster itself and add it to my hand and put the other cards back in any order I choose." Isaac's duel disk then showed his options as he made his choice as it slid out for him to grab as he used his screen to rearrange the order of his other cards.

"I reveal Dark Magic Expanded. Next, I'll play Strength in Unity. Then I'll play Advanced Ritual Art, so now I can ritual summon a monster by sending normal-type monsters from my deck so I send my Dark Magician so that I can ritual summon Magician of Chaos(2500/2100)!" Isaac's monster then entered a black portal as a pillar of light emerged and soon his other monster emerged on the field.

"So what? Your monster is weak."

"Correction my monster isn't weak, in fact it has the power to defeat you. Like this, first my Dark Magical Circle's second effect activates when I summon Dark Magician, I can banish one card you control and my Magician of Chaos becomes 'Dark Magician' when its on the field or in my graveyard. But that's not all my Strength in Unity now activates, since I ritual summoned using Dark Magician, I can now banish a second card you control. So I'm banishing two of your golems!"

"A double banishment?!!" said the girls and their students as well as Celestia and Luna as they were shocked by what Isaac just did.

"No way!" said Starlight as she watched two of her mighty monsters fall.

"And that's not all, cause now I activate my Magician of Chaos' ability once per turn, when a spell/trap card or effect is activated, I can destroy one card on the field, so say goodbye to your last golem!" said Isaac as he now cleared Starlight of her entire field as she was left with nothing.

"All three golems gone?!" said the girl in shock.

"He actually beat them all." said Twilight in awe at how her boyfriend was able to turn the tables in his favor.

"Next, I'll play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Dark Magician. Then activate my Enchantress of Melody's effect, so now I can roll a die and whatever number it lands on I can either increase or decrease a monster on my field by that level." Isaac now had a die appear in his hand as his magician put her hand over his as she transferred some energy to her young master to help him roll.

"Thanks, Melody."

"My pleasure, Isaac." said the teen girl as she gave a kiss to the boy's cheek.

"Dice Roll!!" shouted both of them as they tossed the die into the air as it spun and soon rolled around on the ground as it landed on a number. "Now I'll decrease my Melody's level from 3 to 2. And with that, I'll now tune my Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician. And when I use Dark Magician as synchro material, he counts as Level 6 instead of 7. So now I tune my monsters together!" shouted Isaac as his female magician played her lyra and transformed into two giant green rings as they circled around his other magician. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac now had his synchro monster as out came a spellcaster that had white hair and had garments that were dressed in a indigo/purple color scheme. It wielded a staff and was surrounded by bits of stardust and magical symbols.

"I now play the second to last card in my hand, Dedication through Light and Darkness, so I'll tribute my Magician of Chaos so that I can summon my Dark Magician of Chaos(2800/2600). And when my Dark Magician of Chaos, I can then add a spell card to my hand, so I choose my Monster Reborn, but I'll play it so that I can bring back my Magician of Chaos." said Isaac as he now had three monsters on his field.

Starlight was sweating a bit as she saw Isaac's magicians, He's got three monsters on the field and I'm wide open, but... even with their total attack, I'll still have life point left.

"Don't forget I have one final card in my hand, Starlight. And it's the key to winning."

"Wait... the card in his hand..."

"I play Dark Magic Expanded, now I can give a Dark spellcaster on my field an extra 1000 attack points this turn, so I choose my Magician of Chaos." said Isaac as his monster now had 3500 attack points. "So now... my magicians combine your attacks together and take out Starlight's life points!!" commanded the boy as his three monsters all put their staffs together as they created a huge beam of magical energy as it shot towards Starlight as she took a hard hit as it caused her to take a tumble onto the grass as she had some dirt and scuff marks forming on her skin.
Starlight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"And Isaac does it!!! He gets a point, he scored a quick one over Starlight!!!" shouted Celestia as she came out of her seat and shook Luna in excitement as she couldn't believe what she saw as she was happy. She then noticed what she did as she cleared her throat and recomposed herself as she straighten out her sister's shirt as Luna looked at her older sister with a glare.

Soon the entire crowd made a noise as they saw Isaac score a win and get back in the duel. The girls all cheered as did their students as they all shared some high fives. Twilight was happy to see her boyfriend finally got one over Starlight that she believed he was now on the road to catching up and beating Starlight. The scoreboard now changed as Isaac was awarded his first point.

Score: Starlight - 2, Isaac - 1.

Timer - 30:15

"This is great, Isaac was able to score a win in less than five minutes, now all he has to do is win one more and he ties with Starlight. After that, he'll then be back in driver's seat as he can drown Starlight the longer the two of them duel." said Sunset.

"Starlight!" called out Sunburst as he wanted to check on his friend even if it was against her wishes. Soon he saw her slowly get up as she had marks but that didn't stop her.

"You got one lucky break, it won't happen again." said Starlight. She then pulled out her Ancient Gear deck as she switched now to her Constellar deck as she meant business. "Time to put a stop to your comeback."

"Bring it... asshole." said Isaac as he was exhausted a bit but still had the energy to taunt the girl as both activated their duel disk.

"Duel #4, begin!" shouted Celestia.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"My... oh god... I'm getting tired... play... my Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800) in defense mode. Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

"Isaac's not looking too good." said Fluttershy.

"What do you expect, this is his fourth duel in a row without any rest in between." said Sunset.

"And he needs to pick up the pace, cause Starlight is still ahead by one point. So realistically, she still has the advantage cause all she needs to do is stall Isaac and for time which means she's going to be playing defense. So she's forcing Isaac to come at her, so that she can prepared to stop his assaults." stated Rainbow.

"True, Dash. But I have faith the city slicker can do it, if anybody can, it's him." stated the country gal.

Turn 2: Starlight

"My turn," said the girl as she drew her card. "I summon Constellar Algiedi(1600/1400). And by summoning Algiedi, I can also special summon one Level 4 'Constellar' monster from my hand, so I choose my Constellar Acubens(800/2000) in attack mode. And when Acubens is summoned, all my Constellar monsters gain 500 more attack points." Starlight’s first monster descended from the golden portal above her, a slim figure in silver armor wielding a club with a blue gemstone set in it. Algiedi raised its club and fired a ray of light at the ground. Within the circle of light rose a second monster, a massive silver robot with a pair of glowing orange scissor claws. "Now Algiedi take out his Magician's Valkyria!" shouted Starlight.

"I... reveal my facedown, Magic Cylinder so now I can redirect your attack right back at your life points!" said Isaac as his trap made two cylinders appear as one of them absorbed Starlight's attack and the other shot it back at her as she put her duel disk arm up to protect her as she still felt the attack and dropped her to a knee with more scuffs on her body.
Starlight's Life Points: 5900-

"Grr, you think you're clever. Well not clever enough. Cause now I'll overlay both of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as her two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Praesepe(2400/800)!!" Starlight’s newest monster burst out of the light, a burly knight in bright silver and gold armor with a massive pair of energy disks mounted on the back of its hands.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My draw... keep it together..." said Isaac as he drew his card feeling his arm strength fail a bit. "Since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) and by doing so, I can draw one card from my deck. And now I summon my Magician's Robes(700/2000) in defense mode as well." said Isaac as he now had three monsters all in defense mode.

"Isaac's just playing defense, he should be attacking, he's down a point." said Rainbow.

"You try dueling 4 duels in a row!" shouted Twilight as it got the girls to be legit scared of their bookworm friend as she was defending her boyfriend.

"Settle down, Twilight." said Sunset who tried to calm her friend from starting another fight.

"I... end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Starlight

"My turn and I'll play Constellar Belt. So now you can't negate my monsters' effects. And with that done, I'll now summon Constellar Shertan(700/1900). And by summoning Shertan, I can add a 'Constellar' monster to my hand." said Starlight as her new monster now appeared and grabbed a card ejected from her duel disk. "Now Constellar Praesepe attack his Magician's Valkyria!" said the girl as her monster took out Isaac's monster.

"Now I activate my Magician's Robes effect, so by discarding a spell/trap card from my hand, I can now special summon my Dark Magician from my deck!" said Isaac as he now had his star magician on the field.

"So be it, cause now I'll end my turn." (Hand 2)

Turn 5: Isaac

"My draw, now... I'll play Magic Formula so that I can raise my magician's attack by 700. So now, my magician attack her Constellar Shertan!" shouted Isaac.

"I activate my Constellar Praesepe's special ability, when a 'Constellar' monster is attack or attacking, I can remove an overlay unit to give it 1000 more attack points. So now my Shertan has 1700 attack points and will minimize the amount of damage I take." said Starlight as her monster powered up as it lowered the amount of damage Starlight would take as it was destroyed.
Starlight's Life Points: 4400-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Starlight

"Now then, I draw, and I'll play Rank-Up Magic Constellar Eclipse Force!" said Starlight.

"Oh no." said Isaac as he heard from his friends what that card could do.

"Now I can take one 'Constellar' monster in my Extra Deck and use it to summon a different monster that's one rank higher! so I'll use my Constellar Hyades and use it to Xyz Summon!" said Starlight as her monster appeared for a second as it turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as another portal opened up in front of her. Soon the orb of light disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank Up Xyz Evolution, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 1)!" The golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with a spark of gold light circling it.

"Now my monsters take out his defense position creatures." said Starlight as both of her monsters got rid of Isaac's Mage Annette and Magician's Robes. "But don't think I'm done, cause I now play the spell Constellar Tempest!!" shouted Starlight as soon the entire sky light up with red lights. Soon those dots came more into focus as they turned out to be meteors heading straight towards the boy. "Death rains from above, cause I now I cut your life points in half by removing my two monster's Xyz materials!!" shouted the girl.

"Isaac move!!" shouted his friends.

"Shit!" said Isaac as he tried to run given his body as exhausted as he ran.

The meteors were faster than he expected as soon they landed in his path and stopped him from advancing as he turned to look at the sky as a giant one was right above his head as soon it collided with him as a huge explosion went off.

"AHHH!!!" screamed the boy as he fell face first onto the ground.
Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

"Isaac!!" shouted Twilight.

"Stand up!!! Stand up so I can make you my personal bitch!!" said Starlight. "You're terrified of not only losing to me, but of letting these people down!"

Isaac was struggling to get back up as he put his hands to his side and tried to push up against the ground to get up but it was so painful. He soon got onto his knees with his arms to his side as he let out deep breathes and looked at Starlight as he wiped his nose and then slowly got up on one knee.

"If you think for one second, that I'm terrified of you. Then not only have you lost your confidence, girl, you're out your damn mind!!" shouted Isaac as he got back to both of his feet. "Chipmunk cheeks, you say that your going make history by making me your bitch. You're only half right with that statement! See I'm the son of bitch that's gonna make history by whipping your ass!!!" yelled the boy as he was stilling showing defiance and willing to continue the duel.

"Then take your turn!"

Turn 7: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll reveal my facedown, Eternal Soul. So I can use its power to add 'Dark Magic Attack' to my hand, then I'll use it so that I can destroy all your spell and trap cards." said Isaac as his magician pointed its wand at it took out Starlight's entire backrow. "Now, Dark Magician attack her Constellar Praesepe!" shouted Isaac as his monster now raised his staff and fired a powerful attack as it took out her monster.
Starlight's Life Points: 3600-

"With that, I lay one card facedown."

Turn 8: Starlight

"My turn, and I play Constellar Star Chart. Now I'll give my Constellar Omega an upgrade, I overlay to construct the Overlay Network!" The crowd went wild as Starlight’s monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Omega burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 1)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"And since I Xyz summon a Constellar monster, I can draw one card from my deck. I'll then play Constellar Star Cradle so I'll take back my Constellar Algiedi and Acubens from my graveyard and add them to my hand. Next, I'll summon Constellar Acubens again and when it's summoned, all my Constellar monsters gain 500 more attack points." Starlight's monster now rose up in defense mode as it pointed its weapon at its comrade as it gave both it and himself a power boost.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 9: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll activate the effect of my Enteral Soul once more, so now I can add Thousand Knives to my hand. Then I'll play Thousand Knives to get rid of your Constellar Acubens and with it gone, your other monster loses that extra 500 attack." said Isaac as his magical daggers took our Starlight's smaller monster as her dragon lost power. "Now, Mahad take down that beast with Dark Magic Attack!" shouted Isaac as he had his magician leap into the air as he pointed his wand at Starlight's monster as it took it out.
Starlight's Life Points: 3100-

"I... end..."

Turn 10: Starlight

"You're done! Draw! I now play Rank-Up Magic Constellation Force! So now I can use a Constellar monster in my graveyard and use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher! So I'll revive my Constellar Omega!"

"No!!" shouted the girls as they knew what Starlight was summoning.

"This monster has been dying to meet you again, Isaac!" shouted the girl with a sick evil smile as her Omega turned into an orb of light as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon it entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution. Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 1)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"Ooh, Isaac." sang Starlight in a cult like voice as she had the boy trembling a bit at he saw the monster that took him out the first time they clashed.

"That monster..." Isaac looked at the great as it was exactly as he remembered it as the memory of the last battle came rushing to his head.

"Indeed, and now I'll activate its ability, by using one overlay unit, I can return all my Xyz 'Constellar' monsters in my graveyard back to my hand and my Ursa Proeliator gains 500 attack points for each one!" said the girl as her warrior lifted its spear up in the air as the spirits of its comrades were unfused into it as its strength rose to 5500 attack points. "Now take out his magician!" shouted Starlight as her monster then raced forward as the bear had a set of killer eyes as drool fell from its mouth as it pinned down Isaac's monster as it brought its big and mighty paws down on its target.
Isaac's Life Points: 1700-

"When my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 2700-

"Like that matters, my monster can attack twice per battle, so you lose!!!" shouted Starlight as her warrior then leaped out of its seat and jumped high into the air as it locked its eyes on the boy and the flung its weapon with tons of power and force as it hit Isaac square in the chest as he was sent flying onto the ground hard.

"AHHH!!!" screamed Isaac as he felt himself hit hard. If he had hit the ground even harder, he would have definitely suffered some broken bones, but he managed to protect himself upon impact.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Starlight

"Starlight... now scores a third point." said Celestia in awe and sadness at how she managed to beat Isaac even switching decks.

Scoreboard: Starlight - 3, Isaac - 1

Timer - 24:07

"The only down side is that it only took six minutes, but that means I get to torture you even more." laughed Starlight as she the most evil smile possible as she licked her lips with her tongue at the thought of making Isaac suffer and ending his life.

"Bring.. i... t..." was all Isaac said as he stood up.

"Duel #5, begin!" shouted Celestia.

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"My.... I..." Isaac couldn't say the words as he drew his card. "I... Magician Boy(1500/1200)... attack mode." Isaac was really starting to slow down as he placed his monster on the field as it appeared. Isaac's small magician looked at his master as he could see how tired his master was becoming. He then pointed his staff at Isaac as he casted a small spell on his master as it gave him a small amount of energy to at least talk normally so that he can explain his moves.

"Thanks, buddy." said Isaac. "Now since I control a Level 4 or lower monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode." Isaac's other kid magician appeared as she too could sense her master's lifeforce as it was weak, so she used her magic to transfer some of her magic to boost the stamina of her master also.

"Thanks you two." smiled Isaac at his kid magicians.

"You're welcome, Isaac." said the two kids.

"Now since my Mage Annette was summoned, I can draw an extra card." said Isaac as he drew said and looked at it before placing it facedown.

Turn 2: Starlight

"My turn," said Starlight as she drew her card. She looked at her hand when she felt her right arm hurt a bit as she placed her left hand on it and rotated it a bit to loosen the pain. Slowing down, means I need to end this now and stop Isaac from trying to score anymore points.

"Since I control no monsters, I can special summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600). Then I'll sacrifice my Constellar Siat so that I can summon my Constellar Virgo(2300/1600)!" said Starlight as she replaced her smaller monster with female monster as she appeared with star particles surrounding her. "Then the effect of my Virgo activates, so now I can special summon one Level 5 'Constellar' monster from my hand, so I choose my Constellar Zubeneschamali(2100/1400)!" Another monsters appeared as it was a machine as it had two disk on its hands and sharp claws that spun. "And by summoning my Zubeneschamali, I can add a 'Constellar' monster from my deck to my hand." Starlight's duel disk then ejected her card she desired as she grabbed it.

"I'll now have my Constellar Virgo attack your Mage Annette." said the girl as her monster raised its weapon and looked to cast an attack.

"I reveal my facedown, Shift! So now your attack is redirected to my Magician Boy!" shouted Isaac.

Starlight's monster then fired her attack as it was heading towards the small girl as she closed her eyes. Soon Isaac's boy magician raced in front of his best friend as he put up a small barrier for the two of them as he put his arms out as he shielded the small girl from danger.

"I'll protect you, Annette." said the small boy as he didn't want his friend to be hurt. Mage Annette opened her eyes and saw her best friend protecting her that she smiled and blushed at his action that she hugged him from behind as she felt safe.

"Now the effect of my Magician Boy activates, any damage I would have taken, you take instead." said Isaac as his magician's barrier then bounced the attack back at Starlight as she put her arms up as she was pushed back a few inches as some more scuffs appeared on her body.
Starlight's Life Points: 7200-

"So what?! My Constellar Zubeneschamali can still take out your Mage Annette now that your trap has expired. Take her out!" commanded Starlight.

Isaac's boy magician was not moving from his spot as he wanted to protect his friend from danger. Mage Annette saw it and how her best friend was willing to not move from his spot. She admired how determined he was in keeping her safe that she couldn't help but smile. Mage Annette then grabbed her friend's shoulders and tossed her best friend to the side as he fell down.

"Annette!" called the small boy.

"Thank you. Now it's my turn." smiled the girl as soon the attack made contact as it caused both males to cover up their eyes as soon there was nothing but magic particles from where the girl once stood.

"Annette." said the small boy as the magic particles landed in his hand as he could feel the magical energy of his best friend.

"Her defeat won't be in vain, buddy." said Isaac as he told his small magician as he nodded with his master.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll play Queen's Knight(1500/1600) in defense mode. Then I'll have my Magician Boy attack your Constellar Virgo!" said Isaac as he had his small magician raise his staff as he now had unbridled strength from seeing his best friend sacrifice herself as he fired off his spell without being pushed back as it made contact with Starlight's monster. "And as you know, any damage involving my Magician Boy, you take instead." said Isaac.
Starlight's Life Points: 6400-

"But that's not all, my Magician Boy's other effect activates, when he fails to destroy a monster in battle, I can destroy one monster on your side of the field and then you take damage equal to its attack points. So now your Constellar Virgo is now gone!" stated the boy as he dealt some more damage to Starlight as she covered up and fell to a knee as she too was now slowly getting tired.
Starlight's Life Points: 4300-

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll play Constellar Cosmos, so now your Magician Boy's special ability is negated this turn. Next, I'll summon my Constellar Rasalhague(900/100). Then activate Rasalhague's special ability, I can now tribute it so that I can revive a 'Constellar' monster from my graveyard, so I choose to bring back my Constellar Virgo!" said Starlight as her monster then struck the ground under it as a portal opened up and sucked it in as her old monster rose up again. "With that I now overlay both of my Level 5 Constellar monsters to build the Overlay Network." Starlight's two monsters then rose up as they turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 2)!!" shouted Starlight as her monster now rose up as it pointed its weapon at Isaac and his monster.

"Now take out his Magician Boy!" shouted the girl as her monster brought its weapon down on the tiny magician as he was destroyed.
Isaac's Life Points: 7000-

"I'll then lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and now I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and discard two." said Isaac as he picked up his cards and then selected which ones he wanted to send. "Next, up I'm summoning my Chocolate Magician Girl(1600/1000)." said Isaac as he had another one of his magician girls appear with a smile and wink. Chocolate Magician Girl saw her master in his roughed up state as she had a concern look on her face.

"Isaac." said the teen girl.

"Don't worry, Chocolate. Young Isaac is tough warrior and has an even tougher fighting spirit." said Queen's Knight as she assured her comrade that their master was okay. "He's doing his best, and we have to do the same to vanquish our foe."

"Right." said the teen girl as she then floated over to her master as he dropped to a knee for a second as she placed her hand on his cheek as he looked at her. She then used her magic to make a piece of chocolate appear as she hand fed her master as the sweet treat replenished his health a bit.

"Thanks for that." smiled Isaac for his magician girl's help.

"Anytime, Isaac." said the teen girl as she planted a quick kiss to her master's cheek.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Starlight

"My turn, and now I'll play Constellar Star Chart. Then I'll play my Rank-Up-Magic Constellation Eclipse Force! So I can use one 'Constellar' monster in my Extra Deck and then use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher. So I'll take my Constellar Omega Hyades and overlay it!" Starlight's monster appeared for a second before turning into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon the orb entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 1)!" The golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with a spark of gold light circling it.

"Now the effect of my Constellar Star Chart allows me to draw an extra card. Now I activate my Constellar Pleiades so by using one overlay unit, I can return your Chocolate Magician Girl back to your hand." said Starlight as she had her monster use one of its Xyz materials as it absorbed it into its weapon and pointed it at Isaac's monster as his magician turned into a white light as it shot towards his hand.

"Now Constellar Pleiades attack his Queen's Knight!" shouted Starlight as her monster brought it down on Isaac's knight. "And now you're defenseless, Constellar Omega strike him down!!!" commanded the girl as her monster delivered a huge hard attack as Isaac let out a scream.

"AHHHH!!!!!!" shouted the boy as the amount of pain and strikes he had encountered so far was piling up on him.
Isaac's Life Points: 4600-

"It ain't done, cause now I play Constellar Tempest! And you know what it does, by removing all the overlay units of my 2 Xyz monsters, I can cut your life points in half!" shouted Starlight as meteors rained down on the sky as Isaac was hit yet again as he fell face first onto the ground as he didn't move.
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"Looks like I win again." said Starlight as she saw Isaac was down on the ground and given her situation of two Xyz monsters, her facedown, and Constellar Tempest, on her next turn she would take out the rest of Isaac's life points.

"Ha, ha, ha." laughed Isaac.

"Huh?" said Starlight as she was stunned to see the boy stirring after taking two massive hits to both his body and stamina, but also cause he was... laughing?

"Ha, ha, ha." chuckled Isaac as he willed himself to get on his knees.

"You're kidding me, you're laughing?!" said Starlight.

"Ha, ha, ha." Isaac was still laughing as he got up and pushed himself up to stand not once losing the chuckle he had.

"I think Isaac might have lost it." said Pinkie as even she didn't understand why her friend was laughing given his situation.

"Guess getting his ass whup so many times has caused him to go insane." said Rainbow.

"No, that's not it." said Twilight.

"What do you mean?" asked Rarity.

"Isaac's not laughing cause he's insane. But rather he's laughing through the pain." stated the lavender girl.

"What?!!" said Sunset.

"He's laughing through the pain. Almost like he enjoys it." repeated Twilight.

"You think it's funny?!" shouted Starlight.

"Ha, ha, ha. I do." said Isaac as he still held that smile on his face. "Cause I reveal Dark Horizon! I may have taken damage, but that has allowed me to summon my Dark Magician Girl to the field." Isaac now had his ultimate female magician on his side.

"Please, she won't do any good. She's much too weak." said Starlight as her turn was over.

Turn 7: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll summon my Enchantress of Melody(900/1800)." Isaac summoned his magician as she appeared next to her comrade as Isaac was now putting his final part of his plan into motion. "Now I activate my Enchantress of Melody's special ability, so now time to roll the die." A die then appeared in Isaac's hand as he looked at it and then tossed it high into the air. "Dice Roll!!" shouted the boy as he tossed the object into the air as soon it came crashing down and rolled around as soon it landed.

"Now I'll decrease me Enchantress' level by one so now she's Level 2. And with that I'll tune my Level 2 Enchantress of Melody with my Dark Magician Girl!" Enchantress of Melody then strung a few musical notes with her lyra as she turned into two giant green rings as they circled around Mana. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac's synchro monster now appeared for the second time as it had its staff and relic symbols floating around it. "And when my monster is synchro summoned, I can destroy a spell or trap card on the field, so I choose your Constellar Tempest!" said Isaac as his magician pointed its staff at Starlight's card and took it out.

"So what? You're monster doesn't have enough attack points to take out my life points." said Starlight.

"True, not this monster. But I have one that will, it's little gift from a special someone." said Isaac as his magic was now flaring up as the girls could see their male companion tap into his magic as it looked like he was calling on a certain power from a certain friend. "Let me show you, cause since I control a monster, I can special summon this brand new card, my Paladin Fortis(300/500)!" Out came a small paladin as he had shiny armor with a helmet on him as he wielded a sword by his side.

"When did Isaac get that monster?" asked the girls and their students.

"What is this?!" said Starlight as she didn't remember this card ever being in Isaac's possession.

"Like I said, a certain someone gave me this. And he gave it to me so that I can take you down, now my paladin's effect allows me to revive a tuner monster in my graveyard, so I bring back my Enchantress of Melody. And then I'll use her special ability so now I can roll a die and either increase or decrease a monster's level." The die appeared in Isaac's hand as he looked at it, he closed his eyes and blew on it for good luck. He then tossed it high into the air as it began to spin through the air and tumbled around as Isaac was hoping to get what he wanted. Soon it stopped on a number to which Isaac smiled.

"Now I'll decrease my Enchantress' level by 2 so now she's Level 1." said Isaac as his magician lowered her own level.

"What are you planning?!" shouted Starlight.

"This!!" said Isaac with a serious look. "I tune my Level 1 Enchantress of Melody with my Level 1 Paladin Fortis!" Isaac's magician then transformed into one giant green ring as it circled around Isaac's other small monster. "I Synchro Summon, the tuner synchro, Valor Valkyrie(1500/200)!" This time out came a valkyrie as she wore a red and black color scheme with a fleur-de-lis on each sleeve and pant leg. She raised her sword up high as the pegasus she rose in on had a white coat and mane as it unfurled its wings and let out a fierce neigh. "Now my Valor Valkyrie allows me to gain 1000 life points for each card I hold in my hand." said Isaac as his life points increased by 1000.
Isaac's Life Points: 3300-

"Then I'll perform a special synchro summon by using my Synchro monster and my tuner synchro." shouted Isaac.

"He's doing what?!" shouted everyone in attendance as they were shocked on what Isaac just said.

Isaac's Valor Valkyrie then flew high into the air on her pegasus as she turned into two giant green rings as they circled around his magician. "Starlight, you said synchros are wretched little things that the world should get rid of. Well, now it's their turn to respond and they'll respond with all their might!! This is for you... Yusei." said Isaac as he could see the spirit of one of his friends and inspirations as he was smiling at the power he passed on to Isaac.

"Be transformed by the winds of destiny! Go Accel Synchro!!!" shouted Isaac along with Yusei's spirit.

"Accel Synchro?!!" said Starlight as she had never heard of what Isaac was doing.

Soon out came a brand new monster as it was a dark flier as the pegasus's coat and mane were black as riding it was the rider as she wore a set of blue armor that held her body close as her arms were exposed as she had some black, silver, and blue flames on the cuffs of her outfit which also contained a cape as it fluttered in the wind as she let out a fierce cry as her hands lit up with magic.

"Meet my Dark Flier Lysithea(3500/3000)!!" said Isaac as he had new monster descend from the sky as she took her position and hovered over the field. "Now I activate my Dark Flier Lysithea's effect, so by paying 1000 life points, I can then excavate the top 5 cards of my deck and then for each 'Magician/Spellcaster' that I reveal, my monster gains 500 attack points."
Isaac's Life Points: 2300-

"This can't be?!" said the girl.

"Time to find out, here I go. Card number 1!" said Isaac as he drew it and then the image projected for all to see. "The first card... is my Breaker the Magical Warrior. Card #2... Apprentice Illusion Magician. Card #3... Effect Veiler."

"No! Stop it!" shouted Starlight as she couldn't believe Isaac's luck.

"The fourth card is also a magician." smiled Isaac as he let out a chuckle as he drew his Lemon Magician Girl. "And the last one..." Isaac put his hand on top of his fifth card as he let out a breath and drew his card to which he drew Skilled Dark Magician. "All five are spellcasters." Isaac smiled as the spirits of the cards he drew all smiled at their master as they lent their power to their new comrade as she used her hands and casted a magical circle around her as she felt the power that her comrades were giving her as they boosted her own strength.

"6000 attack points?!" stated Starlight.

"And there's more, cause since my Valor Valkyrie was sent to the graveyard as part of a synchro summon, I can now attach it to one of your monsters and have its attack points lower by the attack points of my Valor Valkyrie. So since it had 1500 attack points that means your Constellar Pleiades drops to 900." said Isaac as his tuner synchro appeared as she used her sword and did two cross slash attack on Starlight's monster as it dropped its weapon and felt it being weaken.

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Xyz Reflect! So now I can negate your Valor Valkyrie's effect and deal you 800 points of damage." said Starlight.

"Sorry, but that's a no can do. See if you activate any spells or traps, my Dark Flier Lysithea can freeze them in their tracks." said Isaac as his female magician used her magic to render Starlight's trap useless as her monster lose its attack.

"No!!!" said the girl.

"Now to finish this, Lysithea attack with Dark Spikes!" shouted the boy as his monster heard his command as she flew over towards the monster. Constellar Pleiades tried to swat her out of the air but she dodged the attacks with ease. Soon she was above the monster as she did a full circle motion with her hands and then brought them together as manifested dark spikes out of thin air as they were sharp and soon she clapped her hands together and all the spikes followed her lead as they embedded themselves into the monster as it let out a cry as it exploded and the force of the attack hit Starlight as she was sent flying suffering more scuff marks.

"AHHH!!!!" shouted the girl as she hit the ground and rolled through the grass as she laid down.
Starlight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Yes." said Isaac.

He then started to fall over as his monster caught the boy in her arms. Dark Flyer Lysithea got off her pegasus as she was just a few inches from her master as she gently laid him on the floor. Isaac could only turn his head to look at her as soon his Valor Valkyrie was also on his other side as they looked at their master.

"Thank you..."

"You're welcome, Isaac." said both girls as they had finally been awaken by the young boy as they to pledge their loyalty to him for waking them from their slumber. Both girls gave one final parting kiss on Isaac's cheeks as he laid there with his right hand having a handful of grass. He lifted his up to see Starlight lying on the floor as he smiled, soon Isaac saw the image of Yusei as he remembered on calling him and his power to help him.

"Yusei... I hope... I made you proud." said the boy.

"You already did, Isaac." said the spirit of Yusei as he disappeared.

"The fifth duel goes to Isaac." said Luna as the crowd cheered Isaac for pulling out a win.

Scoreboard: Starlight - 3, Isaac - 2

Timer - 15:09

"Nearly 15 minutes left and Isaac just needs one more win to tie up with Starlight." said Sunset.

"Come on, city slicker!" said Aj.

"Get up, geek! You're almost there!" shouted Rainbow.

Both Isaac and Starlight were on the floor as they were still not moving as the timer was still ticking down. Sunburst and the girls were concerned for their friend as they had been going for about 45 minutes straight as they were punching each other with their attacks that they barely could stand up. Both reaching the limit of their exhaustion, both physical and mental of Duel Monsters was taking a toll on both duelists. Normally anybody else would be too tired to even think about getting back up, but Isaac and Starlight just willed themselves to get back up as if the anger and fury they had for one another was starting to fuel them as they ignored the pain from each other. Once again the desire to see the other not only get defeated but possibly dead was the main purpose that pushed each other to even get back up and somewhat ignore the pain as they activated their duel disk for another round.

"You're kidding me?!" shouted Rainbow.

"They still want to fight!" said Pinkie.

"They truly are fighting forever." said Sunset.

"Duel #6, begin!" shouted Luna.

"Bring it!" shouted Isaac and Starlight

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"I draw! And I'll summon Constellar Pollux(1700/600). And by summoning my Constellar Pollux, I can conduct an additional summon, so I'll sacrifice my Constellar Pollux so that I can summon my Constellar Antares(2400/900)." Starlight's weaker monster was then replaced with a more powerful one as it had a chain with it as at the end of it was the tip of a spear as it pointed it at Isaac. "And now my Constellar Antares' ability activates, so now I can take one 'Constellar' monster from my graveyard and add it back to my hand. So I'll take back my Constellar Pollux." said the girl as she grabbed her card from her duel disk.

"Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll summon my Gamma the Magnet Warrior(0/1800) in defense mode. Then I'll place two cards facedown." said Isaac with some exhaustion as he ended his turn.

Turn 3: Starlight

"My turn and like before I'll summon Constellar Pollux and then activate its effect so that I can conduct an additional summon this turn, so I'll sacrifice it so that I can summon my Constellar Alrescha(2200/1200)." Starlight's new monster now rose up as it wielded dual swords as it struck them into the ground as a portal opened up. "Constellar Alrescha lets me special summon a 'Constellar' monster in faceup defense position from my hand, so I choose my Constellar Acubens(800/2000). And when Acubens is summoned, all my 'Constellar' monsters gain 500 extra attack points." said Starlight. "So now, Alrescha attack his Gamma." Alrescha then charged forward as it unleashed a double sword attack as it sliced Isaac's monster into pieces as they exploded.

"Now Antares attack him directly!" shouted Starlight as she had her monster raised its weapon in the air and spun it like a lasso as it then lunged it towards Isaac who covered up and drop to a knee.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"I activate my facedown, Dark Horizon!" shouted the boy. "So welcome my Dark Magician!" Isaac now had his trusty partner on his field as Mahad looked to help his master to acclaim victory.

"Very well, I end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll summon my Magician Boy(1500/1200). And you know what he does, so attack that Constellar Antares." said Isaac as he had his tiny magician fire a spell as Starlight's monster just merely repelled it as soon it was redirected towards Starlight who put her arm up as it hit her skin and caused her to feel a bit of pain.
Starlight's Life Points: 6400-

"And like before when my Magician Boy fails to destroy a monster, I can destroy one of yours and deal you damage equal its attack!" said Isaac as he got rid of the monster he just attacked as Starlight's monster was gone in a pillar of light as more damage was sent her way.
Starlight's Life Points: 3500-

"I now reveal my facedown, Constellar Meteor! So now since your monster wasn't destroyed when it battled my Constellar Antares, I can now shuffle your Magician Boy back into your deck." said Starlight as Isaac's boy sorcerer was gone in a white light as it transformed back into a card as he placed it on top of his deck as the autoshuffler kicked in.

"In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 5: Starlight

"My turn, and since I control a 'Constellar' monster, I can special summon my Constellar Caduceus(1600/1550). And by doing that, I can now add a 'Constellar' spell or trap card to my hand. Now I overlay both of my Constellar Caduceus and Acubens to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as her monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as soon a portal opened in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Praesepe(2400/800, OLU: 2)!" Starlight’s newest monster burst out of the light, a burly knight in bright silver and gold armor with a massive pair of energy disks mounted on the back of its hands.

"Now I activate Praesepe's special ability by using one overlay unit, I can raise the attack points of one of my Constellar monsters, so I choose my Constellar Alrescha making it now have 3200. Then I'll attack your Dark Magician with my Constellar Praesepe." said Starlight.

"What?" said the girls.

"Guess I forget to say that since I used Caduceus to Xyz summon, that Xyz monster now has the power to banish a Light or Dark monster that it does battle with before damage calculation, so now my monster attacks yours but not only does it banish it, but its remains on the field." said Starlight as her monster clashed with Isaac's magician as both reeled each other as soon Mahad saw himself disappearing as he gave one last look at his master.

"Mahad!" shouted Isaac as he saw his most loyal monster disappear before his very eyes.

"And now that you're wide open, Constellar Alrescha attack him directly!" shouted Starlight as her other monster delivered a brutal attack to the boy as he fell down hard on is back.
Isaac's Life Points: 1900-

"I ain't done, cause now I play Rank-Up Magic Constellation Eclipse Force! So now I can use a 'Constellar' monster from my Extra Deck and use it to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" stated the girl as she took her Constellar Omega and then transformed into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as soon a portal opened up in front of her. Soon the orb of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank Up Xyz Evolution, The light of distant stars shatters the dark of night. I Xyz Summon Constellar Pleiades(2500/1500, OLU: 1)!" said Starlight as her new monster appeared.

"But I ain't done, cause I'll give him an upgrade even more." said Starlight as her monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Go Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Omega burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 2)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"Now, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll play my Swords of Revealing Light!" said Isaac as three giant swords came from the heavens as they imbedded onto Starlight's field. "Now with my swords in play, you can't attack for three turns, next I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and discard two." Isaac then drew his cards as he looked at the ones he wanted to get rid of. "Then I'll banish the two cards I just sent my graveyard so that I can summon my Black Luster Soldier - Envoy of the Beginning(3000/2500)." Isaac's Apprentice Illusion Magician and Electromagnetic Turtle now appeared as they turned into orbs of light and darkness respectively as their energies were being used to summon a warrior that wore armor and had a sword and shield.

"Then I'll reveal my facedown, Burial from a Different Dimension so now I can take 3 banished cards and put them back in my graveyard, so I'll take my Dark Magician, Electromagnetic Turtle and Apprentice Illusion Magician." said Isaac as all three of his cards slid out for him to manually move them into the graveyard slot. "Now, I'll have my Black Luster Soldier activate his special ability, so now I can banish a monster on your side of the field and I choose your Constellar Ptolemy M7!" said Isaac as his warrior raised his sword as he shot a beam of attack as it collided with the giant dragon as it was now removed from the game. "By using that ability, my monster can't attack, so I end my turn."

Turn 7: Starlight

"My draw, and now I'll play Constellar Star Cradle, so now I can take back 2 'Constellar' monsters from my graveyard and add them to my hand. So I'll take Constellar Pollux and Acubens." said Starlight as her duel disk ejected her two different cards in her hand. "Now I'll summon my Constellar Pollux and by doing so Acubens is also summoned due to its special ability, then I'll overlay them to construct the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 2)!!" shouted the girl as a centaur appeared as it took the field.

"Next, I'll play Xyz Treasure, so since there's currently two Xyz monsters on the field, I can draw 2 more cards. Then I'll play Xyz Energy! So by removing an Xyz material from my Omega, I can destroy your Black Luster Soldier!" said Starlight as her Omega uses its overlay unit as a beam attack hit Black Luster Soldier and took it out.

"With that I now end my turn with a facedown."

(Turn Counter: 1)

Turn 8: Isaac

"My draw, and now I'll place my Black Arts Trickster in my Pendulum Zone." said Isaac as he placed his pendulum card on the far right of his duel disk. "Then I'll activate her ability which allows me to add a pendulum card in my other Pendulum Zone. So I'll choose my Sleight of Hand Magician to take the stage." Isaac then grabbed his other pendulum card as he placed it on the far left of his color card tray as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring was in between them to show that it worked. "With that my Black Arts Trickster now has her pendulum scale raised from 3 to 10. Then I'm playing my Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're holding six cards in our hands. Now that I have a brand new hand, I'll play Pendulum Treasure so now I can add a pendulum monster to my deck face-up." Isaac then made his choice on which card he wanted as it slid out for him to grab as he put it in his Extra Deck pile. "Now time to pendulum summon, so here we go! I'm allowed to summon monsters from Levels 3 through 9 all at the same time. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next, you'll all soon know. So swing far pendulum, and carve the arc that will lead me to victory! My monster's ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he thrusted his hand up into the air as a portal opened up and a light came out. "Batten down the hatches and drop anchor, it's my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4)." Out emerged the boy's monster as he tip his feathered pirate hat as she pulled out his silver sword as it shined brightly.

"Now when my Sorcerer Swordsman is pendulum summoned, he can lowered the attack points of one of your monsters, so your Omega's attack now drops to zero." said Isaac as his magician pulled out his sword and chanted a spell as it shot towards Starlight's monster as it powered down. "Now take it out!" commanded the boy as his monster raced forward.

"I activate my Praesepe's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can give my Omega 1000 attack points till the end of the turn and help to minimize the damage I take." said Starlight as she braced herself for impact as Isaac's monster cut hers in half as the shockwave hit her as she had a small cut on her cheek.
Starlight's Life Points: 3000-

"Then time I kick it up a notch, cause I'll play Kuribandit(1000/700) and then activate its spell ability, so now I can tribute it to look at the top five cards of my deck and if any of them are spells/trap cards, I can add them to my hand. Anything else, I send them to the graveyard." Isaac's deck then showed his options as to him and everybody's surprise, four out of the five cards were all monsters.

"No way?!" said Rainbow.

"This can't be... Isaac's move failed him." said Fluttershy as she was shocked by what Isaac drew.

For Isaac he was the most stunned at what his options were as Starlight smiled. The four monster cards that showed for the boy were his Dark Magician Girl, Magician of Dark Illusion, Dark Magician of Chaos, and Sorcerer of Dark Magic. All four were some of Isaac's most powerful monsters in his deck and they were all now being sent to his graveyard as he could really use them. Not to mention that he was down a point and with time nearly running out, he couldn't afford to make a mistake, but it seemed playing Kuribandit might have done him in. Isaac put his head down as he couldn't believe he didn't have anything, he looked at his options when he noticed his fifth card as he looked at it. Soon a light bulb went off in his head as he closed his eyes and pictured the card. He then thought about it closely as soon he saw it connected to another card and then another and then another as Isaac was picturing his plan to win as he saw the lines and all the angles he needed to claim victory. He then opened his eyes as his eyes sparkled for a second as he smiled.

"Since four of my cards are monsters, I send them to the graveyard, but I keep the fifth one." said Isaac as he slotted them to his graveyard as he added the fifth one to his hand. "Now I'll activate the card I just added, Pendulum Exchange! So by discarding a card from my hand, I can target one pendulum monster on my field and switch it with one in pendulum zone. So I switch my Sorcerer Swordsman with my Sleight of Hand Magician(2100/1500, Scale 2, Level 6)." said Isaac as he switched one of his monsters with his other.

"Starlight, you've lost this round."

"What?!"

"Just save you the trouble and just forfeit. Cause I'm telling you, next turn, I win." smiled Isaac.

"The time for mind games is long gone. You don't scare me." said Starlight.

"Then beat me in this turn." taunted Isaac.

Turn 9: Starlight

"Like I'm scared, I now use my Constellar Praesepe to construct the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as her monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Go Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Praesepe burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon, arise and unleash your celestial fury, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 1)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight as her second one was present.

"Now I'll activate my monster's ability..."

"I discard Effect Veiler from my hand to negate the effect of your monster." said Isaac as he sent his card to the graveyard as his monster appeared and shot some feathers from his wings as it rendered Starlight's monster useless. "I told you Starlight, you need to win now."

"GRR!!! I'll now play my Mystical Space Typhoon so that I can destroy your Swords of Revealing Light! Attack!!" shouted the girl as she commanded her dragon.

"I banish my Electromagnetic Turtle from my graveyard so that I can end the battle phase." A tiny turtle came out as it curled up and unleashed a powerful electrostatic wall as it paralyzed Starlight's monster.

"Impossible!!" shouted Starlight as Isaac just brought her turn to a complete end.

"I warned you... you lose, Starlight." smiled Isaac.

"He tricked me... he actually tricked me." Starlight was stunned to see that Isaac's tiny bluff, actually got her to ignore his field completely like... their last...

"Starlight, you okay?" asked Sunburst.

"Go to Plan B!" shouted the girl.

"What?!" said Trixie.

"NOW!!!" shouted Starlight as she end her turn.

"Then it's..." Isaac then heard some voices.

"Opponent detected." said some duel disks as both Trixie and Sunburst had activated their duel disks and were now on the field as they surrounded Isaac.

"What the..."

Turn 10: Trixie

"I summon Performage Damage Juggler(1500/1000)." said Trixie as she summoned her monster. "Then activate the spell card, Double Summon. So now I can also summon my Performage Trick Clown(1600/1200). And with these two monsters, I overlay them to build the Overlay Network!" shouted the girl as her two monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Direct your gaze to the skies above, as I present to you a swinging star performer! I Xyz Summon! Performage Trapeze Magician(2500/2000, OLU: 2)!" A purple pole with studded orange heads on either end spiraled over the field, when a comically thick white-gloved hand snatched it, thin golden beams of light shooting out from each end to the ceiling. Hoisting onto the pole that had turned into an on-the-spot trapeze was a predominately white, lanky humanoid: Its waist and neck adorned in a fluffy pink boa, while from its back billowed a wide, magenta cape. Its spindly legs ended in dark blue shoes curled at the toes, while affixed to its masked, ever smiling visage, sat a white conical hat.

"Wait..." said Isaac.

Turn 11: Sunburst

"My turn, and now I summon Gagaga Magician(1500/1000)!" said Sunburst as he summoned his monster.

"Starlight!!!" shouted Isaac.

"You didn't think I had a backup plan." laughed the girl.

"That's cheating!!" shouted Rainbow. "This was suppose to be a one on one duel."

"Like I'd give a damn! I'll do anything to win, even cheat." said the girl as she looked forward to taking down Isaac.

"It's three on one, Isaac can't survive that." said Fluttershy.

"Then let's even the odds." said Applejack. "If Starlight can do it, then so can we."

"Error! Can not join duel." said the girl's duel disks.

"What?!" shouted the seven of them.

"I'm not dumb, you idiots. I hacked the system to work in my favor. Only me and my group can be allowed to join this duel, the rest of you are all locked out till the timer runs out." stated Starlight as she had a sick smile.

"Now since I control a 'Gagaga' monster, I can special summon several monsters, Gagaga Child(800/1200) and three Gagaga Clerks(400/800)!" said Sunburst as he now had a field full of monsters on his field. "Next, I'll activate my Gagaga Magician's special ability to change his level to 4. Then I'll have my Gagaga Child activate his ability to copy my Gagaga Magician's level so now he's Level 4 as well. Now I'll conduct a double Xyz Summon, so I overlay both of my Level 4 monsters so that I can Xyz Summon, Gagaga Cowboy(1500/2400, OLU: 2)!! Then overlay my three Gagaga Clerks so that I can Xyz Summon, Number 96: Dark Mist(100/1000, OLU: 3)!!!" Sunburst now had two powerful monsters appear on her field as they looked at Isaac as he was now surrounded on all sides. "I activate Gagaga Cowboy's effect, so by using one overlay unit, I can deal you 800 points of damage!" said Sunburst as his monster fired his pistol at Isaac.

"AHHH!!!!" screamed the boy.
Isaac's Life Points: 1100-

"Isaac!" shouted his friends.

"I then play Fissure to get rid of your Pendulum monster." said Sunburst as a giant hand grabbed Isaac's monster and dragged him into the hole as it closed up.

Isaac was now on his knees as he was breathing heavily as the attack really got to him in his weaken state. He gently lifted his head to see Starlight smiling as she had planned to cheat in order to win against Isaac as she had Sunburst and Trixie backing her up as it was now a handicap duel. Before he could stand up, he felt his head be pushed to the ground and into the dirt as Sunburst and Trixie were holding him down.

"Let him go!" shouted Twilight as she couldn't bare to see her boyfriend being mugged by Starlight and her gang.

"Hold him down!" shouted Starlight as she approached Isaac who looked at her with a scowl as her two allies held the boy's arms to keep him from moving. "You said you were gonna win, not this time!"

Isaac was about to spit in Starlight's face again, when he was hit in the stomach by the girl as she got him in the ribs as it hurt like hell. It didn't stop there, Starlight then moved to slapping the boy as soon she clenched her fists and started to wail on Isaac's midsection as he couldn't cover up to protect him as the timer was still counting down. Nobody could do anything as Starlight had made it so that nobody but she and her cronies could stop the duel in this state.

"Leave him alone, Starlight!!!" cried Twilight as she saw her boyfriend being beaten to a pulp as he was being mugged like he was a piece of meat being served to a pack of hungry dogs. The girls held Twilight back from getting out of her seat and jumping over the barricade to help her boyfriend as they knew there was nothing they could do.

"Stop it!!!" shouted the lavender girl as tears rolled down his eyes.

Starlight was just letting it all out as she kept hitting Isaac as he kept coughing and struggling to breath as every hit Starlight gave him the wind was getting sucked out of him. His vision was slowly becoming blurry as he felt his brain losing consciousness. Isaac could feel himself fainting as the oxygen in his lungs was getting weaker and weaker with each passing seconds; Isaac could faintly hear the girls calling out to him as he groaned. Starlight pulled back as she had sweat falling down her face as she saw the boy being held by her allies that she grabbed his chin to have Isaac look at her as she wanted to say the final words to her enemy before she took his life.

"NOW... YOU... DIE!!!!!" yelled Starlight at the top of her lungs. She then took a few steps back and then as hard as she could, kicked Isaac clean in the face as the boot of her foot made contact with his jaw as Isaac's head turned from the impact.

"NOOOOOO!!!!!!" shouted Twilight that everybody heard her scream.

Isaac felt the kick to the head as it was ringing. He slowly moved from side to side as he coughed and for the first time out came some drops of red liquid as it splattered on the surface in front of him as the boy then fell hard facefirst on the ground as he didn't move.

"ISAAC!!!" Twilight was stunned to see her boyfriend on the ground, not moving. She let out tears as the girls all comforted her as they too were crying in seeing their male friend lying still on the floor.

Isaac's monsters could feel their connection with their master as it was instantly gone. It got all of them to let out a gasp as their master was no more. Black Robe Mentalist then clutched her head as one of the visions he saw rushed to her mind. The vision saw once again had two shadows as one of them was a duelist as they were taking on something big which then changed to show one shadow sitting on top of a large throne being surrounded by other shadows that resembled people while the larger one remained behind the person sitting, and in front of them was a person lying on the ground. Then like before it was now filled with color.

It showed Starlight sitting on that throne being surrounded by her followers as she was successful in her quest. She had her monster, Constellar Ursa Proeliator behind her as it helped to usher in her way of Duel Monsters. And in front of them laid the lifeless body of Isaac as it seemed he failed in putting a stop to her. Soon her eyes returned to normal as she and the others looked at the small portal as they saw their master as he laid on the ground not moving or showing any sign that he was alive.

Sunburst and Trixie were shocked themselves too see how far Starlight was willing to go as she may have just killed Isaac like she said. And even Starlight was legit shocked at what she did; she looked at her hands as she had finally gotten rid of the ghost of her past. Starlight was taking deep breaths as she looked at Isaac laying at her feet as she slowly smiled. She then saw her face as the scuff marks were still there as she began to smile and laugh at how she had finally claim victory as she could now rest. They all were about to follow her when they noticed Isaac's body shaking a bit.

Soon there was a heartbeat sound effect, as it got louder and louder and louder and then... it happened. Isaac's eyes shot open as he put his hands next to him and in one quick, swift motion, he got back up on his knees. Everybody was shocked by what they saw as Isaac got immediately back up from literally being beaten within an inch of his life. Isaac looked at Starlight and her crew as his eyes were different.

"What?! How did Isaac get up from that?!" shouted Rainbow.

"That's not Isaac." said Twilight.

True to the girl's word, it wasn't Isaac. It was his body, but the being that had now taken over the boy wasn't him, it was his demon. And it showed as Isaac's eyes changed as he was staring at the girl who was shocked by what she was seeing. Isaac's statement was true as right now she wasn't looking at the face of Isaac, but the face of the demon. For the demon saw Starlight and the rage inside was unleashed as he simply brought both his hands up and gave Starlight and her crew a double middle finger as it got everybody to gasp.

"What... the fuck?" said Starlight in shock.

Turn 12: Isaac

"My... turn!" shouted the boy as the magic inside of him along with the demon that took over the boy as he called out his move. "First I activate the pendulum ability of my Sorcerer Swordsman which lets me add monsters from my graveyard to my hand that fall in the scale I've set. So I choose my Dark Magician, Magician of Dark Illusion Dark Magician of Chaos, Dark Magician Girl, and Sorcerer of Dark Magic!" said Isaac. "Then I'll pendulum summon those monsters. Yuya, lend me your power!" shouted the boy as he called on one of his friends for help. Isaac now had a portal open up as five lights came out and the monster he just said appeared. "Next, I overlay both my Dark Magician and Magician of Dark Illusion to build the Overlay Network! I Xyz Summon, Ebon High Magician(2300/2800, OLU: 2)!" Isaac now had his Xyz monster appeared behind him.

"You're insane, you've lost!" shouted Starlight.

"No... you did..." responded Isaac. "Yuma, give me strength! Go Chaos Xyz Evolution!"

"What the hell?!" shouted all three as they saw Isaac do another move that they hadn't heard.

Isaac's Ebon High Magician then transformed itself and its Xyz materials all into orbs of light as they hovered in the air as another portal opened up and they all disappeared inside of it as a pillar of light emerged. "Arise, Chaos Mageía(3000/2500, OLU: 3)!!" Isaac now had one of his powerful monsters on the field. "I activate Chaos Mageía's special ability so by using one overlay unit, I can remove all other Xyz materials from other Xyz monsters on the field and them my monster gains 500 attack points and an extra attack for each one. So the total is 5 and now my monster has 5500 attack points."

"That's not enough to take all of us out." smiled Starlight.

"But this is! I combine the power of all magicians on my field!” The four monsters rose up, floating level with Isaac’s Pendulum monsters. Strands of light in seven colors whirled around each of them, the seven glowing brighter and brighter. Isaac put his hand over his duel disk, magic pulsing over him as swirls of light ran over his limbs. "I harmonize the spirits of my monsters, and open the dimensional gates to call upon a shining spirit of hope.” Isaac’s magic burst into a spectacle of colors. “Unitatis Summon! Ascend, Harmony Magician Warlock!” The rainbow light vanished, the new monster hovering in the air where it had been. Out came a powerful looking spellcaster as its robes were covered in vibrant colors and wielded a staff that was full of powerful magic as it had the seven symbols of friendship floating around the top. It wore a golden hat with sun emblems crossed each other as the being spread his hands, sending more rays of light out.

"What is that?!" said the trio.

Eyes shimmering, Isaac held his hand out. “Harmony Magician Warlock can be summoned by tributing any number of spellcasters on my side of the field, be they in the Monster or Pendulum Zones. For each card tributed from a Monster Zone, he gains that monster’s attack points, and for each card tributed from a Pendulum Zone, he gains an additional attack this turn. So now my monster has 13500 attack points and can attack three times this round!"

"NO!!!" said all three as they watched Isaac's magician getting ready to wipe out all three of them in one shot.

Isaac thrust out his hand, “Harmony Magician Warlock, end this duel!!!” Isaac's magician raised his staff as he fired several attacks as they made contact with all three duelists' monsters as total destruction was caused as all three were blown back from the attack.
Starlight, Trixie, and Sunburst's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

The duel ended as Isaac managed to beat a three on one situation... a three on one! Being down to just a few life points and Isaac was able to deal over 30000 points of damage in total to all three of his challengers and wipe them out in one shot. That alone got everybody to gasp as how Isaac who was beaten both physically and mentally still hung on and won the duel as they were tied and the timer was still ticking down.

"Isaac ties the score!!!" shouted Luna as it got everybody to cheer.

Scoreboard: Starlight - 3, Isaac - 3

Timer - 4:52

"And only less than 5 minutes remain as both duelists have the same score and both are down." said Celestia.

"Yuya... Yuma... thanks for helping..." said Isaac as he collapsed on the ground.

"Anytime, bud." said both duelist as their spirits disappeared.

"What the hell was that?" said Applejack.

"It's like rose up from the dead and went into full god mode!" stated Rainbow as she and everybody else were shocked by what the boy did.

"That wasn't Isaac." said Twilight softly to herself.

Trixie and Sunburst were down for the count as Starlight was more hurt and full of scuff marks as Isaac was lying on the ground with his eyes closed. Isaac and Starlight were so exhausted at this point, for what had only been an hour, to them they it felt like an eternity of constant dueling and fighting each other. The timer was still counting down as both teens were still down and had their eyes closed. Soon both stirred as everybody gasped at seeing the two even think about continuing as they were beaten the hell up. They literally kicked the shit out of each other as they were on their hands and knees as both had pissed off scowls at each other. Both brought a hand up as they gave each other the middle finger as they showed they still wanted the other to die and go to hell.

Timer - 1:05

"Fight Forever! Fight Forever Fight Forever!" chanted one person as soon everybody began to join in on the chant as they really did want to see each other. They even started to chant each of their names as it was split down the middle. "Let's go, Isaac! Starlight Glimmer! Let's go, Isaac! Starlight Glimmer!"

"Let's... duel!!!!!" shouted both teens.

Timer - 0:00

[Buzzer]

"TIME!!!" shouted both Celestia and Luna as one hour had expired.

Isaac and Starlight just collapsed right then and there as they fall facefirst on the grass hard.

"No." said both as they laid there.

The girls just got up from their seats as Luna and Celestia were talking with one another as they were trying to figure out what to do as the one hour time limit had passed as the score was tied with 3 points apiece to each teen. Sunburst had finally come to as he saw Trixie just barely opening her eyes as he saw Starlight on the ground not moving as he ignored his own scuff marks on his skin as she grabbed his glasses and rushed over to his best friend.

"Starlight, talk to me! Please! I can't lose you!" cried the boy as he held his best friend in his chest as she still was not responding.

"Isaac?! Isaac?!" said Twilight as she was the first one to reach their male friend as she grabbed his head and placed it in her lap as she placed her hand over his forehead. She was trying to find a pulse but it was faint as it got Twilight to be worried, soon she pressed her ear to his heart and could hear it beating faintly as it served as the sign that Isaac was still alive and kicking.

"He's alright." said Sunset as the others gathered around him.

Fluttershy pulled out her natural medicine as she began to put some on the scuff marks on Isaac's body to help heal her friend. At that time, both Luna and Celestia had made their decision as they got everybody's attention.

"Everyone, the one hour time limit has passed and the final score is 3 to 3. Both duelists fought valiantly, but based on the condition each are in... it's safe to say that neither can continue... so therefore the duel is..." stated Luna.

"NO!!!!" shouted Isaac and Starlight as they now opened their eyes and were trying to get off the arms of their friends as they stood up and wobbled a bit.

"Isaac!/Starlight!" said the girls and Sunburst as they stabilized their friend when they stood up.

"One more duel!!!" shouted both teens as every body gasped.

"I can't!!" said Celestia.

"One more duel!!!" said both teens as they didn't want this issue to end with a tie breaker. They like everybody wanted a clear cut winner and by god they were going to give it.

Celestia and Luna looked at both teen's eyes as they could see they were serious about this. They both were badly bruised and hurt that it would be illegal to allow them to continue in their currently state. But their eyes... their eyes... told the message. So they looked at each other and nodded.

"Very well, this duel... will continue!" said Luna as that response made the entire people let out a cheer.

"The next person to win, is declared the winner and champion!" stated Celestia.

Both Isaac and Starlight pushed their friends away as they got back into position and activated their duel disks as they projected their color card tray. Both groups were concerned that they needed to get their respective friend sometime to recover, but that was like taking a horse to some water and trying to force it to drink. So, they all just stepped back as they let both fight the last battle. Isaac looked at his deck as he said some final words; Starlight combined some of her Ancient Gear cards in her other deck with her Constellar deck as she was looking to finish this.

"Let's duel!!" shouted both teens.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Starlight's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Starlight

"I'll start, and I play Terraforming so that I can add a field spell to my hand, so I'll choose my Geartown and then play it immediately!" shouted Starlight as the entire field changed. "Next, I'll play Ancient Gear Hunting Hound(1000/1000) so now you take 600 points of damage." said Starlight as her mutt opened its jaws and fired a pillar of fire at Isaac who covered up.
Isaac's Life Points: 7400-

"I then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll summon my King's Knight(1600/1400) to the field. Now King's Knight put that mutt done!" shouted Isaac as his warrior then raced forward as it brought its sword down on the mechanical machine as it was destroyed.
Starlight's Life Points: 7400-

"With that I'll also lay a facedown."

Turn 3: Starlight

"My turn, and since you control a monster and I don't, I can special summon my Constellar Siat(100/1600). Then I summon Constellar Shertan(700/1900) and by summoning my Shertan, I can add a 'Constellar' monster from my deck to my hand." said Starlight as her selected card ejected from her duel disk for her to grab. "Now I activate my Siat's special ability, so now I can have it match the level of another Constellar monster so now it becomes Level 3. With that done, I'll now overlay both my Constellar Shertan and Siat in order to build the Overlay Network!" Starlight's two monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light appeared. "I Xyz Summon, Constellar Hyades(1900/1100, OLU: 2)!!" Starlight now had her monster appear it stared down the boy.

"I'll now attack your King's Knight!" shouted Starlight as her monster took out the boy's creature.
Isaac's Life Points: 7100-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 4: Isaac

"My draw, and I'll play my Magician's Rod(1600/100) in defense mode. Then when I summon my Magician's Rod, I can add a 'Dark Magician' related spell or trap card from my deck to my hand. So I choose my Dark Magical Circle and then immediately play it so now I can look at the top 3 cards of my deck and reveal a 'Dark Magician' or 'Dark Magician' related spell/trap card." Isaac's duel disk then showed his options as he looked at them and made his decision. "I choose to add my Dark Magic Curtain, so now I'll add it to my hand and then put the other cards in any order I choose. Then I'll play Dark Magic Curtain, so now by paying half of my life points, I can special summon my Dark Magician from my deck!" said Isaac as he now had his star monster on the field.
Isaac's Life Points: 3550-

"Now the effect of my Dark Magical Circle activates, so now I'll banish your monster from the duel!" stated Isaac as his magician then raised his staff and made Starlight's monster vanish. "Next, I'll play Magic Formula so that my magician gains 700 more attack points. Now, Mahad! Attack!!" Isaac's monster then levitated into the air as he pointed his staff at Starlight as she was hit with a direct attack as it pushed her several inches along the ground as it made dirt tracks on the grass.
Starlight's Life Points: 3200-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 5: Starlight

"My draw, and now I'll play the spell card, Rank-Up Magic Constellation Eclipse Force! So now I'll take another Constellar Hyades from my Extra Deck and then use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Starlight's monster then appeared for a second as it turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon it disappeared into it as a pillar of light emerged. Go Rank Up Xyz Evolution, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Praesepe(2400/800, OLU: 1)!!!" Starlight's new monster then appeared as it landed with a thud. "Now, I'll equip my monster with my Ancient Gear Mask. Now not only is my monster safe from being destroyed, but you can't activate any spells or traps until the Damage Step. And my monster can inflict piercing damage and it doubles." said Starlight.

"Then I reveal my facedown, Magician's Combination! Now once per turn when a card or effect is activated, I can tribute my Dark Magician so that I can summon my Dark Magician Girl from my hand." Isaac's magician was then gone as soon it was replaced by his female star monster. Mana saw her master as he was very, very weak as it got her concerned.

"It's... I'm... fine, Mana." said Isaac to his magician girl as she put her hand to his cheek as Mana looked at her master's eyes.

"Let me help." said Mana as she pressed her forehead to Isaac's as she chanted some words as she passed a bit of energy to help her master. "Feel better?"

"A little." smiled the boy as Mana giggled and planted a kiss on his cheek as she returned to her position.

"Now the other effect of my trap allows me to negate the effect of your card. So your Ancient Gear Mask is render useless, and since my Magic Formula was destroyed, I gain 1000 life points. And with my Dark Magician in the graveyard, my Dark Magician Girl gains 300 more attack points." said Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 4550-

"You may have negated my spell, but I can still take out your monster. So Praesepe take out his Dark Magician Girl!" stated Starlight as her monster took out Isaac's.
Isaac's Life Points: 4450-

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw, and since I control a Level four or below monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) in defense mode. And by summoning my Mage Annette, I can draw one more card. Then I'll set one card facedown and end my turn." (Hand 2)

Turn 7: Starlight

"My draw and I'll play Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're holding six cards in our hands. Then I summon my Ancient Gear Frame(1600/500). But I'm not done, cause I'll also play Double Summon and bring out my Ancient Gear Cannon(500/500)." said Starlight as she had two monsters on her field.

Starlight then looked at a certain card in her hand as she was reminded on what it meant and who gave it to her.

This is for you... Sunburst.

"I now play the spell Star Light, Star Bright!"

"Starlight..." smiled Sunburst, "I'm here and I'll always be." stated the boy.

"Now since Ancient Gear Frame has the same defense points as my Ancient Gear Cannon, my spell lets me match my Cannon's level with that of my Frame. So they're both Level 4 which I'll then overlay both of them to construct the Overlay Network!" shouted Starlight as both of her monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Both orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Open a path to the cosmos and gather the light of the stars! I Xyz Summon, Constellar Omega(2400/500, OLU: 2)!!" The golden light burst, revealing a centaur in gold and silver armor with the two sparks of gold light circling it.

"Now to attack, Constellar Omega attack his Magician's Rod." said Starlight.

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Spellbinding Circle. Now your attack is negated and Omega loses 700 attack points." said Isaac.

"In response, I'll activate Omega's special ability, so by using one overlay unit, my monsters are unaffected by spells or trap cards this turn." said Starlight as her monster pressed forward and took out Isaac's trap and monster.

"Next, Constellar Praesepe will attack your Mage Annette." said Starlight as her other monster did just that. "Now I'll play Mystical Space Typhoon to take out your Dark Magical Circle. Then I'll play Constellar Tempest, so now that I've reached my end phase, I can remove all Xyz materials from both of my monsters so that I can half your life points." said the girl as tons of meteors rained down on Isaac as he took it and was breathing heavily when it ended.
Isaac's Life Points: 2225-

Turn 8: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Dark Magician. Then play the spell card, Bond Between Teacher and Student so now I can also bring back my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had both of his star monsters on the field as they looked ready to help their master to win. "Then my spell lets me set my Dark Burning Magic, but I'll use it right now so that I can nuke your entire field!" shouted Isaac as he had both of his magicians put their wands together as they casted a huge spell that took out Starlight's entire field.

"When you destroyed my Geartown, I can now special summon an 'Ancient Gear' monster from my hand, deck, or graveyard. So from my deck, I summon my Ancient Gear Golem - Ultimate Pound(3000/3000)!" said Starlight as the huge monster rose up in front of her.

"Then good thing, I got this. Thousand Knives so that I can destroy your Ancient Gear Golem!" said Isaac as he took out Starlight's monster with ease.

"With my monster being destroyed, I can add 'Polymerization' to my hand."

Isaac now looked at the field as he had Starlight right where he wanted, no monsters to protect her and no spells or traps for her to activate. All he had to do was call his attack and it would be over. It would be over... so... why didn't he? Everybody was waiting to see what Isaac was going to do as they knew he had to just yell "attack" and he would win. But he just stood there... waiting...

"Well, are you going to attack me or not?!" taunted Starlight.

"No!" said Isaac as it got a shock from everybody. "Cause I got something even better! Jaden, time to lend me your power." said Isaac as he his fist closed and his body lit up with a rainbow coloring as he was tapping into that hidden power. "I play Polymerization!"

"WHAT?!!!" shouted Starlight as once again.

"Time to make you proud, Jay." said Isaac as both of his magicians entered a swirling vortex as multiple colors came out. "I Fusion Summon, The Dark Magicians(2800/2300)!!" Both of Isaac's star monsters now appeared side by side.

"Why would Isaac summon a monster with less attack points?!" asked Rainbow. "He had this thing won if he just called attack."

"I don't know." said Twilight.

"Now, attack her directly!" shouted Isaac.

"Just like last time." smiled Starlight.

"I card I set and that was destroyed thanks to you was my Constellar Nebula! So as you remember, if I find myself for a direct attack, I simply can end the battle phase by taking damage to half of a 'Constellar' monster's attack points in my graveyard. So I choose my Constellar Hyades!" said Starlight.

"I was hoping you'd do that." smiled Isaac.

"Huh?" said Starlight.

"I had a feeling you try the same move you did when you beat me last time. So I played along and made it look like I was going to do what I did, which is why this time I came prepared. I activate my monster's effect, since a spell/trap card or effect was activated, I can now draw a card and then if it's a spell or trap I can set it or if it's a trap or quick-play spell, I can activate it this turn. So here goes." said Isaac as he placed his hand over his deck and drew it. He then looked at it as he smiled and then placed it facedown.

"Seems you got nothing so your attack comes to an end and I only take a small amount of damage." snickered Starlight.
Starlight's Life Points: 300-

"I end my turn."

Turn 9: Starlight

"My draw, and so now I'll banish my Constellar Nebula from my grave to add a Rank-Up Magic card to my hand. Then I'll play Constellar Rasalhague(900/100) and then tribute it so that I can bring back my Constellar Omega. But then I'll give it an upgrade!" The crowd went wild as Starlight’s monster glowed brightly, a golden silhouette weaving in the air around it. “With the galaxy as your guiding light, gallop down the path to the cosmos and take flight among the brightest stars!” She thrust her fist into the air. “Rank-Up, Xyz Evolution!” Constellar Omega burst apart in rays of light, the rays striking the silhouette around them and filling it out. “Using a Constellar Xyz monster I control as the sole Xyz Material, I Xyz Summon, Constellar Ptolemy M7(2700/2000, OLU: 1)!” The shape shattered to reveal a large silver and gold dragon, wings of the night sky spread into the air and its tail coiling down and around Starlight.

"Now, I'll activate my Constellar Ptolemy M7's special ability..."

"I discard Effect Veiler from my hand to negate your monster's effect!" said Isaac as he managed to stop Starlight from activating her monster's effect.

"GRR!!!" growled Starlight. "Fine asshole, I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll have my monster take out your Constellar Ptolemy M7!" said Isaac as his monster took out Starlight's dragon.
Starlight's Life Points: 200-

"I end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 11: Starlight

"My turn and now I'll play the spell Rank-Up Magic Constellation Force so now I can revive my Omega and use it to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" Starlight's monster appeared as soon it turned into an orb of light as it entered a portal as a pillar of light emerged. "This is the end for you, once this monster strikes the field, all shall be destroyed by its celestial light! Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, Annihilate everything in your path, Constellar Ursa Proeliator(4000/3000, OLU: 1)!!" Out emerged a warrior made whose body was made up of the night sky and star as the outline of its body was white lines connecting the stars as it wielded a spear and shield as it rode on a huge bear as it stood at 7 feet tall on its hind legs as it had fangs along with its mouth as it let out a roar as it too had the same shape and appearance as its rider as both wore white and gold armor.

"But I ain't done, cause now I play Chaos Ancient Gear Fusion, so by banishing my 4 Constellar Xyz monsters and discarding my Polymerization, I can now summon Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, Double Ancient Gear Hunting Hound, Triple Ancient Gear Hunting Hound and Ultimate Ancient Gear Hunting Hound so that I can then fuse all of them together!" Starlight's four monsters all appeared as together they were sucked into the vortex. "And if you think that's an impressive sight, then just wait till you see what happens after I take all 4 and fuse them together! Once joined, they'll form an Ancient Gear of Goliath proportions! I Fusion Summon! The ground-shaking Chaos Ancient Gear Giant(4500/3000)!" Starlight now had another giant monster on her field as she looked to end Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown Dark Renewal! So now I can sacrifice my monster with your Constellar Ursa Proeliator." said Isaac.

"Not gonna happen, I use my Ursa Proeliator's special ability, so by using its overlay unit, I can negate the effect of your spell." said Starlight as she had her monster get rid of Isaac's trap as his plan backfired.

"Now to end this Chaos Ancient Gear Giant attack his monster! And you can't activate any cards during the battle!" shouted Starlight as her giant slammed its fists on Isaac's monster as she was thrown onto his back, but he rolled through despite his body hurting as he was on one knee.
Isaac's Life Points: 525-

"Now my monster's effect activates, so now I can bring back my Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he had his two loyal companions.

"So what, you still lose, cause I'll..."

"Activate my other facedown, Negate Attack! So now the battle phase immediately ends." said Isaac as he managed to end Starlight from attacking.

"So, you found a way. Well, you only bought one turn. It's over come my next turn."

"There is no next turn, Starlight. Cause I just won." said Isaac with a confident smile on his face.

Turn 12: Isaac

"You lose." said Isaac. "I reveal my Ragnarok!" Isaac's entire hand, deck, and graveyard all glowed as soon every single one of his monsters all appeared above him on his field.

"What is this?" asked the girl.

"By banishing all my monsters while I have my two magicians on the field, I can destroy all your monsters on the field!" said Isaac.

"So what? My Chaos Ancient Gear Golem can't be target by your spell, so it'll still stay on the field."

"Which is why I drew this, Dark Magic Twin Burst. So with that my Dark Magician's attack points are equal to your golem's attack strength which leaves my Dark Magician Girl to attack directly and win." said Isaac.

"NO!" shouted the girl as she dropped all the cards in her hand as she truly had no way out.

"Everyone!" shouted Isaac as he called to all of his monsters in his deck. "To battle!"

"Yes, Master Isaac!!" shouted all of the boy's monsters as Mahad and Mana also levitated into the air as they led the charge towards Starlight's field as their comrades used their powers to take out Starlight's Ursa Proeliator while Mahad clashed with Chaos Ancient Gear Golem as that left Mana to head straight towards Starlight as she pointed her wand at point blank at the girl.

"End this duel!!!" shouted Isaac as he glowed with a rainbow coloring as soon a giant explosion went off as the entire field was covered in a white and blinding light that everybody watching all covered their eyes as they looked away.

The attack continued for a good solid 2 minutes before it died down as Starlight was thrown across the grass and hit hard on her side as she laid there. Isaac was still standing as soon he felt the pain finally get to him as he collapsed onto the field. While both were down and completely out, the end result had been determined as their duel disk registered what had happened as it projected it on the big screen for all to see.

Starlight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"The winner and still champion... Isaac!!!" shouted Celestia as she screamed at the top of her lungs as she hugged Luna who both cheered as the entire crowd went nuts. Some confetti came out thanks to Pinkie and party cannons went off as Isaac's portrait was highlighted as the victor.

It truly was a moment. For Isaac and Starlight, having gone through hell itself and hitting each other with everything including the kitchen sink, and they still found the will to continue dueling for one hour and then some until there was a clear winner. Isaac had finally gotten what he deserved, his much needed redemption, he satisfaction of keeping his rank as champion, and him beating Starlight decisively.

The girls all cheered as they were glad to see their friend win. Twilight immediately got out of her seat as she ran onto the field to check up on her boyfriend. Twilight kneeled down by Isaac's side as he was still knocked out. Moments passed, then some more, then more. Then more. Nothing happened, Isaac just laid there lifeless, almost like... he.. was dead. Twilight was beginning to worry when she heard a grunt and saw Isaac turn his head and open his eyes gently as he saw a blurry image of Twilight.

"Twi..."

"Isaac!" said the girl as she put his arm over her shoulder as she was helping her boyfriend to stand up as he laid lifeless with his arm dangling. Seems Isaac was also able to keep his promise to Twilight that he would return; who said nice guys had to finish last.

"Starlight?" asked Sunburst as he was checking on his friend as he was carrying her in his arms. For a while the girl wasn't responding, soon he heard a moan as Starlight was coming to as she too opened her eyes to a blurry view before clearing up.

"Sunburst?"

"You're okay." cried the boy as he was glad to have his friend alive.

"What... happened..."

"It's over." was all he said as that was the clear message. Sunburst looked forward as he saw Twilight and Isaac staring at them as he could see Isaac was worn out just like his best friend.

All four looked at each other, not a word was said. Nothing but the look in their eyes. Silence. Silence. Silence. Isaac then did something unexpected as he extended his right arm that was dangling to his side as it was shaking. Starlight saw this and she too did the same as she extended her right arm as it too shook from exhaustion and the two met. They both gave a firm handshake and didn't break it. They held their hands together as their eyes told the story. After one hour, there was only one thing on their mind. One thing that could define what was clear between the two duelist who wanted to beat the other. And that was... Respect.

With a nod from both Starlight and Isaac then broke contact as they were being lead in opposite directions as that moment was something special to all four of them as they would carry it for the rest of their lives.

"Sunburst."

"Easy, Starlight. I got you." said the boy as he was carrying his friend as he was taking them home.

"Thank you..." smiled the girl at her best friend. "I'm glad to have someone like you in my life." Starlight then brought her hand to cusp his cheek as she did the one thing Sunburst didn't see coming. She pressed her lips to his as they held contact for a few seconds before Starlight pulled away and rested herself in Sunburst's arms.

"Don't worry. I'm never letting you go." said Sunburst as he looked up at the night sky as he saw the stars shining above and smiled as his wish had come true.

Twilight had managed to bring Isaac inside of the school as she was still having his arm around him as Isaac felt zapped. She then laid her boyfriend against the wall as he had his head down and eyes closed as Isaac was fading. Twilight then bent down and lifted Isaac's head as he opened them as he was breathing heavily and very slowly.

"Twili..."

"Shh." said Twilight as she pressed her fingers to Isaac's lips to stop him from speaking. She then put her hand to caressed the side of his face. Isaac then used whatever little strength he had left as he gripped Twilight's hand and placed it near his heart. "Isaac. Look at me. We're going to be okay." reassured the lavender girl as he smiled before his arm dropped to his side as he looked forward like he was staring at a bright white light.

"You can rest now." said Twilight as Isaac then closed his eyes as his head fell down and his cap came off his head as it hit the floor next to him. The spark surrounding Isaac had now left him.

Twilight had some tears in her eyes as she kissed Isaac's forehead. She then brought him into her chest as she laid Isaac's head on her bosom. She had one hand wrapped around his head while the other rubbed his hair as she was gently, smoothly humming to her boyfriend as he was now resting.

Resting. Resting. Resting.

Author's Note

Oh boy! What a duel and what an ending scene which is kinda of fitting given what the title of this chapter is called. I don't know about you all, but I think I need a moment of rest to let all of this sink in. Truly an epic moment and a duel, that showcased what two of the best duelist can do when they go all out. The end result, doesn't matter. But what matters is that both individuals left it all out on the table to get you the readers some entertainment.

Chapter 193: Rest

"Ow!" said Isaac as he felt a bit of pain in his side.

"It wouldn't hurt if you didn't keep moving!" stated Nurse Redheart as she was getting a bit annoyed at Isaac as she was doing her best to treat him.

"Hey, nobody likes needles!" responded Isaac as the arm sleeve of his shirt was lifted as the nurse finished putting on a clean bandage as she wrapped it around the boy's bicep.

"There now." groaned Nurse Redheart as she let out a sigh of relief that she was done.

"How are you feeling?" asked Twilight as she was sitting in a chair as she had been watching her boyfriend get better.

"Good as new... no wait, ow," said Isaac as he stretched a bit too much as he clutched his right side as he sat on the medical bed.

"As I said, don't strain yourself. Or else it'll take longer to recover," said Nurse Redheart as she was writing something down on her clipboard as she took the piece of paper and handed it to Twilight. "Keep an eye on his health and inform me if anything happens. And do try to keep him from doing anything too stressful."

Both girls then heard a sound as they looked to Isaac as he was chowing down on some food in front of him as he grabbed two fistfuls of food and shoved them down his throat as he chewed them. He then grabbed a bottle of water and drank it noisily as he grabbed some more food and munched on it with chucks flying as he looked at the two females.

"Does eating count?" asked Isaac with vittles in his mouth as he kept on eating.

The pair was now back in the house as Isaac was resting on the couch as he was looking through his entire deck. The girls were all talking in the kitchen as they talked about their male friend. The duel with Starlight had taken a lot out of Isaac and given what Nurse Redheart had told them that he needed to take it easy, they knew that Isaac needed some time to himself and relax. Thankfully, they were basically at the end of the school year as the only thing that was needed on the academic side was the AP exams that several of them had to take, but other than that, they were done with their final school year. The only thing that remained was next week when the Board would arrive at school and evaluate the students, then, of course, was their prom night and then graduation itself where that would be the final time they would spend with each other.

The girls knew how much of a beating Isaac went through that they all decided on a plan to help their male companion to relax in the days leading to the Board arriving. They all confirmed the plan and began to head to the living room as they saw the boy as he fanned out his deck.

"Hey, Isaac."

"Give me a sec, Aj," said Isaac. He then pulled out his Extra Deck cards and placed them on the table.

Isaac now placed all of his Fusion Monsters in one pile which contained his Dark Magician the Dragon Knight, Dark Magician Girl the Dragon Knight, and Amulet Dragon. His Synchro pile consisted of his Dark Sorcerer Magician, and his two new cards given to him from way back when he met Yusei, his Valor Valkyrie, and Dark Flier Lysithea. His Xyz stack had his Ebon High Magician, Ebon Illusion Magician, and the new card he got when he dueled against Yuma, Chaos Mageía. And lastly, he now had a fourth pile as it was a hybrid of the three summoning methods. His Fusion-Pendulum monster, Lychinus Enchanter. His Synchro-Pendulum monster, Solis Witch. And lastly his Xyz-Pendulum monster, Ventus Oraculum. Coupled that with his six Pendulum monsters that would move into his Extra Deck throughout a duel. Isaac's deck was complete and the most powerful it has been. Not to mention there were the Egyptian God cards he had.

"Finally complete." said the boy as he looked at his Extra Deck and then at his deck of cards as he could feel their spirits.

"So, got a full set now?" asked Rainbow as she picked up some of the boy's cards.

"Wasn't easy, but so worth it."

"Yes, well we're glad that you got a nice balance of cards," said Sunset. "But we need to discuss you. We know the type of punishment you underwent in your duel with Starlight, and given that the Board of Education is arriving next week, we'd figured you need some well deserved R&R."

"Okay..." said Isaac with an uneasy look. "What do you all have planned?"

"It's a secret." smiled the girls.

The next day rolled around as the sun was coming high into the sky. The rays of the morning star came into Isaac's room as he felt them hit his face. He then rolled to his side as he looked at the alarm clock on his nightstand as he looked at the time. Isaac let out a yawn as he got out of bed and prepared himself. Once he had exited his room he then headed down the stairs as he rubbed his eyes when he saw the dining table was filled with some breakfast as it got the boy to be stunned. He then heard some singing coming from the kitchen as he turned his head and saw Fluttershy as she was wearing an apron.

"Morning, Isaac."

"Morning, Fluttershy. You made breakfast?"

"Maybe." giggled the buttercup girl as she grabbed a plate and sat down on one of the chairs as she took off the apron she was wearing.

"So, where are the others?" asked Isaac as he took the seat next to his friend as he began to eat his plate.

"Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. We told you how we came up with a plan to help you relax from your battle with Starlight and to clear your mind before the day the Board of Education arrives. Well, we all decided that each day leading up to that date, one of us would spend the day with you and have fun. I hope you don't mind that." said Fluttershy as she hid behind her hair.

"Not at all, I kinda look forward to it. Trust me, that battle left me with some scars and wounds. I think I need one last relaxation before the Board arrives. Cause after that, it's just our prom night and then graduation itself before we're done." stated the boy as he finished eating. "So guess, you're the first one. So what's your way to help me relax?"

After breakfast, both friends then got ready for their outing as Isaac was looking forward to seeing what each of his friends had in store as a way to help the boy recover from his last fight. Once both were ready, they then got in the shy girl's car as she began to drive them towards their destination. Along the way, Fluttershy sang a few rhymes to her focused on driving, admittedly getting bits of the rhyme stuck in Isaac's head as he sang along. They arrived at the place where Fluttershy wanted to bring her friend as upon arrival at the zoo, Fluttershy took out her membership pass and flashed it at the booth near the entrance. The man by the entrance immediately recognized Fluttershy and gave a small wave to her. She smiled back with a small and led Isaac through the gate and down the pathway. His eyes widened as he saw the zoo was surprisingly large, from the aquarium entrance to his left to the petting zoo further in the back, a reptilian and amphibian house, and even a whale show. Fluttershy smiled warmly as she turned to Isaac and tapped his shoulder lightly to snap him out of his daze. He shook his head and came back to reality.

"So, tell me why you've never brought me here?" asked Isaac.

"I come here every weekend to check up on all the animals," said Fluttershy as she held up her membership pass, "I've donated a lot of money to make sure all the animals here are happy and comfortable, so all the workers here decided to repay me and give me a year-long membership pass so I can come whenever I want. Usually, it's just me and Rainbow to drop by and check-in or just have a little fun in the petting zoo."

"Wait, Rainbow? Oh, am I gonna have fun teasing her." chuckled Isaac as he didn't expect that from his athletic friend.

"Now come on!" said the shy girl as she grabbed her friend's hand and pulled him along with some unbridled strength.

"You don't have to drag me!" grinned Isaac.

The pair now made it to one of the many places that the zoo had to offer. Isaac was smiling and grinning like a little kid while waving at the panda cub as he finally got his attention. The cub looked at him and Fluttershy and waved back playfully.

"He's cute," said Isaac.

Fluttershy handed him some bamboo sticks from her bad and Isaac held it up to the fence so that the cub could reach it.

"Snack time, little guy!" stated Fluttershy.

The panda cub crawled over to both of them and started nibbling on the bamboo. Kneeling, Isaac slowly petted him. Fluttershy kneeled as well to pet the cub and she immediately began nuzzling her hand as she recognized her.

"Do all the animals in the zoo know you?" wondered Isaac.

"Most of them do. Not only do I donate, but I help take care of the animals here with the staff." said the girl as she rubbed the cub's belly as he rolled over. Isaac booped the cub's nose lightly. It gave a happy expression and attempted to boop Isaac back. Caught off guard, Isaac fell backward and chuckled. Fluttershy watched him fall and smiled.

"Looks like you had a BEAR-able fall." Fluttershy giggled at her pun.

Isaac shook his head and chuckled. "That pun was bad and you should feel bad." joked the boy.

"Oh bear with me, Isaac." winked Fluttershy. Even the panda cub just shook her head at the bad pun while the two of them just chuckled together.

"Bear puns aside, you wanna go see the penguins next?" asked Isaac.

"S-Sure." nodded Fluttershy.

The two of them waved goodbye to the panda cub and made their way towards the aquarium. Venturing into the building, they navigated their way through the dark corridor for a minute until they saw the beautiful blue water shining through the enormous tanks on the wall. Isaac was ready to comment until Fluttershy motioned for him to save his breath. She lead them forward as they passed by the crabs, jellyfish, and rockfishes, making Isaac examine some of them for a few seconds with silent praises until they went down a flight of stairs. His jaw dropped upon reaching the bottom as he witnessed an underwater tunnel to the other side of the aquarium. The stunning view of the pure blue colors and the different kinds of fish going by was nothing short of incredible, especially with how long the corridor went. He looked at Fluttershy as she gave him a smile and a nod as his cue to make his comment.

"It's so cool..." Isaac muttered as he placed his hands on the acrylic glass, watching hundreds of fish, turtles, and stingrays swim by. "We gotta get a picture of this!" He took out his phone and smiled; Fluttershy nodded and squeezed in with Isaac as he stood next to the glass and stretched out his arm to take the photo as they both gave a toothy grin. He looked at the photo and laughed as he noticed Fluttershy's grin. "I didn't know you could smile that big."

Fluttershy gave an embarrassed blush, "Well, Pinkie did teach me a thing or two." She soon started leading Isaac out of the tunnel as they made their way upstairs and arrived at the penguins' exhibit. It was a bit different as they could see the penguins on land and underwater at the same time. Isaac and Fluttershy managed to squeeze their way to the front as they got close to the glass.

After some time, one of the staff workers came into the room with a bucket of fish and all the penguins rushed over, knowing it was feeding time. Fluttershy suggested they move on as she grabbed Isaac's hand and led them to the small stadium where the aqua show was being held. The pair found a couple just as the show began as the staff came out and the orca did various leaps out of the water and performed several tricks, wowing the audience in the process. The two of them watched the show and conversed with each other as they were having fun. Though there was a splash that got Fluttershy went as Isaac handed her a towel for her to dry herself off. As the show came to an end, it was nearly an hour before the zoo was set to close. Isaac and Fluttershy took the time to hurry along and visit some of the other animals before they had to depart for the day. Eventually, both sat down on a bench with a wonderful view of the setting sun as they took a minute to drink a soda.

"So Isaac, this may be a silly question, but did you enjoy yourself?" Fluttershy asked with a hopeful smile.

"Absolutely! The orca was the highlight of the zoo!" beamed the boy. "Though to be completely honest, I still can't believe you helped donate to this place and help take care of nearly all of the animals here so they can be just as happy as they would be out in the wild." Isaac praised her with a smile. "At this point, you're a goddess of animals. And a beautiful one at that."

Fluttershy blushed as she moved her hair aside and turned away. "I-I don't think I'm that great, honestly."

Isaac turned towards her. "Well, not everyone thinks they're goddess levels of great. But you just need a friend or so to remind you of your greatness. And there's a lot of amazing things about you: You help animals with every fiber of your being and take care of them as if they were your babies. You're kind to everyone and everything, and I might add, you're not a pushover when it comes to dueling. Many people would think that a girl of your nature wouldn't be good at the game but look at you. You've gone toe to toe with me, before I even became champion, not to mention, you made it into the top 3 of the tournament we had with the students and the girls. That's something everybody should take notice of."

"I guess, I do have some amazing talents." smiled the girl as she turned back to look at her friend as he smiled as well with both letting out a small chuckle. She then pulled out her deck as she looked at it and couldn't help but think that all the memories she made during her high school years were with this group of comrades and thanks to Isaac.

"May I?" asked Isaac.

Fluttershy then held her deck out as Isaac placed his hand over hers as both closed their eyes. Soon some small swirls surrounded the deck as it infused into it. Isaac then opened his eyes as he tapped his friend on her shoulder. Fluttershy then opened her eyes slowly as soon she heard some noises as all around her were some of the animal cards of her deck as they made happy sounds. All the small animals of her deck all gathered at her feet as some of them jumped into her arms as they nuzzled against her cheek. Her Ronin Raccoon appeared as he was laying on top of his princess' head as he gave a happy sound. Behind the buttercup girl, her Thunder Unicorn, Voltic Bicorn, Lighting Tricorn, and even Behemoth all nuzzled against their mistress as all of this made the girl happy.

"What I'd tell you, a princess." smiled Isaac as Kuriboh appeared before him as he petted the small furball as he let out happy "Kuri" sounds.

"Thank you everybody." said the girl as she looked at the critters of her deck as they all enjoyed spending time with their animal princess. "And you too, Isaac," said Fluttershy as she planted a kiss on his cheek as it got both to blush as all the animals made more happy noises at seeing their princess with her knight of sorts. After that, the spirits of Fluttershy's deck all said goodbye to their mistress as they returned to their deck as the sun was now dipping beyond the horizon. With that as their cue, both Isaac and Fluttershy decided to head back home. They arrived as night had taken over the sky as the pair headed to their rooms as Isaac thanked his friend one final time for giving him a nice laid-back day.

The next day came as Isaac was fast asleep. He was having some pleasant dreams when suddenly his alarm went off as it got the young boy to groan. He then slammed the alarm off as he saw that it was 5 in the morning as the sun wasn't even up, at most it barely came over the horizon.

"What the..."

"Rise and shine, city slicker!" said Applejack as she entered Isaac's room as she had her attire on.

"Applejack!" groaned Isaac as he didn't like having his country girl waking him up so early as he tossed the covers over his head.

"I said, get up!" shouted the girl as she yanked the covers off of her friend. Thankfully, Isaac was wearing some pajamas when he felt the warm embrace of the blanket being pulled off his head. "Come on, now! We're burnin' daylight."

"The sun isn't even up!" complained the boy.

"It will be soon, besides, we still need to get there." Aj then grabbed Isaac's cap and hoodie as she tossed it to the boy. "Put your clothes on and meet me downstairs." Aj winked at her friend as she exited his room as Isaac flopped down on his bed as he hated Applejack for being the one to be today's turn to help him relax. He tried to drift off, but it seemed his body was now awake as he had no choice but to get ready as he put on his outfit and met with his friend.

The pair then exited the house as they got in her family's truck she turned the engine on and began to drive the two of them down the road. It took a while, but the sun was now halfway in the sky as it still had an orange color and glow as the truck pulled into its destination. The pair got out as the smell of manure, animals, and fresh air could be heard and smelt.

"Nothing like a good workout to make you sweat to start your day." smiled the freckled girl.

"Except maybe not getting up early." groaned Isaac as Aj punched him in the arm. "Hey, take it easy. I'm still recovering from my match with Starlight."

"Quit whinnyin' Isaac. You've taken tougher hits than that," stated Applejack. She then began to lead her and Isaac to the Big Mac as he was getting ready to do his share. "Let's see..." said the country girl as she looked at the trees. "Didn't Granny Smith say that the south orchard was ready for harvest, Big Mac?"

"Eeyup."

"Does that mean we're gonna be stuck picking apples the whole day?" said Isaac.

"No. Besides I have other plans I want to do with you, sugarcube. But I'll tell you later, let's get to work." After saying that, she turned to walk into the house for a bit as both boys got to work on getting the equipment they would need to pick apples.

Soon both boys got the equipment they needed as Applejack came out of the house with some other stuff in her hands and Applebloom. With that the four of them got to work as they spilt off into two groups, Applebloom had immediately wanted to be with Isaac as she felt like she would have more fun with the boy than her other two siblings. So off they went in different directions, seems Applebloom made the right choice as she and Isaac decided to make a game out of picking the apples as it prove to be way more bearable than listening to Aj or Big Mac. Eventually, they started to have more fun as the two played tag and used the trees to their advantage of trying to avoid being hit. Soon it changed into hiding and seek as it seemed Applebloom was a pro at that given her size. Isaac was in the middle of a clearing as he was trying to find the small cute girl. He then bent down on one knee as he placed his hand on the ground and closed his eyes. Isaac was using his ears to try to listen in on his surroundings, he also caught a whiff of Applebloom's scent as he knew the shampoo that the small girl used to wash her hair. He then opened his eyes as he then rushed over to a nearby bush as he looked inside and saw the girl as her back was turned as she didn't know Isaac found her.

"Now who left his pink bow here?" asked Isaac as he rubbed the girl's head.

"Aw, you found me," said Applebloom with a pouting face.

"Is that so wrong? I wanted to spend time with my favorite CMC." said the boy as he patted her head even more.

"I'm your favorite?" asked Applebloom with a hopeful smile.

"Maybe." teased the boy as soon Applebloom tackled the teen to the ground as both rolled on the ground and let out a laugh as they fell into a pile of leaves.

"I'm glad I came, I got to have fun," said Isaac as he laid down next to the girl.

"I knew I made the right decision by paring with you. Applejack and Big Mac never do this with me when we pick apples. No wonder she's such a bossy pants."

"What did ah hear?" said a familiar country voice as the pair sat up and saw Applejack standing in front of them with her arms crossed and an unhappy expression on her face.

"Applejack?" said Applebloom with a worried look.

"Y'all suppose to be picking apples!" said the farm girl. "Applebloom, you know there's a time for work and a time to have fun."

"It's my fault, Aj. I wanted me and Applebloom to take a break, guess we got caught up that we lost track of time," said Isaac as he winked at Applebloom as he was willing to take the blame for the girl.

"I'll do with you in a bit, city slicker. Applebloom, head on over to barn and prep the tub so that we can squish the apples," said Aj as Applebloom nodded and gave one last hug to Isaac as her small arms wrapped around him as he rubbed her hair one last time and planted a kiss on her forehead as the small girl left.

"Can't wait to see what a fine young girl she turns out to be." smiled Isaac as Aj now towered over her friend with the same stern expression. "Uh-oh."

"I know that you took the blame for Applebloom. I admire that sugarcube, ah just want her to understand that there's a time for working and time to play." Applejack then held her hand out as she helped her male friend to his feet. She then began to work with Isaac to get the last of the apples from the trees picked.

Soon both were walking back to the farmhouse. The sweat was just dripping down Isaac's face from putting in a hard morning's work of helping get as many apples as possible. He took off his cap and wiped his forehead as he fanned himself with it, looking over, he saw that Applejack was looking back at you with a smile on her face as she was fanning herself with her stetson hat.

"You did a great job today, Isaac," said Applejack before placing a hand on his sweat-soaked shirt. "I don't think we could've gotten all of those apples in if it was just us."

"No problem. You know me, AJ. I always help my friend." replied Isaac as he put his cap back on.

"Well, don't worry. Cause there's something else I want to do with you to help you recover. Care to go fishing?"

"Sure."

"Pizza's ready!" called out Granny Smith from inside the house. As soon as that was said, both Aj's and Isaac's stomachs growled as they wanted something as a reward for all this hard work.

Both teens then put the baskets of apples in the barn as they turned around and headed towards the house. The front door opened as the smell of freshly cooked pizza made Isaac's mouth water as he walked through the living room towards the kitchen.

"Not so fast there, sugarcube." Applejack says before Isaac feels her suddenly grab him by the hand. "Can't have ya sittin' down at the dinner table without gettin' yerself cleaned up a bit." She then proceeded to lead Isaac by the hand down a little hallway before stopping in front of a door. "Wash rags are in the cupboard. Make sure you get all of today's sweat off of your face." Isaac gave a little nod before she let go of his hand and opened the door, revealing a tiny bathroom. "We'll wait for ya to sit down, before eatin'." She said as Isaac stepped in.

Once inside, Applejack turned and walked down the hall. Isaac took this opportunity to look at himself in the mirror. The reflection he saw made him look twice because he had no idea that he was covered in that much sweat and bits of dirt. Keeping to what Aj told him in his mind, Isaac reached into the cupboard and pulled out a small red washcloth. He then reached over and grabbed the soap bar that was next to the faucet handles before turning them on slightly. The sound of the water began to flow making him sigh a bit as the feeling of having warm water soak the cloth in his hand put him into a relaxed mood. After rubbing the bar of soap in the cloth for a bit, making sure that it got lathered up, Isaac proceeded to vigorously rub the wet rage across his face for several minutes.

"Doin' alright in there, Isaac?" called Applejack from the dining room.

"Yeah." called back the boy after setting down the soaked cloth down to pick up a towel.

Once he was done drying off his face, Isaac exited the bathroom and walked down the hall before entering the dining room. Once the dinner table came into view, he found two large homemade pizzas sitting on it.

"There ya are, sugar." Applejack said before patting a chair that was next to the one she was sitting in. "I went ahead and saved ya a spot right here next to me." This made a smile appear on Isaac's face as he walked over and sat down next to her.

"Help yerselves to as much as you like," said Granny Smith before Isaac and everyone else at the table began to grab some slices.

After grabbing two to start with, Isaac took a bite out of the first slice. A moan of enjoyment soon followed as Granny Smith's cooking was always great. Applejack reacted in the same way as he saw her take a bite out of her slice.

"This is delicious!" Isaac said, earning a smile from the elder in response.

"Why thank you, dearie," she replied. "And let me just say that you and Applejack look so adorable sittin' right there."

"Granny!" Applejack grunted, her cheeks turning red after hearing that. From where Isaac was sitting, he could hear Big Mac and Applebloom chuckle slightly from seeing their sister's reaction.

"What?" she said, "I'm just bein' honest." replied the older family member.

"I appreciate the thoughtful comment, Granny Smith." smiled Isaac as he tipped his cap to the old lady. Soon the sound of the grandfather clock in the living room chimed 12 times.

"Looks like we should get goin' if we want to have plenty of times to fish," said Applejack as Isaac scarfed down the remainder of his slice. Knowing that it's rude to speak with a mouthful, he gave a nod in response before the two of them stood up and placed their plates into the kitchen sink. Applejack then took Isaac by the hand and started leading them towards the front door as they had someplace to be.

"Thanks for the food!" Isaac yelled out as the two walked outside.

Applejack seemed keen on keeping a firm grip on Isaac's hand as the two of them walk over to the truck. In the truck's bed, he spied the ends of two fishing poles hanging out the back. Applejack finally let go of the boy's hand so she could go around to the driver's side while Isaac got in from the passenger side.

"Ready for some fun?" asked the country gal.

"I always am." replied the city slicker.

Applejack smiled as she shifted the truck into "reverse" and backed out of the driveway. Seconds later, she shifted it into "drive" and gunned the engine, kicking up a cloud of dust behind the truck as it raced off down the gravel road.

"Yee-haw!" Applejack cried out as the truck barreled down the road. "I always love doing this!"

"I can tell!" yelled Isaac over the roar of the engine before Applejack slowed down to round a bend. "How far is it?"

"Bout 3 miles!" Applejack said.

Isaac gave her a thumbs up in response as he turned his head to watch the fields and trees fly by. He pulled out his deck and pushed it against the window as he allowed his cards to also enjoy the view as well. The journey to the lake didn't last long as soon the truck was pulling into the parking lot, which was just a giant dirt patch by the lake before Applejack cut the engine. Once Isaac opened his door and stepped out, he was immediately greeted by a light breeze. He breathed in heavily, getting a good smell of the fresh air, before giving a relaxed sigh as he took a lookout at the lake.

"Come on, sugarcube," she said before handing Isaac a fishing pole. "We got a little bit of a hike to make to get to mah favorite spot." Isaac gave a nod before she started walking, with the boy following close behind. They walked for a bit on the dirt trail as they took in the surroundings they passed. "Here we are, partner. Welcome to my favorite fishin' spot." Applejack said before bending over to put her fishing pole and tackle box on the ground.

"So how long have you known about this spot?" asked Isaac as he looked out toward the lake.

"Couple of years," replied Aj. "I come out here at least once every couple of weeks to do some fishin'."

"I see," Isaac says as Applejack stands back up with her pole in hand.

He noticed a green and white boober that nearly matched her shirt attached to her line. Applejack then turned and walked over to the edge of the clearing before it dropped down into the water and cast off. Isaac watched in amazement as her green and white bobber flies through the air before it landed in the water.

"Nice cast."

"Thanks. Hurry up and get your hook baited. Go ahead and use one of mine." Isaac did as Aj said and quickly selected his bait before getting it into place on his hook while being careful not to stab himself. Once done, he turned and walked next to AJ before raising his arms and cast off, sending his blue and red colored bobber flying before it landed just a bit short of where Applejack was. "Mighty fin cast there, sugar," she said before both of them sat down on the grass.

"Thanks," replied Isaac.

"I'm sure you'll like this place more if you keep comin' back here," said Aj as she took off her stetson before laying down on the grass. Isaac did the same and laid down next to his friend, making sure to keep a hand on his pole in case of a fish catching his bait.

"I would like that." said the boy before looking over to see Applejack smiling as she looked up at the clear sky.

"You know what else ah like 'bout bein' out here?" asked Applejack in a calm, relaxed tone.

"Not sure."

"It's so nice and peaceful here," she replied. "Helps me when I need to think about a few things."

"Like what?"

"Well..." Applejack then let out a sigh as she collected her thoughts, "I guess how the farm will turn out once we graduate. I told you how this past summer, me and mah family met some investors who wanted to do business with us. We're grateful for that, but... ah can't help but assume the worst. Especially for Granny, she's in her old age and ah fear one day... she... might..."

"Hey... it's alright," said Isaac as he grabbed AJ's hand and squeezed it to give her some comfort.

"Sorry..." said the country girl as she wiped some tears. "But also... you." Applejack now sat up as Isaac did the same as he looked at his friend. "Is it true? What you told me and the others during the night we went to karaoke?"

"Yes," said Isaac immediately with conviction.

"Then... we're never gonna see you again?" stated Aj as she looked at the lake.

"That's... well... I don't know how to answer that. Being a pro is something that you can't just go in with the mindset of I can half-ass it, no it requires work to make it a reality and to be a success. So... that's why... I hope... that when I begin my career, you all don't forget, even if I do." said Isaac as he lowered his head with his cap covering his eyes.

Applejack noticed this as she lifted her friend's head she took off his cap and put her hat on his head. "It would take something drastic to make me forget you ever existed, sugarcube." smiled the girl as it got Isaac to lighten up. "I knew the moment ah saw you, you were someone were knowin', even if the intentions weren't honest."

"Same here, partner," replied Isaac with his imitation of his country gal as it got Aj to blush a bit as he gave her a peck on her freckled cheek.

"Isaac... do you intend to keep that promise? You know... about the one where you said you help me and mah family?" asked the girl.

"No doubt, when I'm a pro, I plan to help your family farm flourish so that you guys don't have to worry about stressing out about financial issues," said Isaac as he at least intended to keep that initial promise he made to Aj and her family even if he was never going to see them again.

"Then, I look forward to seein' you keep that promise, city boy." said the girl as she planted a kiss on her friend's cheek as she winked at him wearing her head.

She then pulled out her deck as she looked at it, Isaac then surprised Aj as he placed his hand over hers as it got a reaction from the girl. Soon both saw some green swirls enter her deck as it shined dimly. Aj looked at it for a second confused until he felt something touch her leg. She looked and saw her Predaplant Lilizard as it looked at its owner while turned its head. Applejack then saw some more of her Predaplant monsters appeared before her as they all surrounded their mistress as they showed their loyalty to her. Her Flytrap nuzzled itself against her hand as Applejack gave it a petting through its leaves. Predaplant Sarraceniant had hopped on her shoulder as it let out a ticking sound as Aj used her pointer finger to play with the little thing.

"Seems your plants like the smell of dirt on you," said Isaac when he heard the sound of all of Aj's fusion monsters as they were behind the two teens. Especially Aj's two dragons as they started to lower their heads as they showed their teeth to the boy as they were protecting their mistress.

"Settle down, y'all!" shouted Applejack as her two dragons looked at their mistress. "Remember what I said, no harmin' mah friends. Or else I bring the weed whacker!" Aj got her message through to her dragons as they let out some whimpers as they obeyed her command. She looked to her other fusion monsters as they knew better than to anger their mistress, especially someone like AJ. Soon they gave her a lick which resulted in Applejack being covered in plant fluid as she just smiled and shook it off as she was glad to have her monsters by her side.

Isaac was watching Aj interact and play with her monsters, he noticed the pole in his hand was now shaking as it seemed to have gotten something. Isaac then pulled back the pole only for it to yank it back, that only meant it was something big that was fighting back. Applejack saw her friend struggling to reel in the line as his feet were slowly dragging across the floor as he got closer and closer to the water. She then sat up as she grabbed the pole and put her hands over Isaac's as both of them tried together to bring in the line. Even with Aj's help the thing that was fighting back still proved to be a challenge as it was now dragging both of them. Just then the pole dragged both forward as both teens crashed into the water. Aj's monsters were concerned for their mistress as soon she and Isaac emerged from the water as they spit some out.

"Well... at least we got to cool off," said Applejack.

"Yeah... although, you could use a bit more." smiled Isaac deviously as he splashed some water in Aj's face. To which she returned the gesture, only for Isaac to splash her even more. Aj then took it to the next level as she tackled the boy into the lake as both were now under the water playing around and having fun before submerging to get air. Both then looked up and saw Applejack's Predaplant Pterapenthes and Helimaphorhynchus both had the fish that the two teens were trying to catch as they laid it on the shoreline as it was a rather impressive size.

"Teamwork." said both teens as they did a high-five as they got out of the water as Aj's monsters dried her off. They all sniffed Isaac as they got his scent. They also dried him off as the two teens looked at the fish they caught.

"We make a good team, hmm... what name would we call ourselves?" said Aj as she pondered that question.

"How about... DIY?" suggested Isaac.

"DIY? Huh, I like the sound of that," said Applejack.

"Our saying could be: No one will do it but you," suggested Isaac.

"I dig it," said Aj. "Alright, we're Team DIY!" The girl then gave a playful punch to Isaac's arm as he returned the gesture.

Her monsters all made noises as they liked that name. Soon it was time to head home as AJ's monsters all gave one last goodbye to their mistress as they returned to her deck. With that, both teens got back in the truck and started the somewhat long drive back to the house. Once Isaac got seated in the passenger's side, Applejack snuck in one last kiss on his cheek as she leaned on her friend with her eyes closed as Isaac took off her hat and rubbed her blonder hair as he got the country gal to let out a happy sigh. They then broke apart from their little moment as she turned the engine on and they drove off.

The next morning, Isaac got an early start at around 9 in the morning. He awoke to see he had received a text message; it was from Rarity as she explained it was her turn to spend time with Isaac and help him to recover. And based on the text and how the fashionista was, Isaac knew better than to keep a lady waiting. He took a quick, but thorough shower and put on some nice clothes as he grabbed his accessories and hoodie as he left out the door. Right now, Isaac was walking over to the park and gave Rarity a call to ask her where to meet up. Soon the boy arrived at the park as he walked a few meters as he wanted to enjoy time with his friend. Speaking of friends, Isaac saw her at the park, sitting on a bench, applying some lipstick on her while she was looking in her little mirror. The way the marshmallow girl was humming and making herself look beautiful made Isaac a bit speechless.

"Hey, Rarity," said Isaac.

"Isaac, glad you could make it." said the girl as she put her hand mirror in her purse as she stood up.

"Hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Nonsense, darling. I just got here a few moments ago. By the way, notice anything different?" asked the girl as she struck an elegant pose to show herself off to her friend.

"Hmm..." Isaac put his hand to his chin as he examined his friend to see what she meant. "Well, I mean other than your hair straightening out by normal which allows your beauty to be seen by all in 2 seconds faster. Not to mention the lavender scent I'm getting from your hair. Wait... I know..." Isaac finally saw what Rarity was referring to. "You're wearing the hairpin I bought for you on our first date."

"Why yes," said Rarity as she showed off the triple-sapphire hairpin. "I've kept it close to me, I could never forget the first date we went on, actually it was the first date you ever had in your life. To me that makes it extra special."

"Same here," said Isaac. "It's why I treasure this." Isaac now showed the necklace he was wearing to the girl. "You gave me this for my 18th birthday, to it means more than just a gift."

"Seems, we both kept each other's gifts." smiled the girl. Rarity then grabbed Isaac by the hand as she began to lead the two of them to where she wanted. During the walk, Rarity clung to Isaac's arm as she closed her eyes as Isaac smiled at this little moment.

After a few minutes of walking, both teens finally arrived at the center of the park. Isaac's jaw dropped at what he saw. In the center, there was a beautiful water fountain and a bench set up around it. Whether his eyes were playing tricks on him or not, Isaac could swear he saw a rainbow looming over the fountain.

"Rarity... this place is amazing." said the boy.

"That was the first impression I had when my parents showed me and my sister this place." Rarity replied. "Come with me and take a seat." Rarity then guided Isaac to the fountain and sat the both of them down, resting up and enjoying the nice cold breeze. "I always come by here to relax after I've finished my designs at the boutique, although sometimes I also go to the Sweet Shoppe for a nice milkshake."

"Well, care to go get one after this?" asked Isaac.

"Maybe, darling." giggled the fashionista. "So how are you enjoying it so far?"

"Yeah. It makes me feel a lot more at ease. But you know, the more I think about it, this place makes me feel more at ease when I have you by my side."

"Well, that's very kind of you, darling," said Rarity as she appreciated the compliment Isaac gave her. "But save the praise, we still have more to do." The girl then grabbed her friend as she led them to another part of her idea to get the boy to relax.

Rarity then led Isaac to a hill in the park as there was a picnic blanket and a basket all spread out as she wanted to treat her friend to a special meal in a special place. The two then sat down as Rarity began to grab some stuff inside, like homemade strawberry cake and some tea, as well as fruits and salad for her while packing a burger for the boy. So the two got to eating and enjoying their meal.

"Mmm, this salad is good. Did you make this?" asked Isaac as he took an offer from the girl.

"Why yes. I had to cook it up with some help from Pinkie. I even added a little seasoning to the salad and some croutons as a bonus to make it taste a little bit better." replied the girl.

"I'll say, I normally am not a big fan of greens, except maybe a few. But the way you prepped this, I like it." smiled the boy as he munched some more as Rarity let out a giggle at seeing her friend eat. "Though I have to say, with the cake you brought, do you want to add more marshmallow to your body?"

A needle scratch was heard as Rarity then looked at her and then glared at Isaac. "Is that a fat joke?!!" shouted the girl as she gave her friend the death look.

"I'm sorry!" said Isaac as he wanted to avoid getting smacked by the marshmallow girl, I mean fashionista. Isaac then had a piece of the strawberry shortcake get hit in his face as the bits of cake fell apart as Isaac had some.

"Never say anything about a lady's weight," said Rarity with a pout as she turned her head.

"I said I'm sorry. Besides, Twilight doesn't get mad when I do it," said Isaac he shook himself as the bits of cake were off his face.

Rarity just rolled her eyes as she grabbed a napkin and began to wipe some small pieces of the cake off of Isaac's face. As always Isaac's smile was contagious as it got the girl to also smile as she put her hand on his cheek as she admired the features of her friend's face.

"Well, at least you like my cooking. I just wish Sweetie Belle would always be careful with making food. One time, she burnt up breakfast and turned my toast into this burnt-up soup or something."

"Oh, I'm glad I didn't accept her invitation to breakfast then," said Isaac as he wanted to live and not die yet. "But hey, at least she's learning. Trust me, when I first had to learn how to cook, it was far from easy. But I knew it would be something useful for me since I knew I would have to take care of myself when I didn't have my parents around. But you know, not everyone can be good at everything. And like this one man once said: Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere."

"You got that off of Ratatouille, didn't you." Rarity gave Isaac a sly smile. This caused the boy to blush and turn away, smiling nervously when she found out. "My sister watched that film a lot when she was younger, even now. But even so, you do make a valid point there about artists, darling." Isaac felt less embarrassed about finding out and his blush went away as he looked back at his friend, smiling.

For a while, both said nothing and did nothing, other than sinking their teeth into their food as their stomachs kept on growling and rumbling since they had skipped breakfast. After about 5 to 10 minutes later, the plates were finally empty and Isaac patted his stomach. Rarity liked how cute Isaac looked when he patted his stomach like that. She crawled over and sat down next to him and placed her hand over his. Isaac blushed again and looked directly at Rarity. Her generous smile just felt so hypnotizing to look at.

"But you know, not a lot of art is revolved around drawing, painting, or cooking. It's also revolved around sports too, as well as music, dueling, and designing clothes, darling."

"And you excel at being creative in that last department, no doubt about that."

"Oh, well aren't you a charmer," said Rarity.

Isaac then looked at Rarity as he saw her reach into her pocket. He then grabbed her hand as it got the girl to let out a gasp as the boy held her hand. He then placed both of them around her hand as he concentrated as soon some indigo swirls surrounded their hands and soon entered her deck. Rarity was stunned by what she saw as they were used to seeing magic, but not in a place where many people could see it. Thankfully the hill they were on did provide some privacy. Isaac then gestured his head as Rarity looked behind her and to her surprise, her Crystal Beasts were all out. The animals all saw Rarity as the girl stood up and as her monsters, all made their way to their mistress as they showed their undying love.

"Holy, Toledo!" said Rarity's Cobalt Eagle. "Talk about a full house." said the monster as he examined the park and home of his mistress.

"It's a lot bigger than I expected," said Emerald Tortoise as it was a bit nervous and shy about being somewhere other than their home as he reached into his shell as only his eyes in a shade of yellow were shown. "I'm a bit intimidated."

"There, there my dear Emerald. It's quite alright," said Rarity as she stood up and rubbed her hand on her turtle's shell as she tried to calm down her monster. She then gave a ruffle through her eagle's feathers as he enjoyed the touch of his mistress.

"Well..." Isaac didn't get to finish his sentence as he heard some growls as it came from Rarity's Topaz Tiger and Amethyst Cat as they looked at the boy.

"This one looks tasty, he'll make a per-fect snack." said the cat.

"Easy, Amethyst," said Rarity as she saw how her cats were eyeing her friend.

"I haven't had fresh meat in a cat's age." said the monster looking at Isaac.

"Down girl! I'm a cat person!" said Isaac as he didn't want to be dinner for Rarity's giant felines.

"Oh, she's harmless," suggested Rarity as she gave her cat a petting through her upper body as the cat let out a soothing purr at Rarity's delicate touch as she knew where she liked to be rubbed.

"Do not try anything funny with our mistress," said Topaz Tiger.

"I would love to pummel that little toothpick of a man," said Amber Mammoth as he looked down at Isaac as he could so easily squeeze him with just one single foot.

"Hey, come on. I'm Rarity's friend," said Isaac as he was then pinned down by her Amethyst Cat as the female feline bared her teeth. "Please be gentle!" said the boy as he closed his eyes and prepared for the worst. He then opened his eyes as he expected a scratch or worst from the cat, but to her surprise, the feline was sniffing the boy as she recognized his scent. She then let out a yawn of sorts as she laid down and curled up on the boy's body as she was napping.

"Seriously?!" asked Isaac.

"Seems you are a cat person, darling," said Rarity as she was now scratching her Topaz Tiger's ear as the horned tiger began to lick Rarity's face as the fashionista giggled.

"Finally we can speak with our Rarity, gents," said Sapphire Pegasus.

Ruby Carbuncle being the only one of the seven who couldn't speak crawled on Rarity's body as he then appeared on her shoulder as Rarity enjoyed the cute, fluffy thing as she grabbed it and cradled it in her arms like a baby.

"My dear sweet, Ruby. Mamma loves you." said the marshmallow girl as she was having a blast.

Here she wanted to help Isaac relax and show him a good time, but he had somehow reversed it and was now showing her a good time. She looked at her Rainbow Dragon as he let out a soft roar as he liked it when Rarity patted its skin as he found it to be pleasant. All around her she was seeing and bonding with her precious monsters who she considered her closest allies as they all enjoyed being in their mistress homeworld for a bit as it allowed them to see why she liked this place. Of course, they were glad that for once in both of their lives, they could meet one another.

"Rarity!" shouted Isaac as he still couldn't move off the ground as the big cat had pinned him down as she was curled up napping on the boy.

"Amethyst, dear. Please let Isaac up." stated Rarity in a kind tone.

Her cat obeyed the orders given by her mistress as she got up as her tail whiffed by Isaac's noise as he let out a quick sneeze. Isaac now sat up as he dusted himself off of any hair before the cat returned and was looking directly at his eyes as she then kissed him by licking the boy. Isaac just wiped some of the spit as he shrugged at not being eaten.

"Oh, I do love all of you. Thank you for being with me since I was just a kid. You don't know how happy it makes me." said Rarity as her Crystal Beasts all surrounded her as they had smiles on their faces. Isaac pulled out his phone as he snapped a quick photo of Rarity and her monsters as he then sent it to hers so that she could look back on it whenever she got older and be reminded of this time.

Soon it was time for them all to return home as Rarity gave each of her monsters a kiss as they returned the love from their mistress. They all disappeared back into her deck as the fashionista girl smiled. Rarity then thanked Isaac for allowing her to have a chance to spend time with her monsters. Isaac just tipped his cap as the two decided to end their outing by getting some milkshakes to which Rarity agreed by giving Isaac a peck on the cheek as he offered his arm for the girl as she clung to it and the two went off.

The next day came up as the sun was coming over the entire town. Isaac finally opened his eyes as he let out a yawn. He blinked a couple of times as he awoke to a smiling face. Isaac was now staring at Pinkie who snuck into the room of her friend and as on his bed as she looked at the boy with a big smile as she got closer to look at her friend.

"I would be frightened by waking up to see your face, but since I know you girls have a plan, I'd expected that you would do this," said Isaac as he stared at the girl who he considered his little sister.

"Morning big bro," said Pinkie as her face was inches away from Isaac's as she had her eyes staring straight at his.

"Pinkie, get off of me," stated Isaac to which the party girl immediately remember rule #5 of her big brother and that was giving him some space.

"Sorry." smiled the girl as she reached into her pink puffy hair and pulled out two cupcakes as she handed one to Isaac.

"Thanks," said Isaac as he took a bite of it, "Mmm. Triple fudge?"

"Quadruple fudge," said Pinkie as she swallowed hers in one gulp.

"So... what's your idea, little sis?"

"Don't worry big bro," said Pinkie as she patted Isaac's head. "Now get ready." With that, she left Isaac's room so that she could allow her friend to get dress.

After a while, Isaac got out of bed and began to change into his clothes as he then exited the room and went down the stairs. During the time Isaac was getting ready, Pinkie had been making a castle out of chocolate bars as she then began to eat it when she finished creating it. She had just eaten the last of it when Isaac came down and saw the pink-haired girl as she swallowed the sweet treat. Once Pinkie snapped out of her sugar craze, Isaac then reminded his friend about her idea to hang out with him. Pinkie then nodded as she grabbed Isaac by his hoodie and sipped out of the door as it slammed behind them with a thud. The pair was walking for a bit, though Pinkie had the crazy idea of jumping on Isaac's back as she wanted a piggyback ride from her older sibling. That caught Isaac completely off guard as he wasn't prepared when the party girl jumped on his back, but once he found his strength, he had a firm grip on the girl's legs as he now walked with another human being on his back. Soon they arrived at their destination as Pinkie jumped off of Isaac's back.

"The mall?"

"Yeah." nodded the girl.

"Alright," said Isaac with a shoulder shrug. He then walked into the mall with Pinkie following closely behind.

"Now then, there were a few stores I was planning on going to," said Pinkie as she looked around at the different stores available. "Oooohh!! Blazing Point! That store is great!"

"Sure, we can go theeee--!!!" Isaac was cut off as Pinkie forcibly grabbed his hand and dragged him into the store with him. Blazing Point was one of those stores that catered to the hipster crowd, the anime fan crowd, and so on. Isaac now stood with Pinkie as she browsed the walls of the store for its different t-shirts. She looked at several shirts sporting peace symbols, anarchy symbols, and different characters from popular culture. As she was browsing, Isaac's phone went off as he received a message from his special contact that he'd been secretly meeting and talking with. They informed Isaac about some details as Isaac responded his answer with a text as he then put his device away. Isaac's own eyes wandered to some of the anime items that were on a nearby stand. It too had t-shirts, but it also had lanyards, figurines, mugs, and other little trinkets on it. Isaac stared at the stand and even though it over to look at the prices of some of the cooler items, ultimately decided against it.

"Hey, Isaac! What top do you like be..." Pinkie said as she turned back to look at Isaac to see that his attention was turned elsewhere. Pinkie looked over to where Isaac was looking and noticed the stand. "Huh?..... Ooooh!! Look at all that cool stuff!" said Pinkie as she walked over to the stand and started looking through the merchandise.

"What?" said Isaac as he watched Pinkie play around with some of the figures, one being a burly man with blueish purple skin wearing shoulder pads and a scarf, and the other being a golden yellow man with a triangle-ish head.

"ORA ORA ORA ORA ORA! MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA MUDA! ORA ORA ORA ORA! MUDA MUDA MUDA!" Pinkie dramatically exclaimed as she made the figures' fists clash multiple times. Isaac watched her do this wide-eyed.

"Oh... my..." were the only words that could leave Isaac's mouth as he watched Pinkie. "Pinkie... just how much anime have you've been watching?"

"Only a few thousand hours." smiled the party girl. Isaac then watched Pinkie set the two figures down. She looked to a different object on the stand, a white object that she put on the side of her face that put a green lens over her eye. "Isaac! Ask me how much those clothes cost?" grinned Pinkie.

"... I... I..." Isaac knew what was going to happen if he asked that question based on the device Pinkie was wearing, "I... I..." It was taking everything for Isaac to not repeat that question to Pinkie as he knew what was going to happen if he said it. "I... I know where this is going... oh god... Pinkie... how much do those clothes cost?" asked Isaac with a dragging voice.

Pinkie took off the object and held it in her hand. "It's over niiiiiiiiine ninety-nine!!!" she screamed out before crushing the object in her hand, making Isaac jump in surprise.

"Hey! You're paying for that now!" the shopkeeper shouted as she looked at Pinkie in annoyance, who gave her a sheepish grin.

"Hehe... oops... went a bit too far with that reference... sorry," said Pinkie before putting the money on the counter for the broken object. She threw the broken object in the nearby trash can before walking by Isaac and looking through more clothes as Isaac just facepalmed himself at watching the whole scene.

"Oooh! This stuff looks cool!" said Pinkie as she grabbed some random clothing items before running into the changing room. Isaac could hear the sounds of clothes coming off, and sippers being fastened, belts being buckled, and clothes being tightened from the inside. "Check me out, big bro!" Pinkie said as she opened the door to the changing room. She had changed from the outfit she was wearing before into a black top with a crescent moon on it, tight leather pants, and arm warmers. In addition to god knows how much spiky jewelry. In addition to all of this, Pinkie's hair also somehow changed from being big and puffy to being completely straight and limp. Pinkie leaned against the wall as she crossed her arms. "How do I look, Isaac?"

"... Like you're ready to head to a grunge band concert?" Isaac said as he looked over Pinkie's outfit.

"Heh, you think? I think this would be awesome to wear to spice up my look! I could wear this to a rave and look awesome!" said the party girl as she looked at herself in a mirror.

"You go to raves, Pinkie?" asked Isaac.

"Yuppers! I love to get down and boogie," exclaimed Pinkie as she started to dance around before lifting her leg high and turning around quickly. The more she danced, the more she got into it until she dropped down to the floor to do the splits.

"Little sis, wait, I don't think that's a good idea in those-"

RRIIIIIIP

Isaac's face turned red before he looked away from Pinkie. The shopkeeper looked up from the magazine she was reading and glanced at Pinkie, who turned her head to look at Isaac and the shopkeeper.

"... Maaaaaybe we should try looking in a different store," suggested Pinkie.

".... Yes, I think that's a great idea." said the shopkeeper as she narrowed her eyes at Pinkie.

"Well, that was a teeny weeny bit embarrassing! Let's try this store now!" said Pinkie as she pulled Isaac into a different clothing store, one with more average-looking shirts, hoodies, and the like. There were a few people in the store already, and it seemed mildly busy compared to the previous store. "Maybe now I can find some cool clothes!"

"Heh... just maybe don't do splits in them this time," said Isaac with a chuckle.

"Yeah... I guess those tight pants couldn't handle the power of my booty, huh?" Pinkie asked as she patted her butt, prompting a smirk from Isaac. "Pie butt too strong."

Isaac scratched the side of his head as he chuckled, a bit unsure of how to continue due to the topic of their laughter being Pinkie's behind. For the next few minutes, Pinkie looked around at different shirts, skirts, shorts, and pants as she kept swapping clothes in the changing room to find the ones she liked. Eventually, she came out of the changing room with her arms filled with a large pile of clothing that went up past her head in height as she carried it.

"Need a hand, sis?" asked Isaac as he looked at the large pile of clothing.

"Nope! But thanks for the offer, I got this." Pinkie assured Isaac as she put all of the clothes she was holding in front of a cashier, who began scanning the price tags.

After a few more stores, and a brief stop for lunch in the mall food court, Isaac and Pinkie continued their walk through the mall to see what other stores they could visit. Eventually, Pinkie had some bags as both she and Isaac carried an equal amount. While Pinkie used her own money to buy most of them, she did ask Isaac for some extra money to which Isaac was hesitant as he acted like the older sibling when it came to lending money. The pair had now exited the building as they stopped by the ice cream parlor as they both got some and sat at one of the outdoor tables as they enjoyed their treat.

"So... did I do a good job as your little sister?" asked Pinkie with puppy dog eyes.

"Yes, you did." smiled Isaac.

"Hooray!" said the girl as she gulped her ice cream in one swing as she munched on it and let out a cartoonish burp. "I'm glad I got to spend time with you, Isaac."

"And I'm thankful for spending a day with my little sister." smiled Isaac as Pinkie leaned over the table to hug the boy as their cheeks touched as Pinkie had a happy expression. Pinkie then gave a kiss to her brother's cheek as she went back to hugging him. She then broke the hug as she looked at Isaac with a smile. "Well..."

"What?"

"You know..." Pinkie then pulled out her deck as her eyebrows went up and down. "Huh, huh!"

"Oh god..." said Isaac as he knew what Pinkie was asking for. "You know that you're supposed to help me relax not stress out."

"Please, I promise," said Pinkie as she put her hands together and put a sad face on.

"Oh, Jesus." Isaac then placed his hand on Pinkie's deck as her hand was on the bottom top part of it as she jumped up and down in place with excitement. "In the name of the father, the son, and the holy spirit," said Isaac as he did a quick pray and did the movements as he knew this was both going to get crazy and a bad idea. He then closed his eyes and concentrated soon pink swirls surrounded Pinkie's deck as they entered it.

"Ooh! Sparkly!" said the girl.

"Hi Pinkie!" said the small Madolche monsters with smiles on their faces as they saw their best friend.

"My buddies!" said the small girl as she hugged all her small monsters in her arms. Soon she felt a tap on her shoulder as her Toons were also present as they too were happy to see their owner in the flesh. "Oh, this makes me so happy." cried the party girl.

"Not for me," said Isaac in a low tone before he was caught in a tight embrace.

"Thanks, Isaac. I love having you as my big brother." smiled Pinkie.

"No... problem..." said the boy as he struggled to break free from her hug as he felt it. "Pinkie... remember..."

"Sorry." said the cotton candy girl as she knew not to damage her friend even more. She let go of Isaac as the boy fell back in his seat as he was catching his breath.

Isaac then looked to his side as he saw Pinkie's Madolche monsters looking at him. "What? Why are you all staring at me?"

"You're funny." said all her small monsters in unison. "And pokable." Soon they all started to use their tiny fingers as they poked at different parts of Isaac's body as they enjoyed themselves.

"PINKIE!!!!" shouted Isaac.

"But they like you, big bro. They think you're cute and pokable." giggled the girl.

"Do you never want me to buy you a toy ever again?!" threatened Isaac with his big sibling voice as it got the girl to stop chuckling. She got the message as she told her monsters to stop it as Isaac scowled them as it got them to be afraid of their master's older sibling as they knew not to mess with him. So for the rest of the day, Pinkie had fun with her monsters as they enjoyed themselves.

It was another day as everybody was out and about. For Isaac, he was currently in the living keeping his mind occupied as he was playing one of his favorite video games. Soon he managed to avoid the boss' attack as he delivered an attack with one frame to spar before he lost the last of his health as he won.

"Whew, man these data bosses test my skills on not just fighting but also other game mechanics and my mental game," said Isaac. He then saw his phone lit up as he received a text. He opened it as it was from Sunset as it was her turn to have fun with the boy as she told him of her plan to help him relax. So with that Isaac grabbed his stuff and left the house as he prepared to meet with the girl.

Isaac eventually made his way as he was now standing outside the entrance of the carnival as he waited for Sunset to show up. The air was warm as a cool breeze blew in his face as his hoodie flapped in the wind as it was opened. He was standing by the ticket booth as he looked at his watch; it wasn't long before he saw a familiar bacon-colored hair as she was walking towards him.

"Hey, Isaac," said Sunset as she smiled at the boy.

"Hey, Sunset. So ready?"

"Of course, nothing like carnival food that's bad for your figure and your heart!" stated Sunset.

"Deep-fried anything?" asked Isaac.

"You bet!" replied the girl as it got the two friends to chuckle.

"Though if I'm being honest... I don't think the food will have much on your figure," said Isaac as he looked at Sunset's body.

"Easy there, boy toy. You can look but you can't touch, but play your cards right, and I might make an exception." snickered Sunset as she winked at Isaac as she grabbed his hand and the two purchased their tickets as they entered the carnival.

The smell of both common and exotic types of foods was the first thing to invade the nostrils of everybody that entered the fairgrounds. There were hordes of people there, but there was enough space to not feel like you were bumping into everyone all the time. There were families of three, four, five, or six children running around, and there were old couples, probably feeling like they were young again. There were groups of friends roaming around like a wolf pack, and there were young couples like Isaac and Sunset.

"So, want to get a burger?" asked Sunset.

"Sure."

"Let's get a Luther."

"A what?!" said Isaac.

The Luther Burger was a big ass hamburger in which the bun was replaced with two glazed donuts and a side of waffle fries with a butter milkshake.

"I've been waiting all year for this!" said Sunset as she bit into her burger.

Isaac was a bit hesitant to take a bite, but when he did it felt like he was in heaven. The combination of the sweet bun and the burger and the bacon was simply orgasmic. The waffle fries seemed out of place, mostly because he was not expecting them to taste so good. The buttery milkshake was as close to buttery as handing out stacks of butter-like popsicles.

"Man is this shit good," said Isaac as he finished his meal, nearly putting him in a food coma.

"You sure your body can handle it, boy toy." smiled Sunset. "As you said, it might not have too much of an effect on my body. But I don't know about yours, the cholesterol from that could kill you." stated the girl with a smug smile.

"I agree. But guess what, cholesterol is gonna take ten years to kill me, diabetes is gonna kill me in two. Right now, I'm winning by eight." said Isaac as that got Sunset to let out a laugh as she snorted a bit. "Hell yeah, who said maths wasn't useful in your life."

"Good one, Isaac," said Sunset as she dying from the joke he was able to make on the spot as she let out some more pig-like snorts. Eventually, Sunset was able to gather herself as she still had some snot from her noise as Isaac gave her a napkin to wipe it off as she was still chuckling a bit at his joke.

"You okay?" asked Isaac.

"I think I am," said Sunset. "Now, let's go play some games!"

The rest of their time and afternoon was spent full of fun and wonder. The two teens were able to play and explore several different games and rides. The first stop was called the "High Striker" which was the mallet game to show off one's strength. The game was simple: take the mallet and you hit the platform that would launch a puck up a tube to the bell 15 feet high. Sunset had persuaded Isaac to take a swing since she felt it would be easy for him given the many adventures they had that allowed the boy to build up his muscles and help keep him in shape. Isaac approached the thing as he grabbed the mallet which was pretty heavy even with his strength, so moving the thing or even lifting it was next to almost impossible. He soon had his first attempt had him missing the platform by a few inches. He looked to Sunset, expecting her to hide in embarrassment. She just smiled back and gave him a friendly wave. Isaac gave it another try, this time the puck only slid a few feet, not even halfway. Isaac then rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie and turned his cap backward; he then took the mallet for his final attempt as something sparked inside of him and he slammed it down one more time on the platform as hard as he could and the puck shot up as it the top and the ring of the bell was heard.

"We have a winner!" said the vendor as he handed Isaac his prize as it was a soft plushy to which he tossed over to Sunset as she snuggled it.

After that was milk bottle toss, to which it was Sunset's turn as she proved to be a natural as she got her prize. So the pair went playing game after game until they decided to move on to rides. The first one they did was bumper cards as they each got in separate cars and worked together against the other players. Seems their coordination wasn't just good in Duel Monsters but also as a team as one would slam on one side while the other would hit from the other side. Both gave a high five as they drove past each other. From there it was the drop tower; it was as tall as the Ferris Wheel, and every three minutes the screams from the riders could be heard throughout the park. Soon the two friends began to wander around the crowded fair, it was now getting dark as the nighttime was soon arriving. The pair then arrived at the Ferris Wheel as they figured it was the best way to end their hang out. Somehow, the Ferris wheel wasn't the normal two-seater that most had, but a six-seater that was observation decks.

The two teens go on board as the ride began to go. Soon their seat made it to the top spot of the wheel when it stopped.

"Typically cliché," said Isaac as he had a feeling this would happen.

So the pair just waited as the three-minute wait time turned into ten then longer. At least both of them had a good skyline view of the city at night. Soon there was a spark of white light in the distance as it flashed a couple of times and died. Then the lights went out in every direction. Block upon block in the city disappeared in the tsunami of black, overwhelming the city skyline. It only lasted seconds, but it arrived at the fairgrounds, pitching the park powerless and trapping everyone in the Ferris Wheel.

"Well, shit," said Sunset.

The only light was the glow of their phones and the moonlight. They were telling their friends that they were alright and where they were. Sunset even snapped a surprise selfie with Isaac and posted it on her social media: "Stuck on the Ferris Wheel, but at least it's with my boy toy."

"You putting that as the caption?" suggested Isaac with a smirk.

"Hey, it's true." smiled Sunset.

"You know, I'm glad you brought me here for our hangout, Sunset. I've had a great time with you."

"Same here, Isaac." said the bacon-haired girl as she leaned against her seat with her legs crossed. "Say, boy toy."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... Do you know what I've said about you in the past? About how I could easily snatch you away from Twilight? I would never do that intentionally."

"I know you wouldn't." smiled Isaac. "And I also know about... what you thought of and felt for me when we first encounter each other. Though to be fair you came to me as an evil bitch, so really I didn't think that you were interested in that way."

"Well, a bad girl is still a girl with needs, with wants, with desires," said Sunset with a sly smile. "But regardless, you made your decision to be in a relationship with Twilight and I'm happy where I am. I enjoy these little flirts between us even more." Sunset then let out a deep sigh as she pulled out her deck and was thinking about some things. "So... do you believe that you won't see any of us ever again?"

"That's what it looks like isn't it," replied Isaac. "Being a pro requires sacrifices. You remember what you said to me when we first met, that if I ever want to get to the next level, if I want to improve myself, then I would need to cut some losses. That I would need to cut my friendships since I won't have time for them."

"Y-Yeah. I mean... at the time, I said that just to get under your skin. But... I guess I was right. In a way. You being a pro, means you're going to be busy nearly 24/7, and when it comes to spending time with me or our friends. It'll be hard, and especially if you choose to keep in contact with Twilight."

"Yeah, which is why, unfortunately, it has to be that way. Twilight's got her path she wants to follow, so do our friends and you. I would never get in the way of you guys' dreams and ambitions, just so that I can fulfill my selfish desire of me not forgetting you guys. I want you all to live happy lives and if that comes... at the cost of never seeing you guys or you all eventually forgetting me... then so be it." smiled Isaac.

"You are willing to sacrifice your happy ending, for others to get theirs," said Sunset.

"It's my job as the hero. I have to make sure that everybody else is happy, even... it means that I can never be happy. As long as my friends are. To me... that's enough." stated the boy. Sunset smiled at Isaac's words as she got up and sat next to his on his seat as she placed her hand on his leg and her head on his shoulder.

"You're selfless, but Isaac... you of all people deserve a happy ending. You've more than earned it," said Sunset as she placed her hand on his cheek.

Soon some red swirls began to appear as it circled Sunset's hand as it then traveled down towards her arm and then soon into her pocket as it hit her deck. Just then a small growl was heard as by Sunset's feet was her Red-Eyes Baby Dragon. The small dragon looked up and saw Sunset as it let out a "Momma" cry as it jumped into her lap and snuggled into Sunset's chest.

"My baby," said Sunset as she was like a mother and hugged her child.

"You make a good mother, Sunny," said Isaac as he looked at the dragon in Sunset's arms as it saw Isaac and fired a small fireball at his hands. "Ow, hey!"

"Are you jealous that Isaac put his hands on me, my sweet baby." giggled Sunset with a sly expression. "Don't worry, Momma still loves you." reassured the girl to her dragon as she continued to pet it as it closed its eyes in her lap and let out a soothing sound as it was asleep. Isaac made sure to take a picture with his phone as he did for all the girls and their monsters as he sent it to the girl who smiled. After a while, the magic expired as Sunset said goodbye to her baby monster.

Sunset then brought her lips in as she planted a kiss on the boy's as she closed her eyes. Isaac returned the gesture as he cusped Sunset's right cheek. Sunset then pulled back after a few moments as she smiled at the boy. Just as she was about to push for one of their hands-on experiences, the Ferris Wheel was now powering up as they looked out to see the whole city had restored power.

"Guess, we're not gonna be stuck up here, after all," said Sunset as she had a bit of sadness on her face.

"Guess so. But... I wouldn't mind that hands on experience when we get home." smiled Isaac slyly as Sunset pulled the boy in for another kiss as he wrapped his arms around her. She broke apart with a wink as soon they got off their ride and began to leave the fairgrounds as they headed home hand in hand as soon they arrived home and Sunset began to have fun with her boy toy.

After his day with Sunset, Isaac had one more outing and it belonged to a certain chromatic girl. Isaac woke up as he was expecting some form of wake-up given what Pinkie and Applejack did for their day with the boy. But nothing. He then spent the morning eating breakfast, doing some chores, and even watching some TV, but still nothing. At this point, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Sunset had at least informed the boy of what they had planned or told him to meet them somewhere. But nothing. It wasn't until 1 in the afternoon that Isaac got a text as it was from Rainbow as it seemed she completely forgot that she was supposed to spend time with her friend. Isaac just rolled his eyes as he should have expected this from the athletic girl herself, nevertheless, she just told him to meet at the soccer field at school for their hang out. While Isaac knew that Rainbow didn't think out their hangout thoroughly, he did want to spend some time with his friend. It didn't take long as Isaac arrived at the place as Rainbow was currently sitting in the bleachers with a ball in her lap.

"So how the hell did you forget?" asked the boy.

"Shut up, geek!" shouted Rainbow as she didn't want to answer that question to risk any further embarrassment.

"Alright then, answer me this. Why are you the very last one of the group to hang out with me?"

"Because... I lost a duel to Fluttershy." said the girl as she turned her head as she was red from saying something she wasn't proud of.

"Wait, Fluttershy beat you?" chuckled Isaac.

"I said, shut up!" shouted the girl as she so wanted to punch her friend in the face.

"No, I wanna hear this."

"That's it!" Rainbow then stood up as the ball from her lap bounced a little on the floor as she swung her fist at Isaac who dodged out of the way. "Hold still so that I punch you!"

"Yeah, cause I wanna get hit," replied Isaac with a witty remark as he kept side-stepping and backing up from Rainbow's attempts to punch him. He was able to use his right leg to make Rainbow trip and lose her balance as she fell on her back. "Still wanna go another round?"

"Screw you." said the girl as she tossed some dirt at Isaac which just fell off his hoodie. He then extended his hand to help his friend up as Rainbow grabbed it he pulled her up and dusted her attire.

"Alright, since you forget to plan something for our hang out, let me guess a simple game," stated Isaac.

"I said shut up!" responded Rainbow. She then grabbed Isaac's arm as she grabbed the soccer ball that was on the ground and led both of them to the field. Once there she placed the ball below her feet. "First to five, wins," she said.

"And what makes you think I stand a chance against CHS's top and #1 athlete?" asked Isaac as he felt like this was a rather mismatch.

"That doesn't stop anybody from challenging you for your rank as champion despite their experience level," responded Rainbow.

"That's a bit different."

"They are the same thing." answered back the chromatic girl. "Look, you told me that you used to play some soccer with the kids in your neighborhood when you grew up in Chicoltgo. And since you were more into Duel Monsters, I want to see what you can do."

"Yeah, but that was so long ago. I haven't played soccer since I was a kid, and like you said I was more invested in a different game," stated Isaac.

"Look, I just want to see how good you are," said Rainbow, "You're the kind of guy who if you put your mind to it, can accomplish anything. That I admire, plus I wanna have fun with you. Besides, at least there's nobody around to watch when I kick your butt, right?"

Isaac just raised his eyebrow at her. There's no way he could beat her. Not in a million years. She was already ten times the athlete he'll ever be. No doubt that was going to be her dream to chase after they graduated. Still, the way Rainbow was determined in wanting to see what he can do in a game other than Duel Monsters did bring a sort of smile to her face. That and because she thought of this at the last minute, since she forgot to plan something out.

"Alright, you're on. First to five." said the boy.

Rainbow's smile grows bigger. "And to show you how nice I am, I'll give you the ball first." She nudged the ball over to Isaac and backed up a little. She rolled her neck, making cracking noises. "I hope you're ready, geek."

Isaac took a deep breath as he watched her ready herself. Rainbow stood with her feet apart, seemingly ready for anything he might try. Isaac contemplated everything he could do, and consider what she could do to counter it.

"You better do something before I take the ball from you, Isaac," said Rainbow, hopping on her feet, ready to counter whatever he might attempt.

After about thirty seconds of contemplating plays and moves, Isaac just decided to wing it. With a quick move, he dribbled the ball off to the side. Just as he suspected, Rainbow was ready and sidestepped to block him. But he was ready as well and faked her out by darting in the other direction. Surprisingly, it worked and Isaac dribbled the ball as best as he could to her goal.

"Not so fast!" cried out Rainbow. She raced over to the goal to guard it and hopped on her feet to ready herself.

With a swift move, Isaac kicked the ball towards the goal. Rainbow dives to block it... and missed. The ball sails right by her feet and into the net. Isaac was in awe at himself. The fact that he hadn't played the game since he was a kid and still remembered some maneuvers, but score the first goal of the game. Against Rainbow Dash, no less. Isaac let out a smile of joy as he was enjoying himself. Rainbow got up, brushing the grass off of her clothes. She got the ball from the back of the goal.

"Alright, superstar, you got lucky." she said smirking, "Let's see how you do on defense."

Rainbow tossed the ball down, and before it can register in Isaac's mind, she kicked the ball up with the top of her foot and headbutts it over your head. She bolts to the ball and Isaac did his best to keep up. He chased after her as she expertly dribbled the ball. She wasn't even three-quarters of the way across the field before she kicks it hard and it flies into Isaac's goal, bringing the score to a tie. Rainbow glanced back at her friend with a smirk and her hands on her hips. It was a rather alluring pose, but Isaac quickly refocused his mind back on the game as it was now his ball.

Isaac jogged to his goal and got the ball. He didn't know any fancy tricks as Rainbow did, but he did know how to fake someone out. He moved his foot as it about to kick it, and it worked exactly as planned. Rainbow strafed to the side, and Isaac seized the opportunity by kicking it in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, she was too fast and his kick was too weak. She stopped the ball with her knee, and in an expert move, kicked it up with her foot and headbutted it right into Isaac's goal. Isaac glanced back at the ball, and back at her. His eyes were wide at how she expertly executed the play, and in such a pinch as well. Rainbow stood heroically with her hands on her hips and that signature smirk on her face.

"Nice try," she said.

Isaac gritted his teeth as he went back to get the ball. Now he was fired up. He scored one goal, he could score another, At least one more. While Isaac was firing himself up, Rainbow saw the boy display his grit as it was one of the many things she liked about the boy. Whenever he was kicked down, he didn't stay down for long as he popped right back up with a determined look, it was why she loved to face the kid in a duel, and admittedly, was why she loved him. That grit, that never says die attitude, never give up, Rainbow found it rather attractive in Isaac as it made her heart flutter a bit. Isaac placed the ball down and decided to just kick it. With all of his might, he gave the ball a good punt, which Rainbow of coursed block and kicked right back into his goal, earning her a third point.

With a heavy sigh, he went back to get the ball again. Now, he wasn't wasting any time with thinking. He was just going to wing it again. Without a second thought, he threw the ball down and began dribbling over to Rainbow's side of the field. By some miracle, it caught Rainbow off guard, and he got to pass her! His eyes are locked onto the goal, dribbling as fast as he could. He was almost there. Unfortunately, he lost his balance, and he tripped, falling flat on his face. Rainbow was just about to get it before Isaac quickly got up, swiftly using his knee to push it out of her reach, and buying him just enough time to regain control of the ball. He chuckled in his head at the sound of Rainbow growling behind him. In one abrupt move, Isaac kicked the ball into her goal, bringing him to two points. Now it’s his turn to look smugly at his opponent.

Rainbow gave Isaac a look of annoyance as she got the ball. Isaac kept himself on his toes, waiting to see what she’ll try next. She turned around and quickly knees the ball over his head. At least, she tried too, but Isaac used his head to block it, and miraculously hit it back into her goal, bringing the score back to a tie. Rainbow’s eyes look more determined than ever. She got the ball and stared the boy dead in the eye.

She dropped the ball, maintaining eye contact with Isaac. She smirks and kicked the ball under his legs before Isaac had time to think. As soon as he realized what happened, his face heats up. Isaac could hear Rainbow laughing as he chased her. Inevitably, with the goal vulnerable, she scored again.

Isaac not waiting to see her smirk at him, headed straight for the ball and wasted no time in dribbling it over to the other side of the field. Rainbow tried to stop him, but Isaac manage to thwart each of her attempts. He got past her, and kicked the ball at the halfway line, somehow managing to score another point. Isaac turns to glance at Rainbow, but she’s already heading for the ball. His heart was pounding. This was it. Four to four. The next point wins. Rainbow’s stare is filled with ice-cold determination and zeal. It was like looking in a mirror. She began dribbling the ball expertly, blocking every one of Isaac's attempts to steal the ball. Nevertheless, he kept trying. When it became clear that he’d never be able to steal the ball from her, he decided to go on the defensive. Isaac sprinted to the goal to guard it, hopping from side to side to prepare himself for anything she may do. Furling her eyebrows, she kicked the ball and he dove in its direction. But he missed, and it goes flying over his head into the goal.

“Whoo!” she cries, jumping up and down as Isaac lay there pathetically in the grass. The ball lands right in front of his face, almost like it’s mocking you. He looked to his side to see Rainbow standing over him with a smirk. She held her hand out to the boy. “C’mon, let’s get you up.”

Isaac sighed and took her hand, using her to help him stand up.

“Whew! You really should give yourself more credit,” Rainbow said. “That’s one of the most intense games I’ve ever played.”

“Really?” said Isaac.

“Totally!”

“I mean… it was only one-on-one.”

“Stop being so modest,” Rainbow says. “It was one-on-one with me, and you almost won.”

Isaac felt himself blushing as he rubbed his neck. “I guess…”

Rainbow laughs. “Thanks for playing with me. I needed that.”

“Yeah… no problem,” he said. “It was fun.”

“See?” Rainbow says, giving you a playful punch. “It wasn’t as bad as you thought, right?”

“Right,” responded Isaac with a small chuckle.

"Hey, real talk. I'm gonna miss you, geek," said Rainbow as she was still holding Isaac's hand. "As a competitor on the dueling field, I'm gonna miss having someone like you to push me past my limits. To see all the angles and think differently. I'm not one for mushy things, but... I'm gonna be sad to see you go."

"Rainbow," said Isaac as he broke free from her grip and brought it to her face as he stroked her cheek and then ran it through her chromatic hair.

"I'm gonna be watching you when you enter the pro circuit. Don't lose, or else I'll... I'll..."

"You'll what?" asked Isaac with a smirk.

"I'll..." Rainbow didn't finish her statement as she just leaned in and planted a kiss on Isaac's cheek.

Isaac just smiled at Rainbow showing her caring and soft side. He then grabbed her hand again as soon some blue swirls began to surround it as the girl saw it and the deck in her pocket was shining. Rainbow pulled it out with her other hand as she still held Isaac's; she was going to ask the boy what he did but used his head to gesture to look behind her. Rainbow then turned around and she had her jaw drop a bit. The sight before Rainbow was her Ultra Athletics and Speedroids of her deck as they all got to see their boss with their own eyes. Rainbow broke free of Isaac's grip as she began to approach her team of superstars.

"Hey, Captain!" said all of her monsters.

"So Awesome!!" shouted the girl with a raspy high pitched voice as she made a face.

Rainbow then began to talk with her team as all of their monsters enjoyed talking with the captain. Soon they grabbed her and tossed her up in the air as they chanted her name and sang her praises for being awesome. Even her two dragons and star players enjoyed seeing their captain smiling. From there, Rainbow decided to have one last big game with her and Isaac as well as her monsters as they all got in one fun game of soccer as they played till the sun went down.

It was now nighttime and the day before the date that the Board of Education would be arriving. Normally, Isaac would be planning out some last-minute things, but he didn't need to. Normally cause he took care of it during the day and because the past days of his friends helping him to recover from his duel with Starlight proved to be effective as he was healed up quickly and back to his regular self. While he was in his room looking over his cards, he didn't hear someone enter his room until he felt a pair of arms wrap around his neck; he recognized the touch of them as he smiled.

"You're not too worried are you?" asked Twilight.

"Nah, I know the kids are ready. You and the girls all did your part, now the final test awaits," said Isaac.

"Good, speaking of which? Did you enjoy yourself this past week?" asked the girl as she sat on Isaac's desk as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Yeah, it felt nice to relax and just enjoy myself," said Isaac as he leaned back in his chair and looked at his girlfriend.

"Seems your girlfriend knows how to execute a plan." giggled Twilight. "That's why we're team Twisaac."

"Don't... don't... ever say that again," said Isaac as he cringed hard at what people would call them if they put their names together.

"Sorry," smiled Twilight sheepishly, "So... I heard from the others... that you... well..."

"Come on," said Isaac as he grabbed Twilight's hand and led her to the backyard.

Once there they took a quick look at the night sky for a sec to admire the beautiful scenery. Twilight then reached into the pocket of her skirt as she pulled out the item in question. Isaac just put his hand on it, but this time he decided to kiss Twilight as the two closed their eyes and enjoyed it. While that was happening, some purple swirls surrounded both individuals as soon they entered Twilight's deck. The two teens broke apart as they smiled and blushed at each other, soon they heard a sound as both looked to their side and Twilight gasped.

For the girl, she was seeing all her monsters of her Spellbook deck and her gadget monsters. Isaac let go of her as she allowed her to see the spirits of her allies with her own eyes.

"Incredible," said Twilight as she was in the center of the huge circle as all of her monsters were observing their mistress. Soon they broke apart as the person walking towards her was her High Priestess of Prophecy who was accompanied by her advisor Hierophant of Prophecy and her bodyguard, Dark Red Enchanter.

"Duel Monster spirits, are real." said the girl. She finally understood what her boyfriend meant as she could see and feel the monsters in front of her.

"How I've waited for so long to see you in person, Twilight," said Priestess as she gave her mistress a deep and loving hug as both girls were crying as they had tears coming down their eyes. For so long, both master and servant wanted to see the other in the flesh, and thanks to Isaac, they were able to do just that.

"Enjoy yourself, Twilight. I'm giving you one more gift, before... I'm gone for good... and I hope that when you move on, you don't forget all you've been through." said Isaac to himself as he watched his girlfriend and soon-to-be ex-girlfriend be happy. He then quietly left as he let Twilight have her moment with her monsters.

Twilight was so happy that she got to meet her allies and servants. She even bent down and grabbed each one of her gadget monsters as she held them in her hands and was trying to figuring out how they worked and function as she shook them vigorously. Each one of them tried to break free from her grip as they were getting a bit sick. Twilight's spellcasters dazzled their mistress with some spells and magics as they allowed her to try reading some out aloud as she proved to have a special talent as she did so with ease. Even her monsters that did some dark magic, all listened to her command as Twilight was interested in what they were taught and read as she couldn't contain her instinct for knowledge and books.

Isaac was walking past Twilight's room as he made it back to his and locked it as he decided to get ready for the long day that was to come tomorrow. He took out his phone as he each had a picture of the girls meeting their monsters of their deck as they had smiles. He looked them all over as he was glad to at least make sure they got a happy ending, even if he wasn't deserving of getting his.

Twilight's laptop was open as she had her program run its scan when she went to see her boyfriend. The A.I. had finished its scan as it displayed the results of Twilight's secret project.

"Scanning... Restoration at... 85%." said the A.I.

Author's Note

As you can see, we're near the tail end of this story. The only things that remain are the student's exams, prom night, graduation itself, and then the epilogue. Then it's over. And as you can see, Isaac and Twilight's relationship is also going to come to an end, as unfortunate as it might seem.

Chapter 194: Exam #1

"It's time." spoke a voice as it belonged to a boy.

Isaac had been up for about an hour after he woke up as he had to get his mindset in the right place. He looked at his watch as he had been counting down the minutes till it was time. The battle with Starlight was one sign that his time was coming to end as all he had were the student's exams, then prom and graduation. While they may have been just a few days, to him it was but hours of his life left. And it was calling out to him, time itself was looking to claim the boy. So with whatever time he had left, he'd better make the most of it. He then grabbed his small rectangle device and put it on his arm just slightly above his watch, Isaac put on his cap as he straighten it and his hoodie out. He looked to see his deck on his nightstand as he grabbed it and said a few words to his monsters as he put it in his deck box on his belt. He now made it downstairs as there in the living room were the girls as they too had been doing some last-minute preps.

Once they saw Isaac they knew it was the signal. Both pets watched the group do their little ritual.

"Roll call."

“Beast-type.'' said Fluttershy.

“Predaplant.” responded Applejack.

“Crystal Beast, darlings.” spoke Rarity.

“Red-Eyes.” stated Sunset.

“Toons and Madolche.” added Pinkie.

“U.A. and Speedroids.” commented Rainbow Dash.

“Spellbook.” answered Twilight.

“Magician.” Isaac now lifted his duel disk as did the others as all of them were touching each other.

With that the group now broke their little huddle as they all left through the door as they headed towards the school for the student's exams. The whole group was walking side by side in a line as they all had a determined look on their faces. The students were already present at the school as the entire day there was no school due to the Board of Education coming and evaluating Isaac's program. The students all talking when soon they all looked to the sidewalk as they saw their tutors and head professor coming down side by side as if they looked like they came out of a badass explosion. The sight alone did send shivers down their spines as they saw the older teens as they walked with a purpose as each was giving off a colorful aura. They all then stopped as they each looked forward with a dominating expression on their face and then at the students as that served as the sign that the endgame was officially here.

Isaac entered the school as he made his way to Celestia's office as inside was Luna. But it wasn't just them two, as they were currently talking with three people in suits two of whom were male and the third was a female.

"Isaac, you're here." said Celestia as she saw her student.

Isaac made his way in as he said hello to his principals and then looked at the suits who were from the Board of Education.

"Remember what's at stake here, Isaac." said the person who was in charge of the three of them.

"If the students do not pass the expectations, this program will be shut down." responded the female.

"So, pray that the students you selected for this experiment of yours are up to the test? Especially for your sake." stated the third person.

"I believe things will proceed smoothly. However, there is one thing that I ask..." said Isaac as he had a smile.

The students were all waiting in a huge room as there was nothing but a few chairs, a table, and a bench. When they saw their teachers approach, Isaac immediately told them to stay here in this room and wait till he came as he had some things to take care of. Not to mention that they still didn't know what their final exam was going to be, it was going to be one on one duels, but against who. During the time they waited, they each took one last look at their decks to make the final preparations and cards they were going to choose to go in with for their battles. Soon the door opened as in came Isaac as he was by himself. The students all then made their way to Isaac as he bent down on one knee as the teens did the same.

"It's time... this is the moment, that you and everybody else has been waiting for," spoke Isaac in a calm voice. "Now... the Board is here to see and evaluate your performances, so understand that while winning your duels is important, know there are other things that the Board will be looking at. Now, I have... something I want to tell you all. Do you guys... believe in the idea of spirits?"

"You mean, like ghosts." said Penny.

"I mean... Duel Monsters spirits."

"This is guy is our head professor?" said Shadow.

"I think Isaac's finally lost it." said Lucky Star.

"Boys, do you remember what I told you four during Valentine's Day. About how Duel Monsters have a soul of sorts?" said Isaac.

"Okay, who's got the number for the insane asylum?" asked Jack.

"Already on it." stated Amber.

"Just... hold out your decks." said Isaac as he could see the only way for the kids to understand what he meant was to show them.

The students all pulled out their decks as they held them out.

"Now, pick out a card and put it on top of your deck." stated Isaac.

The students then pulled out a card and put it on the top of their decks, Isaac then placed his hand on each one of them and closed his eyes. The group was confused about what their headmaster was doing as Isaac was concentrating. Soon they saw something in their hands as a few swirls circled their decks as soon it entered the deck. They were a bit scared at what they saw, as soon Isaac opened his eyes and then gestured behind them. The kids were shocked as they all turned back and saw what they couldn't believe. The card they each picked was the monster they choose as it was alive in a mirage-like presence.

"You're kidding me!" shouted the students in unison.

"Students, meet your monsters." said Isaac.

Each of their monsters approached their respective master and mistress. For Shadow, he had his Raidraptor - Singing Lanius at his feet as the small mechanical bird looked up at its owner and gave a peck at his feet. Penny had her Blizzard the Far North as the bird landed on her shoulder as it nuzzled against its mistress' check. Bryant saw his Performapal Hip Hippo as it let out a laugh as the boy petted his mammal. Amber got to see her Lunalight Blue Cat as she was just a few inches taller than her owner as she bent down on her feet and let her small mistress pet her as she let out a purr. Jack saw his Jinzo as he was taller than the boy as both machine and human looked at each other. They each saw the part of themselves that was once human as it reminded them of their humanity and allowed them to see how similar they were. Lucky Star saw her Harpie Girl as she gave her monster a loving hug as she began to talk with the small monster. And for Jason, he saw his Sage with Eyes of Blue as he gave the boy a fist bump.

As the kids were talking, Isaac just smiled as he was happy to see the kids understand his point.

"So, now you know." said Isaac as he got the student's attention as soon behind him were the spirits of his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

"So you're not crazy?" stated Jason.

"I do speak with my cards and see the spirits of my monsters," said Isaac as both of his magicians bowed down behind their master as they showed their loyalty and relationship with the young boy. "To me, they are more than allies, they are more than servants, they are more than my beck and call, they are my friends. And they are what I draw my inner strength from." Isaac then snapped his fingers as all of the monster spirits returned to their masters' decks as it was just Isaac and the students.

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all winners in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

Lucky Star saw Applejack as she looked at her teacher.

"Well, sugar. This is it. Yer time to shine and show them fancy suits who the hell you are. Why you won that Fall Formal tournament."

"I will... and... thank you, Applejack. Being alone for so long of my childhood, I got used to not having my parents around. I figured that they won't ever get to see the things I do since they were always so busy with work. But now... they're doing everything they can to make sure that we make up for lost time. And you gave me the sense of belonging, of having a family, having someone who is there for me. I guess... I'm glad to have someone like you as my tutor, but also as a friend, and a sister." smiled Lucky Star.

"And I'm glad to have to have someone like you as my student." said Aj as she took off her stetson hat and hugged her student as the two girls let tears roll down their eyes as they were having a touching moment.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

Applejack wished Lucky Star good luck as she and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Lucky Star came to another room full of black as she couldn't make out anything. Soon a single spotlight shined down as it served as the only thing to light her vision. She then stepped into the spotlight as she then looked above in some sort of private room there was Isaac with the three business members from the Board as they all sat down, each with a clipboard in their hand. Isaac then reached for the mic as he spoke into it.

"Contestant #1, Lucky Star. Winner of this year's Fall Formal tournament. Deck archetype: Harpie." said Isaac as he relayed the info to the executives and so the girl could hear it. "Now then... let the exam begin." Isaac then pushed another button as soon the whole room lit up as it caused the girl to cover up for a sec as she soon found herself on a dueling field. She then looked forward as standing there was her opponent.

The person entered the room as they slotted in their deck into their duel disk as it activated and projected a sky blue card tray.

"Ready to duel." said Rainbow with an imposing tone as she took her position.

"Ready." said Lucky Star as she activated her duel disk and projected an emerald light card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Lucky Star's Life Points: 8000-

Rainbow Dash's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Rainbow

"Here I go, I draw!" shouted Rainbow as she drew her card with a blue light effect. "To start, since I control no monsters, I can special summon this my Speedroid Terrortop(1200/600). And then Terrortop's effect activates, when it's summoned, I can add a 'Speedroid' from my deck to my hand." Rainbow's duel disk then ejected the card she wanted as she grabbed it. "Then I'll play U.A. Draft. so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon a 'U.A' monster from my deck or graveyard. So, I'm busting out, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker(2500/1800)!" A muscular basketball player in dark blue and black pants and a thick silver and orange chest piece materialized in front of Rainbow as her monster got up from bending down as it gave its captain a fist bump.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7500-

"Now I'll play the card I got with my Terrortop, it's my Speedroid CarTurbo(800/1200). And I can special summon it since I control a Wind monster," said Rainbow as out came a small machine as soon it moved its function as a book appeared as the head. "Now I'll tune my Level 3 Speedroid CarTurbo with my Level 3 Speedroid Terrortop!" shouted the girl as her CarTurbo changed into three giant green rings that circled her Terrortop.

"She's already synchro summoning on her first turn?!" said Lucky Star with some fear.

"I'm now tuning them together to call forth a mystical cross-sword with the power to cut every enemy down to size! I Synchro Summon! Hi-Speedroid Kendama(2200/1600)! Then I'll activate my Kendama's special ability, so by banishing a Machine-type monster from my graveyard, I can deal you 500 points of damage." Rainbow's duel disk then ejected her Terrortop as she grabbed it and moved it to the banished compartment of her duel disk as her monster shot an energy beam at Lucky Star who put her duel disk arm up.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7500-

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 2: Lucky Star

"My draw, and to start, I'll activate Hysteric Sign. And on the turn that I activate this card, I can add 'Elegant Egotist' from my deck to my hand." said Lucky Star as her duel disk then ejected the card for her to grab. "Then I'll discard my Harpie Queen so that I can add my field spell, Harpie's Hunting Ground from my deck to my hand, then I'll activate it." Lucky Star then played her field spell as the entire dueling field changed for her and Rainbow as in the private box, Isaac and the Board could see it through the mirage look.

"So far the student is subpar at best." said the member in charge.

"It's only the first turn, and remember stick to the rubric I gave you," stated Isaac with a smile as he shut up the business suit before making any further comments.

"Now I'll play my Birdface(1600/1600) in defense mode. And thanks to my field spell, he gains 200 more attack and defense points as will all my other monsters." said Lucky Star as she played her first monster of the duel as it appeared on one knee with its arms crossed in an x-formation.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 3: Rainbow

"My turn," said Rainbow as she drew her card and let out a set of wide eyes as she looked at it.

Remember, don't hold back.

Rainbow was reminded of what she was told as she looked up at the private box as she was looking at a certain individual.

"I now activate the effect of my Kendama once again, so I banish my Speedroid CarTurbo to deal you 500 points of damage." said Rainbow as she removed her other monster in the graveyard as another beam shot towards Lucky Star.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 7000-

"Now to attack, Kendama attack her monster. And Kendama can deal piercing damage!" shouted Rainbow as her monster took out Lucky Star's monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 6600-

"When my Birdface is destroyed, I can then add a 'Harpie Lady' from my deck to my hand." said Lucky Star as her duel disk ejected her card.

"And now Dreadnought Dunker attack her directly!" Rainbow's monster heard the command given by his captain that he started to race forward into a fast sprint. He then pushed off the ground as he had some blue energies gathering in his hand as it took the form of a ball as he then slammed it down onto the ground around the girl as she covered up.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4100-

"I end my turn."

"Already down to half her life points, and she's yet to do anything. Failing grade it looks like." said the female.

"The exam isn't over, madam. So before you make an ass of yourself by prejudging the girl, open your eyes and pay attention to what you're seeing." snickered Isaac as he didn't care about the attitude he was given when he was shit-talking with members of the Board.

Turn 4: Lucky Star

"Damn." said Lucky Star as she realized the situation she was in given that Rainbow had brought her down to half her life total.

"Give up?" asked Rainbow.

"Never." responded Lucky Star.

"That's what I want. Now show me!" demanded the chromatic girl.

"Right then, here goes, I draw! I now summon Cyber Harpie Lady(1800/1300). And by summoning my Cyber Harpie Lady not only does it get 200 points to both stats, but the effect of my field spell activates, whenever I summon a 'Harpie' monster, I can destroy one spell or trap on the field, so I'll choose... my Hysteric Sign!" shouted Lucky Star as her spell was destroyed.

"What?" said Rainbow in confusion.

"My Hysteric Sign now has another effect, in that when it's destroyed, at the end of the turn, I can add 3 'Harpie' cards from my deck to my hand. Next, I'll play Alluring Mirror Spilt and with this whenever a 'Harpie' or 'Harpie Lady Sisters' are destroyed in battle, I can replace them with another 'Harpie' monster from my deck. Then I'll play Elegant Egotist so that since I control Harpie Lady, I can then special summon Harpie Lady Sisters(1950/2100) from my deck!" Lucky star now had her trio monster as all three ladies descended from the sky and onto the field. "Like before my field spell activates so now I destroy one spell or trap, so I choose my Alluring Mirror Spilt!"

"Kid, why are you doing this? This is helping me more than it helps you." stated Rainbow.

"Cause when my Alluring Mirror Spilt is destroyed, I can target one 'Harpie' monster in my graveyard and then special summon it, so I bring back my Harpie Queen!" shouted Lucky Star as she now had a third monster on the field as out rose her leader of the Harpies as she had white feathers and beautiful to complement her body. "And with that, I summon another Harpie so I destroy another spell or trap, and this time it's my field spell." With that, the entire field was now back to normal as the mirage illusion of the jungle was gone.

"Again, what the hell? You just got rid of your cards and your monsters don't get the 200 point boost." said Rainbow.

"Marking done, doesn't know how to properly strategize." said the third suit.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what your wife thought of when you tried to make love to her and failed." said Isaac as he got the three members to look at him as he had a smug smile on his face. "I told you all, we do this and grade this, my way. So stick to the rubric I gave you, and try not to let your asshole of yourself get in the way."

"Now I'll play my Cyber Shield to give my Harpie Lady Sisters 500 more attack points." said Lucky Star.

"Still, my Dreadnought Dunker can take it out."

"Which is why I'm not done, cause now I tune my Level 4 Cyber Harpie Lady with my Level 4 Harpie Queen so that I can synchro summon. And I can have one of my Harpie monsters count as a tuner for this monster that I'm summoning." Harpie Queen then flew up into the sky as it turned into four giant green rings that circled Cyber Harpie Lady as she flew in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Cyber Slash Harpie Lady(2600/1400)!" shouted Lucky Star as her card ejected from her duel disk as she held it up high in white light and then placed it on her card tray. Out emerged a brand new monster as it was a harpie lady that wore a gold bodysuit and had pink feathers that matched her long flowing pink hair.

"What did I say," stated Isaac with a smug smile. "Lucky Star did all this so that she could have two powerful monsters on the field, which is why she targeted her cards. By destroying them and activating their other effect, she was able to set up the pieces to where she needed them to be so that she could bring out two powerful cards."

"Now, Harpie Lady Sisters, attack her Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" shouted Lucky Star as she had her trio sisters all fly high into the sky as she one did a slash attack with their claws as they took out Rainbow's monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7750-

"Now Cyber Slash Harpie Lady take out her Dreadnought Dunker!" Lucky Star's other monster then took out Rainbow's other monster.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7650-

"With that, I end my turn with a facedown. And now my Hysteric Sign's effect takes hold, so now I can add 3 'Harpie' cards from my deck to my hand." Lucky Star then used her duel screen as she looked through her entire deck as she made her decisions as they all slid out for her to grab as she refilled her empty hand.

Turn 5: Rainbow

"My turn and I'll activate the effect of my U.A. Draft so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon my U.A. Dreadnought Dunker back from my graveyard." said Rainbow as she now had her monster back in play.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7150-

"Now, I'll have my Dreadnought Dunker attack her Harpie Lady Sisters!" stated Rainbow as her monster fired a blue energy beam at Lucky Star's monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 4050-

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 6: Lucky Star

"My draw, and now I'll summon my Phantom Gryphon(2000/0)." Out emerged a monster as it had the body of a lion and the head of an eagle as it let out a cry. "Now time to attack, Cyber Harpie Slash Lady attack her Dreadnought Dunker!" shouted the girl as her monster soared over to Rainbow's side of the field as it did another slash attack as it took out Rainbow's monster for a second time.
Rainbow's Life Points: 7050-

"Now Phantom Gryphon strike her directly!" shouted Lucky Star as her other winged beast soared high into the sky as it looked its sights on the chromatic girl as it took a swipe at Rainbow who shifted her stance as she was pushed back a few inches but held her ground.
Rainbow's Life Points: 5050-

"With that, I end my turn."

"Well, seems she made a comeback." said the person in charge of the trio.

"You're all welcome from being completely embarrassed for being assholes." snickered Isaac as he gave a smug smile to the suits as he wrote down some things on his clipboard as he watched Lucky Star. He then looked at Rainbow as he knew what she was going to do.

Turn 7: Rainbow

"Well, kid. You've grown since the beginning of the year. I see Applejack taught you well." smiled Rainbow.

"Thanks." smiled Lucky Star.

"But I also learned some new things as well," stated Rainbow. And time to test it out, just need the card. "Now let me show you something, I draw!" Rainbow drew her card as it was highlighted in blue light as she looked at it and had the biggest smile on her face as she got the final piece. "Alright! I drew the card I needed, so now I can do this. Using the Scale 1 Speedroid Marble Machine and Scale 8 Speedroid Dominobutterfly, I set the pendulum scale!" shouted Rainbow as she placed her cards on the far side of her card tray as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring spelled out in between them to show that she got it to work. Soon both of Rainbow's monsters appeared in columns of light as they had their respective numbers in front of them.

"Pendulum scale? Where did you get those cards?" said Lucky Star as she wasn't expecting Rainbow to have pendulum cards.

"Aw yeah! Now I can summon as many monsters as I want from Levels 2 through 7," stated Rainbow as she was smiling at the magical lights and effects that were happening in front of her. "I Pendulum Summon Speedroid Block-n-Roll(1000/1800) and Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke(1000/1000)!" A portal above Rainbow then opened up as two lights came out as both of her monsters now appeared on her field at the same time.

"You pendulum summoned?"

"Yeah I did and it was so awesome!" said Rainbow as she was acting like a fangirl. "Now I'll tune my Level 3 Den-Den Daiko Duke with my Level 4 Block-n-Roll!" Rainbow's tuner monster then leaped high into the air as it turned into three giant green rings as they circled her other monster as it was in between them all. "Beat your wings to whip up a whirlwind of destruction! I Synchro Summon, Clear Wing Synchro Dragon(2500/2000)!" Rainbow's mighty beast now emerged as it let out a roar as it reigned over the battlefield.

"Now the effect of my Block-n-Roll activates since I used it as Synchro Material, I can create a 'Speedroid Token'(0/0) that has the same level as the monster that was synchro summoned, so my token is Level 8." said Rainbow as her token rose in defense mode. "Now Clear Wing take out her Phantom Gryphon! Spin Storm Sky Strike!" shouted the chromatic girl as her dragon soared into the air as it then came down spinning fast as it came down and took out Lucky Star's monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3550-

"I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 8: Lucky Star

"My draw," said Lucky Star as she drew her card. Under normal circumstances, I would use my monster's ability to return Rainbow's monster to her Extra Deck, but her Clear Wing can just negate it and destroy my monster and gain its attack points. So that's out of the question.

"First, I set a monster facedown. Now Cyber Slash Harpie Lady take out her Clear Wing!" commanded Lucky Star.

"I activate my facedown, Burning Sonic! With this trap, not only do I negate your attack, but now my monster gains 500 more attack points." said Rainbow as her dragon got stronger.

"I guess I'll end my turn."

Turn 9: Rainbow

"My turn, and now I'll use the effect of my U.A. Draft, so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon my U.A. Blockbacker(1600/2700) in defense mode." Rainbow's monster now rose in defense mode as it put its hands out as it was ready to block anything that might come its way. "Now Clear Wing take out her monster!"

"I activate my facedown, Fleur Guard! Now my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady can't be destroyed in battle this turn." said Lucky Star as she managed to save herself from losing her monster.

"But you still take damage!" stated Dash as her monster pushed back her monster as Lucky Star fell to a knee.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3150-

"Now bad, kid. I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Lucky Star

"My turn, and since I control a Level 5 or higher monster, I can special summon my Harpie Oracle(1300/1400)." Lucky Star's monster now appeared as it was a female harpie who had blue leggings, blue hair, and held a blue orb in her hands. "Now the other effect, of my monster activates, so now I can retrieve a spell/trap card from my graveyard that lists 'Harpie Lady Sisters', so I choose my Elegant Egotist. Then I'll activate it so that I can special summon another Harpie Lady Sisters from my deck." said Lucky Star as her Oracle used its orb as it made her comrade appear. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady, so now I can target your Clear Wing and return it to your Extra Deck!"

"Don't think so, cause I activate Clear Wing's ability, now only does it put the brakes on your monster's effect, but it can destroy it and then my dragons gains your monster's attack points! Go Reverse Revenge!!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon looked to absorb Lucky Star's monster.

"Not if I activate this, from my hand, I play a trap!"

"A trap! But you need to set it first." stated Rainbow.

"Now quite, see if I control a 'Harpie' monster, I can activate this card from my hand. I play Harpie's Feather Storm! With this, I can negate your Clear Wing Synchro Dragon's effects! So looks like my Harpie's effect is going through." said Lucky Star as her monster was about to send Rainbow's monster away.

"Time for plan B! Now if my monster is targeted by an effect, I can get rid of Burning Sonic instead to avoid it!" shouted Rainbow as she managed to keep her dragon from disappearing.

"Well played, but then I guess I'll take out your dragon the old-fashioned way, attack her dragon!" shouted Lucky Star as she managed to have her monster take out Rainbow's beast as it was destroyed.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4950-

"Not bad, kid." smiled Rainbow.

"Thanks, now I'll have my Harpie Oracle take out your token and then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Rainbow

"My turn, and to kick this off, I'm activating U.A. Draft, so by paying 500 life points, I can special summon my U.A. Mighty Slugger(2300/700) to the field!" Rainbow’s newest monster descended from a portal above her, a baseball star in black and silver sports armor. It posed with an arm held out, a metal cylinder in its hand, and with a flash of light, it extended a holographic red light in the shape of a baseball bat.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4450-

"Now Mighty Slugger take out her Harpie Lady Sisters!" shouted Rainbow. Her monster then got into a ready stance as it tossed the baseball to Rainbow. She then got into her pitcher stance as she then shifted her weight and threw it as her monster who saw the ball coming and as hard as it could, swung its bat as the ball did a curve as it soon collided with the trio sisters as they exploded.

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 12: Lucky Star

"Then it's my turn, and I'll flip over my Harpie Lady #3(1300/1400). Then I summon Harpie Perfumer(1400/1300). And when she's summoned, I get to add a spell/trap card from my deck that lists 'Harpie Lady Sisters' but since I control a Level 5 or higher monster, I can add a second card." Lucky Star's monster emerged as it was a harpie who had a perfume bottle in her hand as her mistress chose her selected cards as her duel disk ejected them for her to grab. "Next, I'll play this, Harpie Lady Phoenix Formation!"

"Oh no." said Rainbow as she saw a huge phoenix appeared above Lucky Star as it let out a cry.

"Now I can destroy up to as many of your monsters as I have 'Harpie Lady' monsters that I control, so say goodbye to both your monsters!" shouted Lucky Star as the phoenix above then descended on to Rainbow's entire field as the girl turned away to avoid feeling the heat of the flames. "And then you take damage equal to your monsters' combined attack."
Rainbow's Life Points: 550-

"Lucky for you, I can't attack the turn that I play my spell, but I got something better, cause now I'll overlay my Level 4 Harpie Perfumer, Oracle, and Harpie Lady #3 to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Lucky Star as all three of her monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon all three lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Harpie's Pet Phantasmal Dragon(2000/2500, OLU: 3)!" Out emerged the creature as it had a chain wrapped around its neck as it let out a vicious growl.

"I'll then play this Harpie Feather Duster, so say goodbye to both of your pendulum cards." said Lucky Star as she blew away Rainbow's spell cards.

"Well, like Isaac said, when pendulum cards are destroyed they go to the extra deck." said Rainbow as she grabbed her cards and slid them into the Extra Deck compartment of her duel disk.

"With that, I end my turn and must detach an overlay unit from my dragon."

Turn 13: Rainbow

"My turn, and to start, I destroy my U.A. Draft which allows me the ability to draw two cards," said Rainbow as she got rid of her spell and drew some more from the top of her deck. "Then I'll play this spell card, Speedraw. So since I control no cards, I can draw 2 more cards then I send a 'Speedroid' monster from my hand to the graveyard. Then I play Speed Recovery so that I can revive a 'Speedroid' monster from my graveyard and I choose to resurrect the one I just sent, my Speedroid Skull Marbles(0/3000) in defense mode!" said Rainbow as her monster appeared before her.

"With that, I lay one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 14: Lucky Star

"My turn, and time to take you out, cause my Phantasmal Dragon can be able to attack you directly!" shouted Lucky Star as she looked to bring this duel to a close.

"I activate my facedown, Nutrient Z! So now since I'm about to take 2000 points of damage, I gain 4000 life points." said Rainbow as she managed to buy herself some more time.
Rainbow's Life Points: 4550-

"Still, you take damage. Push forward!" shouted Lucky Star as her dragon fired a pillar of fire as Dash covered up.
Rainbow's Life Points: 2550-

"Not bad, so I'll end my turn with a facedown, and now my dragon loses another Xyz material."

Turn 15: Rainbow

Thank goodness for my trap, it bought me the time I needed. Rainbow then drew her card as she was now looking through her hand to figure out her plan.

"I simply place one card facedown."

Turn 16: Lucky Star

"Then let's get to it, draw. I now play Cyber Shield so that I can give my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady an extra 500 point boost and then activate her effect so now I can target your monster and return it to your hand," said Lucky Star as she managed to leave Rainbow without any monsters. "Now take her out, Cyber Slash Harpie attack her directly!"

"I reveal my facedown, Reinforce Truth! This lets me special summon a Level 2 or lower Warrior monster from my deck, so rise X-Saber Pashuul(100/0) in defense mode!" An elderly warrior with a massive mess of tangled black hair, dark blue armor, and a massive sword, appeared in front of Rainbow and knelt. "And the best part is X-Saber Pashuul can’t be destroyed in battle!"

"Not bad, but I can still attack you directly with my Phantasmal Dragon!" stated the teen as her dragon dealt another hit to Rainbow who protected herself from the fireball as she had a few scuff marks on her body.
Rainbow's Life Points: 550-

"With that, I end my turn and now my monster loses the last overlay unit." said Lucky Star.

Turn 17: Rainbow

"My draw, and now I'll play spell card, Shadow Stepper. So now I can target a monster on your field and then I can special summon one monster from my graveyard that has the same level or less than the monster I chose, but its effects are negated. So I'll pick your Cyber Slash Harpie so now I bring back my Speedroid Kendama!" stated Rainbow. "With that done, I now tune my Level 2 X-Saber Pashuul with my Level 6 Hi-Speedroid Kendama!" X-Saber Pashuul then changed into two giant green rings as they circled Rainbow's other monster that flew in between. "I Synchro Summon! Rise, Colossal Fighter(2800/2000)!” The light receded, revealing a massive figure in thick beige armor. It stood up, light gleaming off a green visor over its eyes, and crossed its arms.

"Not bad, but it's still weak compared to my Cyber Slash Harpie."

"True, that is until I activate my monster's effect, see for every 'Warrior' that's in my graveyard, my Colossal Fighter gains 100 extra attack points. And I currently have four, U.A. Dreadnought Dunker, Mighty Slugger, Blockbacker, and X-Saber Pashuul, so now my Colossal Fighter has 3200 attack points. Next up, I play the spell card Speedroid Scratch. So I can trade in one Speedroid for an even better one." said Rainbow as she sent one of her cards in her hand to the graveyard as she used her duel screen to make her decision on which one she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"Now Colossal Fighter attack her Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" Colossal Fighter jumped up and descended, slamming a massive fist into the front of Lucky Star's monster.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 3050-

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 18: Lucky Star

"My draw and I'll switch my Phantasmal Dragon to defense mode. Then I'll reveal my facedown, Synchro Back. So now I return my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady to my Extra Deck and then I get to summon it during my next turn." said Lucky Star as her duel disk ejected the card for her to grab as she put it in her Extra Deck portion of her duel disk.

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 19: Rainbow

"My turn and to start, I'll play Hi-Speedroid Re-Level. So now I banish my Hi-Speedroid Kendama from my graveyard so that I can change my Colossal Fighter from Level 8 to 6. Then I'll summon my U.A. Strategist(1000/600)." A monster in a silver uniform with blue and orange stripes, a clipboard under one arm, and a whistle dangling from its neck. The monster raised its head, eyes staring sharply under a white baseball cap, and let out a grunt. "Now, I'll activate my Strategist's effect, so by returning my U.A. Backblocker from my graveyard back to my deck, I can have my Strategist lose a level. Then I'll tune both of my monsters together!" Rainbow's Strategist then lifted and blew into his whistle as it echoed and then turned into two giant green rings that circled Colossal Fighter as jumped in beat them. "I Synchro Summon, Crystal Wing Synchro Dragon(3500/3000)!" Rainbow now had one of her most powerful monsters on the field.

"And now to take out her monster! Crystal Cataclysmic Strike!" shouted Rainbow as her dragon then destroyed Lucky Star's dragon.

"With that, I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 20: Lucky Star

"My turn, and now my Cyber Slash Harpie Lady is back in play. Then I'll play the spell card, Harpie's Feather Rest, so now I can take my Cyber Harpie Lady and both Harpie Lady Sisters from my graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck, and then I can draw 2 cards since I control a Level 5 or higher monster." said Lucky Star as her duel disk ejected the cards for her to grab as she placed them on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. She then drew her cards. "Now I'll activate the effect of my monster, so since a spell was activated, I can return your Crystal Wing to your Extra Deck."

"Yeah, right! Crystal Wing's ability allows me to stop your monster's effect, and then destroy it!" stated Rainbow.

"Which is why I have this, from my hand, I activate Harpie's Feather Storm! And you know what it does, so your dragon can't save itself," said Lucky Star as Rainbow's dragon powered down as it was then returned to her Extra Deck. "Time to finish this, Cyber Slash Harpie Lady attack her directly!"

"I reveal my facedown, Synchro Spirits! So now I remove one synchro monster from my graveyard and I can bring back the monsters I used to summon it. So I'll remove my Clear Wing Synchro Dragon so that I can revive both my Speedroid Den-Den Daiko Duke and Block-n-Roll." Rainbow then saw her dragon eject as she said a quick thank you to her monster as she knew its sacrifice would help her to win. She then grabbed her two monsters and placed them in defense mode.

"Well, I can still take one of them out."

"That's where I'm activating the effect of my Speedroid Tri-Eyed Diced. I sent it away when I activate my Synchro Scratcher and it worked out. Cause by banishing it, I can negate your attack!" stated the chromatic girl as she managed to avoid her monsters from being destroyed.

"Not bad, you bought yourself some time. I end my turn."

Turn 21: Rainbow

"My turn, and time I end this, draw! I play this, U.A IQ. So now I can bring back a Level 4 or lower 'U.A.' monster from my graveyard, so rise one more time, U.A. Strategist." said Rainbow as she had a monster on the field once more. "Now, I'll tune all three of my monsters together for one final time!" U.A. Strategist then blew its whistle as it turned into three giant green rings as it circled its comrades as they all were in between them. "I call in the unparalleled master of the field! Meet a superstar like no other! I Synchro Summon! Rushing in, U.A. Star Player(2700/2500)!” The pillar of light receded, revealing a darkened form floating in the air. Clad head to toe in a silver bodysuit with glowing blue and orange stripes up the sides, it hung ominously in the air. The monster raised its head, scruffy blond hair blowing in the wind, and dropped to the ground, landing on its feet. It held a hand to the side and a pair of orange sunglasses appeared in its fingers; it slipped them on, grinned, and reared up to its full height, arms crossed.

"Next up, I'm equipping my monster with U.A. Powered Jersey to give my U.A. Star Player an extra 1000 attack/defense points. Now take out her Cyber Slash Harpie Lady!" shouted Rainbow as her monster raced forward and then jumped high into the air as it delivered a high kick that took out Lucky Star's monster. "And the effect of my Powered Jersey allows me to deal double the battle damage."
Lucky Star's Life Points: 850-

"And to finish this off, cause since my monster destroyed yours, it can attack again thanks to U.A. Powered Jersey."

"No." said Lucky Star as she realized what that meant. She then looked up as there was Rainbow's monster standing in front of her as it then raised its arm as it had its hand just a few meters from her face.

"You lose." said Rainbow as her monster then fired a blue energy beam at Lucky Star as she took the attack and was thrown onto her back.
Lucky Star's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Rainbow Dash

Author's Note

Remember what Isaac told the kids, winning or losing their duels doesn't mean the end all be all. He gave a rubric for both him and the Board of Education to follow when grading the students. So whatever grade they give the students will determine the outcome of whether or not his program either help CHS or fails.

Chapter 195: Exam #2

"I do speak with my cards and see the spirits of my monsters." said Isaac as both of his magicians bowed down behind their master as they showed their loyalty and relationship with the young boy. "To me, they are more than allies, they are more than servants, they are more than my beck and call, they are my friends. And they are what I draw my inner strength from." Isaac then snapped his fingers as all of the monster spirits returned to their masters' decks as it was just Isaac and the students.

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

Penny saw Sunset leaning against the wall as she was playing a game on her phone. She then approached her mentor as Sunset looked up and saw her mentee. Both just looked at each other as they didn't say anything.

"I'll keep it short and sweet." stated Sunset. "I'm glad I got a cool girl like you to take under my wing."

"Please you're the cool one. I'm lucky that I assigned you as my tutor. To be honest, compared to the others and who they got stuck with, I got the jackpot." chuckled Penny as Sunset did the same. "In all seriousness, thank you. You know, when we first met, all I could think about was popularity and how it was so important that I needed that to be noticed and stay relevant. But... you showed me a different perspective. That a person's popularity isn't just based on the friends they hang out with, but more so why they hang out with the people they choose to call their friends. That lesson got to me, cause I got to six other cool people." Penny looked at her comrades as she did admit that this little group she was a part of really allowed her to meet some new individuals.

"That's all I ever wanted." smiled Sunset as she put her hand on Penny's shoulder. "Now, make sure that you make me proud, no matter what happens or what the result of your exam is."

"Totally." said Penny.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

Penny extended her fist to Sunset to which the bacon-haired girl did the same as they shared one final fist bump. Penny and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Penny came to another room as it was nothing but dark as a single spotlight shined in the middle. Using that as her only guide to seeing and some vision, she was now under the spotlight as she tried looking around but nothing.

"Welcome!" said a voice.

"Isaac." said Penny as her eyes focused on her head professor.

She could see him in the private box with the three members of the Board as they all had clipboards. The teen just looked at the slightly younger girl as he then sat down and pulled out his rubric as did the other people. Isaac then spoke into the mic.

"Contestant #2, Penny. Runner-up of the Fall Formal tournament. Deck archetype: Blackwings." said Isaac as he relayed the info to the executives and so the girl could hear it. "Now then... let the exam begin." Isaac then pushed another button as soon the whole room lit up as it caused the girl to cover up for a sec as she soon found herself on a dueling field. She then looked forward as standing there was her opponent.

"Howdy." said the person who entered the room as they slotted in their deck into their duel disk as it activated and projected a green card tray. "Ready to throwdown, partner?"

"Ready." said Penny as she activated her duel disk and then projected a black card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel."

Applejack's Life Points: 8000-

Penny's Life Points: 8000-

"I'll start things off, I draw," said Penny. "Since I control no cards, I can special summon this feathered friend, Blackwing - Gust the Backblast(900/1400). And birds of a feather like to flock together, so now I can summon Blackwing - Kochi the Daybreak(700/1500)." Penny now had two monsters on the field as she was in the zone and that was how she liked it. "Now then I tune my Level 2 Gust the Backblast with my Level 4 Kochi the Daybreak!" Penny's birds then soared into the sky as her Gust turned into two giant green rings as they circled Kochi the Daybreak who flew in between them. "I Synchro Summon, Blackwing - Nothung the Starlight(2400/1600)!" Out emerged the winged beast as it wielded a sword in its left hand.

"And when my Nothung the Starlight is summoned, I can dish out 800 points of damage to your life points." said Penny as her monster had its sword unleash a slash attack as Applejack blocked it with her duel disk.
Applejack's Life Points: 7200-

"Then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Applejack

"Mah turn to get down and dirty." said Applejack as she drew her card as it had a green light to trail behind it. "I summon Predaplant Cephalotusnail(1300/1200). Then I'll place one card facedown and end mah turn."

Turn 3: Penny

"My turn, and now I summon Blackwing - Jin the Rain Shadow(600/500). And thanks to my Nothung the Starlight's special ability means I'm allowed an additional summon, so I also summon my Blackwing - Jetstream the Blue Sky(100/800)." Once more Penny now had two more of her beloved birds as each small bird was perched on her shoulder as they gave a nuzzle and a peck to their mistress.

"You guys ready?" asked Penny to both birds on her shoulders as they let out a squawk. "Alright then, I tune my Level 1 Jin the Rain Shadow with my Level 1 Jetstream the Blue Sky!" Jin the Rain Shadow then flew up first as it changed into a single green giant ring that circled Jetstream as it flew into it. "Show her how to turn the power of flight into the power of fight! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sayo the Rain Hider(800/100)!" Out emerged a small bird as it had a dagger in its hand and some goggles on its face.

"Now to attack, Nothung the Starlight take out her monster!" shouted Penny.

"Ain't gonna be that easy, cause mah Cephalotusnail can't be destroyed in battle and any damage I take is cut in half!" shouted Aj as her plant put up a barrier as it managed to minimize the damage for its mistress to take as Applejack just simply dusted her shoulder.
Applejack's Life Points: 6650-

"I end my turn."

Turn 4: Applejack

"Then it's mah turn, and now I'll reveal mah facedown, Rapid Seed Fire. So now ah can send one Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from mah deck so that not only do you take 300 points of damage, but all of yer monsters loses 600 attack points." said Applejack as she had her spell shot out some needles as she sent away her Predaplant Cordyceps to the graveyard as she managed to weaken Penny and her monsters.
Penny's Life Points: 7700-

"Now Predaplant Cephalotusnail attack her Sayo!" shouted the country girl.

"Well, like your monster, mines has the same ability, it can't be destroyed up to twice per turn." said Penny as her monster managed to block Aj's monster with its small blade.

"Either way, you still take damage." stated Applejack.
Penny's Life Points: 6600-

"Now they're both equal in life points." said Isaac as the other three suits wrote down some stuff from what they witnessed from both duelists.

"Ah now end mah turn."

Turn 5: Penny

"My turn, and now I'll equip my Nothung the Starlight with my spell card, Charging Blade! So not only does my monster gain 800 more attack points, but it can deal you damage equal to the number of Synchro materials I used to summon it by 400, so you take 800 points of damage." said Penny as her monster then pointed its sword at the farm girl as AJ blocked the attack again with her duel disk arm.
Applejack's Life Points: 5850-

"Next, I'll switch my Sayo the Rain Hider into defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 6: Applejack

"Mah draw, and first off ah activate the effect of mah Rapid Seed Fire so this time I send mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra to the grave." said Applejack as she dealt more damage to Penny's life points and weaken her monsters more as her Sayo had no attack points and Nothung the Starlight was down to 2000 attack points.

"Now then, time to see this in action."

"What do you mean?" asked Penny.

"Pay attention, sugar. Cause I'm gonna use these two pendulum cards, Scale 2 Mandragon and Scale 8 Predaplant Spider Orchid, to set here this pendulum scale." said Applejack as she placed her two cards on the far ends of her card tray as the word pendulum spelled out in between them in rainbow coloring. Soon both of her monsters then appeared in columns of light with their respective numbers in front of them.

"Where did you get those?" asked Penny in a surprised tone.

"Yee-haw! I can now as many monsters as ah want from Levels 3 through 7. Ah, pendulum summon!" A portal opened above the country blonde-haired girl as two lights came out. "Mah Predaplant Lilizard(1200/1200) and Predaplant Pterapenthes(300/2100)!" said Applejack as she had her two plant critters appear on her field.

"How do you have pendulum cards?" said Penny to herself.

"Ah end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Penny

"My turn, and now I'll activate the effect of my Charging Blade, to deal you 800 more points of damage." said Penny as she had her monster points its weapon at AJ who took the effect damage head-on.
Applejack's Life Points: 5050-

"Now time to take your monsters out, Nothung do your thing and attack Predaplant Cephalotusnail!" shouted Penny.

"Ah reveal mah facedown, Predaprime Fusion! So now I can fuse all three of mah monsters on the field!" Applejack's three monsters then transformed into lights as a vortex appeared behind the earth girl as all the lights that gathered were sucked in. "Ah Fusion Summon, Predaplant Triphyoverutum(3000/3000)!!" The new beast emerged as it stood on two legs, it had three heads as it let out a roar as it descended onto Aj's field.

"Stop!" shouted Penny as she got her monster to cease attacking.

"Wise move." stated Aj.

"Then I'll activate my facedown, Blackwing - Festival. So now since you special summoned a monster, I can summon 3 'Blackwing' tokens(0/0)." stated Penny as she had three smaller tokens in defense mode.

"I then end my turn."

Turn 8: Applejack

"Mah turn, and now, take out her Blackwing Nothung!" shouted Aj as she had her monster open its middle mouth as it fired an attack that took out Penny's monster.
Penny's Life Points: 5600-

"Ah now end my turn."

Turn 9: Penny

"My turn, and since I used a 'Blackwing' to synchro summon Sayo, he counts as a tuner. Now I'll tune my Sayo the Rain Hider with all three of my Level 1 tokens." Penny's monster then turned into two separate giant green rings as all of her smaller tokens flew in between them. "There's a storm coming, and with it comes a deluge of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm(1500/2000)!" Penny's new monster emerged as it wielded a sword as it pointed it at Applejack.

"But I ain't done, cause now Sohaya's special ability activates when it's synchro summoned, I can bring an 'Assault Blackwing' monster from my graveyard, so welcome back Sayo the Rain Hider. But I'm taking it up a notch one more time, cause you see like when I summoned Sayo, my Sohaya counts as a tuner monster since I used a 'Blackwing' to synchro summon it. So now I tune my Level 5 Sohaya the Rain Storm with my Level 2 Sayo the Rain Hider!" Sohaya the Rain Storm then flew into the air as it transformed into five giant green rings as Sayo the Rain Hider flew in between them. "And by way of their cosmic bonds, I can form an even mightier beast! I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower(2600/2000)!" Once more Penny had managed to bust out a synchro monster and this time it was one of the most powerful creatures in her deck. The storm of feathers then disbursed as out came a swordsman as he let out a cry and landed on the field.

"Not bad, but not good enough." snickered Aj. "Predaplant Triphyoverutum, do your thing!" shouted the girl. Her monster heard the command given to by its mistress as all three heads opened their mouths and fired a triple energy beam at Penny's monster who used its sword to protect itself. At first, Penny's monster was just blocking the attack, but soon its body was then starting to glow white as it caught the attention of Penny and the three suits as they couldn't believe what they were seeing. Raikiri's entire body now was covered in a white light as it then disappeared from the field.

"Raikiri!!" shouted Penny as she couldn't believe that her monster and pal were gone. "What did you do?!" asked the girl.

"Simple, I activated the effect of mah Predaplant Triphyoverutum, see if you special summon a monster from yer Extra Deck while I control mah Predaplant Triphyoverutum, then not only can I negate that summon, I can destroy it as well. So yer Raikiri just flew the coop." said Applejack with a smirk on her face.

"So then..."

"She can't summon her powerful monsters." said the head business suit. "Well, then this duel is over."

"Mark that down on your rubric, and you're gonna regret that," stated Isaac as he just laid back in his chair with a smug smile on his face as she looked at the three. "The duel just started and yet you're already making a decision. Yeesh, no wonder you're all corporate bitches." Isaac's response got the three suits to look at him as they couldn't believe the champion of CHS was talking to them this way. "Pay attention, you'll learn something."

This isn't good, my whole deck relies on summoning from the Extra Deck. But as long as Applejack has her fusion monster out on the field, I can even think about Synchro Summoning. Wait... that's it.

"I'll end my turn."

Turn 10: Applejack

"Mah turn and I'll activate the effect of mah Rapid Seed Fire, so this time I choose to send mah Predaplant Helimaphorhynchus from mah deck to the graveyard so that I can deal you 300 points of damage." said Applejack as her duel disk ejected her chosen card as she grabbed it and put it in the graveyard slot as her spell then fired some more pointed needles as they were flying towards Penny who blocked most of them with her duel disk.
Penny's Life Points: 5300-

"I'm amazed why you didn't summon a monster to protect yer life points, sugar. But... I'm still yer opponent, which is why I need to focus on being the victor. So now Predaplant Triphyoverutum attack her directly!" shouted Applejack as her monster prepared to strike the girl in front of her. It then shot a triple tri-attack as it shot forward to Penny.

"I activate the effect of my Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind(0/1600)! When you declare a direct attack, I can special summon this monster from my hand." said Penny as she managed to bring out her monster. Her creature arrived as it saw the attack coming as it flapped its wings and intercepted the attack as it managed to protect Penny from taking any serious damage.

"Nice move, sugarcube. But yer monster still bit the dust."

"He did what he needed to do. And for that, I'm grateful for him." smiled Penny as she was grateful for her monster to be able to take one for the team and allow her the time she needed to make a comeback.

"Then I'll just end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 11: Penny

"My turn," said Penny as she looked at her deck. I need to draw the card I need. Come on.

"I draw," Penny drew her card as she looked at the card she drew and smiled, "I now summon Blackwing - Gofu the Vague Shadow(0/0)." Out came Penny's monster as it was a small bird in chains as several high-speed winds surround it. "Your monster's effect only works when I try to summon from my Extra Deck. But Gofu the Vague Shadow is special cause it allows me to Synchro Summon from the graveyard. And the best part is that when I summon it, I also summon two Level 1 'Vague Shadow' tokens. Now time to tune them all together, I tune my Level 5 Gofu the Vague Shadow with both of my Level 1 tokens!" Penny's Gofu the Vague Shadow then flew up into the air as it turned into five giant green rings as the two tokens flew into them. "I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" Penny's monster was now back on the field as it landed as it pointed its sword at Aj's monster.

"Looks like I found a way to summon my monster without triggering your monster's effect." smiled Penny.

"Well done, Penny." smiled Isaac at how the girl was able to avoid Aj's plan and summon her monster.

"Now I activate Raikiri's special ability, with it I can destroy your monster!" Raikiri then powered up its sword as it fired a slash attack that headed towards Applejack's monster as it let out a cry as soon it was destroyed as an explosion went off.
"Now that your monster is gone, time to attack you directly! Take it to her, Raikiri!" shouted Penny.

"Ah reveal mah facedown, Defense Draw. So now all the damage is reduced to zero. And I get to draw a card." said Applejack as a wall of cards came up in front of her as they managed to repel Raikiri's attack as it bounced off the barrier. Soon it was gone as only a single card was left as Applejack grabbed it.

"Nice move," said Penny. "In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Applejack

"Mah turn, and now I'll activate the effect of my Predaplant Cordyceps, so by banishin' from mah graveyard, ah can bring back two Level 4 or lower 'Predaplant' monster from mah graveyard. So I choose mah Predaplant Darlingtonia Cobra(1000/1500) and Predaplant Lilizard(1200/1200)." Both of Aj's tiny monsters appeared as one was a lizard with purple buds on its tail. And the other was a snake with a body like a plant vine slithered in front of Applejack, its jaws patterned like flower petals.

"Now a couple of things happen since I special summon Lilizard from the graveyard, ah draw one card. Then since Darlingtonia Cobra was special summoned, ah can add a 'Polymerization' from mah deck to mah hand." Applejack's duel disk then ejected her two cards as she grabbed them and added them to her hand. "Now ah play Polymerization so that I can fuse mah two critters." A purple vortex with tendrils of green energy appeared behind Applejack and drew in her two monsters. The vortex spun and flashed, its light growing. "By crafting these ravenous plants together, I'll create a botanical nightmare! I Fusion Summon! Arise, Starving Venom Fusion Dragon(2800/2000)!" She slammed her card on her duel disk, the card tray lighting up purple.

"Oh boy." said Penny as she saw one of AJ's most powerful fusion monsters of her deck.

"Now mah dragon's effect activates, so now it gains the attack points of yer monster!" stated Applejack. An aura of purple energy lit up over Raikiri and trails of it swirled into Applejack’s dragon. The orbs on its wings grew brighter as it now had an attack power of 5400.

Applejack thrust her hand out. “Starving Venom Fusion Dragon, attack Raikiri!” Starving Venom Fusion Dragon swooped down and flew forward. The orbs covering its body sent streams of energy curling into its mouth, congregating into a large fireball. The fireball launched and engulfed Raikiri, a plume of smoke shooting into the air. Penny looked away, teeth gritted, as her monster melted and exploded.
Penny's Life Points: 2700-

"Well, since I used Gofu the Vague Shadow to synchro summon, Raikiri goes back to my Extra Deck instead of the graveyard." said Penny as she grabbed her card and put it back in the Extra Deck compartment of her duel disk.

"With that, I end mah turn." stated AJ as her dragon powered down back to its original attack points.

Turn 13: Penny

"Okay, this just went from bad to worst." said Penny as she dusted herself off as she looked at the field and saw Applejack standing tall with her dragon as both let off a powerful aura. Their determination and strength were resonating off of them as even Penny could feel it within the room.

"Either way, her monster may be powerful, but not invincible. I just have to find a way to take it down." said the girl to herself as she placed her hand on her deck. "My turn, I draw! I'll summon my Blackwing - Gladius the Midnight Sun(800/1500) in defense mode." Out came a bird standing on its talons as it wore a shiny silver suit of armor chest plate as it had white feathers that made up a came and wielded two smaller swords in both of its hands/claws.

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 14: Applejack

"My turn, and now mah dragon attack her monster." commanded Applejack as she had her dragon unleash its vine as they began to attack Penny's monster who was able to block all of them with fast reflexes as it managed to escape the attack unharmed.

"See my Gladius the Midnight Sun has a special ability, once per turn, it can't be destroyed in battle." stated Penny as her monster finished repelling the last attacks of Aj's dragon.

"Well then, I'll end mah turn."

Turn 15: Penny

"My turn, and since I control a 'Blackwing' I can summon this monster without a tributing, Blackwing - Elphin the Raven(2200/1200)." Out emerged winged monster as it wore a blue tunic. "And when I summon my Elphin the Raven, I can change the battle position of one of your monsters, so your dragon is getting switched into defense mode," stated Penny as Aj's mighty dragon switched modes. "And now your dragon isn't so tough, Elphin the Raven do your thing!" shouted Penny as her monster then flew towards Aj's dragon as it was given a slash attack as it was soon gone.

"Not bad." complimented Aj as she was impressed by how Penny took down her beast.

"Thanks, I now end my turn."

Turn 16: Applejack

"Mah turn, and now ah play the spell card, Re-Fusion. So by paying 800 life points, I can bring back mah Starving Venom Fusion Dragon. But don't worry, I got something else planned, I play Super Polymerization! So now I can combine mah dragon with yer Elphin the Raven!"
Applejack's Life Points: 4250-

"What?!" said Penny as she saw her monster being sucked into Aj's portal as her dragon did also as the colors of purple and green came out.

"I Fusion Summon, Predaplant Dragostapelia(2700/1900)!" shouted Aj as she got the card her duel disk ejected from her Extra Deck as she slammed it onto her color card tray. Out emerged a monster as it let out a vicious roar as it unfurled its wings and showed off its claws as it hovered in the air next to its mistress.

"Now I activate mah monster's special ability, which means I can place a Predaplant Counter on one of yer monsters." Applejack's monster then opened its mouth as it fired a seed as it landed on Penny's Blackwing as it soon began to wrap around her monster as the vines were zapping away its power.

"What are you doing to my monster?" asked Penny.

"Relax, sugar. It's harmless, first thing is that Predaplant Counter drops yer monster's level down to Level 1. Then since yer monster has a Predaplant Counter, mah monster can be able to negate the effects of yer monster since it has the counter. So that means yer Gladius the Midnight Sun can now be destroyed by one attack since its ability is gone." informed Applejack.

"That doesn't sound harmless." said Penny as she realized the situation she was in with Aj's new monster.

"Yer right it isn't, well for you anyway. So now Predaplant Dragostapelia attack her monster and take it out!" shouted Applejack as her monster opened its mouth and then fired an attack as it destroyed Penny's remaining monster.

"I now end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 17: Penny

"My turn and I'll play Cards for Black Feathers, so by shipping off my Blackwing - Calima the Haze, I can draw two more cards." said Penny as she sent away her monster and then drew from the top of her deck. "Nice, now I summon my Blackwing - Blizzard the Far North(1300/0)!" Out came a small bird as it let out a squawk as it landed on Penny's shoulder as the tiny monster nuzzled against the girl's cheek as it showed love for its mistress.

"Hey little bud," said Penny as she gave a petting under her bird's chin as the small bird liked Penny scratching its favorite spot as some feathers got ruffled. "Care to give me a hand?" Penny's response from her small bird was a gentle peck which translated to a kiss from the feathered creature.

"Alright then, since I summoned Blizzard the Far North, I can now bring back one Level 4 or lower 'Blackwing' monster from my graveyard in defense mode." Blizzard then hopped from Penny's shoulder and onto her duel disk as it began to peck at her graveyard slot as it was trying to fetch one of its comrades as it used its beak. Soon it grabbed a card as it flew back to Penny's shoulder as it handed the card to its owner.

"Good choice," said Penny as she gave one last petting to her bird. "So welcome back my Blackwing - Ghibli the Searing Wind(0/1600). Next, I'll tune my Level 2 Blizzard the Far North with my Level 3 Ghibli the Searing Wind!" Blizzard the Far North then flew from Penny's shoulder as it soared into the air as it soon transformed into two giant green rings that circled Ghibli as it flew in between them. "There's a storm coming, and with it comes a deluge of destruction! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Sohaya the Rain Storm! And by synchro summoning my Sohaya, I can bring back an 'Assault Blackwing' from my deck, so rise Sayo the Rain Hider. And since I used a 'Blackwing' to synchro summon Sohaya, it counts as a tuner. So now I tune my Level 5 Sohaya the Rain Storm with Level 2 Sayo the Rain Hider!" Penny's Sohaya then flew high into the air as it changed into five giant green rings that circled Sayo the Rain Hider as it flew in between them. "And by way of their cosmic bonds, I can form an even mightier beast! I Synchro Summon! Spread your wings, Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower!" Once more Penny now had her powerful swordsman feather monster on the field.

"So, you gonna use Raikiri's effect?" asked Applejack.

"No... cause I got something better planned. See Sohaya the Rain Storm is super special, cause when I have two of them in my graveyard, I can banish one of them to summon the other back to my field." Penny's duel disk then ejected her two cards as she placed one in the banished compartment of her duel disk as she placed her other card on her card tray as her monster rose.

"Two Blackwings," said Applejack.

"One more thing, like before with all my 'Assault Blackwings' since I used a Blackwing to synchro summon it, it counts as a tuner. So that means I can synchro summon one more time!"

"A third synchro summon in a row?!" said the three suits as they were the most shocked by what they heard. Not to mention they were surprised to see that someone like Penny could not only do that, but she knew how and planned accordingly.

"Oh yeah." smiled Isaac as he was leaning back in his chair as he put his arms behind his head as he was smiling at Penny.

"I now tune my Level 7 Raikiri the Rain Shower with my Level 5 Sohaya the Rain Storm!" Raikiri then flew high into the air as it transformed into seven giant green rings as they circled Sohaya the Rain Storm who flew into it. "Get ready to feast your eyes on a thundering display of power that will have you shaking in your Duel Disks! I Synchro Summon! Assault Blackwing - Onimaru the Divine Thunder(3000/2000)!" Out on Penny's field was one of the strongest monsters she had in her deck as it looked to bring victory for the young teen.

"Time to take flight! Onimaru, attack her monster!" shouted Penny as her monster took flight and charged at Applejack and her creature. "Onimaru's special ability will now kick in. That means the power of its attack will increase by 1000 points for each Synchro Summon I made this turn!"

"For each one? Then that's a total of 3!" said Applejack.

"Exactly, so now Onimaru gains 3000 extra attack points. Go Thundering Thrash!!!" shouted Penny as she thrust her arm out.

"I activate mah facedown, Nutrient Z. So since I'm about to take 2000 points of damage, I gain 4000 life points." stated Applejack.
Applejack's Life Points: 8250-

Onimaru then soared high into the air as it was surrounded in a yellow light as it did some sharp maneuvers. It then brought its sword down on Predaplant Dragostapelia in a downward slash as it caused Predaplant Dragostapelia to let out a screech as it exploded.
Applejack's Life Points: 4950-

"Now, then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 18: Applejack

"Mah turn, and to start, I'll use mah pendulum scale that I've got out so that I can pendulum summon mah Predaplant Banksiogre(2000/100)." A portal above Applejack opened up as out came a light as the monster that emerged was a pinecone as it had an eye. "Then ah play the spell card, Predapruning. So now I can revive a 'Predaplant' monster in mah graveyard, so ah choose mah Predaplant Dragostapelia!" Once more Aj's fusion monster was back in play as it let out a roar.

"Not bad, but my monster is still stronger than yours." said Penny.

"True, but I ain't done. Cause you see, ah got one final fusion to show." smiled Applejack.

"How so? You've already used your Predaprime Fusion, your Polymerization, and your Super Polymerization. What other fusion cards do you have that could allow you to do a fusion summoning?" stated Penny.

"Yer right, I did use all of them. But ah didn't show you this one. See sugar, when you're a master of Fusion Summoning like me, you gotta know there's always more than one way to fuse monsters together." Applejack then picked a card from her hand as she flipped it over so that Penny could look at it.

"What is..."

"Ah activate Ultra Polymerization!" shouted the country girl as she held her card up high as it began to glow in purple and green light. So by paying 2000 life points, ah can fusion summon a monster from mah Extra Deck. So I'll fuse mah Predaplant Dragostapelia and Predaplant Banksiogre!" Both of Applejack's monsters then disappeared in a light as they were sucked into the vortex that appeared behind their mistress as their energies and powers were being combined into one.
Applejack's Life Points: 2950-

"When you combine the viciously, voracious venom of a dragon with the cunningness of a carnivorous plant, the result is toxically terrifyin'! I Fusion Summon! Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon(3300/2500)!" A massive dragon flew out as its serpentine body was glowing blue, purple, and yellow, streaks of light along with its limbs. Wings like the growths of a plant spread behind it, crackling with energy. It circled to float in front of Applejack, roaring down at Penny.

"I don't like the looks of this." said Penny.

"I'm afraid not, cause now the second effect of my Ultra Polymerization allows me to bring back the monsters ah used to summon it, however, their attack/defense points are 0, and their effects are negated." Applejack then had two lights appear on her field as both her Predaplant Dragostapelia and Predaplant Banksiogre appeared in defense mode. "Next up, I'm activatin' mah monsters ability, so mah Greedy Venom Fusion Dragon can drop yer monster's attack points down to 0 and negate its special abilities."

"No way!" said Penny as she saw Aj's dragon use its vines as they latched onto her Blackwing as it felt its power being sucked away and into Applejack's monster as it powered up and let out a roar as it detached the vines. "With yer monster having no attack points, that means all I need to do is attack and it's game over."

"This can't be!" said Penny.

"Sorry, now mah dragon attack her monster!" Greedy Venom drew back its mouth and fired a jet of purple energy.

"I may not be able to save my monster, but I can save my life points. I reveal my facedown, Fake Feather! So by sending one 'Blackwing' from my hand to the graveyard, this trap allows me to copy the effects of one Normal Trap card in your graveyard. And the one I choose, your Defense Draw! So now I don't take any damage from your attack and I get to draw one card." said Penny.

The girl then sent one of her cards to the graveyard slot as soon a wall of cards appeared in front of her as they managed to protect her from the attack as her monster was destroyed. Once it died down, the wall of cards then disappeared as only a single one remained as Penny grabbed it and added it to her hand.

"Quick thinkin', partner." chuckled Applejack as she was impressed by how Penny was able to use her card against her to survive the attack and get an extra card.

"Well, then ah end mah turn with a facedown."

Turn 19: Penny

"My turn and I need to turn this duel into my favor. So here goes, I draw!!" shouted Penny. "Nice, now I'll activate the effect of my Blackwing - Vayu the Emblem of Honor(800/0). So by banishing it and one non-tuner 'Blackwing' from my graveyard, I can synchro summon. So I'll get rid of it and my Blackwing - Elphin the Raven so that I can tune them together!" Vayu then appeared as it changed into a single giant green ring that circled Elphin the Raven who flew into it. "I Synchro Summon! My winged warrior, Assault Blackwing - Chidori the Rain Sprinkling(2600/2000)!" Out emerged a feather bird as it wore a suit of armor and wielded a sword as it let out a shout. "Now Chidori gains 300 extra attack points for each 'Blackwing' monster in my graveyard and I have a total of 14 which means my Chidori now has 6800 attack points. Now attack her monster!" shouted Penny.

"I reveal mah facedown, Nature's Cure! So now I can gain life points to a monster on mah field and then ah can set one trap card from mah deck facedown." said Aj as she gained some more points.
Applejack's Life Points: 6250-

Soon Penny's monster brought its sword down upon her as it sliced Aj's dragon clean in half and let out a painful roar as soon it exploded and tons of plant juice was all that was left.

"And now by destroyin' mah monster, you activated its effect, so now ah can destroy yer monster and then you take damage equal to its original attack points." said Applejack as she managed to strike Penny back with a huge shot of her own.
Applejack's Life Points: 2750-

Penny's Life Points: 100-

"That's fine, cause now your dragon is gone and I get to activate my effect. See you helped me when you destroyed my Chidori, cause now I can special summon one Winged Beast-type Synchro Monster from my graveyard, so I choose... my Assault Blackwing - Raikiri the Rain Shower! And since I summoned him during the battle phase, that means he can attack. So take out her Predaplant Dragostapelia!" commanded Penny as her monster brought his sword down on Aj's other fusion monster as it was gone for the second time. "Then I'll finish things off by activating Raikiri's effect, so he'll get rid of the last monster on your field. Do it buddy!" shouted the girl as her monster fired off another sword slash attack as it cleared the field of Applejack having monsters.

"Not bad, but ah got you right where ah wanted you! Cause ah, reveal the card I set, Extra Shave Reborn! Now since a monster ah control that was originally from the Extra Deck was destroyed, this card allows me to bring back a different monster that was also originally from the Extra Deck and has a level lower or equal to it. So I summon back mah Starving Venom Fusion Dragon!" shouted Applejack as her monster was back in play as it let out a roar as stood over the battlefield as Aj had a smile on her face.

"No." was all Penny could say.

Turn 20: Applejack

"Nice duelin' partner," smiled Applejack as she gave one last thumbs up at the girl for almost beating her. "Now mah dragon take out her monster and end this duel!" commanded Applejack. Starving Venom Fusion Dragon then used its tail to do a quick whiplash attack as Raikiri was hit square in the chest as his sword was knocked out of its hands and sliced in two by Aj's monster as the tail cut through it like butter. Soon an explosion went off as Penny tried to hold her ground until she dropped to both her knees as she put her head down.
Penny's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Applejack

Chapter 196: Exam #3

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

Jack found Rainbow as she was bouncing a soccer ball with her feet. She saw her student approach as she stopped it and place the ball under her foot.

"New record?" asked Jack.

"Totally." said the chromatic girl with a smug smile. "So, listen... you know I ain't for all this mushy thing... but if I'm being honest... I'm glad to have you as my student."

"Is that so? Cause I remember our initial meeting. You couldn't stop bragging about yourself." stated Jack.

"Okay, that wasn't my brightest moment, don't have to bring it up," stated Rainbow as she was a bit embarrassed about that. "But... after a stern talking with Isaac... I see now he made the right choice in pairing us up."

"Yeah... Isaac... had a handful with the two of us. No doubt we gave him a couple of headaches with our constant bickering. But, he was right." smiled Jack.

"Yeah, and hey... despite you suffering from your burns and your backstory, if Isaac did allow us to pick our students. I would choose you."

"You're not capping, are you?" asked Jack.

"I'm not, plus you being my apprentice made everything 20% cooler." said Rainbow with a thumbs up.

"I appreciate it. And if we're being honest, despite your cocky and brash attitude. I think you're a cool girl; no other girl could match your awesomeness and I admire that." smiled Jack.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

"You know what to do private. Get on the duel field and show no fear, take no prisoners and no mercy." said Rainbow.

"Yes, Captain!" said Jack as he gave a salute to his commanding officer as Rainbow did the same to her soldier as it reminded Jack of his father and his time in the army.

Jack and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Jack came to a room as it was nothing but dark as a single spotlight shined in the middle. With that as his only source of light, he then approached it as he was under it.

"Next contestant." said a voice.

"Huh?"

Jack then saw Isaac as he was in the private box with the three executives of the Board as they saw the teen boy. Given what Isaac told them about Jack and his backstory, they saw his burns and the black glove on his right hand as they wrote down some mental notes about the boy's appearance. Jack saw how they were looking at him as he felt the burns stirring his skin. He then looked at Isaac as he looked back at Jack with a stern scowl. He then sat down as everybody in the box grabbed their clipboards and rubrics.

"Contestant #3: Jack Hunt. Deck archetype: Battlin' Boxer," said Isaac as he relayed some info. "Now then... the exam starts." Isaac then pushed another button as soon the whole room lit up as it caused the boy to cover up for a sec as he soon found himself on a dueling field. He then looked forward as standing there was his opponent.

"So ready to party?" asked Pinkie as she stood there with a big smile on her face. She then slid in her deck as her duel disk activated as it projected a pink color card tray.

"Let's do this." replied the boy as he slid in his deck as his duel disk activated as it projected a bright purple card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Jack Hunt's Life Points: 8000-

Pinkie Pie's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Pinkie

"I'll start things off, I draw!" said Pinkie as she looked at the card she drew and smiled. "And right away, I'll use these two my Scale 2 Madolche Infanpraline and Scale 6 Chiffonberlain to set the Pendulum Scale!" said Pinkie. She placed her two cards on the far end of her duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring was in between them to signaled it worked. Soon both of Pinkie's monsters appeared in columns of light as they had their respective numbers in front of them.

"What... how... you don't have pendulum cards?!" said Jack as he wasn't prepared for this.

"Silly, yes I do." smiled Pinkie. "And now I can summon as many cute little guys as I want from Levels 3 through 5." Soon a portal above Pinkie opened up as out came two lights. "I pendulum summon Madolche Marmalmaide(800/2000) and my Madolche Barenberg(2000/1800)." Pinkie now had a small maid sitting on her desert as she had a menu in her hand and her other monster was a white knight made as he had a sword colored dark and a shield with a buttercup color while he stood on top of a Battenberg slice of cake.

"Where did you get pendulum cards?" asked Jack.

"Don't worry about it." smiled Pinkie. "Cause since I special summoned my Barenberg, he can increase or decrease the level of a 'Madolche' monster on my field, so I'll do just that and have him decrease from Level 5 to Level 4. And with that... I'll overlay both of my delicious monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Pinkie's two small monsters then changed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Meringchioness(2400/1200, OLU: 2)!!" Out came a new monster for Pinkie as she was a tiny monster like all her others but she had some noble clothes as she was a girl who has a meringue dress with a bit of whipped cream on it to give it a bit puffiness as she wore a white necklace with her hair done in a bun as she had some bangs in front of her face.

"God damn it, why am I hungry now?" said Jack as he saw Pinkie's monster.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Jack

"Then it's my turn, I draw!" said the boy as he began to figure out his plan as he knew he had people watching and judging. "To start, I'm activating the spell Ring Announcer so that I can special summon a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my hand. So make way for Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage(1100/1400). Then I'm summoning Battlin' Boxer Headgeared(1000/1800)." Out came two fighters as they both were positioned in defense mode. "Then I activate Battlin' Boxer Headgeared's special ability, when I normal summon it, I can send a different 'Battlin' Boxer' from my deck to the graveyard." Jack then used his duel disk screen as he clicked confirm and his duel disk ejected a second Headgeared as he slid it into the graveyard. "Then I activate Big Bandage's special ability, so by banishing the second Headgeared that I sent away all my monsters on the field become its level so now Bix Bandage rises to Level 4." stated the boy as his monster changed its stats.

"With that done, I now overlay both my Level Battlin' Boxers... to build the Overlay Network!" Both of Jack's monsters then changed into dark orbs of light as they levitated in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke(2200/2000, OLU: 2)!!" Out emerged a monster as it was big as it had both of its hands locked in chains and holds as it arrived onto the field.

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Pinkie

"My draw and I'll summon my Madolche Butlerusk(1500/800). And by summoning this handsome gentleman, he allows me to add a Field Spell to my hand, and I choose my Madolche Chateau." Out came Pinkie's monster as he wore a butler outfit with a monocle in his right eye as he had a towel over his left arm. He had a teacup in his left hand as he poured some from a teacup in his right hand, all while keeping his gentlemanly posture. He then offered a cup to Pinkie's other monster as the girl just giggled and blushed as she accepted it and kissed the handsome boy. Pinkie's tiny gentleman then pulled out her field spell as he gave it to its mistress.

"So gentlemanly." giggled Pinkie as she took the card and rubbed his hair as she made sure not to mess it up. "Now I'll play the field spell, Madolche Chateau!" The entire field now began to change as a giant tasty looking chateau appeared behind Pinkie as the entire field had been transformed into the place on the board game of Candy Land. "Now the effect of my field spell allows me to give all my 'Madolche' monsters 500 extra attack and defense points. So my Madolche Meringchioness now has 2900 attack points. So attack him my tasty-looking monster." commanded Pinkie. Her monster heard her command as she pulled out a party cannon of sorts as she filled it up with pieces of her dress as she pulled the string and then fired the attack at Jack's monster.

"I'll activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke, so by using one overlay unit, not only is my monster safe, but it gains 800 attack points." said Jack. His monster then saw the attack coming as it took head-on as it stood its ground. Soon it broke free of its left hand from the chains as it pushed back the attack.
Jack's Life Points: 7300-

"Not bad, I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Jack

"My turn, and now I'll have my Battlin' Boxer attack your Madolche Meringchioness!" shouted Jack.

"Not gonna happen, cause I activate my Meringchioness' special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can change any monsters on the field to facedown defense position times the number of face-up 'Madolche' monsters I control. So that means your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke is switched into defense mode." Pinkie's monster then absorbed one of its Xyz materials as it caused Jack's monster to flip facedown.

"Clever move, but at least I can flip my monster back up," said Jack as the monster rose in attack mode. "Then I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Pinkie

"My turn, and I'll summon my Madolche Chouxvalier(1700/1300) in defense mode. And as long as this tiny guy is in play, you can't harm his friends without going through him. Ohh, he's the hero saving us from danger. They grow up so fast." said Pinkie as she wiped a tear from her eyes. "Now then, I'll activate the effect of my Meringchioness' once more, so now I'll use the last overlay unit so that I can change your monster back to face-down defense position."

"I'll activate my facedown, Xyz Block. So by removing the last overlay unit of my monster, I can negate the effect of your monster's special ability." said Jack as he managed to avoid Pinkie from continuing her plan as he broke free from his last chain. "And by removing the last Xyz material, my Lead Yoke gains 800 more attack points so now he has 3800 attack points."

"Not bad, but I'll activate the pendulum ability of my Madolche Chiffonberlain. Since I control a 'Madolche' monster, I can target two cards from my graveyard back into my deck and draw two cards." Pinkie then grabbed her Madolche Marmalmaide and Barenberg as it slid out for her to grab as she placed them on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in as she then drew two more cards.

"I'll then end with a facedown."

Turn 6: Jack

"My turn, I draw!" said the boy as he drew his card. "I'll begin by summoning my Battlin' Boxer Switchitter(1500/1400) and when I Xyz Summon, this card counts as two monsters." Switchitter then began to spilt as another appeared right next to him. "So now I'll overlay him so that I can Xyz Summon, Number 79: Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser(2300/1600, OLU: 1)!" Out emerged another fighter as it wore colorful armor with red and yellow outlines as the number glowed on its body. It then clapped its knuckles together as it landed on the field with a thud as it unfurled its outerwear.

"Now I activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser, so once per turn, I can attach a 'Battlin' Boxer' from my hand or graveyard to my monster, so I'll take my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage and equip it to my Nova Kaiser. And by doing that Nova Kaiser gains a power boost for each Xyz material it has attached by 100. So now he has 2500 attack points." said Jack as his monster powered up.

"Now to get right to it, Nova Kaiser take out her Madolche Chouxvalier!" shouted Jack as his monster leaped high into the air as it brought its fist down on the tiny monster as he raced forward with his horse as the lance made contact with the fist as an explosion went off.

"Now the effect of my Chouxvalier activates since it was destroyed in battle I can shuffle it from my graveyard back to my deck, but my Madolche Chateau allows me to instead add my Chouxvalier to my hand." said Pinkie as her duel disk ejected her card as she grabbed it.

"Now I'll have my Lead Yoke attack your Madolche Meringchioness!" shouted Jack as his other monster raised his fist and delivered a hard right as it took out Pinkie's monster.
Pinkie's Life Points: 7100-

"By destroying my Meringchioness, I get to add a 'Madolche' spell/trap card from my deck to my hand." stated Pinkie.

"With that, I end turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Pinkie

"My turn, and now I'll summon my Madolche Chouxvalier once again. Now, I'll overlay both of my Level 4 Madolche Chouxvalier and Butlerusk to build the Overlay Network!" Both of Pinkie's monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Teacher Glassouffle(1800/2500, OLU: 2)!!" Out came another monster as she wore glasses and an elegant dress as she had a book in one hand and with a small staff in the other as a small blackboard was behind her. "And don't forget my field spell grants my monster an extra 500 attack and defense points. So my monster has a total of 3000 defense points."

"So, my Lead Yoke can still take it out." said Jack.

"Indeed, oh well, maybe I made a mistake. Your turn." smiled Pinkie as she ended her turn.

Turn 8: Jack

Something's wrong, Pinkie doesn't seem worried that I can take out her monster. So what is she planning? Now I know how Shadow felt having this girl as his tutor.

"You okay?" smiled Pinkie with a devious smile.

"Y-Yeah, my turn." stated the boy as he drew his card. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser so now I'll take Battlin' Boxer Headgeared from my graveyard so that I can attach it to my Nova Kaiser as an Xyz material bringing it up to 2600 attack points." Once more Jack's monster powered up as it felt the power course through its body. "Now to take out your monster, Lead Yoke destroy it!" shouted the boy. His monster then raced forward as it lifted its fists and looked to take out its target.

"I reveal my facedown, Madolche Waltz! So now since you declared an attack, you lose 300 life points." said Pinkie as her facedown flipped up.
Jack's Life Points: 7000-

"So, your monster is still destroyed."

"Not quite, I reveal my other facedown. Check, Please! Now you roll a six-sided die and what number it lands on. You have to follow that rule. One, your monster's attack points double; two, you get to return one card on the field back the hand; three, I lose life points equal to my monster's attack points; four, your attack is negated; five, your monster's attack points are cut in half; or six, you get to draw a card." said Pinkie as she finished explaining.

"Well, almost all those options are good for me," said Jack as a die appeared in his hand. "Well, just got to roll a good number." Jack then tossed the die high in the air as it traveled and soon landed as it bounced a bit as it soon landed on a number.

"Four, too bad."

"You're kidding me, right?!" shouted Jack as he couldn't believe that out of all the possible outcomes he got, he had to get the worst one. "The odds were in my favor!!"

"Sorry, that's how the cookie crumbles. Mmm, cookie." said Pinkie as she licked her lips. Soon Pinkie's monster was safe from Jack's attack.

"Fine, I'll just end my turn."

Turn 9: Pinkie

"My turn and I'll start by activating the pendulum ability of my Madolche Infanpraline, so now I can attach a 'Madolche' monster that's in my graveyard to a 'Madolche' Xyz monster on my field, so I'll take my Madolche Meringchioness and attach it to my Madolche Teacher Glassouffle." said Pinkie as another small orb began to circle her monster. "Then, I'll summon Madolche Operawr(1500/1100). And when I normal summon my Operawr, if I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can target one card on the field and return it to the hand. So I choose your Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke!" stated Pinkie. A small bear in the shape of an opera cake appeared as it looked cute. Soon it looked at Jack as it turned into a furious beast as it let out a loud and huge roar as it caused Battlin' Boxer Lead Yoke to be surrounded in a light as it was then gone. The small bear then went back to being cute and cuddly as it let out a small growl as it would make any girl let out an "Aw".

"He's adorable isn't he." said Pinkie.

"That little thing is a monster!" said Jack as he was terrified of what Pinkie's bear could do when provoked.

"But it gets better like this, I use my monster to build the Overlay Network!" Pinkie's Madolche Teacher Glassouffle then changed into an orb of light as it hovered in the air along with its three Xyz materials as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon all four lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! I Xyz Summon, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode(2500/2200, OLU: 4)!!" Out came a small girl as she had blonde hair and wore a dress made up entirely of chocolate as she gave a wink at the boy.

"And thanks to my field spell, my monster gains 500 attack and defense points. So now it has enough attack points to take out your monsters. So attack his Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser!" stated Pinkie. "And don't forget, that my trap Madolche Waltz is still in effect so that means you lose 300 life points."
Jack's Life Points: 6700-

Pinkie's tiny monster then launched a bunch of chocolate cake at the monster as which resulted in some major explosions as the large monster was soon gone as Jack covered up.
Jack's Life Points: 6300-

"Well, my monster may be gone, but it doesn't go without leaving a parting gift. See when Nova Kaiser is destroyed, I can target Level 4 or lower Battlin' Boxer monsters in my graveyard up to the number of Xyz materials that were attached to my monster. So since it had 3 overlay units, that means I can revive my Battling Boxer Big Bandage and Switchitter in defense mode and Battlin' Boxer Headgeared in attack mode." stated Jack as he now had three monsters on his field.

"Now, I'll have my Operawr attack your Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage!" shouted Pinkie. "And don't forget, my trap makes you lose 300 life points."
Jack's Life Points: 6000-

"Man, Pinkie is giving me a rough time. That trap may weaken me by 300 points which isn't a lot, but it stacks up fast." said Jack to himself as he was already down to 6000 life points.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Jack

"My draw, and to start, I'll overlay both my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared and Switchitter and remember, when I Xyz summon, Switchitter counts as 2 monsters." Both of Jack's monsters then transformed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon they entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 105: Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus(2500/1600, OLU: 2)!!" The new monster that emerged as it had a yellow and bluish color as it landed with a thud with its materials circling it.

"Now to attack, take out her Operawr!" commanded Jack.

"Don't forget, you lose 300 points for attacking." smiled Pinkie.
Jack's Life Points: 5700-

"It's worth it to destroy that evil little thing!" shouted Jack as he wasn't a fan of Pinkie's bear as wanted to just get rid of the thing. His monster then brought its fist down on the small creature as it still had the small smile as it was destroyed.
Pinkie's Life Points: 6600-

"Well, like my other cards, my Madolche Operawr can be shuffled back into my deck." said Pinkie as she grabbed her card and placed it on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in.

"With that, I'll play my spell card, Battlin' Boxer Spirits. So by sending the top card of my deck, I can target a 'Battlin' Boxer' in my graveyard and special summon it in faceup defense position. So I choose my Battling Boxer Nova Kaiser and then activate his ability so that I can attach my Battlin' Boxer Big Bandage to it as an overlay unit which raises his attack by 100." said Jack as he now had two of his Xyz monsters on the field.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 11: Pinkie

"My turn, now I'll have my Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode attack your Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus!" commanded Pinkie "And with my trap, you lose another 300 life points."
Jack's Life Points: 5400-

"Not this time, cause I'm activating the effect of my Star Cestus' by using one overlay unit, not only does my monster avoid being destroyed, but I can negate the effect of your Madolche monster until the end of the turn. And as a bonus, any damage I would have taken, you take instead!" smirked Jack.

"Well, I got something for that, I reveal Madolche Nights! Since you activated your monster's effect, and I have no monsters in my graveyard, I can negate your monster's effect." stated Pinkie as her facedown flipped up.

"I'll see your trap and raise you with one of my own, I reveal Fancy Footwork! So since you activated a trap card during the Battle Phase, I can use this card to counter yours and destroy it." Jack's card then flipped up as it neutralized Pinkie's card as the attack from her monster made contact with Jack's as his monster put both of his arms up as he managed to push back Pinkie's monster as the damage was now sent Pinkie's way.
Pinkie's Life Points: 6100-

"Nice move." smiled the party girl. "I'll just end my turn."

Turn 12: Jack

"My turn, and to start I'll switch my Nova Kaiser into attack mode and then activate the effect of my Battlin' Boxer Nova Kaiser so I'll take my Battlin' Boxer Headgeared from my graveyard and attach it to my monster so that now he has 2500 attack points." stated Jack. "Now, I'll have my Star Cestus attack your Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode!"

"My trap is still active." informed Pinkie.
Jack's Life Points: 5100-

"That's fine, cause you remember my Fancy Footwork trap card, well since you activated your Madolche Waltz trap card, and I control a 'Battlin' Boxer', I can add my Fancy Footwork back to my hand from the grave." stated Jack as his duel disk ejected his card for the boy to grab. "Now back to the duel."

"You're gonna use Star Cestus' ability to make me take damage?" asked Pinkie.

"No, I'm using a different plan, cause by banishing my Battlin' Boxer Counterpunch from my graveyard, I can give my Star Cestus an extra 1000 attack points till the end of the turn!" informed Jack as the spirit of his Counterpunch then transferred his energy to his comrade as Star Cestus powered up as its fist was brought down on Pinkie's monster.
Pinkie's Life Points: 5600-

"And now that you're wide open, Nova Kaiser attack Pinkie directly!" shouted Jack as his other monster raced forward as it leaped into the air and reeled its arm back as it delivered a hard right to Pinkie who covered up as she was pushed back a few inches as her feet dragged along the floor leaving some marks by her footwear.
Pinkie's Life Points: 3100-

"And since you don't have a 'Madolche' monster on the field, your Madolche Waltz can't deal me damage." stated Jack with a smile as he was now in the lead.

"Interesting," said Pinkie as she dusted her shoulder off and looked at Jack.

"I end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 13: Pinkie

"My turn, and to start, I'll activate my Chiffonberlain's pendulum ability, so I return two cards in my graveyard to my deck and then draw 2 cards." Pinkie's duel disk ejected her Madolche Chouxvalier and Butlerusk as she grabbed both of her monsters and put them on top of her duel disk as the auto shuffler kicked in as she then drew her cards. "Now I'll use the pendulum scale I've set so that I can pendulum summon." Above a portal opened up as out came some lights. "I pendulum summon my Madolche Magileine(1400/1200) and Madolche Chouxvalier!" stated the party girl as she has her two monsters on the field.

"Now I'll overlay both of my monsters to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Pinkie as both of her monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Madolche Queen Tiaramisu(2200/2100, OLU: 2)!!" Out emerged Pinkie's monster as it was a small lady who sat on her throne with a staff in her hand as she sat on her dessert throne.

"As you know my field spell grants my monster with a 500 attack and defense points boost. Then I'll activate my Queen's special ability, by using one overlay unit, I can target up to 2 'Madolche' monsters in my graveyard and shuffle them back in my deck. So I'll choose my Xyz monsters, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode and Meringchioness. But since they're Xyz monsters, they go back to my Extra Deck." Pinkie's duel disk ejected her cards as she grabbed them and placed them back in her Extra Deck compartment.

"Great." groaned Jack as he now had to worry about Pinkie having her monsters back.

"It gets better, cause now I can shuffle up to that many cards that I returned using my monster's ability on your side. So I'm choosing both of your Xyz monsters, and they go to the Extra Deck." stated the party girl with a smile.

"What?!" shouted Jack as both of his monsters were gone as their overlay units were sent to his graveyard. Not to mention he was wide open.

"Now Madolche Queen Tiaramisu attack him directly, but remember with my trap still out you lose 300 points first."
Jack's Life Points: 4800-

Pinkie's monster then stood up from her throne as she pointed her staff at the boy as Jack was pushed back a few inches.
Jack's Life Points: 2100-

"Since I took damage, I can special summon my Battlin' Boxer Veil(0/1800) from my hand in defense mode!" said Jack as out emerged a monster as it had two shields on its arms as it put them together as it kneeled. "But there's more, I gain back the life points I lost."
Jack's Life Points: 4800-

"Ooh, good move." smiled the pink-haired girl. "But I'm not done, cause now I'll use my Queen Tiaramisu to build the Overlay Network." Pinkie then had her monster change into orbs of light as another portal opened up as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, I Xyz Summon, Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode!" Pinkie now had her monster appear as it had two Xyz materials circling it. "Then I'll use its special ability, so by using one overlay, I can special summon one 'Madolche' monster from my deck, so I'll take my Madolche Baaple(0/1800) in facedown defense position." said Pinkie as she grabbed her card from her deck and placed it sideways on her color card tray.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 14: Jack

"My turn, I draw!" Jack drew his card and was shocked by what he drew as he looked at it. He then looked up at Isaac who looked back at the boy. He was then given a flashback.

"I give you this card, Jack. But just because you have it, doesn't mean you're ready to use it." spoke Isaac as he gave the kid the card. "You need to work your way and then once the time is right, you can play the card. Do you understand?"

"Yeah, I understand. Just how the hell does it work?" stated Jack as he looked at the card as he didn't know how to use it.

"Let me show you." Isaac then grabbed Jack's deck as he showed it off and the card. "Hope that helps, trust me it took a while to learn even with Yuma walking me through step-by-step."

The flashback ended as Jack looked at Isaac as he remembered what his head professor said. He then took a deep breath as he knew what to do. "I now play the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic- The Seventh One!" shouted the boy as his card lit up. "So now I can target 1 'Number 10X' monster in my Extra Deck and summon it with its effects negated, so I choose my Battlin' Boxer Star Cestus!" Jack's monster then appeared as it let out a cry as it took its position next to the young boy. "Then my spell lets me use my monster and Xyz Summon 1 'C' Xyz monster that's one rank higher!"

"What?!" said Pinkie as it was her turn to be shocked.

"Go Chaos Xyz Evolution!" shouted Jack as his monster turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon that orb of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. For Isaac watching this, he had a smile on his face as he saw Jack do an advanced move and pull it off successfully. "Appear, Number C105: Battlin' Boxer Comet Cestus(2800/2000, OLU: 1)!" Jack's new monster was a chaos number monster as it stood in a dominating pose as it had four wings attached to it.

"A Chaos Number?!" said the suits as they looked at Isaac.

"Yup." nodded Isaac as he smiled at Jack for pulling it off.

"But that's not the only thing, cause since I control a 'Battlin' Boxer' I can special summon my Battlin' Boxer Sparrer(1200/1400)! With that, I now overlay both of my Level 4 Battlin' Boxer Veil and Sparrer to construct the Overlay Network!" Once more Jack's monsters then turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both orbs entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 80: Rhapsody in Berserk(0/1200, OLU: 2)!" Out emerged another warrior as it wore a blue cape and had big gauntlets on its fists as they made a loud noise.

"Next, up I'm activating the spell card, Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force! So now I can target my Rhapsody in Berserk and use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher and becomes a Chaos Number!" shouted Jack as he was pushing his limits as he wanted to prove that he wanted to be just as good as his headmaster. "Go Chaos Xyz Evolution, I Xyz Summon, Chaos Number 80: Requiem in Berserk(0/2000, OLU: 3)!" Jack now upgraded his monster as it was now in a suit of armor with the color scheme of red and white.

"Incredible." said Pinkie as she was in awe of what Jack was able to do.

"That's not all, cause my Rank-Up-Magic Barian's Force allows me to get rid of all of your monster's Xyz materials, and for each one that I do, your monster loses 300 attack points. So your Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-a-la-Mode now has 2400 attack points." stated Jack. "But I'm not done, cause next I'll play the spell card, Xyz Treasure, so now I can draw cards from my deck equal to the number of Xyz monsters on the field, and I count three!" stated the boy as he drew.

"Now, I'll activate the effect of my Chaos Number 80, since I used Number 80 to Xyz Summon, I can activate this ability. I use one overlay unit to target one card on the field and banish it, and I choose your Madolche Puddingcess Chocolat-la-a-Mode!" stated Jack as Pinkie's monster was now gone. "Then I'll activate my Number 80's other effect, so I can equip it to my Chaos Number 105 to give it 2000 extra attack points. Then I'll use the ability of my Chaos Number 105, since I used Number 105 to summon it, I can remove one overlay unit to destroy one monster you control and deal you damage equal to your monster's attack points, so while your Madolche Baaple might not have any, I'll get rid of it to clear the path towards your life points." stated Jack as he now had a clear shot at Pinkie. "Now, do it!!"

"I activate my facedown, Madolche Rush Hour! So now I can target one Xyz 'Madolche' monster in my graveyard and use it to Xyz Summon a monster that's one rank higher, so I choose my Madolche Teacher Glassouffle!" Pinkie's monster then emerged as it turned into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of Pinkie as soon it entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution, Madolche Empress Haute(3000/2800, OLU: 1)!" Out emerged a high-class girl as she was dressed in a 14th-century dress as they were made up of small portions of the food as she wore white gloves that covered her arms up to her elbows. Her hair was done in a bun and when let down flowed majestically to her shoulders as she had brunette hair and a smile that made you fall in love with her as she wore a necklace.

"And like before, my monster gets a boost thanks to my field spell so it now has 3500 attack points."

"It's still weak. Take it out!" shouted Jack.

"First things first, my trap is still in effect, so you lose 300 life points." informed Pinkie.

"Not this time, I reveal my Fancy Footwork! So now I can negate your Madolche Waltz." stated Jack.

"Then I'll activate my facedown, Xyz Strike! With this I counter your trap and destroy it, then I draw one card and reveal it. If it's a monster, our monsters switch attack points and yours drop to zero." said Pinkie.

"I got one more thing, I reveal my other facedown, Corkscrew Counter. So now your trap card is negated and I deal you 500 points of damage!" said Jack as he took out Pinkie's last card as everything resolved.
Pinkie's Life Points: 2600-

Jack's monster then made contact with Pinkie's final monster as it delivered a hard right as Pinkie's monster was blown off the field.
Pinkie's Life Points: 1300-

"I then reveal my last facedown, Psychic Shockwave. So by discarding a spell/trap card in my hand, I can summon... my Jinzo(2400/1500)!!" shouted Jack as he called on the monster that had been by his side since he was a kid and the one he rescued that allowed him to get his burns. And right now the boy was calling on his monster to help him win. Out emerged the monster as it let out a cry as it emerged on the field.

"And since I summoned him in the middle of battle, I can attack with him. So now, Jinzo ends this duel!!!" shouted Jack as his monster heard the command from his master as he powered up his attack as it produced a dark orb of energy. Once it was powered up, Jinzo then fired its attack as it made contact with Pinkie who held her ground as she took the brute of the attack and soon fell to one knee as she looked at Jack with a smile.
Pinkie's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Jack

Chapter 197: Exam #4

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

Bryant saw Fluttershy as she had her pet bunny Angel in her hand as she was feeding the small thing. He saw his tutor as he remembered this was how they started their first lesson and the idea the shy girl was trying to teach the boy about the idea of a "bond" with their cards. The boy then approached the girl as both decided to sit down and look at one another.

"Here. Hold this." Fluttershy was holding Angel in her hands.

"Sure." smiled Bryant as the two were recreating the scene from the front lawn when they first got paired up. Bryant just smiled at the small thing as he scratched Angel's head as it began to stomp his foot. "You were right, holding a bunny always makes me feel better."

"Told you." smiled Fluttershy. "So, feeling nervous?"

"Yeah," stated Bryant. "But... I'm ready. All of this has been building up to this moment, the moment where everything falls on us. Isaac and you girls all did what you could up to this point. Now the rest falls on me and the others to not only showcase our abilities and training but also to help Canterlot High get the proper need that can get Duel Monsters as part of its curriculum. I'm thankful for all you've been teaching me and trying to get me to understand the idea of having a bond with your deck. I may have been superstitious at the time, but after some recent things, I think I understand what you've been trying to teach me."

"Glad I could help," stated Fluttershy.

She then brought Bryant in as she hugged the boy. He returned the hug as he was thankful for all the girl had done for him. At first, he thought it was a joke that Fluttershy was his tutor given her shy nature would be a dead giveaway that she wasn't that good of a duelist, but after seeing her in action and showing off her skills that would put her on par with the others. He was glad to have her as her teacher and he wouldn't trade it for the world.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

Bryant gave Angel back to Fluttershy as the pair stood up.

"Wish me luck Angel." said the boy as he left.

Bryant and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Bryant now entered the room as it was dark as the others were when they took the test. The only light was the single spotlight that was shown in the middle. He took a deep breath as he ready himself as he began to walk forward towards the spotlight. He was now directly under it as soon a voice was heard.

"Next participant," said Isaac as Bryant looked at the private box as his headmaster was with the three suits. "Contestant #4: Bryant Lopez. Deck archetype: Performapals, but given that alone isn't strong without pendulum cards, I made modifications to it. Yuya gave me some spare Odd-Eyes cards so Bryant has them to make up for the lack of firepower." explained the teen.

"Very well, we'll allow it." stated the head person of the trio.

Isaac then sat down in his chair as he pulled out his rubric as did the other three people as which made Bryant a bit nervous. Isaac then pushed a button as soon the whole room lit up as it caused Bryant to cover his eyes a bit. Soon he saw who his opponent was as he had to admit, he was slightly worried.

"Oh boy," said Bryant.

"I can't go easy on you," said Sunset. She then slid in her deck as her duel disk activated as soon a red card tray projected out.

"Time to see if I truly got what it takes. Just remember, focus on the bond with my deck," said Bryant to himself as he slid in his newly improved deck by Isaac and Yuya as he slid it in as his duel disk activated and projected a burgundy color card tray as he prepared to go against one of the best duelists in CHS.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sunset Shimmer's Life Points: 8000-
Bryant Lopez's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Bryant

"I'll start, here goes," said Bryant in a calm tone as he drew his card. "I'll summon my Performapal Friendonkey(1600/600). And when I summon my Friendonkey, he allows me to also bring another 'Performapal' from my hand or graveyard, so I choose to summon out my Performapal Corn(600/1000)." Bryant's donkey appeared as it had a saddle on its back with a couple of saddlebags. Soon a light came from one of the bags as it soon revealed a blue-haired girl dressed in blue clothing as she had a horn on her forehead. Bryant's female monster gave a small wink at the boy as Bryant kind of blushed at the look given to him by his female monster.

"You okay, you're turning red," said Sunset.

"Forget you saw that," said Bryant as he got rid of the blush on his face. "I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Sunset

"My turn, and I'll start by activating the spell Cards of the Red Stone. So now I'll send one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my hand and one from my deck so that I can draw two cards." Sunset then took two Red-Eyes Toon Dragons, one from her hand and one from her deck, as she slid both of them into the graveyard slot as she then drew her cards. "I'll now activate this ritual spell card, Dark Dragon Ritual! So now I'll send my Red-Eyes Gearfried the Iron Knight so that I can ritual summon, my Paladin of Dark Dragon(1900//1200)!" Sunset held her card up high as a red light shined from it; a portal opened up as out came her monster. The monster that emerged was all black as both rider and dragon were dark armor as the rider lifted its lance high in the air as the dragon let out a roar.

"Now to attack, Paladin of Dark Dragon attack his Friendonkey!" shouted Sunset as her monster then flew into the air as it raced forward towards Bryant's monster as his mule let out a cartoonish effect as it was struck by the lance as it let out a cartoon scream as it was then destroyed.
Bryant's Life Points: 7700-

"Look, good first move, but you got to do better, kid. This is the final exam, step up," said Sunset in a soft tone as she encouraged the boy to not be afraid of going on the offense.

"Right, just wanted to be careful my first turn, in case you busted out some kind of powerful monster," stated Bryant.

"I get it, still, don't be afraid," stated Sunset. "I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Bryant

"Right, time to kick things up and not hold back," said Bryant as he drew his card and was now looking to give Sunset what she asked for. "I summon my Performapal Whip Snake(1700/900)." A new monster came out as it was a snake with a smile on it as it too had a top hat with a bowtie to match his cheerful smile. "Now I'll activate the ability of my Performapal Whip Snake's special ability, so now I can switch the attack and defense points of your monster." stated the boy as Sunset's monster was now weaker. "Now Whip Snake take out her dragon!" Whip Snake then slithered up one of the tall pillars as he used his tail to grab on one of the trapeze bars as it swung back and forth as it then fell from the tall height as it was above Sunset's monster as it opened its mouth and swallowed her monster whole as its stomach was bloated and let out a cartoonish burp as he rolled over to Bryant's side.
Sunset's Life Points: 7500-

"Okay, bud. That's both weird and impressive." stated the boy at what his monster did. "I'll end my turn."

Turn 4: Sunset

"Then time I don't hold back as well," said Sunset as she drew her card and smiled, "Ready or not, cause now I'll play my Black Stone of Legend(0/0). Then I'll activate its special ability, I can now tribute it so that I can special summon one Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, so I choose Red-Eyes B. Dragon(2400/2000)!!" shouted Sunset as she lifted her hand in the air as her ace dragon appeared and landed on the field as it let out a roar as it caused Bryant and his monsters to be a tad bit scared.

"I'll now activate the effect of my Performapal Whip Snake, so now I can target your Red-Eyes Black Dragon and switch its attack and defense points until the end of the turn," stated Bryant as he managed to weaken Sunset's monster temporarily.

"Nice move, by switching my monster's stats, you've lowered the amount of damage you'll receive. But it's still damage, so Red-Eyes take out his Whip Snake! Inferno Fire Blast!!" commanded the bacon-haired girl as her dragon opened its mouth as a fireball started to form in its jaws. It then launched the fireball as it collided with Whip Snake as it was caught on fire and then burned up as it was destroyed.
Bryant's Life Points: 7400-

"I'll now end my turn and so my Red-Eyes has his stats returned to normal."

Turn 5: Bryant

"My turn and I'll activate the spell card, Spiral Flame Strike, so now I can add 1 Level 7 'Odd-Eyes' monster from my deck to my hand." Bryant then used his duel disk screen as he was looking at all of his options when it came to the Odd-Eyes monsters as he was thinking which one would suit him the most. He then made his decision as he pressed confirm and it slid out for him to grab as he added it to his hand.

"Then I'll tribute my Performapal Corn so that I can special summon my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon(3000/2000)!" shouted Bryant as he placed his monster on his card tray. Soon a bright light was shining down on him as his monster was then changed into a white light as it was gone and soon the light above glowed brighter as it died down to reveal a large dragon. It spread its wings as it had a long lance-like head as it let out a roar.

"Now you're getting into the groove kid."

"Thanks, now how about a taste of my monster's power. Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon attack Red-Eyes!" shouted Bryant as his dragon now opened its mouth and was powering up its attack. "Oh, and I should mention my Lancer Dragon's special ability, you can't activate any spells or traps until the end of the Damage Step." Lancer Dragon then fully powered up as it fired its attack at Red-Eyes as Sunset's dragon was taken out in one blow.
Sunset's Life Points: 6500-

"I'll now activate the effect of my trap, Red-Eyes Spirit. So now my Red-Eyes Black Dragon is back in play!" shouted Sunset as her monster rose as it let out a vengeful roar.

"In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Sunset

"My turn, and to start, I'll activate the effect of my Black Stone of Legend in my graveyard, so I can add it back to my hand as well as shuffle back my Red-Eyes Gearfried the Iron Knight back into my deck." Sunset's duel disk then ejected her two cards as she grabbed her stone to add to her hand as she placed her other monster on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. "Then I'm summoning my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon(1200/700) in defense mode." Sunset's tiny monster appeared as it let out a small roar, it then looked at Sunset as it saw the girl as its mother as it flapped its tiny wings as snuggled into Sunset's chest.

"Momma." said the small dragon.

"My precious baby," said Sunset in a motherly tone as she began to pet her tiny dragon. She then looked at Red-Eyes who lowered its head as Sunset scratched under its chin. "I love you guys too." said the girl as her monsters let out a soothing growl as they showed their love to their mistress as she smelled like a home full of lava and molten rock.

"Uh, you gonna continue?" asked Bryant.

"Hey, let a girl have a moment with her monsters," stated Sunset. "I'll end my turn with a facedown." said the girl as she managed to set her card while holding her tiny baby dragon.

Turn 7: Bryant

"Then it's my turn," stated Bryant as he drew his card, "I now summon Shield Wing(0/900) in defense mode. Then I'll have my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon attack your Red-Eyes B. Dragon once more." Bryant's dragon then powered up its attack once more as it opened its mouth as charged the beam. It then unleashed the attack as it managed to take out Sunset's dragon for the second time.

"Hmm." was all Sunset said as she was still petting her Red-Eyes Baby Dragon in her arms.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 8: Sunset

"My turn," stated the girl as she managed to draw her card while still holding her monster in her arms. "I'll then resummon my Black Stone of Legend and then activate its ability so that I can tribute it to summon my Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning(2500/1200)!" The ground in front of Sunset began to shake as Bryant could feel it as could Isaac and the three executives in the private box. While they were scared of what was happening, Isaac just smiled as he knew what was coming. Soon the ground cracked open as out emerged Sunset's monster as it let out a growl as the sound of thunder went off as lightning formed at its claws. Even the three suits were surprised by how the sound of thunder was happening given they were inside a building.

"Now to activate my Archfiend's special ability, now I can destroy all your monsters that have lower defense points than my monster's attack points. So even your Shield Wing is gone since I'm taking it out with a card effect and not by battle," stated Sunset. Her monster then powered up its claws as the electricity that flowed through it charged up, it then struck the ground as it began to flow through the ground as it was making its way towards Bryant and his monsters.

"I activate my Lancer Dragon's other ability, by destroying one 'Odd-Eyes' monster in my hand, I can save my monster from being destroyed!" stated Bryant as he sent away his Odd-Eyes Wizard Dragon to the graveyard as he managed to save his monster from being destroyed and leaving him defenseless. Soon the smoke that was produced by Sunset's attack faded as standing there was Bryant's dragon as it managed to survive.

"Well, well." smiled Sunset while still petting her small dragon. "Seems he's got some tricks up his sleeves. Well so do I." Sunset now looked at her hand as she began to formulate her next step. "I now end with a facedown."

Turn 9: Bryant

So far, I've been able to keep Sunset at bay with my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon, but sooner or later, she's gonna breakthrough, which means I need to start pushing her into a corner.

"My draw and I'll summon my Performapal Sword Fish(600/600) in defense mode." Out came from the sky a shiny object as it landed on the ground. Soon it began to move on its own as it came unstuck as the tip of the sword was a fish as it had glasses and an Elvis hairstyle as it wore a bowtie. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Performapal Sword Fish, since I summoned him, I can now lower all your monster's attack points by 600 until the end of the turn. Do it buddy!" shouted Bryant as soon multiple swordfish appeared next to their friend as they all soared towards Sunset's field as they landed near the feet of Archfiend of Lightning and in front of Sunset as she was still holding her baby. Soon both monsters felt their power-draining as Sunset's small monster let out a vicious growl as Sunset got it to calm down by petting it.

"With that done, I'll now have my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon attack your Red-Eyes Archfiend of Lightning!" shouted the boy as once more his dragon powered up its charge attack as soon it blasted the attack as it took out her monster. "And remember, you can't activate any spells or traps until the end of the Damage Step!"
Sunset's Life Points: 5400-

"Now then, I'll reveal my facedown, Return of the Red-Eyes! Since a 'Red-Eyes' monster was destroyed, I can now target one 'Red-Eyes' normal monster and summon it to my field from the graveyard. So rise my dragon, Red-Eyes B. Dragon!" once more Sunset now had her beloved dragon by her side while still petting her small dragon.

"Well, either way, I set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Sunset

"My turn," Sunset drew her card as she looked at it and smiled, "Sorry little guy, but momma needs both arms for this." Sunset's tiny dragon let out a small growl as it then flew out of Sunset's arms but not before giving one last act of affection to its mother. "Now then, let's see how I handle this, I'll set the Pendulum Scale using these two cards, Scale 2 Dragoncaller Magician, and Scale 10 Red-Eyes Dark Knight!" Sunset then placed her two cards on the far side of her duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring was spelled out in between to show it worked. Both of Sunset's monsters then appeared in columns of light as their respective numbers were shown in front of them.

"Wait, hold on! You don't have pendulum cards!" said Bryant as he was shocked to see Sunset of all people using pendulum cards as only Isaac had them.

"So, boy toy. Like what you see?" said Sunset as she gave a sexy wink at Isaac.

Isaac just maintained his level of professionalism as he didn't want the Board to get any funny ideas. Sunset just laughed as she enjoyed teasing her friend as she flipped her hair and returned her focus on the duel. "Now, I'll pendulum summon!" stated the girl as a portal opened up above her as two lights came out. "I pendulum summon Red-Eyes Alternative Black Dragon(2400/2000) and Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact(1800/2000)!" Sunset now had managed to summon two monsters at once.

"How?" Bryant was stunned to the core at how Sunset not only got Pendulum cards but was able to Pendulum Summon with ease.

"Now then, I'll overlay both my Red-Eyes Alternative B. Dragon and regular B. Dragon to build the Overlay Network!" Sunset's two monsters then changed into two orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon(2800/2400, OLU: 2)!" Sunset's dragon let out a roar as it caused the whole building to shake a bit as its breath came from its nostrils as its Xyz materials circled it.

"I don't like the looks of this," said Bryant.

"Indeed, cause see my new dragon has a special ability, while it has Xyz materials attached to it, it can't be destroyed by card effects. And while it has overlay units, you take 500 points of damage every time you activate an effect." smiled Sunset.

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 11: Bryant

"My turn," said the boy as he drew his card and looked at Sunset's Xyz monster.

Even though Sunset's monster has its ability, my Lancer Dragon can still take it out. So why isn't she concerned?"

"Something wrong?" taunted Sunset.

"It's nothing, I'll now summon my Performapal Hip Hippo(800/800). My Hippo's effect activates, which means I can now summon one Level 7 or higher monster in faceup attack position. So I'll sacrifice my Hippo and my Sword Fish so that I can summon my Odd-Eyes Dragon(2500/2000)!" Bryant's two monsters then transformed into lights as they were whisked away as they were replaced by a different one. From within arose the sauropod-esque dragon with red scales covering portions of its predominately purple body. Its head thrashed in a display of primal triumph, letting loose a most distinct call. Its distinctly dichromatic eyes lit up ominously.

"Now to attack, Lancer Dragon take out her Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" commanded Bryant as he hoped to take out the monster before it could become an issue. "Don't forget, my monster's ability means you can't activate any spells/traps until the end of the damage step."

"Hope you don't forget that by using that ability, it cost you 500 life points," stated Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 6900-

Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon then opened its mouth as it fired a powerful beam attack at Sunset's monster as a huge smokescreen went off as it obscured the vision of everybody else. Soon it began to slowly die down, as standing there was Sunset's dragon as it remained unharmed as it let out a roar.

"But how? My monster should have taken yours out, and you couldn't have saved with any of your facedowns," stated Bryant.

"I didn't use any facedowns, I used my monster's effect. See my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact can make my other 'Red-Eyes' monsters indestructible to both battle and card effects." stated Sunset.
Sunset's Life Points: 5200-

"Well, good thing I have a second dragon to attack with. Odd-Eyes Dragon take out her monster! Spiral Strike!" shouted Bryant. The bipedal dragon lunged forth, revving back its head in a grand draw of breath, the air before its elongated maw starting to ripple with heat. It let loose with a stream of red flame, striking Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact head-on, resulting in a resonating explosion. "When Odd-Eyes Dragon destroys a monster and sends it to the graveyard: It inflicts additional damage equal to half the original attack points of that monster. Therefore, you take an additional 900 damage,” Bryant iterated, holding up a hand and snapping his fingers. “Reaction Burn!”

Sunset flinched a bit on seeing a ring of flame materialize around her, which then erupted in a pillar around her. Soon she shook it off as the flames around her no longer affected her as she put her hand out and snapped her fingers as Sunset made the fire stop immediately. She then flipped her hair as the last embers allowed her to show off her hotness both figurately and literally.
Sunset's Life Points: 4300-

"Woah," said Bryant as he was shocked to see Sunset shake the attack like it was nothing.

"Let's say that I've had experience when it comes to fire. Plus it allows me to have a sense of attractiveness." stated the girl as she gave a wink to her boy toy. Isaac just kept a straight composure to avoid the Board from getting the wrong message.

"Well, I'll end my turn."

Turn 12: Sunset

"My turn, and to start I'll activate my Red-Eyes Dark Knight's pendulum ability, so now until the end of my turn, I can give a 'Red-Eyes' monster on my field an extra 1000 attack points. So I choose my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" stated Sunset as her knight pointed its sword at the dragon as it felt the power of fire flow through its body as it opened its mouth and a pillar of flames came out of it. "Now to attack, Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon attack Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon!" shouted Sunset.

"Once more, I can save my Lancer Dragon simply by destroying my Odd-Eyes Dragon!" stated Bryant as his monster disappeared in a light as he sent his card to the graveyard.

"But you remember, since you activated an effect, you take 500 points of damage," stated Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 6400-

Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon then opened its mouth as it shot a massive fireball at Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon as it stood its ground but was pushed back a few inches as the attack died down."
Bryant's Life Points: 5600-

"And with that, we're just about even in life points," stated Sunset with a smug smile. "I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Bryant

"My draw and I'll summon my Performapal Spikeagle(900/900) in defense mode!" shouted the boy as out came an eagle as it was rocking a pair of sunglasses as the feathers on its wings and its body were all sharpened. "Now, I'll activate the effect of my Performapal Spikeagle's ability, so I can target one monster on my field, and then it can deal inflict piercing damage. So I choose my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon!"

"Don't forget another 500 life points due to you activating it," said Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 5100-

"It'll be worth it, cause now my Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon can attack your Red-Eyes Baby Dragon to deal you even more damage!" stated Bryant. "And remember, you can't activate any spells or traps until the end of the damage step."

"And another 500 life points," stated Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 4600-

Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon then powered up as it let out a powerful beam as it fired the attack as it made contact with Sunset's Red-Eyes Baby Dragon. The attack caused both individuals to turn away for a second as a wind effect went off as Sunset's hair fluttered in the wind. She was able to push through it as she tapped her duel disk screen and slammed her hand on the ground as the wind stopped and some fire appeared.
Sunset's Life Points: 2300-

"I now activate the effect of my baby dragon, when it's destroyed, I can then special summon 1 Level 7 or lower 'Red-Eyes' monster from my deck, and as a bonus, I can then attach my baby dragon to it to give it 300 more attack points." The fire in front of Sunset now took shape as it was now a phoenix as it circled her; Sunset touched the flames as the fire wasn't burning her but rather giving her some comfort. It then began to soar high into the sky as it made some fire appear in the air.

"Now I summon, my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon(2800/2400)!" The fire then came together as they revealed a dragon covered in a metal body as it let out a roar as the flames that were on the metal fused to give the monster an extra layer of protection. "And don't forget my Red-Eyes Baby Dragon gives it an extra 300 attack points." informed the girl as her small dragon appeared on the back of its comrade as both let out a huge roar.

"In that case, I'll end my turn."

Turn 14: Sunset

"My turn, and to start, I'll activate the effect of my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon, so now I can revive my Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact in defense mode." Another crack opened up in the ground as Sunset's monster rose as it let out a growl. "And remember thanks to my monster's effect, all my other 'Red-Eyes' monsters can't be destroyed! So now time to get rid of that dragon once and for all. Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon attack Odd-Eyes Lancer Dragon!" shouted Sunset as her dragon then opened its mouth as it shot a massive fireball towards the dragon.

"I reveal my facedown, Hippo Carnival! Now I can summon 3 'Hippo' tokens to my field and then you can't attack any of my monsters without getting rid of them first!" stated Bryant.

"So be it, but that's another 500 life points you burned," stated Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 4100-

Sunset's dragon then turned to one of the Hippos as it took one of them out.

"Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Red-Eyes Fang with Chain! So now my Red-Eyes Darkness Metal Dragon can attack one more time!" shouted Sunset as her monster now took out another token of Bryant. "With a second token gone, I'll then take out the third one with my Red-Eyes Flare Metal Dragon!" commanded the girl as the third and last token was taken out.

"With that, I end my turn."

Turn 15: Bryant

"My turn and I'll play my Card of Sanctity so that we draw till we're holding six cards," stated Bryant as he and Sunset refilled their hands.

"Another 500 life points lost," informed Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 3600-

I'm down to my last life points, which means I need to make my next few moves count.

"Now, I'll play Odd-Eyes Fusion so that I can combine my Performapal Thunderhino and Odd-Eyes Advanced Dragon so that I can fusion summon Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw(3000/2000)!" shouted Bryant as his two monsters merged into one as they off a great beast that stood on two legs as it had long silver, metal claws as it let out a menacing roar.

"Once more another 500 life points," stated Sunset.
Bryant's Life Points: 3100-

"Now then, I'll play the spell card, Heavy Storm to destroy all spells and traps on the field, so your two pendulum cards are also destroyed," informed Bryant as a huge wind blew over the field as it caused every single spell and trap to be destroyed.

"Well, my pendulum cards are now sent to my Extra Deck instead of my graveyard," stated Sunset as she grabbed her cards and slid them into the Extra Deck compartment. "And another effect, means you lose 500 more life points."
Bryant's Life Points: 2600-

"All part of my plan to win, cause now I'll activate the effect of my Performapal, Spikeagle, which means my Performapal Odd-Eyes Metal Claw can now inflict piercing damage this turn."

"And I burn another 500 life points," said Sunset as another fireball made contact with Bryant as he covered up from the attack.
Bryant's Life Points: 2100-

"Seems this one is a failure for sure." said the businesswoman.

"Well, every here is in a verdict." stated the third person.

"Oh, how you wrong you all are. In case you haven't noticed, Bryant's Odd-Eyes Metal Claw allows all monsters on his field to gain 300 attack points," stated Isaac.

"Even so, were he to attack Miss Sunset's monster in defense mode, the damage will only be 1300 and she'll be left with 1000 life points. And on her next turn, she'll finish this off." said the one in charge.

"Well, that would be the case, if Bryant wasn't going to end this right now," said Isaac as he gestured the three suits to look back at the field.

"Now, I'll play one final card, Megamorph! So now since my life points are lower than yours, this spell doubles my Odd-Eyes Metal Claw's attack points so now it rises to 6000!" shouted the boy as he activated his spell as he burned away some more points.
Bryant's Life Points: 1600-

"And that's enough to end this duel, and one more thing when my Odd-Eyes Metal Claw attacks, all my other monsters gain 300 extra attack points." stated the boy as his monster now had 6300 total attack power. "Time to bring this duel to a close, Odd-Eyes Metal Claw, attack Sunset's Meteor Dragon Red-Eyes Impact, and end this duel!!!" shouted Bryant as his monster leaped into the air as it showed off its claws as it then came down through the air as it did a vicious slash attack as Sunset's monster was destroyed as it caused a wind aftereffect to happen.

Sunset just stared at the attack as she closed her eyes and smile as some flames surrounded her as she welcomed it. Soon it died down as her hair stopped fluttering as she dusted off her leather jacket and flipped her bacon-colored hair.
Sunset's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Bryant

Chapter 198: Exam #5

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

"Nicole... respond..." texted Twilight on her phone to her A.I. program.

"Scanning... Twilight. Restoration at 97%." said the A.I.

"Almost complete." said the girl. Twilight then put her phone away as she saw Jason approaching her as she was looking to have some final words with her student.

Jason then approached his teacher as he handed Twilight his deck.

"What are you doing?" asked Twilight.

"Duh, giving you my deck. Every time before a duel, you always look at it and critic what I should put in and the cards I choose to go in with. So I'm giving you it so that you can judge me one more time." stated Jason.

Twilight had a small gasp on her face which soon turned into a smile as she put her hand on Jason's deck and pushed it back to the boy.

"No need, it's fine. I trust you in whatever cards you picked to go into battle with."

"Seriously?" said Jason as he raised his eyebrow.

"Okay, one last time. But I won't make any suggestions," stated Twilight as she grabbed her student's deck and then fanned them all out as she began to scan Jason's deck. She just looked at his cards and smiled. "You've got a powerful deck, make sure to use it to your full advantage. That's my only piece of advice to you." said the girl as she handed the cards back.

"Thanks. So, listen... despite you being obsessed and a bit mental... okay, a lot of mental..." stated Jason.

"Hey!" shouted Twilight as she took offense to that comment.

"It's true!" shouted the girls as they managed to hear Jason say that Twilight could go mental as they agreed with that statement. Twilight just scowled them as she didn't like her friends siding against her.

"Either way, you know what you're doing. Putting aside the fact that you're Isaac's girl, I'm glad to be allowed to study under your mentorship. Just maybe not giving me so many readings and research to do would have been nice. And assignments." stated Jason.

"Okay, I might have gone a bit overboard. I... I was just trying to be the best tutor possible." said Twilight with a bit of sadness.

"Yeah, but still... I'm glad you were my tutor. No doubt, I did the most reading in my life ever since I became paired with you." stated Jason. "So, time to see if the knowledge sticks."

"It's not just facts, it's also about listening to your deck and your monsters," said Twilight.

"Yeah, the 'Heart of the Cards' thing," said Jason with air quotes. "I'm still not fully sold on the idea, but your boyfriend made me open my mind a bit. So I see what it means when someone mentions this notion."

"Well, that's a start." smiled Twilight.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

"Good luck, Jason."

"I will, thank you for being my tutor. Twilight."

Both teens then shook each other's hands as they let out a smile. Jason then broke the contact as he and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Jason now entered the room as it was completely black. Like the others, he saw a single spotlight shining down in the middle of the room. He then approached it as he looked up at the spotlight to see anything but just covered his eyes a bit.

"Welcome!" said a voice.

That prompted Jason to follow where the voice came from as he saw Isaac in the private box. He also saw three other business suits to whom he could tell they were the judges.

"Contestant #5: Jason 'Ironhide' Starr. Deck archetype: A mix of powerful cards, several Blue-Eyes cards, some Kaijus, and a few other dragon cards." said Isaac.

"And you allowed someone with a deck like that to be part of the program?" asked the one in charge.

"Hey, you guys gave me free rein in who I selected. Plus, I beat the kid several times, so put that into perspective," said Isaac as he leaned back and flexed a bit while looking at Jason.

He then pulled out his rubric as so did the others as they prepared for the next round of testing. Isaac then pushed a button as the entire room now lit up as Jason blinked for a moment to allow his eyes to adjust to the sudden entrant of light into his field of vision. Soon he then looked to the other end of the room as his selected opponent was now on the field.

"Hope you win and that I don't make you look too bad," said Fluttershy in a soft tone. She then took a deep breath as she pulled out her deck and slid it into her duel disk as it activated and projected a yellow color card tray.

"They gave me the shy one?" said Jason. "Well, at least Fluttershy knows to take this seriously." stated the boy. He then pulled out his small rectangle device and strapped it on as he slid in his deck. His duel disk activated as it projected a white color card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Fluttershy's Life Points: 8000-

Jason Starr's Life Points: 8000-

"Uhm, is it okay if I go first? If you don't mind... if not... I understand." said Fluttershy as she hid a bit behind her hair.

"Yeah, sure. Go ahead," stated Jason. Damn, no wonder people find her cute. That shy nature tugs at my heart.

Turn 1: Fluttershy

"To start, I'll summon Baby Raccoon Ponpoko(800/0) in attack mode." A small raccoon with a tiny drum strapped to its chest jumped in front of Fluttershy, scratching its ear. "I'll then activate Ponpoko's special ability, when he's summoned I can then special summon one level 2 or lower beast-type monster from my deck in facedown defense position." Fluttershy then touched her screen as she looked for the monster she wanted; once she made her decision, she then tapped her screen and pulled her card from her duel disk, and set it on her card tray.

"I'll then end my turn and set one card facedown."

Turn 2: Jason

That all, I know she runs a Beast-type deck given her love of animals. But I know for a fact, Beast cards have some powerful monsters, so why didn't she do it. Or at least Synchro Summon since that's usually her go-to move.

"Did... Did I make a mistake? We can start over if you'd like." said Fluttershy as she felt like it was her fault for making the boy confused with her first move. She then let her hair fall in front of her face as she hid behind it.

"What, no! It's fine, just... was expecting much more from you. You've proven that you're not the weakest member of your group, I was just hoping that you'd do something big given it's the final exam." stated Jason.

"Oh, well... I didn't want to put too much on you." smiled the girl.

"Thanks, I guess... I'll just take my turn now," stated Jason in a soft tone as he drew his card. He then looked at his hand as he refocused his mind on getting back into the duel. "I'll start by playing Sage with Eyes of Blue(0/1500) in defense mode. And when I summon this guy, I get to add one Level 1 light tuner monster from my deck to my hand." Jason then used his duel disk screen as he clicked confirm for the card he wanted as it slid out for him to grab. "I'll take my Maiden with Eyes of Blue. Then I'll play the spell card, The Melody of Awakening Dragon. So I now discard a card so that I can add up 2 dragon monsters with 3000 or more attack points and 2000 or fewer defense points from my deck to my hand. So I'll take 2 Blue-Eyes White Dragons." said Jason as his duel disk ejected his cards. "Then I'll play the spell card, Trade-In. So by sending one of my Blue-Eyes White Dragons to the graveyard, I can draw 2 more cards." Jason then sent away one of his dragons as he put his hand on his duel disk and then drew his cards.

"With that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Fluttershy

"My turn, and now I'll flip over my facedown monster my Baby Raccoon Tantan(0/800)." A raccoon with a larger vertical drum over its chest rose from the card backing, banging padded drumsticks on its instrument. “Now his ability activates, when Tantan is flipped up, I can special summon a level 2 beast-type monster from my deck. I call upon Catnipped Kitty(0/500) in defense mode.” A pastel purple cat hopped onto Fluttershy’s field, a jingling bell on its collar, and rolled onto its back.

"In that case, I'll activate my facedown, Successor Soul! So now I tribute my Sage with Eyes of Blue, then I target one of your effect monsters and I send both to the graveyard. So I choose your Catnipped Kitty." Jason's face-down then flipped up as it shot out two beams of light as it took out his monster and the monster he chose on Fluttershy's field as they were gone. "By doing that, I can now summon from my deck, my third Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Soon a bright white light appeared as soon Jason's dragon emerged as it let out a roar as it landed with a thud as it caused the three suits to cover their ears for a moment as they saw the huge beast.

"Impressive, but I'm not done with my turn, cause now I'll overlay both my Baby Raccoon Tantan and Baby Raccoon Ponpoko to build the Overlay Network!" The two beasts turned into transparent red outlines and slid together, undulating. They hovered in the air for a bit as soon a portal opened up in front of the girl as they disappeared into it with a pillar of light emerging. "Watch closely! I unite the powers of my two raccoons to summon a brave new animal guardian!” She then grabbed the card that ejected from the top of her duel disk and then played it on her duel field. “I Xyz Summon Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu(1000/1000, OLU: 2)!” The red light burst apart, revealing a humanoid raccoon in red samurai armor, its eyes glowing. Two orbs of red light orbited the air around it, trails in their wake. Twin capes of yellow burst from its shoulders to flutter in the air. It reached to its back and pulled out a large polearm, spinning it twice and then pointing it at Jason.

"I now activate Ronin Raccoon's special ability." One of the red orbs around the samurai shot across the field and circled Blue-Eyes White Dragon. Red light leaked off of her into the orb. “By detaching one of Ronin Raccoon’s Xyz materials, I can special summon a ‘Kagemusha Raccoon Token’ with attack points equal to the strongest monster on the field. Since your Blue-Eyes White Dragon has 3000, my Kagemusha Raccoon Token(3000/0) now has that same amount.” The orb of light floated back to Ronin Raccoon and grew into a ghostly red samurai raccoon, a katana strapped to its back.

"Now time to attack, Ronin Raccoon Sandayu take out his dragon!" shouted the girl. The spectral samurai leaped up and slashed with its katana as it fell. The dragon saw the tiny thing coming at lightning-fast speed as he plunged his sword into the chest of the dragon as it let outcry as it then opened its mouth and fired a beam of pure white lightning as it was taken out resulting in an explosion to occur as both duelists looked away for a bit.

"Now that your monster is gone, I'll have my Ronin Raccoon attack you directly!" stated Fluttershy as she had her other tiny monster then jump high into the air. The samurai charged across the field, the blade of its polearm held out. Jason saw the tiny thing coming as he simply raised his duel disk as it made contact with the tiny thing's weapon as it clanged off his device as the furry mammal leaped back to Fluttershy's side as it took a fighting stance. It then fell on its bottom as it began to scratch its ear with its foot.
Jason's Life Points: 7000-

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Jason

"Then it's my turn, and I'll summon my Maiden with Eyes of Blue(0/0)." Out emerged a beautiful woman as all around her were some particles to help highlight her beauty even more. "Then I'll play the spell card, Return of the Dragon Lords. So now I can bring back my Blue-Eyes White Dragon!" Once more a roar was heard as one of Jason's powerful cards in his deck emerged as it made its presence known.

"Now Blue-Eyes take out her Ronin Raccoon!" shouted the boy. His dragon then opened its mouth as it charged up its attack with ease and fast. It then shot the attack even faster as the beam of white light now collided with Ronin Raccoon as it tried to stand its ground but was blown away with ease as it went flying and was destroyed.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 6000-

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Fluttershy

"Good job, Jason." smiled Fluttershy.

"Thanks." replied the boy.

"That means I can finally start to let lose a bit. So uh, sorry if I hurt right now. My draw," said Fluttershy as she drew her card and looked at her hand. "First off is Pot of Greed, after that, I'll use these two cards. Scale 0 Blazing Lion and Scale 7 Zany Zebra, I'll set the Pendulum Scale!" Fluttershy then placed both of her cards on the far end of her duel disk as the words pendulum in rainbow coloring spelled out to signal it worked. Both of Fluttershy's monsters then appeared in columns of light as they each had their respective numbers in front of them.

"Pendulum cards, there's no way?!" said Jason in shock.

"With this, I can now summon as many of my friendly animals as I want from Levels 1 through 6 at the same time. Animals unite!" shouted Fluttershy as a portal above her opened up as out came three lights. "I Pendulum Summon, Nimble Momonga(1000/100), Moja(100/100), and Bicorn Re'em(800/1600)!" Fluttershy now had three monsters she managed to summon to the field.

"You summoned three monsters using pendulum power? But where did you get those cards?" asked Jason.

"Don't worry about it. Cause now I'll summon my Nimble Manta(800/100), then I'll activate one of my facedowns, Beast Burial Ritual! So now I can destroy my Nimble Manta so that I can draw 2 more cards, however, I can't use them until my next turn. But that's fine cause now the effect of my Nimble Manta activates, so since it was destroyed it allows me to summon another one from my deck." Fluttershy then grabbed her card and slid it to the graveyard as her deck ejected her card for her to grab as she placed it sideways on the field. For Fluttershy, she now had a total of four monsters on her field.

"But I'm not done."

"What now?" stated Jason as he was a bit intimidated by what the shy girl was going to do.

"I activate my Zany Zebra's pendulum ability, so now I can target one unused Monster Zone or spell/trap zone. So I choose one of your monster zones," stated Fluttershy as soon a giant red X was shown on Jason's field as it occupied one of his five monster zones. "And as long as my Zany Zebra is my pendulum zone, you can't use that zone."

"Great." groaned Jason as it seemed Fluttershy showing off pendulum cards caught him off guard.

"Now I'll tune my Level 4 Bicorn Re'em with my Level 1 Moja!" Bicorn Re'em then let out a roar as it turned into four giant green rings that circled Moja as the tiny thing was in between them. "Feel the winds blow and watch the storm clouds up above rumble with electricity as I Synchro Summon, Thunder Unicorn(2200/1800)!" The sound of lightning was heard as up above some storm clouds formed as soon something came out of it with fast speed as Fluttershy's horse raced down from the heavens as soon it landed on the field as electricity formed at its hooves for a sec as it let out a fierce neigh and stomped its hooves as more lightning was produced.

"And since I used Bicorn Re'em to synchro summon a Beast-type Synchro monster, you now send the top 2 cards of your deck to the graveyard," stated Fluttershy as the spirits of her Bicorn Re'em appeared and then lunged at Jason's deck as two cards were shown piercing through its horns. Jason then took the top two cards and looked at them as he was a bit disappointed to see them go as he slid them into the graveyard slot.

"Now I activate Thunder Unicorn's special ability, so now I can lower one monster on your side of the field by 500 for every non-Thunder Unicorn that I control, so since I control two that means your Blue-Eyes White Dragon loses 1000 attack points." Thunder Unicorn then pointed its horn at the large dragon as it showed no fear in backing down from the powerful beast as some electricity shit from its horn and affected Jason's monster as it caused the dragon to be paralyzed for a bit as it lost strength.

"Now attack Thunder Unicorn! Super Charger Bolt!!" shouted Fluttershy as her monster wasn't afraid of challenging the dragon as it dug its right hoof into the ground several times as it then raced forward with a yellow light trailing behind it filled with lightning as it then leaped up and pointed its horn at Blue-Eyes. Soon it made contact with the dragon as it let out a roar as soon it was destroyed and gone as Fluttershy's monster landed and then trotted over to the shy girl as it nuzzled to show its affection to its beloved animal princess.
Jason's Life Points: 6800-

"Thank you." smiled Fluttershy as she petted her horse's nose and hugged it as he took his position. "Since I used Thunder Unicorn's ability, he's the only one that was allowed to attack this round. So I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Jason

"My turn and I'll play my spell card, Raigeki so that I can destroy all your monsters," stated Jason.

"I activate my facedown, Dark Bribe. So now your spell is null and void," stated Fluttershy as she managed to avoid Jason from wiping her entire field out with his card. "The upside is you draw a card."

"So be it," said Jason as he drew his card. "I'll just place this monster facedown in defense mode."

Turn 7: Fluttershy

"My turn, and I'll have my Thunder Unicorn attack your facedown monster!" stated Fluttershy as her monster raced forward with high speed and took out Jason's card as the monster that was hidden now revealed itself.

"Exactly what I was hoping, the monster you just destroyed was my Morphing Jar! So now we discard our entire hand and draw 5 new cards." stated the boy as both he and Fluttershy got rid of their entire hand as they refilled with new cards.

"In that case, I'll just set two facedowns."

Turn 8: Jason

"Then it's my move, and I'll reveal my Nebula Dragon(2000/0) and my Blue-Eyes Alternative White Dragon(3000/2500) so that my Nebula Dragon can activate its effect to allow me to summon both to the field. However, their special abilities are negated this turn." Jason now had some more of his powerful cards on the field as they let out a roar. "Then I'm playing the spell card, Pot of Avarice. So now I can take 5 monsters in my graveyard and shuffle them back into my deck and then I draw two more cards." Jason then used his duel disk screen as he selected the monsters he wanted as they all slid out for him to grab as he placed them on top of his deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. He then drew his two cards and added them to his hand.

"With that done, I'll now overlay both of my Level 8 dragons to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Jason as both of his monsters now changed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of him. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 97: Draglubion(3000/3000, OLU: 2)!" Jason's powerful beast now arrived as its eyes glowed and it let out a huge roar.

"My monster can't be targeted by card effects, so it's safe from your Thunder Unicorn's ability. Then I'll activate my Draglubion's special ability, so now by using one overlay unit, I can take 2 different Dragon 'Number' monsters from my Extra Deck and then special summon one of them while attaching the other to it as an Xyz material. So the two I choose are my Number 38: Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy(3000/2500) and Number 107: Galaxy-Eyes Tachyon Dragon(3000/2500)!" For a sec, both of Jason's selected monsters appeared on the field as they let out more threatening roars as Fluttershy was a bit scared. "And as for which one I'll summon, I choose my Hope Harbinger Dragon Titanic Galaxy so that means my Tachyon Dragon turns into an overlay unit for my monster to use. But that's not all, since I used my Draglubion's effect, I'm only allowed to attack with the monster I summoned. So Number 38, attack and take out her Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Jason as his dragon began to power up its attack.

"I activate my facedown, The Big March of Animals!" said Fluttershy.

"No, you won't! See my Hope Harbinger has a special ability, once per turn, when a spell card or effect is activated on the field. I can not only negate that effect, but if I do, it then turns into an overlay unit for my monster to use." said Jason as Fluttershy's spell was rendered powerless as it then changed into an orb of light as it now circled Jason's monster.

"Now back to what I was going to do, get rid of her Thunder Unicorn!" shouted Jason.

"I activate my other facedown, Barrier Wave! So by tributing my Thunder Unicorn, I can have all of your monsters switch into defense mode. And then you take damage equal to the defense points of the monster you declared an attack with. So since your Hope Harbinger has 2500 defense points, that means you lose that same amount." stated Fluttershy as she dealt some massive damage to Jason.
Jason's Life Points: 4300-

"Well, that's not all. See since you targeted my Maiden with your trap, I can now activate her effect so that I can special summon my Blue-Eyes White Dragon from my deck!" stated Jason as he had his monster on the field once again.

"With that, I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Fluttershy

"My turn and I summon my Trident Warrior(1800/1200)! And when I summon my Trident Warrior, I can also summon a Level 3 or lower monster from my hand, so I choose my Delta Flyer(1500/900). Then Delta Flyer's effect activates, so now I can increase or decrease the level of a monster on my field, so I pick my Trident Warrior so that he now becomes Level 5. With that done, I'll tune my Leve 3 Delta Flyer with my Level 5 Trident Warrior!" Delta Flyer then soared into the sky as it turned into three giant green rings as they circled Trident Warrior who was in between them. "Let the sky open up and now give way to a gleaming beast of electric might! I Synchro Summon, Lightning Tricorn (2800/2000)!" Once more storm clouds appeared despite them being inside of a building as the sight of lightning flashed. Soon out emerged the monster as it had a yellow coat with several horns sticking out of its body with a blue mane as it fluttered a bit in the wind.

"Now, I activate my Blazing Lion's pendulum ability, once per turn, I can select a monster on my field and give it 300 more points for each Beast-type, Plant, and Winged-Beast type monster I currently control. So since I control 3, that means my Lightning Tricorn now gains 900 more points for a total of 3700 attack," stated Fluttershy as her beast powered up. "Now to attack, take out his Draglubion! Leaping Electric Lung!!" said the girl as her beast now raced forward. It then leaped high into the air as it used its horn to take out Jason's monster.
Jason's Life Points: 3600-

"Now I'll activate the effect of my Hope Harbinger, when an Xyz monster is destroyed, I can then have another Xyz monster on my field gain points equal to its attack points," stated Jason as his Hope Harbinger now powered up to have 6000 points worth of strength.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown," said Fluttershy as she was a bit scared at the powerful monster she was now dealing with as her Lightning Tricorn lost the extra points.

Turn 10: Jason

"My turn and I'll start by tuning my Blue-Eyes White Dragon with my Maiden with Eyes of Blue!" stated the boy as his Maiden changed into one single giant green ring as it circled his dragon. "I Synchro Summon, Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon(2500/3000)!" Out came a pillar of light as soon some wings began to show as a mouth was then shown as soon the entire monster was present as it let out.

"Now to deal some damage, Hope Harbinger attack her Nimble Momonga!" shouted Jason. His dragon heard the order given by the boy as it then powered up its attack, soon it was fully charged as it let loose a powerful beam as Fluttershy's monster was gone and her life points dropped massively.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 1000-

"Now the effect of my Nimble Momonga activates, since it was destroyed in battle, I gain 1000 life points. And then I can replace it with two more copies from my deck in facedown defense position," said Fluttershy as her duel disk ejected the cards from her deck as she grabbed them and placed them sideways on her color card tray.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 2000-

"So be it, I'm almost about to win. And thanks to my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, you can't destroy or target any of my dragons with card effects until the end of my next turn. So I'll end my turn."

Turn 11: Fluttershy

"My turn, I draw. And to start I'll play Card of Sanctity so now we draw to refill out hand to hold six cards." stated the shy girl as she and Jason now had a new hand to work with. "Next, I'll overlay both my Nimble Manta and one of my Nimble Momonga so that I can build the Overlay Network!" shouted Fluttershy as both of her monsters then changed into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Number 64: Ronin Raccoon Sandayu!" Fluttershy now had her second copy of her ace Xyz monster as it appeared with its Xyz materials circling it. "You know how this works, so I'll use an overlay unit so that I can create a token with the highest attack points on the field, so your Hope Harbinger has 6000 attack points, meaning my token now has that same amount." stated the girl as her small token appeared as it flexed its cartoon muscles.

"I may not be able to destroy your monster with card effects, but I can take them out the old-fashioned way. So I'll have my token take out your Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" commanded Fluttershy.

"I activate my facedown, Negate Attack!" shouted Jason as he managed to make Fluttershy's small token trip and fall as its attack was ended.

"Was that a part of your plan, or are you running out of options?" taunted Fluttershy as she placed two cards facedown.

"I hate to say it, but that was a desperate move on my part," said Jason to himself.

Turn 12: Jason

"My turn and I'll activate the effect of my Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon, so during my Standby Phase, I can target one Normal monster in my graveyard and summon it. So rise Blue-Eyes White Dragon." said the boy as he had another one of his powerful creatures on the field. "Now then, time to end this duel. Hope Harbinger take out her Lighting Tricorn and end this duel!" shouted Jason as his monster powered up its attack and fired its beam at Fluttershy's monster as it looked to end the shy girl's hopes of winning this duel.

"I reveal my facedown, Return Damage! So now not only do I not take Battle Damage, but you take it instead!" smiled Fluttershy with a smug smile as the attack then returned to hit Jason as he put his arm up as he managed to take out Fluttershy's creature but he got hit big time.
Jason's Life Points: 400-

"And now the effect of my Lightning Tricorn activates since it was destroyed I can summon my Voltic Bicorn(2500/2000) from my Extra Deck! Watch as the storm clouds give way to a stampede of rolling thunder!" stated Fluttershy as her duel disk opened her Extra Deck compartment as it slid out the card she wanted as she grabbed it and played it on her duel disk. Out emerged another horse as it had a black coat with some frizzled-up mane as it had lightning on its chest like it was some armor and had two lightning horns. This time the sound of thunder went off as it caused the three suits to jump a bit while Isaac just leaned in his chair without a care as he smiled at the duel that had been going on between one of his students and his friend.

"Well, either way, I'm taking out your new beast. Blue-Eyes take out her Voltic Bicorn!" shouted Jason.

"I reveal my own Negate Attack!" smiled Fluttershy as she gave a sass look to the boy as she managed to do what he did the previous turn.

"Grr, I'll just end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Fluttershy

"My turn, and I'll start by playing the spell card, Stop Defense. So now your Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon is switched back into attack mode." stated the girl as the monster's effect now expired. "Then I'll activate the effect of my Ronin Raccoon so by using the last overlay unit, I'll create a copy of my token. So now both have 6000 attack points," said Fluttershy as she had two small powerful monsters as she looked to end this duel. "Time to end this, token #1 end this duel by attacking his Blue-Eyes White Dragon!"

"I'll activate the effect of my Hope Harbinger, so by using one overlay unit, I can redirect your monster's attack to it so now both of our monsters will be destroyed, and I won't lose life points," said Jason as he was willing to make the sacrifice of one of his most powerful monsters so that he could still have a chance. Both monsters clashed as both were destroyed and resulting in both duelists looking away for a bit.

"That's fine, cause Token #2 will put an end to this by taking out your Blue-Eyes!" ordered Fluttershy.

"I reveal my facedown, Majesty with Eyes of Blue! So by sending a 'Blue-Eyes' monster from my deck to the graveyard, I can select a monster on the field and it can't attack. So I choose your token #2!" said Jason as he managed to avoid losing the duel.

"Fine then, Voltic Bicorn attack his Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon!" commanded Fluttershy as her horse now charged forward as it clashed with the beast as both were destroyed. "Now the effect of my Voltic Bicorn activates, since it was destroyed, we both send cards from our decks to the graveyard equal to its level. So since Voltic Bicorn is Level 7, that means we lose seven cards."

"What?" said Jason.

"Oh, my bad. I'm only losing seven cards, you're losing more. Cause I reveal my facedown, Tuning Collapse! So since your synchro monster was destroyed by my Voltic Bicorn, you now send cards equal to its level. So since Azure-Eyes Silver Dragon was Level 9 and you add that on top of my Voltic Bicorn's effect, you're losing 16 cards from your deck!" shouted Fluttershy.

"What the hell?!" stated Jason as his eyes widen at how Fluttershy was able to take a big chunk of his deck and send it off to the graveyard.

He grabbed his deck and took a huge portion of it and slid them one by one to the graveyard, it pained Jason to do this as each card he sent away was signaling his chances of winning were getting thinner and thinner. It also served as amusement for Fluttershy as she managed to do something big brain and pro-level by taking a huge portion of her opponent's deck to the graveyard at the cost of only a little from her deck.

"Fluttershy, I didn't know you had a devious side to you," said Isaac with a smile as he was impressed by what his shy friend was able to do.

Fluttershy just made me mil 16 cards, and now I only have a couple left. But that may not be my problem, I'm only down to 400 life points. So I either run out of cards or my life points drop.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 14: Jason

"My turn," said Jason as he looked at the small stack of cards left in his duel disk. "Give me something... I draw." Jason looked at the card he drew as he looked at the field. "Better than nothing, I play the spell card, Interrupted Kaiju Slumber!" Soon the entire field began to rumble and shake as it got the three suits watching to be a tad bit afraid. Soon the ground in front of Jason and Fluttershy opened up as all of her monsters fell through and were gone. "Now all our monsters are destroyed, however, by banishing my Return of the Dragon Lords, I can protect my Blue-Eyes from being destroyed by my spell. Then I can summon two 'Kaiju' monsters from my deck, one on your side of the field and one on my side. So I'll give you my Gameciel, the Sea Turtle Kaiju(2200/3000) and I'll summon to my field, Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju(3300/2100)!" Both giant monsters appeared on the field as they let out a roar and looked at each other ready to do battle.

"Now Thunder King will attack Gameciel!" shouted Jason as he commanded his monster to take out Fluttershy's creature as it was gone in one shot.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 900-

"And then I'll end this duel with my Blue-Eyes! White Lightning!" shouted Jason.

"Now I'll activate the other pendulum effect of my Blazing Lion. See when I find myself in a direct attack, I can summon him from the pendulum zone in defense mode. So rise my Blazing Lion(2500/3000) in defense mode!" said Fluttershy as her monster rose in a ring of fire as it let out a roar as soon in one jump out came the lion as it was red, gold, and yellow, as the mane was set aflame as well as parts of its body and tail. "And that's not all my Blazing Lion can do, now I'll activate its special ability, so any monster that attacks it, is returned to the hand." stated the girl as Jason's dragon then disappeared and returned to his hand. "And lastly, if I moved him from the pendulum zone to my field, then I can replace him with another Pendulum card in my deck."

"You have more?!" stated Jason.

"So I'll take this one, my Scale 1 Noble Tiger!" said Fluttershy as she managed to reset her pendulum scale and have a monster on her field.

"I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 15: Fluttershy

"My turn, and now I'll activate the pendulum ability of my Noble Tiger so that I can fusion summon without the need of Polymerization, so I'll combine my Big Koloa with my Des Kangaroo!" stated the girl as her two monsters appeared as they were being sucked into the vortex as a yellow light emerged. "I Fusion Summon, the master from down under, Master of Oz(4200/3700)!" shouted Fluttershy as her new monster appeared as it was ready to box. "Time to end this, Master of Oz take out his Thunder King, the Lightningstrike Kaiju!" shouted the girl.

"I reveal my facedown, Defense Draw! So I take no damage this turn and I draw a card," said Jason as he managed to save himself once again as his monster was destroyed.

"Very well, I'll then switch my Blazing Lion into attack mode and end my turn."

Turn 16: Jason

"Time I end this," said Jason as he looked at his deck as he hoped to draw the card he needed. Alright, I might not fully believe in this stupid idea, but right now, I'm out of options. So whatever god or being is out there, just give me the card I need to win. Please. Jason then drew his card as he looked at it and then at his hand as he saw what he had to do. "To start, I'll activate Polymerization so that I can fuse my two Blue-Eyes in my hand so that I can fusion summon my Blue-Eyes Twin Burst Dragon(3000/2500)!" Jason's new dragon now came out as he looked to hopefully execute his plan and win this duel. "Now to attack, take out her Blazing Lion!" shouted the boy as his twin-headed dragon opened both of its mouths and the two attacks made contact with Fluttershy's monster.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 400-

"Now my Blazing Lion's effect activates, so your monster returns to your Extra Deck."

"Not quite, from my hand, I play the spell card, De-Fusion! So I spilt my fusion monster back into the two monsters I used to summon it," said Jason as his monster split and managed to avoid Fluttershy's effect.

"Good job." smiled Fluttershy as she put her duel disk arm down as she knew what was going to happen.

"Now, finish her off, Blue-Eyes end this duel!" shouted Jason as he had his two dragons fire their attack at the shy girl as Fluttershy held her ground as the attack soon died down.
Fluttershy's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Jason

Jason collapsed on the floor with his arms and legs spread out as he was breathing heavily from the duel. He was so tired that he didn't have the energy to say anything except.

"Man... this shy girl, is tough."

Chapter 199: Exam #6

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

The students all walked through the door as they began to walk down the hallway. Soon they reached another set of doors as they opened it and inside were the girls as each one of them went to their tutor.
Rarity was busy looking over her notepad as she was trying to come up and edit some touches on designs she was making for her and the rest of their group for their prom night that was but days away.

"Yes, the colors are matching, but what is this part of the dress?" said Rarity as she had a stressed look on her face.

"Perhaps, the color indigo. It would compliment with the ruby pigment that you have going," said Amber as she approached her tutor.

"Amber, darling," said Rarity.

"So, you have the outfits done for what you and your group are going to wear for your prom night?" asked the youngest member of the students.
"Naturally, all I have to do is put the finishing touches on each one and then have them fit each person's likes," stated Rarity. "But enough talking about that, you'll get to experience your prom night in about three years. By the time you're a senior here at CHS, everyone will surely see you as a mature young woman."

"Indeed, and on that topic of maturity. I'm grateful for what you've done for me, Ms. Rarity. When Professor Isaac contacted my parents and me about being part of this program. I was ecstatic; I was going to learn about Duel Monsters and figured this might be the opportunity I need to show that I'm not a kid and that despite my age, people will treat me like the adult that I am. But... I guess I was a bit selfish to go in with that mindset. Honestly, the moment I saw the other kids, I was regretting my decision." stated Amber. "Then I met you, and I had my opinions that you were nothing but a pretty face who used her looks and beauty to get anybody to do what they asked. But you also displayed your generosity. And that was what tipped the scale in me seeing that you were not what I initially thought."

"Is that so?" stated Rarity.

"And I guess... I wanted to be like you. To have people look at me and not treat me as a child despite my age. For that, I'm glad to have you and Professor Isaac as my tutors, but more importantly, people who I can rely on. Thank you, Rarity." smiled Amber as she gave a hug to the older girl.
"And it was my pleasure to be your teacher." stated the fashionista as she returned the embrace from the young girl.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

"Time to start the tests. Thanks, also for the cake."

"My pleasure, Amber." smiled Rarity as she let go of her apprentice.
Amber and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Amber now entered the room as she saw the same scene as the others before her. A single spotlight that shined down in the middle of the darkroom. She showed no fear as she approached it and put her hand under it to see if anything would happen. Once it was safe, she then put her whole self under the body as she looked up at the single spotlight.

"Good afternoon." said a voice.

Amber then looked to where the voice came from as it belonged to her head professor. She saw Isaac as he was accompanied by three important people to which she could see were the executives sent by the Board of Education. She hoped that she could be able to show them her professor's and tutor's hard work as she didn't want to let them or anybody else down.

"Contestant #6. Name: Amber. The youngest member of the group, Age: 15. Deck archetype: Lunalight." said Isaac as he spoke into the mic to inform the girl and the suits.

"That girl? She's but a child." said the one in charge.

"I Heard That!!!" shouted Amber as it got the three suits to be frightened by the tone of the young girl.

They looked over to see Isaac had kept his finger on the button so that Amber could hear them as he knew they were going to say that. So he let them suffer the wrath of the young girl as he smiled and gave a quick thumbs up to Amber. With that, he then leaned back as he pushed another button as the whole room lit up as Amber blinked from the sudden brightness as she saw who her opponent was.

"Time to see how well you studied," said Twilight as she put on her small rectangle device and slid in her deck. Her duel disk then activated as it projected a purple color card tray as it matched her skin tone.

"Giving me the biggest challenge apart from Isaac. Seems he recognizes my level of intelligence," stated Amber as she pulled out her small device as she slotted in her deck. Her duel disk came active and online as it projected her amber color card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

"Let's duel!" shouted both girls.

Isaac looked at Twilight as the girl did the same. For the two teens, they had a serious look on their faces, one that each of them had as the first time it happened was back in the tournament when Isaac confronted Twilight about potentially being his challenger for the Fall Formal. Then it happened again during their trip to the Star Swirl Music Festival. And of course when Isaac was dealing with Starlight. The pair just looked at each other, not as boyfriend and girlfriend, not as a couple, hell not even as friends. To them right now, they were looking at each other like... rivals. Isaac then thought back to what happened moments before the students started testing.

(Flashback)

The students all entered their doors when Isaac called the girls over.

"Alright, girls. Time to get ready, the students have no idea that each of you is the final exam. So prepare yourselves, I've given your assigned opponent. So prepared your decks." said Isaac.

"Got it." said the girls in the group huddle.

"One more thing." Isaac then reached into his hoodie as he pulled out the small box that Yuya had given him.

The girls were surprised by what Isaac was holding. He then opened it and showed it off to the girls as they all had gasped.

(Brief Pause)

Twilight was also thinking back on that moment as she looked at her deck.

(Resume)

"Here you go, Twilight. These are the pendulum cards that I'm giving you," said Isaac as he had already given the others the pendulum cards that would fit their decks.

"Thanks, but... I'm not taking them," said Twilight.

"What? Twilight, I'm giving these to you so that they can be part of your deck. Yuya gave me this box, and while they had the cards that I used in my tag duel with him. They also had several others; he said it wasn't just a gift for me, but everyone. So he put some spare pendulum cards that he wasn't using and decided that we should have them in our decks." stated Isaac. "So it's okay, take them."

"I appreciate that. And from Yuya. But... I can't. I'm fine with my deck not having them." said the bookworm.

"Twilight, you don't have to prove anything. Nobody is going to think anything less of you if you have them. It's just a way for the kids to deal with the unexpected. A duel doesn't go according to the plan you try to layout, there are always things you can't expect."

"I get it, Isaac. But... I just can't. Sorry, but I can't." said Twilight as she closed Isaac's hand and pushed it back towards him as she started to walk away with her head down.

"Twilight." called out Isaac as he saw his girlfriend walking.

While Twilight didn't show it, she did have some tears rolling down her eyes. Unbeknownst to her, Isaac also had some tears rolling down his eyes.

(End of Flashback)

Twilight was still staring at Isaac when Amber called to the girl to get her attention.

"Miss Twilight. Is everything okay?" asked Amber as she noticed her spacing out a bit.

"Yes, sorry for making you worry. Is it alright if I go first?" asked Twilight.

"Not at all." smiled the younger girl.

Twilight Sparkle's Life Points: 8000-
Amber's Life Points: 8000-

Turn 1: Twilight

"So are you picking Twilight to win, Isaac?" asked one of the suits.

"Keep her name out your damn mouth! All of you!!" shouted Isaac as he let his anger out on three suits as they were scared by the boy's sudden outburst. He then looked back at the duel as he pulled out his rubric as he prepared to do his job in evaluating the duel.

"Soon, Twilight..." muttered Isaac.

"Soon, Isaac..." muttered the girl as she gave one last look at her boyfriend as she prepared to duel.

"I draw!" shouted Twilight. "And I'll start by activating my spell card, Spellbook Library of the Crescent. So since there's currently no 'Spellbooks' in my graveyard, I can now reveal three different ones from my deck, and then you randomly pick one to add to my hand. So the choices are my Spellbook of Power, Spellbook of Divinity, or Spellbook of Friendship." Twilight's cards were projected for Amber and the judges to see as they all then flipped over and spun in a circle before stopping.

"Very well... my odds of picking anything good/bad is 33%. But that's just at face value. There are other percents that I need to take into account. But I'm just gonna pick with my heart, so... my choice is the left one." said Amber.

"Alright then," stated Twilight as she added the selected card to her hand while placing the other two on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. "Then I'll place this my field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower." The entire field began to change as a tall and giant tower appeared behind Twilight. "I'll follow up that move, by playing my Amores of Prophecy(600/2000) in defense mode." stated the girl as her monster appeared on the field.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 2: Amber

"My turn, I draw!" stated Amber. "And I'll do the same thing by starting with a field spell, Fusion Recycling Plant." Once more the field began to change as on Amber's field there was a factory that popped up as on the side were some piles of metal stacked up. "Then I'll start by summoning my Lunalight Emerald Bird(1200/1000)." Amber played her card as out came her monster as it was a woman dressed in green feathers as she spread her wings to show off her beauty as he wore a moon pendant over her right eye.

"And when I summon my Lunalight Emerald Bird, I send 'Lunalight' card from my hand to the graveyard so that I can draw one card. So I choose my Lunalight Yellow Marten." stated Amber she selected her card and slid it into the graveyard slot of her device as she drew her card. "And then my Yellow Marten's effect activates since it was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can add a 'Lunalight' spell or trap card to my hand." Once more Amber's duel disk then ejected her card to which she grabbed.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Twilight

"My draw and I'll play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can get any 'Spellbook' I want," stated Twilight as she made her choice as her duel disk slid out her card for her to grab. "Next, I'll summon my Strength of Prophecy(1500/1400). Then I'll activate her effect, so I can shuffle back my Spellbook of Secrets and then give one faceup spellcaster on the field and not only give it 500 attack points but increase its level by 1. So I choose my Strength of Prophecy." said the girl as her female sorcerer used her magical powers to empower herself.

"Now I'll have my Strength of Prophecy attack your Lunalight Emerald Bird," said Twilight as her magician then lifted her hands as magic flowed through her and she shot a beam that connected with the monster as it was taken out.
Amber's Life Points: 7200-

"I'll now reveal my facedown, Lunalight Reincarnation Dance. Since a 'Lunalight' monster was destroyed, I can add 2 'Lunalight' monsters from my deck to my hand." stated Amber as she used her duel disk screen to see her options as she made her choice as her duel disk ejected her chosen cards as she grabbed them.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Amber

"My turn, and to start I'll activate the effect of my Fusion Recycling Plant. So I discard one card in my hand so that I can retrieve Polymerization," said Amber as she sent away from her card as her duel disk ejected the desired card from her deck. "Then I'll play Polymerization so that I can combine both my Lunalight Blue Cat and Purple Butterfly!" shouted the girl. The two female monsters appeared before their young owner as they were sucked into the vortex behind her as their energies were being combined. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Lunalight Cat Dancer(2400/2000)!" Amber now had a monster that was a cat woman who wore white garments as her dress was revealed so that it could show off her smooth legs and thighs as it wore a cat mask that had a moon shape as well as wore bracelets on both of her arms. She struck a pose as it showed off her dominance as well as her beauty.

"Now to attack, Lunalight Cat Dancer attack her Strength of Prophecy!" shouted Amber.

"I reveal my facedown, Book of Secret Defense! So now my monster can't be destroyed in battle," said Twilight as her monster put up a magic barrier in time as Amber's monster delivered a high jump kick as it made contact with the barrier as the female sorcerer felt the shockwaves as Cat Dancer backflipped over to Amber's side.
Twilight's Life Points: 7600-

"I'll then end my turn, and now the effect of my Fusion Recycling Plant activates, which means I can add back one of the cards used as fusion material. So I choose to add back my Lunalight Purple Butterfly," stated Amber as her duel disk ejected her card from her graveyard as she grabbed it.

Turn 5: Twilight

"My turn, and I'll start by summoning my Hermit of Prophecy(1200/700). Then I'll play Spellbook of Knowledge so by sending my Amores of Prophecy to the graveyard, I can draw two more cards," stated Twilight as she drew her cards while making sure to look at Isaac with an intense stare. Isaac returned the glare as to only them, both of their auras were clashing almost like the brewing of a devasting storm on the horizon.

"I'll then activate the effect of my Hermit of Prophecy, so since I activated a 'Spellbook', I can increase my Hermit's level by 2 and his attack points by 300," stated Twilight as her eldest magician stroked his beard as he felt the power surging through his old self. "With that, I'll now overlay both my Level 5 Hermit of Prophecy and Strength of Prophecy to build the Overlay Network!" Twilight's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the girl. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Empress of Prophecy(2000/1700, OLU: 2)!" stated Twilight as out emerged her monster as she was sitting on her throne with her Xyz materials circling.

"Now my Empress gains 300 extra attack points for every overlay unit she was, so right now she has 2600 attack points. But I'll use one of those Xyz materials to activate her special ability. With it, I can now look at the top 5 cards of my deck, and then for every 'Spellbook' I reveal, I get to destroy one monster on your field." Twilight then looked at the top 5 cards of her deck as her duel disk revealed three of those cards. "I reveal Spellbook of Penetrations, Spellbook of Magic, and Spellbook of Wisdom. And that's more than enough for me to get rid of your Cat Dancer!" stated Twilight as her Empress pointed her staff at Amber's monster and took it out with ease.

"With your monster now gone, it means that I can attack you directly. But first, I need to put my cards in any order I choose," stated Twilight as she rearranged the five cards she drew in the desired order she wanted. "Now then, Empress of Prophecy attack Amber directly!" shouted the lavender girl. Her Empress pointed her staff once more as this time it had the young girl in her sights as she blasted her with some magic.
Amber's Life Points: 4900-

"With that, I'll end my turn."

Turn 6: Amber

"My turn, and now I'll play the spell card, Re-Fusion. So by paying 800 life points, I can bring back my Cat Dancer from the graveyard," stated Amber as her monster was now back in play. "Then I play my Lunalight Black Sheep(100/600), but she won't be around for long, cause I activate the effect of my Lunalight Yellow Marten from my graveyard. So by simply returning my Black Sheep to my hand, I can special summon my Lunalight Yellow Marten(800/2000) also from the graveyard." Amber's Black Sheep appeared for a second on the field before it was then gone in a white light back to the girl's hand as a small portal opened up in front of her as a yellow weasel-like girl appeared as she took her position.
Amber's Life Points: 4100-

"Then I'll activate the effect of my Cat Dancer's special ability, so by tributing my Lunalight Yellow Marten, I can now have my Cat Dancer attack your monster twice this turn."

"Well, that won't do much, at most I'm only losing 200 life points," informed Twilight.

"I know that, Miss Twilight. But don't forget out of everyone that was a part of the group, I'm the one who's the most intelligent, which is why I'm activating another card. By sending my Lunalight Purple Butterfly from my hand to the graveyard, I can give my Cat Dancer an extra 1000 attack points this turn." stated Amber. She then sent her monster card in the graveyard slot of her duel disk as her Cat Dancer powered up. "Now to take it to her, Cat Dancer strike at her Empress of Prophecy!" commanded the young girl. Cat Dancer then leaped high into the air as it did another high jump kick as it made contact with Twilight's monster.
Twilight's Life Points: 6500-

"The first attack doesn't destroy your monster, but this next one will. Full Moon Mayhem!!" shouted Amber as her Cat Dancer then used the power of the moon as it unleashed an attack that was heading towards Twilight's monster as it took it out once and for all.
Twilight's Life Points: 5400-

"With that, I'll now end my turn with a facedown. And now Cat Dancer's attack points return to normal."

Turn 7: Twilight

"Then it's my turn, I draw. I'll summon my Charioteer of Prophecy(1800/1300) in defense mode." Twilight played her monster as out came a male spellcaster as he rode on a white horse as he wielded a magical sword. "Then I'll activate his ability, so by discarding my Spellbook of Divinity, I can return a Spellcaster from my graveyard back to my hand. So I choose my Strength of Prophecy. Then since I sent my Spellbook of Divinity to the graveyard by a card effect, I can activate its power. So now I take a card from my deck and remove it from play for 3 turns, but after that, it then comes onto the field." Twilight then used her duel disk screen as she knew which monster she wanted to hold onto as she clicked confirm as it slid out for her to grab as she put it into the banished compartment of her duel disk.

"I'll then end my turn with a simple facedown."

Turn 8: Amber

"Then it's back to me, I draw. And right away I'm going to activate the effect of my Lunalight Black Sheep, so by discarding it to the graveyard, I can add a 'Polymerization' to my hand from my deck." Amber then sent her monster once again as this time her duel disk ejected the card she desired. "I'll then play Lunalight White Rabbit(800/800). By normal summoning Lunalight White Rabbit, I can bring back a 'Lunalight' monster from my graveyard. So rise also, Lunalight Purple Butterfly(1000/1000) in defense mode. And then activate Lunalight White Rabbit's effect, now I can return up to the number of 'Lunalight' monsters I have out on the field, other than my White Rabbit. So that means you're facedown you set is now sent back to your hand." Amber's monster then raised the mallet it was carrying and struck the ground as it began to shake and rumble. The shockwaves from the hammer hitting the ground now made their way over to Twilight's field as the girl began to lose her balance for a bit before she steady herself and held on as her facedown she previously set was surrounded in a white light as it then zipped back to her hand.

"Now, Cat Dancer take out her Charioteer of Prophecy!" commanded Amber as her monster did just that and got rid of Twilight's monster with ease.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 9: Twilight

"My draw," said Twilight as she drew her card.

As long as the Lunalight White Rabbit is on her field, it's going to be a problem.

"I'll start by activating the effect of my field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower. So since I control a spellcaster in my graveyard, I can now take one of my Spellbooks in my graveyard and place it on the bottom of my deck to allow me to draw an extra card. So I'll choose my Spellbook of Divinity." said Twilight as her duel disk ejected her card from the graveyard slot as she grabbed it and then put it at the very bottom of her deck as she then drew her extra card.

"Then I'll play Graceful Charity so that I can draw three cards and discard two," stated Twilight as she picked up some more cards as she was in her element when it came to wielding her deck. "I'll now play the Spellbook of Life, so now I can banish a spellcaster from my graveyard and reveal a Spellbook in my hand so that I can bring back a different Spellcaster from my graveyard. So I'll banish my Charioteer of Prophecy and reveal my Spellbook of Miracles so that I can summon my Prophecy Destroyer(2500/1200)!" Twilight then struck her hand on the ground as it began to rumble once more as a crack opened up. Soon the monster that emerged was a demon as it had wings, a demonic tail, and horns on its heads as it pulled out a sword as its breathe produced a foul odor.

"That thing is a spellcaster?!" said Amber as she looked at Twilight's demonic monster as it didn't look like her other monsters in her deck.

"He may have a dark side, but he knows where his loyalty stands. And who's the boss of him," stated Twilight as she looked at her monster as it nodded at the girl. For he knew that Twilight was the one person who he didn't want to piss off or less he suffer her wrath and that was something that even the demon himself was afraid of from the young bookworm who he called mistress.

"But he's also a valuable player on my team. Prophecy Destroyer! Go have some fun on that Cat Dancer!" smiled Twilight with a sinister smile as the demon liked this side of his mistress. He then flapped his wings as he lifted himself into the air, soon he channeled all the dark magic that he knew and inside of him as it empowered his weapon. The demon then brought its sword down on Cat Dancer as she blocked it with her arms before the darkness that was in the creature began to take over as it caused Cat Dancer to lose her grip and was struck down as it was destroyed.
Amber's Life Points: 4000-

"Nice work," stated Twilight as she looked at her monster. The demon just bowed down in front of Twilight; she just raised her hand to signal for him to stand and to take his position.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 10: Amber

"My turn, I draw!" said the young girl. "To start, I'll play Pot of Greed. Then I'll activate the spell card, Lunalight Eclipse. So now until the end of your next turn, my Lunalight monsters are unaffected and can't be targeted by your spell or trap cards. Then I'll summon my Lunalight Kaleido Chick(1400/800)." Out came a tiny girl as she looked like a small baby bird as she was colored yellow and spread her wingspan. "Now I'll activate the effect of my Lunalight Kaleido Chick, so by sending another copy of my Lunalight Cat Dancer to the graveyard, my Kaleido Chick becomes its name," stated Amber as her Extra Deck part of her duel disk opened up as it slid out the card for her to grab as she then sent it away to the graveyard. "Then I'll activate the spell card, Lunalight Fusion. So this time I'll combine my Lunalight Kaleido Chick and Lunalight Purple Butterfly." Amber's two monsters then appeared in front of a vortex, as Kaleido Chick then changed into Cat Dancer as they both were sucked in as their energies and power were being combined. "By combining the reflexes of a fierce feline with the fluttering fury of a nighttime huntress, I can create a new lunar legend! I Fusion Summon! Now appear, sleek creature of the night, and ready those razor-sharp claws! Lunalight Panther Dancer(2800/2500) is on the prowl!" Amber now had another catlike woman appear as this one had dark skin as she wore a purple corset and thigh stockings as she too had a skirt that was open a bit to reveal her legs as she wore rings around her wrists and unsheathed her claws.

"Now to attack, Panther Dancer take out her Prophecy Destroyer!" shouted Amber. "Oh, and did I mention Panther Dancer's ability, in that like Cat Dancer it can attack your monster twice this round and if it destroys your monster, it gains an extra 200 points." informed the girl. Her monster then leaped high into the air as it spun fast in the air as it was coming down towards Twilight's monster. It then brought its legs down and hit a mean right kick to the monster's body as Prophecy Destroyer dropped its sword.
Twilight's Life Points: 5100-

"And now attack #2 take your monster out!" shouted Amber as her Panther Dancer then moved with fast speed once it landed on its feet and then used its claws to deliver one final slash attack as Twilight's monster fell on its knees and was destroyed.
Twilight's Life Points: 4800-

"I'll activate my facedown, Spellbook Exchange, so by taking a monster that was destroyed this turn and banishing it, I can add a 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand," stated Twilight as her duel disk ejected her Prophecy Destroyer as she looked at it and said thank you to her demon servant as she put it in the banished compartment of her deck. She then used her duel disk screen to pick the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.

"Very well, I end my turn."

Turn 11: Twilight

"My turn," stated the girl as she looked at her hand, "To start, I'll activate my field spell once more. So this time I'll take my Spellbook Exchange, and place it on the bottom of my deck so that I can draw another card. Then I'll play my Spellbook of Mimic so that I can copy the effect of a Spellbook in my graveyard or deck, I choose my Spellbook of Secrets. So now I add any Spellbook that I desire." said Twilight as her duel disk ejected the card she wanted. "And speaking of desire, I'll do just that. I play Spellbook of Desire, so now I can banish the top three cards of my deck to draw three more cards," said Twilight as she was doing her usual thing and going through all of her options.

"I thought I had a taste for knowledge. Miss Twilight takes it to another level, I see why she caught the eye of Professor Isaac, that girl can't do anything without seeing her options and planning accordingly," stated Amber.

"I now summon my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). Then since I activated a Spellbook previously, I can now tribute her so that I can special summon one Level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster from my deck." Temperance of Prophecy then had her cups fill with smoke as she chanted some Latin. Soon cups began to overflow with smoke as it dripped and began to surround her as the magic was now starting to transform.

"I summon my Wheel of Prophecy(2700/1700)!" shouted Twilight. Her new monster emerged from the smoke as it was a humanoid lion who wore a gladiator outfit as he had a large shield in its left hand as it had symbols on it that glowed. "Now the effect of my Wheel of Prophecy activates, since it was summoned by the effect of a spellcaster, I can target any banished number of 'Spellbooks' and shuffle them back into my deck and I can return the others to my graveyard. So I'll take one of the cards I banished with my Spellbook of Desire, and then put the others in my graveyard." Twilight's duel disk opened the banished compartment of her duel disk as the three cards she sent slid out as she grabbed the one she wanted and put it on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. She then slotted her two other cards in her graveyard slot.

"Now, I'll play Spellbook of Power. So now until the end of the turn, I'll give my Wheel of Prophecy 1000 extra attack points," stated Twilight as her monster's weapon began to glow with the symbols on it as it powered up. "Now Wheel of Prophecy take out her monster!" shouted Twilight as her monster's weapon began to spin fast as he lifted it into the air. Her monster then threw his weapon at Amber's monster as it traveled through the air fast and then struck Panther Dancer as it was destroyed.
Amber's Life Points: 3100-

"And now the other effect of my Spellbook of Power, since my Wheel of Prophecy destroyed your monster, I can now add a Spellbook from my deck to my hand." Twilight then selected her card as she looked at it and then took a glance at Isaac. "I end my turn with a facedown." said the girl all while not breaking her view from Isaac.

Turn 12: Amber

"My draw, and now I'll play Card of Demise so that I can draw till I hold 5 cards so long as I get rid of my hand in five turns. Then I play Lunalight Perfume so that I can bring back my Lunalight Panther Dancer." said the girl as she had monster back on the field. "Next up is this, Lunalight Roar! This allows me to give my Lunalight Panther Dancer extra attack points equal to a monster on my field, so since I still have my Lunalight White Rabbit in play, that means my Panther Dancer gains 800 more attack points for a total of 3600. Then I'll activate the effect of my White Rabbit so that I can return your facedown you previously set." Amber's monster then slammed her hammer down once more on the ground as Twilight's card was sent back to her hand.

"Now, Panther Dancer take out her monster!" shouted Amber as her monster then did some flips as it then delivered another vicious kick as Twilight's monster was struck.
Twilight's Life Points: 4100-

"And like before the first attack doesn't destroy your monster, but this next one will be the finishing blow!" stated Amber as her Panther Dancer did its second attack as it took out Twilight's monster.
Twilight's Life Points: 3200-

"With that, we're about even, so I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 13: Twilight

"My draw!" shouted Twilight as she drew her card as it produced a purple light as it trailed behind it. She slammed her hand on the ground as some magical lights came from her hand as she had her eyes closed. Soon the ground opened up as the lights were shining the brightest it had ever been. Twilight felt the magic flowing through her as it felt natural. "Now my Spellbook of the Divinity takes effect since three turns have passed. Arise my Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2200)!" shouted Twilight as she summoned her monster who had been her first friend since she was a little girl. Out emerged her monster as it wore a red outfit and pointed its staff at Amber.

"Now, I'll play Spellbook of the Master. So since I control a spellcaster, I'll reveal my Spellbook of Wisdom so that my Spellbook of the Master can take the effect of a Spellbook in my graveyard. So I choose my Spellbook of Secrets so now I can add any Spellbook to my hand. And since I activated a spell card, I can place a spell counter on my Dark Red Enchanter which allows him to gain 300 extra attack points." said Twilight as her monster powered up as she got the card she wanted. "I'll then play Spellbook Organization so that I can look at the three top cards of my deck and place them in any order I choose. And that's another spell so my Dark Red Enchanter gains 300 more attack and a second counter." Twilight then looked at her next cards as she reorganized them in the order she wanted as her monster got stronger.

"Now, I'll play Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere, so since I have 5 or more Spellbooks in my graveyard, I can reveal the top 2 cards of my deck and if any of them are 'Spellbooks' then they're added to my hand."

"So that's why you played your Spellbook Organization before, so that way both of your cards are Spellbooks," said Amber.

"Precisely, and they are, Spellbook of Friendship and Spellbook of Fate. Then I'll play Spellbook of Fate, so by banishing three Spellbooks from my graveyard, I can activate the third effect of my card and that's to banish one card you control, so your Panther Dancer is now gone forever," said Twilight as Amber's monster was removed from the game. "And that's two more spells that I activated, so that means 600 more points. And right now, my Dark Red Enchanter has a total of 2900 attack points. Now Dark Red Enchanter, attack her Lunalight White Rabbit!" shouted the lavender girl as her monster pointed his staff at Amber's monster as he took out the monster with ease.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 14: Amber

"My turn," said Amber as she looked at her deck and then at the field as she saw Twilight's monster. Time to win.

"I draw! Nice, I play Cat Supremacy! So now I can conduct a fusion summon on my field using monsters in my graveyard. So I'll fuse my Lunalight White Rabbit, Black Sheep, and Blue Cat so that I can fusion summon my Lunalight Sabre Dancer(3000/2600)!" Out came another cat woman as she had dark purple skin and wore gold garments while wielding a sabre sword in her right. "My monster's effect allows her to gain 200 extra attack points for every 'Lunalight' monster in my graveyard, and right now there's a total of 7 which means Sabre Dancer gains 1400 more points." Sabre Dancer then powered up as she raised her weapon.

"Then I'll reveal my facedown, Lunalight Serenade Dance. So since I fusion summoned, I can special summon one 'Lunalight' token(2000/2000) to your side of the field." stated Amber as a token appeared on Twilight's field in attack mode. "Then my monster gains 500 more attack points for every monster you control, so since you have two that means my Lunalight Sabre Dancer has 1000 more attack for a total of 5400 attack. Now to end this, and I'll do so by taking out that token! So Lunalight Sabre Dancer end this duel!" shouted Amber as she thrust her hand out. Her monster obeyed the order as she leaped high into the air and then came diving down with its weapon in its hand.

"I reveal my facedown, Half Unbreak! So now not only is the token not destroyed but the damage I take is cut in half!" shouted Twilight as she braced herself and her legs buckled a bit as she held on.
Twilight's Life Points: 1500-

"Nice move, Miss Twilight. I'll just end my turn."

Turn 15: Twilight

"My draw and I'll play this Spellbook of Friendship!" stated Twilight as she held her card up high as it shined with all the colors of the rainbow. "This card has a different effect once it's in the graveyard, but I'm using its other effect. So when I play this card, the first thing that happens is that one random monster card is placed on top of my deck," said Twilight as her duel disk kicked in the auto shuffler and then placed a random monster on the top. "Then I have to guess the level of the monster card, if I'm right, then I get to summon it, but if I'm wrong, then I take damage equal to its actual level by 400."

"That's a steep price to pay," stated Amber. "That means if you guess wrong and it's a monster with at least Level 4, then you lose the duel."

"True, but I'm willing to take that chance," said Twilight as she looked up at Isaac. "Now time to make my guess..." Twilight then closed her eyes as she was trying to figure out what her response was going to be. Soon it felt like her soul was reaching out to her deck as she was putting her trust in her monsters. She then opened her eyes, "I guess Level 7!" stated the girl as she drew her card.

Everybody was on the edge of their seats, except for Isaac as he kept his scowl on his face as he watched Twilight. Twilight looked at her card as for her, a small tear fell down her cheek.

"I now summon my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!!" shouted Twilight as the card she managed to guess was none other than her ace monster of her deck and her partner. Out emerged a beautiful woman with red hair and a revealing outfit as she crossed her legs and had a book appear in her lap.

"And time to end this, cause I'll activate the effect of my High Priestess of Prophecy, so by banishing my Spellbook of Friendship so that my Priestess can destroy one card on the field and I choose your monster," said Twilight as her Priestess opened her book as she waved her hand and cast her fingers as the book fired a spell that made Amber's monster vanish.

"Time to end this, Dark Red Enchanter! High Priestess of Prophecy! End this duel!" commanded Twilight as both monsters nodded to the command given by their mistress as they put their magical energies together and fired a powerful spell that was aimed at Amber as the young did her best to hold on before dropping to her knees.
Amber's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Twilight Sparkle

"Good work, everyone," said Twilight to her monsters as they smiled before disappearing.

Twilight then looked up at Isaac as she saw her boyfriend. She then began to walk as both of their auras and the magic they had inside glowed so that only the two of them could see. For Isaac, his aura glowed with his Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl appearing by his side as they had serious looks with their master. For Twilight, her aura glowed as her High Priestess of Prophecy and Dark Red Enchanter appeared alongside their mistress as they too had serious looks on their faces. Both teens had their ace magicians by their side; so similar and so different at the same time. It seemed the storm was heavily brewing between boyfriend and girlfriend, or rather soon to be ex-boyfriend and ex-girlfriend.

Twilight was in the waiting room as she was drinking some water to rehydrate herself. She finished taking a sip when she saw Isaac enter as he stepped a few moments away from the final test as he wanted to see her. Twilight stared at her friend as he was walking towards her as she stood up. Twilight looked Isaac in the eyes as the two kept their focus on each other. She then put her hand up to Isaac's cheek as she let out a smile; Twilight then brought her lips to connect with Isaac as the two shared a kiss. It lasted for a few moments as both let out a smile, soon Isaac returned to the final test as Twilight prepared herself for the final moments of not only her high school career but being Isaac's girlfriend.

Chapter 200: Exam #7

"Now then, the tests begin. You all signed the disclosure agreement that you will not tell each other of your results. Through that door, you'll have your final challenge. Now you all have five minutes with each of your tutors for you and them to say some final words. I'm grateful for all you've done by being part of this program. Every single thing that I've done was to push you all to the best of your ability. Know that whether you win or lose your duel, you'll all victories in my eyes." smiled Isaac as he put his hand in as the students did the same.

"Thank you, Isaac." said the students.

"Now go kick ass!!!" shouted Isaac as allowed the kids to walk through the door.

Shadow saw Pinkie as she was sitting down on a bench as pulled a cupcake out of her puffy hair. She was about to eat it when she saw the boy walking towards her. Both just stared at each other.

"What? No crazy explosion? No shock handshake, no tight hug?" asked Shadow.

"Nope," said Pinkie in a normal tone as she smiled.

"Huh? I... can't believe I'm saying this, but... I was kind of expecting it. Or something" said the boy.

"Take a seat," said Pinkie as she gesture to the spot next to her.
Shadow did as Pinkie requested as she pulled out another cupcake for the boy as he accepted it and held it with both hands.

"I'm glad to have had you as my student." smiled the party girl. "I know I may have been rough around the edges when it came to my antics, but know in my heart I had good intentions. I was just trying to make you smile, that's my life's purpose."

"Your life purposes, huh?" chuckled Shadow. "I get it, I'm still looking for mines. But I got a few years before I graduate. But if anything, I remember all the lessons you taught me and not just the dueling ones. When I told you my story, I didn't expect you to immediately care for me. Again, I thought you were crazy, you still. Hell, I don't envy Isaac for being your big brother. Surprised he has lasted this long. My point is, I am glad you requested me to be your student. If I was given the choice to pick someone new or suffer what we went through, I'd pick the latter option." stated the boy. He then took a bite of his treat as he munched and swallow it.

"So, are you nervous about your test?" asked Pinkie.

"Yes," answered Shadow honestly. "I'm scared, I talk a bit game. And I have my deck to back me up with my Raidraptors, but... even still... I'm afraid. What happens if... I fail?"

"That won't happen." smiled Pinkie as he put her arm over her student's shoulder. "You're the best student I could ask for, you'll do great. I know you will."

"How can you be sure?"

"Pinkie promise." said the girl.

"Pinkie promise, ha. Well, alright then," stated Shadow. "By the way, thanks for the gift." Shadow then unzipped his hoodie's sweater as he showed the t-shirt he was wearing that was given to him by Pinkie. "Figured I wear it for good luck."

"Thank you," said Pinkie as she wrapped her arms around the young boy and brought him in for a hug. It wasn't her usually tight hugs, but it was a warm and comforting hug, nonetheless as Shadow returned the embrace from his tutor and friend.

Soon the P.A. system went off as it served as the signal for the students to start.

"That's my cue," said Shadow as he broke the embrace from the party girl. Pinkie nodded but not before putting her hands up. Shadow just rolled his eyes as he knew what it meant.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" said both of them as they chuckled a bit before Shadow got up from the bench.

Shadow and the other students all stepped to seven different doors as each one was placed in front of them. They all looked at one another as they each gave small fist bumps as soon all seven of them entered their doors simultaneously. Each of the kids was in a black holding space as there was another door before them as there was a neon sign above it that would indicate when it was their turn. Soon one door of the set turned green as it said ready as the person slotted in their deck and opened the door.

Shadow entered the room as it was dark. He couldn't see anything in front of him but a single piece of light that belonged to a spotlight as it shined down. He made his way till he was under the light as he looked around hoping to see something, but nothing.

"The last test." said a voice.

Shadow followed the trail of the voice as he saw Isaac in the private box with the other three suits as they were all sitting down. Isaac just looked at the boy as he spoke into the microphone as he began to relay some info.

"Last and final contestant. Shadow Moonrise. Deck archetype: Raidraptors." stated Isaac. With that out of the way, the final exam was set to begin as the four of them pulled out Isaac's rubric. Isaac then pressed another button as the whole room lit up. Shadow turned his head away from the group as he saw his opponent.

"Time for a lady to show doesn't need to be physical when fighting," said Rarity. She then flipped her hair and spun around while making sure to give a wink to Shadow. She then pulled out her small rectangle device as she slid in her deck as her duel disk then activated as it projected an indigo color card tray.

"Time to see if I pass or fail," said Shadow as he pulled out his small rectangle device as he slid in his deck as his duel disk activated and projected a dark blue color card tray.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Rarity's Life Points: 8000-
Shadow Moonrise's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's duel." said both teens

"I'll be a gentleman and let the beautiful lady go first," said Shadow.

"Such a flattery, are you?" winked Rarity as she flipped her hair once more.

Turn 1: Rarity

"Now then, I draw!" said Rarity as she smiled at her opening hand. "And I'll start by setting the Pendulum Scale with my Scale 2 Crystal Keeper and Scale 5 Crystal Master!" stated Rarity as she placed her two cards on the far end of her duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring spelled out in between them to signal it worked. Rarity's two cards then appeared in columns of light with their respective numbers in front of them.

"Wait, you have pendulum cards?" said Shadow as he was regretting being a gentleman to let Rarity go first.

"My, it's such a lovely display. Now I can summon as many of my beauty monsters from Levels 3 and 4. Make way, my precious darlings." stated Rarity as she snapped her fingers and a portal above her opened up as two lights came out. "My Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat(1200/400) and Crystal Beast Topaz Tiger(1600/1000)." Rarity's two gems appeared as they glowed brightly and shattered. A pale amethyst crystal materialized to Rarity’s right as soon out came a white cat wearing a collar with its jewel hanging inside of it. A white tiger with a horn and a collar studded with yellow gems stepped from the rubble of the other gem.

"Rarity just... pendulum summoned," said Shadow in awe.

"Darling, a lady doesn't like when she's being stared at," said Rarity as she got Shadow to break from his trance. "Now then, I'll play one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 2: Shadow

"Then it's my turn, I draw!" stated the boy as he looked to duel like only he can. "To start, I'll summon my Raidraptor - Retrofit Lanius(800/1200). Then since I control a Raidraptor, I can special summon my Raidraptor - Fuzzy Lanius(500/1500)." Shadow now had two of his mechanic birds on the field. "And when I use Retrofit Lanius to Xyz Summon, it counts as 2 monsters. So I'll overlay my Retrofit Lanius and Fuzzy Lanius to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's Retrofit Lanius then spilt into two as it rose with Shadow's other monster as they became orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "From the shadows, the falcon soars on wings of courage, talons ready for the rebellion! I Xyz Summon! Witness the ascent of Raidraptor - Rise Falcon(100/2000, OLU:2)!!" Shadow's monster appeared as it let out a screech as it was loud with its Xyz materials circling it.

"Now to put my monster to use, I activate Rise Falcon's special ability, so by using one overlay unit my monster gains the attack points of your monsters," said Shadow.

"Not quite, darling. See a lady is always prepared. See I activate the pendulum ability of my Crystal Master, so now you can't target any of my Crystal Beasts with card effects, so your Rise Falcon won't be gaining their attack points." smiled Rarity as her Crystal Master raised his staff and used the power of the seven gems as they created some rainbow lights that surrounded Rarity's cats as they were protected by Shadow's monster.

"This isn't going to be good." said the boy as he was caught off-guard. "But since the Xyz material I removed was my Fuzzy Lanius, its effect now activates, since I sent it to the graveyard, I can add a second Fuzzy Lanius from my deck to my hand," said Shadow as his duel disk ejected his card for him to grab.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 3: Rarity

"My turn," said the fashionista, "And I'll have my Topaz Tiger attack your Rise Falcon! And don't forget due to my tiger's effect it gains 400 extra attack points when it battles a monster," stated Rarity as her tiger then raced forward as it looked to take out Shadow's monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Adversity!" shouted Shadow. "Now my Rise Falcon can dodge the attack and it gains 1000 attack points." Rise Falcon then dodged Rarity's tiger as it flew high into the air as Topaz Tiger missed it.

"Very well, in that case, I'll activate the effect of my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat, so now by cutting her attack points in half, I can have her attack you directly!" stated Rarity as her cat then lunged forward as she managed to pin the boy under her weight as she showed off one of her sharp claws.

"Fresh meat," growled Amethyst Cat when translated.

"Please!!" shouted Shadow as the cat then brought her claw down on his shoulder as he felt the attack and let out a painful scream.

Amethyst Cat then got off the boy as Shadow sat up and looked at his shoulder to see the mark left by Rarity's cat as soon it disappeared and the pain was gone. He shot a glare at the cat as at that moment, Amethyst Cat could sense the boy looking at her as she turned her head and growled at the boy showing her meat tearing teeth as it got the boy to be scared.
Shadow's Life Points: 7400-

"Careful, darling. Or else, I'll let my cat go wild on you. She sure has a hunger for meat." stated Rarity with a wink.

"But enough of that for now, I end my turn."

Turn 4: Shadow

"My turn, and to start I'll switch my Rise Falcon into defense mode," said Shadow since his monster's special ability won't work due to Rarity's pendulum cards. "Now even if you use your Topaz Tiger's special ability, it won't destroy my monster since they'll have the same points. Now by removing the other overlay unit from my Rise Falcon, I can be able to summon my Raider's Wing(0/2000)!" said the boy as out emerged another one of his mechanical birds as it took a defensive position.

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 5: Rarity

"Then it's back to me, I draw," said Rarity with some pose and elegance. "I'll now play the spell card, M Force. So with this, I can now give my Topaz Tiger an extra 500 attack points. And not only that, but my spell allows my tiger to deal piercing damage. And let's not forget about my tiger's ability, it gains 400 attack points when it battles a monster so it has 2500 attack points. Sink your fangs into that falcon, Topaz Tiger! Topaz Incisor Shred!!" shouted the girl as her cat then raced forward with all of its strength as it then leaped up and took out Shadow's monster as the damage carried over to the boy as he covered up.
Shadow's Life Points: 6900-

"I'll then end my turn."

Turn 6: Shadow

"My draw and I'll summon my Raidraptor - Mimicry Lanius(1100/1900). And when I summon my Mimicry Lanius, I can increase the levels of all my Raidraptors on my field by 1," stated Shadow as both of his two monsters went up by one level. "With that done, I'll now overlay my two Level 5 Raidraptor monsters to build the Overlay Network!" Shadow's two monsters then transformed into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Terror of the skies! Predator of blazing force! With wings that slash and talons that tear! Rise, Raidraptor - Blaze Falcon(1000/2000, OLU: 2)!" Shadow now had another one of his power monsters as it let out a screech.

"Thanks to my Blaze Falcon it can attack you directly!" shouted Shadow as his monster then bypassed Rarity's cats as it went straight for the girl as it unleashed a powerful beam attack as Rarity sidestepped the attack as it landed next to her. She made sure to check her heels to see if she broke one, but was glad to see they were still intact as she fixed a bit of hair as it was back to its natural curly shape.

"I'll reveal my facedown, Last Resort. So now I can activate a field spell from my deck. So I activate my Ancient City - Rainbow Ruins!" stated Rarity. Soon the entire field morphed into a gladiator arena as some pillars were destroyed.
Rarity's Life Points: 7000-

"Where the hell are we?" asked Shadow as he looked around him.

"Darling, we're in Rome." giggled the marshmallow girl.

"Regardless, since my Blaze Falcon dealt your damage, I can target one monster on your field and destroy it."

"Darling, did you forget that due to my Crystal Master's pendulum ability, you can't target my monsters with card effects."

"Oh, I didn't forget. This is why I'm using its other ability, so by using one overlay unit, I can destroy all your special summoned monsters, and then deal you 500 points of damage for each one. So your two cats are now gone." smiled Shadow as his monster absorbed one of its Xyz materials as it then unleashed some smaller laser beams and fired some at Rarity's monsters as her entire side of the field produced a smokescreen. Soon it died down as Shadow was once again stunned as Rarity's monsters were still on the field.

"Darling, what kind of way is that to treat a lady? You need to make her feel special, not push her away. Take some lessons from Isaac, he knows to treat a woman." stated Rarity as she flashed a quick wink to her male companion.

"But... how the hell?!" stated Shadow.

"Let me explain, it's all due to my Crystal Keeper's pendulum ability. Each turn, the first time a 'Crystal Beast' would be destroyed by card effects, it's not." smiled the marshmallow girl.

"So... I can't do anything to your beasts?" said Shadow as the only way he could get rid of Rarity's monsters was through brute force.

"Precisely," stated Rarity.

"Now since I removed my Mimicry Lanius to activate my Blaze Falcon's ability, I can banish it from my graveyard. Then that allows me to add a 'Raidraptor' card from my deck to my hand." said Shadow as his duel disk ejected his card as he put it in the banished compartment of his duel disk as his deck then ejected the card he wanted.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 7: Rarity

"My turn, and now I'll play my Golden Rule and equip it onto my Topaz Tiger. Now by doing that, I can take two Level 3 or lower 'Crystal Beast' monsters from my deck and then place them in my spell and trap card zone. So I choose my Crystal Beast Emerald Tortoise(800/2000) and Crystal Beast Ruby Carbuncle(300/300)." Rarity then had two gems, one red and one green, appear in her back row. "Now the other effect of my Golden Rule is that I can summon another Crystal Beast from my hand, so I choose my Crystal Beast Amber Mammoth(1700/1600). Then since Ruby is in my back row, I can use its effect to special summon it, and then that in turn triggers the other effect of my Ruby so I can summon all of my monsters in my back row, so Emerald Tortoise is also in play." Within the rays of light appeared a small purple quadruple with large red eyes and a round red gem on its tail. It jumped down in front of Rarity and mewled. Ruby Carbuncle held up its tail and cried. The gemstone on its tail lit up red and shot beams of energy into the green gem behind it. The gem glowed brightly and shattered. From the green gem came a tortoise with green gemstones in its shell. An orange gem appeared as it shattered to reveal a large mammoth, a circular amber stone on a crest on its forehead.

"This doesn't seem good," said Shadow as he looked at Rarity's entire field as it was full of her monsters.

"Now to attack, Topaz attack Blaze Falcon. Remember it gains 400 extra attack points when it battles a monster. Topaz Incisor Shred!!" said the girl as her monster powered up. Her tiger then jumped into the air as it took out Shadow's monster dealing more damage to the boy as he covered up.
Shadow's Life Points: 5900-

"I reveal my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Raptor's Force. Now I can bring back my Blaze Falcon and use it to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" stated Shadow as his Blaze Falcon appeared for a second as soon it transformed into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon the orb entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Fiercest falcon, set your wings ablaze and lock your gaze on our ill-fated foe! Now, make it so! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Emerge, Raidraptor - Revolution Falcon(2000/3000, OLU: 1)!!" A much larger bird now appeared as it let out a screech as Rarity had to cover her eyes for a bit as Shadow's monster made its presence known.

"Exquisite, darling." complimented Rarity. "In that case, I'll now activate the ability of my Amethyst Cat so by cutting her attack points in half, she can go straight for your life points."

"Uh-oh," said Shadow as he saw Rarity's cat as it had that look in her eye.

She growled as she began to race forward; Shadow took that as his cue to run as he tried to book it. He didn't get far as Rarity's monster managed to tackle him to the floor as he fell face first. He then turned around as he came to face to face with Rarity's cat as it growled in his face. She then used one of her sharp claws to gently trace the boy's cheek as it got Shadow to flinch a bit.

"Please!" stated the boy as he didn't like being treated like a chew toy for Rarity's monster. Soon Amethyst Cat had enough playing with her food as this time she decided to scratch the boy's face as Shadow had some claws marks on his face he sat up in pain. Soon they faded away as he shook himself off, the cat then returned to Rarity as she got a petting from her mistress.
Shadow's Life Points: 5300-

"Such a good kitty, my dear Amethyst," said Rarity as she got on her knees and petted her large cat as it was purring like a little kitten as it loved its mistress touch as she licked her face.

"Stupid cat!!!" shouted Shadow as that comment pissed off Amethyst Cat as she let out a killer growl at the boy as the next time she wasn't going to go easy on the boy.

"Darling, how dare you insult my monster with that comment!" stated Rarity as she got her cat to calm down a bit. "Now, I'll activate the ability of my Emerald Tortoise, now I can target one monster that attacked this turn and switch it into defense position, so I'll have my Amethyst Cat switch modes," stated Rarity.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 8: Shadow

"My turn, and now I'll switch my Revolution Falcon into attack mode. Then I'll activate its special ability so by using one overlay unit, my monster can attack all of yours and when it battles them, they all lose their attack and defense points," stated Shadow as his monster absorbed its Xyz material. "Now take it to her, Revolution Falcon. Blitz Bombardment!!!" shouted the boy as his monster then soared high into the air as it opened up some small hatches on its body as small bombs began to fall as the first target was Rarity's Topaz Tiger.

"I'll activate the ability of my Amber Mammoth, so now he can step in the line of fire and take the hit instead," said Rarity.

"Regardless, he still loses his attack power," said Shadow as the large mammoth was destroyed as an orange gem appeared in her back row.
Rarity's Life Points: 5000-

"Now take out Topaz Tiger!" said Shadow as his falcon took out another monster of Rarity.
Rarity's Life Points: 3000-

"Now take out the rest of them!!" yelled the boy as his falcon took out Rarity's three other monsters who were in defense mode. Soon the bombs exploded as soon three more gems appeared as they moved to Rarity's spell and trap card zone as it was full.

"I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Rarity

"My turn and I should thank you, Shadow. You've been a gentleman in helping a lady in her hour of need." flirted Rarity.

"What?" said the boy as he raised his eyebrow.

"See, I knew you would find a way to get rid of my monsters without tripping the pendulum ability of my two pendulum cards. Which is why I had my field spell set out." stated the fashionista.

"What does your field spell accomplish?" asked Shadow.

"Simple, based on the number of 'Crystal Beast' cards in my spell and trap card zone, means I can do several things. Like this one, since my back row is currently full, my field spell allows me to summon one of my gems. So I choose my Topaz Tiger!" stated the girl as her yellow gem shattered as her tiger was back in play. "Then since I have 4 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone, I can draw an extra card. Then I'll activate Ruby's effect so that I can special summon it to the field which then allows me to summon my other Crystal Beast." said Rarity as all her other monsters appeared in defense mode, apart from her Amethyst Cat.

"Now Amethyst Cat, I'll slice your attack points in half, so that you can chew out that rat!" stated Rarity as she gave her feline its command as she was more than happy.

"No, not again!!" shouted Shadow as this time he didn't have a chance to run as Rarity's monster moved fast across the field and took the boy down with ease as she pinned him under her claws.

"You called me a stupid cat, meat bag!!" growled Rarity's cat when translated.

"I'm sorry!" stated Shadow as he was regretting insulting Rarity's feline as she was pissed. Soon he felt another pain as the cat clawed at his shoulder once more.
Shadow's Life Points: 4700-

"With that, I'll lay two cards facedown."

Turn 10: Shadow

"Then it's my turn, I draw," said Shadow as he looked at his hand and then at Rarity's field. "I'll now have my Revolution Falcon take out your Amethyst Cat!" stated Shadow as he had his monster target Rarity's cat.

"I'll activate the effect of my Amber Mammoth! So he now takes the attack instead of my Amethyst Cat" stated Rarity as her pachyderm stepped in front of its comrade as it used his trunk to counter Shadow's monster before it was destroyed and turned into particles as an orange gem appeared in Rarity's back row.

"Not good," stated Shadow as he ended his turn.

Turn 11: Rarity

"My turn, and I'll activate the ability of my Amethyst Cat." smiled Rarity with a sly smile as Shadow knew what that meant.

Amethyst Cat then growled as she raced forward and pinned Shadow down once again as she showed her teeth as the boy was scared. She then opened her mouth and lunged forward as it got the suits to be shocked by what they saw.

"Note to self, Shadow. Don't piss off Rarity's beast, especially her Amethyst Cat," said Isaac as he saw the scene with the boy and killer cat.

"Get her off of me! Get her off of me! Get her off of me!" shouted Shadow as Amethyst Cat had her whole mouth on the boy's head, but she retracted her teeth so that she could freak out the boy.
Shadow's Life Point: 4100-

"Alright, my kitty. That's enough," said Rarity as her Amethyst Cat obeyed the command by her mistress as she spitted out the boy.

Shadow was making sure they weren't any bite marks on his head, to which his head was perfectly fine as he let out a sigh. He then came face to face with the cat as he fell and tried to play dead to avoid being treated like a scratching post.

"I hate rotten meat," growled Amethyst Cat as she found Shadow to be rather expired and disgusting. She then stomped on the boy's chest as he sat up from the impact as the tail smacked him in the face.

"Stupid..." Shadow didn't bother finishing his sentence as the feline looked at him once more as he shut the hell up.

"I now activate the effect of my Emerald Tortoise, so since my Amethyst Cat attacked, I can switch it into defense mode." stated the girl as her monster switched modes.

"I end my turn."

Turn 12: Shadow

"My turn, and I'll play Raidraptor - Nest. Then I'll summon my Raidraptor - Rudder Strix(0/1600) in defense mode! And by summoning my Rudder Strix, it deals you 600 points of damage." stated Shadow as it fired a pillar of fire at Rarity.

"I reveal one of my facedown, Rainbow Life! So by discarding one card, I can negate all that damage, and instead of losing, I gain life points," said Rarity as she used Shadow's effect to boost her points.
Rarity's Life Points: 3600-

"So be it, I'll now activate the effect of my Raidraptor - Nest. Since I currently control 2 'Raidraptor' monsters, I can add one Raidraptor from my deck or graveyard to my hand. So I'll take back my first Raidraptor Fuzzy Lanius, then that means I can summon it to the field since I control a 'Raidraptor', but why stop at one, I'll summon two of them!" shouted Shadow as he had a pair of his mechanical birds.

"Now I'll overlay both of my Fuzzy Lanius to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Shadow as he had both of his monsters turn into orbs of light as they levitated into the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Avian hunter of the afterlife, seek the truth with your dark eyes, and grasp glory with your sharp talons! I Xyz Summon! Take flight! Raidraptor - Force Strix(100/2000, OLU: 2)!!" Out came a bird as it let out a screech as it soared down onto the field. "Now I activate my Force Strix's ability, by using one overlay unit that I can add a Level 4 Dark Winged Beast-type monster from my deck to my hand." Shadow then used his duel disk as he selected the one he wanted.

"Now the other effect of my Force Strix activates and it gains 500 extra attack/defense points for each other Winged Beast-type monster on the field other than itself. So now Force Strix has 3000 defense points. And that's not all, since I sent my Fuzzy Lanius to the graveyard this turn, I can use its ability to add the third one from my deck to my hand." stated Shadow as his duel disk ejected another card for him to grab as he added it to his hand.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 13: Rarity

"My draw then," said Rarity as she drew her card. What is Shadow thinking? He can't play defense forever, cause as long as my Amethyst Cat is in play, I can just keep attacking him directly till his life points are gone. So what's his plan?

I have no plan how to take out Rarity's monsters right now.

Well, if he's not going to do anything, I will.

"Now I'll play this spell card, my Crystal Release. So now I'll give my tiger some claws, as in 800 more attack points to be precise." stated the girl as her cat let out a roar. "Now, attack his Revolution Falcon! And don't forget, my tiger gains 400 more attack points when it battles a monster. Topaz Incisor Shred!!" shouted Rarity as her striped cat raced forward with all of its strength and then leaped high up into the air as it brought its fangs onto the bird.
Shadow's Life Points: 3300-

"I reveal my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Raid Force! So now I can take back my Revolution Falcon and use it to Xyz summon a monster that's one rank higher!" stated Shadow as his Revolution Falcon appeared back on the field as it then turned into an orb of light as another portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon that light disappeared into the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon! Make way for a new monster, Raidraptor - Arsenal Falcon(2500/2000, OLU: 1)!!" The new monster that Shadow had managed to bring out soared onto the field as it some jets on the wings as it did some sharp flight maneuvers as it let out a screech.

"Well, then I'll activate the ability of my Amethyst Cat. So by cutting her attack points in half, she can go for her favorite scratching post." snickered Rarity with a smug smile as her kitty went to go play with her squeak toy.

"Give me a break, please," said Shadow as he pleaded and dropped to his knees as he begged Rarity's cat to leave him alone for one turn.

Amethyst Cat just growled at the boy as she then pinned him down to the ground again as she had the male under her as she growled in the boy's face. Shadow closed his eyes as he accepted his fate, he was expecting some pain but nothing happened. He then opened one eye slowly to see Rarity's monster just standing on top of him. Shadow opened his second eye as he let out a sigh of relief that he wasn't being tossed around until Amethyst Cat then quickly swiped her claw right in Shadow's face like it was a slap.
Shadow's Life Points: 2700-

"OW!!!" shouted the boy as he felt the pain for a while as soon it was completely gone.

"Pathetic human. Hmph," growled Amethyst Cat as she turned her head away with her nose in the air making sure to lift her tail also up high as she walked back to her master's side.

"Now the effect of my Emerald Tortoise activates, so I'll switch back my Amethyst Cat back into defense mode. I'll then end my turn."

Turn 14: Shadow

"My turn," said Shadow as he needed to figure out how he was going to stop Rarity from dealing him more damage. "I switch my Force Strix into attack mode. Then I'll have my Arsenal Falcon attack your Amethyst Cat!" stated the boy as he had his bird take off as it unleashed some missiles as they were heading towards Rarity's monster.

"I'll reveal my other facedown, my E Force spell card. With this, I can be able to special summon one 'Crystal Beast' from my spell and trap card zone. So I release my Amber Mammoth in defense mode." stated Rarity as her giant monster emerged with a trumpet sound. "And then activate Amber Mammoth's ability, so now he takes the hit instead of my cat." Amber Mammoth then stepped in front of his friend as he shielded Amethyst Cat from being destroyed as turned back into an orange gem.

"That's fine, cause now I got second attack ready to go, Force Strix take out that feline!!" shouted Shadow as his other monster now raced forward as he took out Rarity's cat as it turned into a pale amethyst crystal which materialized to Rarity’s right.

"Finally, that cat is outta here. I now activate the effect of my Raidraptor - Nest. So since I control 2 'Raidraptor' monsters, I can add one from my deck or graveyard, so I'll take back a Fuzzy Lanius." said Shadow as his duel disk then ejected hi card as he grabbed it.

"I'll then end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 15: Rarity

"My turn, and to start I'll play the spell card Rare Value. When they're two or more 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone and I sacrifice one of them, I can draw two new cards. But which one I sacrifice is completely up to you, darling."

"Up to me?" said Shadow.

"What, is my beauty making you blush?" said Rarity with a wink. "Darling, I may be beautiful, but I'm quite generous. And this spell shows it, so which one do you want to get rid of?"

"That's the easiest choice. That cat of yours," said Shadow as he was glad to be rid of the furry thing for good.

"My word, no need to be excited about that," said Rarity as she was a bit offended by Shadow insulting her monster. She then drew her cards as she looked at her hand. "Now, I'll have my Topaz Tiger attack your Force Strix!" stated the girl as her monster boosted its attack even more due to its special ability as it took out Shadow's monster.
Shadow's Life Points: 1000-

"Now I'll reveal my facedown, Rank-Up-Magic Doom Double Force. So now I resurrect my Force Strix and use it to Xyz summon a 'Raidraptor' that's twice its rank!" Shadow's Force Strix was back on the field as it turned into an orb of light as it then transformed into an orb of light as it hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon the orb of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "Dauntless falcon. Hoist up the flame of anger, become the flash of light that burns the land to ash! Go Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! You're clear for take-off! Raidraptor - Satellite Cannon Falcon(3000/2000, OLU: 1)!!" The new monster emerged as the symbol shined on its back as it let out a screech.

"Very well, I end with a facedown."

Turn 16: Shadow

"My turn and I'll start by activating my Raidraptor - Nest so since I control at least 2 'Raidraptor' monsters, I can add one from my deck to my hand. Then I'll play the spell card, Raidraptor Sanctuary, so since I control three monsters, I can draw 2 more cards. With that done, I'll now activate the special ability of my Satellite Cannon Falcon. By using one overlay unit, I can lower a monster on your side of the field by 800 for every 'Raidraptor' monster in my graveyard, and I have 8 which means your Topaz Tiger loses all of its attack points." stated Shadow as his monster then opened its hatch as it had some missiles ready to launch.

"Well, it won't work cause thanks to my Crystal Master's pendulum ability, you can't target my monsters," said Rarity.

"This I'm ready, cause I reveal my facedown, Raptor's Gust. So since a spell/trap card effect was activated, I can negate it and destroy it. And your pendulum cards count as spells when they're in the pendulum zones. So it's fair game!" stated Shadow as he got rid of Rarity's pendulum card as he managed to get rid of one of her toughest defenses. Rarity then sent her pendulum card to her Extra Deck.

"Fire one!" shouted Shadow as his monster did that and exploded near Rarity's tiger.

"Fire two!"

Another shot.

"Fire three!"

Another one.

"Fire four!"

Once more.

"Fire five!"

Another one.

"Fire six!"

Again.

"Fire seven!" shouted the boy.

"Fire eight!" stated Shadow as he shot his last load of ammo as Rarity's monster was very weak.

"You'll pay for that!" shouted Rarity as she was legit angry at what Shadow did to her monster.

"Like I care! Take it out! Go Vengeful Vengeance!" shouted the boy as his monster powered up its attack as it loaded its cannon weapons. It then had the cat locked on as it fired a powerful beam toward the monster.

"I reveal my facedown, Cut Jewel! So by sending a 'Crystal Beast' from my deck to my graveyard, I can cut your Satellite Falcon's attack points in half!" Rarity then sent away her Crystal Beast Cobalt Eagle as she reduced Shadow's falcon down to 1500 attack points to stay in the duel and reduce the damage she would take as the attack made contact.
Rarity's Life Points: 2100-

"Since my tiger was destroyed, you also took out my Crystal Release. So now I can place a 'Crystal Beast' in my spell and trap card zone. And I choose my Sapphire Pegasus. Plus my Topaz Tiger also becomes a gem." said Rarity as she had three of her gems in her back row with her Ruby and Emerald on her field in defense mode.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 17: Rarity

"My turn, and I'll play Crystal Blessing. So I'll take my Crystal Beast Amethyst Cat and Cobalt Eagle in my graveyard and place them in my back row," said Rarity as her duel disk ejected her cards as she now filled up her entire back row. "Then activate the ability of my field spell, so since I have 5, I can summon of one my gems so I choose my Amber Mammoth. Then activate another effect, so that I can draw one card since I have four. Next up, I'll play Crystal Promise so that I can summon my Topaz Tiger from my spell and trap card zone." stated the girls as both of her monsters were back in play.

"Next, up I'm placing another Crystal Release onto my Topaz Tiger. So now Amber Mammoth take out his Raidraptor Rudder Strix. And then Topaz Tiger will take out your Raidraptor Arsenal Falcon to win!" said Rarity as her monsters were given their orders as they took out Shadow's two monsters.

"I reveal Defense Draw, so all battle damage becomes zero and I draw an extra card." said Shadow as he managed to stay alive in this duel. "Now since my Arsenal Falcon was destroyed while it had an Xyz material, I can now summon a 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster from my Extra Deck and then attach my Arsenal Falcon as an overlay unit," said Shadow as his monster appeared again as it entered a portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I call upon my most brazen bird of prey! With its alloy wings, it can swoop down and wipe away any target! Soar forth, Raidraptor - Ultimate Falcon(3500/2000, OLU: 1)!" Shadow now had one of his most powerful monsters on the field as it let out a screech that caused everybody to take in the sight of this new falcon.

"I'll now activate the effect of my Emerald Tortoise so that I can change my Amber Mammoth to defense mode," said Rarity.

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 18: Shadow

"My turn and I'll now use the ability of my Raidraptor Ultimate Falcon, so by using one overlay unit, I can lower your Topaz Tiger's attack points by 1000," said Shadow as Rarity's monster now had 1400 attack points.

"I'll reveal my facedown, Crystal Raigeki. So by sending my Cobalt Eagle to my graveyard from my spell and trap card zone, I can destroy one monster on your field and I choose your Satellite Cannon Falcon," said Rarity as she managed to an extra attack by Shadow.

"Fine, cause Ultimate Falcon will attack your Topaz Tiger to win!" stated the boy.

"Not yet, cause Amber Mammoth's effect allows him to step in and take the hit instead," said Rarity as she saved herself from losing the duel as her mammoth protected her tiger as it turned into an orange gem.

With Rarity, taking out my Satellite Cannon Falcon, I don't have any more attacks to launch.

"In that case, I'll end my turn with a facedown. And now my Ultimate Falcon's other ability activates, since I used a 'Raidraptor' to summon it, it can lower the rest of your three Crystal Beasts by 1000 attack points." said Shadow as he stripped away Rarity's Ruby and Emerald of their attack points while in defense mode and Topaz was reduced to 400 attack points.

Turn 19: Rarity

"My turn," said the girl as she whipped her card out, sparks of violet light in its wake. She turned the card over, looked at it, and held it out. “I activate the spell card, Crystal Overfusion!” Rays of violet light shone from Rarity’s card. Above her in the air, the images of Topaz Tiger, Cobalt Eagle, Ruby Carbuncle, and Emerald Tortoise appeared. In front of her, the crystallized forms of Amethyst Cat, Amber Mammoth, Sapphire Pegasus began to crack apart, glowing the same light. Rarity’s voice echoed as she spoke. “By banishing Crystal Beast cards in my graveyard and on my field, either as monsters or as spell cards, I conduct a Fusion Summon!” The crystallized monsters shattered, and the shards rose into the air, swirling around each other in a sphere.

"Oh no," said Shadow.

Rainbow Overdragon spread its wings. Shadow's Ultimate Falcon lit up in seven-colored light and squawked as it was drawn across the field. Shadow turned his head as the monster behind him condensed, fire roiling inside a sphere of the same light, and floated after the falcon. When the two forms were close enough, Rainbow Overdragon swept its wings around them and bowed its head. Sparks crackled over its wings and the dragon dissolved, Shadow’s cards vanished from within its grasp. Rarity reached to her duel disk as a card ejected from her graveyard slot, and she held it up. “I activate the effect of Crystal Overfusion in my graveyard. By banishing it when the monster it summoned leaves the field, I can search my deck, hand, graveyard, or banished zone, for a Rainbow Dragon card, and summon it.” With a shimmer of purple light over it, Crystal Overfusion in Rarity’s hand transformed into Rainbow Dragon.

“From my deck, appear, Rainbow Dragon(4000/0)!” The vanishing particles of Rainbow Overdragon came together behind her and formed into the visage of Rainbow Dragon, the beast roaring proudly. The light in the air above them shinned brighter, the silhouette of a long, serpentine dragon appearing within it. With the sound of a mighty roar, the light cracked and broke apart. From the shards came a giant white and gold dragon in a rainbow aura, massive white wings spreading into the air, gemstones in seven colors embedded in its scales. It descended behind Rarity and coiled in the air above her, glaring at Shadow with golden eyes beneath a crested helmet of white and gold.

"Now to finish this, Rainbow Dragon, attack Shadow directly! Rainbow Refraction!!" shouted Rarity. Rainbow Dragon opened its jaws as it summoned energy from the seven gemstones in its scales. It thrust its head forward and fired a beam of searing light.

"When I find myself in a direct attack, I can activate this card from my hand. My Raidraptor- Alertness! So by banishing a 'Rank-Up' card from my graveyard, I can avoid taking damage this turn." said Shadow as he barely survived Rarity's attack as he had to wipe his forehead cause he was sweating hard.

"Good job," said Rarity as she applauded the boy for being able to survive her finishing move. "Then I'll end with a facedown, so... what will you do, darling?"

Turn 20: Shadow

"Easy, win! Right now!!" shouted Shadow as he drew his card and wasted no time in winning. "I'll activate Rank-Up-Magic Soul Shave Force! So by paying half my life points, I can target one 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster in my graveyard and use it to summon another monster that's 2 ranks higher. So I choose my Revolution Falcon so that I can bring back my Ultimate Falcon!" stated Shadow as he had his monster back.
Shadow's Life Points: 500-

"Now I'll use the ability of my Ultimate Falcon so that I can lower your Rainbow Dragon by 1000 attack points," said Shadow as his monster weaken Rarity's beast.

"Even so, it still doesn't have enough attack points to finish me off. And come the end of your turn, your Soul Shave Force makes it so that you take damage equal to your Ultimate Falcon's attack points. So you lose."

"Not yet!" stated Shadow. "The fire and anger that's inside gives me the strength to overcome anything, like this. I play Rank-Up-Magic Skip Force! Now I can use my Ultimate Falcon to conduct another Xyz Summon that's 2 ranks higher! This is the end!!" shouted Shadow as he let out all the anger from his early childhood as it was fueling his passion as he looked to pass this exam. His monster then changed into an orb of light as it hovered in the air as a portal opened in front of the boy as it entered the portal and a pillar of light emerged. "They say it is the phoenix that rises from the ashes of defeat, but they are wrong, it is the Raptor! Go, Rank-Up Xyz Evolution! Fly high! Raidraptor - Final Fortress Falcon(3800/2800, OLU: 1)!!!" Out emerged Shadow's most powerful monster in his deck of falcons as it appeared and let out a screech as Rarity looked at it.

"Time to win! Raidraptor Final Fortress Falcon attack Rainbow Dragon!" shouted the boy as his monster opened the tiny compartments on its body and then shot out missiles as they zoomed at high speed and then made contact with Rarity's monster as they took it out.
Rarity's Life Points: 1300-

"Time to end this duel, cause up to twice per turn my monster can attack again, simply by banishing a 'Raidraptor' Xyz monster from my graveyard! So I banish my Blade Burner Falcon to attack you directly and end this duel!! Bombardment Blast Barrage!!!!" yelled Shadow as he was about to be declared the winner as the attack made contact with the fashionista as it created a huge explosion.

"Flawless vic..." started Shadow as he didn't finish his victory line when something happened.

"I reveal my facedown, Cross Damage!" shouted Rarity as the attack generated another explosion headed towards Shadow as his eyes widen at what it meant. "So it's game over." stated the girl as both were taken out and landed on their backs.
Shadow's Life Points: 0-
Rarity's Life Points: 0-
Draw

The duel ended as the three suits all took the result in and looked at Isaac as he had a serious look on his face as he was leaning in his chair and had his hand to his chin.

"So... what's the verdict, Isaac?" asked the one in charge.

Author's Note

Just a quick note to all: Happy Halloween/Nightmare Night. Enjoy yourselves.

Chapter 201: Mark of Mastery

The students were all in the break room as they all looked at each other with uneasy looks. They couldn't say anything of their result due to the nondisclosure clause they all signed to not discuss anything that happened until Isaac came with the results. Even the girls were forbidden from meeting with their students as they would only be allowed when Isaac call all of them together to go over the final verdict. So for the time being all they could do was wait.

Meanwhile...

Isaac was in a conference room with the three suits as they were discussing the final results and calculating scores using the rubric given to them by Isaac. While the executives were talking, Isaac just leaned back in his chair with his eyes closed as he had his hands to his mouth as they were folded. He then opened his eyes and got the attention of the representatives from the Board. They all nodded as they grabbed some papers and handed them to Isaac as he shook each of their hands and they walked out of the room. Isaac then checked his watch as he had one hour. One hour.

"It's time," said Isaac as he walked out of the room as he had to be somewhere.

Isaac was making his way to the back of the school towards the field as he had to meet with certain people. While Isaac told the students that he would give them his answer in one hour, he already knew what he was going to say. So the question was... what is he doing if he already had the final results? The answer, one final exam.

He found who he was looking for as sitting on the bleachers was a trio of younger kids.

"He's here, girls," said Scootaloo. She and the rest of the CMC all rushed to their mentor as he gave each of them a hug.

"So, how did the testing go?" asked Sweetie Belle as Isaac told each of the three of what was happening.

"Well, I told everybody to wait one hour before I reveal the results. But the Board already made their decision in five minutes," said Isaac.

"If that's the case, then why did you tell them to wait?" asked Applebloom.

"Cause I have some other business to attend," said Isaac. "I called you all here for a reason." Isaac then bent down on one knee as the small girls gathered around the older boy. "You all know the person you look up to is graduating, and you all claim you want to follow in their footsteps and carry on their legacy. I admire that but know that you need to make your path. The girls laid out the foundation so that you three can build upon it, so don't try to be someone else. Be you. do you understand?"

"We do." smiled the girls.

"Good, then I have one final present to give you," said Isaac as he pulled out three small rectangle devices as they were duel disks fitted for the CMC.

"You mean?" started Scootaloo.

"We get our duel disks?" said Sweetie Belle as she was in shock.

"These are made for kids your age. I wanted to give you all these when I felt the time was right and when you've shown that you deserve them. And well, that time is now." Isaac then handed each of the small girls their duel disk as the CMC was filled with happiness and tears in their eyes.

"Duel disk online.” said the mechanical voices.

"Put your decks in," said Isaac as they all did what he said and slotted in their decks.

The mechanical voice from the disks droned to life as the disk lit up. The girls' deck shuffled themselves as the touchscreen projected holograms into the air, a ring of the cards in their decks rotated in front of them. On the front end of the disk, the holographic emitter slid open and projected a field of hard light energy around it, forming a curved card tray light. Applebloom received a fuchsia color card tray, Scootaloo got an orange color card tray, and Sweetie Belle had an eggshell color card tray. All of them were small enough so that the girl could lift them with ease.

"This is amazing!" shouted Applebloom.

"Totally!" stated Scootaloo in excitement.

"I feel like a true duelist," said Sweetie Belle.

Isaac was smiling at how the girls had joy on their faces as receiving their duel disks. "Glad you like them, cause there's one more thing that you all need to do."

"What's that?" asked all three in unison.

"That's to prove you have what it takes to carry the torch. So all three of you will be competing in a four-way battle royale," said Isaac. "Right now."

"Yes!" said Scootaloo as she and the others all got on the field and spread out as they each activated their duel disks as their card trays projected.

"But wait, you said four?" asked Sweetie Belle.

"That because... I'm the fourth person," said Isaac as he was now switched into game mode as he presented his duel disk as it projected a gold card tray.

"You?" said Applebloom as the others had shocked looks on their faces.

"Your final test will be against me, girls!" stated Isaac. "Prove to me you have what it takes!"

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 4000-
Isaac's Life Points: 4000-
Applebloom's Life Points: 4000-
Scootaloo's Life Points: 4000-

"Let's duel!" shouted all four of them.

"I will allow you three to make the first moves, but know this is the only act of mercy I will show you all in this duel," said Isaac in a serious tone and a scowl on his face.

Turn 1: Scootaloo

"Good to know, I'll start. I draw!" said the younger girl. "I'll begin by summoning my trusty, Jetroid(1600/1800) in defense mode," said Scoots as she had a small jet-like humanoid appear on her field as it transformed to stand on its back wheels.

"I'll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Sweetie Belle

"That all, easy." counted Sweetie Belle as she drew her card. "I'll start with my favorite musical piece, 1st Movement Solo! Since I control no monsters, I can special summon one 'Melodious' monster from my hand or deck. So I'll take my Aria the Melodious Diva(1600/1200)!" said Sweetie Belle as her duel disk ejected the card she desired and summoned her monster to the field. "Then since I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can special summon my Canon the Melodious Diva(1400/2000). Then I'll activate the effect of my Canon so that I can switch her into defense mode." stated the girl as her monster switched modes.

"I end with one card facedown."

Turn 3: Applebloom

"Mah turn, and I'll start by playin' the field spell, Aroma Garden!" Applebloom played her field spell as soon the field around them began to change as all four of them now found themselves being surrounded by tons of flowers as they had all the colors you could think of.

"Next up, ah summon mah Aromage Jasmine(100/1900)." Out emerged Applebloom's small monster as it was a girl who had blue jasmine leaves as her hair flowed beautifully as she wore a satchel over her and wore a cute outfit. "Then ah activate the effect of mah field spell, so since I control an 'Aroma' monster, ah gain 500 more life points." stated the small country girl.
Applebloom's Life Points: 4500-

"Then ah activate Jasmine's effect, since mah life points are higher than all of y'all, ah can conduct an additional summon this turn, so I tribute Jasmine to summon Aromage Bergamot(2400/1800)!" Applebloom now had a different monster on her field as this one was about the same height as her as it was a male as he wielded a staff as he took his position in front of the girl.

"And now the other effect of mah field spell activates, in that my monster gains 500 more attack and defense points until the end of one of y'alls next turn. So he now had 2900 attack and 2300 defense points," said Applebloom as she picked Isaac to be one to know when the effect would expire. "Now attack Canon!" stated the girl as she had her monster target Sweetie Belle's monster.

"My monster is in defense mode, so I'll be fine."

"Not quite, see when mah life points are higher, Bergamot can inflict piercing damage. So you're still losing some life points," stated Applebloom with a smile as she took our her friend's monster and dealt some damage to her.
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 3100-

"Ah end mah turn with a facedown."

"Applebloom, why did you attack me first?!" shouted Sweetie Belle. "Scootaloo is an easier target."

"What's that suppose to mean?!" shouted the girl as she took offense to that comment made by her best friend.

"It means ah could beat if I wanted to," stated Applebloom with a smug smile. "I was the first one to have Isaac help me rebuild mah deck."

"No way! I could duel circles around you, especially you!" stated Scootaloo as she pointed at Sweetie Belle for that last point.

"I'd like to see you try!" shouted back Sweetie Belle.

Soon all three of the CMC started to argue with each other who was the better one of the trio. And who was the one that Isaac trained with the most and adored as they bickered. The thing however was that Isaac had yet to take his turn as the girls were still arguing as he just couldn't help but smile at how the three friends were acting. He then stepped his foot forward as which got the girls to shut up instantly as the realization finally dawned on them that it was Isaac's turn. And even though they wanted to show they were ready to step up and prove their mark of mastery, they couldn't help but be scared at what Isaac was going to do.

Turn 4: Isaac

"My turn, I draw!" said Isaac as he drew his card as some wind blew over the girls as it hit them in the face and pushed them back a few inches as they tried to avoid being thrown onto their backs by the breeze. "To start, I'll summon my Magician Boy(1500/1200). Then since I control a Level 4 or below monster, I can special summon my Mage Annette(1300/1700) to join her best friend! And when Mage Annette is summoned, I'm allowed to draw one card." said Isaac as he picked up the top card of his deck as his two kids magicians appeared before their master.

"You guys ready to show them why you're some of my best cards?" asked Isaac.

"Yeah." smiled the boy as he was super excited that he fell tripped on his oversized robes and fell facefirst onto the ground.

Mage Annette just facepalmed herself at how her best friend just humiliated himself. She then extended her hand out as the boy magician managed to pull his face off of the ground in a cartoonish way as he looked at the small girl in front of him.

"You done goofy off?" asked Annette.

"Calm down, wild cat." said the boy magician as it got the girl to be irritated that she was called that by her friend.

"Stupid octopus! Take that comment back!" said Annette as she retracted her hand and turned her back to her friend.

"Why am I an octopus?" asked the boy magician as he got back to his feet.

"How am I cat?" asked Annette turning her head to look at her friend.

"Well, uh, cats are cute." said the boy as his response got the girl to blush.

"Go away!" said Annette as she turned her back she blushed even more and played with her hair at what the boy just said.

"Come on, Annette. Can we just get along?" asked the boy as he place his hand on her shoulder as she could feel it on the straps of her dress and the contact of her skin with his made her blush even more.

"Fine." said the girl as she shooed his hand and looked back at Isaac as he nodded at both of the kid magicians. "But one thing," stated Annette as she pulled out her tiny wand and then pointed it at her best friend. Her magic now surrounded the boy and then started to change his clothes as instead of his oversized robes, he now had a magician's outfit that fit his size, his hat resembled that of Mahad's and fit to his head, and to top it off, he now had a dark purple cape that flowed behind him.

"Woah." said the boy as he had the face like he received a present for his birthday.

"I made a new outfit for you. Something to help you not trip and make a fool of yourself" said Annette she traced her foot in the ground with her dwindling her hands behind her back. "Do.. you like it?"

"I love it!" said the small boy. "Isaac?"

"Love the new look, buddy," said Isaac. His Magician Boy card on his duel disk then shined with a light as the artwork of his magician changed to match his new appearance. "Looks like it's a permanent look."

"Thanks, Annette." said the boy as decided to give a hug to his best friend as Annette blushed the most while wrapping her arms around the boy's back and placed her head under his chin as the boy couldn't help but smile as it felt nice to be in Annette's arms.

"Now then, I'll have my Magician Boy attack your Aromage Bergamot!" stated Isaac as his tiny boy magician could not move more easily than he could before due to his new appearance as he leaped into the air with ease as his cape fluttered in the wind. He shot his spell and aimed it towards Applebloom's monster who simply put a barrier up as it deflected the attack.

"Now my Magician Boy's special ability, activates, any damage I would have taken, you take instead!" said Isaac. The shot deflected by Applebloom's monster was now redirected towards the small girl as it landed near her feet as her monster was feeling guilty about hurting the girl who was his master. Applebloom just smiled to show it was all okay.
Applebloom's Life Points: 3100-

"But that's not all, since my Magician Boy failed to destroy a monster, I can now target one monster on the field and deal damage to its controller equal to its attack points. And I choose... Jetroid!" said Isaac as he now pointed at Scootaloo as his boy spellcaster fired another attack as it took out Scoots monster to avoid it being a problem as she too took damage.
Scootaloo's Life Points: 2400-

"Nice work, bud," said Isaac as he bent down on one knee and gave his monster a high five.

"Hey, Annette. Your new clothes work. I love them." said the boy.

"Glad to know you're happy." said the girl as all the hours she spent making them was worth it to see her crush have a smile on his face. She then leaned in and kissed him on the cheek as it got the boy to have some birds appear around his head as he was stunned for a few seconds.

"I now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 5: Scootaloo

"My turn, I draw," said Scootaloo as she needed to do something since she currently had the lowest attack points which meant she was now a target. "I'll start by summoning my Submarineroid(800/1800). Then activate its ability so that I can attack directly, and I choose Sweetie Belle!" stated the girl as her monster then bypassed her field and straight for her as she put her small arms up as she took damage.
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 2300-

Now she has fewer life points than me, which should take some pressure off of me.

"Now the ability of my Submarineroid activates so now it switches into defense mode. Next, I'll reveal my facedown, Ring of Life so that I can destroy one face-up monster on the field, and then both me and that player gain life points equal to that monster's defense." Scootaloo now examined the field as she was trying to figure out which one she wanted to select since it would serve as the signal for who the others could go for since they would be down a monster.

Who do I choose?

"I pick... your Magician Boy!" said Scootaloo as she got rid of Isaac's monster as both players received a boost to their life points.
Isaac's Life Points: 5200-
Scootaloo's Life Points: 3600-

Excellent pick, Scootaloo. Cause by picking Applebloom you would have helped her. And with Sweetie Belle being able to special summon as many monsters as she can, she would refill her field in no time. But by choosing my Magician Boy, you took out a major threat and since the card, I laid facedown was Shift, I was gonna use it to redirect any attack to my Mage Annette to my Magician Boy. So right now, it's useless. Impressive, Scoots. You've learned so much.

"Now, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 6: Sweetie Belle

"My draw and I'll play the spell card, Fortissimo! So now my Aria gains 800 more attack points until my next Standby Phase so it currently has 2400 attack points. Then since I control a 'Melodious' monster, I can special summon my Sonata the Melodious Diva(1200/1000)!" stated Sweetie Belle as she had another one of her monsters on the field. "And when Sonata is on my field, she gives all my monsters 500 more attack and defense points. So my Aria now has a total of 2900 attack points." stated the girl as she had a powerful monster on her field.

"Now, I'll have my Aria attack your Mage Annette," said Sweetie Belle as she had her monster take out Isaac's last line of defense as he now had a clear field.

Isaac is now wide open, so... do I risk attacking him? But then his facedown, what if it's a trap? Sweetie Belle then looked at Isaac's face as he held his expression. Sweetie Belle knew Isaac had a poker face so simply looking at him wasn't going to help her. So, she decided to take a chance.

"Alright, now I'll have Sonata attack you directly!" shouted Sweetie Belle as she gave her other monster its command and then opened her mouth as some musical notes came out as they made contact with the boy who used his duel disk to block it.
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"I did it," said Sweetie Belle as she was ecstatic to see she was the first person to deal her tutor a good amount of damage.

"I'll now end my turn."

Turn 7: Applebloom

"Mah turn," stated Applebloom. "And to start ah activate the effect of mah field spell, since ah control an 'Aroma' monster, ah gain 500 life points. And since ah gain life points, that in turn activates mah Aromage Bergamot's effect, since ah gained life points, he now gains an extra 1000 attack and defense points until the end of Isaac's next turn. So right now he has 3900 attack." smiled Applebloom.
Applebloom's Life Points: 3600-

"Next, ah summon mah Aromage Rosemary(1800/700)." Applebloom now had another monster on her field as she was dressed in blue clothes and had a staff in her hand as she was surrounded by some candles floating near her. "And thanks to mah field spell, she gains 500 more attack and defense points until the end of Isaac's next turn. So now, I'll attack you directly with my Aromage Bergamot!" shouted Applebloom as she gave her monster its command as he pointed his weapon at the boy and shot a fire attack as it was heading straight for the boy.

"I discard Kuriboh from my hand so that I take no damage from your attack," said Isaac calmly as he sent away his monster to the graveyard as it appeared before him as he took the attack from Applebloom's monster with ease. It soon canceled out as there stood Kuriboh without so much as sweat on its furry self.

"Thanks, buddy." said Isaac as he petted Kuriboh on his favorite spot as the tiny thing let out a happy "Kuri" sound as it then disappeared.

"I now know why AJ hates that thing," said Applebloom as she understood why her big sister would rant about Isaac and Kuriboh as the boy used the tiny thing to save himself from losing. And she had to admit, it too annoyed her. "Fine, you survived from losing this duel, but ah can still deal you damage. Aromage Rosemary yer turn to attack Isaac!" stated the girl as her other monster raised her staff and shot a pillar of water towards the boy who used his duel disk to block as he got a bit soaked from the drops that were reflected.
Isaac's Life Points: 1200-

"Ah hit Isaac with some massive damage! This is the greatest moment of mah life!" said Applebloom as she was jumping up and down with excitement as she couldn't believe she got a hit on the person who was their school's champion and was miles above their experience level.

"Applebloom?" said Isaac as he reminded the girl.

"Oh, right. Ah, end mah turn."

Turn 8: Isaac

"I'm down to the lowest life points and the girls have the advantage. What to do? Oh well." said Isaac as he drew his card and prepared to do the thing he did best. "To start, I'll place my Black Arts Trickster in the pendulum zone. Then by doing that, I can activate her pendulum effect so that I can take a different pendulum card and add it to the other zone. So I'll choose my Sorcerer Swordsman. Then since I have a spellcaster/magician in the other pendulum zone, I can raise the scale of my Black Arts Trickster from 3 to 10!" Isaac's duel disk then ejected the card he wanted as he grabbed it and place it on the other far end of his card tray as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring was spelled out in between them to signal it worked. Isaac's two monsters then appeared in front of their master in their respective columns of light.

"Pendulum cards? Uh-oh." said the three girls in unison as they knew what Isaac was going to do.

"Yup, but before I do, I'll activate my Sorcerer Swordsman's pendulum ability, now I can add monsters from my deck to my hand, so long as their levels fall in the scale I've set. So I'll take back my Mage Annette and Magician Boy," stated Isaac as his duel disk ejected his cards from the graveyard slot as he grabbed both of them. "Now then let's get to it, I'm allowed to summon monsters between Level 2 through 9 all at the same time! Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory. My monsters are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he had two lights come out. "Presenting the kid duo who always has each other's backs. It's my Magician Boy and Mage Annette!" Isaac's kid magicians were back in play as the pair were happy to be back in the game.

"And by summoning Mage Annette, I can draw an extra card. Then I'll play Kuribandit(1000/700), but he won't be sticking around for long, cause by tributing him, I can reveal the top five cards of my deck and then add any spell or trap cards to my hand while any monsters are sent to the graveyard. Time to see what I got." stated Isaac as he picked up his cards as his duel disk projected his options for the three girls to see.

"I reveal Emergency Provisions, Spellbinding Circle, Magical Dimension, Ricochet, and Dark Illusion. Since all five are spell or trap cards, they're all added to my hand. Next, I'll use one of them right away, my Magical Dimension so that I tribute my Mage Annette to summon an even mighty sorcerer to take her place, my Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as he now managed to summon his ace monster as the girls were a bit intimated at what he could potentially do. "By doing so, I can now destroy one monster on the field, so I choose your Aromage Bergamot." stated the boy as his spell took out Applebloom's powerful monster.

"So cool," said Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as they acted like fangirls to Isaac's action.

"Hey!!" shouted Applebloom as it got everybody's attention. "Why me? I thought I was yer favorite CMC."

"Favorite?!" said the other two as they were angry that Applebloom would go there as they felt they were Isaac's favorite of the trio.

"I said, maybe," stated Isaac to Applebloom.

"Well, mah field spell activates, since you destroyed mah Aromage Bergamot, I gain 1000 life points."
Applebloom's Life Points: 4600-

"Now, I'll play the card I got, Magic Formula to raise the attack points of my Dark Magician by 700!" said the boy as he had his magician get more powerful. "Now, Dark Magician take out Aria!" Isaac gave his command as his most loyal servant fired his staff at Sweetie Belle's monster as her monster was taken out.
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 2000-

"Hey!" said Sweetie Belle as she didn't like being targeted.

"Heh, heh." snickered Scootaloo.

"Oh, I didn't forget about you Scoots," said Isaac.

"Oh no." said the girl as she immediately lost her laugh.

"Next, I'll play the spell Ricochet, so now I can bounce a monster on your field back to your hand, and then I can add a card from my deck to my hand." Isaac then grabbed a card from his hand and shot it out at fast speed as it made contact with Scootaloo's Submarineroid as it was then gone and then came back at Isaac who caught his card with one hand while giving a badass look.

"Hey!" shouted Scootaloo as it was her turn to be annoyed as the other two snickered.

"Now, I'll have my Magician Boy attack your Sonata Melodious Diva!" stated Isaac as he had his boy magician fire his staff at Sweetie Belle's monster as her monster fired a soundwave that repelled the attack. "And as you know any damage that would take with my Magician Boy, you take instead."
Sweetie Belle's Life Points: 1800-

"Then my Magician Boy's other effect activates, so now I destroy one monster on my opponent's side of the field and they take damage equal to its attack points. And I choose Aromage Rosemary!" stated Isaac as his kid magician now turned his attention towards Applebloom and he fired another powerful spell as it took out her monster and dealt some major damage.
Applebloom's Life Points: 2400-

"Well, mah field spell allows me to gain 1000 life points when mah monster leaves the field." stated the farm girl.
Applebloom's Life Points: 3400-

"Now, then I'll end with two cards facedown."

And just like that, Isaac was in control of this duel despite having the lowest life points. For the girls, this was the true mark of what made a great duelist. Being able to fight back, use his cards to their full advantage, trust in them, and then cover all of his bases from all angles and take the lead in a duel. This was what they need to show, this was what they needed to do if they truly wanted to show they could carry on their legacy of the person they admired and create their own. This truly was their mark of mastery exam.

"Show me!" stated Isaac as he held his hand out and did a "Come on" gesture to the trio as he wanted to see if they could hang with the master.

Turn 9: Scootaloo

"My turn then!" shouted the girl as she was fired up by Isaac's challenge. "Since I'm the only one without any monsters, I can special summon... Cyber Dragon(2100/1600)!" shouted the girl as she summoned a new monster that she added to her deck as it was a machine dragon as it let out a roar.

"When did you get that?!" shouted Applebloom and Sweetie Belle as they were surprised while Isaac smiled.

"Then I summon my Cyber Dragon Drei(1800/800)." Scootaloo played another new card to her deck as she was willing to push past her limits. "And with his effect, he makes all monsters named 'Cyber Dragon' level 5. With that done,... I'll overlay my two Level 5 Cyber Dragons to build the Overlay Network!" shouted the girl as both of her monsters turned into orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of her. Soon both orbs of light entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, Cyber Dragon Nova(2100/1600, OLU: 2)!!" A new monster was shown off my Scootaloo as it was a metal dragon as it had some bits of gold running along its body and its wingspan as it had a chest plate and let out a huge roar.

"Then I'll play Pot of Greed so that I can draw two more cards. Next, I'll place one card facedown. And to finish off my turn, I'll have my Cyber Dragon Nova attack Applebloom directly!" stated Scootaloo as her dragon then fired a powered attack as it was charged up and let loose on the girl.

"Ah reveal mah facedown, Blessed Winds! So by payin' 1000 life points, ah can special summon mah Aromage Rosemary in defense mode." stated the small farm girl as she managed to avoid losing some major points.
Applebloom's Life Points: 2400-

"So be it, I'll just take out your monster," said Scootaloo as her monster continued its attack and took out Applebloom's monster.

"I end my turn."

Turn 10: Sweetie Belle

"My turn, and I'll play the spell card Polymerization so that I can fuse my Tamtam the Melodious Diva and my Shopina the Melodious Maestra!" Sweetie Belle had both of her monsters appear before her as they were sucked in through a vortex as a pillar of light shined through. "I Fusion Summon, Bloom Diva the Melodious Choir(1000/2000)!" stated the girl as one of her powerful monsters appeared in a flower bud as it unveiled to be a part of her dress as it let out a sweet singing voice. "Then since I used Opera my monster loses 500 points, but I get to deal 500 points of damage. And I choose you, Isaac." said the small girl as some music notes collided with Isaac as he raised his duel disk.
Isaac's Life Points: 700-

"Now to finish you off, Bloom Diva attack Isaac's Dark Magician. And as you know when it battles a special summoned monster, you take the damage instead of me. So you lose!" stated Sweetie Belle as she was about to knock her friend and teacher from the duel.

"I reveal my facedown, Spellbinding Circle. So now your Bloom Diva loses 700 attack points and it puts the brakes on her attack," said Isaac as his facedown flipped up.

"I came prepared, cause I reveal my facedown, Melodious Illusion! So now my Bloom Diva is unaffected by your spell and trap cards." countered Sweetie Belle as she managed to stop Isaac's trap.

"Well, I counter yours with mine. Dark Illusion!" said Isaac as his other facedown flipped up. "With this, I can negate and destroy your Melodious Illusion, so that means my Spellbinding Circle takes effect," stated Isaac as he got rid of Sweetie Belle's card and then had a magical circle swirling around her monster as it stopped its attack.

"So be it, but I can still attack and this time, Sonata is gonna attack Applebloom directly!" shouted the pale girl as she had her monster now go after her best friend.

"From my hand, I discard mah Aromaseraphy Angelica!" said Applebloom as her tiny monster appeared and had a small scented candle appear in front of her. "Now ah can target one 'Aroma' monster in mah graveyard and then ah gain life points equal to its attack, so ah choose my Aromage Bergamot!" said the girl as she boosted her points.
Applebloom's Life Points: 4800-

Sweetie Belle's monster then fired a soundwave full of musical notes as she hit the small farm girl and lost some of the points she got.
Applebloom's Life Points: 3100-

"Nice move, AB," said Sweetie Belle. "I now end my turn, take it away."

Turn 11: Applebloom

"With pleasure, my draw!" said Applebloom as she looked at her friend's field and how they each had a monster from each of the known summoning methods. And now it was her turn to contribute and show how far she'd come since they all met Isaac and learned under him.

"First off, I'm activatin' the effect of mah Blessed Winds, so by sendin' mah Aromage Laurel to the graveyard, ah can gain 500 life points. But Laurel also has his effect, when he's sent to the graveyard, ah awarded 500 more life points. So that's 1000 right off the bat!" stated Applebloom.
Applebloom's Life Points: 4100-

"Then I'm playing Pot of Greed so that ah can draw two more cards. Next, up I'm playin' Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Aromage Rosemary. Then since ah have more life points, and ah control an 'Aroma' monster on mah field, ah can also bring back mah Aromaseraphy Angelica!" said Applebloom as her tiny monster also appeared next to her comrade. "With that done, I'll now tune my Level 1 Aromaseraphy Angelica with my Level 4 Aromage Rosemary!" shouted the girl as her tiny monster turned into a single giant green ring as it circled Aromage Rosemary. "I Synchro Summon, Aromaseraphy Rosemary(2000/900)!" Applebloom had now completed the trio as she had a synchro monster on her field as out came her monster as it wore a cute blue outfit. "Now, I'll activate the effect of mah Aroma Garden field spell, so since ah control an 'Aroma' monster, ah gain 500 more life points, and mah monster gains 500 more points to both of its stats!"
Applebloom's Life Points: 4600-

"Then ah activate Aromaseraphy Rosemary's special ability, since ah gained life points, ah can negate the effect of a faceup card on yer side of the field. So ah choose yer Magician Boy! And mah monster's ability allows it to gain 500 more attack and defense points when mah life points are higher." said Applebloom as her monster now had 3000 attack strength. "Then ah activate mah Imperial Custom! So now all you can't destroy all of my faceup continuous trap cards by battle or card effect except by getting rid of Imperial Custom first." said the girl.

"And with that ah attack yer Magician Boy to take you out!" shouted Applebloom as her monster pointed its weapon at Isaac's tiny magician and prepared to end the boy.

Isaac stood there with a smile on his face as he saw each of the girls. Each one of them had a monster from the known summoning methods. And to think that three years ago when he first met the trio after the Fall Formal where he became champion, they were just beginners, no more did they know how to barely fusion summon. And yet through all that time, he was willing to help them in his spare time. All of his patience, training, and improving every aspect of their deck had all led them to this moment, where each proved they were ready to follow in the footsteps of their role models and not only continue the foundation, but make it their own.

"Rarity, Applejack, Rainbow... the girls are ready," said Isaac.

"We did it!" shouted the girls.

"Not yet! From my hand, I activate the spell, Trick Room! Now by cutting my life points in half, I don't take any damage this turn." said Isaac as Applebloom's attack made contact with his Magician Boy as it was taken out.
Isaac's Life Points: 350-

"Then every other card on my field is destroyed!" said Isaac as he got rid of his Dark Magician, Magic Formula, and his facedown. "And since Magic Formula was destroyed, I gain 1000 life points."
Isaac's Life Points: 1350-

"But why get rid of your entire field?!" asked Scootaloo.

"Cause the final effect of Trick Room allows me to draw one card for everyone that was destroyed this turn. Impressive, right!!" said Isaac.

"He just pulled off a triple draw?!" said the girls as they were shocked by what Isaac did.

Turn 12: Isaac

"By replenishing my hand, countless more strategic opportunities are available to me!" said Isaac as he looked at the girls with each of their monsters. "You did well girls, you've passed." stated the boy as the small ones got smiles and tears in their eyes.

"But I am still your teacher and it's time I school you all with one final lesson! I play Magician Fusion Gate! This spell lets me fusion summon using monsters in my graveyard or Extra Deck, and I can also use this spell to substitute for a fusion material! So I'll use it with my Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell and his magician both turned into lights as they entered a vortex behind him as everybody was seeing what he was doing. "I Fusion Summon, unite to form my Lychinus Enchanter(2800/2500, Level 8, Scale 1)!" said Isaac as he now had his fusion pendulum hybrid monster on the field. Out came a male adult magician who wore a bycocket(robin hood hat) on his head as he wore a black cape and a magician's robe with the sleeves cut off as in his left hand was a staff that was the same height as him and in his belt there was a small dagger as his outfit consisted of yellow, red, and black, with a hit of silver as he wore boots.

"But I'm not done, cause next I activate Magician Synchro Gate! Now I can synchro summon using monsters in my graveyard or Extra Deck and this spell then turns into a tuner monster so I'll tune it with my Dark Magician!" Isaac's spell card then turned into two giant rings as they circled Isaac's monster as another new monster was emerging as it was a pendulum synchro monster. "And the one I choose is a scorcher, I Synchro Summon, arise Solis Witch(3000/2700, Level 9, Scale 10)!" The new monster was an adult female who had light blue hair and eyes, a slim figure with ample breasts, long legs, wide hips and blue waist-long hair that is partially tied into a loop with a spherical clip. She wore a sleeveless dark-blue feather dress with white trimmings, an extremely short dark blue miniskirt, a green bow around her chest with a blue gem in the middle, a translucent purple underskirt and detached white sleeves with blue and golden trimmings. She wore thigh-high blue heeled boots over white stockings with blue trimmings. Around her neck was a pendant as it was in the shape of a rune as used her magic and made an axe appear in her hand as it shined with relic symbols on it as elemental symbols appeared above her and infused her weapon.

"Huh?" said the girls.

"And calling on the power of Xyz, I activate Magician Xyz Gate! So I now I can summon monsters from my graveyard and/or Extra Deck. So I'll summon my Mage Annette and Magician Boy and then my spell changes one of my monsters to have the same level as another monster so now my Magician Boy is Level 4 like my Mage Annette. And then I'll overlay them to build the Overlay Network!" Isaac's two monsters then turned into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air as a portal opened up in front of him as the orbs entered and then a pillar of light emerged as it was a pendulum Xyz monster. "I Xyz Summon, ride the wind, Ventus Oraculum(3500/2900, Rank 4, Scale 3, OLU: 2)!!" The last of Isaac's trio was a kid who looked to be 13 years old as he held a javelin-like spear as it too was infused with magic, he then brought his fingers to mouth as he let out a whistle as his pet wyvern appeared from the sky as he jumped on it and raised his weapon as it let out a roar. The kid had a small red cape, wore a kid magician hat colored purple as he wore a magician outfit with shades of dark red with green outlines and shade as there was hints of yellow.

"Woah!" said the three small girls looking at Isaac's new monsters up close and personal.

"Now when my Solis Witch is summoned, I can negate the effects of all special summoned monsters on my opponents and drop their attack opponents to zero!" said Isaac as his female magician raised her axe as the elemental symbols powered up as she did a slash attack as it hit all of the CMC's monsters as they all appeared weak.

"Our monsters?!" said the girls in unison.

"Now I activate Ventus Oraculum's ability, by using one overlay unit, you guys can't use any spells or traps during the battle phase!" said Isaac as his kid magician lifted his spear high as he pointed it up high as he stopped all of the facedowns, that the CMC had on the field. "Then I'll activate my Lychinus Enchanter's ability, now once per turn, I can deal you damage equal to a magician in my graveyard. So I'll choose my Dark Magician and target Applebloom!" said Isaac as his third magician pointed his staff and shot a powerful spell as it hit the small girl.
Applebloom's Life Points: 2100-

"Now Lychinus Enchanter attack Bloom Dive the Melodious Choir! Solis Witch take out Aromaseraphy Rosemary! And lastly, Ventus Oraculum take our Cyber Dragon Nova!" commanded Isaac. His Lychinus Enchanter then pointed his staff at Sweetie Belle and her monster as it shot a powerful spell that made the field have cracks as it made contact. Soli Witch then powered up her axe with the element symbols on it as she tossed it as hard as she could as it was sent flying into Applebloom's monster. And as for Ventus Oraculum, he flew over toward Cyber Dragon Nova and then jumped out of his seat as his wyvern fired an attack as did Cyber Dragon Nova as the two attacks met in the middle, while the teen monster boy powered up his javelin and then threw it right at the heart of the monster as it was met with a double team as destroyed.

"AHH!!!" shouted the girls as they were all thrown onto their backs.
Applebloom, Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo's Life Points: 0-
Winner: Isaac.

The duel ended as the field returned to normal. Isaac's pendulum hybrid monsters appeared before the boy as they gave thumbs up. Isaac returned the gesture by high-fiving each of them as they returned to his deck. He then approached the girls as they all lay next to each other. While they saw Isaac standing there, they expected him to be upset with them losing, but he was smiling.

"You're ready," said Isaac as he helped each of them up and then bent down on a knee to their eye level. "All the study sessions we had with each other, every time I took out of my busy schedule to teach you all the basics of dueling. And then teaching you all the advanced stuff. You've proved it in our duel. The time has come for me and the girls to move on, so we need someone to pick up where we left off. And I couldn't be more proud who they left it in." stated the boy as he looked at each one of them.

"You mean..." started Sweetie Belle.

"... we..." said Scootaloo
.
"You passed and receive your mark of mastery." smiled the boy.

"We did it! CMC! CMC! CMC!" chanted the trio as they put their hands in together and we're excited.

"Good luck girls, the road ahead is going to be tough. But remember all that I taught you, and... I hope if I do forget you three, you can at least remember who I once was." said Isaac as he put his head down.
Isaac then felt a pair of arms around his neck as Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo embraced him.

"We won't ever forget you," stated Sweetie Belle.

"Thanks for teaching us, even if at times we were impatient on getting better," said Scootaloo.

"We'll miss you, Isaac."

"I'll miss you too, girls," said Isaac as he rubbed each of their heads. He then saw Applebloom as she had her head down. "Applebloom, what's wrong?"

"I... just... don't want to say goodbye. I... you say that we'll forget you, but I can't. You were like a big brother to me." said the girl as she cried.

"Hey, chin. No tears," said Isaac as he approached the girl and bent down. He then lifted her chin as he looked at her face and wiped away the water from her eyes. "Come on, I can't have my favorite CMC down in the dumps."

"I'm yer favorite?"

"Yes."

"Ah knew it!" said the girl as she wrapped her arms around Isaac and knocked him to the floor as she nuzzled her cheek against his face.

"HEY!!" said Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo as they felt a bit left out.

"Suckers," said Applebloom while sticking her tongue out at her friends for being Isaac's favorite of the trio.

She then went back to hugging the teen boy as she wanted one last embrace before he was gone in a few days. The others soon joined in as they too were sad as Isaac and the others would graduate in just a matter of days. Isaac just smiled as he hugged all three of them. He then gave each of them a kiss on the foreheads as he was looking forward to how the girls would turn out when they got older.

The hour passed as the girls and their students were awaiting Isaac and the results from the Board. Soon he entered the room as everybody went silent. Isaac didn't waste any time as he started to speak.

"I have the results in my hand. Now... I told you all that winning or losing your duel doesn't necessarily mean much. However, it does account for something. Now I gave the Board of Education some rubrics to follow so that they could grade each of your performances based on several different categories. And with that, we all added up the results and got the percentages. So here they are... Lucky Star the Board gave you a 78%, Penny with a 75%. Jack, for a beginner not bad, but... there still is work, overall an 82%. Bryant, scoring a 77%. Jason received a 79%. Amber scored an 85% which is the highest of the group, and Shadow.. getting an 80%. Now those are your scores, but I was strict when it came to a certain section of my rubric. And so I handled all seven of you in that portion of the exam. And so the final score when averaged out was a 79.4%... and the passing mark... was a 75%." stated Isaac.

"So... that means..." stated Twilight.

"Congratulations to you all. You passed the exam, but more importantly, the Board has approved my program for CHS," said Isaac as that got everybody to let out a huge cheer as Pinkie had one of her trusty party cannons out and pulled the string as confetti came out.

"We did it!!" shouted the students as they all shared some high fives and fist bumps with each other.

Everything has gone according to plan, I'm glad. And now... it's time I go away... forever. Isaac now turned to leave the girls and the students to celebrate as he had his head down with his cap over his eyes. Time for me to leave... and... to forget... so long everyone. Isaac had a small tear fall down his cheek as it made contact with a small flower as it fell over.

Chapter 202: Prom Night

"Alright, I draw. And to start, I'll play my Magician's Valkyria in attack mode. Then I'll equip her with Bound Wand so that I can raise her attack points by 100 for each of her levels so now she has 2000 attack points. With that done, I'll set two cards facedown and end my turn." said Isaac.

"Now let's see what you got."

"Eh?" said Flurry Heart.

The young baby was sitting on the floor of the living room as she was on one end of the table while on the other side was Isaac as he had his deck and some cards on the table as it seemed he was trying to teach the young girl how to play. Flurry Heart had a deck in front of her as she just knocked it over and scattered the cards in front of her as she looked at them all as she giggled.

"No, Flurry! You're supposed to pick them up and then figure what's the best way to counter my field," said Isaac.

"Magic. Magic." said the young baby as she moved the cards in front of her around as some fell off the table and on the floor as she giggled. She saw the Blue Dragon Summoner card that Isaac had given her for New Year's Eve as she grabbed it and hugged it tightly while looking at the other cards not caring how to properly play.

"Guess, I need to wait a couple of years before she can play," said Isaac as he put his head down.

"Lighten up, Isaac," said Mana as she appeared and hovered in front of the small baby. "Who's a cute baby? You are," stated Mana as she tickled Flurry's tummy as the baby let out a laugh.

"Do not fret, master. Little Flurry Heart will learn to play the game in due time, she's a smart young girl for her tiny age," stated Mahad as he saw the baby playing with Mana. Flurry then saw Mahad as she had her arms reaching for the older adult as it seemed she wanted to play with him. Mahad just snapped his fingers to make some stardust particles appear as they took the forms of animals and began to surround the girl as they played with her as Flurry Heart just smiled and laughed.

"Look at you, having a soft spot for children," said Mana towards her teacher as Mahad just kept his serious demeanor on his face.

"Everything okay in there?" called a voice from the kitchen.

Soon both Mahad and Mana disappeared as in walked Cadance who took off her cooking apron and came to check up on her daughter and Isaac. She grabbed her daughter off the floor and sat on the couch as she kissed her child.

"Are you trying to teach Flurry Heart how to play, Isaac?" asked the older woman.

"Keep word, trying," said Isaac as he just picked up the scattered cards on the table and the floor that Flurry Heart knocked over. He gathered them all up as he then put his cards back into his deck as placed them in the deck holder on his hip.

"I appreciate you trying to teach Flurry Heart, but maybe wait until she properly speaks before your throw her in the deep end," suggested Cadance with a small chuckle.

"I think I might have to," said Isaac.

"By the way, congrats on getting your program to be a success. I heard from Twilight that the Board is already coming up with a financial plan on how much to give CHS and they're talking with Celestia and Luna about remodeling the school so that it could be expanded to have a proper dueling arena in the building," stated Cadance.

"Well, yeah. And there's still other things. They also need to figure out how enrollment will work as well as a grading system." stated the boy.

"I think it's safe to say, with the new way CHS is going to work, it may be on par with how Crystal Prep handles Duel Monsters and incorporates them into our school curriculum." stated the woman.

"Speaking of which, how have things been?"

"Well, while you were busy dealing with your problem, we had our graduation. And the Shadowbolts have all been signed by agencies, so seems you already got some competition, not just in my husband, but with the girls. And it seems they can't wait for you to join them so that they can beat you and climb up the ranks to challenge Shining Armor for the title of World Champion." smiled the girl. "Also, a little secret for you. Me, Shining Armor, Sombra, and the Shadowbolts are going to come to your graduation, especially for the final duel of your high school career."

"Seriously, you're all coming? But why? Shouldn't Shining Armor be busy with his traveling schedule? Doesn't Sombra need to prep for the next school year? And don't the Shadowbolts already have their first duels in the pro circuit booked?" asked Isaac.

"They wanted to attend, plus think about it. You've been holding the rank of champion of your school since your sophomore year when you won it at the Fall Formal. And since then every championship duel you've had, you've been able to pull through and win. So think how exciting it would be if the champion of CHS who's been helping the school in his spare time, could leave his high school career as the champion and retire the rank undefeated. That's a big achievement that nobody can deny." said Cadance as Flurry Heart bounced in her lap while sucking her fingers.

"I guess," stated Isaac.

"Come here," said Cadance as he patted the spot next to her on the couch as Isaac listened to her. She then grabbed his chin and had him looking at her. "I'm the only one who knows about the secret meetings you've had with that person, have they got what you requested?"

"Well, that's... tough. My time is up at this point, all that remains is graduation after prom night. And I told the girls the truth, I'm not going to be around for graduation, I'm not staying for the full event, cause I have to leave. I leave... and then I forget. I forget everything about my adventures, those days are long gone, and as for my friends. Well... I'm not burdening them with trying to remember me, I may forget them, and I'm not going to force them to remember a boy who just had a dream. They have their own lives to live and I'm not going to hold them back. So, prom night is my farewell goodbye to all of them." said Isaac as he put his head down. "I start my career and I'm prepared for any misery that comes with it. I accept, it's my destiny."

"Isac," said Flurry Heart as she saw the face of the boy as he was sad.

"Cadance, tell me how Flurry Heart grows up to be. Cause I'm never going to see her again, so can you at least inform of what she becomes when she gets into the game?" asked Isaac.

"I will," said Cadance as she let out a sigh as she felt Isaac's emotions.

"Goodbye?" said the baby.

"Goodbye, Flurry Heart. I hope one day, maybe, I'll see you again." said the boy as he put his hand on the little thing's head as a tear rolled down his eye as it was visible for both girls to see.

"Enough of this, why don't I treat you to one final meal from me? Something of a goodbye present," stated Cadance as she wanted to lift the mood a bit as she got up from the couch with Flurry in her arms and walked to the kitchen.

"Sure." smiled Isaac as he followed the pair into the dining room.

"Just during your prom night, when you and Twilight break up your relationship. Just know, the two of you made a cute couple," said Cadance as her last piece of advice for the two before they went their separate ways.

The next two days came and went by quickly. For the girls, they were doing something secret as they made sure to sneak out of the house whenever Isaac was around. During that time, a lot of things were happening. Isaac heard from Sunset that Princess Twilight had her coronation and was now the ruler of Equestria. The rest of CHS had finally finished their school year as it was now out for the summer. And the only thing left for Celestia and Luna was to hold the prom night for the graduating senior class. And then two days after that was graduation. And for all, it meant the official end of their years as a teenager and transition into young adulthood and then the rest of their lives. While the girls were doing their secret thing, Isaac got in contact with the Yusei, Yuma, Yuya, and Jaden as they all wished him the best of luck when he started his career as a pro and hoped that they would all be able to face him once he got established in the pro circuit so that they could entertain the millions of fan. They told Isaac that on the day of his graduation and his duel, they would be watching it themselves as Celestia and Luna made sure that they got to watch the event live from their own devices so they could see their friend in his farewell duel from CHS.

With that said, Isaac bid farewell to his friends as they were all looking forward to making more memorable duels with each other once Isaac got on the pro scene. After that, Isaac got in contact with the person he had been meeting in secret. With the girls being out of the house, he had the person arrive at his place as they got to talking and finalized the final preparations needed for him to start his career as a pro. With that Isaac pulled out the card Shining Armor gave him that had the contact of KaibaCorp as he called the number.

"Hello."

"Hello, Roland. It's me, Isaac. I've made my decision." said the boy as he informed the man.

"Very well, if that is your decision. Then all I can say is, we wish you the best of luck," said Roland as the call ended and gave Isaac one good heartfelt goodbye to the young boy.

Isaac then looked at the person who he had been meeting with as they nodded. With that, they needed to leave to handle one final piece of business as they told Isaac they would be there for his graduation duel. Now that everything had been taken care of, the only thing that remained was tonight. So Isaac started to get himself ready for the final night of his high school part portion of his life.

The night was already upon the building of CHS as the graduation class was looking to have their final night to spend with their friends. Isaac had just finished getting ready as he now had the outfit that Rarity had given him before she left with the others as they had something to do and told Isaac they would meet him at the school. For the boy, he took one long last look in the mirror at the final outfit he was going to wear for his prom. Isaac wore a black button-up suit with gold buttons placed on emerald green stripes that correlated with each placed button. He wore a sparkling ruffled, white undershirt; a small rose-red bow adjusted neatly under his neck. Each side of the bow glittering with expertly placed and shape gems and his headwear he had a fedora with a yellow band around it. With that, he was all ready for his special night with his friends. He then exited out of the house as he made his way to the dance.

Canterlot High was buzzing with excitement as all the students were looking forward to their prom as it was a special night for all to enjoy themselves. Isaac arrived at the even hoping to see the girls, but they were nowhere in sight. So he figured they must have been running late, so he went in and waited for them. About half an hour has passed based on what his watch read as the girls still didn't show up. Isaac then decided to head up to the roof as he wanted to clear his mind. He arrived at the same place he always came to as he looked at the town of Canterlot one last time. To think that a few years ago, he had arrived here from Chicoltgo and he wasn't too fond of moving to a new place. But now looking back, it was one of the best decisions that he was grateful for. Isaac was just taking this all in one last time as the breeze blew in his face.

"There you are." said a voice.

Isaac turned around as the person who said that was none other than Pinkie. Her outfit was bursting with youthful colors. Her skirt was yellow, covered in pale orange circles, and feeding down into a multi-layered lavender train with cream-white edges. Her blouse was an even brighter shade of yellow and featured puffy sleeves, a brass necklace, and a white and purple striped front. Her frizzy hair featured a purple peppermint scrunchie and a matching bow with a golden candy-like bead at its base.

"Hey, Pinkie."

"What are you doing out here, big bro? The party is happening downstairs." said the party girl.

"Just... wanted to have one last look, little sis. Cause after this is graduation and... like I told you girls, I'm not gonna be around."

"Not even for the party that I'm throwing," said Pinkie.

"Sorry Pinkie, but by then I'm gone... forever."

"I see." said the girl as she looked out at the town.

"Hey, Pinkie. What's your plan after you graduate?" asked Isaac. "I know you told me long ago that your life's mission was to make people happy. But do you plan to go anywhere?"

"To be honest, I'm fine sticking here." said the girl. "It's my home, plus I have my family here. I couldn't imagine going anywhere else, and that's fine. I love this place."

"Glad you're at least happy." smiled the boy as he looked at the girl who was now only his friend but someone who he was glad to call his little sister.

"I'll take care of the house while you all are gone," said Pinkie as she made a promise to Isaac.

"Pinkie promise?" suggested Isaac.

"Pinkie promise," replied Pinkie.

"Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye!" said both as they made their pact and got each other to laugh like siblings.

Pinkie then wrapped her arms around Isaac as he returned the embrace from his friend. For the pair, they were sad to see each other gone, but in Pinkie's mind, she was hoping that her big brother would return home so that way she could throw him a welcome back party. All the memories that they had now came rushing back to both teens, especially the times where Pinkie showed Isaac how to bake and cook recipes as a way for him to remember her by. Not to mention her putting together his birthday party and the time they went to Industrial Illusions. Isaac just smiled at his little sister she kissed her on her forehead and rubbed her head. He did tell Pinkie to not burn the house down when she was taking care of it as she gave a salute and told him that he would always be welcome back to the place whenever he wanted. With that Pinkie then grabbed her bro by his arm as she had done her part of the plan as now it was the other's turn.

The two made their way towards the entrance of the auditorium as Pinkie adjusted Isaac's outfit and made him look presentable.

"What are you doing?" asked Isaac.

"Getting my big bro to look ready. I had my moment with you, now it's time for the others," stated Pinkie. She pulled a button out of her hair and pushed it as she put it back inside her frizzy cotton candy hair.

Isaac was confused by what Pinkie did as she then grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him through the door as Isaac stumbled a bit as he caught his footing. He then brought his head up as he now found himself staring face to face with Fluttershy. Pinkie then rushed over to the booth where Vinyl was as she took over the music and began to continue with the plan she and the girls came up with to spend one last moment with Isaac. She then selected the song that was first on the list of requests by each of her friends.

Soon the song began to play.

For Fluttershy, her dress was a lengthy, teal-colored dress that drooped far to the ground; littered with little star twinkles. The collar was designed to look like leaves; matching the edge of the skirt but stopping just short of reaching the very end of the train. A tiny pink butterfly button was centered at the base of the leafy collar, while tiny daisies were mixed in with her elegantly crafted pink hair.

"Care to dance?" asked Fluttershy with her shy self.

"Yes." smiled Isaac as it got the girl to hide behind her hair.

He then grabbed her hand as she began to place hands in the proper place as Isaac did the same on Fluttershy's body. The two looked at each other's eyes as they began to move to the beat of the music. Pinkie was watching from the DJ booth as she did her job of keeping the party going. Both Isaac and Fluttershy were smiling as they moved in sync with each other, seems Fluttershy picked up some dance moves as she began to lead Isaac as she had Isaac spin her around now and then as he did that and then caught her as they continued to step in time. While this was happening, each of them was beginning to remember the memories they had.

From their first encounter with Isaac returning her card, to rebuilding her deck from the ground up. Then there was time she teamed up with the boy in a tag duel to test out her new deck, and then one of her biggest moments was making it to the Fall Formal of their sophomore year when she made it to the Final 8 and took on Isaac in a huge duel of her life. Then the outing they had when they went to the aviary center where she invited the boy as her plus one for their first outing alone. Then the kiss that followed after Isaac got Fluttershy a gift, then the Friendship Game in which he worked hard to improve her deck to the fullest, Camp Everfree, their summer trip they took across the country. Making the Christmas album with the others, their adventure in Cyberspace, and lastly their final year with being paired up with her student to teach and making it to the Top 3 of the tournament. Not to mention their recent trip to the zoo. All of it came to their minds as they looked at one another.

"Isaac."

"Yeah, Fluttershy."

"Good luck in your career." said the girl.

"You too. I know you're going to make your dream of an animal sanctuary become a reality. And you're going to be a fine animal vet." stated the boy.

"Thank you." smiled the shy girl. She was looking into his eyes as they started to lean in closer. "I'm gonna miss you."

"I'm gonna miss you too," said Isaac as he closed the distance in between their lips as they shared one last moment.

With that kiss, the song was winding down. The pair separated as they looked at each other with smiles. Fluttershy then put her hands on Isaac and with one great push broke free from Isaac's arms as he started to fall back from the momentum. He then was caught by a hand. At that moment, Pinkie changed songs.

"Gotcha partner," said Applejack.

"Care to show me some moves, cowboy?" said Aj.

For her, she was wearing a turquoise and pink dress as the light green part of the dress was slit up legs a tad bit as she wore her hair in a double braided style; like how Granny Smith used to wear her hair when she was her granddaughter's age. This allowed her to wear her stetson and had twin pink and teal jewel broch at the base of her hat as an addition.

"Well, sugar?" said Applejack as she held out her hand.

"Let's dance, cowgirl." smiled Isaac as he grabbed Aj's hand and gripped it tightly as she blushed at the touch of her male companion.

Soon the pair got into position as Isaac had his arms around Applejack as they moved across the dance floor, moving to the rhythm of the music playing. The song that was playing allowed them enough time to move freely without any worry. Their eyes didn't leave one another for one moment during that dance, by the end they were practically singing along, though in almost a whisper, and almost like a secret message to one another. Soon both thought back on their memories, Isaac meeting the country gal when he met the others. Him helping her for the Apple reunion at her farm just days before the Fall Formal. The meeting in the semifinal round where they showed just how hard they could hit each other and get back up to fight. The Friendship Games where he improved her Predaplant deck, then the special trip he took with her and her family to Appleloosa where the pair shared a special moment in the orchard. Camp Everfree, having being reunited with Rara, the trip with the whole group across the country, Cyberspace, and of course there was assigning her to be a tutor for his program. And the lastly being, when he went fishing with the farm girl as she told him what her life plan was going to be after graduation.

"Sugar, thanks for what you've done for me and Applebloom. I'm glad to have met you."

"Me too, Aj."

"Hey, I'll help keep an eye on Pinkie and the house while y'all are gone. No matter what, it will always be here," said Applejack.

"Thank you, and I promise to help your family. Even if I forget you all, I'll make sure to keep that promise," said Isaac.

The song was reaching the final moments as the two brought their hands up to touch the cheeks of the others as they slowly leaned in close.

"Goodbye, Isaac."

"Goodbye, Jacklyn."

The two then meet in the middle as their lips touched one another as they wanted one last romantic moment to hold onto. Soon the song ended as a few people applauded while Isaac and Applejack broke apart from their physical contact a few moments after. Aj gave one final smile as she then shoved Isaac back in the direction of another person.

Isaac now found himself standing in front of another girl.

"Ready, darling?" asked the person.

Rarity wore a surprisingly simple yet striking red dress, several shades were darker than the heart-shaped fire ruby necklace she was wearing. The dress covered her rump but was slit scantily up the sides of her thighs; revealing a lot of leg. Her hands were fitted with silvery gloves. Upon her meticulously sculpted hair was a tiara; littered with every manner of jewel and gemstone she had in her collection. Isaac saw his friend as he was amazed by Rarity's beauty as she was making herself look even more pretty. Pinkie then did her job of cycling to the next song for her friends.

"Isaac, it's not polite to keep a lady waiting." stated the girl.

"My bad," said Isaac as he got rid of the trance as he bowed down like a gentleman with Rarity doing the same as he offered her his hand. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

"It would be my honor, my dear." stated Rarity as she accepted.

They both held each other as they joined the crowd, dancing slowly to the beat of the music. Rarity was loving every second of this dance as did Isaac. He gave the girl the dance of a lifetime, twirling her gracefully throughout the entire dance floor. She felt light as a feather through it all. Soon their memories of each other began to play in their heads. Them meeting each other with their friends, to her asking him out as his first date in his entire life and the hairpin he bought her. Then helping her to add some spells/trap cards to her Crystal Beast deck in time for the Friendship Games. Soon after that, Camp Everfree, the concert duel with Rara, the summer trip across the country, then adventuring in Cyberspace. The last bit being Isaac picking Rarity to be a tutor for the program and competing in the tournament. Their little adventure during Spring break with the cruise and then recently the moment in the park where she treated the boy to a picnic and got to interact with her monsters.

"So, you're gonna head to Manehattan?" asked Isaac.

"Not right away, I want to spend some more time with the girls before we all leave. I plan to hopefully have a shop all set up there within a year and I've already picked out the place. Of course, my base of operations will be mostly here, but I will be traveling a lot." said the girl as she told him her life plan.

"If anybody can build a fashion empire from scratch, you can," said Isaac.

"Thanks for the kind words, Isaac. And... if you need any outfits for what to wear in your duels, don't be afraid to contact my business or me." said the marshmallow girl.

"I'll keep that in mind." stated the boy.

They danced and danced as Isaac soon lifted Rarity in the air by her waist and spun around elegantly for a brief view second before bringing her back down and holding her in his arm.

"Farewell, Isaac."

"So long, Rarity."

The pair finished their dance as they leaned in to share one final passionate kiss as Rarity brought her hand up to cusp Isaac's cheek as they leaned into the kiss. Eventually, both pulled away as they looked at each other with a smile. Rarity then did as the others did and pushed Isaac back, though she did a gentle push as it was still enough to move the boy. Isaac now accepted what was happening as he soon found himself in another part of the dance as the person was waiting for him.

"What took you so long, geek?" said Rainbow.

"You? You went along with this?" said Isaac. At that moment, Pinkie now switched songs.

Rainbow's skirt glowed sparklingly. The vibrant colors shined and moved luminously; as if looking inside the core of a prism crystal. Golden shimmering thread lines outlined each wave in the skirt's bounce. Her hands sported sandal straps as they were crystal colored. A simple hot pink lightning bolt crest tied the skirt together on a gold chain. The girl's color locks were enhanced by a multicolored band and matching colored cloud earrings.

"You look cute," stated Isaac.

"Shut up!" said Rainbow as she turned her head away with a bit of red on her face.

Isaac then grabbed her shoulder as it caused the girl to look at him as he slipped his hands into hers as he held her as Rainbow's hands did the same. He just smiled as it got the girl to soften her tough and cool demeanor as she was willing to let her down and be vulnerable in her friend's arms. Soon the two of them began to move in time with the music as Rainbow put her head on Isaac's body as she closed her eyes and was smiling. They then began to recount their memories together and how it all started with the chromatic girl spying on the boy when he first arrived on the first day of their sophomore year. Then came when she introduced him to the others and asking him for their help in taking down Sunset. Then how after she failed to beat Sunset, he came to her rescue and defended her from getting more beaten up by the evil girl. Then came the time in the library where he showed her the training exercise and how she would be his opponent for the Winter Ball and their outing hours before. Next was the Friendship Games, then Camp Everfree. The summer trip and how she was one of his opponents along with Aj and Sunset when they performed in front of Isaac's hometown. The Christmas album they put together, their time in trying to beat the Gamemaster, then their adventure where they did some Turbo Dueling. And it then of course their last year as he selected her to be a part of his program, along with their movie adventure during the set of the Daring do film. The last thing being him and her playing soccer with all of her monsters from her deck.

"Hey."

"Yeah," responded Isaac.

"I'm... I'm... gonna miss you," said Rainbow.

"Rainbow..."

"Yeah, yeah, I get it. I'm being sentimental. Don't judge me!" stated the girl.

Isaac just used his hand to have the girl look at him.

"I'm not judging, and... I'm gonna miss you as well." said Isaac. "I hope that you achieve your dream of being a top athlete."

"Thanks, I mean, who do you think you're talking to? I'm Rainbow Dash. I'm awesome." said the girl.

"Yes, you are."

Isaac then leaned it to kiss the girl as he placed his hands on the girl's waist. Rainbow was caught off guard as her eyes widen at her male friend for doing this, but to her, it felt warm and good. So she fell into the magic of their lip contact as she enjoyed herself. She placed her hands on the back of Isaac's head as she brought the boy in for a bit more of an intense lip-lock. The music was winding down and soon changed as the chromatic girl released the kiss and had the purest smile on her face as she let go of her cool attitude. She then grabbed Isaac by his outfit and flung him around as he was now sailing in the direction as a pair of hands grabbed his shoulders.

Isaac turned his head to see it was none other than Sunset as she gave a seductive expression. She then moved her hands and was feeling the boy's body as she turned him around as the next song told him what she was doing. Isaac looked at the bacon-haired girl as he took in her outfit. She wore a strapless, backless magenta evening dress slit up to her right leg to the top of her thing. All of it caused Isaac to take the girl in awe as Sunset knew she got the boy's attention. She then grabbed his hands and place them, on her butt as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Well, like what you see, boy toy." said the girl with a sly smile.

"Well... I mean..."

"I wanted to give you something special. Plus, I took a dance lesson to prepare for our routine. So care to show me what moves you got, boy toy?" said Sunset as she began to move her body to the rhythm as she grinded her body against Isaac's.

"Let me show you, mamacita," said Isaac as he began to grab Sunset close to him as the two began to move in time with the music as they did a small salsa dance between the two of them.

Isaac then began to move with Sunset as they held each other close as their bodies moved in sync with each other. He soon started to twirl her around as their movements began to pick up some speed to match the tempo of the song. Soon it was their turn as they began to remember the moments between them and boy was it something. Going from big bad villain to facing off against the good guy in the Fall Formal and then beating her while also giving her a chance for redemption to which she accepted it. The day after that Isaac helped her to rebuild herself by giving Sunset, her Red-Eyes Black Dragon which resembled her untapped potential. Of course, the many times they fought against each other like the Spring Fling, along with them teaming up to take down Sombra during the Friendship Games. Their trip with their friends across the country with her getting to battle the boy in front of his hometown, the incident with the Gamemaster and Cyberspace. Turbo dueling, then soon after that she asked for his help in Equestria to rid the place of evil Duel Monster spirits from trying to take over, and even saving the girl from mind control. Sunset being assigned as a tutor, and then their spring cruise adventure, as well as the incident with the Memory Stone. And the last bit was them at the carnival as they enjoyed themselves.

"Well, well, seems you got the moves to make me fall for you," stated Sunset as she traced Isaac's face with her hand as her back was up against his chest as they were still dancing.

"I aim to please." rebutted Isaac as he spun the girl to face him as he lifted her in the air for a bit, he dipped her before pulled her back up to continue their dance. "So, are you going to ever go back to Equestria?"

"Nah, I prefer living here. Besides, I got a full-ride scholarship to attend and study art across the sea. But that's not for another month or so; me and the others all want to spend that time we still have together to make some last memories before we go our separate ways for the time being." said Sunset.

"I'm glad, I know you'll be a talented and successful artist. Not to mention an exceptional gamer girl." smiled Isaac.

"Glad to have the support of one person." stated the girl as she continued to dance. "You're never gonna see us again?"

"I wish I could. I truly wish I could, but being a pro requires hard work, perseverance, and hard work."

"You said hard work twice," stated Sunset.

"That's because it takes twice as much hard work as perseverance." explained the boy.

"Can't argue with that logic," said Sunset as Isaac dipped her one final time as the song ended as they remained in that pose.

"Thank you, Isaac. For giving me the second chance that I didn't deserve. I made a vow that because of that, I would make sure to now let it all go to waste. And then you gave me my card, my Red-Eyes. Words can't express how grateful I am for willing to accept your offer to help me. From the bottom of my heart, thanks. I just wonder how things might have been different, if you enrolled in CHS during your freshman year." said the girl as she wasted no time in capturing Isaac's lips as both let out a moan of pleasure as it was something they desired from each other.

Isaac then brought Sunset up from the dip as they were still kissing as they added a bit more to the passionate kiss. Soon they broke apart as they looked at each other at this moment, one final time.

"Take care, boy toy."

"I wish you the best of luck, Sunny."

Sunset then did her job as she shoved Isaac away as her time with the boy was up as he had one person left to spend time with.

Isaac now knew what was happening as he landed in the center of the room as there in front of him as they were more couples dancing behind her was his girlfriend. Twilight wore a purple, starry skirt that covered her rump and most of the lower part of her body. Her arms were covered halfway by ink blue sleeves with violet cuffs. Her neck was framed by a violet collar pointing down to a golden, twinkling star; a similar star shined fetchingly in the pair of matching earrings she wore. Not to mention she was wearing the necklace that Isaac had given her. Both of them just looked at each other in awe as their surroundings began to fade away as it was just the two. Both began to step forward as soon they found themselves standing in front of each other with some red on their face as they took in the other and their outfit as it added more to the overall attractiveness. Isaac and Twilight remained silent for what seemed like five minutes as they didn't know what to say as they just stared at the other. Soon the silence was broken by a familiar word that both used whenever they found themselves in an awkward situation. And it was the same word that was said when the two first met during Twilight snooping around CHS.

"Hey," said Isaac.

"Hey," said Twilight.

Both just went back to being quiet as they couldn't take their eyes off of the other. Soon the final song of the night was playing as it meant that this was the moment the two needed to share one final memory as boyfriend and girlfriend before they would go their separate ways and end their relationship.

They didn't need to say anything as Isaac offered his hand to which Twilight put hers in his as the two put their other hand on each other's body as they looked dead in the eyes and began to sway to the gentle melody of the song as they had the biggest smiles on their faces. For the pair, who were so similar and different at the same time, it truly felt like the connection of their hearts was joined at one. Both boy and girl swayed side to side; arms wrapped lovingly around each other's waists.

"This... is wonderful," said Isaac.

"I understand what you mean." said the girl.

Twilight smiled sweetly at her boyfriend. She leaned in and gave him a loving kiss, moaning as he deepened it. Her lips eventually separated from his. Both of them were blushing furiously. Isaac leaned in and buried his face into the crook of her neck. He breathed in her lavender scent and sighed; visibly content. Twilight enjoyed the touch of Isaac's as she placed her head against his chest as she felt safe and comfy being the arms of the person who was not only her boyfriend but her best friend.

"Where do we start?" said Isaac as he looked back into Twilight's violet eyes.

"Maybe, when I was sneaking around Canterlot High. And ran into you. Then we dueled." said Twilight.

"Right, though it ended before there was a clear winner. Then the Friendship Games were right around the corner. And I had to stop the evil magic that consumed you." stated Isaac.

"Yup, and then after that, you and I began to have our private lessons together. At the time, we were still friends, but I think we were meant to be so much more."

"Especially when we got locked in the library," stated Isaac as it got him and Twilight to smile as they remember that small adventure. "And I can't forget what you did for me during Camp Everfree and how you took my place in a duel while I was sick."

"You're forgetting about my brother's graduation duel at Crystal Prep. Then the sleepover at your house, your birthday, and then the wedding of Cadance and Shining Armor." said the bookworm. "That moment in the garden and how we got to express how we felt about each other. Do you remember what I said to you that night?"

"You said: You wanted me to love you because you love me." said the boy as he got Twilight to giggle as it seemed her boyfriend did remember some stuff other than Duel Monsters stuff.

"What else?" asked Twilight.

"Our first date, that's pretty special. Then the trip and how it all ended with us beating Starlight and Sunburst to become the Duos Cup winners. Then you helping me to settle my mind on Celestia asking me to be the person to retire her. Our adventure towards Cyberspace. And as you know, this past year and all the stuff we've done with our friends and just the two of us." said Isaac as he finished recounting all the special memories of him and the girl he was holding in his arms.

"And here we are... the last night we have before our graduation in just two days," said Twilight looking at Isaac. "Everybody has their plan on what to do after high school. Me, I'm going to Everton University to become a card designer. And you... you're... going to live your dream. Something you've thought of when you were little and looked up at your idol. I bet if he were here, he'd be pleased to see he inspired someone to follow in the same path as him."

"I appreciate that, Twilight. And hey, no need to worry. Cause you will be a successful card designer."

"How can you be so sure?" asked the girl as they spun around.

"I just know," said Isaac as he remembered what Shane and Aqua told him about Twilight's future during that time travel issue. Soon the dance was coming to an end as the final moments of the song were also coming to an end as it meant something else. Something drastic for the two of them.

"So... this is it."

"Unfortunately, yes," said Isaac.

"You're not going to be here for graduation. Are you?" asked Twilight.

"Mainly, yes. I have to go, and it's forever."

Twilight just buried her face into Isaac as she had tears running down her eyes as she clutched his suit with her hands almost like she didn't want the boy to leave her. She wanted him to stay, but she knew she couldn't keep him from his dreams. Plus the major issue being their different career paths. Isaac too was crying as he put his head on top of Twilight's as he just let the waterworks fall down his face. All around them the scene was now starting to turn black as only a single spotlight shined down on them. It served as the space needed for them to make the necessary action but it was a painful one. So with a heavy heart from both, they looked at each other and shared one, final kiss as a couple. They made sure to put everything they could into it as this was the final time they would have for one another. Soon they pulled away as each ran out of breath as a trail of saliva connected their lips.

"Isaac... thanks for being my boyfriend... I'll miss you," said Twilight as a tear dropped into the darkness as it rippled across and made a sound.

"Twilight... thanks for being my girlfriend... I pray that I won't ever forget you," said Isaac as a tear dropped from him and did the same effect as the two stared at one another. Soon a bright light started to shine as it surrounded the two as their relationship was no more.

It was now the next day as graduation was less than 24 hours away. However, it seemed Celestia and Luna had a big announcement to make as she asked each of the girls to meet at the school despite it being Saturday. The girls were confused by what their principal could want given they were literally about to graduate and transition into young adults.

"I'm glad you all could come," said Celestia. "Now I'll get straight to the point, as you know tomorrow is your graduation. And I've never been more proud of what you all have accomplished in all of your fours years here, some less than others, but regardless, I'm proud to be your principal and call you all, my students."

"We're thankfully too, Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna," stated Sunset. "Some of us may have been a bit troublesome, but things worked out. Anyways, what's the announcement?"

"Yes, that. Well, as you girls know the format for graduation has already been explained to you all. You'll gather in the field where we'll have our valedictorian give a farewell speech, which is none other than Twilight Sparkle. After that you simply come on the platform and receive your diploma where you will then implement your deck into a device on a podium where it will record it for future generations to see." said Luna. "Once you've all received your diplomas, then the graduation duel will take place, and then it's the party."

"Which leads to Isaac. Now he said he wouldn't be here for graduation. What he meant was that he'll be here to get his diploma and duel in the graduation duel because after that, he has to leave immediately." said Celestia.

"What?!" said the girls as this was some shocking news to them that the boy didn't bother to tell them.

"I got in contact with the person who is his agent and they've already booked Isaac to make 12 appearances in the next two weeks. And the first one he has, he has to be there the day after graduation. That was the latest they could push back the date. So, the moment the duel ends, he has to leave." said the older woman.

"That soon?" said Pinkie as her hair deflated that her big bro was telling the truth that he wasn't going to attend graduation and her party as he already had other commitments.

"He wasn't shitting us," said Rainbow as Isaac was a man of his word and he was saying goodbye as he was already making so many appearances for being a newcomer in the pro circuit of dueling.

"Which is why we called all of you. You're Isaac's closest friends, and together you've all been through a lot. So, it stands to reason that to give Isaac a proper sendoff, it should be one of you all to face him in that graduation duel. And seeing as how Isaac is still ranked as champion, it would be even more amazing if he could somehow graduate as champion." said Luna as she explained the situation to the group as they all gave looks to each other.

(Quick interruption. It's me, the author. So as you can see, Isaac is already busy even before starting his actual career as a pro duelist. This means, if he is to have one final duel before he heads off, it needs to be one of the girls. The question is... who is it? Now, take a moment to make your pick. Based on everything that has happened in this story, everything duel that has taken place. Which of the girls is the best option to face Isaac in the graduation duel? Really think about the girls and which one stands the most chance of getting the best out of Isaac. Whose a good enough duelist? You got that? You got your pick on who you think it is? Okay, now hold on to that. Cause in a matter of moments, it'll be revealed who will be Isaac's opponent in his farewell match. So hold on to your pick and let's see if you chose the right one. And resume...)

"So, which of you girls is going to face Isaac?" asked Celestia.

"That's easy, it's me," said Rainbow.

"Hold on!" shouted the others as they looked at the chromatic girl with glares.

"Wait just one minute, Dash. Who said it was gonna be you to challenge Isaac? As far as ah know, the city slicker needs someone who can give him a fight. And that person is me." said Applejack.

"Like hell, it will be!" said Rainbow as she got in the face of Aj as the two bumped heads like normal. "Right, Twilight. I'm the best person to give your boyfriend his final duel."

"I don't know," said Twilight as she looked at her friends as she too was trying to figure out who was the best one to give Isaac one last duel.

"Perhaps, I could do the honors," said Fluttershy as she threw her name into the conversation. "I mean, I was Isaac's first friend when he transferred here."

"Yes, you were darling. But let's not forget that I was his first date. So it's only fitting that the lady should please her gentleman one last time." said Rarity as she explained her reason for wanting to face Isaac.

"Isaac's the best big brother I could ever ask for. If anybody knows what's best for him, it's his little sister," said Pinkie as she wanted to face Isaac.

"True, you all make valid points. But who really has the best chance of not only facing Isaac but actually beating him?" said Sunset with a sly smile on her face. "Plus, need I remind you of how Isaac became champion. He beat me at the Fall Formal. So it stands to reason that being one of his best rivals and friends whose gone toe to toe with him on plenty of occasions, it should be me to battle Isaac. That way the circle becomes complete."

Soon the entire group was now bickering among themselves on who was going to be the one to duel Isaac in the graduation duel. It didn't take long as soon a decision was made by one person.

"Alright, that's it! We settle this the fairest way possible. Whoever wins the most duels is the one to challenge Isaac in the graduation match." said the chromatic girl.

"NO!!" said a voice.

"Huh?" said Rainbow as she and the others all looked in the direction of who said that.

"I said no. Cause you're not going to challenge Isaac... I am!" stated Twilight. Her response got everybody to be taken back a bit by what their friend just said.

"You're crazy, Twi! What makes you think you're the one who deserves to challenge Isaac?" stated the girl as she grabbed her friend by her shirt.

Soon something unexpected happened as Twilight got angry and then broke free from Rainbow's grip as she grabbed her by the shirt and pinned her against the wall as it got the others to gasp at how Twilight was acting. Rainbow could see the face of Twilight's as it was the most serious she had ever been as the fire in her eyes blazed like a raging inferno.

"You listen here, Rainbow Dash? I need to be the one to face Isaac. And that's not me saying because I'm his girlfriend, ex-girlfriend, or whatever! I need to be the one to duel against Isaac. I need to be the one!!!" shouted Twilight as she was yelling in the face of her friend. The others saw that Twilight was letting her fury out as they knew not to get in her way, soon Rainbow saw it as she just simply nodded her head as she allowed Twilight her request.

Twilight then let go of her friend as she straighten out her jean jacket as she gave a forgiving expression for losing her temper and going a bit insane at that moment. She then looked at Celestia as she placed her hands hard on the principal's desk as she gave her the answer. Celestia and Luna nodded as it was officially set.

Later that night, the entire group was all at the house as they were fast asleep for the big day tomorrow. Well, almost every person. Spike was sleeping comfortably in his doggy bed. Soon he heard something that made him wake up with a start. He recognized it as someone walking downstairs.

"Not again!" said Spike crankily as he made his way downstairs and found that Twilight was pacing about more than she usually did. She looked worried about something.

"Twilight, I thought you said no more late-night pacing," said Spike crankily but then softened when he noticed that Twilight didn't look panickily, but genuinely upset over something. "Did you figure out that you can't beat Isaac?" asked Spike. Twilight stopped pacing about and sat down on the couch in the living room. Spike felt rather uneasy since Twilight didn't answer and hadn't bothered to respond to him.

"Twilight, I was only teasing," said Spike, "I know it's gonna take time to not worry about tomorrow. It's no big deal." Twilight sniffed a bit and then some light sobs began to be heard. Spike now felt rather guilty. "Twilight, hey, I'm sorry," said the mutt sadly as he walked up to the now crying girl as he jumped on the couch, "I didn't mean to make you cry..."

"It's not you Spike," sobbed Twilight, "It's just... all I can think about lately is Isaac, and I don't know why." Spike looked puzzled.

"What about Isaac has got you so upset?" asked Spike plainly, "Did he say something to you that made you cry? You told me that both of you ended your relationship on good terms so that you both can have the futures you both want. I don't see a problem with that. " Twilight glared despite her tears.

"Spike! This is serious!" Twilight snapped as she had tears. "This has nothing to do with my future or Isaac's future! This all has to do with why he's all I can think about and I can't focus on anything else!"

"So... thinking about Isaac is upsetting you?" said Spike puzzled, "I don't get it." Twilight began to cry harder.

"Nobody does!" Twilight sobbed but didn't admit that she hadn't bothered to talk to anybody else about her problem. Spike sighed slowly before crawling into Twilight's lap as he looked at his owner.

"Please don't cry, Twilight," said Spike. "You're not telling me what's upsetting you. Please tell me what's on your mind and stop beating around the bush about it. Did Isaac hurt you? Or is it something else?" Twilight sniffed a bit as she tried to recompose herself before speaking again.

"In the past year or so," said Twilight, "I just... find myself thinking about Isaac more and more these days. Sometimes I can't concentrate on my studies. I always feel this happiness whenever he's here. Lately, just the thought of him makes me feel like bouncing around like Pinkie Pie. And ever since Valentine's Day of this past year, I just wanna be close to him and cuddle. I never used to be like that. Sure his hugs were nice and all even when we were together, but I never wanted them to last forever. Then all this stuff that happened with Starlight and how he was willing to sacrifice his own life to defeat her and save everybody else. Just the idea of him being gone forever... just... just..." Twilight couldn't speak as her crying overtook her. Spike just hugged her close until Twilight settled down. He had a good idea of what was going on, but he decided to put it to the test.

"Then tell me Twilight," said Spike, "What if I said Isaac was waiting outside the door to give you a big smooch?" Twilight then smiled despite her tears and started to giggle.

"Now look yourself in the mirror," Spike asked with a smirk. Twilight obeyed and took a good long look at herself in the mirror. She saw the way she was smiling and how her eyes looked rather dazed like she was... she was... lovesick. Twilight then froze and her eyes widened once again. Her body began to tremble and she began to breathe rather heavily.

"Twilight what's wrong?" said Spike worried, "One second your happy that I brought up Isaac. Then you see how your acting in the mirror and are having a panic attack!"

"And with good reason!" said Twilight frantically. "It's happened, Spike. The one thing that terrified me the most has happened! Isaac... finally did it! He did it, Spike! He did it!" Twilight continued to tremble as her tears continued to stream down her cheeks.

"He did what?" asked the small dog.

"Don't you see Spike?" said Twilight, her voice cracking, "I... can't deny it anymore. I just can't... it makes me sick keeping it inside! I gotta tell someone! Just promise me that this will never leave this room, Spike!" Spike looked at her with a gentle but firm look on his face.

"If I can guess what you're gonna say," said Spike, "I don't know if I can make that promise..."

"Spike, please don't tell him! Just don't! He can't know!" Twilight pleaded in desperation. "I promise to tell him," Twilight begged, "Just give me time. I will tell him when I'm ready. I promise! I Pinkie Promise!" Spike just sighed to himself.

"Fine," said Spike, "Then tell me Twilight. Give it to me straight. What has Isaac done to you?" Twilight sniffed and tried to wipe her eyes but the tears refused to stop falling.

"Isn't it obvious?" Twilight repeated in a broken tone before looking at Spike eye to eye, "Spike... I've fallen in love with him..."

"O-kay? I mean you fell in love with him when you two were together." said the mutt with a raised eyebrow of confusion.

"No... I love, love Isaac," said Twilight.

"Huh? Oh. OH. OOOOOOOOOHHHHHH." said Spike as he now pieced together what Twilight was saying. "Well, damn." said the mutt as he had a stunned look on his face at what was revealed.

Author's Note

DUN, DUN, DUNNNNNNNNNNN!

Bet you didn't expect that outcome at the end from Twilight. And were you right in who you thought was going to be Isaac's opponent for the graduation duel? Now, this is why it's important to notice small subtle things, cause it was all leading up to this one moment. In that, it'll be Isaac taking on Twilight. Since the start of their final year, there have been small tensions between the two even when they were in a relationship. The glares, the scowls given to each other at times. All of it was small seeds that were being planted as the full blossom is happening right now. Even going as far back when Twilight was introduced, there have been things occurring that have also been helping to build to this situation.

Plus, when you think about it. We haven't seen Twilight take on Isaac in a duel. Part of that is I deliberately had them not face each other for so long, nearly two years in terms of actual storytime so that they could have this big moment at the end of the story. And to add more suspense, given what Twilight also revealed just now. Also if you think about the times they did face each other, the first time ended in a no contest, the second time Twilight was corrupted with evil magic and Isaac had to save her. So really we haven't seen them in a one-on-one, clean duel.

So this will be the first time we get to see both of them with all their gifts, their strategies, and skills on full display when they duel against each other in the final duel. So be prepared, for the final chapter of this story. Cause let me tell you, it's gonna be a heartbreak. You're gonna shed some tears, and we'll find out if Twilight will tell Isaac and how that might affect things heavily? Especially since Isaac leaves immediately after the duel ends. So everyone get ready for the final duel.

P.S. while the next chapter will be the final one of the main story, they'll be an epilogue that will also be added to serve as the conclusion.

Chapter 203: The Final Duel

What does dueling mean to you? To some, it represents power, a way to crush your opponents and make them cowl at your feet. To others it provides a way for you to have fun; a way you can relax with your friends and not show a care in the world. One thing that everybody can agree on is that dueling is a way to show your skills against your opponent. It tests how much confidence you have as a person; it shows the bonds you have with the creatures that reside in your deck. What do I duel for, well to be honest I'm not sure?

Another day, another morning. The sun was just barely coming up against the horizon. Isaac could tell once he felt the rays of the warm sun against his face. He looked to the side of his bed and saw that the time was 6:50 A.M, which meant that he had to get ready for school. While it might have been nice to sleep for a few more minutes, Isaac urged himself to get up to prepare for school.

"I knew I shouldn't have spent up trying to research new cards to add."

Normally Isaac wouldn't stay up unless it was the weekends; when it came to school he was by no means a slacker nor was he the smartest person in school but he was smart enough to be an honor rolls student. Most people would be distraught and use this as an explanation to become smarter, but to him, he was contempt. After getting ready he soon collected his deck and duel disk as he left the house and began to walk towards the school. Along the way, he was remembering something.

(Flashback)

"Welcome, my name is Principal Celestia. Do you mind telling me your name?''

"My name is Isaac."

"If I may be so bold as to say: What do you duel for?"

(End of Flashback)

"Man, it feels just like yesterday I enrolled into CHS. And now, my time has to come to an end," said Isaac as he looked up at the clear open blue sky as he watched the clouds roll by as the sun was out.

Isaac now arrived at the front of the building as he could hear the tons of noise coming from the back of the school as the entire field was filled to the stands with people. And not just students, for there were tons of cars parked all around the building and the block as parents were coming to see their child's graduation and the big grand duel that was going to take place. The whole school was now invested in seeing the two top duelists that CHS ever had to go at it, not only for one last time, not only cause it was a championship duel, but because of the history that the two people had with one another. For Isaac, he had his thoughts on Twilight being his opponent, and to be honest, he was glad he didn't have to wait any longer. He then entered the front yard of the school as he prepared for what was about to happen.

The whole morning all the graduation class mingled with each other one last time as they either said their goodbyes or decided on what they would be doing for the first part of summer before they left. As for Isaac, they all heard that he was leaving the moment his duel ended as he wouldn't stay for the party that Pinkie was throwing. The party girl tried to plead with her big bro in staying, but Isaac said that he couldn't. Isaac soon found his parents as they were talking with Celestia and Luna as they hugged their son and told him that he made them more proud than they could imagine.

"So, mijo. Are you ready to face Twilight?" asked Isaac's dad.

"I have to. This is my final obstacle here at CHS. This, believe it or not, holds some weight and significance as it'll set the tone for my career as a pro." stated Isaac as he showed that he matured from the teenager he started as to the young adult he was about to transition in.

"I knew you would grow up to be a wonderful man. It breaks my heart to see you grow up so fast," said Isaac's mother as she hugged her son.

"I may be growing up, but I'll always need both my parents. No matter how much I mature, I'm still your baby," said Isaac as he gave his parents as this was a special moment for all of them.

Celestia and Luna were watching this display as it brought them to have happy expressions on their faces.

You've finally done it, Isaac. Everything that I and my sister spent putting all our investments in you has been leading up to this. From the moment, you enrolled here... to the moment that you became champion. It was fate's hand that guided you. But you weren't the only one led by fate. Every person you've encountered along the way was destined to play a role in your journey. And I'm willing to bet most of them didn't even know it. But each individual, no matter how utterly clueless, was a necessary piece needed to complete the puzzle of your life. No matter how different they might be, all of these people have one thing in common: each one is connected by a young man named Isaac. And not only did these individuals help you, but in turn, you touched each of their lives as well.

The girls were all sitting on the front steps as they were just simply waiting for things to get started. While they were talking, they began to discuss the duel that was going to happen between Isaac and Twilight. Safe to say it was split down the middle as half of them picked Twilight to win and the other half, Isaac.

"So, you still bummed out that you're not going to be dueling against Isaac?" asked Sunset with a smirk.

"Come on, Sunset. We need a duelist who won't lose to Isaac. And Dash here is the easiest to beat for the city slicker." chimed in Rainbow.

"Nah, it's not that," said Rainbow as she kicked some small pebbles as they went sailing. "Not to toot my horn, but I've come a long way since we first met Isaac, all of us. And if given the chance, I could kick Isaac's ass!"

"Huh?" said the group.

"All right, so maybe I came on a little strong there."

"A little strong?" said Rarity.

"Now I meant to say... I would give anything to have a shot against Isaac," stated Rainbow.

"You wouldn't stand a chance," said Pinkie.

"Thanks for the support, guys." said Rainbow as she felt a bit attacked by the lack of morale from her friends. "But someone's gotta beat Isaac. Today had made me do a lot of thinking about the last few years of my life and how I'll handle the ones yet to come. Let me tell you, a lot has changed since we first met the geek, way back then. He taught us that even when the odds are against you, you have to keep fighting and never give up no matter what." said the chromatic girl.

"But there's someone whose life he changed even more."

"Yeah, Twilight's," said Fluttershy.

"And that's why Twilight needs to be the one to duel him. To see if she's finally ready to be on her own."

"You know, you're a lot smarter than you look." snickered Sunset.

"What's that supposed to mean?!" said Rainbow as she let out a cartoonish anger face at the girl as the others just laughed.

Isaac was now walking around the school as he was taking a moment to clear his mind and say goodbye to everyone he passed by. Most of his classmates heard about his plan and wished him luck, even the CMC found Isaac as they all gave him one last hug as they were going to miss him. They made a vow to remember all of his teachings and carry on the foundation laid by the girls and build their legacy. Isaac smiled as he knew the girls would become fine duelists. He then turned the corner as he was heading back to the field as it was about to start when he standing there was a person. That person turned out to be none other than Twilight as she was leaning against the wall as if she was waiting for the boy to come this way.

Isaac then approached Twilight as he stood a few feet as the pair looked at each other's eyes.

"Hey." greeted Twilight.

"Hey." responded Isaac.

"So, you're leaving as soon as our battle ends?" asked the girl.

"Yeah, I have to. My career as a pro is going to be busy. And I have an appearance to make tomorrow." said the boy.

"I see... well, then. Let's hope that I don't beat you too quickly." chuckled Twilight softly with her hands behind her back.

"Let's hope." smiled Isaac as he began to walk past her.

"Isaac! Wait!" said Twilight as she called out to her friend with her hand out as it got the boy's attention.

"What is it?" asked Isaac.

Twilight now retracted her hand as she was struggling to tell the boy how she truly felt about him. She was contemplating whether or not she should tell him that she couldn't live her life without him being in it. She so wanted to say that she wanted to be with him, forever. But given what was already set in motion for the two, especially Isaac, it just... didn't seem fair. Would she tell him and cause him to miss his chance at being a pro, just to fulfill her happiness? All of this got the girl thinking about the previous night and how she cried and smiled at Isaac being an important part of her life. Her hands were shaking as she played with them nervously.

"I... I... I... I just..."

"Hey, Twilight. Breathe," said Isaac as he saw the girl was struggling to get her words out. "It's okay. Just, say what's on your mind? Whatever it is, just say it."

"I... I... I... wish you the best of luck. Just... don't ever forget wherever you go, I'm always there with you. And... may the best duelist win." said Twilight as she had a small smile appear on her face.

"Thanks, I wish you the same. And may the best duelist win." smiled Isaac as he now continued walking towards the back of the school.

Once Isaac was out of her sight, Twilight fell against the wall as she slumped and curled up as she cried into her knees. She had the chance to tell the boy her true feelings and... she couldn't do it. Now she was worried about how the duel between them was going to go as Isaac was expecting her to bring her A-game. But with all that was on her mind, Twilight didn't seem like she was going to be capable of doing that. And giving her best friend the best duel he had left as a high schooler. Soon some rustling sound came from the bushes near her as out emerged a dog.

"So, did you tell him?" asked Spike.

"I couldn't." sniffed Twilight as she wiped some tears. Spike offered some comfort by putting his paw on her leg as she looked at his owner. "Isaac has so much already set in stone, that I couldn't bear to make him throw it all away just so that I can be happy. That's selfish of me."

"What are you going to do then?" asked the mutt.

Twilight got the last of her tears wiped as she reached into her pocket. "If I can't tell Isaac how I feel with my words, then there's only one other way to truly get him to understand how I feel." said the girl as she was looking at her deck. She then pulled out her phone. "Nicole, respond."

"Scanning, Twilight... Restoration at 97%." said the A.I.

The entire field in the back of the school was filled to the brim with people. Not just students, but also parents themselves. Both Isaac and Twilight's parents were offered front row seats next to Celestia and Luna as they wanted to give them a special view to see their children go at it for the grand duel. The two families got to talking as they wished each other the best for their child to win and thanks to the other for making the two of them happy they got together. Cadance had Flurry Heart in her hand as even the small baby wanted to see the boy and her aunt go at it. Shining Armor told his agent team that he wanted to see this event for his little sister and rival that they made his request possible. Speaking of him, Sombra was also present as he and the Shadowbolts arrived as they too wanted to see this battle between a former classmate of theirs and the person who lead the victory against them in the Friendship Games. Even the Shadowbolts took some time from their dueling careers as they wanted to see their opponent before he met with them on the pro circuit.

Soon the entire class was present on the field as they all stood in front of the small stage as both Celestia and Luna were present and looked at the class.

"Ladies and gentlemen, it's my honor to present the graduating class of this year for CHS. Now in a matter of moments, we will have the graduation duel take place. But before then, I would like to say a few words from me and my sister. Plus a speech from our valedictorian, herself, Twilight Sparkle." stated Celestia. "Now then, let me start by saying that you all have been extraordinary class for your time here at this place."

"We know that you all will go on to have better lives and that the lessons taught here will prepare you for the life that's ahead of you. We're all proud of what you've accomplished. It's remarkable to think that a story like this could fill this place with such a unique collection of people! It makes you realize that everybody is the star of their own story. And it's not just the main characters in our stories that make life so rich! It's everybody – those who play big parts and those who play small." said Luna as she and Celestia got applause for the students standing before them as they clapped which was soon followed by everybody else in the stands.

"Now then, Twilight would you please come up on stage to say what you want," said Celestia as the girl started walking up on the stage and stood before the microphone as she saw her classmates before her as they waited to see what she was going to say.

"We thank you all for conducting this wonderful ceremony for us, the graduating students," said Twilight as she looked at Celestia and Luna.

"Time flies quickly. These past years of our lives we passed through this school's gates, with so many hopes in our hearts. And here, at Canterlot High, we made many friends and met many teachers. And through the duels we fought, we learned many things. We are comrades who have fought and encouraged each other and spent a lot of time together. Our duels with you taught us our strengths, weaknesses, and how to have consideration for our opponents. Even if we shall now walk different paths, living in faraway places, we shall always be comrades. The bonds forged here among us will be eternal. I am sure much hardship, as well as joy, awaits us in our future. And every time we face it, I believe we shall remember... Our lives here. Our comrades here. And I believe that that will always lead us in the right direction. Thank you, everyone. Thank you, Canterlot High. And goodbye." spoke Twilight.

Everybody in front of Twilight couldn't help but cry and hug their friends close by as it was the most heartfelt speech given.

"Goodbye, huh?" was all Isaac said as he had a different expression from everybody as he didn't cry.

After that Celestia and Luna began to call out each person's names as they came onto the stage to receive their piece of paper and to put their deck to be scanned into the school's archives to be remembered for future generations to come. One by one, the students came up to get their diplomas. Celestia and Luna were now getting to the tail end of the stack as the last few names were ones they were looking forward to.

"Fluttershy Breeze," called Celestia as the girl got on the stage with the principal.

"Yes, ma'am." said the girl.

"Congratulations on your graduation," said Celestia as she reached into the box that Luna was holding as she pulled out her diploma and gave it to the buttercup girl as she grabbed it with both hands.

"Thank you," said Fluttershy.

"Scan your deck," said Luna as she directed the girl to the podium next to her.

Fluttershy nodded as he pulled out her deck and then gently put it into the holding pen as the device began to scan it as the data transmitted and projected in front for the girl to see.

"Scanning... Name... Fluttershy Breeze. Deck: Beast." spoke the device as it ejected her deck for her to grab as she thanked both one last time and got off.

"Rainbow Dash."

"Yes, ma'am." spoke the chromatic girl.

"Congratulations on your graduation," said Celestia as she handed her, her paper.

Rainbow nodded and then approached the podium as she put her device in as it began to scan the contents of her deck.

"Scanning... Name... Rainbow Dash. Deck: Ultra Athletes(U.A.) and Speedroids." It then ejected her deck for her to grab as she shook the ladies' hands.

"Rarity Belle."

"Present."

"Congratulations on your graduation," spoke Celestia give her the diploma.

Rarity said thank you as she did the same and pulled out her deck to be scanned.

"Scanning... Name... Rarity Belle. Deck: Crystal Beast."

"Pinkamena Pie."

"Here."

"Congratulations." said the principal.

"Scanning... Name... Pinkamena Pie aka Pinkie Pie. Decks: Toons and Madolche."

"Jacklyn Apple. Or Applejack," spoke Celestia.

"I'm here," said Aj.

"Congrats." smiled the ladies.

"Scanning... Name... Jacklyn Apple, aka Applejack. Deck: Predaplant."

"Sunset Shimmer."

"Yeah." spoke the girl.

"Congrats," said Celestia giving the girl her piece of paper.

"Scanning... Name... Sunset Shimmer. Deck: Red-Eyes."

"Thank you, even if I caused you both trouble all these years." said the bacon-haired girl as both hugged her.

"Twilight Sparkle."

"Present." spoke the girl.

"Congrats," stated Celestia.

"Scanning... Name... Twilight Sparkle. Deck: Spellbook."

Once Twilight got hers and exited the stage, Celestia pulled out the last piece of paper as she looked at it and then at Luna as both smiled.

"And lastly... Isaac."

Isaac now walked onto the stage as he stood in front of the two women as both looked at him as all around were smiles.

"Congratulations on your graduation." said both women as Celestia handed Isaac his diploma.

"Thank you." said the boy as he grabbed it and then approached the device as he took out his deck. He looked at it as he took a deep breath and then slotted it in.

The device began to scan Isaac's deck as it was going through each of his cards one by one as it came up for the boy to see as it showed all of his monsters, even his pendulum cards, as well as his Extra deck and spell/trap cards. Soon it finished as it downloaded the data into the system and the school's archives.

"Scanning... Name... Isaac. Deck: Magician."

Isaac then grabbed his deck as he put it back into his deck box on his belt and looked at the two ladies as they both gave him one final hug as they were going to miss him.

"Now then, it's time to begin the graduation duel!" shouted Celestia as it got everybody to be excited. "First let me set the stage for the two competitors, the graduation duel will be like no other. In that, it'll be a best 2 out of 3. So the winner is declared once someone has won 2 duels. And the first two duels will have them starting with 4000 life points, and should there be a third duel, the last one will be played with 8000 life points. And so to prepare for this, both Isaac and Twilight will be given one hour, one hour to prepare their decks. Then it will be time for the duel to begin."

"Everybody else, make your way to your seats and wait for the duel to begin," said Luna as everybody left the field. The only ones left were both Isaac and Twilight as they were looking at each other.

Just as Isaac was leaving, he was stopped by Twilight grabbing his shoulder.

"What is it, Twilight?"

"Isaac, I have a request. In our duel... I want you to use the Egyptian God cards." said Twilight with a look.

"You're kidding?"

"No. I want you to put them in your deck. If you love me, then you'll do it." said the girl as that serious look never left her face as she began to walk to her room where she would be prepping her deck.

"Twilight." was all Isaac said as he left to his room to prep his deck.

Just like that, half an hour had passed. Both Isaac and Twilight were in their waiting rooms inside of the school as they sat at a desk with their cards all scattered in front of them as they each began to closely examine them and formulate in their head the best possible deck they could create.

Twilight was looking over the cards in front of her as she was working her brain overtime in not only coming up with a deck but finding a way to beat Isaac. She knew he was thinking about every possible outcome she might try, so right now she was trying to figure out her plan. She then let out a sigh as she thought back to the time they were stuck in the library.

(Flashback)

"So Twilight, what are your plans for after graduation? I know it's a bit far off for all of us, but couldn't hurt to have a plan." asked Isaac.

"Well, to be honest, I plan to attend Everton University here in Canterlot. They have a well-known card designer program. I told you about how I have an interest in becoming a card designer. What about you?" replied Twilight. "I expect that you have plans to become a pro duelist, I mean based on how everybody is amazed by your skills. Even my brother offered his praises."

Isaac looked at Twilight and saw that she was smiling while having a small bit of red. It caused him to smile as well, and some red of his own to form.

(End of Flashback)

"So long ago, and yet it feels like it's only recently," said Twilight. "But I have to get through to Isaac. It's the best gift I could give him not only to repay all he's done for me but before he leaves forever. I don't want to see him go, but it's time for him to move on. Besides, if I win, that means I'm ready to separate from him, too. This is by far the toughest duel I've ever had to face, not just because Isaac is such a great duelist, but because winning this duel means losing my closest friend." said the girl as she looked at her cards and grabbed her High Priestess of Prophecy.

"Before I met Isaac, I was a completely different person: asocial... sad... and lonely. But ever since that day, when Isaac and I first met together, I've been strong and confident. And if I win... I'll prove that I'm ready to face the world on my own. All I have to do is remember everything that Isaac taught me and I can do this!!" said Twilight as she touched the necklace she was wearing given to her by the boy. She then began to work on her deck as she now had it planned out.

"It's nearly done," said Twilight as she looked at the stack in front of her. "But one thing remains. Nicole, respond."

"Scanning, Twilight... Restoration at... 99%." said the A.I.

"All it needs now is the final piece," said Twilight as the door to her room opened up and looked at who came in. "And it's right here." smiled the girl as it had been brought to her as she grabbed it and put it into the deck and did one final scan.

"Scanning... Restoration at... 100%. Congratulations." said the A.I.

Isaac was in his waiting room as he was rebuilding his deck. But even more so in the middle of scattered cards were the three Egyptian God cards he had been holding on to and protecting as he was remembering what Twilight was asking of him. That she wanted him to use them; Isaac didn't want to use these cards against his friends, but seeing as how serious Twilight was, it seemed like she did want to face them. Isaac let out a deep breath as he leaned back into the chair with his hands behind his head as he looked up. He too was remembering their talk when they were trapped in the library.

(Flashback)

"So Twilight, what are your plans for after graduation? I know it's a bit far off for all of us, but couldn't hurt to have a plan." asked Isaac.

Isaac looked at Twilight and saw that she was smiling while having a small bit of red. It caused him to smile as well, and some red of his own to form.

(End of Flashback)

"To think that it's been so long since that happened. And it came by so fast," said Isaac. "I feel as though every opponent I've ever faced, was preparing me for this moment." Soon Isaac began to get to work as soon he had it in front of him.

"It is now complete! I have succeeded in building my strongest deck ever. And now the time has come to put it to the test. Twilight! It's time to duel!" said Isaac as he looked at the item in front of him. He then grabbed it as that moment all of Isaac's monsters appeared as they knew what their master was thinking as they all appeared bowing before him. Not once dare to lift their heads unless spoken to by their master.

"Beta, Gamma, Alpha!" shouted Isaac as he called out to his Magnet Warriors. "Even you little guy," said Isaac to his Electromagnetic Turtle as all four stood in front of their master.

"You all have given your bravery to helping me win so many duels in my younger years. And for that I'm thankful," said Isaac as the monsters all understood what their young master said as they bowed and disappeared.

"Knights!" called Isaac as his Queen, King, Jack, Joker, and Arcana Triumph Joker all stood before the young boy.

"Do you all pledge your loyalty in helping me to achieve victory against Lady Sparkle?" asked Isaac like a king talking to his soldiers.

"On our honor as knights." said all five putting their swords together.

"Then I shall lead us into battle, I only ask for you to follow behind me," said Isaac as his knights all bowed as they disappeared.

"Pendulum crew!" said Isaac as his six pendulum monsters all appeared.

"Are you ready?"

"Yes, Master Isaac!" shouted all of them with serious looks on their faces as they too disappeared.

"Are you two okay fighting?" asked Isaac to his Mage Annette and Magician Boy as he didn't want to put the kids in the position of hurting Twilight if they didn't want to.

"You can count on us, Isaac." said the kid magicians as they were willing to support their master.

"Thank you," said Isaac as he kneeled and gave each a high five as they vanished.

"Breaker!"

"Yes, my master." said the warrior kneeling.

"Your service to me is praised and so I ask for you to lend me your strength once more," stated Isaac.

"You have my word, Isaac." said the man as he was gone.

"Ebon Illusion Magician, Ebon High Magician, Chaos Mageía!" said the boy as his Xyz monsters appeared. They nodded and were soon gone. "Dark Sorcerer Magician, Valor Valkyrie, Dark Flyer Lysithea, Enchantress of Melody, Paladin Fortis!" said Isaac as he addressed his synchro crew. They all knew what Isaac was saying as they all bowed down.

"Magician Girls, Valkyria, and Apprentice Illusion Magician," said Isaac as the teen girls around his age were all appeared before the young man.

"We promise to serve and protect you, Master Isaac." said the teen girls.

"Thank you," said Isaac as he received a kiss from each of them as they disappeared.

"Dark Magician of Chaos, Sorcerer of Dark Magic, and Magician of Chaos."

"We pledge to stand by you, Isaac." said the trio as they disappeared.

The only ones that remained were Mahad and Mana, along with Kuriboh. Isaac approached the trio who served as his ace cards.

"The time is now, so I ask for your help?" said Isaac.

"We have always been doing that." smiled Mahad as he put his hand on Isaac's shoulder.

"I'll always choose to side with you, Isaac," said Mana as she wrapped her arms around her master and nuzzled her cheek with his before planting a kiss.

"Kuri," said the small furball.

"Then let's do this," said Isaac as he closed his eyes as all three disappeared back into the deck as the others did as they awaited.

Out in the field, everybody was waiting to see the duel. And I mean everybody. Mr. William had arrived as he wanted to see the duel between Isaac and Twilight to see how far Isaac came ever since he rescued Slifer from the thief. The girls' students were also present as they were in the upper stands as they knew they didn't want to miss this bout between Isaac and Twilight. At Camp Everfree, Gloriosa and Timber were watching the duel on their TV screen, Rara was currently in her dressing room with her team as they too wanted to watch the duel. Mr. Johnson and his nephew Dominik were at the shop as they wanted to see their business partner's graduation duel before Isaac went off to the pro circuit. Mr. Turner from Everton High was watching it with some of his assistants as they had been wanting to see how Isaac had handled his Dark Sorcerer Magician since he last gave it to the boy after the duel they had with Dimension Summoning. All the places the crew went during their summer trip across the country were all watching from their school as the battle was about to unfold. Mr. Bristle and his circus troupe all gather around the training space to watch this battle. To think that Starlight and Sunburst were interested in this duel as they were watching it via a satellite as they too wanted to see who won as they held hands and smiled together.

It wasn't just people in their world, in Equestria, Princess Twilight, now the new ruler of all of Equestria had the mirror powered up as she and her friends all gathered in front of it to watch the battle about to go down with their human friends. In the future, Shane and Aqua were looking at a small device as they were taking a peek at Isaac in his current timeline as they saw their friend about to engage in one of the greatest duels of his life as they prepared to watch. And lastly, were Yuya, Yuma, Yusei, and Jaden as they each were watching this duel from the comfort of their own home with their special someone as they prepared to see what this battle between two lovers was going to bring about.

"Good luck, Isaac." said all four of them in unison as they could feel their comrade's spirit.

"It's almost time," said Spike as he was in Fluttershy's arms as the group of girls were having front row seats to watch their two friends go at it.

"Yeah, Isaac versus Twilight. That's as good as it gets," said Applejack.

"Indeed." said a voice.

"Juniper Montage!" said the girls as they saw the girl who caused havoc on the film of her uncle.

"What are you doing here?" asked Rainbow.

"Didn't Isaac tell you girls, I'm his agent." said the girl.

"His agent?" said Fluttershy.

"He gave me a second chance to redeem myself, so he offered me the position of being his agent. In fact, we've been meeting secretly to go over the details of him going pro. It was tough, but I was able to get Isaac's name out there. And as a result, he now has 12 appearances to get started on when he enters the competitive scene and more to come. In fact, we leave the moment the duel ends." said Juniper.

"So, he really isn't kidding?" said Rarity.

"I did my best to give you guys time to properly say goodbye, I worked tirelessly to get Isaac's request, but... it just couldn't happen. The best thing I did was push back his date that he needed to attend to be after his graduation. I'm sorry, girls. Understand I did all I could for my client."

"We understand, Juniper. And thanks." said Sunset.

"Well, I'll leave you be. Enjoy the duel." said Juniper as she went to her seat to watch the duel that was about to take place.

"Here they come," stated Pinkie as coming through the doors was Isaac and Twilight as they walked side by side with the most serious look on their faces.

Isaac and Twilight were walking towards the field as they looked forward. In their heads, they were getting their minds focused on what was about to go down. They soon spilt as each one made it to the opposite side of the field as they had their backs turned to each other.

Alright, Twilight. You asked for my best, and I intend to give it.

Isaac, I won't insult you by giving you anything less than my all. I'm gonna come at you hard right from the start.

Once they got in place, they turned around at the same time to look at one another. For a second, each had a slight bit of worry in their face, but soon replaced it with a serious expression. Each duelist now stood there as one by one, the monsters in their decks now appeared by their respective masters. From comrades to now enemies on the battlefield, each monsters was looking at the opposite side as it was two armies each with their generals in front. Both having a goal in mind, the question being who had the better plan? Each monster on both sides were glaring at the opposite side as they prepared to due battle. For the two teens, they couldn't help but feel sad at the position they were in, once more, the memories that Isaac and Twilight had with each other came rushing as they stood with their huge army behind them. The one thing they feared, and they were doing it. Fighting against their best friend.

One memory that stuck with the two pair was of them being on the roof of CHS. Isaac was sitting down with his arm resting on his knee while Twilight was standing next to him as she had her hands behind her back as the two looked out to the town. Then one frame later, they turned to look at each other as they closed their eyes and smiled.

Everybody sat down as the pair made their way to the field as they each took their position. Once they did that, they looked at each other as the scowl on their faces was still there. Celestia then began to stand up from her chair.

"We are ready to begin the graduation duel between Isaac and Twilight. And it's a championship duel as well. To refresh everybody on how this match will work, it's a best 2 out of 3. The first two duels will be played with 4000 life points and should a third one arise, it'll be played with 8000 life points. In between the duels, duelists have two minutes to make any changes and substitute any cards they want." said Celestia as he finished explaining the rule as both duelists nodded.

Isaac reached into his deck box on his belt as he pulled out his deck and then slotted it into his duel disk as it activated and projected a gold card tray. Twilight then reached into her pocket and looked at the deck she was using as she slid it into her duel disk and projected a purple card tray.

"Then... the final duel... will... BEGIN!!!" shouted Luna.

Isaac, if you've taught me anything, it's to put your heart into your deck, trust your cards, and duel with everything you've got. That's exactly what I'm gonna do!

"Are you ready for this, Twilight?!"

"That's what we're here to find out, right?!" shouted the girl.

"Let's duel!!" shouted both of them as they drew their cards.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Twilight's Life Points: 4000-

Turn 1: Isaac

"Best of luck, Twilight," said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now! I'll start by discarding one card from my hand to summon a monster known as The Tricky(2000/1200)!" Isaac now had a monster on his field as it had a question mark on its face and chest as it was yellow and wore a blue cape.

"Then I'll place one card facedown and end my turn!"

Turn 2: Twilight

His monster may have 2000 points, but I know how to stop it!

"Check this out!" said Twilight as she drew her card. "I activate... my Swords of Revealing Light!"

"What?!" said Isaac as he was shocked by what Twilight just said as she played a card that she never used or had in her deck. Soon multiple swords came onto his field as they stopped his monster from attack. Twilight doesn't have Swords of Revealing Light in her deck.

"Nice, now that monster can't attack for three more turns!" said Rainbow at what Twilight did.

Isaac however wasn't worried as he had a smile on his face for Twilight playing Swords of Revealing Light.

"And next I'll call my Green Gadget(1400/600) to the field in attack mode!" shouted the girl as she played on her beloved gadget monsters. "And thanks to his special power... I can move Red Gadget to my hand! Then I place one card facedown. And that's all for now!"

Turn 3: Isaac

"You think that's good? Watch this!" said Isaac as he drew his card. I may not be able to attack Twilight with my monster, but I can attack her with her own.

"I activate the magic card Rebellion! Now, I can select a monster on your side of the field and force it to attack you directly! And I choose your Green Gadget!" Twilight's monster then turned around as it then lunged itself at his mistress.

"Hold on!" shouted Twilight. "You triggered my trap! So now... I activate Stronghold the Moving Fortress!" Soon a giant metal robot came out in front of Twilight as it had gear-shaped spaces in its chest. "This trap is also a monster with 2000 defense points, so my life points are safe!" Soon her fortress swapped her gadget out of the sky as it landed on the ground.
Twilight's Life Points: 3400-

"I'm afraid your life points aren't as safe as you think, Twilight!" said Isaac.

"That's right! Cause Green Gadget was Twilight's monster," informed Sunset to the rest of the girls.

"I'll admit, I've never seen a duel as evenly matched as this one," said Rainbow.

"Well, what do you expect? These two spent so much time together," stated Applejack.

With this new deck I've assembled, Isaac's never gonna figure out my strategy!

Turn 4: Twilight

"All right, Isaac... my move!" said Twilight. "I activate Ties of the Brethren! First, I pay 1000 life points! After that, I'm able to summon two Level 4 monsters from my hand or deck! And I know just what I need! Come forth, Red Gadget(1300/1500), and then when he's summoned, I can move Yellow Gadget(1200/1200) to my hand which I'll then use my spell to summon it as well! Take the field in defense mode!" stated the girl as both of her monsters appeared.
Twilight's Life Points: 2400-

"I'm not done yet."

"Huh?!" said Isaac.

"Now, gadgets... join my Stronghold!" shouted Twilight as her three gadgets jumped into the spaces on Stronghold's chest as it powered up. "Whenever these 3 gadget monsters are on the field at the same time... they're able to raise the attack strength of my Moving Fortress to 3000 points! Stronghold the Moving Fortress, attack! Steel Gear Crush!" Just as Twilight called her attack the swords she played on Isaac's field now transferred over to hers.

"What happened to my Stronghold?!"

"He's trapped-- thanks to my Bounce Spell! This magic card allowed me to transfer the effect of your Swords of Revealing Light to your monster! Now, it can't attack for 3 more turns."

Whoa. Now, what am I gonna do? I wasn't expecting that. I guess Isaac is trying his hardest to defeat me.

"I switch my Green Gadget into defense mode and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

Twilight, in my heart, I hope you win. But that doesn't mean I plan to go easy on you.

"It's my move. And I'll start by sending my monster to the graveyard to activate the magic card Tricky Spell 4! This allows me to summon as many Tricky tokens(2000/1200) as you have monsters on the field. That gives me 4 monsters as well!" said Isaac as his field filled up with four tokens.

"Okay, Isaac just evened it up," said Pinkie.

"Not exactly," said Sunset. "If he's about to do what I think he is, then he's way ahead of the game."

"I'm not finished yet. Not even close. I'm taking this duel to the next level!"

"No way," said Twilight.

"Now I sacrifice 3 of my tokens! So I can play Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!" Soon the ground behind Isaac began to crack open and shine with a blue light as Shining Armor and Sombra knew what was coming. Then it opened up as behind Isaac standing tall was Obelisk.

"No! Now, what?!" said Twilight looking up at the giant and powerful monster.

"This could be a problem," said Spike in Fluttershy's arms.

"Well, maybe for your average duelist. But we're talking about Twilight here?" said Rainbow.

"Dash, Twilight may be good, but she's never faced an Egyptian God. Only Isaac has and beaten them all," said Sunset.

"Obelisk, attack! Destroy her fortress with your Fist of Fate!" commanded Isaac. Obelisk heard Isaac's orders as it listened to the boy and then with one solid right its fist went straight through Twilight's metal fortress as pieces of gears and metal went flying as her gadget monsters were all knocked out of the robot as they came crashing down on the ground in front of their mistress in pain.
Twilight's Life Points: 1400-

"I place one card facedown and that ends my turn."

"Twilight! Hang in there!" shouted Rainbow.

"Isaac means business," said Aj.

"No joke," stated Pinkie as even she had never seen her big brother act like this in a duel.

"And it's worst, cause of not only Obelisk, but Swords of Revealing Light means she can't strike back," said Sunset.

"I told you I wouldn't go easy on you," stated Isaac.

Turn 6: Twilight

Twilight then stood up with a smile as it got Isaac to be surprised.

"Why's Twilight smiling?" asked Fluttershy.

"Cause she's the time of her life," said Sunset.

"That's nice and all, but can Twilight win?" asked Spike.

"It's gonna be tough, but if anybody can do it, Twilight can." said Dash.

"I'll take things from here!" said the girl as she drew her card. "First I place these 3 cards facedown. And then I summon my Silent Swordsman LV0(1000/1000) to the field!"

Okay, I know for a fact Twilight doesn't have that in her deck. So... does that... she...

"You finally figured it out?" said Twilight. "That's right, this isn't my deck. I made a brand new one from scratch. I kept thinking when I was building my deck about what you might expect me to do. It was tough, but then I came to the solution. That not only would I edit my current deck, but create a new one. Filled with cards that you never would have expected me to use, and it's filled with some cards that you use. Which is why I had Swords of Revealing Light." said Twilight.

"Twilight..." Isaac for the first time in his dueling life, he didn't know what to say. Cause this was the first time that he didn't know what to expect from his opponent's deck. "I... can't believe it... you fooled me. You caught me off guard. Out of the all things I was thinking of, I didn't expect you to create a separate deck from the one you used in so little time." Isaac had a smile on his face as did Twilight.

"Gosh, are you trying to make me fall in love with you all over again?" teased the boy.

"Maybe." smiled the girl. My plan is working, soon I'll be able to tell Isaac how I feel with our duel. I just have to let my cards do the talking.

"Now, let's see if you can get past my small swordsman!"

Turn 7: Isaac

"This could be just my last move! But then again... I don't what to expect from that deck. So I'm glad." smiled Isaac. "To begin, I'll place one card facedown. And, next, I'll play my Card of Sanctity! Now, we both draw until we're each holding 6 cards in our hand!" Isaac then drew his cards and looked at his hand as his eyes widen. He then looked at Twilight as he asked her.

"Ready?"

"As ready as I'll ever be," said Twilight as she looked at her hand and then at Isaac.

"Well, here goes. I'm afraid if this works, the duel is over. May the heart of the cards guide you, Twilight."

"Thank you."

"Now, let's see if you can withstand the great fury of an Egyptian God!"

"Go ahead, give me your best shot, Isaac!"

"Obelisk the Tormentor, attack her Silent Swordsman now! End this duel with your Fist of Fate!" Isaac's command was heard by Obelisk as he raised his fist and looked to make contact with Twilight's small monster.

"I reveal my trap! Ground Erosion! Then I activate a magic card known as Turn Jump! It forces each player to jump ahead 3 turns-- during which neither of us is allowed to make a move." said Twilight as her stopwatch came out and stopped Isaac's Obelisk from attacking. "This lets my swordsman increase from Level zero to Level 3!" Now Twilight's monster had 2500 attack points.

"Well done, Twilight. But that's not enough to defeat Obelisk!"

"You're wrong! Thanks to the effect of my Ground Erosion trap card, your Egyptian God is weaker than you think, Isaac!"

"Traps don't work on Obelisk!"

"I'm not using it on him!" said Twilight. "I'm using it on the field under him!"

"But how?!" said Isaac.

"It's simple after Ground Erosion is played, the monster standing on my opponent's side of the field loses 500 points with each passing turn. And, thanks to my magic card, 3 turns have just gone by! So Obelisk loses 1500 attack points! Making its strength equal to my Swordsman's. And Swords of Revealing Light now expires, meaning I'm free to attack." stated Twilight with a smile.

"Not so fast!" said Isaac as it got Twilight to gasp. "I activated a trap card of my own. Behold my Summoning Clock! It's automatically triggered when you play a magic/spell or trap card. Now all I have to do is sacrifice my clock and one monster from the field!" stated the boy as his Tricky token was gone. "Then I can summon one new monster for each turn that's passed!"

"What?! 3 new monsters!" said Twilight as her eyes widen.

"Exactly! And I'll start with Queen's Knight(1500/1600) and King's Knight(1600/1400), which automatically summons Jack's Knight(1900/1000)!" said Isaac as he had three of his royal knights in play. "One left. So, I summon Slifer the Sky Dragon(X000/X000)!"

"No way!" shouted Rainbow.

"Another Egyptian God?!" said Fluttershy.

Isaac then played his monster on his duel disk as thunder and lightning came from it as from up above some dark clouds began to form despite it being sunny. Soon the shadow of the monster flashed for a second as there was a roar that could be heard for all in attendance and those at home watching. Mr. William was the most stunned as he saw the beast that he lent Isaac as it made its presence known as it descended from the sky with its long red body as it stood next to Obelisk and unfurled its massive wingspan and roared.

"As you know, Slifer receives 1000 attack points for every card in my hand... and I'm holding 3 cards," said Isaac as Slifer shot up to 3000.

"You just triggered my trap! It's called Ambush Shield! And I'll activate it by sacrificing this card-- my Red Gadget! So, now I get to add its defense points to my soldier's attack points until the end of the turn!" said Twilight as her monster now had 4000 attack points.

"That's a powerful knight," said Spike.

"No shit. It has enough attack points to defeat Slifer the Sky Dragon now!" said Rainbow.

"Very impressive. However, your two gadget monsters are still vulnerable. Now my knights, attack!" said Isaac as his King and Queen's Knight took out Twilight's monsters. "Luckily for you, my turn's just about done. All I need to do now is call on one final monster to the field. I sacrifice... my Queen's Knight, King's Knight, and Jack's Knight!" said Isaac as all three of his monster disappeared.

"Is he..." stated the girls.

"He is!" finished Celestia and Luna.

"Almighty protector of the Sun and the Sky, I beg of thee, please, heed my cry. Transform thyself from orb of light and bring me victory in this fight. I beseech thee, grace our humble game. But first I shall call out thy name!" said Isaac as he opened his eyes and finished saying the chant. "Winged Dragon of Ra(?/?)!!" Isaac now held his card up high as it shined with a yellow light. "Behold, the third Egyptian God! " Soon out appeared an orb as it then began to transform and out appeared the last monster to complete the legendary trio.

"Now what's Twilight gonna do?!" said the girls.

"Unbelievable!" said Luna and Celestia.

"He played all 3 Egyptian Gods at once!" spoke Sombra as even he was amazed by how Isaac did it.

"You wanted this, Twilight?! Well, the true test will now begin!" stated Isaac with a booming voice as his parents had smiles on their faces watching their son do his thing.

Isaac just summoned the most powerful cards in the game! Twilight was still in awe at what she saw.

"Behold... the 3 Egyptian Gods! But I'm not done yet. Next, I play Pot of Greed! This allows me to take two cards from my deck and add them to my hand." said Isaac.

"How's Twilight gonna get outta this mess?" wonder Spike.

"There's no way, Spike," said Pinkie.

"So what does she do?" asked Fluttershy.

"I don't know, Fluttershy, cause even though her trap card weaken Obelisk's attack strength, it still has 2500 points," said Rainbow.

"And don't forget about Slifer. One Lightning Blast and Twilight's monster takes 2000 points of damage!" stated Applejack.

"And worst of all, if Isaac activates the special ability of The Winged Dragon of Ra, he can raise its attack points to almost 15000!" informed Sunset.

"What do you think William? Does Twilight have a chance?" asked Luna.

"Well, individually they have drawbacks, but when all 3 are together, they're practically indestructible." said Mr. William.

"So, Twilight has lost then?" said Luna.

"Well, Luna if you're so smart. Tell us, what combination of cards you would use to take down all three gods? Hmm." stated Sombra as Luna just glared at the man. "I rest my case. The best thing for Twilight to do is just lose and then move onto the next round and hopefully get a better start against Isaac."

"Perhaps, Sombra. But Twilight isn't one to just give up when it gets too hard. Others might, but not her." said Celestia as all four of them went back to watching the duel.

"All right. Ready, Twilight?"

"Ready, Isaac." Those god cards may be powerful but they're not undefeatable, cause I'm going to take them down one by one.

Turn 8: Twilight

It won't be easy, but I need to defeat all 3 god cards. Twilight then drew her card as she began to think.

"Twilight, I can the uncertainty in your eyes, and if you expect to win this duel, you must first overcome your self-doubt." said Isaac as he offered some advice for the girl as he could see she was a bit shaking.

"Right, sorry. I'm ready." said the girl as she knew what to do to take down the god cards. "First of all, since it's my turn again, my swordsman moves up in the world, advancing from Level 3 to Level 4!"

"Nice, now Twilight's monster has 3000 points." said Pinkie.

"That's enough to defeat Obelisk." stated Rarity.

"Next, I'll send my 3 Magnet Warriors-- Alpha, Beta, and Gamma-- straight to my graveyard! That lets me summon Valkyrion the Magna Warrior(3500/3850) in attack mode!" said Twilight as she had one of the cards that Isaac used in his deck.

"Twilight..."

"I told you, when I made this new deck, I incorporated some of your cards. I guess, I wanted to have a sense that you were with me and that you were helping me." said Twilight.

"Twilight..." was all Isaac could say as he smiled, but inside of the boy, his heart beating. Beating like he was starting to think more about his relationship with Twilight, almost like he couldn't live without the girl in his life.

"You just activated Slifer's ability, which means that your Magna Warrior is weakened!" said Isaac as he regained his focus on the duel as his sky dragon opened its mouth and fired a blast at Twilight's monster.

"Not quite, cause I have a backup plan! So now I activate the magic card Mirage Spell!" Twilight's Valkyrion now found itself having a silver coating as Isaac's attack made contact. Soon the attack headed towards Twilight as she simply raised her duel disk as the attack was absorbed into it. "Mirage Spell is activated when one of my monsters is targeted. It negates Slifer's blast and increases my life points by 2000!"
Twilight's Life Points: 3400-

"Way to play, Twilight!" said Shining Armor and Cadance as they were happy that the girl was able to survive.

"Using Slifer's ability to restore her life points may have been a decent move, but it's gonna take a lot more than that to defeat the 3 Egyptian gods." said Sombra to Celestia and Luna, as well as Mr. William.

"Next, I place two cards facedown on the field. Your move, Isaac."

Turn 9: Isaac

"Why didn't Twilight attack Obelisk?" said Rainbow.

"I guess she didn't wanna take the risk." stated Applejack.

"A careless attack on an Egyptian God could easily backfire." said Sunset.

"Then why did Twilight leave her monsters in attack mode?" asked Fluttershy as it caused all of them to blink for a sec as they examined the field again.

"What?!" said the girls.

What could she be planning? For some reason, she must want me to attack. Otherwise, she wouldn't have left her monsters in attack mode. They may be powerful, but they're no match for my Egyptian Gods. I guess there's only one way to find out.

"My move! I draw! And you know what that means! Since I'm holding 4 cards, Slifer's attack points increase to 4000!" stated Isaac. "Now, Slifer, attack! Destroy her swordsman! With Thunderforce Strike!"

"You just triggered my trap!"

"But, Twilight, trap cards don't work against Slifer!"

Soon Slifer fired its attack as it took out Twilight's monster with ease as the girl held on and covered up.
Twilight's Life Points: 2400-

"Winged Dragon of Ra! Attack her Magna Warrior!" said Isaac as he gave his second god the order to attack as it fired a powerful beam of attack as it felt the rays of the sun as it burned away Twilight's second monster as she was now defenseless.

"There goes monster number two." said Twilight as she covered up.
Twilight's Life Points: 900-

"Thanks to Slifer and Ra, Twilight's out of monsters now!" said Mr. William.

"And Isaac can still attack with his last Egyptian God!" said Celestia.

"One shot from Obelisk and Twilight's done." said Luna.

"Twilight, I know you tried your best. For that, I'm proud. But now, the time has come for me to end this duel." stated Isaac. "Obelisk, wipe out her life points with your Fist of Fate!" Obelisk then powered up its right hand and then reeled back and looked to take out the girl when soon her defeated Magna Warrior appeared.

"Valkyrion?" said Isaac as his Obelisk stopped his attack. "But how? This doesn't make any sense!" Soon Twilight's Silent Swordsman also appeared. "Twilight, I already sent those monsters to the graveyard! How were you able to bring them back?"

"Easy. Remember the last trap card I played?" said Twilight as she also regained the life points she lost.
Twilight's Life Points: 3400-

"Her life points just came back!" said the girls.

"My Mirage Ruler trap card automatically activates whenever all of the monsters on my side of the field are destroyed by my opponent in one turn. It brings my monsters back to the field and restores my life points to the number I had before your turn began." informed the girl. "Plus it only cost me a thousand points!"
Twilight's Life Points: 2400-

"Well done. I'm impressed." Isaac's heart was once again beating, and this time it was beating a bit stronger as he looked at the girl.

"I have no choice but to end my turn now."

"Whew!" said Twilight as she let out a breath.

"Twilight bought herself some time, but now she needs to figure out the weakness of the God cards." said Rainbow.

"Which is?" asked Spike.

"We don't know." said the girl.

"The first major weakness is that 3 sacrifices are required to summon them, but since they're already on the field, that weakness was eliminated." said Sunset.

"Now it's up to Twilight to do the impossible-- to do the thing that only one other person has done. And that's what Isaac did, fine the fatal flaws of the most powerful monsters in the game!" said Pinkie.

Twilight was now looking at Isaac's field as she noticed he had a card facedown. All right. If I expect to win this, I need to start thinking like Isaac. For starters, I need to figure out what his facedown card is. For some reason, he hasn't activated it yet. Wait! Come to think of it, I haven't launched one attack since he played that card. I bet he's planning to use it to make one of my attacks backfire! So it must be Mirror Force! If I'm right, then there might be a way I can take down those Egyptian Gods. But it's not gonna be easy! I need to play the right card combination, so everything is riding on this next draw. Well, heard of the cards, you know the deal-- guide me!

Turn 10: Twilight

"All right! Now, my move! And I have a plan!"

"Good. Then go!" exclaimed Isaac.

"Twilight's not gonna attack, right? Nah!" said Rainbow.

"For starters, my Silent Swordsman jumps one more notch from Level 4 to Level 5!" said Twilight as her monster now had 3500 attack points. "And then I'll activate Valkyrion the Magna Warrior's special effect! And you know what it does, Isaac. Since all three Magnet Warriors are in the graveyard, I can bring them all back to the field by getting rid of Valkyrion!"

"What's Twilight doing?" said the girls.

"Whenever you summon a new monster, Slifer's special ability activates!" said Isaac as Twilight's monsters all appeared on her field. "Lightning Blast!" shouted the boy as Slifer opened his second mouth and powered up its attack as it shot three attacks headed towards Twilight's field.

"So far so good! I activate my Magnet Force trap!" stated Twilight as all three attacks by Slifer stopped in front of the magnet warriors as they weren't' hurting them. "I can activate Magnet Force whenever one of my Rock or Machine monsters is targeted by the special ability of another monster! Once activated, this trap card transfers Slifer's blast to your monsters!"

"She's turning the Egyptian Gods against themselves!" said Sombra as he was shocked by Twilight's thinking.

"Is it gonna work?!" said Mr. William.

Soon all three blasts were then shot back towards the god cards as they made contact as Isaac covered up from the smoke that was produced. It then cleared out as there were his monsters but they had been severally weakened.

"She weakened them by 2000 points!" said Celestia in awe.

"Now Twilight's Swordsman can take on any one of those god cards!" stated Luna.

"Silent Swordsman, it's time to attack!" commanded Twilight. "Destroy Obelisk with Silent Sword Slash!"

"Not so fast, Twilight! I activate my trap card! Behold! My Mirror Force!" shouted Isaac. With that Isaac now took out all of Twilight's monsters as she had nothing left. "It's over, Twilight."

"So this is how it ends?" said Fluttershy.

"Twilight came closer than ah thought." stated Applejack.

"That was a valiant effort, Twilight. If only you had predicted my facedown card."

"I did, and that's why this duel's not done!" smiled the girl. "As soon as your Mirror Force trap card was activated, I was able to complete the card combination that I needed. Isaac! It's about time I eliminated those Egyptian God cards!" said Twilight as she pointed at her friend.

"But how?!" Even Isaac didn't understand what Twilight was saying.

"Do you think it's true? Does Twilight have the card combination to destroy the gods?" asked Rarity.

"It's your move. Let's see this plan of yours." shouted Isaac.

Turn 10: Twilight

"With pleasure," said Twilight as she drew her card. "First, I'll play my Magnet Reverse magic card. This allows me to choose any Rock or Machine monster that was destroyed this turn and bring it back to the field in defense mode. So I've chosen my Valkyrion, and since I've summoned a monster, Slifer's special effect activates. So gimme your best shot." said the girl.

Slifer then opened its second mouth as it fired an attack at Twilight's monster.

"Unfortunately for you, thanks to my trap card, Slifer's blast is redirected to your Obelisk." said Twilight as her Magnet Force was still in play. Soon it was sent back as reduced Obelisk to zero which in turn caused it... to be destroyed.

"He's gone!" said Isaac as he saw one of his god cards was defeated by Twilight.

"One down, two more to go. Now, Valkyrion, separate." Once more Twilight's monster spilled into the three separate magnet warriors used to make it. Just then Slifer's ability once again activated as it opened its second mouth and then shot three blasts at the new monsters that Twilight summoned to her field.

"Too bad, but once again, my trap card kicks in. So now Slifer's blast backfires." stated the girl as the three attacks returned as one took out Slifer and the other two took out Ra. And just like that... Twilight took out all three Egyptian God cards with ease and did the one thing that nobody else but Isaac did, and that was beat them.

"No way!!" shouted everybody in awe at what Twilight did as she took out Isaac's powerful monsters. True to her word.

"I guess Twilight did have a plan, after all." said Sombra as he was the most shocked to see her be the one to take them out.

"Did you see that? She beat the Egyptian Gods?" said Rainbow.

"In one move!" stated Sunset as she was shocked.

"The funny thing about it is, there's no way I could've destroyed those monsters without your help, Isaac. You see, all the battles we've been through together taught me something. Defeating someone who wields a strong force often means using that very force against them. So I knew the only way I could take down your Egyptian Gods was to figure out a way to attack them with their own power. So that's exactly what I just did, and the rest is history."

"Excellent work, Twilight. By trusting your instincts, you were able to accomplish the seemingly impossible. You destroyed the most powerful creatures in Duel Monsters, but remember that doesn't mean that you've won the game." smiled Isaac as his heart beat faster at seeing Twilight take out his god cards.

"True, not yet, anyway. So in the meantime, let's see what you've got."

Turn 11: Isaac

"All right, but I should warn you. I have plenty of tricks left, and I'll start with this-- my Polymerization, and I'll use it to merge my Gazelle and Berfomet to form Chimera, the Flying Mythical Beast(2100/1800)." said Isaac as his monster emerged.

"What a comeback. That's the strongest monster on the field." said Pinkie.

"Now, Chimera, attack Alpha the Magnet Warrior. Pulverizing Pounce." ordered Isaac as he took out the monster with ease. "Looks like you're down to two monsters now."

"Impressive, even though he lost his 3 best cards, Isaac bounced right back, and now he's got the upper hand again." said Mr. William.

"Not quite, William. Twilight may have fewer life points, but she managed to come up with an unprecedented strategy to defeat the Egyptian God cards. I've never seen anything like that before." said Sombra.

Turn 12: Twilight

"Where was I? Oh, yeah. I was about to sacrifice my Beta and Gamma Warriors to bring out this-- Buster Blader(2600/2300)." said the girl as she had now the strongest monster on the field.

"This duel is a close race. Just when I think Isaac is back in the lead again, Twilight speeds ahead." said Cadance.

"Twily." stated Flurry Heart as she cheered for her aunt.

"But only one thing counts-- crossing the finish line first, and my money is on my little sis." said Shining Armor. To think that growing up, he would bully her with his Blue-Eyes. But now here they were, and he saw it with his own eyes. The fact that Twilight was able to do something impossible confirmed that she was the better duelist between the two.

"Ok. It's go time. Now, Buster Blader, attack. Destroy his Chimera." exclaimed Twilight. Her monster then raced forward with its huge sword and leaped into the air as it then did a downward slash as it cut Isaac's monster clean in half.
Isaac's Life Points: 3500-

"Well, done Twilight. But unfortunately for you, not well enough. You triggered Chimera's special effect. So now I can bring back one of the two monsters I merged to form Chimera, and I choose this one-- the mighty Berfomet(1400/1800). Show yourself, my beast, and I'm afraid there's plenty more where that came from." said Isaac.

Turn 13: Isaac

"So let's see what else you've got, Isaac." said Twilight as she wasn't backing down.

"Very well. Your Buster Blader may be powerful, but it's not indestructible. Now say hello to my new friend." stated Isaac as he drew his card. "I sacrifice Berfomet to summon Beast of Gilfer(2200/2500)." Isaac now had his monster appear in defense mode.

"Then I shall place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 14: Twilight

I know what that monster's ability does, but that's a risk I'm going to have to take, cause it's even worst if I let Isaac keep that monster on the field.

"All right. My move. I'll place this facedown and then I'll send your Gilfer on a one-way trip to the graveyard. So here goes. Buster Blader, Dragon Sword attack!" shouted the girl as her monster then lunged forward and did some slashes on Isaac's monster.

"I'm afraid you've just activated my Beast of Glifer's special effect. Whenever it's sent to the graveyard, it decreases the attack strength of one of your monsters by 500 points." stated the boy as Twilight's monster had some of its strength reduced.

"I guess I'll end my turn."

Turn 15: Isaac

"I thought you might say that." said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now I place one card facedown, and then I'll activate a magic card known as Awakening from Beyond. Here's how it works. My opponent earns the right to draw two cards, and in exchange, I earn the right to transfer one monster from my graveyard to my hand. Now go ahead and draw your cards, Twilight."

Twilight then did as Isaac told her as she picked up some cards from her deck.

"Now it's my turn. So one of my monsters returns to the game."

Yeah, but which one? Besides the Egyptian Gods, what's the most powerful monster in his graveyard?

Twilight then had a quick flashback to the beginning of the duel.

(Quick flashback)

"Best of luck, Twilight," said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now! I'll start by discarding one card from my hand to summon a monster known as The Tricky(2000/1200)!"

(End of Flashback)

But bringing back The Tricky would be pointless. First of all, Isaac would have to remove a card from his hand to summon it, and even if he did, it still wouldn't be strong enough to defeat my Buster Blader.

"What's wrong? Trying to guess what monster I brought back? You won't." taunted Isaac as he watched Twilight was thinking. "And now I'll summon this monster to the field in attack mode. Swift Gaia the Fierce Knight(2300/2100), come forth!"

"How did Isaac get that in his graveyard?" asked Pinkie.

"And although it's a Level 7 monster, it can be summoned without a sacrifice because it's the only card left in my hand." said Isaac as his monster appeared on his field and let out a sound as it raised its lance.

"Hold on! I never sent that card to the graveyard." stated Twilight.

"Yes, that's true, but I did at the very start of our duel. Before I summoned my first monster, I got rid of a card in my hand."

"Wait a sec. Are you telling me you sent Gaia to the graveyard all the way back then? But why would you throw away such a powerful card so early in the duel?"

"I was preparing for this. I have known from the very beginning that we would get to this point."

"What? But how could you have predicted that?" Twilight was really stunned by what Isaac was saying.

"It was simple. From the moment I chose the cards in my deck, I knew the course that this duel would take, for although I held the 3 most powerful monsters in existence, I knew that I needed more. Twilight, what I'm saying is, I knew you would defeat the Egyptian Gods." Isaac's statement really got everybody to gasp.

"But that's impossible. There's no way he could've known how all this would go down." stated Luna.

"And now, Gaia, annihilate her Buster Blader with Spiral Lance Thrust attack." demanded Isaac. His monster then raced forward as it headed towards Twilight's monster and took it out.

"Uh... Uh..." let out Twilight as she covered up.
Twilight's Life Points: 2200-

"You just activated my facedown card-- Soul Rope. It lets me summon a monster from my deck to replace the one I just lost, as long as I give up 1000 points. So now let's see which card I should choose." said Twilight as she used her duel disk screen to select the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab.
Twilight's Life Points: 1200-

"I play this-- Witch of the Black Forest(1100/1200), and I'm putting her in defense mode."

"But, Twilight, that's hardly enough to protect you."

Turn 16: Twilight

"I'll take it from here. Watch this." said the girl as she drew her card. "I'm trading in my Witch for my Summoned Skull(2500/1200)." Soon out emerged a fiend monster as it had lightning coming from its claws. "And whenever my Witch of the Black Forest goes to the graveyard, I can transfer a monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose this one, Marshmallon."

"What a move, by Twilight." said Rarity.

"Here we go, Summoned Skull. Attack his Fierce Knight now, Lightning Strike!" shouted Twilight as her monster powered up and took out Isaac's monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 3300-

"My move is now over."

Turn 17: Isaac

"It's my move," said Isaac as he looked at his deck as he could feel the spirits of his monster as they were connecting with Isaac's spirit to help him. "And the card that I'm about to draw is the exact one that I need, and now, almighty Big Shield Gardna(100/2600), come forth!" stated Isaac as he played his card without looking at it. "Let's see if I was correct." stated the boy as soon the pillar of light ceased and there stood the monster he guessed.

"How the hell?!" said the girls.

"How could Isaac have known what card he was gonna draw?" asked Spike.

"I suppose that's what they mean by 'luck of the draw'." said Rainbow.

"No, I don't think that move had anything to do with luck." said Sunset. "Truth is, Isaac knew exactly what card he was about to draw."

"What? But their decks were shuffled? Is Isaac cheatin'?!" asked Applejack.

"It's that not, AJ. Look at Isaac." said Sunset as the rest of the girls looked at their male friend as to them, they could see his aura was glowing with his color as it was surrounding him. "Isaac didn't predict what his next card would be. His willpower made it so. We all feel it. Remember the bond that Isaac has with his deck that allows him to talk with his monster's spirits, well that determination is so strong, he actually influenced fate with his own will."

"But that's insane? Since when can fate be controlled?" asked Rarity.

"Well, look at all the shit we've been through with crazy magic experiences. If you think about, nothing is impossible when Isaac set his mind to it. And again, remember what Isaac said when Celestia and Luna told him that his destiny was to be a pro, he hesitant at first cause he felt like fate was telling him what to do. But he soon realized that he didn't have to listen to what fate told him, he could do it his way." explained Sunset. "And he's done that by carving his own path on his way to being a pro."

"I believe it's your move." said Isaac.

Turn 18: Twilight

"Sounds good to me." said Twilight as she drew, "I'll start by activating Pot of Greed, and you know what that means. And then I summon Watapon(200/300). Don't blink, you might just miss him. Cause I scarified him to play this-- Curse of Dragon(2000/1500)."

"Nice, now Twilight has two powerful monsters." said Fluttershy.

"Now, Summoned Skull, attack." said Twilight as she had her monster attack Isaac's Big Shield Gardna as it had more defense points.
Twilight's Life Points: 1100-

Soon Isaac's monster was then changed from attack mode to defense mode.

"By attacking Big Shield Gardna, I was able to switch it into attack mode. Now it's my dragon's turn. Attack his Big Shield Gardna." shouted the girl as her dragon fired a pillar of fire as it took out Isaac's monster and dealt some massive damage to his life points.

"Rrgh!" said Isaac as he covered up from the attack.
Isaac's Life Points: 1400-

"Now your last line of defense is gone." stated Twilight.

Turn 19: Isaac

Isaac looked at his deck as he could feel someone calling out to him. All of it got the boy to smile as he sensed which monster was calling out to him.

"I may be defenseless now, but that's all about to change. My move," shouted Isaac as he drew his card, "And now I activate Dark Magic Curtain. Next, I shall give up half of my life points in order to summon my greatest creature and most faithful servant. Come forth, Dark Magician!" shouted Isaac as soon a purple light shined down on his side as his curtain pulled back to reveal his ace monster.
Isaac's Life Points: 700-

"I was afraid he'd do that." said Twilight as even she was a bit intimidated by what monster Isaac chose to bring out.

"I'm not done yet. Next, I activate my facedown card-- Book of Secret Arts, which raises the attack strength of my Dark Magician by 300 points. Now, Dark Magician, destroy her Summoned Skull with Dark Magic attack!" shouted Isaac as his most loyal monster heard the command by his master and obeyed it as it took out the fiend with ease.
Twilight's Life Points: 800-

"Nice work."

"Master, I have waited a long time to serve and aid in this battle. I've watched over you since you were but a child and the time has come to fulfill my responsibility and duty." said Mahad to the boy with a determined look on his face.

"Twilight, this is the strongest monster I have left, and you know him quite well. So if you intend to defeat me, you must first defeat my Dark Magician."

If I wanna beat Isaac, I'm gonna have to destroy his most trusted monster. And that's not gonna be easy.

"You may have destroyed my Egyptian Gods, but defeating my Dark Magician is your true test."

Turn 20: Twilight

"Now!" shouted the girl as she drew her card. "I'll play... one monster facedown in defense mode!" Dark Magician is stronger than ever now, thanks to Isaac's card. But I know that somewhere in my deck there's a card that can beat it! "Next, I switch Curse of Dragon to defense mode!" said Twilight.

"That ends my turn."

Turn 21: Isaac

Isaac was now looking at the monster that Twilight set down as he was thinking. Is that card what I think it is?

(Quick Flashback)

"Whenever my Witch of the Black Forest goes to the graveyard, I can transfer a monster from my deck to my hand, and I choose this one, Marshmallon."

(End of Flashback)

If I know Twilight as well as I think I do... the card she laid down is Marshmallon! For, if that monster is attacked while facedown in defense mode, the opposing player loses 1000 life points! And with only 700 life points left, if I attack it, I lose the duel. However, I have another plan in mind.

"My move!" said Isaac as he used his willpower and the bond he had with his deck to draw the card he desired. "I activate, Thousand Knives!"

"Unbelievable! He keeps drawing exactly what he needs at the right time!" said Mr. William to the two ladies and Sombra.

"He's controlling his deck with his will." said Celestia.

"When Dark Magician is in play, I can use my Thousand Knives to destroy one monster on your side of the field! So, say goodbye to your facedown card!" said Isaac as he got rid of Twilight's monster as it was in fact Marshmallon. "Since it was destroyed using a card effect, it's special effect doesn't activate! So, my life points are safe. Now, my Dark Magician, attack!" stated the boy as he had his magician take out Twilight's other monster.

Turn 22: Twilight

"Your Dark Magician is strong, but he's not invincible!"

"Well, then? Let's see you take him down." taunted Isaac.

"Oh, I will." shouted Twilight as she drew her card. "But first, I summon this... my Blockman(1000/1500) in defense mode! Then I'll place one card facedown. That's all for now."

Turn 23: Isaac

"I was expecting more." said Isaac. "Now, I activate my Dark Spear magic card!" stated the boy as he drew his card and played it without looking as he knew what card he was getting. "With his Dark Spear in hand, my magician can inflict piercing damage. Dark Magician, attack! Destroy her Blockman!"

"You triggered my trap! Go, Soul Shield!" shouted Twilight as she managed to stop Isaac's monster from destroying her monster. "Thanks to my trap, all I had to do was sacrifice half of my life points to negate your attack and end your battle phase!"
Twilight's Life Points: 400-

"So your Dark Magician will have to wait until next turn!"

"Well executed, Twilight."

"And the tide turns again." said Rarity.

"Yeah, but now Twilight only has 400 life points left!" said Fluttershy.

Turn 24: Twilight

"Here we go. It's time to send your magician packing!" stated the girl as she drew her card. Perfect! That's exactly what I needed.

"Now, I activate a magic card known as Gold Sarcophagus! And here's how it works. First, I choose a card from my deck and place it into this ancient box. Then if you happen to activate the same card... the effect of your card is negated!" said Twilight as she selected her card and placed it inside of the box as it closed the lid on it.

"Any guesses on what card you think she put in there, guys?" asked Pinkie.

"I don't know, darlings... but what are the chances that Isaac's gonna play the exact same card?"

"Now, I activate my Blockman's special ability: Deconstruction!" shouted Twilight as her monster broke apart into two separate tokens. "Since two turns have passed since I played it, my Blockman is reconfigured into two monsters. And now I plan to sacrifice both of them! Which lets me play a more powerful one-- one that's strong enough to destroy your Dark Magician! So, check this out... Gandora the Dragon of Destruction(0/0)!" shouted the girl as soon a huge dragon of hers appeared in front of her as it let out a roar.

"My dragon of destruction can only remain on the field for one turn, but that's all I need! So, I'll pay half my life points to activate Gandora's special ability and remove every monster on the field from the game!" said Twilight.
Twilight's Life Points: 200-

"Gandora, destroy his Dark Magician with Boundless Gigarays!" commanded the girl as her dragon powered up its body and released powerful laser rays headed towards Isaac's magician.

"I reveal my trap! Recall!!" At that moment, Isaac's magician was gone and Gandora was affected as it let out a cry as soon it was gone. "My Recall trap card, shall protect my Dark Magician from all monster effects for the remainder of the turn!"

"No way. Even with Gandora, I couldn't defeat his Dark Magician."

"Twilight... due to the effect of my Recall, you're allowed to draw one card from your deck. So, go ahead and draw." said the boy as she did just that.

"I place these two cards facedown. And that ends my turn!"

Turn 25: Isaac

"Now Twilight's back to having no monsters to protect her!" said Spike.

"I hate to say it y'all. But I think it's really over this time!" stated AJ.

"Not necessarily. With the way these two have been playing, anything can happen." said Sunset.

"It's my move. All right, Dark Magician, attack her life points directly!" shouted Isaac as his monster leaped high into the air and looked to bring its spear down on Twilight.

"I activate my trap! Magician's Circle! Whenever you attack me with a spellcaster, I can activate this trap card. And it gives me the power to automatically summon a spellcaster from my deck!"

That's the perfect card to use against my Dark Magician. I knew Twilight was prepared for my strategy!

"So, now I summon... my Silent Magician LV0(1000/1000)."

"Nice move, but your trap card allows me to play a monster as well. So now I summon Dark Magician Girl!" said Isaac as he now had his other ace magician with him as she appeared before her master and teacher as the sight of the three was now complete.

"Two magicians. And they're Isaac's star monsters." said Twilight as she looked at the boy as he stood there proud with his most loyal monsters by his side.

Mana looked at Mahad as the two nodded as did Isaac. She then gave a kiss on Isaac's cheek for good luck as the three looked to win this duel.

"Now, my Dark Magician... attack!" shouted Isaac. "Destroy her monster and end this duel!"

"I activate my magic card-- Spell Textbook!" said Twilight as Isaac's magician stopped his attack. "Now by discarding every card in my hand... I can draw one from my deck! And if it's a spell card, I can use it right away! Since my hand's empty... I have nothing to discard."

The card I'm about to draw will determine the outcome of this duel. Twilight then put her hand on top of her deck and drew her card.

"Now I activate this! Card of Sanctity! So, we both have to draw until we're each holding six cards in our hand! That's not all!" said Twilight as both drew their hand. "Next, I activate my magician's special effect! With every card you draw, my Silent Magician's attack strength increases by 500 points!"

"And I just picked up 5 new cards!" said Isaac as he realized the situation.

"Exactly! So my Silent Magician now has 3500 attack points! Now, back to the duel. I believe your Dark Magician was about to attack?" said Twilight as Isaac's magician resumed his course as he headed straight for Twilight's stronger monster.

"Isaac's only got 700 life points, so as soon as his magician attacks, Isaac loses!" said Mr. William. With that Isaac couldn't stop his magician from attacking.

"Isaac." said Mana as she looked at her master to play the card in his hand.

"Are you sure?" asked Isaac to his female magician girl to which she nodded. "All right then. Now I activate my magic card! Magicians Unite! This allows me to join my two magicians together as one spellcaster with 3000 points!" With that both of Isaac's magician worked together as they used their powers to reduced the amount of damage that their master would take. They were now fulfilling their duty on making sure to keep him safe as both attacked Twilight's monster only for them to be defeated and disappear.
Isaac's Life Points: 200-

"Mana, Mahad!" shouted Isaac as his two loyal monsters sacrificed themselves to allow their master a chance. Still it brought a tear to Isaac's eye at how much they were willing to keep him safe. "Thank you, you two."

"I can't believe it, Twilight beat both of Isaac's top magicians." said Sombra.

"She did it." smiled Shining Armor.

"Twily!" cheered Flurry Heart for her aunt.

"Now we each have 200 life points left. So the end is near." said Isaac to Twilight. "This will be my final turn. You have fought bravely. But, unfortunately, this duel will conclude with my victory. Thank you, Twilight. I activate this. Monster Reborn! And, now... I shall resurrect Slifer the Sky Dragon!" stated the boy as he had brought back one of his Egyptian God cards.

"Oh no!" said the girls.

"Slifer's attack points are determined by the number of cards in my hand. And since I'm holding 4, he now has 4000 points!"

If I were you, I would have summoned an Egyptian God also, Isaac. And that's why I was prepared for this very moment! Soon Twilight's Gold Sarcophagus now started to shine with an aura as it began to slowly open its lid.

"What?" said Isaac.

"The card I hid inside that box is the same card you just played! The card I buried was Monster Reborn!" said Twilight as the card revealed was in fact the one she declared. "And since the card you just played is the same one that I placed in my Gold Sarcophagus, the effect of your card is negated! Which means your Egyptian God goes back to the graveyard! So, this duel is still on!" stated the girl as Isaac's monster was gone.

"No way! She just defeated Slifer for the second time!" said all the girls.

"Of all the cards to put in that box, how did Twilight know which one to pick?!" wondered Cadance.

"She must've had this planned from the beginning. I guess after spending so much time with Isaac, Twilight knew exactly what he would play." stated Shining Armor.

Isaac now had his eyes closed as he realized the situation in front of him. He then looked at Twilight as he smiled but the girl had her head down as nobody could see her eyes as she started to have tears forming.

"Go on. You're move." said Isaac to Twilight in a calm voice. He could hear some soft sobbing coming from the girl. It's all right, Twilight. Proceed.

Turn 26: Twilight

"All right, Silent Magician! Attack his life points directly!" shouted Twilight with some water in her eyes. Her monster then heard her command and leaped into the air as it pointed its wand at Isaac and fired a spell as it hit the boy dead on as a huge shining light caused everybody to not see what was happening.

"Wait! So, did Twilight win the duel?" asked Spike.

"If this attack is successful, then, yes." said Rarity.

The light kept on shining for just a bit longer as soon it died down as Isaac covered himself up. He then stood there as his duel disk registered the result.
Isaac's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Twilight

"Holy Shit! Twilight beat Isaac clean!" said the girls as even everybody in attendance let out gasps.

At that moment, Twilight fell to both of her knees as her hands were on the ground in front of her as the tears in her eyes started to fall and hit the ground. Water coming down her eyes as the thing that just happened registered in her brain.

"Congratulations. Well done." said Isaac as he walked over to the girl crying as he stopped in front of her. "Twilight..." He now bent down to Twilight's level.

"I was focusing so hard on playing the game... that I forgot... what winning this duel would actually mean." cried Twilight as she looked at the boy whose face was just a few feet from hers. "I'm sorry... for defeating you."

"Twilight, I'm not mad. I'm happy you won. You gave me a feeling that I haven't experienced in a long time and I thought I never would. The feeling of losing to a better duelist." said the boy as he wiped some tears from her eyes and looked at her. "I told you that the reason why I chose you to be my girlfriend was cause you can duel your ass off. And you showed it when you took Starlight to the limit and you beat me fair and square. That's something to not take lightly. Be proud of that fact."

Twilight understood what Isaac was saying as she lunged at him and wrapped her arms around him. She buried her face into his shoulder as Isaac stood their with a stunned look before wrapping his arms around Twilight as he rubbed her back and put his head in her hair as he smelled that familiar lavender scent as inside of Isaac's heart it started to beat faster as if it was telling him something. Soon they both pulled apart as Isaac helped Twilight to her feet.

"You know, this isn't over. You won the first duel, you need to win one more to be the official winner. But that also means I need to get back into the game if I want to win." chuckled Isaac as he began to walk back to his side.

"Right." smiled the girl.

"Time for the second duel to begin." said Luna. "If both duelist want to make changes to their desks, now is the time."

Both Isaac and Twilight took out their decks as Isaac now began to make adjustments to his deck. For Twilight, she took the deck she made and put it away as she pulled out her Spellbook deck. Her plan to catch Isaac offguard worked, but now that deck had served its purpose. So she switched back to her updated deck as she had some more surprised for Isaac with her Spellbook cards.

After two minutes, both Isaac and Twilight were back in position as they activated their duel disks. Luna stood up from her chair as she looked at the two as they were prepared to go another round of dueling. To think that the first duel had everybody on the edge of their seat. Now they were ready to put on another performance.

"Begin!!" shouted Luna.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 4000-

Twilight's Life Points: 4000-

"You can go first this time." Isaac said graciously, gesturing her forward with a wave of his hand.

Turn 1: Twilight

"Twilight smiled as she drew. “I hope you don’t come to regret that. I’ll start by summoning, the Royal Magical Library(0/2000)!” Wooden shelves burst up from the stone pier, once again encasing Twilight in its comfortable confines. The library was wide enough to stretch from one end of the pier to the other, but also transparent so that the others could still watch everything.

"Now what’s a library without any books?” Twilight asked, selecting a fresh card from her hand. "I play the Spellbook Library of the Crescent, and it will pull three other books straight out from my deck!” Three cards popped out from her disk and a trio of blank card holograms grew out from them as they started revolving around the girl. She smiled as she watched their hidden sides and flicked her eyes at her opponent. “Unfortunately I’m only allowed to keep one of these, but which one is up to you.” Twilight said, flicking her wrist and causing the cards to snap to a standstill in a row before her, “Pick any one you like.”

Isaac grinned and pointed dead center. “I choose the one in the middle.”

"Nice choice,” Twilight complemented as she pick up the card, placing the other two on her deck. The automatic shuffler kicked in as the holograms faded. “You’ve given me the field spell, Grand Spellbook Tower! And don’t forget that for each spell card I activate, my Library gains one spell counter!” A circle of light expanded from around her feet, changing not much aside from causing an emerald-twilight glow to emanate from below. The wave continued out to sea where a tall tower of swirling metal and light appeared. Meanwhile, a pair of green orbs began to float lazily around the library at Twilight’s back.

"I’ll end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 2: Isaac

"It's my move, I draw! I'll start by summoning my Queen's Knight(1500/1600) in defense mode. Then place two cards facedown." A female knight wearing red armor appeared on his field, locking its sword and shield in a ready position as it knelt down. Behind it two facedown cards phased into play, and Isaac crossed his arms as he ended his turn.

Turn 3: Twilight

"Then it's back to me." Twilight then drew her card as her eyes widen at what she picked up; she looked over at Isaac as she then looked at the girls. The time is now.

"Don't think I'm just going to play defense. Cause now I play this card, Spirit of the Shelves(0/2000)!"

"The what?" said Isaac and their friends as they never heard of such a card.

A flicker of white caught Isaac’s eye from behind the bookshelves, but it was gone by the time he’d focused on the spot. It happened a second time, and a third, and each time there was no trace when he’d swiveled to the spot. Then all of a sudden there was a waft of cold air on the back of his neck and he shivered despite himself. He spun around and saw a transparent woman floating barely a foot behind him, clutching a book in its limp hands.

"What... is that?" asked Isaac.

"This... is a new card. Because well... I created it." said Twilight.

"You what?!" said Isaac and the girls.

"You remember when I was gone this past summer and how I interned at Mr. William and at Industrial Illusions. Well, I got the chance to create some cards, and well... Mr. William was pleased by what I created that... he helped me to make them official." explained Twilight.

"You made your own cards?" said Isaac as he couldn't believe Twilight did that and was now using them in a duel.

"They're ready to be reproduced and released, but I wanted to give them one final test. To see how well they perform and what better way than to use them in a duel against you. Someone who's a master at all known summoning methods and is someone who I know can give me valuable results." smiled Twilight.

"I... don't know what to say..." Isaac just kept smiling at how Twilight was choosing him to be the one to give the final test of cards she created from scratch. His heart was now beating louder again as this time Twilight could hear it.

It's working.

"Twilight worked hard when she was interning at Industrial Illusions, that I gave her the chance to make her own official cards and I legalized them. Now she gets to show them in action, plus the other cards she made outside for her deck are also about to released to the general public in just a few months." stated Mr. William as Sombra, Luna, and Celestia were amazed by what Twilight did as she did have a bright future as a card designer.

"So, care to show me how your new cards work? You caught me offguard a second time, man Twilight." smiled the boy as he looked at the girl who blushed.

"Back to the duel, and to show off my monster's effect. My spirit gains two thousand attack points when a 'library' monster is on the field, but first I'll activate Spellbook of Secrets so that I can add any 'Spellbook' that I want to my hand." A card popped free of her deck, and Twilight slid it free with a grin. “This will come in handy later. For now, I’ll have my Spirit attack!” The spirit suddenly grew animate, swooping forward silently upon Isaac’s monster. The knight quickly raised its shield, but the spirit passed right through it as smoke. It lifted a finger to its ghostly lips in the universal sigh for shush and reached out with its other arm. It did… something, and the knight exploded into shards with a silent scream.

“That ghost makes me uncomfortable…” Pinkie said in a low voice, rubbing the goosebumps off her forearms.

"Not bad, but I'm activating my facedown. Soul Rope! This allows me to summon my Alpha the Magnet Warrior(1400/1700) from my deck by paying 1000 life points." His trap card flared into light, a new figure growing into place from its center. This creature had a body of slate grey metal decorated with large magnets, one of which served as its head. It also wielded a sword and shield, which it levied before it in almost the same fashion as the knight before.
Isaac's Life Points: 3000-

"Traded one knight for another then,” Twilight said thoughtfully, “Well that’s not all my spirit’s got. I now receive an extra one hundred life points for each spell counter on the field!”
Twilight's Life Points: 4300-

"I see now, that Royal Library works well with your Spellbook deck. And with that new card you created, it gives you the ability to not only play your regular Spellbooks, but gain life points because you play spells." said Isaac with a smile on his face as he impressed by Twilight. "That new card, it works for you."

"Thanks." blushed the girl as it seemed her message of telling Isaac was happening.

"Atta girl!” Applejack cheered, “Way to take the early lead!”

"I’ll activate my Royal Library’s special ability,” Twilight said, putting a hand to her deck, “And draw another card at the cost of all three counters, clearing it so that I can keep generating more. Then I’ll set one card face down and end my turn.”

"Any more surprised you got planned for me?" asked Isaac like a little kid on Christmas.

'Maybe." said Twilight as she flashed a wink at the boy. "But you need to take your turn, first."

Turn 4: Isaac

"Right then, stand back." said Isaac as he drew his card. Man, Twilight got my attention again. Now I'm dealing with her usual deck, but this time she's using cards that she created herself. And man do they work well with her deck. Which means this is going to be tough, well Twilight wanted to test her cards against an experienced duelist. Time to see how if they sink or swim.

“You’ve set your field up very nicely. But are you prepared for my counter attack?”

Twilight leaned forward expectantly and held up her duel disk. “Bring it on!”

"With pleasure!” Isaac returned, “I’ll start by summoning Gamma the Magnet Warrior(1500/1800) to the field in attack mode. And next I’ll send one card from my hand to the graveyard to special summon The Tricky(2000/1200) as well!” To the right of his Alpha appeared a creature very similar to it, though so round that it was more a pink parody of a human shape. Its arms and legs were stubbly and it didn’t have its partner’s armaments, but it sported a pair of enormous metal wings. A much larger creature appeared on their opposite side in a rush of air. This newcomer was dressed up in a jester’s outfit, and wore a bright blue cape over that. Its face was completely covered by a red question mark.

Isaac gestured to his remaining facedown. "Unfortunately, the Tricky will not be staying long. I’ll use Soul Barter to exchange the Tricky for the monster I sent to the graveyard when I summoned it, Beta the Magnet Warrior(1700/1600)!” The jester vanished in a blink of light and Isaac’s trap went florescent, a yellow figure shooting out of its fading surface. This one had a body about halfway between its fellows, much slimmer than Gamma but still kinda cartoony in appearance. "Now I'll combine them all to summon, Valkyrion the Magna Warrior(3500/3850)!" All three of his warriors burst apart into pieces which revolved around each other in a mini tornado. They started snapping together, and true to form there was soon a giant combination robot on the field. It stood taller than the shelves of Twilight’s library, causing everyone to crane back their necks as it floated on two wide wings. Bits of Beta and Gamma had augmented Alpha’s sword as well, and Valkyrion wielded the blade as if it weighed no more than a feather.

"Valkyrion, cut down that Spirit of the Shelves with Magnet Saber!” shouted Isaac.

An eye of plasma burst dramatically into existence in Valkyrion’s previously empty visor and the robot leapt forward, raising its sword high. The ghost only gave its approaching doom moderate interest until it looked around at the shelves it floated amongst. Apparently realizing that the books might get damaged if it remained where it was, it floated boldly forward to meet the attack. The robot sliced the ghost diagonally from shoulder to hip, the blade cackling with electricity as it rent it in two.
Twilight's Life Points: 2800-

"I now end my turn."

Turn 5: Twilight

"Then it's my move, here goes." Twilight smiled and drew. "Time to show off another one of my creations, so I'll start by sacrificing my Library for even grander one. Let me introduce you to the Imperial Spellbinding Library(0/3000)! And everytime a spell is activated it gains 2 Spell Counters.” Her shelves creaked and groaned as the swelled in size. Now twice as tall and more uniform in shape, they glittered with high class filigree and metallic bindings. The books shone like new, almost dazzling to look at.

"Why should I not be surprised that Twilight created 'Library' monsters." stated Shining Armor as Cadance laughed at her husband's remark.

"Not bad, but it's still weaker against my Valkyrion." stated Isaac.

"Isaac, you should know that it’s not how strong my monsters are,” Twilight said, picking a card from her hand, “It’s how much better they become with a little magic! First, I’ll play this card facedown, and then I’ll activate my Pitch-Black Power Stone! This trap instantly generates three spell counters, one of which I’ll add directly to my Imperial Library!” A trio of glowing orbs bled out of the center of her trap, revolving around it like planets around a dark sun. One of the green balls separated from the others and drifted up to the books where it hovered, waiting.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 6: Isaac

"My draw, now Valkyrion cut her monster down to size." commanded Isaac. His monster leapt to obey, but Twilight was waiting for it.

“It’s not going to be that easy! I activate my facedown, The Reliable Guardian! So now my monster gains 700 more defense points until the end of the turn." A green glow surrounded her library as it gained an extra seven hundred defense points. Valkyrion brought its sword down in an overhead chop and sank it into the aura with the sound of a thunderclap. For a moment it strained against the magic, but it eventually succumbed and retreated with a defeated whir. There was a large chip in the sword from where it broke in the clash.
Isaac's Life Points: 2800-

“Not bad,” Isaac said, crossing his arms, “Not only did you stop my attack, but you’ve powered up your monster at the same time.”

"Hey, I just thought of something, why hasn't Isaac been playing any of his spell cards?" asked Spike.

"Cause if Isaac does that, he helps Twilight because he'll generate Spell Counters for Twilight to use." said Rainbow.

"So, Twilight in a way is sort of restricting Isaac from using his spells?" asked Pinkie.

"Not intentionally, Isaac is just being cautious. He's already lost the first duel, so any mistake could cost him the second one." said Sunset.

Turn 7: Twilight

"My draw, I activate Spell Power Grasp! In addition to my Imperial Library creating two new spell counters, this spell adds a third one of its own and then adds another copy of itself to my hand from my deck! This gives my Library six counters, which means I can use its ability twice and summon two other libraries from my graveyard!” The six green orbs floating around her monster shot down into the ground and for a moment all was still. Then the pier burst open as the well-worn shelves of the Royal Magical Library rose up, looking lonely next to the impressive Imperial ones. Between them floated a familiar spectral form, silently trailing a finger across the spines of some interesting books.

"Wait..." asked Isaac.

Twilight caught Isaac’s question before he could ask it. “My Spirit of the Shelves counts as a 'Library' monster, fortunately for me. But what’s important here is that I’ve got three monsters for a sacrifice. And now I will sacrifice them all to summon Yunae, the Crescent(2000/2000)!” Her three monsters turned into forms of light, stretching up into the sky where they collected together in a shining orb. The sphere unfolded and rained rays of light all around the awed spectators as the goddess of the night descended slowly to the field. The Spellbook Tower and the Power Stone slowly set as Yunae floated to a stop, turning back into face down cards.

"Woah, is that?"

"Yup, its another new one that I created. When she's summoned, all faceup spell/trap cards are turned facedown, so that included my field spell and trap card, Power Stone." smiled Twilight. "But look closely, does it look familiar?"

Isaac took a good look at Twilight's new monster as he was trying to figure out what she meant. He soon looked to the side as he saw someone and then back at the monster. He then did some double takes as soon a lightbulb went off in his brain.

"Wait, that looks like, Luna?" said Isaac.

"Yeah. See, I also made some cards that were based on some important people in my life. So as you can see, I had this one named after Vice-Principal Luna." said Twilight as she looked at the woman who couldn't believe her own student made a card after her.

"So, does that mean?"

"That I made some cards based on our friends? You'll have to wait and see like everybody else." smiled Twilight. "Now then, time to show off my Yunae. She gains one hundred attack points for every facedown card on the field. And by setting these two cards here, I will have five facedown cards. Plus the one on your field, and this gives her a power of twenty-six hundred!” stated Twilight as she showed off the power of her monster.

"Impressive ability, but still too short to take out my Valkyrion." said Isaac.

"Twilight smiled and held up the last card in her hand. “Ah, but this is what I’ve been building towards all duel. I play Spellbook of Power!" The book appeared in midair above her goddess and swung open, its pages rifling through as if the tome were endless. Bright shining power flowed like mist from the book and fell across Yunae’s shoulders like a mantel. The goddess stretched itself in pleasure as magical power surged through it.

Luna clapped at the move. “Masterfully done!" Seems she enjoyed the card Twilight created after her.

"Hmph." said Celestia as she was bit jealous of her sister having a card based on her from their student.

"Shatter Valkyrion with Moon Pulse!”

Yunae held its hands up into the air and a pale orb seemed to come into view far above. This moon started to shine, directing a shaft of moonlight over the whole field. The spotlight shrank, growing in intensity as it focused specifically on his monster and became too bright to look at directly. For a time Valkyrion was just a black shape inside the bright whiteness, but then the robot dissolved away into stark nothingness.
Isaac's Life Points: 2700-

"And I’ll end my turn by using the last ability of the Spellbook of Power,” Twilight continued, “And add a fresh spellbook from my deck to my hand, which I’ll immediately set.”

Turn 8: Isaac

Isaac laughed as he drew his card. “Amazing! But I must admit that I’m surprised you would risk such a close battle. What if my facedown card had been a trap?”

It was Twilight’s turn to smile as she put her hands on her hips jovially. “That’s the true power of Yunae, for after she’s summoned she prevents my opponent from activating any facedown cards for two whole turns!”

Isaac let out a wolf-whistle as Twilight couldn't help but blush as it seemed she kept on capturing the boy's heart which seemed to be working.

"So I have no choice but to fight openly, huh? Very well, I suppose I should meet your best with my own." said Isaac. "I start by activating Monster Reborn to bring Valkyrion back to life!” A magic circle appeared on his field and his giant robot rose up out of its center. It raised its sword and emitted a metallic cry, clearly ready to enact its revenge.

“An impressive draw,” Twilight said, crouching down in preparation of its attack. The Spellbook of Power only gives a temporary boost in power, so my monster is currently weaker. Fortunately, among all my facedowns is a card just perfect for taking it down a second time…

"Now I'll use its special ability and return it to its separate parts!” Valkyrion shuddered and every joint in it body popped apart like a poorly constructed erector set. The pieces tumbled to the ground into a large pile, but quickly started pulling themselves back together with magnetism. Soon the three weaker monsters were fully assembled and ready for action once again.

Isaac smiled and held up the last card in his hand. “Let us see how your Goddess stands up to a God! I sacrifice Alpha, Beta, and Gamma to summon Obelisk the Tormentor(4000/4000)!” The few clouds in the sky erupted with flashes of lightning and a strong wind picked up out of nowhere. One particularly large streak of lightning crashed onto the stone behind Isaac, and when they could see again a large figure stood ominously behind him. Each flash of lightning revealed more of its towering features, from its craggy blue skin to skull-like face.

"Oh boy, Gods versus Goddesses, where I can I place my bets." asked Rainbow as she and everybody else were excited to see this battle occur.

Isaac held his hand up and shouted dramatically. “Obelisk, strike down Yunae with Fist of Fate!”

Obelisk held up one of its massive fists and a bolt of lightning struck it, encasing it in a wreath of cackling energy. The god reared back, preparing to deliver a haymaker guaranteed to shake the earth. Yunae held up its hand palm out and a shimmering wall of light formed before it in a desperate attempt at defense. But then the god attacked, and it was all over in an instant. Obelisk’s fist punched through the barrier as if it were made of mist and slammed through Yunae in much the same way, generating a shock wave. Twilight fared the worst, as she was standing directly beneath her monster when it died. The force of it blew over her like wind from a hurricane, whipping her hair and clothes wildly about her. She crossed her arms in front of her face and strained against it, determined not to fall.
Twilight's Life Points: 1500-

Twilight lowered her arms, grinning at her own stamina, but then her legs failed her. She buckled, listing to the left with almost agonizing slowness. But then life came back into her glazed eyes and she slammed her hand onto her left leg, catching herself. She wobbled unsteadily for a few seconds as she centered her breathing. But she did not fall. Her friends shouted out cries of encouragement as she stood up and brushed some semblance of order back into her hair.

“That was… wow, that was a lot more than I was expecting!”

Turn 9: Twilight

Twilight drew her card as she looked at it. She then around at the six others spread out around her. She tilted her head, clearly running some fast calculations in her head, and then resumed the duel with renewed determination.

First, I need to thin out my deck.

I activate Spell Power Grasp,” she started, revealing one of her many cards, “And while I can’t put a spell counter on anything, I can at least draw the last copy out of my deck. Next I’ll reactivate Pitch-Black Power Stone, and while I’m at it, I activate another one of creations, Endless Shelves. Finally, I’ll summon Apprentice Magician(400/800) in defense position." A young man wearing a tight purple leather outfit appeared on her field. It spun a short staff in one hand a few times before tucking it under its arm and crouching down on one knee.

"I end my turn.”

Rainbow Dash blinked. “Is that all? Twilight, half of those moves didn’t do anything!”

“What did you expect of her, when her opponent is a God card?” Applejack said, lightly cuffing her friend in the back of the head.

The athlete glared at her, but then huffed and turned stubbornly back to the duel. “Yeah, yeah, I know. Twilight never does anything without a plan. She’s got this!”

Turn 10: Isaac

"Hmm…” Isaac said, as he drew. He considered the card and then pointed forward. “Obelisk, smash the Apprentice Magician!” His god reared back and slammed its fist down on the hapless spellcaster, not even bothering to gather energy this time. The boy was reduced to a pancake with that strike.

Twilight held up her deck as the duel shards of her monster froze in midair and started to reverse. “My Apprentice doesn’t die for nothing! When it’s destroyed in battle it allows me to search my deck for any level two or lower spellcaster and summon it facedown.”

"Well done, you survived by summoning more guard monsters. And with my spells and traps still locked, my own moves are still limited. I’ll simply end my turn by summoning Kuriboh(300/200) in defense mode.” A small puff of smoke heralded a tiny ball of fur appearing on his field. The puffball blinked its wide eyes and bobbed back and forth a few times before floating over to Isaac. It batted him a few times in the head with its stubbly paws and cooed happily.

"Good to see you too,” Isaac laughed, turning back to the game. “Well, this is the last turn for you to capitalize on Yunae’s ability. What will you do?”

"Why would Isaac summon Kuriboh to the field? Should he have kept it in the case that Twilight finds a way to take out his god and go for a direct attack?" asked Fluttershy.

"Well, Isaac also isn't one for making mistakes. He must have a plan, of course if Twilight does try to attack Kuriboh, her monster will be in attack mode and with Obelisk having so much power, if she were to do that given her current life point total, she could run the risk of losing this duel." said Rarity.

"So that's why, Isaac played Kuriboh, so that Twilight is now stuck with the dilemma of whether or not she should take out any monster that Isaac has in defense mode, but risk losing to Obelisk. Smart, big bro." stated Pinkie.

"I don't think Isaac is going for that plan. It just happens to be that the situation is as. There's another reason why he chose to summon Kuriboh instead of holding onto it. But what?" responded Sunset.

Turn 11: Twilight

Twilight looked down at her deck. I need two cards to turn this around. I can get one of them pretty easily, but the other I’ve got to draw, right now, or it’s all over. She took a deep breath and lay a hand on the top card. Betting everything, she drew. And smiled.

"I activate the hidden ability of Endless Shelves!” she said with renewed vigor, “And send it to the graveyard to summon any 'Library' monster from my deck. So I’ll bring out Secret Alchemical Library(0/2000)!” The familiar sight of bookshelves bursting from the ground was almost routine by this point. These ones were darker and more closely bound than the last, with dripping candles every here and there providing comfy light.

"So what does this one do?" asked Isaac as he saw another new card of Twilight's with a smile.

"Well, like all my other 'Library' monsters, everytime a spell is activated it produced a Spell Counter with 3 being the max. Then I can get rid of all those counters to search my deck for a card and put it on top of my deck." explained Twilight. "Now then, I’ll use my last Spell Power Grasp to add two spell counters to my Library,” Twilight continued, “And use the power of my Power Stone to transfer one of its counters to it as well. Now that my Library has three spell counters, I’ll can use its special ability." Twilight then used her duel disk screen as she selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab as she placed it on top of her deck.

"We’ll get back to that card in a moment, but first let me introduce you to the monster my Apprentice brought me. I flip up Magical Plant Mandragola(500/200)!” Her face down monster burst into light and vines whipped out in all directions, gripping the stone pier like an octopus. Giant purple leaves sprouted and unfurled to reveal several yellow flowers that might have been pretty had they not opened any further. Inside the flowers were horrible misshapen faces made of slime and nightmares. The things opened their maws and shrieked a keening wail that could peel paint.

"It may not be much to look at, but it puts a new spell counter on the Power Stone and my Library. Next I’ll reactivate The Grand Spellbook Tower and use its ability!” The field once again took on the vaguely neon look of black light and a shimmering tower appeared.

A card popped out of Twilight’s grave slot and she held it aloft for emphasis. “Once per turn, the Tower lets me send any Spellbook to the bottom of my deck to draw a new card. So I’ll exchange the Spellbook of Secrets for the card my Library brought me, another one of my cards, Magical Incarnation Process!” Her new spell appeared on the field and burst into fiery green flames. "Then I'll activate my card's effect, by removing four spell counters I can summon a 'Magical Incarnation' token(1200/1200) to my field in attack mode." The various spell counters floating on the field were sucked into the flame, the Power Stone going so far as to explode into shards as it was sucked dry. The card consumed itself and the flames unfolded into a humanoid shape.

“Almost done,” Twilight said, holding out the last card in her hand, “I will admit, you make it look so easy. While it may take me more than one card to summon a God in one turn, like you did, I can pull off the trick! I sacrifice the Secret Alchemical Library, Magical Plant Mandragola, and the spell counter token to summon Solis Tia, the Heliosphere(2000/2000)!” High above the duelists, a second sun shone into existence. A glowing figure grew out of the center of it and descended slowly to the field. The goddess’s rainbow hair rippled gently as it spread its arms and began emitting a warm light all over the field. Every remaining facedown card on the field turned transparent in the glow, revealing that Isaac’s was a Card of Sanctity and Twilight’s were Pitch-Black Lode Stone and Spellbook of Mimic.

"So, is this another Goddess card that you created?" asked Isaac.

"Yup, I made three and like I said, they are based on important people in my life. Can you tell who this is reference to?" asked Twilight with a smile.

"Oh, I have a hunch." said Isaac as he looked at his principal.

"Well, well, Luna. Looks you're not so special anymore." stated Celestia as she mocked her younger sister as Twilight had indeed may a card after her as it caused Luna to give a pouting face as she crossed her arms like a kid. Both Sombra and William couldn't help but snicker at seeing the two sisters act like siblings.

"Most spell, trap, or monster effects don’t work at all against them, and even the most powerful ones can only work for one turn. Therefore, the only way to safely combat a God is to rely on sheer power!" shouted Twilight to Isaac. "Solis Tia has power in spades, cause upon her being summoned, she reveals all facedown cards on the field and in each player's hand. Then she gains an extra three hundred attack points from the three spells we have revealed. And that one trap card will drop Obelisk’s by an extra thousand points as well!”

“Excellent work!" said Celestia as she stood up with a resounding applause like Luna did. Luna continued to pout as her big sister kept on giving her a taste of her own medicine.

"So Yunae clears the way so that the opponent can’t react, while Solis Tia lands an overwhelming blow." said Sombra as he took in the two "Goddesses" cards that Twilight had created with an interested look.

"They match Lulu and Tia perfectly, wouldn't you agree Sombra?" asked William as both men saw the character traits of the two ladies be reflected in the monsters that Twilight created in honor of them.

Twilight held up her hands and practically beamed with joy. “It’s time to surpass the Gods! Daylight Radiance!”

The spell and trap cards shot beams of light up at the goddess, who collected them into the palms of its hands. The light grew brighter by the second, overflowing in front of it in a wave of blinding light. Obelisk roared its defiance, but even the will of gods bowed to certain rules. Its body began to crumble and break away, as of its whole body were a sand sculpture finally giving in to wind and rain. With terrible slowness the god collapsed in on itself.
Isaac's Life Points: 700-

"Twilight took out Obelisk again?" said Pinkie.

"Wow, seems Isaac and Twilight really can beat the Egyptian God cards." stated Fluttershy as she and the girls were stunned by how their two friends go actually go toe to toe with some of the most powerful cards in Duel Monsters.

"Amazing!” Isaac said, staring behind him as the last of his god card faded away, “You actually able to defeat Obelisk again!”

“You don’t seem too upset about it,” Twilight said, trying to sound disappointed but unable to suppress her elation.

Isaac shrugged. “Honestly, I’m having too much fun! It’s rare for me to cut loose like this without any heavy stakes weighing in the balance. And I trust my cards not to let the duel end like this.”

Twilight nodded and dropped into a ready position. “Then let’s continue!”

Turn 12: Isaac

"Gladly! I begin with Pot of Greed to draw 2 cards!” Isaac said, playing his card the moment he drew it. He placed his hand on top of his deck and sent a small prayer to the heart of the cards, then drew. “And next I’ll activate, Multiply! This allows me to create as many copies of Kuriboh as I want, but this time I think I only need to create two.” His fur ball cooed and held up its paws as the spell card took effect. For a few seconds it seemed to blur, and then two more Kuribohs phased apart from it on either side. The three fur balls bounced a little dance in midair before settling down and facing forward.

“No way…” Rarity said in a low, awed voice.

“He isn’t…” Applejack breathed.

“He is!” Pinkie practically bubbled, ecstatic.

Isaac held up his remaining card. “I sacrifice my three Kuriboh to summon Slifer the Sky Dragon(X000/X000)!” As his three monsters vanished the sky began to darken a bit. The sky’s surface broke over the head of a colossal red dragon that tore its way. Its body just keep on going as the dragon rose higher and higher into the air, circling in on itself high above the duel. After what seemed like a mile of dragon its tail finally came free and it coiled in on itself, seeming to straddle the whole horizon.

“Th-that’s impossible!” Twilight stuttered, and then caught herself and pointed desperately. “But Slifer only has attack points if you have cards in your hand, and yours is completely empty!”

Isaac waggled a finger. “Ah, have you already forgotten what your Goddess revealed I had?”

Twilight’s face palmed. “Card of Sanctity!”

"Exactly!” Isaac declared, activating it, “This card lets us both draw until our hands are full, bringing Slifer’s attack points to six thousand! Now go, Slifer! Destroy Solis Tia with Thunder Blast!” His god dragon roared and the lower of its two mouths opened wider that should be possible. Lightning collected in the maw in a tight ball, compressing it tighter and tighter as it packed as much power into the attack as it could.

“Gnnh!” Twilight grunted, “I have no choice! I activate the Spellbook of Mimic! This copies the abilities of any spellbook in my graveyard or deck, such as the Spellbook of Power! This will bring Solis Tia’s attack power to six thousand as well!” Her card flared into light and a book shot out of it to float just behind her goddess. It flipped open to the middle and virtually exploded into magical power, pouring it into Solis Tia’s waiting arms. It collected the new power and added it to its own aura, causing the mass of energy to erupt with vibrant colors.

It thrust its arms out, releasing the energy in a stream of power at the same time as Slifer shot its collected lightning all at once. The two beams slammed into each other midway and fused, creating a glowing ball of destruction that grew and grew as neither monster let up in their attacks. Soon the ball filled the sky, no longer restrained by either god. In fact, both gods were soon engulfed completely by the expanding sphere, disappearing into the light. It was so bright that everyone had to shield their eyes and look away lest they go blind. Then it was over. Blinking, everyone stared up into the sky to see who the victor was, but the sky was empty. Both Slifer and Solis Tia were gone, destroyed by each other’s combined strength. All was stunned silence for a few seconds before the inevitable broke the peace.

“That. Was. AMAZING!!!!” Pinkie screamed, jumping up and down and waving her arms like a madwoman.

“I can’t believe it!” Rainbow exclaimed, “Two of Isaac’s God cards blown ta bits, just like that!”

"And Twilight did it again." said Shining Armor as he was shocked to see his little sister had no problem in taking down a god card so many times at this point.

"This is far more than I could have hoped for!" said Mr. William as he was grinning from ear to ear. He was enjoying himself on the boy he gave the Slifer to and the girl who he helped to make all of her cards that she created official.

Isaac smiled. “We’re pretty evenly matched right now. So I gotta ask, do you have a third Goddess that you created to battle my third Egyptian God card?”

Surprisingly Twilight shook her head, but she was smiling as she did. “I do… but it’s not in my deck. See that's one of the cards that I've yet to figure out all the bugs. So... it's not ready for me to use. Which sucks, cause it held a very special place in my heart because of a special person it portrays.” said Twilight as she looked at Cadance when she said that.

Cadance seemed to have heard what Twilight as she couldn't help but smile at the girl she once babysitted, so many times in her younger years. To think that she made a card after her, was enough to put a smile on both girl's faces as they were reminded of some wonderful memories they used to have.

"Sorry." said Twilight to Isaac.

Isaac nodded and put a fist to his duel disk. “I see. Then how about I refrain from using my last God card as well. Let the rest of this duel play out fairly.”

Twilight grinned. “Sounds like a plan!”

Isaac matched her grin and looked down at his refreshed hand. “Well, let’s continue! I clearly can’t leave myself this wide open, so I’ll end my turn by activating the Swords of Revealing Light! This card will prevent you from attacking me for three turns!” A dozen bright swords made of white light fell out of the sky and impaled the ground all around Twilight. They formed an uneven fence blocking the young girl away from her opponent, but it didn’t seem like it was bothering her much. In fact she was quite happy as she started her own turn.

“Wait, you’re just going to move on, just like that?” Rarity exclaimed, putting a hand to her breast lightly. “Aren’t either of you a little tired after that exchange? Wouldn’t you rather take a little break to get your breath back…”

"Forget it, Rarity. They're having too much fun to care." said Sunset.

Turn 13: Twilight

“Since we’re starting again with basically a fresh slate, I’ll go easy this turn” Twilight said, “One face down card, and I’ll summon Rune, Research Librarian(1500/1000) to the field!” A woman appeared on her field, seeming very unimpressive after the last few cards to grace the field. Still, it ran a hand through its hair disdainfully and glared at Isaac as if he were making far too much noise.

(Turn Counter: 1)

Turn 14: Isaac

"Another new card." chuckled Isaac at Twilight's monster. He drew and considered his options. “I could take some time in the safety of my swords and build back up my defenses, but I don’t think either of us want that. So instead I’ll use Polymerization to fuse Gazelle the King of Mythical Beasts and Berfomet together to form Chimera the Flying Mythical Beast(2100/1800)!” he spell card appeared on his field, along with the two beasts he mentioned. The two beasts were pulled unceremoniously into the spell, which spun around like a wheel on a game show. The spinning slowed down, revealing the card had become a fearsome furred creature. It lifted both its heads and let out a mighty roar, flapping its great wings a few times before settling on the ground.

“Go Chimera,” Isaac commanded, “Attack Rune!”

His monster leapt at his words, pouncing upon the poor woman in an instant. There was a flash of something crystalline at the woman’s neck for a second, but it disappeared from view as the beast buried its heads in a savage bite. Rune shattered with a scream.

Twilight sighed and wiped a hand across the sweat on her brow. “Just in time. I used Pitch-Black Phylactery to absorb the damage from that attack, and it created four spell counters to boot since my monsters was Level 4!” stated the girl as she played another one of her new cards.

Isaac nodded. “I knew you’d have some way to survive that. Where did those spell counters go?

"Right here, on my Pitch-Black Lode Stone!” Twilight explained, gesturing to her other active trap which was another card she created. This one apparently was going to remain on the field, and four green orbs were revolving around it in various orbits.

Turn 15: Twilight

"Now how shall I strike back?” Twilight mused as she started her turn, “Well first, I need a new monster. Let me introduce you to the Ancient Haunted Library(0/2000)!” More wooden shelves groaned as they heaved themselves out of the ground, but these were starkly different from the ones before. These creaked with age and neglect, thick with spider webs and dust. Books randomly floated from one shelf to another by their own violation. The shelves themselves were arranged differently than usual as well, turned on their axis so that they appeared as neat rows from Isaac’s perspective.

"Kind of a bit odd. Did you actually sleep in the library of Industrial Illusions when you made these cards?" asked Isaac with a sly smile.

"Shut up!" barked out Twilight with some red on her face as she pouted.

"Wait, why did Twilight leave her monster in attack mode?" asked Spike.

"Sit back and watch!” Twilight exclaimed, pulling out a card from her hand dramatically. “I use the spell card Shield & Sword to swap the attack and defense of our monsters!”

"An impressive turnaround, but you still can’t attack through my Swords of Revealing Light!”

“You should wait until my turn is over to judge!” Twilight said, “I’ll use this second copy of Spellbook of Secrets to get just the card I need to overcome it, the Spellbook of Wisdom! This card gives my Library immunity to all spell cards for the turn. Now there’s nothing protecting your Chimera!” Every surface of her library shone a bright green as it gained the power to push back the swords. Dozens of books floated free of the shelves and shot across the field in a great cloud. The chimera tried to flee, but the books caught up to it and pummeled it mercilessly until it detonated in a cloud of smoke. When the smoke cleared there was nothing left save for the books slowly floating back to their homes and a much smaller beast, crouched over to protect itself.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"You can’t get rid of Chimera that easily,” Isaac said calmly, “For when he’s destroyed by battle, I can bring Gazelle(1500/1200) back to the field in its place.”

Twilight shrugged. “I recall that ability, so I’m not too concerned. I’ll end my turn with a facedown card, and Pitch-Black Lode Stone will leech away the three spell counters my Library generated, bringing its total up to seven.”

“That’s it, build up those spell counters, sugarcube!” cheered Applejack.

(Turn Counter: 2)

Turn 16: Isaac

Isaac nodded as he drew. “I’m familiar with Shield & Sword, so I know that it only lasts for one turn. While I doubt you left your library defenseless, there’s only one way to find out. But first I’ll sacrifice Gazelle to summon the Dark Magician Girl!” His beast vanished, leaving a magical circle in its place. The circle flared and a young girl twirled up out of its, pulling a pirouette in midair. It gave a cute wink to the crowd of onlookers as it floated over to Isaac’s side as she gave the boy a kiss on the cheek.

Isaac gave his magician a nod and pointed across the field. “Attack her monster with Dark Burning Attack!” The magician gave a happy cry and spun its wand in one hand like a baton. Dark magic collected on the end of the wand in a compact ball, and it launched the ball with a flick of its wrist. As the crackling energy sped through the air, the shelves suddenly snapped together in a united front. The ball slammed into the shelves and tried to bore through, but some trick caused the magic to bleed harmlessly away along the wood.

“Ah well, you caught me,” Twilight sighed, gesturing to her trap, “Desert Sunlight switches all monsters on my field to defense position. Usually I can catch my opponent unaware with that trick, but the Dark Magician Girl has the same attack points as the Library’s defense points, so you didn’t take any damage.”

“Clever,” Isaac complemented, “Then I’ll place these two cards facedown and end my turn.”

Turn 17: Twilight

"Twilight nodded. “Now that I finally have five spellbooks in my graveyard, I’m able to activate my Spellbook Library of the Heliosphere! With this I can look at the top two cards of my deck and add any Spellbooks right to my hand. So let’s see what I get.” She picked up the top two cards of her deck and looked at them, breaking into a smile as she separated one of them.

“Excellent! It’s the Spellbook of Life and Spellbook of Eternity! I’ve no use for the second one right now, but Spellbook of Life can bring any of my fallen spellcasters back from the grave, so long as I leave my other spellbook in my hand this turn. So welcome back the Imperial Spellbinding Library!” A large book floated into the air behind the young duelist and flipped open to its middle. Bright shining energy poured out of its pages and the ghostly outline of her most powerful library shimmered into existence. The outline filled in and soon the library stood in all its glory, its opulence putting the old shelves of her other library to shame.

“Unfortunately, those two spell prevent me from making any other moves this turn,” Twilight went on, “So I’ll end my turn by playing these two cards facedown and letting my Lode Stone absorb these two new spell counters. That also ends the effect of your Swords of Revealing Light, meaning I will be able to attack next turn."

(Turn Counter: 3)

“But fair warning, my Imperial Library has another ability I haven’t showcased yet. I can use it to return not just libraries back from my graveyard, but spell cards as well! And you know what that means, don’t you?”

"You can bring Shield & Sword back as well,” Isaac said with a grunt, “And that would be enough attack power to put an end to this duel once and for all.”

Twilight threw her arm out wide. “Which means you need to overcome my Imperial Library’s three thousand defense points this turn or else it’s all over!”

Turn 18: Isaac

"Then I better make this turn count," said Isaac as he drew his card, "I use the spell card Spell Shattering Arrow! This card instantly wipes away all active spell cards on the field, and inflicts five hundred points of damage to you for each one!” His spell card appeared on his field and an arrow shot out of the card’s face with little ceremony. It flew unerringly across the field and lodged itself in Twilight’s chest, where it detonated in a wave of clear light.
Twilight's Life Points: 500-

The wave of light passed over her great library and the book floating above it, dissolving away the tome like sand in water. Without the spellbook to support it, the Library faded away into nothingness once more. The wave of his spell didn’t stop there, clearing away her long overlooked field spell as well. When the wave finally hit the tower it too crumbled as if hit by a wave of acid. But something strange happened. Swirling lights appeared from within the collapsing tower, resolving into a great many glowing books which were flying wildly around each other. The collection of magic books shot towards the pier at great speed and came apart in a flurry of glowing pages as they arrived. A figure stepped out from the fluttering pages and glared at Isaac, leveling a long hooked staff in his direction. This monster wore robes of the darkest red and a large golden headpiece that hid its eyes from view, masking its expression.

"Yes!” Rainbow Dash shouted excitedly, “This is it, Twilight’s ace in the hole, Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2000)!”

Twilight placed a hand to her chest and laughed with relief. “I hoped you would do something like that! When my Spellbook Tower is destroyed by my opponent, I can summon any monster from my deck, provided its level is less than the number of spellbooks in my graveyard!”

“I was wondering why you weren’t using its ability to draw cards,” Isaac said, regarding this new threat cautiously, “Still your monster doesn’t even have enough attack points to stand up to my Dark Magician Girl.”

"Dark Red Enchanter has been winning duels since I was a kid and long before I got my Spellbook deck,” Twilight said, looking upon the spellcaster fondly. “It’s only fitting my old friend brings me victory here now! As you know, he generates spell counters just like my Libraries and he gains three hundred attack points for each one he’s got! And fortunately for me I’ve got a ready supply of spell counters all ready for him! I’ll use my face down Mystical Space Typhoon to destroy my Pitch-Dark Lode Stone!” One of her face downs flipped up and transformed into a miniature cyclone which immediately homed in on her trap card. The Lode Stone was borne up into the sky where it shattered, scattering its nine glowing spheres every which way. As one by one the orbs homed in on the red wizard’s staff, joining with the one it had created when she used her spell. The wizard practically floated off the ground as its power rose to incredible levels, its robes flapped about as if caught in a rising air current.

“Forty-seven hundred attack points!” Pinkie exclaimed, “That is as powerful as any of Isaac’s God cards!”

“There’s no way even Isaac can do anything about that!” Applejack said confidently, crossing her arms and waiting for her friend to land the finishing blow.

"Well?” Twilight asked, leaning in expectantly, “It’s still your turn. What are you going to do?"

Isaac looked down at the card in his hand, the ones on his field, and lastly at his spellcaster. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes. “I will do nothing. I end my turn.”

“Yes!” Rainbow Dash shouted, “I can’t believe this is happening! Twilight is one attack away from beating Isaac! This is amazing!”

Turn 19: Twilight

"No, something is wrong…” Twilight said slowly, drawing her card for the turn and frowning as she puzzled this turn of events. “You didn’t even switch the Dark Magician Girl to defense position. I… can’t attack like this. You must have some kind of trap waiting for me. I activate Reading Glasses! Since I control a 'Library' monster, I can look at all of your facedown cards!" Her last trap card flipped up and thrummed with unseen power. The facedown cards on Isaac’s field suddenly became transparent, revealing their hidden faces for all to see. Twilight looked at the first one and felt the bottom drop out of her stomach.

“No…” she said in a low voice, “Magic Cylinder…”

Isaac nodded as his magician gave the young girl a cheeky wave. “This card will send any attack upon my Dark Magician Girl right back at your own life points. I’m afraid you won’t be able to win like that.”

Twilight heaved a deep sigh and grimaced as she plucked a card from her hand. “I didn’t want to use this card against you, but it looks like I have no other way to win. At the cost of every spell counter on my Dark Red Enchanter, I’ll use the Mega Ton Magical Cannon to eradicate every card on your field!” Her wizard’s staff glowed bright emerald as her spell card appeared on her field, and the magic was pulled from the staff in a steady stream. The card absorbed the flow hungrily, finally turning into a rectangle of light as the last of it was taken. It unleashed the magic all at once in a giant beam of light that completely engulfed Isaac’s entire field. When it passed there was nothing left but a hunched over Isaac and some still smoking patches.

Heaving a breath she hadn’t even realized she’d been holding, Twilight straightened and looked her opponent right in the eye. “Dark Red Enchanter retains one spell counter from that move, bringing his attack points to two thousand. Less than I was hoping for our final exchange, but there’s nothing left to stop this attack. I’ll attack you directly with Crimson Blast, for the win!”

Alternating cheers and groans filled the air as her wizard raised its staff and prepared to fire upon its helpless enemy. But then, for seemingly no reason, a holographic card floated out of Isaac’s graveyard and imposed itself between Isaac and the growing attack.

“What’s that?!” Twilight shouted, eyes wide. “You shouldn’t have had any cards left?!”

Isaac smirked and held up the last card in his hand. “You were so focused on my Magic Cylinder that you failed to notice the other card I had in play. Cross Counter Trap activates when my opponent sends it to the graveyard, much likes your Spellbook Tower, and lets me use any trap card in my hand as if it were on the field. So now I’ll trap your monster in the Spellbinding Circle! So now your monster not stops from attacking but loses 700 attack points!” The card in his hand flared as he spun in around and thrust it towards her wizard. A glowing magic circle surrounded the wizard and it found itself pinned, its arms locked in place. The attack it had been preparing died away to nothing.

“Impossible… I had this duel in the bag…” Twilight said, disbelief etching across her face. “I didn’t think anyone could have stopped that combo."

"Isaac played Twilight hard." said Rainbow as she and the girls had to admit, that if there was one thing that Isaac did the best at when it came to the duel. It was how to catch his opponent when they least expect it.

"GG, girls. That's it." said Sunset as they knew Twilight had nothing to counter Isaac's move that he just made.

Turn 20: Isaac

"Time to end this," said Isaac as he drew his card, "Few duelists have ever pushed me this far before, but this is the end. I pay half my life points to activate Dark Magic Curtain!”
Isaac's Life Points: 250-

A floating skeleton appeared high on his side of the field, wearing a long cloak over its lower body that stretched all the way to the ground. It flipped the cloak open and revealed that there was nothing but a swirling chaotic mass of color underneath it. From out of that stepped a figure wearing a purple full-body suit, clutching a long green staff in one hand. The cloaked skeleton vanished, having accomplished its goal.

Isaac thrust his hand out decisively. “The only way to properly end this duel is with my ace monster. Dark Magician, attack!” His favorite monster nodded its understanding and thrust its palm out at Twilight’s bound wizard. Even with the three spell counters it had generated since the blast that had decimated Isaac’s field, the Dark Red Enchanter only had nineteen hundred attack points. The colors of everything on the field inverted as the Dark Magician let loose with its unique brand of magic, and the Dark Red Enchanter trembled and exploded.
Twilight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

Twilight fell to her knees as the adrenaline left her system, leaving her weak. She looked up at the clear blue sky above her and realized that she didn’t feel bad at all. Instead she was happy, realizing that she may have just played another fun duel and with Isaac, no less.

“Oh, that was so close! But it was awesome! Good going!” shouted Rainbow to Twilight.

“That was one the best darn duels ah’ve ever witnessed!” Applejack shouted, hurting her hands, she was clapping so hard.

“Are you alright?” Fluttershy asked, concerned with her well being.

“Simply astounding!” Rarity put in.

“I’M SO PUMPED!!!!” Pinkie shrieked, practically vibrating with energy.

"Looks like we're getting a third battle." stated Sunset as she too was excited. "Way a go, you two!" shouted the girl to her friends on the field.

"That got my heart racing." said Cadance while holding Flurry who also clapped for the performance that Twilight and Isaac put on.

"I thought Twilight had won." said Shining Armor as he was amazed by what his little sister had done up to this point. He then leaned over to plant a kiss to his daughter's cheek and on Cadance's lips as the woman smiled.

"They really are the best." said Celestia as she saw Isaac and Twilight put on a show. She was like a proud mother watching her kids show everybody why they were the best.

Isaac approached Twilight as he offered her his hand to help her up. Twilight accepted Isaac's help as he got her to her feet as their hands shook a firm handshake while having identical smiles.

"Good job, those new cards that you made. They're the real deal, they threw me for a bit of loop for a while, but still."

"Glad you enjoyed them, I got more cards that are going to get released soon that don't just revolve around my deck." said Twilight while looking at Isaac.

Soon they both realized that they never stopped shaking hands as they were still intertwined with the other. Isaac and Twilight looked at the other as some red formed on their faces as they were still holding hands. Each of their hearts was beating faster as the other could hear it, it was telling them both something. Both teens looked at each other as they held their gaze. They got their faces closer and were about to say something to the other when...

"The third duel will now occur, you have two minutes to make any changes you see fit to your deck." said Luna.

"I should... get ready..." said Isaac as he broke free from Twilight's grip.

"Y-Yeah... me too..." said Twilight as she let go of Isaac's hand and watched the boy go back to his side and prep for the final round.

Twilight now took out all her new cards she made as for this last one, she was going to use the secret project she'd been working on for so long. She knew this was the final thing she needed to get Isaac to know the true feelings she harbored for the boy.

After a quick two minutes, both duelist were ready. For Isaac he had decided to give his god cards along with some of his other cards some rest. As for Twilight, her new cards had been put to the test and passed with flying colors when they went up against a duelist like Isaac as she was proud of what she created. But she still had the secret project to unveil, so she took out those new cards she made and replace them with what the secret project was. Both stood on the field for one final time as Luna gave the signal for both to start.

"Opponent detected. Streaming data. Duel mode set. Initiating. Commencing duel." said their duel disks.

Isaac's Life Points: 8000-

Twilight's Life Points: 8000-

"Let's duel!" shouted both individuals.

"I'm gonna come at you with every monster in my deck, Twilight."

"Same here, Isaac."

Turn 1: Isaac

"I'll start, so stand back!" said Isaac as he drew his card. "Now, I'll place my Black Arts Trickster in pendulum zone. Then activate her ability which allows me to place another pendulum monster from my deck into the other zone and I choose... my Sorcerer Swordsman!" stated Isaac as he placed both of his pendulum cards on the far ends of his color card tray as the word pendulum spelled out in rainbow coloring to signal that it worked. His monsters then rose up in columns of light with their respective numbers in front of them. "And then since I have a magician or spellcaster in my other pendulum zone, I can raise the scale of my Black Arts Trickster from 3 to 10." Once more Isaac's female worked her magic and trickery as the number in front of her moved up. "Now I can summon as many monsters as I want from Levels 2 through 9. Back and forth, to and fro, what's coming next? You'll all soon know! So swing far pendulum and carve the arc that will lead me to victory. My monster's are ready to swing into action!" shouted Isaac as he had two lights come out. "Prepare to have your fortune told, it's my Black Robe Mentalist(1700/1300, Level 4, Scale 7). She's the shining light in the darkness, Magician's Valkyria(1600/1800)!"

Isaac now had two female spellcasters on his field as he meant business if he was pendulum summoning right off the bat. For the boy, his two females just quickly hovered to his side and planted a kiss on his cheek as they and the rest of Isaac's monsters in his deck knew this was going to be the final battle with Twilight.

"Really you?" said Isaac to his mentalist as he didn't expect her to show this kind of affection to him given her nature.

"Like I said, so many times over. You're cute." said the goth girl.

"He sure is." said Magician's Valkyria as she gave a hug to nuzzle her master.

"I'll take it." smiled Isaac as he had his girls get back into position to continue his move.

"Now, I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's ability, since I control 2 monsters, I can look at the top 2 cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." Isaac's duel disk then showed him his options as he selected the one he wanted as it slid out for him to grab. "Then I'll play my Magician Boy(1500/1200)!" Isaac now had his kid magician as he appeared with his new look as it surprised the girls.

"So, your monster upgraded?" asked Twilight.

"Not really, let's say that his best friend made him a cooler outfit." stated Isaac with a wink.

"I'll now end my turn."

Turn 2: Twilight

"Then it's my draw!" said Twilight as she drew her card and then looked at it as she gasped. Just wait, it has the perfect moment to tell Isaac.

What's going to be your plan this time, Twilight? In the first duel, you surprised me by building a whole new deck from scratch with so little time that it worked. Then in our second duel, you used cards that you made that help to further add firepower to your Spellbook deck. So what do you have in mind for our last bout? While Isaac was wondering about this in his mind, his heart was sending a message to his brain as it got the boy to also think about Twilight and her cards.

"I'll start off by summoning my Amores of Prophecy(600/2000). Then activate its effect so by revealing my Spellbook of the Library Crescent, I can special summon one Level 4 or lower spellcaster from my hand. So I choose my Charioteer of Prophecy(1800/300)." Another monster appeared as it rode on the back of a horse and wielded a sword as pointed it up at the sky. "Then I'll play Spellbook of the Library Crescent so since I currently control no 'Spellbooks' in my graveyard, I can select 3 'Spellbooks' from my graveyard and then you select one to add to may hand. So reveal Spellbook of Power, Spellbook of Magic, and Spellbook of Wisdom." Twilight's choices then projected for Isaac to see as they flipped over and randomized themselves.

"So which one?"

"This time I'll take the card on the right." pointed Isaac.

"Very well." said Twilight as she added the card to her hand and put the other two on top of her deck as the auto shuffler kicked in. "With that I'll end my turn."

Turn 3: Isaac

"Seems we're both feeling each other out, can't blame her, this is the final round. So you can expect us to go for our other monsters. My turn, and I'll begin by summoning my completing my kid duo, by summoning my Mage Annette(1300/1700). And when I summon her, I can draw one more card." Isaac now had another monster kid magician as the girl appeared next to her best friend as both smiled.

"Aww, aren't they cute." said Magician's Valkyria as she saw the kids smiling at each other as she could sense the hidden feelings between the two.

"Ugg, love." said Black Robe Mentalist in her goth tone.

"Now, I'll activate my Black Robe Mentalist's special ability once more, this time I can look at the top 4 cards of my deck and add one of them to my hand." Once more Isaac's screen showed his options as he made his selection as it slid out for him to grab. "Now I'll summon my Breaker the Magical Warrior(1600/1000) and when he's summoned, he gains a spell counter to give him 300 more attack strength." said Isaac as he now had five monsters on his field.

Isaac has a full field of monsters. But none of them are tuners or fuse, could he Xyz Summon? That new Xyz-pendulum hybrid of his only needs two Level 4 monsters, but would he do that?

"I'll then end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 4: Twilight

Why didn't he attack?

"My move, and I'll start by playing my Spellbook of Law. The first thing it does is that it allows me to add a Level 5 Spellcaster to my hand. Then for the rest of the duel, if we control a spellcaster in our graveyard or on the field, we get to draw 2 cards during our Draw Phase." said Twilight. "Now, I'll summon Yellow Gadget(1200/1200) in defense mode and then his ability allows me to add Green Gadget to my hand." said the girl as she grabbed another one of her beloved gadget monsters.

"Now, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 5: Isaac

"My turn, and thanks to your Spellbook of Law, I can draw 2 cards instead. Then I'll use the special ability of my Black Robe Mentalist so now I can look at the top five cards if my deck and add one of them to my hand." said Isaac as he got another card to his hand.

"Why isn't Twilight attacking Isaac's mentalist, she's giving Isaac too much value." said Rainbow.

"Remember Magician's Valkyria special ability, Twilight can't attack any of Isaac's monsters without going through her." said Sunset.

"Now, I'll use the ability of my Breaker so by getting rid of his spell counter, I can now get rid of your facedown." said Isaac. Breaker then pointed his sword at Twilight's field as he took out her spell.

"Thanks cause that was my Spellbook of Divinity, so since it was sent to the graveyard by a card effect, I can now remove one card in my deck for three turns and then after that, I can bring it to the field." said the girl as she selected the card she wanted.

Normally, Twilight combines that card with her Dark Red Enchanter, but did she do something else?

"In that case, I'll now overlay both my Level 4 Breaker and Mage Annette to build the Overlay Network!" shouted Isaac as both of his monsters now turned into dark orbs of light as they hovered in the air for a bit as a portal opened up in front of the boy. Soon both lights entered the portal as a pillar of light emerged. "I Xyz Summon, ride the wind, Ventus Oraculum(3500/2900, Rank 4, Scale 3, OLU: 2)!!" Isaac now summoned his monster as he held a javelin-like spear as it too was infused with magic, he then brought his fingers to mouth as he let out a whistle as his pet wyvern appeared from the sky as he jumped on it and raised his weapon as it let out a roar. The kid had a small red cape, wore a kid magician hat colored purple as he wore a magician outfit with shades of dark red with green outlines and shade as there was hints of yellow.

"Isaac really isn't messing around if he's already using one of his Pendulum-hybrid cards." said Pinkie.

"Now Ventus Oraculum attack her Charioteer of Prophecy!" shouted Isaac. His monster then soared into the sky and flew over to Twilight's side as it clashed its weapon with her monster as the sound of metal was heard. Soon a slash attack happened as her monster was gone as Twilight covered up.
Twilight's Life Points: 6300-

"With that, I'll set two cards."

Turn 6: Twilight

"My turn, and with my spell, I draw two cards." stated the girl. She drew her card as her eyes widen at what she saw. Almost time.

"I'll start by summoning my Green Gadget(1400/600) also in defense mode. Then his ability lets me retrieve Red Gadget from my deck." said the girl as she got another one of her Gadget monsters. "Now, I'll play my field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower." said Twilight as once again the field changed to show a tall building standing behind her.

"I'll end with a facedown."

Turn 7: Isaac

"Very well then, my draw." said the boy as he picked up two cards. "I'll summon my Enchantress of Melody(900/1800)." stated Isaac as he played one of his tuner monsters.

Out came a beautiful young girl with crimson-colored eyes, an determined and gentle look and mid-length dark brown hair tied into two twin-tails to a ribbon that laid on her shoulders. She wore black robes and a cloak, she wielded a silver staff and kept a short sword sheathed around her waist. Underneath the cloak, she wore a low-cut blouse, ultra-short pink miniskirts, and wore burgundy boots that stopped before her knee caps She also wore some leggings that stopped halfway to her thighs as she still showed off her fair smooth skin.

"I didn't realize how many girls Isaac has in his deck." said Twilight as she saw the female teen spellcaster by the boy.

"I now activate her special ability, so now I can roll a die and then whatever number it lands on I can either increase or decrease a monster's level by that amount. Dice Roll!" shouted Isaac as a die appeared in his hand with the numbers 1-3 on it, as he tossed it into the air. It hung in the air for a while as soon it came down and rolled around on the ground as soon it landed on the number 2. "I'll now increase my Enchantress' level so now she's Level 5. And then I'll have her tune with my Level 3 Magician Boy!" Isaac's Enchantress then played her lyra as she turned into five green giant rings that circled around Magician Boy. "I Synchro Summon, Dark Sorcerer Magician(2500/2100)!" Isaac now had his synchro monster as out came a spellcaster that had white hair and had garments that were dressed in an indigo/purple color scheme. It wielded a staff and was surrounded by bits of stardust and magical symbols.

"And when my monster is synchro summoned, he can destroy one spell or trap card on the field, so I choose your facedown." said Isaac as his monster got rid of Twilight's set card.

"I knew you would do that, cause that was my Textbook Protocol. Now I can activate it when its sent from the field to the graveyard so now all my monsters can't be destroyed this turn." said Twilight.

"Clever, since I can't destroy your monsters, there's no point in me to attacking. So, I'll end my turn."

Turn 8: Twilight

"My draw, and now I draw two cards. To start, since I control a spellcaster and reveal my Spellbook Organization, I can activate my Spellbook of the Masters to copy the effect of my Spellbook of Secrets in my graveyard, so now I can add any 'Spellbook' I want to my hand." said Twilight as she grabbed her card. "Now, I'll play my Temperance of Prophecy(1000/1000). And then activate her ability, so since I played a 'Spellbook' previously I can now tribute her to summon a Level 5 or higher Light or Dark spellcaster from my deck." Twilight's monster then started to chant some words as some smoke began to fill her cups as it started to overflow and then surrounded the female sorcerer. Soon the smoke cleared as there was Twilight's new monster.

"Meet my World of Prophecy(2900/2400)!" shouted Twilight. "Then I'll activate its special ability, since it was summoned by the effect of a spellcaster, I can target 2 'Spellbooks' in my graveyard and add them to my hand, so I'll take my Spellbook of Secrets and Spellbook of the Masters. Then I reveal those two along with my Spellbook Organization and Spellbook of Wisdom so that I can activate the other effect of my World of Prophecy, so now I can destroy all other cards on the field!" Twilight's monster then began to glow as it put its four hands together as a huge light began to gather around and was set to nuke the entire field.

"I may lose my monsters, but I'm gonna activate the other effect of my Ventus Oraculum. So I use one overlay unit to protect one card on my field from being destroyed, and I choose my Black Arts Trickster!" said Isaac as his monster lifted up his javelin as he pointed it at its friend and then soon the entire field was nuked. "My Sorcerer Swordsman now goes to my Extra Deck, but that's not all. See when you destroyed my Ventus Oraculum, instead of sending him to my Extra Deck, I can place him in an empty Pendulum Zone."

"Isaac placed an Xyz Pendulum Hybrid in his pendulum zone?" said Rarity with a confused look.

"Is that legal?" asked Spike.

"Apparently it is." said Sunset as she pulled out her phone to check the rules as it turns out Isaac's hybrid monsters could do that.

"Learn something new everyday." stated Applejack.

"Even so, you're wide open. World of Prophecy attack him directly!" shouted Twilight as her monster then blasted Isaac as he covered up.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 9: Isaac

"My turn, and I'll draw two cards." said Isaac. "Now, first thing is I'm gonna activate my Ventus Oraculum's pendulum ability, now he gains the ability of another pendulum monster in my Extra Deck, so I choose to give him my Sorcerer Swordsman's pendulum ability. Then I'll pendulum summon once more!" stated Isaac as a portal opened above him as two lights came out. "Batten down the hatches and drop anchor, it's my Sorcerer Swordsman(1500/1500, Scale 1, Level 4). And making an encore is my Black Robe Mentalist." Out emerged the boy's monster as he tip his feathered pirate hat as she pulled out his silver sword as it shined brightly.

"First off, when my Sorcerer Swordsman is pendulum summoned, he can zap away the attack points of a monster on your side."

"In that case, I'll reveal my Spellbook of Immortality, so now my monster is unaffected by your monster's effect." stated Twilight.

"Fine, I'll activate my Mentalist's effect, so now I can look at the top two cards of my deck and then add one to my hand." said Isaac as he saw his options and selected the one he wanted. "Now I'll play the card I got, Dark Magic Veil. So I pay 1000 life points so that I can special summon, my Dark Magician from my hand!" shouted Isaac as he now had his ace monster on the field.
Isaac's Life Points: 4100-

"But I'm not done there, cause next I'll play Polymerization so that I can fuse together my two pendulum monsters." Isaac's two monsters now appeared before a vortex as they were sucked in as orange and purple swirls emerged. "I Fusion Summon, Lychinus Enchanter(2800/2500, Level 8, Scale 1)!" Isaac now had a pendulum fusion monster on his field as out came a male adult magician who wore a bycocket(robin hood hat) on his head as he wore a black cape and a magician's robe with the sleeves cut off as in his left hand was a staff that was the same height as him and in his belt there was a small dagger as his outfit consisted of yellow, red, and black, with a hit of silver as he wore boots.

"Now I activate my Lychinus Enchanter's special ability, with it once per turn, I can deal you damage equal to a spellcaster's attack points in my graveyard, so I choose my Magician's Valkyria!" stated Isaac as his monster now fired his staff at Twilight as she took the damage while covering up.
Twilight's Life Points: 4700-

"With that, I'll place one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 10: Twilight

"Then it's my draw!" said Twilight as she drew her two cards for her turn. She looked at her hand and saw that it was time. Here I go, Isaac... time to tell you how I feel. Soon Twilight's magic began to activate as it surrounded the girl which in turn activated Isaac's as he could sense that Twilight was about to do something.

"Now, I'll use these two cards, my Scale 2 Element Guardian Risus and Scale 5 Element Guardian Magia, I set the Pendulum Scale!" She swung her hand and placed the cards on the far ends of her duel disk as the word pendulum in rainbow coloring appeared in between to show it worked. Soon Twilight's monsters rose up in columns of light with their respective numbers in front of them. Two columns of light, one pale pink and one lavender, rose on either side of Twilight. In the pink column rose a warrior woman in rounded pink armor, a pair of crossbows hanging from her waist. In the purple column was a warrior in smooth purple armor with a gnarled wooden staff strapped to her back.

"Where did you get those?" asked Isaac. "Don't tell me..."

"Time to come clean..." said Twilight. "Truth is, for a while now, almost since last summer when I did my summer internship with Mr. William at Industrial Illusions. I didn't just make my own cards. His team of scientists were also trying to figure out the secrets behind your pendulum cards. It proved to be tough, so tough that Mr. William asked me to help his team to unlocking the secrets of your cards. And so I got to get a hands on experience, and well, at first we made some progress. But my time was coming to an end, so Mr. William allowed me to continue working on them when I finished my internship. And so this became my secret project."

"Secret project?" said the girls and Isaac.

"I couldn't tell anybody, because it wasn't ready. It was missing so much data, but overtime I figured out the bugs and made sure to uncorrupt the data. I sent it to Mr. William and with that data, they've already produced pendulum cards that are going to be released for our side of the world, next month. But I also took that data to create some of my own. And now I get a chance to show it off to the world, and more importantly, to my friends." smiled the girl. "Take a closer look at my two pendulum cards."

Isaac did as Twilight told him to as did the girls. At first glance they seemed just like monsters, but upon closer inspection, they looked to be resemble some individuals.

"Wait a minute... is that suppose to be me?" said Pinkie as she looked at the monster in the pink column of light.

"And the monster in the purple column is... you..." said Isaac as he looked at Twilight.

"My Element Guardian monsters, they're after you and the girls, my friends." said Twilight.

"Twilight made cards based on us?" said the girls as they were shocked by what their friend said as it brought a smile to their faces.

"So... if you made a card after each one of us... does that mean... you made... me..."

"I'll show you." said Twilight as she prepared to continue with her next move. "First off, I activate one of my Element Guardian Magia's pendulum ability, now she forces us to return our hands by putting all the cards we have back into our decks and then drawing 6 new cards." said Twilight as she and Isaac put all of their cards they held on top of their decks as the autoshuffler kicked in as the pair drew a new hand.

"Using the cards in my Pendulum Scales, I can now summon monsters from my hand as long as their levels fall within the Scales!” Sunset announced. She held up her cards. In the pillars of light above, Risus and Magia held their hands out and sent out beams of light that swirled together to form a portal in the air. She brought her hand down and placed the cards on her disk. “I Pendulum Summon, Element Guardian Honestas(1800/300, Level 4, Scale 3) and Element Guardian Compassio(900/1800, Level 3, Scale 1).” The portal above Twilight flashed and two streaks of light shot out and impacted her field. From one came a warrior in green armor carved in the shape of forest plants, pink hair streaming down her back. She took hold of a whip coiled at her waist and let it unfurl to hang from her hand. The other light faded to reveal a warrior in bulky orange armor, kneeling behind a large broadsword embedded in the ground. She stood up and lifted up the sword, dirt flying as she swung it twice and then rested it on her shoulder.

"Is that suppose to be us?" said Fluttershy and Applejack as they looked at the monsters that Twilight named after them.

"Now I'll activate the second effect of my Element Guardian Magia, once per turn when I have two 'Element Guardian' monsters in my Pendulum Zones, I can retrieve a spell card in my graveyard to my hand, but I can’t activate it for the rest of the turn. So I'll choose my field spell, The Grand Spellbook Tower." said Twilight as her duel disk ejected her card for her to grab. “Then, I use Element Guardian Risus’ pendulum effect, letting me return a card on my side of the field to the hand. I’ll take back Element Guardian Magia.” The pillar of purple light faded as Magia turned into an orb of light and swirled into the ground.

"I'll then set one card facedown and end my turn."

Turn 11: Isaac

Nice that Twilight created her pendulum cards after us, but her whole turn, she didn't do much.

"My draw," said Isaac as he drew two cards from his deck. "I'll play Magic Formula so that I can give my Dark Magician an extra 700 attack points. Then I'll use Lychinus' ability, so you take another dose of damage equal to my Magician's Valkyria." said Isaac as his magicians blasted away some more life points from Twilight.
Twilight's Life Points: 3100-

"Then play Thousand Knives to get rid of your World of Prophecy!" said Isaac as tiny daggers appeared and got rid of Twilight's monster. "Now, I'll have my Dark Magician attack your Element Guardian Honestas!" shouted Isaac.

"I reveal my facedown, Element Shock! This is a special card I made in addition to the pendulum cards. So by sending my Element Guardian Honestas, I can destroy a card on the field, so I choose your Lychinus Enchanter!" stated Twilight. Honestas faded away, leaving an orb of electricity behind. The orb shot into Lychinus Enchanter, making him convulse and collapse, shattering as he hit the ground.

"Nice move, in that case I'll take out your Element Guardian Compassio!" said Isaac as Mahad changed targets and took out Twilight's other pendulum monster.

"I'll now end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 12: Twilight

"My turn," said Twilight as the ground in front of her now opened up. "Three turns have passed, so now I can play the card that I banished with my Spellbook of Divinity. So arise, my Reaper of Prophecy(2000/1600)!" The monster that came out was a sorcerer who wore a dark cloak as he carried a scythe and the only part shown was his face as it was half human and half skeleton. "Then my Reaper's ability activates, when he's summoned. And based on how many Spellbooks I have in my graveyard determines how many of his effects I can activate. So since I have 3 'Spellbooks' in my graveyard, my Reaper gains 600 more attack points. And since I have 4 'Spellbooks', I can add one 'Spellbook' from my deck to my hand." stated Twilight as she drew her card.

"I now play Spellbook of Secrets so that I can get any Spellbook, and I choose this one, Spellbook Journal!" said Twilight as she activated her cards. "With this, I now select two 'Element Guardian' monsters from my deck. You choose one of them to add to my hand, and the other goes face-up in my Extra Deck.” Twilight tapped her duel disk’s screen. “I pick Element Guardian Magnanimity and Element Guardian Pietas.” The journal’s pages flipped open to display images of the two monsters.

"That's us!" said Rainbow and Rarity.

"So which one?" asked Twilight.

"I guess I'll choose Element Guardian Pietas." said Isaac.

"Very well, then. I now play my Spellbook of Exchange, so by destroying my Element Guardian Magia, I can draw an extra card." Twilight withdrew Magia's card from her disk and slid it into the Extra Deck slot, then reached to her deck and drew. "I then place Element Guardian Pietas in my other Pendulum Zone." said Twilight as she placed her monster on the far end of her card tray as a column of light rose beside Twilight again. In it hovered a warrior in pale blue armor, its plates designed in swirling curves. A long spear with a jagged blade hung over her back.

"I like my card. It totally captures my awesomeness." bragged Rainbow as the other girls glared her their alethic friend.

"I now activate the pendulum effect of Pietas. Once per turn with another 'Element Guardian' in my other Pendulum Zone, Pietas can target and destroy one face-down spell or trap card on the field.” Twilight pointed. “So say goodbye to your facedown!” The card flipped over and rose up, revealing Isaac's facedown to be Magic Cylinder. Pietas held out its hands and fired a blast of lightning into the card, shattering it.

"Were you really banking on your facedown, Isaac?"

"Yes." said the boy as he answered honestly.

"My god." said Twilight as she shook her hand as to how predictable Isaac was for setting that as a trap. Still, it was something she loved about the boy and in just a few more moments, she would tell him the truth. “I now summon Element Guardian Magia(1500/1300, Level 4, Scale 5).” In front of Twilight materialized the purple-skinned warrior, her armor forming a six-pointed crest of spikes on her back. She reached back to take hold of the staff on her back and brought it forward, a pink crystal on the tip glowing.

"That's the card that resembles Twilight." said Spike.

"And now, I call on the power of my Pendulum Scales!” Sunset extended a hand into the air. “Using the Scale 3 Risus and the Scale 5 Pietas, I Pendulum Summon!” A swirling portal opened between the two columns of light. “From the Extra Deck, I Pendulum Summon Honestas, Magnanimity(1200/800, Level 4, Scale 2), and Compassio!” Three streaks of light shot out of the portal and struck the ground before Twilight, fading to reveal her three monsters. One of them was the that resembled Rarity as it was a pale-skinned warrior woman in jagged, crystalline blue armor. She spun on one foot and reached to her waist to draw a rapier, brandishing it twice and then planting the tip on the ground

"Now to show their other effects, first up is Element Guardian Magia's special ability, once per turn, I can add a random spell card from my deck to my hand. Then I'll activate Element Guardian Magnanimity's special ability and she allows me to draw an extra card." Twilight then used her duel disk as she selected the card she wanted as it slid out for her to grab as the autoshuffler kicked in as she then drew the top card of her deck and added it to her hand. "Then time for my other monsters to show their special powers, let introduce you to Honestas' special ability, by tributing a monster on my field, she can destroy all monsters on your side of the field."

"What?" said Isaac.

Honestas then cracked her knuckles as she grabbed her weapon and plunged it into the ground as it created cracks that made their way to Isaac's field as they took out his monster as Compassio used her life force to give her friend power as she then disappeared.

"Element Guardian Compassio returns to my Extra Deck." said Twilight.

"I like mah card, she's tough and ready to fight." said Applejack. "Sorry for using yer monster, Fluttershy."

"It's alright, I'm always willing to help my friends in any way I can." said the buttercup girl as she knew she offered support to her pals when they needed it the most.

"Of course, since I activate Honestas' ability, she can't attack." said Twilight as she looked at Aj who threw her hat on the ground as she wasn't pleased that was the cost of nuking Isaac's entire field, but Twilight needed to balance the card in some way and to help function working with the other Element Guardian cards she created.

"I may be defenseless, but since my Magic Formula was sent to the graveyard, I gain 1000 life points." stated Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 5100-

"You're gonna need them, cause I'll have my Reaper of Prophecy take a swing at you!" shouted Twilight as she sent her monster towards Isaac who brought down its scythe on the boy as he blocked the sharp weapon with his duel disk as the monster backed off.
Isaac's Life Points: 2500-

"It ain't over, cause my Element Guardian Magnanimity will take her shot at you!" commanded Twilight as she sent the monster that looked like Rarity to attack Isaac as she pulled out her rapier and brought it down on Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 1300-

"One last attack, and how fitting is it that I end you with the card that looks like me. Element Guardian Magia, finish Isaac off!"

"Like that's going to happen, I discard Kuriboh from my hand to avoid taking damage!" said Isaac as he sent his tiny monster to the graveyard as he appeared before the boy and protected him from Twilight's attack.

"I knew you wouldn't let this duel end, which is why I attacked." smiled Twilight. Alright, you take it from here Isaac, cause the next move you make, I'll going to let it all out.

"I end my turn with two facedowns."

Turn 13: Isaac

"My turn, I draw!" said Isaac as he drew his two cards. "I plan to turn this duel around, and to start, I'll activate the effect of my Ventus Oraculum in my Pendulum Zone, I gave him the ability of my Sorcerer Swordsman, so now I can add monsters from my graveyard whose levels fall between 4 and 9 back to my hand." stated the boy as he got back his Dark Magician. "And now to pendulum summon once again! Make way for the lady of the hour, Dark Magician Girl. And please give a warm welcome to the star monster of our show, Dark Magician!" Isaac now had his two star magicians appear on his field as he looked to not only get back in the game but win.

"I now play Book of Secrets Arts so that I can give my Dark Magician an extra 300 attack points. But that's not all, I play Wonder Wand to give my Dark Magician Girl an extra 500 points." Isaac now powered up his monsters as he was in prime position to take out Twilight's monster.

"I now reveal my facedown, Element Guardian Council!" shouted Twilight as her card flipped up and shined brightly.

'What's going on?" asked Isaac as he saw the light.

"By discarding one card in my hand, neither of our monsters currently on the field can declare an attack." stated Twilight.

Guess I need to change up my plan. Isaac now looked at his hand as he pulled out another card.

"You may have stopped my monsters, from attacking, but I can still take them out, I play Dark Burning Attack! So now all of your monsters are now gone!" said Isaac.

"I now activate the pendulum effect of my Element Guardian Pietas, when you activated a spell, I can summon it from the Pendulum Zone. So rise up, Element Guardian Pietas(1600/800, Level 4, Scale 7)!" shouted Twilight as the monster that resembled Rainbow Dash appeared. "And now Pietas' special ability activates, so I can negate the effect of your spell card." said the lavender girl as she managed to stop Isaac in his tracks again.

"Damn." stated Isaac as Twilight saved herself yet again.

"And I'm not done, cause now I'll activate Element Guardian Risus' pendulum ability, which allows me to return one card on my field back to the hand, so I choose Risus herself." said Twilight as she took back her other pendulum card as she had no scale left.

"What are you doing Twilight?" asked Isaac.

"Telling you how I feel." answered Twilight. "Now I activate the card I sent away, which was my Spellbook Guardian Manual! By simply banishing this card, if I have no monsters in my Pendulum Zone, then I can replace some from my deck into them. And I choose the last of them, meet my Scale 1 Element Guardian Empathus and Scale 8 Guardian Valor!" Twilight's duel disk then ejected her cards she grabbed them and place them on the far ends of the duel disk. Soon two colorful pillars of light emerged.

In the red column was an orange-skinned woman warrior that wore red, crystal armor. She arrived as the emblem of her had the streak of the sun setting as it had some red, orange, and yellow. It appeared and pulled out a bow as soon a quiver of arrows appeared on her back. And the other monster rose in a golden column as this one was a male warrior as he wore a short-sleeved jacket with white lining. The top half of the jacket was black, while the bottom half was red, and there were two yellow straps dangling in front of it. His pants were red and sported a zipper going down the front of each leg. Each leg also had a yellow pouch with a black strap that partially cover the zipper, as well as a blue strap on the outer side of each pant leg. For this monster held a shield as on it had the symbols of the other Element Guardians on it.

"Woah." said Sunset as she looked at the monster that was suppose to be her.

As for Twilight, she looked at Isaac to see what his reaction was on the card she designed for the boy. The moment, Isaac saw the card that was suppose to resemble him. He didn't say anything, all he could do was stare at it as it wore a similar outfit to what he was wearing. While it may have been a monster, to Isaac it looked like he was seeing a reflection of himself in the card that Twilight made.

"So... is that..."

"Yes... this card... is you." said Twilight with a smile and a blush on her face. "Isaac, now you know."

At that moment, Twilight said what she wanted to say to the boy. And as for Isaac his heart started to beat the loudest it had been as soon he looked at the girl. It was right then and there, that the message that Twilight had been trying to tell throughout all these three duels was now speaking to him loud and clear. Isaac couldn't help but smile as he saw the girl as it seemed she knew that Isaac found out what she wanted to say. Isaac then took a deep breath as he prepared to say something to Twilight.

"Hey, Twilight."

"Yeah."

"Do you..."

"YES!" said Twilight as she answered Isaac's question immediately. At that moment, Isaac smiled as he looked at the girl as both realized the sparkle in each other's eyes that Cadance told them about so long ago. "Though, it's kind of ironic. You asking me on the dueling field, while we're in the middle of a duel." stated Twilight.

"Would you have expected anything less?" asked Isaac with a smile.

"Honestly... no." smiled Twilight as she was the happiest she'd been.

"Did he just ask her..."

"Don't ruin the moment, Dash." said Sunset nonchalantly as she put her hand over her friend's mouth. She and the others all smiled at what transpired between their friends.

As for the adults, Celestia, Luna, Sombra, and Mr. William all smiled at what Isaac and Twilight just committed to. Even both of their parents smiled as they knew what to expect. For Cadance she couldn't stop smiling as the spark she saw in the two from way back when had finally taken full bloom, even Shining Armor understood what happened between his sister and the boy she loved as he wished them the best.

"Seal it with a card?" said Isaac as he grabbed one card from his hand and tossed it over to Twilight as she looked at it and smiled.

"Seal it with a card." responded Twilight as it was official.

"Good, cause now by giving you that card, I can activate Magical Contract Door! It lets me draw a new monster and I'll summon it right now!" shouted Isaac as he continued on with the duel as he sacrifice his two magicians to bring out a new monster. "Break free from your iron prison! Gandora-X the Dragon of Demolition(0/0)!" Once the seal had been broken off the door, out came a new monster for everyone to see. It was a dragon that had tons of light red lights all over its body and led out a mighty roar as it stormed the field.

"Now Gandora-X's ability activates! It can destroys all your monsters and you take damage equal to one with the highest attack points! Then Gandora-X gains those attack points. So now my dragon will have 2600 attack points due to your Reaper of Prophecy." Isaac's dragon then began to light up with the spots on its body and unleashed multiple lasers that went all over the place as they zeroed in on Twilight's field.

"I'm not the only one whose going to lose everything, cause when I'm activating the pendulum ability of my Guardian Valor. Since an 'Element Guardian' is about to be destroyed, I can return the favor by taking out one of your monsters. So Gandora is also going down!" shouted Twilight as soon the entire field was covered in a huge explosion as Twilight's pendulum monster powered up his shield as the seven symbols of its allies shined with all the colors of the rainbow as it then shot a rainbow laser at Isaac's monster as a bright white light caused everybody but Isaac and Twilight to look away as soon there was nothing left but sparkles the floated and fell through the air.
Twilight's Life Points: 500-

"I now reveal my last facedown, High Speed Aria! So now I discard a Normal Spell from my hand so that I can activate it. However, I can't activate any spells on my next turn." said Twilight. "And the one I choose is the card you gave me, Card of Sanctity. So now we each draw till we're holding six cards in our hand."

"So be it, this duel continues. I'm having too much fun and I'm happy."

"Me too." smiled Twilight as both drew their hands while staring at each other's eyes with a lovesick expression. "It's still your turn, and if you summon a monster, you can attack and win the duel since my Element Guardian Council only works for monsters that were currently on the field when I activated it."

"True, so I'll play Premature Burial to pay 800 life points so that I can bring back my Dark Magician." stated Isaac.
Isaac's Life Points: 500-

"After that, I'll end my turn with a facedown."

"What?!" shouted the girls as Isaac had the chance to win, but he didn't take it. And with that spell card he activated, both him and Twilight had the same amount of life points as the next big attack would win.

"I'm giving you a chance. Come on, show me." smiled Isaac.

Turn 14: Twilight

"Very well, but you're gonna regret giving not finishing me off." smiled the girl at the boy. "I draw! I'll summon my Gold Gadget(1700/800). And his special ability allows me to summon my Silver Gadget(1500/1000) from my hand." Twilight now had two more of her gadget monsters.

"I end my turn with a facedown."

Turn 15: Isaac

"My turn, I draw." said Isaac as he drew 2 cards. "I'll place one card facedown, then I'll play Dark Magic Attack! So now my Dark Magician can destroy all your spell and trap cards on the field. Including your Pendulum cards!" stated Isaac as his monster then blasted away Twilight's set card as her pendulum cards as she grabbed them and slotted them back into her Extra Deck as she was now out of her new created cards.

"Now Mahad, attack her Gold Gadget!" shouted Isaac as his magician did that and took out Twilight's monster.

"Now my Gold Gadget's effect activates, it can replace itself with another 'Gadget' monster in my deck, and I choose the last one I have, Ancient Gear Gadget(500/2000)!" stated Twilight as she had another monster appear in defense mode.

"I now end my turn."

Turn 16: Twilight

"It's my move, I draw!" said the girl as she drew her two cards. "Now, I'll sacrifice both of my monsters so that I can summon my High Priestess of Prophecy(2500/2100)!" shouted Twilight as she had her partner by her side as she looked to end this duel with her ace monster against Isaac's.

"Lady Priestess." spoke Mahad to the women.

"Master Mahad." said the woman back as she had her legs crossed and a book in her lap.

"How unfortunate is that we find ourselves as the final stand for of our masters." said Mahad.

"Indeed, but fate has brought us to this moment. Now, we shall see which one of our masters is the best." said Priestess.

"Good luck, Lady Priestess. Whatever happens."

"You too, Mahad. Whatever happens."

"Here we go, I activate my High Priestess of Prophecy's special ability, by banishing my Spellbook of Eternity from my hand, she can destroy your Dark Magician!" stated Twilight as her monster opened her book and fired a spell as it collided with Isaac's monster as he was taken out.

"Time to end this, I'll play Pot of Greed!" said Twilight.

"What does it do?!" shouted everybody as she and Isaac just let out a laugh.

"This card lets me draw 2 cards from my deck." said Twilight as she played along with the joke. "With that done, I'll now summon my Fool of Prophecy(1600/900)." Out came a boy magician on Twilight's field as he had his staff over his shoulder as he had a carefree attitude on his face. "Then I'll activate his ability, so I send a 'Spellbook' from my deck to the graveyard. Now, Priestess attack Isaac directly and end this duel!"

"I reveal my facedown, Spellbinding Circle! So now your monster loses 700 points and can't attack!"

"Not quite, from my hand, I play Spellbook of Wisdom! So my High Priestess of Prophecy is unaffected by your trap." stated Twilight.

"In that case, I'll activate my other facedown, Negate Attack!" said Isaac as he managed to avoid Twilight's attack as her monster's attack ceased.

"So this is it." said Twilight as she put her arms down. "Now that we've reached the end of the turn, my Fool of Prophecy's other effect activates, since I sent a 'Spellbook' earlier to the graveyard, I can tribute him to summon my Dark Red Enchanter(1700/2000)!" The monster emerged as it wore robes of the darkest red and a large golden headpiece that hid its eyes from view, masking its expression.

"Go on, Isaac. Do what you do best." smiled Twilight.

Turn 17: Isaac

"You fought a valiant duel, Twilight, and this is the hardest move I've ever had to make." smiled Isaac with tears in his eyes. "But this ends now. I play Monster Reborn so that I can bring back my Dark Magician. Then play Bond Between Teacher and Student, so I can also summon my Dark Magician Girl." Isaac now had his ace monsters going up against Twilight's as it seemed both masters had their most loyal magicians by their side ready for the final result.

"Twilight, I'm glad you told me how you feel."

"Same here."

"Mahad, attack her Priestess!" shouted Isaac as his magician raised his wand as Twilight's magician raised her hand as her book opened up. Both of them gave each other a smile due to their masters being happy as they traded blows with each other and were gone. "Now my Dark Magician Girl gains 300 extra attack points since my Dark Magician is in the graveyard. So Mana, finish this duel by attacking Twilight's Dark Red Enchanter."

"Yes, Isaac." smiled his female magician giving one last kiss as she pointed her wand at her target and with a wink to the male magician fired her spell as it made contact with Twilight's monster as she stood there as her hair came undone and fluttered in the breeze as the attack ceased.
Twilight's Life Points: 0-

Winner: Isaac

"Ladies and gentleman, give a round of applause to both Isaac and Twilight." said Luna as she and the entire students and parents in the stands stood up and clapped as did the girls. Along with their parents and the adults of both CHS and Crystal Prep were giving their praises and respect to both teens for putting on some of the best duels of not just their life but for everybody to see.

Isaac approached Twilight who fell to her knees. She looked up and saw Isaac standing there, before she could say anything, Isaac got on his knees in front of Twilight and immediately grabbed both sides of her face as he brought her in for a deep and passionate kiss. Both of them just closed their eyes and wrapped their hands around the other's neck. They enjoyed it as they finally confessed their true feelings to the other as the applause was going even louder for what it meant between the two.

While the pair was kissing, the necklaces they were wearing began to glow as the magic inside of them was starting to come out. And not just from them, but the girls and everything else that was infused with magic. It then started to surround the pair as it soon shot into the sky as it did some fireworks effect.

"What's happening?" asked Rainbow.

"The magic is going back to where it came from." said Sunset. "It's served its purpose, we don't need it anymore." stated the bacon-haired girl as she petted Spike who let out a normal bark.

Isaac and Twilight pulled apart as they had a small trail of salvia connecting their lips. They both looked up and saw the magic going off as they both knew what it meant. With their time coming to an end and each going on their separate paths, the magic knew that it no longer needed them and their friends. So it then did one final explosion as the last batch of magical particles exploded in the sky to create a beautiful light show. Isaac leaned in as he said something that only Twilight heard as she responded, but only Isaac heard it. The boy then let go of Twilight's face as he stood up and made his way to Luna, Celestia, Sombra, and Mr. William. He then pulled out his deck as he took out some cards.

"Mr. William, thanks for trusting me with this." said Isaac as he gave back the copy of Slifer the Sky Dragon to the current owner of Industrial Illusions.

"Thank you, Isaac boy." said the man as he grabbed the card.

"Sombra, don't try anything chaotic." said Isaac as he handed him Obelisk back.

"I'll keep my word." said the man as he took the god card from Isaac.

"Luna and Celestia." said Isaac as he held out the Winged Dragon of Ra.

"Isaac." said Celestia as she grabbed the card from her student.

"I'm not gonna need them. I got plenty of firepower for the pro circuit. I'm keeping my word, that I would return them when all was said and done. And I relinquish my rank as champion." stated Isaac.

"Undefeated till graduation, a feat that shall not be repeated ever again." smiled Celestia.

"We hope that whoever is the next champion, remembers what it means to hold this rank." smiled Luna.

"One more thing, here." Isaac now pulled out a piece of paper and gave it to Luna as she looked at the object as it was a check. "The Board is giving you guys funds to remodel the school and to give it a proper teaching system for CHS and will implement Duel Monsters as part of the school curriculum. How much they were willing to give, well they simply matched the amount of money that I was gonna donate to the school."

"The amount of money is..." Luna widen at what the number was for Isaac's portion of the funds.

"The rest that I have in savings account. All the money I made during my Blackjack dealings in Las Pegasus, I'm giving it all to you girls to help the program and to get the school of your dreams." said Isaac.

"Isaac... thank you." cried the two women as they brought their student in as they hugged him tightly.

"Good luck." said Luna.

"We know you'll do much better than we could have done in our careers. It's why we picked you to be the one to retire us." smiled Celestia.

"Goodbye, ladies." said Isaac as he began to walk away from his two principals.

"Mami, papi, I'll be fine." said Isaac as he was saying goodbye to his parents.

"Make sure you call us." said Isaac's mom.

"And let us know when you're coming home from your busy schedule." said Isaac's dad.

"I will, thank you... for being the best parents I could ever ask for." cried the boy as he hugged them one last time.

"Isac." said Flurry Heart.

"Be a good girl. Okay?" asked Isaac to which Flurry nodded as he kissed her cheek and said goodbye to the small baby. "She's going to grow up well, Cadance."

"Good luck, Isaac."

"I will. And I'll see you very soon, Shining Armor. Just don't lose the title of World Champion, before I get a crack at you."

"I'll be waiting for you, Isaac." said the young man as he did a fist bump to his rival.

"Isaac, time to leave." said Juniper.

"Right, let's go Juniper." Isaac now began to follow the girl as they were heading towards the exit as once Isaac stepped through it meant the start of his career as a pro duelist. He was then stopped in his tracks by voices.

"Isaac, don't go!" shouted the girls as got up out of their seats. Fluttershy handed Spike to Shining Armor as all seven of them stood behind Isaac as he had his back turned towards them.

"So that's how it ends, huh? Nice, you think can just show up and change everybody's life... and then just leave?!" said Rainbow as she had some tears in her eyes.

"What a shitty move, big bro." cried Pinkie as well as both girls tried hard to wipe their tears.

"What Rainbow and Pinkie mean, darling is... we don't want to say goodbye." stated Rarity as she too was crying.

"Exactly. Isaac..." said Fluttershy letting tears roll down her cheek.

"We know walking through that door means you get realize your destiny and you get to live your dream... and it's all for the best... but it doesn't seem fair!" shouted Twilight as she was the one crying the most of the group. "I mean, I feel like we were all just getting to know you. And now you're being taken away from us! I know we should be happy for you... but it's really hard to do that when you're losing your best friend and you just don't understand why it has to be that way!" While the girls were crying, Isaac too had his head down as tears were sliding down his cheek as he heard the girls.

"I guess there are some things that we're not supposed to understand." said Sunset as she placed her hand on Twilight's shoulder. "But we know that true friends may be hard to leave... but they're impossible to forget. And even though his stay wasn't as long as we would have liked... we're lucky we knew him at all." said the girl as the others all had tears as they looked at the boy standing in front of them.

Thank you, girls. I'm gonna miss you all, I hope that you all live your lives to fullest, even if I never see you all again. Isaac was crying hard as he keep his head down and back turned.

"Hey, sugar! I hate to break the terrible news to ya... but you're not goin' anywhere!" said Aj as she took off her hat and sniffled a bit. "Cause everything you've given us stays right here in our hearts! And that will never makes us forget about you. Not now, not ever!" said the country girl as the others all nodded.

"Right!" said Isaac as he turned his head to the group. The message from Aj now helped to ease Isaac's fear as a huge weight was finally lifted off his soul and shoulders.

"Like we always say... it's your move!" shouted the girls in unison while each one gave a thumbs up to the boy.

Isaac simply responded by extending his arm out to his side and gave a thumbs up as he walked towards the door. The girls saw their friend as he was about to move on with his life. Isaac was now walking to the door as the final vision that his Black Robe Mentalist saw so long ago now occurred. To Isaac he was walking towards the door, and on the other side were the spirits of the Big 5 as they were waiting for the boy to join them. With that Isaac finally realized his destiny as he disappeared behind the door and it closed with a thud as the girls stood there looking at it.

"Well, Isaac... good bye." said Twilight with tears still flowing down her face as everything faded to black as there was nothing but darkness.

"Hey."

"Hey!"

"You there?" spoke a light shining through the darkness.

"I'm Isaac... and this... is my story." said the voice as soon everything changed as a montage was playing as music was heard.

(Montage)

Isaac had arrived at CHS with his parents as they were meeting with Principal Celestia to complete his enrollment.

"Now that the paperwork is taken care of, I would like to ask Isaac a question? I heard from your parents that you seem fond of Duel Monsters, is that correct?" she asked. "But if I may be so bold as to say: What do you duel for?"

It now showed Isaac's first duel on his first day at transferring to Canterlot High. Where he showed off his Dark Magician as he showed off the skills he had. From afar was Rainbow as she was spying on the new student as she looked to scout him out. Isaac's next few duels, he showed off his ability to do all known summoning methods as Rainbow continued to watch from afar. Isaac then was shown finding a lost card as he then bumped into Fluttershy as it was their first meeting.

"Hi, my name is Isaac. What's your name?"

"Oh... my name is Fluttershy." the girl said in a soft, low voice that Isaac could barely hear her.

"Oh my gosh I can't believe it. Where did you find this? I thought I lost this forever. Thank you!" she then lunged at him with open arms and embraced him.

Then it showed Isaac helping Fluttershy at the animal rescue center as she wanted to reward him for returning the card. It was there he adopted Tigre as Isaac thanked the girl for helping him to give the cat a home. The days after was Isaac helping to rebuild Fluttershy's deck from the ground up and taking on Trixie in one of his first big time duels as at the end he applauded the girl for a good fight and then Rainbow made her presence known.

"Dash. Rainbow Dash" she said with such conviction in her voice. "I've been watching you for a while now; I've liked what I've seen so far. That's why we need to talk!"

With that Isaac met the girls and began to tell him about the Fall Formal.

"Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie."

"Howdy, I'm Applejack. But you can call me AJ."

"Pleased to make your acquaintance, darling. My name is Rarity."

"Greetings, I'm Isaac."

After that they begun to hang out with each other and during that time, word got out to a certain someone about Isaac. And then one day she had caught her in the hallways as she made herself known.

“What do you want?” Isaac said with a commanding voice.

"Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Sunset Shimmer." said the girl. "Heed my advice ditch the girls so you tune all of your focus on surviving in the tournament. Or don’t it’s up to you. Still know that this is my place and I run it; meaning I decide who lives and who suffers my wrath. If you play your cards right kid I might let you slide, are we clear?”

Isaac answered with a bit of bitterness. “Crystal.”

“Good, see you around boy toy."

"Isaac, the reason why Rainbow wanted to meet with you was because of Sunset.” said Applejack.

“So I can do your dirty work, huh Dash? The only reason why you became friends with me is so Sunset Shimmer can fall? That’s the only reason why you need me, isn’t it!?” Isaac expressed how angry he was with them. “Here I was thinking that it’s impossible to become fast friends with people you just met. I actually believed that there are some people who even if you haven’t met, you can share a special connection with them. But I can throw that out the window because I found out you're just using me for your selfish needs. Let me ask you all, did any of you ever feel like we were friends?”

“Of course we did darling. I’ll admit while our initial reasons for wanting to meet you were malicious, you must believe that we really did want to become friends with you."

“But why me? What could I possibly have that would require you guys to seek me out?”

Then the crew began to work on their plan for the Fall Formal tournament as they were dead set on taking down Sunset. The tournament getting underway as soon the final 8 were announced and that the last matchup of the quarterfinal round pitted Isaac against Fluttershy. For the two it pained them to be facing off but they knew they had to do it to stop Sunset. And so the two battled as both gave each other all they could handle as in the end Isaac was able to defeat the shy girl and move on to the next round. Then the semi-final round, pitted Isaac against another one of his friends in Applejack. Both city boy and country gal showed just how much they were willing to take a hit and get back up. Eventually it came to an end as Isaac beat Aj to go to the finals. And on the other side, Sunset disposed of Rainbow and kept on hurting the girl after the duel, until Isaac came to put a stop to it and the two looked at each other as the clash for the finals would take place.

"They boo you because first of all you suck!" Everybody started to cheer for Isaac when he said that; Sunset was getting furious for the crowd turning on her. "And second of all it's because they see right through, you're phony. You're just somebody who's throwing their power around, picking on others because she's too scared of her own insecurities. So you turn your attention towards others and try to make their life miserable, so that you can feel better about yourself. So if you wrap up everything I said about you, then you're just a fake ass bitch!"

"You're about to see how mean I can get!"

"Then do something about it!"

Isaac and Sunset then jumped out of their seats and began to get in each other's faces. Their foreheads were pressed against each other as they started to bad mouth each other with curses and slang.

"I feel like everytime I walk into this building its been 'this is the biggest duel of my life'. Guys, next week, it's the biggest match of my career." said Isaac with a mocking tone. "This Friday, it's not just the biggest duel of my career, it's the biggest moment of my life, Sunset."

Sunset had a smirk on her face. "The whoop is understanding the difference between a main event that last for one night. And a main event that's life altering."

Now the two faced off against each other as it was a fight for survival. Isaac was facing off against Sunset as both were trying their best defeat the other.

"Stay down!! Just stay down!!! Everytime I've beaten you to a pulp, you still find some way to get back up! I kick your ass and you get back up. I kick your ass again and you still try to get back up!! Maybe your parents told you that if you face a bully and he's beating you down then you should just get back up. Well let me tell you, the next time that bully is not going to let you get up. They're going to keep beating you till they make sure that you don't get up! I said that you were going to be in for the beating of a lifetime but you still are trying to fight. So tell me!! What do I have to do!? What do I have to do to get you out of my life!? I! HATE! YOU!!!!"

"Now you know, Sunset. You said it yourself, that I'm going to be in for the beating of a lifetime. Well that's like saying that the sun will come up tomorrow. Of course I know that, I know that. But I also know what it takes to beat you! But what separates me from you Sunset is heart. And when the chips are down, you may beat the hell out of me but you're going to have beat every last breath out of this body!!" said Isaac. "Well I duel out of love!"

Sunset had a disgusted look on her face like that was most stupidest answer she ever heard from someone.

"Nothing is impossible, Sunset! Now Chromatic Paladin, attack Sunset's Demon Inferno. Rainbow Slash!!"

Isaac then fused his spirit with his monster as it lifted its weapon and then jumped into the air and with a mighty swing of its sword brought it down on Sunset's monster and struck the final blow to Sunset as it brought her to her knees. Isaac saw that Sunset was starting to feel sorry for herself and was ready to atone for her sins. Isaac then extended his hand for Sunset to accept; she saw what Isaac was doing and was hesitant in accepting his forgiveness. Eventually she grabbed Isaac's hand as the rainbow that surrounded Isaac was then transferred to Sunset as it washed away the remaining darkness in her heart.

The day after saw the group approaching Sunset as she was looking to reinvent herself by getting a new deck. Isaac offered his support as he gave Sunset a special card. Sunset looked at it and was surprised with what Isaac was giving her. She had to do a double take as she looked at the card; she then looked at Isaac.

"You sure about this?"

"Of course, unfortunately, I don't have all the proper cards to support it. That is going to be a challenge on your part. You need to be willing to put in the effort, do you think you can do that?"

"You have my word, Isaac. I promise to not let you down and to show this card the proper respect." Sunset then showed off as she summoned the card in the practice duel against the boy.

"I summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" Sunset then played the card that Isaac had given her; out came a dragon that was black from head to toe. It's eyes had a shade of red and when it opened its mouth the scent of molten lava covered the entire field as it let out a growl and a roar.

Isaac meeting the CMC after Applebloom said to the others that she knew Isaac. He saw the three and how they wanted to live up to their role models. So he decided to teach them what he knew and to help improve their skills. He walked Sweetie Belle home as Rarity was grateful for her friend in looking after her little sister.

"Well it's going to be dark soon, so I better get home."

"Wait, Isaac. I just wanted to say once again that I'm grateful that you brought my sister home. Not to mention that you helped her with her deck. She really wants to be good at the game, but I hardly have the time to practice with her. So I'm glad she has someone she can train with; not to mention that she can learn from the best. Anyways, I'm hoping that I can repay you in some way."

"You don't have to repay me, Rarity. I helped her because it was the right thing to do." Isaac tried to assure Rarity that she didn't need to do anything.

"But I must do something to show my generosity." Just then an idea popped into Rarity's head which caused her to crack a small smile as well as a bit of a blush. "Perhaps, if you don't have plans this weekend. Maybe you and I could go somewhere, just the two of us."

And then showed the date that both Isaac and Rarity had with each other. The look in both teen's eyes showed they had a fun time as in the end. Isaac bought the fashionista a gift which was a sapphire hairpin as it resulted in the girl giving a kiss to Isaac on the lips as she enjoyed their date. The days after that, Isaac was assigned by Celestia to be Cheerilee's student aid in helping the CMC and their class understand the basics of Duel Monsters. Then Fluttershy worked up the courage to ask Isaac out as the two took a trip to an aviary center and after the trip, the boy gave the buttercup girl a gift as it caused Fluttershy to gasp and press her lips to the boy as she expressed her happiness. Then they took a trip to Everton High as they learned about Mr. Turner creating a new method to play called, Dimension Summoning.

"What's this? I can summon my high level monsters without sacrificing?"

"That's correct, see we're not dueling normally in here we'll be Dimension Summoning."

"Dimension Summoning?" asked Isaac.

The duel ended as Mr. Turner gave Isaac his first synchro monster, Dark Sorcerer Magician as a way to say thank you. From there, it was then the Winter Ball as this time around Isaac's opponent was none other than Rainbow Dash. In the days leading up, Rainbow asked Isaac to tutor her to help her improve her math score to compete in the tournament to face Isaac. She even went so far as to get on her hands and knees in front of Isaac and begged the boy to reconsider. So he agreed as Rainbow improved her score and then won the mini tournament as was scheduled to face Isaac at the Winter Ball before the semester came to an end. The day came as before the Winter Ball, Rainbow wanted to pay back Isaac as she took them both to see a movie to which Isaac rewarded the girl with a dance just moments before their duel. The battle came as Rainbow showed how see could see all the angles from her tutoring sessions with Isaac as he pulled out a last minute clutch to win.

Then came the Friendship Games. And it was there that Isaac met the person who he would come to care for the most. It showed the boy as he was taking on a hooded person who was sneaking around CHS. The duel ended abruptly as the hooded person got away. Then came when Celestia called Isaac in to her office as she wanted him to be the team captain for CHS in the event. Isaac was hesitant, but soon agreed to accepting the woman's offer. Then the time arrived as the party for the two schools to meet occurred and Isaac saw the identity of the hooded person who he faced weeks before.

"Hey! I just want to talk." Isaac then got closer to Twilight as he now got a pretty good look at her. "What's your name?"

"It's Twilight. Twilight Sparkle."

"Nice to meet you Twilight. I'm Isaac."

Then the battle came as it was Team CHS versus Team CPA. Both sides didn't give an inch as all duels had both pair of duelist going all out, especially in Isaac and Shining Armor's duel which blew everybody away, literally. With the score tied, the tiebreaker had Isaac going against Twilight who was corrupted with evil magic by Sombra. He managed to save Twilight and bring the girl back, then Sombra finally made his intentions known as he took on Isaac along with Sunset and Twilight. In the end, the trio was able to beat Sombra and remove him from his evil magic. Then came the time Isaac accompanied Applejack and her family to Appleloosa where he spent a nice moment with the country girl as she expressed herself to the city boy.

“I understand. You're are important to me too,” Isaac said.

“Really?” she asked.

Now Isaac had to stop a thief who stole a copy of Slifer the Sky Dragon. The person was a former employee of Mr. William as he wanted to get back at his boss. Isaac was able to preserve and defeat the Egyptian God, as the thief was caught and the card was returned back to Mr. William. The Spring Fling then was next as that event, Isaac made his decision one who he wanted to face as he chose none other than Sunset as his challenger who came very close to beating him. Then there was Shining Armor's gradation duel at Crystal Prep as he selected Isaac to be his opponent. The two gave a barn burner of a duel as they showed just how much they were willing to go. The next scenes were the trip to Camp Everfree, as one of the things that happened was Twilight taking over for Isaac in a duel while he was sick. The other major thing was stopping Gloriosa Daisy who turned into Gaia Everfree and Isaac managed to defeat her and free the entire camp from magic. After that, was Isaac finding his job working for Mr. Johnson and then overtime he would soon become owner of the store along with his boss.

The next thing was the concert duel he participated in with none other than musical superstar, Countess Coloratura or Rara. It did provide Isaac with a memorable experience as he got to see that the pop star was just as good at singing as she dueled. Then came the sleepover with the girls, which then lead to his 18th birthday in which the girls all gave him meaningful gifts. With Twilight giving Isaac his watch as a way to show she cared for the boy and it got him to realized his feelings for the nerdy girl. And it came to fruition during Shining Armor and Cadance's wedding.

"I too have feelings for you." That response brought a smile to Isaac's face as Twilight gripped his hand more tightly. "For a while, I've too seen you in a different light. You've been my best friend since I enrolled at CHS and we will always be best friends. But I sometimes wished that maybe we could be more. When I first saw you, I didn't think much of it. But looking back, I couldn't get you off my mind. What started out as wanting to see who you were from a scientific standpoint turned into something of a personal project." Twilight then brought Isaac's hand up as she leaned into it and closed her eyes. She then opened them as she stared at Isaac, "You're brave, mature, very cunny and talented. Not to mention quite charming/handsome. You don't blur the lines, you say what's on your mind. But most importantly, you're always willing to help out others no matter who they may be. That to me shows you're an incredible individual and an even better duelist."

"Isaac, I want you to love me; because I love you."

From that statement, the pair became boyfriend and girlfriend. Soon the couple went with their friends on a summer trip as all of them got to tour the country as they show cased their skills for many schools and kids. And along the trip they got to experience things like the battle simulation in Horsolulu, the situation in Las Pegasus, the duel in front of Isaac's hometown of Chicoltgo as the final stop. Then came the Duos Cup where Isaac and Twilight were selected and their final opponents were Sunburst and Starlight Glimmer as it was the first time they meet.

"You got something right there Twilight, I am agitated. I'm angry, but most of all, I'm confused. We dedicate our entire lives to people who are aren't around anymore, dedicate dueling to old has-beens! You wanna call them legends, call them whatever, they've had their time! A night like tonight is exactly what's wrong with dueling. All day, every single dueling event that has ever been held has in some way shape or form been about the past. The past, not the present and most certainly not the future!!" Starlight was starting to sound off as Twilight could hear the fury in her voice. "And what sickens me even more is people who look to these icons and say that they want to be just like them!"

"It's called respect." said Twilight.

"Oh, respect. Is that what it's called? Please it's called sucking up and kissing somebody's ass! Listen, listen. I'm not bewildered I know exactly that the generation before me paved the way, but when the hell are you gonna let me walk on that path!?" screamed Starlight as she grabbed the pamphlet out of Twilight's hands and stared at it with angry. The sight of all the famous icons to introduce their own style of dueling/summoning method standing side by side was enough to make Starlight sick to her stomach. "Guys like me, or Sunburst not getting the time of day or the respect that we deserve, why? Because we need to hear about the duelists that everybody remembers or some stupid catchphrases that we've heard time and time again for the seventh million time!"

"It's called paying respect for the those that allowed us to be here!" replied Isaac. "With these great individuals, Duel Monsters wouldn't be where it is now."

The finals of the Duos Cup saw Twilight and Isaac defeating Sunburst and Starlight, but they both knew they would see each other again. And from there things took a turn for the worst when it came to starting the gang's junior year at CHS.

Celestia then cleared her throat as she continued to speak. "This undoubtedly is a highlight of my career. A magical weekend that will come. And there's only one thing, there's only one thing that can make that weekend more magical, only one thing in the world that could make Celestia's career even bigger, and that would be to duel against the man whose name is synonymous with Duel Monsters." Everybody was in silence at what they heard, even Isaac began to shake his heard as soon as he heard it.

"I am not gonna be known as the guy that ended Celestia's career." said Isaac.

"If I can't compete with the best, then I don't want my career to continue."

"I wanna remind you of a little story. Remember the story of Old Yeller? Come Friday, the Showstopper is gonna take you, Old Yeller, behind the woodshed and put you out of your misery." Isaac used his fingers to make the shape of a gun as he pointed it at Celestia's head and pretended to fire it off.

"Old Yeller, are you kidding me!!!" Celestia then slapped Isaac in the face with so much force that it knocked his cap off of his head as his head turned from the impact.

"Like I said, I'm putting you out of your misery."

And put Celestia out of her misery did he as the duel at the Fall Formal saw Isaac looking at Celestia who was on her knees as Isaac stood over her with the Winged Dragon of Ra on his side. With a merciful requested by the girl, Isaac muttered the words "I love you" so that only Celestia could hear it as he brought the axe down on her and officially ended her career. After that duel, Celestia bestowed Isaac the Winged Dragon of Ra along with a letter she had written the day when she appointed Isaac as the team captain of CHS during the Friendship Games.

Dear Isaac,

As principal it's my job to provide a safe and comfortable environment for students, however I was unable to do that, but then you came along and brought back what it means to have fun. What it means to love the game that brings you joy. And for that, I thank you again. I know you always talk about the great legends of the past and how people looked to them for inspiration; well as a duelist who's competed on the pro league and has had a chance to meet with each one of them. Let me say that you definitely have what it takes to be the next legend. The road ahead will be tough, especially once your journey here at CHS ends. But always remember the friendships you've made along the way. The memories that you make here will significantly help you later in your life. I truly believe that you will go a long way, so much so that you for sure will accomplish so much more than I did in my career. In fact, I believe that in due time there'll be a new legend that people will talk about. And that legend will be you. Nevertheless, I look forward to what you will continue to do; I'm happy to have faced someone who was able to grant my request. Now I can live the rest of my days in peace and it's all thanks to you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart; you've made me proud to be not only be your principal, but as a friend and more importantly as a mother.

Sincerely,

Principal Celestia.

After that was the Christmas album they put together with Rara and the special gifts they all exchanged to each other. The next major thing that happened changed Isaac's live as he got his set of pendulum cards and was introduced to his pendulum crew. Showing once again, he was taking his game to the next level. Then Flurry Heart was born as Twilight invited Isaac to go with her and her family to spend some time and meet her parents. Right after that, the crew found themselves trapped in Cyberspace with the person in charge of it all called the Gamemaster. The rules including surviving or risk having them being trapped forever, but in the end the crew was able to beat the Gamemaster at their own game and escaped. Then the next adventure for Isaac was the start of a bigger chain reaction, in which Isaac along with Rainbow and Sunset went to New Domino City to learn about Turbo Dueling. And it was there that Isaac met with none other than Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo and the two engaged in a Turbo Duel.

The next thing to occur was Sunset bringing Isaac to Equestria as she needed his help in taking out some evil spirits trying to take over the land. And meeting the pony versions of their friends proved to be something of a strange and wonderful experience.

"Isaac." said both groups as they heard him.

"That's bullshit!!!! It happened because of you and the choices you made!"

"If only you knew how wrong you are." stated Discord.

"Tough talk from the thing that's lived too long. Allow me to fix that!" said Isaac as he gave a witty remark. Isaac then soared ahead with as he dodged each of the Tantabus' attack.

"You'll pathetic weaklings! You lack the courage to challenge me in lone combat!"

"Yet we have the strength to scale the walls between us. To reach out our hands in friendship... so that we can open our true hearts to one another! That's how we win!" said Isaac as he took out the thing.

But in the end, they managed to rid Equestria of the ones causing havoc, and during that trip, Isaac also got to face off against Yuma where he managed to score a win against the master duelist himself.

Then after coming back, Isaac then celebrated his one-year anniversary with Twilight and showed off the house he bought for her and their friends to have a place to hang out.

"Money will come and go, you all know that. But the most important thing in life will always be the people here in this room. Right here, right now." said Isaac as he looked at each one of the girls as they all smiled.

Soon he was met with a task as it involved taking on Luna in her last duel of her professional career as she went out on her back and put over the boy.

"Stay down, Luna! Just let it go, if I wanted to I would have ended this duel already. I've out paced you in every aspect of this duel!" said Isaac. "Stay down!!!!"

"Rest in peace, Luna." said the boy as he placed the girl on her back and put both of her hands on her chest.

Once the duel ended, Luna said her goodbye and as a parting gift, introduced Isaac to none other than the pioneer and master of pendulum summoning, Yuya Sakaki. The two boys got along as they talked about each of their adventures and resulted in them having an Action Duel as Yuya was impressed by Isaac's pendulum skills. Then came Isaac's senior year as he introduced a program and told the Board of Education about his idea as they gave him a test. So he recruited the girls and appointed them as tutors while assigning each one of them a student to mentor for the coming year. During this final year, Isaac took on Shining Armor in one final grand duel to end their rivalry as he was given Obelisk by the man himself. The first big challenge was the tournament involving the girls and the students in which the winner would earn the right to challenge Isaac at the Fall Formal for the rank of champion, through all that, Lucky Star emerged as the girl got the chance to challenge Isaac as the boy did his job in making her shine.

Luna was then contacted by the Dueling Committee as they informed her about being selected for the Duel Monsters Hall of Fame like Celestia did before her. As a reward, she was offered the chance to bring the older teens with her to the place where they got to learn the whole history of Duel Monsters and how it came to be. And it was there that Isaac got to meet Jaden Yuki as it was his turn to see what skills and talents the boys possessed. Then there was the movie incident involving Juniper Montage, baby sitting Flurry Heart with Twilight for New Years Eve. And then taking everybody and the students to the training facility that the Big 5 allowed Isaac to use to help motivate the student's skills. The circus they all took part in, then Isaac's adventure with meeting Shane and Aqua who were from the future as he helped them to defeat Malum.

Then their cruise trip for Spring Break as it resulted in them having to make a quick pass by through Equestria. Soon a blast from Isaac's past came back into the fold when Starlight Glimmer made her presence known.

"I am the 'best' duelist in the world!" said Starlight as she corrected the boy's statement.

"Congratulations, for thinking that. I hate to tip my ace to you, there was a lot of people who thought that. A lot of people. Names like Yuya Sakaki, Jaden Yuki, Yuma Tsukumo, even Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo! Every single one of them, thought the kid couldn't hang with me. Thought there's no way that he can duel with me on this dueling field! Every single one was disappointed!"

"Oh, hold on, I'm gonna stop you right there, I'm not gonna have you stand here and belittle me and say I've lost sight of everything. I've lost sight of things, Isaac?! The reason I say all this is I don't fit a certain mold and because I am the underdog and that's exactly what you've lost sight of. Earlier you told me how you 'supposedly' had met some of these duelists, Yuya Sakaki, Yuma Tsukumo, Jaden Yuki, and Satellite's Shooting Star, Yusei Fudo and you said that they used to look at you and think that the kid couldn't hang and now you stand here and look at me as the kid that can't hang!!" shouted Starlight.

"Oh, save me!!!" yelled Isaac. "You want to be the catalyst as long as it benefits you!! I am sick to death of listening to you talk at how you're doing all of this for them!! Yeah, there are a lot of people out there and reading this story, maybe half of them agree with what you're saying, the other half, they don't give a damn! You know what, Starlight? Some of these people and readers actually like this story. Some of these people dig it, they tune in every single chapter. They love what they see, they come here to have a good time. They like it the way it is. But when you talk about being the catalyst for change, really what you mean is, you will only accept change if it means Starlight Glimmer is on top, because unless Starlight Glimmer is the gal, the man, that's not enough change for you. That's not really what you want. See, you're no different than anybody else that's ever been in this business, including me. We're a lot alike. We did what we had to do to get on top. The difference is? I looked everybody in the eye and told you, I'm gonna step on you, I'm gonna walk through you to get to the top. You, you don't have the balls to do it! What you did is you backdoor your way around. You tried to do it being a martyr."

"You became champion, I immediately started testing you, trial by fire, call it, and guess what, you failed. You're just like everybody else, you're just like Celestia and Luna, you're just like the Big 5. You know, I thought maybe since me and you, yeah, we are a lot alike, I thought maybe we wanted the same things, I thought we were on the same page, we wanted the same goals, but it turns out, you're egotistical, you're vindictive. It's the same old thing I've seen before, I mean, you hire your buddies to do your dirty work because you can't get your hands dirty." said Starlight as she pointed and looked at the girls.

All of their banter and personal feelings boiled over as both couldn't take it anymore as they engaged in unsanctioned match as the brutality between the two was off the charts as they literally wanted to kill the other. And in the end, Starlight managed to just barely survive and walk out as she defeated the hero. Isaac then lost the ability to see his cards as his bond and connection with his monsters was severed. He then disappeared as Starlight began her reign of terror as she took out each of the girls as they tried to take her down. While that was happening, Isaac found himself in the Spirit World as he rediscovered his passion for dueling and then arrived in time to see Twilight still standing from Starlight's grand attack, but collapsed before she could declare her attack to win.

Isaac then began to get Starlight's attention taking out Trixie, Sunburst, and even taking both of them out as he tagged with Yuya Sakaki who gave Isaac some final cards and pendulum hybrid monsters.

"My goal not being, okay, a certain amount of dollars and I'm done. No! No, I wanna leave Duel Monsters a better place than when I walked in through that door the first time. That's what I want as my legacy. This is what I believe in. You work hard, you show up on time, you stay loyal to those who support you, you respect enemies and friends. That's my stance. By the way, I don't ever give up. Either you're in or you're out." said Isaac. "But what I fear most is, all the sacrifices I've made to try to not win anybody over, but just to try to... get people to believe, yes this is what he stands for. So many times, people say, 'Ahh, I-- I hate your character, but I totally respect you'. That is-- that's it. That's my legacy. That's what I want. I don't agree with you, but I respect you."

"You know, you remind me of one of those championship thoroughbred horses. One that's been running for a long, long time and it races and it wins. And it wins and the people, they just cheer for him! But one day, this championship horse, he starts to slow down. And that is when reality sets in. And now he finds himself not just looking for the next finish line. He is now sitting somewhere in the back of a barn laid out on a slab." said Starlight.

"You want to talk about what ifs? Let's talk about it. What if Starlight Glimmer would've been here 16 years ago? Hell, 3 years ago even. I'll tell you, you wouldn't have been a champion. You've wouldn't have been blessed by your idol. You wouldn't have retired Celestia and Luna. You wouldn't be on magazine covers; you wouldn't be in a shitty movie! If the powers that be hadn't had kept me out of Duel Monsters and CHS for so long, I would have all those accolades, and I, Starlight Glimmer, would be the face that runs this place!!" shouted the girl.

"SHUT UP!!!!" shouted Isaac as he slammed his fists on the table. "Enough, man! Your club isn't full of bullets, it's just full of bullshit!! Every single thing you've done, and I sit here and give you respect, and you waltz out, and whine, and bitch, and complain like every other single person before you entitled, thinking, 'It should've been me. It could've been me. I deserved that'. You didn't do it, chipmunk cheeks, but you're too stupid to see that you got a chance right in front of your face, to man up, knuckle up, and do it now!! So, you sign that and you prove me wrong. Or you sign that," Isaac then pointed at the right contract, "And you're not gonna need me to bury you, homes. Everybody here knows you're gonna bury yourself. We're gonna put your ass on a bullet train back to Sire's Hollow, cause apparently, you left your balls over there!!!"

And soon the final confrontation between Isaac and Starlight was upon the two teens as they engaged in a one hour ironman match with Isaac fighting against all odds that Starlight had against the boy as he came out the winner. And finally was the student's exams and the CMC's final mark of mastery as they all passed with flying colors; and then both prom night and graduation occurred as Isaac not only said goodbye to his friends, but his fear, his big fear that he was worried since he made the decision of going pro was finally taken off his shoulder.

"Just... don't ever forget wherever you go, I'm always there with you." said Twilight.

The girls assured him that they would never forget the boy and all he did for them, as it gave Isaac hope that maybe, just maybe, he would see them again. And so it came to end.

"Like we always say... it's your move!" said the whole group in unison.

The final image was of Isaac and Twilight on the field kneeling down together as they looked at one another. Isaac leaned in as it was reveal on what was said between the two.

"Twilight!"

"Isaac!"

"Twilight, remember what you said before? I'm always with you, too. I'll come back to you. I promise!" smiled the boy.

"I know you will!" said the girl.

Isaac then got up as his hand slipped out of Twilight's as she saw him walking away. Both were smiling as they couldn't wait to see the other and keep their promise to each other.

Author's Note

(Sniff) I'm not crying, you're crying. Oh man, what a chapter. Talk about an emotional wreck, the feels are there. And as good as it would be to end it right here, there's still one last epilogue to do, and more importantly, there's one final thing that needs to be taken care of for this story. And it's the one thing that's been building up since the story started. So, prepare yourselves for that.

Anyways, I'll let you guys explain how you felt with everything that went down.

Epilogue

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